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.

Drogba, Magical and Chelsea win the Champions League

Photo credit: The Sun

 

The heavens are blue. Chelsea blue. The English team's first ever win of the UEFA Champions League was achieved through defense, magical moments and the right players. This is how they beat Bayern Munich today. For Munich, their run to the final in their home stadium was written in the stars when they defeated Real Madrid via penalties at the Bernabeu. But today it wasn't their time, their game, or their title. 

The sheer drive of Chelsea, a team working as a unit, and their masterful striker, Didier Drogba, eventually painted the Munich night blue. This was after the home team had had the bulk of the possession and chances throughout the match. Indeed, Munich was favored worldwide to win it all today because of their record in the tournament, their rich history and the fact that they were to play in their home stadium.

It was Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Thomas Muller, Jerome Boateng, Mario Gomez and company pushing harder and further up the field until the masterful header by Muller brought Bayern Munich closer to the cup in the 83rd minute. After that, Muller and Ribery were subbed off for tactical and injury reasons, and this proved fatal when Drogba scored a precise header past Neuer in the 88th.

Fate seemed to smile for Munich when a penalty was given to them when Drogba fouled Ribery in the penalty area. Robben would try to bring it home in the 95th of stoppage time as the thousands of Munich fans expectantly watched the Dutch maestro. Chelsea has another not-so-secret weapon: Petr Cech. The Czech goalkeeper is a penalty specialist and, full of confidence from the Barcelona match, he stood his ground and stopped a powerful but lazily placed shot by the Dutchman.

Extra time was a whirlwind of Munich attacks and trademark Chelsea defense. This is why Di Mateo's club was able to oust Barcelona from the cup. Sheer numbers in the back and tactical marking. It would go on to penalties and Petr Cech showed his worth once more, bringing a 1-3 deficit to a final of 4-3 by stopping Olic and Schweinsteiger.

It is fitting, perhaps, that an interim coach would win it for Chelsea. Abromovich always went for the flashy managers in Mourinho, Hiddink, and Ancelotti but they never got him the Champions League. The other time his club made the final happened when another interim coach, Avram Grant, was at the helm. Will Di Mateo stay? One can't argue with a Champions League trophy, even if the club ended in 6th place in the Premier League.

Often we are treated with true spectacles in the beautiful game and oftentimes the flashy fantasy will win over. Such was the case with Barcelona in recent Champions League finals and Spain at the 2010 World Cup. But more often than not, true teamwork and defensive poise helps a squad succeed and bring home a trophy. Sometimes poetry is written on the soccer field. Today Drogba and Cech were our poets.

Champions of Europe: Barcelona and the Messiverse

Photo credit: Reuters

It's Messi's world. In European club soccer there is no better player. FC Barcelona prevailed over Manchester United FC at the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final thanks to its number 10. The Catalan team proved to be too much for Manchester United, robbing them of the ball and playing their futbol dance throughout the match.

This was a rematch of the 2009 final when Cristiano Ronaldo faced off against Messi for world dominance. That match would end 2-0. Today's 3-1 is the same general score. Dominance and distance. The game started much like the 2009 final: possession, aggression and a resolve to keep the ball away from Messi, Xavi and Iniesta. Vidic, Evra, Valencia and Park constantly broke up plays by the spaniards well inside the Iberian half of the field. And just like in 2009, as the 10th minute came around, Barcelona stole the ball. They would never give it back except for Rooney's goal.

The victory was complete because the three attacking aces scored for Barca: Pedro, Messi and Villa. Pedro's strike was magic on the pitch after subtle passes gave way to a final touch worthy of replays. Rooney would strike back seven minutes later. But that would be all from United. The second half started with a more balanced and composed Manchester United. Until Messi found a goal through a rare Van der Saar error. Villa's strike with a curling ball to the upper 90 was further prove of his completeness as a striker.

