Fall Season Info

The deadline for registering for the the Fall 2006 season has passed. If you missed the deadline but still want to register your child please drop the form in the mail TODAY! Once I have entered those who made the deadline into the database, I may be able to add some more players if room is available.

I have created a link (Over there! On the right!) to the FIFA rule book. It's a PDF file and is 84 pages long, but if you want to know the rules of the game that's the place to go. I will be uploading and creating a link to the UCSL Rules and Laws soon.

It's even scarier than an Italian mime! It's the start of the Fall 2006 soccer season. The registration deadline is July 23, the same day that we will be doing registration as at the Junior High in Anna from 9AM through noon.  

Thank God Ronaldino has found something to do since Brazil lost in the World Cup. 

ZIDANE FOR A DAY!

You, too, can be a world famous soccer player!

Zinedine Zidane is the goat of the Cup.....

Not a goat! A RAM! 

Portugal is #1!

In yellow cards, that is. But really the grand champ has to be Tunisia which managed to garner 14 cards in only 3 games, followed by Ghana with 18 in 4.

Team MP YC RC FC FS TC TS
POR 7 24 2 121 116 167 194
GHA 4 18 1 100 55 67 88
NED 4 16 2 85 53 91 73
TUN 3 14 1 65 37 75 95

In case you missed it....

Here's a summary of the last World Cup game by James Gaugherty at the National Review:

“kick… kick… pass… pass… oh, the other guy got it. Now the other guys try to advance. Kick… kick… pass… pass… out of bounds, throw-in. Kick… Kick… out of bounds, corner kick. Oh, two guys ran into each other, each one is insisting the other hit him. The stretcher comes out. They wave off the stretcher. Kick. Kick. Another run-in. Somebody’s getting a yellow card. The offender is giving the universal, “Who, me?” reaction. Kick, kick. Out of bounds. Throw in. Kick. One team’s coach is making wild arm gestures, the other is smoking. Kick. Header. Kick. Annnnd… SHOT ON GOAL! The fans wake up and go insane with excitement! But the goalie caught it. He punts it to the other end of the field, er, pitch. And… it’s in the hands of the other goalie. He punts it back. Header. Kick. Kick. Pass. Oh, wait, somebody’s lying on the ground again, insisting the other guy elbowed him.” (Repeat for forty-five minutes, plus injury time.)

Hey... I only see one striker! We'll never score! 

The other Ronaldo

After Portugal lost to France yesterday, the always classy Christiano Ronaldo said:

"Anyone who understands soccer saw that the referee wasn't fair," Ronaldo said.

What a baby.

Maybe he should instead be asking his coach why he played with one striker when they were down after 30 minutes. And why in around the 75th minute he TOOK OUT HIS ONLY STRIKER AND REPLACED HIM WITH A WINGER.

One Striker...and then

Both Germany and Italy played with a one striker configuration for the first 110 minutes or so. But when penalty kicks loomed, Italy substituted in two more strikers (presumably because they were good PK takers). The result? Two goals in less than two minutes.

Germany Surrenders!

From the Associated Press:

July 4, 2006 — BERLIN - Michael Ballack looks at scorelines from recent matches between Italy and Germany and draws a grim conclusion.

"We really stand no chance," the German captain said on the eve of today's semifinal match. "They beat us clearly and dominated us. Everything speaks against Germany."

Of course, he's kidding. I think that it will be the Italians feeling down.

Top 20 Soccer Players

What? No Fred? No Loco? No Ruud???

Tournament Prediction

Back on June 4, I wrote that Brazil was favored to win the World Cup, but European teams traditionally do well when the tournament is played in Europe, especially the home team (in this case, Germany).

The final four are Germany versus Italy and Portugal (the dirtiest and floppingest team in the Cup) versus France.

Yesterday's Prediction

I predicted yesterday that if England went with a single striker against Portugal, they wouldn't score. On that I was right. What I didn't predict was that being double teamed most of the game would frustrate that striker (Wayne Rooney) to the point where he did the bunny hop on the groin of Carvalho and get tossed from the game. 

Hops

German Coach Klinsmann's got hops. 

The Germans beat Argentina on penalty shots, and will play Italy in the semifinals. My Brits play Portugal today and Brazil goes against the French. I don't know who will win, but I will predict that 1) Roberto Carlos (Brazil) will be out of position most of the game; and 2) England will use one striker and not score.

Watch France's Ribery...