Let's get one thing out of the way first: Arjen Robben blatantly took a dive in the 92nd minute of today's round of 16 matchup between Mexico and the Netherlands. The dive was rewarded with a penalty, which Klaus Jan Huntelaar coverted, and Mexico lost the game as a result.
Jun 29, 2014
Arjen Robben, Rafa Marquez and the politics of makeup calls
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Jun 27, 2014
Five things we learned from the Group Stage of the 2014 World Cup
The 2014 World Cup is about to get real. Really real. Knockout stage, single elimination real. No margin for error real. The seeds are set, the brackets are drawn up. Who will win it all? Who the hell knows! For now we're sticking with our pick of Brazil over Argentina in the grand finale on July 13 at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium (the number two ranked soccer Mecca in the world, according to our ranking). First, let's take a step back and look at the things we learned from the group stages and see how these might affect matters in the elimination round:
1. For all Juergen Klinsmann's talk and bluster about ushering in a new era of attacking football, the U.S. Men's National Team is playing an awful lot like it were still coached by Bob Bradley. That is, drop 10 men behind the ball, let the opposition control possession and hope your superior physicality wins out to carry the day. This was all on display against Germany in the final group stage game yesterday. It didn't work, as Germany deservedly won the match. The Yanks still got through to the round of 16 thanks to Portugal beating Ghana, which in the end is a superb result for the U.S. and for Klinsmann. But the whole thing should dampen the enthusiasm of those who think the U.S. have turned the corner to become a first rate soccer power. The bottom line is that this team still lacks playmaking creativity in the midfield and there are few signs that U.S. development academies are able to produce players with this skillset. The one creative engine in the American midfield this World Cup, the first two games at least, was 32-year old Jermaine Jones, who grew up in Germany. And we saw what happened when he had a bad game in the group stage finale. The team was flat and uninspiring. If the Yanks are to have any chance against Belgium, Jones must bring his A game. As for who might supply Klinsmann with this spark in 2018 and beyond? There are no obvious candidates and therein lies the problem. Not Michael Bradley, as this was never really his position to begin with.
2. Uruguay are only as good as Luis Suarez, and with the mad biter of Montevideo suspended for the team's round of 16 match against Colombia, well, you do the math. It turns out we were wrong about Uruguay, one of the teams we thought were "done" after watching them play once in the group stage.
3. France are untested as a result of being drawn into the weakest group in the tournament. Switzerland barely put up a fight against les bleus in what was arguably the most one-sided match of the entire World Cup. This is the same Swiss team that finished second and will lose to play Argentina in the round of 16. This means Ecuador and Honduras were really, really bad. It also means France probably aren't that good. If Nigeria don't beat them, Germany most certainly will in the quarterfinals.
4. Mexico may have peaked. El Tri reaped a massive confidence boost from their opening match against Cameroon, when they outplayed the African side by a far greater margin than the 1-0 victory would suggest (and indeed were robbed of two perfectly good goals by the referee). Mexico next played Brazil to the letter in a scoreless draw before finishing out group play with an impressive win over Croatia. But Mexico always play well against Brazil and Croatia is not the Netherlands, Mexico's opponent in the round of 16. Only once in World Cup history have Mexico advanced past the round to 16 and that was when they hosted the tournament in 1986. There's no real reason to believe history won't repeat itself at Estadio Castelao Fortaleza on June 29.
5. Lionel Messi is the likely star of this World Cup. The Argentine captain has scored in all of his team's matches, twice supplying the winning goal. After the albiceleste turn the Swiss defense to, well, Swiss cheese, they likely face Belgium in the quarterfinals and probably the Netherlands or Costa Rica in the semis. Those are mild roadblocks for the best player in the world who is at the peak of his powers. The 2014 World Cup will go down as Messi's tournament just like the 1986 World Cup belongs to Maradona. Messi may yet be crowned a world champion next month. It's going to be close, but in the end we think Brazil's home field advantage will prove to be the difference.
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Jun 17, 2014
Things we learned from the first round of World Cup games
Hard to believe the first round of games of the 2014 World Cup are already over. But each team has played once, and that gives us an excellent opportunity to draw a number of way too premature conclusions, way too early. Take these with a grain of salt, remembering that the road to World Cup irrelevance is paved with the carcasses of teams that shone brightly in their opening match and were never heard from again (remember the Soviet Union side from 1986? No? After trouncing Hungary 6-0 in their opening game they were the early favorites to hoist the cup in Mexico. Didn't quite happen that way). But hey, how much fun is drawing conclusions if you can't draw wrong ones? So here goes (in no particular order):
1. CONCACAF teams not named Honduras can play with just about anybody. For Exhibit A, consider today's scoreless draw between Mexico and Brazil. Yeah, this isn't your uncle's Brazil, much less your father's Selecao, but it's still Brazil and they're still playing at home. And Mexico still outplayed them for long stretches of today's match.
2. Spain are done. We know, we know: In 2010 Spain lost the opening game of the World Cup and a month later they were hoisting the trophy. This time is different. For one thing, this wasn't a 1-0 fluke loss, it was a 5-1 beatdown that exposed massive flaws in Spain's game. The era of the tiki taki is drawing to a close. Enjoy its dying moments.
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Jan 9, 2010
Soccernomics and the misbegotten quest to turn soccer into a statistical sport
Don't get me wrong, the book Soccernomics by Simon Kuper and Stean Szymanski is a quick and entertaining read and teaches a few solid lessons. It provides some pretty compelling insight into England's woes in particular and manages to shatter a few myths about the business of soccer. But the book falls short of its ultimate goal, to uncover new, "data-driven" truths that will revolutionize the way the sport is coached, scouted and managed. If you're looking for soccer's version of Bill James' Baseball Extracts, this ain't it. In fact, perhaps more than anything else the book demonstrates the perils of trying to turn soccer into a statistical, data-centric sport; it simply tries to do too much with too little. You're left with a lot of extrapolation, most of which is likely to be disproved before the end of the next World Cup.
The book's main points are this: Rich, prosperous countries and municipalities have more success than poor ones, though there are two notable exceptions (England and Brazil). The transfer market is very inefficient because people who manage soccer clubs, despite their success in other endeavors--or perhaps because of them--do not make good decisions when it comes to managing their clubs' resources (again one notable exception: Lyon). Soccer is not only not big business, but actually rather small potatoes. England are crap and will probably never win another World Cup.
The chapter on England that opens the book is also its best. Hopefully England supporters will read it before the World Cup. Then, when we (the U.S.) beat them in the opening match it will be less of a surprise--and also less of a catastrophe--for the sport's mother country and its bloodthirsty press. So why are England crap? Simple: It has never "developed resources" beyond its working class roots. The English national team is still largely made up of proletarian yobs. To illustrate, the book provides a table with members of England's last three World Cup teams and their fathers' professions. Besides the ones whose dads were professional soccer players or coaches, only David James, Peter Crouch and Gareth Southgate appear to have middle class backgrounds. "When you limit your talent pool, you limit the development of skills," Kuper and Szymanski write. Yes indeed.
