Champions League Quarterfinal Preview--Part 2

Yesterday, we took a brief look at the ties that will start tomorrow afternoon here in the US. Today, we'll look at Wednesday's games. Once again, my picks to advance to the semifinals are highlighted in bold.

1. Arsenal vs. Liverpool: Don't let Arsenal's comeback to beat Bolton this weekend fool you; the Gunners aren't playing well right now and they couldn't have been happy with drawing the European buzzsaw that is Liverpool in this round.

For Arsenal to win this tie, they must hold serve at the Emirates on Wednesday and either come away with a win or a scoreless draw. If they lose to Liverpool at home or concede in a draw, or perhaps even concede in a one-goal loss, the Reds will take that positive result back to Anfield, grind the second leg out, get the job done, and advance. You don't go into the home of England's most successful European club and come away with anything, it's that simple, at least in the Champions League. A European night at Anfield is a special, special sight to behold and the inexperience of Arsenal could be exploited there.

What are the keys for both teams? For Arsenal, as I said, they likely need to win on Wednesday.

"Well duh, but how do they do that?" Liverpool can be beaten on the wings. It's nearly impossible to penetrate through the likes of Gerrard, Alonso, and Mascherano in the middle, but Babel and Kuyt are fairly limited defensively. Unfortunately for Arsenal, those two players have just as much speed, although Kuyt perhaps a little less so, than the players (Walcott/Eboué and Rosicky) Arsene Wenger will play on the flanks. If those guys can whip balls in to Adebayor and/or Bendtner, it could come down to an aerial battle between Carragher and Skrtel and the Arsenal strikers. Personally, I'd take the Liverpool defenders, but that's just me.

For Liverpool, Ryan Babel needs to have a big game. No Bacary Sagna, who is out with an injury, on the right side likely means that either Justin Hoyte (average at best) or Kolo Touré (out of position) will be pressed into action and will have to deal with the Dutch winger. Babel has the strength to beat Hoyte one-on-one and the pace to beat Touré. If he can force his way to the byline and inside the box, that havoc will create chances all day for the most in-form striker in the world right now, Fernando Torres.

Prediction: This tie may have extra time and penalties written all over it, but I can see Liverpool getting it done in 180 minutes. With that said, I can see Arsenal doing the same but based on the Reds' European exploits and the fact that they have a better two-leg manager, I'm going with Liverpool. 0-0 in the first leg, 2-1 in the return leg at Anfield -- 2-1 aggregate

2. Fenerbahçe vs. Chelsea: I'll tell you right now, Fenerbahçe aren't going down without a fight. They will make Chelsea work for the entirety of this tie and it's not as cut-and-dry as one may think.

Usually the team who hosts the second leg has the advantage; in this case, however, I don't agree. No one, and I repeat, no one, wants to travel to Istanbul in front of the rowdy Turkish crowd and play. It's important that Fenerbahçe come out strong on Wednesday and take something positive back to Stamford Bridge. They need to set the tone in this tie and dictate to Chelsea how it is going to be played. Remember, this is a team that beat Inter Milan in this competition already, and say what you want about Milan's recent dip in form, that was still a hugely impressive result and one that shouldn't be discounted.

Chelsea was extremely fortunate to beat Middlesbrough this weekend, and they've been giving up a lot of chances in the past couple of weeks. There are goals to be had for Fenerbahçe, but they must convert their opportunities and that's something Middlesbrough couldn't do. Then again, there is a reason that Fenerbahçe are in the Champions League and Middlesbrough are..well, they're Middlesbrough.

In much the same fashion, Chelsea are going to get their fair share of chances as well against a Fenerbahçe back line that conceded five goals in two games against Sevilla in the Round of 16. The Blues possess a multitude of quality attacking players, and I would expect them to do their job and bury a couple balls into the back of the net.

I have to be honest, I haven't been able to find much information on this but if Roberto Carlos is healthy again, he'll give Fenerbahçe a big boost on the left side. The former Brazilian stalwart was named as one of the 125 best living players by Pelé in 2004 and still possesses a lethal left foot. He missed both games of the Sevilla tie, I believe, and Fenerbahçe could really use him back for this quarterfinal round.

Prediction: Fenerbahçe are a team with nothing to lose, having already exceeded expectations in reaching this stage of the competition. I expect them to play like at home on Wednesday and pull off a 2-1 win to give themselves a chance heading back to London. Chelsea doesn't score a ton of goals, so it could be a little tighter than desired, but the Blues will get it done at the Bridge. 2-1 in the first leg for the Turkish side, 3-1 in the second leg for Avram Grant's men -- 4-3 aggregate

Champions League Quarterfinals Preview--Part 1

The first legs of the Champions League quarterfinal round are right around the corner. We'll see two games on Tuesday and the other two on Wednesday, and if you're a fan of the Premiership, you have to be happy with the situation right now. Four teams out of the eight remaining hail from England and of those four, three could very well advance to the semifinals.

Today, we'll take a look at the ties scheduled to open on Tuesday. My pick to progress is highlighted in bold.

1. AS Roma vs. Manchester United: This is one of the "dream ties" I wanted to see and a rematch of last year's quarterfinal, won on aggregate 8-3 by United. These two teams are well acquainted with one another as they also were in the same group this season, a group won handily by United.

It's really rather simple for Roma. If Francesco Totti doesn't play, and he is a "major doubt" for Tuesday's game, the Italian side has very little chance at advancing. Totti isn't just the straw that stirs Roma's drink, he is the drink. This is a guy who is one of the two or three best players in Europe right now (behind Cristiano Ronaldo and possibly Fernando Torres) and without him, I'm not sure if Roma has the firepower to overcome a United side that is working on all cylinders at the moment. If Totti is healthy, it's a different ballgame altogether and Roma would have a puncher's chance.

Roma need to win at the Stadio Olimpico, where they are 12-2-1 in Serie A, on Tuesday because they're not going to win in Manchester. It's also important to not concede an away goal to United, who have scored 27 of those in the Premiership, good for the second-highest total in the league.

Prediction: Roma won't be able to keep United off the scoreboard at home, and will get tonked at Old Trafford. Totti at 80-90% is good enough to beat a lot of teams, but United isn't one of them. 1-1 in Rome, 3-1 in Manchester -- 4-2 aggregate

2. Schalke 04 vs. Barcelona: With no disrespect meant to Schalke, Barcelona got the easiest possible draw in this round. Schalke are in a dogfight just to finish in a Champions League spot in the Bundesliga and scoring goals is a problem for them.

Barcelona will be without the services of Lionel Messi, but I honestly don't think it'll matter too much in this tie. The Spanish giants score for fun (60 goals in 30 league games) and while their road form is a bit of a concern, they more than make up for that at the Camp Nou.

Kevin Kuranyi needs to come up with two all-world performances for Schalke to have much of a chance, and by that I mean 3 or 4 goals in these two games. The problem? In Schalke's last five Champions League games, they've scored a combined four goals. Ouch.

Prediction: Schalke will get something at home but won't be able to stop Barca from scoring. The return leg, however, won't be pretty for the German club. 1-1, 3-0 -- 4-1 aggregate

Check back tomorrow for a brief look at the ties set to commence on Wednesday, Arsenal-Liverpool and Fenerbahçe-Chelsea.

Update (Monday afternoon): Roma's talisman, Francesco Totti, has been officially ruled out of tomorrow's first leg against Manchester United due to injury. Mirko Vucinic will take his place.

Wazza Unveiled on "I'm on Setanta Sports"

There's only one Wayne Rooney, Wayne Rooney.

Here he is, it is fantastic.

2010 Champions League Final in Madrid, 2010 UEFA Cup Final in Hamburg

The 2010 Champions League final will be held at the Bernabéu, home to the team that has won Europe's top club competition on more occasions than anyone else, Real Madrid.

