Borussia Dortmund Hoping to Worsen Hamburg’s Anniversary Woes

Jürgen Klopp will seek to uphold a three-year unbeaten streak at the Imtech Arena this weekend when his Borussians travel to Hamburg for the second time in the space of two months. Borussia Dortmund emerged as the victorious party during their last trip to the Volksparkstadion in early August during a Liga-total-Cup meeting. While the current Bundesliga champions may have lost the mini-tournament to Werder Bremen, they still hold some bragging rights after beating the ground's home inhabitants. Last season, these two parties couldn't have finished further apart whilst both surviving in the German top flight, and have resumed their statuses of power in the current campaign. Hamburg currently sit in 17th spot and are yet to earn a point while the Yellow and Blacks continue their challenge for title defence and are just two points off top spot. Robert Lewandowski played the familiar role of hero during Borussia Dortmund's midweek Champions League fixture, after wrestling a late winner from Ajax. The German representatives ran out an altogether tighter affair than they would have preferred, and will be looking for a much more dominant display when they resume domestic action. Despite the good omens that a centenary such as a club having its fiftieth season in the Bundesliga should yield, Thorsten Fink's side have failed to perform so far this season. Although the club brought several significant signings to the club over the summer—including Rafael van der Vaart—their first round DFB Pokal exit has only been beaten in terms of disappointment by their three-game losing streak. In their last six league home games, the Red Shorts have scored just three goals and while this may be the club's 125th anniversary since it's inception, there's little joy to be had amongst the HSV fraternity these days. Meanwhile, Sunday's visitors come into this encounter on the back of a 31-game unbeaten run and will undoubtedly be confident of adding a 32nd against one of the league's biggest contenders for relegation. Klopp's men last lost at the Imtech Arena back in 2009, suffering a 4-1 loss to the hosts, although their positions amongst Germany's elite have changed more than slightly since then. Funnily enough, Hamburg currently hold the record for most Bundeliga matches without a loss, currently standing at 36. This week's visitors aren't far off moving past that tally and this fixture could prove to be a substantial "passing of the torch" should Fink's side fail to win on home soil. This will be Van der Vaart's first fixture back in front of the Imtech Arena audience, and the Dutchman will have a major part to play in whether or not The Dinosaur succeed at all this season. Despite his past involvement with the club, VDV will need time to mould amongst this new-look Hamburg but can be their club's much-needed when performing to his optimum. Borussia Dortmund have no substantial injury concerns and are likely to lead out with the same starting XI that saw off Bayer Leverkusen. Mario Götze would appear to have shrugged off any doubts around injury and will look to continue his good start to the season along with Jakub Błaszczykowski, who is in fine scoring form. Petr Jiracek will be absent for the hosts after seeing red against Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend and should be replaced by Tolgay Arslan. Meanwhile, Paul Scharner is set to miss out with knee ligament damage and Dennis Aogo could be another defensive omission through injury.

The Lowry Lowdown: A Scandalous Portland Timbers Story Posted: 21 Sep 2012 06:15 AM PDT Kenny Cooper during Portland Timbers career (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) We all had reason to celebrate after the Portland Timber’s first MLS home game last season at Jeld-WEN field. The win was a first ever MLS franchise victory and home opening win against my former team the Chicago Fire. It was a momentis occasion for the organization and soccer in Portland. The day after the game the players all returned to Jeld-WEN field for a regeneration session with the coaching staff. Almost immediately our head coach John Spencer wanted to have a team meeting before the session. He stepped into the room in a disconcerting mannor looking on us with not joy but dismay. The game had ended 4-2 in the Timbers favor. To this day I still talk with teammates, friends and family about the atmosphere and celebratory environment in the stadium that rainy April night.  It was a memorable experience for fans, front office and players alike so we were all wondering what this meeting could be about. Coach Spencer began by saying the victory all be it memorable came with unfortunate consequences. After the game he said that a couple reportedly were having sex in the front yard of a house nearby the stadium. Supposedly the house belonged to an older woman who was startled and dismayed by the scene. She called the police and the couple ran off before the authorities could arrive on the scene. However, the older woman was able to see a name on the shirt of the male culprit and promptly reported to the police that she could make out a name on a shirt and it was Kenny Cooper who was having sex in her yard. Now I know Kenny Cooper, our star forward at the time, and he is the last guy on the team I would suspect of engaging in this sort of nafarious activity. Kenny is the type of guy that freaks out about only being 5 minutes early. He is about as professional and private as they come. During this meeting Kenny’s face was almost as priceless as our reactions to how the story developed. The culprit, however, was not Mr. Cooper but rather an overly excited fan with a Kenny Cooper Timber’s jersey who the older woman mistakenly identified as Kenny. We all got a good laugh at the story and John even coyingly said the police would like to question Kenny after practice. To this day I am not sure if the story is true or not but it has stuck in my memory over the years as an example of how good the high’s of playing can be. Many times the low’s far outnumber the high points but it is stories and times like these that make it all worth while. Credit also goes to Coach Spencer for flawlessly executing the prank.

