Euro 2016 Round of 16 Predictions:pt 2

Today I saw my Poland vs Switzerland prediction get pretty close to being 100% correct! It went into extra time like I thought it might and Poland came out with the win. Unfortunately for me and the 100% accuracy of my prediction, the game went into penalties. Wales didn't dominate Northern Ireland as much as I thought they would; they seemed put off being the team in the favorite role. Still, Bale and co. pulled out the win to advance to the quarter finals. Portugal vs Croatia was a game in which I predicted Croatia to win, and I really wanted them to beat Portugal. Ricardo Quaresma denied me of my dreams when he headed in the rebound off Ronaldo's shot in the 117th minute.  Hopefully Poland can give Portugal trouble in the quarterfinals.

"The Harder Side"

Germany vs Slovakia
As mentioned in my last post, one side of the knockout round bracket is seen as much easier than the other side. Germany takes on Slovakia in one of the matches on the so called harder side. Germany is the defending world champion and the Germans should be able to handle Slovakia. Slovakia is not a terrible team; they held England to a nil-nil draw and beat Russia 2-1. Slovakia and their star man Marek Hamsik will definitely put up a fight but in the end I think Germany just has too much power. Germany will advance to the quarter finals.

Italy vs Spain
Italy and Spain were the two teams in the finals at Euro 2012; one of them will be leaving after the round of 16 in this year's competition. This is an intriguing matchup to happen so early in the tournament. Spain has been on a decline since winning the Euros in 2012. They did not advance out of the group stage in the 2014 World Cup and got humiliated 5-1 by the Netherlands in the process of not advancing. But Spain are still Spain, and they have a lot of talent. Although Italy lost to Ireland 1-0 in their final group stage game, Italy already knew they were going to be first in the group so that game might not be the best reflection the Italian side. They did beat Belgium 2-0 and Sweden 1-0 in their first two games; Italy's defense is about as solid as anyone's in the tournament. The likes of Iniesta and David Silva will really have to work hard to get through Italy's back line. I have to pick Italy to win this one. It should be a pretty good game to watch and hopefully the Azzuri can pull out a victory.

France vs Ireland
As the host nation takes the pitch in Lyon tomorrow they will want to put in a dominate performance over Ireland. The Irish got a late winner from Robbie Brady against Italy to send them into the knockout rounds. I have always loved Ireland for some reason and I love supporting them in every match they play. I even have an Ireland jersey with my last name on the back. Unfortunately for me and the Irish the French team should win this game tomorrow. France let one or two of their starters rest in their last group stage match including their star man Dimitri Payet. These players should be rested and ready to play. Ireland could put up a little resistance but France will win the game.

Iceland vs England
I actually think this will be a good match. Iceland, despite only having a population of around 330,000, have proved they are not a bad side at all. Iceland tied Portugal and Hungary and THEN BEAT AUSTRIA! Iceland works together great as a team, they have a star man in Gylfi Sigurdsson, and their keeper is outstanding. England is having a typical England tournament. Lots of hype and expectations surrounded them when coming into the tournament and then they drew Russia, barely beat Wales, and drew Slovakia. Both teams have quality and this is a great matchup. I love Iceland, I was excited when I heard they qualified for the competition and I cheer wildly when I watch them play. This game is hard for me to call because my love for Iceland might be clouding my judgment. I think it will be close and it might depend on who Hodgson decides to play for England. This might not be my best prediction ever, but I have Iceland winning this one in a tight and thrilling match.

Thanks for reading! More to come!

Euro 2016 Round of 16 Predictions: pt 1

One day and just a year ago was the last time I posted on this blog. Yes that was a long time ago and blah blah blah. But now, I'm back and one of the most exciting competitions in football has been going on this summer in France. Euro 2016 kicked off 13 days ago as the host nation took the pitch at the Stade de France to play Romania. Dimitri Payet gave les bleus all 3 points with a stunning strike in the 89th minute. That set the tone for the tournament and now it is almost time for the knock out rounds.


