2009-10 Champions League - Let the Games Begin

The 2009-10 UEFA Champions League begins today, so I hope you’re ready for a revamped Real Madrid squad to take on Inter Milan!!! Okay, it’s way too early for any matchups like that, but the tournament really does begin today with the first qualifying round, featuring four champions of smaller European leagues. If you’re like me, you don’t know anything about these clubs, so I looked some stuff up. I’ll share it with you so you don’t have to.

Matchup 1: Hibernians FC (Malta) vs. FK Mogren (Montenegro)

Leg 1: Hibernians FC (home) June 30
Leg 2: FK Mogren (home) July 8

Hibernians comes to us from Paola, Malta. Its Maltese championship is its first in seven years. It won the title by finishing two points ahead of Valletta after a championship playoff. The playoff tournament ended on May 24 with Hibernians holding Valletta to a 0-0 draw to hold on to its two point lead and the title. The last time Hibernians was in the Champions League it advanced to the second qualifying round where it fell to Portugal’s Boavista. In the first round of that tournament, Hibernians defeated Ireland’s Shelbourne. Hibernian’s other claim to fame, I suppose, is that it was Manchester United’s first round victim in the 1967-68 Champions Cup, which Manchester United went on to win, giving Hibernians the Breakfast of Champions status.

Mogren hails from Budva, Montenegro. The Montenegrin First Division is only three years old and this is Mogren’s first title. The title was won by finishing the season four points better than defending champions Buducnosi Podgorica. Today’s match will be the first-ever Champions League match for Mogren. Mogren did, however, participate in last season’s UEFA Cup, losing to Israel’s Hapoel Ironi in the first round.

Matchup 2: SP Tre Fiori (San Marino) vs. UE Sant Julia (Andorra)

Leg 1: SP Tre Fiori (home) July 1
Leg 2: UE Sant Julia (home) July 7

With five championships, Tre Fiori has won more Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio than any other club, despite the fact that this is Tre Fiori’s first title since 1995. To win the title, Tre Fiori defeated Juvenes/Dogama on penalty kicks twice to win the double-elimination championship tournament. Not only is this Tre FIori’s first trip to the UEFA Champions League, it is, as far as I can tell, its first trip to any major European competition.

Sant Julia, on the other hand, is an old hat in European competitions. Although this is its first trip to the Champions League, it has played fourteen matches in European competitions over the past decade. The good news is that they have experience. The bad news is that the experience hasn’t been good thus far. In its fourteen matches, Sant Julia has lost thirteen, drawing once, and has been outscored 7-60. Domestically, Sant Julia is coming off its first Campionat de Lliga in four years, winning the title by finishing two points ahead of defending champions Santa Coloma.

That’s it for the first qualifying round preview. Learn these clubs well because it is unlikely that any of them will survive past July. I’d say something cliché like stranger things have happened but frankly, they haven’t.

World Club Rankings - Top 25 Clubs in the World - 1986

Next up on our countdown of World Club Ranking seasons is 1986. The 1985-86 season is known, in part, as the first season of the English Premier League’s banishment from European football, which severely hurt them in the rankings eventually, though English clubs still managed to hold their own in 1986.

For the second year in a row, however, the top ranked club in the world did not come out of England, or anywhere else in Europe. The title of WCR Team of the Year for 1986 belonged to Argentina’s River Plate, It took over a quarter century, but River Plate finally won its first Copa Libertadores title in 1986, defeating America de Cali 2-1 in Colombia and 1-0 in Argentina to take the title.

With the English clubs out of the European tournaments, the Spanish clubs started to rear their heads again, reaching the finals of each of the three major European tournaments, though only one proved successful in the final. In the UEFA Champions Cup, Steaua Bucuresti took advantage of a relatively easy draw to work its way to the final against Barcelona, which was held in Sevilla, Spain. After playing to a scoreless draw, Steaua managed to defeat Barcelona 4-2 on penalty kicks to bring the title to Romania for the first, and thus far only, time. Atletico de Madrid fared no better than their compatriots in the final of the 1986 Cup Winners’ Cup, losing to the Soviet Union’s Dynamo Kyiv 3-0 in the final. A Spanish club did walk away with a cup, however, as the UEFA Cup was taken by Real Madrid after a high-scoring battle with West Germany’s FC Koln, winning 5-3 in aggregate after scoring five goals at home in the opening match.

Elsewhere in the world, Egyptian clubs swept the titles in Africa as Zamalek took its second African Champions Cup in three seasons by defeating Cote d’Ivoire’s Africa Sports 4-2 on penalty kicks after a two-legged final and Al-Ahly defeated Gabon’s AS Sogara 3-2 in aggregate to take the African Cup Winners Cup. LD Alajuelense brought the Copa de Campeones y Subcampeones title to Costa Rica, defeating Suriname’s SV Tranvaal 4-2 in the final. Finally, in the first Asian Club Championship, Japan’s Daewoo Royals defeated Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli 3-1 for the inaugural championship.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – 1986

1. River Plate (Arg) – Copa Libertadores-Champions; Only Number One ranking.
2. Steaua Bucuresti (Rom) – Champiosn Cup-Champions; First Top 25 ranking.
3. Liverpool (Eng) – Tenth consecutive Top Five ranking.
4. Juventus (Ita) – CC-QF.
5. Bayern Munich (FRG) – CC-QF; Eighth consecutive Top 25 ranking.
6. Anderlecht (Bel) – CC-SF; Final Top 25 ranking.
7. Everton (Eng)
8. Argentinos Juniors (Arg) – CL-SF; Final Top 25 ranking.
9. Barcelona (Esp) – CC-RU.
10. Roma (ita)
11. Werder Bremen (FRG) – UEFA Cup-1R.
12. West Ham United (Eng) – Only Top 25 ranking.
13. Sportul Bucuresti (Rom) – Only Top 25 ranking.
14. America de Cali (Col) – CL-RU.
15. Sao Paolo (Bra)
16. Nacional (Uru)
17. Real Madrid (Esp) – UEFA-Champions.
18. Newell’s Old Boys (Arg) – First Top 25 ranking.
19. Manchester United (Eng) – Fifth consecutive Top 25 ranking.
20. Guarani (Bra)
21. Napoli (Ita)
22. Universitatea Craiova (Rom) – CWC-2R; First Top 25 ranking.
23. Tampico-Madero (Mex) – Only Top 25 ranking.
24. Puebla (Mex) – First Top 25 ranking.
25. Penarol (Uru) – CL-1R; Final Top 25 ranking.

Past Final Season Top 25s: 2008 ,2007, 1985, 1984, 1983, 1982, 1981, 1980, 1979, 1978,1977, 1976, 1975, 1974, 1973, 1972, 1971, 1970,1969, 1968, 1967, 1966,1965, 1964, 1963, 1962, 1961,1960

Weekend Soccer Television Schedule - 27/28 June 2009

The world of football gets quieter and quieter as it always does this time of year, but it’s not silent because, well, there’s always SOMETHING going on, isn’t there? This week, there are two major items of note. The first comes out of South Africa. The Confederations Cup third-place match and championship both take place on Sunday. In the consolation match, top-ranked club in the world Spain will take on hosts South Africa. A few hours later, in the final, the United States will have to come down from the hangover of its 2-0 victory over Spain to take on Brazil in a rematch of a group stage match that Brazil won handily. Of course, as the Spain – USA match already has demonstrated, anything can happen.

The other match of note taking place this weekend occurs in Colombia. On Sunday evening, Once Caldas will host Junior Barranquilla in the second leg of the Copa Mustang – I finals. Once Caldas currently holds a 2-1 lead, scoring a victory in its away match a few days ago.

There are other assorted matches this weekend. The entire television schedule is below. I can’t wait for August. Have a great weekend!!!

Saturday, June 27, 2009

3:00 pm – Corinthians at Atletico Paranaense (GolTV)
7:30 pm – New York Red Bulls at Columbus Crew (FSC)
8:00 pm – Tigres at Chicago Fire (TeleFutura)
10:00 pm – San Luis at Chivas USA (TeleFutura)

Sunday, June 28, 2009

9:00 am – Spain at South Africa (ESPN2, ESPN 360, Univision)
2:30 pm – United States vs. Brazil (ESPN2, ESPN 360, Univision)
3:00 pm – Santos at Palmeiras (GolTV)
4:30 pm – Atlas as New England Revolution (TeleFutura)
6:30 pm – Santos Laguna at Kansas City Wizards (TeleFutura)
7:00 pm – Once Caldas at Junior Barranquilla (GolTV)
8:00 pm – Guatemala at Mexico (Telemundo)
10:00 pm – Los Angeles Galaxy at Houston Dynamo (ESPN2, ESPN 360)

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - Copa Libertadores Semifinals Edition

It’s time for a new WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World ranking. This is the first one in three weeks and if you follow only European clubs, then there is little reason to pay too much attention to this week’s edition because it is primarily the same for those clubs as the final weekly edition was three weeks ago.

The changes in the current edition of the WCR Top 25 involve the South American clubs and they derive from two primary sources. First, the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores concluded in the past week with the following four clubs advancing to the semifinals: Gremio (Bra), Cruzeiro (Bra), Nacional (Uru) and Estudiantes (Arg). These clubs are all awarded Super Bonus Points for this accomplishment; however, with none of these clubs doing particularly well in their national leagues (though Nacional currently is facing Clausura champion Defensor Sporting for the Uruguayan championship), the super bonus points are having only a minimal effect on the rankings.

The other change comes from Brazil. As explained before, until leagues finish week five of their schedules, the previous season’s results are still accounted for in the calculations. Since our final weekly ranking, the Brasileirao Serie A has moved from week four to week seven, so the 2008 results have been removed from the calculations and the results have jerked those clubs around on the charts. Gone is Sao Paolo and in is Atletico Mineiro, who currently is in first place in Brazil.

The results of the new calculations are found below. We will be back with another WCR Top 25 after the completion of the Copa Libertadores semifinals. Until then, this is what we have.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – June 22, 2009

1. Barcelona (Esp) (1)

2. Manchester United (Eng) (2)

3. Chelsea (Eng) (3)

4. Arsenal (Eng) (4)

5. Liverpool (Eng) (5)

6. Inter Milan (Ita) (6)

7. Wolfsburg (Ger) (7)

8. Atletico Mineiro (Bra) (NR) – Atletico has started off the Brasileirao Serie A season very well, going undefeated in its first seven league matches, including a 3-2 away victory against Santos this weekend. Coming Up: Over the next two weeks, Atletico will face Gremio Barueri and Botafogo in Serie A matches.

9. Real Madrid (Esp) (9)

10. AC Milan (Ita) (10)

11. Porto (Por) (11)

12. Bordeaux (Fra) (12)

13. Bayern Munich (Ger) (13)

14. AZ Alkmaar (Ned) (15)

15. Juventus (Ita)) (16)

16. Marseille (Fra) (17)

17. Sevilla (Esp) (18)

18. Rangers (Sco) (19)

19. Atletico de Madrid (Esp) (21)

20. VfB Stuttgart (Ger) (22)

21. Gremio (Bra) (14) – With a 0-0 draw against Caracas FC at midweek, Gremio advanced to the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores by virtue of its away goal, where it will face Cruzeiro. Coming Up: In addition to its Copa Libertadores semifinal matchup with Cruzeiro, Gremio will play Atletico Paranaense and SPORT Recfe in Brasileirao Serie A play.

22. Sporting CP (Por) (23)

23. Huracan (Arg) (NR) – With one match remaining, Huracan defeated Arsenal de Sarandi 3-0 to maintain its narrow lead over Velez Sarsfield in the Argentine Clausura. Coming Up: Everything. Huracan takes on Velez Sarsfield in the season finale next week in an away match. With a win or draw, Huracan will take the Clausura title. If Huracan loses, the championship belongs to Velez Sarsfield. High drama, indeed.

24. Everton (Eng) (24)

25. Twente (Ned) (25)

Bubbling Under (alphabetically): Celtic (Sco), Estudiantes (Arg), Genoa (Ita), Lyon (Fra), Olympiakos (Gre).

Next Five: Ajax (Ned), Benfica (Por), Fiorentina (ita), PSV Eindhoven (Ned), Velez Sarsfield (Arg).

WCR Weekend Soccer Television Schedule - 20/21 June 2009

Even now, during the off-season, we still have football on television during the weekend. There’s not nearly as much, and it may not be as important (though that is debatable), but it’s out there if you need it. Frankly, I need it.

The highlight of the weekend, of course, is the final group stage matches of the Copa Libertadores. I think that the universal common knowledge heading in was that the semifinalists would be Spain, South Africa, Brazil and Italy, and that still may be the case, but Egypt’s victory over Italy on Thursday certainly has introduced some unexpected excitement into this final weekend. The second most, let’s say interesting, competition of the weekend is the first matchday for the Superliga, the annual battle among clubs from the United States and Mexico.

Finally, there will be various other western hemisphere matches on various channels on your television. Enjoy them all and have a great weekend!!!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

2:30 pm – Spain vs. South Africa (ESPN2, Univision, ESPN 360)
2:30 pm – Iraq vs. New Zealand (TeleFutura, ESPN 360)
3:00 pm – Palmeiras at Atletico Paranaense (GolTV)
4:30 pm – San Jose Earthquakes at Los Angeles Galaxy (ESPN2, ESPN 360)
8:00 pm – San Luis at Chicago Fire (TeleFutura)
8:30 pm – Columbus Crew at FC Dallas (FSC)
10:00 pm – Tigres at Chivas USA (TeleFutura)

Sunday, June 21, 2009

2:00 pm – Defensor Sporting at Nacional (GolTV)
2:30 pm – United States vs. Egypt (ESPN2, TeleFutura, ESPN 360)
2:30 pm – Brazil vs. Italy (ESPN, Univision, ESPN 360)
4:30 pm – Atlas at Kansas City Wizards (TeleFutura)
4:30 pm – Colombia Copa Mustang Semifinals – TBD (GolTV)
6:30 pm – Santos Laguna at New England Revolution (TeleFutura)
7:00 pm – Colombia Copa Mustang Semifinals – TBD (GolTV)
9:00 pm – Internacional at Flamengo (GolTV)

Thursday Morning Soccer Shorts - 18 June

North Korea and Saudi Arabia just needed a draw to help both teams advance and guess what they got. Iran just can’t seem to catch a break anywhere at the moment. [Yahoo! Canada]

Meanwhile, South American clubs also were benefiting from scoreless draws as Nacional (Uru) and Gremio (Bra) both used scoreless draws to advance to the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores. [USA Today, Goal.com]

There were no scoreless draws in the Confederations Cup and, surprise, surprise, Spain has locked up a spot in the semifinals. [CNN International]

The 2009-2010 Premier League schedules have been released. I’m going to be in London for the first time on September 12 and would like to go to the Tottenham Hotspur/Manchester United match. If anybody has any advice or ideas on how I can get a ticket, and you wouldn’t mind helping a brother out, leave me a comment or drop me a line. [Barclay’s Premier League]

While we’re at it, the 2009-2010 Ligue Un schedule has been released and I’m going to be in Paris for the first time on September 19. Any advice on scoring a ticket to the PSG/Lyon match on that day would be greatly appreciated as well. [Ligue 1]

Wednesday Morning Soccer Shorts - 17 June

World Cup qualifying returns in Asia where eight clubs play their final group stage match. With one match remaining, three of the eight have qualified for the 2010 World Cup and all of the other five still have a chance. Too many possibilities to discuss here, but no job is too big for Wikipedia. [Wikipedia]

Jesus arrives in Lisbon. In exchange for € 700,000. [Soccerway]

Following up on David Villa’s Spanish civil war, Franck Ribery starts his own in England. [Telegraph]

Speaking of transfers, how is Real Madrid financing one of the largest shopping sprees in soccer history? Heavy debt? What could possibly go wrong? [Fox Sports]

It seems everybody is previewing today’s Confederations Cup matches between the United States and Brazil and New Zealand and South Africa. I think I like FIFA’s best. [FIFA]

Photo: Reuters.

Tuesday Morning Soccer Shorts - 16 June

I am not surprised at all that seven goals were scored in the Brazil/Egypt Confederations Cup match. I am surprised that three of them were scored by Egypt. [Guardian]

In the other Confederations Cup match, United States natives outscored Italian natives 3-1. Even when the U.S. wins, though, it loses. [Fan Nation]

In transfer news, it seems like Jose Mourinho is hoping for a reunion at Inter Milan. I’m guessing that Shevchenko will not be invited. [Daily Mail]

Also in transfer news, David Villa finds himself in the middle of a Spanish civil war, so to speak, as Barcelona and Real Madrid fight each over him. [The Star Online]

But then again, who the Hell isn’t fighting to get David Villa? [Telegraph]

Photo: Reuters.

World Club Rankings - Top 25 Clubs in the World - 1985

Of course, 1985 will always be known more for the Heysel Stadium disaster, in which 39 fans lost their lives and hundreds more were injured shortly before the final of the European Cup, than for the final itself. In the wake of that tragedy, European powerhouses Liverpool and Juventus played a controversial match in which the only score was a Michael Platini penalty kick that gave Juventus a 1-0 victory and the championship. The team across town from Liverpool had a little more success, winning the Cup Winners Cup, defeating Rapid Wien 3-1 in the final. These were the last hurrahs for some time for English clubs in European action as they were banned for five years as a result of the Heysel disaster. Finally, in the UEFA Cup final, Real Madrid and Hungary’s Videoton traded away victories in the championship legs, with Real Madrid finishing with a 3-1 aggregate victory.

Neither Juventus nor Liverpool managed to follow up their continental success with domestic championships. A South American club, however, did manage this feat and it helped to put that club at the top of the annual rankings in 1985. In a final for the ages, Argentinos Juniiors and America de Cali each won 1-0 victories at home in the two-leg final and then played to a 1-1 draw in the playoff match in Asuncion, Paraguay. After each club hit their first four penalty kicks, Antony de Avila missed and when Mario Videla didn’t, Argentinos Juniors had won the Copa Libertadores.

Elsewhere around the world, Defence Force from Trinidad & Tobago won its first CONCACAF Copa de Campeones y Subcampeones in 1985, defeating Honduran club Olimpia 2-1 in the aggregate in the final. Olimpia’s semifinal opponent, Aurora, was the defending Guatemalan champion coming into the tournament and became the first, and thus far only, club from Guatemala ever to finish in the Annual Rankings. Africa also saw a first-time champion as FAR Rabat from Morocco defeated Zaire’s AS Bilima 6-3 in the two-leg AFC Champions Cup final. Meanwhile, the perennial powerhouse Al-Ahly won the AFC Cup Winners’ Cup in 1985 with a 2-1 aggregate victory over Leventis United.

The way all of the action shook out in the final season rankings is identified below. (Note: Because the quarterfinals of the 2009 Copa Libertadores will conclude this week, we will be back next week with an updated WCR Weekly Ranking.)

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – 1985

1. Argentinos Juniors (Arg) – Copa Libertadores- Champion; Only Number One ranking.
2. Liverpool (Eng) – Champions Cup- Runner Up; Ninth consecutive Top Five ranking.
3. Everton (Eng) – Cup Winners Cup- Champion; Highest ever ranking.
4. Verona (Ita) – Highest ever ranking.
5. Bayern Munich (FRG) – CWC- SF; Seventh consecutive Top 25.
6. Bangu (Bra) – Only ever ranking.
7. Juventus (Ita) – CC- Champion.
8. Ferro Carril Oeste (Arg) – CL- 1R; Highest ever ranking.
9. Torino (Ita) – Highest ever ranking.
10. Tottenham Hotspur (Eng) – UEFA Cup- QF; Highest ranking since 1962.
11. America de Cali (Col) – CL- RU; First ever ranking.
12. Werder Bremen (FRG) – UEFA- 1R.
13. Penarol (Uru) – CL- SF.
14. Manchester United (Eng) – UEFA- QF.
15. Aurora (Gua) – CdC- SF; Only ever ranking for Guatemalan club.
16. Inter Milan (Ita) – UEFA- SF.
17. Estudiantes (Arg) – Final ever ranking.
18. Sampdoria (Ita) – First ever ranking.
19. Cobreloa (Chi) – Final ever ranking.
20. Barcelona (Esp) – CWC- 1R.
21. Brasil (Pel.) (Bra) – Only ever ranking.
22. Sport (Bra) – First ever ranking.
23. Borussia Monchengladbach (FRG) – UEFA- 2R.
24. Southampton (Eng) – Final ever ranking.
25. Atletico-MG (Bra) – Final ever ranking.

Past Final Season Top 25s: 2008 ,2007, 1984, 1983, 1982, 1981, 1980, 1979, 1978,1977, 1976, 1975, 1974, 1973, 1972, 1971, 1970,1969, 1968, 1967, 1966,1965, 1964, 1963, 1962, 1961,1960

Weekend Soccer Television Schedule - 13/14 June 2009

With the European season over (no offense Russian Premier League), and no international World Cup qualifiers going on, the slow football schedule begins. That’s not to say, however, that there aren’t highlights; it’s just that there aren’t that many matches out there to watch.

What are the highlights? The biggest matches take place in South Africa as the 2010 Confederations Cup gets underway on Sunday with South Africa hosting Iraq. The matches will be broadcast in the U.S. on ESPN2 and ESPN. GolTV will have its weekly collection of South American matches, featuring action from Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia. Also, though it’s not on the schedule because the matches have already taken place, the midweek South American World Cup qualifiers finally will be shown on free television in both English (Setanta USA) y espanol (ESPND).