The Spanish stadium has hosted the final three times, most recently in 1980, and was battling for this honor with Wembley and the Olympiastadion in Berlin. It can hold just over 80,000 people and will surely be filled to capacity come May 2010.

Personally, I think this event should always be held at a neutral venue, at least as long as UEFA wants to keep the final a one-off affair instead of a two-legged tie. If Real Madrid were to reach the final in 2010, something not out of the realm of possibility given Real Madrid's perennial status as a world power, it would be a huge advantage and one that isn't fair in the least.

UEFA also announced that the 2010 UEFA Cup final will be held at Hamburg's HSH Nordbank Arena, formerly (and more commonly) known as the AOL Arena.

This stadium was also used in the 2006 World Cup and, with its UEFA 5-star rating, is eligible to host the Champions League final as well. It's new; construction took two years to complete and was finished in 2000, and Hamburg SV routinely plays to crowds of over 50,000.

In other UEFA-related news, the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Super Cup matches will be played at the Stade Louis II in Monaco, as has become the custom. The 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship was awarded to France, and the same year's U17 event to Liechtenstein, while Nyon, Switzerland will stage the 2009 UEFA European Women's U17 Championship.

Cahill's Injury is a Massive Blow for Everton

Everton midfielder Tim Cahill will likely miss the rest of the season, manager David Moyes said today, after the Australian was diagnosed with a recurrence of a broken bone in his foot.

It's no secret that I think very highly of Cahill as a player; in December, I wrote a post illustrating and praising his proclivity to come up with clutch goals for his team time after time after time, for both Everton and Australia. This is a guy who plays in the center and can really spur attacks out of what is an otherwise fairly pedestrian Everton midfield. As I said, he scores big goals almost routinely and just has a knack for being in the right place at the right time, and that can't be underestimated in soccer.

Without him, it's just difficult to see how the Toffees could finish ahead of hated rivals Liverpool in the Premiership, hopes of which were fading anyway. They'd certainly need a result at Anfield in the second Merseyside derby of the year on Sunday, preferably a win, but who's going to score that clutch goal? Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel are more than capable of shutting the Yak down and if they do, who else for Everton will step up?

That's the question not only for this game, but for the rest of the season as well. It's feasible that Portsmouth and Aston Villa can catch Everton and turn what was a possible 4th place finish and Champions League berth into a 7th place finish and not even another crack at the UEFA Cup. I'm not saying that is what will happen, but I truly believe that losing Timmy Cahill will be a huge blow to this team.

Everton's record in all competitions when Cahill has played is an astounding 19-4-5. Sounds like a pretty valuable player to me.

Wayne Rooney Joins "I'm On Setanta Sports"

Stop the presses, stop the presses!!

In a move that likely will not pacify Dave from Newcastle, who was undoubtedly crushed when Shola Ameobi left Tyneside to join Stoke City on loan, Wayne Rooney has joined The Special One and Sven Goran-Eriksson on "I'm on Setanta Sports".

This is excellent, just fantastic. Like the other two gentlemen, English is not really Rooney's first language. Wazza is known for a lot of things but grammar and pronounciation are certainly not chief amongst them.

Unfortunately for Sven, who had fears about this on the most recent episode, it looks like he'll be involved in a bit of a rotation system with The Special One's new signing now onboard.

If Wazza could convince his fiancée, Coleen McLoughlin, to make a guest appearance or two, we'd really be in business.

"Ameobi-Like" Goes to Stoke City On Loan

Oh no!

Dave from Newcastle from "I'm on Setanta Sports" must be about to jump off a ledge. His favorite player, Shola Ameobi, left Newcastle to join Championship side Stoke City on loan for the rest of the season. Ameobi has only appeared eight times for the Magpies this year and is behind Mark Viduka, Obafemi Martins, and Michael Owen on the depth chart at striker.

This seems like an odd move as Stoke currently leads the Championship, albeit only by one point, and have scored the second-most goals in the 24-team league. Their 50 goals conceded is the highest total out of any team in the top 10 and the third worst in the top 15, so you would think they'd be looking to bring in an extra defender if possible. With that said, I honestly have no idea about their injury situation and it could very well be that Ameobi was needed up top, I'm not sure.

"Is it Ameobi-like?" Not anymore, Dave.

Premiership Players Involved in International Friendlies

Here's a quick list of some well-known Premiership players who contributed in the international friendlies yesterday. This list doesn't include, obviously, anyone in the England team as they all play in the Premiership anyway.

By country (club):

France: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea)
Scotland: Kenny Miller (Derby County)
Croatia: Niko Kranjčar (Portsmouth)
Northern Ireland: David Healy, Chris Baird, Aaron Hughes (Fulham)
Wales: Jason Koumas (Wigan), Simon Davies (Fulham)
Turkey: Tuncay Sanli (Middlesbrough)
Ukraine: Andriy Shevchenko (Chelsea)
Finland: Jari Litmanen (Fulham)
Israel: Yossi Benayoun (Liverpool)
Norway: John Carew (Aston Villa)
Denmark: Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal)
Ghana: Michael Essien (Chelsea)
United States: Tim Howard (Everton), Clint Dempsey, Eddie Johnson, Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham), Eddie Lewis (Derby County)

Your Opinion on Friendly Matches

A full slate of international friendlies interrupted domestic league seasons on Tuesday and Wednesday, and despite some entertaining, high-flying matches (4-3 victory for Holland over Austria, Mexico's 2-1 win over Ghana, etc.), club managers throughout the world are becoming increasingly unhappy with these fixtures.

Arsene Wenger, in fact, said yesterday that he believes these friendlies may not have a place in the future because fans just aren't that interested and they come at an inconvenient time of the year. Many managers say that the risk of injury far outweighs the reward for the players involved to wear their country's colors and that it's not fair to the clubs when players have to travel and miss training.

This is certainly understandable and managers have a right to voice their opinions concerning these games. However, if you polled the players, it seems like many of them are in favor of representing their nations. Many of them truly enjoy playing against another country and stepping out of that club atmosphere for a little bit.

I'm interested in your opinion as a fan. Do you like seeing your favorite players play in these friendlies, or would you rather them skip the games and stay with their respective clubs? This brings up the old club vs. country debate and it's one I want to have.

In England, fans of the Three Lions are generally also fans of lower-league teams and don't get to travel abroad with their team or get a chance to watch their team play big-name, Premiership opposition on a weekly basis. Fans of Premiership sides, especially those of the "Big Four", seem like they really couldn't give a toss about the national team and only care when the European Championship or the World Cup rolls around.

Because I'm not a fan of any one particular club side, I enjoy watching friendlies and any other international matches during the course of the year. They're not played too often and it's a nice break from watching the same teams in the same leagues go at it every week, and it's a chance to see the best players in the world compete for their homelands, something many of them are clearly honored to do.

As I said, I want to hear your thoughts about these games. Do you like them, do you hate them, do you want fewer of them, what? Leave a comment or send me an E-mail; my contact info is on the left side of the homepage.

Rio Tabbed as England Captain, Becks Will Get 100th Cap

England manager Fabio Capello has selected Manchester United center back Rio Ferdinand to lead out the side in the Three Lions' friendly in Paris tomorrow, which, given Capello's desire to rotate the captaincy until World Cup qualifiers begin in September, wasn't really a surprising choice to many people.

However, this is a guy who was suspended for eight months in 2003 for missing a drug test and isn't even the permanent captain at his club. This is a guy who, as United's captain around Christmastime, organized the infamous party that led to rape accusations being brought against Jonny Evans, who is now at Sunderland. This is a guy who has committed multiple driving offenses and has been banned from driving on four separate occasions. This is a guy who called a radio host a "faggot" live on the air in 2006.

