Barcelona's Cup Continues to Runneth Over!

Messi Seals Deal in 3-2 win over Real Madrid for 2011 Super Cup





Mouriho adds a new twist to El Super Classico



There was only one game in town last night; in fact only one sportswatching option in the entire world to watch - and no, it wasn't the WPS playoff between Boston and MagicJack (yes, corporate sponsorship is so blatant these days that teams have dispensed with city/region names in place of brand names - can future teams named The JiffyLube, JiffyPop USA, or iPhone4G FC be far behind?). No, it was the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup at the Camp Nou, where FC Barcelona picked up where they left off last season, beating Real Madrid 3-2 (5-4 on aggregate) - thanks to Lionel's Messi's second goal in the 88th minute - to pick up their first silverware of the 2011-2012 season. Newly signed Cesc Fabregas was involved in the build-up to the winning goal (just six minutes after Karim Benzema provided the equalizer for Real), coming on as a late substitute to supply Adriano, who then crossed to Messi for the sliding effort.



Watch Messi' game-winner.





Andres Iniesta opened the scoring for Barcelona in the 15th minute (assisted by Messi) and Cristiano Ronaldo leveled the match five minutes later before Messi scored his first goal late in the opening half on a back-heel pass in the box from Gerard Pique.



Watch Messi's first goal.





It's not for nothing that games between these two teams are called "El Super Classico," for Barcelona vs. Real Madrid is the greatest sports rivalry in the world, bar none. Barca played Real Madrid four times in 18 days last spring and after a lax off-season of promotional touring and meaningless friendlies the clearly still-rusty defending champions of Spanish and European football started their heavy lifting with back-to-back games against their arch-rivals; they tied Los Blancos 2-2 in last Wednesday's first leg match at the Bernabeu in Madrid before last night's victory at the Camp Nou. And, like all their previous encounters with los Madristas this year, this prequel to the 2011-2012 Spanish League campaign was a hard-fought battle throughout the 90+ minutes, with every touch contested and the usual and testosterone-fueled violence and childish behavior at the end. It was a true "Super Classico" with great, intense play, stunning goals (epecially from the newly beefed-up Messi and Andreas Iniesta's cheeky chip shot over Iker Casillas), and the usual tactical and mental one-upmanship between the coaches. Moreover, it hammered home the point that Barcelona (yes, even now at about 70% fitness-level) and Real Madrid are clearly the two best teams not just in La Liga (where this year's title chase will be closer than ever) but in the world - and feature the two best (and most dangerous) club players in the world in Lionel Messi (183 goals and 75 assists in 273 appearances at Barca, including 103 goals in his last 110 games) and Cristiano Ronaldo (87 goals in 91 appearances since arriving at Madrid in 2009). As a Barca supporter, I'm scared; Madrid already had a super team, now they've bulked up even more and have more depth than any team in the world - former World Player of the Year Kaka can't even break into the starting lineup!



But the game ended in chaos after Real Madrid’s Marcelo was sent off for taking down Fabregas from behind in a hard, reckless challenge in front of the benches. This seemed to follow what has become the standard script for all Super Classicos beween the two teams since Mourinho arrived in Madrid. Subsequent red cards were issued to Madrid's Mezut Ozil and Barca's David Villa after a benches-clearing melee, but as expected Jose Mourinho had to upstage a bravura performance by his new-look Gallacticos with boorish, juvenile behavior that included dissing the world's best player (with a "you stink!" gesture on the sidelines), stepping on Cesc Fabregas' head, and either twisting the ear or poking the eye (depending on which video clip angle you see) of Barcelona coach Titi Vilanova at game's end.



Men Behaving Badly

Here are the telling clips of the game:



Watch Mourhinho make his "You made a Messi" stink face.





Watch Marcello's match-ending tackle & subsequent melee.





Watch Mourinho's eye-gouge.





