I am a bit bias. Here I am talking about Euro 2012 when the Copa America earlier this year was held in Argentina and I didn't even had a conversation, didn't even bat an eye to it. I watched it. It was awesome, Venezuela showed that they aren't meant to be flogged by their South American neighbours any more. Messi's play was no where to be seen. Falcao from Colombia is a top marksman. Paraguay were stingy in defense as usual, I have come to expect that from the men from Asuncion. While Forlan and the boys from Uruguay in the end lifted the trophy in Buenos Aires. It was great but for me there is nothing more special than the Euros. The European Championship is the apex of international football. The World Cup is heralded as one of the greatest spectacles that can be seen by the human eye but in terms of quality when you get down to it the fact of the matter is a lot of average teams are in the competition. Unless the World Cup was in my back yard I am not paying any sort of currency Euro or Rand to see Chile play Honduras. I don't mean any disrespect but I support Barbados national team, I don't need to see another primary school game. The Euros offer quality on a consistant basis. Europe is the standard bearer of world football. Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina are worthy contributors to the game but that's just three teams. In Europe there is an abundance of good nations all clustered together. Enough of what I think let's get down to it. The draw for Euro 2012 Poland and Ukraine has been made and as I like to do, I will give in depth analysis... well I think it's in depth at least on the groups. This post is just how the groups are set out, as we get closer to the tourney I will put the journalistic and thinking caps on to try to break it down. So here are the fours groups in seeding order listed "A," to "D," that will thrill us in these two young nations starting June 8th.
Group A Poland Greece Russia Czech Republic
Group B Netherlands Denmark Germany Portugal
Group C Spain Italy Republic of Ireland Croatia
Group D Ukraine Sweden France England
Slavek and Slavko the two mascots for the tournament. I like them they're cool, I think much better than the two guys from the last Euros, they looked like Cabbage Patch dolls but Slavek the Pole (red) and the Slavko (yellow & blue) the Ukrainian look the part and no doubt it will be a good tournament.
Ihave been meaning to do one of these in forever. Well, yes a blog post because it has been awhile but I'm talking about a "Generation X." I wanted to pick a squad of people born in a certain decade but what always stopped me was the fact that they weren't ever enough in my opinion players I thought were absolutely outstanding in one set generation. Sounds crazy when you look at the greats the Di Stefano's and the Garrincha's how good they were in their time frames but to ask me to recall other's in their set generation I am a bit hard pressed and to come up with a squad of twenty five I don't think I could I'm a bank of football knowledge but not a library like Jon Champion. So I will write what I know who I know and that's the way it should be. Men closer to my generation because people can find scores of articles on Gabriel Batistuta but how many are their on Nicolas Otamendi? Well I'm here to talk about the Otamendis. That being said here is my team of stars born in the 90s.
Squad
(Goalkeepers)
David De Gea (ESP), Thibaut Courtois (BEL), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (GER)
(Defenders)
Sebastian Coates (URU), Philip Jones (ENG), Jeffrey Bruma (NED), Mamadou Sakho (FRA), Mathias Jorgensen (DEN), Mateo Musacchio (ARG), Fabio da Silva (BRA)
(Midfielders)
Eden Hazard (BEL), Christian Eriksen (DEN), Jack Wilshere (ENG), Miralem Pjanic (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Mario Gotze (GER), Brek Shea (USA), Yann M'Vila (FRA), Xherdan Shaqiri (SUI)
(Forwards)
Neymar (BRA), Mario Balotelli (ITA), Luuk De Jong (NED), Bojan Krkic (ESP)
Formation
3-5-2
Not a conventional formation but the lack of stellar wide defenders has forced my hand a bit in contrast the glut of midfield options was far to tempting not to have a five man midfield. The forward situation is fairly straight forward I will stick with the two. It may not be the most balance but I like it for some reason.
Starting XI
Goalkeeper- David De Gea (ESP) (Right) Centre Back- Mathias Jorgensen (DEN) Center Back- Sebastian Coates (URU) (Left) Centre Back- Fabio da Silva (BRA) Right Winger- Eden Hazard (BEL) Central Defensive Midfielder- Yann M'Vila (FRA) Central Midfielder- Miralem Pjanic (Bosnia & Herzegovina) Central Attacking Midfielder- Mario Gotze (GER) (captain) Left Winger- Xherdan Shaqiri Striker- Neymar Striker- Luuk De Jong
WHY?
