What England is saying about playing team USA

Well it only took a second before fans of the US soccer team felt a twinge of pain today. Once we found out that were were playing England in the first match of the World Cup group play the plan became who else might we have a chance against in the group.

But there was huge commentary across the world. Well likely not about the US or our chances to win (though 66-1 is the best odds I ever recall for a World Cup), but about all the various match-ups. One thing I noticed was how British sports commentators were reacting to the news (I don't pay attention to American sportscasters when it comes to soccer).

It seems that Team USA is giving some in England a pause, if only momentarily. Which might be the 2nd best result that could have happened. The best of course being an overly confident boasting - which there is still time for.

There just isn't anything better than hearing anyone consider the American futbol team and use terms like tough and out-muscling. It's not as good as over-powering and strategic, but I take what I can get.

But is this fear they are speaking of, or just a low scoring match?

(Video contains the pre-group odds as well as commentary and dates of play times)

2010 World Cup groups and odds

Well the time for idle speculation is over. The groups for the World Cup starting in June 2010 in South Africa have been determined. And this will be interesting.

I will have a video with the odds of several of the favorites, and commentary about the USA vs. England match shortly.

But starting with Group A - South Africa, France, Mexico, Uruguay - I expect South Africa to make history. Never before has a host country lost in group play. But I'm pretty sure that's what's going to happen here. The probable winners in this group: France and Mexico.

In Group B - Argentina, Greece, Nigeria, South Korea - This should be a cake walk for Argentina. I expect them to win every match. The real questio in my mind is if Nigeria or South Korea also advance. I'd have to nudge over and say Nigeria.

Group C - Algeria, England, Slovenia, United States - Now this is a challenging group. There is a big question on what will happen. The fact that the US will be playing England first really sucks for the US, though the British commentators seem to think this might be a tough match. So assuming that we lose the first match, which is likely, our hope is to win against slovenia and tie Algeria. My bet, England and Algeria advance.

Group D - Australia, Germany, Ghana, Serbia - An easy group for Germany. Sadly Australia will be out quickly. But I'm not sure about Ghana and Serbia. My guess is that Ghana will pull it out due to the homefeild advantage. Germany and Ghana advance.

Group E - Cameroon, Denmark, Japan, Netherlands - I'm looking for an upset out of this group. Of course the Netherlands will win the group. Japan is the big loser. Again the question is Cameroon and Denmark. And I expect Cameroon to pull it out. I don't think many will pick that. Netherlands and Cameroon move on.

Group F - Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia - Wow Italy got lucky. This may the easiest group in the World Cup. Italy wins easy, and New Zealand will be on the same plane home as Australia. The choice left is pretty easy. Paraguay takes the group after italy.

Group G - Brazil, Ivory Coast, Portugal, North Korea - Well let me think. Brazil moves on, that's a no brainer. But I think that Ivory Coast will surprise some people. I think that they go to the next round after soundly beating Portugal and North Korea. My call, Ivory Coast and Brazil.

Group H - Chile, Honduras, Spain, Switzerland - This may be the most exciting Group out of all the group play. There will be battles in this group. Spain will take it, but I think they will have more trouble than most expect. Chile will make a good try but Honduras will pull out the big win in the group. Switzerland will give it a good try but I think they are the loser of that group.

Ultimately, I think the final match will come down to Germany vs Brazil or Argentina vs England. In either option I would go with the South American teams to win.

Look for my video shortly.

Sometimes speed is all you need (well maybe luck too)

The more I watch futbol, the more amazed I become with some of the things that happens on the pitch. But in this case what happened has nothing to do with the skill of the players as much as how fast it happened.

At the start of a game in Saudi Arabia, a striker took a wild shot towards the goalie from the mid-field line. It's not something anyone ever really tries. It's a hard shot to make from that far out (like making a field goal in American football from about 55 yards out), and even if you do there is a goalie standing right there. For the goalie it should be an easy save. So the shot really isn't ever tried.

But like climbing Mount Everest, or going to the moon, striker Nawaf Al Abed figured he'd go for it and see what happens.

Watch carefully or you will miss it.



