Boxing Day 2011 Recap:

Is David Beckham headed to PSG?

There has been constant news about Englishman David Beckham heading back to Europe to finish his footballing career. Even last year, everyone was certain he was going to England once the new year came around. He did end up going to Tottenham, but just for a training loan. Harry Redknapp wanted to catch him on a 3 month loan, but LA Galaxy’s staff didn’t allow the deal. He played his heart out in the MLS season and finally added the MLS Cup to his list of awards. His contract with LA is now over and he must figure out what he wants from here.

Man Utd Bounce Back Against Wolves

**So this post is a few days old, just never got around to
posting it**

Man United bounced back from dropping points in the EPL and being knocked out of the Champions League by beating Wolverhampton 4-1. United had dropped points to Newcastle a few weeks ago and then was hit with knockout from the Champions League by not being able to beat FC Basel. There was a lot of concern on their future if they continued like this. The Manchurian tide was sky blue.

United's top player Wayne Rooney and Nani were out of form, until Saturday that is. Both Rooney and Nani scored two goals each. Is United back in top form? They were playing great in the beginning of the season so it might just have been a fluke. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger seems to believe that;

"You want to play in the Champions League but the risk is that you have to go out at some stage. You have to deal with the disappointment, that’s part of being a big club. “Let’s not forget that Manchester United have played in three finals out of the last four, so for them we have to consider it (exit) as an accident."

I personally think it’s great that he is looking out for other English clubs even if they might have a rivalry in the EPL. What do y’all think about Man Utd right now? Do they have an honest chance of winning anything this season or will Man City shatter those dreams?

-JoeyB

Chelsea 2 Manchester City 1

photo courtesy: Tom Jenkins (the Guardian)

On a rainy day in West London, Chelsea beat league-leading Manchester City 2-1 to move within 7 points of the top of the table.

Chelsea tops Valencia, wins Group E, and advances to last 16 of UCL

Photo courtesy: Scott Heavey/Getty Images

Chelsea beat Valencia 3-0 on Tuesday night to win Group E and advance to the round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League.

Adidas Predator Absolado Indoor Review

This our first ever product review and since indoor season is coming around if you haven't already started I’m going to review a pair of indoor boots. My adidas predator absolado indoor boots arrived yesterday. I ordered them from Eurosport/Soccer.com, so a shout out to them. These are the indoors based off the adipower. Just keep in mind that I used these boots on an indoor turf field, not on a basketball court.

Michael Owen Injury

Photo Courtesy: www.teamtalk.com

Michael Owen started for Manchester United in their 2-0 win over Otelul Galati yesterday. Sadly, only ten minutes after the start of play, Owen was subbed off with Chicharito coming on. At first it was unclear, but replays showed that after Owen attempted to reach for a cross he missed and pulled his muscle. It was actually beneficial that he missed the cross because as it floated past the face of the goal, Valencia tucked it away to make it 1-0 in 8 minutes.

Kasey Keller

As the final whistle fell upon the hallowed ground of CenturyLink Field in Seattle Wednesday night, so too did the alarm on the end of the professional career of goalkeeper Kasey Keller.

                                                     photo courtesy "prostamerika.com"

Jaguare and Twitter, Leo Messi and his 200th Barca goal, and recent racial outbreaks in the EPL

I’ve got a few things to talk about in this post. Let us start with our friends down in Mexico. Jaguares de Chiapas have decided to substitute players names with twitter handles on the back of their kits. The numbers is also featured in ‘twitter blue’ with a bird to the right of it. Now this must be a sponsorship but is also a fun idea. I have contacted Eurosport/Soccer.com to see if they will make a jersey with a custom handle, @flagisup perhaps? I will get back to you guys when I receive a response. In the mean time, check them out;

