Soccer is known as the worlds game. Everyone knows that soccer is the most popular sport in the world, outside of America. But the real question is why this game is so popular. What has led to the popularity of soccer across the globe, and what effect does this game have on the people it touches? Soccer uses the power of passion, to inspire young kids and adults a like to follow the game, no matter where it takes them.
If you were to take a guess at where soccer is the most popular, you'd probably say in the wealthy cities, of the big European soccer nations, like Spain, Germany, England, Italy, France. Although this is true to some extent, it's not really true at all. Soccer is the most played sport in the countries that have nothing. In these places, the ball, and a field, bring joy to areas that find joy as a scarcity. Young kids, living in poverty have their lives shaped by the game of soccer. Picture for a second a field of dirt. Few parched shrubs are growing in the dust. A slight breeze is blowing, stirring up sand and dirt and gravel. In the distance, a sandstorm seems to have arose, followed by the yells and shrieks that can only be distinguished as little kids having a good time. As you get closer to the whirlwind of dust, a clearer image begins to emerge. Kids of all ages are running around, and what do they all have in common? They're finding joy through a soccer ball, but wait. It's not even a soccer ball. It is a makeshift soccer ball made of rolled up rags tied into a ball. Or maybe its an old dolls head, that had long been neglected. Or perhaps a ball of tape or some other odd object. All that matters is that it is round, and can be passed and dribbled. With your feet. Speaking of feet, the cleats on these kids are all-natural. Bare skin meets the Earth as kids run around with the ball. It is all they know in a world of so much despair. Their only escape from the hardship that us rich folk know nothing about.
To this day there are many foundations that have been set up to help kids in 3rd world countries through the beautiful game. People donate old cleats, balls, and shinguards, so that somewhere, some kid can have the chance to enhance his game even more. This small act of kindness can hold of the beast of poverty for some lucky kids. If they can get recognized by anyone with connections in soccer, their life can turn around for the better. But they need the support that only we can give for that to happen for them. Next time you look to get rid of old soccer stuff, take a second thought and try to find the nearest place you could donate them to. You never know when your small act of generosity will have a lasting impact on a child's life, while poverty thrives around them.
Monday, May 19, 2014
The Champions
After a long and exciting season, the BPL has finally wrapped up with a very exciting last few weeks. Coming into the final week of play this last weekend, the team on top was Manchester City and they were in control of their own fate. They were two points ahead of the second place team, Liverpool, who had choked away the title a few weeks ago after losing to Chelsea at home, needed Manchester City to lose and they needed to win. Chelsea who had thrown away their hopes the previous weekend by losing to Sunderland, had nothing to play for in their final game of the season.
Manchester City was set to play West Ham, and Liverpool had to play Newcastle. Liverpool was down 1-0 for the majority of the game, until they scored two quick goals within minutes of each other to give them hope for the title crown. But it was all in the hands of Manchester City, and they took care of business getting a convincing 2-0 win. After the game the party started as City hoisted the most prestigious trophy in English Football high so all their fans could see. The picture from around the stadium was amazing. Vincent Kompany, the captain of the team was first to raise the trophy as the crowd cheered, but soon all the players were having a go at the trophy. The craziest scene though from the whole event was seeing the Manchester City manager Manuel Pelligrini hoisted into the air by his adoring team as they all celebrated this coveted moment.
The last time Manchester City won the Barclays Premier League was two years ago. That season was won by a Sergio Aguero goal in stoppage time that gave Manchester City the win they needed to secure the top spot in the league. In total the last 4 seasons have all been won by Manchester clubs, either United or City.
As for the teams that came close to winning of the most upsetting it would have to be Liverpool. They had complete control of their season, up until a fatal lose to Chelsea cost them the season. Of the other notable disappointments, Arsenal would have to be among them as they were top of the table for 17 straight weeks at the beginning of the season before dropping off to finish in 4th place. The biggest disappointment this season though by far was the performance of Manchester United. After winning the league the previous year, they struck out this year finishing in an abysmal 7th place and not even getting in a qualification spot for the Champions League.
