The 2010 Champions League Final featuring Inter Milan against Bayern Munich drew a 1.1 overnight rating on the Fox Network.

How does that compare to last year’s final on ESPN? The 2009 Final, which was shown on a Wednesday afternoon, drew a 1.0 rating. So, in comparison, Fox’s rating is a disappointment. That said, you have to consider which teams played last year — Barcelona and Manchester United, two of the biggest clubs in the world. Inter Milan and Bayern Munich are big too, but they’re not in the same league as the Red Devils and Barca.

On Saturday afternoon, Fox had competition from other sports in terms of attracting viewers. The match was shown at the same time as Game four of the Flyers against Canadiens NHL Eastern Conference Final, which drew 1.6 on NBC. The third round of the PGA Tour Byron Nelsen Championship on CBS, meanwhile, drew 1.1

The last time a soccer final was shown on network television was the Euro 2008 game between Spain and Germany, which drew a rating of 3.1 overnight on ABC.

As of September 1, 2009, there are an estimated 114.9 million television households in the United States. A single national ratings point represents one percent of the total number, or 1,149,000 households for the 2009–10 season.

So what’s the verdict on the ratings? Fox was handicapped by having two teams in the final that don’t have massive appeal in the United States. Plus soccer fans (and sports fans) are not used to seeing soccer finals shown on the Fox Network. Despite all of the promotion Fox did, there were still soccer fans confused on Saturday who didn’t know what channel the game was being shown on. If the final had featured Barcelona against Manchester United or Manchester United versus Inter Milan, I have no doubt that the ratings would have been MUCH higher.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is it. Although there are no English clubs in the Champions League Final, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan are ready to fight for victory in one of the biggest club competition finals in the sport of soccer.

While many eyes will be fixed to what happens on the field, I’ll be particularly interested in seeing how the Fox Network pulls off the first live telecast of a Champions League Final on US network television. From 1 to 2:30pm ET, Fox Soccer Channel will feature Bobby McMahon, Warren Barton, Eric Wynalda and Jeremy St. Louis live from Madrid for the pre-game show. And then the telecast moves to the Fox Network at 2:30pm ET for the game itself which will be presented by Curt Menefee alongside Bruce Arena.

Before, during and after the game, feel free to add your comments into the section below. Let’s hope it’s a spectacular final!

2:17pm ET: Bobby McMahon and Warren Barton sign off from their pregame duties to make room for Curt Menefee and Bruce Arena. Fair play to McMahon and Barton who have done a brilliant job all season and have yet again done a superb job today. No pressure Arena and Menefee. But the nation is watching!

2:33pm ET: Lovely. Menefee, Arena and Wynalda spend the first 1-2 minutes basically convincing those American viewers at home why they shouldn’t change the channel. Let the soccer do the talking rather than your words, gentlemen. Don’t sound so desperate.

2:44pm ET: First FAIL from Fox. The presenter and analysts were discussing the formations, but Fox failed to put them up on screen until a couple of minutes later. A little slow on the trigger button from Fox.

2:45pm ET: Not a smooth transition from the presenter/analysts to Martin Tyler and Andy Gray. Thankfully, Tyler and Gray will be in charge here for the next 45 minutes.

2:46pm ET: So much for the Champions League Final being shown in HD as it has been promised. It’s supposed to be in HD, but either the HD picture is poor for me (and others) or it’s in SD. It’s definitely not high quality HD.

3:19pm ET: Route one football, and Inter Milan’s Diego Milito scores to make it 1-0 to the Italians. Will that be the only goal of the game?

4:13pm ET: Diego Milito makes it 2-0. Jose Mourinho just increased his salary offer from Real Madrid.

4:35pm ET: Full-time. Inter 2-0 Bayern Munich. Congratulations to Inter Milan on a convincing win. But where was Bayern Munich today? At times, it was a lame performance by the German team who couldn’t seem to break down the Italian team. No surprises here. Congratulations to Jose Mourinho.

