Monday, April 16, 2007

The Stage is Set: Chelsea vs. Manchester United

The FA Cup final (a tournament that started out with 687 teams from all levels of English soccer) is set for closure with a classic match-up between Chelsea and Manchester United. I cannot wait to see this game, which will be played at the new Wembley stadium on May 19th. Chelsea and Man U are locked in a heated battle for first place in the premiership and the fact that this competition has boiled down to these two teams simply sets the stage for some great drama.

The Chelsea vs. Blackburn semifinal was on yesterday and this game was a thriller to the end. Chelsea always scores in the dying minutes of a game and their second goal in overtime was no exception - this team just never quits. You can check out the highlights below. What I really like about Chelsea's first goal is watching Drogba hold off the defender, settle the ball, and lay it off. He is a beast. The overtime goal has a remarkable play by Shaun Wright-Phillips saving a ball off the end line and creating an opportunity in the box that Ballack (who Carlee believes is a twin of Matt Damon) converts. Ballack proceeds shed a layer after the goal and gets a yellow for removing his kit, but I think that if I sent my team to the FA Cup final in an overtime victory that I would do the same thing.

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