Trying something semi-different this morning.
A thought dawned on me Sunday night after enduring about seven straight hours of NFL on television, including a loss by the Jets -- my favorite team -- in the AFC Championship game. (Yes, I just outed myself as a Jets fan. Oh well.)
Roughly around halftime of the Colts/Jets game around the globe in a couple different set of circumstances -- they don't have to worry about 3G coverage maps in Cabinda -- the Cote D'Ivoire was in the process of losing in epic fashion to Algeria in the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Nations 3-2 in extra time.
Why is this worth bringing up? Well, the Soccer Elephants appeared to have won the match with a 99th-percentile strike from Abdul Kader Keita. Few match-winners could compare with this strike. Stunning. (Watch here, until copyright police rear their ugly heads.)
In short, if you hit that kind of goal in the 88th minute, you have to win that match. Have to. (See, emphasis.)
So for Cote D'Ivoire, who are considered the best team in Africa because they have Didier Drogba, Toure Yaya, Saloman Kalou, etc. in their lineup, to lose in the quarterfinals, it's an epic letdown.
If you happened to be a Cote D'Ivoire a.k.a. the Ivory Coast (the non-preferred name that many use) diehard and watched your team allow an stoppage time header to force extra time, and then give up another goal in a very similar fashion, that's crippling. Like you're unable to think for a couple hours or days. Just dazing. (Great audio commentary, here, for the winner.)
Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.
Then, a couple hours later in New Orleans, Minnesota Vikings fans endured, probably a worse kick in the junk. No need to get into the gory details, but you have about four lost fumbles, coaching breakdowns, penalty breakdowns, question calls by the refs, questionable replay calls by the refs, overtime and of course, the Brett Favre factor.
For a franchise that's lost in four Super Bowls, this was a brutal loss to stomach for a tortured fanbase. Oh yeah, let's not forget the "Gary Anderson" game, either.
If I were a Vikes fan and lived in Minnesota, I'd probably just go out my door and pull the crazy penguin routine and just walk into the snowy wilderness until I collapsed.
Can these two disparate sets of fans, find that misery loves company Monday morning?
Is the Cote D'Ivoire's loss even comparable to what happened to the Vikings? Should the fact that the African Cup of Nations happens every two years mitigate things?
Either way, both are terrible ways to lose. Does it really matter all that much which one is worse?
And maybe as a USMNT we ought to erase the penciled in three points for the World Cup against Algeria. Not a ton of household names, but a win like that on Sunday shows a lot of guts. The "never-say-die" team sometimes can be harder to knock off than a squad of stars. We'll have plenty of more time to discuss it, but the match on June 23 in Pretoria probably decides if the U.S. gets through to the knockout stages.
* * *
Hey, the Premier League is back in action in the midweek after a break for the FA Cup. We only had three matches in the last set of games, but they were all important. Manchester United is now on top the league by two points -- but with two more games played than Chelsea. Arsenal is now even with the Blues, but the Gunners have played an extra game, too. And there is hope back at Liverpool, with Rafa's Rejects only a point out the final Champions League spot.
Tuesday:
* Portsmouth v. West Ham United -- Hey, at least Portsmouth won an FA Cup match over the weekend. Saturday I was chatting with a friend who couldn't believe that Pompey actually won the Cup two years ago. Then you remember that Harry Redknapp had Lassana Diarra (now at Real Madrid) and Sulley Muntari (now at Inter) in the mix, plus about half the current Spurs' team along with Glenn Johnson and semi-amazingly, Milan Baros. Oh, better days. West Ham? Anytime you can get a British smut magnate back involved in the Premier League, that's a good thing. Changing the club's name to West Ham Olympic? Err, not as much. Curious to see if this mystery check that West Ham is dangling to an unnamed striker amounts to anything. ... Portsmouth 1, West Ham 1
* Tottenham v. Fulham -- (Live, FSC, 2:45 p.m.) This match sets up favorably for Spurs since Fulham's best guns -- Bobby Zamora and Clint Dempsey won't play because of injuries. But is anything ever a lay-up for Tottenham? Interesting fact. Tottenham destroyed Wigan 9-1 on Nov. 23. In the 10 matches in the league since that, they've scored a total of 10 goals. These two teams played a scoreless draw on Boxing Day. I'm sure Roy Hodgson would sign up for repeat. ... Spurs 1, Fulham 0
* Wolves v. Liverpool -- (Live, Setanta, 2:45 p.m.) Wolves are about as non-descript a side we've seen in the Premier League in a long time. Do they have any sort of identity? Once again, Liverpool is on watch. This would seem like another chance for the club to stub it's toe. The track record for Liverpool this season is, "save the season", "blow the season." Frankly, I'm tired of guessing. If they can't beat Wolves with Steven Gerrard back in the fold, then they don't deserve to play in the Champions League. ... Wolves 0, Liverpool 1
* Bolton v. Burnley -- Good thing we had the whole Owen Coyle saga, otherwise this would be a totally forgettable match. If Bolton can't pull the full three points away from this one, well, it doesn't look good for long-term safety. If Coyle is a smart enough manager, you'd think he'd be able to field a lineup to exploit Burnley's weaknesses, right? And with the club in a relegation fight, how much playing time is Stuart Holden going to get between now and the end of the season? Worth the gamble if you're him, though. ... Bolton 2, Burnley 1
