With the UEFA EURO 2008 tournament from Austria-Switzerland just days away, the Sportable staff will bring you team previews leading up to the opening match. Group by group, we will discuss team rosters, flaws. and chances of being crowned European Champions.

Group D Matches:
June 10th: vs. Russia (Tivoli-Neu Stadion, Innsbruck)
June 14th: vs. Sweden (Tivoli-Neu Stadion, Innsbruck)
June 18th: vs. Greece (Wals Siezenheim Stadium, Salzburg)

Will They Finally Stop Underachieving?
It is one of the biggest puzzles in world soccer: Why in the world have Spain consistently failed in international tournaments? With arguably the deepest domestic league in the world, the consistent disappointment of Spain’s national team is one of soccer’s biggest mysteries. Time and time again, they have shown up to the World Cup and European Championships with loaded rosters…and time and time again, they’ve let everybody down. For EURO 2008, the script remains the same. Can La Furia Roja hoist their first major trophy since winning EURO ‘64?

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With the UEFA EURO 2008 tournament from Austria-Switzerland just days away, the Sportable staff will bring you team previews leading up to the opening match. Group by group, we will discuss team rosters, flaws. and chances of being crowned European Champions.

Group C Matches:
June 9th: vs. Romania (Letzigrund Stadium-Zurich)
June 13th: vs. Netherlands (Stade de Suisse Wankdorf-Bern)
June 17th: vs. Italy (Letzigrund Stadium-Zurich)

Les Bleus is Loaded, Even Without Zidane
For France, EURO 2008 marks the true beginning of a new era in French soccer. Gone is superstar Zinedine Zidane, with his truly legendary playmaking ability and even more infamous cranium. But don’t pity the French; they’re too arrogant to deserve any pity and they’re too talented to feel sorry for. Even without Zizzou, France was able to emerge from the EURO 2008 Qualifying Group of Death. Their reward? Another Group of Death and rematch with Italy.

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With the UEFA EURO 2008 tournament from Austria-Switzerland just days away, the Sportable staff will bring you team previews leading up to the opening match. Group by group, we will discuss team rosters, flaws. and chances of being crowned European Champions.

Group C Matches:
June 9th: vs. Italy (Letzigrund Stadium-Zurich)
June 13th: vs. France (Letzigrund Stadium-Zurich)
June 17th: vs. Romania (Stade de Suisse Wankdorf-Bern)

Can Orange Crush Survive Group of Death?
As finalists in the 2006 World Cup, Italy and France have deservedly received the most attention in EURO 2008’s Group C. But the inclusion of the Netherlands, one of the Europe’s finest squads, has turned the group from an intriguing one into the tournament’s most dangerous. But for all of their technical ability, the Netherlands haven’t won anything of significance since coach Marco Van Basten hoisted the EURO ‘88 trophy. In Van Basten’s swan song with the national team, can he guide this team through such a difficult draw?

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As you can tell, we’re real excited about EURO 2008, which begins Saturday in Austria and Switzerland. With 16 European nations in the mix, most of you probably have your rooting interests already set in stone. But what if you’re still looking for a team to cheer for? Well, kensai from Fire Ned Colletti Now has you covered.

16 teams will go into Euro 2008 looking to emerge as the best international side in Europe. Unfortunately, many fans from other countries are left out of this competition because they have no squad to root for. One of the few options available to these fans (including yours truly) is to put traditional loyalties aside and become a bandwagon jumper. Yes, the term “bandwagon jumper” carries a heavy negative connotation amongst fans, but goddamnit, I just don’t care. All I know is that I’m not missing out on the fan experience during one of the best 3 weeks in international soccer, and that’s that.

Anyway, before I get into what countries people should choose to bandwagon, let me give a short public announcement for the following groups of people who need not jump on a new team. These people are:

1) Those who are ethnically linked to a country in Euro 2008. Sorry, but you don’t qualify if you are 1/128th Spanish or some other bullshit like that. At a certain point, your blood is so diluted that even the Spanish would disown you. Come on, you have to be at least 1/4th ethnic blood of that given country.

2) Those who own citizenship to a country in Euro 2008. This is the most common sense one of them all, but people still don’t seem to abide by it much. And yes, I actually mean official citizenship, not cheering for Turkey because you once used a Turkish bath.

3) Those who grew up in, or are a long standing resident of, a country in Euro 2008. Probably the most confused and abused group. Here you’ll find those who claim Italy just because they once went on a vacation there, or those who cheer for France because they “boned a French chick once, dude”. No, those douches do not qualify as real fans; do not believe their lies.

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With the UEFA EURO 2008 tournament from Austria-Switzerland just days away, the Sportable staff will bring you team previews leading up to the opening match. Group by group, we will discuss team rosters, flaws. and chances of being crowned European Champions.

Group C Matches:
June 9th: vs. France (Letzigrund Stadium-Zurich)
June 13th: vs. Italy (Letzigrund Stadium-Zurich)
June 17th: vs. Netherlands (Stade de Suisse Wankdorf-Bern)

Spoiler Alert!
Romania is good. Good enough to advance out of a group that includes Italy, France, and the Netherlands? Maybe. Romania finished first in qualifying group G, which included Bulgaria and EURO Group C opponent Holland. Adrian Mutu scored 6 goals in the qualifying stage and will be the pulse for Romania at EURO 2008. A tough task lies ahead for this squad who didn’t deserve this draw after finishing first in the qualifying stage. However, could you imagine if the Tricolorii pulled a Ghana and advanced out of a very tough group?

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With the UEFA EURO 2008 tournament from Austria-Switzerland just days away, the Sportable staff will bring you team previews leading up to the opening match. Group by group, we will discuss team rosters, flaws. and chances of being crowned European Champions.

Group C Matches:
June 9th: vs. Netherlands (Stade de Suisse Wankdorf-Bern)
June 13th: vs. Romania (Letzigrund Stadium-Zurich)
June 17th: vs. France (Letzigrund Stadium-Zurich)

Italy Going for European Dominance
When Italy won the World Cup, in 1982 they failed to qualify for EURO 1984. The first thing the Azzurri did after winning the trophy in Berlin two years ago was make it to Austria-Switzerland. Completing their goal has left them with a new goal: Lift the trophy in Vienna. With a team that is almost identical to that of the 2006 run, Italy are surely favorites this time around, as they look to erase the memory of their first round exit in EURO 2004. Placed in the group of death the Italians will have a tougher time getting to the finals in this tournament. Read the rest of this entry »