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Preview: Arsenal vs. Liverpool
Aug 31st
Liverpool and Arsenal have failed to start the new Premier League season on a good note. Neither team has won a game during the first two weeks of the season. Both teams will be looking to get their first win this weekend at the other’s expense as they face off on Sunday.
It has been an interesting summer for Arsenal. They gained Olivier Giroud, Santi Cazorla, and Lukas Podolski, but also lost their leading scorer, Robin Van Persie, and Alex Song. So far, Robin Van Persie has outscored his former team and he only has one goal this season. That is not a good sign for the men in Arsenal jerseys.
On a positive note, Arsenal has yet to concede a goal either. So if you are an Arsenal fan, you can take some comfort in the fact that you have yet to score, but were still able to draw both games. If the team is finally able to get a few goals, they should start to make their way back up the table. I believe, given a little time to adjust to the Premier League, that Giroud will be a good player for Arsenal. Giroud scored 21 goals and had nine assists in 36 Ligue 1 games last season. That is not a bad strike rate. He won’t be able to replace Van Persie right away, but by mid-season, I see him scoring plenty of goals for the Gunners. The main question is where are the goals going to come from if it does take Giroud time to settle in?
Liverpool is another team that seems to be on their way towards positive results in the Premier League. Their first game was a disaster. They conceded a penalty and were reduced to 10-men. It was a bad result, but the men in Liverpool jerseys made up for it with their performance in their second game. They tied the reigning Premier League champions, Manchester City, and deserved to win. If it weren’t for a careless mistake by Martin Skrtel, Liverpool would have won the game (To be fair, Skrtel scored a goal for Liverpool as well so he cancelled out for the day).
Brendan Rodgers has a plan for Liverpool and is trying to get the team to play his high-pressure, slick-passing game that will win the team games with style. Liverpool did miss out on signing Clint Dempsey in the transfer market today, but I think that could be a good thing for the team. Dempsey is an older player who, in my opinion, values himself higher than what his actual talent level is. I know he scored 17 goals in the Premier League last season. Before that season, how many people actually cared about Clint Dempsey, if it were not for the fact that he was an American that played fairly well for a Premier League team?
Liverpool is still a work in progress but they are heading in the right direction. Last season, the match-up between Arsenal and Liverpool would not have interested me as much as it does this weekend. I am curious how well Liverpool is able to respond after their draw against Manchester City. I am also curious to see if Arsenal is able to break through and get a goal.
Both of these teams used to be regular top-four teams. Liverpool have struggled the past few seasons and failed to reach the top-four. Arsenal has also been struggling, but always seem to finish in the top-four. With the dominance that Manchester United has shown in recent seasons, Manchester City winning the Premier League last season, and Chelsea winning the Champions League last season and starting off the new season brightly, will these two teams be able to make it in the top-four or compete to be Premier League champions this season?
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
The Road to the College Cup: Pre-season Favorites
Aug 30th
With little to no focus in the world of soccer going to the collegiate level of the game, I
feel that it is time to start taking notice of the main pipeline for the increasingly successful
league that is Major League Soccer. Considering that the entirety of players entering the
professional level via the SuperDraft mostly ply their trade at the Division I level in college, we
have decided to chronicle the upcoming season until it culminates with the season ending
College Cup. We will go all the way from the current state of pre-season and end with us
actually being in attendance for the semi-finals and final of the Div. I championship.
Although we are about four months away from the Championship final (which I will
actually be attending (hope you can join me)), the pre-season poll has already been released and
it is a long list of the “usual suspects.” Then top ten teams only have one new entrant (Akron
moved from the 11th spot to the 10th spot) and the top 25 only sees one new team getting into the
ranking that had not been there before (Furman). The top five sees the return of last season’s
champion North Carolina at the top, followed by UCLA at number two- both teams still being
able to field impressive teams despite both teams losing two players in the first round of last
year’s SuperDraft.
The remaining three teams are Creighton (3rd), Connecticut (4th), and South Florida (5th).
Creighton has the easiest path to the title as their early season fixture against Akron seems to be
the only road block on their way to having a very successful season. While the other teams may
be more talented and come from bigger schools, their schedules may lead to them beating each
other up and causing them to miss out on the big dance in December. North Carolina will have
to deal with the behemoth that is the ACC (Atlantic Coastal Conference) on their way to a repeat
of last year’s success and ULCA will have to deal with the massive wealth of talent that can be
found within California and the nearby states and schools.
Connecticut and South Florida both still face daunting schedules despite not being in as
impressive a conference as the ACC. Connecticut will face several teams that will inevitably
find themselves bouncing in and out of the top 25 and teams that will always find themselves on
the fringes of a berth into the end of season tournament. South Florida has scheduled several top
25 teams, including Akron, St. John’s, and Louisville, all while still keeping their schedule
relatively high profile. As mentioned earlier, only Creighton seems to have their schedule
packed with mediocre opposition for the majority of it, and I am sure that they will suffer greatly
in the rankings if they lose too many of these games.
