Copa América 2011

2011 Copa America

If one is not familiar with this tournament, then that person is not a true football (In the U.S. & Canada – Soccer) fan. This tournament was founded in 1916 under the name of South American Championship but in 1975 it was changed to Copa America; the Copa America occurs every 3 years in alternating South American countries. The two most successful nations with the most titles are Uruguay and Argentina, with 14 each. Although the tournament is for South American countries, other countries outside the region have participated such as Mexico, United States and Costa Rica have been participants to fill out the current 12 team format.  The last 5 Copa America’s (past 15 years), Brazil has won 4 and Colombia has won (they won the 2001 Copa America which split Brazil’s 4 into 2 consecutive victories). However, the last two have been played by nation’s that have such a rich football history with 7 FIFA World Cup victories combined; for those who are avid football fans and even those who only watch to partake in the festivities know the 2 teams are Brazil and Argentina. For a tournament to be running for almost a century speaks volumes on the severity of the tournament for the players and the nations involved, especially that of the host nation. Many analysts, pundits and fans alike always have this notion, because of their exceptional and world-class Footballers, that either Brazil or Argentina will win “La Copa.” Where they right in giving either team the Cup?

Argentina had Uruguay in the quarter-finals of the Copa America. Many people seem to not give Uruguay the respect they deserve for reasons that are unknown to many avid football fans. Uruguay has won the World Cup twice (1930 and 1950) and as aforementioned earlier, have won the Copa America 14 times including the very first one. In addition, they reached the semi-finals of the 2010 FIFA Men’s World Cup in South Africa. The feats accomplished are equal to the feats accomplished in the history of the Argentinean National Team; the only difference being that Uruguay does not have the super-stars that those people are accustomed to hearing. If one were to ask an average fan or a fickle football fan, who would win between Argentina and Uruguay? Chances are that person would, without hesitation and with a look on their face vehemently saying – are you serious; would say Argentina. If Mike Tyson taught the sports world anything, it is that anyone no matter how great one is can be defeated; which is exactly what happened to Argentina against Uruguay. The game went into penalty kicks level 1 to 1 (gols coming from Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuain and Uruguay’s Diego Perez), with Uruguay prevailing – 5 x 4. The Argentinean who missed the penalty was no other than “El Apache” Carlos Tevez.  That being said, the host nation who anticipated bringing home the Cup is no longer bringing home the Cup but rather their gym bags full of disappointment.

Since the projected winner of the Cup got eliminated a day prior to the other projected Cup winning team, how did Brazil do? For starters, A Seleção or the Samba Boys played a game in which they showed their superiority for the whole entire game including overtime but had nothing to show for it. “Brazil should have won in 90 minutes,” [Gerardo] Martino [Paraguayan Coach] said. “We were lucky.” Brazil was playing a Paraguayan side that was playing good defense and the counter-attack, which made it difficult for the Brazilians to enter the goal area; but for a team with such talent and history that shouldn’t have been a problem but it was. The style that Mano Menezes instill is what the term “Joga Bonito” (Brazilian Portuguese for Beautiful Game) arose from which is their attack first philosophy, in which the Brazilians would create magic even when there is nothing that they can create it from but would find a way to score. The only beautiful game that happened during this game was not found on the pitch but probably found in the Brazilian section of the stands. Just like their rival - Argentina - Brazil was ousted in penalty’s in a manner that can only be mimicked by a video-gamer playing the FIFA game with their eyes closed.

Brazil lost the shootout 0 x 2, with the Brazilians missing 4 of them in humiliating fashion. "Of course if we keep raking over the four missed penalties that saw us go out then we will not talk about the game we played, which marked an evolution in the team and the squad," Menezes told a news conference. Brazil can be paralleled to the baseball team, New York Yankees, in a sense that if they do not win it all, the season/tournament is seen as a failure; that’s how high the bar is set for the 5x World Cup Champions.  "I know you live and die by results," said Menezes. "But these will come if we continue on the path we are on."

