Quakes Drop match to Revs; The Quick Re-Birth of WSD?

The Quakes took on the Revs today, but lost another one (2-1 Revs).  The game was scoreless about 2/3 through the game, but then the Revs got 2 goals and went up 2-nil.  Ramon Sanchez did knock in a nice header for his first MLS goal close to the end of regulation eliminating Reis' clean sheet.  Up next for the Q's are a couple of non-league games (9/4 vs Copa Alianza All-Stars and 9/8 vs CD Aguila).  My guess is that these games will be games for the Quakes reserves.  Next MLS game will be against Colorado at Buck Shaw on 9/18.

Rebirth as "World Football Daily"

well - less than a week ago, World Soccer Daily ended (the only daily football talk show in America) due to controversial comments by host Steven Cohen with regards to the Hillsborough 96 tragedy.  Yesterday it was announced that WSD would return as "WFD" under a different format (no advertisers, but listener supported through "subscription".  I think that this show is great for football in the US.  I just have to make a personal decision as to whether to make the financial commitment for a subscription or not.  (It is a nominal amount, but cash doesn't grow on trees).  we'll see. 

Quakes Win, Football Fans in the U.S. Lose

The Q's picked up 3 points against KC with the last minute (actually extra time) goal by Chris Wondoloski.  This season appears to be in the books already, but it is great to see that the lads are not giving up.  It has been a looooooooong season.  

Tonight is also the final summer session for Soccer Fours.  Starting this fall, it is moving to Thursday nights - which I cannot do.  :(  It was fun while it lasted.

Farewell to World Soccer Daily

Without much notice, the only daily football podcast in the U.S. has ended - World Soccer Daily.  I won't go into the details about what happened - you can do that by checking the web.  It saddens me that this program will not be available to us anymore because of the narrow-mindedness of some LFC supporters  that forced Steven Cohen to end WSD because of remarks he made about the horrible events that ended in the death of 96 fans at Hillsborough.  It is a loss for football fans here in America.

Kaka' Rumors, World Soccer Daily Controversy, etc.

Where will Kaka' end up next year? I have heard rumors about Real Madrid and Chelsea. I have also heard that he has not intention of leaving and wants to stay at ACM. I think I need to start another rumor...

World Soccer Daily....Liverpool FC Controversy

Just as I discover this daily soccer radio program/podcast - there is a controversy that has many Liverpool FC supporters from around the world calling for a boycott of this program as well as a boycott of all of WSD's sponsors. What is the issue? I has to do with some comments made by one of the WSD hosts - Steve Cohen - and comments that he made on the program with respect to a tragedy known as the "Hillsborough 96". Because I am such a newbie to this sport, I had to do some research. The Hillsborough 96 refers to a disaster that occurred on April 15, 1989, at Hillsborough stadium (the home of Sheffield FC). 96 Liverpool FC supporters were crushed to death within the stadium crowd. From what I understand, thousands of people - some without tickets - were pushing into the stadium through a narrow gateway. As people continued to push in, the section in the stadium also felt the pressure and those closest to the field were crushed up against a fence/barrier between the stands and the pitch.

I have not gone back to find the podcast where the WSD/Cohen comments were made, but the response has involved death threats and other acts of violence (on top of the recommended boycotts). Here are his comments - he focused his questions on those ticketless fans that contributed to the situation. Cohen did make a public apology, but I have read that Liverpool FC supporters did not accept it. More later.

href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillsborough_disaster">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillsborough_disaster

Quakes Win and More...

Ahhhhhh - finally the sweet smell of victory. The Q's took it to Real Salt Lake and came away with a 2-1 victory. WHile still rough around the edges, the Q's had some new faces in the lineup (Cornell Glen - forward and Mike Zaher - defender). Glen and Alvarez scored for the Quakes. Biggest change? The defense played really well - there seemed like a much greater sense of urgency to turn things around. H and I finally were able to visit Chalatecho after the game for our traditional victory meal of fried tilapia! Yum.


Thank You Paolo Maldini!


This morning I watched Paolo Maldini's final game as AC Milan beat Fiorentina 2-nil. Here is an excerpt from a recent Canadian paper on Maldini and his career:

This is a player who learned his trade alongside Franco Baresi, Mauro Tassotti and Alessandro Costacurta, and helped set a national record of 929 minutes without conceding a goal.

In recent years Milan's other world-class defender, Alessandro Nesta, has spent more time on the treatment table than on the pitch and at a time when Maldini should have been winding down he has been playing more than ever.

He is now due to play his 902nd and final match next week at Fiorentina, bringing to an end his outstanding career. When coach Nils Liedholm handed Maldini, the son of club legend Cesare, his debut at Udinese in January 1985, few would have predicted that the rangy, 16-year-old leftback would still be going more than 24 years later.

He has straddled two periods of Milan greatness, the first under Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello, when the side won three Champions League trophies and five Serie A titles. Though Alberto Zaccheroni's spell in charge included another league title in 1999, there was a real renaissance under Carlo Ancelotti that included a pair of Champions League titles in 2003 and 2007, Maldini's seventh Italian championship in 2004 and a World Club Cup in 2007.
In that time he has changed from a coltish leftback to an ultra-dependable central defender, captain of both club and country.

Despite age and knee injuries taking their toll, he has refused to change his style, relying on stealth and intelligence to win the ball in such a way that the striker doesn't actually realize it's gone. He has been as far from the stereotyped Italian defender as it is possible to be. He has no need for the ankle taps, shirt pulling and all-around cynicism that personified the likes of Claudio Gentile and even Baresi.

It is on the international stage that Maldini's career remains unfulfilled, though it is doubtful he could have gone any closer. Maldini holds the unenviable record of being a losing finalist at both the World Cup and European Championship, both times by the narrowest of margins. It's open to question what hurt the most, a loss on penalties to Brazil in 1994 or David Trezeguet's decisive 'golden goal' that won the continental crown for France in 2000 after the Azzurri had dominated the match.

His 126 caps show how important he was to the national side from his debut against Yugoslavia in March 1988 to retirement at the end of the 2002 World Cup. Despite a 'golden goal' loss to South Korea signalling the end of his career, Maldini kept a dignified, quiet counsel, whilst many Italy fans blamed referee Byron Moreno and FIFA for joint-host nation South Korea's progression to the quarter-finals.

Earlier this year fans launched a campaign to give Maldini one more farewell cap.
Typical of the man, though, he thanked the fans for the idea, but said it would hinder the development of the team ahead of the 2010 World Cup, which to him was worth far more than any number of sentimental farewells.

The man himself is unsure of what the future holds, but says whilst he followed his father to Milan, he won't be following him into coaching. "I won't be a coach, because it is a role that brings out all the things that I don't like about football," he said. "The excessive exposure to the media, moving to different cities and having to work with difficult presidents."
Copyright © 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



Discovered a couple of podcasts:


World Football Phone In http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/wf/


World Soccer Daily http://www.worldsoccerdaily.com/