Bundesliga Matchday 19 review

Friday night

Hannover 96 v. 1. FC Nürnberg
Prediction: 2-0
Actual result: 1-0
Abdellaoue cracks double digits with his 10th goal of the league campaign.

Saturday

Hertha BSC v. Hamburger SV
Prediction: 1-1
Actual result: 1-2
Hertha are sliding into oblivion and appear to be headed for another drop.

Werder Bremen v. Bayer Leverkusen
Prediction: 2-1
Actual result: 1-1
Leverkusen were happy with the point, showing bite after Eren Derdiyok was put on at the interval.

Borussia Dortmund v. 1899 Hoffenheim
Prediction: 3-1
Actual result: 1-1
Credit TBG for predicting an exact score thanks to Kagawa's brace for the defending champions.

Bayern München v. VfL Wolfsburg
Prediction: 2-1
Actual result: 2-0
The new-look Wolves came crashing back to Earth as they failed to put a shot on target with a negative approach that gifted Bayern possession.

FC Augsburg v. 1. FC Kaiserslautern
Prediction: 1-1
Actual result: 2-2
We knew we would get a draw and this is a result that truly suited neither side.

1. FC Köln v. FC Schalke 04
Prediction: 1-3
Actual result: 1-4
Hoger's late goal prevented another exact score, but also displayed the Royal Blues' dominance.

Sunday
FSV Mainz 05 v. SC Freiburg
Prediction: 2-0
Actual result: 3-1
Mainz went up three inside of 17 minutes and cruised home to the three points.

VfB Stuttgart v. Mönchengladbach
Prediction: 2-1
Actual result: 0-3
It's time to stop dismissing Favre's men, who are legitimate title contenders and could pull off the surprise of the decade by capturing the meister-schaft.

Major Celtic FC supporter headed to Super Bowl

For the second time, a major Celtic FC supporter is going to play in the Super Bowl. Celtic FC supporter Lawrence Tynes has helped the New York Giants reach the sporting spectacle once again.

The Scottish-born kicker won the Super Bowl with the Giants four years ago and once again, has provided die-hard Celtic FC supporters a major rooting interest for the Giants against the New England Patriots.

Bundesliga Matchday 19 predictions

Friday night

Hannover 96 v. 1. FC Nürnberg
Prediction: 2-0
The 96ers should cruise under the Friday night spotlight.

Saturday

Hertha BSC v. Hamburger SV
Prediction: 1-1
Skibbe believes his new club may get relegated. They will with that attitude.

Werder Bremen v. Bayer Leverkusen
Prediction: 2-1
Another rumour of a rift between Dutt and Ballack has unsettled the Bayer camp. Expect Bremen to take advantage.

Borussia Dortmund v. 1899 Hoffenheim
Prediction: 3-1
No Götze for two months is a serious blow, but Dortmund will want to avenge their first loss of the campaign.

Bayern München v. VfL Wolfsburg
Prediction: 2-1
The Wolves have a brand-new squad capable of great things, but getting a result against a fired-up Bayern with Ribery returning is asking too much.

FC Augsburg v. 1. FC Kaiserslautern
Prediction: 1-1
We'll go with the exact same score as last year's matchup between these relegation rivals.

1. FC Köln v. FC Schalke 04
Prediction: 1-3
Schalke are without Howedes but we believe that the Goats are on the verge of another rough patch of play.

Sunday
FSV Mainz 05 v. SC Freiburg
Prediction: 2-0
Freiburg showed some bite at home without Cisse, but Mainz are a difficult side at the Coface Arena and acquitted themselves well last weekend.

VfB Stuttgart v. Mönchengladbach
Prediction: 2-1
Stuttgart should knock off one of the co-leaders in a treacherous trip to Baden-Württemberg for the surprise packages of the season.

Klinsi has the U.S. team rolling! ! !

While the rest of the football world was busy playing in competitions like the English Premier League, Spanish Primera, Bundesliga, Serie A or even the African Cup of Nations, some countries knew what the last few days were a perfect time for - international friendlies.

