Peter Crouch Photo Tribute

Yesterday brought the somber news of Peter Crouch's departure. Crouch, along with Wilson Palacios are headed to Stoke City. The news appeared imminent given Crouch's lack of goal-scoring last year and Spurs' acquisition of Emmanuel Adebayor. Crouch's departure is probably a welcome sign for many fans, but a sad moment for me personally. Crouch is actually one of the reasons I began rooting for Spurs.

I dove into the Premier League last year unaccustomed to the waters. Save for the popular teams and players, I didn't know anything. Being American, and thus free of any ties to a particular team, area, or the sport itself, I decided to choose a team at random to root for. Two factors impacted my decision making: No Manchester United, Chelsea, or Arsenal -- I didn't want to support one of the smug powerhouses that feel it's their right, not privilege, to win the title every year. Second, I wanted to recognize some of the players on the team I rooted for, meaning they had to have competed in the World Cup.

I first saw Crouch in the 2006 World Cup, and like most people, was struck by how unusual he looked. Nothing seemed to make sense about a 6'7 skin-and-bones soccer player. As I began to understand, height is particularly useful on set pieces and seeking out crosses in the box in general. This is what Crouch excelled at -- finding the ball in the air. But more than anything, Crouch appealed to my still-developing soccer sensibilities. To my untrained eye, soccer just seemed like a silly sport. A lot of kicking the ball in the air, few shots, and even fewer scoring opportunities. Guys blatantly took dives and this seemed to be an accepted part of the game. I had trouble understanding the laissez faire attitude towards when and where free kicks and throw-ins occurred, and how stoppage time boiled down to a judgement call.

Crouch embodied the silliness I came to expect from a soccer game. He was a head taller than everyone, as awkward athletically as his appearance suggested. Yet, somehow he always managed to find the goal. For all the success Crouch has had in his career, his legacy will be defined by how goofy he looked doing everything, and that's why I love him. Here is a photo tribute to the one and only Peter Crouch.

Crouch at the age of 18. All former and current teenagers can relate to that awkward stage growing up. Fortunately for us, Crouch never grew out of his.

Crouch's predictably-titled Walking Tall: My Story can be had (you won't believe this) for only 1 cent via Amazon! Confusion arose when the title, accompanied by Crouch lustily staring at the reader, caused some people to misdiagnose the autobiography as a sexcapade novel.

Here's Crouch doing what any man would do if he could touch a supermodel without being arrested. The woman is Crouch's wife Abbey Clancy, who he famously cheated on with a teenage prostitute. This is probably the only blemish on an otherwise sterling record. Crouch could have been a hero, the poster boy for an everyman, just like us, yet winning at life because of his ability to put a ball in a net. I'd like to say he messed up in that regard, but she stayed with him, so maybe he can't lose.

Crouch's robot celebration he unveiled in the preparatory matches leading up to the 2006 World Cup. He stopped doing the robot because he felt it was becoming a distraction for the national team. This is Peter Crouch's blend of awkwardness and humor in a nut shell.

Who hasn't ended up at a bar in the wee hours of the morning with only one shirt button, the middle button at that, still intact, with drinks spilled all over your lap? Here's Crouch partying with former Spurs and now current Stoke teammate Jonathan Woodgate. Crouch said Woodgate was instrumental in recruiting him to Stoke, probably so they could recreate nights like this in Staffordshire.

With marriage and parenthood comes a sense of contentment. Gone is the former partying womanizer -- at least I hope so. Crouch is here taking a stroll with wife Clancy and daughter Sophia in the stroller. Questions of infidelity, goal-scoring, and robotic dance moves are now replaced with, "Peter, what the fuck are you wearing?"

Best of luck at Stoke, Crouchy. I'll miss you.

On Momentum In Sports

There's an old adage in baseball that says something like: "All things even out over the course of a season." If an umpire misses a close call at first in favor of the runner, then at some point during the season, the same pitcher will eventually be the beneficiary of a blown call. If a hitter is robbed of a base hit by a nice defensive play, one of his later hits is bound to fall due to a defensive lapse. If a career .300 hitter -- still in the prime of his career and unaffected by any external factors such as injuries has a poor week and bats .150, he's almost certain to have a week where he bats .450, and so on.

The belief in this theory is calming because it gives meaning to the chaos that is baseball. But it's also kind of unsettling in the way that predetermination is unsettling. A hitter can go on a cold streak and unless his name is Adam Dunn, he's eventually going to snap out of it. We know this. Sports remain interesting because we don't know when these particular cold streaks will occur. In the regular season, each player has the opportunity to rake their way out of them -- but in the playoffs, a cold streak can cost your team the season, and there's no opportunity for redemption.

We call these dips and ascensions momentum, and they apply to individual players and entire teams. Momentum is an accepted term in the sporting lexicon. We point to particular moments in a game when we can say "the momentum shifted," and we say teams on winning streaks are in the process of "building momentum." Psychologists have studied perceived momentum in sports for almost forty years. They've developed complicated formulas* and studied specific teams over the course of a season and their results suggest fans and players place too much of a premium on "momentum" as a critical factor to decide a game, season, or in-game situation.

*To me, at least.

However, this doesn't stop us fans and players from believing in it. In 1981, mathematician Robert Adler coined the term "psychological momentum," as the tendency of an effect to follow a similar effect. Positive psychological momentum predicts that success would increase the probability of further success, whereas negative psychological momentum predicts that failure would increase the probability of further failure. Through a process known as the momentum chain, an athlete is more likely to perform well when he or she has been successful in the past.

So while momentum has very little mathematical bearing on all of these previously discussed outcomes, it does have a huge effect on the mentality of an athlete. Basically, if an athlete believes they have momentum, they're more likely to succeed. If they think they don't have the momentum, they're more likely to fail.

I began thinking of momentum today after Tottenham dropped the second match of the Premier League season 5-1 to Manchester City. This coming after a 3-0 loss to Manchester United in the first match of the season. Tottenham are now 0-0-2 with a -7 goal differential and currently sit at the bottom of the table. City and United are the two best teams in the Premier League, so it's likely Spurs would have been smacked around regardless of when they played them. Still, I can't help but think about the timing of this Premier League season. Spurs were supposed to open the season at home against Everton -- a likely win. Three points heading into Old Trafford to start the season probably wouldn't have shifted the outcome in either match, but it would have saved them from becoming bottom-dwellers for the time being. I worry this could have some sort of long-term psychological effect on the players. Losses to United and City seemed inevitable, but I can't help but think having them occur at some point during the middle of the season would have been better. It's in all in the head, it's all in the head...

Mathematicians would chalk up Tottenham's start to bad timing, similar to a great hitting slumping in the playoffs. Psychologists are concerned with the mental makeup which produces the perception of momentum. The math stays relatively consistent. The brain is anything but that. Where is Adam Dunn when you need him?          

5-0! We're Going Out To Eat Tonight!

