This Week in the Knockout Stages...

Lionel Messi: undeniably good
guardian.co.uk

APEOL’s dream campaign continues after a dramatic penalty shootout in Cyprus. Benfica will go through at the expense of Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg while Barcelona showed why then are the best team in the world as they dominated the two fixtures against Bayer Leverkusen. Arsenal were nearly able to turn a 4-0 deficit into a 4-4 draw but fell short by just a goal while AC Milan squeaked by the London side and into the quarter finals on the long road to Munich in May.

Update: Kenyan Soccer Project and Madi-MIA

Update #2 for the Kenyan Soccer Project: You Miss 100% of the Shots you Don't Take:

This photo was submitted to the annual photo contest held
by the Smithsonian institution. These Burmese boys are
obviously enjoying themselves as they kick the ball around
in Myanmar. This photo captures what we are trying to capture
with this project- the positive impact on people of all ages
all over the world.
dailymail.co.uk

For me, this project was a leap of faith. I went into this with very little knowledge of what would be asked of myself and of the communities on both sides, and to be honest I was optimistic, but still doubtful of both sides ability to live up to the expectations. All of my doubts have been dissolved. Within four hours of posting the link to my blog post announcing the Kenyan Soccer Project on my Facebook profile, it was shared five five times, commented on and circulated around via email. I still have people asking me for the link so that they can spread the word! I am thrilled right now!