Sixty four games, sometimes three in one day. I can still remember how excited I was back on June 11th. I was up early to see the opening ceremonies, but then had to leave to play in a golf tournament, that was an all day and evening affair. Thank goodness for television recorders.

I very much wanted the South African team to do well…which meant beating Mexico in their opening match. Trouble was, I like the way Mexico plays football…I like their offensive style and their enthusiasm. So, the 1-1 result was not a disappointment, especially when I heard that South Africa had scored the first goal of the tournament and the entire country went nuts.

Each day revealed a special gem, or two.

England-U.S.A. drawing 1-1 on July 12th., the Americans receiving a gift goal from the English keeper.

 Germany drubbing Australia 4-0  and Ghana beating Serbia 1-0 to give Africa its first win on the 13th.

Shades of things to come on the 14th. when Italy had to score late to tie Paraguay 1-1. The 15th. had another shocker, co- favoutite Brazil squeaking out a 2-1 victoy over the mysterious North Koreans.

June 16th. was the day that reigning European champion and tournament favourite Spain went down to little Switzerland 1-0,  sending shock waves through the football universe. Host South Africa had its bubble burst that same day, with a 3-0 loss to Uruguay.

Mexico thumped France 2-0 on the 17th., and Maradonna’s Albiceleste’s from Argentina spanked South Korea 4-1.

The German Mannschaft came crashing down to earth with an unexpected 1-0 loss to upstart Serbia on the 18th., and the U.S.A. had to come back from a 2-0 halftime deficit to tie Slovenia…and endure a winning goal that was called back by the referee. That same fateful night, mighty England was held to nil-nil draw against Algeria, and the knives were coming out over’ome.

On the 19th. the Netherlands beat Japan 1-0, to land their second victory, and June 20th saw the Italians manage only a tie 1-1 tie  with a game New Zealand squad. The Azzurri looked slow and uncertain.

Portugal had a feast at the expense of North Korea running up a 7-0 scoreline, the most lopsided win of the tournament, on the 21st.

Uruguay beat Mexico 1-0 to win Group A, and wonderful South Africa topped the French 2-1 and sent them home on the 22nd. Unfortunately for the Bafana Bafana hosts, the goal differential meant that their tournament would be finished that same day.

The 23rd. decided Group C, England sneaking through in second place after a 1-0 win over Slovenia, and the U.S. topped the group with a fantastic late goal by Landon Donovan, 1-0 over Algeria.

Italy would bid South Africa arrivederci, after its shocking 3-2 loss to Slovakia,who advanced, and South American team Paraguay would secure top spot in Group … and a ticket to the round of 16 with a  0-0 draw against New Zealand on the 24th.

The last day of the first round saw Brazil and Portugal play to a safe but dull 0-0 result, to both go through in Group G. In Group H, Spain and Chile would move on, in that order, after the Europeans beat the Chileans 2-1.

Whew, that’s a lot of football. Upsets and surprises galore.

A month in paradise recap will continue, and  I will give you my thoughts on the round of sixteen, when every game is sudden death.

From nearly all accounts, this was a joyous, thrilling event, something  in which the host nation vastly exceeded expectations. Their month-long football feast has drawn nothing but accolades from everyone who has bothered to voice an opinion.

Well done everyone!

photo credit: Magnus A.
photo credit: Gastev

After 63 World Cup games, many of them unbelievable, unpredictable, and even unbearable, the final day is here…who will be crowned champion?

Spain and Holland hit the pitch later this afternoon in what promises to be a dramatic battle of cultures and styles. Spain is favoured by the London bookmakers, mainly on their very strong performance against Germany.