It's easy to get excited about Tottenham's 5-0 victory to kick off their 2011 campaign. Especially when what was supposed to be their inaugural match against Everton was cancelled due to (protesters? / rioters? / hoodlums?) threatening to burn all of London down. Just playing the game seemed like a miracle. But it was just the first match, and it was the lowly Europa League, and it was against a Scottish side called Hearts. The match, which was comfortably in hand within the first half an hour didn't tell us anything about Spurs we didn't already know. However, there were some encouraging things to take away.

Jermain Defoe appears to be fully recovered from his hamstring, groin, ankle, and whichever other injuries were plaguing him last season. Harry Redknapp predicted a breakout from Defoe this year and today's match strengthened his claims. Although take what Redknapp says with a grain of salt. He's the same manager who said he wasn't going to play his main players in the Europa League qualifier because the team needed to concentrate on the Premier League and all that. We see how well he stuck to that script, although his decision was probably aided by the cancellation of the Everton match. Defoe was the most impressive Tottenham player. He scored the second goal, hit the post on what would have been an amazing third goal, and delivered some excellent passes. I can't praise Defoe too much because he beat up on a leaky defense, but his team needs him to return to the goal-scorer of two years ago and he looks like he's becoming that player again.

Oh, how I missed you Gareth Bale. Bale missed the last month of the 2010 season with an ankle injury. Back injuries had been nagging him all year. He scored the fourth goal of the match, and showcased his patented runs on the left side all night. He brought me right back to San Siro, where we, but mostly Maicon, saw him grow up before our eyes. Just seeing him on the pitch was important, and the fact that he played well was only  icing on the cake.

Winning 5-0 in the first leg is an enormous advantage, especially for a team as injury-taxed as Tottenham. Redknapp now has the option to rest his main players in the second leg in preparation for Manchester City at White Hart Lane. Teams like City and Manchester United are deep enough to throw their reserves out their for the early qualifiers and still come away with victories. Tottenham doesn't have that kind of depth, so locking the first qualifying round up after the first leg is extremely beneficial for them. It's going to be interesting to see how Redknapp handles the Europa League matches going forward. Tottenham is currently the best of the lot and will still be one of the top teams after some of the Champions League sides drop down (welcome aboard, enjoy your short stay in Europa, Arsenal). Does Redknapp chase a Europa League trophy and compromise the Premier League season? I doubt it. He probably would have played the reserves tonight had the Everton match not been cancelled. The good thing, at least for the time being, is Tottenham's reserves can beat most of these teams in the early rounds. Despite this, an early exit from Europa and a 5th place Premiership finish seems all-too-Totttenham.

Lost in the overwhelming positive attitude emanating from Scotland is what I like to call the Heurelho Gomes problem. Gomes started in goal and fortunately was only tested four times. Even then he was shaky and looked downright confused on corners. He made numerous bad challenges and wasn't able to hang on to a routine ball that led to a corner. Gomes erratic goalkeeping cost Spurs last year, most notably in the second leg against Real Madrid. Redknapp brought in former Aston Villa and US National Brad Friedel, presumably to start, and still has Carlo Cudicini on the bench. Both seem to be better options at this point. Why Redknapp stuck with Gomes is anyone's guess. His goalkeeping didn't cost Tottenham against an inferior opponent, but it will in the Premier League.

As tempting as it is to fall over in excitement over an early season blowout, it's important to keep things in perspective. Hearts aren't very good. The real test will come Monday against Manchester United. Let's see if Spurs can lose by less than three before scampering to the rooftops and screaming "5-0, 5-0, 5-0," to the people on the streets.

Whether An Adventure Or Journey, It Was A Good Run

This post is best read with the video above playing.

Champions League commentators have been fond of calling Tottenham's run an adventure. An adventure suggests venturing into unknown territory with a possible element of danger involved, even a sense of impending doom. The commentators were evidently on to something.

Tottenham hadn't qualified for the Champions League in over 50 years and had their fair share of missteps against some of Europe's finest teams. Everything that could have went wrong did in their 4-0 loss in the first leg against Real Madrid. That would be the 'unknown territory' and 'element of danger' aspects of an adventure. The impending doom part happened yesterday.

The score this time was a more respectable 1-0 loss at White Hart Lane. However, Ronaldo's lone goal (again Ronaldo, of all people) should have been saved. And just like that -- the end. Tottenham couldn't muster a goal despite setting a furious pace out of the gate. The aggregate was insurmountable anyway, but a positive moment to end on would have been nice.

While an adventure was certainly an appropriate term to describe Tottenham's time in the Champions League, I prefer to think of it as a journey. A journey has a less cynical tone to it, and suggests a learning experience. Because that is really what this was -- a learning experience. Players don't go to Tottenham expecting to play in the Champions League.

In the second stanza of his poem "Journey's End," J.R.R. Tolkien describes the reconciliation process at the end of a journey:

Though here at journey's end I lie
In darkness buried deep,
Beyond all towers strong and high,
Beyond all mountains steep,
Above all shadows rides the Sun
And Stars for ever dwell:
I will not say the Day is done,
Nor bid the Stars farewell.
 
Journey's end, but the sights seen and lessons learn remain forever. I was happy to be a very small part of that journey, 4,000 miles away, watching on my computer.

Poise: What Is It Really?

The word "poise" is often used in professional sports, especially in conjunction with the losing side. We hear how a team was unable to maintain their poise in a loss, or that the underdog needs to remain poised in order to pull off an upset. Poise is somehow only a factor in sports during a crucial moment or after a game is decided. It's so much more than that.

How about speaking of a team's poise after they've virtually been defeated, but the game is still in progress? That's what I'd like to talk about because, for all intents and purposes, Tottenham lost Tuesday's Champions League match against Real Madrid with 75 minutes remaining. Former Arsenal striker/Tottenham assassin Emmanuel Adebayor headed home a corner four minutes into the game. He slipped past Aaron Lennon's injury replacement, Jermaine Jenas, and headed the ball past both the goalkeeper and Luka Modric on the far post. 1-0.

It gets better. Peter Crouch, the same Peter Crouch who stands 6'7 and is expected to do one thing (win balls in the air) recklessly challenged Sergio Ramos and picked up a yellow card shortly after the goal. Eleven minutes later, the same Peter Crouch, who really shouldn't be sliding under any circumstances, picked up a second yellow for another reckless challenge, this time on Marcelo, and once again on a ball he wouldn't have won anyway.

So with 75 minutes remaining, Spurs were at a goal disadvantage and a man disadvantage against a team more talented in every facet of the game. These are the situations in which "poise" is normally discussed. And of course, it would be said that Tottenham lost theirs.

In the meta-football universe we're operating in for the purpose of this post, I'd like to argue the opposite, in fact. The goal and Crouch's challenges were a series of bad mistakes, completely separate from the team's collective identity. The team showed their true colors in those remaining 75 minutes, when they were beaten mercilessly and left fending for their lives.

