Thoughts on Team Top 5's for the World Cup

Best Attacking Teams- These are the teams who I thought provided the most excitement in the attacking part of the pitch
1) Germany- The Germans were dynamic in front of the net, with Golden Boot and Young Player of the Tournament Awards Winner Thomas Mueller leading the way. Miroslav Klose also had a standout tournament, along with Mesut Ozil, Lukas Padolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger
2) Netherlands- The Dutch primary four attackers (Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Dirk Kuyt and Robin van Persie) bolstered big reputations, talent and ego. All of them had good tournaments, with the exception of van Persie who simply did not look like he belonged with the rest of the Dutch creativity on the pitch
3) Argentina- Lionel Messi left South Africa without scoring, but still had a great tournament, along with Gonzalo Higuain and Carlos Tevez. How Diego Milito never got on the pitch in South Africa is a true mystery, and coach Diego Maradonna not finding a role for him might’ve cost the Argentines a spot in the semi finals
4) Brazil- Robinho had a good tournament, while Luis Fabiano had an inconsistent one. Players like Elano and Maicon proved how dangerous they are in the attacking part of the field, while Kaka truly looked a step behind play. Is this fantastic player past his prime? Based upon how he did in South Africa, I would say yes.
5) Spain- They didn’t score goals, but they controlled every game they partook in. David Villa scored the crucial goals in the early parts of the tourney, while Carles Puyol and Andres Iniesta scored the big ones in the latter stages.

Best Defensive Teams
1) Spain- Do I love their backline? No, I still don’t, but what they do have is a fantastic midfield who doesn’t let anyone get to the back. Iker Casillas in goal also isn’t a shabby option as well, but the likes of Carlos Puyol and Joan Capdevilla are anything but impressive on the defensive end.
2) Uruguay- This was the most physical defense I saw in South Africa, that could’ve been better had their captain and starting center back Diego Lugano not gotten hurt early in the competition. Extremely difficult in the air, and hard in the tackle, this defense was crucial to the Uruguayan cause
3) New Zealand- They only allowed two goals in three games, and are the only team to not get defeated while in South Africa. This defense was constantly under pressure, but their organization and the fantastic play of Ryan Nielsen was able to withstand everything thrown at them. Mark Paston also had a great tournament in goal.
4) Portugal- Only allowed two goals in four matches, playing in a side that only scored in one game all tournament. Fabio Contrao at left back and Eduardo in goal were great all tournament.
5) Netherlands- Led the tournament in successful clearances, and only allowed more than one goal in a game once. Martin Stecklenburg had a good tournament in between the pipes for the Oranje.

Favorite Teams
1) USA- Clearly biased, but even if I was a neutral it would be hard to not cheer for the Americans. Their never say die attitude warmed my heart, and the fact that I was there in person to see the comeback against Slovenia and the Algeria victory doesn’t hurt either.
2) Germany- Besides the fact that my favorite player was their captain for the World Cup (and should be going forward) they played a beautiful brand of soccer that was the most entertaining in the tournament.
3) North Korea- I fell in love with the theory of North Korea, a country who has shut themselves out from the rest of the world, qualifying for this tournament. They were also easily the least talented team in South Africa, and my love for underdogs definitely had something to do with my affection for them
4) South Africa- The host nation was very warm and welcoming, and their people had me cheering heavily for Bafana Bafana. Unfortunate they didn’t make the second round, but beating France and going out on a high note is really all anyone could expect of this team.
5) South Korea- They played a fantastic style of play that really was good enough for them to make the quarterfinals. The entire team also sported band boy style haircuts which simply looked goofy to me, making them more endearing than most other teams.

