With tonight's 3-0 win over Wigan, Manchester City now sit in fifth place in the FA Premier League table, just two points behind Tottenham. The Eastlands club was powered by a Carlos Tevez hat-trick that was scored in just under 12 minutes. It should be an extremely interesting finish to the season as both clubs look to progress into next season's Champions League.
How has everyone's weekend been? Mine's about to get a whole lot more interesting in the next few hours, as Michigan State will do battle with Tennessee at 2:20 p.m. with a Final Four berth on the line.
Until then, let's go around the globe and check out some of the news coming from this weekend in soccer:
On Wednesday night, Everton defeated Manchester City 2-0 in a tumultuous affair that saw both managers get sent off in the final minutes for clashing on the touchline. Here's a video of Everton's David Moyes and Man City's Roberto Mancini being restrained after a small tussle:
The loss put a dent in City's aspirations for finishing in the top-four with a Champions League birth next season. Now, it seems that the row has grown to encompass the respective clubs' boardrooms as well.
Manchester City's chief executive Garry Cook is now being questioned after his heated exchange in the director's box with George Downing, a guest of Everton, on Wednesday night. Cook already is no stranger to controversy; he was the target of criticism for his cold-blooded firing of manager Mark Hughes this past December. If anything will come of Wednesday night is anyone's guess, but it will not sit well in the media.
Even though Mancini's side now have the money to compete with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United, Wednesday night proved City still lack a considerable amount of class. Just keep your head down and play your soccer, because these sorts of actions will make you Premier League villains rather than heroes.
Highlighted by a match-up vs. Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew, your Spartans will be back on the field starting exhibition play on Sunday, March 28th when they take on the Butler Bulldogs at DeMartin Stadium. The Bulldogs are the defending 2009 Horizon League Champions.
The kickoff for the Butler match is slated for 1 p.m. The only other home exhibition game will be against FC London, Ontario on Sunday, April 25th at 2 p.m. Both games feature free admission.
But perhaps the most intriguing match-up has to be against the Crew. The 2009 MLS Eastern Conference Champions, the high-profile club offers significant resistance to which the Spartans can test their early-season form. The match will be played on April 2nd in Columbus, Ohio.
The full exhibition schedule can be found by clicking here.
Daniel Chen is president of McGlobe, the McDonel Hall International Club at Michigan State. As one of the organizers behind the Guinness World Record soccer tournament being staged on April 9, 2010 at the field at Spartan Village, Chen has been busy getting together participants and referees.
Xtra Time recently caught up with the 23-year-old media management and research senior to ask about preparations leading up to the event:
We all need an occasional laugh, so I will share with you some of the funniest moments ever seen on a soccer field. With the help of the swift trigger-fingers of these photographers (and the Internet), these moments are sure to brighten up an otherwise cloudy day.
Some of these photos may make you grimace. Some may make you roll on the floor laughing. Either way they are sure to be more entertaining than a classroom lecture on biology (and that's a guarantee).
The sign up for participating in the Guinness World Record soccer tournament at Spartan Village has been extended to today. The tournament organizers will be at the International Center lobby from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
This past Saturday, the New York Red Bulls opened their new European-style stadium in a friendly versus Brazilian club Santos. Red Bull Arena was christened in spectacular fashion, as the Major League Soccer side defeated Pele's old club by a score of 3-1 in front of 25,000 fans.
It was a great day for soccer in America, and definitely something to get Red Bulls fans excited for the 2010 MLS season. Check out a video of the event below:
Davies has been recovering since his involvement in a car accident in October which left one woman dead and Davies with a host of broken bones. His healing time has been amazingly quick, considering many soccer experts thought he would be out of the fold for the World Cup. Instead, Davies has drawn upon his inner-strength and excelled at his rehabilitation. Hopefully he can get some time back on the field in France before it's time for South Africa.
Here's an interview with Davies after he returned to his club:
(Midfielder Clint Dempsey has the U.S. ready to make some noise this summer)
I just got done reading a great article from Eliott C. McLaughlin onCNN.com about soccer and its increasing development and popularity in this country.
