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June 2006
Germany’s dream, Argentina’s nightmare
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Off the Ball figures that the only worse way to determine the outcome of a game than penalty kicks is college football’s overtime rule.
Some think the way Germany and Argentina played in their quarterfinal match Friday made PKs an especially appropriate clincher. Still, the soccer gods always seem to rain down a cruel, mysterious fate, and that’s all OTB can point to for Argentina’s no-show from the spot as Germany moves on following a 1-1 draw (4-2 pens.).
And what about that fracas between the two teams afterward? That’s the sort of stuff that goes on in the stands and the streets. Ah, those wide, lovely, cafe-lined boulevards of the German capital is where OTB is spiritually habituating right this moment, far adrift from her physical proximity on the decidedly unlush Marietta Street.
Ah, to be strolling gaily along the Ku’damm right now, or sidling up to the outdoor patio at the famed Hotel Adlon, ordering up a Berliner Kindl or three.
Seriously, what can Germany do for an encore after this? After falling behind for the first time in the tournament, Klinsi’s boys tied it up as Klose finished off a double-header play, set up on a terrific cross by Michael Ballack.
No matter what Germany does after this, Klinsmann has been a raging success, and it will be hard to hail him as anything but the rest of the way. It might be hard to pry him away from this job now. Even Beckenbauer can’t touch him with criticism.
Flag-waving and American-style patriotism have never been post-World War II staples in Germany, but that’s not going to be the case for the next few days as Germans revel in an unexpectedly strong Cup showing.
Argentina looked like the best team at the Cup, but had to dig out a tough second-round win over a Mexico team that often looked stronger. Ayala and Cambiasso have to wonder how they managed such weak attempts on PKs, and what it was about their attempts that keeper Jens Lehmann read like a beach novel. He was there almost before the balls were struck.
Next up for Deutschland: a Tuesday semifinals date in Dortmund against Italy, which drilled the Ukraine 3-0 thanks to Gianluca Zambrotta’s inspired performance. Say what you like about Team Italia, but these guys have had to play against a gloomy backdrop. Zambrotta was one of several team members to spend a day this week in Turin after ex-Azzurri international Gianluca Pessotta fell from the Juventus HQ building in a likely suicide attempt related to the growing Italian match-fixing scandal. He’s not implicated in the mess, but may have felt heavy pressure as an interim replacement in the Juventus front office, which is at the center of the probe.
Saturday is the end of the road for England, most likely, but don’t be surprised if revved-up France has a surprise or two waiting for Brazil. The champs are coming under heavy fire for not playing all that pretty, or convincing. Only perfection will do.
And the Brazil mystique is starting to become a bit of a bore. Even Roberto Carlos says The Beautiful Game is a marketing contrivance.
Know what’s been the one of the most beautiful things OTB has seen during this Cup? An ad from Brazil’s Nike archrival adidas, with the two kids picking up dream team side in a dusty Barcelona sandlot, until little Jose’s mother wrecks it with a shriek from the balcony. This is what it’s all about, soccer kiddies in the USA — dreaming — and playing unfettered, not in the Elysian Fields of Westchester via minivan, etc. Think the coaching directors and resident moms and dads of Precious Cargo Youth FCs in America will take the hint? Don’t expect that.
And when the poster boy for American soccer isn’t about to challenge himself beyond his own comfort zone, then what can you expect, really? Especially when he admits that he wasn’t ready to play in the World Cup.
Donovan hides out in his first game back with the L.A. Galaxy, sitting not on the sidelines in support of his teammates but with his actress girlfriend in a luxury box. And he’s skipping the ESPYs because “I don’t want to get asked questions.”
It’s time to get a new poster boy.
Here is Zinedine Zidane coming out of retirement when he clearly wasn’t crazy about the idea, putting up with more humiliation and criticism than Donovan could ever dream of, and enjoys a few moments of glory against Spain. He’ll be a banged up for Brazil, but nothing will keep him from being out there. Like Jose’s sandlot pal, I’d pick him on my team every time.
Forget the New World Order
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Have some Latin American housemates and you’re bound to get the fútbol bug. This is what really turned Off the Ball on to the beautiful game, and it’s been exactly 20 years ago that her formative experience was burnished in the climactic match of the World Cup in 1986.
So OTB is in a mucho sentimental mood as Germany and Argentina are set to kick off quarterfinal play on Friday, a rematch of that final in Mexico City. Given that OTB’s bloodlines run Teutonic, she was the only person in the household pulling for Der Mannschaft, which was a bit barren that year as the brilliant Jürgen Klinsmann was a Cup away from having his impact, much like he is now in directing the side in a rather un-German way.
Those with whom she domiciled during this time were from the decidedly non-footy nations of Venezuela and Guatemala, as well as Chile, which had a pedigree years ago but has been a minor player of late. No matter, as they all shouted “Argentina! Argentina!” while the brilliant Diego Maradona hoisted the Jules Rimet Trophy.
And you think cheating and shabby refereeing are all the rage now in ‘06? Don’t forget, ‘86 was the Cup of Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God” goal against England, as well as a second strike against Old Blighty that ranks among the best in the game’s history. Instead of expressing guilt and remorse for his (mis)deed, Maradona further enraptured his part of the world by triumphantly giving his clearly illegal score an unforgettable moniker.
This was a very instructive lesson to OTB about the bonds of language and culture, and the pride of a region oft-colonialized but with its own distinctive manner of besting the Old World at its own game.
More than anything, however, this matchup is a harbinger of today’s World Cup talking point: The old powers are back!
Yes, the establishment footy media have been yapping for four years that the ‘02 Cup was a fluke, with South Korea and Turkey reaching the semis, and USA! USA! getting to the quarters, good heavens. The Argies and French went home early, and irate Italians protested their premature ouster by naming a row of flush toilets in Sicily after the referee who dared to let somebody else win.
Now in ‘06, the ship has been righted, as only newcomer Ukraine joins the fray with seven of the more venerable sides on the planet, and obviously this is cause for celebration. We are told that 10 of England’s starting XI are healthy, as it was not last time, given an extra week before the start of the Cup. Yes, this is essentially the lineup that was expected. Some say that’s exactly the problem with England.
It also helps to have this in Europe, where most of these players are based, rather than schlep halfway across the world. Last time, there were so many whiny babies complaining about having to travel so far. Let’s see, OTB’s flight to Tokyo was 15 hours, and then another two or so to Seoul, with a few hours of layover time in between. Not exactly like boarding Hooters Air to Myrtle Beach.
Here’s your daily Beckham-coming-to-the-States-someday fix. OTB can just hear his opening statement at the press conference now: ‘I’ve always wanted to a New York Red Bull, and Posh is fine with it too.’ On the other hand, some think The Bend It Boy is all washed up, but they must not be watching the World Cup. He’s the main reason a crap-looking side have gotten this far.
And his nation’s continued existence in the tournament undoubtedly is a boon to Germany, which supposedly is being drunk dry of beer by the Inger-landers.
Germany drunk dry of beer? Italy running out of pasta — and dive-bomber strikers?
Never!
Prosit! And enjoy the quarterfinals!
The agony of withdrawal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It ought to be the second half of the second game of the day from Germany, but instead the only thing flopping on the telly is coming out of the Braves bullpen. Ken Ray had his rude awakening just now, courtesy of Jason Giambi, and we’re in extra innings.
Now it’s Scott Proctor’s turn. Marcus Giles a solo shot? Say whaaaaaat?
Short-lived. A-Rod does it to Sosa. Seen this movie before. Ends the same way.
Off the Ball talking baseball during the World Cup? Sacrilege! This is because she is going through severe, severe withdrawal today, and probably will again on Thursday, since the World Cup is taking a couple of days off before the quarterfinals. How dare them!
This is cruel. This is mean. This is agony!
At least it is during worktime hours, where Off the Ball has no excuse not to get something constructive accomplished. Part of that duty today is to monitor the daytime events at Yankee Stadium, where the Braves actually won last night. She calls it the Miracle on 161st Street.
Actually, it’s a miracle Off the Ball didn’t call in sick today to catch up on World Cup games on tape she’s missed. Still haven’t seen the Maxi Rodriguez goal for the Argies vs. Mexico, nor the second half of Italy-Australia. So she’ll rev up the VHS and see what all the fuss is about.
Three days later, and the floperooski by Italy’s Fabio Grosso is still inflaming global ire. Except in Italy. And did you know that “Grosso” is Italian for “fat?” As in, Fat Fabio Flops Furiously. But being the amoral soul that she is, Off the Ball didn’t protest, since Italy is the only team she has left in the cup pool.
Here’s a somewhat amusing defense of soccer divers that Off the Ball suspects is more devil’s advocate sophistry than anything else.
This is good analysis on the officiating crisis and the lineup of referees for the quarterfinals, plus the 14 whistle-blowers who had the whistles blown on their Cups.
Anybody Down Under gonna flog Guus Hiddink for saying the same thing about Aussie footy that The Bruce says about the Yank game?. Ah, but he’s headed off to Russia, where such dissent can be a little more dangerous than it is in say, Melbourne.
All of a sudden, Frank Deford is starting to take off the blinders about certain American sports traditions that largely go unchallenged on these shores. Yes, national anthems do make perfect sense at the World Cup and not at a Marlins-Tigers game, and enough with the fighter jets flying over the stadiums.
Off the Ball cringed at the ‘99 Women’s World Cup when U.S. naval jets screeched over the Rose Bowl. Why weren’t the Chinese jets invited? And why did FIFA allow this jingoistic display to take place at all?
If your withdrawal, like mine, still can’t be treated by the above, contemplate this possibility: It’s only two years from Euro 2008. In Austria and Switzerland. Off the Ball watched footy mate Marco Sloquinho’s eyes pop out of their sockets when she presented him with that tidbit of information.
I’m there.
Arena football’s time is up
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Off the Ball was in a very snarky mood, and was going to blog to that effect, when more blistering criticism of Bruce Arena hit the fan today. And hard.
It jolted all the snark in Off the Ball’s being, in fact, which was saying something for this day. MLS commissioner Don Garber, who’s normally a pretty mild-mannered guy, at least in his public pronouncements, didn’t hesitate to pull any punches, did he?
Memo to U.S. Soccer Federation head Sunil Gulati: If this episode doesn’t signal the end of the Arena era, I don’t what else would. Off the Ball can see no way that he can continue to coach the national team, even if he wants to. Not with these latest remarks, and the response to them.
