Roscoe’s Soccer Report: May - June

It was a busy time from May through mid-June in the soccer world, and Our Man Roscoe was on right on top of the action. The seasons came to a close for Wrexham and Piacenza and Revs are now in full swing. The UEFA Champions League playoffs were underway and for the first time in the tournament’s history it was an all-England final.

2008 UEFA Champions League Final

Manchester United and Chelsea

In a driving rainstorm in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, United secured their third European Championship in a match that was decided by penalty kicks. For soccer enthusiasts in the States, the match was played at an awkward hour, so many missed out on witnessing what was a simply breathtaking display of football between two titans.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored on a header in the 26th to put United ahead, as they had much the better of play in the early going. But after having withstood a series of attacks, Big Blue responded by mounting an attack as the first half neared its end. Frank Lampard banged in a deflection past Edwin Van der Sar for the equalizer and the sides went in all square at half-time.

Chelsea maintained their high level of play as the second half started. Drogba nearly put Chelsea ahead in the 77th, but his line drive struck the bar. As the match went into extra time, the rain got heavier and tempers got shorter. In the second period of extra time, things became heated. In shades of Zidane in the last World Cup final, Drogba slapped Nemanja Vidic and was sent off as a result. What a dope! After 120+ minutes of grueling play, Drogba’s absence would loom large as the outcome of the match would be determined by kicks.

Tevez and Carrick for United and Ballack and Belletti for Chelsea each converted their kicks before Ronaldo was denied Chelsea’s Cech, putting Blues in the driver’s seat. Owen Hargreaves came back to tie the score before Ashley Cole put Chelsea ahead once more. United’s Luis Nani tied the score at four, but all the Great John Terry had to do was bang in a penalty and the Championship was Chelsea’s…but United’s Edwin Van der Sar stopped him cold! Meanwhile, the intensity of the rain increased to the point as if it seemed it was the “rainy season” in the tropics. For a neutral observer, it was as exciting as it gets in sport, one could only imagine the rollercoaster of emotions that the supporters must’ve felt.

Anderson and Salomon Kalou both converted their kicks to knot things at five, then Ryan Giggs put United ahead 6-5. Nicolas Anelka attempted to kick the ball to Van der Sar’s low right and the goalie made a spectacular stop to give United the Championship.

As the United players reveled in victory, the most poignant shot was seeing Terry face down in the pitch disconsolate.

With the exception of Drogba’s temper tantrum, it was as thrilling a match as anyone could remember.

Now, it’s on to Euro 2008, with the national team group stages on tap for early June culminating with the final on the 27th.

Wrexham:

The Dragons’ nightmare season came to an end on Saturday, May 4th with a resounding 4-2 victory at Lincoln City. Wrexham’s relegation fate had already been sealed, so there was no incentive but pride. Youngster Wes Baynes scored twice (33) (88), and Levi Mackin (11) and Chris Llewellyn (90) in what proved to be a surprisingly easy win.

Mind you, had the club played even half as well on a consistent basis, they’d still be in the Football League instead of the Blue Square Premier Conference. There are drastic financial consequences associated with relegation. Within a week following closing shop, Little and his staff had pretty much gutted the roster. Among those who were not retained were: Captain Neil Roberts, Chris Llewellyn, Danny Williams, Mike Carvill, Alex Darlington, Jamie Reed, Mike Jones, Mark Jones, Jeff Whitley and Phil Bolland.

Additionally, Sam Aiston, Richard Hope, Michael Proctor, Silvio Spann and Anthony Williams have been put on sale. Those players who were brought in on loan during the year (Drewe Broughton, Richard Duffy, Paul Hall, Stuart Nicholson, Danny Sonner and Robert Garrett) were returned to their original clubs.

Such is the reality of failure.

So as to dispel any thoughts that Wrexham’s sojourn to the BSP would be a brief and painless one-year affair, Little admitted that there are at least six BSP sides that could would be highly competitive in League Two. In short, Little and Wrexham have a big challenge during the brief “holiday”.

Moving forward, Little surprised more than a few by announcing that Wrexham would not field a reserve squad in Pontin’s Holiday League next year. Little reasoned that younger players would be better served by developing their skills in local friendlies rather than competitive matches. Of course, there is also a considerable cost saving associated with this decision.

