German treble: Bayern Munich in 2013

Photo credit: Sky Sports

There is an ultimate measuring stick in the world of soccer to determine which club truly is the best in the world: the treble. For those unfamiliar with this term, it means this: winning the domestic league, domestic cup and continental tournament. In the case of Bayern Munich this season it was the German Bundesliga, clinched weeks ago, the UEFA Champions League, won against Borussia Dortmund, and yesterday's German DFB Pokal.

In recent times, only Barcelona have achieved this back in 2009, when Guardiola took Messi and company to the heights of all the different competitions and outclassed teams like Real Madrid and Manchester United along the way. Bayern Munich achieved the same this past season, completely demolishing domestic competition like Dortmund, Shalke 04, Stuttgart and Wolfsburg, as well as European giants Manchester United and Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Munich won the first ever German treble through a mix of rigorous and innovative training, and a rich tradition. In fact, they are a model for the Bundesliga itself, which is quickly becoming the top league in the world due to its inherent competitiveness and breakthroughs in marketing achieved by following American sports coverage. The Bundesliga is number one in the world in attendance, is majority-controlled by German investors and, unlike most leagues, collectively makes a profit.

The addition of players to the Bayern Munich squad, such as Mandzukic and David Alaba, have allowed for growth and efficacy in multiple positions. That Mario Gomez is on his way out does not mean Bayern is in a losing position, since they will be acquiring players like Lewandowski from Dortmund.

And yes, one cannot forget the true heroes of Bayern Munich: Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Thomas Muller, Philip Lamm, which are the backbone of its prodigious attack. One only needs to see their third goal in the Cup final yesterday. Lamm overlap with Muller and a perfect center of death to a surging Mario Gomez. Gomez made no mistake and Munich was on the verge of clinching their treble.

Bayern Munich is an exciting club that has gone largely unnoticed by the wider world of soccer, not by the true follower, but by wider international media and those that consider the Premier League, Serie A and Spanish La Liga the only tournaments worth watching. It is not for lack of star power that Bayern Munich is behind Barcelona or AC Milan in the world's eye. It's the significant capital that goes into overstuffed teams in the Premier League or two-horse races like the one we see in Spain every year.

It's time for us to enjoy and celebrate the best team in the world for what it is: class, inventiveness, coolly calculated German plays and pure soccer. Bayern Munich dazzles us with Robben's deft touches, Boateng's energy and commitment, Muller's speed and tenacity, the two Mario's effectiveness in front of goal and a collective mentality of victory.

Germany Rising: Bayern Munich wins the Champions League 2013

Photo credit: Reuters

As the curtains closed on another magical iteration of the UEFA Champions League, it was two German teams on the pitch: Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. No Italian team, nor Spanish, nor English, French, Dutch or even Portuguese. Just German. And the way they got here, scoring 4 goals on perennial candidates Barcelona and Real Madrid in their home matches, just added to the accomplishment.

This isn't the first time two teams from one country reach the final. The same happened in 2008 with the Chelsea - Manchester United final in Moscow. Back then it was another tribute to the most expensive, most followed, and most emulated league: The English Premier League. Not so much anymore. Its champions went down early even United faltered near the end. Clearly, fate has looked another direction for choice.

Enter the Bundesliga. With perpetual contenders--and global brand--Bayern Munich, it might be easy to dismiss this league as not competitive. Not true. Aside from Dortmund and Munich exchanging wins during the recent decade, other standout performances abound: the 2008-2009 season was won by Wolfsburg, Stuttgart in 2006-2007 and Werder Bremen 2003-2004.

But today it was a different story on the pitch. Bayern Munich had the global influence, the impetus, the fans, the explosiveness of Mandzukich, Ribery, Robben, Muller, Schweinsteiger. In a match that was back and forth at times, it was always clear the clad in red had the upper hand, the swift passes, the intricate movements. The score might have been much more emphatic if it hadn't been for Dortmund's goalkeeper Weidenfeller and defender Neven Subotic. 

Although Lewandowski got close and Gundogan scored the equalizer, it always seemed clear that Munich had the upper hand in the attack. So when the ball came to Arjen Robben's foot and he controlled it, gauged its direction and tapped it into the net near the end of the game, it all became clear. This was the Dutch master's night and an appropriate sendoff for coach Jupp Heynckes. 

This night was an ode to German football. If 2010 showed how the national team was stacked with talent and power in Muller, Ozil, Khedira, Boateng, and recent years have brought us Mario Gomez, Gundogan, Schurrle, then surely destiny is welcoming them to a new sphere. The Germans may have faltered at the World Cup and Euro, but its club teams have now reached the pinnacle of soccer and allowed for the next phase in the development of this team: an international tournament.

Germany may have had its previous empires mired by tragedy and greed, solace and misfortune. For a people trying every day so hard to perpetuate their pride, despite their trials in history, the sport of soccer can offer a new perspective. Here they are kings, there are no guns or bombs or dictators or emperors. No on faults them for their achievements but instead emulate their style and development. For the German people there is just one truth: the love of the sport, the love of German football.

Timmy Chandler: Friend or foe?

Photo credit: ISI photos

Much has been made of US national team player Timmy Chandler in the last few months. From his breakthrough games with the national side against Argentina and Paraguay, to his rise as a starter for Bundesliga side Nuremberg. But his relationship with US national team fans has been a bit rocky ever since those friendlies in March because of missed matches, tournaments, attention.

