Nike's up to it again, with another sick football commercial with all the stars (what's that, that Brazilian guy isn't going to the World Cup??), following up on the Take It to the Next Level commercial, their classic first person point of view commercial that showed you going through the ranks from pub team to Arsenal to playing against Brazil and Ronaldinho (there's that man again) playing for the Dutch. Neat concept this time with the looks into the future depending on how the play could go, particularly the Rooney parts. Take a look:
Showing posts with label World Cup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World Cup. Show all posts
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
US 30-man Preliminary Roster
The 30-man provisional World Cup roster for the US was announced today:
Goalkeepers: Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Cherundolo, Jonathan Spector, Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein, Heath Pearce, Chad Marshall
Midfielders: Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Stuart Holden, Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Jose Francisco Torres, Alejandro Bedoya, DaMarcus Beasley, Sacha Kljestan, Robbie Rogers
Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Robbie Findley, Brian Ching, Edson Buddle, Eddie Johnson, Herculez Gomez
Really, there is nothing there that I see as a "surprise." The big story of course is Charlie Davies failing to make even the preliminary roster, while most people were hoping for him to make the final 23. Not being able to make the 30 allowed the only half-surprise to me, which was Robbie Findley getting called in. I thought Davies would at least get a look in camp in that spot, but it became clear in recent days that Bob Bradley was downplaying expectations for Davies and ultimately Sochaux never cleared Davies as medically fit to be released.
Not having Davies is a blow to team morale, as he was a favorite among teammates and proved to be a strong motivator for Jozy Altidore to raise his game, to say nothing of his on-the-field abilities when healthy.
So the question now becomes who will be the final seven players dropped for the final roster.
Marshall is out, and everyone assumes only one of Pearce and Bornstein will make it. Only seven defensemen are going since Edu can cover in the back and there's a lot of versatility between Spector and Bocanegra.
In midfield, I can't see Sacha Kljestan making it, and Beasley is also probably off due to a lack of playing time. Because Dempsey may play up top some, there's an extra spot in the midfield, and maybe that goes to Robbie Rogers, who's picking it up lately, though by no means great, in MLS, and showed well in the close of qualifying. Keep in mind that Bradley played Rogers on the right wing where Dempsey usually plays. The spot would go to Stuart Holden if Dempsey is up top, leaving options thin on the wing with Donovan on one side, and the other choices being Bedoya and central midfielders Torres and Feilhaber. But if Rogers is taken, ten midfielders would be an awful lot. I would do it because...
...Look at the forward options. With poor play in MLS and in recent friendlies, I don't think Findley should make it, even if he is the "speed replacement" for Davies. Altidore is the only lock, though Ching is the next closest thing if healthy. Do you trust anyone other than those two? Also, given Ching's injury problems, you'd probably need two more forwards, even with Donovan and Dempsey on the roster. So, that means saying bye to Rogers, and hello to two of Buddle, Gomez, and Johnson. Now that's what Bill Simmons would call the poo poo platter of forwards.
Can't we borrow someone from Brazil? Dunga left home Pato, Adriano, and Ronaldinho, not to mention Diego and Neymar. France left home Karim Benzema, the Dutch have no place for Ruud van Nistelroy, the Azzuri didn't include Francisco Totti (granted he's retired from the international football), Luca Toni, or Alessandro Del Piero (Italians everywhere are outraged!), and the Germans said no to Kevin Kuranyi. Furthermore, all these countries, Brazil aside, will be trimming further fat from their rosters by June 1. Meanwhile, the US has to see Giuseppe Rossi and Neven Subotic on the Italian and Serbian rosters respectively, while the aforementioned poo poo platter will be playing for a spot at camp in Princeton .
Now, maybe I'm being too harsh on Gomez in particular, but does anyone think Buddle is up to playing against Rio Ferdinand and John Terry? I long ago lost patience in Eddie Johnson, only to watch in horror as he scored a few times in the Greek playoffs, forcing his way back into the discussion. Honestly, I'm not sure if I'd rather have EJ or Buddle, so maybe Findley is a legit choice after all? Ahh. In this case I do think it should come down to whoever shows the best form and on-field chemistry during the pre-World Cup exhibitions. I hope someone can stake a firm claim to the spot. Until then, 30 days until the party in South Africa kicks off...
Goalkeepers: Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Cherundolo, Jonathan Spector, Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein, Heath Pearce, Chad Marshall
Midfielders: Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Stuart Holden, Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Jose Francisco Torres, Alejandro Bedoya, DaMarcus Beasley, Sacha Kljestan, Robbie Rogers
Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Robbie Findley, Brian Ching, Edson Buddle, Eddie Johnson, Herculez Gomez
Really, there is nothing there that I see as a "surprise." The big story of course is Charlie Davies failing to make even the preliminary roster, while most people were hoping for him to make the final 23. Not being able to make the 30 allowed the only half-surprise to me, which was Robbie Findley getting called in. I thought Davies would at least get a look in camp in that spot, but it became clear in recent days that Bob Bradley was downplaying expectations for Davies and ultimately Sochaux never cleared Davies as medically fit to be released.
Not having Davies is a blow to team morale, as he was a favorite among teammates and proved to be a strong motivator for Jozy Altidore to raise his game, to say nothing of his on-the-field abilities when healthy.
So the question now becomes who will be the final seven players dropped for the final roster.
Marshall is out, and everyone assumes only one of Pearce and Bornstein will make it. Only seven defensemen are going since Edu can cover in the back and there's a lot of versatility between Spector and Bocanegra.
In midfield, I can't see Sacha Kljestan making it, and Beasley is also probably off due to a lack of playing time. Because Dempsey may play up top some, there's an extra spot in the midfield, and maybe that goes to Robbie Rogers, who's picking it up lately, though by no means great, in MLS, and showed well in the close of qualifying. Keep in mind that Bradley played Rogers on the right wing where Dempsey usually plays. The spot would go to Stuart Holden if Dempsey is up top, leaving options thin on the wing with Donovan on one side, and the other choices being Bedoya and central midfielders Torres and Feilhaber. But if Rogers is taken, ten midfielders would be an awful lot. I would do it because...
...Look at the forward options. With poor play in MLS and in recent friendlies, I don't think Findley should make it, even if he is the "speed replacement" for Davies. Altidore is the only lock, though Ching is the next closest thing if healthy. Do you trust anyone other than those two? Also, given Ching's injury problems, you'd probably need two more forwards, even with Donovan and Dempsey on the roster. So, that means saying bye to Rogers, and hello to two of Buddle, Gomez, and Johnson. Now that's what Bill Simmons would call the poo poo platter of forwards.
Can't we borrow someone from Brazil? Dunga left home Pato, Adriano, and Ronaldinho, not to mention Diego and Neymar. France left home Karim Benzema, the Dutch have no place for Ruud van Nistelroy, the Azzuri didn't include Francisco Totti (granted he's retired from the international football), Luca Toni, or Alessandro Del Piero (Italians everywhere are outraged!), and the Germans said no to Kevin Kuranyi. Furthermore, all these countries, Brazil aside, will be trimming further fat from their rosters by June 1. Meanwhile, the US has to see Giuseppe Rossi and Neven Subotic on the Italian and Serbian rosters respectively, while the aforementioned poo poo platter will be playing for a spot at camp in Princeton .
Now, maybe I'm being too harsh on Gomez in particular, but does anyone think Buddle is up to playing against Rio Ferdinand and John Terry? I long ago lost patience in Eddie Johnson, only to watch in horror as he scored a few times in the Greek playoffs, forcing his way back into the discussion. Honestly, I'm not sure if I'd rather have EJ or Buddle, so maybe Findley is a legit choice after all? Ahh. In this case I do think it should come down to whoever shows the best form and on-field chemistry during the pre-World Cup exhibitions. I hope someone can stake a firm claim to the spot. Until then, 30 days until the party in South Africa kicks off...
Friday, May 7, 2010
Rooting Against the Hosts
Is there are group with more villains in it than Group A? It's like the Anti-Super Best Friends. It's like the Legion of Doom. It's like a team of Fox News personalities.
What made Group A interesting when first announced what how balanced it was. This year's World Cup groupings seem especially balanced, and while a few groups are harder than others and some have a clear cut favorite, there's really only a small handful of teams that realistically don't have a chance of advancing even in second place.
Now, what's really interesting about Group A is actually finding a team to root for (if you care to find a team to root for out of each group). Wanting the Mexicans to fail is a given. They are the Lex Luthor or Bill O'Reilly of the group.
France is also easy to hate for multiple reasons, whether it's because you think they cheated their way in with Henry's handball, or because you can't stand capitulators or women who don't shave and general snobbishness.
Uruguay I can't say you have a reason to hate them, though they are historically known for a brutish, thuggish style of football that's not particularly endearing.
Naturally, the South Africans were left as the sentimental favorite as the home side. Mind you they might be, well, are the worst team in the group. But home sides tend to do well in the World Cup, and that boost makes Group A all the more competitive and intriguing.
Then the South Africans had to go and say this: "Our famous prayer is that the Americans don't make the second round. (That) they get eliminated and they go home."
This according to South African General Bheki Cele. The concern is that if the US advances, President Obama may be likely to make a visit to take in the World Cup, presenting the hosts with a large security problem they may not be able to handle. Apparently the 43 heads of state confirmed to visit South Africa during the tournament combined would equal the effort it would take to provide the security needed for Obama.
Anyway, gracious hosts or not, once you pray that the Americans lose and fail to advance, you get put on the enemies list. Your vuvuzelas were already annoying, and now you've forced me to root for the stadium to collapse against Mexico. Ok, not really, but you get the idea. By the way, the World Cup is only 34 days away. Just over a month away! Already excited and there's so much more to come. Vamos Estados Unidos!
What made Group A interesting when first announced what how balanced it was. This year's World Cup groupings seem especially balanced, and while a few groups are harder than others and some have a clear cut favorite, there's really only a small handful of teams that realistically don't have a chance of advancing even in second place.
Now, what's really interesting about Group A is actually finding a team to root for (if you care to find a team to root for out of each group). Wanting the Mexicans to fail is a given. They are the Lex Luthor or Bill O'Reilly of the group.
France is also easy to hate for multiple reasons, whether it's because you think they cheated their way in with Henry's handball, or because you can't stand capitulators or women who don't shave and general snobbishness.
Uruguay I can't say you have a reason to hate them, though they are historically known for a brutish, thuggish style of football that's not particularly endearing.
Naturally, the South Africans were left as the sentimental favorite as the home side. Mind you they might be, well, are the worst team in the group. But home sides tend to do well in the World Cup, and that boost makes Group A all the more competitive and intriguing.
Then the South Africans had to go and say this: "Our famous prayer is that the Americans don't make the second round. (That) they get eliminated and they go home."
This according to South African General Bheki Cele. The concern is that if the US advances, President Obama may be likely to make a visit to take in the World Cup, presenting the hosts with a large security problem they may not be able to handle. Apparently the 43 heads of state confirmed to visit South Africa during the tournament combined would equal the effort it would take to provide the security needed for Obama.