Okay, then what about countries like Nigeria, Russia and Mexico, all of whom have soccer-mad populations north of 100 million but none of whom ever appeared in a World Cup semifinal? The same reason, really: managing resources. "People all over the world might want to play [organized] sports, but to make that happen requires money and organization that poor countries don't have."
Here is where the authors' thesis starts to get a bit dicey. How do they explain Brazil, a poor country that has won more World Cups than anybody? Or Argentina, which wasn't exactly rich when it won World Cups? They acknowledge Brazil is an anomaly, but say Brazilian players are overvalued on the transfer market. Then they laud the success of Olympique Lyon, who have somehow managed to "buy low/sell high" almost exclusively with Brazilian imports.
They also have high praise for Arsene Wenger. It's hard to argue that the Frenchman hasn't done great things for Arsenal and that his methods haven't reinvigorated the game in England. But despite being one of the richest clubs in the world, Arsenal has won little silverware in England and none in Europe since Wenger's arrival. Manchester United, par contre, have had unparalleled success the past two decades even though the team's (Scottish) manager does not have an advanced degree in economics and presumably employs none of Wenger's new-age methods.
It just doesn't add up. The Soviet Union had a run of almost 50 years with a highly organized system of more resources than anybody else but didn't win anything. When its clubs did win, it places like Tbilisi and Minsk, not population centers like Moscow and Leningrad. Mexico may not be rich but its clubs have more money (and resources) than anybody outside Western Europe. The first African nation to make inroads internationally (Cameroon) does not even have the 10th-largest population on the continent and is certainly not its richest.
The authors' curious choice of Iraq as an "emerging" soccer nation is even more questionable considering it is right next to Saudi Arabia. The countries are comparable in population size, but one would think the Saudis have more money and organization dedicated to soccer these days. Another country they tapped for soccer greatness, China, has very limited success with team sports of any kind (despite its resources). South Korea has both resources and the know-how to manage them and made the semifinals of the World Cup to boot, but the book barely mentions the Taeguk Warriors.
In the end, it comes out to a typical example of over-reaching to make data fit your ideas rather than vice-versa. You can't fault the authors for trying, but it's a losing proposition from the word go. Unlike sports such as baseball and (American) football, soccer simply does not lend itself to statistical analysis. It just isn't wired that way. The game cannot be parceled up and broken apart with numbers or even facts. The story of a soccer match cannot be told in its box score and there is still no statistic that properly measures a player's contributions. This is starting to change with metrics like tackles, passes and distances run, but the sample size is very, very small. Moreover, even the crudest data, goals scored and against, does not always reflect the reality of what transpired on the pitch. In soccer, the best team does not always win. Over the course of a full season, the best team usually (though not always) ends up winning more than the rest, which is why you need a single table and full home and away schedule to determine a righteous champion. But neither the World Cup, nor its qualification pre-tournaments have this, which is one reason why international matches cannot be trusted as a proper metric for statistical modeling. The European club tournaments aren't much better, though they have been more just in the Champions League era (with its group stages) than before, when each round was drawn completely at random. Yet these make up most of the book's data sample.
So Soccernomics has no chance. The data is flawed to start, and the authors do it no favors by extrapolating to make points that aren't there to begin with. It's lose-lose. Kuper and Szymanski (and their editors) deserve credit for producing a work that is easy and fun to read and raises some interesting questions. But soccer will never lend itself to complete statistical analysis for the same reason that films, artists and actors won't. It's just too visceral.
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Dec 4, 2009
Ranking the 2010 World Cup groups by degree of difficulty
The biggest sporting event on the planet, the soccer World Cup, will be held in South Africa next June. Today, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the international governing body of soccer (which some parts of the world still call football) staged, er, held its draw to decide the makeup of the eight groups. Charlize Theron led the ceremony, though ties between her and South Africa are nebulous at best. The actress does not appear to be capable of even mimicking a South African accent, if today's show is to be believed. Apparently Matt Damon wasn't available.
Anyway, our ranking of these groups by degree of difficulty, from most difficult to least difficult, follows:
1. Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal
The most challenging group, no question. Three of these teams are potential semifinalists. Brazil is fierce, but the matchups with the Ivory Coast and its former colonial masters Portugal are very intriguing. The African side appear deeper than Portugal: with Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou it has one of the most formidable striker pairings anywhere. Barcelona man Yaya Toure anchors a midfield that also includes Arsenal's Emmanuel Eboue and Didier Zokora, while Kolo Toure heads up the defense. If there's a weak link, it's at goalkeeper. In fact, I couldn't even tell you who they have for the spot. Brazil, by contrast, has two Serie A tested goalies who could start for any number of other teams, including England (though frankly MLS has some goalkeepers who would be an improvement to England's options. But I digress). This group is going to be awesome. Except for the games involving North Korea, that is. Which is fine, because nobody fom North Korea will be watching them.
Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana
If Group G is the group of death, Group D is the group of hospice. Unlike Group G, there is no weak link, at least not to the degree of North Korea. You know the Germans are going to be a force because, well, they always are. Serbia are very strong and can play with anybody. Australia are underrated. Mark Bresciano and Scott McDonald can cause problems for opposing teams' defenses and you know the Aussies will work harder than just about anybody. Ghana were runners-up in the inaugural African Nations Championship. Their midfield, with Mickael Essien and Sulley Ali Muntari, is superb. The two European sides are probable favorites to advance, but Australia and particularly Ghana could give them a run for their money. Should be a fun group. In the end, the Germans win. Expect more of the same here.
Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece
A clear favorite (Argentina) with three teams that will challenge each other for second place. Unless, that is, Argentina lose their opening game against Nigeria (could easily happen). South Korea appear a little thin but if 2002 taught us anything it's that they are more than capable of surprises. Greece too could go either way. But all in all a pretty easy group for Argentina.
Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
Another group that could go either way. The Netherlands kicked arse in qualifying but had lousy competition. Other than Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben this team appears to lack star power, at least judging by its own very high standards. The current generation of Dutch players simply aren't as compelling as past ones. There does not appear to be a Johan Cruyff or Marco van Basten or Ruud Gullit or even Patrick Kluivert. The Dutch could advance pretty far, but they're unlikely to captivate us much. Denmark are an efficient little team. Christian Poulsen of Juventus is likely their best player. I'm honestly more intrigued by Denmark than Holland at this point. Cameroon? Well, you got Eto'o and, um, right. Japan will likely finish last.
Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile
The most intriguing team here is Chile. Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa has put together a squad that finished second in CONMEBOL qualifying. They do not appear to have any superstars (yet. Though look out for Matias Fernandez, a 23-year old midfielder who plays for Sporting Lisbon) but also no obvious weak links. We fully expect them to advance out of this group with European champions Spain. The other two teams are crap. Honduras aren't even supposed to be here and Switzerland were pathetic in the Euro 2008 tournament held on their home turf. Both clubs have a few intriguing players, but Spain and Chile should rule the group with relative ease.
