Good Guys Finish Last [Poland]: Who was not rooting for co-hosts Poland to do well at Euro 2012? After all, their Borussia Dortmund super stars trio, Robert Lewandowski, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Lukasz Piszczek, helped power Borussia Dortmund to its second consecutive German league title. While they were eager to put on a good show for their home fans at Euro 2012 their collective team performance was anything short of impressive. Dismal goaltending and an underwhelming offensive performance kept the Poles out of Group A contention and the elimination rounds

Head Games Trump Talent [Germany vs. Italy]: A side-by-side comparison of the two footballing powerhouses showed a clear advantage for the Germans but history and head games prevailed as the Azzuri proved once again that history does indeed play an important role in future German NT performances. In trying to change the course of a loosing history vs. Italy, Germany’s Joachim Loew made major tactical changes leading to a clear victory by the Italians.

The Perfect Storm [Ukraine v France, Group D match-up]: Euro 2012 made history by delaying a group match due to bad weather. Thunder and lightning kept players sidelined for a while before being able to finish their Group D match.  Ukraine’s Group D showdown with France at Donetsk’s Donbass Stadium was dramatically suspended after thunderstorms forced the teams off after just five minutes.

Don’t  Believe the Hype [Euro Host preparedness]: All this talk about disorganized hosts and fears of ultra violence and hooliganism dominated the pre-Euro headlines. Yes, there were some reports of boneheads and idiots misbehaving and even more news of transportation and field condition issues, BUT, overall this tournament went off without a hitch.

How ‘beautiful’ is the game? [Spain]: Many have called this the most boring and uninspired Spanish performance in recent times. Why? Because they are so disciplined and routine that flawless play, even if not flashy has to be criticized? As a Germany supporter I can tell you, I wish we played boring and uninspired … it might have landed us in the finals.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers [Holland]: What happened to the fierce Dutch team that made it to the 2010 world cup final? ESPN’s Alexi Lalas called it early on in the tournament when he said Holland  had lost its shine. 0 wins and 0 points was an all time low for the Dutch

Against all Odds [Italy]: Betting scandals, economic issues, low popularity rating for the national team, and a 3 game losing streak headed into the Euros, all means  nothing when Italy plays in a World Cup or Euro tournament. They made it to the final, a lot more than expected.

Natural Born Captains [Euro Goalies]: I have the advantage of having watched the finals, but Iker Casillas is a bad ass. He did what he needed to do in Spain’s convincing 4:0 trashing of Italy in the final, and like his other goalie captains Buffon (Italy) and Hugo Lloris set the tone for his side’s attitude and aim. It’s not coincidence that 6 of the 16 Euro 2012 captains are defenders.

(No) Luck of the Irish [Ireland's disappointing Euro tournament]:Who was not  excited about having Ireland back at an international tournament? Especially since an old Italian icon led them there. Unfortunately, they fizzled much like a morning after alkaseltzer and left no lasting highlights or memories. They are actually to blame for Italy’s advancement to the next round based on a lopsided win vs. the hapless Irish.

Down but not Out [Greece]:I picked Greece to finish last in Group A of Euro 2012, thinking Poland, the Czechs and Russia would all be stronger and leave the Greeks behind. In an impressive show of resiliency, the Greeks delivered Russia a  crushing defeat and much like their Euro 2004 run, surprised the experts by advancing to a Euro 2012 quarterfinals.

Decisions, Decisions [Germany's talent 'problem']: Is there ever too much thing of a good thing?  Well, in Germany’s talent (and deep bench case) the answer may be yes.  Every pre-game discussion this Euro started with who should start – Podolski or maybe Schuerlle or maybe Reus instead of Mueller. This lack of conviction on the national coach’s end led to a lot of second guessing as well as a good measure of over confidence due to the depth of talent at Loew’s disposal. In fact, the number of talented subs available to Germany vs. Italy may have led to the sketchy decision-making  and play calling.

From Russia with (no) Love [Russia's fast start and slow finish]:  It seems like no one really likes Russia; be its political views, how it’s citizens are treated or its national  football team. The few international stars have worn out there welcome in England and elsewhere so an opening 4:1 thrashing of the Czech Republic made for some headlines.  In the end (last game of the Group A matches), the Russian lost out to the surprise Greeks and entered the tourney without much fanfare.

Then, there’s this business of the mole in the Germany camp that leaked the Germany starting lineup before the Greece quarterfinal match. While we know it wasn’t the actual hole digging mammal that dun it, the distraction might be the perfect remedy to pre-Italy match jitters.

From left: Rachel Markus, K+S co-founder, film/production crew of Rise and Shine: The Jay DeMerit Story, Greg Lalas (second from right), K+S co-founder, and Alexi Lalas, former USMNT player and K+S film panel participant

K+S New York 2012 Highlight Reel

• World Premiere of “1:1: Thierry Henry” (June 28), “Gringos at the Gate” (June 27) and Rivals: Celtic vs. Rangers
• US premiere of ‘The Four Year Plan and ‘The Last Proletarians of Football’
• Festival Runs June 27-30 at World-Famous Tribeca Cinemas
• June 27 & 28 screenings sold out but tickets still available for June 29 & 30th
• Marquee sponsor KICKTV will stream some of the K+S NYC films in the near future as part of its new YouTube soccer documentary channel
• 10 soccer films including 6 features and 4 shorts from 9 countries. See the complete K+S NYC 2012 schedule here.
• 4 nights, 4 themes: June 27 ‘Enemies Forever: Great Rivalries’; June 28 ‘Yes, I Can: The Individual Spirit’; June 29 ‘Secrets of Success’; June 30 ‘Soccer & Politics’
• Each film night includes post-screening panel discussions with producers & directors as well as an after party at the Varick room
• K+S’s chosen charitable partner for 2012 is the international soccer nonprofit Coaches Across Continents, which uses football to improve the health and well-being of disadvantaged children in developing countries.

TRF’s Q&A with Rachel Markus about the Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival New York City, June 27-30

TRF: It’s been nearly a year since TRF attended the 2011 K+S Soccer Film Fest in New York City and you guys are now back with the 4th, 2012 edition. What has happened at K+S within the last year?

RM (Rachel Markus): K+S has been extremely busy and closely involved in various national and international football film festivals. After a very successful K+S NYC last July, we hosted our inaugural ’Rewind: K+S London’ football film fest (with a tremendous amount of guidance from UK football media legends Grant Best and Tom Watt) an 8 day fall event spanning dozens of films and uniting football heroes of past and present. In addition, we were asked to help curate football films for the Kerala (India) International Film Fest and ended up adding 7 renowned indie football selections to the sports film program.  While NYC and London will remain our two annual staple festivals we are always looking to work with cities with a strong soccer culture to host smaller, satellite festivals. For example, we previously did this in DC, were involved in a similar event in Liverpool, England and are planning a K+S Portland later this fall.

TRF: What are the main film fest highlights this year?

RM: This year we decided to theme each film night (5 total) and screen multiple features at one time due to an increase in fantastic film submissions we received. The first two nights include the highest profile films with ‘Gringos at the Gate‘, a feature on why US vs. Mexico has become the most fiery and socially significant clash in international soccer, and ‘1:1 Thierry Henry‘, a behind the scenes documentary into the French football legend’s move to the MLS’ New York Red Bulls. The Henry film in particular is sure to attract a drove of local Arsenal supporters and Red Bull players and staff.  Other incredible features include  ’The Four Year Plan’, Queen Park Rangers’ future with new billionaire owners, and ‘The Last Proletarians of Football’, Sven-Göran Eriksson’s socialist-leaning revolution that led IFK Göteborg’s semi-pro squad to the 1982 UEFA Cup

TRF: Last year, we thought the post-screening panel discussions were riveting and very well attended. Are any panels planned for this year?

RM: The panels are definitely the most popular aspect of our screenings since film goers have a chance to meet the producer and directors behind the films as well as football personalities who show up. Several of the films’ directors including 1:1 Thierry Henry director, Austrian Verena Soltiz, will be there.

K+S founder Greg Lalas chats with Simon Laub and Sam Potter, producers of Soka Afrika, during a K+S NY Film Fest panel discussion

TRF: How many film submissions did you have for the 2012 New York edition?

RM: We had a record 50 submission including numerous short films. We ended up choosing 10 selections including six feature-length films and four shorts.

TRF: I know that Wednesday and Thursday are already sold out but if I can only make it to one other night of the screenings which one do you recommend?

RM: Friday or Saturday nights are good options, not only for soccer fans, but film lovers and any one interested in idea exchange and panel discussions.

TRF: We see that KICKTV is a new sponsor this year. Tell us more about this partnership.

RM: Sure. KICKTV, our marquee sponsor, is a digital network dedicated to soccer. Like the site says, it’s YouTube’s global headquarters to the beautiful game.  Ideologically, it’s a great fit for both entities and will help broaden the viewership and interest level of soccer films. We know they will soon launch a documentary-type channel on their network so many of the films we feature at K+S festivals will be available there as well. While we continue to value the New York Red Bull’s support and community partnership, we are really excited about what KICKTV will bring to the festival and the global soccer film enthusiast.

While TRF will not be able to attend the 2012 K+S NYC soccer film fest, we will continue to support this worthy initiative from afar and look forward to seeing some of this year’s content on KICKTV in the future.

About a year ago I stumbled upon a timely and well written article about German Bundesliga footballers migrating to Major League Soccer and before I knew it I was 2 hours and 30 comments into my eight article on something German soccer related … I had just discovered the Bundesliga Fanatic, an English language site dedicated to German football. According to BF founder and brainchild Gerry Wittmann, “the blog’s aim is to publicize and spread the history, culture, quality,and competitiveness of the Bundesliga and German football to the English speaking world.”

But it offers so much more. Thanks to the gifted staff writers and to an extremely diverse team of contributors (of which I am one), no German soccer story, past, present or future is left unturned. Content ranges from match reports and analysis to historical and cultural pieces as well as interviews with prominent figures and players.

Beyond the content, the interaction with other contributors and BF readers is awesome and truly makes blog content come to life with commentary and opinions. In fact, I have discovered numerous other tasty football sites and resources thanks to the Fanatic.

With roughly 30 new articles per week, the content never gets old, and during the German Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga season (August t0 May) things really start to heat up. Nearly each major Bundesliga team has a loyal fan/analyst who contributes match reports and analysis on a weekly basis, and thanks to a deep writing roster, many less popular, often obscure topics and teams are spotlighted. Speaking of, as a passionate 1. FC Kaiserslautern fan, I will continue to contribute match previews/reviews for the Fanatic kicking off with a 2012/13 ‘K-town in der 2. Bundesliga’ preview later this summer.

Currently, the Fanatic is doing a full court press on the Euro 2012 tournament with more than 60 articles (since June 8th) focused on the German National Team, profiles of Bundesliga players competing for other Euro teams, and many historical Euro match pieces.

My favorite part is the Euro 2012 contest Gerry and his team came up with which tests your German national team soccer knowledge in exchange for some fancy football gear and other prizes. The final Euro contest is going on now so check it out and see if you can win some cool memorabilia including a Germany ultimate fan goodie bag donated by yours truly and The Real Futbol blog.

500,000+ Germany fans gather at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to celebrate Die Mannschaft during Euro 2012

860  A record for most passes in a EURO match, achieved by Spain in their Euro 2012 Group C match with Ireland. Spain’s midfield maestro Xavi led the way with a new record of his own, completing 127 of 136 pass attempts vs. Ireland.

368  The total player count at Euro 2012 represented by 16, 23-man European national teams.

120  The total number of national team appearances for Miroslav Klose after yesterday’s start against Greece.

64  All goals scored by Miroslav Klose in a Germany shirt since his national team debut in 2001. His 64th goal yesterday puts him only four behind Gerd Mueller’s DFB scoring record.

64  Goals scored by Germany at the UEFA Euros after their latest 4-2 quarterfinal win over Greece, putting them seven in front of the Netherlands as the competition’s all-time leading scorers.

58  With it’s recent win over Croatia, Spain has now enjoyed more possession than its opponents in each of the last 58 matches.

