One of the most popular searches I get on Gruffgoat's Soccer Blog is for the Glen Johnson goal when Portsmouth took on Hull City before the break.
Youtube had to pull the original video because of copyright infringement, but I was able to find a really nice match highlight.
For those wanting just the 35 yard bomb, fast forward to 5:10 to capture the entire sequence from the corner kick. Enjoy!
Portsmouth - Hull City - The best free videos are right here
26 November 2008
Weekend Football Roundup
This weekend I didn’t get to watch as many full games as usual. I did get to see bits and pieces of different games as well as goal highlights so I didn’t miss out too much. I have to say that the best goal of the weekend was from Glen Johnson of Portsmouth who smashed a screecher of a shot off his chest and on to his right foot putting it in the upper 90. I had no idea that was physically possible. This weekend also marked one of the few times the Big 4 couldn’t score goals (although Chelsea fans I’m sure feel that they scored a few). Even though it was a historic weekend, the action was hard to come by.
As there were no early games on Saturday, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal all played at the same time with Manchester United playing Aston Villa in the late game. The Chelsea game provided me with highlights of the Hull City/Portsmouth match as well as the single highlight of the Stoke/West Brom match. I missed most of the Boro/Bolton highlights so I cant speak to what that game was like, although it was apparently one of the better games to watch.
The main game I focused on was the Chelsea/Newcastle match. Chelsea was completely dominant holding possession on Newcastle’s side of the pitch for more than 75% of the time. They managed 26 shots with 14 of them being on target. Newcastle managed one or two shots, but neither were on target. Luis Scolari said it best when he said that Newcastle were the victors because they came to Stamford Bridge for the tie and succeeded.
Arsenal visited the City of Manchester Stadium hoping to silence the critics and failed miserably. The Gunners gave up three goals and never looked like the better side. Mark Hughes’ side played remarkably well and truly showed what kind of a team they could really become. Arsenal’s problems are larger now as they sit on the outside looking in at 5th in the table.
Liverpool played host to Fulham and seemed like they only wanted to kick the ball around and really didn’t care about scoring or winning the game. Fulham actually looked to be the better side on the pitch, but even with amazing shots from Jimmy Bullard couldn’t capitalize and left with a well deserved point. Liverpool needed a win to get two points clear of Chelsea, but again played down to their opponents ability and are still tied at the top of the table.
I really wished I had watched the Portsmouth/Hull City match because from the highlights I saw it looked like both sides fought with tenacity of clubs looking to break into European competition. One team would score and the other would fight back and get an equalizer. A 2-2 result was fair and showed what teamwork along with drive could result in, goals. Big 4 take note.
The late game Saturday was Manchester United vs Aston Villa. I missed most of this match running errands, but caught the 15 minutes surrounding half time. From what I could gather and read was that Aston Villa was in control in the first half, until United woke up and just blasted Villa’s keeper with shots. Rooney missed a golden opportunity in a second half again dominated by Villa and really encapualted what the match was like. After hearing of the scoreless draws from the teams above them the Red Devils couldn’t get the three points they surely needed to try and play catch up.
On Sunday I was only able to see the second half of the Tottenham Hotspurs match where they beat Blackburn Rovers 1-0. The game was largely dominated by Spurs with Blackburn giving Gomes a few hard shots, but nothing the Brazilian couldn’t handle. The later match finally saw West Ham United secure a win after a horrible slide of losses. They visited Sunderland and managed a goal in a game that was, admittedly, largely dominated by Sunderland. Sunderland’s Cisse wasn’t able to finish and Roy Keane’s boys left with nothing in front of highly disappointed fans.
Sunday afternoon was an under advertised MLS Cup Finals. The New York Red Bulls beat the best the Western Conference had to throw at them to advance to play the Columbus Crew in an entirely Eastern Conference final. The first 20 minutes of the match looked to go the Red Bulls way where they managed six or seven shots compared to zero by the Community Shield winners. However, Columbus’ Moreno changed all that with about 10 minutes in the half with a low shot just out of the keepers reach to put the Crew up 1-0. The rest of the game was fairly even with possession, but momentum remained with the Crew as they went on to win 3-1 with all three assists going to the MLS MVP, Schelotto. It was a highly entertaining match to watch and as a DC United fan I was extremely happy with the result. The Crew celebrate their first MLS Cup and beat three very skilled teams to receive it so congratulations to all Crew fans.
As there were no early games on Saturday, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal all played at the same time with Manchester United playing Aston Villa in the late game. The Chelsea game provided me with highlights of the Hull City/Portsmouth match as well as the single highlight of the Stoke/West Brom match. I missed most of the Boro/Bolton highlights so I cant speak to what that game was like, although it was apparently one of the better games to watch.
The main game I focused on was the Chelsea/Newcastle match. Chelsea was completely dominant holding possession on Newcastle’s side of the pitch for more than 75% of the time. They managed 26 shots with 14 of them being on target. Newcastle managed one or two shots, but neither were on target. Luis Scolari said it best when he said that Newcastle were the victors because they came to Stamford Bridge for the tie and succeeded.
