Over the years there have been few events in sport that can rival the excitement of the FA Cup. This Manchester Derby was a perfect example of the magic that this tournament embodies. It was exciting for fans of both sides and neutrals as well. It was a brilliant display of the quality of both United and City. There were cards, goals, tense moments, controversy, and plenty of reasons to jump out of the seat you were already on the edge of.

Before I go any further, I must first say hats off to United. They took advantage of the extra man and did the little things that are necessary to win games. Now then, it has to be said that this was truly a tale of two halves, and one referee. At the end of the first half I really thought that Chris Foy had to be wearing a United strip under his referee’s shirt. But in the second half, despite all that Foy had done to hurt City, he made plenty of questionable calls that went in City’s favor.

The first 25 minutes of this match looked like a mirror image of the beginning of the 6-1 thrashing that City gave United on October 23. The home side dominated possession but against the run of play the visitors struck first. That is where the similarities between this and the last derby end. After that Foy permanently changed the landscape of the game, and probably lost some friends who support City in the process. Was Kompany’s tackle risky, two-footed, and dangerous? Absolutely. But he was in control of his body, made an effort to get his studs down when he got to ground, got the ball and none of Nani, and most importantly was not reckless. Under the circumstances it should have been a yellow. (Now if it were De Jong going in on the same challenge I wouldn’t doubt his reputation leading to a straight red, but it was Vincent Kompany!) At the end of the day though, the decision was red and can’t be changed, but for the rest of the half red was the only color City was seeing.

This is where United have to be praised. They had vengeance on their minds and they were relentless. If Rooney’s opening header wasn’t brilliant enough, Welbeck’s perfectly placed volley was more than excellent. Then Foy found himself at the center of attention again when he correctly awarded United a penalty for Kolarov’s challenge on Welbeck in the City box. Costel Pantilimon, filling in for Joe Hart, was brilliant on the penalty by making the initial stop on Rooney, but Rooney wanted to score and was first to the rebound to fire it home and make it 3-0. By this point most would have expected the richly assembled, “passionless”, group of City players to throw in the towel and focus on the Premier League title, but the second half had a different story in the cards.

This is the game where Mancini proved he is a top manager. His halftime substitutions and his tactics for the rest of the match were spot on. City fought hard in the second half to scrape back two goals. The first, a brilliant free kick from Kolarov, was a deserved gift for City from Foy. The foul that lead to the free kick on Evra could have gone either way with Richards initiating the contact and doing some pulling of his own. However, Foy had done so much to hurt City’s chances in the first half that a few calls were bound to go their way. Then the second goal brought the blue half of the city to life. Persistence from Aguero and a mistake from Lindegaard set the stage for an exciting final 25 minutes. City came close to tying the game in the dying minutes when Kolarov had a second close range free kick and then were close to scoring again on a late corner. But despite their best efforts City couldn’t close the gap and it was United who went through.

In the end there were really three winners in this game. The United team, the United fans, and the City fans. United fans have to feel they deserved this win after the October beating. But the Citizens’ fans couldn’t have asked for a better display from their squad. United and their fans have grown accustomed to winning, especially against City. In this game they returned to the familiar win column, their fans will be happy, and their banter will be relentless as usual. City fans are used to it though, but now it will be much easier to bear after the second half performance that inspired City fans around the world. City fans have plenty of reason to be proud of their club after this performance. “Superbia In Proelia” , or Pride in Battle, is City’s motto and their squad embodied that in this game, they were very proud and battled to the very last whistle.

Manchester will forever be divided but if there’s one thing that fans from both sides can agree on it is that their clubs are giving them plenty to be proud of: United’s unprecedented success in the most difficult league in the world and City’s brilliant history, pride, fans, and bright future. Every time these two teams meet it gets more and more exciting and now, more than ever, there is so much at stake in these matches. This chapter has closed, City won’t be defending the cup and United are very much in the hunt for more silverware. Now it is about looking forward to the future. As a fan of either side you have a lot to be proud of and reason to be excited about the future of this fixture. Let’s hope that the April 28 derby is just as exciting.

In a season that has been dominated by headlines pertaining mostly to the Big Four (along with Manchester City and Tottenham), one region of England’s rich footballing world that has often been overlooked is the northeast.

This season brought a lot of excitement to Tyneside and Wearside. The Toon faithful have to be enjoying life after just two seasons ago they regained promotion from the then Coca-Cola Championship league. Now the Magpies sit comfortably in seventh, just behind Liverpool, after an incredible performance against Manchester United where Demba Ba’s magnificent winner sparked a 3-0 upset.

On Wearside, spirits are just as high. Sunderland is a team on the rise. Despite Steve Bruce’s best efforts he was unable to unlock Sunderland’s potential. With the late and unexpected departure of Asamoah Gyan accompanied with Danny Welbeck’s return to Manchester United after last season’s loan spell the Black Cats found it very difficult to be offensively potent under Bruce. Enter Martin O’Neill, The former Aston Villa boss who does seem to have found the keys to success at Sunderland.