]]> http://www.renaldo.com/renaldo/world-cup-blog/the-final-day-is-here-who-will-be-crowned-champion/601/feed/ 0 http://www.renaldo.com/renaldo/world-cup-blog/the-final-day-is-here-who-will-be-crowned-champion/601/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/renaldobook/~3/hGJX6djAUuI/ http://www.renaldo.com/renaldo/world-cup-blog/sports-journal/the-world-cup-final-in-new-york-city/593/#comments Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:40:45 +0000 james http://www.renaldo.com/renaldo/?p=593
photo credit: leoncillo sabino

This is where I have landed, celebrating my step-son’s 40 th. birthday with the family, so it is going to be the World…

photo credit: leoncillo sabino

This is where I have landed, celebrating my step-son’s 40 th. birthday with the family, so it is going to be the World Cup final…in New York city.

He is not a football fan, but luckily, my son-in-law worked in Germany for several years and has a strong connection to the sport, as well as many friends in Deutschland. Even though be is disappointed that his team lost to Spain,we will be heading off to Bounds Sports Bar to catch both games this weekend.

Do I dare to cheer for Uruguay?

I think it will be an even match. Both Thomas Mueller for Germany and Luis Suarez are back after suspension, and they are offensive forces to be reckoned with. It is said that Miroslav Close has a bad back, so could Diego Forlan be the wild card for Los Charruas?

As for the final on Sunday, England’s Howard Webb is the referee. He is the first English offical to work the final since 1974. He officiated the Champions League final in Madrid two months ago, so he is highly qualified and impartial.

Paul the Psychic Octopus has picked Spain to win the Jules Rimet trophy. Paul has a 10-1 won lost record. No doubt the Dutch are hoping he will be 10-2.

How will the Dutch stop the Spanish ball control game? Good question.

La Furia Roja has been compare to a spider spinning an elaborate web, sooner or later the prey will fall and get immobilized until the spider decides to strike. The Spanish are patient, very, very patient, just like the spider.

The one thing the Dutch have going for them is their ill temperament. They are tough as nails, and mean spirited too. Mark Van Bommel and Khalid Boulahrouz would run over their grandmothers to win this game. The Spanish have not run into the kind of tickery that the Dutch will employ, and Arjen Robben is a master at drawing fouls.

Time to go watch Uruguay take on Germany. Tomorrow it is the World Cup Final…in New York city.

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photo credit: jikatu

The votes have been cast, and after nearly a month of football hottie watching, the winner is, Diego Forlan!  Diego is in the back row, far left.

This Uruguyan super stud, oops, star, came out of nowhere to melt the hearts of millions of lady viewers. His long, flowing blond locks, held back with a headband, his killer smile, and his unbelievably buff torso have given eye-candy fanatics a feast.

Not only has he scored some of the prettiest goals of the tournament, but he is a man’s man, taking every knock, bump, and bruise in the tough going, without the  carping and whining like so many lesser stud-muffins.

Diego Forlan won his crown not by your writer’s opinion, although he would rank right up there in my estimation, but by sports columnist Rosie Dimanno and her compatriots at the Toronto Star newspaper. Ms. Dimanno has been enlightening her vast audience of all things football from South Africa for the last month, and she has written a classic article on the World Cup from a female perspective.

To read what Rosie has to say, and see Diego in the flesh, visit : http://bit.ly/hunk_squad 

June’s issue of Vanity Fair magazine featured some of the world’s hottest football bods. Unfortunately, none of them are still around to oogle at. To take another peek, go to : http://bit.ly/boysin_briefs 

 But fret not, the Dutch and the Spanish offer plenty of male pulchritude. Not only that, their contrasting backgrounds give you the hot blooded Latins against the ruggedly cool and efficient northerners.

For Spain, Rosie picks striker David Villa as her number one squeeze. Holland’s Nigel de Jong tops her list for the Oranje. But almost anyone can find a cutie to their liking amongst this regal throng.

On the Dutch side, if you like them tall and blond, go for Dirk Kuyt, dark and pretty, Robin Van Persie, bald and cuddly, Arjen Robben, and big, rough and mean, Khalid ” the Cannibal” Boulahrouz.

