Not quite World Cup play

Getting to watch to two of MLS's worst teams play so I can be blown away when the World Cup starts. Handing out copies of the pool to the press and friends here at the Chivas USA match. If work cooperates, I hope to have the online entry done Monday. But if you want to enter now, you can take a picture of the entry and email it to me at worldcup(at)HWCI.com.

2014 Badge of Honor

As the online entry hopefully will be up by Monday, the HWCI 2014 World Cup Pool logo has been unveiled.  One of these days, this will be on some tangible winner's prize, but for now, it's just money.  Can you spot the combined H-W?

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In the meantime, the USA struggled in its first tuneup match at home to some 85th ranked nation no one can spell while Landon scored twice and added an assist in his first game back with the LA Galaxy on Sunday.  In fact, less than 2 minutes into the match, Landon put the Galaxy on the board with a great free kick assist.  Ah, should be an interesting 2014 for Team USA.

Sam's PANDO! or GORDO # 1: The USA Preview

Back for the 3rd straight World Cup Pool, Sammy's PANDO! or GORDO newsletter returns!

 TICKER: JUAN AGUDELO being lined up by HANOVER as their main summer target .. ..

Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat > the USA will make any group look like the GROUP OF DEATH .. .. If they struggled that hard to get out of their subpar group in ’10, everyone will prove to be formidable rivals .. ..

That said, HERR JURGEN is the absolute right man for the US job .. .. Taking firm control of the USSF program across all levels is the only way to raise the US level of play .. .. For the USA to reach a WC Semi-Final one day, an efficient ruthlessness is needed to run the ‘factory’ .. .. Call it a European-slant, or whatever you like, the USSF is on the right trajectory .. .. They won @ MEX – They won @ ITA .. .. The results may not appear by July 2014 (hopefully it will), but the measuring stick will come with the ’16 Olympics & ’18 WC .. ..

Remember how the public demanded that CHARLIES DAVIES be invited to the 2010 WC Camp? Even the wonderful US fans can use a little tough-love .. ..

And, finally, on to the soccer medias sacred cow of Landon Donovan –

Foster's Football Brew # 1: Dark Horse Preview

Here is a treat. Eric's Foster's Football Brew is back for the 2nd straight soccer pool (debuting Euro 2012).  Here's the first issue before he actually heads to Brazil!

May 25, 2014

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Yours truly will be in Brazil in late June to watch Argentina spank Iran, and enjoy all the games at bars and parties in 4 cities.  I'll report my experiences from time to time.  For now, enjoy my second "season" of writing Foster's Football Brew:

We've heard enough about the Landon Donovan snub (and let's face it, Team USA will struggle with or without the legendary American forward), so I'm going to tell you about which teams I think you should keep your eyes on, from traditional contenders to dark horses that will surprise you.

It should come as no surprise that Brazil, Argentina, Germany, and Spain are the perennial favorites to win the Tournament.  As much as I'd like to see Argentina win it all, they may have some flaws in the departments of defense and chemistry.  Nevertheless, chances are better than 50-50 that one of these four sides will raise the trophy on July 13 at the Maracanã stadium in Rio.  But each team has some weaknesses, and there are other teams out there that are legitimate threats to win it all.  

PRETENDERS

Some teams are being touted to go deep or exceed expectations.  I'm going to deflate a few of those sides:

-France:  The Frogs are loaded with talent,

Donovan a No Go!

Landon a few days after scoring the game-winning goal in MLS Cup 2011

Wow.  It doesn't matter that on paper, this player was 1.2 points better than Landon Donovan on whatever stat you are using.  Wow.  You're talking about USA's all-time leading scorer and while it may debatable if he would be in the Starting XI, a mind exercise if he should be on the lineup's 18, he deserved to be as one of the 23.  Of course, there will probably be some unfortunately injury, and Donovan will be added back on, and, yes, this has been great PR in the media as sports radio is all a-buzz about this (especially on the great Colin Cowherd's show), but it's still a slap in the face to probably one of the few, if not only person most non-soccer fans will recognize on the roster.  It's 23 players.  If you want to give some younglings who won't play a World Cup experience, bring them to Brazil, buy them a front row seat behind your bench, and let them grow from there.  It's not like the NBA, where you have dozens of great players and great personalities vying for 12 or so spots.  You've got like three (Donovan, Dempsey, Howard).  Take them and add the other 20.  This is not a rebuilding year or a "we'll make a star out of someone" campaign.

I'm conveniently ignoring the fact that Donovan took a well-needed sabbatical during a key qualifying period and that he has yet to score the one goal this season to become MLS's leading scorer, but hey, he's a nice guy and takes a great photo.

Oh, yeah, I hope to get the World Cup Pool site up by June 1st but if you want to fill out your bracket now, you can download the form and rules here!

Back from Maryland, Off to Seattle

Got back at 11 pm, leaving at 4 am.  Hopefully, after this, I'll be able to close out the pool with my final comments...

Sam's Latest Pando! or Gordo? 7/10 & 7/11

Are these the final Pando! or Gordos?  Only Sammy knows.  In the meantime, read what he had to say about the 3rd place match and the ugly final match.

Off to Dahlgren, VA

Updates will come tomorrow night as I'm off to Virginia and then teaching Monday.  Savor the victory and post any final thoughts on the blog or the discussion board.

They already have the star!

Spain is sporting their traditional red jerseys for the trophy presentation and their jerseys already have a yellow star on top of the crest!  I guess the poor African kids will be wearing the orange NED jerseys with a star on them when those jerseys are discarded. 

Well-earned title for both Spain and Joseph D

NED playing down a man, who is NED's leader to compose the team after the goal?  All NED is doing is holding their hands up in frustration.  Poor Torres pulls his hamstring running down the field.  One last header in the box doesn't produce anything and the whistle blows!  Spain are champs!   They are the 8th different champion.  They outplayed their opponent in all 7 matches (including the 1-0 loss to SUI) and won their 4th straight 1-0 match (all goals after the 1st half).  Incredible.  Only 8 goals scored in the 7 matches.  Incredible.  NED's third final wasn't a charm, and they will have to wait another four years.  An ugly game that could've ended uglier in PKs, the better team won.

As for the pool, here are your winners (like Spain, Joseph D was the leader after every round and held on for victory):

1st ($310):      Forza Pazza (Joseph D)

2nd ($160):      Corner Kick Kid (Albert H)

3rd ($100):      Dime 23 (Joseph T)

Tied-4th ($30):  Soccerbix (Fernando B)

Tied-4th ($30):  Former MLS Writer (Damian C)

Bonus ($40):     Big Tex (Stephen R) 

121':  ESP picked up the match's 14th card.

ESP scores!!!

115:54 (116'):  NED couldn't clear the ball and ESP's Fabregas collects and lays off a nice ball to Andres Iniesta who slots it home past the GK into the left side of the net.  He takes his shirt off in the celebration so that will be the 12th card, but I don't think he minds.  It was funny because after 116 minutes of scoreless soccer, nobody seemed really sure the goal counted.
Four minutes til glory for Spain.  NED picks up a yellow for dissent (their 9th) before Iniesta picks up his.  So that's 13 for the match.  Ugly.

That goal also means there have been 6 goals in the 3rd+Final which means right now, Soccerbix and Former MLS Writer will split the $60 4th place prize and Big Tex has wrestled away the Bonus from BigRedMessi.

115': Sneidjer's deep FK after some distraction deflects off the wall, but the ref gives a goal kick!  But ESP doesn't kick the ball back to NED like NED did earlier :-)

113': Robben nearly got his 2nd yellow for kicking the ball after being called offsides.  Close.
111': Another yellow for NED.  That's eight for them and 11 for the match.  NED's ejection was the 17th player this WC to be red-carded.

Red!

109':  NED's John Heitinga pulls down a ESP player at the top of the arc for his 2nd yellow card (10th of the match; 7 on NED) and is ejected.  He's taking the long walk off, wasting time.  No doubt, NED is now playing for PKs.  Xavi wastes the free kick, hitting it high.  He's no URU's Forlan.

15 Minutes Left

ESP has been the better team with the more creative chances, but NED has disrupted them with their physical play. At the break, ESP's David Villa comes out for Fernando Torres, hero of the '08 Euro Final.  Can Torres redeem himself?  BTW, Spain has missed both PKs they have attempted this WC.

104':  ESP's Fabregas dribbles through five defenders but his weak shot goes wide right... again, no pass. 

101':  ESP misses another chance and again no pass once the ESP player enters the box.  The ball deflects and goes just wide right.

Nil-Nil at the end of regulation

This is the third time in the last five WCs that we've gone to Extra Time (hopefully not another 0-0 tie like in '94).  In the first three minutes, good non-call by the ref as one ESP player dives, one runs into a NED player, and Xavi kicks a NED player.  The lack of goals has kept things status quo for those involved in tiebreakers.  Remember, only goals scored in Extra Time count... no PK shootout goals count.  Not a good sign that neither team has ever scored a goal in Extra Time in the WC.

 95': ESP's Fabregas misses a point blank opportunity.  I think if he would've passed it, it may have been offsides so good decision with the shot.  Great save.  NED then nearly scores on a CK.

98': Another great chance by ESP... it's like ESP is afraid of passing the ball and this time they don't even get a shot off as NED's Giovanni Van Bronckhorst stops the play.

Robben doesn't dive... but doesn't score either

83':  Wow.  The one time Robben doesn't take a dive, he gets into the box but the GK takes it off his foot.  If he falls, he could've gotten a close FK but he did the right thing by going for it.  The fact the ref didn't give him the FK just reinforces the reason why players take dives.  It's better to dive than to try and not get the call.  BTW, he got the 9th card of the match for dissent.

Too bad the great Japanese ref (NED-BRA) is only a 4th official, but this ref is doing pretty good (just about every card was deserved).