O’Neill owes a lot of credit to the likes of Stephane Sessegnon and David Vaughan who have recently been in tremendous form. Vaughan and Sessegnon have provided fans with a lot to cheer about, both have been creative in the final third and both have been the creators of some fantastic recent goals. Along with young James McClean and Conor Wickham there is a bright future for the Stadium of Light.

However, this season has been even more memorable for fans on the other side of the Tyne-Wear derby. Alan Pardew has been magnificent since replacing Chris Hughton over a year ago. Bringing in Demba Ba from relegated West Ham was a necessary move after seeing Andy Carroll leave to replace Fernando Torres in a flurry of deadline day moves last January. Along with the arrival of Yohan Cabaye, from French champions Lille, and the return of Hatem Ben-Arfa, who suffered a devastating leg-break courtesy of Nigel De Jong early last season, Pardew should have a lot of faith in his squad. Fabricio Colocini and Danny Simpson have been studs in the back and Tim Krul has been very impressive between the posts. This squad held onto the second longest unbeaten streak in the league and sat as high as third early in the season. Now they are comfortably perched in seventh and shouldn’t soon be moving down.

In modern football the mid-table teams are too often overlooked. In northeast England, though, these clubs mean a great deal to their fans. The Tyne-Wear rivalry pre-dates the days of Football and can be traced back to political rows caused in the English Civil War. In 1883 the rivalry hit the pitch for the first time and in 1888 Sunderland won the first competitive fixture of the derby 2-0 in an F.A. Cup match. Since then Newcastle have had the better record with 53 wins, 45 losses, and 45 draws. However, the past is in the past and the future of this fixture is a very enticing prospect. Although it is still a couple of months away (March 3) this is a fixture that’s been circled on many calendars for quite a while.

The first meeting of the two sides this season saw Newcastle grab a 1-0 second half winner courtesy of a brilliant Ryan Taylor free-kick in the 62nd minute. However, the next fixture should be even more thrilling. The first meeting took place on August 20th, meaning that the likes of Gyan, Anton Ferdinand and Joey Barton were all involved. All three have since moved on, but both teams seem to be stronger now than they were then. Not to mention that now that January is upon us both O’Neill and Pardew will be looking to strengthen their squads even more.

In the weeks leading up to this derby it is hard to imagine that Newcastle will slip below seventh with QPR, Fulham, Blackburn, Aston Villa, Tottenham, and Wolves all on the fixture list. With the exception of Tottenham these are all matches that the Magpies should expect to get points out of. However the recent performance against United should have even Harry Redknapp on his toes when the Toon faithful venture south to WHL.

Sunderland, on the other hand, may find it difficult to maintain their recent run of form and their top-half position in the table. Chelsea, Arsenal, and United are all on the schedule along with Swansea City, Norwich, and Stoke City. These are six difficult opponents, the three big names should provide obvious problems for Sunderland, but Swans, Norwich, and Stoke can be equally as difficult to play against in their own ways. Paul Lambert’s Canaries are proving they have what it takes to stay up, Brendan Rodgers’ Swans have provided us with some beautiful football all season, and Tony Pulis’ Potters are a gritty team that can cause anyone problems. But with the run of form that O’Neill has this squad in the dressing room morale should be through the roof. It also helps to know that you are one of only two teams to beat league-leaders Manchester City this season.

So with the transfer window open and both northeast England top division sides giving their fans plenty to smile about this game should already be in the back of your minds. O’Neill and Pardew have both brought joy to clubs with very rich histories and extremely passionate fans. Depending on the moves they make in January the football should only bring more joy to Wearside and Tyneside. It is definitely too early to predict a winner but after a 5-1 thrashing on Halloween of 2010, a 1-1 draw in return fixture (courtesy of some late Gyan heroics), and the 1-0 loss in August Sunderland may finally be able to swing the tide back to Wearside.

In this summer’s transfer window two teams dominated the headlines but for two very different reasons. Manchester City and their high spending was nothing new since the 2008 Abu Dhabi Group takeover, but the Arsenal saga was very new. The departure of Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona had been the worst kept secret in football for quite some time and the only real surprise was that it took most of the summer for him to finally return to the Catalan club. The Samir Nasri events on the other hand had plenty of ups and downs, including City boss Roberto Mancini even claiming that City wasn’t doing enough to bring the French international north to Manchester.

However, the transfer window has been closed for a while and those two names are probably not going to be stealing many headlines in January. Samir Nasri is now officially a member of the Premier League’s top side and although he is still adjusting, it is clear that his reasons for leaving are now beginning to be justified.

