United victory over Inter far from a forgone conclusion

Manchester United’s stirring performance in the San Siro on Tuesday night has provoked two polarised views of who will progress to the Champions League quarter-finals. One view has the Red Devils winning comfortably after pummelling Internazionale in their back yard for most of the first leg. The other has the Italians sneaking through on away goals. Jose Mourinho rates his side’s chances as “50-50”—for once he may be worth listening to.

Since the inception of the rebranded Champions League in 1992-93, 76 first leg ties from all knock-out matches (including preliminaries) have ended goalless. On 54 occasions, the away team from the first leg won the return game on home soil. Statistically speaking, Mourinho’s side have marginally less than a one-in-three shot.

Of those 76 ties, however, Manchester United have been away from home in the first leg on three occasions. Only once have they progressed.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s cavalier attacking approach may provide compelling entertainment for those famed European nights at Old Trafford, but his teams have had a tendency to fall victim to clinical counter-attacking over the years.

In 1998, David Trezeguet’s early strike saw Monaco triumph on away goals after a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. In 2000, United’s celebrated treble-winners were dethroned by Real Madrid as Argentine midfielder Fernando Redondo inspired a commanding 3-2 victory.

United’s sole success came in last season’s semi-final against Barcelona when Paul Scholes settled a nervy tie with a typical long-range drive. Lionel Messi drove the Catalans forward in search of that crucial away goal, but United survived.

Inter have never travelled to a second leg after a scoreless home game, but their overall record in away games during knock-out rounds is far from impressive. They have won only twice in 14 ties and those were in preliminary matches—at Skonto Riga in 1998-99 and Shakhtar Donetsk in 2005-06.

Mourinho has mixed experiences of such occasions. His Porto team triumphed 1-0 at Deportivo La Coruña in the 2004 semi-final, but Chelsea were undone a year later by Luis Garcia’s controversial early winner at Anfield as Liverpool prevailed in a titanic struggle.

United will be favourites to go through—they are the holders and world champions after all—but as Liverpool, Milan, and Porto have shown in recent seasons, the best team is never guaranteed to prevail.

Landon and Bayern struggle as Hertha go top

Landon Donovan suffered an afternoon of frustration as Hertha Berlin moved to the Bundesliga summit with a 2-1 win over Bayern Munich on Saturday.

The on-loan Los Angeles Galaxy striker received an unexpected call-up from the bench after 35 minutes when Luca Toni limped off with an Achilles problem. But Donovan failed to shine as Bayern struggled to involve their front line.

Hertha took the lead three minutes after Donovan’s introduction with a goal directly attributable to the negligence of Christian Lell. The Bayern full-back needlessly conceded possession in midfield with an unnecessary cross-field switch which found Hertha’s Patrick Ebert free on the right flank.

Ebert advanced towards the Bayern penalty area before hoisting a speculative deep cross which the recovering Lell badly misjudged. Andriy Voronin nipped in to steer a header beyond goalkeeper Michael Rensing from eight yards.

Donovan had his first sight of goal on 54 minutes when Zé Roberto’s inswinging cross found him with a yard of space near the penalty spot. His header was denied by a brilliant diving stop by Jaroslav Drobný. The Czech goalkeeper recovered quickly to thwart Miroslav Klose’s follow-up as Bayern finally began to threaten.

Aside from the energetic Franck Ribery, Bayern were stale in midfield and lacked the desire to push ahead of the ball. Manager Jürgen Klinsmann put Lell out of his misery on 58 minutes as Tim Borowski was introduced to shake up his team’s core. The change brought instant dividends as Bayern drew level on 61 minutes.

Lucio strode forward before firing a viciously swerving 35-yard attempt at goal. Drobný could only parry the Brazilian defender’s effort down to the feet of Bastian Schweinsteiger, but he recovered brilliantly to deny the German international with a wondrous reflex save. As four Bayern players closed in, Drobný palmed the loose ball away from Schweinsteiger but only into the path of the onrushing Miroslav Klose who bundled home an untidy equaliser.

Ribery sought to console the beleaguered goalkeeper after his commendable display of resilience, but he seemed uninterested. He was entitled to expect better assistance from his momentarily inattentive back line.

