EURO 2012 Qualifiers kick off with wonder-goal by Altintop

This has been an international break which has provided us with plenty of new info, and after this break, the return to the domestic seasons are very much welcomed. While there are so many small story-lines zipping around like Cassano being back, France losing to Belarus at home, Cypress getting a 4-4 draw against Portugal, Portugal losing to Norway, England getting into their groove, and Scotland first in their qualifying group, above Spain!

Yes, so much to talk about, and there will be so much which I'll probably miss, but let's start with this amazing goal by Hamit Altintop. A wonder-volley which helped Turkey win 3-0 against Kazakhistan, and right now their group has Germany first, Turkey second (both at six points), Austria third with three points, and Belgium, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan all at zero points. 


Here's the goal below, I certainly think that it's the best I've ever seen: so much power and precision, just to shoot a ball like that from the corner boggles my mind, but to place it where he placed it, absolutely wonderful.




I hope you liked that...

Now, moving on to other matters, Italy have finally found their form again with a 2-1 comeback win against Estonia and a 5-0 demolition job against the Faroe Islands. Cassano was instrumental in both games, getting two goals (one of which a fantastic powerful shot), and a sublime back-heel assist. It seems like not only has Cassano found his form again, but so has Italy, and the 2006 World Cup champions now find themselves comfortably in first place with six points, two points ahead of second placed Serbia.

Probably the other big disappointment at the World Cup found a way to make us laugh again, I'm talking about France. Les Bleus found a way to lose 1-0 to Belarus at the Stade de France in Paris, a goal by Kislyak in the 86th minute made every Frenchman hold his head in his hands, realizing that the Domenech might still be looming over the team. Luckily enough, the French team did find a way to win away against Bosnia-Herzegovina, with Benzema smiling for the first time in about two years after scoring. Malouda scored the other goal as France now find themselves fourth in their group a point behind first placed Albania.

Sweden have returned to winning, a 6-0 win against San Marino with Zibra's return to the National team helps them move up to first in their group E. They're ahead of the Netherlands by goal difference, who only thrashed San Marino 5-0, shame on the Oranjes who will also be interestingly be missing Robin van Persie (aka weakling), and Dirk Kuyt (aka clueless). The Arsenal man will be missing about 6 weeks, and the Liverpool forward could miss around 4 weeks. Two big losses for their clubs, Arsenal will lose their main striker yet again, and although I called him clueless, Kuyt does cover a lot of ground as he sprints around the field chasing the ball better than most dogs would do.

These Arsenal boys go down like fleas

Fabio Capello seems to have found the perfect formula for England, no Terry and no Lampard, the midfield has been free for Gerrard, and the entire team is just happy that Terry is gone. First England waltzed to a 4-0 win over Bulgaria at Wembley Stadium, with Defoe scoring a hat-trick thanks to Rooney who set up all of the goals, and newcomer Adam Johnson also scoring. Then England defeated Switzerland 3-1 away from home, with Rooney getting on the scoresheet, along with Adam Johnson yet again, and Darren Bent near the dying minutes. Sadly there were some casualties Walcott and Defoe were stretchered off, Walcott will miss two weeks, but Defoe will miss six. There's also the injury of Michael Dawson to be taken into account, who has been ruled out for up to six months, good thing Spurs picked up Gallas, a smart move by Harry Redknapp.

Not much else to say in context to the European Championship qualifying of 2012, although it should be mentioned that Portugal have decided to be the new France as they drew 4-4 against Cyprus at home, and then lost 1-0 to Norway. They find themselves bottom last in their group with one point, a great start for Cristiano Ronaldo and the rest of his Portuguese buddies.

I have to mention that Argentina defeated the World Champions Spain in a friendly, the final result was 4-1. The Spanish team were tired from travelling, and the result really flattered the Argentineans as Spain hit the woodwork about three times and Pepe Reina probably had his worst game ever, and I mean like ever since he started playing. But it shows that maybe, just maybe Maradona wasn't the right guy, and while all of us love him a little bit inside, maybe the Argentinean FA should stick to sane coaches. If you want to read more about Argentina winning against Spain and see the highlights, check out Livin La Liga.

Share your thoughts below if you'd like by commenting, I can't wait for domestic leagues to restart, what about you? BTW Remember to vote in the poll at the top of the sidebar on who you think will win the Champions League, the group stages start soon! Cheers.

Bartek Kalanski selected for Nike The Chance UK trials

Aforementioned in this post, SWU is following Bartek Kalanski's journey in the Nike: The Chance competition. As a young goalkeeper, Bartek has plenty of competition, but if you go on his facebook page and check out his videos, you'll certainly understand why SWU is supporting him! Be sure to like his facebook page as he could become a professional keeper one day, and he's going to get a chance with the Nike competition.

Now Bartek Kalanski has made it to the UK selection, 100 players from the United Kingdom have been chosen (with Bartek among them) and they will face a two day trial the 8th and 9th of September. Only 50 will be chosen to move on to the second day of the trial, and then after the second day, only a handful will move on to the global trials.

At the global trials there will be 100 players (one of which we hope will be Bartek), and then only 8 of those 100 players from around the world will be offered contracts to become part of the Nike academy. From the Nike academy a world of possibilities opens up, and one of those is most certainly to become a professional soccer player.

The UK trials will take place at Barnets FC training ground, and the players will be staying in the Abbey Mariott Hotel. If you want to see a bio of Bartek Kalanski along with how the Nike: The Chance competition works, check out this post here.

SWU hopes that Bartek has the ability, determination, and luck required to become a professional footballer, but it will be up to him to show it to the world. Good luck Bartek!