When Nasri eventually left the Emirates for the Etihad there was an immediate emergence of upset Arsenal supporters. In fact, before Nasri had been signed by City he was actually booed by Arsenal fans. So why did the young French international decide to leave the comfort of Arsene Wenger’s side? Well in his words it was very simple and clear. He wanted to win trophies and he didn’t think he could do that at Arsenal. Tuesday finally brought Samir back to the Emirates for the first time since his controversial move and his welcome was nothing short of what was to be expected. The Arsenal fans booed him, chanted that he only left for money, and Emmanuel Frimpong made it very clear to Samir what his feelings on the situation was.

But it seems that round one’s winner was Samir Nasri. Despite a post-match bust up with Frimpong where it was clear that Nasri’s frustration was showing, City still walked home with a win. Even though the Carling Cup is probably the least popular tournament that Premier League teams play in, it is still a trophy. A trophy that Arsenal absolutely should have won last year. Losing 2011’s final to Birmingham City was a huge blow to Arsenal and to Wenger. It was also decisive in Nasri’s decision to go to City, it was not just for money by any means.

What is now important is the date of 18 December 2011. Arsenal makes the trip north to the Etihad and round two of Nasri vs Arsenal will commence. This time the stakes are much higher though. Three valuable points in December will be at stake. These three points could be very decisive to where these teams finish in May which makes this game quite appealing. Nasri should now know what to expect from Arsenal, Frimpong, and the AFC supporters.

Manchester City has once again proven that they are the team to beat in England. With a comfortable 3-1 win over Newcastle Saturday they have also became the only unbeaten team in the Barclay’s Premier League. As if that weren’t impressive enough, after twelve games they have still only dropped points once in their campaign. Aside from the two dropped points at Craven Cottage there is no doubt that City is currently the best team in England, but there are still many doubts about what they can do on the continental stage.

The next two months will be the most demanding portion of City’s schedule with games coming in rapid succession against quality opponents. Beginning today, City travel to Naples to determine what their future in the UEFA Champion’s League will be. City take on a Napoli squad that has not won a game since October 26. However, this is a team that can still be lethal and have already proven that they can perform very well on Europe’s biggest stage. A draw is simply not good enough for City. If City drop points then they face a must-win situation in Munich on December 7. City will need to attack with purpose in Naples and convert the chances that they create so often. A repeat of the 1-1 scoreline at the Etihad favors Napoli who can easily take three points from a battered Villarreal squad on their last day of group play.

City will also need to carefully watch the blitzkrieg attack threat of Cavani, Lavezzi, and Hamsik. Three quality attackers who are lethal on the counter-attack, and they could be the deciding factor in this game. The biggest players for City will need to be their defensive midfielders and center backs. Kolarov and Richards should get the nod from Mancini and I would fully expect their mentality to be set to attack. With wingbacks fully committed to the attack it will be crucial for City to clog the center and prevent Napoli counters.

As if that weren’t enough of a pressure scenario City will then be faced with Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday with just four days rest. This is a Liverpool squad who can be absolutely lethal in the final third with the presence of Suarez who can create chances out of nothing in a style that seems to be common amongst South American strikers — with pure power. Suarez may be small but he plays like Tevez and Aguero by using his speed and power to burst past defenders and create opportunities. He is a player who will be clinical if City make any mistakes near their own goal. The key to this match will be to possess the ball as long as possible. City will come away with three points if they are able to keep the ball in the attacking half for most of the game. City’s midfield has the ability to create with short passes and that will be the best way to get Liverpool scrambling defensively.

Two days after Anfield comes a Carling Cup tie against a high-flying Arsenal squad at the Emirates. Arsenal’s attack is potent with the likes of Gervinho, van Persie, Walcott, and Ramsey. However players like Koscielny and Mertesacker have made Arsenal’s defense one of the most disappointing things to observe all season. However, depending on Mancini’s and Wenger’s priorities we may see fewer stars in this game which should favor City who have stressed the importance of depth at every position all season.

Then just four days later City face a surprising Norwich team. Norwich definitely have the potential to play spoiler in every match they play. This is a game that City needs to prepare for, Paul Lambert’s squad will want the ball all game and will not be content with simply playing a defensive game. If City begin to show signs of fatigue I would expect that Norwich will capatilize. They proved against Chelsea and United that they can certainly hang with the big dogs and they will fully expect to give City a hell of a battle. In truth I suspect this may be City’s first loss of the campaign, however a draw is more likely.

When City face Bayern Munich for their final group match it could be the most important game of their season or it could be a game that will be used for nothing more than getting players UCL experience.

For the love of my club, I hope that a win in Naples makes this game an exhibition. If City don’t win in Naples then this could be where everything falls apart. A must win game against Bayern Munich is a scary thought. This is a team who I can see making the finals if Robben, Ribery, and Schweinsteiger all stay healthy.

