Typically, the fans of North American-based sports are not the same fans of soccer, although that is changing somewhat.  That said, Sports Opinionated will narrow our focus to just hockey and football (the North [...] No related posts.]]>

As much as I love soccer, especially Serie A and the EPL, Sports Opinionated has been a confusing read for our fans.

Typically, the fans of North American-based sports are not the same fans of soccer, although that is changing somewhat.  That said, Sports Opinionated will narrow our focus to just hockey and football (the North American kind).  The goal will be to provide a statistically-relevant and in-depth analytical look at both sports, with the usual bad jokes sprinkled in as well.

This doesn’t mean I’ll be ignoring my love of The Beautiful Game.  Pete and I have launched the Pink Shirt Wise Guys site dedicated to Italy’s Serie A , with podcasts, formation analysis, stats and features like our goal of the week.

So, over the next few weeks, you’ll see the soccer articles disappear from here and start popping up on the PSWG site.  If you’re a soccer fan, please come by for a visit!

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My goal when I started was to write 2-3 posts per week on anything that I was passionate about and to [...] No related posts.]]>

Exactly one year ago, I decided to start the Sports Opinionated blog over on Blogger.com.  The goal was to give myself a creative outlet to express my many views on sports, whether misguided or fact-based. 

My goal when I started was to write 2-3 posts per week on anything that I was passionate about and to keep it up for at least a year.  That way, I could find my writing niche and ensure I still liked writing after committing to it for that long.  Obviously I wanted to pick up some readers and contacts with other writers along the way, which has turned out better than I had hoped for.

We didn’t exactly celebrate with cake and champagne here at S-O headquarters (aka my house) but we did hit up a beer and barbeque some sausage, which is much more appropriate anyway.

At this point, I can honestly say that writing about sports is something that feels natural to me.  Maybe it’s because I’m just a loud-mouthed former jock who needs to feel like a couch-GM or possibly I’m such a sports-obsessed fan that it further fuels my biggest hobby.  It’s probably both.

Regardless, I can say at this point that writing about hockey, football and soccer are all in my wheelhouse and I’ll definitely keep it up.  That said, there may be a few changes coming here at S-O to help the readers find only the genre of sports they like most, since I realize that it’s a bit of a scattered approach right now.

At the end of this post, I’ve listed my favorite articles from each month the blog has been running.  Hopefully you enjoy reading them as much as I liked writing them.

I also wanted to thank a couple people that have really helped me out in the last year.

Peter Aiello – an author on S-O at times and my co-caster on the Pink Shirt Wise Guys: Italian Soccer podcast.  He’s also the guy I text back and forth with on every major sporting event and helps shape a lot of my sports opinions for better or worse.  Plus, he’s great at ranting, just tune in to the podcast to hear!

Timo Seppa – an author on Puck Prospectus who has personally helped me with articles, understanding hockey stats and has given me some great recommendations to help get my work seen.  Thanks for all the help Timo, especially since our correspondence started just by me liking one of your articles, and emailing you out of the blue.  Timo also has his own blog called Ice Hockey Metrics.

Giancarlo Rinaldi - another established writer who has helped me out and been open to new, less-established contacts.  Giancarlo writes for Football Italia and has his own blog as well.  Hopefully we can have him on as a guest podcaster soon.

Andrew Rothstein - the main editor over at Puck Prospectus.  He was kind enough to accept Timo’s advice and let me post on PP.  He’s let me pick my own topics and has thankfully published everything I’ve sent his way.  Puck Prospectus is the hockey site I most wanted to write for from Day 1 and now I’m getting the chance, which is absolutely awesome.

Gabe Desjardins - runs the statistical hockey blog Behind The Net.  Gabe has been kind enough to answer every email I’ve ever thrown his way about some of the stats tables on BehindTheNet.ca and even posted one of my articles (about Nicklas Backstrom’s contract) on his main blog several months ago.

FOF Crew – The team of guys over at Front Office Fans and Project Franchise has been really fun for me.  I love that they’re trying to get a fan-owned team and support them all the way.  They have a great group of authors and Grant Cohen was gracious enough to let me write over at FOF, even if I haven’t posted much lately.  I better get my butt in gear!

