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Soccer Saturday: Your Running Commentary

Raul (AP) 

Whether you enjoy European soccer or Latin American soccer, today's slate of soccer action on TV has something good for everybody.

From streaking Real Madrid, to surprising Hoffenheim, and red-hot Pachuca, there are plenty of top teams to watch in action today for those looking to spend the weekend immersed in soccer.

If you will be watching today's action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below (today's schedule of matches on TV  is after the jump).

Enjoy the action.

Today's soccer on TV

10am- Setanta USA- Liverpool at Middlesbrough

10am- FSC- Fulham at Arsenal

11:30am- GolTV- Hoffenheim vs. Borussia Dortmund

Noon- FSC- Bologna at Lazio

2pm- GolTV- Sevilla at Athletic Bilbao

2:30pm- FSC- Napoli at Juventus

2:5pm- Setanta USA- Toulouse at Auxerre

4pm- GolTV- Espanyol at Real Madrid

5pm- Setanta USA- Wigan at Chelsea

6pm- Fox Sports Espanol- Atlante at Cruz Azul

6pm- Telemundo- Toluca at Monterrey

6:15pm- GolTV- Cucuta at Millonarios

8pm- Telemundo- Pachuca at Chivas de Guadalajara

8pm- Azteca America- Atlante at Cruz Azul

8:15pm- GolTV- Santa Fe at Medellin

10:15pm- GolTV- Guarani at Palmeiras

Comments

  1. Can’t we all just get along.

    MB scored for BMG. That is something to be happy about. Even if BMG are relegated he will find another quality team in the Bundesliga for him.

    Also Fulham are actually improving. They are not out of the realm of Uefa Cup next season. but i figure they get to no.7 by the end of the season.

    Sucks that Liverpool lost and Chelsea won.

    Reply
  2. Dempsey has 4goals in 20 games and a few of those were as subs with less than 15mins to play. Not bad. He should be played up top or supporting AJ.

    I’d say he’s hitting his strike. He should be able to knock in 3 more by the end of the season. Only would be 2nd to AJ who wil have 10/11 by the end of the season.

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  3. Fulham looked really really good today. They played lots of great balls behind the Arsenal backline. Johnson and Zemora won just about every 50/50. The reason Dempsey was lackluster in the 2nd half was because he was running his ass off. When Eboue came in, he had no chance of keeping up with the kid’s fast, fresh legs. He had his head down sprinting back every time they lost possession. But overall, the most exciting game I’ve seen all year. Arsenal are in BIG trouble!!

    Looking forward to the Bayern Munich/Werder Bremen game tomorrow, even if Donovan doesn’t play.

    Cheers to Edu going the full 90!

    Reply
  4. Dave,

    My apologies. Its hard to shake that stuff, you know? (Even though I graduated a while back) But truly, I am sorry for the bad language. 🙂

    At least I didn’t throw “inter alia” or “res ipsa loquitur” in there, right?

    Reply
  5. Ok. I get it.

    My reasoning and arguments trumped yours;

    I support Clint Dempsey because honestly, I played at a higher level of soccer than you ever dreamed of, but I am not qualified to critique his play; AND

    I corrected someone’s misspelling when he took a cheap shot at me, with no foundation…

    And that makes me a “douchebag.”

    Well, assuming arguendo that your conclusion follows from the three previous statements…yes, I am a douchebag.

    Reply
  6. Ko’d, you make no sense. You claim you want reason, but only if it’s not critical of Dempsey. A distinct contradiction.

    While the rest of us may be “doosh bags”, I’ll take your lead and say that you’re in another level altogether–that of a true “douchebag”.

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  7. Sounds like Bacalao is just finding reasons to bag on Dempsey’s game today. Seriously, you watched a game on tv and claim to know a player “didn’t want it”?!?! That’s just hilarious. Like Ko’d said, go back to the kiddie pool. You’re out of your rec league comfort zone.

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  8. I seriously doubt that Clint Dempsey, Roy Hodgson, or Bob Bradley are reading this blog for tips on how to improve. Thus, any description of Dempsey’s “shortcomings” is pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Plus, those three people are JUST the kind of people who, after watching Dempsey for a year, 3 years, or a lifetime, are qualified to critique his play.

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  9. Well, the only thing I’d say is that it doesn’t do Dempsey, Fulham, nor the USMNT any favors to look at the man through rose-colored glasses, without pointing out his shortcomings. I don’t expect Dempsey to lead the EPL in goals, I’d just like to see him break into double digits like McBride did.

    Short of that, I agree with USA; we all sound like a bunch of “doosh bags”.

    Reply
  10. I watched the first half and I thought Dempsey was bright and excellent in the attack-pretty in line w/ Fulham’s overall offensive display-which was SUPERB.

    And to the argument that the other players have played 3 games as well-this is true, but wingers run much more than the other players on the field-Dempsey has a propensity to fall off at the end of matches because he works his ASS off.

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  11. Implied ad hominem, again.

    Plus, you missed the point. Watching Dempsey for 5 years IS insufficient, by itself, to judge his game. I went on to say that you have to have played at a decent level of soccer to know what you are analyzing. You clearly haven’t. Playing in the backyard or on the 25-and-over indoor team doesn’t qualify you to pass judgment on Dempsey’s desire or his level of play.

    He didn’t “call for the ball”? HAHAHA. That’s ridiculous. Were you there? Also, he moved plenty. Watch the game, again, if you watched it at all in the first place. Just because you conclude with “can’t get more concrete than that,” doesn’t mean what you presented was concrete.

    Some of your commentary makes no sense. This is the deep-end, sport. Go back to the kiddie pool.

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  12. “My biggest problem with Dempsey (and I’ve been watching him since he broke in with the Revs several years ago) is that he has stretches of exceptional, animated and offensively explosive games–where he scores and creates and is integrally involved.

    Then he loses focus and or motivation–burns out and completely ghosts out in subsequent games. ”

    You just basically described every “good” player in the world.

    The amazing ones can avoid those off-form slumps, but even world class players have bad stretches.

    Bacalao – If Dempsey does “not want the ball” maybe it is because he works himself into the move without being a guy who wants a pass too soon.

    I have rarely seen Clint call for the ball, but he does move and work himself into spaces to make runs where other players will see him and feed him passes. You want him screaming for the ball like a #1 striker when he plays LM or RM in a tentative 4-4-2.

    If the guy had a bad game, he had a bad game, the fact remains he’s the only outfield player we have getting regular minutes in a top league and is our best representation internationally at this time.

    Reply
  13. Ko’d, Lighten up! Do you also see conspiracy theories where none exist?

    I would have addressed your “points” (and I use that term very, very loosely) if they had merited any further consideration. 5 years is “not sufficient” time to observe patterns in a player’s game? That’s comically absurd. There’s nothing else I can say to that as reason holds no appeal for you.

    I maintain that Dempsey didn’t look like he “wanted” the ball today based on two verifiable components which I’ve already cited: namely, he didn’t call for the ball at all, nor did he move off the ball much, nor move into space to receive it.

    Can’t get more concrete than that.

    Please dude, don’t flatter yourself. I wouldn’t waste a perfectly good “ad hominem” on what I’ve seen of you.

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  14. Speaking of conclusory… And are implied ad hominems the best YOU have?

    No. I am not a wizard. But when you resort to that type of counterargument, conclusory and personal, it’s pretty clear my point came across.

    The fact is, it’s clear you have not been around footballers at all. Some of them do it because its a job. Some of them have the drive. How would you like me to quantify Dempsey’s drive? It’s ridiculous to suggest that there is something beyond qualitative criteria (posture, emotions, reactions) to determine whether someone “wants” it. You claimed that he didn’t want it. How did you reach that conclusion?

    If you can’t respond to my arguments with some sense of reason, I would prefer you left the personal, childish attacks alone. Sadly typical of so many posters on this blog.

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  15. Ko’d. You’re trying so hard, but not getting anywhere. It’s painful to watch you stretch so.

    You can “..see it in his eyes…”? Is that really the best you can come up with? Just what sort of a sorcerer or wizard are you?

    Reply
  16. Fine.

    First, just because you have watched Dempsey for 5 years doesn’t mean that you have the background to provide insightful analysis. You have to play at a decent level to offer meaningful analysis. With that as the backdrop…

    With the exception of a superhuman like Messi or C. Ronaldo (and they are as close to superhuman on the soccer field as it gets), most footballers don’t string together 40-50 amazing games per season (including European games, etc.) Dempsey has played a lot of minutes recently. He was definitely gassed by the 70th minute, but he played hard and DID influence the game.

    Added nothing on offense? He pushed two counters, although he admittedly lacked weight and direction with his final touch on the last counter. But he involved himself in possession and build-up, had an ok shot from distance, and created dangerous situations for Fulham.

    The mere idea that Dempsey didn’t “want” it is bizarre. I haven’t seen too many footballers in my lifetime who “wanted” it more than Clint Dempsey. Was he tired at the end of the match? You bet. Did he have an amazing game? No.

    But was he lazy and disinterested? Has he really ever had a proclivity to display that type of attitude? No. You can see it in his eyes after he or his teammates scores.

    I said you were wrong on (almost all) counts because there was no basis for your conclusions. I was conclusory because I wanted to see if you were still reading the thread, thus making it worth my time.

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  17. Fireball & others, To say that Dempsey was simply “gassed” overlooks the glaring fact that the rest of the squad has also played 3 matches in the last week. Davies, Johnson, Murphy, Hughs (even Zamora) and most of the others looked strong today.

    Again, I’d say that Dempsey problem is that he’s not consistent enough. Nobody questions that he has boatloads of talent; it’s the mental part of his game that he needs to improve. He needs to be hungry every match.

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  18. Hey jddjsjsjdd, what if we beat out arsenal for 6th??? What an incredible feat. However, I am getting ahead of ourselves. It seems that city and west ham are getting into form, and they are right with us. We may have a serious contention for the 7th spot. Gera had a great game today.

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  19. K’od, by all means enlighten me. Don’t just say I’m “wrong on all counts”. Back it up with concrete points.

    Trust me, I want to be wrong about Dempsey; but I don’t believe I am. I’ve seen the same pattern from him since 2004.

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  20. Howard is exceptional in goal for Everton as always. They have the goods to reach the final of the FA Cup.

    Gooch is helping Standard Liege to another title in May. Than he’s off to either Marseille/PSG or a club in Spain.

    Bocanegra is an integral part of Rennes in their fight to reach the Champions League.

    Cherundolo has seen some injuries but is slowly back in form for Hannover as they hover around midtable Bundesliga.

    Pearce is a question mark. But Spector is back from injuries and getting PT for West Ham so that will be okay.

    Kljestan needs to get to Europe this summer.

    Bradley has been explosive as of late for BMG. He will keep them from being relegated

    Dempsey has got his A form for Fulham and will get them into Europe.

    Beasley is another question mark but should transfer to Spain/France this summer.

    Donovan has been average at best for BM. Needs to transfer to a mid table club to be a star.

    Altidore didnt get any time besides on the bench for Villarreal and now no time for a 2nd division club.

    That’s our starting XI for the WC and how they are doing now. We don’t have much depth and of those Califf,DeMerit, Torres,Edu, Adu, Davies, Cooper are barely cutting it.

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  21. Gera is atrocious and Dempsey is quality. Now Dempsey isn’t the best. But he’d mid table quality and that’s what Fulham is now. And so i am glad.

    Dempsey scored a brace against Chelsea. 1st time an American ever scored 2 against a Top club. Incredible. I’m hoping he can score against Man United in either the next PL game or FA Cup. Come On You Whites.

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  22. Tha Deuce,

    I believe Fulham will finish 7th. Their defense is incredible. If only AJ/Dempsey can score, they will be doing it.

    Everton is 1 point from 5th. Arsenal is going to 6th. Wigan is losing form and Zaki isnt even producing anymore so 8th is their best.

    Aston Villa will cling to no4 Chelsea no3 and hurts me to say this but Liverpool no2.

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  23. Between international duty, FA cup, league games, and practically never being subed, he has to be absolutely gased. He def needs a rest

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  24. I thought that Gera was actually pretty terrible. He gave away the ball a couple of times. Not surprising for someone playing 2-3 min, but I did not see anything from him. Dempsey played pretty well, he just ran out of gas at the end.

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  25. That is probably it Fireball, but what worries me is that incredible performance Gera put in when he came on. Did you see how well he controlled possession and the game? His passes were crisp. I haven’t seen him play that good ever. I hope he doesn’t gain the start again over dempsey. When he came on that is when Arsenal couldn’t even touch the ball and fulham had their best possession all game.

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  26. My biggest problem with Dempsey (and I’ve been watching him since he broke in with the Revs several years ago) is that he has stretches of exceptional, animated and offensively explosive games–where he scores and creates and is integrally involved.

    Then he loses focus and or motivation–burns out and completely ghosts out in subsequent games.

    Today, aside from a few decent tackles, he just didn’t do anything. He added nothing on offense.

    An earlier poster criticized Zamora for calling for the ball then squandering his chances. But that’s the nature of the position. Strikers are supposed to get open, WANT the ball, and call for it, then do what they can to get a shot off.

    Fair enough, Dempsey played wide mid today, but he didn’t move off the ball, didn’t call for it, didn’t really look like he WANTED it at all.

    Reply
  27. Dempsey has basically played 3 full games in 7 days. He was exhausted toward the end, but was still putting in 60-yard run & tackles tracking back on defense. I think what we saw in 2nd half wasn’t lack of form or hunger, he just had no more gas.

    Hangeland was monster today.

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  28. Michael Bradley as captain of BMG. I can see that happening if he’s there within the next few seasons.

    He’s improving each game. 3rd goal in 15matches and the 1st called up for a PK. Impressive. I’m glad he left the Dutch league. He did all he could there.

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  29. Anyone believe Fulham can finish in 6th in the premier league after watching this game? They need to pass Wigan (easily) and Everton (harder) and stave off City and West Ham in 12 games. Which means they need to get at least 6 wins for 18 points to put them at 52. Currently they are at 34 points. They could win 6 of their next 12 games, 7 are at home and they have the 2nd best home winning percentage besides United. Everton needs to go into a slump though. If we have a chance it could make for a very interesting last game as we will play Everton at home on the 24th of May. Well, all we know for sure is that we play Hull on Wednesday next and if we win we could be in 7th place, right behind Everton.

    Reply
  30. The Xerez move is so bad not only for Jozy but for fans like me that find it so hard to follow.

    All the links are slow, no updated, poor configured, or in Spanish (which I can get around…so no biggie)

    Reply

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