Just threw some pics up on flickr from some of my summer activities. A lot seem to be sports related – like this shot from the Sounders vs. Chivas USA game above.

Lemme know what you think.

Link

As we launch into the final 8 games and final 8 teams of the African World Cup, there probably isn’t quite as much to be gained from ranking the remaining squads. There are at least 5 teams with a realistic chance of winning it all – and after this weekend there will be 4 teams with a chance, no matter who comes through. Instead I want to take a quick look at an odd phenomenon that maybe isn’t as random as it seems.

The English Premier League is without a doubt the biggest professional soccer league. The best players for the majority of teams competing in the Copa ply their trade in the EPL. Yet out of 105 EPL players who started this tournament, only 13 are left. For you number lovers, 14.2% of the players in the Cup play in the EPL, 25% of the total players are left, but only 7% of the remaining players play there. To top it all off, the biggest star left in the Cup, Liverpool’s Spanish star Fernando Torres, is having an awful tournament. Arsenal’s Dutch goal machine Robin Van Persie isn’t doing much better and their Spanish play maker Cesc Fabregas can’t even get spot in the starting XI. With big guns like Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, Drogba, Anelka, and Vidic all eliminated, that leaves just one bonafied EPL star alive and doing well in the World Cup. That man is Manchester City striker and Argentine star Carlos Tevez – who scored 2 key goals in Argentina’s Round of 16 win over Mexico.

So what is going on? Everyone knows that the England National Team couldn’t get their shiz together – and I think we need to start by looking there. The EPL being such a big and important league with so much money at stake, it seems that the EPL stars have allowed their priorities to switch to their clubs’ success. Even in a world cup year, any given star might only play some 10-15 games in their national jersey. By contrast, a successful club team will expect upwards of 50+ appearances from a healthy star, not to mention all that additional time in training. With annual competitions like the EPL title, FA Cup, and especially the Champions League, the world of soccer has created an extremely competitive and exciting landscape. But the downside is that the world’s biggest players are quite simply distracted when it comes to performing for their countries. Want more proof? Just look at the what is quite possibly the second biggest league in the World: Italy’s Serie A. No surprise that every single player from Italy’s anemic 2010 National Squad call Serie A home.

My picks for the Quarters:

Brazil over Holland. Can the Dutch potentially win? Absolutely. Will they? I just don’t think so. Robben might have a shot at scoring one of his magical goals from outside, but apart from that I just don’t see the Dutch penetrating the Brazilian back line.

Uruguay over Ghana. Ghana might put up a fight but I don’t think they will find the net. Uruguay’s Suarez and Forlan are simply dynamite together.

Argentina over Germany. We are getting an early final here with arguably the two teams in the best form matching up in the quarters. Will Messi finally find the score card? It doesn’t really matter with both Tevez and Higuain playing next to him. I just don’t see them giving in.

Spain over Paraguay. There is a bit of an upset chance here unless Spain starts to turn it on. I think they will do what they need to do to beat P.guay – but with Argentina awaiting them in the Semis, the fun might not last for la Furia Roja.

What a wild group stage of the World Cup it has been! Two huge power houses have gone home in France and Italy. Spain was facing an early exit today as well (which would have been a much bigger upset), but did what they needed to and move on as a still heavy fave. But of course the big story of the the final group games was the incredible USA finish! It may all be house money now, but we have a real chance to beat Ghana and keep the train rolling.

The power rankings for the final 16 were a bit harder, especially down towards the bottom. But I had to look at match ups and who was likely to advance. I’ll break it down after the list. Again, numbers are my rankings from the last go around.

