Off the Crossbar

It's not all whistles and handshakes

2010-03-12T13:24:00.002-05:00

BEIJING, March 12 (Reuters) - More than 200 Chinese soccer officials have been sent on a five-day "Anti-corruption Rectification Education Camp" as China tries to rebuild the game after the match-fixing scandal, local media reported on Friday.

Huang Junjie, a FIFA international referee since 1998, was taken away for questioning by police earlier this week as part of the investigation into corruption in the Chinese domestic game.

The professional match officials, who will officiate in next season's men and women's Chinese leagues, will receive lectures on anti-corruption, training in refereeing skills and take an exam, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.

Who will make it to South Africa?

2010-03-12T13:23:00.000-05:00

Yanks Abroad is out with its latest '23 tickets to South Africa' list, and while I agree with most names, there are a few points to make:

During the USA-Netherlands match, the scrawl said Feilhaber was out "indefintely." Let's hope his returning to traiing with his club is swift. He ought to be on the squad, but his health is unkown.

Stuart Holden is close to a lock, depending on fitness afeter breaking his leg in the Holland game.

Brian Ching would go into the "Work to Do" category. He doesn't score goals when it counts and couldn't rally the younger guys when the team was getting pasted by Mexico.

Replace him with Conor Casey, who has scored in WC qualifiers lately. Never can take too many strikers to a month-long tournament.
Bedoya should have a good chance of making the team.

Nice to see Beasley back, and playing the ball forward. He will be a good sub in South Africa

Not sold on Goodson yet and wondering when Ricardo Clark will be healthy.

New World Cup, new Adidas Ball

2009-12-07T09:47:00.000-05:00

I think keepers will be unhappy with this new ball. More speed but easier grip doesn't sound like much help...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/graphic/2009/dec/07/how-why-world-cup-ball-jabulani

Goals in 3-D!

2009-12-04T10:22:00.000-05:00

Good news:

Sony Corp. said Friday it has signed a deal with FIFA, the international football governing body, to record up to 25 World Cup games in 3-D — a technology that gives viewers an illusion of depth on the screen.

.....

They will be shown at Sony booths at FIFA events in Berlin, London, Mexico City, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Rome and Sydney in June and July. Highlights will be shown in Sony showrooms, and a video version will be sold through Sony Pictures.

But why not in the US?!?!?

So the WC seeds are in

2009-12-02T07:53:00.000-05:00

Pot 1: Brazil, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Argentina and England join hosts South Africa

Pot 2: Asia (Australia, Japan, Korea DPR, Korea Republic), North, Central America and the Caribbean (Honduras, Mexico, USA) and Oceania (New Zealand)

Pot 3: Africa (Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria) and South America (Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay)

Pot 4: the remaining European teams (Denmark, France, Greece, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland)

South Africa will be automatically positioned as A1; the other seeded teams will be drawn into the other groups B-H, but will always be in position “1” of their group

Groups will be drawn from A to H and the positions in the group will be drawn for Pots 2 to 4

FIFA says "Geographical criteria will also be respected, meaning that no two teams from the same confederation will be drawn in the same group (except European teams, where a maximum of two will be in a group). For example, South Africa cannot play the African teams from Pot 3 and Argentina and Brazil cannot be drawn against the three remaining South American teams.

The Ref talks US v Brazil

2009-06-27T19:04:00.001-04:00

From time to time, especially after U.S. Men's Team matches and other big games, the Ref chats with a seasoned USMNT observer -- the Samurai.

Samurai is familiar with the academy system and is a longtime watcher of the US team and club soccer.

Here is the conversation after the U.S. lost to Italy in the Confederations Cup.

Samurai : i was so depressed about the US game yesterday, but _____ pointed out some positives, and i didn't feel so bad

Samurai: he said US had some chances, just couldn’t finish, and he pointed out how Donovan took on a bunch of Brazilians in one run, and so did Dempsey

Samurai : maybe not in 2010, but by 2014, we should really start making some noise

The Ref : that Conor Casey was a bright spot

Samurai: yeah, he was.

The Ref : coulda been 3-2

Samurai : easily

The Ref : but I was depressed also

Samurai: Feilhaber took that shot really confidently, too

The Ref : that’s what I like about him and Casey. It's like they are hungry-- FIRE that ball in from under 20 yards

The Ref : like uhm, Giuseppe Rossi

Samurai : the US is going to have big fast kids coming up, too. ______'s not small, but when he goes to some of the U16 academy practices (they are '92s and '93s, and he's a '94), he's usually the smallest one by a good 6 inches

The Ref : that part is encouraging-- that there is not these one-offs like Dempsey coming out of US Soccer

The Ref : there are a lot

Samurai: the academy thing will help. now kids have somewhere to go, where colleges will recognize them. If they get recognized, they’re more likely to keep playing

Samurai : that's the key. Give the kids incentive to keep playing rather than just because they like it

The Ref : Eddie Johnson can tell them that they have to work a lot harder than the MLS to be in top shape for Europe clubs

Samurai: totally. and they need real confidence, which he seems to have lost

Samurai: Beasley too

Samurai: the other players are probably running circles around them in practice

The Ref : like Walcott on John Terry!

Samurai: the academy practices are so intense because they're constantly being pushed. so the ones that get through will be in great shape. I doubt the big MLS stars feel much heat in practices to keep pushing them

Samurai: the MLS still can afford to bring in players to push their stars, they're still bringing in players to be back ups

Samurai : see how Pearce left Walcott off the starting team, because he didn't do much in the previous game

Samurai: so when he did come in as a sub, they said he was electric

Samurai: that's what the players need, fear of not playing

The Ref : it seemed to have done the opposite to Beasley

Samurai: yeah, he probably realized he wasn't 'special'. he has good speed, but his touch and crosses aren't great. I bet those Rangers players all have great touch and can put the ball on a dime; they just might not be as fast as him

Samurai : when Beasley sees a sub crack a 30-yard shot on target, he probably gets disillusioned. I’ve never seen Beasley do stuff like that

The Ref : man this whole discussion should be a blog post

The Ref : like "today's trade" or something

Samurai: that's a great idea

The glory of winning on European soil

2009-06-26T21:26:00.002-04:00

OK, so Gooch isn't doing too bad these days...

Welcome Back

2009-06-10T20:59:00.002-04:00

We will be up and running again soon, in time for the prep for South Africa 2010

Why the U.S. is poised for soccer success

2007-03-26T12:35:00.000-04:00

As measured by FIFA points, the U.S. seems to come fairly close to satisfying the criteria needed.

This is from a paper by Eva Marikova Leeds and Michael A. Leeds, given at the Eastern Economics Association Conference, February 2007, New York, NY.

Using OLS and Poisson regressions, we corroborate previous studies and find that success increases with income, population, and having hosted a World Cup competition. We also find that a country’s political institutions and colonial heritage affect its soccer performance. In particular, being a wealthy democracy adds greatly to soccer performance. We also find that the success of a country’s club teams is a good predictor of the national team’s success. We conclude that club success reflects a nation’s willingness and ability to finance soccer success.

The full link can be found here:
http://www.holycross.edu/departments/economics/RePEc/spe/Leeds_Soccer.pdf

Claudio Who?

2007-03-26T10:35:00.000-04:00

Let's officially do an about-face on Landon Donovan. His goals, all three of them, were superb.
We had our doubts, especially after an anemic World Cup in Germany, that he could change a game.

On Sunday, he wasn't wandering around mopping up for the midfield so much as he went and grabbed that game to call his own. Has to make one feel better about the future of the U.S. Men's team scoring ability. Landon, You're L.A. and all, but you're the top player on the squad, and we will say it.

GOOD: Attacking midfield, Landon Donovan. Beasley and Dempsey actually moved the ball forward. That's been too rare of late, unfortunately.

GOOD: Feilhaber and Bradley. Good play all around.

BAD: TV coverage. The state of replay on ESPN2. How about a shot of whether the Ecuador strikers (or the U.S. ones in the first half) were offside? And Dave O'Brien. C'mon man, baseball starts soon, go there and get your kicks.

BAD: Those blue jerseys with white pin stripes looked like the cheapest ones in the Adidas' catalog. And this a Nike team!

