Today’s the final day of the Europa League group stage. One of the matches we’ll see today, kicking off at 1:00 PM ET, is Denmark’s FC Copenhagen vs Belgium’s Standard Liège from Group B:
These are two very fine crests. Copenhagen’s lion silhouette is great: regal, powerful, yet modern. And the red stripes formed by the Danish flag stretched around the edge are a masterful touch. On the other hand, I like Standard Liège’s badge a lot, too. The boughs on either side and the crown on top are elegant and not overpowering. The old-fashioned style of the “S” and “L” are interesting, and the slice of off-center red gives the whole thing a nice richness. I like both of these two, and I can’t pick a favorite between them, so I think this match will be a draw (and not 0-0, either).
Note that today’s the final day to order a shirt and receive it by Christmas via regular shipping. It’s also the last day that the August winner, Netherland’s Vitesse will be available for order.
Update: Standard Liège get the 1-0 win, and I get 0 points on the prediction scorecard.
Goal, the New York Times Soccer Blog, has a comprehensive rundown of Americans Abroad: Armbands, Golazos and Transfer Rumors. It included this part about Captains America that caught my eye, and sent me off to look up a few crests:
What’s going on with all of these Captains America? Yes, with an “s.” Is it because of that movie? Whatever the reason, when St. Etienne kicked off its season Sunday against Bordeaux, Bocanegra was wearing the captain’s armband. He looked good in the role, it must be said: Already captain of the U.S. national team, Bocanegra delivered a steady, steely performance at left back and his team won, 2-1.
He joins his fellow U.S. defenders Clarence Goodson (Brondby) and Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96) as the on-field leaders of their respective European squads. All three were called up for Wednesday’s Mexico match, where they will no doubt attend management seminars, deliver PowerPoint presentations and lead the team through trust-building exercises.
France’s AS Saint-Étienne, Denmark’s Brøndby IF and Germany’s Hannover 96:
