Australia's main men's national knockout football competition will undergo a name change, with Football Australia confirming the FFA Cup will become the Australia Cup.
"Through discussion with Australian football historians, and dialogue with fans and stakeholders of the competition, the consensus was that the name Australia Cup truly speaks to what this competition is and represents," Football Australia CEO James Johnson said in a statement.
"We are pleased that through this process pioneering players, clubs, and officials can feel recognised and connected to the competition.
"The research and consultation we have conducted regarding this name change indicates that people will be overwhelmingly happy with the shift to Australia Cup from 2022 onwards."
The competition will not be the first played with the name Australia Cup. For seven seasons in the 1960s, a competition with the same name was played between leading state league teams. The last side to win that Australia Cup was Sydney Hakoah.
The 2021 competition comes to a conclusion on Saturday night, with the final between Melbourne Victory and Central Coast Mariners.
The new cup competition will begin almost immediately, with the preliminary rounds for 2022 beginning in coming weeks across the states and territories.
The knockout competition regularly attracts 700 teams to compete for the cup.
Johnson said the name change for the FFA Cup was part of "an exciting next step in this evolution [of the competition]".
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Ten months after he was charged with lifting Melbourne Victory out of the doldrums, Tony Popovic's revolution has delivered its first trophy in a dramatic 2-1 FFA Cup final triumph over Central Coast.
ason Davidson's thunderous free-kick handed Victory the advantage in the 70th minute, with Chris Ikonomidis' 95th-minute volley proving the winner before Central Coast skipper Oliver Bozanic ensured a nervous finish to the match when he scored in the 97th minute.
The triumph, Victory's second FFA Cup title after 2015, came just eight months after their first wooden spoon.
As a result of their poor 2020-21, Victory had to win a play-off to reach the Cup round of 32 before going on a barnstorming run that culminated in Saturday night's triumph in front of 15,343 fans at AAMI Park.
Popovic's first domestic final win also earned Victory a shot at the AFC Champions League, with the competition winner receiving a play-off spot — an away game against Japanese side Vissel Kobe in March.
The game cracked open in the second half when Marco Rojas charged forward and was cut down by Harrison Steele.
Davidson had acted as a decoy on previous set pieces but stepped up and thundered a wonderful left-footed strike into the top corner as AAMI Park erupted.
Victory snared a second goal five minutes into injury time when Josh Brillante quickly took a free-kick and the ball ultimately ended up with Ikonomidis, who chested it to himself then smashed a sweet left-footed volley home.
Emotions spilled over for Victory's active supporters, with a large number going over the barriers and briefly stopping play.
Shortly after, Victory failed to clear a Mariners attacking foray and the ball spilled to Bozanic, who lofted home a left-footed strike.
Bozanic had previously scored in Victory's 2015 triumph but this time, his goal proved only a consolation as the final whistle ensured any chances of a last gasp Mariners draw had run out.
Melbourne Victory have added to the A-League’s biggest trophy collection in grand style, downing Perth Glory 2-0 in the FFA Cup final.
The Victory were dominant in the first half of Saturday night’s decider as they became the first side to concurrently hold all three domestic titles, having won a third A-League premiership-championship double in 2014-15.
The only down-side for them was the disappointing crowd of 15,098, with high ticket prices blamed for a half-full AAMI Park. Melbourne were well deserving of their two-goal halftime lead, following an opening 45 minutes played at a tempo worthy of a cup final.
The home side had the ball in the back of net as early as the 16th minute courtesy of a powerhouse strike by in-firm New Zealand international Kosta Barbarouses, although that effort was correctly disallowed as Victory defender Matthieu Delpierre was clearly offside.
Victory went ahead in the 35th minute, when Oliver Bozanic was on hand to lash the ball home after a good build up down the right from Jason Geria and Barbarouses. Melbourne doubled their advantage seven minutes later. Captain Carl Valeri played a perfect through-ball into the path of striker Besart Berisha, whose first touch took him past the final defender.
The Albanian goal-poacher then fired a brilliant strike across Glory keeper Ante Covic and inside the left post. Glory looked dangerous at times on the counter-attack although Brazilian striker Sidnei Sciola was mostly well held by Delpierre. Perth started the second half brightly and almost halved the deficit within four minutes when Diogo Ferreira slammed a shot into the right-hand upright.
In the 61st minute, Glory captain Richard Garcia’s first-time effort flew over the crossbar. The visitors had most of the best scoring chances in the second half without being able to convert any of them.
Victory were forced to play the last eight minutes with 10 men after Valeri was sent off for a second bookable offence - a heavy foul on Dino Djulbic. The same fate befell Valeri in the A-League grand final against Sydney FC earlier this year, although his team held on to win both matches in comfortable fashion.
Perth were unable to consider several important players due to injury on Saturday night including Chris Harold and import Gyorgy Sandor. The two-goal defeat meant Glory are still to win any silverware in the A-League era, having lost last year’s inaugural FFA Cup final to Adelaide United and the 2011-12 A-League grand final to Brisbane Roar.
Victorious and Glorious - Melbourne and Perth set A-League standard
It's hard to remember an A-League season like this one, where the successful teams have so clearly and so quickly broken away from the mediocre ones.
The top five in the competition are already a minimum of two wins ahead of the bottom five, which includes two teams - Western Sydney Wanderers and Newcastle Jets - that have yet to win a match.
In contrast, the five leading sides have lost only seven times in 45 outings, and more than half of those losses - four - can be sheeted home to the Jekyll and Hyde-like fifth-placed Wellington Phoenix.
Perth Glory has been the surprise package of the campaign and leads the way with 22 points, while Melbourne Victory (21 wins) is the only unbeaten side.
Already it is hard not to see the top four - Glory, Victory, the consistent Adelaide and Sydney - not making the finals, while Phoenix should also be thereabouts.
Central Coast Mariners, for so long a benchmark for consistency, are struggling, as are the plutocrats of Melbourne City who, despite the wealth of owners Manchester City, are only just scraping into a finals berth in sixth spot, and that courtesy of a lucky win against Brisbane last week.
And who would have predicted the plight of Western Sydney. Grand finalists in their two seasons in the competition and Asian champions, they are pinned to the foot of the table winless and, with the pay row over their appearance in the World Club Cup garnering them more headlines than their football, look to be in a dreadful state.
This is a league where form reversals have been habitual and a string of good results can see a team shooting up the ladder quickly.
But with the competition moving into the middle part of the campaign the likes of the Mariners, Wanderers, Newcastle, City and defending champions Brisbane - who themselves have endured internal strife and the turmoil of a managerial sacking early in the campaign - need to lift their game considerably unless they are to endure a long, difficult and ultimately fruitless season.
PERTH GLORY
Few would have predicted the glory days would return to Perth so soon after they finished third bottom last season, having won only seven out of 27 games, and firing coach Alistair Edwards mid-season.
Kenny Lowehas recruited well - Andy Keogh, the Republic of Ireland striker has been a particularly shining light - and built a hard-edged, experienced side that now shows the resilience on the road that many former Glory teams did not. They still haven't played either of the Melbourne teams and Victory in particular will give a better idea of their credentials, but it's hard not to see Glory being in the thick of things at season's end. They will be at least aiming to equal previous best performance in 2011-12, when Ian Ferguson and Stuart Munro led the West Australians to a grand final where they lost controversially to Brisbane.
MELBOURNE VICTORY
Close but no cigar last season when narrowly beaten by Brisbane in a semi-final at Suncorp, Kevin Muscat has now fashioned a formidable team characterised not just by the strength of their starting line-up but the depth of their squad.
Signing Besart Berisha was a massive coup, strengthening not just Victory but weaking defending champion Brisbane. The Albanian's work rate and enthusiasm is infectious, and he has brought a real winning mentality to the Victory camp.
Muscat inherited Ange Postecoglou's squad last season and he has tinkered and refined it for his own purposes this time round to, so far, great effect. Carl Valeri has been a good pick up in midfield, while the youngsters are showing the benefits of last season's experience.
