BBC Sport - Football - Braga 3-0 Celtic

BBC Sport - Football - Braga 3-0 Celtic

Congratulations to Braga on an amazing victory over Celtic. The Portuguese side played a great game, and deserved the win. Now, lets get ready for the second leg in Glasgow.

1. Boston College – No, Boston College won’t win many fashion contests. But go ahead and doubt the E... - BC Interruption

1. Boston College – No, Boston College won’t win many fashion contests. But go ahead and doubt the E... - BC Interruption

Its about time that Boston College football gets some respect, and this time it even came from the Orlando Sentinel, a Florida newspaper.
Every year people doubt the Eagles, and every season Boston College plays great football.
True, BC has not won a National Championship, but given our academic standards, the kids do very well.
I am looking forward to another season of Boston College football, with Herzlich, Kuehly, Harris and the rest of the team.

Raul!

Raul Gonzales, the captain of Real Madrid for the past decade has announced today that he is leaving the club after being there since he was 9 years old. This comes a day after his friend and teammate Guti also announced that he was leaving the club. It will be a sight to see Raul wearing another shirt this season. I think that it was the best choice, at least this way he will have a chance to keep playing, which if he stayed at Real, he was not going to get any playing time.

This kind of reminds me of Nuno Gomes at Benfica. Numo Gomes is an idol at the club, but he is not playing, and I believe that he still has a lot to offer. Imagine Nuno Gomes at Braga playing for the Champions League, or even for another club such as Guimaraes. I understand that Nuno wants to retire at the club, but it is such a waste of talent. He could always return later and do something else for the club, such as scouting, I am sure that Benfica will find something for Nuno Gomes to do.

Anyways, Raul, thanks for the memories, I will always remember what you did with Real.

The island of Santa Maria.

I am just going to say it: Santa Maria is the most beautiful island in the Atlantic.

Anyone who has been here can tell you that there is nothing better than being at Praia Formosa at the end of a long day; some people prefer Sao Lorenzo Bay, but Formosa is the way to go.

I remember as a kid, my cousins and I would spend entire days there, from sunrise to sunset. There was no greater feeling than being at that beach. Fun in the sand, good waves, these are all things that I miss. I hope my son will enjoy the island as much as I did.

UEFA.com - Under-19 2010 - Italy-Portugal

UEFA.com - Under-19 2010 - Italy-Portugal

Great win by the "putos" against the Italians. Showing great promise for the future. Who knows, some of these players may be in the Portuguese National Team in the 2012 Euro Cup or most likely in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The 10 Best Games For Under $20

The 10 Best Games For Under $20

Pre-Season Top 25: Ranking College Football's Hottest Campuses | Bleacher Report

Pre-Season Top 25: Ranking College Football's Hottest Campuses Bleacher Report

Revere beach!

America's first public beach: Revere Beach.
Perhaps I was spoiled, because I grew up in the Azores surrounded by some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, but I have to tell you, I am very dissapointed with Revere Beach. No, it's not beause with is filled with orange skinned meatheads wearing 'tapout' shirts.
It was hard to believe how dirty it was, I saw everything from plastic bottles, to dirty tampons, yes, I am serious. I dont know, maybe I am being too picky.
There are good things about the beach, it is a nice place to go for a walk at the end of a long day, maybe a run on the sand with a loved one, Kelly's Roast Beef!! One good thing, there were a lot of beautiful women there, specially Italian-American.
What the hell, I will be back there.

Braga vs Celtic

Portuguese club Braga had bad luck today, as they have to face the Scottish giants, Glasgow Celtic to qualify for the European Champions League.

However, lets be honest, if Braga is unable to beat Celtic, a team that they should beat, then they have no business being in the Champions League. What about if they make it, and they have to face teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal and other sharks of European soccer?

Sure, Celtic is a great team, but the Portuguese Liga is a much tougher league than the Scottish Premier League. Not to mention that British teams struggle when they face Portuguese opposition.

I believe that Braga is going to beat the All Catholics, and make it to the Champions League. They will do a good job representing Portugal, possibly even better than Sporting..........

George Steinbrenner dies at 80!

Hate him or love him, the Boss, mattered. George Steinbrenner was born on the 4th of July, and died on the morning of the All Star game. Somehow, it all fits. He was so, so American, an enthusiastic master of capitalism, and free speech, and he had a relentless desire to win. RIP, Boss.

David Ortiz wins the Home Run Derby!

You have got to love David Ortiz! This guy spend the entire home run derby asking for Brugal, a Dominican rum, and saying the word 'cuno'.

Big Papi seemed to be enjoying himself, which you should at the All Star break.

Hopefully this will translate into second half success. By the way, he said today that he wanted an extension with the Red Sox, not a one year deal. Will the slugger get it?

Thierry Henry to MLS?

Rumours are flying that Henry is going to sign with the New York Red Bulls. If true, this is a major signing for the MLS. I personally believe that he will bring more to the league than David Beckam did. Now, the MLS only need to sign Raul, who has been released by Real Madrid. Maybe the New England Revolution can sign him?

Spain wins the World Cup!

Congratulations to my Iberian neighbors, Spain! The Cup was well deserved. The Spanish played amazing soccer and were the best team in the tournament. Their smooth passing, tactical awareness, aggressive defense, and deadly offense were too much for all other teams who seemed to be intimidated by the Spanish.

Hopefully Portugal will have learned their lesson. The Spanish won this World Cup for many reasons, but one of them is that the players had confidence in themselves, there were no locker room problems, no players complaining publicly in the media, and by the way, all of them were born in Spain, unlike other nations in the World Cup.