Ratings for the U.S. win over Mexico

2007-02-10T10:39:00.000-05:00

From U.S. Soccer:

ESPN2's broadcast was the most-watched U.S. game in the team's history, outside of the World Cup and World Cup qualifiers. The network earned a 0.7 household rating, which translates to 1.1 million viewers and comes on the heels of the network’s impressive 2006 World Cup ratings. Even more impressively, the game averaged a 1.0 rating during the final 15 minutes as the USA iced the victory.

On Univision, the match also set records with more than 6 million total viewers. The U.S. victory was the No. 2 most-watched Spanish-language sports cast in history, beating every Super Bowl among Hispanic Adults 18-49, Men 18-49 and Total Viewers.

Roster announced for the US-Mexico game Feb 7

2007-01-25T13:05:00.000-05:00

GOALKEEPERS (4) – Joe Cannon (Los Angeles Galaxy), Matt Pickens (Chicago Fire), Troy Perkins (D.C. United), Matt Reis (New England Revolution)

DEFENDERS (9) – Chris Albright (Los Angeles Galaxy), Bobby Boswell (D.C. United), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Todd Dunivant (New York Red Bulls), Bryan Namoff (D.C. United), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Dasan Robinson (Chicago Fire) Eddie Robinson (Houston Dynamo)

MIDFIELDERS (7) – Kyle Beckerman (Colorado Rapids), Brian Carroll (D.C. United), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Joshua Gros (D.C. United), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids)

FORWARDS (6) – Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (Kansas Cit y Wizards), Nate Jaqua (Los Angeles Galaxy), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)

A little-known aspect of the Beckham-MLS signing

2007-01-18T14:00:00.000-05:00

The guys over at Yanks-Abroad have nailed it. Are there really going to be more Europeans coming over to play in the U.S.?

But tell me, how many top European players are going to sacrifice top paychecks in England, Germany, Italy and Spain to play in front of 20,000 on a hot and humid New York City evening in July?

A remote chance of playing in the CONCACAF Champions Cup or a legitimate shot of playing in the Champions League (probably the best tournament in the world of ANY sport)?

Lets face it, even with the new rule, MLS will still be as likely to attract old, nearly has-been soccer players as it ever has before. They just have the ability to pay them better (are you listening, Ronaldo?).

Beckham signing and the death of the MLS

2007-01-11T12:31:00.000-05:00

Who got the better deal, Fulham paying $4 million for Clint Dempsey or MLS shelling out $150 million for Beckham?

Fulham. No doubt about it. Beckham’s signing is the death of the MLS.

Quick quiz: Who said this:

"I didn't want to go out there at 34 years old and for people to turn around and say he's only going there to get the money. It's not what I'm going out there to do.

"I'm going to hopefully build a club and a team that has a lot of potential. I think that is what excites me."

A) Lothar Matthaeus

B) Yuri Djorkaeff

C) David Beckham

The answer is D) all of the above.

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LONDON (AP) - David Beckham will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season to join the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer in a five-year deal believed to be one of the richest in sports history.

Why the World Cup is important, reason #315

2007-01-03T08:49:00.000-05:00

An 89% TV market share in France for the semifinal against Portugal, that's why ---

French commercial broadcaster TF1 attracted record TV ratings in 2006, in large part due to the success of its World Cup coverage.

TF1 broadcast 98 of the top 100 programmes in France in 2006, one more than in 2005 and its best annual result since 1991.

The top audience figure of the year was for the World Cup semi-final match between France and Portugal on July 5 which brought in 22,2 million viewers and a 76.7 per cent audience share according to Médiamétrie figures, beating the 21.4 million TF1 brought in for the final of Euro 2000, between France and Italy.

The peak for the France-Portugal match registered at 25.1 million viewers, an 88.5 per cent share.

US Men's roster for training for Denmark, Jan. 20

2007-01-03T07:41:00.000-05:00

Roster By Position

GOALKEEPERS (4) – Joe Cannon (Los Angeles Galaxy), Troy Perkins (D.C. United), Matt Pickens (Chicago Fire), Matt Reis (New England Revolution)

DEFENDERS (11) – Chris Albright (Los Angeles Galaxy), Bobby Boswell (D.C. United), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Danny Califf (Aalborg BK), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Todd Dunivant (New York Red Bulls), Bryan Namoff (D.C. United), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Heath Pearce (FC Nordsjælland), Dasan Robinson (Chicago Fire), Eddie Robinson (Houston Dynamo)

MIDFIELDERS (10) – Kyle Beckerman (Colorado Rapids), Brian Carroll (D.C. United), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution), Joshua Gros (D.C. United), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), Brian Mullan (Houston Dynamo), Pat Noonan (New England Revolution)

FORWARDS (6) – Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Alecko Eskandarian (Toronto FC), Nate Jaqua (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Johnson Kansas City Wizards), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire)

FIFA axes staff after Mastercard decision

2006-12-12T10:48:00.000-05:00

FIFA announced Monday that it has fired its director of marketing and three other employees in the wake of a ruling by a New York judge earlier this month that credit card company MasterCard can sponsor the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.

MasterCard sued football's ruling body over the way sponsorship rights were awarded earlier this year, arguing that FIFA had signed a deal with rival Visa in April and ignored the fact that it had first refusal on hosting the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.

FIFA is currently considering lodging an appeal against the December 7 decision but has already decided that its director of marketing & TV division, Jerome Valcke, and three other employees in the division have to go.

Stories are here and here

Highlights of the Euro 2008-ESPN deal

2006-12-11T10:35:00.000-05:00

Highlights of the agreement:

TELEVISION AND RADIO RIGHTS
· United States: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Classic will combine to present exclusive live coverage of all matches, including the title match on ABC, June 29. Additional coverage will include highlights show on match days, unlimited re-air rights across all networks and media platforms, magazine programs, and UEFA EURO 2008™ Final Draw. ESPN Deportes will be the exclusive Spanish-language network for EURO 2008 in the United States. The network will feature separate Spanish-language studio highlights show on match days, and Spanish-language editions of the EURO 2008 Final Draw, magazine programs and match re-airs.

· Exclusive radio rights in U.S. (ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio or via a sub-license in the region)
· Canada: Exclusive coverage of all matches in English (TSN) and French (RDS); 30-minute pre-game and 15-minute post-game shows on English-language telecasts; and other ancillary programming listed above.

1 Latin America Territory: Coverage of all matches and other ancillary programming listed above across ESPN, and regional networks ESPN Dos and ESPN+.

NEW MEDIA RIGHTS
ESPN360 – ESPN’s growing interactive and customizable broadband service will simulcast one live match per day (except ABC matches). In addition, matches will be available on-demand following the telecasts.
Mobile ESPN Publishing – ESPN’s wireless content licensing business will offer in-progress UEFA EURO 2008™ video clips, in-progress slide shows, highlight packages, scoring updates.
ESPN.com, ESPNSoccernet.com and ESPNDeportes.com – Dedicated UEFA EURO 2008™ sections featuring live match coverage, highlights and video news reports, columns, match previews, player profiles and real-time data.

A column on US Soccer's coaching approach that just about gets it right

2006-12-09T07:42:00.000-05:00

This column nails it, mostly. Nothing against Bradley, but this deal should be about taking US Soccer to the next level, not being a marketing puppet for the MLS.

Some choice excerpts:

"That giggling the Americans are hearing? It's coming from Italy, Brazil, Germany, France and England. If you want to be a powerhouse, it starts with finding somebody — not just anybody — to run the show. Now."

"Instead, the Americans proved again they're second-class citizens of the soccer world. Not only did U.S. Soccer not seal the deal with Klinsmann after five months, they couldn't decide on anybody."

"Most important, Klinsmann would have generated interest with Americans whose soccer knowledge begins and ends with David Beckham. He's good-looking, intelligent and articulate, and just look what he did for his home country. After decades of repressing even the slightest hint of nationalism, the Germans broke loose with a monthlong bender of jubilation and pride."

Good news, Euro 2008 coming to Stateside TV!

2006-12-09T07:33:00.000-05:00

As long as it's not up against the NBA draft or NASCAR pre-race commentary, or ice-dancing, ABC will put it on the air!

NYON, Switzerland - ESPN and ABC will televise soccer's 2008 European Championship under an agreement announced Friday by the Union of European Football Associations.

