El Salvador Night/ Sudan/ Man U vs Chelsea

Its El Salvador Night down at the facility with their Youth Girls, Womens, and Mens teams all in action the El Salvadorian fans should be out in full force. Serbia and Norway are in there too.

Not to disregard the importance but I want to get to the game that I believe everyone wants too see. El Salvador - Sudan. You can see my entire Group A preview here but keep in mind a lot has changed since then. Sudan put in the performance of the tournament so far against Laos but it wasn`t enough to earn them a win. So now it`s due or die time. El Salvador is a very strong, and skilled side that will see much of the ball. Sudan on the other hand is fast as heck and everyone in their defense seems to have 40 inch verticals. They will win everything in the air at the back. If El Salvador does as Laos did and gets into playing long ball then this is going to be an extremely tough game for them. Sudan will need to capitalize on more of their chances and I`m not too sure they are capable of doing that. I expect at least 2 goals from set pieces and a 4-3 El Salvador win. Prove me wrong Sudan!

Now on to the other big game of the day. Champions League Man U - Chelsea from Stamford Bridge.  Kickoff is at 12:45 so if you have to work tell them you`re leaving early and if they say no, then quit (don`t actually). Point is you don`t want to miss this one. I am predicting a 2-2 draw as Man U have not won at Stamford Bridge in their last 10 games and a draw would be a great result for them. Also Sir Alex, please play Berba. (I know this almost certainly won`t happen.)

Best of the Day. Tuesday.

Team: Greece. Ukraine Women's team looked very strong but everyone knew they were going to win. Greece, fueled on by wanting to prove Julio wrong, came out with another good showing. Their next game is against France and that will be the real measure of how good Greece is. I hope they are up for it.

Goal: Have to go with the Colombia ripper. A shot from the top left of the box that hit the crossbar and went in. Really nice actually.  

Player: I think Crowdis from Ukraines Womens got 2 goals so I'll go with her. A brace is always the sign of a solid performance. Number 3 for Greece had a good performance as well but not the goals to go with it.

Gaffe and Overreaction:
How the Austria player managed to head the ball off the post, have it come back to him and then head it off the crossbar is beyond me. And then the roll around on the ground after the miss yikes. Honorable mention to the Botswana player who missed at the end of his game.

Tackle:

Tyson Piniach. Austria.  Actually managed to forget this somehow my first time through. The Austria player got tangled up and decided to give the Colombia player a little punch.  Not a tackle I know, but anything that earns you a red card is worth mentioning.

Celebration:
The player who scored Greece's second goal celebrated the only way he knew how, by tensing every muscle in his body and running super fast. I am LOLing while I write this. I want Greece to do well just to see that again.

Awesomeness: Botswana player who lines up for a wall facing his own net. Thought it was a one time thing but nope. This could be a big trend setter. No one likes getting hit in the gonads.

I am now tweeting out the scores out right after they end. Can't wait for me to get home and type them up?
Twitter Username: WCPCUP2011

That does it for today. Will be back tomorrow to talk up the huge El Salvador - Sudan game and the even bigger game between Man U and Chelsea. Go Man U!!!

Tuesday Nights Scores. France edition

So, I was driving to the facility tonight look over to my right and what do I see? This. Cripes the hype is everywhere you look. What's next?

Youth Girls:
Germany 1   El Salvador 1: A reasonable lobbing effort for Germanys first. Not exactly match of the day stuff.

Womens:
Ukraine 8 Italy 1: Another snooze fest. Italy was just not in the same class as Ukraine. A couple of decent long range efforts for goals including good strike from Michelle Anderson from outside the box but nothing too spectacular.

Mens:
Austria 2 Columbia 1: A really scrappy game both technically and physically couldn't have been more than 3 passes strung together. Quite a few death tackles out there led by Tyson Piniach. A scorcher from the Columbia player that flew into the top right.

Greece 2   Botswana 1: A slightly less scrappy game. Fairly even for the most part however Greece pulled through when they needed too. Botswana had a chance at the end but that shot ended up almost hitting the moon.

Tonights Games/PFA Shortlist

Not a whole lot of good games happening tonight. A first look at Austria Mens will be alright to see. We all remember their game against France last year was one of the best of the tournament. Maybe Botswana - Greece will turn into a good game. Greece will want to continue to prove they are serious contender. Will need to put in quite a few goals to prove so. Great supporters for all the teams involved tonight though so it should be a lively atmosphere.

Now for what I really want to rant about. The shortlist for PFA Player of the Year for the English Premier League was released today. On the list are Charlie Adam, Gareth Bale, Samir Nasri, Scott Parker, Nemanja Vidic and Carlos Tevez. Where are Nani and Dimitar Berbatov??? I know Charlie Adam is a feel good story but come on. Berbatov is the league's leading goal scorer having scored more goals than Carlos Tevez in less games. Not to mention that none of his goals have come from free kicks or the penalty spot. Nani  has more goals and than both Bale and Nasri and more assists than both of them combined. What does Player of the Year mean if the best players don't even make the short list?