Anyway, gracious hosts or not, once you pray that the Americans lose and fail to advance, you get put on the enemies list. Your vuvuzelas were already annoying, and now you've forced me to root for the stadium to collapse against Mexico. Ok, not really, but you get the idea. By the way, the World Cup is only 34 days away. Just over a month away! Already excited and there's so much more to come. Vamos Estados Unidos!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
USA, World Cup Readings
Before getting to the Champions League Final pairing of Bayern Munich and Inter Milan at another date, here are some links and discussion of some reading on the US team and the World Cup to be found on ESPN Soccernet and elsewhere.
They’ve been running a series of features, one series called “World Cup 101 – 101 features in 101 days.”
ESPN’s been using a lot of statistical analysis in its pieces, such as today’s piece on the percentage likelihood of each team’s advancement from the USA-England group.
Maybe what surprised me the most from the article was finding out that according to ESPN’s Soccer Power Index (SPI), the US has the 9th rated attack, whereas only the 34th rated defense. I’m pretty sure it would take you all of 1.2 seconds to name 10 teams with better attacks than the US. I don't even need to list them.
The weaker defense however actually shouldn’t be too surprising. Aside from goalie, the left back spot is always shaky, while injuries and inconsistency among the center back pairings haven’t helped either.
Still, some of the statistical analyses can be interesting, such as an examination of how the goals per game in the European leagues the year of a World Cup predict an increase or decrease in goals per game during the World Cup from previous years. (This year… look for more goal scoring than in past low years, but nothing close to historical highs. Old school defending just not exactly high quality.) Other articles range from highlighting players that could see a post-World Cup boost in transfer value, and why the cooler weather could lead to a more exciting Cup.
Another interesting series of reads has been a best XI of position players. Always fodder to argue who the top 11 attacking or defensive midfielders have been.
Lastly, as time is running out for players to make their way onto the World Cup, there are a few questionable spots left on the potential US roster and there have been a variety of articles from experts on those who are in or out. Unfortunately there aren’t many forwards worthy of being in.
If there was something close to a consensus on the roster, it would look like this:
Goalkeeper (3): Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan
Defense (8): Jonathan Spector, Steve Cherundolo, Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein , Heath Pearce
Midfield (9): Clint Dempsey, Stuart Holden, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber Landon Donovan, Jose Torres, Alejandro Bedoya
Forwards (3): Jozy Altidore and two of Brian Ching, Herculez Gomes, Charlie Davies or Edson Buddle
As you can see, picking Bedoya as the midfield wild card over DaMarcus Beasley is the only non-forward tough choice, and even then that spot is available only because Robbie Rogers hasn’t improved and there’s room for an extra midfielder because Dempsey and Donovan can play up top. I won’t presume between picking the forwards because there’s still a lot to be seen in terms of Ching’s and Davies’ injury recoveries.
Also, I’d like to remind everyone clamoring for Gomez, who was joint top scoring in the Mexican first division, that he was the top scorer in the Mexican first division, not exactly the Serie A of tactical defenses. Nonetheless I’d still take him because he’s on form and confident, something in short supply in the US camp. Here’s where I start praying that Davies can return to a semblance of his former self…
They’ve been running a series of features, one series called “World Cup 101 – 101 features in 101 days.”
ESPN’s been using a lot of statistical analysis in its pieces, such as today’s piece on the percentage likelihood of each team’s advancement from the USA-England group.
Maybe what surprised me the most from the article was finding out that according to ESPN’s Soccer Power Index (SPI), the US has the 9th rated attack, whereas only the 34th rated defense. I’m pretty sure it would take you all of 1.2 seconds to name 10 teams with better attacks than the US. I don't even need to list them.
The weaker defense however actually shouldn’t be too surprising. Aside from goalie, the left back spot is always shaky, while injuries and inconsistency among the center back pairings haven’t helped either.
Still, some of the statistical analyses can be interesting, such as an examination of how the goals per game in the European leagues the year of a World Cup predict an increase or decrease in goals per game during the World Cup from previous years. (This year… look for more goal scoring than in past low years, but nothing close to historical highs. Old school defending just not exactly high quality.) Other articles range from highlighting players that could see a post-World Cup boost in transfer value, and why the cooler weather could lead to a more exciting Cup.
Another interesting series of reads has been a best XI of position players. Always fodder to argue who the top 11 attacking or defensive midfielders have been.
Lastly, as time is running out for players to make their way onto the World Cup, there are a few questionable spots left on the potential US roster and there have been a variety of articles from experts on those who are in or out. Unfortunately there aren’t many forwards worthy of being in.
If there was something close to a consensus on the roster, it would look like this:
Goalkeeper (3): Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan
Defense (8): Jonathan Spector, Steve Cherundolo, Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein , Heath Pearce
Midfield (9): Clint Dempsey, Stuart Holden, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber Landon Donovan, Jose Torres, Alejandro Bedoya
Forwards (3): Jozy Altidore and two of Brian Ching, Herculez Gomes, Charlie Davies or Edson Buddle
As you can see, picking Bedoya as the midfield wild card over DaMarcus Beasley is the only non-forward tough choice, and even then that spot is available only because Robbie Rogers hasn’t improved and there’s room for an extra midfielder because Dempsey and Donovan can play up top. I won’t presume between picking the forwards because there’s still a lot to be seen in terms of Ching’s and Davies’ injury recoveries.
Also, I’d like to remind everyone clamoring for Gomez, who was joint top scoring in the Mexican first division, that he was the top scorer in the Mexican first division, not exactly the Serie A of tactical defenses. Nonetheless I’d still take him because he’s on form and confident, something in short supply in the US camp. Here’s where I start praying that Davies can return to a semblance of his former self…
Thursday, March 4, 2010
USA-Netherlands Fallout
The big news from the US game against the Netherlands yesterday was Stuart Holden's fractured fibula that will keep him out for six weeks. The current long-term injury list for the US includes Charlie Davies, Oguchi Onyewu, Clint Dempsey, Steve Cherundolo, and now Stuart Holden.
On the plus side, all (including Davies, according to reports) will be back on the field in time for the World Cup. The bad is still that five potential starters (at least three being locks) will be coming off injury layoffs and will not have the type of match sharpness and form heading into the World Cup that US fans would prefer.
This on top of the fact that potential US man Jermaine Jones is unlikely to suit up for the USMNT this summer either. Interesting, however, were reports that Jones was seen with the US team in Amsterdam wearing the US team gear. Clearly both he and Bob Bradley have spoken and wish for him to be around the team because the plan is to get him in the squad if he's ever healthy and they'd like it to be as smooth an introduction into the locker room as possible.
Back to Holden, despite his injury, Bolton manager Owen Coyle has stated his intent to extend Holden's option for the next season. Definitely good news that the Bolton manager see's the talent in Holden and views him as a key player for the future, "because of the belief I have in him, and the quality he has shown since he came to the club."
The injury occurred on a pretty bad foul by Nigel de Jong in midfield, but I disagree with anyone who puts particular fault with de Jong or thinks it should've been a red. Ref's have given reds for worse, but it wasn't necessarily malicious.
The thing that de Jong and midfield partner Wesley Sneijder did best was completely control the midfield and outclass their American counterparts. This is to be expected, the two being key players for Manchester City and Inter Milan respectively, versus the starting duo of Michael Bradley and Jose Francisco Torres.
Despite the Dutch pretty much controlling the entire match, the consensus is that there were a lot of positives to take from the game. Those positives include:
-The central defense, with the help of Bradley and Maurice Edu, after his second half introduction, more than held their own and weren't particularly bothered.
-Jozy Altidore, despite getting little in the way of good service, acquitted himself against the Dutch defense and threatened a late leveler.
-DaMarcus Beasley has gone from purgatory to being a lock for the World Cup roster. He was lively and the best American attacker, assisting on Bocanegra's goal.
-The US stayed compact and organized while continuing to show the type of spirit and fight that they showed last summer by never giving up, fighting back to score a goal and nearly tying the game late. This identity, borne in the Confederations Cup and solidified in the final match of World Cup Qualifying, is the most notable trait of the USMNT and surely their best hope for this summer. That and Tim Howard (what a save at the end!).
Still, this all masks some glaring trouble areas:
-Landon Donovan was a huge disappointment. If ever you needed proof that the US offense is entirely reliant on him being the midfield fulcrum, last night was it.
-Torres was even worse than Donovan. He played himself right out of any future starts and and he's now further down the list of substitutes, especially considering Bob Bradley never seemed to want to play him in the past anyway.
-Bornstein was torched. He had a rough night with the penalty and the deflection on the second goal. But every time the Dutch threatened on his side you never thought he could handle himself. Not good. He's a favorite of Bradley's but he's also allowing Heath Pearce to stake a claim to that problematic left back. For the thousandth time... Cherundolo on the right (when healthy) and Spector on the left. Please.
-Michael Bradley has horrible distribution. His defensive work remains strong, for the most part, but he needs someone who can distribute better. That was supposed to be Torres but he was not good. Edu is a much better distributor than Bradley, which is why I think Bradley's starting spot could eventually be threatened. Edu should be starting in his place with an attacking mid like Benny Feilhaber or eventually if Jermaine Jones is put on the team you pair Jones with Edu, since Bradley senior loves playing two d-mids.
-The US has absolutely no second forward options to play with Altidore other than injured players Davies and Dempsey, or Donovan. In fact, I'd say the next best player is Brian Ching because he's proven he can hold up the ball, distribute ok, draw fouls, and at least presents something of an aerial threat from set pieces. If the above three aren't starting up top, I'd rather have Ching than Robbie Findley or Jeff Cunningham, or god forbid the awful Eddie Johnson. Ching and Altidore may not be the best pair in terms of complementary talents, but you get the players out there who will help you the most and have the least amount of downside.
-Lastly, and I fully admit this is total nitpicking, but is Tim Howard any good at penalty kicks? He always seems to guess wrong and never comes close. Is there an example that I'm just not remembering? If so, let me know. Because even though it's not really good form to pull out your unquestioned #1 ahead of penalties (and you usually don't have that substitute luxury anyway, having subbed for field players and maybe one sub for a penalty kick taking specialist), I'd have to say that the US would rather have Brad Guzan. Guzan's turned into something of a penalty saving hero at Aston Villa. Not meaning in anyway to demean Howard, who I said earlier is probably the number one key to the US World Cup hopes, along with Donovan, but am I wrong to worry about that?
Still, I'll take some heart at a 2-1 defeat to the Netherlands in Amsterdam, and just keep hoping that sometime in the future the US will have a healthy roster to choose from. Because as much as I have high hopes for this team, it's safe to say those hopes rest on a very narrow pool of players.
On the plus side, all (including Davies, according to reports) will be back on the field in time for the World Cup. The bad is still that five potential starters (at least three being locks) will be coming off injury layoffs and will not have the type of match sharpness and form heading into the World Cup that US fans would prefer.
