Lucky # 13...

It would be sinful on my part to ignore what happened over the weekend in my native Colombia. America de Cali, the team that ignited my burning passion for soccer as a child, won its 13th domestic title this weekend. With the win, America becomes the team with the most championships attained together with Millonarios of Bogotá.

So, why is this so important to me? I don’t even follow Colombian soccer as closely as I used to. Still, every fan from any team in any sport can understand the happiness that comes with celebrating the victory of their treasured team.

I still remember myself being a trembling 10-year-old passionately watching every time Anthony de Avila or Freddy Rincon touched the ball. I remember the shock I felt when I found out that Wilmer Cabrera, America’s #13 in the 90s, was going to be my coach at Suffolk Community College. Sunday’s win was one that brought me lots of happiness and it was very well-deserved. Plus, to be honest, it was about time someone caught up with Millonarios, a team that has more fans because of their history than because of their recent achievements…since there’s none.

I, by all means, don’t mean to take away what a team like Millonarios has done over the years. They earned 13 championships as well (back when cavemen played the game) and they have managed to show glimpses of good soccer over the years. However, they have not won a domestic title in my lifetime and that makes me wonder: How much longer will it take the faithful “Millos” fans to demand some real results.

But this is no longer about them and their self-proclaimed “best team in Colombia” title.

In reality, there is no absolute best team in Colombia. For now, America has that title, but like all other Colombian teams, their football is not constant and the title will probably fluctuate in the long run. Until a Colombian team shows the dominance that teams like Real Madrid, Manchester United, Boca Juniors, or Inter show in their respective countries, I won’t buy Millonarios’, Nacional’s, and even America’s bull that they are the best.

Will the richest team in the world be the best team too?

This past summer, after a surprising takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group, Manchester City became the richest soccer team in the world. It must have been a nice feeling after many years of being in the shadows of the other, more successful, Manchester team.

Still, money does not mean victory and City is discovering this fact the hard way as they sit in the 17th spot in the Barclay's Premier League while United is out of reach in third place.

City is optimistic however. With the January window opening, they have expressed interest in putting their new-found fortune to work. They have done it in the past when they broke the British transfer record by bringing super star Robinho from Real Madrid for £32.5 million. Now, they are linked with big names like A.C Milan's star midfielder Kaka, Real Madrid's legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas, Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery, and Blackburn Rovers' forward Roque Santa Cruz.

Given the former history of the club and their current position in the table, it might prove to be very difficult to bring in players of such caliber. On the other hand, they can provide unmatchable pay rates that could lure players to make the trip to Manchester, and, with a Kaka interested in playing Premier football, it's a definite possibility some of these guys will wear the City jersey.

So, What do you think? Do you see any high profile players joining Manchester City during this January transfer window? Do you think Mark Hughes will have to wait until the summer to see world class playmakers in his squad? and, do you believe that City can break the reign of the top four?

God Bless the Premier League...

This weekend the Barclays Premier League featured the #1 team Chelsea against the young and demoralized Arsenal. Of course the favorite was always going to be Chelsea, who were playing at home building a winning streak and operating with a very dangerous Anelka up front. Arsenal was coming from losing 3-0 against Manchester City and controversy surrounding William Gallas, who was stripped from the captaincy after some dufus comments.

Now, the outcome of that game is hilarious because Arsenal won 2-1 and scored the three goals. After an unlucky own goal, the Gunners came back with an inspired Robin Van Persie and a little help from the line referee. (refer to my other blog post, we really need to fix this offside thing)

With the win, Arsenal are back in the fight for the trophy and some pressure is off Arsene Wegner's shoulders. On the other side, Chelsea might have handed Liverpool the top spot and revealed Scolari's weakness: top teams (He hasn't been able to beat Manchester United, Liverpool or Arsenal).

