Oh Lord..... What a beauty!

(View of Wembley from..well Wembley)

She's new on the scene, she's big in town, she's got pair of giant monitors and she's home to 90,000 men. No I am not talking about Avram Grant's wife..... but Wembley!

Last weekend I was very lucky to be treated to the FA Cup final. Wembley can only be described as amazing....As we walked up the steps to enter the place my jaw hit the floor. It truly is fit to be called the home of English football. The atmosphere was electric. The spectacle of the event unrivaled and the stadium itself an edifice of carefully designed beauty.

As you can probably tell this was my first visit to the new Wembley and my first FA Cup final. We flew in on Friday for a 2 day beer sandwich filled with Welsh over achievers and seamen from the south coast (hello sailor!)

The build up to the game reached a climax as female drummers danced on a stage, and the noise levels slowly reached pandemonium. A sea of flags to our left and right indicated that for both sets of supporters the temporary nerve-induced equivalent of Parkinson's had well and truly set in.

First half.
Cardiff were always over matched in this game but they got off to a flyer and had a fair spell of the possession in the first 20 minutes. Even forcing David James into action twice. After 20 minutes Pompey set off on their first counter attack with Utaka on the ball and pretty much looked comfortable for the rest of the half. After missing a sitter, Kanu pounced on Cardiff keeper Enckleman's fumble and popped the ball into the empty net. Cue stupid dance.

Second half
Pompey spurned second half chances to kill off Cardiff only to give the Welsh minnows hope as the clock ticked down. It was obvious to all except David Jones that Hasselbaink was impotent to Campbell's height. The former Chelsea striker wobbled along the back line line like an old lady running for a bus. Cardiff replaced him for the younger (taller) Stephen Thompson and they suddenly started to hold the ball around the Pompey area. Jones also brought on lively teenager Aaron Ramsey.

Ramsey jinked his way through the midfield on no less than 4 occasions in just 10 minutes or so. He will soon be jinking his way out of Cardiff as this is one kid will soon be plying his trade in the Premiership very soon. He creates space by receiving the ball close to his opponent only to sprint away, turn and take on all comers. The second half showed why both teams were playing in different leagues. Cardiff played simple passes and Portsmouth created space with skill and speed.

The fourth official waved his board indicating 4 minutes of stoppage time and the Cardiff supporters roared. The players raised their heads and found the energy for another pop at the Portsmouth defence. Why these four minutes seemed more important than the four before baffled me but there you are. Cardiff bossed the closing minutes and flooded the area.

After a final round of ping pong in the Portsmouth box the ball was cleared and the ref blew for time. The Portsmouth fans started their party and the Welsh tears started to flow.

I couldn't help thinking how cruel the Wembley steps must be for the losing team. A slow hike up several flights of stairs only to be handed a shiny silver medal that brands you a loser. Then the bluebirds had to stand on display in the middle of the pitch as the Portsmouth players marched to the top of the steps to get their hands on the FA Cup. Harry finally had his trophy and the players pranced around the pitch in ridiculous hats.

Portsmouth fans had waited a long time for their second cup win in their history and they celebrated accordingly. As a neutral I enjoyed watching the joyous scene with a sad jealousy. The notion set in that I may never enjoy this party as a Norwich fan. Maybe one day...and then Wembley old girl.....

I'll be back!

Wembley picture gallery

(Cardiff fans at Wembley)

(Cardiff V Portsmouth Kick off)

(Portsmouth parade the FA Cup in front of their supporters)

(We can see you! A couple of Cardiff players mope in the posh area high above us as we leave)

(Cardiff City players watch as Harry lifts the Cup)

(Bobby Moore overlooking Wembley Way)

(Paul is overawed at the sight of Tottenham's new socks)

(Ballack is nothing!)

(Pompey Party)

(Paul celebrates the existence of beer)

(Mickey points to his new spot 'Torres'. The name stems from his/it's ability to dribble and shoot!..Gross..I KNOW)

-Bigus.

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Congratulations Manchester United

[Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images]

As much as many people rooted for the meteor to win the Champions League Final, it was not to be. Manchester United and Chelsea put on a dramatic show with the Reds prevailing in a shootout over the Blues.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Frank Lampard scored the goals and Ronaldo, John Terry and Nicolas Anelka missed their spot kicks. It was not a defensive stalemate. Rather it had plenty of action, good and bad.

So, I doff my hat to the Mancs and say job well done.

