Simply Fútbol

Uruguay celebrate 60th anniversary of Maracanazo

Uruguay will once again remember one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history. Simply Futbol will remember The Maracanazo...

Beyond the Pitch: Patricia Carlucho

Meet Patricia Carlucho. She is one of Uruguay's rising stars, at age 25 she has a long road ahead. Professional dancer, fitness instructor. Another beauty from El Rio de La Plata....

An Ode to a Madrid Great

The Santiago Bernabéu will be giving their greatest idol one of the greatest ovations ever as Raúl González Blanco will say farewell to the Real Madrid faithful ...

Ronaldinho's legacy was celebrated at the Camp Nou

Nostalgia filled the air at the Camp Nou as Ronaldinho Gaúcho returned to his old stomping ground. What is the legacy he left behind?

Ronaldinho's legacy celebrated at the Nou Camp?

Footballing legends: Heleno De Freitas

Posted by Juan Arango

Legendary star Heleno De Freitas (Redaçao Alvinegra)

Football in the 1940's and 50's had Alfredo Di Stefano as one of the top ambassadors of the game. But there was another one that was another player that was the antithesis of the "Blonde Arrow" at least on the pitch.

Heleno De Freitas was one of the biggest footballing stars post-World War II in South America. He is also one of the two greatest idols of Botafogo alongside Garrincha.

He was the next star that would follow Leonidas after he was finished come the end of the 1938 World Cup. Although he was part of the

Many also considered him the opposite of Garrincha. While Garrincha was more organized chaos, De Freitas was pure elegance. His posture was perfect, he moved on the pitch with grace, and this also was amplified with charisma as well as animal magnetism with the ladies. He was well-educated as he was a licensed lawyer and had a particular eloquence when he spoke.

He was also a man filled with nerves and sometimes hard to deal with prior to matches. Many fans nicknamed him "Gilda" after a Rita Hayworth character in one of her movies. Based on that you can only imagine what type of dramatic attitude he had.

The difference between him and Garrincha was that his predecessor won the big titles with Botafogo, while De Freitas only won two cups. He did win a Cariaocão with Vasco Da Gama two years after his departure from the team with the lone star. One thing that could not be denied was his scoring penchant. He was the scoring machine of the time for a powerful Botafogo side scoring 209 goals in 234 matches.

His marks also impressed on the Brazilian national team where he scored 15 goals in 18 matches.

In 1948, De Freitas made a move from his beloved Botafogo and move to Argentine giants Boca Juniors. His transfer fee was the highest in club's history at that time. During that one season, De Freitas was able to become an idol with the Xeneize. During his season there at Boca he was a vital part of the team on attack. His play on the pitch was overshadowed significantly when he was being allegedly connected to having a love affair with Eva Perón.

That connection with the Argentine first lady was never confirmed, still it was part of the magnetism and myth that was part of the persona of Heleno De Freitas.

De Freitas with Boca Juniors (BocaCampeonWeb)

He would play one season with Vasco Da Gama and then in 1950 he made the jump to the Colombian pirate league where he would land with Barranquilla side Junior.

De Freitas would also become a idol at the club off the Atlantic coast of Colombia as he became the undisputed star of Los Tiburones. There his lifestyle was a lavish one considering the area and the idiosyncrasy of Barranquilla fit hand in glove with Heleno.

He would then leave and end up at Brazilian side America, but would only end up playing in one match after being sent off minutes after play began.

He would eventually retire but his personal life continued to be hectic one, but it would eventually take its toll on him.

Complications from a case of syphilis left him bedridden and was forced to enter a psychiatric clinic for the final six years of his life. Heleno de Freitas died on November 9th, 1959 at the age of 38.

Brasil: Heleno de Freitas no Sulamericano de 1946

De Freitas (circled) with Brazilian national team (Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas)

His 11-year career saw him score well over 200 goals in Brazil alone. By many he was considered the pioneer of the Brazilian school of thought in Colombia during the El Dorado era back in the late 40's and 50's. He was considered one of the 25 greatest Brazilian players to have ever played for the national team.

In the month of June, Brazilian filmmaker Jose Henrique Fonseca began shooting the film "Heleno" that narrates the life of the Botafogo legend. Actor Rodrigo Santoro is playing the role of the footballer. The movie is scheduled to be released sometime in 2011.

