June 26
Patrick Strickland. This Holmdel native has played for the Battle of Monmouth Torpedoes for his entire club career. Though not the greatest player upon arrival at age eight, Pat was persistent and worked hard to become a better player. This determination has stuck with him, and he is similar to Tyler Hansbrough, the UNC basketball forward, in his perseverance. Nothing can stop Patrick when he's in the mood, which is usually all the time!
Patrick, 16, is the third of four children. Along with his sister Elizabeth, 22, brother Matthew, 20, and sister Katherine, 8, Pat was raised and avidly supported by his father, Steve, and mother, Karen. Steve Strickland can usually be found on the sideline taking tremendous pictures of all the action on the pitch. Of course, Karen, though not as visible as her husband without a camera, is often heard and is a great motivation on the sideline for the team. With such enthusiasm, it is no wonder Pat has such a willingness to give everything he has for the team.
Pat is quite noticeably a quick-learner. Only three years after joining the then Holmdel Stallions (who have since moved to Battle of Monmouth), Patrick emerged as one of the team's best and most important players with help from coach George Vichniakov. He was named captain at age 11. Pat is the epitome of leading by example, which is what makes him the great captain that he is. Pat is not only a good leader but also a monster of a player. He has the pace to beat any player with which he comes into contact. Pat also has tremendous strength and composure, which are vital attributes when playing sweeper, the last player in defense, except the goalkeeper. His ball skills have vastly improved over time and he is now an intimidating threat as a dribbler, as well as packing a serious punch behind his thunderbolt of a shot.
Pat attends Holmdel High School, where he has started varsity soccer since his freshman year! There, Patrick plays a more attacking role to get him more involved in the play. In his freshman year, where the team consisted mostly of seniors, Patrick featured regularly as the Hornets reached the semifinals of the state tournament! Patrick also wrestles in the wintertime and runs track in the spring, as if he was not busy enough! Furthermore, Patrick is also an admirable student, for he is enrolled in honors courses, while he also dominates on the field.
Pat is a well-rounded young man. Besides being a great student-athlete, he is also a great friend. He is always in the mood for a good laugh, though he rarely provokes one - just kidding! Pat even speaks Chinese! The point that I am trying to make is that I am proud to be a member of a team captained by Patrick Strickland in addition to being his friend. Don't forget to log on and read this article and articles past online at www.freewebs.com/beatysbeat.
Patrick, 16, is the third of four children. Along with his sister Elizabeth, 22, brother Matthew, 20, and sister Katherine, 8, Pat was raised and avidly supported by his father, Steve, and mother, Karen. Steve Strickland can usually be found on the sideline taking tremendous pictures of all the action on the pitch. Of course, Karen, though not as visible as her husband without a camera, is often heard and is a great motivation on the sideline for the team. With such enthusiasm, it is no wonder Pat has such a willingness to give everything he has for the team.
Pat is quite noticeably a quick-learner. Only three years after joining the then Holmdel Stallions (who have since moved to Battle of Monmouth), Patrick emerged as one of the team's best and most important players with help from coach George Vichniakov. He was named captain at age 11. Pat is the epitome of leading by example, which is what makes him the great captain that he is. Pat is not only a good leader but also a monster of a player. He has the pace to beat any player with which he comes into contact. Pat also has tremendous strength and composure, which are vital attributes when playing sweeper, the last player in defense, except the goalkeeper. His ball skills have vastly improved over time and he is now an intimidating threat as a dribbler, as well as packing a serious punch behind his thunderbolt of a shot.
Pat attends Holmdel High School, where he has started varsity soccer since his freshman year! There, Patrick plays a more attacking role to get him more involved in the play. In his freshman year, where the team consisted mostly of seniors, Patrick featured regularly as the Hornets reached the semifinals of the state tournament! Patrick also wrestles in the wintertime and runs track in the spring, as if he was not busy enough! Furthermore, Patrick is also an admirable student, for he is enrolled in honors courses, while he also dominates on the field.
Pat is a well-rounded young man. Besides being a great student-athlete, he is also a great friend. He is always in the mood for a good laugh, though he rarely provokes one - just kidding! Pat even speaks Chinese! The point that I am trying to make is that I am proud to be a member of a team captained by Patrick Strickland in addition to being his friend. Don't forget to log on and read this article and articles past online at www.freewebs.com/beatysbeat.
June 19
UEFA Euro 2008. It is the thirteenth edition of the European Football Championship being hosted by Austria and Switzerland. Starting on June 7, the tournament has already seen and experienced some thrills and spills, jubilation and displeasure. The favorites of the tournament are the usual suspects: France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. After two rounds of the group stage, there remains one game to be played in three of the four groups; Group A is complete, concluding on Sunday, June 15.
Group A was a curious group to dissect before the tournament. The foremost favorite of the entire tournament, Portugal, was assumed to take first place, which they ensured after only their second match. Cristiano Ronaldo as expected was the star of the show. The other nations that joined them were Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Turkey. The Czech Republic surprised many in Euro 2004, reaching the semifinals, only to be knocked out by the eventual tournament victors, Greece. The Czechs had named a very similar side to that four years prior, which does not provide much encouragement, seeing that their star players are now past their prime and four years older. Switzerland have been given very little chance to advance by anybody – and rightly so. After two matches they were the sole owners of the basement of Group A, following back-to-back losses. In their final match however, they picked up a meaningless (but for pride) victory against Portugal, who already sealed their fate as leaders of the group. The final match of the group was between the Czechs and the Turks. Both sides knew that before the match a win for either would put their respective nation through to the knockout stages. At the halftime break, it was the prior who held a 1-0 advantage. In the 62nd minute, Czech midfielder Jaroslav Plasil scored. 2-0 Czechs. However with fifteen minutes remaining, the comeback began: 21-year-old Arda Turan scored. Nihat Kahveci took advantage of an extremely rare Petr Cech mistake. Petr Cech is considered by many to be the best goalkeeper in the world but a simple cross game him fits with only three minutes left. Penalty kicks seemed imminent, but Nihat showed his brilliance by striking the underside of the crossbar and put the Czechs out of the tournament and his native Turks into the knockout stage.
Group B consists of the heavily favored Germany, along with Austria, Croatia, and Poland. The Germans are fortunate to have a wealth of talent, being captained by talisman Michael Ballack. Austria is a different story. However their fellow co-host can perhaps share their agony. Nobody has given Austria a chance, especially their own fans. Yes, that’s right, the Austrians themselves had already discounted Austria’s chances before the tournament started. Their footballing fans started a petition for the team to withdraw from the tournament – even though they were hosts of it! They felt they would be embarrassed by the performance of the national team and wanted to end the anguish prematurely. However when the appeal was denied, a Vienna brewery provided an offer that would provide some entertainment and enthusiasm for the fans, as well as motivation for the players, when they issued the proposition of free beer for life to any Austrian to score a goal. The Austrians statistically performed better than the Swiss in their first two matches by managing a point (as the result of a draw) against Poland. In the match Ivica Vastic scored to ensure that his alcohol supply will be covered for the remainder of his life. Croatia is a dark horse for many fans. Croatia is the team that eliminated England in qualifying. They did not impress in their first match by squeezing out a victory against Austria. However their second match was against Germany. The Croats pulled off the upset, beating the Germans 2-1. Poland is another weak nation in the tournament, but still have a chance to advance if they play their cards right against Croatia, who have sealed first place already in the final day of the group stage.
The Group of Death. Every major tournament has one. This go-around it happens to be Group C. The giants have been all thrown into this group with France, Holland, Italy, and Romania. Romania is clearly the weakest of the four and have been given no chance whatsoever. The average fan would put their money on Italy and France to advance, leaving Holland and Romania to be sent packing. Ironically, though Holland has already ensured first place and Romania is in second! Italy and France are tied for last place. Holland opened their European campaign against world champions Italy. Italy was not firing on all cylinders, admittedly, but the Oranje looked flawless. They hammered the Italians 3-0. The first goal was a dubious one, with a controversial offside non-call and a perplexing explanation. Rather than admitting that a bad call was made, the referees after the match declared that the injured Christian Panucci who was off the field, was still in the play and played Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was otherwise offside, onside. The Orangemen played as brilliantly as the color of their jerseys. France too was stunned by Romania who managed a 0-0 draw. It was more of the same on Day 2 of Group C, when Holland again hammered the other finalist of World Cup 2006, 4-1! Who can stop the counter-attacking Dutch side? As far as I am concerned, no one. They are my favorite national team and have been for at least four years. Never did I expect them to be dominating this group though. This total football is the best I have seen for as long as I can remember. The Italians, like the French, were held to a draw against the Romanians, 1-1. The last round of the this group will be a very interesting one, featuring a likely rested Holland versus Romania and an intriguing matchup between Italy and France. If Romania fails to beat Holland, the winner (if there happens to be one) of the World Cup 2006 Final rematch will advance.