Manchester City was set to play West Ham, and Liverpool had to play Newcastle. Liverpool was down 1-0 for the majority of the game, until they scored two quick goals within minutes of each other to give them hope for the title crown. But it was all in the hands of Manchester City, and they took care of business getting a convincing 2-0 win. After the game the party started as City hoisted the most prestigious trophy in English Football high so all their fans could see. The picture from around the stadium was amazing. Vincent Kompany, the captain of the team was first to raise the trophy as the crowd cheered, but soon all the players were having a go at the trophy. The craziest scene though from the whole event was seeing the Manchester City manager Manuel Pelligrini hoisted into the air by his adoring team as they all celebrated this coveted moment.
The last time Manchester City won the Barclays Premier League was two years ago. That season was won by a Sergio Aguero goal in stoppage time that gave Manchester City the win they needed to secure the top spot in the league. In total the last 4 seasons have all been won by Manchester clubs, either United or City.
As for the teams that came close to winning of the most upsetting it would have to be Liverpool. They had complete control of their season, up until a fatal lose to Chelsea cost them the season. Of the other notable disappointments, Arsenal would have to be among them as they were top of the table for 17 straight weeks at the beginning of the season before dropping off to finish in 4th place. The biggest disappointment this season though by far was the performance of Manchester United. After winning the league the previous year, they struck out this year finishing in an abysmal 7th place and not even getting in a qualification spot for the Champions League.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Chelsea Off Season Improvements
By no means did Chelsea have a terrible season this year. Yes, they didn't win any titles, and finished off the Barclays Premier League Season on a pretty bad note after putting themselves out of the driver seat after tying Sunderland at home. They finished quite poorly in the FA Cup after suffering a bad lose to Manchester City in the quarterfinals. They also couldn't quite reach the top in the UEFA Champions League after falling short in the semi finals to Athletico Madrid. But even with all that hasn't gone well this year for Chelsea, they still have much to look forward to for next year, as long as a few things happen.
For starters the Blues can't afford to lose any of their young talent. They have so much youth at Chelsea, and the young players are the ones who really shined for the team this year. Players like Eden Hazard, Oscar, Andre Schurrle, Lukaku (who was out on loan at Everton), Courtois (who was loaned out at Athletico Madrid), Azpilicueta, and Mohamad Salah cannot be let go by any means necessary. They must stay at the club if they wish to be successful. The second thing they need to do is get Courtois back from his loan with Athletico Madrid. He is only 22 years old, and already probably one of the top three keepers in the world. Cech is still very good, but he's also getting old, and Courtois would step in perfectly. The final thing that Chelsea need to do is go out this summer and buy a world class striker. If I had to pick one thing that really hurt the Blues in their quest for trophies this year, it would be their lack of a top notch striker to compliment the midfield that they possess. That being said, there are already a lot of heavy speculations and rumors surrounding the player that Chelsea will be pursuing. That player is the Athletico Madrid striker Diego Costa. He has been heavily linked with Chelsea, and there seems to be a good chance that he will end up at the club next season. If this happens that spells great news for Chelsea, and bad news for the rest of the BPL. Costa has had a world class year in the La Liga, scoring more goals than anyone but Messi and Ronaldo. If he can come to Chelsea and continue that form, it would make amazing things happen.
I would love to see this transfer happen for Chelsea, because that would make for an extremely deadly team at Chelsea, as well as a for sure title for Chelsea next year in the league, and hopefully a deeper cup run and Champions League run.