That is the official fastest gaol in the world. It stands at 2 seconds into the game. And I do not think a goal can be done faster than that. Nor do I think you can make one luckier than that. I know the goalkeeper was thinking just that. As well as, "what just happened?"

A pretty amazing a world record setting moment. Seems apt for my 1500th post. And still going strong.

gooaall! - the hard way

Soccer is a sport that is growing in the U.S. But often there are some that think the game just doesn't have interesting moments. While fans of futbol know this to be untrue, here is something that might help prove the point.

Southern Methodist University was playing No. 16 Tulsa. A frshman named Ryan Rosenbaum, who is a defensive player, kicked the ball to clear it from his teams side of the pitch (field). He not only cleared his side, he made a moment that stands out.



95 yards, essentially a football field. That's impressive. And not only was it the first goal for the freshman Rosenbaum - it was his first shot on goal! What a way to start off.

This has been a week for the upstarts indeed. I wonder if they will move Rosenbaum to offense now?

U.S. beats Spain and goes to Confederations Cup finals

Could it be that the U.S. is on the verge of becoming a real world competitor on the pitch of the futbol (soccer) world? Could we be on the edge of gaining respect from the international community?

For more decades than I have been alive the joke has been watching the U.S. qualify for the World Cup, and not getting past the first round. Watching my home nation lose to some of the weakest teams in the world has never been fun for me. It was a serious source of pride, years ago, when the U.S. made it to the second round – and quite lucrative.

But since then and well before there was nothing. Until now.

Yes, now we have beaten Spain. A real team, with a reputation nearly as good as anyone in Europe. And we did it in the high profile, international Confederations Cup. A move that catapulted the team to the finals later this week.

Win or lose, America has upped the game. We have laid down the gauntlet for the rest of the world to pick up. A challenge that will likely be on display at the World Cup.



Spain, the European champion, had set an international record with 15 straight victories and had tied Brazil's record unbeaten streak of 35 games from December 1993 to January 1996. Which makes the win all the more sweet as prior to this we had been 1-7-1 against top international teams, beating Brazil in the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup and tying Argentina last summer in an exhibition at Giants Stadium. Not that exhibitions really count.

So is this like shooting a piece of tissue paper with a .22 and having the bullet come back at you? An event that is mathematically probable, but realistically impossible?

Maybe. Right this moment though I don’t care. Because America beat Spain, and the World Cup has a new underdog that might just win if all the stars align just right.

Oh the pain - Manchester United defeated by Barcelona

Ouch.

Yes, it's true. Barcelona has defeated Manchester United. Which means that Sir Alex Ferguson likely thinks hell has frozen over. For those that are unaware, he stated that no team would ever duplicate the league, cup and Champions win, all at the same time, that Manchester had in '99.

And it just wasn't Ferguson who was in shambles. Just look at the British reports on the game. "Lifeless" and "elementary mistakes" are the kinder descriptions of how Manchester United played. For a team with such a history, you couldn't tell from the 2-0 loss.

Barcelona on the other hand looked great. Here are the 2 winning goals. The first is Samuel Eto'o and the second is a great header by Lionel Messi.



I'm sure many United fans are wondering where Cristano Ronaldo was? He was on the pitch, but the top ranked world star played like he was definitely somewhere else. That's not to say he didn't get close to a goal. But this is futbol (soccer) and a ball in the net is the only thing that matters at the end of referee's time. You expect one of the world's best to get the ball in the net, not next to it.

With the World Cup around the corner, expect this to have repercussions.

Who Are You Betting for in the World Cup

From its inauguration in 1930 the World Cup has grown to become the biggest football (soccer) competitiion in the world. The chance to call your country the world champions attracts a huge audience round the globe and is one of the most watched events on the planet. Yet the World Cup itself grew from more modest beginnings. The driving force behind the competition was FIFA president Jules Rimet and the trophy awarded to the winners was named after Rimet. The first competition saw Uruguay crowned the first world champions. They beat Argentina 4-2 in the final in Montivideo, however even back then the crowd for the match was 93,000, which probably even then gave some indication of how much the futbol (soccer) supporters of the world wanted this kind of competition.

