OMG She Pulled My Hair!

Today I got a text message from one of my dearest friends Matt, and he told me to go online and check out the video highlights of the BYU v. New Mexico game. Sure, why not? but they did not have a game yesterday in football. Odd right? Well, not so much. He was referring to the women's soccer match between the two schools. The shocking part was that he would tell me about this. Generally speaking, I am the one who follows the smaller sports and informs him about anything exciting. With that thought in mind, I realized how this must be real good, something super exciting. I was right. I have personally never seen something more ridiculous than what occurred in that game. Here is the video of what actually happened:


These actions were so unsportsmanlike that I honestly have no idea where I would even begin dissecting this girl's behavior. Furthermore, there is no reason to even refer to her by name because she does not deserve it. It is one thing to slide late one time to send a message to the opposing team. It's another to commit a hard foul up top. To do both, and worst of all pull on another girl's pony-tail in such a violent fashion is practically unheard of. When was the last time ESPN showed a women's soccer game from the collegiate level that was not a post-season match? Never. These chain of actions by the New Mexico defender were so heinous that they chose to air it on SportsCenter, and already has multiple videos on YouTube, averaging over 300,000 hits each. I'm glad the player is suspended indefinitely because what she did was probably the worst thing you could do on the grass pitch. Good for you New Mexico, MWC, NCAA, and anyone else who came up with the idea to suspend her, suspending her sends a clear message to the rest of the NCAA in all sports about how you are not supposed to conduct yourself.

Here is a picture to sum it all up:

PS. By rest of NCAA I don't include U$C and Florida (right Urban Meyer?)

LA Galaxy going supernova

Los Angeles has a soccer team, and it goes by the name Los Angeles Galaxy. What most people don't know is that they're good. Really good. And they're poised to take the top spot in the Western Division as the season winds down to a close. The Galaxy (9-4-11; 38 pts) ranked second in the West takes on frontrunner Houston Dynamo (11-7-7; 40 pts) on September 12th at Houston. If the Galaxy are able to secure a W, this will give them a 1 point advantage over Houston and will vault LA into first place in the West.

Its incredible to see the Galaxy in this position, especially after last season - ended without a playoff appearance with a dismal record of 8-13-9; 33 pts. Furthermore, that 33 points earned them the dubious honor of sharing last place with rival San Jose Earthquakes. As the 2008 season progressed, things just seemed to get worse and worse. Before the MLS All-Star game in 2008, the Galaxy held a record of (8-11-6). This was up to July 24th. With the playoffs a few months away and a mediocre record, the Galaxy were in control of their own destiny. If they could win out, or at least win the majority, a playoff spot was not too far-fetched a dream. Instead they laid flat on their faces and either lost or tied 11 of their final 13 games (non MLS games included). Very disappointing for LA.

This season has been a complete reversal. Much of the credit goes to Bruce Arena, in his first year as manager/coach with the Galaxy. Under Arena, the Galaxy strove to rebuild its flagging defense putting all priority into making sure the opposing team had no opportunities near the goal. With an emphasis on defense rather than offense, the Galaxy turned games they would have lost last season into ties. For the first half of the season, it seemed like that's all we were going to see from the Galaxy - lots and lots of ties with the occasional win or loss here and there. Enter the month of July: Three straight wins against New England Revolution, Chivas USA, and the New York Red Bulls. Then a 2 - 2 draw against one of the world's premiere teams AC Milan. Fastforward to Aug 1 and a close 2 - 1 decision against the reigning best team in the world FC Barcelona (I was there, read my story). Since Barca the Galaxy are 3-1-1, the most recent win against heated rival Chivas USA concluding the three game Superclasico Series with the Galaxy winning 2 games to 1. We're witnessing a Galaxy team coming into form at the best time possible - leading into the playoffs.