For starters the Blues can't afford to lose any of their young talent. They have so much youth at Chelsea, and the young players are the ones who really shined for the team this year. Players like Eden Hazard, Oscar, Andre Schurrle, Lukaku (who was out on loan at Everton), Courtois (who was loaned out at Athletico Madrid), Azpilicueta, and Mohamad Salah cannot be let go by any means necessary. They must stay at the club if they wish to be successful. The second thing they need to do is get Courtois back from his loan with Athletico Madrid. He is only 22 years old, and already probably one of the top three keepers in the world. Cech is still very good, but he's also getting old, and Courtois would step in perfectly. The final thing that Chelsea need to do is go out this summer and buy a world class striker. If I had to pick one thing that really hurt the Blues in their quest for trophies this year, it would be their lack of a top notch striker to compliment the midfield that they possess. That being said, there are already a lot of heavy speculations and rumors surrounding the player that Chelsea will be pursuing. That player is the Athletico Madrid striker Diego Costa. He has been heavily linked with Chelsea, and there seems to be a good chance that he will end up at the club next season. If this happens that spells great news for Chelsea, and bad news for the rest of the BPL. Costa has had a world class year in the La Liga, scoring more goals than anyone but Messi and Ronaldo. If he can come to Chelsea and continue that form, it would make amazing things happen.
I would love to see this transfer happen for Chelsea, because that would make for an extremely deadly team at Chelsea, as well as a for sure title for Chelsea next year in the league, and hopefully a deeper cup run and Champions League run.
My Best Players in FUT
Because I have been playing the game FIFA Ultimate Team all year, and have become quite good at it, and amassed quite the group of players, I really wanted to do a review on the top 3 players I've used so far in this FIFA 14. I'll talk a little bit about the players stats, and then move on to talk about what I thought of the player. I'll pick players from different positions as well, so one from up top, one from the midfield, and one from the defense. So here it goes!
1. The first player on the list is a player that I've only had for a short time, TOTS Daniel Sturridge. Some of his stand out stats are 93 pace, 90 dribbling, 89 shooting, and 79 heading. He is also extremely tall and physical which is really good for a striker. The really amazing thing about TOTS Sturridge is his insane shooting. He is left footed, and if you get him on his left foot you can shoot from pretty much any where. If the shot doesn't go in it will at least require the keeper to make an acrobatic save of some sort. This shooting coupled with his pace make him one of my favorite players in this game.
2. The second player, the midfielder, is one of my overall just favorite cards ever. He is from Manchester City, and is one of the best all around players in the game. This is Yaya Toure's regular card. He has all of his stats over 74. He does everything on the field. You can play him at CAM, CM, or CDM, and he will do you a great job at any. The fact that he is so big and muscular also really helps, because he can completely dominate and out muscle people off the ball. I've been dying to try out his 92 overall TOTS card, but I don't have the coins to afford it at the moment. Overall he is a phenomenal player, and if you have the coins I would highly recommend putting him in your team.
3. The third and final player, the defender, is a toss up between two brazilian center backs, and if you play FIFA you probably know who I'm talking about. They are Thiago Silva, and David Luiz, two of the most overpowered center backs in the game of FIFA. The amount of strength and heading ability they have is unparalleled to any other defender I've used in the game, and what's even greater is that they are cheap as dirt, especially now with the market crash. Thiago Silva has 80 pace, 87 defending, and 83 heading, while David Luiz has 77 pace, 79 defending, and 80 heading. If you put these two at the center backs of any team, I promise you will not give up many goals, especially those stupid header goals that are conceded far to much in FIFA.
Well, thats it for my 3, or 4 I guess, favorite players in FIFA Ultimate Team. Like I said above, I would highly recommend trying out any or all of the players above, because you will be amazed with just how good they really are. My words can only praise so much, it reaches a point where sometimes seeing is believing.
1. The first player on the list is a player that I've only had for a short time, TOTS Daniel Sturridge. Some of his stand out stats are 93 pace, 90 dribbling, 89 shooting, and 79 heading. He is also extremely tall and physical which is really good for a striker. The really amazing thing about TOTS Sturridge is his insane shooting. He is left footed, and if you get him on his left foot you can shoot from pretty much any where. If the shot doesn't go in it will at least require the keeper to make an acrobatic save of some sort. This shooting coupled with his pace make him one of my favorite players in this game.
