Are any babblers going to Germany next June?

The 32 qualified teams include, along with the usual suspects, six teams going to the World Cup for the first time in their history: Ukraine, Angola, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Trinidad and Tobago. And it's only the second-ever trip for Australia, and Ecuador. Czechoslovakia has played in 8 World Cups, but this is their first as the Czech Republic alone. Yugoslavia has made the trip 7 times, but this is their first as Serbia & Montenegro.

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Trinidad and Tobago

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go go soca warriors!

i've got friends to stay with in west berlin; berlin is planning on putting huge jumbotron screens in the tiergarten park to show the group games taking place elsewhere in germany.

Also, home countries almost always do really well:

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Originally posted by Wilf Day:
...Angola, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo...

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Originally posted by DandyLion:
another Brasil-Germany final. . . home countries almost always do really well.

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[ 18 November 2005: Message edited by: Fidel ]

Like this time. Germany has such an advantage over the other heavies -- not fair to them -- and simultaneously, the pressure on the German players is almost unthinkable...I know, the emotional tension is pretty much the whole point of soccer for its real fans (the sheer beauty is as much the point for fair-weather fans like me), but still...

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Originally posted by Albireo:
Wow, quite the upsets in Africa, with these guys going, but none of Nigeria, Cameroon, Egypt or South Africa.

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The saddest upset was how China got eliminated by Kuwait. "China had every right to be optimistic about their chances in the group." but they were "complacent in the return match against the Malaysians. China fielded an under-strength team, and they clearly underestimated their opponents. Frustration in defence resulted in a red card for key defender Zheng Zhi, who would sit out the crunch game against Kuwait as a result. . . had they scored just once more they would have edged out the Kuwaitis on goal difference." And thento add to the insult, Kuwait lost the next round to Uzbekistan.

And India didn't even make the Asian qualifying round.

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Originally posted by Wilf Day:
And India didn't even make the Asian qualifying round.

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Originally posted by Fidel:
what's with Cuba creaming Canada?

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. . the islanders only went out by the slimmest of margins against one the region’s top dogs – and to their credit they finished the qualifiers without having lost a match.

Though Cuba is traditionally considered a nation obsessed with baseball, football has garnered more public interest of late as the Cuban national team has begun to assert itself in the Caribbean. While it is a large and complicated qualifying route, Cuba have been exposed to enough top-quality competition over the past decade to consider themselves heartily prepared to make a run into the North, Central American and Caribbean Zone semi-final groups.

Cuba have a long and relatively rich football history compared to their neighbours, one that reached its peak when they went to the quarter-finals of the 1938 FIFA World Cup France™. Since those heady young days, and a memorable run at qualifying in 1980, the Cubans have tried to work their way back into the finals many times with limited success.

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With hopes of reliving the glory days of 1986, when they qualified for their only FIFA World Cup™ in Mexico, the Canadians had little trouble surging through to the semi-final round of the region’s qualifiers with two 4-0 wins over Belize. But despite being able to call on such attacking players as Tomasz Radzinski, Iain Hume, Paul Peschisolido and recent Millwall signing Josh Simpson, the 2000 Gold Cup winners fell flat in the hunt for goals in the semi-final round.

Drawn into an admittedly tough Group 2 alongside Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica, things were never going to be easy. But on several occasions, they could have taken full points in their hunt for a spot in the final group stage. Both meetings with Honduras – oddly enough the side they beat to qualify for Mexico 86 – were packed full of incident, with questionable goals disallowed and a general sense of poor fortune pervading.

A win over Guatemala in their last game went a small way to healing wounded pride and kept the Canucks from suffering the humiliation and ignominy of finishing winless with only two slim points from six matches.

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Last time Canada played Cuba we beat them 2:1.

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The Canadians scored their first goal of the tourney in the 68th minute as Ali Gerba knocked in a rebound in the penalty box. Atiba Hutchinson scored the second in the 87th minute by getting behind the Cuban defenders and beating goalkeeper Alexis Rene Aviles.

Canadian keeper Greg Sutton saved two early tough shots on goal by Alain Cervantes and Lester More, the heart of Cuba's offense.

Cuba only managed to avoid the shutout in the two minutes of injury time as Cervantes chipped in a rebound off a strong shot by More that Sutton stopped but was unable to hold.

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Originally posted by Wilf Day:
Yugoslavia has made the trip 7 times, but this is their first as Serbia & Montenegro.

