Off the Bar and Out: FanPosts

No Neymar for Chelsea

2010-08-20T23:06:36Z

Anyone else follow this story?

I just saw him play for the first time vs. the US a couple of weeks back, he's absolutely ridiculous, would have been fun to watch him on a more regular basis. But it all sounds like a smart decision to stay.

One very interesting point that was made somewhere was that Santos ownership believes he'll be worth 10s of millions more on transfer market if they can hold onto him for a couple years, and I wonder if they worked out some sort of profit-sharing arrangement there regarding his future sale. That would be one way to split the difference between a Brazilian salary and a Chelsea one and make it worth his while to delay a move to the biggest stage.

Soccer Podcasts

2010-08-14T19:29:58Z

Thought I'd take a look (listen?) at a few different soccer podcasts to see which offer the best (and worst) experience for fans. Here's a quick rundown.

Guardian Football Weekly- If it were a player it would be? Lionel Messi. Definitely the best of the bunch and about as close as you can get to being in a bar with a group of soccer fans. The presenter, James Richardson, is genuinely funny and contributors like John Ashdown, Raphael Honigstein and Sid Lowe provide genuine depth on all aspects of the game. The only downside, for me, is that occasionally Barry Glendenning just seems to be contrary for the sake of it, but I know a lot of listeners love him. If you only have time to listen to one podcast this has to be the one.

606 - If it were a player it would be?- John Terry. A lot of loud whining about referees decisions and managers. It's the radio show that most English fans listen to on the way home from the game and, by the end of it, they have probably lost the will to live. It has different presenters so some shows are worse than others but essentially it consists of fans of losing teams complaining about minor incidents.

ESPN Soccernet - If it were a player it would be? Darren Fletcher- It lacks the bonhomie of the Guardian offering but avoids the annoyance factor of many others. The participants barely have an ounce of charisma between them but they can be an interesting listen on the right subject. Definitely worth a try.

The Game Podcast- If it were a player it would be?- Cristano Ronaldo's less talented brother.- Don't get me wrong, some of the contributers on here are great, but I just can't get passed my loathing of main presenter Gabriele Marcotti who seems to feel that shouting loudly and saying things in a sarcastic tone of voice constitutes reasoned argument. It's essentially like listening to a Glenn Beck rant about defensive midfielders.

The Football Ramble - If it were a player it would be? Robinho. Capable of pissing away it's talent but equally capable of being effortlessly brilliant. It's even more "pubby" than Football Weekly and can genuinely make you laugh out loud.

Of course other podcasts are available, many devoted to particular clubs or Leagues but the best of the above should at least fill in any soccer starved holes that are left inside you.

Goodbye Raul, Madrid Will Miss You

2010-07-27T01:11:21Z

Goodbye Raul, Madrid Will Miss You

Written By Adrian Meta

Madrid close to Raul's heart

It's the end of an era. Did you ever see it coming? Raul Gonzalez Blanco, no longer at Los Blancos. El Siete, The Angel Of Madrid, El Capitan, The Golden Boy Of Spain, now no part of Real Madrid. Maybe the excessive usage of the term "Raul Madrid" will stop. Actually, probably not. And who would want it to? Raul's career has been the stuff of legend, at times outshining all the "Galacticos" that came and went for millions. So, as Raul, a Madridista through and through, bids farewell to his beloved Madrid, In Off The Post's Adrian Meta takes a look at his astonishing career.

Raul started his phenomenal career at Atletico Madrid, would you believe. Noticed as a young teen with a myriad of talent, Atletico signed him to their youth academy. Fast forward about a year, and Raul is let go by Atletico, as they decide to close their youth academy. Young Raul, who is determined to crack the big-time, travels cross-town to Atletico's fiercest, most hated rivals, Real Madrid. From there, it's the stuff of fairytales.

Real Madrid and current coach Jorge Valdano signed him to their C Team in the 94/95 season, where he quickly impressed with 16 goals in 9 games. Jorge Valdano, going through an injury crisis to his strikers, saw his talent and gave him his first team chance. How was Jorge to know the legend he had just unleashed? How was anyone to know?

Raul's debut already had him breaking records, as he became the youngest person (17 years and 4 months) to play for the Madrid senior side. The match was played against Real Zaragoza, and it ended in a 4-2 loss for Madrid, a bittersweet moment for Raul. But now that he had a taste of the first team, he wasn't going to give it up easily.

Raul's next game came against Madrid's biggest rivals. Yep, you guessed it, Atletico Madrid. The club who had discarded him as a teen were about to pay for that decision massively. The payback would last for years and years to come. This was just the start. Raul had an excellent match against Atletico, scoring once and making two, a sign of things to come from the youngster. Already, Atletico were realising the grave mistake they had made, and regretting it big-time.

Over the next year, Raul started to get more first-team chances, taking them with 9 goals in 28 appearances, not bad for a debut season at all. Raul helped Madrid secure the league title in his first season. The 94/95 season had ended, and Raul was known all across Spain. World recognition was soon to follow.

The next season saw Raul get more game time, and he rewarded the faith with 25 goals in 50 games, not a bad tally at all. Unfortunately for young Raul, it wasn't enough to see him earn a Spain debut, and adding to that, he was not picked for the 1996 European Championships. His debut came in October that year, against Czechoslovakia.

The next season came and went for Raul, as he continually impressed. The next season, however, saw the goals dry up, with Raul picking up a tally of 12 goals in 48 appearances. Yes, the 97/98 season was one to forget for Raul in terms of league success, with his poor tally and the title loss to Barcelona, but his efforts in the UEFA Champions League proved helpful as Madrid went on to win that title.