This on top of the fact that potential US man Jermaine Jones is unlikely to suit up for the USMNT this summer either. Interesting, however, were reports that Jones was seen with the US team in Amsterdam wearing the US team gear. Clearly both he and Bob Bradley have spoken and wish for him to be around the team because the plan is to get him in the squad if he's ever healthy and they'd like it to be as smooth an introduction into the locker room as possible.
Back to Holden, despite his injury, Bolton manager Owen Coyle has stated his intent to extend Holden's option for the next season. Definitely good news that the Bolton manager see's the talent in Holden and views him as a key player for the future, "because of the belief I have in him, and the quality he has shown since he came to the club."
The injury occurred on a pretty bad foul by Nigel de Jong in midfield, but I disagree with anyone who puts particular fault with de Jong or thinks it should've been a red. Ref's have given reds for worse, but it wasn't necessarily malicious.
The thing that de Jong and midfield partner Wesley Sneijder did best was completely control the midfield and outclass their American counterparts. This is to be expected, the two being key players for Manchester City and Inter Milan respectively, versus the starting duo of Michael Bradley and Jose Francisco Torres.
Despite the Dutch pretty much controlling the entire match, the consensus is that there were a lot of positives to take from the game. Those positives include:
-The central defense, with the help of Bradley and Maurice Edu, after his second half introduction, more than held their own and weren't particularly bothered.
-Jozy Altidore, despite getting little in the way of good service, acquitted himself against the Dutch defense and threatened a late leveler.
-DaMarcus Beasley has gone from purgatory to being a lock for the World Cup roster. He was lively and the best American attacker, assisting on Bocanegra's goal.
-The US stayed compact and organized while continuing to show the type of spirit and fight that they showed last summer by never giving up, fighting back to score a goal and nearly tying the game late. This identity, borne in the Confederations Cup and solidified in the final match of World Cup Qualifying, is the most notable trait of the USMNT and surely their best hope for this summer. That and Tim Howard (what a save at the end!).
Still, this all masks some glaring trouble areas:
-Landon Donovan was a huge disappointment. If ever you needed proof that the US offense is entirely reliant on him being the midfield fulcrum, last night was it.
-Torres was even worse than Donovan. He played himself right out of any future starts and and he's now further down the list of substitutes, especially considering Bob Bradley never seemed to want to play him in the past anyway.
-Bornstein was torched. He had a rough night with the penalty and the deflection on the second goal. But every time the Dutch threatened on his side you never thought he could handle himself. Not good. He's a favorite of Bradley's but he's also allowing Heath Pearce to stake a claim to that problematic left back. For the thousandth time... Cherundolo on the right (when healthy) and Spector on the left. Please.
-Michael Bradley has horrible distribution. His defensive work remains strong, for the most part, but he needs someone who can distribute better. That was supposed to be Torres but he was not good. Edu is a much better distributor than Bradley, which is why I think Bradley's starting spot could eventually be threatened. Edu should be starting in his place with an attacking mid like Benny Feilhaber or eventually if Jermaine Jones is put on the team you pair Jones with Edu, since Bradley senior loves playing two d-mids.
-The US has absolutely no second forward options to play with Altidore other than injured players Davies and Dempsey, or Donovan. In fact, I'd say the next best player is Brian Ching because he's proven he can hold up the ball, distribute ok, draw fouls, and at least presents something of an aerial threat from set pieces. If the above three aren't starting up top, I'd rather have Ching than Robbie Findley or Jeff Cunningham, or god forbid the awful Eddie Johnson. Ching and Altidore may not be the best pair in terms of complementary talents, but you get the players out there who will help you the most and have the least amount of downside.
-Lastly, and I fully admit this is total nitpicking, but is Tim Howard any good at penalty kicks? He always seems to guess wrong and never comes close. Is there an example that I'm just not remembering? If so, let me know. Because even though it's not really good form to pull out your unquestioned #1 ahead of penalties (and you usually don't have that substitute luxury anyway, having subbed for field players and maybe one sub for a penalty kick taking specialist), I'd have to say that the US would rather have Brad Guzan. Guzan's turned into something of a penalty saving hero at Aston Villa. Not meaning in anyway to demean Howard, who I said earlier is probably the number one key to the US World Cup hopes, along with Donovan, but am I wrong to worry about that?
Still, I'll take some heart at a 2-1 defeat to the Netherlands in Amsterdam, and just keep hoping that sometime in the future the US will have a healthy roster to choose from. Because as much as I have high hopes for this team, it's safe to say those hopes rest on a very narrow pool of players.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Dutch Manager for Rent, US-Netherlands, Red Bull Arena
Generally it's not good to fire your coach right before the season or a big tournament starts. You stick with what got you there. But the Côte d'Ivoire said to hell with that conventional thinking, firing Bosnian manager Vahid Halilhodzic.
The rumor mill speculation is that Dutch gun for hire and football nomad Guus Hiddink will take over for the World Cup. How is that possible, seeing as the man currently under contract to the Russians will be taking over for Turkey on July 1? Well, seeing as neither team will be partaking in the South African festivities, Mr. Hiddink's schedule has some open dates in June.
Recognized as a brilliant manager for his work with the South Koreans, Australians, Russians, and Dutch (not to mention winning the treble with PSV Eindhoven just over a decade before Man U completed the feat), Hiddink has quite the CV and has surely amassed enough frequent flyer miles to travel the world a few times over.
I suppose Hiddink likes a good challenge, taking on these numerous jobs. That and the money up and coming federations are willing to give him to get their national teams to the next level.
So, the question is, does this move push the Ivory Coast further up in the realm of World Cup favorites. They've been fancied for some time with all their talent and playing in their home continent, but a disappointing showing at the African Cup of Nations must have given their federation something to think about with the Group of Death staring them in the face this summer.
Enter Guus. He likes short jobs, as evidenced by his two and half year contracts with Russia and Turkey. But will this give him enough time to make a difference with Drogba and company? One shudders at the thought of Hiddink getting the powerful Ivorians to play Oranje football. Of course if you don't have a rooting interest, one would be shuddering in delight at that thought. I just have that feeling like he'll get them out of the group, probably to the disappointment of the Portuguese. Either way, it will be exciting.
Speaking of the Oranje, Wednesday will see the US-Netherlands at the Amsterdam ArenA. Big match that will see the closest thing to a full US World Cup squad prior to the actual thing. I'm looking forward not only to seeing Donovan cross over his good form, but to seeing Maurice Edu, the ex-Terp finally healthy and playing well. Big time goal this weekend to win the Old Firm match in extra time. Very happy to see him back in the fold.
Another link I wanted to provide was this piece updating on Red Bull Arena. If you want to see pictures, just Google it. Grant Wahl puts it plainly, the Red Bulls have gotten nothing right with the on-the-field product but it appears they've gotten everything right with the field itself and the arena. Color me very very jealous. I hate you Adrian Fenty for screwing up the Poplar Point deal in DC.
Last, a word of concern for HalaMadrid and any family or friends of his in Chile. Hope everything is all right.
The rumor mill speculation is that Dutch gun for hire and football nomad Guus Hiddink will take over for the World Cup. How is that possible, seeing as the man currently under contract to the Russians will be taking over for Turkey on July 1? Well, seeing as neither team will be partaking in the South African festivities, Mr. Hiddink's schedule has some open dates in June.
Recognized as a brilliant manager for his work with the South Koreans, Australians, Russians, and Dutch (not to mention winning the treble with PSV Eindhoven just over a decade before Man U completed the feat), Hiddink has quite the CV and has surely amassed enough frequent flyer miles to travel the world a few times over.
I suppose Hiddink likes a good challenge, taking on these numerous jobs. That and the money up and coming federations are willing to give him to get their national teams to the next level.
So, the question is, does this move push the Ivory Coast further up in the realm of World Cup favorites. They've been fancied for some time with all their talent and playing in their home continent, but a disappointing showing at the African Cup of Nations must have given their federation something to think about with the Group of Death staring them in the face this summer.
Enter Guus. He likes short jobs, as evidenced by his two and half year contracts with Russia and Turkey. But will this give him enough time to make a difference with Drogba and company? One shudders at the thought of Hiddink getting the powerful Ivorians to play Oranje football. Of course if you don't have a rooting interest, one would be shuddering in delight at that thought. I just have that feeling like he'll get them out of the group, probably to the disappointment of the Portuguese. Either way, it will be exciting.
Speaking of the Oranje, Wednesday will see the US-Netherlands at the Amsterdam ArenA. Big match that will see the closest thing to a full US World Cup squad prior to the actual thing. I'm looking forward not only to seeing Donovan cross over his good form, but to seeing Maurice Edu, the ex-Terp finally healthy and playing well. Big time goal this weekend to win the Old Firm match in extra time. Very happy to see him back in the fold.
Another link I wanted to provide was this piece updating on Red Bull Arena. If you want to see pictures, just Google it. Grant Wahl puts it plainly, the Red Bulls have gotten nothing right with the on-the-field product but it appears they've gotten everything right with the field itself and the arena. Color me very very jealous. I hate you Adrian Fenty for screwing up the Poplar Point deal in DC.
Last, a word of concern for HalaMadrid and any family or friends of his in Chile. Hope everything is all right.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
The Toffees a Sticky Proposition for the Top of the Table
Since a certain Californian joined the blue half of Merseyside this January, Everton have played seven Premier League games, including matches against the entire top 5, plus a Europa League match against Sporting Lisbon. A murderers row for your season, if you will.
Yet the Toffees record in those eight games - a stellar 6 wins, 1 tie, 1 loss.
In back to back games now, Everton have defeated Chelsea, giving Manchester United a title race lifeline, before subsequently endangering that lifeline today with a well earned victory over the Red Devils at Goodison Park.
Now, I'm certainly not going to say Landon Donovan is singly responsible for this feat. But his presence surely has helped as he's slotted seamlessly into the starting lineup on either flank.
There are a number of reasons for this strong run, including Donovan's growing understanding with Tim Cahill (before being lost to injury against Sporting this Tuesday), Mikel Arteta's return, Steven Pienaar playing in the form of his life (in my opinion), and the general ability of Manager David Moyes to get his teams to continually fight and present a challenge every night on the pitch.
Today's match with Man U was particularly interesting because it was Wayne Rooney, the man who will be charged with carrying England on his back in South Africa this summer, against Donovan and Tim Howard, the two men who will look to do the same for the USA.
Oddly enough, England's World Cup hopes have been boosted because of some questionable decisions by Sir Alex Ferguson. His decisions to sell Ronaldo, to not re-sign Carlos Tevez, and thinking that Dimitar Berbatov and summer signings Michael Owen and Antonio Valencia could pick up the scoring slack have unintentionally led to Rooney's blossoming into possibly the most dangerous striker on form at the moment. Could this also be his undoing, with Rooney being burned out by June from carrying Man U on his back? We'll see.
But plainly when Rooney is not imperious, Man U are not the same team. He wasn't poor today, but even an average Rooney showing can doom Man U when the back line is missing Rio and Vidic. Ironically, today Berbatov had one of his better outings, but his talents are not of the type to carry a team on such a hard fought afternoon.
