Weekend Review

First off, congratulations to Tottenham Hotspur for winning the Carling Cup over Chelsea at Wembley. Their first trophy in nine years, Spurs went a goal down in the first half before equalizing through a fortunate penalty award in the second half, when Wayne bridge handled the ball in the box. Dmitar Berbatov was cool as ever in leveling the match, and Tottenham capitalized in extra time on their overall superiority in attack when Jonathan Woodgate scored the winner from a set piece. Tottenham were deserved winners on the day, and Chelsea appeared to be off their form, possibly due to Avram Grant's questionable decision to not start Joe Cole and to play Anelka up top alongside Drogba. Chelsea never flowed in the attack, and were not their usual fortified selves in defence, conceding two goals to the new League Cup champions.

Premiership action over the weekend saw Manchester United close the gap on Arsenal to three points, with 11 games remaining. The title chase is squarely up for grabs after United took advantage of Arsenal's 2-2 draw at Birmingham by drubbing Newcastle 5-1 at St. James Park. Ronaldo and Rooney were in stellar form and United were back to their dynamic, deadly ways after a disappointing defeat to Manchester City two weeks ago in their last league fixture. Arsenal, on the other hand, endured a devastating day that saw a 2-1 lead squandered in the 94th minute to a dubious penalty decision but also (and more improtantly) witnessed a season-ending injury to Eduardo. The Brazilian born, Croatian international, who had been in great form of late and was proving one of Arsene Wenger's most delightful surprises of the year, suffered a vicious lower leg break that will cause him to miss the rest of the season, and possibly beyond. Let's hope he is able to come back at the start of the '08-'09 campaign. The loss of Eduardo means Arsenal are desperate to have Robin van Persie return to match fitness asap, or else they will redefine the term "thin" at the striker role.

Liverpool enjoyed a hat trick from Spanish superstar Fernando Torres in their comeback win over Middlesbrough at Anfield, a vital result for the Reds as they were able to move ahead of their Merseyside rivals Everton in pursuit of England's fourth Champions League slot. Aston Villa and Portsmouth both gained crucial wins as they too remained in staunch contention for a top four finish, with Villa notbaly staying level on points at 47 with both Liverpool and Everton. The race for the last Champions League spot is looking to be as compelling as the race for the title.

Sadly for American soccer fans, it looks as if the majority of the Americans playing Premier League football abroad will be playing in the Coca Cola Championship next season, as Reading, Fulham and (surely) Derby County all looked destined for relegation. Fulham boast a whopping four American outfield players in McBride, Dempsey, Bocanegra, and Johnson. Reading's Marcus Hahnemann and Bobby Convey look likely to join their international teammates in relegation despair, alongside Benny Feilhaber, who's Derby side is 100% assured of its fate. It's a shame for the Americans, as conventional wisdom suggests that the American national team can only rise to the level of global contender if a majority of its stars are competing in top flight leagues overseas. Americans have largely acquitted themselves well in the EPL, so to see seven of them relegated in one season would feel disastrous. Proponents of MLS (particularly the loquacious Alexi Lalas) would argue that the domestic league is just as qualified at preparing national team stars (a la Landon Donovan) as any overseas competition, but those in the "know" can see that this is fallacy. The U.S. national team can only benefit from having its stars cut their teeth among the world's best in the best overseas leagues, and it's been a credit to the rising American talent that so many have emerged as key figures for teams not just in the EPL, but also the top flights in Germany, Holland, Belgium, and Scotland. Continued American progression up the ladder of international achievement depends on its players becoming the best they can, and to this end, MLS is certainly not the answer.