Perry Mc and 2010 World Cup

OK, So I'm No Octopus

2010-07-11T08:31:00.003-04:00

As Paul the Octopus went undefeated yesterday, once again correctly picking the result of Germany's third-place match, I'll simply assert, that's why I don't bet on matches/games. Having seen Spain three times while in South Africa, their form just did not strike me as the dynamic juggernaut they have been the past couple years.

Then too, Germany's form, up until the semifinal, had been one of a confident, competent team, playing at the top of their game. Certainly, missing Mueller on the flank, due to his unjust second yellow card, was a significant factor in the result with Spain., but to their credit, Spain did what they do, possess, probe, attack, and ultimately, find a way to get out with a result, which these days, seems to be a 1-0 score line.

Since I was somewhere over the North Atlantic when the semifinal was being played, wanted to take in the recorded match, and the third-place game, before offering any thoughts on the final. In the semifinal, Germany played very differently than they had been playing in the tournament to that point. They absorbed too much possession, and were not aggressively seeking the counterattack opportunities when presented. Again, the loss of Mueller's pace, and finishing form, were factors, as was Miroslav Klose's injury, hampering his effectiveness.

The final should be different story, as both teams are seeking their first World Cup championship, and both have the hunger of their respective nations fueling them. Holland has been to the final before, on a couple of occasions, but only one of the current players was even alive when that last occurred in 1978. Spain are finals debutantes, having long worn the mantle of an underachieving side, finally shaking that stigma with the 2008 European Championship.

The two teams are both on are on long, successful runs. The Netherlands went through their entire World Cup qualification process undefeated, and are the only team in South Africa that has been through the entire draw undefeated as well.

Spain too, has grown accustomed to success, only losing twice in their past 56 matches. They look to be the first World Cup Champion to have lost their first Group Stage match (1-0 to Switzerland), then go on to win the title. Their lifeline has been the uncanny scoring touch of forward David Villa, who always finds a way to get the shot off, and almost as frequently, that effort is on frame. Along with Uruguay's Diego Forlan, Mueller and Holland's Wesley Sneijder, he leads the tournament with five goals scored.

Speaking of Sneijder, he and his Spanish counter part, Xavi, represent the modern play-making central midfielder. They are both small in stature, but exceptionally quick, and very decisive on the ball. More often than not, their passes are both forward and attack-minded. Of the two, Sneijder gets the edge from the standpoint of finishing, but Xavi is one of the world's most efficient passers from a completion standpoint.

Today represents the eighth all-European final in the World Cup. From a historical perspective between Holland and Spain, the series is a stalemate. The teams have met nine times, each winning four, with one draw. Interestingly, none of those matches have been in World Cup competition, and of recent meetings, Holland has won the last two, dating back to 2000, with the last match being a 2-1 Dutch win in 2002.

With that scene set, I am not, predicting a winner, but will merely remind all that last summer in South Africa, #1-ranked Spain took one of their rare recent losses to the U.S., 2-0, in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup. In March, Holland beat the U.S., 2-1, in Amsterdam, in a friendly, with one of Holland's goals coming off a questionably-awarded penalty kick, and the other off a shot deflection, which dramatically changed directions on 'keeper Tim Howard.

Those results mean nothing now, and although Paul the Octopus has chosen Spain, this is his first venture into the uncharted waters of predicting a team other than Germany. For both teams, they also look to sail into uncharted waters, hoisting FIFA's World Cup trophy to their countrymen, and the world, for the first time.

Copyright 2010. Contents of this blog, written and photographic, are protected from unauthorized use and reproduction by any means, with All Right Reserved by Perry McIntyre, Atlanta, GA

Up in the Air, Out on a Limb

2010-07-07T09:21:00.001-04:00

Well, today (and yesterday) are the trip back from South Africa to "the real world". Am currently in Schipol Airport in Amsterdam, awaiting my flight to Atlanta, so figured I'd put up some thoughts on today's semifinal, the winner of which, will play Holland, Sunday.

While having my bag shrink-wrapped, had a discussion with one of the orange-clad guys working that kiosk, as to whom he thought would win tonight, Germany, or Spain. His reasoning was Spain, since they play more like Barcelona, and Germany plays like Bayern Munich. I had to politely disagree, commenting that after seeing Spain three times in South Africa, they weren't exactly playing like Barcelona, more like Athletico Madrid.

Where I think it will go wrong for Spain against Germany is in the midfield, where despite the obvious world-class abilities of Xavi and Iniesta, their diminutive size will be a problem against the athletic, and fast, Germans.

Another factor working against the Iberians is their one-dimensional offense, which has been David Villa, or nothing at all. The breath-taking finishing abilities of Fernando Torres, so evident in England's Premier League with Liverpool, have been MIA in South Africa. Service to him in the attacking third has been non-existent, and Torres receiving the ball, back to goal in the center circle, as below, is going to accomplish nothing.

While on a furious finishing run at the World Cup, David Villa will be limited against the larger, stronger German defense, which is currently being backed by exceptional goalkeeping. His ability to win headers in the goal mouth, as this one, will not be a factor

Another attacking option, Cesc Fabregas off the bench, could be of some use, as he is used to the rough-and-tumble Premiership, but he still falls under the category of a technical, 'pretty' player. The athleticism of the German side may well neutralize the ball possession skills of he, and the other central midfielders.

And the physical nature of Spain's opponent will be even more a factor than against Paraguay in the quarterfinals, when 50-50 balls were contested upon receipt on most occasions.

Indeed, all of these assumptions may prove wrong, as ultimately, that is why they play the match. Spain, however, has not been in the same form they have been the past two years, and the two hot teams really seem to be Germany, and the already-through, Holland.

Spain may be able to impart their possession and match movement onto Germany, but in the end, I believe this young, talented, and confident German side will absorb those possessions, and counterattack to the same effectiveness that did in Australia, England, and Argentina, teams that are not prone to allowing four goals in such critical matches.

I wish I had some Germany images to share in this as well, but despite shooting 15 matches in South Africa, scheduling and locations never allowed for me to get to one of their matches, that, and not being there Sunday for the final, are among my few regrets. Those regrets are balanced though, by a wonderful five weeks, which is now just a nine-hour plane ride back across the pond, from being one of my fondest experiences.

Copyright 2010. Contents of this blog, written and photographic, are protected from unauthorized use and reproduction by any means, with All Right Reserved by Perry McIntyre, Atlanta, GA

A Different Family 4th

2010-07-05T04:02:00.002-04:00

Another break from World Cup is in order, in honor of our country's birthday.

I did shoot the Spain-Paraguay quarterfinal a couple nights ago, but those images, and the related thoughts, can wait for another posting.

My stay with the Wallis family in Pretoria, at their guesthouse, The Thatch Cottage, has been a delightful experience. As their middle daughter, Minette, said, 'I'm afraid, it seems, you've become a part of the family'. Such has been the nature of my stay here.

So as Sunday, the 4th, which is just another day in South Africa, rolled around, it was the suggestion of the son-in-law, Jason, we all travel about 30 minutes the other side of Johannesburg to the Heia Safari Ranch, which is a sort of conference center out in the bush. He had been here once before on a company outing, and knew the family would enjoy it. Upon arriving, the first thing that clues one in this may be a bit of a different experience is encountering one of the resident 'zonkis', a cross between a donkey and a zebra.

Soon thereafter, another clue. There are thatch-roofed cabins surrounding the conference center, and the sight of an impala ram grazing through the yard, does let one know this is an African experience.

The view in the other direction, from the front porches of the cabins, is a man-made lake, where a herd of springbok grazed that lower portion of the property.

The main purpose of the trip, other than the unique experience, was lunch, and as I sat down with four generations of the Wallis clan, it seemed only fitting to order something special, consequently ending up with kudu filet, which I cannot put into words, as to how delicious the meal turned out.

Part of the ambiance while eating was sitting by the pool. Now a number of people eat out by the pool on the 4th of July, but I'm thinking it pretty much suggests you're in Africa, when this turns up as one of the scenes by the pool . . . . .

Following lunch, we walked it off by a stroll around the grounds, where we encountered a couple other interesting sights, including this 'black' (I'm going with chocolate) variant of a springbok.

A couple of other scenes worth passing along, were this mother zebra helping her foal with a little back scratch, and what trip into the bush would be complete without a giraffe strolling by. This was a 'young' giraffe, probably a two-year old. And we think kids grow up quickly.

It goes without saying, this will be a 4th that will stick in memory for quite some time. Receiving photos from Helen of her, the kids, Doc, Mimi, et al, from the Florida beach, simultaneously enjoying their weekend, did tear at me, more than a little, wanting to be in two places at once. As that's not possible, though, I have to thank all of them for their help and support in making this place, this place in particular, and South Africa in general, a once, and for all, memory.

Copyright 2010. Contents of this blog, written and photographic, are protected from unauthorized use and reproduction by any means, with All Right Reserved by Perry McIntyre, Atlanta, GA

Back Into the Bush -- For a Day

2010-07-02T02:58:00.006-04:00

With Thursday being one of the 'Rest Days' for the World Cup, prior to the beginning of the quarterfinals, we decided to take a short drive over to Krugersdorp. This is the area where there is a large, private game reserve, which among other things, contained the large cats I'd yet to see in a semi-wild setting. The reserve was a bit crowded, as others with time away from soccer, as well, were thinking the same thing. Nonetheless, we were able to find several species to 'check off the list', and that I had not seen in the earlier outings.

One of the first of the large plains antelope we saw was the graceful, and distinctive, sable antelope, this bull was keeping company with a small group of gemsbok, which we call oryx. The gemsbok have an advantage over most when it comes to having a built-in 'back scratcher'.

Also ever-present were ostrich, everywhere there seemed to be an ostrich, or two, and this couple looked to be as much confused, as curious, of the passersby.

As mentioned this is a 'semi-wild' setting, and the predators: lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, are fed, not allowed to hunt, for the good of the rest of the reserve's population. Naturally, there is clean-up to be done after such feedings, and just to remind all this is not a zoo, or Disney, Katie, the resident clean-up crew made an appearance on cue. Quite ugly, nasty creatures, but a fascinating process to watch, regardless. There is a sort of order in their chaos, with everyone getting their turn, but there is some "discussion" about whose turn it is from time to time.