ADELAIDE UNITED
Have won plenty of fans this season for their cultured football as the Reds come to grips with the passing and possession mantra of Spanish coach Josep Gombau.
Adelaide has looked slick and effective in almost every game, harnessing the talents of Argentine playmaker Marcelo Carrusca and an array of Latin attackers backed up by the physical presence of target man Bruce Djite.
Gombau has wrought improvement from several squad players, notably Osama Malik,while Isais, the Spanish midfielder, is a key component of the Reds pass and move style as he conducts the tempo sitting in front of the defence. Only lost to Victory so far this season.
SYDNEY FC
Looked ponderous and choppy in their opening half of the season against a spritely Melbourne City in early October but have built on that in almost every subsequent minute of the campaign as Graham Arnold's tactical message and approach to the game gets through to his squad.
Arnold's teams are always tightly focused, organised and hard to break down. This iteration of the Sky Blues are no different. They have been unlucky with injury - losing Corey Gamerio and Ali Abbas for the season are two blows that would have hit any team - but they retain a resilience, determination and capacity to get a result where many others wouldn't.
WELLINGTON PHOENIX
Its all or nothing with Ernie Merrick's men - this season they either win well, or they go down fighting, but they don't draw.
Phoenix have won five out of nine, often very convincingly as the 5-1 and 4-1 home wins over Melbourne City and Newcastle attest, and they have been pretty competitive in every other game they have played, suffering some unlucky and late losses, especially in the 2-1 defeat against Adelaide.
The Kiwis are always traditionally tough to beat at home, but they have improved on the road. Should make the finals, and at home they will be nobody's pushovers.
MELBOURNE CITY
What can you say about the most heavily hyped team in the A-League's 10-year history. The bookies' reaction to the Manchester City takeover was fanciful: making the team that had finished bottom the previous year title favourites was ludicrous on the back of a change of ownership, even if the new owners were among the wealthiest people in the world. This is a salary-capped league with lots of restrictions: you can't simply go and buy talent and stuff your squad with it.
Still, City has been disappointing. The David Villa circus proved a distraction more than a blessing. Robert Koren might retain the ability that made him a Premiership regular for years, but we don't know as we have yet to see him, while Damien Duff has also gone down with injury. It is always a risk signing older players, and City have been burnt before. They will be keeping their fingers crossed about the prospects of the injury-prone Josh Kennedy, due to join in January. Can make the top six, but unlikely to be title contenders unless Koren and Kennedy prove a truly inspirational combination.
BRISBANE ROAR
It's not quite a case of how have the mighty fallen, but it's certainly surprising to see the champions struggle in the fashion that they are this season.
The loss of Besart Berisha to a major competitor was always going to hurt, but few expected the departure of Ivan Franjic to have such an impact as well. And no one would have predicted the injury that put first choice goalkeeper Michael Theo, one of the best in the business, out of action for so long.
Allied to that there has been highly publicised instability in the camp, with title-winning coach Mike Mulveygetting the axe six rounds into the new season. And this week captain Matt Smithbid Brisbane adieu, accepting a deal to join Bangkok Glassin the Thai top division. Stand-in coach Frans Thijssenhas the talent at his disposal to bring about a recovery, but Roar would not want to get too much further behind the leaders.
CENTRAL COAST MARINERS
The club that has made a habit of confounding the doubters is starting to look rather shaky and somewhat directionless as it seeks to compete with bigger, better-funded opponents.
The Mariners' togetherness has helped them achieve so much success against the odds, but their results this season leave plenty to be desired and the decision to shift games away from Gosford to try to build a fan base in Sydney looks doomed to failure.
The Mariners need to concentrate on the basics, make themselves hard to beat and reconnect with the public on the Central Coast if they are to rescue something from a season that is in grave danger of slipping away.
NEWCASTLE JETS
It was never going to be an easy assignment for new boss Phil Stubbins in his first appointment as an A-League head coach: the Jets have never been stable during the Nathan Tinkler era and the off-field issues have always seemed to compromise the club's on-field performance.
Newcastle have not made the finals since the 2009-10 season and it would be a surprise to see them do so this time. Still winless after nine games, they have been competitive through many matches but all too often lack the concentration or discipline to hold onto a lead, surrendering winning positions.
Stubbins is an experienced coach and he will be keen to turn things around. He is all too aware that not many managers get a second chance in this competition.
WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS
Who would have thought it. Tony Popovic's side gained a reputation for their pragmatism, toughness, discipline and structure during two fantastic first seasons in the A-League when they got to the grand final on both occasions only to lose out, first to the Mariners, then to Brisbane.
They went into this season as one of the favourites, but it has all gone hopelessly wrong. The Asian Champions League triumph against the odds was an extraordinary achievement, but its legacy, at domestic level, has been one of failure.
Bottom of the league with no wins in nine matches and a goal difference of minus nine is testimony to the disarray the Wanderers have been in during this nightmare campaign.
Their woes have been exacerbated by the distractions of the World Club Championships in Morocco, where a pay row over appearance money has cast another shadow over the club.
Its folly to write off a champion team, but they look nothing like one at the moment and will be hard pressed to finish any closer than sixth at best on the evidence so far this campaign.
Former Melbourne Heart boss John Aloisi has bought into the controversy surrounding David Villa, suggesting the Spanish striker may not be happy in the A-League.
Villa leaves Australia after Friday night’s match for Melbourne City against Adelaide United – just four matches into an expected 10-game stint – and City bosses are yet to negotiate his return.
A combination of football, family and marketing reasons are thought to be behind his departure.
Villa’s family has been settling in New York while he plays in Melbourne, with his next club – New York City FC – expecting him to fulfil football and promotional obligations ahead of the US Major League Soccer (MLS) season starting in March.
But no one understands why Villa or Melbourne City have not guaranteed his return.
It’s a delicate situation for the club, not helped by their winless start to the league season.
Aloisi, the man who preceded John van `t Schip as coach of the since-rebadged club, believes something is not quite right.
“If he’s missing his family you would think that they would just fly the family out,” Aloisi told Fox Sports.
“If they’re saying he needs to promote New York City (FC) over there, you would have thought they would have announced that beforehand.
“Reading in between the lines, I think there’s something else.
“I don’t know if he’s totally happy or if they’ve already planned he was only going to be here for four games.”
Aloisi was relieved of his duties as coach of the then Melbourne Heart less than a month before the announcement of the club’s takeover.
The oil-rich Abu Dhabi owners set in train an off-season transformation of the club.
The biggest on-field statement was the arrival of Villa, who as a guest player can play for up to 10 games.
The official announcement of Villa’s arrival from June this year said Villa would play for “a period” of the season.
“Villa … will play, train and contribute to Melbourne City FC’s Hyundai A-League campaign between October and December 2014 prior to the commencement of the MLS season in the United States,” Melbourne City’s statement reads.
With nowhere else to play competitive football between now and the MLS season in March, Villa’s one-way ticket out of Australia is a mystery yet to be solved.
It was a fitting way to open the A-League’s 10th season. The biggest club in the land, Melbourne Victory, trouncing the new pretenders the Western Sydney Wanderers in front of 30,083 boisterous fans at Etihad Stadium.
Nine seasons ago, the match between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory was the talking point of round one as a new state-based rivalry was born. But as the Wanderers fans filed into the stadium to fill their allocation, there was a feeling that this fixture might become the biggest in the competition. The colour and the noise that these two clubs generate reverberates around the country.
The first goal came inside 10 minutes, the second within 20 and the third before the half-hour mark. Melbourne Victory, who haven’t won an opening game since 2006, could hardly have hoped for a better start.
With Matthew Spiranovic and Nikolai Topor-Stanley out of action for Wanderers, there was always going to be questions over the visitors’ threadbare back-line, and it was a horror start for the stand-in centre-half pairing of Antony Golec and Brendan Hammill. If the Wanderers are the masters at parking the bus, this was more reminiscent of Otto at the steering wheel after a few too many brekky bongs.
