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killing the competition

All of the country’s 56 national sports bodies, under the direction of Sport Canada, are crafting long-term athlete development (LTAD) programs that value having fun and honing skills over hoisting trophies. In highly detailed documents that reflect a best-practices approach to achieving sports excellence, organizations such as the Canadian Soccer Association are spelling out a mandate for training young athletes in less openly competitive, more age-appropriate ways.

Far from making kids soft and undermining robust Canadian values, this change is part of a broader strategy to boost national performance at the highest levels. Less emphasis on winning, the theory goes, means more room for creativity and, ultimately, more world-beating skills.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2brgSQ/:1AZhswPk9:TeSuqSYK/www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/article2416453.ece/

pretty damn cool. why not, kits are expensive anyways

guardiola @ barca

"It’s not about the trophies that they won, or didn’t win. It was never about that. It was about the fact that, in a game of unremitting, pragmatic physicality, they chose the opposite approach. They played the kind of football that you and your mates will forever try to recreate on that windswept 6-a-side pitch under fading floodlights. The kind of football that brings brief and thrilling respite to whoever’s worked a week of 12-hour shifts."

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/28/guardiola-at-barcelona-a-true-artists-legacy/

Decent article. There will never be another quite like Sir Alex Ferguson again either. In addition to their cast of players, guardiola should also thank a host of drama coaches and several referees who certainly helped Barcelona on their way.

The 2009 UEFA Champions League Final was played on 27 May 2009 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. The match determined the winners of the 2008–09 season of the UEFA Champions League, a tournament for the top football clubs in Europe. The match was won by Barcelona of Spain, who beat England's Manchester United 2–0. Samuel Eto'o opened the scoring in the 10th minute, and Lionel Messi added another goal 20 minutes from the end to earn Barcelona an historic treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, a feat never before achieved by a Spanish club. The match was refereed by Swiss referee Massimo Busacca.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_UEFA_Champions_League_Final

The 2008 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place on Wednesday, 21 May 2008 at 20:45 CEST. The match was played at the Luzhniki Stadium, in Moscow, Russia, to determine the winner of the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League. The final was contested by Manchester United and Chelsea, making it an all-English club final for the first time in the history of the competition. This was only the third time that two clubs from the same country had contested the final; the others being the 2000 and 2003 finals. The game was won by Manchester United 6–5 on penalties, after a 1–1 draw following extra time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_UEFA_Champions_League_Final

The 2007 UEFA Champions League Final was an association football match between A.C. Milan of Italy and Liverpool F.C. of England on 23 May 2007 at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece. The showpiece event was the final match of the 2006–07 season of Europe's premier cup competition, the UEFA Champions League. The teams were appearing in the final two years after facing each other in the 2005 final which Liverpool won 3–2 in a penalty shootout after the match finished 3–3.

Before the match there were ticketing problems because a large number of fans gained entry to the stadium without valid tickets. After the match, a UEFA spokesman accused Liverpool of having the worst fans in Europe, a claim later denied by UEFA president Michel Platini. Watched by a crowd of 74,000, Milan took the lead when Andrea Pirlo's free-kick deflected off Filippo Inzaghi in the first half. Milan extended their lead in the second half when Inzaghi scored a second goal. Liverpool scored a late goal through Dirk Kuyt, but were unable to equalise before the end of the match. Milan won the match 2–1 to win their seventh Champions League.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_UEFA_Champions_League_Final

The 2006 UEFA Champions League Final was an association football match between Barcelona of Spain and Arsenal of England at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, France, on Wednesday, 17 May 2006. It was the final match of the 2005–06 season of Europe's primary cup competition, the UEFA Champions League. Barcelona were appearing in their fifth final, they had won the competition once in 1992, and lost the other three finals. Arsenal were appearing in the final for the first time and in doing so became the first club from London to feature in the final.

Watched by a crowd of 79,500, Arsenal had Jens Lehmann sent off early in the first half, however they took the lead through Sol Campbell towards the end of the first half. Barcelona equalised through Samuel Eto'o near the end of the second half, and a few minutes later Juliano Belletti scored to give Barcelona a 2–1 victory. This was Barcelona's second triumph in the competition, 14 years after they first won the European Cup in 1992.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_UEFA_Champions_League_Final

The 2005 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The showpiece event was contested between Liverpool of England and Milan of Italy at the Atatürk Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on 25 May 2005. Liverpool, who had won the competition four times, were appearing in their sixth final, and their first since 1985. Milan, who had won the competition six times, were appearing in their second final in three years and tenth overall.

