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Soccer Wednesday: Your Running Commentary

PhilJonesThomasMullerManchesterUnitedBayernMunich1-UCL2014 (Getty)

By DAN KARELL

Everything is up for grabs in both of Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League showdowns.

Manchester United, with their Champions League future on the line, face arguably their biggest game of the season when they visit the European and German champions Bayern Munich (2:45pm ET, Fox Sports 1). Pep Guardiola has selected a very attacking squad as the team looks to bounce back from their 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

Wayne Rooney starts for Man United along with Shinji Kagawa and Darren Fletcher in midfield.

Atletico Madrid look to keep their dream season alive when they host Barcelona (2:45pm ET, Fox Sports 2/Fox Soccer Plus/Fox Deportes) at the Vicente Calderon. Atleti are without Diego Costa and will need his replacement, Adrian, along with former Barca star David Villa, to defeat the Catalan club. Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Andres Iniesta form the dangerous front three pairing that could cause Atleti plenty of troubles.

In South America’s Champions League, the Copa Libertadores, Flamengo takes on Club Leon (Fox Deportes) in their final group stage match. Also in Champions League action, CONCACAF style, Club Tijuana visit Cruz Azul (Fox Sports 1) with the winning side headed to the CCL finals. Xolos lead on aggregate, 1-0.

If you will be watching any of today’s matches, please feel free to leave your thoughts, opinions, analysis and some play-by-play in the comment section below.

Comments

  1. Ridiculous that taking down the last man to goal and delaying a bit on a throw-in earn the same punishment.

    I love the game but the rules/refereeing situation continues to be such a bad joke.

    Reply
    • Wasn’t the last “man” (defender), the keeper is the last defender and he was right there. So, no red. The “rules/referee” situation is correct, you’re the bad joke.

      Reply
    • Evra wasn’t the last “man” (defender), the keeper is the last defender and he was right there. So, no red. The “rules/referee” situation is correct, you’re the bad joke.

      Reply
      • “Dude, that’s not the rule.”

        Yes, it is. You fanbois are beyond a joke these days, don’t even know the laws of the game. Not one of you can even document your case, just the usual fanboi group grope.

        Example of correct application of the laws of the game: Arsenal champions league at home vs Bayern: Arsenal keeper (the last defender) tripped Robben and was (correctly) sent off for denying a goal scoring opportunity.

        Had an Arsenal defender moved behind Arsenal keeper to, say deflect a shot of the goal line, then it would not be a red card because that defender would become the last man, no longer the keeper.

      • From FIFA’s Laws of the Game 2013/2014. Listed under Sending-off Offences:

        “Denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal by an offence punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick”

        FIFA never actually discusses the “last defender” in it’s rules in regards to fouls. The “last defender” thing comes into play only as one factor for a ref deciding if an obvious goalscoring play was denied.

        So in fact, you are still wrong because FIFA does not specify anything about last defenders/goalies, etc. Sorry pal.

      • ”FIFA never actually discusses the “last defender” in it’s rules in regards to fouls.”

        Buddy, don’t make me laugh, are you kidding me? Yes, FIFA does discuss it, and I just explained what they discuss in my posts above.

        Go to any USSF or FIFA ref clinic and take the day to sit there and learn, then come back and tell me how silly your comments are, holy smokes.

      • no. any mention to the ‘last defender’ was taken out of the laws of the game a while ago. now the ref only must decide whether it’s DOGSO or not. and the keeper has never been regarded as the ‘last defender’, because fifa decided that a one-on-one between shooter and keeper was always OGSO.

        seriously, why is it always the ignorant commenters who are the biggest @ssholes?

      • haha wow, no I understand how you formulate your opinions on “Bardley” and the US team. You have no idea what you’re talking about, and it’s pretty embarrassing that you attack others’ so vehemently considering this dearth of knowledge.

  2. I’d imagine those who wanted to see all-out attack from Man U should get their wish over the next twenty minutes.

    Reply
    • Urg, rooney isnt healthy is he. I feel like Phil Jones just takes up too much space for Riberyto actually run around.

      Reply
  3. Considering how much you all are complaining about the MU match, and how good the Spanish match is, might I suggest you are all watching the wrong match?

    Aupa Atleti!

    Reply
    • And I love Howard Webb. No blood, no penalty. No wonder the Barca players look confused when he blows the whistle.

      Reply
    • Well both teams just scored over here. Maybe we will getba game now. I would switch but I dont have the other channel.

      Reply
    • Perhaps United aren’t playing to move on, but just to keep the score line respectable enough Moyes doesn’t get fired.

      Reply
    • Remember, that they are basically one goal down after 90 minutes, with 90 minutes to go.

      They might be able to squeak a goal in on a counter, but they are not capable of coming back against Bayern from what would basically be 2 goals down

      Reply
    • I mean… it might work but its boring and we all saw what happened when PSG tobdrfend the whole game. Bayern act like they need a goal more than Manu…

      Reply
    • Keep it tight and try to steal a goal in the second half. Sounds a perfectly reasonable strategy for me. However, I’m not looking to write endless comments complaining about everything.

      Reply
    • Much as we like to think this ever happened, Michael Bradley did not ever actually play in the Champions League, nor did he play for a team that was in the Champions League.

      Reply
      • People see Bradley dominate Mexico’s D-team and they think he’s been playing Champions for years.

      • That wasn’t Mexico D, that was the Tijuana Travelling All-Stars and Bardley was gassed after 30 minutes. Bardley was completely dominated by Tijuana’s two midget midfielders in the second half. Klinsi’s plan to push Bardley up the park and play a high line with the back four is doomed vs Ghana, imo.

      • In the unlikely event that Ztom and Ted Tran are actually two people, I’m beginning to think they may actually BE the two midgets who were playing for Mexico.

      • Yeah Ted is right… ZTom uses the word “midget”… Ted Tran is angry but he never does that. Swing and a miss, Ali.

      • Well hopefully Herrera takes something closer to that D team to Brazil and leaves the “A team” home.

  4. O/T but how is Wynalda thought of in the BUndesliga? I know he spent a few years there 20 years ago but considering he does a lot of CL coverage and it features more and more German clubs, just curious

    Reply
  5. Howard Webb makes the most bizarre calls. He blows the whistle and both teams stand there trying to figure out what the call was

    Reply
  6. Eric Wynalda telling Pep Guardiola he doesn’t know how to break down a compacted defense ranks with the dumbest things I’ve ever heard a professional sports commentator say.

    It’s up there with John “the team with the most points wins the game” Madden.

    Reply
  7. Wynalda is the moron who says 2-0 is a dangerous score for the team that’s winning. No, Eric, Bayern is not in a worse position than United.

    Reply
  8. top 5 strikers in the world?

    choose from following. Let’s leave out Messi/Ronaldo as they’re wingers

    Lewandowski?Suarez? Sturridge? Mandzukic? Higuain? Cavani? Ibrahimovic? Van Persie? Rooney? Falcao? Kiessling? Mario Gomez? Benzema? Tevez? Diego Costa?

    Reply
  9. what will we do about Altidore?

    if he doesn’t score in Brazil, his best opportunity may be Belgium or return to Holland/Turkey

    but a few goals/great performances in Brazil could snag him a mid table club in France or Italy or Germany

    Reply
    • i swear, the “what will we do about Altidore?” comments are the weirdest kind of spam. i just don’t see what the end-game is.

      Reply

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