When Chelsea squares off against Bayern Munich in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Finals, it will not be the matchup that everyone expected.
Whether you like it or not, world football fans can not miss the action. That’s why we have the live stream that you need in order to get your UEFA fix.
With that said, this game of underdogs will be far more interesting than any other scenario fans could have been given. Let’s enjoy it!
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
When: Saturday, May 19th, 2:45 PM ET
Watch: Fox Sports (US). For other countries click here
Live Stream: UEFA Live Stream
What We’re Watching For
Super Bowl of Soccer
With this being the finals of the UEFA League, this could be compared to the Super Bowl in the United States in terms of magnitude.
While Bayern Munich and their five titles stand over Chelsea and their zero UEFA titles, this finals matchup is comparable to the historically great New England Patriots and the recently great Philadelphia Eagles.
The Stars
With huge names like Arjen Robben, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Didier Drogba gracing the biggest stage in the world, there is no doubt that this game will feature a laundry list of highlight reel moments.
While many fans and experts are expecting a much more defensive battle, these stars will ensure that the scoreboard will have quite a few crooked numbers on it before the final whistle blows.
Possible Home-Field Advantage
For the first time in history, the host of the UEFA Final will be playing in the actual game. How this unique home-field advantage plays out will be one of the most intriguing aspects of this game.
With no precedent, no one knows that to expect. If the team with the advantage talent-wise also has home-field advantage, you have to think they come out on top.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 4, Chelsea 2
With the home-field advantage and enough championship history to sink a ship, the clear advantage is for Bayern Munich on Saturday.
Unless Chelsea has the mental strength to overcome one of the biggest challenges in the organization’s existence, they will walk away with a loss.
Check back for more on World Football as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s Soccer Page to get your fill of all things soccer.
The ECHL Las Vegas Wranglers have long been one of our favorite minor-league hockey franchises, from having strippers at the game to wearing ridiculous Santa themed jerseys to promoting “Rapture Night” and the final hockey game played on Earth. (Spoiler: It wasn’t.)
On Monday night, the Wranglers were at it again. Returning to the ECHL Kelly Cup championship for the first time in four seasons, the Wranglers rustled up a sports legend to sound their siren at the start of Game 1: Iron. Mike. Tyson.
“WRANGLUHS RULE!”
There was that moment after he cranked the siren in which Tyson looked around for what to do next, and it appeared he might knock it out with a right hook. Alas, he just smiled and clapped. This isn’t Tyson’s first mingling with hockey, having previously met Alex Ovechkin. For those keeping score, Mike Tyson has now been on the ice longer in a Cup Final than Ovechkin.
Obviously inspired by Mr. Tyson’s words and deeds, the Wranglers took a 1-0 lead in the Kelly Cup with a 2-1 win over the Florida Everblades. More on the game from Naples News here.
Who will the Blades call on for inspiration when the series shifts to Florida? Obviously, they need someone who can counteract Mike Tyson. Which means it has to be this guy.
Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin has a few things on his plate this summer.
He wants to re-up with PK Subban on a new deal. He has Carey Price headed to RFA status this summer, after making $5.5 million in his last deal. And, of course, he needs to hire a head coach.
Bob McKenzie of TSN whet the appetite on Monday night by reporting that the Habs are “in the process of touching base with potential head coach candidates including Michel Therrien, Guy Carbonneau, Marc Crawford, Bob Hartley, etc.”
Michel Therrien (190 games as Habs coach, 2000-03) and Guy Carbonneau (230 games as Habs coach, 2006-09)? Canadiens fans like BK were lobbying for a complete break from the Gainey/Gauthier era:
What the Habs need is electroshock therapy. That’s why they also need a coach who didn’t work with the ancien regime. So forget Alain Vigneault, Michel Therrien, and Guy Carbonneau.
Yet two of the three could be candidates, and the third would be had the Vancouver Canucks cut him loose. Brian Stubits of Eye on Hockey thinks this is a symptom of the language requirements of the position:
If you want proof that the ability to speak French is paramount to be coach of the Habs, look no further than the inclusion of Therrien. He has already done the Montreal thing once and was canned after 2 1/2 seasons. He then last 3 1/2 seasons in Pittsburgh. Yes, he did lead them to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2008, but he was fired midseason the next year when the team was struggling and was replaced by Dan Bylsma, who guided the Penguins to the championship.
Carbonneau has earned an endorsement from Dave Stubbs of The Gazette, although a proposed reunion with Larry Robinson seems unlikely. The theory is that he’s better prepared to handle the Montreal media circus than he was in the first go-round.
Bob Hartley’s an understandable candidate ? veteran coach, with a Cup ring, although one imagines the Calgary Flames will come calling. But what about Marc Crawford?
Pat Hickey on the language issue:
We know a little more about Crawford’s language skills. He has a French mother ? hence the c at the end of his first name ? and his wife is a French-Canadian. He was once the head coach of the Nordiques and was able to handle daily press conferences in French, although the francophone media regularly stuck around for the English portion of his remarks because he expressed himself better in his native tongue.