“If I were him I’d take a deep breath and think about what I say before I criticize anyone in American soccer,” Garber said, sounding almost as blunt as Eric Wynalda, who in his ABC/ESPN studio stint has torn into Arena more than he ever did while playing under the ill-fated Sampson regime. Waldo is the Snark Boy on this subject, and he does it so well.
This is getting ugly, folks, but it was bound to happen if the U.S. flopped at the World Cup. Arena nearly lost his job a couple years back for pointed remarks about the MLS and American soccer development that alienated far too many important people in the sport in this country.
The Bruce won a reprieve, but in that time those folks have been busy sharpening their knives. Now they are out, and they are ready to use them. Arena is not wrong in saying that top American players will get the best competition in Europe — hello, Landon Donovan? — but it’s all in the delivery.
And in this World Cup, it didn’t seem to matter where the U.S. players were playing club soccer. Donovan was a no-show, but Claudio Reyna, who’s never played in MLS, made a crucial defensive mistake against Ghana. DaMarcus Beasley’s European experience has done him no good, while MLS up-and-comer Clint Dempsey was the most inspirational player Arena had.
In pointing out the obvious — that MLS is a good foundation for players who ought to get their butts overseas if they’re good enough — Arena once again got under the skin of the top American domestic league that spends an enormous amount of energy defending its limitations.
No doubt MLS has more than a little angst about losing Freddy Adu to Europe after the season, since he’s a year away from being eligible to play professionally there. Get a few months’ work in with the junior and reserve team, make a good impression, and get thrown out there when you’re 18. Will it face the prospect of a humbled Donovan trying to latch on in Europe a third time? It’s gotta be heavily on their minds.
These topics continue to be very hot ones on XM Radio’s generally solid World Cup coverage, especially the nightly call-in show with Dave Ungrady and Garth Lagerway. These guys are sharp, without Wynalda’s snark, but they hit away on many of the same points.
If there is a coaching change, Off the Ball nominates Wynalda. In some ways he’s even more direct and piercing than Arena, and still is the all-time U.S. goals leader. If Jürgen Klinsmann can shake up Germany the way he has, with little or no coaching experience, why not Waldo and the Yanks?
As for today’s final second round games, how fabulous is it to see Zinedine Zidane enjoy some farewell glory in a terrific comeback win over Spain?
And Ronaldo may finally have silenced his critics, and not just in becoming the all-time World Cup goals leader. Not bad for an out-of-shape fatso. When you’ve got that skill, no slim, trim Yank lad can ever measure up. Maybe we can learn from that before the century is out.
Thanks to Ghana for sparing the U.S. an almost certain humiliation.
Seeing red, and a seeing-eye goal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AP / The red card issue at the World Cup has become a fiasco.
The most red cards ever at a World Cup, and it’s still in the second round. You wanted crackdowns, FIFA, and you got it. But what a fiasco!
Off the Ball thought some of the refereeing in 2002 was a travesty, but it was mere offsides calls and the like then. This one is about sending players off and taking the fate of the World Cup out of the hands of the players. The uneven nature of so many of the bookings and ejections is what ought to concern FIFA even more than rough play.
Then again, the Solons of World Soccer are interested more in appearances than in actually curbing the rough stuff on the field. The effect of the incoherence of these calls is to make teams totally confused and even fearful of how to play the game. Cards are being whipped out before warnings are given. Giving little room for the referee’s discretion has been a disaster, and it’s all FIFA’s fault.
In its typically irresponsible way, FIFA didn’t give referees much direction on how to set the tone for games, on how to defuse the hotheads before they do something deserving of a card. It’s book-em or bust, with the greater fear for referees not being assigned for later games in the tournament. An inflexible law-and-order approach is ruining what’s been a pretty terrific World Cup otherwise.
Having said that, all of the admiration Off the Ball ever had for Luis Figo has evaporated in that footy farce on Sunday. Portugal’s iconic player should have been sent off for a nasty head butt, then got away with faking a cleat to the face later on. He went down as though he were clipped by a Dutch sniper while charging A Bridge Too Far. Referee Valentin Ivanov only inflamed matters with each booking, and the second yellow issued to Deco should have been kept in his pocket. A single-game World Cup record for yellow cards (16) and red cards (4). This lunacy made Italy-USA look like a Norcross Youth Soccer Association U-12 tussle.
So FIFA Boss Man Sepp Blatter has a lot of nerve saying that Ivanov deserved a yellow card himself. FIFA is solely to blame for such a sloppy, unnecessary string of events, but as usual it will continue to exist in denial of any culpability.
Whether Deco — whose suspension is being appealed — or the injured Cristiano Ronaldo are available for the quarterfinals, Portugal may still have enough to finally put an underwhelming England side out of its misery. So much talent, and so little to show for it.
The best way to enjoy England is to watch it among ex-pats, which Off the Ball did on Sunday at Atlanta’s soccer mecca, where the overflow crowd howled “Rule Brittania” when not swearing at Sven’s Men.
After David Beckham’s sizzling free kick goal, Off the Ball’s colleague Marco Sloquinho, an ardent Anglophile, was nearly in tears. Almost as much as he admitted to being when he stepped foot recently in Munich’s famed Hofbrauhaus, the worldwide headquarters of the Church of Beer.
“That ball had eyes,” Marco Sloquinho quipped, sipping on his Stella Artois. “Big, black, BEAUTIFUL eyes!”
Yes, but Becks was a sick boy at the time, suffering from dehydration on a very hot and humid day in Stuttgart. Off the Ball found a picture his actions shortly after the goal, and wished she hadn’t. At least not before lunch. England’s queasiness, Off the Ball opines, doesn’t appear to be a momentary condition.
As if all that weren’t enough, how about the way Italy — aka the Naples Racquet and Diving Club — pulled its chestnuts out of the fire against a more deserving Aussie side on Monday. A PK by Francesco Totti on the last play of the game, in the fourth minute of stoppage time. The 10-men Azzurri survive, just barely, and the only thing that Off the Ball liked about it is that Italy is the last team she still has alive in her World Cup pool.
It was hard not to call the PK, but damn, the referee deciding another game! And what a horrible, tragic way for the gutsy, appealing Socceroos to get sent home. Oy oy oy!
Scouting the Sweet 16
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Enough pouting about FC Yanks, with this final exception that sums up how a lot of us feel. Right on the money, something Donovan was not in the World Cup.
And kudos to Claudio Reyna, who has called it an international career but said he will continue his club career in England. Landon, are you paying attention?
The group games were terrific, for the most part, so how much better can the knockout stages be? Even better, if some of the matchups live up to their billing. Here’s a schedule of events.
The Germans start off with the Swedes feeling pretty elated by all that Klinsi has done for them, but it could be end of the line rather harshly if the result doesn’t follow an easy slate of group victories for the hosts.
Later Saturday, Mexico plays Argentina, which might well be the end of the line for CONCACAF. The Argies have better than anybody, and although Borgetti is slated to return for Mexico, there’s a lot of firepower to counter.
On Sunday, Off the Ball wants to see England fans suffer in the Ecuador game, regardless of result. Especially with Sven supposedly offering up yet another formation — a 4-5-1. Has he been talking to Bruce?
The Dutch and Portuguese also square off Sunday, with both games consisting of a mini group of death, given the matchups.
Italy seems like and overwhelming favorite against Australia, but Guus Hiddink’s men didn’t give Brazil a half-bad effort in group play. Switz vs. Ukraine? Toss up.
Brazil ought to bring Ghana back down to earth, and France vs. Spain on Monday could be the end for Zinedine Zidane, who was given a reprieve after watching Les Bleus beat Togo Friday to advance. Don’t see his side being able to counter a hot-looking Spanish side, Friday’s blah-blah effort against the Saudis aside.
The quarters look even more mouth-watering: Off the Ball thinks it will be Germany vs. Argentina; Italy vs. Ukraine; England vs. Holland; and Brazil vs. Spain.
And here’s the Final Four: Argentina vs. Italy; Holland vs. Brazil.
Yes, the prospect of a South American final looms, but I’ll hold off making a predix until we get closer.
What’s next for U.S.?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AP / California resident and Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann has been frequently mentioned as a possible successor to Bruce Arena -- if the job comes open.
While listening to World Cup coverage and talk-show analysis on XM Radio has been a godsend for the most part, there is a cheerleading quality to some of the commentary, at least when it comes to the American team, that has gone beyond irritating.
In the wake of the U.S. elimination from the World Cup on Thursday by Ghana, former Major League Soccer player Manny Lagos sounded absolutely perky and euphoric about the “American style of play” and the “American mentality” that he says is responsible in part for the progress of the national team in recent years.
While the improvements are hard not to notice, it’s also not all that difficult to vivisect the notion that there is a distinct American style, and that our attitude toward playing a game that the rest of the world has mastered a long time ago can add something significant to the equation.
These pronouncements sound tinny and naive, and unfortunately they may persist even with the cold slap in the face issued to American soccer in Germany ‘06.
First of all, even Bruce Arena has said there is no American style of play. One of the most difficult aspects of his job, other than finding enough players capable of competing at the World Cup level, has been to find players who have learned the game the same way, much less at the same pace. For starters, we don’t have the homogenous culture of Italy, or Germany or Brazil or Holland that has dictated how soccer players develop in those countries.
This country is too vast and the soccer community too fragmented for any singular style to be created. Especially when our best athletes are long gone into other, more lucrative sports. Arena has been forced to take whatever he can get. While he made plenty of mistakes in this World Cup, he didn’t have many alternatives to experiment with.
As for the “American mentality” that Lagos can’t shut up about, I wish he’d elaborate on how it’s helped, if at all. Yes, Arena has done well understanding the culture from which his players have emerged, and using that as a motivation for an undertalented squad. But what the U.S. national team program needs — as much as better, more creative players WHO CAN SCORE GOALS — is a mindset that goes far beyond what we’ve concocted here.
I’m not sugggesting Arena walk the plank, as some angry posters to soccer message boards have been doing for the past day. But American soccer has to break out of a comfortable cocoon, an illusion that we’ve got everything we need to succeed internationally right here at home.
It’s not good enough any more to think that our best players (i.e., Landon Donovan) can stay home and play in Major League Soccer and get significantly better.
