News

While the weather here in Long Island is beginning to show it's true winter signs with temperatures in the teens, in England, Italy and Spain, things continued to "heat" up, as teams continued their quest of either maintaining or reaching the top of their leagues, while others continue to fight the dreaded regulation.

In England, the week began with the news that QPR coach, Neil Warnock, was fired, and was replaced by Mark Hughes. While I was sad to see Warnock go, I believe the choice was the correct one, something that, in fact, I wish the management of Wolves would copy with their coach, Mike McCarthy. While Warnock did his best to bring QPR to the Premiership, the team is at the bottom of the League, something the management did not approve. With an experienced coach as Hughes coming in, the team might repeat the success that Sunderland had after their Coaching change a few weeks ago, as the team has jumped to the middle of the pack. Although QPR lost their first game to Newcastle (1-0), we will keep a close eye as to if they will improve over the next few months.

In London, people might have noticed an air of depression. While Chelsea did win their game against Sunderland by the score of 1-0 (Lampard of a rebound from an incredible scissor kick of Torres that first hit the post and then Frank's knee), Tottenham lost an opportunity to remain tied for second after giving up two points to Wolves (1-1...goals from Fletcher and Modric), while Arsenal, I feel, is officially out of the race after their lose to newcomers Swansea, by the score of 3-2 (Van Pirsie and Walcott scoring for the "Gunners"). It will be interesting to see if Wenger decides to make any changes. The challenge now is for the team to make one of the two European Competitions (Champions League or Europa League), to, at least, benefit from the financial packages from both television rights and sponsors. If they do not make one of these two competitions, look for their best player, Van Pirsie, to follow the example of his two past teammates. On Monday, Manchester City defeated Wigan 1-0, while United defeated Bolton 3-0. Liverpool slipped with a scoreless draw vs. Stoke City. City are on top with 51 points, United follow with 48, Tottenham have 46, Chelsea have 40, and Arsenal fall behind at 36 points.

In Spain, Real Madrid and Barcelona both ended the weekend with victory's. Jose Callejon grabbed a late winner for Real as Jose Mourinho's men fought back from a goal down to defeat Real Mallorca 2-1 and go eight points clear of bitter rivals Barcelona at the top of the standings for 24 hours. In the night's other game, Valencia suffered a shock defeat to Real Sociedade, 0-1. The next day, Barcelona defeated Real Betis 4-2 (Messi, 2 goals, Xavi, Sanchez), remaining 5 points behind. The country will be glued to their Television Sets this Wednesday, as both teams face each other for the Spanish Cup. It will also be interesting to see how Real Madrid fans treat their superstar, Ronaldo, who, since transferring from Manchester United, has scored 74 goals in 65 appearances. However, that fans as of late have been tough on the Superstar. Jose Mourinho rushed to the defense of under-fire forward Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Real Madrid's Copa del Rey clash with fierce rivals Barcelona on Wednesday.The former United star started the season in blistering form and has found the net an amazing 21 times already. But following a dramatic dip in form in recent weeks the 26-year-old received cat calls from the fans in their 2-1 win at Mallorca prompting "The Great One" to hit back at the supporters over his performance in the match. "He worked like an animal and did exactly what the team needed," said Mourinho. "He does not need to score or be man of the match every time. I told him nobody can touch him after the way that he worked in the second half. When the team wins everyone is responsible and when they lose everyone is responsible too. Simple." A victory over Barcelona for the Cup might be the "medication" needed to calm the fans down. Real Madrid are in first place with 46 points, Barcelona 41, Valencia now have 34, Levante have 30, and Athetico Bilbao have 26 points. Once again, it seems that the first 2 teams will battle for the Championship.

In Italy, the big game was played in Milano, where the 2 heated rivals, AC Milan and Inter faced each other. While AC Milan are still the defending Champions, and started the game one point behind Juventus, who lost 2 points at home to Cagliari after a 1-1 tie, Inter have been rejuvenated since Ranieri has taken over the team, and had climbed up to 5th place, making the game important for all major reasons. In the end, Inter denied their neighbors an opportunity to take first place and in fact, threw their own hat into the ring for the Scudetto in the process with a 1-0 derby win at the San Siro. A goal from Diego Milito in the 54th minute was enough to earn the so called "visitors", since they share the stadium, all three points and take them to within six points of the Serie A summit and just five off their city rivals. Lazio ended a three-match winless run in Serie A with a 2-0 victory over 10-man Atalanta. Juventus escaped the weekend and remained on top of Serie A with 38 points, while AC Milan have 37, Udinese have dropped to 35 after a lose to Genoa, Lazio 33 and Inter 32.

Make sure to listen to this weeks Radio Show, Center Circle, where we will update our fans on the latest rumors going on during the January Transfer Period. The big news so far is that AC Milan withdrew their offer to Tevez, which has now allowed Inter Milan to jump to the opportunity to try and grab him!

It has happened to every player at least once...you go to your first practice, but you forget your shin-guards...
Well, if you're this enterprising young lad, instead of having to sit it out, all you need to do is find an appropriate tree and some string...
Wha-la! "Organic" Shin-Guards!

First, and fore most, the entire staff at European American Soccer Academy wishes all of our players, parents and fans a Happy and Healthy New Year! While the news staff took a much needed break to spend time with family and friends, the news around the world of soccer continued with important games played, coaches being dismissed and of course rumors surrounding players exiting and coming to various teams around Europe, as well as some coming and going to Asia and the United States.

For our listeners of our soccer radio show, Center Circle, we spent last week discussing all of the games that were played within a two week period. Feel free to download our show and listen to what has been going on, as well as some of the rumors circulating with transfers. In England, teams played anywhere from 5 to 6 games for the Premiership, some trying to stay on top, some to avoid regulation. This week, games were played for the FA Cup, where the big match up was between the two teams from Manchester. While Wayne Rooney had one of his best performances of the year, helping to lead United to a 3-2 Victory against their rivals, unfortunately, the Official made most of the news because of an incredibly bad call which clearly changed the course of the game.

The game was explosive from the start, as United took the lead in the 10th minute as Rooney powered a superb header off the underside of the bar from a Valencia cross. One minute later, Kompany who had clearly won the ball off a sliding tackle, was shown a direct red card from referee Foy for the offence of lunging forward with both feet - studs up. It was a ridiculous call which clearly effected City, as United took full control of the game, scoring 2 more goals from Welbeck and Rooney, who despite a penalty miss off a save from Pantilimon, playing in place of the rested Joe Hart, followed up to head in the rebound. Despite being down by 3 goals and one player, City showed remarkable spirit as they came into the second half determined to make the best of the situation, and in fact scored 2 goals and should have been awarded a penalty off a hand ball in the box from Jones. In the end, United will move on to the next round, while City were left with the satisfaction of proving to most that their status in the Premiership is no fluke. The big news took place before the game, where United fans were thrilled to find out that one of the heroes of the past, Paul Scholes, not only returned to play for United, but saw action in the second half. While most United fans were happy to see Scholes return, I must admit I am in shock. If Sir Alex believes that Paul will be the answer to their problems in the mid field, he will be in for a rude awakening. His misplay led the City's second goal, and quite frankly looked lost in the 25 plus minutes that he played. (Let's just call Scholes debut what it was, a disaster. Not only did he look his age, acting completely gassed after every run, but he simply couldn't complete a pass with the majority of his balls over 10 yards leading to a turnover. Not only did Ferguson make a grave error in bringing him on, but we have to endure this debacle for 33 minutes when he entered the game at the 60:00 mark. How about ramping up Scholes' playing time Fergie? Put him in at the 80:00 mark... And the reason City was able to come back was because when Scholes came on it was like ManU was playing with 10 men. He was that bad. Sir Alex is lucky City didn't end up tying the game...or else the harsh British press would have certainly sentenced the 70 year old to a mandatory retirement home. — The Oracle)

While Arsenal will play today against Leeds United, and are expected to win, all big name teams progressed to the next round of the FA Cup, so, no drama there. League wise, City are on top with 48 points, United are second with 45, Tottenham third with 42, but with one less game, Chelsea are fourth with 37 and Arsenal are in fifth with 36. Unless the top 3 teams begin to lose their shape and discipline, it seems that the title will be decided between the 3 top teams. Then, again, this is the Premiership, where week in and week out, you just do not know what can happen!

In Spain, Barcelona got off on the wrong foot...or feet as would be, as they tied their first match in 2012 against Espanyol by the score of 1-1. The fans saw a game that was an intense, breathless derby, in a packed house, that included an 86th-minute equalizer scored by the 20-year-old Catalan, Alvaro Vazquez, who turned Barcelona down when asked to join the team, a 90th-minute shot smashing against the bar, a penalty appeal ignored, and a 1-1 score line that could cost their city rivals the title. In Madrid, Real fans not only celebrated the 5 goals that their team scored against Granada, but cheered even more when they heard that Vazquez had tied the game for Espanyol. Benzema (2), Ronaldo, Ramos and Higuain scored for Real. Valencia also lost points after a tie with Villareal (2-2). Real Madrid are now on top with 43 points, while Barcelona are now 5 points behind. Valencia follow with 34, Levante have 30 and Ossuna have 26.

In Italy, it looks as if Serie A will be a battle between 2 teams this season. Last years Champions, AC Milan defeated Atalanta 2-0, while Juventus defeated Lecce 1-0. Udinese kept up the pressure on the top two with a convincing 4-1 win at home to ten-man Cesena, while Lazio made a bad start to 2012 with a 4-0 defeat at Siena, who picked up a much-needed win to take their coach Beppe Sannino out of the firing line. AC Milan and Juventus have 37 points, Udinese have 35 and Lazio have dropped to 30. Inter Milan, who got off to a horrible start this season, are now in 5th place with 29 points, proving that the decision to hire Rannieri was the correct one. Their 5-0 victory over Parma proves that the team is now on a roll, and should be carefully watched.

A hilarious situation occurred over the past week with the announcement of the new coins that will be circulated for the celebration of the 2012 Olympics in England. A panel of independent experts and representatives from Royal Mint, London and the International Olympic Committee picked the winning designs from nearly 30,000 entries, for the design of 29 coins. In fact, this was the first time in the Royal Mint's 1,100 year history that members of the public have designed a series of coins for Nationwide circulation. Journalist, Neil Wolfson design was the one chosen for the sport of soccer. In an interview, Wolfson, said that it was designed “to provoke discussion.” Well, mission accomplished. Problem is that he and the Royal Mint got it wrong. His design and explanation of the Offside Rule was in fact changed in 1995.

The Guardian UK explains: "The football coin – half a million of which are now in circulation – shows a midfielder about to pass to one of two team-mates, with the first player, on the left, marked as offside, and the second, level with the defender, not offside. But the diagram appears to illustrate the offside law as it was until 1995, when it was overhauled by the International FA Board to reduce the number of stoppages in matches. The revision to the law meant that any player in an offside position when the ball is played is no longer automatically penalized. It states: “It is not an offence in itself to be in an offside position".". I find it funny that we cannot even get the Offside Rule correct even in a coin! Maybe we need to take it easy with some of the officials...never mind.

MONDAY, January 9
» FOX SOCCER - FA Cup ARSENAL-LEEDS UNITED (live) 2:30 pm.

TUESDAY, January 10
» FOX SOCCER PLUS Carling Cup CRYSTAL PALACE-CARDIFF CITY (live) 2:55 pm.
» ESPN3.com - Spain MALLORCA-REAL SOCIEDAD (live) 1:55 pm. - Italian Cup LAZIO-VERONA (live) 3 pm.

WEDNESDAY, January 11
» FOX SOCCER England TOTTENHAM-EVERTON (live) 2:30 pm.
— Carling Cup MANCHESTER CITY-LIVERPOOL (delay) 5 pm.
— Soccer Night in Amerca Special SOCCER IN THE USA (live) 8 pm.
» FOX SOCCER PLUS Carling Cup MANCHESTER CITY-LIVERPOOL (live) 2:30 pm.
» ESPN3.com Italian Cup ROMA-FIORENTINA (live) 2:45 pm.

SATURDAY, January 14
» FOX SOCCER
— England CHELSEA-SUNDERLAND (live) 9:30 am.
— England ASTON VILLA-EVERTON (delay) Noon.
I— taly CATANIA-ROMA (live) 2:30 pm.
— England TOTTENHAM-WOLVES (delay) 5 pm.
» FOX SOCCER PLUS
— England LIVERPOOl-STOKE CITY (live) 10 am.
— England WATFORD-READING (live) Noon.
— England BLACKBURN-FULHAM (delay) 4:30 pm.

SUNDAY, January 15
» FOX SOCCER
— Italy JUVENTUS-CAGLIARI (live) 9 am.
— England SWANSEA CITY-ARSENAL (live) 11 am.
— Italy AC MILAN-INTER MILAN (live) 2:30 pm.
» FOX SOCCER PLUS
— Italy LAZIO-ATALANTA (live) 6:25 am.
— England NEWCASTLE-QPR (live) 8:30 am.
— England WEST BROM-NORWICH CITY (delay) 10:30 am.
— England NOTTINGHAM FOREST-SOUTHAMPTON (delay) 12:30 pm.
— France MARSEILLE-LILLE (live) 3 pm.

The past 48 hours have been wonderful for those that love to talk about the drama that is the World of Soccer!
To start, the sad news of the day came from Japan, where Barcelona defeated Qatar's Al-Sadd 4-0 today to reach the final of the FIFA Club World Cup, where, as EASA predicted, it will play Santos of Brazil. However, there was no celebrating between the players as they saw one of their core players season come to an end. Barcelona confirmed on its web site that Villa fractured the tibia in his left leg in a tackle at 39 minutes, and is done for the season. This means that Villa will miss the remaining Spanish Season, the Champions League and the Spanish Cup. The worst part of this injury is that he will more than likely miss this years EURO12 competition being held this summer in Poland and the Ukraine. A reminder that Villa is Spain's all-time top scorer with 50 goals in 81 appearances. As Dean Moraitis made it clear on the soccer radio show, "Center Circle," the FIFA Club World Cup was just not worth it. Now, at the age of 30, Villa will have to work incredibly hard to come back and play at the same level he did before his injury. Unfortunately, with this type of injury, combined with the fact that he will be 31 when he does come back, Villa might find it hard to reach the form he once had, thus creating the notion that this could be an end of career injury. All for a insignificant game played in Japan in the middle of December. It will be interesting to see the comments of soccer experts around the world if they still think this tournament is worth playing. (Isn't it ironic that when David Villa goes down with a broken leg, he doesn't scream, he doesn't turn over and over and over...he actually looks placid, but if someone just touches his ankle when trying to dispossess him of the ball, he'll roll around on the ground for 5 minutes like, well, he just broke his leg... —The Oracle)

Boateng & Balotelli Battle
Another fun day in Mr. Mancini's neighborhood...no, he is not taking over for Mr. Rogers. However, I am sure that he would have preferred to have put on a sweater and slippers and enjoyed a day in his home, instead of breaking up a fight between Mario Balotelli and Jerome Boateng following a training ground clash between the two Manchester City players on Friday. The City manager, who has seen midfielder's James Milner and Yaya Toure involved in a heated tunnel argument and Emmanuel Adebayor and Vincent Kompany row on the pitch this season, separated Balotelli and Boateng after Balotelli reacted angrily to a challenge by the German defender during preparations for Saturday's Eastlands encounter with Bolton. The incident, shown on the accompanying photographs, saw the two players shove each other before Boateng grabbed Balotelli by the throat. Mancini then spoke to the two players before taking 20-year-old Balotelli aside in an effort to defuse the spat. With Balotelli' previous drama, as well as the Tevez saga continuing, Mancini may want to check Mr. Rogers neighborhood, where seemingly, there are less problems. Meanwhile, just for the icing on the cake, defender Joleon Lescott has admitted he may look to leave the club in January due to limited opportunities under Mancini. Lescott said: “January is down to me and the club. The club might say ‘if there’s a chance to play, go and play’ and, if not, I will have to stay here. I’m a professional and level-headed person and I know situations come and go. I respect the manager’s decision, but I’m not happy with the situation. I don’t enjoy sitting on the bench, and sometimes not even making the bench, so I’m not happy with that.” Another problem that Dean Moraitis predicted on his show!
"Its a wonderful day in the neighborhood....a wonderful day in the neighborhood...."

Knock Out Stage for the Champions League
The draw for the Knock Out Stage for the Champions League took place early today, and for those who awaited some big time match ups, they might have been left somewhat disappointed. The only match that will definitely stand out will be AC Milan vs. Arsenal, while Napoli, the team that helped push Manchester City out of the competition, will face Chelsea. All games are posted above. These match ups will take place sometime in March.

Torres Seen Praying For Transfer As Chelsea Score
Finally, as January approaches, the rumors of players coming and going to various clubs has intensified. The biggest rumor came out on Tuesday, when rumors from the Chelsea camp came out that Torres was for sale...in fact, for a Garage Sale type of price. Chelsea spent close to 50 Million pounds for his services, however, the rumored asking price is close to 20 Million. These rumors came out as the above picture was shown around the world. As everyone on Chelseas bench celebrated Frank Lampards winning goal vs. Manchester City, Torres clearly seems indifferent...or, as both Dan Brotman and Lee Rogers said last night, maybe he was praying. While speculation began as to where he might go, including some that thought that a return to Liverpool might help his career, Villa- Boas made it clear that he has no intention of selling Torres, and that the Spanish forward is in his plans. (Even £10 million is too much... —The Oracle)
Where there's smoke....

News from Tevez...a shock to some, am sure. Now, the latest in the saga is that Tevez no longer wants to come back to Europe. The Prima Donna has now declared: "Milan? I want Boca Juniors only. I am tired of moving around Europe, and you can be sure that I won't move back to England. I want to play the Libertadores with Boca, and I am ready to renounce to high amounts of money". Meanwhile, AC Milan owner, Berlusconi, has urged the 27-year-old to put footballing reasons at the top of his agenda as he seeks a new club. "If he comes with us, he will win the Golden Ball award," Berlusconi told the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper. Adding to the drama, Juventus and PSG are rumored to have also showcased an interest in Tevez. All I can say is, in Gods, name, Why?

"Surprise!!" Donovan To Everton
He will not go.....he will not go....he will not go.....
Ok, he will go.
Donovan had said late during the MLS season that he was unlikely to accept a loan move to Europe, and more than likely would take some time to rest, but he also said Everton was the only English club he'd consider playing for. Negotiations began earlier this week and were finalized Thursday, as Donaovan is returning to Everton on a two-month loan deal and will miss the bulk of the MLS Cup champions' preparations for the 2012 campaign. He'll be eligible to play for the Toffees on Jan. 4 against Bolton and will return to L.A. following the Merseyside derby clash at Liverpool on Feb. 25.
"The opportunity to return to Everton and play for such a well-respected club and a manager that I hold in such high regard was something that was simply too good to pass up," Donovan said in a club statement. "I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Everton in 2010, and I'm hopeful that we can experience similar success this time around." Said Moyes, in a statement released by Everton: "I am delighted that we have managed to get Landon back. He will give us some good experience over January and February. He did well for us when he was over two years ago and hopefully will return with those same qualities. His [MLS] season has just finished, and like last time we need him to hit the ground running, because the games come thick and fast at this time of year."

Potential Manchester United Transfer Moves
Finally, here is some theories that will make my dear friend, and Wolves denouncer, Dan Brotman, quite happy. Manchester United's coach, Sir Alex, may have kept a brave face throughout a campaign that has been more than a little trying thus far, and by describing the upcoming January transfer window as "very difficult", the Scot is approaching yet another mid-season point with a Red Devil-may-care attitude to potential arrivals. Circumstance, however, may force the 69-year-old to change his ways. (No ways need to be changed. Fergie's only got a couple more years in him and he wants to win more trophies. He knows Man City is ready to implode and he'll make some moves to get a solid Center Back and one, or maybe two, midfielders... —The Oracle) The crushing news of Darren Fletcher's forthcoming long-term break from the game will have no doubt been factored into his manager's plans long before its announcement this week, but for fearful fans the blow is still fresh, and with Tom Cleverley and Anderson currently sidelined, as well as Nemanja Vidic's season-ending injury likely to require Phil Jones to move into a more fixed defensive role, United's weakest area is looking at its most anemic for a long time. As such, Sir Alex may just be tempted to reverse on his own logic and go shopping in the January sales. Here are some of my predictions...ok, Dan...you may now begin to salivate!

Lucas Biglia joined Anderlecht from Independiente in the summer of 2006 and has since made well over 150 official appearances for the Belgian giants. Biglia has often been compared to compatriot Fernando Redondo due to his style of play.

Like the former Real Madrid star, Biglia makes a lot of important interceptions due to his intelligent positioning and he hardly ever makes fouls in midfield, despite the fact that he is involved in numerous duels. In recent years, the 25-year-old has also become of added value in possession as he has the quality to direct play from a deep midfield position with his accurate passing.

Biglia signed a new contract until June 2015 hardly six months ago, meaning that any team faces a tough task to lure the midfielder away from Anderlecht. Nevertheless, the Belgian champions have shown in the past that they're willing to sell if the price is right (eg Mbark Boussoufa to Anzhi in 2010).

An offer in the region of 8.5 million pounds could prove to be enough to sign the Argentina international. Despite his recent contract extension, Biglia has expressed his interest to move to a bigger league on more than one occasion, and he would probably find it hard to turn down a club like Manchester United.

Javi Garcia is a pure holding midfielder who provides a sense of security to the backline. He is very physical and only rarely does he surge forward with the ball: he often stays behind to stop potential counterattacks. The only moments in which he joins the rest of the team in attack are in corner kick situations, in which his heading has proved very useful.

The 24-year-old has been an ever-present figure in Benfica’s midfield since he joined the club from Real Madrid in 2009 for 7m euros. His efforts have seen him linked with a number of clubs in the last two years, but with a contract until 2014 and a release clause of 30m euros, signing the Spaniard will be a test to a club’s resolve. Javi Garcia’s agent recently said that the midfielder was fine at Benfica and focused on the club, so it seems highly unlikely he will be leaving before the end of the campaign.

Javi Martinez turned 23 in September, but the all-action midfielder has already won the World Cup with Spain and captained La Roja's Under-21 side to European Championship glory last summer, too.

His impressive performances in Denmark captured the attention of many interested observers, with scouts from all over Europe present at the continental competition. But unfortunately for them, Martinez had signed a new, long-term deal with his club, Athletic Bilbao, before the start of the tournament.