CHECK OUT MORE PHOTOS HERE

Next time we'll profile Italian scoring legend Gianni Rivera

8.26.2010

Ronaldinho's legacy was celebrated at the Camp Nou

Posted by Juan Arango

Mar. 19, 2010 - Bildnummer: 01438050 Datum: 02.02.2005 Copyright: imago/Ulmer..Ronaldinho (FC Barcelona) am siert sich k stlich; Vdig, hoch, close, Aufmacher, lachen, l cheln, Z hne, Gebiss, Gebi Champions League 2004/2005, FC Barcelona, Barca Barcelona Freude, Begeisterung, Fu ball EC 1 Herren Mannschaft Einzelbild optimistisch Aktion Werbemotiv Personen.

Ronaldinho Gaúcho (Zumapress

Ronaldinho's return to the Camp Nou was one that brought back a great deal of nostalgia of an era not too far removed. It was a different Barca side, but it was one that started to once again grab headlines and capture the imagination of the football world.

Those five years of R10 were some of the most magical arguably of our generation. His final year was not one of brilliance.
He started to become more of a cancer on the team and the World Cup started to show the wear and tear of the game on him physically and mentally, but when he was on... he was the best in the world- bar none.

Although his exit from Barcelona was very similar to the exit of other greats, his impact was undeniable to the culture of this most recent generation of Barcelona. If there was one signing that changed the balance of power in Spain it was that of Ronaldinho Gaúcho to Barcelona.

The day he arrived to the Camp Nou, the dream of glory was well on its way.

Ronaldinho was the catalyst to a Barca side that found itself in quite a dire situation come the end of the 2002-03 season. The team was going through a four-year trophy drought that was compounded by Real Madrid's string of league and Champions League triumphs in the process. He was that joy to the game that the world and the blaugrana looked for.

Every play as big as his Cheshire-cat like smile that was permanently placed on his face. The Smiling Assassin was his modus operandi. Whether it was slashing through the Real Madrid defense at the Santiago Bernabéu or smashing the competition at the Camp Nou, he was the gamebreaker and the main attraction.

Barcelona's acquiring the Brazilian star from PSG under then vice president of sport Sandro Rosell after David Beckham nixed the blaugrana to head to Real Madrid was a move that would take the Catalan giants to the next level. But it was a painful, yet spectacular process in the beginning.

AC Milan's player Ronaldinho poses with Barcelona's players and the Joan Gamper trophy after Barcelona won their friendly match at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, August 25, 2010. REUTERS/Albert Gea (SPAIN - Tags: SPORT SOCCER)

Dinho and Barca at Joan Gamper (Albert Gea/ Reuters)

If Johan Cruyff changed the culture of Barcelona forever with his arrival 30 years earlier, Ronaldinho renewed that spirit to a lesser degree. The Dream Team era seemed like ancient history the season that Dinho came to Barcelona. He was the catalyst to turning the malaise that had infected Barcelona. It did take a season for the blaugrana to really adapt to La Liga after struggling mightily in the first half of Frank Rijkaard's first season.

The team turned around and almost overtook Valencia at the end of the season, which included an enormous 2-1 win against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.

The following season there was no doubt that his frenetic beat was going to be matched by no one. He broke ankle and had people dreaming of moves that could only be done on Playstation. There were moves like the Elastico.

There were performances like that brace that he had at the Bernabéu against Real Madrid where the Madrid fans got on their feet and applauded Ronaldinho for his legendary performance.

That night he made Michel Salgado and the Madrid backline look like a training cones and he was a nightmare for Merengues all over. The titles that Barca won at that point not only placed the team at the top of the football mountain, but had Dinho atop the football universe.

We might now see him at AC Milan as a shadow of that poet laureate with the ball that he was before. Still there are times when he sharpens up that we see that greatness peer through and give us hope that someday he rekindles that fire within.

Hopefully that moment was today at his old stomping ground.

Ronaldinho's resume with Barcelona
Two league titles
Two Spanish Super Cups

One UEFA Champions League

Two-time FIFA World Player of the Year
Ballon D'Or winner

Ronaldinho's overall resume
World Cup winer (2002)
Confederations Cup (2005)
Copa America (1999)

Some good reading material for you all

Posted by Juan Arango

Throughout the season we will be reading up around the Web to be able to give you the best information as well as the most well-informed opinion possible.

In our constant search for material, there are some that we definitely want to share with others, so that's exactly what we'll do.

If you find any material that we should add to this weekly article... please drop us an email or leave it in the comments section. Your help is always appreciated.

