Finals Previews

Youth Boys - Italy vs Germany

First game of the day has my favorites Italy against a German team that looked very dominant in their win over Scotland. Italy beat a very big, strong Ukraine team in order to reach the final but apparently they will be missing a bunch of their Sask players. So I imagine that will make Germany the favorites.
 
Prediction: Germany 5-3

Womens: Ukraine vs Germany

A rematch of last years final sees a Ukraine team coming off a very shaky win against Chile take on German side that has looked very strong in every game. The deciding factor in this game should be the quality of the goalkeeping. Both team have players that can shoot from anywhere so it will come down to which keeper can make the big saves. Watch out for Megan Cormier (Germany) and Chelsie Dorosh (Ukraine) as they are topping the goal scoring charts for the Womens. Ukraine really did not look very good in their last game so.....

Prediction: Germany 2-1

ROI vs Laos

Another rematch of last years final that went to a shoot out. Laos struggled with Sudan in the 1st game but have come on strong since. ROI have blown out every team not named El Salvador and even in that game had 80% possession. This promises to be a great game played by too great teams. While Laos has added a player or two, ROI has revamped their entire squad with this game in mind . However, what this game really comes down too is not who either team has but who Laos doesn't. Josh Northey was key last year drawing the attention of multiple defenders at all times. His absence will be the difference. Plus, I cant pick against my own team. Maybe if we were playing France.

Prediction: ROI 3-2

Bronze Medal Scores

Girls - Brazil (2)  v. Germany  (1)
 
Goal Scorers:

Brazil -  Megan Ripplinger

Germany - Marita Scriver
 

Boys - Ukraine (3) v.  Scotland (4)
 
Goal Scorers:

Ukraine - Spencer Krawczyk (3 goals)

Scotland - Jordan Birrell, Kyle Gabriel, Blair McIntosh (2 Goals)
 
Women- Chile (1) v. England(2)
 

Goal Scorers:
Chile - Tania Fuentes

England - Kayla Whitrow, Tayler Firth
 
Men - Poland (5) v. El Salvador (3)

Best of the Quarterfinals.

Game: Laos vs Greece - Far and away the best and most interesting game of the night.  Probably only because of the fact that Greece scored first and Laos had to fight their way back.  All of the other games were either blow outs or just boring to watch. 

Team: El Salvador - The only team that I didn't predict to win.  Pulled off the upset over the best team of the tournament in France.  Not the most impressive showing but got the job done.  I'm sure they will take it.  

Player: David Brown - ROI - I'm glad his name is easy to spell as I am constantly typing it on here.  Added 5 more to his count yesterday, including a couple brilliant ones.  People say that they need to mark him but it's not that easy as I'm pretty sure that was Canada's plan.  Easy to say but harder to do.

Goal: David Brown - ROI - Scored an absolute ripper from the right touchline.  I had a great view of this and I'm still not sure how he managed to fit it in there.  Honorable mention to both Jay Tomchuk for his slow roller that found his way back the Canada keeper and half their defense.  Also to Sean Riggs for his game winner against France.  Good free kick.

Gaffe: Mason Bulych - France - I hate to do this to Mason but hitting the roof in the 9th minute of a 10 minute extra time is a killer.  Really cost them the game.  Sucks as that game looked like it was on it's way to a shoot out.

Call: France vs ES ref - Caught that blatant hand ball which would have been France's first goal.  The France attacker punched the ball into the net and then started to celebrate.  Happened really quickly and was tough to catch.  Unfortunately it knocked out the favorites.

Attempt to Win: Canada - I love the idea of being down 4-1 and down to your last resort - pulling the fire alarm.  You know the old saying, if you can't win then evacuate the entire building.  Unfortunately this was not effective as I'm not sure a single person moved.  Tried twice though. 

Playoffs. What to Watch. Predictions.

7:30 Laos vs Greece

The defending champs take on this years Cinderella story Greece. Greece have proven they can hang with the big boys having tied France in the round robin. However, Laos poses a much different threat than France. What makes this  match-up so interesting is Greece's and Laos' completely contrasting styles. Greece is a very physical team that will sit back and soak up pressure well getting stuck in on every opportunity. Laos is very attacking minded and will carry the play while moving the ball quick in hopes that it will eliminate Greece's physical game.   

