A Manchester Derby in the English Premier League is never typical. You can’t count on anything or which team will come out on top. What you can bet your money on, however, is that it’s gonna be one hell of a ride. The derby that took place today between Manchester United and Manchester City did not disappoint in that regard.

Was it ugly? Hell yes it was. I mean, these two are the biggest rivals in the world. Everyone tunes in to a Manchester Derby.

It was intense. A brace from Wayne Rooney in the first half, and Manchester City roaring back to tie it up in the second, with goals from Yaya Toure in the 60th minute and Pablo Zabaleta with five minutes to spare in the game.

But it would be the final goal of the match that had me grinning the brightest – and no, not just because I’m a United fan and it was the goal that won the match. No, it was how the goal went in that made me smile.

United’s Rafael was fouled just outside the box about two minutes into stoppage time for the game, giving United a dying chance with a free kick. Of course, new man Robin Van Persie stepped up to take the shot. As the ball barreled toward goal, it nicked off City’s Samir Nasri before lodging in the back of the net.

And this is why I grinned, because the second player I dislike in the league is Nasri (behind Tevez, of course). So to see United’s winning goal get a little flick off of Nasri was definitely worth the agony of being tied 2-2 with City.

However, not all the drama in the match was game related, unfortunately. Most of it came right at the end thanks to some unruly fans and a few words between United boss Sir Alex Ferguson and City’s Tevez. It all started when United were celebrating Van Persie’s goal. As the  players celebrated, a fan threw an object on to the field, which hit MUFC defender Rio Ferdinand right above the eye and of course drew blood.

Then it was if the flood gates banged open. A fan rushed the pitch and City keeper Joe Hart had to restrain him so that security officers could remove the fan from the pitch.

Then the heated words between SAF and Tevez, which I’m sure were interesting. I would have actually loved to have heard what the gaffer said to his former player. That was about the time the ref decided he might want to end the match.

Overall, another incredibly intense derby took place today. I swear, this get more and more crazy with every meeting. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next one!

Check out all the goals from today’s match here, and even the moment when Ferdinand gets nicked. You can’t see the object, but you can definitely tell it was something that ticked him off!

http://youtu.be/IJd-5-xUMp4

All this week, I’ve been preview the groups and national teams of this year’s Euros. We’re now down to the final group!

Group D: Ukraine, Sweden, France, England

The stakes are higher than ever for these teams. There are so many unanswered questions and uncertainty swarming them. Will the Ukraine disappoint on their home turf? Can France move on from the absurd episode that took place in South Africa just two years ago? Will England pack their bags early once again? And will Sweden quietly exit the way they entered?

Unlike their co-host, Poland, the Ukraine did not draw the easiest group, but they did draw two countries they played and lost to last year in friendlies, Sweden (1-0) and France (4-0). With those games fresh in Coach Oleh Blokhin’s mind, he will know areas of weaknesses to work on. The health of the team is questionable with a reported 10 players suffering from food poisoning just days before their first game. Ukraine’s key player is Captain Andriy Shevchenko. He is a legend and fantastic leader for the team. Sheva is past his prime and his physical condition is not 100 percent, but he is fearless and will take on any defender. Youngster Andriy Yarmolenko is talented, young and expected to have a good campaign. They are a long-shot to get out of the group and will need A LOT of luck on their side.

Sweden is overall well-organized and well-formed. This team will keep their fingers crossed that England slips with all of the distractions surrounding them. Key players for Sweden are Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sebastian Larsson and Kim Kallstrom. Ibrahimovic is a world-class player, but his style of play is much different than his teammates and may ruin the chemistry or enhance it. Sweden could definitely get out of this group; it all depends on which English and French team shows up this year.

Are the images of the 2010 World Cup just distant memories for France? It looks as though the French have moved on past their embarrassing display and relinquished the title to England. Les Bleus have been unbeaten in their last 21 matches and even upset a very good German squad in Germany. France should win the group with the likes of Karim Benzema up top and a dynamic midfield backing him. Yann M’Vila, Franck Ribéry and Samir Nasri are technical and skillful. M’Vila is nursing an ankle injury and may miss the England game, but other than that, France is at the top of their game and should go far.