If you didn't know already, the United States has only had its top-level professional league (Major League Soccer) in place for 15 years. Critics still ask why the men's national team hasn't had more success in international competitions given our financial resources and enormous pool of players. Compared to other countries which have almost 100 years of league history, I would have to say that the progress for the sport in America has been nothing short of impressive. This past summer's upset over Spain in the Confederations Cup is proof and the fans at home are catching on.
So I know that this may not be a new video in internet circles, but it is new to me. If you have ever watched the Champions League, it's almost certain that you have been bombarded by Heineken commercials. This time, the marketing gurus at the beer company ratcheted up their efforts to trick fans of AC Milan.
On October 21st, 2009, AC Milan squared of against Real Madrid in one of the most intriguing match-ups of CL group play. Instead, for more than 1,100 fans of the club, those supporters were coerced by girlfriends, bosses and professors into attending a staged classical music concert put on by Heineken during the same night of the game. The reactions of the people forced to miss the game were documented live on Sky Sports and viewed by about 1.5 million people.
Check out a video of the entire prank below. All I can say is, well done Heineken!
Do you love soccer? Have you ever wanted to be a part of a Guinness World Record? If you answered "yes" to even one of these questions, then I have the perfect news for you.
On Friday, April 9th at 3 p.m. on the soccer field at Spartan Village Apartments, Michigan State University students will gather to play the longest soccer tournament ever seen on the face of the earth. The tournament is scheduled to run until Sunday, April 11th at 3 p.m. which will see 48 hours of footy action take place.
The sign-up for the event takes place this week at the International Center and MSU Union from 11:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. to either play or help volunteer with the tournament. Come help make this an event that will go down in history!
Check out the Facebook page for the event by clicking here. Spread the word Spartans and tell all of your soccer friends!
David Beckham seemed to be doing everything right to make England's roster for the 2010 World Cup. He was in some of the best shape of his life while being a regular contributor for an AC Milan squad loaded with talented players. At 34-years-old, Beckham was showing that he still had a lot left to give on the field and this was not going unnoticed by England manager Fabio Capello. The chances of him being the first English player to ever feature in four successive World Cup finals were high.
But oh, how life can be cruel.
In the closing minutes of AC Milan's 1-0 win over Chievo, Beckham's World Cup dreams were dealt a huge blow after the Englishman was stretchered off the field with an injury. After the game, it was revealed that he suffered a torn left Achilles tendon which will require surgery and put the midfielder out of action for around 5-6 months.
A video of the injury is below. I hope that the experienced midfielder can recover and continue his soccer career and not have this be the last time we see him on the field. But the World Cup chances for Beckham are, according to sports physician Dr. Tom Crisp on BBC Radio 5, "non-existent."
Hey guys. So as of 5 a.m. tomorrow I will be heading to Puerto Rico on Alternative Spring Break through Michigan State University. A group of us will be there to do volunteer work in the rainforests. I'm really excited about the students I'm going with and the activities we will be doing.
Sadly, that means that Xtra Time is going to have to go on a week-long break. I'm going to be busy down there and I'm not sure what sort of internet connection I will have. But I look forward to continuing to blog after spring break is over. Don't forget that there are two match-days in the Champions League next week, so if you're interested head over to Soccernet.com for the latest news.
I will leave you with one tidbit. Here's a video of quarterback Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys playing indoor soccer this offseason. Check out his skills!
The United States national team will be visiting the raucous confines of Amsterdam ArenA today in a friendly versus the Netherlands. The match is set to kick-off at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The U.S. will be without some of its standouts in striker Charlie Davies, midfielder Clint Dempsey and defender Oguchi Onyewu, all of whom are out with injuries. But the game will serve as a proving ground for some fringe players to get a shot at making the World Cup squad (i.e. Damarcus Beasley).
