Don't cry for Pekerman
03 July 2006, 14:15
Before the match with Germany, Argentine coach Jose Pekerman said: “People know what game Argentina play because we have Riquelme. It’s a declaration of intent.” He must now be judged by his own words. With twenty minutes to go and a one-goal lead, Pekerman took Riquelme off the field. It was a declaration of intent. Argentina was to sit back and let Germany come at them.
Rivalry Renewed: Germany-Argentina
30 June 2006, 07:51
In 1958 in Malmö, Sweden, Germany and Argentina played their first World Cup match. The West Germans were the victors, 3-1. It was an inauspicious start to a bad campaign for the South Americans (They gave up 10 goals in 3 matches) and an unassuming start to one of the great rivalries in world soccer. They’ve met four times in the World Cup (Argentina also fought East Germany to a 1-1 draw in the ’74 Cup). After the game in ’58, they drew 0-0 in Birmingham in 1966. Then there were the two consecutive finals.
In Mexico in 1986, Diego Maradona made all the headlines and all the highlight reels, but on the other side of the draw were the West Germans. Franz Beckenbauer’s team had been to four championship matches, winning twice. After a slow start, they made their way into the semifinals and defeated Michele Platini and France, 2-0.
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Day 13: Elephant swansong
21 June 2006, 23:37
About an hour into the match between Argentina and the Netherlands, the “lazy magician” Juan-Roman Riquelme received the ball just inside the penalty area on the left side of the Holland goal. He was quickly surrounded by three Dutch defenders. He shifted his weight one way then the other. He spun around twice, using the bottom of his shoe to hold the ball in place, and to gently drag it behind him. The defenders spun around him, all flailing limbs. He had nowhere to go and no one to help him, but somehow he slipped free, now strangely near the end line, and fired a shot. Numbers were against him. The shot was smothered….
Serbia & Montenegro v. Ivory Coast, 3:00
21 June 2006, 13:18
If you’re not watching Argentina-Holland, follow my live commentary of the other match on the Times Blog.
Day 13 Preview: Portuguese matinee
21 June 2006, 00:39
When the World Cup schedule was announced, everyone said, mark your calendars: June 21st. The match we were anticipating, which takes place today, is the Netherlands v. Argentina. The excitement has waned a little because both teams have already booked their places into the second round. The only thing at stake is placement and pride. The first will barely matter. I’m sure neither team wants to face Portugal next, but there’s no Brazil in the near future no matter what happens. Expect them to play it safe.
That being said, this could be a preview of the final, and there is still pride. It will be interesting to see if Argentina coach Jose Pekerman gives his youngsters Tevez and Messi a bit more time on the field. The Univision commentators call Messi “the flea” because he is so small and quick. They call Tevez “the Apache” because, I guess, he looks Apache-like as he slashes up the defense.
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Day 8: As the World Cup turns
19 June 2006, 17:06
In the telenovela of Group D, Mexican captain Rafael Marquez plays the heavy. He sports a tight, black pony-tail and carefully calculated Miami-Vice stubble. He’s not opposed to getting physical, and he usually comes out on top of brutish encounters. At the same time, Marquez is suave. Though he’s a defender, he glides up the field with ease, and shoots and passes gracefully. We might be seduced by him, even though he has a dodgy past and works as a hit man on the side.
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It takes 10 to tango
17 June 2006, 21:42
I saw a minivan driving down my street yesterday, flying two Brazilian flags. Brazil’s quadrennial moment is here. Suddenly everyone you meet is Brazilian, or they know someone who is Brazilian. They love samba, and they always drink caipirinhas. It’s wonderful—the green and yellow face-paint, the abandonment of earthly cares.
But there is a dark side to this carnival. I’m not talking about politics or poverty. I’m talking about Nike. Before the final match of France ‘98, Ronaldo had all kinds of health problems. First his ankle was in rough shape. Then he started vomiting and suffering from dizzy spells. Naturally, he was left off the starting lineup, but at the last minute he was added. He played poorly. France won 3-0. Why, fans asked, did the Brazilian coach play the ailing striker? The answer: Nike.
