Is Everyone's Face Asymetrical?

Copa Libertadores 2010, kick off!

The beautiful and exciting Brasileirão 2009 now completed, we can look at the flagship event that will host, on the whole South American continent, the first half of 2010 , in this case the Copa Libertadores, the equivalent of our good (and not so old) European Champions League!

The competition begins on January 27 next, with a turn-off for stalling on a final content of hens, and will end next August after being arrested during one month due to World Cup in South Africa.

We now know the composition of the 8 groups, in which each team will compete in match A / R, which will come the 16 teams that will play the 8th finals, the finals scheduled juqu'à therefore the beginning of August (again in match A / R). 5 Brazilian clubs who will compete themselves out of the draw with varying success:

- The Corinthians Ronaldo, winner of the Copa do Brasil and qualified ... since last May, fell in a group that qualify as "cardboard", with Cerro Porteno, Paraguay champion, the winner of a dual Colombian-Colombano with two teams whose reputation has not crossed the Rio Magdalena, in this case Atletico Huila or Independiente Medellin ... And the last team to be the winner of another barrier between a third Colombian team, Junior of Barranquilla, and Racing Club de Montevideo, Uruguay, then. An easy group, I tell you ...

- The Cruzeiro of Belo Horizonte, the fourth Brasileirão , will play a preliminary round against Real Potosi, whose main asset is its highest point at 3,976 m altitude (the highest in the world!) But the team remains modest Cruzeiro and should invite themselves logically in Group 7, not at all obvious, with Colo Colo, the legendary Chilean club, Velez Sarsfield, who won the championship closure of Argentina and Deportivo Italia Venezuelan good team.

- The São Paulo FC, 3rd in the Brazilian championship, will meet Nacional Asuncion, who won the Clausura in Paraguay this year, Once Caldas, good little team that won the opening tournament Colombia, Mexico and the champion that we know in early January. Group less obvious than the Corinthians, no doubt. And more so than of SPFC tricolor had been the law of Once Caldas in the semifinals of the Libertadores 2004 when the team won the title Manizales Continental Supreme, the surprise!

- The Internacional de Porto Alegre , 2nd of Brasileirão , will play in a group within his reach Cerro Porteno, who won the opening tournament of Uruguay, Deportivo Quito, Ecuador Championship winner, and presumably the second tournament championship closure Argentina Newell's Old Boys of Rosario.

- Finally, the great Flamengo, who won the Brazilian championship heroic 2009 (like I do not seem very objective when I talk about my rubro-negros :), who inherited 'a relatively mild, consisting of the winner of the tournament closing Chile, Universidad de Chile, the best club in Venezuela, the Caracas FC (still), and the winner of the duel between the Colon of Argentina, who faces in Universidad Catolica preliminary match in Chile. But a concentrated Mengao should not pass up the opportunity to go to 1/8th finals !

Ci-cons the coveted trophy will therefore argue that the 32 Latin American team from the end of January! We hear of course in Gooooooooooool !

Short But Big Dresses

Brasileirão 2009: The Honor Roll!

The fragrance of this beautiful Brazilian championship final of 2009 having just evaporated, the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) held as early as Monday, the Museum of Modern Art in Rio, the award ceremony to honor this Brasileirão, completed on the amazing victory for Flamengo. The opportunity was therefore found that any Gooooooooooooool! make an assessment of the championship, 2009 vintage!

After an early evening marked by the presentation of the trophy champion Brazil team Flamengo, and its captain and goalkeeper Bruno (see photo below), the highest price expected was that of "Crack do Brasileirão ", or the coveted title of best player in the league up.

The latter, in a somewhat surprising was attributed to the excellent midfield (and new Brazilian international) Diego Souza (see photo at right). If we do not dispute the quality of the Palmeiras player (which appears on PSG tablets, see here ), its second championship game, like that of his club, was rather disappointing. And I would have rather seen this prestigious award a player for Flamengo, whether Rambo Petkovic, who was driving the incredible turn-back players rubro negros, or Adriano, who ended still best scorer with 19 goals (tied with Diego Tardelli of Atletico Mineiro).

The award for best coach in the league returned to logically Andrade (pictured right), the technician from Flamengo, who was a key architect of the rise of the most popular club in the country during the return phase (recall that it has taken over the team July 15 after 14 days of the championship already, Fla. then being ranked a pathetic 10th place). "It took just one opportunity to show his talent, he has done an outstanding job" said Dunga, the Brazil coach, about Andrade.

