Posts Tagged ‘soccer’

Who To Watch For In The Future

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

With the 2010 World Cup finals well on the way, several of England’s players may be facing their last chance to win.   By the time the 2014 Brazilian World Cup finals roll around, John Terry Gareth Barry, Rio Ferdinand Steven Gerrard, Ashley Cole, Frank Lambert David Beckham and David James will all be well into their thirties so the team will be oh so different

Who is going to replace England’s greats in the next few years? Some likely replacements include…

Joe Hart    (Manchester City, Goalkeeper) – Joe Hart has made a name for himself at Birmingham, where he has been on loan, and is enjoying status as a third choice goalkeeper to be used in the finals.  Hart may find himself at first goalkeeper status as James nears 40 and Green fails to perform, especially if he makes his way into the first team at Manchester city or that of another large Premier league club. When he does, it may be some time before England are looking for a new number 1.


Kieran Gibbs    (Arsenal, Defender)
– Gibbs may have been injured at Arsenal, stunting his career, but the left sided defender is expected to make an outstanding come back.    Gibbs, who has the astounding reputation of being able to play successfully anywhere on the left flank, will improve in years to come.  Clichy can expect to be pushed hard for a spot on the Arsenal team next season and Gibbs is expected to join the ranks of the national team soon. 

Jonjo Shelvey    (Liverpool, Midfielder) – Shelvey, experts agree, maybe the only one who could replace Steven Gerrard for both Liverpool and England national team.  The 17-year-old Shelvey might need a couple of years to advance through the levels at Anfield, but he could end up being as useful to England’s national team and Liverpool as Gerrard has.

Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea, Attacker) – Sturridge has found his progress hampered at Chelsea due to Anelka and Drogba’s partnership but the former Manchester City striker has immense potential.  we can expect to see Sturridge grow as he becomes a stronger player in the fiercer contributor for Chelsea in the next season, and he may even be expected to claim Anelka’s place on the team.    Still young and naive at times, he does have an unerring knack for goals and could prove to be a boon for both Chelsea and England.


Connor Wickham (Ipswich Town, Attacker)
– Not heard of him? Wickham is a prodigious talent and is already being linked with a big money move to a Premiership giant, all at the tender age of 17. The attacker has become a big name on the first team at Portman Road, where he began playing shortly after turning sixteen.  It isn’t a case of if Wickham moves into the Premier League, simply when and for how much.

So, while this looks like being the final World Cup for many of Capello’s stars, it also heralds the start of an exciting future for many.

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Soccer Players Don’t Get An Adequate Amount Of Esteem

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

Most Americans have a various attitude toward the sport of soccer than folks from around the rest from the globe. One can start with the name with the sport itself. We call it soccer, while the rest of the globe calls it football, however it truly doesn’t end there.

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Soccer players don’t get the exact same sort of esteem here that they do in other countries, and I believe which is very unfortunate. Some of the finest athletes inside the planet are soccer players, and as the sport continues to grow in popularity in the United States, I hope that much more Americans begin to realize how talented they are.

 

I was in England about 10 years ago and happened to see a prominent professional soccer player in London. The guy was practically mobbed, and it took much more than an hour to make it into the restaurant exactly where he was originally headed.

 

On another occasion when I was in England, a team called Bradford City defeated the perennial powerhouse Liverpool. The next day, the town in fact had a parade for its soccer players, and they were treated like heroes as they rode on floats down the main street within the city.

 

There are, of course, the flip sides of those stories, exactly where goalkeepers who give up the winning score have their lives threatened, or worse. You can find also brawls that break out at soccer stadiums that always give a black eye for the sport, but I consider that speaks much more about the passion that fans have for soccer than anything else.

 

Soccer players are among the world’s finest athletes, and should receive that same kind of respect that other athletes receive.

 

I am not positive if people don’t understand the amount of function that goes into the sport and why it can be lagging in American popularity towards the degree that it can be, but it takes lots of hard work and skill to play soccer. An athlete should not only have tremendous stamina and coordination, but also have exceptional footwork, which takes years to develop.

