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These Games Should Be Scary Good
First of all, every fan (and team) should applaud and mimic the national pride the Brazilians showed last night by walking into the stadium for the first match of the 2014 World Cup with their hands on the shoulder of the teammate in front of them and by singing their national anthems with heartfelt passion.
It was a beautiful sight.
Three games scheduled today will continue the excitement from Brazil’s 3-1 victory against the Mandžukić-less Croatian side yesterday afternoon (the final score was a bit misleading). These matches include: Mexico v. Cameroon (Noon ET), Spain v. Netherlands (3:00 p.m. ET) and Chile v. Australia (6:00 p.m. ET). Not only will these matches provide us with a good idea of the dynamics for Groups A & B, but it’s also Friday the 13th. Just something to keep in mind. You never know what may happen?
After all, who would have predicted a Brazilian own-goal to open the scoring at this year’s World Cup?
Actually, Big Head the turtle probably picked that…
What to watch for:
Can Mexico erase the mighty struggles it endured during CONCACAF qualifying and compete at the highest-level versus Cameroon? It could go wither way for El Tri. In all likelihood, Brazil will win Group A, but it will be fascinating to watch which team will secure that coveted second spot. At this point, Croatia, Mexico or Cameroon could play themselves into the Final 16 with some purposeful and creative footballing rhythm.
Chile v. Australia will prove as a good example at this World Cup of two teams that may not be highly regarded, but who have the potential to be trouble for the teams that are better known and more heavily favored (ie- Spain and the Netherlands). As Croatia showed, a few dangerous crosses by David can put Goliath in a tricky, uncomfortable spot.
Spain v. Netherlands: a rematch of the 2010 World Cup Final. What form will Spain show up in? Will the Dutch be less physical and more fluid in possession and be more attacking-centric? The World Cup should always kickoff with the host nation before its home crowd, but this match-up warrants nearly as much hype. This game could be a nil-nil tie, a 2-2 tie or a thrilling 1-nil win or even a 3-1 domination. Don’t underestimate Spain and don’t underestimate the Dutch in 2014. The tournament is in the “games” phase right now, which means that an explosive offense can make up for early, silly defensive mistakes. Maybe not necessarily for the group stage, but this match can go a long way in defining each squad regarding its style of play and ultimate potential in its equal pursuit towards World Cup glory far beyond the round of 32.
Now, back to the Friday the 13th issue. In soccer, crazy things can and will happen. Today’s superstitious date adds just a little more spice to that Moqueca de Camarão. The question is: for what teams/players will this famed curse affect?
Perhaps keep an eye out for players wearing #13…
Mexico: Diego Reyes
Cameroon: Eric Choupo Molting
Spain: Juan Mata
Netherlands: Joël Veltman
Chile: Jose Rojas
Australia: Oliver Bozanic
Maybe the Dutch should wear black kits today, since their mascot is a lion, which is a member of the cat family…
Got Slogans?
A recent article on CNN revealed the winning slogans for all the teams that will be playing at the World Cup in Brazil this summer. The winning slogans, written by fans from each country, will be displayed on the team buses for all to see during the tournament. A few are good, but most of them are bad.
Solution?
Here is Jimmy’s Daily Planet’s list of better, more realistic team mottoes for some of the 32 teams that will compete in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil:
Algeria: “Yes, We’ll Keep Track of Landon Donovan This Time”
Argentina: “We Have Lionel Messi, So Yeah”
Australia: “Forget Kangaroos, We’re Bringing Our Damn Crocodiles!”
Belgium: “At the End of This, You’ll All Be Eating Waffles”
Bosnia and Herzegovina: “If You Lose to Us, Everybody Will Know”
Brazil: “Win or Lose, We’ll Be in the Final!”
Colombia: “We Brought Our Own White Powder to Line the Fields With…”
England: “Excited For Our 10-Day Vacation Every 4 Years!”
Ghana: “Time to Beat the U.S. Again”
Honduras: “Just Happy to Be Here”
Italy: “And You Thought a Flower Blew Over Easily”
Japan: “We Have the Sudoku of Defenses”
Mexico: “We Have No Idea How We Got Such an Easy Group Again (Ju$t Kidding, We Know)”
Holland: “Real Men Wear Orange” (It’s the real one, but it’s so awesome & true!)
Portugal: “We Have a Star Player Named Ronaldo Who Speaks Portuguese Playing at the World Cup in Brazil…I Mean, C’mon”
Russia: “What’s This Rule About Wearing Jerseys?”
Spain: “Hey, Does Anybody Care or Want to See the World Cup Right Now!?”
Switzerland: “We Don’t Want to Offend or Defend Anyone”
Uruguay: “South America’s ‘Middle Child’ Will Be Kicking Butts & Taking Names!”
The United States of America: “One Nation, Under God, We’re Praying”
A little truth in advertising doesn’t hurt. It definitely revealed how Spain would fare 4 years ago with their simple slogan:
Spain in 2010: “We’re Going to Win”
P.S. You have no idea how painful it was for me to write that as a longtime and dedicated Dutch fan…just one delicate foot deflection away!