On the other side, Donovan's loan move has been an outright revelation. US fans have known Donovan was playing the football of his life in the past year or so, but not until he could translate it to Europe was that last modicum of respect going to come his way. And the respect has certainly come, with Everton's supporters naming him player of the month.
A measure of Donovan's quality over the years is the complete transformation in my personal opinion of the USA's all-time leading goal scorer.
Not long ago, when he was returning from failed attempts in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen, despite the fact that he was already probably the best player in MLS and the USA's key player, I never liked him. His talents were undeniable. Donovan has skill, speed, and could run for days. Yet he wasn't always consistent and he just didn't seem to have the ambition nor the fortitude to succeed abroad. He was horrible at taking free kicks and corners. I remember cursing him with friends as he wasted chances with the US National Team. Plus it didn't help that it was well known that he didn't want to leave MLS because he wanted to stay in California where he could be with his actress girlfriend (now his wife, who he's separated from) and the safety zone of friends and family.
Since that time there's been a gradual transformation. His talents continued to mature. Donovan may not have wanted to go abroad, but he often played his best in big moments. His performance against Italy in the World Cup was gritty and passionate, and his perpetual tormenting of Mexico found him easily in my heart. He was a near sure thing from the penalty spot. He maintained his position as the best player in MLS while enjoying more than anyone the responsibility of representing US soccer on and off the field. Even when he failed at Bayern Munich, it wasn't so much his fault as it was being put into a poor situation with the board never backing Jurgen Klinsmann's decision to bring him in on loan.
Now he can say he belongs on the same field week in, week out with the great stars of the EPL and in Europe. He's even turned into a great crosser of the ball, taking corners for Everton and getting a number of assists from them. Plus, it's given us a glimpse of how he could be tormenting the English back line, having already gotten the better of Ashley Cole, John Terry, and now Wes Brown.
The Toffees have been a tricky match for the big clubs of the EPL of late, and I'm sure as the English ponder this run of form, June 12 won't be far from their minds.
Monday, January 11, 2010
World Cup in 3D
Earlier this month it was announced by ESPN that they were beginning a new venture -- 3D programming.
The the 3D channel will broadcast live events (85 for the first year), while remaining dark during all other times (no re-runs). Of note, up to 25 matches of the World Cup -- including the opening match, South Africa v. Mexico -- will be shown in 3D.
Of course 3D is currently all the rage, what with Avatar re-writing all the rules of cinema and a box office profits. As anyone who has seen the movie knows, Avatar signals a significant step forward in 3D viewing experience (and seeing Avatar in IMAX 3D is nothing short of an awesome experience).
Usually 3D is thought of as the chance for dinosaurs to pop out at you at the Smithsonian or having a spear or gun shot at you. It's a neat trick, with some better overall than others. In the past, such an application to a live sporting event would have been dubious -- watch out, Ronaldo is about to shoot the ball and it might hit you!
But now, I think such an experience will be entirely different. And I won't be missing out.
Certainly it won't meet Avatar standards (ESPN won't have four years to produce the live broadcast, and a 42' Sony is no IMAX), but I'm now intrigued by the possibility of bringing that true 'wow' experience of seeing a match up close, as if you were on the field itself, to home. The technology now seems capable of really immersing the viewer into the experience, into being where the action is, without the gimmicks constantly reminding you that you're watching 3D. Will it be crisp and clear when Messi goes from 0-60 in half a second or will the ball track well flying off Donovan's boot and past Calamity James or whoever sucks least for England in goal?
We're going to see. Or better yet, we're going to experience.
The the 3D channel will broadcast live events (85 for the first year), while remaining dark during all other times (no re-runs). Of note, up to 25 matches of the World Cup -- including the opening match, South Africa v. Mexico -- will be shown in 3D.
Of course 3D is currently all the rage, what with Avatar re-writing all the rules of cinema and a box office profits. As anyone who has seen the movie knows, Avatar signals a significant step forward in 3D viewing experience (and seeing Avatar in IMAX 3D is nothing short of an awesome experience).
Usually 3D is thought of as the chance for dinosaurs to pop out at you at the Smithsonian or having a spear or gun shot at you. It's a neat trick, with some better overall than others. In the past, such an application to a live sporting event would have been dubious -- watch out, Ronaldo is about to shoot the ball and it might hit you!
But now, I think such an experience will be entirely different. And I won't be missing out.
Certainly it won't meet Avatar standards (ESPN won't have four years to produce the live broadcast, and a 42' Sony is no IMAX), but I'm now intrigued by the possibility of bringing that true 'wow' experience of seeing a match up close, as if you were on the field itself, to home. The technology now seems capable of really immersing the viewer into the experience, into being where the action is, without the gimmicks constantly reminding you that you're watching 3D. Will it be crisp and clear when Messi goes from 0-60 in half a second or will the ball track well flying off Donovan's boot and past Calamity James or whoever sucks least for England in goal?
We're going to see. Or better yet, we're going to experience.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
The Wait Begins
Now comes the hard part -- for us fans anyway -- waiting until June for the kickoff of festivities. There's going to be plenty of time to sit around and pour over the matchups, as well as watching club teams to see who's in form and who's not, who's healthy and who's not, who's in or out of your favorite team's squad.
GROUP A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France.
GROUP E: Netherlands, Japan, Cameroon, Denmark.
GROUP F: Italy, New Zealand, Paraguay, Slovakia.
GROUP G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal.
GROUP H: Spain, Honduras, Chile, Switzerland.
In a World Cup year everything becomes focused on that singular goal, in the US in particular. It's basically going to be a six month build up to the Cup. Even though I have my favorites in the Euro League, a lot of my time is spent following how the US players are faring, and with MLS being in hiatus and only really getting in about two months when the National Team will be getting together for their pre-World Cup preparations, the mind inevitably will have an eye pointed toward South Africa.
I'll get caught up in the Derby D'Italia for 90 minutes today, but really for all the Juve or Man U or Barcelona games I watch the meaning of the results, though still important, will somehow be secondary to the play itself. Especially for the Man U games (and even more so late in the season) I'll be pondering, does Rio look fit, can Jozy exploit him? Or, is Rooney firing on all cylinders, enough so to allow Man U to keep up the title challenge and to make England genuine threats?
Starting with the group I care about most, my quick thoughts on the draw:
GROUP C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia.
My brother was wary after the US was drawn with England because he feels the US just always plays poorly against England. That may have been the case before, but even in those cases England never ran rampant, and I can't remember the US ever having a true full-strength squad.
Still, the draw of Slovenia and Algeria that have the English and US fans very excited about their prospects of progressing into the knockout stages. I genuinely think the US can get a result against Fabio Capello's men, and I think most US fans would tell you the same. And while I think this World Cup is the most even that I can remember (there's not many push overs, maybe New Zealand, so there shouldn't be a healthy serving of Saudi Arabias to get thrashed 7-0 by everyone), the US should still be able to beat Algeria and Slovenia. I almost have to calm down I'm getting so excited thinking about being in a group that doesn't contain three serious threats. Let's just say I feel pretty good about it. Prettaaaay, prettaaaay good.
GROUP A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France.
I was about to get slightly (I'm being nice) angry about the fact that Mexico somehow always gets an easy or manageable draw. What the hell? I suppose I shouldn't care, especially since they're just bound for more disappointment and loss in the second round. But this group is no cakewalk. Any four can advance, though I might give Uruguay the lowest chances. South Africa may be the lowest of the teams, and I don't see them advancing despite a better than expected on field showing, but never count out the home field advantage. That and having France makes this a tough group to call. I still like France here even if I wouldn't bet on them.
GROUP B: Argentina, South Korea, Nigeria, Greece.
This will be a tough but very manageable group for Argentina. South Korea isn't the threat they were at home in 2002, and though Nigeria is always a tough out, they are no longer a leading light among the African nations. Greece play the most disgusting brand of football but aren't likely to get blown out, and their stifling tactics could very well frustrate and threaten a bumbling Maradona-coached side.
GROUP D: Germany, Australia, Ghana, Serbia.
GROUP D: Germany, Australia, Ghana, Serbia.
Yikes. Having any four progress wouldn't be surprising, though the Socceroos are the weakest of the bunch and without Guus Hiddink's magic we'll see what they can do. Based on odds, my friend thinks Ghana is a good underdog bet to advance and actually win the Cup. I have to disagree, respectfully of course. Ghana is dangerous in the midfield, but they lack a dangerous striking option and I think they are weaker than previous years. Germany and Serbia will still like their chances.
GROUP E: Netherlands, Japan, Cameroon, Denmark.
Those beautiful, flying Oranje ought to make nice work of this group. Title-wise, I'm not sold because they still have some big chinks in their armor, but the Dutch should be fun to watch (and hey, all those orange jerseys, a beautiful sight in the crowd). I don't know much about Cameroon's current make up other than it'll be nice to see Eto'o at a World Cup. They traditionally are one of the better African teams at World Cups, and usually a little more organized than a team like Nigeria that was always seen as disorganized but highly talented. Denmark was very strong in qualifying and I would guess that their match against Cameroon decides second place in this group.
GROUP F: Italy, New Zealand, Paraguay, Slovakia.
Italy has to be very happy, because they lucked out on a draw that potentially could give them a nice passage to the quarterfinals (if they win this group they'd play the second place team from group E). However, they've been indifferent recently, and could slip up to Paraguay or Slovakia. I wasn't impressed by Slovakia even though they beat the US. The US lacked Donovan and Slovakia didn't show much attacking creativity or threat really. So I'll give Paraguay the nod as the other team that will advance here. Sorry Kiwis, I love Ryan Nelsen for winning a MLS Cup for DC United, but you aren't going far. Enjoy yourselves.
GROUP G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal.
Oh boy. Who's excited about seeing this group play out? First, Alexi Lalas actually made me laugh pretty heartily during the draw when everyone was sort of talking at once and he offhanded said, "North Korea, welcome to the World Cup." Not funny reading it now, but how and when he said it was pretty classic. And seriously, if they were a normal country that existed in color rather than in black and white, they'd look at this draw and ask, what the hell did we do to deserve this?
So, basically one pre-tournament favorite is going to be out before the knockout stages. I would love to see Côte d'Ivoire make a good run and get the entire African continent behind them. They have the talent and are being talked about as Africa's first true title challengers. But then they get hit with the Portuguese-speaking one-two haymakers. Can Portugal play up to its talent levels? Will Ronaldo remind people that two years ago he was so much better than everyone else on the planet that you wouldn't dare bet against him? Can the unthinkable happen and can Brazil be truly upset and knocked out in the group stages? I don't know, but I'm going to love finding out.
GROUP H: Spain, Honduras, Chile, Switzerland.