4;44pm ET: Nerves or a flub? Menefee pronounces Mourinho as “Ma-ran-yo”

While the Premier League season may be over and there’s three weeks to go before the World Cup begins (yippee), there is the matter of three games this weekend. All of which are important for different reasons.

• Blackpool v Cardiff City, 10am ET, Saturday, Fox Soccer Plus and FoxSoccer.tv
• Bayern Munich v Inter Milan, 2:30pm ET, Saturday, Fox
• England v Mexico, 3pm ET, Monday, Fox Soccer Channel

But which one are you looking forward to the most, and why? Cast your vote in the poll above and add your comments to the section below.

After being overlooked for so many summers, the United States will have several Premier League clubs coming to North America in July. In addition to Manchester United confirming a tour of North America and Tottenham Hotspur playing a couple of friendlies, Manchester City today announced additional tour dates, while Bolton Wanderers today announced a three-game tour of North America.

Manchester City today added a game against Club America to be played in Atlanta. And Steven Goff’s Soccer Insider column is reporting that an announcement will be made Monday that Manchester City will play against Inter Milan in Baltimore. That would be a mouthwatering tie that would feature Roberto Mancini against Jose Mourinho (we hope).

Here are all of the dates to remember for the Man City tour:

• Sporting Lisbon and Red Bull New York v Manchester City, July 22-25, Harrison, NJ
• Club America v Manchester City, July 28, Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
• Inter Milan v Manchester City, July 31, M&T Stadium, Baltimore (tentative)

Bolton Wanderers manager Owen Coyle, who is no stranger to having his team play friendlies in the States after Burnley came over last summer, will be pitting his team against the following opponents:

• Charlotte Eagles v Bolton, July 14
• Charleston Battery v Bolton, July 17
• Toronto FC v Bolton, July 21

Visit our preseason friendlies page for the complete list of games featuring Premier League teams. And stay tuned to our Premier League TV schedule page to find out which games will be shown on television (when announced).

Dear Special One,

Or, is it Mr. Special?

Excuse my error in salutation, if in fact I committed one. I wish to take a fleeting moment to put pen to paper and congratulate you on your recent 0-1 loss to current world “dominators” Barcelona FC. I’ve in fact never seen such an emphatic “jump for joy” the likes I witnessed Wednesday eve when the final whistle blew at Camp Nou. But Yes!, you’ve done it. Your ubiquitous presence has in fact paid off. Forget the negativity of the losing scoreline and focus only upon your victorious aggregate triumph. Hark, the world over now admires or abhors you that much more, for this, I remain astonished! 

You’ve accomplished the not-so-impossible feat of slowing young Lionel over the course of two legs in the world’s most prestigious cup competition. For that, I salute you. Consider young (Lion)el tamed.

With an unabashed, handsome swagger, you strode onto the strip of green earth with a passion and gusto so furious that even your Carolina two step with Victor Valdes couldn’t keep you away from celebrating with your batty away support. For a second, it quite scared me, but a moment later, (before they turned the sprinklers on) I realized here stood a man who’s accomplished what no other man has done in 38 years. Of course, the feat, massive in stature and pure in nature, was taking Internazionale Milano to none other than the coveted Champions League Final.

Big Cup, Big Ears, Money Cup, TV Cup,…you get the situation.

Which brings me to the concept of this dispatch. Now on the agape lips of every English journo residing in Old Blighty, and once sung so intimately and true by the America Alt-Country artist Ryan Adams, ”When, when will you come back home? (on second review, Adams also spoke, “I’ve got a halloweenhead – head full of tricks and treats“, so take his words for what you will). My thesis: If you tame Munich’s lions on 22 May, could a homecoming be imminent?

Tell me Jose, is it United’s history you seek? Or City’s riches you desire? Could the tradition of Liverpool’s Reds beckon? Can England’s Premier League ever trump the recently decreed ”greatest moment of your career”? Your time in the vastly diverse, top-flight Premier League was fruitful at the best of times and abbreviated at the worst. Their media obsess over your charm and woo. I entreat you, come back and fulfill their richest desires. Save them from the likes of Allardyce, Pulis, McCarthy, and McLeish.

Your marriage to the media, supporters and lonely housewives of the United Kingdom may still yet be salvaged. A complete paring.  No longer a Sid & Nancy, no more a Romeo & Juliet with depressed conclusions. The end this time won’t come prematurely, your place is here. I cajole you again Special One, come back to England and usurp your throne.

Until an offer is extended and accepted, until a decision is reached, and until a coveted Premier League spot opens, we view your progress Mr. Mourinho with a keen and animate eye. We salivate over the potential, we hallucinate the future and we devise the conclusion.

May we meet again soon on the brave fields of England.

Football is all about goals. That’s the cliché anyway, and it’s obviously true. Goals win games. But while this remains true, football is also about the art of defending. Defending is the less glamorous brother of attacking; the more dour, less flash relation. Some fans don’t really appreciate defending, but last night, Inter Milan gave one of the finest displays of the art form as you are ever likely to see. If you didn’t dig it, then maybe football is not your game.

Those addicted to open play and high-scoring games may have found it dull. However, those of us who draw as much pleasure from a well-organized defence as we do from a prolific striker totally loved it.

Going down to 10 men was actually the best thing that could have happened to Inter. It gave them a clear, unwavering game plan to stick to. Defend. Defend at all costs. And then defend again.

With 78% & 74% possession in the 1st and 2nd halves, Barcelona dominated in a manner that we have never seen before at this stage of the tournament. At times it looked like a training exercise of attack v defence.

Against any side this would have been a tough job, against the finest attacking club on earth, it looked to be impossible. However, inspired by Mourinho’s epic tactical nous and self-belief, they constantly denied Barcelona space in the centre, pushing them wide and away from goal, all the while breaking up the game by drawing fouls.

Lucio was imperious in the centre, the man looks like a beast and makes England’s supposed hard man, John Terry, look positively girlish by comparison. Walter Samuel was no less imposing as they harried and intercepted everything Barcelona threw at them. Even when they got a shot at goal, Cesar pulled off at least one world class save.

When Pique scored with six minutes to go, less stern, gritty souls would have panicked and collapsed at the final Barce onslaught, but their will and determination didn’t break. The mental strength they showed was off the scale.

Any England players watching should learn their lesson from this game. Even without possession, discipline, cohesion and organisation can still win the day. Their ‘they will not pass’ attitude was both inspiration and somehow noble.

Purists may bemoan the elimination of a side with Barcelona’s flair but over the two legs, Milan controlled the game better and played to their strengths while preventing their opponents from being able to play their natural expansive game. Milan was never going to out-football the Spanish, so didn’t even try to.

Mourinho emerged from this game with his reputation even further enhanced, if that were possible. He beat the best team in the world and he beat them by pure football intelligence applied perfectly by his players.

For me, it’s one of the most satisfying things in football to see a defence repeatedly close the door on an attack. Not so much poetry in motion as like watching a fine piece of machinery working, all gears and positions and cogs in perfect harmony. It will live long in the memory and that’s pretty much how Mourinho likes it as he continues to build his own astonishing legend.

The draw for the quarter-finals of the Champions League has been made, and there are some delightful matches drawn. Arsenal will play Barcelona – two of the most attractive to watch teams in the world. Manchester United will play Bayern Munich – as a repeat of that great 1999 Champions League Final. Lyon will play Bordeaux, which ensures that a French team will make it to the semi-final, and last but not least, Inter Milan will play CSKA Moscow.

In the semi-final, the winner of Arsenal versus Barcelona will play the winner of Inter Milan against CKSA Moscow. And the winner of Manchester United versus Bayern Munich will play the winner of Lyon against Bordeaux.