It’s not good enough anymore to trump the “American spirit” and believe that will compensate for the lack of technical skill and creative freedom that are by-products of our youth and developmental schemes.
And it’s hardly good enough to pretend that our money and organization can help players grow in a sport that needs to allow kids at the youngest levels to just play, and enjoy the game, and not worry about winning. Pleasing control-freak parents and coaches is not the objective of the game, but that’s what it has become far too frequently.
We are not where we were after France ‘98, when American soccer was understandably demoralized. We are much further along than that. But for all of Arena’s success, he may have taken U.S. soccer as far as he can. All of his experience has been in this country. If there is a change coming, there aren’t any other possible American successors who can come close to what Arena’s done.
Many names have been bandied about, most of whom have had success internationally. Germany’s Juergen Klinsmann lives in California and has ties to Arena and the upper echelons of U.S. Soccer. He also won a World Cup as an attacking player with flair who’s employed a fresh approach coaching what was once a dull German side. Australia’s Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, who worked wonders with South Korea in ‘02, is taking another team from a country without much of a soccer pedigree to the second round, but he’s reportedly heading to coach Russia this fall. Steve Nicol coaches the New England Revolution of MLS, and is a Scot who had a successful career with Liverpool.
We don’t have to blow up what’s been created, just think differently about how to develop players who can take the U.S. to the elite of the world game. The structure should serve that purpose above all and be expanded to bring the Latin and immigrant mentalities into the soccer mainstream, preferably supplanting the suburban ideal that dominates. Piece of cake, right?
In short, we need to import even more global soccer culture to America. We like to think we’ve assimilated some of that already to develop our own unique approach to the game, but it’s clear that’s just not good enough. We can’t afford to continue to go at it alone.
The essence of disappointment
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AP / Landon Donovan and the U.S. couldn't build on their 2002 quarterfinal finish at the current World Cup.
I’ll update this blog entry with links and more thoughts later, but for now there’s little else to say about Ghana 2:1 USA except that it’s the essence of disappointment.
Coupled with Italy’s 2-0 win over the depleted Czechs, the Americans could have advanced out of what has turned out to be the toughest group at the World Cup.
But two costly defensive mistakes against a Ghanaian team that otherwise didn’t do much attacking did in the U.S., which had few offensive answers.
Brian McBride hit the post in the 64th minute heading an excellent cross from Eddie Lewis, and from then on the sense of gloom deepened.
Eric Wynalda was scathing on ESPN in blaming Bruce Arena for “screwing up the World Cup” for the U.S., but there’s plenty of blame to go around.
The coach didn’t have many offensive options to begin with, and with Beasley in a snit from the start, it set a terrible tone. And where was Landon Donovan, the supposed face of American soccer, in any of these three games? Even after he was thrown the captain’s armband with Claudio Reyna’s departure before halftime, L.D. didn’t live up to the billing. Floating a terrific free kick chance in the 81st minute symbolized his disappearance with the pressure on. Or was that Mike Vanderjagt out there?
As one of Off the Ball’s more perceptive goombahs said a few days back, Arena found out the hard way that quality of life (staying at home, playing in L.A., living near the beach) was more important to L.D. than improving the quality of his soccer.
Again, he’s hardly the only culprit here, but it sums up a World Cup run that could have been so much more.
Judgment at Nuremberg
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
www.thegoldenyears.org / The Americans need to get Max(imilan) points from Ghana, or their World Cup verdict will be sealed: guilty of impersonating the No. 5-ranked team in the world.
Off the Ball shamelessly ripped off the name of one of her favorite movies to set up Thursday’s win-or-go-home scenario for the U.S. against Ghana. We are all very familiar with what is at stake. A win by the Yanks, coupled with three points by famously moody Italy over the Czechs, gets them into the second round. ‘Nuff said.
Knocking themselves out, the Yanks are, for the right to get knocked out by Brazil. Amazing sport, this is.
The mystery is, which U.S. team will show up in Bavaria? The one that rolled over against the Czechs, or the one that refused to give in against Italy?
In terms of cinematic analogies, will the Yanks be more like the character played by Burt Lancaster, the brilliant but fatally flawed jurist on trial? Or Richard Widmark, the dogged, almost to a fault, American prosecutor with a take-no-prisoners persona who gets on everybody’s nerves with his self-righteousness? Or his courtroom adversary, played by Maximilian Schell, defiantly and nobly plowing ahead with his defense of a lost cause?
Regardless of the outcome, will you, the American soccer fan, acting as the head of the U.S. World Cup tribunal, render a fair but firm verdict on this odyssey in the same way Spencer Tracy did?
The cry in the American media will be a familiar one should the U.S. not advance, despite the difficulty of this group. Seeing how the Dutch and Argentinians carved up their foes, but that everyone in this foursome is still alive, the U.S. certainly is in the Group of Death.
The dramatic exasperation that has come in the two U.S. games has been most memorable, for very bad and very good reasons. That its play has been far from stellar is no shame. This is the World Cup, where survival is the objective.
Having bloviated about all that, there is one thing for sure: Ghana is scary, and not just after running the Czechs off the field. They are fast, athletic and aggressive, and have nothing to lose. Who starts in this one?. Given the sensational midfield combo of Appiah and Essien, how can the U.S. compensate for the loss of Mastroeni, who was having a great game against Italy until his red card?
Atlanta Silverbacks’ defender Joe Afful is now an American citizen, but admits on Thursday that his heart will be with his homeland. And not just because he’s tight with Essien.
A few other links to chew on: Here’s a good backstory on why FIFA is clamping down so relentlessly on rough play. Rough play is only half the story. A lot of this is overcompensation for sins and corruption of the past that haunts still.
Everybody’s jumping on the Germany bandwagon — well, at least the Germans are warming up to the home team a bit more.
Nearly two weeks in, and it’s obvious: There is no 12-step rehab program for this malady. It is incurable.
Go ahead, and admit it.
World War III called off
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Even Henrik Larsson’s 90th minute goal wasn’t enough for Sweden in a 2-2 tie with England that dashes what would have been a mouth-watering second-round matchup.
For it will be the Swedes taking on Germany on Saturday, while England meets Ecuador on Sunday, which is Off the Ball’s day off. She plans to spend it at some watering hole or other watching Inger-land folks suffer during the knockout stages. They do it better than most.
No Germany-England, then. Ah, c’ést la guerre. Or the cease-fire, as it were.
At least England was fun to watch for a change, with Joe Cole’s cracking 35-yarder arguably the best goal of this World Cup.
But what a sad sight to see Michael Owen go down so soon, and so tragically, with what looks to be a Cup-ending knee injury.
How about other unexpected pleasures? Germany — yes, Germany, looks like a contender, and not just because they’re the home team. Klinsi’s offering a refreshing new approach. Both coach and players are hungry and eager to prove themselves.
Don’t wanna dwell on things that are a pure waste of energy, but I’ve finally found something as irritating as the American soccer-bashers. The flip side of the coin is just as unbearable, especially ex-pats from wherever arrogantly correcting us, like Oxford dons, about our use of the term “soccer.” I heard it again today on the radio, and I’ve read it here on this blog, and I’ve just about had it.
Forgive me this Ugly American indulgence, but a Brit with a one-way ticket to America has a lot of nerve chastising us on nomenclature. We have a sport that we call football, just as the Australians have a separate football code of their own. It’s not just us. Down Under, they even call their team at the World Cup “Socceroos,” affectionately, too. Yet I bet they’re not roasted by “Pommies” — Brits who reside in the former penal colony.
What does it matter what you call it?
(Oh dear, I think I’ve had a Fox News moment. Please! Exorcise these demons — now!)
Of war and footy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Three days away from Judgment at Nuremberg, and there’s still plenty of buzz about the Italy match from Saturday and specifically, the officiating.
This seasoned observer tells Bruce Arena and the Yanks to lay off the refs.
As for the operatic stunts of the Italians, here’s language Off the Ball isn’t permitted to type herself on this blog, but these lyrics are very, very funny. And right on the mark.
Because our country is at war, are we acting out our aggressions while watching World Cup matches? Off the Ball isn’t buying the premise entirely, but she was disturbed to hear from a colleague just now that a popular Atlanta footy oasis had a most unpleasant atmosphere Saturday, filled with USA fans flipping birds at the TV screen, among other obnoxious stunts. Hope those boys can’t get off work Thursday, since your loyal blogtress plans to patronize that establishment for the Ghana match after her World Cup-loving Boss Man gave her the day off. Don’t ruin it, lads.
This has been a fun blog to visit during the World Cup, especially so with lineup changes abounding for England Tuesday against Sweden. Think it’s a good idea to sit Stevie G. and Crouchie with cautions, especially after Zidane’s suspension, with first place in the group on the line?
Germany coach Jürgen Klinsmann says he’s not thinking of England, even though the old war horses of Europe could square off in the second round.
Maybe not, but England is definitely thinking of Germany. You know the boys on Fleet Street are dusting off old WWI- and WWII-era photos of “Jerry” and Klinsi may find a photo of himself under a Pickelhaube spike helmet on the back page of the Daily Mail. You think we have war issues? And the Brits won both of ‘em!
Fun site of the day: Who Ate All the Bratwurst? names its most annoying players of the World Cup. Landon Donovan is in the Starting XI. Again, there are words here that originally got George Carlin into trouble, and will cause enormous problems at Ye Olde Workplace for Off the Ball if she does anything more than link to them.
The sorrows of Zizou
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After Saturday’s unforgettable 1-1 draw between the U.S. and Italy, Off the Ball slept in a little, then indulged in the bliss of a … World … Cup … tripleheader … on A … B … C!
Which meant six-plus hours of Brent Musberger intermittently repeating the uneven and controversial career of referee Jorge Larrionda, who was nixed from the ‘02 Cup after it was learned that he had been suspended in his home nation of Uruguay for corruption.
Brent, instead of training your ire on the man with the whistle, how about asking why FIFA assigned the guy this time anyway, while suspending one of its own board members for committing the egregious crimes of selling tickets for more than the listed price. Corrupt and incompetent refs? OK! Scalpers in the ranks? Nyet!
Glad FIFA has its priorities in order.
From Off the Ball’s point of view, Larrionda’s most grievous crime was ruining the tenor and the pace of the match, punishing petty action and not doing much to warn players they might be in danger. Only one call was questionable, the red card on Mastroeni, which should have been a yellow. Otherwise, Larrionda usually made the right call, even if he was tone deaf most of the night.