Spain either got a sneaky difficult group or a one that will be disappointingly easy. Honduras is actually somewhat dangerous, more so than Mexico of the two CONCACAF teams, but they could easily disappoint by just being happy to be there. The danger is teams taking them too lightly. If that happens they will spring an upset against the Swiss or Chile. Chile is a strong team that likes to attack, and I've bought into HalaMadrid's advocation of them as being a top footballing nation. They have every bit the chance the US does of advancing out of their group. But then there's the Swiss. They don't excite anyone, but they have a good defensive record and some decent talent in the middle, even if their best known striker is 30 year old Alexandre Frei. They're just one of those teams that can get results even if afterwards you think to yourself, how did they just win, they aren't that good. Any three can finish second to Spain.
So, get those earplugs (unless you like the sound of vuvuzelas) and get ready, the World Cup is almost here. Will it be a classic, or one to forget? I think it may end up being a very good World Cup. Until then, it's 6 months of watching and waiting and praying. (Lord, please please please let Landon Donovan and Tim Howard stay healthy. Thank you.)
Friday, December 4, 2009
Cup Draw In T-minus...
I suppose it's obligatory to post something in advance of the World Cup draw, seeing as it can practically make or break a nation's Cup hopes.
The big brouhaha has been over FIFA's decision to base things on whatever they find most expedient for their needs. In this case, it was using the October FIFA rankings and scrapping past World Cup performance to determine the seeds, leading to the Netherlands getting a seed over France. I think based on current form that probably holds, but let's face it, FIFA made the change to punish France for the controversial nature of their qualification.
Second, FIFA grouped the CONCACAF nations in the pot with the five Asian and Oceana qualifiers, rather than with the five African qualifiers. This practically ensures the US will have a difficult draw, since they will face a seeded team, another European team, and either an African or South American team. The key will be to draw a weak Euro nation (I'll take an order of Greece thank you) or one of the weaker African nations (Algeria please). If the US doesn't draw South Africa from the seeded nations, it becomes more likely that they will face an African nation rather than South American from pot 3 since South Africa cannot face an African team from that pot, leaving only two South American teams for the remaining 7 groups.
Interestingly, this article points out that FIFA's decision to use the October rankings actually put the US surprisingly close to getting a seed. The "if" was rather large, so if Portugal and France failed to qualify, and with Croatia already not qualified, the US was next in line for the seed. Of course without needing to somehow rectify the France problem, FIFA probably would have used some other scheme which would have had the US in its same position.
Still, there's no point in trying to do a mock draw, which I find a useless exercise. On the other hand, FIFA has a way of partnering the inevitable when it comes to things like political or historical pairs (England-Argentina and France-Senegal in 2002, USA-Iran in 1998). Unfortunately FIFA can't pit the US against North Korea, but we could see rematches with Italy, who has become something of a nemesis recently, or Spain, and what would be the money on Spain trying to destroy the US to exact revenge for the Confederations Cup?
Anyway, in case you're the last person on Earth to see the pots, here they are:
POT 1 - Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Netherlands, England, Italy, Germany, South Africa
POT 2 - USA, Mexico, Honduras, South Korea, North Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand
POT 3 - Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Nigeria, Algeria
POT 4 - France, Portugal, Denmark, Slovenia, Greece, Slovakia, Serbia, Switzerland
The big brouhaha has been over FIFA's decision to base things on whatever they find most expedient for their needs. In this case, it was using the October FIFA rankings and scrapping past World Cup performance to determine the seeds, leading to the Netherlands getting a seed over France. I think based on current form that probably holds, but let's face it, FIFA made the change to punish France for the controversial nature of their qualification.
Second, FIFA grouped the CONCACAF nations in the pot with the five Asian and Oceana qualifiers, rather than with the five African qualifiers. This practically ensures the US will have a difficult draw, since they will face a seeded team, another European team, and either an African or South American team. The key will be to draw a weak Euro nation (I'll take an order of Greece thank you) or one of the weaker African nations (Algeria please). If the US doesn't draw South Africa from the seeded nations, it becomes more likely that they will face an African nation rather than South American from pot 3 since South Africa cannot face an African team from that pot, leaving only two South American teams for the remaining 7 groups.
Interestingly, this article points out that FIFA's decision to use the October rankings actually put the US surprisingly close to getting a seed. The "if" was rather large, so if Portugal and France failed to qualify, and with Croatia already not qualified, the US was next in line for the seed. Of course without needing to somehow rectify the France problem, FIFA probably would have used some other scheme which would have had the US in its same position.
Still, there's no point in trying to do a mock draw, which I find a useless exercise. On the other hand, FIFA has a way of partnering the inevitable when it comes to things like political or historical pairs (England-Argentina and France-Senegal in 2002, USA-Iran in 1998). Unfortunately FIFA can't pit the US against North Korea, but we could see rematches with Italy, who has become something of a nemesis recently, or Spain, and what would be the money on Spain trying to destroy the US to exact revenge for the Confederations Cup?
Anyway, in case you're the last person on Earth to see the pots, here they are:
POT 1 - Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Netherlands, England, Italy, Germany, South Africa
POT 2 - USA, Mexico, Honduras, South Korea, North Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand
POT 3 - Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Nigeria, Algeria
POT 4 - France, Portugal, Denmark, Slovenia, Greece, Slovakia, Serbia, Switzerland
Monday, October 12, 2009
USA Qualify; Argentina Survive (For Now)
ARF gave his thoughts on the USA game, and I don't have much to add. But it's difficult to understate how important it was for this side to get a road win against a quality opponent. And for all the hand-wringing the American side has put themselves (and its fans) through, the US would actually top CONCACAF with a home win against Costa Rica on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see how Bradley approaches that game, which means little to the Americans but everything to Los Ticos who would qualify for their third straight World Cup with a win.
Costa Rica took care of business against Trinidad and Tobago, and now sit third in the table and two points ahead of Honduras. A Honduras loss or draw in El Salvador would send Costa Rica to South Africa and Honduras to the playoff with COMNEBOL. A Honduras victory would force Costa Rica to win in Washington D.C., because Honduras would go through on goal difference if Los Ticos only managed a draw. Honduras must quickly recover their composure after their home defeat; three points is a must on Wednesday to apply pressure. Elsewhere, Mexico won and qualified for the World Cup as well, though the first had to clear the pitch of bees.
The weekend's fixtures clarified the picture in South America considerably. Chile won in Colombia to punch their ticket and eliminate the Colombians. Venezuela fell to Paraguay and were also eliminated in every way except mathematically. Uruguay overturned a 1-0 deficit in the second half and stunned the Ecuadorian crowd in Quito with a 2-1 victory when Diego Forlán converted a penalty in extra time. Uruguay now sit in fifth in the playoff spot, with Ecuador one point behind. Both are still within striking distance of the fourth place side, Argentina.
The Argentines remain the big story as they slop through their qualifying rounds and risk staying home entirely. Maradona remains the manager despite his obvious ineptitude, though perhaps he would not remain so after the qualifying stage. Playing at home against last place Peru is the closest one can get to an automatic three points in CONMEBOL, but a stunning turn of events nearly saw Argentina give the game away in the final moments. Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuaín scored at the beginning of the second half in his Argentine debut, but also missed two other good chances that would have put the game away. Peru were the inferior side but were not lifeless, at one point hitting the crossbar from distance. At some point in the second half the rain starting coming so hard it was virtually unplayable, and Peru took advantage of the sloppy conditions and found a stunning equalizer in the 90th minute. But the agony turned to ecstasy for Argentina when substitute Martin Palermo, who hadn't played for the national team in ten years, tapped in for a dramatic victory. Because the goalkeeper was well off the line, it looked as though Palermo was actually offside, with only one defender between himself and the goal. Regardless, it was a massive relief for Maradona, who belly flopped and slid on the soaking turf as though he'd scored the goal himself. Maradona has since called the goal a miracle, and it's hard to disagree, from an Argentine perspective. Along with the inevitable speculation about Maradona getting fired, the other unanswered question for the struggling Argentines: where's Messi?
Argentina are hardly out of trouble going to the last matchday, as they must travel to Uruguay with the World Cup on the line. Argentina only need a draw to be bound for South Africa, but that's asking a lot against a Uruguay side that would qualify with a win. An Argentina loss would send them at best into the playoff. An Argentina loss coupled with an Ecuador win in Chile would send Ecuador into the playoff and stunningly keep Argentina and Messi home during the next World Cup.
In Africa, the Ivory Coast was the second African side to qualify by drawing against Malawi 1-1, with Drogba scoring the equalizer. Cameroon defeated Togo, and would qualify with a win in Morocco. If they fail to win Gabon could capitalize and qualify. Nigeria found a late goal against Mozambique to keep their hopes alive, but still need another victory and a slip-up from group leaders Tunisia in the last matchday. And Algeria and Egypt both won, setting up their dramatic matchup in the qualifying finale. Egypt must win by two goals to advance. The last round of African qualifying is on November 14.
Bahrain and New Zealand played the first leg of their playoff, which concluded 0-0. I'm sure it was scintillating.
Good news for those who want to see Cristiano Ronaldo in the World Cup, as Portugal's victory over Hungary along with Denmark's victory over Sweden (which sent the Danes to South Africa) moved the Portugese into second place. A victory over woeful Malta would send Portugal into the playoff round. Bad news for CR himself, as he re-injured himself in the match and will miss three to four weeks. In other European action, Greece found a vital victory against Latvia, and would qualify for the playoffs with a win over Luxembourg. They could even still win the group if Israel were to defeat Switzerland. Slovenia's road victory over Slovakia puts them in a similar position as Greece; Slovenia need only defeat San Marino to at least qualify for the playoffs. Thus far San Marino have zero points, have scored one goal and allowed fourty-four. I'm guessing Slovenia gets it done. Slovakia must win in Poland or Slovenia will qualify and the Slovaks will be relegated to the playoffs. And Ukraine's victory over England has moved them above Croatia into second place. Ukraine only need to defeat Andorra to finish second, and they will. Croatia will not be going to South Africa.
Several groups have locked in both first and second place after this weekend. Germany's victory over Russia locked up the group for the Germans and second place for the Russians. Likewise, the 2-2 draw between Italy and Ireland sent the Italians through and the Irish into the playoff round. Serbia and France both won in order to finish 1-2 in that order. And Bosnia and Herzegovina won to finish second, and will attempt to qualify for their first World Cup via the playoffs. Of the European matches on Wednesday, only the Switzerland and Slovakia matches hold much interest for qualification, unless a truly shocking upset were to happen.
Speaking of the European playoffs, FIFA announced the rules for determining the matchups last week, deciding on two pools of teams based on FIFA World Rankings. Is FIFA playing favorites? This piece examines.
Costa Rica took care of business against Trinidad and Tobago, and now sit third in the table and two points ahead of Honduras. A Honduras loss or draw in El Salvador would send Costa Rica to South Africa and Honduras to the playoff with COMNEBOL. A Honduras victory would force Costa Rica to win in Washington D.C., because Honduras would go through on goal difference if Los Ticos only managed a draw. Honduras must quickly recover their composure after their home defeat; three points is a must on Wednesday to apply pressure. Elsewhere, Mexico won and qualified for the World Cup as well, though the first had to clear the pitch of bees.
