Jozy Altidore has a Blog

Regular readers who pay attention to my various musings on sports know that I've been quite impressed with U.S. U-20 striker and Red Bull New York player, Jozy Altidore. Now I find out that the "kid" not only can play, he can also write. Today marks the launch of Jozy Altidore's blog on the New York Times website. Today, he writes about facing David Beckham for the first time on the field this weekend. Good timing on his part since Beckham scored his first goal for the Galaxy last night (on a free kick natch).

I'm sure I'll check in on his thoughts from time to time.

NP: "Football Weekly Extra" - Guardian Unlimited

Premiership Preview and Predictions

Happy new year, football-wise (tomorrow anyway). With that in mind, I thought I would offer up from preview thoughts and predictions.

All predictions guaranteed to be 100% wrong on your money back. I'll offer up my thoughts on each team alphabetically, along with my predicted order of finish in the table.

Arsenal - 2nd
Arsenal is a team with a huge number of questions heading into the beginning of the season. How can they replace Henry? They can't. Can they cope with life without the best striker in the world? They can, perhaps. While Arsenal haven't made a lot of noise in the transfer market, they have addresses a number of their needs: goalkeeper (check), right back (check), striker (check). There are some questions, however, remaining: left winger (not so check). I expect that there will be another signing to the Arse, and, with the team spirit they've been showing and behind van Persie's goal tally, they'll just pip Liverpool for third. Challenging for the title isn't out of the question, but its may be just a little unrealistic. At the very worst, they finish fourth again.

Aston Villa - 7th
The second season of the Randy Learner regime, and Aston Villa will out-perform the Cleveland Browns. They won't set the world on fire, but will continue to show improvement, earning a place in Europe this season.

Birmingham -18th
Welcome back Mr. Short Leash, Steve Bruce. He may be gone by Boxing Day. All kidding aside, I expect Birmingham to be in the relegation fight until the last game of the season. Unfortunately, I think they will fall just short of staying up. They'll be gamers and pick off an upset here and there, and Muamba will look like a very smart transfer come Christmas, when bigger teams will be sniffing around for him.

Blackburn - 5th
Mark Hughes will continue the renaissance at Blackburn, leading them to Europe, if not to the heights he hopes for (though I'm sure the fans will be happy). Brad Friedel, unlike his former rival Kasey Keller, isn't past it quite yet, and he should keep them in a few games they shouldn't be in. They can knick some points and potentially be looking at Europe. I expect this to be Hughes' last season with the Rovers. I'm guessing he'll replace Mourinho at Chelsea after this season.

Bolton - 11th
Ahh, my least favorite team. Losing Sam Allardyce will hurt them greatly. As much as I loathe him, he made them successful. They really haven't lost anyone other than their manager, but I expect them to struggle. They'll pull it together at the last because they still have some quality players, and the fact that are teams that are in much worse shape than they are.

Chelsea - 4th
Why so low? The African Cup of Nations when they'll lose their spark plugs. On talent alone, they win the league every time. But the niggling injuries are already adding up for the start of the season. With Didier Drogba our in January, I see them losing any hope of the league in the winter when he is away. Shevchecko and Ballack will be much improved, but without Robben to provide the late spark (assuming he is off to Real Madrid), it won't quite be enough. Mourinho will likely leave after this season.

Derby County - 20th
Straight relegation. No hope for them at all. At best, expect a finish of nineteenth. I am looking forward to seeing Benny Feilhauber play in the league though,

Everton - 9th
I'll say it for the record. David Moyes is a fantastic manager. Does he have enough to improve Everton's place on the table though? I don't think so. Everton usually falls back when they have a European campaign to worry about. They won't fall as far this season as in seasons past though..

Fulham - 10th
Here's my gamble. Smart money has Fulham barely escaping the drop once again. Lawrie Sanchez has spent lots of money on journeymen though. About mid-season, I expect Clint Dempsey to emerge as a chief playmaker, whether he is feeding McBride or no, and fire them to respectability. Healy will impress as well. Of couse, I could be full of beans.

Liverpool - 3rd
Probably a very contentious choice (and the choice that's worth a bottle of single malt for me). Two scouser friends will likely call foul here, but I call them like I see them. Sure, your team has addressed some needs. But, Torres and Voronin have yet to adjust to the English game, so you can't expect that much from them (I remember Reyes). Gerrard is still the best man in his position in the English game, so they won't fall too far, but I see Liverpool as more of a cup team (and that includes the Champions League, where they may get their sixth). In any case, second through fourth should be a dogfight this year).