Two words, train wreck. All eyes are on England this year with the array of problems they are bringing in: suspensions, snubs, law suits, injuries, egos and questionable call-ups to name a few. Brand new coach Roy Hodgson came in to reign merely weeks before the tournament, so the question of how prepared this team is, is uncertain. The Three Lions will be without Cahill, Lampard and Barry. Waza (Rooney) will miss the first two matches to suspensions. With all the bad press, the English still have a talented roster. Goalkeeper Joe Hart was fantastic for Manchester City this past season and is one of the best keepers in the world. Familiar faces, Terry, Gerrard and Cole will provide leadership and newer faces Wellbeck and Oxlade-Chamberlin will be wild cards and perhaps provide a fresh spark. England will either arise to the occasion or be the laughing stock of the tournament.

Predictions: 1. France 2. England 3. Sweden 4. Ukraine

Happy Mother’s Day footy fans! I hope you all enjoyed Survival Sunday with all the insane soccer matches happening all over the globe. Today we celebrate champions in La Liga, EPL and Serie A! Enjoy today’s DKA!

La Liga

Today wraps up the 2011-2012 season in Spain with Real Madrid taking all the glory, winning their first title in 4 years! You can read my recap as well as the ending stats of the league here!

Also congratulations to Lionel Messi for winning the Pichichi Award with 50 goas scored in the regulare season.

Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes also was awarded the Zamora Trophy! Congrats!

English Premier League

Well, it looks like Manchester is bleeding blue tonight as Manchester City won their first title since 1968 when they beat QPR 3-2. Our own Teresa Munoz has the full recap here!

Last year’s champions Manchester United claimed the second spot in the standings when Wayne Rooney headed a goal giving United a 1-0 victory over Sunderland. You can read Trista’s post-match article here!

Let’s go back to September shall we? Who would have thought that Arsenal FC would finish this 2011-2012 campaign in third place. Yes, THIRD PLACE. I can’t count how many people doubted the Gunners but alas, Arsenal capture 3rd and a spot in Champions League. Toni Stone has the full recap of the match here!

Serie A

Juventus’ Alessandro Del Piero will leave in fashion after helping Juve seal their title after a 4-1 win over Atalanta. It’s the 28th Scudetto for Juve but the club still ah one match left before their season is finally over. Next weekend they host Napoli in the Coppa Italia Final.

Picture courtesy of manutd.com

Oh Survival Sunday! Waking up this morning, so many people were all excited/nervous/anticipating today. The final day of the English Premier League promised a lot and with all outcomes, I think it’s safe to say it delivered.

It was a huge day for teams on the bottom looking at regulation. But on the opposite end of the top, the craziness of the title race had captivated a lot of attention. The EPL title would go to Manchester at the end of today, the question was, however, which side? Would it be blue or red?

For their last match of the season, Manchester United traveled to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland. Looks like an easy game on paper right? Well, I know I didn’t think Sunderland would go quietly and let United walk all over them. It is the last game of the season after all. Each team was going to give their all to fight for their spot.

In the first half, Manchester looked good and settled. Passing was good and pressure even better. Sunderland’s defense stayed strong in the first 20 minutes or so, but United’s midfield and strikers slowly began to pick away. Sure enough, holes began to appear in the Sunderland defense and the Red Devils took advantage.

It’s no real surprise it was Wayne Rooney who would make a cheeky little header into a small space left open by Sunderland’s Simon Mignolet. It was a nice little goal too, as Roon headed it in off a wicked bouncing pass.

It was much of the same through the next 25 minutes – pressure on the back line from Rooney, Phil Jones, Ashley Young and Ryan Giggs. When the whistle blew for the half, United should have been up 3-0, with the hattrick going to Rooney. But it was only 1-0, a little nerve wracking I have to say.

The second half started out all Sunderland. Whether the fear of regulation or just of losing period stirred them, Sunderland came out pushing hard for a goal and almost had one several times. With the crowd letting the teams know what was going on in Manchester between City and Queens Park Rangers, both teams pressed on.

As the clock wound down, United picked back up their pressure. Slowly but surely, they started to crack open the Sunderland back line all over again. But that second goal was just as elusive. The minutes ticked by, but United held on and the final whistle blew with United still on top, 1-0.

