American Women May Need Nerves of Steel to Slow Down Brazil’s Sissi
Are America’s latest darlings--or “Babe City,” as David Letterman has taken to calling them-- nervous going into today’s Women’s World Cup semifinal clash with Brazil?
Well, yes and no, according to U.S. defender Brandi Chastain.
“It’s not a nervous feeling where your stomach is turning as if you’re going on a date for the first time,” she said. “It’s more of an energy level that’s hard to control.
“You get into the stadium and you see the number of fans with their faces painted red, white and blue and you’re excited for the opportunity to show what you have to offer to the crowd.
“So I think in these big situations it’s not so much nerves, it’s kind of an emotional energy level that’s sometimes hard to control as the game begins.”
OK, but perhaps Julie Foudy can put it more clearly.
“Obviously, a lot of teams come out with a lot of emotion and a lot of fire, wanting to knock off the United States,” she said. “They’re coming at us at the initial whistle with a lot of energy, and the key for us is to diffuse that.
“Unfortunately, in two of our games we’ve only contributed to that [by yielding early goals to Nigeria and Germany]. That’s something that we’ve talked about. It’s to be expected, obviously, against Brazil. They’re going to come out with a lot of fire, so we just have to work through that first 10 minutes and then play our game.”
Today, though, the last 10 minutes might be even more nerve-racking than the first 10.
Especially because of No. 10-- Sissi.
BALBOA RETURNS
Defender Marcelo Balboa of Cerritos, a member of the 1990, 1994 and 1998 U.S. World Cup teams, has been called into camp for the first time by Coach Bruce Arena as the men’s national team begins preparing for the Confederations Cup in Mexico later this month.
Balboa has not been summoned before by Arena but has been playing well for the Colorado Rapids.
The men’s team will train in Denver July 11-18 before leaving for Guadalajara, where it will play New Zealand (July 24), Brazil (July 28) and Germany (July 30) in the first round of the eight-nation Confederations Cup.
Also called into camp was Rapids’ midfielder Joey DiGiamarino of Corona, as well as Galaxy players Robin Fraser and Cobi Jones.
MONEY TALKS
In Europe, the rich continue to get richer. Clubs, that is.
In figures released Friday, UEFA, European soccer’s ruling body, announced that next season’s Champions’ League will earn $527.7 million in gross television and sponsorship revenue.
The 32 teams that have qualified for the expanded league--up from 24 teams a year ago--will divide 75% of that amount, or $395.7 million, between them, depending on where they finish in the league.
Money continues to be the driving force in the European game, a fact underlined by Manchester United’s decision last week to forgo the Football Assn. (F.A.) Cup next season in favor of competing in FIFA’s new World Club Championship.
The decision to bypass the 127-year-old F.A. Cup, the oldest and most revered of cup competitions, has angered fans of the English and European champion and current F.A. Cup holder, but could net the club additional millions.
“Manchester United sees this as an opportunity to compete for the ultimate honor of being the very first world club champion,” said Martin Edwards, the club’s chairman.
The Red Devils qualified for the inaugural World Club Championship--to be played in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo Jan. 5-14--by winning last season’s European Champions’ League final against Bayern Munich of Germany.
The World Club Championship features the champions of each of FIFA’s six continental confederations, along with the champion of the host nation and the Toyota-Intercontinental Cup winner (Real Madrid this time around).
The CONCACAF (North and Central American and Caribbean) champion will be decided at a tournament in Las Vegas in November.
Manchester United against the Chicago Fire, anyone?
ANOTHER BLATTER IDEA
With the first ball not yet kicked in the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, Sepp Blatter has come up with another brainstorm.
Actually, as far as ideas by FIFA’s president go, this one isn’t too crazy. Blatter wants to see Japan and South Korea co-host the 2001 Confederations Cup as sort of a dry run for the following year’s World Cup in the two countries.
Meanwhile, Blatter will meet with officials from North Korea in Los Angeles this week to float another trial balloon: that North Korea stages two of the 32 World Cup matches already set to be played in South Korea in 2002.
“We anticipate North Korea’s participation in the 2002 World Cup,” said Chung Mong-joon, president of the South Korean Football Assn. “Pyongyang has the largest stadium in the world that can house up to 220,000 spectators.
“Because South-North Korean relations are exposed to instability and dangers, and exactly because of that, I think we have to share the games. Easing tensions is a purpose and I think we should step up efforts.”
The idea is noble, but is it really practical?