In 2000, Champions League success again came to Raul and Madrid, as his burgeoning reputation grew and grew. In the tournament, he scored a goal in the final against La Liga rivals Valencia, and finished as the top scorer.

His success in 2000 went on, as he earned a place in the Euro 2000 Team of the Tournament, despite scoring just one goal. Raul was reaching heights that seasoned veterans spent their whole careers searching, and he was still in his early 20's.

In 2002, as Madrid again relinquished the La Liga title, European success came once more. Raul had now won his third Champions League, and as he had scored in the final versus Bayer Leverkusen, he became the first player in history to score in two Champions League finals, a feat that has since only been matched by . Raul's accolades just kept coming, and one wondered whether he would move from Madrid or not, as he was in very high demand from Europe's top clubs. But, Raul repeatedly said no, citing his love for Real Madrid, the club who had given him his chance. During these highly successful years, Raul was one half of the most deadly striker force in Europe, with the other half being Fernando Morientes. The two were among the most feared in Europe.

In 2003, Raul was named Captain of Real Madrid, leading to the nickname El Capitan. Raul was realising the dream, and now he was one of the best in the world.

In the next few years, as the "Galacticos" nickname was penned to describe Real Madrid's superstars, Raul saw his status as the club's star player somewhat fall away. Players like Beckham, Zidane and Owen arrived, and while he still performed brilliantly, he was no longer the key player. He particularly didn't like Michael Owen, saying he preferred Fernando Morientes.

As the Galacticos era somewhat ended, the ageing Raul retained his starting spot, and continued his good form. His international career was a different story though. After a disappointing 2006 World Cup, Raul was left out of the Euro 2008 squad, with Luis Aragones preferring Fernando Torres and David Villa.

Raul lost his international captaincy to club-mate Iker Casillas and didn't play for Spain after 08. He holds the distinction of being Spain's all-time leading goal-scorer, as well as being Real Madrid's leader in that respect.

In the summer before the 09/10 season, it was signings galore at the Bernabeu. Kaka, Benzema, and Cristiano Ronaldo were all brought in to ensure success. As a result, Raul, despite being captain, lost his starting spot, and found goals and appearances hard to come by. At the end of the season, after no trophies being won, coach Manuel Pellegrini was sacked, and replaced by Jose Mourinho, the European Championship-winning coach.

Mourinho has signed several youngsters as he looks to restore Madrid to their former glory and bring trophies to the Bernabeu. Mourinho seemed to not hold Raul and fellow club legend Guti in his plans and both of the announced their departure from Real Madrid. Guti left the day before Raul, to the sadness of many fans. It was not quite the same as Raul's departure, as the fans today weep at their loss, but also rejoice in the memories their hero gave them. Like Francesco Totti to Roma, like Ryan Giggs to Manchester United, Raul is Real Madrid, and it will be hard to imagine Madrid without him. In fact, even if Raul isn't donning the famous white, he will always be Madrid through and through, as he himself said.

So goodbye Raul, you are a true legend, and Real Madrid will most certainly miss you. It will be odd not seeing you in the white shirt of Los Blancos, but I'm sure wherever you go you will entertain and delight. If it is indeed Schalke as rumoured, or even Tottenham Hotspur, I am sure you will leave your mark, just like you did at the Bernabeu. May new nicknames be made, may even more records be broken, may the fans love you as the madridista's always will. With all the records you broke, all the trophies you won, all the things you acheived it is a wonder how you never won the Ballon D'or. You're the King if the Champions League, the King of Spain and you will always be the King of Real Madrid. Goodbye Raul, Real Madrid will always will love you.

Why Mario Balotelli Should Move To Manchester City

2010-07-25T08:25:04Z

Why Mario Balotelli Should Move To Manchester City

Mario Balotelli is 19 years old. He is Italian, but you could call him different to most from the peninsula. Why? He is black. In my mind, there is nothing wrong with that, but to many many fans, including those of Italian side Chievo Verona, there is. Wherever Mario goes, racism follows. Yes, he has a somewhat poor attitude, but racism does contribute greatly to that.
So, Super Mario as they call him, cops a lot of racism, and adding to that, a lot of criticism. The criticism, however, is not about his footballing abilities. Because, to be honest with you, he is a divine talent, with massive potential to grow into a world superstar. No, the criticism is about that bad attitude he possesses. His teammates dislike him, and seem to not really care about him, which was highlighted in the Coppa Italia Final Vs Roma, when he was kicked by Francesco Totti. Now, normally, when this happens, a teammate rushes to the players aid. But because it's Balotelli, intensely disliked by his teammates, they do nothing. More of his flaws are his constant dives, his whinging, his laziness at times, his inconsistency, and his ego.
But, if racism was no longer a problem with Balotelli, that is he no longer received it, I think those flaws would be less apparent, as his amazing ability would able to come out and shut out those problems. But where could a black man go and not be racially abused? America? Certainly not! No, England would be the perfect option. With the amount of black men in the Premier League, there would be little to no racism directed at Balotelli. As said before, this would allow him to flourish. Also, there are many Africans or Englishmen of African descent in the EPL that could stand as role models for Balo. Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Kevin-Prince Boateng, and most importantly Jerome Boateng, Emmanuel Adebayor and Patrick Vieira. The latter trio play for Manchester City, who covet Balotelli. Vieira would be the perfect role model, as he has no doubt had racism come his way in his lifetime. This would allow Balotelli to grow and mature.
Also, the City fans love all their players, and tend to like those specially gifted e.g Carlos Tevez. This means they would love Balotelli, which would help him, as the Inter fans hate him. Love from the fans would take pressure off Balotelli, again allowing him to improve.
Speaking of Manchester City coveting Balotelli, the Eastlands club are currently in talks with Balo's curent side Inter Milan over a possible move to City. Most importantly, City have the funds to push the move through and Balotelli himself has said he would like to go to City and link up with former coach Roberto Mancini.
In my opinion, a move to City would be the best option for the young Balotelli, as he looks to build on his promise and become the superstar he believes he is destined to be. Without the racism present in Italy, and the pressure from the fans gone, I think his poor attitude would start to fade into the mist, and his football could develop and finally become his way of shutting up his problems and his critics, rather than the rants and the poor behaviour. Indeed, if City do sign Super Mario, he may yet become the best in the world. May is the key word. If he can top his problems, world, be ready to be blown away.

