Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Cameroon, Japan
Netherlands – The Dutch are currently ranked as the 4th best team in the world by FIFA. They cruised through qualification in a relatively easy group and are poised for a deep run in this year’s tournament. The Dutch have always had one of the most disciplined and balanced sides in the world and became renowned for their “total football,” which was first described for the 1974 Cup run Johan Cruyff and the Netherlands had when they finished as runners-up. The Netherlands were the first European team to qualify for South Africa accomplishing the feat in June of 2009. They also went undefeated in their qualifying group allowing only 2 goals in the eight matches they played. The usual high powered Dutch offense did only score 17 goals in 8 games, however, against relatively weak competition in their qualifying campaign. Despite their reputation, the Dutch haven’t had as much success as one might think in their World Cup history. After finishing 4th in France 1998, they shockingly failed to qualify for Korea/Japan 2002 and lost in the second round in Germany 2006.
The Dutch squad is full of dynamic and technically skilled players. The midfield and offense especially consists of world class players who have experience at the highest club levels. Leading the offense are Arjen Robben, who starred for Bayern Munich this past season, Robin Van Persie of Arsenal who scored both goals in the Netherlands 2-0 win over Mexico recently, and workhorse Dirk Kuyt of Liverpool, who along with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar led the Dutch in scoring in qualification. In the midfield captain Mark Van Bommel leads the way defensively while Real Madrid man Rafael Van der Vaart and Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder constantly join the attack and threaten the opposition. Sneijder had a fantastic performance in the Champions League Final where he assisted on the first goal in Inter’s 2-0 victory which earned them the first Treble for an Italian side. If the Netherlands can live up to their potential, which they have sometimes struggled to do at the Finals, they can make a deep run in the tournament and can be a contender to win it all.
Key Player: Arjen Robben – The Bayern Munich star had a fantastic season for his German club which made it all the way to the UEFA Champions League final losing to Inter Milan. Robben scored two memorable goals on Bayern’s way to the final, scoring a late away goal against Fiorentina in the Round of 16 to secure advancement and accomplishing the same feat against favored Manchester United in the following round. Once Robben moved to Bayern from Real Madrid this past season, he shined in the Bundesliga scoring at a frequent pace leading the team in goals with 16 despite starting only 18 league games and appearing in 24 total. Robben’s pace and left-footed shot are his biggest assets. He appears to be in great form leading up to South Africa and the Netherlands will need him if they are to be a contender to win their first World Cup title.
Denmark – The Scandinavians had an impressive run in qualification winning their group ahead of Portugal and rivals Sweden, who they defeated both times they faced off. They also defeated the Portuguese away on a stunning late goal to earn them a key 3-2 victory. The Danes also didn’t lose a qualification match until their final game against Hungary when they had already clinched a spot in the Finals. Veteran Christian Poulsen leads the midfield with his pace and strength to try and feed strikers Nicklas Bendtner of Arsenal and 33 year old Jon Dahl Tomasson, who is only two goals shy of being alone as Denmark’s all-time leading scorer.
Despite their limited experience in the Finals, the Danes have never failed to reach the second round in their 3 previous appearances, although they failed to qualify for the 2006 Finals. They open up against the favored Dutch where a point, or if they could escape with a victory, would give Denmark a huge boost going into their crucial second match against Cameroon which could decide who advances to the next round. Denmark surprised most with their victory in their qualification group which was considered one of the toughest in Europe. The Danes will play Australia and South Africa in their two friendly matches leading up to the World Cup.
Key Player: Nicklas Bendtner – Although he is only 22 years old, Bendtner will lead Denmark’s attack and has experience at the highest level playing with Arsenal’s first team since 2008. Bendtner scored 3 goals for Denmark in qualification and is dangerous in the air, as are many of the tall Danes, standing at 6′3”. The Arsenal forward performed particularly well in the Champions League this past season scoring 5 goals in 5 matches. Denmark will rely on Bendtner to be their superstar up front and he will be counted on to lead the Danish attack in South Africa.
Cameroon – After missing out on the 2006 Finals, Cameroon qualified for South Africa making it their 6th appearance in the World Cup, the most of any African side. They cruised to the final qualifying round, but struggled in their first two matches losing to Togo and drawing against Morocco. After firing their coach, Cameroon won their remaining 4 qualifying games, including back to back wins over Gabon who would finish second in the group, and earned their place at the 2010 Finals. Their most successful run came in 1990 when they surprised defending champions Argentina and became the first African nation to win their group. Despite making it to the quarterfinals that year, they have failed to make it out of the first round in their other appearances, although they had some close calls to advancing to the knockout stage.
Leading the way for Cameroon is Inter Milan forward Samuel Eto’o, who scored 9 goals in qualifying to easily lead the team. Eto’o recently gained headlines when he stated that he may choose to not go to South Africa after he received criticism from striking legend Roger Milla, who was a star in Cameroon’s 1990 run to the quarterfinals. This is certainly a story to follow in the coming days and if Eto’o does choose to skip out on the Finals it would be a huge blow, although I would be surprised if he missed out on this opportunity. Cameroon has also performed well in recent friendlies as they tied both Italy and Slovakia. They have 2 friendlies remaining against quality opponents in Portugal and Serbia before they face off against Japan in their first match, which they will need to win if they hope to advance to the knockout stages.
Key Player: Samuel Eto’o – In his first season with Inter Milan, Eto’o was the teams second leading scorer and recently became only the third player ever to win back to back Champions League titles with different clubs as he won previously with Barcelona last season. Eto’o amazingly made his first appearance for Cameroon’s first team at the age of 14. He scored 9 goals in just 11 qualifying games and is Cameroon’s all-time leading scorer with 42 goals in 87 appearances. He began to earn a reputation as a top striker in the world in his time at Barcelona where he scored 125 goals in only 183 league appearances. Assuming Eto’o makes the trip to South Africa, he can use his pace and killer instinct to shine for Cameroon and could help the team advance to the second round.