Manchester City - 13th
It's Sven-a-po-looza! Transfer madness. Who are these guys again? I don't think even the manager has seen some of them play. City will definitely improve on its play, if not much on its position. How could they not? But seriously, Sven is a proven club manager, and he's now freed of using English players exclusively. They could be laying good groundwork for next season.

Manchester United - 1st
The best team in the premiership just got better. Hargreaves, Tevez, Nani, and Anderson. Who did they lose? No one of note. Their only question marks are whether Giggs and Scholes can continue their late season renaissance (and in preseason, it looks like that's the case). Until proven differently, Ronaldo is the best player in England (especially now that Henry is gone). The top of the table will be tighter than last year, but I can't see them losing.

Middlesbrough - 16th
Eh. Who cares. They stay up, in an especially unexciting manner. Missed out on Alan Smith. See immediately below. They'll be in the relegation fight for sure.

Newcastle United - 12th
I'll be honest. I'm not sure what to make of Newcastle. Allardyce isn't know for playing the type of football that Newcastle's fans like. They have lots of new defenders, and if Owen gets hurt and Martins, transfer (both very likely), I'm not sure who will score the goals. They could challenge for a UEFA Cup spot. They could sink into a relegation fight. I really have no idea.

Portsmouth - 6th
Portsmouth will continue to improve. I think fifth position may come down to the last couple of matches of the season. Look for David Nugent to get better as the season progress, as he'll watch Kanu very closely.

Reading - 14th
Reading won't have the cinderella season they had last season, but they won't every be seriously threatened with relegation either. They'll consolidate a bit this year, even though they'll slip a few spots. This team could become a fixture in the middle of the table for the next few years. Of course, losing players to injuries received while stretching in bed is never a good sign.

Sunderland - 15th
Of the new teams this year, Sunderland are the best bet to stay in the top flight. Roy Keane does not accept losing, so it will be interesting to see how he reacts to losses this season. I do look forward to watching the Black Cats play though.

Tottenham - 8th
There's too much expectation for Spurs to challenge for the top four. And every time they have expectations, the team always seems to find someway to fall short. I'm sure a lot of folks will think I'm crazy, but I see them disappointing their fans again this year. Sure, they've spent a lot of money, but they still haven't addressed their main needs. Berbatov can't do it alone, but Darren Bent isn't the answer to anyone's prayers (certainly not 18 million's worth).

West Ham United - 17th
Same place as last year. A whole lot less controversy. Losing Tevez is going to hurt, and Bellamy is no replacement. How long until there are fights at Upton Park?

Wigan Athletic - 19th
Paul Jewell resigns. Why? Wigan are going to be dreadful. They'd be a lock for the bottom is Derby weren't in the league.

Iraq Wins First Asian Cup

Despite being massive underdogs in the tournament, today Iraq beat Saudi Arabia 1-0 to claim the Asian Cup for the first time in the country's history. In stark contrast to the nightmare that their country is becoming (or is), this team is made up of Sunni, Shia, and Kurd. While soccer is only a game, it hopefully will provide some comfort to Iraqis of all stripes, especially since is emblematic of a Iraq that could be. Hearing this news actually made me smile, the first smile upon hearing the word Iraq in a long, long time.

NP: "Where is Home?" - Bloc Party

My EPL Fantasy Football Team

I just made my selections for the SportsFilter fantasy EPL league:


That doesn't look too shabby to me.

Copa America Final

It's the dream final. Argentina versus Brazil in a little less than an hour.

For the record, I think Argentina ends its 14-year trophy drought in style by winning 3-1 in regulation.

Who scores the winner. Most folks would say Messi, but I'm going with Tevez.

UPDATE: Boy did I get that one wrong. And I never would have guessed that Arsenal flop Julio Baptista would score the winner.

Assessing the State of U.S. Soccer

Last month, I wrote that this summer was vital in looking forward to the U.S. begin qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. Now that all the men's teams are done with their summer after the under-20 team was eliminated from the U-20 World Cup yesterday, losing 2-1 to Austria, I think it's only fair that I look back at what I wrote then, and assess where the teams stand today.

This summer of soccer was a drama (only occasionally comedic) in four acts.

Act 1: Winning the Gold Cup in Style
The first act was CONCACAF's regional tournament, the Gold Cup. The U.S. won the Gold Cup handily. They were easily the most consistent team in the tournament, and in the final came from behind to defeat Mexico 2-1. In the end, the U.S. cemented its status as the big dog in CONCACAF.

Coach Bradley fielded a very experienced group of players who play in both the U.S. and in Europe. All in all, they acquitted themselves very well. Landon Donovan continued to model his newly rediscovered form and Clint Dempsey took his opportunity to emerge from Donovan's shadow to show that he is penciled in for all qualifiers, barring injuring and club commitments.