Marty Borotsik - Marty has been a fantastic NFL author hear on S-O and co-hosts the Ultimate Football Talk podcast covering all kinds of NFL-related subjects.  He’s let me join a few times which has been a blast.

My Favorite Articles from the past year on S-O

July 2009 – Part 1 of my NFL Season Preview Series

August 2009 – Part 3 of my NFL Season Preview Series (go ahead, laugh at some of those predictions) and a post about why I’m a soccer fan

September 2009 – My thoughts on the NFL’s Wildcat Offense and also a premature rant about Ronaldinho’s Demise

October 2009 – Liverpool’s use of a 3-man defense and one of my weekly NFL posts.

November 2009 - I thought the Colts should Cut Bob Sanders , Pete writes about Placenta Cures and my post about Thierry Henry’s Hand Ball that knocked Ireland out of the World Cup.

December 2009 – Jason Campbell Love, Frank Gore, NFL Rookie-of-the-Year picks and When Hockey Season Starts for me as a fan.

January 2010 -  Marty wrote a great column about the Phaneuf Trade and I wrote a letter to Jim Caldwell and we kicked off the Dignity Bowl where me, Pete and Marty picked NFL games vs our moms….

February 2010 – My Superbowl Analysis, a rant about “O Canada” and The IOC Being Sexist.

March 2010 – Hockey Gold for Canada and a Statistical Look at the Calgary Flames

April 2010 – Did the Caps Choke or the Habs Step It Up, an in-depth look at Darryl Sutter as Flames GM and Inter Milan’s importance to Italian Soccer

May 2010 – My stat on Attack Rate for Soccer Players, a Tribute to An Italian World Cup Hero and my evaluation of Nicklas Backstrom’s contract extension

June 2010 – My praise for Tim Howard in USA vs Algeria,  my (eventually correct) point that Defoe was better than Heskey for England, Tomas Plekanec’s contract and The Most Intriguing NHL Free Agents

July 2010 – Flames Free Agent Moves and The Potential Departure of Ronaldinho from Milan

Keep visiting and definitely let me know if there are topics you’d like me to write about, suggestions for changes to the site or any other correspondence.  Just email me Ryan@Sports-Opinionated.com or leave a comment on this post.

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For 21 million Euros, he brought two seasons [...] No related posts.]]>

It’s only been a few short seasons since Ronaldinho’s over-hyped arrival at Milan.  He arrived with a lot of fanfare at a club that needed to sell tickets and jerseys. He was brought in as much for his fame as his talent, which had been dwindling at Barcelona.

For 21 million Euros, he brought two seasons of his huge grin and fancy footwork, along with vision and passing.  In his first season, he was largely ineffective playing with Kaka, and in his second he led the offense, although only at his pace.

When we examined his attacking impact at the end of the season, it actually surprised me how effective he was.  After all, I was the same guy who skewered him after only a couple games last season.  The difference was that he became more of a playmaker spraying passes to Pato on the far side and crosses to anyone he could find in the box.

Ronaldinho is an entertaining player who genuinely seems happy to be playing and definitely gives everything he has, as long as it’s in the offensive end.  That said, he’s not a good fit for the new Allegri-run Diavolo, and that’s why Milan is considering letting him leave to Flamengo.

Reports everywhere on the internet are suggesting that Ronie has agreed to personal terms with Flamengo and now only the two clubs must agree.  The move gives the dribbling dynamo a chance to return to Brazil, while Milan will be able to shed his immense salary to make way for younger players.

As someone who watched ~90% of Milan’s games last year, I can tell you one thing about our beloved ‘Dinho.  He needs the ball at his feet to feel good.  He can’t make a one touch pass and sprint to open space, it just doesn’t feel right to him.  He’s transformed himself into a player who is famous for his dribbling, so he feels that he NEEDS to dribble.  It’s become a part of his play that he can’t bypass, even when it hurts the team.

Allegri likes to play an up-tempo, counter-attacking style.  The current version of Ronaldinho is the born nemesis to a counter-attack, because it involves sprinting and quick passes.  Leonardo learned quickly last season that for Milan to thrive with ‘Dinho and Pirlo as their main creative forces, that they needed to play a methodical, possession-driven game.