Again, Crawford has the coaching qualifications necessary for the job, but can he pass the language test?
Do any of these guys excite the Montreal fanbase? Are they anything more then retreads? (Of course, it’s hard to argue with retreads when you have Darryl Sutter, Dave Tippett, John Tortorella and Pete DeBoer coaching in the finals and all on at least their second NHL rodeo).
If it’s outside the box you want, how about this notion from Eric Engels:
The name that seems to be coming up most, at the moment, is Marc Crawford. Though it’s been a long time since Crawford made a successful run at a Stanley Cup, his experience in Quebec and his willingness to rededicate himself to learning French legitimizes what should already be considered a significant resume at the NHL level.
Would Crawford be open to bringing Patrick Roy along for the ride?
Would Roy be willing to ride shotgun, or does he need to be driving?
We’ve heard about Quenneville and Vigneault, who for the time being, both have jobs. Others, like myself, have suggested Guy Carbonneau should get a look. And of course, Michel Therrien and Bob Hartley have certainly been deemed worthy of an interview by a lot of the fans, and by different media types. We haven’t heard much about Roy since Bergevin’s hire.
Maybe he’s McKenzie’s “etc.”
Who do you think would make the next great Montreal head coach? Because from where we’re sitting, someone with the temperament of Therrien and Crawford would seem to be at odd with the good vibes coming from the GM’s office.
Hitting the Ice a Man Down
Washington Capitals GM George McPhee said Dale Hunter’s decision to step down as head coach, less than 48 hours after the team was eliminated in Game 7 vs. the New York Rangers, “wasn’t unexpected” by the team; and it’s easy to understand why.
From Steve Whyno of the Washington Times:
McPhee said he was told at a meeting Monday morning and did not try to persuade Hunter to return once told. A new coach could be in place by the draft or later, though McPhee said he was not in any rush.
Hunter signed a 1-year deal with the Capitals upon replacing Bruce Boudreau as head coach in November, leading to plenty of “one and done” speculation as he could escape back to the London Knights of the OHL without an contractual obligation to remain in the NHL.
Turns out, the speculation was accurate. Dale Hunter, one and done.
In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he coached with little regard for the politics of the team, the ramifications for next season or the marquee status of its talent. Dale Hunter Hockey meant you played the ice time he dolled out and the stats-and-body sacrifice he demanded.
There was criticism that this style couldn’t sustain success in the playoffs, and it finally faltered against the Rangers in Game 7. But it certainly couldn’t be sustained for an 82-game regular season; not with Alex Ovechkin due $9.5 million per season through 2021 and Nicklas Backstrom due $6.7 million through 2020.
[Related: What to make of the Washington Capitals' season?]
Hunter knew this, and hit eject, as someone with little desire to manage the egos of NHL players — see his scratches during the season of players like Mike Knuble and John Erskine, both of whom weren’t even given much justification from the man benching them.
As I wrote over the weekend, his time with the Capitals is not in vain. He convinced this team to play with a level of selfless sacrifice and defensive commitment it hadn’t exhibited before under Bruce Boudreau. This coaching staff offered a psychological blueprint for a team that has lost its wits during postseason adversity in the past.
As McPhee said, via Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post:
“We loved everything about Dale. We were delighted he could come in a spend 6 months with us. He really taught club the ‘how’ of winning.”
“I thought he did a great job of coming in and helping us out,” McPhee said. “Trying to hire a coach in the middle of the season is a difficult process. ?So to have Dale available to come in, even if on a temporary basis, was something we liked a lot. That’s why we did a one year deal, because we didn’t know if he could do it beyond this season.”
… “There’s no gray in Dale’s life,” he said. “He’s very decisive. The only thing I asked Dale was, ‘Does this have anything to do with anything that’s going on here?’ He said, ‘Absolutely not. He loved it here. This is his team.’”
Now it’s on the Capitals to prove this learning experience was effective. Ovechkin in particular is going to take heat, deserved or undeserved, for another coach leaving in the span of six months that dared monkey with his ice time. I think the Capitals became better players under Hunter; but that’s only a theory until they prove it.
The next move for the Capitals? They need a coach with a ring. Someone that’s been there and commands respect. Their Joel Quenneville. Their Peter Laviolette. Their John Tortorella.
Problem is that those guys are employed. Will they go with a Paul Maurice? Will they opt for an old friend in Ron Wilson? (UPDATE: Our buddies JP and Neil Greenberg mentioned Guy Carbonneau and Craig MacTavish respectively — both solid options.)
RIP, Dale Hunter Hockey. It wasn’t fun while it lasted. But that was the point.
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This is not 1980 anymore. As long as established NHL players are competing in the Olympics, winning a gold medal and a Stanley Cup in the same year may still be special for an individual’s memory bank. But it’s not so distinctive on an individual’s resume.