There was distance between the two teams because Barcelona found channels through the English defense with short passes and midfield incursions. The Catalan team opened up the usually-stout group that Ferguson developed from some of the best defenders in the world: Ferdinand, Evra, Vidic, Fabio. There was distance also in the score: two goals. No way for United to return fire when Villa was subbed off at the 85th minute. The game stats said it all: 24 shots, 70% possession.

And even though this is the Messiverse, no one player is complete without his team. And this supporting cast happens to be the best in the world--quite literally. Indeed, if Villa, Pedro, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Pique and Puyol sound familiar it's because they form the spine of the World Cup Champion: Spain. Not to mention that 7 of these players came up through the Barca ranks. This is the difference: a team built from the ground up, growing together and adding the best player in the world.

Congratulations, Barcelona. And thank you for making us believe in fantasy again.

Concacaf still lags behind

The World Cup belongs to UEFA and CONMEBOL...always. Not once has a team from Asia, Africa or North and Central America won the cup. Further, no African or Concacaf team has made it to a final. Only South Korea has made it to the semifinal in the modern era, and their participation at that stage may be due to favorable officiating. Oh, USA did make it to the semifinal, but in 1930. It's safe to say that 99.9% of Americans even knew that soccer existed. Everyone was watching baseball anyway.

So let's revise history a bit. If we look at Mexico, their best results were reaching the quarterfinals in 1970 and 1986. Are those familiar dates? They should be, they were the tournaments hosted by Mexico. And the United States? They have also stopped short at the quarterfinals...in 2002. This after first coming back to the world stage in 1990, with a round of 16 appearance when they hosted the World Cup in 1994.

Can we blame USA and Mexico's exits from the World Cup on battling stronger, legendary foes? Partly. For Mexico, starting with 1986, Germany defeated them on penalties (1-4). They were absent in 1990 due to disciplinary reasons. In 1994 it was eventual-semifinalists Bulgaria that ousted them in the round of 16. Was that a top competition? At the time, no. They lost on penalties, again, after Hristo Stoichkov scored a beautiful tying goal on Jorge Campos. After that it was Germany in 1998, USA in 2002, and Argentina in 2006 and 2010. You can make a case for top competition in 3 out of 4 of those tournaments. The match against the USA was a toss-up, especially since the two teams know each other well. However, in this match they were beaten 2-0 and not in penalties.

What about USA? If we discount the times they failed to make it out of group play (1990, 1998, 2006), they also faced top competition in 2 our of 3 of the corresponding games (Brazil in 1994 and Germany in 2002). Brazil won the cup in 1994 and Germany reached the final in 2002. Yes, that penalty against the USA shouldn't have counted on that fateful quarterfinal against the three-time world champs. And in the current World Cup? We can say that Ghana isn't top competition but they were in Africa and level in strength.

Let's look at South Africa a bit closer. In the words of the great Mauro Velasquez Villacis, neither Mexico or USA beat anybody. What about France? We can all agree that France was in shambles due to internal strife. Mexico couldn't defeat the host nation and fell to Uruguay, which set up a match against Argentina. USA also didn't beat anyone; Algeria isn't really considered a world power.

Mexicans and Americans may both make reference to non-World Cup tournaments such as the Confederations Cup or U-17 and U-20 tournaments. Mexico may have won the Confederations Cup in 1999 (they were hosts) and the USA may have reached the final in 2009, but let's face it, these do not compare to the World Cup. And when you throw in Mexico's U-17 championship in 2005 and USA may have reached the semifinals in 1999 I say this: youth tournaments almost never reflect the senior team. As an example, USA defeated Brazil in 2007 by the score of 2-1. The senior team has defeated them once in the last 20 years, and on home soil on a non-World Cup match.

There is still plenty of room for evolution of the Concacaf region. The Mexican Primera is a quality league and MLS is catching up to the world. Players from the region are also beginning to populate European leagues. If Ghana were to reach the semifinal in 2010, it will be a victory for the continent. It may not be long before USA or Mexico reach the semifinals and it may also take a hosting of the tournament by one of the two countries. If USA hosts in 2018 or 2022 things may go their way, especially since Mexico is essentially at home in this country. Until then, however, Concacaf will continue to lag behind.

Titans clash: Champions League begins

I was hoping for an amazing game when I took time off to see Inter host Champions League title-holders Barcelona. Instead there was missed chances and too much defense. Well, actually mostly defense from Mourinho's side and lack of a finishing touch with Barca. Indeed, Samuel, Julio Cruz and Julio Cesar performed admirably by frustrating the Messi-Ibrahimovic-Henry attack. Inter also lacked commitment getting forward and a true #10 and possession. Eto'o looked lonely and Milito lived offsides. Aside from the finishing touch, Barcelona continues to look extremely dangerous and will be difficult to defeat as we move forward with the current version of the Champions League.

Elsewhere in Europe, Real Madrid looked like the kind of team they are supposed to be by beating Zurich 5-2 with Cristiano Ronaldo giving another scintillating performance. It would be a pity not to see him in next year's World Cup. Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa also seem to have improved by joining this Real Madrid team, not to mention Kaka.

Manchester United also looked powerful going forward with Nani, Valencia and Scholes. Pairing that midfield up with Rooney and Berbatov is pure dynamite. Even much-maligned AC Milan showed up at the Vellodrome to snatch all three points away from an impressive Marseille that now includes Gabriel Heinze, Lucho and Falcao.

Other teams like Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Lyon, Sevilla, Chelsea, and Wolfsburg maintained their dominance over smaller teams. Surprises are present too, however. Juventus and Atletico Madrid were unable to come away with wins. It's early in the process and there are many more top-tier soccer stories to be written. I'm holding Madrid, Barca, Man U and maybe Wolfsburg as the final 4 at this point. Things can always change.

UEFA reawakens

And now for some European content. Aside from Beckham and the World Cup, and if we don't count MLS as a viable option then most US-based soccer fans will answer this way: "UEFA Champions League." Nowhere else on Earth do so many multi-million dollar players and clubs go head to head against one another. MLB World Series, NFL Superbowl and NBA finals aside, this competition garners worldwide attention on a weekly basis and during the workweek... during the day (here on the flip side of the Prime Meridian). This, after all, is the world's game. And these, after all, are all the world's stars. A good majority of the planet is represented in one way or another with Brazil and Argentina taking up most of the teams (think of it like the US population and its energy consumption in relation to the rest of the world). Now, after a two month hiatus the UEFA Champions League is finally here and in single elimination, 16 team format.

I don't pretend to be an expert and I aim to be objective, always. If this were my real job I would gladly put considerable more study towards it and maybe don a journalism major. Alas, I am only a scientist. But here's what's at stake: Coaches, players, fans, sponsors and the future of the game. The match-ups are legendary: Man U vs Inter, Roma-Arsenal, Real Madrid-Liverpool, Juventus-Chelsea. Other teams like Barcelona (Lyon), and Bayern Munich (Sporting Lisbon) are virtual shoe-ins as eternal favorites but upsets abound on this planet. What if Messi's Barca is knocked out? Who cares what happens with Villarreal and Panathinaikos or Atletico Madrid and Porto? Well, for one, some of these teams are prime locations for future (present) US national teamers, as is the case with Jozy Altidore (Villarreal albeit on loan to Xerez at the moment).

And here's the other thing. Many coaches and teams are hanging tenuously by a thread.. Wenger isn't getting any better at his job with Arsenal (ESPN's Tommy Smyth made it blatantly open that he feels the Dutchman should leave the Gunners), Rafa Benitez has been quiet about his future with Liverpool, Guus Hiddink is an interim for Chelsea. On the other hand we have managers new to their teams but with distinct success. Such is the case with the "Special One" himself--Jose Mourinho and Spurs misfit Juande Ramos (now interestingly successful with Real).

