Posts tagged “World Football Challenge 2011”

Real Madrid vs. Chivas

Last night in San Diego’s Qualcomm stadium, the Guadalajara Chivas played Real Madrid as part of the World Football Challenge.  I was surprised to see many empty seats in the stadium, but the fans for these teams never cease to amaze me with their enthusiasm for the sport.  Chivas fans threw streamers down from the top levels, and during the second half they shot off full blown fireworks.

During the first half, the Chivas had some great opportunities and held their own against the Real Madrid powerhouse.  In the 14th minute Marco Fabian scored on a play that was called offsides, and there were chances on both sides of the field for the rest of the half.  Though scoreless, the first 45 minutes had some aggressive plays, leaving 3 players with yellows.  Throughout the match it seemed that some players were becoming frustrated with certain calls, but overall I think the officiating team did a pretty decent job with the fairly physical play.

The action really picked up in the second half, though.  In the 72nd minute Ronaldo scored, and it was downhill from there for the Chivas.  The very next minute a ball in from Ronaldo bounced off the crossbar, and three minutes later he put in a PK after the Chivas fouled in the box.  By the 82nd minute, Ronaldo had a hat trick off of a beautiful ball in from Mesut Ozil.  Three goals in 10 minutes was the nail in the coffin for the Chivas who had trouble holding possession in the second half.

Though it is certain that neither team played its best lineup, it was fun to see two teams with over 100 years of history meet.  I hope that in the future the WFC’s matches become less one-sided, but getting to see a hat trick from Ronaldo is definitely one of the benefits of tournaments like this.

Four WFC games will be played this weekend.  Check out the schedule and enjoy!

-HD

 

July 21, 2011 | Categories: Futbol, Men, Ref, Referee, Soccer, World Football Challenge | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

World Football Challenge

With an exciting Women’s World Cup over, soccer fans are no doubt hungry for more competition.  The World Football Challenge comes to the rescue.

The tournament is the second exhibition of clubs from Europe and North America and will feature 13 teams, 9 more than competed in 2009.  Chelsea FC is the reigning champion, but this year’s tournament features plenty of capable teams that are sure to generate excitement.

The tournament began on July 13th, with Manchester United beating the New England Revolution 4-1.  Three days later, Manchester City beat Club América and Real Madrid beat the LA Galaxy.  It will continue into August, and the winner will be determined by point totals accumulated throughout the tournament.  Points will be awarded on the following basis:

  • 3 points for a win in regulation
  • 2 points for a penalty kick win
  • 1 point for a penalty kick loss
  • 0 points for a loss in regulation

The teams will not play overtime if they are tied after regulation, but will go directly to penalty kicks.  Teams will also be awarded a point for each regulation goal, up to 3, regardless of if they win or lose.  More specifics on tournament rules can be found after the jump.

The tournament features some of the best teams and players in the world.  From abroad:

  • Manchester City FC – English Premier League
  • Manchester United FC – English Premier League
  • FC Barcelona – Spanish La Liga
  • Real Madrid – Spanish La Liga
  • Juventus FC – Italian Serie A
  • Club América – FMF Primera Division
  • CD Guadalajara – FMF Primera Division
  • Sporting Clube de Portugal – Portuguese First Division
Additionally, the MLS will be represented by teams from the Eastern and Western conferences.  Rather than playing three games each like the foreign teams–except Portugal, which will only play one match–the games played will be split between teams of the conference.  For the Eastern conference the Chicago Fire, New England Revolution and Philadelphia Union will all play one match.  The Western Conference will be represented by the Los Angeles Galaxy, playing two matches, and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, taking one.

Tonight at 10:00 EST, the Vancouver Whitecaps will take on Manchester City who won the 2011 FA Cup.  The rest of the schedule is as follows:

  • WED 7/20, 11:00 PM EST: CD Guadalajara vs. Real Madrid
  • SAT 7/23, 5:00 PM EST: Chicago Fire vs. Manchester United
  • SAT 7/23, 7:00 PM EST: Juventus vs. Sporting Clube de Portugal
  • SAT 7/23, 9:00 PM EST: Philadelphia Union vs. Real Madrid
  • SUN 7/24, 4:00 PM EST: Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Manchester City
  • TUE 7/26, 8:00 PM EST: Club América vs. Juventus
  • THU 7/28, 8:00 PM EST: Juventus vs. CD Guadalajara
  • SAT 7/30, 7:00 PM EST: Barcelona vs. Manchester United
  • WED 8/3, 8:30 PM EST: Barcelona vs. CD Guadalajara
  • SAT 8/6, 4:00 PM EST: Barcelona vs. Club América

All games will be available to watch on ESPN3.com; ESPN2 and ESPN will combine to televise the majority of the matches as well.

Seems we might still have some great games to watch in the next couple of weeks!  Enjoy!

-HD

July 18, 2011 | Categories: Futbol, Men, Soccer, World Football Challenge | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment