Europa League Final

On the eve of the inaugural Europa League final I still have no idea why they changed the name of Europe's second tier international club competition. And it doesn't really matter. This edition is actually pretty attractive to me. I don't support either Fulham or Atletico Madrid, but I am glad to see those two teams in the final. There are several appealing things to each of them. They both live in the shadow of glamour clubs in European capitols, both make due with comparatively modest resources. Fulham has a history of welcoming Americans which I think is kind of cool and I truly enjoy watching Atletico's lethal duo of Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan.

Sometimes it is difficult to see where a club is going and when you look back on a moment after some years have passed you see it in a totally different light. That said I feel like Atleti and Fulham are in very different places. Fulham arrive in the final after a grueling 10 months of qualifying, group stage, and knock-out rounds in addition to the two domestic cups and the intensity of the Premiership. And through it all I get the distinct feeling that Roy Hodgson has built something that can be sustained. A mixture of players that are likely to remain at the club and continue to move up the Prem's challenging rungs, even if it done in small steps.

On the other side is Atletico Madrid, a club that has flirted with the elites in Spain the last few season but has come to the realization it is not in the same orbit as Barcelona and Real Madrid. Their decline (although not a collapse to be fair) in performance this season both in Europe and in the league is due in large part to the thin squad they were able to afford. There are some superstars in the side but the roster is not as complete as you would expect from a team that has been in the Champions League the last two seasons. There is very much a sense that one or more of the Atletico's big names will be in a different shirt come August. This coming week in which they will contest a Europa League Final as well as a Copa del Rey might be the closing chapter on a good run. With the money one of their big guns can bring in (my guess is Aguero is the most likely) they can bring in a set of players around which to build a new core.

Although I haven't studied these teams closely I have a general sense of what will happen in Hamburg tomorrow. Fulham are disciplined and hardworking. Physical but with a considerable amount of skill with which they move the ball around. Schwarzer has had some bloopers in goal but in general he is solid and the defense in front of him do a good job. As of today it was uncertain whether Bobby Zamora and Damien Duff will play. If they do not Fulham's attack will suffer. The deal with Atletico is this: a lot of goals. They can score a lot of them, but concede a lot as well. There are times when some of the guys in the back pull it together but it is kind of a crapshoot.

Just for kicks I am going to say Atletico in a wild one 4-3.

Play In Wednesday

As I predicted Lyon won at home, although I thought Anderlecht would give them a game instead of folding 5-1. And Atletico Madrid got a 3-2 win at Pana, which I predicted as well. I was able to catch most of that game and it was pretty interesting. Atletico have some lapses in defense and it cost them twice, but in the attack they are extremely dangerous. Forlan and Aguero's goals showed what makes elite strikers elite. Although the home team made a valiant effort to fight back and got within a goal, this series is over. Not just having to win in Madrid against a superior team but having conceded 3 goals at home make it essentially impossible.

This is the first season the Champions League is being seen on Fox Soccer Channel (here in America) instead of ESPN. This is both good and bad. The good is a more comprehensive coverage package with pre and post games and a nightly highlight show. The commentators are very good as well. Although there were some good guys calling the games on ESPN the harmless but insufferable Tommy Smyth will not be missed by Pitch Itchy. The bad is the lower profile the tournament will have stateside on its new home. The core soccer fan will not think twice about this but for the casual fan or the curious potential fan (of which there are many after the eventful summer of soccer in America) the likelihood of stumbling on a Champions League game on FSC while flipping channels and being drawn in are significantly less than they were when it was on ESPN. Also, and this is pretty big for me, most bars and restaurants constantly have a TV locked on ESPN, making it easy to duck out of work and catch a game under the guise of a "late lunch" then return to work. Many of these places have super-duper TV packages and if you pester the bartender enough you are probably going to get to see the game, but it is not as accessible as ESPN.

Whatever, that is all minor detail stuff. The 2009-2010 season is here!