Bob Bradley's Wardrobe: The Key to the US Success in the World Cup
So the US has a must win game against Slovenia tomorrow morning. I'm sure they have been making some adjustments in preparation for the game. But one adjustment, which might be overlooked admist all the on-field adjustments, would be to change the wardrobe of Bob Bradley. It very well could be the key to America's success tomorrow, and in the rest of the World Cup. Note some of the examples below:
Exhibit A: Fabio Capello, coach of England.
Professional looking guy in very professional dress. You wouldn't expect anything less from 1. an Italian, and 2. the coach of a legit soccer team like England.
Exhibit B: Sven Goran Eriksson, coach of Ivory Coast.
Exhibit C: Maradona, the coach of Argentina who looks like this off the field and used to do a lot of this, he looks like this during the game.
Exhibit D: Germany's coach, Joachim Low,
although he looks like he just came from the late 90s or Night at the Roxbury convention, he at least wears a suit coat during the game.
Exhibit E: New Zealand and North Korea, considered by many to be two of the worst teams in the tournament. Both teams actually did better in their opening game than expected. New Zealand tied Slovakia with a late goal and North Korea, although they lost to Brazil, played much better than anyone expected. Why did they play so well? Because both coaches, New Zealand's Ricki Herbert
and North Korea's Kim Jon Hun 
wear suits. At any point during the game, their players could look to the sidelines and see their coach in a suit and know that they were led by a pro. It was the suit that motivated them to play well.
Exhibit F: United States coach Bob Bradley.
Notice a difference between him and his colleague Fabio Capello? Or any of the other coaches mentioned above or in the World Cup even? Is he doing a product placement plug for US gear? We know you are the coach of the National Team. You don't need to try and sell their gear. The players can do that for you by wearing their uniforms on the field.
Maybe Bradley hoping that all of the players get injured and they need him to go out on the field and play? If that is the case, is he wearing shin guards underneath the pants? Apparently he already has his cleats on. But if its not the case that he wants to play in the game, then why is he dressing like the players? Is he trying to be "the cool coach." The coach that isn't like the other coaches that sit there in their fancy suits and are mean to their players. "I'm just like you guys. See, I even dress casual. You can talk to me about what's going on in your life."
Seriously though, if the other team is warming up and they see this,
then they would probably think they are playing a worthy opponent and that it will be a tough match. That is until they see this 
on the sideline and realize they aren't really dealing with a professional team. It's like in youth soccer when you watching the other team warm up and you think that they will probably be pretty good until you see a player run out in jeans and you realize that you already won the game.
Anyways, I'm honestly not trying to rip on Bradley. I do actually think he is a good coach and he has done well with the National Team. But this is the World Cup. Big boy soccer. The biggest stage. The US needs to get over the hump and become a legit contender. This might be the way to do it. To put Bradley in a suit. Plus, the next game for the US is a must win game. No room for error. The US needs to come out and play well and be ready for the game. Maybe upping the wardrobe would help get the players ready and send a message that this is an important game. It would let them know that everyone is a professional. Because really, that's what this all comes down to. "Professionalism is...and that is all I want."
Exhibit A: Fabio Capello, coach of England.
Professional looking guy in very professional dress. You wouldn't expect anything less from 1. an Italian, and 2. the coach of a legit soccer team like England.Exhibit B: Sven Goran Eriksson, coach of Ivory Coast.
Exhibit C: Maradona, the coach of Argentina who looks like this off the field and used to do a lot of this, he looks like this during the game.
Exhibit D: Germany's coach, Joachim Low,
although he looks like he just came from the late 90s or Night at the Roxbury convention, he at least wears a suit coat during the game.Exhibit E: New Zealand and North Korea, considered by many to be two of the worst teams in the tournament. Both teams actually did better in their opening game than expected. New Zealand tied Slovakia with a late goal and North Korea, although they lost to Brazil, played much better than anyone expected. Why did they play so well? Because both coaches, New Zealand's Ricki Herbert
and North Korea's Kim Jon Hun 
wear suits. At any point during the game, their players could look to the sidelines and see their coach in a suit and know that they were led by a pro. It was the suit that motivated them to play well.Exhibit F: United States coach Bob Bradley.
Notice a difference between him and his colleague Fabio Capello? Or any of the other coaches mentioned above or in the World Cup even? Is he doing a product placement plug for US gear? We know you are the coach of the National Team. You don't need to try and sell their gear. The players can do that for you by wearing their uniforms on the field.Maybe Bradley hoping that all of the players get injured and they need him to go out on the field and play? If that is the case, is he wearing shin guards underneath the pants? Apparently he already has his cleats on. But if its not the case that he wants to play in the game, then why is he dressing like the players? Is he trying to be "the cool coach." The coach that isn't like the other coaches that sit there in their fancy suits and are mean to their players. "I'm just like you guys. See, I even dress casual. You can talk to me about what's going on in your life."