“Work hard and make good decisions” appears to be Little’s mantra during the off season. Little has now taken the axe to the vine, paring it back nearly to the root as the team faces an uncertain future. The lineup will most likely feature lesser known, younger and hungrier players next year. It’s simply a shame that dedicated homegrown guys like Neil Roberts will no longer be part of the team’s future.

On May 20th, Carl Tremarco was resigned to a new deal then, in their first move in the transfer market, midfielder Paul Carden from Accrington Stanley accepted the challenge of helping to return Wrexham to the Football League, Less than a week later, the club signed Mansfield Town strikers Simon Brown and Jefferson Louis on a free transfers. Steve Evans re-signed with the club, then they followed up those moves by bringing in Attacking Midfielder Shawn Whalley from Accrington Stanley. On the down side, Matty Done accepted a deal with Hereford. Little promised that the team will be quite active during the June transfer window period, and to date has been as good as his word.

There are serious financial problems that have also been reported at the Racecourse Ground. The current owner, Mr. Dickens, appears to be no more than a caretaker until someone comes along to help finance the elaborate plans on the drawing board to redevelop the Racecourse in a public/private venture. Let’s hope that the red tape is kept to a minimum as this is one place in the football world where the supporters have stood with the club through thick and thin since the world was flat.

The club has already established their pre-season schedule, and within the next five weeks, the friendlies will have already started as the team prepares for a hopefully brief campaign in the Blue Square Premier Division.

PRE-SEASON FIXTURES 2008

Sat 12-Jul-08 Wolverhampton Wanderers (h) 15:00
Sat 19-Jul-08 Blackpool (h) 15:00
Tue 22-Jul-08 Crewe Alexandera (h) 19:30
Sat 26-Jul-08 Colwyn Bay (a) 14:00
Sat 02-Aug-08 Stafford Rangers (a) 15:00

Piacenza:

Biancorossi wrapped up their season on June 1st in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Mantova at home. Dedic scored on a penalty in the 3rd, then the sides went back and forth until the end of the match. Unfortunately, the team failed to win a match in May/June, and their uninspiring play cost Mario Somma his job, which the club announced immediately after the match. Somma took over as manager in October but the team really struggled following Cacia’s departure to Serie A Fiorenza and never really seemed to discover an identity or rhythm in the ensuing months.

For May/June:

Sat. 5/3 Piacenza 1 – 3 Albinoleffe
Sat. 5/10 Triestina 1 – 1 Piacenza
Sat. 5/17 Piacenza 1 – 1 Grosseto
Sun. 5/25 Cesena 2 – 2 Piacenza
Sun. 6/1 Piacenza 3 – 3 Mantova

Going 0-1-4 over the last four weeks certainly didn’t improve Somma’s chances to be retained. The pressure to succeed in Europe is far more intense than coaches and managers face in professional sports in North America. Even hugely successful teams such as Chelsea and Inter Milan have recently sacked their gaffers without as much as the blink of an eye.

For the year, Piacenza went 13-21-8-47, which was good for 15th place in the 22-team Serie B. This year proved to be a big letdown after ’06-07, when the team finished 4th and competed almost to the end for promotion. The team is now at a critical juncture. There have been reports that the family that controls the team may be looking to divest itself and the team really needs direction, as it floundered this year. We’ll be keeping a close eye in the Italian media for the changes the club makes during the off-season.

On June 11th, the club announced the hiring of Stefano Pioli as their new manager. Pioli last managed at Serie B Grosseto, and has also worked at Modena and Parma in recent years. On the surface, he appears to be a retread, then again the same was said of Bill Belichick and Terry Francona and they turned out just fine.

Revolution:

Sat. 5/3 New England 0 - 3 Chicago (3-3-1)
Sun. 5/11 Chivas USA 1 - 2 New England (4-3-1)
Sat. 5/17 New England 2 - 0 San Jose (5-3-1)
Sat. 5/24 Columbus 0 - 1 New England (6-3-1)
Thu. 5/29 New England 2 - 2 DC United (6-3-2)
Fri. 6/6 New England 2 – 1 FC Dallas (7-3-2)
Thu. 6/12 Houston 0 – New England 2 (8-3-2)
Wed. 6/18 New England 1 – 1 New York (8-3-3)

Revs had a pretty decent run from early May – mid-June, going 6-1-2 with impressive wins against Columbus and Chivas on the road and a thrilling comeback draw with DC United.