MLS Playoffs 2011: LA v NY First Leg

LA Galaxy took the 1-0 win over New York Red Bulls on Sunday
with an early goal from Mike Magee. The match took place in Red Bull Arena,
therefore LA have the away goal advantage. Both teams had chances, but that was
the low score line we were left with. NY had more shots, but LA were more
accurate with their shots on goal percentage.
Juninho and Rafa Marquez were both shown red cards after Rafa threw the
ball at Donovan which caused Juninho to retaliate. They will have to sit out
the second leg match when Beckham, Donovan and Keane host Henry, Rodgers and
Ream. Here are some highlights;

Manchester United V Liverpool Highlights

Photo Courtesy: CaughtOffside.com

Tottenham land Adebayor on a loan deal, Man City sign Nasri, Eto'o becomes the world's highest paid player and Robbie Keane comes to LA

Hi guys, so we haven’t been posting for a while and we missed our last podcast but Twil has been on vacation so we decided to skip it. As for the lack of posts, we have been super busy so we are going to do what we can. In the meantime, follow us on Twitter (@flagisup) for daily tweets on current matches and other soccer news. You can find a link on the right sidebar. Also like us on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/?ref=hp#!/pages/The-Flag-Is-Up-Soccer-Blog/171246266253046) for updates on posts. If you have any questions, ideas, or simply want to see some more of a certain topic on the blog, email us at theflagisup.blogspot@gmail.com

the flag is up podcast #2 August 15, 2011

Here it is folks, our second weekly podcast! This time around we discuss the games of the opening weekend in the EPL, as well as some late breaking transfer news. Enjoy and thanks for listening!

the flag is up podcast #1

Hello all. Below is our first ever podcast. We intended to have this ready on Monday but due to some technical problems, here it is on Friday! As the season gets underway, we hope to make this a weekly occurrence every Monday. This week we talk about the current state of US soccer, this summer's transfer window, and our thoughts on the upcoming EPL season. Enjoy and thanks for listening!

Edwin Van Der Sar &Paul Scholes Testimonials

United Players Paul Scholes and Edwin Van Der Sar both retired at the finish of last season. Both Being such great players for the club, they both had their own testimonial matches, just like Gary Neville earlier last season.

First was Edwin’s; where he put together his own dream team to face Ajax. The match took place in Amsterdam ArenA on August 3rd, 2011.

2011 World Football Challenge

Clubs from England, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Mexico and the USA will battle it out for the World football challenge. Here is a list of the participating teams;
Manchester City FC – English Premier League (three matches)
Manchester United FC – English Premier League (three matches)
FC Barcelona – Spanish La Liga (three matches)
Real Madrid CF – Spanish La Liga (three matches)
Juventus FC – Italian Serie A (three matches)
Club America – FMF Primera Division (three matches)
CD Guadalajara – FMF Primera Division (three matches)
Sporting Clube de Portugal – Portuguese First Division (one match)
MLS Eastern Conference – Major League Soccer
· Chicago Fire (one match)
· New England Revolution (one match)
· Philadelphia Union (one match)
MLS Western Conference – Major League Soccer
· Los Angeles Galaxy (two matches)
· Vancouver Whitecaps FC (one match)

Beckham: Still #1 in my Book

The classy David Beckham showed off Chicago Fire by providing the assist to Landon Donovan’s header to take the lead early in the second half. Nazarit brought Fire back into the game, also a header. But only minutes after, D. Becks secured the win by scoring from a corner kick. As he sent the ball in, it went through the goalkeeper’s legs, and into the netting. Another phenomenal goal to add to his collection.

Photo Courtesy: David Beckham's Facebook Page

Zoltan Gera to make a West Brom return?

West Bromwich Albion manager Roy Hodgson is prepared to bring former winger back to the club. The 32-year-old Hungarian International is currently a free agent after having his contract with Fulham come to an end.

Sneijder to Man United?

Manchester United have been given the green light to bid on Dutch midfielder, Wesley Sneijder. Sir Alex Ferguson has been keen on bringing the Inter man to Old Trafford for some time, but has finally placed a £35million bid, according to Talksport. Fergie has refrained from bidding in the past because of their manager, Leonardo, but he quit for PSG. Newly appointed manager Gian Piero Gasperini agreed to consider selling the world cup runner up to the Red Devils.

Tottenham confident to keep Bale and Modric?

It looks like Tottenham is subliminally saying that they will be keeping both Luka Modric and Gareth Bale this summer by sliding them into the ad for their new kits. Harry Redknapp did say Tottenham won’t be selling any major players, but I guess no one took him seriously enough. Take a look!

photo courtesy: http://www.footy-boots.com/

Man Utd Sign Two New Players:

Earlier this month, Phil Jones agreed to move to United also on a five-year contract from Blackburn Rovers. The 19-year-old is an English defender who does play some midfield. Once signed, Rooney made sure he welcomed the fellow Englishman by saying;

Champions League Final Preview

Well, it’s May 28th and the champions of England and the champions of Spain will battle today at 2:45 et. They are fighting to be crowned the Champions of Europe. Manchester United F.C. v. F.C. Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League Final.

adidas Finale London Pictures

Hey guys, my new adidas Finale London ball arrived today, Thursday May 26, 2011. This is the one that Soccer.com sent me as a replacement for the damaged Finale 10 ball. This is the official match ball for the Uefa Champions League Final in Wembley. Manchester United and Barcelona will use this exact model. Here are some pictures for y’all to take a look at. I do have a game on Friday night so I will be sure to give you guys the first Flag Is Up Product Review. In the meantime; Enjoy!
-JoeyB

Gary Neville: A True Red

Gary Neville’s Testimonial match took place this evening, where Old Trafford welcomed the Class of ’92 with some returning stars including David Beckham, Phil Neville and Nicky Butt. Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes also joined the Reds’ captain. They played Juventus who brought out a familiar Alessandro Del Piero.

#1 Soccer Supplier: Eurosport/Soccer.com

Hey guys, I wanted to tell you guys about this great soccer supplier I that I buy all my soccer related products from. Eurosport/soccer.com (http://www.soccer.com/)

Double Post: England bleeds the colors of Manchester. Red and Blue

**I didn't realize this didn't post the other day when I emailed it, so sorry for the inconvenience.

This is a double post for a few reasons, first of all because posting two separate post at once is pointless. Also because they happened on the same day and that it is a few days late. But at the same time, I'm going to actually split up this post into two, because I don't want to pass up these headline opportunities, rather than giving it one main title.

Manchester United knock Liverpool off their perch:


Manchester United took the last necessary point out of their match against Blackpool yesterday, sealing their 19th EPL title. United already had a 6 point lead on chelsea with the blues having only two games left, the total points they could get was 6. Rooney scored the EPL winning penalty after Chicharito was taken down in the box. The game ended 1-1 but it was enough to clinch the title. The Red Devils are now the most successful club in English History. Liverpool still remain the most successful English team in European history but United are slowly chipping away at that as well. They are in the Champions League final on May 28th, whereas Liverpool seem to enjoy the Europa League. United didn't lift the trophy just yet, it will most likely be after the final game this weekend.

Manchester City crack open the trophy cabinet:

That's right, after 34 years without a single piece of silverware, Man City decided to play like a team with millions of dollars behind. They beat stoke 1-0. Tevez did lift the trophy, but there is news stating he might be leaving the club this season. His claims are that it isn't about the money rather it being that the distance he is from his family isn't making England an enjoyable stay for the Argentine. Although it is uncertain where he would go. Whether Tevez does leave or not, the 2011 FA Cup is staying with Man City.

-JoeyB

“Come back when you’ve won 18”; We’re back and about to make it 19

In 1994, Liverpool fans made the famous banner saying “come back when you’ve won 18.” Well in the 2008/2009 season, United conquered that request but came in second the season after (last season), unable to make it 19. The clash between Manchseter United and Chelsea took place today and it was at the point where this game was going to make or break one of the two teams in first and second place. Winning would bring United closer to the 19th EPL title.

2011 UEFA Champions League Finalists

The finalists for the 2011 UEFA Champions League are ready to face off at Wembley Stadium, as the world prepares for the final of one of the world’s most exciting tournaments in soccer.

EPL Update

http://www.bostonsoccerfans.com/Portals/34943/images/premier-league-trophy.jpg

Hello all, I'm back from my lengthy hiatus of posting to fill in the blogosphere on everything going on in the world of footy.

2011 Copa Del Rey Final

Real Madrid met Barcelona for the third time this season, last night. This time it was for the Copa de Rey. The game ended 0 – 0 in regulation time and many fans were looking forward to penalties. Ronaldo, having the extreme height on his jumps, took the lead for his team with a towering header. Now I’d normally go into much more detail for this sort of match, but for two reasons I am not going to. First being that I don’t have a lot of time to write this and second I want to talk about what happened after.

www.yahoo.com

PFA Premier League Team of the Year

The PFA members have made their decisions and here are their choices for the 2011 Premier League XI:

FA Cup/EPL Title Race

Stoke City and Bolton met today for the second semi final of the FA Cup. Stoke scored three goals in the first 30 minutes. They were dominating the match and this only continued into the second half, where Jonathan Walters got a double. Stoke city completely shut out Bolton with the final result being 5-0. It will be interesting to see how Stoke does in the final against Manchester City. Manchester is eager to a new trophy and they are the big guns in this final, but they cannot under estimate Stoke, of it will be a replay of the Carling Cup final, Arsenal v Birmingham City. Arsenal was looking to update their trophy cabinet after six years, but fell 1-2. Manchester City and Stoke meet at Wembley on May 14th.

Etherington celebrates scoring Stoke's first goal. Photograph: Neil Tingle/Sportsphoto

The FA Cup, El Clasico, Copa Del Rey, Premier League, La Liga and Champions League

Dear Readers,

TWil and I, sincerely apologize for our lack of posting. We have both been very busy, but we are going to focus on TFIU a lot more, especially with a lot of seasons coming to a close. We have some great ideas for the blog including a new category of posting. We also have a surprise coming for you guys, but I’m going to stay silent until we get it going. Once again, I’d like to apologize and thank you for continuing to read The Flag Is Up. As a thank you, I have written a monster post, updating you on the FA Cup, El Clasico, Copa Del Rey, Premier League, La Liga and Champions League. Enjoy.

Mourinho’s Home Record Finished

Miguel de las Cuevas has ended Jose Mourinho’s unbeaten home record that has lasted throughout four clubs since 2002. Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. Real lost to Sporting Gijon yesterday and the Bernabeu, with only one goal for Gijon, that came from Cuevas in the 79th minute. Mourinho’s unbeaten record lasted for 150 home games and 9 years.

soccernet.espn.go.com

Chad Ochocinco trying a different variation of Football

www.wandaphullworld.com

MLS 2011

The MLS Kick off game took place last night featuring LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders, two popular MLS teams. Galaxy gained much of the popularity through the players on the pitch such as David Beckham, Landon Donovan and newly signed Juan Pablo Angel. Seattle on the other hand, being pretty new to major league soccer, has a huge fan base in the home city, but at the same time catches the attention of the new soccer fans with their bright green kits and Xbox shirt sponsor. Either way, this was definitely the fixture to jump start the new season.

Photo Courtesy: www.laist.com

The domestic fall of Bayern Munich

Last season, FC Bayern won the German cup and the Bundesliga before appearing in the UEFA Champions League Final. This season, their great European form has continued but that same brilliance has not been seen in their Bundesliga campaign.

Bayern Munich website

United-Liverpool Preview

Manchester United will play Liverpool on Sunday, who will look to slim the chances of United’s chances at the League title. After losing to Chelsea 2-1, the chance of winning the Premier League looks like it’s now open to the top four clubs, Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea. Liverpool are also looking for revenge on United after a FA Cup game earlier this season. The game ended 3-2, with only two scorers the entire game. Berbatov had a hat trick for United while Gerrard took two for Liverpool.

Photo Courtesy: Bleacherreport.com

time to party

A fun back and forth game at Stamford Bridge in London ended wonderfully as Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-1.

photo courtesy: Tom Jenkins/the Guardian

The Joys of the first of March

On December 19, a fixture was scheduled to be played between Chelsea and Manchester United, one with huge title implications. However, thanks to a London blizzard, we have a thrilling game to look forward to tomorrow at Stamford Bridge, with even more on the line.

http://thrillofenterprise.blogspot.com/

                                                        

The Long Awaited Clash: Manchester United v Chelsea

You might have read our posts on the Manchester United and Chelsea clash a few months ago, but probably just like us, you were shocked when it was postponed due to weather conditions. Well the game will take place tomorrow and we will have the chance to see the league leaders against last year’s defending champs.

Photo Courtesy: DoneDeal.com

Carling Cup: Arsenal’s trophy cabinet still dusty

Photo Courtesy: Football Rascal Blog

Arsenal haven’t won a major trophy in the past six years, and yesterday they had a chance, but nothing changed. After making it to the Carling Cup final, they fell to Brimingham City. They obviously went into the final as favorites and had their head held high after defeating Barcelona 2-1 after going down a goal.

Is the old Rooney back?

Photo Courtesy: OverOll.com

United Legends

Photo Courtesy: The First Post

www.thefirstpost.co.uk

The West London derby-What's left to rant about?

An impressive showing by Chelsea left them with only a point and an empty dream as the West London Derby yielded a dissapointing 0-0 result.

Jonathan Brady/EPA

                                                          

Goal of the Year? Manchester Derby

The Manchester Derby was one of the best match ups this season. United getting back from their first loss of the season against Wolverhampton, they had to prove themselves. City has been looking to close in on United all season, but couldn’t pull them back in it.

United Remember a Dark Day

I had never written a post yesterday, mainly because I was pretty bummed out because of United’s first league loss. It was against Wolverhampton, and the game ended 2-1. Anyways that’s not what I’m here to talk about. On this day in 1958 was one of the darkest of United’s History.

football and football

While I love soccer, I am also am a huge fan of many other sports including American football. With today's Super Bowl XLV and the great American holiday that is Super Bowl Sunday, I thought it would be a great time to take a look at just two of the games that take on the name, football.

The debut that wasn't at Stamford bridge

On the day in which illustrious striker Fernando Torres made his debut for Chelsea, the Blues fell to Liverpool 1-0 due to a return to flat offensive play and a helping of terrible game-changing calls by referee Andre Marriner.

                                                        image courtesy CNN

G. Neville Retires

(Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Giggs Wins the award for the Greatest United Player

After six weeks of voting and thousands of submissions, United fans have crowned Ryan Giggs the club’s greatest ever player, topping a poll held by the club’s official magazine, Inside United, and ManUtd.com.

Giggs– already the most decorated player with the most appearances in the United's history – took yet another accolade by a healthy margin, confirming the esteem in which he is held by Reds fans young and old.

Second place in the poll went to Eric Cantona, who fractionally edged George Best into third position.

Welsh winger Giggs was typically magnanimous when he found out he’d won. “When I got told I was really chuffed,” he said.

“I couldn’t believe it to be honest, especially when you look at the list of other players who are up there.”

Sunderland 2-Chelsea 4-Return to counter-attacking

On the day after the Transfer Window came to a close, there was football to be played, and the absence of highly anticipated arrivals David Luiz and Fernando Torres was not enough to hinder high-rolling Chelsea.

                                                                            bbc.co.uk

5 Point Difference: United and Arsenal Each Take a Win

Wayne Rooney waited a month to do what he did on New Year’s Day. He scored against Aston Villa today in the first minute, when goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar booted the ball across the length of the field to Rooney. He took two touches and blasted it past Brad Friedel, Aston Villa’s oldest player ever. After such an early goal, United played very calmly without any hesitation. Aston Villa on the other hand couldn’t seem to hold on to the ball and even when they did, United just picked up the pace and took it back. Ryan Giggs and Nani were controlling the game, making the plays and holding the ball. With only one minute left in regulation time of the first half, Nani send in a prefect cross across the goal to give Rooney an easy tap in and give him his second goal of the game.

Photoshopped by: Kevin Tedesco