Seriously though, if the other team is warming up and they see this,
then they would probably think they are playing a worthy opponent and that it will be a tough match. That is until they see this 
on the sideline and realize they aren't really dealing with a professional team. It's like in youth soccer when you watching the other team warm up and you think that they will probably be pretty good until you see a player run out in jeans and you realize that you already won the game.Anyways, I'm honestly not trying to rip on Bradley. I do actually think he is a good coach and he has done well with the National Team. But this is the World Cup. Big boy soccer. The biggest stage. The US needs to get over the hump and become a legit contender. This might be the way to do it. To put Bradley in a suit. Plus, the next game for the US is a must win game. No room for error. The US needs to come out and play well and be ready for the game. Maybe upping the wardrobe would help get the players ready and send a message that this is an important game. It would let them know that everyone is a professional. Because really, that's what this all comes down to. "Professionalism is...and that is all I want."
Not Very Neutral At All: Switzerland Upsets Spain 1-0
Well, the first upset of the tournament has happened. There have been lots of surprising results, but no upsets like this one. No doubt the country of Spain is already in panic mode and fearing that their National Team curse has returned. Everyone thought they had the monkey off their back after they won the Euro Cup in 2008, but the World Cup is its own beast.A couple of quick thoughts:
1a. Hats off to Switzerland. You have to give credit where it is due. I think they took a page out of the Inter Milan book for how to beat a strong Spanish team. Inter Milan eliminated Barcelona in the Champions League last season. They let Barcelona play their game and then took advantage of their few opportunities. Switzerland seemed to do the same thing. They were content letting Spain's midfielders pass the ball back and forth between the half-line and the 18 yard box - which they did for about 90% of the game. Switzerland allowed Spain to have the possession they crave and just focused on preventing Spain from getting great opportunities inside the box. Spain had some great chances, but couldn't really penetrate the defense like they wanted, or thought they could.
1b. Along the same lines, Switzerland took advantage of their scoring opportunities. Switzerland knew that Spain wanted to control the ball and so they would have to make the most of their chances, and they did. They weren't just fastbreaks either. They had some legitimate build-up and scoring opportunities. It very easily could have been 2-0. They didn't play panicked and didn't run towards goal every time they got the ball. They were calm and just realize that they wouldn't have the ball as much, so they better make sure each possession mattered. So hats off to them. They played an excellent game.
2. Spain needs to drop their 5 midfielder offense. They pride themselves on their passing and controlling the ball and waiting until the perfect moment to place the perfect through ball to the forward making the perfect run through the defense where the forward will have the perfect shot and score the perfect and most beautiful goal ever. Cut it out. Seriously. Start Torres up top with Villa and let them make beautiful music together. They had chemistry towards the end of the game and they were starting to click, but Torres is rusty and needs more touches on the ball. Until he came in though, there weren't too many legitimate socring opportunities as there weren't enough scoring threats up top.
3. With that said, Spain did have loads of chances. So it's not as though the midfield was ineffective, but there needs to be a different approach.4. Iniesta. Get up. I love you but you were on the ground for half the game. I understand you are half the size of the rest of the players on the field, but so is Messi and he doesn't fall half as much as you do. Either grown 5 inches and gain 40 pounds by the next game or just expect to get knocked around and when you do, get up.
5. Where is Fabregas? Is his leg still broke? Spain needs to mix things up and he might be the perfect solution.
6. Well, at least there is more drama now. The second round got that much more interesting. Mexico v. France; US v. Slovenia; Ivory Coast v. Brazil; Chile v. Switzerland and Spain v. Honduras.
7. To quote every media outlet right now: "No team has ever won the World Cup after losing their first match." Whatever. If anything, this was exactly what Spain needed. They are too cocky as a National Team. Don't count them out. They are about to let the Led out.
Portugal v. Ivory Coast: The Cristiano Ronaldo Show Ends in a Draw
Portugal and Ivory Coast squared off in the first Group G matchup this morning and finished with a very unimpressive 0-0 draw. Did you know that FIFA ranked Portugal as the 3rd best team in the world? These rankings don't mean much anyways, but putting Portugal 3rd really lessens the credibility of the rankings. They barely qualified for the World Cup and it showed in their first game. They looked completely lost and played one of the more boring first-halfs I have seen thus far in the Cup. Denmark, who lost 2-0 to the Netherlands looked better than Portugal.All they hype around Portugal is of course for the star of stars: Cristiano Ronaldo. Since Ronaldo would likely be the first person to tell you that he is really the only player on the field that matters, lets chronicle his first-half of the Cup:
5:05 - First significant touch. Dribbles to the sideline. Dances and then falls over the foot of the defender. Foul called.
6:24 - Receives a pass and touches the ball around the defender. But instead of running onto the ball he takes the dive instead. Replay confirms that the defender didn't touch him. He really had the momentum and if he wouldn't have taken a dive he might have created a good scoring opportunity with his teammates. This way however he gets to roll on the ground for awhile and is awarded a free kick from 40 yards out. This gives him the opportunity to show off his magnificent free kick skills. Although he's 40 yards away, he still tries to shoot on goal. Lots of build up for the ball to only go into the wall 10 yards away. No where near goal.
