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Happy Monday!
Since today is my niece’s birthday and because she is a fan of that little independent film called Frozen, Jimmy’s Daily Planet will post the only video/song that can be posted for such a celebratory occasion.
You know the words…
Happy Monday and Happy Birthday to My Niece!
The Other Beautiful Game
As player’s have regained their energy and coaches alike have had time to reflect on the group stage and exhausting round of 16 World Cup finale versus Belgium, the USMNT will likely feel equally proud, yet unsatisfied. While not all of their young and exciting talent was utilized (ie- #10 Mix Diskerud and #9 Aron Jóhannsson) and key players failed to shine to their full potential (ie- Michael Bradley), there are signs that point to a bright future for the Americans. DeAndre Yedlin showed he has world-class pace, raw talent and a skill for crossing dangerous balls into the opponent’s 18-yard box as a defender on the flank. John Brooks is clearly an offensive threat on corner kicks and Julian Green has vision that will soon impress Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola for serious senior team consideration between now and 2016 and 2018.
The rub: If the USMNT is going to take the next step and compete for a World Cup and not just in one, it must have faith in itself and dare to go for that dream. Overloading the central midfield with defense, which leaves a creative void in the middle that was desperately needed to bridge the gap with the forwards, sends a message to the team and their opponents that they are, in effect, surrendering the mental chess game.
Teams cannot win the World Cup playing only checkers, waiting to jump the competition one or two times in 90 minutes.
Speaking of daring to play and engage in a game of chess versus a grandmaster…
Seems like he’s got the mindset to be pretty good at breaking down opponents’ defenses.
If given the chance to play, he’ll be passing and/or shooting his way to checkmates left and right for the USMNT.
“I Believe That We Will Win!”
Argentina v. Switzerland will be a fascinating battle between a nation that was ranked as one of the best going into the 2014 World Cup (and not just for fancy, MacGyver-approved pocket knives) and the country next door to host nation Brazil led by one of the best footballers on the planet in Lionel Messi.
Both nations have played well enough to advance to the round of 16, but neither has necessarily dazzled with respect to the astronomical expectations each had entering the group competition. Can Xherdan Shaqiri make that definitive declaration to the world that Switzerland is no longer a force of neutrality, but a force to be reckoned with? Will Lionel Messi finally reveal a world-class performance he’s fully capable of against a highly-rated opponent during the sport’s biggest tournament while wearing baby blue and white?
The bottom line is that this match will be fun to watch.
Belgium v. United States is a rematch of a friendly most Americans have wanted to forget. The Belgians defeated the men in red, white and blue in a convincing 4-2 effort in Cleveland, Ohio back in May of this year. However, that was a friendly and the Americans proved to be anything but friendly to their World Cup adversaries in their three group matches. Since the Portugal game ended in a heart-breaking 2-2 tie, this game versus Belgium in the round of 16 is the U.S.’s statement game. And if Jozy Altidore makes it onto the pitch, it’s a fair bet he’ll be looking to make a statement or two of his own…
And that pregame speech for the Americans may go a little something like this:
“I Believe That We Will Win!”
Go USA!
How I Met Your World Cup Results
The 2014 World Cup Schedule for June 19th:
Colombia v. Ivory Coast (Noon, ESPN)
Uruguay v. England (3:00 p.m., ESPN)
Japan v. Greece (6:00 p.m., ESPN)
In honor of Throwback Thursday, today’s post will focus on a pop culture reference from the past (well, the relatively recent past) instead of game analysis.
When teams I’m a major a fan of are playing during the workday, the way Ted Mosby prepared himself for the Super Bowl with noise cancelling headphones and vision-limiting glasses is surprisingly accurate in how I prepare myself for the afternoon. To some degree or another, it’s how I feel in trying to prevent myself from learning World Cup results.
Some of you may think that’s an extreme measure to take for a sporting event.
Point taken.
But do you want to know what’s even crazier? Seeing your favorite player and team score without knowing it’s going to happen.
And by crazy, I meant crazy awesome.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 