Wild American Gooner

When Sports Are More Than Just Sports


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A Showcase of Everything That Is Wrong With Soccer

If you can’t tell, I love the game of soccer. But had today’s Italy-Uruguay match been the first game I’d ever watched, I’d never watch the sport again. For the match showcased everything wrong with soccer. There were lunatic assistant coaches fighting on the sidelines. There  were first half tactics from Uruguay that included little other than riling up Mario Balotelli in hope that he’d do something stupid, and on the other side the tactics were hardly more sophisticated than simple time-wasting. There were a billion fouls. There were an equal number of flops. And best of all, the game’s superstar had a relapse into his cannibalistic past.

I somehow managed to avoid hearing the score of this game until I got home late this afternoon. I’d been eagerly awaiting watching this particular match for almost a week now. But frankly, I wish I hadn’t watched it. Two weeks ago, I would have told you I was a fan of Italy and Uruguay – that I loved Cesare Prandelli as a coach and that I respected Luis Suarez as a player if not as a person. Now, none of that is true.

That Italy came out with such negative tactics should not have been a surprise given the country’s footballing tradition, but I expected Cesare Prandelli to dare to be different, showing everyone that his Italy side was separate from past ones. I was wrong unfortunately, and we all had to watch Italian players commit foul after foul, only to writhe in pain on the ground when the slightest touch went against them. Their game-plan was clear. If the ball was in the referee’s hand and not on the ground, Uruguay couldn’t score. They were Italy circa 2006 – the team I grew up hating.

Uruguay seemed fine with that type of fight in the first half, knowing they could get under Balotelli’s skin and potentially cause him to lash out. A red card from Italy would allow them a way into the game. While Balotelli managed to leave the first half with only a yellow card, Uruguay’s tactics worked when Super Mario was taken off the field at half. Gone was Italy’s lone goalscoring threat today, as Ciro Immobile looked out of his element. And just when you thought Uruguay was done baiting the Italians into aggressive fouls, Claudio Marchisio went straight over the ball – a clear straight red. Uruguay in the end got what they wanted.

But Italy held strong even with ten men and kept doing their thing. Foul after foul, embellishment after embellishment. It was rather unpleasant to watch, especially every time Giorgio Chiellini writhed on the ground. And then Luis Suarez did his thing in retribution for Chiellini’s acting. No, he didn’t score. He bit him. Yes, Suarez bit someone. Again. How can this ever happen three times? I will never respect that man again. This is Suarez’s third strike.  He can forever be a villain now. For he is certainly no hero any longer.

While Diego Godin’s winning header was an exciting moment for the defender and for his country, I hardly cared who won the game at that point. Both sides had made me hate them with the way they went about this crucial game. I feel for Gigi Buffon, who deserved a better exit than this, but his Italy did themselves no favors with the way they played today. If you play the style they did, you deserve to lose in my opinion.

Lastly, a quick point about Balotelli. He obviously is immensely talented and his goalscoring ability would be a welcome addition at Arsenal. But games like this one  – where he must be taken off for fear of him doing something stupid – show how much he still needs to mature. I’d want him at Arsenal for sure, but much like Roberto Mancini in Balotelli’s Manchester City days, I don’t know if I’d trust Mario in certain matches. He is inherently flammable on the pitch, and his self-destruct button could spell an ugly time for any team that invests too much faith in his supposed new-found tranquility.

Unfortunately, as I choose to watch this game when I got home, I missed the Ivory Coast-Greece match, which shocked me when I saw the score. I can’t believe the Ivorians had such a big let down. For all of our sakes, let’s forget about Suarez and Italy for a while and get back to enjoying this wonderful tournament that surprises us at every turn.


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Vicente del Bosque’s Final Mistake

Lost in the midst of all the talk about the end of Spain’s golden era atop world soccer was that their all-time leading scorer David Villa was playing his last game for his country. Apparently, his coach Vicente del Bosque did not even realize it, as he unceremoniously subbed Villa out early in the second half in the 3-0 victory over Australia. Villa had scored a terrific goal to give Spain the lead, and seemed to be in position to end his career in style. But things suddenly turned sour when he saw the fourth official put up his number in the 56th minute. His Spanish career was ending half an hour too soon. Villa sat down on the bench completely distraught, no longer able to hold back the tears.

Final goodbyes can be beautiful. But this one was not. Del Bosque needed to know this was Villa’s last game, as the striker had been a vital contributor to most of del Bosque’s successes. This irresponsible lack of awareness about his player shows why del Bosque needs to go. His relationship with senior players like Villa had to be strong if this transition from the old guard was going to go smoothly. But apparently, he has no relationship with his players at all right now, completely unaware of what playing for Spain means to them.

