August 2013
Premier League Preview
The summer transfer window has closed. The September World Cup qualifying matches have been completed. The focus now turns back to the Premier League with many questions to be answered over the next nine months: Who will be crowned champion? Which teams will be relegated? Which teams will finish in the top four? Which summer transfer will be the best? All these questions and others were answered by a variety of soccer people in the United States. Check back all week for updated interviews.
Steve Coxon - CFC Azul President Jeremy Melul - Jogabo CEO & Co-founder Jim McGirr - Providence College Women's Soccer Coach Elie Monteiro - UMass Lowell Women's Soccer Coach Brian Tompkins - Yale University Men's Soccer Head Coach Lee Billiard - Boston Breakers General Manager USWNT: I'm Hooked
July of 2011, I happened upon the U.S. World Cup match against Colombia. Never before had I seen these women play together, and from that game onwards I was hooked. They all had something great to offer, but those who initially stood out to me were Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe. Though I’d seen several soccer games in my life, I had never seen anyone take the field quite like these two. It was as if getting the ball from Colombia players was a life or death deal. Wambach was on fire when she charged towards possible goals, scaring those in her path. If she was afraid of making mistakes, I didn’t see it. Rapinoe had the same attitude and scored her first World Cup goal as a substitute for Amy Rodriguez, along with a famous singing-into-the-sports-microphone goal celebration at the same time. Continue Reading
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#SoccerParentProblems
First scrimmage of the year. My daughters starting her junior year playing soccer in college. This is “Our” year, since we had 10 seniors graduate and I can feel my kid is going to finally get her time on the field this year rather than the bench. Now we will win…I hope…I start to panic, how do I handle this when I’ve blamed every loss the last two years on account of my kid not being on the field? Over the last two years when my kid has the ball, I say carry it. When someone else has it, I yell get it up front quickly. When the balls on the opposite side, I yell “switch it”. When my kid comes in off the bench no matter what’s going on I say, “They look good now, nice touches, moving the ball nicely, great speed of play”. I got it, I’ll just go back to blaming the coach!! Brilliant!!! For starters I’ll go with old reliable, “Really?! One forward? We have no offense to begin with! She can't do it alone!". Or: "Fitness is a problem on this team...it's like we're playing kickball...". And: "Lots of new girls! Going to take a few games to get used to playing together." Oh I can do this, I’ve heard every argument and excuse over the last ten years. How and when did I get so good at this excuse game??? Let me reminisce.
Continue Reading The Football Sartorialist
Like it or not, the ‘Banter is ready to pass judgment on the sartorial landscape of the 2013/14 Premiership once again. As always, and in keeping with the spirit of the greatest sporting league on the planet, there are winners and losers. In fact, were you to rank the best and worst-dressed teams this year you would, with a few exceptions, come out with a fairly accurate depiction of the final table in April 2014. Are we making assumptions? Of course we are.
All together now…Continue Reading |