2. The second player, the midfielder, is one of my overall just favorite cards ever. He is from Manchester City, and is one of the best all around players in the game. This is Yaya Toure's regular card. He has all of his stats over 74. He does everything on the field. You can play him at CAM, CM, or CDM, and he will do you a great job at any. The fact that he is so big and muscular also really helps, because he can completely dominate and out muscle people off the ball. I've been dying to try out his 92 overall TOTS card, but I don't have the coins to afford it at the moment. Overall he is a phenomenal player, and if you have the coins I would highly recommend putting him in your team.
3. The third and final player, the defender, is a toss up between two brazilian center backs, and if you play FIFA you probably know who I'm talking about. They are Thiago Silva, and David Luiz, two of the most overpowered center backs in the game of FIFA. The amount of strength and heading ability they have is unparalleled to any other defender I've used in the game, and what's even greater is that they are cheap as dirt, especially now with the market crash. Thiago Silva has 80 pace, 87 defending, and 83 heading, while David Luiz has 77 pace, 79 defending, and 80 heading. If you put these two at the center backs of any team, I promise you will not give up many goals, especially those stupid header goals that are conceded far to much in FIFA.
Well, thats it for my 3, or 4 I guess, favorite players in FIFA Ultimate Team. Like I said above, I would highly recommend trying out any or all of the players above, because you will be amazed with just how good they really are. My words can only praise so much, it reaches a point where sometimes seeing is believing.
Game in Review: Clash of Clans
For this latest blog, I wanted to switch it up a little bit and get away from the same stuff that I've been blogging about all year. I wanted to get away from the soccer, and instead do a game review on an iPhone and Android game that has really been quite an addiction for me in the recent few months. The game is called Clash of Clans, and I'll tell you a little bit about it.
The game Clash of Clans is an extremely popular iPhone game that has been out since August 2nd of 2012. Since that time it has become a top five downloaded game since December of 2012. Millions of people around the world participate in the frenzy that comes with building your village and raiding other people, and I would like to share what I like so much about the game.
To start with, Clash of Clans is all about building a village, and then raising armies to go and fight other peoples bases/villages to gain trophies and loot. This loot is then used to upgrade your village and buy new things to constantly improve things. You have to upgrade your troops so you can have better attacks, but at the same time you have to make sure you upgrade your defenses so people can't come in and destroy your base with ease. The two big things that I like most about this game are the strategy side to it, and the way you can play it with your friends and make the game last a long time. For the strategy, it is a very strategic game in the way you play it. From your base layout, to clan wars, to how you attack other bases there are tons of strategy based events in this game, and it makes it really fun to think through and play it. The second part of the fun is playing with your friends. In the game you can join clans with other members in them, and if you play with your friends all of you can be in a clan together. It makes the game much more enjoyable, and then you can even go to war with them in the newest addition called clan wars. Another good part of the game is that you never run out of things to do. There are always upgrades, and the farther along you get, the longer it takes for things to upgrade, which will leave you playing for ages!
All in all, I would definitely recommend trying out this game. It's a free game and it may seem a little slow at start, but if you can get past the beginning stage, then you'll have a lot of fun from there!
The game Clash of Clans is an extremely popular iPhone game that has been out since August 2nd of 2012. Since that time it has become a top five downloaded game since December of 2012. Millions of people around the world participate in the frenzy that comes with building your village and raiding other people, and I would like to share what I like so much about the game.
To start with, Clash of Clans is all about building a village, and then raising armies to go and fight other peoples bases/villages to gain trophies and loot. This loot is then used to upgrade your village and buy new things to constantly improve things. You have to upgrade your troops so you can have better attacks, but at the same time you have to make sure you upgrade your defenses so people can't come in and destroy your base with ease. The two big things that I like most about this game are the strategy side to it, and the way you can play it with your friends and make the game last a long time. For the strategy, it is a very strategic game in the way you play it. From your base layout, to clan wars, to how you attack other bases there are tons of strategy based events in this game, and it makes it really fun to think through and play it. The second part of the fun is playing with your friends. In the game you can join clans with other members in them, and if you play with your friends all of you can be in a clan together. It makes the game much more enjoyable, and then you can even go to war with them in the newest addition called clan wars. Another good part of the game is that you never run out of things to do. There are always upgrades, and the farther along you get, the longer it takes for things to upgrade, which will leave you playing for ages!