Check out Own Goal Network
Serie A Weekly: Juventus; Why the rebuilding process is not simple
La Liga Weekly: Segunda Focus, Wanna bet?
Ligue 1 Talk: Losing love for Ligue 1? Are transfer killing the league or helping it?
Madridista Mac: Finding meaning from the seemingly meaningless

Thoroughout the Web
Tactical--Football Further: How the Premier League title contenders shape up
Human interest-- Trapped miner was a former Cobresal player. (ESP) Convocalo, Bielsa!
La Liga-- Barca, Madrid , and Who?

8.25.2010

2010 Brasileirão Wrap - Rodada 15

Posted by Anonymous

Week 15 of the 2010 Campeonato Brasileiro witnessed the return of the 2010 Copa Libertadores Champions, Internacional of Porte Alegre to league play. On Sunday, O Colorado Gaucho drew 1-1 against bottom of the table side Atlético Goianiense. The draw extended Internacional's league winless streak of 3 matches, clearly a result of their Libertadores title run.

Corinthians dominated São Paulo with a 3-0 victory at the Pacaembu in a Paulista State rivalry match. 2 goals from Elias in the 1st half sealed the 3 points for O Timão. Corinthians victory cut into Fluminense's 1st place spot in the table to 2 points after Fluminense drew 2-2 against Vasco da Gama.

The match witnessed the Flu debut of ex-Porto & Barcelona star Deco in front of 80,000 spectators as these Carioca rivals played to an exciting and energetic draw. The draw extended Vasco's unbeaten streak to 8 matches and moved them up into the top 10 of the standings. Deco come on as a 2nd half sub in the 74th minute and missed a chance to give Flu the win in the 82nd minute when he was open in front of goal after a cross into the box but his shot went over the crossbar. The draw extended Flu's unbeaten streak to 12 matches.

Here are the results & standings from Rodada 15 of the Brasileirão:

SATURDAY, AUGUST 21

Botafogo 1 - 0 Avaí
BOT: Fábio Ferreira (31')

Ceará 2 - 1 Grêmio
CEA: William Magrao (og 1') & Geraldo (89')
GRE: Anderson (og 25')

Goiás 1 - 2 Gremio Barueri
GOI: Éverton Santos (56')
GRB: Wanderley (52') & Anderson Luis (81')

SUNDAY, AUGUST 22

Guarani 0 - 0 Palmeiras

Atlético Paranaense 1 - 0 Flamengo
APR: Manoel (82')

Internacional 1 - 1 Atlético Goianiense
INT: Leandro Damiao (67')
AGO: Victor Ferraz (42')

Santos 2 - 0 Atlético Miniero
SAN: Neymar (57') & Danilo (78')

Vasco da Gama 2 - 2 Fluminense
VAS: Éder Luís (37') & Fágner (47')
FLU: Gum (6') & Júlio César (59')

Cruzeiro 0 - 1 Vitória
VIT: Junior (53')

Corinthians 3 - 0 São Paulo
COR: Elias (22' & 44') & Jucilei (70')

STANDINGS

8.24.2010

Interview with Pablo Tesoriere- pt.1

Posted by Juan Arango

Courtesy Pablo Tesoriere

Argentine football is on life support. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that violence and corruption has completely rocked the establishment. The worst part is that the establishment does not realize what is going on.

When AFA president Julio Grondona refuses to be interviewed because there "is no violence in Argentine football."

It's a sign of the times many people say, but there is very little realization that this has been going on for years. This is what director Pablo Tesoriere has been trying to mention in his two documentaries Puerta 12 and his latest documentary, Fútbol Violencia, S.A. (Football Violence, Inc.). In his two documentaries he takes on the huge problem that plagues the game in this country for a little over two generations.

Tesoriere talkes about the implementation of FaViFA (Families of the Victims of Argentine Football) and how his documentary has started to recevie acclaim not only by movie critics; but also by people in the know as well regarding this social phenomenon and the inability or lack of desire to get rid of it.

What impacted Tesoriere most about the topic during the research phase of Fútbol Violencia was the proverbial passing of the buck between the government, the police, and the clubs. For years they tossed a hot potato around while nothing was done in one particular case.

