The video of the...you know. Today is Hope Solo and Abby Wambach's appearance on Letterman last night.
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By Kayla
In the flurry of media appearances since the US ladies have returned home, Hope Solo and Abby Wambach appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman last night to talk about their memorable World Cup campaign. As with most members of the media, Letterman had no clue what he was talking about in regards to the game, at one point talking about how headers can cause brain damage. Hope Solo and Abby Wambach kept the interview amusing as they made slight jabs at Letterman's footy ignorance and also beaming as they talked about how proud they were to have the opportunity to represent their country. And kudos to Hope Solo for gracefully handling the situation when Letterman brought up the topic of her all-but-wonderful 2007 World Cup Experience.
The ladies then take it outside to kick some balls at some taxis. Typical in New York, I'm sure.
Kayla is a writer, co-editor & co-founder of The Captain's Armblog. She enjoys eating too many sweets, writing, and defending Fernando Torres. Send her digital candies to thecaptainsarmblog@gmail.com
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Transfer News for 7/20/2011
By Jacen
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Well, so far this summer, transfer news has been... a bit lackluster. However, in the last week or so, there have been some noteworthy moves that deserve a mention.
We'll begin by focusing on a single club, and all of the players who are supposedly leaving it and heading toward it. And that club is CF Barçelona.
Alexis Sanchez, currently a striker and key player for Italian side Udinese has officially been signed by Barça for a reported 27 million Euros plus variables, and an official announcement is expected in the next few days. The Chilean international, who recently finished international duty with the rest of his nation after elimination in the quarter finals in the Copa America, is expected to make the trek to Camp Nou for pre-season training within the next few days. While the 22 year old's skills had also reportedly caught the attention of Man United and Man City, as well as Barça rivals Real Madrid, it appears that Sanchez will be playing for the blaugrana come the new season. The Sanchez move also comes in the wake of continuing negotiations between Bojan Krkic and AS Roma, and as the days tick by, we await the official statement that the 20 year old Krkic is heading to Italy from Barçelona. The Hunt for Cesc Fabregas continues. Or rather, Barçelona's hunt for Fabregas continues. It seems everyone in Europe, with the exception of the staff at Arsenal, want Fabregas back in Spain. Several players, including Barça co-captain
Xavi Hernandez and Cesc himself have been letting everyone within earshot know: Cesc Wants to Be at Barça!! And it seems that at last, The Gunners might be relenting. Pep Guardiola has himself said that negotiations are underway, and things are looking very hopeful. We will have to wait and see just how much longer Cesc will be forced to "suffer" his time at Arsenal. And at last, we come to Neymar.
The Brazilian faux-hawk sporting striker has been linked with numerous clubs in Europe over the past several months, yet he has finally put his foot down and said that he will not be leaving Santos, his boyhood club, anytime soon.
In other European news, longtime Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has recently played down rumors that Dutch international Wesley Sneijder will be joining the Red Devils for the new B.P.L. Season. While the deal had looked to be finalized, with Inter even naming their price, Fergie released a blunt statement Monday where he literally said: "Forget it." Over on the blue side of Manchester, the deal to trade Carlos Tevez from English giants Man City to Brazilian legends Corinthians has officially fallen through. The deal, reported to be worth 40 million Euros, was said to be reached on Monday, yet nothing else failed to materialize before the Brazilian Transfer window closed. While Man City manager Roberto Mancici has stated he expects to reach a deal for Atletico Madrid's Sergio Aguero sometime this week, it appears that Tevez, now 27, is going to remain at Man City for the upcoming Barclay's Premier League Season. The hole that is expected to be left at Atletico from Aguero's departure will not be there for long. Tuesday brought the singing of young striker Adrian Lopez from Segunda Division club Deportivo La Coruna, who were relegated last season. Meanwhile, over in Germany, Fußball-Bundesliga club Borussia
Moenchengladbach has signed Japanese forawrd Yuki Otsu from J-League side Kashiwa Reysolvon. American midfielder Michael Bradley, who is currently signed with the German club, has been recently linked to a number of clubs in the Italian Serie A, including Bologna and Roma. While Bradley's Italian agent Paola Alberto Faccini has stated that "For now, he [Michael] is a Borussia player" a move for the 23 year old American looks like it could be on the horizon. Another American whose future is looking much more certain is 21 year old Jozy Altidore. The striker, who has played for 4 clubs over the last 3 years, has signed a 4 year contract with AZ Alkmaar, in the Dutch Eredivisie. Initial rumors about the move came when Altidore posted a message on his twitter account about the difficulty he would experience in learning dutch.
