Back from Hiatus

Like the Tottenham fans who welcomed Jermain Defoe back with open arms, I hope the fans (what fans?) of this blog will welcome me back with the same reception.

I've been away for a while, so there are a number of topics that I would like to touch on today as I sit here in the Miller Learning Center on the beautiful campus of the University of Georgia:

1. Way to go Kaka. Finally someone got it right. Chelsea have shown us that having the most money doesn't guarantee trophies, although it makes winning them easier. It also requires having good team chemistry and a good manager who knows how to make a team work together. Kaka saw this from a mile away. He also realised that for one half of Milan, he can do no wrong (except leave the club). He realized that he was the most well loved man by the Milan fans, and that he is happy where he is. All the money in the world cannot guarantee that. (Disclaimer: I realize that he may go to Real Madrid in the summer, but it is every South American soccer player's dream as a child to play for los Merengues, so he is excused for that.)

2. If Manchester United can come through this season with the Premiership title, it might be considered Sir Alex's best job yet as a manager. We were behind from the beginning of the season, we had the Cup Winners Cup and the Club World Cup interrupt the season, and now, multiple injuries are piling up. Rio, Rafael, Hargreaves (duh), Evra, Anderson, Rooney, and others are all injured, and yet we still keep winning and are winning the Prem on goal differential with a game in hand. Bravo and keep it up devils.

3. Rafa Benitez, just shut up already, you are embarassing yourself. You were at the top of the Prem for a little bit, but didn't know how to handle it, and then you made the biggest mistake of all. You tried to play mindgames with Sir Alex. What made you think you could succeed where all others have failed? Just hop in the back of the queue of people that have tried that in the past and ended up failing.

4. My heartstrings are being pulled by transfer gossip. My compatriot, Wigan winger Luis Antonio Valencia, is reportedly being chased by Real Madrid, Chelsea, and ... MANCHESTER UNITED. If he ended up with the Devils, it may just bring a tear to my eyes. To see an Ecuadorian playing for any of these teams would be the second greatest accomplishment in Ecuadorian history (the first being Jefferson Perez's gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta in the Speed walking competition). But to see him in a Manchester United uniform would truly be a proud moment in this Ecuadorian's life.

5. Landon Donovan has already made his mark at Bayern. He has played in two games and scored two very impressive goals. Now that Podolski is returning to FC Koln, this provides an incredible opportunity for Mr. Donovan. If he continues to impress Klinsmann, (who already had a soft spot for Donovan given his time as a scout for the LA Galaxy) he will earn a permanent contract. It would be really great for an American player to feature at that prominent of a club.

Well, that's all I have for now, but keep checking back here for all of the best non-professional soccer commentary on the web. And look out for my often imitated, never duplicated Champions League picks when the tourney resumes in late February.