[ Home | Standings | Results |  Web Entry ]

Issue # 0: Preview:  Some Basic Truths

Saturday 3Jun06

With just under six days left till the greatest party on this mortal coil, let’s review some basic truths about world futbol as we are ‘told’ today:

WORLD CUPS ARE FULL OF MIRACLES

Booking: CLAP

The beautiful thing of the WC is that someone will climb to the heights (like KOR & TUR in 2002) and a lofty one will fall from those heights (like ENG in 2006)!

Outside of BRA, almost nothing separates the second tier of footballing powers so look forward to a lot of draws and 1-goal upsets. And, of course, some sides shouldn’t even be here.

BRAZIL IS THE BEST SIDE IN THE WORLD

Booking: CLAP & CRAP

They can’t be beat all things being equal, but they do have a very suspect defense and they can be put down in Group play, or early in the knockout rounds, if someone will ATTACK them and not defend them – RONALDINHO looked very ordinary in the CL Final and RONALDO has put weight back on so if a side makes them work – who knows?

AFRICA & ASIA ARE THE NEXT FUTBOL POWERS

Booking: CRAP

As for Africa - outside of talented individuals, their organization stinks and any of them will be lucky to take any points home from Germany.

As for Asia – perhaps they are too organized. They need to be more aggressive and attack their markers straight on. JPN gave GER all they could handle this past week, but let’s see them do it starting next week. AUS may surprise a few as almost all of their players are based in Europe.

AMERICA WILL NEVER BE A FUTBOL POWER

Booking: CLAP & CRAP

YES & NO > Yes, futbol will never be a top-three sport in the USA because of how entrenched Baseball, Football & Basketball are in the American psyche.

No, don’t be surprised is the USA wins Group E! Arena’s back-six of KELLER, CHERUNDOLO, POPE, ONYEWU, LEWIS & MASTROENI may be the best in the tournament and will not be allowing many goals!

CZE is beatable because of their defense. SMICER has been dropped from their side, KOLLER is hurt again and none of them have ever seen the USA play. And, until they do, the USA is still just a bump in the road for them. If CLINT DEMPSEY starts on the right for the USA and runs at their defense from the opening whistle, CZE may be in deep trouble.

ITA just has to have other things on their mind – The match-fixing scandal has gotten so bad that some newspapers were calling for their head coach to step down – just weeks before a WC … Amazing. Some of their players are on the trainer’s table as well. And, so you think any of them care about the USA? See CZE …

GHA – who cares. No excuse for full points here. But, then again, remember POL in 2002?

If the USA can somehow manage to get into the second-round of the knockout stage, and someone can upset BRA, our boyz could very well be in Hamburg for a very long time .. ..

The key will be our LANDON! If he decides to take out his ‘Deutsch-angst’ on his opponents, he will put himself in the running for the Golden Boot and carry the USA a long way. After all the stick he received about coming home from Bayer Leverkusen, the only #21 our opponents will see is when Landy is past them and heading for goal .. ..

 LANDON IS BEAUTIFUL!!