This is how I like to imagine this match. Two friends walk out of a bar. Both strong and imposing young men. The type of guys no one would pick a one-on-one fight with. As they exit left and head towards a dark alley, one of the men heads back into the bar because he left his wallet, or something else, a jacket, maybe. Now alone, the less forgetful friend continues walking. Four young pick-pockets hide behind a rusted dumpster waiting to pounce and rob him for all he's worth. The four gangly cowards may have reconsidered if it was still the two men, but down to one they happily engage in a vicious ass-whooping. Kicks, punches, steel-toes, spiked bats, tire irons -- the whole nine.

The hapless friend, left to fend for himself curls up and tries his best to absorb the blows. He's bloodied and his swollen left eye begins to shut. But he doesn't play dead. He continues to get up -- relishing the violence. He would have preferred to be lying in bed, enjoying the comfort of his own home, but he can't. This is a beating he has to take -- and he takes it, without complaint. That was Tottenham on Tuesday.

Poise to me is more than staying calm under pressure. It is also about self-respect and respect for the game. It's easy to give up. Everyday people give up on their dreams, relationships, and even life itself. Overmatched athletes quit on a regular basis when they can't keep up. Poise is about resisting the urge to quit, even though you know your best isn't good enough. Poise is about continuing to play your ass off, even after Ronaldo scores the fourth goal, one that should have been saved at that, and blows kisses to the raucous crowd like the consummate douche that he is.

Every fan experiences an "A-Ha" moment when they either realize or are reminded why they love their team. Strangely enough, mine came in a 4-0 blowout in which Tottenham embarrassed themselves and the EPL in the Champions League Quarterfinals. They took their beating, and came back for more, refusing to back down. They weren't intimidated by the historic Real Madrid and their lineup filled with world-class players. The score didn't reflect it, but I still felt like Tottenham belonged.

Poised they were, at least in my meta-football universe. Now let's grab this 4th spot and do it again next year.

A Leg Up

At about 3:20 Wednesday afternoon it hit me. Camped in front of my computer, as I usually am on match days, I needed to stand up and breathe. Spurs had held off Milan's offensive attack for 80 nail-biting minutes and were only 10 minutes away from advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals.
I looked out my window and into the dreary, overcast day. A school bus passed carrying middle school kids. Other than the lone bus, my outside surroundings were quiet -- not another person or car to be found. I suppose everyone was at work. If I remember correctly, that's what most people are doing at 3:20 on a Wednesday.
That's when it hit me. No one within a 30-mile radius is even aware of this game, let alone concerned about its outcome. I'm new to this international soccer thing, but I assume that sums up the ridiculousness of being a soccer fan in America.  Imagine your hometown NFL team tied up with two minutes left in their first round playoff game -- and absolutely no interest around you. No flags, hats, or sweatshirts bearing the team logo. No signs, news highlights, or talk radio. Nothing. Just nothing.
In a strange way, I'm attracted to the exclusivity. Spurs are my little secret in this neck of the woods, kind of like the people who claimed to love R.E.M in the early 80s. If rooting for them means I have to occasionally wake up at 6 in the morning, listen to games in Spanish, and yell at my computer as if it were a cashier that didn't give me correct change, then I'm all for it.
Perhaps a visual representation of what I looked like during Wednesday's game would be more helpful.

Here's me at the 25-minute mark. AC Milan was inches away from scoring. Three of the computers in this shot don't work. I keep them around to feel important.

I regained a little bit of composure in the 60th minute, as Spurs began to settle in. I even took off my tie to demonstrate how loose I was, and replaced my sweat-drenched shirt.

 
This is me in the 93rd minute, after Spurs came away with a 0-0 draw. I was so excited that I put a different tie on and raised the roof with clenched fists.

Besides being certifiably nuts, this match, and I think all 0-0 matches can help American fans towards a greater appreciation of sports. I think it's hard for some people to wrap their brain around 0-0. Why play the game at all, nothing happened, right? Wrong. The beauty of the game is found in its intricacies that don't always show up in the box score.
In America, we're conditioned to think the result is everything, and the result has to firmly place one team above the other. In other words: NO TIES! Good and bad games are often forgotten or excused because the desired result was achieved. Too often, we get caught up in the result, and forget about the process which got us to that point.
Take the 25th minute to illustrate my point. Spurs defender William Gallas (seen here beginning at the 3:44 mark) made a game-saving play that was just as spectacular and valuable as a sensational goal. Spurs goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes made a terrible challenge and ended up getting caught out of position. Milan's Pato slipped a pass to his streaking teammate Robinho, who promptly rifled a shot that deflected off Tottenham's Assou-Ekotto. Not anticipating the deflection, Gallas was trending left. He noticed the ball popped in the air, recovered, firmly planted his left leg on the goal line and cleared the ball mid-air with his right foot, about an inch in front of the goal line. It was an incredible defensive play from Gallas that took just as much skill and precision as a well-timed goal. I'll always remember that save.
Tottenham had won the previous match 1-0, so a 0-0 draw was basically a win. But what if they had lost 2-0 and Gallas made the same save? Many American-conditioned sports fans, myself included, probably would have looked at the game as a bad loss and left it at that.
I've noticed soccer fans seem to appreciate particular moments of a match, even if their team didn't come out victorious. I'm not suggesting they don't care who wins, but the end result isn't the only measure of success. At least that's what I've observed. Maybe I've been reading and interacting with fans and writers more concerned with the stylistics of soccer, which is entirely possible.
Either way, a bunch of wise thinkers have said that life is a journey, and the scenery we encounter along the way is more important than the destination. We can certainly apply this viewpoint to sports, and would be wise to.

Spurs vs. AC Milan And Other Soccer House Cleaning

I haven't written about soccer in a while now. Contrary to popular belief, I haven't stopped watching. It just took me about five weeks to realize no one wanted to read match by match breakdowns of an EPL team jockeying for a top four seed. What is the EPL anyway? Most people clicked the link expecting the San Antonio Spurs and wondered why they saw pictures of soccer.
Anyway, I've still been watching, and Wayne Rooney's goal to lift Manchester United 2-1 over City is probably the most aesthetically pleasing goal I've ever seen.  I've watched this video 20,000 times, accounting for two thirds of the YouTube views, and am still not sick of it.
"Wayne Rooney is back!" the pundits claimed. I never understood how a player could be "back" after one goal, albeit a spectacular one. But the assertion got me to thinking about all Rooney has been through the last year. He injured his ankle towards the end of the 2009-10 Premier League season, limiting his mobility, and still finished the season with 26 Premier League goals.
The English National Team followed with a poor showing in the World Cup, highlighted by Rooney's ineffectiveness. Citing his injury, some questioned whether he should have been playing at all. Then news of his extramarital affair was leaked, compounding his already sketchy public image.
Rooney returned to United and squabbled with Sir Alex Ferguson over a new contract, threatened to leave the club, and came off immature through out the entire process. All of this from Rooney despite being held goalless in open play for the previous eight months of the Premier League season.
I've tried to come up with a cross-sport equivalent of 2010 Wayne Rooney and there's absolutely no comparison. Rooney made Brett Favre's year look Sportsman of the Year Award worthy by comparison.
But hey, "Wayne Rooney is back, baby!" Unfortunately, it took his "return" to realize I liked the struggling, considerably less rich, and womanizing version of Rooney much better.
I've also changed my mind about the EPL schedule. A few months ago I whined about the lack of an end-of-the-year playoff. I thought they should assign seeds to the top eight seeds and let them battle for the league title. I argued that the mini-tournament didn't have to affect Champions League draws, as the top four seeds after the regular season would already clinch berths. I just thought something more needed to be done about crowning an official champion, rather than relying on regular season record.
Turns out that the pursuit of a top four seed is just as fun. Tottenham, Chelsea, and Manchester City are all currently in the hunt for the last two spots. Every game at this point is magnified. Dropping points to inferior teams is especially painful, and scoreboard watching is in full force. It reminds me of the end of the NFL season when teams are more concerned with making the playoffs, rather than what seed they are. I take playoff plead back, this is pretty fun too.