Then comes two games with London giants. First a trip to Stamford Bridge where Andre Villas-Boas will probably be just about on Roman Abramovich’s last nerve if his losing ways continue. Honestly this is a fixture that was more promising before the season started. At this point in time I can’t see City losing to Chelsea unless the match against Munich is a very physically and emotionally draining one. Then Arsenal travels north to Eastlands where three points will be at stake instead of a spot in the Carling Cup semi-finals. Again City should be able to prove that Manchester has overtaken London in the six days that separate these two fixtures.

After this, City’s schedule will be significantly easier with matches against Stoke, West Brom, and Sunderland who will be more determined to snatch a point than to actually win. However, Stoke will have some grievances after back to back defeats to city that cost them an FA Cup and three points back in May. After this City play Liverpool again on January 3rd, just two days after the Sunderland fixture.

This will be City’s biggest test of the season in all competitions other than their defense of the FA Cup. However, for Manchester City this is a very manageable couple of months with proper management. Mancini has built a squad that is more than capable of winning almost every game they play and this is where they will be tested the most. It will be a cold December in Europe but with a few wins early in the month you can fully expect City to be heating up pitches across Europe all winter long.

On February 15, 2003 the Manchester faithful lay in shock after United were eliminated from the FA Cup in the fifth round to Arsenal (2-0). But what was more shocking was seeing David Beckham exiting the locker room with stitches over his brow.

After the match, a livid Fergie exploded some pent-up frustration on his team brought up by their on-field form, or lack thereof.

Allegedly, Sir Alex focused his attention on David Beckham and the end result was a boot to the face.

During his dramatic tirade the Manchester Boss kicked a boot conveniently in front of him and accidently struck Becks above his brow.

The blow required stitches and with his hair pulled back; the world saw the mark of Ferguson.

Aftermath

Following the incident, Sir Alex played down the event often laughing about it and referring it to as a “graze,” that was a “freak accident,” and “just one of those things.”

In a poll taken shortly after, an overwhelming 70 percent of the voters believed Fergie should apologize for what happened despite it being an “accident.” Sir Alex did not atone but assured his team unity and spirits were intact and not differed.

The midfielder had much more of a stoic and passive approach by simple stating he “would not add fuel to the fire.”

Former United Boss Tommy Docherty said, “I think it is an act of total frustration. Fergie being Fergie he went berserk. He is a law unto himself. He is a bully. There is a set of rules for him and one for all others.”

“There is no way he did it deliberately, but I don’t think he should get away with it.” Reported by The Manchester Evening News.

Defender Mikael Silvestre reminisced about the event in 2009. He told, L’Equipe, “I was taking my boots off myself, when he stormed in. He was irritated, but he wasn’t intending to injure [Beckham].

“He often threw things in the dressing room, but that day he happened to throw a boot at the player he was talking to!”

Ferguson later sold his midfielder to Real Madrid for a £25 million fee.

The fixture commenced without Palermo supporters in the stands. They were not able to get into the stadium until the start of the second half. Testimony from the visiting side claimed this was caused by poor planning and organization on Catania’s behalf.

In the 58th minute referee Stefano Farina temporarily suspended play with the visitors leading 1-0. Apparently, the tear gas being used by police seeped onto the pitch and affected players.

Several athletes were complaining of difficulty breathing and more were seen squirting water into their eyes.

What, actually, caused the rhubarb in the stands was accredited to a controversial goal scored by Palermo’s Andrea Caracciolo. After that, the rowdy Catania supporters expressed their disagreement and wreaked havoc in the form of smoke-bombs and fire crackers.

Police were forced to intervene and tossed teargas in hopes of subduing the crowd.

The match restarted 40 minutes later, and ended in Palermo’s favor 2-1.

The brouhaha continued well after the end of the match outside the stadium. In the end, hundreds were sent to the hospital with minor injuries and one officer lay dead.

Chief Inspector Filippo Raciti died in the melee of violence. Initial reports claimed Raciti died from a firecracker striking and exploding in his face, but was later revealed his death was due to severe liver damage from sustaining forceful blows.

The Aftermath

Luca Pancalli, the Commissioner of the Italian Federation, suspended all football fixtures in the country for club and national team for a short period after the tragedy. His idea was to meet with mayors and owners to discuss and resolve said problem. Pancalli stated their goals were “to identify those drastic measures that will allow us to restart. Otherwise, we’re not restarting the games.”

The league eventual started back up but Catania had to endure heavy punishment. (1) The Stadio Angelo Massimino was closed down and all home games were played in another area for the remainder of the season. (2) All said home games were played in the empty stadium behind closed doors also for the remainder of the season.

The 2010 run for the MLS Cup was far from perfect for the Galaxy. They experienced two major flaws that were costly for the team, complacency and frustration.

During the summer LA was well over 10 points clear from the second place team (either Real Salt Lake or Columbus). This favorable and comfortable position in the table caused the Galaxy become complacent and lax on the pitch. What results that followed were draw and draw, loss after loss. Fortunately, they were so far up in the standings that they still manage to stay in first place despite the slump.