All 31 games will be televised in the United States: two by ABC and the rest by ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPN Classic. The tournament will be played in Austria and Switzerland from June 7-29.

"We continue to see the appeal of soccer in America growing, and particularly when comes in a time of the day that's unique and not up against U.S. sports prime time," ESPN International executive vice president Russell Wolff said.

Set the calendar for So. Africa, June 11 to July 11

2006-12-07T10:14:00.000-05:00

Fifa has announced that the 2010 World Cup in South Africa will take place between 11 June and 11 July.

World football's Executive Committee has also decided to keep the qualifying format from the last World Cup so the host's place is guaranteed.
In addition, there will be places for 13 European countries, five Asian and Oceania teams, and a total of eight for South America and the Central American region.
The bidding process for the 2014 World Cup was also officially opened after the two-day meeting.
This will be held in South America, with Brazil as favourites, after a decision in May 2002 to rotate the competition on a continent basis.

The votes show it all- Klinsi needs to build a US team, not the MLS!

2006-12-05T10:27:00.000-05:00

From Fox Soccer's Web page:

Klinsi it is ! (so far)

2006-12-05T10:13:00.000-05:00

German legend to lead U.S. Soccer

Jamie Trecker / Fox Soccer Channel
Posted: 3 hours ago

Jürgen Klinsmann will be named head coach of the U.S. men's national team within two weeks according to a number of well-placed sources with knowledge of the deal.

Germany earns 56 million euros from World Cup

2006-12-04T08:08:00.000-05:00

Not too shabby.....

BERLIN, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Germany's World Cup organising committee earned a net profit of 56.5 million euros ($75 million) and will hand the money to the football association (DFB) and professional league (DFL), the DFB said on Wednesday.

The DFB announced at a news conference that the World Cup organising committee had total earnings of 140 million euros from the tournament -- it turned over 40 million euros directly to world governing body FIFA and paid 44 million euros in taxes.

DFB president Theo Zwanziger said in Frankfurt that the 56.5 million earmarked for the DFB and DFL would be divided and the DFL would use its share for "measures that serve the public good".

FIFA ousts Iran for interference

2006-11-24T11:26:00.000-05:00

ZURICH (Reuters) - FIFA said on Thursday it had suspended Iran from all international soccer activity because of government interference in running the game in the country.
The move comes just five months after Iran took part in the World Cup finals in Germany and a week after Iran sealed their place in the 2008 Asian Cup finals, winning their qualifying group by beating South Korea 2-0 in Tehran.

US FIFA ranking slide continues

2006-11-23T07:25:00.000-05:00

The next coach/manager has quite a task ahead....

US Checks in at 31st in Latest FIFA Rankings

USSoccerPlayers (November 22, 2006) -- The United States fell two spots to No. 31 in the latest FIFA rankings, published on Wednesday. It marks the first time since June of 1999 that the US hasn't been included in the top 30.
A record of 0-1-2 at the 2006 World Cup dropped the US out of the top 15 in FIFA's rankings this past summer. However, the team's inactivity since losing 2-1 to Ghana on June 22 has contributed to their drop in the rankings. Though the US is still without a head coach since parting ways with Bruce Arena in July, they will face Denmark in an international friendly on January 20 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

Looks like Jose Pekerman will be the new US coach

2006-11-20T14:12:00.000-05:00

AP has a story from Friday....

Former Argentina coach Jose Pekerman is on the verge of taking over the United States national team.
According to the U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati, a deal is only being held up by some minor stumbling blocks.
"We did not sign the contract yet, but it just lacks some details," Gulati told Mexican newspaper La Opinion on Friday.

Sunil on the search for the new U.S. coach

2006-10-30T15:23:00.000-05:00

Comments from U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati.

On the search for the new head coach (13 people interviewed so far!):

"I'm not going to deny we've talked to Klinsmann."
"There is still four to five people were are still talking to, most of them are coaching teams currently. Some of that is changing as the MLS playoffs wind down. "
Some candidates are coaching internationally.
No one has been given an offer.
Announcement to come late November-early December.
Person has to be successful and have the ability to sell the game, speak some Spanish.

Here is who it isn't going to be: Guus Hiddink, Arsene Wegner, Felipe Scolari

Oh and the US will be playing in the Copa America, where they haven't been since 1995.

"Clearly the [World Cup] results emphasize ... that we need to get involved in some additional competition," Gulati said.

All You Fakers

2006-10-25T13:09:00.000-04:00

The shocking extent of cheating, gamesmanship and diving and that blights professional football has been laid bare when FIFA revealed that more than half of the players treated on the pitch during this summer's World Cup were not actually injured.
As the Premiership and Europe's other top leagues try desperately to find ways to cut down on the game's greatest modern curse, a report from FIFA's chief medical officer has revealed a cheating culture at the highest level of the game.
"Fifty-eight per cent of the players who were treated on the pitch during the 2006 World Cup eventually turned out not to be injured," confirmed FIFA.

Forces are gathering outside the gates of Castle Blatter

2006-10-16T11:29:00.000-04:00

Reuters is reporting that FIFA's six continental confederations will meet before December's scheduled FIFA executive committee meeting to draw up proposals for how they would like to see FIFA run -- gaining themselves more autonomy in the process.

The move could result in a dilution of FIFA's powers in enforcing their decisions globally, according to the administrator who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity.

Bora's Back, Baby!

2006-10-16T11:19:00.000-04:00

Did he ever really go away?

The man who has piloted 5 (five!) different countries to the World Cup finals has been hired as Jamaica's technical director and charged with guiding the Reggae Boyz to the World Cup finals in South Africa in 2010.

Bora Milutinovic is back.

Blatter wants to eliminate penalties as tie breakers

2006-10-01T07:32:00.000-04:00

Here we go again.
A lame idea from FIFA, yet again. But Sepp has a lot of them, doesn't he?

U.S. drops 6 places to 29 in FIFA rankings

2006-09-13T14:35:00.000-04:00

Sandwiched between Turkey and Ecuador.

Rank

Team

Pts:
Sep 06

+/-Rank
Aug 06

+/-Pts: Aug 06

26	Guinea	815	-4	-35
27	Egypt	814	-3	-27
28	Turkey	810	0	-14
29	USA	805	-6	-43
30	Ecuador	785	-3	-41
31	Tunisia	780	-1	-25
32	Serbia	759	1	26

The bitterest pill is hard to take

2006-09-13T06:54:00.000-04:00

Bruce Arena leaves not so quietly. He says no one could have prepared his team better for the World Cup 2006 in Germany.

Except that, well, 16 others did, and made it out of the group stage.

From here:

“I know Sunil likes those quick-fix, fancy type of things, but there’s not a foreign coach that will do any better than an American coach, or what I did.”
Arena was referring to Sunil Gulati, the president of the United States Soccer Federation. After the United States was eliminated from the recent World Cup after the first round, Gulati did not renew Arena’s contract and began a global search for his replacement.
“I don’t think they will be able to attract a big-time coach,” Arena said. “If they could, he would have been here already.”

Klinsi, pick up the phone!

Sepp Blatter grades himelf

2006-09-01T09:30:00.000-04:00

"It's everyone's fault but my own" excuse, brought to you by Sepp Blatter, FIFA's top executive...

FIFA President Sepp Blatter gave this year's World Cup in Germany eight out of 10 for the standard of soccer and nine out of 10 for organization.
Blatter, interviewed by FIFA magazine, said he would have liked more attacking play particularly after the opening round. The tournament, with 2.29 goals per game, was the second-lowest- scoring after the 1990 event in Italy.

``It seemed in the knockout phases the priority for most of the teams was avoiding defeat,'' Blatter, 70, was quoted saying in the magazine's September issue. Some top players ``were impeded by the shackles that coaches placed upon them.''

Confirmed: Travis Bickle drinks Red Bull energy drink

2006-08-24T10:23:00.000-04:00

If you can't do it on the field, well, guys, you've go a future in fashion photography.

Mexico as the best CONCACAF team. USA drops 7 places

2006-08-16T15:01:00.000-04:00

Who's to argue?