This is the guy who will wear the captain's armband for England? Come on.

After the game John Terry had against Arsenal on Sunday and given the fact that he is Chelsea's captain and was England's captain under Steve McLaren, he seemingly was the obvious choice. Guys like Gareth Barry, Villa's captain, David James, Steven Gerrard, and even David Beckham, who has the fourth most games played as captain in England history, also should have been ahead of Ferdinand in the pecking order. I understand that Capello wants to rotate the captaincy and that's fine, but England-France is a significant game with a long history and choosing Ferdinand just seems to devalue it a little bit.

Capello also confirmed today that Beckham will get his 100th cap against France, a well-deserved honor. With David Bentley playing so well at the moment, it's unclear whether Beckham will start or be brought on as a substitute, but the latter wouldn't take away from the 100th cap at all.

Congratulations to Ferdinand and Beckham on their respective milestones, and good luck to England tomorrow.

Not-So-Bold Prediction: Arsenal Will Finish Trophyless

I think we can all agree that there is no way Arsenal is going to win the Premiership this year, which is something I said before Christmas, even when Arsenal were playing incredibly well and sat on top of the table. Going winless in five straight league games, particularly at this point in the season, like Arsenal has done can effectively end any team’s title hopes with the top-heavy structure of the Premiership.

The six point gap between the Gunners and defending champions Manchester United isn’t a huge problem in itself, but the fact that Chelsea is now sandwiched between the two teams complicates things and so does the fact that Arsenal has to visit Old Trafford on April 13, where United has lost only once all season. If Arsenal was to win that game, then we could talk, but I just don’t see it happening. Even if they did win, they’d still need to make up another three points on United, and with opponents like Middlesbrough, Blackburn, West Ham, and Wigan still remaining for the Red Devils, that’s not likely. United also has a far superior goal differential than Arsenal, and although it’s the silliest, most ridiculous tiebreaker I’ve ever heard of, it still is the tiebreaker.

Ok, so as I said, it’s highly unlikely that Arsenal will win the Premiership. As the Gunners have crashed out of both the FA Cup and Carling Cup, that leaves the Champions League as their last chance at silverware this season.

Their opponent in the quarterfinal round is Liverpool, who, despite all of their flaws in the Premiership, are EXTREMELY difficult to beat in the Champions League and will give Arsenal fits. In fact, I believe Liverpool will knock Arsenal out but to be fair, I’ve been wrong on numerous occasions before.

Arsene Wenger has never won a Champions League or a UEFA Cup as a manager, although he has a runner-up finish in both competitions. Rafa Benitez is well-known as a master tactician in Europe and has both a Champions League title and a UEFA Cup title to his name, the latter of which came at Valencia.

As a team, Liverpool has more Champions League experience (by far) than Arsenal with Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Jose Reina, Xabi Alonso, Steve Finnan, and others on the roster. Unlike AC Milan, another team with plenty of experience in Europe’s biggest club competition, Liverpool isn’t full of players in their 30’s who just can’t match Arsenal’s pace and quickness.

Oh, and don’t for a second underestimate the advantage of Anfield on a European night. The Scousers will be rocking and singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” until the cows come home, and I’m not sure if Arsenal will be able to overcome the emotion of the crowd when the two teams meet.

No, I just don’t think Arsenal will progress past Liverpool. If they do, well done, jolly good and all that, but then they’d have to deal with Chelsea, and we saw what happened when those two teams met on Sunday. Avram Grant looks as if he’s starting to understand this whole managerial thing and he’s picking the best lineup to give his team a chance to win, something he hasn’t always done.

Arsenal will finish the year trophyless. Ordinarily, that would be OK; you wouldn’t even need a full hand to count how many teams actually win something in Europe’s top three domestic leagues, the Champions League, and the UEFA Cup and not winning doesn’t, by any stretch of the imagination, mean you had a bad season. However, with the way Arsenal started the year, you would have to say it would be a disappointing season if Arsenal were to not win any silverware.

No, the Emirates Cup doesn’t count, nice try.

New ''I'm on Setanta Sports"--José Gives Sven a "Special" Costume

This is fantastic. Sure, it doesn't have anything to do with soccer, but who cares??

Good For You, Steve Bennett

I don't want to hear Liverpool fans criticize referee Steve Bennett for dismissing Javier Mascherano late in the first half today. I just don't want to hear it, simple as that.

It's about time that a referee stood up for himself and didn't take any BS. I've complained all year long about the referees and how they're too weak and inconsistent to punish players for dissent. In midweek, I sat there and watched Ashley Cole, who was fortunate to not be sent off for his horrific challenge on Alan Hutton, turn his back on Mike Riley as if to say "Hey, do you know who I am?". Cole gave Riley an earful, didn't come over to receive the original yellow card, and still didn't get the second yellow for dissent.

Javier Mascherano must be an idiot. Has he not been watching the news or reading the paper at all this week? Did he not see that the FA just came out with a "respect the referees" initiative? Did he not remember that he already had a yellow card and was walking on thin ice? Did he not see that his teammate, Fernando Torres, had been booked for dissent just a second earlier?

I guess not. Sorry, this guy is a moron. He had basically been begging for a second yellow card ever since he got the first one. He'd committed two or three additional fouls since being cautioned early and took every opportunity to give Steve Bennett a piece of his mind. He then went out of his way to question an innocent play right before the half ended. Bennett gave him a chance to be quiet and motioned for him to walk away, and Mascherano didn't. He kept going, Bennett reached inside his pocket, boom, see you later.

Where was the captain, Steven Gerrard, in all of this? One would think he would've gotten in there and separated Mascherano right away, or tried to calm him down a little bit and then speak to Bennett himself.

Nope.

Sure, after Mascherano had been dragged to the sideline by his teammates (where he proceded to rant and rave like a lunatic), Gerrard went to the Argentine and spoke to him, but that doesn't exactly do much good.

Good for you, Steve Bennett. I applaud you for having the stones to do what Mike Riley and others haven't done all season.

Capello Announces 23-Man Squad for France Friendly

To no one’s surprise, David Beckham was retained by England manager Fabio Capello in the final 23-man squad for the Three Lions’ friendly in Paris next week. Beckham is one cap short of 100 in his England career and if he doesn’t get it against France, and it appears that he will based on this roster, he’ll very likely get it at Wembley against the US on May 28. I’ve said that Beckham deserves this honor and that it would be just a question of when, not if, and all signs point to him becoming only the fifth player in England’s history to reach the century milestone.

Spurs keeper Paul Robinson won back his place in the England setup, although he was included because of an injury to Scott Carson. Robinson has played fairly well in goal lately and in the end, I think the only other option was Robert Green, but West Ham was torched 4-0 in three consecutive games recently and that couldn’t have impressed Capello. Either way, it’s not really going to matter. David James is going to start in goal and he fully deserves the nod.

Robinson was the only player not amongst the 30-man provisional squad to be part of this group of 23, and I have to admit that there are a couple absentees on this roster that surprise me.

The two most glaring question marks that I have are the exclusions of Villa winger Ashley Young and Portsmouth striker Jermain Defoe, both of whom were part of the original 30-man roster. Defoe has scored six goals in six league games since moving to the South Coast in January and Ashley Young leads the Premiership in assists this season.

Young can play on either flank, though he plays on the left for Villa, and is simply a better player than Middlesbrough’s Stewart Downing. I would guess that Joe Cole will start on that left side anyway, but the only reason I can come up with for taking Downing over Young is that Downing is left-footed, which is obviously traditional for left-wingers. No other midfielder picked in this team is left-footed, so that worked in Downing’s favor as well. Even so, Young is quicker than Downing, has better skills on the ball, and can serve balls in more accurately and dangerously than the Boro midfielder.

