Just wanted to say hey to everyone. All the faithful followers. Manchester United got the 09/10 season off to a good start with a 1-0 win over Birmingham. The post-Ronaldo era is upon us. Wayne Rooney and Dimitir Berbatov make a formitable duo up front, now that Tevez is gone. Rooney had the only goal of the game, which came in the 34th minute.
Guam time zone dictates that either I get up between midnight & 6 am to watch the games, or set the dvr. I chose the latter.
I haven't found any other soccer fans here yet, if you know of any, let me know and I'll get a crew together to watch the games.
Hope all is well,
MUINAZ

I was holding my breath for 118 minutes....

Sir Alex Ferguson decided to pull a funny on Matt today, and start roughly 5 guys I've never heard of in their 3rd round Carling Cup match against Crewe. Played at Crewe, in miserable rainy weather, SAF decided this game would be the perfect time to have 5 players have their first 1st team appearance. He was playing with my emotions. Seriously. The game was marred with sloppy midfield play, a lackluster performance from Alan Smith, and the ever-frustrating play of Kieran Richardson.

Ole Gunnar Solksjaer (check it, the spelling I mean), kicked things off with a righteous goal 20 minutes into the first half, negating the piss-poor play by the rest of the team. Man Utd then quickly went right back into full-on lameness; giving the ball away without pressure, and barely holding on, until the 88th minute when.....

Crewe scored to tie it. Damn! I yelled in the basement of my work. Man U showed no signs of aggresiveness, merely content with playing not to lose. One no name gets hurt, another no name comes on, and it's the same old, same old. Alan Smith pulled his head out in the 118th minute long enough to pass to a streaking Kieran Lee on a breakaway, with Lee meeting the ball in full stride to place the ball in the bottom left of the goal. I yelled with joy, ever conscious not to alert my masters upstairs. Game over 3 minutes later, Man U surviving until the next round, where I just learned they will face Southend on an undetermined date.

On a better note, Man U will be facing Bolton this Saturday at 7 AM PST, in hopes of retaining their Premiership lead over Chelsea. The regular starters will no doubt have benefitted from this much needed rest, having played 3 games last week. It should be a good battle, and I'll preview this one in the coming days.

Have a fantastic Wednesday, and I'll tell you how David Sedaris is tonight. Bye for now.....
Matt

It's been a while, but I figured now is as good as time as any to start up this sucka again. Man U is first place in the Premeiership, undefeated in the Champions League, and looking veyr good so far this year.

On a personal note, Melati and I went to our beloved Carlsbad last weekend, and I had the fortunate opportunity to go to Shakespeare's at 4:45 am on Sunday morning, to watch my team take on Liverpool. Short story, a 2-0 win to retain 1st place in the Prem. Long story, Wayne Rooney continued his scoring drought, but was once again instrumental in the pace of the game, with his aggressive play, running around pressuring defenders into errors, and just being the great pain in the ass he can be. Ryan Giggs played magnificantly, he's been a real force this year; when he's not on the pitch, the team lacks focus and intensity. It was great to have him back after sitting out last Tuesday in the Champions League against FC Copenhagen.

Paul Scholes scored the first goal on a cross from the left from Giggs, making his 500th appearance for the Red Devils a more special night. Rio Ferdinand had an amazing goal off of a corner kick, displaying great footwork with both feet to make the sore 2-0 and put the game on ice for the Red Devils.

The atmosphere at Shakespeare was fantastic, it was as close to an English pub as one could get on this side of the pond. The cold, humid air just added to the effect.

Tomorrow, Man U takes on Crewe in the Carling Cup, which Man U won last year, their only silverware of the year. I predict a 3-0 finish, with a bevy of 2nd team players getting much needed first team experience. Alan Smith will probably play, along with Ole Gunner Solsakjer (sp?, I am too lazy to spell check his name right now). They have come on in recent games in the closing minutes, and this match will be a perfect time to get a lot of playing time so they can hone their skills.

It's good to be back, tune in tomorrow for a recap of the game, and maybe some other stories and gossip from the wonderful world of Arizona.
Take care,
Matt

Hey all! I am back for at least one day.

I just watched the UEFA Cup finals, Middlesbrough (England) v. FC Sevilla (Spain, duh!) . The first half, Sevilla dominated possession, with a lot of action in the midfield. They scored on an amazing header that happened in an instant. 1-0 at halftime.

The second half started the way the beginning of the match did, with Middlesbrough trying to pound the ball into the Seville side, with little luck. By the 65th minute, the Seville defense was allowing more space for the Middlesbrough offense, but all of a sudden, Seville scored 3 goals in like 7 minutes and the score ended a 4-0 whooping. It was a very entertaining game to watch, and I enjoyed seeing one of ManU's rivals get spanked.