They had a very humble coach, Vicente Del Bosque, who adjusted his tactics to fit the players that he had, unlike Queiroz.

It is possible to imagine Portugal adopting the Spanish way of playing, a lot of Portuguese players make their living in La Liga clubs, and the Portuguese system is very similar to the Dutch system, which is the system that the Spanish use. Keeping possession of the ball, quick passing, attacking through the wings, total football.

Who am I kidding, the Portuguese are too stuborn to learn from the Spanish. They will probably say that the only reason we did not win the World Cup, was that it was because we lost to the best team in the World. If only..............

Leiria to close its doors?

Portuguese Liga Sagres team, Uniao de Leiria, may have to close its doors, or move to another city as they could not reach a deal with the city of Leiria to use the local stadium, Estadio Magalhaes Pessoa. Personally, i believe that it wont matter, as they just don't have enough fans. This teams averages only 5000!!? fans. They only sell out 4 games a year, against the 3 big clubs and Vitoria de Guimaraes. So well see what happens!

Holland vs Uruguay!

Holland has made it to its third Fifa World Cup final, and is showing that they have what it takes to win it for the first time.

The Dutch beat a very tough Uruguay team 3-2; the South Americans played a good game, and were the team sensation of the tournament. Diego Forlan was the best player of the team and one of the best in the tournament. Atletico Madrid will have a very tough time holding on to him.

Maxi Pereira also scored in this game! Great game by the Benfica right back.

Joao Moutinho!

The captain of Sporting, Joao Moutinho has succeeded in forcing his way out of the team. He will be joining FC Porto for 20 million $, and Nuno Coelho!! Wow, remember last year, he admitted publicly that he was a Benfica fan and that he wished to end his career playing for Sporting's fiercest rival. Now he will most likely say that he has been a life long Porto fan!

Happy 4th of July!!

Germany vs Argentina

Germany rolls to a 4-0 rout of Argentina!! The Germans completely humiliated the Argentines who never seemed to be able to do anything about it. My player of the game was Bastian Schweinsteiger. Germany's workhorse was all over the field, whether covering Lionel Messi, or setting up his teammates in the attacking third.

what happened?

wow, complete turnaround in the second half, I dont know what the Dutch coach said, but it sure worked. Great game by the Dutch. Stupid mistake by Felipe Melo. Holland is playing some good football. Arjen Robben and Wesley Schneider are having great tournaments.

Brasil is dominating!

We are at halftime in the Brazil-Holland match, and the Brazilians are completely dominating the Dutch. the Oranje have yet to have any clear chances on goal. Its only 1-0 but it could be a lot worse for the Dutch. The Holland coach has a lot of work to do at the break.

Brazil vs Holland today!!

World Cup 2010 Comment: Are Serie A Clubs Like Inter To Blame For Italy’s World Cup Embarrassment? - Goal.com

World Cup 2010 Comment: Are Serie A Clubs Like Inter To Blame For Italy’s World Cup Embarrassment? - Goal.com

World Cup Comment: England's Loss To Germany Was Not Limited To Bloemfontein - Why The Premier League Is Destroying The Three Lions - Goal.com

World Cup Comment: England's Loss To Germany Was Not Limited To Bloemfontein - Why The Premier League Is Destroying The Three Lions - Goal.com

This is a great article. Click on the link.

Larissa Riquelme, the #1 fan of Paraguay said that if her country makes it to the semi finals of the World Cup, she will run naked in the streets of Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay. Well, I will be cheering for Oscar Cardoso's team then, Go Paraguay!!

Boston Red Sox bring back Kevin Cash

Kevin Cash is coming back to Boston.
The Red Sox re-acquired the 32 year old catcher from the Houston Astros in a trade for infielder Angel Sanchez.
This will be his second stint with the Red Sox after playing a total of 73 games during the 07 and 08 seasons. He earned a World Series ring in 07 when he was Tim Wakefield's personal catcher.
Welcome back!

Lets welcome the new Benfica signings!!

Roberto Jimenez Gago-Goalkeeper-Spain

Roberto is a 24 year old, former Spanish under 21 international who is joining Benfica from Atletico Madrid. Born in Madrid, he is a product of Atletico Madrid's football academy.
In the 09/10 season in La Liga he was a backup to David De Gea, the current Spain under 21 starting goalkeeper. He is expected to compete with Jose Moreira, and Julio Cesar for the starting Gk job.




Nicolas Gaitan-Attacking midfielder-Argentina

Nico is joining Benfica from Buenos Aires giants, Boca Juniors. Nico is expected to fill the void left by his compatriot Angel Di Maria, who has been sold to Real Madrid for 30 million Euros!!
Nico has some big shoes to fill!
He is 22 years old, born in Buenos Aires, he has played for Argentina at all youth levels, and he has played for the main squad 3 times.


Franco Jara-Striker-Argentina
Franco is joining us from Argentine club Arsenal de Sarandi. He is a striker in the Javier Saviola mold. Franco has been capped 3 times and has scored one goal for Argentina.

Fabio Faria-Centre Back-Portugal
Fabio is a Portuguese under 21 international who is capable at filling in as a Left Back, but he plays his best at Centre Back. Born in Vila do Conde, he was playing for local club Rio Ave.
He will compete with Miguel Victor and Sidney to be backups to starting duo in central defense, Luisao and David Luiz. If David Luiz is sold, expect Jorge Jesus to give him the starting job alongside Luisao.