1. Argentina (1)
2. Netherlands (3)
3. Spain (4)
4. Brazil (2)
5. Uruguay (7)
6. Germany (6)
7. USA (8)
8. Japan (15)
9. Portugal (6)
10. Mexico (17)
11. England (13)
12. Paraguay (10)
13. Chile (9)
14. South Korea (18)
15. Ghana (16)
16. Slovakia (28)

Uruguay vs. South Korea – Uruguay is one of only 2 teams to not allow a single goal in the group stage (Portugal being the other). The South American teams are rolling and I see Uruguay continuing the trend with their great defense and goal scoring duo of Forlan and Suarez just starting to heat up. South Korea is a well organized team but they looked less than dominant in their 2-2 draw with Nigeria. I don’t think they have what it will take to beat Uruguay – but I’d rather have USA face them than Uruguay in the Quarters, so go South Korea!

USA vs. Ghana – Who would have thought the USA would win our group and avoid Germany? Ghana is fast but they are young and I think our experience will get us through the round. But Ghana has the x-factor of having all of Africa behind them (lotta good that did the African teams in the group stage). Anything can happen, but USA wants it every bit as much if not more than Ghana.

Germany vs. England – Germany looked so dominant in their first game but then fell way off. They barely beat Ghana on the strength of my new favorite German Mesut Özil. Lucky for them, England has been less than stellar as well. All either team needs is one of their incredible super stars to heat up and it will be lights out. Will it be Rooney, Gerard, Lampard or Klose, Podolski, or Muller? I’m giving the nod to Germany but it could be in PKs.

Argentina vs. Mexico – Mexico is playing well and I can’t wait to see Javi Hernandez playing for Manchester United, but they have the unfortunate task of facing Argentina who tops my power rankings for a second time after another dominant performance over Greece. It makes me happy that new guns like Hernandez and Vela are bringing a positive face to our southern border rivals (Blanco can choke on a Tecate can and die) but I won’t be too sad to see them exit at the hands of the Albiceleste. But come on Messi, let’s see some knockout round magic!

Netherlands vs. Slovakia – I didn’t give Slovakia any credit (had them at 28) but their showing against Italy was awesome. Vittek is playing lights out. However they are going up against The Netherlands who are the only team other than Argentina to finish the group stage with a perfect 9. Guess what, they didn’t drop a point in qualification either. The Dutch ain’t losing – especially to Slovakia. Robben even saw the pitch Thursday which means only good things for the Oranje as they look toward a tough Quarter final against Brazil.

Brazil vs. Chile Question… What happened to that beautiful samba football? I couldn’t even stay awake during that snorefest versus Portugal. Maybe Dunga is a brilliant tactician but the boys gotta play if they are going to win. Chile was just as unimpressive in their draw with Spain – wait they lost..? whatever – no one even tried in the last half hour. Chile came in second in CONMEBOL qualifying but lost both their matches with Brazil. I imagine they’ll lose this one too unless they get some serious inspiration before Monday.

Paraguay vs. Japan Wow! Hello Japan! The Blue Samurai are playing incredible football right now and Keisuke Honda might be the hottest player in the tourney. All three of their goals against Denmark were great but that Honda free kick was something else. Paraguay looked great in their first 2 games, but the 0-0 draw with New Zealand was unimpressive. If Japan plays the way they did yesterday, then P.guay doesn’t stand a chance.

Spain vs. Portugal A Round of 16 Iberian derby is an exciting prospect but neither team has been playing to their full potential. Yes I know Portugal put in 7 against North Korea but their draw with Brazil was lackluster and Ronaldo seems to be out to lunch. Spain has so many good players that they should win every match 6-0. Even with Torres cold as ice (I say bench him… and then sell him to Chelsea for half their squad), they should be able to easily put down the pretty boys.

The Copa really heated up with the second round of group play this week. There are some pretty exciting story lines (success of the Americas) and some pretty pathetic ones as well (ahem, France). Probably the most disappointing trend is how poorly the African nations are performing. Not only does it look like this will be the first knockout stage without a host country, it is very possible this will be the first knockout stage with out a country from the host continent. I’ll break it all down group by group – but first here are my updated power rankings. Two teams have been eliminated (Cameroon and North Korea), so the list is down to 30. The numbers after the team are their rank in my last go around.