Group A: South Africa, Uruguay, Mexico, France
Another very mediocre group. South Africa may be the worst host country since the U.S. in 1994. Mexico had a horrific start to their qualifying campaign but eventually got their stuff together under new coach Javier Aguirre. We liked Mexico's 2006 team a great deal. Their round of 16 match against Argentina was probably the best game of the entire tournament, but several key players from that club are in the twilight of their careers and the younger guys who replaced them have not impressed. Giovanni dos Santos has been a disappointment and may not even make the team. France? Don't get me started. Talk about teams that aren't supposed to be here. Uruguay may win the group with ease. Diego Forlan is awesome, but may be past his prime at this point. Ajax man Luis Suarez has not yet hit his; the 22-year old has scored 17 times in 15 Eredivisie matches this season (not a typo). This World Cup could very well be his coming out party. Uruguay are actually very deep at the forward position: Edinson Cavani and Jorge Martinez are two other guys who can score; they currently do so for Serie A sides Palermo and Catania, respectively and has some talent in defense as well. They could make a run to the quarterfinals. But don't expect much more than that. Remember this is a team that had to qualify through a playoff against Costa Rica.
Group C: England, U.S.A, Algeria, Slovenia
They've done better under Fabio Capello but England shouldn't really scare anybody. Wayne Rooney, admittedly, is terrific and John Terry is a fine defender. Other than that they appear to be built on over-hyped players who never really accomplished anything in their national team careers. We're not even talking about David Beckham here, who has absolutely no business on this team and, if there is any justice in this world, will be left off. (Instead the finger points directly at Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard). Theo Walcott is potentially intriguing but will he even make the team? Aaron Lennon may be worth watching as well, but with Frankie and Stevie calling the shots in midfield, how many balls will he really see? Slovenia is smaller than about 48 of the 50 U.S. states but watch them beat us. Could happen, especially the way people here are talking about the group. Ditto Algeria, who appear to be strong in midfield and defense, which could create all kinds of problems for Bob Bradley's side. The U.S. has been maddeningly inconsistent this year; not just from one match to the next, but within individual games as well. The team simply appears to tune out and fade from stretches of games for no apparent reason. Without Charlie Davies, there are not enough weapons in attack. The defense is stong in the center but weak on the flanks. There is very little creativity in midfield and that is virtually all supplied by Landon Donovan. Other players (Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey) need to step up. Is Jermaine Jones the answer? Probably not, but there could be somebody else to emerge much the way Davies did this year. Bottom line: This group is not England's or America's by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, neither team could qualify. What a field day we'd have with that one.
By the way: What do people think of my idea, floated on Twitter, for a friendly wager for the game: If the U.S. wins, England agrees to adopt "soccer" as the definitive word for the sport. If England win, Americans do the same for "football." If you're serious about this we should get other media involved. But then what happens if it's a tie? Well, then the status quo can prevail. What do you say?
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
Is it me or does Italy never get drawn into a difficult group? Italy never gets drawn into a difficult group. I don't know how much money, pasta, or prostitutes Italy has sent Sepp Blatter's way over the years, but it's obviously enough to earn some pretty nice favors. I mean, how can you even begin to take this group seriously? New Zealand is by far the worst team in the entire field. They're so bad they have a guy from the New York Red Bulls starting at left back. (True story) That spot in the tournament really should go to the defending champion or something. Give it to Ireland. Hell, give it to Canada. Anyway, you also have highly mediocre teams from South America and Slovakia to make sure Italy don't get off to one of their customary bad starts. It may not help. I can see Italy losing their first game against Paraguay, beating New Zealand 1-0 and maybe playing Slovakia to a scoreless draw and end up advancing as the second placed team. To make things even less fair, Italy will likely face another mediocre club in the round of 16. What a joke.
Photo taken from celebrity-gossip.net without permission.
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Sep 4, 2009
The international break's biggest World Cup qualifiers
The international break will be a moment of truth for several national teams, with two matchdays on the calendar over the next week. We have taken a look at the group standings and calendar and provide you the following ranking of most crucial games (in order):
1. Portugal at Denmark, Sept. 5
It may lack the "sexiness" of some of the other match-ups, but Portugal v. Denmark holds the keys to the most competitive group in Europe and one that contains several squads that have been World Cup regulars in years past. Denmark lead the group with 16 points from six games. Portugal are lagging in third place, with just nine points from the same number of matches. The surprising Hungarians sit second with 13 points. They'll host Sweden, who are tied with Portugal on points. So Cristiano Ronaldo and his countrymen (along with a few guys born in Brazil who happen to play for Portugal) need a win. Unlike Denmark, they'll have a full squad at their disposal. The Danes will be without goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen (suspended) and four other starters: Thomas Kahlenberg, Leon Andreasen, Daniel Jensen and Daniel Agger (injuries). It's gonna be big.
2. France at Serbia, Sept. 9
Wednesday's match between the top two teams in Group 7 will likely decide the fate of both. The surprising first-placed Serbs (18 points from seven games) will be fresher after sitting out Saturday's games. France must first get by Romania, a club that gave them fits at last year's Euro but have since fallen apart and are barely a factor in the group (seven points from six games). Assuming they win, Raymond Domenech's men will be two points behind Serbia when they meet Wednesday. With a win in that match, they will in all likelihood take the group (their last two games are at home against the Faroe Islands and Austria). Figure Serbia, playing their first tournament as an independent, non-Yugoslav entity, to be aware of this. So the pressure will be on. Expect fireworks.
3. Slovakia at Czech Republic, Sept. 5
Group 3 is essentially turned on its head, with recent World Cup participants Czech Republic and Poland at the bottom of the table and Slovakia and Northern Ireland at the top. Saturday's "Czechoslovak derby" can begin to turn the tide. The Czechs are absolutely desperate for wins, having just eight points from six games. Slovakia sit first in the group with 15 points. Betweeen them are N'Ire (13 points from seven games), Slovenia (11 from seven) and Poland (10 from six). Oh yeah, the men from Ulster also play at Poland Saturday. But the Czecho-Slovak battle is the big one. With a win, Slovakia move a giant step closer to their first participation in a major tournament. A draw does the Czechs no favors either, but leaves Slovakia vulnerable to moves from Poland and Northern Ireland, whom they face at Belfast Wednesday.
4. Brazil at Argentina, Sept. 5
It undoubtedly pits the two best teams against each other, so why is this only the fourth-best (or most crucial, whatever) match? Simple: CONMEBOL is very top-heavy. While they currently sit fourth (the last automatic qualifier), Argentina still have some margin for error if they don't get a result tomorrow. Then Thursday's game at Paraguay simply becomes all important. So while Diego Maradona's side face pressure, it's not a do-or-die thing. Of course, you'll still want to watch any game between these two sides. It's sure to be a spectacle either way.
5. Macedonia at Scotland, Sept. 5
The Netherlands won Group 9 a long time ago but second place is entirely up for grabs, and Scotland are in the thick of it. They'll need to beat Macedonia tomorrow to have any chance though. If they do, they'll likely still need a result against the Dutch on the final matchday Wednesday (only five teams in this group)--or hope that Norway (currently one point behind Alex McLeish's side) and Macedonia somehow take each other out of it. But Holland will likely be resting starters Wednesday and Norway face a potentially tough game at Iceland tomorrow. So if they win tomorrow, Scotland might just be in the driver's seat.
6. Turkey at Bosnia, Sept. 9
If they win at lowly Armenia Saturday, Bosnia can effectively clinch second place in Group 5 when they host Turkey on Wednesday. With a win in that game, they would then put seven points between themselves and Turkey with two matchdays remaining. Of course, Bosnia have been close to qualifying for tournaments before (well, once, for Euro 2008) and ended up falling apart down the stretch. And second place is no guarantee to advancement either. (In case you're wondering: First place is not really an option seeing as Spain hold the lead in the group with a perfect 18 points from six games). But this would be a massive accomplishment for Bosnian football.
7. Mexico at Costa Rica, Sept. 6
Mexico are resurgent under new coach Javier Aguirre and have back-to-back victories against the hated Gringos to boost their fragile egos going into this crucial qualifier at San Jose. La Sele lead the group with 12 points from six games and are a particularly difficult foe on their home turf (it is actual fieldturf, too). But with just nine points, Mexico sit fourth and need a result. If they get it, they can look to the ensuing home games against Honduras and El Salvador to book their ticket to South Africa. If they lose, they'll face yet more soul searching.
8. Russia at Wales, Sept. 9
The moment of truth for Wales, who face extremely long odds even if they do win this game. Assuming (big leap of faith here) that second-placed Russia win at Liechtenstein Saturday, Wales will be nine points in arrears with three games to play. But these are three games that Russia can clearly lose; besides Wednesday's game at Millenium Stadium, they host Germany Oct. 10 and play at Azerbaijan Oct. 14. John Toschak's squad play at Finland and Liechtenstein. There is still hope for a Welsh appearance at South Africa, but it's a feint one.
9. Cameroon at Gabon, Sept. 5
Speaking of moments of truth, the Lions Indomptables have their backs to the wall with just one point from their first two games. They sit fourth and last in Africa's Group A, albeit with a game in hand over the second- and third-placed teams (Togo and Morocco, respectively). Gabon are first, with a perfect six points from two games. So Cameroon, the first team to really put African soccer on the map back in the 1990 World Cup (though some would argue that Algeria did so first in 1982), need a result. Actually, they need two, perhaps three to qualify directly (they face Gabon again Wednesday). But first thing first for the team now coached by Paul LeGuen, who previously led Paris Saint Germain, Glasgow Rangers and Olympique Lyonnais.
10. Croatia at England, Sept. 9
England have been stellar so far in Group 6: 21 points from seven games. We aren't exactly sure of the math, but it looks as though Fabio Capello's side can clinch a spot in South Africa with a victory Wednesday. That would put to rest the demons of the last time they hosted Croatia. It won't mean England are good, much less a threat to win anything next June, but it will be a nice accomplishment for a team that has had very little to cheer about since, well, 1966.
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Aug 13, 2009
Bob Bradley gets outcoached, U.S. lose to Mexico
The U.S. Men's National Team took an early lead, then gave up a quick equalizer before succumbing to the winning goal eight minutes from time in their World Cup qualifier at Estadio Azteca yesterday. The win by Mexico puts its national team back on track to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. The Yanks will probably still qualify anyway, but they would have loved to have managed a victory (or at least a draw) at the Azteca, a place where they have famously never won in 19 attempts. Back north of the border, the blame game is already in full effect, a further sign that the U.S. is finally taking its rightful place among soccer nations. (And about freakin' time too!)
The fingers point in the usual directions: certain prominent players (Landon Donovan, the team's best outfield player and captain Carlos Bocanegra are popular targets), the referee and of course the losing team's head coach, Bob Bradley. We will focus on the latter.
Before we do, a quick explanation is in order: Unlike many U.S.-based soccer writers we are not naive (or American) enough to think the coach has as much influence in the sport of soccer as he does in, say, basketball or (American) football. In those sports (and to an extent also in baseball) the coach can literally diagram every play and defensive formation should he choose to do so, leaving the players with the task of "executing." Obviously, soccer is different; most of the action comes from the flow of play and at the impetus of players on the field ("the pitch"). So the coach's role is more limited: motivating players and staff, choosing the starting lineup and formation and timing and identifying the proper substitutes. (Maybe this is why he is called a "manager" in the U.K. Or maybe that's because the word coach is used for buses. Whatever, off topic).
But it was in the last of these areas, substitutions, where Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre bested Bradley.
Perhaps (over)reacting to criticism of his substitution policy during the Confederations Cup final loss to Brazil, Bradley went to his bench relatively early, in the 58th minute. He did so in dramatic fashion, in one fell swoop bringing in Benny Feilhaber and Stuart Holden for Ricardo Clark and Brian Ching, respectively.
The Ching move was necessary. The veteran forward had done absolutely nothing in the match until then. You could count on one hand how many times he touched the ball. And Holden, his Houston Dynamo teammate, was a good choice to reinvigorate the U.S. attack, which had been largely dormant since Davies' goal. Holden can collect the ball in midfield and cause havoc on both wings. He was exactly what the U.S. game needed. Sure enough, he found Davies on a cross shortly after coming in but the Sochaux forward missed it. The chance would be the U.S.' best, last effort to score a second goal.
But the Clark move made no sense. Clark (another Houston Dynamo player) had been one of the Yanks' most consistent, active players in the first 57 minutes. He did an excellent job in defensive midfield, where he was repeatedly able to disrupt Mexico’s efforts at buildup. Rather than remove Clark, Bradley should have spelled his son, Michael, who was all but invisible to that point. The streaky Feilhaber promptly did nothing, which is not entirely (Bob) Bradley's fault. But failing to remove his son from the game was.
After Aguirre countered with Nery Castillo in the 72nd minute, the game took on a different tilt. The Mexican side was able to find space, especially on the wings. Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard was able to bail the Yanks out once or twice but you could tell the noose was tightening.
Bradley went to his bench again in the 76th minute, bringing recent Hull City signing Jozy Altidore for Davies. This move was a) premature, b) the wrong one and c) ineffective. Altidore was not able to do anything in his brief time on the pitch, though in fairness he barely got any service either.
Why did Bradley feel the need to go for the win by bringing in another attacker when his team was hanging on for dear life and a draw would have been a great result? Why didn't he bring in Jonathan Spector or Jonathan Bornstein or Jose Francisco Torres (more on him in a minute) to shore up the left side of the defense or midfield? With 12 minutes plus stoppage time left on the clock, the U.S. was stretched to the breaking point with nowhere left to turn.
Aguirre saw his chance and he grabbed it, bringing in Miguel Sabah in minute 78. Three minutes later, Sabah scored the winning goal after the Yanks' left side gave way again. Game, set and match.
A few words on the starting lineups. Carlos Bocanegra is not a left back and should not be starting at that position in a game of this magnitude. We realize Bradley doesn't have many other options at this position (though Spector, a player West Ham United fans may have heard of, is all but begging for a chance) but Boca is simply not up to the task. In fact, the U.S. captain has not played very well at center back either. Both Mexico goals can be traced to mistakes on his part.
Lastly, WHY did Bradley not start Torres? The young Mexican-American has played well in his few national team appearances. He earns his money for a Mexican league club with whom he regularly visits the Azteca. From his position in central midfield, Torres could have been the lynchpin for the U.S. attack. Or, he could have replaced Michael Bradley either in place of Feilhaber or as the final substitute. Either way, leaving him out was a crime.
