Oh, those Dutch fans

A Ukrainian television journalist desperately tries to video a piece at Euro2012 with enthusiastic Dutch fans in the background. But they turn out to be a bit too enthusiastic. It makes for entertaining video, but not in the way the broadcaster intended.

Young daughter tries to cheer up devastated father

Had a tough day? This video clip of a daughter trying to cheer up her father on the field after his team has been relegated from the Eredivisie in Holland is simply adorable.

Delirium, thy home is Manchester

In the most incredible late twist I've ever seen in a major sporting event, Manchester City scored two goals in the last 5 minutes to win a match that gave them their first championship in English soccer in 44 years.

Manchester City had to match hated cross-city rival Manchester United's result to win the title on goal difference, and United defeated Sunderland 1-0. In fact, when the final whistle blew for United's match, the Red Devils were poised to be crowned champions - for the 20th time.

And then this happened:



Manchester City swept both matches against United this season and were consistently the better team throughout...so the right team won it.

It's all the sweeter for me because I'd adopted ManCity as one of my favorite teams in England several years ago when I first began paying attention thanks to storm chasing friends I made who live in the U.K. Thanks to new (and insanely wealthy) owners, they've been able to assemble an impressive squad that has shifted the tide of power in Manchester...and England.

If you want to see it in English, here you go.

Sizing up Serie A

Purists will tell you the best soccer (or "football," as they call it almost everywhere except in the U.S.) is played in Italy, that the best tactics and technicians can be found in Serie A.

One of the more compelling arguments for that stance can be found in the World Cup, where Italy has become a world power - winning titles or at least advancing deep into the tournament every four years even when far more talented teams are knocked out. But that argument also seems sepia-toned in recent years, with Italian teams failing to impress in the Champions League or UEFA Cup (or its pale successor, the Europa League).

Perhaps the best way to sum up the Serie A this days can be found in words written recently by Soccernet's Roberto Gotta:

"Almost every year, a match-fixing scandal erupts, leading to point deductions, bans and a general feeling that what we see out on the pitch - especially results from March onwards - should not be trusted in its entirety. The Lega Serie A, the top-flight's governing body, is a fractious assortment of owners and directors who should be sued for improper use of the term 'league' by bona fide organisations like the NFL, as the clear goal of most of them is to create an uneven playing field and a financial divide with the others.
Most games are played in dilapidated, uncomfortable grounds where access is complicated by a general lack of advance information about something as simple as how to get a ticket..."


And yet people are drawn to Serie A, as if to see whether the football fashionistas can craft more sublime play - not unlike checking the runways of Milan to watch for the next stunning clothing trend.

So I'll offer my picks for Serie A this season, which seems to have more teams poised to pursue the prized Scudetto than in many years. At the bottom end of the table, this year's newly promoted teams offer intrigue of their own. And so, without further ado....

1. AC Milan - Milan ended Internazionale's 5-year reign as champions last season, and seem well-positioned to defend their title. With Pato, Ibrahimovic and Cassano up front and Seedorf and Ambrosini feeding them crosses, Milan has the firepower to trouble any back four.

2. Napoli - Shrewd acquisitions have strengthened a team that finished third last season, and Naples could celebrate its first title since the legendary Mardona strolled in the shadows of Mount Vesuvius. This is a team with real flair, but the title could be determined by the strength of the defense.

3. Internazionale - Dethroned and in disarray, no one seems to know what formations the 2010 Champions League winners will favor. Selling Samuel Eto'o to cut the wage bill can't help but make Inter fans fret. The team seems a step slower, too. But there's still a number of world-class players on the squad, though, so Inter can't be counted out.

4. Juventus - A new stadium and a bundle of new faces for the Old Lady of Italian soccer. But will all the changes bring a change in fortune for the titans from the Italian Alps? Historically, such dramatic change doesn't succeed quickly.

5. Roma - Just as Juventus fell on hard times in recent years (relatively speaking) for one of the nation's football giants, Roma appears ripe for a dip in form. A new owner, from America no less, and dissension in the playing staff are combining to drift a cloud over the team as the season gets under way.