Tottenham's lone goal in their 1-0 victory over AC Milan in San Siro embodied everything that went right Tuesday afternoon. Aaron Lennon broke away from the pack after receiving an intercepted ball. Milan was sloppy with their passes all day, especially in the first half.
Lennon, who routinely beat his defender, was Spurs best playmaker. He made a couple good crosses to Crouch in the first half but they ultimately amounted to nothing. It was only fitting that the two would hook up to put the game away.
In the 80th minute, Lennon made Mario Yepes miss and delivered a perfect pass to Crouch, who tucked the ball inside the left corner. Milan midfielder Gennaro Gatusso attempted to goad Crouch into a fight the entire game, but Crouch left with the last laugh. Gatusso will miss the second leg after picking up a yellow card in the game. He even head butted Tottenham assistant manager Joe Jordan after the game, and could possibly face suspension. You have to love UEFA for that very reason--a head butt doesn't necessarily warrant a suspension.
I'm proud of Spurs. They went into a hostile environment, came out aggressive, and weren't intimidated by a side playing dirty in the second half. And they did it without Gareth Bale, who is still nursing an ailing back. A draw would have been a good result, but with the win, Spurs have set themselves up nicely to advance to the final eight.
That's the last time I'll talk soccer until March 9th. I promise.

Tottenham Clinches 'Group A' With Draw

I'm still warming up to the idea of a draw. Should a draw excite me? Is it really something to celebrate? Blame it on all the years of basketball, football, and baseball watching. It's only fitting that Tottenham's Champions League group stage journey ends where it started -- in a tie. A tie that should have been a win nonetheless, but that's besides the point.
It's been a long journey, really long actually. The "six games within the group and one game every two weeks" thing drags on quite a bit. The formula is good because the scheduling essentially builds its own suspense for each game. On the flip side, some fan bases -- Arsenal fans I'm looking at you, have two weeks to think up all of the possible ways your team can blow it.
I have to admit I bought into all the skepticism surrounding Spurs prior to the Champions League. Everyone who seemed to know anything about soccer was basically waiting for them to choke away their first opportunity in 50 years to make a lasting imprint on the national stage. I figured they must know more than me, and what do I really know anyway -- so I equated each moment to familiar Cubs' choke jobs.
First game against Bremen and Spurs jump ahead 1-0 with a gift-wrapped own goal. Fifteen minutes later and they take a 2-0 lead. Game 1 of the 2008 NLDS, Mark DeRosa hits a two run homer in the 4th inning as the Cubs take an early lead, which they eventually surrender. Sure enough, Bremen ties the game just after halftime and doesn't look back. Spurs lose two points and lay the foundation for what looks to be their expected sinking of the ship.
They bounce back in a 4-1 victory at home over Twente. Expected to be the whipping boy of the group, Twente would be heaped with praise at the moment had Spurs not stolen the show and unexpectedly won the Group. At the time, it was a good win for Spurs because they were coming off a Premier League loss, but nothing to get too excited about.

The Inter Milan games sandwiched between the Bremen and Twente rematches were significant because they introduced Gareth Bale to the world. A somewhat obscure name to most soccer fans, Bale burst onto the scene with a three goal performance in the first leg against Inter. He single-handedly carved up Inter's defense and was really the only bright spot in a game that Tottenham had trailed 4-0 at one point. He topped that in the second leg, producing one magnificent run after another and crossed the ball flawlessly to set up two more goals. Bale's play became one of the great stories of the Group Stages, resulting in an onslaught of rumors linking the 21 year-old to a number of big clubs.
A 3-0 blowout at home seemed to be appropriate for a Spurs team that was coming off the high of beating the defending European Champions and a Bremen team that had been shutout at home by Twente. Spurs and Twente both went out in resounding fashion, scoring three times a piece. Both teams already had sealed their fate and played into the wackiness that swirled around this game since the very beginning. I've never seen a goalie whiff like Boschker did...never. Robert Green's mishap looked forgivable compared to that.
Other than Bale, the biggest Champions League story surrounding Tottenham was their home versus road performance. At home they were brilliant, outscoring their opponents 10-2 en route to three wins. On the road, they were outscored 9-8, in two draws and one loss. They need to clear their road woes up. It's been a problem for them all season, including the Premier League. It's not the results that are disappointing, you can live with two draws and a loss on the road, but surrendering nine goals in three games is inexcusable.
But now is not the time to dwell on the negative. This is a historic accomplishment for Spurs. Not only do they advance to the knockout stage, but they earned the top seed in Group A, so they can avoid some of the heavy hitters in the next round.
Let's party like it's 1961. President Kennedy, West Side Story, crumbling US diplomatic relations, but most importantly, quality Spurs football.

Spurs vs. Werder Bremen - Champions League Game 5

In the first leg against Werder, Spurs jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead. Towards the end of the first half, they surrendered a goal, then another goal in the opening minutes of the second half, and had to settle for a tie. There would be no such letdown in the second leg.
Spurs came out firing early and were rewarded with a 6th minute goal from Younes Kaboul. The unmarked Kaboul scored easily after a perfect cross from Aaron Lennon. Lennon and Bale both had fantastic games.
A goal lead has been nothing to get excited about this year. Spurs came into the game not having kept a clean sheet in 17 games. They had only shut out their opponent in three games this season, two of those coming in the Champions League. Tottenham has only kept one clean sheet in the Premier League, the very first game, a 0-0 draw against Manchester City.
Thirty seconds into stoppage time, Luka Modric did well to control a Crouch header and stick it into the back of the net to give Spurs a two goal lead. The second goal clinched the game for Spurs as Werder was clearly overmatched and was unlikely to muster more than a goal.
It was important to keep a clean sheet, especially from a psychological standpoint. Tottenham players need to feel confident that they can win scoring only one goal. Too often this season, they've had the game well in hand and conceded a cheap goal, forcing a draw.  They need games like this to prove, mainly to themselves, that they're capable of shutting a team out.
Spurs scored their third goal in the 81st minute, when Lennon collected Bale's rebound and fed Peter Crouch. Bale continued his fantastic play that has made him one of the tournament's most exciting players. In this game, he hit the post twice, once on the aforementioned cross, and earlier on a free kick. He also missed a penalty kick that Werder goalie Tim Wiese guessed right on.
Bale's game has become so beautifully predictable. He receives the ball, kicks the ball past the defender to start his run, and delivers a perfect cross almost every time. Defenses know what he's going to do, they just can't stop him. He's the soccer equivalent of Mariano Rivera. Rivera throws his cutter about 80 percent of the time, and occasionally mixes in a straight fastball. Hitters know what's coming, they just can't hit it.
With the win, Tottenham secured a place in the knockout stages. They currently sit atop Group A, tied with Inter at 10 points, but ahead in goal differential. For a team that many didn't expect to advance, Spurs have looked awfully impressive through out their Champions League campaign. Their last game in group play will be against Twente on the road. They have a chance to top a group that includes the defending European champions, Inter Milan.

Spurs vs. Inter Milan - Champions League Game 4

Every so often an athlete comes around that you can't help but marvel at. Let my preface my point by stating there will be very little analysis of the game in this piece. This will be closer to a Gareth Bale love fest. The type of "he can do no wrong" love fest I normally reserve for Derrick Rose. Bear with me.
Like I was saying, every so often an athlete comes around that you can't help but marvel at. Gareth Bale is one of those athletes.
Bale is the type of athlete that demands your attention. Some people watch sports casually. They turn on the TV and do something else. The game is merely background noise. That is, unless one of the aforementioned "special" athletes is playing. Look away and you might miss something.
Michael Jordan, Barry Sanders, and Ken Griffey Jr. all had this effect. Every possession, rush, or at bat seemed important, because, in reality, they were. History was being made, and we were well aware of it.
The 21 year old Bale belongs amongst the ranks of these great individual talents. Every time he touched the ball, it was like time stopped. When the ball was passed to Bale, the crowd cheered, followed by a split second of silence, and then an "ooh" or "ahh" reaction after he made a play. This confirmed what I already believed: fans dropped whatever thought, conversation, or text message they were enamored in and watched Bale's every move. They didn't want to miss something special. While watching the World Cup, Lionel Messi is the only player I can remember that had a similar "time-stopping" effect as Bale did tonight.
The reactions on Twitter to Tottenham's 3-1 win were often comical. The attention was focused almost solely on Inter's Maicon, who was widely regarded as the best right back in the world until Bale torched him in two straight games. Maicon was a trending topic, not Bale. Most tweets were jokes directed at Maicon, and I'm proud to say, I got a few in myself.
The amount of attention focused on Maicon tells me that Bale's dominance this year has been accepted as a common occurrence. It's not even interesting anymore to discuss how great Bale has been. It's more fun to rip on one of his many victims.

Tonight, Maicon played Craig Ehlo to Bale's Michael Jordan. In the deciding Game 5 of the first round of the 1989 playoffs, Jordan hit what would be his first career playoff game winner in a Hall of Fame career filled with clutch moments. Most people aren't even aware that Jordan scored 44 points in that game, or that "The Shot" clinched the series for that matter.
Jordan's dominance was accepted. The lasting image from that shot was Craig Ehlo, a great defender, playing picture perfect defense and then crumbling to the ground because he did everything he could, but still got beat by a superior player.
We talk about Ehlo because he didn't get beat like that. Just like Maicon doesn't get beat like he did today. They're the unfortunate fall-guys. The talking points to reaffirm the greatness of others when ironically, Ehlo and Maicon were/are great in their own right.
Bulls color commentator Stacey King likes to say of Rose, "He's too big, too fast, too strong, too good." Sometimes simplicity works best. Bale was all of those things today.
In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy Bale's development as a world class player. I'm not sure how long he'll be in a Spurs uniform. I imagine this is how Royals fans felt watching Zack Greinke's 2009 Cy Young season.

Spurs vs. Inter Milan - Champions League Game 3

"Inter needed only ten minutes to beat Tottenham."
That's what I tweeted as half-time approached, Spurs were down 4-0. At the ten minute mark, Javier Zanetti had scored within two minutes, goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes was sent off, and Samuel Eto'o stutter stepped home a penalty kick, the first of his two goals in the match. Eto'o currently leads all Champions League scorers with six.
Playing with ten men, Spurs were unable to stop Inter's controlled attack. Dejan Stankovic put the game out of reach in the 14th minute, putting his side up three. Twenty minutes later, Eto's second goal of the game only added insult to injury.
At halftime, it looked like Inter could easily push across seven or eight goals by the end of the game. Spurs certainly did not look up to the Champions League challenge, in what was probably their most meaningful game since 1962.
Not only were they going to lose, but screw their goal differential up in the process.
Thankfully, Werder and Twente drew, preserving second place for Tottenham in Group A. Tottenham played better defensively in the second half, and were able to narrow the scoring gap.
Gareth Bale was the lone bright spot in a game that desperately needed a bright spot for the visitors. Bale's speed overwhelmed Inter's defense the entire game. Although it wasn't until the 52nd minute that he was able to break through with his first goal. Bale would score two more almost identical goals, but it just wasn't enough.
Tottenham was doomed from the start, as they elected to send off Luka Modric for Gomes' red card. Spurs were already weak in the middle because Rafael van der Vaart was unable to play because of his red card last game against Twente.
The lack of a presence in the middle was evident. Bale and Lennon both played very well on the outside, but found themselves either crossing the ball to no one, or without a playmaker to create for them.
The flow of the offense should be much better with van der Vaart back for the rematch at White Hart Lane. This team lacks creativity without him.

To put things into perspective, this was a match Spurs were unlikely to win anyway. The result wasn't the issue, the fact that they looked utterly confused in the first half was. This was a game that they needed to at least show they could compete with the elite European clubs, and in the first half they couldn't.
Many fans left the game with a warm feeling because of Bale's spectacular performance, and the margin of defeat being cut to only one goal. Both feelings are fool's gold.
A loss is a loss. As long as Spurs take care of business in their remaining games against Werder and Twente, the goal differential won't come into play anyway. There's such a thing as playing well and getting beat by a better team. Spurs didn't play well.
Bale's three goals were all the result of fantastic individual efforts. One player can't beat a great team. If Spurs had scored three team oriented goals then that would have been great. Bale instead had to carry the rest of his team, and that won't get it done in the Champions League.
Hopefully eleven men, the return of van der Vaart, and a change of scenery can make a difference for Spurs in their next meeting with Inter. Either that or Bale may need to score four goals.

