Looking forward from English Despair and American Regret

Before I get to the crushing losses of this weekend I will address the Dutch team, my adopted team for the remainder of this World Cup. As Ryan alludes to below, Arjen Robben must be deployed on the right where he is allowed to cut in on his left foot to create or shoot. This happened to great effect in Holland's game earlier today, a 2-1 victory over Slovakia, where Robben clinically finished his first real chance at goal and was only denied a stunning second by a diving save from the opposing keeper. The Dutch Gaffer, part of my All Name Squad, wisely removed the injury prone Robben with 20 minutes to go, preserving him for the mouthwatering matchup with Brazil. Related to Robben's age, apparently he joined the first team in Groningen, his first professional side, at age 16. He later made his debut for PSV in 2002, moving to Chelsea in 2004, Real Madrid in 2007, and finally to Bayern in 2008. For such a young lad, he really has been around the block (of European powerhouse club teams).

As a fan of none of the sides remaining in the Cup considering my English heritage and my American citizenship support avenues haven't turned out as planned, I vow to switch allegiance to the Dutch for this tournament. They have the attacking players in Robben, Kuyt, Sneidjer, Van Persie, Huntelaar, Babal, Elias, et al to score with the best in this tournament and a passing style that is pleasant to witness. Additionally, they tend to play 6 defensive minded players, with Van Bommel and De Jong sitting centrally in front of the back four making odd man rushes and counterattacking goals very unlikely. What was worrying against Slovakia today was the inability to score a second goal until the mid 80s when really the game should have been put to rest. Perhaps the players relaxed looking ahead to the Quarters but they escaped when Vitek scuffed his wide open shot directly at Stekelenberg midway through the second half. Mistakes like these will be costly against Brazil.

The make up of the Dutch starting XI bears resemblance to this Cup's Brazil side. Kaka, Robinho, Luis Fabiano, and Dani Alves (replacing the injured Elano against Slovakia) make up the attacking quartet while Ramires (replacing the suspended Felipe Melo against Slovakia) and Gilberto Silva (who never seems to get yellow carded despite the staggering number of fouls he commits) make up the defensive midfield in front of the back four. While the Brazilians likely have the attacking edge (not to mention history), Kaka has been underwhelming recently and Fabiano can be wasteful, it is always unwise to bet against the Samba Boys and their ability to score. The Dutch defense seems better organized, more physical, and less prone to space cadet moments (like when Brazil allowed North Korea to score in the last minutes of their match) than the Brazilian back line but again, it is true the Brazilians generally play up to their competition and will not likely have a defensive mistake in the quarterfinals- anyone who does would risk Dunga's fearsome wrath.

All in all this game seems to have classic written all over it. Both teams play the same formation essentially, both will try to possess the ball, pass around the opponent, and wait for the perfect time to pounce. Both teams are extremely organized defensively and rarely get caught out of position. Brazil likely has the edge at Keeper but it seems that Julio Cesar has been suffering from some back injuries recently so maybe the healthy Stekelenberg has the edge currently. Both benches have players that can come on and immediately change the game. It is too soon for predictions but if the Dutch lose, well, there is always Euro 2012, right? As I've blabbered considerably here I will leave the lack of English commitment, the question of To Capello or Not to Capello, and the disappointing US loss to Ghana for another column.

And as John Harkes, the one and only, would say, "He picked a really opportune time to score."

Thanks John.

- Matt

"It's crazy how good Robben is at 51 years old."

I'm quoting Scottie in the title of this post, but I think he's absolutely right. Arjen Robben is a monster on the right wing. The Dutch international/Bayern Munich winger absolutely terrorizes the flank, as evinced by his goal scored for the Oranje in this morning's match against Slovakia. His pace and touch are truly menacing, and although Bert van Marwijk had originally hinted towards using the naturally left footed Robben on the left wing to feed balls into the box, (rather than on the right, where he usually plays for Bayern) stating at some point something along the lines of "Well, Bayern are not the Oranje...". Looks like ol' Bert has changed his thinking since Robben's return from injury, as he has played him on the right not only against the Slovaks, but against Cameroon as well in their final group stage match. In the match against Cameroon, Robben helped facilitate a goal by taking much the same course he did today (where he scored), in which he swooped in from the right wing fooling the defenders, struck the ball with his left foot putting the ball off the post which was eventually put in by 'el cazador' (Klaas Jan Huntelaar).

Having watched each of the 4 matches 'Clockwork Oranje' have played in the 2010WC, it seems to me that if they're going to make a serious run at winning it all, Robben is going to have to keep up playing the way he's playing, while at the same time keeping that calf healthy. Also, the Dutch have put Liverpool striker/winger Dirk Kuyt (whose work ethic comes as a result of him being the son of a fisherman, as put by Martin Tyler) on Robben's opposing wing. Kuyt has a fantastic work ethic, and certainly gives his all when playing, but he just doesn't have the pace that a player like Elia adds towards the potent Dutch attack. I would hope to see Elia (or even Ryan Babel/ 'Babar' the elephant) on Robben's opposing flank when they match up against tournament favorites Brazil this Friday. This one's certainly shaping up to be a doozy, though.

Anyway, above I've provided a picture of Robben above for those of you reading this (Kristi) that don't know what he looks like. Let's just say looks can be deceiving... Per my wikipedia search, Robben was born January 23, 1984... which makes him 26?!? You have to be kidding me... He looks to be about 51, as Scottie put it. Absolutely ridiculous, seriously. What do you think he looked like as a 12 year old? Think they were serving him adult beverages back then? I bet they were... Anyway, I wonder what he's going to look like when he's actually 51? I'm going to put my money on him looking exactly the same...

Here's to hoping for an KNVB win on Friday,

Ryan

Uruguay are just like the Celtics

My favorite part of the knockout phase of the World Cup is that the commentators continually feel the need to explain how the knockout phase works. Believe it or not, Americans understand that in single-elimination competition, the winner is eliminated and the loser advances.

Also, did anyone else catch the announcer trying to make a basketball analogy in the Uruguay v South Korea match? He prefaced it with "Now I don't really know much about basketball or how it works, but..." He explaining how strong the Uruguayan defense is, saying, "Compare the Uruguayans to the Boston Celtics of basketball. I've been told they have strong defense, and that it was this defense that helped them win the 2010 NBA Championship." I hope Kevin "Anything is possible" Garnett was watching.

A primer for USA v. Ghana tomorrow for someone who has (hypothetically) not watched any of the matches...

By request (you're welcome Kritter), I'm writing on tomorrow's knockout round match between the USA and Ghana.

Where to begin?

Well, for starters (and the assumed reason from which I was asked to write on this stems), Wednesday morning's match between the US and the Desert Foxes of Algeria was watched by some 8.6 million Americans, numbers high enough to put it in the prime-time Nielsen Top 10. Not bad given that it was the middle of the week, morning, and people, allegedly, work in this country. The viewership of the first three US matches was up 68 percent from the three group matches of the 2006 World Cup, which means.... People are watching! Hooray!

Some thoughts on the match, and the Stars and Stripes chances, etc?

