Total Futbol

Chelsea roster for US tour...

Looks like Chelsea will have its A-list players for the July 28 game against AC Milan at Sun Life Stadium. Ticket sales were around 50,000 already with a few categories sold out. Ticketholders invited to open training sessions Friday night July 27 at 6 p.m. Doors open 5 p.m. You must have game tickets to enter. Here is the travel roster released by the club:

 

CHELSEA
FC ROSTER:

Goalkeepers: Petr Cech, Henrique
Hilario, Ross Turnbull, Jamal
Blackman 

Defenders:
Branislav Ivanovic,
Ashley Cole, John Terry, David Luiz, Paulo Ferreira, Gary Cahill, Sam
Hutchinson, Todd Kane, Nathaniel
Chalobah 

 

Midfielders:
Michael Essien,
Ramires, Flourent Malouda, Raul Meireles, Frank Lampard, John Mikel Obi, Eden Hazard, Marko Marin, Yossi
Benayoun, Josh McEachran, George
Saville 

 

Forwards:
Romelu Lukaku,
Fernando Torres, Gael Kakuta, Kevin De Bruyne, Patrick Bamford, Lucas
Piazon 

 

Claudio Reyna's son dies

The US Soccer family woke up Friday with heavy hearts upon learning of the passing of Claudio Reyna's 13-year-old son, Jack. Here are the details...

http://www.nj.com/soccer-news/index.ssf/2012/07/claudio_reynas_13-year-old_son.html

50,000-plus expected Chelsea-AC Milan

News from Sun Life Stadium today:

Ticket sales are approaching 50,000 for the Chelsea vs.  AC Milan match at Sun
Life Stadium on Saturday, July 28 (6 p.m. ET) as part of the 2012 Herbalife
World Football Challenge.  While four of the top five ticket categories have
been sold out, a limited number of sideline and lower level seats, as well as
upper level seats, continue to be available through Ticketmaster and the stadium
box office.

Organizers additionally announced that fans with tickets to the game are invited to attend both team’s open training sessions at the stadium, currently scheduled for the evening of Friday, July 27,.  Doors will open at 5 p.m., with practice starting at 6 p.m. fans must show their ticket to gain admission and free
parking.

With this game, Sun Life Stadium continues to establish itself as South Florida’s top venue for world-class international soccer.  On Aug. 16, the stadium will host
Argentina’s Boca Juniors vs. Colombia’s America de Cali (tickets available via
Ticketmaster).  Just last month, more than 48,000 fans saw Lionel Messi and
other international superstars play in the World Masters Tour.   In all, nearly
200,000 fans have attended the four international soccer matches at Sun Life
Stadium since the summer of 2011.

 

 

Miami's Sanz to lead CONCACAF

Colombian-born Miami resident Enrique Sanz was named general secretary of CONCACAF, succeeding Chuck Blazer, who resigned in January. Sanz, 38, has spent the past 15 years at TrafficSports, helped establish the recent incarnation of NASL and was involved in regional TV deals. He previously worked at InterForever.

Here's more information...

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/07/13/concacaf-appoints-enrique-sanz-general-secretary

 

Watch Beckham bend it!

David Beckham was not picked for the Great Britain Olympic team (sorry, ladies), but he did score two goals for the LA Galaxy in last night's 5-3 win over Portland. The second was a textbook curling free kick...watch it here:  

Euro hangover? Olympics on horizon!

Back from vacation...

So, you suffering from Euro 2012 hangover? Getting the urge every day around 2:45 p.m. to flip on the TV? Me, too...

Good news, though...there is still plenty of soccer to enjoy this summer. There's MLS. There's the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. There's the Chelsea vs. AC Milan friendly here at Sun Life Stadium on July 28...and, there's the Olympic soccer tournament! Watch Brazil's Neymar and many of the world's other best Under-23 players (plus 3 overage players per team) battle for the gold medal at several of the English Premier League's best-known stadia.