This season it's closer than you may imagine, although the favorites still gravitate amongst the top European leagues--England, Spain and Italy. Guardiola's Barcelona is nearly perfect and a better team than the champion in 2006 with Ronaldinho and Deco. Messi has made up for it and overflowed his talent banks so that the rest of the team is elevated closer to a higher deity (interestingly, Maradona sure likes Messi). Manchester United is nowhere near the team that won it all last season with an in-form Cristiano Ronaldo, but their defense has been superb and unless all their players get hurt I see it very hard for anyone else to win the EPL in 2009. But that's Alex Ferguson's Achilles heel--a defense depleted by injuries against Ibrahimovic, Adriano and company. Mourinho may have a few cards up his sleeve yet.

And this is where I end this discussion about the premier soccer competition... A battle between two old foes: Sir Alex Ferguson and the Special One. I pick Inter. As long as Rooney's kept busy and Ronaldo frustrated, Berbatov, Scholes, Nani and Park may be force to cut back on their attack mode. There are 180 minutes to this match. San Siro should be a fortress and Old Trafford a castle to be conquered.

LIGA GRANDE

It seemed a dream not too long ago.... an Ecuador club playing for the ultimate crown in world football. And yet if we throw aside the veil of football normalcy we come across a sight seldom seen, none at all predicted, and yet very much a reality. Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito, also known as "Liga" will face off against Manchester United in FIFA's Club World Cup.This contest, to some, is little less than a nuisance for European giants like Barcelona, AC Milan and Manchester United and commentators such as the lively Tommy Smyth caution about the Reds performance in the EPL when they've been thrust into this competition. True, the EPL will not see a respite this coming holiday season as leagues in Spain and Germany, not to mention the whole of Latin America are but at its heart the Club Championship still designates the world champion in terms of club competitions. I find it shortsighted to regard the Uefa Champions League as the ultimate club trophy. Does it give you the right to be named world champs? No, it doesn't. In the Americas you also have an older and much more traditional competition in the Copa Libertadores. Concacaf has its own competition as well, as do CAF (Africa), AFC (Asia), and OFC (Oceania). I agree that it is a bit convoluted to bring all these champions to a short two-week torunament in which the South Americans and Europeans get a bye on the first round while skipping out on countless teams swelling with tradition and tallent. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what the World Cup is about. Clubs are important, yes. Everyone has a favorite and emotions run high nonetheless. Pele once said that the future of football would be the clubs and not the countries and that we should concentrate on clubs. Seems odd coming from the man that made the "verdeamarela" so synonimous with soccer worldwide.
But back to the point. Liga beat Pachuca (Mexico champs, Concacaf) by the score of 2-0 in the semifinals in a game that Pachuca deserved better luck in (as well as more help from the ref). Manso's goal in the starting minutes was probably offsides but Luis Bolanos' free kick was a golazo worthy of Beckham, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho and Hristo Stoichkov. Bauza's trick with the double wall (Liga players shielded the ball from the Pachuca players before the kick) was a stroke of genius. Excellent defense and some none-calls finished off a wonderful night (morning, thanks to DVR). Liga's cinderella story continues all the way up to facing probably the best team in the world... Manchester United. United beat Gamba Osaka of Japan (AFC champions) by the score of 5-3 today. Liga has seen the likes of San Lorenzo, Boca Juniors, Fluminense, Estudiantes this past year but Rooney, Van der Saar, C. Ronaldo, Giggs, Vidic, Tevez, Ferdinand, Berbatov, Scholes, Andersson, Nani and Co. are another level still. This club final is probably the most (technically) lop-sided match the tournament has seen yet. Previously it had mainly been Conmebol giants like Boca Juniors that faced off against teams like AC Milan. And yet surprises still abound. In 2006 it was modest Internacional de Porto Alegre (Brazil) that beat the FC Barcelona of Ronaldinho, Deco and Eto'o. Anything can happen. That's sports. That's soccer. That's futbol.
Game will be on Fox Soccer Channel at 5:30AM Sunday