friday football five

In lieu of the last post this is an all Brian McBride Friday Football Fire. I did a quick search on youtube to end the last post with and there were plenty of tribute videos already up. Again, he's a legend over there.











Bocanegra assist. McBride goal.

Okay, I think that's about as melodramatic as I can get this morning.

fulhamerica no mas

Above is the soundtrack to this post.



With Carlos getting released and McBride officially leaving to come back to MLS it's a little bit of a sad time for an American Fulham fan. These are the reasons half of us got into Fulham in the first place. I only know of Fulham with Carlos and Brian and 32 other Americans being involved. I'm not saying I'm not going to be a fan anymore, but there's going to be a little hole in my Fulham heart that won't ever be filled.

Brian's departure is a little harder to take than Carlos'. I knew Los wasn't going to be around. I had the entire second half of the season to get used to the fact that Carlos wasn't going to be a Cottager next season. Brian, though, he's Captain America. To me, he made his name as a Cottager. He has Londoners all around calling him a ledge. It's like the Brian that played in MLS and the Brian who played for Fulham are two different guys. I didn't really give him the respect he deserved when he was playing for the Crew, because he was playing for the Crew. Gross. He crossed the pond and even though he still remained plagued my injuries, he became the go to guy for Fulham. At the end of this up and down season the guys who got us through were Brian McBride and Jimmy Bullard. Players who were like the poster guys for Fulham. It's just hard for me to let that idea go, even if McBride does come and play for the Fire. If he's going to come to an MLS team I'm glad he's pretty much only going to play for the Fire, but he's just going to be former Crew player Brian McBride now playing for the Fire to me. It's hard to explain so I'll just stop. I can't wait for the day he comes out in a Fire uniform, though. I'll be one of those tools at the Fire game who are wearing the jersey of a team that's not playing of a guy that's not playing. But I'll totally be showing the FFC love in my red and black Fulham jersey. Maybe I'll put tape over Dempsey's name in the back. heh.

All this makes the Fulham off season pretty interesting. What are they going to make of Eddie? Will Duece step up and be the new Captain America? Will they sign Brad Guzan to be their keeper of the future. Okay, there are no facts backing up the possibility of that last line, but it would totally be cool if it happened.



It's the end of an era. Thanks guys!

friday football five

Life's kind of hectic right now between dealing with car dealerships (I hate this whole process) and going to Kanye, Lupe and n.e.r.d. tonight in Chicago(I do not hate this process at all!) so this is going to be a quick five.

1.It's official! My boy Bocanegra is no longer a Cottager. It's kind of an end of an era. Hate to say it, but this will really test my fandom, especially if he happens upon another EPL team. PSV and some Spanish team is interested. That would be amazing if he could get some Champions Leage time with PSV. Crazy! I'm hella anxious to see where he's going to go. He better not wait all summer.



2.Another US Soccer commercial. This one features Duece. My lone Fulham American left (Kasey's basically out the door, McBride might be coming to the Fire in August and well we've already discussed Carlos and I try to forget that Eddie Johnson is a player for the US National team and for Fulham). I just got a black and red Fulham jersey with his name on the back so he better no go anywhere. Love him!

3.When did Shaka Hislop become an authority on soccer? He was on the Champions League broadcast this past Tuesday and he writes each week about MLS for the Guardian's website. I only read one of his articles as it was full of basis MLS errors and I pretty much discredited him at that point. I didn't hear what he had to say during the Champions League broadcast as I was busy trying to gather all the Newcastles I could before they ran out. I'm just not a fan but maybe he was better with European soccer.


4. The Cesc Fabregas Show debuted in jolly ol England this week. I downloaded it on Tuesday but still haven't had the chance to get through the entire episode. Currently, this show is bothering me because I'm trying to send it to a friend, but it's not working for me. Because of the debut and the havoc it's caused on my life these past few days, here's a preview of it.

5. I don't know whose least shameless in their promotion of their team. Chivas USA with their making guys strip on morning TV or US Soccer with their constant barrage of pictures of Carlos in a pool. I don't really care who wins this battle, just that it continues for a long, long time!

friday football five

I'm putting too much pressure on myself to write something equally epic regarding the greatest recovery to a season in all of sports history, but something good will come. I'll make sure of it. In the meantime, I bring you my Friday football five.

1.Chad, Chris and Cuauhtemoc do Wrigley The boys did well and I'm sure they couldn't have done it without Blanco's conducting! When The Boyfriend text me to tell me Blanco was up in the booth, I didn't know what to think. I'm glad he recognized his English limitations. Considering The Boyfriend saw Rolfe in line for a beer before the game and Blanco acting a fool I'm sure they had plenty of alcohol in them at this point. Can't say that I blame any of them.

(I also can't believe I just went through that entire paragraph without anything negative to say about Chad Barrett...weird)



2.Blanco won goal of the week for his golazo against DC United last week. I love Blanco so much. It's not even because I'm Mexican and I'm like supposed to, I just really do. He's amazing!



