Sunday, March 28, 2010
What to Expect: GROUP A
South Africa:
Games: vs. Mexico (June 11, Johannesburg); vs. Uruguay (June 16, Tshwane/Pretoria); vs. France (June 22, Mangaung/Bloemfontein)
How they qualified: Being the host, South Africa is granted an automatic bid. Played numerous friendlies and lost in the Confederations Cup Semifinals to Brazil, who eventually went on to win.
World Cup History: They played in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups but failed to advance in both. They have an overall record of 1-2-3. Their only win was in 2002 over Slovenia, 1-0. The national team was greatly affected by the violence of the apartheid as teams were not allowed to mix racially. They were suspended by FIFA in 1976 and reinstated near the end of the apartheid in 1991. They won their first game back against Cameroon.
Player to Watch: Steven Pienaar. He is a midfielder and plays for club team Everton in the English Premier League. He has started nine league games this season, and had two goals and seven assists last season during league play.
Prediction: 0-2-1, group stage.
Mexico:
Games: vs. South Africa (June 11, Johannesburg); vs. France (June 17, Polokwane); vs. Uruguay (June 22, Rustenburg)
How they qualified: Finished second in Concacaf final round with a record of 6-3-1, right behind the United States. Won a big game on August 12 in Mexico City 2-1 over the US. Even with a musical chairs of coaches since the 2008 Olympics, managed to go 11-5-2 in all of qualifying.
World Cup History: Reached the quarterfinals in 1970 and 1986. They have appeared in the world cup 13 times. Mexico has qualified for seven straight tournaments but was suspended by FIFA in 1990 for fielding ineligible players in the 1988 Olympic qualifiers.
Player to Watch: Giovanni Dos Santos- 20 year old Brazilian born player, considered the future of Mexican soccer. He is quick, shifty and has great ball skills. His creativity makes him dangerous on all parts of the field. Currently on Tottenham's first team, but has had his struggles there. Has been highly praised by Thierry Henry. "He can, in two, three, or four years, be one of the best players in the world."
Prediction: 1-1-1, group stage
Uruguay:
Games: vs. France (June 11, Cape Town); vs. South Africa (June 16, Tshwane/Pretoria); vs. Mexico (June 22, Rustenburg)
How they qualified: Beat Costa Rica in two game aggregate playoff. Finished 5th in South American qualifying after losing to Argentina 1-0 on October 14 for the 4th guaranteed spot in the world cup.
World Cup History: Won in 1930 and 1950. One of seven nations to ever win it all. Ten total appearances. Did not qualify for the last world cup. They have also finished fourth twice, in 1954 and 1970. Early world powerhouse that has struggled to qualify in recent decades.
Player to Watch: Diego Forlan-Plays for Spanish Premier Division's Atletico Madrid. He has six goals in 11 league games this year. Last season, he received the golden boot for scoring the most goals by any European division player, with 32 goals. He led Uruguay with 7 goals in qualifying and looks to display his scoring prowess on the greatest soccer stage in the world this summer.
Prediction: 2-0-1, Lose to England in quarterfinals
France:
Games: vs. Uruguay (June 11, Cape Town); vs. Mexico (June 17, Polokwane); vs. South Africa (June 22, Mangaung/ Bloemfontein)
How they qualified: Thierry Henry's hand of God was barely enough for the French. They beat Ireland in the qualifying playoff series, which was under much scrutiny. They struggled early in qualifying, but won important games late to finish second behind Serbia in their qualifying group.
World Cup History: Won in 1998, runners-up in 2006 to Italy, 12 total appearances. A world powerhouse with great expectations. Despite world cup final red card in '06 Zinadine Zidane is a national football hero after winning the championship on home soil in 1998.
Player to Watch: Franck Ribery-Coming off of injury, Ribery did not play much in qualifying games. He plays for Bayern Munich of the German Bundesliga, where he is a creative and aggressive midfielder. In the 2008-09 season, he scored 9 goals and had 8 assists in league play. According to France great Zidane, Ribery is "the jewel of French football."
Prediction: 1-1-1, Round of 16 loss to Argentina
Games: vs. Mexico (June 11, Johannesburg); vs. Uruguay (June 16, Tshwane/Pretoria); vs. France (June 22, Mangaung/Bloemfontein)
How they qualified: Being the host, South Africa is granted an automatic bid. Played numerous friendlies and lost in the Confederations Cup Semifinals to Brazil, who eventually went on to win.
World Cup History: They played in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups but failed to advance in both. They have an overall record of 1-2-3. Their only win was in 2002 over Slovenia, 1-0. The national team was greatly affected by the violence of the apartheid as teams were not allowed to mix racially. They were suspended by FIFA in 1976 and reinstated near the end of the apartheid in 1991. They won their first game back against Cameroon.
Player to Watch: Steven Pienaar. He is a midfielder and plays for club team Everton in the English Premier League. He has started nine league games this season, and had two goals and seven assists last season during league play.
Prediction: 0-2-1, group stage.
Mexico:
Games: vs. South Africa (June 11, Johannesburg); vs. France (June 17, Polokwane); vs. Uruguay (June 22, Rustenburg)
How they qualified: Finished second in Concacaf final round with a record of 6-3-1, right behind the United States. Won a big game on August 12 in Mexico City 2-1 over the US. Even with a musical chairs of coaches since the 2008 Olympics, managed to go 11-5-2 in all of qualifying.
World Cup History: Reached the quarterfinals in 1970 and 1986. They have appeared in the world cup 13 times. Mexico has qualified for seven straight tournaments but was suspended by FIFA in 1990 for fielding ineligible players in the 1988 Olympic qualifiers.
Player to Watch: Giovanni Dos Santos- 20 year old Brazilian born player, considered the future of Mexican soccer. He is quick, shifty and has great ball skills. His creativity makes him dangerous on all parts of the field. Currently on Tottenham's first team, but has had his struggles there. Has been highly praised by Thierry Henry. "He can, in two, three, or four years, be one of the best players in the world."
Prediction: 1-1-1, group stage
Uruguay:
Games: vs. France (June 11, Cape Town); vs. South Africa (June 16, Tshwane/Pretoria); vs. Mexico (June 22, Rustenburg)
How they qualified: Beat Costa Rica in two game aggregate playoff. Finished 5th in South American qualifying after losing to Argentina 1-0 on October 14 for the 4th guaranteed spot in the world cup.
World Cup History: Won in 1930 and 1950. One of seven nations to ever win it all. Ten total appearances. Did not qualify for the last world cup. They have also finished fourth twice, in 1954 and 1970. Early world powerhouse that has struggled to qualify in recent decades.
Player to Watch: Diego Forlan-Plays for Spanish Premier Division's Atletico Madrid. He has six goals in 11 league games this year. Last season, he received the golden boot for scoring the most goals by any European division player, with 32 goals. He led Uruguay with 7 goals in qualifying and looks to display his scoring prowess on the greatest soccer stage in the world this summer.
Prediction: 2-0-1, Lose to England in quarterfinals
France:
Games: vs. Uruguay (June 11, Cape Town); vs. Mexico (June 17, Polokwane); vs. South Africa (June 22, Mangaung/ Bloemfontein)
How they qualified: Thierry Henry's hand of God was barely enough for the French. They beat Ireland in the qualifying playoff series, which was under much scrutiny. They struggled early in qualifying, but won important games late to finish second behind Serbia in their qualifying group.
World Cup History: Won in 1998, runners-up in 2006 to Italy, 12 total appearances. A world powerhouse with great expectations. Despite world cup final red card in '06 Zinadine Zidane is a national football hero after winning the championship on home soil in 1998.
Player to Watch: Franck Ribery-Coming off of injury, Ribery did not play much in qualifying games. He plays for Bayern Munich of the German Bundesliga, where he is a creative and aggressive midfielder. In the 2008-09 season, he scored 9 goals and had 8 assists in league play. According to France great Zidane, Ribery is "the jewel of French football."
Prediction: 1-1-1, Round of 16 loss to Argentina
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Why an American Football Fan should watch the World Cup
Take your helmets, beer bellies, kegs, steaks, burgers, and RV’s and throw them out the window because they have nothing on soccer fans around the world. Add your tequila, flags, bongo drums, international food selection, dancing, brawling and gorgeous women from around the world, and enjoy it while it lasts, because it isn’t coming back for another 4 years. The biggest tailgates in the United States will go from Thursday to Saturday at game time, and this only happens in the South. In South Africa this summer, fans from 32 different countries around the world will be tailgating and partying for 4 straight weeks. The atmosphere for each game is unlike any American football fan can imagine. The hopes and dreams of the players, coaches, and even their fans rely on the outcome of these games.
We here in the United States may not be facing this same feeling, but we weren’t during the Olympics either. The World Cup is another opportunity to rally around our country. This US Men’s national team, like the US Men’s hockey team, is an underdog with a shot; An unlikely contender with the potential to turn some heads. This past summer, in the Confederation’s Cup, another major international soccer tournament, The US team beat historical powerhouse and the #1 team in the World, Spain, in the semi-finals, and lost to Brazil, the #2 team in the world, 3-2 in the finals, after taking an early 2-0 lead.
Every game of the World Cup will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2, or ABC in HD. This alone should tell you the significance of the event.
For those of you who complain about the pace and the score of a soccer game, take a second and reflect on a typical NFL game. Generally, an NFL game will last 3 or more hours. The actual time of the game is 60 minutes. Because of the play clock, it is a fair assumption that there is only about 20 minutes worth of real action taking place in 3-plus hours. This is what I would call a slow pace. And don’t forget that nearly every touchdown scored is worth 7 points. That means that a soccer game of 3-2 is equivalent to a 21-14 game in the NFL. And if you would like to add field goals , we could include “near misses” in soccer as half a goal because, well, they got close to accomplishing their “goal.”
I understand that most of you American football fanatics have never played soccer, and find it hard to
enjoy. But as an athlete, or someone that has always wanted to be an athlete, nothing will intrigue you more than the passion and the guts that each and every one of these players will display in South Africa this summer. My favorite example comes from the 2008 Euro Cup when a Turkish player was asked to leave the game because of a bloodied gash in his head. He declined and instead decided to have his head stapled right there on the field.
If these reasons are not enough for you stubborn Americans, look at it as a rare opportunity to go to the bar, yell at the television, and have a few beers at noon on a Monday. You might end up having yourself a hell of a good time.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Computer Difficulties
As my computer is experiencing technical difficulties at the moment, I will not be able to consistently make new postings. PLEASE STAY TUNED the next for days for updates as I plan to start posting new and unique stories on teams, players, and venues in South Africa.
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