Clearly other countries are too lazy to work on their national team form, but thankfully Jurgen Klinsmann has the U.S. finally headed in the right direction with impressive 1-0 victories over Venezuela and on the road against Panama, when the U.S. was down to 10 men and outplayed most of the match. The U.S. win streak is now three, but there's still room to get aboard this bandwagon now!

Our 'Klinsi' made some important decisions, naming German bad boy Jermaine Jones a captain for the Venezuela match. There was also the recall of World Cup goat Ricardo Clark, who basically never plays anymore for German second-division side Eintracht Frankfurt.

Clark saw U.S. action for the first time since his ridiculous giveaway against Ghana in the World Cup. He scored the winner over Venezuela in the 97th minute, giving the U.S. its first victory over a South American opponent in five years!

Said Klinsmann: "I wanted to bring him into camp and see for myself why he was struggling. He had to get his fitness up to the level of the other players, so every day we pushed it a little more and a little more."

Judging from that remark, it's safe to assume that Clark was out of shape, no?

Clark had a different story: "It felt good to be with the national team. Germany’s training is pretty rigorous, so it is not too hard to stay fit."

Clearly 'Klinsi' has a handle on his side and with three straight wins, he has accomplished much this week in laying the groundwork for the U.S.:
"What we did in these last three weeks was get a really good picture. The reason why we need these camps, scrimmages, and games is to get a sense of them so we can help them take the next steps."

The next step could be threatening the world-record 15-match win streaks owned by Spain, Australia, Brazil and France. Only 12 more in a row to go!

Bundesliga Matchday 18 review

Friday night

Mönchengladbach v. Bayern München
Prediction: 2-1
Actual result: 3-1
'Gladbach tightened up the BL race with this thumping error thanks in part to Neuer's shocking gaffe. Bayern tried to distract supporters from the defeat with a major signing!

Saturday
SC Freiburg v. FC Augsburg
Prediction: 0-1
Actual result: 1-0
These teams are the worst in the top flight but Freiburg are no longer bottom.

FC Schalke 04 v. VfB Stuttgart
Prediction: 3-1
Actual result: 3-1
No one is touting Schalke's title chances but Raul and company harbour some serious hopes now.

VfL Wolfsburg v. 1. FC Köln
Prediction: 1-1
Actual result: 2-1
The Wolves have a whole new roster and apparently hope to not be the most disappointing team in the league anymore.

1. FC Nürnberg v. Hertha BSC
Prediction: 1-2
Actual result: 2-0
Hertha are lost without Raffael and could face a difficult relegation fight.

1899 Hoffenheim v. Hannover 96
Prediction: 2-1
Actual result: 0-0
No goals and little to speak of.

1. FC Kaiserslautern v. Werder Bremen
Prediction: 2-3
Actual result: 0-0
See above.

Sunday
Hamburger SV v. Borussia Dortmund
Prediction: 0-2
Actual result: 1-5
Dortmund are trying not to get carried away. with the ease of this victory.

Bayer Leverkusen v. FSV Mainz 05
Prediction: 2-0
Actual result: 3-2
Lars Bender fired home a winner in one of the more entertaining matches of this round.

Piers Morgan: America still sucks at football

CNN personality Piers Morgan is known for rooting for Arsenal. He also has diagnosed exactly what is wrong with U.S. soccer.

Morgan explains that "America is, at a minimum, five or six years away from really competing for any major international trophies against the best teams." He also correctly compared MLS to Chinese football: "When I went to Shanghai in China, I went to see a match and what I saw there was not dissimilar from what you see in the U.S."

We at TBG believe Sir Morgan is off base. With no players in the Champions League, we believe the golden era for the U.S. national team has ended and the gap will grow in years to come!

Champions League club signs CONCACAF teenager!

French club Lille have a keen eye for talent. On Friday, it was announced that
Costa Rican striker John Jairo Ruiz has joined the club for 4 1/2 years.

The 18-year-old Ruiz starred at the U-20 World Cup and none other than TBG Team of the Year FC Barcelona were interested in his services.

We here at TBG are still waiting for American teenagers (or U.S. players of any age) to make their way over to Champions League clubs. Here is a clip of what that sounds like.