The next competition in 1934 and also in 1938 contained very few South American teams due to the difficulties and long journeys required in that era. The Second World War meant that competitive soccer was temporarily suspended, and the 1942 and 1946 competitions did not take place.

In 1950 the competition returned and was won for the second time by Uruguay. The Competition comprised sixteen teams. Not until 1982 did the competition expand to 24 teams and was then expanded again in 1998 to 32 teams. This allowed more teams from Africa, Asia and North America to take part. The 2010 tournament will see a massive 204 countries trying to qualify, up from the previous record of 198 in 2006.

Brazil holds the record of the most tournament wins, wining the Cup five times. After the third win, Brazil was allowed to keep the Jules Rimet trophy and a new trophy was introduced. Brazil; is also the only country to have appeared at all of the World Cup final competitions. The 2014 competition will be held in Brazil

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Brazil have already been installed as the favourites for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. They are followed by Argentina, Spain - the European champions - and Italy, the current champions who have won the competition four times. England have been named fourth favourites following their recent run of form under Fabio Capello. Germany, Holland, France, Portugal, and Russia make up the remaining places in the top ten favourites for the World Cup.

Brazil are currently being quoted at 9-2 and Argentina at 5-1. European champions Spain will also expect to do well riding on the back of a wave of confidence following their Euro win. They are quoted at 15-2. Surprisingly England have been made fourth favourites at 8-1 above Italy and Germany who both hold the most winners titles after Brazil. England`s regular failure to progress much past the quarter final stage may well make them a difficult option, but their fans will be hoping that the success of British clubs in Europe can be reflected at the biggest competition in world futbol. To keep up with the best betting information, go to Free Bet Offers

Shaq the goalie? I think not.

You know, it’s really a shame to see the impression most Americans have about soccer. There is just very little understanding of the game, and that transfers into the non-competitive nature of our play in the world competition.

Yes I do realize that America has made it into the World Cup several times in a row now. And I realize that we have done better than we have in so 40 or 50 years. But we hardly are considered a challenge to the best nations in the world. In fact, the common expectation is that while we may qualify, we are just going to be out in the first rounds.

An example of what I mean comes from this video clip. It’s with Shaq and a few other players goofing around. It is comical, but it also explains why we are so bad as a nation at soccer.



The point is that soccer is not serious. That it’s something you do as a joke. That anyone can do it.

I’m not picking on Shaq. But it’s just the cavalier way in which soccer is presented to the nation that I am addressing.

We have more resources, people, and ability than almost every nation in almost every sport you can name. We can train the very best in the world on a regular basis for anything we choose. And we win against everyone in the world almost at will.

But soccer eludes us. Because we don’t care enough to try. I just don’t get it.

David Beckham - Let AC Milan have him

The L.A. Galaxy. A team that has ascribed to greatness with the addition of David Beckham. And yet the team has done an unremarkable bit of use of Beckham.



In 2008 Beckham scored 5 goals, in 2248 minutes. He had 1 game winning goal and 1 goal assist. He made 12 shots on goal for the season. In 25 matches that’s pretty poor for one of the top players in the world. Honestly Landon Donovan, a good player but nowhere near the top of the world, who played the same number of matches, had 20 goals from 65 shots on goal – given he is a forward. Still I would expect more from the caliber of player that Beckham is at.

The question though is this the fault of Beckham or the L.A. Galaxy? I would have to think it is partially both. Otherwise AC Milan would not have interest.

Partially one would have to believe that David Beckham is playing far below his potential. Now that could be due to coaches, teammates, or the lack of gratification from the country in general. And the last part is very important. Beckham is used to being a major sports athlete, a hero among the masses, and a headline grabber.

In America, soccer is lucky to grab 3rd place above NASCAR in local news let alone ever being mentioned nationally. So even in the most phenomenal match, using all his skill, he would barely be noticed outside of the fanbase locally. That has to be demoralizing to some extent.

On the other end, L.A.Galaxy is hardly the equal of AC Milan, or Manchester United. The level of play is severely diminished. It’s just not as intense. It’s like Tiger Woods playing against amateurs in the British Open; he would be bored of the competition on day one.