Spurs vs. Twente - Champions League Game 2

Rafael van der Vaart accomplished about as much as any player could in 60 minutes of action. His last 15 minutes were particularly eventful. He went from low, to lower, to high, to "I can't believe I just picked up my second yellow card this early in the second half."
Van der Vaart started the match on the right side of the midfield in place of the ineffective Aaron Lennon. While more accustomed to playing in the center of the field, the combination of van der Vaart and Bale on the wings proved to be incredibly effective, and at this point, gives Spurs the best chance to win. Both van der Vaart and Bale dominated the first half with their play.
While Spurs controlled almost 60 percent of the possession in the first half, they weren't able to create a scoring opportunity for the majority of the first 45 minutes.
It wasn't until the 40th minute when Peter Crouch was tackled to the ground by Peter Wisgerhof in the box. Fresh off a yellow card for delaying the penalty kick, Twente goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov made a brilliant diving save to deny van der Vaart.
The missed opportunity was a major blow for the home side that fought off an early game surge from Twente to take control of the first half, but still headed to the locker room with a scoreless draw.
Determined to make up for his miss, van der Vaart gave Spurs the lead less than two minutes into the second half.
Spurs would double their lead shortly after when Roman Pavlyuchenko put home a penalty kick given after Bale was tackled inside the box.
Normally a 2-0 lead seems comfortable, but that was far from the case in this match. Substitute Nacer Chadli cut the lead in half shortly after Pavyluchenko's goal after a surprising series of offensive surges from Twente. Minutes later, van der Vaart was sent off after picking up his second yellow.
With an extra man and down only a goal, it seemed like the momentum was starting to swing in the visitor's favor. But Spurs were able to hold it together. Faced with the disadvantage, they took care of the ball better and made crisper passes.
They were so crisp, they scored two shorthanded goals. Pavyluchenko scored his second penalty kick of the game, awarded for a controversial handball, and Bale made a fantastic run to put the game out of reach in the 85th minute.
Wednesday's match also marked the return of goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes. His impact was felt immediately, as he made a brilliant one handed save while running forward. The save came early in the first half. Had he allowed a goal, it could have changed the dynamic of the match.
With the win, Tottenham joined Inter Milan atop Group A with four points each. They will face an uphill challenge when they meet Inter on the road without van der Vaart a month from now.
Regardless, starting group play with four points, Spurs have put themselves in an excellent position to advance to the knockout stages. 

It's Not "Just" The Carling Cup

For many of the bigger and more successful clubs used to playing in the Champions League, the Carling Cup is merely an exhibition tournament for their younger players. While many feel this cheapens the competition of the tournament, it's hard to argue with a manager that wants to rest his players for the Champions League and Premier League season.
Don't tell Harry Redknapp it's just an exhibition game. He criticized Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger for the handling of his roster the last few Carling Cups, and down 1-0 at halftime, substituted the high profile Aaron Lennon and Robbie Keane to start the second half.
Redknapp's substitutions made an immediate impact, as Keane scored in the 49th minute to even the game.
Tottenham has achieved a fair amount of success in the Carling Cup the last three years. They were eliminated in the fifth round last year, lost to Manchester United on penalty kicks two years ago in the championship, and won the Cup three years ago under manager Juande Ramos.
For a Premier League team that faces an uphill battle to qualify for one of the various European tournaments, the Carling Cup provides the only big game atmosphere they will encounter in any particular year. For that reason alone, they deserve a shot to go up against a more successful team that takes the tournament at least semi-seriously.
More importantly, the fans deserve a show. They don't care if the game means anything or not. That's one of the more underestimated qualities of being a fan there is. It doesn't matter the situation or importance, a fan wants to win every game.
Think of this in terms of the NFL preseason. The fans know the point is to get a look at players battling for roster spots. The starters are rusty and just looking to get on the same page. But that doesn't stop the fans from wanting an impressive performance from the starters, as well as a win at the end of the game.
The same logic applies in the Carling Cup, which is why this defeat was so disappointing for Spurs fans. It's not that they lost, it's the way they lost.
Three boneheaded mistakes in extra-time led to three goals. This coming after a hard fought second half to come back and tie the game, despite looking dreadful in the first half.
Two penalties in the box are inexcusable. Especially in extra time, and the first committed before a minute ticked off the clock. The third goal was even worse. While Spurs defender Kyle Naughton was complaining about a foul call, Jack Wilshere took a quick free kick and set up Andrei Arshavin who snuck easily behind Naughton for a goal that officially put the game out of reach.
Tottenham's miscues were not limited to the defensive end. Down 3-1, David Bentley missed a header from seven feet away after receiving a perfect cross. Had he connected and put Spurs within one, the game could have had a different outcome. Instead, it was just another mistake in an extra-time first period that was filled with mistakes.
For the players, it was just the Carling Cup. They still have the Premier and Champions League to concern themselves with.
Don't tell that to the fans who had to witness Samir Nasri put home two penalty kicks and smile his way down the field like his first child was born. Don't tell that to the fans who had to leave early hoping to avoid the Arsenal fans who flooded their stadium with chants and songs, only to be serenaded across North London for the rest of night.
For the fans, it's never just a game. They all mean something.

EPL Week 5 - Spurs vs. Wolves

Friday afternoon, I was sitting in the car waiting to pick up my girlfriend from work. I was parked in a restaurant lot. A blue minivan pulled up and parked in the spot in front and to the left of me. The side door flew open and out jumped an 8-10 year old kid wearing a Spurs jersey.
I got excited in the same way I used to when I saw someone wearing a Bears or Cubs hat in Wisconsin. This marks the first time I'd ever seen someone wearing Tottenham gear.
I wanted to yell to the kid, "Hey little man! Love the shirt. Go Spurs!"
I thought twice about trying to get his attention though. If I know anything about suburban parents, it's that they don't appreciate you calling out to their kid if:
A) They don't know you.
B) You're more than 2 years older than their child.
C) You call their child "Little Man."
D) You're blasting some ignorant rap music and wearing oversized sunglasses, sitting in the same parking spot for the past 15 minutes.
Needless to say, I didn't complement the kid on his jersey. But I did think it was a good omen for Saturday's match. Why did I think it was a good omen? I suppose I don't have a good reason for that.
Spurs were trying to avoid the same Champions League hangover that plagued them in their 1-0 home loss to Wigan two weeks ago. They were also looking for their first home goal and win, if that wasn't enough.
Wolves have acquired the reputation as a dirty team to start the season. They earned three yellows in this game as they aggressively pursued the ball the entire first half. Their defensive tenacity gave Spurs fits and started to frustrate them as they weren't able to push a goal across despite dominating the time of possession.
In typical Spurs fashion, they gave up a late first half goal to Steven Fletcher, nullifying their hard work in the first half.
From that point on, it seemed to be a reincarnation of the Wigan loss. Spurs were held goalless up until the 76th minute when Stephen Ward took down replacement Alan Hutton inside the box. Van der Vaart calmly struck the penalty into the lower left hand side of the net to tie the game.
Pavlyuchenko, another Spurs substitute, came up with the rebound from a Huddlestone shot and scored in the 87th minute. To celebrate, Pavlyuchenko took off his shirt, placed it on the corner flag and held it in the air. Hands down one of the best celebrations I've ever seen, on par with anything TO or Ochocinco has done. In the NFL, that would have been a 15 yard penalty and 50 thousand dollar fine. In the EPL, a yellow card.
Spurs would add one more goal when Hutton cut through two surprised defenders and lofted the ball over goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann to put the game out of reach.
Each player's goal was their first this year during Premier League play.
Next up is the Carling Cup showdown with Arsenal at White Hart Lane. I like to think that I can officially hate Arsenal after this match. Should be a good one. I can't wait to witness the atmosphere. That is, if the online steam cooperates.