They only time the Galaxy really showed up to play was when their position was threatened by RSL or the Crew. The pressure for a second place squad seemed to light a fire underneath them and actually play. However, once they were three or four points clear, it was back to complacency.

In the postseason, LA walked through the Seattle Sounders, but were destroyed and embarrassed by FC Dallas.

Dallas brought the pressure, force and made it a physical contest that agitated the home team until they self-destructed.

“When things don’t get called and lead to goals, it’s frustrating,” said captain Landon Donovan after their 3-0 demise to Dallas. “In the first goal, I think [Eddie Lewis] gets pushed in the back and fouled and they continue on and score, that makes it frustrating.”

The frustration that ensued resulted in sloppy and hopeful passing, poor final touches and another two goals by the visitors.

“We should have kept playing our football the way we’ve played all season, but we panicked a little bit and couldn’t get back in the game,” confessed David Beckham after the game.
As the 2011 training camp goes underway this week, the Galaxy need to work on those two aspects.

The talent is there and is fine. Donovan will be back after a much needed break. Beckham will play his first full season since the 2008 campaign. Striker Juan Pablo Angel will make his LA debut and bring his goal scoring power to the frontline, and their youngsters are a little bit more mature.

Do not question their talent, but rather by skeptical on if they have what it takes to deal with situations and events on or off the field and utilize that or convert it to a positive.

This management will dictate the Galaxy’s chances of achieving MLS gold this season.

Fifteen years ago today, Manchester United took on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in a fixture that received worldwide attention.

Well into the match Manchester United forward Eric Cantona and Eagles defender Richard Shaw got into a scuffle. Cantona was surging on for a possible counterattack but was stymied when Shaw held onto his jersey. In retaliation, Cantona blatantly kicked the defender and the referee had no choice but to give Cantona his marching orders.

After much protest from the rest of the Red Devils, Cantona went on his way; but before he could reach the tunnel, Matthew Simmons, a Crystal Palace supporter had his undivided attention.

According to Cantona, Simmons was spewing racial remarks and threw a projectile at the Frenchman. The short tempered Cantona sprinted towards the fan and launched a kung-fu kick of Bruce Lee like proportions and bombarded him with haymaking rights.

Security and teammates separated the two and after much bewilderment, the match went on with Manchester United shorthanded.

The Aftermath
After the much covered event, it was discovered that Simmons had been arrested previously for aggravated assault and robbery where he attacked a gas station employee with a wrench. The fan had also attended several National Front rallies (a white member’s only radical fascist group).

Simmons was fined £500 and sentenced to one week in jail for threatening and abusive behavior, had his season tickets for Selhurst Park revoked, and was banned from all football grounds in England and Wales for one year.

As for Cantona, his punishment for the unruly behavior was much more drastic.

The forward was originally sentenced to two weeks in jail for assault, but in an appeals court on March 31st, had his sentence reduced to 120 hours of community service.

Furthermore, the club fined and suspended Cantona for the remaining four months of the season (and as a result lost their League title race to Blackburn Rovers), but the FA increased the exile to eight months. FIFA also enacted a suspension with the same duration to prevent Cantona from seeking playtime anywhere else.

In addition, Cantona was stripped of his captaincy from the French National Team.

The only group to have directly benefited and profited from the incident was British rock group Ash who released their single “Kung-Fu,” with Cantona kicking Simmons on the cover.

Years Later
In recent or past interviews well after the Selhurst Park incident, Cantona remains unremorseful of the event. In 2007 he reflected on his career and in an interview he said, “I have a lot of good moments, but the one I prefer is when I kicked the hooligan.”

However, Cantona finds one thing regrettable in regards to the hullabaloo. In a 2008 interview with the Croydon Guardian, he stated, “… I should have punched him harder.”

Reflection
Regardless what a fan says or does, a player must be a professional at all times and never attack a spectator. Granted, they can be inappropriate at times but they are no means to launch an attack.

Cantona did not exhibit professional conduct in the matter and was thus punished accordingly. Never touch a fan in retaliation. If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Eighty four years ago, the BBC brought forth onto Britain a new and revolutionary way to experience football. On January 22nd, 1927 a football fixture with live commentary was broadcasted for the very first time.

The honors of this inaugural and groundbreaking event were bestowed upon Arsenal who hosted Sheffield United in a Division One fixture.

The live broadcasting of a match, or any sporting event, (via radio, of course) was long overdue. Owners and management believed if games were to be heard live on the radio, ticket sales would, in contrast, suffer. It was also speculated the “radio” would kill the newspaper star. But that held off for as long as it could.

On January 1st of that year, the BBC were granted its Royal Charter; meaning: it became an autonomous public service broadcaster. As a result, it could now cover major sporting events, with Arsenal/Sheffield to be its first.

Before the event the Radio Times published a grid of a pitch divided into eight quadrants. The idea was that fans could listen to the commentary comfortably from their own home and follow the placement of the ball by referring to the grid.

