Archive: Brazil
Morning Kick-About
There are four days till the first game, and it's time to kick it into a higher gear ... we'll start the day with the kick-about: - Friendlies that made news: Brazil 4, New Zealand 0: Saw some highlights on Sky (thanks to Fox Soccer Channel); Adriano's goal was quite nice. Kaka scored late on a long run that made you wonder how hard New Zealand was trying at that point. Australia 1, Netherlands 1: Again, saw some highlights. Good for Australia: GK Mark Schwarzer made some gigantic saves, and hey, it's a very respectable result. Bad for Holland: three Dutch players were hurt in the game; MF Wesley Sneijder seems to be worst off. "It's like an episode of M.A.S.H.," said Holland Coach Marco van Basten said. "It was some sight in the dressing room. But I don't regret the match because it is good to play physical football."...
By Jon DeNunzio | June 5, 2006; 08:00 AM ET | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
Mid-Afternoon Kick-About
Here's some of the latest news: - I was just thinking last night about how we have not heard of any injuries on Brazil. No more: MF Edmilson is out of the World Cup with a knee injury. - Other injury victims: Japan D Makoto Tanaka and Spain D Asier Del Horno. - Germany fell behind Japan by two goals yesterday, but bounced back for a 2-2 tie. The rally did not impress Der Kaiser: "I can only hope our defense will do what it's supposed to do -- to defend and not to open up. We have great problems once the opponent plays fast. ... We allowed them five or six first-class chances, that's simply too many to keep calm so close to the tournament. We were playing against Japan, who are not exactly among the favorites to win this World Cup. One can only hope things will get...
By Jon DeNunzio | May 31, 2006; 02:05 PM ET | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
Who Do You Like in Group F?
Friday. Predictions. It feels like a tradition now. First, the reading material. - Steve Goff's group analysis, written the day of the draw. - Team profiles, also writen in December. BBC.com's team guides: - Australia - Brazil - Croatia - Japan Did you know: During France 1998, the stadium authorities were astonished to find the Japan fans' seating area cleaner after a game than before. On the final whistle, the fans had picked up all the rubbish they could find before depositing it in the bins by the exit. My thoughts ... I hate to be boring again, but how does Brazil not win this group? And how does Croatia not finish second? The biggest question seems to be who takes third -- and the June 12 Japan-Australia game may determine that. I assume most everyone agrees Brazil is the pick for No. 1 here. Anyone think Croatia might stumble,...
By Jon DeNunzio | May 19, 2006; 09:05 AM ET | Comments (50) | TrackBack (0)
"Football is the Great Metaphor"
Paulo Coelho -- described in a 2004 Washington Post story by Linton Weeks as "one of the most successful writers on the planet, yet virtually unrecognized in the United States," got philosophical with our pals at FIFAWorldCup.com. Some highlights: Generally I'm fairly tolerant, but football and the Brazilian team bring out my prejudiced side. That aside, when I'm asked what I want to do with my free time during a work trip, as a famous writer I can often decline invitations to museums and theatres and ask to be taken to a football match instead. I should say that O Rei [Pele] isn't a proper idol in Brazil. Six out of ten Brazilians would look at Pele and say: 'He's good, but...' We look at things in a different way in Brazil; we empathise with tragedy. We prefer to venerate Garrincha, who suffered a tormented life. The [1994] final against...
By Jon DeNunzio | May 11, 2006; 01:15 PM ET | Comments (17) | TrackBack (0)
Morning Kick-About
Some items of interest: - Angola's Gilberto is out -- snapped Achilles' tendon (that has to hurt). "Gilberto was a regular for his country in last year's qualifying campaign and also helped his club to win the 2005 African Champions League." - Iran's coach admits his team is, at this point, not well prepared for Germany. But it's not because of the geopolitical tension, he swears. - Some doubts persist about Tim Cahill's recovery. Cahill plays for Everton and, he hopes, Australia this summer. - Brazil F Oliveira is holding out hope he can still land a spot on the team. Best part (emphasis mine): Yet even if he were fully fit, the task would be far from easy, facing as he does fierce competition from players such as Fred of French champions Lyon and Nilmar of Corinthians. - Poland loses a friendly to Lithuania. Despite the fact that a...
By Jon DeNunzio | May 4, 2006; 09:55 AM ET | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
Rooney Update and More ...
First of all, it's good to see all those insightful comments on the U.S. team post. I expect to see a similar level of debate when Togo names its squad. Here's what's going on elsewhere: - Wayne Rooney has TWO broken foot bones. When pressed on whether Rooney now needs a miracle, Eriksson ... said: 'Maybe.' - Japan has a guy with a broken metatarsal, too -- striker Atsushi Yanagisawa (a former Sampdoria player whose current club is the Kashima Antlers). - Manchester United/France D Mikael Silvestre thinks he deserves a World Cup spot. La sagesse conventionnelle is that he will not get a spot. Which Frenchmen rate ahead of him at defense? Cobbling together some stuff from World Soccer and SI.com, it looks like the top defenders are: William Gallas (Chelsea) Lilian Thuram (Juve) Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich) Jean-Alain Boumsong (Newcastle) Gael Givet (Monaco) Antoine Réveillère (Lyon) (The Réveillères...