The EPL Needs An Eight Team Playoff

As an American learning to appreciate soccer, I came to realize that the EPL schedule is more fair than any of the American professional sports. Each team plays the other twice, once at home, and once on the road. This eliminates the problems we see in the NBA, MLB, and NFL. Teams with the weaker divisions can prey on easier opponents and increase their win total. This doesn't happen in the EPL and that's a great thing.
However, I can't possibly ignore the fact that the season ends after the regular season. I realize that the top teams play countless Champion and Europa league games, but adding at most, three additional games won't overwork anyone.
Here's what I propose. Take the top 8 teams from the final standings and pair them off, 1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, etc. Instead of an aggregate, give the higher seed the advantage and allow them to play at home in a single elimination game. The higher seed will play at home for the first two rounds, and the championship will be held at a neutral stadium.
Here's what the first round of match ups would have looked like from last year:
1. Chelsea vs. 8. Everton
4. Tottenham vs. 5. Manchester City
3. Arsenal vs. 6. Aston Villa
2. Manchester United vs. 7. Liverpool
There's not one bad game in that bunch. In fact, those are all excellent games, and the second round would be even better. You're telling me you're satisfied with Chelsea beating out Manchester United by one point and that's that? No. They should have had the opportunity to battle it out one last time.

Many would say this discounts the importance of the regular season, and I understand that completely. And since the regular season, I believe, is a great indication of how good a team is, Champions League qualifying should still be determined by how a team finishes the regular season. It would be unfair to discount a team's accomplishments over 38 games.
The playoff would simply be a great way for the best teams to go head to head on a grand stage, as well as create the possibility of an upset.
Let's face it, it's boring when only three teams have the possibility of winning the league every year. In the last 18 years, only four teams have won the Premier League. Compare that to 7 in the NBA, 10 in the MLB, 11 in the NHL, and 12 in the NFL. Parody is good. It makes games more interesting and allows for growth in different markets. Four winners in 18 years is pathetic.
Perhaps the EPL should take a page out of the Football League. When the bottom three teams are relegated from the EPL every year, the top two teams from the Football League move up. To determine the 3rd team, the third place team faces the sixth, and the fourth faces the fifth. The two winners then face each other, and the winner moves up. Last year, 6th seeded Blackpool was able to move up to the EPL because of this format.
While the odds were against Blackpool, just like the would have been against Everton last year, they still had the opportunity. The EPL needs to spice up the end of the season and this is the way to do it. The Champions League qualifying and all the other stuff the purists would complain about will remain unchanged.
Hopefully there would be some new teams under the "Division Title" column. For a change.

Spurs vs. Werder Bremen (Let The Champions League Begin)

Spurs are beginning to look more and more like the Chicago Cubs every day. Except now, they have a bigger stage to exhibit the type of play that reminds everyone why they hadn't qualified for the Champions League in 50 years. I knew what I was getting into, and I just so happen to be a masochist. Sue me.
Leading up to this game I thought a draw would have been a good result. In fact, I would have been delighted with this result if it happened in a different manner.
Spurs' first goal was an own goal from Bremen defender Petri Pasanen in the 12th minute. Gareth Bale delivered a low cross to the streaking Crouch that Pasanen turned in. Crouch would strike 6 minutes later with a header off of a van der Vaart cross.
There's no excuse for not being able to hold a lead after scoring two goals in the first twenty minutes. To make matters worse, Spurs could have easily been up by three or four going into halftime.
However, Bremen forward Hugo Almedia cut the lead in half just before halftime, providing a spark to an otherwise lackluster performance from the home team.
Bremen was able to capitalize off of their new found confidence early in the second half. Within four minutes, Marko Marin drove a low kick in off a miss from Aaron Hunt.
Both teams would have a few scoring opportunities late in the second half that ultimately amounted to nothing. Bremen was content after tying the game, and within the last 15 minutes, Spurs began to play more conservatively to preserve the tie.
Fellow Group A participants Twente and Inter Milan would also play to a 2-2 draw. The draw came as a surprise to an Inter team that was expected to easily win the group.
Had Spurs been able to hold their lead, they would have been able to gain a much needed early points advantage in the group.
As it stands, Spurs fans will have to be content with the draw. The result isn't terrible, but considering they were up 2-0 and Inter drew, it seems like a missed opportunity.
Spurs can hang their hat on the fact that they were only outplayed for about seven minutes of this game. If Werder is their roadblock towards advancement, they have set themselves up pretty well.

EPL Week 4 - Spurs vs. WBA

Only four weeks into the EPL season and the injury bug has already bitten Spurs. This isn't just a typical mosquito bite. More like a mosquito carrying malaria. Shortly after finding out Jermain Defoe would be lost for the next three months, and Michael Dawson for about eight weeks, manager Harry Redknapp saw Luka Modric go down soon after scoring Spurs' only goal in the 27th minute.
Modric went down clutching his leg after a challenge, and needed crutches to make his way off the field. The ways things have gone, it wouldn't be surprising if Modric misses a considerable amount of time.
Injuries couldn't have come at a worse time, as Spurs prepare for their first Champions League match this Tuesday at Werder Bremen.
West Brom would answer in the 41st when Chris Brunt headed the ball home for the 50th league goal of his career. I admittedly didn't see the first half because I wasn't able to find an online stream, but from what I've read, Spurs were dominant in the early going.
The tide shifted in the second half, as West Brom consistently put pressure on the defense, especially in the last 15 minutes. Spurs were lucky to hold off a flurry of strikes and corners to come away with the draw.
While Modric's injury grabbed headlines, this game also marked the debuts of William Gallas and Rafael van der Vaart.
With all of the injuries, the play of Gallas and van der Vaart will be crucial through out the next few months. Gallas looked good today. I thought he looked sharp and made some smart defensive decisions. Van der Vaart apparently played a good first half, which I unfortunately didn't see. He looked a little tired in the second half. Hopefully with increased play, he'll be able to shoulder more playing time.
While it would have been nice to come away with a victory from The Hawthorns, putting things into perspective, this was a decent result. Without our best striker and defender, and in the midst of incorporating new players into the lineup, it may be necessary to just "hang around" for a few months. As long as Tottenham doesn't start losing games, the team should be fine. I can live with a draw on the road, even if it's against a lesser opponent.
Spurs will face Werder Bremen on Tuesday, which I believe will be the most important match in determining if they can advance into the knockout round.

