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First Post: Across the Pond

Chelsea Comes Out on Top Against Hull City; Real Madrid on 6-Game Win Streak

English Football

Even though it seems as if Liverpool is going to easily run away with the Premier League title, there is another professional championship playoff picking up steam. On Saturday the 25th, Chelsea was able to top Hull City 2-1 and advances to the fifth round of the FA Cup. This can be referred to as the country’s championship among clubs, as teams from all professional tiers compete in this tournament. Even though Hull City only lost by one goal, Chelsea scored easily early on in the sixth minute and it was clear why they were the favorite coming into this match. Fikayo Tomori also added a goal in the 64th minute to put the Blues up 2-0. The only goal conceded by Chelsea came in the 78th minute when Kamil Grosicki’s free kick was deflected by the defensive wall into the goal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEcda0f3-fM
Information from text can be found from this video, and other highlights can be seen.

La Liga

Real Madrid continued their impressive streak against Spanish tier one professional teams, defeating Real Valladolid 1-0. The only goal of the game came in the 72nd minute when Nacho put in a header for Real Madrid off of a corner. That now makes six straight wins for them. Including draws, it is an unbeaten streak of 19. After losing arguably the best player in soccer in the summer of 2018, Cristiano Ronaldo, many thought Real Madrid might dip off. Star players such as Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema can be credited for the success of this historically famous club.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6MjcxQur7k
Information from text can be found from this video, and other highlights can be seen.
Featured

Introduction Post: More about Me

Ever since I was 11-years-old, I have been very interested playing and watching the game of soccer. The 2010 World Cup is what specifically sparked my enthusiasm for the game. I then started watching club English Premiere League teams such as Manchester United and Arsenal on Saturday mornings when I was in high school. I also loved watching international friendlies and tournaments during the summer, such as when Mario Balotelli played for Italy in the 2013 Confederations Cup. Ever since I arrived at Marian, I have not done a very good job at consistently keeping up with any professional sports, especially soccer. This is why I wanted to start a blog on the best moments in “footy.” Although I know a lot about the game like schemes, players, and coaches, I want this to be a challenge. Put my productiveness and attention to detail to the test, so to speak.

Although I enjoy soccer very much so, I also find the sports basketball, football, and baseball to be entertaining. I also try to keep up with this professional sports in America as much as possible (NBA, NFL, MLB). I played all of these sports growing up along with soccer, so it turn I am enthusiastic about athletics in general.

My blog will be similar to many others that can be found about professional soccer. These include sources such as SBI Soccer, PSG World Nation, Fantasy Football Pundits, and Goal.com, which can be found in my blog roll on my website.

If you have not taken a look at it, I wrote a post about Chelsea and Real Madrid victories that were major toward the end of January. I plan to write many similar articles in the future!

Contact Information: Email – sammilazzo10@gmail.com – Twitter – @SamMilazzo10 – Instagram – @sammilazzo15

Second Integrated Post: What is to Come?

As the end of the school year is wrapping up, many of you may be wondering if you’ll be able to watch your favorite summer sports, such as NBA playoff basketball or baseball. You might possibly be able to watch the conclusions of 2019-20 soccer seasons from your homes, as officials and government leaders are trying to gauge when seasons could start back up. This second PowerPoint I made goes over the possibilities of us seeing our favorite teams finish their seasons.

whate28099s-next-in-soccer_Download

Interview Vlog: What It’s Like Being a Parent of Soccer Players

This weekend, I sat down with my mother, Marla Milazzo, and discussed some of the experiences we have had as a family with soccer. My sister and I both played soccer for 13 consecutive years, and my mom did a lot behind the scenes to make sure we were punctual and healthy while playing the game we love. To learn more and to see some of my mom’s thoughts on professional soccer, check out the video below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIloibII0Mo

Strikers Vlog Presentation

This week is a little different for the Strikers professional soccer blog, as I prepared a video talking about the best clubs in Europe during 2019-2020. Even though seasons were cut short with only a few games remaining all over Europe, England, Spain, and Germany all had clubs that are deserving of recognition for their play this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5DOy5r4DNw

Infographics: The Best Strikers and Defenders in Soccer Today

Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, soccer fans around the world have been forced to sit home and watch highlights of previous seasons because all play has been put on hold. However, that does not mean content for the Strikers blog comes to a halt. I took the time to highlight three strikers and three defenders that I consider to be some of the best soccer players in the world.

