On the eve of the 2013 Confederations Cup, we take a look at the team that is so vastly overmatched that it’s hard not to root for them. Here are five reasons to get behind Tahiti:

1) They are the ultimate underdog story. This is their first Confederations Cup appearance; they have never been to a tournament of this magnitude. They are currently the 138th ranked team in the world and have never been ranked above 111th.

2) They have one full-time professional soccer player on the team. Marama Vahirua plays for the Greek side Panthrakikos FC, a 10th place club in the Greek Super League, and scored 3 goals in 26 appearances. The rest of the team is full of part-time players who make a living as butchers, bakers, etc.

3) The team has four members from the same family. The Tehau family is represented by brothers Alvin, Lorenzo, Jonathan and their cousin Teaonui. All are under 25 years old and will hopefully have excellent stories to tell at the next family barbecue.

4) The city of Brasilia, home to the Confederations Cup opener, has a population 10 times the size of the country Tahiti. It will be hard to find a set of people happier and more appreciative than the Tahiti national team. Regardless of the result, they will surely have the biggest smiles you’ll see this summer.

Odds via SkyBet

5) A $20 bet on Tahiti to win the entire tournament could net you $100,000. Let’s go Tahiti!

24

May

Hitting the London Scene: Wembley Dreams

Photo: Thomas Hautmann / FOX Soccer

By Thomas Hautmann

On Friday, the FOX Soccer crew headed to Wembley for a walkthrough ahead of Saturday’s big game. The stadium is quite a sight: you can see the whole of it as soon as you get off the Underground stop at Wembley Park. I’ve never been to London before, but I do have seen plenty of modern stadiums and have to say Wembley is amongst the finest I’ve been to. Sadly, I’d never been to the old one.

Rob Stone, Eric Wynalda, and Warren Barton, visibly jetlagged yet looking dapper as ever, made their way to their little studio, the press box and finally on to the pitch, where I reverted back to being 10 years old, feeling as happy as a clam. And then depressed because I never realized my dream of actually playing on such a perfect pitch.

Liga MX Clausura 2013, Jornada 17: Five Things to Watch

By Kyle McCarthy

1. Forget about final day drama: it’s all about final weekend drama in Liga MX: All of the key matches are spread out over two days to maximize viewing pleasure. If the events break in a certain way (more on that potential sequence of events in a moment), the final game of the Clausura (Pumas’ visit to Atlante on Sunday night) could determine the composition of the Liguilla field. Moral of the story: clear off the calendar on Saturday and Sunday to keep careful track of the events as they unfold.

2. Two teams, one regular-season title at stake at the Azteca: Club América hosts Tigres in a virtual playoff for top spot in the Liguilla on Saturday night. The two combatants – plus surprise package Atlas – enter the weekend tied on 32 points. If either side emerges victorious from this tense affair, then it will secure the first seed due to its vastly superior goal difference (America: +17, Tigres: +14, Atlas: +8). If the match ends in a draw, then Atlas can vault both of them with a home victory over Club León.

One other point to monitor in this match: Ecuadorian striker Christian Benítez (12 goals) could win his third consecutive scoring title (a first since Mexico switched to the split-season format in 1996) if he maintains his two-goal edge over Morelia’s Héctor Mancilla (10 goals) through the weekend.

Bundesliga is back!

The German Bundesliga sure has been making headlines this season, most recently with the shocking Pep Guardiola signing by Bayern Munich! Today, the second half of the season kicks off after a month-long winter break with Schalke taking on Hannover.

Check out our full Bundesliga 2nd half preview here!

18

Nov

Five Points to Watch: MLS Conference Championships 2nd Leg

By: Kyle McCarthy

Two teams will book their places at MLS Cup by the end of Sunday. Houston and Los Angeles hold the advantage heading into the pair of second-leg affairs, but D.C. United and Seattle will hope to overturn their current deficits on home soil. Here are five points to watch ahead of the decisive affairs:

1. Health concerns create questions: A stretch of four or five games in the span of three weeks takes its toll. D.C. United is in the worst shape at the moment (Chris Pontius’ groin injury is a bitter blow, while Brandon McDonald and Marcelo Saragosa must also recuperate quickly), but there are also concerns in Houston (Calen Carr, Ricardo Clark, Adam Moffat and Jermaine Taylor), Los Angeles (Edson Buddle, A.J. DeLaGarza and Juninho) and Seattle (Leo Gonzalez and Mauro Rosales). A season-ending encounter isn’t the ideal time to test depth, but the circumstances afford few other choices at this juncture.