Now a few words about David Beckham. Love him, hate him whatever. You've got to admit, for an aging world class midfielder, the guy does pretty well for himself (understatement). Consider the match against Barca:



Absolutely world class free kick. That's why David Beckham remains one of the best midfielders in the world. His ball placement and control is absolutely legendary. He's lost some speed, sure, since his Man U and Real Madrid days but you cannot deny that off a set piece, or a corner kick, or supporting a striker upfield there aren't many players in the world that can match Beckham's pure talent. I remember seeing that goal go down. Unfortunately for me I was on one of the corners on the Galaxy end so I didn't have the best view but I remember thinking before he kicked it, "wouldn't it be ridiculous if somehow we just scored now before halftime?" This thought was shortly followed by, "WHAT?? NO F*$#ING WAY!!!"

How about this one, against Chivas?


80th minute off a long throw in, riccochets off Chivas USA, Beckham sprints down the center and finishes off of the post, sealing the game against the rivals and putting distance between themselves and the clusterfuck that is third place in the West (3 teams tied for 3rd). Whatever reservations LA had about loaning Beckham to Milan seemed to have subsided. Typical of LA Fans. I for one am fine with Beckham's trip and possible permanent departure to Milan. I am very thankful for his work he's done with the Galaxy and I'm going to be very sad if he decides to leave. He's done a lot of great things for our team, and that's undeniable.

UEFA Champions League Predictions

Today the groups were drawn for the UEFA Champions League. The 2009-2010 edition has many familiar faces (i.e the Brits and Spaniards) but some new faces are here such as Maccabi Haifa, Apoel Nicosa, and Wulfburg. What will happen? no clue. I can take the easy road here but I will go crazy with these? why? so I can rightfully say to any "hater" that I was going by heart, on a limb, and somewhat based on facts. Let's begin!

Group A: Maccabi Haifa, Juventus, Bordeaux, and Bayern Munich

Surprise Team: Maccabi Haifa because they will be hard to beat in Israel and feel like they have something to prove (and gain monetarily). I still doubt they will advance, but they could ruin some dreams.
Set to Disappoint: Bayern Munich because they have had their worst start in 43 years domestically.
Best Match-up: Bayern v. Juventus due to the tradition and each team knows they have something to prove this year.
Teams to Advance: Juventus and Bordeaux

Group B: Man U, CSKA Moscow, Wolfburg, Basiktas

Surprise Team: Basiktas since they Turkish league champs know they have a little bit to prove.
Set to Disappoint: Not to keep with the German theme, but... Wolfsburg is most likely to not advance out of the three domestic champs (Moscow is not).
Best Match-Up: Wolfsburg v. Basiktas because they are two champions that a lot of people might not give the respect they ought to get.
Teams to Advance: Man U and Basiktas

Group C: AC Milan, Real Madrid, FC Zurich, Marseille

Surprise Team: FC Zurich just because people give no respect to the Swiss league and they have to be hungry to prove themselves.
Set to Disappoint: Real Madrid but only because I feel like they will not finish first, they still have so much talent that even if Ronaldo can't play with Kaka too well, they are still going to be good.
Best Match-Up: AC Milan v. Real Madrid well, duh.
Teams to Advance: Milan and Real

Group D: Chelsea, Porto, Atletico Madrid, APOEL

Surprise Team: Atletico because they are for real and are not regulars nor are they from Cypress, so it seems like the obvious choice.
Set to Disappoint: Porto, while they won the Cup a few years ago, I feel like with this group they might get trapped. I could be totally wrong though.
Best Match-Up: Atletico v. Porto not only because this is an Iberian Peninsula bragging rights match-up but also will determine who advances.
Teams to Advance: Chelsea and Porto (again, I can be wrong)

Group E: Liverpool, Lyon, Fiorentina, Debrecen

Surprise Team: Fiorentina (see Atletico)
Set to Disappoint: Lyon. If this was the EPL, it'd be Liverpool. However, Rafa's club loves the Champions League
Best Match-Up: Liverpool v. Lyon the English hate the French and visa versa. Also, this is going to directly affect the pecking order and teams who will advance.
Teams to Advance: Liverpool and Fiorentina(again, I can be wrong)

Group F: FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, Dynamo Kiev, FC Rubin (who?)