Their only clinker was the May 3rd match (#7) at home with Chicago Fire. Steve Ralston made his first appearance in the Revs’ lineup since the season opener against Houston, but his presence didn’t help much. After having been humbled 4-nil earlier in the year in Chicago, Revs’ fans were hoping for revenge, but the team was disorganized, and was unable to mount any sort of attack. Chris Rolfe (29), John Thorrington (50) and Stephen King (77) were the goal scorers for Chicago.

About this one, Coach Nicol said it best, "Well, we were consistent - consistently bad."

No need to amplify things.

Eight days later, Revs went west for a date with Chivas USA in Carson City (Match #8). Taylor Twellman returned to the lineup after knee surgery and his insertion into the lineup in the second half was a big boost as Revs came away with a dominating 2-1 win. Abdoulie Mansally (18th) put Revs ahead and they never looked back. Twellman came on for Mansally opening the second half and put Revs up by a pair when he converted a pass from Ralston in the 59th. Unfortunately, Twellman went down again at the end of the match with what appeared to be an ankle sprain and his availability is questionable. While he didn’t appear on the scoresheet Shalrie Joseph had another great match. When he controls the tempo at midfield, Revs generally come away with points at the end of the match.

On Saturday the 17th, Revs returned home to face the (expansion) San Jose Earthquakes (Match #9). The original ‘Quakes found greener pastures in Houston after having moved away from the Bay Area a few seasons back. The expansion ‘Quakes feature former Revs’ stalwart midfielder James Riley, whose blunder later in first half would put his side in an intractable hole.

Starting in place of the injured Twellman, Kheli Dube scored his first MLS goal on a beautiful pass from Ralston in the 6th and Revs never looked back. In the 23rd, with the Revs pressing in San Jose’s end, Riley attempted to head the ball back to Joe Cannon in the ‘Quakes’ goal, but Cannon couldn’t reach the ball and it landed behind him. To their credit, San Jose didn’t roll over, but fought through the entire match and made the Revs squirm a little bit toward the end, but Reis ended up earning his 45th career shutout.

One week later, it was on to Columbus for a date with the MLS East leading Crew (Match #10), who were unbeaten in their last six tries. This was a hard-fought match that nearly ended in a scoreless draw. In the 89th, Ralston was hauled down in the box by Ezra Hendrickson and Mr. Heron awarded the Revs a penalty kick. Sharlrie Joseph was given the honors, but Will Hesmer made a fabulous stop. Unfortunately for him, Kheli Dube was perched on the doorstep and banged the rebound low and to Hesmer’s left for the only goal of the match. This was a big, big win on the road for New England and it considerably tightened up the race in MLS East.

The following Thursday, Revs returned to Gillette for a national television date with DC United (Match #11). For some strange reason, Revs have yet to play well at home this year (with the exception of the season opener against Houston in late March). Tonight was no different, as Revs sleepwalked through the first half and were very fortunate to come back late to earn a 2-all draw. Luciano Emilio (15) picked up a rebound to put DCU ahead early; this guy always seems to score goals against New England, very reminiscent of how George Brett used to kill Red Sox pitching. Roscoe cringes every time Emilio crosses the center line. From that point, Revs apparently attempted a rope-a-dope strategy that put nearly everyone to sleep. Early in the second half (Just) Fred waltzed through the Revs back line and popped the ball past Reis to give DCU a 2-nil lead. The Revs’ defenders were simply awful in this sequence.

Fred’s goal must’ve been a slap in the face because Joseph took control of things at midfield and the tide began turning in the Revs’ favor. Cristman banged in a drive on a terrific pass from Dube in the 59th and suddenly the crowd was back into the match. Down by a goal, Revs ratcheted up their level of play sensing that an equalizer was in the offing. In the 72nd, Ralston was awarded a free kick just outside the left side of the box. Ralton’s kick was picked by on a header by Jeff Larentowicz who found Dube alone. Dube scored on a magnificent spike-header to level things. That’s three goals in three games for Dube, perhaps Revs have discovered a special player.

The Revs’ homestand continued with a Friday night date with FC Dallas (Match #12). The good news was that Gillette Stadium was nearly packed to capacity with passionate futbol fanatics. The bad news was that 98% of the crowd were there to see the Brazil-Argentina friendly that was the back end of the doubleheader.

