Lets face it, alot of us got this one wrong. Not to be disrespectful to Barcelona but with an number of players missing including Danny Alves and Rafa Marquez I was compelled to go with United but my want was Barcelona.
Behind goals from Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi, Barcelona put on a dominating performance based on a great ball possession game and United apart from the first ten minutes up until the goal, did not seem in it.
In fact they ended up chasing shadows for most of the match.
United’s best moments came just prior to the 10th minute goal from Eto’o. Cristiano Ronaldo came close twice including once off a free kick.
Once Barca scored this game made an amazing turn around.
Yes, on this day United was humbled and passed to death. Watching it was almost surreal.
Barca defender Carlos Puyol was a domineering figure over Cristiano Ronaldo who inexplicably never moved away from him during this game an ended the match a ball of frustration.
Wayne Rooney also did not have any influence from his midfield position.
Give me your thoughts on the Champions League Final?
DOMINIC ODURO now a Dynamo
During the Champions League final it was announced that Dominic Oduro of the New York Red Bulls has been acquired by the Houston Dynamo.
Oduro a speedster has been out of favor in New York.
LIVE RADIO AT RICHMOND ARMS TOMORROW NIGHT at 7pm
Join me for live radio and Dynamo All Access at Richmond Arms tomorrow night from 7-9pm.
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Dynamo players will be in attendance, giveaways and much more. Join like minded soccer fans as we discuss the champions league final, preview the FA CUP FINAL and the Dynamo Toronto FC match.
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Great game for Barca, I too was expecting a lot more fire from Man U but somehow ball possession became the key to Barcelona’s tactics…the only threat was C.R but only in the first few minutes…
Sorry Jaime and Chuy…hate to say it but…I told ya!
So Happy to see Barca win the Champions League! I don’t recall any club dominate Man U. the way Barca did today. I love the way Xavi and Iniesta run the midfield. Pique did excellent at center. Puyol did great on Ronaldo. A beautiful rare header from Messi!
I agree with you, not many people picked Barca to win this final. They did have Dani Alves, Marquez, and Abidal missing. What a fantastic season they’ve had! First Spanish club to win the Treble in Spain.
Barca dominant.
Two words. BEAT DOWN.
No sooner than I told my compadre at the pub that this could turn on a dime if Barca countered and scored in the first 15 minutes, Eto’o delivered a knockout punch (missed you at Stag’s Head btw Glenn). Pretty embarrassing United support really. No chanting, no singing. I almost thought I was at Old Trafford!
Barça dominated, ’nuff said.
Arriba Los Tuzos de Pachuca!
Long time no posts for me – kind of been busy the last month or so. ManU lost its mojo somewhere along the way – the way they kind of struggled to get by FC Porto I thought was the signal that they had peaked for this season.
A first and second round pick seems step for Oduro but he does bring “lightning in a bottle” speed to the field, just needs to finish better.
Question to you – does Frank Yallop survive the season with San Jose? I know that seems shocking to suggest and I don’t think his team has quit on him but Yallop’s second go round in MLS with the Galaxy and San Jose has kind of been rough and not much seems to be working. They also seem to suffer more crushing-type losses than most MLS teams (late equalizers, poor defensive play)
Just WOW. I was in the same boat, Heart said Barca but Brain was thinking ManU was going to take it. Who knew that Craig Waibel’s longhaired twin was Carlos Puyol?
For a game that had so much hype about having the two best teams in all of Europe, the hype was much bigger than the game turned out to be. Barca didn’t deserve to be there, and Manure played like they didn’t deserve to be there either. It truly pained me to watch such a display from United, because I know Chelsea would have definitely put a better match on the field. I guess the true title match was the one at Stamford Bridge. I hope Tom Ovebro is happy in Norway!
Will someone please wake up Manure? I think they slept right through the final with that piss-poor performance yesterday. I think Vidic is still walking around the Stadium Olympico looking for his jock strap! Well Mr. Manure Player of the Year, Samuel Eto’o has it in his trophy cabinet, you miserable hack. We found out that you aren’t shite in the back. I know JT and Alex would not have gottent turned so easily!
There were times during this match that I wanted to smack Cristiano Ronaldo, that petulant little child. Did it seem to you that he gave up about 10 minutes into the second half, when he realized that Rooney, Tevez, Berbatov and Park were not going to help him in the attack? He should have received two yellow cards and been sent to the showers early, but I forgot, referees only have a spine when they officiate Chelsea matches. The same goes for Scholes on that shocking tackle late in the match. All I can say is that it couldn’t have happened to more deserving group of hacks!
As for Barcelona, I didn’t see anything spectacular from them. Both goals came from defensive mistakes and were not shear pieces of brilliance that Barca fans are accustomed to. The back four were rarely tested and Valdez was seen sitting in a lawn chair midway through the first half. Manure’s decision to hoof the ball long and hope Ronaldo could get it proved to be the wrong decision!
Had lots of friends who support Manure call or text me yesterday talking about how gutted they felt and hoping that I could be a shoulder to cry on.
LISTEN UP MANURE FANS: You got outclassed in the biggest stage of European Football by Barcelona. Without three starting defenders, they shut down your attack and gave you nothing! Your vaunted center halfback paring was carved to pieces by a technically superior team. You did not deserve to win the match, and even Ferguson said that the better team won. I cannot and will not say that the better team advanced out of Stamford Bridge because it is nto true, so don’t give me any of your crap!
Ok, now that I have that off my chest, I am not sure about this Oduro trade. What does it mean for guys like Wondo and Akinbiyi? Are we already giving up on the big Englishman? I could care less about the draft picks because we never really use early draft picks anyway! When was the last time Dynamo had a first or second round pick? Answer that question and you can get an autographed photo of Coach H!
Rumors are swirling that Chelsea are lining up Frank Ribery, before Barcelona and Manure can get in on the bidding. Would that mean that Malouda is out? He really came alive late in the season under Guus, but maybe a case of too little, too late! How sweet would it be to see Ribery running down the flank and setting up Didier Drogba? That is worth the trip to Dallas alone!
Chelsea win the FA Cup Saturday 3-0. A brace from Drogba and Lampard seals the deal for Guus Hiddink as Chelsea boss. Don’t be surprised to see Guus back in London soon. I have heard some rumors that are quite shocking!
School is officiall out in 4 hours Glenn. That means in 10 hours, I will be celebrating at Richomnd Arms. First pint is on the Coach my friend! If I am there, does that mean I still have to call in the show to get my rant in??
Coach H
Brian, if I wasn’t going to have to be at Discovery Green with the family, I’d be there buying you a beer courtesy of Jeff Jenkins, you Redskin you.
Yesterday was highly surreal. Favorite moment: After Eto’o’s goal, watching the Mancunians pass back immediately to a corner kick. That’s when you knew they were going to beat themselves, but I still didn’t believe it until midway through the second half. What an incredible no-show from those guys.
If you see two teams, one with a UNICEF logo and the other with an AIG logo, who would you root for? AIG disease took those guys down.
Puyol was for me the Man of the Match, and how could you not be happy for Pep Guardiola?
Question, when Chelski take the FA Cup this weekend in dominant fashion, which they will, how bad will the Mancunians look now?
Ribery to Chelsea? Compare that to Manyoo without Tevez, Ronaldo and Vidic, with a clearly declining van der Saar? The Era of the Red is over.
Speaking of the Reds, no one should cheer Dwayne De Rosario on Saturday until AFTER the match. No one. He is the enemy. We should wade through him, as Patton said. Shake hands afterwards. Get into his head, since he is a hothead, as we all know, without making so angry he gets focused. Deny him service and then wear him out.
I like the Oduro signing for the sheer versatility of our depth and looks now. The pace we can now bring to the second half will be a weapon in and of itself.
Have a great time tonight on Richmond. I will be dying to be there with you.
Coach H –
MLS Draft 2007 Second round. Houston took a guy names Corey Ashe with the 26th pick.
I want the autographed coach H shirt (or a Weibel’s Warrior shirt which I will gladly pay for). I’m in section 114 seat F1. OR in leiu of the shirt just drink a glass of Mark West Pinot tonight instead of that 1st Pint.
I will withhold judgement on the Oduro trade until I see who is released or traded to make room. I do like adding the speed, but Kepene was fast and never saw the field last year. I look at this as Insurance just in case someone gets injured while Ching is away on USMNT duty, or to give some guys rest once Concacaf Champions league and Open cup games start.
Consider this, Ching may be the only one away for world cup qualifying, but with confederations cup and Gold Cup we could count on missing Rico, Holden, Onstadt & Hainault as well. And with the way Davis has been playing I wouldn’t count him out – that’s potentially 6 guys out this summer – ouch. We are going to need bodies – and an extra, fast one probably isn’t a bad idea. Wondo can play midfield (and did with the reseves). Come July we may see Ade & Kamara starting up top with Oduro available off the bench with Wondo and Mulrooney holding down the center of Midfield with Ashe on the left and Mullan on the right. What really scares me is….. what if Bobby or Geoff get called into the Gold Cup?
Coah H- DOn’t know where I came up with a free shirt – wihsful thinking I guess. I’ll take the PHOTO, or buy a glass of wine and we are even.
The Orange are coming along nicely. I like the trade for Orduro. Real fast and may prove to be a better player in a better system. I still feel Holden is feeling his way around and is becoming more confortable. He needs to have more touches and more penetrating passes. Holden has a powerful shot from either foot. As his confidence grows so will his willingness to take more shots. I don’t know what more we can expect of Ade. So far I have not seen the player I was led to believe we acquired. He has a powerful body but does not appear to be in the mix. He appears tentative and unsure of himself. Maybe he’s holding back, not wanting to step on any toes so to speak. In any case, He needs to assert himself and play with more abandon. Perhaps he is not match fit yet, which seems a little odd to me. In any case, he needs to ste up when Ching and some of the others are called for MNT play. I like what I am seeing and hope it continues. BTW, that was not the Man United team I have seen all year. They looked flat and out of it. Rooney could not get in a decent cross all game. Ronaldo juked and jived and did nothing. Tevez busted his hump in the time he was in but to no avail. Passes were too long, set plays were not there. In short it was not a good effort from Man United. Oh well, go Orange.
In fairness to Ade he hasnt had much time to get used to playing with the guys around him. Kamara and Ching are just now begining to get in sync. Ade would have had a goal in NY if Kamara hadn’t been called for a questionable foul. So jury’s out in my book.