UEFA Final on ESPN 2 today--2:30

[kserra]

Title says it all...just thought I'd let all us secret American soccer fans know about the game...

talk amongst yourselves...

Kevin

[BreizhManu]

it's the Champion's League final (Porto vs Monaco), not the UEFA final

[GoldenEagle]

Spoiler..........


















1-0 Porto with 5 minutes left in the first half.

[Easy Mac]

Goal Porto!!!!!!!!!!!

[GoldenEagle]

I am surprised they gave him a yellow for tkaing off his shirt.

[Easy Mac]

Its in the rules.

[3ric]

Damn... Deco bags another one for Porto! I really hoped Monaco would score and tie the game.

[GoldenEagle]

Its in the rules.
But rarely enforced.

[GoldenEagle]

3-0

[cartman]

There is a new concerted effort to give yellow cards for taking off shirts after goals.

On another note, Porto took relatively few dives during this game. Maybe that's what has been confusing Monaco... :D

[Alf]

Porto is a darn solid defensive team. Monaco had to play without Playmaker Giuly after 20 minutes... Too bad.

Congrats to Porto for winning the Champions League after winning the UEFA Cup last season

[Desnudo]

Now the real action takes place as Liverpool and Chelsea fight for their coach.

[portnoise]

Wow. I really watched a whole soccer game. Never used to be able to do that... Thanks CM! :-)

[Desnudo]

Wow. I really watched a whole soccer game. Never used to be able to do that... Thanks CM! :-)I'm the same way. It's funny, a lot of my interest is trying to tell if the player justifies their rating in CM. Like after watching Henry torch everyone else in the EPL I realized they actually underrated him a bit.

[mordhiem]

Mourinho on Sky just said that he is 99.999% sure he will be managing in England next season. He said that his agent has already got a deal 'almost completed', but wouldn't say who with.

[Desnudo]

While I'm thinking about it, is there a website somewhere that explains European team names? For example, where did Toffees (Newcastle I think) come from? What's the naming strategy over there. It seems like the names are much more based on something the town is famous for. Rather than the US custom of naming teams to appear aggressive and sporting.

[Lucky Jim]

I've heard Toffees used with other clubs, no clue what it really means though...

[daedalus]

NUFC is Magpies, if I recall correctly.

[Katon]

Those are all nicknames, not official names (the Toffees are Everton, btw). I don't think there's really any strategy to it.

[Alf]

Old Timers didn't have marketing strategies in the early 1900's

[mordhiem]

Did someone request nicknames? :)

The Premiership:

Arsenal -- The Gunners (their club badge also has an artillery piece on it)
Aston Villa -- The Villans (not used much)
Birmingham -- The Blues
Blackburn Rovers -- Can't think of one
Bolton Wanderers -- The Trotters
Charlton Athletic -- The Addicks
Chelsea -- Don't have one AFAIK
Everton -- The afformentioned Toffes
Fulham -- Don't think they have one
Leeds United -- The Lillywhites, but it is very rarely used
Leicester City -- The Foxes (the club used to be called Leicester Foxes a long time ago, they are actually thinking of changing back)
Liverpool -- The Reds, The Pool (Imaginative, eh?)
Manchester City -- The Sky Blues (also Citeh, parodying the Mancunian accent)
Manchester United -- The Red Devils
Middelsborough -- Boro
Newcastle United -- The Magpies
Portsmouth -- Pompey
Sothampton -- Saints
Tottenham Hotspur -- Spurs
Wolverhampton Wanderers -- Wolves (which is used so much it has practically become their official name)

Some lower division clubs that I can think of

AFC Bournemouth -- The Cherries
Barnsley -- The Tykes
Brighton & Hove Albion -- The Seagulls
Crewe Alexandria -- The Railwaymen
Derby County -- The Rams
Ipswich Town -- The Tractorboys
Lincon City -- The Imps
Luton Town -- The Hatters
Millwall -- The Lions
Nothampton Town -- The Cobblers
Norwich City -- The Canaries
Peterborough United -- The Posh (infamously connected with a certain former spice girl and a hillarious court case)
Reading -- The Royals
Sunderland -- The Black Cats
Stoke City -- The Potters
West Bromwich Albion -- The Baggies
Wimbledon -- The Dons

[McSweeny]

Nottingham Forest - The Reds

[Scholes]

Liverpool = Scousers