SoccerProse.com

With a draw on Tuesday against Croatia, England will qualify for the Euro 2008 Championships and all will be right in the world. Manager Steve McLaren and his Three Lions will bungle their way to another major tournament.

Qualifying has been a rocky road for England and it needed a lame-duck Israel squad with no chance of qualification to beat Russia, who was playing to qualify, last week. A last minute goal from Omer Golan has granted England a second life.

Now having England in the biggest national tournament after the World Cup is a boon for Europe and the country that claims the beautiful game. England has a bevy of stars, but the drama and constant media attention given to the squad can be nauseating. While I enjoy watching some of the talent England puts on the field (Steven Gerrard, Micah Richards, John Terry and Wayne Rooney to name a few) the squad suffers from over hype and overexposure. England’s struggles to qualify for Euro 2008 along with its World Cup issues have exposed it on the international scene.

Managerial duress, a hoarding tabloid press and players with inflated egos and bank accounts have been a thorn in the squad’s side. Not to mention the David Beckham on again, off again saga that has plagued the team. Having England at Euro 2008 looks good, but how much would the tournament have benefited from a hungry and motivated Russian side.

Once again England appears to be a paper lion.

Being perhaps the greatest soccer player ever, Pele has the right to speak his mind on all matters pertaining to the beautiful game. However, that doesn’t always make his opinions correct.

Take for instance his latest veiled shots at David Beckham and Major League Soccer. Pele says that U.S. fans were misled about Beckham after his record signing from Real Madrid was announced. Pele says Beckham was announced as a “scorer of goals.”

Frankly that statement is absurd.

I read almost everything I could find on Beckham’s signing, then his arrival and followed the few games he played in. Not once did I ever come across a snippet of information declaring he was a great scorer. No one believed that. The columnists and announcers all made that perfectly clear any time Beckham was discussed.

In fact I’d say Pele is 180 degrees off. After Beckham’s mega-deal was announced it had to be emphasized that what he was bringing to America were not goals and fancy moves. He was bringing his brand to build the sport and make a lot of money for himself. The fact that he was not a goal scorer was stressed so the U.S. public who are not hard-core soccer fans did not think they were getting the next Pele, or for that matter Giorgio Chinaglia.

The disappointment following Beckham’s first season in MLS does not stem from the goals he didn’t bring. It is because he was injured for most of the time he was here and he only flashed moments of his brilliance. Beckham signed a five-year contract. He was never going to convert America overnight. His arrival generated enough publicity and buzz to make MLS relevant during the summer doldrums. Now he has to show what he can do (mainly set up goals, work hard, make his team better and provide the occasional brilliant free-kick).

No one was misled. The hype just couldn’t be capitalized on.

Beckham’s not a scorer of goals? Geez, Pele. Is the pope catholic?

I read an article in the New York Times a while back talking about how Italian culture will never change because people like it too much. When traveling in Italy, the foreigner can sense that it is a different place.  The people are deathly serious about their holidays, espresso, food and wine, and even more serious about their soccer. They seem to have figured out that life is in the living, not in the retirement.  Even the sun seems to be intentional about falling differently on Italian hills and faces.

Italians themselves take pride in their pace of life, culture of relaxation and almost carelessness towards anything that’s not food, wine or culture.  And it’s fair to say that most of the high-strung west looks upon this wanton lifestyle where rules are mostly optional with olive-green envy and a sigh: Italy is that romantic place where art and food and love all get smashed together under an orange sunset.  It’s that place where honeymoons and holidays are had.  Most of the world agrees that rules shouldn’t apply to Italy too much, there’s far too much cultural currency at stake.

Part of that wonderful cultural currency is how the Italians have put their own latin spin on soccer.  Known to them as Calcio, the Italians do football their own way, and very effectively, mind you.  Italy won the 2006 FIFA World Cup and that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, because, simply stated, they were the best team.  The played well when they had to, held onto the ball, defended well, created incredible goals, and flat out got the results that they needed.

Unfortunately, there’s a grimy side to that ‘latin spin’ which the Italians are admittedly not as proud of.  It’s a side which is not very well hidden and very recently came out of hiding in a deadly way.

Gabriele Sandri was a Lazio fan and a fan of Italian soccer.  A BBC report of the incident says that “The Lazio fan (Sandri), was hit by a bullet in the neck as he sat in a car while police tried to stop fighting between followers of his team and Juventus supporters,” and that he was sitting in a car on his way to see Lazio play Inter Milan.  The shooting was nowhere near the stadium and a complete accident.

Accident though it was, Mr. Sandri’s parents now have a dead son as the result of football riots and reckless and amateur policing. […]

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With holiday shopping approaching SoccerPro would like to offer a few suggestions of what we believe would make excellent holiday soccer gifts. While we think everything we sell could be a perfect match someone, here are some of our top choices for what to look for this season in soccer gift ideas.

1. Adidas LA Galaxy Beckham Navy Long Sleeve Tee: David Beckham’s first MLS season is in the books and he created an exciting buzz about the game. Get this Beckham long sleeve t-shirt featuring ‘Beckham 23’ on the back at an affordable price.

2. Manchester United Home Jersey: One of the most popular soccer gifts of the season. Get the Red Devils’ latest kit and support the Premier League champions. Don’t forget to add your favorite Man U player to make the experience truly authentic.

3. Wallbangers: Whether it’s your favorite player or team, Wallbangers let you put your support on display. The self-adhesive vinyl wall graphic is easy to apply and move it you need to. Great for your child’s bedroom or play room.

4. Adidas Teamgeist FIFA World Cup Ball: Use what the pros used in the 2006 FIFA World Cup games.  The Adidas World Cup ball is also a joy to play with.

5. Nike Field Player Gloves: Keep your hands warm and dry with these water resistant gloves. These are essential for fall and winter soccer and would make a great stocking stuffer. […]

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