After the jump, a photo essay of the final.

Ronaldo scores the opener off a header.
[AP Photo/Alastair Grant]

Frank Lampard scores the equalizer.[Reuters]

Drogba sees red all over.
[AP Photo / Owen Humphreys/PA]

Petr Cech saves Ronaldo's spot kick with his face.
[AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev]

Ronaldo reacts to his miss.
[AFP/Getty Images]

John Terry slips and misses his spot kick.
[AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev]

John Terry reacts to his miss. Poor John Terry. I feel terrible for him.
[AP photo/Alastair Grant]

Chelsea players react to John Terry's miss.
[AP Photo/Alastair Grant]

Edwin Van der Sar with the winning save of Anelka.
[Photo: The Sun]

Opposite Angle of Anelka's miss.
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images

United celebrates Van der Sar's save.
[AFP/Alexander Nemenov]

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Wednesday Backpasses: Well, someone had to win

You know, by now, how the Champions League final ended. I'm proud of calling the 1-1 score line and the Ronaldo PK miss and was actually a little miffed when Brave John Terry missed his. Still, I had no dog in the fight, so, congratulations to Manchester United, champions of Europe. On to the links.

CL fans could have blown England's 2018 bid for the World Cup. Has anyone heard anything out of Moscow yet? [Guardian]
Ryan Giggs passed Bobby Charlton's all-time ManU appearances record, wore special boots [The Sun]
John Terry's boot bag. Is it the reason he missed the PK? [Daily Mail]

Non-CL links and a Toulon update after the jump.

Roberto Baggio was pretty good, despite taking Terry-like penalties [NYTimes Goal blog]
Torres finally got a haircut. It looks, well, not so good [This is Extra Time]
Looking at future MLS expansion [WV Hooligan]
New York Times discovers some NBA players also like soccer [NYTimes]


Toulon Update

Turkey 3-2 USA
USA looked about two steps behind today. Both first half goals could be attributed to ball watching. The Americans started off brightly in the second half, and gained a goal in the 58th minute. However, off the kickoff, keeper Dominic Cervi did not communicate with his center backs and allowed Turkey to score again. Ochoa notched a second for the US, but did not make up for his first half miss. Thankfully, given his rustiness, Cervi will miss the rest of the tournament. He spilled an early ball, and was clearly at fault on that last goal for not taking control of his box and instead assuming the defenders running with their back to the ball could make the play. Also, Feilhaber limped off injured in the 2nd half and will not be seen again at the tournament as he joins the full NT in training for England.

Italy 2-0 Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast dominated the first half of play, but could not translate the dominance into goals. They did have a golden chance after earning a PK, but Sekou Cisse's weak attempt was smothered by the Italian keeper. After the break, Italy started to come alive and took the game to the Ivorians. Sebastian Giovinco, who plays for Empoli, scored a brace, and the Ivorians just seemed worn out by the end of the game.

Tomorrow:
France - Japan 1200 EDT
Netherlands - Chile 1430 EDT

Oh, and if you read Spanish better than I do and want to keep up with Toulon, go here

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Open Thread: Champions League Final

It doesn't appear any of us are able to liveblog this match, but we encourage all of you to contribute to the dialog of the match by posting comments here. We'll try to provide updates after the jump as our schedules permit.

Starting Lineups:

Chelsea:

Cech, A. Cole, Terry, Carvalho, Essien, J. Cole, Ballack, Makalele, Lampard, Malouda, Drogba

ManU:

Van Der Sar, Brown, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Ronaldo, Scholes, Carrick, Hargreaves, Rooney, Tevez

I'm on the record for a 3-1 Man U victory. I hope there are lots of goals, but I'm not optimistic about it.



The pitch looks green, but that might be from paint. It's supposed to keep raining today so the pitch could become a factor. A factor that would likely help Chelsea.

0:00 - Kickoff. Of not Park not on Man U bench. And, check out this new feature on Soccernet. I will be keeping an eye on it.


22:00 - Shit...I had to deal with the A/C subcontractor and come back to a bloody Scholes and two yellow cards.

26:00 - Ronaldo with his 42nd of the season. A nice header off of a cross from Wes Brown. Ronaldo truly is quite good in the air.

27:00 - On the other end Ballack wastes a good chance.

34:00 - Wow...Chelsea had a great chance. Drogba received a cross on the touchline and headed it back across to the middle of goal box with Ferdinand getting between Ballack and the ball just getting the ball but almost scoring an own goal but Van der Sar saves.

34:00 - On the ensuing play Rooney comes all the way back to steal the ball, then makes a run to midfield but about 10-15 yards prior to the midline, launches a cross across to the left side to Ronaldo who receives outside the Chelsea 18 and then crosses it to Tevez who almost puts it in but Cech blocks and then Carrick threatens to score but Cech saves again conceding a corner. Really thrilling play. My words don't do it justice.

42:00 - Rooney is playing out of his mind. Just crossed the ball over the 18 and Tevez blew is second chance at a goal completely missing the cross with the goal wide open as Cech closed out.

42:00 - Ferdindand takes down a Chelsea player justoutside the penalty box. Drogba and Ballack stand over the ball. Ballack sends it over the bar.

44:00 - Goal!! Terrible defensive play by Man U. United gives up the ball and Lampard latches on to it to equalize. If Tevez had capitalized, this wouldn't even matter.

45:00 +2 - Carvalho comes in late and takes Ronaldo out at the shins. Nasty tackle and a yellow for the Portuguese defender.

Halftime: 1-1

2nd Half

46:00 - No changes in the lineups. ManU dominated the first half but came out tied. Let's see if they can continue to dominate. Tevez needs to capitalize on his chances.

A/C's fixed, but it's not hot here anymore.

57:00 - Vidic with a great play, keeping the cross away from Drogba conceding a corner that did no harm.

58:00 - Ballack marches down the middle of the pitch and booms a shot wide and high. Impressive but ineffective.

59:00 - Makalele bloodies another Red. Hargreaves this time with a vicious elbow but no card.

60:00 - Will we see any subs? Giggs for the record? Somebody for Makalele before he gets a red?

30 minutes to go and the blood is starting to boil. More cards are definitely in the offing as Ballack is upset at Tevez. He should be happy with Tevez because his country took a bunch of German immigrants a few years back.

68:00 - Ferdinand is down. Looks like a calf cramp.

71:00 - Maka down and Chelsea concedes a corner.

77:00 - Really boring stretch, until Malouda goes down in the box appealing for a penalty to no avail.

78:00 - Drogba finally decides to show up and gets off a great shot that was only saved by the right post.

82:00 - Tevez gets a long shot off but off the mark.

84:00 - Giggs is warming up and looks set to come in and break Sir Bobby Charlton's record for United appearances.

87:00 - Giggs on for Scholes. There's the record.

90:00 + 2 -- This is riveting. United is finally attacking again.

Full Time 1-1

Intrepid sideline reporter Dave Roberts (?) says the rain is coming down and the pitch isn't holding up. Great.

I just wanted to point out that 4-time CL medal winner Clarence Seedorf is not a good color commentator/contributor in English. It's not because he's black, it's because he is difficult to understand. This is compounded by the fact that he sounds like he's commentating from satcom in Iraq.

We're underway. No changes.

93:00 - Kalou on for Malouda. I like it. Not defensive.

94:00 - Somehow Chelsea didn't score again as United's defense was scrambling. Lampard made a nice turn in the box but was denied by the crossbar.

96:00 - Joe Cole throws a tantrum and won't get up. Fan shot...Russian guard puts on ManU jersey.

98:00 - Essien finally appears on the offensive end with a nice run into the box but it is cleaned up easily by Vidic. Had good potential.

Anelka on for Joe Cole. More offense. Nice.

101:00 - Giggs blows a sure fire goal after Evra made a beautiful run. replays show terry just got a head on it.

Rooney off for Nani. He had a great game. I am surprised to see him go off.

103:00 -- Ronaldo comes back to retrieve the ball and makes a nice feed to Tevez who shoots it right into Cech's chest.

105:00 - Man U gets really lucky with a Vidic tackle, otherwise Chelsea was off to the races.

End First Period of Extra Time

106:00 - Back again. It's looking like the teams are settling in for PKs with an occasional frontward foray.

110:00 - Still waiting for some magic. We have had potential magic.

111:00 - Vidic with a hard tackle on Anelka and gets a card. Not sure it was deserving. Chelsea with a freekick from 25 yards.

112:00 - Drogba splays it wide right.

114:00 - Nice bit of work by United with a couple of chances but Chelsea held firm until Hargreaves' cross was too close to Cech.

115:00 - Ashley Cole scratches his crabs. The commentators just mentioned that it is 1:00 a.m. local time. That's ridiculous.

115:00 - a little scrum going on right now. Tevez was livid. Ballack gets a card. Vidic had to be restrained. Drogba gets RED!!! Tevez with a yellow.

Drogba slapped Vidic in the face. What a bitch! Good ridddance. Hopefully they ship your ass off to the boot tomorrow.

118:00 - Essien with a yellow. It's dropping buckets of rain now.

120:00 - Two minutes of added time. Looks like it will be PKs.

120:00 + 1 - Nani and ACole clash heads in the box. Cech shows his concern and runs over to Nani to check on him. Experience, unfortunatley, means Cech is like this.

120:00 + 5 - Belleti on for Makelele, Anderson on for Wes Brown. It's PKs nows.

FULL TIME

PKs

All kicks on the ManU end. ManU goes first

Tevez -- slots low right; Cech dove left.
Ballack -- slots high right, VDS guess correctly but couldn't get there.

Carrick -- goes left, Cech right.
Belletti -- low right, VDS left.

Ronaldo -- Ronaldo misses...with his little giddyup. Poor kick. Sheva all over again?
Lampard -- slots Right, VDS got a hand on it but not enough.

Hargreaves -- Upper left V. Wow! Perfect.
Ashley Cole -- low left, VDS had it but couldn't save it. That was really close.

Nani -- left side netting, Cech guessed correctly.
Terry -- This is it! Misses wide right!!! Grace of God saves ManU.

Terry's foot slipped as he kicked.

Anderson - up the middle, and Cech can't get a hand on it.
Kalou - slots home to the right. VDS guessed left.

Giggs -- low right, Cech left.
Anelka -- I've got a feeling.

VDS SAVES!!!! WOW!!!

Ronaldo cries on the ground. He owes VDS a car, a bunch of money, tons of stuff.

Chelsea goes down on PKs to another team in Red, yet again.

John Terry is crying.

Tommy Smyth described Ronaldo crying, pitching a fit in the center circle while the rest of the team celebrated downfield with VDS and the fans. What a putz. That is until Gary Neville, in a suit, came out and told him to celebrate with his team.

Congratulations is in order for ManU. They have the double. They have the Big Ears.

I always feel bad for a team that loses on PKs, even if it is Chelsea. It is such a difficult way to lose. Even moreso when the last PK was lost perhaps because of a slip.

It just hit my inbox...English players and PKs...discuss.

Good question. Although, I think this was just bad luck. Not a choke.

Just read that this was SAF's first PK shootout win ever as a manager.

Sir Bobby Charlton leads ManU up to the trophy. For some reason, Ronaldo is right behind him and not the captain, Rio Ferdinand. What selfishness.

At least Ferdinand and Giggs get to raise the trophy.

Read more on "Open Thread: Champions League Final"...

A really quick and rushed attempt at a CL Final preview

Today's programming should be fun, if not a little ire-inducing: after all, the two teams fighting for this mighty honour are two of the three teams I hate the most in the world. Manchester United, and Chelsea. [There's no danger of Everton ever reaching a prestigious game like this, really]

On one side, you have a team run by a drunk Scot, hell-bent on infecting the world with Cristiano fever. He's got a deep, talented squad, and he's smug about it.

The Russian, before he became old and evil

On the other side, the blue menace from London, a team owned by an unscrupulous Russian oil merchant who is intent on ruining the transfer structure by paying top dollar for damaged goods.

Lesser of two evils? Is there such a thing in this one?

Putting personal hatred aside for just a moment, there are enough juicy storylines to keep us entertained.

FAREWELL, SWEET DIVING PRINCE:
Could this be Drogba's last game for Chelsea? Or, as I indulge in the most ridiculous of weekend gossip, Cristiano Ronaldo's? He'd really love a move to Spain, you know... as would Frank Lampard.

Furthermore, could this be the end of Sir Alex Ferguson? He's won just about everything there is to win, and while his retirement would be a serious shocker, it could happen. After all, he's got enough cash in the bank to inhabit a bar stool for the rest of his days. The temptation is pretty strong, I'd imagine.

THE BIG CHEATING PAYBACK:
It's been less than a fortnight since Man U won the title from right under Chelsea's nose. Avram Grant, passive and morose as he might seem, would love a bit of revenge. Not only would this be Chelsea's first CL win [remember, there was a time when Liverpool would simply knock them out in the semis... alas, that duck is broken], but it would prevent SAF from winning the silverware that's eluded him the longest. They did win it in 1999, but nary a sniff since then. Racking up EPL titles is one thing, but what good does it do when you can't win Europe's biggest prize?

LET'S HOPE THE REFEREE IS CARD-HAPPY:
Nothing spices up a big game like an early red card [just ask Richard Dunne]. Today's referee is Lubos Michel, the guy who awarded Luis Garcia's goal in that cagey 2005 semi-final against Liverpool. You know the one: just over the line, Terry and co. protesting vigorously [some things never change], the one that put LFC in the final where they had that comeback you might have seen.

Well, he's the man in charge today, and if the last Chelsea/Man U encounter wasn't violent or contentious enough, I expect nothing less than bloodshed and late tackles from both sides today.

Evra better keep a lid on it this evening.

In true prognosticating spirit, I took a quick poll of UF brethren to see what they think will happen today.

I swear: if it ends up being 1-0, I will murder someone.*

The Fan's Attic:
Since Ronaldo never comes up big in the big matches. I can't go with him for MoM. I think United wins. 3-1. Terry is injured. Drogba flops 14 times only to be outdone by Ronaldo with 16 flops. Tevez scores a brace and is MotM. Ballack scores for Chelsea, and Ferdinand finishes the job. Ferdinand plays out his mind and permanently takes the armband from Terry. Van Der Sar saves a Lampard PK that would have put Chelsea up 2-0 to send him off to Italy.

Precious Roy:
Chelski wins 2-1. Ballack and Malouda for Chelsea, Rooney for Man U.

ü75:
Chelsea after PKs. 1-1. Tevez and Ballack to score. Ronaldo misses his spot kick. Brave John Terry MotM.

Ian:
You guys are such optimists. I'm voting for Ronaldo to score in the first half, followed by a very questionable awarded to Chelsea deep into second half injury time. Chelsea then manage to scrape through in penalties. 1-1 (Chels wins on PKs)

Moonshine Mike:
As much as i hate to say it, 1-0 in favor of ManU. I feel dirty now.

Lingering Bursitis:
I will be optimistic in saying that there will be many goals.
3-2 Man U
Man U: Ronaldo, Vidic, Scholes
Chelsea: Drogba 2

---
So there you have it folks. We've reached the end of the European football season, barring some minor former Soviet bloc countries who are wrapping up their domestic leagues. We have 90 minutes of potentially good football left before the tidal wave of average football at Euro '08 [why yes, of course I'm still bitter that we didn't qualify].

Let's hope we get what we all deserve: some good goals, and one set of players crying openly for the cameras after the final whistle.

*A figurative "someone"

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Tales of Travel Endurance

Suppose you are a Manchester United or Chelsea fan. What would you expect to play for travel from England to Moscow? Would you be willing to fork over the equivalent of $4000 just for travel? Or would you try to do it a bit cheaper?

There are some fans out there now, possibly still traveling, who made the trip for considerably less money. Inside, a quick look at the lunacy of trying to travel thousands of miles on a strict budget.

Martin Sheehan is a Manchester United supporter. He is also rather cheap, it would seem. Instead of plunking down the bug bucks to get to Moscow, he is being a bit more creative. His estimated travel cost is $170, round trip. Of course, his entire trip will take five days, and will involve two 28-hour long train trips, but dammit, he's thrifty.

Others are making the same low-cost effort. This involves planning plane trips that criss-cross Europe in a manner which, if filmed, would look like an Indiana Jones parody. Others are taking a week and a half to drive both ways. No thanks.

You know what? I can watch the game on my TV in the comfort of my own home. If I need a little camaraderie, I would go to a friendly pub to watch the match. Of course, I'm old, so that may have a lot to do with it, but still. That's a lot of money to spend or time to spend on a trip to somewhere where the weather isn't even nice. Me, I'd rather be on a beach in the Caribbean. Or at Wayne Rooney's bachelor party.

Read more on "Tales of Travel Endurance"...

Champions League Final: Exclusive Ashley Cole News!

It has been reported that Ashley Cole is questionable for the Champions League Final today between Chelsea and Manchester United. During a training session, Cole was tackled by Claude Makelele (we French really hate the English), injuring his ankle. However, there is more to the story - information on the reasons behind Cole's injury are after the jump.


Unprofessional Foul has obtained an exclusive from Chelsea physio Thierry Laurent (we French stick together) regarding the Cole injury.

The reason that Ashley was so easily injured? It's his time of the month. Recent research has found that menstruating footballers are more prone to injuries on the pitch. Poor Ashley - not only does he have those nasty cramps, but now he has a sore ankle to contend with as well.

Read more on "Champions League Final: Exclusive Ashley Cole News!"...

The Good, The Bad, The WTF

A special edition of everyone's favorite weekly post today. In honor of the two teams playing for the ultimate European club title today, we will take a look at one past horror each from Manchester United and Chelsea. Then, as an added bonus, you can vote on which one is the worst. Or the best. Or which team you think will win today. Plus, you can vote as many times as you like. We're nice like that.


As league winners, Manchester United get the honors. I am not sure just how much of an honor it is when this is what you lead with. I can tell you one thing, despite who the sponsor is, these shirts are not Sharp at all. I am not sure if adidas were trying to imitate snow flakes or pot leaves. Either way this shirt is a certified eyesore. But is it worse than the Chelsea offering?


Well, there it is in all of its polygonal glory. Interestingly, this is Chelsea's away shirt form the same era as the Man U one above. The glory years, you ask? 1990-92. What can be said? Umbro took the opportunity to put as many of their diamonds on the shirt as possible. Also, they didn't really use a strong red, so when viewed from a distance, this shirt looks pink. Does that make it worse than the Man U shirt? Who is to say?

You are. Poll below, just for you to mess around with. Enjoy the match, an we will be back to our non-thematic ways next week.

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Tuesday Backpasses: What are we going to write about tomorrow?

Just a couple of quickies for tonight.

Lingering Bursitis successfully ticks off some very dedicated female Bon Jovi fans [Vote Number 1]
Darren Huckerby mum on talk of MLS move. Maybe he can go to RBNY and become a NY Canary [Sporting Life]
NSFW celebration at Portsmouth FA Cup win. Won't someone think of the children (in the NSFW pic)? [Mr. Irrelevant]
Scientists finally solve Drogba problem. He's narcoleptic [Null Hypothesis]

See you tomorrow when the only game in town is the Toulon Tourney, right?

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Toulon: Day 1

The Toulon Tournament started today. It's an eight country international under-23 tournament. The eight countries are divided into two groups which play a World Cup style round robin. The top two team of each group go to the semifinals with the winners playing in the finals two days later.

This year's Group A consists of hosts France, Chile, Japan and the Netherlands. Group B has USA, Italy, Ivory Coast and Turkey. Most nights the update will be folded into the Backpass section, but tonight I had to post this:

That's French player Vincent Muratori losing his shorts and revealing a somewhat see-through pair of black bikini briefs. Thanks to commenter kenny in the US Youth National Team blog for posting the video.

Writeups of today's action after the jump.

All Group A action to start today.

In the first match Japan took on the Netherlands. Japan seemed to counterattack a lackluster Dutch squad. The first half produced nothing of consequence. It was so dull that I decided to take my son for a walk rather than watch the last ten minutes before halftime. The second half really wasn't much better. The Dutch would try to build, then give the ball away or shoot off target. About 20 minutes in, one of Japan's hopeful long balls from the keeper was misplayed by multiple French Dutch defenders, allowing Tadamari Lee to poke home with his left foot. The Netherlands continued with their useless attack for the rest of the game, but Japan successfully parried all attacks. A slight upset for Japan, 1-0.

The second match was much more interesting with two spirited teams looking to attack. France struck fast, with two goals in the first 25 minutes. Though they seemed to have the game under control, Chile was able to sneak back in with a goal 10 minutes before the half. Two minutes after the break, France scored again to take a 3-1 lead. However, the home side lost the momentum soon after with what the English pundits call "a rush of blood to the head". Ricardo Faty was tracking back in the midfield when he attempted to make a tackle from behind, way behind. He missed the ball by about two feet and went studs up into the Chilean player's ankle. The referee was trailing the play and issued an immediate red card. Chile scored on the ensuing free kick, then throttled France down the stretch. The goal to draw level was scored of a French defender's face, and Chile got two more in the last four minutes. 5-3 to the Chileans.

Tomorrow:
USA-Turkey 9.30 A.M. EDT
Italy-Ivory Coast 12 noon EDT

Read more on "Toulon: Day 1"...