Winning the World Cup might be the pinnacle for any football player or coach, but it is not what Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira considers his finest achievement.
"Qualifying for the World Cup with Kuwait was much better than winning it with Brazil," he said. "I worked there for eight years, we built everything from zero. It was fantastic."
Parriera is in an enviable position this time around, coaching a team that is on paper the most talented in the tournament. His biggest challenge will be to keep his star-studded roster happy.
With Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaká, Robinho and Adriano on his team, Parriera promises to keep at least a Quartet on the field, a move that I believe is going to make Brazil the highest scoring team in the field, but also susceptible to giving up goals of its own. All five of those players are talented in the attack, but they will be forced to defend as well which is something they rarely have to do for their club teams.
For this reason alone I don’t think Brazil is unstoppable. Sure they finally have a quality goalkeeper and their defense is not as bad as some, but it is a weakness and on any given day a good team can exploit another team’s weakness.
Brazil deserves to be the favorite and Parreira deserves credit for guiding the ship. But it is far too early to hand them the trophy and for a Kuwait-style celebration to begin.
You'll be hearing a lot of analysis from commentators in the coming month. Some might even try to break down what Croatia needs to do to stop Brazil in its first round match-up. While we at World Cup Blog will also provide this kind of analysis, we offer you, our wonderful reader, a whole lot more.
Nowhere else will you find what is really important. Namely, a breakdown of two recent weddings. The first occurred in Brazil where midfielder Kaka married his sweetheart Caroline. The second took place in Australia where Croatian keeper Joey Didulica tied the knot with his bride Kate Dzidzic.
While Kaka's wedding had all the flair of a Brazillian attack, Didulica's big night was more of a subdued, less flashy affair.
There you have it in a nutshell. Our analysis of both the weddings and the teams. Brazil is flashy and Croatia is solid. As for which player has the more beautiful bride, we'll let you decide.
Kaka and bride
Didulica and bride
Interesting profile in the Sunday Herald about Chris Birchall, the 21-year-old midfielder from England who is playing for his mother's native country Trinidad & Tobago. Among other things, Birchall is the first white player to suit up for the Soca Warriors in 60 years. One of his biggest challenges: learning T&T's national anthem. Lovely tune, really. Go ahead and sing along. Might help you make the team as well.
Serious safety faults at World Cup stadiums
With a group of mostly domestic based players participating in the United States' training camp this month, the one player that is being talked about the most is 16-year-old Freddy Adu. Newspapers around the country have run stories about Adu's participation in the training camp and have almost eagerly proclaimed his chances of making the World Cup team.
The media in the US loves to hype superstars even when it has no clue about the sport in which they play. Adu is a bright talent and someday he might even measure up to the expectations that have been thrust upon him by the soccer powers in the US.
But he isn't going to make the team, nor should he.
Simply put, he is not talented enough at this point to deserve a spot on the roster. Says coach Bruce Arena in the NY Times:
''Our expectations for Freddy are not great. It's just good to get him in here and give him a feel of what this is about with the national team and see where he is and compare him with others.''
Translation: Freddy isn't good enough yet and we hope that by having his butt kicked every day in practice he will stop listening to the pundits who tell him how good he is and he will get to work to actually realize his potential.
It would be unfair to say that Ecuador is fluke. It has qualified for consecutive World Cups, finishing ahead of traditional powers like Colombia and Uruguay. Yet, I am unconvinced that Ecuador is going to put up much of a challenge this time around.
The reason I am skeptical is Ecuador’s qualifying record. The team finished with 28 points. But 23 of those points were secured at home. Home for Ecuador is Quito, which is situated a mere 2,800 meters above sea level. This is one of the greatest home field advantages in the world and I think it is the main reason Ecuador will be playing in Germany this summer.
How will Ecuador do in the low altitude of Germany? You can count on Ecuador being fit, but fitness is no substitute for talent. Ecuador is not without some talent. Ulises De La Cruz (Aston Villa), Antonio Valanecia (Villareal), and Austin Delgado (Barcelona De Guayaquil) are all skilled players. But they are not enough.
Placed into a group with Germany, Poland and Costa Rica, I believe that Ecuador will be lucky to come away with one point. Some day the World Cup might be played at altitude again, but until then Ecuador will be the model of mediocrity. A team good enough to qualify for the World Cup, but one not good enough to make much of a statement once it is there.
There’s controversy brewing in Mexico where national team coach Ricardo La Volpe is keen on having Argentine-born midfielder Walter Gaitan on his team this summer in Germany.
If Gaitan ends up on the roster for the Tricolores he will be the third naturalized player on the team, a fact that isn’t sitting too well with many in Mexico.
La Volpe likes the goal scoring potential of Gaitan, but I really question whether he should make this move. Not because I think it is wrong for teams to utilize naturalized players (although it is a bit sketchy), but rather because he already has a solid midfielder in Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
While he is prone to picking up cards and has never been a personal favorite of mine, Blanco does have talent. I don’t see how Gaitan, a player who wouldn’t come close to making Argentina’s team, could add more value. If anything, his presence will be a distraction and could create an unnecessary riff on the team.
More depressing news for people hoping to secure tickets for the World Cup. More than 100,000 ticket requests are being submitted each day. With only 250,000 tickets up for grabs, even those who never passed Algebra will know that the odds of securing one of those tickets are pretty slim.
As for purchasing tickets from those who are lucky to land some, the process is even more complicated than that Algebra class you never passed.
It is still unknown whether striker Jan Koller will recover from his knee injury in time to play for the Czech Republic at the World Cup. Koller, the Czechs leading international scorer, injured his knee back in September. He won’t know for sure whether doctors will clear him to play until a May physical, but at this point he believes there is a 50 percent chance he’ll be ready to go.
If Koller is unable to go, the Czechs will have a huge hole to fill in their lineup and it will put further pressure on midfielder Pavel Nedved to spearhead the team’s attack
It is not often that a team's World Cup journey begins with a loss against Chad. But that is exactly how things started for Angola, perhaps the most surprising team to qualify for Germany 2006.
