World Cup 2010 Blog: US Squad Completes Second Training Session in Chicago

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US Squad Completes Second Training Session in Chicago Posted: 05 Oct 2010 06:31 PM PDT The rumble of freight trains, the rattle of trucks traversing the adjacent Harlem Avenue and the peculiar scent of corn starch (manufactured by the ton nearby) may not be the ideal setting for soccer training. But Chicago did cooperate with unusually spectacular October weather. So it was that with a temperature tipping to the warm side of 70 degrees and a sky devoid of the faintest cloud coverage, the United States men’s national team completed their second full training session on the training pitch at Toyota Park on Tuesday in preparation for Saturday’s match against Poland. Integration Time It’s immediately apparent that it will take some time for Jermaine Jones to integrate himself with his new national team. Jones tended to stay close to fellow Bundesliga players Michael Bradley and Steve Cherundolo during warm-ups and drills. Bradley, who figures to play alongside Jones, seems to be the one tasked with helping Jones along. In a moment of confusion during drills, Bradley held up proceedings and trotted over to Jones, and the two conversed in German until Jones nodded with understanding and play continued. To Jones’ credit, the moments of disconnect with teammates that occurred occasionally throughout the rest of the session didn’t seem to ruffle his feathers. Jermaine Jones: Trying to get off on the right foot. (AP Photo/Charles Cherney) The Beat of a Different Gooch While the US players looked sharp in their red training kits, one player just had to be different. Oguchi Onyewu took the field in a battered pair of gray sweatpants, but it was not immediately known if “Gooch” was paying tribute to Arjen Robben or if the pants are just that comfortable. Down to Business Following possession drills, the meat of the session began with a 9X7 across the full pitch. It was clear that coach Bob Bradley was paying special attention to Jozy Altidore through much of the early portion of this segment. Bradley reminded Altidore to apply pressure to defenders bringing the ball up and had to remind Altidore not to drop too deep as a lone striker. Coach Bradley was not particularly enthused with the energy level early on. About 10 minutes into the 9X7 session he shouted “Don’t just stand next to a guy.” As the team transitioned to an 8X8 segment, play predictably opened up a bit more, but Bradley still found himself stressing the importance of exploiting opportunities as they occur in order to build a rhythm, as several players had been foiled by a moment of indecisiveness up to that point. Something that cropped up during the World Cup was in evidence throughout the session, namely that there was a tendency for the both sides to play rather narrowly. Only as the session progressed did one see more balls going out wide and more runs deep into the corners. Ups and Downs Already a dead ringer for a 14th round Rocky Balboa courtesy of a black eye picked up against West Ham, Clint Dempsey went down for the count after taking the biggest knock of the session in a confrontation at the touchline, inches from the spectators. After a contemplative moment with ankles crossed on the ground, the Fulham man trotted gingerly back into the action and was soon up to speed again. A lot of the players were loosey-goosey, but perhaps no one more than Tim Howard. Finally getting that first EPL win of the season may have brightened his spirits, and he made a fantastic stop of a Michael Bradley laser beam in the 8X8 session. No one found the net in either the 9X7 nor 8X8 segments. In the closing shooting segment though, it was bombs away against both Howard and Brad Guzan and the nets quickly filled. Steve Cherundolo took on the role of Marv Albert, calling out an exaggerated “Yes!” after each success. Notes on the Day With late arrivals Altidore, Maurice Edu, Clarence Goodson and Michael Parkhurst ready to roll, coach Bradley had his full compliment of players available. About 40 die-hard fans, some of whom came from as far as 5 hours away, were allowed access to the practice pitch and watched from just beyond the touchline. According to US Soccer’s Michael Kammarman, it was the first time that the US team has opened a training session to the public. The team will train at Toyota Park in closed sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, before moving to Soldier Field for Friday’s session. Our on-site coverage will continue Thursday when coach Bob Bradley and an as-yet unnamed player hold a press conference.

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World Cup 2010 Blog: FIFA Suspends Nigerian Football Federation

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FIFA Suspends Nigerian Football Federation Posted: 04 Oct 2010 09:08 AM PDT As usual, in such bureaucratic pissing contests, fans are the real losers… In a drastic move, FIFA has suspended the Nigerian Football Federation as a result of the government’s ongoing interference in the Federation’s affairs.  If you remember earlier this year, after the World Cup, the President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, suspended the football team for 2 years.  That suspension was lifted, but FIFA are not satisfied that the Federation and Nigerian government are compliant with FIFA’s regulations which demand that the Federation be transparent and independent of the government. The complete FIFA statement… The FIFA Emergency Committee decided today, 4 October 2010, to suspend the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) with immediate effect on account of government interference. This decision follows the latest events linked to the NFF, such as the court actions against elected members of the NFF Executive Committee preventing them from exercising their functions and duties, the stepping down of the acting NFF General Secretary on the instructions of the National Sports Commission, the decision of the Minister of Sports to have the Nigerian League start without relegation from the previous season, and the fact that the NFF Executive Committee cannot work properly due to this interference. The suspension will be maintained until the court actions have ceased and the duly elected NFF Executive Committee is able to work without any interference. During the period of suspension, the NFF will not be able to be represented in any regional, continental or international competitions, including at club level, and also not in friendly matches. In addition, neither the NFF nor any of its members or officials can benefit from any development programme, course, or training from FIFA or CAF while the federation remains suspended. Some Reactions… Is Nigeria’s decision a smart or fatale move?  [Please note:  This was written in reference to first suspension, but it is still is relevant and provides a range of opinions on FIFA's rules against government interference] “We know that it will soon be election time into the FIFA executive committee. It is possible that some of those who intend to secure the vote of Nigeria may be courting support from those in the NFF whose election was annulled by the court. It is quite interesting that some FIFA members who frown at mixing football with politics are themselves not averse to playing a little politics!” – Daily Trust (complete article here)

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GMC Never Say Never Moments

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World Cup 2010 Blog: Cesare Prandelli’s Attack Of The Idiots

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Cesare Prandelli’s Attack Of The Idiots Posted: 30 Sep 2010 07:31 AM PDT Let’s get this out in the open: Antonio Cassano, Francesco Totti, Mario Balotelli….none of these men could have split the atom. Extraordinary, occasionally unbelievable, physical and athletic talents, but they don’t quite possess the same intellectual prowess. Totti’s written a book of jokes about it (alright, maybe ghostwritten), Balotelli has hinted at such recently and with enough digging, I’m sure there’s a slightly depressing, Mike Tyson-esque quote of resignation from Talentino in which he waxes on how stupid he be. Maybe Cesare Prandelli has something up his sleeve, or maybe he’s referring to their footballing IQs (likely, but let’s ignore it for a second), but he has a quote in which he claims to want players of Balotelli’s “intellectual capacity” directly after hinting at a return of the telepathic duo of Totti & Cassano to the Italian attack. “The idea of seeing Totti and Cassano together in the national team is a particular desire, we’re talking about friendship, a relationship that exists between them. We wanted to create an occasion which would be an example for kids who would want to watch the match. I said it would be great for two friends to rediscover each other on the pitch.” Another player Prandelli wants to see back in his squad is 20-year-old Balotelli. “I miss him because I really want to try out an attack with players of his intellectual capacity,” added Prandelli. This could spawn a sequel to Totti’s novella of yuckers: How best to stop the Italian Cassano-Totti-Balotelli tridente? Long division.

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World Cup 2010 Blog: World Cup: Breaking Up Relationships, Destroying Productivity.

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World Cup: Breaking Up Relationships, Destroying Productivity. Posted: 28 Sep 2010 07:08 AM PDT For many, the World Cup is the most romantic of all the tournaments up to a certain point, when an elite group take over and relegate Cinderella to “thanks for the memories”. Turns out it’s not quite as romantic in the land of romantics, as 5% of those polled witnessed a relationship dissolve as a result of the tournament. (Isn’t the WC supposed to bring people together?) The same study says 14% broke the rules at work to watch the Cup during the summer, which leads to the theory most took this survey with a boss standing directly over their shoulder. According to ESPN, fourteen percent of Americans surveyed said they or a friend broke work rules to watch the tournament in South Africa. The cable network Monday cited research by Knowledge Networks’ Total Touch that found 77 percent of out-of-home Internet usage during World Cup matches occurred at offices and 50 percent of out-of-home ESPN mobile use was at offices. Eighteen percent of people said they or a friend wore their favorite team’s World Cup jersey to work during the tournament from June 11 to July 11, and 5 percent said they or a friend broke up with a significant other because of the World Cup. If the World Cup cause early termination in five percent of relationships, we can safely assume Football Manager is in the high eighties. (Conservatively, of course.)

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