Then again, what transpired in France’s 1-1 draw with South Korea Sunday was truly egregious, and not just because Off the Ball has sort-of a soft spot in her heart for Les Bleus.
Not only did referee Benito Archundia of Mexico not signal a second French score that clearly crossed the goal line, but he issued a very debatable yellow card in the final moments to Zinedine Zidane that rules out the ‘98 hero from France’s final group match.
How bizarre is this that France, with just two points from its first two matches, ideally needs a win against — ahem — Togo — to move on? What an indignity it would be to get stopped in group play for the second consecutive time, even as flawed a side as this is?
As Phil Schoen just said on XM Radio, Switzerland and — ahem — Togo — could determine the fate of Group G on Monday. You’ve got to love the resilience of South Korea and Park Ji-sung, who got the equalizer and is looking like a hell of a lot more than just a pure marketing acquisition for Manchester United.
More sadly, this could very well be the end of the line for Zidane, who had a relatively good game until picking up a caution in consecutive games. He deserves tremendous credit for coming out of international retirement, and those magical days of ‘98 have Off the Ball feeling rather sentimental right now. Sacre bleu!
One of the greatest, if not the greatest, player of the current generation might have seen his last moments on the World Cup stage.
Zizou and the French are shadows of their former selves, but they deserved the three points, and got robbed worse than the Yanks can ever claim.
In other news, Sunday, Brazil held off Australia for a 2-0 win. Goals by Adriano and Fred. And you can call him Fred.
Lots of square balls by the Samba Boys. Yawn.
A miracle point
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AP / Brian McBride and the U.S. -- bloodied, but still alive
Down a man, after having a man advantage, and still pulling out a 1-1 draw with Italy. The U.S. team is still alive after an incredibly dramatic encounter in Kaiserslautern, coupled with Ghana’s shock 2-0 win over the Czech Republic earlier Saturday.
A miracle point, that’s what it is. Everybody else in the Americans’ group has three points. The U.S., which has one, must win against Ghana Thursday in Nuremberg or go home. But given their reduction to nine men after a red card frenzy, this one feels like a win.
A French-owned East Cobb bar was Off the Ball’s the vantage point for this draining epic. The French patrons watched on, bemusedly, smoking and in some cases rooting for Italy. There were a few Scottish brogues thrown in, and plenty of exasperation all around.
And that was before the full effect of the cold glasses of Stella Artois kicked in.
“They all look freaked out!” shouted one of Off the Ball’s amigos as the Americans listened to their national anthem. But this game would be different than Monday’s debacle against the Czechs.
Once the game kicked off, it was like a night at La Scala. After Italy went from a man down to a man up, the Italians went down like there were snipers positioned on the roof of the Fritz-Walter Stadion. When they weren’t going down due to ill-advised tackles by the U.S., they were diving and wailing like Pavarotti. This one had more twists and turns than La Boheme, and was every bit as melodramatic.
The gyrations started when referee Jorge Larrionda of Uruguay red-carded Daniele De Rossi of Italy in the 28th minute for an elbow to the face of Brian McBride, who was bleeding heavily. That came just after Christian Zaccardo’s own-goal tied up the game at 1-1.
It was ugly, rough and out of control most of the time, but the U.S. is still alive. Red cards to Pablo Mastroeni right before halftime and Eddie Pope right after the second half started were senseless, given the way Larrionda was calling the match. And both will be unavailable Thursday, giving Bruce Arena some serious defensive headaches to sort out.
Kasey Keller saved the U.S. in the final minutes, after late sub DaMarcus Beasley appeared to have scored the game-winner, only to have McBride whistled for offside.
A win was there for the taking — for either side. But thanks to some resolute defending by the Americans and some shockingly inept attacking by Italy, the U.S. is alive.
The odds are still a bit long — the best case scenario is that the Yanks and Italy both win. Given what just transpired today, Off the Ball isn’t holding her breath. But at least she can breathe — if even just a little.
Biggest U.S. game ever?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
That’s the question ESPN’s Rece Davis asked Eric Wynalda this morning, referring to the Italy match.
What was Waldo supposed to say? Of course he said yes! Fact is the Worldwide Leader in Sports has to do something to compel people to watch. Not those of us who would watch anyway, but the casual American sports fan to whom they’re gearing their coverage.
Fans used to watching what Waldo famously once referred to as “hot dog” sports, games at which “they can sit on their asses and eat hot dogs.”
Well, Waldo, I’m going to sit on mine and have a couple brews at a nearby oasis of The Beautiful Game, then will return here to recap the vivisection, er, USA-Italy match.
Dreaming the impossible
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AP / Everyone hates Goleo, the World Cup mascot, but he doesn't care.
Let’s knock out today’s games right away, since you probably know by now that Argentina crushed Serbia and Montenegro 6-0 and Holland held on to eliminate Ivory Coast 2-1 as the Group of Death favorites advance to the second round.
And Off the Ball just lost 10 bucks in the Cup pool, thanks to Mexico’s 0-0 draw against a shorthanded Angola.
It’s ingrained in the American psyche to be eternally optimistic, and surely that’s a tack Bruce Arena has to be taking as the U.S. faces Italy Saturday in a must-win situation. It’s as simple as that. To dream the impossible dream. Even without the disastrous opener looming as a backdrop.
As disheartening as Monday’s loss was to the Czechs, the aftermath has been even more unsettling. Unless you’re inside the U.S. team, as Brian Ching says on his blog: Don’t believe the media. The Yanks get along rather well.
As for Italy, an opponent the U.S. has never beaten, well, the Azzurri don’t know who Bruce’s boys are, with a couple of exceptions.
Listening to XM Radio’s evening World Cup call-in show this week, the topic is inevitable: What does the U.S. have to do to produce the creative, instinctive players that the world-class sides do, in lieu of not having all of our best athletes at our disposal or having soccer ingrained deeply, and prominently, in our culture?
The simple thing to do is bash the highly structured suburban youth system for producing rote players unable to proceed on their own wits and imagination. And keeping that in mind, hearing Bobby Convey remark this week that U.S. players “didn’t know what to do” during the game, especially after the early goal from the Czechs. This is one of the upcoming leading lights for the Americans, coming off a wonderful season for a team promoted to the English Premier League.
There have long been calls to close the suburban-immigrant disconnect in USA, but those two elements seem as unlikely to come together as a U.S. win on Saturday.
We’ve had all kinds of expats on these shores for several decades now, and all their knowledge and feel for the game is overshadowed by the associations and clubs and programs that employ them.
Even if hundreds of thousands of Latino kids and coaches get involved in these programs in coming years, their participation is bound to be “Americanized” like the youth outfits in football, hoops and gridiron.
That’s the essence of our sports culture, so the soccer problem will remain the same.
Oh, enough of that dreary stuff. I’ll leave you with a few fun blog links to start the weekend.
Who let the frogs out? Not the French, but the ones that supposedly bothered the Ukraine team so much it got drilled 4-0 by Spain. This is as lame as it gets.
It’s not just me: England is boring as hell to watch. No further confirmation needed.
Who’s having an even worse World Cup than the Ukraine and now, Serbia-Montenegro? It seems as though everybody hates the mascot. Here’s hoping they’ll never hear — or see — the Phillie Phanatic.
Better late than never
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For England, two goals in the final seven minutes yielded an underwhelming 2-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago.
The scores were exceptional, a Peter Crouch header off perfect service from David Beckham, and Stevie G’s world-class move to lose a defender and strike with his left foot. Reporteth The Guardian’s live blogger: “What an amazing goal. What an amazingly flattering result.”
Here’s a preview of the skewering to come from the rest of Fleet Street: “That was abysmal. Expect the Germany-Ecuador game to end 17-16, as both teams try to throw the game for the right to meet this utter shambles of a side.”
A side that’s moving on to the second round.
Ecuador is looking mighty, mighty good after throttling Costa Rica 3-0, advancing both the South Americans and Germany.
Tough day for CONCACAF. We got just as many teams (4) as South America. It’s a scandal, really. I’m guessing FIFA will alter the possibilities for 2010. They better.
As for team USA, it’s quite obvious the Yanks are not on the same page. Far from it. If the players and the coach still can’t agree on what happened during a game four days ago, how can they possibly be ready for Italy two days from now?
And Arena still can’t admit to anything, except under direct questioning. It’s easy to say you take responsibility — high government officials do it all the time, as a matter of course — but it’s another thing to mean it.
Fantastic finishes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Off the Ball was going to use Wednesday as a Cool Her Jets day, given the gargantuan matches in upcoming days, but as always happens in the World Cup, magic moments occur when least expected.
Was anybody seriously excited about Tunisia and Saudi Arabia before they clashed in Munich? But it would be hard to match the last few minutes of what transpired there, as Radhi Jaidi earned a 2-2 draw for Tunisia with a stoppage time goal, wiping out all the good work of the Saudis to nail down three points.
Not so fast. Against a heated backdrop of more than 120 hooligan-related arrests in Dortmund prior to the game, Germany stole a 1-0 win from Poland and a spot in the second round on another stoppage-time stunner from the 89-year-old Oliver Neuville.
Good grief! You just can’t turn your head in this tournament without something bizarre, dazzling and unexpected happening. Perhaps the most shocking thing that occurred on Wednesday, however, was Spain’s 4-0 throttling of the Ukraine that was over by the time Off the Ball awoke and groggily tuned in with 20 minutes gone. It was clear that the Ukrainians, making their first World Cup appearance, never got the wake-up call, and the splendid Andrei Shevchenko got precious few meaningful touches.
Does Spain even need Raúl, who came on as a sub after David Villa did severe damage with two goals? It’s still early, and this looks like a very weak group. About as weak as Fernando Torres’ lame-o mullet.
At least the USA no longer bears the mantle of having suffered the worst loss thus far. Until Saturday, maybe.
Looking ahead to Thursday’s clash (12 noon, ET) between England and Trinidad & Tobago, it’s never too early to go looney over Rooney, as the laid-up English striker wonderboy may be ready. Then again Sven, maybe not.
And as is the English way, this one’s going to be especially ramped up with a nervous nation desperate for three points against a World Cup neophyte that has nothing to lose.
