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Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Sporting News Today: No time to waste for seven NFL rookies
Monday, July 27, 2009
World Cup 2006 Blog
World Cup 2006 Blog |  |
| USA 0-5 Mexico: Why it Matters Posted: 27 Jul 2009 05:40 AM PDT USA fans will claim that this was only their B team/second string and it was only the Gold Cup anyway. They can even claim that Mexico were lucky to win that penalty kick for the first goal. And they’ll definitely have a point. But Mexico fans will still celebrate lifting the Gold Cup with a convincing 5-0 win, and not just because the trophy is so big. Here’s why: First of all, it was 5-0. Beating your bitter rival 5-0 has got to feel good, no matter which string team it is. And vice versa for losing 5-0. Secondly - and more importantly - this win removes a huge psychological barrier for Mexico, as it’s El Tri’s first away win over the USA in a over a decade (since March ‘99, in case your were wondering). Doesn’t matter that this was a US reserve team. The record now shows that on July 26th, 2009, Mexico beat the USA 5-0 in New York (or, technically, New Jersey). Talk of Mexico’s decade long drought has to end now.
So Mexican confidence gets a boost and the balance of the US vs Mexico rivalry (which has been tipping towards the US in recent years) just received a small course correction. And though it wasn’t the USA’s first XI that took a beating, it did feature players one day hope to make the proper starting XI (Stuart Holden perhaps?). Guys of the Landon Donovan generation are used to beating Mexico regularly, and could go into matches vs El Tri with a certain swagger. But guys like Stuart Holden will now carry the memory of this beating with them into future encounters. Am I reading too much into this result? Maybe I am. But anyone who dismisses it as meaningless is reading too little. Of course, the US has a chance to regain a convincing advantage on August 12th, when the travel to the Azteca for a World Cup 2010 qualifier. The flipside of Mexico’s ten year drought was that the US national team has never beaten Mexico at the Azteca. Ever. So if they can pull that off next month, then the time Mexico won a Gold Cup final in New Jersey will be forgotten.        |
| Totally Partisan Liveblog: USA vs. Mexico Gold Cup Final Posted: 26 Jul 2009 10:36 AM PDT Welcome to our totally partisan liveblog for the USA-Mexico Gold Cup final. Our Mexico blogger Andrea will be here rooting for Mexico, and with our USA bloggers otherwise occupied today, I’ll be trying to hold up the US end of thing. As we’ve mentioned before, with nothing really at stake in this tournament both USA and Mexico are using Gold Cup as a way to get a look at some players who don’t normally get a chance with the national teams, with an eye toward the World Cup squads next summer. (Assuming both teams qualify.) Look for a very high-energy, hard-fought match, and may the best team win!
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Sporting News Today: MLB enters its last days of pre-deadline uncertainty
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Sunday, July 26, 2009
Sporting News Today: Cellar to stellar? The NFL teams with the best chance to rebound
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Saturday, July 25, 2009
World Cup 2006 Blog
World Cup 2006 Blog | |
| Gold Cup Final is Set: US vs. Mexico. Again. Posted: 24 Jul 2009 11:40 AM PDT Anybody else have an overpowering sense of déjà vu? Feel like we’ve been here before? First we have the USA beating Honduras, 2-0. Again. Just like in the group stages. And now they’ll go on to play… Oh, you’ll never guess! Mexico. (I know, right? Shock.) This time the team had already proved themselves last month in the Confederations Cup by downing #1 team Spain and coming oh-so-close against Brazil in the final. Coach Bob Bradley has used the 2009 Gold Cup as a training experience for his B (or is it C?) team; it’s been a time to trot out some new faces to see who might deserve a look for the World Cup squad next year. (Stuart Holden, I believe he’s lookin’ at you. Did anybody else look at Holden’s inch-perfect corner last night that gave Clarence Goodson the goal and think, “Wow. No wonder Houston’s kind of sucked without you”?) Troy Perkins, battling with Brad Guzan for the #2 keeper spot, had some nice, acrobatic saves, and in the end a tiring Honduras couldn’t overtake the US. Kenny Cooper came on late and provide an 90th-minute insurance goal, and USA moves on. Over on the other side of the bracket, the Mexico-Costa Rica game had all drama everybody expected, including a near-brawl, a saved penalty, and late goals (88th minute for Mexico, with a 93rd minute equalizer for Costa Rica.) Extra time was scoreless, and Mexico finally took the match 5-3 on penalties after Guillermo Ochoa stopped a shot by Froylan Ledezma. (Costa Rica fans can’t be too upset with Ledezma, though, since he was the 93rd-minute goalscorer.) Since there is nothing really at stake here but bragging rights (Confederations Cup berths are only given out in the year after World Cup), Mexico is also largely fielding a B side. So the two big questions will be:Which team has the better up-and-comers? And will Mexico be able to shed its jinx playing on American soil?) We’ll find out on Sunday. Final schedule: Sunday, July 26 – New York (Giants Stadium) 3 p.m. EDT   |
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Sporting News Today: Knocked down in '08, can four SEC teams get up again in '09?
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Friday, July 24, 2009
World Cup 2006 Blog
World Cup 2006 Blog | |
| Cover Your Ears! Vuvuzela World Record Attempt Tonight Posted: 23 Jul 2009 09:43 AM PDT
The vuvuzelatasic world record attempt will take place tonight at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, where South African teams Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs will play to decide who faces Man City in the final of the Vodacom Challenge. The good people from Guinness World Records (who somehow combine drinking with accurate fact checking) will be there to adjudicate while as many fans as possible for a 30 second duration. It’s not clear what the final total of simultaneous hornblowers will be, but apparently the first 20,000 through the gate will receive a free instrument (corporate sponsored of course). So the number should be 20,000, plus whoever brings their own. If you’re part of the crowd that wishes death to the vuvuzela, you’ll want to get as far from Port Elizabeth as humanly possible this evening. But if, like me, you think the little plastic horn is basically harmless and can actually sound very pleasant in the right hands… then you should probably still flee in terror. Because there’s now way 20,00+ vuvuzelas blowing for 30 consecutive seconds is going to sound good.   |
The Confederations Cup is over. And the 2010 World Cup is still 11 months away. But the vuvuzela stories just keep on coming. First there was Austria banning the little plastic horns for some | 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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Sporting News Today: MLB teams face tough choices a week before the trading deadline
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