Damn, it still hurts.
The New 5-Second Rule
There have been recent reports that the MLS brass is strongly considering flipping the American soccer fan’s world upside down by switching the MLS schedule to sync with the European leagues: From March-November to August-May. While on the surface it may seem like the natural progression to make, think about how much you really like cold weather. Let me clarify: how much do you like sitting in cold weather for 2-2 1/2 hours during the American Winter season?
The reception to this proposition is likely to be more than just chilly (yes, that just happened).
Snow coupled with bone-chillingly cold winds will sweep into several of the MLS stadiums (Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, Colorado, Salt Lake City, Kansas City, Chicago, Columbus, Montreal, D.C., Philadelphia, New York/New Jersey, Boston/Foxborough, Toronto) during what will be critical matches early on, where 3 points, impressive performances and late game heroics will be needed. Will this weather be conducive to coach’s and player’s expectations on the field for a significant and vital portion of the season?
Oh, and let’s not forget the fans. MLS, though growing, is still not Europe and will not automatically sell-out games, especially in frigidly cold weather. It’s also important to note that the Winter season in North America is more intense than the Winter season in much of Europe. Granted, Europe takes a month long break, ranging from part of December-part of January. Still, the first few months of the new year in North America is always cold.
At this point, there appears to be too many risky variables involved. While it would be cool to play games on the same schedule as the best leagues in the world, reality must also be considered. Currently, Summer in America mostly consists of soccer and baseball. That’s a good situation for MLS.
If there should be any changes to MLS, the top priority should be to bring back the Shootout: 5 seconds to score on a breakaway from 35 yards out. However, the starting spot should be moved to 25 yards out from goal to allow for slightly more time for the attacking player to be creative.
Bottom line: the shootout was always exciting!
With all the world class talent in Europe, could you imagine if those leagues adopted this measure? If you remember how exhilarating it was to watch MLS players participate in this overtime thrill ride, just think about Messi, Ronaldo, Robben, Özil, Van Persie, Iniesta, Rooney and Torres using their best tricks at pace on Neuer, Casillas and Buffon in a must-score/must-save situation!?
Now that would bring heat and electricity to “the beautiful game” in even the coldest weather.
Fool’s Gold
The United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) defeated Costa Rica last night 1-nil on a counter-attack goal courtesy of Brek Shea in the 83rd minute that started with a beautiful over-the-top service from Landon Donovan and concluded with a decent enough finish to rattle the net. With the result, the United States won their group in the Gold Cup. They will face El Salvador next in one of the quarterfinal match-ups this Sunday.
A good result with a good goal sequence. One certainty for the USMNT is that Landon Donovan knows how to counter-attack, when he doesn’t disappear for fifteen or so minutes every once in a while during the most important games…
But was the result really good enough?
The question during the Gold Cup and the World Cup qualifying in the CONCACAF group is not whether or not the USMNT wins games, but it’s how they win and play. Do they have a reliably dynamic style that meets world-class standards? Let’s be candid: CONCACAF is not overly difficult and wins should consistently be achieved on the road and should definitely be achieved at home. During the home matches, there should be an abundance of spectacular goals and stellar performances from the goalkeeper up to the forwards. At this point, these games should not require a counter-attack goal after the 80th minute to secure a narrow victory at home. At this point, the USMNT should be running circles around the Gold Cup and CONCACAF competition with consistent 3-0-like victories.
Have the recent results really been good enough?
The teams from the Gold Cup and CONCACAF represent the weakest competition they will potentially face in the World Cup in Brazil in 2014. Does the team that struggles to defeat Costa Rica at home and other similar competition have the roster, style, toughness, talent, strategy, resilience and intelligence to defeat or compete with Spain? Brazil? Germany (their first team)? The Dutch? Portugal? England? Argentina? Belgium? Uruguay? Ghana?
Frustratingly, each time the USMNT roster is announced, there is a steadily uneasy feeling that half of the selected players should not even be there…especially one year out from the World Cup.
However, don’t paint me as a pessimist. I am an eternal believer in the “glass is half-full” mentality. I have long said Jürgen Klinsmann has the intelligence and insight to coach a USMNT that wins a World Cup. But, sadly, that team has not come very close to being organized on the field during his tenure thus far. Amazing things can happen in games that are predicted otherwise. Unlikely players show up and can change a game in an instant. Upsets happen and the USMNT has pulled off a few magical ones. They undoubtedly have the potential.
Yet, I am also a realist and am cognizant of the talent level of the aforementioned teams. There is a distinct difference between qualifying and playing in a World Cup and qualifying and competing for a World Cup.
It’s less than a year from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and it needs to said that 90 minutes is a long time, especially when you’re having to chase a ball while simultaneously climbing a mountain of goals against.
P.S. The U.S. v. Mexico game at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on September 10th will once again be epic! Importantly, it will reveal the talent and overall readiness of the USMNT going forward…
Jimmy's Daily Planet 