The day after is little better
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The smoke had barely settled in Gelsenkirchen before the Yanks were back in Hamburg Tuesday, and Bruce Arena met with the press.
Naturally, the likelihood of lineup changes for the Italy match topped the list of questions. He had some more sharp words for Beasley, and even cracked a joke or two. Here’s the MP3 file of his comments.
When asked whether the Italian match-fixing scandal was a distraction for the upcoming opponent, Arena scoffed. “They’re used to scandals, they’re playing right through the scandal, they’ll be fine. I think we need a scandal.”
Other than the scandalous way the Yanks played, that is.
No U.S. players were made available to talk to the media. I know I’ve said a lot before that Arena runs a tight ship, so get over it, but this is Mickey Mouse. The day after a hugely disappointing loss, and the players openly scolded, some by name, are muzzled. These aren’t college athletes whose every moves and utterances are calibrated by control-freak coaches who can revoke their scholarships. These are adult, professional athletes. And this is the World Cup.
It’s rich for Arena to suggest that if Beasley’s any kind of a man, he’ll admit he played poorly. Why can’t he be a bigger coach and let his players speak about the game, beyond the heat-of-the-moment quotes Tuesday that didn’t make anybody look good?
SI’s Grant Wahl has his own take on the debacle, and reveals that Beasley was kept away from the press in Hamburg for several days before the Czech game because he grumbled about not knowing Arena’s lineup plans for him. There shouldn’t be any mystery about that any longer.
Wahl also questions Arena’s sincerity on Tuesday when he said he would take all the blame for the loss, especially since he had just taken some of the same players to task, again: “That’s what he said, at least. Does he believe that? I doubt it. But was it something that he probably should have volunteered earlier? You bet.”
What Grant said.
South Korea came up with a big second half, taking advantage of a man advantage, and rallied to beat Togo 2-1. Dutch coaches seem to work wonders with Korean players. Last time it was Guus Hiddink, whose Aussies pulled off a magnificent win Tuesday. Now it’s Dick Advocaat who expertly pulled the strings after the African minnows took a 1-0 lead in the first half.
In Stuttgart, Switzerland held France to a 0-0 tie as the World Cup scoreless streak continued for Les Bleus. The dying minutes of the ‘98 final win over is the last time France scored a goal in this event. While Zidane still has some of the magic and Henry is superb, this isn’t a great French team. Where is the next generation of French players promised since they won it all eight years ago?
And surely the biggest question in France for coach Raymond Domenech will be: Où est Trézéguét? He never got off the bench, with Saha and Dhorasoo favored instead of the Juventus striker, and neither of them made much of an impression.
Even Brazil didn’t look all that swift in beating Croatia to open up its title defense, but the Balkan side is a rugged one and did some respectable attacking at times. Just not enough times.
Big blow for Mexico: Borgetti may be sidelined for the rest of the group stage with a thigh injury. There is a lot of firepower still there with Bravo, Zinha and Fonseca, but Borgetti’s experience and his danger in the air will be missed.
There will be no big screen BBC TV screenings in Liverpool and London for the rest of the World Cup: It got too rowdy.
A total, utter debacle
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AP / It doesn't get any easier for Claudio Reyna and the U.S., which plays Italy on Saturday.
Making a quick trip back from Hell to tell you about the special kind of Hades in which Uncle Sam’s outfit finds itself.
The AJC’s Mike Knobler just called in from Gelsenkirchen to report that the post-game backbiting was pretty heated in the American camp. More intense than the printed words might indicate. If only they’d have saved that kind of energy for the game …
This is the first real adversity in the Arena regime. It might be more interesting to see how the coach, rather than the players, handle the aftermath, especially after Italy looked strong downing Ghana 2-0. If you thought Nedved and Rosicky were too much to handle, then imagine the nightmarish task of trying to hold Pirlo and Totti in check, among others. Or the nasty, physical tackling of the Azzurri on defense.
The Bruce has a surefire mutiny on his hands if he can’t inspire confidence in the next four days like he has the last six years. For the first time since he took over, players are openly questioning his tactical decisions, and he’s lacerating right back. Donovan and Beasley were spared no savaging, and neither was a very experienced keeper in Keller, whom Arena blamed for the first goal.
Who says there’s not any pressure on the Yanks? Maybe not as far as the rest of the world is concerned, because it wasn’t expecting much to begin with.
But a ton of optimism, and illusions, were shattered this afternoon, and I can’t imagine there being much buzz here on The Fruited Plain before Saturday’s clash in Kaiserslautern. America’s interest in the World Cup plummeted in shocking, rapid fashion.
Welcome to the World Cup, America. This is what happens to nearly every other country with even a small amount of expectation. Except that nearly everywhere else they keep watching, perhaps even more intently, while we tune out.
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Some think this was an entirely predictable result. So don’t fret about it Americans. They’re not in the Czechs’ class.
Still others are of the mind that to call this a crap game does a disservice to crap. Guess which side of the Atlantic they’re on. This one.
Sez Reyna: “Now there are no more excuses.” Shouldn’t that should have been the case before today?
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Mercifully, only two meaningless minutes of stoppage time were added. The end: 3-0 Czechs. And it could have been much, much worse.
For the last 20 minutes or so, there was nary a push from the U.S. The Americans were defending their own penalty area quite a bit.
Dave O’Brien on ESPN2: ‘The U.S. is going in the wrong direction.’
Oh, how it is.
The Boss Man says this reminds him of France ‘98. All the millions plunged into U.S. Soccer for development, and they can’t make a dent in a game of this magnitude?
No. 5 in the world? Ready to beat the best? Lots of talk, that’s all.
U.S. record in World Cup matches in Europe: 0-8-0. Will it be nine on Saturday against the Italians? Wouldn’t bet against it.
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Reyna gets a yellow in the 60th for a very harsh foul on Plasil. Way to go, Captain America. Take a caution into the Italy match on Saturday.
No need for any more rash fouling, not with Rosicky slicing up the Yanks D and a third goal past Kasey Keller. Arena has brought in Stone Mountain and Parkview’s own Josh Wolff to replace an ineffective McBride, but it ain’t gonna matter.
What a debacle. A total, utter debacle.
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Bruce is making two subs to start the second half, trailing by two goals:
O’Brien for Mastroeni. Johnson for Cherundolo. Two offensive-minded players for two defenders. It’s a gamble, a big one, but there’s no other choice.
One of Off the Ball’s colleagues who was mucho excited about this one was spouting off some (non-profane) four-letter words during halftime.
A friend of Off the Ball’s who hates soccer called, she thought, to rub it in. He was impressed how they took Jan Koller right off the field on a stretcher. “In football, they would have taken 20 minutes.” Yes, but the clock stops in that sport.
For the Yanks, every tick of the clock is valuable. Gotta pull one back early in the half, I would think.
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Rosicky jumped all over a Keller clearance and cracked it back past the keeper from 35 yards out in the 36th minute. 2-0 Czechs. Fantastic shot.
The Boss Man said he’d be back from his doctor’s appointment to watch the second half, unless the U.S. is down 2-0. Guess I’ll have the place to myself for the afternoon.
Exactly the opposite of what had to happen for the Yanks. Instead, it’s happened to them.
They’ve gone from possibly being level on Reyna’s near miss to in a big, big hole.
There’s still time, but it looks grim at the moment.
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Both teams are taking their sweet T-I-M-E here. There’s no pace to this thing at all.
Just when the graphic flashed on the screen that Donovan hasn’t scored in his last 11 games for the U.S., he makes his first touch of the day a big one, racing out into open space and getting fouled, a yellow for Rozenhal. Pope didn’t do much with the short diagonal free kick, and that was the end of that.
U.S. has two thirds of the possession in the early going, but like American football it means nothing unless you do something with it. They are operating in the penalty area, though.
Reyna gets the whole midfield to himself and CRACKS ONE AGAINST the left post, 28th minute. Cech wasn’t gonna get it. The Czechs are letting them road around inside all they want.
Now the pace is picking up a lot. The Yanks are dictating play to a certain extent. Again, LOVE to see them picking their spots to attack. They have to.
Before Reyna’s blast, the Czechs had another good chance to double up on Koller’s goal. Nedved got free from Cherundolo on the touchline and served up a cross that Grygera couldn’t do much with on the header.
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Then Koller scores for the Czechs in the fifth minute. USA is down 1-0, very very quickly.
Don’t like Onyewu back there all alone with Koller, not with that yellow card.
U.S. starting to get a little possession now. Two good strong cross in a row by Convey, one saved by Cech, the other a short corner and a wide header by Pope.
Like to see them attacking, although the pace is still a bit deliberate.
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Two free kicks for the Czech in the first four minutes or so, with the latter resulting in a yellow for Onyewu hauling down Nedved. Not good for such a critical defender.
Cherundolo floated one harmlessly on top of the Czech net.
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Here’s the lineup, according to FIFAWorldCup.com:
GK — Keller D — Lewis, Onyewu, Pope, Cherundolo M — Convey, Reyna, Mastroeni, Beasley F — Donovan, McBride
Here’s the Czech Starting XI:
GK — Cech D — Grygena, Jankulovsky, Ujfalusi, Rozenhal M — Galasek, Poborsky, Rosicky, Nedved, Plasil F — Koller
I’ve got the sound down in the office, but the words are flashing across the screen. Probably the best way to take this coverage.
The lineup: Just like many suspected after Arena experimented with Beasley on the right side of the midfield and Convey starting on the left in the last friendly. Like Convey’s ability on set pieces, too.
A recovering Baros is starting off the bench for the Czechs; he could give them some good energy in the second half.
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And what a electrifying start to the day: Australia 3-1 Japan. Just when you thought the Down Unders should have stuck to Aussie Rules, they score three goals in the last nine minutes for a stunning win. A great three points for them, given that they’re in Brazil’s group.
Less than 10 minutes from start time in Gelsenkirchen now. Here come the teams. What an agonizing wait.
At last, ESPN is showing a pre-game ceremony and anthem-playing. They should do it for everybody.
The boys have their blue kits on.
And ESPN2 cut away to commercial before the Czech anthem. Typical.
Gotta get three points — gotta gotta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The element of surprise, no shock, in its opening match catapulted the U.S. to its surprise quarterfinal berth in the World Cup four years ago. The Yanks throttled Portugal 3-0 before holding on to a 3-2 win that sent their confidence sky-high. This was a major European power that have always given the Americans fits, but they overcame that hurdle.