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Last time Canada played Cuba we beat them 2:1.

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[ 20 November 2005: Message edited by: Clog-boy ]

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Originally posted by Krago:
The USA will extend their world domination to the football pitch as they bring home the World Cup in 2006, and give everyone else on Planet Earth one more reason to hate them.

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FIFA now ranks the USA as 7th. They've come a long way from 1986 when they were eliminated in the preliminaries. In 2002 they even made the quarter-finals. Still, losing three-nil to Costa Rica, a scoreless tie with Guatemala, and losing 2:1 to Trinidad suggests they are -- well, quite some distance away from beating Brazil.

"As ever, one intriguing question in advance of the draw concerns the identity of the seven nations set to be seeded alongside the hosts. FIFA's Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup meets to determine the seeded teams on Tuesday, 6 December 2005, three days ahead of the Final Draw."

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[ 24 November 2005: Message edited by: Suzette ]

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Originally posted by Boarsbreath:
Have you never spectated a jubilation then?

Must be a Canadian soccer fan...

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HEY!

We won the Gold Cup I'll have you know.

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Originally posted by Boarsbreath:
Have you never spectated a jubilation then?

Must be a Canadian soccer fan...

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Originally posted by West Coast Greeny:
I'll watch the World cup when Canada qualifies, and gets promptly defeated 2-nil to Cameroon, 4-nil to Holland, and 10-nil to France.

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I should know better, but I'm going to defend Canadian football.

As a nation, our problem isn't talent. Canada does produce a goodly amount of solid footballers (BTW--I'm talking about the men's team since this is a MWC thread. The Canadian women don't need to be defended--although it would be nice if the women didn't play such a negaitive, ugly brand of soccer [I use that word purposely here]).

Our problem is infrastructure. Simply put, we don't have anywhere for our top players to go after they finish university. The result is that many leave the game early and those that do go on to play professionally must do so in Europe. That makes it VERY hard to put together a team ready to compete in WC qualifying--especially when you consider that Canada is usually playing against Latin teams that play together almost year round.

Factor in the H O R R I B L E officiating that Canada (in the 2006 qualifying round the Canadian national team was a victim of two of the worst calls I have ever seen in my life--and I used to be an official, so I'm not usually one to blame the referee), is constantly dealing with at the regional qualifying level and it is very challenging for the Canucks to get through to the Finals.

Things could change with the addition of Toronto to the MLS in 2007. The thinking is that there will be two more Canadian MLS teams added before the next WC cycle, which will mean that up to 60 Canadians will be able to play professional football in Canada. The last time that was the case was in the early to mid 1980s. Canada made the WCF in 1986.

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Originally posted by Clog-boy:
[QB]Hmmm, must be a way to get Canadian soccer-talents stationed in Europe?

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That is what happens, but you have to consider the logistics of trying to put a team together for a WCQ set of games. Ideally, you would like an opportunity to practice together for a certain amount of time before taking the pitch. In Canada's case that simply can't happen. Players come in and out of the roster throughout the qualifying period.

And in many cases Canadian players risk their spot on their pro team to represent Canada. It's an uphill battle from the get-go for a North American to be taken seriously in Europe and the clubs will cast a guy aside if he leaves to play for minnow Canada. In the past, some of our best players have refused to play. That's understandable, because as nice as it is to play internationally, it's the club that pays the bills (and, for the record, most of these guys aren't making millions--the highest paid Canadian player would likely be Fulham's Tomasz Radzinski who would make very good money--most are making less money in Europe than they would selling cars in Sarnia--or wherever).

Another problem Canada has run into is losing a top young talent to another country. Owen Hargraves (or, as the less refined Canadian fans quite crudely say, Owen Whoregraves...) famously chose England over Canada despite a tenuous connection to the motherland (Hargraves was brought up in Calgary and learned the game on Canadian soil--his paternal grandparents were from England). It was simply easier and more rewarding for him to be a bit-player on England than a star for Canada.

And it might happen again. Jonathan de Guzman recently broke onto Feyenoord's first team. Since he has played in Holland since he was 14, de Guzman is eligible to play for the Dutch. There probably wouldn't be any doubt that he would, except that he may want to play internationally with his brother Julian de Guzman who is cap-tied to Canada. The older de Guzman, BTW, scored the first ever goal by a Canadian in Spain's top flight. He plays for Deportivo La Coruña, a mid-level team in the league, which is generally considered to be the best in the world (to avoid controversy with the Brits and Italians on here, it's one of the top three leagues for sure--and you Germans can be quiet. You don’t have a leg to stand on in the argument you are dying to have….

