Happy BBQ's all!

DAILY READS

 

SA2010 pledges to fix transport problems

 

Stephen Colbert to run for USSF president. (That's a joke, folks.)

 

Landon Donovan rips Becks

 

Owen to… Man U?!

 

Leeds United chair Ken Bates loses libel case

 

Shocker: Romania captain Georghe Popescu says he was informer for secret police under Ceausescu

 

Sal Zizzo loaned to Duesseldorf

 

Interesting: Chabon on childhood

 

And: Is this the worst-written comic of the week?

 

THE WEEKENDER (All times EDT; pix in bold)

Gold Cup kicks off tonight!

 

FRIDAY

Canada vs Jamaica                        2000            Galavision

Cleveland vs. Austin (USL)            2000            FSC/FSE

Costa Rica vs El Salvador            2200            Telefutura

 

SATURDAY

Honduras vs. Haiti                        1900            Galavision

CLB vs DC                                    1900            ESPN2

FCD vs NYRB                        2100            DK/RSNs

USA vs Grenada                        2100            FSC

COL vs CHI                                    2100            DK/RSNs

LA vs Revs                                    2300            FSC/FSE

 

SUNDAY

Panama vs Guadeloupe            1700            Galavision

Freedom vs Sol                        1800            FSC

Nicaragua vs Mexico                        1900            Univision

 

The Revised USA roster (x-will not be at all matches):

 

Goalkeepers: Jon Busch (Chicago Fire), x-Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Troy Perkins (IK Start, Norway), Luis Robles (Kaiserslautern, Germany)

Defenders: x-Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City), Clarence Goodson (IK Start, Norway), Jay Heaps (New England), x-Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Chad Marshall (Columbus), Michael Parkhurst (Nordsjaellands, Denmark), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock, Germany)

Midfielders: Davy Arnaud (Kansas City), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Colin Clark (Colorado), x-Ricardo Clark (Houston), Sam Cronin (Toronto), Brad Evans (Seattle), x-Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus, Denmark), Stuart Holden (Houston), Logan Pause (Chicago), Robbie Rogers (Columbus)

Forwards: Freddy Adu (AS Monaco), x-Jozy Altidore (Villarreal, Spain), x-Conor Casey (Colorado), Brian Ching (Houston), Kenny Cooper (Dallas), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF, Sweden), Santino Quaranta (D.C.)

 

If you overslept this morning, missing, let’s say, the first hour of the third place match in South Africa this morning, which aired at the churchly hour of 9 am for many (and the ungodly hour of 6 am for some,) allow me to assure you that you didn’t miss much. So feel no guilt about those extra zzz’s.

However, if you missed the last hour of the game — and yes, it was an hour as it went to overtime — then you have no one to blame but yourself for missing perhaps the most compelling 3rd place final in recent memory. The result was a 3-2 win for Spain, but the excitement of the last ten minutes will make the highlight reels for years to come as the teams traded sublime and unpredictable goals before Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso finally nicked the win with a remarkable long-range effort.

In fact, as I type this, I am sure some enterprising fellows in Madrid and Rustenberg are assembling clips on You Tube, and Daniel Guiza’s cross**** pinball-shot in the 88th is likely to lead off the bunch. Remarkably, it was Guiza’s second goal in about a minute, coming amdist a back-and-forth tussle that saw the lead change twice and two substitutes take charge of a match that until that point, had been more athletic than entertaining.

So let’s start from the top: South Africa met a Spanish side that really, really didn’t look too keen to be there. All the excuses served up by their media after that bitter loss to the USA? Well, even the most acrid comments can have a ring of truth. This team, while certainly eager to redeem themselves, was a tired bunch with one eye on the beach. When you consider that their roster is stocked by men from clubs like Real, Liverpool, Arsenal and Barcelona, it’s hard not to cut guys who have already played 60 games this year a little slack.

Still, South Africa managed to put on the same show they displayed against Brazil, challenging every ball and repeatedly outworking a somewhat standoffish Spanish defense. Iker Casillas was tested more than he would have liked, but to little effect. And the truth is, that the Bafana Bafana never really looked able to score despite creating chances.

That is, until the introduction of sub Katlego Mphela. Mphela, who had played just one minute, total, in the competition up to this point, entered the game in the 64th minute — and scored nine minutes later. Belgium-based Elrio van Heerden got Siphiwe Tshabalala racing behind Alvaro Arbeloa, and his ball in was first controlled by Mphela, who bounced it into the turf with his knee, and then volleyed past a frustrated Casillas. The stadium erupted into a hornet’s nest of vuvuzelas, and it seemed the boys had their hands on the bronze.

  But Guiza, who came on the pitch just after Mphela, had other ideas. He leveled the game with three remaining on the clock with a superb strike off Santi Cazorla that silenced the crowd. And then, that floater: It looked like a cross… until it just ducked inside Itumeleng Khune’s net. That one had the fans heading for the stands.

Fortunately, they have a lax enter-exit policy, because those same fans were rushing back the other way when Mphela — with no time left on the clock — sent a wicked free-kick swerving into the top-left corner from almost 40 yards out. The Bafana Bafana were back in it, and added time was up.

In a just world, both sides would have shook hands and both would have gotten nice medals. But, this is FIFA, which continues to stage third place games for reasons that honestly remain unclear. And so, after a gripping first 15 minutes, that saw Mphela test Casillas twice, a foolish foul by Matthew Booth at the edge of the box on Fernando Llorente allowed Alonso to score the winner.

There was no more left in the tank for South Africa.

For Spain, it was bittersweet: They thought they would be in the final. But they will have other games. For South Africa, this was the final competitive match they will play before next summer. Having not qualified for the African Cup of Nations, the Bafana Bafana will be forced to make preparations for the Cup with a series of friendlies.

They certainly can take heart in today’s performance as they displayed a resilience many thought was absent. But it is clear coach Joel Santana has a lot of work to do as well.

Debt-to-income ratios are bad for English teams

Dave George asks: Is soccer getting more popular here?

And Miami’s Greg Cote answers: “There is sheer, jingoistic arrogance in the idea that the mighty United States must dominate every sport to which it sets its mind.”

“Uncle Phil” maintaining low profile

The rise, fall, and death (?) of Setanta

African football boom? So sez SI

And, Bloomberg points out that colour line still exists

Keep in mind: New arenas mean more empty seats. A cautionary tale

Harrisburg bounce Revs in Open Cup. Four MLS sides go out in night of upsets.

Interesting:

 Bail revoked for cricket magnate, accused fraudster “Sir” Allen Stanford

Here’s how you can be bankrupted, yet insured

As letterhack, doctor & soccer fan Patrick Ward often notes to me in letters, active ingredient in Tylenol can kill.

 

Important blog note: Due to a system upgrade over here at Fox, this blog will be on hiatus from Thursday at 3 am EDT until July 1st. Hopefully, the new interface will be easier for y'all to use. Until then, look for stuff on the front page and peek back here next week when it'll be business as usual!