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Feb 8, 2008
Friday Footie Link List, Feb. 8, 2008
One of this week's most blogged-about items was the English Premier League's plan to play regular season games overseas. Not surprisingly, most bloggers hated the idea: All Quiet in the East Stand titled its rant "The Day Football Started To Kill Itself." Football Corner wrote Premier League games abroad is not the answer" (they didn't say what the question was, but I get it; they hate the plan. Fair enough).
It wasn't just English bloggers who came out vocally opposed, either. Jakarta Casual out of the Indonesian capital city, is calling the EPL the English Prostitute League. Oh You Beauty, an American Liverpool fan, also blasted the concept, arguing that it would require too many games and dilute the fact that it's the English Premier League. I think he's a bit confused because the only thing English about the EPL (besides its name) is the fact that its teams play in English cities. I suppose a few of the players are English too, though not at Arsenal. If I'm not mistaken, there are at present as many U.S. goalkeepers as English ones starting for Prem sides. And we know all about the American, Russian, Egyptian, Icelandic and Thai club owners. Anyway, we haven't heard the last of this debate. I happen to like the idea, but I think I'm in the minority the only one (although I did find one blogger who seemed to think the whole thing was a cruel joke).
Here's something you definitely won't see in the U.S. Actually you probably won't see it anywhere but in St. Pauli, which is the section of Hamburg that contains the Kiez, the city's thriving red light district (think Las Vegas meets the East Village and you're about halfway there). St. Pauli also has a professional football club that literally plays its games at a fairground. The team, FC St. Pauli, currently plies its trade in Germany's second division and made news this week for signing a sponsorship agreement with Orion, an erotic mail-order company that will supply the club's fan shop with its own brand of condoms (thanks to The Offside for pointing this out to us). Gotta love that. The Offside asks what type of club would do such a thing and provides the link to a neat video report about the organization in response to its question. I can tell you from my own experience that St. Pauli is a very special place. I'm not at all surprised by the news. When I was living in Hamburg, its shirt sponsor was Jack Daniels, which is actually a bit more shocking only because that's a U.S. corporation and St. Pauli are quite literally anti-capitalist.
Wednesday night there was a full suite of international friendlies on the docket. From what I understand the U.S. tied Mexico and England beat Switzerland. Their parents must be proud. I find these games boring but Who Ate All The Pies posed an interesting question in conjunction with Fabio Capello's debut, namely how many England players are world class? WAATP argues that Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney (and "possibly" Joe Cole) fit the bill. I agree with them on Rooney. This got me thinking about the U.S. and Mexico, who between them probably have one world class player at present (Rafa Marquez) but several who could get there in the next five years (Gio, Jozy, Bradley, Adu and Vela come to mind), while England has Theo and Micah. Maybe there are others I'm forgetting. Or maybe, just maybe the U.S. and Mexico will be better than England in a decade's time? Nah. No chance of that happening.
Image taken from lapolladefutbol.com without permission.
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Feb 6, 2008
Sorry, But I Don't Care About USA-Mexico...
...or any other international friendlies. And neither should you. They're boring. We're talking about exhibition games here, okay folks? Nothing's at stake other than "bragging rights," which in this case comes down to nationalism. I don't like nationalism. It's caused too much trouble, including all of last century's most bloody conflicts. And to what end? At least religion inspired people to paint the ceilings of churches and what-have-you. Nationalism just inspires people to kill each other.
This doesn't mean I eschew international competitions wholesale. The world cup is good fun--great fun, even--and I will also watch the Euro championship, Copa America, Gold Cup, etc. Those tournaments at least represent a means to an end, with a number of national teams competing against each other for an ultimate prize. Okay, that's still vaguely fascist, but then so too is GDP. But we need a way to measure a country's economic output just like we need a way to gauge its soccer output. The international cups fit this need, even if it is flawed and sometimes corrupt system (so too is democracy, after all).
Friendlies are little better than the all-star contests U.S. sports leagues put on every year: over-hyped barely-disguised money-making schemes that are forgotten almost as soon as they are played (unless of course there is some kind of "border war" or other "bragging right" involved or it results in violence or scandal). The level of play is far inferior to club competitions for obvious reasons: few of the players have trained or competed together before and many are not familiar with the coaches' playing styles or tactical formations. Over the course of a month-long tournament like the world cup, national teams can and do gel to the point where they are as tight--or more so--than club sides. But that will never be accomplished in a few days.
So please, spare me this stuff. USA-Mexico? I'll take a pass. Let me know when the games count toward something again.
Photo taken from pe.com without permission.
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Dec 9, 2007
Cancun's Atlante Wins Mexican Championships
Atlante won the Mexican Apertura championships thanks to a 2-1 win tonight against UNAM Pumas in the final leg of the home-and-away final series. The Cancun side clinched the game in the 86th minute on a Golazo from Clemente Ovalle. The 25 year old defender struck the ball from about 20 meters, sending it off the underside of the bar. Seventeen minutes earlier, Pumas had tied the game up after Atlante had struck first in the 59th minute. The first leg at Mexico City's Estadio Olimpico ended scoreless.
I think this was Ovalle's third career goal, but undoubtedly the most significant. He didn't even play regularly until the final stretch of the Apertura season, entering as a substitute the final three games. His performance was enough to convince Atlante's coach, Jose Guadelupe Cruz, as Ovalle started every playoff game.
The championship is Atlante's first since 1993 and only its third overall. The team entered the Apertura playoffs as the third seed and vanquished Cruz Azul in the quarterfinals and Chivas in the semis. They were fortunate to not have to play either of the top two seeds (Santos Laguna and Toluca) both of whom were beaten by Pumas. But Atlante appeared to have answers for Pumas' attacking game that neither of the other teams could put together.
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Dec 7, 2007
First Leg Of Mexican League Final Ends Scoreless
The first leg of the Apertura gran final between Mexico City's UNAM Pumas and Cancun's Atlante ended in a scoreless draw at Estadio Olimpico last night. The underdog home side dominated most of the run of play and had more--and better--chances but were unable to capitalize. Atlante's goalkeeper Federico Vilar was probably the man of the match, stepping in with several key saves, especially in the second half when Pumas seemed to be cutting off all of Atlante's escape routes. Other times, the host's forwards were unable to capitalize on their chances. The series now moves to Cancun where a winner will be decided Sunday night (7pm EST).
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Nov 30, 2007
Defensive Blunders Cost Club America First Leg Of Copa Sudamericana Final
Uncharacteristically sloppy defending cost Club America a game they couldn't afford to lose, as Arsenal de Sarandi stormed back twice from a goal down to take the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final at Estadio Azteca. Lapses of various types played central roles in all three Arsenal goals, with America's normally standout goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa even doing his part on the first. Ochoa stuck to his line on a cross and was then left no chance on Anibal Matellan's header.
The highlight of the game was unquestionably a Golazo by America midfielder Alejandro Arguello shortly after halftime. Arguello's brilliant strike into the upper 90 was truly something to behold and I will suggest scouring the Web to find a clip. I'll actually do so myself and update this post with the link.