So should Beckham play in Italy? Should we lose him to preserve his spirit? Can American futbol improve without him?

Again I blame them both. Beckham is a world class player, and as such should be stellar in every match. He should be motivating the team and helping to propel them to a winning streak they have not had before. And he should be speaking to the masses, ABOUT SOCEER, at every opportunity.

Show Beckham in a US ad, have a soccer ball with him. Speaking at a red carpet event, talk about soccer. Doing something for charity, you get the point.

And the Galaxy should be lining up his time with events where he can talk about this. They need to get him in front of reporters every chance they get. And in L.A. it’s not that hard to find a reporter. Or paparazzi.

I am underwhelmed by the performance of Beckham. I had such high hopes of what he could bring to the Galaxy and the MLS. But neither have happened. So let him go.

Soccer in America can only grow if we nurture it. Given the competition for eyeballs in the nation, that means a battle. But I think soccer can win, if the teams and players work the system. There is a reason why this game is so big across the world, and if Beckham spent more time displaying that rather planning his next move America would understand it just that much more.

U.S. soccer - buying fans is a bad idea

Soccer in the U.S. is anything but a major sport. And there are hordes of reasons that I have heard for why it is not.

The game is too hard to understand – as opposed to the multitude of rules in Hockey, Basketball, Football, and BaseBall (pine tar??). Or that the scores are too low, or that the game is too slow (sprinting over a football field for 45 minutes at a clip is much slower than 10 innings of baseball right). The list of complaints goes on and on. But the honest answer is that America basically sucks at futbol (what the rest of the world calls soccer).

Still we have improved and gotten a bit of respect in recent World Cup showings. No longer are we the absolute laughing stock of soccer. Though we are definitely close to Canada in terms of world-wide respect for our abilities. And deservedly so.

But there is an effort to get that to change. With the MLS (Major League Soccer) performing slightly better than the WNBA – is that still around? – and having lasted longer than most detractors would ever have guessed it is gaining some attention. And the addition of David Beckham has done wonders for his bank accounts, while providing marginal improvements to the U.S.

Yet America needs something more. Something big to grab the attention of our incredibly fanatical sports fans. The MLS is definitely trying to figure out how to grab a slice of that pie. Fans of the caliber of say the chesseheads in Minnesota or the dog pound in Cleveland would assure success for generations.

Thus the Chicago Blackhawks decided to do what most American politicians want to do with the economy. They threw money at the fans. Not literally, but far more than figurative.

When Chicago’s right wing Mark Havlat scored a goal in the 71st minute (10 minutes into the second half), the only one of the game for Chicago, all the fans were subjected to a random competition. The prize was $1,000,000 for whomever was randomly drawn from the crowd.

The name of the winner is not known at this time. And the random drawing was sponsored by the Illinois State Lottery. Talk about having a dream. You go to the game hoping your team will win and you leave planning your next new home purchase. Tell me that won’t make a fan out of that someone.

Still I think the idea is flawed. Yes there is one family that will definitely go to every game the Blackhawks ever have at home, but that is not a fan base. Some people will show up at the next game hoping to win money as well, and a few might become fans, but that is not passion for the game motivating them.

Take the same million dollars and spend it on say having the top 5 state high school soccer teams go to 5 home games and 5 away games, all in the comfort of the VIP rooms. That will build fans. Especially if they get to take 1 parent with them. That’s getting people who are involved and dedicated a reason to get fanatical. It gives them all something to brag about.

Seem silly? Go to any small town in the mid-west and ask them about their football or baseball or basketball team. Without question they will brag about whichever team is the best for the area, and how well they did about whatever. And I bet that not one of the local games ever goes less than half full. Those are the fans U.S. soccer wants.

Soccer in the U.S. will always be marginally second-rate as long as we forget the fans. If I owned a MLS team I’d remember that big money is nice, but fans support whether you win or lose. And that is the real money. And the real success for Team USA.

Italian futbol reaches new lows

Sports are known for great moments, superb players, and some of the worst decisions and strategies ever conceived. No matter the sport this is always true. Taking futbol (soccer) for example there are the greats like Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho. There are great moments like these



and



but then there are things like I have just learned of.

