tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16146329881909384532024-02-08T05:15:28.430-05:00I Fischi<a href="http://ifischi.blogspot.com/2009/05/first.html">CLICK FOR AN EXPLANATION OF MY VENTURE INTO THE SELF SERVING WORLD OF BLOGGING</a>ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-67414108724123036492009-12-02T17:39:00.002-05:002009-12-02T17:42:02.666-05:00Blog Migration!With all apologies to Blogger, I find the interface too difficult to manipulate. I am especially frustrated with the narrow postings and therefore have moved the blog to IFischi.Wordpress.com.This whole post is a link to the new blog so just click and come on over. All new and old posts will be there...ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-50969569279895682592009-11-30T20:17:00.007-05:002009-12-01T15:53:27.787-05:00Messi wins 2009 Ballon d'OrIn a break with the regular theme of this blog, here is some breaking news...Lionel Messi has won the 2009 Ballon d'Or award. The most prestigious award in all of football and soocer...combined!!! He garnered an unprecedented 473 of 480 total points from the 96 jurors (a collection of worldwide soccer journalists, 52 European based/44 based elsewhere). In second was deservedly Cristiano ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-83295122289990923392009-11-30T08:55:00.013-05:002009-11-30T11:32:07.788-05:00Randoms: Classico/GolTV/Q & A/US BitsBarcelona!Some unforeseen circumstances prevented me from watching El Classico live on Sunday afternoon but I was able to spend an unusually lovely early Monday morning catching up.Definitely a big win for Barca to move them back to the top of La Liga, but playing at home this is a game they must take all 3 points from.Barcelona didn't look as sharp as their midweek encounter against Inter but I ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-13393359677697157412009-11-18T18:10:00.006-05:002009-11-21T10:08:10.483-05:00Reaction: US v Denmark 11/18/09 + RandomsWednesday's friendly between the US and Denmark so far down the list of important soccer happenings from this last week that I feel a little stupid even mentioning it. However, we love the USMNT here so I will provide a few notes.Besides the goal which was gifted to Jeff Cunningham, there were almost 0 positives to take from this. The goal was nicely finished and while Cunningham did seem to beARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-65328183239277735562009-11-16T18:03:00.004-05:002009-11-16T18:31:01.248-05:00Reaction (Brief): US v Slovakia 11/14/09It was a rather timid affair that saw the USMNT fall to Slovakia 1-0 on Saturday AM. The only real surprise was Jonathan Spector getting the central defensive start alongside Carlos Bocanegra. He never looked overmatched and did a much better job of feeding the ball into the midfield than Onyewu usually does. He is not the physical presence that the AC Milan center back is but he seems to be ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-14624482133866052462009-11-13T15:05:00.002-05:002009-11-13T18:02:17.115-05:00WTWF: US v Slovakia 11/14/09The USMNT opens up a 2 game European swing tomorrow Morning in Bratislava, Slovakia at 10AM on Fox Soccer Channel.A few things to watch along with your breakfast tomorrow AM...Brad Guzan should get the start in net with Tim Howard choosing to remain in the UK. The 25 year old has impressed in limited club duty at Aston Villa and is seemingly the net minder of the future for the states. Would ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-76976774157474404202009-11-09T11:32:00.004-05:002009-11-11T11:09:07.560-05:00Game weekWith the USMNT back in action this weekend @ Slovakia in their first warm-up match since qualifying last month, I thought it would be a good time to get writing again. First and foremost...the game is this Saturday, 11/14 @ 10 AM EST on Fox Soccer Channel.Bob Bradley called up his 22.It would be a surprise to see this team come out with a win for a few reasons. Slovakia was the automatic ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-84121706222448803092009-10-15T13:02:00.003-04:002009-10-16T18:10:12.056-04:00Reactions: US v Costa Rica 10/14/09 & WCQIt's been almost 48 hours since the US's improbable tie against Costa Rica and in a concerted effort to let it stew for a while before providing some reflection, here it is. (Ha, really just being lazy)In the realm of qualifying for South Africa, the only real implication it had was this....Awesome video and a great moment for Honduras; congrats on your first visit to the dance since 1982, ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-86360718644079505502009-10-13T19:01:00.005-04:002009-10-13T20:10:58.037-04:00WTWF: USA v Costa Rica - 