Nabisco Cup final, Kawasaki Frontale vs. FC Tokyo, November 3rd 2009.

Photo credit: dillo-h.com on Flickr, via the Pitch Invasion Photo Pool.

Related posts:

1. Photo Daily: Kawasaki Frontale Tifo Big flags and little flags in the Asian Champions League.

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If the Copa del Rey is played, but hardly anyone cares about it, did it really happen? To say that some of the La Liga teams think of the cup as a nuisance would be quite an understatement. With the overloaded fixture list consisting of European and domestic matches, the Copa del Rey is near the bottom of the top teams' priorities.

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The ever troubled French national team will be facing the Faroe Islands @ Guingamp, the 2009 winner of the Coupe de France and "birthplace" of the current Chelsea partnership of Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda. The match should be a formality but even with a win against Austria at Stade de France on Wednesday , it will take a miracle to see France finish first of group 7 and qualify directly for the World Cup. Click to continue reading...

France's Champions Trophy took place with some success in French Canada a couple of weeks ago, the regular preseason contest between the French league and cup winners held outside France for the first time. Most of the impressive crowd of 34,000+ present in Montreal would have instantly recognised the winners Bordeaux, of course, but their opponents may have been less familiar to fans when they first read about the contest En Avant Guingamp are hardly a household name around the world, after all.

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Les Girondins stock is incredibly high because Laurent Blanc whose footballing IQ must make him the Albert Einstein of the sport has fashioned a team in which "eleven players think the same thing at the same time."

The French Ligue threw up so many surprises last season. Lyon's uninterrupted reign was finally ended and Guingamp won the Coupe De France.

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L'Équipe is reporting that American international Charlie Davies is headed to FC Sochaux. The Hammarby striker has played in both the Confederations Cup and the Gold Cup this summer, with his participation in the latter hinting that his time in the Allsvenskan was done. Davies, who left Boston College for Sweden following his junior year, drew some interest from clubs around Europe after he scored 14 goals in 27 league appearances last season.

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I have been a big supporter of this lovely tournament ever since I saw the old Thomas R. Dewer Cup being surrounded by DC United in a MLS Merchandize catalog back in 1997. Just getting into the sport you always knew about the league and the Cup playoffs, but never about the US Open Cup till someone informed me what it's about.

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Just as the football season around Europe is finishing, let's take a look at the cup winners and newly crowned league champions of some of the major European leagues which have been decided. A short recap of those leagues which are yet to be decided will also have a special mention.
England
Premier League Champions: Manchester United 90pts
Carling Cup Winners: Manchester United
FA Cup: Chelsea vs. Click to continue reading...

Lots of games this Wednesday, so stay tuned as leagues around Europe go down to the wire.

• In Scotland, Maurice Edu and Rangers will look to leapfrog Celtic in the top spot. Celtic won yesterday, but Rangers can go back to the summit of the table with a win against Hibs today.
• Borussia Mönchengladbach escaped the relegation zone on Saturday with a win against Schalke.

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Ladies & Gentlemen, do we have a World Football Team Of The Week for you all. I guarantee that this team deserved the honor & stunned a nation. Remember that the World Cup Buzz Team Of The Week made headlines and/or played matches during the calendar week of May 4 - May 10. The winner is:

EN AVANT DE GUINGAMP (FRA)
On Saturday, the Ligue 2 side pulled off a historic result by defeating Ligue 1 Rennes in the 2009 Coupe de France final.

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It was a busy weekend for Americans Abroad with Oguchi Onyewu and Carlos Bocanegra scoring goals for their respective clubs. Tim Howard earned another clean sheet while Clint Dempsey and Fulham defeated Brad Friedel and Aston Villa. Maurice Edu played for Rangers in the "Old Firm" as they defeated Celtic, and Zak Whitbread played for Millwall who's in the English League One promotion playoffs.

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by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

Goals for a pair of national team starters, coupled with a key victory for the team of another starter, made the past weekend a memorable one for Americans Abroad.

With the Coupe de France up for grabs, Carlos Bocanegra gave Rennes a lead this weekend when he got on the end of a free kick from the right side in the 70th minute.

