World Cup 2010 Blog: “Everything You Need to Watch the World Cup” plus 9 more

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• Everything You Need to Watch the World Cup
• Preview: England vs. United States
• Daily Dose: June 9th, 2010 – With A Complementary Zidane.
• 2010: The Year Of The Umlaut.
• Robinho Waxes On Family, Sex – Same Quote.
• Alexander Frei: International Football’s Hard Luck Man Pt. III.
• 2010 Italy WAGs to Look For in South Africa
• The 32 World Cup Teams and The Beatles Song That Best Describes Them
• Ten World Cup Stereotypes, and Why They’re Not Necessarily True
• World Cup Ads: Australia Train Like Animals

Everything You Need to Watch the World Cup Posted: 10 Jun 2010 05:25 AM PDT For all of recent memory, South Africa and much of the rest of the world has heard one slogan over and over again – “Can you feel it? It is here.” Those words are finally almost true, as we have 24 hours until South Africa and Mexico kick off the 2010 World Cup. After years of preparations, worries, excitement and every possible emotion, South Africa will have its month in the sun. Except maybe Cape Town – quite rainy there this time of year. The question now isn’t “Can you feel it?”, but “Are you ready?”. WorldCupBlog is here to make sure you are. Here’s everything you need: Learn about the World Cup Know Your History: Before the first World Cup in Africa kicks off, look back over World Cups past with our series of Great World Cup Moments and learn about every team in the tournament with our team profiles. For the beginners: Check out our first-timers guide to the World Cup, explaining some of the basics of the tournament with tongue firmly in cheek. Make your picks World Cup Bracket Contest: 24 hours to kickoff means 24 hours left to enter your picks. We’ll be keeping a running tally of scores as the tournament goes on, so you can check back to see where you rank. Our bracket contest is free, but if you want to put some money down on your picks, you can also pick your best XI with our World Cup fantasy game or check out our betting section. Follow Every Match World Cup Schedule: Memorize it, recite it in your sleep, set your fancy smartphone to remind you. Or just stop by here and remind yourself when the games are on. WorldCupBlog Live: This one page will show the current and next matches, with links to previews, liveblogs and more. Follow along on Twitter: It could be considered the vuvuzela of online media (in either a positive or negative way), but when you need your news exactly fifteen seconds ago, nothing else will do. We have accounts to help you follow your team, and can even point you to the Twitter accounts of World Cup players. And the Facebook: Less of a crowd scene and more a round-table discussion (at least if you maintain as few friends as I do), Facebook is yet another way to follow your World Cup team. We have accounts for each World Cup team. Our updates from South Africa: We’ll be on the ground in South Africa all month, and we will be posting daily photos, videos and other live content to show you all the sights and sounds that the TV coverage just misses. Visit our online store: Get the latest team jerseys as well as your World Cup tickets (hurry up!) in our World Cup stores.

Preview: England vs. United States Posted: 09 Jun 2010 11:39 PM PDT THE BIG PICTURE From the second Group C was drawn, this was the game everyone wanted to talk about. Everyone in the USA and England anyway. It’s almost as if Algeria and Slovenia don’t exist. The focus on this game has a mixture of historical and political reasons, as well as some very specific football reasons. All of which we’ll discuss below. The objective preview goes that despite the recent injury to captain Rio Ferdinand, England is still expected to win this Group C opener, but USA could still progress with results against Algeria and Slovenia. However, the subjective preview goes that for historical, political and cultural reasons there’s a whole extra dimension to this game. England may be favourite, but the USA are not going to make it easy for them and will be treating this game like a derby. WHAT’S AT STAKE Group C: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this game means more to Americans. The