FIFA's August 16 country rankings

Rank	Team	Pts: Aug 06	+/-Rank Jul 06	+/-Pts: Jul 06
1	Brazil	1649	0	19
2	Italy	1550	0	0
3	Argentina	1479	0	7
4	France	1462	0	0
5	England	1434	0	0

USA

848

-7

-85

Washington Post writers and the MLS

2006-08-09T09:32:00.000-04:00

Taken (OK, cherry-picked) from an online chat July 26 with Steven Goff, soccer writer for the Washington Post.

Alexandria, Va.: I caught my first MLS game on TV after watching the world cup and I have to say that its like night and day. The MLS looks like a pick up game between high schoolers in comparison. How long, and what, will it take, for the MLS to have the level of player that the European leagues do?
Steven Goff: Million of dollars and millions of years from now.
It's not just MLS that is a step down from the World Cup. Try watching the Scottish or Belgian leagues. (Rangers-Celtic excluded)

World Cup scores TV equivalent of 64 Super Bowls

2006-07-25T11:45:00.000-04:00

And, it turns out, nearly half the audience was female.....

LONDON, July 25 (Reuters) - World Cup soccer delivered the equivalent of 64 Super Bowls during the month-long tournament, with an average TV audience of 93 million viewers for each match, about the same number who watched the NFL championship.
More than 5.9 billion people watched World Cup matches live in 54 global markets, according to a final tally released on Tuesday by media buying and planning firm Initiative.
About 284 million people tuned in to see Italy beat France on penalty kicks in the final on July 9, while 202 million watched the Germany-Italy semi-final and 188 million saw the other semi-final between Portugal and France.
The World Cup also attracted twice the number of viewers who watched the Athens Olympics opening ceremony, solidifying its place as the top draw for broadcasters and advertisers.
About 41 percent of the viewing audience was female, Initiative found, the highest ever share for the World Cup.

ZZ gets in shape for the MLS

2006-07-11T15:06:00.000-04:00

Univision's numbers don't lie

2006-07-11T12:43:00.000-04:00

From an article in the Financial Times:

Univision Communications, the largest Spanish-language media company in the US, on Monday revealed that nearly half the viewers of its World Cup telecasts were non-Hispanic.
Over the course of the 64-game tournament, Univision drew an estimated 50m viewers to its three US networks, 21m of whom were non-Hispanic, according to Nielsen figures.
Univision's triumph was an indication of the game's growing popularity in the US, where overall ratings more than doubled from four years ago when the games were played in Asia and broadcast on tape-delay.
They also appeared to reflect disappointment in some quarters with the English-language coverage and commentary on Walt Disney's ABC and ESPN networks, whose ratings trailed Univision throughout the tournament.

Off The Crossbar's World Cup 2006 awards

2006-07-10T15:00:00.000-04:00

Every tournament brings it surprises, and the official FIFA awards included a few. Here are our less well known awards.

Everywhere Man Award: Franz Beckenbauer, head of the German organizing committee. He attended every single match and even found time to get married. A model of German organization and drive.

First Lady of European Theatre Award: Cristiano Ronaldo. His moves are like meringue: pretty and delicate, but in the end, there’s not much there. He seems to think that it’s always somebody else’s fault when he loses the ball, making him a player who is very easy to dislike.

Overall Red Card Award: Once again FIFA introduced a new ball and new rule interpretations before a major tournament. A bad idea. Blame FIFA for the over-refereeing -- the refs were only doing what they were told. A few of them realized it would be better not to be so zealous in awarding cards.

The WTF ? Award: Zid Vicious. I mean, how many billions watch this thing on TV? What did you expect to happen after that head butt? Runner-up: To ABC-ESPN, for their broadcast teams, which were very poor, and for disgusing a black, mid-game-obscuring ad for T-Mobile as a ‘Man of the Match’ texting request. They probbaly think it’s just an “ethnic thing “ that gives Univision better ratings. Get real, ABC.

Where’s Waldo Award: Youri Djorkaeff, for showing up in the stands to watch France’s pasting of Brazil, when you told your club, The NY Red Bulls, that you had a family emergency back home.

Biggest Disappointment: Lots of competition from this one. England as a whole, with the United States not far behind. Everyone, including Brazil, appeared to have believed their own hype about how far those two teams would go. Two who didn’t read the papers and played like it counted: Owen Hargreaves and Clint Dempsey.

The Try Your Luck in Vegas Award: English referee Graham Poll, with so many yellow cards pulled out on the same player in one match, he’d be sure-fire hit on Celebrity Texas Hold ‘Em.

2006-07-05T09:28:00.000-04:00

The Wall Street Journal's Stefan Fatsis writes on why ABC-ESPN's coverage has been so crappy.

He includes this interesting passage in today's story...

The relationship [with Soccer United Marketing] has created tension.

Under the agreement, ESPN retained control over the on-air talent and editorial content of the telecasts. In planning meetings last year, ESPN and Soccer United Marketing executives agreed they wanted American voices leading coverage, according to people involved.

That ruled out several U.S.-based announcers with English, Irish or Scottish accents who have called hundreds of European soccer matches for ESPN's international network.

Fatsis goes on to write:

The soccer executives opposed the appointment of Mr. O'Brien. Their argument: Using an announcer unfamiliar with the sport might not help ratings but certainly could hurt them. "Would you ever put a guy who had never called a sport before … in the World Series, the Super Bowl or the Olympics?" a senior U.S. soccer executive says. "Never."

No wonder Univision is crushing them in the ratings.

A FIFA yellow card proposal that makes sense, at least a little bit

2006-07-04T09:35:00.000-04:00

FIFA president Sepp Blatter will consider a rule change allowing three yellow cards before a suspension in future World Cups and has called for a crackdown on players feigning injury to disrupt matches.

Currently, two bookings in the group stage or knockout phase leads to a one-match ban for a player.

Blatter told a news conference in Berlin: 'In the future there should perhaps be three yellow cards in a round before a suspension, and this is something we will take up.

'This would avoid players in the semi-finals on one yellow card who by bad luck may get a second and cannot play in the final.

'The referees should also first tell a player to calm down and then give him a yellow card the second time if it is not a very serious foul.'

World Cup betters life at Gitmo. Get me Bono, ASAP

2006-06-29T11:37:00.001-04:00

It closes the schools. It closes the shops. It even stops torture, albeit briefly.

The Washington Post reports today that prisoners in Guantanamo will be allowed to watch some of the World Cup matches.

I think ole Sepp Blatter has a new marketing theme. And Bono has to change his lyrics.

"We videotaped the games and took out the commercials, all the games Saudi Arabia played in," said Lt. Col. Mike Nicolucci, who functions as deputy warden in the U.S. detention camp for foreign terrorism suspects on the Guantanamo naval base in Cuba.

Viewing privileges were reserved for about 40 captives from Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan who live in group barracks in the medium-security section of the camp.

FIFA starts a "Michael Owen" fund

2006-06-29T11:37:00.000-04:00

For the first time in Germany, Fifa has arranged an insurance fund to compensate clubs if their players are injured during the World Cup.

The money has been raised by earmarking 5% of available prize money. Cover is provided for "temporary total disablement", permanent disablement and death.

Our guest blogger correspondent in Prague, Glasgow and of course, Germany

2006-06-28T10:38:00.000-04:00

QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE WORLD CUP

Every school boy in Scotland knows not only who Archie Gemmel is, but can re-enact the goal from the 1978 World Cup game against Holland. Of course, it was one of the World Cup few goals to remember if, like me, you are a Scotland fan. But, still, these are kids who were born in 1990, 12 years after Gemmel beat three defenders around the top of the box, including a nifty move where he sent the ball around one to the left and went around him to the right before blasting the ball into the upper left corner.

Because that is what Scots know and love. Football, or as they say, fitba.

The U.S. has scored some pretty nifty goals in its World Cup life - some that come to my mind are the goal that sent England into mourning in 1950, and I think you may have to add Dempsey's goal against Ghana this week.

Yet school kids from Portland to Omaha to the suburbs of Philly either don't care much, nor won't remember them next year.

Which is why - no matter what its record against the Faroe Islands (it was a disaster) - no matter what it's score in group play, Scotland deserves to be in the World Cup, while I would argue the U.S. does not.

