The Soccer Thread (Part III)

4-0 now. Yeesh.

 

Here's the thing -- Germany was saved from 2-1 because they had a guy marking the far post.
If the U.S. had a guy on that post yesterday, the game probably would have gone into extra time.
I'll never understand why there's not a post marker on both posts on every corner.

 

Fresh off of the Confed Cup Final comes word that Edgar Castillo has said, "I would play for the United States." Being as this guy has already appeared for Mexico, I find this development very interesting.

 

I think that's fantastic news.
It's a weak position. There's room for him. And it's a signal that the U.S. is more alluring than some previously believed.
Would love to see him brought in for some of the late qualifiers -- which, hopefully, would be mere exhibitions.

 

The LA Times' Eric Sondheimer discusses the REAL disappointment in Sunday's loss:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/06/secondhalf-us-collapse-in-soccer-against-brazil-was-not-inspiring.html

Damn. Imagine, just imagine, how many people would embrace soccer in this country if only the team could win a major tournament!

 

My favorite reader comment:

Couldn't agree more.

 

If this excerpt is anything to go by, it's damn good and then some.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/the_bonus/06/29/beckham.book/?eref=sircrc

 

I hope you will forgive me a brief, domestic interlude.

This, while not quite damn good, was damn entertaining. Sunday's Copa Indonesia final got cut short by 30 minutes. The reason? One team (which won the league title by a country mile, BTW) walked off after it didn't get a penalty kick. Two hours of pleading and threatening later, officials finally called the game in favor of the other team.

http://thejakartaglobe.com/home/sore-persipura-runs-and-hides-from-adversity/315123
http://thejakartaglobe.com/home/sriwijaya-retains-copa-crown-after-persipura-abandons-farcical-final/315019

As I've said before, the level of play here isn't great, but it's rarely boring.

 

I don't know . . . nothing shocking about any of those revelations. If they can be called revelations. I know they don't want to put the meat out there (though that didn't stop them in recent months as SI has largely become a magazine that exists to promote its writers' books). But that excerpt was a little flat with very little new information. The Gullit hire had a "Fox Executives trade Mike Piazza" feel to it from the start, for instance.

That said, Wahl received access others can only dream of. There are other journalists attempting to put Beckham books out there, and I expect his will rise above them based on that access.

 

Wahl book looks impressive. I have even more respect for Donovan after reading that.

And Trooper, please tell me they let you cover a match from time-to-time.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/southampton/8113850.stm

Southampton move ever closer to the brink after the leading candidates to buy the club (the group led by Matt Le Tissier) pull out. Seems the League's refusal to allow an appeal of the 10-point penalty sunk it. And that seems like a stupid thing for a deal to founder on, from both sides.

Much as I would revel in a rival's demise, I also recognize that having a side go completely out of business is terrible for the Football League. Seems as though either (a) the League could have allowed the appeal to go forward, then just denied it or (b) the group, if it was that committed to saving the club, could have just sucked it up. If they were bringing sufficient finances to the table, all the penalty would likely do is keep the club from challenging for promotion.

 

As I am 1) the SE and B) lacking in my Bahasa, I usually just pinch-hit or lend a hand with matches that run right up against deadline. I have done 6 or 7 international games (the national team played 20 times this season!) and will hopefully weasel my way into the ManYoo friendly in three weeks.