"The Easier Side"




Switzerland vs Poland
One side of the knockout round bracket appears much easier than the other side; one side of the bracket holds many major championship winners while one side holds underdogs that could make a deep run into the tournament. The first game on the "easier" side is Poland vs Switzerland. This should actually be a pretty good game as both teams have some star power, and a good supporting cast to go along with players like Xhaka (who's having a great tournament) and Shaqiri for Switzerland, and Lewandowski and Blaszczykowski for Poland. Switzerland took Argentina deep into extra time two years ago in the World Cup before Di Maria broke Swiss hearts, and Poland could have beaten Germany in their group stage match this Euro tournament. This will be a close match and it could go deep into extra time; I have Poland pulling out a victory and advancing to the quarter finals.


Croatia vs Portugal
Portugal might be blessed that they finished third in their group and got thrown over to the easier side of the knockout bracket. The fact is, Portugal is not that great of team despite being ranked 8th in the world. Unfortunately for Ronaldo and Portugal, Croatia is no easy task. Croatia just beat Spain and that was without their star midfield man Luka Modric. Modric is not the only quality player Croatia has, Rakitic, the Barcelona midfielder, is no slouch and Perisic bagged the late winner against Spain. Mandzukic, the Juventus man, is another striking great striking option for Croatia. If Croatia has no distractions from their fans, Croatia should beat Portugal and move on to the next round.


Wales vs Northern Ireland
Wales was, and still is, my sleeper team to make deep run in the tournament. With the likes of Bale and Ramsey on their side with the supporting cast of Joe Allen (who played great against Russia), Neil Taylor and Joe Ledley, Wales is a great team. They play hard and finished first in their group, above England. After beating Russia convincingly, and pulling out a 2-1 win over Slovakia, Wales should handle Northern Ireland easily. Wales will advance to the quarter finals where they will either meet Belgium or Hungary.


Hungary vs Belgium
This is hard game to call. Hungary did not have many expectations, if any at all, coming into this tournament. They ended up winning Group F. They beat Austria handedly and played a great 3-3 draw with Portugal. Belgium, although being the 2nd ranked team in the world, did not convince me that they were a great team in the group stage. Belgium has always been a team, to me, that has great star power but doesn't play well together. For some reason I didn't catch as much action from Group E as I did the other groups. I just didn't watch as many minutes of Group E play, so I may not know enough about Belgium yet. Hungary vs Belgium should be an intriguing match, and for some reason I just have to go with my gut feeling: Hungary is going to win this match and advance to the quarter finals.


That wraps up my predictions for the so called "easier" side of bracket in the Euro 2016 knockout rounds. I'll try to have my predictions up for the other side as soon as I can! Thanks for reading and come back for more!

pressure on the host nation: Canada vs Switzerland

The Women's World Cup was very entertaining throughout the group stage and the knockout rounds have not disappointed either. Germany absolutely destroyed Sweden 4-1 to advance to the quarterfinals, China slipped past Cameroon 1-0, and yesterday Australia pulled off a major upset by beating Brazil 1-0.

Yesterday, all eyes in Canada were on the day's final match in Vancouver. Canada would take the field in front of a sold out BC Place to take on an exciting Swiss team. Almost everyone on the Fox Sports pregame show predicted Switzerland to pull out a win, but John Herdman and the Canadian national team had different ideas.

Before the tournament many people were excited to see what Canada's coach (from England) had to offer. Most people thought he had brought very good change to the Canadian side and maybe he had, but after just okay group play some people were starting to doubt if he was the right man for the job. I had not lost hope; to me he is the Brendan Rodgers of the women's game. He's a coach that most people are quick to criticize but most of the time I think he knows what he is doing. Before yesterday's game he made a few interesting changes from their previous match. In Canada's last match they drew the Netherlands 1-1 so it wasn't exactly a bad game. If he wins against Switzerland he will be seen as a hero for the changes he made, if he loses the Brendan Rodgerness will get worse.

Win is what he did. 53, 000 people witnessed Canada advance to the quarterfinals when Christine Sinclair, one of the best players to ever play the game, knocked the ball down off a cross to Josee Belanger who slotted it home. This was the only goal in the match and it sent Canada on to the next stage in the tournament. The Swiss had talent as well. The electrifying Ramona Bachmann gave the Canadian defense troubles at times but it just wasn't Switzerland's day.

Canada will either have Norway or England next, both very good opponents, but don't count the Canadians out. They have talent all over the field; they are ranked 8th in the world after all. West Virginia's 2 time Big 12 defensive player of the year Kadeisha Buchanan is about as solid as any other center back in the tournament. Christine Sinclair is of course one of the best players ever, and Belanger and Schmidt make up a great supporting cast.

