World Cup 2010 Blog: “Asian Cup Quarterfinals Preview” plus 1 more

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Asian Cup Quarterfinals Preview Posted: 20 Jan 2011 07:50 PM PST It’s something of a shame that there wasn’t some sort of elaborate Asian Cup bracket, because looking at the quarterfinal matches it reads across the board as though it could’ve been drawn up on paper. Japan, Australia and South Korea were arguably the three favorites heading in, with shouts from Iran and Qatar, all three have to be favorites to make the semifinals, along with the Uzbek upstart (Jordan’s miracles may have run dry) and the insane training regime which has spawned a new Asian power. Of course, maybe splitting the final prize 5,000 ways wouldn’t be all that wonderful. Friday, 21 Jan 2011: Uzbekistan vs. Jordan Japan vs. Qatar Saturday, 22 Jan 2011: Australia vs. Iraq Iran vs. South Korea 25 Jan 2011: Semifinal 1: Uzbekistan/Jordan winner vs. Japan/Qatar winner 25 Jan 2011: Semifinal 2: Australia/Iraq vs. Iran/South Korea winner The theory that stronger opposition in the early stages reaps stronger performances later is grounds for eternal debate, but if we assume this to be the case, the two strongest Asian showings from the World Cup, South Korea and Japan, may be on a collision course for the final with the two stiffest quarterfinal tests. The Blue Samurai take their continued evolution and sweet nickname into the house that Qatar built, simply because it’s in Doha. Form team/better team versus the home team. Earlier in the day it’s Uzbekistan and Jordan, arguably the two most surprisingly impressive teams of the groups; Jordan, in fact, was most stunningly so, but Uzbekistan seems as though it may have a little bit more. Cinderella looks as though she’ll lose her shoe here. On the other end, South Korea gets Iran, a quietly good football team, but not quite as good as South Korea, while Australia gets the defending champions, Iraq, looking for a second miracle. A brave soul would pick something a great distance from Uzbekistan v Japan and South Korea v Australia; the smart mind wouldn’t.

Paul The Octopus Gets His Monument Posted: 20 Jan 2011 08:17 AM PST The memorial for Paul the Octopus was unveiled today to throngs of press, photogs and grieving Germans. Though it might seamlessly meld into the opulent landscape of ancient Xanadu, the replica World Cup trophy featuring octopus is quite the cheeky little centerpiece. So does Spain get that one as well?

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World Cup 2010 Blog: “Paul The Octopus Gets A Shrine” plus 2 more

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• Paul The Octopus Gets A Shrine
• Semifinalists set in the Copa Centroamericana
• Nike Launches French Revolution

Paul The Octopus Gets A Shrine Posted: 18 Jan 2011 11:00 AM PST Paul the Octopus is, at this point, nothing short of immortal. The octopus that will not die could not die, even if he chose to do so, as there’s simply too much money to be made on an endearing mollusk medium. The latest in a long line of postmortem reminders that Paul is everything that Vegas fears, just perhaps slightly less slimy: he’s getting a permanent memorial at the aquarium which has hit the jackpot several times over already, hoping to inspire throngs of adoring Spaniards and fried octopus lovers into pilgrimages. Paul, the German octopus famous for correctly predicting each of Germany’s 2010 World Cup matches, will get his own permanent memorial three months after his death. The memorial corner will be unveiled Thursday at the Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen in western Germany, the aquarium said Tuesday. Dubbed “Paul’s Corner,” the centerpiece of the memorial will be the octopus oracle’s urn. Paul died aged 2-1/2 in October. We’re can’t be too far away from a Shankly-esque statue outside the headquarters of the Spanish FA. Deviating to the cinema for a moment, this is reportedly the trailer for the movie Kill Paul Octopus. If a question mark wouldn’t look like a random typo here, this is where it would go. Did Paul’s doppelganger price itself onto the cutting room floor?

Semifinalists set in the Copa Centroamericana Posted: 18 Jan 2011 09:16 AM PST There are entirely too many international tournaments going on at once right now. Between the club seasons and all of these tournaments, fans have an embarrassment of riches at the moment. We have the Asian Cup, the South American U-20s, and in Central America, the old UNCAF Nations Cup (now called the Copa Centroamericana) is also in full swing. In fact, after today's matches, the semifinalists are set, as is an unusually significant fifth-place match. If you're a football fan looking to put more than your opinion on the line on one or more of the tournaments going on right now, you could do your sports betting at BetUS. The more obscure tournaments can give great odds, and successfully picking Guatemala over Nicaragua (or vice versa) earns its own special brand of fan credibility. Those are the two teams contesting the fifth place match, which is exactly the kind of match most tournaments don't even have. But this one has it for a very good reason. The top five teams from the Copa Centroamericana earn spots in this year's CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States, and therefore, a shot (small as it may be) to represent North and Central America at the 2013 Confederations Cup. The four teams that we know are through to the Gold Cup are Honduras, El Salvador, Panama and Costa Rica. El Salvador is one match away from their best ever performance in the tournament, having finished third four times but never making it to a final. They have been powered by a shock performance from Rafael Burgos, who has three goals in El Salvador's opening two matches, and now sits at a total of four goals in five appearances for his country. – This post was brought to you by BetUS

Nike Launches French Revolution Posted: 18 Jan 2011 08:35 AM PST It’s difficult to remember a kit launch with as much anticipation as Nike’s French revolution, but that may be down to the simple fact that France was donning adidas when they stormed the Bastille. Wait no longer. Nike’s first French kit, complete with poetic ad campaign, has been unchained. And Laurent Blanc thinks it’s beautiful but terrible. The kit: Blanc: “I find that the completely blue jersey is beautiful but a bit Italian,” said Blanc after US sports apparel giants Nike unveiled the new kit in Paris. “We know that the French are very attached to the blue-white-red. I made this remark but there’s a clever thing on the sleeve that you can lift up and that’s red inside. “Afterwards it’s a question of consistency and uniformity. It will be up to the players to decide if we lift up the sleeves or not. “In any case when we play in blue we’ll have white shorts and red socks so the blue-white-red will be visible.” The potential for a schism in the locker room over turning up the sleeves/not turning up the sleeves leaves the possibility of another World Cup 2010-esque meltdown looming. Maybe Blanc’s right. Maybe it was designed by Nike’s Italian branch.

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