The college game is one that has long been dominated by the same few teams and it will
be interesting to see if we get the same storyline this year. One thing is certain; we will certainly
be enjoying the thrills and pitfalls of teams until the bitter end.
Written by: Andrew McCole, Soccerprose.com
Nike Celtic Away Jersey 2012/13 Review
Aug 27th
Celtic has started their Scottish Premier League campaign brightly with two wins and a draw. They are currently tied with Hibernian for first in the league with seven points. This season marks the 125th anniversary of Celtic existing as a club.
This season, the team will be wearing the new Nike Celtic away jersey. This jersey is all black and looks very sleek. The Celtic home jersey has a classic green and white striped design that has become iconic. The new away jersey also features horizontal stripes, but they are much more subtle and almost hard to see at first glance. The Celtic crest is stitched on the left chest with Celtic knots surrounding the crest and 1888-2013 under the knots. Since this is an anniversary season for the club, the Celtic knots symbolize permanence since the club has existed so long. Tennent’s remains the team’s sponsor and is pressed on the center of the jersey.
This jersey is made of 100 percent polyester to make it both light and comfortable. Like most Nike jerseys, this one features Nike’s Dri-Fit technology to keep you dry and comfortable as you cheer on Celtic during the season. This jersey runs true to size, so you will not need to worry about weird sizing issues if you are ordering online.
This jersey is great for all Celtic fans. It looks sleek and celebrates the club’s 125th anniversary. Since most Celtic fans probably have a lot of green and white in their closets, this all black jersey will provide something different for the supporters. This away jersey is currently available at SoccerPro.com, so check it out today.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Nike Barcelona Core Tee Review – Midnight Navy with Storm Red
Aug 24th
If you are a fan of Barcelona’s beautiful style of play and the incredible skill of Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, and many others, but do not want to spend the money to buy a jersey, we have the perfect option for you.
The Nike Barcelona core tee is a great looking, casual tee that you can wear whether you are cheering on Barcelona or just hanging out with friends. This tee is predominantly navy and has the Barcelona crest featured on the front of the tee. The crest is crimson to combine the team’s main colors into a great looking end product. It also features a Nike swoosh, in crimson, on the left sleeve.
This tee not only looks great, but also is extremely comfortable. It is made of 100 percent cotton to make it light and soft. This tee fits true to size so you will not need to worry about weird sizing issues if you are ordering online.
As I said above, this tee can go with anything. It is soft, comfortable, and looks great. Barcelona plays the game of soccer with a great passing style that can lull teams to sleep and then they attack when their opponent is vulnerable. Some analysts say this could be one of the best team’s ever, so show your support with this great looking tee that is currently available at SoccerPro.com.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Preview: Manchester City vs. Liverpool
Aug 24th
Manchester City will be traveling to Anfield to play the men in Liverpool jerseys on Sunday. Both teams struggled on their opening weekend, with Manchester City narrowly winning over Southampton and Liverpool losing 3-0 against West Bromwich Albion.
This is far from the start new Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers wanted. “We’ve got to win games and make progress, but this was a bad day at the office,” Rodgers said after the match.
Rodgers was brought to Liverpool after he received praise for his team’s great passing style at Swansea. He has brought over Joe Allen, a former Swansea player, and will be looking to bring his slick passing style to Liverpool. Rodger’s second Premier League match in charge of Liverpool will not get any easier as they will face the reigning English Premier League champions.
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini believes Liverpool have the potential to contend for the Premier League title this season. “I think Liverpool will fight for the title this year because they bought good players, they have a good manager, they change their style of play,” Mancini said.
Manchester City will be short one of their stars for this game. Sergio Aguero was injured during City’s match against Southampton. City has enough depth and top players that the loss of Aguero should not affect the team too much.
Rodger’s will not want to start out his managerial campaign at Liverpool with two losses, while Mancini will want his men in Manchester City jerseys to perform much better than they did against Southampton. This should result in a great match that will hopefully be close. No matter what happens on Sunday, there is one thing all fans should be excited about: The Barclays Premier League is back in full swing!
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Credit ESPNFC and The Guardian for the quotes.
Nike Barcelona Away Jersey 2012/13 Review
Aug 20th
Barcelona is looking to get back to winning ways this season and take back the La Liga title from Real Madrid. Along with beating their opponents, Barcelona is looking to blind their opponents with their new, extremely bright, Nike Barcelona away jersey.