After dropping its opening qualifier 3-1, Angola lost on only one other occasion, a 2-nil defeat against Zimbabwe. Along the way Angola defeated and drew against traditional power Nigeria and cemented its place in the World Cup with a win against Rwanda.
What does this mean to the country?
Captain Akwa says, "We have proved that Angola is not just about oil, war and poverty."
To me, Angola is the most intriguing team in the tournament. It already has one player Yamba Asha, who might be lost after testing positive for a doping test. And then there is the wooing of Leeds United defender Rui Marques who has for years declined to play for his national team but is currently training with the team. And there is their opening round game against former colonialist Portugal. And then there are allegations that they are receiving tactical help from Brazil and that oil money is helping to buy victories.
But for me it all comes back to Chad. How could a team that lost to Chad, the 159th ranked team in the world, make it to the World Cup? I'm looking forward to seeing how this summer.
The President of Argentina’s Football Association is now on record as being against those who are, shall we say, vertically challenged.
Commenting on the potential of having four diminutive players - Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, Javier Saviola and Sergio Aguero - on his national side’s roster, Julio Grondona told the Ole newspaper:
"Those who would like to see these four play together can rent the film 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' rather than watch the World Cup."
At World Cup Blog we happen to own a copy of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and we can confidently tell you that none of those players actually appear in the film. We also can say that there is no truth to the rumor that Sneezy will be wearing Argentine blue and white any time soon.
Photo Caption: Coach Jose Pekerman with his team's forwards
Pity poor David Beckham and his English teammates who will reportedly be making less money to play for their national team in this year’s World Cup than they did in 2002.
In denying reports that players would receive a 300,000 pound bonus if they walk away champions, Beckham said:
"I'm the England captain and I know for a fact every single player in that team would play for their country for nothing. The bonuses are, well, a bonus for us."
This is a lovely sentiment from Becks and one that has almost become firmly established in the lexicon of the sporting world. But just once I would like to see a football federation offer its players this option. Methinks the players might not be so keen on the idea.
Even better, how about the English players donate their World Cup salaries to people in need, like Trinidad’s national team which is trying to scrape together $9 million so that it can adequately prepare for its first World Cup appearance?
Here’s a list from the BBC of unknown players who are plying their time in the English leagues and who will play for their national teams this summer at the World Cup. Chris Birchall is my favorite from this list. It is interesting to learn that he is the first white player to play for Trinidad and Tobago in more than 20 years. His goal against Bahrain in the qualifier was sick and I think he has the potential to make some noise in Germany.
The one I am most interested in watching is Ivory Coast’s Emmanuel Eboue who has languished on the bench at Arsenal but is part of a talented core of young, athletic players playing for his national team.
It takes a fairly fast computer connection and you'll need to download Google Earth if you don't have it already, but this is worth the effort.
We learned two things today. First, there is someone in Mexico who calls himself a "Grand Warlock." Second, this person is neither a 15-year-old video gamer nor is he necessarily a prophet you want on your side.
Antonio Vazquez, the Grand Warlock, has apparently been making predictions about world events, including sporting events, for the past 25 years based on his reading of tarot cards and the stars. The amazing thing is that despite his spotty track record that includes a false prediction that a European side would win the 2002 World Cup people still pay attention to him.
This time around he is convinced that Germany is going to win it all and that Ronaldinho won't make it to the finals because of an unspecified injury. Both are predictions that could come true, but here at World Cup Blog we believe in accountability so we are going to be the first ones to remind Mr. Vazquez if his visions don't come true.
After all, we want to be the first in line when and if there is a job opening for that Grand Warlock position.
You can call Lee Woon-jae a lot of things but foolish isn’t one of them.
The Korean keeper has published a collection of essays comparing the various national team coaches for whom he has played. In what must come as a surprise to no one, he has positive things to say about his current coach Dick Advocaat, you know, the guy who Lee wants to play for and would be absolutely foolish to criticize. Says Lee of his Dutch coach:
“He is not as hard as iron as we first thought he would be. He is professional enough to know how to separate official and personal affairs.”
Also not surprising is the veteran keepers comments about former Korean national team coach Humberto Coelho, you know, the guy nobody in the country liked and therefore is easy to criticize. He apparently separated official and personal affairs a wee bit too much for Lee’s tastes.
”The principle of laissez faire was the tactic Coelho used to coach us, but it didn't work well and he had to face loneliness,'' Lee said.
There is nothing worse than a coach who faces loneliness.
Here at World Cup Blog we search high and low for stories that will give you the reader the insight and knowledge you crave. Because we care about you, we wanted to let you in on a secret we have unearthed. The Ghana Football Association is set to hire a Venezuelan to help train its national team.
We’d love to tell you who this mysterious Venezuelan is but we can’t. Not because this story fails to mention his name and simply refers to him (or possibly her) as “the Venezuelan.” But because we have learned that the person is someone who likes to shy away from the spotlight
You see, there can only possibly be one Venezuelan who can deliver oil to impoverished American cities, party with Fidel Castro, get under the skin of George W. Bush and deliver Ghana a World Cup championship, while never seeking the headlines for himself. You guessed it. The next trainer of Ghana will be none other than President Hugo Chavez.
The BBC reports that: “Togo striker Emmanuel 'Sheyi' Adebayor is set to be severely punished by French championship side Monaco after failing to report back for training earlier this week.”
Adebayor was supposed to return from his holiday to Monaco for a couple of games before playing for Togo in the upcoming African Nations Cup in Egypt, but according to team officials he is nowhere to be found and is not answering his mobile telephone.
Monaco sporting director Jean-Luc Ettori said, "In my opinion he will not return, despite us trying to fit our plans around him. He will be severely punished."
One can only imagine what Monaco-style punishment must look like. Does this mean that Adebayor will only be able to drive one Ferrari instead of two? Does this mean he will only be allowed to lie on the beach one hour a day instead of six? Will he…shudder….actually have to pay taxes?
At Blog Central we know better to mess with anything French. After all, this is one form of punishment that is always an option.
Fans across England held their collective breaths when Michael Owen went down with a broken foot this past weekend. They were able to exhale a bit when they learned the injury will keep him out of action for a couple of months but that he expects to be fully recovered well in time for the World Cup.
Owen’s injury, could actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Just ask Gary Neville who was quoted as saying:
"It would be good if every England player gets an injury now - apart from the Man United players," he said cheekily. "If Owen has the same break as mine and the same that David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney had, he should be fresher than many of us.”
While Owen rests his body, players around the world will continue to play without a break from now until the start of action in Germany. With year-round competition and increasing numbers of high pressure games, there is an increasing toll placed on top footballers and an increasing chance they face injury that will keep them from competing in the World Cup.
It would be interesting to see if the level of play would improve if players were given more time off leading up to the World Cup. With the amount of money involved in domestic leagues these days this isn’t going to happen. But at least in the case of Owen, we’ll see if the time off benefits his game.
Japan’s coach Zico likes his team heading into this summer’s World Cup, but the one area of concern is its inability to finish in front of the goal. Says Zico:
"We have struggled at times to capitalize on simple chances and that is what we really need to work on over the next six months. The World Cup finals have a special atmosphere and national pride is very much at stake. You only get one chance and if you don't take chances you can end up losing so to make sure that doesn't happen we will be working on accuracy."
One player Zico is hoping will come into form is Tatsuhiko Kubo. The Yokohama F Marinos striker has bee waylaid by injuries that have prevented him from appearing in international play for a year but he finally appears to be rounding back into shape.
Zico is also looking for more from JEF United Chiba target man Seiichiro Maki and Hisato Sato.
Japan is certainly a fun team to watch with an appealing attacking style. If Zico’s men are able to convert their opportunities this summer, it could make things very interesting for first round opponents Brazil, Croatia and Australia.
French captain Zinedine Zidane says that he is considering retiring from football after he plays for France this summer. Says Zidane in an interview published in the Journal du Dimanche this weekend:
"It's in my head. I'm not sure if I will keep going until 2007. I have six more months with Real Madrid, the World Cup and then we will see."
Zidane had retired from international play following Euro 2004, but was persuaded to suite up for his national team again after watching it struggle in qualifying.
Zidane is not the player he was back in 1998 when his magic helped propel France win the World Cup on home soil. But even now with his best years behind him he can still be a joy to watch. His leadership and value to the French side remains significant.
There is little worse than watching a once great player struggle in his final days. Here’s hoping that Zidane puts on one last show in Germany this summer that will help us all remember the fine career he has had.
Yesterday, we asked which team scored the same number of goals as it yielded in its World Cup qualifying games. The answer:
.
.
.
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Paraguay, which both scored and gave up 23 goals in its 18 qualifying contests.
One of the things I am looking forward to this World Cup is the competition for the Best Young Player Award. FIFA will present this new award to the player under the age of 21 based on skill, youthful and refreshing playing style, creativity and entertainment, tactical maturity, fan recognition, results and fair play. FIFA has said the individual's performance as a role model and positive influence will also be taken into consideration.
There is any number of candidates who could win the award. England’s Wayne Rooney, Portugal’s crossover king Christiano Ronaldo, South Korea’s Chu-Young Park, Brazil’s Robhino and Australia’s Nick Ward are all players I have my eyes on.
But the player who I think will walk away with the trophy is Argentina’s Lionel Messi. Just 18 years old, Messi has a bright future ahead. He’s advanced through the ranks at Barcelona and he was a dominant force when he led Argentina’s under-20 team to the World Cup championship. His vision and creativity are a delight to watch.
Argentina’s coach Jose Pekerman will have a hard time keeping Messi off the field, even with players like Hernan Crespo, Javier Saviola and Carlos Tevez on his roster. Messi may not live up to the label of being the next Maradonna this go around (or ever for that matter), but I think he will show that he is the best young player in a World Cup that will have plenty of exciting young talent on display.
New polls show that increasing numbers of Germans think that their team can win the World Cup this summer. The percentage of Germans who think they can walk away with the trophy has more than doubled from 18 percent to 39 percent in less than three weeks.
The numbers are up from two months ago when only 3 percent of the country backed the national side.
Three percent? That’s it?
I’m sorry but even a loss to Turkey and an uninspired win against China shouldn’t have had the Germans that down on their team. Don’t they know that they are hosting the tournament? Don’t they know that the host country always gets a ton of advantages? Don’t they know that even though this German team isn’t as strong as some in years past, it still has plenty of talent?
Maybe the new numbers are starting to show that the German public does know this or maybe they just reflect an optimism stemming from being drawn into a group with Poland, Costa Rica and Ecuador.
Whatever the polls show, as long as Germany is playing on its home soil it has to be considered one of the favorites.
Which team qualified for this year’s World Cup with a goal difference of zero in its qualifying games?
Without looking, post you guess. Answer to come tomorrow.
While FIFA has rebuked calls by some members of Germany’s parliament to ban Iran from the World Cup for its president’s remarks regarding Israel and the Holacust, some European countries have reportedly declined requests to play Iran in friendly matches leading up to the World Cup.
Romania has cancelled a scheduled friendly against Iran after being pressured by its foreign ministry and no other Iranian matches have been announced.
The Iranians are putting a good spin on this by claiming that friendly matches could not be fixed due to the national team's probable participation in the Asian championship ahead of the World Cup. But clearly we are seeing politics injecting itself into the sports world.
FIFA has taken the approach of separating sports from politics. Other countries should follow FIFA’s lead, but I won’t be holding my breath waiting for this to happen any time soon.
Bad news today for Fans of Sam. US Captain Claudia Reyna will be sidelined for at least six weeks with a broken ankle, which he is sustained while playing for Manchester City.
If there is one player that the Yanks cannot afford to lose or to not be physically ready in Germany it is Reyna. As the US has climbed up the world rankings, it has developed depth at a variety of positions. The glaring exception is center midfielder, a role that Reyna has filled for years.
Without Reyna in the lineup in the past, the US has missed his steady presence and playmaking ability. Guys like Clint Dempsey and Kyle Martino have proven to be less than adequate replacements for Reyna. Pablo Mastroeni could fill in, as could Danny Zavagnin, but no one on the US depth charts comes close to Reyna when he is healthy.
Reyna has plenty of time from now until Germany to recuperate and to get healthy. But at the age of 32 and with a history of injuries, there is reason for concern. As is playing Italy and the Czech Republic in the first round wasn’t concern enough….
There’s word today that Chelsea has struck a deal that will allow midfielder Michael Essien to play in Ghana's first two group games in the upcoming African Nations Cup. Beyond that, Essien’s availability for Ghana remains up in the air.
While some have brought up the debate about whether it is more important to play for your country or to play for the club that pays you millions, I think the larger issue here is the absurd timing of the African Nations Cup.
Holding the continent’s premier tournament in the same year as a World Cup and right in the middle of the European club season makes no sense to me. It is like forcing runners to participate in a half marathon the night before they take part in the New York City Marathon.
Does anyone really believe that the African teams that have qualified from the World Cup have anything to gain from playing in this tournament? Their players don’t need the added strain of extra games and their coaches don’t need the added pressures if their teams disappoint.
Africa deserves a world class tournament to decide the continent’s champion. Unfortunately, the current setup falls well short of being world class.
Let the smack talk begin.
Croatian national football team manager Zlatko Kranjcar has fired the first salvo with his quotes in a Japanese magazine. Kranjcar’s words:
"I really don’t want to upset the people of Japan, who I have great affection for, but it is true that the Koreans’ skills are greater than the Japanese."
Kranjcar, whose team was placed into Group H with Japan, Brazil and Australia, is also on record as saying he doesn’t expect much of a challenge from Japan or Australia. His captain, Niko Kovac, agrees:
“For us, the match against Japan will be just us scoring goals,” he said.
I won’t argue that Croatia is a talented team, but is it so supremely talented that it can afford to look down upon a Japanese team that has some dangerous weapons and an Australian side that continues to improve?
The funny thing about the teams that are really good is that they don’t feel the need to downplay their opponents because they are secure enough to know that their play on the field will show their superiority.
To me there is a fine line between being confident and being foolish. In this case, I think Croatia’s mouthpieces have crossed that line and in the end it might just come back to haunt them when they face a Japanese team that you can bet will be fired up to prove that it is superior.
In many parts of the world, football is like a religion. In England this summer, it might become part of a religion as church leaders are calling for the World Cup final to be broadcast during the Church of England General Synod.
The Archbishop of Canterbury and others might remember the last time religion and English football mixed at the World Cup. A little something called the Hand of God.
In some countries the World Cup talk is about the draw and first round opponents. In others, the buzz is about who will start. In Sweden, it is all about sex.
Amid pressures from members of parliament, the head of Sweden’s Football Federation is on record as saying that his players will not be partaking in any activities in German brothels this summer.
We are glad that has been resolved.
We still await word on whether or not the Italians will be allowed to have intercourse during the tournament. As soon as this critical news reaches Blog Central, you can be assured that our experienced and talented reporting team will cover it from all angles to give you the reader the in-depth perspective you crave.
The face of Italian football fans is changing. So is the gender.
While overall ticket sales are down for Serie A clubs, the percentage of females in the stands continues to rise. This trend is expected to occur in Germany this summer where one research agency estimates that as many as 40% of the Italian fans following the national team will be women.
Here at Blog Central we think this is great news. Not only because we are fond of Italian women (and really who isn’t?), but because the sport needs to attract new fans to continue its growth. Football is sport that should appeal to everyone and its federations should do their part to promote it to men, women, children and household pets.
We also will venture to say that the Azzurri players will enjoy this portion of their fan base and will benefit from the access they will have to advice on the best hair care products.
When you think of Ukrainian football the one name that immediately comes to mind is Andriy Shevchenko. The AC Milan star has been one of the most lethal strikers in Europe the past few years and he will surely be the focus of attention for Ukraine’s opponents in this year’s World Cup.
As talented as Shevchenko is, he is not the only threat on a Ukraine team that finished first in a qualifying group that included Turkey, Greece and Denmark. Ukraine is led by its coach Oleg Blokhin, a legend in Soviet football. Blokhin draws from a talent pool that mainly comes from Ukraine’s domestic league and favors an aggressive, attacking style of play.
Alexei Belik, Andrei Vorobey (both Shakhtar), Andrei Voronin (Bayer Leverkusen) and Oleg Venglinksy (AEK Athens) are all competing to join Shevchenko up front.
The midfield is anchored by Dynamo Kiev’s Ruslan Rotan and Andrei Gusin who plays for Samara in Russia. The backline is centered around Dnepropetrovsk’s Andrey Rusol, a young player who may be the Ukrainian with the most to gain from a breakout World Cup performance.
Ukraine’s was drawn into a favorable group that features Spain, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. Even though Spain is the group’s top seed, I think Ukraine’s talent and qualifying form makes it the top choice in the group. Anything beyond that, however, would be a surprise but with a scorer like Shevchenko in place anything could happen.
Brazillian striker Ronaldo tells his country's media that he wants to become the all-time leading goal scorer in World Cup history.
The current 14-goal record was set by Germany's Gerd Muller, who scored 10 goals in the 1970 Mexico World Cup and four in Germany's 1974 World Cup. Ronaldo has scored 12 goals total - four goals in France in 1998 and eight in the Japan-South Korea World Cup in 2002.
Normally we would say that scoring three goals to capture the record would be a piece of cake for Ronaldo. But the biggest challenge he might face this time around is the talent on his own team. With an offensive attack that is nothing short of potent, Ronaldo will be competing with his own teammates for goals.
Our money is on the Brazillian to capture the record. We also think he should be penalized a goal or two for forcing the world to endure that absurd haircut in 2002.
About the only thing the United States has an inferiority complex in is the game of football. Witness national team player Oguchi Onyewu's comments today.
"I've heard a few people in the United States say, `Well, they had a good run' without us even playing," Onyewu, 23, said. "That makes me mad knowing the majority of Americans aren't backing us. I'm sure they're not doing that in Mexico. I'm sure everybody in Mexico is expecting [their team] to get out of their group."I'd like to think soccer has progressed enough in the United States that our people have some faith in us, but you have to deal with what you have."
Onyewu’s call for respect is something you hear often from US players and their fans. The world’s most powerful country must forever try to prove itself in a sport where it has never been all that powerful.
But Onyewu and others shouldn’t interpret reality as disrespect. The reality is that football has not progressed enough in the United States for objective fans to think that the Yanks are a sure bet to advance out of a group that includes Italy and the Czech Republic. Sure the 2002 run to the quarterfinals was impressive, but the disaster in France in 1998 still looms large in my mind. So do all the years of misery.
There’s no question the talent pool in the US is better today than any time in its history. But improved talent doesn’t mean anything until it translates to wins. And frankly that is something the US has not done enough of, especially on European soil.
I have no doubt that the US will be competitive in Germany in 2006 and it wouldn’t shock me if it advanced, but Onyewu and others should realize that just like respect, faith from fans is something that must first be earned.
I recently had someone tell me that they are so eager to go to Germany this summer that they would be willing to sleep in their friend's bathtub if it would save them money and make the trip possible.
Well, here's a site that could make locating the ideal tub a bit easier for all of us. I'm willing to overlook the goofy picture on the site to say that this is a pretty cool idea. Now if only it were as easy to find cheap tickets...
...You're not the only one.
Tickets are harder to come by than some priceless gems. In Australia, fans crashed an online site selling tickets to the Socceroos games. In England, tickets for the opening game against Paraguay are going for 1600% above face value. And teams from Africa will use their entire ticket allocations.
Nothing beats being in a stadium watching history happen, but the real question is how much are you willing to pay for this experience? Is it worth it to pay more than 500 pounds to see England play Paraguay when you can watch it for free on the telly?
We'll get the answers to these questions this summer as we see to what lengths and at what costs people will go to be a part of World Cup 2006.
Brazil and Holland may never meet on the pitch this summer in Germany, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see these two football-rich nations collide.
With Saudi Arabia naming Marcos Paqueta its new coach earlier this week, there are now five Brazilians managing teams in the World Cup. In addition to Paqueta, Carlos Albeto Parriera (Brazil), Luiz Felipe Scolari (Portugal), Alexandre Guimaraes (Costa Rica) and Zico (Japan) will all be on the sidelines this summer.
The tournament will also feature four Dutch coaches - Jo Bonfrere (South Korea), Guus Hiddink (Australia), Marco van Basten (Holland) and Leo Beenhakker (Trinidad and Tobago).
Looking at this list, I see at least five of Brazilian and Dutch coaches making it past the first round - Parriera’s Brazil, Scolari’s Portugal, Zico’s Japan, Bonfrere’s South Korea and van Basten’s Holland – which could add to the drama and storylines as the tournament progresses.
Which county in the world do you think has the best coaches?
From Angola to Togo, World Cup fever is sweeping through sub-Saharan Africa. With four countries making their first appearance on the world’s largest stage, football is even changing the way some people view their country.
"Most of the world thinks of Angola as a country at war, with poverty and corruption," said Paolo Monteiro, who works in financial services. "But I can say this very proudly:...we have qualified for the World Cup. I am very proud to be Angolan."
As if those kinds of sentiments weren’t heartwarming enough, in Ivory Coast they have named a beer after striker Didier Drogba. One can only hope that it costs slightly less than its namesake.
Football fans in the United States are an interesting group of malcontents with a permanent chip on their shoulder. I should know. I am one of them and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
You would be too if you lived in a country where more people can tell you the voting requirement for American Idol than can explain what it means to be offside. But despite our permanent place on society’s fringes, we can also be an inexplicably optimistic bunch. Case in point: the expectations so many of us have for the US national team heading into this summer’s World Cup.
Close your eyes because I’m gonna mention Steve Sampson
For most of history, the US has been as successful at football as Poland has been at war. After a brief aberration when it hosted the World Cup in 1994 and the world was forced to listen to Alexi Lalas sing, America fell back to its normal place behind the rest of the world’s soccer powers. And Iran. The last place finish in 1998, ending that dark and painful era known simply as Steve Sampson, is something that even the most pessimistic of Americans (me) can gladly block out of our minds after the US team advanced to the quarterfinals in 2002. At last, we had become a football power - something our country normally reserves for economics, military and realty television.
Masochists Rejoice
Heading into this year's draw in Germany, the US was ranked 8th in the world. A ranking that had been earned beating superpowers like Haiti, El Salvador and Canada. Well, this summer the US will know how those countries feel. As if drawing perennial power Italy (book it: loss) weren’t enough, the US will also face a talented Czech team (book it: loss) and an up and coming, athletic-as-heck Ghana side (book it: could go either way). As any fan of American Idol can tell you, getting a thumbs down from two of three judges will send you packing quicker than Tony Meola can eat a meat pie.
Our run is over before it even begins Fans of Sam. There seems something oddly familiar and comforting about writing that.
Ghana has approached Kevin Prince-Boateng to see if he would like to play for the Black Stars in Germany this summer.
The 18-year-old, who plays for Hertha in Germany’s Bundesliga, could also get a call up from Germany. His father is Ghanian and his mother is German.
Ghana has also recently contacted 16-year-old Freddy Adu who plays for DC United in the United States Major League Soccer. Adu, who was born in Ghana, has been invited to the US training camp in January but it is considered highly unlikely that he will play for the Yanks in Germany this summer.
Both Prince-Boateng and Adu face a difficult choice. Should they seek the immediate reward of playing in a World Cup or should they bide their time until they one day make their resident country’s squad?
Since I am not a young, talented player in their position, I will make the decision for them both: play for Ghana. The World Cup is a once in a lifetime opportunity and something that no player should turn down. There is no guarantee that four years from now they will make their respective teams. Injuries happen, so why even take the chance?
Ghana is one of the most improved teams in the world. With Adu and Prince-Boateng as the foundation for their future, the Black Stars could become regular visitors to the World Cup for years to come.
It is still over 5 months away, but the World Cup is already rubbish, literally. In what is shaping up to be a more intense battle than any of the first round matches, FIFA has told a German man, Matthias Blume, to put a halt to his attempt to auction off the name tags used in the televised draw for the World Cup that he found in the garbage, while cleaning up after the event.
"FIFA has sent a warning to the legal representatives of the person concerned and pointed out that this is a violation of FIFA's name rights and that the auction should be stopped," said FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren.
Blume’s response: "I want to see it through," he said. "I'm a fighter, I like a fight and this is a real fight."
Here at WorldCupBlog we always enjoy a good fight. That is why we propose a 3-round boxing match between Blume and FIFA’s spokesman. The winner gets the rubbish and a date with Heidi Klum. The loser will be forced to watch Tunisia play Saudi Arabia.
In 2002, South Korea defeated traditional European powers Portugal, Spain and Italy to make it to the World Cup semifinals. This impressive run, however, will always have an asterisk next to it because the Taeguk Warriors played on their home soil. In addition to benefiting from a rabid home crowd and easy access to kimchi, many claim that the Koreans were the beneficiaries of some friendly calls by the referees.
The conventional wisdom is that South Korea will have a much harder time on European soil this time around. They won’t have 70,000 fans behind them chanting in unison. They won’t be sleeping in their own beds. The referees won’t be their 12th man. They might have to eat pig intestines instead of kimchi. And on and on.
But the one thing that South Korea will have is talent. Twenty-year-old striker Park Chu-young has torn up the K-League and has shown he can score in international competition. With EPL sides very interested in his skills, he may be the player in this tournament with the most to gain by a strong performance.
Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo, who both used their play in 2002 to land jobs in England, are back with more seasoning than they had 4 years ago. Park Ji-sung could be the key in the middle. He has shown flashes of brilliances at Manchester United but will need to be more consistent for his national side.
If there is a question mark, it is in the backline where Hong Myong-bo, Kim Tae-yong and Choi Jin-cheul have all retired from international duties. Dick Advocaat, brought on as manager after fellow Dutchman Jo Bonfrere was let go following a disappointing showing at the East Asian Cup, will have to get his defense in order in the friendlies leading up to Germany.
South Korea does have a very manageable opening round group with France being its top challenger. The Taeguk Warriors should be favored against Switzerland and Togo.
Will South Korea make the final four? Probably not, but a top eight finish would be every bit as impressive as its 2002 showing and further solidify the team’s claim as the best team in Asia.
Despite leading his team to the World Cup, manager Gabriel Calderon has been fired by Saudi Arabia's Football Federation. Calderon will be replaced by Brazilian coach Marcos Paqueta, who guided Al Hilal to the Saudi league title last year.
Calderon had been under fire in the Saudi media after the team’s poor performance at the recent West Asian Games and had been openly criticized for his World Cup training schedule.
This is a move that I can’t understand. There were few complaints when Calderon led his team through an undefeated run of qualifying, but apparently this wasn’t good enough for the princes who control Saudi football. Now Paqueta takes over and will have less than six months to bring his team together. Is he that much better a coach than Calderon that this move was warranted at such a late date?
Calderon brought a sense of organization and discipline to his Saudi team. It is unfortunate that his Federation appears to have neither.
The UK’s Observer takes an interesting look at the 12 German cities that will host World Cup matches and offers advice about what to do in each city instead of watching Tunisia play Saudi Arabia.
Somehow I don’t think this description will be found in Gelsenkirchen’s tourist brochures:
This is a heavily industrialised area, and there's a 'night of industrial culture' planned for the second Saturday of the World Cup. Although there's a science park, the biggest attraction is a slag-heap, the Halde Rungenberg. The view from the top is spectacular. Looking across to the next nearest slagheap, you can count 42 pipes and chimneys and a dozen billowing steam clouds at one factory alone. Chemicals, oil, steel, and the European capital of ice-cream cones and wafers - this place has the lot.And for those planning on catching the action in Kaiserslauten:
Saumagen (pig stomach stuffed with potatoes) and Pferdwurst (horsemeat sausage) are the definitive delicacies of the region.Suddenly that Tunisia-Saudi Arabia match looks more appetizing after all.
With reports of hotel price gouging already underway in Germany, FIFA has devised a plan to save you money when you book a room this summer.
Meanwhile, if you were thinking about staying about staying at a certain five star resort in the Black Mountains Baden-Baden, you and Posh Spice might both be out of luck.
Can you picture Tony Blair slide tackling David Beckham? How about George W. Bush blasting one by Kasey Keller? Silvio Berlusconi playing 11 a side with the Azzurri?
As we learn from the Angolan papers, President Dos Santos recently took part in a training session with the Sable Antelopes. Looking at that picture, do you think his aides forgot to tell him that he wasn’t going to a cricket practice?
By the way, go ahead and convince me there is a cooler nickname in this tournament than the Sable Antelopes.
A betting man would say that most of the 350 million pairs of eyes that tuned into today’s World Cup draw in Germany, henceforth known as the Heidi Klum Show, could not even find this nation on a map. The odd makers have essentially said that there is better chance that a man will land on Mars next year than they will hoist the World Cup over their collective heads. Even their most rabid of fans, still dancing in the streets celebrating the mere fact that they have made it to the world’s largest soccer stage, would be hard pressed to say they are going to go very far.
But you’ve heard it here fist: Trinidad and Tobago - TNT - is going to be…well…dynamite in Germany.
Three Reasons I’m not Drunk
Before you scoff and click your mouse to download those Heidi Klum photos, here’s three reasons why you should keep an eye on the Soca Warriors:
1. Dwight Yorke - US Coach Bruce Arena has called him the most dangerous striker in the world. As we saw with Cameroon’s Roger Milla in Italy in 1990, an unstoppable goal scorer can single handedly lift an inferior team out of the first round and into glory. Yorke, a former striker for Manchester United, has the talent to be this year’s Golden Boot.
2. Coaching - Dutchman Leo Beenhakker has brought much needed organization to a country that has long been rich in soccer talent, but that has suffered a lack of discipline because so many of its players play professionally in different systems in other countries. Beenhakker is one of four Dutch coaches heading World Cup sides this go around and there is a reason why the rest of the world has looked to Holland for manager: they know how to coach technically sound, entertaining soccer.
3. Draw - T&T was drawn into one of the easiest first round groupings. Their toughest opponent will be England, the country where the majority of their players play their professional career. You can bet the Soca Warriors will be VERY excited to take on their old colonial power and will be more than familiar with England‘s players. Trinidad also matches up well against the size of Sweden and will benefit from having to play a very average Paraguay side.
You’ll be thanking me later
Will Trinidad and Tobago go on to win the tournament? You’d have to give us a lot more of their country’s fine rum before we would make that prediction. But go ahead and take out your office pool brackets right now and pencil in the Soca Warriors as a team in the final 16.
Give Ghana coach Ratomir Dujkovic some credit for trying. Dujkovic told BBC Sport recently that he has decided to contact Freddy Adu to see if he might be persuaded to play for the Black Stars this World Cup.
Adu, who was born in Ghana but has become an American citizen, should take Dujkovic up on his offer.
At the mere age of 16, Adu’s best days are ahead and those days will not be on U.S. soil. Labeled as a football prodigy and tagged by many as the player who will take the sport’s popularity to a new level in the United States, Adu has been merely average in his first two seasons as a professional with Major League Soccer’s DC United. Despite the early setbacks, Adu’s future is clearly in Europe where he has publicly said he wants to play some day.
So where does Ghana fit into the picture? A spot in the World Cup, even as a reserve, will give Adu an enormous stage to audition for European club teams. Playing beside players like Chelsea’s Michael Essien and the Udinese trio of Sulley Muntari, Asamoah Gyan and John Mensah, Adu will be part of an up and coming national team that will give the US team all it can handle in its first round match-up.
The career of a footballer is short and it is often only one bad tackle away from being over. Adu should take the opportunity to be a part of the World Cup right now, instead of waiting for the possibility to play for the US in four years – if the US even qualifies four years from now and if he makes the team four years from now. Both are likely but neither a certainty.
Sure, Adu will forfeit the potential millions he would earn from US commercial opportunities, but if he is as talented as he is hyped, that revenue will be more than made up over time. Adu could be the cornerstone of the Ghana national team for years to come, while achieving fame and fortune in Europe. That might not have the same glamour as being known as the player who lifted soccer out of obscurity in the Land of Sam, but it also doesn’t come with burden of having to prove that you are your sport’s savior.
If you were eagerly anticipating the chance to read the writing of German footballers like Kevin Kuranyi here at WorldCupBlog, forget about it. It’s not that we wanted them writing for us anyway…well…we might have let them blog but team manager Olivier Bierhoff has officially banned his players from partaking in journalism during the World Cup.
Here at Blog Central, we are eagerly awaiting word on another possible ban - whether or not Italian players will be allowed to have sex during the Cup. We might not have the German team on board, but we do have a stellar staff that will deliver this breaking news to you when it happens.
Why in the world would a quarter million Dutch tune in to watch Australia play Uruguay on a Wednesday morning?
To cheer on Socceroos coach Guus Hiddink who is featured in an excellent profile piece in the Sydney papers.
Hiddink, who guided South Korea to the semifinals last World Cup and subsequently had no less than 16 books in Korea written about him, took special pleasure in beating Italy:
"I am very much against violence in football, but listening to the Italians smashing up their dressing rooms, I very much enjoyed that."
FIFA has rebuked calls from German politicians and media that Iran should be banned from the World Cup for a series of inflammatory comments that have been recently made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who among other things has called the Holocaust a “myth.”
While it is understandable that such comments have led to outrage around the world, and especially in Germany, FIFA is absolutely correct to maintain a policy of separating sports from politics. Punishing Iran’s athletes for the comments of their president would only open up a can of worms and take away from the purpose of the World Cup, which simply put is to bring together the world’s best teams to compete on the pitch
No country comes to the World Cup without political baggage and it is unrealistic to believe that politics won’t be involved when nations compete in any sport. But for the sake of the billions of people around the world who will tune into this year’s tournament in part because it provides a joyous escape from the everyday reality of newspaper headlines, can’t we try to leave the politics at home?
You are the manager of Saudi Arabia and you led your team through an undefeated qualifying run to the World Cup. What is your reward?
An unhealthy dose of scrutiny by your country’s football federation.
That is the position that manager Gabriel Calderon finds himself in with Saudi Football Federation head Prince Nawaf Bin Faisal breathing down his neck. Says the Prince of Calderon, “"We will assess him and his fitness to lead our team based on his preparation plans."
With all due respect to his majesty, here’s a message to the Prince: Back off.
Try assessing the fact that he led your country to the World Cup. Try assessing that his team went undefeated in qualifying. Obviously the guy is doing something right. By merely suggesting that he does not have a good training plan in place, you are only undermining the team’s training efforts by placing doubt in his players’ minds.
The United States is a new province in Mexico.
One could come to that conclusion after the Mexican Football Federation released the venues for the five games its national team will play leading up to this summer’s World Cup. San Francisco, LA, Dallas, Chicago and Pasadena will all host Mexican matches.
Does anyone else find this odd? Can you think of another situation where a nation would choose to play its home matches on its rival’s soil? Dutch games in Germany. I don’t think so. Brazil matches in Argentina. No way. How about some Italian friendlies in Spain? Not a chance. What about the reverse, with the US playing its matches in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Oaxaca? Not gonna happen.
So why is Mexico electing to play north of the Rio Grande? Two reasons. First, according to the US Census Bureau there are more than 18 million people who marked their ethnic origin as Mexican in 2000. This was a 58% increase from 1990. Not only is this a huge, growing market, but it is one that is increasing in affluence. The Mexican market in the US is more attractive for sponsors than the domestic market in Mexico. Sponsorship dollars and pesos are what drive the decisions made by football federations.
Second, while there is a rivalry on the pitch and for marketing money between the US and Mexico, the rivalry has yet to extend to the stands. You can bet that in each US city in which it plays there will be a decidedly pro-Mexican crowd. Whereas in other countries crowds might show up to whistle and boo their rival’s every kick, US supporters will largely stay at home, choosing instead to watch their tapes of the United States’ victory over “rival” Mexico in the 2002 World Cup.
On paper there are some tasty match-ups in the group stages of next year's World Cup. Here are my early stage predictions based on nothing more than gut feeling.
Group A:
Germany and Poland should be a cracker of a game. If not for the football, then for the history and the passion of the fans. There are plenty of Poles in Germany, and many of their players make their living in the Bundesliga. And of course we won't mention ze vwar. Germany lucked out with the draw and I see them moving in to the next round comfortably with a dogfight between Poland and Costa Rica to join them in the second round.
Group B:
England has a tough group. It's not quite the Group of Death, but it's close. Paraguay is a tough team with good World Cup experience and some talented players. Sweden always plays well in big tournaments and especially against England. It's a toss up who makes it through this group and it could come down to goal difference. My picks go to England and Paraguay, but I'm not confident.
Group C:
Argentina vs the Netherlands. I cannot wait for this game. So much history here and the papers will be talking about the passionate final of 1978 in the days before this game. I don't see much other competition in this group and both these teams will progress. The only question is, in which order? My pick is Argentina first, Netherlands second. Even the expected Netherlands team meltdown when the coach gets fired and the players start bitching should not prevent them from progressing in this gourp.
Group D:
Mexico and Portugal would have to be favourites on paper for this group. But Mexico can be erratic, especially away from home, and Iran could pull an upset here. Plus I love the underdogs, so I'm gonna say Portugal first, Iran joining them in the second round.
Group E:
This is, without doubt, the Group of Death. The teams that make it through this group will have earned the right. I just hope it doesn't exhaust them for the rest of the tournament. Italy on paper should be good enough, but the USA is a top ranked team these days and the Czech Republic are one of my dark horse favourites. The Czech's should have progressed further at Euro 2004 and that motivation will make then a tough team to beat. And Ghana have individual talent across the park. I can't see them moving on, but they could spoil any of the other teams in this group. Wins will be like gold in Group E.
Group F:
I love Australia and I have high hopes for them in this World Cup (to make it to the next round), but the draw was not kind to them. They play Japan first up and I expect that to be a defensive stalemate for most of the game with a 1-0 victory to one or the other at the final whistle. Brazil will be an awesome game but I expect us to get schooled in a big way. And there will be no love lost between us and Croatia. I remember years ago when football was still considered 'wog ball' in Australia and when Croatian teams would play in Sydney or Melbourne, oftentimes there would be more Croatian fans in the stands than Aussies. Of course, they were Australian, but were still (rightfully) very proud of their heritage. This is a tough group, but I think Croatia and Brazil will progress fairly easily.
Group G:
In my opinion, France got a free pass with their draw. They have some tough games, but on paper they should go through. They have some older players returning which could go either way. Experience versus fatigue. But France have sucked big-time recently so I think this group is up for grabs. Most people expect South Korea to repaet their heroics of the last World Cup. I don't think they will, but they're good enough to get through to the next round based on the competition in this group. Switzerland are draw specialists too, so whoever can get a win out of those three will be favourite to progress.
Group H:
Spain has a tough group, but they should progress on top. Certainly that will be the expectation of their fans based on the draw. Tunisia are African champions and that's no easy feat and the Ukraine is a tough game for sure. Saudi Arabia didn't show much last World Cup and I don't see much hope for them. Will be a dogfight under Spain unless they self-destruct, but I see Tunisia having the goods.
The draw for the 2006 World Cup in Germany is only minutes away. Once the balls start being drawn the chatter and expectation will increase 100-fold. As the mouth-watering match-ups are revealed, pundits and bookies will be making their predictions about who has the best chance to win it all, and who will be in the ever-present "Group of Death".
Watch it live in the US on ESPN2 at 3pm (ET).
Tension is mounting according to the AP for the draw coming up in the next few hours. Chris will be in the basemest blogging it.
We are in super design mode and should be able to launch the new/improved World Cup blog before january 1st. Stay tuned.
Only 8 teams are left to qualify for Germany. Argentina, Japan, Iran, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, USA, Brazil, Mexico, Angola, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Holland, Poland, England, Croatia, Italy, Tunisia, Portugal, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Costa Rica are the teams who can book their flights and Germany as the hosts make up the 24.
Six more European teams will join them. One more from either South America or Australia, and one more from Asia of the CONCACAF (North and Central America and Caribbean) region.
We are putting together a new version of this site for Germany 2006 and getting super pumped. Chris, Nick and I are going over to Germany in late May and staying through the final on July 9th.
If your team makes the 32 team final in Germany, and you are a fanatical fan, and you love to find info, write about them etc, let me know by emailing chris AT bootsnall dot com and sean AT bootsnall dot com. Each team will have at least 1 dedicated blogger this year. Get ready to go mental.
Here is a 1st draft of the re-design.