Liliana García, founder of FaViFA has an ongoing battle since 1995 with both Argentine and Uruguayan governments after the death of her son Daniel in Montevideo after he went to follow his club in Copa Libertadores play. She attributes the death of her son to the violence generated by fans of Tigre and Deportivo Morón. The Uruguayan government says it is an Argentine issue because it was an incident between Argentine nationals, while the Argentines say it's a Uruguayan issue because it happened there.

"Pressure? When I was at River Plate and (Rosario) Central they would put a shank to my stomach and say, 'If you don't win on Sunday, you're dead.' I would hear from the fans behind the goals threten me by saying that they were going to kill my entire family. That's where I come from. What kind of pressure could there be playing at Barça? They play in a beautiful stadium with 100,000 fans cheering you on, and if they are not pleased with you they take out a white handkerchief?” - Former Barcelona goalkeeper Roberto Bonano

These and many other stories were part of what we spoke about in this interview with Pablo Tesoriere. He gave some deep, yet at the same time commonsensical answers to problems affecting football in Argentina.

Juan Arango: How did this project come to life?

Pablo Tesoriere: The project took about three or four years to work on. I did this around the same time that I was working on Puerta 12 and the tragedy at Cromañon had ocurred. It was obvious that Puerta 12 had lots of similarities to that incident and they ocurred four decades apart. It showed the similarities of Argentine society in general of the past 40 years. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that this is one of the darkest topics, not only in Argentine football, but in Argentine society as well.

It is quite complicated but there is a great deal that remains that same. Not much has changed since what happened in 1968 to now in Argentina. Fútbol Violencia

JA: What did you learn most and what was the most intriguing about the subject matter you were researching for Fútbol Violencia?

PT: The biggest issue is the fact that no one wants to take responsibility for this problem. The government looks one way. The police either overreact or they let things happen. When they do react, then we start to see that they once again cross the line and bring back memories of the military dictatorship.

There are many people involved in the game and have interests vested in the current situation of the game. Everyone from club directors to politicians to media people are all involved in this situation. They help feed the monster that is currently destroying the game in Argentina.

JA: Futbol Violencia S.A. expone el tema de la violencia en el fútbol, qué se debe de hacer para poder lidiar con éste tema?

PT: All that Fútbol Para Todos was was the monopoly changing hands. First it was one group, now it's (the government). The problems that led to the implementation of Fútbol Para Todos are still around. The violence and corruption at the club level is still there.

The media also do not go too in depth in this situation, either. They condemn it, but really do not go into full investigative mode- that is unless there is some sort of death that occurs in an incident on the pitch.

The only ones that truly look into these incidents are the independent media. There was a particular case in the city of Rosario where there were individuals that worked in the media that were associated with the Barrabravas of both Newell's Old Boys and Rosario Central. So like I said, there are lots of people involved in this and they are also part of the reason for all of this going on.

CHECK OUT PART 2

Bundesliga opening weekend wrap

Posted by Juan Arango

May 01, 2010 - Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany - epa02138887 From L-R Hamburg's Dutch Ruud van Nistelrooy celebrates his 4-0 score with teammates Joris Mathijsen and Guy Demel during the German Bundesliga soccer match SV Hamburg vs 1. FC Nuremberg at HSH Nordbank Arena stadium in Hamburg, Germany, 01 May 2010. Hamburg defeated Nuremberg 4-0. ....(ATTENTION: EMBARGO CONDITIONS! The DFL permits the further utilisation of the pictures in IPTV, mobile services and other new technologies only no earlier than two hours after the end of the match. The publication and further utilisation in the internet during the match is restricted to six pictures per match only.

Bayern Munich show why it wil be tough to knock them off their pedestal after beating Wolfsburg in the dying moments of the match courtesy of a Bastian Schweinsteiger goal.

Hamburg also showed that they were going to give Bayern a fight after beating Schalke 04 2-1 thanks to a brace by Ruud Van Nistlerooy as he overshadowed former Real Madrid teammates Raúl and Christoph Metzelder.

Meanwhile Michael Ballack made his return for Bayer Leverkusen and beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0. Meanwhile Hoffenheim made history this past weekend as they did something that they had never done in their short history in the German top flight.

Dietmar Hopp's side started out losing against an Mesut Özil-less Werder Bremen side thanks to a Torsten Frings penalty kick. Then The Hoffe poured it on with four unanswered goals, beating Bremen 4-1 and winning at home for the first time after allowing the first goal.

St. Pauli began the celebration of their 100th anniversary in the right fashion beating Freiburg on the road 3-1. All three goals for the Buccaneers came in the final seven minutes of the game and came back from a 1-0 deficit.