This jersey mixes orange and yellow to produce one of the brightest jerseys of the new soccer season. Similar to the Barcelona home jersey, the colors of this jersey fade into each other. The bottom half is yellow and transitions to orange near the chest. This jersey features a crimson and blue stripe that goes down each side of the jersey as well as the back of the neck to tie in the team’s colors. The Barcelona crest is stitched on the left chest with the Nike swoosh stitched on the right chest. The Qatar Foundation remains the team’s sponsor and is pressed on the center of the jersey in navy. Unicef is featured on the back of the jersey. The team’s motto, “Mes que un club,” is pressed on the inside of the neck.
This jersey is made of 100 percent polyester to make it both light and comfortable. Like most Nike jerseys, this one features Nike’s Dri-Fit technology. This helps keep you dry and comfortable as you cheer Barcelona on to victory. This jersey also fits true to size, so you will not need to worry about weird sizing issues if you are ordering online.
This jersey is sure to stand out on the field and it will help you stand out when you are showing your loyalty to Barcelona. A good thing for defenders is that they will be able to clearly see where all Barcelona players are on the field. The bad news is that they will still have to stop the team’s beautiful passing game from tearing them apart. This jersey is currently available at SoccerPro.com, so head over and gear up for the La Liga season today.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Nike Arsenal Training Top Review – Black with Court Purple
Aug 17th
Even though Arsenal has just lost Robin Van Persie to Manchester United, the Gunners are still hoping to have a successful English Premier League season. They have picked up Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski and are hoping those two will be able to pick up the scoring lost with the departure of Van Persie. Those players, along with all the Arsenal players, will be wearing the new Nike Arsenal training top, as they get ready for the EPL season.
This training top is predominantly black with purple accents. This is the color scheme of the Arsenal away jersey. The left sleeve features a purple stripe and the right sleeve features a purple stripe that runs down the arm. The Arsenal crest is stitched on the left chest with the Nike swoosh featured on the right chest. Fly Emirates remains the team’s sponsor and is pressed on the front of the training top in white.
This training top is made of 100 percent polyester to make it both light and comfortable. This top has mesh ventilation throughout. It also features Nike’s Dri-Fit technology. Both of these features help to keep you dry and comfortable as you train for your own team or cheer on Arsenal to victory.
Arsenal will be entering the upcoming EPL season looking to win some trophies. Even though they lost Van Persie, they have brought in some solid players to hopefully win trophies that Arsenal fans have been waiting for. This training top is currently available at SoccerPro.com, so head over and gear up for the upcoming EPL season.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Nike Inter Milan Home Jersey 2012/13 Review
Aug 15th
Inter Milan had plenty of struggles last season, but Wesley Sneijder and company are looking to rebound from their disappointing season and win the Serie A once again. This season they will be wearing the new Nike Inter Milan home jersey and it looks great.
This new jersey keeps the traditional black and blue vertical stripes that Inter are known for. However, this jersey features distinctly thicker stripes than last season’s jersey, and in my opinion, it looks great. It’s hard to switch up such a classic design, but this minor tweak to the stripes helps give it a new and stylish look. The Inter Milan crest is stitched on the left chest with a single star stitched above it, while the Nike swoosh is featured on the right chest. Pirelli remains the team’s sponsor and is featured in the center of the jersey. Another nice feature this jersey has is that Inter is pressed on the back of the neck to show where your loyalty stands even when they cant see the front of your jersey.
This jersey not only looks great, but also feels great. It is made of 100 percent recycled polyester to make it both light and comfortable. It also makes it environmentally friendly. Like most Nike jerseys, this one features Nike’s Dri-Fit technology to keep you both dry and comfortable as you cheer your team on.
This season will hopefully be a rebound season, and Inter fans are looking for their team to add another Serie A title. With AC Milan getting rid of some key players and Juventus’ coach getting a ban, the door is wide open for them to get back into the title race. This jersey is currently available at SoccerPro.com, so head over and check one out today to get ready for the upcoming Serie A season.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Nike USA Libretto Short Review – Dark Obsidian with Siren Red
Aug 15th
Tonight the United States National Team will be taking on Mexico in the latest installment of the fierce rivalry. After that, the team will be trying to get ready to qualify for the World Cup. A major player for the United States National Team as they look to qualify for the next World Cup will be Clint Dempsey. He is coming off a superb season for Fulham and is looking to continue his wonderful form for his national team.
Nike has released the Nike USA libretto shorts to help show your support for the national team. These shorts are extremely soft and feel great. They feature Nike’s Dri-Fit technology to help keep you dry and comfortable. Whether you are training for your own team or cheering on the national team, these shorts are great to wear.
In addition to being extremely comfortable, they also feature the United States National Team crest pressed on the right thigh. They also feature Dempsey’s number eight that is pressed on the left thigh above the Nike swoosh. These shorts show the national team colors. They are predominantly blue with red accents throughout.
Right now is the perfect time to grab a pair of these great shorts to show your support and also emulate the skills of Dempsey when you are playing. These are currently available at SoccerPro.com, so head over and check them out today.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
