That’s what I was thinking while watching the replay of Arsenal vs. Wigan, with the Latics ahead of the Gooners 1-0 … but then they just missed a virtually open-goal opportunity at the start of the second half, and from there it was all downhill. Arsenal snuck one in to tie — looked offsides to me, but no one save for the Wigan defenders even raised a stink about it — and then another goal, and another, and another: total collapse.

Crap. I’ve always liked Wigan, too … was so ready to sell out my beloved Aston Villa to jump back on the Wigan bandwagon … but with them not only losing to Arsenal but getting crushed by them and failing to hold it together when it all really counted … I wondered … well actually, I realized my original hedline still applied.

Tags: Arsenal, Aston Villa, English Premier League, Wigan

It was an amazing game, and I didn’t even get to see it. But I did get to feel the pain with almost none of the pleasure:

(Brad Friedel, do I even know you any more?)

Facebook Game of the Week (for me):

Dan Michalski is wondering when Villa is going to learn to win again.

 Chance Miller at 12:51pm April 5

It seemed like they wanted to win today. And at Old Trafford to boot! Then someone asked- “Are you serious? Do you really think you can win here?” and then they replied. “Nahhh… we were just kidding.”

 Dan Michalski at 12:59pm April 5

I hear ya. And a a die-hard AV fan for like FOUR MONTHS, I am really starting to question my loyalties and belief system.

 Sang Yoo at 7:22pm April 5

I’m pretty sure suffering is part and parcel of the EPL world of football. Is it a good time to tell you that AV is probably gonna lose its best midfield player in the summer?

(more…)

Tags: AIG, Aston Villa, Brad Friedel, English Premier League, Manchester United, Old Trafford

photo: NYT soccer blog

OK, the Liverpool/Villa game didn’t turn out quite as I had hoped. And my “boy” Brad Friedel … well it’s hard to make the argument any more that he’s the best goalkeeper in the EPL after a 5-0 drubbing. But I did find it interesting to see, after he got sent off with red, that Aston Villa’s back-up goalie is also an American … Brad Guzan, who made his EPL debut today with an unsuccessful attempt to block the penalty kick he inherited from Friedel. Hopefully Villa’s understudy has learned a bunch of stuff from Friedel before he started sucking.

Guzan is also a Chicago Polack … so that makes me like him even more.

UPDATE: Of course, he’s a Chivas USA guy! The 24-year-old, in fact, was the 2007 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year … and super-beloved by the fans.

Here’s an official tribute to him from Chivas, celebrating his export to Villa.

And here’s a highlight reel of his saving ability from The Offside:

Tags: Aston Villa, Brad Friedel, Brad Guzan, Chivas USA, English Premier League, MLS

Big game tomorrow … Liverpool really needs to win, and can move within a point of Man U … Villa has been struggling of late, and with an Arsenal victory today, needs to pull of the whole 3 points to say, hey, we still belong in the top 4.

If they can do it, I might change my name to OMGBradFriedel.

Tags: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brad Friedel, Liverpool, Manchester United

… Just made an amazing save to deny a West Ham equalizer. He’s been knocking them out all day. Am considering changing the format of this blog into an all-Brad Friedl superfan site. (The other Brad Friedel, here.)

Sad that he’s not available for international play. (Anyone know why that is?)

Think I gotta credit him for the P$100 Villa is gonna win me in this week’s pretend betting … and, dude, an outsider cracking into the “Top 4″? Go American goalies!

Tags: American internationals, Aston Villa, Brad Friedl, soccer betting