Revs got off to flying start as Cristman scored in the fifth minute a on a nice cross from Nyassi and headed it past FCD’s keeper Ray Burse. Up by a goal, they struggled maintaining control of the ball. They were not sharp at all. In the 22nd, Cristman was fouled in the box by FCD’s Moor and Mr. Kennedy awarded Revs a penalty. Ralston took the honors and banged the ball past Burse and Revs had a seemingly insurmountable 2-nil lead. Perhaps it was a matter of being more lucky than good.

If Nicol were displeased with his team’s lack of possession in the first half, then he must’ve left the pitch steaming after the second, because FCD threw everything they could at Reis, scoring their only goal in extra time. The pressure FCD applied in the Revs’ end was embarrassing. The cool and collected Reis made a number of acrobatic saves (setting a career-record 10) after FCD pulled to within a goal, and Revs were quite fortunate to earn the three points. While they now boast of the points’ lead in MLS, they’d better not rest on their laurels because their performance on this night was sloppy and uneven.

On June 12th, Revs traveled to Houston for a “MLS Primetime” date (Match #13) with Dynamo. The media tried to hype the match as a renewal of the MLS Cup, in reality the only common denominator was the laundry. Both sides were missing a number of key players who were away on World Cup qualifying duties for their respective nations. Dwayne De Rosario, Brian Ching and Pat Onstead were away for Houston while Mansally, Shalrie Joseph and Khano Smith were away for New England. Twellman remained out with an ankle injury.

As was the case last week, Revs got a quick lead and fought to hang on for another win. Ralston scored in the 8th on a nice pass following a throw-in. Following the goal, Revs were soft in the middle and the sides went back and forth. Dube put Revs up by a pair in the 35th when he took a pass from Castro and blasted the ball past the Houston keeper. Dube has proven to be quite a find for Revs. However, the team’s defense let down with a two-goal lead and as the match neared the full-time mark, Dynamo made things quite difficult for Reis. In the 82nd, Parkhurst hauled down Franco Caraccio in the box and Mr. Geiger awarded Dynamo a penalty kick. Stuart Holden was given the honors and Reis stoned him cold. Yes! Reis made five saves on the night and picked up his fifth shutout of the year.

Revs welcomed Red Bull New York to Gillette on Wednesday, June 18th (Match #14). Shalrie Joseph returned to the lineup after time away with the Grenada National Team, but Khano Smith remains with Bermuda and Mansally with Gambia for the foreseeable future. Twellman remained out of the lineup continuing to nurse a sprained ankle. RBNY is struggling near the bottom of MLS East. However, they had much the better of play over the first 30 minutes. Revs could not get untracked at all, and the play was rough as befits two divisional rivals. RBNY’s Ubirapovic was carded in the 30th for dumping Parkhurst on a shady tackle. RBNY’s Steve Stammler scored in the 37th on diving volley from Van Den Bergh perfect floating ball from left wing. The play resulted from an injury to Mauricio Castro (right oblique strain) which enabled Red Bull to go on attack. Castro needed to be removed from the pitch on a stretcher and was replaced by Wells Thompson. Etcheverry missed a wide open net in the 44th, following Dan Richards’ impressive dash down right wing. RBNY continued to foul and manhandle Revs at will throughout the first half and the home side were pretty much out of sync.

Conway stoned Cristman early in the second following a throw-in. In the 52nd, Reis made a couple of nice stops after a breakdown in the Revs’ end. Stammler was carded in the 53rd when he dumped Thompson who was streaking up left wing. Nyassi had a chance in the 56th that passed through the mouth of the goal. Larentowicz popped Stammler in the 57th and was carded for his trouble. Around the hour mark, Revs appeared to get their act together, buy RBNY reverted to fouling and stymied the Revs’ attack. Cristman went off in the 70th after a collision with Van Den Bergh and was replaced by Phelan.

Finally! In the 79th, Revs scored. Heaps at left wing drove a lovely ball to Nyassi in the right corner, who found Ralston directly in front of the goal, where he struck a one-time bullet past the keeper to bring things level. In the 89th, Revs missed a golden opportunity to go ahead when Conway saved Ralston’s header and Dube’s rebound went just right. While Revs had a couple of opportunities during stoppage time, they were indeed fortunate to leave the pitch with one point. This was definitely not one of the team’s better nights.