What is sports? Yep, a chance for one team to play against the other. But if there are no fans, no collective sigh when a player gives up the ball, no roar when a goal is scored, no taunting the other team's fans based on their long-ago history and religious beliefs, then is it really the beautiful game?

No. At least not in the World Cup. The World Cup is not the American team vs. the Ghanaian team. It is _ or it should be _ America vs. Ghana. A substitute for wars, a way for our whole nation to go to war for one day against another, to be proud for one day to be Americans, because we play the world's most important game better than the other country. Alas, it ain't like that. Sam's Army is pretty small. The Tartan Army even goes to other country's games when they have no Scotland to support.

I met a Scot this week on the train in Munich, as we were leaving a Serbia vs. Ivory Coast game _ a game in which millions of Serbs were hanging on every touch of the ball. Oh, and it's also a game that has temporarily halted a real shooting war, a civil war in Ivory Coast, so it's a pretty big deal for the Elephants too.

But anyway this Scot _ a Presbyterian minister no less, with a crazy wig of Orange hair and a tartan tam _ told us he still follows the World Cup because he has 31 favorite teams in it. (Every team that could possibly beat England).

And so my plea to FIFA is this _ base World Cup qualification in part on the performance of the fans, as well as the team. The great teams would of course always be there - the Brazillians, the Germans, the Italians, the Argentinians. The little desperate countries that make such good stories would be there. And the Americans, who play their hearts out while their countrymen sleep or yawn and check out the papers for NFL news, wouldn't be let in, opening up a spot for countries where there are days of mourning following the day in group play where it becomes apparent that the team will stay home yet again.

Like Scotland. Who I hope to be watching beat England in 2010 in a stadium in Cape Town with thousands of Scots who will then be able to die happy.

I saw a lady outside the stadium in Munich the other night who had tears in her eyes and who said, 'I am sick and will die soon. Please trade me a souvenir for a ticket so that I might see one game before I die."

It was probably bullshit, but maybe not.

--Dave Royse

New FIFA rankings coming July 6

2006-06-24T10:58:00.000-04:00

FIFA to Reform Rankings System

The much-ridiculed FIFA world rankings are to be revised and the new system unveiled on July 6, FIFA head Sepp Blatter announced on Friday.

Germany in particular have complained that them being 19th in the rankings while Mexico are fourth and the United States fifth is unfair and that they have been penalized for playing friendly matches for the past two years.

"The rankings system is to be modified," said Blatter. "It will only take into account the results from the last four years and not eight.

"The new format will be unveiled on July 6," added the Swiss, who highlighted the case of fifth-ranked the United States as a case in point declaring that they had been hugely disappointing.

Now that the US's World Cup is over, Bruce can really say what he thinks of the MLS

2006-06-24T08:21:00.000-04:00

Get yourselves to club-level football in Europe, dudes. It can be made any clearer.....

This American team was evenly split between European and M.L.S. players. Arena said that more Americans needed to play professionally in Europe, where the soccer environment is more passionate, with greater pressure, and the competition is more intense.
Claudio Reyna, the United States captain who is retiring from the national team to focus on his club team commitments with Manchester City in the English Premier League, said he agreed with Arena that more players should go overseas.
"Because of the intensity of the leagues, and the pressure from the press and the fans, you're under that situation all the time," Reyna said. "That could be that little difference to make teams progress into the next rounds."
Donovan, the American playmaker who underachieved in this World Cup, should consider a return to Europe to sharpen his game, Arena said. Donovan had a disappointing career in the German Bundesliga before he decided to return home to play in M.L.S.

Wynalda dishes the dirt on the 1998 team

2006-06-16T10:01:00.000-04:00

Eric Wynalda, the leading scorer on the U.S. team and the first person to score a goal in MLS, reveals this nugget, in an interview with USA Today, on the 1998 team:

ESPN studio analyst Eric Wynalda says even if the U.S. team finishes last, it still will be better than the 1998 cellar-dwellers:

"The difference is that this is a real team. Regardless of the game against Italy, I guarantee that the veteran players will not be sitting in the lawn chairs in the middle of the night throwing wine bottles at the coaches' suite — like we did in France."

Reality Czech

2006-06-13T10:30:00.000-04:00

This is an accurate breakdown of what broke down for the U.S. team on Monday --

Coach Bruce Arena and several of his players noted that the Czechs' first goal, five minutes into the match, put the U.S. in a hole too deep to climb out of. As if the Czechs stumbled upon that goal like you might find a five Euro note on the sidewalk

...

Rosicky, rated by Arena as by far the player of the match, is an example of how deep grow the soccer roots of a great European team like the Czechs. Rosicky's father was a celebrated star on the national (Czechoslovakia) team, and Tomas was a serious star before he was 10, a slick pro at 17. And now: dazzling.
The Czechs, ailing and aging as they are, gave a little tutorial Monday. This is the next step.

Univision has a hit with the Mexico-Iran match

2006-06-13T10:27:00.000-04:00

Univision said its first eight games were watched by an average of 2.6 million viewers, 1.7 million more than the average of the 2002 tournament's opening weekend audience.

Univision, which plans live broadcasts of 56 of the tournament's 64 games, said the Mexico-Iran match-up scored 5.4 million viewers, making it the most watched sporting event in Spanish-language TV history.

It's D-Day-- Your Team's Name Here

2006-06-09T08:07:00.000-04:00

Bobby Convey a student of history

2006-06-08T15:23:00.000-04:00

Over at U.S. Soccer’s Studio 90 program, they got a daily show from Germany.

They get the players in for a chat and ask four questions in a segment that’s called “Back Four”

One June 7, one of the questions put to guests Eddie Pope and Bobby Convey was “Who scored the second goal in the MLS? We all know the first one was Eric Wynalda, but who was the second?”

Eddie and Bobby said "Uhm…. Hmm…. " (It was a hard question.)

The interviewer said, “Here’s a clue: It was an own goal….”

So Bobby Convey offers up “Jeff Agoos ? ”

(I couldn’t see if Eddie kept a straight face.)

I nearly fell out of my chair laughing. If Reading ever let him go, the guy could do standup, easy.

Gizza Job? Charlatans in the U.K.

2006-06-07T21:27:00.000-04:00

The good people over at Who Ate All the Bratwurst have the lowdown on which American players you might see in the Prem-ear-ship next season, including Landon.....

“The playmaker is only slight but is great on the ball, making aggressive runs, clever passes and possessing a decent shot. Claims to be happy in MLS but a 24 year old with this much talent shouldn't be wasting his time with things like play-offs, and if a Premiership team don't fancy him then Donovan would absolutely dominate the Championship.”

And Dempsey:

“Definitely aggressive, maybe a litte too much. He was suspended by his club New England Revolution in March (and brifely excluded from the national team) for fighting with his team captain Joey Franchino. To be fair to Dempsey he didn't mess about, giving the older man such a beating he spent the next few nights in hospital. Imagine what he'd do to Lee Bowyer?”

The also pick out an embarrasing error in the Times Online profile of Eddie Johnson.

Iker Ca$illa$ and Co. could be rich men

2006-06-07T12:52:00.000-04:00

The members of the Spanish national team are the potential top earners in a tense competition for the World Cup's biggest bonus pay out, with each player promised a glittering 570,000 euros (US$712,000) pay check if Spain is victorious in the championship final.

Even simple participation in the final, and then failing to win it, would still guarantee each Spanish player [substitutes and bench warmers included] a solid 360,000 euros per-man reward, officials from the Spanish Football Federation said.

...

Saudia Arabia's footballers aren't even being offered money at all, with the Saudi Arabia Football Association (SAFF) trying to tempt players with new houses or land. Prince Sultan Fahad Bin Abdulaziz, the SAFF chief, "would be extremely generous," a spokesman said.

Some countries, for reasons best known to them, are keeping the precise details of World Cup bonuses a secret.

Long-time soccer basher Frank DeFord

2006-06-06T14:55:00.000-04:00

Over there across the pond, Steven Wells takes a look at why U.S. players should like the ridicule they get – soon it could be resentment. He’s got some things dead right:

Meanwhile respected US sports journalists - having ignored the sport for the past four years - will Google like fury and emerge as venerable soccer experts, shoving aside those junior hacks who spend their entire working lives trying to squeeze a mention of the game into a monolithically monocultural sports press.

