Goodbye QPR and Reading. These two teams have been officially relegated from English Premier League this weekend. Reading was just promoted to EPL last season, while Queens Park Rangers barely avoided being relegated. Most people had a feeling that QPR would get relegated, even in the first half of the season. The team has many talented players, but for some reason, they just weren’t able to get the results to stay in England’s top league.

Who else will join QPR and Reading? The three clubs fighting to stay in EPL are Wigan Athletic, Sunderland and Newcastle United. Personally, I hope Newcastle stays in EPL for another season. They have a lot of talent on that team and they can play some great football.

What else happened this weekend? Well, Liverpool won against Newcastle 6-0. Yes, you read that right. Liverpool won 6-0. Newcastle had an off day. This was Liverpool’s first match without Luis Suarez, who will be banned for 10 matches after biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic last weekend. Most people might have expected Liverpool to struggle, but that wasn’t the case.

While both Manchester clubs have qualified for Champions League next season, there are still two spots up for grabs. The three clubs fighting for those two spots are three London based clubs- Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. I would love to see Chelsea and Spurs qualify. Juan Mata, David Luiz, Ivanovic and Gareth Bale are some footballers that I think are very talented and would like to see them playing in Champions League. Spurs missed out this season, due to Chelsea winning Champions League.

This weekend, the one match everyone will be watching is Manchester United v. Chelsea. Don’t miss out; that match will be on May 5th at 11 a.m. EST.

The most shocking result of the weekend has to be Manchester City’s 2-0 loss to Everton. Yup. They actually lost to Everton. I know what you’re thinking, How in the world did a team like Manchester City- a team that has players like Joe Hart and David Silva- lose to a team like Everton- a team that has….well, not that many well known players? Besides Tim Howard (USMNT keeper) but he’s currently injured.

The answer? I don’t even know. Sure, the league is already lost for City, but that doesn’t mean they should just give up and lose to teams like Everton.

Another surprising result was Liverpool’s 3-1 loss to Southampton. But then again, maybe that’s not so surprising, considering it is Liverpool. They do have a good team, Steve Gerrard and Luis Suarez are two of the best players, but they tend to win the difficult matches, while losing winnable matches.

Saturday’s results

On Sunday, Andre Villas-Boas’ Tottenham Hotspur suffered a defeat to Fulham.  They played at home (White Hart Lane), but unfortunately, they lost 1-0 thanks to a goal scored by former Spurs player- Dimitar Berbatov.

This was the Spurs’ second straight loss. They lost 4-1 to Inter Milan last week in Europa League, but were able to move on thanks to that away goal. With this loss and the Chelsea win, Spurs are now in 4th place.

Sunday’s results

When deciding who to choose for  my week’s MWM post, I couldn’t quite figure out who was worthy enough to grab this week’s spot. So naturally I went into my room, grabbed a magazine and started ruffling through the pages. It was then I looked down and realized I was reading an old Four Four Two magazine featuring a little blurb about one of my favorite players. The ‘Super Swede” Freddie Ljungberg.

Now I know what you’re saying, we’ve featured very few (if any!) retired footballers in our MWM posts, but it’s time for a change! I’ve followed Ljungberg since ’98 when he first joined Arsenal FC. He was a part fo the ‘Invincibles’ team for the Gunners during the 03-04 season. He finally departed the club in 2007 and signed with West Ham.

Because of Freddie, I became familiar with the MLS. In 2009, the then 32-year old joined the Seattle Sounders FC for their inaugural season as their first DP signed before begin traded to the Chicago Fire the following season. Throughout his career he’s scored 62 league goals and 14 international goals for Sweden, won two premier league titles, 3 FA Cups, 3 FA Community Shields, 1 U.S. Open Cup with the Sounders as well as other numerous individual awards. Freddie Ljungberg announced his retirement from the sport Aug. 24, 2012.

Did I say he also was a Calvin Klein model? Yum.

In his early Arsenal years, Freddie even sported red hair! We love you Freddie, cos you’ve got red hair, We love you Freddie, cos you’re everywhere. We love you Freddie, cos you’re Arsenal through and through!

Here’s a little behind the scenes of the Calvin Klein photoshoot!

Make sure to keep up with Midweek Muscles every Wednesday and with the ladies of Aerys Soccer on Twitter at @AerysSoccer!

West Brom’s Steven Reid (left) gestures to Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla who was awarded a penalty for an out-of-character, yet unmistakable dive.

After a slow start, the game took a dramatic turn in the 25th minute.  West Brom captain Steven Reid took down Santi Cazorla in the box, awarding Arsenal an automatic penalty.  Mikel Arteta easily converted, making it 1-nil to Arsenal.

But it wasn’t the goal that was dramatic, it was the replay that made it a truly contentious goal.  It showed that there was no contact at all.  Santi Cazorla took a dive.

We all know that the Spanish footballers have a reputation for dramatic and blatant dives, but I considered Cazorla above such antics.  He has been a star since his summer acquisition, demonstrating brilliant ball-handling, genius tactical maneuvers and creative play-making.  I fear the FA will take a close look at the call and there will be consequences.  The more damaging result will be to Cazorla’s reputation.  I am more than disappointed.

The tension heightened in the second half, which was much more physical .  Understandably, the Baggies were very frustrated, but it didn’t get any better for them.

In the 65th minute, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain streaked down the sideline with the ball, literally running over Chris Brunt.  All the players but the “Ox” slowed down, expecting a foul to be called on the young Englishman, but there was no call.  West Brom defender Goran Papov jumped in front of the Ox and this time, an Arsenal player was legitimately taken down in the box.

Once the penalty was awarded to the Gunners, the West Brom players went mad and swarmed the referee.  Nonetheless, Arteta converted the kick and the game ended 2-0.

Honestly, neither team looked to dominate or deserve the win.  I don’t like to win under these circumstances, and I would never condone diving, but I will sheepishly take the three points.

The tainted win catapulted Arsenal from 10th to sixth place and West Brom finish in fifth.

This article was written by our Arsenal writer Toni Stone.

nestudents.wordpress.com

I have two important standards for attractiveness: tattoos and good hair. Anthony Pilkington, midfielder for Norwich City of the Premier League, meets both of these requirements.  Plus, he scored the only goal in last week’s surprise victory over Manchester United, which makes him that much more awesome.

Even pre-tattoos, he was still pretty easy to look at:

headbandsandheartbreak.wordpress.com

jaholtom.com/

He’s on Twitter!! @Pilkington_11

Gratuitous hair shot – 98fm.com

Oh and PS, there is more where this comes from. So much so that I think I will now refer to Norwich City as the Team with Amazing Hair.  Much better than the Canaries, right?

He might not like being called a super sub, but Edin Dzeko helped Manchester City complete yet another comeback. This time against Tottenham Spurs. The visitors scored first in the 21st minute and the fact that City had more possession than Spurs didn’t really matter. Spurs had the lead until the 65th min when Kun Aguero equalized for City! Bot teams had chances to score, but it wasn’t until the 88th minute, when who else but Edin Dzeko, scored for Manchester City, completing their comeback. With this 2-1 win over Spurs, City is still undefeated in EPL. 

Some other matches this weekend included Chelsea v. Liverpool and Manchester United v. Aston Villa. Just like City, United also had to come back in order to win all 3 points. However, they came back from a two-goal deficit. Villa shocked the visitors (and everyone that was watching) by scoring seconds before half time. They doubled their lead just minutes into the second half. It looked like United was headed for a defeat, but they brought on Mexican forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez at the beginning of the second half and he helped United’s comeback. At first it looked like he had earned a hat trick, but the second goal was later ruled an own goal. Either way, United was able to come back yet again from an early goal deficit.

Chelsea players and fans will be disappointed that they weren’t able to get all 3 points  Sunday, especially when they had more chances and played better overall than Liverpool. Chelsea captain John Terry scored first for the home team in the 20th minute. His goal came off a corner kick, when he was left unmarked. He later collided with Luis Suarez of Liverpool and had to be stretchered off. Suarez equalized in the second half and with this draw, Chelsea and United’s gap at the top of the table widened a little bit more.

Here are the rest of the scores from EPL (Saturday and Sunday)

Guys … everyone loves David Beckham. Even if they say they don’t, they probably do, making him a perfect candidate for Throwback Thursday.  We can look back and remember why we have loved him for so long.

There are so many ways we could frame our David Beckham timeline–clubs, tattoos, children–but I am going by hairstyles.  Come along as we review some of his best, as well as most cringe-worthy, hairstyles. I personally have been a fan since his later Manchester United days, although I think we can all agree that even he could not pull off that awful bat-winged Umbro jersey.  We’ll forgive him for his 90s boy band hair since it was, after all, the 90s.

Seriously, David, what were you thinking? Courtesy of people.com

Courtesy of dailymail.co.uk

Here is an actual photo that I have had hanging on my wall for the past 10 years or so.  I, for one, loved the mohawk phase.

Then Becks left for Real Madrid amidst all sorts of drama.  I stopped following him because I felt personally offended that he left Manchester United (Keep in mind that I was only 15 years old).  I’m glad I did, as this ponytail is not doing anything for me.

Courtesy of Cryosites.com

Since coming to MLS Beckham has run the gamut of hairstyles (as well as won his way back into my favor).  My favorite is his most recent, even though he is reminiscent of a hotter Leon Trotsky.

Courtesy of telegraph.co.uk

Courtesy of wikimedia.org

Least favorite of this phase is the caveman.

Courtesy of therichest.org

We can’t leave out his loan to AC Milan–another good hair phase.

Courtesy of http://soccerserieswallpapers.blogspot.com

Finally, I will leave you with this gem.  Enjoy.

Courtesy of http://www.drfunkenberry.com

MCFC wallpaper design via scometix.com.

Very disappointing from the defending champions. They played against Stoke City today and drew 1-1. The lone goal came from City’s newest player, and former Real Madrid player, Javi Garcia. Many people might be wondering, should Stoke’s goal have counted? Of course not! Peter Crouch used his hand to help control the ball and score the goal. Unfortunately the referee missed that.

Maybe other people would be happy with that (I’m sure Stoke City players and fans were happy) but us City fans expect more from our team. Okay, so City didn’t start with David Silva today and they didn’t have Sergio Aguero, ever since he was injured in City’s first game of the season. But that’s no excuse! City should be able to play well even without these two,they should be out there scoring goals and getting as many points as possible, not drawing with teams like Stoke. I mean, what’s going to happen when we play a big team like Chelsea? Playing like this, City will most likely lose. City needs to step it up big time if they want to repeat last season.

I mentioned Chelsea as a big club earlier. Well they also had a disappointing game today, against their London neighbors, Queen Parks Rangers.  It ended in a scoreless draw. This is the first time this season that Chelsea dropped points. Of course, most people weren’t talking about what happened during the game, but what happened before. Most people have heard about Anton Ferdinand accusing John Terry of racial abuse. Everyone was wondering if these two would shake hands, but Ferdinand went out of his way to snub both Terry and Ashley Cole and refused to shake hands with them. » Continue reading “Manchester City and Chelsea Held to Disappointing Draws”

We have lots and lots of news from the Premier League, as well as more info on which players are reportedly unhappy with their current situations.  We also take a look ahead at the US national team’s World Cup qualifiers!  It’s all in Tuesday’s Daily Kick Around!

EPL

The transfer window may have closed, but that doesn’t mean the signings are finished.  Since former England striker Michael Owen was a free agent, he was able to sign a one year deal with Stoke City even after the window closed  Friday.  He only made four appearances for his most recent club Manchester United last season, and hasn’t played competitively since November due to a thigh injury.

One of Tottenham’s biggest and most recent signings, French national team goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, is a bit peeved that he will not automatically be taking over the No 1 spot–at least according to France manager Didier Deschamps.  Current keeper, and former US international, Brad Friedel has made it clear that he will fight to keep his spot in the starting lineup.  Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas has indicated that he will not drop Friedel in favor of Lloris; stating, in fact:

“When you transfer it’s not written in the contract that you have to play.”

Touché.

Liverpool players have more than just pride to play for.  LeBron James has promised the players a party in Las Vegas, co-hosted by Kanye West, if they win a trophy this season.  According to James, a stakeholder in the club, “nobody does Vegas like LeBron and Kanye.”  I am inclined to believe that.

Ligue 1

Amid all the talk of Cristiano Ronaldo’s “sadness” and rumors of a possible move, one club has made clear they are NOT interested in the superstar.  Paris St. Germain had been rumored to have interest in the Portuguese international, along with the two Manchester clubs, but their sporting director attempted to quell the rumors, pointing to their marquee signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

“Ibrahimovic is the best striker in the world.  So why hire Ronaldo?”

USMNT

US head coach Jurgen Klinsmann announced his roster for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers over the weekend.  Although he was forced to leave out some heavy hitters due to injury, some familiar faces made a reappearance.

One of those qualifiers will be against the Jamaican national team in Jamaica.  The national team is currently training in Miami in an attempt to acclimate themselves to the weather conditions they will be likely to face (i.e. HEAT!).  Were the US to pull out a victory, it would be the first time beating Jamaica in Jamaica.  As we saw in the friendly against Mexico, there is a first time for everything!

Image courtesy of Fox Soccer

You wouldn’t think a coach would be concerned about which car his players drive–but then, most coaches aren’t the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.  Find out about his latest move to keep his youngest players grounded in today’s Daily Kick Around!

EPL

Manchester United has signed Chevrolet as their new shirt sponsor for the 2014-2015 season.  This is obviously a hugely beneficial marketing move for Chevy, but the United players also have reason to be happy–Chevrolet has offered each of them a free top-end car of their choice.

However, not all players will get to fully enjoy the fruits of this deal; Sir Alex Ferguson has forbidden players under the age of 23 to choose a sports car model, supposedly to ensure their egos are kept in check.  Instead, their car selection must be approved by Fergie himself.  Although he is known for running a tight ship, some suggest this may be a bit overboard.

Arsenal could lose yet another star to Manchester–this time to Manchester City.  Apparently City is considering a last-minute manoeuvre to try to snatch Theo Walcott up before the transfer deadline.  And at least one well-known Arsenal fan–and City hater–is not too happy about it.

MLS

Sporting Kansas City’s Teal Bunbury suffered a knee injury during Sunday’s game against New York.  The club announced yesterday that he will be out for the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL.  He is scheduled to undergo surgery on Friday.

Rumor has it that Akron and US Olympic coach Caleb Porter has been offered the position of head coach for the Portland Timbers.  Currently he is signed by Akron through the 2020 season, and a hefty fee would be required if he were to break that contract.

Image courtesy of www.guardian.co.uk