America drew blood first after only five minutes and appeared in firm control of the game for about 20 minutes. But Arsenal held their ground and had I felt evened things out when Matellan headed in the equalizer. After Arguello put the Aguillas up again at 50 minutes, his teammates on the back line were so impressed, three of them misplayed (or plain missed) a bouncing ball that Alejandro Gomez collected and fired past Ochoa. Ten minutes later Gomez completed his brace after another brainfart by the America defenders.
Ultimately, the game was undone by shifty refereeing, rough play and obscure decisions--none more ridiculous than Arsenal captain Carlos Castiglione's apparent refusal to leave the pitch after receiving a red card 10 minutes from time. The incriminating incident occurred outside the run of play and apparently off-camera (I can't remember seeing any replays). The ref sent Castiglione off after consulting with one of the linesman. When he finally left the field, the Argentine was shown bitching out the fourth official. And I thought disrespecting authority was unique to the U.S.?
Needless to say America faces an uphill battle if they want to become the third Mexican team in a row to win the coveted trophy. But they've won on hostile ground before--most recently at Bogota in their semifinal match-up with Millonarios. No reason they can't do it again. The return leg will be played Wednesday.
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3-0! Pumas Shock Top Seed Santos In Liguilla Semifinal
Mexico City's U.N.A.M. Pumas scored a stunning upset over top-seeded Santos Laguna, winning the first leg of the Liguilla semifinals 3-0 at a raucous Estadio Olimpico Universitario last night. Pumas' impressive victory was shocking for its scale: Santos had previously lost only once in 19 Apertura season games and was never shut out. Pumas, by contrast squeaked into the liguilla with the second-worst record of the 12 playoff teams and upset second-seeded Toluca in the first round.
But Pumas were downright dominant for stretches of last night's game and easily could have scored four or five goals. Twenty-two year old Argentine Ignacio Scocco opened the scoring in the 26th minute with a screaming drive from 30 yards. Hector Moreno, a 19-year old defenseman (I told you to watch these Pumas cubs!) doubled up in the 51st minute and Scocco completed his brace with a free header three minutes later. Scocco was completely unmarked in the box with Santos still stunned from Moreno's goal.
The teams meet again at Santos' Estadio Corona on Sunday. If I'm not mistaken, Santos--by virtue of being the higher seed--win the tie-breaker, meaning they only need to score three goals, a feat they managed in five of their nine home games during the Apertura. That's assuming, of course, that Pumas score none. And Ricardo Ferretti's young team is obviously peaking in confidence right about now. I for one will be surprised if Santos pull it off. But I've been wrong before...
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Nov 25, 2007
La Liguilla: Sizing Up The Semifinals
Mexico's Apertura season completed another turn this weekend, as the quarterfinals of the Liguilla (playoffs) wrapped up. There was one notable upset, with seventh-seeded UNAM Pumas ousting the second seed Toluca. With the Diablos Rojos' early exit, its coach Jose Pekerman (if you recognize him but can't place him it's because he was Argentina's coach at last summer's world cup in Germany) is now seen as a top candidate for the managerial vacancy at River Plate, according to this ESPNDeportes story (at least I think that's what it says. By all means please correct me if I'm wrong). For more on the quarterfinals match-ups, please consult the lengthy primer I wrote on the subject.
Pumas will now face top-seeded Santos Laguna, with the first leg taking place in Mexico City Thursday. The return leg will follow at Santos' Estadio Corona Sunday. Obviously, Santos will be heavily-favored, but so too was Toluca. Santos is looking very strong; their only Apertura loss came Oct. 12 and their star forward, Argentine Daniel Ludueña has scored in each of the team's last three games. Speaking of scoring, expect there to be a lot of it: Santos led the league with 40 regular season goals scored. Pumas were tied for second with 32. The one time they played during the regular season, a 3-2 Santos victory Oct. 7, the teams traded punches before Christian Benitez netted the winner six minutes from time.
The other semifinal pits Guadelajara's Chivas and Cancun's Atlante. Neither team had major problems with its quarterfinal opponent, dismissing Cruz Azul (Atlante) and San Luis (Chivas). The first game is at Chivas' Estadio Jalisco Wednesday night, followed by the return leg in Cancun Saturday. The teams tied their regular season encounter 1-1 back on Oct. 20. Atlante's Venezuelan striker Giancarlo Maldonado is a beast, having scored 16 times in 17 games this season (including the Liguilla). It will be interesting to see how Chivas' young defense (Mexico's U20 captain Patricio Araujo, Edgar Meija and fellow 19 year old Omar Esparza are regular starters) handle Maldonado. Think the European scouts will be watching this one?
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Nov 19, 2007
Mexican Liguilla Primer: 2007 Apertura Quarterfinals
North American soccer fans hungering for some action now that MLS has completed its season are advised to check out the Mexican Liguilla, the eight team playoff that kicks off Wednesday night. While not quite Man U versus Arsenal, the Mexican league is deeper and better than many European leagues and is considered by some to be the best professional soccer league outside of Europe. I reckon the eight playoff teams would give nearly all Premiership sides a good game. There are also several young players you're likely to see in European leagues before too long. The quarterfinals play out over two legs, concluding this weekend. Let's take a look at the match-ups:
Santos Laguna (top seed) vs. Morelia (8)
First game: At Morelia, Thursday. (Exact times and U.S. television to be determined and added later).
Second game: At Santos, Sunday.
Outlook: Santos is obviously heavily-favored, having completed the regular season with just one loss. Morelia had to win a play-in series against Club America--which they may not have pulled off without America playing their Copa Sudamericana semifinal 48 hours before their first match. Santos have several players who look like they might be on the verge of stardom. Monarcas, meanwhile, scored only 20 goals in 17 Apertura games. Only three teams in the 18-team league scored fewer.
Regular season game: A 3-2 Santos home victory on Oct. 21.
Santos players you may have heard of: Oswaldo Sanchez, who until very recently (this summer?) was the starting goalkeeper for Mexico's national team. Oswaldo hasn't played much though, and it looks like the club is sticking with Miguel Becerra. Argentine forward Daniel Ludueña (I think he used to play at River Plate?) scored 13 goals in 15 games during the Apertura. Matías Vuoso (another Argentine) had a stint at Manchester City in 2002-03 but didn't play in a single game.
Morelia players you may have heard of: Fernando Arce has 25 caps for Mexico and played at the Copa America this summer. Yeah. That's all.
Players you're likely to hear of soon: Santos' 21 year old Ecuadorian forward Cristian Benitez played in last summer's world cup. Benitez has been capped 14 times and scored seven goals. His Santos teammate Edgar Castillo is a 21 year-old defender who was born in New Mexico (the U.S. state) but chose to play for el tri (he got his first cap this summer).
Toluca (2) vs. UNAM Pumas (7)
First game: At Toluca, Thursday.
Second game: At Pumas, Sunday.
