Iniesta

A few years ago, I made a comment about a soccer player. It was about a player from Barcelona that I felt was one of the best players in soccer. A little midfielder. I’m sure everyone was assuming I was talking about Xavi. But it was the other midfielder that hasn’t been in the limelight until recently: Andres Iniesta. Continue reading Iniesta

A Beginner’s Guide to Following Euro 2012

If you’ve been checking ESPN, CNNSI or other sports related websites, you might have been reading random headlines or sections devoted to Euro 2012. If you don’t know, Euro 2012 is a major soccer tournament. And if you haven’t already figured out by now, it’s a tournament in Europe.

Euro 2012 is one of the largest sporting events in the world. It’s smaller than, say, the World Cup or the Olympics of course. Like the World Cup and the Olympics, it happens only once every four years, coincidentally the same year as the Olympics. People from all over Europe come to watch their country try to win that trophy and claim the title of “Best in Europe”. But the tournament itself attraction to an audience that expands beyond Europe, but mainly because soccer is the most popular sport in the world.

If this is your first time ever hearing about this tournament or you’ve heard about it before, this might be a great year to actual watch it. And for those of us in the United States, we’re in for a real treat, as ESPN will be showing all the games for the tournament. So if you haven’t watched soccer before, this is definitely a great opportunity to watch it. Here’s a guide to how to take it all in. Continue reading A Beginner’s Guide to Following Euro 2012

Final Thoughts on the 2010 World Cup

I managed to watch 105 out of the 120 minutes of the World Cup final live at a pub out in Bellevue on Sunday. The Spain/Netherlands game was definitely what I expected it to be. Grind-it-out, nerve-wracking final. I feel it was much better than the 2006 final, partly because (1) the team that I absolutely hate almost as much as the L*kers, Italy, won it in 2006 and (2) because it went to a penalty shootout, which I hate to see especially for a final since it’s so gut-wrenching.

But here’s just some of my  thoughts on the game itself… Continue reading Final Thoughts on the 2010 World Cup

Oranje vs. La Furia Roja

After 62 games played and 30 teams eliminated, we’re down to the last two teams remaining in the tournament: The Netherlands (Oranje) and Spain (La Furia Roja). To be honest, I think this is the match-up for the football purists. Two very solid squads with great passing abilities, great attacking options, and solid teamwork. Did I mention the fact that neither of these teams have won the World Cup either?

So it begs the questions: Who do you think is going to win it all?

Continue reading Oranje vs. La Furia Roja

The Suarez Play (And Other WC Thoughts)

So if you haven’t heard already, Uruguay made it into the semifinals, where they’re playing in less than 8 hours from now. However, how they got there is considered by some as “controversial”, others “unethical”, and few  as “what just happened, but absolutely genius and awesome”. I’ll explain exactly what happened, as well as other thoughts (in a different format than what I usually do).

Continue reading The Suarez Play (And Other WC Thoughts)