Arsenal visited the City of Manchester Stadium hoping to silence the critics and failed miserably. The Gunners gave up three goals and never looked like the better side. Mark Hughes’ side played remarkably well and truly showed what kind of a team they could really become. Arsenal’s problems are larger now as they sit on the outside looking in at 5th in the table.
Liverpool played host to Fulham and seemed like they only wanted to kick the ball around and really didn’t care about scoring or winning the game. Fulham actually looked to be the better side on the pitch, but even with amazing shots from Jimmy Bullard couldn’t capitalize and left with a well deserved point. Liverpool needed a win to get two points clear of Chelsea, but again played down to their opponents ability and are still tied at the top of the table.
I really wished I had watched the Portsmouth/Hull City match because from the highlights I saw it looked like both sides fought with tenacity of clubs looking to break into European competition. One team would score and the other would fight back and get an equalizer. A 2-2 result was fair and showed what teamwork along with drive could result in, goals. Big 4 take note.
The late game Saturday was Manchester United vs Aston Villa. I missed most of this match running errands, but caught the 15 minutes surrounding half time. From what I could gather and read was that Aston Villa was in control in the first half, until United woke up and just blasted Villa’s keeper with shots. Rooney missed a golden opportunity in a second half again dominated by Villa and really encapualted what the match was like. After hearing of the scoreless draws from the teams above them the Red Devils couldn’t get the three points they surely needed to try and play catch up.
On Sunday I was only able to see the second half of the Tottenham Hotspurs match where they beat Blackburn Rovers 1-0. The game was largely dominated by Spurs with Blackburn giving Gomes a few hard shots, but nothing the Brazilian couldn’t handle. The later match finally saw West Ham United secure a win after a horrible slide of losses. They visited Sunderland and managed a goal in a game that was, admittedly, largely dominated by Sunderland. Sunderland’s Cisse wasn’t able to finish and Roy Keane’s boys left with nothing in front of highly disappointed fans.
Sunday afternoon was an under advertised MLS Cup Finals. The New York Red Bulls beat the best the Western Conference had to throw at them to advance to play the Columbus Crew in an entirely Eastern Conference final. The first 20 minutes of the match looked to go the Red Bulls way where they managed six or seven shots compared to zero by the Community Shield winners. However, Columbus’ Moreno changed all that with about 10 minutes in the half with a low shot just out of the keepers reach to put the Crew up 1-0. The rest of the game was fairly even with possession, but momentum remained with the Crew as they went on to win 3-1 with all three assists going to the MLS MVP, Schelotto. It was a highly entertaining match to watch and as a DC United fan I was extremely happy with the result. The Crew celebrate their first MLS Cup and beat three very skilled teams to receive it so congratulations to all Crew fans.
20 November 2008
Cobb Futbol Club Breaks Ground on Marathon Soccer Park
Construction is already underway on Marathon Soccer Park, which will be owned and operated by Cobb Futbol Club.
The land is located in Cobb County near the intersection of Powder Springs Road and the East/West Connector behind the Best Buy Soccer/Stevi B’s shopping Center. Phase One includes the development of 2 full size pitches and one small pitch and is targeted for completion by the Fall 2009 season.
The Groundbreaking Ceremony was held yesterday and in spite of the chilly weather, quite a few players and parents joined Marathon, Cobb County Commission, and Cobb FC dignitaries in the festivities.
Congratulations to Cobb FC and Marathon Oil for this fantastic achievement.
19 November 2008
Saturday Football Roundup
I watched the second half of Liverpool/Bolton and poor Bolton for not getting a point out of that. Liverpool squeaks by yet again. I still stand by my opinion that Torres really carries the team on his back and Liverpool keeps getting by with luck. I did hear though that Liverpool really dominated the first half of the match, but I cannot speak to that. If I had watched it my opinion may change.
I then had 3 games on at the same time for the 10 AM matches. Arsenal/Aston Villa, Manchester United/Stoke and Tottenham/Fulham.
After watching the Arsenal/Villa match I have to say that Arsenal seems to have no real promise or consistency anymore. After beating United they play horrible yet again and lose. What happened to the Arsenal that would never drop points at home? Maybe Wegner should just start the kids that keep dominating in the Carling Cup.
Manchester United on the other hand absolutely dominated every aspect of the game. A 5-0 scoreline really shows how easily they can win games. Ronaldo got his 100th and 101st goals for United in the game. I have to say though that the best goal was from Danny Welbeck who scored from 40 yards out playing in his first EPL match.
Spurs/Fulham was pretty boring and Gomes' horrible keeping shines thorugh yet again. If Spurs can get him to not be terrible all the time or replace him with a more competent keeper their streak of not dropping points will continue without a doubt.
In the late match between Chelsea/West Brom, West Brom holds on to a scoreless draw until just after the half hour mark. However, Chelsea prove once again that they know how to win games and score an absolutely cracking goal that the West Brom Keeper cannot keep out of the net. Only a few minutes later Anelka scores his 11th of the league to keep himself on top of the goal scorer's list. Anelka finishes with 2 goals on the day making it 12 for the year. West Brom can take solace in the fact that they kept the Visitors scoreless through the second half.