David De Gea- At present with the remarkable goalkeeping talent available to the Spanish, De Gea would find it extremely hard to break into the senior squad and hold down the number one jersey but he is young and has many important games ahead of him to play. Standout performer with the U-21 even capturing a winners medal Euro U-21 championship in Denmark in 2011 so we have a winner already and I got the feeling the trophies will keep coming. De Gea earned himself a move to Manchester United in 2011 after he became integral part of Athletico Madrid's senior side. I'm just going to be honest, he is a very well rounded goalkeeper. Slight in build which could be a problem depends on who you ask, tall, athletic and goal keeps and not just stop shots. Ferguson usually gets it right with goalkeepers. Van de Sar and Schmeichel being the most sturdy here's the hope De Gea doesn't turn into Barthez and Carroll.
Mathias Jorgensen- Have you ever seen something for the first time and you were absolutely sold? That is the exactly how I feel about Jorgensen. Like De Gea over there he was an important part of his nation's U-21 side. Denmark seem to be able crank out a number of good center halves in recent times. Daniel Agger and Simon Kjaer heading up the list. Jorgensen played extremely well at Euro U21 championship in his homeland and on top of that he has been apart of FC Copenhagen's senior squad for the better part of four years. The Danish side is not the most glamour of European teams but they are definitely solid opposition for anybody and Jorgensen at the back make them very resolute. At 6 ft 3 inches he is the prototype for an excellent defender. As the game evolves he is apart of what is known as the ball playing defender. A defender who is comfortable on the ball see Rio Ferdinand for the perfect example. Flat out Mathias is good lets see how gets on as the years roll on.
Sebastian Coates- I haven't been really sold on South American center halves. They are a few I think are really good. Lucio, Luisao and Juan to name a few and you could say the likes Michel Bastos and Diego Alves but fullbacks are a little different. Walter Samuel is a foul machine, so is Mario Yepes and the less I say about Martin Demichelis the better. Note most of the bad defenders are Argentine and the good ones are Brazilian not a coincidence. David Luiz I thought was the one to save day but doesn't look like it but here we a young man I think will be one of the greats. Sebastian Coates is the next defender to marvel at. I almost don't know what to say I would call him a bull because he is so massive at 6 ft 6 inches but I think that does him a disservice he is like a Brontosaurus in terms of size and ability. I am absolutely thrilled with him and I know Liverpool fans will be. Jamie Carragher will undoubtedly retire soon and I can see only Agger and Skrtel fighting to be Coates defensive partner if they are still around. Sebastian is a Copa America winner at age 20 with Uruguay just earlier this year. I will bet all my hard earn money that he will be the best defender of his generation, just watch.
Fabio da Silva- I would imagine sometimes being a twin can be a very hard thing. Your always linked with your sibling and the comparisons I could only imagine would get very annoying. It's like I guess forfeiting your individuality but don't worry Fabio I see you brother. Fabio da Silva is apart of this new crop of United players and to his own admission he had a slow start. Brother Rafael made the first team before him, maybe by luck Gary Neville had come to the twilight of his career and a right back was needed so in stepped Rafael. In contrast Fabio regarded as a left back had the always excellent and virile Patrice Evra to content with and to be honest very few players world wide can make Evra sit on the bench maybe Michel Bastos or Eric Abidal. So Fabio has it tough but he has been given chances and he is lively character not as aggressive as Rafael but his leaping ability for a short man is stellar and his pace is nice across pitch. To me he is a defender that is always near the ball sounds weird but for his position that is a good thing.
Eden Hazard- Hazard probably heads up the list of Belgium's rising stars. Vincent Kompany, Kevin De Bruyne and Axel Witsel. Tracked currently by Liverpool and Arsenal the Lille man is certainly a heavily desired target of the European elite. Hazard formed a nice trio with now Arsenal man Gervinho and Moussa Sow which saw the Lille lift the Ligue 1 title in 2011. The young Belgian is a very direct player. He receives the ball, run towards the opposition do some fancy things with his feet pass or score, simple. We all can go home now that is how football is meant to be played. As I said in an earlier one of my post you really can't talk about Eden Hazard you just have to watch him play I'm not a world class wordsmith so I can't paint a god-like golden image in your mind with my words so just watch him play. You will be impressed.
