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Monday, October 19, 2009
NFL Week 6: The NFC's new order leads 19 pages of coverage
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Latest World Cup Blog Updates
Latest World Cup Blog Updates |  |
| 10-Man Ghana Take Out Brazil on Penalties in the U-20 Final Posted: 17 Oct 2009 08:10 AM PDT Yesterday’s U20 final, Brazil vs. Ghana. So much potential for excitement. Ghana’s Black Satellites (the baby version of the Black Stars) came into the final having scored 16 goals in the tournament. Brazil stood at 14. Surely a goal-fest was in order. But no. The game-changing moment happens at about the 1:10 mark in the video, when Ghana’s Daniel Addo is sent off in the 37th. What do you think? Red, ref? Seriously? Dumb tackle, yes, but Addo’s not even the last defender. And it seems especially harsh in a U20 tournament, and even moreso in a final. Ghana held on and managed to keep Brazil scoreless while creating the occasional opportunity themselves. No goals through both halves, then through both periods of extra time. So then we have this: Penalties |
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College football extra: 26 pages of scores, statistics, standings and analysis
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Saturday, October 17, 2009
Latest World Cup Blog Updates
Latest World Cup Blog Updates | |
| Bjorn Heidenstrom and the World’s Biggest Football Shirt Posted: 16 Oct 2009 08:28 AM PDT
He’s cycling from Oslo, Norway all the way down to Cape Town, South Africa, and collecting signed shirts along the way. He’s pictured above (right) taking possession of a signed shirt from Belgian club Mechelen, and has already collected many many more. “We are creating the world’s largest football shirt - a shirt and a symbol that is sewn together by the signed club-shirts,” Heidenstrom explains. The massive shirt will be sewn together before World Cup 2010 kicks off and will be a symbol of the football family and its solidarity with young refugees. Heidenstrom has been through the UK and Scandinavia and is now working his way down through mainland Europe. If you’re reading from outside of those areas (from the USA for example) then you can still add your signed shirt to the collection by mailing it to the address below. He’s not just after big name shirts either. Any signed shirt from any club will be form part of the big shirt in South Africa. Presumably even your Sunday league team. Just get your club to sign the shirt and then send it to The Shirt 2010 HQ at: The Shirt2010 Heidenstrom has also keeping a regularly updated (especially for a man who spends all day on a bike) blog at The Shirt 2010, where you can track his progress and see which shirts he has so far.        |
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College football extra: 12 pages of picks, previews and player diaries
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Friday, October 16, 2009
Latest World Cup Blog Updates
Latest World Cup Blog Updates | |
| Don Fabio & Diego: One In The Same. Posted: 15 Oct 2009 08:54 AM PDT
- Both are hated by many. And both have Bartlett’s scrambling for the nearest exit. And he’s attempting to use this same advantage during his coaching stint, claiming the press are out to get him. Which they are. Mostly because he’s lacking that one thing which is an absolute necessity for this position, a working noodle. After his boys qualified last night, Diego had a few choice words for the press in the crowd, underlining his position:
A modern day Oscar Wilde, is he not? This may or may not go down well. What we do know for sure is that it will not matter, and it may only spur Diego on to prove to all that he can win success in South Africa next summer. Meanwhile across the pond Fabio Capello was busy grabbing his grapefruits and taking potshots at larger foes: David Beckham and Barrack Obama. Obama, you may have heard, won the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this week for achieving precisely nothing, which has turned many a global head. David Beckham, you may not have heard, won man of the match against Belarus on Wednesday for playing precisely thirty minutes, which turned Capello’s head. Thus a quote was born.
Nobel Peace Prize/MotM in Minsk…same difference. Now we shall dream of a scenario where Argentina meets up with England in South Africa next summer. The game may not be splendid, but the pressers will be spectacular.   |
As coaching goes, Fabio Capello and Diego Maradona could not be more different. In short one is brilliant, the other is not. However, they do have quite a few similarities:| 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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NFL Week 6 extra: 14 pages of previews, predictions, fantasy tips
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Thursday, October 15, 2009
Latest World Cup Blog Updates
Latest World Cup Blog Updates | |
- FIFA Looking After the Big Boys (and Themselves) by Seeding European World Cup Playoffs
- To Dive Or Not To Dive: Rod Lands On His Fanni.
- Disaster Averted: Argentina Automatically Qualify.
- At Least 75% of the Marbles: Uruguay v Argentina Open Thread
- Best Wishes to Charlie Davies
| FIFA Looking After the Big Boys (and Themselves) by Seeding European World Cup Playoffs Posted: 15 Oct 2009 05:10 AM PDT
Here’s what’s happened: The nine European group winners all qualify automatically. So that’s Denmark, Switzerland, Slovakia, Germany, Spain, England, Serbia, Italy, Netherlands all going to South Africa. The eight best second placed teams who qualified for the playoffs (aka Round Two) are: Russia, Greece, Ukraine, France, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Portugal, Ireland. The original FIFA regulations indicate only that:
Nowhere does it mention anything about the draw being seeded. But late last month FIFA decided that the draw would in fact be seeded. Because they can. From the mouth of Sepp Blatter himself:
Which basically ensures the likes of France (massive media market) and Portugal (massive money-pot of a player in Cristiano Roanldo) will not be facing each other in the playoffs and suddenly have a much better theoretical chance of appearing in South Africa. The draw will take place Monday, October 19th in Zurich, and will be based on the next FIFA World Rankings, which will be released on October 16th. If those rankings are anything like the current ones, then the seeded teams will be: Russia (6th), France (10th), Greece (12th) and Portugal (17th). Those four would be drawn randomly against Ukraine (25th), Ireland (38th), Bosnia-Herzegovina (46th), Slovenia (54th). FIFA could argue that every other stage of the process (qualification groups, actual World Cup groups) is also done according to ranking, and that they’re just making sure that the best possible teams make it to the World Cup finals. But… Ireland keeper Shay Given made an excellent point last week, noting that these decisions should be made - and made clear - before the qualifying process begins, rather than on an ad hoc basis:
The upside here is that FIFA’s rankings are not exactly foolproof, and it’s not at all difficult to imagine a team like Ireland or Ukraine beating a team like Portugal or France over two legs come November 14th and 18th.   |
| To Dive Or Not To Dive: Rod Lands On His Fanni. Posted: 14 Oct 2009 10:00 PM PDT The last time we enjoyed a round of civilized European World Cup qualifiers, there was a bit of question as to the legitimacy of the ‘foul’ on Nikola Zigic which won Serbia a penalty and Hugo Lloris a red card. As though by some cosmic force (hello, Raymond) we find ourselves in the exact same position this round, sans red card, with France wearing the other boot. In the 25th minute Rod Fanni won a penalty and it looks bad. Oh, does it look bad. (Titi slotted the peno and France won 3-1 in a meaningless game for those concerned with such things.) There was clearly contact, but it was just as clearly well before Rod hurtled himself to the ground. And as we’ve determined time and time again: contact and dive need not be mutually exclusive. Some surmised it was a slip, but there’s clearly no slip there. Just a complete and inexplicable loss of balance and body torque befitting a Cirque performer (one of the cheap reproductions, not Cirque du Soleil). What say ye? Dive? Strange yet natural loss of balance? Act of God?   |
| Disaster Averted: Argentina Automatically Qualify. Posted: 14 Oct 2009 07:10 PM PDT Uruguay 0 - Argentina 1 They were always on their way throughout the game thanks to Chile’s Humberto Suazo, proving the third best team in qualifying weren’t going to roll over in order to see big boys Argentina knocked out. But the albiceleste then got a second gift from Martin Caceres in the form of an absolutely absurd second yellow card for pulling Jonas Gonzalez down by his ankles and capitalized in the form of a goal on the ensuing set piece. A goal via midfield substitute Mario Bolatti. That’s right, Diego Maradona is still working miracles as a coach. (Not really.) (Uruguay will face either Honduras or Costa Rica in a home and away playoff for the last remaining Americas spot.) Not quite ideal, but at least they have eight plus months to fix all that ails. Such as firing Diego Maradona. Yet the postgame scene would lead won to believe Diego is once again the hero. And despite the dogged crawl through qualifying, the late heroics required from a Chilean and a Uruguayan, chances are we see Diego Maradona donning a flappy cape next summer too. What? Why? How could they? Simple. How do you fire the only unfireable man in the country?   |
| At Least 75% of the Marbles: Uruguay v Argentina Open Thread Posted: 14 Oct 2009 02:10 PM PDT On one side, the heroic magician the world longs to adore next summer; on that same side, the heroic magician of yore much of the world would love to see enjoying a summer’s day spa. Lionel and Diego, both in danger of missing out on South Africa 2010, and you can’t wish success upon one while wishing ill upon the other. This is arguably the biggest game of World Cup 2010 qualifying. In fact, it is the biggest game. When Diego took over the albiceleste, no one expected a great deal; but perhaps only a Brazilian could’ve thought things would become this dire. One game left, qualification not guaranteed. With a win, Argentina goes through. But if they fail to take maximum points, they rely upon the result of the Chile - Ecuador fixture: Feel free to celebrate, mourn and all that lies in between in the comments.   |
| Posted: 14 Oct 2009 09:06 AM PDT
So we don’t know whether Davies will be able to play at World Cup 2010. But given the fact he’s lucky to be alive, World Cup participation suddenly seems unimportant. If you’re not familiar with Davies, he currently plays for Sochaux in Ligue 1, and made a big name for himself at the Confederations Cup, where Bob Bradley handed Davies a surprise start against Egypt in a must win game, and Davies took full advantage by scoring the opening goal. He’s been a national team regular ever since. Conor Nevins has a nice write up of Davies career so far, on his ESPN blog here. Here’s a video of Davies in action for Hammarby (in Sweden), Sochaux and the USA: According to Steven Goff at Soccer Insider, Sochaux president Alexandre Lacombe has said:
US fans are apparently planning a tribute to Davies in the ninth minute of this evening’s World Cup qualifier vs Costa Rica, since Davies wears #9. Bob Bradley has said:
I have nothing to add, other than to offer condolences to Ashley Roberta’s family and to wish Charlie Davies a speedy recovery.   |
Bit of controversy in European World Cup qualifying, with the powers that be pulling what looks like a commercially motivated bait and switch with the playoffs.
As you may have read by now, USA forward Charlie Davies | 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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