New Blogs and Books
A few week's back my blog and Twitter account got picked up by another Twitter account, which led to more than 100 new followers in a day. I started checking into who was behind such a fortitous event, and it turns out it was a site called Euro Club Index (new to me, but not new overall). After checking the site out and conversing with one of the company's managers, I can say I am a big fan of what they're doing.
These guys are after my own heart - a real time database of over 700 soccer clubs that rolls up into an overall index that is updated on a per-match basis. A club's index score not only shows where they rank in the world of European soccer, but such scores are then used to predict match-by-match outcomes. Euro Club Index is the product of the Dutch Infostrada Sports, and is reputable enought to be used by sites like Yahoo Eurosport UK.
While I haven't exactly found a way to get an RSS feed of their "Latest News" section, you can get the next best thing by following their Twitter feed which I linked above. I heighly recommend checking them out, and hope they and I can bring you some unique analysis in the future.
Links of the Week
- Premier League Talk provides some observations from the second leg of the Manchester United/Chelsea UCL quarterfinal.
- TwoFootedTackle has been publishing an excellent five part series on the revival of the Cosmos all this week. I suggest starting with the first post in the series, and then work your way through the rest of them to get educated on the most storied club in the history of US soccer.
- Premier League Talk explains why soccer is the perfect sport for an interconnected world.
- With another rough start to an MLS season, Major League Soccer Talk wonders if Thierry Henry will ever regain his form or if he is simply a broken player.
- Hats off to Real Salt Lake for putting together a top notch video ahead of their derby against the Colorado Rapids. As much as I love my Sounders, RSL is the real deal in American soccer. They just advanced to the finals of the CONCACAF Champions League, came within 3 points of finishing top-of-the-table last year, won the MSL Cup in 2009, and as the video suggests they are unstoppable at home - unbeaten in 27 regular season home matches and 18 MLS games overall with their win over Colorado.
- In a preview of this weekend's Arsenal/Liverpool match, 7AM Kickoff shows just how resurgent Liverpool has been under King Kenny.
- Will RSL's Jason Kreis be the first American MLS coach to make the jump to a major European team?
- Sounder at Heart encourages us to think of DP's as sunk costs. I guess we Sounders fans have a lot of practice thinking of DP's as costs - sunk or otherwise.
- The Run of Play has a great piece on the Timbers first home match, and how it exemplifies the urbanization of MLS (like many other leagues). Forget soccer moms - MLS needs to focus on soccer urbanites. This was only reinforced last night by watching the roucous crowd celebrate the Timbers' 4-2 win.
- Finally, Chris at Soccer by the Numbers explores which teams not only generate leverage, but which teams also translate it into victories. Surprise - my Gunners are near the top of the list!
This weekend's match against Liverpool reminds me how fast this season has flown by. It was nearly eight months ago when I was in the George and Dragon watching the kick off to the season with a packed house that included the friend that got me into soccer in the first place. It reminds me to enjoy the final seven weeks of this season. I hope you have a weekend filled with fun. I'll see you on Monday.
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