By Jon DeNunzio | May 3, 2006; 01:45 PM ET | Comments (15) | TrackBack (0)
Pele movie
I had the pleasure of attending Pele Forever, the documentary about the Brazilian legend, last night at Regal Cinemas next to Verizon Center. The place was PACKED! Some people were sitting in the aisles. Definitely worth the experience. It's only playing for one more night -- TONIGHT -- at 8:45. Tickets in advance are highly recommended and plan to get there early to stand in line for a good seat in the theater. Check out filmfestdc.org and tickets.com for information......
By Steve Goff | April 27, 2006; 01:44 PM ET | Comments (14) | TrackBack (0)
Mid-Afternoon Kick-About
A bit of news to digest: - Argentina's Lionel Messi is taking his time. I assume he's taking his time as far as Barcelona games are concerned, not World Cup games ... - Ronaldinho is confident. Except for this quote: "It will be hard to advance past the first stage because everyone will be aiming for us. They will all have a bit of extra motivation." - England 2002 vs. England 2006. Once you look at it on paper, there's no comparison. Danny Mills, Trevor Sinclair, Nicky Butt and Emile Heskey are all still worthy Premier League players. None of them, though, can expect to be remotely near the squad for 2006, and there is even less likelihood of strikers Darius Vassell and Teddy Sheringham being sent on in search of a last-gasp equaliser as they were against Brazil. - A meaty profile of Cesc Fabregas. "Football is like a...
By Jon DeNunzio | April 20, 2006; 02:00 PM ET | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
Ronaldinho in USA Today
USA Today picked a good day to write about Ronaldinho Gaucho de Assis Moreira. It includes several comparisons to David Beckham, ostensibly the one international soccer star Americans already know about (other than Pele and Lee Dong-Gook, of course). According to a study by consulting firm BBDO Germany, Ronaldinho's name is worth an estimated $56.4 million, surpassing No. 2 Beckham and making the Brazilian the world's most commercially valuable soccer player. It doesn't hurt that one of Ronaldinho's commercial backers is Nike, which also sponsors FC Barcelona and the Brazilian national team. Ronaldinho has a lucrative 10-year endorsement deal with Nike, the study says. Nike is challenging Adidas for marketing control of the pitch around the world. Online, the story also has some amazing Nike video (is that real?). And hey, just for kicks, a Bruce Arena quote: "He makes the plays that result in goals to beat you --...
By Jon DeNunzio | April 18, 2006; 02:30 PM ET | Comments (14) | TrackBack (0)
Pele in Washington...sort of
For those looking to get a World Cup fix before the tournament actually begins, consider viewing Pele Forever, a well-received film/documentary about the Brazilian legend and his rise to international superstardom. It is showing on April 26 and 27 at the Regal Cinema in downtown DC. It's part of Filmfest DC...
By Steve Goff | April 13, 2006; 08:54 PM ET | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
Stately Understatement
"It's well-known that Brazilians are more laid-back than Germans." That insight courtesy of Cyrus Heydarian, the manager of the Kempinski Hotel Falkenstein, which will serve as Brazil's home base from June 5 through 16 (and possibly later in the tournament, too). The hotel looks beautiful -- and it ain't cheap. FIFAWorldCup.com reports that "rooms cost between 300 and 999 euros (360 to 1,290 dollars) a night." And the town of Koenigstein im Taunus seems pretty psyched: "It's the most important event since Kaiser Wilhelm II came to visit," said Karl-Gustav Schramm, one of the town officials responsible for the Brazilians' visit. They have a logo and web page dedicated to the Brazilians' stay (in German). And: Pupils at the local high school would have had a bird's eye view of the Brazilian stars training - the Koenigstein training ground is next to the school building - but their classrooms are...
By Jon DeNunzio | April 13, 2006; 03:15 PM ET | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Mid-Morning Kick-About
Taking my place in the wall as the day lines up for another free kick ... - Nice piece on FIFAWorldCup.com on the "water-carriers" of World Cup history. I always loved Deschamps; love to see him get his due here. - Brazil's coach is " more relieved than worried" tha Ronaldo is hurt. Okay. But Parreira said that the rest could be just what Ronaldo needs to be at his best ahead of their FIFA World Cup defence. "He can recover and line out in his best physical form for Brazil," Parreira told the Brazil sports agency Placar. - Good old-fashioned begging might get you a spot on the national team. Twenty goals don't hurt, either. If this BBC.com piece I linked to yesterday is to be believed, Bent and Jermain Dafoe are the bubble boys for England's last forward spot. - One of England's top refs say the men...
By Jon DeNunzio | April 12, 2006; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
Non-Rooney News
Some other stuff that is floating out there today: - England loses some back-line depth thanks to Luke Young's ankle injury. UPDATE, 3 PM: Maybe it's not that bad. - Zinedine Zidane wants to win the World Cup and retire on top. Don't we all? - Oliver Kahn spots the high road, crosses two lanes of traffic and the solid line and merges on to it. He's ok with being Lehmann's backup, he says. - Japan's Naohiro Takahara scores for Hamburg in late-game sub duty. FIFAWorldCup.com spins this as a momemt that could have great impact on how Japan's coach, Brazilian legend Zico, chooses his side. Am I being too harsh by asking if a Bundesliga reserve should be expected to be a major factor for a team like Japan? - The Guardian's Amy Lawrence sizes up Brazil. Are they overrated? I dunno, but it's a better question to ask...
By Jon DeNunzio | April 10, 2006; 02:15 PM ET | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
