Hey you, I'm in love with your eyes And the sound of your name Hey you, I'm in love with your smile And the way you're dressed today
Hey you, well I like the way you walk Just like a star moves on stage Hey you, well I like the way you talk You're really calm for your age
I really die You're driving me wild I really die I'm in love 100 times I really die You're driving me wild I really die I'm in love 100 times To be your answer
Hey you, I said you know what's going on Do you know what I mean Hey you, if he wants you better come This school is up to me
I really die You're driving me wild I really die I'm in love 100 times I really die You're driving me wild I really die I'm in love 100 times To be your answer...
The amateurs of Auckland City FC are in the money after a second major upset at the Fifa Club World Cup in Morocco yesterday.
The side's 1-0 quarter-final defeat of African champions ES Setif of Algeria booked the men from Kiwitea St a spot in the semifinals, doubling their prize money in the process.
They will take home at least $2.57 million in prize money from the tournament, which will rise to $5.14 million if they win Thursday's semifinal against Argentine giants San Lorenzo.
The winning team in the competition - featuring the club champions of every continent - is awarded $6.43 million.
Auckland City are making their sixth appearance at the tournament, with their previous best finish coming in 2009, when they managed fifth after defeating UAE side Al Ahli and African champions TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo. On that occasion the side was awarded US$1.5 million in prize money.
It is not known what the players' cut is this time around, but in 2009 they divvied up 40 per cent of the club's winning share.
New Zealand Football high performance manager Fred de Jong told RadioSport the secured payday of $2.57 million would be shared around the football community."About 50 per cent will go to Auckland City and the other 50 per cent gets split among the other franchises in the ASB Premiership [national league]. We've always had that rule."
What is the Club World Cup?
*The champion club side from each of Fifa's six confederations (and the host nation's national champions) compete in a knockout tournament over two weeks to find the best club side in the world.
*Other semifinalists include European champions Real Madrid, who feature the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale.
*Auckland City have appeared at the tournament six times and their best previous finish came in 2009 when they beat local UAE champions AL Ahli and African champions TP Mazembe to finish fifth.
*The winning side is awarded $6.43 million.
NEW YORK ― Alabama's Amari Cooper fell short in the Heisman Trophy voting as Marcus Mariota became Oregon's first winner.
It was the second-largest margin of victory in Heisman history. Cooper did the best in the south as he received the second-most votes (256) behind Mariota's 426. The Oregon quarterback won all five regions and Cooper was third in all but the south.
Jameis Winston, the 2013 winner, was sixth in the 2014 voting with 51 total points. Trevone Boykin was the fourth followed by Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett.
Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott was among the midseason contenders, but the Bulldog passers finished eighth eighth 42 points. Arizona linebacker Schooby Wright was the only defensive player in the top 10 with an eighth-place finish.
Here's a look at the full voting for the 80th Heisman Trophy from the 929 ballots counted:
Readers on the Bedlam on Baltic Avenue, this is what I am going to focus my Pangya cube farming operatives on for the next week.
This is the Poster Set for Hana, which was released back in 2010 and is now a Memorial Gacha item. The ironic thing about it is that I already own the Poster Set for Kooh from Memorial Gacha. Well, this was the Poster Set that I wanted from all of them because Hana is my main, whether it's the Classic version or the Renewed Version. Speaking of which, my renewed Hana is 25 games away from clearing all of the achievements I can accomplish with her. Once that happens, she is pretty much retired and I can go back to playing as Classic Hana, as all of the achievements will be cleared when I play 10,000 games with her.
Anyway, cutting to the chase. I am officially 170 opened spinning cubes away from finally obtaining the 700 required to send to Cadie. Here's the thing: the Opened Spinning Cubes update is not until Dec. 18. This gives me five days to muster up 170 more cubes and 170 more Keys of Fortune to open them. The fine folks at the Pangya Team will be giving me 30 of the keys required in three daily logins from now. But that's pretty much it. I need to allocate $15 on keys and that won't come until I receive a Christmas bonus from my employees on what I hope will be Monday.
Getting the Keys of Fortune is the easy part. The difficult part is getting the cubes. We're talking 170 cubes here. I am only allowed to carry 100 at a time. So once I empty out the next 100, I need 70 more. Unfortunately this is something I won't really get to until the following weekend, since Monday and Tuesday are work days for me. But I will be spending hours upon hours grinding on Pink Wind 18 holes and Abbot Mine Hole 15 on Hole Repeat.
In any case, I am committed to claiming this piece of Pangya history for my own next week, but I will need to open up the wallet to get it done. Come oooooooon bonus check!
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.
BOONE — The NCAA informed Appalachian State University on Tuesday evening that Appalachian’s request for a waiver from its NCAA-mandated football postseason ineligibility in 2014 was denied.
Appalachian State is in the second year of a two-year transition period from NCAA Division I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) to Division I FBS (Football Championship Subdivision). Per NCAA policy, programs are not permitted to compete in postseason play during the two-year transition, thus App State was barred from participating in the FCS playoffs in 2013 and a bowl game this season.
Appalachian, which posted a 7-5 record in its first season as a member of NCAA Division I FBS and the Sun Belt Conference, requested the waiver on the basis that it had completed or is on an appropriate timeline to complete all requirements for full FBS membership.
“We thank the NCAA for considering our request for a waiver and respect its decision to deny the request. We’ve known since we accepted the invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference and NCAA Division I FBS last year that postseason ineligibility is part of the two-year transition process,” Appalachian State Interim Director of Atheltics Rick Beasley said. “However, we felt like we owed it to our student-athletes to pursue any avenues available to try to reward them for a terrific season with the opportunity to compete in a bowl game.
After a 1-5 start, the Mountaineers won their final six games in 2014 to not only finish 7-5 overall but also 6-2 in Sun Belt play, good for third place in the final conference standings.
Appalachian State will be eligible to compete for a bowl bid in 2015, when it returns 20 starters (10 offense, 10 defense) from this year’s squad.
“The fact that we are not going to a bowl game does not diminish one bit the accomplishments of this year’s team, particularly its 14 seniors,” said Beasley. “The last two senior classes may not have had the opportunity to participate in the postseason but they built the foundation for a program that will compete for Sun Belt championships and bowl bids for years to come. We couldn’t be more grateful to them for the sacrifices that they made or more proud of them for what they achieved.
“We’re looking forward to 2015 when we’ll have 20 starters back to compete for a Sun Belt championship and a bowl bid!”
CARSON, Calif. – Major League Soccer's Most Valuable Player proved his value when it mattered most, scoring the goal in overtime that lifted the LA Galaxy to an unprecedented fifth MLS Cup crown.
Robbie Keane, the game's MVP, finished a long ball from Marcelo Sarvas in the 111th minute as the Galaxy, playing in front a partisan sellout crowd at StubHub Center, claimed their third championship in four years with a thrilling 2-1 triumph over the visiting New England Revolution.
Landon Donovan wrapped up his career with a title, winning MLS Cup for a record sixth time, as LA beat the the Revs in the championship game for the third time, all of them in overtime.
The Revolution, the only team to play in multiple MLS Cups without a trophy, lost their record fifth final, three in OT and another on penalties.
It was a pulsating final, a first-half tactical battle that evolved into an end-to-end slugfest, withGyasi Zardes providing LA a lead in the 52nd minute and Chris Tierney netting the equalizer in the 79th.
Keane missed a one-on-one opportunity and Teal Bunbury hit a post late in regulation, forcing overtime for the ninth time in 19 MLS Cup finals.
It was the fifth title for LA coach Bruce Arena, who won the first two MLS Cups with D.C. United and guided LA to back-to-back championships in 2011 and 2012.
Chances were few in the first half, a product of iffy passing – especially the Galaxy – and solid defending by both sides. Space was at a premium and the best opportunities came from direct play rather than buildup.
LA did a better job of penetrating in the final third, and they nearly went ahead in the second minute. Robbie Rogers weaved into the box after a charging run down the left flank and knocked the ball toward the far post, but a ricochet off Scott Caldwell took enough off the shot to give the Revs Homegrown time to clear off the line.
The Galaxy had two more solid chances before halftime, but Keane, with an open path just inside the box, fired hard at Revs goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth in the 21st minute and Zardes was wide of the target from a Donovan feed in the 39th.
The Revs had one superb chance in the first half, with Chris Tierney sending a ball to a streakingCharlie Davies. A.J. DeLaGarza matched the speedy striker step for step, then slid in the box to deny the shot.
The second half was played at a brisker pace, a more wide-open affair, and Zardes struck soon after Lee Nguyen had a penalty shout waved off at the other end, becoming the first Homegrown Player to score in an MLS Cup.
It came from a Stefan Ishizaki cross from the right, just outside the box, that deflected off Tierney and sailed to the second-year forward even with the far post.
Zardes' first touch took the ball wider, and he held off New England right back Andrew Farrellto create the needed space before firing across the goalmouth and into the far-post netting.
