I’m a Proponent of the Away Goals Rule, But This Is Just Ludicrous…

The initial rounds of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers began this weekend which featured a smattering of the world’s worst football teams.  No, really. That’s not hyperbole. Montserrat, USVI, and Aruba are tied for 202nd place in the FIFA rankings.  This was in no way shape or form decent or even watchable football. One of these matchups saw the Bahamas take on the British Virgin Islands. However, the BVI’s stadium did not meet FIFA standards to host an international match, so both legs had to be played in Nassau. In the first game on New Providence Island, the Bahamas were designated the home team and the match ended in a 1-1 draw. In the second game, still in the Bahamian capital, the British Virgin Islands were designated the home team, and the match ended 2-2. The sensible resolution would be extra time and, if necessary, penalties. However, CONCACAF regulations stipulated that, in the case of a tie over two legs, the team with the most away goals prevails, even though in this case, the Bahamas advanced on the away goals rule despite playing both games in their home stadium!

Champions League Quarterfinals Preview:

Last round, we were treated to a number of intriguing ties; unfortunately, this set of fixtures seems a lot less likely to produce a thrilling, close match the likes of Fenebahce/Sevilla, Arsenal/Milano, OL/ManU, or Schalke/Porto. Only one of the upcoming ties does not have a clear cut favorite; the other three, though they may not be absolute routs, are rather unlikely to spawn an epic Champions League encounter. Onto predictions (ALL SCORES AGGREGATE….BERRY!)

-Liverpool vs. Arsenal: We’ll start with by far the most scintillating match-up of the round. Both of these sides enter the Quarters in fine form on both the domestic and European fronts. Liverpool emerged triumphant in the Merseyside derby over Everton on the weekend and 10-man Arsenal managed to come back from 2 behind on the road to defeat Bolton and keep their increasingly slim title hopes alive. Last round, both sides were able to eliminate imposing Milanese opposition in remarkable fashion. ‘Pool was able to beat the current table-toppers of Serie A Internazionale by a resounding three goals, and Arsenal thoroughly beat i Rossoneri of Milan by a margin of 2-0 though the Lombardia side was fortunate that the differential was not greater. Both sides are playing fantastic Continental football at this point, and given their minimal chances at the Premiership crown (in particular Liverpool, and given ManU’s current form, Arsenal may need Providential support to claim the EPL this year), both sides will view this as their most likely chance to bring home a major trophy. Champions League pedigree also provides little help in differentiating these teams as both have appeared in the final of this competition in the past two years. Both teams should not struggle to find the net, as in-form strikers Torres and Adebayor for Liverpool and Arsenal are the second and third leading scorers in the Premiership, (double) respectively. Obviously, prognosticating a clear-cut favorite is impossible; however, my gut tells me Arsenal will win. Arsenal has simply played superior football this year. Last round, Liverpool was able to progress by beating a team that notoriously bows out early in the Champions League. Now, they’ll have to face a team who went into the San Siro undaunted by the task of having to eliminate last year’s winners to make it to the next round. Will Steven Gerrard and his Liverpudlian friends make it interesting? Of course. But look for the steadfast Gallas to win that battle more times than not, and for the effervescent Cesc to produce another sublime performance worthy of Arsenal lore. Liverpool 2 - 3 Arsenal

-Manchester United vs. AS Roma: For the amount of praise I heap upon Manchester United, you could easily misconstrue the Brog author as a “Manc.” However, such is not the case, and as the rhyme goes, that makes me a “wank.” This does not change the fact that I think they’re playing the best football in the world right now. This weekend, the Mancunians dismantled a decent Aston Villa side 4-0 to consolidate their lead atop the tables. Cristiano Ronaldo continues to make a mockery of Premiership defenses; his goal scoring prowess (he leads the EPL with 26 and has 35 in all competitions) has reached such astronomical levels, it’s gotten to the point that it’s noteworthy if he doesn’t score (Note: Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t even play striker!). Does Roma have the defensive talent to stop Ronaldo, let alone Nani, Tevez, and Rooney? I say no. As I’ve said before, Cicinho is too offensive-minded and Mexes is too error-prone. If Roma stands a chance, they’ll have to play an extremely conservative back four (and that means omitting the dynamic Cicinho, undeniably an offensive weapon, but too much of a liability at the back against a side as strong as ManU, from the starting 11). Roma’s chances were further dented when it was announced that captain Francesco Totti will unlikely be fit by Tuesday. As their primary creative force, Roma might struggle to find goal scoring chances without their talisman. If Roma does have one advantage in this game, it’s the revenge factor: last year at this exact stage, ManU utterly annihilated i Giallorossi 8 to 3, including a 7-1 humiliation at Old Trafford. If Roma is to win this match, they will have to convert every feasible half chance and feed off of the desire to make amends for last year’s ignominious exit. Likely? I don’t think so. Manchester United 5 - 2 AS Roma

