Coach:
First off, Bob Bradley’s future. Bob Bradley is very much a guy who has the support of his players, but unfortunately his shortcomings were evident in the Ghana match. You must at least credit him for at least recognizing them immediately and righting the wrong, we still lost with what you can argue is our top team out there in extra time.
I don’t think it’s good for any national team to have the same coach for more than 4 years, it just never seems to work out well, even if that coach did exceptional. Therefore, I think it is the right decision for BB to move on and take on another challenge as he has more than proven himself as an excellent coach. The challenge for him though is that American coaches don’t get international chances, for an American it seems the top post is the national team job.
While the World Cup is in the past, we have a good opportunity to try some new things out very quickly with a friendly against probable world-champions Brazil in August. We also have the Gold Cup coming up next summer – remember this is the Gold Cup that is important for the winner qualifies for the Confed Cup.
Just think how crucial the Confed Cup last June was to the development of our current squad. BB surely made the right decision in putting in a first-team for the less sexy Gold Cup and playing a youth side in the Copa America.
Keeper:
Yahoo is reporting that Tim Howard is considering international retirement, which quite simply would be a nightmare for US fans. Howard is 31 years old, which might sound old, but really isn’t for a goalkeeper. Look at how good Friedel and Van der Sar look and they’re pushing 40. Would be a huge blow for Tim to retire right now as we need his steady performance for Brazil 2014, or at the very least next year’s Gold Cup.
While I don’t like Arsenal, I would love to see him move there if they come calling. He’s very loyal to Moyes though so I don’t see it happening.
Defense:
For the backline, we have probably seen the last of them at the World Cup. Boca should still have a few more years left, but it’s time for the captain’s armband to finally be handed to Landon. It remains to be seen how Gooch can bounce back from this injury, but hopefully he will come back stronger than ever. Jay DeMerit’s performance at this World Cup should allow him to play one more year abroad as I just don’t understand how he cannot find a better team than Watford.
Cherundolo will be too old next World Cup and looks to have possibly one or two more good years left with Hannover 96, if he resigns there. Bornstein has been rumored to be heading to Mexico, which would be a good fit for him as it plays to his strengths.
We have Spector in the wings, but I can’t really see where the next future of defenders is going to come from. Our backups certainly aren’t young and while someone like Goodson is a good player, I don’t see him being able to replace Boca.
Midfield:
Landon has to move abroad and he must know this deep down. His value will never be higher and if he doesn’t move this summer, the chance will not come again. While his value to MLS will always be higher than his value to a European club, he must go. With Manchester City and Everton interested, Landon should command the value that MLS will want of around $10 million. I would like to see him go back to the Toffees and finally be given the armband for the Nats.
Michael Bradley had a strong World Cup and his stock should be rising. I think he’s somewhat settled at Gladbach after a tumultuous first year and I’d like to see him put in another year there, or if he moves to stay in Germany. I think Germany suits him well, even if an EPL club are interested.
Dempsey had a pretty average World Cup by his standards, nothing exceptional. I would expect him to stay put at Fulham, though change could be in the air if Hodgson leaves and a new coach decides to shake things up. Fulham suits him well though.
Mo Edu is a player who when healthy should be a starter at Rangers next year and this should be good for his growth. I don’t like the Scottish league since it’s a joke, but it’s not the worst place for him right now. In two years he should be primed for a jump down the isle to the EPL. He should be paired with MB from now on in the midfield.
Rico Clark seems settled with Frankfurt after signing with them last spring and I’d like to see him crack the lineup there.
Paco Torres seems happy at Pachuca and should stay there. He’s a player that is still young, but will be invaluable moving forward if he can pickup a little more defensive grit.
Benny Feilhaber is an interesting case. He had a very strong World Cup as a sub, but seems certain to move from AGF Aarhus since they got relegated and he’s a major wage earner. I’d like to see him given another shot with either a bigger Danish club or smaller English club. He seems set for the role of “super sub” moving forward.
Stuart Holden is a player that I can’t understand why he didn’t play more in the tournament, but considering he and Benny play the same position, and Benny was strong, it’s understandable. I see Holden as a player who is ready to take off and I think he will be a key player in 2014. Bolton is a good spot for him now as he can grow there, though they don’t always play super sexy football.
Forwards:
Jozy Altidore showed his talents at this World Cup and I think he’s only going to get better. I’d love to see Villareal give him a shot to stick with the team this season and for him to shine. If he’s going to move, I’d like him to find a better situation than a team like Hull, somewhere like Everton could make sense.
I liked Gomez as a super sub this tournament and he’s signed with Pachuca, will be interesting to see if he can continue his form there.
Buddle is a player that if he’s going to move, now is the time. I don’t see it happening and don’t see him featuring too much for the US squad in the future.
I’d love to see what would happen with Robbie Findley under a new coach, I don’t see him having too much of a future with this team.
It would be great to see CD9 back on the field for that friendly against Brazil in August. We have certainly missed him and he should be the partner with Jozy moving forward in the Gold Cup.
X-factor:
Will Jermaine Jones be healthy for the Gold Cup? I’d be great to see him so I hope so. That would definitely solve the problem in the middle for us.
Can we win the Gold Cup? Absolutely. We need to bounce back from this World Cup and re-focus in another 6 months for that tournament as winning it will be crucial in keeping the momentum going.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Top 5 Things You Shouldn't Hear as a US Supporter
Top 5 Dumbest Things I’ve heard come out of a USMNT supporter’s mouth while I’ve been here:
“Claudio Reyna actually wasn’t that good, he was pretty over-rated”
This is just an outrageous statement. Right now Reyna is simply the best US player ever to play the game. When Landon retires, he will probably have outdone Reyna, but right now it doesn’t get any better than Reyna. His performances in the 2002 World Cup were an absolute masterclass.
Was he too old in World Cup 2006? Yes, probably. His mistake against Ghana cost us dearly, but to use that to tarnish his legacy for the US is downright silly.
“We don’t need Gooch”
While we survived against Algeria without Gooch and he didn’t exactly perform well against England or Slovenia, he is the only shut-down defender we have. He wasn’t healthy during this tournament and thus the reason that he didn’t perform well, but to say we don’t need him is just wrong.
We could have desperately used him if he was healthy enough to play against Ghana and in-form. The Gooch of the 2009 Confed Cup was a world-class defender, and we lacked that quality in the World Cup.
“We should have started that Edgar Castillo kid today”
Edgar Castillo has been way over-hyped. The biggest quality he has is that he ditched Mexico to come to the US and then we capped him to make sure he couldn’t flip-flop again. It’s little more than us winning a small battle against Mexico for decent players.
Make no mistake about it, Castillo is little more than a role player at best. The only reason he’s even mentioned is that he plays the weakest position in the American system, left back. But I haven’t seen anything from Castillo that makes me think he has the quality to play in our side, never mind star.
“We should have picked Brian McBride”
Brian McBride is an American legend and will go down as one of our all time greats. But he’s retired from international duty and quite simply his time has come and gone. He’s not exactly lit up the MLS nor even the Olympics two years ago when he returned to the fold.
He’s a classy player and a role model for the younger generation, but I think it would be wrong to think that he could have made an impact at this World Cup, even though our forward pool, outside of Jozy, was pretty anaemic.
“It’s just Ghana” and “We are North America”
Heard from the fan I was unfortunately sitting next to for the USA-Ghana match. Way to sound like a really intelligent American, pal.
The context of these two quotes was this: “It’s just Ghana” was made in reference to the fact that we were losing 1-0 and 2-1 to Ghana and that we should obviously be beating them since we are so superior. “We are North America” came about after the South Africans starting chanting “We are Africa”. Being a stereotypical American, this was too much for him to comprehend and just couldn’t understand why a South African would be rooting for a Ghanaian team.
First off. Anyone want to tell me who has knocked out the USMNT in the past two World Cups? Right, that would be Ghana. Don’t for a second think that we can take for granted against Ghana or any other team of that stature. That type of arrogance is exactly why everybody loved seeing the English dumped out of the World Cup in ignominy, because their supporters seem to think it is their God-given right to lift the trophy.
Chanting “We are North America” just makes you sound ignorant and oblivious of what this World Cup in South Africa is all about. Disgraceful.
Bonus Round. Here’s a quote that I’m sure was talked about all over ESPN during the World Cup:
“Soccer is finally going to crack the US market since USA-Ghana was the highest watched soccer match ever”.
Quite frankly, I could care less whether the US supports the national team or not or whether the soccer finally breaks through in this country. It is the world’s greatest tournament and I don’t need to tell anyone why they should watch it – if they haven’t already, shame on them.
Unless you are Drew Carey, there are very few people who can quickly learn all that you need to know to be a legitimate fan of our sport. I’m not trying to be exclusive, but I like things the way they are, soccer is followed by those who love the beautiful game and don’t need to quantify that love to anybody. Simply we watch soccer because that is life.
I don’t need so-called ESPN experts that know nothing about soccer telling me about my sport, I don’t need random Americans coming to the World Cup that don’t know Michael Bradley from Bob Bradley and I don’t need to see on Facebook things similar to: “I’m glad the US crashed out since now I don’t have to pretend like I like soccer”.
Give me my Ives, Soccernet and Grant Wahl and I’m all set. Give me my soccer brothers, Sam’s Army and FSC and I’m happy.
Though, while I’m on the topic, if you had been here to witness the jubilant scenes in Pretoria after our victory against Algeria, you’d know that soccer has made it in America. Just don’t think that I’m losing any sleep over whether it has or not.
“Claudio Reyna actually wasn’t that good, he was pretty over-rated”
This is just an outrageous statement. Right now Reyna is simply the best US player ever to play the game. When Landon retires, he will probably have outdone Reyna, but right now it doesn’t get any better than Reyna. His performances in the 2002 World Cup were an absolute masterclass.
Was he too old in World Cup 2006? Yes, probably. His mistake against Ghana cost us dearly, but to use that to tarnish his legacy for the US is downright silly.
“We don’t need Gooch”
While we survived against Algeria without Gooch and he didn’t exactly perform well against England or Slovenia, he is the only shut-down defender we have. He wasn’t healthy during this tournament and thus the reason that he didn’t perform well, but to say we don’t need him is just wrong.
We could have desperately used him if he was healthy enough to play against Ghana and in-form. The Gooch of the 2009 Confed Cup was a world-class defender, and we lacked that quality in the World Cup.
“We should have started that Edgar Castillo kid today”
Edgar Castillo has been way over-hyped. The biggest quality he has is that he ditched Mexico to come to the US and then we capped him to make sure he couldn’t flip-flop again. It’s little more than us winning a small battle against Mexico for decent players.
Make no mistake about it, Castillo is little more than a role player at best. The only reason he’s even mentioned is that he plays the weakest position in the American system, left back. But I haven’t seen anything from Castillo that makes me think he has the quality to play in our side, never mind star.
“We should have picked Brian McBride”
Brian McBride is an American legend and will go down as one of our all time greats. But he’s retired from international duty and quite simply his time has come and gone. He’s not exactly lit up the MLS nor even the Olympics two years ago when he returned to the fold.
He’s a classy player and a role model for the younger generation, but I think it would be wrong to think that he could have made an impact at this World Cup, even though our forward pool, outside of Jozy, was pretty anaemic.
“It’s just Ghana” and “We are North America”
Heard from the fan I was unfortunately sitting next to for the USA-Ghana match. Way to sound like a really intelligent American, pal.
The context of these two quotes was this: “It’s just Ghana” was made in reference to the fact that we were losing 1-0 and 2-1 to Ghana and that we should obviously be beating them since we are so superior. “We are North America” came about after the South Africans starting chanting “We are Africa”. Being a stereotypical American, this was too much for him to comprehend and just couldn’t understand why a South African would be rooting for a Ghanaian team.
First off. Anyone want to tell me who has knocked out the USMNT in the past two World Cups? Right, that would be Ghana. Don’t for a second think that we can take for granted against Ghana or any other team of that stature. That type of arrogance is exactly why everybody loved seeing the English dumped out of the World Cup in ignominy, because their supporters seem to think it is their God-given right to lift the trophy.
Chanting “We are North America” just makes you sound ignorant and oblivious of what this World Cup in South Africa is all about. Disgraceful.
Bonus Round. Here’s a quote that I’m sure was talked about all over ESPN during the World Cup:
“Soccer is finally going to crack the US market since USA-Ghana was the highest watched soccer match ever”.
Quite frankly, I could care less whether the US supports the national team or not or whether the soccer finally breaks through in this country. It is the world’s greatest tournament and I don’t need to tell anyone why they should watch it – if they haven’t already, shame on them.
Unless you are Drew Carey, there are very few people who can quickly learn all that you need to know to be a legitimate fan of our sport. I’m not trying to be exclusive, but I like things the way they are, soccer is followed by those who love the beautiful game and don’t need to quantify that love to anybody. Simply we watch soccer because that is life.
I don’t need so-called ESPN experts that know nothing about soccer telling me about my sport, I don’t need random Americans coming to the World Cup that don’t know Michael Bradley from Bob Bradley and I don’t need to see on Facebook things similar to: “I’m glad the US crashed out since now I don’t have to pretend like I like soccer”.
Give me my Ives, Soccernet and Grant Wahl and I’m all set. Give me my soccer brothers, Sam’s Army and FSC and I’m happy.
Though, while I’m on the topic, if you had been here to witness the jubilant scenes in Pretoria after our victory against Algeria, you’d know that soccer has made it in America. Just don’t think that I’m losing any sleep over whether it has or not.
USA-Ghana: Live from Rustenburg
Back to where it all started just over a year ago, Royal Bafokeng Stadium. Here it was on that fateful day that the USA turned around a 6 goal difference between themselves and Italy and progressed to the second round of the Confederations Cup with a 3-0 victory against another African team, Egypt.
The stage was certainly set for the US to go deep in this tournament and seemed to have all the momentum going for them, but they were about to run up against an emerging African powerhouse, Ghana. One must only look back four years ago to how dangerous this game would be as this was the same nation that knocked us out of the 2006 World Cup.
Unfortunately, after a 2-1 extra-time victory, Ghana now have the privilege of saying they have knocked the US out of the past two World Cups. Yet, unlike the 2006 version of this matchup, the United States exits this tournament knowing that they probably deserved better.
There was no glaring refereeing mistake like the two matches that were to follow the US loss, which those teams can somewhat unjustifiably point to as the reason for their exit, but the loss is just as disappointing.
As I settled into my seat at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, I quickly saw that front row seats behind the goal were certainly not what they were cracked up to be. I had sat in the upper level on all three previous visits to Rustenburg, but was now sitting in the lower level where the advertising boards blocked out the touchline and lower part of the goal. I was behind the net where all of the goals were scored, so this meant on Ghana’s first goal the only way we knew it was a goal was the crowd reaction.
It’s funny how you can drive to what seems like the middle of nowhere, which is essentially where Rustenburg is as it is a sleepy mining town, and then come upon a stadium and then see so many familiar faces. It’s a sort of brethren that was formed this World Cup between the supporters and it was a privilege to sit with Sam’s Army during this tournament.
There were three spots in the lineup which were still in question prior to the match and upon seeing Clark, Findley and Bornstein warming up, you knew they were to start.
You’ve seen the match, so I’m not going to go too much into detail. Unfortunately we had to chase all four of the matches due to early goals being conceded (obviously we didn’t concede to Algeria, but since we needed a win we had to chase that game as well) and this has meant difficult choices in the lineup.
Bob Bradley quickly realized he had made the wrong decision starting Findley and Clark and removed them by halftime and I hate to be critical, but the crowd in Rustenburg was pretty unanimous in those two not starting. I can see Clark, but Robbie Findley has done nothing for us this tournament. I’m not high on any of the forwards, and I’d prefer to see Gomez come off the bench, but I just don’t see why Findley continued to start for us. CD9 was surely missed this tournament, we never found his replacement.
We certainly had our chances though, as soon as Edu and Feilhaber (who had quite the tournament off the bench I must say) entered, the US was in complete control of the match. After Landon’s PK goal, it seemed like the next goal was only a matter of time. Alas, this was not the case.
What have we learned this World Cup? Right now we don’t know who the best partner with Michael Bradley in the midfield is. When we play teams, such as Spain and England, and are going to count on the counter-attack for goals, I think Rico Clark is an acceptable decision. He’s proven that he can be counted on to clog up the middle.
For games that we should win or are at least up against a team that is of equal talent, Ricardo Clark just does not offer enough attacking presence to justify his decision in the team. One can even argue after this tournament that Mo Edu has done enough to start either way, since he offers a nice compliment of attacking and defensive play.
In this system, I don’t see Paco Torres being anything other than a role player as his defensive qualities are just not strong enough. If we were to move to another system, he could fit, but for now he will remain a role player. Though, his attacking presence may be useful in playing teams we should beat where he is not required to play a defensive role and can roam.
It’s a disappointing exit – made more difficult to take especially since we had as clear a road through to the semifinals as one could have wished for. Yet, crashing out in the Round of 16 is nothing to be ashamed about. I had a simply stunning time supporting this team throughout the tournament and I still feel big things are to come from us in the future.
When the final whistle blew, it was one of those moments that you know every four years will come, but it doesn't make it any easier. The only positive is that we lost to Ghana, a team that has done all of Africa proud.
It was hard to watch the US players after the final whistle as they were all devastated. Many of them sat stunned in the dugout well after Ghana had left the field and the supporters had filed out of their seats. Carlos Bocanegra was the last one to leave the field and looked inconsolable, finally leaving the field after Bornstein urged him to.
For Boca, he knew this was the last time he would ever grace the World Cup and it was tough to leave, knowing that this team was capable of so much more.
The stage was certainly set for the US to go deep in this tournament and seemed to have all the momentum going for them, but they were about to run up against an emerging African powerhouse, Ghana. One must only look back four years ago to how dangerous this game would be as this was the same nation that knocked us out of the 2006 World Cup.
Unfortunately, after a 2-1 extra-time victory, Ghana now have the privilege of saying they have knocked the US out of the past two World Cups. Yet, unlike the 2006 version of this matchup, the United States exits this tournament knowing that they probably deserved better.
There was no glaring refereeing mistake like the two matches that were to follow the US loss, which those teams can somewhat unjustifiably point to as the reason for their exit, but the loss is just as disappointing.
As I settled into my seat at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, I quickly saw that front row seats behind the goal were certainly not what they were cracked up to be. I had sat in the upper level on all three previous visits to Rustenburg, but was now sitting in the lower level where the advertising boards blocked out the touchline and lower part of the goal. I was behind the net where all of the goals were scored, so this meant on Ghana’s first goal the only way we knew it was a goal was the crowd reaction.
It’s funny how you can drive to what seems like the middle of nowhere, which is essentially where Rustenburg is as it is a sleepy mining town, and then come upon a stadium and then see so many familiar faces. It’s a sort of brethren that was formed this World Cup between the supporters and it was a privilege to sit with Sam’s Army during this tournament.
There were three spots in the lineup which were still in question prior to the match and upon seeing Clark, Findley and Bornstein warming up, you knew they were to start.
You’ve seen the match, so I’m not going to go too much into detail. Unfortunately we had to chase all four of the matches due to early goals being conceded (obviously we didn’t concede to Algeria, but since we needed a win we had to chase that game as well) and this has meant difficult choices in the lineup.
Bob Bradley quickly realized he had made the wrong decision starting Findley and Clark and removed them by halftime and I hate to be critical, but the crowd in Rustenburg was pretty unanimous in those two not starting. I can see Clark, but Robbie Findley has done nothing for us this tournament. I’m not high on any of the forwards, and I’d prefer to see Gomez come off the bench, but I just don’t see why Findley continued to start for us. CD9 was surely missed this tournament, we never found his replacement.
We certainly had our chances though, as soon as Edu and Feilhaber (who had quite the tournament off the bench I must say) entered, the US was in complete control of the match. After Landon’s PK goal, it seemed like the next goal was only a matter of time. Alas, this was not the case.
What have we learned this World Cup? Right now we don’t know who the best partner with Michael Bradley in the midfield is. When we play teams, such as Spain and England, and are going to count on the counter-attack for goals, I think Rico Clark is an acceptable decision. He’s proven that he can be counted on to clog up the middle.
For games that we should win or are at least up against a team that is of equal talent, Ricardo Clark just does not offer enough attacking presence to justify his decision in the team. One can even argue after this tournament that Mo Edu has done enough to start either way, since he offers a nice compliment of attacking and defensive play.
In this system, I don’t see Paco Torres being anything other than a role player as his defensive qualities are just not strong enough. If we were to move to another system, he could fit, but for now he will remain a role player. Though, his attacking presence may be useful in playing teams we should beat where he is not required to play a defensive role and can roam.
It’s a disappointing exit – made more difficult to take especially since we had as clear a road through to the semifinals as one could have wished for. Yet, crashing out in the Round of 16 is nothing to be ashamed about. I had a simply stunning time supporting this team throughout the tournament and I still feel big things are to come from us in the future.
When the final whistle blew, it was one of those moments that you know every four years will come, but it doesn't make it any easier. The only positive is that we lost to Ghana, a team that has done all of Africa proud.
It was hard to watch the US players after the final whistle as they were all devastated. Many of them sat stunned in the dugout well after Ghana had left the field and the supporters had filed out of their seats. Carlos Bocanegra was the last one to leave the field and looked inconsolable, finally leaving the field after Bornstein urged him to.
For Boca, he knew this was the last time he would ever grace the World Cup and it was tough to leave, knowing that this team was capable of so much more.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Group Stage Review
Most Impressive Team
Argentina
Most Surprising Team
Japan
Most Impressive Player
Too easy to say Messi. I'll go with Diego Forlan.
Most Impressive Young Player
Alexis Sanchez, Chile
Most Likely to Win the Golden Boot
Luis Fabiano, Brazil
Best Goal
Honda's Free Kick for Japan v. Denmark
Best Fans
Chile or Argentina
Best Match
Italy-Slovakia or USA-Slovenia
Biggest Upset
Switzerland-Spain
Shouldn't be that big of a surprise
Italy crashing out
Most Disappointing Team
France. Enough Said.
Most Disappointing Match
Take your pick, either the bore 0-0 draw between Portugal and Ivory Coast or Portugal and Brazil.
Biggest Disappointment
Africa's failure to produce this tournament outside of Ghana
Argentina
Most Surprising Team
Japan
Most Impressive Player
Too easy to say Messi. I'll go with Diego Forlan.
Most Impressive Young Player
Alexis Sanchez, Chile
Most Likely to Win the Golden Boot
Luis Fabiano, Brazil
Best Goal
Honda's Free Kick for Japan v. Denmark
Best Fans
Chile or Argentina
Best Match
Italy-Slovakia or USA-Slovenia
Biggest Upset
Switzerland-Spain
Shouldn't be that big of a surprise
Italy crashing out
Most Disappointing Team
France. Enough Said.
Most Disappointing Match
Take your pick, either the bore 0-0 draw between Portugal and Ivory Coast or Portugal and Brazil.
Biggest Disappointment
Africa's failure to produce this tournament outside of Ghana
Five Young Players
Five Young Players Taking this World Cup by Storm - Keep an eye out for them
Eljero Elia, Holland, Hamburg
Alexis Sanchez, Chile, Udinese
Jozy Altidore, USA, Villareal
Mesut Ozil ,Germany, Werder Bremen
Angel Di Maria, Argentina, Benfica
Eljero Elia, Holland, Hamburg
Alexis Sanchez, Chile, Udinese
Jozy Altidore, USA, Villareal
Mesut Ozil ,Germany, Werder Bremen
Angel Di Maria, Argentina, Benfica
Croatian Soccer Report Blog Post
Another featured blog post from CroatianSoccerReport.com
http://www.croatiansoccerreport.com/2010/06/uvanovic-checks-in-from-sa.html
Check it out!
http://www.croatiansoccerreport.com/2010/06/uvanovic-checks-in-from-sa.html
Check it out!
Moving Forward: Group Stage Performance Chart
Since I'm way behind on my daily updates, I'm going to group each team into a category which reflects their group stage performance.
Primed to Lift the Trophy
Brazil
Argentina
Talented Upstarts
Uruguay
Chile
Surprise Packages
Slovakia
Japan
Solid and Steady
Mexico
South Korea
Ghana
Portugal
Winning, but yet to really shine
Holland
Spain
False Contenders
England
Germany
Just plain average
Paraguay
Nothing Special
Ivory Coast
Going Home with their Heads Held High
New Zealand
South Africa
Greece
Slovenia
Australia
Going Home without a Goal, but weren't awful
Algeria
Honduras
Hit or Miss
Serbia
Switzerland
North Korea
Disappointing
Nigeria
Cameroon
Denmark
Shocking
Italy
At a Loss for Words
France
Primed to Lift the Trophy
Brazil
Argentina
Talented Upstarts
Uruguay
Chile
Surprise Packages
Slovakia
Japan
Solid and Steady
Mexico
South Korea
Ghana
Portugal
Winning, but yet to really shine
Holland
Spain
False Contenders
England
Germany
Just plain average
Paraguay
Nothing Special
Ivory Coast
Going Home with their Heads Held High
New Zealand
South Africa
Greece
Slovenia
Australia
Going Home without a Goal, but weren't awful
Algeria
Honduras
Hit or Miss
Serbia
Switzerland
North Korea
Disappointing
Nigeria
Cameroon
Denmark
Shocking
Italy
At a Loss for Words
France
Round of 16 Predictions
Uruguay – South Korea
Korea are the type of team that give teams trouble because of their athleticism and ability to run all day, but can quickly be exposed by teams that have superior skill as seen by their match against Argentina.
Uruguay was very impressive in the group stage and should have too much firepower for the Koreans, who advanced out of one of the weaker groups. Look for Forlan and Suarez to give Korea nightmares.
Uruguay 2 – 0
USA – Ghana
Ghana is the type of team that the USA traditionally struggle against since they are similar in their strengths – power, speed and athleticism. If Michael Essien was healthy in this match, he would swing the pendulum towards the Ghanaians, but right now Ghana look relatively uninspiring going forwards.
Ghana is goal shy right now with both of their goals coming from penalty kicks and their best bet may be to keep the game scoreless. USA seems to have a flair for the dramatic and I’m going to go with them to continue that streak.
USA 1 – 0 (ot)
England – Germany
Hardly the match that the English would have hoped for as they face their age-old rivals, yet both teams failed to find their top form during the group stage. This is a match that could prove to be entirely unpredictable as both team have been hit and miss so far in the tournament.
I like the English to finally find their feet and Wayne Rooney to break his goal scoring drought. The English have a soft center at the back, which could be exposed by the Germans, but I just don’t see Klose doing the trick. Look for this to be exposed by teams later down the road though.
England 2 – 1
Argentina – Mexico
A rematch of their Round of 16 encounter from four years ago, the Mexicans will be eager for revenge, but run up against an in-form Argentina. Greece may provide a blueprint for how to stifle the Argentines, but I don’t think Mexico has the players or desire to play that type of soccer.
Argentina still has some things to sort out at the back and I am not sure whether they will be able to grind out the 1-0 victory they will need to find at some point during this tournament. However, you must say that the Argentines have been playing some very nice free flowing soccer so far. When you have Messi in your side, anything is possible.
I say history repeats itself, down to the T.
Argentina 2 – 1 (ot)
Holland – Slovakia
The impressive Slovaks will be ecstatic to have reached this stage in the competition, especially after a disappointing first two games. Holland has yet to fully impress, even though they have three victories, but maybe this is a good sign for them. Traditionally they hit their stride during the group stage and then falter at the end.
Marek Hamsek has been an inspiration for Slovakia and they have some good role players in the form of Vittek, Stoch and Weiss. Skrtel has kept them solid at the back, but I just don’t see them breaking down the Dutch defense. With Robben returning, I expect this to be a one-sided affair as I think Slovakia’s win was down to poor Italian defending.
Yet, this could be exactly the type of trap game that gets the Dutch, as Russia was pretty unknown as an international commodity in Euro2008. Still, I like the Dutch to cruise home.
Holland 3-0
Brazil – Chile
What a match this will be. Chile will struggle to replace their suspended players, but Alexis Sanchez has had a breakout tournament at this level and reminds me of a young Ronaldo on the wings. Chile is exactly the type of team that could give Brazil struggles because of their all-out attacking approach, yet they lack a true center forward with Humberto Suazo hurt. They have really impressed me so far this tournament, from their flashy play to their excellent fans.
Brazil has been in cruise control in the group stages, so it will be interesting to see if they can turn it on. I expect this game to be similar to when these two sides met in World Cup 1998, a very open affair. Look for Fabiano to grab a brace and Maicon to grab another.
Brazil 3-1
Japan – Paraguay
Japan have been arguably the biggest surprise team in the Round of 16 as most, including myself, would have predicted that they finished bottom of their group. Their free kick prowess was certainly on display against Denmark and it is clear that their trigger man will be Honda.
I’m not very enthusiastic about the way that Paraguay played in the group stage and don’t see them having the ability to make a deep run in this tournament as the other 4 South American sides. I’m going to go with the upset here, with the Japanese grabbing an early goal and then holding on.
Japan 1-0
Portugal – Spain
The battle of the Iberian Peninsula is one that will not excite the Spanish, but they will surely be happy to avoid the Brazilians at this stage. I just don’t get the feeling that the Spanish side has completely gelled at this stage and Portugal might just be the side to dump them out.
We haven’t really seen that much from Portugal either however. They played a stale 0-0 draw with Ivory Coast in a match that neither dared to lose, trounced North Korea 7-0, and then played to another stale 0-0 draw with Brazil where again both were happy with the draw. It’s not the greatest sample size to judge the Portuguese from, but for some reason I like them here to do the job and knock out the Spanish. CR9 has yet to really shine this tournament and look for him to score the winner.....in penalty kicks!
Portugal 2 -1 (pk)
Korea are the type of team that give teams trouble because of their athleticism and ability to run all day, but can quickly be exposed by teams that have superior skill as seen by their match against Argentina.
Uruguay was very impressive in the group stage and should have too much firepower for the Koreans, who advanced out of one of the weaker groups. Look for Forlan and Suarez to give Korea nightmares.
Uruguay 2 – 0
USA – Ghana
Ghana is the type of team that the USA traditionally struggle against since they are similar in their strengths – power, speed and athleticism. If Michael Essien was healthy in this match, he would swing the pendulum towards the Ghanaians, but right now Ghana look relatively uninspiring going forwards.
Ghana is goal shy right now with both of their goals coming from penalty kicks and their best bet may be to keep the game scoreless. USA seems to have a flair for the dramatic and I’m going to go with them to continue that streak.
USA 1 – 0 (ot)
England – Germany
Hardly the match that the English would have hoped for as they face their age-old rivals, yet both teams failed to find their top form during the group stage. This is a match that could prove to be entirely unpredictable as both team have been hit and miss so far in the tournament.
I like the English to finally find their feet and Wayne Rooney to break his goal scoring drought. The English have a soft center at the back, which could be exposed by the Germans, but I just don’t see Klose doing the trick. Look for this to be exposed by teams later down the road though.
England 2 – 1
Argentina – Mexico
A rematch of their Round of 16 encounter from four years ago, the Mexicans will be eager for revenge, but run up against an in-form Argentina. Greece may provide a blueprint for how to stifle the Argentines, but I don’t think Mexico has the players or desire to play that type of soccer.
Argentina still has some things to sort out at the back and I am not sure whether they will be able to grind out the 1-0 victory they will need to find at some point during this tournament. However, you must say that the Argentines have been playing some very nice free flowing soccer so far. When you have Messi in your side, anything is possible.
I say history repeats itself, down to the T.
Argentina 2 – 1 (ot)
Holland – Slovakia
The impressive Slovaks will be ecstatic to have reached this stage in the competition, especially after a disappointing first two games. Holland has yet to fully impress, even though they have three victories, but maybe this is a good sign for them. Traditionally they hit their stride during the group stage and then falter at the end.
Marek Hamsek has been an inspiration for Slovakia and they have some good role players in the form of Vittek, Stoch and Weiss. Skrtel has kept them solid at the back, but I just don’t see them breaking down the Dutch defense. With Robben returning, I expect this to be a one-sided affair as I think Slovakia’s win was down to poor Italian defending.
Yet, this could be exactly the type of trap game that gets the Dutch, as Russia was pretty unknown as an international commodity in Euro2008. Still, I like the Dutch to cruise home.
Holland 3-0
Brazil – Chile
What a match this will be. Chile will struggle to replace their suspended players, but Alexis Sanchez has had a breakout tournament at this level and reminds me of a young Ronaldo on the wings. Chile is exactly the type of team that could give Brazil struggles because of their all-out attacking approach, yet they lack a true center forward with Humberto Suazo hurt. They have really impressed me so far this tournament, from their flashy play to their excellent fans.
Brazil has been in cruise control in the group stages, so it will be interesting to see if they can turn it on. I expect this game to be similar to when these two sides met in World Cup 1998, a very open affair. Look for Fabiano to grab a brace and Maicon to grab another.
Brazil 3-1
Japan – Paraguay
Japan have been arguably the biggest surprise team in the Round of 16 as most, including myself, would have predicted that they finished bottom of their group. Their free kick prowess was certainly on display against Denmark and it is clear that their trigger man will be Honda.
I’m not very enthusiastic about the way that Paraguay played in the group stage and don’t see them having the ability to make a deep run in this tournament as the other 4 South American sides. I’m going to go with the upset here, with the Japanese grabbing an early goal and then holding on.
Japan 1-0
Portugal – Spain
The battle of the Iberian Peninsula is one that will not excite the Spanish, but they will surely be happy to avoid the Brazilians at this stage. I just don’t get the feeling that the Spanish side has completely gelled at this stage and Portugal might just be the side to dump them out.
We haven’t really seen that much from Portugal either however. They played a stale 0-0 draw with Ivory Coast in a match that neither dared to lose, trounced North Korea 7-0, and then played to another stale 0-0 draw with Brazil where again both were happy with the draw. It’s not the greatest sample size to judge the Portuguese from, but for some reason I like them here to do the job and knock out the Spanish. CR9 has yet to really shine this tournament and look for him to score the winner.....in penalty kicks!
Portugal 2 -1 (pk)
Live from Loftus Versfeld: USA - Algeria
Nice to finally meet you again World Cup win. You’ve been so elusive and we haven’t seen each other in so long, way too long, 8 years to be exact.
Landon Donovan may never score as sweet a goal as he did in this match and many of the American fans, including myself, may never witness a sweeter goal than we did in the 91st minute of this crucial Group C fixture.
Heading to Loftus Versfeld, a venue where I vividly remember the US getting trounced 3-1 and 3-0 by Italy and Brazil respectively during the Confederations Cup, gave me an eerie feeling that today may not be our day. Never mind that only a week ago I was in Loftus and had seen my beloved Bafana Bafana get thrashed by Uruguay 3-0.
Upon waking up that day in Pretoria, I felt as if I was actually the one playing as I had the pre-match jitters as I knew this would be a crucial day in the history of US soccer. Those jitters certainly didn’t ease upon walking into the stadium and seeing that Jonathan Bornstein was starting at left back.
As will be the pre-match protocol until we are dumped from the tournament, the red, white and blue mohawk was out in full swing. For fans that bought tickets through the US Federation, it seemed as though our seating plan was exactly the same for this match as for the USA-Slovenia match as I was sitting next to the same comrades that had sweated those frantic 90 minutes out with me.
Sam’s Army and the American Outlaws were in great voice prior to the match as were our Algerian counterparts and the scene was set for what we all knew would be a crunch encounter.
After Algeria rocked Tim Howard’s bar in the first 5 minutes, they lacked any real desire to move forward, which was surprising since they needed a victory just as much as us. Being at the other end of the pitch, I had no way of knowing whether Clint Dempsey’s goal that was ruled out for offside was the proper call, but just chalked it up as a missed opportunity.
A few moments later the dreaded double text came into my phone – not only should Dempsey’s goal have stood, but Jermaine Defoe had put England up against Slovenia, meaning that it was win or bust for us.
With this knowledge in our pocket, the American fans were on pins and needles for the second half knowing we needed a victory, but seeing our team continuously miss good chances to break the deadlock. This included Jozy Altidore blasting over the bar, Dempsey hitting the post and missing the empty net on the follow-up and a strong Edson Buddle header valiantly saved by the Algerian keeper.
The clock seemed to be sprinting to 90 minutes as I frantically searched for a text message that read “Slovenia scored, it’s 1-1!”. Thankfully, that text message never came.
It took 90 back-breaking minutes, but it was well worth the wait when the goal finally arrived. In the 91st minute, Landon Donovan broke the stalemate, cleaning up a Dempsey rebound and then wheeling around to celebrate the most dramatic winner he’d ever scored.
It was pure ecstasy, utter jubilation and absolute, unbridled joy in the stands at Loftus. Words cannot do the feeling justice.
The next hour is a haze, all I know is the final whistle blew somewhere in there, though I will admit I had no idea the Algerian captain had picked up a red card until the next morning. For once the goal went in, the only thing on all of our minds were tears of joy, hugging every person around you as tightly as if they were a long lost friend and feeling as alive as one can ever possibly feel.
The celebrations continued long after the players had saluted us and left the field. The American section of Loftus was awash with red, white and blue for a solid 45 minutes after the final whistle just singing and dancing in an empty stadium.
After that, the celebrations spilled over to right outside the stadium, where most of the media was waiting to capture us. For what seemed like forever, we celebrated the victory outside the stadium with every song and dance that we could think of.
After that, the celebrations took to the street in Pretoria all the way to Hatfield Square where we watched to see who our opponent for the Round of 16 matchup would be.
For every game there must be a winner and a loser and for as exuberant as the American fans were, the Algerians were just as despondent. Yet, they handled themselves with nothing but pure class and tact outside the stadium and throughout the night. They passed on their best wishes for the US moving forward and congratulated us on advancing.
I even got a huge hug from an Algerian fan for telling him that his team were much tougher than rivals Egypt were last June, which is nothing but the truth.
There was one moment outside the stadium that summed up what this World Cup is about. An Algerian fan came up to an American fan and swapped jerseys with him, just as the players do at the end of the match. Because at the end of the day, we are still one human race.
For no one more than Landon Donovan, this was redemption for a disappointing 2006 World Cup. You could see it on his face as he scored, four years of agony wiped away with the single kick of a ball.
Dear World Cup victory, please tell me we’ll be seeing each other again tomorrow in Rustenburg!
Landon Donovan may never score as sweet a goal as he did in this match and many of the American fans, including myself, may never witness a sweeter goal than we did in the 91st minute of this crucial Group C fixture.
Heading to Loftus Versfeld, a venue where I vividly remember the US getting trounced 3-1 and 3-0 by Italy and Brazil respectively during the Confederations Cup, gave me an eerie feeling that today may not be our day. Never mind that only a week ago I was in Loftus and had seen my beloved Bafana Bafana get thrashed by Uruguay 3-0.
Upon waking up that day in Pretoria, I felt as if I was actually the one playing as I had the pre-match jitters as I knew this would be a crucial day in the history of US soccer. Those jitters certainly didn’t ease upon walking into the stadium and seeing that Jonathan Bornstein was starting at left back.
As will be the pre-match protocol until we are dumped from the tournament, the red, white and blue mohawk was out in full swing. For fans that bought tickets through the US Federation, it seemed as though our seating plan was exactly the same for this match as for the USA-Slovenia match as I was sitting next to the same comrades that had sweated those frantic 90 minutes out with me.
Sam’s Army and the American Outlaws were in great voice prior to the match as were our Algerian counterparts and the scene was set for what we all knew would be a crunch encounter.
After Algeria rocked Tim Howard’s bar in the first 5 minutes, they lacked any real desire to move forward, which was surprising since they needed a victory just as much as us. Being at the other end of the pitch, I had no way of knowing whether Clint Dempsey’s goal that was ruled out for offside was the proper call, but just chalked it up as a missed opportunity.
A few moments later the dreaded double text came into my phone – not only should Dempsey’s goal have stood, but Jermaine Defoe had put England up against Slovenia, meaning that it was win or bust for us.
With this knowledge in our pocket, the American fans were on pins and needles for the second half knowing we needed a victory, but seeing our team continuously miss good chances to break the deadlock. This included Jozy Altidore blasting over the bar, Dempsey hitting the post and missing the empty net on the follow-up and a strong Edson Buddle header valiantly saved by the Algerian keeper.
The clock seemed to be sprinting to 90 minutes as I frantically searched for a text message that read “Slovenia scored, it’s 1-1!”. Thankfully, that text message never came.
It took 90 back-breaking minutes, but it was well worth the wait when the goal finally arrived. In the 91st minute, Landon Donovan broke the stalemate, cleaning up a Dempsey rebound and then wheeling around to celebrate the most dramatic winner he’d ever scored.
It was pure ecstasy, utter jubilation and absolute, unbridled joy in the stands at Loftus. Words cannot do the feeling justice.
The next hour is a haze, all I know is the final whistle blew somewhere in there, though I will admit I had no idea the Algerian captain had picked up a red card until the next morning. For once the goal went in, the only thing on all of our minds were tears of joy, hugging every person around you as tightly as if they were a long lost friend and feeling as alive as one can ever possibly feel.
The celebrations continued long after the players had saluted us and left the field. The American section of Loftus was awash with red, white and blue for a solid 45 minutes after the final whistle just singing and dancing in an empty stadium.
After that, the celebrations spilled over to right outside the stadium, where most of the media was waiting to capture us. For what seemed like forever, we celebrated the victory outside the stadium with every song and dance that we could think of.
After that, the celebrations took to the street in Pretoria all the way to Hatfield Square where we watched to see who our opponent for the Round of 16 matchup would be.
For every game there must be a winner and a loser and for as exuberant as the American fans were, the Algerians were just as despondent. Yet, they handled themselves with nothing but pure class and tact outside the stadium and throughout the night. They passed on their best wishes for the US moving forward and congratulated us on advancing.
I even got a huge hug from an Algerian fan for telling him that his team were much tougher than rivals Egypt were last June, which is nothing but the truth.
There was one moment outside the stadium that summed up what this World Cup is about. An Algerian fan came up to an American fan and swapped jerseys with him, just as the players do at the end of the match. Because at the end of the day, we are still one human race.
For no one more than Landon Donovan, this was redemption for a disappointing 2006 World Cup. You could see it on his face as he scored, four years of agony wiped away with the single kick of a ball.
Dear World Cup victory, please tell me we’ll be seeing each other again tomorrow in Rustenburg!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Live from Ellis Park: USA-Slovenia
After the transport nightmare that was getting to and from Rustenburg, it was nice to be at a hostel within walking distance of Ellis Park, making the lead-up to the match much less stressful as a spectator. After being on a bus with four fans that had gotten mohawks prior to the England match, I had decided it was time to get one too.
Sporting a blue mohawk with red and white sides and ‘USA’ carved in red into the back of my head, I set off for Ellis Park ready to see the boys pick up the three points we so desperately wanted. Little did I know that we were all about to embark upon a match that had everything you could have hoped for as a fan – that is if you were a neutral.
On the way down to Ellis Park, the red, white and blue mohawk was certainly a hit as the South African school children all kept telling me, or were they laughing at me? Either way, I didn’t care.
Pre-match reports were true with Paco Torres starting in the middle with Michael Bradley and the feeling among the US supporters in the crowd was overwhelmingly in support of that move.
With the whistle barely out of the mouth of the Malian referee, the first flashpoint had already happened with the Slovenian players surrounding the referee demanding that Dempsey be sent off for throwing an elbow. Thankfully cooler heads prevailed, but this was only a sign of things to come for the referee as it was arguably his most difficult night as a referee.
The first half could not have gone more differently than the script was supposed to read for us. A stunning strike by Slovenia coupled with a great counter-attacking goal left the US staring at a 2-0 deficit at the half. Most of us in the crowd were left stunned, wondering how after such a strong 90 minutes against England we are now looking at ourselves being 45 minutes from for all intensive purposes exiting the tournament.
While I would have thought Stuart Holden would have been the go-to substitution for Bob Bradley as we were in search of goals, he went with Mo Edu and Benny Feilhaber, which certainly proved to work. Torres proved ineffective in the middle and Edu provided the perfect complement of attacking and defensive play.
In a move that pleased the US supporters, we finally saw Dempsey pushed up top and paired with Jozy. Instantly the moves paid a dividend and Landon Donovan proved why he is our talisman, scoring a brilliant goal from the wing. After that, it was one-way traffic with the US surging on and holding all of the momentum. The feeling in the crowd was that we were going to get an equalizer; it was only a matter of time.
Jozy Altidore played arguably his best match in a US jersey as he looked as dangerous as ever in the second half, showing that he is finally progressing into that physical, but skilled forward we always knew he would be.
Around the 60th minute, Altidore turned a Slovenian defender and looked to be clean through, except the defender made a top-notch tackle on him. If he catches Jozy, it’s a no doubt red card.
Shortly after, Jozy turned another Slovenian defender and got dragged down for a professional foul. From my vantage point, I thought it was going to be a red card as the defender looked to be the last man back, but alas is was only yellow. With every touch Jozy looked like he was going to find the net, proving that his man-handling of Jaime Carragher in the previous game was no fluke.
The clever insertion of Herculez Gomez into the match provided just the spark the US needed to find the second goal. A clever run by Gomez provided the space for Michael Bradley to sneak through off an Altidore header and score the equalizer. This set off absolute delirium in the US supporter’s section of Ellis Park. After things had calmed down and I had gotten the beer out of my eyes, I was left thinking, could we snatch a winner?
As we know now, Mo Edu did snatch a winner, but it was called back by the referee for an invisible push in the box. This had set off pandemonium in the crowd for a few seconds, but in the end the US supporters went home happy with the belief that if we beat Algeria we would go through. That coupled with the fact that we had no real way of knowing how bad the blown call had actually been.
All in all, this was the most mentally and physically exhausting US match I’ve watched since the 2006 World Cup against Italy. As a supporter, it was gut-wrenching stuff at times as I couldn’t believe that we were set to crash out at the half. However, in the end it is all to play for against Algeria.
See you in Pretoria!
Sporting a blue mohawk with red and white sides and ‘USA’ carved in red into the back of my head, I set off for Ellis Park ready to see the boys pick up the three points we so desperately wanted. Little did I know that we were all about to embark upon a match that had everything you could have hoped for as a fan – that is if you were a neutral.
On the way down to Ellis Park, the red, white and blue mohawk was certainly a hit as the South African school children all kept telling me, or were they laughing at me? Either way, I didn’t care.
Pre-match reports were true with Paco Torres starting in the middle with Michael Bradley and the feeling among the US supporters in the crowd was overwhelmingly in support of that move.
With the whistle barely out of the mouth of the Malian referee, the first flashpoint had already happened with the Slovenian players surrounding the referee demanding that Dempsey be sent off for throwing an elbow. Thankfully cooler heads prevailed, but this was only a sign of things to come for the referee as it was arguably his most difficult night as a referee.
The first half could not have gone more differently than the script was supposed to read for us. A stunning strike by Slovenia coupled with a great counter-attacking goal left the US staring at a 2-0 deficit at the half. Most of us in the crowd were left stunned, wondering how after such a strong 90 minutes against England we are now looking at ourselves being 45 minutes from for all intensive purposes exiting the tournament.
While I would have thought Stuart Holden would have been the go-to substitution for Bob Bradley as we were in search of goals, he went with Mo Edu and Benny Feilhaber, which certainly proved to work. Torres proved ineffective in the middle and Edu provided the perfect complement of attacking and defensive play.
In a move that pleased the US supporters, we finally saw Dempsey pushed up top and paired with Jozy. Instantly the moves paid a dividend and Landon Donovan proved why he is our talisman, scoring a brilliant goal from the wing. After that, it was one-way traffic with the US surging on and holding all of the momentum. The feeling in the crowd was that we were going to get an equalizer; it was only a matter of time.
Jozy Altidore played arguably his best match in a US jersey as he looked as dangerous as ever in the second half, showing that he is finally progressing into that physical, but skilled forward we always knew he would be.
Around the 60th minute, Altidore turned a Slovenian defender and looked to be clean through, except the defender made a top-notch tackle on him. If he catches Jozy, it’s a no doubt red card.
Shortly after, Jozy turned another Slovenian defender and got dragged down for a professional foul. From my vantage point, I thought it was going to be a red card as the defender looked to be the last man back, but alas is was only yellow. With every touch Jozy looked like he was going to find the net, proving that his man-handling of Jaime Carragher in the previous game was no fluke.
The clever insertion of Herculez Gomez into the match provided just the spark the US needed to find the second goal. A clever run by Gomez provided the space for Michael Bradley to sneak through off an Altidore header and score the equalizer. This set off absolute delirium in the US supporter’s section of Ellis Park. After things had calmed down and I had gotten the beer out of my eyes, I was left thinking, could we snatch a winner?
As we know now, Mo Edu did snatch a winner, but it was called back by the referee for an invisible push in the box. This had set off pandemonium in the crowd for a few seconds, but in the end the US supporters went home happy with the belief that if we beat Algeria we would go through. That coupled with the fact that we had no real way of knowing how bad the blown call had actually been.
All in all, this was the most mentally and physically exhausting US match I’ve watched since the 2006 World Cup against Italy. As a supporter, it was gut-wrenching stuff at times as I couldn’t believe that we were set to crash out at the half. However, in the end it is all to play for against Algeria.
See you in Pretoria!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Appearance on Croatian Soccer Report
Yours truly was featured on Croatian Soccer Report as part of their World Cup Coverage.
You can find the post here if you'd like to read it:
http://www.croatiansoccerreport.com/2010/06/south-africa-checks-in.html
Note that the second portion of the article was not written by me.
You can find the post here if you'd like to read it:
http://www.croatiansoccerreport.com/2010/06/south-africa-checks-in.html
Note that the second portion of the article was not written by me.
Matchday 7
Argentina – South Korea (4-1)
After having made my maiden trip to Soweto for this match, I must say that Soccer City is simply a stunning stadium. Having only just arrived during the anthems due to a late train, I was awestruck upon entering the cauldron. Argentina’s fans are colorful, passionate and fervent. The stadium was blue and white all over, with a dash of red from Korea’s fans.
The match itself was predictable – Leo Messi finally shining for Argentina. And shine he did. While Higuain scored 3 goals, the match belonged to Messi as his golden feet provided the guile behind the victory.
Korea’s only goal was as a result of an Argentina lapse at the back, showing that this will be the weakness for them moving forwards. Korea had a huge chance to level after the break and that missed chance proved the turning point in the match. After that, it was all Argentina.
A wonderfully colorful match to attend, possibly the best match of the tournament so far up to this point.
Nigeria – Greece (1-2)
I was in transit home from Soccer City for the duration of the match, but upon hearing the result was very disappointed for the Nigerians. They simply continue to astound as they beat their own records for underperforming.
Because Korea got thumped, the goal difference is in favor of the Nigerians and they actually just need to beat Korea to advance (provided the Greeks don’t nick a point off Argentina).
The red card by Keita is shocking and simply unacceptable for it completely turned the game. A real shame for the Nigerians, but I can’t say I’m surprised.
Credit to the Greeks for scoring their first two World Cup goals and best wishes to them in facing the Argentina machine in their next match.
Mexico – France (2-0)
After just speaking about an underachieving Nigeria, you can only imagine there is only one way to go with France. They are absolutely shocking. They do not want to play for Domenech and it has been obvious since Euro 2008. What a nightmare as they have literally crashed and burned in ignomy this tournament. I hope Bafana beat them and the French go home without a point or goal in the disgrace they deserve.
Mexico bossed this game and their young strikers have shown their pedigree so far. They will be desperate to beat Uruguay and avoid Argentina in the knockout round. Or will they? They certainly hung with the Argentines during their knockout game in 2006, before succumbing to Maxi Rodriguez’s wonder goal.
Takeaway from Matchday 7: Argentina lay an early claim to being the team to beat. Messi finally has that breakout game we’ve been waiting for. Both France and Nigeria underperform, but is it really underperforming if you expected it?
After having made my maiden trip to Soweto for this match, I must say that Soccer City is simply a stunning stadium. Having only just arrived during the anthems due to a late train, I was awestruck upon entering the cauldron. Argentina’s fans are colorful, passionate and fervent. The stadium was blue and white all over, with a dash of red from Korea’s fans.
The match itself was predictable – Leo Messi finally shining for Argentina. And shine he did. While Higuain scored 3 goals, the match belonged to Messi as his golden feet provided the guile behind the victory.
Korea’s only goal was as a result of an Argentina lapse at the back, showing that this will be the weakness for them moving forwards. Korea had a huge chance to level after the break and that missed chance proved the turning point in the match. After that, it was all Argentina.
A wonderfully colorful match to attend, possibly the best match of the tournament so far up to this point.
Nigeria – Greece (1-2)
I was in transit home from Soccer City for the duration of the match, but upon hearing the result was very disappointed for the Nigerians. They simply continue to astound as they beat their own records for underperforming.
Because Korea got thumped, the goal difference is in favor of the Nigerians and they actually just need to beat Korea to advance (provided the Greeks don’t nick a point off Argentina).
The red card by Keita is shocking and simply unacceptable for it completely turned the game. A real shame for the Nigerians, but I can’t say I’m surprised.
Credit to the Greeks for scoring their first two World Cup goals and best wishes to them in facing the Argentina machine in their next match.
Mexico – France (2-0)
After just speaking about an underachieving Nigeria, you can only imagine there is only one way to go with France. They are absolutely shocking. They do not want to play for Domenech and it has been obvious since Euro 2008. What a nightmare as they have literally crashed and burned in ignomy this tournament. I hope Bafana beat them and the French go home without a point or goal in the disgrace they deserve.
Mexico bossed this game and their young strikers have shown their pedigree so far. They will be desperate to beat Uruguay and avoid Argentina in the knockout round. Or will they? They certainly hung with the Argentines during their knockout game in 2006, before succumbing to Maxi Rodriguez’s wonder goal.
Takeaway from Matchday 7: Argentina lay an early claim to being the team to beat. Messi finally has that breakout game we’ve been waiting for. Both France and Nigeria underperform, but is it really underperforming if you expected it?
Matchday 6
Chile-Honduras (1-0)
The minnows from CONCACAF battled, but couldn’t hang with a lively Chilean team. Look for Alexis Sanchez to have a breakout World Cup as he looked dashing in this match and Chile really should have made it upwards of 4 or 5 to zero.
In other news, two thumbs up to the stadium in Nelspruit. It not only looks fantastic, but the pitch was wonderful along with the look from television that the fans were so close to the pitch. Impressive stuff from the stadium that is proving difficult for fans to get to.
Swizterland-Spain (1-0)
So, you thought Spain’s game against the US in the 2009 Confed Cup was a mirrage? Think again. Switzerland copied the USA’s blueprint for that match to the end. Spain are similar to Barcelona (well, duh since they make up half the squad) in the sense that they can pass you to sleep, but it only takes one lapse to break through.
If you can keep a clean sheet, which the Swiss have now done for 5 straight World Cup games, you’re always going to be in it. Even more impressive for the Swiss considering Senderos went off injured and Behrami and Frei were out injured.
This group has just been knocked wide open, especially considering how impressive the Chile looked in the morning match.
South Africa-Uruguay (0-3)
Tears all around here in Pretoria. Deep down, I knew that Bafana Bafana didn’t have the quality to match the others in the group, but I thought that the crowd and the environment would put them over the edge. Four years of preparation went down the drain in 90 minutes in a poor performance against the potent South Americans.
Uruguay have put themselves in a good position to go deep in the tournament as they should top the group and play the runners up from Group B, which is a weak team no matter who comes out.
The red card was debatable, but it didn’t look like South Africa would have gotten a goal anyway, but the goal difference absolutely kills them. After the penalty, the stadium emptied and went silent.
Steven Pienaar wasn’t allowed to play in his normal position in the midfield and played as a withdrawn stiker, which just didn’t allow him to flourish unfortunately. Teko Modise has had an absolute howler of a World Cup which is shocking for a player that is a hero here.
Being at the match, this was a very somber occasion for South Africa and I am truly sad for the country. Hopefully they can bounce back and trash the pathetic French and leave the World Cup with their pride in tact.
Takeaway from Matchday 6: Group H looks like it will go to goal difference. South Africa still lack a true center forward and will struggle until they find one. Look for Uruguay to be quaterfinalists.
The minnows from CONCACAF battled, but couldn’t hang with a lively Chilean team. Look for Alexis Sanchez to have a breakout World Cup as he looked dashing in this match and Chile really should have made it upwards of 4 or 5 to zero.
In other news, two thumbs up to the stadium in Nelspruit. It not only looks fantastic, but the pitch was wonderful along with the look from television that the fans were so close to the pitch. Impressive stuff from the stadium that is proving difficult for fans to get to.
Swizterland-Spain (1-0)
So, you thought Spain’s game against the US in the 2009 Confed Cup was a mirrage? Think again. Switzerland copied the USA’s blueprint for that match to the end. Spain are similar to Barcelona (well, duh since they make up half the squad) in the sense that they can pass you to sleep, but it only takes one lapse to break through.
If you can keep a clean sheet, which the Swiss have now done for 5 straight World Cup games, you’re always going to be in it. Even more impressive for the Swiss considering Senderos went off injured and Behrami and Frei were out injured.
This group has just been knocked wide open, especially considering how impressive the Chile looked in the morning match.
South Africa-Uruguay (0-3)
Tears all around here in Pretoria. Deep down, I knew that Bafana Bafana didn’t have the quality to match the others in the group, but I thought that the crowd and the environment would put them over the edge. Four years of preparation went down the drain in 90 minutes in a poor performance against the potent South Americans.
Uruguay have put themselves in a good position to go deep in the tournament as they should top the group and play the runners up from Group B, which is a weak team no matter who comes out.
The red card was debatable, but it didn’t look like South Africa would have gotten a goal anyway, but the goal difference absolutely kills them. After the penalty, the stadium emptied and went silent.
Steven Pienaar wasn’t allowed to play in his normal position in the midfield and played as a withdrawn stiker, which just didn’t allow him to flourish unfortunately. Teko Modise has had an absolute howler of a World Cup which is shocking for a player that is a hero here.
Being at the match, this was a very somber occasion for South Africa and I am truly sad for the country. Hopefully they can bounce back and trash the pathetic French and leave the World Cup with their pride in tact.
Takeaway from Matchday 6: Group H looks like it will go to goal difference. South Africa still lack a true center forward and will struggle until they find one. Look for Uruguay to be quaterfinalists.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Matchday 5
New Zealand - Slovakia
A game that Slovakia had to win to have realistic chances of progressing, but in the last seconds they threw it away.
What an achievement for the Kiwis who hadn't even scored a goal in the Confederations Cup and celebrated their nil-nil with Iraq as if they had won the tournament.
Cote d'Iviore - Portugal
This game really came to life too late, in the 3 minutes of injury time. Both teams were tentative as they knew that a loss would pretty much dump them out of the tournament. Good to see Drogba take the field, though for me Gervinho was the man of the match for Ivory Coast. Look for him to pair with Drogba, if healthy, and get Ivory Coast out of the group.
Brazil - North Korea
Well North Korea sure surprised us hey? Brazil looked like they were always in control, but North Korea have a nice little striker in Sae (sp?) up top. North Korea could surely nick a point off one of the two others in the group. This group is wide open and should come down to goal differential.
Takeaway from Day 5: North Korea is not going to layover and will battle to the end. Group G is certainly the Group of Death.
A game that Slovakia had to win to have realistic chances of progressing, but in the last seconds they threw it away.
What an achievement for the Kiwis who hadn't even scored a goal in the Confederations Cup and celebrated their nil-nil with Iraq as if they had won the tournament.
Cote d'Iviore - Portugal
This game really came to life too late, in the 3 minutes of injury time. Both teams were tentative as they knew that a loss would pretty much dump them out of the tournament. Good to see Drogba take the field, though for me Gervinho was the man of the match for Ivory Coast. Look for him to pair with Drogba, if healthy, and get Ivory Coast out of the group.
Brazil - North Korea
Well North Korea sure surprised us hey? Brazil looked like they were always in control, but North Korea have a nice little striker in Sae (sp?) up top. North Korea could surely nick a point off one of the two others in the group. This group is wide open and should come down to goal differential.
Takeaway from Day 5: North Korea is not going to layover and will battle to the end. Group G is certainly the Group of Death.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Argentina Camp
My hostel is just a 3 minute walk from the Argentina practice venue and camp. Hope to walk down there and get some good pictures and check it out soon. There are tons of Argentina fans outside of it as I walked by today. More to come soon regarding this.
Live from Rustenburg: USA-England
51 hours in transit. A bus driver that did not know how to get to the Royal Bafokeng Stadium. About 3 hours of sleep in the past 2 days. None of that mattered, it was USA-England, the World Cup and a match that is as big as it gets.
After getting kitted up in red, white and blue and bumping into two other Americans on the bus that I had travelled with during the Confederations Cup last June, I was ready to cheer the Stars & Stripes onto victory.
While the English fans were greater in number and probably louder in voice, the American support from Sam’s Army and the American Outlaws was outstanding. The English had certainly arrived to the stadium early with English flags draped over every free inch of the stadium. I have to say aesthetically, it looked very impressive.
As per usual protocol, the larger than life American flag came out during the Star Spangled Banner and finally it was time for kickoff.
While things didn’t start well with Steven Gerrard’s goal bringing the English fans to their feet, the Americans in the crowd never wavered in their support and never stopped singing even after the goal.
When Clint Dempsey scored to draw us level, the American section of the stadium went into raptures. Since there were no replays or even a clock in the stadium, it was tough to see how much of a mess Robert Green had made of the shot since it all happened so quickly. We knew it was a howler, but seeing it again on replays the next day it looked ten times worse.
Right after the goal, the inevitable chants of “Are you Scott Carson in disguise? Are you Paul Robinson in disguise?” started from the Americans as we held on into the halftime break.
After the break, the Americans looked lively and if a goal was coming, it was obvious that it would be from Jozy Altidore beating Jaime Carragher, as he looked like a fish out of water. Altidore gave Carragher nightmares the entire second half and you must say there were flashes of brilliance from the young striker. He came so close to the winner after turning Carragher and then hitting the bar.
England has a massive problem at centerback moving forward, as it was exposed in Rustenburg as being very soft indeed.
Having been in Bloemfontein for that memorable victory against Spain, I thought our defense (after the first 10 minutes) was every bit heroic as that fateful night. Jay DeMerit kept Wayne Rooney as quiet as one can and showed once again that he can shut down some of the best forwards in the world, while Gooch was back to the Onyewu that all of us have come to know over the years.
Overall, the feeling from the Americans in the crowd was that of pure ecstasy at the final whistle, even though a lot of us felt we could have nicked a winner in the second half. We certainly deserved at least a point and there were a lot of Englishmen who went home very, very unhappy.
It was nothing but glum and silence from the English as they left the stadium unhappy with the result, but I think more importantly were deflated after seeing an England that surely will not be lifting the trophy at Soccer City on July 11th.
Having been in the crowd for multiple American matches overseas and all of last year’s Confederations Cup matches, the atmosphere in Rustenburg was simply on another level. If you can ever make it to a World Cup, do not hesitate as this was simply the pinnacle of watching my beloved USMNT play.
For those of you in the crowd in Rustenburg, it was a pleasure and an honor to root on our boys in your presence. For those of you watching in the US, keep up the faith!
After getting kitted up in red, white and blue and bumping into two other Americans on the bus that I had travelled with during the Confederations Cup last June, I was ready to cheer the Stars & Stripes onto victory.
While the English fans were greater in number and probably louder in voice, the American support from Sam’s Army and the American Outlaws was outstanding. The English had certainly arrived to the stadium early with English flags draped over every free inch of the stadium. I have to say aesthetically, it looked very impressive.
As per usual protocol, the larger than life American flag came out during the Star Spangled Banner and finally it was time for kickoff.
While things didn’t start well with Steven Gerrard’s goal bringing the English fans to their feet, the Americans in the crowd never wavered in their support and never stopped singing even after the goal.
When Clint Dempsey scored to draw us level, the American section of the stadium went into raptures. Since there were no replays or even a clock in the stadium, it was tough to see how much of a mess Robert Green had made of the shot since it all happened so quickly. We knew it was a howler, but seeing it again on replays the next day it looked ten times worse.
Right after the goal, the inevitable chants of “Are you Scott Carson in disguise? Are you Paul Robinson in disguise?” started from the Americans as we held on into the halftime break.
After the break, the Americans looked lively and if a goal was coming, it was obvious that it would be from Jozy Altidore beating Jaime Carragher, as he looked like a fish out of water. Altidore gave Carragher nightmares the entire second half and you must say there were flashes of brilliance from the young striker. He came so close to the winner after turning Carragher and then hitting the bar.
England has a massive problem at centerback moving forward, as it was exposed in Rustenburg as being very soft indeed.
Having been in Bloemfontein for that memorable victory against Spain, I thought our defense (after the first 10 minutes) was every bit heroic as that fateful night. Jay DeMerit kept Wayne Rooney as quiet as one can and showed once again that he can shut down some of the best forwards in the world, while Gooch was back to the Onyewu that all of us have come to know over the years.
Overall, the feeling from the Americans in the crowd was that of pure ecstasy at the final whistle, even though a lot of us felt we could have nicked a winner in the second half. We certainly deserved at least a point and there were a lot of Englishmen who went home very, very unhappy.
It was nothing but glum and silence from the English as they left the stadium unhappy with the result, but I think more importantly were deflated after seeing an England that surely will not be lifting the trophy at Soccer City on July 11th.
Having been in the crowd for multiple American matches overseas and all of last year’s Confederations Cup matches, the atmosphere in Rustenburg was simply on another level. If you can ever make it to a World Cup, do not hesitate as this was simply the pinnacle of watching my beloved USMNT play.
For those of you in the crowd in Rustenburg, it was a pleasure and an honor to root on our boys in your presence. For those of you watching in the US, keep up the faith!
Matchday 4:
A day of relative snoozers, yet the first day I was really able to sit and watch all of the matches.
The first half of Denmark – Holland was tepid, but Holland finally came to life in the second half. The Danes seemed content to play for a nil-nil, but that was dashed with the own goal. I expected a lot more from Denmark in this match and was quite disappointed.
Without Robben, Holland looked OK. With him, I expect them to be a bit more explosive. With Elia exploding onto the scene, I can’t see Ryan Babbel getting off the bench this tournament.
Cameroon-Japan was just as much a snoozer as the morning match. Cameroon were simply shocking, what a poor performance.
Eto’o out wide was poor tactics. While he plays there for Inter, he must be central for Cameroon as he’s the star. He had one moment of brilliance from the wing, but he was quite reserved.
Home continent support looked a bit tapered, but it’s Bloem so it doesn’t surprise me. That’s Afrikaner heartland, so no real pan-Africanism support there.
Le Guen really made a mess of his tactics in this match and failed to inspire. Taking out Kameni was a blunder, as he’s probably the top keeper on the African continent and his replacement failed to impress. I don’t think he made a clean catch the entire match.
Failing to start Alex Song or to insert him once they were uninspiring was also a major mistake.
Three major mistakes by Le Guen, which is quite surprising to me personally as he’s a great manager and had done wonders with Cameroon in qualifying.
Keep your ears open for some behind the scenes drama, something must be going on in the Cameroon camp that we aren’t hearing about.
How do I see Group E playing out? I see Cameroon beating Denmark, Denmark beating Japan and everyone losing to the Dutch. With everyone at 3 points in the 2nd spot, look for GD to be the decider. I just can’t see Cameroon going home without a win, so disappointing.
Italy-Paraguay was the best match of the day.
I hate to say it, but I’m not sure Fabio Cannavaro can cut it at the international level anymore. I also think that match was screaming for a more lively forward up top by the name of Rossi.
Takeaway from Day 4: Holland is my pick to be a finalist. Watch out for Elia, he is an absolute star in the making. Italy will not repeat.
The first half of Denmark – Holland was tepid, but Holland finally came to life in the second half. The Danes seemed content to play for a nil-nil, but that was dashed with the own goal. I expected a lot more from Denmark in this match and was quite disappointed.
Without Robben, Holland looked OK. With him, I expect them to be a bit more explosive. With Elia exploding onto the scene, I can’t see Ryan Babbel getting off the bench this tournament.
Cameroon-Japan was just as much a snoozer as the morning match. Cameroon were simply shocking, what a poor performance.
Eto’o out wide was poor tactics. While he plays there for Inter, he must be central for Cameroon as he’s the star. He had one moment of brilliance from the wing, but he was quite reserved.
Home continent support looked a bit tapered, but it’s Bloem so it doesn’t surprise me. That’s Afrikaner heartland, so no real pan-Africanism support there.
Le Guen really made a mess of his tactics in this match and failed to inspire. Taking out Kameni was a blunder, as he’s probably the top keeper on the African continent and his replacement failed to impress. I don’t think he made a clean catch the entire match.
Failing to start Alex Song or to insert him once they were uninspiring was also a major mistake.
Three major mistakes by Le Guen, which is quite surprising to me personally as he’s a great manager and had done wonders with Cameroon in qualifying.
Keep your ears open for some behind the scenes drama, something must be going on in the Cameroon camp that we aren’t hearing about.
How do I see Group E playing out? I see Cameroon beating Denmark, Denmark beating Japan and everyone losing to the Dutch. With everyone at 3 points in the 2nd spot, look for GD to be the decider. I just can’t see Cameroon going home without a win, so disappointing.
Italy-Paraguay was the best match of the day.
I hate to say it, but I’m not sure Fabio Cannavaro can cut it at the international level anymore. I also think that match was screaming for a more lively forward up top by the name of Rossi.
Takeaway from Day 4: Holland is my pick to be a finalist. Watch out for Elia, he is an absolute star in the making. Italy will not repeat.
Matchday 3
As I was in transit for Algeria – Slovenia, I didn’t catch the match. But after watching highlights, you have to say what a howler! Is the Algerian keeper Robert Green in disguise? Algeria seemed to be the better team though, which is what I figured and makes me nervous moving forwards.
In looking at Algeria’s performances in the past few years, they are a hit and miss team, while Slovenia are classic smash and grab. Algeria has the talent to put together 1 good game in this group stage and it could be a major problem to play them in the last game when they have nothing to lose.
The Ghana Serbia match was simply surreal. The atmosphere almost topped that of USA-England. It simply made the whole trip worth it. That and Serbia lost!
I didn’t expect Ghana to be as strong as they were, especially with Muntari and Appiah on the bench and Essien injured. Yet, my word they can battle. With the home crowd support, they were always going to be inspired.
It was quite silly play by Serbia in picking up the red card and the penalty, you must say Serbia threw the game away rather than Ghana won it. But, that is football. Serbia probably deserved a point, but that is life.
I actually thought that Ghana lost a little bit moving forward with the insertion of their captain Appiah and withdrawal of Asamoah. But, they picked up the goal.
The atmosphere was simply unreal and I hope that my video will do it justice. Absolute delerioum and ectasy in the stadium after Ghana won.
I must say that while Gyan played a strong match, FIFA you must name Richard Kingston as the Man of the Match. What a game he had! All this from Wigan’s 3rd string keeper…!
Germany pounded Australia in the nightcap, and it was quite shambolic from the Aussies. I rated them as the 4th team in this tough bracket, but I still think they are quality.
The Germans proved that they are just like all German teams of yesteryear, they are simply machines. They have replaceable parts and just keep on getting that job done.
Just before Cahill’s red card, I had just said through 3 days the refereeing had been superb and there had been no blown calls. Well, the one of massive proportions came.
The look on Cahill’s face says it all after the red card. It’s a borderline yellow card challenge. I hope that it gets overthrown and he can play in the next match as he’s a first rate player.
Simply shocking from the referee as it left Australia with no chance in the match (not that they had one anyway), but also with little chance moving forward having to play Ghana without their talisman.
Takeaway from Day 3: African home continent advantage is real and alive. Some in the journalist world don’t understand African soccer or culture and don’t believe in this.
I will leave the Yahoo Soccer journalist unnamed, but for those of you that know me, you know my thoughts on this fellow.
Some like to say there is no way Ghana and Ivory Coast can have an advantage in South Africa as those countries are “as close to South Africa as they are to Spain”. Ignorance.
Ghana was buoyed by a frantic South African crowd and it was essentially a home match for them. What I will say, is that the venue may be a determinant as to how pro-African the crowd is. In Afrikaner homelands like Bloemfontein, it may not be as strong.
In looking at Algeria’s performances in the past few years, they are a hit and miss team, while Slovenia are classic smash and grab. Algeria has the talent to put together 1 good game in this group stage and it could be a major problem to play them in the last game when they have nothing to lose.
The Ghana Serbia match was simply surreal. The atmosphere almost topped that of USA-England. It simply made the whole trip worth it. That and Serbia lost!
I didn’t expect Ghana to be as strong as they were, especially with Muntari and Appiah on the bench and Essien injured. Yet, my word they can battle. With the home crowd support, they were always going to be inspired.
It was quite silly play by Serbia in picking up the red card and the penalty, you must say Serbia threw the game away rather than Ghana won it. But, that is football. Serbia probably deserved a point, but that is life.
I actually thought that Ghana lost a little bit moving forward with the insertion of their captain Appiah and withdrawal of Asamoah. But, they picked up the goal.
The atmosphere was simply unreal and I hope that my video will do it justice. Absolute delerioum and ectasy in the stadium after Ghana won.
I must say that while Gyan played a strong match, FIFA you must name Richard Kingston as the Man of the Match. What a game he had! All this from Wigan’s 3rd string keeper…!
Germany pounded Australia in the nightcap, and it was quite shambolic from the Aussies. I rated them as the 4th team in this tough bracket, but I still think they are quality.
The Germans proved that they are just like all German teams of yesteryear, they are simply machines. They have replaceable parts and just keep on getting that job done.
Just before Cahill’s red card, I had just said through 3 days the refereeing had been superb and there had been no blown calls. Well, the one of massive proportions came.
The look on Cahill’s face says it all after the red card. It’s a borderline yellow card challenge. I hope that it gets overthrown and he can play in the next match as he’s a first rate player.
Simply shocking from the referee as it left Australia with no chance in the match (not that they had one anyway), but also with little chance moving forward having to play Ghana without their talisman.
Takeaway from Day 3: African home continent advantage is real and alive. Some in the journalist world don’t understand African soccer or culture and don’t believe in this.
I will leave the Yahoo Soccer journalist unnamed, but for those of you that know me, you know my thoughts on this fellow.
Some like to say there is no way Ghana and Ivory Coast can have an advantage in South Africa as those countries are “as close to South Africa as they are to Spain”. Ignorance.
Ghana was buoyed by a frantic South African crowd and it was essentially a home match for them. What I will say, is that the venue may be a determinant as to how pro-African the crowd is. In Afrikaner homelands like Bloemfontein, it may not be as strong.
Matchday 2:
The day we’ve all been waiting for, USA-England. Let’s get to the other matches first though.
As expected, the Greeks proved that they are not a team that can challenge at this level anymore. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go ala their 1994 tournament and not score a goal. They were no match for the super athletic and classy Koreans.
The only shame from the match was that it was played in front of an empty PE stadium. While it was a great token that the Eastern Cape got a stadium, it’s just not really an area where many are going to be able to afford to turn up unfortunately.
I didn’t see the Argentina – Nigeria match as I was in transit to Rustenburg, but from what I can tell Nigeria stuck in there. This is certainly promising for Nigeria as it seems to be a straight shot between them and Korea for the second spot.
Argentina pick up a big win, but it’s a shame that they can’t look more convincing.
I’m going to do an extended post on the USA-England match, so look for my commentary regarding the match there in a few.
Takeaway from Matchday 2: England will not win the Cup. Somebody in the Premiership needs to snap up Jay DeMerit.
As expected, the Greeks proved that they are not a team that can challenge at this level anymore. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go ala their 1994 tournament and not score a goal. They were no match for the super athletic and classy Koreans.
The only shame from the match was that it was played in front of an empty PE stadium. While it was a great token that the Eastern Cape got a stadium, it’s just not really an area where many are going to be able to afford to turn up unfortunately.
I didn’t see the Argentina – Nigeria match as I was in transit to Rustenburg, but from what I can tell Nigeria stuck in there. This is certainly promising for Nigeria as it seems to be a straight shot between them and Korea for the second spot.
Argentina pick up a big win, but it’s a shame that they can’t look more convincing.
I’m going to do an extended post on the USA-England match, so look for my commentary regarding the match there in a few.
Takeaway from Matchday 2: England will not win the Cup. Somebody in the Premiership needs to snap up Jay DeMerit.
Matchday 1: It's Finally Here!
Walking into
I literally arrived at my accommodation at 4:00 just as the beautiful South African anthem was ending. As you heard here first, Bafana Bafana will not disappoint this tournament and as you now know, Tsabalala is one hell of a player. What a goal to kick off the tournament in style.
Once again,
I don’t think it’s a bad result for either squad as it leaves them in a position to both advance as I think they both will.
On to France Uruguay, is there really that much to say? A bore draw in a beautiful stadium. Silly red card by
You can’t tell me that inserting Gignac needing a goal is a better option that inserting Benzema. Could have used the class of Nasri as well.
Takeaway from Day 1:
Pre Tournament: The Flight
So all in all it took 51 hours to go from my door in Norfolk to my accomodation in Joburg. In all honesty, that’s just a small price to be at the World Cup. The flight from Madrid to Joburg was unreal, there were probably about 20 of the 32 countries represented on board the flight.
The Spanish national team flew out of the same airport just a few hours before, but it was impossible to see them as they went out the back way. But I did get some good pictures of the plane…not that that shows much.
Since we were delayed 2 hours and landed in Joburg at roughly 1:15pm on the 11th, all the Mexicans on the flight were frantic. They all just got off the plane, left their luggage at the airport and went straight to Soccer City, which is not very close to the airport as it’s in Soweto. Hopefully they made it, all I know is they were not a very happy bunch when that delay sign went up.
All in all, the flight was easily the coolest flight I’ve ever been on. The plane was adrift with World Cup banter, flags, national team jerseys and a whole lot of Brazilian chanting.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
World Cup Previews: Last Seconds!!
Since I'm leaving for South Africa in 3 hours, I am going to do a very brief prediction for Groups C-H.
Group C:
Algeria are the biggest threat to the US advancing. Look for the US to spring a surprise in the first game and pick up a point, then have England cruise past Algeria and Slovenia. The US will go into the final game with Algeria needing a point and hang on to get it.
Group D:
Looked like the Group of Death, but with Essien and Ballack gone, it doesn't look nearly as intimidating. Ghana will not be able to overcome the absence of Essien (though I'd certainly love to see it) nor will Australia be able to handle the strength of the other three.
Serbia is my pick for surprise of the tournament as they boast arguably the stingiest back line with Ivanovic, Vidic and Subotic at the helm. Just don't let them shoot on the Stojakovic!
Ironically, this group features the 3rd and 4th string goalies for Wigan Athletic, now that certainly doesn't sound right.
Germany are struggling, but should get out of the group. Look for Serbia to surprise and pip the Germans for top spot.
Group E
Holland should cruise to the top here, with Japan listed as rank outsiders. It should come down to Cameroon and Denmark with the crunch tie at Loftus being the decider. Look for the Lions to scrape through on Goal Difference.
Group F
The weakest group of the lot, with a straight-up old Italian side, a jaded Paraguayan team, the worst team in the tournament in the shape of the Kiwis and a Slovakian side that advanced out of the softest group in qualifying.
Italy struggle in the other groups, but landed a peach here. It should be between Paraguay and Slovakia for 2nd spot, but give the edge to Paraguay here, though Hamsek will be a star for Slovakia.
Group G
It all lies with Drogba. If he's healthy, Ivory Coast will give the big two all they can handle. Do not for a second assume that Brazil is safe here, it may bring a gasp or two, but they could get dumped out early here.
North Korea will get beaten, but not as badly as some might expect. Look for Brazil to push through with Portugal, unless Drogba's stars are aligned and he makes a shock comeback.
Group H
Spain should and will run the table here. Honduras just don't seem to have enough in them to compete, while Switzerland will struggle to handle Chile's pace. Chile should advance out of this group in 2nd spot and could even nick a point of Spain.
Group C:
Algeria are the biggest threat to the US advancing. Look for the US to spring a surprise in the first game and pick up a point, then have England cruise past Algeria and Slovenia. The US will go into the final game with Algeria needing a point and hang on to get it.
Group D:
Looked like the Group of Death, but with Essien and Ballack gone, it doesn't look nearly as intimidating. Ghana will not be able to overcome the absence of Essien (though I'd certainly love to see it) nor will Australia be able to handle the strength of the other three.
Serbia is my pick for surprise of the tournament as they boast arguably the stingiest back line with Ivanovic, Vidic and Subotic at the helm. Just don't let them shoot on the Stojakovic!
Ironically, this group features the 3rd and 4th string goalies for Wigan Athletic, now that certainly doesn't sound right.
Germany are struggling, but should get out of the group. Look for Serbia to surprise and pip the Germans for top spot.
Group E
Holland should cruise to the top here, with Japan listed as rank outsiders. It should come down to Cameroon and Denmark with the crunch tie at Loftus being the decider. Look for the Lions to scrape through on Goal Difference.
Group F
The weakest group of the lot, with a straight-up old Italian side, a jaded Paraguayan team, the worst team in the tournament in the shape of the Kiwis and a Slovakian side that advanced out of the softest group in qualifying.
Italy struggle in the other groups, but landed a peach here. It should be between Paraguay and Slovakia for 2nd spot, but give the edge to Paraguay here, though Hamsek will be a star for Slovakia.
Group G
It all lies with Drogba. If he's healthy, Ivory Coast will give the big two all they can handle. Do not for a second assume that Brazil is safe here, it may bring a gasp or two, but they could get dumped out early here.
North Korea will get beaten, but not as badly as some might expect. Look for Brazil to push through with Portugal, unless Drogba's stars are aligned and he makes a shock comeback.
Group H
Spain should and will run the table here. Honduras just don't seem to have enough in them to compete, while Switzerland will struggle to handle Chile's pace. Chile should advance out of this group in 2nd spot and could even nick a point of Spain.
Friday, June 4, 2010
A Little Something to Get You Excited about the World Cup
What an awesome collection of posters. Where can you buy these??!!!
2010 World Cup Preview: Group B
Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece
This is a group that has to go only one way – and that is the Argentines finishing top. Anything else would be a massive disappointment as this group features three other squads that otherwise lack the pedigree to challenge Argentina. There is simply no excuse.
With a glut of attacking talent including Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, Diego Milito, Kun Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain, Argentina should not struggle to score goals. It’s in the midfield and at the back that there are question marks, never mind the difficulties that come about having a mad man in the form of Maradona coaching.
Failing to pick players likes Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti, the same players that were instrumental within the treble-winners Inter Milan, could easily prove to be major mistakes over time.
Maradona needs to find a way to release Lionel Messi in the same way that Barcelona do, with Xavi and Iniesta protecting him, but I fear that Javier Mascherano and Juan Sebastian Veron will not do the trick and they were sorely miss Cambiaso in the middle.
Even if Argentina do not perform to the best of their ability and even labor at times, they should dominate this group.
Greece is a shade of their former selves and will seek to break their World Cup duck of both goals scored and points. Coach Rehhagel can work magic, but their fairy dust may have just run out by now.
Nigeria’s squad has just about as much cohesion as their country right now as witnessed by the mess they made of qualifying for the tournament and then dumped their coach. Their superstar is John Obi Mikel, but he is a player that does not have the creative spark that is necessary to kickstart this team.
I hope Nigeria do well, but I just can’t see it happening considering they are still are still relying on over the hill, but recently named captain, Kanu to provide the goal scoring touch. Yes, they do have Yakubu, Oba Martins and Peter Odemwingie, but these players are injury-prone and haven’t exactly lit up their respective leagues recently.
South Korea is a squad that was unlucky to not advance out of their group last World Cup and has looked strong over the past few years. While this team is young, expect the usual characters to pull the strings for them. In Park Ji-Sung, Korea have a world-class player with plenty of experience.
A squad that does not necessarily do anything special or make you go ‘wow’, one can simply say they are consistently average. Yet, average should be just enough to sneak out of a group featuring two over the hill squads that should not be able to handle Korea’s athleticism.
X-Factor: Maradona – Could it really be anyone else? The eccentric coach of Argentina has consistently made himself the center of attention during his stint as top boss. Maradona’s quality on the field cannot be questioned, but his tenure as coach has been blighted by consistent battles with the press and a revolving door on his lineup card. Yet, the task of getting the best out of Messi, a player who has consistently under whelmed with the national team, falls to him. Never mind trying to work in the four other world-class strikers on his team. If he can get it right, there is no reason this team cannot lift the cup. If he gets it wrong, you won’t want to be around for the ensuing chaos.