Long-time soccer bashers like Frank DeFord will dust off their tired complaints about how their beloved "American" sports fail to generate one tenth of the passion of international soccer. They might point to this year's hilariously spatchcocked International Baseball Competition and the sad fact that - as the US's Olympic basketball tournament proved - American sports have become so insular that US national teams can't even dominate those games that they (more or less) invented and which no other bugger really plays.

E.A. Sports claims the Czech Republic, Baros will lift the trophy

2006-06-06T10:41:00.000-04:00

They use a simulation engine to figure it all out. I gotta say it's interesting, and EA has been right before (think New England Patriots and the Superbowl). But I just don't buy it. Their outcomes don't line up at all with my picks.....

Using a simulation engine in the 2006 FIFA World Cup videogame, EA was able to test all 32 teams in the competition and determine that the Czech Republic would come out on top. 2006 FIFA World Cup, the officially licensed videogame of the World Cup, also predicted the following placements:

World Champion: Czech Republic
World Cup Final: Czech Republic 2 Brazil 1
1st team to be eliminated: Ecuador
Golden Shoe winner: Milan Baros, Czech Republic (7 goals)
Golden Ball winner: Pavel Nedved, Czech Republic

The Final itself was an epic battle where the Czech Republic’s resilient defense was pitted against Brazilian flair, with the Czech Republic ultimately winning 2-1 to capture its first World Cup. Goals from Ronaldo and Tomas Rosicky kept the game tied 1-1 going into the second half. The difference between the teams was Czech forward Pavel Nedved, who unlocked a weaker Brazilian backline in the 77th minute for Milan Baros to score his sixth goal of the tournament, and secure the trophy for the Czechs.

The U.S. Soccer team has its own blog for Germany

2006-06-06T10:28:00.000-04:00

It's a fun read. A sample:

Keller, once again a focal point, received a policeman's hat from the local authorities. After posing for a few photos with the hat on, he joked with the journalists that he would leave it on the front seat of his Porsche with the hope of getting out of a ticket or two.

Pee-Goal. A wee bit of fun

2006-06-05T09:36:00.000-04:00

Why stop the fun when you have to use the toilet at halftime? These "Pee-Goals" are perfect for the footie lover in your house.
"Have a word with your landlord" and "break the seal and score a hatrick, a wee bit of fun."

England's national psyche and the World Cup

2006-06-03T07:27:00.000-04:00

Imagine an alternate universe where Maradona's hand ball was caught and Beckham wasn't sent off against Argentina in 1998. Then realize it can only be an impossible version of reality.

The World Cup as ritual has a meaning beyond football. Usually the elimination is the most watched British TV programme of the year, educating the English in two contradictory narratives: one, that England has a manifest destiny to triumph, and two, that it never does.

Here are listed the 8 phases of England's eventual exit from the World Cup.....

The Power of Photoshop and the U.S. Men's Team

2006-06-01T12:51:00.000-04:00

Some of these creations are downright beautiful. From the Guardian's football site --

Smicer out of the Czech squad for the World Cup

2006-06-01T09:59:00.000-04:00

Czech midfielder Vladimir Smicer has announced that he will not play for the Czech World Cup squad in Germany.

Smicer, 33, made the announcement to journalists in Prague after a meeting with national squad manager Karel Bruckner and doctors at which they concluded that his long running injury problems prevented him starting in the competition.

Smicer broke the news to fellow players at midday Thursday.

Paraguayan Booty Call

2006-05-31T15:03:00.000-04:00

Not everybody can get private time with a Swedish photographer, but they can try....

A Swedish press photographer covering the Paraguayan squad's preparations for the World Cup has revealed that she was called in the middle of the night by a Fifa official trying to get her to meet one of the players.

Emelie Asplund was sent by Dagens Nyheter to cover Paraguay's warm-up match against Denmark last Saturday. After the match she was asleep in her hotel room when the phone rang. It was 1am.

Fifa man makes late night 'booty call' to Swedish photographer

Free World Cup video replays

2006-05-30T14:24:00.000-04:00

FIFA's website is making available a two-minute video of every match at the World Cup from June 9-July 9 tournament.

The free video highlights from all the World Cup matches will be available within an hour of the final whistle at www.fifaworldcup.com.

Bruce Arena sleeps a little easier tonight

2006-05-30T13:58:00.000-04:00

Bruce sleeps a little easier tonight. His refereeing nemesis, Jamaican referee Peter Prendergast, has been forced out with an injury.

Jamaican referee Peter Prendergast has pulled out of the World Cup finals after injuring a knee, FIFA announced on Monday.
Under the new system of having the referee and his two assistants working together as a team at the finals, linesmen Anthony Garwood of Jamaica and Joseph Taylor of Trinidad & Tobago, are also out of the event.
In a statement FIFA explained that in-depth medical examinations confirmed that Prendergast would not be fit enough to officiate at any matches at the finals which start on June 9.

Maybe its not too late for FIFA to name a U.S.-based refereeing crew.

Eddie Pope: This man would know

2006-05-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

It's his third World Cup, and he had this to say after the win over Latvia:

Obviously, it's great for us that we have so many fans out.

It’s a lot different from 1998. The country’s changing. You can look around the stadium and see how much its changed.

It’s a good send off for us, we really appreciate it.

Ronaldo in the MLS - no way (again)

2006-05-26T14:31:00.000-04:00

This just isn't going to happen.

Knee Injury means Gibbs out- Berhalter in

2006-05-26T07:48:00.000-04:00

Damn. This was bound to happen to someone. I was looking forward to see Gibbs play. But Berhalter is not a bad replacement at all and a lot of people were surprised he was left off in the first place.

Berhalter is 6' 1", 32 years old and has 44 caps. According to U.S. Soccer:

Alongside Oguchi Onyewu, helped shutdown forward Jared Borgetti to help U.S. defeat Mexico 2-0 at Columbus Crew Stadium on Sept. 3, 2005, clinching their fifth straight World Cup berth
Reached the pinnacle of his career with the MNT by starting in central defense in the USA’s knockout matches against Mexico and Germany in the 2002 World Cup His goal-bound shot stopped by the hand of German defender Torsten Frings in the quarterfinals will go down as one of the most infamous non-calls in World Cup history
Professional career in Europe has had stops in Holland, England and Germany, where he now serves as captain of Energie Cottbus after concluding his fifth season with the club

A hair-crime of the first order!

2006-05-25T15:19:00.000-04:00

from our friends at Who Ate All The Bratwurst

Don't miss the bonus Clint Mathis hairdo!

FIFA's going to re-rank after the WC, thank God

2006-05-25T12:51:00.000-04:00

FIFA will finally get serious about its rankings.

Under FIFA's old computer ranking system, explained in 2,750 words on its Web site, it awarded team ranking points based on the importance of the games _ World Cup finals vs. friendly matches, for example _ the relative strength of the teams, goals scored and conceded home or away, etc.

The new system takes into account most of the same factors, but weighs them differently.

Phew! Reyna appears OK

2006-05-25T12:39:00.000-04:00

Fom the NY Times :

A magnetic resonance imaging test on midfielder Claudio Reyna's injured right hamstring, which he strained during a 1-0 exhibition loss to Morocco in Nashville on Tuesday, revealed no muscle damage, a spokesman for the United States national team said yesterday.

Top 10 reasons why soccer is catching on in the U.S.

2006-05-23T14:24:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of our friends at 'Who Ate All The Bratwurst'

personal favorite:

George Bush officially acknowledged the existence of soccer recently. Still no word on global warming though.

ESPN to show behind-the-scenes footage of the U.S. team

2006-05-23T08:17:00.000-04:00

ESPN TO AIR BEHIND-THE-SCENES FEATURES NIGHTLY FROM MAY 24-29 ON SPORTSCENTER

Sports fans will get another view inside the locker room of the U.S. Men’s National Team when ESPN’s SportsCenter kicks off a series of behind-the-scenes features that will air nightly from May 24-29.

SportsCenter’s World Cup reporter Shelley Smith will deliver the 90-second segments that will be shot and aired the same day, showing scenes from training, team meetings, locker rooms and wherever else the cameras might make their way during the five-day window.