The box-to-box midfielder, who can also play in central defense, penned a new deal in May of this year and is now tied to the Basque outfit until 2016. His release clause is set at 40m euros- a sum designed to deter Spain's biggest clubs. Real Madrid had been interested in signing the midfielder and Athletic moved quickly to secure the services of one of its brightest young stars.

Athletic's philosophy of fielding only Basque players means it wouldn't be able to replace him adequately and the Bilbao side would be unwilling to sell him in any case. The only way a deal would be contemplated is if Javi were keen to move on, but Athletic are a symbol of regional pride for the team's homegrown stars and, like Fernando Llorente (who was linked heavily with Madrid in 2010 but reiterated his commitment to the San Mames side), he seems perfectly happy where he is - at least at the moment - as the club continue its ambitious new project under Marcelo Bielsa. So Manchester United - and everyone else for that matter - will have to wait.

Sir Alex set a few hares running when he nominated Luka Modric as his 2010-11 player of the year, and Manchester United followed this up by making an inquiry about the little Croatian at the end of last season.

United wanted to part-exchange Dimitar Berbatov for Modric to offset some of the cost and a similar player-plus-cash deal would be the only realistic way that the Premier League champions could revive a move for a player whom Spurs value so highly that they rejected a 40m pound bid from Chelsea in the final hours of the summer window.

A January swoop is out of the question as Spurs will not sell, a point reiterated by chairman Daniel Levy at the club's AGM on Tuesday. But all bets are off at the end of the season, when Modric will once again ponder where his future lies. Contract talks which would make the 26-year-old the club's best-paid player have stalled, with Modric keen to wait to see how the team fare in the second half of the season before deciding his next move.

Should he agitate for a switch like he did last summer, Spurs are unlikely to be so determined to hang on to the midfielder, which could create an opening for his many admirers, who include Chelsea as well as United.

"AND, OF COURSE,..........DRUM ROLL PLEASE.................
Sneijder's situation at Inter has changed remarkably over the course of 2011, and a move in January must not be ruled out as a possibility. With Sir Alex having stopped just short of naming the Dutchman as his key transfer target in the summer, it is clear that there has been a will on both sides for a transfer to happen, and with the Nerazzurri struggling this season, Sneijder could well be heading for a change of club. His ability to find space and eye for the run of a teammates make him an attacking midfielder of great quality, and he can drop into the midfield line to carry out an impressive job too. He may well not be in the kind of form which saw him lead Inter to the treble in 2010 and should have resulted in him winning the Ballon d'Or, but a move to United could well suit all involved.

Claudio Ranieri has found the winning formula in his recent absence through injury, with Inter carrying out a more considered approach to get it back on track, and the player himself has shown a tendency to drift out of games more and more as the club's fortunes have sunk further during the past 18 months. It all means he could come cheaper than he would have in August.

On Tuesday, December 5th, the Nassau County High School Awards Ceremony was held at the Marriot in Uniondale. Five players that played for this year's Vikings Boys Varsity Soccer Team were awarded for their performance. Of the five that were awarded, four players play for the Division One Champions, Predators.

Of the four Predator players, goalkeeper, Michael Moraitis, was awarded All County, Forward, and leading scorer, Dave Katz, was awarded All County Honorable Mention, and Center Halfback, Andrew Zimmelman, was awarded All Conference. In addition, Aaron Fienberg was also awarded All Conference.

Coach Don Fish, who also attended the dinner, was quoted in saying that he was very proud of the accomplishments of all five of his players, and was looking forward to Michael's final year next season, as the other four players will graduate this year. Dean Moraitis played the role of "Dad" instead of "Coach" for one evening and was very proud of his son.

"He had an incredible year. He was the Goalkeeper of this year's, Division One Champions and was recognized for his efforts with the Vikings. I am just so proud of him!" EASA would like to congratulate the five players, head Coach Don Fish, and the parents and family members of all of the players mentioned. Great job boys!

Soccer fans around the world arranged their schedules so that by 4:00, EDT, they would be free to watch the record breaking 7th Classico game of the year. Real Madrid had won 15 games in a row, and many considered them to be the favorites to win this match (Including Dean who predicted they would win on Center Circle Soccer Radio. —The Oracle). In fact, Real Madrid knew that a win would send them six points ahead of bitter rivals Barca with a game at hand.

Fifty-percent of the entire country of Spain were glued to their television sets, as well as millions around the world as they saw Real take the lead 23 seconds into the game after a mistake from Goalkeeper Valdes allowed Benzema to calmly place the ball into Barcelona's goal. This was when "The Special One" went to work...only, it was not Mourinho, but Pep Guardiola.

Within a minute, Pep changed his tactics from a 4-4-2, and decided to go all out with a 3-4-3, playing normal central defender, Puyol, as a right full back and had Pique as the Central defender. While Real maintained control of the game, and should have taken a 2-0 lead when Ronaldo missed an open net in the 25th minute of the game, Lionel Messi, who until that moment was quiet, woke up, and became the provider, when the 24-year-old skipping by several challenges passed a perfectly-weighted through ball to Sanchez to fire home expertly from the edge of the area, making the score 1-1.

Barcelona came out strong in the second half and got a lucky goal from Xavi, whose speculative volley 25 yards from goal took a massive deflection off Marcelo to wrong-foot Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas, with the ball spinning off the post and into the back of the net. While Real began to dominate, Ronaldo, for the second time, missed an open header, which would tied the game. The miss was costly, as one minute later, the hosts were made to pay for their profligacy, as a quick counter-attack ended with Cesc Fabregas scoring his eighth goal for his new club. Messi slid the ball out to Dani Alves on the right, who whipped in a terrific cross towards the back post. It was met by an unmarked Fabregas, who headed home. The 3rd goal deflated the home crowd, and at the end, Barcelona celebrated an incredible victory, while Real were left scratching their heads...
Both teams are even in points, with Real having one game at hand. Pep is refusing to read too much into a 3-1 derby success over arch-rivals Real Madrid, with the title still up for grabs. "I am delighted with the performance," he said. "Madrid will recover. To win here, you have to play a very good game and we have done that. But there is still much to do and Madrid will again be the leader if they beat Sevilla. There are no champions in December."

Barcelona once again turned to their home-grown stars against Real, with Guardiola quick to point out that the vast majority of his starting XI had been educated by the Catalan giants. He said: "Eight of these players here today were born at the club. For us, we are so proud of that."

Mourinho has drawn criticism in the past for his post-Clasico comments, including accusations of Barca bias from officials and claims that opposite number Pep Guardiola is overrated as a manager. But while he pointed to bad luck as a major factor in his side throwing away a one-goal lead to lose both their unbeaten home record this season and top spot in La Liga, there were no conspiracy theories from the Portuguese boss, who said his team would not let the defeat get them down. "The first half was balanced, but the goal in second half was pure luck and nothing more, Mourinho said. "After that, they had the psycological supremacy that comes with being in front and they were able to pass the ball around and keep it as they love to do. But luck plays a part. At 1-0, we should have gone 2-0 up, which under normal circumstances we would have, because Cristiano [Ronaldo] normally puts the ball in. The dressing room is sad but relaxed. But if we beat Sevilla [Real's game at hand over Barca] we will be leaders at Christmas."

And the way Barcelona celebrated their victory? Two hours later, they were on a flight to Japan, having the responsibility to have to play in this years Club World Cup. Not a way that I would have liked to have celebrated. Lost in the noise of the classico, Valencia lost an opportunity to gain ground on Real, as Valencia lost to Real Betis 2-1. Barcelona and Real Madrid each have 37 points, while Valencia remained at 30. Levante, big derby winners themselves after beating Sevilla 1-0, have 29 points, while Sevilla remained at 24.

Oh, yes, there was the EPL...

And, oh, yes...Manchester United played Wolverhampton Wonderers...who were left to wonder what the fate of their team will be this season. Dean Moraitis and Dan Brotman decided to watch the game together, each rooting for their beloved teams. Thank God Dean had his breakfast before the game. After crashing out of the Champions League, United needed to play against a team that would provide no need of concern. Enter Wolves. As witnessed from the pictures, Manchester United put a difficult week behind them with a 4-1 Premier League beatdown over Wolves, and wait for tonight's outcome of the result between Manchester City and Chelsea to find out if their gap will be closer, or will they still remain 5 points behind.

Although, Ferguson was not popping Champagne corks with the team after the game in the locker room, this was the perfect game for the Red Devils to regain some scoring confidence. Still reeling from the post Champions League elimination fallout, Ferguson needs to make his Xmas list and check it twice for the January tranfer window since he needs not only a playmaking midfielder, but now a center back to shore up that defense, which has been a sieve without Vidic. Will he make the investment? Or toss away the season and simply allow his young team to gain the experience they need?
Understanding that Ferguson doesn't have that many seasons left as a manager, he'll be shopping!

Once again, most of the results this weeekend were considered normal, as Arsenal, with Robin Van Persie ,continuing to carry the Gunners on his shoulder, defeated Fulham 1-0 (the news here is that another player is out on injury, as Fullback Santos is lost for 3 months will an ankle injury that might require surgury) and Liverpool coming back with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa. The only surprise was Tottenham's lose to Stoke City 2-1, upsetting their fans as they saw an opportunity to stay close to the Championship fade away somewhat, although they do have a game at hand. The truth, however, was that the officials, once again, got it wrong, as a goal from Adebayor was incorrectly ruled offside and denied an equalizer, infuriating Redknapp, who said, "I never complain about referees' decisions - I have not done it in 30 years of management, never. But today, I'm afraid, he got some badly wrong. He hadn't seen them, but when he goes home and watches them, he'll realize he got a couple badly wrong, and the linesman... When someone's two yards onside, like Adebayor was, how's the linesman not seen it?'' There was also an element of controversy about Etherington's opener in the 13th minute as ex-Spurs player Peter Crouch appeared to handle in the build-up, making Redknapp even more furious.

Manchester City have 38 points (14 games), United 36 (15 games), Tottenham 31 (14 games), Arsenal 29 (15 games) and Chelsea 28 (14 games). As you can see, the matchup tonight between City and Chelsea is of great importance. The game will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN3 at 3:00 PM.

In Italy, everyone awaits the big match tonight between Juventus and Roma (Fox Soccer Channel, 2:45 PM). Meanwhile, Udinese climbed to the top of the Serie A standings on Sunday, with AC Milan missing the opportunity to join them. Udinese picked up a fifth win in six, seeing off Chievo 2-1, while AC Milan stretched their unbeaten run to nine games, but they dropped two priceless points in a 2-2 draw with Bologna. Inter Milan secured a much-needed boost with a 2-0 victory over Fiorentina as Lazio moved to within a point of Serie A leaders Juventus after defeating Lecce 2-3.

Udinese have 30 points (14 games), Juventus 29 (13 games), AC Milan and Lazio 28 points (each with 14 games) and Napoli, after a tie at Novara, have dropped with 21.

European competition will end for the 2011 Soccer year, as the final group games for the Europa Cup will be played. Several teams are fighting for the magical 2nd place, which will allow them to continue to compete in the knock out stage starting in February. The main interest here is that the 3rd place teams from the group stage of the Champions League will also join the two top teams in each group for the draw, which will be held this Friday, along with the draw for the Champions League. For those that have GOALTV, check out your local listings, as the network will televise 4 , games, Wednesday and Thursday, 1:00 and 3:00 PM, each day.

Finally, some trade rumors that EASA predicted that are coming true. Anelka will be leaving Chelsea and will continue his career in...China! Nicolas Anelka has signed a contract with Shanghai Shenhua, after an agreement could not be reached with the Montreal Impact. The deal between Anelka and the Chinese club is rumored to be three years at 6 million pounds a season and includes commercial incentives. Anelka joins Shenhua from Chelsea, where he scored 38 goals in 125 appearances.

It is all but a done deal, as Beckham will be moving to Paris to play with PSG. While little details are coming through, it looks as if the deal is for 18 months, for about 12 Million Pounds. It looks as if Tevez will be playing for AC Milan, but the big news is that Argentinean teammate, Marcherano, will be joining him, as the Center Half is not happy with the amount of playing time he is getting with Barcelona. The big surprise, and perhaps a topic for the Radio Show, Center Circle, has supposed interest from Everton's Boss, Moyes for wait for it, wait for it................ Red Bulls Henry!!

The former Arsenal ace has been training with his old club to keep fit during the MLS off-season with rumors suggesting he may again don the red shirt of the North Londoners but Gunners boss Wenger swiftly denied those claims. However, Everton manager David Moyes admitted to asking the Frenchman if he wanted a game with the Toffees during January prior to the clubs meeting at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. "I asked (Henry) to let me know if he wants a game," smiled Moyes. "I already asked him, he'll tell you.” The goal-starved Merseysiders are still on the hunt for a loan signing this winter with LA Galaxy star Landon Donovan, who spent last January at Goodison Park, a possible option whilst Sochaux forward Charlie Davies has also been linked. Last but not least, there's chatter that ex-Cosmos Forward Giorgio Chnaglia is currently training with EASA's Dean Moraitis for a comeback stint and is also looking to be picked up during January transfer window........ok, just kidding!

Finally, these are the games of the week that EASA suggests to watch. While we will have to wait until May 2012 for the next Classico (unless both teams face each other in either the Spanish Cup or the Champions League), there are some great games to watch, including the 2 games today that we already mentioned. Enjoy, and we will see you next week!
Monday, 12/12/2011:
» EPL: Chelsea-Manchester City , 2:50, live, on ESPN2 & ESPN3

Wednesday, 12/14/2011:
» Europa League: PSG - Atletico Bilbao, 1:00, live, on GOLTV
» Fulham - Odense, 3:00, live, on GOALTV

Thursday, 12/15/2011:
» Europa League: Hannover 96 x Vorskla Potlava, 1:00, live, on GOLTV
» Atl. Madrid x Stade Rennais , live, on GOLTV

Saturday, 12/17/2011:
» EPL: Wigan - Chelsea, 12:00 PM, live, on Fox Soccer Channel
» Serie A: AC Milan - Siena, 2:30 PM, live, on Fox Soccer Channel

Sunday, 12/18/2011:
» EPL: QPR - Manchester United, 7:00 AM, live, on Fox Soccer Plus
» EPL: Aston Villa - Liverpool, 9:00 AM, on Fox Soccer Plus

This years Champions League competition left soccer purists like ourselves here at EASA to ponder the following question: is the Champions League a true competition for Champions, or is it developed to allow teams that finish second and third in some of the main Soccer Leagues around the world an opportunity to compete at the highest level possible. The remaining teams left for the knock out stage suggests that, in fact, this competition is anything else but an opportunity for fans too see some of the most competitive teams compete, as "Pretend Champions"...as well as advertisers having the opportunity to make a few extra dollars!

The most important statistic for the teams remaining in the knock out stage is that 10 teams that have won their Championship in their country are out of the competition. In fact, what's startling is that the Champions of some of the most competitive leagues in Europe are out! England's Manchester United, France's Lille, Germany's Dortmouth, Portugal's FC Porto, and Holland's Ajax, are done, while five more teams that did win their Championships in Europe, are also out. Chelsea, Bayern M., Lyon, will continue in the Champions League, this despite the fact that they finished second in their country's competition. The good news is that fans will see two teams compete at the exit round that were a complete surprise.

Cyprian side Apoel and Swiss side Basel will compete at the expense of FC Porto and Manchester United. Another team, besides Manchester City, that had been expected to make the next round, but did not, was Spanish side Valencia, who, along with the teams mentioned, will have to wait to see which team they will play against as they will now compete in the Europa League, known to us old timers as the UEFA Cup. Meanwhile, teams that did not win Championships, such as Italian side Napoli, Spanish Side Real Madrid, German side Bayer Leverkusen, Portuguese side Benfica and Russian side CSKA Moscow will also join the " Pretend Champions" for the knock out stage, in which the drawing will take place next Friday.

Both Manchester United and Manchester City have exited the Champions League competition in the group stage. This marks only the third time the club has prematurely departed the group stage in 16 appearances. While City were still mathematically viable prior to yesterday's match, the odds were not in their favor.

It turned out to be a double blow for United, who were in the Champions League final just one year ago. The Red Devils best defender, Serbian international, Nemanja Vidic will be out at least four months with a MCL ligament injury, which incurred in the 41st minute when battling Basel's Marco Streller for a loose ball. Streller, who had been playing very aggressively the entire match appeared to let all his weight fall upon Vidic when both players were falling to the ground.

Vidic immediately came up holding his knee, while Streller had a laugh or two with one of his teammates. The medial ligament damage to one of the Premier League's best defenders is devastating to United, who have seen their initial rocket trajectory at the start of the season take a substantial nose dive. (More importantly, in the six Premier League matches Vidic has started this season, the Red Devils have conceded only two goals. In the eight that the towering Serbian has not played they permitted 10. —Ed.)

The Manchester clubs are now relegated to play for the Europa Cup on Thursday nights, which Dean has predicted will find them on opposite sides of the bracket in the hopes the two clubs will meet in the final. (Knowing Ferguson, I believe he will constantly play his "second squad" in hopes that they will be eliminated. —Ed.) But its not only pride the Red Devils have lost, it is also about money. According to industry experts, ManU will lose about £20 million in TV and gate revenue from the embarrassing defeat against a weak Basel team.

In other Manchester United news, striker Wayne Rooney's ban from the England national team for the Euro 2012 Championship has been reduced to two matches from three after an appeal to Uefa in Switzerland. He was disciplined after being red carded for kicking Miodrag Dzudovic during a 2-2 draw with Montenegro in October in a display that harkened back to his petulant youth. Rooney, now 26, will now be available for England's third Group D game, against Ukraine, but will miss the first two games against France and Sweden.

As the Soccer World is still recuperating over the shock of the death of Gary Speed, more sad news comes in from Brazil, as the former Brazilian great Socrates, the clever play maker who captained Brazil at the 1982 World Cup, died Sunday. He was 57. Known for his elegant style on the field and his deep involvement with Brazilian politics, Socrates died of septic shock resulting from an intestinal infection, according to a statement by the Albert Einstein Hospital in Rio. He had been rushed to hospital on Saturday — the third time in four months — and had been in critical condition in an intensive care unit, breathing with the help of a ventilator. Socrates acknowledged being a heavy drinker, even when he starred as a player in the 1980s, but said he stopped drinking earlier this year after his stints in the hospital.

Since his time as a player, Socrates never kept his political ideas to himself and often wrote about the subject in his columns. Known as Dr. Socrates because of his practice of medicine, he was the main commentator on a weekly TV sports program and was constantly in demand from local media for interviews on varied subjects. Socrates starred for Corinthians in the early 1980s, but he also played for Flamengo, Santos and Fiorentina in Italy.

The tall full-bearded play maker captained Brazil in the 1982 World Cup in Spain and was a member of the squad in 1986 in Mexico. The 1982 Brazilian team became widely known as the best not to win a World Cup. With players like Zico and Falcao, it fell to Italy 3-2 in the second round despite needing a draw to advance to the semifinals. He was included in FIFA's list of the best 125 living soccer players in the world, a list compiled by countryman Pele. He played 63 matches with the national team, scoring 25 goals. He was known for his great vision on the field. Always clever with the ball on his feet, his trademark move was his back-heel pass, and he set up and scored many goals with it throughout his career. Socrates' younger brother Rai was another great Brazilian midfielder, and he helped Brazil win the 1994 World Cup in the United States. He is survived by his wife and six children.

Soccer began Saturday morning, as football paid tribute to Gary Speed at ever field of each and every game that was played. Once the tears and memories were put to the side, Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Blackburn were all victorious on a day where results were considered normal. Leaders Man City remain firmly in control at the top of the table as they brushed aside Norwich at the Etihad Stadium 5-1, while Man United remain five points adrift of their local rivals after overcoming an insipid Aston Villa side 1-0 at Villa Park. The main interest was that of striker Javier Hernandez who was stretched off in obvious pain with what looked to be a serious ankle injury after going down on the edge of the Villa box with no-one around him. (Hernandez rolled his ankle when his spike caught the unforgiving turf and will be out for a month according to the latest reports. —The Oracle)

Chelsea eased the pressure on Andre Villas-Boas for a few days with a 3-0 victory away to Newcastle, while Arsenal enjoying a resurgence following a tough start and they dumped Wigan back to the foot of the table with a comprehensive 4-0 triumph at the DW Stadium, making this 6 wins and one tie in the last 7 games. Tottenham was also victorious with a 3-0 win over Bolton. Quite frankly, most of the games left little to be desired. Fans had to wait until Monday to see the one game that showcased some excitement.

Liverpool's unbeaten run came to an abrupt halt at Fulham, with a forgettable night seeing them reduced to 10 men in a 1-0 Premier League defeat. American Clint Dempsey scored the only goal of the game for the Cottagers, with the hosts able to edge an entertaining encounter that swept from end-to-end. Liverpool seemed to be the better team and created many opportunities after the interval, but saw their cause severely hampered on 72 minutes when Jay Spearing was dismissed for a lunging tackle on Moussa Dembele. It was then that Fulham took control of the game, and were able to score the winner five minutes from time when Reina spilled a shot from ex Liverpool Murphy and Dempsey was on hand to turn the ball home from close range. By the way, as we await the El Classico (mentioned below), on Monday, we might also see the "El Goodbye Coach-eo", as Manchester City travel to Chelsea. If both teams have been knocked out of the Champions League (also discussed below), and if one team looses to the other, will the loosing coach still have a job by Tuesday?

Man City are on top with 38 points, Man United follow with 33, Tottenham have 31, Chelsea 28 and Arsenal have 26 points.

In Spain, Real Madrid maintained their three-point lead over Barcelona with a 3-0 win away at Sporting Gigon, while Barcelona defeated Levante by the score of 5-0, a game that I watched. In fact, the score could have, and should have been closer to 15 to 0, as Barcelona put on a clinic for their home fans. Clearly, with the El Clasico on the horizon next weekend, they put on a show that suggested they are ready to fight to retain their title. The game should be one of the most incredible games this year, with both teams playing the best soccer in the world. Goal TV will televise the game on Saturday, 4:00 PM. Everyone that loves the sport needs to be in front of their television sets, unless they are lucky to actually be at the game. While both teams will try to put the game to the side as each must play their final game for the Champions League, the good news is that both teams have qualified, which can only mean that both teams will play most of the second unit's so as to rest their starters for the big game.

Real Madrid still leads the league with 37 points, while Barcelona trail by 3 points, but with one more game at hand. Valencia has 30, Levante 26 and Sevilla 24. Big money spenders over the summer, Malaga, drop to 6th place after their lose to Sociedad.

