related to balkanization, but not really:
Baltic-ization: when one regularly confuses a group of adjacent countries that one has great difficulty telling apart.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
This is Just to Say by William Carlos Williams
an oldie, but a classic, especially this time of year:
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Live blog of a taped Germany-Spain game
This game has long since ended, but I'm watching at home for the first time and happy to say that I've managed for the second day in a row to have no knowledge of the result whatsoever. A difficult task but I've survived.
Minute 7 - An innocuous looking pass slips behind all the Germans and Villa gets there first but shoots right at Neuer. Does Germany want the ball? They've barely had it for thirty seconds so far.
9 - "still at the sparring stage of this semifinal". Martin Tyler's excellence is still striking, deep into the tournament. Let's hope he gets the final and we don't have to listen to Harkes.
11 - Alonso nearly had the assist of the tournament trying to split the center backs for Villa there. Just missed, Iniesta nearly cleaned up the scraps with some quick footwork.
13 - What a chance for Puyol. Driven cross from Iniesta was perfect, diving header from the well-coiffed defender flew over the top.
15 - Pique needlessly gave up a corner, and Casillas barely flapped at it. Germany got a second and his punch was more decisive that time around. Germany's first real attack.
25 - Pedro played a ball to Villa in the box. He was well defended but his movement so far has looked as sharp as usual. Good runs from him. Germany haven't really come into the game yet.
30 - I liked Alonso's strike from distance there. A good effort. You've got to try.
31 - Did Schweinsteiger always play such a holding role? Admittedly I've been tuned out, but didn't he used to be more of an attacking mid?
32 - ooh, a blast from Trochowski just tipped wide by Casillas. Spain look kinda shaky defending set pieces, but otherwise they've been well organized.
44 - game gotten a little chippy but on the whole its been very well played, very clean, not a lot of gamesmanship. Thank goodness.
45 - Some quick moves in the box from Pedro but he can't quite lose his defenders. Should've just ripped it. Kinda typical Spain there.
45 - whoa whoa should that have been a penalty? The ref was on the spot. Lets see the replay. A busy last minute - a Spain counter attack and a rip from Pedro, right at Neuer who held on. Halftime.
SECOND HALF
53 - Villa fired a lame side footed shot just wide. Best real chance for him so far.
57 - Amazing work from Spain. A couple shots fired in and Iniesta gets to the goal line and laid it across but no one could reach it.
59 - Oh Pedro with a grass cutter to the right corner and just wide. Spain are on top of them now.
60 - Pique cuts out a good low cross, the end of a sharp counter from Germany. They attacked quickly there. A cross finally materializes and Klose volleys over, awkwardly. Still a half chance and not a bad one. The game opening up a little.
61 - Trochowski off for Toni Kroos ("another of the kids in the squad").
62 - What a run by Ramos and what a ball from Alonso, just a few inches too far. Podolski tracked him pretty well too.
63 - What's with the turf? It looks thick, clumpy, and soft. Not ideal for a World Cup semifinal.
67 - Mertesacker has defended very well. No crosses are getting by the lanky central defender.
69 - Terrific move, maybe the game's best chance. Podolski lobs to the back post, Kroos the sub volleys with his side foot and Casillas saves. He kind of scuffed it and it wasn't too difficult for the Spanish keeper, but he should've done better. Kroos back on the ball for a FK but its cleared.
73 - GOAL. Puyol. Who would've thought? Xavi's corner was inch perfect and Puyol flew in like only he can and smashed it into the net. A great run and a smashing finish. A deserved one-nil lead. An interesting last 15. Let's see what happens. Don't count out the Germans. Course you already know what happened because this is three hours later.
90 - FINAL. 1-0 Spain. Sorry, got overwhelmed with the game and couldn't comment. A very good, very tactical game. In the end, Germany perhaps didn't play as well tactically against Spain as other, less talented teams. You have to think its partially because of their talent -- that they thought they could play their game and not have to 'park the bus' -- that Spain could impose. No one is going to out-possess Spain.
Minute 7 - An innocuous looking pass slips behind all the Germans and Villa gets there first but shoots right at Neuer. Does Germany want the ball? They've barely had it for thirty seconds so far.
9 - "still at the sparring stage of this semifinal". Martin Tyler's excellence is still striking, deep into the tournament. Let's hope he gets the final and we don't have to listen to Harkes.
11 - Alonso nearly had the assist of the tournament trying to split the center backs for Villa there. Just missed, Iniesta nearly cleaned up the scraps with some quick footwork.
13 - What a chance for Puyol. Driven cross from Iniesta was perfect, diving header from the well-coiffed defender flew over the top.
15 - Pique needlessly gave up a corner, and Casillas barely flapped at it. Germany got a second and his punch was more decisive that time around. Germany's first real attack.
25 - Pedro played a ball to Villa in the box. He was well defended but his movement so far has looked as sharp as usual. Good runs from him. Germany haven't really come into the game yet.
30 - I liked Alonso's strike from distance there. A good effort. You've got to try.
31 - Did Schweinsteiger always play such a holding role? Admittedly I've been tuned out, but didn't he used to be more of an attacking mid?
32 - ooh, a blast from Trochowski just tipped wide by Casillas. Spain look kinda shaky defending set pieces, but otherwise they've been well organized.
44 - game gotten a little chippy but on the whole its been very well played, very clean, not a lot of gamesmanship. Thank goodness.
45 - Some quick moves in the box from Pedro but he can't quite lose his defenders. Should've just ripped it. Kinda typical Spain there.
45 - whoa whoa should that have been a penalty? The ref was on the spot. Lets see the replay. A busy last minute - a Spain counter attack and a rip from Pedro, right at Neuer who held on. Halftime.
SECOND HALF
53 - Villa fired a lame side footed shot just wide. Best real chance for him so far.
57 - Amazing work from Spain. A couple shots fired in and Iniesta gets to the goal line and laid it across but no one could reach it.
59 - Oh Pedro with a grass cutter to the right corner and just wide. Spain are on top of them now.
60 - Pique cuts out a good low cross, the end of a sharp counter from Germany. They attacked quickly there. A cross finally materializes and Klose volleys over, awkwardly. Still a half chance and not a bad one. The game opening up a little.
61 - Trochowski off for Toni Kroos ("another of the kids in the squad").
62 - What a run by Ramos and what a ball from Alonso, just a few inches too far. Podolski tracked him pretty well too.
63 - What's with the turf? It looks thick, clumpy, and soft. Not ideal for a World Cup semifinal.
67 - Mertesacker has defended very well. No crosses are getting by the lanky central defender.
69 - Terrific move, maybe the game's best chance. Podolski lobs to the back post, Kroos the sub volleys with his side foot and Casillas saves. He kind of scuffed it and it wasn't too difficult for the Spanish keeper, but he should've done better. Kroos back on the ball for a FK but its cleared.
73 - GOAL. Puyol. Who would've thought? Xavi's corner was inch perfect and Puyol flew in like only he can and smashed it into the net. A great run and a smashing finish. A deserved one-nil lead. An interesting last 15. Let's see what happens. Don't count out the Germans. Course you already know what happened because this is three hours later.
90 - FINAL. 1-0 Spain. Sorry, got overwhelmed with the game and couldn't comment. A very good, very tactical game. In the end, Germany perhaps didn't play as well tactically against Spain as other, less talented teams. You have to think its partially because of their talent -- that they thought they could play their game and not have to 'park the bus' -- that Spain could impose. No one is going to out-possess Spain.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Requiem for a World Cup campaign
It was a tough ending to a good tournament for the United States. My biggest fear going into the Ghana game was that, with all the hype and excitement of the England game, the Slovenia comeback, and the Algeria drama, the casual American fan would tune in to today's game, see us lose, and say, "Wait, we lost to Ghana? Ghana? Seriously?" I worried casual fans wouldn't quite understand that 1) Ghana is a quality team and 2) simply making it to the Round of 16 is an accomplishment for the USA, no matter how easy their draw may have been.
Ghana is good, just as good as the US if not better. The fact that they were missing their best player (by far), Michael Essien of Chelsea, speaks to the fact that they've got a lot of talent to choose from. They're also quick, fast, and strong. But most important of all, each and every one of their major players plies his trade in a top European league, some with the very best clubs on the continent. Like some of our guys (Dempsey, Howard, Bocanegra, Bradley, Cherundolo), they are all accustomed to the speed of play of the World Cup.
I'm not saying I was incredibly impressed with Ghana - I wasn't. After a flying start, they never really pressed their advantage. It did seem they had their tactics right in the first half. Their five man midfield meant they could both crowd Bradley and Clark (witness the first goal) with a two on three in the center while also keeping incredible width on the flanks. Each time they switched the ball from one side to the other, Donovan and Dempsey, who had been trying to help defend the three central midfielders, had to sprint back out to the sideline to help defend the flank. All this running early on certainly didn't help keep them fresh when extra time rolled around.
As for the US, again with the early goals. Maddening, truly maddening. You would think Bradley would emphasize this to the point of scaring his players into not making mistakes. After such serious lapses in the first three games, I would personally send my team out with the express goal of keeping a clean sheet for twenty minutes. Don't take too many chances, smash it upfield when necessary, get behind the ball, whatever. Just make sure that it is 0-0 after 20 or 30 minutes pass.
But no. Ricardo Clark, poor guy, decided to try to beat a man at midfield with very little defensive cover, coughed it up to Kevin-Prince Boateng, who carried upfield with a lot of confidence and speed. His low shot was good, but Howard should always have his near post and he knows that. Not totally his fault, but he should've done better. It still took the US another twenty minutes to really start playing, and from then on out we had the better of the chances if not the possession. Bradley again covered all kinds of ground, but his final pass was just a few inches off. We deserved the penalty and then had three golden opportunities to take the lead, but wasted all of them. We don't have a great finisher. We don't really even have a very good one, and we paid for that.
So what's the final verdict? It's a respectable showing, a deserved 2nd round berth but no more. I thought the quality of soccer, on the whole, was good. They passed better than they had in previous tournaments and created their own opportunities in a way they usually don't. I think we are one of the sixteen best teams in this tournament, but just barely. Certainly no better than Ghana.
I do hope fans stick with the Cup, with the national team, and with the MLS. What we're seeing now is the fruits of the MLS - basically every one of these players grew up in the league and cut their teeth there. It may not be the English Premier League, and it may be boring as hell to watch a 1-0 game between Kansas City and Dallas on a Thursday night in front of 4,000 fans at Pizza Hut Park. But the quality is always improving, and the young players you see now will get a chance with the national team.
I live on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, where there are literally a dozen pubs and sports bars within a five or ten minute walk. Each and every one of them was packed to the gills for every game the US played. Anyone who watched the Algeria or Slovenia game in a bar or restaurant will tell you what an incredible atmosphere it was. Soccer may never pass the big three (or four) in this country, but can't question its growth. I just hope it carries on and that people take a chance on the MLS and our national team over the coming years.
Ghana is good, just as good as the US if not better. The fact that they were missing their best player (by far), Michael Essien of Chelsea, speaks to the fact that they've got a lot of talent to choose from. They're also quick, fast, and strong. But most important of all, each and every one of their major players plies his trade in a top European league, some with the very best clubs on the continent. Like some of our guys (Dempsey, Howard, Bocanegra, Bradley, Cherundolo), they are all accustomed to the speed of play of the World Cup.
I'm not saying I was incredibly impressed with Ghana - I wasn't. After a flying start, they never really pressed their advantage. It did seem they had their tactics right in the first half. Their five man midfield meant they could both crowd Bradley and Clark (witness the first goal) with a two on three in the center while also keeping incredible width on the flanks. Each time they switched the ball from one side to the other, Donovan and Dempsey, who had been trying to help defend the three central midfielders, had to sprint back out to the sideline to help defend the flank. All this running early on certainly didn't help keep them fresh when extra time rolled around.
As for the US, again with the early goals. Maddening, truly maddening. You would think Bradley would emphasize this to the point of scaring his players into not making mistakes. After such serious lapses in the first three games, I would personally send my team out with the express goal of keeping a clean sheet for twenty minutes. Don't take too many chances, smash it upfield when necessary, get behind the ball, whatever. Just make sure that it is 0-0 after 20 or 30 minutes pass.
But no. Ricardo Clark, poor guy, decided to try to beat a man at midfield with very little defensive cover, coughed it up to Kevin-Prince Boateng, who carried upfield with a lot of confidence and speed. His low shot was good, but Howard should always have his near post and he knows that. Not totally his fault, but he should've done better. It still took the US another twenty minutes to really start playing, and from then on out we had the better of the chances if not the possession. Bradley again covered all kinds of ground, but his final pass was just a few inches off. We deserved the penalty and then had three golden opportunities to take the lead, but wasted all of them. We don't have a great finisher. We don't really even have a very good one, and we paid for that.
So what's the final verdict? It's a respectable showing, a deserved 2nd round berth but no more. I thought the quality of soccer, on the whole, was good. They passed better than they had in previous tournaments and created their own opportunities in a way they usually don't. I think we are one of the sixteen best teams in this tournament, but just barely. Certainly no better than Ghana.
I do hope fans stick with the Cup, with the national team, and with the MLS. What we're seeing now is the fruits of the MLS - basically every one of these players grew up in the league and cut their teeth there. It may not be the English Premier League, and it may be boring as hell to watch a 1-0 game between Kansas City and Dallas on a Thursday night in front of 4,000 fans at Pizza Hut Park. But the quality is always improving, and the young players you see now will get a chance with the national team.
I live on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, where there are literally a dozen pubs and sports bars within a five or ten minute walk. Each and every one of them was packed to the gills for every game the US played. Anyone who watched the Algeria or Slovenia game in a bar or restaurant will tell you what an incredible atmosphere it was. Soccer may never pass the big three (or four) in this country, but can't question its growth. I just hope it carries on and that people take a chance on the MLS and our national team over the coming years.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Goal of the World Cup So Far
The Round of 16 is shaping up, with two pairings set: Uruguay vs. South Korea, Argentina vs. Mexico. The latter's a reprise of 2006's overtime Round of 16 matchup ending with Maxi Rodriguez's stunning volley:
Anyway, no definite choice for thee goal of the World Cup so far, but I sure did like David Villa's solo effort to open the scoring against Honduras in a vital 2-0 win for the Spanish. Villa later scored a deflected second and then missed a penalty (wide with the goal gaping) that actually could end up being pretty huge for if/where Spain end up in the next round. Without further delay, enjoy:
Anyway, no definite choice for thee goal of the World Cup so far, but I sure did like David Villa's solo effort to open the scoring against Honduras in a vital 2-0 win for the Spanish. Villa later scored a deflected second and then missed a penalty (wide with the goal gaping) that actually could end up being pretty huge for if/where Spain end up in the next round. Without further delay, enjoy:
Monday, June 21, 2010
When Alexi Lalas speaks...
...do you all wonder what Ruud Gullit, Juergen Klinsmann, and Steve McManaman think?
Do they think to themselves, "Who the hell is this guy?" or "Should I know you from somewhere?"
In his career, Lalas was a player of considerable heart and limited ability, known to be "good in the air" but little else. He was indeed the first American to play in the Serie A for Padova -- at the time, quite a feat despite the club's lowly stature. He scored an infamous goal to beat England 2-1 in a friendly, though, if memory serves, he scored with the back of his head. And by that I mean he had literally turned around backwards to head the ball.
On TV, I find him to be terribly annoying. He speaks with authority but doesn't really have any. His off-the-field expertise has been proven by basically running a highly talented LA Galaxy team -- a club that gets the MLS does every possible favor to help succeed -- into the ground with bad signings and poor coaching.
Gullit's kind of an agreeable guy, but McManaman is pretty opinionated. Lalas' opinion of the English isn't very high -- perhaps he's not over getting snubbed after a tryout with Arsenal way back when -- and they're always on the verge of clashing. Still, he's the only one of the analysts who never analyzes and he's completely bought into the hype that the US team are poised to do huge things.
Anyway, an open-ended question but one I'm curious about: what do the guys in the studio with a pretty tremendous soccer pedigree think of Lalas? And would anyone else rather be listening to Wynalda? I miss him, and we don't get Fox Soccer Channel anymore either.
Do they think to themselves, "Who the hell is this guy?" or "Should I know you from somewhere?"
In his career, Lalas was a player of considerable heart and limited ability, known to be "good in the air" but little else. He was indeed the first American to play in the Serie A for Padova -- at the time, quite a feat despite the club's lowly stature. He scored an infamous goal to beat England 2-1 in a friendly, though, if memory serves, he scored with the back of his head. And by that I mean he had literally turned around backwards to head the ball.
On TV, I find him to be terribly annoying. He speaks with authority but doesn't really have any. His off-the-field expertise has been proven by basically running a highly talented LA Galaxy team -- a club that gets the MLS does every possible favor to help succeed -- into the ground with bad signings and poor coaching.
Gullit's kind of an agreeable guy, but McManaman is pretty opinionated. Lalas' opinion of the English isn't very high -- perhaps he's not over getting snubbed after a tryout with Arsenal way back when -- and they're always on the verge of clashing. Still, he's the only one of the analysts who never analyzes and he's completely bought into the hype that the US team are poised to do huge things.
Anyway, an open-ended question but one I'm curious about: what do the guys in the studio with a pretty tremendous soccer pedigree think of Lalas? And would anyone else rather be listening to Wynalda? I miss him, and we don't get Fox Soccer Channel anymore either.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Brazil - Ivory Coast
About sixty minutes through the DVR of Brazil vs. Ivory Coast, a game I had marked a few months ago as one to watch in the first round.
The Ivory Coast (I'd do "Cote d'Ivoire", but I can't find the circonflex on blogger) started well but were undone by one of the better goals of the tournament from Luis Fabiano. Kaka set it up, and it was one of the few positive things he did for the entire first half. For the first 20 minutes it seemed like every time he touched the ball, a CIV defender flew in and stuck him. But his pass was nice and simple and put Fabiano through.
Minute 66, Brazil up 3-0, and Elano gets raked in the shins and pulled off -- for Dani Alves, who has to be the best player not starting in this tournament. Can you think of another better? Given that, it's hard to see how Brazil won't make it at least to the final. Dunga's brought a new focus on defense and "efficiency". Lucio is a great center back, Juan does a good job too, and Julio Cesar is apparently the best goalkeeper in the world though I'd personally rather have Tim Howard or Casillas and I think probably still Friedel too. Biased, maybe. So Brazil can sit back, stroke the ball around, stay organized, and then rely on the tournament's most skillful front three in Kaka, Robinho, and Fabiano to counterattack and get a goal. Score that first one -- as with against the Ivory Coast -- and the opponent's plan changes, the game opens up, and Brazil can go be Brazil.
We'll see what happens against Portugal, but my guess is that they rest a few guys and still come away with at least a tie.
As for the Ivory Coast, they've really done themselves a lot of harm with such a heavy loss. As with South Korea or South Africa, a one goal loss would've been acceptable. Allowing so many goals though is likely to come back and bite them.
The Ivory Coast (I'd do "Cote d'Ivoire", but I can't find the circonflex on blogger) started well but were undone by one of the better goals of the tournament from Luis Fabiano. Kaka set it up, and it was one of the few positive things he did for the entire first half. For the first 20 minutes it seemed like every time he touched the ball, a CIV defender flew in and stuck him. But his pass was nice and simple and put Fabiano through.
Minute 66, Brazil up 3-0, and Elano gets raked in the shins and pulled off -- for Dani Alves, who has to be the best player not starting in this tournament. Can you think of another better? Given that, it's hard to see how Brazil won't make it at least to the final. Dunga's brought a new focus on defense and "efficiency". Lucio is a great center back, Juan does a good job too, and Julio Cesar is apparently the best goalkeeper in the world though I'd personally rather have Tim Howard or Casillas and I think probably still Friedel too. Biased, maybe. So Brazil can sit back, stroke the ball around, stay organized, and then rely on the tournament's most skillful front three in Kaka, Robinho, and Fabiano to counterattack and get a goal. Score that first one -- as with against the Ivory Coast -- and the opponent's plan changes, the game opens up, and Brazil can go be Brazil.
We'll see what happens against Portugal, but my guess is that they rest a few guys and still come away with at least a tie.
As for the Ivory Coast, they've really done themselves a lot of harm with such a heavy loss. As with South Korea or South Africa, a one goal loss would've been acceptable. Allowing so many goals though is likely to come back and bite them.
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