6. Lazio - Rome's "other" team seems well-placed to finish higher in the table than their illustrious arch rivals.

7. Udinese - Shorn of much of the talent that earned Udinese a surprise Champions League spot last season, this team is a favorite among pundits to slip to mid-table mediocrity. But I'm reading that coach Francesco Guidolin has recruited wisely, and this could be a better team than expected.

8. Bologna - One of Italy's more successful teams years ago has re-established itself in the top flight. And the Bolognese seem primed for a climb up the table this season by adding quality depth.

9. Fiorentina - Gone are the heady days of the Champions League for the Viola. That won't please the fans, but free-spending ways have to be a thing of the past or the plunge into relegation territory that baffled observers recently won't be just an anomaly.

10. Genoa - An ambitious club that hasn't matched its expectations, Genoa has endured mid-table mediocrity - with the exception of one foray into the UEFA Cup - since returning to the top flight several years ago. There's little to suggest that will change this season, either.

11. Chievo Verona - Any team nicknamed the Flying Donkeys deserves a smile and a casual rooting interest. This team has done remarkably well living on a shoestring budget - having earned a Champions League and UEFA Cup spot despite having only been in the top flight for the first time in its history this decade. Nothing that dramatic this season, however.

12. Palermo - Key personnel losses could see Palermo dive to near the relegation places, particularly if backroom unrest isn't settled soon.

13. Parma - From here on down, relegation worries will linger. If someone were to tell me Parma is relegated, I wouldn't be surprised. They've been up and down more than once in the past decade.

14. Cesena - Remarkably managed to stay in Serie A last season after two consecutive promotions. I'm hard-pressed to remember the last time that happened. Some nice additions should keep the Seahorses in the top flight another year as well.

15. Catania - The Sicilian derbies with Palermo give the Serie A some of its strongest flavor. But Catania appears to be weaker this year, and for a team that has flirted often with relegation that spells trouble.

16. Siena - A promising coach and more steel in defense should do just enough to keep Siena from dropping straight back down to Serie B.

17. Cagliari - Masters at staving off the drop, Cagliari may not be so fortunate this year.

18. Lecce - They try to play attractive, attacking football, but that has led to an awful lot of goals given up on the counter-attack.

19. Novara - Like Cesena last year, reached Serie A after back-to-back promotions. They play attractive football, and may be helped by the fact that the bottom third of Serie A is filled with weak teams.

20. Atalanta - Starting in a 6-point hole due to match-fixing won't help what promised to be a challenging campaign at all. Reggina overcame it a few years ago, but that was swimming against the tide.

Prognosticating the Premier League

The English Premier League season kicked off this past weekend. It's the most televised professional soccer league in the world, with the highest ratings. Whether the soccer in the Premiership is better than the top leagues in Spain, Italy, France or Germany is a matter of debate (and preference for style of play).

I started following it about a decade ago when Fox Soccer Channel became part of my cable TV package, and I now have several soccer (or "football," as they - rightfully - call it) fans on my lists of followers on Twitter, friends on Facebook and readers of my weather blog for the Eagle.

It's amazing how markedly the service I received in France and Germany improved when the waiters learned I follow soccer and was aware of their local teams. Football as an international ice-breaker --- fancy that!

Anyway, just as I like to do for the NFL and MLB here in the USA, I make an effort to choose how I think teams will finish each season in the Premiership (and in the Championship, the next tier of English soccer). My friends overseas enjoy receiving them for the abundant laughs they invariably share from the list.

It is a challenge to make these predictions, because teams can still bring in new players (and let current ones go) up until Aug. 31 (think of MLB's trading deadline). That means a team's fortunes could still shift dramatically one way or the other in the coming weeks.

But it somehow seems wrong to wait until the teams have already played nearly 10 percent of their games before making picks and pretending to be wise, so here we go.

1. Manchester United - the Yankees of the Prem, winners of 19 English titles - more than any other club; they also have an incredibly talented and deep squad and are well-positioned to make a run at 20.
2. Manchester City - ManU's chief title rivals may be their "noisy neighbors" just across town. City is the wealthiest club in the world, thanks to their oil-rich owners, and have amassed the most talented squad in the league. But will they gel in time to win the title for the first time in more than 40 years?
3. Chelsea - This London-based team has a weathy Russian owner who splashed barrels of cash several years ago to stack the squad (much like ManCity has done the past year or two) and brought home Prem titles and FA Cups. But that squad is aging now, and a new coach has to navigate the transition to a younger team while still chasing silverware. Tricky task, that.
4. Liverpool - Once England's dominant soccer team, now eclipsed by ManU, Liverpool is relying on new American owner and old hero Kenny Dalglish as coach to mount another assault on the throne. Likely a year or two too soon.
5. Tottenham - Another London club, the Hotspurs (think of an angry rooster) finished fourth two seasons ago and enjoyed their first taste of Champions League football (a competition among Europe's best teams, and the biggest tournament in European soccer). But they faded a bit last season and haven't spent much so far this summer.
6. Arsenal - The "Gunners" just lost one of their best players and may lose another before the end of the month; known in recent years for playing pretty football but not winning trophies, Arsenal looks like it could struggle unless/until Coach Arsene Wenger can stem the bleeding.
7. Everton - Liverpool's "other" team has a well-earned reputation for punching above its weight and finishing higher in the standings (or "table," as they refer to it overseas) than their resources suggest they should. But shoestrings and pixie dust only last so long, and the Toffees seem far more likely to tumble than to climb - particularly if the injury list grows long.
8. Aston Villa - One of two teams in Birmingham, England's "second city," the Villans figure to settle near the top of the Prem's "second tier," which starts at about 7th place this year.
9. Fulham - Another old London club has longtime American striker Clint Dempsey in its strike force. It also has a new manager, Martin Jol, who should steer the Cottagers to mid-table safety.
10. Sunderland - After a late-season slump nearly sucked Sunderland into the relegation scrap, manager Steve Bruce brought in enough new players to field an entirely new set of starters. Expect an up-and-down season that'll land 'em right around the middle.
11. West Brom - That's short for "West Bromwich Albion," a club in the western midlands dating back to 1888. A notorious "yo-yo" club (for its propensity to earn promotion to the Premiership only to be relegated back to the second division), the Baggies enjoyed their highest finish in the Prem last season. Manager Roy Hodgson looks to solidify West Brom this season, and for the first time in memory no one is predicting Brom to fall through the trapdoor this year.
12. Stoke - The Potters had a storied season last year, making it all the way to the FA Cup final, which earned them a berth in the Europa League this year. The question is whether that competition will so tax a limited Stoke squad to the point they'll suffer in league play.
13. Bolton - The Wanderers had one of their best-ever seasons in the Prem unfolding until a late-season fade. Now, with much of their firepower going elsewhere, they need to find goals from those who are left to avoid a scary slide down the table.
14. Newcastle - A team in disarray, the Geordies would be favorites for the drop if it weren't for so many flawed teams elsewhere. This team needs more of everything, and those glory days of even 10 years ago seem a sepia-toned memory.
15. Wolverhampton - The Wolves survived relegation by the faintest of margins last season, and figure to be in the relegation scrap again. I like their additions, however, and they have a decent shot at survival.
16. QPR - Queen's Park Rangers looked a good bet for relegation before a new owner took charge one week into the season. With a few reinforcements, last season's Championship winners have a fighting chance to avoid an immediate return to the second tier.
17. Norwich - The Canaries have a solid team for a squad just up from the Championship, and should be able to do enough to stay up this season.
    
18. Swansea - A fun team to watch, but frailties in defense will be punished. The Swans should score goals, but they'll also give up a bundle.
19. Wigan - It's hard to believe Wigan has stayed in the Prem for 7 years now. A late-season surge saved them in their annual brush with relegation last year, but I can't see it happening again. 
20. Blackburn - Shady owners, a paper-thin squad, little talent, a clueless manager ---- Blackburn's going down.