Japan – The Japanese have established themselves as one of the best teams in Asia in recent years along with South Korea and new confederation members Australia. Japan finished behind the Aussies in their qualification group, but it was still enough to qualify for the World Cup. Australia has been a familiar foe for the Japanese and they are only likely to see more of them as they are now members of the same confederation. The Socceroos came back from a one goal deficit to defeat Japan in their opening match in Germany 2006. Japan would finish last in their group, which also included Brazil and Croatia, with only a draw to their credit while Australia would advance to the second round.
Japan has now qualified for 4 consecutive Finals and had their best effort when they played on home turf in 2002 when they made the second round for the only time in their history. That run was somewhat overshadowed by the performance of co-hosts South Korea who would make it all the way to the semifinals. In their road to the 2010 Finals the Japanese certainly haven’t scheduled easy opponents. They were shutout by both Serbia and rivals South Korea by scores of 3-0 and 2-0 respectively. Yesterday they had a better performance against England, but would lose on two own-goals by a score of 2-1. They still have African powers Ivory Coast on their schedule before they open up against Cameroon in South Africa.
Key Player: Shunsuke Nakamura – The Japanese superstar made a name for himself when playing at Celtic where he enjoyed plenty of success and became a popular member of the frequent Scottish Premier League Champions. He has also enjoyed international success scoring 24 goals for his country in 95 total appearances. He scored a controversial goal in Germany 2006 which put Japan up against the Aussies although they would go on to lose that game 3-1. He is the main playmaker and creator in the midfield and the Japanese will be counting on him to provide them with a chance to make a few upsets and possibly advance out of the group stage for only the second time in their history.
Final Verdict: The Netherlands are the clear favorites to win the group and should have no trouble doing so. Fighting for second will likely be Denmark and Cameroon while the Japanese will need to surprise some people if they hope to advance. Japan will face Cameroon in their first match, which is probably their best chance to earn the full 3 points and make a surprise run to the second round as they have had recent success against African teams. Cameroon will hopefully have Samuel Eto’o to lead them on their home continent and if they can defeat the Japanese, the biggest match of the group may be between them and Denmark in their second match. If the Danes can open up with at least a draw against the Dutch, it will put pressure on Cameroon who will have the tougher remaining matches. I think we will see the two European teams in this group advance with the Dutch claiming first spot.
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, Slovakia, New Zealand
Italy – The defending champions are favorites coming into this group, but their first match in the tournament will be their most difficult against Paraguay. Notoriously known as slow starters in tournaments, a loss to Paraguay could cost the Italians top spot in the group, which would likely see them have to face the Netherlands in their second round match. The Azzurri have played more World Cup soccer than any other team and only Brazil has more titles with five. Their title in 2006 was their first since 1982 and came in dramatic fashion. It first started in their second round match where they would win on a controversial penalty against surprise Australia. They would then go on to the semifinals where they would meet Germany, who was playing on home turf, and win in extra time. The player who scored that game winning goal, defender Fabian Grosso, also scored the game winning penalty against France in the Final to secure Italy’s triumph. Coincidently, Grosso was recently cut from Italy’s preliminary roster and will not be in South Africa.
The Italians qualified with relative ease although they had an easy group with Ireland being the only team to give them trouble. They won 7 of their 10 games with 2 of the other 3 draws coming against the Irish. Their 2nd to last game in Ireland proved to be a dramatic one to earn their birth in the finals as Alberto Gilardino scored a late goal to earn the draw and enough points to qualify for South Africa. Italy hasn’t been in perfect form since Germany 2006 and has particularly struggled against top competition. All but one member of Italy’s national side plays in Serie A, with Teaneck, New Jersey born Giuseppe Rossi being the one exception as he plays for Villareal in Spain. Serie A has taken a back seat to the EPL and La Liga recently, but is still one of the world’s top leagues. Their defense is still a power and if they take the lead on their opponent they can be almost impossible to comeback against.
Key Player: Andrea Pirlo – The AC Milan playmaker will be an integral part of Italy once again. He is the orchestrator for the Italians and is known for his devastating free kicks which always cause the defense to struggle. He is a mainstay for the Azzurri and uses his creativity to dissect the opponent’s defense with his consistently accurate passing. His prowess on dead ball situations, which can be so important at this level, truly make him a player to watch for Italy.
Paraguay – The South Americans had a successful qualifying campaign where they finished 3rd, although they trailed first place Brazil by only one point. They went 2-1-1 against powerhouses Brazil and Argentina and 1-1 against Chile who finished one spot ahead of them only due to goal differential. They have now qualified for 4 consecutive Finals and have established themselves as South American powers alongside Brazil and Argentina. They have also had success in recent years in the World Cup as they lost close matches in the knockout stages of both France 1998 and Korea/Japan 2002 when they lost to eventual winners France in 1998 and 2002 finalists Germany. Their effort in 2006 wasn’t as successful as their lone win came against Trinidad and Tobago after losing to England and Sweden.
Their first match in South Africa against defending champions Italy could be their chance to win top spot in the group as the Italians are known for being slow starters. They then face Slovakia who have the potential to upset the South Americans and advance to the second round if they aren’t wary. Paraguay suffered a blow when leading scorer during qualification Salvador Cabanas was involved in an incident in January where he was shot in the head. Although Cabanas thought he would be fully recovered in time for South Africa, he was not selected to the preliminary roster. It is thought that it may take a few years possibly for him to recover his short term memory, although he is certainly lucky to still be alive. Like Italy, defense is Paraguay’s strength especially without their leading scorer from qualification. In a recent friendly, they tied the Ivory Coast in an impressive showing.
Key Player: Roque Santa Cruz – With the absence of Cabanas, the Manchester City striker is Paraguay’s most dangerous player up front. He had some success at Bayern Munich, but really fulfilled his potential when with Blackburn of the EPL, who signed him in 2007, where he scored 23 goals in 54 games. The 28 year old also stands 6′2” and excels in the air. He moved to Man City last summer and is currently the second-leading scorer for Paraguay in their history, although injuries have been a problem with him in the past.