But while the Wanderers were awful, the Victory were clinical in front of goal with a new look front three featuring Kosta Barbarouses, Archie Thompson and marquee man Besart Berisha. On this evidence alone, Kevin Muscat looks to be onto a winner with his new formation.
Gui Finkler and Barbarouses combined well down the right, and the Wanderers stand-in left back Shannon Cole was under enormous pressure from the very start. Indeed the first goal came after just eight minutes after some tidy build up play between Finkler and Barberouses. New Victory signing Matthieu Delpierre found himself free just six yards out, and there was little Ante Covic could do in the Wanderers goal.
On 19 minutes, Golec handled the ball in the box, and up stepped Berisha. In his first A-League game for the Victory, he was never going to disappoint. A quick look up to pick his spot, a no nonsense run up and Berisha was soon saluting the fans.
Confidence was sky-high for the home side, and even the humble Leigh Broxham wanted to get in on the action. After a couple of attempts from range, Broxham popped up for the Victory’s third goal on 28 minutes. Again it was Barbarouses who bamboozled Cole down the right channel in the build up, and after his shot was blocked, Broxham blazed the ball through the crowded defence into the back of the net.
Mark Bridge pulled one back for the visitors before half-time, but it meant little in the context of the match. The Wanderers, who have built their game around defensive cohesion, looked dazed and confused.
Perhaps this was best summed up by Victory’s fourth and final goal. Under no pressure at all, Golec gave away possession cheaply, and with the defence woefully out of position, Berisha fed Thompson who made no mistake in front of goal.
The Wanderers might put this uncharacteristic performance down to missing players and the distraction of their Asian Champions League commitments, but regardless, the rest of the competition are on notice. This Victory side looks balanced, creative and menacing.
Melbourne Victory star midfielder Jess Fishlock and coach Dave Edmondson have hailed the home side’s performance after securing a deserved maiden Westfield W-League grand final win.
Goals late in the first half from Lisa De Vanna and Lauren Barnes proved enough for the Victory to earn a relatively comfortable win on home turf and overcome the disappointment of last year’s grand final loss.
Inspirational Victory midfielder Fishlock was named player of the match after setting up the first goal and providing a typical high-energy performance in the midfield.
“I thought we were outstanding, and put in one of the best performances of the season,” said Fishlock.
“To win a final 2-0, and what I would was quite comfortable in the end, is a great great achievement.
“The most important thing for me is that won. The player of the match is nice but completely secondary to winning the title. I’m really happy for the girls, they all really deserve this.
“I know what this means to the girls. And I’m really happy for Stephanie Catley to win as captain at such a young age, which is just brilliant.”
The match also proved a fitting finale for outgoing Melbourne coach Dave Edmondson who now returns to his native England to take the reins of leading English Super League outfit Bristol Academy.
“This was all about hard work, and we put hard work in all year, so it was about continuing that today,” said Edmondson.
“The goals made the second half relatively comfortable. I thought it was an all-round strong performance from us. I never really felt nervous and that was credit to the girls.
“A loss in a final is pretty devastating and they have probably learnt from it (last year’s defeat).
“There is plenty of growth in this team yet. Who is to say Melbourne can’t be a force for the next ten (years).”
Kobe Bryant knows how to open a new year in dramatic fashion. A buzzer-beater against the Sacramento Kings lifted the Los Angeles Lakers to a 109-108 win. Heh. Old hat for the Black Mamba come playoff time?
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People on deviantART can't tell me that my gallery is just desktop screenshots now. I took plenty of photos of the Rose Parade for your enjoyment/web design use because those folks special (aside from those ungrateful art-thief-hunting bastards who I choose not to tolerate), nuff said.
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AFC Wimbledon and Melbourne Victory wasted their games to open the new year with defeats, but Long Beach State's men's basketball team took the cake in terms of futility. This team is on a dangerous path, losing in overtime to UC Riverside 68-66.
Dan Monson, how dare you waste the nonconference gauntlet tonight. Epic fail. Again, I say, EPIC FAIL! When you cannot beat the Sisters of Mercy with your team's shooting (and on top of that, not learning your lesson from the LMU disasterfest), the Changi Prison guards need to give your players a caning or two.
One last time: E.P.I.C. F.A.I.L. Make 'em run suicides for the plan backfiring on you.
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Ohio State was going to win the Rose Bowl. Oregon fell victim to the SI jinx, 26-17.
Today is my father's and sister's birthdays, respectively. As if I fucking care...my dad took away the FiOS modem. He doesn't need any presents from me.
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Hawaii's defensive secondary is crap, and our receivers have just as crappy hands of butter. Nuff said after choking 34-33 to UNLV.
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Long Beach State's women's soccer team fails to impress today against San Diego State. Ugh. It seems my favorite teams are choking against the Mountain West. But they weren't the only ones who disappointed.
USC football...lost. Cal Poly football...lost. Harvard football...lost. AFC Wimbledon...drew with a red. Long Beach City College football...blown apart.
Some good things did happen.
Melbourne Victory...won. LA Galaxy...won. Quebec Capitales (one of the few Canadian baseball teams I follow)...won the Can-Am League. Long Beach State women's volleyball...defeated UCLA. Not very often that happens. My high school...defeated Mayfair fair and square. See some of my deviations for that action. The Angels rebounded today after losing yesterday. And Azusa Nakano and Ui Hirasawa qualified for the ISML after advancing to the quarters of Anizone Saimoe.
Still though...Hawaii's defense is crap. The onus is them to prove me otherwise. The wanks...
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I never want to talk about yesterday. That day sucked.
Some more articles on Melbourne Victory's successful run... From the Age. (Wahey!)
It's sweet Victory after drama
Michael Lynch March 1, 2009
MELBOURNE Victory became the first A-League club to win the championship twice when it edged out a defiant Adelaide United 1-0 thanks to a second-half Tommy Pondeljak goal in a bruising clash in front of more than 53,000 fans at Telstra Dome last night.
Both teams finished the game with 10 men, but the Reds had to play for 80 minutes a man down after Cristiano was given his marching orders in the 10th minute after clashing with Rody Vargas.
Victory striker Daniel Allsopp followed suit in the 65th minute after he clashed with Adelaide defender Robert Cornthwaite in a penalty-area melee, but by then Melbourne was a goal to the good and had had the advantage of playing with an extra man for 55 minutes.
Anyone who thought this was going to be a pushover —as the bookmakers' markets suggested — was sadly mistaken. Adelaide had been humiliated, as a team and a club here a fortnight ago when it lost 4-0 in the second leg of the major semi-final, and it was determined to ensure that there would be no such repeat.
That was a defeat that sparked a huge internal review after coach Aurelio Vidmar's attack on every aspect of the club, and the soul searching paid dividends last week when the Reds were able to get over Queensland Roar in the preliminary final.
Last night the Reds played with a grit, commitment and passion that had been lacking a fortnight earlier and matched the Victory in many facets of the game. With an ounce of luck they might have taken this match into extra-time, but as has been the case all season when they faced Melbourne, Victory was able to see off their challenge and take the spoils.
This was not a vintage performance by the Victory, but it was enough to etch its name in the record books. The Victory had goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos to thank on more than one occasion and there were no heroics from Archie Thompson or Carlos Hernandez, the pair expected to set this game ablaze. For Adelaide, goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic produced a number of fine saves, and although the South Australians were defeated they regained much of the pride that they had lost here two weeks ago.
The game turned on a harsh decision taken by referee Matthew Breeze in the 10th minute when he sent off Cristiano.
The Brazilian leapt in an aerial tussle with Victory centre-back Rody Vargas and Breeze, after consultation with assistant referee Matthew Cream, ruled that he had hit Vargas in the head with an elbow and produced a straight red card as Vargas lay on the ground clutching his blood-streaked face.