Wednesday:
* Aston Villa v. Arsenal -- Could be a fun one at Villa Park. Aston Villa has allowed six goals in its last two matches, both Cup games. As we know Arsenal likes to score and should be in a foul mood after losing in the FA Cup on Saturday. You wonder if Villa has the mental resolve to get a result here, because right around this time last season the Gunners blew past them up the table and into the Champions League. Considering how Aston Villa's defense has played the last couple matches, plus the congestion of fixtures, it could be tough to slow down the Gunners. ... Aston Villa 1, Arsenal 2
* Chelsea v. Birminham City -- (Live, FSC, 2:45) Birmigham is the club that keep on chugging along. I think that the unbeaten run, which began in October ends here. Brum got lucky to get a 0-0 draw on Boxing Day to Chelsea, in a game where it took 30 shots. Chelsea got some good news from Africa, with Didier Drogba on his way back sooner than later, but it also lost Michael Essien for the near future, which probably doesn't cancel out. ... Chelsea 2, Birmingham 0
* Blackburn v. Wigan Athletic -- Case and point of the blob-like mass of teams that are going to contest the relegation fight over the next four and a half months. ... Blackburn 1, Wigan 1
* Everton v. Sunderland -- Two teams going in different directions. Everton seems to have gotten its act together, even if that includes bringing in Phillippe Senderos. With Mikel Arteta returning from an 11-month layoff, maybe the Toffees can make a run and secure a Europa League berth. That's about all they can do at this point, out of the Cups and all. Meanwhile, something is rotten with Sunderland. Not sure what it is, but the team hasn't seemed right for weeks. If he plays, this could be the best chance for Landon Donovan to get onto the scoresheet for Everton. ... Everton 3, Sunderland 1
Last round: 3-0
Season: 113-98:
A thought dawned on me Sunday night after enduring about seven straight hours of NFL on television, including a loss by the Jets -- my favorite team -- in the AFC Championship game. (Yes, I just outed myself as a Jets fan. Oh well.)
Roughly around halftime of the Colts/Jets game around the globe in a couple different set of circumstances -- they don't have to worry about 3G coverage maps in Cabinda -- the Cote D'Ivoire was in the process of losing in epic fashion to Algeria in the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Nations 3-2 in extra time.
Why is this worth bringing up? Well, the Soccer Elephants appeared to have won the match with a 99th-percentile strike from Abdul Kader Keita. Few match-winners could compare with this strike. Stunning. (Watch here, until copyright police rear their ugly heads.)
In short, if you hit that kind of goal in the 88th minute, you have to win that match. Have to. (See, emphasis.)
So for Cote D'Ivoire, who are considered the best team in Africa because they have Didier Drogba, Toure Yaya, Saloman Kalou, etc. in their lineup, to lose in the quarterfinals, it's an epic letdown.
If you happened to be a Cote D'Ivoire a.k.a. the Ivory Coast (the non-preferred name that many use) diehard and watched your team allow an stoppage time header to force extra time, and then give up another goal in a very similar fashion, that's crippling. Like you're unable to think for a couple hours or days. Just dazing. (Great audio commentary, here, for the winner.)
Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.
Then, a couple hours later in New Orleans, Minnesota Vikings fans endured, probably a worse kick in the junk. No need to get into the gory details, but you have about four lost fumbles, coaching breakdowns, penalty breakdowns, question calls by the refs, questionable replay calls by the refs, overtime and of course, the Brett Favre factor.
For a franchise that's lost in four Super Bowls, this was a brutal loss to stomach for a tortured fanbase. Oh yeah, let's not forget the "Gary Anderson" game, either.
If I were a Vikes fan and lived in Minnesota, I'd probably just go out my door and pull the crazy penguin routine and just walk into the snowy wilderness until I collapsed.
Can these two disparate sets of fans, find that misery loves company Monday morning?
Is the Cote D'Ivoire's loss even comparable to what happened to the Vikings? Should the fact that the African Cup of Nations happens every two years mitigate things?
Either way, both are terrible ways to lose. Does it really matter all that much which one is worse?
And maybe as a USMNT we ought to erase the penciled in three points for the World Cup against Algeria. Not a ton of household names, but a win like that on Sunday shows a lot of guts. The "never-say-die" team sometimes can be harder to knock off than a squad of stars. We'll have plenty of more time to discuss it, but the match on June 23 in Pretoria probably decides if the U.S. gets through to the knockout stages.
Hey, the Premier League is back in action in the midweek after a break for the FA Cup. We only had three matches in the last set of games, but they were all important. Manchester United is now on top the league by two points -- but with two more games played than Chelsea. Arsenal is now even with the Blues, but the Gunners have played an extra game, too. And there is hope back at Liverpool, with Rafa's Rejects only a point out the final Champions League spot.