…in other MLS news, Red Bull New York’s phenom Jozy Altidore agreed to a transfer to Villereal of La Liga for a fee of $15 million. That’s yet another promising American who has left the ‘States for the Big Time in Europe. Now, the only time Americans will get to see him and Adu is when Team USA plays in international competitions. Such is the dilemma of American soccer: while USA is finally developing a generation of world-class talented young players, MLS is not in the same financial league when it comes to compensation. Since Americans generally don’t pay a lot of attention to what happens in Europe and soccer is slightly above a niche activity in the American conscience, every time a bright light leaves USA for a big pay day elsewhere it makes it all the more difficult for American soccer to establish an identity with the home folk. The reality is that the North Americans are at least a generation or two away from attaining parity with Europe and South America soccer/football/futbol/calcio.

Euro 2008 Austria-Switzerland:

Group stage play was nothing short of amazing. Virtually every match produced high drama featuring many of the world’s best players. When you are able to see this level of competition on a daily basis, it makes MLS pale in comparison.

European Championship Fixtures - 2008

Saturday, June 7, 2008: Group A Matchday 1
Switzerland 0 - 1 Czech Republic / Portugal 2 - 0 Turkey

Sunday, June 8, 2008: Group B Matchday 1
Austria 0 - 1 Croatia / Germany 2 - 0 Poland

Monday, June 9, 2008: Group C Matchday 1
Romania 0 - 0 France / Netherlands 3 - 0 Italy

Tuesday, June 10, 2008: Group D Matchday 1
Spain 4 - 1 Russia / Greece 0 - 2 Sweden

Wednesday, June 11, 2008: Group A Matchday 2
Czech Republic 1 - 3 Portugal / Switzerland 1 - 2 Turkey

Thursday, June 12, 2008: Group B Matchday 2
Croatia 2 - 1 Germany / Austria 1 - 1 Poland

Friday, June 13, 2008: Group C Matchday 2
Italy 1 - 1 Romania / Netherlands 4 - 1 France

Saturday, June 14, 2008: Group D Matchday 2
Sweden 1 - 2 Spain / Greece 0 - 1 Russia

Sunday, June 15, 2008: Group A Matchday 3
Turkey* 3 - 2 Czech Republic / Switzerland 2 - 0 Portugal*

Monday, June 16, 2008: Group B Matchday 3
Poland 0 - 1 Croatia* / Austria 0 - 1Germany*

Tuesday, June 17, 2008: Group C Matchday 3
France 0 - 2 Italy* / Netherlands*2 - 0 Romania

Wednesday, June 18, 2008: Group D Matchday 3
Russia* 2 - 0 Sweden / Greece 1 - 2 Spain*

* Advance To Quarterfinals

Team USA
The Americans began their CONCACAF World Cup qualifying stage on Sunday,
June 15th in Carson City in the first of a two-leg aggregate match against Barbados. USA entered the qualifying stage following three international friendlies (England, Spain and Argentina) in which they failed to produce a goal. USA's starting keeper, Tim Howard, suffered a lower back strain in training and Brad Guzan was called on for the spot start. USA had outscored Barbados 11-0 in their prior two matches.

Revs' alum Clint Dempsey scored 54 seconds into the match after picking up Bocanegra's pass on his chest and sliding it past the keeper. The first ten minutes was played almost entirely in Barbados' end of the pitch. Bradley put USA up 2-nil in the 12th following a flurry of shots in front of Barbados' keeper. It was a nice Father's Day gift for the gaffer. Oneywu was carded in the 18th following a push n' shove match in front of the USA goal. USA went up 3-nil in the 20th when Ching scored on a deflection. The play started on a corner from Donovan to Beasley. Mastroeni fired a bullet toward the Barbados goal and the missle struck Ching's back and into the goal. Adu entered the match in the26th in favor of Mastroeni, who appeared to have been injured.

Donovan scored in the 59th on a free kick from 30 yards from the box. The keeper inexplicably hugged the right post and Donovan fired the ball into the wide open left corner. Dempsey made it 5-0 in the 63rd when he banged in a rebound completely unchecked in front of the goal. By this time, the match had devolved into target practice for the Americans. Eddie Johnson (who had just entered for Donovan) scored on a header in the 83rd to make it 6-nil. Brian Ching made it 7-0 in the 86th on a deflection in front of the beleagured keeper. In the 89th, Ching picked up a pass from Cherundolo to make it 8-0 USA.

As lopsided as the final result was, it was critical for the National Team to begin to findtheir rhythm as a group. As the road to World Cup 2010 draws closer to South Africa, the competition becomes all the more challenging and difficult.