United Move On

Javier Hernandez punched Manchester United's ticket to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

It may not have been the prettiest showing from Manchester United earlier today against League One opponent Southampton at Saint Mary’s Stadium, but the 2-1 result is what was expected. This is nothing new to United this week however, as it took until the second half for United to defeat Blackpool 3-2 on the road during the last frantic ten minutes after being down 0-2 for most of the match.

This afternoon, Southampton took a 1-0 lead into the break amid some weak defending and some lackadaisical play all around. It may have been the quickest first half I can remember watching in quite some time. All snoozing aside, Michael Owen was able to find the net along with Javier Hernandez to pull out the win and move on to the next round.

United look poised to compete deep into not only domestic contests but also the upcoming European UEFA Champions League. The side today may have been slightly weakened with Rooney, Berbatov, Van Der Sar, Vidic, and Ferdinand all on the bench, but was able to grind out a win while getting some rest for those top players.

The draw for the next round will be coming up quickly as United also must focus on reclaiming the Premier League title all while preparing for their round of 16 match up against Olympique Marseille. United will be favorites to win the domestic club title along with moving on to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, so long as Berbatov can keep his pace he is currently on.  At the moment he is the odds on favorite for the Golden Boot with a league leading 20 goals, which nearly a half a dozen have come in the last two matches.

The next task at hand will be remaining five points clear of second place Arsenal by returning to Old Trafford and picking up all three points against Aston Villa on Tuesday. Look for a stronger squad out of the field to ensure United say in the drivers seat for the Premier League title.

Admission

Wayne Rooney's head is the most dangerous weapon in the U.K.

At the risk of having flesh roasted by people who have access to this blog and would use this information against me, I am ignoring my intuition and admitting I like something I never thought I would.  I have started watching soccer.  Like, a lot.  Let that sink in.  I’m sure in one of my blogs I’ve been quoted as mocking players, fans and the sport overall.  But for some reason unbeknownst to me, I have turned.

It isn’t just the fact that I am bored with some of my go to sports (which I sort of am) as much as maybe I was looking for something new to do.  It is probably the same reason I am now an avid fan of Formula 1 racing.  For the record, and my wife will disagree with me, I am not doing it for the sake of being different or looking like I’m some wannabe Euro-snob.  You know, the people who know stuff about wine or know more names of cities in France than just Paris.

I actually like and now appreciate the sport itself.  I’m confident enough in that now that I no longer feel the need to mask my secret shame, or just share it with people who are of a similar persuasion.

I watch a lot of Premier League soccer, which for those of you that do not know, it is the English equivalent of the NFL.  I like the style of play, they don’t flop around like fish like the Italian players, and are not boring and robotic like the Germans.  They are tough minded, get mud on your uniform players which I like and respect.  I even get in to the minutia and detail of the game.  Guys generally don’t get into sports they weren’t into before at this stage of life.  I’m 30, so the standard would be for me to continue to just follow the teams I always have and be done with it.

When I started this venture I decided I needed a team to follow.  At first, I decided on a team based in London by the name of Arsenal.  They’re a traditional power but aren’t known much for winning title after title.  Once I figured out I didn’t like their manager, Arsene Wenger, and their style of play, I asked my friend who is a veteran of watching (and playing) soccer who I should follow.  He suggested Manchester United, a team most people probably recognize over here.

Alright, so there it is.  Isn’t being absolved a great feeling?  Although I’m still convinced certain people who get a hold of this will use it against me.  But add United to the teams I plan to write about a little more on here.  Yes, I know it has been infrequent but I am hoping to change that with the baseball season on the horizon, F1 starting in less than two weeks, the MLB in spring training and spring football starting for the Huskers.  Plus, United is on their way to possibly another Premier title which should be fun to follow.

Let the daggers fly.