The other team returning to the Bundesliga, Kaiserslautern also started their campaign winning with a 3-1 score against FC Koln. The highlight or lowlight of this match was the sending off Lebanese international and team captain Youssef Mohamad after just two minutes of play. Kaiserslautern would take advantage of playing a man up for 88 minutes with all three goals being scored by Croatian duo Srdan Lakic and Ivo Ilicevic.

Friday
Bayern Munich 2-1 Wolfsburg

Saturday
Hannover 2-1 Frankfurt
Freiburg 1-3 St. Pauli
FC Koln 1-3 Kaiserslautern
Borussia Monchengladbach 1-0 Nurnberg
Hoffenheim 4-1 Werder Bremen
Hamburg 2-1 Schalke 04
Mainz 2-0 Stuttgart

Sunday
Borussia Dortmund 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen

8.23.2010

Apertura week three wrap

Posted by Juan Arango

Rogelio Funes Mori celebrates goal (TuPost.com)

Week three in the Argentine Apertura started to see the cream of the crop rise to the top and a contender really start to hit the crapper.

Vélez Sarsfield took advantage of a missed call in order to cash in a 2-0 win against reigning champs Argentinos Juniors. Leandro Somosa cashed in on the errant penaltly call. In the defense of Rafael Furchi, his line judge did not see the call while Furchi did see the collision in the box.

Meanwhile Rogelio Funes Mori scored a brace propelling River Plate to join Ricardo Gareca's side to the top of the standings beating Independiente 3-2 at El Monumental. "The Bison" (as some fans of the team want to call him- reference Juan "Buffalo" Funes) Funes Mori scored two goals in the first 20 minutes of the match as Los Millonarios had to hold on in the final minutes of the match in order to earn the three points. So far this tournament, the former FC Dallas youth product has scored four goals in the first three matches of the season.

Meanwhile the Claudio Borghi era at Boca Juniors is getting worse everyday. This weekend they were the victims of a huge upset at the hands of newcomers All Boys. Emanuel Perea and Mauro Matos were the offensive sparks for an Albo side that left Boca perplexed and clueless on the pitch.

Meanwhile Nicolás Cambiasso, brother of former River Plate and current Inter midfielder Estaban Cambiasso earned a clean sheet against the Xeneize. In the process they also earned their first win against Boca in over 30 years.

Claudio Borghi is officially on the hot seat. He also announced after the match that he might leave if Boca do not win next weekend at La Bombonera.

Friday

Banfield 0-0 Estudiantes

Newell's Old Boys 2-0 Tigre

Saturday

Quilmes 1-1 Lanús

Godoy Cruz 1-0 Olimpo

Vélez Sarsfield 2-0 Argentinos Juniors

Racing Club 1-2 San Lorenzo

Sunday

River Plate 3-2 Independiente

Arsenal 2-0 Huracán

Gimnasia 0-0 Colón

All Boys 2-0 Boca Juniors

8.22.2010

EPL Week 2 Wrap up

Posted by Juan Arango

Newcastle United's Andy Carroll (2nd L) celebrates scoring against Aston Villa during their English Premier League soccer match in Newcastle, northern England August 22, 2010. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT SOCCER IMAGES OF THE DAY) NO ONLINE/INTERNET USAGE WITHOUT A LICENCE FROM THE FOOTBALL DATA CO LTD. FOR LICENCE ENQUIRIES PLEASE TELEPHONE ++44 (0)

BY: MATT MARICONI

We saw twenty-six goals in week one with a Drogba hat-trick. How could we ask for more? Apparently we’ve been good as week two impressed with thirty-eight! Theo Walcott played super hero this time filling the three goal void.

He wasn’t the only one though as Newcastle’s Andy Carroll also went for three. Looking for more excitement? The last few matches left some people stunned. With week three approaching we’ll take a quick look at the results.

A 1-1 finish earned Everton and Wolves a point each. Moyes will be disappointed with the performance after giving up a goal in the 74^th minute. A draw seemed to be the only fair result. The opening goal was somewhat controversial. Arteta earned a free kick which could have been ruled a penalty. Tim Cahill scored on the ensuing set piece. There was question of Cahill fouling a Wolves player in the box but no action was taken as Everton went up 1-0. Elokobi was subbed off early in the second half and wasn’t too pleased.