Group D is perhaps the most wide-open group. Before the tournament began, you have Spain, a team that always has a star-studded, inconceivably talented squad. However this national team has been the traditional chokers of major tournaments. They have never won a European Cup or World Cup despite their clear-cut superiority. The strike force is led by none other than Fernando Torres, who is coming off of the best ever debut season in the Premier League scoring 24 goals, and Valencia’s highly-sought-after David Villa. Next you Greece, the tournament’s defending champion. However, like the Czechs, this is a very similar side to 2004 and their key players are all inevitably older. Russia is a country that most would not expect to qualify for the tournament. In an evil twist of fate for the English, the Russians qualified on the last day following the Croat’s victory over England. The Russian squad is the youngest of all in this year’s tournament and is led by Roman Pavlyuchenko, a brilliant player, who seems to favor himself over any of his teammates. Sweden, on the other hand, has the oldest squad and is a country that is famous for advancing to the knockout stages. The Swedes may not have an impressive squad, except for their superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who once said, “There is only one Zlatan, and I am great.” Spain, like Portugal, Croatia, and Germany, qualified for the knockout stages, scoring six goals in two matches – four from Villa, the tournament’s leading scorer. Despite Spain’s 4-1 thrashing of Russia, the Russians are still in the tournament, having beaten and eliminated Greece, who failed to score a goal as the defending champions. Russia has to play Sweden in their final match, which will determine who earns second place in the group and will be rewarded with a quarterfinal fixture against the Dutch.
The European Championship is clearly under way. With 18 matches played thus far and 46 goals scored, it has been a pleasure to watch. For those of you who want to get involved in the excitement, there is a highlight show on ESPN Classic at 7pm each night. All I hope is that the high quality of football continues! Ciao for now and don’t forget to log on and read this article and articles past online at www.freewebs.com/beatysbeat.
Group A was a curious group to dissect before the tournament. The foremost favorite of the entire tournament, Portugal, was assumed to take first place, which they ensured after only their second match. Cristiano Ronaldo as expected was the star of the show. The other nations that joined them were Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Turkey. The Czech Republic surprised many in Euro 2004, reaching the semifinals, only to be knocked out by the eventual tournament victors, Greece. The Czechs had named a very similar side to that four years prior, which does not provide much encouragement, seeing that their star players are now past their prime and four years older. Switzerland have been given very little chance to advance by anybody – and rightly so. After two matches they were the sole owners of the basement of Group A, following back-to-back losses. In their final match however, they picked up a meaningless (but for pride) victory against Portugal, who already sealed their fate as leaders of the group. The final match of the group was between the Czechs and the Turks. Both sides knew that before the match a win for either would put their respective nation through to the knockout stages. At the halftime break, it was the prior who held a 1-0 advantage. In the 62nd minute, Czech midfielder Jaroslav Plasil scored. 2-0 Czechs. However with fifteen minutes remaining, the comeback began: 21-year-old Arda Turan scored. Nihat Kahveci took advantage of an extremely rare Petr Cech mistake. Petr Cech is considered by many to be the best goalkeeper in the world but a simple cross game him fits with only three minutes left. Penalty kicks seemed imminent, but Nihat showed his brilliance by striking the underside of the crossbar and put the Czechs out of the tournament and his native Turks into the knockout stage.
