Fern Mc Costigan

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Once again, the Hull City Tigers are back in Premiership

Welcome back to the excitement of the Premier League Hull City, as Steve Bruce and his Tigers are back in the big circuit after a hard fought win against a hardened Owls of Sheffield Wednesday. By being, back to play against the big guns of the Premier League was a Mission Accomplished declaration by Hull City Manager.

Who perseveres endures and with the Tigers, their statement and all-around efforts throughout the Championship campaign, despite the competition in this league, Hull City finished in fourth place with 83 points.

With a ways to go and knowing of their fate after first place Burnley, followed by Middleborough both sealed their pass automatically to Premiership. With four squads left in Brighton- Hove Albion, Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City.

The race for this last spot focused in a two way playoff matches between Sheffield Wednesday against the favorites Brighton- Hove Albion and Hull City going against Derby County. After these squads staged their postseason play, two squads emerged victorious and poised to go for the ultimate of glories held in Wembley Stadium.

With Hull City by the way of dispatching the Rams of Derby County and the same story became of Sheffield Wednesday by upsetting an all-around favorite in the Seagulls of Brighton- Hove and Albion, the Championship final was set for May 29.

As the big day arrived with these two squads date with destiny, one squad and its Manager Carlos Carvahal and his Sheffield Wednesday chaps being ready to make the big jump to the big league. Still one major obstacle was on their way and it was the Tigers, but one thing the Owls did not lack was spirit and a fighting attitude.

Where do I start to tell you about this match being a much-disputed one in every minute played by both of these titans, unlucky and desperate both in a way of trying to score the winning goal which became a nightmare for both of these squads Bosses. In a way after the second half in its entirety was shaping into a possible PK shootouts,

something that, everyone in both squads was trying to prevent.

Still these squads delight us to an excellent match all afternoon long and with one on one duel between both of these squad’s goalies, making all sorts of heroic and spectacular saves to maintain the score at zero.

Until the 71^st minute when a play sent to the area cleared by an Owl player from the area and recovering the volley was Robert Snodgrass who passed to Mo Diame who sent a 30 yard shoot whistling past the Owls goalie Westwood for the winning goal!

Despite Sheffield Wednesday all around attempts to penetrate the posts defended by the Tigers Jakupovic, with one play after another fighting for the possession of the ball, seeing a their efforts at the end in just another heartbreak.

For Hull City Manager Steve Bruce considered a sort of talisman or specialist in promotion of squads in the case of Birmingham and now Hull City, netting his forth promotion. In getting his Tigers back into the main event and once again seek the challenges of it.

One thing Steve Bruce encounters is another obstacle in his continuance at the helm of Hull City, with the current owner in Egyptian businessperson Assem Allam currently ill and seeing the prospects of selling the club. A move that for Steve Bruce is a sort of a takeover by an American investors group, his future is a bit doubtful.

At the end, this is for Manager Steve Bruce and his actions speak loudly than words and with a CV as impressive as his do, maybe we can see his imminent return to the helm of this club it should not be a doubtful but an assuring one. Who else but Bruce delivered in this campaign at once the ticket for promotion, a playoff shield and a hefty and prolific amount of £184 million pounds?

Welcome back to Premiership Hull City AFC Tigers and Steve Bruce!

Photo Credit and Property of ©Associated Newspapers Getty, PA and Reuters 2016

Photo Credit and Property of Getty and Telegraph Media Group 2016

Photos Credit and Property of © Copyright Premier League. com 2016

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Friday Night Soccer: DC United vs Sporting Kansas City

It is not nice to mess with Mother Nature- this after a lighting storm provoked a two-hour delay in Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City.

Nothing but a déjà vu between these two clubs, since the move of SKC to the Western Conference, putting in evidence the high levels of competition and rivalry still seen, whenever these two squads meet.

With DCU just arriving in the morning hours to KC after the weather was not too cooperative, Peter Vermes and his SKC Boys thought this could been a step to lose the bad streak his club is enduring lately. For the Nation’s capital squad Manager Ben Olsen was a great day after seeing his stellar Keeper return and maybe turn the tide for their best.

