World Cup: Brazil Carves Up Turkey

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Defense, Pace Can Beat the Best
(June 17, 12pm)
I caught the Ireland vs. Spain game at an Irish pub in London, and of course we all cried into our black stuff afterwards. You can say all you want about the Irish doing little more than pumping it to Niall Quinn's head, but at least they tried to win the game in the Golden Goal period; Spain didn't. But you can't hope to win if you convert only three penalties out of seven taken. Bit of a shame to see this Irish side go out, because they're actually quite good — they've beaten excellent teams like the Netherlands, deserved to beat Germany and Spain, and have a ton of skillful young players, like Duff and Holland. If I was a Spain fan, I'd be wondering why they created so few scoring chances after Morientes' soft goal. The Irish defense was fine, but no better than — say — that of Italy, who Spain may meet next.

Man-of-the-match: referee Anders Frisk, not only for giving the last minute penalty when Hierro tried to undress Quinn, but for sensibly letting play carry on after tough but fair tackles. The ref of the final, if Italy get there and Collina can't do it?

Watched Mexico vs. USA over breakfast at the world famous Groucho Club of London. Mexico terribly disappointing; US showing once again that a great defense — Sanneh and Pope outstanding — allied to pace, can beat the best teams. A tip of the hat to Bruce Arena, the US coach. Bill Saporito has been saying what a clever guy he is, and boy, did he prove it today. Used the enforced absence of Agoos (thank God...) to switch to a 3-5-2, with Reyna and Lewis out wide. I thought that was a waste of Reyna; then the first time he goes forward he sets up a beautifully-worked goal for McBride. Kudos for O'Brien, too, who has been a terrific presence in the midfield even if he does sometimes give the ball away. But I'll be glad to see Hejduk back for Berghalter, who should have been called for a stupid handball in the box.

Form merchants would pick Germany in the quarters; but who knows what look Arena has up his sleeve next?

Senegal? Great, Tony, of course. But man, what a goal Andersson almost had in the Golden Goal period. Incredible skill.

Exorcising the Ghost of '98
Only a few genuine sombreros punctuated the 36,000-strong crowd gathered in Jeonju to watch the Mexicans take on the U.S. But even when the final score favored the Americans in a remarkable 2-0 upset, the overwhelmingly Korean crowd was still ole-oleing for the South of the Border squad. The Koreans, it seems, have taken cheering against the U.S. as their second-favorite activity — behind supporting their ascendant home side, of course. Old feuds die hard, and the Koreans are still irked by a controversial decision to award a gold medal to an American short-track speed skater instead of the Korean favorite. On Monday, the Koreans were cranking up the mariachi. Except for a small American contingent dubbed Sam's Army, which was cordoned off by watchful armed Korean police, the U.S. heard nothing but boos whenever they touched the ball.

But the adverse conditions brought out the best in the US. They looked like they'd downed their Red Bull, popping up for headers and dashing in for tackles with ferocious speed. Within the first eight minutes, Brian McBride had kicked in a goal, leaving the Mexicans stunned and out-of-breath. And despite dominating possession, the Mexicans never recovered from the lightening strike. That the Americans left Jeonju with a 2-0 victory is all the more surprising, given their 3-1 drubbing by the Poles just three days earlier. After the Poland match, the Americans were subdued, as if they knew they didn't quite deserve to advance. Despite the fact that they had successfully exorcised the memory of their last-place showing four years earlier in France, the team exited the pitch quickly, eschewing the usual group hugs and showboating.

After Monday's match, however, the Americans reveled in having advanced on their own merits. Donovan, who was named the player of the match, raced up to Friedel and jumped on his back. Then leaped on Pablo Mastroeni and Tony Sanneh, the outstanding pair who formed the backbone of the solid US defense. The joyful scrum teetered for a few seconds before collapsing on the grass. As the American players picked themselves up from the pitch, Cuauhtemoc Blanco watched from the sidelines. This time, his glum expression wasn't just play-acting (as when he'd tried to garner an unearned penalty during the match, and won a yellow card for his performance). The Mexicans, who had topped a group filled with powerhouses Italy and Croatia, had fallen, while the Americans, who had just squeaked into the round of 16, had advanced. Under such circumstances, it's even harder to say adios to World Cup dreams.

What Works for England Works for US
France '98 has been officially expunged from the USA record. What a bold strategy the Red White and Blue played, too — let Mexico pound the ball down our throats for, oh, 85 minutes, and pull off two crisply executed counterattacks. Football's a bitch, isn't it Mexico? But then again, if that strategy's good enough for Sweden or England against Argentina, why not the U.S.

Frankly, I never understood what Bruce Arena saw in Brian McBride, other than a guy who can head the ball. But there he was again for the critical first goal. Arena is amazing. He will be coaching in the Premiership before long. He benches Mathis again, despite a good showing against Poland, moves O'Brien back and gives a start to Wolff , Berhalter and Mastroeni, the latter two being very tough guys. Mastro won't take any guff from anyone — he should get the nod against Germany. Wolff drove the Mexicans crazy in the last February's qualifying game against Mexico in Ohio. And then there's Eddie Lewis, who was basically the last man on board when Arena picked his team. What a quality cross on the second goal.

As for the quarter final matchup, keep in mind that a second string German team destroyed the US in a friendly earlier this year, 5-2 I believe. Importantly, the U.S. scored first — and they are learning big lessons in protecting leads in this Cup. If they can score first again, this game will get very interesting.

Never Mind Ronaldo, Watch Out for Ronaldinho!
David Beckham and the lads watching from the stands will have drawn comfort from Brazil's lackluster performance against Belgium. Despite the 2-0 scoreline, it was hardly a rout, with Belgium's smothering of the midfield denying Brazil's rhythm and the Brazilian defense looking characteristically leaky. More than once, it was the reflexes of 'keeper Marcos that kept them in the game, and relying on your goalie is never a good idea when you're Brazil. But the most important difference between the two teams was undoubtedly Ronaldhino, the attacking midfielder who regularly brought the ball into the box, beating two or three men at a time, whenever the Belgian defense retreated to crowd out Rondaldo and Revaldo. The Paris St. Germain player stood out for many reasons: In a tournament dominated by shaved heads, bottle-blond curls and dreads, the man has the man has the retro-cool to sport a jheri curl! And he clearly enjoys himself, always smiling like a free spirit enjoying a good game of beach soccer. But mostly it's his close-control ability to draw and quarter the defense that must, right now, look like England's biggest headache. They'll be running hard in those early minutes in search of a lead.

Magnificent Senegal now flies the flag for all of Africa, and they'll go from strength to strength. After all, four top players missed the Sweden game through injury and suspension, and three of them should return against Japan or Turkey. My only concern is that in that game, Senegal will start as the favorite, and that's a psychological shift from all its previous games. Still, Africa looks set for its first-ever semifinal. At the outset, Senegal was my "in my dreams" pick to the win the World Cup. I failed to wake up for their victory over Sweden. Now the dilemma is whether to stay awake and take my dreams out of the equation in their semifinal showdown with Brazil. (Okay, or England?)

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