Well, as Homey mentioned yesterday, I'm back here blogging hopefully pretty regularly. And first
up is our 3rd Round FA Cup tie with Leeds at the Emirates tomorrow:
As you probably remember, we actually played Leeds in the same round of the FA Cup. Some
brilliant, no doubt dashingly handsome blogger wrote a preview of that match, and wrote as
follows:
Leeds, of course, are one of the traditional big footballing clubs –they've won the first
division 3 times, most recently in 1992, reached 4 FA Cup finals in a span of 8 years in the late
60s and early 70s.
Sunderland may not be in trophy-winning form this season, but their victory in the
always-eventful 'sack race' may prove to be a blessing in disguise.
After looking tame and lacking confidence for much of this campaign under Steve Bruce, with a
paltry 11 points from 14 matches their return, new club chairman Ellis Short felt the club needed
to go in a new direction.
La 28va edición de la Copa Africana de Naciones se está disputando desde el 21 de enero y hasta
el 12 de febrero en Gabón y Guinea Ecuatorial.
En este torneo resaltan las ausencias de Egipto, Camerún, Nigeria, Sudáfrica y Argelia, cinco
grandes del fútbol continental. Fueron las Eliminatorias más sorprendentes de la historia.
Tonight there will be held the longest running US soccer tradition, the US Open Cup Final.
Almost 100 years of soccer tradition and almost no one knows about it or even cares. I really
started thinking about the US open cup because of the fact that a lot of supporters from our hated
rival like to point out that they have won the thing twice now and are in the final tonight.
photo by Michael Long
Game Time: 4 pm Saturday
TV: Comcast Sports Network
The Philadelphia Indpendence is back in the WPS Final for the second time in only their second
year of existence. After dropping last year's final 4-0 to FC Gold Pride, this year's motto has
been "unfinished business".
Por Gastón del Torto / @g_deltorto
Que cerca estuvo. Tal vez demasiado y suficiente como para menospreciar el momento.
Increíblemente, el seleccionado argentino Sub 20 perdió por penales, 5-4 contra Portugal, en el
partido correspondiente a los cuartos del Mundial de Colombia 2011, hoy en la ciudad de Cartagena.
What's there to say about this meaningless game, @The Cathedral of Football, except that I really
wasn't much into it. We were treated to a great fanzone experience outside, with a few RBNY players
on hand. There were BMX and freestyle displays and lots of stuff for kids to enjoy. Inside, we were
treated to skydivers & fireworks.
The champion of South America will be crowned today as Uruguay and Paraguay face off in the Copa
America Final, the marquee match on today's soccer schedule.
It is a light day on the schedule, but most looking for action will tune in to see if Luis
Suarez and Diego Forlan can help Uruguay break down the defensive-minded Paraguayans.
Istanbul court jailed today Besiktas vice-president Serdal Adali and Besiktas current coach
Tayfur Havutcu, in the match -fixing scandal in Turkey.
Turkish cup final between Besiktas and IBB (Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyespor) is one of 19 games
highlighted in the police investigation.
Con alma, coraje buen futbol y una espectacular voltereta, México refrendó el título de la Copa
Oro 2011, tras derrotar en la final 4-2 a Estados Unidos, en espectacular partido disputado en el
Rose Bowl, que registró un lleno.
Los goles del triunfo fueron obra de Pablo Barrera, en dos ocasiones a los minutos 28 y 49, Andrés
Guardado (35) y de Giovani dos Santos (75).
Bob Florez, Spring 2011 Official of the Year (Class 2 Sectional)
The regional voting by area Soccer Coaches is complete and their Spring 2011 Officiating
recognition is complete.
Southwest Missouri Girls Soccer Official of the Year – Spring 2011: Bob
Florez
Runners Up: Courtney Wendel and Patrick Burns
Courtney Wendel and Patrick Burns were both recognized by MSHSAA this year as well, working the
Final 4 in early June.
Cooper, Springfield SC 96/97
UPDATE All games Tuesday canceled due to rain and field conditions. Moved to same time Wednesday,
A pair of finals in U17 Girls and U19 Boys that each feature individual Springfield players
(Molly Brewer and Skyler Russell) while Springfield SC has four teams (14, 15, 17, 18) in the
Quarterfinals and one in a semifinal (16).
México dio vuelta el marcador y se impuso 4-2 sobre Estados Unidos y conquistó por sexta vez la
Copa de Oro de la Concacaf. La undécima edición del máximo torneo de selecciones organizado por
la Confederación de Fútbol Asociación de Norte, Centroamérica y el Caribe se disputó en 13
estadios de los Estados Unidos.
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish is considering bidding for Sunderland's £10 million-rated
midfielder Lee Cattermole.
Dalglish is keen to bolster his midfield with young English talent and is an admirer of both
Cattermole and his Sunderland team-mate Jordan Henderson, who is valued at £14 million.
The Class 1 Final 4 will open on Friday morning with an 11:00 am match between St Vincent and
Orchard Farm. The Springfield Catholic girls will take the field to defend their State Title at
1:00 pm on Friday, opening with a semifinal against Kansas City-based Pembroke Hill. I'm picking St
Vincent to advance to their second Final in three years where they will fall to Catholic for the
second year in a row.
Emily Cline, Glendale Falcons (2011) at 2009 Semifinal vs IWA
The Class 3 playoffs will open Friday at 5:00 pm with a St Louis semifinal between Incarnate Word
and Ursuline Academy. The Glendale Falcons will then take on the defending State Champion Liberty
Jays at 7:00 pm. It should be a pretty good weekend with three of the teams ranked in the ESPN Rise
Powerade Fab 50 including #10 Liberty, #43 Incarnate Word and #47 Ursuline.