Slovakia – The Slovakians have qualified for their first World Cup as an independent nation. They have struggled to compete at the same quality as neighbors and rivals the Czech Republic since independence, who have enjoyed more of the success out of the former Czechoslovakia nations. After recent close calls, Slovakia won their qualifying group, which included the Czech Republic, despite losing both matches to second place finishers and fellow South Africa qualifiers Slovenia. They won 7 of their other 8 matches which included a road victory over the Czechs and two wins over Poland, who participated in Germany 2006.
Their friendlies since qualification haven’t been as impressive, as they lost to Norway and tied Cameroon who were without star Samuel Eto’o. Their only other match is against Costa Rica who just missed out on qualifying for South Africa. Slovakia opens up in a must win match against New Zealand, who are considered one of the weakest teams in the tournament. Their schedule then gets increasingly harder with each match as they meet Paraguay and then Italy who are both favorites to advance. The Slovakians will need a draw at least, but more likely a win against the South Americans in order to make the knockout stages in their first appearance.
Key Player: Marek Hamsik – The 22 year old is the best young player for Slovakia and has come into his own playing for Serie A club Napoli. He signed with Napoli in the summer of 2007 and has led the team in scoring the last two seasons as an attacking midfielder. He started the most games for Napoli last season who had a great campaign finishing in 6th place in Serie A, one spot ahead of Juventus. His 12 goals last season were the amount Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho scored in Serie A. The up and coming star will need to play to his potential if Slovakia hopes to upset Paraguay and advance in their first ever World Cup appearance as an independent nation.
New Zealand – The Kiwis are considered one of the weakest, if not the weakest, team in South Africa. They qualified out of Oceania, which was without Australia who moved to the Asian Football Confederation after their dominance of the region. New Zealand easily qualified out of Oceania to qualify for a playoff against the 5th qualifier from the Asian Confederation, who turned out to be Bahrain, to try and earn a World Cup berth. The Kiwis would win on a goal from Rory Fallon to advance to their first World Cup since 1982 and only second ever. Their top goal scorer, Shane Smeltz, was easily their main threat in qualifying scoring 8 of the teams 14 total goals.
After having one of the easiest paths to the final playing in Oceania, a region which isn’t even guaranteed a representative in the Finals, the All Whites only had to beat the 5th place Asian qualifier to qualify for South Africa. Bahrain is currently the 69th ranked team in the world by FIFA and was easily the highest ranked team New Zealand had to defeat to qualify with Fiji ranked 132nd being the next best. With Australia now out of the picture in the region, New Zealand will likely be a regular in the playoff match to earn a Finals berth against the 5th place Asian squad. They failed to get a point in their first appearance in Spain 1982 and even getting a draw in this year’s Finals would be a positive.
Key Player: Ryan Nelsen – The central defender is easily the highest rated member of New Zealand as he captains the Blackburn Rovers in the EPL. He excelled in college in the United States and won a MLS Cup with D.C. United. He has been a mainstay now for Blackburn since 2005 and has appeared in 143 league games. He is dangerous in the air on set pieces which will be crucial to the Kiwis who will find it difficult to create chances against superior competition. Unfortunately, he missed out on the 2009 Confederations Cup and will be crucial to the All Whites chances of having a positive performance. Despite his experience, it likely won’t be enough to help his country earn a victory.
Final Verdict: Italy are certainly favorites to advance in the top spot with Paraguay being their biggest threat. If the South Americans can get off to a fast start against the usual slow starting Italians, they could end up winning the group. Slovakia is making their first appearance in the World Cup and is capable of upsetting the Paraguayans, but will likely find it difficult to advance to the knockout stages. New Zealand is clearly the weak team in the group and their best chance at getting a point will come against Slovakia in their opening match. This should be one of the more straightforward groups with Italy and Paraguay advancing likely in that order.
May 31, 2010 · Filed under Soccer
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With Part 1 of the Subway Series behind us and no other New York sports teams in action, I figured today would be a good time for our first annual New York power rankings. Where do the nine New York teams rank up against each other? Let’s go in reverse order. I’ll be ranking each team in the four following categories, and each will get points based on them (as in, first gets 9 points, last gets 1 point). The categories will be based on:
Recent Success: Self-explanatory enough.
Ownership/Management: Does the team have the front office in place to either get them out of their funk or continue generating success?
Youth: What kind of future can the team look towards with the players they already have?
Immediate Future: Can the team win now?
9. New York Islanders (12 Points)
The Islanders are a clear #9, and are way at the bottom of the pack here. Rumors about them leaving the area have been strong for two years and running, and it’s all on Charles Wang and Long Island to pass some sort of building project so that he doesn’t have to move the team.
Recent Success: Ninth (1 Point). They haven’t made the playoffs since 2007, and haven’t gotten out of the first round since the early nineties, in 1993. That’s not good.
Ownership/Management: Seventh (3 Points): Charles Wang is dedicated to saving the Islanders, and it’s not his fault that the team has failed. Him and GM Garth Snow drafted John Tavares a year ago, and he looks to be the real deal. Most of their draft picks have fared well, and look to have a strong future. The cloud looming over the franchise’s head is the still mammoth contract given to Rick DiPietro, which still has…
(Hold on, stifling a laugh…)
10 years left on it.
(Wow.)
Youth: Third (7 Points) The majority of the Islanders points come from here, with John Tavares coming off a good rookie season, Kyle Okposo continually improving, Josh Bailey looking like the real deal and a supporting cast of scorers that can improve over time. The defense still isn’t great, but this team probably won’t be getting a whole lot better for another few years, meaning they’ll have the high draft picks to stock up on every position and be a force in a few years. (See: Pittsburgh Penguins, 00-04)
Can They Win Now?: Ninth (1 Point) They won’t win for awhile, but when they do, they’ll be a major contender. For the rest of the Atlantic’s sake, let’s hope it happens in Kansas City.
8. New York Knicks (12 Points)
For the Knicks, it’s Lebron or go home. I gave them the tiebreaker over the Islanders because their immediate future seems so much brighter only because of Lebron. From what they have on their roster today, they are in worse shape than any other New York team. But if Lebron signs with them, they’ll skyrocket up this list. If he doesn’t they’ll be in 9th by themselves next year.
Recent Success: 8th (2 Points). They’re only 8th because they play in the same city as the Islanders. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2004, and haven’t won a playoff game in longer. They haven’t had a meaningful playoff run since the end of the Ewing era. Isaiah Thomas still has his mark on this team with Eddy Curry’s contract.
Ownership/Management: 5th (5 Points). If Thomas was still here, they’d be in a distant 9th. But Donnie Walsh has cut salary where he’s needed to, and his tenacity has been admirable. He knew his mission was to clear the money needed to sign Lebron, and he’s put them where they need to be. Mike D’Antoni is a good coach, but he hasn’t had any players worthy of his skills. This year will be his test. James Dolan seems like a moronic golden child, but he can write a check, right?
Youth: 9th (1 Point). There really isn’t any. Danilo Galinari is young, but he has the back of an old man. Can he hold up for an entire NBA career? The rest of the youth movement is barren. David Lee was a nice draft pick, but he’s likely out the door. Once again, it’s all on Lebron.
Can They Win Now?: 6th (4 Points). If they sign Lebron, they can win now. If they don’t, then not so much. It’s all up to the King.
7. New York Mets (13 Points)
It’s been a rough few years to be a Mets fan. They fell apart in back to back seasons in ’07 and ’08, and didn’t even have the opportunity to fall apart a year ago, when they were out of contention by July. But, they do have a few positives.
Recent Success: 7th (3 Points) They had a playoff run in 2006, and contended for the playoffs in 07 and 08, fruitlessly. They made the World Series in 2000, but considering that the cross-town Yankees won the championship, the year was a bit tainted, at least by New York standards.
Ownership/Management: 8th (2 Points) The Wilpon family has thrown good money after bad, and not just with Bernie Madoff. The Oliver Perez contract was abysmal, Luis Castillo’s signing was regrettable, and Francisco Rodriguez may have peaked before coming to New York as their closer, although the jury’s still out on that one. The ownership seems to have made the necessary moves to come close to contending each year, but not the moves required to actually win anything. For Omar Minaya, it seems like much longer than three years ago that he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and being heralded as the best GM in baseball. Most of his investments have turned sour, and the 1-2 punch of Perez and John Maine has gone right down the toilet. It appears that he vastly favors signing Latino players, and for the most part it hasn’t worked.
Youth: 5th (5 Points) Their farm system has failed them in the past, but it’s easy to forget that David Wright and Jose Reyes are still relatively young. They have a lot of good years left, assuming that Wright regains his swing and Reyes’ Anthony Galea connection doesn’t do him in. Mike Pelfrey has developed into a strong #2 starter, and Ike Davis looks like the real deal from what we’ve seen thus far. Jenrry Mejia has looked very good, and I would think we’ll see him as a starter by 2011. Fernando Martinez is still a project, but he’s very far from a lost cause. There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot more pitching in the farm, though, since we’d have already seen it, considering the lack of quality arms on the big-league club. R.A. Dickey has pitched well, but let’s not fool ourselves.
Can They Win Now?: 7th (3 Points) They’ve played a bit better of late, but I don’t think they have the talent to match up with the Phillies right now. It’s not impossible, but I’m not buying into them unless Carlos Beltran comes back completely healthy and their starting rotation is revitalized. They’ve been incredibly streaky all season, and really for the past few years as well. Until they can play with some consistency over a multiple month stretch, I’ll pass on them as a legitimate contender.
6. New Jersey Nets ( 14 Points)
The Nets just endured among the worst seasons in NBA history, and also weren’t able to get the first pick in the NBA Draft and John Wall. Definitely a rough turn of events for the franchise. But, they have a young core of players and their situation isn’t impossible to get out of.
Recent Success: 6th (4 Points) It’s easy to forget that this team made it to the finals twice in the 00s and had a few other sustained playoff runs to go along with them. In fact, I almost completely forgot it when preparing for this column. I guess the dominant run of both the Lakers and Spurs overshadowed them. The past few years have made those times a distant memory, but it still is there.
Ownership/Management: 6th (4 Points) Rod Thorn knows what he’s doing, at least to some degree, and Mikhail Prokhorov intrigues me. What will he do with a pro franchise? He’s got ridiculously deep pockets, so he’ll take the steps to make the franchise viable, including the move to Brooklyn.
Youth: 6th (4 Points) Brook Lopez is a franchise center, which is a pretty rare commodity. Devin Harris is relatively young, and with their 3rd draft pick and projects such as Yi Jianlian and Chris Douglas-Roberts still as possibilities to pan out, the future could be bright. But I keep thinking that if Lopez and Harris were really the future of this franchise, wouldn’t they be able to eke out more than 12 wins? I get that the team was inexperienced and had injuries. But Lopez was healthy all year, and if he truly is a franchise player, shouldn’t he be able to put his team on his back and win the game for them at least a few times? If Lopez is an elite center, then that’s the next step. If he can’t do that, to the point where the Nets simply suck as opposed to historically suck, then that’s a problem. Not one great player in the last three decades has let his team go to the depths of awfulness that he Nets descended to last year. If you’re for real, prove it, Brook.
Can They Win Now? 8th (2 Points) They’re an outside contender to win the Lebron sweepstakes, but I wouldn’t count on it. A haul of Rudy Gay and Amare Stoudemire seems more doable. If they can do that, their starting lineup would probably be Devin Harris at point guard, Rudy Gay at shooting guard, forwards of Derrick Favors and Amare Stoudemire and with Brook Lopez at center. That’s probably too big of a lineup to be realistic, and Amare might not make sense for the Nets, but either way, that’s pretty imposing. On paper, they could be good. But they have a lot to prove.
5. New York Rangers (17 Points)
My favorite professional team comes in 5th. Their mix of talent is gritty and relatively deep, but without the dynamic scorers needed in the NHL. But, as we’ve seen with some of the sleepers in the East this playoffs, secondary scoring is pivotal, and the Rangers do have some of that. I could see this team bottoming out in the next few years, but I could also see them making a few runs deep in the playoffs. The NHL is just so unpredictable that it’s tough to say.
Recent Success: 5th (5 Points) They had four straight playoff appearances, ending this year after losing in a shootout on the final day of the season that would have catapulted them into the playoffs (and messing up what wound up happening with the lower seeds making it to the 3rd round). The case could be made that the Nets have had more success than them of late, but the stink of their last year puts the Rangers ahead.
Ownership/Management: 9th (1 Point) I’ll pardon Jim Dolan from the following by saying that it’s not his job to evaluate talent. It’s his job to sign the check, and he has done that. But GM Glen Sather has not only done a terrible job in evaluating talent and knowing what money to spend, but he’s done it in a salary cap climate where each move has a direct impact on what else he can do. When the Yankees or Mets make a horrible signing (and there have been plenty…remember Kei Igawa?), they can easily be forgotten because they always have the opportunity to sign someone else. The Yankees’ cap may have gone up, but wasting money on Igawa didn’t stop them from signing AJ Burnett and CC Sabathia two years later to shore up the pitching staff. The same can be said about the Mets, but I have them ranked far lower than the Yankees in terms of management because their ownership hasn’t been nearly as willing to forget about past mistakes and buy their way out of them. It may be the villainous thing to do, but it’s what makes a team better. Sather’s moves have not only been fiscally irresponsible, but they’ve impacted the long term development of the team because of the decreased flexibility that he’s given himself. A year ago, the Rangers were in desperate need of a top-line scorer, coming off of a year when no Ranger scored more than 25 goals. In order to sign Marian Gaborik, which was in fact a very good signing, Sather had to move Scott Gomez and his huge salary for far under market value for a player of Gomez’s skill. (The Rangers did acquire a good prospect in Ryan McDonagh in the deal, but that’s not the point.) Because nobody would take Wade Redden, an even worse signing, Gomez had to go. Gomez was making too much money, but he would’ve been a good player to have during the stretch run when goals were few and far between. If it were the Yankees, Sather could’ve just signed Gaborik, kept Gomez and had everyone play together. But because of the lack of foresight with his other signings, including Chris Drury’s, he had to cut bait with Gomez. So not only did he overspend, but he killed the team because of the salary cap. Because of his inability to know what he was working with and the limitations of what he could do in the current financial structure, Sather is by far the worst GM in New York.
Youth: 4th (6 Points) On the brighter side, the Rangers do have a lot of young talent. Henrik Lundqvist is entering the prime of his career, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Michael Del Zotto and Matt Gilroy are forming what should be an outstanding defensive unit for the next decade (assuming Sather can re-sign all of them; see above), Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov look to be strong secondary scorers and the farm system is ripening with players all but ready for the NHL. Evgeny Grachev, Derek Stepan and Chris Kreider all have bright futures as top scorers and Bobby Sanguinetti and McDonagh will help to anchor the back line with the aforementioned defensemen. The tragic loss of Alex Cherepanov in Russia two years ago set back the offensive part of the system, but it seems to be coming back together.
Can They Win Now?: 5th (5 Points) With an elite goalie in Lundqvist, the team is able to contend in the East every year. He had a bit of a down season this year, but still was excellent and among the best in the game. As the defense matures and the offense starts to click, the team should have a good chance at contending next year and beyond. But if Sather continues to hobble the franchise with dumb free agent signings, all bets are off.
Coming Soon: Part 2
May 28, 2010 · Filed under MLB, NBA, NHL
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Stanley Cup Finals set – This year’s Stanley Cup Final was set when the Philadelphia Flyers finished off the Montreal Canadians in 5 games on Monday. The Chicago Blackhawks completed their sweep of the top seeded Sharks on Sunday. Game 1 will be on Saturday in Chicago. The Blackhawks, the 2 seed from the West, are the better team on paper and will be heavy favorites to raise the cup, but Philadelphia, the 7 seed, was the underdog in their first two series and came back from being down 3 games to none to beat the Bruins 4 games to 3 in the second round. While Chicago are the favorites, this is the NHL playoffs and anything can happen.
The Flyers are making their first appearance in the Finals since 1997. After coming back from 3 games down and 3 goals down in Game 7 against the Bruins, the Flyers carried that momentum into their series against the 8th seeded Canadians in an unlikely Conference Finals meeting. In Game 5, Philadelphia allowed a goal in the first minute of the game, but came back to win the game and the series. Goalie Michael Leighton, who is playing due to injuries to Philadelphia’s top 2 goaltenders, had a franchise record 3 shutouts in the Flyer’s 4 wins in the series.
Chicago was one of the top teams in the NHL all year long. This is their first appearance in the Finals since 1992. They easily defeated the Western Conference’s top seeded San Jose Sharks in 4 games and seem to be hitting their stride at the perfect time. Captain Jonathan Toews set a franchise record by registering a point in 13 straight postseason games and seems to be the favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP). Toews, 22, was also a member of Gold Medal winning Team Canada in this year’s Olympics and is the second youngest full-captain to lead his team to a Stanley Cup Final, only Sidney Crosby was younger. Rookie goaltender Antti Niemi has been fantastic and key players like Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Kris Versteeg and Dustin Byfuglien have all had great postseasons. Chicago comes in as a solid favorite, but Philadelphia’s defense has shown its toughness. Still, I expect the Blackhawks to take the series in 5 games.
NBA playoffs – While the NHL is down to the final two, the NBA still has some drama left in the Conference Finals. In the West, the Lakers jumped out to a 2-0 lead against the Phoenix Suns in Los Angeles. Phoenix came back home down 2 games and were written off by most people. They have now won 2 straight games and have tied the series up at 2 games a piece. During Game 3, the Suns moved to a zone defense which seems to be giving the Lakers trouble. Phoenix has been able to play at their own pace and has had superb play from its bench while at home. They also have greatly improved their defensive effort after allowing 128 and 124 points in games 1 and 2 respectively to the Lakers in Los Angeles. I suspect the Lakers will still win, but the Suns are making it a series and could be primed for an upset.
After the Celtics jumped out to a 3-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, The Magic have come back to win the next two games. Orlando has finally got some improved play from players such as Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard. Howard in particular has stepped his game up and seems to be proving the point that he has the potential to be a superstar in the league. With his size and strength, there’s no reason why Howard shouldn’t be getting at least 20 points and double digit rebounds every single game. He needs to improve his offensive game in order to become a true superstar and with 32 and 21 point efforts in the last two games, he certainly is showing signs of improvement. The Magic will need Howard, Lewis, and Vince Carter to step up even more in Game 6, where all of the pressure will be on Boston to close out the series at home. No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit, but Boston has seen this story before. The Boston Bruins were up 3-0 in their series against the Flyers this year, but Philadelphia came back to take the series 4-3, becoming only the 3rd NHL team to ever do so. The only other sport that has seen a comeback when being down 3 games to none was in baseball when the Boston Red Sox came back to beat the Yankees 4-3, which is still the only occurrence in MLB history. Game 6 will certainly be interesting, but the Celtics do not want to go back to Orlando where it would be a tall order for Boston to win a Game 7.
2014 Super Bowl to be held at new Meadowlands stadium – For the first time ever, there will be a Super Bowl in the New York area. The Giants/Jets new stadium will be the site of Super Bowl XLVIII. Most complaints about a Super Bowl in the New York area have been about the weather. For the record, the lowest recorded temperature during a Super Bowl was 39 degrees. Super Bowl XLVIII could certainly break this record and it also could be the first time snow is on the field during the game, but these things aren’t that important in my mind. The weather will not make the crowd not show up and if anything will only increase the amount of people that watch. Let’s not get carried away with the weather, the coldest temperature it would be is something close to 30 degrees, not negative 30.
Conference Championship games have been played in all kinds of weather, the way football was meant to be played as it is an all-weather game. A perfect example is the Giants v. Packers NFC Championship game in Green Bay a couple of years ago where the wind chill was about negative 20 degrees. Nobody says that the Giants only won because it was snowing or freezing, and the game was certainly one to remember. New York has hosted every big event except for the Super Bowl and could certainly use the boost for the local economy. I think that it is appropriate that the nation’s most popular sporting event will finally take place in the nation’s greatest city.
Cavaliers fire coach Mike Brown – This firing was certainly not a surprise, as the Cavs failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs after being upset by the Boston Celtics. In his 5 seasons as coach, Brown has the best winning percentage in Cavs history and was the Coach of the Year two years ago, however, it is difficult to say how much of that is actually due to Brown’s input or is it a result of the play of LeBron James. Brown seemed to be out-coached by Doc Rivers this year and Stan Van Gundy last season in the playoffs. He went into the playoffs with the best regular season record the last two seasons while Cleveland has had consecutive 60 win seasons. The one win he needed, however, was the NBA Championship.
There has been a lot of discussion of how this effects the decision of free agent to be LeBron James. I don’t think this will change or influence his choice at all and I think Brown’s firing was an inevitability after the Cavs lost to Boston in the second round. I think James has played his last game in Cleveland, although you never know what he might do at this point. I’m not going to speculate where the star might go, but we will all find out by July 8th at the latest when all teams can announce a signing of the 2-time reigning MVP. Brown will get another job in the near future where he will get a chance to remove himself from the shadow of James, which clouded the truth of whether he could truly coach or not.
USA sets final 23-man roster for World Cup – The USA National soccer team set its final roster for the 2010 World Cup yesterday. The announcement came off the Americans 4-2 loss to the Czech Republic in an international friendly on Tuesday, granted the US didn’t have all of their starters in the game and were experimenting with different players and schemes. The Czechs were a member of the US’s group in 2006, but failed to qualify for the finals this time out as they finished 3rd in their qualifying group behind Slovakia and Slovenia, the latter of which will join the US in Group C in South Africa. There were few surprises on the list, but it was nice to see the final members of the team who will representing our country in South Africa.
Some of the more surprising players to make the team were among the forwards. Coach Bob Bradley decided to take only 4 forwards, which I think is a good thing as these will be the four men the US will rely on and each player should receive a decent amount of playing time. Joining Jozy Altidore up front will be Robbie Findley, Herculez Gomez, and Edson Buddle. Findley and Buddle play in the MLS, where Buddle is this year’s leading scorer, while Gomez cuurently plays for Pachuca in the Mexican League after stints in the MLS. Gomez, 28, became the first American to lead a foreign league in scoring when he tied for the league lead in Mexico with 10 goals. Buddle, 29, got only his second appearance for his country this Tuesday with the first coming back in 2003 when he played only 11 minutes. Some surprises also meant that seven players didn’t make the cut from the preliminary roster, the most notable of which was forward Brian Ching. Ching recently returned from injury on May 13th and was a member of the 2006 squad, although he didn’t see any action. Others not making the cut were Sacha Kljestan, Chad Marshall, Heath Pearce, Alejandro Bedoya, Robbie Rogers, and Eddie Johnson. The final roster will play two friendlies before they open up the World Cup against England on June 12th. They play Turkey in Philadelphia on Saturday before heading to Johannesburg where they will play Australia on June 5th. Hopefully these two friendlies will be more telling of the side we will see in South Africa and the US can gain some confidence from these final two games.