That’s it. There will be time to get out and enjoy some nice weather (provided you live in a place where the weather will be nice), so have a great weekend!!!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

2:00 pm – Central Espanol at Nacional (GolTV)
5:30 pm – Vitoria at Internacional (GolTV)
7:30 pm – Tolima at Once Caldas (GolTV)
8:30 pm – Houston Dynamo at FC Dallas (FSC)
9:30 pm – La Equidad at Boyaca Chico (GolTV)

Sunday, June 14, 2009

6:00 am – CSKA Moscow at FC Moscow (Setanta USA)
10:00 am – Iraq at South Africa (ESPN2)
2:00 pm – Liverpool at River Plate (Simulcast) (GolTV)
2:00 pm – Defensor Sporting at Juventud (Simulcast) (GolTV)
2:30 pm – New Zealand vs. Spain (ESPN2)
3:00 pm – Chivas USA at Columbus Crew (TeleFutura)
4:00 pm – Gremio Barueri at Goias (Delayed) (GolTV)
4:00 pm – Boca Juniors at Racing (FSE)
9:15 pm – Rostov at Rubin Kazan (Delayed) (Setanta USA)

Monday, June 15, 2009

10:00 am – Brazil vs. Egypt (ESPN2)
2:30 pm – United States vs. Italy (ESPN)

WCR - National Team Top 25 Roundup

Here at World Club Rankings, as those of you who follow regularly are aware, we aren’t too concerned with the international competitions. We don’t have anything against them, we just like to focus on what we know best, which is club football. When the club football ends, though, what do we do to fill the days? Well, if there’s international play on, we’ll certainly watch it. And this week, there was plenty of international football on the television.

As you know, and if you don’t know you still are likely to be able to figure out from the URL, we here at World Club Rankings rank world clubs in the oft-imitated, never duplicated WCR Top 25 Clubs. We do not rank international teams, but we don’t need to because FIFA already does that for us.

Since the weekly club rankings have come to an end, and since we don’t know what else to do with our Sunday afternoons, what we thought we would do is bring you FIFA’s Top 25 National Club Rankings in a similar fashion as we normally bring you the World Club Rankings – that is to say, we’ll tell you what they did this weekend, what they have coming up in the immediate future and talk about how they stand in qualifying for the World Cup. It’s all in fun. Enjoy!!!

FIFA Top 25 National Teams – June 2009 Update

1. Spain – Weekend: No matches. Midweek: On Tuesday, top ranked Spain will play a friendly against Azerbaijan. Status: Spain has earned its top ranking, following up its Euro 2008 title by winning six out of six World Cup qualifying matches to take a dominating lead over Bosnia/Herzegovina and Turkey in UEFA’s Group Five. Spain will be able to confirm its current status as best team in the world when it participates in the Confederations Cup, beginning next weekend.

2. Netherlands – Weekend: The Dutch club defeated Iceland 2-1 to book its trip to South Africa next summer. Midweek: Holland will host Norway on Wednesday. Status: The Netherlands, with eighteen points from six matches, has clinched UEFA’s Group Nine to become the first European club to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

3. Germany – Weekend: No matches. Midweek: No matches. Status: Germany is currently in first place in UEFA’s Group Four with sixteen points from six matches. The group looks to be a three-way battle between Germany, Russia and Finland.

4. Italy – Weekend: Italy had few problems in dispatching Northern Ireland in a 3-0 weekend friendly. Midweek: In preparation for the Confederations Cup, Italy will take on fellow participants New Zealand in a midweek friendly. Status: The top two clubs in Group Eight are Italy and Ireland, with Italy currently holding the advantage with 14 points from six matches.

5. Brazil – Weekend: Brazil has looked shaky at times in World Cup qualifying, but not this weekend, crushing Uruguay away 4-0. Midweek: It doesn’t get any easier for Brazil this week as it hosts Paraguay on Wednesday. Status: With the three points picked up this weekend, Brazil moved to the top of the South American qualifying table with 24 points from 13 matches. After facing Paraguay, Brazil can look forward to participation in the Confederations Cup.

6. England – Weekend: England’s Group Six qualifying form held as England scored another blowout victory, 4-0 over Kazakhstan. Midweek: England should be able to make it seven in a row when it hosts Andorra on Wednesday. Status: With eighteen points from six matches, England is closing in on securing a ticket to the World Cup, with Croatia being its only competition, and it’s not a particularly close competition.

7. Argentina – Weekend: Like Brazil, Argentina has looked vulnerable during the South American World Cup qualifiers, but a 1-0 victory over Colombia gives Argentina a little bit of a cushion. Midweek: In order to maintain its comfort zone, Argentina will have to be victorious in its midweek trip to Ecuador. Status: The top four clubs in the South American qualifying are within two points of each other, but have a five-point gap ahead of fifth-place Uruguay. This is fortunate for Argentina, who currently is in fourth place with 22 points from 13 matches, because only the top four are guaranteed a trip to South Africa.

8. Croatia – Weekend: Croatia needed points this weekend when Ukraine came to visit, and it walked away with one from a 2-2 draw. Midweek: No matches. Status: With 11 points from six matches, Croatia is in a three-way battle for the second spot in Group Six. Seven points behind England for the lead, Croatia currently has a two-point lead over Belarus and three-point lead over Ukraine, but both of those clubs have a game in hand.

9. Russia – Weekend: No match. Midweek: Russia will play in one of the most important weekend matches when it plays an away match against Finland. Status: Russia currently is second place in Group Four, four points (in one less match) behind Germany. Russia is only two points ahead of Finland, its midweek opponent, for the all-important second place position.

10. France – Weekend: France scored a tight 1-0 victory over Turkey in a Friday friendly. Midweek: No match. Status: France is in second place in Group Seven with ten points from five matches. With fewer matches played than the clubs immediately behind it, France looks to be in good shape for second place, though it maintains a five-point deficit behind first-place Serbia.