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images courtesy of goal.com
Jacen Curathers is a writer, co-editor and co-founder of the Captain's Armblog. He enjoys reading, drinking himself into a stupor, and playing as a fake, unrealistically talented version of himself of FIFA 11. He invites readers to email him anytime at thecaptainsarmblog@gmail.com.
--------------------
Well, so far this summer, transfer news has been... a bit lackluster. However, in the last week or so, there have been some noteworthy moves that deserve a mention.
We'll begin by focusing on a single club, and all of the players who are supposedly leaving it and heading toward it. And that club is CF Barçelona.
 |
| Sanchez with Udinese |
 |
| Xavi and Fabregas... destined to be Team Mates? |
The Brazilian faux-hawk sporting striker has been linked with numerous clubs in Europe over the past several months, yet he has finally put his foot down and said that he will not be leaving Santos, his boyhood club, anytime soon.
 |
| Carlos Tevez celebrating a goal for Man CIty |
 |
| Will Jozy Altidore finally find a home at Alkmaar? |
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images courtesy of goal.com
Jacen Curathers is a writer, co-editor and co-founder of the Captain's Armblog. He enjoys reading, drinking himself into a stupor, and playing as a fake, unrealistically talented version of himself of FIFA 11. He invites readers to email him anytime at thecaptainsarmblog@gmail.com.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
The CAB's Video of the Day: Cristiano Ronaldo's Strangest Advert Yet
The Video of the Day...yeah. You know. Today's video is a Cristiano Ronaldo advert that is almost as strange as it is funny.
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By Kayla
Oh, Cristiano. Props to a guy who can poke some fun at himself. Assuming that is the case and he wasn't taking it seriously. Then again, how can you take getting a blow job in the park seriously?
Video: TalkSport via YouTube
Kayla is a writer, co-editor & co-founder of The Captain's Armblog. She enjoys eating too many sweets, writing, and defending Fernando Torres. Send her digital candies to thecaptainsarmblog@gmail.com
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By Kayla
Oh, Cristiano. Props to a guy who can poke some fun at himself. Assuming that is the case and he wasn't taking it seriously. Then again, how can you take getting a blow job in the park seriously?
Video: TalkSport via YouTube
Kayla is a writer, co-editor & co-founder of The Captain's Armblog. She enjoys eating too many sweets, writing, and defending Fernando Torres. Send her digital candies to thecaptainsarmblog@gmail.com
Monday, July 18, 2011
The CAB's Video of the Day: Ronaldo's Goal vs. LA Galaxy
The video of the day is...well, you get the idea. Today's video is Cristiano Ronaldo's insane goal against the LA Galaxy in a match that is part of the World Football Challenge that took place on Saturday in Los Angeles, California
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By Kayla
Say what you will about the man's personal life or about the man himself, Ronaldo is by no means a slouch of a player. His genius was on full display on Saturday at the LA Coliseum against the LA Galaxy as he makes some of the Galaxy's defenders look like fools before he bangs the ball into the twine for one of four goals scored by Real Madrid in Saturday's match.
At this point, have we really come to expect anything less from him? Of course not.
Video: YouTube
Kayla is a writer, co-editor & co-founder of The Captain's Armblog. She enjoys eating too many sweets, writing, and defending Fernando Torres. Send her digital candies to thecaptainsarmblog@gmail.com
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By Kayla
Say what you will about the man's personal life or about the man himself, Ronaldo is by no means a slouch of a player. His genius was on full display on Saturday at the LA Coliseum against the LA Galaxy as he makes some of the Galaxy's defenders look like fools before he bangs the ball into the twine for one of four goals scored by Real Madrid in Saturday's match.
At this point, have we really come to expect anything less from him? Of course not.