Still for SKC Boss Peter Vermes seeing his squad experiencing a seven-match skid in ten matches played, his club was in need of a positive outcome in this match so it could start an incentive to start a streak for his Wizards.

Something put in evidence for the Sporting club their hunger and ambitious game that all afternoon saw a local squad seeing in disbelief of how their luck was not there when they came knocking in the posts defended by DCU Bill Hamid.

With shoot that many could assure a score, the great wall of DCU was one full of wondrous miracles.

In this weekend, matches many of Major League Soccer squad is playing with a patch up lineup after their players were part of their national team call up for the Copa America Centennial organized in US soil.

Despite the SKC constant pressure over the visiting DC United chaps, the capital Boys really endured the pressure and its backfield alongside many heroics performed by keeper Hamid, the perseverance became the best ally of the visitors at the end.

Another positive for the DCU squad was the debut of Sierra Leone striker Alhaji Kamara, who showed up his mettle and ambition as a future starter for his squad with a brilliant play that became the game winner.

As SKC Boss saw in disbelief how Kamara took his backfield and goalie for a spin, on a play at the end by taking that became the opportune one and netted his squad three golden points in the road.

Photos Credit and Property of SKC and Jill Toyoshiba KC Star 2016

Photos Credit and Property of © Copyright Major League Soccer. com 2016

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

The Red Bulls dominance in the Big Apple Derby

It looks like the New York Red Bulls have a certain dominance over their cross the pike rivals, the NYCFC. With another Derby held between these two squads looking over to see who will have the utmost bragging rights.

The overall winners at the end were the always-hardened Red Bulls, showing off their mastery and totally overwhelming their hosts in their home at Yankee Stadium. This win puts their record of four wins and no losses since these so called cross the Hudson showdowns started.

On another edition of the Big Apple Derby, that always sees an unforgettable passion and its much disputes between these squad’s players since the NYCFC inception to MLS last campaign. Still with a much-leveled initial eleven, the Boys of Patrick Viera with its all-star players rested under his instructions, before this match.

At the end, his strategies failed horribly after seeing an in operant and controlled David Villa not making his usual playmaking spectacle and for Andrea Pirlo little he did to contain a furious push from the rivals painting the match red.

With the damage seen by the Blues Boss in his first year at the helm, by seeing, his squad endures a total carnage by an ambitious and hungry visiting squad. In control in the entirety of the match and setting the tone in every play that turned up to be a score, painting this match all red.

A disaster for the locals in the home that Ruth built, although this is a new version and if the Bambino lived and followed the game and understand it, he end up throwing up after his squad endured a catastrophic afternoon in an all-around visitor’s goal fest.

With an inspired team captain in Dax McCarty who stated before this match of his squad one of a kind conviction to win this match and play it like it was like a final. The results spoke for them with a 7-0 rout, making this Derby was a one-side show.

Especially seeing how a NYCFC defensive side and its goalie all around meltdown from a Red Bulls squad poised to continue its mastery and continue their winning ways over the American version of the Sky Blues.

Considered this a one sided rivalry and so far a disastrous one for the NYCFC.

Despite the star power from the NYCFC and its ownership that is poised to bring the best to the Big Apple in excellent soccer, the irony of this story is the fiasco that so far has contributed to one of this squad player. After a multimillion deal and so far his contributions to his squad have been null, Frank Lampard by far considered the biggest busts in MLS history.

Since his arrival from Manchester City in Premiership, this player has been always in the DL and little he has contributed to the NYCFC, after that hefty price tag paid for his services that have not rendered anything to his club and MLS.

On the other side of the coin, for the NYRB Boss Jesse Marsch, this was a joyous day and one that saw the potential of his Boys exploding with a score not even thought of by anyone. Still with a couple of scores from Dax McCarty and Bradley Wright- Phillips each, followed by Alex Muyl, Gonzalo Veron and Gideon Baah.

With this win, the Red Bulls placed themselves in third place within two points of the Philadelphia Union and one behind their cross-town rivals the NYCFC. A very valuable win for the NYRB and now prepare for another Derby now against their cross the border rivals the TFC.