IN - GUR - LAND ... OUT!

2010-06-27T16:47:07Z

Well that's that then. Another defeat, and another inflicted by our traditional rivals at soccerball - Germany. Woe is us. The team that everyone said "they're not as good as other german teams" dealt the team many dubbed as a "golden generation" for england a sound whooping.

Whilst 4-1 is indeed flattering, as explained later in this page, there is no doubt that Loew's team looked far more penatrative, and Capello's drones looked abysmal defensively. The game was not settled tactically per say, Germany capitalised from England's forcing of the game, however England's first half defensive display was, as its well documented, abhorrent. As if to further confound this, the midfield were overlooked, with another display seeming to rely on a Hollywood pass (See previous articles on OTBAO). The front two for England, Defoe and Rooney, barely had a touch, and although at times, Mertesacker looked clumsy, he was assured, in complete contrast to Neuer, who looked as confident as a BP executive in a US courtroom.

Diving right into it then - Rooney. The only reason for his 4 shocking displays could be injury. He failed to complete a pass in the first half today (n.b. I've yet to check the actual stat on that), and whilst his control had greatly improved from the group games, his pace lacked, his desire waned and frankly he just looked poor. So if injury is his excuse, why play a 50% player? Surely two fit strikers would have given the three lions a better chance? Not meaning to start a debate between who is the better support player between Crouch and Heskey, and much less, who should've been in the squad to start <COUGH> BENT! <COUGH>, but surely there must be questions raised of Rooney's inclusion. If it is not injury then his form was bad enough to have him dropped. If Capello, oft heralded as THE pragmatist in English football, thought dropping Rooney dropped his best chance of a goal, then how did he maintain this view after his group stage form? It harks back to his betrayal of his vow of picking form players for the WC (A. Johnson, D. Bent and S. Parker to name a few).

Now, enough focus on Shrek. Now for some defensive wailing. But this is an easy one. It will be well documented the world over. But not enough focus will be on the follies of John Terry. Much like Cannavaro for Italy, he was undone by his lack of pace and agility. Look to England's player of the tournament in Cashley Cole, who's best assets are just those; pace and agility. It is the reason week in week out he is a good player. Look also to Germany's dangerman Oezil, fast as lightning, he gave England endless problems. Thanks as to time, as this is Terry's last World Cup.

Whilst i predict 80% of back pages will be chosen from an English player crying and the shot of the ball clearly over the line (find me a german who will argue that. I wager there are none.), there is no doubt the latter decided the game. I'm not saying the game would have been won by England had the goal of stood, but there can be no doubt that Germany would not of scored the two breakaway goals that they did.

I do not wish to close that article on a sour note. I feel at times England played well, although they were too suspect in every department to be considered contenders today. They were beaten by a faster, stronger and eventually better team. A winner makes their luck, and it showed today. England have a few positives. We can start afresh in a few positions; Goalkeeper, Centre half, Centre mid and Striker. That is, to state the obvious, the spine of a team. A bold theory; Start blooding Joe Hart and other youngsters, and players previously overlooked against friendly opposition between now and the 2012 Euro's. It could be a different story if we go with a definite ~20 ish players who know our regime (see Spain for a team that knows who's who). All is not lost, and there can be much to gain.

FIFA in a desperate need of implementing video review

2010-06-27T15:57:05Z

It's hard to imagine despite the numerous errors made by officials during the course of important games in major soccer tournaments such as the World Cup, that FIFA continues to do nothing about.

Match fixing involving teams and referees which continues to plague a number of European leagues, is an issue FIFA has been regularly addressing. But yet when we get to major tournaments such as the World Cup & European Championship, the presence of bad officiating is still quite clear.

Where is the integrity of the game heading? Certainly not upward, and unless FIFA begin considering adding an extra official and video review to their officiating structure the sport will continue to be under a huge microscope of criticism..

USA! USA! USA!

2010-06-24T19:22:07Z

Facing the prospect of a draw with Algeria and thus the abyss that would be an early exit from the World Cup, Landon Donovan managed to put a Clint Dempsey rebound into the Algerian net and propel Team USA into the Round of 16 as the winners of Group C to boot.

I could talk about the numerous chances America's Team had throughout the match: Dempsey bouncing a shot off the post, Hercules Gomez not blasting it past the Algerian keeper, Jozy's numerous flubs.

I could even expound on how an elderly and visually-impaired D-Wade could have cost El Equipo de Todos (lit. "The Team of Us All", that's Univision's nickname for Team USA) everything but...

No.

This moment belongs to one of the greatest sporting moments I have witnessed, not just in the World Cup but throughout all sport. Yes there was Vince Young's unworldly performance against USC, Gibby's improbable blast off Eck back in '88, the Houston Rockets going back-to-back etc.

I have loved fútbol (soccer to some of you, football to others) all of my life, it is the sport I learned before I learned to walk. Being a native of México had a lot to do with this. Throughout the years, baseball, basketball and college football have take a large portion of the market share, but every 4 years, fútbol is king.

As has been extensively catalogued on these pages, I "live and die" with Mexico's National Team (El Tri) from the time World Cup qualifers start to such a time we find ourselves in now, the World Cup. Naturally, during qualifiers I root against the United States when they play my beloved Tri, but every other time I'm right there with Team USA.

Watching the USA-Algeria match today, my heart grew heavier with each passing minute as Team USA failed time and time again to get the ball past a stupidly grinning Algerian keeper. As stoppage time came and Algeria headed a dangerous ball towards U.S. keeper Tim Howard's goal, the flickering flame of hope waned...

Howard, arguably the U.S. best player, then sensed an opportunity and hurled the ball mightily towards a streaking Landon Donovan. I sensed something special was going to happen because this is exactly how he looked last year when he scored on a counterattack against Brazil in the Confederations Cup final.

They got down to the box, the ball ended up at the feet of Clint Dempsey and the hands of the Algerian keeper, who made a mighty save. The ball bounced right out off his hands and into the annals of history in the form of Landon Donovan's right foot.

Elation... Relief and Joy.

I may or may not have gotten a little-teary eyed at what I had just witnessed. I can say with certainty that this moment surpassed anything I've felt watching México at this World Cup. For me to say that...

What a country this is, where an Argentine (Andres Cantor) is calling the game on Spanish Radio and goes berserk calling Donovan's goal. So much so that he is unable to belt out his trademark "GOOOOLLLL!!!" because of the emotion of the moment.

What a country, where a Mexican fútbol/soccer/football chant, "Si se puede!" ("Yes We Can") is used to fuel an historical election, only to come full circle by being plastered on posterboard in support of Team USA (Photo by Phil Cole Getty Images)

I don't know what this victory means for the future prospects of soccer in this country, and to be honest I don't particularly care.

Whether or not the sport ever gives baseball, basketball or American football a run for their money here in these United States is irrelevant, I'll watch fútbol either way.

Fútbol is king, and when it comes to watching your homeland (adopted or otherwise) at the World Cup, there is nothing like it. Here's a video of Landon's historic goal.

Was anyone else pleasantly surprised by the Brazil vs N Korea game?

2010-06-16T07:39:58Z

I posted the following on an Off Topic Conversation in my homeland of Battle Red Blog

What I'd like to see from the USA team going forward

Is I’d love to see the USA team get some of that level of control of the ball that North Korea had. (Ideally, I’d love the control that Brasil had).

Passing
Here’s what I mean. When you watch a team pass the ball. What I HATE to see is this wild, reckless, kicking the ball 3/4 of the way down-field in hopes that one of your team mates gets it. When the Brazilians kicked the ball 1/2 way or 3/4 of the way down-field there was someone from their team who actually got it 95% of the time. Team USA will have to get that level of control to become a contender in my opinion.

The North Koreans and Brazilians were both really good at passing the ball. What was magical about the Brazilians was that they weren’t afraid to be in the midst of 5 N Korean defenders. They knew they could pass the ball amidst the defenders and even if a Korean defender kicked the ball away they kicked it to one of their Korean team mates not just wildly kicking the ball down-field. THAT’S what I was realizing was part of what I consider well played soccer.

Dribbling
There’s still a level of skill that you might have noticed that BOTH the Brazilians and North Koreans had. They were right with the ball. They weren’t kicking the ball ahead and chasing it down. Their dribbling was controlled which allowed them to change direction on a dime. THIS is what makes watching well played Soccer so magical to me. THIS level of control.

Then all the other stuff about passing to the right player at the right time .. that’s all gravy to me. It makes the game more excellent but passing and dribbling NEED to get to the levels of Brazil, North Korea, and Spain.

Watch how these teams dribble and pass and you’ll see what I mean.

I also found this article . which might help with getting a feel for the positions. I didn’t do an indepth search for THE BEST guide to soccer positions. Just thought it might be handy for someone else here.

=) Trust me if/when I see the USA soccer team dribble and pass with the level of control that Brazil and North Korea had .. I’ll be overjoyed =). I saw very little of that in the England vs USA game this past Saturday ;-(. MAYBE they were still adjusting to the new Soccer balls. .. however, if that’s so, why didn’t the Brazil vs N Korea game have the same issues as the England vs USA?

As one analyst said something like , blaming the ball is like blaming your keyboard for bad typing (not the analogy they used but I couldn’t find it in print I heard it on ESPN later)

to the question of is the ball a factor I found an article in vanity fair of all places . . .

blurb from vanity fair regarding the Jabulani ball

Which brings us to the Jabulani: an eight-panel, thermal bonded ball that’s been fit to a mold so the ball shape is completely consistent, from the first ball that’s manufactured to the last. It went through all kinds of research and development testing before it launched last December and was distributed to the various World Cup countries in February.

Adidas even used aerospace software to track the flight of the ball. "We want to make sure the ball flies the most accurately it possibly can—that it’s the most round it can be," Zea says, explaining that thermal bonding reduces the small variation in ball shapes that handstitching could create.

