Now that the World Cup is over, the top leagues in the world are getting ready to get play back underway, while some like the MLS resume suspended play. Players are also returning to their club sides after participating in South Africa, which of course includes American star Landon Donovan who has returned to the LA Galaxy. There has been talk recently that the MLS wouldn’t be accepting any offers for Donovan to return to Europe, where he played for Everton of the EPL on a 10 week loan prior to the World Cup. This is a big mistake by the MLS and for the future of US soccer. While Donovan may improve short term ratings for the MLS, this would not be nearly as effective as a potential successful stint for Donovan in the elite leagues of the world.
MLS commissioner Don Garber recently stated that the league had no interest in accepting transfer offers for Donovan. He feels that the midfielder is too much of a star for the league to give him up. While ratings may take a slight hit if Donovan is gone, and I suspect their wouldn’t be too much of a drop off, the value of him returning overseas, where it is rumored that Everton and Manchester City of the Premier League are interested in him, would be great for American soccer. It will gain credibility for US soccer abroad and will inspire young players in America and prove that they can make it in the elite leagues of the world. Even players in the most elite national teams such as Argentina and Brazil play their club football in Europe, in what are considered to be the top four leagues in the world, the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, and the German Bundesliga. For example, Kaka, Luis Fabiano, and Maicon are just a few of the Brazilians that play in Europe as opposed to staying in the Brazilian League.
Donovan also let it be known that his experience at Everton gave him the confidence to have a successful performance in South Africa. When you are regularly playing games against clubs with the quality of Chelsea and Manchester United you are bound to become more accustomed to playing at the highest level. While the MLS is moving in the right direction, you cannot argue that it is even close to the level of many European leagues not to mention the top 4. Other Americans such as Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, and Jozy Altidore are already playing in the top leagues of the world. In fact, the US only had 4 players on its World Cup roster from MLS, including Donovan. In his time at Everton, he proved that he belonged among the world’s elite and can become even better if he spends a significant amount of time in Europe. His games for Everton, assuming he returns to the club if he goes back to Europe, can be shown weekly here in the states where he will be a teammate of American goalkeeper Tim Howard. This will help gain more fans of the game who in turn may start watching more MLS games. Nothing in the MLS can replicate the experience and knowledge he can gain in Europe and bring back to the national team.
While Garber hasn’t ruled out more potential loans in the future, Donovan is signed under contract with the Galaxy, as of December, for the next 4 years and expects to make more than $2 million this year. Obviously not only can he make much more money in Europe, but the MLS can also make more money by accepting his transfer fees. If fans in America see their favorite domestic players competing at the highest level of the sport, they will become much more devoted to the sport and it will have a greater impact than seeing a player have success in a league such as the MLS. Think of it this way, it’s like the best basketball players in Europe coming to the United States to play in the NBA. If you want to compete at the highest level and become one of the world’s elite countries in the sport, you have to play with the top players in the world for a prolonged period of time.
As for the future of the MLS, we are now starting to see players come up through each team’s youth system, which is a great sign. This is how the top clubs in the world bring up young players year after year that have all been playing the same style and in the same system all their lives. For example, we saw Spain win the World Cup recently and they were made up mostly of players from only two teams, Barcelona and Real Madrid. The system payed at Barcelona was virtually the same that the Spanish national team displayed in South Africa. Their teamwork and possession is really what gave them an edge over the other nations this summer. The more and more developed each club’s youth system becomes, the greater the play will become and the more formidable of a league the MLS will be.
The intentions of the commissioner regarding Donovan also come at the same time as French superstar Thierry Henry is set to begin his MLS career with the New York Red Bulls. With players like Henry, Beckham, and perhaps even Ronaldinho, who has been rumored to be potentially going to the Galaxy, in the league the MLS is gaining more credibility as a league around the world. Once Donovan plays in Europe, he can potentially come back as an even bigger star with experience at the highest levels and return to the MLS to play his final years. It seems clear to me that Donovan wants to be in Europe at the moment and wants to prove to himself and his doubters that he can succeed there. When he was younger, Donovan spent time in Germany where he had little success which resulted in him coming to MLS. His stint at Everton was a real breakthrough for him as he finally succeeded in the top leagues of the world. His time in the EPL made him a better player and helped the US perform admirably in the World Cup this summer, and that was only in 10 weeks, imagine what a few years could do for his game, and perhaps more importantly his confidence. The more big game experience American players gain in Europe, the more poised and ready they’ll be when it comes time to get ready for Brazil in 2014.
July 21, 2010 · Filed under Soccer
No Comments
One thing is certain come Sunday, we will see a nation lift the World Cup Trophy for the first time in their history. Spain and the Netherlands will meet on Sunday in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final in a battle of European nations. The Dutch will be making their third final appearance while Spain remarkably is in its first final. Spain are the current European champions winning the title back in 2008 and can become only the third nation to hold both the World Cup and European titles at the same time. The Dutch were proponents of “total football” when they made the final back in 1974 and 78, but failed to win it all on either occasion falling to West Germany and Argentina. Spain has incorporated the Dutch style of play into their own game and now the two countries that rely and excel on a game filled with possession and patience will clash in Johannesburg.
The Netherlands come into the final as the only team in the tournament without a loss. They have been led by Wesley Sneijder who, along with Spain’s David Villa, leads the tournament with 5 goals, which is unusual since Sneijder isn’t your prototypical goal scorer. The return of Arjen Robben in the knockout stages also energized the Dutch offense and provided them with another dynamic forward to complement Robin Van Persie. Sneijder has been the key for the Dutch, but he will need help if they are to defeat Spain. Robben has shown flashes of his brilliance, but doesn’t to be in the same form as he was for club Bayern Munich this past season. Van Persie has had somewhat of a disappointing tournament as well. While the Dutch rely on possession and ball control, Spain might be the one side that executes that better than them.
Spain shockingly lost its opening match to Switzerland in what was the tournament’s biggest upset so far. Since then, they have been gaining momentum and playing better each round, which is exactly what you want to be doing in a tournament like this. Spain are usually strong starters who fade when it comes to the knockout rounds, perhaps starting off slow and still winning the group was the best thing that could have happened to the defending European champions. David Villa has looked unstoppable at times, even without normal striking partner Fernando Torres playing at top form. Although the Liverpool striker is coming off injury and is clearly not at full speed, I think he is still vital to Spain’s success. He creates length and provides Villa with more space to work with. He also seems to come up clutch in the right moment no matter how poorly he has done in other matches in the tournament. He scored the only goal in a 1-0 defeat of Germany in the Euro 2008 final, which was only his second goal in the tournament. Spain’s midfield is the best in the world led by Xavi and Andres Iniesta. They will be the key to Spain’s success in the final.
A big factor in Spain’s run to the final has been the familiarity the players have with one another. When Torres was left out of the starting lineup and replaced by Pedro in the semifinal against Germany, it meant that 6 (Puyol, Pique, Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets, Pedro) of Spain’s starting 11 play for Barcelona, and that isn’t including David Villa who transferred to the club this summer. Most other countries have players who play with all different clubs around the world. For example the top Dutch players; Robben, Van Persie, and Sneijder, don’t even play in the same league. Spain also has 3 members of Real Madrid in the starting lineup with Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, and Xabi Alonso. Xavi and Iniesta are the keys in the midfield for Barcelona and play the same style for their country. All it takes is one act of brilliance from either of these two, such as Iniesta’s run against Paraguay which led to Villa’s goal, and Spain will be in control of the match.
The Spanish and Dutch are undoubtedly the two best sides to never win the World Cup. This will also be the first time a European team will win the World Cup on another continent. All the talk after the group stage was about South America, but we still find ourselves with two European teams in the final. Despite this fact, I would say that it is difficult to say which continent really reigned supreme in this tournament. Keep in mind that 13 European countries qualify for the World Cup while South America only had a maximum of 5 in the tournament. With only 5 teams in the World Cup, it is pretty incredible that 4 of them made it as far as the quarterfinals, one more than Europe. The only team to lose before the quarterfinals was Chile and that was to fellow South Americans Brazil. While Europe appears to be stronger at the top, the case can still be made that South America has a deeper contingent of elite teams compared to Europe.
As for the game itself, it will likely be an open one, although both teams may be cautious in the opening minutes. The Spanish have been favorites since the beginning and appear to be too strong for anyone to beat right now. Spain are likely to have the majority of chances, but the Dutch will have theirs as well. They play a similar style which should result in an open and exciting match. Although “total football” was first named for the Dutch teams of the 70’s, Spain has incorporated this style into their own brand of football and now probably perform it better than the Dutch themselves. The Spanish always control the majority of the possession, although they are susceptible to a team like the Dutch on the counterattack. Each team seems to be getting better as the tournament goes on, but Spain is the better of the two sides when they are playing at their highest level. It will be interesting to see if Torres starts for the Spanish. I think he should since the game will be open and he is still a threat despite not being at top form. In many cases the final has been decided by on a lone goal, but this won’t be the case on Sunday. It should be an exciting and entertaining final and at the end of the day I think it will be Spain who will be hoisting their first World Cup title.
July 10, 2010 · Filed under Soccer
No Comments
The quarterfinals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup are now set. While some of the world powers such as France, England, and defending champions Italy are not present, plenty of the world’s powerhouses are represented. This World Cup has certainly drawn some headlines, from the always present criticism of the officials, which FIFA seems to always ignore, to the debacle of the French team which were finalists back in 2006. The final eight consists of 4 South American teams, the most ever from the continent in the final eight, 3 European nations, and 1 African side which holds the hope of the host continent. The South Americans have really been dominant in this tournament as the only team to be eliminated from the continent is Chile, who ended up losing to Brazil. Chile is also the only South American team to lose to an opponent from another continent when Spain defeated them in their final group match.
It was a disappointing Round of 16 match for American fans as the US lost to Ghana in extra time. The US would fall behind early again, a problem that haunted them all tournament. They were outplayed for the first half by a significant margin, but they only found themselves down 1-0 at the half. Similarly to the Slovenia match, the US came back with a spirited second half. Landon Donovan converted a penalty caused by Clint Dempsey to tie the score at 1. It was Donovan’s 3rd goal of the tournament which tied him with the leaders of the tournament at the time. The game would need extra time to be decided and the Americans’ early woes would continue. Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan buried an opportunity in only the third minute of extra time to put Ghana back on top. As extra time is no longer golden goal, the US had a chance to comeback. They desperately tried to score another come from behind goal as even goaltender Tim Howard jumped into the box on free kicks and corners in the dying minutes. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as Ghana would move on to face Uruguay, who defeated South Korea on a two goal performance by Luis Suarez, in the next round.
For the Americans, their defense and lack of a true game-changing striker was their undoing, but losing to Ghana was certainly not a failure. Ghana was also without their best player, Michael Essien, who plays for Chelsea in the EPL and is still recovering from injury. There is no shame in losing to Ghana, especially in Africa, but it is disappointing to see the US go home after losing a winnable game. Coming into the tournament, the US had to at least get out of the group and anything past that would have been a bonus. They actually won their group for the first time since 1930, finishing ahead of England, who’s game against Germany I will get to later. Four years from now, the US roster could look very different, but there is certainly reason for hope for American soccer going into the future.
In a high profile match up, England and Germany met in the Round of 16. The young German squad, which is the second youngest in the tournament, got off to a quick start as the English seemed to be just going through the motions once again. They found themselves down 2-0, but would get one back late in the first half when Michael Upson headed home a cross from Steven Gerrard. Then only seconds later, it appeared as if Frank Lampard had tied the match, but the referee and linesman decided that the ball hadn’t crossed the line. Upon a further look, it was blatantly obvious that the ball had crossed the line by a considerable margin and the game should have been tied 2-2, but instead the English found themselves still trailing by 1 at the half.
The English must have known that the goal was legitimate and was stolen from them, which would lead one to think that they would have come out with a fiery effort in the second half, but it was the opposite. Since they were still trailing, England pushed for a tying goal, or another tying goal you could say. It was unnecessary for them to do this so early, and the Germans made them pay. The young German side paced past the English adding a third and fourth goal both on the counterattack to defeat England by a final of 4-1, their worst defeat in English World Cup history. We will never know what would have happened if the goal by Lampard stood, but there is no mistaking that the better team won the game. Tactics certainly change when you are tied or when you are trailing, but this game summed up England’s disappointing World Cup run perfectly. They looked lethargic and uninterested at times and I think were a little overrated coming into the tournament. Striker Wayne Rooney looked like he wasn’t at 100%. He is still an elite striker in the world, but just didn’t seem to be clicking on all cylinders in this tournament.
The larger issue that came out after England’s ugly defeat was the use of technology in soccer. It makes no sense to me when the whole stadium and everyone around the world knows that the goal is legitimate, bu then it still doesn’t count. FIFA president Sepp Blatter recently stated that he would be open to the use of goal-line technology only, which is a step in the right direction at least. Another controversial decision by a referee came in the Argentina v. Mexico match, where Carlos Tevez was visibly offsides on Argentina’s first goal, a game where Argentina would go on to win by a score of 3-1. I think more and more controversies will continue to happen if technology isn’t also eventually moved to offsides decisions and I think one day it will need to be added to the sport. A play like the one in England could have taken seconds to resolve and wouldn’t have disrupted the flow of play. I know it will take a while for changes to occur with FIFA, but I hope at least goal-line technology is in place for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Argentina’s victory against Mexico was the fifth consecutive time Mexico have been eliminated in the Round of 16. As for Argentina, they will face Germany next in one of three South America against Europe matches in the quarterfinals. The game is also a rematch of a quarterfinal in 2006 where Germany defeated Argentina in penalty kicks.
Another match featuring world powers saw the neighbors that share the Iberian peninsula meet for the first time in World Cup history. Spain came into the match as slight favorites against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal. The Portuguese came into the match without conceding a goal yet in the tournament, but Spain’s David Villa changed that in the 63rd minute when he scored his competition leading 4th goal of the tournament, the same amount as Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuain and Slovakia’s Robert Vittek. Spain dominated possession as they usually do and Portugal seemed to be playing back waiting for a counterattack. When Villa broke through, Portugal had to change tactics and try to attack more. Spain had other chances to score, but couldn’t add on to the lead. The Portuguese had a couple of close chances towards the end of the match, but when Ricardo Costa was given a red card for what appeared to be a phantom elbow in the 90th minute, Portugal’s hopes were ended. Spain seems to be hitting their stride, although striker Fernando Torres is still scoreless in the competition. He was taken off shortly into the second half which I think was the wrong decision. I know Torres isn’t yet fully fit, but he seems to be looking more in form as each minute goes by. If Spain wants to win their first World Cup, coach Vicente del Bosque must trust Torres and leave him in for longer if not the entire match. Spain usually starts off tournaments strong only to fade in the knockout rounds. Perhaps this time they are finally hitting their stride at the right time.
Other matches in the Round of 16 saw Paraguay defeat the Japanese on penalty kicks and the Netherlands defeat Slovakia, who knocked out defending champions Italy in their last match. The Dutch will now face Brazil in another battle of heavyweights in the quarterfinals. Brazil defeated Chile 3-0 and looked strong doing so, but Brazil has had the Chileans’ number for a while as they defeated them by a combined score of 7-2 in their two qualifying matches against one another. Make no mistake, the Netherlands should not be overlooked so easily. If anyone can defeat Brazil, it is a team that is capable of keeping a majority of the possession as well as having a strong counterattack, both qualities which the Dutch are among the best at. There is a good chance we can see 3 South American teams in the semifinals in what may be a preview to how the continent will perform at home in Brazil in 2014.
Europe only has 3 of 13 teams remaining in the competition and each one of them will match up against South American foes, which will help determine which continent reigns supreme in South Africa. Four teams is the most South America has ever had in the quarterfinals. With the presence of Uruguay and Paraguay, it is also the first time a team that wasn’t Brazil or Argentina has represented the continent in the quarterfinals since 1990. The South Americans have all their teams remaining in the competition with the exception of Chile, who lost out to Brazil. Uruguay meets Ghana , who are the lone representatives of Africa, or any continent besides South America or Europe left in the Finals. This is the only quarterfinal match-up that doesn’t feature a European against a South American side. I’m sticking with my pre-tournament predictions of Brazil, Argentina, and Spain making the semifinals, while I think Uruguay will dash the hopes of Africa when they defeat Ghana. There are some heavyweight matches coming up in the quarterfinals, especially the Netherlands against Brazil and Argentina against Germany. Both matches will be close and I wouldn’t count out the Dutch upsetting Brazil. There is certainly much to look forward too when the World Cup gets back underway on Friday.
June 30, 2010 · Filed under Soccer
No Comments
After drawing with England in their first match, the United States took on Slovenia, a country of only 2 million people, in their next match. It was a match up of the largest country against the smallest in terms of population, however, Slovenia knocked off the heavily favored Russians to earn their spot in South Africa and won their first match against Algeria. It was one of the most exciting games of the tournament so far, but unfortunately the game itself was marred as a phantom call by the referee would leave the US and its fans scratching their heads.
While the opposition didn’t score in the first 5 minutes against the US like England did in their opening match, it didn’t take Slovenia much longer as they would take the lead in the 13th minute on a great shot by Valter Birsa. The US found itself down early once again and the goal by Slovenia meant that the Americans would not have a shutout for a 12th consecutive match. Later on in the half the US would threaten and nearly scored towards the end of the half when the ball was just deflected out of the path of Landon Donovan with a wide open net in front of the all-time leading scorer in US history. Then in the 42nd minute, it seemed as if the US had dug itself into a hole they could not get out of when Slovenia added another to make it 2-0 at halftime. The US defense looked vulnerable in the first half and the surprising Slovenians were taking advantage. The Americans knew a loss would mean that their chances of advancing to the next round would be virtually impossible.
The US started the 2nd half by making two changes. First, midfielder Maurice Edu replaced Jose Torres while midfielder Benny Feilhaber took the place of forward Robbie Findlay, which resulted in Donovan being moved into more of a forward position. Donovan took it upon himself to make sure the Americans wouldn’t have a short tournament and scored on a great individual effort in the 48th minute to get the US right back in the game. The US midfielder came in against the goalie and blasted it top shelf from a tight angle as his teammates were all covered in the middle of the box. The Americans clearly came out with a new sense of confidence and took it to the Slovenians in the second half. They were still down 2-1 when forward Hercules Gomez, who has developed a reputation for scoring off the bench, came on in the 80th minute to replace defender Oguchi Onyewu. Two minutes later Donovan would cross the ball which was headed on by Jozy Altidore into the path of midfielder Michael Bradley. The coach’s son made no mistake and buried a difficult chance in the back of the net. Bradley struck the ball perfectly with the bottom of his foot off a short-hop to beat the Slovenian keeper. The comeback kids had done it again, but there was still time to come up with a game winner.
This is when the game would take an ugly turn. The US had a free kick in the 86th minute and had the chance to take the lead after trailing 2-0 at the half. Donovan took the free kick and it appeared that substitute Maurice Edu had put the US on top, however, referee Koman Coulibaly whistled the United States for a foul. After watching the replay, the US didn’t appear to be offsides and didn’t commit a foul. In fact, several American players were fouled, and in some cases tackled to the ground. The referee, who was from Mali and was the man in charge for the 2010 African Cup of Nations Final earlier in the year, seemed to have decided on blowing the whistle even before Donovan serviced his cross into the box. The Americans surrounded the referee and berated the official who just ignored the questions that the players had. The game would end in a draw and the US had salvaged a point from what seemed like a hopeless situation, but they were left wanting the full 3 points that had been stolen from them.
Although the officiating at the beginning of the World Cup seemed almost flawless, it has taken a turn for the worse in recent days. A couple of games have seen ridiculous amounts of cards, including the Germany v. Serbia game where German striker Miroslav Klose was given a dubious red card early in the game, as well as the Chile v. Switzerland match which featured 9 yellow cards and a red card. The Italians also received a penalty shot against New Zealand which seemed to be generous at best and earned the Azzurri a tie with the Kiwis in perhaps the tournament’s most shocking result. The problem begins with FIFA, who states that the referees do not have to explain the decisions they make during the course of a game. All the US players wanted is an explanation of what the referee saw when he blew the whistle. Even though there appeared to be no foul, at least the ref could say what he was thinking at the time. Although it is under different circumstances, we recently saw in baseball how an umpire blew a perfect game by missing a call. He owned up to his mistake and came out better for it in the end. The umpire, Jim Joyce, was recently voted the best in baseball by the players.
I know FIFA is truly global and they want to be fair to players and officials alike from all over the world, but in the World Cup the best officials in the world should be in charge. If that means that all the officials have to be from Europe and South America, then that’s the way it should be. A referee from Mali can’t possibly have as much experience as an official who consistently is in charge of games in the EPL or La Liga. Mali has only 8 teams in its top league and it’s hardly at the level of even the average leagues in the world. Since every region has to be covered, there’s no reason why this official couldn’t be a linesman or the 4th official. In another match I saw that a referee was from the Seychelles, an island group off the eastern coast of Africa with a population under 100,000 people, which I’m sure most people didn’t know existed and understandably so. This seems ridiculous when you have top officials from the best leagues in the world at your disposal. FIFA has always been run by politics and its about time that they were held responsible for dubious decisions that can change the course of a game and end the dreams of players who have worked their entire lives for moments like the US should have had in their last match. FIFA recently announced that the referee from Mali wouldn’t be in charge of any more matches during the Finals, but to most Americans that is a small consolation and it has come too late.
The US face Algeria, who earned a surprising draw against England after they lost to Slovenia in their opening match, in their final group match tomorrow. With the draw between Algeria and England, the US still has its destiny in its own hands as a victory guarantees them a spot in the final 16. The Americans can still win the group with a victory and a win or tie by England against Slovenia if their goal difference holds up. If they do advance, their opponent will not be known until the games later on in the day are completed, which include Germany v. Ghana and Serbia v. Australia. The Germans could finish 2nd in their group which would match them up with the winners of the US’s group. Topping the group would make it easier for a deeper run in the tournament, but the US has to get there first. Algeria shouldn’t be underrated and they are a team with a lot of pace. Most of their players are based in Europe and have experience in some of the top leagues. They would be on top of the group right now with 4 points if that goal had been allowed against Slovenia, assuming the Europeans didn’t come back in the few remaining minutes. The Americans need to solve their early defensive troubles and cannot keep coming from behind when they face the elite teams of the world. Failing to reach the Round of 16 would be a huge disappointment for the Americans and the game against Algeria will be the biggest game of many of these players’ lives.
June 22, 2010 · Filed under Soccer
No Comments
In what was perhaps the most anticipated group stage match of the World Cup, the United States and England battled it out for a tough draw. It was a relatively balanced game with perhaps the edge going to the English, but in the end a tie was a fair outcome. I watched the game from a bar in New York City and the scene was electric. American and English fans flooded the streets of New York for a soccer match, something that was unimaginable not too long ago. Every bar was packed to the point where you couldn’t move more than a few inches without bumping into someone and people had to be turned down since nobody else could physically fit into the building. It was great to see people get behind their team and support their countries’ representatives in the world’s biggest sporting event. The World Cup, and soccer in general, are usually afterthoughts for America, but it seems as if the popularity of the game is growing constantly. The ratings for this match were the highest for a soccer game since the US v. Brazil Round of 16 match in 1994 when the World Cup was held in the United States. Hopefully this is just a sign of things to come and an increased interest in the sport will ultimately lead to the rise of US soccer to an elite level.
As for the game itself, the English jumped out to a quick lead when captain Steven Gerrard scored to put his team on top in the 4th minute. The goal came from what seemed like a harmless play. Emile Heskey touched the ball to put Gerrard in the clear and the captain escaped the marking of US midfielder Ricardo Clark and put it in passed goalkeeper Tim Howard. Other than that goal which there was nothing he could do about, Howard was outstanding. The US got a scare when England crossed the ball and Howard came out to intercept the attempted pass. Howard was crushed by Heskey who was going in hard to try and get a deflection on the cross. The US goalkeeper was down for several minutes holding his ribs, but gathered himself eventually and stayed in the game. The Americans had some good chances, including an attempted header by Jozy Altidore which didn’t miss by much, but nobody could expect how the US would finally break through against the English.
If the English goal came on what seemed like a harmless play, the Americans would strike on a shocking play. Midfielder Clint Dempsey, the only American to score in the 2006 Finals, fired a relatively weak shot on net, but goalkeeper Robert Green mishandled the ball and it fell in behind him to tie the game in the 40th minute. Most fans watching the game were more in shock and disbelief than anything else. The goal by Dempsey made him only the second American to ever score in multiple World Cups, with Brian McBride being the other. The game would go in 1-1 at the half with most of the players and crowd still shocked by the mistake from the English goalkeeper. The goalie position had been an issue with the English coming into the World Cup and a clear number one option had yet to really be established.
The second half saw both teams have a number of chances. Howard’s injury didn’t seem to bother him for the remainder of the game as he made some fantastic saves to keep his team in the game. Howard would go on to be named Man of the Match. Green also atoned for his error somewhat when he made a good save on Altidore’s shot which he deflected off the post. Wayne Rooney was kept in check for most of the game and although England seemed to be the stronger of the two teams and had the majority of good chances, the US defense held and a tie was a fitting end to a mostly balanced affair. Despite the draw, each team is still favored to advance out of the group and should do so. The draw with England also keeps alive the hope of winning the group outright. The Americans would likely need to defeat both Slovenia and Algeria, and assuming England does the same, it would come down to goal differential.
England faces Algeria in a match they should win on Friday afternoon. It will be interesting to see if manager Fabio Capello sticks with Green in the net after his mishap or if he decides to go with David James or Joe Hart in net. Green has been destroyed by the British media, but I don’t think this goal will have as big of an impact as people are saying for the rest of this man’s life. The mistake came in he group stage and England are still favorites to win the group. If this had come in the knockout stages than it would have been a different story. Green has gotten support from his teammates which is extremely important and he has handled the situation well so far. If Capello does put Green back in net, I would imagine he wouldn’t let anything like this happen again. Their next opponents, Algeria, lost to Slovenia in their opening match after their goalkeeper allowed a weak goal of his own after they had been reduced to 10 men, although it wasn’t near the level of Green’s mistake. England will also be without defender Ledley King who may miss the rest of the tournament after being injured in the game against the US. King was already stepping in as a replacement for captain Rio Ferdinand who was injured and ruled out of the tournament. The English came in as favorites to win the group and doing so would avoid a likely match up with Germany, who were probably the most impressive team thus far in the tournament, in the second round.
Next for the US is Slovenia, who defeated Algeria in their first match, on Friday. Slovenia now leads the group with 3 points and the Americans will need a win if they want to control their own destiny. They need at least a tie for a chance to advance to the second round, but then would need England to defeat Slovenia in their last game and the US would need to beat Algeria in order to advance to the next round. Slovenia, although a country of only 2 million people making it the smallest in the tournament, has a solid team which defeated the favored Russians in a playoff to make it to South Africa. Tim Howard is scheduled to start despite his injury concerns. It won’t be a walk over by any stretch of the imagination, but the US should defeat Slovenia and has a decent chance of winning the group entirely. For whoever finishes second in the group, a match against Germany in the second round seems likely so winning the group is extremely important.
June 15, 2010 · Filed under Soccer
No Comments
Podcast Home
Podcast Directory