Fast forward to today in Gelsenkirchen, where the equally talented Czechs are in a situation not unlike Portugal. Its venerable star, Pavel Nedved, came out of international retirement for a last shot at the World Cup. But he and some other mid-30 something stalwarts of this team reportedly aren’t in the best of shape.
Still, the bullish attitude that has featured in the American press at large isn’t shared in all quarters. Here’s a rather pessimistic dispatch from the home front by someone who, like myself, saw events unfold in person last time. The essential message is this: if the U.S. does falter, be ready for withering criticism from a global media outfit that doesn’t really respect the improvement of the American side at all. Give ‘em a reason, and they’ll pound away.
Without a good start today, that fate is likely sealed, and even Landon Donovan understands that.
George Vecsey says in the NYT that it’s no time for the U.S. to be conservative (his column, however, is behind a paid firewall and I won’t post it for that reason). You can read this piece with some passing mention of the same theme but is mostly about young U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu, an ex-Clemson All-American. This is a familiar storyline today, and there’s no doubt Koller’s 6-foot-7 presence will be a big problem. Don’t forget the endless running and speed of Milan Baros, too, as well as Nedved’s playmaking. This is a splendid team to watch.
Is the U.S. now is one of the ‘big boys? I’m still not sure, FIFA rankings notwithstanding. They’ve got to play like it now, against the kind of foes who have always given them trouble, to earn that moniker, and the kind of respect they say they deserve. Not to mention a spot in the second round.
Play for three points, and no matter what happens, that will be a sign that they’re ready to take up the mantle. Not many are expecting the Yanks to advance, but it’s not impossible or improbable. Just very difficult.
Predix, anyone? I’m going to be optimistic and say 2-1, USA. Johnson comes on in the second half and scores on a looping, freaky shot that the formidable Peter Cech can’t grab. Daytona Beach gets it done.
Man of the Match: Reyna, for holding Nedved, in, um, Czech.
Come back around noon and contribute to this live blogging thing, and help me elevate my brain and my blog above ESPN’s coverage, as Horn Guy Dos has savagely accused me. Three points or bust!
Bravo for Mexico
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Omar Bravo, that is, the Chivas lad, which ought to make the Horn Guys just as happy as the score. And a terrific snap header for good measure from Zinha.
Keeper Oswaldo Sanchez flew back from Mexico after his father’s sudden death, and El Tricolor look really, really good against a respectable Iranian side.
An XM commentator was breathless in pumping up CONCACAF but I’ll reserve judgment. Mexico will have a rough second round match, most likely against Argentina or The Netherlands, which also looked very, very strong on Sunday. Arjen Robben certainly lived up to the hype, and not just by scoring the only goal of the game. I hope Trinidad hasn’t had its only moment, and the U.S. has two tough European foes to start. The regional assessment is premature.
Will the Mexican press lay off Lavolpe now? Maybe for a while, but it won’t take much for that to change. And he’ll keep puffing away on the sideline no matter what.
Atlantans everywhere are taking in the Cup, and it’s certain to gain more momentum in the coming week with the U.S., Brazil and a few others still to play.
And Atlanta’s own homeboy, Josh Wolff, is looking to make a bigger mark on the Cup in his second appearance. He’s a grinder, and that’s what has endeared him to Bruce Arena.
I see a reserve role for Josh on Monday, especially if the Yanks need some fresh legs to run at some aging Czechs. Same goes for the youthful Eddie Johnson and his truly blazing speed. Don’t know about Brian Ching, who got a few stitches over his eye yesterday.
My predix for The Bruce’s Starting XI: GK — Keller. D — Lewis, Onyewu, Pope and Cherundolo. M — Beasley, Reyna, Mastroeni, O’Brien. F — McBride, Donovan. Nothing novel there, which makes me think Arena has something else up his sleeve. Convey, somewhere? I like Dempsey’s energy and fire, again, coming in as a sub. The Yanks seem to have some options in reserve; so much for my worries this isn’t a deeper team than ‘02. It may well be.
For those of you who can’t get away to watch, I’ll be back here shortly before 12 p.m. ET Monday to do some live-blogging. Even if you can watch, log on anyway, since none of us have lives for the next month. We might as well not have them together.
Argentine beauties
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Not just their pretty faces, but the way these guys play. Especially on attack.
Riquelme, what a playmaker. Crespo and Saviola got the goals, and the Elephants, one of four African nations making their World Cup debuts, made it close with a late goal but couldn’t equalize. A number of better chances in the first half may come back to haunt them in this Group of Death.
The fellas on XM Radio (Phil Schoen, Manny Lagos) wonder why Carlos Tevez didn’t figure for Argentina, and are questioning Jose Pekerman’s subs in general. I ask where do you put him and Leonel Messi, considering the talent that starts for this team? Better yet, the Argentine defense that doesn’t get much love did a decent job on Didier Drogba.
XM’s play-by-play isn’t bad, but the real value to the service are interviews and analysis around the games. The morning call-in show is nothing special. The bummer is you can’t listen to any XM sports programming on the Internet. Gotta have the receiver at home or in the car.
I’m hesitant to lash out at ABC/ESPN/ESPN2’s coverage since this was my first day listening to the commentary, but I thought doing some of their remote pieces from Belmont Park totally absurd.
The rest of the global media is doing remotes from — outrageously enough — Germany! But the U.S. English-language rights holder? It’s talking soccer, when it’s not promoting its other programming, at a horse track! Yes, I know it’s the site of a race it’s showing later in the day. Only in America, yedy yedy. It’s just cheesy. Like Velveeta.
I was hoping there would be a bit more of an effort to convey the feel of the passion and spectacle of the World Cup, but you’ll have to tune into Univision for that.
Dave O’Brien is a solid announcer, but it’s clear he doesn’t know the game. Too bad Marcelo Balboa was so obsessed with strategy in England-Paraguay that he didn’t offer much perspective on what it’s like to play in the World Cup. John Harkes did that well teaming up with J.P. Dellacamera. Glenn Davis and Shep Messing were fine in the Argie game.
I’ll let this entry be a free-for-all heading into tomorrow’s games, kicking off with Holland-Serbia & Montenegro and Mexico-Iran. Be back with you on Sunday.
Supah Soca Warriors
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Trinidad and Tobago 0-0 Sweden.
You read that right. Now read about a classic World Cup stunner, an unlikely narrative that comes true at least once every four years.
Even before losing Avery John to a 46th minute red card, the first-time Cuppers weren’t given much of a chance against Sweden, especially when No. 2 keeper Shaka Hislop was a late insertion in the lineup. The West Ham veteran was the man of the match. CONCACAF’s first point: Trinidad and Tobago. Go figure.
The scoreline gets soccer-bashers worked up, but is an excellent example of how enthralling scoreless draws can be. Gripping from start to finish. Great drama.
And what a treat to hear J.P. Dellacamera, a veteran soccer announcer (who also calls Atlanta Thrashers TV games) do this one with John Harkes. Best line of the game, from J.P.: “Trinidad is playing with 10 men, but it seems like 12.”
Perfect way to describe a truly inspirational performance. England could use a dose of that. The two sides will square off later this week. Guess who everybody’s sentimental favorite is now.
Boring, boring, Inger-land
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The most talented midfield in the world.
The best team Sven says he’s ever coached.
An early own-goal, then a freak goalkeeping change for Paraguay.
Should have been an England romp, right?
Yawwwwwwwwn! It was all downhill from there as England held on for a 1-0 win, but didn’t exactly inspire.
I got up early for this? Nicholas couldn’t wait to pile on, and some initial man-on-the-street interviews by the BBC World Service in London were a bit diplomatic. It was three points, after all, but if England is in anything like a really competitive group, the natives might be truly restless.
As it is, some early accounts are already preparing the sharp knives, throwing around such words as “soporific” to describe the show from Frankfurt. Even the hugely pro-England crowd was quiet a good bit of the game. Can’t blame ESPN’s subdued presentation for that one.
If the Falcons are looking for a placekicker, they might want to try some of Sven’s midfielders. Lots of powerful attempts at goal that sailed 30 feet above the crossbar. But between the posts.
Didn’t get to the pub today, wishing to sleep in. Should have kept on snoozing. I’ll head out to see Inger-land fans at their most miserable level of suffering when they get to knockout play. If?
Off the Ball’s World Cup pool picks aren’t doing her any favors, as Togo’s coach abruptly resigned in a pay dispute. This is not a new story involving coaches of African sides, which are too frequently disorganized at the federation level. But quitting as the Cup is underway? Shocking.
Will be back after the Argies meet Ivory Coast. That might be rather intriguing, with it kicking off the Group of Death.
Frank-En-Furter’s Two Pfennig’s Worth
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
(I know, I know, currency freaks. Germany doesn’t have pfennigs any more. I’m going with it because it sounds oh-so-close to “pennies.” So lay off.)
Off the Ball’s Las Vegas Bureau Chief (and former Atlanta resident) Frank-En-Furter (a real, native-born German) has gladly offered to deputize this entry while she scurries about with her other website duties (thanks a lot, Belkin judge!).
Like most natives, F-E-F (who’s actually from Düsseldorf) was impressed, to a point, with Germany’s 4-2 win over Costa Rica that set a goal-scoring record for a World Cup opener.
So here is his spiel, verbatim, auf Englisch:
It was not only a good start for the German team, it was a perfect start. Scoring four goals in a World Cup opener is good for your self esteem. On the other hand Germany got a timely and painful reminder that they have to improve their defense if they want to play an important role on their hometurf. Costa Rica is not known to be one of the stronger teams of this tournament. So it has to bother Klinsmann that his team could not even hold a harmless opponent scoreless. As a German you don’t even want to think about what happens if they play one of the better teams. Especially since you probably won’t score four goals against them either.
Fortunately the next opponent (Poland) seems to be equally harmless. That means a win can bring the Germans into the 2nd round. But before the “Deutschland” fans run for the beer and brats, let’s not forget the essentials. Nothing has changed after one game. Germany was supposed to beat all three teams and cruise through the opening round. The true test will come afterwards. Still, with new self esteem and the home crowd behind you everything can happen. As England’s Gary Lineker once said: “Football is when everybody plays nicely and Germany wins it anyway.”
As hopeful the performance of Schweinsteiger, Podolski and especially Lahm was, Germany’s World Cup fortune will be linked to Michael Ballack. After his leg injury was treated by a mysterious “miracle healer” the night before the game, he declared himself fit to play, but Klinsmann decided to give him some more rest. A wise decision, since the Germans should be able to beat any team in their group without their star anyway. For Ballack, it should not be an easy World Cup. Having just left Bayern Munich for a heftier paycheck in Chelsea, Germany’s sole world class player will have to prove to the world, that he is worth the big bucks. In Munich he rarely met expectations, hardly stepping up in the big games. So there is a pretty big chance the only real German winner in these days works his magic offside the soccer field and far away in America. His name is Dirk.
Wunderbar, Frank. Danke, danke schön. A blogging star from the get-go.
On Saturday Off the Ball will be blogging off the England-Paraguay match, if she survives the trip to the pub. 9 a.m. kickoff. Yeeeesh!
It’s finally here! So cheer up!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AP / The World Cup is F-U-N! So relax and enjoy, no matter where you are.
Off the Ball’s traumatic third grade experience led her to grasp a singular, inescapable conclusion: Schoolmarms are the scourge of the educational experience.
This belief has been further reinforced by the come-lately chiming from America’s sportswriting sweetheart about why Americans don’t get the World Cup.
While it’s hard not to agree with every word she has said, the you-better-eat-your-vegetables quality to her writing (she knows no other way to put words together) is typically depressing. Yes, some of my readers point out, this is the best thing she’s written in a long time. That’s just the problem, isn’t it?
Today is the start of the World Cup. In about three hours time, Germany kicks off with Costa Rica, and a month of bliss, joy, exasperation and insanity will be for the taking for those of us who care to soak it all in. I could care less about why most of my fellow countrypersons don’t give a good corner kick about the game.
If they want to obsess with baseball on-base percentages, third-string tight end recruits or whatnot, then let them. That’s all fine by me. If knuckleheads hosting call-in radio shows want to bash soccer, they should go right ahead. If the game generates nothing but a big yawn on these shores, who am I to tell them to wake up?
This column, as are so many that have penned by American scribes in recent days, smacks of “it’s all about us.” Why can’t WE get with the program? Why can’t WE get excited? Yes, I wish the World Cup were the manic focus of this nation’s attention. I wasn’t here four years ago when the Yanks made their quarterfinal run, as I was chronicling it in Korea. But I’ve been told that it was the biggest sports story in America for a few days, from the Mexico to the Germany games.
That’s a big breakthrough, folks. Just because we don’t have dancing samba girls shaking their thighs around The Bruce for a month beforehand, or have the ridiculous press corps following the Yanks that Beckham, England & Co. have to deal with doesn’t mean there’s a dearth of following here.
We’ve got posted on this website a list of a dozen or so places in the Atlanta area to watch the games. Some are hospitable to fans of particular nations, and we know the list is far from complete. In the first week I aim to visit a few. On days I want to stay home and watch, I’m comforted by the fact that the ESPN monolith is covering every game, and is really starting to take this event seriously. Although I understand no Spanish, I may catch a bit on Univision once in a while.
And we can listen to, watch or read just about every word uttered or printed about the World Cup on the Internet. Yesterday I tuned into the BBC’s Five Live Sports show from Munich, and it was a romp, alternately informative and entertaining in the uniquely British way. The only thing you can’t hear are the games, which are available for streaming only in the U.K. If you need your fix, you can get it, for the most part.
This is too happy and exciting a time to be worrywarts about why our country is isolationist about soccer. There are far too many people here, including many of you, who feel the way I do, for this to bring us down.
We are beyond that. Too bad that so many of my countrypersons, and fellow media professionals, can’t see beyond their own myopia to enjoy it anyway.
The schoolmarms wouldn’t appreciate The Guardian’s last pre-World Cup podcast, which talks about naughty things in such a refreshing, adult way that make many of us here in The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave very uncomfortable.
Near the end, the lads discuss the new line of condoms issued for England’s appearance in the World Cup. These products are known as “Victory Vibes,” and the bhoys wonder if the slogan “Come On, England” should or shouldn’t have a comma. I’m no grammarian, but I do know if England doesn’t do so well sales will surely plummet.
Oh, the schoolmarms are uptight now, just as they are by the sight of the samba girls.
Enjoy it all, folks, and I’ll be back after the games today.
It’s only a day away
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AP / No Ballack for Friday's opening match? No problem, say even some Germans doubtful of their team's World Cup chances.
Just about 24 hours from kickoff in Munich and the injuries and absences keep piling up. One prominent name who won’t feature in Germany-Costa Rica is Germany captain Michael Ballack, who has been ruled out with a calf injury.
But as Off the Ball’s Las Vegas Bureau Chief and native German Frank-En-Furter suggested, “Costa Rica should be doable without Ballack and half of the team. My prediction: with Ballack 3:0, without him 1:0. That would be a typical opening game.” This is exactly the attitude of the German media that has Costa Rica’s coach rather ticked. But as those of us in CONCACAF Land know, the Ticos are nasty to play at home but little kitties on the road. Sorry coach, but even this so-so German outfit ought to prevail easily enough, especially with the expectations of being the host nation.
Before his injury status was determined, Ballack tried very hard yesterday to downplay the chances of the ‘02 finalists, sounding almost pessimistic. To be honest, there isn’t a lot of love being paid to Der Mannschaft by the home Volk, and they’re taking an increasingly dim view of coach Jürgen Klinsmann’s American style-approaches to the game. I wish I had remembered the source, but I read somewhere yesterday that Klinsi, hero of Germany’s last Cup title in ‘90, might be considered as a successor to Bruce Arena, given his permanent home in America, etc.
I don’t think The Bruce is going anywhere, and may even go through another quadrennial.
In a rather gruesome incident Fox Soccer Channel played over and over again, French striker Djibril Cisse is out of the World Cup after breaking his leg in a friendly against China Wednesday. The very polite anchors up Winnipeg way at FSC kept apologizing for the replays, yet it seemed just as ghoulish a thing to do as Joe Theismann’s broken leg reel. And I can’t stand Joe Theismann! More than once was more than enough, fellas.
Now Stevie G. says he’s 50-50 for England Saturday against Paraguay. The Rooney circus subsides a bit, now this.
Horn Guy Dos chimes in this morning with the news that Mexico goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez has returned home after the death of his father, and when he might rejoin El Tri is up in the air. Couple this with injuries to a good chunk of Italy’s defense, and all of a sudden Off the Ball’s W.C. pool pix are looking a bit shaky.
As for the rest of Group A (Germany’s pod mates), here are a few quick lynx a day ahead of their games: ** a team profile of a supposedly improved Poland team and Ecuador’s success at making it two Cups in a row after never having been there before.
Will post again later this afternoon, so stay tuned. And remember, Off the Ball will live blog off the USA-Czech Republic game starting at 12 p.m. ET Monday.
For the sake of The Beautiful Game
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Associated Press
As the leading artiste of “O Jogo Bonito,” Ronaldinho thinks Brazil is worthy of special protection from those who wish to make it ugly. This amounts to an open invitation to Croatia, Australia and Japan — none of them stylish sides, to say the least — to really muck it up.
The fact is that the dropoff between Brazil and the rest of the field, both in talent and creativity, is so large this year that anybody wishing to unseat the defending champions will likely resort to any means necessary to stop them.
FIFA usually issues get-tough mandates before every World Cup, and with the most glamorous side of all perhaps as talented as the great 1970 team that concluded Pelé’s fabulous international career, I don’t think Ronaldinho has much to fear.
But it surely doesn’t hurt to raise the issue. For daily goings-on about O Seleçao Brasileiro, it’s hard to top this English-language blog by the author of a terrific book on Brazilian footy published before WC ‘02.
I promise this will be the last attention paid to the Why America can’t get into the World Cup spiel. This take on the subject tells the Yanks they’ll be hated even more if they do something like actually win the damn thing. (hat tip: duNord.)
Vocabulary stretcher for the day: spatchcocked. Don’t ask me what it means, read it for yourself. I’m thinking something along the lines of “bollixed.”
The author takes Frank Deford to task for his usual attitude about soccer, but he must not have heard Deford’s weekly NPR sports commentary this morning.
I do believe he’s on the W.C. bandwagon. Just a little. Yes, it shook Off the Ball out of a deep slumber too. Better than the ole cup of java in the a.m. If you don’t believe it, have a listen.
It didn’t take long for new L.A. Galaxy Alexi Lalas GM to show Steve Sampson the door, although the latter probably had it coming with a winless May. Isn’t this the team Landon Donovan plays for, BTW? The defending MLS champs were a mess before Alexi came over from Red Bull New York. The move comes just two days before Thursday’s Super Classico against Chivas USA.
L.D. will be reunited with his former San Jose Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop, who will succeed Sampson. Yallop had been the Canadian national team coach and coached the Quakes to two MLS Cups.
Lalas was one of the leading malcontents against Sampson’s Reign of Error during WC ‘98, and didn’t see a minute of action. But he says here it’s all behind them. Right? Funny old world, though, isn’t it?
The Bruce as The New Tuna
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Associated Press
So Bruce Arena conducted a closed-door match against Angola Monday near Hamburg, with the U.S. winning 1-0. That’s about all we know, other than Brian McBride scored the goal on a header.
So The Bruce has been as secretive about his team’s preparations as an NSA official pressed to talk about wiretapping. Captain Claudio Reyna did divulge that he’s fit and ready to go for the Yanks’ opener Monday against the Czech Republic, but he wouldn’t say anything more than that.
This is nothing new. Arena’s notorious for iron-fisted dealings with the press, for closing most practice sessions and refusing to discuss strategy in any fashion.
Before the 2002 quarterfinal match against Germany, a reporter with a rather thick Teutonic accent asked what kind of formation he might employ against Der Mannschaft. The Bruce, after a bit of a pause, whipped out the classic Lon Guyland wise-guy:
“You from Joy-minny?”
“Ja, ja.”
“I’m not gonna tell ya!”
Those of us in the Yank press corps could do nothing but laugh, because this is what Arena did all the time. Nearly every day, he was asked questions like this. And nearly every day, he not only deflected them, he burnished them into the ground.
This is what The Bruce does. This is how The Bruce is. And still, despite seeing this in action, and getting smashed with the brunt end of his schtick, there are some seasoned American sportswriters who continue to push him into doing what he resolutely will not do. That is, anything he doesn’t want to do.
