2007 UEFA Cup Final

Two Spanish soccer teams will meet up for the first time in the 2007 UEFA Cup Final game on Wednesday, when Sevilla battles Espanyol in Glasgow, Scotland. The clear favorite heading into this match is Sevilla. They're the defending UEFA Cup champions and have had a much better season in the Spanish soccer league than Espanyol has had. Sevilla still has a real chance at winning the Spanish league title, as they sit only two points out of first place. If Sevilla could capture that title it would be a huge upset over frontrunners Barcelona and Real Madrid. In the UEFA Cup Final the players to watch for on the Sevilla side include Fredi Kanoute, Luis Fabiano and Javier Chevanton. This lethal trio makes up one of the top strikeforces in the soccer world and so far in the UEFA they have been performing up to par, especially Fabiano who netted a goal in Sevilla's semifinal clincher versus Osasuna. Sevilla also boasts one of the best midfielders in Daniel Alves. Alves is a superb setup man and has notched 16 assists this 2007 soccer season. Even with Alves at midfield, Sevilla could have a question mark at the position if Adriano Correia isn't ready to go. The Brazilian is a dynamic defensive presence, but has missed Sevillla's last two soccer games due to a strained thigh muscle. Adriano is expected back for the final, but he may not be at 100 percent. For Espanyol to win this match they'll need more magic from Walter Pandiani. The striker from Uruguay was brought over from Birmingham City this year and so far the move has really paid off. Pandiani is the UEFA Cup scoring leader with 11 goals. If Pandiani can continue to find the back of the net with regularity and Espanyol can get something out of their other goal scorers Luis Garcia and Tamudo then they could have an upset on their hands. Espanyol should have plenty of motivation to bring the UEFA Cup home because it's unlikely they?ll even be in the running for it next season. Espanyol currently sits in 12th place in the Spanish league, but only the Top 6 soccer teams earn a spot in the UEFA Cup next season. In last year's UEFA Cup Final played at Philips Satadion in Eindhoven, Sevilla trounced Middlesbrough 4-0. Fabiano scored Sevilla?s first goal in the win, while Mareca scored twice and Kanoute buried the fourth goal of the game. Sevilla and Espanyol last met up way back on December 3, 2006 when Espanyol upset Sevilla 2-1. Kanoute gave Seville an early lead at the 25th minute in that game, but Garcia tied it up for Espanyol at the 68th minute. Kameni scored what turned out to be the game-winner for Espanyol in the 79th minute. Another close game is expected between the two Spanish clubs on Wednesday. Check out our Soccer Betting Odds at WagerWeb.com About the author: 2007 UEFA Cup Final by Ecobika Football betting, bet with wagerweb.

Author: ecobika

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United Flying while

Chelsea stutter

Manchester United marched on to overwhelm Blackburn Rovers. Although for the first thirty minutes Blackburn gave as much as they were given and even went ahead on the 29th minute, after the interval everything changed. No one knows what what Sir Alex Ferguson said to them in the dressing room,but United came out and changed gear, leaving Blackburn way behind. Starting with Paul Scholes dancing passed three defenders to score the equaliser, which had 70,000  supporters leaping to their feet. From that moment on there was only one team who were going to win and the crowd were all the way behind their team. United extended their score on 72 minutes with a rebound of the bar from a Giggs shot which Carrick made no mistake about. Then ten minutes later Ji-Sung Part tapped in to an open goal to make it three, one. Man of the match again must go to Ronaldo who works the wing as if a bird in flight. Make two goals and making a number of other chances.The forth goal came from Ronaldo's replacement, and came as no surprise. as the unmaked Solskjaer slotted home the pass from Park the Rooney couldn't meet. Blackburn had had a handball appeal turned down, but the result was a positive one for Sir Alex Ferguson with the Champions League match coming up on wednesday. Nemanja Vidic crashed down, and was stretchered off with an shoulder injury after less than half an hour and looks like being out for four weeks.

 

Sir Alex Ferguson hailed that this was United's  best performance of the season.

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The Genius Of

Football Star

Ronaldinho

One of the most important players to FC Barcelona’s success under Joan Laporta has been Ronaldo de Assis Moreira from Brazil, although many people will not recognise him under that name. More usually known as Ronaldinho, sometimes shortened to Ronnie, or otherwise as Gaucho, he is one of the top players in the world and has set the game of football in Spain alight.

Ronaldinho came to Barcelona in 2003 after spending two years with Paris Saint-Germain. The person usually credited with him coming on board is Sando Rosell, who at the time was Vice President of the club and Laporta’s right hand man. Ronaldinho quickly established himself as a firm favourite with Barcelona’s supporters with the ability to entertain with his ball control as well as score.