The weekend's fixtures clarified the picture in South America considerably. Chile won in Colombia to punch their ticket and eliminate the Colombians. Venezuela fell to Paraguay and were also eliminated in every way except mathematically. Uruguay overturned a 1-0 deficit in the second half and stunned the Ecuadorian crowd in Quito with a 2-1 victory when Diego Forlán converted a penalty in extra time. Uruguay now sit in fifth in the playoff spot, with Ecuador one point behind. Both are still within striking distance of the fourth place side, Argentina.
The Argentines remain the big story as they slop through their qualifying rounds and risk staying home entirely. Maradona remains the manager despite his obvious ineptitude, though perhaps he would not remain so after the qualifying stage. Playing at home against last place Peru is the closest one can get to an automatic three points in CONMEBOL, but a stunning turn of events nearly saw Argentina give the game away in the final moments. Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuaín scored at the beginning of the second half in his Argentine debut, but also missed two other good chances that would have put the game away. Peru were the inferior side but were not lifeless, at one point hitting the crossbar from distance. At some point in the second half the rain starting coming so hard it was virtually unplayable, and Peru took advantage of the sloppy conditions and found a stunning equalizer in the 90th minute. But the agony turned to ecstasy for Argentina when substitute Martin Palermo, who hadn't played for the national team in ten years, tapped in for a dramatic victory. Because the goalkeeper was well off the line, it looked as though Palermo was actually offside, with only one defender between himself and the goal. Regardless, it was a massive relief for Maradona, who belly flopped and slid on the soaking turf as though he'd scored the goal himself. Maradona has since called the goal a miracle, and it's hard to disagree, from an Argentine perspective. Along with the inevitable speculation about Maradona getting fired, the other unanswered question for the struggling Argentines: where's Messi?
Argentina are hardly out of trouble going to the last matchday, as they must travel to Uruguay with the World Cup on the line. Argentina only need a draw to be bound for South Africa, but that's asking a lot against a Uruguay side that would qualify with a win. An Argentina loss would send them at best into the playoff. An Argentina loss coupled with an Ecuador win in Chile would send Ecuador into the playoff and stunningly keep Argentina and Messi home during the next World Cup.
In Africa, the Ivory Coast was the second African side to qualify by drawing against Malawi 1-1, with Drogba scoring the equalizer. Cameroon defeated Togo, and would qualify with a win in Morocco. If they fail to win Gabon could capitalize and qualify. Nigeria found a late goal against Mozambique to keep their hopes alive, but still need another victory and a slip-up from group leaders Tunisia in the last matchday. And Algeria and Egypt both won, setting up their dramatic matchup in the qualifying finale. Egypt must win by two goals to advance. The last round of African qualifying is on November 14.
Bahrain and New Zealand played the first leg of their playoff, which concluded 0-0. I'm sure it was scintillating.
Good news for those who want to see Cristiano Ronaldo in the World Cup, as Portugal's victory over Hungary along with Denmark's victory over Sweden (which sent the Danes to South Africa) moved the Portugese into second place. A victory over woeful Malta would send Portugal into the playoff round. Bad news for CR himself, as he re-injured himself in the match and will miss three to four weeks. In other European action, Greece found a vital victory against Latvia, and would qualify for the playoffs with a win over Luxembourg. They could even still win the group if Israel were to defeat Switzerland. Slovenia's road victory over Slovakia puts them in a similar position as Greece; Slovenia need only defeat San Marino to at least qualify for the playoffs. Thus far San Marino have zero points, have scored one goal and allowed fourty-four. I'm guessing Slovenia gets it done. Slovakia must win in Poland or Slovenia will qualify and the Slovaks will be relegated to the playoffs. And Ukraine's victory over England has moved them above Croatia into second place. Ukraine only need to defeat Andorra to finish second, and they will. Croatia will not be going to South Africa.
Several groups have locked in both first and second place after this weekend. Germany's victory over Russia locked up the group for the Germans and second place for the Russians. Likewise, the 2-2 draw between Italy and Ireland sent the Italians through and the Irish into the playoff round. Serbia and France both won in order to finish 1-2 in that order. And Bosnia and Herzegovina won to finish second, and will attempt to qualify for their first World Cup via the playoffs. Of the European matches on Wednesday, only the Switzerland and Slovakia matches hold much interest for qualification, unless a truly shocking upset were to happen.
Speaking of the European playoffs, FIFA announced the rules for determining the matchups last week, deciding on two pools of teams based on FIFA World Rankings. Is FIFA playing favorites? This piece examines.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
When the Yanks Come Marching In
Well that was exhilarating.
The USA clinched World Cup qualification with a rather stunning 3-2 victory over Honduras in San Pedro Sula last night. Due to the TV rights debacle, rather than watching the game at home, I watched the game at a bar in DC packed to the hilt with scream USA fans. That was $15 well spent.
So all discussion about the game begins and ends with Connor Casey. When the starting lineups were flashed and Jozy Altidore was not listed, there was considerable angst among the crowd. At one point early in the match, Casey was shown on camera and was actually booed by the crowd watching the game. Well, he certainly had something to say about that, didn't he?
He started off slowly, but his hold up play improved drastically as the first half wore on, and then he hit for the two goals. He gets all the credit for going in and challenging the 50-50 ball with keeper and not just slamming into him for a foul. And while Donovan's pass was amazing and had the bar on it's feet in anticipation of the go ahead goal, Casey did well with his first touch and coolly slotted home. He drew the foul on the third goal as well, completing a drastic turnaround from previous performances with the USA, receiving a vociferous standing ovation from the crowd at Fado in Chinatown.
I agreed with the analysis in previewing this game that it certainly had the potential for going back and forth attacking, but not necessarily goals. Well I guess the natural consequence of the attacking mindset of both teams was in fact goals, and it made for a great viewing experience.
The second half in particular was just great to watch. It was probably the best half the US has played in quite some time in qualifying, certainly the best since the first half against Brazil and the game against Spain in the Confederations Cup. The most encouraging sign to me was that after the first goal, the US sensed it could grab control, and they followed through in seeking and getting the second. Even more impressive, the US sensed a chance to kill the game right then, and while I couldn't hear the audio at that point, I'm sure the Honduran crowd felt the same. And when Casey drew that foul in perfect free kick territory, we all sensed this was the moment that would clinch qualification, and Donovan capped just an amazing string of performances for the USA this year with the ultimate game winner. By this point, I had long lost my voice, but I sure as hell was still screaming hoarse.
Of course, a CONCACAF match wouldn't be a CONCACAF match without the referee conspiring to let the home team back in the game. He continuously missed easy fouls against Honduras but made weak calls against the US. The second goal was initiated with a pass in the box that was so offside that I really don't know how the linesman could ever be retained for another WCQ after missing it. Then the ref ignored a blatant foul by Honduras outside of their box and subsequently gave Honduras a phantom foul call in the US half at the other end. That free kick resulted in the US hand ball and it seemed the like the ref blowing the game was going to be complete. The Football Gods however made sure that karma was restored, and Wilson Palacios choked from the spot, hitting a pretty nice field goal. The US killed the game nicely with neat possession, even getting a chance or two to salt the game away, though in the end it was enough to book their tickets for next summer.
A final note on watching the game. We couldn't hear the audio with the crowd so loud in the bar, and as the clock hit 90 minutes, we must have missed the sign for time to be added on and we couldn't hear what extra time was given. So when Stuart Holden was subbed, the fourth official raised the number 7, but without showing the substitute number (which turned out to be Steve Cherundolo), so the crowd initially thought this meant 7 extra minutes. Well, let's just say that if the ref had given that, we may have rioted right there in downtown DC, and somewhere Mark Hughes would be feeling our pain. But the US held on and showed great heart to pull out the victory, making sure that when I see them Wednesday, I'll be able to relax and give the boys a nice send-off to South Africa.
A few other things to add on player performances:
-Stuart Holden made a fantastic cross for Charlie Davies's chance in the first half, but was largely ineffective. I love his energy off the bench, but he didn't exactly earn a starting spot last night. He improved in the second half, but was still a little disappointing.
-Michael Bradley started off slowly in the first half, but was very good in the second half, covering a lot of ground. His long range shooting is probably overrated, and he took a number of attempts in the second half that weren't very close, though his accuracy was improving with each attempt, ending with one that was dangerous. His midfield partner Rico Clark was also not at his best early on, but improved as did the entire team in the second half, allowing Donovan in particular to start taking control as he sought to link with Casey. Yet, there still remains questions about who to pair with Bradley in the central midfield in my mind.
-Charlie Davies, how do you miss that chance?! His first header was great, drawing a fantastic save from the Honduras keeper, but you absolutely must finish the rebound. No excuses. He still fought and chased well, but his end result was lacking, and despite promising play from him in France, his play with the National Team has slightly dropped off from the summer. Wonder if he misses playing with his buddy and usual starter Jozy.
-Also missing a fantastic chance was Benny Feilhaber after he dribbled through the Honduras defense and was in one on one with the keeper. He went for the far post curl, typically the correct shot, but he missed badly. My brother thought it was a great opportunity to fake the shot and drag the ball past the keeper near post. He came on a little late for my liking, and I'd like to see him start on Wednesday.
-Spector was solid in the second half, and Jonathan Bornstein held up well opposite him on the back line for a second straight match. Maybe he'll have something to say about that left back position after all. He'll still be a liability against world class opponents, but he's forcing Bradley's hand.
-Gooch made some great interventions throughout the game, but also threw in some shaky moments, in particular his give away setting up his foul, which led to the first Honduran goal. His lack of playing time at AC Milan could be problematic if it continues through the Spring.
-I'm not sure how many coaches vacillate between getting things horribly wrong to getting things amazingly right out of left field any more than Bob Bradley. The Connor Casey pick over Altidore seemed destined to lead to further derision from US fans, but his faith was rewarded. Altidore has so much potential, but his loan move to Hull is increasingly turning out poorly, with his playing time being limited and of course Hull just sucking in general. Now comes the typical time where Bradley can experiment with his selections. Wednesday's match may be meaningless to the US, but Costa Rica still hasn't qualified and they will come looking for a victory, so it will be a good chance for Bradley to get some players a good run in against a desperate opponent without worrying about absolutely needing three points.
It was a great night of football that left me both amped and drained all at once, and I can't wait for the next stage to come for this US team.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Weekend Primer
It's the international break this weekend, and there are a number of key matches that will define the World Cup race. At this moment, South Africa (host), Japan, Australia, South Korea, North Korea, the Netherlands, England, Spain, Ghana, Brazil and Paraguay are in. Twenty-one spots are yet to be claimed.
Here in CONCACAF, the big match of the weekend is obviously the Honduras-USA match. Mexico hosts El Salvador and Costa Rica hosts Trinidad and Tobago; both home sides will be expected to win. Mexico qualifies with a victory. Costa Rica needs a victory to set up their final match with the US, and could actually be relegated to the playoff with CONMEBOL with a surprise loss. The United States qualify with a win and have a great chance to finish atop the group. A loss would leave it all to be decided on the final matchday, barring a shock result in San Jose. Honduras would qualify with a home win as long as Costa Rica doesn't score at least eleven goals (unlikely). With a Honduras win, the US-Costa Rica match on October 14 would then decide the final qualifying spot, with the US needing only a draw to progress. Whoever does not progress would fall into the playoff.