Defoe and Dawson Go Down, My Blood Pressure Goes Up

As an American watching international soccer, there's many things to adjust to. I've commented on some of these things, such as the announcing, fans, and now, most notably, the way injuries are dealt with. Two Tottenham players, Michael Dawson and Jermain Defoe have went down with injuries in consecutive qualifying games.
Dawson will miss the next six to eight weeks after suffering ligament damage in his left knee and ankle during England's opening match against Bulgaria. Defoe injured his ankle or knee (he's not sure), one game after recording a hat trick against Bulgaria.
Defoe was originally scheduled to have surgery on his groin a few weeks ago, but then postponed the surgery because he wanted to help Spurs qualify for the Champions League group stage. After Spurs secured a 4-0 victory over Young Boys to advance, most expected Defoe to have the surgery.
Turns out, he postponed it again to play for his country. So which is it, Jermain? Your club team or your country?

Therein lies the problem. Which is more important, a player's club, or his country's international games? In American sports the line is clearly drawn. Your club team trumps all else. In many cases, as we're seeing in the FIBA basketball tournament, many teams aren't allowing their players to participate because the tournament poses a serious injury risk.

As an American this line of thinking makes sense to me. It's the club that is investing millions of dollars into their players. They should have the right to withhold them from international competition. FIFA doesn't insure any of these players, yet makes billions of dollars off of them, and in the case of an injury, at the expense of a club team.
But as Americans, we often fail to understand the spirit of international competition. Except of course, when the Olympics roll around. Many of our NBA players were eligible to compete in the FIBA tournament and refused.
You don't see that in soccer. Every one of these players (except maybe a few Frenchmen) would kill for an opportunity to play for their country. It's amazing to see Defoe continue to risk injury just so he can play some games for an English side that could easily qualify for the World Cup without him.
We don't even let our NBA and NFL player play an entire season if it means we can rest them for the playoffs.
So what's the point? The English created soccer and no longer dominate the game they invented. They want to take every opportunity to try and prove that they are the best at the game they created.
America doesn't have this problem in basketball. Not yet, at least. The gap between our talent and the rest of the world as closed considerably in the last ten years. It's not until we aren't the favorites anymore that the best players will be clamoring to prove themselves.
That's why the English Premier League takes a back seat to international play. Premier League players know that the biggest stage is international soccer. It's why players like Defoe risk their Premier League season to showcase their skills on their country's team.
This isn't the case in basketball. The best players are all in the NBA. An NBA championship is a basketball player's greatest team accomplishment. In ten years, that all could change.
Here's to crossing my fingers and hoping that all ligaments, ankles, and groins remain intact and are functioning properly a month from now.

EPL Week 3 - Spurs vs. Wigan, The Day After...

Is Week 3 a little too early to start looking at the standings? Probably, but that doesn't stop us hardcore fans from staring. When I look at the standing, here's what I see: Chelsea at the top (where they will be all season), and Manchester United and Arsenal tied for second with seven points each.
You'll notice the top 3 are the top three from last year. Spurs were last year's fourth place and are currently lost in the sea that is the 6 way tie for 5th place. Ok, if there's a 6 way tie, then it's too early to start looking at standings.
There's too many reasons to go into detail about why this loss hurts, so excuse me while I delve into list format.
1) Wigan looked to be the worst defensive team in the league, giving up 10 goals in their first two matches.
2) Spurs controlled 64 percent of the possession against a side that didn't even attempt an offensive attack until the last 15 minutes.
3) They were coming off a 4-0 dismantling at home that clinched a spot in the Champions League group stages.
4) They had nine more corners in the game.
5) The first 80 minutes of the game looked like a draw was the worst case scenario.
I'll stop there. It's hard to explain how quickly this game became a disappointment. I don't have TiVo or anything, but I seem to remember boos reigning down within the first 20 minutes.
The crowd in attendance and everybody watching (myself included) expected at least a 4-0 win. The scoreless tie at halftime was already a disappointing effort from Spurs.
While watching I tried to justify the performance. No big deal, Wigan is playing out of their minds defensively and we're playing sluggish offensively. We'll be able to push a goal across in the second half. It won't be the impressive score we were looking for, but it's still three points.
At the 70th minute I had come to grips with the fact that this game was going to be a scoreless tie. I wasn't happy about it, but at least we'd get a point. You can't give away points, especially at home.
Then Hugo Rodallega puts a weak shot past back up goalie Carlo Cudicini and I'm stunned that the Spurs are actually going to lose.
A couple more performances like this and I won't be directing my attention towards the top of the standings to find Spurs.    

Defoe May Not Need Surgery After All

While Jermain Defoe's possibly surgery may not be the biggest injury news of the day, that honor goes to Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg, it has certainly caught the attention of soccer fans. Two weeks ago, Defoe aggravated a groin injury he suffered during the World Cup in the first leg of Tottenham's match against Young Boys.
After scoring one of Spurs' four goals in their 4-0 blowout in the second leg, Defoe's groin apparently feels fine. It's amazing what a win and beneficial no call will do for a player's spirit.
The cynic in me believes that if this injury has nagged Defoe for the last two months, there's no reason why it's going to stop now, especially if he continues to play and put added stress on it. Ask anyone who has suffered a major injury. You have your good days and your bad days. And Defoe happens to be in that "good" stage. For now.
Many questioned why Defoe didn't have the surgery after the first Young Boys match. He sat out against Stoke, so it would have seemed like a perfect time to get it done. It turns out that Defoe was adamant about helping his team advance to the Champions League group stage. Even if he could only play 60 minutes, he wanted to contribute whatever he could.
It made sense at the time, but quite frankly, Spurs would have been just fine without Defoe. Defoe's possible surgery is expected to heal in about 4 weeks. At this point, he could have been a week and a half through the healing process.
Manager Harry Redknapp says that Defoe will play this week against Wigan, and if he feels fine then he may not need surgery. But if his groin starts to bother him again, he'll have the surgery after the game, no questions asked.
If Defoe does eventually need surgery, this is the point in the season to do it. Here's the forecast for the next four weeks. Next weekend is a bye, then West Bromwich Albion on the road, and Wolves at home. All three are winnable games even without Defoe.
The game towering above all else is Spurs first game against Werder Bremen, September 14th on the road. This will be one of the most, if not the most important game in determining whether Spurs can advance out of the group stages.
Defoe would have missed this game even if he elected to have surgery a week and a half ago. Here's to hoping he'll be able to suit up for it.
I'm no doctor, but I do know that reoccurring injuries don't often heal themselves. If there's a possible exception to this rule, I'm hoping for it now.