For any real fan, the World Cup is just as much (if not more) about heartbreak than it is about celebration.
Today’s battle between Ghana and Uruguay turned out to be one of the cruelest operas in modern soccer history. The game itself was brilliant.
Sulley Muntari showed us that Ghana was not only physically superior to Uruguay, but as dangerous as any attacking force in the final 8.
When Forlan equalized for Uruguay in the 55th minute, it was anyone’s game. In Extra time, Ghana would have earned the win all over again, if not for Luis Suarez’s goal-line handball. And that’s when the rollercoaster took it’s sharpest, most unforgiving turns.
it went like this…
Suarez earns a red card for literally slapping a ball that was headed for goal. Gyan is awarded a penalty shot. The whole world is overcome with equal parts joy, fear, and heart-pounding excitement. And then it happens. Gyan strikes. The ball coasts up, up, off the crossbar, and away from what would have been the single proudest moment in African football history.
…
Forlan and co may have represented in the shootout, but today was all about the African game. ONELOVE salutes the Blackstars on a profound run in South Africa.
Heading home after 9 days in Joburg. What a dream.
When I was a kid, I would brag to my grandfather about my dreams of becoming a professional soccer player, a professional skateboarder, snowboarder, film director, business man, etc etc. Every couple months it was something new. Every time I came to him with a new plan, he would always wait til I was finished and then ask enthusiastically, “Wow, Al, and then what?” As a teenager, I began to understand what he meant. “And then what?” means, will that be your life? Will you be happy then? And even after I began to understand the question, I had no idea how to actually SOLVE the riddle.
I think I get it now. Just live. Work hard. Stay curious. Be good to people and listen. Maintain your health. Give what you can, when you can. Accept responsibility and let others do the same for themselves. Have fun. Dozens of people have told me all of these things in the past, but it all sounded vague and impersonal until I could embrace it all through the context of ONELOVE.
After spending time in Joburg I have more belief than ever in the potential of ONELOVE FC. We are bound together, not simply by a single passion for soccer, but by an openness to embrace the lives and perspectives of different people. This is not about America, or sports, or products, or politics. It’s about people, plain and simple. We love people, and soccer is, for us, the people’s sport.
As we grow, it is our ultimate goal to establish and maintain a global presence, committed to local initiatives in the United States and abroad. Since ‘abroad’ used to be an ambiguous (sometimes terrifying) term, we scrapped it from our initial mission statement. After meeting people, talking about what soccer means in other parts of the world, experiencing new cultures in the context of soccer, we see limitless opportunity to affect positive change on a human level. We are inspired by people. We affect change through the beautiful game.
My brother, Jamie, and I visited with our grandparents before leaving for South Africa. We sat with them and explained our dream for ONELOVE. I was prepared to answer the “And then what?” question. I was finally ready. But it never came. Instead, all we heard was, “go for it.”
It is COLD in Joburg right now. We brought some of our new beanies out here to share with people for feedback and the response has been HUGELY positive.
The frigid air didn’t hurt our cause, either!
The hats are all hand painted and hand stitched with custom colors and designs, specific to flag colors, club crests, and special requests. Email alex@onelovesoccer.com to inquire about pricing and availability!
Hats off to Greece today as they won their first ever World Cup match against Nigeria.
They were helped by the fact that a Nigeria player kicked out at a Greek player and got sent off, but kudos to the Greeks for scoring the goals they needed. The ‘Pirate Ship’ now looks forward to playing Argentina. A win would probably take them through to the next round, but Argentina are firing on all cylinders at the moment and will be a tough squad to overcome.
Today, however belongs to Greece and after their recent financial meltdown, this will be a welcome break from that.
Where was the team that came alive against Mexico and almost beat them? Yesterday, that team was nowhere to be seen. Yesterday, you looked like the team that is ranked 83rd by FIFA. Yesterday, you proved why all the critics wrote you off before the World Cup even started.
It isn’t that you lost. Uruguay showed us they are a very good team that played with discipline and commitment. There is no shame in losing to a team that plays well. The difference is that they played with passion and commitment, and you did not.
You were beaten to the ball too many times. They ran you down from behind. They fought harder and they showed heart. I did not sense that from you, Bafana.
Siphiwe Tshablala, when you said before the game that Uruguay was in plenty of trouble, you stirred up a hornet’s nest. It only inspires your opponent.
Perhaps the team was too confident. I confess that we were all confident. The team played well in the games before the Cup, especially the last one, when you outplayed and beat a good Denmark side. We all believed the low FIFA ranking was a reflection of the past, not of the present.
Coach Parreira, you blamed the referee after the game. It was not the referee’s fault. It was a penalty, even if Itumeleng Khune did not intend to foul. It was unlucky because the tip of his foot accidentally caught Luis Suarez’s foot. That is still a penalty, even though the red card was harsh. What I cannot understand is why you made no changes in the lineup or the tactics when it was clear nothing was working.
South Africa is still proud of Bafana. It is not over yet, and the team brought joy to a nation that has welcomed the rest of the world. The country is sad but they are not upset. We know you did your best on an emotional day for us—National Youth Day, when we remember those school children who stood tall and defiant in the face of police bullets to oppose an evil system.
South Africa is still new to international soccer and the team still has a lot to learn, but this will make Bafana stronger. It isn’t over yet and we still have one game left. It will be difficult to make it to the next round. We have nothing to lose, so all I ask is that you find the heart and the ability that the team has. Even if we don’t advance, Bafana and the country will hold their heads high.
One of the most interesting and wide open groups. Any of the 4 teams can finish either first or last. Yes, I know most are giving South Africa little hope to advance and I am more than a tad biased but this isn’t the same team that endured a prolonged slump and failed to even qualify for the African Cup of Nations.
Carlos Alberto Parreira (Brazil ’94 coach) was brought in and since then Bafana has gone undefeated in 12 games, albeit mostly against weaker opponents. Home support will obviously be a huge factor despite limited success in their two previous appearances. Consider South Korea who had no wins in 14 prior games before they made it to the semi-finals as hosts in 2002.
Bafana has a solid defense although it is mistake-prone at times. Their strength is in the midfield where they match with up with any of their opponents. Their biggest problem is up front where they always struggle to score against quality teams. A big plus for South Africa is that the local season was shortened by two months to allow for extended training camps. They are well rested and Parreira is fanatical about fitness which will help in the later stages of their games.
Mexico were in the same bad shape as Bafana when they fired the overrated Sven Goren Eriksson halfway through qualifying. It looked as though they wouldn’t qualify, something that is normally automatic for them in the weak CONCACAF region. Javier Aguirre worked the same magic he did in 2002 in Korea, guiding ‘El Tri’ to qualifying comfortably. The team has a good mix of veterans and youth and the Dos Santos brothers controversy seems to have died down. The altitude will not be a problem for them. They’ve looked lively in their lead-in games and beat a lackluster Italy earlier this week.
They have excellent speed up front with Carlos Vela and Javier Hernandez and solid midfield support from Andres Guardado and Giovanni dos Santos, making for arguably the best attack in this group. In the back a lot will depend on Rafael Marquez who hasn’t seen much playing time with Barcelona this year. Their opening game against South Africa will answer a lot of questions. Mexico are a little more polished than Bafana, especially up front, but home support should negate that. It might come down to a bit of luck for either team in the opener.
Uruguay’s strength is up front where Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez are formidable. Forlan won the scoring title in Spain this past season and can be a gamebreaker. Suarez has all the tools and can both create and score goals. Close them down and it becomes a lot harder for Uruguay. As you work your way back back from the front Uruguay’s weaknesses become more apparent. Goalkeeping has been dodgy although Walter Gargano, who plays for Napoli, stands out in defence. Martin Caceres has become a regular on the Juventus squad, but considering their lame performance this season, that might not be much of a recommendation. Nonetheless, there is little depth beyond those two.
Since winning the cup for the second time in 1950 they Uruguay hasn’t done much other than a semi-final appearance in 1970
Zidane was France’s talisman. Consider the record. With Zidane they won in ’98, won Euro 2000 and if not for a moment of sheer insanity might have won in Germany. With Zidane injured they crashed out in ’02 without scoring a goal and didn’t make it out of the group in Euro ’06, although they did manage to score. They only made it to South Africa when Thierry Henry utilized his volleyball skills against Ireland.
If there is justice in soccer, France ought to be sent home early, but sadly there is little. Their warm up games include a 2-1 win against Costa Rica, a draw with Tunisia, and a 1-0 loss to China. There is a measure of gloom in their camp and with a number of their players rapidly approaching their ‘use by date,’ more problems are likely to surface. Then again, they have the talent with Ribery, Gourcuff, their rising midfield star, Malouda and a trio of Arsenal defenders and they could just as easily win the group.
France’s first game against Uruguay might be their easiest as long as they can contain Forlan and Suarez. Ribery, Gourcuff and Malouda are all coming off excellent seasons and should stretch the Uruguayan defense beyond its capabilities. The game is at sea level but their next games are at altitude against the two teams that are comfortable in the thinner air.
A couple of the more fancied teams will crash out in the first round and France is a prime candidate.
My fearless forecast:
1 – South Africa 2 – Mexico
(It’s the week before the kickoff when hope springs eternal for all fans and I have to go with my heart)
The US National Team needed a good performance from their last game on home soil before flying out to South Africa for World Cup 2010.
It’s important from a confidence perspective to gain some belief in yourself as a player and just as importantly, your teammates. Today’s game against Turkey was never going to be easy, but a tough competitor is just what times like these demand to really prove where you are as a team.
Things didn’t look good at the beginning. Turkey took control of the game and made the US look very sloppy in the opening minutes. This was somewhat understandable because this starting XI has not played together in months.
Questions can be raised about Bob Bradley’s continual inclusion of Benny Feilhaber in his best XI. Benny never seems tough enough to handle central midfield duties but today he started out on the left side of midfield. Would Stuart Holden have been a better choice?
The answers came soon enough as Feilhaber consistently gave the ball away without much pressure and never provided the width needed from the position. He was a big part of why it took the US 22 minutes just to find their footing in this game after repelling wave after wave of Turkish attacks.
Turkey seemingly could do no wrong, playing a short passing game through and around US players like they were standing still. Quite frankly, the US looked simply overmatched. This had the appearances of being a very long afternoon for the Stars and Stripes.
But around the 22nd minute the Americans began to gel and the team was getting more possession of the ball. Early on, the defenders were just whacking it downfield when playing through the midfield would have been a better option.
Turkey would just collect the ball and build another attack, time and time again. But as time wore on you could see the US starting to gain some belief a get a foothold in the game. Jonathan Spector won a ball in defense and instead of just booting it, he made nice run, dribbling about 40 yards upfield before the ball was tackled away by Turkey.
After Turkey won the ball, you could see if they could find Arda Turan wide open on the left, the US would be in trouble. After Spector made his run he showed little urgency in getting back to defend his position and with no one covering for him, Turan had nothing but green grass in front of him.
A good ball out of defense did find Turan, and away he went towards the US goal with Spector trudging up from behind trying to catch him. Jay DeMerit also tried to close down the run from his position in the middle of the field. Neither US player could get there in time and as US goalkeeper Tim Howard came out, Turan slotted it home calmly underneath him. 1-0 Turkey.
Both sides created chances before the end of the first half but it was obvious the Americans needed to make player changes in order to get a look at new players before the World Cup and to try to turn this game around.
Coach Bob Bradley responded, ringing in four substitutes after the halftime break. Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Cherundolo, Jose’ Torres and Robbie Findley replaced Clarence Goodson, Spector, Ricardo Clark and Feilhaber respectively.
We’ve been hard on Robbie Findley here in the Supporters Group, but this time he would be playing out wide on the left side of midfield as opposed to his customary position as forward. The US took control of the second half early and you could see the additions of Torres and Findley in particular were paying off.
Whereas the team had been mostly dominated in midfield in the first half, Torres’ skill and confidence were paying dividends by winning possession, getting into open spaces and playing a controlled passing game.
Pace is Findley’s game (with not much else, some might say) and he immediately started to trouble the Turks down the left flank, opening up things in the middle of the pitch. The width that seemed so foreign to the team in first half was now there in abundance.
In the 59th minute, Findley worked his way over to the middle of the field and played a good first touch as he saw Landon Donovan make a run just to his left. Robbie’s deft pass chipped the Turkish defender for Donovan to run onto, where Landon’s excellent first touch took him around the onrushing goalkeeper.
Landon then squared the ball across for a wide-open Jozy Altidore to finish. With nothing but net gaping in front of him, Jozy calmly side-footed the ball in for a 1-1 score. The US’s dominance in the first 15 minutes of the second half had paid off with a well earned goal.
The game continued to go the US’s way and they continually put pressure on Turkey, with Torres and Findley playing the roles of shining stars.
In the 75th minute, that pressure would pay off once again. After a US throw in, Donovan would once again turn provider. He found Clint Dempsey, who had been quiet for much of the game, to his left and clipped a ball over which Clint controlled with his right hip, bringing it down and through the first Turkish defender.
As the Turk’s ‘keeper came out to close down the angle, Dempsey deflected the shot off of him before following through and sending it underneath the ‘keeper and into the back of the night. It was a true fighter’s goal, with Dempsey battling his way through to make sure he would score, no matter what.
Clint set off the celebrations and the already raucous Philadelphia crowd of over 55,000 exploded. Dempsey even added a cool little dance move at the end, seemingly a tribute to injured teammate Charlie Davies.
Dempsey and Torres, the team’s Texas two-steppers, came close to adding a third goal, which would have put an exclamation point on this well earned American victory.
The USA got what they came in looking for out of this game: the appearances and evaluations of several players, the building of a cohesive unit as the team heads towards its June 12 opening game against England, and a victory.
A standing ovation should go to the crowd in Philadelphia. Time after time you could hear great songs and chants coming through the TV speakers, something not often experienced at American soccer games with such volume.
The team will fly out to South Africa tomorrow and play it’s last warm up game against Australia next Saturday morning in Roodepoort at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
About the Author: Craig Hutcheson is a lifelong player who lives and coaches out of Sparta, NJ. He also runs a growing community for USMNT supporters – click here to become a fan!
The Oranje were the latest top team to announce their 23 man World Cup squad.
Goalkeepers: Sander Boschker (FC Twente), Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax), Michel Vorm (FC Utrecht)
Defenders: Khalid Boulahrouz (Stuttgart), Edson Braafheid (Celtic), John Heitinga (Everton), Joris Mathijsen (Hamburg), Andre Ooijer (PSV Eindhoven), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord), Gregory van der Wiel (Ajax)
Midfielders: Ibrahim Afellay (PSV Eindhoven), Nigel de Jong (Manchester City), Demy de Zeeuw (Ajax), Stijn Schaars (AZ Alkmaar), Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan), Mark van Bommel (Bayern Munich), Rafael van der Vaart (Real Madrid)
Forwards: Ryan Babel (Liverpool), Eljero Elia (Hamburg), Klaas Jan Huntelaar (AC Milan), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich), Robin van Persie (Arsenal)
There were no huge surprises in the players that were cut from the 27 man quad. Orlando Engelaar, Vurnon Anita, Ron Vlaar and Jeremain Lens will not travel to South Africa.
Last night the Dutch squad defeated Mexico 2-1 convincingly with a Van Persie double.
Holland are another amazing nation that have never won the World Cup. Having finished as runners-up twice (1974 & 1978), they’re looking to go the distance in South Africa.
They certainly have a squad of players capable of winning the competition and it would be refreshing to have a different name on the cup. Their fans are also among the most colourful in the world.
Istanbul, 2005. Liverpool take to the dressing room at halftime, trailing AC Milan 3-0 in the Champions League Final. They emerge 15 minutes later to deliver the greatest comeback performance in Champions League history.
Our friends at the Kicking & Screening Festival (June 1st-5th in NYC) have shared with us an inside look at ‘15 Minutes That Shook The World,’ a comedic journey through the pivotal halftime break featuring rare performances from legends Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard. The film screens June 1st at Tribeca Cinemas.
A few words from Writer/Co-director Dave Kirby…
“Like every Liverpool fan (and every football fan) I always wondered just what the hell happened in that dressing room at half time in Istanbul. Without doubt it was the greatest and most dramatic comeback in football history of one of the greatest and emotional nights of my life. As a drama it had everything – a beginning, middle, and end – tragedy – tears –hero characters – a dramatic twist – ecstasy …in fact even Shakespeare couldn’t have written it better.
In my mythical dreams I always preferred to believe that Rafa gave some kind of Winston Churchill / Martin Luther King type speech or that maybe the players were inspired by the passionate, emotional rendition of ‘You’ll never walk alone’ which echoed around the stadium during the half time interval. No chance!
When the reports came back they all described a dressing room of complete calm and composure. I was gutted. Surely some bastard got angry? To me it felt like ‘Braveheart’ without the rally cry of: ‘Freedom’ or ‘Zulu’ without the song: ‘Men of Harlech. It was definitely that mythical yearning which prompted me to write the Istanbul story as I saw it …with humour! Much had been written and filmed about that fateful evening but not in movie format or with humour and certainly not in a way which also allows the viewer to witness our most bitter rival’s pain.
In Liverpool the humour is brutal and cutting and fundamentally based on ridicule – in many ways similar to New York (‘The Jerky Boys’ phone call tapes are still revered in my city). In Liverpool wherever there’s a compliment, a humorous insult is never far away which is evident in the film – no one escapes it – not even the players and Rafa who attended the premiere and took it in the spirit in which it was written.
Since its release the film has been translated with subtitles into German and Norwegian and is about to hit Asia such is the global appeal of Liverpool FC. That night that will stay in our hearts and minds forever. As a Liverpool fan and writer I’m proud that it’s now been captured forever in a light-hearted 100% Liverpool tale. ”
Portugal struggled against minnows Cape Verde Islands earlier today.
Portugal had a full compliment of first team players on show but even some of the worlds greatest players couldn’t make the break through against the small african nation ranked a lowly 117th in the world.
Despite numerous chances, even the great Ronaldo failed to score and Portugal manager Queiroz will hope his talented side will start to produce the goods soon as their first World Cup match is only 3 weeks away.
Portugal qualified for the World cup only after beating Bosnia in one of the European sections play off matches and the Portuguese have always failed to reach the heights expectd of them in World Cup.
Few could argue that they have a team filled with star players but on this occasion tonight they were unable to deliver the goods and the question has to be asked if they will be able to raise their game when they come up against Brazil in their World Cup group.
Portugals team included Ronaldo, Deco, Carvalho, Ferreira, Bruno Alves, Nani & Mendes.