DC United holds on against Philadelphia to keep pace in playoff race Posted: 21 Sep 2012 06:07 AM PDT (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) For DC United, tonight was all about the playoff push. Traveling to Philadelphia to play the Union, DC United set themselves in a good position to qualify for the postseason of the MLS with a 1-0 win at PPL Park in Chester, PA. Lionard Pajoy struck back at his former club in the 67th minute on a counter-attack play for DC United. Maicon Santos received the clearance from a Union corner kick, turned with the ball, and launched it forward to Chris Pontius. Pontius beat his marker and lobbed the ball across to the top of the eighteen to an open Pajoy, who chested it down and nailed it into the back of the net. To that point it had been a lackluster performance for both teams, with no real creativity coming from either side. Choppy plays and hard fouls polluted the game as neither team looked sure of themselves. DC United goalie Bill Hamid looked very uncomfortable, making a mess out of several shots in the first half, and Philadelphia was unlucky to reach halftime with a 0-0 scoreline. The dynamics of the game changed when Brazilian Maicon Santos entered the game for Branko Boskovic in the 57th minute. Santos offered a more offensive and calming voice for DC United, and his full impact was felt ten minutes later as his side went ahead. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) The Philadelphia Union would continue to press, now for an equalizer, which opened up space for the counter-attack by DC United. Freddy Adu would enter the game shortly after the goal was scored in an attempt to offer creativity going forward, but the Union couldn’t get past the first line of United’s defense. Ball after ball was sent into the box and repelled by DC. The visitors would get a few chances to seal the game on a counter, especially in the 85th minute when they had a 3 on 2 just inside the eighteen. Santos was not quick enough in getting the ball off his feet to a wide open Chris Pontius, and the ball was cleared. The win moves DC United up to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings and into a playoff spot. They will face Chivas USA on Sunday at home in Washington D.C. Philadelphia’s playoff hopes are dead, but they will look to cause an upset on Sunday as the Houston Dynamo come to PPL Park.

Does Arséne Wenger Dislike Holding Mids? An Arsenal Musing Posted: 20 Sep 2012 11:00 PM PDT (Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images) “Arséne Wenger doesn’t care about holding midfielders.” Before you vehemently disagree, let’s take a look at the history. Patrick Vieira, Lassana Diarra, Mathieu Flamini, Gilberto Silva, Alexandre Song. These are all the (arguably) world-class defensive midfielders Wenger has sold since 2005; all BEFORE the age of 32. Why the seemingly blatant disregard for the importance of the “Makélélé role”? Nearly every great team of the past decade has had someone to whose main role is to do their dirty work in midfield. World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012 winners Spain, much lauded for their sweeping, beautiful passing style, employed the versatile Sergio Busquets in front of the back four (or three, depending on the tactics). Same to for the 2010/11 Barcelona side lauded by many as the best team in history. In fact, one could argue that nearly every successful title-winning team in the last decade has made use of the “water carrier” role made famous by Claude Makélélé, at least in some fashion. The 2012 Champions League-winners Chelsea use John Obi Mikel in that role, while 2010 Champions League-winners Inter Milan employed Esteban Cambiasso for that duty. Daniele De Rossi of AS Roma (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images) These players such as Italy’s Daniele De Rossi, Holland’s Nigel De Jong, Nigerian Mikel, France’s Yann M’Vila and Germany’s Sami Khedira are invaluable assets for their sides, both for club and national team. Defensively, they provide cover for the defense, helping regulate traffic in the middle of the park, while offering a quick outlet for goalkeepers and defenders once the ball is won. Arsenal’s 2003/04 “Invincibles” side featured not one, but THREE quality holding midfielders, in the form of Frenchman Patrick Vieira, and Brazilians Gilberto Silva and Edu Gaspar. Superb in breaking up play and distribution, their tireless efforts (with a few key goals of their own) made it possible for more creative talents such as Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pirés, Freddy Ljungberg and talismanic striker Thierry Henry. After leading that famous Arsenal side to the league title, captain Patrick Vieira was shipped out after just one more season, thus beginning the revolving door of holding midfielders that continues today. One by one, Wenger shipped out both promising and veteran holding midfielder alike. The professor seeming to prefer more versatile “two-way” players such as Cesc Fabregas, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Abou Diaby. But why? Wenger’s preferred tactics center around technically beautiful, passing-based play; this places clear emphasis on his center-midfielders’ ability to stroke the ball around the pitch with aplomb. However, in recent years, he has shown a preference for those players who are equally as comfortable striding forward into the opposition box, as tackling back in their own area; indeed, with more of an attacking leaning in their play. With this more attacking midfield, Arsenal’s defending has looked suspect at times, particularly in the center of midfield. Simply put, very often, a tough-tackling holding midfielder is the very thing needed (especially in a physical league such as the EPL) to sway a match. Last year’s champions Manchester City had that in spades through Nigel De Jong, and to a lesser extent with Yaya Touré. Manchester United could count on Michael Carrick to make his presence known, and Chelsea, as mentioned before, have John Obi Mikel, and had Michael Essien in a lesser capacity before his loan to Real Madrid to put the boot in. By no means is the lack of a holding midfielder the only reason for Arsenal’s failure to challenge for the title in recent seasons. Highbury and The Emirates Stadium have seen the back of many a quality player in recent years.  However, it does beg the question: Is Wenger’s failure to hold on to a solid figure in the middle of the field more impactful than the loss of other, more high-profile players? Arsenal News

