Cream rises to the top; Brazil does it AGAIN

Don't tell the Brazilian players that the Confederations Cup doesn't matter. It's a football tournament, and that means it matters to them. And after being down 2-0 to the Americans at halftime, it seemed to really matter that they overcome the deficit, and win this final; and they made the US look like they were playing at least a man down in the 2nd half, scoring 4, and having 3 of them officially recognized.

The goal of the match, though, was the USA's 2nd - a sweet counter-attack with Davies (previously maligned on Wicked Deflection) and Donovan putting Brazil to the knife. That Donovan finish was sublime.

So a fantastic first-half performance from the US, and a good performance overall, and the Brazilians doing what they do best, which is scoring goals and winning football matches. With the likes of Kaka, Robinho, Fabiano, Old-boy Gilberto Silva, and Maicon coming forward, the US was overrun.

Tim Howard, so good through 3 halves against Spain and Brazil, was cruelly exposed in the second half today. The US will have to learn to hold onto the ball better if they don't want to give up such brilliantly-earned leads.

Overall, the US did not embarrass themselves out there against Brazil. They played some decent stuff and scored two great goals. They didn't have enough in the tank to stand up to Brazil over 90 minutes, but as a national team, their progress is impressive, so well done to them.

And well done to Brazil, who are the masters of the International game. When Spain were down, they had no answer. When Brazil were down, they rampaged to victory. It looks like nothing short of Zidane can stop this lot, and it will be a joy to watch them next WINTER in South Africa.

USA-Brazil Preview

The Confederations Cup Final, USA versus Brazil, is in a few hours. As always when the Americans play a big side, they'll be heavy underdogs, and they've already lost to Brazil 3-0 in the group phase.

The Guardian is in disarray, so Sid Lowe, rather than writing about Spain's exit from the cup, did a piece on Seve Ballesteros. Amy Lawrence picked up the slack, mostly from the American perspective. I was able to find the moan on the Spain performance that I was looking for at Soccernet from Eduardo Alvarez. A nice piece from Mr. Alavarez.

The US goes into today's final with nothing to lose. Some might lose run of themselves and suggest there's nothing to be gained from a US victory, but even though the Confederations Cup is not a prestigious tournament, it is an official tournament, the teams are trying to win (if not desperately), and American supporters would be chuffed to win the thing.

Anything that gets Americans excited about soccer could lead to increased coverage at lower costs. There's been more excitement than usual about soccer since the US escaped the group phase; and after the victory against Spain, the coverage reached me on the radio in my car with an NPR piece, so we're enjoying this, and a victory over Brazil in the final would double that.

Here are some items on my wish list for spending this enthusiasm:

1. Expand the reach of Setanta North America on cable. It's only available in a few markets right now. If Clint Dempsey scores a hat trick today, it could increase by the start of next season.

2. Improve ESPN's coverage, especially ahead of the World Cup next summer. Their football coverage is poor, and they can do much better, as they do with some of their other coverage. They need something to shake them up, and a 3-0 victory today on the strength of a Clint Dempsey hat trick could be the thing.

3. Get Spanish football available on a wider platform. Gol TV gets some coverage, but Gol TV is an elusive channel, especially for cable viewers (and from the bits I've seen of their English commentary, it's worse than ESPN). It would be great if we could get a sustainable delivery system for Real Madrid and Barcelona matches.

4. At least maintain the status quo - we have it pretty good as it is right now, with every Arsenal league match available, without having to break the bank - if the US performance in this Confederations Cup can just help maintain what we have now, with Setanta struggling, that would be enough in itself.

Spain 0, USA 2

I usually try to post without the influence of reading any other post-game reaction, but for this game, I don't even have the influence of the match commentary because I had to hit mute after a few minutes when after JP Dellacamera got overly excited about a routine corner kick (AND HE FIRES IT IN!), and had no reaction to the Americans creating a chance from open play. He's so bad, that his involvement with the national team as a commentator makes it more difficult for me to follow them.

Match Impressions:

Tim Howard. Great match. A lot of us first watched him when he broke into Man United's first team. He did ok for a while, but then he imploded, and moved on, but goalkeeper is one of those positions where experience helps, and he's apparently been doing well for Everton, who as a team have been doing well, and he was great against Spain tonight. Man of the match, for me. I can't really rate the players because I'm not up to speed on everybody, and that decreases my focus, but I would rate Tim very highly. I'll be curious to read other reactions, but how much more could he have done? I wouldn't balk at a 10.

Spain. Two big defensive slip ups, conceding two goals. Not good enough converting chances to compensate for it. Much worse in midfield than they were when they won Euro 2008. They rarely lost hold of the ball in that tournament, but they were letting the Americans have plenty of it. Not good enough. It must be shocking from a Spanish perspective, and I'll be very curious to read Sid Lowe in the Guardian, because I really enjoy his writing on Spanish football, and he'll surely describe it as a woeful performance.

Spain did create some chances, but just enough for Tim Howard to swat away. With another keeper, maybe they would have had a lot of joy, but they were well beaten with their defensive mistakes, their giveaways, and their lack of cutting edge.

The goals. America did very well to capitalize on their chances, and they created some others besides. Altidore got the opener, which stood as the winner. Spain's defense was really poor, and Casillas could have kept it out, but Altidore did enough, and it was a great occasion for him.

Dempsey got the second. A great poachers goal. Spain were in tatters at the back, but Dempsey did really well.