Today England takes on Norway and the US plays Columbia, both should be great matches. Make sure to check them out.

USWNT vs Australia, Nigeria vs Sweden: the group of death did not disappoint

The Women's World Cup started in Canada on Saturday and yesterday the so called "group of death" of the tournament took to the field. The day in Winnipeg started off with a thrilling game between 5th ranked in the world Sweden and 33rd ranked Nigeria. Although Nigeria is ranked so low they are an exciting team to watch with a plethora of pace, strength and skill. The game was stretched from the very beginning with countless attacks from both teams. The first goal came off a Swedish corner when Nigeria's striker Oparanozie turned it into her own net. After this goal all the momentum seemed to be with Sweden. Eleven minutes after scoring their first goal Sweden tacked on another. After the 5th ranked team in the world got out to a 2-0 lead not many people thought Nigeria could come back, but the Nigerians came out firing in the second half. Two goals in three minutes, one from Okobi in the 50th and one from Oshoala in the 53rd, tied up the match. What a player Oshoala is for Nigeria. Last year she was player of the tournament in the under 20 world cup, yesterday her pace and strength caused Sweden fits. Her calm, composed finish was better than I have seen some Premier League players do in front of goal. If the Nigerian women's team is on FIFA 16 she at least has to be an 85! The game went back and forth once again as both teams tried to earn three points. Unfortunately for me, as I was pulling for the underdogs, Sweden scored another in the 60th to make it 3-2. It had to be over for Nigeria now. They continued to press though and had a few good chances, but they just couldn't tie it up... until the 87th minute when Francisca Ordega slotted it home for Nigeria! This tied the game 3-3 and that's the way it ended. If Nigeria really would've tried at the end they might have been able to get three points because Sweden was under siege, but after being down 2-0 and 3-2 the Nigerians were probably very happy with the draw. It will be interesting to see what Nigeria can do in their other games in the group of death. Finishing third place can possibly send you through to the knockout stage; hopefully they make it through because they are a very entertaining team to watch.

The second game of the day in group d(eath) was the United States vs Australia. This featured #2 (USA) vs #10(Australia) in the world. The US team is on a so called business trip (every member of the team filled out Business as their reason for travel on their customs form) in Canada as they feel they should've won the World Cup in 2011. There were giant expectations before the start of this match and the US really needed to play well to start their World Cup off on the right track. Alex Morgan hadn't played a game in a few months (due to injury) and was doubtful to start before the game, she didn't. As the tournament goes along she needs to get match fit as the USA will need her deeper into the Cup. With Morgan out, Wambach and Leroux made the start up top for the US. Wambach is a great veteran of the team and everyone knows what she will bring to the table. Leroux on the other hand still has some to prove in these big games, she got an assist in the match and her pace was hard for Australia to handle, so by the end of the match she proved to me that she is a quality player, even though I would like to see Morgan get back in the lineup.

Megan Rapinoe started the scoring off in the 12th minute for the United States when she took a shot that took a wicked deflection off an Australian defender; the shot hit the back of the Roo's net. After this goal the US did not take a dominant stance in the game, we let Australia keep attacking. Australia is ranked 10th in the world for a reason: they're good. So a goal from Lisa de Vanna in the 27th minute did not surprise me as our defense had been shaky throughout the first half. Hope Solo had kept is in the game but she had no chance of stopping de Vanna's perfect left-footed strike. The teams went into the half all tied up.

The US went up 2-1 in the second half from a goal by Christen Press. Press is classified as a striker but started the game in midfield. The move for her goal started with a nice ball over the top from Rapinoe to Sydney Leroux who took it down the wing with Walcott like pace. She slid the ball into the box to where Press had made the brilliant decision of stopping her run. Press then illustrated her striking skills by finishing the ball into the bottom right corner. Rapinoe added another to the US' tally when she hit a perfect shot with her left foot into the bottom corner when an Aussie defender just wouldn't put pressure on her in the 78th minute. Rapinoe had a great game scoring two goals and starting the move for the other. She is probably the best server of the ball on the squad, always teeing up the ball for Wambach's head. Speaking of Wambach, she didn't score a goal in the match and she had some opportunities. She's probably crazy mad at herself but she'll rebound in the upcoming games. Hope Solo was on top form making many important saves and Tobin Heath came into the game in the 68th minute: She's always an entertaining player to watch with loads of quality. After the US got a 3-1 lead Morgan got subbed into the game. It was good for her to get some minutes in early in the World Cup.