Surprise Team: Dynamo (your welcome Kvyat) because they could do serious damage to the top dogs.
Set to Disappoint: Inter, who did not perform too well in the US (though they did not play all their guys) but Barca is better, so they have to be the choice.
Best Match-Up: Barca v. Inter... iBrah v. Eto'o, should be good.
Teams to Advance: Barca and Inter

Group G: Seville, Rangers, Stuttgart, Unirea (wtf?)

Surprise Team: Stuttgart (see Atletico)
Set to Disappoint: Seville (eh) There is not a clear choice here since Seville and Stuttgart are a toss up.
Best Match-Up: Seville v. Stuttgart... probably will decide who advances.
Teams to Advance: Rangers and Stuttgart

Group H: Arsenal, Standard Liege, Olympiakos, AZ Alkmaar

Surprise Team: Liege, because you have no idea what to expect. I would pick Olympiakos, but I despise them (thank you basketball)
Set to Disappoint: Arsenal, they have not been as good as before, though they dominated Celctic.
Best Match-Up: Alkmaar v. Liege... the Belgians are always second fidle to the Dutch in soccer, and they share a border, regional rivalries are always fun.
Teams to Advance: Arsenal and Alkmaar

Attention 'LA Fans': Mimic the Mexicans (and also this kid)

A few days ago I was watching a CONCACAF Champions League game between D.C. United (USA) and Luis Angel Firpo (El Salvador). It was a pretty epic match, and it went into extra minutes and PKs afterwards. D.C. was able to scratch out a W when a Firpo player royally fucked up a PK by skyrocketing it 20ft over the crossbar. But that's not what I wanna talk about today. The thing that I noticed the most besides mediocre CONCACAF soccer was how freaking nuts the Firpo fans are. If you've ever watched any Mexican, Central/South American soccer games, you know what I'm talking about. They go apeshit for their team THE ENTIRE TIME. They bring drums and they beat the hell out of them all game, which for this match meant 120+ minutes. They also bounce and jump all game. Firpo wears white jerseys and while watching the supporter section I made a comment to my roommate: "So I guess to be a Firpo fan you need one of two things - a white Firpo jersey OR any white shirt that you can swing over your head" because literally the whole section was doing the latter. This is the sports culture than everyone needs to get in with. Some places have it, like the fans of the Oakland Raiders, Green Bay Packers, and most college teams, good examples being Michigan, Ohio State, LSU, Florida, etc. One place that doesn't have it is LA because here as a city we get crazy bitter and apathetic when things don't go our way and in sports it gives birth to the worst type of fan.

Los Angeles is the home of the 'LA Fan'. You may have met a LA Fan, for they are easily recognized by a telltale set of characteristics. These are: supporting LA Lakers, USC Football and at the same time UCLA Basketball and generally being the biggest bandwagon fan of all time. LA Fans claim to be diehard and loyal fans but this is a farce. At the first sign of a losing streak they stop going to games, talk a lot of shit on their former team, and basically become giant assholes. I hate LA Fans and you should too.

I hate to say, but I gotta call it like I see it. One of the thriving grounds for these LA Fans is of all places UCLA. That's right: we suck as fans, ESPECIALLY in football season. Ever watch a Big 10/XII game? Thats what fans are SUPPOSED to be like. Even when your team sucks, which our football team decidedly does, you never fucking give up. You drink more. You drink a lot. And you never, ever talk shit on your team. The more your team sucks, the more grounds you have to drink and talk as much shit as possible on the other team. This is what a good fan does. LA hasn't figured it out yet and it pisses me off.

College football is one of the greatest inventions mankind has come up with. When you're in college, nothing gives you more shit talking material than college sports. And since football is so awesomely violent, college football allows you to see your school literally beating the shit out of another school. What else could you possibly want? What isn't there to get excited about? Who cares if our football team sucks? Throw back some more brew and go pick a fight with a Trojan. That's a positive way to expel your frustration and guess what - it's also a lot of fucking fun.