You may not agree with the choices I made, but I am always up for a debate. In my opinion, the players I mentioned in my infographic possess game-changing skills that have proved to be sustainable methods of play throughout the 2000’s. I hope you like the templates I worked on, and don’t hesitate to provide feedback on this post and the Strikers blog in general!

Photo Story: Professional and Amateur Soccer in Indianapolis

Although Hoosiers are not known for their play on the soccer field, there has been a variety of talent that has come from our state, especially Indianapolis. Indianapolis also hosts a professional soccer club, Indy Eleven. This team was founded in 2013 and has been playing in the United Soccer League, the second highest tier league in America, since 2018. Let’s explore how soccer has had an impact on Indiana’s capital and surrounding areas.

As mentioned, the Indy Eleven are the only professional soccer team in Indianapolis. FC Indiana and FC Pride are also semiprofessional soccer teams that often compete in Indianapolis. All three of these teams also play at Carroll Stadium, shown above.

Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL team, also hosts Indy Eleven games. Indy Eleven also refer to Lucas Oil as their home venue because of its popularity. This huge football stadium that can seat 70,000 fans has also hosted some world-renowned games, such as Chelsea vs. Inter Milan in 2013.

Although college soccer does not produce as much popularity for the sport, I have mentioned it in other posts so I will continue that trend. The Big Ten Conference is a hot topic in Indianapolis, as it includes division one universities throughout the Midwest, such as Indiana and Purdue. Indiana University actually has one of the best men’s soccer teams in the country. Purdue University is home only to a women’s squad.

Indianapolis is also home to Marian University, the University of Indianapolis, IUPUI, and Butler University, which all have men’s and women’s soccer teams. Carroll Stadium, which was shown earlier, is also IUPUI’s home field. The influence of the sport in this city is definitely growing, and interest in the universities’ games is rising.

St. Vincent Field is home to Marian University, the school I attend! The women’s team just came off a national runner up finish, and both soccer teams are looking forward to competing in the fall of 2020. St. Vincent also serves as home to the football and lacrosse teams at Marian.

Professional soccer dreams comes from the humblest beginnings, which reminded me of this practice pitch off of Cold Spring Road by Marian. Although not everyone makes it to the highest level, practice and hard work enduring the toughest playing conditions make an athlete want to chase their goals (literally and figuratively).

Audio Story: Man City Takes a Hit; U.S. Developmental Soccer

A few weeks ago, UEFA announced that Manchester City of the English Premier League may not participate in club tournaments (e.g. Champions League). I’ve already written about this topic, but I wanted to share thoughts that Zach Wadley and Cameron Fox, a Marian marketing student, had on the issue.

Zach, as I mentioned is the Marian Sports Information Director in my last audio segment, also had some interesting things to say about youth developmental soccer in the United States. Cameron has experience playing club travel soccer in Fort Wayne, so he was able to give me some good first hand information about what it is like to play against the best prospects. The link for my audio story on SoundCloud is below. I hope you enjoy it, and check out my other previous posts!

Manchester City Banned from UEFA Competitions; “Chicarito” Excited After Galaxy Debut

Because of “serious breaches” of financial rules, UEFA has banned Manchester City from all club competitions for the next two years. This includes the most noted club championship cup in the world, the Champions League. This news comes days after trade rumors for Lionel Messi were being made about the club, as it became known they were considering moving assets to obtain the star Argentinian striker. It will definitely be difficult for Man City to lure in Messi.

