http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Tue, 4 Jul 2006 02:47:50 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/07/04/024750.php Q BitThe 2006 FIFA World Cup semi-finals has assumed an all Euro attire for the first time since 1982. Missing will be the Latin American fireworks. But that's life. That's World Cup. That's football celebrating the twists and turns of the mousetrap. Germany, Italy, France and Portugal. The last four standing. Only one, Portugal, has never won the Cup or appeared in the Finals. In my previous post I picked Germany and Portugal -- tight calls that appear borderline ridiculous upon closer inspection of their competitive match records. Germany has never won against Italy in six tries, and Portugal has yet to register a victory against France in their two meetings. And yet, I am convinced, the exceptions will overrule the norms, this time. Germany has the most refreshing look. Jurgen Klinsmann has aired a mint of freshness in an environment polluted by the profligate Erikssons of the world. It is exciting to watch him transform a completely mediocre side into world beaters. No, he hasn't done it with any magic potion, nor he has done with drawing board X's and O's. He simply works within a system that makes everyone comfortable and letting them have fun in the middle. Unlike their flashy models of BMW and Mercedes, team Germany has always been the epitome of efficiency and durability of the Civics and Corollas. And Klinsmann, to his credit, has successfully blended their dogged approach with a flair of attacking football, thus creating a vibrant force that could challenge the very best in the business. Italy, on the heels of match-fixing controversy is trying to rewrite their own destiny, and restore some of the lost reputation if not too late. Their bread and butter is defense. Suffocating and swarming defense. I will be extremely surprised if they show a measurable departure from their long held tradition. The probable difference makers: Lucas Podolsky of Germany and Francesco Totti of Italy. In the other game, France has earned an honorable nomination with wrinkles after knocking out Spain and Brazil. But this is as far as they could have possibly advanced in their wildest dreams. It's time they make way for the Portuguese to their first ever trip to the finals. Portugal has played with more passion and sense of urgency than anyone else but didn't win many friends with their home cooked tackles, flops and attitude. Perhaps it's not fair to single them out because every team has been guilty of shameless play-acting with France and Italy, being the biggest beneficiaries in the pre-quarter finals. It's only fitting that Portugal gets a taste of the finals and finally the championship in what could become a memorable swan song for none other than the great Luis Figo. The probable difference makers: Thierry Henry of France and Deco of Portugal Sports49958@blogcritics.org Tue, 4 Jul 2006 02:47:50 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/07/03/023013.php Q BitThe 2006 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals caused all sorts of troubles to the people with so-called high FQ (Football Quotient) and to the bookmakers around the world who had Brazil, the favorite, followed closely by Germany, Argentina, and England with almost identical odds permeated by reasonable fluctuations from time to time. Baring Germany, the lone survivor, the journey is over for the rest of the top guns as grief, despair, and madness crisscrossed from London to Buenos Aires. The fans didn't get a taste of what could have been an electrifying semi-final encounter between Brazil and England. (No slights intended to the French and the Portuguese.) In all fairness, the French, with a band of familiar faces who've been there and done that, are looking increasingly ominous, setting themselves up for a dčja vu. They rode through the successive Spanish and Brazilian storms with steely resolve when everyone had written them off. Had anyone said before that France would be here trashing Spain and Brazil on their way, people would have laughed off on their face, might even asked a polite question or two about the crack they are smoking. Now they are here, make no mistake, the crazy Gauls could go all the way. The Portuguese, not exactly a surprise, but were not expected to be here either. (I picked them for reasons I refuse to disclose here but feel free to check my blog.) They are more than a gritty talented bunch, well coached by the fire-band Luiz "Big Phil" Scolari who previously helped Brazil to win the 2002 World Cup title. The recent successes of Portugal, a trip to the finals of Euro 2004 and the World Cup semi-finals this time around, provide ample testimony to their class and will likely catapult them to the elite of world football in the future.Now for the losers, it was hard to swallow, particularly for the insanely talented Argentineans who saw their hopes evaporate, courtesy of the jughead Jose Pekerman, their coach, who left his aces Lionel Messi and Javier Saviola cold on the bench and inexplicably went defensive by pulling out Crespo and Riquelme with an 1-0 lead and 18 minutes left to play. He is the fool's fool. Ukraine lost. Good riddance. England - well, you know, lost, again. The script was all too familiar, neatly rehearsed and played out on the field. Another quarterfinal match-up in a major tournament against a team coached by Scolari -- and the losing tradition remains intact.More than England v. Portugal, it was Sven Goran Eriksson v. Scolari. Ultra cool v. passion. Drawing board v. free-wheeling coaching. An over-paid (24 million pounds in five years) v. an eccentric over-the-board genius. Thrice they met, thrice Eriksson lost (2002, WC quarter finals when Scolari was coaching Brazil; 2004, Euro quarter finals against Scolari's Portugal). The game had had its share of controversies. No matter how you like to spin it, Rooney was rightly sent off for stamping on the nuts of Carvalho. Down to 10 men, England played superb, had their best game of the tournament, but in the end, lost when it mattered most. With the talent, at least on paper, England should have been in the Finals without any serious trouble; but as always, it's not about individuals, it's about how the talents mesh with each other, bringing out the best in everyone within an effective system, which to Eriksson's failure was never there in the first place.Semi-finals picks: Germany over Italy. Portugal over France. Sports49920@blogcritics.org Mon, 3 Jul 2006 02:30:13 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/06/29/150918.php Q BitIt has been almost three weeks of non-stop breathtaking action from Germany, and finally a much needed break for all sweaty souls around the globe. This is by far one of the best World Cups ever, although the officiating charade continues at an alarming regularity. In case you missed, FIFA has shown red cards to the whistle blowers who stood apart from the rest of the pack. The talented Englishman Mr. Graham Poll and Russian Mr. Valentin Ivanov, whose whistle-blow jobs are now a part of football folklore, were sent off to catch their home bound flights after receiving the FIFA dubious distinction awards. There have been unconfirmed reports of tears rolling down the eyes of the FIFA president Sepp Blatter watching them leave. Heartbreaking. We will miss the fine protectors of fair play. In a related note, Germany's Markus Merk who awarded that feather touch penalty for Ghana against the US has been retained and likely to be seen on the field again at some point in the tournament. I will admit, I was kinda worn out by watching all the catch-me-if-you-can superstars and some nonsensical spineless pieces of officiating that would fit anywhere between comical and blasphemous. Look, referees are humans and do mistakes. It has always been a part of the game, and will continue to do so. And for every game played there will always be a side, fuming, and another, smiling end to end. The truth is, every team has been a victim of poor officiating. And the beneficiary of poor officiating. What goes around comes around. FIFA has laid down the rules of fair play and the officials are asked to follow them. While following the rules with eyes closed is one option, following the same goddamn rules with more sensitivity and contextual merits is the one more appropriate. As a case to the point, the game between Ukraine and Switzerland saw 45 fouls committed and only one yellow card shown. Compare to the one between Portugal and Holland: only 25 fouls, but 16 yellow and 4 red cards. I understand it's a difficult situation for the referees to find that elusive balance to maintain the flow of the game, yet also punish the violators of fair play and make decisions within nanoseconds without the benefit of technology to correct erroneous calls. People have suggested to use video replays for controversial foul calls and goal-line technology to determine whether the ball has crossed the goal line or not. An obvious problem is that they would inevitably slow down the game and goal-line technology -- tried and tested by FIFA -- could never work with 100% efficiency. Nevertheless, FIFA cannot shy away from it's responsibility to help the referees to make better decisions on the field. So far FIFA has steadfastly refused to embrace technology and Sepp Blatter, insists that it will take away the human factor of the game: Football must be keep its human face, and its human errors. As soon as we use technology to decide what is wrong and what is right, then football would lose its emotion and passion, and it would not be the game of the people.I tend to agree with him. It would be foolish to allow the game hijacked by robotic loonies because this is a game of the people for the people and by the people. We are better off keeping that way. Having said that, FIFA should strive to find ways -- sooner the better -- for the sake of the game and all fairness to the competing teams, to punish the perpetrators who blatantly and shamelessly make a mockery of FIFA's much trumpeted fair play campaign. Perhaps use of technology in a limited fashion might be helpful. There's no requirement to interfere with the game while it is on, and no reason to rescind game time decisions by the referee. However, to make sure that no genuine violators have gotten away, FIFA , after reviewing the game replays, can impose further sanctions. This will make sure the human factor stays in the game and also guarantees the culprits missed by the referees were taken to task. This can also be applied during half-time breaks. I wonder people who got a taste of how it is like to be on the wrong side of referee's decision has to say if the technology is made available even with a limited scope, because blame-it-on-the-referees has always been a perennial favorite of the coaches around the world in every major sport to take the heat off themselves. I am not defending the officials, who must be penalized for their screw ups. But come to think about it, who's here to be blamed? Really? Why not take care of the cheating players first before you take the pot shots at officiating?As a matter of fact, the players should be held more accountable because it is their primary responsibility to stay honest to the game. Equally disturbing is that these millionaire babies, idols of millions of budding footballers around the world, worshipped for their mesmerizing skills also happen to be the habitual cheaters for whom conning the referees are the acts of sublime artistry. If there was ever any doubt why Argentinia native Manu Ginobili is always a step ahead of the home grown floppers, the World Cup has put unsettled minds to rest. Sports49792@blogcritics.org Thu, 29 Jun 2006 15:09:18 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/06/27/094928.php Q BitHere's hoping that Human Rights Watch groups around the world took due notice of the suffering of millions who watched the tie between Ukraine and Switzerland.Was it the worst game played in this World Cup? Absolutely.Was the tortuous play demeaning and dehumanizing to the audience? No question about it.The better game of the day thus belonged to the Azzurri and the Socceroos by default. Our own Natalie Bennett has already provided us with her eloquent and quintessentially British account of it.The game was memorable in at least one way: Never before have I seen a match conclude with a penalty. Sadly for the Aussies, a fatal defending error from Lucas Neill in the final seconds cost them a possible trip to the final eight.As many of you have already rightly observed, it was another screw up by the Spanish referee adding to what has become a Hall of Shame of outrageous calls made in this World Cup. I know referee bashing helps, but there are few other things worth noting:1. The fault lies as much with Bresciano, who should have never allowed Fabio Grasso to dribble past him. Why not tackle him when he was still lurking around the corner flag? Why allow him to get inside the box? Inexplicable.2. Neill should have known that a sliding tackle inside the box is usually the last option by a defender. He could have stayed his ground and forced Grasso to maneuver his way around him, thereby killing precious seconds. His suicidal plunge simply allowed Grasso, who grabbed the opportunity with both hands, to execute a well-timed flop. The penalty, no matter how unfortunate, was a culmination of a sequence of defensive lapses and gamesmanship of highest order.Of course Grasso's flop was still nowhere close to the classic Michael Owen dive from the 1998 World Cup match between Argentina and England -- still the benchmark of all wishful cheaters around the world.When my buddy Jon learned about my ravishing praise of Owen, he promptly came up with the following reply:"Before you praise Michael Owen too highly, check out some of the competition here."And you should too. Tomorrow's picks:Brazil over GhanaDoes anyone think otherwise?Spain over FranceShouldn't the French team be vacationing in a nice, quiet old age home on the shores of Mediterranean? By Wednesday, they will be. Sports49721@blogcritics.org Tue, 27 Jun 2006 09:49:28 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/06/26/052535.php Q BitOnce upon a time, there was God and the hand of God. While God excelled in saving the Queen, hand of God picked her beloved England and threw them out of the 1986 World Cup window. Apparently, God still saves the Queen, and has assumed a recent responsibility of saving the collective ass of the England team. Admit it, England has put up another ordinary performance today but still managed to scrap out a hard fought win, thanks to David Beckham's habitual (not so much these days) accuracy from set pieces. And now they play Portugal in the quarter finals. Portugal will miss several of their key players including Deco, again thanks to their everything-that-could-go-wrong-went-wrong tie against Holland. Eriksson's boys are riding their luck, which, at some point, very likely in their potential