Argentina, Germany On To Quarterfinals

Well, if I was disappointed with the USA losing to Ghana yesterday, today's matches set everything right, and set the stage for a quarterfinal match up that could well be worthy of the final it's self.

In today's first match Germany handed England their collective asses in a 4-1 win. Now I'm sure their are a lot of England fans out there who are going to be adamant that had England's second goal have counted, which it should have, that the remainder of the game would have been different. Funny, I seem to remember a similar complaint about a certain goal scored against them that, had the referee or lineman spotted a certain Hand of God...  Whatever, you lost, get over it already.

If you didn't see the non-goal, England's  Frank Lampard blasted a shot over the Germany keeper Manuel Neuer 's head that grazed the bottom of the crossbar, dropped down to bounce about a foot or two inside the line, then out where Neuer collected it. The lineman missed it, the referee missed, but the cameras certainly didn't.

I'd post a clip off Youtube, but FIFA has been funny about such, and while there is one up now, I doubt it will survive for long. Instead, here's a still shot that was posted by a Facebook friend:

Thank you, Lei.

The second match begs the question, if Argentina manages to win the World Cup now, does Diego Maradona suddenly become a genius of a coach? D10s has his men playing well, and despite there still being defensive lapses, they are now being looked at as favorites for the title.

Mexico didn't exactly roll over for them, but they couldn't deal with the quality of Argentina's attack, losing 3-1. Again, there was controversy as the first goal of the match, scored by Carlos Tevez, was off sides. There were a few tense moments as the Mexicans' argued with the referee and responsible lineman, and then the Argentine's having their say as well, but in the end, the goal was allowed.

Lio Messi still has yet to score, but he has been instrumental in setting up several of Argentina's goals, and as long as he can do that they should go far. Well, baring the fact that the winning teams from today's matches will have to face each other in the Quarterfinals.

Being as they have been the two most entertaining sides in this World Cup, it's a shame that one of them will have to be eliminated before the final. In my heart I'm hoping La Albiceleste can beat Die Mannschaft, even while I do have to acknowledge that the Germans have a stronger defense. Either way, it should be a great match.

Still, I'm getting ahead of myself here, as the second round isn't over. Tomorrow we have another two match ups, as the Netherlands face Slovakia and Brazil face off against Chile.

My picks? I have to go with Netherlands over the Slovaks, while, on a wing and a prayer, I'm hoping for a Chile upset over Brazil. How can I not cheer on Chile? Marcelo Bielsa (a legendary coach with Newell's, for those who might not know) is coaching them, and their playing Brazil...

Dale el equipo de Bielsa!
Dale Chile!
Chau chau, Brazil!

You've Heard Of The Hand Of God...

Now, thanks to News Of The World, we have:

Yes, it's only the first weekend of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but so far I'm happy with the results. Four of the five teams I care about have played their first matches, and the USA vs England counts for two of them. In no way did I expect the USA to win this game, and fully expected that England would walk away with three points. Player per player, England have the better team, except, as the match proved, in goal. Here's all the proof we need:

It's not the best clip on Youtube as far as quality, but I had to use it as it's the only one that shows it in slow motion, and rewind, clearly showing Robert Green's blunder. Mr Green, you can't collect the ball with closed fists. As a USA fan I thank you, as an Argentina football fan I'm rolling on the floor laughing at your fists of stone.

Now, I would have been happier with a US win, but the single point should give Bradley's men confidence going into their next match against Slovenia, who just polished off Algeria 1-0 as I write this.

Meanwhile, Maradona's Argentina beat Nigeria 1-0 off a Gabriel Heinze header. Lionel Messi played well, but still seems to try too hard when he's dressed for La Albiceleste. Yes, Nigerian keeper Vincent Enyeama came up with the match of his life, but Messi had the one chance that he could have easily chipped over the on rushing keeper, as I've seen him do plenty of times for Barcelona. Instead, he let loose a blast, which failed to burn a hole through Enyeama. La Pulga needs to relax and play as if the weight of Argentina's hopes and dreams didn't rest on his shoulders. It's only then that he will be able to bare that burden.


Of the four a fore mentioned team, that leaves Mexico, who had the honor of playing in the first match of the tournament against hosts South Africa. Mexico went into the game heavy favorites, but the South African's held their nerve and managed to hold on for a 1-1 draw. As a USA fan, I'll celebrate every point that Mexico drops, especially when their playing perceived lesser opponents.



So, of the four teams, two got favorable results in my favor, and two were disappointed, but still in my favor...

Oh, and the fifth team I care about in this World Cup? That would be Brazil, who with be playing Korea DPR (North Korea) on Tuesday. I'm really hoping for a draw here. I'd be routing for a Korean upset, but, as a US Citizen, that could almost be considered treason.

So, for those of you keeping track, that's the USA and Argentina I'm pulling for to do well, and Mexico, England, and Brazil I'm hoping get knocked out in the first round.

Edit:
Here's the picture of "Clemente" that Juan provided the link to:

 Looks just like Robert Green...

Lanús Preview, And A Few Odds And Ends

Tomorrow, at 5:10 local time, Lanús come to Rosario to face Newell's Old Boys. I have to say that I'm expecting Newell's to win this game. Not only are they at home, but they are facing a team that isn't playing well at the moment, three losses in four domestic games, their only win was against Huracán in the first week of the Clausura.

Adding to that confidence is that Lanús have lost the two games they've played in the Copa Liberatadores, at home against Libertad on February 9th, and away to Universitario de Deportes of Peru last Wednesday. They are also scheduled for another Copa match up this coming Thursday against Bolivian side Blooming, again as visitors. I haven't seen anything on who they are planning on starting in tomorrow's game against La Lepra, but I'll be surprised if they don't rest their regular 11 in hopes of picking up a win in Bolivia.

Even if they do play their best team, how dangerous can a team that has lost five of their six games in 2010 be?

I know, I know, I should be careful what I say... those words may come back to haunt me. Over the last few championships Lanús have been one of the toughest teams to beat, after all.

While Lanús have not released their line up, Newell's are expected to line up as follows:

Sebastián Peratta
Agustín Alayes, Rolando Schiavi, Juan Insaurralde
Franco Dolci, Lucas Bernardi, Hugo Barrientos, Leonel Vangioni
Mauro Formica
Jorge Achucarro, Joaquín Boghossian

Alayes is back in after serving a one game suspension for a red card, and Dolci is in for Nahuel Roselli. Hopefully this will be the game that sees Boghossian get back to his scoring ways.

Also have to note that there's still no word on when the match against Argentinos Jrs will be completed. Monday's match was the second that they had suspended. The previous match, away to Banfield, is scheduled to be completed this coming Wednesday.

Tying up some odds and ends, I should say a few words about Maxi Rodriguez and his move to England's Liverpool. Normally I'm against Argentine players joining English teams, as few do well in the Premiership. I don't see Maxi as one of those players, and while I yet to see him play for his new team, the reports I have been seeing have all been positive.

Speaking of players moving around, it was reported that there were scouts from the Russian team Dynamo Moscow in the stands of Newell's rained out match against Argentinos Jrs. Rumor is that they were there to take a look at Mauro Formica. I have one piece of advise for Mauro: WAIT FOR A TEAM FROM A WARMER CLIMATE TO SHOW INTEREST!
I know there have been a few South Americans who have done well in Russia... but I have yet to hear of one that didn't complain about the weather, the living conditions, and any number of other cultural differences they had to adjust to. So, Mauro, unless your favorite place to be is Bariloche in the middle of winter, just say no.

A Rat Expelled

To start the new year off right, Newell's Old Boys took one more step in distancing the team from former president Eduardo López, as removing him from office in December of 2008 wasn't enough. On December 28th, 2009 La Comisión Directiva del Club Atlético Newell’s Old Boys expelled him from the team's socios (fans who pay membership dues for the right to vote in the team elections, and other privileges,) and added 27 others with suspected ties to the former leader. Unlike López, the 27 in question will be allowed to come forward to defend themselves.

In transfer news Newell's have signed 22 year old midfielder Marcelo Estigarribia on loan from Le Mans of France. He joined Le Mans in 2008, but has only managed to play in 7 matches for them, so I'm sure he'll be looking forward to getting more playing time. He's also been capped 5 times for his native Paraguay, debuting on May 22nd, 2008. I haven't been able to find much on the player, but his wikipedia entry calls him a "versatile midfielder." Even if he can't crack the starting 11, playing more than one position will make him very valuable coming off the bench.

Meamwhile, my earlier rant about Maxi Rodriguez possible loan to Boca Jrs looks to be proving unfounded, as English side Liverpool are also looking to making a move to bring the player in on loan. Reports are that Boca are still interested, but in Liverpool's favor is that no pay cut would be needed. Boca, on the other hand, have the advantage that Maxi would be sure to be a starter, I'm not so sure of that when it comes to Liverpool.

Now, if Liverpool is showing interest, there probably are a few other teams that are thinking about making an offer of one sort or another. Should any of them be willing to make a full transfer offer I have no doubt that all the teams interested in only a loan will be over looked. Atletico Madrid, after all, would much prefer the larger fee such a transaction would bring.