Of all the competitions this summer, this was the one that was most important to the team, as it is our region's major tournament and it guarantees that the U.S. will be participating in the Confederations Cup in South Africa in 2009, a crucial pre-World Cup warmup.

Act 2: Fizzling in Venezuela
The second act was Copa America. The U.S. sent a less-experienced side to Venezuela for this competition, and it showed in the results. The U.S. lost all three of their group matches and came home quickly. On paper, that looks like a disaster, but I don't view it so dimly. The U.S. held their own against Argentina in the opener for 70 minutes. They outplayed Paraguay but were plagued by poor finishing. Once they got to Colombia, both teams knew they were going home and played like it.

I always thought that the Copa America would be a chance for Coach Bradley to really begin evaluating the more fringe players on the national scene. His "experimental" line up proved that was indeed the case. However, we can learn some valuable lessons from the performance. All the players involved, mostly new to the national scene, gained valuable lessons playing quality opponents away from home, experience that will serve them well in the future.

What did we specifically learn from failing in South America? First, Taylor Twellman just cannot play at this level. He's just too slow. He shouldn't feature in the qualification battle that begins next year. Second, Benny Feilhaber is the real deal. He should be integral to the coming qualification campaign. The jury is still out on Eddie Johnson, but he'd better begin producing or else he may lose his spot to Jozy Altidore (more on that below). Finally, the U.S. has more quality options at defense than ever before. Farewell Frankie Hejduk, thanks for the memories.

Act 3: The Future is Bright
Although it ended perhaps prematurely yesterday against Austria, the U.S. kids provided an astonishing run at the U-20 World Cup in Canada. Along the way, they played beautiful, attacking football and a number of the participants have surely sparked interest across the pond (and more than likely in Coach Bradley's office).

Freddy Adu showed why everyone knows his name, even though he's mostly been a non-entity for his club lately. Of all the games I watched, he was easily the player of the tournament. He absolutely controlled the games from his attacking midfield role, setting up many of the goals he didn't score himself. Jozy Altidore appears to be the real deal as well. Finally, a forward who can score goals. Michael Bradley and Danny Szetela also cemented their status a part of the future of the U.S. midfield alongside Benny Feilhaber.

In the end, the 120 gritty minutes against Uruguay, which forced the team to come behind for a thrilling win showed yesterday against Austria, a very disciplined if not pretty side. This performance is still one they can be proud of and it shows that the future is still bright for the U.S. Soccer team.

Act 4: That Beckham Fellow
Yeah, that guy was introduced Friday as the newest member of the Los Angeles Galaxy. I don't have any idea what the long-term impact of his arrival means for the sport in the U.S., but despite the usual bleating from the British press about MLS, it's telling that Beckham still has a lot left in his tank, and his commitment to the Galaxy has opened the door for others that have a lot of game left in them: Blanco, Angel, and Xavier for example.

Also, his arrival will probably make many people who are just curious about all the hubbub tune into MLS games. Even now, ticket demand is up throughout the league. If MLS can convert even some of the curious to fans, then Beckham's arrival will indeed have left its mark.

NP: "I Can't Sleep Tonight" - The La's

Arsenal after Henry

I've had a few days to absorb the news that Arsenal's talisman is leaving--and never did the word "talismanic" seem more apropos than when speaking of Henry. I would like to think the shock of the move (although it was long suspected) has worn off, but I may regret these words midway through the 2008-2009 season. Yes you heard me right. A whole season away.

In short, I think this move may be in the best interest of the club in the long term. Of course, it may hurt Arsenal's title chances in the coming season missing his goals, but then again, the team seemed to perform better with Robin van Persie healthy than it did with Henry healthy. So, in the short term, missing a healthy Henry will hurt the club. I'm not sure it totally hamstrings their title chances next season, but that depends on whom Wenger buys in the remainder of the transfer window. After that, I think the absence of Henry will only be a bonus.

Think about it. Thierry Henry was Arsenal football. Everyone on the club deferred to him. And that is dangerous. In the short term, the club will miss his goals, but not his ego (though ego is never a bad thing in a footballer to a certain extent). This will make the team Cesc's and Kolo's, and to a certain extent, van Persie's--all players playing in the shadow of number 14.


All of this assumes of course that Wenger stays after next season, that Arsenal spend some money (which is obviously now available) this offseason, and that the ownership situation stabilizes. If Kroenke splashes a lot of cash about August, all the better (even though I'd prefer the club's ownership to remain stable).