Right now France is taking on England in a fierce European rivalry, tune into Fox to see what should be a great match.

Juve vs Barca: Champions League final

It was an Italian Spanish final in Berlin; a youthful Barcelona squad took the pitch against an experienced Juventus team. Juventus had accomplished a lot just by making it to the finals while Barcelona came in fully expecting the win. Although most experts picked the Catalan giants to sweep the pitch with Juve, I had faith in the Old Lady from Turin. It was an entertaining game filled with a few bad calls, some very pretty passing and some wonderful skill on a warm night in the German capital. 

The game started quickly in terms of attacking. Juve pressured Barca hard and it forced Mascherano into an early error that gave the Italian giants a corner. But Juve's quick start was short lived: Rakitic put the ball into Gigi Buffon's net after a good run of passing started by Neymar. Announcers tried to pin this goal on Pirlo but it was not him who missed his runner. I think it was Vidal (but do not know) who let Iniesta run into a position where he could slide it over to the waiting Croatian. Vidal received a quick yellow after Barcelona's goal and he got crazier as the first half went along; he was asking for a second yellow.  After this shocking goal in the fourth minute, causing a huge swerve of momentum, Juve needed to get back in the match quick or else it might've turned into a real wopping! Luckily they did not give up and they kept pushing on. After Vidal finally settled down he showed his Chilean appetite for the game that Alexis Sanchez has showed for Arsenal all year. If those two got a chance to play with each other in North London next season that would be amazing for all Arsenal fans. 

The game went back and forth in the first half with both teams earning a chance every so often. The teams went into the locker rooms at half with Barca in the lead 1-0. Juventus came out firing in the second half! Pogba lit up the midfield and played a wonderful game, Tevez seemed to be everywhere up top, and Juve's excellent midfield was moving the ball around nicely. Runs were made by Evra and Lichtsteiner up the wings really giving Barcelona fits. The Juve goal came off a wonderful back heel by Marchisio that sent the ball into the path of the oncoming swiss right back Lichtsteiner who took a few dribbles and sent the ball along the ground to Carlos Tevez. Tevez spun and took a shot that deflected off Barca's keeper that fell to the waiting Morata who slotted it home! Morata has loved scoring of late especially against Spanish super clubs. This tied the game and now the Italian giants looked like they would score another! Barca's big three had different ideas. Lionel Messi, who didn't have a giant game today (he shies away in big games sometimes *cough cough World Cup Final*) dribbled past a few of Juve's players and fired a shot at Buffon's goal. Buffon parried it away but Luis Suarez ran onto the ball and put it into the back of Juventus' net. Buffon had an excellent game and this shot was hard to parry out of danger. I don't blame Buffon for this goal, I blame the defenders who couldn't shut down Messi on the initial shot.  

After this goal Juventus tried everything they could to tie the match up again, but after a couple of missed oppurtunites and a giant penalty shout by Paul Pogba it just wasn't going to happen for Juve. In stoppage time Barcelona tacked on another one by way of Neymar, but really the game was much closer than 3-1. The ref didn't seem to have the best game to me, he called a lot of fouls that shouldn't have been fouls and he let fouls go that should've been called. I'm not blaming Juve's loss on the ref but he certainly didn't do them any favors. Juventus looked very good attacking but had a few questionable moments in the back. They missed Chiellini just as much as Suarez did. If Chiellini would have been there the Serie A champions might have been more solid defensively and Suarez might've gotten a snack. 

In the early parts of the game when Messi tried to put skill moves on Pirlo they didn't work out very well for the Argentine. I just had to point that out because I love Pirlo and Messi isn't exactly my favorite player out there. After the match Pirlo and Xavi shared a "touching" moment by sharing a hug and exchanging a few words. It was definitely Xavi's last match for his club and possibly Pirlo's. It would be nice if Pirlo made his way over to the states to have a go in the MLS. 

Overall it was an entertaining final and it was a good ending match to Europe's club season. As we football fans go into the summer period we still have Euro qualifying and the women's world cup to look forward too It's been a great club football season. 

