USA Rolls, Honduras Squeaks By

The US had an easy win in their first match against Grenada 4-0. The US played some good attacking football, against an outmatched side. Adu's goal on the sixth minute put the US on its way. The game really could have been a lot worse, but due to some poor finishing and good goalkeeping Desmond Noel prevented it from being worse. The US will face a more difficult match next against Honduras.

Honduras struggled throughout the match against a spirited Hatitian side. Honduras finally got the breathrough on the 76th minute on a goal by Carlo Costly. Costly has been impressive for Honduras as the Mexicans know well. The two favorites from this group are now in the driver seat to advance to the quarterfinals. 

Serena Wins, Men's Preview

Serena Williams defeated her sister in the finals today. After a tight first set, Serena pulled away and cruised in the second. The match was largely an uneventful one. The win ended Venus's chance at three in a row. This was Serena's 3rd Wimbledon Championship.

Tomorrow, Roddick will take on Federer in the finals of the men's championship. Roddick has had a great run to make the finals, but surely will be outmatched in the end. Federer has walked his way to the finals and should have no trouble.

El Salvador Upsets Costa Rica

Costa Rica came into the tournament as one of the dark horses, despite their history of struggles in this competition. El Salvador had played Los Ticos twice already this year and lost on both occasions. The third time would turn out to be the charm though. The match was played in Carson, California, in front of an overwhelmingly pro El Salvador crowd. El Salvador took a first half lead via a tight angle shot from Osael Romero. They held on until the 64th minute when Granados equalized from close range. Costa Rica piled on the pressure as they looked for the winner. The game turned on its head in the 86th minute when Romero scored his second goal after a mishit cross from the Costa Rican defense. El Salvador went on to win the game 2-1 and joined Canada at the top of group A with 3 points.

Canada Starts Tournament With Win

How is it that some teams in the soccer world can play so well in one tournament and so poorly in another. Canada had a dismal display in their World Cup Qualifiers and have not qualified for the World Cup since 1986. In the Gold Cup, they consistently go deep into the tournament. The Canadians took on Jamaica who they were thrashed by in qualifiers, the Canucks gave a much more spirited display. They were very organized at the back and did a great job keeping possession of the ball. Jamaica did create chances however, and were unlucky not to have scored. Canada had plenty of chances as well and got the break through in the 75th minute on a well taken goal by Gerba. With the win Canada now have a great shot at qualifying for the next round, while Jamaica face an uphill task. 

The Retrurn of Manny Ramirez

The return of Manny Ramirez brings one question to my mind. Should we as fans boo him for his usage of a banned substance, or should we celebrate his return as one of the greatest players of all time? I personally believe that this question can't be answered yet because we don't know all of the details yet, and I don't know if we ever will. We don't even know if he did use steroids, all we know is that he used a pill that is usually used after someone has used steroids. Also, if he has not used steroids, than why he is he refusing to answer the questions about all of the details he is being asked. What do you as fans of the game think?

Shock Transfer

To say that Michael Owen's move to Manchester United came out of nowhere would be an understatement. It came completely out of the blue. At first it doesn't make sense why Man U would do this. He is now 29 and has come off three injury plagued seasons. When you look at the contract he signed though, it becomes clearer. Although the figures have not been announced, United officials have stated that it will be a pay as you play contract and a significant pay cut from what he had at Newcastle. So it is a low risk high reward situation for United. If he gets injured or does not play to his potential, it does not cost United much. On the other side of the coin if Owen can stay healthy, he can be a very lethal player for United. However, United fans will still be wanting more from the Glazers after Ronaldo and Tevez's departure. Another big name might be making his way to Old Trafford soon. 

Canada and Costa Rica Best Shot to End Stranglehold

When Canada won the Gold Cup in 2000, they became the first team besides the United States and Mexico to win the tournament. Once again this year the US and Mexico are heavy favorites to reach the finals. Canada and Costa Rica have the best shot at stealing the trophy away from one of those sides. Canada seem to always play well in the Gold Cup, despite consistently underachieving in World Cup Qualifying. In 2007, they were very impressive in getting to the semifinals where they played the US. They would have made it to the finals had the officials not robbed them (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ani9Wkx-TE). The Canadians have a talented side with many of their players playing in the premier league and Dwayne DeRosario, who has twice won the MLS MVP. Canada certainly has a talented enough team to make a run to the finals.

Costa Rica seem to be the opposite of Canada. They always do well in World Cup Qualifying, but do poorly in the Gold Cup. They have never made it past the quarterfinals. This time however can be different if they survive a very difficult group. Costa Rica have topped the CONCACAF region in qualifying and have shown that they can beat either the US or Mexcio. This Costa Rican team is probably their most talented ever and if they stay poised are capable of winning the championship. 

Brewers @ Cubs Preview

This is a very important NL Central game for both teams, as the Brewers look to solidify their spot as a contender in the NL Central and the Cubs look to get back in the race for the division. The hard throwing Seth McClung goes for the Brewers and the Cubs answer with Ryan Dempster.
Prediction: Ryan Dempster throws very well and the Cubbies win 5-2.

Williams Sisters

Once again the Wimbledon Final will be between Venus and Serena. This is the fourth time in the past eight years that they will face each other in the final. The two sisters have been a great face for American tennis, as they have been the dominant players for the last several seasons. Venus destroyed Safina in the semifinals, while Serena played a very tight match against Dementieva. Despite that, I still think Serena will win because she leads the all time series 5-2. It should be a great match as Venus has won Wimbledon the last too years.

Angels @ Rangers Preview

This is a very important game as these two teams are in a very tight division race and the winner of this game would win the series. Both Kevin Millwood and Jered Weaver are going for their 9th win and appear to be the aces of their staff. They are very similar style pitchers in that  that neither pitcher will touch 92, but can still be very effective. One other note, the Ranger offense seems to be finally breaking out of that incredibly long offensive slump.
Prediction: Very tight game, Rangers win 6-4.

Rain in the Sunshine State

The Washington Nationals have had a season of disappointments. At 22-54 the Nationals have the worst record in baseball by quite some distance. They have especially struggled this year against teams from the state of Florida. After the Nats 5-3 loss against the Marlins today, they have a combined record against the Marlins and Rays of 0-12! In 10 of those games the Nats have had the lead. In one series against the Marlins in DC, the Nats took the lead into the ninth in every game. In two of those games, the Nats had leads by 5 runs. The Nats still have 9 games to pick up a win against a team from Florida, but at the end of the year their record is sure to be a dismal against them. 

Gold Cup Preview

Every two years the Gold Cup comes around and it is one of the best tournaments in international soccer. The Gold Cup is the tournament for the CONCACAF region and this year has one of the deepest fields in the competition's history. 

Preview: Group A is the deepest group from top to bottom in the tournament. Canada always seems to play well in this tournament and I expect them to sneak in to the quarterfinals along with Costa Rica and Jamaica. El Salvador will still be preoccupied with thoughts of trying to sneak into the World Cup, so I don't think they will be as focused as they would be on this tournament. 

Group B: The US should have no trouble advancing from this group. Honduras, who also has a history of deep runs in this tournament, should get through as well. Grenada are making their first appearance, which is a great accomplishment for them. However, I expect them to struggle and not make it through. Haiti are going through one of their worst points in history, and I do not expect them to progress. 

Group C: Mexico should be able to walk through this group. The rest of the group should be interesting. Nicaragua is also making their first appearance in the Cup after stunning Guatemala in the UNCAF cup, although they most likely will be out matched as well in the Gold Cup. Panama is the second best team in this tournament and should get through. Guadeloupe pulled off one of the greatest shocks ever in this tournament by making the semifinals. I expect them to have another successful tournament and make the quarterfinals.

Final: The USA and Mexico are just too strong and should make it to the finals for the third straight year. The USA has Mexico's number on US soil and should take the trophy again.

Giants @ Cardinals Preview

This game features a very interesting pitching matchup in recent 300 game winner Randy Johnson against Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter. In the 1st game of this series, the Giants absolutely owned the Cardinals winning 10-0 with ace Tim Lincecum pitching a complete game shutout. Chris Carpenter has been stellar this season since returning from injury. Expect the Cardinals to dominate tonight with Carpenter pitching as well as always.
Prediction:Cardinals start out well and cruise through this game, winning 7-1.

The Face of Incompetence

There are many General Managers who infuriate their fan bases with a stunning amount of incompetence. However, Omar Minaya, the GM of the Mets, wins the award for the most incompetent. Minaya has always gotten a lot more credit then he deserved for the Mets run to the NLCS in 2006. The team he took over was overwhelmingly inherited from the previous GM. In 2007, after the Mets historic collapse, he shockingly failed to address the team's bullpen, which was the worst in baseball at the time. The failure to address the bullpen issue led the Mets to another collapse in 2008. Minaya made another shocking decision by giving Luis Castillo, an aging mediocre second baseman, a massive 4 year, 24 million dollar contract. This also prevented the Mets from signing Orlando Hudson, one of the best second baseman in the game, who openly stated that he wanted to play for the Mets. Now, go forward to this year. Minaya gave another massive contract to Oliver Perez, instead of signing Derek Lowe. Lowe's ERA is currently 4.3, while Perez's is a horrendous 9.97! The Mets have been devastated with injuries this year, which obviously can't be blamed on Minaya. However, the Mets have plenty of trade options to try to help counter the loss of their stars. Minaya, though, has chosen to do nothing, while the Mets have continued to sink. Minaya needs to go for the Mets to get back to the playoffs.

The Perfect Lineup

In my years of following Baseball I don't know if I have ever seen a more complete and balanced line up then the Dodgers team this season. They literally have no holes or flaws at any point. Manny's effect on the Dodgers last year was as great as any on team in recent history. His presence gave the Dodgers a massive lift to get them to the NLCS last season. When he went down many people expected his loss to sink the Dodgers. However, there is a massive amount of talent on this team and have experienced no drop off what so ever. Juan Pierre, his replacement, has hit a whopping .323 in his absence! Furcal has had a disappointing year hitting only .245, but his back up Juan Castro is hitting .345. Kemp and Ethier have also provided some power for LA, both with double digit homeruns. Casey Blake has also unexpectedly had a great year for the Dodgers with 11 homeruns. Then throw in James Loney, who always hits well, and Orlando Hudson, one of the most complete players in baseball and that is a stacked line up. Russell Martin has struggled but has plenty of talent and will surely get hot at some point to send his average soaring. With Manny coming back on July 3rd it will add one of the most feared hitters in baseball. Having an incredible slugger like Manny added into a line up filled with consistent high average hitters is a virtual perfect line up. In addition to that, the Dodgers have one of the best coaching staffs in baseball lead by Torre and Matingly.

The Dodgers weakness is that they are 15th out of 16 in defense in the NL. However, they are first in the NL in pitching which makes up for a lot of their miscues. They are first despite not having a very deep staff, therefore it makes it unlikely that they can maintain that position for the whole time. If the Dodgers can add another great arm at the trade deadline, their will be no stopping them on the way to the World Series. 

Rays @ Jays Preview

Roy Halladay makes his return to the mound tonight in search of his major league leading 11th win. The 6-9 Jeff Niemann toes the rubber tonight for the Rays and looks for his 7th win respectively. The Rays come into this game one game ahead of the division rival Jays and very much in the wild card race. Both offenses have been good this year and have some very good young talent that should translate into winning in the upcoming years. Expect a very entertaining game tonight.
Prediction: Halladay will give up a couple of 1st inning runs but will cruise after that. Niemann will do almost the opposite in starting very well but struggling in the 4th and 5th. Jays win 5-2.

Full Credit to USA

The USA might have lost 3-2 after blowing a 2 goal halftime lead(actually should have been 4-2 the ball crossed the line), but they should be very proud. They gave a great display against one of the best sides in the world. It would have been great to win their first ever championship in a FIFA tournament, but this is still a great building block. The USA has improved greatly in during this tournament. They can go into 2010 with plenty of confidence knowing that they can compete some of the best teams in the world. Some players for the US really stood out in this tournament. Howard proved time in time again that he is one of the best goalies in the world. Altidore is a future star in the making without any question and Onyewu has been a rock at the back. 

Brazil despite winning the tournament, still has some big questions to be sorted out. They can easily be exploited with quick counter attacking as the US did for the second goal. Robinho and Kaka are two incredibly talented players, but they lack a premier goal scorer and are not as star studded as other Brazilian teams in the past.