The official name of the reserve is Rhino and Lion Park, so of course, there were a number of rhino, which are among the most endangered of all mammals in Africa. These creatures are immense and they are usually feeding to keep that huge body fueled. With their eyesight being quite poor, their ears are constantly rotating, looking to pick up any sounds that may announce danger, of most concern when a young rhino is present, as not many predators are a match for the bulk and weaponry of an adult rhino.

Another animal I'd yet to see, and wanted to, as to me, it so symbolizes South Africa, is the Cape Buffalo. One of the "Big Five" species of trophy game, in many ways, this is the most dangerous of all, as it travels in large herds, and is usually never one to back away from a fight. Coming across a group of resting buffalo has an ominous tone of caution attached to such a sighting and they should always be given a wide berth. In this case, a long telephoto lens was just about the right distance.

As the afternoon light grew longer, and more "African", we found a couple more 'subjects' willing to pose just long enough to take advantage of that short time of late afternoon light. The diminutive springbok, the national symbol of South Africa, at least their beloved rugby team, was a stark contrast to the cow eland we came across, which is the largest antelope species on the continent.

And of course, there were some 'big cats' to be seen, namely cheetahs and lions. These were contained in separate enclosures from the plains game, but could be found with a bit a searching, as their time of day is evening, and during the afternoon, lounging in what shade can be found is their prime pastime.

But just to make sure one is not lulled into some sense that these are warm and fuzzy, cuddly creatures, reminders are never far off that the lion is indeed the king of the jungle, and they are quick to remind any doubters of just that fact. It is a convincing argument, especially when witnessed up close.....

The Hidden Costs and the Future's Reward

2010-06-28T06:51:00.002-04:00

First, my apologies in taking a bit of time to get this post-match posting up. The loss to Ghana, for the second World Cup in a row, required some tempering and time to reflect on my part.

The U.S. advancing into the 'knockout' round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, was an interesting journey. Three times, the American side fought back level, after allowing early goals. The trait had been an unsettling characteristic of the team since qualifying, and for many experts, this defensive liability was the main component holding the team back from a deep run into this World Cup. Sadly, for on two of the three occasions, the same culprit could be singled out, and as much as I try to support the hometown kids, unfortunately, St. Pius' Ricardo Clark must bear the burden.

When handed the starting lineups for the Ghana match, a little more than an hour before kickoff, it was quite unsettling to see 'Rico' in there. He had not played since the England match, and it was his lapse that allowed Steven Gerrard to give England a lead four minutes in during that encounter. Ghana must have been licking their collective chops, because it only took them one more minute, to expose the same crease off a turnover by Clark, to take a fifth-minute lead.

It was a mistake coach Bob Bradley would allow to play out for 30 minutes, before pulling Clark for Maurice Edu, who in most opinions, should have been the starter all along in that critical midfield spot. One hopes Rico can recover from what has been a personally disastrous tournament, and at 26 years old, he has time to bounce back, both at his club Eintracht Frankfurt, and with the national team.

Playing Ghana is always an encounter fraught with physicality, and they dish it out a lot better than they take it. Their histrionics on every foul, and dramatic proclamations of innocence, on even the most obvious fouls, is an embarrassment to the game. They try every trick in the book, and not only have no shame in their cheating, but an air of arrogant entitlement. For Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai to have only issued two bookings in this match was bordering on gross negligence.

Ultimately, such play could not be allowed to stand and the opportunity to draw level for the U.S. came from the penalty spot when Clint Dempsey was hauled down in the 62nd minute. One of the two yellows was issued then to Ghana, but not on this red-card offense pictured above.

Landon Donovan drew the match with his usual efficiency on the spot kick, and the goal made him America's all-time leading World Cup scorer in his third such tournament, as he also set a new record for World Cup appearances by an American player.

The U.S. pressure continued for the duration of regulation time, and only a couple of near misses kept our side from taking the lead. Through it all though, one could tell the team was low on battery power, as the quick turnaround from group play, and the emotional roller coaster that incompetent officiating forced, began to show its toll. Realistically, this match should have been played Sunday, not Saturday, and the Group A-B showdown with Argentina and Mexico, should have been played in this time slot, not the Sunday night slot. Those teams' group play had concluded the day before the U.S., and this was a mistake on FIFA's part.

As regulation time expired, Ghana looked the beat team, however, and there could be some argument the intermission before the start of extra time came at a perfect time for them. Again, as at the beginning of the match, Ghana came out very aggressively, and in the third minute, a long ball flighted out of their back found teammates from the French club, Rennes, contesting this long service. Asamoah Gyan would best Carlos Bocanegra in settling this service, and Jay DeMerit would arrive to help one stride too late, as Gyan put away the chance for a 2-1 lead.

Through the four matches played by the U.S. in South Africa, there is a strong argument our team put forth one of the best efforts, from beginning to end, during their four matches.

For the first time in our World Cup history, America does not leave the tournament with more losses than wins. For the first time in our World Cup history, our team won its group, despite lamentable officiating taking its toll in the end. And most importantly, our team can head home with their heads held high, unlike England, who may go straight to holiday, not even venturing home to what awaits.

A couple days before the U.S. match, a front-page article in the Pretoria newspaper was following up the U.S.-Algeria match, calling Landon Donovan "arguably the biggest name in America's short history in the sport". More African arrogance. Landon's individual and team resume' far exceeds any player this continent has ever brought to the tournament. Ghana has been gifted advancement two World Cups in a row (their only group stage goals were two spot kicks), America has been gifted to have Landon Donovan for three tournaments, and hopefully, for another one or two more.

The U.S. played in the second-ever World Cup match in history, July 13, 1930. A U.S. player scored the first hat trick in World Cup history. The U.S. pulled off one of the greatest upsets in 1950, defeating England, 1-0, at Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Not sounding like a 'short' history to me. And only the most elite teams here, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Spain, have played in more consecutive World Cup Finals tournaments, and lasted as long at this edition, as the U.S. did. Italy went home in shame. France went home in shame. England, well, despite the controversial goal, which should have stood, also went home in shame.

The Nike commercial during the World Cup themed "Write the Future" wasn't, in the end, brought to life by their poster boys, Wayne Rooney, or Christiano Ronaldo, but by one of their sponsored teams, which played as a team, with heart, determination, for each other, and for their country. Our team wrote a proud prelude to their future, our future, this time around at the World Cup, and with one of the youngest rosters at this edition of FIFA's tournament, the promise is there for more to come in 2014.

Behind the Scenes and the Bigger Picture

2010-06-25T04:38:00.003-04:00

The ground swell following the dramatic U.S. advancement into the 'real' phase of the 2010 FIFA World Cup has come full circle from here-to everywhere else-back to here.

Landon Donovan posted a link to a YouTube video on his facebook page, showing reactions all around the country, and indeed, the world, as the U.S. scored in the waning seconds of the Algeria match. The president called the team following dinner last night. The world press here has finally realized the U.S. team is one of the best stories of this World Cup. Sure Italy and France get to go home in shame, and those too are stories, but let's revel in our success, as it is our moment.

There is so much more to the story of the U.S. Sure, we all see the guys who hit the pitch and make their contributions, but there is the bench that gets them ready in training, and sits, ready to go, should the need arise during a match. During this tournament's three matches, all but a couple of the field players have seen action, and over half of the squad has made their World Cup debut. This team is a good blend of experience, talent, and youth.

Coach Bradley and his staff have made sound tactical changes, both to the starting 11s, and as they have judiciously exercised the three precious substitutes allowed during each match.

A couple of the blue-collar guys, who have yet to come off the field, hold perhaps the biggest key to the U.S. progressing much further into this World Cup. Defenders Jay DeMerit and Steve Cherundolo are both athletic and tough. Cherundolo, in particular, being a 10-year veteran of Germany's physically demanding Bundesliga, brings solid fundamental defense on the right flank, but also the attacking mentality necessary to spread the ball to the proper spaces.

Joined by captain Carlos Bocanegra, this back line is growing from a question mark to a strength as the tournament goes on. The options coach Bradley has to put in front of the defense is also a versatile bunch, with his son, Michael, being one of the day in - day out performers that can be counted on every time the whistle blows. Young Bradley's fitness, and attacking savvy helps transition the team, and as evidenced against Slovenia, his touch around the goal can be both clutch and world-class.

The team will be hitting the pitch in Rustenburg, Saturday night, on a short turnaround, but is both fit, and inspired. The fact five of the starters were on the field for the bitter elimination match in 2006, against the same country, works even more in the favor of the home side.

Media attention here is focused on Ghana too, as they are likely the only African team to advance into the knockout phase, for the second WC in a row. There is some anticipation as to the crowd reaction, Saturday, as the locals have picked up on the exciting American squad, but also hold great pride in the teams from this continent. The hope this time around is FIFA won't be under the same pressure to advance a team from the host continent, the match will be called correctly, and when the U.S. scores goals, they actually be allowed to stand.

All of this helps set the scene a bit more for tomorrow, but in the meantime, tonight I am shooting another critical match, the final Group Stage encounter for Group H, Spain-Chile, here, in Pretoria. Spain is looking to avoid the ignominious fate of Italy and France, so one of the world's elite teams is going to have to play like it tonight. Chile is through with a draw, and even a win does not guarantee Spain advancement, as Switzerland plays Honduras simultaneously to finish out this tournament's Group Stage.

Finally, a quick shout out to fellow Lion lettermen and alums, Elliott McCarthy and Dev Pandya, who have been following the U.S. through South Africa. Ran into them pre-game before the Algeria match, and it's good to see Lion pride in our team, and our game, runs across generations. Lovett helped put soccer on the map in Georgia, and now we bear witness to the U.S. continuing to spread our game across the world scene. Passion fuels Pride. Until tomorrow . . . . .

Wow!!! Where to Start?

2010-06-24T07:08:00.006-04:00

Wednesday, June 23rd, had been on the U.S. Soccer calendar since the World Cup draw in December.

The last match of Group Stage competition in any World Cup always brings special significance, and following the previous match's injustice, our side was up against the wall in a 'win or go home', scenario.

The history was not in our favor, as the U.S. had never won a previous third game of the Group Stage. In 2006, the last African team with a chance to advance to the knockout round, Ghana, was escorted by generous officiating, to a 2-1 win over the U.S., also then in a must-win situation.

The U.S. team this time around, however, is one with an established track record of being very strong mentally, time and time again, solving the toughest of problems when the stakes are highest. This 'must-win' mentality takes the field as a 12th teammate, every time this group hits the pitch.

The match had high stakes for both teams, Algeria as well, but with a real chance to take first in the group, the true prize was there for the U.S. Forget the horrendous decision against Slovenia, win at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, and next stop, the Round of 16. Coach Bob Bradley once again adjusted the lineup, starting Jonathan Bornstein at left back, sliding captain Carlos Bocanegra into the middle, Maurice Edu in the defensive midfield slot, and Herculez Gomez at forward for Robbie Findley, sitting due to a second (questionable) yellow card.

Those changes gave the U.S. side more offensive options, while also spreading World Cup experience across virtually the entire bench. Early on, the addition of Gomez looked to make the offense more versatile. In the 20th minute of the first half, it seemed that change, in particular, was to pay dividends, as a second effort shot, then cross, by Gomez, found Clint Dempsey on the back post. Dempsey slotted the ball home for seemingly an early lead, but the offsides flag was wrongly raised.

The World Cup of Refereeing this is not.....

Another great opportunity came in the 35th minute on a Dempsey break-through off a great passing combination from Altidore, then Landon Donovan, but the Algerian defense arrived at the very last instant, preventing a sure goal.

Tim Howard was solid in goal, with only one truly challenging Algerian effort early in the match finding the crossbar. The match was otherwise the Americans on the attack, and Algeria doing everything in their power to destroy the flow of the match, legally or otherwise. Dempsey and Jozy Altidore wore bulls-eyes all day long, and were constantly being ankle whacked, and in this case, elbowed in the mouth, with yellow cards being very slow to appear.

The one benefit of the constant fouling by Algeria (21 to our 11), and time-wasting through 'cramps' and other 'injuries' was the referees did decide to add four minutes of stoppage time as the 90 minutes drew near a close. In the second minute of that add-on time, Algeria made an offensive effort towards the U.S. goal, which was quickly gathered up by Howard. His long distribution throw targeted a Donovan run near midfield.....

.... an out, then in, dribble through the middle third by Donovan .....

..... found a curling right flank run by Altidore, who drew the defense enough to open space for a cross in search of Dempsey .....

.... from there, the melee' ensued, the ball bouncing out of the target area inside the six-yard box, into the path of Donovan, who had glided along behind the play in search of just such a rebound. My view was blocked. Landon's was not. A lightning strike .....
Pandemonium!

Landon Donovan is not a big man.
But make NO mistake, Landon Donovan is THE man.
He has time and time again put this team on his back, carrying them to places the rest of the world does not believe U.S. Soccer should be. Nothing is given this team, they work, they scrap, they persevere, they find a way.

When the final whistle blew, I was perhaps the closest person in the stadium to Landon.

The emotion that flooded out of him, hit me like a physical force, and with the wall of sound from the ecstatic U.S. crowd behind me, sheer joy was a palpable thing. Completely spontaneously, his grip on the game ball became the reflex to share, and some lucky person got the souvenir of a lifetime.

Donovan does not do what he does alone. He is a team guy, energized by highly-charged situations, and truly appreciates the extraordinary efforts it takes for supporters of this team to be there for these occasions. There is a sincerity and humility when he acknowledges the crowd at the end of such a match.

In the post-match press conference, emotion took hold of Donovan. After a moment to collect himself, he said:

“I’ve been through a lot in the last four years, and I’m so glad it culminated this way. It makes me believe in good in the world, and when you try to do things the right way it’s good to see them get rewarded.”

Wednesday, June 23rd, was just such a reward.
To share it, makes so many of us, yes, Landon, believe.

This One Today Needs to be A Quick Post

2010-06-22T08:18:00.000-04:00

We got home late from Ellis Park and the Spain-Honduras match, then were up early to head out to Rustenburg for Mexico-Uruguay, which should determine the winner in Group A. Since I'm already due on the field for that match, I'm going to post some photos for now, and will hopefully fill in the gaps later.

As you can see, it was once again a chilly night in Johannesburg...

One Day Off -- Now Back to Work

2010-06-21T10:58:00.003-04:00

With the end of the U.S. - Slovenia being what it was, and all the aftermath, since, it turned out well I took Saturday off to rest. Got a real night's sleep, and wasn't due back in action until Sunday night at Soccer City for Brazil - Ivory Coast (Cote' de Iviore). This was a match I'd really been looking forward to shooting since it featured Chelsea's Didier Drogba against Brazil's all stars.

Drogba was also very much on Brazil's minds as well, as indicated by the close attention given him by defender Lucio, here, and the rest of the Brazilian defense all night.

Brazil went up 1-0, then 2-0, on goals by Luis Fabiano, the second of which was arguably aided by his hand to settle the ball for the finish. The third Brazil goal was scored by midfielder Elano, who scored for his second straight match, but soon after, was knocked from the match by a hard tackle, illustrating the quick changes of fortune in football.

Drogba had one look at goal, with an opportunity to bring it back to 2-1, just before Elano's goal, but his header was high and wide of the far corner. It was the kind of chance the high-powered goal scorer makes weekly fare of finishing in the English Premier League.

The introduction of speedy Gervinho into the Ivory Coast line up brought the change of pace necessary, and from that point on, the match was more end-to-end. It was in fact, on the clearance of a Brazil chance in the Ivory Coast penalty area, where Gervinho raced the length of the field, through the middle of the slow to recover Brazilian defense, where Drogba was finally able to get one back for his side. The tackle below on Gervinho spun the ball out to the left flank, where it was gathered in by the trailing attackers, who found Drogba lurking on the back post awaiting the crisply-delivered cross, which he surgically finished past a helpless Julio Cesar in goal.

Despite the result firmly in hand for Brazil in the closing minutes, it was much less so firmly in hand from a decorum standpoint and in the final minutes, a strong challenge by Kaka, the key cog in Brazil's midfield, earned him a second yellow, and the subsequent red card. Kaka will miss the final group stage match in the critical Brazil - Portugal showdown.

This evening, am in Jo'burg, again, this time at Ellis Park, for the Spain - Honduras match, a critical outing for both teams in Group H, as they chase group leaders Chile and Switzerland.

Copyright 2010. Contents of this blog, written and photographic, are protected from unauthorized use and reproduction by any means, with All Right Reserved by Perry McIntyre, Atlanta, GA

This Is Not the Way It Should Be

2010-06-19T07:32:00.007-04:00

The spirits of the pro-U.S. crowd at Johannesburg's Ellis Park were running high before the match and the red, white, and blue were very evident throughout the stadium. The match with Slovenia was coming at a critical juncture in the tournament, especially with the opposition leading the group, following their first match win. Both the crowd, and our team, had a pregame unity of purpose.

The match began with the U.S. being a bit too tentative, and that uncertainty would cost them as Slovenia's Vater Birsa found a pocket of space between the midfield and defense in the 13th minute, unleashing a shot from nearly 30 yards out. The defense didn't step to contest the shot, and Tim Howard was caught too far off his line, beating him over the top to his left.

With that extra incentive, the U.S. pressed the attack and after a couple of other promising attacks, a Francisco Torres free kick had to be punched out by the Slovenian goalkeeper to prevent a potential equalizer.

Just before halftime, Slovenia was able to beat a U.S. offside trap, and Zlatan Ljubijankic broke in off the left flank, slotting the ball under the arm of Howard as he closed the angle on the dive. Down 2-0 at half the challenge for American side was a steep climb. As is so often the case, the leader of that climb ended up being Landon Donovan. Only three minutes into the second half, defender Steve Cherundolo sent a pass down the right flank for Donovan, who skated to the endline, then sent a world-class finish into the roof of the net over the head of the Slovenian 'keeper.

The U.S. pressure continued on the attack and in the 72nd minute, Jozy Altidore was brought down from behind by the last defender, which resulted in only a yellow card for Slovenia's Marko Suler, not the customary red card for such a foul. Ten minutes later, Donovan served a high ball into the box, which Altidore went up and won for the knock-down header. The ball went right into the path of an on-rushing Michael Bradley, who leveled the score with a brilliant half-volley finish. The score had the stadium at a fever pitch, with momentum swung completely in the Americans' favor.

Three minutes later, the U.S. would ride that tide of emotion to the apparent winning goal. Maurice Edu would get on the end of another perfect free-kick delivery by Donovan, sending it into the roof of the net. It would have been the first time in World Cup history a team had ever rallied from a 2-0 deficit for a win. It was not to be, however, as referee Koman Coulibaly would whistle a phantom foul on the play, negating the goal. Television replays did indeed show three, perhaps even four, fouls, all, though, committed by Slovenian defenders.

It was far from the only questionable decision by the Mali referee, so obviously out of his depth in this match. Forward Robbie Findley was issued a yellow card in the first half for a phantom 'hand ball' when a corner kick glanced off his upper chest. Being his second of the tournament, Findley now misses the next match. And a couple more images show there was, shall we say, disagreement over the officials' decisions.....

And Landon's eyes at the end of the match say so much.

The press reports from the world's journalists are this morning saying the U.S. - Slovenia match has been the best of the tournament to date, but oh, what should have been. They should be writing about the greatest comeback ever in a World Cup match. Instead, the U.S., for the third World Cup in a row, has been on the short end of the referee stick, and I, for one, am getting very tired of it.

All of that said and done, our team's fate is now squarely in their own hands. A win over Algeria at Pretoria's Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Wednesday, June 23rd, puts them through into the knockout stage of the tournament.

Algeria's scoreless draw with England last night gives them some hope as well. For England, it was their 10th scoreless draw in 57 World Cup matches, and puts them in a precarious position against Slovenia, where they must win to have a realistic chance of advancing. With only one goal scored in two matches, Wayne Rooney needs to show up in South Africa.