With that being said, there can still be a Ken Morrow of sorts, namely one who wins a major amateur tournament and a Cup within the same season. Morrow did it by way of the even less replicable “Miracle on Ice” and by subsequently hopping in on the fly in time for the New York Islanders’ four-year dynasty.
Chris Kreider is pushing himself closer to a similar feat as a New York Rangers rookie fresh off an NCAA title with Boston College, a title that is even younger than New York’s 2011-12 Atlantic Division laurel.
Kreider’s assist on Dan Girardi’s homeward-bound slapper and firsthand power-play conversion decided and helped to pull away a 3-0 victory Monday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. It constituted his second goal-assist outing in as many series openers and his first points since he fueled that 3-1 win over Washington.
Kreider’s goal against New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur, whose NHL career began five weeks before the newest Rangers forward was born, was even visually fraternal to the distant slapper that beat Braden Holtby.
Great excitement for Blueshirt buffs, but many will likely wonder if the other skate is going to drop as it did in the previous round. After his explosive series opener against the Capitals, Kreider had two goals, an assist and a steadily built plus-two rating in six NHL games, all in the postseason.
He receded over the next six games, failing to add to his point total and letting his rating devolve to a minus-three by the time the Rangers triumphed in Game 7.
But barely 48 hours later, Kreider splashed his scoring drought and helped to shatter a scoreless draw that had held up through the second intermission. And when Girardi’s goal turned to stone as the game winner, Kreider’s primary assist meant he has had a hand in the deciding strike in all three games where he has appeared on the scoresheet.
Not a bad translation of the five game-clinching goals that tied him for BC’s team lead with Johnny Gaudreau over the 2011-12 collegiate season.
Monday night’s conference final kickoff may have also been Kreider’s most balanced professional performance to date. With three of the Rangers’ 35 registered body-checks, he hatched the goose-egg in the point column and the hit column for the first time in any of his 13 outings.
Odds are the jitterbug will not bite the budding power forward twice in as many series. The only way Kreider could crumble again is if he joins his teammates in letting residual wear-and-tear catch up to them before they can win three of the next six matches with the Devils.
But his pivotal role in Game 1 may turn out to be a vitally preventive series-saver. And depending on how much deeper the Rangers go, it could be a landmark moment in their 2012 postseason, to say nothing of Kreider’s career.
Two lessons learned in the past week. Realignment is far from over and bigger is not always better. First, realignment. The latest scuttlebutt has Florida State of the Atlantic Coast Conference taking an interest in joining the Big 12. As…
Podcast: Free on a Bosman V
- Jason Davis
The last one. Number five. Jared and I close out the buildup to the debut of The Best Soccer Show on the North American Soccer Network with talk about the USMNT roster and MLS. The debut of TBSS comes with giveways, sweet ones, so make sure you listen to learn how to get your chance at a copy of EA’s FIFA 12 and Bumpy Pitch gear.
The new show has a Twitter feed @bestsoccershow and a Facebook page, so be sure to follow and like respectively – details for the contests are on the Facebook page.
Please share this link until you just can’t share it anymore. The Best Soccer Show debuts at 8:30 PM EDT on Saturday, October 8th.
Available through the old MFUSA iTunes feed.
Download directly
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No. 1 Star: Ilya Kovalchuk, New Jersey Devils
Kovalchuk scored a crucial insurance goal on the power play in the third period, leading the Devils to a 3-1 victory to eliminate the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 5. He also had a secondary assist on Bryce Salvador’s game-tying tally in the first. Said Kovalchuk after the game: “For the first time in nine years, I’m not going to the World Championship. It’s fun.”
No. 2 Star: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils
Brodeur made 27 saves, including 10 in the third period, to back-stop the Devils to victory.
No. 3 Star: David Clarkson, New Jersey Devils
Clarkson’s aggressive forecheck on Ilya Bryzgalov helped force the Flyers’ goalie into a huge gaffe in the first period that resulted into the game-winning goal ? an attempted pass that went off of Clarkson’s stick shaft.
Honorable mention: Adam Henrique had two assists. ? Max Talbot’s fourth of the playoffs gave the Flyers an early lead. ? Danny Briere had an assist and was 14 of 21 on faceoffs. ? This Zac Rinaldo hit on Anton Volchenkov, after the A-Train hit Brayden Schenn, was awesome:
Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings; 2. Mike Smith, Phoenix Coyotes; 3. Brad Richards, New York Rangers; 4. Ilya Kovalchuk, New Jersey Devils; 5. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers; 6. Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals; 7. Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings; 8. Travis Zajac, New Jersey Devils; 9. Mike Richards, Los Angeles Kings; 10. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Phoenix Coyotes
Dishonorable mention: This Bryzgalov gaffe was a back-breaker for the Flyers. ? Wayne Simmonds and James van Riemsdyk were both a minus-2; the latter taking a penalty that resulted in Kovalchuk’s goal.
