An 87th minute goal by late sub Benny McCarthy sunk Arsenal. Ahem - I said B'burn would win - cough. I still don't know why McCarthy was benched in favor of young striker Matt Derbyshire, but either way he made his presence known. Arsenal dominated possession and had the most chances but that's where finishing comes in. Brad Friedel was solid, as usual. Blackburn will move on to face Damarcus Beasley and Man City (hopefully Beasley plays) on March 11th. Rovers - welcome to the FA Cup Quarterfinals.
Other news:
* The Sevilla game vs. Real Betis (the one I recommended) was stopped prematurely due to Juande Ramos, Sevilla's coach, getting hit by a unidentified object (most likely a bottle) from the crowd. I'm sorry, but what the F*** is wrong with people. Tell me. Somebody. Stupid f***s. I'll keep you updated once punishments are handed out.
* Despite my desire to see Robbie Fowler in the MLS and his rumored talks with New England Revolution, here is an article quoting his agent that Qatar is a more likely destination. Other than money, what is the appeal of Qatar?? Liverpool, however, has signed Andriy Voronin putting Fowler 4th down on the pecking order.
* Ex-RBNY young'un Gabriel Ferrari didn't get into Sampdoria's 2-1 win against Atalanta.
* U.S. Soccer Federation has backed the preparation and efforts towards a 2018 World Cup Bid. This came even before Sepp Blatter, FIFA's president, said that it is very likely that 2018 might not be going to England or Europe in general. Instead, it's gonna stay over in the New World or possibly even Asia. Here is the article.
*Olympique Lyonnais has announced plans to build a new stadium by 2010. I have been to their current stadium, Stade de Gerland, and it gets the job done but it is pretty damn old.