The eight-panel ball also has a striking surface that’s 70 percent larger than previous balls’, and the sweet spot is bigger, too. Adidas’s new Grip’n’Groove technology has been added to the panels to help with wind channeling (to create a more perfect flight), and the ball’s texture makes it play better in different weather conditions.

I know Isaw a commentator on ESPN say SOMETHING to the effect that blaming the ball for bad plays was like blaming your keyboard for bad typing (not the exact analogy from the commentator. The ESPN commentator's comment was MUCH funnier. But the idea was the same).

Anyway, I thought I'd drop by to ask if anyone else was surprised at how well the Brazil Vs N. Korea game went. I really liked it. And I felt like THIS was the caliber of world cup soccer we'd been wanting to see. I can hardly wait to see Spain play.

Germany - The newcomers

2010-06-14T12:49:53Z

Hey there,

in my last FanPost I introduced to you the veteran players on the German team. Right now I will tell you a few things about the young ones:

- Mesut Özil, Midfielder: 21 years old, he's our very talented and technically skilled playmaker. He has appered in 11 games for the German team, but has already played over 100 games in the German Bundeliga. He is a great creator, last season he had 17 assists in 31 league games for his club, Werder Bremen. He has international experience, having played in the CL, the UEFA-Cup and the Euro League.

- Thomas Müller, Midfielder/Forward: At 20 years old, he is one of the youngest players on the team. Last season was his first as a pro, and his performance for Bayern Munich was great. He appered in all 34 games and scored 13 goals plus 11 assists. He also was a regular in the Champions League games, but overall he is very unexperienced. His natural position is that of a forward, but he also plays at the right midfield.

- Holger Badstuber, Defender: Read what I posted about Thomas Müller. Badstuber is another player who had only one season as a pro, but he is respected within his club team and is a regular player there. The fact that he is a starter now for the German team surprised me too, but his performance was very mature. He has to get himself involved even more into the offense, but he is still so young and will definitaly get even better.

- Marko Marin, Midfielder: He is a small and lightning-quick player that dribbles very often, sometimes too often. An above the average passer (14 assists last season), but lacks defensive effort sometimes. Is already experienced at the national level.

- Toni Kroos, Midfielder: Once considered the most taletend player in German football. Has played an outstanding season for his club Bayer Leverkusen as their playmaker. Not as experienced as Özil and therefore mostly on the bench for the German team. Should Özil become injured, Kroos would be an excellent substitute.

*** UPDATE *** I decided to add a short profile about Sami Khedira since he is a starter now on this team and I think most people haven't taken notice of him internationally.

- Sami Khedira, Midfielder: 23 years old, plays in the defensive midfield, but is playing a bit more offensively than Schweinsteiger, as could be seen in the match against Australia. Experienced player on the national level (98 matches), with some experince in CL- and Euro League games. He is one of the leaders in within his club VfB Stuttgart, but suffered some minor injuries at the beginning of 2010.

USA - ENGLAND - A Casual Analysis

2010-06-10T14:04:15Z

World Cup Fever has taken over the universe and we here at Casual Hoya are not ashamed to do whatever and whoever is needed to keep our loyal casualites/casualties up to speed on the latest news. For starters, we have put together a panel of soccer EXPERTS to get you up to speed on the epic USA vs. England match on Saturday.

http://www.casualhoya.com/2010/6/10/1510542/sleeping-with-the-enemy-england-a

Is it odd about North Korea not allowing press to be at the training sessions.

2010-06-06T00:42:38Z

This was what the Ap said

TEMBISA, South Africa – The North Korean World Cup squad has held its fourth training session in South Africa with foreign media yet to be allowed in.

The media-shy North Koreans are making their second World Cup appearance and first since 1966. They worked out Saturday at the Makhulong Stadium in the township of Tembisa, near Johannesburg.

Access was granted to only a North Korean TV crew and FIFA's TV unit as Kim Jong Hun's squad prepared for an exhibition against Nigeria at Makhulong on Sunday.

The secretive communist country is required to give journalists access five days before its first match — against Brazil on June 15.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100605/ap_on_sp_so_ne/soc_wcup_north_korea

Do you think there taking any performance drugs??

Allow me to introduce to you the key players on the German team

2010-05-31T12:05:47Z

Hey there,

as a big fan of the German Bundesliga, i think i can give you all a good introduction of the key players on the German squad.

- Manuel Neuer, Goalie - It's his first big tournament as our # 1 goalie. He's not as experienced in international competition as Wiese or Butt, but had arguably the best season of the three and it is expected that he and Adler (once he's healthy) will compete for the # 1. He has weaknesses when he leaves his goal, but he is a great footballer.

- Per Mertesacker, Defender - Despite only being 25 years old, he has appered in 60 matches for Germany already and is one of our veteran players. He looks kinda slow because he's so tall, but he has a great football IQ and a great feeling for the game. He's the chief player of our defense.

- Philipp Lahm, Defender - Our new captain. Is a great player on both outer sides of the field, very quick and offensive-minded. Very experienced, had a great season with Bayern Munich winning two national titles.

- Bastian Schweinsteiger, Midfielder - Was considered an offensive midfielder for years, but has developed a solid defensive game and now playing in the central midfield. It is expected that he will take Ballack's role as the player that switches from defense to offense and provides the ball. Veteran player with already 73 matches for Germany.

- Lukas Podolski, Forward - He played a disappointing season for Cologne (only 2 goals and 4 assists in 27 matches). But Löw will definately play him, since he has mostly been great while plaing for the national team. Has played some time in the offensive midfield position and may switch to this position in games. Has a great goal rate when playing for Germany (71 matches, 37 goals).