What to Watch:
A couple things to keep an eye on in this game. First is the battle on the wings. This is where the most space can be found and I imagine what Laos will try to expose against Greece. Greece, on the other hand, has done a great job of double teaming players down the wing and has been able to cancel out those attacks. If Greece does commit men to doubling on the wings, as they often have will that leave shooters, such as Bryan Murrell, with clear lanes to the net? Finally, you have to wonder if Greece can continue to score on every opportunity they get? Their finishing has been clinical to say the least and it will have to continue if they want a chance in this game.

Prediction:
3-1 Laos. I would love to see Greece win this game I just think that Laos has too much fire power for Greece to deal with. Then again, I said the same things when Greece played France and boy was I wrong. Besides Greece loves being the underdog so hopefully this just fuels that fire.

8:30 ROI vs Canada

Last years runners up against last years forth place finishers in what should be a better battle than most think. Skill-wise there is not really a question as too who is the better team. ROI is likely technically superior in almost every position. That doesn't necessarily translate into a win though. In a game which takes place on such a small field with so many large bodies, tactics and stamina can play a huge part in the result. I would expect to see Canada sit back, get bodies behind the ball and let ROI carry the game while trying to counter attack at every opportunity.


What to Watch:
The biggest thing to watch in this game is who scores first. If its ROI, watch out. We all saw what happened to poor Norway when they conceded early. However, if it happens to be Canada. Game on! Canada is a team that loves playing from in front. It really suits their style. Something else to monitor is where Canada plays Jarvis. Do they move him to the back to deal with Brown and try someone else in the middle or do they keep him where he has been all tournament, in the midfield. I really think this game will come down to set pieces, specifically who gives up more. Both teams has been deadly on them and I will look for that trend to continue.

Prediction:
4-2 ROI. Obviously this is incredibly biased. I am not going to pick against my own team. I do definitely think Canada will make a game of this I just think ROI will be too much for them eventually. ROI on top, I hope!

9:30 France vs El Salvador

In what many expect to be the best and whiniest game of the night are the top team France and and a very, very good team in El Salvador. I actually had El Salvador winning their group going into the tournament but a loss to Sudan changed things. France had their own setback in the Greece game but had a very strong showing against Afghanistan so they will be riding high. These are two great teams so I expect this to be an amazing, and close game.

What to Watch:
I have a feeling that these two teams midfields will cross each other out. There is a lot of skill in there but also a lot of bodies. The key for me in this match will be hold up play by the strikers. Jerson, Alvaro for ES and Scholan, Rory for France. Who will better link the play for their team? Jerson and Rory will also be the guys pulling the trigger for their respective teams. Who will have their shooting boots on?

Prediction:
4-3 France. I have France easily wining the whole thing so I have to continue to go with them. This could be an OT game. I haven't quite decided yet. I see this one being a very back and forth, tight game. Teams will spend the early goings feeling each other out but the goals will come. This should be an epic one!

10:30 Poland vs Norway

Poland is a team I did not even pick to make it out of their group but here they are undefeated. Norway on the other team comes into this game very defeated. Killed by ROI in their last game, a game in which I really expected a lot more from them, Norway was not impressive. This will be a physical game played at a million miles per hour. If you want to see the ball get knocked around the pitch this isn't going to be your cup of tea. These are two of the hardest working teams in the tournament and that should make this an extremely fast paced game.

What to Watch:
Like I said before this will be a fast paced game but that's not what it will come down too. What it will come down too is the skilled players. That's Reis, Stefan, and Sawka for Norway and Bart, Sarazen and Meschke for Poland. Someone will have to step up and be the deciding factor in this game and I expect it to be one of these six. This game will be decided on a moment or two of individual brilliance. Just wait for it.

Prediction:
3-1 Poland. After Norway's last showing I really don't see them beating anyone good. I know they like to say they are a big game team but 1 big game win does not cross out their overall bod of work. Expect this to go down to the wire but Poland to pull it out.

 

Best of the Day. Monday.

Another day of not having much to write about unfortunately but I will give it a shot.

Game: Sudan - Northern Ireland - Really this game was not great to watch but I do have a not-so-secret love affair with Sudan so I will go with that game. Too bad they couldn't have made it through.

Player: Germany Backup Keeper - To our delight got put in for the 2nd half and performed well. A couple solid saves and "The Push". Super stuff.

Goal: Tong Tong - Rose above everyone for another one of his epically powerful headers. Not sure anyone was within 3 meters of him but I won't take away from him because of that.

Pass: Tong Tong - The rare goal/pass combo for the Sudanese front man. On a long ball played in he back-heeled beautifully to an onrushing winger who then greedily went for net from a bad angle. Deserved a ball in front and a finish. Too bad.