This means that if Manchester United wins both matches, Sir Alex Ferguson could face either Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan or a repeat of last year’s final with Barcelona. Or, of course, Arsenal or CSKA Moscow could make it to the final too if they can win both of their matches.

The quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League will be played over two legs on March 30-31 and April 6-7. The semi-finals of the Champions League will be played over two legs on April 20-21 and April 27-28.

What’s your reaction to the draw? Are you pleased with the opposition your team will be facing? If you’re a neutral, do you think the quarter-final draw will be exciting to watch? What storylines will you be interested in? Click the comments link below to share your opinion.

After yesterday’s final games in the Champions League round of 16, we now know which teams will be in the hat tomorrow morning to decide who will play who in the quarter-finals. But before tomorrow’s draw, I thought it’d be fun to fantasize a little and think about which two teams would be the dream Champions League Final this year.

The eight teams who have qualified for the quarter-finals are:

• Arsenal
• Bayern Munich
• Barcelona
• Bordeaux
• CSKA Moscow
• Inter Milan
• Lyon
• Manchester United

For me, a dream final would be Manchester United against Inter Milan. Consider all of the storylines. It would be Ferguson against Mourinho. Premier League against Serie A. Wesley Sneijder against Michael Carrick. Italy against England (which could easily end up being a semi-final or final or quarter-final between the two countries in this summer’s World Cup). And the list goes on and on.

It would also be a great tactical and enjoyable game to watch, both defensively and offensively.

What about you? What would be your dream Champions League Final?

Proponents of the notion that the Premier League is the best in the world – an oft repeated mantra – might want to shut up for once and take a look at the Champions League this year. For the past few years, English clubs have dominated the latter stages, now they’re down to two already.

Worse yet, Chelsea bowed out with little more than a whimper, utterly crushed by Mourinho’s Inter Milan side. It was victory born out of clever tactics by deploying Eto’o and Pandev as wide attackers to block Chelsea’s full-backs and by applying a brute physicality defensively. Drogba, the unstoppable force of nature, looked like a little boy lost. It reminded me of when you move up from High School to the Seniors and suddenly you’re playing against kids who are bigger, faster and harder than you. I’ve never seen him look so ineffective, so lame. He was bossed from the start to the finish of both ties. Premier League defenders should take note; they were given a three hour master-class on how to handle Drogba in these games.

Lucio and Samuel marshalled the defence with a resolution that sapped Chelsea’s will to win. As the game went on, I found myself thinking how similar to some recent England teams Chelsea were. When they came up against a well organized well-motivated side, they ran out of ideas, lack width and pace and unable to dominate possession. On top of that they were prone to basic defensive errors such as Terry’s misjudgment of a cross that found Eto-o only for him to head it wide.

Inter put Chelsea in a strait-jacket and Chelsea could do nothing about it because they lacked creativity and invention. I’d forgotten Lampard was even on the pitch, Anelka was similarly anonymous. Cole looked off the pace when he came on and did nothing to suggest he is essential to Chelsea’s future.

As Mourinho busied himself with subs, telling his players where to go and how to play, Ancelotti stood impassive, his face expressionless. The contrast could not have been greater. He had no more ideas to try, no more wisdom to impart, nothing. The tank was empty. He knew it and his players knew it. As soon as Eto’o scored, all life went out of the Blues. They accepted that they couldn’t score two to take it to extra-time and barely even tried to do so.

This was the tournament Ancelotti was employed to win. He confessed it was his priority before the game. The fact that they have failed so early on, is not likely to please Abramovich, a man not known for giving a manager time. But it wasn’t just the defeat per se, it was the manner of the defeat that will have shocked him. It was tame affair and smacked of a side unmotivated by Ancelotti and out thought by Mourinho.