Other prizes were awarded as follows:
- Best Goalkeeper: Victor (Gremio), not Bruno (Flamengo), to the astonishment of the latter;
- Best central defender right: André Dias (São Paulo);
- Best central defender left: Miranda (São Paulo) - ending the club's best defense Paulista championship, so logical;
- Top right side: Jonathan (Cruzeiro) - I of course chose Leo Moura ( Flamengo:)
- Top left side: Julio Cesar (Goias);
- Best defensive midfielders: Hernanes (São Paulo) - who was elected "Crack" in 2008, and Argentina Guinazu (Internacional);
- Best midfielders Diego Souza (Palmeiras) and Petkovic (Flamengo) - anyway!
- Best Attackers: Diego Tardelli (Atletico-MG) and Adriano (Flamengo) - The latter having also distinguished by its brilliant absence at the awards ceremony ...
- Revelation Championship: Fernandinho (Barueri)
- And finally: "Crack da Torcida" (stars of supporters): the very good attacking midfielder Fluminense, Conca.

Note however that for the Lance sports daily, the best player in the league is well Petkovic: see here!

Motorcross Birthday Parties

Brasileirão 2009: Flamengo Hexacampeão (6 times champion) and Flu saved!

August 16, 2009: Flamengo, for its last match of the round go the Brasileirão 2009, is corrected by 4-1 Gremio Porto Alegre, and completed the first part of the championship to a pathetic 10th place with 27 points taken in 19 day, and with 10 points behind Internacional (the other big club from Porto Alegre, the southern capital). For his part, faces a fall Fluminense Palmeiras then conqueror, and is 19th in ranking, with only 15 points, 6 points of the first non-relegation zone ...
At this point in the competition, even the most fervent torcedores both teams Cariocas would not bet a centavo on title chances (in Fla) and rescue from relegation (to the tricolor) of their teams of heart ...

And yet ...

December 6, 2009, shortly before 19h: while Flamengo, after a tense match played in a mediocre and Maracana overheated (see photo above), wins 2-1 against the same Gremio, and becomes for the 6th time champion Brazil ( Hexacampeão , as they say), joining at the same time the São Paulo FC at the top of the most successful teams in the country, Fluminense, meanwhile, snatched the draw in the antrum of Coritiba FC in a match at loggerheads, and miraculously saved at the same time a relegation seemed inevitable there are still 10 days!

What explains this double event which seemed highly unlikely here only 4 months? Well, in both cases, the same causes appear to have the same effect:
- New tecnicos (coach) arrived during the championship in the hollow of the two respective waves: Andrade (pictured -cons), the legendary midfielder Zico's team & co, Flamengo, and Cuca, the pariah of ... Flamengo fired a few weeks before, Fluminense, who have re-mobilize the troops and heal the wounds Previous management;
- Some key players, their technical leaders teams came alive and were able to pull up the entire workforce: Petkovic, the Serbian Rambo, Flamengo, brilliant and inspired from the top of its 37 years of age, and Fred, the former Lyon sulky long to be injured and registered on behalf of the Flu whopping 9 goals in the last 12 league matches!

Flamengo becomes champion again and interrupts a terrible fast ... that lasted 17 years, his last title back in 1992! Fluminense
avoids relegation, and thus will not live to their fans the nightmare of the late 90s when the club was down sequentially in the second ... then third division, before embarking on a lengthy "re-education" which will bring him back to Serie A in 2001.
And to make the celebration even more beautiful Rio, Botafogo is also put his own yesterday, beating heroically Verdo Palmeiras 2 goals to 1, and fleeing at the same time of the descent into the underworld of Series B!

What a pleasure to experience this major event (my heart Flamenguistas obviously speaks of the glorious conquest of rubro-negros !) With my friends Franco-Cariocas! Rua Conde de Bernadotte, Leblon, LCDs overheated Informal Botequim we have narrated this match epic, in an atmosphere worthy of a World Cup final (or better!). Hey, I can not resist the pleasure to post two videos merger back on topic:
Flamengo anthem with a nice trumpet:


The explosion of joy at the final whistle (in the 43rd second)! :


Only little rosy picture drawn above the row of fans brawl Coritiba, disappointed by the descent of their protégés, which caused the death of a policeman, and the terrible accident that we lived in near-live, a young Flamenguistas 26 years, which, to his joy of 2nd goal for Flamengo, has seen the loss tumble minibus was broke and killed outright in the Rua Conde de Bernadotte ... We dedicate course title rubro-negro to it ...