Well, this one's shaping up to be an emotional grudge match with a history of sorts. The US was knocked out of the 2006 World Cup by the Black Stars of Ghana with a crushing 2-1 defeat in the final match of the group stage. This leads me to believe the US will be seeking to return the favor to Ghana, dating back to the last World Cup. Ghana on the other hand, (given that Cote D'Ivoire doesn't somehow make it through the the Round of 16) is the only African side left of the 32 nations that started the tournament two weeks ago. Assumably this means that almost all of the African fans will embrace Ghana as their own side, and actively cheer for them, putting the US in a tough position with lots of vuvuzelas, noise, shouting, etc. It's a good thing the US has a fair amount of momentum going into the match with Wednesday's late minute heroics by Landycakes to put the US through to the next round at the top of the group, something which the US had not done dating back to 1930. Winning the group was important in the sense that, as previously mentioned, the US plays Ghana instead of playing an arguably better German side.

Some may say that the US got lucky by winning the group. I would argue against this. The US had plenty of opportunities to score in its matches against Slovenia and Algeria, and looked better in both matches (I would say) than did the Three Lions of England. The US should have won its second match against Slovenia, but was only awarded a draw when Maurice Edu's 86th minute goal was discounted on the meritless foul called by the (recently fired) referee, which would have easily put the US atop Group C. The US also had a goal waved off on the claim Clint Dempsey was in an offside position in its match against Algeria, and missed a few open net scoring chances that should have been put in, which made the 1-0 match that could have ended 3 or 4 - nil, appear closer than it actually was, in the realm of scoring chances that is.

The takeaway?

The US is a formidable opponent despite what some might want you to think, and certainly have a fightin' chance at advancing to the quarterfinals. (As if they need anything else as a motivating force) If the US were to make it through the the quarterfinals, they would face the winner of the South Korea v. Uruguay match, meaning that they wouldn't be matched up against a tournament juggernaut, yet, and would have a fairly good chance at making it to the semifinals (knock on wood).

The US is certainly capable of beating a Ghanese side with a ton of pace. Hopefully Bob Bradley doesn't play Onyewu again, as he seemed to be the player holding up the US defensive line in its first two matches (especially by way of his lack of pace that led to the playing of a poor offside trap that lacked obvious communication, as well as coordination essential to its proper working). Instead, (given than Jonathan Bornstein is a worthless goon) Bradley should start a defensive line of some combination of Bocanegra, Demerit, Spector, and Cherundolo, all of whom have better pace and agility than Onyewu. I would hope Bradley would start Edson Buddle at striker with Jozy Altidore. I say this because he started Findley with Jozy in the first two matches, and although Findley can turn on the jets and has some serious pace, it seemed to me that he lacked the confidence necessary to put one away, as he was constantly dishing the ball to other players to shoot when he made it to the 18 yard box, rather than taking shots on his own. I also hope Bradley goes with a more offensive minded midfield player to couple with his son, Michael Bradley (nepotism, I know), in the US midfield. This can be found in a player such as Torres, Edu, or Benny Feilhaber, all of whom have more creativity that Ricardo Clark.

If the US pushes effectively, plays solid, mistake-free soccer, is able to keep up with the legs and pace of Ghana, and keeps giving itself scoring chances as it has over the past 2 1/2 matches, it has a fantastic shot (knock on wood, again) at advancing over a certainly-capable Ghanese side.

I'm going to hold off on making any predictions on the match (I'm superstitious, sorry), but I hope this was in some way helpful. Hope your eyes will be glued to the ABC tomorrow morning at 11:30 Pacific Time/2:30 Eastern Time, mine certainly will be.

Please post, questions, comments, concerns, etc. if you have them.

Hoping for a (knock on wood for a third time) USA chant tomorrow,

Ryan

More on Eyebrows

I agree with Matt. World Cup pundits have not been paying enough attention to the critical eyebrow issue. Can you identify the world's biggest football stars, plus Benny Feilhaber, by their eyebrows?

Kaká wishes you good luck!

1. Cannavaro A.

2. Gerrard B.
3. Feilhaber C.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo D.

5. Robinho E.

6. Messi F.

7. Drogba G.

8. Ribery H.

Comment with your guesses. Also, how about these South American teams? Can Chile win Group H to make every South American team a group winner (assuming the obvious, that Brazil smoke Portugal)? Hey Cristiano Ronaldo: I love watching you flop your pretty face onto the grass every five minutes. You are extremely talented, and when you take yourself out of the game by trying to whine your way to victory, you actually hurt your team. Here's to Ivory Coast overcoming the nine goal...goal differential...differential between themselves and Portugal!

What is the deal with the Swiss Goalie's Eyebrows?

I'm not sure if anyone has noticed but the Swiss 'keeper has some serious eyebrows. Not like they are wise and bushy and white colored, like Merlin or my father, more like he gets them freshly waxed before every game. Maybe he thinks that if he needs to make a diving stop such finely coiffed eyebrows will lower air resistance, thus allowing him to make miraculous save after miraculous save. This is, by the way, how the Swiss managed to keep the score against Spain. As it turns it Benaglio is quite a stud between the posts, but something about his tan and eyebrows makes me think Jersey Shore rather than Swiss Alps, comprende? What are your thoughts on the Swiss Brows?














Sorry for going on a Perez like rant here, but I can't be helped. What the hell is wrong with this dude's hair? Is he going for the lobsided alien buttchin vampire look? If he is, damn I've got to respect that. Maybe Slovenian hair styles convey other qualities than I am accustomed to, so to any Slovenes out there- I'm sorry if I have offended you, despite this offensive hairstyle.

Does anyone need a change of pants? I do.

Can it get any more exciting than the games the last few days? Nigeria v. South Korea, France v. South Africa, USA v. Algeria, England v. Slovenia, and did I mention USA v. Algeria? All these games in the last two days had you on the edge of the seat. It looked like the Mighty Yanks might not pull this game out, especially considering the bevy of chances in both the first half and the second- Gomez's blast, Dempsey off the post, Buddle header straight at the 'keeper, Jozy blasting the ball over the bar, Clint snuffing a shot straight at the keeper, Bradley's fierce free kick, Clint's fantom offside goal in the first hald and others I'm forgetting. It must be said that Algeria played a very negative game (they committed 21 fouls) and didn't deserve to get anything from this match. The USA thoroughly deserved the win, outplaying Algeria in every facet of the game. Perhaps this is some soccer karma for the shall we say interesting refereeing decisions that plagued the USA's earlier matches. As a soccer fan in the USA I am glad the referees did not affect the outcome in the group as I fear that may have set soccer back in the USA for quite some time, in addition to inciting country-wide outrage. It has to be said- Coach Bradley played this game well- early substitutions for offense over defense in the second half and not waiting until too late to put on players that can change the game (Buddle, Feilhaber, Beasley). Well done, Bradley!

As an England supporter I happy for both the USA and England, who progressed with a 1-0 win over Slovenia (Defoe latching on to a nice cross midway through the first half). I am nervous about England for several reasons. Wayne Rooney had several chances he most certainly would have taken whilst playing for Manchester United yet he hesitated on several show attempts, allowing the defense to poke the ball away from behind. In addition he had a fantastic chance on a volley that they goalie did well to parry off the post. Additionally with three central midfielders playing in the 4-4-2 there is no natural width. The more I think about it the more a 4-5-1 makes sense (thank you Ryan for your suggestion). A midfield of Cole and Lennon on the wings, Gerrard playing the withdrawn striker position that he's famous for at L'Pool, with Barry and Lampard providing cover and passing in the middle. Ryan wisely pointed out the Rooney excels in a 4-5-1 with United where the wingers are heavily involved in link up play. We all know Rooney's unselfishness and the addition of Cole and Lennon on the wings with Gerrard able to link up with him seems to allow a more balanced scoring attack than relying on Heskey to knock the ball down to Rooney, Lamps, or Gerrard for a chance on goal. Then again, I am not the manager of England.

