It’s that simple isn’t it? Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund stormed through their more heralded Spanish opponents in what will go down as the most shocking two days in Champions League history. Ever since the mercurial Cristiano Ronaldo migrated to Madrid from Manchester, Real Madrid and Barcelona...

Everything I write from here on out will fall offensively short of the standard I wish to achieve. I have experienced tragedy in my life but nothing to the extent of what the families in Newtown, Boston and various other places in our great country are currently going through as a result of violence....

If you didn’t watch the Champions League quarterfinals, you missed out on sporting television at its best. On Tuesday, Galatasarray, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, and Malaga turned in an evening for the ages. Gala faced a 3-0 aggregate deficit at the start of the match and went down early to a Cristiano...

If you’ve been keeping up with my work here at TSFJ you probably know a) I like sports and b) of said sports, hockey and soccer are my two favorites. Forgive me, I’m white. Not only do I enjoy playing these sports, but I enjoy watching them more than the others. I’m the kind of kid...

True story: Prior to this past summer, my only memory of Wembley Stadium was SummerSlam 1992 when the main event was The British Bulldog against Bret Hart for the WWF Intercontinental Championship in front of 80,355 people or something crazy like that. Lennox Lewis came down the aisle for the main event...

Nearly halfway through the Barclays Premier League season a familiar name sits at the top. Since this incarnation of England’s top league began play in 1992, Manchester United have won the title 12 times including 4 times in the previous 6 seasons. Now, the premiership is arguably at its most competitive...

Welcome to “The Equalizer” FKA “Goal of the Weekend,” new name, same column. On this weekend, a headline all too familiar to Chelsea fans dominated the news. It’s Sunday night here in America, some five days after Roberto Di Matteo received his marching orders, destination: Siberia. Those...

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is six feet five inches tall. He should not, nor should anybody save for maybe “Episode III” Yoda, be able to do this. Every goal from here on out will be rated 1-10 on the Zlatan scale, 10 being equal to the big Swede, one being Dill Friday vs. Cazenovia College. Okay, enjoy...

Before we get to the soccer, we’d be remiss if we didn’t dedicate a paragraph to our veterans, both American and foreign. The beautiful game, international as it is, benefits more than any other sport from the sacrifices of soldiers. Appropriately enough, Arsenal kicked off the weekend with a French-German...

For years the English Premier League had operated under the “Big Four” paradigm. Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool shared the top four spots while the rest of the league was left to scrap its way into fifth place. But the rise of Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and other challengers...

A series of contentious refereeing decisions in the biggest matches marred a weekend of great soccer. The men with the whistles were featured prominently in Liverpool at Everton as well as Manchester United at Chelsea. The former ended 2-2 when it should have been 3-2. The latter ended 3-2 when it should...

In the pantheon of great plays, the improvisational has a unique home. Improvisation doesn’t rely on context. It is the product of split-second thinking when one is presented with unfortunate circumstances. The spectacular nature of the play comes from the build-up rather than the result. The how...