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LOS ANGELES, California - What do you do when with several weeks to go in the league your favorite team is no longer a contender for the trophy you so want them to win? Do you still pay attention to the tournament with the same interest? On those days football loses just a little bit of that luster for you, doesn’t it? It isn’t always like that. The last two weeks in league football around the world proves that the thrill doesn’t have to end with your team’s fortunes.
Being a long-time supporter of Arsenal, the excitement of a title chase ended months ago. It ended all too suddenly in a week and a half in late February and early March as the Gunners were denied any chance at three trophies: the FA Cup, the Champions League and the Carling Cup. A week and a half. With the exception of Holland’s inevitable exits at the latter stages of any international finals this was probably one of the worst feelings for this supporter. I suppose that one can be thankful that the pain was inflicted all at once, rather than in a slow, step-by-agonizing-step fashion. Like a cold, hard slap in the face. You are finished! Move on!
Ok, so that’s over and done with. Time to look forward to the next season. August will be here in no time. It’s now time to examine what the team can do for the remainder of the season. There’s always hope. And there are other leagues to follow.
In the final week of April eyes were firmly fixed on Holland’s Eredivisie, which was coming to a climatic finale. Then this weekend we were witness to cliffhangers in three other major European leagues. In the German Bundesliga, Schalke 04, Werder Bremen and Stuttgart were fighting tooth and nail to retain and attain the lead in the penultimate day of competition. In Spain’s La Liga, Barcelona held on to a tenuous two point lead over mortal enemies Real Madrid with Sevilla nipping at their heels, and Valencia very much within striking distance. In England, with the title already firmly in the hands of Manchester United, it was a battle at the bottom; a fight to stay in the Premiership. Wigan, Sheffield United and West Ham were determined not to be relegated to the Championship. A similar situation exists in Italy’s Serie A with even more teams fighting to avoid relegation.
HOLLAND
The Dutch Eredivisie has always been viewed as a second-tier league in Europe. A league where Dutch stars are made and where future international stars come to gain experience and exposure (think teenage Ronaldo). A league that is known more for producing and selling talent than a destination for big name players. There is no denying, however, that Holland is where you will find plenty of exciting, attacking football, and goals galore. This season saw much more: a heart-stopping race to the finish involving three teams.
Coming into March, PSV Eindhoven held a seemingly unassailable double-digit lead over the rest of the field. What followed were two draws and two losses, including a humiliating drubbing at home to rivals Ajax, who, along with AZ Alkmaar, were quickly making up ground with victories. Ten points lost for PSV. In a dream situation for neutrals, it all came down to the final day of competition with AZ, Ajax and PSV all tied on 72 points. AZ had the superior goal difference, followed by Ajax, then PSV. With a win on the final day, Alkmaar would walk away with their first title since 1981. What a fantastic way to celebrate their brand new stadium. AZ and Coach van Gaal, unfortunately, must have lost the script somewhere along the way because, in a shocker, they failed to defeat lowly Excelsior, falling by a score of 3-2. And then there were two.
By the final day, Ajax and PSV were separated by a mere goal in goal difference. Ajax faced Willem II. PSV took on Vitesse Arnhem. It was now a shootout where the two protagonists would have to fight it out in separate stadiums. With a 2-0 win at Tilburg Ajax had reason to be confident. PSV, however, were busy squeezing every bit of goal left in them, squeaking past Ajax to the top of the table with a 5-1 rout of Vitesse in front of their home crowd. The title winner arrived courtesy of a strike by the venerable veteran of the Oranje, Philip Cocu. With the slimmest of leads, PSV retained their Eredivisie title on a goal difference of +50 to Ajax’s +49.
GERMANY
One point separated each of the protagonists going into round 33 of the Bundesliga. Schalke led with 65 points, followed by Stuttgart on 64 and Bremen on 63. Schalke had good and bad statistical history in their favor. Schalke had not lost to Dortmund in nine years. The bad? Schalke has a knack for leading the league only to lose the title in the final day. In this Battle of the Ruhr Valley Schalke choked once again. Dortmund put an end to the winless streak against their rivals beating Schalke 2-0. Meanwhile, Werder Bremen failed to gain ground at home, losing 1-2 to Eintracht Frankfurt. The opportunity was there for the taking in Bochum and Stuttgart obliged in a thrilling 2-3 victory. The race once again goes down to the final day. This time Stuttgart has destiny in their won hands. Next Saturday, both face bottom half opponents. Schalke will need a big win over Arminia Bielefeld, coupled with a Stuttgart loss to Energie Cottbus to have any chance to take the title. The odds clearly favor Stuttgart who could lift the trophy with a draw. You have to feel sorry for Schalke supporters. So close, yet so far - again. Maybe this time, not being so close will make it easier to take.
ENGLAND
In England Manchester United were looking to cap their triumphant season with a win over a West Ham desperately in need of a point or three. Out of the relegation zone at the start of the day, a loss would still see them back down in the Championship a year after one of their best seasons in the Premiership. Sheffield United sat two points ahead of West Ham and would have been safe with a draw at home to Wigan. Sheffield and Wigan had their fates in their own hands. The odds against West Ham were clearly not in their favor. They had to face the champions at Old Trafford, the formidable home of Manchester United. Yet, despite the odds, the Hammers, in the role of party poopers, pulled off one of their greatest victories, thanks to the talismanic Argentinean, Carlos Tevez. Meanwhile, in Sheffield, the glory was all Wigan’s. Their 1-2 win over their hosts kept them in the top flight and sent the Blades down. The margin on the Premiership table between the two? One goal. One goal in goal difference separated Wigan and Sheffield United.
SPAIN
For much of the La Liga season FC Barcelona listed at the top of the table. The Blaugrana looked on course to a consecutive title. After the Spanish winter break things didn’t look so rosy. Barca appeared to have taken their foot off the pedal and were in curiously poor form. Sevilla, close throughout most of the season was closing the gap. Valencia was never far behind. Real Madrid, despite an indifferent season and the brouhaha over David Beckham’s signing with the LA Galaxy were always hanging around. By round 34 this last weekend, two points separated every team in the top four. Barca maintained their lead still. Madrid had taken over second spot from Sevilla and Valencia was at 59 points. On Saturday Real Madrid came back from two goals down to defeat Espanol 4-3 in an exciting match. Sevilla got their job done by dispatching Recreativo 2-1 at home. On Sunday, Valencia defeated their closet rival to a Champions League spot, Zaragoza, 2-0. That left the pressure firmly on Barcelona. And they cracked. Amid whistles of discontent from the home supporters Barca walked off the Camp Nou with a 1-1 draw to Real Betis. As a consequence, Real Madrid takes top spot (head-to-head results are counted over goal difference in La Liga). With four rounds remaining, Barcelona’s title hopes rest on more than just winning their own matches. Because of their inferior head-to-head record this season, they must hope that Real Madrid slip up as well. Two and four points is all that separates Sevilla and Valencia, respectively, from the leaders. One cannot discount their chances either.
In the United States, single table competition is not enough for league organizers. Major League Soccer stands by the playoff system and will likely resist the single table for the foreseeable future. This season in Europe we are being treated to the best of single table league football as the season comes to an end. One can only hope that MLS executives are paying attention. Unless your interest is solely on one particular team in one particular league, you cannot help but be excited by the very tight races both at the top and bottom of the various leagues. You don’t even have to watch them on television to be excited. The web has transformed how many follow football outside their home countries. I remember following the 1978 World Cup in Argentina on the short wave band of my radio, mostly in a language I could only understand as it related to Tagalog – Spanish! Short wave was also how I kept up with the leagues overseas.
Football is way too beautiful to be wasted on one team or one domestic league. Despite none of my teams figuring in the races I’ve talked about here, my interest has not waned. If you’re not paying attention to what’s going on in the rest of the world you’re missing out on the best football has to offer. So come on and surf that net. If, God forbid, you ever lose your ISP connection or you get caught in a brownout there’s always short wave radio. Nearly thirty years after Argentina ‘78, I still have one at the ready.
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