MSL, which, to be clear, is not universally accepted as the best solution to the nation's struggles by many diehard Canadian fans, will allow a lot of our mid to lower level pros a chance to develop. They will make better money, and will be able to play closer to home. That should provide Canada with a lot more depth when it comes to qualifying.

It's no sure thing, of course, but IMO it's better than what we have now. Plus its (the MLS) has worked wonders for the Americans.

And on that point I'll stop bugging you all with my inane chatter about Canadian football! Well, for a while anyway!!

[ 25 November 2005: Message for edited 2X for grammar by: dgrollins ]

[ 25 November 2005: Message edited by: dgrollins ]

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Originally posted by dgrollins:
Another problem Canada has run into is losing a top young talent to another country.

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Canada has no shortage of talented soccer players. They just can't make a living at it.

Imagine if there were no National Hockey League; talented hockey players would not pursue further development beyond high school or college (apart from a select few who would go to Sweden or the Czech Republic to play), and everyone would sit around wondering why Canadians suck at international hockey tournaments.

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That's the situation with soccer right now. We need to develop Canadian professional teams that can pay good money to players. Otherwise we can forget about the World Cup forever.

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I don't know whether this will solve the problem. Our Dutch professional teams can't afford to keep good players either. Even though the salary is probably better than with a Canadian team, it still holds no comparison to payment in the U.K., Spain or Italy.
Our current coach for the Dutch Natioanl Team (DNT), Van Basten, has chosen to select players based on attitude, dedication and commitment rather than just quality. Renowned players haven't been called upon (such as Davids, Van Bommel and Kluivert, who's All-Time Topscorer for the DNT ).
Nevertheless, the greater part of the DNT still consists of players who make their money abroad. And although they're separated from eachother, it hasn't kept Van Basten from forming a potent team.

But I do think money makes the difference. I don't know how well funded the Canadian Soccer Association is.The Dutch association, the KNVB (Royal Dutch Soccer Union), has plenty funding and if I'm not mistaken, all players can travel from and to their clubs at the expense of the KNVB.
To me it seems that Canadian players are available for the National team in a n equal ammount as the Dutch (I mean, when National teams play, most club-leagues have a weekend off)
So if the funding would be there and the players are available, it wouldn't be to hard to form a viable team..?

Funding for the Canadian Soccer Association is abysmal, despite the fact that soccer is the number one amateur sport in Canada in terms of participation - it surpassed hockey several years ago.

Canada's national team has unique problems with player availability that the Dutch don't have. The European club teams take a weekend off when there are UEFA national team matches scheduled, but Canada's not in UEFA. Our national team matches, at least the important ones, are against CONCACAF (North and Central American) opposition, so our World Cup qualifiers and confederation championship (Gold Cup) matches usually conflict with the club obligations of our best players, who are based in Europe. Often we have to do without some of our best players because they have an important league or domestic cup match. Other times we have players actually losing their positions on the starting club lineup because they have missed a match for national team duty.

Then there's the jet lag. Usually at least 5 hours or as much as 9 hours time difference to make up on the transatlantic flight, depending where the NT match is being played.

And if all else fails, hire Guus Hiddink as coach for the WC2010 before any other nation does. Under his guidance, Australia made it to next years finals (for the 1st time in 32yrs) in Germany. He led Australia, while working as a club-coach for PSV here in the Netherlands.
Last WC, Hiddink coached the South-Koreans to a 4th position (who before he signed on as coach never had won a single WC-match!)
If he can't get Canada to a WC-finals, no one can

[ 26 November 2005: Message edited by: Clog-boy ]

World champions Brazil, hosts Germany, England, Spain, Mexico, France, Argentina and Italy earned the seeding slots. The Czech Republic and the Netherlands, ranked second and third in the world but unseeded at the 2006 World Cup, pose the biggest threat to the top teams in Friday's draw for the finals.

The "Group of Death" is Group C: Argentina and the Netherlands.

The "toughest section of the draw" has Argentina, Netherlands, Serbia & Montenegro and Ivory Coast matched in Group C. The Netherlands, the most dangerous non-seeded floater in the 32-team draw, are likely to advance with Argentina from their group but neither will under-estimate World Cup debutants Ivory Coast, or Serbia & Montenegro.