Tuesday:
* Portsmouth v. West Ham United -- Hey, at least Portsmouth won an FA Cup match over the weekend. Saturday I was chatting with a friend who couldn't believe that Pompey actually won the Cup two years ago. Then you remember that Harry Redknapp had Lassana Diarra (now at Real Madrid) and Sulley Muntari (now at Inter) in the mix, plus about half the current Spurs' team along with Glenn Johnson and semi-amazingly, Milan Baros. Oh, better days. West Ham? Anytime you can get a British smut magnate back involved in the Premier League, that's a good thing. Changing the club's name to West Ham Olympic? Err, not as much. Curious to see if this mystery check that West Ham is dangling to an unnamed striker amounts to anything. ... Portsmouth 1, West Ham 1
* Tottenham v. Fulham -- (Live, FSC, 2:45 p.m.) This match sets up favorably for Spurs since Fulham's best guns -- Bobby Zamora and Clint Dempsey won't play because of injuries. But is anything ever a lay-up for Tottenham? Interesting fact. Tottenham destroyed Wigan 9-1 on Nov. 23. In the 10 matches in the league since that, they've scored a total of 10 goals. These two teams played a scoreless draw on Boxing Day. I'm sure Roy Hodgson would sign up for repeat. ... Spurs 1, Fulham 0
* Wolves v. Liverpool -- (Live, Setanta, 2:45 p.m.) Wolves are about as non-descript a side we've seen in the Premier League in a long time. Do they have any sort of identity? Once again, Liverpool is on watch. This would seem like another chance for the club to stub it's toe. The track record for Liverpool this season is, "save the season", "blow the season." Frankly, I'm tired of guessing. If they can't beat Wolves with Steven Gerrard back in the fold, then they don't deserve to play in the Champions League. ... Wolves 0, Liverpool 1
* Bolton v. Burnley -- Good thing we had the whole Owen Coyle saga, otherwise this would be a totally forgettable match. If Bolton can't pull the full three points away from this one, well, it doesn't look good for long-term safety. If Coyle is a smart enough manager, you'd think he'd be able to field a lineup to exploit Burnley's weaknesses, right? And with the club in a relegation fight, how much playing time is Stuart Holden going to get between now and the end of the season? Worth the gamble if you're him, though. ... Bolton 2, Burnley 1
Wednesday:
* Aston Villa v. Arsenal -- Could be a fun one at Villa Park. Aston Villa has allowed six goals in its last two matches, both Cup games. As we know Arsenal likes to score and should be in a foul mood after losing in the FA Cup on Saturday. You wonder if Villa has the mental resolve to get a result here, because right around this time last season the Gunners blew past them up the table and into the Champions League. Considering how Aston Villa's defense has played the last couple matches, plus the congestion of fixtures, it could be tough to slow down the Gunners. ... Aston Villa 1, Arsenal 2
* Chelsea v. Birminham City -- (Live, FSC, 2:45) Birmigham is the club that keep on chugging along. I think that the unbeaten run, which began in October ends here. Brum got lucky to get a 0-0 draw on Boxing Day to Chelsea, in a game where it took 30 shots. Chelsea got some good news from Africa, with Didier Drogba on his way back sooner than later, but it also lost Michael Essien for the near future, which probably doesn't cancel out. ... Chelsea 2, Birmingham 0
* Blackburn v. Wigan Athletic -- Case and point of the blob-like mass of teams that are going to contest the relegation fight over the next four and a half months. ... Blackburn 1, Wigan 1
* Everton v. Sunderland -- Two teams going in different directions. Everton seems to have gotten its act together, even if that includes bringing in Phillippe Senderos. With Mikel Arteta returning from an 11-month layoff, maybe the Toffees can make a run and secure a Europa League berth. That's about all they can do at this point, out of the Cups and all. Meanwhile, something is rotten with Sunderland. Not sure what it is, but the team hasn't seemed right for weeks. If he plays, this could be the best chance for Landon Donovan to get onto the scoresheet for Everton. ... Everton 3, Sunderland 1
Last round: 3-0
Season: 113-98:
Labels: African Cup of Nations, brett favre, cote d'ivoire, English Premier League, fox soccer, losing sucks, nfl, Prem Picks, Soccer
Man, whose daughter did someone at Arsenal sleep with to get this schedule? Their next four games - @ Villa, v United, @ Chelsea, v Liverpool.
That race four fifth place could be a lot more meaningful than last season, also. If Villa play Citeh in the Carling Cup Final, that means one Europa League spot goes to those teams. In the FA Cup you only have Chelsea, Villa, City, and (if they can take care of Leeds) Spurs still fighting among the CL spot contenders.
I think Holden has a decent chance of playing. Coyle likes to play entertaining, attacking football and he doesn't have too many options like that at Bolton. I don't know that Holden will get a lot of run but I think he'll get a fair shot. Certainly more so than if he had signed on before Coyle got there.