The American Treble

Our friends at SoccerPro.com are back with another offer for all of you soccer fanatics.  They have a contest running where they will draw winners to win there Jersey's for Life contest.  Have you been checking out that new Manchester United jersey?  What about a Real Madrid jersey?  Thinking about pulling the trigger on a new England kit?  Now is your chance to have one sent you every year.  You don't have to worry about wearing your old jersey because now you can always have the latest jersey with the Jersey's for Life contest.

Check it out for yourself over on SoccerPro.com's World Cup page!

*See official rules for details at SoccerPro.com

The qualifying draw for the 2012 Euros was held this morning.  There are some interesting groups.  There aren't any groups that that seem too tricky for the top teams.  I imagine that is an intentional part of the draw so that the best teams (biggest money earners) have the best chance to go far in the tournament.  I was surprised to see the draw so early but I guess it is a long process so the time is necessary. 

Check out where your favorite European nation found themselves in the draw.

Group A
Germany, Turkey, Austria, Belgium, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan

Group B
Russia, Slovakia, Republic of Ireland, Macedonia, Aremenia, Andorra

Group C
Italy, Serbia, Norther Ireland, Slovenia, Estonia, Faroe Islands

Group D
France, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belarus, Albania, Luxembourg

Group E
Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Moldova, San Marino

Group F
Croatia, Greece, Israel, Lativa, Georgia, Malta




Group G
England, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Wales, Montenegro

Group H
Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Cyprus, Iceland

Group I
Spain, Czech Republic, Scotland, Lithuania, Liechtenstein

This post is pretty much inevitable.  This past week has been filled with reports of the transgressions (Tiger's choice of words) that Terry has made with respect to Wayne Bridge's ex-girlfriend.  Then early Friday we had reports that John Terry was stripped of the England captaincy.  Personally I don't see the point in taking the arm band away if he is still going to be playing, but I am not Capello.  Now reports are saying that Rio Ferdinand will be stepping in to fill the captain's role.  Some will agree and others will disagree about that choice.  We will discuss that later.  Let's take a look at what Terry brings to the England team, how this could potentially effect England at this summer's World Cup, and finally who should be taking over as captain.

John Terry.  Where to begin really when it comes to talking about England captain.  I remember when he was first called on to be captain and a lot of people speculated it was up between him, Lampard, and Rio Ferdinand.  Honestly I thought that Lampard would take it.  They were both playing so well and I admit that I am partial to a midfield captain ala Keane or Vieira.  It didn't take long to warm up to John Terry as England captain.  He is an all business defender that has very few shortcomings and more than makes up for them with his grit and tenacity.  Strong tackler.  He might be the strongest tackler I have seen and is only challenged by Jaime Carragher who I also consider a strong tackler.  Although he doesn't score as much as he did four or five years ago he is still a dominant player in the air.  His heading ability is unrivaled in the England squad and I would venture to say that only Vidic of Manchester United is on the same level in the English Premier League.  Terry, up until now, didn't have all of the off field issues that plagued players like Rio Ferdinand or Ashley Cole.  He is the model of consistency and has proven that making him captain was a good move.  Another aspect that is not in his control but is an important part of being a captain is that he is rarely injured.  He plays game in and game out for Chelsea and he does the same for England.  It won't be easy to replace that type of player.

This was a huge decision for Capello to make.  On top of that, this decision was made roughly five months ahead of the World Cup.  So will this have an adverse effect on the England team?  Recently there has been talk of a similar thing happening with Eric Wynalda and the '98 USA World Cup team.  They exited that tournament in embarrassing fashion.  Can this team perform well with all of the turmoil off of the pitch?  Of course.  England has some of the best players playing for them.  Wayne Rooney, Lampard, and Ashley Cole are some the best players in the world at their respective positions.  John Terry is the player you can look over at and get inspiration from knowing that he going to give everything he has got until the final whistle.  That is invaluable to a team in the 85th minute with a 1-0 lead.  The other issue is that John Terry has not been dropped from the England camp.  I don't see the need to strip him of the captaincy if he is still starting game in and game out.  It is not known at this time whether Terry will be dropped from the team, but I doubt it.  Especially with Rio Ferdinand not playing many matches this season so far.  Terry seems to be the only English defender to remain healthy.  Will anything change if he is starting right alongside Ferdinand on the opening day of the World Cup against the USA?  I imagine the team will go on as usual, but who knows what Terry will be thinking since it will be business as usual except he won't have the arm band.  If there are any 'Team Bridge' shirts in the locker room expect bad things for England this summer.