Lineup: Germany - For the 2nd half of the Germany game against Scotland, Germany's lineup consisted of 3 keepers. One in net, one as a striker and one on the wing. One of them even managed to pick himself up a goal. Probably won't see that too often.

Tackle: Scotland Player - I missed his number but he came sliding in really late on Germany's back up keeper. This is a bit biased because this was the tackle that preceded "The Push" but it was pretty late so I'll sneak it in here.

Push: Germany Backup Keeper - This was the highlight of the night for me. For those of you unfamiliar with Germany's backup keeper he is probably one of the youngest players in the tournament and is pretty small. However, after the Scotland player put in a late tackle on him, he saw it was going unpunished and he knew he had to take matters into his own hands. Then came "The Push". Two hands right in the back. Amazing!

Dancing: Sudan Fan - Anyone who managed to stay til the end of Sudan - N. Ireland game got a real treat. A Sudan fan, rallied on by his cohorts, took to the field and showed off some of the finest dance moves the WCP Cup has ever seen. Encouraged on by the WCP worker bees, he danced his way off the field to mass cheering. Man that guy could cut a rug!

Golden Boot List. Updated.

Here are the leaders in the race for the golden boot after the round robin. Just for Darko.

Mens

David Brown - ROI -14
Brett Levis - ROI -9
Reis Cooper - Norway -7
Lee Mooney  - ROI - 6
Rory Edmundson - France - 6
Brett Bachelu - France - 5

Womens

Megan Cormier - Germany -6
Chelsie Dorosh - Ukraine -  5
Mackenzie Bulych - Chile - 4
Taylor Firth - England - 4

Youth Boys

Taylor Hoedel - Scotland - 9
Mike Campbell - Germany - 9
Kieran Colibaba - Ukraine - 7
Marcello Gonzalez - Italy - 5
Matt Scott - Canada - 5
Bryce Hubick - Canada -5

Youth Girls

Courtney Guy - Canada -5
Sierra Huber - England - 5
Shayla Taylor - Canada - 4

Best of the Weekend.

Yes I know I have been falling behind so here it is, the long awaited best of the weekend.

Game: Canada vs Ukraine - Many of the games did not live up to their hype  ie. (El Salvador - Laos) but this one did. Ukraine came out firing on all cylinders and they got goal for it. However, Canada was resilient and despite being on the defensive for most the game found two goals in a 3 minute span to seal a 2-1 victory. Still not sure how they did it.

Team: France - They had set themselves up with a potentially dangerous game against Afghanistan. However, when the time came for France to step up they certainly did just that. A really strong showing despite playing a few games, without key players. France's stroll to the final continues. Honorable mention to Germany Womens team who had to come from behind to beat Chile.

Player: David Brown - ROI - It pains me to write this but the guy won't stop scoring. Added three more to his tally against Norway in what was supposed to be a good match. Didn't turn out that way though.

Goal: Tavis Workman - Canada - Scored a ripper of a free kick from the top of the box. Hit it extremely hard into the top right corner of the net. Maybe not the nicest goal but hugely important in assuring that Canada advanced to the next round. Honorable mention to the Chile Womens forward who received the ball about 20 yards from the opposition's net and calmly turned and lobbed it over the German keeper.

Pass: Leon Derks - Ukraine - Leon set up the Ukraine goal versus Canada in beautiful fashion. Collected the ball on the top of the Canada box and then back-heeled neatly to an over lapping Ukraine player who slid it home. Pretty to watch.

Gaffe: Keeper - Portugal - I could write an entire post of just goalkeeping mistakes I saw this weekend but I won't. Instead I will focus on this particular one. With just minutes left and Portugal tied 1-1 with Sierra Leone the keeper misjudged a long ball and had it bounce over his head and into the net. Not a great way to lose a game.

Block: Travis Brady - France - This was late in the France - Afghanistan game so a lot of people had already taken off. Afghan had a kick in near half and Travis decided to bravely block the kick in with his face. What really made this block was the reaction after he was hit. He just fell stiffly right onto his back. Not funny that he got hit in the face but a humorous reaction.

Haircut: #27 - Jamaica - Certainly the most interesting hair style I have seen so far. It was kinda like an afro split into two pony tails. I am not sure words can really do it justice.

Peeve: ES vs Laos - This was a game that I had tipped as my game of the round robin and its not that it was a terrible game. There was some great soccer played in it. But the end of the game was hard on the eyes. I know that it was the result that both teams needed but simply standing still while the clock runs out is dull.

Tonights Games.

Best of the Day. Friday. Scores.

Womens:

England 2   Italy 0

Mens:

Poland 7   Scotland 1
Austria 2   Northern Ireland 2
France 2   Nigeria 0

Team: Poland - I guess I will go with the team that looked the strongest and that's Poland. Didn't have much to overcome though as it is darn easy to look good against Scotland.

Game: France vs Nigeria - I am extremely tempted not to pick one as they were all quite disappointing but if I was forced I would pick this one as it was the least least interesting.

Goal: I can't even pick one. This block of games was marred by terrible goalkeeping so nothing special was needed to score.

Gaffe: Allan Sserunjogi - Nigeria - Hit the post on what was a very important penalty for Nigeria. Would have put them ahead 1-0 but that wasn't the case. Honorable mention to Scotland for setting up a two man wall when Poland had not asked for space. Add in that the two man wall faced their own net and that Poland just passed it three yard to the left and you end up with a Poland goal.

Dressed: The Italy Womens Coach - Shows up to every game wearing a suit. If your team is going to lose might as well look good doing it. Plus it is not easy to out-dress England womens team.

Dancing: Scotland Fan - Dressed in a kilt and Braveheart face paint this particular fan used halftime to showcase what was almost certainly the niftiest footwork we have seen from a Scotsman so far this tournament.

Quote: "People fear what they do not understand, Andy. Keep the armadillo power rolling." - Anonymous Blogger

Big Games For Saturday

There are a ton of big games on Saturday so lets get started with the biggest one:

10:00 am Setanta FA CUP Semi Final  Manchester United vs Manchester City 

Manchester City will launch another futile attempt to have this banner removed from Old Trafford. Manchester City have gone 35 years without winning a trophy and I would expect the streak to continue to grow. Since Man City last won a trophy Manchester United has won 11 League titles, 2 European Cups, 8 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, 1 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FIFA World Club Cup. Manchester is RED!

Next up is SUPER SOCCER SATURDAY for the Women's division starting with:

5:00 pm Germany vs Chile

Two former Champions will rumble in the first game of a solid double header. Expect a tight game which will go down to the wire. This should decide who comes out first in their pool. Polish up your drum cause this ones going to be a banger.

6:00 pm Ukraine vs England

Part two of the double header see last years champions taking on the tournaments best dressed team. This should be Ukraine's toughest test of the round robin as England will be out looking for blood. This could be a potential preview of the final. Though as I am currently watching England play, they are looking less than impressive. England are currently tied with Ukraine on points and have the exact same +/-. This game will be the decider!

After the double header we move to a quad of Mens games starting with

7:00 pm Ukraine vs Canada

I can barely figure Group D out. As far as I can tell Ukraine is not mathematically eliminated yet but they will need to beat both Canada and Jamaica. Canada will look to bounce back from a disappointing defeat to Poland and needs to prove they belong in the 2nd round. Should make for a great game.

8:00 pm Jamaica vs Poland

This one has the makings of an epic game. Poland come in having looked very strong so far. On the other hand Jamaica seems to be just straddling the boarder of being a contender. Will be interesting to see how both teams will come out. I believe Jamaica will once again be missing some personnel so that's something to watch.

9:00 pm Afghanistan vs Nigeria
I am writing this before the France - Nigeria game so things may have changed by then but if Nigeria was to beat France this game will be huge. Whichever team loses will almost certainly be eliminated and if Afghanistan can pull one out it will set them up with a huge match against champs-to-be France. A real meaningful game.

10:00 pm Laos vs El Salvador

Hopefully this lives up to my hype of game of the round robin. I have big expectations for this one.While Laos has already sealed their spot in the next round, El Salvador needs this one to advance. This should be a very offensive games with goals galore. If El Salvador does win it means that fan favorites Sudan are eliminated. So I am imposing a curfew on all Laosian players and trust me I will be calling all of you to ensure you are in bed. Yep starting with you Tony!

Tomorrow is probably the best/most important day of games so..... MAKE IT DOWN THERE!!!!!!
Group standings to follow.