- Miroslav Klose, Forward - His season was as disappointing as Podolski's (only 2 goals), but his international reputation is still great. He is the player with the most experience on the squad. His biggest strength is his unselfishness, he always has the eye for the player in the better position. But he is also a deadly finisher (48 goals in 94 matches) and often hits with the header.

These are in my opinion the key players of the german team. All in all they are very experienced despite being still very young.

Check back later as i will make up a FanPost about the newcomers on the German team.

I Am Pumped For Copa Del Mundo!!!

2010-05-21T18:33:12Z

This isn't going to be in spanish, but I just think "World Cup" in spanish sounds the coolest.

I don't know about the rest of ya'll out there, but I am really excited for the World Cup, and I'm not even a die-hard soccer fan... Well, I wish I was a diehard soccer fan, but I can't get excited for the MLS, and the european games either happen on a channel that is not available/I cannot afford, or is on TV while I'm working. Kind of stinks.

As a kid, the World Cup was one of my favorite things. It happened over the summer, I didn't have to work, and I was able to watch almost every game I wanted to on TV. It was a blast. Now that I'm a college grad, I work a fulltime job that happens during the day, as opposed to working mostly evenings when I was in college and in high school.

For the first time in my life, I'm going to be in a position where I will not be able to watch as much of the World Cup as I would like. Yes, I could watch replays, but the fact that I follow pretty much every sport, I would get spoilers as to what happened, no matter how hard I tried to avoid seeing the results.

Anyhow, most of the fun for me is watching these different countries, getting on bandwagons, and watch a sport that literally a large portion of the world watches.

I'm not sure what you all do as far as picking teams, but I find ways to stay interested in the entire world cup. I know of some people that will only watch the USA, and when they're gone, they're done with it. For me, I want to watch the whole thing and be entertained by what I watch. Here's how I go about choosing teams to support:

1. I pick three teams that I would consider myself a "fan" of. Any of these teams go deep, I'm happy.

2. I also pick a team to root for in each of the remaining groups that the three above teams are not in, to keep it interesting for myself in the early going.

3. As you will see on the next page, typically the teams I choose from method 1 do not make it very far. From method 2, I pick teams I like, but what happens when they play each other in the knockout stages? Who do I root for then? Well what I end up doing is rank the teams I like 1-32. That way for a given game, I have a team I like better and can justify.

After the jump, I'll get into my Top 3, the teams for each group, and lastly, my overall ranking of 32 teams!

Here are the three teams I'm mainly supporting:

USA, Serbia, and Nigeria.

USA because that's my homecountry, Serbia because that's my mom's home country, and Nigeria, because I've loved their style of play since I was a kid.

Here are the teams from the "other" groups, I'll support:

USA, Serbia, and Nigeria play in groups C, D, and B respectivley so those groups are "out" from this list.

Group A: Uruguay mostly by default. Mexico is out because they're the rivals to the USA, France I've always been "meh" on, and I just can't get on the South Africa bandwagon. As a host team, their fans are going to get a lot out of the experience in general.

Group E: Cameroon. I like Eto'o, as he's a fun player to watch.

Group F: Paraguay by default as well. Italy's style of play is kind of boring to me, and Slovakia and New Zealand are just bad.

Group G: This is a tough one. Brazil is fun to watch, but Ivory Coast has a fun player in Drogba, and Portugal has Ronaldo. Tough. The bad news for soccer fans is that one of these three teams has to get knocked out early. Since I picked two South American teams and only 1 African team so far from the other groups, I'll equalize it with Ivory Coast. But Group G is a group I'm not mad at at all.

Group H: I'll go with Chile. Spain has seemed to choke in recent memory, which is more fun to watch, than winning, in my opinion. I just get a kick out of chokers choking...

Lastly, here's my overall ranking of 32 teams in the field:

USA
Serbia
Nigeria
Ivory Coast
Brazil
Cameroon
Portugal
Chile
Uruguay
Paraguay
Greece
Argentina
Slovenia
Germany
Denmark
England
Honduras
Spain
Switzerland
Ghana
South Africa
Netherlands
France
South Korea
Algeria
Slovakia
Japan
New Zealand
Australia
Italy
Mexico
North Korea

So there you have it. How do you pick teams, and who do you want to see do well?

It's 1995 all over again!

2010-04-29T15:26:05Z

This Sunday Liverpool will take the field against Chelsea in an attempt win an unlikely 3 points in their challenge for 4th place. On the other hand it is a game that if won, could hand their greatest rivals the title. Who remembers the same situation in 1995, when Liverpool faced Blackburn Rovers, with United playing West Ham away? On that day, Liverpool beat Blackburn 2-1, and United squandered the chance at the Hammers. Could a repeat be on the cards?

Fat chance. Regardless of the Sunderland - Manchester United fixture, Chelsea will thump Liverpool even if they do come out playing for the win, and survival in the hunt for 4th. If the injuries to Kuyt and Ngog keep them out on Sunday as well as tonight, they have about as much chance of scoring against Chelsea as I do of sleeping with Megan Fox.

The Reds fans calling for their club to roll over on Sunday will be appeased if Liverpool can somehow find some goals tonight in Europe from a team with no strikers, (albeit, in the same sense Man City had no Goalkeepers). But it does not change the fact, that Liverpool fans are so hung up on the notion of not letting Fergie pip them to 19 English Champion titles, that they would happily sacrifice their own team's goal of finishing fourth.