Teams that Exceeded My Expectations
1) Uruguay- I knew nothing about this team and therefore had them losing all three of their matches. Boy was I wrong
2) Spain- I thought their style would crumble against a more physical side, but they withstood a pretty brutal assault at the hands of the Dutch in the final to prove me wrong.
3) Japan- I had this team getting zero points and not coming close to winning, but anyone who thought this team would beat both Cameroon and Denmark is more lucky than good at making reasonable predictions
4) New Zealand- Another underdog who did well, nobody had this team doing anything so I’m not going to lose a lot of sleep over getting them wrong.
5) Ghana- I didn’t think Ghana was a poor side heading into the tournament, but I thought their group would be too tough for them to progress. That’s what I get for thinking Serbia is a quality side.

Teams who Did Not Meet My Expectations
1) Cameroon- Semifinals? God that’s embarassing
2) Serbia- (See Cameroon)
3) Nigeria- I thought this team would get hot and make a good run to the quarterfinals, but I was sadly mistaken. Yakubu had a woeful tournament, and was a big reason they did not do well along with the red card Sani Kaita received for being foolish against Greece
4) Argentina- Had them as finalists, but they found out the hard way its hard to beat teams when you have no tactics
5) Netherlands- A little harsh since they almost won the title, but they didn’t so they make this list. Great tournament, just unable to finish it at the end.

Thoughts on the World Cup Final

World Cup 2010 ended in a flurry of yellow cards, kicks to the chest, Nelson Mandela attending a matcha and with Spain lifting the trophy for the first time as World Champion. An early prediction of mine was that the first African World Cup would end with a new champion, so I suppose I can take a little solace in that, but the team I picked to win finished a little short. The Dutch have been my pick since March, so from a personal perspective it was a little tough to watch them lose in the final, but at the same time I’m pleased in that this tournament did bring us a new champ, and a deserving one at that. The Spanish defense, which I’ve said since Euro 2008 has been their weakness, did not allow a goal in the knockout rounds. This is not because of the fantastic play of the Spanish defense but that of their midfield, who did a great job of possessing the ball and giving the defense very little to do all tournament. Xavi and Andres Iniesta did not have standout tournaments, but proved just how talented they were by playing plenty of games without their A game and still controlling the proceedings. Sergio Busquets and Xabi Alonso also proved their worth by being a solid wall in front of the defense, but the depth of their midfield is where one sees just how talented Spain are; players like Pedro, Cesc Fabregas Jesus Navas and David Silva (who didn’t feature in the final) did not start consistently throughout the tournament , and they are all world class players.
But the MVP for the Spanish in the final was goalkeeper Iker Casillas. He covered mightily for Carlos Puyol and Gerard Pique, thwarting Dutch winger Arjen Robben twice after he had beaten both Spanish defenders to gain breakaways. Casillas was lucky on the first breakaway, where Robben got him to go the other way but his trailing foot deflected the ball. However, he did a great job of staying big, closing space quickly and making Robben have to wait until the final second to shoot, doing everything a goalkeeper should do on a breakaway. Without the great play of Casillas, Spain would not have won yesterday.

The two players I feel terrible for after the final though are Arjen Robben, and Dutch defender John Heitinga. Robben, who has been a standout player all year for Bayern Munich, will be the goat of the final for missing his two chances. A player of his caliber should’ve put his chances away, and Robben knows that, but his presence was vital to the Dutch making the final. No player has had an instant impact for his team in this tournament quite like Arjen Robben, and his being there made defenses have to pay attention to him and leave space for players like Dirk Kuyt and Wesley Sneijder to make plays. Robben also lost the Champions League Final with Bayern Munich this year; two tough losses in one season. In Heitinga’s case, I do not think he should’ve been sent off. It looked to me that Iniesta went down far too easily, making sure Heitinga got his second yellow card. What makes his sending off truly unfortunate is that up to that point, he had been my MVP for the Dutch in the final. Heitinga was all over the place, being forced to guard the dynamic David Villa and did a fantastic job. The biggest problem with Heitinga’s skill set is that he may be a little too versatile; he doesn’t have a true position along the backline. In this tournament, he featured mostly at center back, and in the biggest game of his life, he was asked to man mark the World’s best striker in Villa and did just that. It’s a pity he got sent off, because he had really kept the Dutch in the game, but his sending off ended up costing them a chance at penalty kicks. Had Heitinga been on the field, my bet is that he would’ve been able to clear the ball before it reached Iniesta, who scored the match’s only goal. In a way though, the red card was long overdue for the Netherlands, as Nigel de Jong definitely deserved to see red for his challenge on Xabi Alonso in the first half, it’s just unfortunate that it was Heitinga who got the red card.