Group Winner: Argentina
Runners Up: South Korea
This is a group that has to go only one way – and that is the Argentines finishing top. Anything else would be a massive disappointment as this group features three other squads that otherwise lack the pedigree to challenge Argentina. There is simply no excuse.
With a glut of attacking talent including Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, Diego Milito, Kun Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain, Argentina should not struggle to score goals. It’s in the midfield and at the back that there are question marks, never mind the difficulties that come about having a mad man in the form of Maradona coaching.
Failing to pick players likes Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti, the same players that were instrumental within the treble-winners Inter Milan, could easily prove to be major mistakes over time.
Maradona needs to find a way to release Lionel Messi in the same way that Barcelona do, with Xavi and Iniesta protecting him, but I fear that Javier Mascherano and Juan Sebastian Veron will not do the trick and they were sorely miss Cambiaso in the middle.
Even if Argentina do not perform to the best of their ability and even labor at times, they should dominate this group.
Greece is a shade of their former selves and will seek to break their World Cup duck of both goals scored and points. Coach Rehhagel can work magic, but their fairy dust may have just run out by now.
Nigeria’s squad has just about as much cohesion as their country right now as witnessed by the mess they made of qualifying for the tournament and then dumped their coach. Their superstar is John Obi Mikel, but he is a player that does not have the creative spark that is necessary to kickstart this team.
I hope Nigeria do well, but I just can’t see it happening considering they are still are still relying on over the hill, but recently named captain, Kanu to provide the goal scoring touch. Yes, they do have Yakubu, Oba Martins and Peter Odemwingie, but these players are injury-prone and haven’t exactly lit up their respective leagues recently.
South Korea is a squad that was unlucky to not advance out of their group last World Cup and has looked strong over the past few years. While this team is young, expect the usual characters to pull the strings for them. In Park Ji-Sung, Korea have a world-class player with plenty of experience.
A squad that does not necessarily do anything special or make you go ‘wow’, one can simply say they are consistently average. Yet, average should be just enough to sneak out of a group featuring two over the hill squads that should not be able to handle Korea’s athleticism.
X-Factor: Maradona – Could it really be anyone else? The eccentric coach of Argentina has consistently made himself the center of attention during his stint as top boss. Maradona’s quality on the field cannot be questioned, but his tenure as coach has been blighted by consistent battles with the press and a revolving door on his lineup card. Yet, the task of getting the best out of Messi, a player who has consistently under whelmed with the national team, falls to him. Never mind trying to work in the four other world-class strikers on his team. If he can get it right, there is no reason this team cannot lift the cup. If he gets it wrong, you won’t want to be around for the ensuing chaos.
Group Winner: Argentina
Runners Up: South Korea
Thursday, June 3, 2010
2010 World Cup Preview: Group A
Group A: South Africa, Mexico, France, Uruguay
In a group that is wide open and all four teams have legitimate aspirations to advance, it is crucial for each squad to pick up three points right away. This group seems certain to go down to the last day and possibly even decided by tiebreakers.
France are the certainly the favorites in this group with an obvious glut of talent, but a lame duck coach in Raymond Domenech that has lower approval ratings than British Petroleum right now. One gets the same feeling about France as that of their 2002 squad that massively underachieved and even if they do advance out of their group seem certain to crash out early.
Mexico’s squad has been ignited by their young players recently and is finally starting to gel as a unit. Carlos Vela and Gio Dos Santos may be anonymous on the club scene, but seem poised to have breakout World Cups, in addition to young stud Javier Hernandez who might be the most exciting young player in this group.
Uruguay has firepower upfront in the form of Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan, but may struggle defensively. Anything is possible for a squad with such superstars, but Uruguay may not have enough to get past the finish line in this group.
Don’t underestimate a reinvigorated Bafana Bafana that will be desperate to pick up three points in the opening match. My gut says that they will have just enough to get past Mexico in the opener and sneak out of the group. Look for Steven Pienaar to carry his nation on his shoulders with the help of a red-hot Katlego Mphela and the man with as many tricks as Ronaldinho, Simphiwe Tshabalala.
X-Factor: Franck Ribery – When Bayern Munich progressed to the Champions League final this May, it had everything to do with the exploits of Arjen Robben and Ivica Olic rather than Ribery. He has been injured for most of the year and has drifted in and out of the scene at Bayern, though they could have used his talents in the Champions League Final. Yet Ribery is arguably the most talented player in this group and he is can regain his 2006 form and stay healthy, he could once again drag France single-handedly out of this group.
Group Winner: Mexico
Runners Up: South Africa
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
World Cup Soundtrack
If you haven't heard the official World Cup soundtrack, Listen Up, you should definitely check it out. While Shakira's Waka Waka Africa was quite controversial (it should have been a South African artist rather than Shakira), there is some great music that definitely gets you in the mood for a South African World Cup!
Check out:
R. Kelly's "Sign of A Victory", the Official World Cup Anthem
Pitbull, TKZee and Dario G, "Game On", the Official World Cup Mascot Song
and my favorite, K'naan "Waving Flag", the Official World Cup Coca-Cola Promotional Anthem
How many different "Official" songs can they come up with? Can't complain though, they're great!
Check out:
R. Kelly's "Sign of A Victory", the Official World Cup Anthem
Pitbull, TKZee and Dario G, "Game On", the Official World Cup Mascot Song
and my favorite, K'naan "Waving Flag", the Official World Cup Coca-Cola Promotional Anthem
How many different "Official" songs can they come up with? Can't complain though, they're great!
5 Reasons Why South Africa Hosting the 2010 World Cup Will be a Resounding Success:
Atmosphere: Whether you like vuvuzelas or not, there has never been a country more excited or deserving to host the World Cup and this tournament will be uniquely African. In South Africa they don’t refer to it as the World Cup, simply “2010” because that is the only thing of importance happening this year! South Africa deserves to host and contrary to the speculative reports coming out of Europe for the past four years regarding stadiums, safety and tickets, all of these fears have been eased. Get ready for one of the great World Cups of all time, just make sure you have your earplugs!
Bafana Bafana: South Africa should steal the USMNT’s slogan here and change it to read “Don’t tread lightly on us”. Watch out for the Boys, you simply cannot understand how much this World Cup means to South Africa and we all know in sport the home crowd can do amazing things. Just look at South Korea and Japan in 2002. Disregard everything you saw in their friendlies, remember this South Africa team pushed Brazil all the way in the Confederations Cup semifinal and is much improved since then, with their old boss back in charge. Look for South Africa to push the other three teams all the way and sneaking out of their group is certainly within their realm. While the soccer world expects them to fail, enjoy watching them pleasantly surprise.
Weather: Everyone tends to agree that an athlete’s body reacts much better in 70 degree weather than 100 degree weather. A South African winter will ensure that temperatures are much lower than previous tournaments, with temperatures getting a bit chilly during the night matches. Pre-tournament talk amongst the managers has reveled that most of them expect a much higher tempo World Cup as a result of the cooler weather. This can only mean good things for the fans of the beautiful game!
Stadiums: Ever been in a zebra patterned stadium? What about one shaped as a calabash? What about a match with Table Mountain rising above the stadium? I didn’t think so. South Africa has produced 6 brand new stadiums of stunning quality, in addition to the 4 that already existed, which will visually create one of the most visually appealing backdrops we have ever seen in a World Cup. Check out the beautiful stadiums here:
Bafana Bafana: South Africa should steal the USMNT’s slogan here and change it to read “Don’t tread lightly on us”. Watch out for the Boys, you simply cannot understand how much this World Cup means to South Africa and we all know in sport the home crowd can do amazing things. Just look at South Korea and Japan in 2002. Disregard everything you saw in their friendlies, remember this South Africa team pushed Brazil all the way in the Confederations Cup semifinal and is much improved since then, with their old boss back in charge. Look for South Africa to push the other three teams all the way and sneaking out of their group is certainly within their realm. While the soccer world expects them to fail, enjoy watching them pleasantly surprise.
Weather: Everyone tends to agree that an athlete’s body reacts much better in 70 degree weather than 100 degree weather. A South African winter will ensure that temperatures are much lower than previous tournaments, with temperatures getting a bit chilly during the night matches. Pre-tournament talk amongst the managers has reveled that most of them expect a much higher tempo World Cup as a result of the cooler weather. This can only mean good things for the fans of the beautiful game!
Stadiums: Ever been in a zebra patterned stadium? What about one shaped as a calabash? What about a match with Table Mountain rising above the stadium? I didn’t think so. South Africa has produced 6 brand new stadiums of stunning quality, in addition to the 4 that already existed, which will visually create one of the most visually appealing backdrops we have ever seen in a World Cup. Check out the beautiful stadiums here:
Soweto: Bringing the World Cup Final to the township where it all began for South Africa is so symbolic and a moment of such pride for South Africa. Soccer was used as a movement of resistance during apartheid and a means of unification during the Mandela era. Soweto has always been the heart of South African soccer and there really was no other place the final could end up.
About this Blog
Dear Soccer World,
I am about the embark upon the most exciting journey of my life, attending the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and acting as a Field Reporter for my university at the FIFA Football For Hope Festival in Alexandra the first week of July.
I will be attempting to post my thoughts on all 64 matches, but this may be sidetracked by sub par internet access at the hostels I will be staying at.
I will be attending the following matches and thus be able to provide you with pictures and the lowdown on the match, the stadium and the atmosphere at these matches.
6/12 USA v. England, Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
6/13 Ghana v. Serbia, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
6/16 Uruguay v. South Africa, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
6/17 Argentina v. South Korea, Soccer City, Johannesburg,
6/18 USA v. Slovenia, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
6/19 Cameroon v. Denmark, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
6/20 Cote d’Iviore v. Brazil, Soccer City, Johannesburg
6/22 USA v. Algeria, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
6/25-6/26 USA Round of 16 Match (Hopefully!)
7/1-7/10 FIFA Football For Hope Festival, Alexandra, Johannesburg
As an International Affairs major, I have been fortunate enough to study the effects of soccer upon the international arena, never traveling too far without my Bible - How Soccer Explains the World by Franklin Foer.
Since I travel to much for my academics, I've been able to attend a wide variety of matches in my young life. Some of the highlights have been the 2009 Confederations Cup (8 matches!), a relegation playoff in Italy, league matches in Croatia and South Africa, US friendlies in Spain and Holland, and Arsenal and Barcelona at their home stadiums. Soccer is my passion academically and professionally and I like to consider myself a soccer tourist.
As a Croatian-American, my only disappointment about the World Cup is that the Vatreni and their beautiful jerseys won't be there!
Thanks for viewing and be sure to check back during the World Cup to get the lowdown on everything live from South Africa!
I am about the embark upon the most exciting journey of my life, attending the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and acting as a Field Reporter for my university at the FIFA Football For Hope Festival in Alexandra the first week of July.
I will be attempting to post my thoughts on all 64 matches, but this may be sidetracked by sub par internet access at the hostels I will be staying at.
I will be attending the following matches and thus be able to provide you with pictures and the lowdown on the match, the stadium and the atmosphere at these matches.
6/12 USA v. England, Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
6/13 Ghana v. Serbia, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
6/16 Uruguay v. South Africa, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
6/17 Argentina v. South Korea, Soccer City, Johannesburg,
6/18 USA v. Slovenia, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
6/19 Cameroon v. Denmark, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
6/20 Cote d’Iviore v. Brazil, Soccer City, Johannesburg
6/22 USA v. Algeria, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
6/25-6/26 USA Round of 16 Match (Hopefully!)
7/1-7/10 FIFA Football For Hope Festival, Alexandra, Johannesburg
As an International Affairs major, I have been fortunate enough to study the effects of soccer upon the international arena, never traveling too far without my Bible - How Soccer Explains the World by Franklin Foer.
Since I travel to much for my academics, I've been able to attend a wide variety of matches in my young life. Some of the highlights have been the 2009 Confederations Cup (8 matches!), a relegation playoff in Italy, league matches in Croatia and South Africa, US friendlies in Spain and Holland, and Arsenal and Barcelona at their home stadiums. Soccer is my passion academically and professionally and I like to consider myself a soccer tourist.
As a Croatian-American, my only disappointment about the World Cup is that the Vatreni and their beautiful jerseys won't be there!
Thanks for viewing and be sure to check back during the World Cup to get the lowdown on everything live from South Africa!
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