Grateful Gooner

World Cup Day Twelve

// June 20th, 2006 // No Comments » // Soccer

Joe Cole’s wonder strike from 35 yards out opened the scoring, but in the end, England still couldn’t find a way to beat Sweden for the first time in 38 years. The two sides drew 2-2, and as such finish 1 and 2 in group B respectively.

England moves on the face Ecuador in the round of sixteen, but will most likely have to do so without the services of striker Michael Owen, who literally crawled off of the pitch on his hands and knees after just four minutes. Does this mean we may yet see Theo Walcott?

As for Sweden, they have the unenviable task of facing host nation Germany, who clinched top spot in group A with a 3-0 win over Ecuador. Ecuador seemed content just to qualify for the round of sixteen, a point which was underscored by the fact that three starters were rested today.

England played much better today than in their previous two matches, but still ended up with a draw. Ecuador look very, very good. Should the Barmy Army be worried?

New Arsenal kit revealed (kinda)

// June 19th, 2006 // No Comments » // Arsenal FC

Arsenal today announced that the new home kit will be available for pre-order in just a few short weeks. As you can see from the purposefully blurred image above, it’s a reversion back to the classic red & white design we know and love. Here’s a leaked image that should give you a better idea of what to expect:

The shirts will be officially launched on July 18th, so we should all have them in time for the new season which kicks off in mid-August. Speaking of which, the fixture list for 06-07 comes out Thursday, so there’ll be at least one more Arsenal post this week.

World Cup Day Eleven

// June 19th, 2006 // No Comments » // Soccer

Spain scored three times in the second half to overcome a 1-0 halftime deficit to Tunisia. Earlier, the Ukraine banged four past Saudia Arabia to ease to a 4-0 win, thus evening their goal difference to zero after that debacle against Spain.

In this morning’s Group G match, Switzerland jumped to the top of the group with a 2-0 win over Togo.

World Cup Day Ten

// June 18th, 2006 // No Comments » // Soccer

Thierry Henry scores for France, but the rest of Les Bleus look uninterested, as South Korea’s second half goal sees the 2002 semi-finalists draw with the 1998 Champions 1-1.

In the earlier matches, Croatia and Japan frustrated each other into a 0-0 draw, and Brazil still got away with a lackluster performance, relying on Dida to make a several key saves as they beat Australia 2-0. The win ensured Brazil’s tenth straight appearance in the knockout phases of the World Cup.

World Cup Day Nine

// June 17th, 2006 // No Comments » // Soccer

Nine man US gain a huge point against Italy as the ref does his best to make an ass of himself on a global stage. It was by far the worst refereeing job I’ve seen period; and I’m not alone in this assessment. Media and fans around the world were shocked to see three players sent off, two for straight red card offenses, that in reality could have been either yellows, or just plain fouls.

Like I said, the US got a huge point, drawing with the Azzuri 1-1. The draw, coupled with Ghana’s shock 2-0 win over the Czechs suddenly makes Group E very interesting. For US fans, we must hope for a US win over Ghana, and an Italian win over the Czech Republic. Both games take place @ 10 AM on Thursday. The US game is on ESPN, while the second is on the Deuce.

Yesterday’s other game saw Portugal defeat Iran 2-0, thus eliminating the Iranians. Group D is pretty much decided now, but the top two spots could be flip-flopped depending on the outcome of Wednesday’s match between Portugal and Mexico.

Sunday sees both Brazil and France in action, let’s hope both sides turn in better performances than they did in their respective first games.

Nacho Libre

// June 16th, 2006 // No Comments » // Film

Thanks to free passes won through an Entertainment Weekly contest, my new roommate and I went to Philly last night to catch a sneak preview of the new Jack Black comedy, “Nacho Libre.” At first I was surprised to see so many kids in the audience, but it quickly became clear that this was going to be a family film when the “Nickelodeon Movies” logo appeared. That’s not to say that family film automatically equals bad, but, unlike my dad, I seem to have grown a bit too old for the majority of kid fare nowadays.

I’m glad to say that I need not have worried. The movie was very funny both to kids and adults alike. Jack Black can be a bit over the top sometimes, but I’ve liked him in everything I’ve seen, especially High Fidelity, and now, Nacho Libre.

For those with kids, I’d say it’s fine for them to see Nacho Libre, but I don’t suggest rushing out to the theater. This movie will work just as well on a small screen as on the big, and you’ll save yourself some cash in the end.

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