About 45 seconds later, however, the stadium let the teams know City had scored in stoppage time and won the game, and the title.

You have to give props to the Red Devils though. They had to have known what was going on through the game, and yet they kept fighting until the end. They could very well have bowed out and let City just have the title, but they couldn’t just do that, could they?

However, I have to point out where United’s fault was this season – the midfield. They had to bring Paul Scholes out of retirement. That says a lot. What I hope United draw from this is they need to firm up their midfield. Sir Alex Ferguson needs to spend a little money, bring in a midfielder that can be the anchor of the team, like Scholes does.

United also need Vidic back. While the back line wasn’t completely horrid this season, there were too many games where United dropped needed points by allowing teams to come back and tie or even defeat them. Vidic is a beast in the center for United and greatly missed.

And Sir Alex needs to keep Valenica, Young and Jones starting. Those three have earned their places this season and have speed and talent needed. SAF is known for working hard on molding young players into great stars. It’s time he started using them more. Just as Scholesy is going to be leaving again, Ryan Giggs will be leaving soon, and that’s just the start. United definitely need to capitalize on that young talent waiting on the bench.

In the end, the season is over and it’s time to think about the next one. United have the summer to mull over a lot of things, and come back to remind their “noisy neighbors” United don’t go quietly into the night.

Thanks for sticking with Aerys Soccer through the English Premier League season! We’ll keep you updated on trades, news and more through the summer and the start of the 2012-13 season in August!

It’s soccer Saturday! MLS is packed today, there are a few games across other leagues and tons of things are happening, but how is that different from any other Saturday? In today’s Daily Kick Around, we have news about ex-England manager Fabio Capello, Rooney’s massive bicycle kick from last year’s Manchester derby, and tons more!

English Premier League

There are been numerous amazing goals in EPL; too many to probably keep track of. However, if you watched Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney perform an amazing overhead kick in the derby against Manchester City last year, then you witnessed the best goal in the EPL. Votes were cast by the public and I kinda have to agree with them. The goal was amazing.

The domestic rights to televise EPL games are going up for auction. That’s right, BSkyB, you might just have some competition.

Fabio Capello, former manager for the English National Team is still in need of a job. And he knows exactly where he wants to go – EPL.

“All the benches in England are busy,” Capello said. “But if someone offers me the possibility to be competitive, then why not?”

Maybe he could keep his eyes on the revolving door at Chelsea? Just saying….

La Liga

Now that things are pretty much wrapped up in the race for the La Liga title, it’s pretty obvious that people will be focused on the last Barcelona home game this weekend – the last of Pep Guardiola’s games with the Catalans.

“I don’t like farewells, but I have been a person in the public eye,” he said on Friday ahead of his final home game. “I hope the people react as they always do, in a natural way.

As for Real Madrid, I think the players and staff’s heads are still spinning a bit with the win of the club’s 32nd league title. Jose Mourinho admitted it was the toughest title he’s ever had to win. I think that says something about Madrid’s accomplishment this season. Congrats Real!

Major League Soccer

Chicago Fire disappointed Chivas USA last night as a curving shot from Macro Pappa sank in the net for a stoppage time win for the Fire. Things were just rough from the get-go for both teams, but as the match wound down, Chivas pushed forward for the end goal. Unfortunately, Pappa beat them to it.

Tonight is full of games, so make sure to catch your favorite teams as they square off through the day! And keep with the ladies of Aerys Soccer for all your recaps and news!

Wayne Rooney introduces his palm to his face after Manchester United blew a 4-2 lead against Everton on Sunday.

One of the first posts I ever wrote for Aerys was an homage to a baseball blog I love, You Can’t Predict Baseball. Every day, YCPB runs through the craziness that happens in baseball, which, judging by the success of the blog, is plentiful.

Unpredictability is one of the aspects of sports that makes it so exciting to watch, and soccer is not immune. From El Clasico to Old Trafford, and throughout MLS, this weekend has been a clinic in unpredictable and crazy moments throughout the soccer world. So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, I give you today’s Daily Kick Around: You Can’t Predict Soccer Edition.