After several years of indifferent results Barcelona started to regain its confidence and by the end if the 2003-2004 season were back in full swing, finished in second place in the league behind Valencia, with attendances at the Nou Camp growing with each match.

Ronaldinho was born in Porto Alegre in Brazil in 1980 and honed his skills as a child playing indoor and beach football. Aged just 13 he came to the attention of the local media when he scored all the goals in a victory against a local team. When you learn that Ronaldinho’s team won 23-0 you get some idea of how impressive a feat that was.

His first team as a professional player was Grêmio in 1998, which his older brother, Roberto, had played for earlier - his own football career was cut short through injury and he eventually became the manager of Ronaldinho instead.

With his magic touch of the ball and a clear ability to score, Ronaldinho was snapped up by the Brazilian squad in 1999 and was clear interest from a number of big-name European clubs, Ronaldinho signed with Paris Saint-Germain in 2001.

Whether he was unhappy in Paris, or enjoying the nightlife too much as manager Luis Fernandez claimed is unclear, but for whatever reason he was unable to produce the on-pitch pyrotechnics that he is famous for and by 2003 Ronaldinho made it clear that he was looking to move on.

Both FC Barcelona and Manchester United went after him, but when Manchester and Paris Saint-Germain were unable to agree transfer terms the way was clear for FC Barcelona to get the Brazilian’s signature.

Ronaldinho’s debut was on a summer tour of the United States, when the club played an exhibition match against AC Milan in which he scored. He quickly became a favourite of the club, when time after time he was able to produce impressive displays of ball control in which was able to show off his natural talents that whether they made it to the back of the net always left him with his trademark toothy grin across his face.

In addition to the La Liga and Champions League titles that Ronaldinho helped propel Barcelona towards, he also has been awarded some of football’s top individual awards. In 2004 and 2005 he won the FIFA World Player of the Year award, the European Footballer of the Year in 2005 and worldwide professional footballers association, FIFPro’s World Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006.

David Leigh lives in Barcelona and has the dubious distinction of being able to see both the Nou Camp and Estadi Olimpic football stadiums from home. While not recommending the latter, he advises you to reserve Barcelona FC tickets in advance for collection or delivery in Barcelona when you arrive. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Leigh

We are in the run in to this years Premiership

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Can Chelsea Overhaul

Manchester United

With United playing at lunch time they again extended their lead over Chelsea to nine points  smashed four past Bolton for the second time this season to triumph 4-1 at Old Trafford. Both Park Ji-Sung and Wayne Rooney scored twice as Sir Alex Ferguson's men surged to a victory which leaves them requiring only18 points from their last eight games to bring the title back home, and end a four-year title drought.

But the victory, was earned by the brilliant winger, Cristiano Ronaldo who was the star of the show. Bolton got their goal from the spot in the dying minutes.

Chelsea kept the heat on the leaders Manchester United at the top of the Barclays Premiership with a comfortable blitz 3-0 on struggling Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge with goals from Andriy Shevchenko, Salomon Kalou and substitute Michael Ballack. Sheff Utd were also hit by the loss of striker Rob Hulse, who was whipped to hospital with a suspected broken leg as well as the three goals.

Now we are down to the last 8 games which Chelsea cannot afford to drop any points, still trailing those important six points with only 24 left to earn.

Now both teams have important replays on Monday evening in the F.A. Cup, keeping alive triples for both teams.

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Ji-Sung Park invades

the big league

European and South American teams have for the longest time, dominated football. The players from these countries consistently set the bar for football excellence all over the world. Teams and players from Brazil, Argentina, Germany, and England are the most prominent and have been most identified with what Pele has called "the beautiful game."

The dominance of South American and European players has been virtually unstoppable. Not even the American's athleticism has been able to make a dent in football. It remains one of the few sports where the United States has failed to either dominate or made a very significant contribution to the world stage. This dominance by these two regions can be attributed to two things. In South America, the strong love for "futbol" has meant that it continually produced world-class talent that cannot be ignored by the rest of the world. Their development remained unfettered because the love for the sport meant there were various outlets for the youth to develop their skills. On the other hand, the dominance of Europe in football can be partially attributed to the racism that was quite prevalent during the early years.

But with the positive developments in world football more and more players from other countries are getting known for their exceptional skills as players ? and Asia seems to be a goldmine for fresh new football talents.

One of the most prominent football talents to ever come from the Orient is Ji-Sung Park. The Korean native is currently proving his mettle in one of the biggest football stages on earth ? England's pro football league. And what's more he playing for a team that is undoubtedly an icon of football, Manchester United, the biggest and richest football franchise in the world.

