The Difference Between Girls' Soccer and Men's Soccer

Had this occurred in a men's soccer game, the guy who got kicked would act as if his chest had been caved in, his lungs had collapsed, and he was on the verge of death. He would have flailed and twitched around until the ref awarded a foul.

But in girls' soccer you adjust your sports bra and get on with the game.

Extreme Sportsmanship

A ball bounced off Miroslav Klose's hand and into the net, apparently giving SS Lazio a 1-0 lead over Napoli. But Klose appealed to the officials, told them that he struck the ball with his hand, and the goal was disallowed. Napoli eventually won 3-0.

You won't often find greater shows of sportsmanship and integrity than this one.

That being said, I'm a fan of Germany. And if Miroslav Klose had done that in a big elimination match against the Spaniards or Dutch, I'd kill him.

Liverpool FC Really Sucks

Liverpool lost 2-1 to Manchester United this weekend, in a game full of officiating controversy (sound familiar?). And after 5 English League games this season, Liverpool are winless. They have 3 losses, 2 draws, and are 18th in the 20 team League.

That place in the standings is significant because at the end of the year the 18th, 19th, and 20th place teams are demoted to a lower level. Three teams are promoted from a lower level to replace them.

For a team with the history of Liverpool, it would be a huge embarrassment. And a massive financial setback. And I would laugh my ass off. The Fenway Sports Group would own a team that competed with the likes of Huddersfield Town, Nottingham Forest (insert Robin Hood reference about stealing from rich clubs and giving to poor), and Sheffield Wednesday. That's hardly the same as competing with Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal.

I doubt Liverpool will stay winless or in 18th place. They're only 2 points (a win is worth 3) away from being tied for 12th. But the key positions in the League are the Top 4. These are the teams that get invited to next season's Champions League. It's worth a heap of money, and elite players will only play for teams that compete in the Champions League.

The chances of Liverpool finishing in the Top 4 are slim. They've only scored 4 goals in 5 games. They have no scoring threat up front. The natives are getting restless in Liverpool, and the anti-FSG anger is rising.

I love it.

Photo Credit:
PA Sport

Grenade Thrown onto Iranian Soccer Field

Suddenly Philadelphia fans seem like kindhearted angels.

I feel bad for the refs here. This game between Iranian team Sepahan and Saudia Arabian team Al Ahli is part of the Asian Football Confederation's Champions League. The ref is from Hong Kong, and when he was selected to officiate in this tournament he was probably pretty happy. He'd get paid extra, and get to travel, maybe to Australia or South Korea. Instead, he gets Iran, right as the Middle East is going nuts over a YouTube video.

Then someone throws a grenade on the field. Not fun.

Liverpool FC Sucks Too

Liverpool lost 2-0 to Arsenal on Sunday. They've played 3 games and remain winless, losing twice and drawing once. It's Liverpool's worst start since 1962, and the team currently sit in 18th place. The fans are blaming the struggles on the team's lack of a forward striker. They're mad at John Henry for not shelling out the cash to buy a forward before the transfer window closed (there are only certain times during the year that players can change teams, the next window is in 4 months).

In response to the criticism, John Henry does what he and Larry Lucchino have done to Red Sox fans: write an open letter.

You can read it here. Basically, he blames the previous regime, claims he didn't want to overpay for mediocre talent, that he wants Liverpool to be a long-term contender not just improve slightly in the short-term, blames the previous regime again, and ends by saying "our ownership is not about profit."

My favorite line was "Contrary to popular opinion, owners rarely get involved in sports in order to generate cash." Apparently Mr. Henry never met Jeremy Jacobs, or any owner of an NFL team, or saw Eight Men Out. Just ask an NFL referee how unconcerned with profits owners are.

Liverpool fans are upset because they thought new ownership would infuse their team with new cash so they could compete with the Manchester Uniteds and Chelseas of the world. Sorry, mates, but Henry isn't an oil tycoon looking to supplement his ego by spending money improving a soccer team and winning trophies.

He bought Liverpool because it had an old, cherished yet undervalued and underexploited brand. But the jawless Henry bit off more than he can chew (which isn't difficult for a man whose mouth is so small). The competition and the spending in European soccer is too much for him to handle. He's a slow, aging predator that's trying to compete for food with sharks.

