World Cup 2010 Blog: “Chile World Cup Team Profile” plus 8 more

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• Chile World Cup Team Profile
• The Best Finishes of the World Cup 32
• Daily Dose: From ‘90 To May 19th, 2010.
• South Africa’s World Cup Stadiums
• 10 World Cup Questions: Greece
• Soundoff: What Are You Buying for World Cup 2010?
• World Cup Winners
• The 10 Most Valuable Starting Elevens At The World Cup
• Jose Mourinho Says the Champions League is Bigger than the World Cup…

Chile World Cup Team Profile Posted: 20 May 2010 01:40 AM PDT Chile can’t be considered a shock going in with a good crop of youngsters coming through, but damnit, they shocked South America with the manner of their qualification. They finished one solitary point behind Brazil, taking down Argentina for the first time in an official game on their travels, and ran strong on the back of Marcelo Bielsa, exorcising his demons from 2002 – even if it wasn’t very patriotic. It’s setup something of a quandry in South Africa, because history says they won’t make tremendous waves, but if they bring their good qualifying form to the party – it wasn’t all rosy – says they just might turn a few heads. Which qualifies them as the underdog to watch throughout the tournament. Nickname: La Roja (The Red) FIFA World Ranking as of April 28th 2010: 15th Group H Matches: Honduras v Chile, June 16th, 1:30p, Nelspruit Chile v Switzerlan, June 21st, 4p, Port Elizabeth Chile v Spain, June 25th, 8:30p, Pretoria Buy Chile World Cup tickets here. Kit: Red top with blue shorts. More on the Chile kit here. Coach: Marcelo Bielsa. Some coaches are strange, others are quirky – Marcelo Bielsa is out of his mind. So much so he’s called El Loco Bielsa – no points for translation. But while he’s mad, he’s also a mad genius. There will be no better disciplined team at the World Cup, and no team whose players respect their coach more. He earns his respect by constantly devising and scheming, with a 3-4-3 that is every bit as bipolar as it sounds. They might score four, they might concede four, or they might do both. It’s maddeningly good. Key Players: They’re a bit top heavy – partly because of that 3-4-3, but largely because point man Humberto Suazo is so large. Flanking him will be the super pacy duo of Mark Gonzalez and Alexis Sanchez, one of the biggest talents in the world, with Mathias Fernandes, once one of the world’s best talents, tucked in just behind as a trequartista. It’s a phenomenal ode to attacking football. Carlos Carmona, Rodrigo Millar and Roberto Cereceda have been called in to provide a bit of the work in midfield, while the three-man back of Gary Medel, Gonzalo Jara and Waldo Ponce get to enjoy nightmares of the counterattack. The man who gets to enjoy the fun evolve in front of him is No. 1 Claudio Bravo. Player with best YouTube video: He’s likened to Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United tried to buy him to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, he sometimes falls in love with his own ability like a young Cristiano Ronaldo and someday soon he’s going to dominate YouTube like Cristiano Ronaldo. Alexis Sanchez: Player with best name: Waldo Ponce, obviously. Expect the liveblogs to break the Where’s Waldo? meter during the summer. It’s just a damn shame Chile don’t play in red and white striped tops – they could humor us, couldn’t they? Player with best nickname: Humberto Suazo – El Chupete. The bald head, boyish face and baby fat has earned him the nickname which translates to The Pacifier. It may not be so great for him, but we like it. Qualification: An awfully good run for Chile, finishing at 33 points and with a 10-3-5 record. What may be more impressive is that the wins home and away were split – five and five. No travel worries for South Africa. Interesting: Argentina have Chile to thank for Diego Maradona at the helm – they beat Argentina for the first time ever and Alfio Basile subsequently stepped down and Diego was summoned. Don’t expect postcards. National Anthem: Canción Nacional (National Song) World Cup History: Expectations: Barring the world tilting off its axis, Spain are going to win the group and Honduras will not advance. Therefore, they’ll scrap for second with many tipping Switzerland – which will be fine by them. Squad: Chile World Cup squad. Blog: Mathias mans the ship at the Chile World Cup Blog. - More World Cup 2010 Team Profiles.

