Issue # 9.2.5 "Spain Reigns" (After Final) [Taylor Swift Theme]

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Monday, July 15, 2024

[ Dailies: Jul 11 ]

The 2024 European Champion
1968 Euro Champs   2008 Euro Champs   2010 WC Champs   2012 Euro Champs   2024 Euro Champs
ESP - Kingdom of Spain - Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF)	#8 | 1B | Winner | 7-0-0 4th Title ('64,'08, '12) B1: Beat Croatia 3-0 B4: Beat Italy 1-0 B5: Beat Albania 1-0 R16: Beat 3F-Georgia 4-1 QF: Beat 1A-Germany 2-1 (aet) SF: Beat 2D-France 2-1 FIN: Beat 1C-England 2-1

SPAIN SCORES LATE TO WIN RECORD 4TH EUROS
JBueno Wins Title; 7 had Spain as their champion

CERRITOS, CA (smt) - 1C-England had their five minutes of brilliance and turned a goalkeeper outlet into a game-tying goal in the 73' by Cole Palmer.  But that was it as ENG bunkered down and 1B-Spain sub Mikel Oyarzabal scored on a great give-and-go in the 86' to give ESP a 2-1 victory and their fourth European championship. Co-golden boot awardee (there were six who shared this) Dani Olmo headed a ball off the line in the 90' to preserve the lead.  ESP becomes the first European team to win all 7 games in regulation or extra time (Brazil did it in the World Cup 2002) and the young team only has room to grow.  ENG has now lost back-to-back Euro finals.

Spain vs England LIVE! & Copa Final

Noon PDT is kickoff

Saturday:  7 entries are alive and two can win the pool.

If SPAIN beats ENGLAND in Final…
1st	Jbueno	122
2nd	Merman	118
3rd	BigRedMessi 3	116
4th-Tied	Kds911-3	115	Tie:	7.0	Tied 4th if 6-8
4th-Tied	Luis Enrique's Armada	115	Tie:	7.0	Tied 4th if 6-8
4th-Tied	Big Blue	115	Tie:	10.5	Wins 4th if >=9
If ENGLAND beats SPAIN in Final…
1st	Merman	130
2nd	BigRedMessi 3	128
3rd	Big Blue	127
4th	Rainman	120

Cute dessert art!

Copa 3rd Place:  Okay, yet another reason we should be happy Gregg is gone - Canada managed to score twice on Uruguay (where USA couldn't) and nearly won the 3rd place game except for a stoppage time goal by the ageless Luis Suarez.  URU won in PKs to take 3rd.  I did wear my 2016 home URU jersey which has a cool sun pattern and had a cute rabbit at Premier Dessert Art in Monterey Park for a nightcap.  URU winning snaps a 2-game jersey losing streak... unless the streak is just for Euro matches ;-)

Sunday: The total goals thus far is 6.  I plan to wear a ESP jersey today so take note!

The theme song is a pop song?

11:50 am PDT:  Just realized the opening concert from OneRepublic is actually the theme song for the tournament.  With words.  I'm wearing my Xavi 2010 ESP home jersey with 2010 World Cup champion patch.  Does that mean a ESP win today?

12:00: Kickoff.  Love that the kickoff times start exactly at the top of the hour though I was worried they wouldn't get all the people and pomp and circumstance off the field in less than 4 minutes, but they did.

Foster's Football Brew #7.1 - Volume MMXXIV.a (7/4)

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Foster's Football Brew #7.1- Volume MMXXIV.a

Euro & Copa America Power Rankings & Hot Takes

I find myself with a day off because it's 4th of July, woo hoo!  So here are some hot takes on the Euro Championships and Copa America!