semi-final against Brazil, is going to run out unless they improve by leaps and bounds and start playing the way they are supposed to. That's not asking too much because they make millions supposedly for being good at playing football and not laying goose eggs. The game of the day, of course, belongs to Portugal and Holland who saw 16 yellow and four red cards being handed out. Four red cards in a game is a World Cup record; it's never happened before. It was a mess, a stinking mess created by an inept referee with more than adequate support from the reckless superstars resorting to dirty tricks and ugly fouls whenever they got a chance, causing long lasting damage to the image of the game and the Cup, which has otherwise witnessed displays of some brilliant football. Portugal deservedly won by a slim margin of 1-0, but paid a heavy price for it nonetheless. They won't be getting the services of midfielders Deco and Costinha who were sent off in their next game against England. FIFA will also be reviewing the case of their skipper, Luis Figo, who headbutted Van Bommel, but managed to escape with just a yellow card. It is probable that he's going to face a one-game suspension. If you are paying attention, I am currently enjoying a 4-0 picking-the-winner streak, and for tomorrow's games here are my not so bold predictions:Italy over Australia Ukraine over Switzerland Sports49683@blogcritics.org Mon, 26 Jun 2006 05:25:35 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/06/25/020028.php Q BitDo you know when football wins? When fans of curling start watching. My sources tell me we have one such person finally watching the World Cup. I collected my first pool point as Germany demolished Sweden 2-0. The final score is nowhere close to indicate the overwhelming domination the Germans enjoyed in the proceedings. Even a score of 5-0 would have had left the Swedes little to complain about. By the way, I am not taking any credit for the pick -- my mom picked Germany too -- so I remain humble, as always. I almost made an ass of myself in the Argentina-Mexico game. My upset factor for that game was 1/10 showing how much respect Meh-hee-co earned by their uninspiring performances during the group matches. In hindsight, it should have been 7/10 because Mexico almost pulled off an improbable victory. Argentina should have won the game in regulation, their legit goal in the dying seconds was disallowed for offside. That's the worst piece of officiating in the cup not including the fouls called. I also noticed the same assistant referee screwed up at least on two other calls. Both were onsides that were ruled offsides. FIFA should immediately send him back to his home couch where he can rest in peace. The highlight of today's game is the goal of the tournament, courtesy of Maxi Rodriguez. I know we still have a lot left in the Cup, but his dipping volley from the corner box into the far corner of the net has to be the runaway winner unless someone comes up with another borderline insane goal. You can quote me for that to an English fan who are still eating their bread dipped in the sauce made from Steven Gerrard. Enough, now back to my crystal ball. England over Ecuador What do you call a match between hype and about-time? England vs Ecuador. England never impressed anyone except their die-hard fans. More than 150 of them were reportedly arrested today at Stuttgart. In fact, a lot of reasonable English fans (they do exist) will swear what Eriksson is doing to England is what he was doing four years ago to Ulrika Jonsson, or more recently to Fariah Alam. But he does have a bunch of superstars only if they start playing to their reputation minus the hype.You can start with David Beckham, the English skipper and face of the team, who's just playing on his past glory and Eriksson doesn't have the balls to drop him from the starting eleven. Eriksson might not have the guts to drop his dead-man-walking captain but he certainly hasn't lost his wit: 'I am not married to him, even if you think I am. I'm not even engaged to him.' And you can end with Peter Crouch. But the coach is confident, or at least he makes an effort to sound like one:We have reached the stage of life or death for the team now, not just for me, and that is extremely exciting. I think we will thrive on it and firmly believe you will see a better performance from England. We will play good football and we will win.We hear ya. Upset factor: 4/10. By the way, if England loses, here's a suggested headline for the British tabloids: "BOTCH IT LIKE BECKHAM"Portugal over HollandThis is one hell of a tough call. But I would still favor Portugal, although this could go either way. I never like the Dutch anyway. History favors Portugal. They always seem to get the better off their more storied rivals who appeared in the finals of the World Cup in 1974 and 1978, losing both. In the last 16 years, the two teams faced each other five times (excluding friendlies), Holland managed to win only once, losing three and one game was drawn. Last