Right now, I expect numbers 11 and 5 to take much of the burden, even if it is not quite enough this season. Last season showed that Arsenal is capable of going toe to toe with the other three of the top four (best record in round robin), now all they need to do is take care of the lesser opposition. I think that exposing them to the bright light outside of Henry's shadow can only do them good. They won't look to him first anymore. Instead, they'll begin to make their own luck, and van Persie has proven what he can do with that.

So, I'm not expecting them to win the league, but its not absolutely out of the question without Henry. Chelsea still looks somewhat vulnerable, and no one played Man U better last season.

What do I expect? Arsenal finish in the top four again without too much trouble (sorry spurs, you haven't proven anything despite how good Berbatov is); qualify for the Champion's League; advance to the knockout stages to face Barcelona (you just know this will happen); and make a run to at least he semifinals in the FA Cup. And yes, I expect Silverware still.

What do I want? Arsenal challenge for the league fighting Man U and Liverpool tooth and nail to the finish; win the FA cup; Robin van Persie nets a hat trick and Lehmann notches a shutout against Barcelona in the first leg of the knockout stages of the Champion's League (sorry Titi, all bets are off); Henry gets a brace in the return leg and is the best player on the pitch to no avail as Arsenal advance behind some fabulous saves from Fabianski (Lehmann being suspended yet again due to an accumulation of yellow cards).

C'mon you Gunners!

Henry Completes Move to Barcelona

I really don't have anything to add. I recently guaranteed a friend that he'd return to Arsenal, but as soon as I sent the e-mail, I knew I'd probably made a mistake.

I'll always remember those goals. Best of luck in Spain Titi.

UPDATE: Of course I'm gutted by this move, but I won't let it get me down on the man's enormous contributions to the club. For eight years, he was the best striker the Premiership had ever seen.

The Sad State of U.S. Soccer Uniforms

Slate has the details (with pictures). Some of these are just abysmal, including the blue pinstripey number the team will be wearing in the Copa America next month.

While I disagree with the article concerning the white kits the U.S. wore in the World Cup last year (I liked them), I've long been an advocate of using a style of uniform similar to the 50s kit that brought the U.S. what may be its greatest triumph to date (2002 notwithstanding)--upsetting England in the World Cup.

A red sash on a white kit works for River Plate, why not the U.S?

NP: "Beware" - Afghan Whigs

U.S. Men Begin Road to 2010 World Cup

Sports Illustrated currently has a couple of good articles about a crucial summer for the U.S. Men’s National Team. First, Greg Lalas writes that the Bradley Era has officially begun, which goes some way to assuaging my concerns about his permanent appointment.

While I was initially against the naming of Bradley as the interim coach, his performance has merited the removal of that tag from his job. This is now his team, and how they perform this summer will go a long way toward showing what kind of soccer the team will be playing, and even who will be playing it. I’ve admired how he’s begun bringing in new faces to replace Brian McBride and Claudio Reyna, who retired, as well as to challenge other veterans who may have been complacent in their roles.

The second by Johan Freedman argues that this summer is crucial in the beginning the road to the World Cup. I agree with a lot in this article. Particularly his point about the level of opposition.

It’s about time the U.S. began playing stiff opposition on the road. Traveling to Venezuela for the Copa America is an excellent start. They’ll find much stiffer competition than the team faced in the World Cup warm ups. With all due respect, Argentina, Paraguay, and Columbia are much better than Morocco, Venezuela and Latvia. And that’s not all, the team is traveling to Europe this fall to play matches against a number of countries, including 2006 World Cup participants Sweden and Switzerland.

Finally, Freedman states that this summer sees the U-20 world championships. This tournament, later this summer, will showcase the future, and players should be looking at this as the best way to showcase their talents and begin the arguments for inclusion in the senior squad when qualification gets underway next year. I’m looking at you Freddy Adu, but I’m also expecting big things from Red Bull New York phenom Jozy Altidore.

How’s it working out so far? The U.S. opened the Gold Cup with a 1-0 win over Guatemala, a team that traditionally plays them very tough. Clint Dempsey scored the winner, and I expect that will begin to happen more and more often. More surprisingly here was who wore the captain’s armband—it wasn’t Landon Donovan. I’m not sure why either, especially since he had just begun recovering his form this winter. I guessing it’s getting other players experience with it before leaving for South America since Donovan likely will be staying in the U.S. for that tournament.