 

Soccer was once referred to as “the gorgeous game,” and it’s certainly just that. Watching a excellent soccer match, to me, is like listening to a gorgeous symphony; it’s merely breath-taking, and some thing you feel fortunate to have witnessed.

 

I am not sure if soccer players will ever get the kind of respect they deserve in the United States. It seems occasionally like baseball, football, basketball and hockey have a stronghold in the country, and if any other sports do break into that realm, it’s generally golf, tennis or NASCAR.

 

Although there are many great athletes in distinctly American sports like baseball and football, I think it is crucial to remember that soccer players are playing the world’s game, and that truly ought to count for one thing.

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The 2010 FIFA World Cup Cool Stadiums

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

The world keenly anticipates the start of the 2010 Soccer World Cup. After a lot of discussion, bidding and finally votation, South Africa is the selected venue for the 2010 World cup. The Soccer wall calender for 2010 has a lot install with the initial battle between South Africa and Mexico.Many theorize that it would certainly become possible for the final world cup winners football game to have an African country involved however this is yet to be seen. Many may not have time to follow the whole tournament, so if you’re wondering what sort of world-class stadiums our favorite teams will be doing their soccer tricks. For four years now, South Afica has been building new awesome stadiums just for this tournament. The most stunning are listed below so take a look all you ‘soccerholics’:

*Moses Mabhida Stadium- formally the Kings Park Soccer Stadium that is now a beautiful teflon-coated stadium with a glass fiber roof.Opened on November 2009.

o Capacity: 70,000 o Location: Durban o Design: looks like the South African flag from an ariel view.The legs of the arch join which signifies the uniting of the formally devided country.This arch has a staggering height of 347 ft at the  highest point. The roof glows when under light.
* Green Point Stadium- will  hold the first six round matches, one second-round, one quarter and one semifinal match.The original stadium was demolished and reconstruced in 2007.

o Capacity:70,000 o Location: Cape Town o Design: has a noise-reducing exterior cladding and is situated very near the ocean and has the mountains as a the backdrop. Has a retractable glass roof weighing 4,500-tons.

* Mbombela Stadium- a  Siwala world meaning “many people together in a small space.” o Capacity: 40,000 o Location:Nelspruit o Design:  has giraffe looking roof designs and seats that resemble the stripes of a giraffe. * Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium-scheduled to host five first round matches, one second round, one quarter final and the third place playoff. Name taken from the municipality name not the x-president Nelson Mandela.

o Capacity: 50 000 o Location:Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth o Design:a very beautiful looking stadium. Also named ‘the sunflower’ because of it’s unique structures.

* Soccer City Stadium- the main venue for the tournament holding both the opening and final World Cup games.A very historical stadium and also the largest in Africa.

o Capacity:94,500 o Location: Johannesburg o Design:gets its design from an African Pot or calabash.

The 2010 Football World Cup is surely one to go in the history books with all these cool stadiums. Doesn’t it just makes you want to book the next flight straight to the heart of Africa?

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USA Soccer’s Father Son Team

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

  For better or worse, manager-father, player-son teams are in it together. There are the somewhat tiresome claims of nepotism from those seeking to cause mischief.  Brian Clough, when he managed his son Nigel at Nottingham Forest, refused to even acknowledge him by his first name, simply referring to Nigel as “our Number 9”.    Contrary to popular belief, fathers who manage their sons might actually treat them more harshly than the rest of the team.  Manager fathers, it seems, may be far tougher on their offspring than they are on the majority of the team.   Whether trying not to give too much leeway or trying not to crack down too hard, managers face a problematic conundrum.

Not that this will be a problem for Bob Bradley and his son Michael during this summer’s World Cup Finals in South Africa.  One exception to the rule seems to be the Bradley family, US Coach Bob Bradley and his son Michael, who will compete in the World Cup Finals together this summer in South Africa.

Bob welcomed his son into the world while working as the coach of the Princeton University soccer team.   When Michael was young, his father received a position coaching the MLS Chicago Fire,  and Michael was raised in Palatine, gaining a love for the game that rivalled that of his father.  After Bob gained a position with the Chicago Fire, Michael grew up in Palatine, and began to enjoy the sport immensely.