For the Spanish, long maned Sergio Ramos is smokin’, striker Fernando Torres has cut his locks, and now looks extremely fresh-faced, the kind you might want to take home to mother. Shaggy haired defender Carles Pulyol looks like he should be playing guitar with Ozzie Ozborne, and the magical midfield magician, Andreas Iniesta, is so cute  you just want to give him a big hug.

So there you have it…the hottest of the hot.

Now go for it ladies and chose your own favorite… they are yours for the watching, but don’t forget,

 the winner is, Diego Forlan!

photo credit: Rosino

The city where I live is in mourning right now. Oh, we have felt both the agony and the ecstasy, but tonight, with Portugal’s defeat, there is very little joy in Mudville. Mighty Casey has struck out!

To paraphrase Ernest Thayer’s 1888 baseball poem, the mighty ” Cristiano Ronaldo” has struck out.

 Mudville is a very multi-cultural place.  I know this by all the different flags I see on cars and around town. Some cars have two flags, our national flag and their team of choice flag, or host South Africa’s flag and their team’s flag.

But the flag most prominent in Mudville the past two weeks has been the flag of Portugal.

Mudville stated out over one hundred years ago being very, very English. Not British, but English. (the Irish and the Scots were persona non grata) Then things started to change.

The Italians came by the boatload, and put their mark on this fair city with their passion and great work ethic. The Portugese were not far behind them, living in mostly peaceful harmony.

People from all over the world arrived in the years to come,  so that now, during this World Cup, all thirty-two participants have their own enthusiastic  fan base in Mudville.

When Italy won the World Cup in 1982, Mudville went nuts! It was very different from when England won in ‘66. Oh, there were a few, “pip pip, jolly good shows, and several Pimms Number One Cup’s sipped in refined quarters, but in “82 and again in 2006, the Azzurri’s joy was shouted from the rooftops.

But surprisingly, this year, I saw very few red, green and white flags except  in a section of the city we call “Little Italy.” But elsewhere, they we almost invisible, and when the Italians faltered and went home last week, they disappeared.

So the  red and green of Portugal was everywhere, with the mighty Cristiano ready to hit a bases loaded home run.

But it was not to be. Their Iberian neighbour, Spain, spoiled the party. Portugal’s gallant gate keeper, Eduardo, lept and spun and dove and twisted to keep la pellota out. But one unattainable rebound on David Villa’s foot was not to be denied.

“Oh somewhere in this favored world, the sun is shining bright,

The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,

And somewhere men are laughing, and little children shout,

But there is no joy in Mudville, Mighty Cristiano has struck out!”

With apologies.

photo credit: Giorgio Montersino

photo credit: AnnCam

There is a new Italian-American Tragedy, and it has nothing to do with music.

Italy was unceremoniously dumped out of the World Cup by Slovakia on June 24th.,  and then, two days later the United States was sent packing by Ghana.

I have a friend, Al, who is an Italian American. Al lives in Florida, and we met on the golf course. I knew as soon as he introduced himself that he was of Italian decent, so when I told him that my maternal grandfather was Italian, we hit it off right away.

Sooner than later our discussion turned to the impending World Cup tournament, and how both the Italians and the Yanks would fare in South Africa. Al was born in the U.S., but he was knowledgeable and passionate about each of ”his” teams.  If these two teams ever faced each-other in the draw, however, he said he would have to cheer for the U.S. first, and then the Azzurri, by a very close margin.

Now Italy, ranked fifth in the world  and being defending World Cup champion, was expected to do considerably better than the ever improving Americans, ranked fourteenth. They also had enormously more pressure on them to produce an exceptable result than the U.S. team did. Even if the Italians started slowly, their group, consisting of Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia, was considered the easiest draw in South Africa. The Americans had to face an aging England side right out of the gate, and  then deal with lesser known commodities of Slovenia and Algeria.

The Italians turned out to be a confused and even fearful bunch, struggling to tie both Paraguay and New Zealand, and then showing up too late to avoid an unthinkable first round exit after they lost to Slovakia.