10:30 - Receives the ball, pulls a move on a defender and cracks a shot from 30 yards out which bounces off the post. It's an amazing shot really. This is the reason players and teams put up with Ronaldo. He's a "me-first" player and a total hot head, but his flashes of brilliance surpass most every other player that even the harshes critic (or blogger) has to admire his skill.
19:54 - Ronaldo booked for a yellow card. He actually was fouled on this one outside the box and it was a cheap yellow. The players were jawing at each other, but neither players should have received a yellow. The ref should have just told the players to calm down.
32:55 - Receives pass. Taken down from behind. Gets up limping. Replay confirms that he wasn't actually touched.
34:30 - Good touch and dribble through the middle.
36:11 - On the sideline. Pulls a move and dribbles out of bounds. Looks at the ref in dismay as if the ref was supposed to give Portugal the ball even though Ronaldo dribbled it out of bounds.
39:25 - Receives a pass. Bad trap. Loses ball.
43:10 - Heads the ball going out of bounds.
And that was the half. First half recap: One shot. One yellow card. Lots of complaining and falling.
In his defense, Ronaldo did play better and more team play in the second half. Regardless, Portugal lacked a lot of creativity and played as though they had never seen or played with the other players on their team. They seemed to play for a draw, which makes no sense because they have Brazil looming in the background. If they play like this against Brazil, they will lose 4-0. They had no offense.
Ivory Coast on the other hand gave it a valid attempt. Drogba did actually play despite having a broken arm. He came in a sub in the second half and gave the Ivory Coast a nice spark. They had some chances.
Again though, I don't know if it was the nerves or what, but I expected more out of these teams. Well, I expected more out of this game. Either team could come out and shock Brazil, but it's unlikely. Since they tied, both teams now have to try and beat North Korea by more goals than the other team and lose to Brazil by less goals than the other team. If either team would have won this game, they would have likely advanced with a win over North Korea and they wouldn't have had to worry about Brazil. I'm sure the teams knew this and weren't playing for a tie, but you would have never guessed it by watching most of that game.
But the first act of the Cristiano Ronaldo show comes to an unimpressive end. It's going to have to get a lot better if Portugal wants to play more than two more games.
The World Cup All Name Team
Essentially, in order to play for a country in the World Cup, you need to be a citizen of that country. It's not that cut and dry as the rules are a little more complex and have changed in recent years after Qatar started handing out citizenship to a bunch of Brazilian players (smart move). Regardless, unless you are dealing with North Korea where no one has ever been let in or out, you sometimes, although not always, will get some unexpected players and names on World Cup rosters.
So here are your starting 11 players for the Wild Card team. Try and guess the country they play for and even the country of origin (Answers are below).
1. Nikita Rukavytsya
2. Jean Beausejour
3. Hans Sarpei
4. Georgie Welcome
5. Blaise N'Kufo
6. Xherdan Shaqiri
7. Benny Feilhaber
8. Taye Taiwo
9. Alex Song
10. Khalid Boulahrouz
11. Steve Mandanda
Answers:
1. Nikita Rukavytsya: Forward, Australia(shown in the left). Born in the Ukraine. Moved to Australia at 14.
2. Jean Beausejour: Midfielder, Chile. Haitian father and Chilean mother.
3. Hans Sarpei: Defender, Ghana. Born in Ghana, raised in Germany.
4. Georgie Welcome: Forward, Honduras (pictured to the right). This gets my vote for best name in the tournament. Who knew "Welcome" was a Latin word?
5. Blaise N'Kufo: Forward, Switzerland. Born in Zaire.
6. Xherdan Shaqiri: Midfielder, Switzerland. Born in Yugolsavia. Those Swiss are pulling in players from all over the world. Typical.
7. Benny Feilhaber: Midfielder, United States. Benny was born in Brazil and came to the US when he was six. You might have guessed American, but I didn't think Feilhaber was a Portuguese or Brazilian name.
8. Taye Taiwo: Defender, Nigeria. Taiwo seemed more, well, Taiwanese to me. However, it could very well be a "classic" Nigerian name. I must admit that I'm not too familiar with common Nigerian names. It just didn't quite sound as "Nigerian" as Obafemi Martins or Dickson Etuhu.
9. Alex Song: Midfielder, Cameroon. Granted, if I had put his whole name, Alexandre Song Billong, some people may have guessed his country. I'm not sure if the full name is a common Cameroon name or sounds like it's from Cameroon. But it seems closer than Alex Song.
10. Khalid Boulahrouz: Defender, Netherlands (pictured). Although he was born in the Netherlands, he's a Dutch-Muslim and his parents are from Morroco.
11. Steve Mandanda: Goalie, France. Mandanda was born in Congo but moved to France at a young age. Even though French is the official language in Congo, this doesn't sound French at all.