time they met, in the Euro 2004 semifinals, Portugal took the honors by a margin 2-1. Upset factor: 6/10 Sports49646@blogcritics.org Sun, 25 Jun 2006 02:00:28 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/06/24/113338.php Q BitWe are into the win or go home stage of the World Cup, where the real fun begins. With upsets and heartbreaks are in commonplace, don't be surprised if there's a handful of them. Although the big shots appear pretty comfortable, make no mistake, from now on every team has little choice but to bring out their best. That is to say, they cannot afford screw-ups that could have been harmless in the group matches but not any more -- teams know how to exploit lapses, defensive or otherwise on the field.Knock-out games are typically less flowery and more conservative, particularly for the teams that lack penetration in the attacking third. Teams that are viewers' delight, like Brazil, Argentina and Spain, are hard-pressed to curb their natural instincts, while Italians are infamous for shutting down their defense and really who could blame them - with so much at stake coaches prefer to stay in their lose not attitude: to hell with the game. Of course that's not always the case, creative teams like Brazil always find a way to win and to an extent not disappointing the audience but most European teams could care less. So, it's time to roll dice and come up with our picks. We all love to make predictions. Chances are good that a few of them are going to come back and bite us later, and rest would make us look like Einstein. Since I've been told on many different occasions that I'm a complete idiot - no strings attached, I've nothing to lose. Add to it my current 1-0 winning streak, thanks to Miami Heat (and no, I never predict group stage outcomes, I have class), you can feel my growing confidence. Am I making sense here?Well you can come at me -- the Prognosticator, later. Saturday, June 24Germany over SwedenNo-brainer. Seriously, besides the Swedes, who else thinks Germany could lose? This is a classic open and shut case - why are we even talking about this? The only slightly interesting aspect of the match is the bad blood between the two sides since 1958 when Sweden defeated then West Germany 2-1 in the World Cup semifinals (in Sweden). But it's not even close to the level of traditional hatred between Brazil and Argentina for example. Upset factor : 0/10 (I am going to rot in hell if Sweden wins)Argentina over MexicoThe coach of Mexico, Ricardo Lavolpe knows a thing or two about Argentina: he was the second-choice goalkeeper of the World Cup-winning Argentina team in 1978. (Remember those guys - Mario Kempes, Daniel Pasarella, anyone? )That might be of some help, but the overall record of Mexico against Argentina is not a morale-booster for them. Of the 14 played, Argentina won 5, lost 2 and 7 games have been drawn. How does it look for the Mexicans? Not good, not good at all. Argentines are too sharp in their attack, controls the midfield with more assurance and simply put, are more talented. On the top of it, Argentina has flourished, while Mexico has been far from being impressive so far. Upset factor: 1/10.To be continued... Sports49619@blogcritics.org Sat, 24 Jun 2006 11:33:38 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/06/23/170415.php Q BitI wish I could update the World Cup Diary more frequently. Trust me -- it makes life a lot easier because I absolutely hate long reports. In sports they always seem to lose me in the end so I don't want to write something which I'm going to hate the very moment I wrap it up. If you did notice, WCD is just a typo away from becoming the most feared acronym in recent times (WMD) and now it's too late for a change and keeping up with Blogcritics policy (wink!) am staying the course! The delay, unfortunately was due to Mark Cuban and Dwyane Wade. I never had plans to cover the NBA Finals, then there was Game 3. Then Game 4. And then Game 5, whereupon I broke loose and eventually ended up posting three (discounting the finals preview). I know, they kind of sucked me into the mess. Now back to the World Cup excitement. I'm not sure how many of you are still feeling the adrenaline rush because the Yanks are gone for good. They didn't even come close to replicating their success in 2002. Not that they ever had a chance -- but hope is always a slippery thing, like the way it works in a relationship in wreck. They will not play in the next round, which is okay considering a lot of good teams won't either. But there is something more to it. Teams like Costa Rica didn't advance but were still impressive. Teams like USA didn't advance and disappointed everyone who would watch, to say the least. Huge difference.Frankly, it's hard to be impressive when your best player (read: Landon Donovan) was sleepwalking all along. (Actually I even started taking live notes. I don't know how people do that, but mine turned out to be a disaster. Hey, I tried. I'll put it up in my blog). The game between Australia and Croatia