And for anyone who missed Stankovic's screamer today. Here it is. Beauty!

Twitter Username: WCPCUP2011

Best of the Day. Monday.

I didn't see too many games so please help me out people! I won't be offended if you correct me.

 

Team of the Day:
Afghanistan. Not a lot to work with as the games were not a joy to watch but a really big win for Afghanistan. They are still going to be in tough against the rest of their pool but this gives them hope. That group is a free for all. Unless you are France and headed to the final for sure.

Goal: 

A couple candidates. I did score a rocket header but I will have to concede to David Brown. His lob of the Portugal keeper was both spectacular and unnecessary. Looked great though, even with Reis trying to steal it.

Player: 

Like I said I only watched one game. I would nominate Brett Levis for his 3 goals but that would seem pretty biased. Let me know who you think!

Save:
The posts. Seriously did they get bigger? Posts were getting hit like crazy all night.

Gaffe: 

Coming to watch. After the action packed weekend its a little tough to live up to the excitement they created. Games were blowouts except for the Afghanistan - Italy game.

Tackle: I will go with the Nigeria - Greece game from the night before. They put in 2 days worth of slide tackles. So no need to add more.

Laos apparently looked good so I don't want to detract from them. I just didn't watch the game. This is where you guys come in to correct me. Let me know what should actually be on here!

More Updates!

TWITTER. In a shameless case of self-promotion here is my twitter account again. Username is WCPCUP2011. Search that username and choose to follow me. 

And thanks to people coming through with information I have more to add:

Updates on Womens Group A can be seen here.

Womens Group B has also been updated.

Also re-watching the Laos-Sudan game. Sudan really took it to them. El Salvador has to be a little worried.

Best of the Day. Sunday.

Team of the day:

Poland.  They came out hungry for a win and not only did they win, they annihilated Germany.  A really strong showing by a team that everybody underrated.  Well done. Have to mention Greece in here too. A team everyone (myself included) wrote off. Greece is now well positioned to make playoffs. I was impressed.

Goal:
Easy to single out, the goal of the day came from Nigeria's #11.  A shot from behind half that came down just below the Greece keepers outstretched arms.  A beauty and it got them back into the game, for a while.

Player:
Poland's keeper, Michel Bandula was phenomenal and made a lot of great saves. I won't say that Poland  would have lost if they hadn't had him but if your teams strategy is "put it on net" he's not the guy you want to face.

Save:

Where to start?  Bandula was brilliant.  Probably had 5 saves worth mentioning however I'll go with his whole body of work. He keeps playing that well and he'll be on ROI next year. Kidding.

Gaffe:

Nigeria's goalkeeper.  If you watched the game you would agree with me.  Unfortunately tonight Nigeria's goalkeeping was not at the level they needed it to be at. Honorable mention for some horrible reffing decisions including an almost missed penalty and a text book hand ball by the Nigerian keeper.

Tackle:

Reis Cooper's brutal two footed studs up lunge against England.  That's a straight red in any other game.  If the ball leaves the guys foot 10 seconds ago and you're still lunging, you're probably too late. Might have been a record for amount of slide tackles set in the Nigeria-Greece game.

Quote of the day:

"I twit" - Mike Collins

In addition to this post, I would like to encourage more celebrations!  The referees are going to be notified that teams are allowed time for celebrations and the kick off can wait.  Make the $7 worth it for all of those fans who paid. Also France is going to win this whole tournament. Their team is amazing!!!

Now Available On Twitter!

I've set up a twitter account. Username is WCPCUP2011. Search that username and choose to follow me. Because frankly, I can't get enough of myself, and everyone likes to know what I think.

Best of the day. Saturday Edition:

Here is my recap of the best of the day for Saturday:

Team of the Day:
Sudan. Can their be anyone else? The only close game there was. Sudan was far and away the surprise team of the day. Should have beat Laos and are the most athletic team ever. I swear everyone on their team has a 40 inch vertical and could out run a deer. My new favorite.

Goal:

Tavis vs. Jamaica  - A couple candidates to choose from including Bryan Murrells winner and Irelands great passing move. But I will go with Tavis's goal against Jamaica. Takes on 2 defenders, leaves them in his dust and scoops the keeper. Beauty.

Player:

Again some options. Tavis had a great game for Canada as did Levis for ROI but I have to go with number 11 from Sudan. Didn't quite get his name but was all over the field and should have scored the tying goal. Had all sorts of moves.

Save:

Evan Campbell. Laos' keeper held them in the game. Not too many brilliant saves but a lot of important ones. Especially a huge save that came with two minutes left denying every fan a Sudan equalizer.

Gaffe:
Jamaicas whole team. Wow, who saw that coming. Canada is not an offensive powerhouse by any means.  This was a drubbing, Jamaica may as well have not shown up, the game would have been closer. A lot of hype and no show.

Tackle:
Always a few dirty tackles but none nearly as dirty as the one the guy from Sudan out in against Boun. Boun you are lucky to have a head.