Copyright 2010. Contents of this blog, written and photographic, are protected from unauthorized use and reproduction by any means, with All Right Reserved by Perry McIntyre, Atlanta, GA

Let's Get Yesterday Out of the Way

2010-06-18T07:15:00.002-04:00

In the first of the alternating four days between Jo'burg's Soccer City and Ellis Park, Thursday found me at the first, shooting Argentina-South Korea in a big match in Group B. With both teams having won their first match, the stakes were high, as a winner would likely win the group.

South Korea found themselves chasing the match early, as a 17th-minute shot by Argentina deflected in for an own goal. The lead would extended to 2-0 in the 33rd minute, as forward Gonzalo Hinguain would score the first of his eventual hat trick on the day.

In the waning minutes of the first half, in stoppage time, South Korean midfielder Chung Yong Lee poached a loose ball and broke through the Argentinian defense, eluding the oncharging goalkeeper, and getting his team back in the match, 2-1, at half.

As the second half got underway, the early pressure was all on Argentina, and it really looked like South Korea would rally to equalize. One shot at a virtually open net was pushed wide, and the pressure continued until the 76th minute, when Lionel Messi broke the the left flank and the ball found its way across the face of the goal by virtue of a goalkeeper save, and ball off the post, ultimately finding Higuain on the backside, who slotted the ball into the open net.

Since this was the only match I'll be able to see Argentina in the Group Stage, the real prioritry was to get good action images of both Messi, and Manchester City's Carlos Tevez. A couple more samples of those.....

Also snagged some other good action images and I particularly like the following, as well.

I also have to take just a minute to address another of Will's random questions, this one, as those questions often are, are about where we're eating. In the SMC at Soccer City is a McCafe, since McDonald's is a worldwide World Cup sponsor. Not exactly a regular McDonald's, though edible (and pricey).

But now, it is time to put yesterday away, because today the U.S. hits the pitch in their second match in Group C play. The Slovenia team the U.S. faces is very solid defensively, allowing only four goals in 10 qualifying matches. The U.S. must win this match to have a realistic opportunity to advance out of group, and into the knockout rounds. Summing it all up: U! S! A!

I'm sitting nearest midfield on the left side as the television views the field. One of the best seats in the house. Hope it's a great show!

P.S. Quick update from field at Ellis Park. This is the view from my seat for US-Slovenia.....

South Africa Maybe, But Not Bafana Bafana

2010-06-17T05:59:00.000-04:00

One of the slogans around here in welcoming the 2010 FIFA World Cup is "This is Africa's Time to Shine". As on one hand this may still be the case from the country's standpoint, the national team, Bafana Bafana, is seeing their time to shine slip away.

An opening match tie with Mexico, followed by a tie in the other group opener, had all of Group A with one point each after a match, which set up the second games of the group as critical encounters. It was a test South Africa would fail, Wednesday, at Pretoria's Loftus Stadium, against Uruguay.

Going into the match, spirits were high and because of Uruguay's lack of recent success, perhaps the locals were taking the match too lightly. In pre-game, though, the fans of both teams were united behind their respective sides, and showed their allegiances in a number of entertaining ways. Am still trying to piece together the story behind the Uruguay duck.....

Once the match began, Uruguay seemed content to allow South Africa possession, then look for spots to counter. That strategy paid off in the 24th minute, when midfielder Diego Forlan, of club side Athletico Madrid, struck a shot from nearly 30 yards out, catching South African goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune off his line, with the ball dropping in just off, and under, the crossbar.

The second half the plan seemed to run the South African attack through midfield, and the talented feet of Everton's Steven Pienaar. Uruguay again sagged in the middle third, but tightened across the back, not allowing any real opportunities in the final third.

South Africa's best scoring chance came on this play, when forward Katlego Mphela flashed in front of the goalkeeper to snap off a header, which somehow, missed the net, wide to the right.

The match turned, though in the 80th minute, when Uruguay forward Luis Suarez, of Holland's Ajax, broke in off the dribble from the left flank. Khune came out to break up the play, and Suarez took the fall, setting up both a penalty kick, and a red card, for the South African goalkeeper. A Dutch photographer next to me cursed Suarez on the play, saying he is one of the worst 'divers' in the Dutch league.

In any event, the penalty was awarded, and converted by Forlan, with substitute goalkeeper Moneeb Josephs' first duty to try and stop the spot kick. With a 2-0 lead in the 80th minute, Uruguay had the match, and the three points, salted away, converting for a third goal, over a disheartened South Africa team, five minutes into stoppage time for the final margin.

Today, am back in Johannesburg, at Soccer City for Argentina-South Korea. My next four matches I alternate between here and Ellis Park, the other Jo'burg venue. And tomorrow, the stakes go way up: USA vs. Slovenia in a 'must win' in that Group C match. Can't wait.....

Copyright 2010. Contents of this blog, written and photographic, are protected from unauthorized use and reproduction by any means, with All Right Reserved by Perry McIntyre, Atlanta, GA

It's Brrrrrrrazil, Y'all...

2010-06-16T05:05:00.005-04:00

OK, what's that headline mean? Well, the chill factor hovered around freezing all day, and with an 8:30 kickoff, the ambient temperature was right at freezing by game's end. For the record, it was the coldest World Cup match since the 1978 tournament, held in Argentina, also during the Southern hemisphere's winter.

Regardless, it was Brazil's first match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and every Brazil match is an event unto itself. One has to begin with the fans, who are just that, fanatical. Some of the costumes, and ways they support their team, are worth the price of admission.

And yes, the Brazilian fans have also discovered the now infamous vuvuzela, as well.....

But for all the noise, color, enthusiasm, and overall magnitude that is a Brazilian national team match, there was also the actual match to be played, against Group G opponent North Korea. Unfortunately, Brazil came out in the first half with it firmly planted in their collective minds to toy with their Asian counterparts, and the attacking flair was missing through most of the first half. In the second half, though, the true purpose, and the three points that would put them on top of the group, became a priority.

North Korea's efforts to close down space in the middle of the field cost them 10 minutes into the second half when right back Maicon, of club side Inter Milan, broke to the end line and shot from an impossible angle, beating the North Korean goalkeeper to the near post.

Playing with the lead, as they are accustomed to playing, unleashed more fluidity in the Brazilian attack, and midfielder Elano was able to slip through 20 minutes later to give Brazil the 2-0 lead that virtually insured them of the three points.

A North Korean goal in the 89th minute never really threatened the eventual outcome, and now Brazil moves on to the "Group of Death" showdown with Portugal, who tied Ivory Coast, 0-0, setting up almost certain advancement should the five-time world champions prevail.

Copyright 2010. Contents of this blog, written and photographic, are protected from unauthorized use and reproduction by any means, with All Right Reserved by Perry McIntyre, Atlanta, GA

The Week of Jo'Burg Begins

2010-06-15T03:45:00.003-04:00

Monday's match in the crown jewel of South Africa's soccer venues, Soccer City in Johannesburg, was the Scandinavian showdown between the Netherlands and Denmark, the opening match for Group E. For me, it was the first match of the tournament in Johannesburg, but only the first of four I'll travel to in that city this week, alternating between the Soccer City and Ellis Park venues.

Attending a Holland match is always a festive occasion. The fans are very much in the spirit(s) of the day, and the color for the day is always orange, a tribute to their royal family, which has over the years, taken on much more of a life of its own. With all of the seats at Soccer City already being the same color, it had to feel like a home match for every Dutch fan entering the park.

The first half of the match was played very cautiously, as are most first matches in the World Cup. The first and foremost objective for every team is not to take a loss in their first match. A draw if OK, because a point is a point when it comes to advancing to the next round, but to give a group opponent a three-point lead in the first match really puts a team in dire straits. Consequently, the first halves are usually played very conservatively.

At this juncture, I'll drop in a few photos for both my friends who are Holland fans, as well as those (you know who you are) Arsenal fans, since both teams had a prominent member of that Premier League contender.

The match was 0-0 at halftime, but it took only a moment for Holland to gain the advantage, when Danish defender Daniel Agger's attempted clear ended up in their net one minute into the second half. From that point, Holland increased their pressure, and the midway substitution Elijero Elia, swung the play almost totally towards the Dutch end. A fantastic clear off the line by a Danish defender saved one goal, and goalkeeper Thomas Sorenson did an excellent job to deny Holland's Robin Van Persie another.

The Dutch pressure ultimately paid dividends in the 85th minute when Elia broke his left flank and unleashed a strong shot that caromed of the far post, and into the path of an oncharging Dirk Kuyt, who stuffed the rebound in for the final 2-0 margin.

For the day, midfielder Wesley Sneijder, who also stars for his Inter Milan club, was voted Man of the Match, but in truth, the Holland win was an effort of a stronger team being rewarded for more consistent and determined purpose toward gaining a positive result and a good start to their Group Play.

Today, rather tonight, we finally get to see Brazil, in their group opener against World Cup (and worldwide) outsiders, North Korea, this one played at the other Johannesburg venue, Ellis Park.

Copyright 2010. Contents of this blog, written and photographic, are protected from unauthorized use and reproduction by any means, with All Right Reserved by Perry McIntyre, Atlanta, GA

Yes. The Vuvuzelas Really ARE That Loud!

2010-06-14T06:03:00.001-04:00

Yesterday's match was Ghana-Serbia in Pretoria at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, which primarily is a rugby facility, home to the Blue Bulls, and other world events, such as the rugby World Cup in 1995. The crowd was quite loud, especially with the South African fans chipping in to cheer pro-Africa for Ghana. The result was a deafaning background noise from an hour and a half before kickoff throughout the match.

My traveling companion here, Andy Mead of Yellow Card Journalism, was kind enough to snap this action photo, displaying my anti-vuvuzela device.

You'll also notice the lens, which is a loaner from Nikon Professional Services. During warm-ups for the U.S. - England match, my primary long lens started behaving strangely, and its utility, I'm afraid, is lost for the remainder of the tournament. NPS will help out and I'll be using a loaner long lens for the rest of my stay at World Cup.

As you can see, the loaner worked out OK.

At halftime, I changed positions to go with the Serbian attack, which I really thought would pull out the match. A late penalty call by the Argentinian referee, however, swung the match in Ghana's favor. What is it about the World Cup and Ghana getting penalties (see U.S.-Ghana, 2006)?