1. Argentina (3)
2. Brazil (4)
3. Netherlands (2)
4. Spain (8)
5. Germany (1)
6. Portugal (17)
7. Uruguay (14)
8. USA (12)
9. Chile (11)
10. Paraguay (9)
11. Serbia (20)
12. Italy (6)
13. England (5)
14. Switzerland (15)
15. Japan (13)
16. Ghana (7)
17. Mexico (21)
18. South Korea (10)
19. Denmark (23)
20. Slovenia (22)
21. New Zealand (26)
22. Ivory Coast (18)
23. South Africa (19)
24. Greece (31)
25. Australia (30)
26. Algeria (32)
27. France (16)
28. Slovakia (24)
29. Honduras (29)
30. Nigeria (28)

Group A – Everyone was saying that France had scored an easy draw when they found themselves in South Africa’s group. Well, they have managed to blow it. Weak leadership has found les Bleus in complete meltdown mode scoring zero goals in the first two matches and earning themselves a #27 ranking. Although they aren’t completely out of it, they need a win with a blow out margin, which just doesn’t seem possible from this squad. While it is just as much of a long shot, South Africa still has a chance to go through. If they manage to defeat France and can pull a combined goal differential of 5 (goals they score minus goals France score plus the goal differential of whoever wins the other game), they will be through. It is a long shot, but I am pulling for them. What seems far more likely is that Uruguay and Mexico will go through with a draw or with one team winning by a close margin. I’m picking Uruguay who made short work of the South African team that Mexico struggled against.

Group B – As evidenced by my ranking, this group is all about Argentina. The big fear coming in was Maradona – but things seem to be going superbly between the players and him and his tactics have been sound. They should defeat Greece easily and advance through on 9 points. Just think, Messi hasn’t even started to score yet. I’m giving the second place nod to South Korea who didn’t look completely awful against Argentina. I don’t see them beating Uruguay in the Round of 16, but they can surely handle Nigeria who just needs to go home.

Group C – USA! USA! If you had given me this scenario at the beginning of the Cup, I would have taken it in a second. Yeah I know we should be on 4 pts but I’ll take controlling our own destiny (forgive) against Algeria any day. We just need to win – and we can win – and we will win. The craziest part of this group is the England story. Who would have thought they would find themselves on 2 pts with a measly 1 goal scored? I am predicting a draw against Slovenia, which would see England exit. If that happens – or even in the more likely event England beats Slovenia – and we beat Algeria, the USA would advance as winner of our group. The irony is that we still might have to play Germany if they come in second in Group D. Don’t count out Slovenia, though. They advance with a win or a draw – and if they draw and we draw, then so do we!

Group D – There is no doubt that Germany was the big scary team after round 1, but Serbia (with the help of an over zealous referee) made das Hermans look not so tough. Still, all the Germans have to do to advance as group winners is beat Ghana and hope Serbia doesn’t make up a 3 pt goal dif. Seems quite likely. Ghana might be the highest ranked African squad, but I’m afraid that just isn’t going to be enough to beat the Germans. That means Ghana needs to pray to the Soccer Gods that Australia holds Serbia to a draw (or defeat). It is possible but not likely. I see Serbia advancing in 2nd and the Socceroos heading home.

Group E – The Dutch have not been the most convincing team on the pitch, but they have gotten it done and are the first team to clinch a berth in the Round of 16. Sorry Cameroon. Eto’o got his goal but no one else showed up. We’ll see if they have a little African pride on show in their final game. The big game of the group is Japan vs. Denmark in a battle for 2nd (or a possible but very unlikely 1st). Denmark has the momentum but Japan advances on the draw with a point better goal dif – which they might need as these two squads could be pretty evenly matched.

Group F – No South American team has lost a game in this Southern Hemisphere Copa and Paraguay is another team playing very well. With their final game against New Zealand, they look very likely to take their group. The Kiwis played valiantly against Italy (and Slovakia), but the fun stops here for the rugby nation. While Italy has looked far from superior as cup holders, they are certain to get their shit together to beat the very disappointing Slovakia and advance from the group as runners-up – setting them up for an exciting showdown with The Netherlands.