It was a shame that Villa wasn’t substituted in the final minutes like Xabi Alonso was. Had he gone out in the 85th minute, a win assured, the fans and Villa could have had a minute to stop and reflect as he left the field. It could have been the perfect way to go. But instead he left with the game still in doubt, when he couldn’t walk off the field to thunderous applause. The substitution was tactical, not ceremonial like it should have been. In a game that didn’t matter, del Bosque had no excuse for not celebrating his star. And frankly, even as a tactical substitution, it didn’t make much sense. While Villa left with a goal, del Bosque figuratively slapped him on the face on the way out, not showing him the respect he had earned. (If you are wondering why this is different from what I said about loyalty in regards to Spain before, it’s because this game didn’t matter at all. Feel free to debate that in the comments)

Now to my predictions.

Costa Rica 2 England 0

I’ve picked against Costa Rica twice and I won’t be stupid enough to do it again. If England decides not to show up, this game could get ugly. I hope Roy Hodgson plays a different side – one that will be happy to see the field as opposed to jaded about their elimination, but you never know what he’ll do. Maybe he’ll be gracious enough to give Frank Lampard a nice goodbye. But overall, I think England will lack the drive to go forward in this game. Costa Rica will seize their chances and capitalize on England’s carelessness. Bryan Ruiz will score one in the first half, and Joel Campbell will score the second. That duo will continue to be superb on all fronts. If Costa Rica finishes with all nine points, that would be something special.

Italy 1 Uruguay 1

I’ve been going back and forth about this one. On the one hand, I think Italy will be much sharper having gotten over the Manaus hangover. But on the other hand, Uruguay has Luis Suarez. If Italy comes out and attacks in the first half, not sitting back and hoping for a draw, I think they’ll get a goal, which I believe will come from Andrea Pirlo. He’s due. At that point, I think they’ll sit deeper, allowing Uruguay to attack. The defense will remain strong for a while, but towards the middle of the second half, Luis Suarez will pick up a goal from nothing. The momentum will be shifting, but Italy won’t fall victim to a second Suarez goal, and will be able to hold on for a draw. The finish to the match will be frantic, as Uruguay will have to send everyone forward for the all-important goal.

Ivory Coast 1 Greece 0

This game won’t be the prettiest one we’ll see at the World Cup, but Didier Drogba will have yet another impact substitution to send Ivory Coast into the knockout round. If Greece had a little more creativity in the midfield, they might be able to score a goal, but alas, they don’t. And Yaya Toure will make it even tougher on the Greek midfielders today. The Manchester City man should continue to improve as he becomes more fit the longer the tournament goes on. He’ll score the goal on a knockdown from Drogba. Wilfried Bony will also have a few chances in this game, but won’t find the net. But that won’t matter, as the Ivory Coast fans will be sent into a frenzy when the final whistle blows, their team finally into the round of 16.

Colombia 3 Japan 1

Colombia will continue their dominance of Group C with a thorough demolishing of Japan. The Japanese have been the most disappointing team in Brazil for me thus far, and will fail to inspire once again. They really miss having an in-form Shinji Kagawa on the field. Juan Cuadrado will score first for the Colombians. James Rodriguez will add another goal to his most impressive World Cup and Mario Yepes will score a dream goal from a corner for Colombia’s third. It will be a fairy tale for Colombia. Japan’s consolation will come from a Keisuke Honda free-kick, but it won’t mean anything to the Colombians, who will be just beginning a long night of celebrations.

Today’s challenge will most certainly be getting home without finding out the Italy-Uruguay score. It might be impossible, but I’m going to do my best. Have a great day, everyone. And thanks for reading.

 

 


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Mexico Still Owes Us One

I did my best to avoid all scores today so that I could get home and watch two games, but alas, right as I was about to leave camp, I heard the Netherlands-Chile score. I’ll have to read up on that game later, because I am quite impressed with the Dutch maintaining a clean sheet. However, I did manage to get home without hearing about the Mexico-Croatia game, so I was able to watch all 90 minutes of that entertaining game. Not finding out scores going forward is going to be extremely difficult.

Mexico were certainly the deserving winners today against Croatia. Miguel Herrera’s coaching has been spot on since he took over, and his magical touch has seen the Mexicans go from nearly out of the World Cup to the round of 16. But let’s not forget that Mexico wouldn’t be in Brazil without the USA and Graham Zusi scoring a late winner that gave Mexico the final spot over Panama. They owe us big time.

