World Cup Takeover: The Quarterfinal Preview

Greetings from Nigeria, where I am attempting to exchange jerseys with the national team since they won’t need them for the next two years. (Not really, but I am intrigued that Nigeria’s President has the potentially ironic name Goodluck Jonathan.) The 2010 World Cup in South Africa is down to eight teams after an eventful round of 16. Let’s roll with a few thoughts before previewing the next slate of matches:

American Agonistes

The storybook run was written: beat a good but not great Ghana team and then face a very good but not great Uruguay squad for a spot in the World Cup semi-finals with a potential Confederations Cup rematch against Brazil. Landon Donovan galvanized a nation leading to meta-commentary (“We have seen the plunder of a generation siphoned off by crooks and charlatans, seen our democratic institutions trivialized, seen our neighbors turned against each other by the deafening blare of propaganda; how refreshing, then, to see these men face misfortune and refuse to stagger under the weight of it. Landon Donovan, our nation turns its hopeful eyes to you.”) and a viral video capturing American elation at Donovan’s winner and the Americans’ never-say-die attitude.

But then came the Ghana match: questionable line-up decisions, another early goal conceded, a resilient comeback…but then a dagger in extra time to end American hopes. A seemingly innocuous clearance run down by Asamoah Gyan, who outmuscled two American defenders and lashed the ball over Tim Howard. 2-1. The Americans didn’t possess the guile or energy to pull another rabbit out of the hat. So what do we make of this drama-packed World Cup run? SI’s Grant Wahl rued slow starts, questionable line-ups and missed opportunities. His colleague Steve Davis offered American player ratings for the whole World Cup. Ives Galarcep is already looking to who might represent the United States in 2014. The Sports Guy (ESPN’s Bill Simmons) believes this Cup represents a tipping point for soccer in the United States. And Landon and Bob made an appearance on the Daily Show with former William & Mary soccer player Jon Stewart.

I don’t think there is any question that soccer is on the ascent, with the primary marker for me being ESPN’s heavy investment in its success and the fact that over 18 million people watched the Ghana match. Still, can you imagine the buzz building up this week if the United States were preparing for Uruguay? Or the ratings for a semifinal with Brazil? It does feel like a missed opportunity, despite the resilience of this team that inspired admiration at home and respect abroad. What will it take to turn the corner? Read this New York Times piece and realize the different infrastructure abroad in terms of player development.

Germany Torments England Again

It seemed inevitable in hindsight, didn’t it? I thought it would be different this time, but England looked overmatched against a young, athletic German team. The English do self-flagellation like no other and explanations abound for their latest disaster: player development failures, abundance of foreigners in the English Premier League, fatigue, a terrible missed call on a clear goal, outdated formations/tactics and, um, the lack of a brain. German players and media certainly enjoyed twisting the knife. A German newspaper linked to photos of crying English fans. Manager Joachim Loew explained in embarrassing detail how badly Germany tactically outmaneuvered England. My favorite explanation was offered by German player Thomas Mueller: England has too many alpha males.

Odds and Ends

Chile, who loves you baby? They only managed three goals in four matches and their lack of finishing proved their undoing. But they captured the imagination of their country and many neutral observers with their attacking verve. Chile went out 3-0 to Brazil but heroically, tragically, wonderfully continued throwing numbers forward until the end.

It was hailed for being a brilliant, innovative commercial but now Nike’s “Write the Future” ad has moved from fame to infamy, given that nearly every player who appeared in it tanked during this World Cup.

Is it time for video replay on goal line decisions with so much at stake? Yes. Did FIFA President and stubborn video replay opponent Sepp Blatter agree that the issue needs to be reconsidered? Yes. Does that mean FIFA really will do anything about it? Not necessarily.

Thanks for stopping by, Christiano Ronaldo.

Quarterfinal Preview

Here are a couple of tactical previews to get you ready for the four quarterfinal match-ups from TomWFootball and"ESPN":http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/columns/story//columnist/bradleyjeff/id/5342286/ce/us/quarterfinal-preview?cc=5901&ver=us. We’ve got two heavyweight bouts, one match with great historical intrigue, and Spain-Paraguay. Spain is a joy to watch, Paraguay not so much. Credit to them for getting to their first World Cup quarterfinal. One suspects they will obstinately defend to the death, which will happen in a moment of Spanish splendor similar to Xavi’s backheel pass to David Villa for the matchwinner against Portugal. Ghana-Uruguay will either produce the first African semi-finalist in history or set the stage for a historically rich contest between Uruguay and Brazil. The Celeste won the World Cup in 1930 and 1950, and here is a terrific piece with memorable footage on those glorious Cup runs. The heavyweight bouts are between Brazil-Netherlands and Germany-Argentina. Brazil and the Netherlands possess two of the most stylish traditions in football (Joga Bonito and Total Football) and the Netherlands will be looking to avenge 1994 and 1998 World Cup defeats to Brazil. Germany and Argentina played a contentious quarterfinal in the 2006 World Cup. Germany won in a shootout and the two teams came to blows after the match.

So who wins? My hunch is that Brazil will edge the Netherlands in a match that won’t live up to its stylistic billing but will prove Brazil’s strength at the back. I’m guessing Uruguay bests Ghana in a low-scoring, defensive match with extra time and penalties a possibility. Germany-Argentina is a fascinating match-up that likely will live up to the hype and contain controversy (Diego Maradona, people). I took Argentina before the tournament, but I’m wondering if Germany won’t be the team that finally exposes Argentina’s defense. I’ll stick with my original pick due to one Mr. Lionel Messi. Finally, I like Spain to win comfortably over Paraguay. Next week: more on meta-analysis, American exceptionalism and soccer. Ciao!