We now know that Rio Ferdinand will be stepping in to take over the England captaincy.  There is a lot of uneasiness about that around the web.  Some people are for Rio while others are against him.  There have been a few other names thrown in the hat as the people who should be considered for the role.  I have even heard Beckham should be back as captain.  Now that is a laugh!  We will go with Wayne Rooney first.  He is in the form of his life.  As of this article he has scored an incredible 20 goals in the league alone this season.  That is pretty impressive when comparing it to the 24 games he has played and considering the next closest player has 15 goals.  Rooney would definitely match Terry in the effort department, but a forward as captain is not the norm in soccer.  Not saying that makes it right but even Sir Alex has stated that he prefers his captains to be in midfield or defense.  Next up we Steven Gerrard.  He hasn't been playing as well as he can this season for Liverpool.  There also seem to be some question marks over his integrity when it comes to diving.  One thing can't be denied and that is Steven Gerrard is a great captain for Liverpool.  He has turned many games upside down.  A Champions League and FA Cup final come to mind.  I would put him behind Rooney in the pecking order because to me Rooney gives it 100% for 90 minutes.  Gerrard generally pops up in the 90th minute for the winner.  That is great for club, but isn't inspiring to the rest of the team when you have to dig in against some of the top teams in the world.  Finally there is the new captain himself Rio Ferdinand.  Personally I think he is next best in line after Terry.  When fit he is the best defender England has and is in the top 3 in the world.  He had some off field issues and is no stranger to the spotlight but when it comes to football you will be hard pressed to find better and that includes Terry.  He is one of the pillars on which United have been able to claim three successive Premier League titles.  He has put his issues of losing focus aside and has been playing great football for the last 4 years.  He gets my vote for being the next captain and Rooney would be right behind him.

There you have it.  Tell us what you think.  Vote in the poll on the main page and let us know who you think should have been the next England captain.   I am sure this is not the last we have heard of this scandal.

Depending on who you support there may be only one game of the week for you.  If you just enjoy the sport no matter who is playing then you may be in for a treat this weekend as there are two great games to be played.  Saturday is Liverpool vs. Everton and Sunday we get spoiled with Chelsea vs. Arsenal.  So get ready for the games of the week.


Liverpool vs. Everton
Everyone seems to have forgotten about this game.  After the Arsenal - United game last weekend it seemed everyone jumped straight to Arsenal - Chelsea (below).  This game will be huge.  This could be the game where Everton make their push for the 4th spot.  Now I know you are thinking of the Everton that were in 16th place in the league and looked more probable to drop than play Champions League football.  But take a look at the table now.  Everton are sitting at 32 points in the league.  Liverpool have 41.  Everton wins this game and they 35 points in the league.  Pool still has 41.  Everton also have a game in hand.  That would take them to 38 points with a win and only three points back of their Merseyside rivals.  I hope Donovan has a blinder.  This could be another match to prove he should extend his loan deal.  Unfortunately it won't be easy on Saturday.  Liverpool haven't been great this season.  Lets be fair, they haven't been good this season.  They are still capable of turning it on and just like against United they will want to beat Everton and beat them badly.  They have their own desires for this game because if they can win and Tottenham slip up then they will move in to the 4th spot as Rafa guaranteed they would.