As I said last week, the Mexico I saw play Portugal in their final pre-World Cup friendly in Boston has transformed into an attacking menace. The new batch of midfielders have been tremendous, especially Hector Herrera. His movement has been excellent and he was unlucky not to score today. But Mexico also has had players stepping up their games everywhere on the pitch – from Ochoa in the back to Dos Santos up front. Everyone has been committed completely to the cause they looked so disinterested in last fall.

It was nice to Javier Hernandez score his late goal, as I thought this particular substitute appearance opened Croatia up for slaughter. Without him, Mexico had been dangerously defensive at times in the second half, and sitting back completely could have led to a disaster. Only needing a draw, Mexico could have sat back from the start, but Herrera’s decision to play on the front foot in the first half should have produced a goal. His positive tactics from the start were refreshing to watch.

Croatia’s play was quite disappointing. Mario Mandzukic didn’t have much of an impact against an aging center back pairing he should have tore apart. Ivan Rakitic didn’t particularly impress me either, sending in a couple poor efforts on set-pieces, and when two of your three stars don’t show up, there’s not much you can do. Only Luka Modric lived up to his billing in my eyes, showing strength in possession I hadn’t seen from him before. Seeing their campaign end with a late red card was fitting for the squad, which will be massively disappointed not to qualify after starting so well in their opener against Brazil.

The two round of 16 games set up today look appetizing, as I look forward to watching Brazil having to defend Chile’s pace – they could struggle with it like they did in the beginning of their opener. The Netherlands and Mexico should also provide a great game, as both teams are in impressive form, surprising many around the world with their play at the World Cup.

Lastly, why don’t any current American athletes have nicknames like Oribe “The Brush” Peralta? I don’t know where that comes from, but it’s a much more interesting nickname than anything we’d come up with in the U.S. Nicknames here are getting increasingly driven by a player’s name (i.e. D-Wade, Melo, Johnny Football) and we need to start being more creative. There used to more great nicknames in American sports, but they are dying out. Let’s see some more creativity.

Mexico now joins Costa Rica as the second CONCACAF side in the knockout stages, as the confederation has exceeded all expectations thus far. We can only hope the U.S. will be able to join them. At least Mexico still owes us a thank you for getting them here in the first place.


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And Now the Real Fun Begins

Good morning, everyone. I still haven’t really recovered from last night. My emotions are everywhere. If only it were as simple as colluding with Germany for a 0-0 draw. I’d take my chances with Belgium if Thursday didn’t have to be so nervy. But I digress. Now we’re into the final round of group stage games and we have some fascinating contests remaining. This should be fun. Too bad I’ll be at work for most of them now, but I’ll find a way to watch the games somehow. I should be able to still write two or three posts a day, so don’t worry. Big news for the site as it hit 1,000 views early yesterday. It’s been less than two weeks, but I’m having a blast writing. Know I appreciate every reader I get. Please help spread the word.

Now to today’s predictions.

Spain 4 Australia 1

Devoid of pressure, Spain’s second team will cruise from the get go, out to prove that they should have started in the first place. Without Tim Cahill up top, Australia won’t be as dangerous as they have been previously. Spain will score early through Fernando Torres, who I think will have a field day without any pressure on him to produce. I like Torres to score three overall. Spain’s fourth will come from Arsenal man Santi Cazorla, who nearly got on the scoresheet against Chile. The Socceroos goal will be scored by Oliver Bozanic once the game has been decided. This game will also be a final farewell for many former World Cup heroes for Spain, and while their ship has already sunk, this classy team should go out with a win. The worst part about this game is knowing that this will be the last time I can use the word “Socceroo” for four years. Oh well.

Chile 3 Netherlands 2

This game will be a thriller. It should be a very open contest full of goals. Chile will once again start fast, scoring through Alexis Sanchez. Without Robin van Persie, the Dutch won’t be as strong on the counter, but Arjen Robben will shine, scoring a beauty to tie the game. Chile will score next on a Eduardo Vargas effort. Alexis Sanchez will add to their lead shortly after half and Chile will be cruising. However if given a rare chance to see the field, I like Klaas Jan Huntelaar to score, and I think he’ll convert one late one as a consolation. Chile will leave winners though, and the Dutch will regret having to play Brazil.