history of the USA begins with a win over England. On the battlefield instead of the football field, but still. The two nations are on much friendlier terms nowadays, but the desire to overthrow the English is arguably still there in the American DNA. Football wise, one of the USA’s most storied wins came at the 1950 World Cup, where a hastily assembled team of supposed no-hopers shocked an England team that was supposed to be the best in the world by winning 1-0. Sixty years later the disparity in talent isn’t nearly as big. But that established old world (England) vs ambitious new world (USA) dynamic is still in effect, and a victory for the USA in this game arguably represents another step forward for US Soccer. Also at stake: steak. SQUADS   England: GK: James, Green, Hart; DF: Carragher, A. Cole, Dawson, Johnson, King, Terry, Upson, Warnock; MF: Barry, Carrick, J. Cole, Gerrard, Lampard, Lennon, Milner, Wright-Phillips; FW: Crouch, Defoe, Heskey, Rooney; Coach: Fabio Capello   USA: GK: Guzan, Howard, Hahnemann; DF: Bocanegra, Bornstein, Cherundolo, DeMerit, Goodson, Onyewu, Spector; MF: Beasley, Bradley, Clark, Dempsey, Donovan, Edu, Feilhaber, Holden, Torres; FW: Altidore, Buddle, Findley, Gomez; Coach: Bob Bradley KEY MATCHUPS The USA’s most potent attacking player is probably Landon Donovan, who will likely start on the right wing. If he does, he’ll be up against England left back Ashley Cole, who likes to get forward a bit himself. However, Cole’s defensive skills are often underrated so the USA will arguably have more luck on the other flank where Clint Dempsey will likely be attacking the much less defensively sound Glen Johnson. Other matchups worth watching out for: Young and fast US striker Jozy Altidore vs not so young or so fast (but much more famous) England defender John Terry. Going the other way, Wayne Rooney is a class above America’s defence, though possible England targetmen Peter Crouch or Emile Heskey could find themselves on the losing end of a physical battle with big American defenders Oguchi Onyewu and Jay DeMerit. OUR PREDICTION This one’s close to my heart. I’m an England fan first, but have plenty of space in my heart for the US team. I want to say 1-1 draw, but the reality will be more like a narrow 2-1 England win after a hard fought game. LIVEBLOG Follow the match highlights as they happen on the England v. USA LiveBlog, starting just before the match. Come by and join the discussion throughout the match. FAN RESOURCES   England Team Blog | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter England Jerseys | England World Cup Tickets   USA Team Blog | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter USA Jerseys | USA World Cup Tickets WATCH THE MATCH Match begins at 8pm local time (2pm EST) on ITV1 (UK) or ABC (US). Check our list of global World Cup broadcasters for other channels showing the tournament, or watch the match online.

Daily Dose: June 9th, 2010 – With A Complementary Zidane. Posted: 09 Jun 2010 08:40 PM PDT Austria banned these for their potential to incite violence. They were just jealous this isn’t allowed as a method of conflict diffusion in government offices. The BBC asks their pundits who will win with no surprises. (BBC) Non-World Cup countries at the World Cup. (The Best Eleven) Cameroon’s at the party. (Cameroon WCB) Nike’s mercurial Tokyo digs. (Nike Stadium) Oscar Tabarez shows his cards – lineup for France – early. (Uruguay WCB) England v USA will be nuclear. (The DA) A who’s who of pundit predictions. (European Football Weekends)

2010: The Year Of The Umlaut. Posted: 09 Jun 2010 06:48 PM PDT At least Nike seems to think so – which is rather convenient as Mesut Özil is on the payroll as one of their superstars. Of course I seem to think so too, but that’s neither here nor there. (Alright maybe it is.) Nike & Co. have been rebranding everything circular in Germany with a double dot atop, including the year itself – 201Ö – because, obviously, it’s the year of Mesut Özil. They’ve filmed a number of the rogue artists and if the episode number (one) is any indication, they’ll be doing quite a bit more of declaring this the year of the umlaut. Probably because umlaut’s rule. (Özil too.) Clip after the jump.

Robinho Waxes On Family, Sex – Same Quote. Posted: 09 Jun 2010 04:29 PM PDT Robinho has something of a dubious past when it comes to the ol’ slap and tickle. A few years back he reportedly requested 40 condoms – yes, forty – during a party, leaving the world, including his girlfriend, now wife, wondering just who would be using the other 37 or so. Then there was the accusation of sexual assault which brought forth zero charges while with Manchester City – innocent, but hardly helping. Despite this, he’s still adamant he’ll celebrate a World Cup win with the horizontal samba all night long. (All night.) We can only presume such a public declaration would involve his wife – whom he married after dating for 11 years, which most women would argue nominates her for sainthood – unless he’s really just that wreckless. Leave your “typical footballer” barbs at the door. (Alright, bring ‘em in.) Manchester City outcast Robinho, currently on loan at Santos, said: "My dream is to win the World Cup and then to enjoy having sex. After all of the effort, I think I will have deserved it. I feel good, enjoying myself and I'm going to dedicate all my goals to my family." Ah yes, the time old tradition of combining family values with drunken, celebratory sex.

Alexander Frei: International Football’s Hard Luck Man Pt. III. Posted: 09 Jun 2010 03:09 PM PDT They say it gets easier with time, but it never does: Alexander Frei is injured on the doorstep of a major tournament. He was the tear-jerking story of the Euros in ‘08 when his knee went to shreds before he’d had a chance to play a full half in front of his hometown Basel fans. He left the field in tears, and a number of spectators followed. Three months ago he broke his arm while with Basel, his first season back home, and faced a dash to fitness for the tournament. He made it. In the last training session before the Swiss charged to the south of Africa, he sprained his ankle and is now facing a battle to play. Again. The picture tells a thousand stories: Frei, surrounded by concerned teammates and staff, lying on the ground while his ankle is tended to with a cast still keeping that right arm intact. Switzerland’s due to fly out this evening – they may have already left for that matter – for the tournament as one of fashionably late and Ottmar Hitzfeld has said Frei, the captain and all-time Swiss goal leader, will be on that plane, but his presence against Spain, both fashionably late and fashionable these days, is unlikely. In what might be his first stroke of luck in years, there’s no damage and though he’s in “great pain” he may be able to face Chile in the second game. The Swiss doctors seem to have it all under wraps, while the Swiss media have it wrapped a bit too tightly with their liveblog on the state of Frei’s ankle, including “The leg was elevated in the plane and cooled. But he has a lot of pain.” (via the always enlightening Google Translate). Better, and more comprehensive, news than expected, but you can only imagine that whatever mystical force has it out for Frei will inevitably get its way. Until the next time…

2010 Italy WAGs to Look For in South Africa Posted: 09 Jun 2010 02:40 PM PDT While all eyes are typically on the pitch during a World Cup game, we all know that there’s usually one roving cameraman whose job it is to seek out the prettiest fangirl in the crowd so her face (or whatever’s most prominent) can be splashed onto screens around the globe in between moments of play. But if you want to see the lovely ladies who get to go home with soccer stars after the game, you’ve got to know who you’re looking for. Which is why I thought I’d introduce you to the beautiful women the members of the Italian squad call amore. I’m calling this the third in a series of posts on Italian WAGs I have running over at World Cup Blog sister site WhyGo Italy, but in honor of the World Cup I’m posting this installment here. And for those of you who are (like me) more interested in the boys in blue (or if you want more info about the guys these pretty ladies go home with), then I offer you my World Cup edition of the hottest Italian soccer players. Here’s the thing – many of the 2010 Italy World Cup team members are attached to women who (shock, horror) aren’t models or showgirls and who don’t routinely pose for half-naked pictures. (I know, right? So irritating.) Which means that it’s not easy to find good photos of all of them. So I’m making an executive decision here – whenever I can’t find a picture of one of the WAGs, I’m going to post an additional photo of Buffon’s wife – because she’s arguably one of the hottest WAGs ever, and because I figured y’all wouldn’t mind. I’m calling it The Alena