Just for fun, here are the starting 11 for the Classic Names Team. (Note: I'm operating on complete name stereotypes here.)
1. Bastian Schweinsteiger: Midfielder, Germany. The Captain of the team. It's every cliche German sound all rolled into one last name. Plus his first name is Bastian.
2. Grafite: Forward, Brazil. A great Brazilian soccer name. His full name is Batista Libanio Edinaldo. I'm not sure if all Brazilians go by one name or if it's an honor you get once you make the national team. There were a lot of other candidates like Kaka or Robinho. But it's hard passing up Grafite.
3. Sokratis Papastathopoulos: Defender, Greece (pictured on the right). Classic Greek name. Or so I think at least. You need a K and P somewhere in there and the last name has to be at least 15 letters long and completely unpronounceable.
4. Antonio Di Natale: Forward, Italy. One of those names where you can't help but sound Italian and even sing a little bit while saying it. You might even hold up one of your hands and touch all your fingers together as you say it.
5. Keisuke Honda: Midfielder, Japan. For an admittedly ignorant American playing the stereotype card, this is as good as it gets. The only way it could have been better was if his name was Sony Godzilla.
6. Zdravko Kuzmanovic: Midfielder, Serbia. I'm honestly not sure how uniquely Serbian this name is, but it seems to fit with things like the "Zd" combo. Actually born in Switzerland, but parents are from Serbia, so that is why he played for Serbia.
7. Kim Jung-Woo: Midfielder, South Korea. A seemingly simple and predictable Korean name.
8. Andre-Pierre Gignac: Forward, France. If someone told me to think of three French names I would have said Jacques, Andre and Pierre. This guy has two of them in his first name. Not to mention a last name that I'm sure I would completely butcher as I doubt you pronounce it how an American would read it.
9. Rafael Van der Vaart: Midfielder, Netherlands. This is more of the Dutch name you think of versus Khalid Boulahrouz. You can't get any more classic than Van der Vaart.
10. Pedro: Forward, Spain. His name is actually Pedro Rodriguez which is just about as common as John Smith.
11. Jesper Christiansen: Goalie, Denmark. I picture Jesper cruising out in the morning with his buddies Lars and Soren and grabbing a pastry.
So here are your starting 11 players for the Wild Card team. Try and guess the country they play for and even the country of origin (Answers are below).
1. Nikita Rukavytsya
2. Jean Beausejour
3. Hans Sarpei
4. Georgie Welcome
5. Blaise N'Kufo
6. Xherdan Shaqiri
7. Benny Feilhaber
8. Taye Taiwo
9. Alex Song
10. Khalid Boulahrouz
11. Steve Mandanda
Answers:
1. Nikita Rukavytsya: Forward, Australia(shown in the left). Born in the Ukraine. Moved to Australia at 14.2. Jean Beausejour: Midfielder, Chile. Haitian father and Chilean mother.
3. Hans Sarpei: Defender, Ghana. Born in Ghana, raised in Germany.
4. Georgie Welcome: Forward, Honduras (pictured to the right). This gets my vote for best name in the tournament. Who knew "Welcome" was a Latin word?5. Blaise N'Kufo: Forward, Switzerland. Born in Zaire.
6. Xherdan Shaqiri: Midfielder, Switzerland. Born in Yugolsavia. Those Swiss are pulling in players from all over the world. Typical.
7. Benny Feilhaber: Midfielder, United States. Benny was born in Brazil and came to the US when he was six. You might have guessed American, but I didn't think Feilhaber was a Portuguese or Brazilian name.
8. Taye Taiwo: Defender, Nigeria. Taiwo seemed more, well, Taiwanese to me. However, it could very well be a "classic" Nigerian name. I must admit that I'm not too familiar with common Nigerian names. It just didn't quite sound as "Nigerian" as Obafemi Martins or Dickson Etuhu.
9. Alex Song: Midfielder, Cameroon. Granted, if I had put his whole name, Alexandre Song Billong, some people may have guessed his country. I'm not sure if the full name is a common Cameroon name or sounds like it's from Cameroon. But it seems closer than Alex Song.
10. Khalid Boulahrouz: Defender, Netherlands (pictured). Although he was born in the Netherlands, he's a Dutch-Muslim and his parents are from Morroco.11. Steve Mandanda: Goalie, France. Mandanda was born in Congo but moved to France at a young age. Even though French is the official language in Congo, this doesn't sound French at all.
Just for fun, here are the starting 11 for the Classic Names Team. (Note: I'm operating on complete name stereotypes here.)
1. Bastian Schweinsteiger: Midfielder, Germany. The Captain of the team. It's every cliche German sound all rolled into one last name. Plus his first name is Bastian.2. Grafite: Forward, Brazil. A great Brazilian soccer name. His full name is Batista Libanio Edinaldo. I'm not sure if all Brazilians go by one name or if it's an honor you get once you make the national team. There were a lot of other candidates like Kaka or Robinho. But it's hard passing up Grafite.