Yann M'Vila- Very classy midfielder Yann M'Vila it seems just waltzed into the French national team. Scouted from extremely early M'Vila has represented France since U16 so the guy been around, you don't play for Les Bleus at any level if you don't have something about you. Yann being a deep lying midfielder does venture very far forward but when he does he does so with purpose. I want to call him Abu Diaby but somehow he is different he is defintiely a passer. I saw the passing percentage of this guy overall and for a guy whose job is to win the ball he does an awful lot of passing. I hate to compare every French black guy who plays in the midfield to Patrick Viera but I can see him in M'Vila. A very strudy customer Rennes really found a really good player.
Miralem Pjanic- Edin Dezko's sidekick and sole provider. Miralem Pjanic out of the world's emerging talents, my favorite. Free kicks, passes, assists, goals, dribbles, feints, headers, tackles, pace, stamina and vision I don't think they have anymore verbs left that contain good grace that Pjanic doesn't already execute. I always have a soft spot in my heart for Eastern European players. They are often labelled as unknown and erratic and it seems that they have to always prove a point more so than they western counterparts. I don't know if Lyon were strapped for cash but I don't know how they could have let Pjanic go. It's like every promising young superstar they dismiss. The Bosnian I think has a bit of a problem. Bosnia isn't a very well rounded team and so much is expected himself and Dzeko they will find it hard to reach markee competitions like the World Cup and the Euros. Club wise I think Roma will aid in his development with Totti not the force he was Pjanic can easily be the cult hero in the city of Romulus and Remus.
Mario Gotze- I didn't think it possible for Germany to produce a high end flair player. Traditionally Germany has had physical specimens, technically gifted players, hard workers, clinical finishers are tough guys. I thought Bastian Schweinsteiger was the most creative force the Germans had, then in stepped Mesut Ozil and changed everything and now they found Mario Gotze from some where. Ozil is quite the player and in my eyes still the Germans chief play maker but if they ever get bored with him or gave him the day off then Gotze is primed for action. The orchestrator of Borussia Dortmund's 2010-11 championship winning season. Not to be a nerd but on FIFA 12 he is currently 18 or 19 and his overall game rating is 88 or something. So clearly I'm not the only fool who believes in the boy. All I can say is that he is a wonderful attacking weapon and the fact he was the hilt of Dortmund's wonderful season suggests that he has some leadership qualities, wonderful player.
Xherdan Shaqiri- Very hard to pronounce in the begin but the more I watched and heard about him his name rolls of my tongue easier than cat. Xherdan Shaqiri of Switzerland is another fantastic winger that the country has produced. More explosive than his countrymen Tranquillo Barnetta and Valentine Stocker, Shaqiri doesn't stay still very often. With blistering pace and immense brawn despite his size Xherdan easily brushes aside defenders. He has a shot and an eye for the pass as well. My first sighting of the wide man was in Euro U-21 championship 2011 in Denmark. Jorgensen who I heaped praise upon above as you can see got to know Shaqiri all too well. He simply waltzed pass the Danish and every one until Switzerland were stop in the final by David De Gea's Spain. The kid is good though definitely will usher in the new era Swiss football for sure.
Neymar- I don't know if I can be honest how I feel about Neymar there is something about him that passes him off as a faker. Every game I have seen him in personally he didn't do anything but when I look at his videos and compilation it's like a god was in his left shoe guiding the ball where ever Neymar willed it to be. I will give him this he is a showman and in a world now where the governing body, clubs and managers look to suppress the flamboyant and out spoken player Neymar comes and defies all of that. Maybe it's his hair but he is a character and I like that. The thing is Brazil has him classed up as the greatest thing ever but his team mate Ganso though not a striker to me is worth talking about more and the fact that teams like Real Madrid and Chelsea are willing to blow an excess of 40 million Pounds or Euro on this guy obviously there is talent there. We will see how he does I think he is as good as Robinho nothing more but he is the hottest youngster so his selection in my team is justified.
Luuk De Jong- Another one from the Dutch assembly line. Luuk De Jong is a goal scorer. It's not always graceful in fact his goals can be pretty clumsy looking but he does what very few attackers do and that is attack the ball in the air. A very hard worker and just busy when in possession. Look, right now the only premier striker Holland has is Robin Van Persie. I mean Dirk Kuyt tries, Klaas Jan Huntelaar does okay and Ricky van Wolfswinkel is still finding his way I think this is a perfect situation for De Jong if he can keep the goals coming and somehow get some European football.
Substitutes
(GK)Thibaut Courtois- I know I go on about this Belgian "golden generation," a lot but here is another one that I have to speak about. Thibaut Courtois is an excellent goalkeeper. I hate to draw comparisons but he reminds be of Hugo Lloris. Courtois is Chelsea's keeper of the future if they decide to keep him around, they would be foolish to get rid of him.
(GK)Marc-Andre ter Stegen- The German tradition of producing quality goalkeepers continues with young ter Stegen. As a goalkeeper you need to play games constantly and at Borussia Monchegladbach he certainly will do just that. He is a strong hand I know it sounds common place for a keeper but that isn't always the case. He will do well for the future.
(CB/RB)Philip Jones- When Manchester United signed Jones from Blackburn Rovers in 2010 for a fee of around 16 million I laughed. I thought Ferguson was a showing his age. Jones certainly has proved me wrong. I didn't know him but seeing performances just shows that he will be a legend at Old Trafford and not everyone is cut out for that accolade.
(CB)Jeffrey Bruma- He just stops attackers that is what he does. Every time i have seen him play just a wall very hard to get around and he you do has good recovery time. Chelsea seem to have a very good scouting network Courtois, Lukaku and Bruma will make a very good team for the future.
(CB)Mamadou Sakho- Rising star of French football. I predict that he will be one of the first choice center half pairings in the French set up. Here we have again a towering defender with a nice touch on the ball. Times have really changed.
(CB)Mateo Musacchio- The Argentine came through the ranks at Villareal B and now is La Liga's premier defender. I said Sebastian Coates was going to be South America's best defender but Mateo is a very close second. Really nice to watch just needs a little more experience.
(CAM)Christian Eriksen- It was heart wrenching to keep the Dane out of my starting XI. Eriksen is a wonder kid. Slight of build but a hammer of a shot. He simply just picks up the ball and does what he likes with it. Ajax will find it hard to keep him.
(CM)Jack Wilshere- I think is extremely lucky that Arsenal have a youth development ethos. Arsenal has really mould him into a wonderful footballer I wonder if he was at another would he be as good as he is now but that being said you don't earn an England cap in your teens if you aren't good.
(LM)Brek Shea- The only true American superstar. Brek Shea has an appeal and personality that matches his fantastic skills on the bitch. Tall and just simply awesome. Clubs in Europe are watching with keen eyes.
(ST)Mario Balotelli- If only Mario would just know calm he could be an amazing forward. His antics on and off field really will hamper his progress. Great touch and control and aggression in front of goal. Mario is a winner but can he be a champion?
(ST)Bojan Krkic- Barcelona really missed a trick here. Selling Bojan to Roma was wrong and I hope they don't want him back like how they craved Fabregas. Krkic is the fast forward I have ever seen and he has the dribble to get by opponents just needs to score more and he will be world class.
There you go Generation 90 in the books. I bet Arsenal have half these guys on their radar.