Well, at least that was the rumor. Conspiracy theorists decided that Nike had forced him onto the pitch. They had put too much money into his bulging legs and his round head for him to sit out of the final of the biggest tournament in the world. As Brazil faces Australia on Sunday, you might want to keep this tale in mind. Nike sponsors both the Selecao of Brazil and the Socceroos of Australia, so they have a vested interest in this one. They may not be forcing players onto the field, but they are conducting some strange, stealthy advertising campaigns, like this fake myspace page. It’s supposed to be a fan site, but it contains ads for Australia’s team. In them, an old troll represents “history.” The upstart Socceroos don’t pay that old history any mind. They just do it. Ugh.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s at it again. He’s been under heavy criticism for his bloated body and his apparent inability to run. And now, Spanish sports paper La Marca reports he’s having dizzy spells that, a team doctor says, are caused by stress. Oh, history!
Whatever happens with fat Ron, the Brazilians need to play better if they want to match their South American rivals from Argentina. At one point during Argentina’s 6-0 thrashing of Serbia & Montenegro, Univision color commentator Jose Luis Chilavert claimed that Argentina was passing to the beat of a tango. He sang along, and it seemed true. I counted 24 passes that led up to Cambiasso’s goal. The end sequence: Sorin to Saviola, to Riquelme, back to Saviola, across to Cambiasso, flicked to Crespo, backheel to Cambiasso. Gol.
Brilliant.
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Two Things about Arjen Robben
12 June 2006, 20:18
1) He is the 22-year-old left winger for the Netherlands, but he looks like a 35-year-old banker.
2) He never uses his right foot.
And… 3) He made the famed Serbian defense look like molasses in Holland’s 1-0 win.
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Day 3: War and peace
12 June 2006, 16:29
In 1575 Portugal established a colony at Luanda. They had originally been looking for gold, but turned instead to the slave trade, sending thousands of Angolans to work their Brazilian plantations. We all know what happened in Brazil. They won five World Cups. Back in Angola, Portuguese exploitation lasted until 1975, when the Africans finally gained independence. They have been immersed in a civil war ever since. Portugal meanwhile is no longer a colonial power or a fascist state. They concentrate instead on fortified wine, filigree, and corks.
The two nations have met twice in soccer. Portugal dominated, winning by a total of eleven goals to one (The last game was halted due to violent play). This year, Angola qualified for its first World Cup. Their first opponent: Portugal. The Africans came out in very cool, Houston-Astros-like striped jerseys with weird black-and-white socks. The Portuguese wore their traditional burgundy. They dominated possession early. When the aging, but always smooth, Luis Figo decided to run for a few minutes, he easily eluded an Angolan defender and played the ball back to a wide-open Pauleta. Goal for Portugal after 4 minutes. Down 1-0, Angola played hard and disrupted the Portuguese attack. They had a few chances as well. Their central striker Akwa was guided by an interesting, if inefficient, principle: the only way to score was through a bicycle kick. He tried it several times and came close once. Bursting up the Angola wing was another player with peculiar ideas and a name to match: Loco. He has no hair except for a patch on his forehead. It looks something like a dreadlock mustache, but he made a menace of himself and nearly created a goal.
It wasn’t enough. Angola lost, in a mostly peaceful match, but they showed the world that they might have a future like the more famous Portuguese colony in South America. It will be interesting to see how they fare against fellow oil-producing nation, Iran.
Iran is apparently a quasi-theocratic state. The announcers on ABC were told that this was the most important thing about the Iran-Mexico match. They ignored the soccer almost entirely. At one point, they mentioned that a victory for Iran would cause external expressions of joy, “which never happens.” Apparently, Iranians do not smile. Mexico dominated possession, but the Iranian attack looked dangerous whenver they got forward. The game was knotted at 1-1 for a long time until the Mexicans got a goal on a bad defensive giveaway. It broke the back of Iran. They lost 3-1. There will be no joy in Tehran.
Day 2: Keepah Surprise
11 June 2006, 22:40
I was excited to watch the England-Paraguay match for two reasons. First, I follow English soccer and always take an interest, if not necessarily a supporting interest, in the progress of the English team. Second, my best friend though childhood, Carlos Torres, is Paraguayan. It was at his house that I first drank coffee: a cup of café con leche (more leche than café). It was delicious.
I got up early, feeling a bit jet-lagged (I was out late Friday night celebrating the Ecuadorian victory). I drank a quart of coffee (a dark roast from Peru), trying to relive my first Paraguayan experience. But the coffee didn’t take, and the game was awful. England looked like I felt—disorganized and sluggish. The Paraguayans were no better. The one goal came from an accident. Beckham whipped in one of his trademark free kicks, and a Paraguayan defender headed it into his own net. The only clear victor was my hangover, which vanquished any silly nostalgia for coffee or soccer or things that require consciousness.
