tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17008628412972788032024-03-05T11:42:40.878-08:00Football Saves All!"Whoever invented soccer should be worshipped as a God."~ UnknownMike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.comBlogger171125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-88240697995467014762011-09-03T10:59:00.000-07:002011-09-03T11:00:08.344-07:00Ooh Ah Canada! A 4-1 win over St.Luca to help calm the nervesFor those for those of you who live in Toronto and did not attend the Canadian Men's National Team's (CMNT) 4-1 victory last night against St.Lucia, you missed a special evening. The stadium was not at capacity, but if you were standing outside BMO you would have thought it was ram packed. The atmosphere from the Canadian supporters in the south end was absolutely amazing. Last Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-1542722778245273562011-09-01T17:02:00.000-07:002011-09-01T17:02:26.818-07:005 really good transfers that flew under the radarIt's always interesting to step back and look at the business clubs made at the end of the busy summer transfer window. The high priced, star laden transfers always get the attention, however it's always good to look further down the transfer list and find those potential diamonds in the rough. Who knew that after his low cost 6 million pound move, Javier Hernandez would turn out the Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-64041196063801087482011-08-31T18:06:00.000-07:002011-08-31T18:06:22.804-07:00Full Transfer Lists
Hargreaves to Man city...Will he be able to show his fitness as the 7th best midfielder?
I'll have some reactions to transfer deadline day, as I like a few moves but not others.
I've added a full transfer list courtesy of Goal.com. You can filter by league. Enjoy!
Cheers,
Mike
Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-1573422284203132202011-08-29T18:42:00.000-07:002011-08-29T18:42:34.230-07:00The plight of the TFC supporterIn the 75th minute you could feel the anxiety in the air, the sense of ininevitability that 1-0 just wasn't enough.
At the 85th minute Saturday night you could have come up with about 100 different cliches to describe TFC's capitulation of its slender one goal lead. Granted TFC were robbed of a goal as Joao Plata was clearly onside when he seemingly put the Reds two up.
By the 90th minute Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-4036524618077259132011-08-23T19:08:00.000-07:002011-08-23T19:08:09.699-07:00Is Jose losing the plot?When football supporters think about the El Classico many envision football being played at its highest level. Wonderful passing, excellent tactics, and intense play. Last season the age long Barcelona v Real Madrid derby had a new dimension added to it with the appointment of the "special one" José Mourinho as Madrid manager. His tactical ability having beaten Barca in the previous year's Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-57626939783820925212011-08-15T17:53:00.000-07:002011-08-15T17:53:35.803-07:00What August means...an ode to footballThe start of a new European club season always brings about a sense of renewal and excitement that is rarely rivialed in world sport. Fans forget the bickering over match fixing allegations, the wild and ridiculous transfer rumors, the long some time painful to watch overseas tours and just get down to watching their club for the next 9 months. The glitter than comes with watching the big Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-22032237459847504502011-08-02T18:34:00.000-07:002011-08-02T18:35:17.788-07:00The look of love: A case for F.C BarcelonaThey say love is fleeting and this may well be true but do you remember that feeling? That certain sense of excitement and fear? Like the beautiful painting you can't help but stare at for hours on end. The beauty I'm about describe is not of paint on canvass, but of sweat and skill on pitches lush and green. Of course I'm sugaring my word for dramatic effect, however football does provide its Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-325870881202357672011-07-28T08:57:00.000-07:002011-07-28T08:57:39.690-07:00More Brazilian Magic: NeymarHe might have struggled a bit under the spotlights of Copa America earlier this month for his native Brazil, but Neymar is still the boy wonder of the moment. I submit this goal from is first game back at club side Santos as evidence.
Enjoy!
P.S: The announcer is just as entertaining.
Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-48059928456614109332011-07-28T08:45:00.000-07:002011-07-28T08:45:36.137-07:00FIFA and Ethics are like Oil and WaterOver the past few months those of us immersed in the football world have been collectively shaking our heads, disbelief etched on our faces as FIFA's credibility has been eroded by vote buying scandals and a general lack of ethics. We, at least those of us who chose to open our eyes, have known for quite sometime that FIFA was dodgy. We knew that there were things behind the Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-42243659880886577402011-07-19T18:11:00.000-07:002011-07-19T18:11:56.440-07:00The Ladies lead the way
Japan lift their first Women's Wold Cup trophy
"I wasn't really a fan before the world cup, in fact I didn't really think of it at all. But after today I'm in!" ~ Random guy at the Football Factory bar in TorontoSunday's epic Women's World Cup final between the United States and Japan was on of the best played, and most exciting games of football I've watched all year. I just wanted to get Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-28011900196361251252011-07-18T19:49:00.000-07:002011-07-18T19:49:14.921-07:00Transfer madness for dummies
It's that time of year again! It's July, birds are chirping, the sun is shining, Toronto is melting under another heat wave, and it's international transfer window time in the world of the Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-69489229176228295632011-05-26T20:48:00.000-07:002011-05-26T20:48:09.803-07:00When fair isn't fair: Vancouver screwed in Canadian Championship second leg
I was at the game and I can tell you the game was unplayable after a while.
Wednesday May 25th, in the 29th minute, Vancouver Whitecaps forward Eric Hassli curled a low left footed shot into the bottom corner of Toronto FC's goal in the second leg of the Voyageurs Cup final, it seemed they were on the way to their first Canadian title....Then the skies over Toronto opened up.
The Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-82668037472383110402011-05-24T18:55:00.000-07:002011-05-24T18:55:28.444-07:00Reppin' Support Local SoccerI remember in 2006 when it was officially announced that Toronto was going to have a professional soccer team in the MLS. I was immediately excited and hoped that this would translate to long term success for the Canadian national team. 5 years later, and my excitement for both club and country has not ebbed. However it's a bit disappointing that we still have very poor attendance for Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-61506267669427523592011-05-23T12:26:00.000-07:002011-05-23T12:26:37.876-07:00United States Gold Cup rosterI know I'll mainly be focusing on Canadian soccer and the CMNT. However since the U.S will be going in as a top 3 favorite, and the CMNT plays them in the opener in June 7th I've posted the 23 man roster announced by head coach Bob Bradley.
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION CLUB TEAMS IN BRACKETS.
GOALKEEPERS (3): Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-48321545710834377422011-05-23T11:55:00.000-07:002011-05-23T11:56:08.650-07:00Canada's 2011 Gold Cup rosterCanadian Men's national team head coach Stephen Hart named his 23 man squad for the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup. The tournament is CONCACAF's championship and names the top team in the region.
Canada's tournament begins June 7th in Detroit against the hosts United States.
I'll have my reactions to the team a bit later, but here's the full roster with club teams in brackets.
Goalkeepers: Lars Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-74373341157251768962011-05-18T19:06:00.000-07:002011-05-18T19:06:36.162-07:00EPL Goal of the Year
I enjoyed coming up with my favorites at the end of 2010. Now that the EPL season is ending this weekend, I figured I'd present you with some of my end of year favorites and awards.
Today...Goal of the year.
I've already devoted a blog post on this goal but when watching it again, it brings it all home. My EPL goal of the year is the Wayne Rooney over head kick to win the 2nd round of the Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-89554380840797322092011-05-16T18:31:00.000-07:002011-05-16T18:31:20.475-07:00Penarol show you how to do a Tifo!Just as I complete my Tifo post yesterday and think I've seen some awesome work, I check my twitter and get this...
Uruguayan power club Penarol create a massive Tifo flag that celebrates the club's 120th birthday. It's 1017 feet by 157 feet and weighs just over two tons. It took over 300 people to carry it!!!!
Click here to read the great post by Andrew Das of the New York Times.