Group G – Not quite the “group of death” many had hoped for, the group has at least provided some very entertaining matches. North Korea played 135 minutes of very admirable football, but it all came crashing down in the second half against Portugal. I can’t wait to see the news reports that the feed cut out in the middle of the match back in Pyongyang and the newspapers the next day reported a win. It would take a complete miracle for Ivory Coast to make up the 9 pt goal differential with Portugal, so it is pretty much curtains for them as well. What a shame. That leaves a huge final match between Brazil and Portugal. They aren’t just playing for pride either as the loser (or Portugal in the event of a draw) will likely face Spain in the Round of 16. Who knows, maybe Portugal will come out with the guns still blazing. Regardless, this should be a great match.

Group H – The final group presents the most interesting scenarios. Chile holds the pole position and is the only team to “control their own destiny” – but they have to play Spain. Where it gets confusing is if Spain beats Chile and Switzerland beats Honduras. That puts all three teams on 6 points and it comes down to the margins of victory for Switzerland and Spain. Suddenly Chile’s position doesn’t look so good if they lose and either of those margins is more than a point. In one scenario it would even come down to a coin toss! If Spain does lose or draw, then they are likely out – which would be an even bigger shocker than England or France. Honduras needs to win by a big margin and hope Spain do as well if they have a shot to advance. I see Switzerland beating Honduras – but who knows by how much. This group will come down to the wire.

Here are my personal power rankings for each of the 32 competing national teams after watching each game in the first round of group play. These rankings are based on a number of factors including quality of play, strength of squad, results of first game, opposing team, potential, and more. The number next to each team is their Official FIFA Ranking going into the tourney.

I’ll give some more explanation on the next go around, but I just wanted to get these out there now. Germany is pretty obviously everyone’s choice for numero uno – but they definitely did look the best. I was most impressed by the play through the midfield by Mesut Özil, a complete unknown to me coming in. While some of the faves had poor first games (Spain, France, Portugal), they are by no means out of it and with the talents on their squads could still go all the way. I thought the USA looked great – but with the strength of Germany, we need to really show up against Slovenia Friday to make a play for the group win.

Here are my rankings. Check out my Statistics Companion if you want some more numbers thrown your way.

1. Germany (6)
2. Netherlands (4)
3. Argentina (7)
4. Brazil (1)
5. England (8)
6. Italy (5)
7. Ghana (32)
8. Spain (2)
9. Paraguay (31)
10. South Korea (47)
11. Chile (18)
12. USA (14)
13. Japan (45)
14. Uruguay (16)
15. Switzerland (24)
16. France (9)
17. Portugal (3)
18. Ivory Coast (27)
19. South Africa (83)
20. Serbia (15)
21. Mexico (17)
22. Slovenia (25)
23. Denmark (36)
24. Slovakia (34)
25. North Korea (105)
26. New Zealand (78)
27. Cameroon (19)
28. Nigeria (21)
29. Honduras (38)
30. Australia (20)
31. Greece (13)
32. Algeria (30)

It took a bit longer than I hoped, but I’ve put together a whole slew of statistics on each of the 32 teams competing RIGHT NOW in South Africa. The idea is to have this handy while watching the Copa for a quick reference on each player’s international and club experience. There are bound to be a number of errors in this thing. Let me know if you find any that should be fixed.

Download the PDF (460KB)

Wow! It is really here. At long last. The World Cup kicks off one week from today when South Africa hosts Mexico. Where are YOU going to be?

Check out these great posters (and the links on the side) commissioned for the Copa and count the seconds until 7:00AM PST.

thx Matt

A few of us have been singing the praises of JFT (Jose Francisco Torres) for months and months and he is finally going to get a really great chance to shine for the USA in South Africa. He play 45 minutes against Turkey last Saturday and his performance was stellar. 723FootballFilms put together this little clip of every touch. Here’s a vote for a starting spot come June 12 in Rustenberg.

