The new soccer themed McDonalds commercial titled Victory reminds us that there are things more important than winning a soccer championship.

Tell me that doesn't make you want to throw your next soccer game and pull a Happy Meal out of your bag in front of the other team.

Turkey and Russia had fantastic runs in the European Cup but fell short of winning the trophy. There is good news for the courageous Turkey squad though. You can get Happy Meals in Turkey! The exciting Russian side is out of luck though. Even Ronald can't overcome the Siberian tundra. Oh well, they have Vodka.

For myself, I'm still waiting for the triumphant return of a the $1 Fillet-O-Fish sandwich.

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At right about the same time Spain was facing off against Italy in penalty shootouts, a similar showdown was taking place in Corvallis. After a goalless draw Cometa and the Señoras Enojadas went to penalties to determine who would meet Squirrels in the finals.

Six adult soccer teams, Atrevidos, Cometa, Crown Royal, Jalisco, Señoras Enojadas and Squirrels competed in the Verano Soccer Tournament in Corvallis. The three day event raised over $400 to assist Corvallis children from low income families play club soccer.

The first four shooters from Cometa and Senoras made their penalty shots. When the fifth shooter of Cometa failed to convert the door was open for Elias Arredondo to win the game for the Senoras. Unlike Cesc Fabregas' final shot for Spain, Elias' penalty was saved by Cometa's keeper. Hernan Garcia converted the next opportunity for Cometa putting the pressure back on Senoras. The next miss by Efrain Arredondo for Senoras sent Cometa to the championship.

Squirrels had advanced to the finals by winning their group and defeating Jalisco in the semifinals. A group stage meeting between Squirrels and Cometa two days earlier had resulted in a scoreless draw. Both teams had something to prove.

Squirrels struck first when a loose ball in the area fell to a forward who tucked the goal away. Despite playing two games earlier in the day, Cometa continued to battle for an equalizer. Late in the second half Cometa was awarded a penalty kick. The resulting goal made the game even again until the final whistle. Penalty kicks. Again.

Some good saves by Squirrels' goalkeeper Tyler Luebbert kept the pressure on Cometa. The game remained undecided after the first five shooters. In sudden death Cometa finally cracked and Squirrels celebrated their championship. Congratulations to Squirrels and all the teams who participated in the fun and dramatic weekend of soccer.

Check out more photos from the Verano Soccer Tournament.

Squirrels Team Photo

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So for the last couple of weeks every time I watch Spain play in the Euro tournament I have felt a bit funny whenever Fernando Torres comes up on screen. Its like when you first saw the middle Hanson performing MMMBop on MTV. Don't try to act like you don't know what I'm talking about.

Well thankfully I don't have to make any huge announcements to my wife. I plugged Torres' (stunning) profile image into a facial recognition analysis website and wham (no not that Wham!), it all makes sense. I didn't make this up. Torres is the hypothetical result of a crazy party involving none other than Sir Bobby Charlton, one of the greatest soccer players in history and some very beautiful ladies including Kristen Bell (who is also very stunning in Heroes), Josie Moran, Tea Leoni (loved her in Bad Boys) and Rebecca Romijn.

How can you blame me! Now my wife can stop worrying about me.

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Ian Rose is a writer for (in my opinion) the best Euro 2008 blog around. You can check it out at http://euro2008.worldcupblog.org/. They have knowledgeable writers who aren't afraid to throw out their opinion, tons of readers and a very active comments community. Unlike Ken Pendleton, who is an OSU philosophy professor, recognized soccer writer and Eugene (yuck) resident, Ian is a Corvallis resident who contributes to the Portland based blog remotely. He is part of the growing Cheers-like group of regulars who have been catching every game at the Corvallis Sports Park pub.

If you are looking for some soccer geeks to catch the games with you need to watch the matches at the Park. I'll warn you up front though to expect loud noises, lots of poo-talking and possibly even some clothing being shed (maybe not in that order).

I took out my (now famous) crystal soccer ball and came up with these predictions for the rest of the tournament.

June 19, Quarterfinal: Portugal (9-2) vs Germany (5-1)
The rested Ronaldo performs 37 consecutive step overs before creating a game winner for Portugal.
[Its halftime now so I'm cheating a bit. But I'm sticking with Portugal even though they are down a goal.]

June 20, Croatia (7-1) vs Turkey (20-1)
Both teams are relieved to be playing each other. Turkey had its moment on Sunday. Croatia passes through to the semis.

June 21, Holland (7-2) vs Russia (12-1)
I will be cheering for the Russians in this one. But I don't see them outscoring the Dutch who have been scoring with style.