Group B consists of the heavily favored Germany, along with Austria, Croatia, and Poland. The Germans are fortunate to have a wealth of talent, being captained by talisman Michael Ballack. Austria is a different story. However their fellow co-host can perhaps share their agony. Nobody has given Austria a chance, especially their own fans. Yes, that’s right, the Austrians themselves had already discounted Austria’s chances before the tournament started. Their footballing fans started a petition for the team to withdraw from the tournament – even though they were hosts of it! They felt they would be embarrassed by the performance of the national team and wanted to end the anguish prematurely. However when the appeal was denied, a Vienna brewery provided an offer that would provide some entertainment and enthusiasm for the fans, as well as motivation for the players, when they issued the proposition of free beer for life to any Austrian to score a goal. The Austrians statistically performed better than the Swiss in their first two matches by managing a point (as the result of a draw) against Poland. In the match Ivica Vastic scored to ensure that his alcohol supply will be covered for the remainder of his life. Croatia is a dark horse for many fans. Croatia is the team that eliminated England in qualifying. They did not impress in their first match by squeezing out a victory against Austria. However their second match was against Germany. The Croats pulled off the upset, beating the Germans 2-1. Poland is another weak nation in the tournament, but still have a chance to advance if they play their cards right against Croatia, who have sealed first place already in the final day of the group stage.
The Group of Death. Every major tournament has one. This go-around it happens to be Group C. The giants have been all thrown into this group with France, Holland, Italy, and Romania. Romania is clearly the weakest of the four and have been given no chance whatsoever. The average fan would put their money on Italy and France to advance, leaving Holland and Romania to be sent packing. Ironically, though Holland has already ensured first place and Romania is in second! Italy and France are tied for last place. Holland opened their European campaign against world champions Italy. Italy was not firing on all cylinders, admittedly, but the Oranje looked flawless. They hammered the Italians 3-0. The first goal was a dubious one, with a controversial offside non-call and a perplexing explanation. Rather than admitting that a bad call was made, the referees after the match declared that the injured Christian Panucci who was off the field, was still in the play and played Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was otherwise offside, onside. The Orangemen played as brilliantly as the color of their jerseys. France too was stunned by Romania who managed a 0-0 draw. It was more of the same on Day 2 of Group C, when Holland again hammered the other finalist of World Cup 2006, 4-1! Who can stop the counter-attacking Dutch side? As far as I am concerned, no one. They are my favorite national team and have been for at least four years. Never did I expect them to be dominating this group though. This total football is the best I have seen for as long as I can remember. The Italians, like the French, were held to a draw against the Romanians, 1-1. The last round of the this group will be a very interesting one, featuring a likely rested Holland versus Romania and an intriguing matchup between Italy and France. If Romania fails to beat Holland, the winner (if there happens to be one) of the World Cup 2006 Final rematch will advance.
Group D is perhaps the most wide-open group. Before the tournament began, you have Spain, a team that always has a star-studded, inconceivably talented squad. However this national team has been the traditional chokers of major tournaments. They have never won a European Cup or World Cup despite their clear-cut superiority. The strike force is led by none other than Fernando Torres, who is coming off of the best ever debut season in the Premier League scoring 24 goals, and Valencia’s highly-sought-after David Villa. Next you Greece, the tournament’s defending champion. However, like the Czechs, this is a very similar side to 2004 and their key players are all inevitably older. Russia is a country that most would not expect to qualify for the tournament. In an evil twist of fate for the English, the Russians qualified on the last day following the Croat’s victory over England. The Russian squad is the youngest of all in this year’s tournament and is led by Roman Pavlyuchenko, a brilliant player, who seems to favor himself over any of his teammates. Sweden, on the other hand, has the oldest squad and is a country that is famous for advancing to the knockout stages. The Swedes may not have an impressive squad, except for their superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who once said, “There is only one Zlatan, and I am great.” Spain, like Portugal, Croatia, and Germany, qualified for the knockout stages, scoring six goals in two matches – four from Villa, the tournament’s leading scorer. Despite Spain’s 4-1 thrashing of Russia, the Russians are still in the tournament, having beaten and eliminated Greece, who failed to score a goal as the defending champions. Russia has to play Sweden in their final match, which will determine who earns second place in the group and will be rewarded with a quarterfinal fixture against the Dutch.
The European Championship is clearly under way. With 18 matches played thus far and 46 goals scored, it has been a pleasure to watch. For those of you who want to get involved in the excitement, there is a highlight show on ESPN Classic at 7pm each night. All I hope is that the high quality of football continues! Ciao for now and don’t forget to log on and read this article and articles past online at www.freewebs.com/beatysbeat.