Opting to keep Michael Owen, Theo Walcott, and Peter Crouch ahead of Jermain Defoe is stunning. Keeping Crouch is more understandable because he’s a tall target man, something England doesn’t have, and can be brought on late in a game and have a big impact. With that said, Crouch has played a combined 29 minutes in Liverpool’s last six games. Michael Owen has two goals in Newcastle’s last five games, a cheap little toe-poke off a rebound from seven yards out against Birmingham earlier in the week and his tally today against Fulham. Walcott hasn’t even been used as a striker by Arsenal lately; he’s playing wide right where he can use his pace to beat defenders to the byline and get inside the area.

Sorry, if you’re picking a team based on current form (six in six for Defoe, two goals, two assists in seven games for Young, a winger), there’s no way those two players don’t make this squad, there’s just no way.

I have no problem with the other exclusions — David Wheater, Gabby Agbonlahor, Matthew Upson (injured), and Shaun Wright-Phillips — and was happy to see that Glen Johnson and Jonathan Woodgate kept their places in the side.

It’s curious that Capello chose to name this roster tonight, even though the majority of players on it (12 out of 23) are playing tomorrow and it’s possible that one, if not more, of those guys could get injured in the physical contests we’re likely to see. On top of that, it’s possible that one, if not more, of those guys just has an awful game and may not deserve to even be in the England squad.

Full 23-Man Roster (club):

Goalkeepers: David James (Portsmouth), Paul Robinson (Tottenham), Chris Kirkland (Wigan Athletic)

Defenders: Wayne Bridge, John Terry, and Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), Joleon Lescott (Everton), Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham)

Midfielders: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United), Joe Cole and Frank Lampard (Chelsea), David Bentley (Blackburn), David Beckham (LA Galaxy), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough)

Forwards: Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Michael Owen (Newcastle)

Based on this team, here’s who I’d pick as my starting XI (4-2-3-1):

GK: David James
LB: Joleon Lescott
RB: Glen Johnson
CB: Rio Ferdinand
CB: Jonathan Woodgate
DMF: Owen Hargreaves
DMF: Gareth Barry
CMF: Steven Gerrard
LMF: Joe Cole
RMF: Theo Walcott
ST: Wayne Rooney

Captain: Steven Gerrard

Update (Sunday-2:23 PM): West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green was added to the squad to replace the injured Chris Kirkland.

Everton Misses Chance to Solidify 5th Place

I've been harping on the race for the UEFA Cup spots all season, especially lately since it looks like only two (one through league finish, one possibly through the Intertoto Cup) and possibly three (depending on UEFA Fair Play table results) teams will qualify for Europe's second-tier club competition. Results in the Carling Cup and FA Cup haven't really helped teams from 5th-10th place this season but have created a battle to finish in 5th and 6th.

Everton squandered an opportunity to really put a stranglehold on 5th today after their 1-1 draw with West Ham. Portsmouth, in 6th place, and Aston Villa, in 7th, both lost to lower-placed teams earlier in the day and with a win, Everton could've gone nine points clear of Pompey and ten of Villa, Blackburn, and Manchester City, which effectively would've ended the chances of those last three teams to finish 5th. Instead, Dean Ashton's equalizer for the Hammers (which Tim Howard should've saved) earned the East London club a share of the spoils and left the door open for the four teams I just mentioned.

There's a big difference between a 7-8 point and 9-10 point deficit, especially with so few games remaining in the season to bridge that gap. I'm not saying that Everton isn't in the driver's seat, but they had the opportunity to slam the door on three of the teams nipping at their heels and couldn't get the job done. The Toffees should've beaten West Ham, a team that has been awful lately and has nothing to play for, soundly at home today but they didn't.

Now, Portsmouth and Aston Villa have a decent chance to catch Everton because Liverpool’s second-most famous club has a difficult schedule to close out the season, one that includes a critical game against Villa and games against Chelsea, city rivals Liverpool, and Arsenal.

Portsmouth, by comparison, gets to play Wigan, Newcastle, Fulham, and Middlesbrough down the stretch, and their “toughest” game could very well be at West Ham, which is certainly winnable. Of course, Portsmouth could also qualify for the UEFA Cup by winning the FA Cup, which they would do if they beat Coca-Cola Championship side West Bromwich Albion at Wembley on April 5 and then either Barnsley or Cardiff City in the final on May 17.

Villa, as previously mentioned, have a chance to gain three points back against Everton when the two teams meet on April 27, and they also play Bolton, Derby, and Wigan. Their most difficult game is at Old Trafford next week, but Manchester United is their only remaining opponent outside of Everton in the top 9 in the standings.

Everton could’ve gone a long way towards sealing 5th place today. They didn’t. Will they regret it? It’s possible.

US National Team to Play England

It was first announced a couple days ago, and the US men's national team will play a friendly against England at Wembley on May 28.

It's good to see that USSF and coach Bob Bradley are scheduling big-name opposition for the US. Playing against some of the world's better teams is something that the US doesn't get to do in CONCACAF and in the long run, especially for World Cup 2010 and beyond, it is important to face countries like England, even if it is just in exhibitions.

Playing smaller countries inside CONCACAF, especially on US soil, and other relative lightweights like the US had done previously under former coaches Bruce Arena and Steve Sampson, doesn't help the US develop as a soccer nation. It's easy to beat Cuba or Guatemala and Canada; those are teams that the US isn't going to see in the World Cup and ultimately, that should be the focus in this country, not smaller tournaments like the Gold Cup and Confederations Cup.

You have to play tough opponents to prepare for the World Cup and the US has done that recently. In the past six months, the US has played games in Switzerland (1-0 victory), South Africa (1-0 victory), against Sweden (2-2), and against Mexico in a pro-Mexican environment (2-2), and will play in Poland, in England, in Spain, and possibly against Argentina in the near future. These are the type of games in which the US can improve and allow their players to get some much-needed significant international experience.

Playing England will be a good test for the Americans, competing in front of a huge crowd in a country with little respect for soccer in the States. I think England will benefit as well; surely the US is a step above the likes of Andorra, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, three of England's competitors in World Cup 2010 qualifying.

Wild Weather at White Hart Lane

If you're watching the Tottenham-Portsmouth game at White Hart Lane right now, you have to be amazed at the weather you've seen throughout the course of the match.

First of all, it's March 22 and spring is here. Apparently they didn't get the memo in England and it was snowing before the start of the game this morning. The wind was whipping and yet most players were wearing short-sleeves. Right before kickoff, Setanta showed referee Phil Dowd with snowflakes in his hair.

Fast forward to about the 30th minute, and the scene was completely different. White Hart Lane was bathed in sunlight and it looked like a very nice spring day in North London. There were no signs of the wintry weather seen half an hour earlier.

OK, fast forward another 20-25 minutes and it was snowing again. The wind had picked up and the snow was swirling and sticking to the field. The ball clearly wasn't traveling as quickly on the ground and at times, low passes seemingly took an hour to reach their destination.

As I type this, we're in the 64th minute and the snow has stopped. It sort of looks like the sun wants to come out again.

The weather has been crazy today and the game itself hasn't been too bad. Should be a great last half hour.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yes, that's right.

Yours truly turns 19 today, at 5:10 PM to be exact.

I'll take all of your presents and love in the comments section, and hey, I'll take your hate there as well.

Only two more years until that magical 21st birthday. Only 11 more years until I hit 30, at which point I'm over the hill and as good as finished. Oh well.

I was fortunate enough to be born during the best time of the year. Spring is almost here, it's March Madness, and the NHL playoffs are about to begin. Oh yeah, the Premiership title and relegation races are shaping up pretty nicely this season also.

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me...