Unfortunate, the trend did not last long. But, many people believe the phrase, “Back to square one,” originated from this grid and not the kids game, “four squares.”

The honors of becoming the first football broadcaster came to Henry Blythe Thornhill Wakelam, a retired rugby player who was described as, “a natural talker with a reasonable vocabulary, a good rugby mind and a conscious determination to avoid journalese,” reported by the BBC.

The end result of the match as a one all stalemate, but its commentary echoed thought the Kingdom.

The Times praised Wakelam for being, “notably vivid and impressive.” While The Spectator (a UK magazine), prefaced, “That type of broadcasting has come to stay.”

Last month the website commented on Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Nicolas Anelka, Guillermo Franco and Adrian Mutu showing some interest in moving to America to play soccer, and how a move in the foreseeable future would be a good thing for MLS. And I agree.

In 2007, David Beckham came to the Los Angeles Galaxy in a transfer that made an immediate impact on the club’s revenue and social status among other clubs throughout the world.

“It was incredible,” said former Galaxy teammate Alexi Lalas to ESPN. “The amount of jerseys that have been sold, the amount of sponsorship that has been sold. … The appearance fees the Galaxy can now command. The Galaxy brand is now international. This all contributes to the increase of the overall value of the team … and much of that can be attributed to the signing of David Beckham.”

What franchise would not want the same success the Galaxy experienced after signing the midfielder?

This is why I agree that bringing Ibra, Anelka, or Franco to America would be a good thing for any MLS club. However, are we enticing big names to defect to the U.S. as a publicity stunt, or to actually make an impact on the pitch?

Well, I’m sadly reluctant to say, it is all one huge publicity stunt, a clever tactic by the clubs management to raise the socioeconomic status of the club.

Look at the evidence. Since 2007 six internationally renowned players have come to the MLS. Beckham (Galaxy), Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Chicago Fire) and Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls) all in 2007. Fredrik Ljungberg (Seattle Sounders) in 2009, and Rafa Marquez and Thierry Henry (New York Red Bulls) crossed the Atlantic in 2010.

Each club thrived at this newly found national and international exposure and profited greatly in attendance and merchandise. In 2006 the LA Galaxy’s home attendance averaged at 20,813 per game, but in 2008 it increased over 25% to 26,008.

After New York signed Henry and Marquez, away games were selling out ticket sales, all to see them two play. Ljungberg basically put the Seattle Sounders on the map in their MLS inaugural season in 2009.

But how many championships have these clubs won? None.

None of the four clubs with big name signings have captured the MLS Cup. In 2008 the Red Bulls reached the Cup Final, but fell short. The Galaxy were a penalty kick away from the Championship in 2009 but failed.

They all reached the playoffs at one point or another during the four year span, but have yet to prove their worth where it matters.

It’s not all bad. There’s some light at the end of the tunnel. These men have given their club something very few people can do; they have given them an elevated status, and this is the first step in establishing a team and a league as a real deal. Once these status’s are at their peak, it will be much easier to lure someone with the likes of a Cristiano Ronaldo, or Gareth Bale; basically, someone that can contribute greatly on the pitch. It’s a long process, but with the rise of soccer in America, it’s going to happen.

There is no lead in. No amusing anecdote with a beautifully transitioned sentence to mention the topic at hand. No backstory of watching a Los Blancos match and noticing faint similarities. No. Simply put, Real Madrid of Spain’s La Liga are the New York Yankees of soccer.

Their similarities are uncanny, they’re virtually identical. Not necessarily with the players, but with the management of the team. The owners are joined at the hip.

No, not the current Yankees owner, (Yankee Global Enterprises LLC,) but rather their former owner George Steinbrenner, may he rest in peace.

Steinbrenner and Madrid president, Florentino Perez are one in the same, in that, they have the same philosophy towards managing their team, bringing in big established names in hopes of “buying” a championship.

For nearly four decades, Steinbrenner bought, or traded for huge names all throughout Major League Baseball in hopes of capturing baseball’s most coveted prize: the World Series. He’s lured athletes like Reggie Jackson, and Catfish Hunter in the 70s, and Kevin Brown, A.J. Burnett, Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, and Randy Johnson in recent times. The list could go on for miles.

In this past decade, Perez has done the same. He’s bought established names from all over Europe, trying to buy every edge possible in hopes of beating archrivals Barcelona and capturing their domestic and Champions League Trophy. He’s bribed players like: Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Angel di Maria, Sami Khedira, and Xabi Alonso.

The biggest name to defect Madrid’s way came last summer when Head Coach Jose Mourinho signed with the Merengues.

The Yankees may not be very vocal of their big name doings, but that’s where the two teams differ. Madrid has branded these signings and aptly titled them, Galacticos. That’s what a Galactico is, a well-established player or person that defects to Spain’s capital for big money. They, like Steinbrenner, pride themselves in these big name signings.