The Groups are:

A: Great Britain, Uruguay, Senegal, UAE

B: Mexico, Switzerland, South Korea, Gabon

C: Brazil, Egypt, Belarus, New Zealand

D: Spain, Honduras, Japan, Morocco

Sadly, the US didn't qualify. Who do you think will take the gold?

 

Que Viva Espana!

4-0...Spain wins easily over Italy, reduced to 10 men in the second half.

Most lopsided final in Euro tournament history. And Spain becomes first team ever to win the Euro-World Cup-Euro trifecta.

I never would have predicted such a lopsided match. Italy had played so well leading into this game. Were they too tired or is Spain really that good?

Spain v. Italy! TODAY!

And so, we're down to two...Spain vs. Italy. 2:45 p.m. ESPN

Spain is trying to become the first team ever to win the Euro-World Cup-Euro trifecta. Resurgent Italy looked mighty good in its semifinal against Germany and hasn't allowed a goal in 300-plus minutes. Should be a great match.

If you want to watch with other soccer-crazed fans, here are some great spots:

Fritz and Franz (Coral Gables and Ft. Lauderdale),
Churchill's (North Miami), Fado Irish Pub (Mary Brickell Village), Sports Grill
(South Miami, Kendall, Sunset, Bird Rd.), Waxy O'Connors (Miami Beach),
Playwright (Miami Beach), Finnegan's (Miami Beach), Novecento (Brickell), George's (South Miami)

 I am on vacation, and hope to have access to a TV...here is my column from this morning...

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/01/2876463/spains-style-of-play-different.html

Enjoy! And share your comments after the match.

Mamma Mia! Italia!

Italy scores first! Mario Balotelli header puts Italy ahead of Germany 1-0 in 20th minute.

on ESPN. Now.

MAMA MIA! Balotelli scores AGAIN! This time an amazing blast from his right foot to upper right corner. Italy leads Germany 2-0 in 36th minute!

No wonder they call him "Super Mario''!

Balotelli, 21, plays for Manchester City and has a cult following there. He was born in Sicily to Ghanian immigrants (his birth name is Burwuah), and given to an Italian foster family when he was 3 years old because he suffered from medical problems and his parents couldn't afford to help him. When he was 18, he sought Italian citizenship. Italians are happy he made that decision !! Germans not so much.

Second half underway...buckle your seat belt.

61' Free kick Germany. Can they close the gap? Reus takes beautiful high curling shot, but Buffon leaps and makes the save.

69' Super Mario Balotelli out. DiNatale replaces him.

Bad news for Germany: They just said on TV that Italy hasn't allowed a goal in 300 minutes. Impressive!

Italians keep attacking. This could easily be 4-0.

91' Ozil scores for Germany. Too late. Not enough.

ITALY WINS 2-1. ADVANCES TO SUNDAY FINAL vs. Spain!

 

Is Spain boring? Will GER or ITA win?

Hard to believe Spain, defending Euro and World Cup champions, and home to one of the best (the best?) pro league in the world, has to defend its playing style. But that's what is happening. Critics are complaining that the Spanish ticky-tacky short passes are boring. The crowd looked bored, or at least dispassionate, as Spain and Portugal played 120 minutes of scoreless soccer before Spain won Wednesday's semi in a penalty kick shootout. Perhaps Ukraine and Poland were not the best choices to host Euro 2012. It is the farthest East they've ever been held, and fans there don't seem as crazed about the tournament as folks are in England, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and Germany. Or, maybe they really were bored by Spain, good as they are.

So, we have two questions for you...1. Is Spain boring? 2. Who will Spain play in the final? Vote below! And share your comments.

Also, if you don't want to watch today's game alone, here are some soccer-loving spots:

Where to Watch:

Fritz and Franz (Coral Gables and Ft. Lauderdale),
Churchill's (North Miami), Fado Irish Pub (Mary Brickell Village), Sports Grill
(South Miami, Kendall, Sunset, Bird Rd.), Waxy O'Connors (Miami Beach),
Playwright (Miami Beach), Finnegan's (Miami Beach), Novecento (Brickell), George's (South Miami)