The wound looked ugly, but television replays showed Vargas also had his arms out as he leapt in the challenge.
As a result the entire dynamic of the A-League's showpiece game changed.
Aurelio Vidmar, the Adelaide coach, had joked earlier in the week about not just "parking the bus" in front of the Reds' goal, but sticking a train and a taxi there too. Vidmar had to refine what had, before the Cristiano send-off, been a surprisingly enterprising approach to this game.
Hernandez had been brilliant in the major semi-final when he scored one and set up three Melbourne goals, but he was nowhere near as influential last night as he got nothing like the time and space to play in that he was afforded on that occasion.
His 15th-minute effort, when he forced Galekovic to block near the post, was the closest he came in the opening stanza.
The Reds were rocked for a 15-minute period when Billy Celeski and Matthew Kemp shot wide and then Allsopp, who fastened on to a long clearance went close.
Allsopp was then set up by Muscat but was denied by a tremendous Galekovic reflex save.
Thompson, who terrorised Adelaide in the grand final two years ago when he scored five goals, was much more subdued last night and was getting little change out of Daniel Mullen.
Any suggestion that Melbourne would swamp a tiring Adelaide in the second period was short-lived as the Reds took the game to the favourite in a dynamic opening spell. Mullen's run down the right and cross found Scott Jamieson, whose side-foot effort was only kept out by a smart reflex save by Theoklitos.
But Melbourne finally capitalised on its numerical advantage in the 60th minute when Pondeljak, set up by a smart reverse pass from Celeski, fired home a powerful curling shot from outside the box that gave Galekovic no chance.
A-LEAGUE GRAND FINAL
MELBOURNE 1 ADELAIDE UNITED 0Pondeljak (60)
SCORER:
LINE-UPS — MELBOURNE: Michael Theoklitos, Matthew Kemp, Kevin Muscat (c), Rodrigo Vargas, Sebastian Ryall, Carlos Hernandez, Billy Celeski, Nick Ward (Evan Berger 56', Jose Luis Lopez 89'), Tom Pondeljak (Grant Brebner 83'), Archie Thompson, Danny Allsopp (red card 65'). Subs not used: Mitchell Langerak (gk), Ney Fabiano.
ADELAIDE UNITED: Eugene Galekovic, Scott Jamieson (Cassio 73'), Robert Cornthwaite, Sasa Ognenovski, Daniel Mullen, Jonas Salley, Fabian Barbiero, Paul Reid, Lucas Pantelis (Paul Agostino 63'), Travis Dodd (c), Cristiano (red card 10'). Subs not used: Mark Birghitti (gk), Rostyn Griffiths, Michael Marrone.
MELBOURNE Victory's dual championship-winning coach Ernie Merrick last night declared he never had any doubt that his team could break down a gallant Adelaide United, who defended desperately for much of the game after its striker Cristiano was sent off in the 10th minute for elbowing Melbourne defender Roddy Vargas.
Tom Pondeljak's stunning 60th-minute strike proved the difference between the two sides, but this grand final was far from the walk in the park that most fans were expecting it to be. It was also nothing like the humiliation two years ago, when Victory struck six past a 10-man Adelaide as the visitors disintegrated in the face of an Archie Thompson onslaught. Melbourne also finished last night's match a man short after its forward, Danny Allsopp, was ordered off for headbutting Robert Cornthwaite in the 65th minute.
"I always felt confident with this team, that they could cope with just about anything, and they did," Merrick said. "You're never going to win by a large margin, especially in a final, every time you play."
Adelaide coach Aurelio Vidmar, whose stunning outburst a fortnight ago helped turn round a season that looked to be crumbling just at its climactic point, could only rue the decision to send off Cristiano so early and praised his players for their fantastic commitment and the "unbelievable belief" they showed in themselves as they faced such daunting odds.
They might not have gained the revenge they wanted after being humbled at the Telstra Dome a fortnight ago, but they had regained their pride and that of the club, the city and the state, he said.
"I am really gutted for the players. We deserved something more than pride. I certainly thought we had the upper hand, but when you go down to 10 men it changes your game plan and it made it very difficult for the players tonight, but I couldn't be any prouder of the players.
"It was a fantastic effort and they really wore their hearts on their sleeves.
"I am proud, they did the state proud, themselves proud … there was a lot of passion and pride tonight but sometimes it doesn't go your way. You can't fault anyone tonight. It was a magnificent effort and we certainly deserved a lot more."
Victory skipper Kevin Muscat held the championship trophy aloft a second time, and said that Victory's success was driven by its relentless approach to the game.
"I don't think that we're miles better than anyone in the competition, but what we have got is a determined group and a very mentally strong group, and then after that we've got a lot of talent."
Vidmar questioned the sending off, and suggested it might be time for technology to be introduced to determine such decision. "I am a traditionalist, but something so significant that has a massive impact, probably you should (introduce technology)."
Merrick said the title was the culmination of a fantastic season.
"From the pre-season cup, the premier's plate and now this one it's just been a great year for Melbourne Victory Football Club, for these players (and) our fantastic supporters. To get 53,000 here and the game's gone out to 85 million households worldwide, it's just great for Australian football.
"They pushed us all the way in the league championship. They pushed us all the way tonight. They were tough competitors, but the bottom line is we've had a great year and we've thoroughly enjoyed it, but certainly it was a tough game tonight.
"It was one of those games that probably wasn't pretty. It was an edgy sort of game. It was a tough game. We probably could have gone ahead early if Eugene Galekovic hadn't pulled off a couple of terrific saves.
"When they went down to 10 men they were very hard to break down. The bus was firmly there in front of the 18-yard box, and they were breaking well, but our boys hung in there — Tommy (Pondeljak) scored a fantastic goal — and we gutsed it out right until the end. I guess that's a sign of a championship team.
"They made the game very tough in our attacking third, where they defended in numbers … so it was like threading a needle. I have to say I never had doubts about tonight at any stage. I had my most relaxed day and I'm going to stay longer than 20 minutes at the after-party tonight."
There is a famous British film out in theaters called "Slumdog Millionaire." Many of you probably are familiar with this movie.
If not, I'll provide it to you in a nutshell: it is the heartening tale of Jamal Malik, a man from Mumbai who, out of the depths of poverty, is able to use his experience from meeting the faces of adversity to win the game show of his life.
This year, "Slumdog Millionaire" scored a coup at the Kodak Theatre on Feb. 22, winning eight Academy Awards. One of those is for Best Original Song.
That song is "Jai Ho," penned by A.R. Rahman and Gulzan. "Jai Ho," in Hindi, means "Be Victorious."
On Feb. 28, at the Telstra Dome, the Melbourne Victory, the dominant force throughout the pre-season and regular season, had the persevering spirit typical of Malik.
Ernie Merrick's club overcame injuries, a red card, and solid defending from a spirited Adelaide United side to win 1-0 in the 2008-09 Hyundai A-League Grand Final.
Tom Pondeljak, acquired from the Central Coast Mariners, was the hero for the Victory. His goal in the 59th minute, a low shot from 20 yards out, eluded Eugene Galekovic (once the backup keeper to Michael Theoklitos, and who frustrated the Melbourne counterattacking scheme for the bulk of the match) and found the net.
For his effort, Pondeljak would receive the Joe Marston Medal, becoming the second Victory player (the first being Archie Thompson) to win it.
With the win, the Victory not only become the first team to win two A-League Championships, but also the first team to win the Australian Treble: the Preseason Cup, the Premiership Plate, and the Championship Ring, all in the same year.
The 1-0 scoreline, on paper, may look like a merciful change from the 6-0 onslaught two years ago.
But on the pitch, the emotions, the fouls and the officiating were anything BUT merciful.
Match official Matthew Breeze, who works as a local police officer, cuffed Cristiano of Adelaide in the 10th minute for an elbow which saw blood pour from Rodrigo Vargas's head.
Adelaide manager Aurelio Vidmar, in his striped red, white and black tie, could only watch helplessly as he walked to the showers. Robbie Slater of Fox Sports deemed the match "ruined" soon after.
Vargas had to spend the rest of the second half wearing a large bandage around his head before being treated to in the locker room at halftime.
In the 65th minute, the playing field became level when Victory's Danny Allsopp was entangled in a melee with a number of Adelaide players, and subsequently given his marching orders by Breeze.
And yellow cards were dished out left and right. Adelaide had four, while Melbourne had two.
Even the most unusual of substitutions came to fruition. Evan Berger, who substituted for Nick Ward in the 56th minute, was substituted by Jose Luis Lopez in the 89th minute for an ambitious airborne attempt to gain possession.
No doubt that one of the future stars for the Big V will look back at this game as a learning experience.
Theoklitos, who has been linked to see action in Europe later this year, was able to garner a couple of key saves: a free kick from Scott Jamieson from distance, and a close tap from United marquis player Paul Agostino.
As for Adelaide, the pain and frustration of being unable to win any piece of silverware continues to linger.
For the thousands who donned red and yellow from the land of the pie floater, the familiar sight of being on the short end of the stick beckoned.
But for the majority of the 53,273 at the Telstra Dome who witnessed the historic moment, the strains of that Best Original Song could not have been more true.
Jai Ho, Melbourne. Jai Ho.
For your Victory, once again, are the kings of Australian football.
In a few hours, the Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United Football Clubs will converge at the Telstra Dome for the 2009 Hyundai A-League Grand Final. In these types of one-off matches, it's all or nothing. Here, I will post a few srticles on the match.
Applied science
Michael Lynch February 27, 2009
Ernie Merrick has copped his fair share of flak for his lack of joy when his team scores a goal or does something good. Photo: Getty Images
IT'S all about logic, not emotion. Ernie Merrick — the closest thing in Australian soccer coaching ranks to a computer geek — likes to take the passion out of the game whenever he can.
He once remarked: "I hate it when people say they are passionate about the game. They think it gives them the excuse to say anything they like and just criticise and attack people."
Give him the choice of function, process and cool detachment over spontaneity and spur-of-the-moment inspiration and he invariably will opt for the former.
It's all about controlling things as much as possible. If a team can stamp its system, style and structure on a match, not panic and believe in its processes and tactical stratagems, it will win, more often than not.
Merrick has copped his fair share of flak for his lack of joy when his team scores a goal or does something good.
After Melbourne's 6-0 grand final win over Adelaide two years ago he barely raised a smile, evoking comments that compared his capacity for emotional engagement with an Easter Island statue. The truth is that he is a person who finds it easiest to operate in an environment where he takes emotion out of the equation.
That doesn't mean he avoids players with flair, after all, he has employed the A-League's most dangerous player, Archie Thompson, for four years and signed Carlos Hernandez, the charismatic Costa Rican, two years ago.
Both players have been crucial during Melbourne's run to the premiership plate and Hernandez in particular was outstanding in the 4-0 humiliation of Adelaide two weeks ago in the major semi-final.
He has also put his trust for all of his A-League coaching career in the most passionate player to have donned a Victory shirt in captain Kevin Muscat. It is almost as though the coach singles out for critical roles players who are the antithesis of his own character.
His assistant coach, Aaron Healey, yesterday revealed that so well thought out is the Merrick regime that sessions and training plans are worked out up to a year in advance.
"We're getting into the sports science here," Healey said. "It's just basically planning throughout the year. We know weeks, months — even 12 months — in advance what our training schedule is going to be, what we're doing, where we're headed, so it's just basically a good solid plan where you'd like to go throughout the season.
"You're always going to have individual differences within that, but you've got to structure a plan in place and you work to that."
Merrick came to coach Victory after more than a decade at the Victoria Institute of Sport. There he mixed with leading coaches from other disciplines and absorbed plenty of lessons.
Healey, who was at the Victorian Institute of Sport with Merrick, shares the coach's philosophy and belief in a collaborative approach and calm detachment.
"Sports medicine, sports science, strength and conditioning, everyone has an input," Healey said. "So it's been a group effort all the way through, not only the 16 players in the squad, but it's important to acknowledge the six players who miss out as well.
"Everyone has had an input to where we are at the moment and everyone has played a major part in getting us here. It's a collaboration."
Anita Pedrana, the club's sports scientist, is another who spent five years working with Merrick at the VIS.
"Ernie trusts us and gives us the flexibility to be able to assess all the players individually, pull them out when they need a rest and make recommendations individually," Pedrana said yesterday.
"Collectively we sit down at the start of the season. Each of us in our three areas — myself, Adam Basil, strength and conditioning, and Dan Jones, our physio — put together a program that we think will suit the way we will play throughout the year and have them (the players) tailored so we peak at the right time. We present that and discuss it with the coaches, they have their feedback and we work it out.
"Ernie is a fantastic coach to have because he lets us do our job and appreciates how important our input is.
"It's very much a consensual approach. He doesn't tell us what to do, we don't tell him what to do."
Merrick has kept a low profile in the lead-up to Saturday's grand final at the Telstra Dome, speaking to television and radio this week but refusing to be interviewed for this article.
Merrick did, however, offer a window to his approach on the ABC program Stateline in an interview to be screened this evening in which he outlined how he approaches his role.
"I think the days of stick your hands up in the air and rah rah rah and that short term inspirational stuff is long gone.
"Because of the consistency of having been there for four years now and having the freedom to get on with my job I think that consistency has been a great benefit for us.
"We're not chopping and changing staff or profiles of players we have or the way we develop players. The players know what is expected of them and it's developed really well over a period of time."
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/02/26/1235237834125.html
How Melbourne Victory can be denied
Michael Lynch February 28, 2009
Game on: Adelaide has nothing to lose against the Victory. Photo: Digitally altered: Phil Smith
MELBOURNE Victory has the evil eye on Adelaide United.
The fans know it and the media never stops mentioning it. It would hardly be surprising if even the players and coaches of both teams didn't believe it, such is the recent run of success that Victory has enjoyed over the Reds.
Five times these teams have met this season and five times Melbourne has come out on top, most recently by a 6-0 aggregate in the two legged major semi-final.
But soccer, as we are so often reminded from luminaries such as Alex Ferguson down to the bloke directing traffic at the local club's car park, can be a funny game.
A grand final is a one-off fixture where history can count for nothing. It's 90 minutes (plus extra-time and penalties if necessary) and when referee Matthew Breeze blows his whistle to start proceedings at Telstra Dome tonight, both sides begin on level terms and the soccer gods of fate and chance may yet decide to have their sport.
Victory goes into the match as overwhelming favourite - Sportsbet Australia has Victory at $1.75 to lift the championship trophy after 90 minutes while Adelaide is at $4.35 - but the gap between the two teams may not be as large as those prices suggest.
Melbourne can be beaten - it actually lost seven of the 21 games it played during the regular season. The Newcastle Jets, coached by last year's coach-of-the-season Gary Van Egmond, and Perth Glory, headed by David Mitchell, each beat Victory twice this season, with Perth twice scoring three goals against it and Newcastle bagging four in one of its wins.
Gold Coast United comes into the league next year and its outspoken boss Miron Bleiberg has already been doing his homework on to how to take apart Ernie Merrick's side in the 2009-10 campaign.
The trio explain how Adelaide coach Aurelio Vidmar can tackle Melbourne's psychological dominance, shuffle the players at his disposal and refine his tactics to pull off an unexpected triumph this evening.
PERSONNEL: MIRON BLEIBERG: I will give Adelaide a 45-55 chance in this match.
I think the best way to win is to stick to the same line-up and system that they played against the Roar (when they won last week's preliminary final 1-0).
When they lost 4-0 against Melbourne they played Cassio, Alemao, and Lucas Pantelis in the midfield. None of them are renowned for their defensive work.
They allowed Carlos Hernandez and his mates to terrorise the midfield. Fabian Barbiero is a much better athlete than Hernandez and with him and Jonas Salley in there they will fill the space in the midfield defensively much better.
GARY VAN EGMOND: I don't think either side will change much although I would utilise Travis Dodd more centrally and use his pace to run off and move Kevin Muscat around. When Muscat has to concentrate more on defensive work it prevents him stepping into midfield and stops him organising and marshalling the back half, which he does very well and is very important for Melbourne.
DAVID MITCHELL: I would think Adelaide would not change that much. They got the result last week and played better with a different line-up.
PSYCHOLOGICALLY: MITCHELL: From a mentality point of view everyone thinks Melbourne is going to win, so that's a big tick in Adelaide's box.
The fact that everything looks to be in Melbourne's favour - that they have beaten them regularly, that they are playing at home in front of a big crowd, that they have had a week off - it all takes the pressure off Adelaide.
There are no expectations. I would be telling the players that the past does not dictate the future. What happened has happened. This game will be totally different. There's a different referee, different circumstances, there could be three or four players who are different this time.
History and patterns are not always predictive and this is a different game. I would remind the players of their previous achievements. Their wins, the successful record of this club, their performances in the Asian Champions League.
I would tell them that at the end of the day it's the two best teams who are in the final and they are there because they are the most consistent.
VAN EGMOND: It's a difficult one. The most important thing is for the Adelaide team to know what it means for them individually. It's something the Adelaide side needs to share with each other.
For us last year Jado (Jets skipper Jade North, who led Newcastle to grand final victory after it had lost the major semi-final to Central Coast Mariners) got all the boys together before we played the Mariners in the final and asked them what it meant to them.
It got quite emotional and it achieved a hell of a lot. As outspoken as Viddy was the week before (when he blasted his team after the horrific loss to Melbourne) it was probably the best thing he did.
Losing in the major semi-final helped us. We would never have beaten the Mariners in the grand final if we had gone straight through.
After that loss we needed a few home truths to be spoken about. I think it was a positive for Adelaide to have a cleansing process and now there's no reason why they can't win.
BLEIBERG: You tell them that every one expects you to lose. But you tell your players that they are much better players than the last time they played Melbourne and lost 4-0, and that this is a different team.
You tell them that they must go out and enjoy the match, the occasion, the game, and do their work as professionals.
You tell them you trust them to do it. You tell them that every statistic or record is there to be broken and today is your day.
You remind them that Melbourne is not invincible, you show them that Melbourne lost seven games during the regular season, two more than you, and that they conceded a lot more goals than you did.
TACTICS VAN EGMOND: Essentially Melbourne play counter-attacking football. They don't really press and Archie (Thompson) is not usually one to track back and pick up runners. He cheats a bit, so does Carlos Hernandez.
You have to try and move Hernandez about and keep changing the point of the attack. Your two defensive midfielders and two centre-backs have to be comfortable on the ball and play to switch it to the full-backs to drag them around.
Melbourne are the most narrow team in the league. They play a 3-5-2 or a 4-4-2 and they switch around. If they play a back three, I like to play three up front against them and drag them around.
It's also imperative to keep the ball. Hernandez won't try to chase. (Billy) Celeski is nice on the ball, but it would be smart to try and run him around defensively, to not let him play with any comfort.
We would stay compact and not chase lost causes.
Parking the bus (stacking the defence) is the last thing you would want to do. You don't want to drop off too much and give them easy possession because they will play around you if you give them too much time.
It's really important to keep the ball, to stretch their midfielders and disrupt the triangle at the heart of their defence — Muskat, (Rody) Vargas and Celeski. You have to go wide because a lot of their good play comes through the middle. When they have it you try to make them play down one side.
Archie and (Danny) Allsopp will go wide to try and draw your centre-backs, so you have to be wary of that.
Melbourne will hurt you if you can't keep possession and frustrate them, and if you don't close it down, frustrate them and keep possession, they will get a chance to play.
Adelaide needs to slow everything down, take the crowd out of things. Walk to free kicks, walk to corners, take the pace and heat out of the game.
Adelaide has another big advantage on set pieces. There's a lot more height in the Adelaide side, they have two big central defenders and other tall players. They do have every chance of causing an upset because it's a one-off game.
MITCHELL: I don't think Melbourne will change much about the way they play. They play a little bit narrow, they play a lot of long balls.
Their two strikers are often a handful and they defend with numbers and rely on getting quick service to the two strikers and for them to cause havoc with the midfielders getting up and forward to support them. Adelaide may defend a bit deeper and not let Melbourne in behind them and then hit Melbourne on the break. If Adelaide open up too much Melbourne might get a lot of room to play in.
I think you can attack Melbourne out in wide areas and have success there. We (Perth Glory) also attacked them from set pieces and scored off a couple. Adelaide have got some big lads who can create a lot of trouble from free kicks and corners.
BLEIBERG: It worked much better for them last week because they brought in Jonas Salley and Barbiero and had energy in the midfield, and it's important to try and get on top there. Paul Reid is important for Adelaide to control the midfield. If they can cut the supply line, prevent Melbourne playing through to their strikers through the middle, then they have a chance. Even Napoleon could not conquer Russia when his supply line was cut.
Also they have a chance if they break at speed. The Victory defence is not the most mobile or fastest in the league. We saw how Michael Zullo and Tahj Minniecon caused them so many problems when Queensland Roar came down and won 2-0 here earlier in the season. If Melbourne are shut down in the midfield and have to resort to the long ball, that will be music to the ears of Robert Cornthwaite and Sasa Ognenovski.
If Adelaide score first Vidmar should have a player like Angelo Costanzo on the bench because they would need to close the game down by taking off a striker or attacking midfielder and bringing him in and using him to bolster the defence. If they are in front they will have to retain possession and try to frustrate Melbourne, and there's no better player in defence for doing that than Costanzo.
If they go 1-0 down in the first half, try to keep the score at that until half-time. In the second half they will have to change things up by adding another striker. If it's scoreless at half-time and Melbourne score in the second period, then you change things immediately, move Lucas Pantelis and Dodd out to the wings and (Paul) Agostino and Cristiano up front, because it is a grand final, there is no other game, and you have to try and get something out of it. I would probably go three at the back in this situation, take Daniel Mullen off.
The more it gets closer to extra-time or into extra-time, if there is no score or it is level, it all depends on the confidence of the coach and how he feels the game is going. If Vidmar is feeling he is getting the upper hand, then he may try to win the game. If not, then he may want to try and shut the match down and play for penalties. At least that gives them a 50-50 chance, which is better than how I think they are starting at 45-55.
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/02/27/1235237923507.html
The countdown to the Grand Final is on down in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. From the Age. Wahey!
Big brother asserts pecking order
Dan Silkstone February 15, 2009
It isn't easy being a younger brother. You go out into the world, trying to make a name for yourself — and you succeed, you really do. You play out of your skin but whatever you do, wherever you go, big brother is always waiting to deliver a dead arm.
And then — suddenly — you are back at mum and dad's for Christmas dinner. You made a million dollars last year, you hit the big time overseas and there's a glamorous girl on your arm. But none of that achievement, that globetrotting glory, counts for anything. The natural order is painfully imposed.
Adelaide — little old Adelaide United — had every reason to throw everything at Melbourne last night. Down two goals after a disastrous home leg and with a grand final spot up for grabs, the running was theirs to make. The pride earned during a barnstorming year in which richer and more exotic opponents had been dealt with and a spot secured as the second best team in Asia was under threat from a rival who knew them much, much better.
You wouldn't have known it from the way they played. From the opening whistle, the Victory imposed themselves — the men in red meekly submitted, strangely accepting of their allotted role. Chances were fashioned from the earliest seconds, a goal came after just ten minutes, Archie Thompson, put through by Carlos Hernandez, sprung the trap and steered it past the hand of Eugene Galekovic. Thirty seconds later Allsopp scuffed a shot that could easily have burst the net. Adelaide was gone.