But Argentina assistant coach Hugo Tocalli says "I'm not complaining. "I don't want to hear talk of a group of death."

Meanwhile the Americans are whining "The Group of Death: Italy is a proven world power, the Czech Republic has been the best European team of the last two years, and Ghana could be the surprise of the tournament." Ghana, Italy, the United States and the Czech Republic are in Group E.

So which is it? Netherlands Coach Marco van Basten: "I don't think this is the 'group of death'.

Mexico coach Ricardo Lavolpe said "This is a group that you can compete in. It's very favourable. We didn't draw a `Group of Death' at least."

Last word to England: Eriksson was pleased with the draw. If anyone has a “Group of Death”, it is Italy, but Argentina, too, may have an uncomfortable ride.

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And if all else fails, hire Guus Hiddink as coach for the WC2010 before any other nation does. Under his guidance, Australia made it to next years finals (for the 1st time in 32yrs) in Germany. He led Australia, while working as a club-coach for PSV here in the Netherlands.
Last WC, Hiddink coached the South-Koreans to a 4th position (who before he signed on as coach never had won a single WC-match!)
If he can't get Canada to a WC-finals, no one can

[ 26 November 2005: Message edited by: Clog-boy ][/QB]

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...er, better make that the "lively party" group.
I've always wanted to attend a WC game dressed-up as a giant bird, blowing a referee's whistle, pounding on African drums and completely inebriated. Fun! Fun! Fun!

[ 10 December 2005: Message edited by: Fidel ]

The same day as Germany-Poland is the start of the three-way battle between Ukraine, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia for second place in Group H. The winner likely gets the honour of losing to France in the round of 16. Or will they? Could the pride of reigning African champions Tunisia take them past France to the quarter-final?

Next, mark Saturday June 17 on your calendar. At 9:00 a.m. EDT, could Iran, with the experience of several Bundesliga-based internationals, knock Portugal out of the tournament? And at 3:00 p.m., could Italy take an early exit at the hands of the U.S.A.? Not second place in that group matters much, since that position puts you into the second round with Brazil. But either Italy or the U.S.A. might beat the Czechs for first place, win a nice spot in the next round against Japan or Croatia, and go on to the quarter-finals where they might well meet vulnerable France and make the semi-finals.

You never know what can happen in a World Cup. Still, the U.S.A. have never beaten any of the three teams they have been drawn with. Even Ghana, with an array of European-based stars at their disposal, will pose a significant threat.

June 21 will be super fun: Netherlands v. Argentina. Although both should advance, on paper they should both make the semi-finals and could meet again in the 3rd Place final. But then again, Serbia and Montenegro enjoyed an exceptional qualifying tournament, edging past Spain and conceding just one goal in 10 matches. So who knows?

June 22, beyween Italy and the Czechs, may decide which one gets top spot, with a good chance of advancing to the quater-finals.

you won't meet any of your group's teams until the final if you escape, and two of the other three teams won't even get to the round of 16.

predictions:

GROUP A
Poland
Germany

GROUP B
England
Sweden

GROUP C
Argentina
Serbia & Montenegro

GROUP D
Mexico
Portugal

GROUP E
Czech Republic
Ghana

GROUP F
Brazil
Australia

GROUP G
France
South Korea

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Originally posted by Willowdale Wizard:
GROUP C
Argentina
Serbia & Montenegro

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Edited to add: And God Bless Ghana, but they just don't have the power or the experience to compete with the other three. They'll place last in Group E. Italy won't make the mistakes of 2002. They'll be through, probably with the Czechs.

Looks like a second World Cup rematch against old rivals England and Argentina in the quarters, as both teams should advance, although Argentina v Mexico or Portugal in the R16 would both be excellent matches.

Brazil is scary this year. I didn't think they were good enough to win 2002, and they have far more firepower this year. Weaker in the back, though, as usual, and a stalwart defence, say Italy in the R16 could hold firm.

Unfortunately, no African teams seem to have pulled a good draw, and it will be a surprise if more than one make it past the group stages. They're always fun to watch in a World Cup. As WD mentioned, only Tunisia have a decent chance, but they'll be in tough against France. They do have a chance to win the group though, despite the fantastic team Spain is preparing to send.

I agree, it's a cup for underperformers. Expect England, Netherlands, Spain and Portugal to perform well.

[ 14 December 2005: Message edited by: Catchfire ]

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The coach identifies the one issue that seems collectively to unnerve Brazilians: favouritism.

