Friday Football: Euro 2008 & More
Televised soccer. Live soccer. European soccer. Domestic soccer. Club soccer. International soccer.
There's something for everyone this weekend and the biggest challenge will be finding time to take it all in. Let's take the plunge.
Euro 2008 begins Saturday with two games: co-hosts Switzerland play the Czech Republic with coverage beginning at 8:30 a.m. on ESPN Classic (and repeated at 1:30 a.m. Saturday on ESPN2); at 11:30 a.m. it's Portugal (with Manchester United's sublime Cristiano Ronaldo) and Turkey on the same channel (repeated at 11:30 p.m.).
No time to watch the games? There's a highlight show at 4 p.m. on ESPN Classic. Game times (if not channels) will remain consistent throughout the tournament, by the way.
I'll be back later today with Chivas USA's Swiss defender Raphael Wicky on his nation's chances in the game and the tournament.
The game with the biggest local interest? The 8:30 a.m. Sunday Austria-Croatia match.
The pick of the weekend's games? The 11:30 a.m. Sunday Germany-Poland encounter, a rematch from the 2006 World Cup you'll recall and what amounts to a derby game between the neighboring nations.
I asked German native Sigi Schmid about Germany's chances when the Crew were in town the other weekend and I'll post that conversation sometime Saturday.
In MLS action, the Galaxy are at home at 7:30 p.m. Saturday against Colorado at Home Depot Center. Your faithful blogger will be there.
The U.S. Men's National Team takes on No. 1-ranked Argentina at 4:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPN Classic in the final tune-up before World Cup qualifying begins.
Tonight in the PDL, the San Fernando Quakes host the Lancaster Rattlers at Calabasas High. Kick off is at 7:05 p.m.
The Quakes need a win; they lost Wednesday to Orange County Blue Star.
In other local PDL games, the Fresno Fuego visit the Lancaster Rattlers at 7 p.m. Saturday at Pete Knight High and the Los Angeles Legends go up against the Ventura County Fusion at 7:30 p.m. at Buena High.
That latter game in Ventura in actually a doubleheader, as the two teams' W-League outfits take to the field at 5 p.m.
Finally, Jorge Flores didn't score Thursday for Chivas USA, but he's still getting noticed.
And in case you missed it earlier this week, here's the Euro 2008 bracket:
Enjoy the weekend.
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About 100 Percent Soccer
Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005 for the Daily News, Daily Breeze and other Los Angeles area newspapers. The blog of the same name began in 2007. A native of England, he began writing about soccer in the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat in the stands for one in the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer and is married to a long-suffering soccer widow. Join Nick on FaceBook and follow him on Twitter.
Looking forward to the Raphael Wicky thing.
-A Swiss reader and Galaxy Fan