Two years ago, on this ground, they had been cut open and made foolish in a six nil Grand Final rout. That sort of result left not so much scars as fault lines. For all that they had achieved this year — and it had been plenty — they found themselves back here. Back there. Quaking.
Melbourne should have had four in the first 20 minutes, Ward spurned a chance , Pondeljak netted from an Allsopp through ball instantly ruled offside. It didn't matter, chances were not going to be in short supply. Adelaide was simply absent, Melbourne partied without them. You wondered whether South Australian minds were already trained on the upcoming match against the Queensland Roar. You saw them wondering how, playing so listlessly, they could possibly win it. Would they want to if the prize was a trip back into this?
Few expected Hernandez to start — if they'd thought about Ernie Merrick they should have. The Victory were — as they had been all year — settled. The best 11 played and each of them played in his best position. Hernandez might not have had 90 minutes in him. The way he started, his team was never going to need that much.
The second was his — on 24 minutes — after an irresistable exchange of passes between an inspired Tommy Pondeljak, Ward and Hernandez — the latter picking his spot and smashing it into the roof of the net. The options then for Adelaide were embarrassment or humiliation. With cheap fouls and a red card in an anti-climactic second half, they opted for the latter. The crowd resorted to the Mexican wave.
It wasn't just that they played without energy, they played without sense. Defending high up the park and square at the back, it was like a manual for how not to set up aganist a team determined to hit you fast on the break. These men had earned things in 2009 and now they counted for nothing. Eugene Galekovic, the goalkeeper of the year and newly-capped Socceroo was simply a Victory discard, picking the ball out of his own net.
The fourth goal was just a joke. Pondeljak spread it to Hernandez and kept on running, the Costa Rican curled a perfect ball to the far post where Pondeljak volleyed home.
By the end, Victory fans — wary of Queensland's vigour — would have paid money to play these guys in the grand final. After all, who does not enjoy the occasional wrestle with their little brother?
Cornthwaite and Jamieson, Mullen and Barbiero, Adelaide had impressed with their youth in Asia. By the time 90 minutes had passed they looked in need of something that sounded mighty similar. They had taken on Japan and Uzbekistan; even — at the World Club Championships — beaten the African champions. But when it mattered they were crushed by a better team, in a bigger stadium, in front of a crowd that dwarfed them. Asia be damned, the natural order is restored.
And as November ends with one month to go in 2008, today has been a very interesting day. It wasn't a perfect day, due to Long Beach State men's water polo continuing their role as the Jobbers to the Stars and Cal Poly ending their season on a two-game losing streak as well as the likes of Auckland City and Melbourne Victory losing its winning touch, but it did have more highs than lows.
First off, the Lakewood Lancers are where they were during the days of Luther Brown. Mission Viejo was upset by the Noble Thanes of Thadd, 28-7, on a cool November evening at the John T. Ford Stadium grounds before a standing-room only congregation. I saw the score and thought, "If it's Poly we're facing, they might as well have divine right to win it all, those lucky Jackrabbits." They faced Esperanza tonight.
Grambling State shrugged off its two-year slump of fail against Southern, winning the Bayou Classic, 29-14. Kill Jackson State, Rod Broadway. Get it done and put yourself in a position to be tops in the Sheridan Poll by season's end. Get to it.
Hawaii is going bowling...again. a 24-10 revenge win over Washington State sends them to the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. In a season without Colt Brennan, Davone Bess, Ryan Grice-Mullen and a whole lotta other stars from last year...this had to be a good season under first-year coach Greg McMackin. If he gets WAC Coach of the Year Honors, he should.
And Saturday had shootouts galore. Throw defense out the window, it's time for some Heisman and BCS-stat padding sessions, STAT! #1 ranked Alabama shuts out Auburn, 36-0. Florida and Tim Tebow are set to pull off a season of Archie Griffin proportions with a 45-15 scalping of Florida State. In the Civil War, USC's hopes to be at the Rose Bowl for two straight matches were improved by a 65-38 demolition of Oregon State. Sam Bradford of Oklahoma made his case to be in New York clear with a 61-41 steamroll of Oklahoma State in the Bedlam Bowl (the BoBA Master is pleased with this one). Boise State and Ball State ran over Fresno and Western Michigan, 61-10 and 45-22, respectively. Where they will be bowling remains to be seen. The Georgia Bulldogs got Ramblin' Wreck'd by Georgia Tech Between The Hedges, 45-42, while Charlie Weis could be shown the door after a 38-3 defeat to the Trojans as the cauldron lit through the Coliseum air. Colt McCoy and Texas made their intentions clear with a 49-9 crushing of Texas A&M.
In volleyball, the Long Beach State 49ers took out Colorado State in four games after dropping the first set, and now will find out where they will be heading off to (or whether they will stay home) for first and second round matches.
Why is it that people are infuriated when I am yawning? One of the people in my class told me, as I was yawning to stretch during break said, "You have to shut up already." I said, "I'm just yawning, what's your fucking problem?" I was ready to counter any first punch coming my way. He chickened out, and I told him after class, "You need to calm the fuck down. Seriously. Making a mountain out a molehill will not warrant any sympathy from me."
And then this Hispanic undergrad comed over, as I was looking at the USA Women's U-20 team beat Argentina 3-0, and I got into a little confrontation with him. I waited for the bloody idiot to throw the first punch. I referred the guy to security to have him settle the situation. I am not afraid of my life being taken away-as a student, I want to make my skin as thick as possible, but at the same time, threatening students by force is not going to help you, even if you are taking a test. This guy should have just said, "If you don't quiet down, I'll have to refer you to the Dean." I have a counter-offer: I refer you to security, and have him report this threat of violence to the Dean. That will make it easier for both of us. Take it or leave it.
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A mixed bag of wins and losses awaited the teams I followed today. Aside from the U-20 women heading to the playoff stages in Chile while the men prepare for a date with their old friends from Mexico, the Lakewood High School Lancer varsity football team broke a four-year hoodoo of not winning a postseason game with a 35-34 win over the Servite Friars last night in double overtime. Whoever snags Dion Bailey has all the makings of a star on their roster. When it comes down to it, batting balls like that will really make you look good. This defensive back has seven picks this year, and should be All-Moore League first team on defense. He earned his stripes last night.
The Harvard Crimson finished 9-1 with a 10-0 win over the Yale Bulldogs at the Harvard Stadium earlier today. They share the trophy with the Brown Bears, who took the hapless Columbia Lions to the woodshed.
At least Tim Murphy knows who he has to outdo on the recruiting trail this offseason. If the Ivies wanted to be in the postseason, Harvard would be invited.
I was happy with Melbourne Victory, Aldershot Town and AFC Wimbledon getting back on the winning track with 2-1 (over Central Coast Mariners), 1-0 (over Chester), and 3-1 (over Worcester City - FA Trophy First Round Proper) victories, respectively. I was especially pleased that the Dons found a way to win on the road again. And Long Beach State's men's water polo team did something right for once: a 7-4 win over UC Irvine to wrap up the regular season. Where have those wins been, Gavin Arroya? Huh?
What I was dissatisfied with were the results from Cal Poly, FC United of Manchester and especially AFC Liverpool. The Mustangs' kicker Andrew Gardner couldn't make conversions out of a wet paper bag. He gave Wisconsin a 36-35 gift of a victory. Choker. A 1-0 loss to Worksop Town could mean that the promotion run for FC United ends this season, while AFC Liverpool are reeling off three straight defeats (including Vodkat League One losses to Irlam and Padiham). Gracious.
Also, while Long Beach City College's men's water polo team could lift a finger to Grossmont (17-11 win for third place at Merced College), the women were unimpressive against rival Cerritos, 11-6. Average, if not below-average, outing for the Viking water polo sides, with the weight being on the women's letdown against the Falcons. Chelsea (0-0 draw with Newcastle) and Accrington (1-1 draw with Chesterfield) should have fared better, too.
