Soccer Banter

UCL Predictions

On Saturday in London two German clubs and their supporters will invade Wembley in hopes of being crowned champions of Europe. It's only fitting that two German clubs will be playing in England in a year the overhyped Premier League clubs faltered in the Champions League. Soccer Banter spoke to three college coaches to get their opinions on which club will win the biggest club trophy in Europe. Continue Reading

EPL Winners & Losers

Another football season in England is over, even though there is a pointless post-season game this week in St.Louis between Oil Man and the Sheikh. Two of the biggest spenders in world football ready to install a new coach. It could be former Real Madrid Coach v former Real Madrid Coach when the two teams meet in the 2013-14 season. This past season has seen many strange things occur, but some of the same old things. For example – Manchester United winning the league, City ending up empty handed and Liverpool just being Liverpool – I wonder who is in those three envelopes. Strangely enough we have seen Wigan unable to escape a relegation fight, another Welsh team comes into the English Premier League, and in Scotland, Celtic won the league – that hasn’t happened in a while! Continue Reading

F.C. Porto: My Club, My Passion

Futebol Clube do Porto has been in both my head and heart for as long as I can remember. A club steeped in history and tradition with nearly one hundred and twenty years of existence. A club whose jersey is unmistakably recognizable and a club whose supporters live and die with each kick of the ball. A club that I love, a club that my father loves, my brother loves, and a club I hope one day my son will grow to love as well. Continue Reading

To Sir, With Love

Following Manchester United’s treble-winning campaign in 1999, cameras were allowed unprecedented access to the club the following season. ‘Manchester United: Beyond the Promised Land’ is a largely forgettable documentary, the access-all-areas schtick providing little in the way of memorable moments. There is, however, one notable exception.
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Q&A with Kate Deines

Imagine reaching your life-long dream of being drafted to play professional soccer and then in the next minute the league folds and your dream is ruined? Welcome to Kate Deines. After leading the University of Washington to three NCAA tournament bids, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2010, Deines was chosen by the Atlanta Beat in the 2012 WPS draft. Unfortunately the league ceased operations soon after, but Deines continued playing. First, with the Seattle Sounders of the W-League and then with Stjarnan FC in Iceland. With the launch of NWSL, Deines will finally see her dream come true as she signed as a free agent with the Seattle Reign. Follow Deines on twitter: @katedeines

Soccer Banter: With WPS folding you had to wait an extra year, but as a kid playing soccer did you ever dream of playing professional soccer in America? Continue Reading

Champions League Preview

To begin I will borrow from the proud German soccer magazine, Kicker, on what this Saturday’s Champions League Final means for German fussball. “In its 50th year, the Bundesliga will experience its finest day.” I suppose that could be a lot to live up to, but hyperbole aside, it is also the truth. Continue Reading

Off The Ball

1. In 1998 Michael Owen was able to accomplish the unthinkable – get a room full of Irishmen, in a Boston apartment to cheer for a player wearing the three lions shirt. Injuries have derailed his career and led to an early retirement, but there was a period of time when he was the best striker in the world. Continue Reading

SAF: The Art of Coaching

As his managerial journey comes to an end, it would not do Sir Alex Ferguson justice to write an article summarizing his strengths as a coach. There are so many to mention, they would be better suited to a book. Instead, I will focus on two key areas that I feel were essential to his reign at Manchester United and domination of English soccer for the past twenty years. I have chosen these specific skills because I believe they can be developed and are not a result of working with the best players or being exposed to the best facilities. Understanding Alex Ferguson’s methods of management can give us an indication of just what it takes to be successful in professional management. He has probably never had an easy day in all his time at Old Trafford. Dealing with superstars is just as much work as dealing with amateur players. But the more you look at his career, the more you realize it has never been about him. Instead, it has been about the players he has led and the impact he has had on them on and off the field. Continue Reading

Sky Blue FC Interviews

March 12th marked the start of the NWSL preseason with my team Sky Blue FC. Leading up to the last day, exactly a month later, every aspect was abnormal to a typical professional soccer preseason. From the weather... snow flurries, extreme wind, and freezing cold to sunny, 80 degree weather to finally an epic hailstorm to close out preseason. To the availability of players... our U.S. and Canadian national team players sporadically making appearances; our Mexican national team players finally arriving for the last week of preseason; to our Australian and college players slowly trickling into the New Jersey market. Continue Reading

January 2013 Archives

Quote of the Day

May 24, 2013

"It is always easy to be happy if you are successful, if you play finals, if you win titles. It is very easy to say I am happiest at the moment."

- Arjen Robben

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