Well, the World Cup is over and Spain are champions. Good. Balance is restored to the universe. The best team playing the best style managed to win.
The final itself kind of sucked. Holland avoided any semblance of trying to play with Spain. Instead, they must have decided that Germany lost because they were too deferential to Spain's midfield, and therefore that the proper strategy to counter that tendency was to foul like motherfuckers for the entire match. It started just 45 seconds into the match, when Van Persie raked the back of Busquets' knee with his cleat and barely avoided a yellow card; and it didn't even end when Heitinga got sent off with a second yellow for dragging Iniesta down from behind when he was through on goal in the 109th minute -- hell, they got two more after that for good measure, a total of nine (!) cards in all.
The English ref Howard Webb handed out a record 14 cards in the final, and he is going to get a lot of stick from the Dutch fans for favoring Spain. But believe me, he did a reasonably good job responding to an utterly cynical Dutch strategy, and while he missed a couple of calls both ways, he basically got it right. I was pissed that he kept slowing the game down with his constant whistles, but to Webb's credit, he really did his best to keep this 11v11 for the full 120 minutes in very difficult circumstances. He could easily have sent De Jong off after half an hour for his WWE move on Alonso; probably could have sent Van Bommel off a couple of times, and probably should have sent off the histrionic Robben, who, at one point, chased him halfway up the pitch to complain because, for once, he didn't go down when Puyol fouled him on a break and Webb let the play continue. The Brazilians must have loved that one.
Holland were just awful. But, to their credit, the brutal hacking strategy did disrupt Spain's rhythm, and, it almost -- almost -- got them the win. Had Casillas not gotten a foot on Robben's first break-away strike (as he dove the other way), had Robben taken his chance when he stayed on his feet after beating Puyol, you could have seen the Dutch steal this one 1-0. Their goalkeeper was excellent and kept them in the match. But for the fouling, they had a pretty interesting tactical response to Spain, pressuring them, interfering with passing lanes to break up Spain's short passing game, and they really neutralized Xavi. Pity they couldn't do it without eight cautions and a sending off.
Spain were not brilliant, not by any stretch. I thought they came out brightly, but lost their edge under the weight of the Dutch negativity. The early second half sub of Jesus Navas for Pedro was inspired, and he managed to get a lot more movement on the right wing. But I thought the 87th minute sub of Cesc Fabregas for Alonso won the game for Spain. He provided a Xavi Hernandez-like spark to the Spanish attack, and created at least three good chances in extra time, including Iniesta's winner.
Anyway, Spain won, and they celebrated emotionally. This is a very big deal for Spain. It was cool that they changed into their red jerseys for the cup presentation. Here are two of my favorite YouTube vids, first, Spanish TV announcer Camacho on the goal call:
And, a little cute, but a choked-up Casillas interrupting his insanely hot girlfriend's attempt to conduct a professional interview with him:
When the dust settles, and I've had a chance to reflect, I'll do a summary of the tournament. But for now, I'm really happy with the result. Espana, campeones!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Good Reads on Eve of Final
The New York Times has a piece on the Cruyff connection.
Jonathan Wilson at The Guardian dissects the prevalence of the 4-2-3-1 formation at the World Cup, and contrasts the two examples of the formation on display in the final.
Zonal Marking has their preview of the final up (well, part one of it), and it's as thoughtful and detailed as you'd expect. Full of interesting links.
For a little homer nostalgia, here is Grant Wahl interviewing Landon Donovan on his World Cup experience. Happy to see him give props to Clint Dempsey.
And finally, Gawker's hilarious look at World Cup winners and losers.
By the way, that third place match between Uruguay and Germany was fantastic. Pity we probably won't see a game that open in the final. The lead changed three times, and Forlan almost equalized on the last tick of added time, his direct free kick striking the crossbar. His 51st minute goal, struck high on the volley, skipping off the wet grass and into the net, demonstrated his unbelievable quality at this tournament.
Jonathan Wilson at The Guardian dissects the prevalence of the 4-2-3-1 formation at the World Cup, and contrasts the two examples of the formation on display in the final.
Zonal Marking has their preview of the final up (well, part one of it), and it's as thoughtful and detailed as you'd expect. Full of interesting links.
For a little homer nostalgia, here is Grant Wahl interviewing Landon Donovan on his World Cup experience. Happy to see him give props to Clint Dempsey.
And finally, Gawker's hilarious look at World Cup winners and losers.
By the way, that third place match between Uruguay and Germany was fantastic. Pity we probably won't see a game that open in the final. The lead changed three times, and Forlan almost equalized on the last tick of added time, his direct free kick striking the crossbar. His 51st minute goal, struck high on the volley, skipping off the wet grass and into the net, demonstrated his unbelievable quality at this tournament.
Friday, July 9, 2010
The Final
While I am delighted that Spain and Holland are in the final, I'm personally a bit conflicted about who to support.
On the one hand, for familial reasons, I'm for Spain. My wife's parents -- now naturalized US citizens -- came to the US from Spain in the early '60s. My son is a big Spain supporter. I've heard so many stories about Spanish football in the '50's from my father-in-law, and we watch a lot of Barcelona and Real Madrid during the club season together. I'm going to Spain in a couple of weeks to visit the family, and it would be great if they were riding the euphoria of winning the Cup.
[Just an aside -- I was visiting the family in Tenerife in the spring of 1993. That year, Real Madrid and Barcelona were coming into the last day of the La Liga season positioned 1-2 in the table, Real Madrid 2 points ahead of Barca. Real Madrid played Tenerife away; I can't recall who Barca played. I couldn't go to the match, but I listened on the radio out on the balcony of my apartment. Tenerife surprised Madrid 2-0, denying them the title (Barcelona won their match), and further, the three points for Tenerife put them in the UEFA Cup, just pipping Athletico Madrid by a point for fifth place. It was pandemonium. The whole city exploded. They were fishing people out of fountains in Tenerife for days. Unforgettable. I went to Game 7 of the NBA Finals at the Staples Center in LA a couple of weeks ago, and was out on the streets of downtown LA after the Lakers won the title, and it didn't hold a candle to the celebration in this small, provincial town when their long-suffering team came in fifth place in La Liga.]
I picked Holland to make the final, and I have a soft spot for their swashbuckling football history. They should have won a title during the Cruyff years. They had an undefeated run through 2010 qualifying, and an undefeated run through this World Cup. I watch a lot of English football, and so I've seen a lot of Holland's World Cup squad play in England -- Van Persie at Arsenal, Kuyt at Liverpool, Robben formerly at Chelsea, Heitinga at Everton, De Jong at Man City.
Ironically, modern Spain are playing like the historical Dutch, and for good reasons. Johann Cruyff came to Barcelona as coach and implemented Dutch total football tactics, which persist today. The current Spain team is dominated by Barcelona players: Pique, Puyol, Iniesta, Xavi, Busquests, Pedro, and even new signing Villa. I've heard people joke that Barcelona are going to win the World Cup. Spain are the spiritual successors to the 70's Dutch style that revolutionized football. The current Holland team, on the other hand, are almost playing like the Germans of old -- efficient, physical, individually talented.
What can we expect on Sunday? The pundits' consensus seems to be another 1-0 win for Spain. Spain getting 60% of the possession again, wearing down the Dutch back line with their sharp tiki-taka passing game, and scoring just one goal while clamping down a weak Dutch attack.
I'm not so sure, and it kind of depends on two thing: 1) will the Dutch play the same style or will they vary their tactics?; and 2) will there be an early goal?
You have to expect the first 20 minutes are going to be very cagey and tentative. These are both pretty patient teams. If the Dutch try to replicate the strategy of Switzerland, or Paraguay, or even Germany and hang back, conceding tons of possession to Spain, trying to steal a goal, Spain will indeed beat them 1-0 or 2-0. Holland have to create some high pressure on the Spanish midfield. Germany dropped back into their half too quickly against Spain, which allowed Busquets, Ramos, and even Pique to bring the ball forward, giving Xavi, Iniesta and Pedro time to find seams in the German midfield in threatening positions. This is suicide against Spain. If you give Xavi and Iniesta space to play around the top of the area, they will kill you.
I think the Dutch have to attack early to try to get an early goal to stretch the dense-packed Spanish midfield. An early Dutch goal will totally open this match up for the good. An early Spanish goal would also open up the match, but very much in Spain's favor. I think if Spain score in the first 20 minutes, this might look like France-Brazil '98.
The Dutch can score goals. They know how to play attacking football. They put in two against Brazil and played brightly. Put in three against Uruguay, one of which, the Van Bronckhorst strike, is a candidate for goal of the tournament. They have good attacking players. Van Persie has been absent, but Kuyt has been excellent, Robben has looked good, and Sneijder has poached a bunch of goals. However, you could have said the same thing about Germany, and Spain just shut the Germans down and toyed with them like a cat in their half of play.
They key for me is Dirk Kuyt on Holland's left vs. Sergio Ramos on Spain's right. If Kuyt has to play deep to counter Ramos, the Dutch attack will be neutered. If Kuyt pins Ramos back, it will be a much different match.
The World Cup final can often be pretty dull -- teams playing not to lose, rather than to win. In '90, '94, and '02 there were no first half goals in the final. In '98 the French scored two and won 3-0 (three goals is the most scored in a final in the last five cups). In '06, it was 1-1 at the half, but there were no second half goals. This one looks like it's either going to be a super-tight 1-0 victory by Spain, or a wide open 3-2 match that either team could win. God, I hope it's the latter.
On the one hand, for familial reasons, I'm for Spain. My wife's parents -- now naturalized US citizens -- came to the US from Spain in the early '60s. My son is a big Spain supporter. I've heard so many stories about Spanish football in the '50's from my father-in-law, and we watch a lot of Barcelona and Real Madrid during the club season together. I'm going to Spain in a couple of weeks to visit the family, and it would be great if they were riding the euphoria of winning the Cup.
[Just an aside -- I was visiting the family in Tenerife in the spring of 1993. That year, Real Madrid and Barcelona were coming into the last day of the La Liga season positioned 1-2 in the table, Real Madrid 2 points ahead of Barca. Real Madrid played Tenerife away; I can't recall who Barca played. I couldn't go to the match, but I listened on the radio out on the balcony of my apartment. Tenerife surprised Madrid 2-0, denying them the title (Barcelona won their match), and further, the three points for Tenerife put them in the UEFA Cup, just pipping Athletico Madrid by a point for fifth place. It was pandemonium. The whole city exploded. They were fishing people out of fountains in Tenerife for days. Unforgettable. I went to Game 7 of the NBA Finals at the Staples Center in LA a couple of weeks ago, and was out on the streets of downtown LA after the Lakers won the title, and it didn't hold a candle to the celebration in this small, provincial town when their long-suffering team came in fifth place in La Liga.]
I picked Holland to make the final, and I have a soft spot for their swashbuckling football history. They should have won a title during the Cruyff years. They had an undefeated run through 2010 qualifying, and an undefeated run through this World Cup. I watch a lot of English football, and so I've seen a lot of Holland's World Cup squad play in England -- Van Persie at Arsenal, Kuyt at Liverpool, Robben formerly at Chelsea, Heitinga at Everton, De Jong at Man City.
Ironically, modern Spain are playing like the historical Dutch, and for good reasons. Johann Cruyff came to Barcelona as coach and implemented Dutch total football tactics, which persist today. The current Spain team is dominated by Barcelona players: Pique, Puyol, Iniesta, Xavi, Busquests, Pedro, and even new signing Villa. I've heard people joke that Barcelona are going to win the World Cup. Spain are the spiritual successors to the 70's Dutch style that revolutionized football. The current Holland team, on the other hand, are almost playing like the Germans of old -- efficient, physical, individually talented.
What can we expect on Sunday? The pundits' consensus seems to be another 1-0 win for Spain. Spain getting 60% of the possession again, wearing down the Dutch back line with their sharp tiki-taka passing game, and scoring just one goal while clamping down a weak Dutch attack.
I'm not so sure, and it kind of depends on two thing: 1) will the Dutch play the same style or will they vary their tactics?; and 2) will there be an early goal?
You have to expect the first 20 minutes are going to be very cagey and tentative. These are both pretty patient teams. If the Dutch try to replicate the strategy of Switzerland, or Paraguay, or even Germany and hang back, conceding tons of possession to Spain, trying to steal a goal, Spain will indeed beat them 1-0 or 2-0. Holland have to create some high pressure on the Spanish midfield. Germany dropped back into their half too quickly against Spain, which allowed Busquets, Ramos, and even Pique to bring the ball forward, giving Xavi, Iniesta and Pedro time to find seams in the German midfield in threatening positions. This is suicide against Spain. If you give Xavi and Iniesta space to play around the top of the area, they will kill you.
I think the Dutch have to attack early to try to get an early goal to stretch the dense-packed Spanish midfield. An early Dutch goal will totally open this match up for the good. An early Spanish goal would also open up the match, but very much in Spain's favor. I think if Spain score in the first 20 minutes, this might look like France-Brazil '98.
The Dutch can score goals. They know how to play attacking football. They put in two against Brazil and played brightly. Put in three against Uruguay, one of which, the Van Bronckhorst strike, is a candidate for goal of the tournament. They have good attacking players. Van Persie has been absent, but Kuyt has been excellent, Robben has looked good, and Sneijder has poached a bunch of goals. However, you could have said the same thing about Germany, and Spain just shut the Germans down and toyed with them like a cat in their half of play.
They key for me is Dirk Kuyt on Holland's left vs. Sergio Ramos on Spain's right. If Kuyt has to play deep to counter Ramos, the Dutch attack will be neutered. If Kuyt pins Ramos back, it will be a much different match.
The World Cup final can often be pretty dull -- teams playing not to lose, rather than to win. In '90, '94, and '02 there were no first half goals in the final. In '98 the French scored two and won 3-0 (three goals is the most scored in a final in the last five cups). In '06, it was 1-1 at the half, but there were no second half goals. This one looks like it's either going to be a super-tight 1-0 victory by Spain, or a wide open 3-2 match that either team could win. God, I hope it's the latter.
Monday, July 5, 2010
World Cup Up For Grabs?
I'm very excited about the semi-finals, because I think this World Cup hangs in the balance. There's less inevitability about these four teams than any cup I can remember. Any of these teams could win it. I'd put the Germans first on current form, fitness, and national football character; the Spaniards second on talent and guile; the Dutch third on efficiency and good luck; and the Uruguayans fourth, well, for a lot of reasons.
Germany absolutely dismembered Argentina in the quarter-finals. Crushed them. Argentina over-relied on individual dribbling and Germany just closed them down. Schweinsteiger was huge, both defending Messi et al., and coming forward. Despite what some lazy commentators have said and written, it wasn't a cliched "well-oiled German machine"; it was something much more fun to watch than that. They move off the ball incredibly well, so there is always someone in space ready to receive a pass. They create space with their pace and good ball skills. They have a number of excellent finishers. And they are really young and bright; one of the youngest teams in the tournament. They are scoring a lot of goals.
Coming into their semi-final with Spain, they are going to be without Muller, who has been awesome. They probably have multiple adequate replacements for him, but I think they will miss something psychologically and also tactically. He's been making a lot of chances in front of goal and finishing with confidence.
Spain, meanwhile, looked pretty ordinary against a tough Paraguay they barely beat. You could argue that Paraguay beat themselves, with the missed penalty, the conceded penalty, and several missed chances in front of goal. Once again, as against Portugal, they got one moment of brilliance (Xavi springs Iniesta, who finds Pedro on the right), and Villa once again gave them the slimmest of victories. They have a tactical choice to make: do they play Fabregas on the left instead of Torres, and move Villa in toward the center; or do they bring in Llorente as a straight swap for Torres? In any event, they have to get Torres out of there -- Spain have looked much better when he's out.
Germany won't have the same advantage against Spain they had against Argentina -- Spain have much better midfielders and much better wide defenders, and they pass rather than dribble. I think this comes down to some key matchups: Lahm and Ozil vs. Capdevilla and Pujols; Podolski counter-attacking on the left when Ramos comes forward; and Xavi/Iniesta vs. the German central defense.
On the other side of the bracket, the Dutch have to be very confident going into the Uruguay match. If anything, they may be vulnerable to thinking ahead to a juicy rematch of the '74 final won by the host Germans with Beckenbauer 2-1 against Johann Cruyff's total football Netherlands. Certainly, they believe they have a great shot at the final. Contrary to a lot of the punditry, I thought the Dutch played pretty well against Brazil. Brazil dominated the first half, but after the own goal (now credited to Sneijder) they fell apart and Holland threatened them multiple times. After the second goal, the Dutch dominated. Brazil's strategy of hacking Robben down backfired -- Holland got multiple free kicks and ultimately, got Melo sent off.
[There has been a hue and cry about Robben's "simulation." I think this is bullshit. He sold it when he was legitimately fouled -- he wasn't diving. This is a daily activity in the NBA. Ok, he made it seem like he was getting killed, when perhaps he was just the victim of some physical play, but it wasn't cheating. ]
That's not to say Holland are without flaws. Their back line looked really old and slow at times, and without De Jong (out on suspension) there to win balls upfield, they will be vulnerable to Forlan charging forward from his deep positioning. They still haven't fully involved involved Van Persie in the attack.
Who knows what is going on with Uruguay after that crazy quarter-final against Ghana. I didn't give a shit about either of these teams, and I was freaking out at the end of that match. The 120th minute surge by Ghana, the sending off, the missed penalty, and then the shoot-out ending on that cheeky chip. It was nuts. By the way, Suarez didn't cheat, either. He intentionally handled a ball in the box, and got sent off for it and a penalty awarded. That's the rules. Now, should he have gotten a long ban to avoid incentivizing others in the future? Absolutely. If I ran FIFA, I'd ban him for the rest of the tournament and maybe more.
Uruguay are playing much better than it looks. They are tight at the back and creative up front. I just think they are really going to miss Suarez against Holland. They need someone to complement Forlan up front. But Forlan himself is probably one of the best strikers in this tournament. He provides something that Holland doesn't really have in this tournament.
I think Germany beats Spain 2-1, but I'd actually be sad if that happened, since I don't want to see the Germans in the finals, despite how attractively they are playing. I want to see a first-time champion, and the Germans in the final complicate that possibility. Regardless, I think this is going to be a total chess-match.
I think Holland beats Uruguay 1-0. This could be a very negative match if the Dutch don't have a strong cutting edge in attack. I could see this one going to extra time. The wild card for me is that I think Uruguay are playing with the house's money at this point in the tournament -- they'd go home to a hero's welcome even if they lose. The Dutch public is smelling the cup -- a chance to reverse their historical legacy as the best team never to win a World Cup. They are under a lot more pressure. I think that will even the odds considerably for Uruguay.
Germany absolutely dismembered Argentina in the quarter-finals. Crushed them. Argentina over-relied on individual dribbling and Germany just closed them down. Schweinsteiger was huge, both defending Messi et al., and coming forward. Despite what some lazy commentators have said and written, it wasn't a cliched "well-oiled German machine"; it was something much more fun to watch than that. They move off the ball incredibly well, so there is always someone in space ready to receive a pass. They create space with their pace and good ball skills. They have a number of excellent finishers. And they are really young and bright; one of the youngest teams in the tournament. They are scoring a lot of goals.
Coming into their semi-final with Spain, they are going to be without Muller, who has been awesome. They probably have multiple adequate replacements for him, but I think they will miss something psychologically and also tactically. He's been making a lot of chances in front of goal and finishing with confidence.
Spain, meanwhile, looked pretty ordinary against a tough Paraguay they barely beat. You could argue that Paraguay beat themselves, with the missed penalty, the conceded penalty, and several missed chances in front of goal. Once again, as against Portugal, they got one moment of brilliance (Xavi springs Iniesta, who finds Pedro on the right), and Villa once again gave them the slimmest of victories. They have a tactical choice to make: do they play Fabregas on the left instead of Torres, and move Villa in toward the center; or do they bring in Llorente as a straight swap for Torres? In any event, they have to get Torres out of there -- Spain have looked much better when he's out.
Germany won't have the same advantage against Spain they had against Argentina -- Spain have much better midfielders and much better wide defenders, and they pass rather than dribble. I think this comes down to some key matchups: Lahm and Ozil vs. Capdevilla and Pujols; Podolski counter-attacking on the left when Ramos comes forward; and Xavi/Iniesta vs. the German central defense.
On the other side of the bracket, the Dutch have to be very confident going into the Uruguay match. If anything, they may be vulnerable to thinking ahead to a juicy rematch of the '74 final won by the host Germans with Beckenbauer 2-1 against Johann Cruyff's total football Netherlands. Certainly, they believe they have a great shot at the final. Contrary to a lot of the punditry, I thought the Dutch played pretty well against Brazil. Brazil dominated the first half, but after the own goal (now credited to Sneijder) they fell apart and Holland threatened them multiple times. After the second goal, the Dutch dominated. Brazil's strategy of hacking Robben down backfired -- Holland got multiple free kicks and ultimately, got Melo sent off.
[There has been a hue and cry about Robben's "simulation." I think this is bullshit. He sold it when he was legitimately fouled -- he wasn't diving. This is a daily activity in the NBA. Ok, he made it seem like he was getting killed, when perhaps he was just the victim of some physical play, but it wasn't cheating. ]
That's not to say Holland are without flaws. Their back line looked really old and slow at times, and without De Jong (out on suspension) there to win balls upfield, they will be vulnerable to Forlan charging forward from his deep positioning. They still haven't fully involved involved Van Persie in the attack.
Who knows what is going on with Uruguay after that crazy quarter-final against Ghana. I didn't give a shit about either of these teams, and I was freaking out at the end of that match. The 120th minute surge by Ghana, the sending off, the missed penalty, and then the shoot-out ending on that cheeky chip. It was nuts. By the way, Suarez didn't cheat, either. He intentionally handled a ball in the box, and got sent off for it and a penalty awarded. That's the rules. Now, should he have gotten a long ban to avoid incentivizing others in the future? Absolutely. If I ran FIFA, I'd ban him for the rest of the tournament and maybe more.
Uruguay are playing much better than it looks. They are tight at the back and creative up front. I just think they are really going to miss Suarez against Holland. They need someone to complement Forlan up front. But Forlan himself is probably one of the best strikers in this tournament. He provides something that Holland doesn't really have in this tournament.
I think Germany beats Spain 2-1, but I'd actually be sad if that happened, since I don't want to see the Germans in the finals, despite how attractively they are playing. I want to see a first-time champion, and the Germans in the final complicate that possibility. Regardless, I think this is going to be a total chess-match.
I think Holland beats Uruguay 1-0. This could be a very negative match if the Dutch don't have a strong cutting edge in attack. I could see this one going to extra time. The wild card for me is that I think Uruguay are playing with the house's money at this point in the tournament -- they'd go home to a hero's welcome even if they lose. The Dutch public is smelling the cup -- a chance to reverse their historical legacy as the best team never to win a World Cup. They are under a lot more pressure. I think that will even the odds considerably for Uruguay.
Monday, June 28, 2010
What to Watch For in WC Quarter-Finals
I got four things very wrong in my pre-tournament predictions.
First, I vastly over-estimated the quality of the old European powers outside Europe (even though I explicitly discounted for their tendency not to travel well). I guess I thought that they would ultimately suck it up and perform on the big stage. I picked 6 European teams to make the Round of 16, and in fact 6 made it. While I got the trend right, I missed that France, Italy and England were far weaker than I suspected, and the youthful Germany far stronger.
Second, I under-estimated the Asians and over-estimated the USA. I really thought that the Koreans (both North and South) and the Japanese were decent technical sides, but had little chance of advancement. Both Japan and South Korea made the last 16. On the other hand, I had two CONCACAF representatives, Mexico and USA, both winning their groups and advancing to the last 16, with the USA going all the way to the quarter-finals. USA did win their group -- I got that right -- but both are now gone from the tournament.
Third, I over-estimated South Africa as a "home advantage" for African teams, and I thought Nigeria was the in-form African side who would make a deep run to the semi-finals. Instead, the African teams played mostly poor football, and it is Ghana who are making the deep run.
Finally, I did not believe that, other than Argentina, there was as much quality out of South America as there proved to be. While I did correctly pick 4 of the CONMEBOL sides who made the last 16 (I missed Uruguay, who was the fifth), I was kind of dismissive of Dunga's Brazil going beyond the quarter-finals.
How do I feel about my Holland-Argentina finals pick? It doesn't look all that crazy. We are looking good for a Spain-Argentina semi-final on one side of the bracket; it feels like the Brazil-Holland quarter-final is going to determine the other finalist.
So, on to the quarters, in ascending order of interest (to me, as a mostly-neutral):
Spain-Paraguay. I think that Paraguay are lambs to slaughter against Spain. The only reason Spain won't run up the score to embarrassing levels is because Paraguay play so negatively that Spain's game will be massively slowed down. The Japan-Paraguay match was dreadful. Japan were ok in possession but couldn't finish; Paraguay didn't even try to score and won it on penalties. Ugh. Meanwhile Spain's 1-0 win over Portugal didn't really capture just how great Spain look from back to front. Portugal played very negatively against them, and Portugal's defense is really good, but Spain still had the chance to score three or four goals.
Let's take a minute to acknowledge what the Paraguayan team have gone through to get here. In late January, their in-form striker Salvador Cabanas, leading scorer of Paraguay's qualifying campaign, was shot in the head in the bathroom of a Mexican bar. He was in that lunatic asylum of a country playing football for Club America, and though the case is still unsolved, it appears to be football-related. (BTW, if you haven't seen it, you must watch the ESPN 30-for-30 "The Two Escobars" when it re-airs; it's one of those documentaries that changes the way you think about something you experienced -- the '94 World Cup -- and further reveals some very disturbing aspects of Latin American narco-futbol). Paraguay drafted an Argentinian, Barrios, who happened to have a Paraguayan mom, to replace Cabanas. And they made it to the quarter-finals, first time in the country's history. It's an awesome story of overcoming adversity, but the story ends here.
Ghana-Uruguay. This one is set up nicely. Ghana have an advantage in midfield; Uruguay in the final third and probably in defense, too. Uruguay have had an extra day of rest, while Ghana went to extra-time against the USA. Giving Ghana full credit -- they've done pretty well in this tournament -- I think this one goes to Uruguay by a goal, either 1-0 or 2-1. The key for me is whether Uruguay can get service to their fantastic strikers Suarez and Forlan with Ghana potentially dominating possession in the midfield. Wouldn't be shocked to see Ghana win this one, possibly again in extra-time.
Netherlands-Brazil. This is potentially one of the best matches we will see in the tournament. I thought both of these teams looked great in the Round of 16. The 2-1 scoreline in the Holland-Slovakia match really, really flattered Slovakia. Holland dominated the match and had at least six great chances beyond the two goals. Robben was awesome for 70 minutes; Van Persie and Sneijder up front, Van Bommel and Kuyt in midfield, were brilliant. Their keeping was good, but their defense a bit shaky -- I guaranty that Brazil won't miss two chances like Vittek missed in Slovakia match. Brazil have been explosive, although my pre-tournament concerns have not been totally assuaged. They were awesome in their counter-attack, which will be a threat to Holland, who like to get numbers forward.
To me, this could come down to Brazil playing up the middle, while Holland play an inverted wing strategy, where Robben and Kuyt come into the middle from their respective sides, with Van Persie and Sneijder lurking for a quick through ball or rebound. I thought Brazil looked vulnerable on their left (where Robben plays) even against Chile. Brazil are just plain great, and there's a chance that this one is not even close, particularly if the Dutch come out and try to play negative. Everybody is picking Brazil, but I still think that Holland can gut it out if they go at Brazil, maybe taking it all the way to penalties.
Argentina-Germany. This is going to be sick. Argentina have been one of the most fun teams to watch in the tournament. Tevez, Messi and Higuain have been frightening up front. They are just running at everybody, winning by sheer force of will. They've scored 10 goals so far, the most in the tournament. Germany are just as potent. They've scored 9 goals, one more than Brazil. Klose and Podolski have looked clinical, as have Muller and Ozel out of midfield. Both teams have the ability to flood the final third with quality finishers. Both teams have looked a little thin at the back. Both teams can run the counter-attack with pace, although perhaps Germany has a slight advantage here. I like this one to go 3-2 to Argentina, maybe also in extra-time.
I can't finish without a hat tip to Diego Maradona, the much-discussed, much-maligned coach of Argentina. I felt that pre-tournament, it wasn't clear whether he'd be a help or a hinderance to his team and country. He's been a big, big help. Ok, accepting all the rumors that he doesn't have a tactical brain in his head, and that his managerial direction to players has been poetically cryptic at best, he is undeniably the heart and soul of Argentina football, sweating blood out there on the sidelines. He looks as if he's about to run out on the pitch as a substitute at any moment. He cries, he cheers, he complains theatrically whenever Messi gets fouled, he hugs and kisses his players in long, meaningful embraces. He threatens to run naked through Buenos Aires. He disses Pele in the post-match interviews. It's absolutely batshit crazy. But I love every fucking minute of it.
Go Diego, Go!
First, I vastly over-estimated the quality of the old European powers outside Europe (even though I explicitly discounted for their tendency not to travel well). I guess I thought that they would ultimately suck it up and perform on the big stage. I picked 6 European teams to make the Round of 16, and in fact 6 made it. While I got the trend right, I missed that France, Italy and England were far weaker than I suspected, and the youthful Germany far stronger.
Second, I under-estimated the Asians and over-estimated the USA. I really thought that the Koreans (both North and South) and the Japanese were decent technical sides, but had little chance of advancement. Both Japan and South Korea made the last 16. On the other hand, I had two CONCACAF representatives, Mexico and USA, both winning their groups and advancing to the last 16, with the USA going all the way to the quarter-finals. USA did win their group -- I got that right -- but both are now gone from the tournament.
Third, I over-estimated South Africa as a "home advantage" for African teams, and I thought Nigeria was the in-form African side who would make a deep run to the semi-finals. Instead, the African teams played mostly poor football, and it is Ghana who are making the deep run.
Finally, I did not believe that, other than Argentina, there was as much quality out of South America as there proved to be. While I did correctly pick 4 of the CONMEBOL sides who made the last 16 (I missed Uruguay, who was the fifth), I was kind of dismissive of Dunga's Brazil going beyond the quarter-finals.
How do I feel about my Holland-Argentina finals pick? It doesn't look all that crazy. We are looking good for a Spain-Argentina semi-final on one side of the bracket; it feels like the Brazil-Holland quarter-final is going to determine the other finalist.
So, on to the quarters, in ascending order of interest (to me, as a mostly-neutral):
Spain-Paraguay. I think that Paraguay are lambs to slaughter against Spain. The only reason Spain won't run up the score to embarrassing levels is because Paraguay play so negatively that Spain's game will be massively slowed down. The Japan-Paraguay match was dreadful. Japan were ok in possession but couldn't finish; Paraguay didn't even try to score and won it on penalties. Ugh. Meanwhile Spain's 1-0 win over Portugal didn't really capture just how great Spain look from back to front. Portugal played very negatively against them, and Portugal's defense is really good, but Spain still had the chance to score three or four goals.
Let's take a minute to acknowledge what the Paraguayan team have gone through to get here. In late January, their in-form striker Salvador Cabanas, leading scorer of Paraguay's qualifying campaign, was shot in the head in the bathroom of a Mexican bar. He was in that lunatic asylum of a country playing football for Club America, and though the case is still unsolved, it appears to be football-related. (BTW, if you haven't seen it, you must watch the ESPN 30-for-30 "The Two Escobars" when it re-airs; it's one of those documentaries that changes the way you think about something you experienced -- the '94 World Cup -- and further reveals some very disturbing aspects of Latin American narco-futbol). Paraguay drafted an Argentinian, Barrios, who happened to have a Paraguayan mom, to replace Cabanas. And they made it to the quarter-finals, first time in the country's history. It's an awesome story of overcoming adversity, but the story ends here.
Ghana-Uruguay. This one is set up nicely. Ghana have an advantage in midfield; Uruguay in the final third and probably in defense, too. Uruguay have had an extra day of rest, while Ghana went to extra-time against the USA. Giving Ghana full credit -- they've done pretty well in this tournament -- I think this one goes to Uruguay by a goal, either 1-0 or 2-1. The key for me is whether Uruguay can get service to their fantastic strikers Suarez and Forlan with Ghana potentially dominating possession in the midfield. Wouldn't be shocked to see Ghana win this one, possibly again in extra-time.
Netherlands-Brazil. This is potentially one of the best matches we will see in the tournament. I thought both of these teams looked great in the Round of 16. The 2-1 scoreline in the Holland-Slovakia match really, really flattered Slovakia. Holland dominated the match and had at least six great chances beyond the two goals. Robben was awesome for 70 minutes; Van Persie and Sneijder up front, Van Bommel and Kuyt in midfield, were brilliant. Their keeping was good, but their defense a bit shaky -- I guaranty that Brazil won't miss two chances like Vittek missed in Slovakia match. Brazil have been explosive, although my pre-tournament concerns have not been totally assuaged. They were awesome in their counter-attack, which will be a threat to Holland, who like to get numbers forward.
To me, this could come down to Brazil playing up the middle, while Holland play an inverted wing strategy, where Robben and Kuyt come into the middle from their respective sides, with Van Persie and Sneijder lurking for a quick through ball or rebound. I thought Brazil looked vulnerable on their left (where Robben plays) even against Chile. Brazil are just plain great, and there's a chance that this one is not even close, particularly if the Dutch come out and try to play negative. Everybody is picking Brazil, but I still think that Holland can gut it out if they go at Brazil, maybe taking it all the way to penalties.
Argentina-Germany. This is going to be sick. Argentina have been one of the most fun teams to watch in the tournament. Tevez, Messi and Higuain have been frightening up front. They are just running at everybody, winning by sheer force of will. They've scored 10 goals so far, the most in the tournament. Germany are just as potent. They've scored 9 goals, one more than Brazil. Klose and Podolski have looked clinical, as have Muller and Ozel out of midfield. Both teams have the ability to flood the final third with quality finishers. Both teams have looked a little thin at the back. Both teams can run the counter-attack with pace, although perhaps Germany has a slight advantage here. I like this one to go 3-2 to Argentina, maybe also in extra-time.
I can't finish without a hat tip to Diego Maradona, the much-discussed, much-maligned coach of Argentina. I felt that pre-tournament, it wasn't clear whether he'd be a help or a hinderance to his team and country. He's been a big, big help. Ok, accepting all the rumors that he doesn't have a tactical brain in his head, and that his managerial direction to players has been poetically cryptic at best, he is undeniably the heart and soul of Argentina football, sweating blood out there on the sidelines. He looks as if he's about to run out on the pitch as a substitute at any moment. He cries, he cheers, he complains theatrically whenever Messi gets fouled, he hugs and kisses his players in long, meaningful embraces. He threatens to run naked through Buenos Aires. He disses Pele in the post-match interviews. It's absolutely batshit crazy. But I love every fucking minute of it.
Go Diego, Go!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Thoughts on Weekend WC Matches
Uruguay 2:1 South Korea -- actually a pretty good match. Uruguay took the game over in the 8th minute with a crazy play. Forlan sent a low cross through the penalty area behind the Korean back four, who all turned around and watched as the ball drifted through. The keeper thought about coming out for the ball, but then seemed to hesitate and half-slid at it, hoping, I guess, that one of his defenders would kick it out for a corner. And then, of course, Suarez got on the end of it and sent a beautiful strike back across to the far post and in the side netting for 1-0. To their credit, the Korean's didn't fold, and they actually looked like the better technical side for long stretches, making some nice quick, triangular passes around the area. When they finally got the equalizer in the 68th minute, off a busted-play header, it was relatively deserved. But Uruguay's finishing was of a much higher quality, and in the steady downpour at the end of the match, Suarez avoided extra-time (where the Korean's fitness would have been an issue for Uruguay) with one of the goals of the tournament. He took the ball on the left side of the area, took a terrific touch toward the center and clear of the two Korean defenders, and curled a perfect ball in off the far post. That's how you win World Cup games, boys and girls.
Ghana 2:1 USA (AET) -- there are a lot of ways to look at this one, but for me, beyond the personal disappointment of not seeing them play to potential, there were three keys: 1) another slow start by the USA, suggesting that Bradley wasn't able to bring his team back to earth after the thrilling 1:0 over Algeria; 2) a dismal performance by Donovan and our strike force, who were insipid in front of goal; and 3) a defensive shambles on both the Ghanian goals, first from Ricardo Clark who should never have been on the pitch in the first place, and then from Boca and DeMerit in extra time, and let's be honest, from Tim Howard on both goals. I thought Dempsey was the real bright spot for the USA in this match -- it felt like he created a half-chance every time he got a hold of the ball around the area. His nutmeg on Mensah which drew the penalty was fantastic football. Feilhaber was also very bright and should have started every match. But credit Ghana and their coach. They played very well in midfield with their dynamic 4-5-1, particularly in the first half and in extra time when they were trying to kill off the match. Very poor in the final third, where they seemed content to just fire long shots after nice spells through the midfield, except, of course, on the break, where they got both their goals. But the bitterness comes from the fact that this was a winnable match for the USA, as the second half evidenced. Ghana collapsed against our pressure, and without some inspired play by Ghana's keeper, this would have been 2:1 USA in 90 minutes. We may never get as clear a shot at the semi-finals in my lifetime.
Germany 4:1 England -- it was curious that, pre-match, the England media were so full of confidence. England had played poorly against USA, really poorly against Algeria, and then edged a pretty dodgy Slovenian team they should have thrashed, leaving them brimming with inexplicable brio. Both teams started very well. The opening goal from Klose was good -- very similar to the Gyan goal that sunk the USA in extra time. Long ball right up the middle, Klose muscled off the defenders, who were not entirely in the play, and finished well. The second goal 20 minutes later was magic. Incredible movement off the ball by Klose and Podolski, the latter ending up with the ball on the left in acres of space and finishes clinically. Then, just six minutes later, it looked like game-on, as Upson headed in a Gerrard cross off a short corner. And a minute later Lampard unleashed one of his insane 30 yard strikes that hit the bar and bounced in, clearly, unarguably, over the goal line, but the referee signaled otherwise and it was 2-1 at the half. A gutted England team came out for the second half and just got run off the field, first dropping a goal on a three-on-two break finished by Muller, and then on a truly amazing play in which Ozil beat Gareth Barry to a through ball on the left wing and then just blew by him -- maybe 10 meters -- into free space to create a chance for Muller to make it 4-1. Well deserved win by Germany, but shocking that the officials missed the England goal. I don't think it would have changed the outcome, but it wasn't even a close call.
Argentina 3:1 Mexico -- speaking of god-awful referee's decisions, how about Argentina's first goal? Again, not sure it changed the outcome, although it did discombobulate a Mexico side that looked pretty bright in the first few minutes, with an ambitious 30 yard strike from Salcido rattling the bar and a dangerously close one from Guardado that just curled wide of the far post. But 25 minutes into the match, Messi found Tevez at the top of the box, who tried a shot that bounced off a Mexican defender; it came back to Messi in the air who headed it forward to Tevez for a tap in. Great, except for the fact that Tevez was miles offside when Messi played the second ball. Not even close. A row ensued, and after it was clear that Mr. Rossetti wasn't changing the call, the Mexican's started fouling with real venom, drawing a card for Marquez and several cautions. Seven minutes later, a sloppy pass in defense by the Mexicans ended up at the feet of Higuain, who juked off a strong challenge and scored his fourth goal of the World Cup. Tevez removed any doubt in the 52nd minute, when he launched a rocket strike past the Mexican keeper from well outside the area, clearly one of the goals of the tournament so far. Javi Hernandez pulled one back with a deadly turn that left him clear of two Argentine defenders for a wonderful finish. But it was too late, and frankly, Argentina had too much quality in the final analysis.
On this evidence, Germany-Argentina is going to be one of the great matches of this tournament. They are really quite different, but both have a lot of attacking flair and a tendency to press forward in numbers. Both have trouble at the back. Argentina will attack and Germany will counter-attack. Should make for a wide open match with potentially lots of goals. Uruguay-Ghana is going to be a grind. I think Ghana have gotten as far as they are capable, and Uruguay will be through to face probably Netherlands or Brazil in the semi-finals.
One final note: I think that this World Cup could spell the beginning of the end of the gnomish FIFA president Sepp Blatter's crusade against "monitored officiating." His position has been that referee fallibility is part of the game, and further that a technology solution or goal-line referees wouldn't "scale" -- i.e., wouldn't work for my kid's U10 club competition, which is governed by the FIFA laws of the game. However, there's little clamor for video replay or more officials in my kid's league. At the f'ing World Cup, on the other hand, where HD cameras are revealing just how bad the FIFA officials really are, and where horrific calls -- not marginal ones, but absolutely terrible ones -- are changing the outcome of games with the highest possible stakes, it's no longer defensible to hide, ostrich-like, from the future.
I actually think that an NFL-like challenge system would be great for the World Cup. Each team gets one challenge per game; once a challenge is made the clock keeps running and if the challenge is unsuccessful, the opposing team gets the time added on, if the ref's decision holds, the time is lost. This would add a bit of gamesmanship, and prevent the match from degenerating into a slippery slope of reviewed decisions. I'd even take a fifth official in a box with video technology, miked up to the ref, who could at least inform crucial decisions.
There's no chance at all of FIFA adopting anything like this -- might as well hope for TV timeouts, or on-field cheerleaders. More likely, we'll get more referees along the goal lines, and in fact FIFA has been experimenting with something like this in the Europa League competition. It is still open to mistakes, and the social pressure of the referee's hierarchy on the field. But it's marginally better than nothing.
The status quo is simply unacceptable, and is undermining the integrity of the game. It's one thing to feel gutted by a result that knocks you out of the competition; it's quite another to get bounced by a missed call.
Ghana 2:1 USA (AET) -- there are a lot of ways to look at this one, but for me, beyond the personal disappointment of not seeing them play to potential, there were three keys: 1) another slow start by the USA, suggesting that Bradley wasn't able to bring his team back to earth after the thrilling 1:0 over Algeria; 2) a dismal performance by Donovan and our strike force, who were insipid in front of goal; and 3) a defensive shambles on both the Ghanian goals, first from Ricardo Clark who should never have been on the pitch in the first place, and then from Boca and DeMerit in extra time, and let's be honest, from Tim Howard on both goals. I thought Dempsey was the real bright spot for the USA in this match -- it felt like he created a half-chance every time he got a hold of the ball around the area. His nutmeg on Mensah which drew the penalty was fantastic football. Feilhaber was also very bright and should have started every match. But credit Ghana and their coach. They played very well in midfield with their dynamic 4-5-1, particularly in the first half and in extra time when they were trying to kill off the match. Very poor in the final third, where they seemed content to just fire long shots after nice spells through the midfield, except, of course, on the break, where they got both their goals. But the bitterness comes from the fact that this was a winnable match for the USA, as the second half evidenced. Ghana collapsed against our pressure, and without some inspired play by Ghana's keeper, this would have been 2:1 USA in 90 minutes. We may never get as clear a shot at the semi-finals in my lifetime.
Germany 4:1 England -- it was curious that, pre-match, the England media were so full of confidence. England had played poorly against USA, really poorly against Algeria, and then edged a pretty dodgy Slovenian team they should have thrashed, leaving them brimming with inexplicable brio. Both teams started very well. The opening goal from Klose was good -- very similar to the Gyan goal that sunk the USA in extra time. Long ball right up the middle, Klose muscled off the defenders, who were not entirely in the play, and finished well. The second goal 20 minutes later was magic. Incredible movement off the ball by Klose and Podolski, the latter ending up with the ball on the left in acres of space and finishes clinically. Then, just six minutes later, it looked like game-on, as Upson headed in a Gerrard cross off a short corner. And a minute later Lampard unleashed one of his insane 30 yard strikes that hit the bar and bounced in, clearly, unarguably, over the goal line, but the referee signaled otherwise and it was 2-1 at the half. A gutted England team came out for the second half and just got run off the field, first dropping a goal on a three-on-two break finished by Muller, and then on a truly amazing play in which Ozil beat Gareth Barry to a through ball on the left wing and then just blew by him -- maybe 10 meters -- into free space to create a chance for Muller to make it 4-1. Well deserved win by Germany, but shocking that the officials missed the England goal. I don't think it would have changed the outcome, but it wasn't even a close call.
Argentina 3:1 Mexico -- speaking of god-awful referee's decisions, how about Argentina's first goal? Again, not sure it changed the outcome, although it did discombobulate a Mexico side that looked pretty bright in the first few minutes, with an ambitious 30 yard strike from Salcido rattling the bar and a dangerously close one from Guardado that just curled wide of the far post. But 25 minutes into the match, Messi found Tevez at the top of the box, who tried a shot that bounced off a Mexican defender; it came back to Messi in the air who headed it forward to Tevez for a tap in. Great, except for the fact that Tevez was miles offside when Messi played the second ball. Not even close. A row ensued, and after it was clear that Mr. Rossetti wasn't changing the call, the Mexican's started fouling with real venom, drawing a card for Marquez and several cautions. Seven minutes later, a sloppy pass in defense by the Mexicans ended up at the feet of Higuain, who juked off a strong challenge and scored his fourth goal of the World Cup. Tevez removed any doubt in the 52nd minute, when he launched a rocket strike past the Mexican keeper from well outside the area, clearly one of the goals of the tournament so far. Javi Hernandez pulled one back with a deadly turn that left him clear of two Argentine defenders for a wonderful finish. But it was too late, and frankly, Argentina had too much quality in the final analysis.
On this evidence, Germany-Argentina is going to be one of the great matches of this tournament. They are really quite different, but both have a lot of attacking flair and a tendency to press forward in numbers. Both have trouble at the back. Argentina will attack and Germany will counter-attack. Should make for a wide open match with potentially lots of goals. Uruguay-Ghana is going to be a grind. I think Ghana have gotten as far as they are capable, and Uruguay will be through to face probably Netherlands or Brazil in the semi-finals.
One final note: I think that this World Cup could spell the beginning of the end of the gnomish FIFA president Sepp Blatter's crusade against "monitored officiating." His position has been that referee fallibility is part of the game, and further that a technology solution or goal-line referees wouldn't "scale" -- i.e., wouldn't work for my kid's U10 club competition, which is governed by the FIFA laws of the game. However, there's little clamor for video replay or more officials in my kid's league. At the f'ing World Cup, on the other hand, where HD cameras are revealing just how bad the FIFA officials really are, and where horrific calls -- not marginal ones, but absolutely terrible ones -- are changing the outcome of games with the highest possible stakes, it's no longer defensible to hide, ostrich-like, from the future.
I actually think that an NFL-like challenge system would be great for the World Cup. Each team gets one challenge per game; once a challenge is made the clock keeps running and if the challenge is unsuccessful, the opposing team gets the time added on, if the ref's decision holds, the time is lost. This would add a bit of gamesmanship, and prevent the match from degenerating into a slippery slope of reviewed decisions. I'd even take a fifth official in a box with video technology, miked up to the ref, who could at least inform crucial decisions.
There's no chance at all of FIFA adopting anything like this -- might as well hope for TV timeouts, or on-field cheerleaders. More likely, we'll get more referees along the goal lines, and in fact FIFA has been experimenting with something like this in the Europa League competition. It is still open to mistakes, and the social pressure of the referee's hierarchy on the field. But it's marginally better than nothing.
The status quo is simply unacceptable, and is undermining the integrity of the game. It's one thing to feel gutted by a result that knocks you out of the competition; it's quite another to get bounced by a missed call.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
LD's Goal
I'm kind of sick of the whole "what it means for US soccer" meme. It means we are through to the final 16 of the World Cup. As group winners, over England. If that's not enough, I don't know what's going to do it.
This is football at its most dramatic. A minute into extra time, we were cooked. England was finishing off Slovenia 1:0, and if the results held, we were going home and Slovenia was moving on in second place. A minute later, the table turned upside down, and we were through.
I think it's more fun to consider what Landon's goal means for this World Cup. By topping England in Group C, we've given the English a ridiculously tough path to the final four. They have to play Germany in the Round of 16, their old footballing enemy. While not totally on form, Germany certainly have looked better than England in this tournament. If they can overcome their historical neurosis against Germany, they would likely face Argentina in the quarter-finals (assuming the rampant Argentines finish off Mexico in the Round of 16). England-Argentina is another fraught fixture, resurrecting the Hand of God and the Beckham red card. It's a full employment plan for England's football hacks and a full engagement plan for the nation's fragile football psyche.
Meanwhile, the USA quietly slips into a bracket with Uruguay, South Korea, and Ghana. It's perhaps the most attractive bracket possible, avoiding all of the in form teams like Brazil, Netherlands, Spain, and Argentina all the way through to the semi-finals. Actually, I would have taken this bracket in the group stage, let alone the elimination round. Not an easy path, but certainly teams we can play with.
What has been fun about this tournament for me is how you can see the emergence of an indigenous American football. The team is a combination of organized youth products (Donovan, Bradley), street ballers (Dempsey), natural athletes (Altidore, Howard) and journeymen (Bocanegra, DeMerit). Their best attributes are excellent preparation, fitness, team dynamics and work rate rather than flair and individual skill. What's different this time is that, outside our defense, we actually have a lot of skill working in the system, and a coach who is not afraid to modify his tactics and make adjustments.
What was ultimately great about Landon's goal was how it was cut from that cloth. Bob Bradley had taken his final tactical gamble 10 minutes from time, substituting a defender (Bornstein) and bringing on an attacking midfielder (Beasley) to press the issue. Algeria put together a counter- attack on the left, ending with Howard saving an easy shot by Rafik Saifi. Howard then had the quickness of mind to run out and make an inch-perfect 40 yard throw to the feet of Donovan as he sprinted up the pitch. Landon played the ball to Altidore who was streaking up the right side. Altidore charged into the box and played a nice square ball in front of the sprinting Dempsey, who, bleeding from the mouth after taking a malicious punch ten minutes earlier, smashed it right at the keeper. But the keeper couldn't handle it, and Donovan, continuing his 80 yard run, finished the rebound. USA's biggest stars were right there at the death, stepping up to make a great technical play when it counted most. It showed the fitness and desire that absolutely characterizes this team.
There's a lot of trust and self-belief in the squad and coaching staff, and that can take you pretty far in a tournament like this, particularly the knock-out stage, where fitness and an ability to score late can make a big impact. In 2006, 6 of the 16 elimination round matches went to extra time; 5 in 2002. Going to be great fun watching USA-Ghana this Saturday. I can't wait.
This is football at its most dramatic. A minute into extra time, we were cooked. England was finishing off Slovenia 1:0, and if the results held, we were going home and Slovenia was moving on in second place. A minute later, the table turned upside down, and we were through.
I think it's more fun to consider what Landon's goal means for this World Cup. By topping England in Group C, we've given the English a ridiculously tough path to the final four. They have to play Germany in the Round of 16, their old footballing enemy. While not totally on form, Germany certainly have looked better than England in this tournament. If they can overcome their historical neurosis against Germany, they would likely face Argentina in the quarter-finals (assuming the rampant Argentines finish off Mexico in the Round of 16). England-Argentina is another fraught fixture, resurrecting the Hand of God and the Beckham red card. It's a full employment plan for England's football hacks and a full engagement plan for the nation's fragile football psyche.
Meanwhile, the USA quietly slips into a bracket with Uruguay, South Korea, and Ghana. It's perhaps the most attractive bracket possible, avoiding all of the in form teams like Brazil, Netherlands, Spain, and Argentina all the way through to the semi-finals. Actually, I would have taken this bracket in the group stage, let alone the elimination round. Not an easy path, but certainly teams we can play with.
What has been fun about this tournament for me is how you can see the emergence of an indigenous American football. The team is a combination of organized youth products (Donovan, Bradley), street ballers (Dempsey), natural athletes (Altidore, Howard) and journeymen (Bocanegra, DeMerit). Their best attributes are excellent preparation, fitness, team dynamics and work rate rather than flair and individual skill. What's different this time is that, outside our defense, we actually have a lot of skill working in the system, and a coach who is not afraid to modify his tactics and make adjustments.
What was ultimately great about Landon's goal was how it was cut from that cloth. Bob Bradley had taken his final tactical gamble 10 minutes from time, substituting a defender (Bornstein) and bringing on an attacking midfielder (Beasley) to press the issue. Algeria put together a counter- attack on the left, ending with Howard saving an easy shot by Rafik Saifi. Howard then had the quickness of mind to run out and make an inch-perfect 40 yard throw to the feet of Donovan as he sprinted up the pitch. Landon played the ball to Altidore who was streaking up the right side. Altidore charged into the box and played a nice square ball in front of the sprinting Dempsey, who, bleeding from the mouth after taking a malicious punch ten minutes earlier, smashed it right at the keeper. But the keeper couldn't handle it, and Donovan, continuing his 80 yard run, finished the rebound. USA's biggest stars were right there at the death, stepping up to make a great technical play when it counted most. It showed the fitness and desire that absolutely characterizes this team.
There's a lot of trust and self-belief in the squad and coaching staff, and that can take you pretty far in a tournament like this, particularly the knock-out stage, where fitness and an ability to score late can make a big impact. In 2006, 6 of the 16 elimination round matches went to extra time; 5 in 2002. Going to be great fun watching USA-Ghana this Saturday. I can't wait.
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