UEFA announced the groups for the UEFA 2016 qualifiers which featured a number of interesting matchups. Inevitably the big teams will earn the spotlight when analysis about these groups comes about. Some top teams inevitably came away with a solid draws in the qualifiers while other teams wound up with the short straw. Here are the losers of the draw.
Mario Goetze. Thomas Muller. Thiago Alcantara. All three players are major parts of Pep Guardiola's dominant Bayern Munich side and are seen as major pieces for the future. The team also recently acquired Robert Lewandowski and rumor has it that Julian Draxler is also a player that Guardiola will look to add. All of them are young, so one would assume that they are expected play major roles in coming years as such aging veterans like Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery fade into the sunrise. But there is one player that may actually be more important than all three of them. And his name is Toni Kroos.
Back in late September, Arsenal fans everywhere celebrated the arrival of Mesut Ozil. The transfer was essential for a number of reasons. It proved that manager Arsene Wenger was willing to spend money when the opportunity came. It also made Arsenal a major contender in the Premier League. For the following months after Ozil's arrival, the Gunners became the top team in the Premier League and seemingly never looked back.
Both players have had their fair share of memorable games against one another. Latinos Post will showcase a two-part feature, which examines these two superstars' best games against their hated rivals. In the first edition, we will at Lionel Messi's two finest performances against Real Madrid.
Things are getting ugly at Manchester United. The defending Premier League champions continued their horrid season by blowing a late 2-1 lead against last-place Fulham and settling for a 2-2 draw.
Arsenal was defeated by Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League draw. the match featured some exciting end to end action in its opening half and two missed penalties. Here are five things that we learned from the first leg of this round of bout.
The Manchester City and Barcelona matchup did not go quite as many expected. The English side stayed strong for the majority of the game's opening half but faltered after a red card and a goal from Lionel Messi. After a 2-0 win, Barcelona has all but clinched a spot in the quarterfinals.The other big match of the week is slated to take place Wednesday when Bayern Munich and Arsenal lock horns. The tie is a repeat of last season's round of 16 matchup when Munich won 3-1 at the Emirates before losing 2-0 at home. The aggregate was tied but the away goals favored the German side, which went on to win the entire tournament.This year's matchup features two significantly different sides. Here is how Munich and Arsenal look heading into Wednesday's first leg.
For many people, Landon Donovan epitomizes merican soccer. The current Los Angeles Galaxy star rose to prominence in his country over 10 years ago and has been often associated with the ups and downs of the country.The star player recently announced that the 2014 World Cup will likely be his final appearance in the tournament."It's hard for me to imagine, sitting here, that I'll be able to walk in four years, much less play soccer," Donovan said according to ESPN. "So I would guess that this is my last chance of making a World Cup."In commemoration of Donovan's career, here is a look at his previous three World Cup appearances and his impact on American soccer.
While most of the world will be preoccupied with the Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal matchup, the remainder of the soccer viewers will be engaged with a round of 16 tie between Atletico Madrid and AC Milan.In the past one would expect AC Milan to be the runaway favorite in the tie, but the historic side has fallen on hard times and is expected to lose this match against a Diego Simeone team that is on the rise. How do these teams matchup?
Champions League soccer is back and the biggest matchup of the round of 16 will kick off the festivities on Tuesday when Barcelona visits Manchester City.
While most of the world will undoubtedly be paying close attention to the matchup between Barcelona and Manchester City, a smaller portion will take note of an equally engaging Champions league draw between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayer Leverkusen.The two teams enter this matchup with similar chances at passing onto the quarterfinals. Here is a preview of what each side has to offer.
The Copa del Rey final is one of the most hotly anticipated matches of recent seasons. Obviously every Barcelona-Real Madrid matchup is a reason for anticipation and joy in the soccer world, but seeing the two most famous clubs in the world renew their rivalry with a piece of hardware on the line is obviously a bigger treat than anyone could possible hope for.
The Champions League round of 16 gets underway on Tuesday. Back in December this publication ranked the remaining 16 clubs based on their previous performances. On the eve of the actual round of 16, we will relook at that list and see how the teams rank based on recent form. This is a look at which teams have the best chance to win the trophy and this also includes a look at their upcoming matchups and how that affects each team's respective tournament chances.
The attention of the World Cup usually centers on a few teams - the host nation, the defending Champion and the other top contenders. This particular tournament is special because it may see the end of an era. The end of the Spanish empire.
The World Cup is just four months away. With each passing week, we'll preview two of the 32 competitors leading up to the biggest tournament on the planet. The order is not pre-determined or predictable; we want to keep this exciting.The French were once among the top soccer nations in the World. Life has not been so great since 2006, but the nation has a lot of reasons to believe that it can make a deep run in this tournament.
The Barcelona and Real Madrid rivalry has always been a reason to rejoice and celebrate for soccer fans around the world. Spectators are now guaranteed at least two more major Clasicos before the end of the 2013-14 season. Barcelona's Gerard Pique recently stated that he was excited about the prospect of playing Real Madrid with the Copa del Rey on the line.
The World Cup is just four months away. With each passing week, we'll preview two of the 32 competitors leading up to the biggest tournament on the planet. The order is not pre-determined or predictable; we want to keep this exciting.
And then there were two. But not just any two. The Big Two. Real Madrid and Barcelona will face off in the Copa del Rey final for the seventh time in the tournament's history.
Arsenal was at home and only trailed Chelsea by two points. And it was playing a Manchester United team that could be called mediocre at best. And despite these circumstances in their favor, the Gunners continued to bury the hope that once glimmered on their season.
Radamel Falcao may still play in the World Cup after all. Radamel Falcao may still play in the World Cup after all. The Monaco forward's recovery from his recent surgery is going according to schedule and he now has a "55 percent chance of playing in the World Cup," according to Dr.