The Galaxy had opportunities to add to their advantage through Keane, who sprinted free from a Rogers long ball in the 70th minute, cut past Jose Goncalves to get one-on-one with Shuttleworth, then only got a piece of the ball, knocking it weakly at the goalkeeper.
Keane would have gone one-on-one again five minutes later, but he was flagged for a very tight offside.
Tierney tied it up soon after. Goncalves sent a long ball up the left wing for Patrick Mullins, who had come on for Davies seven minutes earlier. Mullins eluded Ishizaki and through Gonzalez’s legs for Tierney, streaking into the box. His first touch beat Leonardo, and he left-footed the ball under LA keeper Jaime Penedo and inside the right post.
Bunbury nearly gave New England the victory in the 85th minute, arcing a curling ball from the left that floated over Penedo and bounced high off the right post.
The Galaxy did well to neutralize Nguyen, an MVP finalist, who exited as stoppage time arrived after going down with a cramp as Bunbury took his shot.
LA made two changes heading into overtime. Rogers, hurt near the end of regulation from a crunching Bunbury tackle, was pulled in favor of Dan Gargan, who took his customary spot at right back with DeLaGarza moving to the left. Alan Gordon came on for Ishizaki, with Zardes moving to the flank.
The Revolution had two opportunities during the first overtime period. Jermaine Jones, through whom New England's attack flowed before halftime and again after regulation, fired just past the left post in the 100th minute, then sent a ball forward for Mullins two minutes later. Penedo got down to parry the rookie's sharp shot from the left, and DeLaGarza knocked the rebound from danger.
Keane scored his 23rd goal of the season for the Galaxy, all competitions, in the sixth minute of overtime's second stage. Sarvas sent a ball to the Irish striker on the left, and he slotted past Shuttleworth to the right corner of the net from inside the box.
The Revs pushed forward in a vain search for an equalizer. Mullins forced Penedo to the ground for a save at the left post in the 116th minute, and Bunbury fired wide from an abrupt angle on the right in the 118th.
LOS ANGELES – Robbie Keane has never been all that interested in individual honors, but he was tickled to pick up Major League Soccer's 2014 Volkswagen MVP award Wednesday afternoon.
Now it's on to bigger business.
The 34-year-old Irish striker, a finalist for the honor last year, was fêted at the Ritz-Carlton at L.A. Live on Wednesday after scoring 19 goals with 14 assists to help the Galaxy to a dominant 17-7-10 regular season campaign.
Next he'll lead the Galaxy as they seek their third title in four years in Sunday's MLS Cup final against the New England Revolution at StubHub Center (3 pm ET, ESPN, UniMas, UDN, TSN1, RDS2).
“To be in the running the last few years, it just goes to show how consistent I have been, you know?” said Keane. “To win it, it's actually great to be recognized by your fellow professionals and the media. I'm delighted with the award, but I'd certainly trade it in for a championship on Sunday.”
Keane's scoring exploits are clear: He's netted 53 goals with 35 assists in 84 regular season games since joining LA in August 2011, plus another eight goals and six assists in 16 playoff matches and seven goals in 14 CONCACAF Champions League games. He's tallied 22 goals with 18 assists in all competitions this year.
But his game is far broader than the numbers suggest. He gives a master class in off-the-ball movement every time he steps on the field and plays the pivotal role in the Galaxy's interchange-heavy possession game.
“We think Robbie's spectacular,” Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said following the ceremony. “He's remarkable in the sense that his consistency year in and year out has been spectacular. And you don't see that typically of strikers. ...
“He sets the tone for our team each and every day. He's a great professional, he's good with our young players, he's fabulous in getting the team ready to play. Those things you don't see in the box score, for sure, but he's that guy with our team.”
Keane was at his best this year after undergoing surgeries on both of his Achilles' tendons last December.
“The last couple years I've been struggling really bad with Achilles' problems,” he said. “I was waking up in the mornings, and I could hardly walk. It took me ages to get going in training, so since the operation, I feel great.”
Keane's “desire and hunger” for the game, he says, makes all the difference.
“If you hate something that you do, you wake up every morning, you're not looking forward to going into work, whether that's football or a 9-to-5 job,” he said. “If you don't like what you do, then the battle is probably done already. For me, I wake up every morning looking forward to practice. I wake up every Saturday and Sunday desperate and can't wait to play the game.
“It's not about the money. I don't care about the money. For me, it's about playing. I'd play for free. When I finish playing football, I'll go back to Ireland, I'll be a manager or whatever, and I'll still play on Sunday with my mates. It's just the way I am.”