On to seeing how the Rainmakers's crew did against Weber, as well as Hawaii taking on Idaho at the Aloha Stadium, then.
Some insane things have gone on this weekend: while Hurricane Ike slams Houston and the heart of Texas, a clash of two trains marytyred dozen twofold and some in Chatsworth. Mercy.
My Lancer football team won, as well as my women's volleyball team, and the likes of AFC Liverpool, Melbourne Victory and AFC Wimbledon did, too. The Socceroos and the USA MNT also did their part of the work. I am disappointed in the Los Angeles Galaxy's failure to get any positive results for the bulk of this season, hence I changed the color layout. I also changed it due to the MLS season wrapping up down here.
SPeaking of MLB, how about that Francisco Rodriguez. 58 saves. He made history tonight, passing Bobby Thigpen in a 5-2 win for the Halos. Nine wins away from 100, two saves away from 60 for K-Rod. Some more milestones are in order.
A Trojan horse attack on my computer turned out to be a blessing.
There's this program called DBAN - Darik's Boot and Nuke. It's a program that allows you to clean your hard drive thanks to an autonuke feature, and get rid of any other lingering programs that might harm your computer. It's awesome stuff. I was able to get my machine back to normal after the Trojan attack. And it's all thanks to BongaDad.
He may have a foot lagging from a bout of gout, but when it comes to figuring out what the fuss with my computer is all about, without a doubt, he packs a clout.
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How about that Melbourne Victory side. They are a football team from Melbourne, Australia, and they won the A-League Preseason Cup. Even though the USA Women stunk like Limburger against Norway the same day, keeper Michael Theoklitos is clutch.
From the Sydney Morning Herald:
----- Victory win A-League pre-season cup
August 6, 2008 - 9:33PM
Melbourne Victory have claimed the first silverware of the A-League season, defeating Wellington Phoenix 8-7 in a marathon penalty shootout in the final of the pre-season cup at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.
Reigning A-League goalkeeper of the year Michael Theoklitos proved the difference between the two sides, making two spectacular stops during the second half and then saving Karl Dodd's penalty to win the shootout after 18 kicks.
Phoenix striker Shane Smeltz and Victory's Nick Ward had earlier blazed their spot kicks over the crossbar.
The match had finished 0-0 at fulltime, the Phoenix having slightly the better of proceedings before falling just short of becoming the first New Zealand club to claim a trophy in an Australian competition.
The home side fielded close to their best line-up with the only notable absentees being skipper Andrew Durante who sat out the match through suspension, while defender Tony Lochhead remained unavailable after recent trials with Middlesbrough.
Conversely ,Victory went into the match without a number of key squad members including regular captain Kevin Muscat, experienced midfielder Grant Brebner, plus Olyroos trio Archie Thompson, Leigh Broxham and Billy Celeski.
Goalscoring opportunities were rare with the match commencing in scrappy fashion on a greasy surface in front of over 9,000 fans who braved the chilly conditions.
Chances in the first half were largely a result of defensive errors with Phoenix goalkeeper Glen Moss misjudging a regulation Matthew Kemp cross and catching the ball at the second attempt as match officials ignored Victory appeals that the ball had crossed the line.
At the other end of the field Adam Kwasnik should have done better but headed over the crossbar after the Victory had left the striker unmarked from a free kick.
It was a match in which defence dominated with both sets of defenders solid throughout and former Socceroos Jon McKain for the Phoenix and Michael Thwaite for Victory particularly prominent.
The match sprang to life mid-way through the second stanza with Richard Johnson's stunning long range effort requiring an equally spectacular save from Victory goalkeeper Theoklitos.
Carlos Hernandez warmed the palms of Moss soon after with his own powerful strike from distance in what was a relatively quiet night for the Costa Rican international.
The best chance of the match came ten minutes from time with Phoenix's prolific striker Smeltz producing a diving header that saw Theoklitos at full stretch to tip the ball around the post.
"It was a tough one, but we did the job," said Victory coach Ernie Merrick.
"Right from the kick-off they pressured us and made sure we couldn't get our passing game going.
"When your goalkeeper is one of your best players and your other two are probably (defenders) Michael Thwaite and Roddy Vargas, you know that you haven't played your best football.
"But sometimes you play a game like that when you're not at your best and you come away with a win, and you think 'not a bad team to get that sort of result with not the best performance'.
"It has been the perfect preparation for the A-league season, and to get to the final, which the boys set themselves the challenge of winning, it sets us up really well for the A-league season."
Phoenix captain Jon McKain said he was impressed with his team's effort as they build towards just their second season in the competition.
"Penalties are always a lottery, and we didn't seem to get that bit of luck tonight," McKain said.
Well, I should concur that this was a good day, for the most part. A few letdowns here and there, but nothing too bad. Here is a recap of my favorite teams' recent endeavors.
SOCCER AND HOOPS TEAMS CHOKED, BUT THE REST ARE ALL RIGHT: Not a good start for Bob Nash's Bows at the StanSheriffCenter. When you can't even get the work done against San Diego and Illinois...well, it's not a good sign. And Pinzoom Tenzing of Lahore, India, learned something after the sccer team's loss to Colorado: get better players. And schedule the Beach next year.
However, the weekend wasn't a complete failure for Hawaii. The football team capped off a succesfull road campaign thanks to Dan "The Iceman" Kelly. If the game-winning field goal against the Nevada Wolf Pack to get the 28-26 win at Mackay Stadium doesn't warrant a WAC Special Teams Player of the Week honor at the minimum, the people who make the decisions didn't see the game. Meanwhile, down in Las Cruces, Dave Shoji's Rainbow Wahine cap off a successful WAC Tournament run, going the distance to whitewash New Mexico State, 28-30, 30-20, 24-30, 30-23, and 15-11.
AND JUST WHEN IT COULDN'T GET ANY MORE WORSE FOR THE TOREROS, IT DOES: San Diego loses to UC Davis...again, 49-46. Way to close your season on the wrong note, you AlcalaPark pricks!
THE WAIT ENDS FOR ONE, CONTINUES FOR ANOTHER: And the Rainmaker, Dan Monson, comes through. Long BeachState defeated IdahoState in men's basketball, 66-61, in overtime. And the College of Business Administration, with only three players, show that quantity is no match for quality, defending their Chick-Fil-A free shootout championship, scorching UniversityCollege and Extension Services, 11-5. Meanwhile, the women continue their wait to break their hoodoo, after an uninspiring performance against LMU.
WATER POLO FUTILITY: Long BeachCityCollege had a weekend from hell at the COA water polo championships in Fresno. The women will play for third place, after dropping a 12-10 decision to American River, while the men, simply...choked.
MELBOURNE, SAY IT AIN'T SO!: Oh Ernie, your days are getting numbered. Melbourne Victory lost to the Queensland Roar, 1-0. Ugh.
BUT AT LEAST THE ROOS ARE FIGHTING BACK: I still played a little Men at Work. Australia exacted revenge over Iraq after dropping their recent meeting at the Asian Cup, 2-0, while a friendly against Nigeria, gave the Soccceroos a 1-0 win.
MORE BASHING OF AFRICA: And the United States are getting themselves a nice win streak in friendlies. Put this in your Janjaweed, haters: Steve Cherundolo gave Bob Bradley's boys a 1-0 win over Bafana Bafana.
COMING DOWN THE ROAD: Forget Wellington Phoenix, the hottest football team in New Zealand is AucklandCity. The boys from Kiwitea Street dismissed Otago United, 2-0, and continue their undefeated run in their league. New Zealand, in international competition, defeated Vanuatu, 2-1, and continue to put themselves in position to have a crack at Asia to qualify for South Africa 2010. Wish they faced off against Uruguay instead. Ah well. And AldershotTown continued their pace to get to the Football League 2nd Division. Go the Shots... Hooah!