Preview of the Concave PT+ Classic

Thanks to the people at Concave, I have the opportunity to review the Concave PT+ Classic soccer boots. These are Concave's top of the line soccer boot, and in this preview I'll talk about what you can expect from these boots, from the new protection technology, to the interesting enhancements it will have on your game. In a couple of weeks, I'll have reviewed the boots, and I'll let you know about how these really work, and in my opinion most importantly, how the boot feels.

I currently use a pair of Nike T90 Laser III's, and as an attacking midfielder/trequartista these are very useful because they provide some protection, along with some features to help you out with passing and shooting. But Concave's boots takes all of this to a whole new level, whether it be protection, shot accuracy, or shot power.

Concave's biggest technological advancement in these boots has to be the Concave Component, the front plate covering the laces. This component is part of the MetaGuard, which is made of a flexible layer of TPU and reinforced cushioning foam which protects against occurring metatarsal injuries. It certainly looks like if nasty defender stomps on your foot while you're wearing these boots, you won't feel much.

But the Concave Component also provides probably the coolest feature of these boots: as you can see, it's made with the impact of kicking a ball in mind. The concave upper "cups" the convex ball, giving you plenty of benefits, especially when taking shots. In fact, Concave have found out that in independent scientific testing, the concave component resulted in 30% improved accuracy! Independent player tests showed that it also provides a 15% increase in power! 

You'll probably be wondering how this is possible, it's because the Concave Component which increases the sweet spot of your foot by up to four times. As shown in the image on the right, your natural sweet spot is pretty limited, but with the Concave PT+ Classic, the sweet spot dramatically increases. The Concave Component also makes sure that you don't have laces in the way, which can disrupt your shot accuracy.

While I still have to find out whether this works as well as  is said, the prospect certainly seems really exciting.

As for the other technologies in this boot, there's also what Concave calls, the SBS, or Shank Balance Stabilizer. This is on the bottom of the boot, between the upper part of the studs, and the heel section of the studs (I'll be sure to get a picture of it in the review). What this aims to do, is to provides support and reinforcement to the mid-foot area, helping control balance between the front and rear of the foot. The SBS prevents an over extension of the middle of the boot, and if this occurs, it can lead to metatarsal bone damage.

Concave PT+ Classic cleats in black

It's quite obvious that Concave want to make the safest and most injury-proof boots on the market, and they haven't left out any important details. The PT+ offers probably one of the most important things for me in a soccer boot, good quality materials. For the upper, Concave have used K-leather, which is in my opinion the best type of material that a company can use for cleats. It should be comfortable, snug, and provide no irritation like blisters, so that's certainly an aspect I'm looking forward to.

I can't wait to test out these cleats and see how they work, expect a full review talking about all these things and more in the next few weeks. There'll be images and more which will help you understand how the cleat helps enhance your game. There's plenty of more information on Concave's site, so if you're interested in finding out more about Concave's cleats, check out their website here.

Serie A and La Liga start with Barcelona and AC Milan winning

Now the world's top football leagues have kicked off: The Premier League continues to be dominated by Chelsea, Barcelona pick up where they left off in La Liga, and AC Milan romp to first place in the Serie A. Soon enough the transfer window will close, and as last minute deals are beginning to be strung together, teams need to begin to returning to their last season's stride, or else.

A very nice goal from Berbatov

In England, Chelsea continue their winning streak as they defeat Stoke City 2-0, not conceding anything as their goal difference remains an impressive +14. Manchester United also remain strong with a 3-0 victory with Rooney scoring a penalty and Nani and Berbatov scoring. Tottenham suffer a 1-0 loss to the hands of Wigan after having qualified for the Champions League against Young Boys, and Manchester City were defeated by Sunderland after they thrashed Liverpool 3-0 last week. Everton continue their bad run after losing to Aston Villa, and Liverpool managed a 1-0 win thanks to Torres against West Brom. Arsenal had some difficulty but defeated Blackburn 2-1 away at Ewood Park with Walcott scoring yet again as Arsene Wenger continues to play him as a central striker instead of a winger.

Barca players celebrating the first goal

In Spain, Barcelona defeated Racing Santander 3-0 with no trouble after letting Ibrahimovic leave and go to AC Milan. A glorious chip by Messi accompanied by Iniesta and a David Villa header helped Barcelona set the tone to the new La Liga season. Real Madrid on the other hand had trouble when they went to Mallorca, Jose Mourinho's side could only manage a 0-0 draw after Higuain and Ronaldo missed some important opportunities. The other half of Madrid continued their good form after winning the UEFA SuperCup against Inter Milan, and they defeated Sporting Gijon 4-0 with Forlan netting a double. Villareal lost 1-0 to Real Sociedad and Sevilla won 4-1 against Levante with Konko scoring a double.

Zibra smiling ominously

In Italy, the Serie A was a low scoring affair, only 15 goals were scored in the ten matches played, and four of those came from AC Milan who defeated Lecce 4-0 with no trouble at all. Ibrahimovic was presented at the San Siro to the fans, and he watched his future teammates, Ronaldinho and Pato, orchestrate the destruction of the newly-promoted side. Inter Milan had trouble away against Bologna, and Sneijder's magical free kick taking was met by Emiliano Viviano who between the posts was particularly fantastic. Eto'o hit the crossbar but in the end Inter Milan could only get a point from Bologna. Fiorentina and Napoli drew 1-1, Napoli's goal didn't actually cross the line, Cavani headed the ball onto the crossbar having it bounce onto the goalline, but the ref gave it. In that match D'Agostino scored a wonder-volley to equalize the score, and then Vargas and Blasi were sent off. Juventus were defeated by Bari 1-0, Bari dominated and eventually Donati scored a wonderful goal which sealed Juve's loss.