I gathered myself for the second game, Sweden v. Trinidad & Tobago. I hadn’t been looking forward to this one. Not only was I worried about the live commentary I had to do on the Times blog (Could I watch and type at the same time?), but the game seemed like a meeting of the boring and the bad. I was wrong. This was the best game of the tournament. The Swedes in their blaring yellow outfits tried to break down the lowly Trinidadians with a direct attack. They played long balls into the corners and crosses toward the goal, relying on their big skilled forwards. But the Soca Warriors held firm.
Just as the second half began, the game changed. Swedish midfielder Christian Wilhelmsson, who sported a remarkable braided rattail, was fouled at the edge of the penalty area, and T&T defender Avery John was ejected for a second yellow card. Now down to ten men, the Soca Warriors faced increased pressure from the Swedes. Scoring chance followed scoring chance, but the Swedes were blocked again and again by Brent Sancho and the T&T defenders. The best player of the game—and the best in the tournament so far—was goalkeeper Shaka Hislop.
Hislop is 37-years-old and is in the twilight of a journeyman’s career in English soccer. He was not slated to start the game, but during the warmups, he was told that the starting keeper, Kelvin Jack, was injured. Suit up, the coach said, you’re playing in your nation’s first World Cup game. He was ready. He was acrobatic and strong. He made amazing saves and routine ones. He barked commands and kept his team in the game. It ended 0-0—a moral victory for the Soca Warriors. I’m sure the most popular song right now in Port of Spain is Keepah, a buoyant paean to the glories of the goalkeeper.
In the last game of the day, from the group of death, Argentina faced the Ivory Coast. The African team had solid orange uniforms, and they came out strong, running at the favored Argentines. The South Americans, sporting their traditional light blue stripes, absorbed the pressure and calmly took their chances on the counterattack.
Playmaker Juan-Roman Riquelme is always the focus when Argentina has the ball. Riquelme is not fast. He is not going to dribble through the defense. (In Argentina, fans questioned whether he deserved Maradona’s famed number-10 shirt.) But he is incredibly skilled on the ball. He sees the field better than anyone, and he can dictate the terms of the game. He created two goals in a matter of minutes, one from a free-kick and the other on a perfectly threaded pass to Javier Saviola. The Elephants were crushed.
For the next hour, Argentina passed the ball around calmly. With 15 minutes to go, the Ivorians, sick of sitting back, charged hell-bent at the goal. It was great. When the Elephants are on, they have a flowing orange attack. Didier Drogba scored, but it wasn’t enough. Argentina held on, 2-1.
On day 2, I realized I should have done more training for this tournament. Meybe coffee is not going to cut it.
Group C Preview
08 June 2006, 10:58
This is the group of death. It’s the hardest to pick, and it presents the most exciting match-ups. Don’t miss Argentina-Netherlands on Wed. 06/21.
Argentina are probably the favorites. This team is incredibly talented from back to front. With all the hype about Brazil, the other South American side may hoist its 3rd championship cup. The Albicelestes have predatory goal-scorers like Hernan Crespo. Their playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme has great vision and a deft touch. And then there is Messi. Eighteen-year-old Leo Messi is the best young player in the world. He is wickedly fast. He can dribble through crowds. He sets up goals, and he scores them. In 2002 an over-hyped Argentina was knocked out in the first round. Don’t count on a repeat performance.
The other favorite in the group is either the Ivory Coast or Netherlands. The Dutch are always good, and they have great names: Dirk Kuyt, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. This team features speedy youngsters like Chelsea’s Arjen Robben. They play with three forwards. Their wingers break down defenses, and their center forward, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, pounces on the ball and puts it away.
My team is the war-torn Ivory Coast. Their names are pretty good too (Gilles Yapi Yapo, Didier Drogba). Drogba rules. He is an imposing goal scorer with slick hair. His special celebration dance called the fouka-fouka has taken the nation by storm. I also love Emmanuel Eboue, a fullback who bursts up the wing. In Africa, they call the team the Elephants. Come on the Elephants!
Rounding out the group is the Plavi from Serbia – Montenegro (not war-torn but recently cleaved down the middle). They have the best defensive record in the tournament, having surrendered only one goal in ten qualifying matches. That’s 0.1 goals/game, though maybe I should check my math with “300 percent” Rooney (See group B preview). They face three of the best attacking teams. Something has to give.