I do love the open-letter strategy. Who is naive enough to be suckered in by such an artificial attempt to bond with the fans?

I think there's a basic template for the Fenway Sports Group open-letter. Here's what it looks like:

1. Paragraph about understanding and feeling the fans' frustrations
2. Point out positive performance of certain players (e.g. Cody Ross)
3. Mention the talent that's remained with the team
4. Compliment and support current GM/managers
5. Explain to the simple-minded fans why our strategy is ingenious, even if they don't understand it, and even if on-field results have yet to manifest how smart we are
6. Blame the past for present and (most importantly) future difficulties
7. Use the word "ethos"
8. Say: "It will not be easy, it will not be perfect, but there is a clear vision at work."
9. Allude to the history of the team and the desire to return team to glory
10. Promise to be better

In the open-letter, mention at least 5 players and 1 front-office person or field manager. And use as many 1st person plural pronouns as possible.

Who else wants to beat the tar out of John Henry? He's a cocky, smells-his-own-farts, overly talkative prick. He doesn't know anything about baseball or soccer. He's some Midwestern carpetbagger that doesn't give a damn about Boston or Liverpool or the Red Sox or Liverpool FC. He uses these teams to build himself an ego and earn himself enough money to buy another team.

My open letter to John Henry:

Dear John,
Go fuck yourself.

Sincerely,
Rob

Forbes Magazine Ranks Most Valuable Sports Teams: Patriots Ranked 6th, Red Sox 23rd

Every year Forbes ranks the top 50 sports teams around the world based on their value as a business. And although the top two teams are European soccer clubs (Manchester United of England and Real Madrid of Spain), the list is dominated by the NFL. All 32 teams are in the top 50, due mostly to the League's colossal TV contracts.

Here's the full article on Forbes' site. The list is very interesting, although it noticeably and inexplicably omitted Ted DiBiase's Money Inc.

Top teams Man United (valued at $2.23 billion), and Real Madrid ($1.88 billion) have global followings and companies pay top dollar/pound/Euro to sponsor them.

The New York Yankees ($1.85 billion) were ranked 3rd. The Yankees have a lucrative regional sports network (YES) and massive revenue from tickets and luxury boxes. The Yankees generate $330 million in ticket revenue, far and away the most in the Majors. The Red Sox are second with $190 million.

The Dallas Cowboys tied with the Yankees for 3rd. Their new stadium apparently includes a money-printing machine.

The Washington Redskins were 5th, valued at $1.56 billion.

The Patriots were 6th, worth $1.4 billion. That's thanks in part to owning their own stadium, selling out every game, and having some of the highest ticket prices in the NFL.

The LA Dodgers tied with the Patriots at 6th. Spanish soccer team Barcelona was 7th worth $1.31 billion. The New York Giants were 9th at $1.3 billion. London-based soccer club Arsenal FC were 10th at $1.29 billion. Here's the rest of the list:

11. Bayern Munich (German soccer team) - $1.23 billion
11. New York Jets - $1.23 billion
13. Houston Texans - $1.2 billion
14. Philadelphia Eagles - $1.16 billion
15. Ferrari (Formula 1 racing team) - $1.1 billion

Maybe Fenway Sports Group invested in the wrong kind of racing. Formula 1's global appeal attracts massive sponsorship money.

16. Chicago Bears - $1.09 billion
16. Green Bay Packers - $1.09 billion
16. Baltimore Ravens - $1.09 billion
19. Indianapolis Colts - $1.06 billion
20. Denver Broncos - $1.05 billion
21. Pittsburgh Steelers - $1.02 billion
22. Miami Dolphins - $1.01 billion
23. Carolina Panthers - $1 billion
23. Boston Red Sox - $1 billion

The Red Sox are the 3rd ranked baseball team on the list, which is nothing to be ashamed of. The two ahead of them (Yankees and Dodgers) play in the two largest media markets in the country. The Red Sox are in the #6 market in the US, have a small ballpark, and are still worth $1 billion. They're worth more than half the teams in the NFL, which is saying something.

The Sox make their money from high ticket prices, technically selling out every game, and from their 80% stake in NESN. Even when Fenway Park isn't filled to capacity, people still leave a lot of cash there.

