Final Reflections on the World Cup 2010

This World Cup will be remembered for many things, as there were a lot of firsts in it. This was the First World Cup hosted in Africa, it's the First time a European Team won outside of Europe, it's the First time a team losing it's First game wins the trophy, and it's the First time Spain has won it all and they truly deserved it.

Having said that, that was one ugly final game. Both teams weren't trying to win, they were trying to hurt the opponent, and they were doing their best Cristiano Ronaldo diving impersonations on the field. I wanted a good match, a we certainly didn't get that which I am disappointed, but, at the end of the day, at least the team that played better, won. 


The best thing on the pitch, was by far British Police Officer and the Referee of the Match, Howard Webb. He was also far from perfect too. My opinion as a neutral, was he did the best he could and I feel bad for him. He probably gave more cards in this game than traffic citations in his career as a cop. More than double of cards were handed out in this match than the previous World Cup Final record. The sad part is each was card was definitely deserved, in fact he should have given more cards. You can tell he didn't want to send anyone off early to try to make this a fair match. He tried to keep the players under control, but, the players wouldn't listen so he finally had to send off Dutch defender, Johnny Heitinga. Nigel De Jong should have been sent off too for the karate kick to the Spanish player Xabi Alonso, but was only given a yellow card early in the first half. At least FIFA gave this game to the best referee in the World, because if it was any other ref from this World Cup, you probably would have had players seriously injured and a bloody final that would determine the Mixed Martial Arts Champions for the next four years.

What I also learned is that I should have trusted Paul the Octopus in my prediction. The only two things that went undefeated in this World Cup was New Zealand (0-0-3, placing third in their group, ahead of previous champions Italy, but failing to advance) and Paul the Octopus (8-0-0), not even Spain can match his record.

Paul has announced, after going flawless in this World Cup, that he has retired from International Competition and will return to his aquatic life in Germany with a World Cup Trophy in his tank.

I can also report from sources I have in Germany (who goes by the name of Joe), that Paul actually pulled a mussel which won't allow him to guess in future games. We will all miss his talents in the future and it's a shame we won't be able to see him play in the next cycle, but I can't blame him for going out in style.

Speaking of the next cycle, check back often for more World Cup coverage, because the journey to Brazil in 2014 begins tomorrow.

Christian N.


Sources:

1. http://www.thatsfamous.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/spain.jpg
2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/10604336.stm

Paul The Octopus is The Best Story of this World Cup

This World Cup will be remembered for many things. The First World Cup in Africa, the first time the host nation failing to advance out of their group, the first European team winning the World Cup outside of Europe, possibly the first time (Spain) a team winning the World Cup after losing their first game in the group stage, and finally two teams, who have never won the World Cup, (Netherlands, Spain) one can claim they finally made it all the way, and both are powerhouses of Soccer. The Dutch have been dubbed "the best team to never win it all" and they hope that label can go to the coffin on June 12.


There is of course, the controversy as well, such as people dying trying to get to the games, crime way up, transit not being able to meet the demands of the people at these games, corruption, and oh, and how could we forget the worst refereeing in human history in one month's time from USA-Slovenia, USA-Algeria, England-Germany and the list goes on.

The amazing, true story in this World Cup is, Paul the Octopus. This "German Squid" has predicted every game correctly and is 6-0. What they would do (as seen in the picture) is place a treat in two boxes (with the country's flag on the box) and whichever treat he grabbed first would turn out to be the winner of the game. 


He was laughed at when he picked Serbia over Germany after the Germans crushed Australia 4-0, but Paul got the last laugh. When he picked Spain over Germany, Germans held their breath, but this "oracle" was right again, and is now becoming popular all over the World. He hasn't been tested with a soccer game that did not have Germany in it, but let him try to predict the World Cup final, because it seems that you cannot change the "fate" Paul places on the losing team and I think many betting people want to take Paul's "advice" before they go to Vegas.  


Christian N.


Christian is a Philadelphia Native, and is a political & sports columnist for several Newspapers across North America. He is also a season ticket holder of the Philadelphia Union and can be followed on Twitter along with his Website.


Sources: 

1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/06/paul-the-octopus-stuns-ge_n_636118.html
2. http://publicmb.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/2010-logo.jpg

Bob Bradley and the Yanks

After watching the United States take on the Netherlands, Bob Bradley has some  issues with the Yanks. There were some positive moments in the game, but I don't know if Bradley is willing to change his coaching philosophy because of them.

The negatives are that if we do not have our A-team healthy and match fit, the United States is probably not going to make it past the group stage. We just don't have the depth on the roster that can comfortably fill some spots in the top 11. The good news is most should be ready with the big question mark on Charlie Davies return. If Charlie cannot make it back, it could be very hard for us to score. My solution would be to place Clint Dempsey up top along with Jozy Altidore, and have Brian Ching on the bench. The yanks (and Bob Bradley) like to play a 4-5-1, which I cannot stand. I fear this is what Bradley will use unless Davies can return, because it fits right into Bob Bradley's bunker mentality. Don't let them score, and pray the one good chance we get in 90 minutes will go in the back of the net. Unfortunately, while our defense isn't horrible, it can't stop many teams outside of CONCACAF for the entire match.

There were some positives coming from the game vs the Dutch. When the U.S. was down 0-2, with about 15 minutes left to play, we actually started to go on the offensive. When we did, we had the #3 team in the World playing on their heels and backpedaling. We would score one goal, and had two other fantastic opportunities. The U.S. could have won the game in the last 15 minutes. If we played like that for the entire 90 minutes, winning would have been within our grasp. We can play good offensive soccer against ANY team in the world, and the Confederations Cup proved that against Egypt and Brazil.

Unfortunately, attacking is not in Bob Bradley's philosophy, and he probably wants to use the 4-5-1, the exact formation Bruce Arena used in 2006, and it did not get us into the round of 16. If Charlie Davies can play, we will use the 4-4-2, which gives me much more hope this team will play with some offense in their mind. The United States is very dangerous on the attack, and if they can play like that before and during the World Cup, I like our chances making the quarter-finals, which is not an easy task.

Christian N.
Christian is a Philadelphia native, and political and sports columnist for several newspapers across North America. He is also a Philadelphia Union Season Ticket Holder and can be followed on Twitter and his Website.

Yanks Abroad: Looking Across the Pond for the World Cup

The one huge difference for the United States in World Cup 2010 compared to 2006 is where the yanks play. In 2006, 12 players on the roster played outside of the United States with 11 players based in MLS and the reserve roster contained all MLS players. Of the 12 players who played overseas in 2006, 4 would return to play in the MLS. 


After a very disappointing result in the World Cup, Bob Bradley would replace Bruce Arena as coach of the team. Despite many criticisms of coach Bradley, the one thing he insisted was players playing in Europe. 


Assuming these player are not injured by June, (which many are at the moment), including what appears to be a miraculous comeback by Charlie Davies after a deadly car crash, here is a look of the potential roster for the team.

Altidore
Davies
Donovan
Clark
Bradley
Dempsey
Spector
Bocanegra
Onyewu
Cherundolo
Howard

Of the starting 11, all play in Europe (Donovan plays for LA Galaxy but is currently loaned to Everton FC and Clark left MLS after the 2009 season). 


Even potential substitutes such as Jermaine Jones, Jay DeMerit, Edgar Castillo, Clarence Goodson, Stuart Holden*, Jose Francisco Torres, and Benny Feilhaber play outside MLS. Our best goalkeepers currently play for Premier side teams such as Howard, Friedel, Hahnemann, and Brad Guzan is a backup behind Brad Friedel. Expect the Yanks to have a roster filled with players who play outside of the United States.


Because of this, the team should perform much better in this World Cup compared to 2006, even though they were ranked 4th in '06 and will be about 16th by the time the World Cup begins in June. While the MLS is young, stable league, that has potential in the future. We simply cannot rely on it for players in huge international competitions.  


Just to compare, the United States came in second place in the 2009 Confederations Cup with a roster similar to stated above. They beat the #1 team in the world Spain in the semi-final, and dominated Brazil in the first half of the final only to blow it in the second half. 


A few weeks later, the roster would be filled with MLS stars in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, a competition of nations in North America. While this team would make the final, their competition was very weak getting there, the only competition coming from Mexico in the Final. The United States would lose 5-0.


MLS players just cant compete on the Worlds Stage, although it is a great league to show the world the potential United States players have, and players can prove their talent to European Clubs. This is why the United States should should continue to look across the pond for their players. If they can compete with the best in club competiton, the Yanks will be able to compete with the best in International competition.


In the next few months, The US team is playing some huge opponents that will provide a great litmus test for the World Cup. Here is their schedule: 

March 3, 2010	U.S. Men vs. Netherlands	2:30 p.m. ET	Amsterdam ArenA Amsterdam, Netherlands	ESPN2 and Galavision
May 25, 2010	U.S. Men vs. Czech Republic	TBD
May 29, 2010	U.S. Men vs. Turkey	2 p.m. ET	Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, Pa.	ESPN2 and Galavision

The games in May will probably consist the starting lineup for the World Cup, and since I am from Philadelphia, hopefully I can cheer on the yanks in their final home game before heading off to South Africa.


In order for the United States to improve in international soccer competitions, they need to look towards Europe, not in the MLS, and that is why I predict the Yanks could make it beyond the round of 16 in South Africa.


Christian N.
Christian is a Philadelphia native, and political and sports columnist for several newspapers across North America. He is also a Philadelphia Union Season Ticket Holder and can be followed on Twitter and his Website.


Contact Christian






[*=left MLS after 2009 Season]