They collapse against Tottenham, then rebound for a huge home win against Man United.

Their captain goes haywire before a loss to Man City, and then they roll into Stamford Bridge and come away with a gutsy 2-1 victory.

So naturally Arsenal’s youth – perhaps the most consistent performers for the Gunners so far this season – managed to bow out with a 2-0 loss to Burnley in the Carling Cup on Tuesday night.

The theme at the Emirates this year is something to the tune of: collapse, rebound, and repeat, with plenty of beautiful attacking football thrown in the middle. No one has any clue what will happen from one game to the next – especially manager Arsene Wenger....read the rest at:

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m12d2-Arsenals-topsyturvy-season-continues

As I hinted at before, the news that Landon Donovan is set to stay on loan with Bayern Munich isn’t a shocker. After training with the German powerhouse the last couple weeks, this Soccernet article says he could be there till the end of the season. Obviously this doesn’t mean great things for the L.A. Galaxy, who at best will be getting him in the middle of March.

The worst-case scenario for the MLS is that he stays there even after the Bayern season is over. And given that Bayern manager Juergen Klinsmann’s says in the article that the goal is to keep him there long–term (“at least until the end of the season”), that possibility doesn’t seem too far out of reach.

But while it won’t make the MLS happy to lose one of its certified stars....read the rest at:

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m11d20-Donovan-going-on-loan-to-Bayern-Munich

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m11d11-Donovan-wins-award-on-the-move

You’ve probably seen this ridiculousness already if you pay attention to the EPL, but we haven’t mentioned it yet on this site.

Stoke City, in their first Premier League season since the 80s, is sitting at 12th in the table right now with 14 points in 12 games. And without midfielder Rory Delap, there’s not telling where the club would be.

Delap has a God-given ability to throw a soccer ball harder, lower and longer than you’ve ever seen in your life. Seriously, if he had taken up baseball I bet his fastball would be untouchable. Whenever Stoke gets a throw-in anywhere past midfield, Delap’s rocket-slinging arms send a certified missile into the penalty box that functions as an extremely dangerous free kick.

Not a believer? Well check out this five-minute highlight clip and then get back to me.

Count Arsenal among the first-hand witnesses after Delap’s throws produced both goals in Stoke’s 2-1 victory on November 1. His unusual skill means that defenses have to deal with far more aerial threats each game, which means there are that many more chances for headers, deflections, etc. It’s a keeper’s worst nightmare, and it gives Stoke the ability......read the rest at:

 http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m11d11-The-human-rocket-launcher

Football was meant to be played at Craven Cottage. End of story.

Can it be any more of a match made in heaven? It looks like it could be from the early 1900s (oh wait, it is)…..it has an elegant brick layering on the outside that looks more like that nice vintage house you want to live in when you snag your dream job….it’s small and intimate….it sits in a stunning location RIGHT on the Thames……its fans are vocal, local and passionate.

I was truly impressed by the structure when I stepped inside for today’s match between Fulham and Newcastle. Earlier in the day I had considered bagging out on the idea, but thank heavens I decided to trudge down there for the 4 p.m. kickoff. You could sit and look for hours at The Cottage Pavilion, or the Johnny Haynes Stand with its elegant “Fulham Football Club” sign on the top of the roof. It didn’t shock me to find out that the latter is a classified historic building in its own right. Craven Cottage makes you feel right at home, and no wonder people lament the mega-structures like Old Trafford and the Emirates once they take in a match at a place like that.

Granted, the cold rain sweeping through the stadium kept me on my toes, but it’s impossible not to feel comfortable when you visit this park. I was in the Hammersmith End in the third row and kept finding.....read the rest at:

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m11d9-Watching-FulhamNewcastle-at-Craven-Cottage 

The other bonus of going to Craven Cottage was that I had a front-row seat to check in on American standout Clint Dempsey in his club-team setting with Fulham.

Everything about Dempsey is a little flashy, and that’s not meant as a criticism. As he warms up in a passing circle with several teammates, there’s always a juggle or a few fancy dribbles before he passes it on to the next guy. Afterward it’s a juggling competition with a teammate while trying to do numerous tricks.

On the field, it’s more of the same. There’s a flair to Dempsey’s game that’s fun to watch and that makes him stand out even among his Fulham teammates (and certainly his fellow Americans). When he came on in the 64th minute he immediately made an impact down the right side and flipped a nice little pass through to Andy Johnson in the box for what would prove to be the decisive penalty.

That was the first of several nice moments for Dempsey during his productive stint, which was capped off by a gorgeous little move when he controlled a ball and flipped it over his head before spinning around and beating his defender as he approached the box....read the rest at:

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m11d9-Checking-in-on-Clint-Dempsey-at-Fulham 

With their backs against the wall and the Premier League campaign starting to look shaky, the Gunners delivered a nice little statement to the EPL on Saturday afternoon at the Emirates.

Game on.

Given all the injuries and the awful stretch of play lately, this game against Manchester United easily could have been the latest headache for Arsenal. But despite the lack of a striker, they managed to take advantage of their opportunities and hang on for dear life as the final stoppage time minutes ticked down.

With only Nicklas Bendtner up front, Samir Nasri was a stud in the midfield and ended up with two goals to show for it – although the first was pure luck off Gary Neville’s deflection. But the Gunners were able to utilize their midfield to exploit United with superior spacing several times and counterattack whenever possible. They certainly didn’t control the game, but given the lack of presence up front it was the way they had to win.

And while Arsenal capitalized on their opportunities, United was left to wonder how Ronaldo missed a point-blank volley or Rooney skied a great first-half opportunity over the bar. While playing at the Emirates..........Read the rest at: 

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m11d8-Arsenal-takes-a-stand 

There’s no getting around it, tomorrow’s a big one. Man United/Arsenal never fails to get the juices flowing, and even though it’s still early in the year, that won’t lessen the intensity.

For Arsenal, the season has hit a nice, big two-week rut that is threatening to potentially define the 08-09 campaign. Coming off three disappointing results in a row, Arsene Wenger’s bunch is pretty desperate for a result. And it’s not everyday you hear talk about the man himself quitting, although he has nixed that rumor.

The big problem right now is the injury situation, which doesn’t make things easier against a United team that seems to be finding its form. Check out this article on the problems facing Wenger tomorrow – van Persie out (red card), Adebayor out, Walcott maybe, Gallas maybe, Silvestre maybe, Eboue out.

That doesn’t bode well for the Gunners, but at least they’ll be playing at the Emirates. And we should get some more looks at those exciting young players who have been tearing up the Carling Cup. But fully fit are not, there are no......read the rest at:

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m11d7-Breaking-down-ArsenalManchester-United

While 11 matches played isn’t any normal marking point within a given EPL season, who says you need to reach halfway before doing a little table-wide analysis? Let’s check out a few key developments so far this year and see what might lie ahead.

1) The Big 4 are doing their thing. People might want more parity within the league, but we once again look like we’re heading toward the normal tight finish between the usual suspects. Aston Villa and Hull City both sit tied for fourth with Arsenal at 20 points, but right now only Villa looks like they could make a run at breaking into that select group.

2) Title already looking like a reach for Arsenal. Granted, it’s early. Quite early. But some things start to make you wonder about a team in the long run, and Arsenal’s last couple weeks have started to put those questions into our heads. The four-four draw at home against Tottenham, while a thrilling game, was an absolute disaster from the Gunners’ standpoint. Blowing a two-goal lead at home in the last couple minutes doesn’t bode well for a squad trying to build on last year, when they jumped out to a great start only to falter near the finish line. Even worse, they’ve failed miserably to bounce back from that defeat with a 2-1 loss to Stoke last weekend and then a draw at home to Fenerbahce (who they beat 5-2 away) on Wednesday. And those who read the papers see Wenger getting a bit edgy. You can’t call games must-win at this point, but losing all three points on Saturday at the Emirates to Man United would be rough to say the least.

3) Hard to differentiate between Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool at this point.  There’s no doubt that Man United suffered early from both injuries and a brutal schedule, but they look to be back on track now with an in-form Ronaldo and 21 points with a game in hand. Still, letting Hull back into Saturday’s game wasn’t a very impressive display, and the Reds have had some finishing issues lately (ending with Dimitar Berbatov’s miss last night that could’ve given United the win against Celtic). At this point, Chelsea and Liverpool have looked consistently the best, although both have suffered defeats in the last few weeks (Chelsea to Liverpool and Roma, Liverpool to Tottenham). Chelsea can’t be pleased with the 3-1 loss away to Roma on Tuesday, but they still l........read the rest at:

http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m11d6-Five-talking-points-so-far-from-the-EPL 

I’ve been to some extremely fun stadiums in London so far, but there’s definitely a different feel around Old Trafford in Manchester. Maybe it’s because there aren’t so many teams in the city, or maybe it’s just the history of the club, but there’s a distinctive feel as you get off the tram and march down the hill toward the stadium. It’s something like walking down the Yellow Brick Road with Oz in sight. And even though Manchester is a big city, the stadium sits in a semi-remote area and gives off a small-town vibe, which is nice.

Heading up to watch Saturday’s Hull City game, I wondered what the feel of the stadium and the club itself would be. Manchester United is obviously a global brand, and you can’t escape that feeling when you enter the team megastore in next to the stadium. You can buy anything and everything with the United logo on it, and it’s impossible to get away from the commercialized aura.

Still, I was surprised to find that beyond the big nature of this club is a very homey feel – even if it is you and 85,000 of your closest friends on a Saturday. From all the people hanging out on the road enjoying a pre-game pint to all the fathers leading their sons (with a Ronaldo jersey on, of course) down the hill to Old Trafford, you really get a sense just how much this city cares about this club. It borders on religion, and the fanaticism obviously won’t be leaving family bloodlines any time soon......

read the rest at: http://www.examiner.com/x-642-Soccer-Examiner~y2008m11d5-A-look-back-at-Saturday-from-the-stands-of-Old-Trafford