All in all, I would definitely recommend trying out this game. It's a free game and it may seem a little slow at start, but if you can get past the beginning stage, then you'll have a lot of fun from there!
Saturday, May 17, 2014
UEFA Champions League Final Prediction
The stage was set a few weeks ago. The two teams to play in the final of the UEFA Champions League, were Athletico Madrid, and Real Madrid. Two teams from the same city, sharing an intense, heated rivalry, in one of the biggest stages in world soccer. Too add even more drama to the game, Athletico, just 5 minutes ago, clinched the La Liga title with a 1-1 draw against Barcelona. With Athletico winning the League title, Real Madrid is desperately in need of a big tournament win and Athletico will have every intention of stopping them in their tracks. It would be quite the year for Athletico if they could win the double in Spain. Always being in the shadow of the greats, Barcelona and Real Madrid, has made this season for the other Madrid team even greater. No one expected this out of a team from Madrid, unless it was Real Madrid. Here is what I think will happen next saturday when these two teams face off.
My prediction for the final of the Champions League is that Athletico will beat Real Madrid, in what will definitely be a great game.
My prediction for the final of the Champions League is that Athletico will beat Real Madrid, in what will definitely be a great game.
Substate Brackets
In high school soccer it has finally reached that amazing point during the season, when there are very few games remaining in the regular season, and everyone has their sights set on the playoffs and what lies ahead. Every team wants to win their sub state and get a chance at the coveted state championship, but only the top 8 teams in the state will advance and get the opportunity in Des Moines. How the pairings work, is during the season you get ranked every week based on how you did the previous week, and at the end of the first 6 weeks the teams are looked at and evaluated based on their ranking, and given a spot in sub state. The two most important spots are the one and two seeds. If you're a one seed you have the best chances, because you won't get paired up with any other one seeds. This year Kennedy got a two seed, but boy did we luck out with our draw. I'll break down how Kennedy shaped up in their sub state pairing as well as some other key match ups.
So the draw that Kennedy received this year is a great one in my opinion. We have a first round bye, and then we play the winner of Waterloo West vs. Waterloo East, which will most likely be Waterloo West, considering the fact that East hasn't won a game all season. On the other side of the substate, Cedar Rapids Washington has a first round bye and they play the winner of Cedar Falls vs. Mason City, which will most likely be Cedar Falls, considering Mason City hasn't won a game all year as well. If the best teams make it to the final, then Cedar Rapids Kennedy will play Cedar Rapids Washington in the substate final, with each team looking to get back to the state tournament. It will be a rematch of a game earlier this season in which Washington walked away with a 1-0 victory, over a Kennedy team that dominated the entire game. As a Kennedy player, I know how well we did against Washington, and we beat Waterloo West earlier in the season 5-0, so I think that we should feel extremely confident about our chances going into substate.
This year the goal is to win state. In order to do so, we need to make state in the first place. I feel extremely confident with the spot we're in, and I can't wait to get back to Des Moines, and make some history in the process!
So the draw that Kennedy received this year is a great one in my opinion. We have a first round bye, and then we play the winner of Waterloo West vs. Waterloo East, which will most likely be Waterloo West, considering the fact that East hasn't won a game all season. On the other side of the substate, Cedar Rapids Washington has a first round bye and they play the winner of Cedar Falls vs. Mason City, which will most likely be Cedar Falls, considering Mason City hasn't won a game all year as well. If the best teams make it to the final, then Cedar Rapids Kennedy will play Cedar Rapids Washington in the substate final, with each team looking to get back to the state tournament. It will be a rematch of a game earlier this season in which Washington walked away with a 1-0 victory, over a Kennedy team that dominated the entire game. As a Kennedy player, I know how well we did against Washington, and we beat Waterloo West earlier in the season 5-0, so I think that we should feel extremely confident about our chances going into substate.
This year the goal is to win state. In order to do so, we need to make state in the first place. I feel extremely confident with the spot we're in, and I can't wait to get back to Des Moines, and make some history in the process!
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