The Best Finishes of the World Cup 32 Posted: 20 May 2010 12:10 AM PDT We’ve already gone through the winners and the overall records of each team participating in this year’s World Cup, and next on the list is the best finish of each team up to this point. If you’ve read up on your World Cup winners, you only have 25 left to learn; if not, you’ve got some ’splainin to do. FIFA has changed structure more often than the dietary wants in the second trimester, so it’s hardly “this is how it lays out across the board”. Some tournaments had second groups, fewer teams, three teams from a four-team group advancing, etc, but this is where in the tournament each team has best finished out. And unless they were able to play for their spot amongst the field, such as the semifinal or where they finished in the groups, the actual “place” isn’t given – but you can find it easily enough here. Group A South Africa – Groups, 3rd (’98, ‘02) Mexico – Quarterfinals (’70, ‘86) France – Winners (’98) Uruguay – Winners (’30, ‘50) Group B Argentina – Winners (’78, ‘86) Nigeria – Round of Sixteen, (’94, ‘98) South Korea – Semifinals, 4th place (’02) Greece – Groups, 4th (’94) Group C England – Winners (’66) United States – Semifinals, 3rd place (’30) Algeria – Groups, 3rd (’82) Slovenia – Groups, 4th (’02) Group D German – Winners (’54, ‘74, ‘90) Australia – Round of Sixteen (’06) Serbia (as Yugoslavia) – Semifinals, 4th place (’30, ‘62) Ghana – Round of Sixteen (’06) Group E Netherlands – Runners up (’74, ‘78) Denmark – Quarterfinals (’98) Japan – Round of Sixteen (’02) Cameroon – Quarterfinals (’90) Group F Italy – Winners (’34, ‘38, ‘82, ‘06) Paraguay – Round of Sixteen (’86, ‘98, ‘02) New Zealand – Groups, 4th (’82) Slovakia – Runners-up (’34, ‘62) Group G Brazil – Winners (’58, ‘62, ‘70, ‘94, ‘02) North Korea – Quarterfinals (’66) Cote d’Ivoire – Groups, 3rd (’06) Portugal – Semifinals, 3rd (’66) Group H Spain – Final group, 4th place (’50) Switzerland – Quarterfinals (’34, ‘38, ‘54) Honduras – Groups, 4th (’82) Chile – Semifinals, 3rd place (’62) Beforehand, Slovakia didn’t get Czechoslovakian credit. Now it does. Why? The Dutch requested we not make them the only team to go into this World Cup only to nestle up to the alter as a bridesmaid without landing the groom. Or bride – the trophy’s a lady, right? Some cite Slovakia as owning claim to Czechoslovakia’s history, while others do not. We’ll simply give them the benefit of the doubt. Now what stands out most amongst the groups is that nothing stands out at all, and if you could draw it up any way you want, wouldn’t that be it? Long live FIFA.

Daily Dose: From ‘90 To May 19th, 2010. Posted: 19 May 2010 08:10 PM PDT Roger Milla makes his long awaited return. An unlikely comeback… (The Unlikely Fan) Yep, they’re trainin’ for football. (Dirty Tackle) The Cesc saga from one side… (Arseblog) …and another. (Barcelona Football Blog) Gold title kits are just rubbing it in, aren’t they? (Football Fashion) David and Lionel already BFF’s. (Confessions of a Correspondent) Everything you need to know about Real’s schoolwork this year. (Real Madrid Offside)

South Africa’s World Cup Stadiums Posted: 19 May 2010 04:51 PM PDT We’ve been focusing a lot on the teams and players of World Cup 2010. So now it’s time to take a look at the World Cup 2010 stadiums (or stadia, if you prefer). A total of 10 different stadiums will be used for World Cup 2010, spread across nine different cities (Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city, gets two) and we’ve got an image and a bit of info about each one for you below. This isn’t really a guide to the World Cup stadiums. More of an overview. But it’s definitely worth reading, if only to learn who built Royal Bafokeng Stadium and where they got the money from. Green Point Stadium, Capetown Also known as Cape Town Stadium, and featuring views of both the sea and the mountains. So if the football gets dull, you can look at those instead. Green Point Stadium is also the stadium closest to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent most of his 27 years as a prisoner. This newly built stadium will host five group games, one second round game, a quarter-final and a semi-final. Capacity: 66,005. Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban Named after Moses Mabhida, but also known as Durban Stadium. The central arch starts out as two legs which merge together to represent South African unity. Which is nice. The newly built stadium will host five group matches, one second round match and one semi-final. Capacity: 69,957. Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg Ellis Park was opened as a rugby stadium in 1928, and was where the South Africa rugby team famously won the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Watch Invictus. Ellis Park Stadium has been upgraded for World Cup 2010, and will host five group matches, one second round game and a quarterfinal. Capacity: 61,639. Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg This is South Africa’s World Cup center piece. Originally known as the FNB Stadium, but now known as Soccer City after a major upgrade. The design of the stadium is inspired by an African pot known as a calabash, and will look fantastic at night (see above). This is where South Africa won their first and so far only Africa Cup of Nations in 1996. Soccer City will host five group games (including the opener between South Africa and Mexico), one second round game, one quarter-final and finally the World Cup final itself on July 11th. Capacity: 94,700 or 88,460, depending on who you ask. Either way, it’s massive. Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Free State Stadium was built for the 1995 Rugby World Cup and is currently the home of two rugby union teams, plus the Bloemfontein Celtics football team. Free State Stadium will host five group games and one round of 16 game. Capacity: 45,058 Port Elizabeth Stadium, Nelson Mandela Bay The roof of Port Elizabeth Stadium is designed to look like petals, which has apparently led to it being nicknamed “The Sunflower”. Which I like. Stadiums should definitely have nicknames. Also, don’t be fooled by the name, this stadium overlooks not a port or a bay, but actually a lake. Which is much more pleasant. Port Elizabeth Stadium will host five group games, one second round game, one quarter-final, and the third place playoff. Capacity: 46,082 Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit Arguably the hardest stadium to pronounce. But worth making the effort to do so. According to FIFA: “Mbombela is siSwati (one of the 11 official languages in South Africa) and literally means ‘many people together in a small space’.” Now that’s a good name for a stadium. Mbombela Stadium has also been nicknamed “The Giraffe Stadium”, because the 18 roof supports have been designed to look like the long necked animals, who inhabit the nearby Kruger National Park. Mbombela Stadium will host four group games and no knockout games. Which is a shame, because I love both the name and the nicname. Capacity: 43,589. Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane Named after the late (and somewhat controversial) anti-apartheid campaigner Peter Mokaba, who was from the area, the stadium design is inspired by the Baobab tree, with big trunk-like structures at each corner. Peter Mokaba Stadium will host four group games. Capacity: 45,264. Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg The Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace (to give the stadium its full name) is named after the Royal Bafokeng people who in 1999 gained the legal right to 20% royalties from the platinum-rich rock on their land. Using this new source of income the Royal Bafokeng Nation built the stadium in 1999 (they apparently don’t mess around when it comes to making money spending decisions) and still own and operate the stadium, which was recently upgraded for World Cup 2010. Genuinely fascinating stuff. Royal Bafokeng Stadium will host five group games and one second round game. Capacity: 44,530. Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria This is an old school stadium, having been built way back in 1906 to seat just 2,000 people, and constantly upgraded ever since. For the 2010 World Cup Loftus Versfeld Stadium will host five group games and one second round match. Capacity: 49,365.

10 World Cup Questions: Greece Posted: 19 May 2010 02:40 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 Chris Paraskevas from Greece World Cup Blog. Read on for his answers… 1. Who is Greece’s best player? It’s hard to look past Sotiris Kyrgiakos for the sheer fact that he is experiencing a level of football unlike any other player in Greece. Kyrgiakos enters into this World Cup on the back of adapting to life quite nicely with Liverpool, where he has had to play under intense media scrutiny and in arguably the best league in the world. He’s face top class strikers week-in, week-out, including in the UEFA Champions League and this will stand him in good stead when the group stages roll around. Will enter the tournament as our fittest, sharpest and most battle-hardened defender after his first taste of Premier League football. His inherent strengths are undoubtedly his aerial ability both in defence and attack and sheer tenacity. 2. What do you think of Greece coach Otto Rehhagel? Striker Theofanis Gekas couldn’t have said it better: a statue should be erected in honour of the man. In under a decade he has transformed the national team from one-time World Cup whipping boys to European Champions and a side expected to qualify for every major international tournament henceforth. He has delicately handled the transition of a generation of superstars (with whom he won Euro 2004) and secured consecutive qualification for major international tournaments in Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup: a huge achievement for the former minnows. Despite his age, the EPO (Greek FA) are understandably keen to extend the reign of “King Otto”. Oh, and did I mention he masterminded the mythical Euro 2004 win? PS. Criticism has stemmed and probably will stem again from his perceived conservative tactics (conspicuous in the last failed outing at Euro 2008). I say: he works with what he’s got and has done a damn fine job to even qualify us for such tournaments. 3. What do you think of Greece’s World Cup 2010 kits? Adidas stopped making decent strips a long time ago…too many unnecessary swirls and lines make it look like an out of the way piece at a cheap art gallery… 4. What is Greece’s biggest strength? On last check most of our back-line could reach the top of Mount Olympus if they stretched just a little bit: we boast size, speed on the flanks and strength in the air at the back, despite the fact that the rigid organization and discipline that characterized the Euro 2004 victory has wilted somewhat. No-one will beat Greece in the air and most of our goals will probably come through set-pieces again, courtesy of the likes of Kyrgiakos and Moras. 5. …and biggest weakness? Giorgios Karagounis is our one creative force in a midfield that lacks pace and incisiveness. Kostas Katsouranis hasn’t been able to transfer his outstanding club form onto the international stage in recent months and the departure of Euro-winner Angelos Basinas from the international scene has heaped a great deal of responsibility on Karagounis’ shoulders. These days his ageing legs are responsible for both driving the team forward and winning the ball in the centre of the park – and he is noticeably tiring. Expect the Greeks to be behind on the possession stats throughout the tournament… 6. If you could steal one player from any other World Cup 2010 team, then who would it be and why? Lionel Messi – so that we don’t have the responsibility of marking him out in the final group game against Argentina. 7. Tell us one thing about Greece that the rest of the world might not know… Legendary Greek manager Alketas Panagoulias heroically lead the nation to its first ever World Cup in 1994 only to bring with him a squad of ageing and out-of-form players who utterly embarrassed themselves at the tournament, conceding ten goals and scoring none. You might have heard this story before but you probably haven’t seen this remarkable video clip of the manager berating his side inside the dressing room, in rather colourful terms asking them to…ermm…shoot more often: 8. What would you consider success/failure for Greece at World Cup 2010? A success would be to win our first match at a World Cup – a minor miracle to progress past the group stages and a failure to fail to win a game. 9. What are you most exited about at World Cup 2010? Watching Lionel Messi choose the Greece game to confirm himself as the world’s greatest ever footballer. Kidding…but I’ve never seen Greece come up against quite such an illustrious opponent at an international tournament in my life so to see them take on Messi’s Argentina should be something of a historic event (particularly if we win). And this will be the first chance I’ll have to see Greece at a World Cup… 10. Who do you think will win World Cup 2010? Greece: With a set-piece in every match bringing a string of 1-0 victories…(do I even need to tell you I’m kidding?) Brazil: Dunga has brought discipline and extreme levels of fitness to a squad desperately lacking in it 2006. This collection of players is nowhere near as talented as that one but they are an incredibly effective unit. >> Supporting Greece in the World Cup? Put on your Greece jersey, get your Greece World Cup tickets, and get to the stadium! If you’re watching from home, keep up to date with Greece World Cup Blog, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Soundoff: What Are You Buying for World Cup 2010? Posted: 19 May 2010 01:10 PM PDT The World Cup is an event that requires some preparation. Not just from the players and coaches and tournament organizers. But from viewers like you and I too. Because if you’re going to do it, then you want to do it right. And that usually involves buying some stuff. For example, I’m going to upgrade to a high definition television set specifically for this World Cup. Partly because my old television has seen better days, and partly because I convinced myself while writing this post. If the World Cup wasn’t coming, then I wouldn’t be upgrading. But it is, so I am. So far I’ve paid cash money for World Soccer’s unofficial guide to World Cup 2010, and am considering buying the ESPN World Cup companion (mostly because I like the guys from Unprofessional Foul). I’m also planning to purchase both a new England jersey and a new USA jersey to support my two teams in South Africa. Though I’ll only be wearing one of those on June 12th. So far I haven’t purchased a World Cup themed beer or a World Cup sticker album. But I can quite easily see at least one of those things happening between now and July 11th. Other people I know have already bought and paid for World Cup match tickets, airfare to South Africa, and even an exercise bike so they can workout while watching games at home. Someone, somewhere, must have bought a Vuvuzela. How about you? What are you buying (or what have you already bought) for World Cup 2010?

World Cup Winners Posted: 19 May 2010 12:10 PM PDT It would be both trite and inaccurate to say that only World Cup winners are remembered. If that were true, then no one would talk about the Netherlands team of 1974 or the Mighty Magyars of 1954 or Zinedine Zidane in 2006. However, for this post about World Cup winners… only winning the World Cup counts. Near miss? Not interested. Unfair refereeing decision? Doesn’t matter. All that matters below is who actually won the World Cup. Who is in that exclusive club. Read on for a list of World Cup winners: 1930 – Uruguay 1934 – Italy 1938 – Italy 1950 – Uruguay 1954 – West Germany 1958 – Brazil 1962 – Brazil 1966 – England 1970 – Brazil 1974 – West Germany 1978 – Argentina 1982 – Italy 1986 – Argentina 1990 – West Germany 1994 – Brazil 1998 – France 2002 – Brazil 2006 – Italy Which makes the grand totals: Brazil – 5 Italy – 4 Germany – 3 Argentina – 2 Uruguay – 2 England – 1 France – 1 Only seven different teams have ever won the World Cup. European teams have won nine World Cups and South American teams have won nine World Cups. Individual players: Pelé is the individual player with the most World Cup winners medals. He has three (1958, 1962, 1970). However, he did not play in the 1962 final as he was injured in only his second game of the tournament. Mário Zagallo also has three, but two as a player (1958, 1962) and one as a coach (1970). Only two men have won the World Cup as both a player and a coach. Mário Zagallo was the first, as mentioned above, and Franz Beckenbauer equaled that feat by winning as a player in 1974 and as a coach in 1990. Men with the opportunity to match that achievement at World Cup 2010 are Brazil coach Dunga (1994 as a player) and Argentina coach Diego Maradona (1986 as a player). Further reading: World Cup team histories

The 10 Most Valuable Starting Elevens At The World Cup Posted: 19 May 2010 10:40 AM PDT It is the most romantic of all the tournaments, when the allure of a bigger marketing profile and even bigger paycheck takes the backseat for the football, only the football. Poppycock. It’s all about the money – it’s always about the money. Just ask Coca Cola and Kulula and the World Cup Blog (fancy that). Or just ask FIFA when they try to sell the Selecao for €223m euros to pay for Sepp’s bikini wax treatments. (Would you do it for anything less? Exactly.) A company named Frontier Economics somehow compiled an estimated valuation of the top 10 teams – or their starting lineups – at the World Cup. Presumably they would’ve done all 32 for us were North Korea not involved. Without further ado… Spain? Non! How they determined the “estimated” value we do not know, but if David Villa isn’t valued at roughly €40m I’m storming the castle and declaring the whole thing null and void. And don’t forget World Cup squads haven’t exactly been decided yet. Will Spain drop Fernando Torres and lose their top spot? No. Will Marcello Lippi call up a #10 as an injury replacement and vault up the list? Unlikely. Will Diego Maradona cut Lionel Messi and send them tumbling out of the top 10 altogether? Don’t answer that. They’ve given us the most valuable from each of the ten teams, and in the process tell us they think Kaka is almost half the man he was last year and a soon-to-be 32 year old Frank Lampard…well, I just don’t know what they wee thinking there: Spain Andres Iniesta – €44m Fernando Torres – €43m Argentina Lionel Messi – €140m England Wayne Rooney – €59m Frank Lampard – €46m Brazil Kaka – €41m Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo – €95m France Franck Ribery – €48m Germany Bastian Schweinsteiger -€ 33m Netherlands Arjen Robben – €34m Ivory Coast Didier Drogba – €48m Italy Daniele De Rossi – €29m Harmless, curious, inaccurate fun, much like JP Morgan predicting England will win the World Cup.

Jose Mourinho Says the Champions League is Bigger than the World Cup… Posted: 19 May 2010 08:44 AM PDT You’ve got to admit, the man is brilliant. Not just at coaching football teams, but at grabbing headlines too. Jose Mourinho knows exactly what the most controversial thing to say is at any given moment. It’s part of what makes him The Special One. This week, in the build up to the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final between Mourinho’s Internazionale and Louis van Gaal’s Bayern Munich, The Special One offered up this gem – and I quote… “This game is the most important in the world,” said 47-year-old Mourinho. “It is even bigger than the World Cup because the teams in it are at a higher level than national teams, who can’t buy the best players.” First let me point out the obvious: Mourinho is wrong. Or at least mostly wrong. He’s right that the teams in the Champions League final are more expensively assembled and therefore theoretically “at a higher level”. But he’s wrong that the Champions League final is more important, because: a) the entire world watches the World Cup, even those who don’t usually watch football, and b) there’ll be another Champions League final next year. There won’t be another World Cup until 2014. Still, bravo to Jose Mourinho for a deliciously controversial quote. Even though I know – I know – that he doesn’t really mean what he said, it’s still irritated me enough to write a blog post about it. The man’s a genius. And with World Cup fever starting to take serious hold (especially here on World Cup Blog the past couple of weeks) Mourinho’s quote is at the very least a timely reminder that the Champions League final is a big game, and is happening this weekend. More than that, I now can’t wait for Jose Mourinho to become an international manager (probably with Portugal a few years from now) and to hear the sort of things The Special One has to say about club football when he’s trying to prepare his players for an international tournament. - For more Champions League final buildup visit our team blogs at Inter Offside and Bayern Offside

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