25. Seattle Seahawks - $997 million
26. San Francisco 49ers - $990 million
27. AC Milan (Italian soccer team) - $989 million

AC Milan will be playing an exhibition game at Gillette Stadium on August 4th. So the 27th most valuable sports team in the world will be guests of the 6th most valuable team.

28. Kansas City Chiefs - $986 million
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - $981 million
30. Cleveland Browns - $977 million
31. New Orleans Saints - $965 million
32. Tennessee Titans - $964 million
33. San Diego Chargers - $920 million
34. Arizona Cardinals - $901 million
35. LA Lakers - $900 million
36. Chicago Cubs - $879 million

Proof that winning doesn't necessarily mean profits. Perhaps the Red Sox are learning too much from the Wrigley-model. The Cubs are far and away the most popular team in Chicago, even though the White Sox are much more successful on the field.

37. Cincinnati Bengals - $875 million
38. Detroit Lions - $844 million
39. Atlanta Falcons - $814 million
40. McLaren (Formula 1 racing team) - $800 million
41. Minnesota Vikings - $796 million
42. Buffalo Bills - $792 million
43. New York Knicks - $780 million
44. St. Louis Rams - $775 million
45. Oakland Raiders - $761 million
45. Chelsea FC (English soccer team) - $761 million
47. Jacksonville Jaguars - $725 million

The least valuable team in the NFL is worth more than 26 MLB teams, 28 NBA teams, and all 30 NHL teams.

48. Philadelphia Phillies - $723 million
49. New York Mets - $719 million
50. Texas Rangers - $674 million

It's amazing how valuable NFL franchises are. Even in very small markets like Jacksonville and Buffalo, teams are worth more than MLB teams in Philadelphia, New York, and Dallas-Fort Worth.

At the same time, the Cowboys are worth more than twice as much as 10 other NFL teams.

Market-size seems to dictate value in the 3 non-NFL leagues. But even in the NFL, market-size, history, and success separate the ultra-wealthy teams like Dallas, Washington, New England the Giants; from the just-rich teams like Buffalo, Jacksonville, Cincinnati, and Minnesota.

Italy 2, Germany 1

The Germans entered this game seemingly assuming they would win. Their lineup was presumptuous, and didn't take into consideration what Italy might do to slow down their prolific offense.

I've heard some say that the German team played better for most of the game. I disagree. Italy's back 4 made tremendous efforts to break up German scoring chances. And keeper Gianluigi Buffon was brilliant. Meanwhile, Germany's defense wasn't even there. The Germans might have been better served to play with no defenders at all.

And starting Bastian Schweinsteiger was a mistake. He was clearly feeling the effects of injury and couldn't keep pace with either the Italians or his teammates.

Even offensively, the Germans looked disorderly and confused, which is unheard of for a German team.

Give credit to teams like Italy and Spain. They've got the right formula to win tournaments. Teams like Germany might dominate early stages, might score 3 or 4 goals per match, but you can't squeeze out close ones against tough opponents without defense.

This was only the second game of the tournament that Italy won in regulation. And they're in the Finals.

Spain vs. Italy in the Finals on Sunday. And I don't care who wins. I'm just a sad German-American today.

Photo Credit:
AFP Photo/Christof Stache

Spain 0, Portugal 0, Spain Wins 4-2 on PKs

I hope no potential soccer fans were watching this game. The blandness of it may have permanently pushed them away from a sport that's typically much more entertaining to watch at this high level of play.

Spain have now gone 11 straight games in major tournaments without losing (10 wins, 1 draw). But their margins have been tight. Six of those 10 wins had 1 goal margins. And now they have a win with a 0 goal margin.

Portugal's offense is Cristiano Ronaldo. That's the biggest and essentially threat they have. He had a few chances, and he's been good in this tournament, but he couldn't finish in regulation. Then in a perplexing move, he didn't take a penalty kick. He was slated to kick 5th for Portugal, who were kicking after Spain in each round, but the Spanish clinched victory before he had a chance to take his PK. It was a truly baffling decision.

