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diego maradona dies

11/25/2020

Photo courtesy Google.

Maradona, World Cup champion, dies at age 60 as reported by CNN on November 25, 2020.*

* Ben Church, "Diego Maradona dies aged 60," CNN, updated November 25, 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/25/football/diego-maradona-death-argentina-spt-intl/index.html

euro 2020 is ready!

11/12/2020

UEFA Euro 2020 is now ready!
On 11-12-20, the Last Four Teams Qualified...

The Last Four:
N. Macedonia
Hungary
Slovakia
Scotland

Group A
Italy
Switzerland
Turkey
Wales

Group B
Belgium
Denmark
Finland
Russia

Group C
Austria
Netherlands
N. Macedonia
Ukraine

Group D
Croatia
Czech Republic
England
Scotland

Group E
Slovakia
Poland
Spain
Sweden

Group F
France
Germany
Hungary
Portugal

For further book information, visit Meyer & Meyer Sport.

checkmating a russian

11/8/2020

Yes, I checkmated a Russian and I'm posting it. You've gotta take victories where you can. These Russians are good! They can play some chess.

Have I checkmated Russians before? Of course, I'm the best. Yet Russians are the toughest opponents out there, hands down. What Brazilians are to soccer, Russians are to chess.

euro soccer leagues 2019/20 book excerpt

11/3/2020

The following is a book excerpt from European Soccer Leagues 2019/20.

LIVERPOOL

A Brief Team History

From 1892 to present, with so many championships and accomplishments it’s hard to categorize Liverpool without dedicating a complete book to one of the giants of European football, a book the size of an Encyclopedia, with Bill Shankly—the great coach—front and center. Just a few stellar names from Liverpool’s storied history include: John Aldridge, Ray Houghton, Alan Hansen, Ian Rush, John Harkes, Steve Nicol, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho, Mohamed Salah.

For more information, visit Meyer & Meyer Sport.

blue flowers

11/1/2020

euro soccer leagues 2019/20 book excerpt

10/14/2020

The following is a book excerpt from European Soccer Leagues 2019/20.

BAYERN MUNICH

Where the Team Is Today—Tactics and Strategies

It’s automatically assumed that a team like Bayern will be successful. So what’s the formula? What has worked? What hasn’t worked for Bayern? Typically Bayern has been seen with a 4-3-3. And superior talent tends to help. In fact, superior talent trumps any formation. Aside from the 4-3-3, Bayern might use a 4-4-1-1 or possibly a 4-1-4-1. Perhaps the 4-3-3 would be best as the 4-3-3 has been used affectively by Bayern in its ability to pressure opponents on defense. The beauty of the 4-3-3 is that is makes the field smaller (defensively) in this regard, as players can easily cover more ground on the field together, pressing the opponent and causing turnovers.

For more book information visit Meyer & Meyer Sport.

EURO SOCCER LEAGUES 2019/20 BOOK EXCERPT

9/14/2020

The following is a book excerpt from European Soccer Leagues 2019/20.

BAYERN MUNICH

A Brief Team History

When it comes to excellence one could successfully argue there is no greater presence in German soccer than Bayern Munich. It has won the German League more times than you can imagine (28 and counting), with titles from smaller tournaments—DFB-Pokal, DFL-Supercup, and DFL-Ligapokal—adding up like a seventh-grader’s math homework, along with European titles to boot.

Bayern flourished big-time in the 1970s, with some of its most iconic players taking center stage around that time. This was a golden era for Bayern Munich as the club won the European Cup in three consecutive attempts (1973-74, 1974-75, and 1975-76). Franz Beckenbauer, the elegant ‘queen on the chessboard’ operating out of defense, was captain from 1970-77.

The players that have roamed through the halls of Germany’s finest club add up like an A list of the Bundesliga’s future Mount Rushmore: Gerd Muller, Franz Beckenbauer, Paul Breitner, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and Lothar Matthaus, to name a few. In the modern era, the list of talent continues with Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos, Manuel Neuer, Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Robert Lewandowski, and Thomas Muller. It goes without saying, there are so many others worth mentioning that would require leasing out a metric ton of book space.

But wait. As great as Bayern is, last season (that of 2018-19) left a large window open for discussion after the team struggled with more losses than it expected and talk of coach Niko Kovac’s departure was lingering. Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben were aging. These two have been absolutely critical to Bayern’s success in recent years. As they are stepping out of their prime and getting closer to retirement things around Bayern have been in limbo, somewhat. Though, as should be expected, Bayern will look to make drastic improvements for the 2019-20 season.

2019-20 champions league winner: bayern munich!

8/23/2020

Bayern Munich defeated PSG, 1-0, on 8-23-20 in the Champions League final. As a result, Bayern Munich now has 6 Champions League titles (formerly known as the European Cup).

In my book, European Soccer Leagues 2019/20, I had a prediction of sorts for this outcome, seen below.

The following is a book excerpt from European Soccer Leagues 2019/20.

2019-20 UEFA Champions League: A Look Ahead

Without a doubt, the leaders going into the 2019-20 Champions League tournament will be Barcelona, Ajax, Tottenham, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Manchester City, and Paris Saint-Germain.

mls cup 2020 champs: portland timbers

8/13/2020

MLS Cup 2020 Final

Portland vs. Orlando
2-1

Champions: Portland

My prediction that Portland would win the final was correct. It was a team with multiple impact players and a good overall buildup in attack. Also, as I predicted, it was a good final match with Orlando that was very close. At the final whistle, it was a well-deserved championship for the better side, Portland.

mls cup 2020 final

8/7/2020

MLS Cup 2020 Final

Portland vs. Orlando

Commentary:
From worst to first? Orlando's turnaround from last season has been remarkable. With Nani adding experience and leadership it's a side that is ready for Portland. Portland, with the nuanced touch of Valeri, has impact players that might not be household names but are certainly high quality. Despite the value of Nani, Orlando will fall to Portland in the final. Though, it should be a good game, and it could go either way.

<<Previous

diego maradona dies

euro 2020 is ready!

checkmating a russian

euro soccer leagues 2019/20 book excerpt

blue flowers

euro soccer leagues 2019/20 book excerpt

EURO SOCCER LEAGUES 2019/20 BOOK EXCERPT

2019-20 champions league winner: bayern munich!

mls cup 2020 champs: portland timbers

mls cup 2020 final

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