10/13/09UPDATE: This blog is providing excellent status updates.It is with a suddenly emotional match tomorrow night in Washington DC that the US finishes their qualifying campaign for the 2010 WC.Taking into account the fact that they have secured qualification and today's frightening development, let's keep tomorrow's game in perspective. While finishing the CONCACAF qualifying hexagon in first would ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-45586758666339920632009-10-11T14:32:00.004-04:002009-10-11T15:25:45.817-04:00Lock it in: South Africa, June 2010It's a good thing I didn't write that final preview for the US v Honduras game as it definitely would not have come close to foreshadowing that type of result. Overall it seemed more like Honduras were intimidated at home and the US was able to capitalize when opportunities presented themselves.I though the inclusion of Stuart Holden worked out pretty well, as he showed flashes down the right ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-2768315338899021532009-10-06T17:56:00.002-04:002009-10-06T18:11:22.661-04:00US @ Honduras Midweek UpdateYo man, I think BB reads my fcking blog!!!! Yea right, lets not get out of hand here...but in a twist of events, Clint Dempsey has been ruled out with a Shoulder and taking his spot is USMNT classic/I Fischi favorite, Mr. Frankie Hejduk. Personally, in Honduras, I think Hejduk should get the starting nod at RB. How can age trump experience, fitness, and the leadership he brings? Spector may ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-13654181122383345912009-10-02T17:12:00.006-04:002009-10-02T19:37:10.987-04:00Coming Back -> etcAfter a prolonged absence from posting, here is an attempt at a return post. If you weren't able to tell, September of the year before a World Cup is a crazy time in the world of soccer. From all the continental leagues starting, to World Cup qualifying breaks, to CL Group stages kicking off, to the U20 World Cup beginning; it's a monster month for the sport and impossible to keep up with ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-54889349952103262772009-09-02T21:34:00.004-04:002009-09-05T10:13:31.657-04:00WTWF: US v El Salvador (9/5/09)The USMNT resumes their qualifying bid Saturday (read: tonight) at 8PM on ESPN Classic vs El Salvador. The men find themselves tied for 3rd place with Honduras on 10 pts with 4 games left to play. Not a terrible situation but they lead Mexico by only 1 spot. Being that the top 3 qualify automatically, while the 4th has to play a home and home playoff against the number 5 team from South ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-78762282151270102012009-08-30T16:46:00.017-04:002009-08-31T11:52:50.159-04:00FC Barcelona on ESPN + Weekend of RandomsThis weekend set up very well for me to watch a lot of excellent soccer and in an attempt to make up for my lack of recent blogging, I figured I would share some thoughts.BARCAMost importantly; Tomorrow aka Monday 8/31 at 2:55 EST on ESPN here in the States, FC Barcelona begins their La Liga title defense against the Asturian side Sporting Gijon.Gijon, whose narrow escape of relegation was ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-52582781483788419622009-08-24T10:07:00.003-04:002009-08-24T11:07:02.949-04:00Randoms: 8/24/09For the few of you out there who read this on any sort of a regular basis...I apologize but the kind of work they pay me for has been taking priority. A few noteworthy soccer events involving American's happened this weekend and I had to share.First and foremost...congrats to Jozy Altidore on making his EPL debut for Hull City and, impressively, contributing directly to the winner. Here's the ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-40004804135926697392009-08-13T00:21:00.004-04:002009-08-14T10:47:57.509-04:00Reaction: US v Mexico 8/12/09Not going to spend too much time discussing what happened earlier today but just a few quick thoughts for now.Overall, I think the US looked ok, they came out playing well and took the game right too Mexico. They kept the midfield battle pretty even and looked up to the task for the first 10'. Davies' goal was very well taken off a very nice move in the midfield from Donovan; great touch and aARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-17683960659885873662009-08-07T17:37:00.017-04:002009-08-12T14:27:04.914-04:00WTWF: US v Mexico 8/12/09Overall it's important to remember that this isn't the most important match of the year for the US National team. They are in excellent shape in the final stage of qualifying, needing only 2 wins from the final 5 games. Mexico on the other hand, is holding onto the only playoff spot by a single point over El Salvador; a W here