It has been a dismal season for Liverpool, and it is now being compounded by their own fans wanting them to lose. The saving grace is that with or without that pathetic attitude they are, more than likely, going to get beaten on Sunday. It's not all that bad. The Reds fans can cheer on their team in Europe, and if they get knocked out of that, cheer on Portsmouth's failure to run their club properly granting them their place in Europe next year.

Good to know all Liverpool have is half victories these days.

Fernando Torres transfer rumors

2010-03-30T21:24:29Z

I keep hearing transfer rumors on Torres, and I was wondering how likely this is to happen. The one that seems the most viable option is Manchester City, because Torres would greatly increase the team overall, and they have the cash to buy almost anyone. I was wondering at what point will Liverpool be desperate enough to possibly let go of Torres.
Also I am curious as to if Torres will stay in the EPL if he leaves Liverpool. All I have is speculation now, but am interested in what everyone else thinks

City Torres Rumors

When Mother Nature wants to play,

2010-03-06T13:37:09Z

Down with Brazil!

I'm pretty sure some of you guys have seen it and I don't know how to get the video on her, but I'm gonna tell the story that happened on Thurs. This was some German league that nobody knows about, here's the story. It all began when one team had to take a goal kick, the guy kicked the ball, the wind was blowing really hard, but when the ball went into the air the wind blew it right back at them and in the goal for a score for the other team. When I saw that, I burst out laughing it was hilarious. And I said how can Germany be that good at soccer when they score an own goal from a goal kick?

Hey there soccer fans across the world

2010-02-07T02:08:04Z

USA RULES!

Hey dudes, I'm southman from Chattanooga Tn. I'm new to soccer blogs but not new to SBnation blogs and I am an Everton fan (don't ask me why, it's complicated) and I would like to make as many internet freinds as possible(No I'm not obssesed I like to have friends) I have followed soccer for a few years now and I want to expand my knoledge around the league. you can check my page if you want (even though you don't have to)

An American on the State of United

2010-02-03T00:26:59Z

A baseball forum I used to read was quite militant in silencing what was referred to there as "being a dark cloud", as in someone who made a habit of focusing on the negative as opposed to the silver lining. While I never cared for the attempt to remove dissent, it did illustrate that some pessimistic fans, while not caring any less about their team than the optimists, do generally expect the worst of any situation. On the other hand, some fans view their teams through rose-colored glasses, and will hear no ill of them.

One side isn't necessarily any more "right" than the other, but I have to admit that that latter sort is a good bit more fun to be around.

The 2009-2010 season for Manchester United has provided quite a bit of fodder for either type of fan. The pessimists can point to the five losses, the quick exit to Leeds in the FA cup, and the club's rising debt, while the optimists can seize on the fact that Wayne Rooney is probably the first name mentioned in any "best player in the world" discussions, we're going to Wembley to face Aston Villa for the League Cup, and the 3-1 flogging of Arsenal at Emirates.

I have to admit, I lean towards the sunny-siders. If I'd wanted to watch my team feeling abject certainty that failure was imminent, I'd be a City fan, wouldn't I?

However difficult the season has been, United are right in the hunt for a fourth straight League championship, Van Der Sar's allowed all of four goals in five games since he's return, and wonder of wonders, Nani's suddenly looking like he belongs in Red. I don't think you can watch how they've played and not feel certain that we're watching a world class team. We've certainly looked a damned sight better in our last few games than Arsenal, nor have we dropped points at Hull the way Chelsea did today.

Off the field...okay, there's a bit more cause for worry there. The Glazers obviously don't have a lot of fans in England, (unless it's British bankers who are holding the parent company's debt,) and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers going 3-13 this year, they probably don't have a lot of goodwill with their American fans either, but sometimes it seems to me like the anger at the Glazers is a bit overblown.

From everything anyone's been able to determine, when Sir Alex has asked for money for transfers, the Glazers have yet to answer anything but yes. On the other end, the players who've gotten transferred like Tevez and Ronaldo have been players who wanted to leave anyway, and in Ronaldo's case, (and allegedly Tevez's as well,) we got a massive transfer fee for them.

This might be my overly optimistic side showing, but I'm disinclined to assume the worst until it happens. If the Glazers are going to start weakening the on-field product in the name of profits for themselves, I don't think it's happened yet. The team might be a bit weaker than some of the more dominant recent years, but that's as likely a factor in key players like Owen, Neville, et cetera getting older, as well as the lack of real prospects coming out of our developmental system.

And I have to ask, would we have seen an organization like MUST come about if the Glazers' purchase had occurred in exactly the same way but with British owners instead of Americans? Besides, if you want to see American owners damaging their teams, the Glazers would have to work bloody hard to match what Gillett and Hicks have done to Liverpool.

Week 17 preview-Viva Manzano

2010-01-08T19:23:36Z

Thank goodness La Liga returns this weekend after its two week hiatus. Yes, I know there were La Liga games played last weekend, but it appeared that the whole league took a page from Ronaldo's (real Ronaldo) playbook and came back sluggish and 20 lbs overweight from its collective holiday. This is not really surprising when you consider how serious Spaniards are about their holidays. The Spanish look for any excuse not to work and as a result average an astonishing 1 holiday for every 2.33 real work days. Imagine how nuts they go when there is a real holiday like Christmas to celebrate. That previous statistic is not at all true but this one is: only 16 goals were scored last Jornada.