Brazil 3 Cameroon 0

With Cameroon in shambles, Brazil should have little trouble in their final group game. Neymar will be looking to add to his tally and I think he’ll score Brazil’s opener within half an hour. More will be expected from Fred, who will finally produce a goal late in the first half. Brazil’s third will come from a substitute. Wanting to confirm the top spot in Group A, Jo will be the beneficiary of Brazil looking to improve their goal differential. This will be a walk in the park for the hosts.

Croatia 1 Mexico 0

A late goal from Mario Mandzukic will leave the Mexicans stunned at missing out on the knockout stage. Mexico will be impressive in the first half, but won’t find a goal. However, Croatia will solidify their back line after a shaky start, taking control of the match as it goes on. Needing a goal to advance, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic will probe the Mexican defense looking for the perfect ball. For the last half an hour, Mexico will be defending for their lives, throwing everyone behind the ball. The goal will end up coming from a late set-piece. The Bayern Munich frontman will be there to break millions of Mexican hearts. Mexicans will be left crushed.

Check back later for more content. Thanks for reading as always. Have a great day.

 

 


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One Kick Away From a Near Perfect Performance

We were so damn close… Everything was perfect. And then it wasn’t. Since the fifth minute, nearly everything had gone the Americans’ way. Jürgen Klinsmann made all the right substitutions, and I have to say, his tactics were just about spot on. But then Ronaldo sent in the perfect ball. And all of it seems for naught. That was a match we’ll all remember. But let’s hope we can remember the middle 88 minutes and not the last kick. Thursday will be the death of us all.

The talk going into this match centered on two things – replacing Jozy Altidore and stopping Cristiano Ronaldo. I was skeptical when I saw Klinsmann’s lineup, but Clint Dempsey played superbly up top in the first half, intelligently making runs behind Portugal’s high line. Even without the extra forward, chances were still created. And with the added man in midfield, Ronaldo had little space to operate, with somebody sent at him anytime Portugal looked to be on the break. Even when Ronaldo got a half-chance, he was noticeably off tonight, sending his efforts either above the bar or well wide. That is until the last one.

My man of the match was Jermaine Jones. In the first half, he and Bradley got forward well, and played a lot of intelligent balls. But when Jones ventured forward, he always made sure he had the cover behind him. Defensively, he was excellent at times, with a plethora of vital tackles. In the closing minutes, he blocked a couple of shots well. Even when he gave the ball away, he was quick to earn it back. He also scored an absolute beauty to tie the game, connecting on a curling long-range effort that will be a candidate for goal of the tournament. The goal was well-deserved for Jones, who put in a quality shift.

There were a number of other impressive players in this match for the United States, something you can’t say about many Portuguese players. Matt Besler had an outstanding game in the back, surely his best in a USA shirt. Fabian Johnson too was excellent for much of the game down the right. That Portugal ended up with two goals should not cloud how good the U.S. were defensively, as many players put in impressively disciplined performances. Tim Howard didn’t have his best game, but his save of Eder’s rebounded effort late in the first half was incredible. Not many humans possess the balance necessary to stay on their feet long enough to tip the ball away like Howard did.

In addition to getting everything right tactically, Klinsmann made the right substitutions. DeAndre Yedlin made an outstanding cameo, which not many would have expected. His decision to bring in Chris Wondolowski late on was also excellent, as Wondolowski’s veteran decision to bring the ball to the corner was in stark contrast to Bradley’s play at the end of the Ghana game. Omar Gonzalez might have been better positioned on Varela’s goal, but he was the obvious man to bring in at the end too.

But after all that, Cristiano Ronaldo had just a little too much space and sent in the perfect ball for Varela’s equalizer. At that point, all you can do is tip your cap, and take the positives from this match. As close as the Americans were to qualifying for the next round, they cannot let themselves have a let down with the all-important game against Germany coming up after only three days of rest. They must regroup, treat injuries and keep their heads up. They were the better team tonight and they need to know that.

Germany is good, but the U.S. can’t be intimated. Sitting back and hoping for a point won’t work against the Germans. They have too much talent. The Americans shouldn’t be afraid to attack, knowing that even a close defeat could be all that is needed in that match. Klinsmann’s biggest task before Thursday might be getting his players’ minds ready once again.

I still don’t really know what to feel. You can’t fault the Americans for how they played. The showed the American spirit we all love them these players for, and were the better team today. But damn, that was disappointing in the end. At least we got a point. From 1-0 down at half, a point is still a good result against one of the best teams in the world.

What are your thoughts on the match? Are we going to be able to recover from the disappointment? Comment below.