A soccer blog for soccer players, fans, parents and coaches.
erics
I am a contributing writer and run the social media for SoccerProse. You should look up our Twitter and Facebook accounts at SoccerProse. Find me on Google+
Posts by erics
U.S. Men’s National Team travels to Estadio Azteca
Mar 25th
The United States Men’s National Team will play Mexico Tuesday at Estadio Azteca. The U.S. national team is currently in second in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. The team lost it’s first hexagonal match 2-1 to Honduras, but bounced back and beat Costa Rica 1-0 in snowy conditions. This leaves the U.S. national team with three points from two games. However, Costa Rica is hoping to replay it’s game against the U.S. due to the poor weather conditions.
“We can confirm that FIFA has received a letter from the Costa Rica FA regarding last Friday’s FIFA World Cup qualifier. FIFA will now analyze the content of the letter and next steps will be determined in due course,” according to ESPNFC.
Costa Rican Football Federation Treasurer Rolando Villalobos also showed his anger at the decision to let the game be played.
“What happened…has no precedents, since it not only went against the sporting spectacle, but also against the physical integrity of the officials and players. You couldn’t see the pitch markings and that is not allowed under the FIFA regulations,” Villalobos said according to ESPNFC.
Sidenote: If you were able to see the players through all the snow Friday, what did you think about the new United States centennial jerseys?
Mexico comes into it’s match against the United States in fourth place, drawing both of their games. However, when it comes to USA vs. Mexico at Mexico, the results have not been favorable for the United States. According to American Soccer Now, “Against the U.S., Mexico has tasted much more success than failure over the years, especially in Mexico, where a friendly loss last August was the only defeat El Tri has suffered at home against its northern neighbors. In World Cup qualifying, the U.S. has but one point to show for all its visits to El Azteca.”
Tuesday’s match should be an exciting one. The U.S. vs. Mexico rivalry has always been intense and with a trip to the 2014 World Cup on the line, both teams will come out focused and intense. The United States needs to keep getting positive results, while Mexico will be looking for it’s first win during the final round of World Cup qualifying to come at home in front of it’s fans
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Nike USA Centennial Collection
Mar 1st
As you may have seen earlier today, Nike has released a brand new jersey to celebrate 100 years of U.S. soccer. In addition to the jersey, Nike has also released some other great looking products as part of its USA Centennial Collection. Since we’ve already taken a look at the jersey, we are now going to take a look at two other great products: the Nike USA authentic N98 jacket and the Nike5 Gato USA 100 leather indoor soccer shoe.
The Nike USA authentic N98 jacket looks spectacular and is comfortable as well. This jacket is perfect to keep you warm while still remaining stylish. It is predominantly navy blue with a single red stripe going down each arm to tie in the country’s colors. Subtle vertical stripes also run up the front of the jacket to provide a little more style instead of plain navy. It’s a minor detail but it looks awesome.
Since this jacket is part of the Centennial Collection, it features the Centennial crest on the left chest. The Centennial crest, unlike the modern USA crest, has thirteen stars and stripes to represent the original 13 colonies. It is a great looking crest and, in my opinion, should become the regular crest on all USA soccer gear. It is simplistic but looks fantastic. Finally, we move to the back of the jacket where we see “USA” pressed on so everyone can see where your support lies.
This jacket is a cotton/polyester mix, which is very comfortable. It is also fairly thick to provide enough protection from the wintery weather to keep you warm. The neck of the jacket goes a little higher than most jackets. It almost provides a turtleneck look, which is nice to keep wind out and provides warmth.
Even though there are currently some cool looking USA jackets, this is my favorite. I like the combination of red and blue and the Centennial crest. The combination of great design and comfort make this jacket the perfect option for any USA fan.
SoccerPro does not normally carry shoes; therefore, Soccerprose does not normally look at too many shoes. However, as part of the Centennial Collection Nike released a pair of great looking shoes.
The Nike5 Gato USA 100 leather indoor shoes are off-white/cream, which should help make them a little easier to keep clean than pure white shoes. These shoes also feature navy blue to tie in the national colors in the design while also maintaining a stylish look. The shoes tongue features the Centennial crest above the laces to show that these are part of the Centennial Collection. However, the coolest part of these shoes is the outsole. The outsole has stars and stripes to, once again, tie in the United States flag. It looks awesome and is a nice touch by Nike.