In the past decade and a half, Madrid has produced two names of international status, forward Raul and goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

Iker sprang from the Madridista’s young ranks; as for Raul, they lucked out with him. Raul was originally destined to be with the cross town rivals, Atletico Madrid. But due to their youth ranks disbanding, Raul had no choice but to seek help from Real Madrid.

Raul stated countless times that he did not like the concept of the Galacticos. But they kept winning, which pleased management, and the Madridistas.

Steinbrenner had a short lives success in the 70s after acquiring Reggie Jackson and others, then again in the late 90s.

In Ken Burns’ “The 10th Inning,” Burns explains the success of the Yankees in the late 90s was due to Steinbrenner being ill, and not being able to play with his roster. Had he been fine and well, speculations are he would have gotten rid of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and other home grown players that were the reason for their success.

Before the transfer window opened, speculations were that Madrid was going to bring in another Galactico, Fernando Llorente of Athletic Bilbao.

Though Steinbrenner is long gone, his legacy lives on. At the start of the offseason the Yankees tried to offer, then, Texas Rangers pitcher Cliff Lee a huge deal to come to the big apple. But due to his wife being spat on by Yankee fans, Lee opted otherwise.

It’s amazing how two separate organizations from different venues, and from opposite sides of the world can be so similar. Steinbrenner and Perez, one in the same.

Before Serie A went under way this season, Milan was in a problematic situation worth of Manchester City, they had too many forwards. Five forwards to be exact were on the Red and Black payroll. Ronaldinho, Alexandre Pato, Marco Borriello, and newly signed Robinho, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (on loan from Barcelona) were all vying for a position in the front line.

From the beginning it looked like Robinho and Ibra were going to be the one and two forwards on the pitch. Borriello, despite starting for Milan in the season opener, was later dished out to AS Roma for yet another year on loan.

Borriello began his youth career with Milan in the late 90s and later graduated to the pros in 2000; but with a failure to establish himself behind a stacked team, Borriello was shipped out to Triestina in Italy’s Serie C2.

Soon then, the striker sent to Treviso, in Serie C1 where in 27 games played he scored 10 goals. A, now interested Milan, recalled him and in 2002 Borriello made his debut at the San Siro with three appearances for the club before being dished out to Empoli.

For the next three years, Marco was recalled to Milan, played a few games, then sent back out on loan again; in 2004 to Reggina, Sampdoria took him in 2005, and played the second half of the season back at Treviso.

In the summer of 2006, Milan recalled Borriello. It appeared he was going to be with team for the whole season but in late December of that year, he tested positive for glucocorticosteroid and was suspended for much of the remaining season.

The striker nobody wanted tore it up in 2007 where he knocked in 19 goals in 35 appearances for newly promoted Genoa after Milan sold him. Borriello finished 3rd in the Golden Boot race behind Alessandro Del Pireo and David Trezeguet.

In 2008 Borriello made his return to Milan and was employed with him for the whole year, but due to injury, most of the season was missed. However, in the 2009 season, Borriello blasted 14 goals in 29 Serie A games. It looked like Borriello was here to stay for Milan, but once on loan, always on loan.

Now, the striker plays in the capital and appears to love every single minute. Borriello has played in 22 games for Roma, and has scored 12 times in all leagues. Including games in the Champions League group stage in which they advanced. Marco even scored the game winning goal against Milan in December.

Milan should be regretting letting Borriello go for the season. He is a team player and always gives it his all; and most importantly, he is a goal scorer. Ibra and Robinho are scorers but are two huge egos Milan, or anyone, can do without.

On Tuesday afternoon the Los Angeles Galaxy came to terms with veteran defender Greeg Berhalter and re-signed him to a one year contract. With this new signing, Berhalter became the first player in team history to serve as player and assistant coach.

“We are very excited to have re-signed Gregg Berhalter and look forward to having his experience and leadership for the upcoming season,” said Galaxy GM and Head Coach Bruce Arena in the press release.  “In addition to his role on the field, he will also be joining the club’s technical staff and will be working with our defenders and the reserve team.”

Last season the center back sat out 14 regular season games due to injuries. In the 16 games he did appear in, LA went 9-4-3 with an 11 goal differential and eight clean sheets.

At 37 years old, the risk of signing an aged professional is high. Physiologically, a person’s metabolism slows down, recovery time is greater, and injuries can be attained more easily than on a youngster. Not to mention all the injuries sustained in the 2010 campaign. However, Arena has faith in his veteran.

According to the Galaxy staff, Berhalter’s leadership and presence of mind in the back field stabilized the defense and led them to the fewest goals allowed in club history last year.

“I’m excited about the year we have ahead of us,” said Berhalter in the press release. “Looking at the nucleus of the team, a lot of it is still together and that helps when you are trying to continue on the path we’ve been on. Obviously, we fell a little short of our goals last year, but now we have another crack at it this year.”

“I want to thank Bruce for giving me that opportunity. It’s not that often that a player has both of those responsibilities so I’m excited.”

The Galaxy will kick off the 2011 season in Seattle’s Qwest Field on Tuesday, the ides of March when they take on the Sounders FC.

The question of whether Landon Donovan will go back to the EPL this transfer window is still up in the air. The talk of Donovan being linked to going back to Everton or heading to Fulham or Newcastle is purely rumor and speculation. Fact: No team has verbally expressed confirming interest in the American.

This year, the Galaxy midfielder played football for a total of 11 months: Over two months in Everton and the rest with the Los Angeles Galaxy and the United States National Team in South Africa for the World Cup. After the Galaxy’s early elimination from the MLS playoffs, a broken down, defeated Donovan commented he was tired and had no idea on what EPL team he would play for, or if he would even go on a loan stint.

But if Donovan recuperated and was to ship out for a loan stint, what team would he go to?

Out of the rumored clubs showing interest, only two are ideal and attractive for Donovan; Everton and Fulham. Last year, the American had an impressive 10 weeks at Goodison Park, knocking in two goals and scoring in an impressive win over Chelsea.

After his return to the States, Donovan commented on his Facebook account that he would only play for three teams: the Galaxy, U.S. National Team, and Everton. But months later he deleted it. Donovan fit in perfectly with the Toffees, and the icing on the cake was having fellow American and goalkeeper Tim Howard on the squad.

Everton is an ideal place for the midfielder especially with the comfort level there, but Fulham may be a bit more attractive and beneficial for the face of American soccer because of one guy: Clint Dempsey.

The only times Donovan and Deuce are on the pitch at the same time are for practices and games when they’re representing their country. Any other time, it’s chatting by email.

A stint at Craven Cottage and playing alongside Dempsey would be: (1) fun playing football with his American brother-in-arms. And (2) to develop, adjust, and perfect tactical understandings of one another that could transfer onto the pitch when playing for the U.S. Mens National Team.

Some could argue the United States did well in the World Cup because they passed through the group stage. But they went down early in the game, and were plagued with sloppy passing. Fortunately for the Yanks, they were a clutch squad.

Deuce and LD pairing up this early could give the USMNT a little extra boost for the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup in June 2011.

Truth be told, any team would benefit from having Donovan on their roster. But ultimately, it’s Donovan’s choice, and if he was going to ship out for 10 weeks, Fulham would be the smartest move.

I am reluctant to single out praise for certain players because the entire team had a wonderful tournament, but Torres, Xavi, and Senna really showed up in the final. Senna was a giant in midfield, keeping Ballack quiet for the majority of the match and shutting down multiple attacks. Xavi, having been recently named player of the tournament, set up Torres for the all important goal and ran the midfield. As for Torres, I never expected someone to slip past Lahm so easily, and to still beat an out-rushing Lehman was quite an accomplishment. Casillas showed hes the best goalie in the world right now, but was hardly trouble all night with the Germans only having four shots, three of which were on goal.

As for the Germans the only player that seemed to show up was Frings. While not as effective as he can be, he showed determination the entire match. This brings me to Ballack, I feel for the guy. Hes been runner up to so many things this year I can only hope he takes this in stride and shows up ready to play next season. He carried this team to the final when they needed him, but was unable to do much last night.

The fact that Spain is still a relatively young team means they can only get better. Lets just hope it isn’t another 44 years until the next trophy.

As for Russia they were much tamer than I expected. Don’t get me wrong they had their chances and even hit the post twice, but they never seemed like the team most expected to show up. Lets just chalk this one up to first match jitters. As it stands they are currently at the bottom of the group and need a win to stay in contention. The only positive that can be taken away from this is that the team did not roll over and had brief spells in the second half that showed they are willing to fight. Now weather this is because Guus Hiddink encouraged them or threatened them we may never know.

From a neutral point of view I must confess that this was one of the better games played so far and the only one where both teams scored, which is good to see. Both teams displayed moments of brilliance and slick passing that was very easy on the eyes and hopefully there will be more games like this so we can all enjoy a great tournament.

On a side note I suggest reading the first person account of Netherlands v Italy by our very own Gaffer, you can find that here.

With that said I am still hoping that Spain will finally shed the tag as underachievers and have a great Euro Cup. The squad of players they posses are extremely talented and with many of them having enjoyed a successful year with their clubs it will be interesting to see if they will continue in the form they have shown. Having been drawn in the group consisting of Greece, Russia, and Sweden it will not be an easy task but they should secure a place in  the quarter-finals. If they do it is here that they will meet one of the teams from the group of death (France, Holland, Italy, Romania) and we will see if they are capable of a serious challenge for the Title. So when Euro 2008 gets under way keep an eye out for Spain and enjoy what is shaping up to be a great tournament.

I would also like to thank The Gaffer for letting me take a shot here. Here’s hoping I don’t screw it up.