3.My favorite soccer player from Green Bay (I can't say Wisconsin because that would include Jesse Marsch and I don't know if I could pick a fave between the two) is featured in one of the US Soccer commercials. Love it! He got mins in the first Championship play off game and started the second play off but that did nothing to turn the tide for Watford. They're still going to remain a Championship team. I think they could have definintely been one of the three to get promoted but they've just been in a funk for the entire second half of the season(coincidentally the same amount of time Jay's been on the bench) so they really didn't deserve it. Jay's been whining for the past month about the lack of playing time so we'll see if the coach goes or Jay goes.

Probably the only reason I'm glad the end of the English season is here is because I'm anxious to see what happens with Jay and Carlos. As much as it pains me, Carlos needs to find somewhere else to play ball. I don't think Roy will ever make him a starter no matter who comes and goes from the Fulham defensive unit this offseason. Jay and Carlos are both too good to be sitting the bench. I'd like to see Jay stick it out at Watford if only because I just got a Watford jersey with his name on the back and was only able to wear it once this spring. Carlos, though, well his time in the SW6 seems done for.

4.No UEFA cup for Fulham Fulham could have qualified for the UEFA cup via the Fair Play table. The rest of the teams in front of them on this Fair Play table have already qualified for Europe so the next fair play team available would have been Fulham. They could have gone from relegation to Europe in 60 seconds, but their Hollywood ending wasn't meant to be. Man City, despite getting a red during their last game, is the team who is going to qualify with that spot. That's right, the same Man City who has been talking about firing Sven for the past month because he didn't deliver Europe to them, is going to Europe. Who would have thought? Their owner is a nitwit! Anyone who doesn't think Man City was tanking it in their 8-1 loss this past weekend needs to watch the highlights again. I've never seen professional athletes care so little about being scored on and I'm a fan of the Bucks. I've seen tanking at it's finest up close and in person. Man City did tanking proud.

5. US Roster announced for their tripleheader of pain coming up Okay, that England game won't be that bad but they're playing Spain a few days before they start Euro and Argentina which is just bad on anyday. Anyways, if you can get through the list of a bajillion goalkeepers they're taking (really, Brad Guzan? Bob-o have you seen our homeboy play lately? ;)) you'll see the return of one DAMARCUS BEASLEY!! I didn't realize how much I missed him until I saw his name on the list. Yeah, D Beas! I know they're only friendlies, but I can't wait for these games! Maybe because I'll be able to see Carlos for the first time this millenium.

friday football five

I made the trip out to DC this week to catch the Fire/DC game. In all the trips I've made out to DC, I've never seen the Fire win. I was kind of worried that this would be the weekend that DC shook out of their slump and sent me home disappointed again, but thankfully, that wasn't the case. Don't stop living in the red, yo! A few observations from the trip and then some.

1.WV really knows how to make an entrance. The first thing that took me aback was the fact that they had the jerseys in the team store already. Pretty cool considering there are still Fire fans who don't know where you can find a Best Buy Fire jersey. (BTW, they're it that little shack when you walk in from the parking lot on the Section 8 side of the stadium and I'm sure other places but I've never sat any place other than Section 8. Also, can I mention how our little shack of Fire gear doesn't even compare to the official team store DC has? Their stadium is still a dump so there!) The second thing that caught my attention was the fact that they were comping parking for everyone for this game. Hey guys, you get the beer, I'll get the parking for this game! Sneet. I walked into RFK and was immediatly given a WV poncho! How brilliant! There was rain in the forecast and they were sure to not have people's brand new DC jerseys with their fancy logo on it covered it by rain gear so they supplied it for you. This was also a welcome freebie to The Boyfriend's sister who was less than pleased she couldn't bring her umbrella-ella. They weren't cheap ponchos either. WV had me at hello at that point, but that wasn't all. They had a TALKING BUG!!! (I think it was supposed to be talking in a German accent, but can't say for sure;)) and have already supplied to the Barra Brava their own big ass WV jersey. Section 8 is still loving the Puma days when we toss our big ass jersey up so I was in awe. All in all, WV had their stuff together and I was highly impressed...and a little jealous.

2.Bakary Soumare, Diego Gutierrez, Brandon Prideaux and Gonzalo Segares are an F-IN WALL!!! You can't beat these guys! Every time I thought DC had a chance, these guys would be there to sniff it out and in tough fashion! Diego, Brandon and Gonzalo are just true defenders in that they do their job and it's not in flashy fashion or anything. Bakary is just running all over the field, tearing stuff up! I love it! I mean, they're making Jon Busch look like an all-star. Jon Busch! I never thought I would get so turned on by a defensive unit that didn't include Carlos Bocanegra but here I am. Love em!

