Wild American Gooner

When Sports Are More Than Just Sports


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How the USA Beats Ghana and the Inspiring Ibišević

While I was watching the entertaining Argentina and Bosnia & Herzegovina game, I couldn’t help but root for Vedad Ibišević as he came onto the pitch. His story of escaping the war and finding refuge in St. Louis is nothing short of incredible. But what I also find appealing about his story is his time in high school and collegiate soccer in the US. If the rule is that college soccer in the United States hurts our prospects of developing soccer stars, Ibišević is the exception. Although he isn’t playing for the red, white and blue, his story should inspire young Americans everywhere, both on a personal level and on the soccer field. Even though Bosnia ended up losing, his goal, Bosnia’s first ever at a World Cup, surely sent both sides of fans home relatively happy.

Speaking of USA, there is a big game today against old nemesis Ghana. I haven’t written much on this blog yet about this U.S. team, but I am one of their biggest fans. One day, I plan on joining the American Outlaws. But for now, I’ll have to settle for nervously watching the opening match with some of my high school friends. I can’t wait any longer. This particular mixture of hope, dread, and excitement I am feeling is one I haven’t felt often. Now let’s get to my assessment of how we can win and my predictions for today’s games.

Robbie Findley. Ricardo Clark. Jonathan Bornstein. Jay DeMerit. Those are the names of four players who started the match against Ghana four years ago. Since then, our national team has dramatically improved, and now has dangerous players everywhere on the pitch. The depth of the squad now versus then might be the biggest indicator about how much the program has developed. Regardless of whether or or not Klinsmann can lead this team out of the group stage, there has been tremendous improvements over these four years.

Against Ghana, Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman should start in front of the defense. Their play will be vital, as an early Ghana goal would suck all the life out of everyone involved with the United States. If they don’t venture forward as often as they normally do, more of the attacking burden will fall on the fullbacks, Fabian Johnson and DeMarcus Beasley. I believe Johnson could be the key to this match, as he has looked particularly impressive recently. If he is able to link up with Bradley and Dempsey going forward on the right, that might open up space for late runs into the box. If Jozy Altidore can occupy a defender or two then, the U.S.’s best chances will fall to runners from the midfield. Whoever earns the last starting spot, be it Alejandro Bedoya or Graham Zusi, needs to take their chances if the U.S. hopes to win.

Defensively, the U.S. needs to careful not to get out of position, always communicating each others’ whereabouts to one another. There will be mistakes made, and it will be up to Tim Howard to save them at times. This first game will be an eye opener for Matt Besler, and one can only hope he doesn’t let the pressure get to him.

I see Michael Bradley scoring an opener late in the first half from a Fabian Johnson-led attack down the right. The defense will be solid, if not spectacular, in the first half, with Ghana not converting their only major chance of the half. The second half will see the United States put more men behind the ball with the lead, but a momentary lapse in concentration by Besler will see Ghana earn a penalty. Howard will go the wrong way, and the game will be tied. Withdrawing Beckerman knowing a win is a near-must, Klinsmann will put on Aron Johannsson for the last quarter of an hour, and he will see an effort saved off the line. Chances will come in bunches for both teams as the game opens up in the final minutes, but Howard heroics will deny Ghana a winner.

My prediction for the final score is United States 1 Ghana 1

Germany 2 Portugal 1

This game will be one of the opening round’s best. The Germans have an abundance of world-class talent, but the Portuguese have Cristiano Ronaldo. Take your pick. I see 2010 World Cup hero Thomas Müller opening the scoring for Germany, converting a rebound from a Lukas Podolski left-footed bullet. Mesut Özil will grow in confidence as the match goes on, and he will send a perfectly weighted pass in to Mario Götze for Germany to double their lead. Struggling to find his usual match-winning form, Ronaldo will be quiet until a late free kick. His swerving effort will beat Neuer and Portugal will only be one goal behind despite being thoroughly outplayed. But Germany will hold firm in the final minutes of the game, not giving Ronaldo another chance.

Nigeria 0 – Iran 0

The World Cup has been so exciting thus far that we are bound to have a boring 0-0 game sooner or later. This game will be just that, as Iran’s defense will hold strong against the Nigerian attack. The man of the match will be Vincent Enyeama in goal for Nigeria, who will have one or two noteworthy saves to deny Iran on the counter. The singular point for both sides will severely damage their chances of advancing out of the group, having their toughest matches against the impressive Argentina and Bosnia & Herzegovina ahead.

Have a great day, everyone. Go USA!


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You Deserve This, Duncan

This will be brief. But I would be remiss not to congratulate the San Antonio Spurs on their NBA Championship. After Game 7 last year, I did not expect this team to have another playoff run in them. But as I should have learned long ago, never underestimate Greg Popovich or Tim Duncan. Those two are beyond incredible. If everyone else in the NBA developed players like the Spurs, the quality of basketball in the NBA would go up tenfold. This championship by the Spurs has proved that the old style of developing talent still works in the NBA. You don’t have to bring superstars together in free agency. It gives hope to teams around the league that even if your city isn’t a destination city, you still can win a championship.

I hope discussion in the coming days on ESPN focuses more on the Spurs than on the Heat, but it will be inevitable that LeBron will still draw the headlines. LeBron was good this series, but not good enough to beat this Spurs team alone. And unfortunately for the Heat, that was what it felt like at times. When the Spurs were bringing in endless energy and scoring off their bench, LeBron was left looking at Michael Beasley as his savior off the bench in the fourth quarter of Game 5. He simply didn’t have the supporting cast this year that he’s had in years past.

I’d like to see LeBron opt out of his contract for his own sake. Wasting another year of his prime in Miami would be a shame. Wouldn’t it be exciting if we could go back three years and see LeBron play with a dynamic, athletic supporting cast again? I want to see LeBron get another shot with a younger team. As his career goes on, he will rue not playing with younger talent if he stays in Miami. If he does stay, the Heat will need to find a way to sign younger players instead of veterans to fill their remaining roster spots. At some point, the Big 3 become the veterans with championship pedigree, and they won’t need anyone else in the locker room to show the rookies what the playoffs are about.

Lastly, I want to say how happy I am for Tim Duncan to win another championship. That man is the consummate professional. He is the player that high schoolers need to emulate rather than the LeBron’s or the Carmelo’s. I hope Duncan gets the credit he deserves over the next few years as he moves closer to retirement for being an all-time great. For he is one of the game’s true superstars. As he gradually passes the torch, he has turned the Spurs organization into one of the best in all of sport. That the Spurs gave hugs to the Heat before celebrating shows how classy this organization and this group of players are. They deserve this championship. Congratulations.

What were your thoughts on the Finals? Are you happy with the outcome?

 

 


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What Would Your French Football Hairstyle Be?

I didn’t catch any of the Switzerland game this morning as I was out with my dad for Father’s Day. Looked to be a pretty decent game though. Terrific decision to let play go on by the referee at the end. I did manage to see the France game though, so I have a few observations.

There couldn’t have been a worse omen for France than having the national anthem fail to play. For a group of players that have been known to play for themselves rather than their country, the lack of a national anthem – a chance to feel some French pride – could have signaled the start of another failed campaign. However, this team proved stronger than the 2010 squad, quickly putting their egos aside to dominate play from the start. They looked rather impressive, albeit against ten men most of the time. They now look like a cohesive unit from Benzema up top to Lloris in goal. On a side note, it’s really quite pathetic that the anthems didn’t work. This is one of the first confirmations that Brazil didn’t have their act together on time that has directly impacted the event. Let’s hope there aren’t too many more moments like that.

It was great to see the goal-line technology come into play for the second goal in a situation that didn’t matter all that much. To the naked eye, it didn’t look like the ball had crossed the line, but that is why the technology has been installed in the first place, because it is more reliable than the naked eye. People now have to trust that this system will get the decisions correct, which will only happen through their seeing it in action. I’m not a fan of having it for offside decisions, but goal-line plays are definitive enough that a little technology makes sense for the game. As proven in tennis with the Hawk-Eye system, trustworthy technology that works instantly can enhance a sport, rather than diminish it.

Lastly, there are a lot of ridiculous hairstyles in professional soccer. Having watched Olivier Giroud for two seasons at Arsenal, I have seen that some players put an absurd amount of thought into how their mane looks. But this French team has a lot of hairstyles that are way out there. Antoine Griezmann and Mathieu Debuchy in particular have looks that would never be considered acceptable anywhere other than on a soccer field. Americans would never dare try something as bold as those two have, and while I admire them for it, I question their choice in style.

On that note, I have an idea. Thinking about how the “What would your Brazilian football name be?” website has taken off (For the record, I would be Ethildo – I should start going by that), I have decided the next big hit should be “What would your French football hairstyle be?” It would be a huge success. Who wouldn’t love to see what they looked like with those ridiculous cuts? You’ve heard this idea here first.


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A Smile From Gervinho and Today’s Predictions

Happy Father’s Day, everyone. What a day of soccer that was yesterday. Four games full of goals and many story lines. The night cap between Ivory Coast and Japan ended up being a little disappointing for me. I’ve always admired this Japanese side and tipped them to do well in Brazil. But yesterday, they fell flat in the second half. There was no energy, no drive. Once Didier Drogba went in, it was like they gave up – even though they were 1-0 up at the time. That isn’t to take credit away though from the Ivorians, who really stepped up to earn the three points that put them in a great position alongside Colombia at the  top of Group C.

I was mildly impressed with Arsenal target Serge Aurier, a player I had yet to see in action. He looks like he might prove to be a viable replacement for Sagna. It was also nice to see Gervinho crack a smile after his goal. For all the downs he had at Arsenal, he deserved more respect from the fans. As an Arsenal supporter, I feel partially responsible for his loss of confidence, something I’ve felt bad about since he left. I’m glad to see he landed on his feet and has rediscovered some semblance of self-belief.