"For the first time in our history we will arrive at the World Cup in Germany as the undisputed favourite," he says. "We will have to get used to this."

This is a superstitious nation in which many see favouritism is a curse rather than a blessing. Already, comparisons are being made with the great Brazil side that dazzled at the 1982 World Cup, before a shock loss to Italy in the second group stage.

Knowingly, Brazilians point out that their team could again meet Italy in the second round in Germany.

Others fear a lack of desire. "How do you motivate a team like this?" ponders Luiz Fernando Lima, director of sport at Brazil's Globo Television.

"Most of these guys have won the World Cup before, and they have multi-million dollar salaries that are the envy of their fellow Brazilians."

But on balance, the mood here is one of excited optimism. Brazilians never tire of pointing out that they have the best players - for most, it's simply a question of whether the chosen 11 put things together on the day.

Twice FIFA's World Player of the Year, Ronaldinho is also the world's most marketable footballer - generating $57.8m (£30.8m) annually, according to a German consultancy.

Already the poster boy for Japanese photocopiers and a multinational energy company, the star was recently signed as "world brand ambassador" for a new range of Chinese laptops.

"Brazil will be world champions. Why? Because of Ronaldinho," asserts Francisco, a Sao Paulo street vendor.

Besides Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, Parreira can count on the creative flair of Kaka (AC Milan) and the goal-scoring power of Adriano (Inter).

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Originally posted by Michelle:
I saw an Iranian flag on one shirt.

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11-Jun-06 Nuremberg MEX:IRN 18:00
17-Jun-06 Frankfurt POR:IRN 15:00
21-Jun-06 Leipzig IRN:ANG

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They may be underdogs, but Iran is ranked ahead of Croatia, Costa Rica, Poland, Korea, Côte d'Ivoire, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Ecuador, Australia, Serbia and Montenegro, Ukraine, Trinidad and Tobago, Ghana, Angola, and Togo.

Many commentators rate the current team as the best Iran has ever produced. Still, it will be hard for them to get past either Mexico or Portugal and into the second round.

[ 25 May 2006: Message edited by: Wilf Day ]

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Supporters of the Italian team will pack College Street, while many Portuguese fans will flock to the strip of bars on Dundas Street. England backers have gravitated to the Duke of Gloucester, south of the Yonge/Bloor intersection, and the orange-clad supporters of the Netherlands often fill the Court Jester, near Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue. Hordes of Brazilian fans pack Plaza Flamingo on College Street, often filling the sidewalks as well. - Globe and Mail

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But the story for England fans is the health of their young, fiery, unstable but undeniably brilliant striker Wayne Rooney:

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Wayne Rooney will be on the plane when England's team fly out to the World Cup finals on Monday week but shortly afterwards he will be on a plane back to Manchester to undergo a final scan that will determine whether he will take any part in the competition.
If the tests, which will be conducted on June 14, the day before England are due to meet Trinidad & Tobago in their second group match, are clear, Rooney will be permitted to resume full training. His target would then be to get match fit in the next 10 days and be available for a possible quarter-final on June 30 or July 1.

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England's best chance was probably 2002, but they still have a healthy, competent crew and a favourable draw.

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Originally posted by Michelle:
I saw an Iranian flag on one shirt that had all the flags of all the teams going to Germany.

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Iran, who are also in the finals in Germany, were on the verge of a notable victory when their goalkeeper Ebrahim Mirzapour slid into one of his own defenders and then clipped Croatia's Ivica Olic as the ball ran free. Croatia were heading for their first defeat until, six minutes into stoppage time, they were handed a lifeline. The last-gasp penalty gave Croatia the draw with Iran.

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Iran fought back from two goals behind to beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 5-2 in a FIFA World Cup™ warm-up match.

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But there are small drawbacks. In '02 I lived on Wellesley a few doors west of Church. One of Turkey's playoff games was on at 7 am on a Sunday. I set the VCR planning to watch when I got up. I woke up around 9:30 as about 1,000 people waving Turkish flags and blasting musical instruments and carhorns went by my window. Hmmm wonder who won that match.

Examples:

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Of the 736 players listed on World Cup rosters, a whopping 102 earn their living playing in England, nearly one out of every seven....

Seven players will make their fourth appearance in a World Cup: the United States' Claudio Reyna and Kasey Keller, Germany's Oliver Kahn, Saudi Arabia's Al Deayea and Sami Al Jaber, plus Brazil's Cafu and Ronaldo. Keller is the only player on any roster to have participated in the 1990 World Cup, though he did not play.