The other concern for Milan, is the Brazilian’s lack of defensive responsibility.  Against Manchester United in the Champions League, he was consistently beaten by Gary Neville, who could hardly be considered an offensive threat.  Watching teams like Germany, Spain or the Netherlands in South Africa, it’s obvious how important the defensive responsibilities of wing players are.  Ronaldinho doesn’t have the stamina or willingness to provide that type of cover to his teammates.

If Allegri is to implement the system he desires, then rumors of acquisitions like Lucas Podolski make a lot of sense as they simultaneously provide pace and youth at the same time.  A trident of Pato, Borriello and Princy Poldy would surely give Allegri the firepower he needs.

If Ronie really does leave the San Siro, it will probably be in the best interest of both parties, but it will also be a sad event.  He re-discovered his game last season, but unfortunately it might not be good enough to thrive at the highest level.

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We just published another Pink Shirt Wise Guys podcast, so you’ll be able to get a recap of the key points from the past matches and [...] No related posts.]]> There were 4 great games on the weekend that provided us with some fantastic action.  Now we’re down to only four teams and two games over the next two days.

We just published another Pink Shirt Wise Guys podcast, so you’ll be able to get a recap of the key points from the past matches and some insight into the upcoming match-ups of the Netherlands vs Uruguay on Tuesday and Germany vs Spain on Wednesday.

Listen here on the player, on Podbean or subscribe on iTunes.

If you want something to read that will explain, how the last matches turned out, check out these game recaps from Zonal Marking

Holland-Brazil

Uruguay-Ghana

Germany-Argentina

Spain-Paraguay

Enjoy the games!

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Unfortunately, the overtime match between Uruguay and Ghana ended in some controversy.  With the score level and a mere 30 seconds or so left on the clock, [...] No related posts.]]>

After watching a thrilling comeback by the Netherlands yesterday to knock Brazil out of the World Cup, most fans were treated to yet another riveting finish to a game.

Unfortunately, the overtime match between Uruguay and Ghana ended in some controversy.  With the score level and a mere 30 seconds or so left on the clock, Ghana assaulted the Uruguay goal.  Uruguay striker, Luis Suarez used his hands to knock the ball off the goal line.  The ref called the play correctly, giving Suarez a red card and awarding a penalty shot to Ghana.  Controversay followed anyway.

Here’s the thing, the ref called this play perfectly.  The rule is meant to punish the player severely, so that his team gives up a penalty (quite often a goal) and is forced to play a man down for the rest of the game.  In most situations it is an incredibly powerful deterent.  However, with no time on the clock, it’s not as much.

Jump to the 2:15 mark of this video if you want to see the play.

Given the situation, it was an incredibly smart play by Suarez.  I’m not saying it was fair to Ghana, just smart by Suarez.  FIFA may need to change t rule for the final 10 minutes of a game to avoid the same type of play in the future.  I also feel terrible for Asamoah Gyan since he has carried Ghana’s offense for the entire tournament and doesn’t deserve to go out like that.

Here’s where I start getting irritated.  As I read on Football Italia, FIFA would like to ban Suarez for the rest of the World Cup.  Given his red card, he’s already banned for the next match, but would be eligible for the final.

FIFA has consistently botched the reffing in this World Cup, especially with the lack of replay on goals.  They missed the Lampard goal for England and could have reversed a goal Carlos Tevez against Mexico.   Instead of being introspective, however, the pompous group of soccer’s ruling body is deciding to extend a ban on a play that was called correctly.

Here’s my thought on this.  If FIFA was so hell-bent on righting the world of soccer’s sporting wrongs, why wasn’t Thierry Henry banned for controlling a ball with his hand, scoring, and celebrating as if everything he’d done was OK?  Why didn’t FIFA go on a streak of righteousness then?  Why didn’t FIFA allow the game to be replayed then? 

Do me a favor and watch the video above and then watch this video.  Makes you feel as if you’ve just stepped in dog sh*t on a Parisien sidewalk, doesn’t it?

If you’d like to read my full view on the Henry incident after it happended, just click here.

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