Chelsea vs. Arsenal
This game should be interesting.  I think most people are of the consensus that Arsenal are going to get battered.  Then you look to the Chelsea - Hull result and you have a second thought on the battering.  Arsenal are a good team on the break, however, they can be exploited in defense.  Chelsea seem to excel at both ends of the pitch.   Drogba is back and apparently packed his shooting boots as he scored the lone goal for Chelsea against Hull.  Chelsea will hope Wenger fields the same front three he used against United.  The tricky but diminutive trio of Nasri, Arshavin, and Rosicky.  The Chelsea defense will clean up everything in the air.  On the other end, Gallas won't be happy to see Drogba and Anelka running at him.  So the key for Arsenal as usual is in midfield.  What will Wenger do?  Will Denilson and Song be enough to shield the back line from Lampard and company?  Will Fabregas get any room in midfield?  Chelsea are short on defensive midfielders so Fabregas could find a little space with Essien being sidelined with a knee injury.  On paper, it looks like Chelsea should cruise.  Don't underestimate Arsenal as the last time they were beaten by a big 4 rival they went on a lengthy winning run.  Either way this game is sure to be a crowd pleaser from the opening whistle.

Recently ABC networks released the programming line up for the upcoming World Cup.  So take a look below to get a peak of when the games will be.  These should be the days when you need to come up with a convenient excuse at work.  The USA games are highlighted in red.

Which games are you looking forward to the most?  I personally can't wait until June 15, when Ivory Coast takes on Portugal.  That will be a great game.  I imagine who ever wins that game will get out of the group.  Check it out below.

Date	Time	Network	Match	Group	Site	Match
Fri 6/11	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	South Africa vs. Mexico	A	Johannesburg	1
Fri 6/11	2 p.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Uruguay vs. France	A	Cape Town	2
Sat 6/12	7 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Korea Republic vs. Greece	B	Port Elizabeth	3
Sat 6/12	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Argentina vs. Nigeria	B	Johannesburg	4
Sat 6/12	2 p.m.	ABC	England vs. USA	C	Rustenburg	5
Sun 6/13	7 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Algeria vs. Slovenia	C	Polokwane	6
Sun 6/13	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Serbia vs. Ghana	D	Pretoria	7
Sun 6/13	2 p.m.	ABC	Germany vs. Australia	D	Durban	8
Mon 6/14	7 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Netherlands vs. Denmark	E	Johannesburg	9
Mon 6/14	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Japan vs. Cameroon	E	Bloemfontein	10
Mon 6/14	2 p.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Italy vs. Paraguay	F	Cape Town	11
Tue 6/15	7 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	New Zealand vs. Slovakia	F	Rustenburg	12
Tue 6/15	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Ivory Coast vs. Portugal	G	Port Elizabeth	13
Tue 6/15	2 p.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Brazil vs. Korea DPR	G	Johannesburg	14
Wed 6/16	7 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Honduras vs. Chile	H	Nelspruit	15
Wed 6/16	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Spain vs. Switzerland	H	Durban	16
Wed 6/16	2 p.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	South Africa vs. Uruguay	A	Pretoria	17
Thu 6/17	7 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Argentina vs. Korea Rep.	B	Johannesburg	18
Thu 6/17	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Greece vs. Nigeria	B	Bloemfontein	19
Thu 6/17	2 p.m.	ESPN2/ESPN360.com	France vs. Mexico	A	Polokwane	20
Fri 6/18	7 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Germany vs. Serbia	D	Port Elizabeth	21
Fri 6/18	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Slovenia vs. USA	C	Johannesburg	22
Fri 6/18	2 p.m.	ESPN2/ESPN360.com	England vs. Algeria	C	Cape Town	23
Sat 6/19	7 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Netherlands vs. Japan	E	Durban	24
Sat 6/19	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Ghana vs. Australia	D	Rustenburg	25
Sat 6/19	2 p.m.	ABC	Cameroon vs. Denmark	E	Pretoria	26
Sun 6/20	7 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Slovakia vs. Paraguay	F	Bloemfontein	27
Sun 6/20	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Italy vs. New Zealand	F	Nelspruit	28
Sun 6/20	2 p.m.	ABC	Brazil vs. Ivory Coast	G	Johannesburg	29
Mon 6/21	7 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Portugal vs. Korea DPR	G	Cape Town	30
Mon 6/21	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Chile vs. Switzerland	H	Port Elizabeth	31
Mon 6/21	2 p.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Spain vs. Honduras	H	Johannesburg	32
Tue 6/22	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Mexico vs. Uruguay	A	Rustenburg	33
Tue 6/22	9:30 a.m.	ESPN2/ESPN360.com	France vs. South Africa	A	Bloemfontein	34
Tue 6/22	2 p.m.	ESPN2/ESPN360.com	Nigeria vs. Korea Republic	B	Durban	35
Tue 6/22	2 p.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Greece vs. Argentina	B	Polokwane	36
Wed 6/23	9:30 a.m.	ESPN2/ESPN360.com	Slovenia vs. England	C	Port Elizabeth	37
Wed 6/23	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	USA vs. Algeria	C	Pretoria	38
Wed 6/23	2 p.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Ghana vs. Germany	D	Johannesburg	39
Wed 6/23	2 p.m.	ESPN2/ESPN360.com	Australia vs. Serbia	D	Nelspruit	40
Thu 6/24	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Slovakia vs. Italy	E	Johannesburg	41
Thu 6/24	9:30 a.m.	ESPN2/ESPN360.com	Paraguay vs. New Zealand	E	Polokwane	42
Thu 6/24	2 p.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Denmark vs. Japan	F	Rustenburg	43
Thu 6/24	2 p.m.	ESPN2/ESPN360.com	Cameroon vs. Netherlands	F	Cape Town	44
Fri 6/25	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Portugal vs. Brazil	G	Durban	45
Fri 6/25	9:30 a.m.	ESPN2/ESPN360.com	Ivory Coast vs. Korea DPR	G	Nelspruit	46
Fri 6/25	2 p.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Chile vs. Spain	H	Pretoria	47
Fri 6/25	2 p.m.	ESPN2/ESPN360.com	Switzerland vs. Honduras	H	Bloemfontein	48
Sat 6/26	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	1st A vs. 2nd B		Port Elizabeth	49
Sat 6/26	2 p.m.	ABC	1st C vs. 2nd D		Rustenburg	50
Sun 6/27	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	1st D vs. 2nd C		Bloemfontein	51
Sun 6/27	2 p.m.	ABC	1st B vs. 2nd A		Johannesburg	52
Mon 6/28	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	1st E vs. 2nd F		Durban	53
Mon 6/28	2 p.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	1st G vs. 2nd H		Johannesburg	54
Tue 6/29	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	1st F vs. 2nd E		Pretoria	55
Tue 6/29	2 p.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	1st H vs. 2nd G		Cape Town	56
Fri 7/2	9:30 a.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Winners 53 vs. 54		Port Elizabeth	57
Fri 7/2	2 p.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Winners 49 vs. 50		Johannesburg	58
Sat 7/3	9:30 a.m.	ABC	Winners 52 vs. 51		Cape Town	59
Sat 7/3	2 p.m.	ABC	Winners 55 vs. 56		Johannesburg	60
Tue 7/6	2 p.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Winners 57 vs. 59		Cape Town	61
Wed 7/7	2 p.m.	ESPN/ESPN360.com	Winners 58 vs. 60		Durban	62
Sat 7/10	2 p.m.	ABC	Losers: 61 vs. 62		Port Elizabeth	63
Sun 7/11	1:30 p.m.	ABC	Winners: 61 vs. 62		Johannesburg	64