Due to his excellence in the Junior leagues, Michael was drafted in the 2004 MLS Superdraft, the team which his father coached. During his first season as a professional in New York, Michael didn’t see any playing time, his year ruined by a problematic foot injury, but in his second full year at the club, both Bradley’s had an impact, Bob leading the team to the play offs, while Michael played in thirty of the thirty two games that season and headed his first goal for Metrostars in a vital win over Chivas USA, which put Metrostars into the play offs.

Bradley left the New York Metrostars in 2006, when he was sold to Holland’s SC Heereveen after making an impression on an international scale. Taking over the anchoring role in the team, Bradley made a quick impact at the Dutch side, playing an important role in leading the club to a place in the UEFA Cup and the following season, he added goals to his already impressive performances from midfield, scoring 20 goals in all competitions in season 2007-08.

Bigger clubs were soon sniffing around, Birmingham City wanted Bradley in their soccer jersey, but their relegation from the Premier League scuppered any chance of a deal. Borussia Moenchengladbach instead snapped up the midfielder and he has become a regular player for the German side, playing 58 times in the Bundesliga and scoring 7 goals.

Michael Bradley’s success so far exceeded expectations that most took it for granted that he would be promoted to the National Team (and he was). When his father Bob became coach in late 2006, Michael had already made his first appearance and under his father, Michael has become a key man at the heart of the US midfield, with his intelligent play and clever passing key in allowing more offensive players like Landon Donovan free reign to get forward.

The family connection will be central to the US team once again this summer and for both members of the Bradley family, it looks like being an African summer to remember, hopefully for the right reasons.

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Why South Africa Was Chosen For The 2010 1FIFA World Cup

Monday, June 14th, 2010

June 11, Friday is definitely a momentous date in all soccer fans calenders especially  Africaans as being the date when Africa has the chance to host the famous FIFA World Cup. For eitghty years now, the FIFA World Cup has been held soley in Europe and the Americas. Exactly how is the host for the FIFA world Cup decided? Currently, the policy for selection is that any country can bid to be the venue for the World Cup guaranteed that their continent hasn’t hosted it in the past two years making Africa a good candidate. In the 2006 bidding, South Africa against Germany, the final count being 12 votes to 11. All countries that bid for the 2010 World Cup were African including South Africa, Morocco and Egypt. South Africa beat Morocco by 4 votes leading to this memorable event.Those are the ‘technical’ reasons why this years World Cup is being held in South Africa but is the country itself capable of holding such an event? Personally, I’d say “definitely”, these are my reasons:

* I love their team- it’s a fact, the definitely deserve to hold the cup. Wouldn’t holding the Cup in a country who’s team isn’t even that good be a total let down? Remember back in 1950,1978 and 1990 when Brazil, Argentina and Italy hosted the world cup? First class teams! If South Africa was added to the list, nobody would mind.

* Perfect stadiums- South Africa’s preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup included the construction of four new stadiums. Their designs include : a detractable glass roof, beautiful lighting, zebra like seats, and the South African flag. What more could you ask for?

* Great Weather- wildlife aside, South Africa is renowned for it’s weather. The World Football Tournament coincides with South Africa’s winter time. Don’t worry, our favorite players won’t freeze to death, South Africa’s winter temperature at midday, is warmer than most countries daily summer temperature! The average temperature will be around 20 degrees Celsius at 12pm noon.Lower temperatures are known to be better for athlete’s bodies.Good weather equals higher tempo.

* Africa- civilization as we know it has been thought to have begun in Africa and many African coutries hold soccer dear to their hearts. Could you think of a better venu for the world to unite? Also, during the Mandela era, football was a cause of unification and a force for the apartheid resistance. The finals being held in Soweto which has been the center of South African soccer really adds meaning to the whole event making it not simply a sports event but a historical one.

Despite any controversies in the past four years regarding safety, in my opinion,South Africa is the perfect place for the 2010  FIFA World Cup and  the whole world should be very proud that  this is the first time that a sporting event of this magnitude is being held in the continent.

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