Quote of the Day: 

"Ukraine sucks"  - Shomari Williams

Debate Saturday

We all know that group D is considered to be the group of death, and should have the most exciting games in the group stage.  But lets break it down even further than that.  This group starts off with Canada battling Jamaica on opening day.  Both of these teams have a serious chance at making it to the knock out stage but those plans could be altered depending on the outcome of this game.  That leaves us with the question, which team would be hurt more by a loss?

Kirk's pick: Jamaica would be more hurt by a loss.  Based on the schedule alone, Jamaica starts off with Canada, and follows up with Germany.  Toughest possible way to start out in this group.  If Jamaica does in fact lose to Canada, they will have very little room for error in the rest of the group stage.  There will be a lot of pressure on them to beat Germany.  Starting out with an 0-2 record could be fatal, and would almost surely deny entry to the knockout stage.  All the exhibition games will be meaningless if they can't continue their winning ways early in the tournament.  These first 2 games will show us if Jamaica is a contender or a pretender.

Mike's pick: Canada would be more hurt by the loss tonight.  They are not a team that is good from playing from behind even within the group and they know how important it is to stay competitive point-wise within their pool. Canada will be desperate to prove they belong in in the elite class of teams given how much flak they take. The last time Canada place so well they dropped all the way to 15th. They need to prove they can be consistently good. The other point about Canda is that their style of play causes a lot of their games to close. A fluke goal here or there could lead too dropped points later. Those points could mean the difference between advancing and bombing out.

Game Previews

The Game:  Canada vs. Jamaica - Our first look at the group of death. A loss will have either team on the brink of elimination. Tons to be learned from this game. Canada will of course want to keep their stranglehold on Jamaica.

Match ups to watch :

Korthius vs Jarvis - The best defender in the league versus the Korthius. We know Jarvis will be all over him. It's not going to be the type of game Kortho loves, he will have to work for it. As good of battle as you will see. Please watch!

Tavis vs Jamaicas Defense - Canada's game plan is based on the counter. It worked brilliantly in their exhibition game versus El Salvador. If I were Jamaica I would try and slow it down by fouling Tavis like it was going out of style. Also Canada is extremely well coached.

Jamaica vs. History - Jamaica hasn't beat Canada in forever. This is a mountain for them. If they can pull of a win confidence will be flowing. Otherwise their in trouble.

The Game : Ireland vs Germany (Womens) - New comers Ireland (my personal favourite) looked very impressive in their exhibition games.  Last year runners-up will have something to prove. However Ireland may prove to be too strong, let the band wagoning  begin. I'm driving.

Things We Love About Soccer/WCP

One day away from the tournament so its time for us to remember why we all love it so much. Here's the list of the things we love:

1. Lung Busting Runs - That player who has just made a 40 yard run forward sees their team turn the ball over and instead of pouting sprints 60 yards the other way to win the ball back. Love that guy.

2. Underdogs - Everyone loves to cheer for a team that has no business even being in the game. ie. Norway vs ROI (I hate that example). The idea that on any given day a bunch of no names could walk on the field and beat one of the big teams is what makes every game worth watching.

3. Inventive Celebrations - There definitely needs to be more celebrations in this tournament. I tire of the same old centipede, shoe shine, ball grenade routines. I challenge you people to get creative! I will personally buy a case for the best celebration I see. Lets make it happen people. Here is some inspiration. Though if you celebrate like that after a penalty its pretty lame.

4. People Not Paying Attention Getting Hit With The Ball - Alright I probably shouldn't love this but I think secretly we all do a little. The person who is standing behind the net chatting to someone instead of watching the game gets hit by the ball. Yeah that's right there's a soccer game going on. What justice. And for some reason the person is always holding a drink. It will happen again this year. Watch for it.

5. The New Blog - Yep, this is nothing more than a shameless plug. Tell your friends.

6. Nutmegs - That defender who just gets way too tight to his man and is left grasping at straws as it goes through his legs is priceless. Not to mention when its accompanied by the entire crowd yelling "Ooohhh!". Not so great when it happens to you.

7. Post Game Dressing Room Sessions - By far the best way for a team to bond. Sit around with the team and discuss the game and the goings-on from the night before over a nice cold coke. What could be better?

8. People Watching From Up Top - Hanging out over the railing and being able to see everyone who comes and goes. I know a few guys who particularly enjoy this. And when you finally see someone you know you have that awkward yelling conversation from up top to the main level because you're both too lazy to use the stairs. Maybe that's just me.

9. The Rumor Mill - Trying to decipher who is playing where and which rumors are true is half the fun of this tournament. So much speculation and hardly any reliable sources makes knowing what is true and what's not nearly impossible.

10. The Final/Cabaret - The must see soccer event of the year. The place is packed and the tension is palpable. Always the best game of the tournament. Add in that everyone then goes to the Lazy Owl where you can't walk to steps without bumping into someone you know. It's just like Cheers but with more dancing.