Here are my BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR ROUND 2:

Uruguay v. South Korea: 0-1

United States v. Ghana: 2-1

Argentina v. Mexico: 3-1

England v. Germany: 2-2 during regular time. England win 4-3 on penalties, revenging years of heartbreak to the Germans.

Please post comments!!

If Uruguay and Mexico Decided to Tie

So, as I assume you all know, Mexico and Uruguay have essentially gotten through to the next round, with only certain absurd goal differentials rendering possibilities for France or South Africa. I have certain hopes for South Africa to pull off a four – nil win, but who are we kidding. And the French, well, I’ll only express my views on the French in public, but as a hint I was rather delighted with Thursday’s rubbing…and they were ranked two in the world…

Anyways, babbling aside, (speaking of refs who I wouldn’t mind seeing, well, cease to exist after the U.S. match, but I’ve already heard these sentiments three times in the last hour after the match and I work in an office –everyone is apparently hard at work – so I won’t bore you with more rants) I have been thinking about what might happen in the Mexico Uruguay match next week…I mean, if they tie they both move on, and what would send a better message of political solidarity from Latin America than a truce to move ahead together. So, here goes.

The vuvuzuelas have already began their deafening blare from the confetti colored stands. Mexicans are double-fisting budweisers, already two verses ahead of their national anthem. The Uruguayans eyes have become glued to the big screen where the cameramen have taken to scoping out the most beautiful girls in the audience. Mexico wins the coin toss and we are off, Dos Santos already with an early attempt up the middle, seeming to be duffed, landing right in the Uruguayan keeper’s hands.

But, instead of kicking the ball off up field, he points into the crowd and blasts the ball up into the stands, sparking a shower of blue, white, green and red confetti to be strewn over the field by the fans. Dos Santos rips off his mask to reveal he had been Diego Forlán the whole time. The fans start hopping the fence, stripping into their dance clothes, and the two DJs who had snuck up into the commentator’s booths plugged in the speakers that had been laid out around the stadium and announce the take-over. Ray Hudson, who had been hanging out in the booth, however confused at first, goes with it. The lights suddenly go out.

Shining in a spotlight that had been brought in by a spectator, Juanes falls down from roof, hooked up with cords, let down atop the Mexican side’s goal, and begins singing “Ayer me dijiste que tú me quieres, pero todo fue mentira,” as strobe lights began the party. Lions in cages appear from the locker rooms. The field has become filled with the fans and those who haven’t taken off their shirts take off their pants and once Juanes finishes they begin tangoing in unison, a seemingly odd structure amid this chaos. Doug, an American spectator, turns to his buddies and says, “Fuck it,” stripping completely naked and running into the crowd screaming. As Diego Maradona bends back to clear the limbo, Zaira Nura turns her head in disgust, whispering under her breath, “Ew, disgusting.”

At the ninety-minute mark, everyone calmly disperses out of the stadium, clearing their confetti as they leave.

England Spineless versus Algeria in 0-0 Draw.

England put in a display worthy of an MLS team against a determined and organized Algerian side fighting for their World Cup Lives in the two sides' 0-0 draw earlier today. The big news for England before the game was that Rob Green was replaced in goal by David "Calamity" James- not a move that inspired confidence in any England fan. The other change in the squad was replacing the ineffective, and injured, James Milner with the newly fit Gareth Barry. The Lampard- Gerrard- Barry midfield served the team so well in qualifying yet all three players lacked energy, finesse on the ball, and that killer final ball they are all three known so well for. Algeria, to their credit, played very well and didn't sit back and wait for England to possess the ball. On the contrary, Algeria maintained the better part of the possession in the first half, with England's midfield struggling to maintain possession and Heskey and Rooney up front showing poor control and decision making. Algeria played a several dangerous crosses into the box during the first half although the best chance came to Lampard in the Algerian's box when his left foot volley careened off his shin guard and was well saved with a dive to the left by the Algerian keeper (playing his first full international). The first half ended with little else of interest.

The second half saw the early substitution of Wright-Phillips for Lennon, a seemingly zero net substitution unless Lennon was carrying an injury. The midfield looked more dangerous and England had a string of corners yet no one could get a clean look, neither with a header nor on a second ball after the corner. Heskey seemed to tire quickly in the second half, begging for a substitution which came in the name of Defoe, preferred here to Crouch. Defoe provided energy and played a good link up with Gerrard (I think) that nearly provided England's opener but for some great last gasp defense by the Algerians. Surprisingly England's outside backs, Johnson and Cole, were largely ineffective in overlapping runs by a well run Algerian midfield and defense. When England did break forward and gather a rush of steam the final touch often let them down, as it did to Rooney on several occasions as well as Johnson on a number of crosses from the right. To make matters worse, Carragher was yellow carded, ruling him out of the third, and crucial, game against Slovenia next Wednesday. England are through if they win as Slovenia will remain on 4 points, regardless of what the USA does against Algeria. An England tie and a US win puts the USA and Slovenia on to the second round.

After watching this frustrating game I am trying to think of what is wrong in the England squad. Their players obviously have got talent to play with the best teams in the world. It seemed as if England had figured out a winning combination based on their excellent record during some tough matches in qualification; however, their play thus far has shown little conviction, desire, creativity, or raw determination to win the games, let alone any 50-50 balls or balls in the air. The USA displayed incredible grit and effort in its come back tie (should have been a win if not for the third goal being controversially disallowed) that seems to demonstrate exactly what England lack. Capello's formation that worked so well the last several years can't be blamed as the results have been impressive overall. Are the English players, used to playing high pressure games every week in the Premiership, wilting under the pressure of 50 million viewers at home? It seems so, even with David Beckham and his dapper gray suit and Princes William and Harry in attendance today. The player I am most disappointed with (don't start me on Mr Green)? Wayne Rooney. He's got the touch that strikers across the world are jealous of, he's got the heart of a lion, he's tireless, fearless, and he had a great season at Manchester United. To be fair he is coming off a few injuries and is only just regaining his fitness but as England's best player ( I don't think there is any doubt about that now) more is expected of you. Rooney needs touches on the ball to integrate the midfield triumvirate and link up with the wingers and outside backs. Knocking the ball long to Heskey can create instant offense but it is extremely easy to defend, particularly with Heskey and the Roonatic going 2 v. 4 much of the time. Increasing Rooney's touches in the midfield allows Stevie G. and Lamps to make their attacking runs they are so well known for and opens up space for Lennon, Cole, and Johnson to get into the channels in the defense. Unfortunately Rooney hasn't shown the passion for which he is known when he suits up for United. If England have any chance of beating Slovenia, and of advancing beyond the second round, Rooney better decide to play like he wants to win every ball and Capello better cook up something to galvanize the English locker room to want to win (much like the US demonstrated against Slovenia) rather than relying on the merits of their talent to passively carry them through.