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Remember a couple of weeks ago, when I was heartbroken about the 4-0 thrashing Bordeaux laid down on little Cinderella team Vannes? And I was lamenting the fact that we rarely get the happy Cinderella ending we hope for? I am cheerfully eating my words today after Guingamp took down Ligue [...] Click to continue reading...

Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes were denied their first trophy in 38 years, losing 2-1 to Guingamp in a dramatic Coupe de France final. Bocanegra headed Rennes in front at the Stade de France, after he got on the end of a freekick midway through the second half. But lower division Guingamp did not give up, with Eduardo grabbing two goals in the space of 11 minutes to turn the tide. Click to continue reading...

In the run-up to his club team Rennes' Coupe de France final on Saturday, US captain Carlos Bocanegra was asked about the National Team. "We have a dynamic coach, the players are friends off the pitch so we know each other well," Bocanegra told the Press Association. "That shows in our performances on the pitch. Click to continue reading...

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by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

While this weekend's slate of games contains several Americans in action, the two most intriguing fixtures involving Americans Abroad come on Saturday when Carlos Bocanegra and Maurice Edu play in what will arguably be the biggest matches of their club careers.

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On Saturday, Carlos Bocanegra's Rennes play second division Guingamp in the Coupe de France final. "This is one of the biggest games of my club career," Bocanegra said. "I had a few big championship games in Major League Soccer. But over here in Europe, it is definitely up there with the most important. Click to continue reading...

Defender Carlos Bocanegra helped lead his Rennes side to the final of the Coupe de France for the first time in 38 years with a 1-0 victory over Grenoble on Tuesday.
The Rest Click to continue reading...

Justin Paul tells us about some lesser known Cup competitions & leagues in Europe that are quickly building to their seasonal conclusions, and teaches us a few cultural things along the way.
Let's begin with the Coupe de France shall we, the Rennes-Guingamp final-- this will be an all-Brittany match up and should be a lot of fun. Click to continue reading...

Just days after compatriot Tim Howard advanced to a Cup final, Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes did the same in France. Rennes advanced to the Coupe de France final with a 1-0 victory against Grenoble. Moussa Sow's header in the first half proved to be the difference, while Bocanegra played 90 minutes at center back (not his customary position during his first season in france in France). Click to continue reading...

Carlos Bocanegra will join Tim Howard as Americans Abroad playing in domestic Cup finals, and Marcus Hahnemann's Reading climb up the table in England's Championship. Coupe de France Grenoble 0 - Stade Rennes 1 Carlos Bocanegra started for Rennes who advanced to the French Cup final courtesy of Moussa Sow's goal in the 20th minute. Click to continue reading...

Checking the schedule today -- let's see, a couple of lower-division games, Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes are in the Coupe de France semifinals (possibly their best route to the Europa Cup at this point), Copa Libertadores tonight and ... whoa, what's this?
Liverpool-Arsenal, 3 p. Click to continue reading...

"I am not the coach but it's true that with all those changes we sometimes find it difficult to get our bearings... It would be a catastrophe of the prospect of Lyon not winning an eighth consecutive title."

Those words, by Lyon ace Karim Benzema, adequately describe the club's state of mind.

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The Champions League gets the pub and the UEFA Cup the scraps, but domestic cup competitions, often seen as mere afterthoughts, provide some of the best action around. Big clubs send out watered down teams and little clubs send out eleven of their finest playing as though it's a Champions League final - mostly because [. Click to continue reading...

Sorry that this match preview is so late, but better late than never, right?

Anyway, today Lyon play the first of their two back to back matches against Lyon's satellite club Lille. Since we're already out of the Coupe de la Ligue, have a real race for the championship, and are major underdogs for even progressing to the next round in the Champions League.

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Since I've already written a preview for this match that was supposed to have taken place two weeks ago, I'm going to skip regurgitating all that information and just direct you here.

January 24th, 2008 (postponed from January 3rd)
Stade du Roudourou, Guingamp
9 AM ET (15:00 CET, 14:00 GMT)

Not much has changed except the composition of the squad.

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