Let's Talk About Cesc

Oh, and what about the new boy at Camp Nou? GOLTV Commentator Ray Hudson put it best when he said, "Cesc Fabregas spent eight seasons at Arsenal without so much as a wooden spoon to show for it and now he's lifting his first trophy after playing 10 minutes with Barcelona." As usual, Hudson was slightly off in his details (Fabregas did lift one trophy with Arsenal - the 2005 FA Cup), but his overall gist was spot-on. And people wonder why the former Gunner golden boy wanted to return home to the Camp Nou? It's called European football, folks - like all great footballers, Cesc wanted to compete for (and win) trophies. That should have been the storyline of this game, but instead Mourinho spoiled the party with his spotlight-stealing antics. Apparently, it's his world; we just live in it.

Uruguay is team to beat in Copa America

Luis Suarez braces Uruguay for the Copa America final

I love Uruguay's national football team! The boys in blue, la Celeste, los Charruas - call Suarez, Forlan, Coates, Lugano, Rodriguez, Caceres, Rios, Alvero and Maxi Pereira, et. al. what you will - continue their form as South America's top soccer side.

Following up their outstanding (and surprising) semi-final run in last summer's World Cup finals - where they finished fourth and striker Diego Forlan was voted the best overall player - Uruguay have displayed another outstanding (and again surprising) run of form in Copa America 2011. Despite everyone predicting a final between South America's reigning football giants, Argentina and Brazil, it is the tiny nation the size of the U.S. state of Missouri - nestled in the armpit of neighboring Argentina (geographically and in terms of status) - who find themselves going to Sunday's final against Paraguay (who last won this competition in 1979). After two opening round ties, two-time World Cup winners Uruguay (1930, 1950) knocked off Mexico's B-squad (the A-team was rewarded with respite after automatically qualifying for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil following their thrashing of the U.S. to win the CONCACAF Gold Cup on June 25, 2011), became giant-killers with last week's 5-4 penalty kicks victory over Lionel Messi's aging Argentina (international glories still evade "The Flea"!), and booked their appearance in the Copa America finals with a 2-0 win over Peru last night thanks to a brace by Luis Suarez.

Watch highlights from the Uruguay-Peru semifinal.


For my money, Suarez is a world-class superstar striker alongside the ranks of Messi, Ronaldo and Rooney. While many pundits want to compare Messi to Maradona, it is Suarez - with his pace, indefatigable work rate, ability to hold onto the ball like it's attached to his foot, and predatory instincts inside the penalty box - who most reminds me of the Golden Boy. And, as Ghana's national team knows all too well, he even updated Maradona's "Hand of God" in last year's World Cup to save a certain goal and send his team into a penalty kicks win over Ghana and advance to the semifinals.

What amazes me about Uruguay, perhaps more than any other footballing nation, is the magnititude of their achievements measured against their diminuative size, both geographically and in terms of population. Uruguay, with a population of 3.5 million people, is by far the smallest country in the world to have won a World Cup (the second smallest country by comparison is Argentina - with over 40 million people); there are Latin and South American cities with bigger populations than this nation (Mexico City alone has more than three times the people). According to Wikipedia, only six nations with populations smaller than Uruguay's have ever participated in any World Cup: Northern Ireland (thrice), Slovenia (twice), Wales, Kuwait, Jamaica and little old Trinidad and Tobago. Uruguay is also the smallest nation to win Olympic gold medals in any team sport.

La Celeste won the first ever cup in 1930 and stole it from Brazil on Brazil's home turf in 1950 (a tragedy Brazil has never forgotten - or forgiven). Glories since have mostly eluded the nation until the new Celeste team's recent rise in rankings and world recognition. Behind playmaker Forlan - the handsome blonde Vitas Geralitis lookalike who drops back to play a Steven Gerard-like role behind Suarez (or Cavanni, when he plays up front) and takes all free kicks and corner kicks - the field-length runs of Alvaro and Maxi Pereira and Rodriguez, and the staunch defense of Coates, Lugano and Caceres, the boys in blue have a fiesty, seasoned gifted starting 11 (though the bench is not deep) that hangs around long enough in close games to make things happen and find a way to win. Technically, they are the peers of Brazil and Argentina; in spirit, they are driven underdogs forever seeking the respect the old Celeste of past World Cup glories achieved.

Uruguay has won the Copa America 14 times, their last trophy coming in 1995. It's hard to bet against them adding to their trophy shelf this Sunday.