3. Sokratis Papastathopoulos: Defender, Greece (pictured on the right). Classic Greek name. Or so I think at least. You need a K and P somewhere in there and the last name has to be at least 15 letters long and completely unpronounceable.4. Antonio Di Natale: Forward, Italy. One of those names where you can't help but sound Italian and even sing a little bit while saying it. You might even hold up one of your hands and touch all your fingers together as you say it.
5. Keisuke Honda: Midfielder, Japan. For an admittedly ignorant American playing the stereotype card, this is as good as it gets. The only way it could have been better was if his name was Sony Godzilla.6. Zdravko Kuzmanovic: Midfielder, Serbia. I'm honestly not sure how uniquely Serbian this name is, but it seems to fit with things like the "Zd" combo. Actually born in Switzerland, but parents are from Serbia, so that is why he played for Serbia.
7. Kim Jung-Woo: Midfielder, South Korea. A seemingly simple and predictable Korean name.
8. Andre-Pierre Gignac: Forward, France. If someone told me to think of three French names I would have said Jacques, Andre and Pierre. This guy has two of them in his first name. Not to mention a last name that I'm sure I would completely butcher as I doubt you pronounce it how an American would read it.9. Rafael Van der Vaart: Midfielder, Netherlands. This is more of the Dutch name you think of versus Khalid Boulahrouz. You can't get any more classic than Van der Vaart.
10. Pedro: Forward, Spain. His name is actually Pedro Rodriguez which is just about as common as John Smith.
11. Jesper Christiansen: Goalie, Denmark. I picture Jesper cruising out in the morning with his buddies Lars and Soren and grabbing a pastry.Mexico v. South Africa - The Kickoff Game: Quick Hits
So Mexico and South Africa have started things off with a 1-1 tie. Here's a couple of quick thoughts on the opening game:
1. Man those vuvuzelas are annoying. I don't know who invented them, but the person should be tortured along with the person that invented the "boom sticks." They should be sentenced to a small room where their inventions are either smacked together or blown loudly until the person goes insane. They are so annoying. Just listen to the video. It's amazing that the noise is constant throughout the game. At any given point during the game there are at least a dozen 10 year old boys just blowing their lungs out on those things. I much prefer the singing.
2. Somewhat inexplicably, Mexico subbed in this guy: Cuauhtémoc Blanco. I say somewhat because he is clearly skilled. When he got the ball, he made some pretty precise passes. However, he didn't get the ball that much because they guy is 37 years old and at least 20 pounds overweight. It was actually really entertaining watching him play. He looked like every old man playing pick up soccer in your local park. Every time he ran or attempted to run, he looked like he was laboring quite a bit with a bad hip and or two bad knees. Apparently he's a legend for the Mexican soccer team. He played in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. I'm glad Mexico is honoring their elders, but at some point the guy becomes a liability because he's so slow and out of shape.
3. South Africa has some legit forwards. They are fast. South Africa didn't have many chances, but they played the long ball well and had some great fastbreaks. And they took advantage of one of them. What a great first goal to the cup. Just a beauty.
4. I know a tie is boring, but in this group, it's great. If Mexico had won they would likely go through as they could probably tie or beat France and Uruguay. But with a tie, it just adds to the unpredictability of this group. I guess we'll know more once France plays. Who knows what team will show up there. They could be brilliant or dismal. So with a tie in this game and bi-polar France, it sets up for a lot of fun drama. Which is always great.
Here is the goal, and the vuvuzelas:
1. Man those vuvuzelas are annoying. I don't know who invented them, but the person should be tortured along with the person that invented the "boom sticks." They should be sentenced to a small room where their inventions are either smacked together or blown loudly until the person goes insane. They are so annoying. Just listen to the video. It's amazing that the noise is constant throughout the game. At any given point during the game there are at least a dozen 10 year old boys just blowing their lungs out on those things. I much prefer the singing.
2. Somewhat inexplicably, Mexico subbed in this guy: Cuauhtémoc Blanco. I say somewhat because he is clearly skilled. When he got the ball, he made some pretty precise passes. However, he didn't get the ball that much because they guy is 37 years old and at least 20 pounds overweight. It was actually really entertaining watching him play. He looked like every old man playing pick up soccer in your local park. Every time he ran or attempted to run, he looked like he was laboring quite a bit with a bad hip and or two bad knees. Apparently he's a legend for the Mexican soccer team. He played in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. I'm glad Mexico is honoring their elders, but at some point the guy becomes a liability because he's so slow and out of shape.3. South Africa has some legit forwards. They are fast. South Africa didn't have many chances, but they played the long ball well and had some great fastbreaks. And they took advantage of one of them. What a great first goal to the cup. Just a beauty.
4. I know a tie is boring, but in this group, it's great. If Mexico had won they would likely go through as they could probably tie or beat France and Uruguay. But with a tie, it just adds to the unpredictability of this group. I guess we'll know more once France plays. Who knows what team will show up there. They could be brilliant or dismal. So with a tie in this game and bi-polar France, it sets up for a lot of fun drama. Which is always great.