Speaking of the referee, I think Howard Webb put on an atrocious display. Granted, he got no help from the players who seemed determined to turn the match into a contest to see who could injure more opposing players, but I thought he handed out far too many cards. He really shot himself in the foot with his early yellow on Robin van Persie, because it set a precedent for how he was going to referee the match; if he was going to be in any way consistent, he would have to card players for worse challenges, which he did to his credit, but I thought he set the bar too low. No final should have as many cards as it did, and the referee should’ve done a better job of controlling the proceedings. That said, the Dutch can blame nobody but themselves for losing; the Spanish played better on the night.

With the tournament being over, I’ve decided to start doing smaller write ups looking back on the cup. My first retrospective series will be top five lists for different categories; Favorite teams, Best Goals and Best Celebrations, which will be wrapped up with my ten favorite storylines from the entire tournament. There is a bit of a lull right now until more soccer gets played, but a better way of looking at it is the domestic season begins in just a little over a month in Europe; the beautiful game really never does stop, does it?

Thoughts on What Will Happen During the World Cup Final

The 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals started with 32 teams vying for the championship, but now we are down to two: the Netherlands and Spain. It really is a historic final in that whichever team wins will be crowned champion for the first time in their storied history (first time we will have a new champion since 1978), as well as becoming the first European team to win the tournament outside of Europe. In my opinion, what adds to the importance of this final is where the next will be staged in four years, and who is going to be good there: Brazil 2014 is already Brazil’s to win. Even if it isn’t a good Brazilian team, they should win. If not the Brazilians than who? Germany appears to have a golden generation on their hands, and those young players will have developed even further in the time period before Brazil, making them a terrifying force to be, and potentially the team who can steal the title from the Brazilians in their own backyard. In four years time, Argentina can also expect to have a coach with some actual tactical awareness who could bring out the best in Lionel Messi, who should still be fantastic in four years, meaning the Argentines should be battling for that title. France and Italy should have new coaches who will bring in new players and make those teams respectable once again, while South American sides like Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile and Ecuador will be extremely motivated to show well as the tournament is on their continent. Where will that leave these two teams? With lots of work to do, and needing a huge amount of luck, to lift the trophy in Rio de Janeiro. Basically what I am saying is this: the World Cup in four years should not be as winnable as this one, so the team that takes advantage of this golden opportunity today will be extremely fortunate, while the other will be left disappointed, as I cannot see either of these teams making the final in four years time.

As great as the Dutch are, it appears to really be Spain’s year to win it; they have been rated as the best team in the world since they won Euro 2008, and after a minor blip losing to Switzerland in their first match in South Africa, they have won all their games and controlled every game in which they have played. I’m saying this despite picking the Dutch to win before the tournament started; Spain will never have a team this good I believe, if they do not win it will be hugely disappointing to their fans. I expect David Villa to score today, who has been an extremely influential player because the other big name Spanish forward, Fernando Torres, has been dreadful this tournament. Villa has picked up his slack, and has scored a few major goals for the Spanish en route to the final. Of course, the key to Spain’s game is the midfield, where Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets reside. The duo of Iniesta and Xavi always seem to be able to control the tempo of the game with their short passes and constant possession, making it extremely hard to beat Spain since they always have the ball. It also protects their average at best back line, who has yet to allow a goal since Chile scored on them in the group stages, but that has more to do with how dominant the Spanish midfield has been rather than how good the defense has been. They haven’t had a whole lot to do, but I could see them having problems today; while Spain will possess the ball, they are going to have to deal with Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Dirk Kuyt and Robin van Persie on the defensive end, a tough quartet to contain. What could also make Spain’s day difficult is the defensive midfield duo of Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong, whose grit and steel could break up Spain’s classic midfield play. Van Bommel and de Jong would have to have major games in order for this to happen, but the duo have had good tournaments and could be up to the task.

