World Cup 2010 Blog: “Soundoff: Who Are Your World Cup Darkhorses?” plus 9 more

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• Soundoff: Who Are Your World Cup Darkhorses?
• The Weekly Quiz: World Cup Eyes.
• World Cup Moments: Maradona’s Goal of the Century, ‘86.
• Serbia World Cup Team Profile
• Daily Dose: From Sunday to May 20th, 2010.
• It Ain’t The Oscars, But It’ll Do: Seat Filling At The World Cup
• The World Cup Song Onslaught: R. Kelly, Korean Pop & Wavin’ Flag (Arabic remix).
• Wayne Rooney’s Fail-Beard and Cristiano Ronaldo on The Simpsons: Bravo Nike
• 10 World Cup Questions: Ghana
• World Cup 2010 Jerseys: Greece

Soundoff: Who Are Your World Cup Darkhorses? Posted: 21 May 2010 04:40 AM PDT Blackhorses – that was a slip but I like the imagery – are a favorite part about any sports tournament, simply because at some point during the inexplicable run of a team no one predicted – no one! – someone will inevitably turn to you and say “told ya so”. Well no you @#$%ing didn’t. Darkhorses are the topic du jour. Below I’ll show you mine, and then you can show me yours, and then one day you can say “told ya so” with legitimacy and proof. (It’s much more kosher than it sounds – promise.) My overall darkhorse pick was the Netherlands, followed closely by Holland, but a problem arose: too many people are falling in line. They’ve gone from “darkhorse” to “trendy” and now I’ve convinced myself, this after quietly telling people not two months ago they might win it all, they might not make it out of the groups. Somewhere, Takeshi Okada is doing that “I told you so”, which makes me think I need to go back to my gut. Anyway, I’ve changed my mind: it’s Germany. Why? Easy: everyone’s now writing them off. Plus they have the three things I require to win a World Cup final: a very good defense, an X Factor and no Michael Ballack. (I know, I know.) This not to mention coming out of a strong group battle tested. I particularly like the X Factor in general, most definitely not in this case, because one can say absolutely anything and it’ll still be the X Factor – that’s the very nature of the phenomenon. Like Calciopoli in ‘06, or France at home in ‘98, or simply being Brazil (being Brazil is actually the most supreme X Factor possible – it’s the nirvana of inexplicable football phenomena). Germany has that good defense, the curse of Ballack lifted (I do genuinely like him, but history’s history) and the X Factor: Robert Enke. There is no greater rallying point than Enke’s death for any team at this World Cup – none – and if anything can close a technical gap, it’s the heart. This has been such a factor I’ve begun considering Germany a genuine contender along the likes of Spain and Brazil. Of course not all darkhorses are winners – success is so often relative. North Korea in ‘66 was supposed to do naff all, and they most certainly did, so chalk that one up as a wild success. (Even bigger but for that pesky Eusebio.) You probably wouldn’t pick them this year, but then that’s part of the allure. Ghana was a surprise package in ‘06, which might nominate them for disappointment (according the the laws of expectations, which parallel the laws of percentages), which in turn makes them a darkhorse again. Is this confusing anyone? (Aye.) As for the others, I like Serbia, based largely on their exemplary qualifying and friendly form, and Chile, because if they hit on all cylinders, they can take out Brazil. So who are your darkhorses? And if you’ve brought your courage or a hefty bottle of liquor, nominate them in our World Cup bracket contest.

The Weekly Quiz: World Cup Eyes. Posted: 21 May 2010 03:40 AM PDT We’re back to an oldie and a goodie: the eyes quiz. After the jump there are 12 sets of eyes, with a decidedly smaller pool from which to pick, which I suppose should make this a bit easier: all have been called up to their respective World Cup squad. Enjoy. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