Spain don't mesmerize like Brazil, or score goals in bunches like Germany. They grind teams down. They don't make mistakes, they possess the ball well, they have a great keeper, and they have a number of guys who can take advantage of mistakes and score opportunistic goals.

That's why they've won 16 of their last 18 major tournament games. That's why they won Euro 2008 and the World Cup in 2010. That's why they're in the Finals of Euro 2012 on Sunday, waiting for the winner of the Germany/Italy match.

Photo Credit:
AFP Photo/Pierre-Philippe Marcou

Euro 2012 Update*

The semifinals are set. Only four teams remain after the weekend's games...

Germany 4, Greece 2

The Germans dominated this game, although they struggled to finish their opportunities in the first half. This was a 1-0 game at the midpoint, and Greece tied it 1-1 in the 55th minute. But the Germans were relentless. Sami Khedira was finally in form and scored a goal. Miroslav Klose scored his bazillionth goal for Germany, and Marco Reus justified his spot in the starting lineup by scoring.

Greece scored on a late penalty. The German defense has looked vulnerable throughout this tournament, but their offense has been overwhelming. They scored 4 times and could have easily had 6 or 7.

They'll also enjoy nearly a full week off before their semifinal Thursday.

Spain 2, France 0

The French are always undermined by internal dissent, squabbling, bickering, whining, and general laziness. And the same goes for their soccer team. Florent Malouda was lazy, didn't cover Xabi Alonso at the start of a run, and Alonso scored. Alonso later added a goal after a penalty. It was his 100th game for Spain.

They'll play their neighbors Portugal in the semifinals Wednesday.

Italy 0, England 0, Italy wins 4-2 on penalty kicks

When English soccer commentators discuss penalty kicks, they always talk about pressure on the kicker. Even though the goalie has maybe a 10% chance of making a save. Because in England, missing PKs in big matches is a tradition. Usually they do it against the Germans. This time it was the Italians.

Italy will face Germany in the semifinals on Thursday.

There's no reason to expect the Spanish to lose. Unless Cristiano Ronaldo plays the game of his life for Portugal. Spain always seem to find a way to win close games, and I predict they'll do so again. They'll beat Portugal 1-0.

Germany might not have distributor Bastian Schweinsteiger on Thursday. But they'll be well-rested, especially compared to an Italian team that played extra time on Sunday. Germany wins 2-1.

And Germany wins the Final on Sunday, 3-2.

Portugal 1, Czech Republic 0*

Portugal hadn't won an elimination game in a major tournament since the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup. Part of the reason for that had been the disappointing play of star forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

But Ronaldo has caught fire. He scored twice against the Dutch to secure a spot for Portugal in the quarterfinals, and he scored in the 79th minute yesterday to send Portugal to the semifinals.

Portugal have never won a major tournament, but they're only two wins away.

They'll have to play the winner of the match between Spain and France. That winner will probably be Spain. And the Spaniards will not want to lose to their Iberian neighbor.

Germany faces Greece this afternoon. Germany has looked fast, although they've also had defensive lapses. Greece advanced to this stage dramatically and has the support of a struggling nation that probably took the day off from "work" to drink Ouzo, watch the game, and count the money that the Greek government pays them to be lazy.

Euro 2012 Update*

Euro 2012 has been full of surprises already. Four teams are in the quarterfinals, not all of them expected to be there. Four teams have been eliminated. Some of them anticipated longer stays in Poland and the Ukraine.

One thing I really like is that teams are winning their way into the quarterfinals. There were no draws this weekend, no tie-breakers needed. Teams that won advanced, teams that lost were eliminated.

Czech Republic 1, Poland 0

When the Czechs are expected to do well, they fail. When they're expected to fail, they do well. It's not a complete shock that they advanced to the quarterfinals, but it is a surprise that they won their group. They'll play Portugal on Thursday.

Greece 1, Russia 0

The good news for Polish police is that the Russians are leaving. No more marches through Warsaw. Greece was in 4th at the start of this match, and needed to win to advance. That's what they did. It's amazing what happens when people have to work to get by. Maybe the Greek people will learn what a work ethic is. They'll play Germany on Friday.

