Mercurial Vapor GIVEAWAY

Now as I'm sure you all have heard, at 500 followers on my Twitter account, I'm giving away a free pair of brand new Nike Mercurial Vapors. I can't wait to do this giveaway and I hope you can't wait to enter. All you have to do is follow me and spread the word if you like my blog. 

Tell me about your favorite Mercurial Vapor colorway. 

The photos/boots aren't mine. However these are some of my favorite colorways of the Mercurial Vapor, dating back to the original R9 boot designed by Nike for Ronaldo.

Seattle vs. Portland

One of my all-time favourite football rivalries: Seattle vs. Portland has been the United States' go-to derby for the last 40 years. I really enjoy the current match-up, with the American Clint Dempsey consistently poaching the far post and with the Canadian Will Johnson dominating the midfield defensively, Portland vs. Seattle is the MLS thriller.

From the fans to the players, everyone is involved in this great Cascadia rivalry. The Timbers Army and the Emerald City Supporters are two of the biggest fan bases in the world, and the two largest in the United States.

Left-Bang Bang! Micheal Harrington embraces Diego Valeri after he scores Portland's second goal of the match, putting them up 2-1. (photo property of Portland Timbers) 




At this point in the match, I was ready to see Portland sail to victory, the way they were playing was completely brilliant, and I didn't think it would end. One great pass lead to another, and then Seattle struck, Clint Dempsey takes advantage of a poor defensive decision by Timbers centre-back Paparatto. After 24 minutes, the score was level at 2-2 Diego Chara fired back and netted a second goal for himself and a third for the Timbers. A brilliant strike from just outside the box. Chara hadn't scored a goal for over two years and scored twice today. 4/5/2015
Adding to Seattle's troubles was Maxi Urruti, who went one-on-one and curled a perfect shot to the upper right 90. Portland's success didn't look like it would falter(this time) and I thought too soon.

Clint Dempsey wouldn't settle for anything less than a tie. He went to town and game back with two goals. Making the final score 4-4.

Right-From the Spot. Seattle's captain Clint Dempsey complete his hat trick on a converted penalty in the 87th minute, salvaging a draw for the Sounders. (photo property of Clint Dempsey fanpage)

It was seriously a great game to watch Live. Portland vs. Seattle is the one matchup I'll travel to see, I've watched it now three times in Portland and once in Seattle, and let me tell you. Seattle and Portland play on a whole new level when it's against their rivals.

My analysis is extremely brief because I wasn't able to type my thoughts into my Ipad during the match because I was clinging to the edge of my seat. Check out MLS' recap of the match and get a full taste of the intensity involved.

What is/was your favorite Cascadia Clash match? Who won?

USA v. Mexico DOS a DOS

Hola Futbolistas,

I know a lot of my twitter followers watched closely as the United States challenged their not-so-friendly neighbors to the south, Mexico. USA really hit the ground running during the first half of the match. Michael Bradley dominated the midfield and was the key play-maker for the USA throughout the entire game. In the 15th minute, Bradley put the United States up with a brilliantly timed run to the far post after a Graham Zusi corner kick. After this first goal; the boys in red, white and blue got even hotter. The first half was a complete depiction of what United States fans wanted to see before the World Cup.




Left: Golazo-Michael Bradley blasts the ball into the back of the net to give the United States squad a lead in the 15th minute.






Several chances later, Michael Bradley assisted a goal to San Joe Quakers striker, Chris Wondolowski.

After half time, USA head coach announced that Landon Donovan would enter the second half as would Julian Green. Julian Green (an 18 year old from Bayern Munich) had opted to play for the United States over Germany and made his debut in the 59th minute.

Julian Green had small bursts of brilliance, but you could tell he was quite nervous, and was handled easily by the Mexican defenders.

The second half wasn't all smiles for the United States. Mexico fired back with two goals of their own. Both goals came from clear marking mistakes from the United States back-line. This was extremely painful to watch, after seeing the USA play a brilliant first half.