Liverpool’s Kids Prove More Than Young Boys in Europa League Posted: 20 Sep 2012 10:00 PM PDT (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images) Three young debutants, one youngster returning to the team after almost two years away, an average age of 23 for the 14 players who featured, plus a novice manager on the European stage—Liverpool’s traveling party to Switzerland didn’t exactly scream “know-how”, but they travel back to Merseyside with an important three points in hand and plenty of players all the better off for the experience. A 5-3 scoreline was the last thing anybody would have expected to find after Liverpool’s rather anemic approach to scoring goals over the past season and a bit, but some hugely comical defending allied to a side which grew in confidence and utilized spaces well in the second half made for entertaining viewing. Liverpool handed debuts to Andre Wisdom at right-back, Suso in an advanced midfield position and Oussama Assaidi on the left side of the front three. All impressed in their own ways, with Wisdom heading in Liverpool’s second goal and looking generally assured in midfield. The central defender did not look out of place on his first appearance for the first team, despite playing on the right side. He was calm on the ball, keeping possession well and for the most part defended stoutly—though he may be disappointed with not being tighter to Young Boys’ Ojala who headed in the home team’s second goal. Elsewhere there were very positive performances from Jordan Henderson in a deep-lying midfield position and Jonjo Shelvey who transformed the Reds’ performance after coming on to score two goals. Suso did well on the ball centrally, displaying plenty of composure on the ball and a willingness to try and dictate play, but he also displayed a lack of maturity off the ball at times and took a while to get involved when Young Boys had more possession. After he was moved out wide he was less involved in Liverpool’s build-up—but displayed the excellent promise he has with a fine through ball for Fabio Borini. Had the movement of Borini been available in the first half you suspect that Suso, playing just off the forward, might have been more able to have an impact earlier in the game. Oussama Assaidi showed in his hour-long performance that he can be an option for the Reds off the bench at least in the coming weeks domestically, and his pace and direct play will be a good contrast to the Reds patient build-up which some have struggled with in the early weeks. Liverpool haven’t prioritized the Europa League this season—but there were plenty of positives to take from the game for Brendan Rodgers and his men—and young boys—tonight. Liverpool News

Northern Mexico continue their dominance in the Primera Division Posted: 20 Sep 2012 05:43 PM PDT (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) In recent times, Mexican Football has been dominated by the northern based clubs of the country. Santos Laguna, Monterrey, Tigres and Tijuana have fielded strong and dominate sides in recent campaigns. Without a doubt they are the main protagonists in every single tournament during the last five years. Santos Laguna are the current Mexican champions, with great players in their squad and an excellent local legend in Benjamin Galindo there are high expectations from the club. Galindo is also still considered the most talented player ever to have played in México. Record goalkeeper Oswaldo Sánchez has more than 600 appearances in the First Division since 1993. United States international striker Hérculez Gómez continues to show his worth every weekend with Santos. Panamanian defender Felipe Baloy is another well known player on the squad thanks to his strength and speed. Santos won the 2012 Clausura with authority and currently are competing at the CONCACAF Champions League with some success. Tigres and Monterrey, both from the Mexican State of Nuevo León, have given a lot of joy for their supporters as well in recent campaigns. Monterrey won the National Championship in 2009 and in 2010 and are currently the two time defending CONCACAF Champions League winners having claimed the title in both 2011 and in 2012. The Rayados participated in the 2011 FIFA Club World Championship in Japan and will be playing the tournament again next December as the CONCACAF representatives to the competition. Monterrey is a solid team and their manager Victor Manuel Vucetich has won almost every single final in his career having only lost the last tournament’s decisive match against Santos. Jonathan Orozco plays a key role in goal for the club, while José María Basanta and young rising star Hiram Mier anchor the club’s defense. Jesús Zavala controls the game from the midfield and pulls the strings to the attacking pair of Humberto Suazo and Aldo de Nigris. Tigres won the National Championship in 2011. Former Brazilian playmaker, Ricardo Ferretti leads the club and commands respect with his experience as one of the few managers to have had more than 800 games as a coach in the Mexican First Division. Tigres’ main stars are Argentinean playmaker Lucas Lobos and the Spanish striker Luis García Fernández who scored two goals last weekend against Cruz Azul. Both are true club idols to the fans of their city. Tijuana are the the current leaders with 19 points. The Xolos are a very young team having only been founded in 2007. The club fought hard to move up the ranks of the Mexican football league and were promoted in 2011. Argentinean Antonio Mohamed manages a set of stars that includes Argentine international Alfredo Moreno, Colombian Duvier Riascos, and Mexico’s Fernando Arce who have all played a fundamental role in Tijuana's movement to the Premiera Division. The northern side of México has dominated football in recent times, a positive thing and a strong message to the main sides of the country, that competition will be harder than ever.

The Hart of the matter Posted: 20 Sep 2012 10:55 AM PDT Joe Hart was not a happy man Wednesday night. Three goals flashed past him and into the net in Madrid; two in the closing moments after it seemed Manchester City was about to secure an epic victory. The goalkeeper gave a downbeat interview in which he stated there was not a single positive thing to be said about the match. It was a brutal and emotional response, but no less gloomy than that of Roberto Mancini, who sounded almost broken in the press conference afterwards.  One particular criticism the Italian had of Hart blaming the team for allowing the comeback. Mancini angrily insisted nobody at the club but himself had the right make such comments. This may be a case of the manager seeking to assert his authority, but Hart must have felt like the target at times this week. As if the flurry of shots from Ronaldo and friends was not enough, he had the manager on his case and was then lambasted by TV pundits Roy Keane and Gareth Southgate, who blamed the keeper for the second and third goals. Manchester City’s defence has been porous this season. The team has played six matches, including the Community Shield, and has conceded 11 times without a clean sheet. But it is unfair to blame Hart for that. Although one of those strikes – Peter Crouch’s close-range finish for Stoke last Saturday – should have been disallowed for handball, the common feature for most of the goals City has conceded this season is that they have been scored on shots from around the edge of the penalty area. This was also true at the Bernabeu. Real created few chances to strike from close range, nor many opportunities to shoot from 25-30 yards out when two lines of four were defending deep. But once the ball was worked to the edge of the penalty area, the defenders were standing back in their own box and allowing time and space to shoot, rather than trying to hold the 18-yeard line. Keane’s criticism of Hart for the first goal was that the low shot by Karim Benzema – which went a foot inside of the post – should be saved “at this level”, particularly as Hart got a finger to it. However, in my opinion, it was more a sign of the goalkeeper’s ability that he was able to get a touch on the ball. Southgate’s view on Ronaldo’s winner was equally harsh. The ball dipped savagely in a way only the brilliant winger seems able to manage regularly. Worse still, Hart was left distracted by Kompany’s unaccountable decision to duck under the shot instead of trying to head it away. Ronaldo (right) fires home a dipping match-winner against Manchester City. Alex Livesey / Getty Images. With Ronaldo having been shown inside and Kompany standing deep to allow space to shoot, this was a microcosm of the current defensive failings at City. In distracting his keeper, Kompany was at fault in ensuring a shot that would have been hard to save anyway ended up in the back of the net. Goalkeepers are football’s ultimate specialists. That is, after all, why they wear a different colored shirt. While some errors are obvious, all too often criticism made by former outfield players is excessive and ill-informed. With 29 attempts on goal by Real Madrid, and 16 of them on target, Hart actually had a very good game with some excellent saves. If any fingers are to be pointed, they should be directed at those who allowed Real so many chances to shoot in the first place.