The BBC tsk-tsks its way through a DC United game

2006-05-22T08:58:00.000-04:00

And says, its immature friends in America just don't get football.

This kind of news story is getting so tiring and is such a retread. No, we haven't gone into national spasms of self-defeatism because our two top strikers have broken metatarsals.

Bruce has taken his team through a week or so of camp with no injuries. All the pressure is on England this summer, as it usually is.

And don't even hint that "Bolivian-born captain" is some sort of cut. Moreno is beloved, and rightly so.

Tidbits from U.S. Soccer camp at Cary

2006-05-19T15:14:00.000-04:00

The usscocerplayers.com blog of Marc Connolly has some inspiring tidbits from training camp in Cary, N.C.

Worth the read.

Commitment to a sport, May 18 edition

2006-05-18T12:56:00.000-04:00

The Costa Rica government Wednesday decreed a holiday for its employees on Friday June 9, the day of the first World Cup game between Costa Rica's national team and the hosts Germany.

"The vacation is only for that day. We decided to give people the morning so that they can watch not just the match, but also the World Cup's opening ceremony," presidency minister, Rodrigo Arias, told reporters.

AND

Banks in Brazil can shorten their hours to give employees a chance to watch the national soccer team's World Cup games on television, the Central Bank said on Wednesday.

Banks and other financial institutions must open for at least four hours on match days, but can otherwise set their own schedule, the Central Bank said in a statement

English and German leagues send the most players to the World Cup

2006-05-18T12:52:00.000-04:00

According to Deloitte's analysis of official player lists there are more than 100 players from English clubs in the official World Cup squads, equivalent to one in seven in total.

The top four clubs are Chelsea (16 players in official player lists), Arsenal (15), Manchester United (12) and Liverpool (9).

Hosts Germany has the next largest contingent of players (contributing over 70 players).

How to almost guarantee a goal from a corner this summer

2006-05-18T08:20:00.000-04:00

Imagine you are a World Cup keeper, waiting anxiously to defend a header in a match against the U.S. As the ball flies across, you see this and think, just before the ball rips through the netting behind you, “Well, it’s been a good run.”

ABC returns Rob Stone and his amateur commentary to ruin your World Cup viewing

2006-05-18T07:58:00.000-04:00

You'd be better off turning the sound off when he's calling the games. He'll shout "PK" whenever anyone goes down in the box. He'll get over-excited at the wrong moments. He'll screw up names of foreign players. He'll make you uneasy as a fan of the game. I'll take Harkes-y and Wynalda any day over that clown.

Below is a list of broadcast pairings and their broadcast locations during the World Cup:

ESPN/ABC ANNOUNCE FIFA WORLD CUP BROADCAST TEAMS:

BROADCAST TEAMS
Play-by-play, Analyst - Location
Dave O’Brien, Marcelo Balboa - Germany
JP Dellacamera, John Harkes - Germany
Rob Stone, Robin Fraser - Germany
Glenn Davis, Shep Messing - ESPN HQ
Adrian Healey, Tommy Smyth - ESPN HQ

In addition to the five teams above, Eric Wynalda, Alexi Lalas and Julie Foudy will serve as studio analysts from the United States. ESPN/ABC Sports have announced their broadcasters for the network’s coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup beginning June 9 in Germany.

Wold Cup predictor form the BBC

2006-05-16T15:22:00.000-04:00

Pretty good.

Predict the winning team from each match by clicking the button next to their name. That team will then progress to the next round.

Chart from Goldman Sachs of World Cup country odds

2006-05-12T11:48:00.000-04:00

Click for a larger version:

Goldman Sachs makes the call on the World Cup

2006-05-12T10:59:00.000-04:00

The Goldman Sachs World Cup and Economics 2006 survey suggests there is a limit to how much overlap there is between the beautiful game and the murky world of finance.

Goldman Sachs says that when it comes to footballing success, population size matters. Luxembourg, Switzerland and Norway have three of the highest living standards in the world but feature nowhere in the World Cup. By contrast, the four most populous countries in the European Union -- Britain, Germany, France and Italy -- are the only European nations to have lifted the trophy.

“This suggests that there may be a common denominator between size and football success,’’ said Jim O’Neill, the company’s chief economist. “Perhaps it is simply the size of population that matters for football success in Europe. Other economic measures matter less.’’

Using a probability model, combining official rankings and book-makers’ odds and the toughness of each team’s World Cup schedule, Goldman says Brazil has a one-in-eight chance of lifting the trophy. England, using the same yardstick, are second. Should England win for the first time since 1966, there would be a feelgood factor that would help boost an economy already on course for robust growth this year and next, according to the investment bank.

Thanks, George. Now go back to fishing and ruining the country

2006-05-12T10:27:00.000-04:00

Direct from the leader of the free world:

"Of course the U.S. is my team,” he said. “I’ve been told that we have a good team. But who knows whether it’s good enough to win.”

Quantum science and penalty-taking

2006-05-12T10:06:00.000-04:00

A mind more brilliant than ours has analyzed how to best take a penalty shot. Ken Bray has come up with areas called "unsaveable zones."
Has someone translated this into Italian?

Bray has analysed memorable games over the past 50 years and applied research in physics, biology, computing and psychology to the beautiful game.

“If a player were to place the ball in those regions which are 28-30% of the goal area there is not a sniff that the goalkeeper can do to get across to them,” explained Bray, from the University of Bath in England.
He advised goalkeepers to move before the kick is taken because if they wait, the ball will be half way to the goal before they make a move.
He said where the striker places and points his standing foot is a good clue to where the ball will go.
“It’s been shown that in about 85% of cases the direction in which that foot points is the direction of the shot,” he told a news conference in London.

FIFA to publish each country's roster on May 18

2006-05-12T09:32:00.000-04:00

World football's governing body FIFA will put a list of each country's final World Cup squads on its Web site May 18, three days after the submission deadline.

England names its preliminary squad

2006-05-08T12:30:00.000-04:00

England's provisional 23-man World Cup squad:

Robinson (Tottenham), James (Manchester City), Green (Norwich),
G Neville (MU), R Ferdinand (MU), Terry (Chelsea), A Cole (Arsenal), Campbell (Arsenal), Carragher (Liverpool), Bridge (Chelsea), Beckham (Real
Madrid), Carrick (Tottenham), Lampard (Chelsea), Gerrard (Liverpool),
Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Jenas (Totenham), Downing
(Middlesbrough), J Cole (Chelsea), Lennon (Tottenham),
Rooney (MU), Owen (Newcastle), Crouch (Liverpool), Walcott (Arsenal).

Five standby players: Scott Carson, Luke Young, Nigel Reo-Coker,
Jermain Defoe, Andy Johnson.

Freakonomics: Watching the 2030 World Cup from the family section

2006-05-07T14:58:00.000-04:00

The New York Times has an interesting take on the birth month of elite soccer players..

If nothing else, the insights of Ericsson and his Expert Performance compatriots can explain the riddle of why so many elite soccer players are born early in the year.
Since youth sports are organized by age bracket, teams inevitably have a cutoff birth date. In the European youth soccer leagues, the cutoff date is Dec. 31. So when a coach is assessing two players in the same age bracket, one who happened to have been born in January and the other in December, the player born in January is likely to be bigger, stronger, more mature. Guess which player the coach is more likely to pick? He may be mistaking maturity for ability, but he is making his selection nonetheless. And once chosen, those January-born players are the ones who, year after year, receive the training, the deliberate practice and the feedback — to say nothing of the accompanying self-esteem — that will turn them into elites.
This may be bad news if you are a rabid soccer mom or dad whose child was born in the wrong month. But keep practicing: a child conceived on this Sunday in early May would probably be born by next February, giving you a considerably better chance of watching the 2030 World Cup from the family section.

World Cup financial losers

2006-05-05T07:57:00.000-04:00

Not sure what Fidelity is saying here.

Fidelity's research reveals emerging nations appearing at next month's finals have performed the best since 2002. The Ukraine, featuring the explosive striker Andriy Shevchenko, led the way with a 588% return, followed by unfancied Saudi Arabia, which has soared 444%.

One of the tournament favourites, Argentina, is also near the top of the financial performance table with a 418% rise, while dark horses the Czech Republic returned 277%. Tournament favourites Brazil have also done well off the pitch, with a 240% rise over the past four years.