June 22, Spain (9-2) vs Italy (5-1)
Italy clawed their way to the quarterfinals in unseemly fashion. Spain is Europe's perennial underachievers. I hurts me to choose Italy to reach the semifinals.

June 25, Portugal vs Croatia
This will be an easier challenge for Portugal than Germany was. Welcome to the finals Portugal.

June 26, Holland vs Italy
Italy is like an unwanted house guest. Why is it so dang hard to get rid of them? If anyone can kick the "sexy" right out of Holland its Italy. Pizza-heads to the finals.

June 29, Portugal vs Italy
I see the Carvalho handling Toni. Its up to Ronaldo to solve the Italian defense. Italy will foil Ronaldo for nearly the entire game. But once is all he needs to claim the Euro trophy for Portugal.

Another site worth checking out is http://euro2008girls.com/. Its pretty simple. A site devoted to international bevy of female fans of Euro 2008. Even Jim Rome can appreciate that. Yee-haw!

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Before I get to the game report for the Men's Competitive division championship game I want to make an observation about the scheduling of championship night this season. The Corvallis Sports Park scheduled the Premier final to be played before the Competitive final. A very odd decision in my opinion. It was like having the opening act take the stage after the main attraction. Amadan is a cool band, but would you schedule them to play after the Rolling Stones?

The crowd was awesome for the Coed and Premier final but once the Premier match was over the whole place just died. The crowd was gone and most certainly the excitement was gone. From a spectators perspective, it sucked. I'm guessing for the players it would have been much cooler to play in front of a packed house (I know I like an audience). It couldn't have been great for business either to have all those people leave with their wallets and purses at 9:30 instead of 10:30 PM.

In the past the Premier game has always come last. And its been great. I hope they switch it back. On to the match report.

Men's Competitive Division
Right About Meow (RM) vs. WTF
1st Half
24' I recognize WTF as the Wondercups. Same team new name.
23' GOAL! WTF open thier scoring account in the first minute. (0-1)
20' GOAL! WTF scores another. Rube and JJ who are playing for RM are in their third game of the night. (0-2)
18' GOAL! WTF scores again. The balcony crowd is gone. There are open seats. (0-3)
17' Rube and the WTF keeper pleasantly exchange phone numbers after some bumping.
13' After watching the Premier final the overall skill seems a little lacking but the pace of the game is fast.
10' Crash. Bam. Pow. Holy foul-fest Batman!
5' There are a lot of shots but its like that opening shooting scene in Pulp Fiction. "Did you see the size of that hand cannon?"
1' GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! Three quick goals in succession for WTF. RM looks in shock. (0-6)
2nd Half
20' The pummelling continues by WTF. I can safely say that RM keeper Anders is not afraid of shots at this point.
17' GOAL! Rube kicks a backwards volley off the Cudo Invesment sign and heads the rebound in for RM. (1-6)
16' GOAL! WTF answers quickly with a nice volley. (1-7)
11' WTF is still dominating. Anders is making some nice saves though.
9' GOAL! Surprise, surprise, another WTF goal. (1-8)
8' Seth megs his defender and finishes from short range. (2-8)
5' A RM player just did a double knee slide into the wall face first. At least they are still fighting I guess.
4' GOAL! Seth bends a shot inside the far post. (3-8)
3' GOAL! Seth with another quick goal. I cant help but think its too late for a comeback. (4-8)
2' Anders recovers from his back to make a great hand save.
30 secs Jahan scores a consolation goal for RM. The score is closer than it really was. (5-8)

Congratulations to WTF the Men's Competitive Division champions.

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Here is another game report from championship night at the Corvallis Sports Park this week. If you weren't there, you missed a very entertaining evening. This game was the best of them all. At least you can get an idea of how the game went. Check out the Coed Competitive Division championship report if you have already.

Men's Premier Division
Minute Men (MM) vs. Wrecked-Em (WE)
1st Half
Pregame: Looks like everyone is done with finals. Both teams look at full strength. This should be good.
22' GOAL! Lloyd with a nice pass to Francisco who taps it in. MM draw first blood. (1-0)
20' Lloyd is on a break away alone with the keeper and chooses to back heel the shot. A waste.
18' GOAL! WE ties the game back up. No team seems to have an advantage yet. (1-1)
17' GOAL! Aaron megs the keeper with his toe to score for MM. (2-1)
14' WE is keeping most of the possession in the offensive third. As a team they are very confident with the ball.
12' GOAL! Brett's shot is deflected and gets past MM keeper Salvador. (2-2)
9' GOAL! Brett is showing why he was a four year started at OSU. He schools his defender and buries the shot. (2-3)
4' Garrett whiffs at a nice pass in front of net. Salvador has been forced to make some nice saves.
2' Francisco megs his defender and pulls up limping. This could be very bad for MM.
20 secs Brett is mugged in the corner by Aaron who is shown a blue card.
2nd Half
24' MM play a man short with Aaron in the penalty box.
23' MM is defending with shorthanded with just three players. Lloyd is cherry picking during the power play. Just silly.
20' Garrett is wasting a number of great passes in the offensive end.
16' Salvador is keeping the MM in the game with a number of fantastic saves.
11' GOAL! Brett is really putting his stamp on the game. He assists for an easy tap in. (2-4)
7' WE continues to get shot after shot at the MM goal.
5' GOAL! Aaron scores a second goal off an assist by JJ. (3-4)
4' WE can extend the lead but Salvador makes yet another clutch save from close range.
1' GOAL! Rube subs on, receives the ball and back heels to Francisco who scores near post. Its all tied up! (4-4)
5 secs Holy crap, Rube nearly scores game winner on a free kick beyond the red line.
Extra Time
5' This is Golden Goal. For once I am not hoping for penalties. This is a great game.
4' Rube has a good look at goal from the red line but misses.
3' WE hits the crossbar but it bounces out. That was inches from ending it.
2' Another blistering shot by WE nearly misses.
30 secs Bodies are flying all over the place but no goal.
0 secs Extra time ends without a goal.
Penalty Shootout
MM: Rube is going first. Good choice. One touch foward, and he beats Patrick the keeper. GOAL! (1-0)
WE: I don't knw this players name. His shot is saved by Salvador's outstrechted leg. (1-0)
MM: Francisco takes two touches and shoots wide left. (1-0)
WE: Brett, who should have gone first shoots and scores with his left (1-1)
MM: Juan pushes the ball forward, fakes once to and lifts it over the grounded keeper. Very nice. (2-1)
WE: Garrett's shot beats Salvador to his left. (2-2)
MM: Lloyd's first touch is too far. Patrick easily smothers the rushed shot. (2-2)
WE: The next shooter fails to convert. Save by Salvador. (2-2)
MM: Aaron's shot isnt great but it slides under the keepers elbow cleanly. (3-2)
WE: This player must make it. He doesnt look confident though. One touch, Shot. Another save by Salvador to win it.

Congratulations to Minnute Men the Men's Premier Division champions.
This game was awesome with a dramatic come from behind win you couldn't have scripted any better. Both teams deserved to win this one. Did you see this game? What do you think of the result? Did the Minute Men deserve to win it?

Check back tomorrow for the Men's Competitive Division Championship report.

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I wanted to try something new for the Corvallis Sports Park championship night this time. Capturing video of the games was making it very difficult for me to actually watch and enjoy the game. So I put the camcorder away and took play by play notes instead. Let me know what you think.

Coed Competitive Dvision
JT and the Sexy Backs (SB) vs. Crown Royals (CR)
1st Half
23' The CR keeper drills his own defender with a panicked clearance but recovers well enough to save a would be silly goal.
19' CR goal poacher Laura is wiped out near the SB goal but no coall. It appears the tone for the game has been set.
17' The women on both teams look tired. Niether team has a female sub.
16' GOAL! CR keeper George saves, Rube picks up the clearance and quickly counters against the run of play. (0-1)
13' Scott earns a shot on goal for CR but Cudo saves. SB is outshooting CR by a large margin though.
10' GOAL! A cute little give and go for a close range shot by Manuel. (1-1)
7' A high clearance gets the ball stuck in the net. SBis still the sharper looking team with more chances at goal.
5' Ian commits a foul defending and gets verbal. He is fired up.
4' GOAL! Laura shoots wide of the far post but Rube cleans it up nicely. (1-2)
2' CR player Stephanie goes down holding her knee at midfield. The magic ice is delivered and she walks to the bench on her own.
5 secs SB misses a goal from six inches. No kidding.
2nd Half
22' GOAL! Diana crosses into the center off the wall to Rube who nails the volley home. (1-3)
21' Tami beats the keeper from the top of the arc to score for CR (1-4)
19' GOAL! SB isnt done yet. They score on a far post shot. (2-4)
16' GOAL Things are heating up. Bodies are flying. Fernando scores with his right just inside the red line. (3-4)
14' GOAL! SB leave a woman to defend Rube herself. Bad idea. (3-5)
12' GOAL! A rare header finished by SB. (4-5)
8' GOAL! Laura falls on the ball in the goal mouth. A scrum insues and Ian finds an early Christmas gift as the ball squirts out. (4-6)
5' Manuel finds an open teammate on a breakaway. Swing and a miss! Manuel is obviously skilled but he needs to do more on his own.
2' Allie crushes Luara for a whistle. Allie fouls Tami right after. No card. Yikes!
1' GOAL! SB scores. Can they pull it off? (5-6)
15 secs CR keeper gives up a silly red line shot but SB waste the chance.