Capello Announces 30-Man Provisional Squad for France Friendly

David Beckham is one step closer to winning his 100th England cap after the LA Galaxy midfielder was named by Fabio Capello to the 30-man provisional squad for the Three Lions' friendly against France in Paris next week.

Capello sent his second-in-command, Franco Baldini, to Dallas last week to watch Beckham in the Galaxy's pre-season friendly against FC Dallas, a game in which he wasn't too impressive by most accounts. Baldini must've seen something positive to report back to Capello to include him in this squad, and Capello also knows exactly what Becks can do from their time together at Real Madrid.

Even so, Beckham faces some stiff competition for his wide right midfield spot in the form of David Bentley and Shaun Wright-Phillips, and both Joe Cole and Ashley Young are capable of playing on the right as well. Based on current form, you would have to say that Cole and Young will earn starts next week but obviously nothing is set in stone yet.

Capello will trim the squad down to 23 players on Saturday afternoon, and it will be interesting to see who he keeps and who he leaves out. There are only a few players -- Steven Gerrard, David James, Jermain Defoe, and Joe Cole -- who should be locks to make the 23-man roster.

I was pleased to see Defoe rewarded with a call-up because he's been playing so well recently for Portsmouth, and David James has looked great in goal all season.

It will also be interesting to see who Capello names as captain. Gerrard led the side out against Switzerland at Wembley last month, but Capello has said that he'd rotate the captaincy until World Cup 2010 qualifiers begin this fall. If I had to guess, John Terry would wear the armband next week, but I could see Rio Ferdinand or David James having the honor as well.

Provisional 30-man roster (club):

Goalkeepers: David James (Portsmouth), Scott Carson (Aston Villa), Chris Kirkland (Wigan)

Defense: Wayne Bridge, Ashley Cole, and John Terry (Chelsea), Wes Brown and Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham), David Wheater (Middlesbrough), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), Joleon Lescott (Everton)

Midfield: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Gareth Barry and Ashley Young (Aston Villa), David Bentley (Blackburn), Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, and Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), David Beckham (LA Galaxy), Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham)

Forwards: Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Michael Owen (Newcastle), Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth)

Another 4-4 Draw for Chelsea, Tottenham

What a remarkable game.

This 4-4 draw was the second of its kind for both Spurs and Chelsea this season; remarkably, Aston Villa was the opponent for both London clubs in their other 4-4 game. Spurs also drew 3-3 with Fulham and beat Reading 6-4 earlier in the year, showing their knack for high-scoring contests.

Tottenham very nearly won the game today in second half injury-time, but Chelsea keeper Carlo Cudicini denied Dimitar Berbatov from close range. It was a chance on which I would've bet my house on the Bulgarian striker scoring, so luckily I couldn't make it to Vegas to place a wager.

I thought that Ashley Cole should've been sent off for that horrible challenge on Alan Hutton right before the first half ended, and somehow he walked away with only a yellow card. I'm sorry, but if you're going to give a red card to Jason Koumas for his tackle last weekend, which was a joke in itself (the red card, not the tackle), then surely Cole should've been dismissed as well, no question about it. Did I miss something, or was Hutton's shin almost snapped in half? Come on.

Not only that, but John Terry, Frank Lampard, and Didier Drogba all should've been booked for dissent after they followed referee Mike Riley for nearly 20 yards after Riley kept backing away and calling for Cole. I don't care that John Terry is the captain; you can't show up the referee like that. Lampard and Drogba certainly had no business getting in Riley's face either. All of this after the FA came out today with a "respect the referees initiative". Please!

Oh, and then Robbie Keane gets a yellow card for opening his mouth a little bit just after that? It's a joke! Keane gets a yellow card for saying something 10 yards away, and the three Chelsea players get away scot-free. Mr. Riley, take yourself and your big nose right off the soccer field and don't come back, thanks. He has no business being a Premiership referee if he's going to be as inconsistent as he was today.

With the way the game went, I think both teams will gladly take the point and live to fight another day. Chelsea really squandered an opportunity to make it a three-team title race and will now have to beat Arsenal this Sunday to get back in contention, but a point is better than nothing and that is very nearly what Chelsea got out of this match.

Manchester United took care of business against Bolton with a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford, putting the Red Devils three points up on Arsenal with eight games to go. I'll tell you right now, as long as United don't get beat by Arsenal at Old Trafford on April 13, the Premiership trophy will be heading to Manchester for the second year in a row.

Sven Goes to Afghanistan in Newest Episode of "I'm On Setanta Sports"

Yes, it is unusual. Get it?

It is also fantastic.

Can't Wait for Sunday

Not that I'm complaining, but the Premier League isn't fooling anyone. Somehow with their so-called "random" schedule, Sunday will be the second time this year that the "Big Four" will play against each other. Manchester United will host surging Liverpool at Old Trafford and Chelsea will have their chance to reel in suddenly slumping Arsenal as the Gunners head across London to Stamford Bridge.

Not only will the "Big Four" be in action on Sunday, they're the only four teams playing and it just so happens that fans across the world will be able to watch both games in their entirety, with Man U-Liverpool kicking off at 9:30 AM ET here with Chelsea-Arsenal to follow at noon.

I have no problem with this at all, believe me. None. But come on, the Premier League should at least be up front with the public that these games were scheduled like this intentionally. Don't try and tell us that everything is random and computer-generated; it insults our intelligence and no one is buying it. "Super Sunday x2" should be fun to watch and the media hype around it is well-deserved, but it reeks of an unnecessary money-grabbing ploy.

I'll be watching soccer on Sunday, but it's also that time of year...

It's time for March Madness, baby!

That's right, Sunday brings the second batch of Round of 32 games in the NCAA Tournament and for those who haven't witnessed the spectacle that is college basketball in March, trust me, it is the best, most passionate single sporting event of the year, bar none.

I fully expect you all to tune in to CBS after you're finished watching the Premiership action on Sunday for a great day of college basketball. Don't even get off your couch.

I can't wait for the weekend.

Newcastle United--England's Version of the Chicago Cubs?

Ho-hum.

Another day, another winless result for Kevin Keegan and Newcastle today as his side managed to earn a 1-1 draw at fellow bottom-feeder Birmingham City. Michael Owen's oh-so-masterful toe-poke into the back of the net levelled the score in the second half and both teams came away with a point, a point that could turn out to be valuable at the end of the season.

Let's be honest though. There is simply NO WAY that Newcastle United should be in any danger of relegation. Compared to the rest of the teams in the fight to stay up, Newcastle has more experienced, more talented players and while they are by no means a good team, they're better, at least name-wise, than the likes of Birmingham, Sunderland, Fulham, Derby, Bolton, etc.

With the start of baseball season in the US fast approaching, here's what I'm wondering: Is Newcastle really just England's version of the Chicago Cubs, perhaps the most lovable losers in American sporting history? For those who don't know, the Cubs are a Major League Baseball team and like Newcastle, it's seemingly been an eternity since they won a championship even though they've had the resources to do so and been close numerous times. Both teams have passionate, bordering on rabid, fan bases and sell out every home game, no matter how well or how poorly the team is playing and where they are in the standings.

Some quick facts about each team:

Year of Founding: Newcastle-1892; Cubs-1876
Championships Won: Newcastle-four; Cubs-two (first division titles only for Newcastle, World Series only for the Cubs)
Last Championship Won: Newcastle: 1926-1927; Cubs-1908
Stadium Capacity: Newcastle-52,387; Cubs-41,118
Percent Capacity Filled Last Season: Newcastle-97%, Cubs-98%
Average Division/League Finish in the Last 10 Seasons: Newcastle-9th (out of 20); Cubs-4th (out of 6)
"Curse" on team?: Newcastle-Yes; Cubs-Yes, Curse of the Billy Goat
Fan Nickname: Newcastle-Toon Army; Cubs-Bleacher Bums

I would argue that the Cubs have been more successful in the last five seasons, having appeared in the playoffs twice and winning two division titles (playoffs in the National League involve four of the league's 16 teams, three division winners and one wild card), while Newcastle has bowed out of both the UEFA Cup (on multiple occasions) and Champions League with barely a whimper.

What's more is that the Cubs' future looks bright with the talent they've brought in and a decent minor league system. Newcastle, on the other hand, are going in the opposite direction faster than it takes Didier Drogba to fall on the ground without contact during a game.

If you're a Newcastle fan, come on, I want to hear you. What does your club need to do to turn the corner? What are you expecting in the future?

I salute you for being a fan through the tough times; unlike many people who hop on the bandwagon of teams who routinely win like Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and others, you've stuck with your team and will continue to support them until your dying day. Cubs fans are the same; my dad is a Chicago native and he'll root for the North Siders until he can't anymore. Neither Newcastle nor the Cubs has had much to brag about in terms of winning, especially lately, but both have that passionate fan base that is like a family. For three hours every day in the summer or for 90 minutes from August-May, these fans can go to a game and throw all of their problems and worries away and watch their team play.

Newcastle United and the Chicago Cubs. Two different sports, two very similar teams.

Preseason Predictions Revisited

Premiership teams have now played either 29 or 30 games and as we head into roughly the final quarter of the season, there's a lot to play for at the bottom, middle, and top of the table. As a neutral fan, that's all I can ask for; suspense until the very end keeps me interested and it's shaping up to be a fantastic finish.

Last summer, I did my predictions as to where I believed each team would finish the year, and now, 75% of the way through the season, seems as good of a time as any to go back and revisit those picks and compare them to how the standings look today:

My Preseason Predictions:
1. Manchester United
2. Chelsea
3. Liverpool
4. Tottenham
5. Arsenal
6. Portsmouth
7. Aston Villa
8. Everton
9. Bolton
10. Blackburn Rovers
11. Reading
12. West Ham
13. Fulham
14. Newcastle
15. Manchester City
16. Middlesbrough
17. Sunderland
18. Wigan Athletic
19. Birmingham City
20. Derby County

Current Table (if my prediction matches, that team is in bold):
1. Manchester United
2. Arsenal
3. Chelsea
4. Liverpool
5. Everton
6. Portsmouth
7. Aston Villa
8. Manchester City
9. Blackburn Rovers
10. West Ham
11. Tottenham
12. Wigan Athletic
13. Middlesbrough
14. Reading
15. Newcastle
16. Sunderland
17. Birmingham City
18. Bolton
19. Fulham
20. Derby County

Alright, 4/20 (20%) isn't too great, BUT, I've been 8/20 (40%) accurate within one place. For example, I picked Newcastle to finish in 14th but they're in 15th right now; they are one of the eight teams within one place of my predictions.

Here's your chance to let me have it, everyone. Tell me how wrong I've been, rub it in my face a little bit.

Come on, give it to me!

Americans on Display in Fulham-Everton Match

I kept hearing the Star-Spangled Banner in my head during Fulham's critical 1-0 victory over Everton today as six Americans, five of whom currently still play for the national team, took part in the game. Kasey Keller, the US all-time leader in wins and shutouts, posted another of each at the club level for Fulham and his opposite number, Tim Howard, the present and future in goal for the national team, only conceded one goal.

Who scored the goal for the Cottagers? None other than Brian McBride, the only American ever to score in more than one World Cup. McBride was replaced late in the game by another American, Clint Dempsey, who has arguably been Fulham's best player all season. McBride's goal was straight out of his personal scrapbook, a trademark header in front of the net that didn't look pretty, but got the job done.

Carlos Bocanegra also came on as a substitute for the home team and didn't acquit himself too badly, and Eddie Johnson started the game alongside McBride up front and had a few chances.

Fulham desperately needed the three points today and they got them, moving themselves to within reach of safety, something I predicted for this club before the season started. Everton, on the other hand, dropped points they couldn't afford to drop with Portsmouth and Aston Villa charging hard for 5th place behind them, and the Toffees' schedule gets considerably trickier in the next few weeks.

One thing I know is the fortunes of both Fulham and Everton depend largely on the Americans on both clubs' rosters. Tim Howard is going to have to come up big in goal for Everton, which, to be fair, he has done all season, and Fulham will be in dire need of goals down the stretch, something Johnson, McBride, and Dempsey are all capable of providing.

Michigan's Season Ends in Big Ten Quarterfinals

After a sloppy 55-47 win over Iowa yesterday in the First Round of the 2008 Big Ten Tournament, the Michigan Wolverines advanced to today's quarterfinal against Wisconsin, the 6th-ranked team in the country and the #1 seed in this tournament.

I'll be honest. I'm as big a Michigan fan as there is, but I didn't believe for a second that they'd beat the Badgers today. Unfortunately, I was right, and Wisconsin came away with an ugly 51-34 victory.

Michigan finished the season at 10-22 (5-13), which doesn't look too impressive. Trust me though, the team I saw during these final 10 or 12 games of the year was markedly improved from the team I saw during the nonconference and early conference portion of the schedule, and coach John Beilein has a lot to build from for next season.

The only useful senior he'll lose is Ron Coleman, who's been a servant to Michigan basketball for four years and played in 129 games for the Maize and Blue, which puts in the top 10 in that category in school history. Coleman is a wing player and a good shooter, but usually only contributed 6 or 7 points per game and lost his starting spot in the middle of the season.

No, the nucleus of this team will stay intact and it is led by Big Ten All-Freshman First Team and Big Ten All-Conference Second Team star Manny Harris, who averaged over 16 points per game, and sophomore forward DeShawn Sims, who was good for 12-15 points and 5-7 rebounds every night. Ekpe Udoh led the conference in blocked shots this season and is improving his offensive game rapidly, Kelvin Grady experienced his growing pains at the point guard position as a freshman and will continue to develop, and a bench that provided quality depth as the season wore on all returns as well.

Combine that with the fact that Beilein will be able to bring in his first recruiting class with kids that match his style of offense and defense and the fact that as I said already, he'll have another year to teach the current roster, things are looking up for Michigan basketball. I fully expect this team to CONTEND for (not necessarily get) a spot in the NCAA Tournament next season and I think there will be a changing of the guard of sorts in the Big Ten; Indiana, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Wisconsin should all be a little bit down, while Purdue, Michigan, and Northwestern should move up.

Pompey-Villa Looms Large Tomorrow

With all the hype surrounding the respective Champions League and UEFA Cup draws today, the Premiership seems to be flying under the radar a little bit and one game in particular tomorrow has huge implications.

Portsmouth will welcome fellow UEFA Cup spot hopeful Aston Villa to Fratton Park and the hosts are playing very well at the moment, having won five out of their last six games in all competitions. Jermain Defoe has been great for Pompey with five goals in as many league games since moving to the South Coast in January. His team is in 7th place in the league right now, just two points behind Villa, and they won 3-1 at Villa Park earlier in the season.

'Arry Redknapp is a very underrated manager in my opinion. This is a man who saved Pompey from near-certain relegation two seasons ago when he took the reins in mid-season and has compiled a 42-35-24 record in his second stint in charge at Portsmouth. While this doesn't look too impressive in itself, remember, Redknapp has had to rebuild this team and was only given significant financial backing to buy players last summer; he really had to create something out of nothing in the season and a half before and Pompey still finished 9th in '06-'07.

Similarly, Martin O'Neill hasn't had as much money to work with as he'd like at Aston Villa but has still done an impressive job this season with one of the smallest (in terms of numbers, not size) rosters in the Premiership. It's very likely that Randy Lerner, Villa's American owner, will be willing to spend more money in the summer but for now, O'Neill is winning with essentially an England U-23 roster. He's got young guys like Premiership assist leader Ashley Young, who I've been banging the drum for before it was fashionable to do so, Gabby Agbonlahor, Scott Carson, Nigel Reo-Coker, Craig Gardner, and the now-injured Curtis Davies who have all been integral pieces to the puzzle this season, mixed in with some good, useful veteran players like John Carew, Martin Laursen, and Gareth Barry.

Villa has lost only once in their last eight league games, although four of those matches have been draws. As I said earlier, they lost to Portsmouth 3-1 at home earlier in the season and really can't afford to lose again tomorrow. Pompey has the same number of ties (7) at Fratton Park as they do wins and losses at home combined, and Villa's road record is the exact same (5-7-2).

The numbers scream "draw" tomorrow, but I'm going to go with a 2-1 victory for Portsmouth, which would vault them into 6th place, six points behind Everton pending the Toffees' away match at Fulham on Sunday.

UEFA Cup Quarterfinal + Semifinal Draw

After tough, gut-wrenching exits from the UEFA Cup Round of 16 for Bolton, Tottenham, and Everton, Rangers are the only British team left in the competition. The Scottish giants will host Sporting Lisbon, who eliminated Bolton 2-1 on aggregate, on April 3 and travel to Lisbon a week later for the return leg.

Rangers also were fortunate to not be drawn into the same half of the bracket as tournament favorite Bayern Munich, who should waltz their way past Getafe and into the semifinals against the winner of the Bayer Leverkusen/Zenit St. Petersburg tie.

Complete Quarterfinal Draw (my pick to advance in bold); first leg home team listed first:

Bayer Leverkusen vs. Zenit St. Petersburg
Rangers vs. Sporting Lisbon
Bayern Munich vs. Getafe
Fiorentina vs. PSV Eindhoven

Note: All matches will be played April 3/10

Complete Semifinal Draw:

Bayern Munich/Getafe vs. Bayer Leverkusen/Zenit St. Petersburg
Rangers/Sporting Lisbon vs. Fiorentina vs. PSV Eindhoven

Note: All matches will be played April 24 and May 1

Champions League Quarterfinal + Semifinal Draw--Live

No time for intros, I'm doing homework at the moment and have class at 9 this morning, so I'm just going to list what's been drawn so far. The quarterfinal ties are scheduled to be played April 1/2 and 8/9, and the semifinal ties are scheduled to be played April 22/23 and 29/30. More analysis later.

Quarterfinal round; first leg home team listed first; Premiership teams highlighted in bold:

Arsenal vs. Liverpool
AS Roma vs. Manchester United
Schalke 04 vs. Barcelona
Fenerbahçe vs. Chelsea

Semifinal round; same things as before apply:

Arsenal/Liverpool vs. Fenerbahçe/Chelsea
Schalke 04/Barcelona vs. AS Roma/Manchester United

My Dream Champions League Quarterfinals Draw--Part 2

3. Chelsea vs. Barcelona: The Special One, Mr. Mourinho, would look at this tie with special interest as his old club, Chelsea, takes on his possible new club, Barcelona. It would certainly be a contrast of styles as the Premiership side doesn't exactly play a visually stunning brand of soccer, and Barcelona has four or five players who seem like they can score almost at will. This competition is likely the last chance for real silverware for both teams, and that sense of desperation would liven this tie up quite nicely. The winner of this tie would play the winner of...

4. Liverpool vs. Schalke: Ok, I'll admit, this isn't a dream pairing, but these are the only two teams left. Ideally, I'd like to see Liverpool play another English team in this round and have Schalke play Fenerbahçe so that one of the two underdogs could reach the semifinal, but I'd more rather see Fenerbahçe and all the English teams play the opponents I already talked about. The bonus? Well, Liverpool would likely win this tie and then the ensuing semifinal against either Chelsea or Barcelona would be quality.

Schalke are currently in 5th place in the Bundesliga and need to finish in 3rd to get back into the Champions League. Places 2-7 are separated by only seven points, so it brings up a dilemma for the German side: Do they want to go for it all in the CL this year and risk tiring out their players for the stretch run of the season, or do they want to kind of mail it in right now and put all of their efforts into simply getting back into Europe's top club competition?

As I said in Part 1, the real draw will be conducted early tomorrow morning here on the East Coast. I'll be in class until 10 but should have brief capsules for each tie before noon.

My Dream Champions League Quarterfinals Draw--Part 1

The real Champions League draw for the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final will take place tomorrow in Nyon, Switzerland, and for the first time in the competition, teams from the same group or country can be paired against each other. It's likely that we'll get a few duds and also a few exciting ties; that's just how it usually turns out. UEFA says that these draws are random, which I'm not necessarily questioning, but it seems like the same teams are always drawn against each other and things have appeared a little fishy at times...

For now though, he's my dream draw for the next round of the Champions League:

1. Arsenal-Fenerbahçe: Both teams play an attacking style and are capable of scoring multiple goals in any given game, something that can't be said about every team left at this stage in the competition. I'd be interested to see how Arsenal handles the raucous crowd in Istanbul, which is a different beast altogether than than the one they encountered at the San Siro last week. I don't doubt that the Gunners would go through in this tie, but Fenerbahçe would certainly give them a good game in Turkey and both legs would have goals in them. The winner of this tie would go on to face the winner of...

2. Manchester United-Roma: A rematch of last year's quarterfinal which Manchester United won 8-3 on aggregate, using a 7-1 thrashing at Old Trafford to overcome a 2-1 deficit from the first leg. This is a different Roma team though, and their leader, Francesco Totti, is playing out of his mind right now, and Manchester United looked pretty shaky at times against Lyon in both legs of their Round of 16 encounter. Would Roma have the firepower to overcome United? I'm not sure, and a lot would depend on how Totti performs.

Check back later for my other two dream pairings.

PK's Unkind to Spurs, Everton

Clubs from England, England, of all countries, struggling in a penalty shootout? Not surprising in the least.

Everton needed to reverse a 2-0 deficit heading into their second leg against Fiorentina at Goodison Park today and did so. Both teams had their chances late in normal time and then in extra time to win the tie but couldn't finish, and Fiorentina won the crapshoot that is PK's. All bets are off after 120 minutes, no matter who the home team is. Both goalkeepers, Sebastien Frey and Tim Howard, had very good games and each made some crucial saves, but Frey was able to parry Phil Jagielka's spot kick and Yakubu hit the post. Fiorentina converted all four of their efforts from 12 yards out to escape Liverpool and advance.

Like Everton, Spurs needed to overcome a deficit in Eindhoven as today's hosts won 1-0 at White Hart Lane in the first leg. Like Everton, Spurs were able to accomplish that. Like Everton, Spurs lost in PK's, although this shootout was more captivating. Tottenham had a chance to win the game but Jermaine Jenas' effort was saved by Eindhoven's goalkeeper, Gomes, and then Pascal Chimbonda's awful shot allowed the Dutch side to progress on penalties, 6-5.

Dick Advocaat-managed Zenit St. Petersburg continues to impress, coming from 3-1 down in the first leg and winning 2-0 today to advance on the away goals rule over Olympique Marseille.

I'll have a complete recap of the Round of 16 after the final two games tomorrow, both of which feature another British team -- Rangers in Bremen to take on Werder, and Bolton in Lisbon to take on Sporting.

West Ham Will Be MLS All-Star Team's Opponent This Summer

The Toronto Star is reporting that West Ham United, they of the wrong end of three consecutive 4-0 losses, will come to Toronto this summer and be the opponent for the MLS All-Stars. It would be the fourth straight year in which a British team has traveled across the Atlantic to play in the MLS' annual summer showcase, with the home side winning each of the previous three encounters.

