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Commentary News

Colorado Rapids: Your MLS Cup Champions

November 22, 2010 — by Sean

All eyes were on FC Dallas’ David Ferreira heading into the cup final last night, the little Colombian having just been named the MLS MVP for the year. He didn’t disappoint, touching in the go-ahead goal and sending Dallas into the halftime locker room up 1-0.

Dallas were playing the better soccer, but it was Colorado who came out more determined to win the second half. And that they did, underlining the effort with a goal by the not-quite-good-enough -for-the-national team Conner Casey.

The game moved then to extra time, which half the crowd in attendance couldn’t be bothered to watch (an absolute necessity, this playoff format). Sadly, Dallas were put out by a weak deflection off Rapids defender George John resulting in an own-goal. Very Tough loss for a team that probably deserved to win.

One final note, the game got pretty chippy for a while there, and there were spats of pushing and shoving, which the announcer described as “Handbags at ten paces“. We’ll let you know if we ever manage to blend that into everyday conversation.

Commentary News Video

Inter lose again

November 21, 2010 — by Sean

The team with the blue and black stripes has lost the will to win, going down 2-1 to Chievo and falling to 6th place in the Serie A (they’d be in 7th, and out of european club competition completely if not for goal difference).

What the team especially doesn’t need is to lose yet another starting player. But it looks like that’ll be the case, as Eto’o is sure to serve some multi-game ban for this headbutt on Boštjan Cesar.

Commentary News

Mark Hughes is Super Classy

November 19, 2010 — by Sean — 1

Manchester City Travel to London to meet Fulham this weekend, the main story being a chance at revenge for good ol’ Sparky. He was unceremoniously dumped by the oil billionaires for not winning quickly enough after their big cash injection, but you could see that he was trying to build a foundation and a team for the future instead of blindly piling superstar on top of superstar in willy nilly fashion.

This fixture provides Fulham’s gaffer the opportunity to strike back, and sometimes these managers will be goaded into a war of words. Not so for the distinguished once-striker, who simply remarked:

“Once the door on my career as a manager at Manchester City was closed then I moved on. I don’t hold grudges. I’m not bitter about the situation. The only thing that affects is yourself. Why drag yourself down with things that have happened in the past? You have to move on and look for other challenges.”

You are one classy gent, Mr. Hughes.

Commentary News

Italians travel to Austria, Act Like Assess

November 18, 2010 — by Sean — 2

Normally we’d focus on the flailing Italian national side, a team struggling to rebuild after too many years relying on aging players and outdated systems. Instead, the Italians we’d like to focus on now are the small group of hate-filed idiots who felt it necessary to cross the border into Austria with the express purpose of making monkey chants at Mario Balotelli. His own countrymen travelled out of the country, unfurled a banner that read “No to a multi-ethnic national team”, then hooted like apes at one of their nation’s most promising attacking players. (By the way, though born in Italy he’s of Ghanaian descent).

Understandably, Balotelli is fed up. Sure he’s a prick, but this sort of treatment is simply unacceptable. In his own words:

“Honestly, I don’t know what to say. If I have to hear those chants every time, you can’t go forward like that. I leave others to do the judgment. I am happy to be in the national team. It wouldn’t be right to stop a game because a few fans that turn up to the stadium behave like that. We need to change these people but it’s not me that has to do it. Where I live, the people don’t reason like these people. A multi-ethnic Italy already exists and we can do better.”

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli had some words on the matter, too:

“I feel disappointment and anger. We always hear these chants and something has to be done about it. We feel helpless. He [Balotelli] has the support of everyone.”

“This national team is open to anyone who is an Italian citizen.”

Video

El derbi ibérico: Portugal embarrass Spain 4-0

November 17, 2010 — by Sean — 2

Spain’s biggest defeat in nearly 50 years came at the hands of Iberian neighbor Portugal. The 4-0 thrashing was Spain’s worst loss since Scotland laid down a 6-2 spanking back in 1963 (odd time that, considering the Spanish Miracle was in full swing). In lieu of commentary, we provide a highlight clip, especially helpful for all of us without ESPN Deportes.