Given that, even domestic trophies may well not save Ancelotti in the summer. He looked a beaten man last night. Despite his excellent record, there have been suspicions all season long that he has not done enough to change Chelsea to give them the edge that they had under Mourinho. The doubters had clear evidence last night. They lacked guts, fight and self belief. Three things Mourinho has in abundance and could still have been giving to Chelsea if the owner had acted more like a football man and less like a Russian oligarch.

Let me first congratulate Inter Milan on a well deserved victory in the Champions League. In both games against Chelsea, they were the better side and thoroughly deserved to go through to the quarter-finals.

As for Chelsea, the storyline involving this team in the Champions League is becoming painfully predictable. As has happened for several years running, Chelsea lacked a spark and creativity in midfield and up front. Didier Drogba got sent off again. The constant niggling tackles returned (this time by Inter Milan, too). And yet again, John Terry was up to his old tricks of getting in the referee’s face and acting like a man possessed.

When Chelsea loses in the Champions League, why does John Terry have to act like it’s always the referee’s fault and that it has nothing to do with the Blues getting outplayed again? Why not stand up, admit you were beaten by a better team and take the loss like a man, like a captain and like a role model for England?

Instead we have to endure the childish scene of Terry shouting obscenities in the face of the assistant referee when Terry ran toward the player’s tunnel. And pushing his own teammate Mikel John Obi away when Terry wanted to get in the referee’s face?

Yes, I’m sure Terry was incensed by the decision to send off Didier Drogba. And it did look to me like Thiago Motta knocked Drogba over in the penalty box, which led to the players getting tangled together and supposedly Drogba kicked out at Motta. However the angles of the video replay were poor and it was inconclusive whether Drogba should have received a red card or not.

When Chelsea plays in the Champions League, it always feels like they’re carrying a ton of baggage presumably from the pressure of needing to win the tournament to satisfy Roman Abramovich. But to me, it’s often John Terry, the captain, who sets the tone by failing to lift his players above the quagmire of arguing about fouls. If Terry focused on trying to win matches with skill and creativity, maybe Chelsea would do better in Europe.

As it was, it was Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder who rose up to the occasion and became the creative midfielder who thread so many dangerous balls through to Inter’s Samuel Eto’o and Diego Millito. It was Sneijder’s beautiful pass to Eto’o which led to the only goal of the match which was beautifully struck by the Cameroon striker into the back of the net.

Over the 90 minutes in this game, there were plenty of examples of test book defending by both Chelsea and Inter. Maicon, Samuel and Lucio did a sound job of taking Drogba out of the game. And Zhirkhov came into the middle of defence on several occasions to kick the ball away to safety from the attacking Internazionale players.

After the tense and uneventful first half, despite a late flurry by Chelsea, the second half opened up more thanks to Sneijder getting more into the game and Florent Malouda continuing to trouble the Inter defence with his great dribbling skills. But in both the first half and second half, the quality of skills from free kicks by both sides was absolutely appalling. I don’t think there was one free kick in the entire 90 minutes that was well taken.

Even before Inter scored the only goal of this game, Chelsea looked unlikely to score. No matter how many times they pushed forward, Inter Milan did an excellent job of blocking shots and free kicks as well as stifling any of Chelsea’s attacks. When Joe Cole came on as a substitute, you would think that he would have made a difference but he looked slow and laborious and was more successful at generating fouls than causing Internazionale any headaches.

When it came down to what the difference was in this game, Inter Milan did a much better job at defending. Goalkeeper Julio Cesar had very little to do during the 90 minutes, which is testament to the hard work by his entire team but especially his defenders in front of him who prevented Chelsea from scoring at their home ground which is no longer a fortress.

As for Chelsea, I honestly feel it’s best that the club contemplate exorcising the demons and letting John Terry go in the summer. The man breeds too much negativity and is unable to get his team playing with a confidence which is necessary if they have any hope of lifting the Champions League trophy anytime in the near future. Terry is still a good defender, but he’s not a good captain and he’s certainly not the type of leader that a club like Chelsea needs at its helm.