Over the years the European Championships have provided great moments, from Czechoslovakia’s Antonin Pananka scoring the coolest penalty you’ll ever see to Marco van Basten scoring, hands down, the greatest goal ever (ok, it’s tied with Zinedine Zidane’s sublime goal in the 2002 UEFA Champions League final (personal opinion)). From Tomas Brolin to Paul Gascoigne and beyond, I’ve always been psyched for the Euro’s over the years, especially Euro 96 when it was held in England and Scotland were in the same group as England. I even payed for the Euro 2004 PPV package 4 years ago, but I digress…

This year has all the makings of being great, and it’s even more so that ESPN have ponied up and it’s no longer on PPV. The only downside is they are using ESPN Classic to show some games (including the opening games), and that channel looks like crap on Time Warner in Charlotte, but again, I digress…

So the first game is at noon on ESPN Classic (or ESPN Deportes if you’re that way inclined). Hosts Switzerland take on the Czech Republic followed by Portugal vs. Turkey, all these teams are in Group A

Group A

Switzerland

The Swiss are not normally a great team, sure they have a lot of individually talented players, but they never seem to “click” on the big stage, their highlights have been getting through the group stages of the World Cup in 1994 and 2006. The period of 92 to 96 was probably their best time internationally, with such players like Alain Sutter, Stephane Chapuisat and Ciriaco Sforza, the qualified for back-to-back tournaments in World Cup 94 and Euro 96 and then proceeded to languish in qualifying hell until Euro 2004, indeed they only “qualified” for this tournament as hosts.

Player(s) to Watch: I’ve always liked Hakan Yakin, at age 31 this is probably his last chance to shine on the big stage (but hey, there is always World Cup 2010). He is a very creative midfield playmaker who’s not shy about putting the ball in the net (90 times in just over 200 Swiss league games dating back to 1999).

Czech Republic

Another mercurial team who are regularly in the top 10 in FIFA Rankings due to their “lights out” qualifying play, but can never seem to fully turn it on at tournaments. They first made news at Euro 96 where they finished runners-up to Germany with a slew of classy players like Karel Poborsky, Patrik Berger and Pavel Nedved and they always seem to find world class talent at just the right time. But outside of Euro 96 and a semi-final appearance at Euro 2004, they’ve kinda stuttered.

Player(s) to Watch: Petr Cech. This Chelsea goalkeeper is in a class of his own, and it takes something very special to put the ball past him. He’s easy to spot as, following a nasty head injury in 2006, he wears a Rugby-style head protector.

Portugal

Another mercurial team, in fact all the teams in Group A are. Portugal have undergone a renaissance since 2000 when they made the semi-finals of Euro 2000 and they are blessed with an abundance of talent that could win it all or explode in dramatic fashion. They may not have the likes of Luis Figo to fall back on, but with players like Deco, Simao and Nuno Gomes in their squad, not to mention a little player they like to call Cristiano Ronaldo, they’re one of the favourites.

Player(s) to Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (or just Cristiano Ronaldo), arguably the best player on the planet right now and he’s not going to let a little missed penalty in the Champions League final stop him from dancing around anyone who dares come near him. He has a bit of a temper, and a penchant for diving, but he can change a game in the blink of an eye.

Turkey

If one word could describe Turkey it would be (mercurial?) temperamental. Another case of great individual talent who were on the cusp of great things in the early 2000’s with great showings at Euro 2000 and World Cup 2002 but since then they have blown more cold than hot having failed to qualify for the next two tournaments.

Player(s) to Watch: Tuncay Sanli, a versitile winger who also has a knack for scoring goals. He was viewed as the next best thing dating back to 2003, but now he has a chance to show his talents on a larger stage. A lot of Turkey’s hopes may very well rest on him.

So that’s Group A, stay tuned for the remaining groups as we build up to the kickoff on Saturday.

It’s full of names that roll off the tongue, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Olympique Marseille, Ajax Amsterdam and now we’re down to Manchester United vs. Chelsea… The English equivalent of the Yanks versus the Sawks! Two teams that are 208 miles apart travel approximately 1,500 miles to Moscow for the biggest match of the European season.