BMO Field will host this game on July 28 and there isn't a better stadium and fan base in the league. Toronto FC was a pretty poor team last season and yet you couldn't tell by the crowd in the stadium; they made noise for the duration of each and every game and there was an atmosphere unlike any other in American (although of course, Toronto is in Canada) soccer.

To be honest, I'm not particularly excited about this game; I don't think West Ham are that appealing to watch and the only connection they have to the game here in America is in the form of young defender Jonathan Spector, who has made eight appearances for the US National Team.

Everton would've been the perfect opponent in my opinion; I understand that their only American is goalkeeper Tim Howard, but Howard is a much more recognizable player than Spector and the Toffees have a sizable fan base in North America, more so than West Ham.

Either way, definitely tune in to this game this summer.

Liverpool Advances to CL Quarterfinals; New College Basketball Podcast

As sure as the sun will rise and set every day, a Rafa Benitez-coached team will not give up a 2-0 lead in a Champions League tie. I've criticized Benitez's tactics in the Premier League on many occasions and will continue to do so when the situation calls for it in the future, but this man simply is built for two-legged ties and knows exactly how to get the job done in Europe.

I never once got the feeling today that Liverpool were in danger of losing to Inter Milan, even though Milan had their fair share of near-misses. Once Fernando Torres scored midway through the second half, the tie was, for all intents and purposes, over. Torres has been the best striker in the Premier League this season and without him, I'm not sure where Liverpool would be.

As far as I'm concerned, the Reds are England's best chance to win the Champions League this season; they may not be a better team than Manchester United, Arsenal, or even Chelsea, but as far as in Europe, they have the best manager in Benitez and a team full of players who have a lot of Champions League experience and the same can't be said about those other three teams.

On an unrelated note, I was asked by my good friend Kartik to come on to his Canes Rising podcast again and talk about the college basketball landscape heading into Championship Week and Selection Sunday. We'll be recording tonight and the finished product should be ready for your listening pleasure within the next couple of days, and trust me, if you're a fan of the ACC, you'll want to listen.

Sven Pimps "I'm on Setanta Sports"

This show is getting more and more unbelievable every week, but you know what, I don't care.

It is fantastic.

FA Cup Semifinal Draw

A record 731 teams set out for eternal glory in winning the 2007-2008 edition of the FA Cup and after matches since August 18 of last year, we're down to the last four remaining clubs: Portsmouth, Barnsley, West Bromwich Albion, and Cardiff City.

Bryan Robson conducted the draw for the semifinals this afternoon, with both matches to be played at Wembley during the first weekend of April:

April 5: Barnsley vs. Cardiff City
April 6: West Bromwich Albion vs. Portsmouth

A betting man would likely take Portsmouth to win this competition, something they've done only once in their long history (in 1939). However, West Brom, Pompey's opponent, just thrashed Bristol Rovers, who were the cinderella story in this year's FA Cup, 5-1 on the road.

Many people, including Chelsea captain John Terry apparently, want Barnsley to go on and win though and I have to say, after beating Liverpool and Chelsea in consecutive rounds, Barnsley certainly would deserve it. The Tykes could be due for a letdown against Cardiff after those two massive victories, so that will be an interesting game to watch.

Wigan Should Consider a Synthetic Turf Field

Watching today's game at the JJB Stadium between hosts Wigan and Arsenal, one thing was made patently obvious: That field is a disaster and shouldn't be used for Premiership games. It has gotten worse and worse as the season has gone on and it's gotten to the point where it just seems unplayable; the surface is an embarrassment to a league that is one of the top three of its kind in the world.

The field is as hard as a rock on sunny days and a mudpit on rainy days. There are vast stretches without grass. There are clearly visible remains of rugby lines from games played by rugby Super League's Wigan Warriors, who share the JJB with Wigan Athletic.

My high school soccer field was in much better shape than what I'm seeing today and have seen for large portions of the season. I've seen better elementary schoolyard fields than that as well.

What's the solution? Something many purists of the game don't want to hear and likely will criticize me for even suggesting it.

Synthetic turf.

You know what, I don't care if it isn't commonly used on soccer fields in Europe. That doesn't matter. I don't care if it isn't part of the sport's tradition; the only reason synthetic turf wasn't used back in the old days was because it hadn't been invented yet. If it had been, it would've been installed and there would be none of this debate about tradition and sentiment.

The Premier League and its member clubs have a responsibility to provide the best and most safest possible fields with the surfaces most condusive to the game. You can argue and cite studies that indicate that natural grass is safer than synthetic turf and if all things were equal, I'd agree with you. I'd rather play on grass than turf also.

But when the conditions lead to such slop like we've seen for a majority of the season at the JJB, synthetic turf simply has to be considered. It would be safer than what we're seeing now and it would allow the players to contest a game with as close to a perfect surface as possible. As I said earlier, this is one of the top, if not THE top, leagues in the world. It's inexcusable to see balls skipping around all over the place and players not being able to gain any firm footing, especially when the technology to prevent those things is out there.

UEFA announced in 2005-2006 that approved artificial surfaces were permittable in their competitions. Stadion Salzburg Wals-Siezenheim in Salzburg, Austria has an approved synthetic turf field and will have matches played on it in Euro 2008 this summer. Heracles, a Dutch Eredivisie side, has a synthetic surface in their stadium, which, like the JJB, is a multi-use ground.

The field in today's game was a joke. A joke. There are alternatives, namely in the form of synthetic turf, that just have to be considered. Soccer purists, I don't want to hear you. It's not about tradition, which I respect, it's about getting it right and providing the best possible surface for these players to compete on.

Nightmare Saturday for Chelsea, UEFA Cup Spot Contenders

What a day.

For Liverpool, who are now just two points behind Chelsea for third place in the Premiership, although Chelsea have two games in hand, today couldn't be any better. Led by Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, who have been carrying the team all year, the Reds strolled to a 3-0 win over Newcastle.

For Reading, who picked up a much-needed 2-0 victory over Manchester City and escaped the relegation zone in the process, today couldn't be any better either. The Royals now sit in 13th place in the league, which is a bit deceiving due to the small points gap between themselves and 18th place Bolton, but it's clearly a better position to be in then the one in which they came into today's match.

For a few other teams, however, today was a day they'd love to forget.

We'll start with Chelsea, who crashed out of the FA Cup in shocking fashion at now multiple giant-killers Barnsley. The FA Cup represented the last real chance for silverware for the West London club, because they're not going to win the Premiership and in my opinion are the fourth most likely team in England to win the Champions League, not even factoring in the rest of the continent. I'm not saying a third place finish in the league and deep cup/tournament runs wouldn't be respectable, but that's not acceptable to Mr. Abramovich. Avram Grant could very well be replaced in the role of manager this summer..

As refreshing as it was to see Barnsley, a lower-league side, knock off Chelsea and advance to the FA Cup Semifinals, teams like Aston Villa, Everton, Portsmouth, Manchester City, and Blackburn have to be disgusted with the way these cup competitions have gone this year. With Spurs winning the Carling Cup and no "Big Four" teams left in the FA Cup, two UEFA Cup spots (those usually given to the league's 6th and 7th place finishers) have vanished, although Portsmouth could very well make it into the UEFA Cup through their league position anyway, even though now they have to be considered the odds-on favorite to win the FA Cup.

The fight is on for 5th place in the Premiership now, and in my estimation, three teams--Aston Villa, Pompey, and Everton--have a legitimate chance to finish up the season there. Everton, of course, are currently in 5th with a five point lead on Villa and a nine point lead on Portsmouth, so it would take a poor run of games for Everton for either of those other two clubs to take that spot.

I already mentioned Liverpool's victory over Newcastle. Newcastle and losing badly seems to just go together very nicely these days..