Milan were regarded as favourites before the match and took the lead within the first minute through captain Paolo Maldini. Milan striker Hernán Crespo added two more goals before half-time to make it 3–0. During the second half, in a stunning comeback, Liverpool scored three goals in six minutes to level the scores at 3–3, the goals coming courtesy of Steven Gerrard, Vladimír Šmicer and Xabi Alonso. The scores remained the same during extra time, and a penalty shootout was required to decide the champions. The score was 3–2 to Liverpool when Andriy Shevchenko's penalty was saved by Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek. Thus Liverpool had won their fifth European Cup, were awarded the trophy permanently, and claimed the UEFA Badge of Honour in the process. Widely regarded as one of the greatest finals in the competition's history, the match is often referred to as the "Miracle of Istanbul".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_UEFA_Champions_League_Final

The 2004 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match played at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on 26 May 2004, to decide the winner of the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League. French club Monaco faced Portugal's Porto, who won the match 3–0, with Carlos Alberto, man of the match Deco and Dmitri Alenichev scoring the goals.

Both teams were considered underdogs in the competition before the final stages and were led by young coaches: Monaco had former France national football team star Didier Deschamps and Porto were led by rising star José Mourinho, who left the team for Chelsea after the final.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_UEFA_Champions_League_Final

The 2003 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place at Old Trafford in Manchester, England on 28 May 2003 to decide the winner of the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League. The match was contested by two Italian teams in the shape of Juventus and Milan. The match made history as the first time two clubs from Italy had faced each other in the final. It was also the second intra-national final of the competition, following the 2000 UEFA Champions League Final three years earlier. Milan won the match via a penalty shootout after the game had finished 0–0 after extra time. It gave Milan their sixth success in the European Cup.

After a brisk start, Milan had an Andriy Shevchenko goal ruled out after appeals that Rui Costa had blocked Buffon's line of view from an offside position. However replays later showed that Rui Costa moved out of Buffon's line of sight before the shot, but the decision stayed. Conte nearly scored for Juve after coming on as a sub in the second half, his header clattering against the post with Dida beaten. Pirlo also hit the bar for Milan. Later, in the second half, both teams began to sit back and not create many chances.

Both Juventus and Milan had injuries to defenders, Tudor leaving early in the 1st half after pulling a muscle in his right thigh. In extra time, Roque Júnior limped out due to fatigue and injury, leaving Milan down to 10 men (Milan had made all three allowed substitutions).

The penalty-shoot out has caused controversy among some fans as replays showed that Dida was off his goal line when saving penalties from Trezeguet, Zalayeta & Montero. Buffon was also off his goal line when saving penalties from Seedorf and Kaladze. Andriy Shevchenko put away the final penalty to win the European Cup for Milan for the sixth time. Shevchenko himself became the first Ukrainian footballer to win a European Cup winner's medal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_UEFA_Champions_League_Final

The 2002 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The show-piece event was contested between Bayer Leverkusen of Germany and Real Madrid of Spain at the Hampden Park in Glasgow, on Wednesday, 15 May 2002, to decide the winner of the Champions League. Leverkusen appeared in the final for the first time, whereas Real Madrid appeared in their 12th final.

Real Madrid were regarded as favorites before the match and took the lead in the eighth minute through Raúl. However, it took only five minutes before Lúcio could equalise to make it 1–1. This wasn't until the 45th minute, when Zinedine Zidane scored the winning goal, a left-footed volley into the top corner, assisted by Roberto Carlos to make it 2–1, winning the Champions League trophy for Real Madrid. This goal is widely considered to be one of the greatest goals ever scored and is fondly remembered.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_UEFA_Champions_League_Final

The 2001 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place at San Siro in Milan, Italy, on 23 May 2001, to decide the winner of the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League. The match pitted Bayern Munich against Valencia. The match finished in a 1–1 draw, but Bayern clinched their fourth title by winning 5–4 on penalties. This was also their first European title in a quarter-century, also representing Valencia's second consecutive final defeat (2000 and 2001). Due to all the goals scored and the penalty shootout needed to decide the winner, this UEFA Champions League match became an "all-penalty" final and the only one ever to happen to this day. This was the sixth European Cup final to be decided on penalties, and the second under the Champions League format). This was Héctor Cúper's third consecutive European final defeat (after his Mallorca side lost the 1999 Cup Winners' Cup Final and Valencia lost to Real Madrid in the 2000 Champions League final) while Ottmar Hitzfeld claimed his second Champions League title after he won it with Borussia Dortmund in 1997. He became the second coach in European Cup history, after Ernst Happel, to win the competition with two different clubs.