Alix Opfer, Glendale Falcons (2012)
The Falcon's are in Columbia today for their Quarterfinal match against the Rock Bridge Bruins. The
Falcon's only loss this season came at the hands of the Bruins, when the teams met earlier this
year in the 2nd round of the Kickapoo Shootout. Rock Bridge won 3-2 before falling to Nixa in OT of
the Championship game.
Ashleigh Paschel, Camdenton Lakers (2012)
A trio of Ozark Conference squads are playing in Class 3 Sectional matches today. The winners of
their respective games will advance to play each other in the Quarterfinal game this Saturday.
Camdenton travels to Columbia while Glendale will host Parkview.
The only remaining District game on the calendar, Camdenton hosts Waynesville today
District 10: at Camdenton, 2:00 pm SATURDAY (changed)
#1 Camdenton Lakers -
#3 Waynesville Tigers -
Sectional Playoffs
are Tuesday May 24th and will feature the following games, with two teams reaching the Final 4
Rock Bridge
Camdenton/Waynesville
Glendale
Parkview
Lee's Summit West
Lee's Summit North
Park Hill South -
Liberty Jays
We'll know three of the four Sectional teams vying for a single spot in the State Final 4 by the
end of the evening. The fourth slot will be determined tomorrow when Glendale and Nixa play. Note
that there may be a time change on that game to try and avoid weather issues.
District 10 Final: at Camdenton, 5:00 pm
#1 Camdenton Lakers -
#3 Waynesville Tigers
Rance Burger of the Lake Sun News offers a nice preview of the Lakers who return to the District
Title game for the first time in 11 years.
The fourth, and final, team will be determined in the race for a spot in the State Final 4
tournament tonight. The defending champion Southern Boone Eagles host tonight.
C1 D9 Final: in Ashland
#1 Southern Boone Eagles -
#2 Fatima Comets -
The winner will host the Sectional game against St Paul Lutheran on Tuesday, May 24th.
Crocker Lions, Senior Boys Fall 2010
A trio of boys, all part of the Crocker Lions squad that reached the Final 4 as freshman in 2008
(Catholic's first year as a boys program when New Covenant won the District and lost in the
Quarterfinal to Crocker) will continue their careers for Missouri-based schools.
Final week of the regular season. All of the seeding for District play should be done although
it hasn't been posted to the MSHSAA website. Glendale can capture the Ozark Conference title with
wins at Waynesville tonight and against Kickapoo on Wednesday.
4:00 pm at Parkview
Parkview Vikings -
Neosho Wildcats -
4:30 pm at Nixa
Nixa Eagles -
Joplin Eagles -
5:00 pm at Stover, Varsity only
Stover -
Osage
5:00 pm
Hillcrest Hornets -
Central Bulldogs -
5:00 pm at Jeff City
Jefferson City Jays -
Kickapoo Chiefs
These two teams are both seeded #2 in their respective Districts.
Columbia Rock Bridge Bruins, 2010 Quarterfinal winners
The Bruins, who reached the Final 4 last season, grabbed the top seed yet again in District 9. They
are coming off a 3-0 win over Hickman that featured a new freshman midfielder in Laurie Frew. The
Bruins face Cor Jesu this evening, a team like themselves that received one vote in the recent
Class 3 State Poll.
Kristin Miller (Nixa 2011) punches the ball past Anna Alioto (RB 2012)
The Eagles head North today for a tournament weekend in Columbia, hosted by the Hickman Kewpies and
Rock Bridge Bruins. They open with Class 1 Pembroke Hill, a team likely to represent KC in the
Final 4 where they would meet Catholic.
Tasha Ugbah, West Plains Zizzers takes on Greenwood player
UPDATE: Fields are wet, but everything should be on schedule today for the Lady Zizzer Soccer
Classic The annual tournament opens Friday at lunch for the eight teams participating. The
favorites should be Notre Dame from St Louis, a program ranked the #5 Small School in St Louis.
Faltering Whites finally run out of steam?
After yet another disappointing display today Leeds United have won just one of their last six
games heading into the final 4 games of the season. At the minute they are playing like a team
threatened with relegation rather than one destined for the premier league.
The first poll of the season is out. Let's take a look...
In Class 1, Springfield Catholic is firmly at the top of the initial poll with 9 first place
votes. Greenwood finished just outside the Top 10 as well.
In Class 2, Harrisonville received votes. The Wildcats are defending District champions and will
fight Warrensburg and Bolivar in District 12 this year.
Portugal could have 3 of the Final 4
One of my favorite topics is this esoteric argument of the Champions League vs. the Europa League.
I've written before that while yes the talent and glamour of the Champions League outclasses the
former UEFA Cup, I say the level of competition is better in the Europa League.
Earlier this week, we published our 2011 international tournament calendar for the national
teams. Biggest take-home message from this list: April and May are insanely busy, with continental
matches almost every day. Here is the same for the clubs all the known dates for the biggest club
tournaments in 2011.
Leeds United
Position: 5th (Championship), 11-8-7 (41 points, +3 goal differential)
Away Form: 5-5-3 (+2 goal differential)
Recent Form: WDDDL
Well, we kick off our FA Cup campaign tomorrow as we host Leeds United in what could be a
deceptively tricky fixture.
