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| Photos: One Year From The Big Day….. Posted: 11 Jun 2009 02:00 PM PDT It’s June 11th 2009 and on June 11th, 2010, the World Cup will kick off in South Africa. Thus the South Africans decided to throw a little soiree for the one year countdown at Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town. South African prez Jacob Zuma was there, along with various dignitaries and people who either put up the money for the tournament or stand to make money from the tournament. Or both. And somehow, things are looking up, with stadiums appearing capable of completion within the year. Thankfully, this is not one of the Confederations Cup stadiums. Jacob Zuma throws a bit of confusion into the equation. Soccer City has some holes…. ….ok, a lot of holes.        |
| Your 2009 Confederations Cup Predictions Please… Posted: 11 Jun 2009 09:40 AM PDT
No, it’s not the tournament that players all dream of winning. And yes, the trophy itself looks a bit like the World Cup trophy’s inbred cousin. But once we get going on Sunday, you can guarantee that all eight teams will be playing to win. So my big question right now: Who’s going to lift that inbred looking trophy?
Before we get on with the predictions, here’s a quick reminder of the groups: Group A Group B I think we can all agree that Spain will win Group A. Only question is by how much. South Africa’s results have been improving under Joel Santana (Bafana Bafana have beaten both Norway and Poland in friendlies this year) and they’ll want to impress in front of their own fans. I’m backing them to finish second. I’m hoping/expecting to see Iraq give a good account of themselves and finish third. Winning the Asian Cup in 2007 was a pretty big deal and they beat Australia, South Korea and Saudi Arabia along the way. Keep an eye on striker Younis Mahmoud, the 26 year old wears the captain’s armband and was the 2007 Asian Cup player of the tournament. Last and least: New Zealand. All the best to the All Whites, but because they’re stuck in Oceania this team very rarely gets to face any decent opposition. So, for Group A I’m predicting: Now for the tough one… My money’s on Brazil to win Group B (or at least it would be if I had any). After this past week’s wins over Uruguay (4-0) and Paraguay (2-1) they’re riding high at the top of the CONMEBOL qualifying table. There are no semi-fit superstars to worry about, Kaka just got his big move, and even Robinho has discovered his unselfish gene. I see Italy finishing runners up. Despite Lippi’s return, the Azzurri seem to be in a semi-transition period right now, caught between the old guard and the next generation. And yesterday’s narrow 4-3 friendly win over New Zealand won’t have done much for confidence. The USA are also in an odd situation. From kings of CONCACAF, to calls for Bob Bradley to go after the defeat in Costa Rica, and then back to normality with a 2-1 win over Honduras. Ultimately the Confed(erations) Cup will be a good chance to play competitive football against the best in the world and see how they match up. I predict they’ll do well (maybe a creditable draw against either Italy or Brazil?) but not well enough to make the semi-fnals. Finally, Egypt. The Pharaohs made me a fan with the way they won the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, and I’m looking forward to seeing Aboutrika, Hassan and Zidan in action again. But World Cup qualifying final round results have been sloppy, the - 3-1 defeat to Algeria leaving them winless after two games - so this is a team in bad form and facing three tough games. So, my final Group B looks like this: Which means my semi-final matchups would be: I’d back Spain (just) and Brazil (definitely) to win those games, giving us a pretty exciting final of: Spain vs Brazil Tough to call this imaginary game I’ve setup, but my gut tells me Brazil will win after an entertainingly close 90 minutes. So that’s how I see this thing going. How about you? I’ll give you a template to cut and paste so you can leave your predictions: Group A Group B Eventual winner:   |
The 2009 Confederations Cup (too may syllables, can we call it the Confed Cup for short? Or maybe the Con Cup?) kicks off in just three days time. You can see the | You are subscribed to email updates from World Cup Soccer - South Africa 2010 To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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The good news for the 2009 Confederations Cup is that all eight teams are bringing their strongest possible squads. All kinds of talent will be on display, from Kaka to Xavi to Buffon. Plus New Zealand will be there, so you know it’s the real deal.
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