I especially put this photo in for my former, and current, goalkeepers. You know how I always say to react, not guess on penalties? Here is evidence. Serbia's Vladamir Stojkovic, who plays at Wigan in the English Premier League, didn't take that advice. He gambled. He (and they) lost.

In the end, the Ghana win was a festive winning atmosphere for the African 'home' side.

Today, a Scandinavian showdown in Jo'burg: Holland v. Denmark. Should be fun and quite colorful.

Not 1950, But It'll Have To Do

2010-06-13T08:19:00.000-04:00

The match last night, though statistically a bit in England's favor, has to speak well for the U.S. and this edition of the FIFA World Cup. An earlier goal, when a midfield gap allowed captain Steve Gerrard to split the center of the U.S. defense and give his team the lead, seemed at the time to be a bad omen.

The home team continued to apply pressure through the first 30 minutes of the opening half, and a well-taken bicycle shot by Frank Lampard was a sign of the Brits' early confidence and composure in the attack.

Areas critical in keeping the score where it was at 1-0, though, were the U.S. team's chemistry, mental strength, and fitness coming into play to give the Americans a chance to equalize. The other factor was the U.S.'s ability to contain the always-dangerous Wayne Rooney, England's PFA Player of the Year, and scorer of 34 goals for his Manchester United club during the 2009-10 season.

One early sign the U.S. was in this match for the duration was their unity from the initial walkout, and during the national anthem. This is not a fragile team, with a number of players having excellent resumes', despite many being a bit young for this stage, especially against England, one of the tournament's oldest, most experienced sides.

The U.S. persevered through it all, including a scary scene in the first half, when it appeared veteran (though this was his first World Cup start) goalkeeper Tim Howard might have to leave the match following a full-speed collision with England forward Emile Heskey. Howard toughed it out, however, and came up big with a couple of excellent saves in the second half, keeping the team, on the strength Clint Dempsey's equalizer (admittedly aided by a grievous goalkeeping error from the English netminder) in position for the critical point from opening match of Group Play.

During it all, the minority fans in the red, white, and blue, maintained their support, making themselves a factor in the scene at Royal Bafokeng stadium. I particularly liked the several signs and t-shirts, which simply read: 1776, 1812, 1950, 2010. It's the thought after all, that counts. And that thought, and vocal support was acknowledged by the U.S. team after the match.

The result wasn't what it could've been (either way), but as evidenced in last night's post, England's goalkeeper redeemed himself by getting just enough of a touch on Jozy Altidore's late, potential match-winning shot, to push it into the post, instead of the net, into which it was bound for glory.

The comments of Fabio Capello after the match made this a quite satisfying draw, and the one point earned may well be critical in advancement into the knockout stage of the tournament. Capello's sour expression as the referee signaled full time makes an American's heart warm. Speaking of making hearts warm, yes ladies, that is David Beckham on the bench to the left. I walked out of the stadium literally right next to him. (You may now insert your swoon)......

Did Fabio Really Say England Outplayed Us?

2010-06-12T17:18:00.003-04:00

Am incredulously sitting in the SMC, listening to the post-match press conference. England's coach just said to the world's media England deserved to win the match with the U.S. "The result is not good," Capello said. Look at this photo, coach, the result could have been worse .... for you.

In the end, the match ended 1-1. One would only know that were you paying attention at Royal Bafokeng Stadium, as neither the scoreboard, nor clock, was working for the match. On hand were
38,646, in the tournament's smallest venue for one of the Group Stage's highest profile matches. A guesstimate would put the partisans at 75-25, England, but in the final minutes of the match, the chants of USA! USA! USA!, were the loudest and sorry, Fabio, the most poignant of the night.

Wanted to get this quick post up, to show the photo of what could have been, and congratulate Clint Dempsey on his clutch goal before halftime, which made him only the second American to score in consecutive World Cups, joining Brian McBride in that exclusive club.

More from this match in the next posting. Time to start the two-hour trip back to Pretoria. The road leading back is one lane, and everyone is headed in that direction.

OK, one last photo, this was real action photography, as it was shot during the brief instance the scoreboard flickered to life in the second half. Good enough .....

Setting Up for History (Let's Hope!)

2010-06-12T09:40:00.002-04:00

The time has finally arrived for the U.S. campaign at the 2010 FIFA World Cup to kick off and I'm 'in the house' at the SMC at Rustenburg Stadium. To quickly set the scene, Rustenburg is a two-hour drive from Pretoria, and as we'd say, it's 'in the sticks'. It is 45 kilometers farther than Pilanesberg National Park, where we were a few days ago, and this was the first sign I saw of today's venue during that trip to the bush.

Have now arrived at the venue for tonight's match, about eight hours before kickoff, so I could choose a premium seat. For those of you following along at home, I'll be about four seats from the top of the penalty area on the right side of your screen. Depending on the volume of vuvuzelas, I could be wearing my noise-canceling headphones.

Walking to the stadium from the media center this is the view of the stadium's exterior.

Once on the field, the small size of the venue, only 38,000 seats, really hits you. With a track around the pitch, the endzone seats aren't remotely good, but those folks can say they were here.

The main grandstand is a nice facility, but there are a number of 'seat kills' behind the benches and were those seats being used, capacity of the stadium is about 42,000. Nonetheless, it is the size of a moderate-sized college football stadium in the U.S.

Now what makes this more than just any soccer stadium is the walk to the other side, and these two say it all....

Well, actually, those two don't quite say it all, as I neglected a little anecdote from our trip to Pilanesberg NP the other day. When we exited the park, there were at least 30 police cars, a couple hundred yards of yellow crime-scene tape, and a small gathering of fans on one side of that tape. On the other side of the tape was the England team bus. They apparently figured they were on holiday, taking a trip to the park to see the animals, only a few days before their World Cup opener.

A check of the U.S. itinerary finds no such tourist activity, so let's hope our boys are all business tonight, and take care of it.

Long live the spirit of 1950 and magic of Belo Horizonte!
May the result be the same.....

Copyright 2010. Contents of this blog, written and photographic, are protected from unauthorized use and reproduction by any means, with All Right Reserved by Perry McIntyre, Atlanta, GA

So it Starts

2010-06-11T04:38:00.001-04:00

This afternoon, as is World Cup tradition, the host nation kicks off the tournament, in this case the match is South Africa - Mexico. Am in Pretoria, so didn't feel the need to go to Johannesburg for this one, since will see South Africa next Tuesday, here, against Uruguay. Instead, this evening am going to a braai to watch the Opening Ceremonies and the Bafana Bafana match. This will be my last night for two weeks without some sort of media duty.

The cookout is at Billy's, boyfriend of the middle Wallis daughter, Minette, the same group we cooked out with Tuesday in Sun City after visiting Pilanesberg NP. That was fun, this should be even moreso.

Have had some inquiries about where I'm staying, so thought I would use this slow day to say what marvelous hosts the Wallis family have been during my stay at their guesthouse, The Thatch Cottage.

The guesthouse is less than a 10-minute walk from Pretoria's Loftus stadium and is in a very nice section known as Brooklyn. A little known fact is Pretoria is second, worldwide, in the number of embassies, only to Washington, D.C. That being the case, there is a thriving guesthouse community in the area bordering where most of the countries' embassies are housed. Only a 35-minute drive from the Johannesburg airport, this city is smaller, and much more accessible.

My actual room at Thatch Cottage is part of a three-room suite, with it's own sitting area, adjacent to the kitchen, which is, of course, the center of activity at a B and B. Mine is the open door. One little thing, since it's winter here, and their winter is only a short couple months, few of the houses are insulated as ours are. It is rather, more economical to just throw on a blanket, and use a low-yield space heater, which is fine because what they call 'cold' here is a cool spring or fall night for us.

Around town, which by the way, also goes by the name Tshwane, signs of the World Cup are all about, in addition to, yes, the incessant background noise of random vuvuzelas.

The stadium itself sits in readiness for the first match here, Serbia-Ghana on Sunday. The stadium is primarily one of the country's foremost rugby facilities, and there was a good deal of controversy, early in the World Cup planning process, about even using such hallowed ground for soccer. The second hitch, and it is still in the high court at this moment, is the contractor which made the stadium upgrades for World Cup, is suing for final payment on the refit. Interesting political intrigue.

Am writing this from the Loftus SMC (Stadium Media Centre), but will hold off to a future entry to display photos, as today, it is quite empty with only a handful of journalists on hand. Let me instead answer a question for Will back home. Yes, Will, they have modern cars and shopping centers, and no, the grocery stores do not have dirt floors. Hillcrest shopping center, near Thatch Cottage, could just as easily be in an Atlanta suburb.....

..... complete with all the comforts of home.

At this juncture, though, I've got to say I have yet to run to the familiar fast food, but have instead, eaten well within the local menu and wonderful meals provided at both Thatch Cottage, and in the bush at Thaba Nwke. Today, however, the true feast begins with a month of World Cup, South Africa's spotlight, and 'time to shine'.

One Last Day in the Bush . . .for Now

2010-06-10T05:17:00.003-04:00

We woke early Wednesday, had another, quite hearty breakfast, then said our good-byes to Thaba Nwke, and our splendid host, Brent Anderson. After our good run of luck the previous day, we decided to return to Pilanesberg NP, as it was on the way back towards Pretoria. The park sits next to one of the top resort/entertainment areas in South Africa, Sun City, a sort of mini-Las Vegas, set back into the bush. It was the site of your braai the night before. As you can see, it is a bit of a surreal sight, as you come up onto it driving through the bush.

Upon entering the Pilanesberg, we chose the way opposite to what we'd driven the day before, with the primary mission to see some Cape Buffalo, and perhaps, a glimpse of lions, which are much harder to run across. The first view, and it was quite spectacular, was an entire herd of giraffe, over twenty animals, working their way across a ridge.

We had previously seen several giraffe, but it was always in a group of one, or two. To see an entire herd was, well, very Africa. Unfortunately the herd was quite spread out and wasn't able to get more than a few in the frame at a time, so imagine five or six more to both the left and right in this photo....

Another of the animal, one which I'd always wanted to hunt in a different context, was waterbuck. These are quite striking animals to me, and we came across a small group next to, fancy this, a waterhole. These specimens weren't exceptional from a trophy standpoint, but they do have a distinctive look I find quite unique, particularly the distinctive white ring around their rumps.

We also ran across a number of impala, which the locals jokingly refer to as "McDonald's", because they're everywhere, just like the golden arches. This particular impala ram was a very nice specimen from a trophy standpoint, and from his attentiveness, you can tell they are quite wary.

But the kings of wary among the plains antelope may well be the kudu. Kudu bulls are often called 'grey ghosts', and these animals, which weigh over 600 pounds, can seemingly vanish in the blink of an eye. One of my priorities was to try and get good photos of a trophy class kudu bull, and this one (not quite a true trophy, where the horns would curl over 50 inches) almost seemed embarrassed when I snuck up on him in the open and broad daylight.

The remainder of the day's highlights were coming across several small groups of elephants, and watching them feed, which is quite a destructive process, is a bit awe-inspiring. This little guy, a mere grade school-age elephant, was less awesome than cute.

Later we came upon a solitary bull, the scene of which, as does the herd of giraffes, just says Africa. This old elephant was much like an elderly man, moving at his own pace, slowly and deliberately. The days of hurrying for this one are long since gone.

All in all, this last day out prior to the start of the World Cup was another special day. Neil has been an excellent travel organizer, and he confessed to having enjoyed getting out of the city, and into the bush, possibly even more than I. From my perspective, am not sure that is possible.

Thursday brings media duties, securing the FIFA credential I'm approved to receive, checking out the Loftus Stadium SMC (Stadium Media Centre), and getting a few last-minute errands taken care of before soccer consumes the next two weeks. While the start of the tournament is great news, as it is the purpose for being here, we have also peaked ahead on the schedule, and there just may be another 3-4 day window in the tournament's knockout phase, when another bush outing would be doable.

Copyright 2010. All contents of this blog, written and photographic, are protected from unauthorized use and reproduction by any means, with All Right Reserved by Perry McIntyre, Atlanta, GA

Found 'em! ...and Some Bush Moms

2010-06-09T03:14:00.004-04:00

Tuesday found us diverted to 'Plan C', as the first option, a lion-breeding program was closed during their move, and the second choice, a local nature reserve was closed due to this week's management hunt. As is often the case, though, sometimes you just get lucky.

Our third choice was to drive a little over an hour, towards Rustenburg in the North West province, to Pilanesberg National Park. Ringed by four large hills, this area is home to the numerous plains game species we saw at Marakele, as well as elephants and rhinos. It would not take long before we would come across one of the local traffic infractions (traffic should stay left, not right in South Africa).

The elephants that had eluded us the day before were more readily found as the terrain was much more open, and we came across several large groups doing what elephants do.....

And as eating was always a popular pastime with most of the species we came across a couple more 'action' shots.....

Sticking with the theme of motherhood from here, I can assure you these bush moms look after their young ones with a very careful eye, and once that eye is on you, discretion and a slow, careful retreat are in order.....

Finding the small rhino group at the end of the day was the capper on a excellent day of finding great photo ops at Pilanesberg. We spent the last 30 minutes or so of shooting light with this small family group.

And speaking of family groups, the most serendipitous of circumstances; while cruising through the park, we came across Neil's middle sister, Minette, her boyfriend, his family, and their World Cup guests, touring Pilanesberg. We followed them for a bit, and as we split, they extended an invitation back to their timeshare at nearby Sun City for a traditional South African braai, a barbeque, y'all. All in all, this was a great day. Wednesday, our last half day in bush, then back to Pretoria to change gears, and get ready for a little soccer tournament being hosted in beautiful South Africa.

Elephant and Rhino Hunting at Marakele NP

2010-06-08T03:32:00.005-04:00

The second day in the African bush Neil and I made the short drive from Thaba Nwke Lodge to Marakele National Park. The best way to describe Marakele is it reminds one of the American Southwest. There are quite significant mountains, part of the Waterburg range, with the elevations going to over 5,000 feet above sea level.

The park contained four of the five "Big Five": elephants, rhinos, lions and leopards. Despite our best efforts, particularly with the first two, we were not able to find any for photos, although we did find a great deal of sign. Elephant droppings are very hard to miss, as are the trees they uproot to access the green tops. And some of the animals, such as this old wildebeest bull and vervet monkey, are quite skittish and shooting photos was not anything like being in a zoo.

We were able to quietly approach, in the 'bakkie' (truck, y'all), several other of the species in the park, so I'll post a small selection of the photos we were able to get....

Impala ram

Baboon feeding in tree.

Towards the end of the day, as we drove to the 'back' of the the park, and the top of the highest point, where there are a several radio, cellular, and national defense radio towers. From the top of the property, the view was spectacular. The only wildlife we found there, though, was the diminutive klipspringer (Afrikaans for 'rock jumper'), which was obviously nonplussed by their size, and in their minds, masters of their domain.

No Soccer. Big Game African Bush Style - Day 1

2010-06-06T16:22:00.006-04:00

Set out early Sunday morning for Limpopo Province in the northwestern part of South Africa. Neil has friends who are in the game ranch business, and he did a great job setting up some stops and accommodations. The first stop was Zebula Game Reserve, Golf and Country Club (more on that later) Will let a few photos from the day carry this blog.

Hartebeest

Wildebeest

Warthog

Kudu bull

(the Grey Ghost)

Eland bull

Hornbill

Meerkat

Perhaps This is A Good Sign

2010-06-05T23:21:00.001-04:00

My new best friend in South Africa, Neil, was both patient and accommodating in taking on the hour or so drive to (and back) the other side of 'Jo'burg' for the U.S. friendly with Australia in the suburb of Rooderpoort. The match was played a Ruisig Stadium, which probably holds about 8,000, and is a track facility primarily, so much so, there was neither a clock, nor a scoreboard. On hand, however, were most of the ESPN personnel, either handling the broadcast, or taking the opportunity to view this last dress rehearsal as coverage research. Had a chance to visit briefly with Bob Ley, revisit our flight over, and both express our mutual eagerness, and apprehension, to get the show going.

The show on the pitch didn't take long to get going, with newbie Edson Buddle making a big-time impression, scoring in the fourth minute. He looks like the finisher that could well complement Jozy Altidore, who sat the day with a slight ankle tweak, up top. Buddle would get a second goal, to again give the U.S., the lead, in the 31st minute.

The first U.S. lead would last only until the 19th minute, when Australia's Tim Cahill would torment his Everton teammate, Tim Howard, by volleying a backside corner into the low left corner of the net, between a tightly packed Howard and defender Steve Cherundolo.

And speaking of torment, this was my first experience with the auditory assault that is the vuvuzela. This would actually be a gentle introduction, due to the size of the crowd, but gives me good reason to nod and applaud the decision to bring my hearing protection, normally reserved for the rifle range. The U.S. crowd even made their presence known with the own variations of the horn, in all three appropriate colors, and several being used for double duty as flag poles.

The energy and complete 90-minute performance by our lads was encouraging, and though kept off the score sheet from a goals standpoint, the quiet leadership and build up play of Landon Donovan gave strong reason to believe this may well be his World Cup. His play into the third minute of stoppage time produced the third U.S. goal, off the foot of 82nd minute sub, Hercules (great name) Gomez. All in all, a 3-1 result against a fellow World Cup qualifier, at this stage, has to be encouraging, though, there are, still some things that need tightening up before next Saturday's curtain raiser against 'Jolly Ol'.

Team Training, Media Practice

2010-06-05T22:43:00.003-04:00

Went to team training day prior to the Australia friendly. Session was at Pilditch Stadium, which is not a side of Pretoria one would find in most tourist recommendations. The U.S. security had all media wait in the parking lot, and this is where security screenings took place, both visual of our equipment, then a group of about four sniffer dogs with their handlers went over all the gear, and cars, in the area.. The instructions were; 'stand back, these dogs will also bite'.

The U.S. team was about 20 minutes late, and media access was only the first 15 minutes of the session. The guys didn't do much, and what they did do was on the far side of the field, so the photo ops were minimal. Nonetheless, it was a good experience for more of the same, from a security standpoint, on a much larger scale, come match days.

Due to the small gathering of media, it was a good chance to get to speak briefly with the security team, and U.S. Soccer media officers, just to get some face recognition for down the road. Once in the venue, the main purpose of this whole trip was brought to bear by a simple visual.

On the way back from training, another simple visual reminder of what's around the corner. And among the stops on the way back, we also stopped at the Union Building, which houses the administrative offices of the South African government. It is a stately old building, and familiar from the recent viewing, on the plane over, of Invictus. Oh, and speaking of the plane, yes, my luggage did find its own way to Pretoria 32 hours after I did. Yahoo!

Sailing's Smooth. Flying, not so much...

2010-06-03T23:07:00.001-04:00

Well, am on the ground in South Africa, and set up at my home base in Pretoria.

Made Delta flight out of Atlanta as a standby, and am still standing by for my luggage, which didn't make the flight. At least I didn't specifically ask the gate agent in Atlanta (oh wait, I did) if my bag, which I could see out the gatehouse window sitting on the tarmac, would make it on the plane. He, of course, assured me it would. Right. They'll be sending my luggage tomorrow night on the same flight number, so I guess I'll be buying my first World Cup souvenir, a jacket, first thing Friday morning. From there, to the Stadium Media Center to secure my credential, then, off to get a local cell phone for basic in-country communication.

Bob Ley and about 15 ESPN tech crew were on my flight, as were a number of other US and Mexico supporters. There was not an empty seat on the plane, and the ride is, well, a LONG one (three movies - Valentine's Day, Public Enemies, and Invictus -, two meals, a snack, and two short naps). It's starting early, with play still a week away.

Short post for now, am going to try to lay back down and get a bit more rest.
More soon.

Getting Ready with a Dutch Treat

2010-06-02T12:39:00.005-04:00

The spring leading into the World Cup, or any spring for that matter, is a busy time on the soccer club scene. With the championships and relegation battles in full tilt, as well as those lucky squads in the Champions and Europa League, as well as other competitions world-wide.

With that in mind, FIFA only allows for one 'international fixture date', when national teams can assemble for friendly matches to evaluate their sides prior to the opening of World Cup training camps.