Outlook: An intriguing match-up featuring youth (Pumas) versus experience (Toluca), and offense and scoring prowess (Pumas) versus airtight defense (Toluca). Toluca is coached by Jose Pekerman, who was the Argentine national team coach for two years through last year's world cup. He took over a team that finished 13th in the Clausura. The Diablos Rojos have not lost since Sept. 29 and their 16 goals allowed are tied for best in the league. Pumas, on the other hand, barely won more games (six) than they lost (five) but their 32 goals scored are second behind Santos' 40. Esteban Solari, another Argentine, scored 14 of those goals, which according to my calculations is nearly half. That in 17 games. Not bad! Pumas have a young nucleus of talent with a few grizzled veterans but their most talented young players may be on defense.
Regular season game: A scoreless draw at Toluca on Halloween night.
Toluca players you may have heard of: Christian Gimenez had a long run in Europe, playing in Switzerland, for Olympique Marseille and most recently at Hertha Berlin before signing for Toluca this summer. Antonio Naelson Matias, a.k.a. "Zinha" is Brazilian-born but played for Mexico's national team at last summer's world cup. Hugo Sanchez has yet to cap him since taking over as national team coach. Vicente Sanchez, the team's leading goalscorer got two goals for Uruguay at this year's Copa America.
Pumas players you may have heard of: Paco Palencio, of course. The 35 year old has 78 caps for El Tri and was on Chivas USA for parts of the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Israel Castro was part of Mexico's Copa America and Copo Oro squads this summer and was widely hailed with excellent coverage of Lionel Messi in el tri's game with Argentina.
Players you're likely to hear of soon: Pumas defender Efrain Velarde is only 21 but started and finished all 17 of the team's games. He's been capped at the U20 level. Keep an eye on him. Solari is 27 and has never been capped for Argentina, but the dude's been a scoring machine the past couple of years. Last year he scored 20 goals for APOEL in the Cypriot league (the team only played 26 league games all season) after netting 14 goals in 18 games for APOEL the season before that. If he was any other nationality (other than perhaps Brazilian) he'd have at least a dozen caps by now. But there's still time.
Atlante (3) vs. Cruz Azul (6)
First game: At Cruz Azul, Wednesday, 8pm EST (Azteca America).
Second game: At Atlante, Saturday.
Outlook: An interesting pairing of resort town (Atlante is from Cancun) and capital city (Cruz Azul is one of two D.F. teams in the Liguilla--the other's Pumas). Cruz Azul had to beat Pachuca in a play-in. The Mexico City side have arguably the best young talent of all eight Liguilla teams.
Regular season game: The teams tied 2-2 after Atlante came back with two second half goals, the equalizer coming in the final minute.
Atlante players you may have heard of: Giancarlo Maldonado led Venezuela's Copa America efforts this summer. He only scored 15 goals in 15 games for Atlante in the Apertura season. Alain Nkong played for Cameroon at the 2002 world cup as well as in Spain and Portugal. For some reason the Colorado Rapids waived him. Twice.
Cruz Azul players you may have heard of: Jared Borgetti, of Bolton shame/fame and of course the Mexican national team, though I'm not sure he plays much. Gerardo Torrado, another linchpin on El Tri (I think he's one of the midfielders who sports an afro).
Players you're likely to hear of soon: Cruz Azul's Cesar Villaluz is all of 18 but scored five goals in 12 Apertura games and has been part of all of Mexico's junior national teams the past five years. His 20 year old teammate Julio Dominguez has already been capped by the senior national side. Maldonado is only 25 and could (and probably should) get a look from European clubs. Atlante's Daniel Guerrero was also on El Tri's U20 team at the world cup in Canada this summer and has also been called up to the senior national side, but the defender doesn't always start for his club team.
Chivas de Guadelajara (4) vs. San Luis (5)
First game: At San Luis, Wednesday, 10pm EST (TeleFutura).
Second game: At Chivas, Saturday.
Outlook: This match-up pits one of the league's most storied names (Chivas) against one of its newest (San Luis was reestablished in 1999 as a farm team for Club America. They've also had to battle relegation in recent seasons). Chivas, for their part had a pretty mediocre season, at least by the club's high standards (losing the superclasico to America and being ousted from the Copa Sudamericana in the quarterfinals) San Luis is led by Argentine forward Alfredo Moreno, who scored a freakish 18 goals in 16 games.
Regular season game: A scoreless tie on Sept. 8.
Chivas players you may have heard of: Omar Bravo, Ramon Morales and Alberto Medina are "El Tri" regulars.
San Luis players you may have heard of: Moreno had separate stints at Boca Juniors. Tressor Moreno (no relation) was on Colombia's 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup squad but will miss the first leg.
Players you're likely to hear of soon: Patricio Araujo captained the Mexico Under 20 side at the world cup this summer and has also been capped for Hugo Sanchez' side. Chivas reportedly declined a $3 million offer from Ajax Amsterdam for his services. You'll be seeing him in Europe eventually. Omar Esparza, another guy from that U20 same team, features in defensive midfield for Chivas. Alberto Medina came out of nowhere to produce his goal-scoring binge this season. It will be interesting to see if a) it keeps up and b) he attracts attention from Europe and elsewhere if it does. (He turns 27 Dec. 1. Maybe a late bloomer?)
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Nov 13, 2007
Club America Advance To Copa Sudamericana Final
It wasn't much of a game at the Nemesio Diaz, as Mexico City's Club America beat 10-man Millonarios 2-0 to advance to the final of the Copa Sudamericana, a.k.a. the "UEFA Cup of the Americas." Rodrigo Lopez scored for the Aguillas after only seven minutes and a questionable red card to Millos' Wilson Villagra 10 minutes later basically sealed the deal, as America's 3-2 lead from the first leg would have required the Colombian side to score three goals to advance. Lopez completed his brace late 10 minutes from time for good measure. A bit of a shame about the red card, but America looked the vastly superior side and deserved to advance.
America will host the first leg of the final Nov. 28 at the Azteca where they'll face either River Plate or Arsenal de Sarandi, who played to a scoreless draw in the first leg of their semifinal last week and meet again tomorrow (7:15pm, Fox Sports en Espanol) to settle matters.
With the victory, America become the third Mexican side to play in the Copa's final in three years. They won't have much time to celebrate the accomplishment though, with an important liguilla match on the slate Thursday night. (The liguilla is a home and away play-in for the playoffs).
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Nov 7, 2007
America Stun Millos In Copa Sudamericana Semis
I promised must-see TV. Did you really think I'd lie? Okay, so the first half wasn't much to write home about. For about an hour, in fact, Club America looked to be in almost complete control of the game. They had a comfortable 2-0 lead and only passive resistance from their Colombian hosts. The partisan crowd, who had been boisterous until America scored the first goal in the 25th minute, had fallen pretty silent. Millonarios looked a lot more like the (barely) middle-of-the-table club they are in their domestic league than the guys who had ousted Sao Paulo and Colo Colo from the tournament. Their defending was particularly horrific. America could (and probably should) have scored another.
Things changed in minute 61. Gerardo Bedoya struck a brilliant freekick from just outside the 18 yard box that left America's keeper Guillermo Ochoa flatfooted. Then the Colombians hit the post. At minute 68, Jonathan Estrada (I think it was him) took advantage of a mixup between Ochoa and two defenders to notch the equalizer. Millos now appeared clearly in control, the momentum in their favor.