As the name suggests, the upper is made of leather to make these extremely durable since they are built for indoor soccer. With durability in mind, these shoes also have toe and medial overlay to help keep the toe from tearing up with tough indoor surfaces.
Not only do these look great and provide great durability, they are also very comfortable. These shoes feature soccer specific Cushlon technology that helps with cushioning and stability. Style isn’t the only nice thing about these Gato’s. These shoes have an articulated gum rubber outsole, which is non-marking but also provides great traction on indoor surfaces.
Even though these are called indoor soccer shoes, they don’t have to be. These shoes are stylish and comfortable enough to wear with jeans while you are hanging out with friends or whenever you cheer the United States on in soccer. You can now be dressed from head to toe with great USA soccer gear.
Of course, these two products and the jersey mentioned already are not the only products available with the Centennial Collection. A retro jersey, t-shirts, shorts, socks and soccer ball are all available. These products were just two of my favorites that I wanted to share. The jacket and shoes look amazing and are a stylish way to support the U.S. soccer teams. You can find the other gear at SoccerPro.com.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Barcelona Stunned in the Champions League
Feb 22nd
Barcelona traveled to the San Siro Wednesday, where they were stunned by AC Milan. AC Milan took the lead in the 56th minute after a Kevin-Prince Boateng goal. Milan then secured the win in the 81st minute when Sulley Muntari scored to give the home side a 2-0 lead heading into the second leg at the Camp Nou.
AC Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri was happy with his team’s performance after the match.
“The lads played well in defensive terms and didn’t let them near our penalty area. We know Barcelona kept possession for about 65 percent of the time, but we had five or six very favorable situations where we got the final pass wrong,” Allegri said.
It was actually 72 percent possession for Barcelona according to ESPNFC’s match stats. However, despite all the possession, AC Milan actually had more scoring chances in the game, and capitalized on them. Milan outshot Barcelona 8-7 in total shots and 3-1 in shots on goal.
Barcelona interim coach Jordi Roura said the poor playing conditions contributed to the team’s loss.
“They defended with a lot of organization. It was difficult to play, they stuck lots of players close together, the pitch was like a potato-field, not right for a match like this, which made it difficult for us,” Roura said.
If Roura thought Milan defended with a lot of players in this game, he should wait for the second leg at the Camp Nou. With a two goal lead and playing away from home, you can expect AC Milan to pack it in a try to maintain their two goal lead in order to move on. Milan could surprise everyone and come out attacking, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
“At the Camp Nou they will sit back, we need to go at them and hope we have better luck than here,” Barcelona midfielder Pedro said.
The second leg may not be very exciting if Milan try to hold on to their lead by playing 11 in the box, however, it will certainly garner interest. The way Barcelona have cruised through La Liga and drawing AC Milan in the Champions League, many thought Barcelona could cruise through the Champions League this season. Barcelona have not been knocked out of the competition yet, but it will be a difficult task to move on with a 2-0 deficit.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Review of the week’s Champions League matches
Feb 14th
With only 16 teams remaining in the Champions League, any team realistically has a chance. So let’s take a look at some of the results from this week. We have already recapped the Manchester United v. Real Madrid match, so it will not be included in this post.
Let’s first take a look at Paris Saint-Germain. The French leaders beat Valencia Tuesday 2-1 away from home. Now PSG will play the second leg at the Parc de Princes. However, they will be without striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was sent off in stoppage time. Also, according to ESPNFC, “UEFA’s disciplinary panel will meet at the end of February to decide whether PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic should be banned for an extra game.” If he is suspended an extra match, that could hurt PSG if they are to advance to the quarterfinals.
Despite an away win for PSG, Juventus claims the best week in the Champions League. Juventus beat Celtic 3-0 away from home, which pretty much puts them in the quarterfinals unless Celtic has a miracle up their sleeve. Celtic manager Neil Lennon was not too pleased with the referee’s performance in the match.
“I thought he was very poor. I thought he was very pro-Juventus. I was disappointed with his performance to say the least,” Lennon said according to ESPNFC. “They were being fouled, manhandled. Every time one of my players tried to move he was held. He should have given a penalty on at least two occasions.”
The final game of the week featured Shakhtar Donetsk v. Borussia Dortmund. This game ended 2-2, with everything to play for in the second leg.