I close with another soccer anecdote to give you something to work towards as we get ready to tailgate the shit out of the Rosebowl. Last summer I went to L.A. Galaxy vs. Chivas USA. For those of you who don't share my silly obsession with the MLS, this is a huge rivalry match because these teams are both based in LA and both share the Home Depot Center as their home turf. The fan base of each club is decidedly different. The Galaxy is the white middle class team and is a mix of diehards like me and a whole lot of LA Fans. Chivas on the other hand has a fan base of crazy Mexicans. Chivas' supporter section had all kinds of songs, they were up and bouncing around all game, had drums, and were drunk out of their minds. They made me want to trash my Galaxy gear and join up, especially when they starting sparking up road flares in the stadium. That was badass. I watched a fight break out in their stands when some Galaxy fans from the L.A. Riot Squad decided to go inform Chivas that they suck a lot of dong. Cops ejected everybody to the delight of the entire stadium.

In sum: don't be a LA Fan. Learn from crazy drunk Mexican soccer fans. They know how to have fun, and you probably don't. ESPECIALLY when it comes to UCLA!!!! You have no reason to ever back down while still attending college and going to games.

Musings on F.C. Barcelona v LA Galaxy

As many football fans were aware, the world's reigning top club F.C. Barcelona paid a visit to California in a friendly match against the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena yesterday August 1. For me, the match was a win-win. Barcelona is probably my favorite European club and, as a LA resident and a perpetual champion of the underdog, I support the Galaxy. I had no dreams of the Galaxy pulling the upset, I just wanted to see some good football and get hammered. I had the good fortune of being able to score some tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime event. The event did not disappoint. Here is what went down yesterday.

Armed with four Amps, one pack of Turkish Silvers, and one bottle of Jager my roommate and I made the trek out down the 210 West to the most glorious of sporting venues. We posted up on the golf course behind the Rose Bowl and began the process of playing everyone's favorite drinking game: Kill the bottle of Jager in one hour. While playing this most excellent game, many passerbys looked on in envy of our Jager awesomeness. As my roommate and I are of the entreprenurial mindset, we soon saw an opportunity to make some extra scratch. We sold four shots out at $1 each to some friendly Mexicans. Eventually some white guys from Orange County showed up and wanted Jager. We saw an opportunity to graft and doubled our price. Great success. After these sales we decided we had given out enough and proceeded to finish off the bottle. We were riled up and ready for some football.

Once in the stadium, I discovered that beers were NINE DOLLARS, which for a normal poor college student would be enough to dissuade any purchase of this overpriced Miller Lite. But the Jager inside of me convinced me that I should just say screw it and do it. On our way to our seats, we saw a sign for free seat upgrades which perked our interest. The guy behind the counter confirmed that for whatever reason, they were trading in General Admission for seats behind each of the corners. The guy saw my Galaxy headband and decided to hook us up. We got seats behind one of the corners on the Galaxy end next to one of the Galaxy supporter clubs: The L.A. Riot Squad. However, we were surrounded by Barca fans who were all crazy Mexicans.

Once the game started there was an ongoing war between those who wanted to stand and those who wanted to sit. As a participant in many student sections I am totally OK with and support the idea of standing during a game. The Mexicans we were with were also totally down. The white upper middle class 40 somethings with their kids weren't so down. There was much yelling of "Sientate!" "It's a soccer game! Stand!" back and forth all game. It was hilarious. We were in the 14th row and could see many people up close, including Galaxy forward Landon Donovan, midfielder David Beckham, Barcelona forward Lionel Messi (who terrorized the Galaxy defense all night), midfielder Dani Alvez, and many other world class players.

As expected, Barcelona won the night with a final score of 2 - 1. But the score is not indicative of the quality football demonstrated by both clubs. The Galaxy defense was tenacious in shutting down time and time again Barcelona assaults. And Barcelona wasn't fucking around either. Only twice did the Galaxy defence lapse - resulting in the two goals given up. A lesser club would have given up four or more goals to pre-season Barcelona. Even when Barcelona subbed out practically their entire team after the break with another lineup of allstars, the Galaxy only gave up one goal in the second half. For a team that has either won or tied their last 5 MLS games - and throw in a 2 - 2 draw against AC Milan just for kicks - a 2 - 1 decision against the world's best club; I'll take it. All in all it was an incredible event. A sold out Rose Bowl, a world class stage, for only $25. Hooray football.