If you Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-44129986446942881172011-05-15T20:09:00.000-07:002011-05-15T20:09:32.809-07:00Manchester United clinch title 19...Wayne Rooney shaves his chest hair.You can put this under the What the F!@$k file. Manchester United got the draw they needed to secure their record breaking 19th English league title. It will put them one up on bitter rivals Liverpool and will serve to be one of manager Alex Ferguson's greatest achievements.
It'll also be a massive achievement for one Wayne Rooney. Considering how poorly the the last half of 2010 went forMike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-58166634483152302772011-05-15T16:39:00.000-07:002011-05-15T16:39:55.788-07:00The Art of the TifoAn excellent example of a North American Tifo from Seattle.
Among being an avid Football fan and club supporter, I am a massive art fan. However since you will not see me hitting up the next big thing's art exhibit in downtown Toronto anytime soon, I needed a way to meld two of my passions into one. Then I watched a Milan derby game and everything changed.
The game ended up being a fairly Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-42478408586741879642011-05-02T21:22:00.000-07:002011-05-02T21:23:21.940-07:00Is Toronto FC the worst team in the MLS?
Saturday was a disaster.
A 3-0 loss is always a better pill to swallow for any team, but for one trying to re-built both on a off the pitch it is extremely harsh. While most Toronto sports fans had their eyes glued to the blood and glory at Rogers Centre Saturday night, a small dedicated group of football supporters gather at bars or around t.v's to watch their ever evolving Reds take on the Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-53111868228605268902011-04-25T20:32:00.000-07:002011-04-25T20:37:46.181-07:00Toronto remain winless against Columbus Crew
Tony Tchani celebrates..to his own dimise.
Tony Tchani had a day to remember on Saturday as he scored his first goal for the Reds since being traded for Dwayne De Rosario, and then had his first sending off all in the span of a minute as TFC remained winless lifetime against the Crew drawing 1-1. Following the recent comments from David Beckham and other MLS players in regards to Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-86585420227945781802011-04-22T10:40:00.000-07:002011-04-22T10:40:38.799-07:00Epic Cup fail! Sergio Ramos and the destruction of the Copa Del ReyNow I'll never call myself the most co-ordinated person on earth, however watching Sergio Ramos on the top of an open top bus with the Spanish Cup makes even me look like Fred Astaire!
I laughed a lot when I watched this the first 6 times, but then I started to wonder if this is a bad sign for Madrid. With a Champions league tie against their hated rivals Barcelona coming up, was the Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-63569114540363384822011-04-06T20:35:00.000-07:002011-04-06T20:35:51.833-07:00Two amazing goals in this weeks Champions League quarter-final tiesNormally I don't like to post a ton of goal videos unless they are really, really good...or if Messi scores..because most of his goals are highlight reel worthy. This week however there were two outstanding goals that I have to share with you. The first goal was in the Inter v Schalke match on Tuesday from the San Siro. In fact the goal with in the 1st minute of the game and is a stunning Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-426873310669225712011-04-03T20:33:00.000-07:002011-04-03T20:33:18.633-07:00Unlucky but sloppy TFC draw 1-1 at home to Chivas USAThings looked to be going against the home team early as Alejandro Moreno scored off bad TFC defending in just the second minute, however former Chivas striker Alan Gordon tied the game in the 36th minute off a whipped in set piece from midfielder Jacob Peterson.
Much of the buzz around the stadium had little to do with the match however as club supporters were still coming to grips with the Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700862841297278803.post-10837513666682917372011-04-01T22:16:00.000-07:002011-04-01T22:16:05.767-07:00The face is gone: DeRo had to go
De Rosario in his last game for Toronto FC
It sucks...plain and simple, no football supporter even wants to lose their clubs best player, leading goal scorer and icon at anytime, but especially at a time in which the club is forging a new identity. However this is what has happened again to Toronto Football Club supporters. After today's confirmation that club Captain Dwayne De Rosario had Mike Newellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649221997362745389noreply@blogger.com0