Here is the goal, and the vuvuzelas:
2010 World Cup - Ultimate Music Preview - Group A
We here at Fastbreak like to mix thing up and entertain all of our readers while also informing them about the wonderful world of futbol. Thus, we thought the best way to get everyone geared up for the Cup and informed on all of the teams, would be to compare each team with the band or artist that they most closely resemble. If you want to see the entire list of all teams and groups, you can click on the link on the left. You can also jump to each group by clicking on the group on the left.
Without further ado, here's your 2010 World Cup preview:
Group A
France
: Green Day
Green Day burst onto the music scene with their Dookie album. It was a massive hit. There's no escaping that album as songs from it are still played on the radio. The album had huge hits: "Longview" "She" "When I Come Around" (aka "uhwhen I come uhrouhound") and so on. After Dookie, Green Day sort of fell off the earth. Sure they had the Nimrod album and the Time of Your Life single, but it was nothing compared with Dookie success. Everyone had forgotten about Green Day and cast them off as old and has-beens until....American Idiot, where they once again blew up the music scene and radio stations across the world overplayed their songs so much it was practically impossible not to get sick of Green Day.
Similar to Green Day, France launched into the world soccer scene in 1998. They didn't even qualify for the previous two World Cups. However, they were the host country and just dominated the competition and won the Cup in one of the more convincing finals victories ever. After 1998 however, they went MIA. They were horrible in the 2002 World Cup. They didn't score a goal and were bounced in the first round. By the time 2006 rolled around, they were old and no one expected much of them after a dismal 2002. However, like Green Day, when everyone had cast them off, they came out of nowhere and went to the finals. The media loved it like the DJ's loved Green Day. The Zidane coverage was ridiculous. Especially after the headbutt. Remember the headbutt? That headbutt by Zidane? Yeah, he headbutted a guy. It was a big deal and big headbutt. People couldn't stop talking about the headbutt. Headbutt.
So what can we expect this year? Who knows. France only qualified for the World Cup because of a very controversial hand ball. Thus, the karma gods are against them. They do have a talented team with Franck Ribery, Nicolas Anelka, Patrice Evra, Erick Abidal, and many others. But they have looked terrible, can't find team chemistry and only seem to play well when the World Cup is in Europe. I don't expect much and I'd say that you should count them out, but like Green Day, they have proven you just can't say they are done. Although I'm sure that France would love for me to count them out so that they could prove me wrong - stupid American Idiot.
Uruguay
: Beck
Do you know who won the first World Cup in 1930? Do you care? If you answered "No" to both of those questions, then your are probably happy to learn that Uruguay won the first ever World Cup in 1930 and then again in 1950. Since then, well, they have at least been a part of the tournament. The had mild success in the Cups in the 60s and 70s and have slowly been tapering off since then.
Beck is Uruguay. He dominated when he first came into the music scene. Everyone of course knows the song Loser, but he also had great albums with Mellow Gold, Odelay and Mutations. Even when he changed his style for Sea Change, people still loved it. Guero was even great, but like Uruguay, he's sort of been fading as of late. His last couple of albums have been completely forgettable. However Uruguay, like Beck, has lots of talent. They also have a great striker named Diego Forlan who has awesome golden locks like Beck. Just look at that sweet hair (I would have put up a picture of Beck running as well so you could see his beauty in motion, but I'm not sure Beck has ever run in his life). Like Beck, the potential is there with Uruguay. Will it actually come out this summer? With such a weak group, its definitely possible.
South Africa
: Janet Jackson
On one hand, you could say that Janet Jackson is only famous because of her older brothers. That statement would probably upset a lot of people, but she was born into a music family and she had to become a musician. You could easily argue that she wouldn't have been a part of the music scene without the success of the Jackson 5. The thing is, you can argue with the statement, or you can just say, "who cares how she got into the industry, she is legit. And that's all that matters." Which is very true. Maybe she didn't have to work as hard to get into the spotlight, but once she was there, she held her own.
That's South Africa in the World Cup. They are the host nation. They get an automatic bid. Because they aren't a soccer powerhouse, it's easy to think they are only here for that reason. But there are a few reasons to believe South Africa is actually legit and could do well even though they didn't have to work to get here. First of all, in the Confederations Cup last summer, South Africa held their own against Spain and Brazil - the two best teams in the world right now. South Africa was surprisingly strong. Also, South Africa has a weak group. Who knows what you are getting from France. Mexico is decent but not amazing and Uruguay is a complete wild card. Plus, South Africa is playing at home. That's a huge advantage. They may not have worked hard to get here, but don't be surprised if South Africa holds their own and at least makes it out o the group stage.
Mexico
: Phish
Phish has been around for a few decades now. They have never really been a mainstream band but they have a huge cult following. Phish fans will always tell you how amazing Phish songs are and especially how incredible Phish is in concert. They will go on and on about those concerts.