Speaking of Manchester United, what's up with Cristiano Ronaldo playing volleyball in the six yard box? If you look at the replay, it looks like the man was trying to cover his face (not surprising for a prima donna). In any case, he received a red card for his antics but Man U managed to win the derby against Manchester City. Now Robinho is following Gallas' steps and making dufus comments. In an interview to Setanta Sports, the Brazilian said: "City have good players but the mentality of a small side." Mark Hughes won't be happy with that one.

There is no doubt that Ronaldo and Robinho are very controversial with their statements and actions. There is also no doubt that they have amazingly quick feet too. Who would you pick for your team if you had the chance? Keep in mind that they might be a little difficult to deal with...

Solutions for the Offside Rule? Anyone?

How many times have you experienced that awful feeling when your team loses thanks to a bad call from the referee? I know I have. As a player and as a fan, it's always a dissapointment when an unfair goal is counted or when a legitimate goal is denied. It is certainly always a controversy.

It does not matter at what level, the dissapointment is the same. Take the offside rule for example, probably the most controversial rule in the soccer world. It's so important that the argument has been made that the offside rule should just simply be eliminated.

In December, 2004 ScienceDaily revealed a study. It stated that "To apply the offside rule correctly, the referee must be able to keep at least five moving objects in his visual field at the same time (two players of the attacking team, the last two players of the defending team, and the ball)." This is impossible to do by the human eye. This means that most offside calls are by chance and not because a referees see them clearly. If allowed to stand, the offside rule will keep bringing controversy to the sport. As a plus, critics of the rule also argue that offsides take emotion away from the game by making it even more difficult to score.

FIFA, the all-knowing organization, has actually made matters worse. By implementing "clarifications to the rule" such as stating that players "actively involved in play" are offside, FIFA has made the job much harder for referees around the world by making them reach a decision in a split second . It goes without saying that this "clarifications" have made referees the biggest targets to insults and abuse. (I'm not proud to admit it, but I help this cause almost everytime I watch a game. I try to sympathize with refs, but man it's hard!)

So, what's the solution? Do we eliminate the offside rule? Do we bring techology in the picture? Add extra refs? or just stop whinning and leave it alone?

Will Soccer Reach The American Dream?

If you are a soccer maniac (like me) and live in the United States (like me), you might be suffering from the same pain I suffer from and completely understand my question. For those of you who don't understand, I'll ask you a simpler question: Why in the hell is soccer the most famous sport every else in the world, except the United States?

According to John Neves, a former PR representative for the New York Red Bulls, football, baseball, and even hockey have been around for longer and the people with the money in this country grew up in those sports. “There is just simply no room for soccer” he said.

The media in the United States needs to focus on the sports that people watch. They need to keep their ratings up. The fact that soccer is not a sport in demand makes the media overlook it. This way, soccer has a difficult time getting promoted.

“The majority of people want to read more about the Yankees than about the Red Bulls” Neves said. “Soccer’s recognition is growing because the longer that soccer sticks around, the more fans they’ll get.”

And that seems to be true. I spoke with Petar Rakovik, captain of the NCAA Division I Stony Brook Seawolves, about a year ago. He is a guy that has seen the way soccer is lived here and in his native Serbia. He is optimistic about the growing popularity of soccer and he argued that because of the effects of globalization and the advances of technology, people in the States are more connected with soccer. That may be true as well. I mean, back in the day people did not have access to Serie A games or the Premier league. Nowadays we can catch those games from our couch thanks to Fox Soccer Channel, ESPN, and GoalTV. From that point of view, the future of soccer in the U.S looks promising.

Still, there are those who are more skeptical.

My coach (ex-coach?) Dima Kamenshchik from Baruch College, an outstanding Division III team said, "[soccer] will probably never reach the popularity that football and baseball enjoy." He might be right also.

I really do wonder. I wonder if I will ever see soccer become a very popular sport here in New York. If it does, it might take some time. An MLS game brings in crowds of 17,000 people (sometimes), while an English Premier League game can easily double that amount. It's a long way to go...

In any case, do you believe that soccer will be very popular in U.S someday? Do you believe it will happen in our lifetime? Will soccer reach the American Dream? I sure hope so. What do you think?