Schedule for Saturday

Big Friday Game

Friday 10:00 France vs Nigeria

Why its important: I am not going to lie, coming into this tournament I thought this would be France's toughest game. As you can see in my Group C Preview here. Now I believe France may have already had their toughest game from Greece. This game is still very important though. If France loses even one of their last 2 games against Nigeria or Afghanistan their fate will then be out of their own hand. On the other hand Nigeria has to win to stay alive. Here is the table:

Group C	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pt	+/-
Greece	5	4	1	0	17	8	13	9
France	3	2	1	0	22	5	7	17
Afghanistan	3	2	0	1	14	8	6	6
Nigeria	3	2	0	1	10	7	6	3
Botswana	4	0	0	4	4	21	0	-17
Italy	4	0	0	4	5	23	0	-18

What to expect: I would expect Nigeria to come out and try to pressure France as Greece has set the blueprint as to how to beat them. Nigeria will be flying and will look to go ahead early. However, I don't believe Nigeria to be as defensively solid as Greece and that will be a problem. Their "flying around" will leave them exposed at the back and their goalkeeping has been suspect all tournament. France will come out and try and keep possession and shoot on net as often as possible. If Nigeria can stay defensively sound I feel this game will close. But I have no faith in that. France will want to show why everyone is proclaiming them as the future champs and they will. I'll take a 5-3 win for France. I hope I am wrong though as Nigeria are my boys!

 

Best of the Day. Thursday. Scores.

Youth Girls

Brazil 6   El Salvador 0

Womens

Germany 9  Austria 1

Mens

El Salvador 4  Colombia 0

Greece 4  Afghanistan 1

Game: Colombia vs El Salvador - The score is not reflective of how this game should have finished. Colombia missed a penalty, hit two crossbars, and had two cleared off the line by ES defenders. A really good game actually.

Team: Germany Womens - Since none of the teams really upset anyone I will go with the team that put in the most dominant performance. Thats Germany. Beat Austria all over the pitch and scored a couple nice goals. A team looking like they could make a run to the final.

Goal: George - Greece - Sorry I am not going to attempt his last name. His first goal game from a free kick which he floated neatly over the Afghanistan keeper. Expertly done.

Player: George - Greece - Scored the opening two goals for Greece which were needed to set Greece on their way. Has played quite well throughout the whole tournament so probably deserves a shout.

Save: Adam Rolfe - El Salvador - Did extremely well to head a Afghanistan free kick onto the crossbar. Seems like the El Salvador players make more saves than their keeper. This one came at a crucial time.

Gaffe: #10 Greece - A fine set piece by Greece lead to a wide open chance for the Greece man from inside the 6 yard box. Managed to launch it way over somehow. Disappointing effort.

Peeve: Seeing the entire Greece bench yell at the referee for a foul and then when he gives the foul yell that they wanted advantage. Tough crowd to please.

Item Brought to a Game: Wok - Columbia - I saw a Colombian fan walking out with a wok. I can only speculate that it was used to cook stir fry in order to fuel their exceptional fans.

Quote: "Do something smart" - fan. Apparently this was insight into what Greece could do better. Unfortunately I may be dumber for having heard it.

Best of the Day. Tuesday/Wednesday.

Because I played on Tuesday I didn't see any of the other games so I decided to combine the two days:

Game: Colombia vs Laos. Maybe not a thriller score-wise but the fans were really out for this one. Laos scored some real terrific goals which made it worthwhile too. More to come on that.

Team: Nigeria. Beat Italy in what was a must win game for them. They needed all three points to keep pace in their group and they delivered. Will need to continue this trend as their games are only going to get harder.

Player: David Brown - ROI -Actually had a to consider a few players here. Both Adam Ailsby and Bryan Murrell turned in strong games for Laos and the blond kid on Serbia managed to poach 2 goals vs Ireland but Brown managed to score 5. Very Dimitar Berbatov-esque. That seals it for me.

Goal: Adam Ailsby - Laos - I would have loved to put my free kick on here from 30 yards out but Ailsby had to go and top it. A long ball played in to Ailsby who managed to convert and outrageous back heel volley into the top corner. Great stuff.

Save: Austria's GK - Again not really a specific save but he kept Austria in the game for way longer than most thought he would. A really solid outing for the keeper. Wicked beard too!

Tackle: Italy #11 - He was out of control. Literally I am not sure he could control his body. Received a card for persistent infringement 6 minutes in. That's right 6 minutes!

Gaffe: Sean Riggs - El Salvador - Riggs made a mess of what should have been a sure goal when the ball rebounded off the goalie leaving Riggs with a tap in from 6 yards out. CLANK! Post. A little too casual.

Peeve: The non red card in our ROI game. Maybe this is only because I played in that game but red cards have to be given for obvious red card offenses. In this situation Brown was on a clear breakaway and the obvious last man just kicked out his legs. Easiest call in the book but nope yellow. I get adjusting the FIFA Law's a bit but simply saying you're going to win anyway is unacceptable. Is punching me in the face only a yellow if people know we are going to win?