In CONMEBOL, Argentina face the definition of a must-win match at home against Peru, who sit at the bottom of the table. Argentina currently sit in the playoff position. Maradona says he's not going anywhere. Bad for Argentina, entertaining for the rest of us. Chile look fairly comfortable to qualify, but could finish it off with a win at Colombia. Colombia sits in eighth but only two points back of Argentina, and badly need a win. Ecuador face Uruguay in a matchup of teams "on the bubble", so to speak. Both teams badly need a win, though a draw wouldn't be the disaster for Ecuador that it would be for Uruguay. Finally, Venezuela face already qualified Paraguay in a must win match. Everything still to play for in South America, where the cluster at the middle of the table makes predicting the final qualifying teams nearly impossible.
Action has wrapped up in Asia, with four teams qualified. Now the fifth team, Bahrain, will face Oceania winner New Zealand in a home-and-home playoff for qualification. The first leg is Saturday; the second leg is November 14.
Plenty of important matches in Africa this weekend, which offers little room for error by having four-team groups and only the group winner advancing. Thus far only Ghana have qualified. The group-leading Cameroon side of Samuel Eto'o currently lead Group A and host Togo and Emmanuel Adebayor. Both teams are still alive, along with Gabon, who host Morocco. In Group B, Tunisia lead the group and control their destiny, having twice already played (and drawn) favored Nigeria. Tunisia host Mozambique, while Nigeria look to keep pace against Kenya. In Group C, it's Algeria who have taken control, three points clear over the Egyptian side that impressed at the Confederations Cup (until the USA game anyway). Algeria hosts Rwanda, while Egypt must travel to Zambia. Algeria are the clearcut favorites at this point, especially with having the goal difference advantage as well. In Group E, the Ivory Coast are perfect through four matches, and need only one more point to punch their ticket. They should do so in Malawi. With Kolo Touré, Emmanuel Eboué, Didier Zokora, Yaya Touré, Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou on the roster, among others, anyone want to draw this team in South Africa? Didn't think so.
Finally a look toward Europe, where this week will wrap up all the group qualification matches, with only the playoffs for second place teams to come. All eyes will be on Group 1 with Denmark-Sweden and Portugal-Hungary, determining if Cristiano Ronaldo will be part of the World Cup. Ronaldo is healthy and will play. Apart from desperately needing a win, Portugal will be rooting for Denmark to win, which would vault Portugal into second place and the playoff position. All still to play for in Group 2, with the Swiss topping the group with seventeen points, Greece and Latvia tied with fourteen points, and Israel lurking with twelve points. Greece hosts Latvia in an obviously crucial match, while the Swiss could qualify with a win at Luxembourg, and Israel needs three points at home again Moldova to keep any hope alive. Chaos reigns in Group 3, where Slovakia leads the group but five teams still have a chance to finish second. Slovakia, with nineteen points, hosts Slovenia, who sit on fourteen. A draw qualifies the Slovaks directly. The Czech Republic, on twelve points, host Poland, one point behind the Czechs. Northern Ireland has played an additional match and is idle, but sits on fourteen points. The race for second will be much clearer after the weekend.
The rest of Europe is less complicated. Only one match of interest in Group 4, where Germany travels to Russia. The two sides are well in front of the group, and the Russians sit one point back. A draw would do for Germany, while the Russians must play to win or end up in a playoff. Spain have won Group 5, and Bosnia Herzegovina could finish second with a win in Estonia. Otherwise they could open the door for Turkey, who travel to Belgium. England have likewise clinched Group 6, but still play in a vital match when they travel to Ukraine. Ukraine sit two points behind Croatia for second place with a game in hand. Serbia look comfortable in Group 7, four points above France. A home victory over Romania would place them in South Africa. The French would wrap up second place with a home victory over the mighty Faroe Islands. Italy look to win Group 8, and would clinch with a victory in Ireland, who sit in second. An Irish loss would leave Bulgaria at least momentarily in the hunt, assuming they defeat Cyprus.
That should be enough football tomorrow to keep you satisifed. Enjoy the games!
Here in CONCACAF, the big match of the weekend is obviously the Honduras-USA match. Mexico hosts El Salvador and Costa Rica hosts Trinidad and Tobago; both home sides will be expected to win. Mexico qualifies with a victory. Costa Rica needs a victory to set up their final match with the US, and could actually be relegated to the playoff with CONMEBOL with a surprise loss. The United States qualify with a win and have a great chance to finish atop the group. A loss would leave it all to be decided on the final matchday, barring a shock result in San Jose. Honduras would qualify with a home win as long as Costa Rica doesn't score at least eleven goals (unlikely). With a Honduras win, the US-Costa Rica match on October 14 would then decide the final qualifying spot, with the US needing only a draw to progress. Whoever does not progress would fall into the playoff.
In CONMEBOL, Argentina face the definition of a must-win match at home against Peru, who sit at the bottom of the table. Argentina currently sit in the playoff position. Maradona says he's not going anywhere. Bad for Argentina, entertaining for the rest of us. Chile look fairly comfortable to qualify, but could finish it off with a win at Colombia. Colombia sits in eighth but only two points back of Argentina, and badly need a win. Ecuador face Uruguay in a matchup of teams "on the bubble", so to speak. Both teams badly need a win, though a draw wouldn't be the disaster for Ecuador that it would be for Uruguay. Finally, Venezuela face already qualified Paraguay in a must win match. Everything still to play for in South America, where the cluster at the middle of the table makes predicting the final qualifying teams nearly impossible.
Action has wrapped up in Asia, with four teams qualified. Now the fifth team, Bahrain, will face Oceania winner New Zealand in a home-and-home playoff for qualification. The first leg is Saturday; the second leg is November 14.
Plenty of important matches in Africa this weekend, which offers little room for error by having four-team groups and only the group winner advancing. Thus far only Ghana have qualified. The group-leading Cameroon side of Samuel Eto'o currently lead Group A and host Togo and Emmanuel Adebayor. Both teams are still alive, along with Gabon, who host Morocco. In Group B, Tunisia lead the group and control their destiny, having twice already played (and drawn) favored Nigeria. Tunisia host Mozambique, while Nigeria look to keep pace against Kenya. In Group C, it's Algeria who have taken control, three points clear over the Egyptian side that impressed at the Confederations Cup (until the USA game anyway). Algeria hosts Rwanda, while Egypt must travel to Zambia. Algeria are the clearcut favorites at this point, especially with having the goal difference advantage as well. In Group E, the Ivory Coast are perfect through four matches, and need only one more point to punch their ticket. They should do so in Malawi. With Kolo Touré, Emmanuel Eboué, Didier Zokora, Yaya Touré, Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou on the roster, among others, anyone want to draw this team in South Africa? Didn't think so.
Finally a look toward Europe, where this week will wrap up all the group qualification matches, with only the playoffs for second place teams to come. All eyes will be on Group 1 with Denmark-Sweden and Portugal-Hungary, determining if Cristiano Ronaldo will be part of the World Cup. Ronaldo is healthy and will play. Apart from desperately needing a win, Portugal will be rooting for Denmark to win, which would vault Portugal into second place and the playoff position. All still to play for in Group 2, with the Swiss topping the group with seventeen points, Greece and Latvia tied with fourteen points, and Israel lurking with twelve points. Greece hosts Latvia in an obviously crucial match, while the Swiss could qualify with a win at Luxembourg, and Israel needs three points at home again Moldova to keep any hope alive. Chaos reigns in Group 3, where Slovakia leads the group but five teams still have a chance to finish second. Slovakia, with nineteen points, hosts Slovenia, who sit on fourteen. A draw qualifies the Slovaks directly. The Czech Republic, on twelve points, host Poland, one point behind the Czechs. Northern Ireland has played an additional match and is idle, but sits on fourteen points. The race for second will be much clearer after the weekend.
The rest of Europe is less complicated. Only one match of interest in Group 4, where Germany travels to Russia. The two sides are well in front of the group, and the Russians sit one point back. A draw would do for Germany, while the Russians must play to win or end up in a playoff. Spain have won Group 5, and Bosnia Herzegovina could finish second with a win in Estonia. Otherwise they could open the door for Turkey, who travel to Belgium. England have likewise clinched Group 6, but still play in a vital match when they travel to Ukraine. Ukraine sit two points behind Croatia for second place with a game in hand. Serbia look comfortable in Group 7, four points above France. A home victory over Romania would place them in South Africa. The French would wrap up second place with a home victory over the mighty Faroe Islands. Italy look to win Group 8, and would clinch with a victory in Ireland, who sit in second. An Irish loss would leave Bulgaria at least momentarily in the hunt, assuming they defeat Cyprus.
That should be enough football tomorrow to keep you satisifed. Enjoy the games!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Argentina and Portugal Hanging by a Thread
As discussed in my Saturday morning post, both Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal team and Lionel Messi's Argentina team confronted this weekend's World Cup qualifiers in precarious situations. Suffice to say, neither ended up in a better position after their respective games.
First off, Portugal. I watched bits and pieces of this game, and what was abundantly clear was this: Portugal created chances. Numerous, multiple, varied, and all shapes, colors, and sizes chances. But midfielders, no matter how good in front of goal, are not strikers. Look at the Dutch. Robben, Van der Vaart, and Sneijder can all score. But when a goal absolutely must be scored, they've looked (in recent years) to Van Nistlerooy, Van Persie, or Huntelaar. They are pure strikers. Not great striking midfielders. Simao, Deco, and Ronaldo all had good chances throughout the game, but until just-naturalized Portuguese Liedson equalized in the 87th minute, the Portuguese had put up a goose egg. The Portuguese press has not proven kind to either Queiroz or Ronaldo after the draw, as if this team needed any more pressure.
Now Portugal is truly on the outside looking in. Sitting fourth in their group with ten points, the Portuguese are behind Sweden (12 pts.), Hungary (13 pts.), and Denmark (17 pts.). They likely need all nine points available from the remaining three games, as well as some favorable results, and that's probably to enter the second place playoff. It looks very likely that the Portuguese and Cristiano Ronaldo will not be in South Africa next summer.
Argentina are in a slightly better position than Portugal, even after the manhandling received at the feet of the Brazilians Saturday night. The teams directly behind them lost, allowing them to remain in fourth place. Nevertheless, it was a sad spectacle in Rosario on Saturday night. Despite the albicelestes taking the initiative for the first fifteen to twenty minutes, after that it was all Brazil. The first goal was quite possibly one of the worst defended set piece headers I've ever seen in a top flight match. Luisao, the tallest player on the field, was completely unmarked for a ripping header. There wasn't an Argentine within four feet of him. Who to blame? How about Maradona, who instead of finding two center backs and molding them into what he wants, opted to use Velez Sarsfield's center back combination of Otamendi and Dominguez. Both are decent players, but neither was up to the task of playing against Brazil.