Clause. Just don’t think for a second that Gigi’s got some kind of cloning system in his basement and is selling copies, because you’ll be sorely disappointed. (What won’t disappoint you, however, is the number of more-than-slightly-naked photos of Mrs. Buffon online. I shan’t sully the pages of this fine establishment with them, but I will point you in their direction. Just remember, kiddos, these are very much NSFW: here’s topless Alena one, topless Alena two, and a bonus doppio shot of topless Alena. You’re welcome.) And one final note – the Italian word “fidanzata” translates more or less to fiancée, but in practical usage the term covers the whole range from actual pre-marriage status to just a more long-term or exclusive girlfriend. I’ve used the word fiancée below whenever I saw “fidanzata” in the descriptions online, but in some cases you can kind of take that with a grain of salt. Now, without further ado… 2010 Italy World Cup WAGs Gigi Buffon’s wife – Alena Seredova Given her hotness, it’s only appropriate we start out with the exquisite Alena Seredova here. She’s married to Italy’s #1 keeper, mother of his bambini, and despite being Czech will likely be cheering on the Azzurri in South Africa (just like she’s doing here). Morgan De Sanctis’ wife – Giovanna Via the magic of The Google, I was able to find out that Morgan is married to a woman called Giovanna (with whom he grew up, cue your “awws” now) and that they have two kids together. But there is absolutely not a single photograph of Morgan’s missus that I can find online anywhere. So I’m invoking The Alena Clause right away here. Take two, Alena! Federico Marchetti’s fiancée – Rachele Mura Once again The Google comes through with the information that Federico is engaged to a woman called Rachele Mura, and that if Italy wins the World Cup he’ll marry her (and get a tattoo). Rachele doesn’t appear to be a swimsuit model, and this photo of her in the booth at a game (is that San Siro?) is the only one I could find. She’s adorable. Salvatore Bocchetti’s nameless fiancée Okay, she’s not nameless. At least I assume she’s not. But all I can find is reference to a fiancée, nothing more. No mention of her name, and no photos. Damn these women and their lack of sexy photos! Ah, but here we are (already) with the second use of The Alena Clause. Leonardo Bonucci’s fiancée – Martina Maccari Bari defender Leonardo Bonucci’s girlfriend Martina Maccari thoughtfully did a Q&A session with an Italian footy site (part of their “other half” series), and as you can see Leo likes to take self-portraits of the couple. Martina’s an ex-model, but she’s contemplating a career in journalism now. In other words, sorry for the lack of model pictures. Fabio Cannavaro’s wife – Daniela Cannavaro Italy’s captain married his childhood sweetheart, Daniela, and they’ve been together for a gajillion years. There are three mini-Cannavaros to prove it. And this is what the whole fam-damily will look like in the stands, cheering Fabio on. Giorgio Chiellini is single has a girlfriend At least he’s single according to the interwebs. One report had him tied to a physics student named Carolina who was nearly kidnapped last year, but conflicting reports say that’s actually his twin brother Claudio’s girlfriend. Whatever the case, we’ve arrived at another opportunity for The Alena Clause. Lucky for us there are so many Alena photos online, eh? Update: Aaron of the Juventus Offside helpfully pointed out in the comments that Giorgio himself said on a recent Twitter chat that he does, in fact, have a girlfriend named Carolina who is, like him, from Livorno. So perhaps the Carolina mentioned in the above news story was his girlfriend after all. Ah, the perils of being a twin… Still, until I find a photo of her I’m leaving The Alena Clause picture up. Domenico Criscito’s wife – Pamela Chioccioli In the same story where keeper Marchetti vowed to marry his fiancée if Italy won the World Cup, Criscito promised he’d have a baby with his wife, Pamela – and like Bonucci’s girlfriend, Pamela also sat down for a Q&A with that Italian soccer site. Pamela is another non-model, so you’ll have to settle for these shots of her with hubby Mimmo. And how much do I love the one where they’re sneaking up on you in the pool, all Jaws-like? Hilarious. Christian Maggio’s wife – Valeria Mettifogo Maggio just married his wife Valeria on May 22nd, so she’s tagging along in South Africa with him on what he calls “an original, but unforgettable, honeymoon.” I sort of think, Christian darling, that wifey would appreciate a honeymoon without the rest of the 22 Azzurri in tow – even if y’all win the trophy. Gianluca Zambrotta’s wife – Valentina