 Also I am having a few problems with the older comments. Working on fixing it!

Golden Boot List.

Here are the leaders in the race for the golden boot going into tonights games:

Mens

Brett Levis - ROI - 7
David Brown - ROI - 7
Reis Cooper - Norway - 6
Lee Mooney  - ROI - 6
Rory Edmundson - France - 5
Brett Bachelu - France - 5

Womens

Mackenzie Bulych - Chile - 4
Chelsie Dorosh - Ukraine - 4
Taylor Firth - England - 3
Veronica Boesch - ES - 3
Megan Cormier - Germany - 2


Youth Boys

Marcello Gonzalez - Italy - 5
Matt Scott - Canada - 4
Bryce Hubick - Canada - 4
Christopher Buchan - Germany - 3
Kieran Colibaba - Ukraine - 3
Kristen Mcullough - Italy - 3

Youth Girls

Courtney Guy - Canada - 4
Megan Seiferling - Canada - 2

Best of the Day. Monday. Scores.

Scores:

Youth Girls - Germany 3 - Canada 3

Youth Boys - Ukraine 6 - Italy 5

Men - Greece 3 - Italy 0

Men - Jamaica 5 - Scotland 0

Game: Ukraine vs Italy - Youth Boys.  This was a close game as it ended 6-5 in favor for Ukraine.  Literally I went to the car for 3 minutes and came back and it was 2-2.  Scoring that many goals leads to an awesome game.

Team: Italy - Youth Boys.  Clearly a much younger and smaller team but still put together a really solid performance.  There is lots of talent on that team.  I could put Greece into this category however their victory does not compare to their game last night against France.

Player: Troy Lydiate - Jamaica.  Another great performance by him especially with the absence of Korthius and Holness.  Jamaica has sorely been missing someone to bring the ball forward and Troy has filled that void.

Goal: Italy - Youth Boys.  I'm not sure I can completely describe this goal but what happened was the Italy midfielder sent a ball through to their striker which sent him on a breakaway.  The striker never touched the ball but instead feinted over it, faking out the keeper and leaving it to roll into the empty net.  I'm sure I didn't do this goal justice.

Tackle: Yianni Cabylis - Greece.  Caught an Italy player late and by late I mean real late.  Might have caught him tomorrow.  Very deserving of a yellow card at the least as I'm sure we could all hear the Italy players head slam off the ground. 

Gaffe: Italy's Goalkeeper - Men.  Made a really good save but unfortunately he palmed it down behind the goal line.  Not sure if he knew where he was on the field but it was unfortunate.  Had a great game otherwise.  Honorable mention to the referee who called the Youth Boys game who called things a bit too tight.

Save: Ukraine's Goalkeeper - Youth Boys.  Saved well on a shot late in that game which would have been the goal to tie it up.  Really nice stuff.

Love/Peeve: The Italian national anthem - By far the best anthem to listen to however it might be the longest anthem of all time.  By the time I am finished dancing to it my legs are cramping.  Can we shorten it up a bit as I have a game tonight and I am on a shortage of bananas.  I need my potassium.

Also a large shout out to DJ Noor for the night. I love Duck Sauce!! Should be played constantly!!
 
Man U vs Chelsea tomorrow in Champion's League. 12:45 on Setanta and I expect a Man U victory in this second leg.  For all the Chelsea fan out there (yes there is only one of you) you are going down!  Drogba style. Will be a great game, don't miss it.  Berba!!!    

Blowouts.

A lot has been made about the blowouts that are happening in this tournament but I really don't see the big deal. People have talked about adding playoffs and relegating teams but I don't see this as an issue. This tournament is self regulating. The stronger teams beat down the lesser teams until they either improve or are forced quit the tournament. Now it may seem like we having teams quit takes away from the tournament but it doesn't really. For example last year there was a Chile Men's team which was becoming worse each year until in dropped out. It was replaced by this year's Sudan team a  much stronger team. A new team always fills in the void and the quality of the tournament increases each year. In my opinion the best way to dissuade blowouts is to have blowouts now.

Best of Week 1.

Sunday marked the completion of the 1st week of the tournament. So I thought I would look back and reflect on the Best memories of the week. Here are the best's:

Lineup:

GK : Michal Bandula - Poland - I think everyone knows how well he has played this week. Poland's MVP has kept them in the game on multiple occasions.