U.S. National Soccer Team Now Has Permanent Coach

It's official. The "interim" tag has been removed from Bob Bradley's title. I'm of two minds about this development. As regular readers perhaps remember, I've was quite critical of his initial appointment late last year. I thought then, and part of me still thinks now, that such a move is a move backward for the U.S. Men's Soccer program. I think the U.S. team has gone about as far as it can go with the status quo.

At the time, I thought Jurgen Klinsman was the answer. And while he proved his tactical acumen at the last world cup, I still had lingering doubts about his organizational nous. Alas, we'll never find out how well he will have done. My second choice was Jose Pekermann. He had proven his developmental and organizational ability in Argentina, and the renaissance of their national side since the debacle in 2002 spoke well of those abilities. I still think someone of his abilities will be required for the U.S. team to made strides toward consistency on the world's biggest stage.

Deals with at least one of these candidates failed spectacularly over issues of control. As for the other, I don't even know if he was interviewed. So we found ourselves stuck in a bad situation, with a temporary coach and no way forward.

All that said, Coach Bradley has done the most that he could with such a situation. I've liked how he's brought in new players. These players will be absolutely essential if the U.S. is to have any success in 2010. My big knock on Area was that he was content to select his team based on past performances rather than current form. I'm especially excited to see future performances from players such as Bornstein, Feilheiber, Demerit, and Bradley (natch). So as we approach Copa America and the Gold Cup, I hope Coach Bradley can stick to his guns, and give us all a squad that has more of the spirit of Clint Dempsey than that of Landon Donovan (though I must say he's looked good in the last few friendlies).

In any case, the U.S. Soccer Federation has now made the bed, and Mr. Bradley and all of the fans now have to lay in it. Now to show well in Copa America.

The First World Cup Hat Trick Was Scored by an American

FIFA amends the records to credit Bert Patenaude with the first World Cup hat trick. After lengthy research and confirmation from the US Soccer Federation, he has been retrospectively entered in FIFA's records as the first player to score a hat trick in World Cup history. He scored three goals in the USA's 3-0 victory over Paraguay on 17 July 1930 during the first World Cup.

Good things happen on July 17. Trust me on this.

NP: "You've Sealed My Fate" - Swervedriver

Klinsmann Confirms Talks with U.S. Soccer

Telling us what we already knew, Jurgen Klinsmann confirms talks with U.S. Soccer. This comes on the heels of some unofficial leaks that he was on the short list of both the U.S. and Mexico.

"Absolutely I’m interested. I kind of needed some time to reflect after the World Cup. I’ve been in touch with Sunil and had several conversations, all very positive."

When this possibility first surfaced immediately following his outstanding job of guiding Germany to the late stages of the World Cup, I was immediately for it. With the unimaginative job that Bruce Arena had turned in, I thought his willingness to shake things up was just the thing to keep U.S. Soccer from backsliding.

I still think he would be a good option, but I've had a lot of conversations about this with some very savvy soccer friend, and now I don't think he's the only option that can ensure building the program. Other interesting names, like Jose Peckermann, have surfaced. His work with the Argentine youth system alone bears a good long look. His only downside would be his lack of knowledge of U.S. soccer in general, but he wouldn't be afraid to make everyone earn a spot (I'm looking at you prima-Donovan).

A lot of folks also still think that the coach will have a more American flavor. (Klinsmann at least lives in California.) Of the best candidates in this pool, I think Peter Nowak, current coach of DC United, and Steve Nicol of New England are the best bets.

So that gives you a pool of what are probably the top four choices from Sunil Gulati will choose next month. What do I think? I would be very happy with either Klinsmann, Pekermann, or Nowak. Although each of these candidates is very different, they could all improve the standing of the game and the U.S. and the performance of the U.S. teams.

If we're going to live in fantasy land for a moment, Ideally, a combination of Pekermann and Klinsmann/Nowak would be best (thanks for the idea Xavier!). Leave the overall structure and development to Pekermann and leave the coaching to either Klinsmann or Nowak. I'know this idea isn't really workable, but it would probably do wonders for U.S. soccer.

In any case, it's looking like Klinsmann is the number one candidate. Hopefully he, or someone, takes the job real soon.

NP: "Gravity" - Pylon

The Sports Guy Picks an EPL Team

As most of you already know, I'm a committed follower of Arsenal in the EPL. How this happened is really just a matter of random chance and free tickets, but happen it did. Now that the world cup is over again, I've had a number of people tell me that they wanted to start supporting an EPL team, to which I reply: "Anyone but Chelsea or ManU".

Well, if any of you out there are interested in doing this in a more methodical manner, ESPN's Bill Simmons (the Sports Guy) wrote an article chronicling how he picked an EPL team. He considers all 20 current teams in the league, offers American sports analogies, and eventually comes up with a team to support. I won't spoil it for you, but his choice did surprise me.