Congratulations to Crown Royals the Coed Competitive Division champions.
Do you like this kind of game commentary? I have game notes for both of the other finals but Im going to have to post those tommorow. The Euro 2008 tournament is killing my free time.

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Its time for one last good championship night at the Corvallis Sports Park before indoor soccer takes a back seat to sunny days on the grass. Three division champions will be decided Tuesday night beginning at 7:30 PM. If you want some predictions you've come to the right place. Me and my crystal soccer ball have chosen 6 out of 7 championships correctly.

Before I review each championship match I am going to mention this season's "Soccer Bullies". Two teams, the Wild Lions (Coed Recreational) and Last Minute Flesh Wounds (Men's Recreational) have achieved ultimate glory by flawlessly defeating all of their opponents...in a non-competitive division. To be clear, this is not meant to be praise. I do this because going undefeated in a recreational league is not what sport and competition is about. Wrong division guys.

JT and The Sexy Backs vs Crown Royals (7:30 PM)
The Sexy Backs defeated the Crown Royals twice during the season. But I don't think this game will be so easy. Crown Royals are the defending champions and if they have all of their scoring threats playing they should be the favorites. I predict a win for Crown Royals.

Minute Men vs Wrecked-Em (8:25 PM)
This is a rematch last season's championship which was won by Wrecked-Em. Minute Men went 7-0-1 during the season and defeated Wrecked-Em in their only meeting. The Wrecked-Em players are OSU students and this is finals week. I'm going with Minute Men to win based on some missing players on the Wrecked-Em team.

Right About Meow vs WTF (9:20 PM)
WTF defeated the Whiskey Hobos to narrowly earn a spot in finals. The two teams split one game apiece during the regular season. I have no idea who plays for WTF. Right About Meow has been playing at CSP for a long time. The time is right for Right About Meow.

Too bad my prediction skills haven't helped my with my Euro 2008 picks. But who could have seen that France-Romania draw? Who do you think will win tomorrow night at the park?

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The opening game of Euro 2008 between tournament co-host Switzerland and the Czech Republic is just minutes from kicking off. One thousand volunteer performers from thirteen different countries participated in one of the silliest opening ceremonies ever seen on the international stage. If the intent was to build anticipation for the game by making me wish all the people with giant boxes on their heads would get off the field, they succeeded.

For the next twenty-two days sixteen European national teams will compete in Switzerland and Austria to determine who will be the champions of Europe for the next four years. This is my favorite soccer event right after the World Cup.

Every game will be televised and you can catch the games at the Corvallis Sports Park which will open for the matches. Here is a complete Euro 2008 TV schedule.

Here are the bookmaker odds for who will win the Euro 2008 as of the night before the tournament.

Germany 5-1
Spain 6.75-1
Italy 8-1
Portugal 8.5-1
France 9.5-1
Netherlands 15-1
Croatia 15-1
Czech Rep 26-1
Russia 29-1
Switzerland 34-1
Greece 41-1
Romania 51-1
Sweden 51-1
Turkey 67-1
Poland 68-1
Austria 151-1

My pick for the tournament winner is Portugal. I suspect that the relatively unknown soccer wizard Ricardo Queresma is going to have himself a little coming out party and upstage his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo a bit. What is your prediction? Choose your pick in the "Share Your Opinion" section or leave a comment.

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It seems like the cold season in Corvallis has stretched out a bit long this year but Summer is finally just around the corner. That means its time for some full field outdoor soccer in Corvallis!

What: Verano Soccer Tournament
Who: Adult men's and coed teams
When: June 20, 21, 22
Where: Corvallis, Crystal Lake Sports Complex
Why: Because the sun is out!
Registration is open for nine adult men's and coed teams. This is "B" level soccer tournament. Teams are expected to be competitive with a mix of intermediate and higher level players. Team registration is $200 and part of the fee will help local children from low income families play club soccer. The event ii co-hosted by Club Tapatio and the Corvallis Football Academy.

Contact Elias at 908-2445 or email corvallissoccer@yahoo.com for questions and registration.

[Update: Tournament Schedule]

Friday
7:00 PM Cometa v Squirrels
7:00 PM Crown Royal v Atrevidos

Saturday
5:30 PM Cometa v Jalisco
5:30 PM Senoras v Crown Royal
7:00 PM Squirrels v Jalisco
7:00 PM Senoras v Atrevidos

Sunday
12:00 PM 3 seed v 6 seed
12:00 PM 4 seed v 5 seed
2:00 PM 1 seed v Winner of Game 8
2:00 PM 2 seed v Winner of Game 7
4:30 PM Championship

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