It seems that Italian futbol is taking on a new low. Literally. They are lowering their shorts, in one case to their knees, to be able to win. It’s just awful.

Why in the world would any team do this? Well it’s being done during free kicks to block the view of the goalie. And it has been effective, at least in the recent Catania win. Is it worth it though?

According to Pietro Lo Monaco

“This is a strategy that [Walter] Zenga tries continually in training.”

Like that makes it worth doing. The referee should never allow this. It should not become a trend. It is the utmost in unsportsmanlike play. It is insulting to players and fans.

If this is the only way that Italian teams can win, they need to lose. I can only hope that this does not catch on and be displayed in the next World Cup.

Futbol is a great game, and the world enjoys it. But tricks like these don’t even deserve to be done or seen. Zenga knows better as do his players.

USA defeats Trinidad & Tobago 3 - 0

So the title of the post gives away the news. And yes I know the post is late. Still it was a good match. Finally the US soccer team showed some sparks and rallied to gain a win with more than a single point.



If you weren’t paying attention to the times of the first 2 goals they occurred within the first 18 minutes of play. Now that is impressive. Especially since Trinidad was expected to be the hardest match of the CONCACAF's Group 1.

With this solid win the US is now firmly assured of clearing the semifinals as they hold 9 points and are the top of the group. So without much ado the real attention moves forward.

But that is not to say that the US futbol team is without flaws. The lackluster play in the first 2 games of Group 1, and the 2nd half of this game made that quite clear. The sloppy passes, the inconsistent play, the missed goal attempts. All of this will spell doom versus tougher teams that the USA will be facing. And with the teams most experienced players age advancing speed is less of an option, and fatigue more a problem.

The mid-field will undoubtedly become an area of contention. The Trinidad match showed that this is a weak point in the US game. Performance here must improve dramatically.

Still I have to say that seeing the quick goals and the header by Brian Ching were a refreshing change from the normal US soccer matches. We may not be able to score at will, but this is a nice reminder that when underestimated we can score fast and multiple times.

For me the really important players of the match were Tim Howard – because a bad goalie makes the best matchplay useless, Clint Dempsey – for that nice breakthru goal, and Steve Cherundolo with solid defense around the goal. Eddie Johnson needs real work, and Sacha Kljestan really needs to play a more consistent and solid game.

USA beats Cuba, leads CONCACAF Group 1

Cuba vs. the United States. It’s a competition that occurs in many sports competitions, and in each it is usually a vibrant match with heaps of media attention. Basketball, little league baseball, you name it, and it gets attention. Except futbol – called soccer here.

Maybe it’s because the expectations were high for America. Maybe it’s because we haven’t lost to Cuba in futbol since 1947. Or it could be that this match-up took place in Cuba itself, and the media didn’t want to advertise the game much.

But I did see the game. I wasn’t impressed by the play of Team USA, or the Cubans for that matter. For all the attention the game should have driven, there were more than a few seats empty in the stadium – likely due to the recent Hurricane that had just hit the area.



Still I think the game needed more attention. When Cubans are sitting in the stands wearing bandanas of the U.S. flag covering their face for fear of being identified as a U.S. supporter on television, attention needs to be made.

But the match was lackluster at best. The U.S. played sloppy in my opinion. It wasn’t the wet pitch, or it’s less than level grass field. It wasn’t the lighting, which suddenly dimmed as the game neared the end. It wasn’t even the nice save by Tim Howard in the 88th minute, which made all the difference.

The U.S. just didn’t gel as a team, though it was a team effort that lead them to the 1 – 0 win over Cuba. The fact that the US is now leading with 6 points in the Group 1 CONCACAF qualification for the 2010 World Cup, is more luck than skill. And don’t be surprised if Trinidad & Tobago win when the USA plays them next.

Brian Ching looked good in the game, and was in several important plays. Landon Donavan was useless, and I wondered if he was on the pitch for most of the game. The mid-fielders seemed more interested in going backwards than advancing the ball to the strikers. DaMarcus Beasley was really bad.