Senior, you'll be happy to know that he compares Newcastle to the Raiders.

NP: "Thorn" - My Bloody Valentine

World Cup Quarterfinal Thoughts

I've actually been kind of lost the last couple of days without any matches to follow. Thankfully, four teams take the pitch today for the quarterfinals. Since my initial predictions are now shown to be full of bunk, I thought I'd call a "do-over" and pick this weekend's games.

Argentina vs. Germany
Argentina (please please please) in a classic for the ages. I have never seen a Germany team attack like this one. I still feel like their defense could be prone to a couple of errors on offside traps. I think the Argentines take the day 3-2.

Italy vs. Ukraine
After the most boring football displayed in this tournament thus far in their win over Switzerland, I don't see Ukraine scoring again, despite their great striker Schevchenko. Italy wins 2-0.

England vs. Portugal
This one is tough. My heart wants to pick England (mostly because I am so familiar with the players from following the EPL), but my head says that Scolari is in their head so to speak. Portugal is a weakened side though due to suspensions from the card fest against Holland (I don't get that many cards at Christmas). Going with my heart. England 2 - 0 Portugal.

Brazil vs. France
The other monster mash-up of the quarters. Brazil is the trendy pick to win it all, but for some reason, I don't think they'll do it. A newly revitalized French squad may be their undoing. Viera was huge against Spain. He remembers what it was like to be dominating. France 3 - 2 Brazil.

Remember, all picks guaranteed to be wrong or your money back.

World Cup Predictions Revisited

It's been an interesting World Cup thus far--not at all what I expected. With the first round almost over, I thought I would revisit my picks and assess things a bit further. So without further ado, here are my thoughts on a group by group basis.

Group A
So I was right that Germany would cruise through this group, and apart from a first half scare from Costa Rica, they did just that. Scarily, they are looking better and better as each game, and home field advantage never hurts. I was right in thinking that Poland was not as good as many of the pundits were giving them credit for. On the other hand, I was totally wrong about Costa Rica--I picked the wrong latin team, since Ecuador looked pretty impressive until they met Germany yesterday (and they looked fairly disinterested in the game).

Group B
I was almost spot on in my assessment of this group, with England winning it outright, despite some shocking defending against Sweden, and Sweden finishing second. So I had the order reversed, but a lot of that comes down to Trinidad and Tobago holding Sweden to draw in what has been one of the more entertaining matches from a rooting perspective thus far.

Group C
My picks are getting better as we progress. I picked Holland and Argentina to advance, and advance they will. Of course, match this afternoon will decide who wins this group. Both teams have looked very dangerous and I think either of them could do a lot of damage in the knockout stages. In retrospect, this wasn't as difficult a group as everyone thought since Serbia and Montenegro, who had cruised through qualifying without giving up a goal in a long time, totally rolled over, especially when Argentina crushed them 6-0.

Group D
And my streak ends here. I was totally wrong against Mexico. They will advance along with Portugal, with the result of this game determining who finishes first. Iran had their moments, but late substitutions from Mexico made the difference. Iran had to have points in that first match to advance. I'm thinking Portugal will still end up winning the group.

Group E
This has proven to be the real group of death, and any of the four teams could advance, and all four could still go home. This group will be decided tomorrow. Italy advances with a win, and even after Saturday's contentious game, the U.S. has to hope for that. If Italy wins and the U.S. defeats Ghana, the U.S. moves on.

I'm feeling better after Saturday's heroic effort by the U.S. against Italy. We'll see how correct I was about the Czech's age problem, especially after losing Jan Koller. I think the U.S. takes care of business, barely, against Ghana. The other game is up in the air. If there's a draw, the U.S. is likely out due to the 3 goals scored by the Czechs against them. I'll predict Italy wins 2-1 and Italy and the U.S. advance.

Group F
Brazil wins group. Yawn. (Even though they've not looked very Brazil-like at times.) The last spot is up in the air. Based on how the teams have played thus far, I'm changing my pick to Australia.

Group G
I was totally off base with this group as well. France hasn't looked particularly good with two draws, but I still think they win on Friday and win the group. As for second place, its a total toss up between Switzerland and South Korea. I picked Togo, who are going home, so I'll have to change to South Korea just because they have such delightful fans.

Group H
Wrong again. Spain have looked like world beaters and will win this one handily. This may finally be their year. For second, Ukraine have absorbed the 4-0 body blow from Spain and should advance in second place.

Once the group stage is totally complete, I'll chime in with the rest of my predictions.