May 27, 2010 · Filed under NBA, NFL, NHL, Soccer
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The UEFA Champions League Final is among the biggest soccer matches of the year and with this being a World Cup year, it was a nice warm up to get us prepared for the biggest sporting event in the world coming in just a couple of weeks. This year’s final had a surprise matchup of Internazionale, the Serie A champions, against Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga champions. Both clubs also won their domestic cups, meaning that the winner of the final would become only the 6th team in European history to win the Treble, consisting of winning a team’s domestic league, domestic cup, and the Champions League.
Inter Milan came into the final after beating defending champions FC Barcelona in the semifinal round. The key to their victory was a late goal in the first leg which gave Inter a 3-1 victory at home. Diego Milito put the Nerazzurri up 3-1 in the first leg after they had trailed 1-0 on an early goal by Pedro of Barcelona. The Blaugrana needed a 2-0 victory in the second leg at home in order to advance and try to defend their title. Inter manager Jose Mourinho knew this and played a defensive shell which would become even more compact after Inter was reduced to 10 men in the first half. Despite Barca’s dominant play and while they held 81% of ball possession throughout the game, they couldn’t break through the defensive scheme of Mourinho. They ended up getting one late goal, but it was not enough for Barcelona who would go down to Inter on a 3-2 aggregate score. Inter also defeated EPL champion’s Chelsea by a 3-1 aggregate score in the Round of 16 and CSKA Moscow by a 2-0 aggregate in the quarterfinals.
The Bundesliga champions also had a dramatic route to the final. They needed a late goal from Arjen Robben against Fiorentina in the Round of 16 to advance on the away goals rule. Robben would play hero again in the quarterfinals against last year’s runner up Manchester United. Munich won the first leg in a surprising 2-1 match. Then United would jump out to a 3-0 lead at Old Trafford, including scoring two goals in the first seven minutes. The 2008 champions seemed to be in the clear, but an Ivica Olic goal just before the half gave Bayern some momentum going into halftime. Robben would get Bayern their 2nd vital away goal in the 74th minute to tie the aggregate score 4-4. Bayern advanced on the away goals rule once again on the same scoreline that saw them past Fiorentina in the previous round. Their semifinal would prove to be much easier as they faced surprise semifinalists Olympique Lyonnais, who defeated fellow French Ligue 1 members Bordeaux in the previous round. Lyon also shocked Real Madrid in the Round of 16 after earning a hard fought draw at Madrid’s home stadium, the Santiago Bernabeu, which also happened to be the site of this year’s final. Bayern would be without star midfielder Franck Ribery in the final, however, as he was suspended for a foul he committed against Lyon in the first leg of the previous round.
The final was set and Inter was looking to win their first European Cup/Champions League in 45 years. Bayern had won the title 3 previous times, the last coming in 2001. The final also put Bayern manager Louis van Gaal against his former assistant while at Barcelona, Mourinho. Both managers won the title previously with different teams, van Gaal with Ajax back in 1995 and Mourinho with Porto in 2004. It also matched up the contrasting styles of the two coaches. Mourinho has become renowned for his defensive prowess while van Gaal is a typical Dutch coach advocating the attack and the majority of possession. The winning manager would become only the third to win the title with two different teams.
The game began with Mourinho and Inter applying a counter-attack system which again featured a strong defense. The first goal of the match would be key to see how the game would develop. An Inter goal would see the Italian side clamp down on defense and take little chances while a Bayern goal would open the game up and make for a more exciting and attack driven match. Inter would strike first on what seemed to be a harmless play when it developed. Inter’s goalkeeper Julio Cesar blasted a ball to the opponent’s half. Diego Milito then headed it down to teammate Wesley Sneijder who returned the ball to Milito in perfect stride. The Argentine striker made no mistake and put the Italians on top in the 35th minute. Milito was the leading goal scorer for Inter this season with 22 goals in the 33 league matches he played. His 22 goals were also good enough for the second most in Serie A. Inter would go into the half up 1-0 despite conceding most of the possession to Bayern, similarly to their semifinal against Barcelona.
In the second half Bayern started with a flourish and nearly tied the game within the first minute. Striker Thomas Muller missed a golden opportunity to tie the game which would be the best chance the German side would have all day. In search for more offense, van Gaal inserted German international Miroslav Klose in the 63rd minute. Klose has struggled with his club team despite being one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of the German national team. Taken out of the game was Turkish international Hamit Altintop, who was having a terrific game and was one of the most effective players for Bayern. I would have preferred if van Gaal would have taken out a different midfielder or perhaps Muller instead of Altintop who had proven to be dangerous.
Seven minutes later, it would be Diego Milito providing the dagger to put Inter up 2-0 in the 70th minute. The style of play that Mourinho applies would seem to make a two goal lead insurmountable. Milito’s second goal came on a pass from Cameroon international Samuel Eto’o, but Milito did most of the work. He received the pass and took on defender Daniel van Buyten who was left helpless to defend the quick moves of Milito. The Argentine could have passed it back to Eto’o, but took it upon himself to finish what he started and deposited the ball in the lower corner to put the Nerazzurri up by two goals. The defensive scheme by Mourinho would hold up and Inter would become the first Italian team to ever win the Treble. Despite Bayern holding 70% of the possession, again similar to the outcome Inter had against Barcelona, Inter’s defense held strong and they took advantage of the chances they had. In games involving team’s that play the style of Inter, statistics can be deceiving. In this case the Italians allowed Bayern to dominate the possession of the ball once they had their lead. Milito was the obvious choice for man of the match. It is incredible to think that despite his efforts in the final, Milito probably still will not be able to crack the Argentina starting striking group in the World Cup which features Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, and Carlos Tevez among others.
The title was Inter’s 3rd overall and their first since 1965. Interestingly enough, the Italian team featured no Italian players in their starting lineup and only substitute Marco Materrazi, who was the man Zinedine Zidane famously head butted in the 2006 World Cup Final, was the only Italian international to appear in the game for Inter Milan. Bayern Munich, on the other hand, started 5 German internationals. One foreign international that they missed was Frenchman Franck Ribery, whose absence was glaring in the midfield. Hamit Altintop did an admirable job in his place and was perhaps Bayern’s most effective midfielder, but unfortunately he was substituted out early in the second half. It was the second consecutive year that a team clinched the Treble with a Champions League title as Barcelona accomplished the same feat last year. After Inter’s defeat of Barcelona, there was debate whether Inter was really the better team despite their defeat of the Catalans. In my opinion, Barcelona is still the superior team, but that means nothing now and Inter deserves credit for defeating them. In this match, however, there was no doubting that Inter was indeed the better team and was deserving of their title.
Despite the criticism that he receives for the destructive style of play he advocates, and whatever you may think of the man, manager Jose Mourinho also seems to come up with some sort of magic to lead his team to victory. He was won wherever he has gone and his scheme against Barcelona was the key to Inter’s Champions League success. Mourinho can be arrogant at times, but he certainly knows how to coach and is now a two-time winner of Europe’s top trophy for club soccer. After the game, Mourinho stated that this was likely to be the last game he coached for Inter. He has been critical of Italian style soccer in the past and has strongly been linked with Real Madrid of La Liga, which will likely be his next destination.
May 25, 2010 · Filed under Soccer
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Wanna get a good laugh? Look at my mini-column from Saturday, before game 3 of Magic/Celtics. Here’s what it said:
“Fact: The Magic won twice in Boston during the playoffs last year, including in Game 7.
Opinion: The Celtics and their fans have gotten cocky in the three days off since Game 2, and may be primed for a loss.
Fact: The Magic went 2-0 in Boston during the regular season, and only 1-1 at home.
Opinion: The Magic shooters are due to improve on their horrid shooting in the first two games. No better time than now.
Keep the faith, fans. This series isn’t over. It begins tonight.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Rothschild, proud Magic fan”
Despite all the factors working against them, I believed that the Magic could turn around the series. I looked at the positives, and thought that the team that I watched all year was better than what I had seen. Then, the Magic came out and laid one of the biggest eggs that I can remember in a game of that magnitude.
For the most part, I consider myself to be a positive fan. My teams had a good amount of success in my formative years, so I learned to maintain a positive attitude. In my very early years, the Rangers won the Stanley Cup when I was six, and the Magic made it to the NBA Finals when I was seven. By the time I was thirteen, I had witnessed four Yankees’ championships, as well as two more conference finals appearances from the Rangers and Magic. I did, and still, believe that with patience and a belief in a team that salvation will be had. So, when a team of mine betrays me in such a grand way as the Magic did, it hurts me even more. Not only because of the loss of my team, but because it makes me question why I watch sports in the first place.
A year ago, when his Detroit Tigers were knocked out of the MLB Playoffs after collapsing down the stretch and losing a one-game playoff in heartbreaking fashion to the Minnesota Twins, my podcast co-host Allen Pines came to me for advice. He couldn’t figure out what the point was in watching sports when his teams would betray him in the way that the Tigers did. After saying that he was being spared the agony of watching his team get rocked by my eventual World Champion Yankees, I didn’t have much of an answer. All I could really tell him was that the positives in watching sports outweigh the negatives, and that in time his team would rebound. But in what way could I possibly back that up? I feel the same way now about the Magic. If I put so much faith into one team, and they reward me by sh**ting the bed when they need to play their best, why even bother? What do I get out of watching as many games as I can and getting this turd of a reward for all of my time invested?
If this sounds like a religious sermon to you, you may be right. The more that I watch sports and emotionally invest myself in them, the more it feels like a religion to me. The fundamentals of most religions require a placing of your faith in an entity that you have no control over. You devote your beliefs towards something that you hope will at some point pay off, but you have no proof of it. Believing that Jesus Christ will redeem you is kind of like believing that the Magic will beat the Celtics when they need to. I have an equal amount of control over what will happen to me when I die as I do in if Dwight Howard can make a hook shot in the paint, which is none. Yet, people around the world go to church every Sunday, and people continue to buy season tickets and give their money to sports teams. I’ve often said, when debating going to synagogue, that my temple is the New York Rangers. I get every bit as much religious satisfaction listening to Sam Rosen as I do in hearing a rabbi or preacher. The rituals are similar, in their attempt to get us closer to the unknown. When we fast on Yom Kippur, we’re trying to show to God that we’re asking for his forgiveness, and that he’ll listen. Basically, by doing something relatively extreme measure, we’re asking for his attention. When we wear our favorite team’s jersey, we’re trying to make ourselves more like the product we’re watching. We’re trying to become holier by wearing a Sports prayer shawl, if you will. When we chant a player’s name derisively, or boo a referee, aren’t we just trying to get their attention? “Listen to us, we matter too!” But, these are trained athletes who have been perfecting their craft for years. How much of an impact can we really have? It makes me question the relationship that we have to the game, especially when we’re let down like I was with the Magic on Saturday.
But, somehow, we all still watch. We have faith that our actions will be rewarded. Moses split the red sea. Players buckle under pressure and miss big free throws. Pitchers lose control of the strike zone. And because of it, I wear t-shirts of my favorite teams. I switch seats with my friends when our team is losing, on the off-chance that the five foot change of our coordinates on this earth will impact a game miles and miles away from us. In the same way that we can’t control what happens in the game, or what happens when we die, we can’t control why we have faith. It can be either in God or in our teams. We just have it. When I started writing this column, in the back of my mind I thought, “Maybe this will work as a reverse jinx, and bring the Magic back from the dead!” Because my column will have an impact on Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson’s play tonight. Sure it will. Despite the three straight games of disaster that have questioned my faith, this crazy line of thought still lies within me. Some people believe in God when tragedy hits them. They believe that God is good, and he will redeem them. I believe in sports. When my teams fail, I believe that they will pick me up and redeem me, even if I can’t see how right away. Call me crazy, but if that’s not devotion to a real religion, then I don’t know what is.
May 24, 2010 · Filed under NBA
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