It started with the friendlies against the South American sides. Earlier this year we were introduced to the lad and watched him become a regular for his Bundesliga team. By mid-March, then-coach Bob Bradley selected him to represent the US in the exhibition matches. Fans had started to watch him closely in his games for Nuremberg and realized that he just might be the future of the right back position as Cherundolo is phased out.

Chandler was stellar against Argentina and provided a necessary spark out of the back and forced the team forward. Agudelo would eventually tie the match. Against Paraguay, Chandler was even more explosive and a bright spot in an otherwise flat game for the Americans.

Flash forward to the 2011 Gold Cup and many fans and soccer media were pinning Chandler as a starter if Cherundolo was hurt or even at midfield for mid-game changes in tactics. He also excelled at that position versus Paraguay. But then came word that Chandler was "exhausted" after his first full season with the Bundesliga team and that he needed some time off to recuperate. Really? Plenty of other players relish the possibility of being called up for the national team regardless of the length and demands of a full season. And this was an international tournament.

Was Nuremberg at fault for not releasing him? Bob Bradley wasn't strict enough to mandate his presence? Did Chandler want to represent Germany instead?

So on Friday, a day after he was called by Klinsmann to appear next week versus Mexico, Nuremberg and Chandler asked for him to remain in Germany and skip this match due to a "slight injury." But when he surfaced as a starter and had a great game for Nuremberg for the first game of the season, fans scratched their heads and were generally irate on twitter and other media. Some respected soccer journalists also posted the news that he was starting for Nuremberg but not willing to play for the US. "Hmmm," was the common denominator among journalists. Indeed.

Another snub by Chandler. Was he really not planning to suit up for Team USA ever again? Not necessarily. Washington Post's Soccer Insider posted an interesting article on the situation. It seems that Chandler is looking to secure his place as a starter during this month before he heads out to national team duties. His "slight injury" was a misnomer by US Soccer and Klinsmann had not talked with Chandler prior to his naming as a player in the 22-man roster for next week's friendly. According to the article, "Chandler and Hecking [his manager] committed to both U.S. friendlies next month: against Costa Rica Sept. 2 in Carson, Calif., and four days later against Belgium in Brussels."

So, I along with most US soccer fans out there will reserve judgement for now. Our team could certainly use Chandler's energy and skills as a new World Cup cycle approaches. He's a friend for now but people will certainly question his commitment further if he doesn't suit up for the national team within the next few matches.

Access to soccer in America

Admit it. If you like soccer in this country you are limited to what ESPN has to offer (1 semi-weekly MLS game and an EPL game on Saturday mornings). That's with basic cable. Otherwise it's airwaves, and you better hope your MLS team is local or you like the Mexican league. That is, as long as either Telemundo or Univision/Telefutura are available. Granted, select Concacaf Champions League games are also available on Telefutura, mostly when Mexican teams are involved. There are also sporadic Uefa Champions League games on the Fox Sports Network.

But what about the national team? USA usually plays on ESPN for the qualifiers and international friendlies. You can also catch the Mexican national team if it's a friendly on Telemundo (they hold the rights to games abroad). Univsion usually carries the Mexico-USA qualifier clash. The only other time is during the World Cup. Euro games are also shown on ESPN networks (and occasionally on ABC). Univision has rights to the Gold Cup and Copa America.

So if you want to view European soccer beyond the one Saturday morning Premier League match, then you have to spend some money to get digital cable or satellite TV. Usually, at least for cable, Fox Soccer Channel is included in the digital package. For Direct TV, depending on where you are, it may cost extra. Having FSC gives you at least 3 live EPL games and 1 or 2 Italian Serie A matches. More importantly, The UEFA Champions League is shown on this channel, along with MLS-participating Concacaf Champions League games. It also gives you their weekly MLS game along with select women's games (WPS) and NCAA (men's and women's). That's enough to keep some, if not most, satisfied.

If one wants to venture out past FSC, then you better hope your region includes ESPN Deportes as a standard channel (New York, LA possibly?). Otherwise it will cost you extra. For Time Warner it comes at $3 per month. It may be more with other cable companies (Comcast may be up to $15 per month). Included in this channel are German Bundesliga, Dutch Eridivisie and Spanish Primera. This usually means you are getting the "Latino" package. Fortunately for you, choosing this option also gives you access to two additional networks: GoalTV and Fox Sports en Espanol. With GolTV there is more Spanish Primera, as well as Brazilian and Colombian football. Select World Cup qualifiers will also play in this channel as well as on ESPN Deportes. FSE provides access to the Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, and complementary UCL games.

One additional network is the recent addition Fox Soccer Plus. Not in cable companies in most markets but it is included in the sports package with Direct TV.

We now arrive at the internet. Fortunately for some of us that dwell in academia, .edu domains give access to espn3.com. There you can catch pretty much all the action on the ESPN networks. It is also available for Comcast customers. Such is the case in Oregon. But what about Fox? Well, if you're like myself (and many others), then watching the Champions League (UEFA) requires an investment. But don't fret yet. There is always streaming (often unreliable peer-to-peer) video. Until Fox chooses to follow espn3, most internet-savvy soccer fans will access it through other means. It's silly, really. If they keep advertisements going within an online. portal it will only give Fox Soccer more attention throughout America.

Hopefully this summary will help some folks out. I will not give away streaming video addresses through here but you can always search for them or follow online threads. Enjoy soccer, America. Plenty of it if you know where to look.