As leagues all over western Europe begin to get back in to it so will the bloggers, writers and pundits. As for me I had the Gold Cup, Copa America, Copa Libertadores and Major league Soccer so I have been fine don't worry. Some great action throughout this summer with a fantastic type of player on view. Gold Cup saw Javier Hernandez stamp himself as the premier forward in North American soccer, in the Copa America, Uruguay introduced me to Sebastian Coates and confirmed about I already knew about the golden locked Diego Forlan. In the Copa Libertadores Ganso and Neymar held my interest and States side Brek Shea was the guy to watch. So they have been the odd player I have been keeping an eye on. A guy who has been on my radar not to sound cliche' is a promising young talent from Ligue1 in France. I mean there is a glut of talent in France. Jordan Ayew, Kevin Gameiro, Hugo Lloris and Miralem Pjanic and now add Javier Pastore and you have an exciting young league so they are in good stead. Despite that, one man who has left the conveyer belt that is France is Gervinho. Who ironically is part of the center piece of this whole article. The Ivorian made his switch from Ligue 1, 2010-11 champs Lille Metropole over this summer transfer window to Arsenal with a fee of around 10.5 million pounds agreed between the two parties. Here is where I chime in. Did Arsenal get the wrong Lille man? Now say what you want but Gervinho is a champion. He won the league and cup with "the Mastiffs." He shimmies and shakes and he has what I think quite possibly the best weave on a man I have ever seen. His hair is absolutely ridiculous... but weave aside he is quick and forceful and Arsenal will help him along until he wants out. With Nasri and the Spaniard who shall not be named set to leave and they will I won't to see Gervinho orchestrating the bulk of Arsenal attacks I'm sure he won't but if it comes to that I would ask for my money back if I was a season ticket holder at the Emirates. When I heard the Arsenal were in for a Lille forward this summer I must admit Gerry wasn't the first one I thunk of. In fact I was about to save my hard earn money to go buy an Eden Hazard Arsenal jersey but no they got Gervinho. Eden Hazard is one of the most dynamic prospects in world football. I don't have to say how great he is there is YouTube for that and comparing him to Gervinho is tough because they are not the same player and it would be unfair to the Ivorian. It's like Arsenal are trying to be terrible. I don't know if its a money thing or Wegner needs his spectacles I don't know or maybe Lille aren't willing to part with their diamond. All I'm saying is why make a bid for the number two man at a club when the ace is right there. Wrong man Arsenal should have bet on the Belgian.
I'm telling you this Major League Soccer thing starting to actually get good and being the man that I am, I solely attribute it to players. Don't get me wrong I still have my issues with the league but at the end of the day I know no one really cares about Don Garber (MLS Commissioner) or these other suites and ties, they might add structure but none of them kick the ball around. Think of all the talent the MLS has spawned over the years. Freddy Adu, Landon Donovan and Tim Ream. I want to shy away from the Prekis and Eddie Popes of the game, although they had a hand to play in the crafting of North America's premier soccer league let's not kid ourselves they are a different generation. Now that I have gotten all the serious analytical things out of the way I can get to why I'm here on the interweb (I don't think that was a word). Have you seen Brek Shea play soccer. I will say this now, if he is not the poster boy for American soccer I will burn something. I mean it. Could be the house, could be a blunt or could be the walls of Troy and when I'm done there use Troy's embers to emblazon the walls of Jericho with flame but I'm sure that has already been done. I think this guy is seriously someone the US National team should thrust into the spotlight. Very classy player. He is like a golden Dimitar Berbatov. Super silky but here is the jaw dropper, from what I can see the young man actually has a strong work ethic. Crazy right? Someone from my generation who actually likes to work hard almost unheard of. He clearly is a player that puts in the extra work in training. Even if you don't like Shea as a player his laid back persona is very endearing which kind of contradicts what I just said in the previous stanza but let me make it clear Brek Shea the player and Brek Shea the man are two completely different men. It's like when he plays he is like the Hulk just smashing anything in his path but off the field he is like Hulk's alter ego Dr. Bruce Banner who is ultra chill. Just watch him play he is just fun to watch.
It must be a hard thing to know when your end is near. They no longer rush to see you. They say your days are long gone. To grow old is to me, a privilege and a bane. I was raised by my grandparents and I know first hand the savagery of age. I sat and watch as they went from stern bodies and objects of might to things less than shadows. Their fall was only seen by my eye but for athletes it must be a soul wrenching experience. From being the prodigy to the contender to the champion and in a whim to a fading star. I am not a tennis expert but in no sport it is more evident. Unlike team sports like football and rugby, the fading star can still contribute to the goal of victory by letting the younger legs do his running for him but in solo sports like tennis you stand alone. Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and now even Roger Federer star fades, it is saddens me to see what men like these were but time has no pity.