They play for Velez Sarsfield, and as such aren't used to the speed of players like Robinho (invisible), Kaka (magnificent), Fabiano (merciless), or Melo (effective). Fabiano's second goal really took the air out of Argentina, and not even Datolo's absolute cracker could make up for Brazil's absolute physical domination of Argentina. By the time Fabiano deftly chipped the third goal past Andujar (off a splendid pass from Kaka), the writing was on the wall. Argentina had improved in the second half, but certainly not enough to contend with Brazil.
Maradona tried to make up for his own incompetence by playing in Rosario, where the crowd was supposed to be ardent. He tried to make up for his lack of coaching with a known centerback tandem. He tried to make up for his poor team selection with "experience" (Heinze) and domestic club success (Veron/Estudiantes). None of it worked. Despite a very strong, at times impressive, performance from Messi, he couldn't make up for a team that clearly doesn't know what or how it's playing. As if a further indictment was needed, Maradona didn't even have his best players on the bench. Other than Aguero, Lisandro Lopez, Higuain and Riquelme were notably absent. It was almost comical to see Argentina cross the ball, as if one of the Messi-Tevez-Kun combination was about to grow four inches in a split second. Diego Milito gave up the second goal when instead of one touching a ball in front of goal he settled it, giving world class keeper Julio Cesar enough time to close on the shot. Brazil, on the other hand, knows what it's playing at, as Dunga has engrained it into their DNA. Stingy at the back, somwhat flowing up top, but always organized, Brazil may not be as flashy as years past, but they're just as effective.
And so, Maradona and Argentina sit in fourth place, facing a stingy Paraguayan defense in Paraguay in a decisive match. Tevez is injured and a new goalkeeper will likely start for the albicelestes. The doubts, it seems, are piling up. A few months from now, we may recall this past weekend as one where we saw two stunning goals (Bendtner and Datolo) go in, but saw two stunning squads head out.
Many will argue that two players or teams don't make a World Cup. And for the most part they're right. But the truth is, a World Cup without Messi or Ronaldo wouldn't be quite up to par. It's the Stones without Jagger. A Ferrari without a stickshift. Peanut butter with no jelly. The Cup will always be about the best team in the world. But anyone who tells you it's not about the best players too is just in denial. Either Argentina or Portugal, or both, need to be in this World Cup. Anything less would be a footballing tragedy.
First off, Portugal. I watched bits and pieces of this game, and what was abundantly clear was this: Portugal created chances. Numerous, multiple, varied, and all shapes, colors, and sizes chances. But midfielders, no matter how good in front of goal, are not strikers. Look at the Dutch. Robben, Van der Vaart, and Sneijder can all score. But when a goal absolutely must be scored, they've looked (in recent years) to Van Nistlerooy, Van Persie, or Huntelaar. They are pure strikers. Not great striking midfielders. Simao, Deco, and Ronaldo all had good chances throughout the game, but until just-naturalized Portuguese Liedson equalized in the 87th minute, the Portuguese had put up a goose egg. The Portuguese press has not proven kind to either Queiroz or Ronaldo after the draw, as if this team needed any more pressure.
Now Portugal is truly on the outside looking in. Sitting fourth in their group with ten points, the Portuguese are behind Sweden (12 pts.), Hungary (13 pts.), and Denmark (17 pts.). They likely need all nine points available from the remaining three games, as well as some favorable results, and that's probably to enter the second place playoff. It looks very likely that the Portuguese and Cristiano Ronaldo will not be in South Africa next summer.
Argentina are in a slightly better position than Portugal, even after the manhandling received at the feet of the Brazilians Saturday night. The teams directly behind them lost, allowing them to remain in fourth place. Nevertheless, it was a sad spectacle in Rosario on Saturday night. Despite the albicelestes taking the initiative for the first fifteen to twenty minutes, after that it was all Brazil. The first goal was quite possibly one of the worst defended set piece headers I've ever seen in a top flight match. Luisao, the tallest player on the field, was completely unmarked for a ripping header. There wasn't an Argentine within four feet of him. Who to blame? How about Maradona, who instead of finding two center backs and molding them into what he wants, opted to use Velez Sarsfield's center back combination of Otamendi and Dominguez. Both are decent players, but neither was up to the task of playing against Brazil.
They play for Velez Sarsfield, and as such aren't used to the speed of players like Robinho (invisible), Kaka (magnificent), Fabiano (merciless), or Melo (effective). Fabiano's second goal really took the air out of Argentina, and not even Datolo's absolute cracker could make up for Brazil's absolute physical domination of Argentina. By the time Fabiano deftly chipped the third goal past Andujar (off a splendid pass from Kaka), the writing was on the wall. Argentina had improved in the second half, but certainly not enough to contend with Brazil.
Maradona tried to make up for his own incompetence by playing in Rosario, where the crowd was supposed to be ardent. He tried to make up for his lack of coaching with a known centerback tandem. He tried to make up for his poor team selection with "experience" (Heinze) and domestic club success (Veron/Estudiantes). None of it worked. Despite a very strong, at times impressive, performance from Messi, he couldn't make up for a team that clearly doesn't know what or how it's playing. As if a further indictment was needed, Maradona didn't even have his best players on the bench. Other than Aguero, Lisandro Lopez, Higuain and Riquelme were notably absent. It was almost comical to see Argentina cross the ball, as if one of the Messi-Tevez-Kun combination was about to grow four inches in a split second. Diego Milito gave up the second goal when instead of one touching a ball in front of goal he settled it, giving world class keeper Julio Cesar enough time to close on the shot. Brazil, on the other hand, knows what it's playing at, as Dunga has engrained it into their DNA. Stingy at the back, somwhat flowing up top, but always organized, Brazil may not be as flashy as years past, but they're just as effective.
And so, Maradona and Argentina sit in fourth place, facing a stingy Paraguayan defense in Paraguay in a decisive match. Tevez is injured and a new goalkeeper will likely start for the albicelestes. The doubts, it seems, are piling up. A few months from now, we may recall this past weekend as one where we saw two stunning goals (Bendtner and Datolo) go in, but saw two stunning squads head out.
Many will argue that two players or teams don't make a World Cup. And for the most part they're right. But the truth is, a World Cup without Messi or Ronaldo wouldn't be quite up to par. It's the Stones without Jagger. A Ferrari without a stickshift. Peanut butter with no jelly. The Cup will always be about the best team in the world. But anyone who tells you it's not about the best players too is just in denial. Either Argentina or Portugal, or both, need to be in this World Cup. Anything less would be a footballing tragedy.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
A Thrilling Experience
I'm not going to analyze the game because my co-contributors have already done so and there are a plethora of analyses elsewhere too. However, I do want to comment on how thrilling and satisfying a victory this was.
There's been a lot of discussion on where this victory ranks among the greatest US upsets. I'm certainly not old enough to speak to the 1950 victory over England, but I have witnessed all the victories since the 1994 World Cup. As an overall performance, this ranks up there as maybe the best (Colombia was beaten on an own goal, the first half against Portugal in 2002 was great, but the second half was a matter of hanging on by a thread, beating Brazil in 1998 was basically the result of one man - Kasey Keller - playing out of his mind).
The Portugal game elicited a pure joy because it was so stunning to go up 3-0 and it was so unexpected - the US was coming off the 1998 World Cup debacle, Portugal were heavy favorites, etc. The subsequent dos-a-cero against Mexico in the second round was not as thrilling but possibly more meaningful and brings greater joy to this day, at least personally, because it was a victory over our hated rivals on the biggest stage possible. This match didn't carry the significance of the World Cup and I think more is expected of the US than in 2002 (at least within the US soccer community). But the joy is just as great because of the who and how - the US beat the unquestioned number 1 team in the World, a Spanish side that is absolutely loaded from top to bottom, and the US tried to attack with purpose and produced good football. Furthermore, the heart and grit and determination was simply amazing, and it just makes me proud to support a team that can turn around its form within a week and produce such a display.
Unfortunately I had to watch the match from my office via ESPN360, and I missed out in sharing the experience at the side of fellow fans. But even just exchanging texts, IMs, and emails during the match, and the responses after the final whistle, you could feel connected to everyone else who was watching and could revel in the victory together as a community of fans having witnessed a moment that epitomizes why we are fans of sport in the first place, and of the beautiful game in particular.
On a side note regarding ESPN, there are many reasons to decry their coverage generally (and more specifically, how bad is their primary broadcast team, JP Dellacamera in particular) but I was happy to see the US victory as the lead story on ESPN.com and SportsCenter. Of course ESPN had to run a poll asking whether this victory made you care more/less/the same about US soccer. I hate those stupid polls because it just reinforces the idea that people don't care in the first place, but all those voters who say they will pay more attention to US soccer and the World Cup in the future, well I suppose I can only hope it turns out to be true.
There's been a lot of discussion on where this victory ranks among the greatest US upsets. I'm certainly not old enough to speak to the 1950 victory over England, but I have witnessed all the victories since the 1994 World Cup. As an overall performance, this ranks up there as maybe the best (Colombia was beaten on an own goal, the first half against Portugal in 2002 was great, but the second half was a matter of hanging on by a thread, beating Brazil in 1998 was basically the result of one man - Kasey Keller - playing out of his mind).
The Portugal game elicited a pure joy because it was so stunning to go up 3-0 and it was so unexpected - the US was coming off the 1998 World Cup debacle, Portugal were heavy favorites, etc. The subsequent dos-a-cero against Mexico in the second round was not as thrilling but possibly more meaningful and brings greater joy to this day, at least personally, because it was a victory over our hated rivals on the biggest stage possible. This match didn't carry the significance of the World Cup and I think more is expected of the US than in 2002 (at least within the US soccer community). But the joy is just as great because of the who and how - the US beat the unquestioned number 1 team in the World, a Spanish side that is absolutely loaded from top to bottom, and the US tried to attack with purpose and produced good football. Furthermore, the heart and grit and determination was simply amazing, and it just makes me proud to support a team that can turn around its form within a week and produce such a display.
Unfortunately I had to watch the match from my office via ESPN360, and I missed out in sharing the experience at the side of fellow fans. But even just exchanging texts, IMs, and emails during the match, and the responses after the final whistle, you could feel connected to everyone else who was watching and could revel in the victory together as a community of fans having witnessed a moment that epitomizes why we are fans of sport in the first place, and of the beautiful game in particular.
On a side note regarding ESPN, there are many reasons to decry their coverage generally (and more specifically, how bad is their primary broadcast team, JP Dellacamera in particular) but I was happy to see the US victory as the lead story on ESPN.com and SportsCenter. Of course ESPN had to run a poll asking whether this victory made you care more/less/the same about US soccer. I hate those stupid polls because it just reinforces the idea that people don't care in the first place, but all those voters who say they will pay more attention to US soccer and the World Cup in the future, well I suppose I can only hope it turns out to be true.
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