must have been the most bizarre game I've ever seen. The Croats needed a win to advance, the Aussies on the other hand were not so desperate, a draw would suffice for them, and they got it. But the man who stole the show in an otherwise enthralling game was the man with the whistle -- Graham poll (he's British by the way). His blow jobs were nothing short of a running comedy, full of crap. In the last couple of minutes the following happened (stay with me here carefully):1. Simunic (Croatia) is shown the second yellow card (that is an automatic red card), he starts walking away -- then he realizes Poll forgot to show his Red Card, so he walks back to the field again!2. Poll whistles for full time femtoseconds before Australia scores a goal which is disallowed, of course. But hang on - Poll then books Simunic for the THIRD time in the match and NOW shows him the red card and blows up for the FULL time -- again. You had to be there to see and believe it. It was all so confusing and funny, that we were all looking at each other with what the-fuck-is going-on faces, and finally relieved to find out that's the end of Poll's comedy. A gem of a moment. Unforgettable. A number of teams have already secured their place in the final 16, the knock-out stage of the tournament. But nothing could have been more relieving for the British fans than to secure a draw against the Swedes in their final group-stage match. Not that it was any different because England haven't been able to win against Sweden in the last 40 years and 12 meetings. They will take the draw with a smile, for now. The draw ensured England winning their group and avoiding a probable match up against Germany in the next round which would have been their return ticket to home. It's hard to beat Germany anyway, it's even harder to beat them at home and the way England has been playing lately they wouldn't stand a chance.The draw also ensured that they will not be playing their beloved Argentina anytime soon (now they don't meet before the finals if they both advance). Without an upset, England will square off with Brazil in the semi-finals. Somehow I think it's going to be played out like the 2002 quarter-final: Brazil ousted England 2-1. Sports49605@blogcritics.org Fri, 23 Jun 2006 17:04:15 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/06/18/121141.php Q BitApparently a lot of people are upset about the officiating in the match between Italy and USA. They think the Uruguayan referee has denied a USA victory. I am not convinced. In fact I don't even agree to the slightest. Uruguay was never in the holy trio of the axis of evil, so you cannot really claim any bias. The tone of the game was set in the opening minutes with a total of 6/7 fouls committed from both sides, majority of them by the US clearly showing their intention of how they want to go about with their game -- anything but soft. In fact I wrote in my earlier post:"It would be foolish to try to outplay the Italians as they are superior in every department of the game. Instead, they should be more physical, and try frustrating their opposition--more importantly not to give them an inch of free space in the midfield from where every attacking move originates.In other words, if it comes down to being downright ugly, they better be BAD if they want to keep their hopes alive.I don't see the US winning, but a gritty draw will go a long way to salvage some of the respect lost. "So, I am not surprised, in case you are. And the battle tested Italians, all of them playing in the toughest of European leagues, don't exactly enjoy the reputation of easy goers on the field either.You could see the red cards coming. It was just a matter of when. Daniele De Rossi for Italy was the first one to sent off for taking a cheap shot on the face of Brian McBride that required multiple stitches. It was a sick act from the Italian midfielder who later apologized. The controversial moment of the match followed when Pablo Mastroeni tackled Pirlo and the Uruguayan referee didn't hesitate to bring out his red card one more time. In ABC the commentators referred to it as the "make up call." Sadly that's far from truth.I expect them to take the US side, but making it sound like some sort of conspiracy against the Yanks was plain dumb. Look, the tackle was late which is to say it was not necessary at all. And when you tackle, you don't plunge with a two-footer with spikes up -- it could potentially ruin a career. There was no way the referee could let it go. The third marching order was automatic when Eddie Pope received his second yellow card of the match -- an unfortunate one because it appeared to be a bit harsh. As if their series of misfortunes were not enough, DaMarcus Beasley's goal from 15 yards was ruled out because McBride was standing in an offside position. Certainly luck was not in their side today but the effort was a commendable one, something that sorely lacked against the Czech Republic. US played almost the entire second half down to nine men, and they had little