Name: Tommaso Rocchi
D/O/B: 09/19/1977
Place Of Birth: Venice, Italy
Position: Striker
Height: 5'9 1/2 ft/inches
National Team: Italy
National Team Debut: Italy vs Croatia 2006
Club Team(s): Juventus 1995-96, Pro Patria 1996-97, Fermana 1997, Saronno 1997-98, Como 1998-2000, Treviso 2000-01, Empoli 2001-04, S.S. Lazio 2004-present
Tommasi Rocchi for me is a one club man. Discount the string of teams you see above you except one. S.S. Lazio is where he has made his name, found a home and the place where he gartered my attention. Rocchi a Venetian can be said to be the greatest asset that Roman side has ever produced. Quick and hardy and all those nice words associated with a workman like footballer but there is something about Rocchi that not only endears him to the Lazio masses but anyone who watches him."Rocchi Balboa," as he is affectionately known to his fans began his footballing career as a youth player at Juventus in 1995 and made his way into the full senior squad quickly after. Although full of potential at the time the Juve higher ups wasn't sold on him so much so much so that he never made his senior debut for the Turin side and was shipped off to Pro Patria the following year. Little known Patria gave Rocchi his first opportunity as a professional albeit in the lower leagues of Italy but a start was start notching 27 appearances all while racking up six goals for the side.
Then came a move to Fermana in 97. I don't know a lot about Fermana, all I know is that they float around the regional leagues and they didn't give my boy here Tommaso Rocchi a ton of chances. Three appearances in a whole year? That was unacceptable. His Serie C adventure continued with Saronno and Como from 1997 to 2000. His hard work paid off when he got the jump up to the gauntlet that is Serie B. Treviso handed the dynamic forward his first stint in the Italian second division. Nine goals in 37 appearances for the outfit had Empoli snuffing around.
At Empoli is where Tommaso really came into his own as a striker. He was the prolific scorer and the man with all the answers, 29 goals in over just a hundred appearances earned him a switch to S.S Lazio in 2004. Just a mere four million euros, has to be a steal considering what he has lend to the Romans. To date he has made 221 appearances and hit the net 77 times and in the 2008-09 season delivered the Coppa Italia to the "Biancocelesti." The following year Rocchi guided his side to the Supercoppa Italiana when Lazio defeated Inter Milan. You really saw the man sparkle when he was paired with the Macedon Goran Pandev. Any tandem you can think of, Batman and Robin, The Green Hornet and Kato , my Goddaughter Kassie and any inanimate object with fur, burger and fries all pale in comparison to the force that Rocchi and Pandev could generate. They were the quintessential hammer and nail but with all great duos one moves on. As Robin left Batman to become Night Wing and so will my goddaughter leave her fetish for stuffed animals behind, Pandev left Rocchi for Inter Milan but in typical Rocchi fashion he soldiered on. Today he is joined by the likes of Mauro Zarate and Matuzalem and I with every confidence will say whoever the Lazio Avant-garde decide to bring in, Rocchi will still be there. In Italy unlike other leagues teams reward their aging stars and respect them they just won't farm them out so Rocchi I want to bet will be the only one who decides his own fate.
Well, it is over. The marquee, grandstand, larger than life, the collage of awesomeness that is the CONCACAF Gold cup is done. I maybe a bit cynical but honestly all the group and knock out matches played was an absolute waste of time. Why? I would like to begin this sentence with because but I can't due to my formality to proper grammar but that aside all those matches from Grenada's besmirching at the hand's of Jamaica to Canada's poor attempt at a victory against Guadeloupe, we all can just really say we were just waiting on the Americans and Mexicans to show up in Pasadena on the 25th of June. They did meet it was quite the game. The men from Mexico City toppled their host 4-2 in California. It was no doubt the best game the federation can offer. That is why I will forever say I don't see the point of the Gold Cup. Point number one. As seen in some of the score lines in this installment of the competition CONCACAF has a serious problem. Its just not competitive enough. Jamaica 4 Grenada 0, Costa Rica 5 Cuba 0, Honduras 7 Grenada 1. I mean Grenada all respects to them are as good as my little brother when he gets drowsy of Robitussin when he comes down with a cold but the fact of the matter is Caribbean members of the federation outside Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago (who didn't even make the tournament) are flimsy all while the mainland contingents outside USA and Mexico are good amongst themselves but really aren't well equipped to take on the better teams of the world. Just look at Honduras at the 2010 World Cup. Three games played and not one single goal scored. This is a problem and what hurts the region is the lack of another or a few other strong nations. Canada may not have the populous but they surely have the finances and if Costa Rica or Honduras are able to ship more of their players abroad they really do have a chance to upset the order. Forget the quality of team but lets give look to the cup itself. Where can it actually be successfully held? United States, we have seen that this time around, but getting the