This is not a team that will do well. Yes I want them in the World Cup. But I’d like to see them get to the quarter-finals too. I’m not so besodden as to believe they could win a World Cup without the opposing team all spraining their ankles. But I’d like to see a serious challenge to some of the world’s better teams. This team will be lucky to get a win, tie and loss in the first round.

Of course they have to beat Trinidad & Tobago. They probably will, or at least tie. And they will move on in the spring. But it’s no wonder that the world just doesn’t respect our national team the way they played.

World Cup Qualifier: USA vs. Cuba in Cuba

The qualifying round of the next World Cup are currently on-going. The U.S. team has started of well with a win versus Guatemala, though it was a mere 1 – 0 score.



But the next challenge to Team USA is perhaps the most steeped in the unknown.

On Saturday, the U.S. will be facing Cuba. Now in general that is not such a daunting task. History of games versus Cuba bode well for the U.S. There have been 5 wins and 1 tie in this match-up. But there is one big difference this time. The U.S. is playing in Cuba.

That one difference adds a lot of intrigue to a game that should be won by America. What are the local Cuban fans going to do when we take the field? How will the mood of the game be? Will the players be allowed to speak to each other prior to the game? Will the American players be allowed out of their hotel, or left to feel trapped inside like prisoners?

And of course there is the big issue that is beyond sports or politics, the effects of Hurricane Gustav – which hit Cuba several days before devastating New Orleans. Not to mention the impending onset of yet another hurricane possibly in the next week.

The experiences of Landon Donovan against Cuba may give us some insight

“They've always been nice and respectful when we've played them," he said. "I don't expect there to be an issue.”

And

“Yeah, we should beat Cuba in Cuba. If Trinidad beats Cuba in Cuba, we should win.”

Now is this accurate? Well only time will tell. The only other time that a U.S. soccer team has set foot on Cuban soil for a match was back in 1947 for a friendly game. The U.S. lost that match 5 – 2.

On Saturday we will get to see if history will repeat itself 51 years later, or if this match will have the chance to rise even above futbol and the World Cup and make a statement about the human spirit overcoming disasters like Hurricane Gustav. For me, if it becomes the latter then I don’t care if the game is a tie (ok honestly it wouldn’t matter if we lose either, but I want to see them win).

Ronaldinho in 2008

With fall approaching and the start of the 2009 season getting closer by the day I thought it was a good time to take a look at Ronaldinho (Ronaldo de Assis Moreira) in 2008. There is no question that I think he is one of the greatest players, and is at the top of the sport currently. So I present a few video clips of him in action this year.



For those wondering what are his best goals, I also found this video. I like the number 1 kick from 2006. Falling backwards and in! That is talent.



And let us finish with a bit more from 2008



One thing is for sure, Ac Milan and Ronaldinho will make the 2009 season exciting.

Euro 2008 - Spain are the kings of Europe again

The Euro 2008 futbol finals were played today with Germany and Spain each viying for the title of European champion. Both nations played hard in a match that was physical and at times intense. The final score of 1-0 details not only the difficulty of the game, but also the more lackluster performance of one of the teams.



The first half of the game was not as impressive to me as the second half. One of the bigger points of the first half had to be when the referee decided to give out yellow cards in the 31st minute. It was a sense of what would be coming later in the game.

Ballack was obviously in the wrong on this play, butting a Spanish player and thus creating a bit of a ruckus on the field. This was quickly broken up with Casillas coming over to both calm his players down and to speak with the referee who had yet to indicate any card or comment seemingly. Then after walking away the decision was made and a yellow card was given to Ballack. This was as it should have been as Ballack had been pushing the physicality for some time. But then to the surprise of even the sportscasters, Casillas was given a yellow as well. It’s been conjecture this was because he was yelling/discussing the matter with the ref. It was just bad officiating to me.

But Spain took over the game at this point because in the 33rd minute they scored the only goal of the match. Torres was the player responsible. While his prior attempt to score was only kept out by the upright post his actual scoring goal was much less dramatic. Yet it was effective enough to frustrate Germany for the remainder of the first half as Torres had beat they playing their own style of game.