11. Portugal – Weekend: Portugal scored a necessary, and predictable, away victory against Albania by a 2-1 score. Midweek: Portugal hits the road again this week to take on Estonia in a friendly on Wednesday. Status: Portugal currently is in third place in Group One, four points behind Hungary and seven points behind Denmark. With only four group matches left, Portugal is at serious risk of missing the 2010 World Cup.

12. Turkey – Weekend: As mentioned above, Turkey fell 0-1 in an alliterative Friday friendly against France. Midweek: No match. Status: Like Portugal, Turkey is in danger of missing out on South Africa as it currently is in fourth place in Group Five, four points behind surprising Bosnia/Herzegovina.

13. Paraguay – Weekend: Paraguay gave up its spot atop the South American World Cup qualifying table after a surprising 0-2 loss to Chile on Saturday. Midweek: The top two clubs in the qualifying table face off on Wednesday as Paraguay travels to take on Brazil on Wednesday. Status: With 24 points in 13 matches, Paraguay currently in second place in the South American table, seven points above the fifth-place World Cup cut-off point.

14. United States – Weekend: Following a midweek 1-3 loss to Costa Rica, the U.S. bounced back to score a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Honduras in Chicago on Saturday evening. Midweek: No match. Status: The United States now heads to South Africa for the Confederations Cup (good luck being in the group with Italy and Brazil) in second place in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying table and in good shape to qualify for another World Cup.

15. Czech Republic – Weekend: The Czech Republic played a Friday friendly against Malta and scored a 1-0 victory. Midweek: No match. Status: With eight points in six matches, the Czech Republic currently is in fourth place in a very tight Group Three and must chase down Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Poland to qualify for the World Cup. It doesn’t look good, but it’s close enough to be competitive.

16. Switzerland – Weekend: No match. Midweek: No match. Status: Switzerland is in second place (by goal differential) in a very tight Group 3, in which the top four clubs are all within four points.

17. Greece – Weekend: No match. Midweek: No match Status: Greece is the club that is ahead of Switzerland in the tight Group Three in which four clubs are vying for the top two spots.

18. Uruguay – Uruguay did what it couldn’t afford to do and lost at home, big, 0-4 to Brazil. Midweek: Uruguay travels to Venezuela to face a club that is doing surprisingly well in South America qualifying. Status: Uruguay currently is riding the bubble, in fifth place (tied with Ecuador, but ahead on goal differential), in a qualifying tournament in which four-and-a-half spots qualify for the World Cup. (The fifth-place club will play a playoff against the fourth-place CONCACAF club.) Thanks to surprising results from Ecuador, Chile and Venezuela, Uruguay is far from being in a comfortable position.

19. Ukraine – Weekend: Ukraine kept its World Cup hopes alive by going into Croatia this weekend and escaping with a point from a 2-2 draw. Midweek: A home match on Wednesday against Kazakhstan is a must-win for Ukraine. Status: Ukraine currently is in fourth place in Group Six, but is only three points behind second-place Croatia and has a game in hand in a group in which the battle for second place behind England should come down to the final matches.

20. Serbia – Weekend: Serbia continued its great qualifying play with a 1-0 victory at home against Austria. Midweek: Serbia heads out to somewhere in the north Atlantic to take on Faroe Islands on Wednesday. Status: Serbia maintains a solid lead in UEFA’s Group Six, holding a six-point lead over France with an extra game played. Currently, Serbia has fifteen points in six matches and is in excellent position to finish, at the very worst, in the top two in the group.

21. Cameroon – Weekend: Cameroon managed only a 0-0 draw at home against Morocco in qualifying action on Sunday. Midweek: No match. Status: Having picked up only one point in its first two of six matches, Cameroon is already five points behind Gabon and its chances of qualifying for South Africa are already appearing dim.

22. Scotland – Weekend: No match. Midweek: No match. Status: With seven points from five matches, the best Scotland can hope for is second place behind the Netherlands in Group Nine. The good news for Scotland is that it is in great shape for that position, though Macedonia and Norway still will challenge. Among the nine second-place clubs, Scotland currently is in eighth place and only the top eight advance to the playoff round.

23. Bulgaria – Weekend: Bulgaria’s qualifying attempt just got a lot tougher after it could manage only a 1-1 draw at home against Ireland. This Week: No match. Status: Although it has a game in hand, Bulgaria now finds itself five points behind Ireland in the battle for second place behind Italy in UEFA’s Group Eight. Hope isn’t lost, but it is fading.

24. Denmark – Weekend: The Danes’ qualifying success continued as Denmark traveled to Sweden and walked away with a 1-0 victory. Midweek: No match. Status: With sixteen points in six matches, Denmark is in first place in UEFA’s Group One, three points ahead of second-place Hungary. With a seven-point lead over third-place Portugal, Denmark should have little problem in finishing in the top two in this group.

25. Israel – Weekend: No match. Midweek: No match. Status: Israel is in fourth place in UEFA’s Group Two with nine points in six matches. Because the group is so tight, with only four points separating first and fourth, the top four – Greece, Switzerland, Latvia and Greece – may still finish in any order, so this one likely will come down to the final matchday.

WCR Weekend Soccer Television Schedule - 6/7 June 2009

The club season is over in most of Europe, and that means that summer is here and football on television will be relatively non-existent. We do, however, get to ease into the transition because this week, there are several international matches, mostly World Cup qualifiers, but a few friendlies, that will be on all over your television set. I still don’t find them as exciting as club action, but they will help control the DTs for a week while I go through club football detoxification process.