This is Mexico. Mexico has never really been a country that has obtained a huge following apart from their own citizens. On top of that, they have never been that good. They have consistently been decent, but never a serious Cup contender. They always make the World Cup, but never make much of an impact. For the past 5 World Cups, they have been eliminated in the round of 16. They are a strong, decent team. And this year is no different. It won't be surprising to see them make it out of this group because this group is weak, but they won't do much more than that. Like Phish, they'll never make it to the top and win the Cup, but they'll always be around and always have a strong, loyal following.
Without further ado, here's your 2010 World Cup preview:
Group A
France
: Green Day
Green Day burst onto the music scene with their Dookie album. It was a massive hit. There's no escaping that album as songs from it are still played on the radio. The album had huge hits: "Longview" "She" "When I Come Around" (aka "uhwhen I come uhrouhound") and so on. After Dookie, Green Day sort of fell off the earth. Sure they had the Nimrod album and the Time of Your Life single, but it was nothing compared with Dookie success. Everyone had forgotten about Green Day and cast them off as old and has-beens until....American Idiot, where they once again blew up the music scene and radio stations across the world overplayed their songs so much it was practically impossible not to get sick of Green Day.Similar to Green Day, France launched into the world soccer scene in 1998. They didn't even qualify for the previous two World Cups. However, they were the host country and just dominated the competition and won the Cup in one of the more convincing finals victories ever. After 1998 however, they went MIA. They were horrible in the 2002 World Cup. They didn't score a goal and were bounced in the first round. By the time 2006 rolled around, they were old and no one expected much of them after a dismal 2002. However, like Green Day, when everyone had cast them off, they came out of nowhere and went to the finals. The media loved it like the DJ's loved Green Day. The Zidane coverage was ridiculous. Especially after the headbutt. Remember the headbutt? That headbutt by Zidane? Yeah, he headbutted a guy. It was a big deal and big headbutt. People couldn't stop talking about the headbutt. Headbutt.
So what can we expect this year? Who knows. France only qualified for the World Cup because of a very controversial hand ball. Thus, the karma gods are against them. They do have a talented team with Franck Ribery, Nicolas Anelka, Patrice Evra, Erick Abidal, and many others. But they have looked terrible, can't find team chemistry and only seem to play well when the World Cup is in Europe. I don't expect much and I'd say that you should count them out, but like Green Day, they have proven you just can't say they are done. Although I'm sure that France would love for me to count them out so that they could prove me wrong - stupid American Idiot.
Uruguay
: Beck
Do you know who won the first World Cup in 1930? Do you care? If you answered "No" to both of those questions, then your are probably happy to learn that Uruguay won the first ever World Cup in 1930 and then again in 1950. Since then, well, they have at least been a part of the tournament. The had mild success in the Cups in the 60s and 70s and have slowly been tapering off since then.
Beck is Uruguay. He dominated when he first came into the music scene. Everyone of course knows the song Loser, but he also had great albums with Mellow Gold, Odelay and Mutations. Even when he changed his style for Sea Change, people still loved it. Guero was even great, but like Uruguay, he's sort of been fading as of late. His last couple of albums have been completely forgettable. However Uruguay, like Beck, has lots of talent. They also have a great striker named Diego Forlan who has awesome golden locks like Beck. Just look at that sweet hair (I would have put up a picture of Beck running as well so you could see his beauty in motion, but I'm not sure Beck has ever run in his life). Like Beck, the potential is there with Uruguay. Will it actually come out this summer? With such a weak group, its definitely possible.South Africa
: Janet Jackson
On one hand, you could say that Janet Jackson is only famous because of her older brothers. That statement would probably upset a lot of people, but she was born into a music family and she had to become a musician. You could easily argue that she wouldn't have been a part of the music scene without the success of the Jackson 5. The thing is, you can argue with the statement, or you can just say, "who cares how she got into the industry, she is legit. And that's all that matters." Which is very true. Maybe she didn't have to work as hard to get into the spotlight, but once she was there, she held her own.That's South Africa in the World Cup. They are the host nation. They get an automatic bid. Because they aren't a soccer powerhouse, it's easy to think they are only here for that reason. But there are a few reasons to believe South Africa is actually legit and could do well even though they didn't have to work to get here. First of all, in the Confederations Cup last summer, South Africa held their own against Spain and Brazil - the two best teams in the world right now. South Africa was surprisingly strong. Also, South Africa has a weak group. Who knows what you are getting from France. Mexico is decent but not amazing and Uruguay is a complete wild card. Plus, South Africa is playing at home. That's a huge advantage. They may not have worked hard to get here, but don't be surprised if South Africa holds their own and at least makes it out o the group stage.