The Netherlands comes into the game ranked third by FIFA. The Oranje will be fielding a squad that includes some of the world's best in midfielder Wesley Sneijder, winger Arjen Robben and young starlet Eljero Elia.
Move over Home Depot Center: the next great American soccer stadium has finally been completed.
Red Bull Arena, located in Harrison, New Jersey, will open on March 20th as the official home of Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls. The Red Bulls will face-off against Brazilian club Santos in a friendly match. Santos is led by striker Robinho, a former star of Real Madrid and Manchester City.
The new structure boasts a capacity of 25,189 seats and features a European-style roof that covers all the seats but not the field. The arena is the end result of a project that took six years to complete and was all privately funded by Red Bull GmbH, the creators of the eponymous energy drink.
That being said, Red Bull Arena will serve as a landmark in the American soccer landscape. The appearance of the facility immediately looks different than any of its MLS brethren; instead, it could be used in Europe and fit in perfectly. The days of American soccer teams playing in cavernous NFL stadiums are long gone. Making the arena look more similar to those stadiums found throughout the world should do a lot for die-hards looking to take in the ultimate game environment.
(Red Bulls striker Juan Pablo Angel inside Red Bull Arena) (Courtesy of MLSnet.com)
As for the on-field product, maybe this addition will draw a superstar to the team a la David Beckham to the Los Angeles Galaxy. The Red Bulls do have two designated player spots, and Thierry Henry was rumored to have interest in joining the club last summer.
Here's an animated tour of the facility from the club:
As Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey crumpled to the turf, both Arsenal and Stoke City players feared the worst; and they were right. Victim of a horror challenge from Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross, Ramsey's right leg was unnaturally bent in a hideous angle.
With the Welshman in obvious pain, and about to go into shock from the grotesque sight of his leg, Stoke midfielder Glenn Whelan did the only thing he could: he rushed to the young player's side and tried to distract him from his injury.
"The lad was in a lot of distress and we just wanted the medics and physios to get on as soon as possible...he kept wanting to look at his leg but I could see how bad it was and I wouldn't let him. He was in shock. I told him just to think about something else and hold on until the ambulancemen arrived and they could do their job."
Hearing this from a member of the opposing team certainly makes you feel better about soccer players in today's world of marketing and player image. Too many times we hear stories about scandals and spoiled players (I'm looking at you, John Terry). Whelan's selfless actions were highly commendable and a great indicator of his professionalism and sportsmanship.
I wish the Irishman the best throughout the rest of his career and may he serve as a role model for other players.
With tonight's 3-0 win over Wigan, Manchester City now sit in fifth place in the FA Premier League table, just two points behind Tottenham. The Eastlands club was powered by a Carlos Tevez hat-trick that was scored in just under 12 minutes. It should be an extremely interesting finish to the season as both clubs look to progress into next season's Champions League.
How has everyone's weekend been? Mine's about to get a whole lot more interesting in the next few hours, as Michigan State will do battle with Tennessee at 2:20 p.m. with a Final Four berth on the line.
On Wednesday night, Everton defeated Manchester City 2-0 in a tumultuous affair that saw both managers get sent off in the final minutes for clashing on the touchline. Here's a video of Everton's David Moyes and Man City's Roberto Mancini being restrained after a small tussle:
Highlighted by a match-up vs. Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew, your Spartans will be back on the field starting exhibition play on Sunday, March 28th when they take on the Butler Bulldogs at DeMartin Stadium. The Bulldogs are the defending 2009 Horizon League Champions.
IMPORTANT REMINDER!
(Midfielder Clint Dempsey has the U.S. ready to make some noise this summer)
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Hey guys. So as of 5 a.m. tomorrow I will be heading to Puerto Rico on Alternative Spring Break through Michigan State University. A group of us will be there to do volunteer work in the rainforests. I'm really excited about the students I'm going with and the activities we will be doing.
Move over Home Depot Center: the next great American soccer stadium has finally been completed.
(Red Bulls striker Juan Pablo Angel inside Red Bull Arena)