The Dutch were my picks to win before the tournament, so I have to be cheering for them later today. They have gotten to the final without playing the favored Total Football style many of the great Dutch teams of the seventies played. That said, those teams never won a championship playing that style, and if the Dutch win today they will do something that Johann Cruyff and company wanted nothing more than. The Dutch are a tough matchup for the Spanish in that they feature a team that is capable of absorbing pressure for long spells because they have different players who can provide moments of glory with little time necessary. I’m specifically thinking of Arjen Robben on the right flank, who should eat Joan Capdevilla up whenever he has the ball. Robben should have a good game, but the key to the Dutch will be the defense, who will have to hold up against the relentless Spanish pressure they are going to have to take. Giovanni van Bronckhurst as captain will have to keep the defense well organized and focused on their tasks as one small mental slip could result in Spain breaking through and scoring a goal. Another major key for the Dutch will be scoring first, preferably early, something they have been able to do this tournament, but will be difficult against Spain. It’s important to put Spain in a hole early, rather than get behind because Spain will hold onto the ball as much as possible, making them a difficult team to chase.

In the end, I am very torn over this game; I’ve picked the Dutch since before the tournament so I can’t turn my back on them now. That said, Spain are the clear favorites and will be expected to win. I can’t ditch the Dutch, so I will stick with them to win 2-1, but Spain should win. I will be cheering heavily for the Dutch though, they’ve made the final more than the Spanish have, they’ve suffered more heartbreak in the final than the Spanish have, it should be their turn to win it. The problem is that Spain is better. In this 2-1 game, I see the Dutch getting the important first goal through Arjen Robben, with the Spanish equalizing midway through the first half with Iniesta scoring, giving us a 1-1 score at halftime. In the second half, it will be a free kick by Wesley Sneijder to win it for the Netherlands, which will spark much partying in Amsterdam.

I’m a very confused individual ahead of this final. Obviously I’m excited to watch the match, but I’m realizing this is the last World Cup match that will take place for a good four years. In four years I should be done with college, and be out in the real world, so one could argue this is my last World Cup as a kid. It’s been a fantastic tournament though, with attending the matches obviously the high point. But it’s not just going to the matches, being a part of the South African atmosphere during the cup was intoxicating, and an atmosphere I have to be a part of at some point again in my life (I’m thinking 2018… in England hopefully). During this World Cup I have watched the games on three different continents in numerous different locations; my home, the deli where I work, the bar in our hotel, a restaurant on Long Street in Cape Town, the Cape Town airport, a seedy bar in Dubai, a German restaurant in Dubai (which featured Arabs in traditional German outfits… a sight I never thought I would see) and of course the three stadiums I went to. I’m watching the final at my friend Nathan’s house, which will mean a grand total of eleven locations where I watched a World Cup match. This tournament will forever be in my memory and will be a tough thing for me to say goodbye to in a few hours time. The beauty of the end of the World Cup though is this; only one month until all the major European leagues get started up, and only two years until Euro 2012. There is a long amount of time we must wait until Brazil 2014, but there should be fun games of soccer in between now and Brazil, and even if there isn’t, this fantastic competition is worth waiting four years for.

When the final is over, I will write about it and my other highlights of what has happened during the 2010 World Cup. I’ve got an interesting idea of making short lists of different categories about the World Cup and writing little bits about each list; favorite matches, favorite players, favorite moments etc. We will see, but until next time, enjoy the World Cup final!

Thoughts on the Quarterfinals of the World Cup

Ah I have returned to the blog! Sorry it’s been so long to those of you who were actually checking to see if I had any new posts (if there are more of you than the five fingers on my right hand, then I will be shocked) but I have good excuses. A mixture of poor internet in Dubai, jet lag, visiting Becca and sixteen hours of work is why I haven’t written in so long. I’m not exactly sure what to write about as so much has happened since I last posted. I think I’m just going to give a run down of what happened today and what could happen tomorrow. Today was a fantastic day of soccer, and my early prediction of this round being the best may come to fruition, especially with Germany vs. Argentina yet to take place.