For the Americans, US Soccer was fortunate enough to secure a top-drawer fixture on this March 3rd date, with a match in Amsterdam against Holland, who had run through their qualification undefeated. Many of the Dutch side are on clubs amidst the world's elite, and such a match is indeed a 'treat'.

As both teams are "Nike teams", the colossal US manufacturer of shoes and sporting equipment used this date as the debut of both team's World Cup kits (that's uniforms, y'all). As this date coincided with Helen's and my schools' Spring Breaks, and given her best friend from high school now lives in Holland, we were there.

Amsterdam is a beautiful city, the 'Venice of northern Europe', cut and connected by canals and bridges. The weather too, was seasonally favorable, and actually, almost identical to what we left in Atlanta, except that it was snowing when we left home. Once there, though, it turned out perfect.

We hit ground the morning of the match, and Helen's friends came in from Enschede, on the German border, to sit with her in the stands, as I shot. The match itself was no more than OK, looking like a group of tired players in the middle of long club seasons. A dubious penalty was awarded the Netherlands on an Academy Award dive by Wesley Sneijder, and the hosts took a 1-0 lead into the half. The lead became 2-0 on a deflected shot that totally changed directions, eluding American goalkeeper Tim Howard.

The Dutch gave the US very little to work with in terms of space, but as you can see, they were quite friendly hosts on a number of occasions.

The match was also marred by the loss of midfielder Stuart Holden, to a broken leg, which would keep him out of his English club, Bolton Wanderers, until the final match of their league season. The recovery would finalize just in time, however, for Holden to return, and ultimately make the 23-man roster US coach Bob Bradley would take to South Africa.

The final result of the match would fall into some doubt, as the Americans finally came to life in the match's final 15 minutes. A wonderful header goal off a set piece by US defender Carlos Bocanegra, after he had just missed on two other similar opportunities, found Netherlands' net. Both Landon Donovan and Jozy Altidore would have other near misses, but in the end, the 2-1 score line held. Nonetheless, a quality opponent and match, with a respectable result, are all one could ask for and preparations now shift to getting ready for jolly ol' you know who.....

Out of the Bowl and Into the Fire

2010-06-02T12:10:00.001-04:00

As the 32 participating teams were finally determined by late October, players settled into the routine of their club seasons, awaiting December's draw for the eight groups that would compete in South Africa. The FIFA World Cup draw is quite an event unto itself, and was televised, live to the US, on ESPN.

As the eight seeded teams were drawn into their groups, the next drama was who would be next out of the bowl as the second team in each group, establishing the first match of the "round-robin", which is Group Play. Groups A & B were host South Africa and seeded Argentina, respectively. Group C was headed up by England. In order, the seeded teams in Groups D-H were: Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Brazil, and Spain.

First-match opponents drawn for Groups A & B were Mexico and Nigeria. The drama for the USA was next. First out of the bowl to play their mother country, England, were our team. Through the remainder of the process, Algeria and Slovenia were drawn as the other members of the group. A complete copy of the final draw can be found at http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/index.html

For the promoters of the game, the US-England first match was a dream, and so much too for Fleet Street, where one headline after the draw read:

England

Algeria

Slovenia

Yanks

The match-up immediately brought back recollections of one of the World Cup's biggest upsets, when a group of part-time Americans beat England, heralded then as the world's best team, 1-0, in Brazil. This time around, however, the home team are not part-timers, but rather seasoned pros themselves, many of whom ply their trade on English soil in the Premier League and with some of the world's best.

Easy? We'll see.
That's why the match is played, 'lads'.
June 12th in Rustenburg. Live on ABC at 1:30 EDT.

Copyright 2010. All contents of this blog, written and photographic, are protected from unauthorized use and reproduction by any means, with All Right Reserved by Perry McIntyre, Atlanta, GA

From Part of Their Heart

2010-06-01T20:57:00.005-04:00

The win at Honduras, securing the US's sixth World Cup straight qualification, brought the team back to the States in an upbeat mood, ready to close out the grueling qualification campaign with a win over Costa Rica to lock up first place in the CONCACAF hexangonal. The mood would go tragically somber, however, soon after arriving in Washington D.C., for the final match.

Young US forward Charlie Davies, the catalyst of the soccer world-shattering run through the Confederations Cup, was involved in a deadly car crash on a wet and treacherous D.C. byway. Early prognosis was very grim, with soccer seeming suddenly unimportant.

The match, though, had to be played, and the team were visibly distracted with their thoughts clearly with their teammate. With their own World Cup fate on the line, Costa Rica seized the match early on, and within the first 25 minutes, held a 2-0 lead over the sullen home side. Then the rain began to come from the sky, but so too, did the crowd's chants of "Charlie", "Charlie", and early lethargy was replaced with effort, pulling the US back into the match.

Only a run of bad luck near goal kept the match from being level at half, but as the team left the pitch at intermission, resolve had indeed returned to their faces. The second half blazed open with US intent, and very quickly, came two excellent scoring chances just after the break. Only exceptional saves by the Costa Rican goalkeeper kept the match at 2-0, a lead the visitors seemed to feel was defensible.

US coach Bob Bradley waited and watched, then pulled the trigger on all three of his allowed substitutes between the 63rd and 79th minutes. One of those subs, Robbie Rogers (for Stuart Holden in the 69th minute), quickly paid dividends. Rogers crossed a strong ball off the right flank and Michael Bradley won the header, dropping the ball to the waiting feet of Landon Donovan on the left side of the penalty area. A quick fake of a shot, and break back to the middle, and Donovan let fly a shot from 14 yards.

The shot was blocked by the Costa Rican netminder, but a hard-charging Bradley powered through the rebound to thump the first one back into the roof of the net in the match's 72nd minute.

Now sensing the rise of their emotional tide, the US almost capitalized again a minute later, this time with Rogers himself just missing a glancing header off a well-crossed ball from Bundesliga veteran right back Steve Cherundolo. In the 80th minute, Jozy Altidore came up with the ball off a midfield turnover, blazing past his marking defender, before sailing a shot just over the crossbar.

Seven minutes from time, though, the US would suffer yet another disastrous personnel loss. Central defender Oguchi Onyewu, trying to position under a ball in the Costa Rican penalty box, twisted his knee, immediately summoning help from the sidelines. Having used all three subs, this loss also reduced the US to 10 men for the remainder of the match.

The injury had only the faintest of silver linings, as the time attending 'Gooch' meant a full five minutes of stoppage time would be played following the 90. At this point, Costa Rica was using every delay tactic in the book, but the US would win two corner kicks, the second with under 30 seconds left in stoppage time.

On essentially the last US kick of the match, Rogers sent a ball from the right arc, and defender Jonathan Bornstein raced through a pack of players, heading a ball down, and hard off the base of the right post. And into the goal.

The ramifications of that goal would be glorious for the US, as the draw secured first place in the CONCACAF group for the second straight World Cup cycle, edging out arch rival Mexico. The goal would be disastrous for Costa Rica, as Honduras posted a win, by-passing them in the standings, and sending Costa Rica into a playoff with the fifth place South American team, Uruguay. The result of that playoff was a loss for Costa Rica, eliminating them from a trip to South Africa.

So now you know why there are toasts, songs, and yes, even facebook pages, dedicated to the newest national hero of Honduras -- Jonathan Bornstein.

I HATE Missing All the Fun!

2010-06-01T19:48:00.001-04:00

Wow!
What a summer for the USMNT!
An improbable run into the final of the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa, the country's first appearance in a FIFA-sponsored final, shook the game's experts into respect. In route to that final berth, the US scored the 'dialed up' number of goals against Egypt necessary to advance, earning the right to play the #1-ranked team in the world -- Spain.
Shock the world? Damn right!

A convincing 2-0 win over Spain earned a berth against another of the game's giants, Brazil, in the final.
More shock and awe? Absolutely, but only to a point.
Another 2-0 lead, this time only served to awake that sleeping giant, as the US run finally ran out of emotional gas in a 3-2 loss in that final. Nonetheless, the world reputation of our team WAS enhanced, and that reputation had been well-earned by coach Bob Bradley's side as a team, now not only hard to beat, but capable of posting a win against ANY team on a given day.

Following draining club seasons, accelerated qualifiers, the exhausting run in South Africa, the CONCACAF Gold Cup became Bradley's opportunity to audition, and fine tune, his selections for the following summer, while giving rest to those much in need of just that.

Once the regional hexagonals resumed, however, it was back to first-side soccer. A rare away goal in the Hell that is Estadio Azteca was not enough to hold off a maliciously contested 2-1 loss to Mexico. That, though, would be the last US loss in qualifying.

A 2-1 win over El Salvador in Salt Lake City, followed by an away win at Trinidad and Tobago, during the September cycle of qualifiers put qualification for South Africa on the US door step. Come the October finale of away-then-home, our lads left no doubt, winning the first, 3-2, at Honduras, advancing America to the rarefied air of their sixth consecutive World Cup Finals tournament.

Enough of this watching from afar, damn it. The last qualifier, in RFK, against third-place Costa Rica, called me to again hit the highway and get behind the camera.

Copyright 2010. All contents of this blog, written and photographic, are protected from unauthorized use and reproduction by any means, with All Right Reserved by Perry McIntyre, Atlanta, GA

Chicago: Big Win(dy) from Behind

2010-06-01T19:14:00.002-04:00

Summer of 2009 got underway with quite a road trip, at least for Helen, the boys, and me. Turns out neither Helen, nor the boys, had ever been to my favorite big city, and what with the next round of World Cup qualifying squarely landing at Soldier Field, off we went!

We took in all the "must see's": Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, the top of the Hancock building, Navy Pier, and of course, the walking tour of the lake shore parks and all those unique sights.

The USMNT was to meet Honduras for their home hexagonal match, trying to rebound on the 65th anniversary of D-Day, following a difficult loss at Costa Rica three days earlier. The horrid artificial surface at Sparissa in that loss was a major contributing factor, and one can only speculate on the logic in allowing a critical WC qualifier to be played there. Nonetheless, the US had to bounce back in Chicago, where the home team was fighting off another kind of invasion, as Honduran fans poured into Soldier Field from every corner of the country, making the venue much more blue and white, than red, with a total of almost 56,000 fans pouring through the venue's historic gates.