The 2011 Copa America Finals will mark 10 years since Brazil or Argentina have been in the finals. In 2001, it was Mexico vs. Colombia; with Colombia coming out victorious over “El Tri.” But before the finals can happen, the semi-finals have to be played. On one side of the bracket, Uruguay plays Peru on July 19, 2011 and on the other side its – Venezuela vs. Paraguay on July 20, 2011. One would think that Uruguay will defeat Peru and Paraguay would defeat Venezuela since both teams eliminated the 2 teams that were projected to win it all. As seen many times in sports, projections are merely words that can be said by anyone, no matter what title is bestowed upon because a game still has to be played to decide the outcome of an event. So will Peru play the role of Netherlands to Uruguay’s hopes in making it to the finals of a major tournament? Will Venezuela show the world that they also are a nation with a great Football National Team and not just baseball? The 2011 Copa America Finals will be held on Sunday July 24^th, 2011. Which teams do you project to make it to the finals?

 

2011 UEFA Champions League Finals

For football (soccer) aficionados, the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Champions League Final can only be summed as - The Biggest Game in all European Football. For those living in the United States of America, this game is the equivalent to the Super Bowl in the National Football League (American Football). In other words, when the season starts for all European club teams, their goal is to win this game because it is the most sought after trophy. The team that wins this game has accomplished a grand feat that many team always strive to achieve, in which many teams have failed to do so because of the many great club teams that participate. However, the two teams in this years UEFA Cup Finals - Manchester United and Barcelona - have both won the Champions League three times each. In addition, these two teams are no stranger to each, for they have ran into each other 3 out of 4 years. Manchester United from the rugged English Premier League and Barcelona from the technical La Liga will once again be battling each other in the 2011 UEFA Champions League Finals at Wembley Stadium in London, England but before the analysis, one has to know why they constantly run into each other paths crushing each other's goals. 

Manchester United

When the football club of Manchester United is mentioned, many reactions will be received; either with disgust or with tremendous joy. The reason why one would react with disgust is that they have won the English Premier League (EPL) a record 19 times, won 11 FA Cups, won 3 UEFA Champions League Titles, and is the only English Club Team to be world champions (2x); as a result, many people view them as "buying championships" through the huge contracts that attract the great players to come play with them. On the contrary, the supporters of Manchester United are usually from Old Trafford, Greater Manchester and individuals from all over the world; but they are frowned upon because of the mantra bestowed upon them for "buying championships." Winning 19 EPL titles is no easy feat especially in a league that has no "weak team." The EPL is such a physical league that many other leagues throughout the world such as La Liga would complain for the foul because of the tackle or the challenge of any degree. The physicality, not so much the technical like in La Liga, of the EPL is what stands out amongst the many leagues across European Football; which many experts and fans from all degrees of support, have said the EPL is the best league in the world, for the "beautiful game" is actually played not stopped at every tackle or challenge. 

Barcelona

Amongst the fans (except, mainly those of Real Madrid) and experts, the most beloved Football club around the world is FC Barcelona. The reason for this is simple; Lionel Messi - the 2x FIFA World Player award recipient, and many other countless awards that if were to be acknowledge would transform this blog entry into a novel. Lionel Messi is at the helm of the attack and the reason behind the many winning efforts of FC Barcelona. Like Manchester United, Barcelona is a storied football club that have won countless of honors - 21 La Liga titles, 25 Spanish Cup, 3x UEFA Championship League titles, 3x UEFA Super Cup titles and many others. The success of Barcelona can be attributed to their amazing 'feeder team' (FC Barcelona B and Barcelona C Teams) that develop young talent into superstars such as Pedro, Bojan, Messi, Puyol, Xavi and many more. Since Barcelona tries not to attract great players through huge contracts, many fans around the world tend to be supporters. La Liga, unlike the EPL, is a completely different type of league.The Spanish League is all about being technical and not physical. Barcelona's approach is 'ball control', meaning that they are always passing the ball, in hopes of an opening, so they can attack. However, when there is a tackle or a challenge of any degree, many players tend to 'flop', in hopes that the referee awards a set piece. Consequently, the La Liga games seem to be slower than the EPL because the players tend to fall at every challenge from the defender; thus creating, a spark contrast between the EPL and La Liga.   