The Champions League always presents exciting matchups and games and this week was no exception. Other than Celtic, every team has a reasonable chance of advancing to the next round, which will set up for an exciting round of second leg matches. Let us know whom you think will advance to the quarterfinals and predictions for what team will win the Champions League this season.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Champions League Recap: Manchester United v. Real Madrid
Feb 14th
Manchester United was able to secure a vital away goal at the Bernabeu Wednesday. The match between Manchester United and Real Madrid ended in a 1-1 draw, which will ensure an exciting second leg match at Old Trafford. Following the match, Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho said Manchester United did not play to win, a statement many have made of Mourinho’s teams when they face Barcelona.
“They came here to defend well,” Mourinho said according to ESPNFC. “They came here to not concede space and goals, and they did not play to win. But they know they have in attack very important players with great potential that out of nothing can create chances and score goals.”
Real Madrid dominated United statistically outshooting United 28 to 13 in total shots and eight to six in shots on goal. Madrid also out possessed United 61 percent to 39 percent. However, at the end of the day, the result of the game is all that matters. And the final result has United manager Sir Alex Ferguson feeling confident about their chances of moving on to the next stage of the Champions League.
“All in all we created a lot of chances in the match and played some good attacking football at times. I’ve got to be pleased, they’ve dug in to take us back to Old Trafford with a chance. We’ve got a big task but its within our grasps,” Ferguson said according to ESPNFC.
Another big storyline with this game was Cristiano Ronaldo facing his old manager and club. Ronaldo was able to make an impact against his former side, scoring a fantastic header to tie the match and give Madrid a chance in the second leg. Despite scoring, Ronaldo said he did not want to celebrate the goal against his former club.
“I did not want to celebrate the goal out of respect, as I played there for six years. I grew up there, and I have a special affection [for Manchester United],” Ronaldo said according to ESPNFC.
If Real Madrid is knocked out of the Champions League at this stage, it will be a major disappointment to add to their disappointing season in La Liga. There are already questions regarding Mourinho’s possible departure after the season. One of the main reasons Mourinho was brought in at Madrid was to win the Champions League and end the clubs drought in the competition. If he fails to win, you have to wonder if an early Champions League exit will be the deciding factor in his departure from the club after the season.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Nike Portugal Away Jersey – 2012/13
Feb 8th
Nike has recently released some new national team jerseys that look great. Despite some nice looking jerseys, the one that sticks out the most is the new Nike Portugal away jersey. When you have one of the best players in the world playing on your team, you need to have a stylish jersey to match his stylish play.
Portugal’s last away jersey was predominantly white with a green and red cross displayed in the center to tie in Portugal’s national colors. With this new jersey, Nike has kept the same general design. This away jersey keeps the cross design that is predominantly displayed in the center. However, instead of red and green, this has a gray cross. The whole jersey is sleek black now instead of white. This change in color looks fantastic and is, in my opinion, one of the best looking national team kits available right now.
The Portugal crest is stitched on the left chest and the Nike swoosh is stitched on the right chest in white. Not only does this jersey look great, it also feels great so you can cheer your favorite national team on while remaining comfortable.
This jersey is made of 100 percent polyester and features Nike’s Dri-Fit material. This keeps you dry and comfortable as you cheer on Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese national team.
This jersey is currently available at SoccerPro.com, so head over there today if you want this sleek jersey. You can wear this and channel your inner Cristiano Ronaldo as you show your skills on the pitch, or just wear it while you cheer on the national team. The choice is yours.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Can the Premier League title race be reignited this weekend?
Feb 8th
Earlier this week, we posted about the possibility of Manchester United having already secured the Premier League title. With a nine-point lead and the fact United has not lost since Nov. 17, United seem to be cruising. However, Manchester City’s manager does not think the title is locked up and neither does United striker Wayne Rooney.
“They have nine points more than us because they did better than us. But in three months, everything can change like last year. If we can recover eight points in six games, I think to cover nine points in 13 games will be easy,” Mancini said according to ESPNFC.
“Results are the most important thing now. Look at Manchester City against QPR. They should have got the win, had a lot of chances but ended up dropping points,” Rooney said according to ESPNFC. “Once it comes down to the last four or five games, then we will see what position we are in and work out what we have to do.”
If City is looking for a chance to get back into the title race, this weekend is the perfect opportunity. Everton head to Manchester United this weekend while Manchester City head to Southampton.
In the two clubs first match of the season, Everton beat Manchester United 1-0 at home. This second matchup could have huge ramifications for each team depending on the result. Manchester United are trying to maintain their nine point lead atop the table and Everton is currently three points behind Tottenham for the final Champions League qualifying spot. Everton has not been on quite the same run of form as United, however, Everton has not lost a game in the Premier League since Dec. 30.