First of all, I couldn’t be prouder of the Dutch right now. Brazil was their biggest test in terms of making it to the final game, and now they have gotten past them. Their performance in the second half was stupendous, as they pretty much wrestled control from the Brazilians, who could only respond with petulant fouls. What makes this victory even more special is that it is the first time in World Cup history that Brazil has lost after leading at halftime (I thought it was interesting that the team who scored first in both games today lost, very rarely does that happen). Wesley Sneijder provided a performance necessary for the Dutch to succeed; he may not be the official captain of this team, but he is a major leader on the field and is vital to their success. In a gritty game, I thought the defensive midfield duo of Nigel De Jong and Mark Van Bommel was fantastic. Van Bommel is an incredible player to me; every game he participates in, he always seems to deserve at least a yellow card for his antics and actions, but he rarely gets them. Not sure how he does it, cause he definitely should’ve gotten one today. Arjen Robben on the wing wasn’t as effective as usual, but he was a constant nuisance to the Brazilians, just ask Felipe Melo, who got sent off for a frustrated stamp to the Flying Dutchman’s legs. The defense was also very good today, and appears to be much stronger than anticipated (the goalie Stecklenberg was outstanding, and made the save of the tournament stopping a beautiful curling shot from the right foot of Kaká).

Brazil will be kicking themselves for four years because of this loss; they had complete control of the game, and just let it go. The defense looked very shaky and frustrated with the constant threat of the Dutch attacking players. The performance of the defense will make the world wonder what happens if a team with quality forwards attacks Brazil and doesn’t just sit back in awe. All that aside, I couldn’t be happier with the Brazilians exiting the competition simply because I would be willing to bet my life’s savings on Brazil winning in 2014 with the tournament in their backyard. I will be beyond shocked if they do not win it.

The other match was both fantastic and cruel at the same time. Ghana, the last hopes of Africa, were eliminated by an extremely tenacious Uruguayan side. People will be furious with Luis Suarez for deliberately using his hand to stop Ghana from scoring in the final moments of the extra period, but I applaud him. I call that doing everything within your power to ensure your team doesn’t allow a goal, not cheating and ruining the game. It was a total necessity for Suarez’s cause, and the rest of the World who was almost entirely cheering for Ghana, can blame Asamoah Gyan for not converting the penalty kick that would’ve given Africa their first ever semifinalist. In the shootout, Uruguay’s kicks were as a whole better. Anyone who says Ghana should’ve won is blind; Uruguay did the important things to advance, and I will forever respect Luis Suarez for doing everything within his power to give his team a chance to win.

The match I am looking forward to tomorrow is Germany vs. Argentina. It, just like the Brazil vs. Netherlands match, has the potential to be the match of the tournament. The match features two teams who simply do not like each other. Expect the early proceedings to be erratic; the referee must establish control near the beginning of the match before it gets out of hand. I will be rooting for Germany, although I predict Argentina to win. The key is which defense stands up and I think Argentina’s will; the German center back pairing of Arne Freidrich and Per Mertesacker is not a good one, and Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi will run right at them. I can’t see the German attack having the same effect on the other end; Argentina will win, although I hope I am wrong.

The Spain vs. Paraguay game is really interesting as well, even though it is being overshadowed by the other game taking place tomorrow. Paraguay will be Spain’s defense’s toughest test though as they are an attacking side with lots of steel in the midfield. They have the personnel to stand up to Spain and provide them some difficult moments. Spain has far more class, but the Paraguayans have more toughness I think, and will win the match. Back when the World Cup draw came out, I made the bold prediction of neither Brazil nor Spain making the semifinals. I’ve gotten one of them out, got to stay with my prediction; Paraguay upset Spain, on penalty kicks.