Via TheFinalThird

Just wow. I have no problem calling this my favorite advertisement of all time. Huge soccer stars, World Cup, Kobe, and a sick sick concept.

Can you name everyone?

By my watch it goes like this:
Didier Drogba
Fabio Cannavaro
Wayne Rooney
Theo Walcott
Patrice Evra
Frank Ribery
Landon Donovan
Tim Howard
Andres Iniesta
Cesc Fabregas
Gerard Pique
Roger Federer
Thiago Silva
Ronaldinho
Kobe Bryant
Cristiano Ronaldo

Let me know if you caught someone I missed.

For more info, visit these links at SBI: USA’s 30 Man Roster | Int’l World Cup Prelim Roster Day | What’s next for Davies?

Charlie Davies – The big news is that Charlie Davies was deemed unfit for the USA squad. It is a shame but it was always a long shot. The fact that he still isn’t cleared from his club team Sochaux made it an easy decision. While all USA fans are sad to see him fall short, he is only 23 and he’s gonna be a force in USA soccer for the next 8 years for sure. All things considered, I’m really not all that upset – especially with the way Edson Buddle has been playing (alongside Landon Donovan no less).

USA Squad – Thank god Gooch is there! While his rehab hasn’t finished in time to get him back on to the field with AC Milan, it looks like he should be able to lead the USA backfield onto the field in South Africa – we might be in real trouble if he isn’t. It was a toss up between a number of midfielders with Kyle Beckerman getting the short end. This is probably because Robbie Rogers is more dangerous at attacking from the left – a skill that will prove very necessary if DeMarcus Beasley has a weak camp. Only one of those two will likely go and my money is on Beasley. I thought that Conor Casey would get the call over the injured Brian Ching (do you really want to see either of them enter the game in late important minutes?) but apparently Ching is expected to be fit. I’m assuming he makes the 23-man squad since he made this list. Eddie Johnson, huh? Well he won’t likely go. Remember, Bob Bradley has to cut 7 more players before June 1!

Here’s my guess at the Cut List:
Definitley gone: Heath Pearce, Chad Marshall, Eddie Johnson, Robbie Rogers
Bubble (3 of 4 will be gone): Alejandro Bedoya, Sasha Kljestan, Robbie Findley, Herculez Gomez
Bob Bradley also has the option of dropping his 7th Defender (likely Clarence Goodson or even Jonathan Bornstein) and then keep one of those last 4. Sasha and Gomez seem the most likely to make it – but it is going to come down to who plays best over the next few weeks.

England – It is cool to see Joe Cole make the squad, but I don’t think he’ll make the cut to 23. It is too bad Carlton Cole didn’t nab a striker spot as he is a rising young talent and the experience would have done him a lot of good – especially since Emile Heskey is over the hill. Scott Parker won’t make it and Tom Huddlestone might not either, but Fabio Capello should definitely take Adam Johnson. The young right winger has been on fire for Manchester City. It is interesting to see Jamie Carragher come out of National Team retirement. Shows you England is really hurting at defense. Finally, Wayne Bridge is a bitch. John Terry shacked up with his girl and so he protests by not going to the World Cup?! Dude, you gotta get your priorities straight.

Brazil – While I’m not surprised Ronaldinho didn’t make the squad, it is still a shame. But the real shame is the exclusion of young striker Pato. Regardless, Brazil is going to be really, really hard to beat.

Argentina – Lisandro Lopez is an amazing player and they should have taken him – simple as that. But this team is stacked! Messi, Tevez, Kun Aguerro, Diego Milito, and Higuain… gimme a break!. The real question is if super-douche Maradona can get them to play like a team.

France – How do you not take Karim Benzema? If he had stayed at Lyon instead of being a $30M bench warmer at Real Madrid, he would have made the squad. Still, Le Bleu has the personnel to be pretty nasty.

Spain – Wow… I don’t see where you can cut 7 players. Spain is definitely the team to beat.

29 days to the Copa!!