Friday, June 05, 2015

Juventus vs. Barcelona, More FIFA Freakout, Women's World Cup


There goes another one, guys. We had to take a day off yesterday due to flooding and snakes at SSN Headquarters. Things seem to have mellowed, though, and we're ready to see what's up and tackle the weekend. We should probably begin with FIFA and figure out what the hell is going on there. The first thing of note is this: FIFA paid the Irish to stop legal action over the Thierry Henry handball. Oh, dear. Here...we...go!


Back on the pitch, there is the minor concern of the Champions League Final to address. It all goes down at the Olympiastadion in Berlin tomorrow at 2:45 p.m. EDT on FOX. Here's what you need to know:

Juventus vs. Barcelona: Preview
Juventus vs. Barcelona: Preview II
Juventus vs. Barcelona: How the teams compare

The Women's World Cup gets underway tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. EDT in Edmonton when Canada host China. It's on Fox Sports 1. The first match for the U.S. comes at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Monday. Here are some Stories to Watch. Here are Five Things The U.S. Women Must Do in Canada. And finally...Who Will Win It?


Interesting dress code...
The U.S. Men also have some matches coming up. Friendlies, yes, but the opponents are good. They face Holland today (2:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN) and Germany next Wednesday.


We out!

Onward!!

-SSN

Wednesday, June 03, 2015

Blatter Out!



Holy #$^*^##%%&)&^$%$@@^%^%&, Batman! What a Hump Day! Sepp has said he'll step down as head of SPECTRE FIFA! Word is he's on the suspect list. That's pretty much the only subject of conversation around the SSN Headquarters Water Cooler today. Let's get to the insanity!

Grant Wahl: Now what?
David Conn: What happens now?
Kevin McCauley: What's next?


David Hytner is in Como, Italy. Lucky bastard. Anyway, he's writing about Marco Tardelli and Juventus ahead of the big showdown on Saturday. Also talking Juve? Adam Digby. Specifically, he's profiling Alice Cooper Gianluigi Buffon.


As expected, Raphael Benitez is now the new manager of Real Madrid. The Madrid native takes over after failing to get Napoli into the Champions League. Let's see how long he lasts...

Women's World Cup? Better believe it! Here are previews for Group B and Group C.


Like Sepp, we out.

Onward!!

-SSN

Tuesday, June 02, 2015

Transfer Rumors, Some Scribe Action, Women's World Cup Previews


Hello Hello Hello!

Things are going to be slow for a spell. We've got the final in Berlin on Saturday and Women's World Cup starting, but that's it until Copa America kicks off. We should probably start with the silly season stuff of transfer rumordom.


Right! As noted above, the Women's World Cup gets started on Saturday when hosts Canada welcome China to Edmonton. The question on the minds of those mingling around SSN Headquarters: Can the U.S. win? Here is a Group A Preview. More as we near the end of the week.

Women's World Cup 
Group A: Canada, China, New Zealand, Netherlands
Group B: Germany, Ivory Coast, Norway, Thailand
Group C: Japan, Switzerland, Cameroon, Ecuador
Group D: USA, Australia, Sweden, Nigeria
Group E: Brazil, South Korea, Spain, Costa Rica
Group F: France, England, Colombia, Mexico

Michael Ballack Interview!!! How can Juve beat Barcelona? Let Michael tell you.

Now is the time on SSN when we Scribe!


Where? France. Who? Julien Laurens. What? Evra a hero for Juventus and Man United but unloved in France 

Where? Germany. Who? Uli Hesse. What? Is the Bundesliga suffering through an injury crisis?

Where? Italy. Who? James Horncastle. What? The Serie A 2014-15 Best XI

Where? South America. Who? Tim Vickery. What? Corruption at the heart of the Brazilian game

Where? Germany? Who? Andy Brassell. What? Triumphant Wolfsburg aiming high after DFB Pokal success


It's Tuesday and that means it's time for Marcotti's Musings. This week, Gab is gabbing about...Barcelona peaking, Neymar debate, Arsenal hope, Benitez says bye, more.

Power Rankings! Bird's got the best from MLS.

And...we out!

Onward!!

-SSN

Monday, June 01, 2015

Arsenal Win the FA Cup, Barcelona Win the Copa del Rey, Lazio Defeat Napoli, Xavi


Happy Monday, and what a weekend! There were some spectacular goals on Saturday. Messi lit up Bilbao with a sweet slalom and finish, while Alexis Sanchez went for sheer power and a touch of swerve for his blast against Villa. Both the Argentine's side and the Chilean's side emerged victorious in their quest for cups. Barcelona now look to Juventus on Saturday to complete the Treble. Let's roll, beginning with all of the FA Cup fallout...

Arsenal 4 - 0 Aston Villa: Henry Winter at Wembley
Arsenal 4 - 0 Aston Villa: Phil McNulty at Wembley
Arsenal 4 - 0 Aston Villa: Three Things We Learned

Xavi has left the building. The dude is headed to Qatar after quite a brilliant career with Barcelona. Sid Lowe has curated a collection of praise and presents it here.


We haven't heard from Marcela Mora y Araujo in while. It's a shame, too, because we like her writing. Sadly, it's taken the case of El Topo López to get her back on our map.

Over in Barcelona, it was business as usual for Messi and Co. as they brushed aside Bilbao in their quest for three titles. As you might hope and expect, Sid Lowe was at the Camp Nou and filed this report. The question begs: Is this team better than the 2009 version?

In Italy, the Rafa Era ended on a sad note in Naples as Napoli failed to overtake Lazio (and claim a Champions League spot), losing to the Roman side 4 - 2. Here are Three Points from that one.


Sad scenes, too, in Germany where The Klopp left Dortmund after losing in the Cup final to Wolfsburg. Raphael Honigstein reports.

Just how did things finish on the Continent, then? Let's take a look at La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue Uhhhhhhhhhn and Eredivisie finalities. We can give you one stat right now. AC Milan and Inter Milan both missed out on Europe for first time in 60 years.

And finally...three Leicester City players (including the manager's son) are stupid, racist assholes.

Onward!!

-SSN