is integral to solidifying their spot.That being said, it will ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-50383047263782552622009-08-07T17:06:00.008-04:002009-08-07T17:47:21.157-04:00Squad Picks: US v Mexico 8/12 - OFFICIALBB and co. have announced their squad for a short training camp before travelling to Mexico on Tuesday. In all its glorious nature....GKs: Tim Howard, Brad GuzanDefenders: Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Bornstein, Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, Chad Marshall, Oguchi Onyewu, Jonathan SpectorMidfielders: Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Clint Dempsey, Benny Feilhaber, Stuart Holden, Jose Francisco ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-7935923750106507552009-08-07T10:53:00.004-04:002009-08-07T17:06:04.330-04:00Randoms: 8/7/09A few random soccer related internets finds...DempseyPretty cool to see Mr Dempsey get some FIFA recognition and the beginning of the video contains some sweet video of historic USMNT moments. He has received his fair share of criticism on this blog but only b/c I have come to expect a lot of him. He has good field vision and a creative style that is not very American, along with a knack for ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-87882664608909178062009-08-05T13:06:00.006-04:002009-08-07T21:42:24.839-04:00American on the move....Jozy AltidoreAs the transfer period enters its final month with a flurry of movement, albeit not of the galacticos variety, there are a few Americans still looking for the right team.Jozy Altidore seems to have settled his.Via his Twitter feed and the standard soccer press, it seems as if Premier League side, Hull City, will sign Altidore on a 1 year loan from Villareal.Some reaction from Jozy himself....The ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-76579189493912800452009-07-28T09:39:00.003-04:002009-07-28T10:04:45.111-04:00OFFICIAL: Eto'o for IbrahimovicSo the actual deal that went through was....Barca gets:Zlatan IbrahimovicInter gets:Samuel Eto'oA one year loan of Aliaksandr Hleb €43.25 millionFor an attitude like this Samuel Eto'o will be missed“I don’t feel at all inferior to Ibrahimovic. I am Samuel Eto’o and can’t be compared to anyone,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport. A good article here which kind of explains Barcelona's financial logic...ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-6561877892860554412009-07-24T10:48:00.011-04:002009-07-28T09:39:32.805-04:00Swap Meet (Multi Million Dollar Soccer Player Version)You know those swap meet things? You bring stuff to sell or trade...sometimes you make out with a sweet wooden tennis racket or old bowling shoes. I don't know if they happen much anymore but I have memories of going to them when I was young and being real excited until I realized everything there was shit.Anywho, the soccer version of this is always rumored in Europe but rarely actually ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-43233026643218232552009-07-23T11:30:00.004-04:002009-08-07T11:38:23.109-04:00Randoms: 7/23/09A few random points/finds from around the soccer universe...Summer of Soccer???This "World Football Challenge" that has been providing a great array of soccer on ESPN/ESPN2 over the past few weeks has provided more soccer in a summer that has been full of it. It also provides excellent variety to a sports landscape that is really limited to baseball and the terrible nature of the Mets. From a ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-51191137881792938722009-07-19T12:27:00.000-04:002009-07-19T12:28:36.959-04:00Quick Thoughts: US v PanamaDespite being stretched for the full 120 minutes, the US was able to qualify for a semi final date with Honduras thanks to an extra time penalty from Kenny Cooper. A few quick thoughts from the game and on the Thursday night semi-final against Honduras in Chicago...Stuart Holden has continued to establish himself as the integral offensive cog for this iteration of the national team. Feeding KennyARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1614632988190938453.post-1772356222760157512009-07-17T11:20:00.002-04:002009-07-17T18:01:31.604-04:00The Gold Cup now matters....kind of....The US is through to the elimination round, expectedly. Feilhaber, Davies, Adu, Cherundolo, and Parkhurst are back in Europe as the shortest offseason imaginable comes to a conclusion.Jozy Altidore seems to be in Florida with his family while his club future is being determined.So let's take a look at where the US goes from here (hopefully) and how...Panama has had a pretty good showing in Gold ARotberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546225625129749900noreply@blogger.com0