I happen to agree with this columnist’s points, on the merits. Yet he can’t see beyond his own fit of pique to grasp the larger picture: keep the opponents guessing.
That was the (evil?) genius of Arena Football in ‘02, when he threw out some mind-boggling lineups that disarmed foes. Remember the second round match against Mexico, which pulled influential midfielder Ramon Morales before halftime in the second round for strategic purposes? Arena had slotted Reyna in a devious, devastating, defensive midfield position, and Morales didn’t even get to play a half an hour. El Tri was a total mess and made the rarest of soccer substitutions, to no avail.
Do you expect The Bruce to be any different with a rugged Group E slate of opponents, starting with the Czechs and Italy? I’ve taken a dim view of his prickly methods myself, but he’s a complicated character, as this superb profile of a coach and a national team reveals. It’s a long read but well worth it.
So while those of us from The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave say we despise secrecy, the infatuation over Arena’s ploys ignores the fact that they’re no different than that gridiron football coaches, and a growing number on the hoops side as well. He’s got nothing on Bill Parcells and the full range of blustery NFL and college commandants who treat workouts as if they’re war games and access to players as if they’re troops about to be deployed for combat.
What’s surprising is how scribes who’ve been exposed to far worse bellyache as if it’s a new experience. They’re simply playing into The Bruce’s hands, and ratcheting up the intrigue.
But for those of us who like a little suspense and a good mystery, we’ll see how it all unfolds on Monday.
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Abbondanza! Azzurri leads fantasy foursome
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AP / The closest 751-1 shot Togo will come to winning anything in Germany this summer is Edwige Madze Badakou, crowned 'Miss World Cup' last week. Off the Ball took the Togolese anyway.
With the seventh pick in the World Cup pool draft today, Off the Ball went with Italy, — not a bad choice given there are only eight of us in this racket. Yes, I know the Azzurri have been distracted by scandal, and injured defender Gianluca Zambrotta will miss the opener against Ghana, but they rarely disappoint at the Cup.
That’s my justification, and I’m sticking to it.
Unpatriotic, you say? Well then, what would you think if I told you that with the 10th pick, Off the Ball grabbed Mexico — undeserving of a top seed, and placed in a very winnable Group D with Portugal, Iran and Angola? The opener for El Tri ought to be a doozy on Sunday against Iran in — ironically enough — Nuremberg. Wonder who the hacks at Fox News will be pulling for in that one?
The Commish got the first pick — insert raised eyebrows of suspicion here — and despite rabid cries of “You Got To Go With Togo!,” he skunked out and took Brazil. The man known in Brazil as Marco Sloquinho, who begins his World Cup journey tomorrow and will eventually make his way to Munich via Budapest, took his bloody old England, of course, roused no doubt by that cupcake 6-0 rout of Jamaica Saturday and Peter Crouch’s ridiculous hat trick.
Spanky, who won the ‘98 pool because of Emmanuel Petit’s totally unnecessary third goal in the finals (Off the Ball finished second as a result), got his comeuppance by sticking with Les Bleus last time around. Today he netted the hat trick, perhaps stirred to emotional loyalties by Zinedine Zidane’s swansong. A true Francophone, our Spanky is, since he later chose Cote d’Ivoire, and even uttered the name en francais.
A newcomer to the pool this year is Silverbacks/Arsenal devotee Horn Guy Uno, who shrugged his shoulders in selecting the drab host Germans. Neither could he muster much excitement for Portugal, South Korea and Tunisia. He didn’t like Off the Ball taking his beloved Mexico, but this drafting thing is a cold-hearted process.
Off the Ball finished up with Croatia, whose third place finish served her well in ‘98, and with the next-to-the-last pick, she Had To Go With Togo!
There are ascending financial incentives attached to wins in group, second round, quarterfinal, semifinal and final action — that’s all I ought to say about that. The lads at Ladbrokes have the latest odds, with Brazil the overwhelming favorite at 5-2.
But at first glance, Off the Ball isn’t high on her chances of repeating as champion.
On top of it all, a win
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Went to the Silverbacks game Saturday night …
… and a traffic jam broke out.
… an intimate, loud atmosphere rang out from the Spaghetti Junction area, and that was before the fireworks.
… the players joyously rattled around the exquisite field pitch turf, with no hint of gridiron lines and a spacious 72 feet wide.
… the home team won!
The Silverbacks hung on for a 3-2 win over the hated Charleston Battery, their first of the season. While the team and the fans were jubilant with the result, the evening was remarkable not only for the near-sellout crowd, but for sheer joy, the realization, that the years of playing in the much-derided DeKalb Memorial Stadium have been rendered, thankfully, to history.
In short, the Silverbacks have given fans a compelling reason to come out, and to come back. The opening of Greater Atlanta Re/Max Stadium at Atlanta Silverbacks Park was a big hit, and the building block for a true gathering place for the local soccer community. Throughout the crowd of nearly 3,000 was a strong mix of young adults, families and the Hispanic community. Spanish media ESPN Deportes and radio station Viva 105.7 were on hand.
Of course, there are problems to be worked out. It took an hour to get from the I-85 exit ramp and through the turnstiles. Game time was pushed back from 7:30 to 8 p.m. to accommodate the turnout. (DeKalb’s finest didn’t look too busy beforehand, as two officers near the opening gates visited with a pretty young thing in very short shorts and Heidi pigtails instead of directing traffic.)
The parking situation is the most noticeable snag, and Silverbacks CEO Stephen Pratten was helping to smooth over that process in the back parking lot. Imagine seeing Arthur Blank when you get off the MARTA station, pointing you toward the Dome! The ticketing machine didn’t work, so everybody was charged $15.
But the atmosphere! No spectator was more than 25 yards from any touchline. A beer tent served up cold Heineken and Tecate (a full tap and bar is slated to open next year). Business was brisk, to say the least.
And many longtime soccer fans turned out after intermittent attendance over the years.
“It’s like a homecoming,” said fan Kurt Braunsroth, aka The Drummer, who’s been banging away since the first year of the Ruckus in 1995. “There are so many people here, all together, that I’ve seen over the years.”
As Off the Ball predicted a few entries back, he was one of the first fans to show up, arriving at 3:45 p.m. for tailgating that’s been a pre-game ritual.
Symbolic of the fan-friendly environment is the special cheering section reserved for Braunsroth and a band of a dozen or so noisy standing fans, mostly young adults. Westside 109 is the name, named after their section of the stands, and they’re launching a website soon. They also include Off the Ball colleagues Horn Guy Uno and Dos, the latter of whom arrived from Spain 48 hours before. Also among their throng was a fellow wearing a red jersey that read: “Damn Dirty Ape 67” and a full head mask.
“What’s his deal?” I asked Dos.
“He likes professional wrestling,” Dos replied.
Well, at least it’s not something else.
The Horn Guys pulled out their long, red plastic horns, and used them generously. Dos, probably showing off his new fan skills acquired in Spain (or just happy with Tecate), blasted point-blank into the eardrums of a Charleston player attempting a throw-in. For a moment there, I wondered if Dos thought he was at Lollapalooza. But the Silverbacks no longer play at the mosh pit that is DeKalb Memorial.
The goals game from Matt Bobo, Jason McLaughlin and captain Rodrigo Rios, who threw his yellow armbands into Westside 109. It was retrieved by Dos, whose favorite player happens to be Rodrigo Rios.
“Welcome to soccer in Atlanta,” roared P.A. announcer Southside Steve.
Yes, indeed. For the first time in a very long time, it sure felt like it.
S’backs open a home of their own
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Later Saturday the Silverbacks finally christen their own digs, the Re/Max of Greater Atlanta Stadium at Atlanta Silverbacks Park, which is one of the best things for the local soccer community to come along in years. Tonight at 7:30 is when the game starts, but there are plenty of festivities to usher in the event beforehand.
It’s not been easy understanding the vision that this team has been talking about, but perhaps the bricks-and-mortar effect will help make that more of a reality.
If there’s not a better time for the Silverbacks to get their first win of the season, I can’t imagine what might be.
If it’s not about us, we don’t care
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AP / England fan Gary Kitchin says there's nothing to fear from his lot.
That’s the gist of what you’ll be reading from American sports pundits, particularly over the next week before the World Cup starts. Here’s one of first examples of what will become a very tiresome meme. The AJC’s Mark Bradley, who happens to like the game of footy rather well, will offer his thoughts on the subject when our World Cup page goes live this weekend.
While Yank media types can’t compare to their overseas brethren when it comes to speculation or hyperbole, this is an interesting rumination: What if our greatest athletes played soccer? All this misses the point: Instead of athleticism, what about skill? We’re producing terrific athletes, as Oguchi Onyewu, the lead example, personifies. What’s longer in the R & D tank is the kind of playmaking and instinctive play that we’re going to see in buckets in the coming month.
To me, the jury’s still out on whether we can crank out top footy players the way we do gridballers, hoopsters and sluggers. The systematic, coach-oriented approach doesn’t lend itself to permit creative, improvisational play. The last guy who graced SI’s World Cup cover, that lad Mathis from Conyers, has been out of the loop for some time now, primarily for not tending properly to that rare gift he was given.
Cranky Yank hacks who have adopted “soccer is the sport of the future in America and always will be” as a mantra will snort about the system of player development in the U.S. for different reasons. To be fair, what we have now is vastly improved from where it was even a decade ago, And not just the birth of MLS and the Bradenton U-17 program as well as the league’s newly-created reserve teams, all of which will continue to be very important.
If you are a Yank and you can make an impression in Britain, they’ll treat you rather fondly, as is the case here regarding the rise of Bobby Convey. I’ve got a hunch he could make an even bigger impression in the coming month, before he makes his Premier League debut with Reading next season.
In the world of footy, the Brits have a long rep as the kings of jingo, but the ever-clever blokes at The Guardian have some fun mocking self-absorbed American politics and pop culture, which isn’t all that hard to do. But they do it very well.
In-gerland is always trying to put up a wholesome front because of a band of marauding fans always much smaller than the attention they derive. Tens of thousands of them are going to descend upon Deutschland, most of them without tickets.
Allright, this all too serious and ponderous stuff. Want some early predictions? The Onion’s stellar site offers a few likely scenarios for the Cup, and strangely some of them might have to be believed.
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