Zambrotta Don’t be fooled by this photo of Zambrotta’s wife, Valentina – she’s not a model. She just has the body of a model. She is a “downhill inline skater,” and although I have no idea what that means I’m guessing being that well-endowed must give her some kind of momentum edge in the “downhill” part of that sport. Mauro Camoranesi’s wife – Karina Camoranesi Mauro’s wife, Karina, and their kids have been in the stands before – wearing both Azzurri blue and Juve stripes – and I’m hoping for her sake that she doesn’t pull a funny face like this one again (at least not with photographers around). Daniele De Rossi’s wife* – Tamara De Rossi It appears that DDR and his wife, Tamara De Rossi, separated in late 2009 after three years of marriage, although I can’t verify whether they’re headed for divorce or reconciliation. On the off-chance that things are looking up for the couple and Tamara heads to South Africa to cheer Daniele on, here’s what she looks like. And hey, if you see her, offer a hug. I’m sure she’d love that. She looks like she needs one. Gennaro Gattuso’s wife – Monica Romano I kind of think you’d have to be a tough cookie to be married to Rino (and I’m allowed to say that as a Milanista), and I also think I’m paying Gattuso’s wife, Monica, a compliment when I say she looks like she fits the bill perfectly. I also think she cleans up nicely (as does hubby), which is good. As an aside, given the new-to-me news of DDR and his wife being separated, I’m now suspicious of how Tamara’s looking at Rino in this picture. Luckily, I think Monica can take care of herself. Claudio Marchisio’s wife – Roberta Marchisio Claudio’s only 23, but that hasn’t slowed him down much. He’s been married to Roberta since 2008, and they have a bambino together who’ll be a year old after this World Cup finishes. Fun fact? Nevermind that Claudio plays for Juve – his father-in-law once played for Torino’s youth squad, so Roberta remains a Torino fan. Riccardo Montolivo’s girlfriend – Cristina De Pin Oh, thank you, Riccardo Montolivo, for renewing my faith in the Azzurri penchant for models. Montolivo’s girlfriend is Cristina De Pin, who happens to be a Playboy Italia playmate. Although given the propensity for half-naked modeling in all kinds of publications in Italy, I’m not sure how being in Playboy Italia really sets her apart. (Although since I was able to find so many photos of Ms. De Pin online, I figured I’d take advantage of the situation – so you get an extra helping of her, too.) Angelo Palombo is single At least I’m assuming he is. Either that or his girlfriend/wife/boyfriend (hell, I dunno) is kept incredibly well-guarded. And you know what that means… Hello again to The Alena Clause! Simone Pepe is single Apparently it’s not enough that Pepe has the habit of copying Palombo’s hairstyle, he also evidently has followed Palombo’s lead in the “maybe I’m single, maybe I’m not, but I won’t divulge this information anywhere online” routine. You have these two to thank, therefore, for a double-dose of The Alena Clause. Andrea Pirlo’s wife – Deborah Pirlo As I’m writing this, Pirlo is questionable for even remaining on the World Cup squad due to an injury (be still my Pirlo-ista heart), but since pictures of his wife are easy to find I’m including her in the hopes that this act of solidarity speeds his recovery. Deborah is yet another non-model, and she’s been Mrs. Pirlo for quite awhile. They have at least two kids together, and – judging from the photos that are online – enjoy long walks through Milan’s shopping district and cavorting on the beach. Antonio Di Natale’s wife – Ilenia Betti Totò has been married to Ilenia Betti since 2002, and they have two kids. And Ilenia is another WAG who answered some of those “other half” questions. Ilenia’s on Facebook, her profile picture is (at the moment) a shot of her with Antonio, and for some reason I find that adorable. Alberto Gilardino’s wife – Alice Bregoli Gila has been with Alice since 2006, and they had a daughter together in early 2008. The pair finally decided to tie the knot in mid-2009. Not one to miss a chance at being in the limelight, in this particular wedding, the groom also wore white. Alice is the Italian representative in a new Umbro ad campaign featuring WAGs (her photo and a video of the photoshoot is here). Vincenzo Iaquinta’s wife – Arianna Iaquinta I can’t find any information about her online, so I think it’s safe to assume that Iaquinta’s wife, Arianna, is another one of those never-been-a-model-or-showgirl types. Thankfully, La Gazzetta did get her to pose for a truly horrible calendar of Italy’s WAGs after the last World Cup. (Seriously, every single photo in that calendar is