There are actually few surprises on the US squad despite the headlines indicating otherwise. Some may be taken aback at some of the omissions but they really shouldn't be: Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo) was left off, but he has never really gelled with the team (he came in 2006 and didn't play a single minute of football). Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA) was also left off after featuring often in the Cup's run-up but his wild tackling that caused him to see red at the 2009 Confederations Cup can't have helped his chances. Eddie Johnson hasn't appeared for Fulham for years, and his loan spell this season at Aris Thessaloniki was less than impressive.
What the decision to pick two relative unknowns for forward to replace the injured Charlie Davies (Sochaux) shows is how weak the squad really is.
To read more, go here:
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Surprise Selections (and other news) from Group F, the Easiest Group in South Africa -- Italy, Paraguay, Slovakia, and New Zealand
Group F is, by far, the easiest group in South Africa, which means it's a godsend for defending champion Italy, which always starts slowly. The fight for second will be between Paraguay and Slovakia; New Zealand is in the running to be the worst team ever to go to a World Cup tournament.
ITALY
This being Italy, there was enormous controversy surrounding the announcement of the squad, despite the fact that there were no real surprises. The Italian press has been militating for months for a squad place for Sampadoria's hot-tempered Antonio Cassano, but manager Marcello Lippi made clear months ago that he wasn't coming to South Africa. Yes, striker Luca Toni (Roma) was left off the squad but he looked too old even four years ago. Yes, there was no recall for the internationally retired Francesco Totti (Roma) but last-minute recalls are few and far between on World Cup squads. And yes, hero from last time Fabio Grosso was left off the squad, but anyone who has seen him play at Inter and then Juventus over the past 18 months can understand why. He's lost it.
For more, read here.
ITALY
This being Italy, there was enormous controversy surrounding the announcement of the squad, despite the fact that there were no real surprises. The Italian press has been militating for months for a squad place for Sampadoria's hot-tempered Antonio Cassano, but manager Marcello Lippi made clear months ago that he wasn't coming to South Africa. Yes, striker Luca Toni (Roma) was left off the squad but he looked too old even four years ago. Yes, there was no recall for the internationally retired Francesco Totti (Roma) but last-minute recalls are few and far between on World Cup squads. And yes, hero from last time Fabio Grosso was left off the squad, but anyone who has seen him play at Inter and then Juventus over the past 18 months can understand why. He's lost it.
For more, read here.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Surprise Selections (and other news) from Group E-- Netherlands, Denmark, Cameroon, and Japan
Welcome to Group E - the group which features four teams that kept together fairly stable squads throughout most of the qualifiers, meaning the provisional squad announcements offered few if any bombshells. On paper, the Dutch win the group while Cameroon and Denmark fight it out for second and Japan finishes last. The second-place finisher here could be a tournament dark horse.
NETHERLANDS
The Dutch only played 25 players in qualification - the lowest of the 32 teams in South Africa - and they won every game. That's why the squad contains no new names, really, and iconic striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Hamburg) found you can't go home again as he failed in his attempt to return to the team after retiring from international duty two years ago. Yes, the uncapped striker Jermaine Lens (AZ Alkmaar) and Ajax's fullback and midfielder Vurnon Anita were named to the squad for the first time but it's unlikely they'll see action barring unexpected injuries or cards.
To read more, go here:
NETHERLANDS
The Dutch only played 25 players in qualification - the lowest of the 32 teams in South Africa - and they won every game. That's why the squad contains no new names, really, and iconic striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Hamburg) found you can't go home again as he failed in his attempt to return to the team after retiring from international duty two years ago. Yes, the uncapped striker Jermaine Lens (AZ Alkmaar) and Ajax's fullback and midfielder Vurnon Anita were named to the squad for the first time but it's unlikely they'll see action barring unexpected injuries or cards.
To read more, go here:
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Surprise Selections (and other news) from Group D, the Group of Death -- Germany, Ghana, Serbia, and Australia
This may be the toughest group to call in South Africa because it is, in fact, the toughest: All four of these teams would qualify from most of the other groups. But that's why they call it the group of death.
So, it's on to recent developments with the teams, in an order of finish that could well be reversed:
GERMANY
There's a good argument that the most successful team in the history of the World Cup hasn't been Brazil but Germany. Winners three times, this team has never failed to get to the quarterfinals over the last seven tourneys and has finished third and second respectively at the last two.
But if there's ever going to be a tournament where the Germans stumble, it's turning out that this could be the one. The group is difficult and even if the Germans do emerge winning the group, they could face both Argentina and Spain on the road to another possible final. Captain and midfielder Michael Ballack was injured earlier this month at Chelsea and will miss the proceedings. The Germans are down to their third-string keeper (who is still admittedly miles better than anything England has to offer), after the first-string choice, Robert Enke, tragically committed suicide last autumn and the second-string choice, Rene Adler, got injured in the spring.
Even Bayern Munich's success at getting to the Champions League final will probably hurt this team. As we've pointed out before, European club success in a country actually hurts the national team because it makes it likelier that many of its players will be bushed by the time they get to South Africa.
For more, go here:
So, it's on to recent developments with the teams, in an order of finish that could well be reversed:
GERMANY
There's a good argument that the most successful team in the history of the World Cup hasn't been Brazil but Germany. Winners three times, this team has never failed to get to the quarterfinals over the last seven tourneys and has finished third and second respectively at the last two.
But if there's ever going to be a tournament where the Germans stumble, it's turning out that this could be the one. The group is difficult and even if the Germans do emerge winning the group, they could face both Argentina and Spain on the road to another possible final. Captain and midfielder Michael Ballack was injured earlier this month at Chelsea and will miss the proceedings. The Germans are down to their third-string keeper (who is still admittedly miles better than anything England has to offer), after the first-string choice, Robert Enke, tragically committed suicide last autumn and the second-string choice, Rene Adler, got injured in the spring.
Even Bayern Munich's success at getting to the Champions League final will probably hurt this team. As we've pointed out before, European club success in a country actually hurts the national team because it makes it likelier that many of its players will be bushed by the time they get to South Africa.
For more, go here:
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