In Italy, Juventus remained on the top of the table by beating Cesena, by the score of 2-0. However, the game to watch in Italy was clearly the match up between Roma and Fiorentina. In an incredible match at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, Roma0 finished with just eight players on the pitch as they went down 3-0 to Fiorentina. Juan was the first to receive his marching orders following a foul in the area after 16 minutes, and talented youngster, Jovetic, converted the penalty to put Fiorentina ahead. Alessandro Gamberini doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time before Gago became the second Roma player to see red. To compound a miserable afternoon for Roma, Bojan was then dismissed five minutes from time and substitute Santiago Silva notched another penalty for Fiorentina. Udinese continued their successful run so far with a 0-1 victory at Inter Milan, which has made the fans even more upset with rumors circulating that President Morratti might be thinking of selling the team. AC Milan also won away, at Genoa.

Juventus leads the league with 29 points, while AC Milan and Udinese follow with 29. Lazio, a 3-0 winner over Novara, follow with 25, while Napoli, a 4-2 winner over Lecce, has 20.

Champions League games end today, as the 3 English teams, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United, must play their games, and then wait for the other group results, to see if they will continue in the knock-off stage. My guess is that some how, United will get in, while Chelsea might struggle in their match vs. Valencia. Regardless of the fact that Villa-Boas has a 3 year guaranteed contract, not making it to the next stage will infuriate Ambranovitch. City, in my opinion, will be knocked out, and thus new questions will arise about Mancini.

THE FIFA WORLD CUP FOR CLUBS STARTS THIS WEEK.............. ok, what is this, you ask? A complete waste of time, and another way for companies to make a few quick dollars. (Stop beating around the bush Dean, if you want to say something, just say it...lol — The Oracle) Over the next 2 weeks, the Champions of each Continent will compete in Japan for the rights to becoming the best Club Team in the world. The above map shows each Continents Champion that will participate in this mini tournament. Games start this Thursday, as Kashiwa play Auckland City. The winner will then play Club de Monterrey on Sunday. While FIFA is allowing every continent to have its representative compete, in my opinion, these games are a joke. The only 2 teams of concern will be Barcelona and Santos, and it will be exciting to see Messi and Company play against Neymar and Ganso. This will be the expected final, which will take place on Sunday, the 18th. Games will be televised on Fox Soccer Channel, but those that do want to watch will have to get up early at around 5:30 AM. Really, besides the predicted final, do we need to see any of the other games??

Finally, as we always try to do, these are the televised matches EASA suggests their fans to watch this coming week, so, set your DVR's, and we will see you here next week:
Tuesday, 12/06/2011:
» Champions League: Chelsea-Valencia , 2:30, live, on Fox Soccer Channel

Wednesday, 12/07/2011:
» Champions League: Basel - Manchester United, 2:30, live, on Fox Soccer Channel
» Champions League: Manchester City - Bayern M., live, on Fox Soccer Plus
» Champions League: Manchester City - Bayern M, 7:00, tape delay, on Fox Soccer Channel

Saturday, 12/10/2011:
» EPL: Arsenal - Everton, 10:00, live, on Fox Soccer Channel
» EPL: Manchester United - Wolves, 10:00, live, ESPN2
» La Liga: Barcelona Real Madrid, 4:00, live, on GOALTV

Monday, 12/12/2011:
» EPL: Chelsea - Manchester City, 3:00, live, on ESPN2

For as long as Dean Moraitis has coached at a youth level, his teams have always competed at the MAPS College Showcase in New Jersey, and this year was no different. After everyone celebrated Thanksgiving with their families, the next day, the Port Washington Predators left for Fort Dix to compete over the weekend against teams that had the same aspirations and goals: to showcase the players that wanted to opportunity to play at a collegiate level.

Over 500 College Soccer Coaches, once again, roamed the fields between Fort Dix and Ryder College in order to either see a player that had already communicated with the coach of choice, or, to find one or two players to help strengthen their squads for the 2012 Fall Season. While the Predators finished the Spring Season as Division One Champions of the LIJSL, the team had major problems going to New Jersey. All County Goal Keeper, Michael Moraitis, was out due to a broken wrist, and several players, including Sweeper, Brian Aranow, Stopper, Chris Romero, and Half Backs, Scott Regan, Josh Weinburg and Matt Valente, could not make the tournament. While most teams would have canceled, Dean Moraitis had the easy solution; to take the top players that were available from the Boys Under 17 team in Port Washington, the Blue Knights, and the boys did not disappoint.

Five players joined the team three weeks before the tournament to help compete at the highest level. Finally, Port Washington's High School Half Back, Andrew Bohme, joined as well, allowing Coach Moraitis to feel comfortable with the roster that would compete in NJ.

As has always been the case, the competition was that of a high level. The Predators finished the tournament with a 2-1-1 record, which included victories over FC Poccono Elite and Middle Country. Led by Captain's Jordan Finkle and Arjan Saraon, whose leadership on and off the field was outstanding. Every players performance was incredible, including Dave Katz, Andrew Bohme, Andy Zilmmerman, Joseph Lukuya, James Volpe, Shun Akai and Cole Youmans, who were phenomenal. Guest players Jack Macmanus, James Roberts, Tommy Hayes, Cameron Boumand, Evan Torturo and Cameron MacGown, who had the most difficult job of replacing Michael Moraitis, made sure that the missing Predators were not missed.

Jeff Finkle, Greg Volpe and Uppender Saraon guidance on the sidelines helped the team enjoy their trip on and off the field, as the boys not only enjoyed the games, but also some quality time off the field. Once again, all of the boys made the Port Washington Soccer Club proud of their involvement with the team. Now, the boys get to rest until the winter season is over, but the Predator and Blue Knight players that did travel to NJ will use this weekends experience to prepare for the upcoming Spring Season.

While most family's began to recuperate from too much desert from their Thanksgiving gatherings, the best European Soccer Leagues were back at work this past weekend. Unfortunately, the main news had nothing to do with any of the games played, as the death of Wales manager and ex- player, Gary Speed, cast a shadow over the English Premier League games on Sunday. Liverpool and Manchester City observed a moment of silence before their 1-1 draw at Anfield hours after news broke that Speed had been found dead at age 42. Asked to do the same, the fans at Swansea's 0-0 draw with Aston Villa instead opted for an impromptu minute's applause and chanted Speed's name. Villa goalkeeper Shay Given was in tears thinking of his former Newcastle teammate, while Wales striker Craig Bellamy was so upset he was left off Liverpool's squad. Speed was found hanged at his home, something that has shocked family and friends, as most that were interviewed stated that that he seemed to be fine and had shown no signs of despair. I was a big fan of Gary and loved the way that he played the game, especially during his years at Leeds United and Newcastle. At EASA, our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

While Speed's death overshadowed anything that had to do with the sport itself, some intense games were played this weekend. On Saturday, Chelsea eased the pressure on manager Andre Villas-Boas with a comfortable win against Wolves at Stamford Bridge. From the beginning of the game, Chelsea pounded Wolves, and it did not take long for Terry to score, as he headed the ball into Hennesey's goal 7 minutes into the match. Sturridge and Mata, who assisted on Chelsea's first 2 goals, completed the scoring, as Chelsea walked away with an easy 3-0 victory. Manchester United played Newcastle, but with different results. The Red Devils were once again far from their best, with the high-flying Magpies making life difficult for long periods as they went in search of a first Premier League success at Old Trafford. Rooney gave United the lead on the 49th minute of the game, however, the hosts saw their luck run out on 64 minutes as Rio Ferdinand was judged to have felled Hatem Ben Arfa inside the box despite getting a toe to the ball before tripping the Frenchman. Demba Ba kept his composure to calmly slot the resulting penalty into the bottom corner with home protests falling on deaf ears. Newcastle were able to frustrate their opponents until the final whistle, putting in a heroic defensive effort even after seeing Jonas Gutierrez sent for an early bath for picking up a second yellow card.

Tottenham edged two points clear of the Magpies in third place after responding admirably to falling behind early at West Brom to run out 3-1winners, while Arsenal lost ground in their bid to get back into the title race after being held to a 1-1 draw by Fulham at Emirates Stadium.

On Sunday, as the sad news spread about Gary Speed, all eyes were at Liverpool, as the home team hosted Manchester City. Ten-man Manchester City restored their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League after holding on for a 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield. Mancini's men took the lead through Vincent Kompany's header, but they were pegged back almost immediately with Lescott scoring an own goal. City's Goal Keeper, Hart, was the hero of the team, as he played one of the most incredible games of his career, which included a stoppage time save to deny Carroll the opportunity to win the game for Liverpool; it was world class, and was the difference between a draw and a defeat late on. An EASA news update without some news about either Tevez or Balotelli would just not be complete. Balotelli's red card 18 minutes after coming on added a new chapter to the striker's unbelievable, yet short time in English football.

Mancini was quick to defend his forward. Mancini was quoted in saying, "I watched the replay and, for me, it is nothing. This situation in the Premier League - there are a lot [of yellow cards] in every game. I don't think all [the fouls] are yellow cards. Mario should pay attention because he knows many players provoke him and this is not correct." There were also reports that the forward damaged a door in the City dressing room after he had to be told by Mancini to head down the tunnel following his dismissal. "I don't know this. If he damaged the door he pays - like his house," said the City boss, in reference to Balotelli's firework incident last month. Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish had no sympathy for the Italian, however. He said: "I think Balotelli got himself sent off. His actions spoke louder than anybody else's didn't they? Sometimes, if you look in the mirror, you get the answer."
Manchester City remain 5 points ahead of United, with City having 35 points, United with 30. Tottenham is in third with 28 points, Nwecastle has 26, and Chelsea have 25.

In Spain, Real Madrid continued their impressive run of form by claiming the derby honors after a 4-1 victory over same city rival Atletico, as Barcelona suffered a shock defeat at Getafe. Atletico actually took the lead in the game, however, Ronaldo scored a penalty in each half in Real's victory at the Santiago Bernabeu as Atletico finished the match with nine men. Reigning champions Barcelona now trail Real by six points after slipping to a surprise 1-0 loss at Getefe. The decisive goal arrived midway through the second half when Juan Valera headed home a corner to inflict a first defeat of the campaign on Barca. Pep Guardiola's side pushed for a late equalizer and had Sergio Busquets booked for diving in trying to win a penalty, while Lionel Messi had a goal ruled out for offside and then struck the post when put clean through deep into stoppage-time. Valencia are doing their best to stay in the title race and sit seven points behind Real after a 2-1 success at Rayo Vallecano. Goals from Jonas and Tino Costa had Valencia in control on their travels before Vallecano substitute Tamudo set up a nervy finish by pulling a goal back with five minutes to go. Real now have 34 points, Barcelona have 28, Valencia 27 and Levante, a 4-0 winner over Sporting Gijon, with 26.

In Italy, Juventus proved their title pedigree after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Lazio in Serie A at the Stadio Olimpico, which moved them top of the table with a game in hand. A Smone Pepe breakaway goal was enough to secure all three points in an absorbing encounter in the Eternal City, which saw the Bianconeri dominate the first half before a resurgent Lazio had the better of the second. Juventus were left to thank their heroes on the night: ex AC Milano, Pirlo, imperious in midfield and forever carving out opportunities for team-mates either side of the break, while goalkeeper Buffon's wonderful saves ensured the visitors victory. A clinical first-half performance sent last years Champions, Milan, back to second in the Serie A table with a 4-0 win over Chievo at the San Siro. Udinese rebounded from defeat to Parma with a 2-0 home win over Roma to remain close to the top, while Inter substitute Luc Castaignos scored at the death to give Inter Milan a much needed 1-0 victory over Siena. Juventus has 25 points (again, with one less game), while AC Milan and Udinese each have 24. Lazio has dropped with 22 points.

In Champions League play, the game of interest was between Napoli and Manchester City. As expected, the team wearing sky blue shirts took a giant step toward progressing to knockout play in the Champions League last week. One problem, though: the team in blue wasn't highly regarded and richly funded Manchester City, which has been swaggering through the English Premier League this season, but Napoli, which has struggled mightily in Italy's Serie A this campaign. Napoli defeated City 2-1, and is now slated to move on to the next stage of the Champions League, while City might have to settle for 3rd place, and a spot in the Europa League. In order for City to advance to the knock out stage of the Champions League, City must beat Bayern Munich at home, having lost 2-0 in Germany last month, while hoping Napoli loses away to Spain's Villareal, which hasn't won a Champions League game this season. Those matches will be played next week, as the group stage of the Europa League takes center stage this week. Check out GOALTV for games that will be played, both Wednesday and Thursday afternoon (4 game will be televised lived, 1:00 and 3:00 pm).

Finally, as we always try to do, these are the televised matches EASA suggests their fans to watch this coming week, so, set your DVR's, and we will see you next week:
Tuesday, 11/29/2011:
» Fox Soccer Channel, Serie A, Napoli - Juventus, 2:30 PM (live).
» Fox Soccer Plus, Carling Cup Quarter Finals, Arsenal Manchester City, 2:30 PM (live)
» Fox Soccer Plus, Carling Cup Quarter Finals, Chelsea - Liverpool, 5:00 PM (tape delay)

Wednesday,11/30/2011:
» Fox Soccer Channel, Friendly International, Indonesian International All Stars - LA Galaxy, 7:00 AM (live)
» Fox Soccer Plus, Carling Cup Quarter Finals, Manchester United - Crystal Palace, 2:30 PM (live)

Saturday, 12/3/2011:
» Fox Soccer Channel, EPL, Manchester City - Norwich, 10:00 AM (live)
» Fox Soccer Channel, EPL, Manchester United - Aston Villa, 12:30 PM (live)
» Fox Soccer Plus, Wigan - Arsenal, 10:00 AM (live)
» ESPN2, Newcastle - Chelsea, 7:00 AM (live)

After almost 2 weeks of International friendly's, as well as the final playoff qualifying games ending for next summers EURO Cup, fans were elated to see the top leagues back in action. As The Oracle predicted, Newcastle's unbeaten run ended with Manchester City defeating them by the score of 3-1. While Newcastle Defender, Ryan Taylor, has been close to perfect, this was one game he will want to forget as quickly as his coach can. Two horrific mistakes allowed Balotelli and Richards to score Manchester City's first 2 of the game, the first on a penalty kick. Aguero added a third goal on a second penalty kick before Gosling scored a consolation goal for Newcastle. EASA was critical of Balotelli, as he stared down Taylor after his goal but the focus will now be on Aguero and Toure, both who hobbled off before the end of the game, causing new worries for manager Roberto Mancini with Tuesday's must-not-lose Champions League trip to Napoli looming.

United defeated Swansea away, 0-1, but, once again, did not convince with their appearance. Clearly, the team still misses Scholes, (And more importantly, Cleverly. —The Oracle) and until someone can step into that role, it might be difficult for the Red Devils to keep up with their Blue Neighbors. United were grateful to Javier Hernandez for helping them to pick up three points from their first ever trip to Wales for a Premier League fixture.

Van Persie helped Arsenal come from behind to beat Norwich 2-1 and record a fifth straight Premier League win in the process. Crisis, what crisis? The in-form Dutchman made it 30 goals for 2011, the second a sublime finish, after the Canaries had snatched a shock early lead when Wales striker Morison capitalized on a horrendous blunder by Per Mertesacker, who continues to struggle with playing in the Premiership.

On Sunday, the big game was between Chelsea and Liverpool. With Guus Hiddink leaving the National program of Turkey, it is no secret that Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, wants him to come as a Technical Advisor to the team. When asked, his response was, "It was great at Chelsea, a terrific time, but that does not mean I am ready to start a new job tomorrow. I need some time to reflect." However, Roman's millions have been known to "persuade" a quick difference of opinion, and after Sundays game, perhaps Chelsea Coach, Andre Villas-Boas might be wondering if his key to his apartment in London still works. Former Chelsea defender, Glen Johnson, scored a stunning late winner for Liverpool as Chelsea suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats at Stamford Bridge for the first time since May 2002. That helped the Anfield outfit move level on points with the fourth-placed Blues in the congested race for UEFA Champions League football next term. In EASA's opinion, this loss casts further doubt on manager Andre Villas-Boas' Stamford Bridge revolution, with the Blues now looking set to drop out of the top four, something billionaire owner Roman Abramovich is unlikely to tolerate for long.

City are on top with 34 points, United in second with 29, followed by Newcastle with 25, and Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham, 3-1 winners at Fulham, with 22 points. By the way, there was some good news at Tottenham's camp, as their coach, Harry Redknapp, has confirmed he will be back in the dugout when Tottenham tackle Aston Villa at White Hart Lane on Monday evening. The Spurs boss underwent heart surgery at the start of November and was forced to miss the Europa League defeat to Rubin Kazan and the Premier League victory over Fulham. But the veteran boss always intended to return following the international break and has now been given the all-clear by his doctors. EASA welcomes Harry back, and wishes him nothing but the best!

There was drama in the Spanish Liga, and for once it had nothing to do with either Real Madrid, nor Barcelona. There was controversy in the late kick-off between Granada and Real Mallorca when the assistant referee was injured after being struck on the right cheek by what appeared to be an umbrella thrown from the crowd. Struggling Granada were leading 2-1 at the time after second half goals from Guilherme Siqueira and Carlos Martins, with Victor notching a 23rd minute opener for the visitors. The referee took the players from the field after his assistant was struck in the 63rd minute, with blood coming from the wound on his cheek, and the decision was taken to abandon the game soon after.

In soccer related news, Real Madrid remain top of the Primera Liga standings following yet another win, but defending champions Barcelona are hot on their heels. Real defeated tough opponents Valencia 3-2, while Barcelona defeated Real Zaragoza 4-0. Benzema, Ramos, and, of course, Ronaldo, scored for Real, while defenders and forwards shared scoring responsibilities, as Piqua, Messi, Pugol and Villa scored for Barcelona. Real are on top with 31 points, as Barcelona follow with 28. Valencia fall behind with 24 points.

In Italy, Juventus is back on top with one game less, as they defeat Palermo 3-0. Udinese drop back as they lose to Parma 2-0. Inter is beginning to play quality soccer as they defeat Cagliari 2-1, while last years champions, AC Milan, were probably not satisfied after a 0-0 tie at Fiorentina. Juventus is on top of their Division with 22 points (one game less) and they are tied with Lazio, who tied Napoli 0-0. AC Milan and Udinese follow with 21 points.

We now know all 16 teams that will be playing in next summers EURO12 Cup. Portugal, Croatia, The Republic of Ireland, and The Czech Republic, will join the other 12 teams that will compete next summer. The Group Drawing will take place Dec. 9th.

Champions League Continues this week, as several teams would like to solidify the 2 top spots by this week. The most intriguing game is Napoli vs. Manchester City. The loosing team might in fact be knocked out of the knock out stage, which would cause "concern" for the City's ownership.

Finally, congratulations to EASA, for having 3 teams win their Division's this Fall Season. The Port Washington Torpedoes (BU12, Nassau), The Port Washington Wildcats (GU16) and the Copiague Centurions (BU 12, Suffulk) all won their Divisions. Congratulations to all of the players, coaches, and parents of all of the teams. Once again, a great EASA year!

Finally, these are the games that EASA suggests their fans to watch on TV this coming week:
Tuesday, 11/20/2011:
» Fox Soccer Channel: Manchester United - Befica (Champions League), 2:45 (live)
» Fox Soccer Plus: Napoli - Manchester City (Champions League, 2:45 (live)

Wednesday, 11/21/2011:
» Fox Soccer Channel: Arsenal - Borrussia Dortmouth (Champiuons League), 2:45 (live)
» Fox Soccer Plus: AC Milan - Barcelona (Champions League), 2;45 (live)

Saturday, 11/26/2011:
» Fox Soccer Channel, Chelsea - Wolves (EPL), 10:00 (live)
» Fox Soccer Channel, Lazio - Juventus (Serie A), 2;30 (live)

Sunday, 11/27/2011:
» Fox Soccer Channel, Liverpool - Manchester City (EPL), 11:00 (live)

It looks as if the Tevez saga has no end. In a continued effort to annoy his present employees, the Argentinean has refused to return to Manchester, which has now caused concern for the head of the Professional Footballers' Association chief executive, Gordon Taylor, who believes the Carlos Tevez situation has gone "backwards" and has expressed concern that the Manchester City striker is on a "self-destruct pattern." Tevez is currently back in his native Argentina after rejecting City's request to return to England on Monday following claims the player's trip to visit his family was unauthorized. The 27-year-old's representatives have held talks with City regarding the issue which is the latest in a troubled season which has already seen Tevez found guilty of five breaches of contract. He was fined two weeks' wages following an incident in City's UEFA Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich in September and confirmed last week he would not be appealing against the punishment. The former West Ham and Manchester United forward had received the PFA's support when City initially tried to impose a four-week fine and Taylor remains keen to reach a suitable resolution.

Taylor had this to say. "To be playing he needs to be fit and to be fit he needs to be training. I thought we were making some progress but it's gone backwards. I don't want him to leave the club. He's had so many problems at other clubs, with West Ham then the problems with third party ownership, with United when he left them. I don't want him to leave with a bad taste in the mouth with City supporters and the club. He's been too good a player for that. I think it's time now that changed and try to get his mindset changed to a better place. I'm worrying about him now because it's a self-destruct pattern.

Tevez's representatives, meanwhile, say discussions are ongoing with City and do not consider the latest matter to be a disciplinary issue with the Premier League leaders. Clearly, either his representatives do not have a clue, or perhaps, as discussed on "Center Circle," other plans have already been made for Tevez to play elsewhere. As Dan Brotman and Dean Moraitis predicted on their show, Tevez might be staying in South America, as he plans to rejoin the Brazilian side, Corinthians. Only time will tell...

Ex-American National Coach, and now, Egyptian Head Coach, Bob Bradley had a disappointing debut with Egypt after the seven-time African champions slumped to a 2-0 defeat by a depleted Brazil side in a friendly game in Qatari capital Doha. Valencia striker Jonas scored twice on the 39 and 59 minutes to reward Brazil for their domination. The "Selecao" could have added to their tally but were denied by a series of solid saves from debutante keeper Ahmed El-Shennawy. What saved Egypt from a humiliating lose at home was the fact that Brazil played practically with an entire second unit of International Players. The Brazilian Management decided to rest players, such as Neymar, Ronaldinho, Ganso, Kaka, Robinho and Alexandre Pato, yet played effortless in front of a near a full capacity crowd at Rayyan Stadium. While the Brazilians clearly did not take this friendly too seriously, Bradley had to worry about several key players, such as Amr Zaki and Mohamed Abdulshafi, who were out with injuries. Bradley will be thanking Goalkeeper, El-Shennawy, who made amazing saves during the course of the game to keep the score as close as possible, but seemed to be at fault with Brazil's second goal.

American boss Bradley started the game with a classic 4-4-2 formation that included three new faces in keeper Ahmed El-Shennawy, defender Ahmed Hegazy and left-back Mohamed Nassef. The Egyptians had the first sight of goal when Mahmoud Abdel-Razek "Shikabala" curled an amazing free-kick only to be denied by Brazilian keeper Diego Alves. (Unfortunately, aside from Ahmed El-Shennawy's performance, this was Egypt's only highlight of the game. —The Oracle) Egypt could not threaten Brazil afterwards after opting to rely on long balls rather than their trademark short-passing game. (This was due to Egypt's overly defensive posture which only provided two outlets for counter-attacks while the rest of the team played in "the box." —The Oracle) Brazil took control of the game and pushed their opponents deep into their half. Porto striker Hulk posed the greatest threat, causing constant troubles for the defenders through his runs down the left flank. He came close to scoring after receiving a long pass from Lucas Leiva inside the area but, being under pressure, his shot went over the bar. (This blown shot was indicitive of many of Brazil's squandered chances, since they just couldn't put the ball on frame. —The Oracle)

El-Shennawy, 20, had to make some excellent stretches to deny clear-cut chances from Cesar, Sandro and Hernanes. But he was powerless to prevent Brazil from taking the lead six minutes before the interval as Hulk caught full-back Nassef napping to send a low cross which evaded El-Shennawy and found Jonas, who easily taped into an empty net from three yards out. Egypt were toothless up front as strikers Emad Meteb and Mohamed Zidan were closely marked and the latter seemed a shadow of himself after being left on the sidelines with Dortmund for more than a year. Bradley made a couple of changes at the interval bringing in Walid Soliman and Ibrahim Salah, in place of Zidan and Hossam Ghaly. Just seconds before the hour mark, Brazil hero Jonas doubled the lead to take his tally with the "Selecao" to two goals in five appearances. El-Shennawy parried Fernandinho's free header into the path of the unmarked Valencia man, who made no mistake on the rebound. Egypt pushed forward in an attempt to bounce back. Lierse striker Mohamed Elgabas and skipper Ahmed Hassan entered the fray as the team slightly improved but they still couldn't trouble Brazil's keeper Alves.

The 36-year old Hassan, who equaled the 178-game world record of international appearances held by former Saudi Arabia keeper Mohamed El-Deayea, fired a 25-yard shot that was brilliantly denied by Alves. El-Shennawy had to produce a couple of more superb saves to deny Dudu from opening his scoring account with Brazil and keep the score at 2-0. Afterwards, Bradley stated that Brazil is a very good team, that he felt it was a good first start for Egypt and that the team played well during certain periods of time, but that the team needed to play solid the entire 90 minutes. When asked what needed to be done to see Egypt improve, he stated that with continued work over time, with a continuation of good ideas and training, as well as playing against quality teams, that Egypt will, in fact, make it to the next World Cup in Brazil. From the appearance of things, however, Bradley might need to find a different way to get tickets to Brazil, if he wants to go and see some of the games.

The Tevez saga continues to make news around the world as the talented, but unstable forward refused to report to City's training Wednesday Morning, clearly defying the managements desire to see him back from his trip in Argentina, where he went to "visit friends and family". After his refusal to come off the bench and play against Bayern Munich, which led to a 4 week fine of non payment of salary (later reduced to a 2 week punishment from the Players Union), it is clear that he is testing the patience of the team's management, which at this point, is running thin. Tevez may now face further disciplinary action after his no-show. Most of City's players are away on international duty but Tevez, who has not played since the 2-0 Carling Cup win over Birmingham in September, was due to remain in Manchester to continue his personal training program.

The forward was not selected for the Argentina squad for the fixtures against Bolivia and Colombia, to be played in the next week. Clealy, the decision not to bring up the player was based upon the fact that he has not played the last few weeks, something that has upset the Argentinean, for sure. Tuesday was a scheduled day off, but Tevez was expected back at the training ground on Wednesday morning. And, after his client was pictured in Argentina, the player's spokesman, Paul McCarthy, told Sky Sports News: "He's gone to see his family. We've said all along that Carlos is aware of the situation in terms of getting back to his fitness. I can't really say much more until he's back in the country."

City had found the former Manchester United striker guilty of committing five breaches of contract in a Champions League game against Bayern in September. Manager Roberto Mancini wanted to bring Tevez on as a substitute with 35 minutes left but he refused to warm up. He was immediately suspended for two weeks and had a four-week fine halved after the intervention of the Professional Footballers' Association. After allowing Tuesday's deadline for an appeal to pass, it had been anticipated that Tevez's improved relations with the club would allow a smooth departure, either on loan or on a permanent basis, in January. It is understood that Tevez believes a move away from Etihad Stadium in the next transfer window is his best option.

TEVEZ SAGA TIMELINE:
September 27, 2011:
» City boss Roberto Mancini says that he wants Tevez "out of the club" after the striker allegedly refuses to play against Bayern Munich

September 28, 2011:
» City suspend Tevez for two weeks

October 12, 2011:
» City announce that Tevez will face disciplinary proceedings

October 25, 2011:
» Tevez found guilty of five breaches of contract and fined four weeks' wages - later reduced to two weeks' following intervention by the Professional Footballers' Association

Andreas Pereira, PSV Eindhoven's 15 year old Belgian Youth International is expected to join Manchester United in the new year after agreeing to an offer with the Premier League Champions. Many teams sought to have the young 15 year old sign with their team, however, the Brazilian born player, who is regarded as one of the best youngsters in Europe, felt that, at the end, the decision to join United was the right one. "I knew that PSV had given me my chance, but Manchester United is obviously a great club. I thought about it, but Manchester United is a dream club for me. I have been a few times to Manchester United to have a look. I got a tour and spoke with Sir Alex Ferguson. Being a 15-year-old and being able to talk with him is great."

Scouts that have seen him play compare him to a classic #10 type of player, with incredible vision and a great first touch. He started his short career with the Belgium side, Lomel, before signing with PSV. It seems that, once again, Sir Alex was able to influence a player that many feel might become one of the best mid fielders in United history. He will join the youth program in January, 2012, when he will turn 16 years of age.

Is this the next Messi??

After a weekend where most of us in Long Island were still perplexed about last weeks snowstorm that fell on Long Island, we were happy to wake up to a beautiful Saturday morning. While EASA trainers had to dress warm and run to their teams games, Newcastle and Everton started the weekend for the Premiership in England. While most might not have been interested watching the two teams play, I was interested if Newcastle would be able to maintain their disciplined start to the season, and maintain their status of being in third place, and they did not disappoint. In fact, Newcastle spent a few hours in second place as the defeated Everton 2-1. Tim Howard, who has been playing incredible in goal saw his teammate Heitinga deflect the ball by him to score an own goal for Newcastle. Ryan Taylor then made it 2-0 with a sensational strike, controlling the ball 25 yards from goal before unleashing a wonderful volley that looped over Howard and went in off the underside of the crossbar. Jack Rodwell headed home a corner on the stroke of half-time to give the Toffees a lifeline, but, even though Everton battled hard after the interval in pursuit of an equalizer, they could not break down a resilient Newcastle (The next three games against ManU, ManCity and Chelsea will determine if the Magpies are for real... —The Oracle)

A few hours later, history was witnesses at Manchester United's Old Trafford, as the Red Devils hosted Sunderland. The truth is that not much has slipped beneath Sir Alex Ferguson as he has coached United for 25 years, but even he failed to detect arguably the greatest tribute Manchester United have paid to any single figure in their history. As he walked through a guard of honor formed by the players of United and Sunderland towards chief executive David Gill on the centre spot to mark his silver anniversary, he was unaware of the moment his place at the famous old stadium became permanent. What followed was pure Theatre of Dreams as Gill announced Old Trafford's giant North Stand would now be named the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand. Workmen that stood along the skyline removed a veil to reveal the sign that will stand as a monument to the great manager's reign. Ferguson was touched as he claimed "about 105 of my family" were in attendance for his big day.

He will also get a statue in the shadow of his stand before the start of next season to emphasize his status as a towering influence on the Manchester United History. How perfect was the fact that the team to play United would be Sunderland, coached by Steve Bruce. The significance? Only that Bruce was the captain of the first United team to win a championship under Sir Alex. Perfect timing indeed! Bruce enjoyed a glass of wine with Ferguson before bemoaning his latest failure as he said: "I will probably be his age before I get a result against him. United did win on an own goal by....ex-United player Wes Brown. Hmmmm....more karma? Who knows? The truth is that United has still not recuperated from their lose to City, and it is clear that Sir Alex is still not happy with his midfield, as he continues to play Rooney as a central midfielder. I do not know if it is a panic measure but it is an obvious sign of how the gap left by the retirement of Paul Scholes has not yet been addressed. (Its not the absence of Paul Scholes, but rather the completely disorganized defense who have lost their bearings without Vidic at the helm. In addition, the injury to Cleverley has had more of an impact than anticipated since he was able to feed Rooney, Wellbeck and Young quality balls, and track back to bail out the defense when necessary - something that Valencia, Nani and Anderson fail to do on a consistent basis. ManU needs to make a play for Sneijder to bring some creativity back into their midfield before January and get their defense fully sorted, if they want to keep pace with City who is full steam ahead. —The Oracle)

Other games saw Manchester City maintain their 5 point advantage with a victory vs. QPR, by the score of 3-2 (Dzeko, Silva and Yaya Tore scoring for City). Arsenal defeated West Brom 3-0, showing that as of late, the Gunners are playing quality soccer. Van Persie played another unbelievable game scoring one and setting up Vermaelen and Arteta. Chelsea defeated Blackburn 0-1, with Frank Lambard, who has been getting more playing time, scoring the winning goal. Liverpool tied Swansea, and Wolves finally won a game, beating Wigan 3-1. City have 31 points, United have 26, surprising Newcastle 25, and Chelsea and Tottenham, a 1-3 winner at Fulham, each with 22 points.

In the Liga in Spain, Real Madrid maintained their position at the top of the table in the Primera Liga following a 7-1 annihilation of Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu. Ronaldo, who was officially presented with the European Golden Boot for his goal scoring exploits in the 2010-11 season on Friday, put Madrid into the lead midway through the first half when he headed home an Angel Di Maria cross from the right wing, and finished the game with another Hat Trick.

Barcelona tied Athletico Bilbao by the score of 2-2, however the news, as always, was off the field, after a new book from former forward, Zlatan Ibrahimovic claimed that Messi and Villa have had a few arguments between them, and are having a hard time getting along. He also claimed in the autobiography that Coach Guardiola did not respect the Swede, and also gave him a hard time. The Coach has refuted claims that Villa and Messi have fallen out while also stating he 'has nothing to say' on Ibrahimovich's autobiography which criticizes the 40-year-old. "[I have] nothing to say. There was nothing personal. I just want to thank him for the year he gave us where we reached 99 points [in La Liga]. He played, he proved his quality and helped us reach the semi-finals of the Champions League. There is nothing more to say," he added.For the record, Messi and Fabregas were the scorers for Barcelona. Valencia defeated Levante 0-2, which saw Levante drop now to 4th place. Real Madrid lead the league with 28 points, while Barcelona trail by 3. Valencia has 24 points and Levante 23. Mallorca, a team that spent Millions of Euros this past Transfer Period with high expectations, are in 11 place with 10 points.

In Italy, the match between Napoli and Juventus was postponed due to bad weather conditions. This allowed Udinese to climb to the top of the Serie A table on goal difference on Sunday with a 2-1 victory over Siena at the Stadio Friuli. They share first place with Lazio who defeated Parma 1-0. Last years champions, AC Milan, are in third place after defeating Catania 4-0. The leaders have 21 points each, while AC Milan is one point behind. Juventus with one game less has 19 points.

In the Champions League, 2 games remain in the Group Stage, and some teams solidified their position for the knock out stage. Other teams are trying to finish in the top two spots, while several teams are fighting to at least finish in third place, so as to continue in the Europa League. In Group A, Bayern Munich has 10 points, while Manchester City has 7, while Napoli is close with 5 points. The big game here will be Napoli at home vs. City. In group B, Inter Milan lead the group with 9 points, while there is a tie for second between Turkish side Trabzonspar and Russian side CSKA Moskva are tied with 5 points. In Group C, Manchester United and Benfica each have 8 points. Group D sees undefeated Real Madrid with 9 points, while Ajax is in second with 7. In Group E, Chelsea are on top with 8 points, while Bayer Leverkusen has 6, and Valencia has 5. Group F finds Arsenal on top with 8 points, while Marselle is in second with 7. In Group G, the big surprise continues to be Cyprian side Apoel leading with 8 points, while Zenit is in second with 7 and FC Porto in third with 4. One more victory will see Apoel off to the next stage!. Finally, in Group H, Barcelona with 8 and AC Milan with 7 points are already looking forward to the next stage.

All leagues are off this week for International games. There will be 4 games played for the Playoffs of the EURO12, while other International squads will use this time to play some friendly games.The United States will be playing several games against some strong oposition, starting with France on Friday and Slovania on Tuesday. Please check your local listings for all of the games that will be televised this week.

Historians claimed that the snowstorm that hit the Northeast was the first snow storm that hit this area before Halloween since the Civil War. While all of us stared out our windows in disbelief as to what we were seeing, Chelsea fans watched in disbelief as Arsenal stormed pass the Blues by the score of 3-5 in a game that saw some uncharacteristically sloppy defending from both sides which added to the fans 'entertainment. Frank Lampard gave Chelsea the lead, and their fans the hope that they would continue their chase of the two Manchester teams, but their fans happiness turned to despair as Van Persie tied the game for the Gunners. Right before halftime, Terry gave the Blues the lead once again, but Arsenal burst out of the blocks after the interval and were in front inside 10 minutes with goals from their fullback, Santos, and Walcott. Chelsea thought they had rescued a point when Mata curled a sumptuous 25-yard effort past Szczesny with 10 minutes remaining, but Van Persie was to have the last laugh as the Arsenal Captain, who has been in great form this season, took full advantage of an untimely slip from Terry on 85 minutes to skip past Cech and slide into an empty net and he completed his hat-trick in stoppage-time when he rounded off a flowing counter attack in emphatic style.

This is the fourth game this season that scores from various games have stunned fans of the Premiership. Manchester United 8-2 victory over Arsenal, City's defeat of United 6-1,Tottenham beating Liverpool 4-0, and now Arsenal's victory over Chelsea just proves once again that the Premiership is the best League in the world where you just never know what will happen week after week.

In other games, Sir Alex was looking for Manchester United to respond positively to last weekend's derby disaster and was happy to see his side overcome Everton 1-0. Javier Hernandez was returned to the Red Devils' starting 11 at Goodison Park and justified the faith of his manager with the only goal of the game. First place City remain unbeaten and top of the Premier League pile, but they did not have things all their own way in a home date with dogged Wolverhampton. While Wolves Goal Keeper, Wayne Hennessey keep them at bay in a keenly-contested opening 45 minutes, the Wolves goalkeeper endured a second half to forget. The Wales international took far too long to clear his lines on 52 minutes and, after Sergio Aguero had blocked his attempted clearance, Dzeko was left with the simplest of tasks as he sent the ball into the net. The second goal was no better as his diving save was pathetic, allowing Kolarov to score City's second. Hunt scored one for Wolves on a penalty kick, but at the end, substitute Johnson grabbed his second goal in the space of four days against the men from Molineux, completing City's 3-1 victory.

In other hames, Liverpool defeated West Brom 2-0, Wigan lost their 7th straight game to Fulham, with American International, Dempsey scoring one of the goals for his team, and Blackburn tied Norwich 3-3.

Manchester City are on top of the league with 28 points, United remain 5 points behind, and Chelsea are tied in third place with Newcastle with 19 points each, however, Newcastle have one game less, and will be playing their game today against Stoke City.

In Spain, Levante's seven-game unbeaten run in the Primera Liga came to an end on Sunday as they went down 2-0 to Osasuna, while Malaga, which spent Millions of Euros this past Summer to help improve their team, ended a run of three straight defeats to beat Espanyol 2-1. Messi played an amazing game, again, Saturday night, scoring another Hat Trick, as Barcelona destroyed Real Mallorca 5-0, at Camp Nou. Real Madrid top the Spanish standings after they edged out Real Sociedad by the score of 0-1, Higuain the scorer. Real Madrid are now on top of the table with 25 points, Barcelona second with 24, Levante now in third with 23 points and Valencia, a 3-1 winner over Getafe, in fourth with 21 points. What will be fun will be to continue to watch the battle between Ronaldo of Real Madrid and Messi so as to see who will win the "Golden Boot", which goes to the player that will score the most goals this season.

In Italy, the news of concern was about Italian National Player, Casano, of AC Milan, who was admitted to hospital for medical check-ups after retuning ill from Rome on Saturday night. Soccer wise, Juventus is now on top of the league table with a 1-2 victory vs. Inter Milan, in San Siro Stadium. Mirko Vucinic put the Bianconeri in front in the 12th minute, but Maicon leveled for the hosts in the 28th minute. Claudio Marchisio restored Juve's advantage in the 33rd minute and he was unlucky not to earn a penalty just before half-time. Inter were unable to find a way back into the game and succumbed to their fifth defeat in nine games to risk dropping into the bottom three of Serie A this weekend. Earlier, in-form AC Milan inflicted a 3-2 home defeat on Roma, while Udinese and Fiorentina both returned to winning ways in Serie A on Sunday following narrow victories over Palermo and Genoa respectively. Nine games into the season finds Juventos on top of the league with 19 points, followed by Udinese and Lazio, winners in Cagliari by the score of 0-3, with 18, and AC MIlan with 17 points.

Finally, these are the games that EASA suggests their fans to watch on TV this coming week:
Tuesday, 11/1/2011:
» Fox Soccer Plus, 3:30: Arsenal vs. Olympique de Marseille

Wednesday, 11/2/2011:
» Fox Soccer Plus, 3:30: Villareal vs. Manchester City
» Fox Soccer Channel, 3:30: Manchester United FC vs. FC Otelul Galati (ROU)

Saturday, 11/5/2011:
» ESPN2, 8:30: Newcastle vs. Everton
» Fox Soccer Plus, 11:00: Manchester United, vs. Sunderland

Sunday, 11/6/2011:
» Fox Soccer Channel, 2:30, Napoli vs. Juventus

Once England's and Mexico's Head Coach, Sven Goran Erickson, has been fired from Second Division side Leicester City, after a poor start to this season. The Swede was axed by the ambitious side in the wake of Saturday's home defeat by struggling Millwall despite being just two points from the Play-Off spots. Erickson spoke of his sadness and disappointment of being let go. In a statement to the League Managers Association (LMA), Eriksson said: "I am disappointed to be leaving Leicester City Football Club. It was always my aim to lead the club into the Barclays Premier League and I am very sorry that I won’t be able to do that. I have always thought, and still believe now, that the club will be promoted this season. The current squad is capable and ready to achieve promotion, but football is a results industry and unfortunately we couldn't’t quite get things right enough of the time."

Earlier in the day Erickson had called his players together for an inquest into the Millwall game, and started his talk by saying: "After a display like that a lot of clubs would have sacked the manager but I’m still here." Several hours later, Eriksson was gone.

He has been coaching since 1979, but the last few years, his success ratio has dropped quite a bit, and now he must face the dilemma on whether or not he would like to continue coaching at a high level. While he had success with teams such as Benfica and Lazio, he has now been fired from Manchester City, the National teams of England and Mexico, and now, "the Foxes". At 63, teams will have to decide if he has the same drive to lead any team at a high level. I believe that, although he was fired, Erickson had done a decent job with Leicester, and should have been given some additional time to see if his team could be promoted to the Premiership. With struggling teams such as Blackburn, Bolton and Fulham in the Premiership, as well as Atlanta, Lecce in the Italian League, and Real Zaragoza, Real Sociedad and Villareal in Spain, it will be interesting if any of these teams will look to hire Sven and use his experience to at least help these teams avoid regulation. The question of course will be if Sven has the desire to do just that.

Another weekend of games in our favorite leagues, and another weekend of surprises. While Balotelli questioned the media why does everyone pick on him, Sir Alex might be asking, "Why did my team stink?" (maybe my dear friend, "The Oracle" might be asking the same question!!). What can be predetermined as one of the most important games of the season, and perhaps the game that signifies the "changing of the guard" in Manchester, City demolished United 1-6, following an afternoon which Sir Alex Ferguson described as his 'worst ever day' at the club. What was regarded as the most-anticipated Manchester derby in recent times did not disappoint in terms of entertainment, but it is a day United fans will want to forget quickly. Johnny Evans was sent off for a tug on Balotelli in the second half with the score at 1-0, and from thereon the home side imploded as City took advantage with some ruthless attacking. Balotelli (2 goals) was instrumental as the Blues took control and while Fletcher scored a fine consolation to make it 3-1, United were at sixes and sevens at the back as Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Edin Dzeko (2) secured an emphatic win. (David Silva was really the unsung hero of the game with devestating passes and relentless energy that made United's midfield look sissy. United's offense was rendered ineffective when Sir Alex dropped Rooney into the midfield during the second half and waited way too long to insert Hernandez. After being outplayed and outcoached the question was floated "Has the game finally passed Sir Alex by?" My answer: It's only one game lads...one game. —The Oracle) City are five points clear at the top of the table, but more significant was the nature of the victory. The noisy neighbours are here to stay. But they still have a long season ahead of them...

There was even more drama on Sunday at Loftus Ground, where QPR defeated Chelsea 1-0, who had to play with 9 players after red cards to Drogba and Boswinga. Heidar Helguson's first-half penalty made the difference of the game. Chelseas Coach, Andre Villas-Boas was highly critical of referee Chris Foy after the final whistle as Jose Bosingwa and then Didier Drogba saw red during the opening period. There was no question that Drogba deserved to be shown his marching orders after a poor challenge on Taarabt, but Bosingwa's was certainly a more dubious decision. Chelsea also had seven players booked and QPR's winner came as Helguson netted from the spot after being shoved in the back by David Luiz. Other results saw Arsenal beat Stoke City 3-1, undefeated Newcastle beating Wigan 1-0, Blackburn loosing, again, to Totenham, 1-2, and Liverpool tieing new comers, Norwich, 1-2. Manchester City are now on top with 25 points, while United are in second place, 5 points behind. Chelsea and Newcastle are close behind with 19 points.

In Spain, Barcelona fans saw their 100% record end, as they tied Seville in a game that also had some drama, as ex Totenham striker, Kanute was red carded after a scuffle with Fabregas, but also saw Seville's Goal Keeper, Varas, play one of his most incredible games, which included a penalty save from Messi at the end of the game. Ronaldo had a hat trick in the first half for Real Madrid, as they defeated Malaga 4-0, one of which was an insane karate kick volley. (He's no stranger to using every part of his foot to score. —The Oracle) This was Ronaldo's 3rd Hat Trick of the season, showing that he is in fine form at the present. Levante are at top of the table, as Juanlu scored in the 16th and 43rd minutes to hand his team the advantage at Villarreal, with Arouna Kone making sure of the win 13 minutes after the re-start. Levante are on top of the league with 20 points, while Real M. and Barcelona follow Levante with 19 and 18 points. Seville are close behind with 16 points.

In Italy, Di Natale led Udinese to a 3-0 victory over Novara, placing them alone in first place, as Juventus tied Genoa 2-2. AC Milan came back from a 0-3 deficit, to defeat Lecce away 4-3. Inter Milan won only their second game of the season, still keeping them way below the table, while Lazio won away at Bologna, 0-2. Udinese are on top of the Italian league with 15 points, followed by Lazio with 14, Juventus with 13 and Cagliari with 12.

In the Champions League, after 3 games, most groups are still in battle for the first 2 spots that will lead them to the Knock Out Stage in March. In group A, Bayern Munich and Napoli are in first and second place, each with 7 and 5 points, with Manchester City close behind with 4. In Group B, Inter Milan has 6 points, while CSKA Moskow and Turkish side Trabzonspor share second place with 4 points. In Group C, Benfica has 7 points, while Manchester Unite has 5. In Group D, Real Madrid are the only team to have a perfect record with 9 points while Ajax and Lyon share second with 4 points. Group E finds Chelsea in first place with 7 points and Bayer Leverkusen in second with 6 points. Group F has Arsenal in first place with 7 points, and Marsellie in second with 6 points. In Group G, the big surprise so far are the Cyprian side, Apoel, who are in first place with 5 points, while Zenit and FC Porto are in second with 4 points. Finally, in group H, AC Milan and Barcelona are tied in First place with 7 points each.

Another shocking interview involved the President of UEFA, Michel Platini, and his opinion of David Beckham. Rumors have circulated over the past few months that French side, PSG have inquired about David's availability after his obligation is over this season with the LA Galaxy. PSG's sporting director, Brazilian Leonardo, recently stated that the Ligue 1 giants are keen to lure the former Manchester United star to Paris, but Platini feels their interest has little to do with Beckham's qualities as a footballer. Platini, once one of the greatest players that played for both France and Juventus, was quoted in saying, "Beckham to Paris, that will be quite a boost for the shops in Paris. I really like him as a player, but he's no longer the midfielder that he once was. If he's coming to Paris Saint-Germain, it will be for other reasons than just to play football."

The 36-year-old's contract with LA Galaxy is set to expire next month. He has also been linked with Premier League sides QPR and Tottenham Hotspur. While I believe that Platini might be right, clearly his statement was disrespectful to a player once considered one of the greatest half backs in the world. As an ex. professional, Platini should have been less critical of David, and perhaps shown a bit more tact. It will be interesting to see if David will have a responce to Platini's opinion. (He won't... —The Oracle)

Finally, these are the games that EASA suggests their fans to watch on TV this coming week:
Tuesday, Oct. 25th:
» Fox Soccer Channel: 2:30, Juventus - Fiorentina (live).

Wednesday, Oct. 26th:
» Fox Soccer Channel: 2:30, AC Milan - Parma (live).

Saturday, Oct. 29th:
» ESPN2, 7:30, Chelsea - Arsenal (live)
» Fox Soccer Channel, 10:00, Manchester City - Wolves (live)
» 2:00, Roma - AC Milan (live)
» 2:30, Inter Milan - Juventus (live)

Almost 40 months have passed since Fernando Torres, the in-form scourge of Europe at the time, fired Spain past Germany in a narrow 1-0 final to close the 2008 European Championships. A few things have changed in the past four years, yet some things remain the same. Spain and Germany booked automatic passage to next summer's championships, co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine, with superlative ease. Both teams finished with perfect records, Germany winning 10 out of 10 games, Spain winning 8 out of 8. The other teams that will join last years finalists are Russia, Italy, France, The Netherlands, Greece, England, and Denmark. There will be 8 teams that will now play a knock out home and home series that will determine the final 4 teams to qualify. The drawing for these games as held last night, and while some games were considered "unappealing", the big battle will be between Bosnia-Herz and Portugal. Turkey will play Croatia, Estonia will play the Rep. of Ireland, and the Czech Rep. will play Montenegro. The first leg will be played Nov. 11th and 12th, the second Nov. 15th.

Some news from England, as Wayne Rooney once again embarrassed his country with the red card that he received in England last game against Montenegro. UEFA has banned Rooney for the first 3 Group Stage games. That means that the only way Wayne will play for country will be if England qualify for the knock out stage. Also, France was handed some bad news, as their star, Ribery, who missed the 2 qualifying games, might miss the rest of the season with Bayern Munich as well as France's games for the EURO12 Tournament, due to his injury. Time will tell if Frank will be able to heal in time to at least help his country repeat the success in 2000, when France was crowned EURO Champions.

One of the more popular sports newspapers in France, "L Equipe" ran a survey amongst soccer historians and asked the question: which is the All Time best starting "11" lineup for players that competed in the European Champions Cup, now known as The Champions League? Old timers like myself were somewhat surprised, not so much by the choices, buy by some players that were not mentioned, however, for the most part, the choices that were made made sense. EASA is providing, not only the line up, but some biography for each player. Enjoy!

Saturday morning, Long Island, New York... Outside, it was a wet morning, but inside, no better way to start my day at 7:30, with a cup of coffee and a great derby in the Premiership. Always considered one of the toughest match ups in England, the 2 "residents" of Liverpool needed the victory to stay as close to the top spots as possible. It was an emotional day for Liverpool Coach, Kenny Daglish. The last time he faced Everton as the Head Coach of Liverpool on Everton's home field was 20 years ago. The game was for the English Cup, and while Liverpool took the lead 4 times, Everton came back and tied 4 times, ending the game in a tie and a replay.

However, for whatever reasons he only knew, Daglish walked into the interview room and resigned as the coach of Liverpool, shocking as well as breaking every Liverpool's fans hearts around the world. Daglish has always been considered the "King Of Liverpool" and has always been looked at as the savior of the team, either as a player in the 70's or as a coach. Always an emotional game, things got hot when 20 year old Rodwell was given a straight Red Card on a hard tackle on Suarez, forcing Everton to play with one less player from the 23rd minute of the game. I honestly do not know what the official was thinking, but in my opinion it was a very bad decision. Dirk Kuyt missed the chance to give Liverpool the lead just before the break when he saw his penalty brilliantly saved by American Tim Howard, proving that he is perhaps at this point one of the top GK's in the world.

In the 71st minute, Carroll gave Liverpool the lead, after literally being invisible the entire game (Something he's become quite adept at... —The Oracle), until that point. Finally, Suarez put Everton out of their misery scoring on the 81st minute after a childish mistake from the Everton defense, making the final score 0-2.

Other Saturday games had both Manchester's remain on top of the table, while Newcastle jumped to third place. Both teams in Manchester had easy afternoons, United defeating Norwich 2-0 (Jones, Welbeck), while the battle of perhaps the two worst coaches in the Premiership ended with City defeating Blackburn 4-0 ( Johnson, Balotelli, Nasri, Savic), calming things a bit after the Tevez drama earlier in the week. Newcastle defeated Wolves 1-2, but the Wonderers have many complaints a goal was controversially adjudged to have been out of play and thus disallowed, making this the 4th straight lose for the Wonderers. Aston Villa maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a comfortable 2-0 win over Wigan at Villa Park. On Sunday, Chelsea came out ready to play, Bolton did not, and before the fans became comfortable on their seats, Chelsea were up 4-0 by the 25th minute of the game. Bolton's GK Bogdan wished he had stayed home for this one, causing the fans to be...lets just say, a bit upset with his first half performance. The final score of 5-1 proved that Chelsea is a team that will compete for the top spot, while fans will be happy to see Frank Lampard back in the starting 11, as he scored a Hat Trick. While Chelsea will fight for the top, Arsenal might be thinking about just finishing in the top 7 spots that leads to European Competition, never mind regulation.

The "Gunners" lost in the Northern London Derby to Tottenham, by the score of 2-1, creating new problems for Head Coach Wenger, who has marked his 15th anniversary as manager, however, has endured a nightmare five months and for the first time in his illustrious career in England has seen his position called into question amid accusations his team lack experience, organization and direction. Here are the top 5 on the table(games played and points).

1) Manchester United: G-7 | P-19
2) Manchester City: G-7 | P-19
3) Chelsea: G-7 | P-16
4) Newcastle United: G-7 | P-15
5) Liverpool: G-7 | P-13

Some news from the Teves Camp. Tevez has been handed a two week ban from playing with his club. It is perfectly clear now, as EASA The Oracle predicted, that Teves will be gone by January, regardless of the Coaching situation at Manchester City. While"everyone" is rumored to pick him up at the next transfer period, it seems that the "serious" teams interested are Juventus and Inter from Italy, and Paris St. Germain, who, after being bought from a group of investors from Qatar, seem to want to become the next Manchester City and build a super power team. The opinion of most experts is that for about £25,000,000, City will be happy to bid "adios" to the talented but clearly immature Argentinean. We say, good riddance. My opinion is that which ever team buys the rights to Tevez, better have a few "clauses" in his contract, in case he continues his unprofessional approach to the game.

In Spain, Real Betis unbeaten run finally came to an end, Levante is keeping a surprising pace, and a sense of "normalcy" has returned to the League, as Real Madrid and Barcelona are beginning to take charge. Barcelona got past bottom club Sporting Gijon, 0-1 (Adriano), to pick up their first away league win of the season. Real Madrid continued to chase their old rivals after defeating Espanyol 4-0 (Higuain a Hat Trick). Real Betis lost thier second consecutive game to Levante, by the score of 0-1, allowing them to share first place with Barcelona.

What would a week in Spain be without some news of Mourinho? Reports have suggested that the Portuguese tactician could be lured to France by Paris St Germain's wealthy owners. Speculation has also claimed that ambitious Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala could try and tempt Mourinho away from the Spanish capital. Management from Real have tried to put these rumors to rest, but where there is smoke...

1) Barcelona: G-6 | P-14
2) Levante: G-6 | P-14
3) Real Madrid: G-6 | P-13
4) Malaga: G-6 | P-13
5) Valencia: G-6 | P-13

While we had our second firing of the season, as Bologna have sacked coach Pierpaolo Bisoli after just five league games in charge, there were some great games played in Serie A, where Napoli moved to the top of Serie A with a 3-0 win over ten-man Inter Milan at the San Siro. Most of the conversations were about this game, played on Saturday, as Ranieri will have to sit one game with the fans, as he was banned for his behavior during the half time. Ranieri confronted the referee, Gianluca Rocchi at half-time of the San Siro clash, shortly after the match official had awarded the visitors a controversial penalty in an incident which also saw Inter midfielder Joel Obi sent off for a second bookable offence. Television replays showed Obi's foul on Christian Maggio occurred outside the area, infuriating Ranieri even further. "Gianluca Rocchi was inadequate tonight, as Obi's first booking was non-existent and so was the penalty," fumed Ranieri. The game that everyone waited to see was the evening match up between Juventus and defending Serie A champions AC Milan, which looked destined to end in a goalless draw, before a burst of activity in the final few minutes. Claudio Marchisio broke the deadlock for Juve on 87 minutes and Milan were then reduced to ten men when Kevin-Prince Boateng was sent off for a second bookable offence. There was still time for Marchisio to score a second and lift Juve to the top of the Serie A table. Udinese had temporarily moved to the Serie A summit with a 2-0 victory over Bologna, as they stretched their unbeaten start to five games.Cagliari were the weekend's big movers, with a 2-0 victory over Lecce lifting them into the top four.

1) Juventus: G-5 | P-11
2) Udinese: G-5 | P-11
3) Napoli: G-5 | P-10
4) Palermo: G-5 | P-10
5) Cagliai: G-5 | P-10

Television Schedule for the week of 10/3/2011

Adidas unveils the intelligent soccer boot, the adizero f50 powered by miCoach, which will allow you to compare yourself to some of the best players in the world. miCoach turns the adizero f50 into the ultimate digital training tool by letting you track and upload performance data including speed, maximum speed, number of sprints, distance, distance at high intensity levels and time. The adizero f50 boot includes a cavity in the outsole unit which houses the revolutionary miCoach SPEED_CELL. The SPEED_CELL captures 360°ree; movement and measures key performance metrics including speed, average speed (recorded every second), maximum speed (recorded every five seconds), number of sprints, distance, distance at high intensity levels, steps and stride rates. The on-board memory stores all your measurements during your game or training for up to seven hours and then wirelessly transmits the on pitch performance data to your tablet, PC or MAC.

The stats can then be shared with friends on Facebook, introducing a fun and competitive edge to training as stats can be compared between each other, or even with adidas professional players such as Leo Messi, as they upload their personal results. The stats can also be uploaded to existing training plans via the miCoach website, which are then built into personalised coaching programmes that miCoach technology creates specifically for a user.

And the revolution continues in 2012 when you will be able to play the miCoach soccer video game online using your own real-life abilities (Now this is cool!).

The launch of the adizero f50 also heralds an exciting new stage of development for miCoach technology. miCoach technology has always proved adidas' position as market leader in the use of data in sport to enhance athlete performance and the introduction of miCoach in the adizero f50 clearly demonstrates the capabilities of capturing and evaluating every athlete's performance by making it available to all. "Data has been monitored and evaluated to increase performance in elite athletes for many years. adidas will now bring this service to the consumer, firstly with the launch of the adizero f50, and then through a further range of intelligent products capable of storing, monitoring and evaluating performance on the field of play" commented Simon Drabble, Director of Interactive Technology at adidas.

The adizero f50 includes other key adidas technologies including Sprintweb, which provides stability during high speed movements, Sprintskin, a revolutionary single layer synthetic for incredible ball-feel and reduced weight and Sprintframe, which uses geometrics and a new stud construction to offer the perfect balance between lightweight and stability. The adizero f50 is also lightest in class, weighing in at only 165g.

The new adizero f50 powered by miCoach will be available at adidas own retail outlets and specialist stores worldwide from November in high energy / electricity / white and black / warning / electricity at €210. Additionally, the adizero f50 miCoach bundle is available from wholesale outlets at €245 and includes a pair of adizero f50 boots (in colorways as before), a Speed Cell and a smart device dongle miCoach CONNECT for iPod and iPhone as well as the miCoach CONNECT for PC / MAC.

More information on the new Adidas adizero f50 Powered by miCoach.

On Tuesday (27 / 9) evening, apart from the defeat to Bayern Munich for the Champions League (2-0), City have lost much more, mainly, the peace and tranquility that a team needs during the season and of Tevez! The refusal of the Argentinean to come off the bench in the game as a substitute was the straw that broke the camels back in his relationship with his coach.

"Tevez will never play for City, as long as I'm the coach of team," was the explosion of the Italian manager, who clearly feels that he can no longer coach a player who seems to never have adjusted in the City of Manchester.

After a summer of Tevez Drama, where the reality show could have be named, "I am staying, I am leaving, I am Tevez!!" has clearly disappointed Manchini, and it looks as if this new episode will start a new battle between coach and player. It is clear that Tevez has regretted coming to "the dull City Of Manchester," as he once said, and the addition of fellow Argentinean, Aguerro, has not helped the situation.

Manchini had more to say: "I helped Tevez the last two years very much and I can not accept his behavior. For me it is over! I can not go with him. A player of City, earning much money, struggling in the Champions League and do what you did Tevez, not to play again with me on the bench!" were some of his broken English comments shortly after their game in Munich.

Tevez had this to say after the game. "I felt that it was right not to go in the game, when I said that I can not play. I always give my best for the club and was top scorer last year. If he does not want to put me back to play is up to him."

The next few days will be interesting in that, clearly, the two cannot co exist with City. Tevez will have to apologize to the President of the Club and should apologize to the fans, and the assumption will be that the talented but emotional Tevez will be traded in January....or will he? If the ownership realizes that maybe the problem is more the coach than the player, City might look to bring in someone that can lead the group of Prima Donnas City have put together. City did not look good last night, and, as I have said on numerous occasions, I have never felt that Manchini was the right choice for this team, never mind the fact that this is not the first argument between Manchini and a player (remember Balotelli?). Tevez was not the only player that showcased his displeasure with his coach. Dzeko was clearly upset with Manchini's decision to substitute him on the 55th minute of the game, and threw away his warm up in disgust. If something is not done quickly, this will have an effect on the rest of the team, some of the players who do side with last years #1 scorer in the Premiership. My opinion is that Tevez was wrong not to go in, and that no player has the right to deny his coach, his team, his teammates, or his fans, never mind the ownership. When a player feels that he is above the team, it is time for him to go. However, as is common, it is much easier for the Ownership of a Team to be rid of the coach, than 26 players, never mind with the contracts that most of the players have. Look for David Platt, Manchini's assistant, to suddenly take a bigger role with Manchester City. Oh, by the way, I did predict that Manchini might be the second Coach fired in the Premiership, after Kean, from Blackburn. (Tevez will go, not Manchini. —The Oracle)

UPDATE: Manchester City has suspended Tevez for two weeks pending an internal investigation.

The Long Island Junior Soccer League has reached Week 3, and already most of our teams are involved in battles of trying to either stay, or reach the top 3 spots in each of their Divisions. There were some intense games played this weekend, where some of the results were determined near the final 15 minutes of the games!

After a tough lose to Albertson, the Coaching Staff of the Torpedoes (boys under 12) decided to have a Pizza Party and try to rejuvenate the team the night before their game. After all, it was their first league lose in close to a year. The boys wanted to have some fun before they had to play a tough game at Rockville Centre, always a well trained team to match up against. RVC came out strong and took a 1-0 lead on the 20th minute of the game, and, were it not for the Torpedoes Keeper, Mayhan Walsh, the score might have been much worse. After an intense 10 minute break, where Uppender Saraon, Ralph Arias, and Dean Moraitis demanded several changes, mostly mental, the boys came out and played much better. Walsh continued to make some additional key saves, which helped the Torpedoes stay in the game. Finally, on the final 15 minutes, the tide turned completely, and we began to control the game. With 10 minutes left, Sebastian Montes tied the game after an assist from his brother, Diego. With 3 minutes left, Diego took off on a breakaway pass from Noah Seiden and placed the ball past the RVC goal keeper, giving the Torpedoes the lead and victory. The Torpedoes are now tied in first place (Albertson has one game less after their game was canceled due to the weather), and are looking forward to their next home game, Saturday, Oct.1st, vs. Locust Valley ( 10:20 AM at Harbor Links, Field 4).

The Dynamite (girls under 14) had played a wonderful game at Plainview, winning 3-0, and after 2 tough training sessions with Dean Moraitis and Dan Brotman, felt that they were ready to face a very tough Freeport team that came determined to win their first game of the season. Both teams played a very intense first half (0-0), and had to deal not only with the game itself, but with also the unbearable heat. Proving again the importance of conditioning, the Dynamite slowly began to wear Freeport down, and in the 15th minute of the second half, Victoria Sanger scored an amazing goal, as she fought off 3 defenders in the penalty area and pushed the ball into the net. Blake Dolan scored with 2 minutes left to solidify the victory. The Dynamite are in 4th place (3 points behind first), and will be preparing for a tough match up vs. the first place team, Island Trees, this Sunday, Oct. 2nd (away, at Island Trees, Sunday, 2:00 PM).

Another Sunday, another victory for the Wildcats (girls under 16). Lee Roger's girls won their 3rd straight game, defeating Garden City by the score of 2-0, but, more importantly, played their 3rd straight game, not only winning, but not allowing a goal, proving, again, the importance of EASA's defensive training, as a team. The goal for the Wildcats will be to match their accomplishment of a year ago, where the Wildcats were the only team in the entire Long Island Junior Soccer League to not allow a goal! Ana scored both goals to help the Wildcats stay undefeated, and will try to maintain that status as they get ready to play Rockville Centre, Sunday, Oct. 2nd (home, 2:00 PM at Field 8).

The most intense game of the weekend was played at the Turf Field of Port Washington, where 2 first place teams, the Blue Knights (boys under 17) and Hicksville played a game of the ages. Hicksville, of which the majority of the players play for their Varsity Soccer Program, came out strong and dominated most of the first half, yet, only taking a 1-0 lead, thanks to an amazing day from the Blue Knights Goalkeeper, Sebastion Garcia. Dean Moraitis, Dan Brotman and Neil Sambusrky were able to calm the boys down and reminded them as to the type of team that they are. The boys took the advice to perfection, coming out in the second half and completely dominated the game for the next 20 minutes. Cameron MacGown tied the game after an incredible cross from Jack McManus. From that point on, the game was played evenly, yet, Hicksville were able to sneak a goal past Sebastian at the 32nd minute mark. For the next few minutes, the Blue Knights went all out, and even had an opportunity with one minute left to play, yet the score remained unchanged. While disappointed with the lose, the Coaching Staff were elated that a team, that played Division 5 a season ago, were able to compete equally against a team that are considered to be one of the best teams in Long Island in Division 2. The Blue Knights are now in second place in their Division. Now, the boys will have to put the game behind them, as they prepare to play the New Hyde Park Lynx on Sunday, Oct. 2nd (away, at New Hyde Park, 4:50 pm).

Another good week of Soccer as Real Madrid, Arsenal and Inter Milan all won, while Manchester United and City share first place again in the Premiership.

The Premiership started Saturday morning, where Manchester City faced Everton. While I am not a big fan of Manchester City Coach Mancini, the team, playing perhaps some of the best "football" I have seen from any team this year, defeated Everton by the score of 2-0 (Substitutes Ballotelli and Milner scoring the 2 goals). Their neighbors, United, ended their perfect run with a tie at Stoke City by the score of 1-1 with Rooney out nursing a hamstring injury. Arsenal finally played some quality soccer over the expense of Bolton (3-0), but saw Willcott limp off with a possible knee injury, the last thing Wenger needs, after also loosing Wilshire for the season. Liverpool enjoyed the return of Steven Gerard with a 2-1 victory over my beloved Wolves (3 straight loses for Wolverhampton), while Newcastle continued their impressive start to the season, defeating Blackburn 3-1 (uh, oh....Kean's enemies are yelling for his head again...)

Another week of soccer, another week of drama for Torres, as Chelsea win at home vs. Swansea by the score of 4-1, but saw Torres red carded after he scored his second goal of the season. While "The Oracle" will, as always be tough on Fernando, I believe that the official was a bit harsh, even though he did attempt a hard tackle on Swansea's Mark Gower. Clearly, the red card was more about the "intent" than the "contact." As a past forward, I believe that Torres needs a bit of a break from the media being on top of him. Yes, he has made some bad comments about his teammates, and, yes, his form is far short of the amount of money spent for him, however, he has proven to be one of the best forwards in the world, (What "world" is that?? —The Oracle) and clearly knows how to put the ball in the net (Except for that open goal "sitter" he had last week... —The Oracle). He will certainly receive anywhere from a 2 to a 3 game suspension for his straight red card, but maybe a few days of rest might be something that he might need. One of the things that he might want to consider would be a return to his beloved Athletico Madrid, where he started his career and captained Athletico as a 19 year old. Sometimes, players just need a fresh start in life, and a return to his roots might be something that might rejuvenate his career. (Really? So going back to Athletico is the answer for the overrated Torres?? So Mr. Moraitis, in other words "He's done." —The Oracle) January's transfer period should be interesting for him, if things do not turn around for him in London. By the way, Torres clearly took away the most interesting point of the game, which was the benching of Frank Lampard, something that English International Coach, Capello does not want to see, going into the last games for the Euro2012 Qualifiers. Lampard has only played as a sub in a few games, but has not started in any. Although he did play in the Carling Cup game a few nights earlier, his future at Chelsea could be in doubt after reportedly walking away from the bench when being an unused substitute in Saturday's game.

In La Liga, Barcelona continued their winning ways, pummeling Athletico Madrid 5-0 (Messi a Hat Trick, Barcelona scoring 13 goals in 2 games), while Real Madrid, after 2 games where Mouriniho saw his team tie back to back games, beat Rayo Vallecano by the score of 6-2. Real needed this victory after a lethargic result 0-0 vs. Racing, where, at the end of the game, rumors began to fly of dressing-room splits and players losing faith in the "Special One." "Crisis" is how the reactionary Spanish press was describing it; take that for what it's worth, but the atmosphere was taking on a poisoned feel. Clearly, this was a much needed victory, and, with a win this week for the Champions League, order can and will be restored in Madrid. Valencia lost their first game of the season to Sevilla (1-0), and could have left with a tie where it not for a missed penalty shot from Banega. Real Betis will be playing today and will try to maintain their perfect record as they face second to last Getafe.

In Italy, Juventus tied their first game of the season, a 1-1 draw at Catania, Krasic equalizing for Juventus in the second half, while Captain Seerdorf scored the winning goal for AC Milan's first win of the season vs. Cesena, while Udinese extended their unbeaten start to the season to four games but they were fortunate to get away with a point in a 0-0 draw at Cagliari. Finally, new Inter Milan Coach, Ranieri saw his team win their first game of the season vs. Bologna (3-1) but is now concerned that his play maker, Wesley Sneijder, could be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines, due to a thigh problem, and the Netherlands international will again be absent for Tuesday's Champions League meeting with CSKA Moscow. (If the Sneijder injury proves serious, it could hurt his chances of joining ManU in the midfield, which could use his talents since Anderson and Fletcher don't seem to have much chemistry. —The Oracle)There is no doubt that if Ranieri wants his team to reach the same heights of expectations the fans have, he will need Wesley to return as quickly as possible.

Some interesting rumors from the Arsenal Camp. One of the better forwards that played, not only for Arsenal, but perhaps in the Premiership, Dennis Bergkamp, hinted that he would like to come back to Arsenal as part of their Technical Team. The Dutchman, who played 11 years with Arsenal and celebrated 3 titles and 4 Cups, was part of the "Undefeated Team" in 2003-2004 that was considered one of the best teams ever in the history of the Premiership. Dennis mentioned in an interview in Holland, where he is presently Frank De Boars assistant with Ajax, that he would consider it an honor to come back to London and work with Wenger. While Arsenal could use all of the help that they can get, and while someone with Bergkamps experience might help entice their forwards to a better production for the Gunners, Wenger made it clear that he did not want any help and will continue with the staff at hand. Ok, "Oracle", make your point! NEWS UPDATE: 9/26/8:34 am! News circulated from the Arsenal camp that Van Piersi has created some cause for concern over the fact that he gave no clear indication of wanting to renew his contract when it comes to an end the summer of 2013. After seeing his French and Spanish x-teammates leave for "greener" pastures, it might seem to the Dutchman that, unless Wenger brings in some talent, the future of Arsenal might not be that bright. The 28 year old knows that, at 30, he might not have too many years left to play at a high, Championship level, and might want to finish his career with a more competitive team. This, in my opinion, will be a major blow for "the Gunners" and will clearly create some major problems for the club. In my opinion, Arsenal need to react quickly in the January transfer period.

Finally, how many of our EASA readers knew that ex- USA International Coach, Bradley has just signed with the National Team of Egypt? Maybe, the more important question is, how many really care? The 53-year-old Bradley agreed a deal worth $37,000 a month until after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. As I predicted, Bradley was never to get an opportunity taking over any team playing in one of the more important Soccer Leagues in Europe (Premiership, Serie A, La Liga, etc), nor any of the top National Programs because he never showcased that he had the ability to coach at that type of level. Defeating teams such as Trinidad and Panama proved to be fruitless for a man that clearly showcased the fact that he did not have the experience, nor the talent, to coach against higher quality teams. My prediction will be that Bradley will last a few months and will be back in the United States hopeing that a team in the MLS might need his services.

EASA Television Schedule for week of 9/26/2011
Tuesday, 9/2:
Fox Soccer Plus: Champions League, Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City 2:30 (live)
Fox Soccer Channel: Champions League, Real Madrid vs. AFC Ajax, 5:00 (tape delay)

Wednseday, 9/28:
Fox Soccer Channel, Champions League, Valencia vs. Chelsea, 2:30 (live)

Thursday, 9/29:
GOALTV, UEFA Europa League, Stade Rennes vs. Atletico Madrid, 1:00 (live)
Sporting Lisbon vs. Lazio, 3:00 (live)

Friday, 9/30:
Fox Soccer Channel, NCAA Soccer, Duke vs. North Carolina, 7:00 (live)

Saturday, 10/1:
ESPN2, Premiership, Everton vs. Liverpool, 7:30 (live)
Fox Soccer Channel, Serie A, Inter Milan vs. Napoli, 2:30 (live)

Sunday, 10/2:
Fox Soccer Plus, Premiership, Bolton vs. Chelsea, 8:23 (live)
Fox Soccer Channel, Premiership, Arsenal vs. Tottenham, 11:00 (live)
Serie A, Juventos vs. AC Milan, 2:30 (live)

In Italy, we already have our first coach being fired. Inter Milan Head Coach Gasperini was let go after the team failed to win one game under his direction (2 loses and 1 tie in Serie A, 1 lose in the Champions League). This now makes him the 3rd coach to be fired since Mourinho left to coach Real Madrid.

What was a shame was that their lose to Novara Tuesday night by the score of 1-3 took away what should have been a night of celebration. Argentinean defender, Javier Zanetti played his 757th game with Inter Milan making him the player with the highest amount of appearances, a true mark of history, considering all of the great players that have once played for Inter Milan. Rumors circulated by Thursday that Ranieri will be taking over as Head Coach. Ranieri, better known as the coach at Chelsea before Mourinho took over, was last in charge in Roma. He will be under immediate pressure, being that Inter Milan has not had much success since Mourinho left for Real Madrid. He will also have to deal with a bunch of players that are over the age of 30, and how to keep one of the best players in Europe, Dutchman Wesley Sneijder happy with his current team, and not leave in January's transfer period (...to Manchester United. —The Oracle).

The Long Island Junior Soccer League is in full swing as we enter week two, and the same applies to all of the Soccer Leagues that we love to follow around Europe. While there were many games of interest, the biggest interest was at Old Trafford, where fans wanted to see if Manchester United could continue the season with their 5th straight win, vs. a Chelsea team that were already behind the Red Devils and did not want to end up choking on their dust.

ManU played a solid first half, taking a 3-0 lead, while the second half will be remembered more for the outrageous misses, including a missed penalty from Rooney and a blown open net miss from Torres (I remember saying something about Torres being done, but what was it exactly? Oh yeah, he's done! Missing an open net, which actually should have been his third goal after another missed opportunity, should have his teammates "giving him the business" after he had the audacity to call out the "older players" on his team for "being slow." He even dyed his hair blonde again in hopes to return to form, but to no avail. I've been saying this since Torres Fever somehow infected the masses, but now others are saying the same thing. —The Oracle) While Torres must have felt some relief scoring his first goal of the season in Chelsea's 3-1 loss, everyone round the world that watched the game must still be in disbelief for the open net that he missed. I cannot remember a game where I was stunned watching a professional "superstar" miss the type of opportunity that most 7 year old's would have scored. Torres will have nightmares tonight, and might be a psychological wreck, never mind the fact that this might cost him his starting position in Chelsea's starting 11. Even though Rooney missed his penalty, due to very loose sod in the 18, he'll sleep like a baby after scoring at least one goal in every ManU game thus far. Sharing Torres's nightmares will be Arsenal player's Alex Song and Laurent Koscielny, after their 4-3 defeat to Blackburn. Arsenal had a 2-1 lead at halftime, but both players scored 2 own goals, helping Blackburn win their first game of the season and saving Kean's job for now, as thousands of Blackburn fans protested and demanded his firing before the game. Maybe their fans read EASA's report of predictions of the first coach to be fired this season. The way things are going, it looks as if Wenger might be replacing Kean in the hot seat. Manchester City lost 2 points after their tie with Fulham (2-2), while Tottenham seem to have started to put things together as they defeated Liverpool 4-0. Stoke City are in the top 5, despite their lose to Sunderland (0-4).

These are the top teams in the Premiership as of 9/18/2011:
1) Manchester United: 15
2) Manchester City: 13
3) Chelsea: 10
4) Newcastle: 9
5) Stoke City: 8

Several teams, including Wolves (0-3 losers to QPR) and Liverpool, follow the top 5 with 7 points.By the way, Lee Rogers beloved Southampton, leads the Championship table (Division 2) and are looking to move back to the Premiership after almost a Decade!

In the second week of Serie A, Napoli, proving that their 1-1 tie at Manchester City for the Champions League was no fluke, are tied in first place after their 3-1 victory over Champions AC Milan, while Juventus won their second game of the season, defeating Siena by the score of 1-0. Cagliari also won, defeating Novaro 2-1. Along with Udinese, all 4 teams are tied in first place with 6 points in 2 games.

In Spain, there were some upsets, as Real Madrid suffered a shock defeat away to Levante as city rivals Atletico Madrid enjoyed a first victory of the new Primera Liga season. Kone scored the only goal of the game midway through the half as Levante's unbeaten start to the campaign continued with a surprise 1-0 home success over Real, even though they played with 10 men throughout most of the game. Real Betis maintained their 100 % start to the season by hanging on for an impressive 3-2 success away to Athletic Bilbao. And what about Barcelona? They are still scoring goals vs. Osasuna (8-0). Messi scored a Hat Trick, and also created further goals for Cesc Fabregas and Xavi, whilst Villa scored 2 (Rosario scored an own goal..as if Osasuna needed any help...). Valencia maintained their perfect start to the new season with a 1-0 win at Sporting Gijon.
Standings in Spain, as of 9/18/2011, after 3 games:
1) Valencia: 9
2) Real Betis: 9
3) Barcelona: 7
4) Sevilla: 7
5) Real Madrid: 6
6) Malaga: 6

Not much going on during the week, with the exception of the Carling Cup and the Italian League games. EASA again is providing some of the more interesting games to watch this coming week. Don't forget to Twitter us, and let us know which league you love to watch, and we will do our best to update your leagues as well. Enjoy the upcoming week.....and we will see you again, next Sunday Night!

Tuesday:
Serie A: Fox Soccer Channel, Novaro vs. Inter Milan, 2:30 (live)
Carling Cup: Fox Soccer Plaus, Leeds Vs. Manchester United, 2:40 (live)

Wednesday:
Serie A: Fox Soccer Channel, AC Milan vs. Udinese, 2:30 (live)
Carling Cup: Fox Soccer Plus, Brighton and Hove Albion vs. Liverpool, 2:40 (live)
Spanish La Liga: GOALTV, Valencia vs. Barcelona, 4:00 (live)

Thursday:
Serie A: Fox Soccer Channel, Roma vs. Siena, 2:40 (live)

Saturday:
English Premiership: ESPN2, Manchester City vs. Everton 7:30 (live)
Fox Soccer Channel, Arsenal vs. Bolton, 10:00 (live)
Fox Soccer Plus, Chelsea vs. Swansea, 9:50 (live)
Fox Soccer Channel, Stoke City vs. ManU, 12:30 (live)

After having to deal with some damage from Hurricane Irene, I am back with an update of all of the important soccer leagues that we like to follow.

First, I hope that our readers had as little damage and harm from "Irene." My power was out for a few days, but at the end, everything was all right. The picture of the tree was exactly 30 yards from my house! Next, as we remember the 10th Anniversary of a very sad day, allow me to send a prayer to all of the families and friends of those that perished on 9/11. While I did not lose any family members, a dear friend of a very good friend of mine, John Sherry, who had volunteered his time with the Rockville Centre Soccer Club, was in the Second Tower when one of the airplanes attacked it. I had met John on several occasions, as he came to watch his nephew who played for one of my Oceanside Soccer Teams, and his memory, as will all who passed away, will stay with me till the day that I die, as I am sure that it will will every human being around the world. May God bless all of the victims on that theorist attack, and may we never have to endure anything close to that travesty again.

Since Hurricane Irene hit the North East, and Hurricane ManU hit London, I will briefly go over what's been going on around the Soccer World, and help you catch up with results and Standings. In the Premiership, people are still talking about the total destruction of Arsenal, as they lost to ManU by the unbelievable score of 8-2.

After scoring 5 vs. Bolton, in a 5-0 win, it is clear to me that ManU is the best team in England, and might compete for the title of becoming the best team in the world. Manchester City is also 4 for 4, and are tied in first place with 12 points, while Chelsea is in second with 10 points. My Wolves did lose their first game of the year to the Spurs but are still off to their best start in quite some time. While my prediction of Arsenal finishing on top will be way off, Blackburn are in last place with 1 point, which may allow for one of my predictions, Coach Kean, being fired, sooner than later. The big news are the rumors circulating that David Beckham might be returning to the Premiership, to either Tottenham or QPR. Time will tell, although it would make more sense for David to play with QPR.I feel that he will get more playing time, and the fact that he cannot play in the European Competition with the Spurs might entice him to move to a team where more playing time might allow him return to the National team. Torres also made the news, in a negative way. His teammates at Chelsea are upset with him, after an interview he gave with the Spanish Web Site, La Liga stating that he felt that his "older" teammates at Chelsea are just too slow to play in this level. Not the type of support to his teammates from a player who has only scored 1 goal since his arrival from Liverpool. (I will say this again, Fernando Torres is done. —The Oracle)

In the Premira Liga, Real Madrid are 2 for 2, and are tied in first place with...Valencia and Real Betis! Barcelona are sharing second place with 3 other teams with 4 points, after giving up 2 points vs. Real Sociedad (2-2), but clearly, it is much too early for the Barcelona fans to panic. The team to watch this season will be Malaga, as they are in 10th place, as far as the team that spent the most amount of Euros (see below for the Top 25 Teams).

In Serie A, and after the Soccer Federation was able to avoid a strike, the shocking score of the weekend was Inter lose to Palermo. Juventus defeated Parma 4-1, and are off to a good start.

In the Bundesliga, after 5 games, Bayern M. and Werder Bremen share first place with 12 points, Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen are in second with 10.

Here is an interesting statistic that I found. These are the Top Spending Teams for the 2011-2012 Season — not to say that there may not be some additional "out of pocket expenses" during the January Transfer Period (Arsenal will attempt to spend their way out of their woes, to no avail. —The Oracle). Lets see by the end of the year, which teams will have spent wisely, and those that spent foolishly:

The TOP 25 (In Millions of Euros):
» 1. Manchester City: 92,535 .
» 2. Paris St. Germain: 86,7
» 3. Juventus: 85,75
» 4. Chelsea: 85,7
» 5. Roma: 78,635
» 6. Athletico Madrid: 70,5
» 7. Liverpool: 65,2
» 8. Arsenal: 61,625
» 9. Napoli: 60,8
» 10. Malaga: 58
» 11. ManU: 57,3
» 12. Barcelona: 55 / Real Madrud: 55
» 14. AC Milan: 46,5
» 15. Bayern M.: 44,1
» 16. FC Porto: 37,5
» 17. Inter: 35.2
» 18. Valencia: 34
» 19. Genoa: 32,18
» 20. Palermo: 31,5
» 21. Benfica: 29,2
» 22. Sporting L.:. 28,4
» 23. Sunderland: 27,9
» 24. PSV Eindhoven: 25,75
» 25. Latsio: 24,8 / Stook City:24,8

We also had games that were played for the qualifying of the EURO 2012. Germany have already qualified in Group 1, Russia, and Northern Ireland will compete in Group 2, Italy has qualified in Group 3, France and Bosnia are competing in Group 4, The Netherlands have qualified in Group 5, Croatia and Greece will compete in Group 6, England has qualified in Group 7, Portugal, Norway and Denmark are all tied in Group 8, and Spain has qualified in Group 9. All the First place teams qualify automatically, while the best "second place team" of all of the groups will qualify as well. The next 4 "second place teams" will then play a playoff series to see which ones will qualify for the games, to be played in the Summer of 2012, hosted by Poland and the Ukraine.

Champions League Games starts tonight, with some interesting games at hand. Tonight, Barcelona is playing AC Milan, Chelsea is at Bayer Leverkusen, and Arsenal hosts B. Dortmund. Tomorrow, ManU is hosting Benfica, Napoli is hosting Manchester City, and Bayern is hosting Inter Milan.

Games to watch this week:
Tuesday:
Champions League, Fox Soccer Channel, Barcelona at AC Milan, 2:30 (Live), Chelsea at Bayer Leverkusen, 5:00 (Tape Delay)

Wednesday:
Champions League, Fox Soccer Channel, Benfica at ManU, 2:30 (Live), Manchester City at Napoli, 5:00 (Tape Delay).

Thursday:
UEFA Super League, GOALTV, Paris St. Germain at FC Salzburg, 1:00 (Live), Atletico Madrid at Celtic FC, 3:00 (Live)

Saturday:
Premier League, ESPN2, Blackburn at Arsenal, 7:30 (Live)
Serie A, Fox Soccer Channel, Inter Milan at Roma, 2:30 (Live)

Sunday:
Premier League, Fox Soccer Plus, Tottenham at Liverpool, 8:23 (Live)
Serie A, Fox Soccer Channel, Siena at Juventus, 9:00 (Live)
Premier League, Fox Soccer Channel, ManU at Chelsea, 11:00 (Live)
Serie A, Fox Soccer Channel, Napoli at AC Milan, 2:30 (Live)

As the second week of the Premiership concludes, with Monday's game between ManU and Tottenham (live on ESPN2 at 2:55 PM), and with the thrilling Spanish Super Cup final coming to a close, fans around the world are just salivating on the type of Seasons we are going to see in England and Spain, never mind the competition in Italy, France and Germany as well. All and all, another great year for soccer lovers to come!

I will start with the second Leg of the Spanish Super Cup. After a fun and entertaining game Wednesday night that kept fans on the edge of their seats, Barcelona, with a goal from Messi 2 minutes before the end of the match, prevailed against Real Madrid by the final score of 3-2, winning the Cup with the overall score of 5-4 agg. Earlier, it was Messi who set up the first goal for Andres Iniesta Lujan in the 15th minute, before the equalizer came from Cristiano Ronaldo only five minutes later for Real Madrid. Messi brought his team in front once again just before the interval Karim Benzema smashed home the equalizer in the 82nd minute to push up the chances of a tie-breaker. While Real played better quality soccer, it was Barcelona, with some help from Farbricas, who, in the second half, played his first game with his new team, proving that they are still the most talented team in the planet.

Marcelo was red carded at the end of the game for a hard tackle on Farbricas, which led to a 6 minute delay of game while players from both teams "mingled" with one another inquiring about "what they did over the summer break." Villa from Barcelona, and Ozil from Real followed Marcelo for an earlier shower before the game ended as well. Mourinho displayed some poor sportsmanship as he sneaked up on Barcelona players and coaches from behind, "expressing his thoughts" to them, as one would say by "manhandling" an assitant coach. (That's it Dean? That's all you have to say about your beloved Mourinho?? Mourinho's behavior was a disgrace. The Barca/Real rivalry brings out the very best and the very worst in the beautiful game. On the one hand, you see some of the greatest players on the planet showcase their talent, but on the other, the fake injuries, the horrific tackles, and the worst sportmanship are on display as well. Ultimately, this rivalry is a setback for the beautiful game. —The Oracle)

The most exciting part of the game for me was the dual between Alves and Ronaldo. The truth is that Alves, a very underrated Defender, made Ronaldo look like an amateur. This was manager Pep Guardiola’s 11th major trophy with the club, bettering the previous record that had been set by my Dutch idol, Johan Cruyff. While I still believe that Real will win the title this year, I will have to admit that Barcelona looked really good, and Farbricas contribution will definitely raise their level by a notch or two. Scary thoughts, indeed! Now we will have to see what will happen in the Spanish League, as the players have decided to go on strike, demanding a guaranteed wage fund where they would be paid even if their clubs become insolvent. Players and the League Management will meet for more talks on Friday in a bid to prevent a first strike in the Spanish league since 1984.

The English League began Saturday Morning, as Arsenal, with their Ex. Spanish Captain waving, "Adios," on his way to Barcelona, played a very important game vs. Liverpool. Both teams, after draws in their first matches, needed the 3 points to stay close to ManU and Man. City, who had won their Monday Night game vs. Swansea (4-0). All eyes were on Nasri, as Wenger needed him to help rejuvenate his Arsenal squad, yet, at the same time, not knowing if this would be his last game with the Gunners, as speculation continues on his move to Man. City. Last season, Liverpool only won 5 games away from home, and so the task for them was to try and take advantage of the sudden turmoil in London. Arsenal made things easier for Liverpool, as 19 year old Frimpong was red carded in the 69th minute, forcing Arsenal to play a man down. To make matters worse, Liverpool took the lead on the 78th minute, after an own goal from Ramsey, from a deflection off Souarez, who looked Off Side before the own goal occurred. Souarez and Meireles both had come in as Substitutes, after the Frimpong Red Card, and both contributed to Liverpool's second goal, as Souarez finished a wonderful give and go with the Portuguese International. (The addition of Souarez and Meireles instantly kick-started Liverpool's offense centrally. Until the substitutions, The Reds were only able to progress into the final third on the flanks, which resulted in ineffective crosses to Carroll. Souarez and Meireles' movement off the ball, deft passing and finishing were more than Wenger's Gunners could handle and the result was inevitable. Questions have to be asked of Wenger who appeared lost and bewildered on the sideline and had no answer for the subs and going down a man. On the other hand, Andy Carroll was a disaster: poor technique, slow and easy to defend. Time for a permanent change upfront? —The Oracle)

Liverpool's victory (0-2) was their first in London in 11 years, and now forces Wenger, with about 10 days left, to reach out and try to bring in some players with the money they have made from the Farbricas sale. If they do not bring in at least 3 players that can contribute right away, I am afraid that, not only will my prediction of Arsenal winning the Championship be way off, but there might be a good chance that they might not even finish on the top 5 of the table. Now their efforts will be to put this game behind them and focus on bringing in a positive result Wednesday night, in Italy, vs. Udenese for the 2nd Leg of the Champions League playoffs. A reminder that Arsenal did win their first game 1-0. A positive result will earn them one of the spots for the Champions League Drawing, Thursday Night.

As far as the rest of the games played, West Brom challenged Chelsea straight up at Stamford Bridge, even taking the lead early, in the 3rd minute of the Game with Long. Anelka tied at the 53rd for Chelsea. As expected, for the next few minutes, Chelsea pounded West Brom, looking for their second goal of the match, and it came with Malouda scoring on a cross from Boswiga with 8 minutes left to play. The game ended with Chelsea continuing to dominate but unable to score a 3rd goal, yet gathered a valued 3 points at the expense of West Brom, giving new Head Coach Andre Villa- Boas his first victory. On Sunday, Manchester City Traveled to Bolton and started the game without Tevez, but with Aguero and Dzeko on top. Despite their defence looking weak, City prevailed by the score of 2-3 (Dzeko, Barry and Silva), thus, remaining on top of the table with....who would of thought, my Wolves! Two goals scored the last 3 minutes of the first half from Doyle and Jarvis gave Wolverhampton their second win in a row. Now both await the result of ManU's game Monday night to see if there will be a threesome of leaders.

While we wait for the Italian League (Serie A) to start next week, in the 3rd week of the German League, or the Bundesliga as it is known, Hannover 96 and Monchengladbach, with 7 points, share the early lead, while 6 teams, including Bayern M., share second place with 6 points. Monchengladbach's American International Michael Bradley's team (although he is looking for a transfer move away, either to Napoli or Roma) defeated Wolfsburg 4-1, proving that their first win of the season vs. Bayern M. was no fluke. Last year,s Champions, Borussia Dortmund, share second place after a win vs. Nurnberg by the score os 2-0. In week 3 in France (Lique 1), Montpellier are 3 for 3 after defeating Le Mans, and wait to see if St Eteinne will be joining them (they play Marseille late Sunday). Toulouse remain in second place after a draw with last place team, Nice, while last year's surprise Champions, Lille, beat out Caen by the score of 2-1.

As of today, EASA will begin a weekly report of all of the important games that were played around some of the best Leagues around the World. Dean and Lee will put forth their predictions, with the all-knowing Oracle chiming in from time to time to counter their viewpoints, during the upcoming season. We would also love to incorporate your "objective" opinions of our reports, (the Game, is a game of opinions... —The Oracle) as well as your predictions for this year's leagues, so don't hesitate to email us with your views. EASA will also run a contest for all of the Head Coaches whose teams are trained by EASA trainers, with the chance to win EASA T-shirts for their entire team. More on that in a few...

I have to start with last Wednesday night's first game of Jurgen Klinsmann, as the new Head Coach of the United States National Team. With only a few weeks to prepare, the USA played Mexico to a 2-2 tie in Philadelphia. Having met Klinsman is the early part of 2002, I always felt that he would be the perfect choice to lead the National Program, and I was not wrong. The USA played some good soccer, especially in the second half, proving that with an expert tactical approach, the USA will improve their style of play as they begin a new phase of National Soccer. While Bradley did as good of a job as he could for a National Program that is relegated to choosing players from one of the weakest Leagues in the World, Klinsman's experience, not only as a coach, but also as someone who understands the American Persona of a soccer player, having lived in the United States for close to 13 years, will provide a style of play for the American Team that will allow them to not only compete against teams such as Trinidad and Jamaica, but also teams such as England and Holland...not to mention the chance to beat out rivals Mexico. I, for one, am elated that Klinsmann is the new Head Coach, and I am looking forward to watching the National team play their next few games, which will be against Costa Rica (Sept. 2nd), in Los Angelos (ESPN 2, 8:00 PM) and Belgium (Sept 6th), ESPN Classic, at 2:30 PM.

Saturday and Sunday I watched the first week of the 2011-2012 English Premier League (EPL), and I was not disappointed. Most of the games ended up in a tie, but Manchester United pulled a victory at West Brom. (1-2), while their obvious competition (Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal) all tied (vs. Stoke City, Sunderland, and Newcastle respectively), allowing the "Red Devils" to take an early lead (Manchester City play on Monday afternoon, vs. newcomers Swansea on ESPN 2 at 2:50pm). My Wolves revenged last years defeat at Blackburn, winning 1-2, and are top of the table, along with Bolton and ManU. From the teams that tied, I felt that Arsenal looked the best, but still have problems scoring, while Chelsea will need Esien back as soon as possible from his injury. (Turns out that both of ManU's central defenders, Rio Ferdinand and Captain Nemanja Vidic, left the game with injuries. The injury prone Ferdinand has a hamstring pull and will be out six weeks and Vidic has a nerve issue in his calf and will miss at least two weeks. This lastest injury will permanently cost Rio his starting job and will unfortunately be the end of his career at Old Trafford. —The Oracle)

Finally, the best game of the week was the Spanish Super Cup game, Sunday Afternoon, between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Real played some of the best soccer that they have played perhaps in the past 5 years, especially in the first half, yet, Barcelona, with only 2 shots on goal in the first half, had a 2-1 lead. Alonso tied the game in the second half for Real (Ozil had given Real the lead, Villa and Messi scoring for Barcelona). The second game will be played in Barcelona, Wed. night, at 5:00 (live on GOAL TV), and should be watched by every soccer lover in the world.

As I am writing this report, it has just been announced that Cesc Fabregas will join Barcelona for a fee of €40,000,000, but might not be ready in time to play the second game. Then, again, who wouldn't want to see him play, even for a few minutes with his new team?

As far as my predictions for the new soccer season...

1) Real will win their first title in Spain after Barcelona has dominated the past few years. Jose Mourinho had Real looking sharp, they pressed the entire game, and forced Barcelona, who played without Carles Puyol, to look mediocre, at best. (Dean is kneeling at the Mourinho Throne again...if Barca's key players stay healthy, then they will repeat, despite their disgusting display of theatrics. It won't be as easy as last year, but Messi is virtually unstoppable and the supporting cast can also score quality goals. If Real don't deliver, then this could be the beginning of the end of the Cristiano Ronaldo era, who may return to the EPL. —The Oracle)

2) Unless Wesley Sneijder comes to Arsenal, along with Tevez (rumors are that perhaps Nasri will be traded to Manchester City, for an exchange of money and Tevez), Manchester United will again prevail in England. While Manchester City has again spent a lot of Pounds, I feel that as long as Manchini is the coach, that it will be difficult for "City" to compete against the "Red Devils."

A thought: If Sneijder wanted to come to the Premiership, he would have already signed with ManU. His teammate with Holland, Van Pirsey, might have told his teammate to wait and see what will happen with Fabregas going to Barcelona. Arsenal now have the money to make a generous offer to Inter Milan. While experts feel that Sneijder will be a great fit to replace the retired Scholes, and they might be right, if Arsenal can get another quality forward (Robbie van Persie just cannot play alone in the front), Sneijder would provide the midfield needed for Arsenal to finally compete against ManU. I predict that Sneijder will be joining Arsenal, and, If these trades do occur, then my prediction will be that Arsenal will be Champions in the Premiership for the first time in 5 years.
Counter Point:
(Wesley Sneijder will not be going to Arsenal. At 27, he wants to join a team with a chance of winning a league title, as well as the Champion's League, and not be part of a rebuilding effort, since he needs a supporting cast to excel. Sneijder would have instant success at ManU, but the Devils have a glut of midfielders and the Glazer's may find his price tag to be just out of reach. If he wants to come to the EPL, then it looks like City will be his only option in 2011. — The Oracle)

3) Juventus has made some very good acquisitions this season in the Italian League, or "Serie A" as it is known. While they have won 27 titles, they have not been crowned Champions since the 2002-2003 season, as Inter Milan and AC Milan have dominated the League. They are starting the new season with a new stadium, slated to open Sept. 8th,with a friendly vs. Notts County...yes, that Notts County from England. There is history between the 2 teams, being that in 1908, "Juve" asked their then English Player, John Savage, to find out if they could change the colors of their jerseys, which in those days was Pink. Savage then contacted friends in Notts County and Juventus has since been wearing their now famous Black and White colored Jerseys!

And Now, This Years Contest!

This will be open for all of the EASA run Coaches and Trainers. Predict the correct answers to this years questions, and you will win EASA T-shirts for your entire team, as well as a picture of your team on our website! These are this years questions:

» 1) Predict the Champion of the Premier League.
» 2) Predict the Champion of the Spanish League.
» 3) Predict the Champion of the Italian League.
» 4) Predict the Champion of the Champions League
» Bonus Question: who will be the first coach fired in the Premiership this year?
» Tie-Breaker: Predict the second place team in the Premier League.

» Answers have to be submitted by the end of August 2011.

Dean Moraitis:
1) Arsenal (ok, I'm going for it!!)
2) Real Madrid
3) Juventus
4) Real Madrid
Bonus Question: Steve Kean from Blackburn...I just do not think he is going to make it... Manchini, from Manchester City a close second
Tie Breaker: Manchester United (second place)

Neil Sambursky:
Premiership: Manchester U.
Spanish League: Barcelona
Italian League: AC Milan
Champions League: Barcelona
Tie Breaker: Chelsea
Coach to be fired: Mancini

Jeff Finkle:
Premiership: Manchester U.
Spanish League: Barcelona
Italian League: AC Milan
Champions League: Barcelona
Tie Breaker: Liverpool
Coach to be fired: Kean

Uppender Saron:
Premiership: Manchester City
Spanish League: Real Madrid
Italian League: Juventos
Champions League: Barcelona
Tie Breaker: Manchester United
Coach to be fired: Wenger

Dan Brotman:
Premiership: Manchester United
Spanish League: Barcelona
Italian League: Juventus
Champions League: Manchester United
Tie Breaker: Manchester City
Bonus: Coach to be pinked: Arsene Wenger

As the season goes on, we will up date all of the coaches predictions on our website. Players should help their coaches with their decisions, but make sure that all of the answers are in by the end of the month of August!
I will be with you next week with continued updates, and a review of this years Champions League!

Trainers: Dean Moraitis and Lee Rogers

EASA trained teams this past 2 seasons include three teams winning Division Titles, and 3 teams being promoted, including the Predators (Boys U 17) finishing in First Place in the Spring, 2011 Season, Division 1. Dean Moraitis and Lee Rogers are also coaching the Port Washington Boys High School Summer Team in the Town Of Hempstead Summer League.

Dates: Monday, August 22th – August 25th
(Rain Date: Friday, the 26th)
Girls: 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Boys: 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Location: Daly Elementary School

This camp will incorporate the necessary components (technical, tactical, mental and physical) to fully prepare student-athletes for their respective High School pre-season training programs. This will be the 5th year the camp will be run, and has had a 100% success ratio! The Boys Varsity Program fully endorses this camp, and has asked this year's captains to cooperate with the dates, so that there are no “captain’s practices” during the time period of the camp, so as to participate and better prepare for the try-outs.

All High School age-appropriate students that play for PW are eligible. Cost: $200.00, per player.

This camp is not affiliated with the PWSC. For any additional information, please contact Dean Moraitis at 516-238-0674.

In a must win game at long time rival Cambria Height's home field, the BU17 Port Washington Predators prevailed 2 to 1, to become the Long Island Junior Soccer League's Division One Champion with a 7-2-0 record.

The Predator story is an inspiring one. Formed eight years ago, the team entered Long Island Junior Soccer's BU10 age group and was placed at the bottom in Division Eight. The early days were difficult. The team lost their first seven games by an average score of 5 to 0, until they finally tied a game. "I remember all the players and parents storming the field after that first tie." recalled Jordan Finkle, tri-captain. "It felt like we won the World Cup! We've achieved a lot since then and I couldn't be more proud of my fellow teammates. We stuck together, worked hard for eight years and steadily improved until we reached the top of the hardest division in the league. Now we are champions."

One of the primary reasons for the team's continued success is the dedication of their coaching staff, in particular, trainer/coach Dean Moraitis, founder of the European American Soccer Academy of Port Washington. "Dean’s focus on conditioning and tactics has made us the team we are today," declared tri-captain Arjan Saraon. "More importantly, Dean's ability to read game situations and make critical adjustments, put us in the best position to win games." In addition to the Predators, Dean also trains and coaches the undefeated BU11 Division Seven Champion, Port Washington Torpedoes (see story below). "This season was especially bittersweet," said tri-captain Brian Aronow, "two players broke their collarbones while competing. It was a very tough and physical division, but in the end, we prevailed."

What's next for the Predators? According to the coaching staff, they are exploring the New York and New England premiere leagues, and will make a decision in the near future. "We won at the highest level in the Long Island Junior Soccer League, and therefore have no reason to compete there again, if, in fact, we are allowed higher options. We will take some much needed time off, and then we will have a meeting with the coaches, Jeff Weintraub, Jeff Finkle and Greg Volpe, and decide what will be the next best move for this team."

For youth sports teams experiencing early disappointment, EASA, and the Predator coaching staff would like to encourage you to keep plugging away and always remember that its not where you start, its where you finish!

At the end of the Fall 2009 Soccer Season, the Port Washington Torpedoes, a BU10 "C" team in the Long Island Junior Soccer League, found themselves with a record of 0-9. By the end of the 2011 Spring Season, the Torpedoes finished with a record of 9-0, and in first place.

If the answer in Jeopardy is "This team showed perseverance, and was successful because of correct training, leadership, attitude, and patience," then the question would be: "Who are the Port Washington Torpedoes?"

The Torpedoes began the 2010 Fall Season by welcoming five new players in their expanded roster. However, they retained their core players who brought with them the same tough attitude and training philosophies from the previous two seasons. The team began with a bang as they went undefeated in the two early season tournaments - Oceanside Labor Day Tournament and North Hempstead Cup – finishing in second place in both while playing against several Division 5 teams (the Torpedoes are in Division 7). The Torpedoes finished 6th place in the standings of the LIJSL. The obvious improvement of play was there to be seen. However, no one could predict how special the Spring 2011 season would be!

Despite having to replace two players, who left to pursue competitive swimming and because of out-of-state relocation, the team began to play even better quality soccer than the Fall Season. The Torpedoes defense was always strong, but now, after 1 and 1/2 years of patient training, they began to understand how to create from the back, learned the art of passing, not only North and South, but also East and West, understood the Theory of the Diamond, and started to get the ball wide with subsequent crosses (the EASA "a-b-c" theory of play). This resulted in multiple goal scoring opportunities and the Torpedoes scored 35 (compared to 14 in the Fall) and they conceded only 11, the least in their division. They won the Commack Memorial Weekend Tournament, finishing 4-0 and defeating three Division 5 teams. Overall, the Torpedoes had a 5-0-3 record against Division 5 teams in the three tournaments they played in the 2010-2011 season. The crowning glory was, of course, winning Division 7 with a 9-0 record. While the boys will enjoy their Summer off, Uppender and Dean will be looking forward to a new exciting Fall Season!!!

In an effort to constantly enhance the development of the soccer players in the European American Soccer Academy program, we have created a new section on the EASA website to provide advice on navigating the murky waters of collegiate athletics.

The section will continually be enriched with the latest information and resources to assist both players and parents.

More information on College Bound Players.

A lack of research and regulation associated with energy drinks, combined with reports of toxicity and high consumption, may result in potentially dangerous health consequences in children, adolescents, and young adults, according to a review of scientific literature and Internet sources.

Sara M. Seifert, BS, and colleagues from the Department of Pediatrics and the Pediatric Integrative Medicine Program at the University of Miami, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine in Florida, reported their findings in a report published online today and in the March print issue of Pediatrics.

According to the review, self-report surveys indicate that energy drinks are regularly consumed by 30% to 50% of children, adolescents, and young adults. The current trial questions the use of energy drinks in these young populations, as they provide no therapeutic benefit and are associated with risks for serious adverse health effects.

The authors note that because energy drinks are categorized as nutritional supplements, they avoid the limit of 71 mg caffeine per 12 fluid ounces that the US Food and Drug Administration has set for soda, as well as the safety testing and labeling that is required of pharmaceuticals. As a consequence, energy drinks can contain as much as 75 to 400 mg caffeine per container, with additional caffeine not included in the listed total often coming from additives such as guarana, kola nut, yerba mate, and cocoa.

"Of the 5448 US caffeine overdoses reported in 2007, 46% occurred in those younger than 19 years," the authors note.

Although US poison centers have only recently begun tracking toxicity of energy drinks, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand have reported numerous adverse outcomes associated with energy drink consumption. These include liver damage, kidney failure, respiratory disorders, agitation, confusion, seizures, psychotic conditions, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, rhabdomyolysis, tachycardia, cardiac dysrhythmias, hypertension, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and death.

On November 28th, at approximately 5:00 pm, the final whistle for the 2010 Fall Season blew in Fort Dix, NJ, where the Predators played in the MSSL Thanksgiving College Showcase. After 4 long months of Pre-Season training, friendly games, and games for either the LIJSL, or the Girls Varsity Soccer League in Nassau County, EASA's management were able to evaluate the season for all of their teams. The conclusion was that the season was once again successful, including The Girls Varsity Soccer Team making the Playoffs and knocking out their rivals, East Meadow, the GU13 year old Dynamite finishing in second place in their Division, their best performance ever, and the Predators coming back from an 0-3 start to finish in 4th place overall in the combined U17-U19 Division 2. Overall, the players and parents were satisfied with EASA's training, and everyone are already looking forward to the teams participation in the various in-door soccer tournaments that our teams will be competing in, as they all prepare for the upcoming Spring Season, which will begin around the second week of March, 2011.

Torpedoes (BU11)
Main Goal: Improve from last season's final record, continue to teach players to play tactically sound soccer, while also improving technique and skills.
The past 2 seasons, the boys finished in last, and second to last place. This Fall Season, the boys had four wins, finished in 5th place, and placed in second place in 2 tournaments, allowing the boys to win their first medals. It was satisfying to everyone involved to see a team that would typically lose games by 5-7 goals, only to be able to turn it around and compete in all of their matches and, in fact, actually win half of all of the games that they played this season. The reasons were clear - the Torpodoes have began to move the ball as a unit, have began to understand the importance of developing from the defense, and understand the importance of playing defense "as a team." Head Coach, Uppender Saraon, has done a wonderful job galvanizing this group of boys and, with the continued training of Dean Moraitis, the future is very bright for the "C" team of this age group.
Final Grade: A+

Dynamite (GU13)
Main Goal: To create a positive atmosphere with proper training, as well as to help develop a better understanding of tactics, which would help the team play better defense, as well as offense, and continued development of skills and technique.
The girls have had several trainers attempt to train this team, with very little success. Starting last Spring Season, the training combination of Dan Brotman and Dean Moraitis changed their total perspective of the game. The team had a much clearer understanding of the importance of tactics and were able to play in different formations. The results were astonishing. The Dynamite went from a team that typically finished in the last two spots of the Division, to playing for a first place position the final week of the season! The girls finished in second place, and will be moving up a Division for the first time. Head Coach, Doree Sanger, another new comer to the team from last season, has helped with the transition of the girls believing in themselves, and we are very proud to see the hard work paying off. Another team that EASA will be looking forward to bigger and better things!
Final Grade: A+

Real (BU15)
Main Goal: To keep the team in a positive frame of mind, while loosing key players to school ball, as well as injury.
A tough year for a very talented team. Between losing players to scholastic obligations, and having 2 players out because of injuries, the team struggled this season in Division 2. The good news is that with the team completely healthy, the boys are incredibly talented, as they showcased that in this year's Columbus Day Northport Soccer Tournament, where they placed in second place after finishing with a record of 2 wins and 2 ties. The one tie came against this year's State Champions (Carle Place), and one of their wins was against a Regional Ranked team from upstate New York (Somers). With everyone coming back, and with the signing of 2 new players, EASA is expecting better results from this talented group of boys! New Coach, Dave MacGown and Dean Moraitis will be taking the team to several high level indoor tournaments, to better prepare the Real for the Spring Season.
Final Grade: B-

Wildcats (GU15)
Main Goal: To compete in a higher division, as well as create a bonding of 4-5 new players with their new teammates.
After a very strong Spring Season, the girls were faced with 2 challenges this Fall Season: a) playing one Division higher and, b) playing with several new players, as well as dealing with several injuries throughout the season. Lee Rogers was able to have the new girls understand the tactical approach of the Wildcats and they were able to contribute to the team's wants and needs immediately. However, as expected, the injuries to key players made things a bit more difficult for the Wildcats to compete with the strength they felt that they had. Despite these problems, the girls finished in 3rd place and missed moving up another division by only several points. Lee Rogers and Coach Dominic Dinazio were disappointed that the team did not move up, but are looking forward to the Spring Season. With everyone gaining more experience playing together, as well as the injured players coming back healthy, Lee feels that the girls have a very good chance to move up another Division come Spring.
Final Grade: A-

Blue Knights (BU16)
Main Goal: To move up one division, and continue the tactical education of the team
A mixed Season for this team. The Blue Knights started strong, then struggled for several games, finally finishing in the middle of their Division. Coach Neil Sambursky, Dean Moraitis and Mark Soloman, felt that with a little luck, the boys could have moved up another Division for the Spring. In fact, in their last game, the Blue Knights had 20 shots on goal, while their opponents had 3 shots on goal, yet, the Blue Knights lost the game 1-2, showcasing what was typical for the season. Despite not moving up, the boys are excited about the coming Spring Season, and have made a point to work as hard as they can to finish on top of Division 4.
Final Grade: B-

Power (GU17)
Main Goal: To compete in a higher division, and finish in the top four spots.
The girls played the Fall Season in their highest Division ever (3) finishing in a respectful 5th place. While most of the girls did not play school ball, most of their opponents had players that played at a Girls Varsity level. The girls understood that this division would be the most competitive that they had faced (the Power were in Division 6, when Dean Moraitis took over the team 3 years ago). The fact that the Power were able to compete in every game was a tribute to the team. Coaches Rob Sandrovski, Antonio DiCaro and Dean Moraitis were very happy with the workmanship of the girls, and, with the addition of one new player, the new goal will be to try to finish in one of the top two spots and try to play in Division 2 the Fall 2011 Season.
Final Grade: B+

Predators (BU17)
Main Goal: To compete in the BU17-19 Division, and try to finish in the top four spots
An interesting season for the Predators, to say the least. Eleven players had scholastic obligations (7 of them playing for the Port Washington Varsity soccer Team). The team started the season 0-3 in a very competitive Division 2, primarily because of the need to rest players that were playing anywhere from 2 to 3 games scholastically a week. However, as the season progressed, the boys began to play more minutes, and despite loosing a key defender (Arjan Saraon) to an end of the season injury, the team went back to their winning ways, and finished the rest of the season with a record of 5 wins and one tie, placing them in 4th place.
What was satisfying was the fact that the team had to play several of their games against U19 year old teams, and yet were still able to finish as strong as they did. Coaches Jeff Weintraub, Jeff Finkle, and Dean Moraitis had as a goal to finish in the top four spots, something that was accomplished. The team will be competing in several tournaments in the Winter Season, as well as in Needham, Mass. for the Memorial Day Weekend.
Final Grade: A

Takraw is an explosive mix of soccer, volleyball and Kung Fu, where two teams battle it out in a vollyball-like court with a rattan cane ball.

Watch a brief documentary on Takraw.

In the first match since their immediate exit after the group stage at the recently completed 2010 World Cup, the United States National Soccer team lost 2-0 to Brazil at the new Meadowlands Stadium. The vibrant and energetic Brazilian team, who were mostly made up of under 20 year olds and only four members of their World Cup team, easily handled a lethargic and sloppy US side. Even with a near sellout crowd of 77,223 at the not-ready-for-prime-time Meadowlands stadium, the United States National team just couldn't summon the energy, tactics and technical skills to match a Brazilian side who has returned to Joga Bonita.

Entering into the extremely unimpressive New Meadowlands Stadium, I was struck by how many Brazilian jerseys and supporters were on display, despite a concerted effort by US fan groups including the American Outlaws. The new stadium, which I don't know how could of set New Jersey taxpayers back $1.6 billion considering how much nicer Citifield, Yankee Stadium and even the outlandish new Cowboy stadium are in comparison, is an ugly, steel and concrete mess and a logistical disaster.

The US started quite well, pressuring the young Brazilian side whenever they had possession, which resulted in two early scoring chances. Despite midfielder Michael Bradley's constant turnovers, the US held their own until about the 18th minute. Whether it was fatigue or a poor tactical decision sent in from the sidelines by Coach Bradley, the US took their foot off the gas and ceased pressuring Brazil. Brazil, realizing the game had now opened up, began stringing passes together in a midfield diamond that compacted the US defense resulting in open channels along the wings that Brazil instantly exploited. At this point, it was only a matter of when Brazil was going to score and not if...

Neymar, a wirey forward who was playing in his first national team appearance, scored on a snap header in the 29th minute. Tim Howard, the US keeper who plays for Everton in the English Premier League, didn't stand a chance as Neymar adroitly overpowered Jonathan Bornstein and powered a cross from Andre Santos inside the left post. The US never seemed to recover from the blow and completely stopped defending altogether, opening the game even further. Without XFirst DefenderX pressure on the ball, Alexandre Pato received a perfectly-weighted through ball from Ramires, who was left unchallenged at the top of the 18, eased around a charging Howard, and slide the ball home to take a 2-0 lead.

Despite the resilience that the USA demonstrated during the World Cup with several exciting come-from-behind victories, it was obvious that the game was over. Coach Bob Bradley started off the second half by infusing several D-List subs into the team who played like they didn't want to be there with the only notable exception being Brad Guzan who replaced Howard. The wide gap in technical skills was even more evident with Brazil freely passing the ball around without a successful challenge from the US. Sacha Kljestan, playing left midfield, was a particular embarrassment for the US side with laboring, soporific play and the inability to control even the simplest of passes. Fact is, Kljestan's play exlemplified the overall lack of quality that the US needed to truly combat Brazil's world-class skill.

Compounding the USA's non-pressure, was the fact that when they did obtain possession, and went on the offensive, they never had more than three players on the attack. Brazil simply tracked 7-8 players back, waited for the US to mishandle the ball or fire an inaccurate cross., and regained possession. They then built from the back with flair and rhythm, humiliating the US even more with some Harlem Globetrotters-like trickery. The only reason that Brazil didn't win 5-0 was the fact that promising US Keeper, Guzan, made several extraordinary saves, including a close quarter show-stopper, that showcased his brilliant reaction speed and athleticism.

Landon Donovan, who was playing in his umpteenth game in the past 30 days, did all that he could, but looked completely gassed after about 25 minutes of play — only his drive, pride and competitiveness kept him going. That said, Donovan, besides Howard, is really the USA's only true "International" player. His technical, tactical and most importantly creative skills put him far above the rest of his teammates.

If Coach Bob Bradley was hoping for a solid showing from the US National team in order to secure his coaching position for the next four years, this certainly wasn't the result that was going to boost the US Soccer Federation's confidence in his abilities. Bradley's most blatant error was his failure to come up with a tactical solution to combat Brazil's dominant possession. The US was content to simply cut of angles on defense instead of disrupting Brazil's flow with immediate and hard-nosed pressure. Clearly, this is a wake-up-call for the US National team.

Don Fish, the new Coach of the Port Washington Vikings Boys Varsity Soccer team, has endorsed Dean Moraitis, co-founder of the European American Soccer Academy, to prepare a select group of high school players for the upcoming 2010 Fall Season. Moraitis is training the boys over the summer with his unique blend of technical, tactical and physical conditioning. In addition, the boys will participate in the Town of Hempstead Summer League, which features several scholastic teams that the varsity team will face in the fall. Under Moraitis' tutorage, the boys are currently 3-0.

Credit goes to Don Fish who knows that a victorious season starts with a successful off-season. For the 6 years that Dean Moraitis led the Boys Varsity Soccer Program at Oceanside High (79 wins, 22 loses and 12 ties), he would always look for ideas to make sure that his players stayed focused during the off-season. "If the boys stayed in both mental and physical shape during the summer, then that would help the team be better prepared for the regular season," Moraitis revealed in a recent interview. "One of the things that we did was to participate in the Town of Hempstead Summer League." This is the first year that the Vikings will participate in the same league.

While Dean will run the team, he will be in close communication with Coach Fish, who will witness all of the games, so he can familiarize himself with the players, and perform some advance scouting of teams the Vikings will face in the fall. The team will roster 20 players, which will more than likely make one of the two varsity squads.

"We are very excited for this opportunity to prepare the Vikings for the upcoming season. The opposition will be strong, and while we are looking to always be competitive, one of our main objectives is to develop the younger players," Moraitis stated. "The experience of a freshman or sophmore playing with and against juniors and seniors, is second to none, and this summer experience will certainly raise the level of their game both tactically and technically," Moraitis stated.

The team will also be coached by Lee Rogers, who helped the Vikings register for the league, and has coached the Girls Varsity Soccer Team at Baldwin High. Last year, the girls team reached the final, loosing a tight game to East Meadow, by the score of 0-2. Technical Director, Dan Brotman, will also assist with the team, while Jeff Finkle and Dom DiAgostino will help with all of the Administrative responsibilities.

All of the games will take place at Cuomo Park, in Seaford.

As the LIJSL 2010 Spring Season ended this past June, each of the EASA trained teams ended their seasons with great success by meeting or exceeding their team's objectives. EASA sets specific targets for each of our teams to obtain. The objectives are broken down into team goals for both the year and each season (Fall and Spring), as well as individual player goals. While success for players and teams are measured at various levels, the entire group of EASA trainers were excited with how strong each of our teams finished the Spring 2010 season.

Here is a quick synopsis of each of our teams:

The Torpedoes: The Boys Under 10 year old "C" team, finished the Fall Season with 8 loses and one tie. The focus over the Winter season was to continue to train this group of boys to develop a tactical understanding, and to help them achieve a higher level of conditioning. The results of our training allowed the boys to finish the Spring Season with 3 wins, 2 ties, and 4 loses, a tremendous difference from their first season. In fact, the boys allowed only one goal in their final 4 games. Also, one player was moved to the "A" team, and another moved to the "B" team.

The Dynamite: The Girls Under 12 "B" team faced many obstacles when they first came together. The team lacked a cohesive training approach, having endured several lackluster trainers since their inception, and were never taught how to play the game. The results spoke for themselves and the team was on the verge of disbanding when Dan Brotman took the reins as the coach and trainer. The aim was to begin to create a positive atmosphere with a true educational focus on learning all aspects of the game: technical, tactical, mental and physical. Dan Brotman began this transition by incorporating functional training methods and specific tactics to create more scoring opportunities. The approach paid off with the team going from scoring only 5 goals over the past three seasons total, to scoring 24 the next.
Dean Moraitis joined the team in the Spring and the addition made an immediate impact with his emphasis on conditioning. The Spring's results demonstrated that compassionate 360° Total Training makes a big difference with the girls finishing in 5th place, and, for the first time, making it to the second round of the Long Island Waldbam's Cup. Two of the girls were invited to move up to the "A" team, but declined the invitation to remain with the positive learning and supportive environment of the Dynamite The team's objective for the 2010 Fall season is to try and move up a Division for the first time.

The Real: The Boys Under 14 team, played in Division 2, but were faced with some major problems. Between boys leaving the team and certain players being injured, the Real were facing certain regulation to the 3rd Division. At the eleventh hour, Dean Moraitis was asked to rescue the remaining part of of the season and help the team survive as a unit. With only 11 players left, 9 who were viable to play, and having 4 games left in the season, Dean asked the boys to focus, work hard and come together as a cohesive unit, despite the obstacles. Moraitis set a target of obtaining at least 9 points. The Real became invigorated with Dean's never say die attitude, won 3 games of their last four games, and finished high enough to remain in Division 2. Thanks to the "big finish" and Moraitis staying on to be the full-time trainer, the Real have already signed four new players, and will be playing the 2010 Fall Season as the Manhasset Real.

The Blue Knights: The boys under 15 year old team finished in second place in Division 5 and will be moving up to Division 4. Considering that the team was 0-9 in Division 5 and had to drop to Division 6 when Dean Moraitis took over the team, demonstrates the improvement of the team and is another example of the benefits of the EASA approach. The team finished in second place during the Spring 2009 season in Division 6, and have been competitive ever since. Five new players have joined the team, and Dean feels that with the new players, and the continued development, the team should have no problem progressing to even a higher level of play.

The Power: The Girls Under 16 "B" team began the season playing in Division 4 for the first time, the highest level that they had played since Dean Moraitis took over the team three years ago when they were in Division 6. The aim was to be as competitive as they could be, and to try to reach the target of finishing in the top 5 spots, something that the team was able to accomplish. The new goal is to try to finish in first place and move up to Division 3.

The Predators: Six years ago, the Boys Under 16 year old "B" team began play, under Dean Moraitis in Division 8, going 0-7-1. This Spring season, the Boys began play in Division 3 with the hope of moving up to Division 2 at the end of the season. Unfortunately, the team was immediately beset with multiple injuries, forcing the team to roster five of their games with only 13 players. Considering the barriers, the team was still able to finish in 2nd place, and will be moving up to the Division 2, the highest level the Predators have ever played. The Predators also competed in several Premier Tournaments as well, and are looking forward to another successful season.

The Wildcats: The Girls under 14 team had an incredible season, winning Division 5, and allowing no goals, the only team in the LIJSL to do so. Playing most of the season without their main goal scorer, the team came together and instead of having one girl score, worked together and had 6 girls score for their team. The Wildcats will be moving up to Division 4. See the full story below...

The Port Washington Wildcats, GU14 in the Long Island Junior Soccer League, went undefeated and unscored upon in winning their division for the Spring 2010 season. The Wildcats were the only team in the entire league of approximately 1,500 teams that did not allow a goal the entire season.

One of the main aspects of EASA training is to focus on tactical defensive training, as a team. For years, EASA trained teams have finished with the fewest amount of goals allowed in each of their divisions. For the Spring, 2010 season, 4 of the 8 teams trained by EASA trainers finished the season with the least amount of goals scored. However, one of the teams, trained by Lee Rogers, finished the season with an amazing accomplishment. The Wildcats, an Under 14, Division 5, Girls team, that played in the LIJSL finished the season with no goals allowed. Considering that there are close to 1500 soccer teams that played in the Spring 2010 season makes this an incredible accomplishment.

Lee Rogers was not only proud of the teams accomplishment, but impressed with the level of intelligence the girls displayed. "When we first began training the Wildcats, the team lacked a tactical understanding of playing defense as a unit. Our focus, as trainers, was to make the girls understand that every player, regardless of their position, needs to understand that the most important part of the game is to help protect the goal. Once we did that, then we taught the team how to counter attack and take advantage of the space given to us from our opponents."

The team finished in first place and will be moving up to Division 4. As with all of our teams, EASA would like to congratulate the Wildcat Coaching staff, the players as well as all of the parents for a job well done!

The Predators have been competing for the past few years at several Premier Soccer Tournaments out of Long Island. This Memorial Weekend was no different, as the team competed at the Delta FC Invitational Tournament and College Showcase at Citizens Bank Fields at Progin Park in Lancaster, Massachusetts. This brand new complex has (16) 11v11 fields, including (5) artificial turf fields. It is considered to be the best soccer complex in New England and possibly the entire East Coast, and last year, the complex hosted the USSF National Finals.

While the Predators are a Division 3 team that competes in the LIJSL, all of the competition was against Regional Ranked teams from the North Eastern Part of the US. The team also had to compete without 5 players from the starting lineup (injuries, family obligations, etc), yet, the team performed way above expectations. While the final results were a tie and 2 loses (0-0, 0-3, 1-2), the Predators left an impressive mark to all that witnessed the games, and were asked to compete in next years Tournament, as well as an invitation to play scrimmages vs. other Ranked Teams from the region. It should be noted that the Predators were the only non-division 1 team that competed in this years tournament.

Besides playing the games, the boys had a wonderful time off the field as well. The team stayed at the Courtyard Marriott in Fitchburg, Mass., which also hosts Coco Key Water Resort, an indoor water park located in the hotel. The boys were able to enjoy some down time from the games, taking advantage of the rides that the park had to offer. As always, the boys enjoyed playing against some very strong competition as well as the time off the field as well. The coaching staff, Jeff Weintraub, Jeff Finkle, and trainer Dean Moraitis, are looking forward to the next College Showcase, which will be held at Fort Dix, New Jersey.

The European American Soccer Academy and the Port Washington Soccer Club are pleased to announced that the Spring Goalkeeper clinics will start on April 5th at the Manorhaven School. The clinics are free and open to all Port Washington Soccer Club players who want to enhance their technique with specific goalie training. The clinics will held every Monday for eight straight weeks at the Manorhaven Elementary School. Times will be as follows:

Boys & Girls U9 - U12: 5:30 to 6:30 PM
Boys & Girls U13 - U19: 6:30 to 7:30 PM

The clinics will be conducted by the European American Soccer Academy's Goalkeeping trainer, Mike Hurley.

The European American Soccer Academy is now training three new teames in Port Washington, New York.

The three new teams are: the Real Boys Under 14, the Dynamite Girls Under 12 and the Flames Girls Under 17.

EASA are looking forward to the new relationship with the players and family members of the three new teams.

While most New York football fans were glued to their television sets, hoping that the Jets would continue their run to the Super Bowl, the Predators were on their way to Rochester College, to participate in this years Clarkstown Indoor Soccer Tournament.

Clearly, the boys were focused more on soccer as they finished in second place, behind New Hyde Park (Division 1). This was an important accomplishment, in that the Predators were the only Division 3 team there, while all of their opponents were either Division 1 or premier. Their only lose was, in fact, to NHP (0-2,), but the Predators put on a defensive clinic, finishing their other 4 games with 4 shutouts, and a final record of 1-3-1.

The biggest thrill was their victory against Lynbrook America (Division 1) by the score of 1-0. Peter Ashley scored the winning goal after America's goalkeeper blocked a shot from John Marracho. The Predators Goalkeeper, Michael Moraitis, played exceptional, as did his fellow defenders, Brian Arranow, Jose Lopez, Matt Valenti, and Arjan Saraon, who played the game with a broken nose. The team will now continue their training, as they prepare for the Dix Hills Soccer Tournament in February.

For years, teams trained by the staff of European American Soccer Academy have always insisted on proper sportsmanship and behavior for all of the players that train with us. We feel that players who play with the spirit of the game in mind are giving a lot more respect as a leader than that of a player who is constantly bringing the game down by acting inappropriately.

When there is a presence of sportsmanship on the field, the game of soccer dramatically improves. You are then playing soccer for the love of the game without any intent of hurting the opponent. It is our pleasure to announce that this year, three of our teams won the Sportsmanship Award from the LIJSL for the Fall 2009 Season.

The teams that were awarded were the Predators (BU16), the Wildcats (GU14) and the Torpedoes (BU10). As always, Dean Moraitis and Lee Rogers are proud of their teams, and we congratulate, not only the players, but the Head Coach of each team, as well as the Parents!

By the late 80's, my dream to once again play soccer at either a semi, or professional level again, as I had played in Greece, was finally fading away. Three ACL surgeries on my left knee, a sore achilles tendon on my right foot, and other numerous injuries, had finally taken its toll — never mind the painful truth that I was, in fact, getting older and slower. The good news was that despite the pain and inability to run as I did when I was younger and healthier, I was still able to "contribute" with an adult team in Oceanside, where my good friend Lee Rogers played as well.

Lee and I had known each other for close to five years, and, besides being great friends off the field, had also connected soccer wise, he being the "General" in the midfield, looking to create any way possible, and I, taking advantage of his passing skills, scored most of the goals on our team. So, on a day where most "normal" people might have wanted to spend the day home, enjoying a hot cup of tea with a blanket and a remote control, avoiding the rain and close to freezing temperatures, Lee and I were playing with Oceanside, pretending that we were still in our younger 20's, playing against team from Queens, where most of the players were from Serbia.

As was common in those days, games were quite rough and dirty, and by the end of the game there would be a few "arguments" between the players of both teams. As both teams began their quarrels, Lee and I, having no interest of being a part of players pretending to be boxers instead of soccer players, walked over to the other side of the field, where a group of younger players from Oceanside were playing a team from Syosset.

As we watched the game, the transformation of us from being players to becoming coaches from the sidelines began, and our comments, as always, were quite critical. "Look at him not taking the proper space!" "Can you believe the coach is not telling them what they are doing wrong?" "What is he thinking, not passing the ball?" "What kind of system is this team playing?"

And then, of course, the most common thought would always come about: "If we were coaching, the team would be playing so much better!!!"

As we began to laugh about the fact of how critical we were to the Coach of Oceanside and his team, a parent from one of the teams that had tolerated our obnoxiousness, declared that we should become coaches ourselves and see how difficult it really is before walking away in disgust. We looked at each other, began to laugh again, and decided that one day, we would open our own Soccer Academy, and teach children the proper way to play the game...and maybe even invite that same parent to have her son play for us. We then decided to call it a day, wished each other well, and went on our own business.

A few years later, we began our own coaching careers, Lee with the Baldwin Soccer Club, in Long Island, and I first in Queens, New York, with a Semi-Pro Team, and then in Herricks, Long Island, as an Assistant Coach to the Boys Varsity Soccer Team. We quickly discovered that the parent that had spoken to us that cold afternoon, was quite right, in that coaching was not as easy as we had first thought. The good news, however, was that we both felt confident in that with our experience, passion for the game, and continued success, that we would one day achieve the goal that we had set for ourselves and pursue our dream of having our own soccer academy.

Almost 20 years later, and after several Scholastic and Club State Titles, High School National Rankings, numerous Conference Titles, Chase Cup and Waldbaums Cup titles, as well as numerous tournament victories all over the United States between us, what we once thought of as a joke, has now come true: the official birth of European American Soccer Academy (EASA). With that, we are happy to announce the start of our web site for EASA.

Creating a web site for European American Soccer Academy will not change our theories, or thoughts about coaching, or how we continue to be role models for our players. What we have done is allowed for a more modern approach, as well as easier access to all of the players, and parents of our teams. The good news will be that everyone will know exactly what out theories of the game are, and how in fact we coach our players. We will quickly post soccer team news and events so that players and coach's will be able to get information much quicker, about anything that is of interest, either about ourselves, our teams, or anything else of importance.

We will post team and game photos, and documents for all your soccer fans, friends, and family to see. We will also create a much easier way for parents and players to review soccer schedules and other events for your teams calendar to highlight your games, practices, and tournaments. Soon, we will also create youth soccer tips and drills to improve your player's game, and also have a newsletter that will have various sources of information for all to read. As time goes on, there will be other exciting information about various happenings on EASA's web site.

Please take your time and read up on everything that is on our site. We have taken our time to make our site as professional, and as informative as possible.

Welcome to our new home!

Dean Moraitis & Lee Rogers