Another break day and so an opportunity to answer some questions.


Danielgregg – Something I've noticed about this tournament, don't recall if it's something unique or not: there've been so many records broken. Croatia broke some kind of record when they beat Germany, Turkey broke their record against the Czechs, the Dutch beat their 30-year record against Italy, and Italy beat their 30-year record against France, and now Spain banished their longstanding record against not only Italy, but their June 22 jinx.

You probably don't put too much store in these records. I just think it's been interesting to see so many games one after another with pundits pointing out these records before almost every game, and then they go and promptly break them--so consistently.

Bobby – There have been a good number of these instances. I think it would need a statistician to provide more intelligent comment.  But you also have to consider that international match ups don’t happen every year or sometimes even every second year and so extended records of 20 or 30 years may only be less than a dozen games.  Something that happens in domestic league leagues


LHJS - I hope one day the America's can combine to form a great tournament like EURO's. 8 groups, 5 or 6 teams per group, winner and second place team gets an invite. Every country between Chile and Canada would have a chance. I think it would be great fun for all soccer fans. A nightmare for police but still as we see on TV it could be great.

Bobby – This is something that comes up on a pretty regular basis. I can’t see either Federation amalgamating for the purposes of World Cup qualifying but maybe there is just a small chance that they could get together for a regional championship.

Here is a précis of an article I wrote for “WSC – When Saturday Comes” back in April 2002 just after the Gold Cup of that year.

“……The more astute readers will have noticed that South Korea and Ecuador are not Central American, North American or Caribbean counties. Since it’s inception in 1991 the Gold Cup has invited guest teams to compete, not something that lends credibility to the competition. It’s simple: when you invite outside teams to enter a regional championship it’s no longer a regional championship.

Can anyone imagine the European Championship inviting Brazil, Argentina and Cameroon to fly in for a game or two? In the past we’ve seen Peru, Colombia and Brazil turn up along with South Korea and Ecuador. To date no guest has won the Cup but two have reached the Final.

This time around only Mexico drew well in the early stages and after they lost in the quarter final to South Korea, average attendance dropped dramatically. Despite the USA reaching the final where they beat Costa Rica 2-0, the last four games in the competition attracted less than 22,000 fans. Cup organizers were quick to point out that the Cup was up against the National Hockey League all-star game and the Superbowl weekend. It begs the question - why would you schedule the Gold Cup against these events in the first place?

The problems facing the Gold Cup are strikingly similar to those facing CONMEBOL and the Copa America. Copa America with the ten member countries of CONMEBOL has to invite two guest countries in order to get to a workable number. Honduras, Mexico, Japan, the USA and Costa Rica have all taken part in the Copa in recent years. There is, however, a solution – the Pan American Cup.

Never heard of it you say? That’s because it’s time to drop both the Copa America and the Gold Cup and start a new sixteen team tournament to be held once every four years with no guest teams.

To ease fixture congestion the tournament could be scheduled just before or just after the European Championship. A Pan American Cup makes sense for everyone, including the long suffering fans.

From a CONCACAF prospective it gives their member countries the badly needed challenge of better opponents. The participation of Brazil and Argentina would increase television revenue in the US and generate greater media exposure throughout North America.

With the imminent demise of the ill fated and vastly unpopular Confederations Cup the need to identify regional champions no longer exists. If the Pan American Cup could live up to half of its potential, the qualifying competitions would generate interest.

By holding the tournament two years after the World Cup, qualification standings in each confederation could form the basis of awarding automatic spots in the Pan American Cup, perhaps the top five finishers in each. As tradition dictates, the previous winner would get a bye along with the host country.

With four spots remaining, three could come from a Central and South American qualifying competition while the remaining spot would be from a North America and Caribbean tournament.

Is there hope that CONMEBOL and CONCACAF would give up some of their power and merge the two troubled competitions? From a CONCACAF prospective they run a competition of no value, so they have little to lose by making a move. CONMEBOL’s view is likely to be different given the Copa America is the oldest international tournament in the world.

However, FIFA has already told the South Americans that an eighteen game World Cup qualifying competition can’t continue if the Copa America is held every two years. The South American qualifying group generates tremendous interest and a great deal of money.

It’s not something the CONMEBOL countries want to lose so the status quo may not be an option. The alternatives are changing the Copa America to a four year format or make a bold move and go for a Pan American Cup.”  


Shmish - What's your take on the criticisms that are being leveled on coaches such as MVB and Donadoni? It's predictable that Aragones or Loew will also be condemned by media and bloggers. I think all of these men seem to have done a good job, but I'm not a soccer analyst.

Whether a team is outplayed or outcoached, do we always have to point fingers at the coaches? Surely as Bobby suggests, we should pay attention and offer praise to the winners, when praise is due. One man's or team's success doesn't necessarily equate to another's failure.


Bobby – When a team loses the coach more times than not becomes a lightning rod for criticism. At club level there is almost always a game coming within a week or so and the coach and team have an escape route. That’s rarely the case at international level with friendlies and competition spread out.

Coaches know the “rules” when they sign on as unfair as they may be.  But each defeat produces knee-jerk reactions from the fans and the media and the pressure builds on the national associations for a change to be made. Without having lived through it I doubt many of us can truly understand the constant pressure that coaches all operate under.

So much of it comes down to managing expectations going in, unfortunately as fans most of us have expectations that are unrealistic. I’m waiting for the day when a fan admits he would have picked a different team than the one the coach did and because the team won its obvious the coach knows what he’s doing and has not lost the plot!


Terry 63 - Hey Bobby, we're missing the Tartan Army at these major tourneys. Start checking the census rolls to see if there are any Scots with Brazilian grandmothers.  Of course...I meant to say Brazilians with *Scottish* grandmas! But either way couldn't hurt.

Bobby – At least Scotland has shown some improvement over the last couple years.  Under Berti Vogts a team made up of Brazilian grandmothers might have been a better option. That’s what you meant wasn’t it?


ZUCO2 - I was watching the FSR yesterday and I heard Derek say that there was 9 minutes of added time in a qualifying game in Asia. Shouldn't FIFA have a rule that allows referees to give a certain amount of stoppage time? A sort of limit that shouldn't be broken?

Bobby – So what you do in the situation where there was a serious injury and possibly even a couple of serious injuries? Or the game is delayed because of a streaker? It is up to the referee to judge how much stoppage time should be played I don’t see any benefit by capping it – and in fact I think the opposite is true, it would lead to more abuse.


Exponents - Bobby, off topic, but let's say the USMNT needed a new coach (I think you'll agree that they do)...who should they try to get? Of course this begs the question of who would actually want to coach the USMNT.

Bobby – No, I actually don’t agree. To date Bradley has won the only competition the United States has entered since he became coach (Gold Cup) so why would you be looking to replace him?


Rowdies33 - I haven't seen much heat on Van Basten for his tactics during the game. RVP played on the right flank where he has played before in this tourney, but he was always looking for the cutback and Heitinga wasn't getting forward so there was no width on the right and then by not bringing Robben in on the left there was no presence going forward on the left to stretch the field.

Given the difficulties of set pieces for the Russian defense, wouldn't crosses from wide positions have likely given them problems? Of course, the Russians dominated the play and perhaps nothing changes, but it seemed like the Dutch offense was basically using 1/2-3/4 of the width of the field making the Russians defensive pressure much easier to employ. Thoughts?

Bobby – It might be a bit pointless turning up the heat up on van Baston given that we all knew he was finished with the Netherlands after this tournament.  You do make valid points however. 

But the problems that the Russians were experiencing from set pieces were coming from in swinging free kicks on the left. Robbin would be delivering more conventional out swinging crosses with his left foot so I’m not sure the two would necessarily be connected.  I was surprised that the Dutch did not try and force the Russian full backs to defend more and instead allowed them to attack almost at will.

I think the brilliance of Hiddink’s strategy was to counter the counterattack by pinning the Dutch so deep and not giving them time on the ball that they are unable to use the counterattack tactic that had been so lethal in the group stage.


LHJS - I almost forgot, Bobby did I catch Carlos?

Bobby –Carlos picked up nine points in the quarterfinal round and has 37 points. However, he only has one team left and that is Spain. He has Spain down as beaten finalists.


RINGO - Do those who predicted the third place game lose points?

Bobby – No, they just have to suffer the public embarrassment of adding games that don’t exist.


Comment of the Day

“I bumped into Howard Webb, the English referee, at Zurich Airport last Friday. He was on his way back to Manchester, having not been retained for the knockout stages of Euro 2008, after his controversial decision in the final minutes of the match between Austria and Poland. Webb was no different to a lot of other Englishmen at leading tournaments, really, in that he was eliminated by penalties.” - Martin Samuel in The Times.


Stat of the Day
1: Number of the past 52 goals in the tournament to have come from a defender — Christian Panucci  - From Bill Edgar of The Times.


 
 

Group D

Russia 2-0 Sweden

Sweden could not keep up with a slick passing and speedy Russian side. Russia was fully committed to attack right from the opening whistle and they peppered the Swedish goal with shots throughout the game.

The fact that Russia only led by one goal at half time was down to a combination of some good goalkeeping from Isaksson and some finishing that just lacked an edge. Arshavin was very much the orchestrator for Russia but this was far from a one man show. Zhirkov, Semak, Zyryanov, Anyukov and Bilyaletdinov all stood out while the size and strength of Pavlyuchenko bothered the Swedish defence. It was Pavlyucheko that got the opening goal as he finished off some good work by Anyukov down the right side.

The second goal was a thing of absolute beauty and came early in the second half. A Swedish clearance was picked off inside his own half by Zhirkov. He found Arshavin and continued his run forward. Arshavin knocked the ball to Diniyar Bilyaletdinov who then threaded a twenty yard pass behind the Swedish defence and right to Zhirkov who made a diagonal run.

Zhirkov carried the ball into the Swedish penalty box before squaring to Arshavin who slid the ball past Isaksson. The move from start to finish probably took no more than ten seconds, involved four players and four passes and the ball travelled more than half the length off the field without a Swedish defender getting a sniff. Spectacular and a candidate for the best goal of the tournament – set the recorder tonight if you did not catch this goal live!

As Sweden desperately tried to pull a goal back they left themselves open to Russia on the counter. There were numerous chances to increase the score but everyone was squandered. Another triumph for a side showing a willingness to go forward and to attack the opposition with pace, passing and fantastic movement Now we have Guus Hiddink going up against his native Netherlands on Saturday – something we can all look forward to.  

 

Spain 2-1 Greece

Greece scores a goal but still lose to what could be best described as the Spanish B team. Nice bit of refereeing on the first Spanish goal. Howard Webb opting to play the advantage after a foul by Greece in midfield. The call allowed the move to continue and it finished with a rasping shot from de la Red.

Comment of the Day

"At this stage of the tournament any opponent was going to be difficult but they aren't the team (Italy) I would have most liked to have met," Spain coach Luis Aragones.

Prediction Update

Group C proved to be a real #### for just about everyone. A lot of blanks – many more than Groups A and B. Only one 100% correct prediction for Group C and it came from Stonefacesurf. Sounderfan still leads (19 points from a possible 24) although the gap narrowed yesterday.

Questions

1. So far, is this a better tournament than Euro 2004?

2. Without checking the statistics do you think Euro 2008 has produced more, about the same or less goals than Euro 2004?

Well day one is done and not many people would have bet that both Brazil and Argentina would complete the first day of competition without a win and without a goal. Argentina arrived as a strong defensive team and that was clearly on show against the Czech Republic.

Argentina dominated possession (59 to 41) and attempts on goal (22 to 2) but was missing an out-and-out goal scorer to get on the end of the numerous build-ups.

Ironically it was the Czechs who had the best chance of the game when Argentine keeper Romero opted to charge the Czech attacker on a break away and Argentina had to rely on substitute Acosta to clear the ball as it rolled towards the goal line.

Replays also showed that the Czechs were denied a first half penalty when Fenin tripped in the penalty box. Rather than pointing to the spot the referee booked the Czech player for diving. 

Moralez was the main threat (and a crowd pleaser to boot) during the first half while Banega dominated the second half for Argentina. Banega 's style was reminiscent of former great Fernando Redondo while Sergio Aguero often looks like a young Romario. 

Group E finishes day one with no goals and all four countries sitting on a point each. On Tuesday the Czech Republic plays North Korea and Panama plays Argentina. No matter Tuesday’s outcome all four teams are already guaranteed to be in contention on the final day of Group E play on Friday. 

Day 1 Wrap
Decent weather, great crowds, some good football but not a lot of goals.
Player of the Day - Lee Young Sung (South Korea)

TV Broadcast
Low point – The CBC crew of Steve Armitage and Paul Dolan were clueless when Krol was sent off against Brazil. It wasn’t until Krol was walking to the dressing room that it clicked that perhaps he had received something more than a yellow card – even though referee Howard Webb clearly showed a red card straight after the second yellow.  The first was shown 20 minutes earlier.

Please stop – refering to Canada as Team Canada.

High point – On the Argentina – Czech Republic game CBC used Steve Banyard as the play-by-play announcer and he was as usual excellent.

Blame it on the Boogie - CBC is using two in-studio analysts as well as two play-by-play crews. Of the four experts (two colour commentators and two in-studio analysts) three are former goalkeepers (Paul Dolan, Craig Forrest and #### Howard) and a left back (Bob Lenarduzzi). Don’t be surprised if Bob gets blamed if any of the former goalkeepers makes a mistake.

You can send any information (fsr@mts.net) that you think might be of interest about the twenty-four countries and I will post a regular selection. If you have a FIFA Under-20 blog go ahead and post your link under comments.

You can also check out the National Post blog.

If Brazil is to win the FIFA under-20 World Cup they will have to do what Argentina did two years ago – recover after losing their first game. In 2005 the USA pulled off the upset, this time it was Poland. What’s more Poland did it playing for over an hour after Krzysztof Krol of Real Madrid was sent off after collecting a second yellow card from referee Howard Webb.

Krol’s dismissal came just minutes after Bordeaux’s Grzegorz Krychowiak curled a 30-yard free kick over the Brazilian wall for what turned out to be Poland’s only shot on goal and in turn, the only goal of the game. The free kick was well struck but the positioning of Brazilian goalkeeper Cassio was dreadful. 

In the first half the Poles picked up two other yellow cards while embarking on a policy of take-no-prisoners. With the possibility of going down to nine men only one mistimed tackle away Poland showed a great deal more discipline and control in the second half as they comfortably absorbed pressure from Brazil.

Brazil dominated possession (62-38) over the ninety minutes but failed miserably when it came to creating clear cut chances. If Brazil was to score it was going to come through Lima (first half) and Renato (second half) but time after time the final pass failed to find its mark.

The Brazilians lacked width in attack and tenacity up front. Luizao at centre back hardly put a foot wrong for Brazil and was by far their best player.

For Poland, Dawid Janczyk was tireless during his 73 minutes on the pitch while Strugarek and Fojut were both immense in defence. In all a poor Brazilian performance that a solid and motivated Polish side punished.

Team Notes
"The New Zealand midfielder Chris James has withdrawn from the FIFA under-20 football World Cup in Canada, citing family reasons.The 19-year-old is returning to his home in London, ruling him out of New Zealand's group C matches against Portugal, Gambia and Mexico from Tuesday.He can't be replaced under FIFA regulations, leaving New Zealand one player short of the 21 allowed.New Zealand face a tough opener against the two-time champions Portugal at Toronto's National Soccer Stadium. Kick off's at a quarter past six on Tuesday morning, New Zealand time." New Zealand Radio.

You can send any information (fsr@mts.net) that you think might be of interest about the twenty-four countries and I will post a regular selection. If you have a FIFA Under-20 blog go ahead and post your link under comments.

You can also check out the National Post blog on the tournament.

Player Updates
Brazil’s captain Lucas who was part of the Group D preview is injured and has been replaced by Marcone.  Gambia’s Abdourahman Dampha has replaced by Ken Jammeh. 

Officials Sent Home
Media release issued by FIFA – “On 26 June 2007, the referees selected to officiate matches during the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007 had, as usual for FIFA competitions, a fitness test to evaluate their speed and endurance. Their performances confirmed their excellent physical condition during this very demanding exercise.

Jerome Damon (RSA), Enock Molefe (RSA),  Siphiwo Jibiliza (RSA); Hector Baldassi(ARG), Ricardo Casas (ARG), Walter Velaz (ARG);  Leonardo Gaciba (BRA), Altemir Hausmann,(BRA), Roberto Braatz (BRA), were all sent home as one in each trio failed the test.

In one of the steps FIFA has taken to significantly improve refereeing standards, instructions issued to the referees prior to the competition made it clear that entire trios would be forced out of the competition if any of their members failed the fitness test.
Consequently, FIFA will replace the departed referees with 3 FIFA Canadian referees who will be acting as 4th officials during this tournament;  Steven Depiero (CAN), Silviu Petrescu, (CAN), and Paul Ward (CAN)”.

Officials for first 12 Games
Barclay’s Premiership referee Howard Webb will be in charge of the opening game (Poland vs. Brazil) of the tournament. Webb will officiate along with two other Premiership officials Darren Cann (the assistant referee at the centre of the Arsenal Carling Cup Final controversy) and Michael Mullarkey.

The USA opener against South Korea will be officiated by Joel Aguilar (El Salvador) assisted by Roberto Giron (Honduras) and Daniel Williamson (Panama). An all-Spanish crew has been allotted Canada’s opening game against Chile. Mallenco Undiano, Fermin Matrinez and Juan Carlos Jimenez Yuste will take charge.

An USA crew consisting of Terry Vaughn, Chris Strickland and George Gansner with Canadian Silviu Petrescu have drawn the Jordan vs. Zambia game on Sunday in Burnaby.

First of all my aplogies to anyone who logged on earlier expecting to share half time and full time thoughts. My Internet service provider became my internet no-service provider this morning. Normal service has just been resumed.

And to the game. I enjoyed the game and the time flew past. There was always the threat o####oal or a controversial incident to keep me glued to the set. A share of the points I thought was fair over the ninety minutes with United no doubt regretting their failure to put Chelsea away in the first half.

United were terrific in the first half. The back fire was water tight and the midfield was much brighter and quicker in thought and deed than their Chelsea counterparts. With Giggs being given the freedom to room the United game plan seemed to consist of getting the ball to Ronaldo and allowing him to run free or alternatively, to move the ball quickly through the midfield and isolate Makelele.

The United goal started with Giggs popping up deep on the right side and the ball was quickly relayed to Saha. Saha showed the deftness of a pickpocket as he almost passed the ball into the net.

Mourinho’s key move was taking off Geremi (a lovely passer but not the most mobile of players) and slotting Essien in as a right wing back. We saw Essien’s versatility a couple of weeks ago against Tottenham as Chelsea tried to salvage the game. This time Essien did turn the game. He did a fine defensive job but he also provided Chelsea with much needed width on the right side and an extra man in midfield. I am pretty certain it was Essien who was up in the United penalty box and who forced the corner from which Carvalho scored.

I don’t think SAF will be disappointed in any of the performances from his players although Jose Mourinho is unlikely to feel the same way. It looks to me as if Claude Makelele is beginning to show his age against teams that move the ball quickly. Ballack and Shevchenko both disappointed and not for the first time this season.

Up to this season Mourinho’s teams have exceeded the sum of their parts - that is not the case this season. Chelsea is far from firing on all-cylinders. 

Finally a word about the referee Howard Webb who did a fine job.