Mexico
: Phish
Phish has been around for a few decades now. They have never really been a mainstream band but they have a huge cult following. Phish fans will always tell you how amazing Phish songs are and especially how incredible Phish is in concert. They will go on and on about those concerts. This is Mexico. Mexico has never really been a country that has obtained a huge following apart from their own citizens. On top of that, they have never been that good. They have consistently been decent, but never a serious Cup contender. They always make the World Cup, but never make much of an impact. For the past 5 World Cups, they have been eliminated in the round of 16. They are a strong, decent team. And this year is no different. It won't be surprising to see them make it out of this group because this group is weak, but they won't do much more than that. Like Phish, they'll never make it to the top and win the Cup, but they'll always be around and always have a strong, loyal following.
2010 World Cup - Ultimate Music Preview - Group B
Group B
Argentina: Nirvana
Way back in the 90s, Generation X was young and full of angst. They looked to Seattle for leadership and found flannel shirts, grunge music, and Nirvana. Nirvana was led by a volatile genius whose music resonated with an entire generation fed up with hair bands and heavy metal. Curt Cobain was the drug addicted leader of one of the most talented bands of his generation, which included Dave Grohl, a genius in his own right who went on to form Foo Fighters (played every instrument on the debut album).
Way back about a year ago, Argentina’s national team needed a new leader. Apparently, all of the sane people were too busy, so they turned to the Curt Cobain of the Argentine soccer scene, Diego Maradona, a brilliant footballer who had led his country to the pinnacle of success and then thrown it all away for drugs. He nearly killed himself a few years ago and now is the manager of one of the world’s best soccer nations. So here we have an incredibly talented group, lead by a brilliant psycho who could self-destruct at any time and destroy the team. Hopefully, players like Leo Messi, Diego Milito, Javier Mascherano, Gonzalo Higuain, Walter Samuel, and Javier Zanetti (scratch that one from the list, Diego dumped him and Esteban Cambiasso), the team will avoid self-destruction.Argentina will advance, but no one really knows how long they can keep it together. They have the potential to be one of the greatest of all time but could easily self-destruct like Nirvana. That's the risk when you are led by a madman.
Greece: Daniel Powter
Back when credit was easy and the European Union was strong, Greece won the European Championship, a tournament many consider harder to win than the World Cup itself. It was 2004 when Greece took down Portugal (in Portugal) to win the European Championship. Many consider it to be the greatest upset of all time. Two years later, they did not qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Sort of an ominous foreshadowing of the country’s economic situation in 2010 as the bubble has burst and they are now straddled with debt burdens that they can never pay off. They were a true one-hit wonder.
This is the list of the greatest one hit wonders of all time. These bands made it all the way to #1 on the charts and then faded out. Despite the fact that Greece hasn’t disappeared completely from the soccer scene, it just seems right to declare the team as the greatest one hit wonder of all time. We're guessing that they’ll win another major tournament about the time when they get their national debt paid off (is there a U.S. parallel here?). They are a gritty hard nosed team that looks for penalties and set pieces to win. I would save your time and only watch highlights of these guys. To us, they don’t play like any of these bands sound but it just seems right, given the current events over there that we should dub them Daniel Powter because “Bad Day” just fits. We know. Daniel Powter is not a band. It’s one dude. It just fits, all right?
Nigeria: Sufjan Stevens
The Super Eagles have are a decent but boring team. Their biggest advantage is that they are playing on their home continent. We're honestly not sure why that is such a great advantage unless the South Africans decide to adopt every other African nation in this tournament. Are Nigerians going to pour into South Africa to support their team? No. They’re not. Nigeria will rely on defense and counter-attacks (fastbreak futbol!) to advance.This is Sufjan Stevens. Hi, Sufjan. Your music is enjoyable but gets a little boring. Chicago is your most famous song and, we like it. We're giving this song to Nigeria in hopes that it propels them to surpass their performance in 1998, when they advanced to the knock-out rounds. All things grow, all things grow. Nigeria, like Sufjan, you’re a decent but slightly boring team.
South Korea
: Sublime
We somehow managed to make suicide the overarching theme for this group. South Korea doesn’t have a psycho at the reigns but they are a bit of a one trick pony. Without Manchester United’s Ji Sung Park, this team doesn’t pack much of a punch and might as well be North Korea and the Long Beach Dub All Stars. Hopefully Ji-Sung doesn’t kill himself in the meantime.Our favorite South Korea moment of the past, well, ever, was when they hosted the 2002 World Cup and got sweet short track speed skating revenge on the U.S. That’s right. Short-track speed skating is very important over there. In the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, U.S. speedskater, Apollo Anton Ohno was awarded the Gold Medal in the 1500 m race after South Korean Kim Dong-Sung was disqualified blocking Ohno, who made an exaggerated motion to show that Dong-Sung had blocked him. It was short-track speed skating’s version of the dive. Fast forward to the World Cup that summer. South Korean Ahn Jung-Hwan scored a goal against the U.S. In his celebration he imitates Ohno’s exaggerated motion. Most Americans were confused and then shocked that it meant so much to them.
Enjoy the video of the celebration.
And Sublime:
