Today's post features the first-ever gameday review, plus 2011 news/announcements.


Gameday Review:

West Bromwich v/s Manchester United: 1-2

Now THIS was a game worth watching! MU back in action, with Rooney and Chicharito scoring goals (Hernandez's goal was assisted by - you guessed it - Rooney). Although in reality, this could have been anyone's game. The referee failed to provide West Bromwich with a well-deserved penalty, and for the one penalty that they were given, they weren't able to score. This game could have just as easily been a 3-2 game, proving once again the immense significance of the referee in futbol.

Tottenham Hotspurs v/s Fulham: 1-0

I must say I'm disappointed with the Spurs. The entire match felt like an endless back-and-forth without much shots on goal; despite Roman Pavlyuchenko finally being in the starting 11 due to some players' accumulated yellow cards, not much action was going on. Crouch came on during the 68th minute of the game as a sub for the aforementioned player, and was barely visible on the field during the last twenty minutes of the game. As the commentator on Russian Channel 2 said, "it's tough being a center-forward". Although the Hotspurs did get their three points from a goal by Bale, who was assisted by Van der Vaart, they should have scored more, considering the team they were playing against hasn't beaten them for the past 63 years...

Tomorrow's matches:

Glasgow Rangers v/s Celtic - 7:45 AM (ET)
Chelsea v/s Aston Villa - 8:30AM (ET)
Barcelona v/s Levante - 12:00 PM (ET)
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>>news from the world of futbol
+ Arsenal determined to strengthen team with Luis Suarez [from AEK]
Suarez, who in just three seasons of playing for AEK has scored over 100 goals, may get his wish of playing for the English Premier League. If Suarez gets transferred to Arsenal, the fee for his transfer will set a record in the history of the club. Arsenal wants to obtain Suarez in order to strengthen their line of attack due to various key players who will be leaving the team, as well as an injured Robin Van Persie.

+ Freddie Ljungberg joins the Celtics [Scottish Premier League]
Freddie Ljungberg, who just last season was playing for the Chicago Fire in MLS, recently joined Celtic in the Scottish Premier League. Ljungberg, who also played for Arsenal, will join Celtic in their match against the Glasgow Rangers tomorrow morning.


+ JPA no longer playing for RBNY [MLS; LA Galaxy; RBNY]
While this is upsetting for RBNY fans, the talented Juan Pablo Angel will be playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy this upcoming season. He already knew last season that he wouldn't be playing for the Bulls anymore; not an interview went by where he did not mention that his fate as a Red Bulls player was questionable or unlikely. And indeed Angel's contract for the Red Bulls was not extended, prompting him to apply for a redraft in the MLS. We all knew this was coming sooner or later, and now it is confirmed that JPA will be soon be playing side by side with David Beckham. Thankfully, Becks had only good things to say about the striker. In an interview, he mentioned that it would be "an honor" to play alongside one of the most talented players, and that Angel is no less talented than the likes of famous figures such as Ronaldinho. Of course, this also means that like many famous figures in the history of futbol, Angel will be playing - and scoring goals - against his former team. It's an inevitable part of futbol; you never know what team you may be playing for someday, or what team will suddenly become your rival. Nevertheless, RBNY have a slew of other talented players, such as Juan Agudelo, who became the youngest player to be drafted for the National Team (and who scored an international goal for the USA in a match against South Africa before his 18th birthday). There's also Tim Ream, who proved himself to be an incredible defender last season, though the word "rookie" is still used to describe him. Both he and Agudelo are incredibly talented players, as is Lindpere, and both goalkeepers of RBNY, especially Greg Sutton. Sure, it'll be strange cheering for the Galaxy and wanting NY to finally get somewhere in the playoffs (and for a possible LA/NY face-off as a piece de resistance). But this season, we'll spend most of our time cheering for the Becks + Angel combo, and eagerly anticipating the catchy MLS headlines that can come out of it.

+ Real Madrid ready and willing to get Fabregas from Arsenal; earlier last year, Barca wanted to obtain Cesc, but failed at this endeavor; Fabregas's contract w/Arsenal ends in 2015. [La Liga]


>>Top 10 things to look forward to in 2011:
1) UEFA Champions League & CONCACAF Champions League
2) the JPA + Becks combo
3) MU and Man. City clashing for possession of the table
4) Freddie Ljungberg playing for the Celtics
5) Clausura 2011
6) Real/Barca rivalry
7) Superliga 2011
8) seeing how many goals Arshavin can score
9) the hat-trick count-up
10) International friendlies