Now, I’ve tried predictions before, and currently I’m batting around .000, but it’s always fun to try, so here I go.

Manchester United

English Premier League champions, the closest thing to a dynasty in English football as they have won the Premier League 10 times since it’s inception in 1992, add in 4 FA Cups, 1 League Cup and 1 Champions League title and you can see they have a pedigree for winning. Throughout the past 16 years, there have been familiar faces in the United side that keeps the team together, like right back Gary Neville, left winger Ryan Giggs and central midfielder Paul Scholes, all of whom have played 350+ games for United. In fact Giggs has played in 535 games, an astounding amount given the way players usually move around.

To get to the final, United overcame a group containing Roma, Sporting Lisbon and Dynamo Kyiv, then in the knock-out stages they ran over Olympique Lyonnais, Roma (again) and Barcelona to secure their place.

Chelsea

In stark contrast to Manchester United, Chelsea are the classic tale of spending big to win. In 2003 Chelsea were a mediocre team on the cusp of breaking into the top four of English football, what pushed them over was a takeover bid by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, in his first season alone they spend over £100 million on new players, and since then they have kept on spending, this has brought in the silverware in the shape of 2 League titles, 1 FA Cup and 1 League Cup, as well as numerous Champions League semi-final appearances against Liverpool. Also in contrast to the longevity of some United players, the longest serving players on Chelsea are Frank Lampard and John Terry, both with less than 250 appearances.

To get to the final, Chelsea overcame a group of Schalke 04, Rosenborg and Valencia as well as losing their influential manager José Mourinho after the first game again Rosenborg. In the knock-out stages they beat Olympiacos, Fenerbahçe befre finally beating Liverpool.

Now, these teams have met a few times already this year, firstly they drew 1-1 in the season opening Community Shield before United won on penalties, Chelsea then lost 2-0 at Old Trafford a few days after Mourinho left, and finally Chelsea won 2-1 at Stamford Bridge at he end of April. so for those counting at home it’s a 1-1-1 record. Really hard to put anything between them, if anything it might go the way of the Community Shield match, a scoring draw decided on penalties.

My kiss of death is as follows:

Republik Of Mancunia 2 - 2 Chelski (keeping with the Russian theme of the final)
Manchester United to win on penalties.

Just remember, the game is on ESPN2 (not sure if it’s in HD or not) [Ed. -- It's not, sadly No, wait, it is.] today and coverage from the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow begins around 2:30pm EST. Enjoy!

Boston Red Sox fans knew about this curse all too well, no matter how good things were going, how positive the team was playing, how many games they had won in a row, the spectre of failure always loomed on the horizon. So now I’m in my own particular Sawks-like slump, as last night my beloved Rangers choked like dogs in the biggest game the team has had since the 92/93 Champions League run and as a result everything threatens to unravel in true Greek tragedy style.

For the last 10 months (seriously, the season has been 10 months long as it begun on the 31st of July with a Champions League qualifier against FK Zeta of Montenegro) they have been riding their luck, not playing the most attractive football but they “got the job done™” for the last 68 games. But last night their luck finally ran out.

They were second best against FC Zenit Saint Petersburg in he UEFA Cup final, just like they were second best against Sporting Lisbon and Fiorentina, they played very well defensively but going forward they had nothing, absolutely nothing and in reality the 2-0 scoreline flattered to deceive the true story of the game.

But I digress, I was psyched for the game, this was the moment of glory I had been waiting for for so long. It’s been an unbelievable turn around in the last 18 months when the team was in utter disarray and Paul Le Guen was unceremoniously sacked, the return of Walter Smith has been noting short of messiah like. But the taste of defeat is bitter. As Grant said to me.

It’s like those few minutes you sit there after a loss in the arena and just can’t muster the energy to move.

That right there is the curse of the sports fan. Sure you get some dizzying highs, but the lows are the worst, the lows will leave you speechless, motionless, depressed, dejected and most of all disappointed.