Then after the half in the 60th minute Germany finally woke up a bit. Ballack made what was the best goal attempt of the game to that point. This provided Germany a boost that motivated them onto 4 shots on goal in 3 minutes. The pressure that was the German offense was making a valiant effort, but it died pretty quickly after the 64th minute.

The thing that took the wind out of Germany’s sails at that point was a missed opportunity to be one man up in the match. Again the officiating got in the way of play, which was highly consistent throughout the match, but this time it was because no one caught a flagrant foul worthy of a red card. And while several players mentioned this to the ref, including Ballack running to the sideline ref to plead his case, none wanted to repeat the mistake of Casillas. Thus nothing was done.

With this momentary distraction to Germany, Ramas made a beautiful header attempt in the 67th minute. While it didn’t go in it did signal the end of Germany’s rally and hopes to win the match.

By the 82nd minute the repeated attacks by Spain lead to a wonderful opportunity for Sena. He had come up through an opening and was crossed the ball facing an open net. All he had to do was touch the ball and it would have deflected in beating the goalkeeper with ease. Instead he kicked at the ball late and low, allowing it to cross past him unheeded. So much for the locked victory to Spain.

By this point Germany was not only beat but frustrated. Perhaps the most obvious display of this desperate mood among the German players was the yellow card given to Kuranyi in the 88th minute. It was deserved and obvious that German has nothing more to give to the game.

Thus the match ended with Spain winning with only one goal by Torres. It was not a flashy game, nor spectacular by any means. There were no stunning moments, except for the faces and actions of the German players as Spain celebrated its first win in 44 years. That had to be the longest 10 minutes for any team or player to endure.

Germany came to play a better team – or so you might have thought. Spain came to win.

But even with bad officiating, missed opportunities for goals, frustration on the field, and Ballack’s bad temper, it was all better than the play of L.A. vs D.C. If Germany came to play second L.A. and David Beckham came to watch the crowd in their 4-1 loss. So all in all the Euro 2008 was pretty good from this American's television.

Introducing the history of Brazil's Golden Age

So I was running thru the web on a few of my more favored subjects when I ran across an interesting article by Zachary Ball, whom I presume is a fan of the Brazilian national futbol (soccer) team. And he has every reason, as do millions across the world, to favor this team above all others in the international arena. Having read the article I have to say that Americans should read this to get a sense of the passion and history of the game that we just can’t play.

Now most Americans are probably more familiar with a few names that are globally renowned. If I mention David Beckham some might think of the L.A. Galaxy – not realizing he is a superstar due to England and Spain performances. Others may recall Ronaldo without connection to his years for Brazil. Very few can identify (some can’t even pronounce) Ronaldinho – one of my favorites in recent years. The boy can play.

But most Americans just don’t get this beautiful game. But if the game were more stylized like the following video, they might watch a minute or so



Sadly they miss the real beauty in the game and the rich history that exists. And it’s that rich history that Mr. Ball reflects on. The fact that Brazil is the best in international soccer and that they have been for far longer than most remember. For longer than most any other nation in the world.

Instead of discussing the current greats of the game, or even focusing on just the stars, Mr. Ball goes into the history of the team and their Golden Age. Starting with the birth of international futbol and leading up to “three greatest minutes in the history of futbol” and then on to legends including Pele, Hilderaldo Bellini, Valdir Pereira, Jair Ventura Filho, Carlos Alberto up to 1970. He provides the reason why this nation has won more World Cups than any other nation, and in fact several combined.

For those that follow futbol, it’s a wonderful summary of the greatest sport on earth. To those that are unfamiliar (that means Americans) it’s a wonderful introduction and an introduction to some of the greatest names known in the world.

Let me finish with this. Mr. Ball, you did well. [article found at http://bleacherreport.com/articles/21523-The-Golden-Age-of-Brazilian-Futbol-1958-1970-050508]

Real confidence in a product

I saw this live on Fox News and had to find the YouTube of it. This is the ultimate example of a guy who believes in his product. He is so confident that Mark Littell took a 90 mile an hour baseball to the family jewels on live TV. He didn't even blink because of his NuttyBuddy. That's a product that works. See for yourself.