Euro 2012 Recap

It has been a while since the last post and I'm not sure where you've been getting your footy news in the past year, but I am out of that coma (don't ever take Forget-Me-Nows from Gob Bluth) and here to break down the final four in Euro 2012. Spain takes on Portugal in the first semifinal, and Germany faces Italy in the second. Spain has been passing, possessing and penetrating their way to wins, while Portugal has jumped on the shoulders of Cristiano Ronaldo, only to slide off because of all his excess hair gel, roll around on the ground and demand the referee give someone, anyone, a yellow card on their way to the semis. Their defense has bent but not broken, but I think they'll leave too much open space for the Spanish ball-control wizards to exploit. Germany has been playing some sexy football, while Italy has just been looking sexy. The Germans have been imposing their will on all opponents, whereas Italy has relied on the elegant Andrea Pirlo and a combative, combustible forward line to pick up some key goals. The Italians have displayed a really strong sense of team unity - it looks like they have adopted an 'Us Against the World' mentality in the wake of the most recent match-fixing allegations coming out of their domestic league - and it was great to see their team chemistry and enthusiasm in their huddle right before the penalty kick shootout win over England in the quarterfinals. But I give the nod to Germany's sleek style over the plucky Italians. Let's hear your thoughts, analysis, and predictions. This is, after all, the people's game.

FA Cup Final

Stoke City takes on Manchester City in the FA Cup Final at 10:00 a.m. today at Wembley Stadium, and the match will televised on Fox Soccer Channel. This is an interesting match-up because, despite the fact that both teams are having solid seasons (Manchester City in 4th place, Stoke in 8th) it has been a long time since either won a trophy, particularly one as important as the FA Cup. Manchester City's last win in the FA Cup Final came in 1969, while Stoke's was 1972. So it's a safe bet to say both teams and their fans will be up for it today at Wembley. No predictions today, but enjoy the match and enjoy some pictures from a trip to Wembley back in April of 2009 (note: during the visit, Wembley was in the process of replacing the field, hence all the dirt; still, a very impressive stadium).

What to Watch?

Two English Premier League matches, two different channels, both on at the exact same time. Deciding which one to watch is a dilemma, though for soccer fans who grew up in the U.S. throughout the 1990s, when finding any games on television was difficult, it's a nice dilemma to have.

The matches are Fulham v. Sunderland on ESPN2 and Aston Villa v. West Bromwich Albion on Fox Soccer Channel. I had originally intended to watch Fulham because Clint Dempsey has been playing very well for them and I wanted to break out the Fulham scarf I picked up at a match at Craven Cottage a couple years ago; however, Dempsey wasn't in the starting line-up, and futher Internet research revealed that he wasn't even a substitute, so that made the game a little less interesting. ESPN's broadcasts are always better because they are in HD (note to FSC: putting the 'HD Live' graphic in the corner of the screen doesn't mean the game is actually in HD), but since Brad Friedel is starting in goal for Aston Villa and Michael Bradley is an eligible substitute, the switch has been made to Fox Soccer Channel. Unfortunately, budgetary concerns have so far kept the TalkFooty newsroom from adding multiple televisions, or an Internet connection that could reliably stream matches online. This is also being written by candlelight, but that is only to help set the mood. What are you watching today? Hit the comment button and let us know.

Spain Wins the World Cup

This just in to the TalkFooty newsroom: Spain wins the World Cup, defeating the Netherlands 1-0 in extra time. Andres Iniesta scored the winner for Spain, despite the best efforts of Dutch midfielders Mark Van Bommel and Nigel de Jong to break both his legs throughout the match. Congratulations to Spain on winning their first World Cup and for debunking the theory put forth by noted philosopher Ruud Gullit that, "if it ain't Dutch, it ain't much."

World Cup Final Prediction

Spain vs. The Netherlands
2:30pm - ABC, Univision
Soccer City Stadium - Johannesburg, South Africa
Winner: Spain

Can Mark Van Bommel and Nigel De Jong, the Dutch Destroyers, put the shackles on Xavi and Andres Iniesta, the Spanish Sorcerers, in the battle for midfield supremacy? Can Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie keep pressure on Sergio Ramos and Joan Capdevila and keep the Spanish defenders from pushing up into the attack? Will Wesley Sneijder or David Villa score the goal that makes them the top scorer, and possibly the top player, in the tournament? Those are all important questions, and the answers will go a long way towards determining the winner, but the fact remains that the Dutch can't do much with Spain controlling the ball for the majority of the match. Look for Spain to take advantage of that and frustrate the Dutch on their way to the win. Sorry Ruud Gullit, you've made the world a better place by introducing the phrase "If it ain't Dutch, it ain't much" during this World Cup, but tomorrow Spain will win and you won't be a happy chappy.

Germany-Spain, Continued

Anything can happen in penalty kicks, and the Germans are traditionally very strong in shootouts. I just think that Spain's goalie, Iker Casillas (Saint Iker to his friends in Madrid) would come up with one more save than his German counterpart, Manuel Neuer. Look for Germany to try to take advantage of the fact that Spain's outside back, Sergio Ramos, spends more time attacking in the opponent's half then defending in his own. That could leave extra space for Ozil and Podolski to exploit. Should be a good game.

World Cup Semifinal #2

Germany vs. Spain
2:30pm - ESPN, Univision
Moses Mabhida Stadium - Durban, South Africa
Winner: Spain (in penalty kicks after 2-2 tie)