In other news, I'm in last place in my World Cup pool. I'm doing a bit better with my fantasy league though.

NP: "Crazy World" - Richard Ashcroft

Now What?

The U.S. team was totally outclassed, and more disturbingly, quit on the pitch in the second half (I won't get into the gory details, since everyone else seems to be doing that). The question is, with such an uphill (nearly impossible road), what do you do. Attack. That's the only hope. Arena needs to totally shake up the lineup.

With that in mind, I'd humbly suggest the following lineup (a 3-5-2).

GK: Howard.
Sorry Kasey. You couldn't have done anything about any of those goals, but your distribution was horrible.

D: Pope. Onyewyu. Bocanegra.
Cherundolo and Lewis were worse than useless.

M: Mastroeni. Reyna. Dempsey. Donovan. Convey.
Beasley needs to learn how to settle the ball. This will be the best attacking lineup in midfield, allowing Donovan to do what he can. Reyna and Mastro play holding roles.

F: Johnson. Twellman (oh wait, crap, he's at home... McBride then)
Johnson was the only one other than Reyna who looked like he cared yesterday.

Manager: Someone other than Bruce Arena as soon as his contract expires.
Even though he's been hailed as a wizard at preparation, the team had no plan B yesterday. His only tactic seems to be get an early lead and hold on for dear life.

Will this team be able to beat Italy. Who knows, but I guarantee they won't quit on the field (or Dempsey will punch them in the face).

World Cup Predictions

Now that the preliminaries are out of the way, here come the predictions. Since I'm from the U.S., I suppose I'll start with their chances and get it out of the way. Many of the guys I play soccer with on Saturdays laughed at me in 2002 when I predicted the U.S. would advance to the second round. 16 bets of one beer each, and I had a couple of cheap Saturday afternoons after my prediction turned out to be correct.

So how do they do in 2006? This time they have a much harder draw, though not the true group of death that many are calling it (maybe the group of almost fatal injury is more appropriate).

They open against the Czech Republic, an aging but very high-scoring team. As of this morning, however, the Czechs have doubts about two of their main scoring threats, Pavel Nedved and Milan Baros. If either of them are absent, U.S. chances improve. I like them to win this game outright by taking it right to the Czechs as they did against Portugal four years ago.

Next up, they'll face an Italy team that will have cruised to victory over Ghana. I predict a 2-2 draw. Finally, they face Ghana, and I have no idea what will happen here, but I think a draw is likely. Even though I'm not as sure as I was in 2002, I still think the U.S. will capture second place in their group and advance, where they'll likely face Brazil, at which point they're bounced. It will still be a successful cup for the U.S. though.

Either Italy or the Czech Republic is capable of topping group E, but I'll go out on a limb and say that the Czech's age and injury woes continue to mount allowing Italy to win the group. Here are the rest of my predictions for the group stage:

• Group A: The hosts got a pretty easy draw here. Germany should have no problem winning this group. The runner up isn't as clear. Most people give Poland the best shot, but I think Costa Rica uses its speed to run around the Poles and move on to the next round.
• Group B: Rooney's metatarsal seems to have healed in time for him to play, as English fans rejoice the world over. His return should boost England to 2nd place in the group. I think Sweden continues their recent dominance over the Swedish coached English team to win the group.
  
• Group C: The real group of death. All four teams realistically have a shot at advancing. If Ivory Coast were in any other group, I'd pick them to move on, but unfortunately, they have Holland and Argentina. I think Holland finishes first and Argentina follows at second. Serbia and Montengro, playing their last competition as a single team, flames out completely.
• Group D: Now for my first shocker. Mexico goes home after the group stage. Iran shocks everyone with their form and ends up as runner up in the group to Portugal.
• Group E: Italy, U.S.A. (see above)
• Group F: Brazil has the best team in the world. They win this group, end of story. Until recently, I would have picked Japan to advance based on experience alone. Their form lately has been awful, barely beating Malta over the weekend. I think Australia are too inexperienced to advance, but they'll look pretty good. That leaves Croatia as the runner up.
• Group G: France got a gift with this group. Thierry Henry shines as they romp to win the group. The other three teams are a toss up for second though. Here is where Africa has a team advance, as Henry's teammate at Arsenal Emmanuel Adebayor finds the net multiple times and they end up shocking South Korea and Switzerland to advance.
• Group H: See Group G, replace France with Spain--only they'll manage to mess it up somehow and come in second behind Ukraine. Shevchenko sets the pace for the Golden Boot starting in this group.