Defender: Jarvis Hughybaert - Canada - I don't have room in my midfield so I will move him to my defense where he usually plays. Man-marked Korthius out of game vs. Jamaica and has had a couple other great performances.

Defender: Bryan Murrell - Laos - Has had a lot of playing time at the back and scored a really important goal for Laos against Sudan. Solid tournament so far.

Right Mid: Brett Levis - ROI - Has been scoring goals like crazy. I believe he as at least 6 already. Strong on the ball despite his diminutive size. A great pickup for ROI.

Center Mid: Tong Tong - Still haven't got his name but he has scored some absolute rippers in the tournament. Also has really dictated the game for Sudan as he is as important for Sudan as any other player is to their team.

Center Mid: Reis Cooper - Norway - Reis has been all over the pitch pressuring guys and winning balls. Usually known for his crunching tackles. Reis has found his goalscoring boots in this tournament and leads the way for Norway.

Left Mid: David Patterson - Germany - Anyone who watched Germany v Ukraine saw David pretty much do whatever he wanted. Ran circles around Ukraine defense and has added several goals for his troubles.

Forward: Brett Bachelu - France - Scored 4 goals in one game and an extremely important one in his game against Greece yesterday. Brett's fire power has lead a strong France side.

Forward: David Brown - ROI - May lead the tournament in goalscoring. I'll have to look into it. However, he looks like a favorite for golden boot and scored an audacious lob in one of his earlier games. 

Obviously I can't include everyone so I narrowed it down to the best that I personally saw. Any omissioins? I did have a couple tough choices. Holness, Tavis were both on the cusp of making it but decisions had to be made.

 

Best of the Day. Sunday.

Might have been the best day of games so far so I have a lot to work with.

Game: Can't pick one. The block of games that contained Poland vs Canada, Greece vs France, and Germany vs Ukraine were all great. Really good stuff  from all those teams. 

Team: Greece. Tempting to pick Poland because of their strong result against Canada or Germany because they played well. But Greece produced the most surprising result. Came in with a solid game plan and stuck with it. Soaked up the pressure and scored whenever they got a chance. Never trailed throughout the entire game. Greece are for real!

Player: David Patterson - Germany.  Bossed the show throughout the entire game against Ukraine. Gave Ukraine fits at the back as they could not get the ball off him. Scored the first goal with a great lobbing effort over a huge keeper.

Tackle: ZACH Cabylis - Greece. This was a football hit. I was commentating when this things happened. Wow, he sprinted 20 yards and put his shoulder into the poor France player. You could hear it from where I was sitting. Certainly deserving of the yellow card he got. Props to the France player for getting up after that one.

Goal: Greece's 4th. Missed the goal scorer but it was great. Broke down the right side and looked like he had run himself out of room only to unleash a devastating blast that nearly took off the France keepers head. Could have been Patterson's lob or Sarazen's nice flick and hit for Poland. But I'll stick with this one.

Gaffe: Greece's defense after they scored. Every time Greece scored they forgot that they had to defend after. Never have I seen a team get scored on so quickly, and so often right after they've scored.

Save: Michal Bandula - Poland. Not really a specific save but more the entire body of work. Another terrific performance. A few good ones again today. Greece keeper had everything stick to him didn't let out a single rebound so he deserves a shout too.

My apologies to Zach Cabylis', didn't get his name right in my broadcast. Was not intentional! Check back today as I will my Best of for the entire 1st week. Peace.

Scores For Sunday.

WCP CUP RESULTS FOR DAY 9 GAMES SCORES FOR SUNDAY APRIL 10, 2011

 
Women – Poland (2) v. Italy (2)

Goal Scorers:   
Poland – Erin Carlson, Chelsey Lupastin

Italy – Megan Feruglio, Paige Van DeSype

Youth Girls – Brazil (2) v. Germany (2)
Goal Scorers:

Brazil – Sydney Langen, Kirsten Selinger

Germany – Marita Scriver, Dominique Sentes

Women – El Salvador (2) v. Germany (5)
Goal Scorers:

El Salvador – Carmen LaBelle, Dayna Parker

Germany – Meagan Cormier, Cara Gartner, Shayla Kapila, Tarina Mayer, Marla Thompson

Women - Ukraine (5) v. Canada (2)
Goal Scorers:

Ukraine – Tegan Koroluk, Sarah Novak, Dana Renneberg, Nicole Westcott, Kimbi Wiebe

Canada – Tricia Langen, Kimberley Wallace

Youth Boys – Italy (4) v. Germany (5)