Donovan had a second opportunity to find the net on 71 minutes when he was sent clear on the left by Ribery. His low shot was blocked by the sprawling Drobný. Although neither of his openings had been clear cut, the American international would have expected to score one of his two chances.

To the delight of the majority of the 74,228 crowd in Berlin’s Olympiastadion, the hosts made him pay for that miss on 77 minutes with a game-winner of the highest quality.

Hertha launched a quick break from deep inside their half with Brazilian Raffael advancing towards Bayern’s retreating backline. Voronin displayed textbook movement in eluding his marker Lucio and timing his diagonal run to perfection, allowing Raffael to slip an immaculately-weighted pass into the path of the on-loan Liverpool striker. The Ukrainian buried his first time effort beyond Rensing to seal a momentous and richly deserved victory.

Hertha leap-frogged Bayern and Hoffenheim – thrashed 4-1 at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Friday – to take pole position, with Martin Jol’s vastly improved Hamburg also firmly in contention one point behind the new leaders.

With Drobný in spell-binding form, a recall to the Czech national team may be on the horizon – especially given the continuing fragility of Chelsea’s highly over-rated Petr Čech.

As for Bayern, Donovan will likely receive his first start in next week’s clash with Köln. His chances of earning a permanent deal will be greatly enhanced if he can make an impact.

CONCACAF: The Road to South Africa

This article was written for the February 21, 2009 edition of RedMatchday magazine.

The fourth and final round of CONCACAF’s convoluted World Cup qualifying process began last week with six remaining nations competing for three automatic places in next summer’s Finals. Recent protocol suggests that the USA and Mexico easily progress along with one other, but this year’s tournament could bring a shock to the region.

Team USA could not have wished for a better start to their campaign as they cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win over Sven-Goran Eriksson’s misfiring Mexican team. While the road to South Africa looks clear for the Stars and Stripes, the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol has reached a crossroads – whether they continue onwards or seek a change of direction remains to be seen.

There was much to be admired in the opening game from an American perspective. Faced with the prospect of a hostile atmosphere on home soil – so often the case in big city stadiums where large numbers of passionate immigrants out-sing and outnumber American fans – the US Soccer Federation opted to play this fixture in the intimate confines of Columbus Crew’s 23,000-seat Crew Stadium. Freezing Mid-West temperatures added a second discomforting factor for the visitors to contend with – they failed dismally to rise to the challenge.

After Tim Howard had produced a significant third-minute stop to deny Tottenham’s teenage striker Giovani Dos Santos, the hosts seized control of the game. Rangers’ winger DaMarcus Beasley justified the faith shown in him by manager Bob Bradley with a stirring performance on the left flank which belied his inactivity at Ibrox. His efforts were matched on the opposite touchline by the industry of Fulham’s Clint Dempsey, while Bradley’s son Michael further showcased his goalscoring ability from a deep-lying central midfield role with strikes in the closing minutes of each half.

The 21-year-old gained prominence last season with 16 goals for unfashionable Heerenveen in the Dutch Eredivisie. That was enough to earn a move to Borussia Mönchengladbach last summer, but this season has been a struggle for Bradley as the former Bundesliga powerhouse fights for survival in Germany’s top flight in their first season back after a brief stint in the second division. Bradley’s selection has attracted accusations of nepotism in the past, but the denunciations will surely end after this fine display.

One minor disappointment for the US was the performance of recent Celtic trialist Sacha Kljestan alongside Bradley in the centre of midfield, but even this should have a silver lining. Kljestan notched a hat-trick – his first goals for his country – in last month’s 3-2 friendly win over a shadow Sweden squad, and he has become an established figure in the national team following his impressive displays during last August’s Olympic Games – notably in a 2-2 draw with fancied Holland. This, however, was his first taste of international football at the highest level.

The 23-year-old Californian was guilty of surrendering possession far too easily on far too many occasions, but he will learn from his mistakes. Coach Bradley’s risky decision to select the Chivas USA player ahead of Houston Dynamo’s reliable holding man Ricardo Clark did not backfire and the experience gained by Kljestan will help in developing his potential as one of the team’s pivotal playmakers in the run-up to next summer. Kljestan’s hopes of a transfer to the SPL champions may have been dashed by the Parkhead club’s unwillingness to meet Major League Soccer’s lofty valuation, but a move to Europe in the near future remains likely.

By contrast, the future for Eriksson’s side appears less than rosy. Their cause was not helped on 65 minutes when, already trailing to Bradley’s scrambled opener, skipper Rafael Marquez committed a heinous challenge on Tim Howard. He was rightfully dismissed. It is not the first time the Barcelona defender has let his country down in this fixture. He was sent off in the closing minutes of their 2002 World Cup encounter in South Korea for a similar assault on Cobi Jones as the US again won 2-0.

The captain’s act of folly could not have been more ill-timed with Mexico pushing hard for an equaliser. Seconds earlier, Dos Santos had contrived to miscue his volley from Pavel Pardo’s free-kick across the face of Howard’s goal before failing to divert the returned ball into an empty net from one yard out. Marquez launched his attack on the Everton goalkeeper as he gathered the subsequent cross into the penalty area.

Mexico’s misconduct did not end there. Assistant coach Paco Ramirez struck Frankie Hejduk with a petulant slap as the players made their way to the dressing rooms, but to the American right-back’s great credit he ignored the provocation. Eriksson’s greatest failing during his time with England was his reluctance to curtail the self-absorbed indulgences of his star players. Unless he can quickly instil a sense of discipline into his current squad he may be heading for an even quicker exit than the one he experienced with Manchester City.

Despite reaching their highest ever FIFA ranking of fourth less than three years ago, Mexico are fortunate to remain in contention at this point. Three home wins in the previous round were undermined by defeats away to Jamaica and group-winning Honduras. Ultimately, a second half equaliser in Canada sealed a 2-2 draw which was enough to see them sneak through ahead of the Reggae Boyz on goal difference. Three further defeats in friendlies, including last month’s loss to the unfamiliar Swedes, have heaped the pressure on Eriksson. Next up is a vital double-header at the end of March: firstly Costa Rica visit the famed Estadio Azteca in Mexico City before El Tri head back to Honduras for what could be a make-or-break tie.

Anything less than four points could result in the former England manager being relieved of his employment.

A Kljestan of Time

There was much to be admired in the USA’s 2-0 win over Mexico in their World Cup qualifier last night – a passionate pro-American crowd in Columbus, another authoritative display by Tim Howard, Frankie Hedjuk’s insatiable appetite to attack, the craft of DaMarcus Beasley on the left flank, the industry of Clint Dempsey on the right, and, of course, the goalscoring exploits of Michael Bradley.

If there was one disappointment it was the performance of Sacha Kljestan. The Chivas midfielder’s effort was highly commendable, but he was guilty of surrendering possession far too easily on far too many occasions. But even this negative will have a silver lining for head coach Bob Bradley in the coming months.

Kljestan is one of a number of young American players to have impressed me during my two years of following Major League Soccer. A work trip to the West Coast in August 2007 allowed me to attend a SuperClasico where Kljestan inspired Chivas to a 3-0 whipping of L.A. Galaxy with his field coverage, his intelligent counter-attacking and his acute passing – traits which he continues to hone.

The 23-year-old Californian made his international debut two months prior to that match in a 4-1 friendly win over China before gaining valuable experience as a member of Bradley’s experimental Copa America squad that summer. He received minimal playing time as a substitute over the next year, but his impressive displays for the US Olympic Team in China last August, particularly in the 2-2 draw with fancied Holland, saw him emerge as a regular starter in CONCACAF’s previous qualifying round.

Last night, however, heralded a huge step-up in opposition.

Kljestan entered the game full of confidence after training with Celtic in January before returning to notch a hat-trick – his first international goals – in the 3-2 friendly win over Sweden. His hopes of a permanent transfer were thwarted by the Glasgow club’s unwillingness to match MLS’ valuation of the player, but a move to Europe in the near future remains probable.

Coach Bradley took a risk in selecting Kljestan ahead of the tried and trusted Ricardo Clark, Houston Dynamo’s combative holding midfielder, but the collective spirit of his Stars and Stripes team ensured that the gamble did not backfire.

For Kljestan, he now knows what it is like to play at the highest level. The experience will stand him, and the US, in good stead for this summer’s Confederations’ Cup and hopefully in next summer’s World Cup Finals.

Beckham: Good, But Not That Good

On Monday’s Fox Football Fone-In show in the US, regular Milan-based guest Hyder Jawal gave a refreshing take on David Beckham’s tenure in Serie A by describing it as no more than ordinary. Having watched Beckham’s six games in their entirety rather than relying on the viewpoints peddled by the Associated Press, I am fully in agreement.

Beckham has surprised everyone – himself included – with his form since debuting on January 11. He has slotted comfortably into the Rossoneri’s star-studded line-up despite the obvious problems for foreign players arriving in a new country, adapting to a new environment, and overcoming a language barrier.

While most observers envisaged the on-loan Los Angeles Galaxy man being little more than a bit-part player during his three-month stay, a window of opportunity opened when Gennaro Gattuso tore a cruciate ligament last December. Ancelotti entrusted Beckham with a starting berth at Roma, but the formidable Brazilian duo of Kaká and Alexandre Pato stole the show – the latter scoring twice in a 2-2 draw. Beckham performed conservatively by keeping his passes short, simple, and unspectacular.

The pattern has continued. Beckham’s play remains cautious, dictated by a fear of conceding possession. The majority of his passes remain routine, shifting possession inside to Andrea Pirlo or wide to the rampaging right-back Gianluca Zambrotta. Genoa goalkeeper Rubinho was caught out by a wily free-kick in the 1-1 draw on January 28, but his set pieces and deliveries from wide areas have largely been disappointing. Pato and Kaká have many outstanding qualities – rising above central defenders to attack crosses is not one of them.

The Genoa game came three days after Beckham notched his first goal having been given the freedom of Emilia-Romagna to top off a 4-1 win against a bedraggled ten-man Bologna. It marked his best performance to date although he wilted in the final thirty minutes as the Grifone pressed for a deserved equaliser.

Beckham’s army of sycophants turned up the volume after his two “assists” in the 3-0 win at Lazio on February 1. The first pass for Pato – a square ball across the penalty box after both players had been left in acres of space by Lazio’s faltering offside trap – would have been made by any player in the Milan squad. The second – a routine set play hoisted towards the back post – owed everything to the tenacity of Massimo Ambrosini as the Italian midfielder evaded his marker to power a header beyond Fernando Muslera. Otherwise it was another inconspicuous afternoon for the Englishman.

Overall, Beckham has done okay. He certainly has not looked out of place; nor though has he resembled the second coming of Maradona circa 1986 as some would have you believe. For all the plaudits being showered upon him, he has performed no better than fellow midfielders Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, or the scandalously under-rated vice-captain Ambrosini.

On The Plus Side……

Should Milan and Beckham, as seems increasingly likely, obtain their wish in prizing the player away from his five-year contract with Major League Soccer:

1) MLS fans will no longer have to stomach the insipid, lifeless performances served up on a weekly basis by a patronising and plainly-uninterested $50m-a-year man.

2) The millions who brazenly champion England’s “best league in the world” might take a greater interest in Serie A, discovering in the process that Calcio offers infinitely greater aesthetic talent than the dire fare served up on a weekly basis by the likes of Bolton, Blackburn, Middlesbrough, Stoke…..

Michael Carrick: He Can Pass, Shoot, and Head

In December 2007, I was on a flight back to Houston after travelling to Madrid to see Aberdeen take on Atletico in the UEFA Cup. I was sitting beside a pleasant Italian fellow and we spent the journey comparing football experiences as we fans are prone to doing.

He was a season-ticket holder at Hannover, having relocated to Germany and away from his beloved Fiorentina. He filled me in on the up-and-coming stars of the Bundesliga and Serie A, while I boldly defended the standard of Major League Soccer as well as talking about the Scottish and English leagues.

Steve McClaren had been dismissed as England’s manager the previous week after their disastrous 3-2 defeat by Croatia ended the Three Lions’ hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008. Inevitably we turned to the hot topics of the day – Could Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard coexist in England’s midfield? Did David Beckham deserve a place on the right side?

I offered my viewpoint which could have solved McClaren’s dilemmas. Play both Gerrard and Lampard but switch the Liverpool captain to the right (hence solving the weaknesses inherent in picking either of Beckham, Wright-Phillips, Bentley, or Lennon). Select an intelligent, skilled, ball-playing holding midfielder to play alongside Lampard in the centre. This would allow the Chelsea man to roam forward as he does to such devastating effect with his club. The ideal player to slot into the holding role would be Michael Carrick.

My comrade’s response was telling: “Who is he?”

While the likes of Gerrard, Lampard, and Beckham generate vast amounts of hype in no way reflective of their playing abilities – some way more than others – Carrick comes from the Paul Scholes school of understated elegance. His progression has continued steadily through his time at West Ham and Tottenham and his subtle string-pulling has blossomed into a key element of Manchester United’s assault on all fronts this season. Now in his third season at Old Trafford, the brilliance of Carrick’s play continues to be overlooked in favour of more heralded names, but he continues to produce devastating displays both domestically and in Europe.

Last Saturday’s game with Everton provided further evidence of Carrick’s stature at the top level. One sublime volleyed pass stood out – a deft feed to Ronaldo whose toe-poked effort struck Tim Howard’s post – as well as his surge into the penalty box which brought the game-winning penalty. As always, the Portuguese attacker hogged the commentators’ discussion. Carrick quietly got on with dictating the game.

It was a relief to finally see some glowing praise aimed in Carrick’s direction this Monday courtesy of James Lawton in The Independent. When it comes to being duped by propaganda, Lawton is firmly at the end of the line. The award-winning writer suggests that Carrick’s odds for England’s Footballer of the Year prize “will surely shorten in spite of his slender presence in the celebrity game”.

Carrick will not win the award irrespective of how he performs. But like his play, he will not be ruffled – especially if he completes a hat-trick of Premiership medals come May.

Federer Still On Course For Record

Yesterday’s Australian Open final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer might not have reached the dizzying heights of last July’s Wimbledon epic, but these two phenomenal players still served up another compulsive episode in their generation-defining rivalry.

With the World No.1 further cementing his position atop the ATP rankings, Federer’s pursuit of a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam title goes on. It is a goal which many are now questioning: he no longer reigns on grass, and now Nadal has overcome his previous fallibility in the hard court opens.

But it would take a brave man to write off Federer’s chances of matching Pete Sampras in 2009 despite the Majorcan’s recent dominance. After pushing Nadal to four sets at Roland Garros in the 2006 and 2007 finals, Federer regressed last year taking a measly four games as Nadal bullied him into submission within 108 minutes. On current form it is hard to imagine anything other than a fifth straight Paris title for Nadal, but the prospect of the Spaniard achieving the first calendar Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969 is remote.

Federer has come closest to reaching that particular feat in recent years. Only Nadal’s mastery on clay prevented the Swiss from completing the set in 2006 and 2007 whereas Sampras never won more than two Grand Slams in a calendar year. Federer’s chances remain highest at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadow where the pool of potential winners, and threats to Nadal, runs deeper – Fernando Verdasco pushed his compatriot to the Australian Open’s longest ever match in last Friday’s semi-final; Novak Djokovic has beaten Nadal four times in North American Masters Series events in the last two years; and Andy Murray earned his first win over Nadal in last year’s US Open semi-final.

As Federer proved when sweeping aside the young Scot in New York; if someone else can take care of Nadal at the big events, he can take care of the rest.

Soccer Back on the Horizon

This article first appeared in RedMatchday Magazine, Aberdeen Football Club's award-winning publication, on January 24, 2009.

The countdown to the Major League Soccer kick-off on March 19 began in earnest last week with the 2009 SuperDraft held in St. Louis, Missouri. Previous first picks have included Brian McBride (Columbus Crew’s choice in the league’s first draft in 1996), the then 14-year-old striker Freddy Adu (2004 – D.C. United), and Rangers midfielder Maurice Edu (2007 – Toronto); three players who crossed over to Europe to further their careers. This year’s first choice takes the opposing route as Londoner Steve Zakuani joins Seattle Sounders.

As the league’s newest franchise, Seattle were granted first pick to help with their squad expansion. They have already pulled off a major coup by landing last season’s championship-winning head coach Sigi Schmid from Columbus, as well as signing former Premiership duo Kasey Keller and Freddie Ljungberg. Such additions give kudos to the commitment shown by an ownership group including Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and comedian Drew Carey. The Emerald City has responded enthusiastically with 19,000 season tickets already sold – the highest number of any MLS team.

Zakuani’s journey is one that he thinks will become increasingly popular with youngsters being overlooked by England’s top clubs. Speaking to Fox Soccer Channel after his selection, he said: “I think you will see it (English players enrolling in American soccer scholarships) more and more as MLS gets more exposure and a lot of college kids make it into the league. In England, you can’t play soccer and study at the same time. This is a unique system that still gives you a chance to go professional afterwards.”

The Congo-born striker moved to the UK at an early age whereupon his prodigious talent was spotted by Arsenal scouts. After representing the Gunners at various youth team levels but failing to earn a professional contract, Zakuani accepted a soccer scholarship at University of Akron, Ohio. He terrorised defences during his two years of college play with his threatening combination of height, explosive pace, willingness to run at defences, and coolness in front of goal. He scored 43 goals in 44 matches in total – a feat which caught the attention of scouts from nearby Columbus, a two-hour drive from Akron, and one that the departed head coach Schmid remembered on draft day. Schmid likens his new protégé’s talents to those of former Rangers player Brian Laudrup.

Zakuani, whose elder sibling Gabriel is currently on loan from Fulham to Peterborough United, is confident that he can make an early impact in MLS. Speaking at the Draft, he said: “I’m ready. I’m going to work hard, catch up to the level of play, and hopefully contribute right away. I think (Seattle) is probably the best team to go to because everyone is new. We’re all going to come in and fight for starting spots.”

Although teams receive four draft picks, one in each of four rounds of selections, those picks are frequently traded away as makeweights in other transfer deals. Mo Johnston, Director of Soccer for Toronto, was the busiest man in the floor during the first round as the Canadians held second, fourth, and thirteenth choices. Johnston sealed a prime acquisition last month by tempting Dwayne De Rosario back to his hometown after a trophy-laden career with San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamo.

Houston adopted the most sagacious strategy in selecting Marcus Tracy with their lowly 56th pick. The Wake Forest University striker pipped Zakuani to the 2008 college Player of the Year award, but he decided to sign a contract with Danish champions Aalborg rather than join the draft. By selecting Tracy nonetheless, Houston retain his rights for two years and could land the player if an unsuccessful European stint hastens his return home.

Ladies Get In On The Act

The first draft for the newly-formed Women’s Professional Soccer league (WPS) also took place in St. Louis last week. Anyone who witnessed the US defeating Brazil in last summer’s Olympic Final will be aware that the quality of women’s football has improved dramatically in recent years. The gold-winning Americans will be joined by a wealth of international talent as star players from the national teams of Australia, Brazil, China, England, France, Germany, Japan, and Sweden have been quick to sign up, much to the chagrin of Europe’s top leagues.

Having seen the Women’s United Soccer Association accumulate $100m losses in its brief three-year existence prior to folding in 2003, WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci advocates a slow and steady growth this time around. Common ownerships with MLS franchises and the use of shared stadia are highly desired to take advantage of economic synergies. Seven teams will compete in the inaugural competition beginning on March 29 with three further sides joining in 2010. Fox Soccer Channel is on board to carry a weekly live game and the channel has already started its advertising campaign with US internationals Heather Mitts and Hope Solo promoting “The Beautiful Game”.

The league’s biggest attraction will undoubtedly be Marta, the outrageously talented Brazilian forward who has monopolised the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award since 2006. Marta leaves behind the Swedish league to join Los Angeles Sol; one franchise already sharing ownership and a stadium with an MLS team (L.A. Galaxy).

Antonucci hopes for initial attendances in the range of 4,000 to 6,000, but regardless of the improved quality on offer it is difficult to envisage figures rising above that level. The continued gentrification of the sport makes stadia increasingly family-friendly and elevated numbers of women and families in attendance at men’s games can only serve to reduce the consumer base for WPS. Given the choice between watching the men’s or women’s game, it is hard to imagine too many fans shelling out for the latter.

A New Look for 2009

Welcome to Hawksport's new look blog page for 2009 which will encompass views and updates from across the sporting world.

2008 postings can still be viewed for:

Major League Soccer
English Football
European Football
North American Sports