Coupled with that disappointing palette, was the absence of rock-solid midfielder Michael Bradley, who was sitting a yellow-card suspension from the Costa Rica match. Things did not get any better
when Honduras took an early lead in the fifth minute on a Carlos Costly goal. The troubling tendency to concede the lead early seemed to shake the US into action, and from that point, the home team began to control the match.

A couple of near misses, most notably by forward Conor Casey, who slipped just as he was getting ready to slot home a Jonathan Spector cross off the right flank. More solid play, and half chances came the US's way, but took until the 43rd minute, when a deep probing ball off the foot of defender Oguchi Onyewu, seeking forward Jozy Altidore, was handled by a Honduran defender in the penalty area. American engineer Landon Donovan coolly slotted the spot kick home, and the match was knotted at half.

The match was at the midway point of the second half, when Donovan attacked the left side, driving a far post ball to fellow midfielder Clint Dempsey. The Fulham (via Nacogdoches, Texas, and Furman University) ace rose above his marking defender, heading the ball down, and back across the face of the goal, where Carlos Bocanegra's diving header finished its flight into the back of the visitors' net.

From that point, the match's intensity increased, as Honduras took every chance to dispossess any American on the ball. Several excellent opportunities came the visitors' way, but in the end, the tiniest touch here, or a last-minute clearance there, proved to be the difference between three points and one for the home side.

Following the match, the US boarded a plane to South Africa for the 2009 Confederations Cup, an honor they had earned by virtue of their last previous come-from-behind win, this one over Mexico in the final of the 2007 Gold Cup. The venue? You guessed it: Soldier Field. The Win(dy) City.

Copyright 2010. All contents of this blog, written and photographic, are protected from unauthorized use and reproduction by any means, with All Right Reserved by Perry McIntyre, Atlanta, GA

19 Years Old and April Fool's Day

2009-12-15T12:30:00.001-05:00

With the U.S. salvaging a 2-2 draw in El Salvador earlier in the week, the third match of the final round of qualifying found the home team at LP Field in Nashville, for a match with Trinidad & Tobago, on Wednesday, April 1st.

The Americans were sitting in second place in the group after taking four of the possible six points in the first two matches. The need was for a strong effort, and more importantly, to secure the win, and three points, to keep pace with the front runners of the group.

With Helen, and the kids; Katie, Will, and Hunter (center, above), having never been to a USMNT match, we road-tripped the three-and-a-half hours up from Atlanta, and made a family outing of the event. Another 27,955 folks were on hand on a perfect spring evening, and the U.S. got to work early, taking a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute.

It was not the first good chance at goal, however, as in the eighth minute, midfielder Clint Dempsey nodded down a header into the path of forward Brian Ching's run. The high-energy Houston Dynamo forward then broke the right flank, beating goalkeeper, Clayton Ince, but narrowly sliding the ball past the far post (above).

It wouldn't take much longer for the U.S. to go on top, as Ching received a long ball from the back line, off the foot of defender Carlos Bocanegra. Ching directed the knock-down header to team captain Landon Donovan, who quickly settled the ball off his chest, and slid a pass across the six-yard box to 19-year old forward Jozy Altidore, who buried the one-touch ball into the net.

Altidore almost got a second goal in the 27th minute, but his deftly weighted chip, off a pass from midfielder Michael Bradley, dipped just over the crossbar. The visitors would have one of their best chances to equalize in the 33rd minute when MLS and Premier League veteran, Stern John, volleyed a hard shot wide of the goal to keeper Tim Howard's right.

Despite a couple more great chances to expand the lead just before halftime, the Americans went to intermission up 1-0, which nonetheless, bode well for the home team, as under coach bob Bradley, the USMNT, was at that time, 15-0-1 when leading at half.

It would take until the 71st minuute before the home team could breathe a bit easier. Donovan took a pass from DaMarcus Beasley, spinning past a defender out to the left flank before centering the ball to Altidore. The teenager calmy cut past the last defender, then curled a far post shot into the far side netting for a 2-0 lead.

Fresh legs came off the bench in the 81st and 84th minutes; first Francisco Torres for Ching, then Sacha Kljestan for Dempsey. The energy level increased, sparking the attack for the match's final minutes. With one minute left in regulation, Bradley received a long ball up the right flank from defender Frankie Hejduk. Bradley drove towards goal, then laid the ball off to an unmarked Donovan on the left side of the box. Instead of shooting, Donovan laid the ball back to the top of the box, and after one touch, Altidore slipped his third goal under a diving Ince to complete the hat trick.

The win moved the U.S. to the top of the CONCACAF standings, as Mexico fell to Honduras, 3-1, and Costa Rica kept pace but was one point behind following a win against El Salvador. Man of the Match Altidore scored in consecutive games for the first time in his U.S. career, and with all three assists, Donovan extended his team record career assists total to 35. The U.S., remained undefeated in home qualifying matches in their drive towards 2010 and South Africa.

A Cold and Rainy Night in Columbus

2009-12-14T10:47:00.001-05:00

The final round of the USMNT's qualification journey began last February 11th, as the home team took on region rival, Mexico, at Columbus Crew Stadium.

Not really unexpected was the chilly weather, after all, that's one of the reasons U.S. Soccer chose to play the match in that venue, where the team had a distinct advantage over a Mexican team, which really doesn't like to play in cold weather. What was a bit unexpected, were the lines of severe thunderstorms moving through the area, both before, and immediately after, the match. The photo illustrates the pre-match prep necessary by the grounds crew after one line of rain dumped well over an inch in the area.

After an exceptional job by the Crew Stadium staff, the match went on, as scheduled, and the national TV audience was treated to typical U.S.-Mexico showdown, the winner of which, would have an early advantage in the CONCACAF group.

The match didn't really suffer as a result of the soggy pitch, and as usual, there were some hard hits from both sides, setting up both injury stoppages, and potentially dangerous restarts. The first break in the home team's favor came a couple minutes before halftime. American defender Frankie Hejduk worked hard well up the field, from his post at right back, to earn a corner kick. Midfielder DaMarcus Beasley lofted a looping serve to the back post, which captain Landon Donovan headed back across goal to towering U.S. defender, Oguchi "Gooch" Onyewu, who drove a header with net intent towards goal. A reaction save by the Mexican goalkeeper was not possessed cleanly, leaving a ball on the doorstep for midfielder Michael Bradley, who pounced on the gift, and buried it for a 1-0 lead right before intermission. The goal sent Sam's Army in that end of the stadium, as well as the rest of the stadium, into a celebratory frenzy. In Mexican minds, it was 'here we go again'.

American netminder Tim Howard, of England's Everton in the Premier League, then took the early lead in the second half. After stonewalling a point-blank Mexican shot, a few minutes later, in the 65th minute, Howard was maliciously spiked in the thigh by a frustrated Rafael Marquez, who was immediately sent off with a red card.

Playing a man down, and using all three of their allowed substitutes, the Mexicans kept fighting to equalize, and there were several other hard tackles that drew yellow from the Guatemalan referee's pocket. Another example of the intensity of the match is the attempted tackle on forward Jozy Altidore's dribble into the final third, pictured below. Not much ball, and a lot of cleats, amigo.....

In the end, however, the weather, the long stretch of playing short-handed, and the inevitability of the outcome caught up to the visitors. As the U.S. maintained possession of the ball well into stoppage time, a flashing run off the left side by Donovan was rewarded by an Altidore pass, the American captain slid the ball across the top of the box, into the path of a hard-charging Bradley. The young midfielder ran onto a hard shot, which ended up in the back of the Mexican net, and finalized the 2-0 scoreline, securing the first three points of the final round of qualifying for the home team. For his two-goal performance, Bradley was named 'Man of the Match'.

And So We Begin (Again)

2009-12-14T09:42:00.000-05:00

For those of you who followed my World Cup blog throughout the 2006 World Cup, welcome back. If you're new to my postings, I hope you will come back often, take note of my observations, and enjoy the photos posted.

Our U.S. Mens National Team (henceforth, USMNT), has qualified for their sixth consecutive FIFA World Cup finals. This is truly a commendable feat, as only a handful of the world's elite soccer nations can boast a similar record. Now that qualifying is fait accompli, and the World Cup draw has been set, both a retrospective of that process, and previews of the coming attractions can commence.

The FIFA World Cup draw on December 4th landed the United States in an exciting, and favorable group, as well as in one of the most compelling opening matches in recent World Cup history.

On June 12th, our 'lads' will take on 'the mother country', England, in a match at Rustenberg's Royal Bafokeng Stadium. This 42,000-seat venue is located west of Johannesburg, and is the first of three venues in Group C, where the U.S. will play in the Group Stage of the 2010 World Cup. The second match for the home team will be June 18th, at Johannesburg's Ellis Park against Slovenia. The final Group match will be June 23rd, in Pretoria, against Algeria, and will be the last match of group play for Group C, potentially setting up some world-class drama. Most likely, the top two teams from the group will advance to the 'knockout stage', beginning in the Round of 16.

But play begins with England, and it is truly interesting that 2010 marks the 60th anniversary of one of the historic moments in World Cup history. In 1950, England, playing in their first World Cup Final, with a group of seasoned professionals, suffered their biggest upset on the world stage, when Joe Gaetjens' first-half goal earned a ragtag American team a 1-0 victory in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

The American side is no longer a 'ragtag' bunch, as it is led by a group of seasoned veterans, many of whom participated in the stunning win over #1-ranked Spain, as the U.S. advanced to the final of the 2009 Confederations Cup, also held in South Africa. Through the final round of qualifying, the U.S. emerged on top of their six-team CONCACAF group, and seem both excited, and ready, to take on the challenge of the hand dealt them in the 2010 World Cup.

For now, will leave you a brief geography lesson, posting a map of South Africa, illustrating the favorable travel scenario the U.S. also drew. The three U.S. venues are all within a 90--minute drive of each other, negating one of the biggest potential concerns, the extensive travel distances that can exist across a large country such as South Africa.

In the next few postings, will take a retrospective of the Americans final round home qualifying matches, all of which, I was able to cover, with an eye towards South Africa.