Manchester City, on the other hand, will not have as difficult of a game this weekend as league leaders United. Southampton is currently in 16th in the Premier League, only three points above the relegation zone. 
Even though Southampton has been struggling to get points, they have been a hard team to beat at home. This season, they have won three games, drew five and lost only four games playing at St. Mary’s Stadium. In their past four matches, Southampton has tied Chelsea, Everton and Wigan and only lost to Manchester United 2-1. When these two clubs met earlier in the season, Manchester City won narrowly 3-2.
Even though the quality of opponent is much lower for Manchester City than Manchester United this weekend, neither game will be easy for the teams from Manchester to win. However, for City, if United is to lose this weekend, you cant get a better opponent than Southampton to try and pick up points against. With a United loss and City win, the lead at the top of the table will be cut to six and make the title race exciting once again.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Mario Balotelli scores twice to help AC Milan win
Feb 5th
After an up-and-down playing career at Manchester City, Mario Balotelli has landed at AC Milan and started his time at AC Milan with a bang. Balotelli scored in the 24th minute and then won the game for Milan, converting a stoppage time penalty to give AC Milan a 2-1 win over Udinese. Balotelli’s first start with his new club could not have been much better, unless he scored a hat-trick. However, I think he will be okay with two goals and a game winner.
Balotelli’s skill on the field has never been questioned. It’s his character off the field that has caused trouble for the young Italian striker. Maybe now that he is at his boyhood club, the off-field problems will cease and the talk surrounding Balotelli will be his skill on the pitch. AC Milan is going to need Balotelli to continue producing goals following Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s departure for PSG.
Even with the win, AC Milan remains in fourth place in Serie A. They trail Lazio by three points for the final Champions League qualifying spot. AC Milan will be desperate to claim that final Champions League spot and Balotelli could be crucial in helping AC Milan get three points the rest of the season.
AC Milan may not have the chance to play their game this weekend against Cagliari due to safety concerns. ESPNFC posted a statement regarding the game in an article.
“The conditions do not exist from a public ordinance or security perspective for the hosting of the Cagliari-Milan match at the Is Arenas di Quartu,” according to ESPNFC.
If an alternate venue cannot be found, the game could be cancelled.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Will Manchester United win the Premier League?
Feb 5th
The other day, we posted about Barcelona and their domination this season in La Liga. Despite only holding a nine-point lead on Atletico Madrid, it seems predetermined that Barcelona will win La Liga this season. However, when we look at Manchester United, it does not seem predetermined that they will win the Premier League, even though they hold the same nine-point lead as Barcelona.
Therefore, I pose the question: Is it safe to say United will win the Premier League? Through 25 games, United has won 20, tied twice and lost only three times. Is the reason people don’t give United enough credit in the Premier League because they find them boring? In January, Fox Soccer columnist Leander Schaerlaeckens voiced his opinion of United.
I’m sorry, but I find Manchester United the most boring team in the Premier League.
— LeanderLastNameNoFit (@LeanderOnFOX) January 20, 2013
I’m not saying United isn’t good. I think they’ll win league because they’re the most seasoned, consistent and among deepest. But… *yawn*
— LeanderLastNameNoFit (@LeanderOnFOX) January 20, 2013
However, United has scored 60 goals, the most in the Premier League. The next closest team is Chelsea with 51 goals, and those 60 goals are only 12 goals behind the team many claim to be the best team in the world, Barcelona. So it is not like United are playing 0-0 draws every week. Maybe it isn’t the lack of goals, but the fact that United are so consistent, a fact that Schaerlaeckens pointed out, that makes them boring. If you want to find the last time United lost a game in the Premier League, you must go back to Nov. 17.
Maybe the reason they are boring is because, despite being a big name club, United do not have many big name players. As ESPNFC’s Mark Payne points out, United has Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie, but who else?
“When asked to discuss the midfield, United fans often scratch the back of their heads and say something like, ‘They’re okay,” according to Payne. “This has not been the most illustrious year for United’s defence. Seven teams have been more effective at protecting their goal than the league leaders this term.”
The ultimate question remains: Is it safe to say United will win the Premier League? Is United boring because we are just too used to their winning ways? Let us know what you think about the Premier League title race and United’s style of play.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