Will impoverished North Korea really allow hundreds of foreign journalists to go wandering around Pyongyang? And what about fans?
This is one concept that likely will remain just that.
THAT SINKING FEELING
A team of five Barcelona fans has set out to climb 24,000-foot Hidden Peak in the Himalayas with the sole intention of planting the club’s flag at the highest location possible to celebrate the Spanish champion’s centenary year.
That prompts an idea for Major League Soccer.
Perhaps a team of submariners can take the Kansas City Wizards’ banner to the Marianas Trench. After all, how much lower can the 4-11 Wizards sink?
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Major Player Transfers by Dollar Value
The recent signing by Italian champion AC Milan of 22-year-old Ukraine national team striker Andriy Shevchenko from Dynamo Kiev for $25 million makes him the eighth player to be bought for more than $20 million. One can only imagine what Pele would be worth in today’s inflated transfer market:
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Player Nationality Year From To Christian Italian 1999 Lazio Inter Milan Vieri Denilson Brazilian 1997 Sao Paulo Real Betis Christian Italian 1998 Atletico Madrid Lazio Vieri Ronaldo Brazilian 1997 Barcelona Inter Milan Rivaldo Brazilian 1997 Deportivo Barcelona Coruna Andriy Ukrainian 1999 Dynamo Kiev AC Milan Shevchenko Alan Shearer English 1996 Blackburn Newcastle Rovers United Gianluigi Italian 1992 Torino AC Milan Lentini Dwight Tobagan 1998 Aston United Yorke Villa United Ronaldo Brazilian 1996 PSV Eindhoven Barcelona Marcelo Salas Chilean 1998 River Plate Lazio Juan Veron Argentine 1998 Sampdoria Parma Gianluca Italian 1992 Sampdoria Juventus Vialli Christian Italian 1997 Juventus Atletico Madrid Vieri Juninho Brazilian 1997 Middlesborough Atletico Madrid Sonny Brazilian 1997 Monaco Barcelona Anderson Brazilian 1997 Monaco Barcelona Ivan de la Spanish 1998 Barcelona Lazio Pena Enrico Chiesa Italian 1996 Sampdoria Parma Oliver German 1998 Udinese AC Milan Bierhoff Dejan Yugoslav 1998 Red Star Belgrade Lazio Stankovic Joerg Heinrich German 1999 Dortmund Fiorentina Roberto Baggio Italian 1990 Fiorentina Juventus Sinisa Yugoslav 1998 Sampdoria Lazio Mihajlovic Ronald de Boer Dutch 1999 Ajax Amsterdam Barcelona Frank de Boer Dutch 1999 Ajax Amsterdam Barcelona Marcelo Argentine 1999 River Plate Monaco Gallardo Diego Maradona Argentine 1984 Barcelona Napoli Andrei Russian 1988 Fiorentina Rangers Kanchelskis Ruud Gullit Dutch 1987 PSV Eindhoven AC Milan Marcel French 1998 AC Milan Chelsea Desailly Alain French 1998 Sampdoria Parma Boghossian Paul English 1995 Lazio Rangers Gascoigne English 1995 Lazio Rangers Luigi Sartor Italian 1998 Inter Milan Parma Dennis Dutch 1993 Ajax Amsterdam Inter Milan Bergkamp
Player Millions Christian $50.0 Vieri Denilson $35.0 Christian $28.0 Vieri Ronaldo $27.9 Rivaldo $26.7 Andriy $25.0 Shevchenko Alan Shearer $23.3 Gianluigi $21.5 Lentini Dwight $20.5 Yorke Ronaldo $20.0 Marcelo Salas $19.7 Juan Veron $19.7 Gianluca $19.6 Vialli Christian $19.3 Vieri Juninho $19.3 Sonny $19.3 Anderson $19.3 Ivan de la $17.0 Pena Enrico Chiesa $15.0 Oliver $14.1 Bierhoff Dejan $14.0 Stankovic Joerg Heinrich $13.7 Roberto Baggio $13.0 Sinisa $12.4 Mihajlovic Ronald de Boer $11.0 Frank de Boer $11.0 Marcelo $9.4 Gallardo Diego Maradona $9.0 Andrei $9.0 Kanchelskis Ruud Gullit $8.5 Marcel $8.5 Desailly Alain $7.9 Boghossian Paul $6.8 Gascoigne $6.8 Luigi Sartor $6.8 Dennis $6.3 Bergkamp
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