South Africa trip is an uphill fight
On June 17, 2006, 11 exhausted Americans trudged off a field in Kaiserslautern, Germany, having just tied Italy, the soon-to-be world champion, 1-1.
It was the high point of the Germany ’06 World Cup for Coach Bruce Arena’s otherwise flailing U.S. squad.
On Monday, 11 exhausted Americans will trudge off a field in Pretoria, South Africa, having, in all likelihood, been taken apart piece by piece by world champion Italy.
That, at least, is the way the smart money is being bet.
The FIFA Confederations Cup, which begins today in South Africa, figures to be a painful and humbling experience for Coach Bob Bradley’s American team.
After Italy comes Brazil. After Brazil comes Egypt. Three losses and a long flight home is very much in the cards.
On the other hand, now that it is faced with some real opposition -- the reigning world, South American and African champions -- the U.S. just might step its game up a notch and show that it does belong in the World Cup next year.
It’s going to take a lot from the players. It’s going to take even more from Bradley, who knows full well that the players he has at his disposal cannot in any way, shape or form be compared with what the Italians and Brazilians can put on the field. Going 1-1-1 would be a signal achievement. Doing any better than that is unrealistic.
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The pen and the sword
Just days after acquiring Kaka for $94 million last week, Real Madrid offered Manchester United $131 million for Cristiano Ronaldo, a deal that, once concluded, will make the Portuguese winger the most expensive player in soccer history.
So how did the English media bid Ronaldo adieu? With sharp quills and lyrical lines. Here is just a sampling:
“He is football’s Narcissus, forever peering into the pool of sporting history to admire only his own reflection.”
-- Simon Barnes in the Times of London.
“Goodbye to the Portuguese peacock. Nice plumage, pity about the preening.”
-- Henry Winter in the Telegraph.
“He is a brilliant footballer albeit, like a lot of ordinary kids who turn into superstars, just a bit weird.”
-- Sam Wallace in the Independent.
“The buzz at Old Trafford already concerns who might be coming, not who has gone. Not quite Ronaldo who? But the point is made.”
-- Kevin Garside in the Telegraph.
“His talent flew with the joy of a suddenly released bird. In Madrid, the cage door may swing open again.”
-- James Lawton in the Independent.
“Real Madrid have just signed the two most coveted players in the world for eye-watering fees, reestablishing Barcelona-Real as the fixture you would sell your children to watch.”
Matt Dickinson in the Times of London.
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Ronaldo perspective
At least one Spanish newspaper was able to put into better perspective what the acquisition of Kaka and Ronaldo means.
Noting that to buy Ronaldo, Real Madrid will be paying Manchester United “57 times his weight in gold,” El Mundo also pointed out that the total outlay for the two players matches the combined budget of Madrid’s Prado Museum, Reina Sofia Museum and the National Library.
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Get Real, Toronto
Shortly before the U.S. had been humiliated by Costa Rica in a June 3 World Cup qualifier in San Jose, Costa Rica, former U.S. coach Steve Sampson was quoted in a release sent out by the manufacturer as praising the artificial field at Saprissa Stadium.
The surface, Sampson said, gave Costa Rica “an advantage because the team is able to train on it and get used to it.”
He went on to say that such a surface “provides a huge opportunity in areas where they have so much rain or limited space. It’s certainly the wave of the future for soccer.”
Rubbish, said Bradley, who, in uncharacteristic fashion, lashed out at having to play games on fake fields.
“The field is terrible, and FIFA should not allow artificial surfaces,” he said. “They should stop it. It’s no good for the players, and somehow I hope the players have the ability around the world to stand up and say we’re not playing on this, plain and simple.”
That is exactly what Real Madrid has said.
The Spanish club is due to play a friendly against Toronto FC on the plastic pitch at BMO Field in Toronto on Aug. 7.
“Madrid wouldn’t come without grass there,” said Tom Anselmi, chief operating officer for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns Toronto FC and which is splashing out $250,000 to cover its fake field with a temporary real one.
Toronto FC also is paying Real Madrid “higher than $1 million” for its appearance, Anselmi told the Toronto Sun, while defending the exorbitant $140 to $215 ticket prices the club is charging for the game.
“It’s like seeing the Rolling Stones at the El Mocambo again,” Anselmi said. “It’s a big-time event and there’s a price you’d pay, just like to see Madonna.”
Toronto fans are not so sure about that.
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