In the 87th minute, Eddie Johnson slotted a shot home for the winner. The crowd as well as the players went wild. However he was ruled "offside" by the linesman. After reviewing the play Eddie Johnson was clearly onside, however the call stood. No Goal. Match still tied at 2-2. I've already heard so many people talking about that call, but the next call has to be even worse.

Julian Green comes down the left side of the field, steps over the ball and gets past the first defender, the second defender clearly fouls him right outside of the box and no foul is called. I firmly believe that if they would've called the foul on the Mexican Defense right outside the box, the USA would've been able to create a goal scoring opportunity. As we all know, we can't change anything about it.

The first half was a great display of United States football on the rise. The second half was a depiction of what needs to change. Let me know what you guys thought about it in the comments below. I would love to hear your feedback about the match.

Here's a link the the match facts from Goal.com, let me know if there is any stats that stand out to you guys as strong points or as weak points the Yanks could focus on.

Champions League

As you all know, the Champions League is well under way. Eight clubs remain in the competition and if you've been following you all know that soon, only four will remain. Here's the great question, Who do you think will advance through this round?

The first set of matches have been played and won, but yet two fixtures remain tied. Manchester United v. Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid v. Barcelona. Who out of these four teams do you think will advance?

I honestly didn't think Manchester United would be having as troubled of a season as they have been. However, I think if they strike quickly and precisely during the opening stages of the match, they could secure a win in Munich. (Although it would be extremely difficult). Bayern is my pick to make it through this round, they tend to be dominant throughout all aspects of the game, and I don't know as if that will change any time soon. As for the second fixture I want to focus on, I think that Atletico Madrid will struggle with a healthy FC Barcelona. After the recent transfer scandal that Barca is facing; I am certain that they will attempt to win as many trophies as physically possible with the team they have, as a means to keep their current players happy. Happy players more times than not, stick with their current club. Barcelona is going to have a rough year if players leave and they aren't allowed to sign any more in the transfer market because of their penalization. Back to Champions League business, I think that Barcelona will advance, however they will need to use their players resourcefully as a means to keep them healthy.

Let me know what you think!
Who is going to win it all?
Who will advance into the next round?
Do you disagree with any of my assumptions about football clubs? If so, let me know! I love a good soccer debate.

Favorite Goal

Everybody has a favorite goal that they've seen scored. Whether they were the one on the pitch or it was one of their favorite players' goals. I want to know who scored your favorite goal and what makes it so special to you. One of my all time favorite goal was scored by Ronaldo. (the real Ronaldo, not Cristiano), assisted by David Beckham back when the duo were at spanish club: Real Madrid. This goal was the product of pure class and skill. It has been several years since the goal was scored and I don't think that there will be another goal of that caliber scored for a long while.

All of the footage for this goal is pretty scratchy, but I have to share it. The video doesn't belong to me, but I hope you guys are allowed to open the link and enjoy the masterpiece that it is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6QyPrwDwko

I want you all to share your favorite goals. If you have footage of your own personal goals that you've scored, feel free to share.

Hope to hear from all of you guys soon!

-Krieger Football 

Corner Kicks

We've all been a part of this particular set piece as soccer players. Even if we aren't selected to take the corner kick for our team, our positioning on the field is still vital. I've taken many corner kicks in my playing experience and I play defense. Some people are against this school of thought because it sacrifices a defender from the opposing counter attack. On this note, who do you think should take the corner kick and why?

Throughout history many extremely talented players have been the ones to take the corners for their team. From David Beckham to Xavi Hernandez; the objective is roughly the same, to create a goal-scoring opportunity. My favorite corners were taken by David Beckham when he played, I tried to model my corners after his and paid very close attention to his signature technique and form. What player (current or past) do you think takes the best corners?

Here's a fun link to a video posted by Bwin of Manchester United's latest midfielder: Juan Mata.
 Try it out! See what you can score.

I hope to hear from you all soon, be sure to email or tweet at me for potential blog topics. Hope to hear from you all soon.