Author Archives: Coachie Ballgames

More than ever, football is a young man’s game. Today’s footballer plays more competitive matches than his forebears; league seasons have stayed the same length, but tournaments have bloated in size. Consider that it took Liverpool only nine games to … Continue reading →

As debates go, it wasn’t quite Lincoln versus Douglas, or even Frank the Tank versus James Carville, but Michael Ballack and Alexei Lalas went at it after England drew France on Monday. Like the match itself, it was a contrast of … Continue reading →

First, it was imposing the colour red on 103-year old Cardiff City’s home strip, then it was trumping Chelsea for the right to re-develop London’s iconic Battersea Power Station – – – Malaysian money gets what it wants. Chelsea’s current … Continue reading →

Chelsea interim manager Roberto Di Matteo, fresh off a club-unprecedented FA Cup and Champions League double, will soon take a well-deserved vacation with his family in the Caribbean. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has yet to offer the man who has … Continue reading →

When Manchester United strode out onto the Camp Nou pitch on May 26, 1999 to contest the Champions League final against Bayern Munich, it was the first appearance by an English club in the competition’s final since the Heysel tragedy … Continue reading →

In American college football, the Southeastern Conference has some of the fiercest and most legendary rivalries in the land;  fueled by factors familiar to the Premier League – proximity, history, regional pride, high stakes, top talent, and, above all, passionate … Continue reading →

Millions of viewers around the world tuned into the final moments of the Premier League season last Sunday, resulting in ecstasy for some, agony for others and astonishment from all. But whether you’re a lifelong supporter or newly hooked to … Continue reading →

The New York Cosmos, American soccer, and international football, lost one of its brightest stars when Giorgio Chinaglia passed away on Sunday. The outpouring of love for the legendary striker in the wake of his passing speaks to the man’s … Continue reading →

The dust has settled, the bitter acrimony has crested and now it is time for perspective. The United States will not be going to the London Summer Olympics. Neither will France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Argentina, Chile, Australia, the … Continue reading →

There hasn’t been much that has been “united” about the United Kingdom’s Olympic football team effort. The football associations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have been vociferously against the idea of a squad uniting the four home nations ever … Continue reading →

MLS fans put up with a lot in America. The soccer ignorant and the soccerphobic. Flipping through offseason NFL news, spring training news, NASCAR news, NBA trade rumors, hockey news, and golf news in their local papers before getting to … Continue reading →

Jose Mourinho came to Chelsea in 2004 fresh from an European conquest with Porto. His protege, Andre Villas-Boas, came to Chelsea in 2011 fresh from European conquest with Porto. Mourinho won two league titles, two League Cups and an F.A. … Continue reading →

England’s new shirt, to be worn during this summer’s European Championship, drops on February 29. The new shirt’s arrival angers some supporters who feel compelled to replace their current shirt, worn by England for all of eight matches, while outraged … Continue reading →

Deserved congratulations to Everton manager David Moyes on his 150th league victory Wednesday, earned in emphatic fashion as brilliantly summarized here at EPLTalk. Moyes, 48, is the third-longest tenured head honcho in the prem, behind only Arsene and Sir Alex; … Continue reading →