Valencia opened the score early on with a Gaizka Mendieta penalty in the 2nd minute after a prostrate Patrik Andersson was deemed to have handled the ball in the penalty area. Only a few minutes later, Bayern Munich were awarded a penalty after Jocelyn Angloma fouled Stefan Effenberg in the penalty box, but Mehmet Scholl's kick was saved by the legs of Santiago Cañizares. Bayern were awarded another penalty early in the second half, this time after Amedeo Carboni handled the ball while competing for a header with Carsten Jancker. This time, Stefan Effenberg took the penalty kick and sent Cañizares the wrong way to level the scores at 1–1. The scores remained level for the remainder of normal time and throughout the 30 minutes of extra time, so the match went to penalties.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_UEFA_Champions_League_Final

The 2000 UEFA Champions League Final took place at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France on 24 May 2000. The match pitted Spanish rivals Real Madrid and Valencia. It was the first time since the advent of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League in 1955 that two clubs from the same country competed in the final.

The match was a one-sided affair as a headed goal from Fernando Morientes and a spectacular Steve McManaman volley put Real Madrid 2–0 ahead, before Raúl sealed the win with a breakaway third goal, rounding Santiago Canizares after Real had cleared a Valencia corner.

The win was Madrid's eighth European Cup Championship overall and their second in three years, and was notable for being Vicente Del Bosque's first title as manager. It was also a landmark for being the first final played between two teams from the same nation, as well as for having Englishman McManaman become the first player from his nation, to win the tournament with a foreign club.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_UEFA_Champions_League_Final

The 1999 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place on Wednesday, 26 May 1999. The match was played at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain, to determine the winner of the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League. The final was contested by Manchester United and Bayern Munich. The match is best remembered for Manchester United scoring two last-minute goals in injury time to win 2–1, after having trailed for most of the match.

United's victory was the culmination of their Treble-winning season, after they had already won the FA Premier League and the FA Cup earlier in the month. Bayern were also playing for a Treble of their own, having already won the Bundesliga and having already earned a spot in the German Cup final; however, Bayern went on to lose in the final.

Manchester United wore their traditional red shirts, while Bayern Munich donned their grey and burgundy Champions League kit. Referee Pierluigi Collina has cited it as one of the most memorable matches of his career, due to the "lion's roar" from the crowd at the end of the game.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_UEFA_Champions_League_Final

The 1998 UEFA Champions League Final took place at the Amsterdam ArenA in Amsterdam on 20 May 1998. Spanish club Real Madrid defeated Italian side Juventus 1–0 to clinch their seventh European title, the sixth being in 1966.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_UEFA_Champions_League_Final

The 1997 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match won 3-1 by Borussia Dortmund of Germany against Juventus from Italy.

The event took place at the Olympiastadion in Munich on 28 May 1997.

Borussia Dortmund wore their traditional yellow and black shirts. Juventus donned their blue away kit.

Karl-Heinz Riedle put Dortmund ahead finishing from Paul Lambert's cross. Riedle then made it two with a header from a corner kick.

In the second half, Juventus forward Alessandro Del Piero, who had come on as a substitute, scored via a back-heel from a cross by Alen Bokšić to make the score 2–1.

20-year-old substitute and Dortmund local boy Lars Ricken latched on to a through-pass by Andreas Möller only 16 seconds after coming onto the pitch. Ricken chipped Angelo Peruzzi in the Juve goal from over 20 yards with his first touch of the ball, to make it 3-1 for Dortmund. Ricken's goal was the fastest ever by a substitute in said event.

With Zinedine Zidane unable to make an impression for Juve against the close marking of Lambert, the 3–1 victory gave Dortmund their only Champions League title to date.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_UEFA_Champions_League_Final

The 1996 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match played on 22 May 1996 between Juventus of Italy and Ajax of the Netherlands. The match was deadlocked at 1–1 after extra time, forcing a penalty shootout which Juventus won 4–2. This was the Italian giants' second triumph in the competition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_UEFA_Champions_League_Final

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