Portugal 2, Netherlands 1

The Group of Death was a confused mess before Sunday's games. The permutations were too complicated for even the most advanced supercomputers to calculate. But the teams knew their jobs: win. Cristiano Ronaldo did his job: score. He netted both goals for Portugal, silencing his critics. I picked the Netherlands to win this tournament, and now they exit having lost all 3 of their games.

Germany 2, Denmark 1

The Germans won all 3 of their group games for the first time ever in this tournament. What's kind of scary is that they never played to the absolute best of their ability. Guys like Thomas Müller are still struggling to find their form. And if they do, Achtung! (warning).

Germany faces Greece on Friday in a battle between creditor and debtor. North Sea vs. Mediterranean. Work ethic vs. vacation 8 weeks a year.

Today's games:
Croatia vs. Spain
Italy vs. Ireland

Italy should beat the Irish, which would give them 5 points. Croatia and Spain each have 4 points, so a draw would give each of them 1 point. With the tie-breakers, a 2-2 draw between Spain and Croatia will see both teams advance. Both teams should and probably will play for the win. And Spain should win.

That being said, if it's 2-2 between them with 15 minutes left, don't expect to see either team take any chances. And don't write off the Irish, who could make Spain and Croatia very happy by drawing with Italy.

Euro 2012 Update*

Germany continues to roll, Portugal got a win, and Russia was fined $150k for the violence of their fans at the tournament.

PORTUGAL 3, DENMARK 2

Whether they advance or not, the Danes are putting on one hell of a show. They beat the Netherlands, and were tied 2-2 with Portugal until the 87th minute. The Danish play the Germans next, and they're probably going to be the toughest test for Germany so far. But give credit to Portugal for getting a big goal and a big win when they really needed one.

GERMANY 2, NETHERLANDS 1

I picked the Dutch to win this tournament because of their talent up front. But their lack of talent and experience in the back is really showing. Mario Gomez took full advantage of the Netherlands' defensive weaknesses, scoring his 2nd and 3rd goals of the tournament. The Dutch left Bastian Schweinsteiger uncovered, and that's like allowing Rajon Rondo to pass to whoever he wants. Only Schweinsteiger's name is much more fun to say than Rondo's. The German defenders don't look very sharp, though, and that might be what prevents the team from winning the tournament.

UEFA fined the Russian soccer association $150,000 because Russian fans attacked stadium staff after Russia's win over the Czech Republic. Here's a clip of the incident in question:

In soccer, the team is punished for actions of the fans. Essentially, the actions of the fans involved in this incident have cost their soccer federation $150,000. UEFA also issued a suspended punishment for future violations. If Russian fans cause any more trouble in this tournament, the team will be deducted 6 points (they have 4 now), and will likely not advance to the next round.

Hopefully it will be an effective deterrent to prevent any further trouble.

Euro 2012 Violence

After years of playing nothing but soccer, some of these Europeans have no idea how to use their hands in a fight.

It was a randomized process that selected the groups for Euro 2012. And it was an arbitrary scheduling that determined the dates that games would be played on. And when this resulted in Poland and Russia being matched together in a group, and playing their game on Russia Day (equivalent to a Russian Independence Day), I'm sure many organizers of Euro 2012 collectively said "oh shit" in their native languages.

Russia and Poland have a long and complex history. Poland and the USSR fought a war against each other from 1919 to 1921. Over 100,000 people died. In 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland as part of an agreement with Nazi Germany. Germany and the USSR then divided and occupied Poland.

In 1944, Polish nationalists rose up against the German occupiers (who had conquered all of Poland in 1941) of Warsaw. They'd hoped this uprising would be assisted by Soviet troops, who were less than 10 miles from the city. The Russians stopped their advance and refused to aid the uprising, which was eventually crushed. An estimated 200,000 Polish civilians died in the failed uprising.

After World War II, Poland was politically dominated by the Soviet Union until 1989.

There's a very long and very recent history between these two countries. Even now, Poland is paranoid about Russia attempting to violate their sovereignty, and Russia is wary of Poland's close ties to NATO and the West.

Before Russia and Poland played to a 1-1 draw yesterday, 5,000 Russian fans marched through Warsaw and to the stadium as a celebration of their team and to celebrate Russia Day. They had permission from Polish authorities to do so. But considering the history between these two countries, maybe it was more than a little insensitive of the Russians to stage such a display of Russian pride on Polish soil. Then again, Russians have never been noted for their sensitivity.

