Copa America - 2011 Awards & Brickbats

The Copa America 2011 concluded. Congratulations to the champions Uruguay. The pre-tournament expectations where very high. But the two biggest pre-tournament favourites Brasil and Argentina failed spectacularly. The lack of goals early on meant there were a lot of draws damped the enthusiasm even further. However the tournament did have its high points. Here is a list of the bests & worsts of the Copa America 2011. Our experts Chris (@Chris_Elastico) & Rob (@Santapelota) have talked to Ravi (@aupasubmarino) to give their opinions in the podcast.

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Overall Tournament

1. Best player (outfield)
1. Luis Suarez (Ravi)
   
2. Alvaro Pereira
3. Nestor Ortigoza
4. Estegarribia
5. Cichero
6. Vizcarrondo (All)
   
7. Guarin, armero
8. Cesar Gonzalez
9. Guerrero (Chris, Rob)
   
10. Messi
11. Valdivia
12. Alexis
13. Acasiete
14. Diego Lugano

2. Best coach
1. Cesar Farias - Venezuela (Chris)
   
2. Tata Martino - Paraguay (Rob)
3. Sergio Markarian - Peru (Ravi)
   
4. Washington Tabares - Uruguay

3. Biggest overachiever
1. Peru (all)
   
2. Paraguay
3. venezuela

4. Biggest underachiever
1. Argentina (Chris, Ravi)
   
2. Brazil (Rob)
   
3. Chile
4. Ecuador

5. Most disappointing star
1. Tevez (Chris)
   
2. Mascherano (Ravi, Rob)
   
3. Alves
4. Ganso
5. Neymar, Messi

6. Most entertaining game
1. Venezuela - Paraguay 3-3
2. Chile - Peru 2-1
3. Chile - Venezuela 2-1 QF (Ravi)
   
4. Argentina - Uruguay QF 1-1 penalties (Chris, Rob)
   
5. Brazil - Ecuador - 4-2

7. Who among the suprises will more likely carry this form into WC qualifying
1. Venezuela(all)
2. Peru

What do you think of our selections? Please give yours thoughts in the comments.

Thanks a lot for following us for the Copa America 2011.

My Favorite La Liga Club Anthem or Himno

Fans, Music and Soccer. Sometimes that is what it is all about. Almost every Spanish club in La Primera has an anthem, song or himno that the fans sing before and/or after the game. Listen up y'all to my favorite himno. This song gives me chills every time I hear it and it brings back memories of Antonio Puerta, may he rest in peace. Please note I don't support this team, but I just love their anthem.

Fair Play in La Liga

One of many things that is noticed from a global perspective, is the role of the referee in a league. Are they too lenient? Do they give red or yellow cards too easily? Are they fair and consistent? Are they swayed by the players or fans? Do they make good decisions or do they lose control of the game?

They say a good referee is hardly noticed. They do not affect the outcome of the game or play on the pitch. They allow the game to play out, but still protect the marquee player(s).

For more please go to http://www.spainsportsnetwork.com/2010/09/fair-play-in-la-liga/

La Liga: A Move in the Right Direction

I have been writing lately about some of the improvements the Spanish League needs to consider to be competitive with the Premiership, and the other big European leagues, as well as the branding or marketing that is needed to promote the league and improve profit margins.
Well today, I want to give a round of applause to the Spanish League for starting discussions on several topics that are near and dear to my heart.

To read more go here;

Player Focus: A Minute+5 On Christian Vieri

This Minute+5 I’m joined by Mando from Forza Futbol as we discuss the life and times of Italian journeyman Bobo Vieri, Next Up a world tour from South America to South Africa?

mando-minute-bobo

How Ronaldinho Gets His Groove Back

Well it is official. Ronaldinho has found a new how with a few less dollar signs.

I think this is a very good move for Ronaldinho and has the opportunity to be a great move for Milan.

Let's start with the player. Ronaldinho has not set the world on fire for quit some time now. First things first, lets get him back in shape. Milan love talking about the Milan Labs, now lets work on him. Have him get back into playing shape and ready for the season. We all know Ronaldinho possesses the skills to dazzle millions. But will he change his recent ways in Milan? I think he will. Yes there are still a huge party environment in Milan but I think for at least the mean time he will be good and get back on track by training and watching the weight. How long that lasts well, I hope until the day his contract runs out.

Let's go over to the club. Milan know that his name will sell and sell a lot. He will sell even more for the team if they are performing well on the pitch. Which takes me to my next point, as long as Milan do well on the pitch, we really can't complain.

I am looking forward to this season beginning and I am hopeful we will see Ronaldinho back at his best entertaining millions and winning games for Milan.

Football Slavery? I don't think so.

'I think in football there's too much modern slavery in transferring players or buying players here and there, and putting them somewhere,' Sepp Blatter.

'I agree with the comments of the president of FIFA. What he said is right,' he told Portuguese channel TVI. Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo believes he is being treated like a slave? Last time I checked slaves didn't get paid. I am appalled anyone would make such a statement, not surprising it comes from Blatter. That is utterly ridiculous and extremely offensive. You might want to check yourself Cristiano, you get paid to do a job, no one holds a gun to your head or chains you to a post. Last time I checked you get paid a nice penny for your job and are under contract which apparently means nothing to you, FIFA or UEFA.

Yes, Sepp Blatter first made the analogy but I think it is absolutely ridiculous for the statement in the first place and then for the comment by Ronaldo agreeing with him. I'm sick of the run around about is he going is he not. If Manchester United are smart they will sell Ronaldo to Real Madrid and soon. Get as much as they can for him and stop this circus of crap coming out of everyone's mouth.

Blatter quote taken from http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=554472&sec=england&cc=5901

Ronaldo quote taken from http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=554655&sec=england&cc=5901

Silly Nonsense

If you ask me how silly it really is, then I'll tell you that January is rarely as silly as it gets. There are always players in these European leagues that are unsettled, with new management, new coaching, and new "directions" because the carousel keeps moving and a FIFA World Player of the Year candidate one year, can be an injured, unhappy grump the next: surplus to the needs of the club, country and curva. (exhibit: Didier Drogba).

Still, those huge transfers never get resolved until the Summer usually. Teams are wary of over-spending on a player, they rarely let great players leave that early and clubs are always getting gouged on good players that are valued as great during just that time of the year. Therefore, this really isn't about what'll happen to the Ronaldinhos, Drogbas, Lampards, Essiens or Eto'os of the world. What this will be is where it looks like some of the best young talent in the world will end up. Call this a companion piece to the last two posts, the one about Kaka and the one about Boca.

We'll start with my list of up and coming starlets, those that haven't made the big money transfer yet (so, don't get on me because I didn't mention Alexandre Pato, Anderson or some other young talent that's been scooped up by the G-14 or whatever they're calling themselves today).

In no particular order:

Ever Banega: Valencia have the upper hand, in that they've made the largest bid, but Real Madrid apparently have rights of refusal over him. Spain is obviously the right choice for a player that would find it difficult to play as rumoured in Juventus. More than likely Valencia, but mainly because he'll get a better opportunity to play. At Madrid, he'll have the man he replaced at Boca (Fernando Gago) right in front of him. It would be interesting though to see him at a place like Milan so that he cold learn the position from a guy like Pirlo, though.

Karim Benzema: While it may have been unlikely that a player of his caliber would have made the switch during the January window in the past, there are certain storylines that are increasing demand. Chelsea are losing two of their top strikers to either injury, ineffectiveness of their summer transfers, the Africa Cup of Nations or a combination of the three. Manchester United have never replaced Ruud van Nistelrooj and Arsenal are always a likely destination if you're talented and French, but it seems to me that AC Milan would be the perfect place for the player some are calling the next Fenomeno, especially if he plays as expected alongside Kaka and Alexandre Pato.

Giovanni Dos Santos: There are some who are saying that this kid is letting the attention get to his head, that he's becoming more and more like the player he most resembles (Ronaldinho) in more ways than just how he handles the ball at his feet, but it seems unlikely that Barcelona would cash in on the Mexican international, despite how well regarded his teammate Bojan Krkic has become. The stories of his diva-like behavior smack of AS or Marca propaganda. In the end, the Barca cantera may yet save a side that have strayed into the path of Galacticism for too long.

Hedwiges Maduro: The Ajax midfielder is set to leave the club after contract talks stalled, it's clear by his own hand, so the signs are that he'll be looking towards a big payday. If the signs are correct that Sven City are interested and are lining up a bid, I'd still be wary of Chelsea in England as they have what teams usually need to buy in January (desperation), and they have what most teams lack (money) to finance the 20-30% markup that players usually get in the January transfer window.

Luka Modric: The Dinamo Zagreb playmaker is thought to be headed to Manchester City or Chelsea but his club want to hld onto him for another year. In the past, players like Modric (Alex Hleb) take awhile to adjust to the physical nature of the league, so it may be best for the player to stay in the East.

Diego: After starring for Santos, along with his strike partner Robinho, Diego made his move to FC Porto and failed, only to turn his career around at Bremen. Real Madrid have been looking for his type of creative force in the midfield for awhile, but it seems that Guti has emerged as that player, and he may have to look elsewhere. Roma and Fiorentina have also been rumored, but it looks to me that Diego might be the kind of player that Claudio Ranieri needs. Tiago, and Almiron have both been unimpressive lightweights and the club would be perfect for little Diego who is clearly made of stronger stuff.

This is just a small list, more than likely nothing of the sort will happen as I've set it, but it's a neat little exercise that I do for myself everytime the transfer window opens in Europe. Thanks for putting up with it.

Forza Futbol

"My name is Mando and I'm a Blogger..." Yeah, I know this stuff sometimes sounds like an AA confessional, but relax I'm not trying to be pretentious, I really do talk this way.

I began this cycle writing about American sports and the absurdity of it all, I opened a Blogger.com account and made predictions, wrote about my collective Los Angeles sports obsessions and covered the 2000 election. I lost faith and a bit of passion for all of it. Call it self imposed ex-pat syndrome, or a general lack of trust, but I've come out the other side relaxed and refreshed but maniacally focused on soccer of all sports.

So I deleted my L.A. Dodgers blog, and my general interest political blog and started up a new one about football, Arsenal FC as a general focus, but one where I could talk about Italy or La Liga if I wanted to. Granted, I never knew anything about blogrolls or ways to advertise and link with other related sites, but in the 3 years I wrote about futbol there I got one unsolicited non spam response.

Great, so looked at a different way to connect with people and tried message boards, by this time I had already bought my first iPod and discovered the joys of podcasting, listening I might add, the thought of putting one together seemed too remote to even bother, so I sought out message boards for some like minded people who enjoyed the beautiful game and my favorite podcast: The Treble. Wasn't for me.

Instead, I found myspace and stumbled onto my friends Hannah and Elisa there. Both were frequent callers to the Treble as well, and far more coherent usually than I was. I know the idea is kind of weird, "How much of a friend can you be if the initial connection was electronic?" Still, we all started hanging out there, and then we actually met a few months later at a pub in Pasadena, California during a Manchester United match last year in April. United lost.

Despite the "tragedy", the idea for Forza Futbol began. Hannah had this idea to do a podcast and she thought about us; since her "non-myspace" friends weren't sufficiently committed enough I guess. Elisa immediately said, "We should just talk about Real Madrid." Thankfully we talked her down from the ledge, but we came up with a great idea. We wanted to talk about Spain and Italy, two leagues that are still consistently and shamelessly underreported here in the States, and we wanted to make some friends along the way.

We did. We were privileged in covering last years' exciting final in La Liga. We interviewed all of our heroes and realized they were just great people who loved the game just like us. We got better at doing this podcast thing.

All that we have been doing for the last 8 months has gotten us to this point. Despite some detours along the way, Hannah, Elisa and I are back here at Forza Futbol. I'd like to announce too, that starting in January we are going to be part of Champions Soccer Radio network. The place where I might add we all met originally I might add.

Nice, huh? Thanks for listening.

The Real G-14

Everybody knows the G-14: The 14 or so most powerful clubs in Europe, but who really are the best clubs in Europe? You couldn't just look at 1 or 2 years. 5 years is a trend, and a good start, but I decided to go with 10 years. I figured that competing against each other meant most when factoring these choices, so I looked at European competitions, but knockout competitions are never a real determining factor when weighed against a long season, so I looked at average points per season over those years and I had to make tough choices. I valued momentum. I valued stability: other than one exception I didn't believe that spending a significant amount of time in the second division gave you the right to brag about being top of the heap. So here's my list. 1. Manchester United: 2. Real Madrid: 3. Barcelona 4. Chelsea 5. Bayern Munich 6. Arsenal 7. AC Milan 8. Liverpool 9. Valencia 10. Juventus 11. Inter Milan 12. Lyon 13. AS Roma 14. Bayer Leverkeusen Some observations: Dominance domestically gives United the top spot, and that 1999 season cements it. Chelsea was a surprising pick, but factor in those two monster years that upped their average tally per season, plus their cup record and I picked them fourth over Bayern and Arsenal. Momentum is important: both Munich and my Gunners are years removed from glory. Over 10 years in Spain, Barcelona and Real Madrid are level in points separated by decimal points. Overall European victories give Madrid the edge, despite Barcelona's edge in the cup competitions. I knew Liverpool had never won the Premiership and so they were very much a European cup-centric side, but I had no idea how poor AC Milan had been domestically over that span despite their 2 Champions League titles, so I couldn't move them past any of the top 6. I hated putting Juventus in the mix but Europe is not something that Luciano Moggi had much control of but I docked them places nonetheless. Opinions? What's do you think?