Commentary News

Juan Agudelo: America’s Great Hope

November 17, 2010 — by Sean — 3

The hype machine is running on max right now for 17 yr old Juan Agudelo, the Colombian-born Red Bulls striker who came on with 30 minutes left in today’s friendly against S. Africa, and scored a beautiful goal to win the match for the USA.

CultFootball first picked him out a few weeks back, when we critiqued his play in the Red Bulls loss to the Earthquakes:

The real standout in the losing effort was 17 yr old Juan Agudelo. His movement wasn’t always the best, but he’s quick, has very good control, and plays patiently even right in front of net. He smashed a shot into the post at one point and was a general nuisance to San Jose throughout. By the way, it was his second ever game for the team. You can see he has the markings of a man set for Europe.

The US team looked a little intimidated at first (a stadium of buzzing vuvuzelas is bound to be unsettling), and though they never managed to control the midfield, the defense looked surprisingly good save for a couple of odd-man rushes in the opening stages and the occasional Bafana charge down the wing.

Then Agudelo came on, the man we’d been waiting to see. He immediately got involved in attacking play, holding the ball and distributing, unsettling defenders with his movement, and critically, starting the play that he finished with a blast into the underside of the net. It was a premier striker’s finish, relaxed power right in the goal mouth, as if he were the only person on the field.

He has plenty of room for improvement, and having Theirry Henry around to help guide him has surely helped, but it’s imperative that this boy be sent overseas for further development. Let’s just hope he has a better go of it than fellow Red Bulls alumnus Jozy Altidore.

Commentary United States

USA vs South Africa: Subplot Action

November 17, 2010 — by Sean — 1

Today’s friendly seems like a pretty straightforward affair, but what would sporting news be if we didn’t inflate pseudo controversy into “genuine” talking points? (The answer is legitimate journalists, but we’ll ignore that for now).

Hot in today’s news cycle is Davide Somma, who has been called up for the South African side, and who has vowed to “destroy” the US in today’s game. Why for, Davide? Seems the 25 yr-old Leeds player could’ve represented the USA through some quirk of birth, but was consistently overlooked by Bradley and the US coaching staff.

I wanted to play for them so badly and they ignored me. I want to destroy them and it feels good. I am so pumped up for this match.

Somma has only had two practices with Bafana Bafana, and admits he doesn’t know much about the US team he’s facing. Still, he’s ready to show US what we’re missing. Good luck out there, buddy, and keep it clean.

Commentary Italy

Ronaldinho & A Seleção

November 16, 2010 — by Sean — 1

In preparation for tomorrow’s Brazil-Argentina “friendly”, we in the CultFootball pressroom have been having some exchanges as to whether or not Ronaldinho’s form warranted his call up to the side, especially after having been so unceremoniously dumped for the summer’s big tourney in S. Africa. Mark Gannon, our man in Brazil, lays it out plainly below.

Ronaldinho — The best player in the world: ~2003-2007

I watched the season of The Simpsons after Conan O’Brien left to take over Late Night, but I didn’t like it, so I stopped watching the show. The next year, friends started telling me about episodes that actually sounded good. It seemed like the show might actually be back on track, so I thought I might try to watch it again. I’d still forget to tune in most of the time, and on the occasions when I did, it sucked. But frequently, when I didn’t watch, my friends would tell me about the episodes, and they sounded really good.

I mention this because I’ve been thinking about it since getting Sean’s e-mail, and it occurred to me that I’ve never actually watched a Milan game in which Ronaldinho played well. I’ve seen Milan games without him, Milan games in which he didn’t play well, and highlights of Milan games in which he did play at least well enough to make the highlights. But I don’t think Ronaldinho has ever had a good game for Milan when I sat down and watched the whole game.

I think Ronaldinho probably should have been on the Seleção for the 2010 World Cup, but I don’t expect him to be a starter in 2014 at age 34.

He is already a very different player from the one he was when he shone at Barça, and a good part of the difference looks to me like bad aging. That said, his peak was so high that he can still be a very useful player.

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