Celebrating too soon

And now a story from the nether regions of Italian soccer. It seems the goalkeeper from the team Dro was so intent on celebrating a missed penalty kick in the playoff to secure promotion to the next level that he didn't bother to pay attention to the bouncing orb.

OK, here's a Top 10 for best soccer goals of 2010

I decided to check out Top 10 lists of best soccer goals of 2010, and came across this piece about those nominated for Best Goal of 2010. I can't say I agree with every shot included, but most are jaw-droppers and well worth a look.

 

A stunning goal in soccer

On a night when sleep eludes me, I came across this amazing goal during a soccer match earlier this year. Even if you don't care much about "football" - and many Americans don't - you have to marvel at this shot.

Futball??

If "Seinfeld" was a show about nothing, the World Cup is a show about nothing-nothing.

Obligatory soccer jab aside, I have to admit that I will be paying attention to what goes on in South Africa over the next month.

Not that I'll be able to hear much of it pleasantly, not with those vuvuzelas blaring. Americans hate soccer because there's little scoring, build-up play can have a glacial pace, and 90 minutes can feel like 90 hours.

But, like with any sport, when it's played well it's a beautiful thing to watch. My interest in soccer blossomed after I met a few Englishmen who came to the Midwest for a tornado chasing tour, and it was a frequent topic of conversation via email once they returned to the UK. Fox Soccer Channel became part of my cable package, and I started watching matches more out of a curiosity to see how the sportscasters described the game than anything else.

It's been background noise for many a Saturday morning since then. Along the way, I began picking up the nuances of the game and learned to appreciate well-played soccer. Or football, as it's more properly called. And I've learned enough about it that my commentary is welcomed by English soccer correspondents. I rather enjoy that.

My picks for this World Cup? Spain, England, Brazil.....perhaps Holland in the semifinals as well. Germany could surprise, with its bevy of young talent and history of always doing well. Italy, the defending champions, strike me as being too old.

The U.S.? It will need to play well to get out of the group stages, but if the Americans meet Germany in the first round of the knock-out phase, I don't like their chances. The defense has been too wobbly, and I'm not seeing enough threat from their strikers - though Altidore does show the occasional flash of brilliance that has tempted European clubs for a while now.

With the World Cup, however, the pagentry and spectacle are every bit as much of the show as the match itself - not unlike the Super Bowl.

And I was looking forward to it enough to finally break down and get a DVR. No more "taping" shows for me.

In one way, at least, I guess it took the world's game to drag me kicking and screaming into the 21st Century.

A little bit of homemade stew

Idle thoughts on a wide range of topics....

I don't know why, but I almost always do a double-take when I see the moon on a clear night. It doesn't matter if it's just a sliver or full and glowing, there's something about seeing the moon that makes me pause and ponder for a few moments --- and sometimes longer.

* * *

I must be watching too much soccer on TV. The other day on one my evening walks I strolled past an after-school soccer practice among middle school students and watched one kid after another sky their shots far over the crossbar as they accepted crosses from out wide. "You're leaning back as you shoot," I thought. "Straighten up."

Not that I'd ever want to coach soccer. I'll leave that to others with more patience than me.

* * *

Summer's departure always saddens me. Maybe it's my farming background, but I recognized summer as growing season, and nature flashing its nurturing potential. Sure, winter has its beauty and its purpose, but summer feeds us. Summer warms us. Summer presents the trees and the grass and the flowers in full glory.

I realize one of the keys to an enriched life is to find the beauty available in every season...but I still miss summer when it bids us farewell......

* * *

I spent some time with my godson, Anthony, looking at the photos of his school trip to Europe this summer. It was a remarkable trip, to Ireland, England, France, Belgium and Holland...all to places I have not visited. He had a lot of fun, for which I was grateful, and it was as entertaining to hear his stories as it was to see the photos.

It makes me want to find my passport and head over the pond again...

The dregs of summer television

Beach soccer?
On television???

And they're serious?