Goal Scorers:

Italy – Marcello Gonzalez, Jordan Kraft, Michael Malaythong, Kristian McCullough

Germany – Asad Azizi, Christopher Buchan, Mike Campbell, Justin Gross, Tyler Pelly

Men – Austria (2) v. Sudan (5)

Goal Scorers:

Austria – Paul Gobeil, Ray Tarnes

Sudan – Shukri Masouri, Tong Tong, Kuol Yor (3 goals)

Men –Canada (1) v. Poland )(3)

Goal Scorers:

Canada – Ahmed Shirif

Poland – Justin Pasternak, Christopher Sarrazin, Bart Walczykowski

Men – Norway 6 v. Sierra Leone 1

Men: Germany 4 v. Ukraine 2

Men – France 4 v Greece 4

Men – Afghanistan 9 v. Botswana 2

Best of the Day. Friday/Saturday.

My apologies for not updating this last night but I didn't see any of the games.

Team: Poland/Colombia.  A toss up for me as Poland came from behind to win 2-1 over a strong Ukraine side.  Anytime that can come from behind and score two goals on Kevin is a strong side.  Colombia also shocked us by beating Sudan 2-1.  Not sure anyone saw this coming except me.  I called this and I want props for it!

Game: All sorts of nominees.  Ukraine/Poland, Germany/Jamaica and Colombia/Sudan were all great but I'm picking Colombia/Sudan.  That's the most shocking result to me and the place was packed with everyone there to see Sudan.  

Player: Kevin Holness.  David Brown scored 4 for ROI and that would normally put you top of the list however Holness put on a real show today.  Not sure the average fan would appreciate what he did but it  was brilliant.

Save: Colombia.  They could not do anything wrong defensively today.  So many balls were cleared off the goal line that you would not believe it.  Made for an exciting game and I still don't know how the goals stayed out.

Goal: Lee Mooney - ROI.  Although it was the one that knocked ROI into double digits, it was an absolute beauty.  Could not have connected with it any sweeter.

Gaffe: The poster that is put up of me.  That's terrible.

I'll post more tomorrow.

Games for Friday Night.

Youth Boys:  Canada vs Ukraine

Men's: Ukraine vs Poland
           ROI vs England
           Colombia vs Northern Ireland

Obviously the game to watch is Ukraine vs Poland. Both had strong showings in and their first games and both really need to get 3 points here to keep pace with Canada. This will be an interesting one. Poland are a fast, hard working bunch who out performed what was supposed to be a strong German side. Ukraine only beat Scotland so they don't have a tough game under their belt. However, I think tactically they are the superior team. Ukraine will sit back and soak up pressure and eventually Poland will commit too many guys forward leaving them susceptible at the back. Prediction 3-1 Ukraine.

What are your predictions? How bout for the other games?
 
 

Best of the Day. Thursday. Scores.

Youth Girls:

England 4  Germany 3

Womens:

Chile 3  Ireland 1

Mens:

Canada 7  Scotland 0

France 11  Italy 1

It is not going to be easy to pick a best from this day as I found myself wishing that the balcony was just a story or 2 hire. I won't specify why.

Team: England (Youth Girls). Can't really believe I wrote that, but it's deserved. Put together a performance which enabled them to get a big 3 points. Obviously France and Canada were great but that was expected. England had to work harder earn their win.

Game: England vs Germany (Youth Girls). By far the most entertaining of the night. A close hard fought game which was won in the closing minutes. Yep.

Player: Brett Bachelu - Forward - France. You score 4 goals and you pretty much automatically make this list. Finished with authority each and every time. Solid performance.

Save: Tristan Manz - Keeper - France. Dove splendidly to his left to not only stop the ball, which was headed to the top corner, but also managed hold on to it. Edwin Van Der Sar-esque. May actually have been the only save of the night.

Goal: Germany number 15 form Youth Girls. A lobbing effort that caught the keeper off the line. Really nice. Scholan deserves a mention for his effort for France. Lots of goals, not a lot of beauties.

Gaffe: Italys number 24. Kneed the ball over his own keeper magnificently. Splendid shot, wrong net. Honorable mention to any player who kicks the ball out of bounds on the same sideline you are kicking in from. That's poor.

Peeve: Parking. Parking was awful tonight. I get the Norway's curling team wears neat colored pants but how are so many people going to these games. And if you are going to a curling match how are you in any shape to drive home?

Quote: "Judging by their shorts this is France's basketball team. Imagine how their soccer team would have done"