Americans to embrace it, is difficult you just have to look at their attendance throughout the tournament and they were absolutely eclipsed by the Mexican support in the final. Mexico is very capable of hosting and Canada has wonderful infrastructure and would probably be the best but who else? You know the answer, no one else. They are 40 member states in CONCACAF and they are only three that I can see that can host this tournament. Now it has a lot to with finance and tradition and a hold bunch of things but only three countries? That gives an awful lot favor to the trio and let's be honest FIFA is shady and the North American market is where the bulk of revenue for the federation lies so who can blame them. As a fan even if another country or a duo like Costa Rica Guatemala tried to host, I wouldn't go anywhere near there. I just know the experience will be awful. Europe has multiple nations that can host grand football events as to the Asians and to a lesser extent the Africans. So in fact CONCACAF officials bank that their two largest cash cows USA and Mexico making it to the final but what do I know. What I do know something has to be done about it by FIFA and CONCACAF if they are not too busy siphoning off and conniving each other they need to bring some parity to the region. It is not easy, resources are spread so unevenly that one wonders if parity can ever be achieved but they have to try. They have to enrich the Gold Cup with teams worthy of lifting it but as it stands they are only two you can claim that right I don't have to mention them I think you have an idea who they are. With that I sign off the CONCACAF Goldfish... sorry Gold Cup can't wait for the next one. Congrats Mexico on hosting that massive trophy. I wonder if the cup is actually made of pure gold?
"Men love their country, not because it is great, but because it is their own." Seneca. I totally agree with the Greek on this one. They are approximately 195 countries on planet and lets be honest the bulk of them really are not that stellar. They are either poor, in a war time situation, the government pretty much run the citizenry lives or the worse of the lot, the country is hated by many. Seneca is right, if your country falls under any of those umbrellas one should always remember to love your country simply because it is yours. Even if there are ills, like social upheaval or economic instability it is your country and every citizen through birth or naturalization has the capacity to climb to the top or make resonating actions to make his or her nation prosper. It isn't easy they are obstacles but it can be done. With all the international football swirling around and the minor FIFA corruption scandal stagnating the air I thought I take the opportunity to promote one of the newer additions to the "FIFA Family," according to a certain recently unopposed FIFA president. I won't call names. Montenegro gained her sovereignty and stood alone for the first time in 2006 when they annex themselves from Serbia. I am not a political man so I won't dwell on their history in the world but their history in football looks like a swift ascension. I have to back track on my words and invite history in the conversation. I could had at least waited a full paragraph to do that. As I write this Montenegro enjoys the luxury of calling themselves the 24th best team in the world. How did they get there? Well for one they are good. The reasoning behind that is that they come from very good stock. Montenegro was part of what was might of Yugoslavia a country in world football produced wonderful players like Predrag Mijatovic from Montenegro, Dragan Dzajic from Serbia and Zlatko Vujovic the Bosnia Croat. There has always been talent in the region. Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia all have players of note. They owe what legacy the forge today to Yugoslavia. Montenegro is no different. They owe their style, tactics and shared verve for the game with its predecessors Yugoslavia and its Baltic neighbors. It is about the men from Podgorica. In the 2006 World Cup held in Germany Serbia & Montenegro fielded a unified team at the start of the tournament. However it didn't end to well the unit loss all of its games including a 6-0 hammering by Argentina. It meant the team didn't make it pass the group stages. Quickly after this disappointment Montenegro finally got their chance to do things on their own in 2007. Where they competed as a wholly sovereign state in their first game against Hungary where they won 2-1 at home. Since they are the newest team around that meant they started off with a rank the lowest rank 199th in the world so they really have to be credited as a success at this point it shows great hustle to reach the upper percentile of world football. As qualifying for a major tournament, the 2012 Euros held in Poland & Ukraine will be their first, they are giving a good account of themselves against like the likes of England and Switzerland. I hope they do well. On the player front, over the years Montenegro was quietly assimilated into the umbrellas of Serbia & Montenegro and Yugoslavia but now finally the microscope is fixed on their sons. Stevan Jovetic, Mirko Vucinic and Simon Vukcevic the ones that the "Brave Falcons," look to now before it was the likes of Predrag Mijatovic and Dejan Savicevic. They have real quality over there lets see how they carry on. My guess they will be soon staring down Serbia and Croatia for the accolade of best in the Balkans.