Spain has the chance to complete the UEFA double, with FC Barcelona facing Arsenal (England), in the Chamapions League final next wednesday. I am predicting Barcelona, and rooting for them, I root for all of the teams in places that Melati and I have visited. Also, Barcelona has the best player in the world (says FIFA) in Ronaldhino, from Brazil. He's amazing to watch, and can perform magic with the ball. Check the game out, on ESPN2 , Wednesday May 17th, 11:45 am PST.

Last Sunday, ManU's season ended, with a 4-0 romp over Charlton Atchletic, a mid-table team from south London. The game's result was nice, seeing how Wayne Rooney broke 2 bones in his ankle in the previous game against league champs Chelsea. All of England cried that night, for the hopes of England winning the World Cup in June in Duetschland have now been greatly reduced. Louis Saha scored, keeping his amazing scoring pace until the end of the season.

There was a bust up between ManU winger Christiano Ronaldo and striker Ruud Van Nistlerooy before the final game, with RVN leaving the graounds before the match even started. It's a shame that the team chemistry is all wacked, and I hope he doesn't leave the squad, as The Sun says he will.

I think I have more posts than you now Kristen, so shock off!

With the Premiership over, with ManU placing 2nd and claiming an automatic qualifying for the group stages of the Champions League next year, I am feeling a little empty sports-wise. Maybe I'll talk about motorsports this summer, mainly IRL, Cart, and Formula 1. We'll see, my wife might puke if i decide to talk about another subject that she absolutely detests.

See you all later, and take care. And rememebr to call you mother's this Sunday!

Another fine weekend in futbol land. Yesterday, while Melati and I were recovering from the epic Kristen/Robb birthday bash, we watched the Man U v. Arsenal game. It was glorious, with ManU winning 2-0. The team played very well, with a lot of energy, and thoroughly whipped the Gunners. Wayne Rooney played hard, and was rewarded with a goal, and Ji-Sung Park scored his first Premiership goal, that was set up by the hard work of Rooney. Van Nistlerooy started the game ahead of Louis Saha, and had a couple of opportunities to score, but his shots went wide.

The defense never let Arsenal get open looks in the ManU half of the field, and the midfielders played a united effort, and seemed to gel passing-wise. Overall, the team looked great.

Unfortunately, Chelsea won their game earlier on Sunday, so no points were gained in the title race, but I have to say I am still psyched for the end of the season, it just means every game down the road is that much more important!

I am going to close until tomorrow, but to all of you, take care!

Well well well. It seems that I have a blog named after me. Check it out here. It was created by a big fan of Manuinaz, and will no doubt be a hit in the blog community.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled blog....

Tomrorrow, 8 am Arizona time, Manchester United take on Bolton Wanderers on PPV cahnnel 501 (in Phoenix). I suggest everyone check it out. Man U are battling to stay in 2nd place, and Bolton look to shore up another midtable finish in the Prem. Gererd Pique, 18 year old Spaniard, who played well last game, will probably start again at right-back in lieu of Gary Neville, who I learned this morning is not up to fitness. I won't tell you who told me, but they rhyme with ISPN. I believe Ruud VN will start again, he needs to get up to game performance, which he is well on his way, after scoring the only goal last Wednesday against West Ham. The Red Devils will be looking for another great performance in midfield, and need to get some cohesiveness in the back 4, particularly Vidic and Evra, who are looking to learn the Man U ways of Premiership defending, being the newbies to the team.

The official Matt game prediction, Man U 4- Bolton 1.

There are a bevy of other games taking place in the Prem, I suggets you go here if you want the low down.

On a lighter note, we will all be going to Salty Senorita's in Scottsdale tonight to celebrate Kristen's fun, nameless friend being in town, so drop on by! 5:30 till sunrise! See you all there, and Go Red Devils!

2 days in a row! Yeah baby, bring it!

Ok, this will be a very quick post, I have a dumpload of work to do today. Maanchester United won 1-0, with my man Ruud V.N. scoring right before halftime. It was good to see Ruud starting again, and wearing the captain's armband, for Gary Neville was sitting the night out. The team played well, they started slow, with West Ham dominating possession, but the midfielders, O'Shea, Fletcher, Ji-Sung, and Ronaldo taking control halfway through the first half and it was lights out from there.

Last night, Melati, Dwayne and I went to Ra @ Kierland for some sushi, drinks, and good convo. It was a blast as usual, then Dwayne retired and we met Robb and Jet and work friend at Acme for a quick hello, then off to hang with Roman(our dog that i Have never mentioned before on this blog, hence the explanation), which will be getting his full share of the parental units tonight. Can't wait to watch dvr'd shows too.
I will preview upcoming matches tomorrow when I have some breathing room, take care Melati and O!
M