Italian Serie A: Players To Watch Posted: 20 Sep 2012 09:28 AM PDT Antonio Cassano of FC Inter Milan / Photo via: Ghetty Images The new season of Serie A of the Italian calico is only three games old. The teams are still experimenting with different lineups and schemes. In a few weeks the coaches will have figured out where on the pitch their players perform the best and what is their current form. In the mean time, certain players attract more attention than others. Normally the ‘Players to Watch’ would not include those after their prime years. The new Inter forward Antonio Cassano is an exception. Cassano, who is 30 years old, has not played a full domestic or international game this season. He is arguably more famous for his attitude and quarrels with coaches and clubs' bosses, but he is still worth watching on the pitch. Cassano can play equally well with both feet; he is an intelligent player who spots a goal position, contributes with key assists and also likes to play long balls. He plays well with midfielders Wesley Sneijder and Philippe Coutinho. The combination of him and other striker Diego Milito has also been proven successful in Inter's first game of the season beating Pescara 3-0. Cassano has played in all three Serie A games so far and scored two goals. If that is not a good enough reason to watch him, here is one more: Cassano came to Inter this season following a transfer from archrivals AC Milan. Inter plays Siena at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Sunday, Sept. 23, 9 a.m. ET. Stephan El Shaarawy, a.k.a. The Pharaoh, is a potential star for AC Milan after joining the Rossoneri last year. Coach Massimiliano Allegri seems to trust him more this season and has played him every game thus far. El Shaarawy has not scored yet but he is calm on the pitch. He plays without pressure despite the fact that before joining Milan, he only played one season in Serie B as a professional. He is also very fast and AC Milan needs more speed in the middle. The Pharaoh is a secondary striker who is fresh, hungry and eager to prove that he deserved his contract. The contract guarantees him a spot at San Siro until 2017, as reported by UEFA. El Shaarawy is credited for being able to easily find gaps in the opponent’s defense, according to the Independent. AC Milan plays Udinese at Stadio Friuli on Sunday, Sept. 23 at 9 a.m. ET. Diego Fabbrini is a 22-year-old player with undeniable talent, but he has not lived up to his potential. He barely made an impact in Udinese when he joined the team last season. "Fabbro," as he is often called, is an attacking midfielder who has mostly impressed in his Italy U21 matches, according to Forza Italian Football. Fabbrini is unlikely to be a starter in a game but will most likely come off the bench in the second half. Fabbrini has a great control of the ball but needs to become a better thinker on the pitch. Despite his unconvincing start with Udinese last season, Fabbrini is regarded as a potential rising star in Serie A if he gets more playing time. Paul Pogba, 19, has not made his professional debut with Juventus yet but he may get his chance this weekend. The Italian reigning champions are playing on Saturday, Sept. 22, just three days after the exhausting 2-2 draw against the Champions League defender Chelsea. Surely, midfielders Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo can use a break and the coach Antonio Conte is likely to grant them one. His move to the Old Lady of Italian soccer was not a quiet one as he rejected an extension of his contract from his former team Manchester United. Pogba usually plays in the midfield but can help the defense when necessary. Juventus plays Chievo Verona Saturday, Sept. 22 at 2:45 p.m. ET at Juventus Stadium. Ciro Immobile is another rising star of Italian soccer. He does not have a lot of experience playing in Serie A, but he was a star while playing in Serie B last season scoring 30 goals for Pescara. In his three appearances for Genoa so far this season he has scored two goals, one assist and 11 shots, four shots on target. As a striker, he is most dangerous when the team is on counter-attack mode. Immobile is also known for being the opposite of what his last name means. Immobile as a player is quite quick, can score with his right and left foot and likes to dribble. Immobile needs to improve his passing ability in order to be more successful in Serie A in the future. Genoa plays Lazio at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday, Sept. 23 at 2:45 p.m. ET.

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