Video: YouTube
Kayla is a writer, co-editor & co-founder of The Captain's Armblog. She enjoys eating too many sweets, writing, and defending Fernando Torres. Send her digital candies to thecaptainsarmblog@gmail.com
A History Lesson: The Football War
A History Lesson features a particular part of Footy history that we feel is relevant and timeless. It can feature players, club victories, title wins, goals, important events, etc.
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By Jacen
It has many names. Some include "The Hundred Hours War" and "The Salvador-Honduras War". However, it's most well known name may be La guerra del fútbol, or the "Football War". While this title may be misleading, it seems to be the most widely accepted name for the 4 day war that took place between Honduras and El Salvador back in 1969. Like nearly every war in history, everything began with politics. Immigration from El Salvador to Honduras was becoming a major point of contention between the two nations. Land reform and demographic problems did little else but fan the growing flames. The nation of El Salvador is only 20% the size that Honduras is. Yet by the time of the war, El Salvador's population was double the population of Honduras. The estimated number of Salvadorians living in Honduras in 1969 was a staggering 300,000. About 15,000 of those Salvadorians made up the peasant population in Honduras, yet very little land actually belonged to any of them. Major corporations and individual large landowners held much of the land in Honduras, and the average landowner barely stood a chance. In 1966, the United Fruit Company banded together with many other large companies to create la Federación Nacional de Agricultores y Ganaderos de Honduras; or The National Federation of Farmers and Livestock-Farmers of Honduras. FENAGH was well known as anti-Salvadoran, and the group put pressure on the Honduran president Lopes Arellano to protect the property rights of the larger landowners. A new land reform law, which was passed in 1967, gave the central government and municipalities a large percentage of the land occupied illegally by Salvadoran immigrants, which was then gifted to native-born Hondurans. Due to most of their land being taken, thousands of Salvadorans, including both temporary harvest workers and longer-term settlers, were displaced and forced to emigrate from Honduras. With nowhere else to go, most returned, beaten and ashamed, to El Salvador.
Yet the worst was to follow. Qualification for the 1970 FIFA World cup was well under way, and on the 8th of June 1969, when the second CONCACAF qualifying round reached the two tumultuous nations, all hell broke loose. The first match, which Honduras won 1 - 0, was marred with fan violence and rioting, while the Salvadorian team, which spent the entire night before being taunted and threatened by a mob as they tried to sleep in their hotel, claimed to have been robbed of the result. Yet the Salvadorian team were not the only ones filled with despair. Amelia Bolaños, an 18 year old Salvadorian girl, committed suicide after the match by shooting herself with her father's pistol. Her death proved to be yet another major catalyst toward the seemingly inevitable military conflict. Amelia, who was now hailed as a martyr by her home nation, had her funeral televised nationally, with not only the Salvadorian national players attending, but even an army honour guard and the president of El Salvador himself were shown walking behind her coffin. The second leg of the qualifier, which took place just one week later on the 15th of June, saw a renewed El Salvador defeat Honduras 3 - 0. Again, the match was marred by even more violence off the pitch, this time being even worse than the first. June 26th brought the third and final match, which took place on the neutral ground of Mexico City, Mexico, and saw El Salvador win 3 - 2 after extra time. Unfortunately, the "Football War" did not end with the games. The real fighting was about to begin.
Mere hours after the match ended, El Salvador dissolved all ties with Honduras, and within the next several days, both countries had their borders attacked. The several clashes between the two countries eventually led to concerted military action. Honduras had the more efficient military, yet it was El Salvador who made the first move. Using civilian passenger planes as makeshift bombers, the Salvadorians struck several strategic locations, including an airport facility at Toncontin, which took Honduras by complete surprise. The Salvadorian army continued their blitz and eventually pushed the Honduran army so far back that 8 cities fell under Salvadorian control, including the Honduran departmental capital of Nueva Ocotepeque. A Honduran national headline which read: "Salvadoran Army Advance Unstoppable", gave credence to the confident talk that El Salvador's army was not only standing up to the much larger Honduran army, but that they were actually winning. Yet, Honduras continued to persevere. As the Salvadorian army headed toward the capital city, Honduras staged an aerial assault of their own, targeting air and oil facilities. While mostly unsuccessful, Honduras' superior air force managed to win back control of the skies for the remainder of the war. El Salvador continued their blistering campaign and despite being a poorer, weaker nation, they managed to keep their military together and assure themselves victory.
Just one day after the conflict began, the OAS met and called for an immediate cease-fire and a withdrawal of El Salvador's forces from Honduras. While El Salvador initially resisted the pressures from the OAS, demanding that Honduras first agree to pay reparations for the previous treatment of Salvadoran citizens and guarantee the safety of those Salvadorans remaining in Honduras, a cease-fire was eventually arranged on the night of 18 July. The actual war lasted only 4 days, but by the end 3000 people, including Amelia Bolaños were dead.
While football was not the actual cause of the war, it certainly exacerbated the conflict more than quite possibly anything else could have at that time. Sadly, even to this day, in some nations, such as Egypt, football rivalry still incites violence, rioting and even death. Footy is, and always will be more entertaining with a good rivalry, yet this war can be viewed as one of the biggest negative examples of how that rivalry can be taken entirely too far.
Jacen Curathers is a writer, editor and co-founder of The Captain's Armblog. He enjoys reading, drinking himself into a stupor and playing as a fake, unrealistically talented version of himself on FIFA 11. He invites readers to email him anytime at thecaptainsarmblog@gmail.com.
-----
By Jacen
It has many names. Some include "The Hundred Hours War" and "The Salvador-Honduras War". However, it's most well known name may be La guerra del fútbol, or the "Football War". While this title may be misleading, it seems to be the most widely accepted name for the 4 day war that took place between Honduras and El Salvador back in 1969. Like nearly every war in history, everything began with politics. Immigration from El Salvador to Honduras was becoming a major point of contention between the two nations. Land reform and demographic problems did little else but fan the growing flames. The nation of El Salvador is only 20% the size that Honduras is. Yet by the time of the war, El Salvador's population was double the population of Honduras. The estimated number of Salvadorians living in Honduras in 1969 was a staggering 300,000. About 15,000 of those Salvadorians made up the peasant population in Honduras, yet very little land actually belonged to any of them. Major corporations and individual large landowners held much of the land in Honduras, and the average landowner barely stood a chance. In 1966, the United Fruit Company banded together with many other large companies to create la Federación Nacional de Agricultores y Ganaderos de Honduras; or The National Federation of Farmers and Livestock-Farmers of Honduras. FENAGH was well known as anti-Salvadoran, and the group put pressure on the Honduran president Lopes Arellano to protect the property rights of the larger landowners. A new land reform law, which was passed in 1967, gave the central government and municipalities a large percentage of the land occupied illegally by Salvadoran immigrants, which was then gifted to native-born Hondurans. Due to most of their land being taken, thousands of Salvadorans, including both temporary harvest workers and longer-term settlers, were displaced and forced to emigrate from Honduras. With nowhere else to go, most returned, beaten and ashamed, to El Salvador.
Yet the worst was to follow. Qualification for the 1970 FIFA World cup was well under way, and on the 8th of June 1969, when the second CONCACAF qualifying round reached the two tumultuous nations, all hell broke loose. The first match, which Honduras won 1 - 0, was marred with fan violence and rioting, while the Salvadorian team, which spent the entire night before being taunted and threatened by a mob as they tried to sleep in their hotel, claimed to have been robbed of the result. Yet the Salvadorian team were not the only ones filled with despair. Amelia Bolaños, an 18 year old Salvadorian girl, committed suicide after the match by shooting herself with her father's pistol. Her death proved to be yet another major catalyst toward the seemingly inevitable military conflict. Amelia, who was now hailed as a martyr by her home nation, had her funeral televised nationally, with not only the Salvadorian national players attending, but even an army honour guard and the president of El Salvador himself were shown walking behind her coffin. The second leg of the qualifier, which took place just one week later on the 15th of June, saw a renewed El Salvador defeat Honduras 3 - 0. Again, the match was marred by even more violence off the pitch, this time being even worse than the first. June 26th brought the third and final match, which took place on the neutral ground of Mexico City, Mexico, and saw El Salvador win 3 - 2 after extra time. Unfortunately, the "Football War" did not end with the games. The real fighting was about to begin.
Mere hours after the match ended, El Salvador dissolved all ties with Honduras, and within the next several days, both countries had their borders attacked. The several clashes between the two countries eventually led to concerted military action. Honduras had the more efficient military, yet it was El Salvador who made the first move. Using civilian passenger planes as makeshift bombers, the Salvadorians struck several strategic locations, including an airport facility at Toncontin, which took Honduras by complete surprise. The Salvadorian army continued their blitz and eventually pushed the Honduran army so far back that 8 cities fell under Salvadorian control, including the Honduran departmental capital of Nueva Ocotepeque. A Honduran national headline which read: "Salvadoran Army Advance Unstoppable", gave credence to the confident talk that El Salvador's army was not only standing up to the much larger Honduran army, but that they were actually winning. Yet, Honduras continued to persevere. As the Salvadorian army headed toward the capital city, Honduras staged an aerial assault of their own, targeting air and oil facilities. While mostly unsuccessful, Honduras' superior air force managed to win back control of the skies for the remainder of the war. El Salvador continued their blistering campaign and despite being a poorer, weaker nation, they managed to keep their military together and assure themselves victory.
Just one day after the conflict began, the OAS met and called for an immediate cease-fire and a withdrawal of El Salvador's forces from Honduras. While El Salvador initially resisted the pressures from the OAS, demanding that Honduras first agree to pay reparations for the previous treatment of Salvadoran citizens and guarantee the safety of those Salvadorans remaining in Honduras, a cease-fire was eventually arranged on the night of 18 July. The actual war lasted only 4 days, but by the end 3000 people, including Amelia Bolaños were dead.
While football was not the actual cause of the war, it certainly exacerbated the conflict more than quite possibly anything else could have at that time. Sadly, even to this day, in some nations, such as Egypt, football rivalry still incites violence, rioting and even death. Footy is, and always will be more entertaining with a good rivalry, yet this war can be viewed as one of the biggest negative examples of how that rivalry can be taken entirely too far.
Jacen Curathers is a writer, editor and co-founder of The Captain's Armblog. He enjoys reading, drinking himself into a stupor and playing as a fake, unrealistically talented version of himself on FIFA 11. He invites readers to email him anytime at thecaptainsarmblog@gmail.com.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Megan Rapinoe vs. Stuart Holden
By Kayla
Since the beginning of this Women's World Cup, the comparisons between the US Women's National Team midfielder and the US Men's National Team midfielder has become evident. We here at The Captain's Armblog have to agree. Here's the list of startling similarities below:
It's only a matter of time before they find out they have super powers and are adopted by a millionaire who wants them to blast open Witch Mountain.
Images: Rapinoe - ussoccer.com; Holden - fifa.com
Kayla is a writer, co-editor & co-founder of The Captain's Armblog. She enjoys eating too many sweets, writing, and defending Fernando Torres. Send her digital candies to thecaptainsarmblog@gmail.com
Since the beginning of this Women's World Cup, the comparisons between the US Women's National Team midfielder and the US Men's National Team midfielder has become evident. We here at The Captain's Armblog have to agree. Here's the list of startling similarities below:
- Both Midfielders
- Both born in 1985 (almost a month apart no less)
- Great with set pieces
- and crosses
- Hair has Twitter (Rapinoe's & Holden's)
- Has played for three domestic teams (if you don't count her recent transfer to magicJack)
- Or Holden being plagued with injuries during his short time at Sunderland
- Baby faces
- Blondes
- Americans (duh)
- Pale whiteys
- Crowd favorites
- Silly personalities
It's only a matter of time before they find out they have super powers and are adopted by a millionaire who wants them to blast open Witch Mountain.
Images: Rapinoe - ussoccer.com; Holden - fifa.com
Kayla is a writer, co-editor & co-founder of The Captain's Armblog. She enjoys eating too many sweets, writing, and defending Fernando Torres. Send her digital candies to thecaptainsarmblog@gmail.com
The Morning After: US vs. Japan Women's World Cup Final
The Morning After is a recurring piece highlighting matches the morning after or whenever we get around to posting it. This edition of Morning After focuses on the Women's World Cup final between the US and Japan.
