USA Summer '12: Friendlies Will Be Forced Down Your Throat

Since the season is basically over - especially for fans like me backing sub-par teams (Roma, your 2011-12 campaign is dead to me) - here's a running list of hot summer friendlies around the USA I've noticed over the past couple of weeks:

Philadelphia Union vs. Schalke 04
May 9 @ 7:30pm (ET)
PPL Park, Chester, PA

Portland Timbers vs. Valencia
May 23 @ 7pm (PT)
JELD-WEN Field, Portland, OR

Houstan Dynamo vs. Valencia
May 31, 7:30pm (local time?)
BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, TX

Philadelphia Union vs. Aston Villa
July 18 @ 7:30pm (ET)
PPL Park, Chester, PA

Seattle Sounders vs. Chelsea
July 18 @ 9:30pm (ET)
Qwest Field, Seattle, WA

Toronto FC vs. Liverpool
July 21 @ 4pm (ET)
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ONT

Chicago Fire vs. Aston Villa
July 21 @ 7:30pm (CT)
Toyota Park, Chicago, IL 

Chelsea vs. PSG
July 22 @ 7pm (ET)
Yankee Stadium, New York City

AS Roma vs. TBD
July 22 @ TBD
Chicago, IL

Portland Timbers vs. Aston Villa
July 24 @ 7:30pm (PT)
JELD-WEN Field, Portland, OR

LA Galaxy vs. Tottenham
July 24 @ TBD
The Home Depot Center, Carson, CA 

AS Roma vs. Liverpool - The Underachiever's Shield 2012
July 25 @ 6:30pm (ET)
Fenway Park, Boston, MA

Chelsea vs. MLS All-Stars
July 25 @ 8:30pm (ET)
PPL Park, Chester, PA

AS Roma vs. TBD
July 28 @ TBD
New York City

Trophee Des Champions - France's Community Shield
League winner vs. Lyon (cup winner)
July 28 @ 3pm (ET)
Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ

Liverpool vs. Tottenham
July 28 @ 1pm (ET)
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD

Chelsea vs. AC Milan
July 28 @ 6pm (ET)
Sun Life Stadium, Miami, FL

DC United vs. Juventus
July 28 @ TBD
RFK Stadium, Washington, DC
*yet to be finalized 

New York Red Bulls vs. Tottenham
July 31 @ TBD
Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ 

LA Galaxy vs. Real Madrid
August 2 @ 10:30pm (ET)
The Home Depot Center, Carson, CA 

Juventus vs. Real Madrid
August 5 @ 8pm (local time?)
Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada
*possible rematch on August 8 @ Yankee Stadium, New York City 

That's all I have for now. I will update this list when I hear further dates have been announced. Please comment below on other games I failed to mention!

PSG: Why'd They Fire This Guy?

Why me?

As a supporter of the enticingly put together Paris Saint-Germain squad, I could not be happier to see experienced tactician Carlo Ancelotti at the helm. He has big club experience, a winning mentality, and a silverware cabinet any club coach would dream of. But I do wonder why exactly Antoine Kombouaré was dismissed. The reasoning for his dismissal is not really logical in traditional terms of output.

Common thought indicates he was sent home because the hot-seat got too hot for him. There were numerous reports of his possible dismissal throughout the beginning of this season, which mounted pressure until the end of the year. But how is this hot-seat different from any other in a major European League? Pressure is always there. You win, you stay. You lose, you go. This mantra did not exactly hold true in Paris for ol' Antoine, as PSG Director Leonardo ultimately sacked him.

Ironically, Kombouaré had PSG in first place at the holiday break and poised to make a serious title run in 2012. Moreover, last year's squad, without superstar reinforcements signed with Qatari money over the summer, were a mere four points from Champions League football. Pair these facts with likely additions on the way this January and one might have imagined the team would ride the Kombouaré bus until at least summer. The only detriment toward the above successes is PSG's failure in the Europa League. Though knocked out of said competition, Kombouaré still had the team on track to reach their season goals: a league title + Champions League Qualification.

Goal.com asserts the former PSG man's firing might have something to do with race. Though I think this argument misses the mark, it is troubling to think Kombouaré was "the only black coach left in the top flight of any of Europe's top leagues." That fact alone warrants thought about why there are not more black men in top coaching roles, but in this case, there were a few other factors at play that sealed the Kombouaré's fate.

A more likely reason for Kombouaré's dismissal is simply the situation he found himself in. Regardless of his successful season, Qatari money flowing into PSG at breakneck speed equates to big names and headlines. Granted, I don't think they will build the squad in "Manchester City fashion," but I do believe a relatively unsuccessful team will be made into a winner. Could Kombouaré keep control of big name signings with big egos and the responsibility of having to at the very least win the French League every year? As a relatively inexperienced coach, probably not. Thus, the feeling of big money owners at this junction is usually the desire to have a renowned gaffer who can win everything.

Smiles all around. Except for Antoine Whatshisname.

Enter a renowned gaffer. Carlo Ancelotti's (a) accessibility and (b) amicable relationship with Leonardo while at Milan, essentially forced Kombouaré's sacking. How could PSG pass up the chance to land Ancelotti? Even if Kombouaré had a stellar year and won Ligue 1, he most likely lacks the pedigree to win a Champions League at this point in his managerial career. Ancelotti on the other hand, has the prestige and experience to win the big one. Leonardo would have been kicking himself had Ancelotti agreed to join another big club in the summer, when the opportunity to snap him up in January had arisen. Therefore, right or wrong, this change was inevitable.

Though I'm glad to see such a successful manager lead a team I support, I still believe Kombouaré was dismissed unreasonably. He did mostly everything right with a powerful team at his disposal and acted honorably throughout. The unlucky former coach just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Regardless, I still can't help but question brazen business actions that occur when money is in abundance. Sometimes it's downright dirty. I hope to see Antoine Kombouaré on another sideline thriving very soon!


Photo Credits: 
goal.com
Sky Sports

F*ck FIFA '12, I'm Back

FIFA no more, I say.

Pick up your controller and come back to me...

No Javier Pastore I will not!

Sorry for the inactivity over the course of the past few months, but FIFA '12 got me hooked. Navigating the Head to Head Seasons competition with PSG enveloped my life for a few hours each day. It's like a drug, really. When you lose, you play more because you want to win. And when you win, the going is good, so you play more! What a conundrum.

I managed to frustratingly fall short of cup titles, Division 1 promotion, and other accolades, because of gamers who want to win so bad the only teams they select are Real Madrid, Barcelona, or the Spanish national team. Not fair, b*tches. After being relegated from Division 2 I made up my mind to do something more productive with my time like write about soccer or play it. So here we are. I am dedicated to writing first, gaming second. 

What's on the docket, you ask? Well, I don't know. All the football gossip you crave? You bet. It's the transfer window, after-all, so let's start with some juicy rumors from our friends over at Football Spy:



 Stay tuned for more fun folks. And bear with me, I'm in FIFA rehab.


Photo Credits: Europa League, Goal.com
Video Credits: Football Spy via footytube.com