choice other than to defend although they counter-attacked on rare occasions. Eventually they ran out of gas in the late but some valiant saves by their goalkeeper Kasey Keller saw them escape with a gutsy draw and a valuable point. The day for the US started with the good news of Ghana pulling off an 2-0 upset against the Czech Republic with a magnificent display of attacking football, keeping the US very much alive in the tournament.Right now the group remains wide open. Italy remains on the top of the pack while Czech Republic and Ghana are tied in total points for the second place. US is at the bottom of the group but things can change quickly.If they can steal an improbable win against Ghana: • Ghana won't qualify. • If Italy wins against Czech Republic, Italy and US qualifies. • if Italy loses against Czech Republic, Czech qualifies, FIFA rules determine the next qualifier (between USA and Italy)• if Italy draws against Czech republic, Italy qualifies, and again FIFA rules decide between USA and the Czech Republic. If two or more teams have equal points after all group stage matches, positions will be determined by FIFA rules:1. Greatest number of points obtained in all group matches.2. Goal difference in all group matches.3. Greatest number of goals scored in all matches.If two or more teams are equal on the basis of the above three criteria, their rankings will be determined as follows:4. Greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned.5. Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned.6. Greater number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned.7. Drawing of lots by the organising committee for the FIFA World Cup.Just to let you know, the last two matches of the group will be played simultaneously to avoid match-fixing. Sports49376@blogcritics.org Sun, 18 Jun 2006 12:11:41 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/06/17/172718.php Q BitSerbia & Montenegro's 6-0 suffering in the hands of the mighty Argentines has scared the hell out of British fans, and for a pretty good reason. If England fails to win their group and comes second to Sweden (which seems unlikely), sans any upset they will meet their nemesis in the quarter-final. Otherwise England and Argentina square off only in the finals. Speculations aside, can anyone explain to me the 6-0 massacre? I know, I know, Argentina is one of the favorites to win the cup. But if you are paying attention to the bookies and anyone who keeps track of the football world, they are no more of a favorite than Germany and England . Besides, Serbia & Montenegro is a pretty good side and they qualified from the European region, arguably the toughest region to qualify from. So what went wrong?Short of any plausible explanation, I think it is only appropriate to invoke Darko Milicic who hails from Serbia into the equation -- and once you have the Darko variable, there is something concrete to toy with. Was he there to inspire Serbia & Montenegro and did his inspirational speech rub off onto the team like his footwork in the post? Did he ever come in close contact to transmit his skills to his home team? Or was he the one to suggest using Chad Ford's scouting report on Argentina? You see, when dealing with a 6-0 drubbing, anything is possible. In Kaiserslautern US plays Italy today in a likely "win or go home" date. If the Yanks lose, realistically they will be flying home unless they like to stay back, enjoy more of the German hospitality and take notes. Since only a handful things went right for them in their previous encounter against the Czech Republic, like successfully keeping their losing record versus the European teams on European soil intact, they can now only hope that their worst is a thing of the past. There is no shame in a 3-0 schooling, considering the Czechs are way better, but the shame is in the manner they surrendered. If I were Bruce Arena, the coach of US team, I would be worried -- very worried. Last time these two teams met in a friendly match in 2002, Italy won the battle 1-0 -- not a seriously deflating defeat but I assume they were being nice to Americans, if that's at all possible. This time, however, Donovan and his friends will not do anyone, in particular the majority of their fans who are obsessed with other ball games, any favor with another lackluster performance. The Americans don't have a choice but to pull up their socks and play with more purpose than they did with the Czech Republic. It would be foolish to try to outplay the Italians as they are superior in every department of the game. Instead, they should be more physical, and try frustrating their opposition -- more importantly not to give them an inch of free space in the midfield from where every attacking move originates. In other words, if it comes down to being downright ugly, they better be BAD if they want to keep their hopes alive. I don't see the US winning, but a gritty draw will go a long way to salvage some of the respect lost. Sports49350@blogcritics.org Sat, 17 Jun 2006 17:27:18 EDT