Is Soccer a popular sport?

No, I won't get into the debate that many of my fellow Americans or Jim Rome wanna-bees get into. What stirred this on is a debate that my friend Elisa started on our podcast. She asked us that question above, first by prefacing it with some pertinent data that it just so happens I've written down (with some extra bits added by me to give it some shape-apologies to your eloquence Elisa). Take your or time reader; I'll wait.

1. In the knockout round of the Champions League, 13 out of 16 teams were amongst the top 20 richest clubs in the world; the exceptions being FC Porto of Portugal, Lille in France and PSV Eindhoven in Holland. In the quarter finals 6 out of the 8 were in top 11 with only PSV and Valencia out of the loop. Of the remaining teams, 3 out of 4 are in the top 5, with only Liverpool being 8th. Of the top 10, only Juventus of Italy has not been involved and that's due to their relegation due to match fixing in last year's Calciopoli scandal.
   
2. With that in mind, is football really a popular sport?

Are you back? Ready for my answer? Ok

Football is not a popular sport.

Clearly the game is popular, the sheer numbers of people and resources that have been mobilized to support a culture that is far bigger than political, social or economic boundaries. It still is a sport watched by practically the entire world, played by all the creeds and colors of Bennetton, but there has been a shift in the paradigm. Soccer is not really popular anymore.

Here's a definition. Sorry, I won't be brief, but I will explain. This is from an online dictionary that I have lost the links to, with again some additions by me: mea (latin not spanish I beg you) culpa.

1. Popular: regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public. Refers to popular tourist attraction"; or of music that has new and general appeal. "cabbage patch dolls are no longer popular" Soccer is popular because people by the kits, buy the boots, that in turn pays the salaries for the clubs that win matches that increases the net worth of the league or the club. In a sense this is a validation of economic necessity. People buy it because it's popular, or vice versa.
2. Popular: Widely used term, literally meaning ‘of the people’. Refers to "the popular vote or a popular representation, institutions of popular government.
   
   
   
   
   • In a sense the distinction that I want to make is that popular is "democratic: representing or appealing to or adapted for the benefit of the people at large, democratic art forms, a democratic or popular movement" Soccer is popular because it is the last truly democratic sport. It's rules, the way it is played, and much of the mythology surrounding it are unchanged from the days when it was codified by the schools in England.
     

Champions League money: in 2004-2005, television money alone to CL clubs ranged from 3.8 million Euros to 30.6 million Euros and a total of 430 million Euros for all. That does not include gate receipts, hotels, merchandising, etc. The economic impact is enormous above and beyond domestic leagues. Football has never been this popular.

Yet, it has never been less popular. People are voting democratically with their pocketbooks. In Spain, only Real Madrid is at or near capacity, and on the average stadia are averaging 77% capacity. In Italy, the percentage is 30% below Spain. Even in the Premiership, where only Middlesborough, Wigan and Blackburn are under 80% full on the average, only Arsenal, Manchester United and surprisingly Fulham, have shown any consistent growth over the last 5 years. The rest are stagnant or have seen up and down attendance. The northern cities of England have seen the biggest drop off.

• I blame prices: for the price of club ownership, for salaries and agents, for television contracts, for state of the art stadia is driving the common man out of the sport.
  
• I also blame lack of competition: the rich teams who can afford all of the above are generally going to do well in those competitions that pay more money. The poorer teams will have to do without the star player they nurtured, and yes they get compensated, but the supporter will always recognize that their great players will never play for your team. How many will stick by?
  
• How popular will it be?
  

Forza Futbol Interviews - Jonathan Wilson

Jonathan Wilson (born in Sunderland) is a British sports journalist and author who writes for a number of publications including the Guardian, the Independent and Sports Illustrated He also appears on the Guardian football podcast; Football Weekly. He has written Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics, Behind the Curtain: Travels in Eastern European Football and the more recent The Anatomy of England: A History in Ten Matches, where he explores the fortunes of the Three Lions throughout history but specifically how managers and players approached the challenges that 10 matches posed to them and how they handled them.

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