By about minute 80, I thought America were out of gas. Millonarios smelled blood and pushed for the winner. Unfortunately, they forgot to defend again. Salvador Cabanas went fully unmarked and was wide open for a free header. No problemo! 3-2 America thanks to the second goal by the Paraguayan. A few minutes later, Millos' keeper appeared to commit a foul in his penalty area but the referee didn't call anything. America seemed a lot closer to a fourth goal than the Bogota side did to the equalizer. Yet it took a brilliant save from Guillermo Ochoa a few minutes from time to salvage the victory for the Mexicans.
All told the Aguillas victory is well-deserved, in my opinion. They were clearly the better team on the night and showed impressive poise by not caving in when Millonarios came back to tie the game. I don't think they should have much of a problem protecting the lead when the series heads to Mexico City in a few weeks' time. Then again, who knows? Millonarios have showed an uncanny ability to surprise opponents, often when they least expect it. But on balance, the Colombian side is simply too inconsistent, especially on defense, and America is methinks simply too good.
Now, bring on that other semi final! Arsenal versus River Plate. Tomorrow night, same bat time, same bat channel. Be there.
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Tonight's Must-See TV Will Be Broadcast In Spanish Only
Today's biggest game is not taking place in Barcelona or Manchester or Lyon, but in Bogotá, Colombia while most of UEFA will be fast asleep. I am of course referring to the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana semifinal, where Millonarios host Mexico City's Club America (8:15pm EST, Fox Sports en Espanol).
The Mexican side are favored to advance but face a daunting task: Millonarios have previously upset Brazilian champion Sao Paulo and Chile's Colo Colo at the Nemesio Camacho. Still, if anybody can deal with playing at Bogotá's altitude (2640 meters, or 8661 feet above sea level) it's a team from Mexico City, which is 2,240 meters, or 7,349 feet above sea level. (Or maybe those extra 400 meters really will make a difference? No clue).
Los Aguilas' most famous player right now is probably Guillermo Ochoa, the starting goalkeeper for Mexico's national side. Ochoa is said to be on his way to Man United, perhaps as early as January. Other stalwarts on Club America include Argentine midfielder Federico Insua and Uruguayan striker Rodrigo López, its leading scorer. The Colombian side features Ricardo Ciciliano, who already has six goals in the Copa, including a brace at Sao Paulo in the second leg of the quarterfinals. Defensive midfielder Gerardo Bedoya, who had a brief stint at Boca Juniors, also featured on the Colombian national team at the ripe old age of 19 when it won the 2001 Copa America. Bedoya has been injured but is expected to play if my rudimentary understanding of Spanish is correct. Both teams' coaches are from Argentina.
Speaking of Argentina, the other semifinal is an all Argentine affair between River Plate and Arsenal de Sarandi. That game is tomorrow night.
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Oct 30, 2007
Copa Sudamericana Semifinals Set
River Plate became the fourth and last semifinalist to qualify today, thanks to their scoreless home draw with Defensor Sporting of Montevideo, Uruguay. The teams had previously played a 2-2 game in the first leg. I saw most of tonight's game and it wasn't exactly beautiful soccer. River dodged one bullet after another, most of which were caused by their own sloppy defending, but Defensor weren't able to put one past River goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo. The 23 year old, who was on Argentina's bench at the Copa America this summer, had one nearly fatal flaw of his own midway through the second half. After leaving his line (a questionable decision in its own right), he mishandled a deep ball and had to chase it outside his own area, where, instead of clearing it into touch he booted it up the field--right into the path of an opposing player, whose long-range shot was headed off the line by (I think) Fernando Belluschi. Other than that Carrizo actually played very well. One of very few River players I can say that about.
In the semis, Daniel Passarella's men will face fellow Argentine side Arsenal (no relation to a certain London club) because the Copa has a rule that prohibits teams from the same country playing each other in the final. If they face each other in the semis, they can't face each other in the final (I'm assuming the Copa Sud folks limit entries to two per country?) The other semifinal will feature Mexico City's Club America and Millionarios out of Bogota, Colombia, with the first leg at the Azteca on Thursday, Nov. 8. The first leg of River-Arsenal will also be played that night, though I'm not exactly sure where.
Figure River and America to be favored, perhaps even heavily favored. Millionarios' traditional home field advantage--high altitude--will be largely nullified as Mexico City is just as high as Bogota (I think. Too lazy to look it up at this point). America, currently 13th in my top 25 ranking of worldwide clubs, appears to be peaking at the right time for this tournament, having just defeated Chivas in an impressive showing over the weekend. River clearly has to play better than they did tonight though. Arsenal also just defeated Chivas (in their quarterfinal match-up of the Copa Sudamericana) but more impressively, they pulled it off on the road at Guadelajara. I have the sense they could give River trouble.
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Oct 28, 2007
Club America Wins 199th Edition Of El Super Clasico
Sunday's best game that didn't take place at Anfield may have just been the 199th edition of El Super Clasico, as the game between Mexico City's Club America and Guadelajara's Chivas is known South of the border. (I think they call it El Clasico as well, but I don't want people to confuse it with that other game they play in Spain). And no, I didn't watch every single professional soccer game that was played Sunday (I'll admit to having no life, but that's a bit excessive even for me) so I have no way of knowing this with 100% certainty. I'm just saying this was a good game. I've been singing the Mexican league's praises for some time and I do think you can make the point that it is the best soccer league that isn't English, Spanish, Italian or maybe German. (I'm not going to try and make that point, at least not now, I'm just saying it can be made).
Anyway, the game took a little while to heat up. Little happened in the first half. The Aguillas (Club America's nickname, or one of them) played like sh!te and Chivas should have scored at least once. The second half was a different story, however. America came out guns blazing and scored two quick goals. Chivas came right back on a header by Omar Bravo and almost equalized a few minutes after that, but America's keeper, Guillermo Ochoa, made a brilliant save--actually one of the best I've seen in a long time. Anybody need a goalkeeper? This kid is only 22 and has already been capped for Mexico. Twenty-two is like a baby for a goalkeeper. You'll be hearing of him. Update: Wikipedia reports that Ajax Amsterdam were interested in acquiring Ochoa, along with Racing de Santander and Man United.
Chivas also hit the post shortly afterwards and both teams had their chances in end-to-end action. I don't know how these guys can run like that for 90 minutes at a mile-and-a-half above sea level, but the pace was frenetic. The defending did get a little sloppy, at least one on Chivas offensive in the 86th minute. But Ochoa--with help of the post--kept them from equalizing. Ochoa made another brilliant save three minutes from time. You had the sense this was his night and that he wasn't going to give up a second goal. He didn't and America won by that 2-1 margin.
It was truly a terrific match, especially the second half. The goals were gorgeous, each one coming from the run of play. Both America goals were scored by 19-year old Juan Carlos Silva, who was on Mexico's team at the U-20 world cup this summer. I don't know anything else about Silva, but I expect we'll be hearing from him as well. All in all it was worth staying up for. I just wish I could understand more Spanish. Oh well. Maybe if I keep watching Mexican soccer I'll absorb some by osmosis? At least then I'll have something to show for it. Other than this blog, that is.
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