The Americans used their “never say die” confidence and pluck to tie the Brits, then should have won their game 3-2 over Slovenia, were it not for a phantom referee’s whistle. Against Algeria, an extra time goal by Landon Donovan sent them into the round of sixteen, only to be run out of the park by the cagey, fleet “Black Stars”  from Ghana.

This is where the Italian-American Tragedy takes place.

All the hope, dreams and expectations of a long and triumphant run to glory went down the tubes for Al and millions of Italian Americans in two days.

The 2006 U.S. census claims that there are 17.8 Italian Americans living in the United States. That’s more people than live in half the countries participating in the World Cup. To have one team that disappoints is bad enough, but to have two teams…the pain is lmost unbearable.

Italy’s loss was tragic in the sense that they were defending champions, and the nation eats, sleeps and dreams football. To got out in such an ignoble manner reminds one of Puccini’s “Turandot.”

For the Americans though, the tragedy was even greater…one of chances squandered to make the beautiful game much more beautiful in their native land.

My heart bleeds for my friend Al, and his millions of compatriots.  This Italian- American Tragedy is a bitter pill that won’t be cleansed for quite awhile.

photo credit: warrenski

Defending champions Italy are out, unceremoniously bounced from the World Cup tournament today by an aggressive Slovakian side. The 3-2 score flattered the Italians, who played with great intensity only when their backs were to the wall. Two late goals were not enough to stave off disaster for this under achieving team.

The knives will be out on their return home, not to mention the rotten tomatoes that greeted Azzurri team in Rome at their 1966 arrival. Likewise, there will be gallons of tears flowing in Italian communities around the world, as the dream of a repeat comes crashing down. Mama Mia!

Now that my ancestral team has departed, I am free to cheer for the whoever plays the best football.

The teams that have impressed so far are Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, and to some degree, Brazil, from South America.

The U.S. has been a delight to watch, and the other North American team, Mexico, has played admirably.

From Europe, a few teams have had flashes of brilliance, only to slip back into mediocrity. European champs Spain were upset by Switzerland, Germany looked unbeatable, then lost to Serbia, Portugual was held to a draw by the Ivory Coast, before crushing North Korea.

France, Italy, Slovenia, Serbia, Denmark, and Greece are gone, leaving only Switzerland with a chance to qualify on Friday.

England has looked disorganized and ineffective, even though they barely made it to the next round with a 1-0 victory over Slovenia last night.

The Netherlands is the one team from Europe that has an unblemished record of three straight wins, and with speedy winger Arjen Robben about to return to the lineup after nursing an injury thus far, watch out for the Flying Dutchmen! 

New Zealand has shown real mettle, but are going home, and Ghana is the only African team to go through to the knock out round.

Japan showed great offensive skill in beating New Zealand, and South Korea will go through as well from Asia.

This is how the match-ups for the sudden-death round of sixteen teams is set as of today:

Uruguay vs. South Korea,   U.S.A. vs. Ghana,    Saturday June 26th. 

Argentina vs. Mexico,   Germany vs. England,   Sunday June 27th.

Netherlands vs. Slovakia    Monday June 28th.

Paraguay vs. Japan     Tuesday June 29th.

The competitors for the last two games will be decided on Friday.

The England-Germany game is the most anticipated and intriguing. Both sides have long memories, and a mutual history of animosity. England’s “phantom goal,” that won the 1966 World Cup is still a subject of controversy.

Things are starting to get very intense. You won’t want to miss a minute, but millions will lament that Italy are out.>

photo credit: Eustaquio Santimano

Venus Williams commented from England during her Wimbledon tournament appearance that she “doesn’t understand the rules of soccer, so when something happens, I am confused. I actually enjoyed the American game, I guess when you get behind your country, it really is a lot more interesting.”

Like many people that watch the World Cup, the rules of soccer can be confusing at times. There are basically seventeen rules governing the way the game is played, and once you have a basic knowledge of them, the games do get more interesting.