As we head into the Euro Quarterfinals, we've all seen the final 8 play 4 matches and have a better idea of who can compete for the crown.  My three champion picks in the HWCI Euro Pool aren't looking as strong as I had hoped, but most of these teams do have a chance to go all the way.  Here's my power rankings:

1) ESP:  this young team flashed promise in the recent World Cup, and that team was further bolstered by a few more very talented youngsters (a 16 year old in the starting line up!). Who can deny they’ve played the most dominant game among all teams in the tournament?  They press, possess, and take lots of shots. Spain is the team to beat, and they'll have a stiffer challenge from Germany than they did Croatia or Italy (more in that disaster later). Despite home field advantage, I predict a 2-1 victory for Spain. 

Save! Save! Save! (7/1)

For the win!

CYPRESS, CA - In the first big heavyweight fight of the knockout, #2 2D-France outlasted #3 2E-Belgium 1-0 on a late own goal in the 85', FRA's second win from an own goal this tournament.  This was predicted to be a quarterfinal matchup but happened in the Round of 16 because both teams fell to second in their groups.  BEL's generation is maybe officially extinguished as FRA outshot BEL 20-6 though FRA still hasn't scored from open play in 4 matches (2 own goals, 1 PK) and only made one sub in hopes of getting a cohesive starting 11 playing well.  

#6 1F-Portugal struggled against #57 3C-Slovenia with Ronaldo missing a penalty in the 105'.  The 0-0 match entered the penalty shootout and POR's GK Diogo Costa saved all three SVN attempts (a Euro record) in a 3-0 shootout win.  Ronaldo redeemed itself by making POR's first PSO attempt so he could stop crying.  SVN ended their Euros with four draws.

USA jersey with USA flag

50 picked POR to make the quarterfinals while 57 picked FRA.  49 went 2-0 while the other 9 went 1-1.  Disabling Below Jobs moves into 1st with 79 points while Germany Minus One and Rainman move up one spot to a tie for 2nd (78).  Previous leader Toast falls to 4th (76).  Overall, Disabling Below Jobs, Rainman, and BluesIsTheColour I (8th-Tied, 74) have gotten all 6 quarterfinal teams while three have gotten just 3 of 6.  Danglish moves into last with 57 pts.

With the FRAvBEL happening early, many had both BEL and FRA in the quarters (43 picked BEL) adn thus were guaranteed 3 points.

For the first time, I'm able to let folks know which entries can win the pool, finish in the top 4 money spots, or are eliminated.  Of the 58 entries, just 15 are eliminated leaving 43 entries with a chance to win money.  22 have a chance to win the pool.  Germany Minus One has the best chance to win the pool (15.2%) and win money (26.6%) with the GER champion pick.  Four others have 12.5-13.5% chance to win the pool and five entries have a 21.3-24.4% chance to win money so it's still way too early to feel confident.

21goals is tied for 5th but can't win the pool (has the same remaining picks as Germany Minus One) while BigRedMessi 2 (NED as champ) and JBueno (ESP over ENG in final and NED in semis) are tied for 50th but can still win the pool.  Soccer Guru and Soccerbix are tied for 23rd and are eliminated while BigRedMessi 2 (1st), I Say Old Chap (3rd), and JBueno (1st) are tied for 50th and can still win money.

I wore my Alexi Lalas USA home 1994 denim jersey and paired it with the Stars and Stripes flag at the Boys & Girls Club of America in Cypress while my son did his scout meeting.  Did not do any good as USA flamed out losing a must-win to Uruguay 1-0.  

While Gregg Berhalter supporters said the USMNT came out with energy and played well in the first half despite the horrible ref, in the end, the results showed USA had just one shot (a harmless header that the GK grabbed with two hands for a "save").  So what is the difference if they just bunkered down and had one shot?  You can have all the energy but it's not like they peppered the URU GK with 6-8 shots to keep him busy.  They generated nothing.  If Gregg is such a nice guy and allegedly has a united locker room, then hire him as the team psychologist... we need a good coach.  Sigh.

Not as expected....

 Well, these are just friendlies, right?  In a few days:

• At home, #4 England lost to #72 Iceland (again, remember the Euro 2016 Round of 16).
• At home, #2 France were held to a nil-nil draw by #49 Canada!
• #26 Hungary lost for the first time since 2022 to #60 Ireland but bounced back to beat #78 Israel.
• And both #14 Mexico and USA were down 2-0 and scored a second half goal... but while Mexico then tied it before losing in extra time to #5 Brazil 3-2, the U.S. poor passing led to a 5-1 trouncing at home by #12 Colombia.  How is USA #11?  And why is Berhalter still coach (the consultant company that determined he was still the best choice of coach should never get another job again)
• #6 Portugal split their games with Ronaldo, heading for his record 6th Euros, scoring twice.  

So USA faces Brazil in a friendly today so let's cross our fingers.  Luckily, USA's Group C is winnable with #45 Panama and #85 Bolivia but do have #15 Uruguay (remember, Colombia was #12).  Go USA and wouldn't it be great if two CONCACAF teams met in the Copa America final??  Well, I can dream...

As for the Euros, has any of these results changed your mind?  The deadline to enter the pool is Friday at noon (PDT).  We already have 18 entries.

Issue # 9.2.5 "It's Coming Home" (7/10)

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Saturday, July 10, 2021 
Issue # 9.2.5 "It's Coming Home" - History of our Pool

The European Championship Final   -
1934 WC Champs 1938 WC Champs 1968 Euro Champs 1982 WC Champs 2006 WC Champs	vs	1966 World Cup Champs
ITA - Italian Rep (Italy) Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC)		ENG - England The Football Assoc (The FA)
#7 | 1A | Winner | 5-0-1 4th Final ('68, '00, '12) A1: Beat Turkey 3-0 A4: Beat Switzerland 3-0 A6: Beat Wales 1-0 R16: Beat 2C-Austria 2-1 (ET) QF: Beat 1B-Belgium 2-1 SF: Beat 2E-Spain 1-1 (PSO 4:2)		#4 | 1D | Winner | 5-0-1 1st Final D1: Beat Croatia 1-0 D4: Tied Scotland 0-0 D6: Beat Czech Rep 1-0 R16: Beat 2F-Germany 2-0 QF: Beat 3C-Ukraine 4-0 SF: Beat 2B-Denmark, 2-1 (ET)

ITALY GOING FOR 2ND EURO TITLE; ENGLAND ITS FIRST
Final is Noon PDT Sunday

ROSEMEAD, CA (smt) - After watching Lionel Messi get his (hard-to-believe) first international trophy (Copa America) in Argentina's foul-filled, what happened to VAR, 1-0 win over Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro (BRA) (in front of some fans for once), you wonder if 1D-England will suffer the same fate as BRA at home to 1A-Italy.  ENG is 4-0-1 in London's Wembley Stadium this tourney but ITA does have an extra day of rest.  ITA is making its fourth Euro Final but haven't won it since '68 while ENG is just making its 2nd final, Euro/World Cup combined, but did win the WC Final in '66. 

For years, people have asked about the Euro pool, usually right after each World Cup.  Having not watched the Euros (I don't think it was regularly on live TV until the '08 one), I didn't know what to expect.  Considering each World Cup has "token" teams from Africa and CONCACAF (e.g., blowouts), the '12 Euros only had 16 teams and all were quality.  So even though the setup was different from the World Cups (32 teams), I managed to get it to work.  Granted it was a little easier because it was just the top 2 teams (no 3rd place to worry about like in '16 and '20).  But folks like Eric F convinced me people would be interested and they were, with 39 entries in our first year.

Just our 3rd Euro pool,

FFB 21.2 Copa Finals Preview

Saturday, July 10, 2021

So this evening at 5pm kicks off Lionel Messi's penultimate opportunity to earn a title for Argentina, one that has eluded La Albiceleste since 1993.

While most the world has focused on the Euro, the Copa America 2021 championships conclude a tournament featuring Wall-to-Wall, heart-filled, non-stop action. In comparison, The Copa has been a hard tackling, dirty affair, tallying 102 yellow cards by 10 teams across 27 matches. The nicer Europeans managed only 136 yellow cards by 24 teams across 50 matches. Don't play in adult soccer leagues in South America without shin guards and supplemental health insurance!

Leo Messi has worn his heart on his sleeve throughout the tourney, hussling, providing leadership, notching many assists, and scoring four goals (tied for tournament lead). He is just two goals short of Pele's South American international competitions record. Messi is surrounded by a younger squad featuring some promising up-and- comers. I would say the team is very nearly as good as the 2014 World Cup team. Lo Celso and Lautaro Martinez are both creative and dangerous, showing better finishing in the final third than 2014 group. However, this defense is more susceptible than the 2014 WC Runners Up. As an ARG fan, that Achilles heel worries me. 

A random note for Argentina fans: if Scaloni starts Nico Gonzalez, ARG has a 50% chance at best to win. If he stays longer than 60 minutes, ARG's chances fall to 35%. I was pulling out my non- existant hair during his poor performance vs Ecuador in the quarterfinals, with blown shots off easy passes from Messi, a near own goal, and useless fouls, one of which led to a yellow card (woulda been a red card at the Euros!) 

I predict Messi gets a goal, with regulation ending in a 2-2 tie with penalty kicks, giving an edge to Brazil given Argentina's PK's history. 

Catching Up!

BACKYARD BBQ -- Just trying to see what else it out there right now in world football...  

• Although there have been zero fans and lots of controversy, the top 2 teams in South America will meet for the COMNEBOL Copa America final Saturday night as the #3 team Brazil hosts #8 team Argentina.  Lionel Messi will be going for his first Copa title, believe it or not, as ARG has not won Copa since '93.  BRA is a slight favorite and you can watch on FS1 at 5 pm PDT.
• UEFA is doing away with the away goals tiebreaker for the '21-22 season.  In place since '65, if the two-match aggregate is tied on goals, then whoever has the most "away" goals wins.  Now, if goals are tied, extra time and penalty shootout will commence.  This only applies to club competitions.  Away goals is still the 5th tiebreaker for qualifying and the Nations League playoffs are knockout matches.
• The USMNT won't field its strongest lineup for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, a farce of a tourney that features "qualified" teams of Curacao, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Suriname, and Qatar (yes, I know, not from CONCACAF but invited).  BTW, it kind of technically already started with "Prelims" that took place as triple headers in Ft. Lauderdale on July 2/5/6.  So, ignore everything until the Quarters start on July 24.  The final featuring USA and Mexico will be in Las Vegas's new stadium, so that is cool (well hot, since it will likely be 100°+F).
• The USWNT named their 18-player roster and it includes 17 from the '19 World Cup team.  That is surprising as it is hard to usher a new crop of talented players if they are frozen out by the veterans.  At least the four alternates are newbies.  The team begins its quest July 21 (two days before the Opening Ceremony in front of no fans).

Foster’s Football Brew Round 3 – Copa America Finals

Foster’s Football Brew

Round 3 – Copa America Finals

June 24, 2016

The Copa America has one fewer stages of play than the EURO (or World Cup for that matter), so it’s going by quickly now.  As many analysts predicted, Argentina will play Chile in the final.  Here is an overview of the knockout stage of Copa America Centenario:

Quarterfinals Game 1:  USA vs. Ecuador – UNBELIEVABLE

It really helped the US to get off to an early lead.  They aren’t the kind of team that is built for comebacks against superior opponents.  In this case, the Yanks made the most of their opportunities despite not enjoying a ton of ball possession.  It was perhaps the best performance I’ve seen Team USA put together.  They could have even run up the score if Jermaine Jones hadn’t earned himself a red card for putting his hands on another player’s face away from play (a new rule of FIFA requires an automatic red for purposefully touching an opponent above the shoulders away from the run of play).  His absence was coupled by an Ecuador red card, so the stars & stripes managed to hold on to their lead to advance to the semi-finals…quite an achievement! 

On the other hand,