Chelsea vs. Fenerbahce- Chelsea has once again been gifted an easy draw and a clear path to the Semifinals (there’s a rumor that the draw was fixed; the correct draw appeared on a message board an hour before the draw took place, and bookies around London refused to take bets on the outcome..hmmmm). A couple of friends have warned me about drawing conclusions too quickly about this tie (not how it was determined, that was obviously fixed; but who will win remains to be seen) and that a trip to Istanbul is never easy. I have to agree, when its a trip to the Ataturk stadium; but trips by major clubs to stadiums in Anatolia has not proven that difficult in recent years (Milan won there 4-0 and Lyon won 3-1 at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium; ManU did lose there, but in a game with little meaning). As well, Chelsea has entered hostile territory (namely Piraeus in the last round) and has survived. Furthermore, Chelsea’s Champions League strategy has not exactly been rocket science. They play for draws on the road, and bring down the hammer at Stamford Bridge to advance in convincing fashion. Fenerbahce won’t be able to take advantage of Chelsea in Istanbul because Chelsea will employ uber-dull conservative tactics and convince themselves that they are content returning to Britain with a goalless draw. The odds of a Fener progression are quite slim; they were able to beat a Sevilla side who were fellow CL knockout round debutants, but against a seasoned, deep side like Chelsea, the Turks will be lucky not to endure a historical embarrassment; Mateja Kezman will also hope to put in his first ever decent performance at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea 4 - 1 Fenerbahce

-FC Barcelona vs. FC Schalke 04- Hey, look, no British teams! The media will often portray a meeting between two teams with drastically different team character images as a battle of “good versus evil,” (a story line used ad nauseum this year with the Patriots and the Colts/Giants) but for once we have two teams that deserve this comparison (though not because of a team’s cavalier/badboy/arrogant attitude) and nobody is bloody talking about it! Schalke is sponsored by Gazprom, the Russian oil conglomerate that clawed its way to the top through (”alleged”) extortion, racketeering, torture, and murder. While the German side thrives on the blood money of kleptocrats, their Catalan counterpart actually pays money to be sponsored by UNICEF, the UN charity that helps underprivileged children throughout the third world (do not ask the Brog about this, as he will gush for no less than ten minutes about how this was the classiest development in sports over the past decade). Helping AIDS-infected African orphans or aiding ruthless oligarchs in their plot for world domination, one European football team at a time? Tough choice. And that doesn’t merit a “good versus evil” comparison?! Oh, and I have football arguments to back my decision, too! Barcelona is easily the most offensively talented side in the world. Though Schalke plays a physical, defensive game, Barcelona has fared well against these types of teams all season (think: Rangers/Celtic last round). Barcelona is susceptible to complacency (they lost to lowly Real Betis on the weekend), and Schalke must capitalize on any whiff of disinterest from Barcelona. The Brog does not think this will be a walkover, but finds it difficult to believe that Schalke will prevail, as the mercurial attackers of Barcelona, including the likes of Henry, Eto’o, Iniesta, and Bojan (Messi and Ronnie are supposed to miss the match), are virtually impossible to contain, and Schalke’s strikeforce, in spite of Kuranyi’s considerable class in front of goal, will find it difficult to keep up. Barcelona 3 - 1 FC Schalke

A Solution to Rid the Sport of Diving?

The plight of diving has plagued soccer ever since I started watching the game more than a decade ago. American fans that have never been able to truly embrace the game frequently cite this form of gamesmanship as a principal reason as to why futbol has never genuinely resonated with them. Various soccer officiating bodies have actively attempted to combat this heinous tactic, but have failed to eliminate its existence in the beautiful game. Currently, referees are instructed to brandish yellow cards when they believe a player is guilty of simulation. Because this call is incredibly difficult to make in real time, the officials rarely make the correct decision. Twice this CL matchday, a referee whistled a player for diving when replays showed indisputably that both Frank Lampard and Alexander Hleb were indeed fouled. Though the Chelsea match was already decided at the point when Lampard’s ‘diving’ incident occurred, the ref’s incorrect call against Hleb and Arsenal could have cost them the match. Furthermore, Hleb was (rightfully )so incensed after the egregious call, he was fortunate not to be sent off for dissent; his head was so bloated with anger it looked as if he’d engulf the official’s head, which surely would’ve resulted in a red card. This all transpired because the diving predicament has not yet been solved.

My proposal involves the elimination of in-match yellow cards for diving in order to prevent situations such as the one that occurred in the 2002 World Cup when Francesco Totti was famously sent-off for purportedly diving when, in fact, he was clearly fouled by his Korean opponent, while implementing even harsher penalties for those that are guilty of this odious infraction. First, as is the referee’s discretion, if the arbiter feels as if an episode does not constitute a foul, it is his prerogative to not blow his whistle. After the match, any suspect incident would be subject to review, and if the player were found to be guilty of diving, he would receive a one match ban. If his dive were successful and led to a penalty or a free kick that led to a goal, he would be suspended a further match. If, later in the season, the same player were found to be guilty of a similar infraction, the punishment would be doubled. The one theoretical problem with this plan could occur in a match final, with no obvious consequences for attempting to dive. The one solution I see for this is that if a player were to dive in a tournament final, he would be stripped of his medal. Obviously, this solution is not flawless, and it cannot prevent players from rolling around in agony after a light push, but I feel it is superior to the status quo.