Sporadic fighting broke out between Poles, Russians, and police during the march. Over 50 were arrested, and more than 10 people were hospitalized.

What's aggravating me is that it could have been avoided, and it's overshadowing what should be a great soccer tournament, with battles being fought by 22 men on a field with a ball, not a few dozen thugs in ski masks throwing chairs at each other.

The Polish authorities probably shouldn't have let the Russians march. Then again, maybe they figured that having all the Russian fans in one place would allow them to focus their Police in those areas.

The Russians shouldn't have staged the march at all. It was very antagonistic of them.

Some countries in Europe, Germany for instance, acknowledge the horrible things they've done in their history. Some countries, Russia for instance, don't spend much time discussing the unpleasant things they've done in their history. Russia were partners with the Nazis in conquering Poland in 1939. They didn't help the Poles in 1944 because they wanted to install their own communist government in Warsaw, and not allow the Polish to form their own government. And for 45 years Moscow ran Poland as subservient to the Soviet Union and Russian interests.

So I can't blame the Poles for being angry that a few thousand Russians decided to march through Warsaw. It doesn't excuse the violence, but I understand the rage.

Euro 2012 Update

France 1, England 1
I didn't catch any of this game, and I'm glad I didn't. England are typically overrated and a bunch of spoiled brats. As much as I dislike France, I'm glad they deprived England of any glory. Both these teams can go to hell.

Ukraine 2, Sweden 1

I think Sweden (and many people) thought that Kramer's assessment of the Ukraine was true, at least in a soccer sense. And the Ukraine took our board and smashed it. Any country that requires a "the" before its name shouldn't be taken lightly (examples: THE United States, THE People's Republic of China, THE Soviet Union).

Today's games:
Greece vs. Czech Republic
This game will likely determine who is the second team to advance from Group A.

Russia vs. Poland
The Russians were impressive in their first game. The Poles will have the crowd on their side. This is a massive game for both these teams. I see some favorable officiating and a draw.

Euro 2012 Update*

Just as a sidenote, some people in this country think that Europe is the epitome of civilization. Well, not all of it is. There have been stories out of Euro 2012 about monkey noises directed at a black Dutch player, some Russian fans were accused of racist chants during their match against the Czech Republic, and a 14 arrest brawl broke out hours before the Ireland/Croatia match (10 of the arrested were Polish, 3 were Irish, 1 was Croatian). So yeah, Europe is like here. There are jerks everywhere. Now to the matches...

Poland 1, Greece 1
Not a bad start for the host country. They'll take the 1 point. Greece was unable to convert a penalty kick against a Polish goalie who had just entered the game (he replaced the previous goalie, whose foul was the reason there was a penalty kick, for which he was also ejected).

Russia 4, Czech Republic 1

Russia look like they have some very good form for this tournament. They could dominate Group A.

Denmark 1, Netherland 0

This is a stunning upset. I picked the Netherlands to win it all, and they lose to the Danish. The Dutch should settle into a groove, though, as all the top-flight teams seem to be a bit out of step at the start of the tournament.

Germany 1, Portugal 0

The Germans dominated most of the play, but struggled to finish. It was the equivalent of an American football team not doing well in the Red Zone. Mario Gomez scored Germany's goal. I know that doesn't sound like a German name. His father was Spanish. He was born in Riedlingen, Germany. He scored a header when a ball glanced off a Portuguese elbow. That glance was Germany's best last-pass of the game.

Spain 1, Italy 1
A pair of giants met, and nothing was decided. Spain do look beatable, though. And that's new.

Croatia 3, Ireland 1

The Croats crushed any aspirations Ireland might have to advance to the next stage. And with Spain and Italy drawing, Croatia has an outside chance to advance themselves.

Today's games:
England vs. France in a rematch of about a dozen different wars. And Sweden vs. Ukraine in a battle over who gets to use blue and yellow as national colors.

Euro 2012 Preview*

It's time for the European Championship of soccer. I think I like this tournament a little bit more than the World Cup. Most of the best teams in the world are in it, and you don't have to bother with separating the wheat from the chaff. There are also some really interesting and intense rivalries that this tournament is more likely to see than the World Cup. England/Germany, Germany/Netherlands, Spain/Portugal, France/Italy, et cetera.