38  The age of the oldest Euro competition player to score a goal [at Euro 2008, Ivica Vastic found the net for Austria]. 35 years and 256 days was the age at which Ukraine’s Andriy Shevchenko undid Sweden with a decisive double goal performance and established himself as the second-oldest goalscorer in the history of the UEFA European Championship.

27   The age at which Lukas Podolski won his 100th cap on Sunday, becoming the youngest European player to reach this landmark in the process.

19  Germany have now scored at least once in their last 19 matches dating back to November 2010.

12  The group of players who have scored at least twice in a match at both the Euros and the FIFA World Cup. Ukraine’s Andriy Shevchenko joined this elite club with his Euro 2012 goals.

7  Goal total for Greece during their 2004 Euro Championship campaign compared to Germany’s 9 tallies during 2012 Euro Group and quarterfinal play.

5  The number of major international tournaments that have been graced by a Cristiano Ronaldo goal. The Portugal star struck twice in a Group B win over the Netherlands and once in the quarterfinal victory over the Czechs.

4  The total of consecutive semi-final appearances made by the German National Team. This includes the semi-final loss to the Italians at the 2006 World Cup in Germany; the 2008 Euro match-up with Turkey (who Germany beat only to lose to Spain in the final); the 2010 World Cup semi-final loss to Spain, and the upcoming Euro 2012 semi-final match on Thursday, June 28th against either England or Italy.

0  The Netherland’s point total in Euro 2012 Group B competition after losing all three group matches at a major tournament for the first time in their history, and suffering three successive defeats for the first time in 22 years.

With five Euro 2012 matches remaining and European football powerhouses England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain still competing for Euro glory, there are bound to be more records broken and ‘firsts’ recorded. Stay tuned.

Dudestradamus, our trusty canine Euro 2012 prognosticator, continues his predictive ways with today’s match picks.

• Biggest upset: The mighty Danes stole 3 points from the Netherlands Express which looked more like the local mass transit during Saturday’s group B face-off. An ‘honorable’ mention’ goes to Ukraine for a come from behind victory vs. Sweden in group D
• ‘What a goal’ award: Robert Lewandowski’s opening match zinger not only got the Warsaw stadium Polish supporters going, but also qualified for the nicest finish we have seen of the 20 goals scored in the first 8 games

• Worst referee call: This dubious distinction goes to Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo who sent-off Greece’s Sokratis Papastathopoulos shortly before half-time in a highly questionable second yellow card call. He issued another red in the 69th minute when he sent off Poland’s goalkeeper

• ‘Feelgood’ win award: Ukraine scored two second half goals against Sweden to win their opening match on Tuesday. It was great to see the co-hosts, who have been repeatedly criticized for controversial political actions as well inadequate Euro 2012 stadium conditions, play so well, led by 35-year-old striker Andriy Shevchenko who scored two headers to lead his country
• ‘Clutch’ play award: This one goes to Polish reserve goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton. Tyton came off the bench in the second half for the co-hosts after Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny had been sent off for bringing down Greek substitute Dimitris Salpigidis. He promptly saved the resulting spot-kick from Greece captain Giorgos Karagounis to secure the draw for Poland

• Biggest blowout win: Russia beat the Czech Republic 4:1 (2:0 at halftime) in their group A opener on June 8th completely dominating the Czech’s midfield and back-line.  21-year old Alan Dzagoev netted two goals and in-form Andrei Arshavin added two assists to cap a great evening for the Russians
• Biggest tactical surprise: Out of all the opening games at Euro 2012, the one that stood out from a pure tactical point of view was Italy vs. Spain. The surprise came from the Italians showcasing a mere three defenders at the back and Spain, who started without a center forward. An unbelievable decision when you consider their striker firepower including the two Fernandos — Torres and LLorente

• Biggest waste of talent on the bench: This one goes to Holland’s benching of Klaas Jan Hunterlaar, the Bundesliga’s leading scorer and top goal-getter during Holland’s Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. In their loss to Denmark, the Dutch stuck with Robin van Persie until late  int the second half when they inserted Hunterlaar … too little too late