Now, I myself face the daunting task of rediscovering belief in my ability to pick games correctly. After a dismal showing yesterday in my predictions, I will try my best for the next set. But hey, going 0-4 is impressive in its own way, no?

Switzerland 1 Ecuador 0

Ecuador will be the first South American side not to win a match in Brazil in this Group E opener. Switzerland will prove a tough side to crack, as Ottmar Hitzfeld’s side have excelled with Gökhan Inler and Valon Behrami sitting in front of the back four. Xherdan Shaqiri will provide the goal in the second half and the Swiss will take all three points. It will be an emotional day for Ecuador, who are still mourning the tragic death of striker Christian Benitez last July. But with few offensive weapons beside Antonio Valencia, Ecuador will fail to convert their few chances.

France 3 Honduras 0

Despite the surprising stat that France have only won one of their last nine World Cup group stage matches, the French will coast in their opener. Even without Franck Ribery, this French side has more than enough quality to get by Honduras. Blaise Matuidi and Paul Pogba will stand out in the midfield for their excellent play. Karim Benzema will score two on either side of the break, and Mathieu Valbuena will provide another one for Pogba. Honduras won’t make much of an impact in this game, overmatched by the French.

Argentina 4 Bosnia & Herzegovina 2

Argentina will make a stunning debut in Brazil, showcasing the offensive weaponry at their disposal. Bosnia will start the match cautiously, but an Angel Di Maria goal followed quickly by one from Sergio Agüero will force the Bosnians to open up the match. Edin Džeko will pull one back before Lionel Messi will join in the scoring. Messi will improve as the match goes on, finding his comfort zone the more Bosnia are forced to press upfield. He will set up Argentina’s fourth for Gonzalo Higuain, showing the world his relative struggles at Barcelona were merely a fluke. Vedad Ibišević will give Bosnia some consolation with a late goal off the bench, but it won’t be nearly enough to compete with Argentina’s vaunted front line.

Even with all the soccer, the best of today’s sporting events might be Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Here’s hoping San Antonio will close it out and we can all watch the end of the Big 3 era dissolve before our eyes. Please check back later for analysis on all the games. Have a great day. Make sure you spend as much of it as possible with your dad if you can.


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My Thoughts on Group D, England and Jack Wilshere

The action in Group D certainly lived up to expectations today, with both Costa Rica-Uruguay and Italy-England being lively, entertaining games. Italy has now put themselves in the best position to qualify top with their win over England. Uruguay will have their work cut out, and will need some help, but the England loss certainly helps the Uruguayans. Costa Rica may have surprised Uruguay on this day, but Italy and England will be entirely different beasts. CONCACAF, however, has made a dream start.

England-Italy was a particularly interesting game, one worthy of all the billing it received. Despite the loss of Riccardo Montolivo before the tournament, the Italian midfield dominated. Andrea Pirlo was his usual self, Danielle De Rossi and Marco Verratti were solid defensively, Claudio Marchisio provided a stunning strike, and Antonio Candreva was the man of the match on the right. One would have expected England to press higher against Pirlo and company, but the Italians were allowed a lot of time on the ball at times. England seemed content to sit back and wait to release their pace on the counter attack.

England to me look four years away from a serious run in the World Cup. At times, they were electric going forward today, with incredible pace from the young guns. However, their relative experience saw them fail to track back at times, or in Wayne Rooney’s case, he seemed to lack the desire, leaving Leighton Baines exposed on the left, where Italy’s second goal came from. They have a ton of young talent, as evidenced by the three young midfielders who came on and added a directness to England’s play. But despite the flare, this probably won’t be their year. However, they have a serious future in international soccer in the next World Cup cycle.

The one area England seems to lack the necessary talent in Brazil is central defense. While Cahill and Jagielka are solid most of the time and very capable defenders, both are susceptible to critical lapses. Tonight, it was Cahill who let them down. Mario Balotelli’s goal was relatively simple, simply drifting off the back of Cahill to head in a simple cross. The Chelsea defender also missed a chance to redeem himself going forward, when he failed to connect on a header at the near post on a corner. For England to get out of the group, they’ll need Cahill to be better in the air.

On a side note, I found myself caught off guard seeing Jack Wilshere come on the pitch in the second half. I know he made a brief cameo against Hull, and had been deemed fit long ago, but it still felt odd watching the Arsenal #10 fit again. Looking at him run freely for once made me realize how limited he was this year, even when he was playing. At times this season, we saw glimpses of the Jack Wilshere everyone fell in love with before his injury. But it was only glimpses. Seeing him back out in the England #7 shirt made me hopeful that one day Jack might be back to his best. I feel for him, because he has had such hard luck, but time is running out unfortunately for him to prove his reliability.

I’ll have my thoughts on Japan-Ivory Coast and my next set of predictions at 7:00 am tomorrow. Thanks for reading and please share your thoughts.