This year, the tournament is being hosted by Poland and the Ukraine. There are four teams in four groups. They'll play a round-robin round, with 3 points awarded for a win, 1 for a draw. The top two teams advance to the elimination stages. Here are the groups:

Group A:
Czech Republic
Greece
Poland
Russia

This is the Eastern bloc group. Greece and Russia are the highest ranked teams, according to FIFA. But the Czech Republic side isn't bad. And Poland, being a host country, is sure to be energized and also receive benefits from a few calls. I think Greece's political problems might wind up distracting their team. And Poland will take advantage. Russia wins the group with Poland squeaking through in second place.

Group B:
Denmark
Germany
Netherlands
Portugal

This is the "Group of Death" for the tournament. Germany is ranked 3rd in the world, the Netherlands are ranked 4th, Denmark is 9th, Portugal is 10th. That's in the world, not just Europe. I can't not pick the Germans to win this group. They're very talented this year, and they always seem to play above their talent-level anyway. And the Dutch have so many guys that can make plays and score, it's hard to pick against them. So Germany wins this group, the Dutch come in second.

Group C:
Spain
Italy
Ireland
Croatia

Ireland is a darkhorse to advance from this group. If Spain and Italy draw each other, then one of them draws with Ireland, and maybe Croatia upsets Italy (who tend to occasionally show up to summer tournaments in lackluster form), Ireland could advance. It's possible, but unlikely. What's more likely is that the #1 team in the world (Spain) dominates this group. And Italy dominates Ireland and Croatia to finish 2nd.

Group D:
Ukraine
Sweden
France
England

This is a tough group. There's a host country, then England (#6 team in the world), France (#14), and Sweden (#17). France and England both have a history of disappointing in big tournaments. So when two chokers face each other, what happens? A draw. I don't know if the Ukraine is good enough to capitalize on some friendly officiating, but Sweden could sneak into the elimination round from this group. I think England wins the group, Sweden finishes 2nd.

Notice how only two of those girls are showing their teeth? That's England for you.

If my predictions come true, then here would be the quarterfinals:

Russia vs. Netherlands
The Dutch would roll in this one. That's a feeble joke about rolling joints.

Spain vs. Sweden
This is as big of a mismatch in soccer as it is in hockey. Spain is too good to be stopped by the Swedes.

Germany vs. Poland
The best Polish born player in the world is a German citizen named Miroslav Klose. Germany wins.

England vs. Italy
England chokes on ravioli, Italy advances.

Then the semifinals:
Spain vs. Netherlands
The Dutch upset the Spanish with some quick strike goals.

Germany vs. Italy
The Germans outwork the Italians and win in extra-time or a penalty shootout.

Then the finals:
Germany vs. Netherlands
My heart is with Germany, but I have a feeling that the Netherlands will win it all.

The tournament starts today on ESPN. I highly recommend checking it out if you get a chance. This is world class soccer, something we don't get to see much of in the US.

Liverpool Coming to Fenway

On July 25th, the favorite son of the Fenway Sports Management family will play at Fenway Park. English soccer team Liverpool FC will play an exhibition game against AS Roma of Italy.

The match will be part of Liverpool's pre-season tour of the United States. No further dates have been announced, but the team will use Boston as a base throughout their American expedition. They'll be training at Harvard.

This isn't surprising news at all. Fenway has already hosted a match between Scotland's Celtic FC and Portugal's Sporting Lisbon. And we all know that Liverpool is the new favorite son of Fenway Sports Management.

The game is an opportunity to pocket a few Dollars/Pounds/Euros, promote Liverpool FC's brand in America, and promote the Fenway brand in Europe.

AS Roma is a clever choice for an opponent too. They're a reasonably popular team in the States, but they won't overshadow Liverpool who are much more popular. It's sort of like the Red Sox going to another country and playing the San Francisco Giants. Both teams are well-known and have good fanbases, but the Sox' is much larger. If Liverpool were playing Barcelona or Inter Milan, then they'd be the second-billed attraction. But with Roma, they are the main event.