Two notes: (1) There will be one WCR Top 25 Club on television this weekend. The Brasileirao Serie A is still early in its season and Avai will host Sao Paolo on GolTV on Sunday. (2) In addition to a match on ESPND on Saturday, all of the South American World Cup qualifiers will be broadcast or re-broadcast on Monday and Tuesday in both English (Setanta USA) and Spanish (ESPND). I’ve added those to this list for your convenience.

Let the international games begin!!! And have a great weekend!!!

Friday, June 5, 2009

3:00 pm – Turkey at France (ESPN 360)

Saturday, June 6, 2009

4:00 am – Iran at North Korea (FSC)
10:00 am – Japan at Uzbekistan (ESPN 360)
11:00 am – Wales at Azerbaijan (Setanta USA)
12 noon – Australia at Qatar (FSC)
12:15 pm – South Korea at United Arab Emirates (ESPN 360)
2:00 pm – Denmark at Sweden (Setanta USA)
2:30 pm – Austria at Serbia (FSC)
2:40 pm – Northern Ireland at Italy (GolTV)
4:30 pm – Norway at Macedonia (Delayed) (FSC)
4:30 pm – Venezuela at Bolivia (ESPND) (Tuesday at 3:15 am on Setanta USA)
8:00 pm – Honduras at United States (ESPN, ESPND, TeleFutura, ESPN 360)
8:30 pm – Netherlands at Iceland (Delayed) (Setanta USA)
9:00 pm – Mexico at El Salvador (Telemundo)
10:00 pm – Colorado Rapids at Real Salt Lake (FSC)

Sunday, June 7, 2009

3:00 pm – (8) Sao Paolo at Avai (GolTV)
3:00 pm – San Jose Earthquakes at FC Dallas (TeleFutura)
6:30 pm – Ireland at Bulgaria (Delayed) (Setanta USA)
8:15 pm – Ukraine at Croatia (Delayed) (Setanta USA)

Monday, June 8, 2009

6:00 pm – England at Kazakhstan (Delayed) (Setanta USA)
9:30 pm – Brazil at Uruguay (Delayed) (Setanta USA) (7 pm on ESPND)
11:15 pm – Colombia at Argentina (Delayed) (Setanta USA) (9 pm on ESPND)

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

2:00 am – Chile at Paraguay (Delayed) (Setanta USA) (1 am on ESPND)
10:30 pm – Ecuador at Peru (Delayed) (Setanta USA) (9 pm on ESPND)

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - Final Weekly Edition 2009

In the words of the immortal philosopher, and professional wrestler, Ric Flair, to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man. Manchester United has been atop the rankings most of the season, following its European and World Club C up championships in 2008. Except for brief periods, Barcelona demonstrated brilliance all season. After falling last season, Barcelona had to prove that it deserved to be called the best club in the world and the only way to do that was to take out the other contenders to the throne.

Barcelona finished at number three in the year end rankings for 2008. The two clubs ahead of it were last year’s UEFA Champions League finalists, Chelsea and Manchester United. This year, after a goalless draw at the Camp Nou, Barcelona’s Iniesta hit a late goal at Stamford Bridge to deliver Barcelona past Chelsea and into the 2009 Champions League final match. In that final, Barcelona faced Manchester United and walked out of the Olimpico Stadium in Rome as the undisputed kings of the (football) world. Manchester United looked great in the first ten minutes, but could not capitalize. When Samuel Eto’o scored Barcelona’s first goal, it definitely against the run of play. From that point on, however, Barcelona never looked back and was the better club for the remaining 80 minutes. Congratulations, Barcelona. Your championship, and first number one ranking on the weekly charts, both were hard-fought and well-deserved.

Elsewhere in Europe, many leagues concluded and may cup championships were staged. Among the weekend’s matches, there were no major surprises. Barcelona and Inter Milan had already clinched domestic titles and Bordeaux, with a 1-0 victory over Caen, did the same. Rangers, Werder Bremen, Porto and Chelsea all won domestic cup titles over weaker opponents and are celebrating tonight.

In Mexico, as I type this, UNAM Pumas has a 2-1 aggregate lead at the 78th minute in the Grand Final of the Mexcian Clausura against Pachuca. Oh, crap, Pachuca just scored on a beautiful free kick. This just got exciting again, all of a sudden. Go Pachuca!!! On the other side of the equator, the major South American domestic leagues continued and the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores got underway.

This is the end of the weekly rankings for this season, but it is not the end of the rankings – in two respects. First, the current rankings will continue at four points during the summer – (1) at the end of the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores (June 22), (2) after the Copa Libertadores semifinals, (3) after the Copa Libertadores has concluded and (4) at some point early in August, when it will be time for the second consecutive pre-season Top 25. Secondly, just because the clubs have the summer off, doesn’t mean that World Club Rankings will enjoy the same. In addition to 2007 & 2008, WCR has brought you annual rankings for each year from 1960 to 1984. During the summer, we will be updating these rankings with regularity and should approach completion. We also will look to add new features during the summer – so if there is anything you’d like to see, let me know.

Enjoy the final WEEKLY rankings of the season and have a great summer!!!

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – June 1, 2009

1. Barcelona (Esp) (2) – What else can be said about Barcelona? With its 2-0 defeat of Manchester United in Wednesday’s Champions League final, Barca put a cap on the first season in La Liga history that saw one of its clubs walk away with a Champions League title, Primera Division title and the Copa del Rey. It also allows Barcelona to move to the top of the weekly rankings, dethroning, once again, Manchester United.