Age v. Caps (updates for Albright) and a bonus Olsen stat

2006-05-04T15:50:00.000-04:00

Tournament		Avg. Age	Avg. Caps
1990	(22 players)	23.5	24.6
1994	(22 players)	26.1	42.0
1998	(22 players)	28.1	46.6
2002	(23 players)	28.8	55.1
2006	(23 players)	28.3	41.8

And, according to U.S. Soccer ---

.742

Winning percentage for the USA in games in which Olsen earns a cap, the best in U.S. Soccer history (the U.S. is 19-3-11 in his 33 appearances)

Ouch! Hejduk blows his ACL; Albright to replace him on the roster for Germany

2006-05-04T07:31:00.000-04:00

Hejduk was the fittest member of the squad. This is kind if like a changing of the (rear ) gaurd

Chris Albright has been added to the USA’s 23-man roster for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, replacing defender Frankie Hejduk who today was diagnosed with a torn ACL in his right knee. Albright will join the U.S. training camp on May 10 in Cary, N.C.

Hejduk, a two-time World Cup veteran, suffered the injury during the Crew’s 1-0 loss to Kansas City on April 29 in Columbus. Despite the injury, Hejduk completed the match as well as a full training session Tuesday before experiencing pain in his knee. An MRI taken this afternoon confirmed the ACL injury.
Albright, who was named to the 13-player alternate list for the World Cup during the official announcement on the May 2 edition of SportsCenter, has appeared in 19 matches for the United States.

World Cup salaries

2006-05-03T14:24:00.000-04:00

It's not just the prestige. There's also a nice payday.

From USA Today.

The opening of the 2006 World Cup in Germany is five weeks away, but already the U.S. players selected to play in the June 9-July 9 competition will cash in.

Under terms of a deal brokered last year between the U.S. Soccer Federation and the U.S. National Soccer Team Players' Association that runs through 2010:
Each player named receives $37,500.
Each player earns $3,750 for each game the U.S. team plays.
The team will earn $150,000 for each point in the standings in the three first-round games (three points for a win, one for a tie) it accumulates, with a $2.775 million bonus awaiting should it progress to the knockout phase. That bonus alone works out to approximately $120,652 for each player.
The team receives additional bonuses for advancing to the quarterfinals ($2.25 million), semifinals ($2.625 million) and the final ($3 million). Winning the World Cup would earn an additional $3.75 million; finishing third is worth $500,000.

The 2002 team that advanced to the quarterfinals paid out $200,543 a player.

Age v. Caps -- Part 2

2006-05-03T09:03:00.000-04:00

The 2006 World Cup U.S. Men's team has an average age of slightly less than 28.5 years and an average of 44 caps under their belt. The measures from the previous World Cups are below:

Tournament		Avg. Age	Avg. Caps
1990	(22 players)	23.5	24.6
1994	(22 players)	26.1	42.0
1998	(22 players)	28.1	46.6
2002	(23 players)	28.8	55.1
2006	(23 players)	28.5	44

But here's some other interesting numbers: The listed forwards have an average height of 6 feet; the listed defenders averge 5'10". Take Wolff (5'8"), who's a good player off the ball and Cherundolo (5'6"), who's got speed in the back, and those numbers rise significantly.

One last one: California has produced 7 players.

Fitness and experience

2006-05-02T19:30:00.000-04:00

Bruce’s theme was that experience counts, but you play yourself onto this squad. He kept an eye on injuries, but also kept another eye trained on MLS games.

Midfielder John O’Brien, who played every minute of every game in 2002, was the only cloudy issue. His fitness is returning and Bruce called him “a little bit of a question.”

This time, the U.S. is monitoring the fitness of the team. “In 2002 some players were not fit,” Bruce said. Ralston and Noonan’s injuries didn’t help their cause.

“I think John Spector was a possibility, but that injury a few weeks ended the dream he may have had.”

Gone are the memories of the 1998 embarrassment, according to Arena.

The U.S. has 12 players who’ve been in a World Cup; the Czech Republic, Bruce said, has none. Landon Donovan “in his mind, he has picture of what a World Cup looks like. And that’s an incredible asset.”

“I realize now that this is my job, and I need to be better professional,” including more massages, drink more fluids and get to bed early, Donovan said.

What got Ben Olsen on the team?

Bruce: “Ben Olsen got Ben Olsen on the team.”

“The eight (midfielders) we decided on gives us the right kind of balance in case of injuries.”

On McBride: “Got better in last couple of years, against good competition. Invaluable.”

On Brian Ching: “Good start to MLS season. Did fantastic in game against Guatemala. The big goal he scored against Jamaica. He’s in pretty good form right now.”

On paper this team in better than in 2002, Arena said. "Size, or what have you, is another apsect of our game that is better this time around.”

Donovan agreed: “You can’t go into a World Cup timid, and you can’t go into it shy. We are here for a reason, and we are here to win. Everyone has to take that responsibility.” (He also said the U.S could face Brazil in the second round and that they could beat them BUT 9 times out of 10 they wouldn't.)

Other Bruce comments--

On Hejduk: “He wasn’t the first name I wrote down when I put together the roster. He’s fit again and brings a lot of experience. Likley not in first 11.”

Gibbs: “He put a stamp on the fact that he’s healthy and he’s a player we can depend on.”

Dempsey: “Aggressive, not afraid to shoot from distance, become more responsible on defense.”

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

UNITED STATES 2006 FIFA WORLD CUP ROSTER BY POSITION (All-time World Cup Roster Selections)

Goalkeepers (3): Marcus Hahnemann (2006), Tim Howard (2006), Kasey Keller (1990, 1998, 2002, 2006)
Defenders (8): Carlos Bocanegra (2006), Steve Cherundolo (2002, 2006), Jimmy Conrad (2006), Cory Gibbs (2006), Frankie Hejduk (1998, 2002, 2006), Eddie Lewis (2002, 2006), Oguchi Onyewu (2006), Eddie Pope (1998, 2002, 2006)
Midfielders (8): DaMarcus Beasley (2002, 2006), Bobby Convey (2006), Clint Dempsey (2006), Landon Donovan (2002, 2006), Pablo Mastroeni (2002, 2006), John O’Brien (2002, 2006), Ben Olsen (2006), Claudio Reyna (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006)
Forwards (4): Brian Ching (2006), Eddie Johnson (2006), Brian McBride (1998, 2002, 2006), Josh Wolff (2002, 2006)

The 23-man roster for Germany

2006-05-02T19:12:00.000-04:00

Here is the offical list, if you can call up the page:

http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_280933.html

12 from Europe
11 from MLS

Everyone's happy, except for Tewllman. Sorry, dude.

MGM Mirage odds

2006-05-02T18:43:00.000-04:00

The US, Holland and France are all 8 to1 to win the World Cup??

It's Ching over Twell and Conrad in back

2006-05-02T18:40:00.000-04:00

No other surprises yet.
Lots of compliments for Oguchi, Pope, and Keller & Howard.
Armas, Noonan, Ralston Albright all alteranates

If your most promising World Cup in 40 years just went down the toilet, you'd be obsessively analyizing it, too

2006-05-02T11:40:00.000-04:00

This is probably the most interesting thing you will read today.

At an approximate initial velocity of 30 kmh, Rooney decelerated to avoid the tackle and hit the ground at 20 kmh , all in about two and a half feet, landing on his right forefoot. With 80 kgs of body weight. That amounts to about 1920 Newtons of force crashing down on a small area. Or in more prosaic terms his foot was smashed by an object weighing 200 kgs dropping down on it.

U.S. World Cups, Age v. Caps

2006-05-01T15:16:00.000-04:00

An interesting set of data from U.S. Soccer.

Tournament		Avg. Age	Avg. Caps
1990	(22 players)	23.5	24.6
1994	(22 players)	26.1	42.0
1998	(22 players)	28.1	46.6
2002	(23 players)	28.8	55.1
2006	(23 players)	?	?

If I had the time or the money

2006-05-01T12:34:00.000-04:00

If I had the time or the money, I'd be doing a graphic like this one below for a living.
I hope the graphics department at the Washington Post Web site (or the paper?) are looking at this kind of thing for the U.S. team. From the U.K. Times Online