UEFA Champions League

This could be viewed as the same old same old as 3 of these teams were in the same stage last year, only Barcelona are different. But nothing can be taken for granted, with the first legs already taken care of, both ties are on the proverbial knife edge…

Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea

High drama at Anfield on Tuesday night, it took 95 minutes and a last gasp own goal from John Arne Riise to cap this night off. Now these teams are no strangers having met each other 3 times in the last 4 years at this stage in he competition. That vital away goal for Chelsea means one thing, the return leg at Stamford Bridge next week promises to be an attacking affair as Liverpool must score.

I’m predicting a 1-0 win for Liverpool, don’t ask me to pick a scorer…

Barcelona 0-0 Manchester United

United had their chance early, a 2nd minute penalty boched my the usually reliable Cristiano Ronaldo, and sadly that was the only notable event of a (personal opinion) boring-ass game. Both sides were, frankly, poor and I never though two teams of such pedigree would roll out a nil-nil draw with very little to write home about.

Like the Liverpool Chelsea tie, someone has to come out next week and attack. Barcelona have the edge as they can nip an away goal and make things very difficult for United. I’m predicting a 1-1 draw in the end, Barcelona advance on away goals.

UEFA Cup

First I must apologize, last week I mentioned Bayer Leverkusen and Getafe, unfortunately I go this so wrong as both those teams lost their quarter finals, doh!

Bayern Munch vs. Zenit St. Petersburg

Even though Bayern snuck through on away goals to get here, you have to have them as favourites in any kind of European competition. But a Russian team won this competition only a couple of yeas ago, so Zenit have that on their side, and never underestimate a Dick Advocaat coached team. This one will be tight, I can see it going to away goals with Bayern sneaking through yet again to meet the winner of…

Rangers vs. Fiorentina

As much as a bias I am, and indeed a lover of European nights at Ibrox, this might be a game too far for Rangers. Fiorentina are 4th in Serie A right now, and you don’t get there for playing bad (unless you bribe referees, but I digress) and Rangers are struggling after a bad defeat again Celtic and barely overcoming St. Johnstone in the Scottish cup semi’s, and don’t get me started on the injury list. Rangers are going to lose both legs, not badly, but a 2-0 aggregate for Fiorentina.

Both games are on Fox Soccer Channel today, Rangers vs. Fiorentina is live at 2:30 (EST) with the other game on delay right after. You can get back to your hockey right after then…

It was certainly an interesting weekend all over, the biggest news is around Ronaldinho leaving Barcelona for AC Milan, maybe, as the two team have to agree compensation, which is most likely more money that you can imagine (and I can imagine a lot), but Inter have thrown their hat in the ring to (for lack of a better term) cockblock their rivals. I’m surprised Manchester United haven’t been mention yet as they were “in” for him after David Beckham left for Real Madrid, of course they ended up with Cristiano Ronaldo, and I think that worked out pretty good for them.

Speaking of Manchester United, they came back from a goal down to knock Arsenal out of the Premier League race, and if I do say so myself, that Owen Hargreaves free kick is what we like to call “a peach.” The defeat means Arsenal go trophyless for a 3rd straight year, a trend they’ll have to turn round next year or Arsene Wenger might be feeling more than a little pressure, some would say he already is and is very close to cracking, time will tell. the win has United 6 points clear of Chelsea, but Chelsea have a game in hand, the two meet on April 26th at Stamford Bridge, expect fireworks.

My recommended MLS game didn’t live up the the English Premier League one, Houston and Kansas City played out a pretty drab draw in pretty atrocious conditions. And call me old fashioned, but playing football in a baseball stadium seems wrong. Yes I know DC United do it, or at least used to, but it’s just wrong. The sooner more teams can have proper football stadiums the better we’ll all be, playing in cavernous NFL stadiums doesn’t help much either. right now we only have 6 football stadiums in the MLS, more are coming in the upcoming couple of years, a step in the right direction as I feel playing in large stadiums like Giants Stadiums doesn’t really put the attendance into proper perspective, like New England drawing 8,000 in a 70,000 seater stadium, but I digress…

Now, if you excuse my biased bias, I turn my attention to the big showdown in Scotland, well one of the big showdowns, on Wednesday. Currently Rangers are 4 points clear, two games in hand, so if Celtic want to have any chance of winning the league, they need to win every game from now on. Rangers are on a little bit of a roll, they’ve not lost a game in the league since October of last year, their on target for a unique quadruple (Scottish Premier League, Scottish League Cup, Scottish Cup and UEFA Cup), one is already in the bag, if they make the final of the Scottish Cup they face the almighty Queen Of The South (who bounced Aberdeen in a thrilling 7 goal encounter). So all that stands between them and glory is two game with Celtic in the next 2 weeks. Oh and the little matter of 2 games against Fiorentina then the winner of Bayer Leverkusen and Getafe…

Now I’m going to put my neck out. Bold prediction time. Crystal ball time. Take it to the bank. Celtic 1 Rangers 2, scorers: Scott McDonald for Celtic, Jean Claude Darcheville (2) for Rangers. I also forsee a dozen yellow cards and at least one sending off. Basically your typical Old Firm game.

So it’s early April, and we’re down to the nitty gritty of the European Football season. The semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup are now set. The English Premier League is a three horse race where Manchester United have it to lose to Chelsea or (maybe) Arsenal. Serie A in Italy is up for grabs between 2-time defending champions Inter and Roma. Spain’s Primera Liga is the usual suspects, but Real Madrid look to have an easier time than last years last minute win. France, Germany and Holland are the same old same old with Olympique Lyonnais, Bayern Munich and PSV Eindhoven clear at the top.

But most importantly the Scottish Premier League is facing a unique double header to decide the fate of a city. But I’ll get to that later…

First things first, a disclaimer. I’m a transplant from Glasgow, Scotland. I’m an unashamed Ranger supporter. I don’t mind Celtic. I have many friends who support Celtic. I don’t support bigotry in any way, shape or form. But I hate them at least four times a year. The rivalry between Rangers and Celtic is bigger than anything in this country. Bigger than the Yanks and the Sawks. Bigger than Ohio State vs. Michigan. Bigger than your team against their team. It transcends sports, it’s a way of life, it’s (sometimes literally) a matter of life and death and in the space of 11 days there will be an unheard of double header to decide the league championship. And it’ll be the 3rd time they’ve met inside of a month. Crazy!

And with the European seasons wrapping up, and Euro 2008 on the horizon, us football junkies need to turn elsewhere to get our fix, and where else is there but MLS? And I’m here to educate, it’s much more than the dreaded two words “David Beckham”, it’s actually (surprisingly, probably shockingly) very good. There have been a few changes since last year, the San Jose Earthquakes make a return to the league after the old Earthquakes bolted town to find success in Houston, this mean we have parity in the conferences again with 7 teams in each.

Currently it’s too early in the season to tell how things might pan out, New England is top of the Eastern Conference, no surprises there, but the big question is can Los Angeles actually do something this year and can David Beckham bring football to the masses? Last year was, shall we say, a disaster for Beckham, he played when he really shouldn’t have and couldn’t really show what he’s capable of. This year he has a new manager in the form of Ruud Gullit, he of the phrase “sexy football”, and with his England career all but over, he can focus on turning it on for the Galaxy. Already he’s scored a goal and was named player of the week for week 2, so it ain’t too bad.

Anyways, I feel like I should leave a recommendation, a pick of the week if you will. This week you’re probably best sitting down to watch Manchester United vs. Arsenal in the English Premier League at 11am (EST) on Fox Soccer, it promises to be a close game, one that will most certainly decide Arsenal’s fate in the title race, basically it’s their lose and go home game. MLS wise, I’d pick Houston Dynamo vs. Kansas City Wizards, 8pm (EST) Saturday on HDNet.

But really this week (for me) is building towards Celtic vs. Rangers on Thursday on Fox Soccer (or live on Wednesday if you have access to Setanta). First part of that double header, I’m just glad FSC are finally showing Scottish football some love at last.