Not that goals are the only measure of quality play, but in this instance the correlation is strong. It is also highly suggestive that most players minds and bodies were still on vacation and stricken by a serious case of the 'itis. Barcelona v. Villarreal (usually a thrilling encounter) was rather pedestrian, Osasuna bored Real Madrid to tears (though Madrid were partially responsible themselves), and Atletico actually won a big game. Blame it all on the holiday jamon.

This week's slate of games looks none too appetizing. The most appealing involves a top four clash in Madrid on Sunday. I think now is a good time take a moment to acknowledge the work of Gregorio Manzano. He leads his team into the Bernabeu this weekend sitting in 4th place! Though half the season is not even gone, this has to rank as one of the best performances by a manager in the history of football. At the start of August, Mallorca had about 12 players in its squad, and had just lost Cleber Santana, Jose Jurado, and Mallorca legend, Juan Arango--arguably the most important players during Mallorca's solid 9th place finish of 2008/2009. Mallorca sits on a mountain of debt, plays in one of the worst stadiums in Spain both in terms of atmosphere and facilities, and gets an average attendance of about 10,000. Yet, they are 8-0-0 at San Moix this campaign having only conceded 3 goals, the lowest of any team in La Primera. Granted, they've only won once away from home but they have only conceded 8 goals in 8 games outside of Palma de Mallorca. Thanks to Gregorio Manzano, some shrewd work in the transfer market over the course of a couple years, and a rock solid defense the club is battling for European places when a relegation battle looked much more likely at the outset of the campaign.

Here's an interesting fact: Gregorio Manzano is the longest serving manager at his club of all current La Liga managers. The beginning of his illustrious reign dates all the way back to February 2006! This is absolutely shocking. Not one single manager in La Liga has been in charge for longer than 4 years. Only three managers began the 2006/2007 campaign leading the clubs they currently lead out to battle. All that I love and loathe about La Liga is embodied in these incredible statistics. The internal political strife that dominates the Spanish football landscape and innate stupidity at the director level of the Spanish game is second to none in terms of entertainment. But it's also tremendously aggravating to see coaches sacked with such frequency that only a very few are ever allowed to shape a team in the way they see fit. I hope some club directors take note of Mallorca's and Manzano's achievements and think twice before hitting the panic button and scooping up the first available manager on the "approved" manager carrousel—Luis Fernandez, I like you and all, but you're a boring choice.

Cue Mallorca getting stuffed 6-0 in the Bernabeu and picking up 4 points the rest of the way...

FA Cup - Top Marks for Leeds and ... er ... Preston

2010-01-04T13:18:02Z

It was one of the most forgettable FA Cup third round weekends in history. A weekend which in England is normally one of the most revered in the sporting calendar was reduced to a mere puppet show where there were few fans and even less drama. The third round of the FA Cup is where we normally hear of Joe the Plumber scoring the winning goal for non-league Hackney Marshes FC and propelling his side past a proper professional League club. It's the football equivalent of dreaming that Tin Cup wins the US Open. But poor weather, coupled with crazy ticket pricing, and big clubs resting their star names meant that some matches were played in front of some of the most pathetic crowds the FA cup has ever seen, with one of the least dramatic set of results in history.

Sunderland used to regularly attract 70,000 locals to watch their side every week (that of course was back in the glory days of terracing), and while their new stadium seats 49,000 folk only a meagre 25,000 turned out to watch plucky Barrow get dispatched by the XI fit players left at the club. Some other attendances of note include Wigan vs. Hull where just 5,000 bothered to turn out in a 25,000 seat stadium, also Middlesborough vs. Man City where 35,000 seats were shared between 12,000 fans and Villa vs. Blackburn where 25,000 out of a possible 43,000 turned up to watch two Premier League clubs duke it out.

The results, too, made a mockery of the so-called "romance" of the Cup. Not one tie played on Saturday produced a shock, where a lower league club upset a big name. Not one, unless you count Liverpool managing to hang on for a draw againt Reading. The truth seems to be that big clubs rest their best players because even their reserves are better than other teams first XI. But wait ... I'm watching the 1pm (GMT) kick off on Sunday and Jermaine Beckford, the best striker outside the top two divisions by some considerable margin, puts Leeds United ahead of Premier League Champions Manchester United. Many of you will have learnt a bit about the glory days of Leeds watching Michael Sheens virtuoso performance in The Damned United - if you haven't seen it I suggest you rush out and watch it. Surely this fallen giant cannot hold on against the might of the Worlds Biggest Club? But they do, and an FA cup shock is made! It becomes the most influential result of the weekend, and inflicts Sir Alex Fergusons first FA cup third round defeat ever. It's the stuff dreams are made of, and showed that there is life in the Cup yet. In addition there were several excellent cup ties this weekend, with Reading vs. Liverpool and West Ham vs. Arsenal both showing the sort of blood and fire that has made the FA Cup famous the world over.

There was one more result of note this third round. Preston 7 - 0 Colchester. A humbling of monumental proportions. A team that opened the season with a 7-1 victory over Norwich City turned over by an even bigger scoreline. And just weeks after Preston parted company with Alan Irvine, one of the most talented upcoming managers in the league. Prestons dismissal of Irvine was a disgrace, and the manner of their defeat of one of the form teams in League 1 showed that the side Irvine built is one that possesses no little talent.

So the FA cup will now assume the usual progression of big clubs towards the final. Don't bother throwing your hard-earned on Leeds to continue their fine run. They've drawn Tottenham in the fourth round, a side who will not underestimate them, and they will undoubtably bow out. In truth the FA Cup has been shorn of any magic or majesty by the money-obsessed goliath that is the Premier League. More is the pity.