3.Side note about Bakary...he's pretty much earned a spot into the hearts all of his Fire fan Facebook friends. While on the prowl on Facebook, I had seen where he had gotten into convos with other Fire fans. So this morning I thought I would let him know I appreciated his efforts in last night's game and what not. Then, just a few hours later, I got a response from him. What a dude! I might have to start a Facebook group called "Bakary Soumare is my favorite Facebook friend" or something. How many pro athletes take the time to even reply a line to their fans and treat them like a real friend? I don't care that he's "just an MLS player", that's still pretty cool in my book.

4. Day of Destiny

Fulham is all about getting their fans pumped up for these final games!!! I totally buy into this kind of stuff. At the beginning, though, when they said something about "don't stop believing" I thought they should have totally bust into that song. Hello, there are 5 Americans(even if 2 of them are m.i.a.) on this team. It's like our National Anthem (name me someone who doesn't love that song when they're drunk! You can't!) It's inspirational nonetheless. This is the final game of the season and I can't believe it's all going to come down to this. I call another Clint Dempsey franchise saving goal.

5.



Cesc + "Move Bitch" = GREATEST VIDEO EVER!!! There is even a special appearance by both The Special One and The Voyeur! I can't put into words how amazing this video is so just enjoy it.

"young and successful, sex symbol. bitches want me to f*ck em. true true" I can't think of a better soundtrack for young Cesc.

Off to watch the game from last night. I hear Blanco blew kisses to the crowd. I love that man.

crazier things have happened

1.Fulham rescued themselves from the relegation zone for the first time since Boxing Day. In semi-related news, Boxing Day was the last time I spent the day drunk at The Highbury. See the connection there?

2.One week after jumping off the Brad Guzan bandwagon he went ahead and delivered his first clean sheet of the season against Houston. That's good to see Brad. Maybe I wasn't totally off of that bandwagon just yet.

3.Speaking of bandwagons I'm jumping on...that Cesc Fabregas is quite a stud. And not too bad at my favorite game either. Before the Birmingham City game, and after a couple bloody marys, I declared my love and devotion to Arsenal and said I was getting a Fabregas jersey. That was before my boys reminded me they were staying in the Premier League. Anyways, I still might get his jersey because dude is cookoo bananas!



4.Also this weekend, Martin Truex Jr. got 6th for his first top ten of the season, I think. Hallelujah! It's about damn time Martin. He thought his breaks were going early in the race, but he persevered, kept himself out of trouble and got a good finish. Now onto Darlington!

That was quite a lot of good things to go down in one weekend. I'm not used to being happy with all my teams and what not. Hopefully I didn't just jinx them!

friday fulham five

I'm already nervous for this game. I need to just give in and come to terms with them not winning right now. I don't think they've won any relegatio six pointers all season long and I don't really feel like crying at the bar. But just cause, I'm posting five videos to get you all pumped up for the game of the century.;)

1.

2.

The unbelievable game from last week! To come from two goals down to win away!! Insane!

3.

Carlos scores a goal in this video! I miss him!

4.

A video made after the exciting come from behind to tie game against Tottenham in the early part of the season. I was at the bar watching this game live and it was pretty incredible! And I'm a fan of this video because they use the same music that was used in the last scene of "Sex and the City". (I can't wait to see that movie!)

5.

Lastly, do it for Billy. Do you really think he'll be able to keep his job if Fulham's down in the Championship? I'm thinking he wouldn't make it past the first round of budget cuts. Don't let him become another E! True SW6 story!

For those of you not keeping track of Fulham's position, they absolutely have to win their next two games, and I think get some help, to stay up! They can do it!

COME ON YOU WHITES!

god bless mother nature, she's a single woman too!

Originally I had wanted this blog to kind of be my journey into the EPL world. I didn't lose interest in the EPL world, but I started a job where I worked Saturday morning and therefore couldn't sit at the bar all morning watching EPL games. Kind of took all the fun away from it. Besides, now following the EPL isn't really fun, it's depressing. Relegation is fun when you know you can get yourself out of the bottom three. Fulham has officially been lumped with Derby as the sure bids for relegation and it's just not something I can think about without getting all verklempt.

David James doesn't really put perspective on the whole relegation thing, he just reminds us how sucky it is. Thanks, that's what the boys need to read Monday morning as reality is setting in.

Anyways, I'm going to use this blog more as a venting spot for all my sports thoughts. There are a lot of them, believe it or not. I've been using my personal journal for that but I figure they deserve a better subject to read about: me. So Let me give you a heads up on what I'll be going off about in the coming weeks(I'm trying to keep my goals low and hope I can keep this going for at least a couple weeks): The Bucks rebuilding, the lack of Chicago Fire offense and Carlos Bocanegra sightings(just not when he gets in a game for once, just all sightings...I'm a bit of a fan.)

I think there is only one thing that can really give you a great idea of the direction this blog is headed and it's this video:



I remember Boxing Day of this year, listening to Jesse Marsch make fun of Ante Razov's "Extra" TV spot where he was looking for a wife. I'm glad this came out now instead of before that conversation because it could have turned ugly. heh.

My ringtone this week has been "It's Raining Men". I can't think of anymore appropriate of a song.

I'll be back with more later, hopefully.