2011 Champions League Final

For the football aficionados, this game is what they would say 'nothing new.' These two teams have run into each other and have crushed each others season's goals, either in the semi-finals or finals. In the 2007-2008 UEFA Champions League season, Manchester United defeated FC Barcelona 1-0 in aggregate in the semi-finals. The first leg was a 0 to 0 draw but in the second leg, United scored the gol that took them to the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final against another EPL team, Chelsea. United would win their third UEFA Champions League, 6 to 5 in penalty kicks. Then the next year, the 2008-2009 UEFA Champions League, both teams ran into each other again; this time in the 2009 Finals. It was a chance for FC Barcelona to redeem themselves from the previous semi-finals elimination at the hands of their finals opponents. Not only did they win but they won convincingly with a 2 to 0 defeat of the team that broke their hearts and derailed their 2007-2008 hopes of the title. Just like Manchester United, Barcelona won their third UEFA Champions League Final. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on the person, Barcelona and Manchester United, did not run into each other but were both eliminated from the title contention by the eventual finalists, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. Now in the 2010-2011 UEFA Champions League Final, the two teams that have always run into each other will once again, run into each other for the chance to be the 4x UEFA Champion. Will the physical play of the Manchester United superstar Wayne Rooney be enough to take Barcelona's superstar, Lionel Messi, out of his technical element? Will the Red Devils send the Avi del Barça down the path of damnation? Will the EPL reign supreme over La Liga? Barcelona or Manchester United? Who is your team?

What Would You Do After Winning A Major Sports Event?

 Sergio Ramos Kissing Before or After the final?

If you just won or got something you have been wanting to acquire for 18 years, how would you react? Would you be rational enough to think of a plan on how to go about such a glorious day? Would you ignore such an accomplishment and just continue on with your day? Or would you emotionally celebrate the feat, which has eluded you for 18 years, with friends? 

After Cristiano Ronaldo (CR7) scored the winning goal in the first half of overtime, and knowing how good a defense Real Madrid was playing, Barcelona succumbed to the jaws of defeat. If history has shown us anything about teams that Sergio Ramos plays for, it is when he wins a major event whether for the Spanish National Team or Club Team, Real Madrid, it is that he not only celebrates it but enjoys every second of it without consequence. Before the Copa Del Rey victory, Sergio Ramos is here celebrating Spain's 2010 World Cup victory in the airplane with his fellow teammates. Even though they played a grueling and physical final game against The Netherlands in South Africa, Sergio Ramos and company celebrated till they couldn't no more (bare in mind that from South Africa to Spain, it is a seven hour plane flight). 

Guess Who Dropped the Cup?

Although the Copa Del Rey is not quite as big as winning the World Cup, it is the most sought after trophy in Spain, making it a great accomplishment. So when Real Madrid won the cup, and knowing how Sergio Ramos is when he is part of a huge accomplishment, one can only guess what he would do. Most, if not all, the Real Madrid team were on top of their bus at around 4am (local time) celebrating, and at the helm of the festivities, he was there holding the cup, over the railing. One can only imagine the state of jubilation, he and the team, were in but what we all know is that Sergio Ramos was celebrating hard. The picture to the left depicts the events leading after, him holding the cup over the bus's railing. Yes, he dropped the prestigious, the most sought after, the precious, the magnificent, the marvelous, Copa Del Rey trophy. No one was hurt from this travesty, of sorts, only the trophy suffered 'injuries', and maybe his pride. 

Accomplishing something that hasn't been done in almost 20 years, and being part of something bigger than yourself is something to be extremely proud of, and should warrant a grand celebration. One knows that when emotions of happiness overcomes the mind and takes its course on the body, it is quit difficult to think of the consequences of actions; but as history would teach a player that holds a trophy over a moving vehicle anything in times to come, it is not to do it. But it is easier said than done, so I pose this question: What would you do after winning a major sports event?

El Clasico 2011

El Clasico 2011

When two of the most influential and popular sports teams in the world play each other, it is a game not to be missed. When two of those teams are from the Spanish League, La Liga, then it is certainly should not be missed. When the game between these two sporting giants has a title-El Clasico-then it must not be missed for any reason whatsoever. It goes without saying to every soccer aficionado, that this game is between Barcelona of Catalunya and Real Madrid of the capital, Madrid. These two heated rivals play each other twice a year within their league but is not limited to just two, because they might play for the Copa Del Rey and/or in the coveted UEFA Champions League, in which in 2011 seems to be the case.

On November 29, 2010 at Camp Nou in Barcelona, it was a game that Real and their supporters, Madridistas, want to put behind them. Barcelona imposed their style of play, which is ball possession or colloquially speaking, keep away from Real; as a result, Real got frustrated and started to lose their composure. An example of the frustration was when Cristiano Ronaldo pushed Pep Guardiola, Barcelona's coach, when he went to throw the ball back into play, after it went out-of-bounds. Within the first ten minutes of the game, Xavi scored for Barça, then Pedro scored in the 18th; feeling left out, David Villa scored two of his own in the 55th and 58th minute, and so did, Jeffren, in the 90th minute. Not only did Real feel embarrass for their performance and left the pitch with their heads down, certain players took out their frustration on Barça players, once the game was over. All throughout Camp Nu, Los Cules (Barcelona supporters) gave the TV audience-around the 200 million mark-the impression that five goals was not satisfying but enough to beat their bitter rivals.

Now on April 16, 2011 at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, the second game will be played between these two enormously popular soccer club teams. The players that will try to take over are the usual for both teams: Spearheading the attack for Barcelona are Messi, David Villa and Pedro and for Real Madrid are Benzema, Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo. The players mention are not what a soccer aficionados would call usual, rather, call them the best soccer players in the world especially Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The one thing that is for certain, the second game will provide a lot of fireworks from both teams and will be watched by hundreds of millions of people. Jose Mourihno, coach of Real Madrid, has stated "...that the 2nd leg will be different than the 1st", well for all Madridistas, this is music to their ears but as we all know, "talk is cheap." 

March 26, 2011 = A Sports Fan Ideal Day

Even though I have multiple TVs throughout my house, I only have a pair of eyes in which I can see sports. Today is a day in which I wish I had eyes all over the place especially on a TV because today is a day that a sports fan can only dream of. What makes today so special for a sports fan, a person might ask themselves that? Allow me to explain by citing what is going on in the world of sports.

EuroCup Qualifier Games are throughout ESPN and GolTv.

There are also soccer 'friendly games' between nations such as Chile V. Portugal and the most talked about amongst soccer aficionados is the appearance of Lionel Messi, whom the youth call 'A Beast' for his athletic prowess, in New Jersey. The United States National Team plays the Argentinian National Team at the new Meadowlands Stadium. 

Spring Training Baseball Games are being shown through MLB Network and other channels. Why is Spring Training Games important to watch today? They are not but these are the last Spring Training Games of the pre-season because Opening Day is March 31, 2011.

NCAA 'March Madness' Games are on TV on CBS, TBS and TNT. These are the Regional Finals also known as The Elite 8. These games will decide which team will make it the Final Four, one game away from a National Championship.

HBO is broadcasting world class boxing bouts called HBO 'Boxing After Dark' today around 9:45PM EST with the main event being Yuriorkis Gamboa Vs. Jorge Manuel in a Featherweight Bout; two fighters that only have one speed and that is go, go, go.

UFC is also broadcasting world class mixed martial art fights called "Fight Night' on Spike TV at 10PM EST. Even though it is on free TV, this card can, in some people's opinion, be put on pay-per-view and still sell. This card has some amazing fights such as Dan Hardy V. Anthony Johnson, Amir Sadollah V. DeMarques Johnson and the main event being Phil 'Mr. Wonderful' Davis V. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

If this is not what a sports fan ideal day looks like than I do not know what is but the one thing I do know is that I am a huge sports fan and March 26, 2011 is my ideal day.

United States Will Play Host to a Legend in the Making

Lionel Messi

No one would ever think that a twenty-three year old athlete is a legend in the making especially in professional sports. The reason behind this is for the mere fact that the athlete is TWENTY-THREE years old!!! People at the age of twenty-three year usually are associated with rookies, a great professional prospect or what the recruits call, pro-ready - an athlete performing at a professional level and plays in a system similar, if not, the same as professional clubs. However, in the sport of Soccer or what the rest of the world calls Football, twenty-three year old players, typically have a few years playing at the highest level -  European Leagues, specifically in England and Spain - or in this case almost a decade.

If you still are not familiar with the twenty-three year old soccer athlete, his name is Lionel Messi. He is from Rosario, Argentina and has been playing the beautiful game (soccer) since he was in diapers. He plays for a club team in Catalunya, Spain called Barcelona Futbol Club. He has been playing for Barcelona since the tender age of seventeen-years old. Although he was trained within their system but for a young man to play for an esteemed club at the highest level at such an age is extremely rare. At his debut game for Barcelona, he scored a goal which shows his tremendous skills and poise for a young athlete. He has achieved so much in his short but remarkable six year career that athletes that are much older still strive to accomplish. One of his greatest accomplish to date is that he has been a two time recipient of The FIFA World Player of the Year Award, a feat that only Brazil's Ronaldo and Ronaldihno have accomplished in FIFA's extistence.

On March 26, 2011, The United States National Team will play against Argentina's National Team with Lionel Messi, most likely serving as team captain, at the new Meadowlands in New Jersey, USA. How are the Americans going to stop this 'legend in the making' from taking over the game is  to be seen but one thing that is for certain, the soccer community will definitely be in full force to see one of the greatest living players that is active on a roster....And did I say he is only TWENTY-THREE years old!!!!!

Whats The Next Level For An Accomplished NCAA Wrestler; The UFC?

I read this article and I asked myself: Whats the next level that a NCAA Wrestler can compete while earning a living?

 Check Out These NCAA Wrestlers Who Would Excel Fighting In The UFC

I know College Football has the NFL, UFL, CFL and even Arena Football. College Basketball has the notable NBA and the many leagues around the globe. College Baseball has the MLB and their farm leagues (minor leagues) and many leagues worldwide. College Soccer has the MLS and the prestigious Spanish, English, Italian, German, Dutch, Brazilian and many others. As for College Wrestling, they have hmmmm, well let me think about this one. (After pondering and scratching my head about this scenario for a matter of precious seconds) I can only think of one, especially as of late, which is Mixed Martial Arts and their respective organizations. For example, UFC, Bellator, Strikefore, WEC (now defunct), King of the Cage and so forth. The only difference between these organizations and the organizations of aforementioned sports is that MMA is  'merely a baby' in comparison.

Baseball, Basketball, Football, and Soccer has been around for almost a hundred years whereas Wrestling has been around for thousands and thousands of years since the days of Ancient Greeks and Romans. So why is it Wrestling isn't as popular as these other sports? Can it be wrestling suffered a similar fate as Horse Racing (Sport of Kings) during the rise of sports on television? See what happen to Horse Racing was that it was not shown on television to the masses and because of that the generation that was growing up, was not exposed to the sport. Consequently, that generation became adults and passed down the sports they grew up playing and watching - Baseball, Basketball, Football, and Soccer - to their kids and cycle just kept repeating till these sports became the most popular.

Now in present day; UFC is on the rise and being televised which means, the generation that is growing up are being exposed to MMA just like the many generations before them were to Football, Baseball, Basketball, and Soccer. Sooner or later, if not right now, kids will want to have a successful wrestling career in college with the aspirations of becoming the next UFC Champion.

So with MMA companies on the rise such as The UFC, whats next for an accomplished NCAA Wrestler? With the exception of Stephen Neal, a 2x NCAA Champion for Cal State Bakersfield that played ten years for the 3x Super Bowl Champions- New England Patriots - MMA seems to be the logical choice.

What Should An Athlete Do?

What would you do; if someone where to tell you that 'you can participate in your last competitive and important tournament of your entire career but chances are that you will require surgery is more likely than 100%?'

That is what one of the athletes is going through - He broke his hand, during an intense practice. This kid has been working hard for four years (off-season included) to achieve a top six spot at what could be his last tournament of his high school career. According to the rankings, this kid is in the top five wrestlers that could accomplish a top five finish and even though rankings are nothing but stats on paper, more so than anything, rankings are a good indicator on the abilities of such athletes.

That being said; what is the best course of action that an athlete can take? Risk surgery for a cause that the athlete has been working so hard for four hard years? Risk regretting not participating in the last tournament of a grueling career? Participating in the tournament till the body tells the athlete that it can no longer keep up with the mind set and withdraw?  In the end, a dedicated athlete will not be in the right mind set in terms of knowing whats best for them, so the coach will have to evaluate the situation/outcomes of all scenarios and suggest the best course of action with the athletes best interest in mind.

The Inauguration

What up everybody,
I am Coach P from the Archbishop Riordan High School Wrestling team. I want to welcome you to my blog about wrestling, MMA, Football, Baseball and everything sports related in my life. Thank you for taking time off from your web-surfing to read this nice little introduction. In addition, if you would like to know what is going on in this wonderful world of ours through articles ranging from fitness, health, travel, food, weather, technology and etc; follow me on Twitter @ PAH89 (http://twitter.com/#!/PAH89) or any of the popular social media sites. In addition, check out Social Marketing Factory sites to see how you can use the benefits of social media effectively. I wish you all of you the best in your web-surfing and hopefully, you find awesome deals, informative articles, cool pictures and/or amazingly entertaining videos. Much Love to you all.