All of the matches for January have concluded so we can take another look at the table for the fantasy league.  It appears that our very own N5er, Highbury's Finest, is still in the lead.  CaptainArsenal, a recent addition, has entered the league and is pushing him all the way.  So this could go to the wire.  I am glad to see the new challenge because frankly I am tired of having the N5er winning these.  I

Here is a list of the top performing players  as of February 1, 2010:

• Friedel - Goal Keeper - 107 pts
• Dunne - Defender - 122 pts
• Fabregas - Midfielder - 167 pts
• Rooney - Forward - 168 pts

As usual here is a reminder that everyone can still sign up for the American Treble EPL Fantasy League.  Just follow the link below, create your team and enter the league code in the 'Leagues' section under the fantasy menu.  Even if you already have a team made you should still join the American Treble league.  Tell your friends and get them to sign up too!

http://fantasy.premierleague.com/
Code to enter league: 551480-126843

Check out the current table below.
 

#	Team	Manager	GW	TOT
1	Highbury's Finest	Kirt Kreutzer	41	1309
2	CaptainArsenal	Captain Arsenal	45	1295
3	POOPSHOOTATTACK	Jason Kelley	63	1268
4	yankee 4-4-2	JB JB	37	1251
5	Fergie's Finest	brandon long	49	1231
6	Dream Catchers	Evelyn Garza	33	1179
7	Dial Square FC	Jason Willoughby	45	1159
8	CHODE CHOMPERS	Jason Erickson	54	1090
9	GeorgieBinghamIsHot	Jason Prior	38	1045
10	Rooney's Troops	Wynn Trice	38	1015
11	Bolds F.C.	jose calvo	15	945

This article is much easier to write now that Manchester United won yesterday at the Emirates by a scoreline of 3-1.  In recent times, it seems from the media to rival fans everyone is saying that United rely far too heavily on Wayne Rooney.  This was also said when Ronaldo was plying his trade in England.  Let's take a look to see just how much merit this argument warrants.

Wayne Rooney has 20 goals in the Premier League this season.  That is great return for this stage of the season.  In fact, in his last 14 games he has 14 goals in all competitions.  He truly is in some the best form of his life.  So do United depend on him too much?  The simple answer is no.  United have always been a team that relys on every man on the roster.  The more accurate statement would be to say something along the lines of, "Manchester United over reliant on Wayne Rooney to score goals".  While he does his fair share of defending this has been the backbone of the United team.  Defense has won them their last three premier league titles.  This season has been a little different.  They have had quite a few injuries and a plethora of pairings in that backline.  Don't even put Foster back there or its squeaky bum time for the whole 90 minutes.  Manchester United has had either the best or second best defense in terms of goals conceded the last 3 years.  It is no coincidence they also have a title for each of those seasons.  Expect their defense to get better as they recover from injury and get a consistent back four playing game in and game out.

Let us turn our attention to the players that have a role to play for United that doesn't translate into starting every week.  Darren Fletcher is the only player besides Van Der, Ferdinand, and Rooney to have a permanent place in the team.  The key is that the subs and other players who come in to play do it exceptionally well.  Take the older players.  Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, and even Gary Neville have all played a part.  Obviously Giggs and Scholes get the most accolades as they seem to be playing better and better as the season goes on.  They don't score as many goals as they used to but they still contribute in terms of possession and pass selection.  They aren't the only ones getting it done.  Nani has been a different player after his little spat with Sir Alex Ferguson late last year.  Park has been playing well since returning from injury and got a goal.  Then you have Antonio Valencia who has been scoring regular goals this season.  Something he failed to do during his time at Wigan.  In the back line, there is Johnny Evans filling in for Rio or Vidic whenever injured or the Da Silva twins filling in at right back.  United would not be challenging for the title without these players.  It is a credit to Sir Alex that he keeps them all happy and ready to go.

Lasts few years it was Ronaldo who was United's saving grace.  I mean without him they wouldn't have won the league 3 times.  Just like Rooney I agree that they may be a big part.  Maybe the biggest part of the success at United, however, it could be said about anyone in the team.  Take out Van Der Sar and they don't win the title.  Take out Giggs and they don't win the title.  Yes, take out Rooney and they don't win the title.  Someone had to step up to score the goals Ronaldo provided and Rooney is doing it.  If you want a real example of over reliance on a single player look no further than Liverpool and Torres.  United get the job done because everyone plays an integral part.  It just so happens that this year it is Rooney who finally gets to be the man in the spotlight.

Make sure you guys tune in to what is going to be an explosive game tonight with City heading to Old Trafford to try and keep the lead in this Carling Cup semi-final tie.  If the last game is anything to go by there will be plenty of goals, fingers, and controversy.

Does this game really mean that much though?  Will the outcome of this tie put Manchester City in the same status as their cross town rivals?  Probably not.  In fact, you need to win more than a Carling Cup to be a big club, however, if you remember a few years ago it was Manchester United who won the Carling Cup right before going on a big run of Premier League and Champions League titles.  So maybe this is just what City needs.  Vote in the poll and let us know what you think.

Look for Tevez to continue to be a handful for the United defense.  If Rooney can keep up his form from the weekend and Ferdinand can keep a lock on Tevez then I anticipate the Red Devils will prevail.  They have the experience to turn this type of tie around.  Either way it will be fantastic.  Make sure you watch.