No risk getting a second, he picked up his first for kicking Arteta early on. His replacement was Guedioura who created Wolve’s lone goal. The young Algerian will likely earn a starting role next week for the performance. He made a beautiful challenge on Heitinga to steal possession followed by a pass to Kevin Doyle on the wing. Doyle’s cross on the ground into the box was finished by the English striker Ebanks-Blake. He should have no problem erasing his two goal tally of last season.

Saha nearly scored on a tricky header in the 87th but it went long. At thirty-two years of age the striker may be on the downturn. Wolves managed a good draw with only 41% possession. Just the start they were looking for this season.

West Ham showed they are in a lot of trouble. Another bad defeat this time to Bolton. Giving up three goals at home isn’t acceptable. Now with the exit of Diamanti things will only get worse for the hammers. Johan Elmander only scored three goals all of last season but found two against the struggling club. Bolton off to a flying start and sit fifth on the table after the 3-1 victory.

Meanwhile Liverpool could be facing a similar but more serious situation. Much like West Ham they have an Italian making an exit in Aquilani. Even worse they could lose the Argentine Javier Mascherano. Monday we witnessed the dismantling of their side at Manchester City. A complete one-eighty for City saw them score three goals. The opening goal by Gareth Barry in the 13^th minute seemed too easy. Fernando Torres showed slight signs of returning to form but was subbed off in the 78^th minute. A 3-0 win as Tevez scored two with one from the spot.

West Brom got a nice win at home against Sunderland. Their performance against Chelsea should be applauded as they only allowed two goals in the first half last week. Keeping the stars from scoring for some thirty-eight minutes isn’t easy. Sunderland may have taken them lightly and end up losing with a final of 1-0. New transfer Peter Odemwingie scored the winning goal.

Manchester United played without Wayne Rooney who’s been on a bit of a goal drought. Playing at Craven Cottage wouldn’t make the game any easier as Sir Alex Ferguson would soon find out. Berbatov and Park looked good in the first half. I was surprised “Chicharito” and Berbatov didn’t score to be honest. The young Mexican seems to be adjusting to the EPL nicely as he made some great runs.

Paul Scholes opened the scoring with his 150^th goal for the club. Zamora looked healthy and set up some fine chances. Simon Davies got the benefit scoring in the 57^th evening the score. The Final was 2-2 after Hangeland equalized with a header in the 89^th. This surely made up for his OG mistake a mere five minutes earlier. A bad result for Manchester as Nani missed from the penalty spot.

In other games we saw Aston Villa lose six to nil at the stadium of light. It was a shocking loss for the manager-less club. John Carew missed a penalty early on and started the break down. A great hat trick for Andy Carroll and a double for Kevil Nolan in this one. Joey Barton scored the opener to get things rolling. Is it time to take Newcastle seriously?

Birmingham took out Blackburn at home with a score of 2-1. Cameron Jerome still hasn’t scored and should be finding the net against Bolton on Sunday.

Tottenham won 2-1 against Stoke City on the road. Gareth Bale scored a pair of goals in the first half. The young Defender or Midfielder as labeled in fantasy games is becoming a star rather quickly.

Chelsea got their second 6-0 win over Wigan on the road. The club will look to extend their lead at the top of the table Saturday against Stoke. This should be another easy win for the title holders.

The other 6-0 score line was that of Arsenal and Blackpool. The Tangerines didn’t stand a chance in this one as Theo Walcott scored three. His pace and vision were magnificent. Chamakah scored the final goal after missing some easy chances. Hopefully now he’s settled in at his new club.

Here are a few good games to look forward to this weekend:

Blackburn vs. Arsenal

This is the first real test for Arsenal this season. A win would be a big boost to their top club status.

Wolves vs. Newcastle

Two clubs looking to find their rhythm. Newcastle looked good against Villa but Wolves could be ready to pounce at home. If Newcastle wins they could be serious trouble for the rest of the EPL.

Aston Villa vs. Everton

Looking to see if Villa’s loss to Newcastle was a fluke or not. Everton are a big test and a win would bring Villa’s spirit back. Both clubs are looking to find some balance. This one could go either way and should be fun to watch.

Steinbruch equals goalscoring mark in UM romp

Posted by Juan Arango


Brittney Steinbruch (Hurricane Sports)

It was just a matter of time until Brittney Steinbruch was going to be the all-time leading scorer at The U. She reached it in just her second match of her senior campaign.

The University of Miami soccer team (1-1-0, 0-0 ACC) dominated play against the Stetson Hatters (1-1-0, 0-0 A-Sun), in a 6-0 rout Sunday afternoon at the Stetson Soccer Complex .

In just the 13^th minute senior Brittney Steinbruch scored what proved to be the game-winner on an assist from freshman Blake Stockton. With the goal, the Wyckoff, N.J. native tied UM great Britney Butcher (2001-04) for the most career goals in school history at 29.

“I’m honored to be recognized for the goal, but the most important thing that happened today is that this team got a great first win,” said Steinbruch. “We have an awesome season to come and everyone is working hard to prove that. I couldn’t be any more proud to be a part of this team right now.”

Miami dominated possession the remainder of the first half, but was unable to find the back of the net again.

That all changed in the second. Miami pelted the Stetson keeper with 16 shots, five of which that couldn’t be saved.

Just five minutes in the period, Lauren Singer scored unassisted, then Kate Howarth netted her first of the season in the 58^th minute on a feed from freshman Tara Schwitter.

Sophomore Fatima Nasser scored her first collegiate goal in the 64^th minute and less than two minutes later, freshman Kelley Griffin took a Julianne Rickers pass and scored her first collegiate goal.

The sixth and final goal of the match also was a career-first. Junior Brittany Bucknor finished a beautiful pass from Olivia Ching to end the day’s scoring.

Earlier in the week, it was announced that the Hurricanes would team-up with UM alum Kristen Kenney’s MALAIKA FOR LIFE organization in Scoring Goals to Save Lives. The premise of the initiative sees the soccer program donate $10 to the charity for every goal scored throughout the season.

The match was called due to lightning in the area after the Bucknor goal.

“We were hungry to get a result today and I loved the mentality from the start,” said head coach Tricia Taliaferro. “We are a dangerous offensive team and it showed with six different players tallying goals.”

The six goals in the win was the most scored by the Hurricanes since an 8-0 win over Alabama A&M in 2007. It was also the first time since a 10-0 win – also at Stetson on Oct. 27, 2001 – that UM had six or more players score a goal in a match.

With three saves on the day, junior keeper Vikki Alonzo and the Miami defense recorded their first clean sheet of the season. Alonzo extended her program-best career record to 18.

Miami’s next match is again on the road as it faces the Purdue Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Ind. on Friday, Aug. 27^th at 5:30 p.m. The ‘Canes will open their home schedule on Tuesday, Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m. when it faces in-state foe Florida Gulf Coast at Cobb Stadium.

“We have said that our goal is to get better each game and this week we will focus our attention on Purdue,” added Taliaferro.

Match report

FIU ladies lose to Arkansas

Posted by Juan Arango

Deanna Rossi (FIUSports.com)

The FIU women's soccer team (0-2) put Arkansas keeper Britni Williams to work with seven shots on goal, but in the end it was the Razorbacks (1-0) who came out on top in a 1-0 decision on Sunday afternoon.

Though FIU keeper Melanie Raimo came up with nine saves in the game, Arkansas leading scorer Allie Chandler was able to connect for the Razorbacks' lone goal from a distance at the 30:52 mark.

The Panthers attacked in the second half with seven shots, though none were able to find their way into the net. Junior captain April Perry led the team in shots for the second consecutive game with four, all on goal.

"The team fought hard in both games this weekend and created quality opportunities," head coach Thomas Chestnutt said. "It was encouraging to see the strength of the team on the road against two strong opponents that were both playing their first games of the season."

Up next, the Panthers travel to Florida Gulf Coast for their first in-state match of the season on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Uruguay celebrate 60th anniversary of Maracanazo

Beyond the Pitch: Patricia Carlucho

An Ode to a Madrid Great

Ronaldinho's legacy was celebrated at the Camp Nou

Footballing legends: Heleno De Freitas

Ronaldinho's legacy was celebrated at the Camp Nou

Some good reading material for you all

2010 Brasileirão Wrap - Rodada 15

Interview with Pablo Tesoriere- pt.1

Bundesliga opening weekend wrap

Apertura week three wrap

EPL Week 2 Wrap up

Steinbruch equals goalscoring mark in UM romp

FIU ladies lose to Arkansas

World Cup Commercials

Call Simply Futbol

SF Partners

Audio Player

World Cup Predictions

Newsodrome

Labels

Twitter

Blog Archive

El Octagono