The Knockout Stages

16 teams are left, and if my predictions above ring true, this round has some intriguing games. First up, Germany renew they old World Cup acquaintance with England, only this time England should prevail. Holland easily dispatch Iran, and Sweden and Argentina defeat Costa Rica and Portugal, respectively.

On the other side of the bracket, Italy hold off Croatia in a very tough match, while Thierry Henry gets his Champion's League revenge on Puyol, leading Les Bleus to victory. Brazil ends the U.S. run in a game that's closer than anyone expected, and Shevchenko continues his torrid goalscoring pace as they oust Togo.

On to the Quarterfinals! This is where the great matches really start to line up. Holland versus England. What's not to like? I like Holland in this one. Argentina beats Sweden, France beats Italy, and Brazil gets by Ukrain. This leaves a final four of Holland and Argentina on one side of the bracket and Brazil and France on the other. Holland advances to the final where they defeat Brazil in one of the most entertaining finals in history.

Of course, all predictions guaranteed to be wrong or your money back!

NP: "Whatever's Cool with Me" - Dinosaur Jr

World Cup Resources

The biggest sporting event the world kicks off tomorrow, so I thought I post a round up of links that will let casual fans, first time followers, or the curious get their World Cup Groove on.

• The official World Cup site - This will be a great resource for photos and scores.
• The Guardian - This English paper has some of the best all around soccer coverage out their. I especially endorse their minute-by-minute match reports for those of you who will be stuck at your desk during some of the games (like me); they're equally informative and snarky at the same time
• The BBC and Sports Illustrated also have extensive coverage, which I prefer to ESPN's Soccernet.
• For those looking for more coverage of particular teams, check out the World Cup blog, which has blogger/supporters for every nation.
• If you want to do some trash talking over the Interweb, head on over to BigSoccer.com.
• Kasey Keller, the U.S. keeper, has been providing regular articles at Sportsline.com.
• Clint Dempsey, a U.S. player that many think will have a breakout month, also has his own website.

NP: "Undertow" - Lush

Congrats to Barca

At least I don't feel as bad as when Grady Little left Pedro in against the Yankees--so that answers that question.

Paris in the Springtime

Well, tomorrow is the big match. How can a fan not be excited about a match between the teams that play the two best players in the world: Ronadinho and Thierry Henry. Add that to the fact that this is Arsenal's first trip to the Champion's League final and I become ecstatic. And yes, I took all day tomorrow off to enable my, uhm, celebrations.

The matchup has been dissected, resected, dissected again all over the place. So I won't get too much into that. Arsenal go into tomorrow's final as an underdog--there's no doubt of that--but I don't think this will be the automatic victory that many Barcelona supporters think it may be.

Of course neutralizing Ronaldinho and Eto'o will be difficult, but that's what they said about Ronaldo, Nedved, and Riquelme, and they are all sitting at home tomorrow. A team doesn't play over 900 minutes in a competition without allowing a goal just on pure luck alone. Tomorrow, Gilberto will be the key to hold off Ronaldinho when he begins his drift to the center. On the other end of the pitch, Barcelona's improperly maligned (by some) defense will be tasked with stopping Thierry Henry and the flanking runs by Hleb and Reyes. Its important to remember that their defense hasn't let many goals in either.

There are the keys to the match. If you want a long lunch and live in Atlanta, join me at the Brewhouse tomorrow at 2:30 to see what I think will be some very entertaining, attacking football. For the local look on Barcelona, I'm sure Braves and Birds [Ed. Note: And Barcelona?] will have something to say. Care to make a friendly blog-wager Michael?

Prediction guaranteed to be wrong or your money back: 3-2 to the Arse. Go Gunners!

NP: "Do You Remember the First Time?" - Pulp

Happy St. Totteringham's Day!

St. Totteringham's Day explained.

It came a bit late this year, but come it did.

Roster Changes Already

I hope I didn't push any bad vibes his way with my less than enthusiastic response to his inclusion, but Frankie Hejduk is now out of the World Cup. Taking his place from the list of alternates is Chris Albright. Chris is a capable defender and can cross the ball better than Frankie. He lacks Hejduk's speed though. I actually saw him play over the weekend and he looked pretty good.

Here's wishing Frankie a speedy and complete recovery. I've been hard on him in the past, but he always worked his butt off and was fast as blazes.

NP: "Misery Galore" - Bettie Serveert

U.S. Roster for World Cup Announced

The 23-man roster for the U.S. in June's World Cup was just announced live on ESPN. I love the extra attention this garners. Now that I've heard the selections, I'm sure all of my dear readers are eagerly wondering just what I think (well maybe one of you will be). So without further ado, I'll break these down by position:

Goalkeepers