World Cup Moments: Maradona’s Goal of the Century, ‘86. Posted: 21 May 2010 02:40 AM PDT Finishing up a World Cup Moments post on a couple of Maradona Goal recreations, I dove into the World Cup Blog archives for a link and grasped…nothing. Somehow, some way, we hadn’t yet devoted a frame all itself to the greatest tournament’s greatest goal. At least until now. The goal has been dissected, emulated and recreated, but most importantly, it has been loved. A goal of superior pace and skill by a footballing magician against a very good team under an umbrella of circumstances which transcended sport itself. It may be the most remembered non-final in World Cup history for two reasons – this is the first. And it was supposed to be a pass. “I made the play to give it to Valdano, but when I got to the area they surrounded me and I had no space. Therefore, I had to continue the play and finish it myself.” – Diego Maradona Isn’t that always the way? True genius is so often born from failure. Argentina were up 1-0 in the quarterfinal on the back of Maradona’s Hand of God, the illegal goal which the referees failed to spot, and you’d have to believe the English were a little bit stunned, which is why only five minutes later they – and it is a they, because he ran through half the team – conceded the World Cup’s most memorable goal, ultimately the winning goal. Starting from his own half… The most intricate move may have been the first, before Diego ran around, through and past these unfortunate souls: Stephen Hodge, Peter Beardsley, Peter Reid, Terry Butcher, Terry Fenwick and Peter Shilton. And then there was Jorge Valdano, slyly streaking in unnoticed as the English defense was collapsing to Diego, all alone at the far post, waiting to merely steer in the greatest assist of all-time, inevitably watching the greatest goal of all-time. ‘Failure’ has never looked so good.

Serbia World Cup Team Profile Posted: 21 May 2010 01:10 AM PDT They’re new! Wait! They’re not new! Truth be told, if ‘06 wasn’t such a disaster, we’d give them the continuation, but for the sake of Serbian memories starting anew: it’s the dawn of a brand new era. This is actually Serbia’s third incarnation: until through the ‘02 World Cup they participated under variations of Yugoslavia, and they waltzed into Germany hand-in-hand as Serbia & Montenegro. Finally, they’ll get to make their long awaited debut a a World Cup as simply Serbia. Now all they have to worry about is the football in the deepest group at the ball. Nickname: Beli Orlovi (White Eagles) FIFA World Ranking as of April 28th 2010: 16th Group D Matches: Serbia v Ghana, June 13th, 4p, Pretoria Germany v Serbia, June 18th, 1:30, Port Elizabeth Australia v Serbia, June 23rd, 8:30p, Nelspruit Buy Serbia World Cup tickets. Kit: A basic home red with lovely cross, even if it looks a bit Danish. Buy your Serbia kit here. Coach: Radomir Antic. For a man who spent the first 20 years of his coaching career in Spain, he’s taken to his homeland awfully well – and awfully quickly. Something of a rushed appointment before qualifying, he, like so many good coaches, brought his own methods to the table and turned Serbian fortunes – the disappointing German World Cup and failed qualification for Euro 2008 – on their head. First in the group and 5-0 in recent friendlies. He took four years off between coaching stints, and it would appear it recharges the old magic wand. Key Players: Antic has favored a 4-4-2 which looks on paper like a 4-2-4 with the attacking inclinations of the pacy, goal-nosed wing duo of Milos Krasic, Serbian Footballer of the Year, and Milan Jovanovic. Inside at the top have been two poachers, the resurgent Marko Pantelic and the ginormous, 200cm Nikola Zigic. Behind will be Nenad Milijas and Dejan Stankovic, who scores a fair few goals for a midfielder. The Famous Four defense is gone and only one remains: Nemanja Vidic. Thankfully he’s awfully good at the whole defending thing, one of the best in the world, and together with Nevon Subotic forms an impressive and tough central duo. On the right will be Branislav Ivanovic, who enjoyed his coming out party this year, and on the other side the powerhouse left foot of Aleksandar Kolarov. It may not have the qualifying record, but it’s no less impressive than ’06’s crew – at least on paper. Rounding out the side will be Vladimir Stojkovic. Player with best YouTube video: Milos Krasic should have a highlight video where he runs – just runs. Player with best name: Zdravko Kuzmanovic is really fun to say in a deep Eastern European accent. That’s all that’s needed, really. Player with best nickname: Nikola Zigic at least at one point was known as The Doctor. I’m glad they went away from his size here – it would’ve been a little too easy, wouldn’t it? Qualification: In games that mattered, they went 7-1-1 despite Antic being named only shortly before the start of qualifying, winning the group after an emphatic thumping of Romania. Interesting: The White Eagles nickname derived from their rather extraordinary coat of arms: National Anthem: “Bože pravde” (God of Justice) World Cup History: Expectations: Group D is awfully tough, some might say the toughest, and two teams deserving of qualification might be going home, but you’d have to think Serbia will consider it a disappointment if they don’t go through after their highly successful qualifying and recent run of friendlies. Squad: Serbia World Cup squad. Blog: Nikola commands the Serbian World Cup Blog. - More World Cup 2010 Team Profiles.

Daily Dose: From Sunday to May 20th, 2010. Posted: 20 May 2010 07:10 PM PDT Fenerbahce fans could probably be considered sore losers. A very real interview with Geoff Hurst. (England WCB) And an interview with Gabriele Marcotti. (European Football Weekends) A little post-season accountability. (Three Match Ban) The Danish team also having terrorism-related issues. (Copenhagen Post) Dutch youth team bans ‘non-natives’. (NRC) Vernon Anita happy to have lost the frequent flier miles. (Netherlands WCB) More issues with South African security and suspicious characters. (The DA) Always a party in Madrid. (Fisted Away)

It Ain’t The Oscars, But It’ll Do: Seat Filling At The World Cup Posted: 20 May 2010 04:40 PM PDT Even with the best of intentions or best spun of news reports, World Cup 2010 was never going to sell-out. The economic feasibility is simply not there. So FIFA have admitted they may have to do what many have long suspected: bus in the fans to fill empty World Cup stadiums from neighboring countries, despite selling over 90% of tickets (so they say). Secretary general Jerome Valcke: “Three cities are still facing some issues” three weeks before the kick-off, namely Polokwane, Nelspruit and Port Elizabeth, Valcke told foreign media in Johannesburg. “We are thinking about organizing 200 buses to move people from these provinces to the stadiums,” he said. In an interview with South Africa’s Sunday Times newspaper, Valcke raised the possibility of bringing in Mozambican and Zimbabwean fans to Nelspruit and Polokwane, which are relatively close to the border. It’s a great mystery as to why South Africans won’t be offered the first chance at free tickets, instead that coup being offered to Zimbabwe or Mozambique. (I read it at first as Madagascar, which created all sorts of confusing in wondering how they were going to bus over a body of water. I’d still like to see them try.) But more to the point: I hate the concept of seat-filling when something doesn’t sell-out. If you can’t fill the stadium, arena or playhouse capacity of three, then cop to it and be honest. People didn’t want to see it for whatever reason – money, travel, poor quality, accessibility, etc. – so don’t try and fool the public into thinking otherwise, it’s just an elaborate lie for the sake of appearance. Leave the seats – eyes will be on the pitch most of the time anyway. And particularly in the case of Nelspruit – that’s one fine lookin’ stadium.

The World Cup Song Onslaught: R. Kelly, Korean Pop & Wavin’ Flag (Arabic remix). Posted: 20 May 2010 03:10 PM PDT There is a career somewhere compiling all the songs dedicated to the World Cup. Given all the garbage one has to trudge through to find something half-decent, someone else can have it and they don’t need to thank me. That said, we’re going to compile some damn songs. Since this is the era of YouTube and social networking, anyone can fire a shoddy song onto the intertubes and let it run. Yet there are a bit more polished ones out there, with the backing of major record labels and Korean fangirls, a sector seven times as large as the galaxy, plus a pretty good legal team. Super Junior – Victory Korea: Super Junior are Korean Super Pop with an album coming out shortly, and they took this opportunity to put out a Korean victory song. There’s a joke in here somewhere about the Korean defeat song, but having just recalled their group…yeah, Korean victory song. No idea who Big Tony is. The “teaser” is only a minute, but trust me – that’s all you’ll be able to handle. K’naan ft. Nancy Ajram – Waving Flag (Arabic remix): Nancy’s a Lebanese singer and K’naan is that guy earning the ire of Shakira fans the world over because, well…because Wavin’ Flag is way better than Waka Waka. Though he can’t move his hips quite like her, for which we are thankful. The combination of an attractive girl and good song officially blows Shakira out of the water for the summer. Game over…until we get more German a capella. R. Kelly – Sign of Victory: This obviously isn’t the official video – that one is rumored to include an unnamed R&B singer peeing on a 14 year old girl, only to be acquitted. All joking aside, I have no idea why this guy didn’t just hang up the sports anthems after The World’s Greatest. Quit while you’re ahead, man. And that’s it for this week. Next week: Some Guy From MySpace With A Keyboard, Some Guy On An Oil Drum From Jamaica and Tupac’s latest album in which he curiously rattles off all 32 participating teams while bemoaning Ronaldinho’s snub.

Wayne Rooney’s Fail-Beard and Cristiano Ronaldo on The Simpsons: Bravo Nike Posted: 20 May 2010 01:40 PM PDT I must confess I was utterly utterly confused by Nike’s “Write the Future” advertising campaign. And more than a little disappointed. Nike has traditionally given us iconic World Cup campaigns (remember Brazil at the airport in 1998?) but this made no sense to me. What did writing the future have to do with Nike’s World Cup jerseys? Nothing. Until I saw the new commercial. The full length Nike “Write the Future” commercial, featuring Wayne Rooney living in a caravan with a fail-beard, Cristiano Ronaldo on The Simpsons and Kobe Bryant doing Ronaldinho Samba-Robics. Click play and enjoy the full video below… Am I over-hyping this commercial if I call it an instant classic? Let me make the case. Reasons this is up there with the best football commercials of all time: 1. It starts by toying with and then defying our expectations. How many commercials have a player like Drogba taking on opposition and then chipping the ball home victoriously? I genuinely expected it to end with Drogba celebrating and a Nike symbol flashing up on the screen. Seemed inevitable. Instead that’s turned on it’s head when Fabio Cannavaro bikes the ball off the line. Nothing is pre-determined. 2. Same with Rooney, he looks all set to be a hero, but his pass to Theo Walcott is intercepted by Franck Ribery, leading to a Rooney downward spiral that ends with him living in a caravan with a fail-beard, USA pair Tim Howard and Landon Donovan enjoying Rooney’s misfortune and Ribery replacing Rooney in the famous poster pose. Except it’s all a Lost style flash-sideways, and Rooney still has time to get back and make the tackle and save the day. Nike have now been doing this long enough that they can mess with our expectations, and our heads, and Wayne Rooney’s chin. 3. The Ronaldinho segment is either a bit of wry reminiscence on how things used to be, or a suggestion that Ronaldinho needs to write his own future fast and find a way into Dunga’s World Cup team. I’m 99% sure it’s unintentional, but there’s something very very sad about seeing Ronaldinho presented in a commercial the way we all wish he still was. 4. Ah, Cristiano Ronaldo. I think a lot of us would prefer to see the failed-Ronaldo alternate reality where he shares a caravan with Rooney. But the successful version is still pretty entertaining. An appearance on The Simpsons, the inauguration of Estadio Cristiano Ronaldo, being played by Gael García Bernal in the bio-pic, and that statue (which now finally makes sense of this). I’m maybe taking this far too seriously at this point, but it shows that there’s still a long way for Ronaldo to go in terms of celebrity. 5. Last but not least, it’s worth pointing out that this “Write the Future” video isn’t just one commercial. The above is the full-length version, but seems Nike will be embellishing various strands of that narrative into shorter, individual spots. Like this Wayne Rooney caravan fail-beard commercial for example: What do you think? Anyone else as impressed as I am?

10 World Cup Questions: Ghana Posted: 20 May 2010 12:40 PM PDT If you're unfamiliar with World Cup Blog, then allow me to explain: The blog you're reading now is the front page, but the core of WCB is the multitude of team specific blogs, including one for each of the World Cup 2010 teams. The authors of these team blogs have forgotten more about their sides than I'll ever know, so I decided to tap that knowledge by asking each of them a set of 10 questions. Today it's the turn of Gary from Ghana World Cup Blog. Read on to learn all about The Black Stars… 1. Who is Ghana’s best player? Now that's hard. I can't say, though I can tell you I have a very high regard for Michael Essien and Kwadwo Asamoah (Udinese) at the moment. Essien is a jack-of-all-trades midfield monster while Kwadwo Asamoah can be said to be the Messi of the Ghana team (though he is nowhere near Lio's imperious form now). Samuel Inkoom gets a mention and of course Anthony Annan and Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu. Those last two are all Essien-lite! 2. What do you think of Ghana’s coach? Personally, except for one or two issues, the way Milovan Rajevac led the team to Angola pleased me. He played to our strengths and everyone agreed that the tactical discipline in this side was a new sight. Let me say here, that the team that went to Angola would not be the same as what will be seen this summer. Key players have been injured in the past few months and when they come, they'll take their spots because we need the experience. 3. What do you think of Ghana’s World Cup 2010 kits? They are great, well designed but not the best we've ever seen. Still, not bad. 4. What is Ghana’s biggest strength? Strength of the team has for years been the midfield, yet the African Nations Cup has shown a collective defensibility in the side that we haven't seen in about ten years. That said, this Ghana team is in transition and there are some great players coming through who may explode in South Africa. Eight of the team that won the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt were in Angola and some of them are really giving the coach headaches because he is suddenly spoilt for choice in certain areas. 5. …and biggest weakness? Straight up: it's the left back. It has been our problem for ages. The coach said in December: "We have always had problems with the left back slot so this is a chance to try other players in that position." About four players have been used in that role in the last few months and many teams find that as Ghana's Achilles heel. However, certain players in the local premier league are mounting a strong challenge for that slot and fingers-crossed, we may get a natural left-back soon. Striking is also a headache. We rely heavily on the midfield for goals. Strikers usually don't bang in much however Kevin-Prince Boateng (Portsmouth) would soon be given the okay to represent Ghana. And Mario Balottelli of Inter is being persuaded to feature for us. Now that would be some attack! 6. If you could steal one player from any other World Cup 2010 team, then who would it be and why? Lionel Messi. Errr…do you really need an explanation? J 7. Tell us one thing about your team that the rest of the world might not know… Just a few weeks ago, Ghana witnessed a remarkable achievement when Aduana Stars, a team that only came into Ghana’s Premier League this season, managed to win it on their first attempt. For their efforts, their goalie Stephen Adams has been named in the provisional World Cup squad and would likely make it into the final one too. He kept 20 clean sheets in 30 games. 8. What would you consider success/failure for your team at World Cup 2010? Failure to get to the second round. 9. What are you most excited about at World Cup 2010? The chance to see how Africa takes the pressures of a very anti-African western media as it hosts its first mundial. 10. Who do you think will win World Cup 2010? Brazil, Spain or Argentina. >> Supporting The Black Stars in the World Cup? Put on your Ghana jersey, get your Ghana World Cup tickets, and get to the stadium! If you're watching from home, keep up to date with Ghana World Cup Blog, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

World Cup 2010 Jerseys: Greece Posted: 20 May 2010 11:40 AM PDT Greece will be looking shiny and white (with a touch of blue) at World Cup 2010, with their new adidas jerseys. The away shirt will be blue (with a touch of white). In fact the two kits combined use a total of two colours, which may or may not be part of Greece’s new economic austerity measures. (Probably not.) Read on for a review of both the home and away shirt, one of which includes a technological breakthrough that could change football forever. Greece Home Shirt Want one? Find your Greece home jersey in our store. I know, I know. It’s very simple. But in a good way. I like the simplicity. The white and blue are the colours of the Greek flag, and I also like the two thin lines. Not exactly sure what the thinking is behind those lines, but to me it suggests maybe a toga (which I know is Roman and not Greek, before anyone points that out) or maybe that the wearer is wrapped in a flag. Or something. Either way, they prevent the shirt from being dull. The next image may be of some concern to Greece’s Group B opponents Argentina, Nigeria and South Korea. Seems the Greece home jersey has an invisibility mode, which the wearer can presumably switch on and off. Sadly it only makes the player invisible and not the jersey, so opponents will still be able to mark the player. Still, an impressive technological leap from the people at adidas. Greece Away Shirt Want one? Find your Greece away jersey in our store. Obviously the design of the away jersey is identical to the home jersey, only with the colours reversed. Which sounds simple, but is actually a neat trick. If you look closely, every single instance of blue and white has been flipped, including the adidas stripes and logo. The only constant is the Greek football crest over the heart. Also, a nice little feature (that’s also on the home shirt) is that on the back of the neck the word “Hellas” is embroidered in Greek characters: Again, simple, but nice and clean. In fact, I’m feeling very good about both of these jerseys. What do you think?

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