Please comment with any disagreements or omissions I may have made.

Fearing an Epic England Collapse,

Matt

Madmen

With all of the press surrounding the Diego Maradona and Leo "Messi"ah led Argentina team, I want to weigh in on two competing systems of football. Namely what the 1970s dutch "sexy football" team embodied versus the traditional italian style.

After watching the Argentina-South Korea match this morning, I think I have an idea why--despite all of their defensive frailties and Maradona's apparent insanity--Argentina has the potential to succeed. Maradona's lineup only consisted of four so called defense-minded players as he managed to have Messi, Higuain, Tevez, Maxi and Di Maria on the pitch at the same time. The reason that this works (I think) is that Maradona is letting his players have fun. He has opened up the lineup to allow bold creativity and flashy offensive play. Messi has achieved some of the form that he shows consistently in Barcelona, and for the second straight game he inspired his Argentina team. Today in the New York Times, David Brooks (however much it pains me to agree with him) has an interesting view about soccer:

"Soccer is a sport that rewards neurotic creativity. Many of the greatest players have been marginally insane. They see a situation unfold before them and they respond in unpredictable ways, not straightforward ones. Their neurons are just a bit off."

My initial reaction is to disagree, considering it a bit harsh, but then I think... Zidane, Maradona, Ronaldino, Rooney, Ronaldo (Both the tranny-hooker and the Paris Hilton versions). Brooks may have a point, and Argentina may have a chance. With Maradona at the helm he will take some media pressure off of his team by being insane, but in the meantime will give his offensive geniuses the freedom to express their own creativity.

Also, I see this as America's biggest deficiency (Sorry landy cakes). The US is a team defined by tenacity and the mentality that sum of our parts is greater than our individual talent. Big, fast, athletic players are the ones who make it into the national team. Without a culture of kids playing in the street and showing one another up with fancy moves, personal creativity gets stifled at an early age with the "everyones a winner" mentality in AYSO. Jose Francisco Torres, Clint Dempsey and Benny Feilhaber are the closest thing the USA has to mad geniuses, but there touch is lacking. I don't know how or when or if this creative force will develop in America, but I wouldn't favor our chances of making a deep run in the World Cup without this type of player.

Of course people can say that Italy won it last time by curbing personal initiative and acting as a disciplined unit. But, that's boring and for our sake I hope we get to see a team led by a madman make a good run. Vamos Espana, Chile y Argentina!

Angry Fans Hang S.A. – Uruguay Ref Busacca from Swiss Scarf

Just kidding. But I wouldn’t be surprised if we see those headlines tomorrow.

In case you didn’t watch the game, South African keeper Itumeleng Khune was given a red card by the Swiss referee Massimo Busacca in the 76^th minute. Star forward Steven Pienaar was then taken off to make room for the inexperienced replacement keeper Moneed Josephs, who was immediately beaten by Diego Forlan’s penalty.

I am a South African national, and although I’ve spent the better part of my life outside of the Rainbow Nation I feel I need to say a couple things about what this means for our nation, and the game at large.

Admittedly, we didn’t play very well today. Nonetheless, the two goals that we conceded in the last ten to fifteen minutes of the game were salt in the wound for the nation at large. Forlan played well, but his cracker of a goal was only so because of the deflection it took. A draw would have kept us in the running for making it in to the next round, and even a 1-0 loss would have made it easier. Now we stand a good chance of being the first host nation to not make it through the group stage.

All because of some pussy-ass dive. Listen, footballers: this isn’t the NBA, or even the Screen Actors Guild, so stop acting like you’re reeling in agony when you just got clipped. Theatrics just slow the pace and flow of the game and tinge it with dishonesty. Yes, Suarez was the last man and he was tackled but there was no need for him to cringe and dive like he just got tased. If you fall, fall. But don’t go searching for set pieces by making it a bigger deal than it is. The red card was undeserved.

Which brings me to my next point: Massimo Busacca, you’re an asshole. Yes, maybe Switzerland did beat Spain and maybe you creamed your pants a little, but that’s still no reason to go flashing reds and yellows for shits and giggles. What, you think this is just a game?!

In my post-game fury I google-searched Busacca. I didn’t find out his address, or the name of his wife or first-born son, but I did find out that Mr. Massimo has a little record for pulling this type of crap. In the 2006 World Cup, Busacca awarded a penalty kick and a red card to the Ukrainian Vladislaw Vaschuk when they played Spain, allowing the Spaniards to sail to a comfortable 3-0 win. Upon further review it was found that there was indeed no physical contact in the penalty area.

Busacca is also known for being a little bit of a wildcard. He was banned after giving the finger to a group of heckling fans at a Swiss Cup match. And worse, he also took a piss ON THE FIELD while officiating a Qatar Stars League game last year. Busacca, you disgust me.

Tonight, the ceaseless buzz of the vuvuzela’s will be quieter than usual. Not only will today be remembered as Youth Day, commemorating the 34^th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising in which thousands of students protested the apartheid education system, it may also be the day that South Africa lost it’s place in the 2010 World Cup to the hand of senseless adjudication. Our next match, and the last of the group stage, will be against the French. Our chances are slim, but looking at the way the French have been playing so far, there’s still a glimmer of hope.

AMANDLA!

Mr. Tesh

No, fuck YOU Massimo!

Thoughts on vuvuzelas and La Furia Roja, among other things

As of today, the first set of matches has come to a conclusion. Whoda thunk that the Swiss would have knocked off the Spanish to grab three points and the leading spot in Group H along with Chile? Not me, that's for sure. Seems like la furia roja was trying to play the beautiful game, perhaps, a bit too beautifully. They had quite a few chances from in or around the 18 yard box, the best of which were Pique's 24th minute attempt on goal (in which he had a difficult time finishing against the Swiss keeper Diego Benaglio), Iniesta's pass to David Villa in the 45th minute (in which Villa chipped the ball across the box, with no one waiting to finish) and Xabi Alonso's screamer off the bar in the 70th minute. The Swiss nearly scored a second goal in the 73rd minute, putting a ball off the post that was eventually cleared by the Spanish defense.

It seemed as though the Spanish team just never quite found their rhythm in the presence of the stout Swiss defense. I also got the feeling, while watching the match, that the Spanish offensive thrusts were missing something with Fernando Torres absent until he was subbed on later in the second half. Although to be fair to Spain's manager, Vicente del Bosque, when niño Torres did come on, he looked a bit rusty due to having not played for the past 2 months (I'm a subscriber to the 'Samson' theory here, where Torres has lost some of his touch due to the cutting of his golden locks... Feel free to disagree, if you please. He looks like a goon with that new hairdid). Hopefully (for Scottie, and the nation of Spain's sanity) La Furia Roja will come out and play a better match when they face Honduras next Monday. Also, the Swiss have not given up a goal in world cup play in 490 minutes, so we'll see if they can keep up the streak... For a more enjoyable match, I sure hope they don't.