2. Manchester United (Eng) (1) – I’ll just say that you should read the paragraph above re: Barcelona, because that’s the only club that Manchester United played this week. Despite the disappointing ending, it was a great season for the Red Devils, in which it won the Club World Cup, Carling Cup and the Premiership title. Congrats on a great year.

3. Chelsea (Eng) (3) – Chelsea played in the biggest match of the past weekend and took home its second FA Cup title in three years with a 2-1 victory over Everton.

4. Arsenal (Eng) (4)

5. Liverpool (Eng) (5)

6. Inter Milan (Ita) (6) – In a match that went back and forth, Inter Milan was able to end its season on a high note with a 4-3 win over Atalanta.

7. Wolfsburg (Ger) (7)

8. Sao Paolo (Bra) (8) – Unlike the European clubs, the Brazilian clubs are just getting busy domestically, completing week four of the Brasileirao Serie A. Sao Paolo faced off with Cruzeiro twice this week, losing 1-2 away in the first leg of the clubs’ Copa Libertadores quarterfinal matchup, and then winning 3-0 in Serie A action this weekend. Coming Up: By the time the rankings return on June 22, Sao Paolo will have played four more matches. In addition to its home match against Cruzeiro in the Copa Libertadores, Sao Paolo has a home Serie A match against Santo Andre (June 13) and away matches against Avai (June 7) and Ronaldo’s Corinthians (June 21).

9. Real Madrid (Esp) (9) – It’s sad when seasons end like this. After losing to Barcelona with four weeks to go, Real Madrid never really tried again and possibly altered the course of a few clubs’ relegation status because of its failure to care. Real Madrid finished off its season today with a 1-2 loss to Osasuna, thus leaving Real Betis for the Segunda Division next season. Frankly, there has been no reason for you to even bother to show up for your May matches except to accept a paycheck. Good work, guys.

10. AC Milan (Ita) (10) – Milan scored a 2-0 victory over Fiorentina on Sunday, thus assuring it second place in Serie A by virtue of goal differential and dropping La Viola to fifth, behind Genoa. [Correction: Fiorentina advances to next season's Champions League by virtue of its head-to-head performance against Genoa (1-0 victory and 3-3 draw). Also, AC Milan finishes in third based on head-to-head performance against Juventus (2-4 loss and 1-1 draw). Sorry for the confusion and thanks for pointing out the error.] Nice (unreal Madrid-like) finish to the season.

11. Porto (Por) (11) – Porto was one of a few clubs that completed a domestic double this weekend when it scored a 1-0 victory over Pacos de Ferreira to win the Taca de Portugal.

12. Bordeaux (Fra) (12) – With what was going on in Marseille’s match, Bordeaux needed at least a draw to win its first Ligue Un title in a decade. Bordeaux did that one better, scoring a 1-0 victory over Caen to secure the French domestic title.

13. Bayern Munich (Ger) (14)

14. Gremio (Bra) (13) – Gremio went to Venezuela at midweek for the away leg of its Copa Libertadores matchup with Caracas FC and walked away with a 1-1 draw. Over the weekend, Gremio’s rough beginning to the Brasileirao Serie A season continued with a 0-1 loss to Vitoria. Coming Up: Gremio’s home rematch with Caracas FC is scheduled for June 18. Between now and the next rankings, Gremio hosts two Brazilian clubs, Nautico (June 5) and Goias (June 21) and will play an away match against Fluminense (June 14).

15. AZ Alkmaar (Ned) (15)

16. Juventus (ita) (16) – Juve has advanced to next season’s Champions League group stage and finished the season in good form with a 2-0 home victory against Lazio.

17. Marseille (Fra) (17) – Marseille finished the season well, defeating Stade Rennes 4-0 in the season finale, but it wasn’t enough as it fell just short of Brodeaux for the Ligue Un title.

18. Sevilla (Esp) (18) – The third-place club in Spain finished its season with a 2-0 away victory against Numancia.

19. Rangers (Sco) (19) – Like Porto, Rangers was able to put the cap on a domestic double this weekend. Scotland’s cup victory came in the form of a 1-0 victory over Falkirk.

20. Cruzeiro (Bra) (20) – In one, or make that two, of the matchups this week between ranked clubs, Cruzeiro faced off twice with Sao Paolo, winning 2-1 at home in the first leg of the clubs’ Copa Libertadores quarterfinal matchup, and losing 0-3 away in Serie A play. Coming Up: The second leg of the Cruzeiro/Sao Paolo quarterfinal will be held June 18. On the Serie A schedule coming up, Cruzeiro has Internacional (June 7), Palmeiras (June 14) and Gremio Barueri (June 20).

21. Atletico de Madrid (Esp) (21) – Atletico will be returning to the Champions League qualifying rounds following a 3-0 victory over Almeria, which left the club ahead of Valencia and Villarreal in the final Primera Division table.

22. VfB Stuttgart (Ger) (22)

23. Sporting CP (Por) (23)

24. Everton (Eng) (24) – Everton’s impressive FA Cup run fell just short, despite scoring the fastest goal in FA Cup finals history, ultimately falling 1-2 to Chelsea.

25. Twente (Ned) (BU)

Bubbling Under (alphabetically): Ajax (Ned), Celtic (Sco), Genoa (Ita), Lyon (Fra), Olympiakos (Gre).

Next Five: Benfica (Por), Defensor Sporting (Uru), Palmeiras (Bra), PSV Eindhoven (Ned), Velez Sarsfield (Arg).

Upcoming Matches Between WCR Top 25 Clubs
18 June – (20) Cruzeiro at (8) Sao Paolo