Dinosaurs have invaded the Houston Zoo, and the four of us went to see them today.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
World Cup: US unforms inspired by 1950 upset of England
It's called "The Game of Their Lives." It's also known as the biggest upset in the history of the World Cup.
In 1950, the US shocked the entire soccer world when it upended England 1-0 in the World Cup.
Only 1 American reporter covered the game, and he paid his own way to travel to Brazil. And back in England, some newspapers assumed the 1-0 scoreline was a misprint and reported the score as 10-1 or 10-0 in favor of England.
The uniforms the US team will be wearing this summer are inspired by the shirts worn by the US 60 years ago. Of course, the US's first opponent in the 2010 World Cup is England. Vanity Fair has a brief article about the uniforms and the history behind them. The 1950 edition is seen above and the current version is below:
Another interesting fact about the current jerseys is how they were made - completely from recycled plastic. According to the US Soccer web site:
In 1950, the US shocked the entire soccer world when it upended England 1-0 in the World Cup.
Heading into the 1950 World Cup England considered themselves "Kings of Football" with an impressive post-war record of 23 wins, 4 losses and 3 draws. On the flip side of the coin, the Americans were downright awful, having lost their last seven in a row by a combined score of 45-2. If you're a betting man, the odds were 3-1 for England to bring home the World Cup compared to 500-1 for the Yanks.
Only 1 American reporter covered the game, and he paid his own way to travel to Brazil. And back in England, some newspapers assumed the 1-0 scoreline was a misprint and reported the score as 10-1 or 10-0 in favor of England.
The uniforms the US team will be wearing this summer are inspired by the shirts worn by the US 60 years ago. Of course, the US's first opponent in the 2010 World Cup is England. Vanity Fair has a brief article about the uniforms and the history behind them. The 1950 edition is seen above and the current version is below:
- Most environmentally-friendly jerseys ever are made entirely from recycled polyester
- Each jersey is produced from up to eight recycled plastic bottles
- Nike fabric suppliers sourced discarded plastic bottles from Japanese and Taiwanese landfill sites and then melted them down to produce new yarn that was ultimately converted to fabric for the jerseys
- The yarn-making process saves raw materials and reduces energy consumption by up to 30 percent compared to manufacturing virgin polyester
- In creating jerseys for all of their national teams, Nike prevented nearly 13 million plastic bottles from going into landfill sites.
- If the recycled bottles used to make the jerseys were laid end-to-end, they would cover more than 1864 miles (which is more than the entire coastline of South Africa) .
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
World Cup: Brian Ching out!
Well, I was close. I predicted the following players would not make the final team:
Marshall, Pearce, Bedoya, Kljestan, Rogers, Findley, Johnson
I got 6 out of 7 right.
US Coach Bob Bradley surprised nearly every US soccer fan and journalist by dropping Brian Ching. The Flyin' Hawaiian was considered by me and most others as a lock to make the team. Instead, Bradley elected to take Robbie Findley, a speedy forward who has never really shown anything is a US shirt.
It must have been a surprise to Ching as well; an ESPN soccer writer posted this on his Twitter feed:
It's easy to forget when talking about highly paid pro athletes -- who we boo and cheer and yell at and talk about -- that they are regular people too. I've never met Ching but everything I've seen and read about him is that he is a humble, hard-working, stand-up guy.
Marshall, Pearce, Bedoya, Kljestan, Rogers, Findley, Johnson
I got 6 out of 7 right.
US Coach Bob Bradley surprised nearly every US soccer fan and journalist by dropping Brian Ching. The Flyin' Hawaiian was considered by me and most others as a lock to make the team. Instead, Bradley elected to take Robbie Findley, a speedy forward who has never really shown anything is a US shirt.
It must have been a surprise to Ching as well; an ESPN soccer writer posted this on his Twitter feed:
Got a vmail from Brian Ching while i was on flight. Said he was "disappointed and a little crushed." Didn't say why Bradley cut him.
It's easy to forget when talking about highly paid pro athletes -- who we boo and cheer and yell at and talk about -- that they are regular people too. I've never met Ching but everything I've seen and read about him is that he is a humble, hard-working, stand-up guy.
World Cup: Final Roster
US Coach Bob Bradley will announce his final World Cup roster today at 1 p.m. EST on ESPN. Here's who I predict will be on the team and who will be cut:
GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan, Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann.
DEFENDERS: Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Bornstein, Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson,Chad Marshall, Oguchi Onyewu, Heath Pearce, Jonathan Spector
MIDFIELDERS: DaMarcus Beasley,Alejandro Bedoya, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Stuart Holden, Sacha Kljestan, Robbie Rogers, José Torres.
FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore, Edson Buddle, Brian Ching,Robbie Findley, Herculez Gomez, Eddie Johnson.
As for last night's game, the US lost but that wasn't really the point. It was more to get some guys coming back from injuries some time in real game. Onyewu looked rusty and a little timid -- that's not good. Stuart Holden, however, looked great and set up both US goals.
Here's a good take by a Yahoo soccer blogger about the game.
GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan, Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann.
DEFENDERS: Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Bornstein, Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson,
MIDFIELDERS: DaMarcus Beasley,
FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore, Edson Buddle, Brian Ching,
As for last night's game, the US lost but that wasn't really the point. It was more to get some guys coming back from injuries some time in real game. Onyewu looked rusty and a little timid -- that's not good. Stuart Holden, however, looked great and set up both US goals.
Here's a good take by a Yahoo soccer blogger about the game.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
World Cup: Left Behind
Freddy Adu, as I mentioned in my last post, is the highest-profile US player who won't be playing in South Africa. He has bounced around from club to club during the last several years, never really securing a starting spot. He is currently playing for a club team in Greece but has not been playing well or consistently enough to merit consideration in the US team this year.
Another big name that is not going to be in South Africa is Ronaldinho of Brazil. He was one of the biggest soccer stars in the world just a few years ago, but he has gotten fat. (I think in the picture shown here he is actually running to the post-game buffet.)
Plus, the new coach of Brazil, Dunga, does not have the Brazilians playing the same, free-wheeling "joga bonito" style that they have been known for in years past. He usually has the team line up with 2 defensive midfielders, for example. These tactics have not endearing Dunga to the Brazilian fans, who expect their teams to play with flair and style.
Even if he were fit and playing well, Ronaldinho might not have made the Brazilian team -- he was never known as a player who pitched in a lot on defense, which is something Dunga expects from his players.
Finally, Kaka (yes, I know, very unfortunate name) has emerged as the primary, creative attacking player for Brazil. He doesn't play a lot of defense either, but at this stage he's better, younger and slimmer than Ronaldinho.
The other big name player missing out who is known even to non-soccer fans in David Beckham. He suffered an injury earlier this year and will not be part of England's squad. There are rumors, however, that he will still travel to South Africa as a kind of talisman/adviser for the Three Lions. He probably would have made the team if he'd been healthy, but not as a starter. He will return to MLS later this year once his torn achilles tendon heals.
Plus, the new coach of Brazil, Dunga, does not have the Brazilians playing the same, free-wheeling "joga bonito" style that they have been known for in years past. He usually has the team line up with 2 defensive midfielders, for example. These tactics have not endearing Dunga to the Brazilian fans, who expect their teams to play with flair and style.
Even if he were fit and playing well, Ronaldinho might not have made the Brazilian team -- he was never known as a player who pitched in a lot on defense, which is something Dunga expects from his players.
Finally, Kaka (yes, I know, very unfortunate name) has emerged as the primary, creative attacking player for Brazil. He doesn't play a lot of defense either, but at this stage he's better, younger and slimmer than Ronaldinho.
The other big name player missing out who is known even to non-soccer fans in David Beckham. He suffered an injury earlier this year and will not be part of England's squad. There are rumors, however, that he will still travel to South Africa as a kind of talisman/adviser for the Three Lions. He probably would have made the team if he'd been healthy, but not as a starter. He will return to MLS later this year once his torn achilles tendon heals.
World Cup: 30-7=23
Simple math, right? 30-7=23. But for US soccer players trying to make the team that travels to South Africa, that simple equation is much more than math.
30: The number of US players currently competing for the World Cup (WC) squad.
23: The number of players the US will bring to South Africa.
7: The number of players currently on the roster who will be cut, maybe as soon as tomorrow.
Now, certain players are a lock for the WC team. Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard and Josy Altidore are the best known American players whose places are secure. They may not even play in the exhibition match tonight (ESPN, 8 pm EST) against the Czech Republic.
But for a number of other players, their future is less certain. Here are the players who have the most to gain -- or lose -- in tonight's match:
Forward: Herculez Gomez, Edson Buddle, Eddie Johnson and Robbie Findley are all competing for the same position: forward. Of those 4, only 1 or 2 may make the final cut and play up top with Jozy Altidore.
Midfield: DaMarcus Beasley, Alejandro Bedoya, Sacha Kljestan, Robbie Rogers and José Torres are all trying to make their case for inclusion as midfielders. Just like the forwards, only 1 or 2 may punch their tickets to South Africa.
Defense: Jonathan Bornstein, Heath Pearce, Clarence Goodson and Chad Marshall are trying to make the squad as defenders. Bornstein and Pearce play the same position (left back); only 1 will probably be selected. Same with Goodson and Marshall, who both play in central defense.
The US players have been in training camp for more than a week, so Bob Bradley (the US coach) probably already has a good idea of most of his final 23. But for those players on the bubble, tonight's game may be the deciding factor.
Oh, and the US player with arguably the highest profile in the US -- Freddy Adu -- is not even in consideration for the US team this year. But he is still young (only 20) and will likely try to make the 2014 squad.
30: The number of US players currently competing for the World Cup (WC) squad.
23: The number of players the US will bring to South Africa.
7: The number of players currently on the roster who will be cut, maybe as soon as tomorrow.
Now, certain players are a lock for the WC team. Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard and Josy Altidore are the best known American players whose places are secure. They may not even play in the exhibition match tonight (ESPN, 8 pm EST) against the Czech Republic.
But for a number of other players, their future is less certain. Here are the players who have the most to gain -- or lose -- in tonight's match:
Forward: Herculez Gomez, Edson Buddle, Eddie Johnson and Robbie Findley are all competing for the same position: forward. Of those 4, only 1 or 2 may make the final cut and play up top with Jozy Altidore.
Midfield: DaMarcus Beasley, Alejandro Bedoya, Sacha Kljestan, Robbie Rogers and José Torres are all trying to make their case for inclusion as midfielders. Just like the forwards, only 1 or 2 may punch their tickets to South Africa.
Defense: Jonathan Bornstein, Heath Pearce, Clarence Goodson and Chad Marshall are trying to make the squad as defenders. Bornstein and Pearce play the same position (left back); only 1 will probably be selected. Same with Goodson and Marshall, who both play in central defense.
The US players have been in training camp for more than a week, so Bob Bradley (the US coach) probably already has a good idea of most of his final 23. But for those players on the bubble, tonight's game may be the deciding factor.
Oh, and the US player with arguably the highest profile in the US -- Freddy Adu -- is not even in consideration for the US team this year. But he is still young (only 20) and will likely try to make the 2014 squad.
Monday, May 24, 2010
World Cup 101
So, you're thinking to yourself: "I want to watch the World Cup this summer. But I don't know much about the tournament, the teams, or even when it's on. Where do I start?"
Start here.
The Format
32 teams compete in the World Cup (WC) every 4 years. In the 2 years or so leading up to the WC, more than 200 teams from all over the world compete against each other just to qualify. Here's a link to all the teams.If you want a funny run down of the American sports equivalent of each WC team, read this.
Once the qualification process is complete, the 7 "best" teams plus the host country (this time South Africa) are put into 8 different groups. Then the remaining 24 teams are drawn (kind of at random) into the 8 groups, leading to a total of 4 teams in each group.
Group Stage
England is one of the seeded teams and were placed in Group C. The US was drawn into this group, as were Algeria and Slovenia. I'll get into this into more detail in a later post, but the US is considered the second best team in this group and is expected to advance.
Every team in a group plays every other team in that group; so each team plays 3 games. The 2 teams with the most points in each group advance to the next round, the knock-out phase. Points are awarded like this: 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss. Obviously if you win all 3 games in the group phase you are guaranteed to advance. But few teams win all their group games. A good rule of thumb is that if you win 1 game and tie at least 1 other, there's a good chance to advance. But if 2 teams end up with the same number of points, then the team with the better goal differential advances.(Goal differential is the difference between the total goals scored and the total goals conceded.)
So the US opens play against England in June 12, then plays Slovenia on June 18 and finishes against Algeria on June 23.
Knock-Out Stage
Once the knock-out stage starts, the WC looks more like the NCAA basketball tournament, only there are 16 soccer teams (not 64). If a game is tied after 90 minutes, the teams play 2 15-minute overtime periods (it is not sudden death, however -- the teams play the whole time). If the game is still tied, then it is settled by penalty kicks.
This continues just like any other bracketed tournament until 2 teams are left, and they meet in the final game on July 11.
Favorites
Who are the favorites to win the WC? Brazil and Spain are the top 2 teams in the world, but I would also keep an eye on the Netherlands and Argentina. This is also, however, the first WC to be played in Africa and there may be some shock upsets. This occurred in Korea/Japan in 2002 (the first tournament played in Asia), when S. Korea and Turkey (not world powers) advanced to the semi-finals and the US advanced quarter-finals.
Schedule
Here's a schedule of all the matches, which will all be shown on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. Many will also be streamed online on the ESPN web site. You should, of course, watch all of the US games -- especially the match against England on June 12. But here are some other games I recommend from the first week:
- The opening game on June 11: Mexico v. South Africa. How will the host nation start the tournament?
- Argentina v. Nigeria on June 12. Argentina's Lionel Messi is the best player in the world.
- Ivory Coast v. Portugal on June 15: 2 of the other best players in the world (Didier Drogba from Ivory Coast and Christiano Ronaldo) square off.
US v. Czech Republic
That's all for now. The US plays an exhibition match tomorrow night against the Czech Republic at 8 pm ET on ESPN. This is the last chance for some players to make their case for inclusion on the final US team. I'll write more about that later.
Start here.
The Format
32 teams compete in the World Cup (WC) every 4 years. In the 2 years or so leading up to the WC, more than 200 teams from all over the world compete against each other just to qualify. Here's a link to all the teams.If you want a funny run down of the American sports equivalent of each WC team, read this.
Once the qualification process is complete, the 7 "best" teams plus the host country (this time South Africa) are put into 8 different groups. Then the remaining 24 teams are drawn (kind of at random) into the 8 groups, leading to a total of 4 teams in each group.
Group Stage
England is one of the seeded teams and were placed in Group C. The US was drawn into this group, as were Algeria and Slovenia. I'll get into this into more detail in a later post, but the US is considered the second best team in this group and is expected to advance.
Every team in a group plays every other team in that group; so each team plays 3 games. The 2 teams with the most points in each group advance to the next round, the knock-out phase. Points are awarded like this: 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss. Obviously if you win all 3 games in the group phase you are guaranteed to advance. But few teams win all their group games. A good rule of thumb is that if you win 1 game and tie at least 1 other, there's a good chance to advance. But if 2 teams end up with the same number of points, then the team with the better goal differential advances.(Goal differential is the difference between the total goals scored and the total goals conceded.)
So the US opens play against England in June 12, then plays Slovenia on June 18 and finishes against Algeria on June 23.
Knock-Out Stage
Once the knock-out stage starts, the WC looks more like the NCAA basketball tournament, only there are 16 soccer teams (not 64). If a game is tied after 90 minutes, the teams play 2 15-minute overtime periods (it is not sudden death, however -- the teams play the whole time). If the game is still tied, then it is settled by penalty kicks.
This continues just like any other bracketed tournament until 2 teams are left, and they meet in the final game on July 11.
Favorites
Who are the favorites to win the WC? Brazil and Spain are the top 2 teams in the world, but I would also keep an eye on the Netherlands and Argentina. This is also, however, the first WC to be played in Africa and there may be some shock upsets. This occurred in Korea/Japan in 2002 (the first tournament played in Asia), when S. Korea and Turkey (not world powers) advanced to the semi-finals and the US advanced quarter-finals.
Schedule
Here's a schedule of all the matches, which will all be shown on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. Many will also be streamed online on the ESPN web site. You should, of course, watch all of the US games -- especially the match against England on June 12. But here are some other games I recommend from the first week:
- The opening game on June 11: Mexico v. South Africa. How will the host nation start the tournament?
- Argentina v. Nigeria on June 12. Argentina's Lionel Messi is the best player in the world.
- Ivory Coast v. Portugal on June 15: 2 of the other best players in the world (Didier Drogba from Ivory Coast and Christiano Ronaldo) square off.
US v. Czech Republic
That's all for now. The US plays an exhibition match tomorrow night against the Czech Republic at 8 pm ET on ESPN. This is the last chance for some players to make their case for inclusion on the final US team. I'll write more about that later.
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