Here is a good link to read more about the rules of soccer.  This site is not too wordy, and has pictures to help: http://bit.ly/football_rules

The most confusing rule, the one that frustrates most fans is the “offside” rule. Many excellent and exciting goals are disallowed for a player being offside, usually by a matter of inches. It is usually one of the two linesmen, the game official that runs along the side of the field, that calls the offside infraction.

In simple English, “a player is offside when he is nearer to the other team’s goal than both the ball and the last defender”. The goal keeper does not count as a defender.

Imagine team “Y” is the attacking team, and team “X” is the defending team.

In this diagram the attacking “Y” player is even with, and not in front of the “X” defender. The “Y” player is therefore onside.

                                                         X

                                              X

                                           X      

                                          Y

                                        X

 ____________________________________________________________________________________________

                                            X

                                                    X

                                          X

                                Y

                                           X

In the above diagram, the “Y” player is in front of the “X” defenders, so he is offside.

I hope this basic information about the rules of soccer can make your World Cup viewing more knowledgeable and exciting

          World Cup 2010 is ready to rock and roll, with the host nation South Africa facing off against Mexico. Later on Friday, Uruguay battles France. All the hype becomes reality with the first blow of the referee’s whistle.

So who are you going to cheer for?

If you are lucky enough to be from one of the thirty-two countries participating in the mix, there is no doubt where your passion lies.

 But what about the rest of us?

 You could start by cheering for your genealogical roots. We all came from somewhere. My ancestors were from Scotland and Italy. As the “Bonnie” Scots are not in South Africa, my logical choice would be to root for current World Cup holder, Italy.

  I am very proud of my maternal Italian genes, and I was thrilled when they won the cup four years ago, but this year, I think another team will hoist the hardware on July 11^th.

 If your ancestors come from Europe, you have thirteen teams to choose from. If it is Central America, you have one team, South America, five teams, North America, two teams, (yes, Mexico is in North America) Africa, six teams, Oceana, (Australia & New Zealand) and Asia, three teams.

 That narrows it down a bit, but what if you have always hated your neighbors?

 Well, why not cheer for the host nation, South Africa, by default?

 The South Africans have worked very hard to put on a good show. They have spent years and billions of dollars trying to make the next thirty days the most memorable in their country’s history.

 Their team is called “Bafana Bafana,” which is Zulu for “the boys.” If you like your men tall and bald, six foot, six inch defender Matthew Booth is easy to pick out of the crowd. Another player to watch is goal scorer Katlego Mphela, who has scored six goals in the last five warm up games.

 The South African fans will be very passionate, vocal and loud, blowing their ear-shattering “vuvuzelas,” a long plastic horn that will drive opposing fans nuts!

 Bafana Bafana are in tough right from the first touch, facing an experienced, flashy Mexican team. The Mexicans are under a huge amount of pressure to perform well in Africa. With the hosts sitting at 165:1 odds to win it all, (Spain is still the favorite at 4:1) not so much is expected of them.

 But they have a secret weapon.

 They have people called “sangomas.” These are traditional Zulu diviners and healers, and they often concoct secret potions of herbs, plants, crocodile, and cobra parts, with fat of a lion. It is said that it makes the imbiber strong, and they can run stronger than their opponents.

 Last month 300 sangomas blessed all ten stadiums that are being used in the tournament by singing, dancing, beating drums, burning herbs and sacrificing a bull.

 No bull!

 Regardless of that, it would be nice if they could inspire their nation and give their fans joy and hope, just as the national rugby team did by winning the 1995 World Cup, a feat which resulted in the movie “Invictus.”

 So, pick a team, any team, then pick a player or two on that team, and sit back and watch the greatest show on earth unfold.

 Four hotties to watch on Friday are:

 South Africa: # 14 Matthew Booth,  # 10 Steven Pienaar

 Mexico:            # 4 Rafael Marques Alvares, # 10 Guardado

 France:             # 1 Hugo Lloris,    # 17 Thierry Henri

 Uruguay:          # 9 Luis Suarez      # 10 Diego Floran

 Predictions:

South Africa 2 Mexico 1       Uruguay 3   France 2