The final game that I wached was Real Madrid/Real Valladolid. Valladolid is just coming off a 6-0 loss to Barcelona where Samuel Eto'o netted 4 goals in the first half. This match ended stunningly when Real Madrid lost 1-0 to Valladolid. It just goes to show you how close La Liga is when the 17th place team can beat the second place team. Real Madrid's defense was always under attack and had very few chances to get the ball forward. Real Madrid had some great chances as well, but the U-19 Spanish national kept a clean sheet the whole game.
I then had 3 games on at the same time for the 10 AM matches. Arsenal/Aston Villa, Manchester United/Stoke and Tottenham/Fulham.
After watching the Arsenal/Villa match I have to say that Arsenal seems to have no real promise or consistency anymore. After beating United they play horrible yet again and lose. What happened to the Arsenal that would never drop points at home? Maybe Wegner should just start the kids that keep dominating in the Carling Cup.
Manchester United on the other hand absolutely dominated every aspect of the game. A 5-0 scoreline really shows how easily they can win games. Ronaldo got his 100th and 101st goals for United in the game. I have to say though that the best goal was from Danny Welbeck who scored from 40 yards out playing in his first EPL match.
Spurs/Fulham was pretty boring and Gomes' horrible keeping shines thorugh yet again. If Spurs can get him to not be terrible all the time or replace him with a more competent keeper their streak of not dropping points will continue without a doubt.
In the late match between Chelsea/West Brom, West Brom holds on to a scoreless draw until just after the half hour mark. However, Chelsea prove once again that they know how to win games and score an absolutely cracking goal that the West Brom Keeper cannot keep out of the net. Only a few minutes later Anelka scores his 11th of the league to keep himself on top of the goal scorer's list. Anelka finishes with 2 goals on the day making it 12 for the year. West Brom can take solace in the fact that they kept the Visitors scoreless through the second half.
The final game that I wached was Real Madrid/Real Valladolid. Valladolid is just coming off a 6-0 loss to Barcelona where Samuel Eto'o netted 4 goals in the first half. This match ended stunningly when Real Madrid lost 1-0 to Valladolid. It just goes to show you how close La Liga is when the 17th place team can beat the second place team. Real Madrid's defense was always under attack and had very few chances to get the ball forward. Real Madrid had some great chances as well, but the U-19 Spanish national kept a clean sheet the whole game.
Atlanta Silverbacks on ice for 2009...possibly longer
Wow...where did this come from? Yesterday the USL Div 1 Silverbacks announced they are taking the 2009 season off citing the slow down in the economy and the chance that Atlanta will be awarded an MLS franchise as the reasons.
“This was an extremely difficult decision that was prompted by the dynamic events in our economy and the soccer community. We would like to thank all of our fans and partners who have supported the team over the years and hope they continue to come out to the Women’s games,” said Atlanta Silverbacks General Manager, Michael Oki.
That sounds a lot like the end of the Men's franchise to me.
I'm also guessing this means subsequent phases of RE/MAX Greater Atlanta Stadium get put on ice...at least for the next several years...but I really can't figure this move out...what the hell does the 5% chance that Atl will get an MLS team have to do with the USL div 1?
Are they declaring bankruptcy, are they boarding up the shop, are they letting the current roster & staff go and are going to try rebuilding in 2010, are they going to continue marketing?
Finally, I think a national model for USL is a bit much anyway...too much travel stress and it doesn't generate enough rivalry...I'd like to see more USL teams but see them broken in to regions, like an NCAA gridiron model.
The regular season could be inter region while you could have an end of season tournament to determine the champion (along with the Open Cup, etc.)
“This was an extremely difficult decision that was prompted by the dynamic events in our economy and the soccer community. We would like to thank all of our fans and partners who have supported the team over the years and hope they continue to come out to the Women’s games,” said Atlanta Silverbacks General Manager, Michael Oki.
That sounds a lot like the end of the Men's franchise to me.
I'm also guessing this means subsequent phases of RE/MAX Greater Atlanta Stadium get put on ice...at least for the next several years...but I really can't figure this move out...what the hell does the 5% chance that Atl will get an MLS team have to do with the USL div 1?
Are they declaring bankruptcy, are they boarding up the shop, are they letting the current roster & staff go and are going to try rebuilding in 2010, are they going to continue marketing?
Finally, I think a national model for USL is a bit much anyway...too much travel stress and it doesn't generate enough rivalry...I'd like to see more USL teams but see them broken in to regions, like an NCAA gridiron model.
The regular season could be inter region while you could have an end of season tournament to determine the champion (along with the Open Cup, etc.)
10 November 2008
Capitalism 6, Communism 1, Defectors 2
I attended the US/Cuba World Cup Qualifier in Washington DC awhile ago and got a few pictures that I wanted to share. Sorry it took so long to get these up here, but life has been quite crazy. Enjoy!
You can see the full set here.
You can see the full set here.
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