Premier Leagueish Stuff

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it has been a long time since I have even looked at this blog, let alone even tried to type a post. So like usual, a bunch of exciting events have happened in the football world since I last wrote.

The Premier league title battle is heating up once again, the once overly dominate Chelsea has slipped into some trouble as the overly rich Manchester City has decided they actually want to defend their title. With Yaya Toure back in the side, a revived City thrashed Newcastle 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium. Meanwhile... Chelsea tied Burnley at home 1-1! BURNLEY WENT TO THE BRIDGE AND GOT A POINT... WHAT? Chelsea did have a fierce midweek battle in the champions league with the French giants PSG, but with a bench as deep as the Mariana trench they should have been able to yield a side good enough to beat Burnley. Now City sits just five points back from Chelsea, they can smell blood.

For an Arsenal fan like me, the battle for fourth is always just as exciting as the battle for the title. HOW ABOUT THE GOONERS ending the weekend in 3rd? United lost to Jonjo Shelvey and the fighting Swans of Swansea 2-1 on Saturday while Southampton got bested by Liverpool 2-0 today. This leaves Arsenal in third and I'm glad, because for a few weeks I was really thinking we might, just might, not make the top four this season. There are more matches to be played though, so the battle for a spot in Europe is still very much a crazy race. Oh, and on the note of Jonjo Shelvey, I would like to say I've supported him since he played at Liverpool and I think he will become a great player. He always has an effect on the game, whether it is bad or good for his team, and he almost always has some great goal or assist.

The opposite end of the table is just as exciting as the top, or maybe more nerve racking than exciting... since the bottom three get sent back to the championship. My boys over in West London, QPR, have pulled themselves out the relegation zone for a split second. I hope they stay in the league for a long time because I've always supported them. QPR is tied with Burnley and Villa on points, but they have the better goal differential. While QPR, Villa and Burnley all have an okay chance to stay in the top flight of English Football, it's looking very bad for Leicester City. They have a shameful 18 points; it's a long way out of the relegation zone for them. City looked very promising at the start of their campaign but have since fallen. If Leicester does not start improving in a hurry, they will most definitely be gone from the EPL.

That's all for now! If I get the time to write more, make sure you come by and check it out.

Yedlin comes to North London

Right as I started writing again I realized that school was only a few days away, which means I could take another long break from posting on this blog. Hopefully I will have time to write every now and then.



I had to throw this in (Theodore P. Walcott)

Deandre Yedlin, before the World Cup not many people knew him. The Seattle Sounder right back was born and bred in the Emerald City (also home of great coffee). Yedlin was elected to the MLS all star team his first season in the league which was last year, so apparently some people already knew he had talent. He also just featured in the All Star game against Bayern Munich a few days ago. The only thing I really remember about Yedlin before the World Cup was his crazy hair style(s) he used to wear. Then that all changed in Brazil. Yedlin went from being MLS All Star quality to top flight European League quality. He electrified US crowds with fiery pace down the right wing and didn't do too bad defending. Once he got back to the USA rumors were already flying around him. Roma seemed to be the front runner for awhile but just the other day he didn't play for Seattle against Houston, where had he been? The great North London (its just great because of Arsenal by the way).



Dat hair doe (Deandre Yedlin)

Unfortunately he wasn't there for Arsenal, he was there for our cross town rivals, Tottenham. The Spuds, oops Spurs, were rumored for the past week or so to be looking at Yedlin. Yedlin has officially signed with Tottenham but will not join them until the 2015/16 season. I think he will join them as soon as the MLS season is over because as that is phrased "2015/16 season" means next August, which cant be right. But that's the way everyone is saying it, or at least the Daily Mail.

When I was in Seattle earlier this summer I actually got to see Yedlin play against Seattle's biggest rivals: the Portland Timbers. Clint Dempsey also started in that game and scored (Seattle won 2-0). Ever since Yedlin got his first minutes in the World Cup I knew he was a good player, he's been one of my favorites ever since. Now whenever he takes the pitch for the Spuds I'll have to root against him, so I better enjoy his play at Seattle while I can.

Come back and read more in the following days as I hope to post Premier League Predictions and Best and Worst Jerseys for the 2014/15 Season!