On to more important matters... Vuvuzelas! There was recently talk about FIFA taking steps banning the horns after numerous complaints on the part of fans and players alike. I've given this one some thought, and although the BUZZZZIIIINNNNGGGG made by the horns can be irritating at times, I think it's all in the fun of hosting the tournament on the African continent and I'm pleased FIFA has allowed them to stay. As one South African put it in a recent interview I read, "Going into the stadium without the vuvuzela really is like going to war and being unarmed." I'm not quite sure I'd take it THAT far, but again, the tournament is in South Africa, and it would be pretty pathetic to tell the local supporters they couldn't partake in something engrained in their cultural/sporting history (Imagine someone telling you, you couldn't go to Celtics game and get absolutely tanked, or that you weren't allowed to buy $8 beers at a Patriots game... You'd be pretty angry, I bet.). The BBC is allegedly doubling its audio filters as to help alleviate some of the buzzing on the video feed, as it received over 500 complaints regarding the noise-makers during the broadcast of the first match.

Anyway, if you can't take the constant buzzing while watching the matches, some tech savvy folks on the interwebs have found a way to ease the constant buzzing on the ear:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk5cnCGgq0I&feature=player_embedded

Hope it helped if you really don't like the noise, but I think everyone should fully embrace it (like Max, and his 'vuvuzelas for life') and watch the WC, vuvuzelas buzzing and all.

As for tomorrow's matches, it seems like the first match, South Korea v. Argentina, and the final match, Mexico v. France, are going to be pretty interesting. South Korea look pretty fantastic in their first match, as did Argentina (albeit Argentina only scored one goal, thanks in large part to the heroic efforts of the Nigerian keeper), while France looked, as always, dysfunctional and flat in its first match, and Mexico looked decent in their opening match draw against the emotionally charged efforts of Bafana Bafana.

I'm going to put my money on the Argentines scoring upwards of three goals, with Diego Milito starting over Higuain. While, I think the South Koreans are going to put in at least one, if not two, with both teams eventually making it out of the group to the round of 16.

Aso for the other match, eh, I'm going to say France jells a bit better than last time, getting a goal, but in the end they lose to the Mexicans 2-1. We'll see if Giovani Dos Santos, with his hairband and child-like facial features, is able to lead Mexico to a win.

Predictions? Comments? Concerns?

Soccer gods, please help heal Timmy's ribs,

Ryan

All World Cup 2010 Best Name Team

In celebration of the first few days of games I'm going to publish my First Team All World Cup 2010 Best Name Team. And yes, it does say 'team' twice in the award so deal with it. I'll opt for the traditional 4-4-2 formation; however, if there is a tie at a certain position I reserve the right to have multiple players at a given position in the squad. Here we go:

Goalkeeper: Hans-Jörg Butt (Germany). How can you go wrong with the hyphen, the umlaut, and the reference to the gluteus maximus? I think you know the answer.

Goalkeeper (Hon. Mention): Faouzi Chaouchi (Algeria). Say whhaaaaaaattttt? Does his name rhyme or is that just how I'm saying it in my head?

Goalkeeper (Hon. Mention 2): Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Japan). He was the starter at the 1998 and 2006 games for Japan, has played for Portsmouth in the Premier league and is now a backup at the age of 34 to starter Narazaki.

Defender1: Oh Beom-Seok (South Korea). Again, I'm a sucker for hyphens. And when your first name is the start of an unimportant sentence in the English language, I know you’re a winner. Also there are 7 players with the first name ‘Kim’ on the South Korean team so I give Mr Oh here some love for being original.

Defender2: Patrick Mtiliga (Denmark). Not part of any games for the Danes during qualifying, Mtiliga made the team after impressing for Malaga this season.

Defender3: Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Greece). I don’t think this needs explanation. You can always count on the Greeks for some great names and they did not disappoint us here.

Defender4: Waldo “Waldonator” Ponce (Chile). Great first name, great nickname, shares a birthday with Jay Z. He’s a winner.

Defender (Hon. Mention): Avraam Papadopoulos (Greece). Although originally born in Australia, he now plays for the Greek giants Olympiakos.

Defender (Hon. Mention): Souleymane Bamba (Ivory Coast). La la bamba, la la bamba . . .

Mid1: Jesper Gronkjaer (Denmark). Very manly last name, not so sure about the first name though.

Mid2: Jean Beausejour (Chile). His father was thought to have died in the earthquake in Haiti, but thankfully he later turned up alive. I like names with 6 vowels and 4 consonants, although I can’t pronounce them.

Mid3: Romaric AKA Christian Koffi Ndri (Ivory Coast). Clearly, his nickname follows from his given name.

Mid4: Aleksandar Radosavljevic (Slovenia). If I had a nickel for every time I wished my name had the letters ‘v’, ‘l’, and ‘j’ consecutively in my name I’d have one nickel. He has played for sides Triglav Kanj, Celje, Shinnik Yaroslavl, and Tom Tomsk, among others.

Mid (Hon. Mention): Demy De Zeeuw (Netherlands). His name is enhanced by being born in Apeldoorn, Netherlands

Striker1: Maxim Choupo-Moting (Cameroon). He lost a little name credibility when I found out his first name was Eric, but overall I think this is a great, and regal at that, name from front to back. Gotta love the hypens.

Striker2: Prince Tagoe (Nigeria). Tagoe has run the gamut and player in countries from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Ghana, and Germany. Originally diagnosed with a heart condition when he went to Hoffenheim, he was later allowed to play after team doctors medically cleared him. Gotta root for this type of guy- he’s been all over, great name (Prince Fielder has nothing on him!), and all kinds of adversity.

Striker (Hon. Mention): Georgie Welcome (Honduras). Known for his eye catching finishing in the Honduran leagues, Georgie, at 6’4”, will undoubtedly give defenders trouble. Not to mention the plethora of puns that are available if he scores.

Manager: Bert van Marwijk (Netherlands).

Assistant: Hun Jung Moo (South Korea). Moooooo. Seems an affable guy, and who wouldn’t be after his team demolished Greece 2-0 (should’ve been more like 5 or 6-0).

In case one of the managers loses their voice: Tie: Pim Verbeek (Australia) and Matjaz Kek (Slovenia). I’m not sure if they speak the same language(s) but they surely did give their elementary school teachers a tough time during attendance.

Interesting link to how much each World Cup 2010 manager gets paid:
http://www.just-football.com/2009/12/world-cup-2010-managers-salaries-aka/

Hope you enjoyed the column!

Praying for Rooney’s Ankle,

Matt

It's Ayoba Time! From the Mother Land!

Hello lovers and friends!

Please do not hate me too much, as we are all soccer/futbol lovers here and united by one ball...but I am in South Africa until July 9th!  I am attending several matches and taking in all the incredible sites and sounds of this amazing country!

I'm Max from Hartford, CT.  I graduated from BU last month with the BU folk on here and think about you all daily on my journeys.  I am also disappointed with everyone picking England over USA... : )  Gotta have faith....it would be an incredible country if there was a Bufana, Bufana vs. USA final here(if it is technically impossible...please don't mention it to me...I believe in dreams)
...and I believe!  Yes we can! 1-1 drawn to the red coats is a great beginning!


Anyways...I would love to get technical and analytical, but there is time for that later, wifi here can be expensive!

...for now, think of me as an obnoxious field correspondent...Matt and Prab know I can probably embrace that role pretty well...and also, I

for starters...check out my blog...I upload videos of my journey every day...let me know what you think!  Let me know what you want to see/hear/read more about!

maxcondren.com

Team Donovan vs. Bafana Bafana in the Final!  I was on the Cape of Good Hope two days ago so I have have plenty of hope!

Enjoy this month everyone!  The best month that only comes every four years!

Vuvuzelas for life,
Max

Are These 'The Times That Try Men's Souls'?

I can't believe I woke up at 4:30am Pacific Time to watch the South Korea v Greece match, only to find that I had missed Lee Jung-Soo's 7 minute goal due to my own utter incompetence in the realm of being able to wake up in a timely fashion. The takeaway from this: Living on the earlier end of a time difference AKA 'The Past' is the worst... or, maybe I should just set my alarm for a few minutes earlier.

Nevertheless, I figured now would be a good time to reflect upon the day's eagerly anticipated festivities. After an interesting first day of play that saw everyone in Group A snatch a point (be it through unmitigated grit and pride for country as was the case for the South Africans, through squandered chances of what could have been in Mexico's case, or through defensive desperation against talented dysfunctionality as was the case in Uruguay v France) the day which we have been impatiently waiting for since the draw on 4 December of last year, has finally arrived. This is also the same affair that the ABC family of stations has been selling to the public in the form of a commercial that likens today's on-the-pitch quarrel to that which took place over 235 years ago by way of narration from Thomas Paine's pamphlet The American Crisis. I'm not sure that ESPN/ABC should be going about it in quite this manner, but I have to say that I am nonetheless INCREDIBLY excited to watch Clint, Jozy, and the boys go up against the English juggernaut which fields players from teams that I watch bright and early (Thankfully not 4:30 am early) each and every weekend.

My thoughts/predictions on today's match? Well I'm going to guess that Bob Bradley and Fabio Capello both go with that which got them here, namely a 4-4-2. My guess for the US given the past few weeks of play would be along the lines of this:

Altidore and Buddle up top (given that magnificent performance against Australia), a midfield of Donovan and Dempsey on the wings behind them with Clark and Bradley in the middle, followed by some combination of Bocanegra, DeMerit, Spector, and probably Goodson given that Onyewu's prolonged fitness is questionable at this point, with Timmy Howard in net. If the US plays patiently, with a stout backline, I think they have a solid chance of grabbing 1, or perhaps even 3, points from this match. They would have to play mistake free for all 90 minutes given the talent found amongst the ranks of Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard, Cole and company.

England will go with a 4-4-2 as well, I assume, looking something like this:

Rooney, and in all likelihood Heskey up top with Crouch being subbed in later, followed by a midfield of Lennon on one wing, with a combination of Gerrard, Lampard, and one would assume Joe Cole, given Capello's selection of him to the England squad, in the midfield, with a backline of Glen Johnson, Terry, A. Cole and Ledley King due to Ferdinand's injury, with David James in goal. England's problem could lie in their lack of a holding midfielder like Gareth Barry, who is not available due to an ankle injury. This means that Gerrard, who has been playing on the wing for the Three Lions, will split time in the middle with Lampard (both of whom are essentially attack minded, albeit the former to a greater extent than the latter). Assuming that they are able to deal well with the US attack in the absence of Barry, England should walk away with 3 points given the abundance of talent on the squad.

My Prediction for the match is as follows:

Although I will be actively cheering on the boys of the Stars and Stripes later this afternoon at an English pub in Pasadena, CA, for I'm neither a summertime soldier nor a sunshine patriot, my better judgement tells me to pick the Cross of St. George.

England 3 v USA 1 (With the USA goal coming from Dempsey, and the English goals coming from Rooney, Gerrard and second-half sub Peter Crouch)

Hopefully it's a fantastic match with both teams playing well and living up to high expectations held by many. And maybe, just maybe, the US will pull out 3 points, for as Paine writes, 'The Harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.'

I'd love to hear everyone's predictions.

Enjoy the match (and it's almost time for Lio to put on a show against Nigeria),

Ryan

South Africa 1-1 Mexico

Hi everybody! My name is Eric, and I’m friends with Matt from high school. For the first two weeks of the World Cup, I’ll be writing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where I’m staying with my girlfriend and her family, who only have basic cable—no ESPN. In Wisconsin, football is played with your hands, and cheese is worn on the head.

Today I woke up 15 minutes into the first half of the opening game and scrambled to find it online on ESPN3 (formerly ESPN360). After 10 minutes nursing my 4-year-old laptop (80 in tech years) through the simple tasks of opening the internet browser and getting to the website, I was horrified to find that my girlfriend’s family’s internet service provider does not allow video to be streamed via ESPN360.

I gave myself a couple of minutes to hyperventilate—no World Cup for two weeks? What should I do? Would the fall from my second-story window be enough to end it all? I didn’t have a car to drive to any nearby bars, but even if I did, what kind of impression would it make on her family if I ran off from 6 AM to 3:30 PM every day to watch something besides the Packers? More importantly, where could I get a car, and was there a bar within walking distance?

As my panic subsided, my brain started to think. If I couldn’t watch the games on the internet, couldn’t I just watch the games on…the internet? Yes. Justin.tv. If you haven’t heard of it, hear of it now. It could very well save your life, or at least save you a couple of bruises and the embarrassment of having your girlfriend’s family peel you off their backyard lawn. Justin.tv is a website that posts links to illegal internet broadcasts of all kinds of wonderful gooey TV goodness, including the World Cup.

Once I had sifted through a couple broken links, I found a feed from China, or perhaps Japan. Somewhere probably not in Wisconsin, regardless. Only 40 minutes of the game had gone by—40 scoreless minutes. Sweet Pele was smiling down on me from in front of his TV somewhere in Brazil.

The game was a joy to watch, even if I couldn’t understand a word of the play-by-play. In fact, I rather enjoyed not having to listen to the commentary. It was soccer at its purest, seen and not heard. From what I could tell, the announcers became excited when the goals were scored, which seems natural when you think about it. Also, although Chinese characters are vastly different from English characters in design and mode of representation, the word “live” is written exactly the same in both languages.

Both teams played fast, open football. Tshabalala’s goal for South Africa at the 55^th minute was the stuff of legend. He ran full-speed onto a great feed from many yards behind and pegged the ball right across the keeper into the upper-right hand corner. South Africa goalkeeper Khune also impressed, flying to the near post to deflect a laser from Dos Santos just five minutes later.

Mexico’s goal in the 79^th reflected a lapse in the South African defense more than a quality offensive development. Khune never had a chance as an unmarked (unmarqued?) Marquez buried home from nearly point-blank range. Well played by both teams, though I would’ve tipped South Africa for the win if only based on number of impressive offensive opportunities (though Mexico certainly wasn’t lacking in this category).

Tomorrow I’ll be watching Argentina v Nigeria and USA v Uglyland, full games this time instead of just the second half. Go USA and Argentina!

Happy World Cup Eve

My name is Jimmy Kuo and tomorrow I graduate from college.

But more importantly,

Tomorrow the World Cup starts.

The first game is mere hours away and I can’t wait for South Africa to pull off a draw against a technically gifted Mexican side.

I also can’t wait for France to get beat out of the group stage on a blatant handball in the 90^th minute (but that’s for a separate post).

There’s not much to say now but I wanted to introduce myself to all four followers before the first kickoff.

I have picked USA (against all rational thought) to win the whole tournament because I’d really like to force the rest of the world to call it soccer.

I will be blogging from Washington D.C. for the majority of the tournament and thankful that I don’t have to wake up for 4:30 am kickoffs (the Premier League is in off season and we all deserve some sleep). However, I think adapting your sleep schedule to South Africa time is a wonderful idea.

Happy World Cup eve everyone!

Jimmy Kuo

First Day Predictions?

In less than 24 hours the 2010 World Cup starts!! In celebration I've decided to post my first day picks (Mexico v. South Africa & France v. Uruguay). In my real bracket I've got Mexico as the first qualifier in group A and France as the second. This could potentially set up a juicy encounter between France and Argentina in the second round. Anyways, on to the picks:

Mexico 2 V. South Africa 1

France 1 V. Uruguay 1

There it is. Let's see all your picks too!

Matt

The Great American Soccer Conspiracy

When I first came to this beautiful country a mere nine years ago I was immediately thrown in to a sporting universe completely alien to me. Baseball, (American) football, and basketball were a long ways away from cricket, rugby, and footy – the colonial sports I knew so well in England and South Africa. At lunchtimes I was relegated to the side of the asphalt, watching as all the other kids played basketball and cursing the day I came to this stupid-ass country.

Back then my one saving grace was after-school soccer (which, as a snub to the name-changing elitism of American culture, I will from now on call football – it’s real fucking name). In South Africa, and even England, none of the schools I went to ever had organized football teams. It was always left either to epic lunchtime games on the green, or after-school pick-up matches with a crushed-up Coke can (yeah, I’m hood. What of it?).

Things are more legit here. FIFA estimates that about 18 million Americans play the game today – more than any other nation in the world. And with the relatively low price of football becoming increasingly attractive to schools with tight budgets that number is on the rise.

But why? If America took the time to create and cultivate it’s own athletic niches, even having the balls to deem them globally competitive (World Series my ass), why not stick to its own games?

Think about it: while the U. S. of A. may have global hegemonic power, with an economy and a military industrial complex that doesn’t come close to being matched by any other nation in the world, it still suffers from a crippling football impotency. No matter how baller we are – baseballer, American footballer, basketballer, big money baller – the fact that we cannot dominate the international football stage leaves us feeling a little like Kobe Bryant with whiskey dick.

Dominating the football world would not only alleviate a cultural helplessness long felt by American football fans, it would also, in a very real sense, mean global dominance. Being the rulers of the most popular sport in the world would extend our power out of the economic and military spheres, and in to the athletic/cultural sphere.

Who knows? Perhaps politicians are plotting The Great American Soccer Conspiracy as we speak. As America becomes increasingly international, both in its domestic diversity and the way in which it deals with the outside world, it is now being forced to play the games other counties play. Bernard Mergan, professor of American Studies at George Washington University claims that “[w]e have been unduly nationalistic and ethnocentric about our professional sports, looking down with some condescension on other cultures that do not play, or come up to our levels, in football, basketball, or baseball. But they, in turn, perceive us as less than civilized because we can't play soccer with them or even discuss it intelligently.”

Indeed. Gone are the days of American exceptionalism, in both a political and sporting sense, and America is in it to win it.

At least 130,000 World Cup tickets already have been bought in the U.S., more than any other country outside South Africa. There is also now a huge domestic demand for football to be shown on T.V. Initiative Sports Futures, a London-based analysis firm claims that the U.S., having ranked 23^rd in World Cup viewing in 1998, jumped to 13^th in 2002, and 8^th in 2006.

And the U.S. team has performed in tandem with demand. In the 2002 World Cup they somehow made it to the quarterfinals, eventually losing to hosts and fourth-place runners-up South Korea. After coming last in the Ghana-Italy-Czech Group of Death in the 2006 World Cup, the U.S. made a spectacular bid for the Confederation Cup last year, beating top-ranked Spain in the semi’s only to lose their two-goal lead in the second half of the final against Brazil. This year, there are high hopes for the Yanks to up the ante.

But try as they may, the U.S. football team will NOT win the World Cup. At least not this year anyways. If they did, chances are angry football fans from across the globe would lash out, ramming vuvuzela’s in our George Bush-loving asses and choking us with their national flags. The fact of the matter is, Amurrka just isn’t considered as freakin’ awesome to foreigners as it is to its patriotic inhabitants. In fact, empirical evidence has shown that many people in other countries actually think we’re ignorant douchewad’s. WTF??

Right now, football is America’s main global concession (That, along with having a black president in a country run by old white men). Bar the financial crisis, the U.S. is still just about pwning every other country. Being shite at footy gives the rest of the world some cultural weaponry, no matter how futile.

But if the U.S. isn’t going to dominate the World Cup athletically, it’ll sure as hell do so economically. Aside from Coca-Cola being the official soft-drink sponsor (the Third World loves that shit), Budweiser has won the coveted bid for official beer sponsor. During the Confed. Cup the company cut a deal that made sure Bud Diesel was the only beer that could be sold within a 5-km radius of the stadiums.

Luckily, Bud has loosened the restrictions since then. Germans reacted angrily to Bud’s 2006 World Cup beer monopoly, with one university student even setting up a website, BudOut, to slander the ‘dishwater’-making brewery, calling Budweiser’s exclusive rights "an insult to beer lovers, taste buds and football fans." Bud seems to have taken the hint, and this year will allow other brewers to sell their beer around the stadiums.

Economics aside, it’s only a matter of time before the Great American Soccer Conspiracy is realized. In their book Why England Loses, Why Germany and Brazil Win, and Why the US, Japan, Australia, Turkey — and Even Iraq — Are Destined to Become the Kings of the World's Most Popular Sport, authors Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski single out wealth, population size, and a nation’s experience with international football as the primary indicators of future success. America only lacks the latter.

If, however, for some absurd reason – extraordinary luck, extraordinary skill, or a deeply entrenched and widespread plot on the part of the U.S. government – Landon Donovan you find yourself about to score the winning goal in the dying seconds of this year’s final, do everyone a favor and take a fucking dive. The world doesn’t need America running around and kicking everyone’s ass in sports too.

Too Many Games for Players at Big Clubs?

In light of Arjen Robben's hamstring injury picked up in the friendly with Hungary (a 6-1 win by the Netherlands) I have listed below the total number of games that several world-class players have played in the 2009-2010 season.

Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan, Netherlands): 46
Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool, Netherlands): 57
Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich, Netherlands): 43 (would be significantly higher if not for another injury earlier in the season)
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United, England): 55
Frank Lampard (Chelsea, England): 64
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool, England): 52
Jermain Defoe (Tottenham, England): 50
Peter Crouch (Tottenham, England): 53
Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea, France): 60
Patrice Evra (Manchester United, France): 62

Are there too many games for the top class players? The players listed above often play in 3 tournaments for their club team (the league, the league cup, and the champions league or Europa League) meaning that they play on the weekend for their club team and in midweek for one of the other tournaments. Over the course of games from September through May this takes a toll on players bodies and their ability to heal from injuries. As an avid England supporter, I worry about the likes of Rooney (who never wants to sit on the bench even if he is injured), Lampard, and Gerrard staying fit for the group stages. Rooney has struggled with injuries, likely because of overuse with Manchester United, in recent months (groin, ankle, thigh) and appears to just be getting back to 100%. only 6 days before England's crucial first match with the USA. England are a completely different team with Rooney at 100% and as a long suffering England fan it would be great to see the whole team (with the exception of Ferdinand and possibly Barry) at full strength.

The question I'm really getting at is should there be a cap on the number of games that players can play for their club teams? This could be regulated monthly, yearly, per competition or otherwise. Another piece of the puzzle is the amount of travel that can be required for these tournaments (not to mention the ridiculous and suicidal pre-season tours many top teams partake in during July and August). A cap seems to be in the best interest of both club teams and national teams, assuring the best players are fit for the most important games. I do realize that for many club teams not playing their best player or two means losing money (ticket sales, TV rights, winning smaller tournaments, etc) and has other negative affects such as not attracting top class talent to that team; however, my visceral, England-centric, reaction is that there should be a cap on games to protect players (and fans!) and help prevent them from long term injuries (and depression, in the case of the fans).

What are your thoughts/opinions/concerns/questions/smack talk?

Matt

Live from Cape Town

Whats up y'all,

Just wanted to extend a thanks to MFlem for allowing me to become a part of this blog as I'm pretty fired up about the World Cup, especially since I'm spending my summer working in Cape Town and going to some matches.

I got into Cape Town about a week ago and its been a blast so far, the city is beautiful and I'm going to need a second liver by the time I leave this place as they party pretty aggressively. It should be a great site for some potentially awesome matches. The matches that I'll be heading to are England vs. Algeria, Cameroon vs. Netherlands, Round of 16 in Cape Town (G,H), Round of 16 in Joburg (A,B) and possibly the quarter final in Cape Town. My goal is to provide an account of these actual matches, as well as what the scene is like around both Cape Town and when I visit Joburg.

You can already see a buzz in Cape Town as its the most popular world cup match site out of the 7 cities and tourists are really starting to flock in. The first match here is France vs. Uruguay on Friday and the city will pretty much be shut down. Theres a 2 mile path called "Fan Fest", which leads up to the stadium on the waterfront and will be filled with vendors, bars, and jumbotrons for people to watch the game.

A few of us tried to go see the stadium a couple days ago, but were denied by security as they are still doing some construction in the area. From what we saw, its an awesome looking stadium and being right on the water doesn't hurt. It seems like the World Cup has allowed Cape Town to do a lot of work/construction that was needed, which should go up to the last second before being completed.

Bafana Bafana (The Boys), is the nickname for the South African soccer team and they are well supported in the country. After meeting some locals, I'm really hoping they can emerge out of Group A although they're clearly not predicted to. I think if they beat Mexico on Friday, it could become a real possibility and I can tell you that its going to be mayhem around here. An interesting fact that people keep pointing to between this team and the rugby team of 1996 is the rugby team had all white players except one black player and this team has all black players and one white player. Race is an extremely prevalent issue here and people are very open talking about it, but I think if the SA team does well it could really increase the spirit and ease tensions in the country. Most of the locals say that if South Africa doesn't emerge, that they will support any African team that does. The USA is generally not well received around here, as you barely see any American flags but do see the flags of many other countries. Either way, my hopes are starting to increase for our team especially after Buddle and Gomez tore up Australia yesterday but our defense is still really sketchy.

My main question is whether people feel that Onyewu should start against England? I'm really liking how Goodson is playing so I think Onyewu should ride the pine but when he's on top of his game, Onyewu does make our D much stronger. Clearly, Bocanegra should be playing left back so hopefully we shore up our D before the England match which I cannot wait for. Theres a few interns from England in my program as well so the trash talk will certainly increase as we start getting towards the game

Anyway, I'll hope to post again after this first weekend of matches and look forward to hearing from other people on the blog. Hopefully, no more marquee players get injured as its starting to affect the chances for certain teams. USA! USA ! USA!

Cheers,
PD

Does Drogba out mean 'Twinkle Toes' and Portugal are in?

So, seeing that Didier Drogba has broken his arm, and has told his Cote d'Ivoire teammates that his World Cup has come to end, is the Portuguese door now open? (Especially after reading the Sports Illustrated article attributing the end to civil war in the Ivory Coast solely to the efforts of Drogba) I had chosen the Elephants to get out of Group G, the infamous 'group of death', ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portuguese football squad, as well as the DPRK. Given the current set of circumstances, does the Ivory Coast, now led by Kalou and Toure, have it in them to advance to the Round of 16? Or, perhaps, will their captain throw on a club cast of sorts, and play with a broken arm (something that would not surprise me in the least)?

Anyway, the bigger question here is what happens in the grand scheme of the World Cup Finals if Portugal makes it to the Round of 16 by snatching the second qualifying position in their group behind Brazil? This leads to a knockout stage matchup of H1-G2, or in layman's terms, an Iberian Peninsula showdown, namely (given that everyone assumes Spain will finish first in Group H) Spain vs. Portugal. Given that in a grudge match such as this, the outcome is incredibly difficult to predict with tension and emotions running high for all parties involved, this could certainly lead to busting a whole bunch of brackets. Although the Spanish team can field two entire midfields comprised of world class players with the talent on their roster, one can never count out the crafty Portuguese led by their Captain, (and arguably the world's best player) Cristiano Ronaldo, especially in a battle for glory and bragging rights, just like the match that the loss of Drogba potentially sets up later this month.

May the soccer gods heal Jozy's ankle,

Ryan

(Post your comments, thoughts, concerns etc. I'd love to hear them)

Welcome Jimmy Kuo!

To welcome our newest correspondent, Jimmy Kuo, he'd like me to share his favorite waving flag video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XOAkbrUYAk

Get pumped!

PS- I can't get the hyperlink to work right now but I will ASAP

Get Inspired!

Quite simply the greatest song on earth about the greatest footballer on earth (and no I don't mean Landon Donovan).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlEe7eFXzm8

USA v. Czech Republic May 25, 2010, Hartford, Conn

Here's a simple throw in from our side. The Hartford Stadium is a great soccer stadium- very few bads seats and it's a bowl so it really feels like you are in on the action.

USA scores first! Maurice Edu tapped in from close range after a nice ball played on from the left wing from a free kick. Buddle didn't offer much up front in the first half but Gomez came in with energy in the second half and played well.

Here Steve Cherundolo AKA Dolo (thanks, P Scott Chandler) takes care of the ball on the right wing. He's got Spector behind him and Holden offering support in the middle. It seems that Dolo will be the starting right back- he's played solidly in the warm-up games and Spector has been horrible.

BU grads, & non BU-ers too, World Cup 2010 Blog Kick Off

Hi All,

Here's the first post for the World Cup 2010 Blog from BU graduates!! We have two in country correspondents, Max Condren and Prabhat Dhar, and numerous soccer fans here in the states. We will have a unique take on WC2010 because the members will be blogging from several cities in the US, including San Francisco, Boston, and Washington DC, as well as live from South Africa! I'll let the rest of the group explain their allegiances and what games they will be watching. I'll post pictures to get us all stoked on the Cup and we can take it from there! Can't wait for June 11 at 10am ET/7am PT!

Long Live Wayne Rooney,

Matt