awful. No one in it looks sexy. And in Italy, that takes some doing.) Giampaolo Pazzini’s fiancée – Silvia Slitti While I was able to find Pazzini’s fiancée’s name – Silvia Slitti – fairly easily, I’m not able to find any more information about her. I’m gathering they’ve been together at least a couple years, however, as one of the photos below is evidently from a nightclub where Pazzini’s partying with his former Fiorentina teammate Mutu. But really, I’m sort of guessing you don’t care so much about how long they’ve been together as what the hell they’ve been doing for Giampaolo to have such a massive sweating issue going on. Fabio Quagliarella’s fiancée – Alice Quags is yet another member of the Azzurri squad whose fiancée is neither a model nor a showgirl. Alice (couldn’t find a last name anywhere, but since she’s originally from Brazil perhaps she doesn’t have one) enjoys shopping with her man in Milan (at least according to this little video, which I’m sure wasn’t at all annoying to the couple). If you know some of the names and/or likenesses in this article to be misspelled, outdated, or otherwise mistaken, let us know (in your kindest voice possible) and we’ll do our level best to fix it. As you can probably imagine, keeping up with some of these boys in the relationship department can sort of be a full-time job. About Your Friendly Guest WAG-Profiler: Jessica Spiegel is the Italy expert at BootsnAll, and the woman behind BootsnAll’s Italy travel guide, WhyGo Italy. She’ll answer any question you’ve got about traveling in The Boot – from how to get around Italy to how to find cheap airfare to Italy – and yes, she’ll also talk at length about Serie A and her beloved AC Milan if you let her.

The 32 World Cup Teams and The Beatles Song That Best Describes Them Posted: 09 Jun 2010 01:40 PM PDT The last few weeks have been all about World Cup previews. Many many World Cup previews and team profiles and predictions. I’m not complaining. It’s part of the fun. But with so many preview, profiles and predictions it can all get a bit samey, and so originality becomes a thing to be cherished. We tried to make our own World Cup team profiles a little interesting by including categories like “Best Youtube Video” and “Best Player Nickname”. We also tried to make the World Cup podcast previews a little different by comparing the various national anthems and potential celebrity spokespeople for each team. Authors Steven D. Stark & Harrison Stark also did something a little different in their book World Cup 2010: The Indespensible Guide to Soccer and Geopolitics. The father-and-son team devote a chapter to each of the 32 World Cup teams, including a line that reads simply “Beatles Song That Best Describes the Team.” What I like most about this feature is that there’s no subsequent explanation of how or why that song was chosen as best describing that team. In some cases it’s obvious (England) in other not so much (South Korea). But each team’s designated Beatles song gives you pause for thought at the very least. Here’s the complete list, copied from the book with the kind permission of Steven D. Stark. A podcast interview with Harrison Stark follows the list. Group A Mexico – “I Should Have Known Better” South Africa – “When I Get Home” France – “Tell Me What You See” Uruguay “Helter Skelter” Group B Argentina – “Come Together (Over Me)” Nigeria – “Please Please Me” South Korea – “Don’t Pass Me By” Greece “Get Back” Group C England – “Carry That Weight” USA – “I Me Mine” Slovenia – “Nowhere Man” Algeria – “It’s All Too Much” Group D Germany – “I’ll Get You” Ghana – “Getting Better” Australia – “You Know What To Do” Serbia – “Slow Down” Group E Netherlands – “With a Little Help From My Friends” Cameroon – “I’ve Got a Feeling” Denmark – “I Feel Fine” Japan – “All Together Now” Group F Italy – “When I’m 64″ Paraguay – “All I’ve Got To Do” Slovakia – “You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)” New Zealand – “I’m a Loser” Group G Brazil – “Free As A Bird” Cote d’Ivoire – “Run For Your Life” Portugal – “Let It Be” North Korea – “Do You Want to Know a Secret” Group H Spain – “We Can Work It Out” Switzerland – “I’m Only Sleeping” Chile – “Bad Boy” Honduras – “Help!” Buy the book: World Cup 2010 – The Indispensable Guide to Soccer and Geopolitics Taylor from the USA blog recorded an interview with co-author of the book Harrison Stark, as a podcast for the Total Football Soccer Show. Click play below to listen: Download the mp3 of the show, or subscribe to future shows via iTunes. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Ten World Cup Stereotypes, and Why They’re Not Necessarily True Posted: 09 Jun 2010 12:10 PM PDT One of my least favourite things about the World Cup is the lazy use of football stereotypes. There are 32 teams from 32 nations, and the pundits and commentators can’t be intimately familiar with all of them. And so they resort to well worn ideas. Brazil are samba kings, Italy are defensive, Germany are efficient, and so on. I’m probably (OK, definitely) guilty of indulging in these shortcuts myself, but during this World Cup I’m going to make a special effort not to fall back on the old-fashioned and too familiar methods of describing each team. I would agree that there is often some truth to a stereotype. For example: the Brazil team of 1982 genuinely were samba kings, playing football so full of flair it could have worked at Chotchkie’s. But just because the 1982 team was all joyful expression, that doesn’t necessarily mean the 2010 team will be. The entire cast has changed. And yes, there are certain national characteristics that remain somewhat constantt and give each national team certain traits. But the world of football has never been as straightforward or easy to label as the stereotype peddlers would have us believe. Below are a few stereotypes you might hear during World Cup 2010, and my argument for why that stereotype might be inaccurate. 1. Brazil is a team of samba kings. Not this year. While Brazil will feature the stepovers of Robinho and the thrust of Kaka, coach Dunga likes his side to play with teamwork and discipline. The underrated Luis Fabiano will likely be the lone centre forward, and Brazil will almost certainly play with two defensive midfielders. 2. The Netherlands team is always arguing in public. No arguments so far. I also think this is a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy for the media, where any minor Dutch disagreement is suddenly treated as “Dutch arguing amongst themselves in public.” 3. The German team is efficient but uninspired. The general stereotype is that Germany get the job done through efficiency and grinding the opposition down, but lack inspiration and flair. If you believe that, then you probably haven’t seen young attacking midfielder Mesut Özil in action. The other stereotype is that you can “never count out the Germans.” This is more of a pedantic semantic complaint, but if you “never” count them out then that means they should have won every World Cup ever. 4. Asian teams lack height and physique. A quick click through the South Korean World Cup squad’s Wikipedia pages reveals multiple players either at, around or above 6 feet tall. 5. African teams have dodgy goalkeepers. Cameroon’s Carlos Kameni begs to differ. 6. [Any team] is always full of divers/cheats/foulers Any given team in any give year can have a high number of dovers, cheats or foulers. But to say that any one national is historically full of any of those three types of players goes beyond stereotyping and borders on racism. Beware. 7. Spain always under-performs. Except at Euro 2008, where they won the whole thing. 8. Italy loves to defend. Yes, catenaccio is an Italian word. Yes, Inter were very successful with it in the 1960s. Yes, the Italian national team has featured legendary defenders through the years, like Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini. But that doesn’t mean every Italian national team will play defensively. The current team is arguably weak at the back, with 36 years old Fabio Cannavaro 2010 looking nothing like 32 years old Fabio Cannavaro 2006. 9. Greece is ultra-defensive and relies on set pieces to score. That was Greece six years ago, when the team won Euro 2004. The same tactics failed at Euro 2008 and Greece 2010 is now much more attacking. 10. England is all about passion and long balls. English press conferences are all about passion, and saying how much you have or haven’t got. But every national team is passionate when it comes to the World Cup. As for long balls, Fabio Capello has spent two years persuading England’s players to slow down and keep possession. - Any more stereotypes out there that we should be wary of?

World Cup Ads: Australia Train Like Animals Posted: 09 Jun 2010 11:16 AM PDT Or with animals. Or against animals. Whatever the case, you can rest assured Australia will be the World Cup’s most fearless team when they step onto the pitch against mere humans. Unless the whole thing is fake, which it surely isn’t. (Never.) There are certain elements which remind of Brazil’s Airport ‘98, with the slight difference that a snarling, charging rhinoceros presents a new set of problems – one might even say bigger – than that of an airport metal detector. Though it really depends on what airport you’re at these days.

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