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Sportswear manufacturers received a red card from international charity Oxfam this week for failing to stamp out sweatshops in Asia ahead of next month's football World Cup.

Oxfam said while sportswear companies paid millions in sponsorship to the soccer players who will star at the tournament in Germany, the workers manufacturing their goods remained poorly paid and exploited.

In a report titled "Offside," Oxfam said the workers, mainly women living in impoverished areas of Asian nations such as Indonesia and Sri Lanka, often faced intimidation or even assault if they demanded better conditions.

Oxfam produced a league table of 12 leading sportswear manufacturers based on their labor practices but said none met minimum requirements.

"They would all receive a red card if they were on the field," report co-author Tim Connor told AFP. "In fact, if there was a world cup for companies that respect labor rights, the sports brands would not even get through the qualifying rounds."

Connor said the workers who made premium label sportswear retailing for top prices in High Street shops were often paid a basic wage of just 60 US cents (47 euro cents) a day.

He said such wages were not enough to cover basic needs and many workers worked 16 hour shifts to supplement their income with overtime.

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[ 06 June 2006: Message edited by: M. Spector ]

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Only four years ago, there was a real possibility that only Spanish-language broadcasts of the 2002 World Cup would be available in the U.S. Then, Soccer United Marketing, Major League Soccer's marketing arm, owned by a some league and outside investors, paid $40 million for the U.S. English rights to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the 2003 Women's World Cup. In the existing pact, SUM was essentially allowed to air its games for free on ABC\ESPN while covering productions costs.

But last November, calling it "the biggest TV deal in a single country in FIFA's history," world governing body FIFA announced a $425 million deal for World Cup television rights in the United States from 2007 to 2014. Under the agreement, the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, the 2007 and 2011 Women's World Cups, and the 2009 and 2013 Confederations Cups will be broadcast in English in the U.S. by the Walt Disney Company-owned ABC and ESPN networks, and in Spanish by Univision. In a joint bid, ABC\ESPN paid $100 million for the rights package for the broadcast rights in English, while Univision paid $325 million for the Spanish-language rights.

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Originally posted by ceti:
Other than that, football is almost the universal sport. Ironically, in all of Latin America where soccer is king, two countries buck the trend -- Baseball dominates in Cuba and Venezuela! and both leaders wanted to be baseball players before history had other things in store for them.

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no question, soccer is the closest we have to a global sport, but some semi-global sports, like cricket (Britain, the Caribbean, India, Pakistan, Australia), baseball (US, Canada, Caribbean and Central/South America, Japan, Taiwan, Netherlands), and basketball (US, Canada, Southern Europe, Argentina/Brazil) stretch pretty far and wide and have fanatical followings, too

and there are more NON-soccer countries than the football fanatics like to advertise:

2 very very big ones, China and India, are not football countries, certainly not in the sense of Latin America but even the Mideast or Africa;
and some very athletic, sports-oriented countries, including Cuba and Australia, are not really in the game, and Russia is surprisingly weak at the top levels

so don't be intimidated by the Euro-weenies, a great sport, but there ARE alternative universes

[ 07 June 2006: Message edited by: Geneva ]

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Geneva: no question, soccer is the closest we have to a global sport, but some semi-global sports, like cricket (Britain, the Caribbean, India, Pakistan, Australia), baseball (US, Canada, Caribbean and Central/South America, Japan, Taiwan, Netherlands), and basketball (US, Canada, Southern Europe, Argentina/Brazil) stretch pretty far and wide and have fanatical followings, too

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Now, everyone knows you never know what will happen in a World Cup.

Here's a couple of upset possibilities:

1. The Ukrainian surprise. The undoubted ace is Andriy Shevchenko, AC Milan's prodigious goal-getter and the East Europeans' one truly world-class striker. Chelsea are paying Milan £30million for him.

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After two near-misses in FIFA World Cup™ qualifying, Ukraine have booked a place in the 2006 edition of the tournament in commanding fashion. Coach Oleg Blokhin and his men were the first Europeans after hosts Germany to book a place at the showcase event following a successful qualifying campaign in a difficult group.

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In the first round the oddsmakers say they should lose to Spain, and then exit the tournament in the second round at the hands of France. Let's say they beat Spain. Then they likely face Switzerland in the second round, and could well advance to the quarter-final. Against Brazil. Oh, well, just getting to the quarter-final would be a surprise. Alternatively, they could lose to Spain in the first round, then overachieve against France in the second round, beat Italy in the quarter-final, beat Germany in the semi-final -- well, you never know -- and meet Brazil in the final.

2. The Czech surprise. Another strong team in their first run at the Cup (since splitting with Slovakia.)

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This Czechs’ qualification was merely the continuation of their success at the UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal. Despite losing in the semi-finals to eventual winners Greece, the Czech Republic produced what was widely accepted as being the most flowing, attractive football of the tournament. They were the only team not to drop a point in the group stages, coming from behind to win against both Germany and The Netherlands. The emergence of Bruckner’s men was one of the definite highlights of the tournament. They will be hoping to make a similar impact at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their refreshing brand of attacking football saw them finish top scorers of the European qualifying phase. With a fine blend of youth and experience, the Czech Republic must aim high for their first FIFA World Cup participation. Repeating, if not surpassing, the success of their Euro 2004 run to the semi-finals is no doubt be their aim.

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But they could beat Italy. That likely puts them up against Croatia in the second round, and after dispatching them, they could find themselves against France in the quarter-final. The aging team has just lost Djibril Cisse to injury, and could crumble before the jubilant Czech squad.

That should mean a semi-final against Germany. Can you see it? A million Czech fans descend on Dortmund, eight and a half hours away by train. World War Two all over again.

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how often do you witness an event that draws an audience of billions?

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but cricket matches at the highest levels between Pakistan and India draw stupendous audiences, with a core 1.3 billion fans in the competing nations alone, as well as the other 20 or so countries following it from the Caribbean to Australia

as for soccer-mad places in Toronto, for Euro 2004, the Portuguese enclave on Dundas West, esp. around Bathurst was superb; the Lisbao Cafe or whatever was hopping when Figo scored, I tell ya

[ 09 June 2006: Message edited by: Geneva ]

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Originally posted by Wilf Day:
The Game of the World, if anyone doubted it, has a website in nine languages of the world: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese and Chinese.

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[ 09 June 2006: Message edited by: non sequitur ]

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Originally posted by Michelle:
I know they can't get every language in the world, but you'd think they'd try for at least one Middle Eastern language.

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The International Cricket Council site is English-only. You'd think they'd have a Hindi page and an Urdu page. Nope.

Looking ahead -- I'm still puzzled at John Doyle's prediction in Wednesday's Globe that the Czechs, Italy and Brazil will all advance to the quarter-finals. In the second round the first two teams in Groups E and F play each other. Only two can advance to the quarter-finals. Not three. Can't happen, John, can it?

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I have a pretty good idea where Osama bin Laden will be on June 14 -- and June 19, and again on June 23. Not his exact location, but it's a safe bet he'll be in front of a TV tuned in to Saudi Arabia's World Cup soccer matches with, respectively, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Spain. Legend has it that soccer is one of bin Laden's guilty pleasures. He's unlikely to miss the spectacle of the men from the land of the Prophet taking on the infidels of al-Andalus. He probably has a soft spot for Tunisia too, that country being the only one on record thus far to see one of its professional soccer players attempt to join al Qaeda's martyrs.

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apparently, the Paraguay players speak exclusively Guarnari on the field, to limit other teams' understanding of their plays

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Originally posted by Geneva:
England 1 - Paraguay 0.

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Indeed, the day of the underdog.

Trinidad and Tobago rejoiced as their first appearance at the FIFA World Cup™ earned them a point as their ten men held Sweden 0-0.

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The final scoreline was made all the more incredible as Trinidad and Tobago, ranked 47th in the world compared to Sweden's 16, had Avery John sent-off in the 46th minute for two bookable offences. They are the smallest nation not only in this tournament but in any FIFA World Cup. With a display of incredible spirit, energy and defensive resolution, Trinidad and Tobago brought Caribbean joy and colour to the heart of Europe. With Hislop standing in the way of everything that Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrik Larsson could throw at him, the thousands of painted Swedish faces betrayed only shock and incomprehension. T&T might even have ended up with all three points. In the 59th minute Glen Cornell let fly from a tight angle and saw his shot cannon against the crossbar.

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Video clip I took. And yes, I know - I said June 12th! I couldn't remember the date off the top of my head while I was recording. Also, the mic on my camera is a little weird in that it makes it sound like "sh" when I say "s".

So, I take it Portugal won a game or something?

I haven't been able to watch any games yet, since I left for the weekend straight from work on Friday, and didn't return until tonight. How did the Iran-Mexico game turn out?

[ 11 June 2006: Message edited by: Michelle ]

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Originally posted by Michelle:

So, I take it Portugal won a game or something?

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Originally posted by Michelle:
How did the Iran-Mexico game turn out?

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With the teams tied at 1-1, Omar Bravo capitalised on a mix-up in the Iran defence to slot home his and Mexico's second goal in the 76th minute. Three minutes later Zinha headed the third to seal victory for Ricardo La Volpe's side.

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Iran suffered for their late collapse as Mexico finished with a 3-1 win which was arguably harsh on Ivankovic's men. The Mexicans will face Angola in their next match with confidence, but Iran – who looked a dangerous side in parts – must pick themselves up before facing Portugal.

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Ali DAEI (IRN)
Mexico were not a superior team. We were equal to them. The most disappointing thing was that we made two mistakes that led to goals.

Vahid HASHEMIAN (IRN)
We played two different games today. The first half was very good but we played too defensively in the second, mainly due to the fact that Ali Karimi went off injured.

Ferydoon ZANDI (IRN)
It was a superb atmosphere in Nuremberg. You have to enjoy playing in front of a crowd like that. To make three mistakes for one goal is extremely annoying. We have to play better as a whole and play further up the field. Our biggest error was that we sat too deep in defence.

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Forward Jan Koller scored in the fifth minute and midfielder Tomas Rosicky added a pair of fantastic goals to guide the Czechs to a comfortable 3-0 victory over the U.S. in a Group E game from Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

Ranked No. 5 in the world, the U.S. hardly looked like the dashing and daring team that won many admirers with its swashbuckling style at the 2002 World Cup. While the Americans dominated possession, they looked tentative in attack and frail in defence.

"I'm very disappointed in our start," coach Bruce Arena said. "They punished us for every mistake we made."

Czech playmaker Pavel Nedved dominated in midfield, orchestrating the attack for his country and muscling his way past American defenders.

The Czechs took early advantage of this when Zdenek Grygera burst down the right wing and delivered a pinpoint cross over two American defenders to Koller, who headed the ball home.

It took the Americans 28 minutes to register their first scoring chance of the contest. American captain Claudio Reyna hit a low, cracking shot from outside the penalty area that beat goalkeeper Peter Cech but smacked against the post.

The U.S. paid for its wastefulness eight minutes later when Rosicky unleashed a curling shot from 30 yards out that majestically flew past American goalkeeper Kasey Keller into the top corner.

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Monday's game marked the Czech Republic's first appearance at the World Cup. The country participated in the competition's qualifiers for first time in 1998 following the break up of Czechoslovakia four years earlier. Between 1930 and 1994, it competed at the World Cup as part of Czechoslovakia.

The Czech Republic's next game is against Ghana on Saturday in Cologne, while the U.S. takes on Italy in Kaiserslautern.

IMPACT PLAYERS:

Czech Republic: Tomas Rosicky - The creative midfielder scored two highlight-reel goals as the Czechs rolled to the easy win.

United States: Eddie Johnson - The American attack became more focused when he came into the game as a second-half substitute.

with files from Associated Press

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Originally posted by BetterRed:
So much for the No.5 ranked Yank team

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Originally posted by M. Spector:
A Socialist's Guide to the World Cup

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That was an awesome article.

I generally choose which team to cheer for (in a match that Germany isn't in, of course - I've got my German flag in my front window now, in place of a curtain!) based on whatever the politics are.

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That was an awesome article.

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Even in the great salad bowl of Toronto, it's very rare to meet a third-generation Canadian who can speak the "ethnic" language

[ 12 June 2006: Message edited by: Lord Palmerston ]

regarding pithy political/philosophical statements linked to soccer, in the UK there is a company that does nothing but market T-shirts adorned with such by Sartre, Camus, and various Labour intellectuals "quotes" about football and life

(I probably should not link, or it would be denounced as free advertising, but the company name sounds like Philosophy Football dot com )

[ 13 June 2006: Message edited by: Geneva ]

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Um, yes, but the Czechs are ranked No. 2, so what's your point?

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Originally posted by GreenNeck:
The US team is in a big hole already.

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Originally posted by Michelle:
During the World Cup, there isn't the assumption that if you're white, you're Canadian and if you're not white, you're something else. We're ALL something else unless we're Native, and nothing makes that more clear than at World Cup time.

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