 La Liga

Let’s start with El Clasico. Yes, yes, our own Tamara Rinehart actually predicted the final score of the heavyweight Real Madrid-Barcelona matchup. But most didn’t. Real Madrid had not defeated Barca since May 7, 2008 — nearly four years! Since then, Barcelona had outscored them 20-4. I repeat: TWENTY TO FOUR. Not to mention, it was Barcelona’s first loss at home this season. So how did the inevitable Liga champs do it? Tamara has the full recap.

English Premier League

Manchester United had a chance to seal the Premier League title today at Old Trafford with a defeat over Everton, and it looked to be a pretty predictable outcome when they went up 4-2 in the 67th minute. Everton hadn’t won at Manchester United in 20 years, and their last draw came 6 years ago. In 18 matches before today, Everton’s record against MUFC was 0-15-3. Then Everton scored two goals in the final 7 minutes to force a draw, and keep Manchester City within striking distance – only 6 points behind United. Everton are only the third team to score 4 or more at Old Trafford.

Major League Soccer

Eastern Conference leaders, Sporting KC, were riding a perfect record coming into Saturday’s match against the woeful Portland Timbers. Portland was on a four game losing streak. Kansas City was on a seven game winning streak. So how did Portland hand KC their first loss of the season, and hold them scoreless? Well, KC did it to themselves – with an own goal. Ouch.

Two MLS matches yesterday saw a team handed two red cards, left to finish the match with nine men. Real Salt Lake nearly hung on, as their match against the San Jose Earthquakes was still 1-1 at 90 minutes, but RSL allowed two goals in stoppage time to hand the Quakes the Western Conference lead. Simon Dawkins scored the go-ahead goal for San Jose, his first goal of the season. RSL held an 8-0 scoring advantage over the Quakes in their last 4 meetings prior to this match.

Chivas USA, however, couldn’t take advantage of their 2-man advantage over the Philadelphia Union, falling 1-0. This was their fourth consecutive 1-0 defeat at home.

Chicago Fire won a game! Then again, it was over Toronto FC, who managed two goals but remain winless on the season. Now with two wins this season, the Fire may soon have more wins than the Cubs.

Follow @AerysSoccer on Twitter and check back here throughout the day for more commentary around this crazy soccer weekend. 

Wayne Rooney buries a penalty kick to give United an early lead.

After a shocking defeat to Wigan, Manchester United needed to take all three points in today’s match against Aston Villa in order to maintain their lead over City in the league table.

United’s lead of eight points was whittled down to two coming into Sunday, so picking up the maximum points was crucial.

Just seven minutes into the match, Ashley Young made sure the Red Devils got an early lead, taking a bit of a dive in the box. But he fooled the referee, who called for the penalty. Wayne Rooney stepped up to the spot and finished calmly.

Despite dominating the run of play for the rest of the first half, United weren’t able to find the back of the net again until the 43rd minute.

Ashley Young slotted a pass from the left wing across the box through three Villa defenders, and found Danny Welbeck waiting on the far post to knock it home.

Going into the halftime break, United were cruising with a 2-0 lead.

Villa looked dangerous a handful of times in the second half, mainly on the fast break. But they just couldn’t seem to break the United defense, and when they managed to get a shot off, David de Gea was there to keep the clean sheet.

In the 73rd minute, Rooney sealed the deal for the Red Devils, notching his second goal of the game, and giving United a 3-0 lead. The cherry on top was added in stoppage time when Evans played a great ball through Villa’s defense to Nani, who easily finished with only the keeper to beat. At the final whistle, it was a 4-0 victory for United.

The Red Devils now sit five points clear of Manchester City in the league table.

Stay with Aerys Soccer for all your EPL coverage!

Photo courtesy of Sporting Life

Coming into the day, Manchester United held a five point lead over Manchester City in the league table, and hoped to extend it against a struggling Queens Park Rangers.

QPR, on the other hand, were fighting for their lives, desperate to stay above the relegation zone.

The match ended as most would have expected: an easy 2-0 victory for the Red Devils. Unfortunately, getting to that result was full of controversy from the start.

For the first 13 minutes of the match, United were in control, dominating possession and setting the tempo. It was a matter of when, not if, they would score.

In the 14th minute, Ashley Young went down in the box, fouled by QPR captain Shaun Derry. Derry was shown a straight red, and Wayne Rooney converted the penalty kick.

But it was not nearly so cut-and-dry. Before he received the ball, Young was offside. The foul itself was questionable, as Young went down easily and theatrically. Certainly not worthy of a red card. Not a single United fan would tell you that first goal was deserved, in fact I was quite embarrassed. While the game was always going to be a United win — QPR just doesn’t have what it takes to defeat them — it’s unfortunate that the match was ruined early on by the referee’s poor decision.

Facing a 10-man side, United really took over. Despite many chances, it wasn’t until the 68th minute that the Red Devils would strike again. Of course, it was none other than the Ginger Prince, Paul Scholes, cracking one from 25 yards out. 2-0 United.

At the final whistle, it was another three points for United, extending their lead over Manchester City in the league table. Eight points clear.

Manchester City takes on Arsenal this morning in a must-win match if they want to have any hope of catching United.

QPR will be fighting for survival for the remainder of the season, but with a tough stretch of games to close out, relegation is looking more and more likely.

Stay with Aerys Soccer for all your EPL news!

Photo courtesy of Sporting Life

Happy Friday! It’s officially the weekend, and I for one am excited! Lots of soccer action this weekend across the globe. This Friday we’re going to do something a little different for the Daily Kick Around. Usually Friday’s are slow days for news in the footy world, so instead, we are bringing you some silly and entertaining video clips from all around the world of soccer, plus some bizarre news from Manchester United. Enjoy!

Behind The Crest – USMNT

We meet up with the US Men’s National Team U-23s in Nashville as they prepare for their Olympic qualifiers. They won comfortably 6-0 last night over Cuba in their first qualifier. Check out the behind-the-scenes action here! And if you missed the match, highlights from the win here!

Portland Timbers

Check out this incredible time-lapse video from the Portland Timbers home opener. Really cool video!

Major League Soccer

If you haven’t seen this new video series by now, check out “Shaman Simon.” This goofy and funny new addition to MLSsoccer.com featuring Simon Borg is just fantastic. Love seeing MLS get a little creative with their content!

With Torsten Frings and now Stefan Frei injured, Toronto FC doesn’t have much to smile about this week. Well, at least Ryan Johnson won MLS goal of the week! Check out his gorgeous strike here.

And finally, in the wackiest story of the day, Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney is reaching out to a nine year old fan whose wrist he accidentally broke during warm ups. Yes, Wayne Rooney broke a kid’s wrist. Guess his shot really IS that powerful. Find out what he’s giving poor Jaime Thomas as an apology.

At the start of the day, Manchester United sat just two points behind Manchester City in the EPL table. Today was an opportunity to pull ahead, or at least level, with City. But United would need a huge favor from Swansea City.

The Red Devils took it to West Brom early and often, with constant attacks on net. A goal was inevitable, a matter of when and not if.

That goal came from none other than Wayne Rooney, when he flicked in a cross in the 35th minute. It was a great finish, and more importantly, an early lead for United. City was still scoreless against Swansea, leaving the door open for the Red Devils to gain ground in the standings.

Still, West Brom had a few chances of their own, especially in the second half. David de Gea has looked more comfortable as of late, and made a couple of excellent saves to keep a clean sheet.

Patrice Evra was lucky to not concede a penalty in the second half after taking down Peter Odemwingie in the box. Then, not long after, Ashley Young was tripped up in the box, and a penalty rewarded. Rooney converted with ease, giving United a comfortable 2-0 lead in the 71st minute.

After that, the Red Devils were in cruise control, dominating possession and keeping West Brom from any real chances. Around the 85th minute of the match, a roar ripped around Old Trafford as it was announced that Swansea had scored on City, taking a late 1-0 lead. As long as the scorelines held, United would jump ahead of City to sole possession of the number one spot.

And guess what? At the final whistle in both matches, it was United with the win and City a loss. For the first time since October 15th, the Red Devils are at the top of the table at the end of a round of matches. It’s going to be a tight race to the finish line!

Stay with Aerys Soccer for all your EPL coverage!

Photo courtesy of Sporting Life