As a final thought this squad played with hunger and all around pride to continue their mastery of their cross the Hudson rivals, great show by Jesse Marsch pupils.

Photos Credit and Property of New York Red Bulls 2016

Monday, May 23, 2016

Three is enough for the PTFC on a sound win in the Cascadia Derby

Dubbed by Major League Soccer as rivalry week and showing all weekend long with one of kind competitions between squads that can take it to the ultimate of limits. Being among one of these matches the always-contested main event of the Cascadia Derby between the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps.

After a hurtful loss back in BC Place, the Timbers were ready to outplay and dominate their Cascadia foes at home in Providence Park. Alongside of trying to end their three game losing skid, that started in the Canadians venue. Will you call it payback or getting even, the case was to put an end to odd results.

Not today and especially in our home, was the statement and great performance seen by a hardened Timbers squad, determined to net a win and in a very convincing way, something seen with an inspired initial eleven.

For Timbers Manager Caleb Porter showing off with a 4-2-3-1 formation that saw the return of Diego Chara and Ben Zemanski in the starting lineup and despite the absence of Adi, number 99 Jack Mc Inerney got the starting nod as the lone striker. Defensively, the Timbers Boss only change in his backfield was in left back with Jermaine Taylor getting the start up call in place of Chris Klute.

As before the start of the match, the Timbers Army unveiled a Tifo, making a reference to an old movie about Mars attack on earth- the Army as always showing up their ingenuous side with a simple message of dominating the Canadian menace.

Something that the more than 21, 000 in attendance were in delight of a bacchanal of four beautifully crafted goals or fest whatever you want to call it. As the local Timbers had an arsenal under their sleeves coming to this match and with an all-around scoring frenzy.

By seeing how a sort of homecoming turned sour for former Timbers defender Pa Moduh Ka, who became a hero for the PTFC with his two boo- boos, his first one with a tackle inside the area against Mc Inerney for a PK. Here Diego Valeri did the honors to open up the score in the fourth minute.

With a reluctant, Jack Mc Innerney doing his best to impress his Boss after the opportunity of netting the starting role, he sure did his job all afternoon long, pestering the likes of the Caps backfield. It was an afternoon for number 99 never letting his guard down and keeping the posts defended by Caps David Ousted at bay.

Still the work by the PTFC Boys was not concluded, as the second goal scored by Mc Inerney via a brilliant pass from Lucas Melano inside the area and taking down the Vancouver defender Kendall Watson for the 2-0 in the 29^th minute. So far, in the last matches for the Timbers winger Lucas Melano is getting better and better and his plays are becoming so valuable.

The visiting Caps did put on a fight and put a couple of goals in the scoreboard in the 49^th with Kekuta Maneh and in the 82^nd via a PK from Pedro Morales. Those scores were not sufficient for Carl Robinson chaps to mount a comeback as the game was already on the Timbers pockets.

With the match in the 49^th after the Canadians, side score, the buck did not stopped for the locals as their hunger and desire of scoring was evidently, when opportunity came knocking at their doors. When in a play inside the area courtesy of a handball in the area and you guess by Pah Moduh. Who despite his teammates protest to the official, went into his deaf ears.

There we saw an act of kindness or true camaraderie, when many thought that Diego Valeri was going to take the PK, he instead opted for giving it to troubled Dairon Aspirilla, his chance to redeemed himself and converting it into the third score of the match at 3-1. As the fourth score came via direct shoot via Darlington Nagbe, putting the icing on the cake and assuring the win.

As the PTFC showed off finally their pedigree and chivalry, today's win considered a very important one and maybe starts elevating the levels of optimism for players and Manager alike, going into their next two compromises. Playing at Chicago and returning home to play the Quakes before the Copa America break.

For Manager Caleb Porter hopes are pinned in a winning streak that will start their momentum and move up the table and above the red line. Seeing a recovery in his backfield, still they need that match with a clean sheet.

Very well start to play as the defending champions and with a healthy roster, this squad will be one hard to beat and once again working hard in doing the best they do, to win!

Photos Credit and Property of Portland Timbers Football Club and Craig Mitchelldyer 2016