Thoughts from a Cup-filled Weekend: FA Cup Round Three

photo by Matthew Wilkinson	via PhotoRee

Thoughts from a Cup-filled weekend:

o If you dropped in from outerspace, or were watching, say, from the United States, it may have been difficult to tell which was the top flight team when Newcastle fell to Gus Poyet's Brighton Hove and Albion on Saturday. Then again, if the Magpies keep up their current form, the two squads may be playing each other again next year -- twice -- in the Championship.

o Somehow the all-Premier League ties just don't carry the same type of "magic" as the David vs. Goliath contests.  No doubt West Ham vs. United was an excellent game -- how could you not admire Joe Cole's inspiring return to where his career began, and Robin Van Persie's artful catch and release in stoppage time -- but for our money we'd much rather be watching Liverpool vs Mansfield Town any day of the week, especially when the "bigger" team has to travel to the smaller side's ground.

o And speaking of Liverpool vs Mansfield Town, did you take a look at that pitch?  That's what this FA Cup thing is all about.  That pitch was pure goat patch, and Liverpool had to go in there and make the best of it.  Tiny Mansfield almost pulled off the upset of the round, but a helping hand from Liverpool's Uruguayan superstar was enough to see off the Stags and put the Reds through to the next round.

o Of all the parties involved in the latest Suarez brouhaha, however, it was ESPN which managed to embarass themselves the most -- quite a feat, this, given that both Luis Suarez and the Liverpool FC press office were involved.  After ESPN commentator Jon Champion  branded Suarez' latest piece of handiwork "illegal," "nefarious," and the "work of a cheat," the political correctness police pressured ESPN into disciplining their announcer for offering his forthright opinion on the matter.  Compounding their error, ESPN then went on to extol their right to free speech, as follows: 

"We take our responsibility to deliver the highest standards of coverage to our viewers," said an ESPN spokesman. "ESPN's editorial policy is for commentators to be unbiased and honest, to call things as they see them (italics added). Inevitably this can involve treading a fine line on occasion, especially in the heat of the moment."

o To which we say, we guess you can call 'em as you see 'em, as long as you're not being critical of Liverpool FC.  

Pedestrian Crossing: More Thoughts on Euro 2012

photo by iboy_daniel	via PhotoRee

The Euro express rolls on:

o Although they won on Wednesday, Portugal looked rather pedestrian for the supposed 7th best team in the world. If not for Silvestre Varela's 87th minute strike, the European papers would have been sharpening their knives on the stunningly poor effort turned in by Cristiano Ronaldo. Instead, Varela saved his compatriot's bacon with a world class winner.

o Although Twitter was filled in the game's aftermath with regular fans and even media types lining up to label the game a classic -- due to the Dane's fight back from 2-nil and then the late Varela winner -- in truth the contest was anything but classic to my eyes.  Filled by long portions of ugly and thoroughly uninspiring football, the game was punctuated by two brief periods in which multiple goals were scored, leading to a score line that made the game seem more exciting than it actually was. Here's an important lesson for you: don't confuse close final scores with "classic" games. This one was rather ugly, plain and simple.

o For all of their supposed "superstars" -- Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, Raul Meireles and Pepe among them -- Portugal has never struck me as a great team. If I remember correctly, they barely made the last World Cup, and -- including yesterday's narrow victory -- they've done nothing in Euro 2012 to disabuse me of my opinion.

o Ronaldo looks as if the weight of the world is hanging on his slight shoulders. Every shanked shot or lost ball was met with hands in the air or that faraway wistful look. His complete and utter bollocksing of a virtual empty netter in the game's 78th minute made it look as if the ghost of Fernando Torres was possessing the Real Madrid man's body.

o On the other hand, Michael Ballack is having a much better tournament, albeit off the pitch in his role as a commentator for ESPN.   The Leverkusen man is growing on me -- he's not afraid to speak his mind, in contrast to many other athletes who toe the politically correct line.  Acting like Johnny Miller, Ballack -- seemingly having found his feet while calling England's win on Monday "ugly" -- is a breathe of fresh air on the airwaves, and I would rather listen to him for days at a time than have to hear another second of Alexi Lalas.

Rocky Mountain High

photo by Muffet	via PhotoRee

farlieonfootie reporting from a recent visit to frigid Toronto, Canada, where he attended the fifteenth edition of the MLS Cup, as the championship of Major League Soccer was decided before an underwhelming international audience:


BMO Field / Toronto, Canada / November 21

• It's FC Dallas vs. the Colorado Rapids in the MLS Cup Final from Toronto. Toronto, you ask?  Why in the world is the MLS Cup being played in Canada in November? Good questions, as it looks pretty darn cold and windy up in the Great White North tonight. This location was cooked up by the same geniuses who thought the Super Bowl should be played in New York rather than Miami. Steve McManaman looked frozen, as well as VERY orange, as his makeup man used WAY too much orange blush. McManaman looked like an Oompa Loompa.

• You know you're in trouble when the announcers speak about the two teams in the game being "not the sexiest" sides in the League, and hope that the winner can become "relevant in their home market" if they win.

• I will say I am suitably impressed by ESPN's production values, with the network employing both Ian Darke and McManaman in live roles, shuttling them over the pond from their typical English locales. It's yet another sign of ESPN's total commitment to the sport, in an effort to capitalize on the momentum generated in the US by the World Cup. My only request?  Please ditch Alexi Lalas; he's about as good an announcer as he was a player, and that's not saying much.