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By Kayla
No matter which side you were cheering for, everyone was treated to a wonderfully entertaining World Cup final today.
Another dramatic game from the US brought about a different result for the #1 ranked team in the world. Gaining and losing the lead twice and losing to Japan in the penalty shootout placed the Lady Nats in second in the Women's World Cup. The game stayed 0-0 through the first half and into the second, with several close goals on the US's part. Alex Morgan, who substituted in for an injured Lauren Cheney after the half, was responsible for the first goal for the US in the 68th minute. Aya Miyama of Japan then scored in the 80th minute to equalize and keep hope alive for Japan. After the game rolled into extra time, Abby Wambach put another goal into the net with another deadly header to pull the US back into the lead at 2-1 in the 104th minute. Homare Sawa then responded in the 117th minute with a wonderful goal that put the game into penalty kicks.
Unfortunately for the US, this was not the same team that took penalty kicks against Brazil in the quarter finals. The ladies that were calm, cool, and confident just a week ago today, seemed tired, rushed, and unsure. Shannon Boxx took the first penalty kick that was easily blocked by Japan's keeper Ayumi Kaihori. Carli Lloyd followed Boxx and launched her kick above the cross bar. Tobin Heath failed to convert her kick in a similar fashion as Boxx, leaving Abby Wambach to show the only ounce of composure as she slotted her kick into the goal. Hope Solo managed to save one kick by Yuki Nagasato, but it was not enough to save the US. Japan claimed the title for the first time for their country, and no one can deny that it was well-earned after eliminating the hosts Germany, Sweden, and finally the US.
Despite the disappointing penalty effort from the US, the US ladies played an excellent campaign and managed to rally a country behind their efforts, including the Commander in Chief himself. The Lady Nats have nothing to hang their heads about, and after the outpouring of appreciation and support, I'm sure they will return to the US with their heads held high.
Any monumental tournament like World Cup captures the attention of people who normally would not pay attention to the sport. Soon after, it fades away from the forefront of the minds of society and things return to normal. Let's hope in the case of the US ladies, they have gained new loyal fans that will not only continue to cheer them on, but also help bolster the financially suffering domestic league here in the US.
Images: Getty
Kayla is a writer, co-editor & co-founder of The Captain's Armblog. She enjoys eating too many sweets, writing, and defending Fernando Torres. Send her digital candies to thecaptainsarmblog@gmail.com
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By Kayla
No matter which side you were cheering for, everyone was treated to a wonderfully entertaining World Cup final today.
Another dramatic game from the US brought about a different result for the #1 ranked team in the world. Gaining and losing the lead twice and losing to Japan in the penalty shootout placed the Lady Nats in second in the Women's World Cup. The game stayed 0-0 through the first half and into the second, with several close goals on the US's part. Alex Morgan, who substituted in for an injured Lauren Cheney after the half, was responsible for the first goal for the US in the 68th minute. Aya Miyama of Japan then scored in the 80th minute to equalize and keep hope alive for Japan. After the game rolled into extra time, Abby Wambach put another goal into the net with another deadly header to pull the US back into the lead at 2-1 in the 104th minute. Homare Sawa then responded in the 117th minute with a wonderful goal that put the game into penalty kicks.
Despite the disappointing penalty effort from the US, the US ladies played an excellent campaign and managed to rally a country behind their efforts, including the Commander in Chief himself. The Lady Nats have nothing to hang their heads about, and after the outpouring of appreciation and support, I'm sure they will return to the US with their heads held high.Any monumental tournament like World Cup captures the attention of people who normally would not pay attention to the sport. Soon after, it fades away from the forefront of the minds of society and things return to normal. Let's hope in the case of the US ladies, they have gained new loyal fans that will not only continue to cheer them on, but also help bolster the financially suffering domestic league here in the US.
Images: Getty
Kayla is a writer, co-editor & co-founder of The Captain's Armblog. She enjoys eating too many sweets, writing, and defending Fernando Torres. Send her digital candies to thecaptainsarmblog@gmail.com
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