Having signed a lucrative $7.4 million deal for Manchester United, Park now has an amazing opportunity to show what Asian football talents can accomplish and so far, he hasn't failed anyone.

Park was first noticed during the World Cup in 2002, when Korea had a tremendous (some say miraculous) run towards the semifinals. He was next seen playing for Eindhoven. Although he rarely received playing time during his first year, by 2005 he has eventually become an integral part of the team.

Park's transfer to Manchester United July 2005 has cemented his reputation for amazing skills and exceptional work ethic. Sir Alex Ferguson fully realizes what Park can contribute to the team. As a sign of his faith in Park, he has allowed him to play in various positions and has included in him in very crucial games. This goes to show how valued Park is in Manchester United roster.


Park is proving to be a great investment for Manchester United. But more than that, Ji-Sung Park is testament to the immense football talents that are just waiting to be discovered in Asia.

Author: Brian Yalung

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Soccer Speed ( Training )

Soccer is an explosive sport where your body needs to be running at 100% in order to get the most out of your performance. Before you even think about running speed workouts you must first devise a warm up plan that will help you prepare to compete at high speeds and intensities.

An effective warm up must consist of a series of dynamic and active movements that start with low impact, low intensity exercises and progress naturally to high intensity, full speed exercises that simulate the intensity of the upcoming practice or competition.

As you know, in order for your soccer athletes to be ready to perform speed work or compete at high intensities, they must get warmed up properly.

We often find that there is some confusion as to what constitutes a proper warm up. For example, some coaches are still using static stretching to get athletes loose before practices and competitions. Unfortunately, this outdated method actually reduces speed and power.

Think about it: How often during a practice or soccer match does an athlete hold a stretch position as part of their sport? That is right, not very often. So if you are still using this method to get your athletes ready to compete, you are not getting the most out of their ability.

Instead, have your soccer players perform dynamic exercises that are similar to the types of movements they will be going through during practice and competitions. Keep athletes moving and gradually increase the intensity of their activity. That way you can get the blood flowing into the muscles through a natural progression.

Remember, a good warm up should take at least 20 to 25 minutes to complete. This will reduce the likelihood of injury by ensuring that they do not try to go too fast too soon. In addition, athletes will get the most out of their muscles because they followed a thought out progression of movements that went from low intensity jogging and skipping to high intensity speed development drills and exercises.

By the time they are done warming up, they will be lightly sweating, fired up and ready compete!

Another issue to note when doing any type of drills is to make sure that your athletes are performing the exercises correctly. You compete like you practice. If athletes are not performing the drills correctly they are going increase the likelihood of injury by adding unnecessary stress to joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons.

Drills are designed to be done a certain way for a specific reason. If your athletes are not technically sound during the warm up they will not be technically sound in games and competitions when it counts. The warm up is not a time for goofing off. It is the foundation of the day's activities and sets the tempo for all that is to follow it.

So now that you know what types of activities must be done and how to approach them, let us take a look at an actual dynamic warm up that top athletes and coaches use to get ready each day.

Before trying this out with your athletes, be sure to have them jog and/or skip for about 5 minutes.

Here is a sample warm up:

- High knee walk - x10 each leg

- Jog 50 yards

- Lateral lunge walk (both legs) x10 each leg

- Jog 50 yards

- Front leg swings - x10 each leg

- Jog 50 yards

- Lateral Leg Swings – x 10 each leg

- Jog 50 yards

- Iron Cross – x 10 each leg

- Jog 50 yards

- Scorpion – x 10 each leg

- Jog 50 yards

- Backwards Run – 2 x 30 yards

- 'A' Skip - 3x15 yards

- 'A' Run - 2x20 yards

- Fast Leg - 2x30 yards (each leg)

- Accelerations - 4 x 40 yards

By performing this type of warm up every day, your athletes will be loose, powerful and fast. Be sure that your soccer team is performing a dynamic warm up before each practice and game; otherwise the athletes you train are not competing to the best of their ability and the likelihood of sustaining an injury is increased.

When you compare the benefits that the dynamic warm up offers to the drawbacks of other warm up methods, you can expect an immediate improvement in the success of the athletes you work with. Learn more at: http://www.CompleteSpeedTraining.com

By: Patrick Beith

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For a free Speed Training Report - Secrets to Developing Dominant Speed - go to www.CompleteSpeedTraining.com. Coach Patrick Beith is the owner of Athletes' Acceleration Inc., your final resource for developing the fastest athletes.