According to a UEFA statement made on February 14, Man City committed infractions dealing with sponsorships and break-even information between 2012 and 2016. The club also failed to cooperate with the CFCB (Club Financial Control Body) according to the statement, which makes Man City look even worse. The consequences are severe, but the club should have seen this coming and must take responsibility for their actions. 

Information found in text and other facts can be found in this YouTube video.

On Saturday night, February 16, Javier “Chicarito” Hernandez made his debut for the LA Galaxy in a 2-1 loss to Toronto FC on the first match day of MLS play in 2020. Although the Galaxy lost, Hernandez was able to stay on the pitch for 78 minutes, making solid runs and crisp passes.

Chicarito’s last major stint came with West Ham United from 2017-2019. He scored 16 goals during his time for that team, and also enjoyed success on Manchester United from 2010-2015 making 103 appearances. That Man U team was also stacked deep with players like Wayne Rooney leading the way. It will be interesting to see how Hernandez, arguably Mexico’s best player and one of the best strikers in the world, adjusts to professional soccer in America.

The link above provides information about Javier “Chicarito” Hernandez and the LA Galaxy.

Special Feature: Strikers Audio Interview

This past week, I was able to catch up with Zach Wadley, the Sports Information Director at Marian University, for a recorded interview to post in my blog feed. Zach has experience watching and playing multiple sports. He is known around campus and the Indianapolis community for making attention to detail a standard when it comes to social media and other sports data that needs to be shared for Marian.

Zach also has an interesting perspective when it comes to soccer, and it’s especially unique for the professional level. I don’t want to spoil what Zach knows about the world’s game, so feel free to check out this video!

https://youtu.be/MDaJXrJ42Cg
Audio from my interview with Zach Wadley can be heard in this YouTube video.

Bayern holds on for tie, Remain Leaders in Bundesliga; Arsenal off to Rough Start

Bundesliga

In a well-played game that featured Bundesliga’s top two teams, Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig challenged each other to a 0-0 tie earlier today, Sunday, February 9th. Bayern stays at the top of the league table, with a record of 13 wins, four draws, and four losses. Leipzig’s point added keeps them in second place with 12 wins, six draws, and three losses.

This game had a lot of hype surrounding it beforehand, as Tottenham manager, José Mourinho, was seen in attendance scouting competition while his team took the weekend off. Bayern appeared to have a great chance early after kickoff when Thiago received a short pass off a corner from Thomas Müller. Thiago took the ball from just outside the top left of the 18 and fired a shot that looked like it would curl into the top right corner of the net. However, Leipzig’s starting keeper, Péter Gulácsi, made a diving save.

Although Bayern held possession for 70% of the game, systematically maintaining the ball, they could not come away with a win, so both teams walked away Sunday with a point. The Bundesliga front runners face FC Köln next, and that match should not be a problem as they are in the latter half of the league table. Leipzig takes on Werder next Saturday as they look to keep challenging Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWYhLqWqz8U
Information from text can be found from this video, and other highlights can be seen.

Premier League

(A Quick Note)

Although other teams participated in top tier English soccer today and yesterday, Arsenal had a week off to think about their rough start and how to strategize a win streak this season. This club is considered to be top class in competition every year in the premier league, but this is one of the worst beginnings they have had in their history of premier play (six wins, thirteen draws, and six losses). Although the team has not lost many games so far, 13 draws takes a toll as they can not catch up in point total to the other premier league teams. They look to regroup next Sunday, February 16. Then, they will take on a Newcastle squad that sits two positions behind them, a great chance to start a bounce back even if a championship season is lost.

Games from the Weekend.

Only three English Premier League fixtures took place this weekend as most teams had a break this week, and Manchester City and West Ham United was postponed because of Storm Ciara. Chelsea handily defeated Crystal Palace 3-1 and Brighton and Watford ended in a 1-1 draw yesterday, Saturday, February 8. Today, Sheffield United bested Bournemouth 2-1. Highlights from that tight clash earlier may be seen below.

Information from text can be found from this video, and other highlights can be seen.

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