FC Basel makes history in the UEFA Champions League

As an FC Basel fan, I am terribly bias when it comes to the result of this game. I was down on my knees in the middle of the mall refreshing the live match streaming from uefa.com faster than the network could think. When that final whistle blew, tears were in my eyes and I was jumping up and down first pumping the air not even giving a crap who saw because they were just going to be jealous that I was such a winner. I have been an FC Basel fan since I got the guts to choose my own team in 2009. I was fourteen and decided that if I was old enough to see the talent that the players in their youth system had, I was old enough to choose to support FC Basel over EPL team and family favorite Liverpool FC. My decision was met with laughter, jokes, and criticism. "You'll never celebrate a big win!" "You'll never win the league!" "No one knows who those players are!" "You're never going to see Champions League football!" Well, FC Basel won the league in 2009, the double in 2010 and the league again in 2011. Recently, Basel's young stars are making headlines (namely Xherdan Shaqiri, Valentin Stocker, Granit Xhaka and Yann Sommer) and their seasoned players who are nearer to retirement than a career boost, are still being praised for their skill.
As for Champions League football, that story tells itself. Last season, Basel impressed on the European stage by defeating AS Roma at their home stadium but didn't make it through to the knockout stages. They then lost their momentum and fell out of Europa League against CSKA Moscow. This season, their highlight, without a doubt, was the performances against English powerhouse Manchester United. They held United to a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford and then made history by defeating them at St. Jakob-Park two goals to one.
As an FC Basel fan, that day, December 7th 2011 will never be forgotten. No matter how Basel fares in the next stage of the Champions League, I will be proud of their accomplishments so far and proud to be a Basel fan.

Welsh Coach Gary Speed Found Dead

Gary Speed passed away this morning suddenly after a successful footballing career. He will definitely be remembered. Rest in peace.

Goal of the Week

No one scores like this against Barcelona. Seriously.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOd9to20vnI

Liverpool VS Chelsea Match Preview

Chelsea will host Liverpool at Stamford Bridge this Sunday hoping to get the three points to keep them in third place and ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, who sit equal with them on points with one game in hand. The last time these two sides met was in a thrilling 1-0 victory to Liverpool at Stamford Bridge back in February of this year. Chelsea will also be looking to restore the club’s former glory after a series of disappointing results in both the EPL and the UEFA Champions League. The London club managed to salvage three points against Blackburn Rovers on November 5^th with only one goal scored by Frank Lampard in the 50^th minute. Previous results included a 1-1 draw in the Champions League against Belgian side Genk and a 5-3 thrashing from fellow London team, Arsenal.  Liverpool will also be hoping to redeem themselves after a frustrating 0-0 draw against Swansea also on the 5^th.

Liverpool will be welcoming back experienced defender Jamie Carragher who sat out the last two games with a major calf injury and fans will be hoping to see skipper Steven Gerrard in the starting eleven. Both teams will be glad to have players returning from international duty at all levels. Liverpool youngsters Jordan Henderson and Martin Kelly played alongside Josh McEachran who is on the books of Chelsea.

The two clubs are known for their fierce rivalry, but this time around it should be an especially enticing fixture considering former Reds stars Fernando Torres and Raul Meireles now play at Stamford Bridge under young manager Villas-Boas.  

With so much on the table, we’re up for an enticing match at Stamford Bridge this Sunday, be sure to tune in!

Xhaka Nets First Goal in Swiss Victory in Luxembourg, But Why the Long Faces?

Swiss and FC Basel starlet Granit Xhaka (19 years old) netted his first international goal for the Swiss first team in a friendly in Luxembourg today. The fixture turned out to be quite depressing for the Swiss. Despite the victory, the game only drew a crowd of 852 spectators. This small amount of support comes in the wake of the Swiss team failing to qualify for EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine despite success at a youth level.
The disappointment may be bitter for Swiss fans in general, but players and FC Basel followers should be celebrating the success of a product of strong youth development in the small European nation.

Vote For Save of the Year in the MLS

http://www.mlssoccer.com/sotw/soty2011/roundof16/groups1-2
Follow this link to vote for Tim Ream's save for the New York Redbulls against Landon Donovan and the LA Galaxy! What a well-timed tackle!

This Week in Group C...

Photo Credit: FC Basel Official Website

FC Basel held the Portuguese powerhouse Benfica to a 1-1 draw at the Estadio da Luz Wednesday night while Manchester United battled it out at home against Otelul Galati. United finished with two goals coming from Antonio Valencia early on in the eighth minute and an unfortunate own goal from Galati's own Sarghi in the 88th minute of play. Benfica lost out to possession against the visiting Swiss side, only holding 44% while Basel dominated with 56%. Benfica's forward Rodrigo slammed the first goal of the game home early on in the 4th minute and the team continued to apply pressure throughout the first half. Basel's veteran midfielder Benjamin Huggel savored the visitors a point in the 64th minute with a strong finish past the Benfica goalie.
As of now, Manchester United sit the top of the table with only one goal over Benfica, both level on 8 points. Basel are one win behind them with five points and Galati sit at the bottom of the table with zero points from four games.