Wild American Gooner

When Sports Are More Than Just Sports


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Why Are So Few Arsenal Stars Shining in Brazil?

Well I was very wrong about that game. I knew France was the better side, but I didn’t expect them to be quite that clinical. I think it might have been closer had veteran Swiss defender Steve von Bergen not left with an injury in the opening minutes, but that isn’t excuse enough for the Switzerland’s atrocious defensive display. France has now put themselves in an excellent position and has to be tipped to make a trip to the quarterfinals, where they would likely run into Germany. If both France and Germany continue their impressive goalscoring form, that might be the game of the tournament.

It was good to see Olivier Giroud produce a great display in his slightly unexpected start. With him atop the field, and Benzema on the left, France looked dangerous every time they had the ball in Switzerland’s half. This might be a useful lineup going forward too, as I felt they looked more dynamic today than when Antoine Griezmann was on Benzema’s left. Paul Pogba will likely come back in for Moussa Sissoko, but this particular side obviously was quite impressive. Don’t sleep on the French as a potential title threat.

Giroud will be pleased that he contributed in more ways than one in his hour on the pitch. In addition to heading in a corner, he was effective receiving the ball deep and he even showed off his pace on the counter, putting Mathieu Valbuena in on goal for France’s third. I think whoever arrives this summer at striker for Arsenal will have a tough job holding off Giroud for the starting spot. He gets a lot of undeserved flak for all he adds to a side. And while Arsenal certainly needs another star frontman to compete for more silverware, Giroud will be a valuable contributor going forward as well. I’m not totally opposed to pairing Giroud with the new signing, whoever that might be.

On the Swiss side, seeing Johan Djourou cheaply give away a penalty brought back memories of his rapid demise at Arsenal. It would be easy to forget that for a long period in 2011, Djourou was first choice for Arsene Wenger in the back. He was useful at times too, helping Wojciech Sczcesny keep some clean sheets in some of the young keeper’s earlier starts with the first-team. But somewhere, it all went wrong. And now, he is an afterthought for most Gooners, sent away to Germany to keep him away from the squad. It was interesting that Arsenal has been tweeting good luck messages to Djourou all World Cup, even though he no longer plays for the club. Maybe they are reminding us that it could be a lot worse.

One thing that has been worrying me is that it feels like there have been a lot more former Arsenal players on the field in Brazil than current ones. It’s been nice seeing some of our old favorites, but isn’t it slightly concerning that so few Arsenal players are first choice for their countries? Wouldn’t we all like to think Laurent Koscielny is a better defender than Mamadou Sakho for example? It’s odd that the player representing the club the best so far is Joel Campbell, someone who’s never played a minute for the club, even in pre-season. Maybe not having players on display will help the fitness-levels for the season, but Arsenal have remarkably few stars in Brazil right now. Really only Per Mertesacker is an automatic starter for his country, with Mesut Özil not even guaranteed a place. I hope that’s not cause for concern.


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Some Serious CONCACAF Pride

Wow. Ten days ago, who would have expected Costa Rica to top Group D, the only group ever with three former World Champions. England is now officially out, but the story has to revolve around Costa Rica, and their incredible play so far, culminating in today’s 2-1 victory over Italy. Most expected the Ticos to be put back on earth by the Italians. But once again, the Costa Ricans showed they are a side to be reckoned with in Brazil, and now the pressure will be on Italy as they battle Uruguay next week for the Group D’s last spot.

The most impressive aspect of this game had to be the confidence that Costa Rica displayed in taking the game to Italy. They didn’t sit back and hope magic struck on a set-piece, but rather they simply played their game, confident that they were the better team. While most people would have seen that confidence as naïve, the Italians weren’t ready for it, and lacked the sharpness necessary to overcome Costa Rica’s proactive play. Even with Gigi Buffon back in net, the Italians were without inspiration on this day, as I can hardly remember any fight from anyone. Mario Balotelli looked disinterested most of the game, and Italy hardly had a serious chance.

Even Andrea Pirlo wasn’t particularly impressive today, as the Costa Ricans actually had a plan to stop him, unlike many teams in the past. Pirlo wasn’t allowed time on the ball, and as a result, the Italians struggled for a rhythm to their game. Why England didn’t try to shut down Pirlo in a similar way is beyond me.

Costa Rica’s goal was no fluke either, as Bryan Ruiz’s late-first half header was a long time coming. Joel Campbell should have earned a penalty a minute earlier, but instead of complaining, Costa Rica pressed on, and found their match-winner. Ever since his early days at Fulham, Ruiz’s drive and motor have always impressed me. And playing with the national side, he looks more comfortable in his starring role. He deserved the goal for all the work he puts in match in and match out for his side.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Costa Rica can keep up their strong play when they aren’t playing in the hot, steamy climates they are used to. Clearly, they were more prepared for the heat than the Italians were, but I think it would be unwise to say the heat was the only reason the Italians struggled. Costa Rica was simply better today.

The final match between Italy and Uruguay will have storylines abound. It’s amazing to think that out of Italy, Uruguay and Engalnd, only one of them will advance, with it now done to the first two. It’s hard to bet against Luis Suarez, so Uruguay might be the favorites solely because of him. But by my calculations, a draw will be enough for Italy to advance, which could make the tactics more complicated. That game should be full of intrigue.

It’s not often that I feel a sense of North American pride. But Costa Rica has really got me excited. Let’s hope CONCACAF keeps rolling.


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How I Like to Watch Games and Today’s Predictions

Good morning, everyone. Hope you’ve all had a great week. Last night’s Greece-Japan game didn’t do much for me, but at least we were treated to two other great games yesterday. But the Greek game got me thinking. Four years ago, I was in Greece for much of the World Cup. I remember expecting people to be really into it being a European country and all, but I was a little disappointed. I guess we weren’t in big cities for most of it, but there wasn’t much excitement where I was, even for Greece games. The one night we were in Athens during the World Cup, we were at a restaurant/bar during the France-Uruguay game. For some reason, there were a ton of Uruguayans at the restaurant that night, and they gave me a hard time about the Franck Ribery France jersey I was wearing. But it was fun being a part of a large crowd of passionate fans enjoying soccer.

Since then, I haven’t had that experience very often for soccer matches. For Arsenal games, I usually watch alone or with a friend a two, but never with more than three or four others. I’m usually too nervous to want to watch with people who don’t care as much. I’m going to have to really respect your fandom if I’m going to choose to watch a game with you. For USA games, it hasn’t been much different. There just aren’t that many people that care enough for my liking when I’m nervously watching a game.

But maybe the lasting effect of this World Cup will be more people in the US who genuinely care about soccer. I don’t just mean people who are happy to show how American they are every four years. I mean people who enjoy getting into the games. I’m hopeful that day is coming so that I can stop watching alone.

Now, here are my picks for today’s games.

Italy 2 Costa Rica 0

The English will be delighted with this result, as the Costa Ricans will find the Italians much tougher than Uruguay was last week. The success that Joel Campbell found dropping deep won’t be there this time going against Danielle De Rossi, whose impact in this game will be huge in front of the Italian defense. Mario Balotelli will score one on the break in the first half, and Ciro Immobile will add the second off the bench. The final score won’t be entirely indicative of how dominant Italy are.

Switzerland 1 France 0

I’ll stick with the pick I made in my original group stage predictions. This will be the surprise of the day. France will be the more dangerous side throughout, but chances will fall to the wrong men. Diego Benaglio will have a good day in goal as well, and the French won’t be able to crack the Swiss defense. Switzerland will have few chances, halted in midfield by Blaise Matuidi and Paul Pogba. However, against the run of play, Xherdan Shaqiri will score a candidate for goal of the tournament, giving his Switzerland the top spot in Group E. France certainly has more talent, but I’ll take the Swiss today.

Honduras 1 Ecuador 1

The other Group E game won’t carry the same amount of sparkle as Switzerland-France, but it will be a game to watch in its own right. I think this game could get testy, with the opposing mangers knowing each other’s sides so well and both teams frustrated by their losses last time out. Yellow cards will be flying. Jerry Bengtson will score first for Honduras on a set-piece. But Ecuador will earn a point late on through Antonio Valencia, whose quality should shine through today. Despite the lack of star power, this game will still carry some intrigue.

How do you like to watch games? Do you prefer watching alone or with other people? Share your thoughts below. And check back for more content later on today. Thanks for reading.

 


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It Had To Be Him

There was always going to be one hero in Uruguay-England game and it wasn’t going to be Wayne Rooney. That Rooney had gotten his goose egg out of the way with the equalizer won’t be remembered unless there’s an English miracle in the next game. The hero was always going to be Luis Suarez.

As soon as Suarez and Uruguay were drawn alongside England, you knew Suarez would be chomping at the bit to stick one to the British media by breaking English hearts. The only question was whether he’d be fit enough to take part. But as I predicted, Suarez showed up in a big way for this one.

His first goal was too easy. England should not have allowed Edinson Cavani the space to curl in the ball for Suarez, and like last time out, a mistake from a center-back gave Suarez the tiny bit of space he needed. From there, he was never going to miss the free header. His second goal though was both a beauty and terribly defended. Goals that come straight from the goalie should never happen, as Muslera’s punt was simply headed on by Cavani to release Suarez. Someone should have been marking Suarez, for he was the only player who was going to beat England. But once the ball reached Suarez, his class won out, as his first touch and subsequent screamer were near perfect.

This was another instance of England not properly paying attention to the opposing star in critical moments. In their European Championship exit two years ago, it was a lack of attention to Andrea Pirlo that cost them. This time around, it was Luis Suarez. They had to know he was the threat, and needed to properly mark him at the crucial moment. Suarez was limited most of the match by the English defense, but those two lapses gave him just enough space to leave his mark on the game.

To England’s credit, they looked the better side for much of the game. And this World Cup, they’ve looked a talented squad. But ultimately, it’s individuals stepping up to carry a team that count and England lacked that today. While Rooney got his goal eventually, England’s best player, and yes, I mean that, missed two gilt-edged chances that could have swung the game. I truly believe England could make a serious run for major trophies in the next few years, but they will need individuals to rise above their talent level for that to happen.

Love him or hate him, The World Cup will be better for having Luis Suarez fit and firing. His performance against Italy will be vital if the Uruguayans hope to earn a place in the knockout stage. If only 40,000,001 were enough to have brought him to Arsenal last summer.

On another note, I found the usually loveable Ian Darke and Steve McManaman pairing verging on unbearable at times today. I love these commentators. But today, they seemed to let their bias towards England affect the commentary in a negative way. ESPN has done a good job of assembling on-air talent from all the major soccer nations, but having two Englishmen in the booth for such an important match was too much. They kept beating the audience over the head with their criticism of Uruguay’s stalling tactics. Lots of teams do that, but Darke kept harping on it. It even got to the point when he called out Alvaro Pereira for faking an injury when he was nearly unconscious. While Darke apologized for that, he needed to look at a replay before saying what he did. This duo is great. But if I wanted an English bias this strong, I would have found a BBC feed. I’d take this duo any day of the week, but they were too much today.


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A Place for the Emotional

There’s an old adage in the US – There’s no crying in baseball. Every kid hears it somewhere. I don’t necessarily agree with it, but it’s widely accepted around American sports culture. Now I’ve never heard it applied to soccer. Just last month, in an intramural futsal game I was playing in, the other team’s best player took himself out of his team’s 7-3 semifinal loss and started crying. His team had beaten mine 27-6 in the season opener (How about that improvement huh?) so naturally he was disappointed, but crying over a intramural futsal match seems rather stupid.

However some tears are beautiful. During Ivory Coast’s national anthem today before their match with Colombia, the camera showed Ivorian midfielder Serey Die overcome with emotion. Tears were streaming down his face while the anthem was playing. And you could here the crowd erupt. These tears were all that is right about the international game. It was a display of national pride that showed why the World Cup is so special. For it’s not about the money right now for the players. It’s about national pride. I’ve heard he was thinking about his late father, and how proud he’d be to see his son represent their country.

I don’t know much about Die as a player, but I immediately admired him. He was clearly playing for all the right reasons. Lining up for Ivory Coast had to be a life-long dream of his, representing his country halfway across the world. I doubt he wanted to cry on the field, but he couldn’t help it. He just cared too much.

But all went wrong for Serey Die in this game. He struggled to contain the pace of Colombia’s midfielders, and it was his poor giveaway that led to Colombia’s second goal, one that seemed to have all but killed off the game before Gervinho’s brilliance got Ivory Coast back into the game a few minutes later. He lay on the ground after Colombia’s goal, having sprinted back in vain to try to atone for his mistake. It was heartbreaking to watch him lie there, as he clearly felt like he let his country down. He was substituted shortly after, and his day was over. For a player whose passion represented everything right with the game, it was a cruel twist.

Cynics will say he let his emotions get to him today, negatively affecting his play. They’ll say his crying was a sign of weakness for his opponent to see. They might be right. But nobody should fault Serey Die for caring too much. In a world of sport where players are increasingly driven by money and fame, this display of national pride was simply beautiful. There might be not be crying in baseball, but international soccer has a place for the emotional.

On another note, I remain extremely happy to see Gervinho do well in Brazil. His goal was classic Gervinho, except with a stunning finish. If only he had been able to do that regularly at Arsenal. And Serge Aurier continues to look like a strong option as a potential Arsenal right-back. Here’s hoping Arsene Wenger is thinking the same thing.