There's a great game in the English Premier League on ESPN2 Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. Eastern that features Manchester City and Chelsea at the City of Manchester Stadium (also known as Eastlands). Chelsea, the defending champion, has come out of the blocks flying, but this is a big test.
Manchester City is officially the richest club in the world, and their Middle Eastern owners will be looking for their monetary investments to pay off in the form of a top-four finish come next May. That would give them access to the lucrative UEFA Champions League, which truly marks a club as one of the big boys.
Saturday's game may come down to the strikers, and two of the world's best will be on display: Chelsea's Didier Drogba and Man City's Carlos Tevez. Drogba, of the Ivory Coast, has consistently delivered goals in the Premier League, and only the occasional injury seems to slow him down.
But there's just something beautifully manic about the way Tevez plays. The Argentine is all over the pitch, and no ball ever seems like a lost cause for him. That work ethic has won him legions of fans wherever he's played (Boca Juniors, West Ham and Manchester United, just to name s few of his destinations).
I wouldn't be at all surprised if he comes up with the goods against Chelsea on Saturday. Tevez seems to thrive in the big situations, and they don't come much bigger than this early season matchup. And, thanks to the wonders of technology, we'll all get to see it live.
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The Philadelphia Independence of the WPS kept on rolling through the playoffs on Thursday night, beating the Boston Breakers 2-1 in overtime to reach Sunday's title game against FC Gold Pride.
Philly's Danesha Adams scored the deciding goal with her head at the back post, but the play of Amy Rodriguez really kept the Independence in the match. Her performance was one of the best I've seen in women's soccer in a long time.