Other performances? Donovan was heavily involved, as he always is whenever I watch him playing for the national team. Davies in the 9 jersey, playing with Altidore up front - I thought he looked out of his depth. The US had a midfielder in the 13 jersey who looked pretty useful at times. The central defenders Onyewu and Bocanegra did pretty well. Some of the American players look pretty average, but they did enough tonight, and the final, probably against Brazil, but maybe against South Africa, will be a great occasion for American soccer - the biggest since the 2002 World Cup Quarter-Final against Germany, by my reckoning.

For Spain, Xavi was in and out. The manager, Del Bosque, could be sacked for replacing Cesc. Spain went downhill after that, and conceded the second goal. Xabi Alonso looked ok at times, but the Spanish Supporters will want to see Iniesta and Marcos Senna back in the first 11. Torres and Villa up front looked dangerous, and on another night, they'd probably both score a couple goals. Pique, at the back, was poor. He got away with that handball in the Champions League Semi-Final against Chelsea that would have probably spelled the end for Barcelona. His luck ran out tonight.

Spain-USA Semi-Final Today

Anything can happen, but Spain are such favorites to win today that I wanted to post a quote from US Manager Bob Bradley about the last time we faced Spain, to illustrate the gulf.

The US lost the match. It wasn't a win. Not even a draw. A 1-0 loss. No goals scored. But in a quote that emphasizes the modest horizons of this US side, Bob Bradley said, "We played a great game."

A skeptic might argue that a 1-0 loss does not a great game make, and I doubt Brazil's manager would describe a 1-0 loss this way.

If a 1-0 loss is the result of a great game, how would he describe a victory? Maybe we'll find out later today!

"Setanta Sports in the US is a separate operation"

From Setanta:

As widely reported, Setanta Sports has had its agreement to broadcast 46 Barclays Premier League matches in the UK terminated.

This development does not affect our channels and other services in the US.

Setanta Sports in the US is a separate operation that has separate agreement to show the Barclay’s Premier League. Our channels and other services in the US continue to broadcast and our subscribers can still enjoy our programming including the Lions Tour of South Africa and the UEFA U21 European Championship.

New customers are welcome to subscribe to watch some of the world’s best soccer and rugby either by contacting our cable and satellite partners or online at www.setanta.com.

We thank you for your continued interest in Setanta Sports and look forward to bringing you a wealth of sport over the coming months and years.

That's fairly reassuring. Anyone who's watched ESPN's soccer coverage in the US had to be dreading the prospect of their Premier League coverage. Fox Soccer Channel and Setanta could both improve their pre-game, halftime, and post-game presentations, but at least they use English commentators for Premier League matches. The commentary on ESPN is usually awful, sometimes even offensively so. They do have one guy who's pretty decent, Fox Soccer Channel old boy Allen Hopkins, but they demonstrate how clueless they are by not putting him in charge. He's usually nowhere to be seen, while Tommy Smyth, or much worse, JP Dellacamera, are getting the commentary slots. Disgraceful.

Fox Soccer Channel has been featuring Christian Miles with a couple Englishmen for their non-match segments, and it would be a lot better if they would just broadcast the content from Sky, or at least drop Christian Miles. That's harsh, and I've been watching the bloke for around 10 years, but he just doesn't have much presence or cadence. British viewers might find it hard to believe, but the setup is worse than Richard Keys and Jamie Redknapp. Max Bretos is the one guy for Fox Soccer Channel who's watchable. He should be the one taking ownership of the Premier League matchday presentations.

For Setanta, their setup is better, with the Irish guys. Their main guy's hair cut is the biggest thing holding them back.

Confederations Cup: US - Spain Semi-Final Wednesday

The confederations cup is an 8-team international tournament currently underway in South Africa; a tournament's whose main purpose is to give South Africa a chance to prepare for hosting the World Cup next summer.

The US, level on points and goal difference with Italy at the end of the group phase, but ahead on goals scored, meet Spain on Wednesday in the Semi-Final. The game is on Wednesday on ESPN for US viewers, so set your recorder, because even though the Confederations Cup is not an important tournament, it's a rare occasion for the US to be involved in a knock-out match against the Euro 2008 Champions. Spain are World Cup hopefuls, and winning the Confederations Cup, potentially against Brazil in the final, would represent a much better warm-up than being bounced by the US in the semi-final.

The US won the final match of its group 3-0 over Egypt to squeak into the semi-final.

Belgian Centerback Joins Arsenal

The signing of Thomas Vermaelen has been completed and announced today. He currently is the 6th recognized center back in the squad, joining William Gallas, Kolo Toure, Johan Djourou, Philip Senderos, and Mikael Sylvestre in the center of defense.

Many think that Vermaelen's entry means at least one of the current center backs is leaving the club. In fact, there is a rumor about Kolo Toure going to Man City which if it happens, would be quite sad as Toure is the last of the Invincibles still playing for Arsenal. But it might represent a good deal for the club primarily because Toure will miss at least 6 weeks of the season due to the African Cup of Nations. That ACN stretch of the season turns out to be quite a critical period because we'll have games against all of the other "Top 4" clubs.

This early transfer activity at Arsenal may signal more business during this summer. The glut of center backs probably means someone else may also move on. Even Gael Clichy cannot escape the rumor mill. Emmanuel Eboue has been making noise about going to a "big club" in Italy if Arsenal don't offer him a good extension. The clamoring of supporters for a central midfield "hardman" continues unabated and rumors about Felipe "The Card Machine" Melo from Fiorentina continue to swirl. We might be looking at a reshuffled defensive set-up for Arsenal come August.

Arsene Wenger Visits China

Arsene Wenger went to China for a visit and spent some time at a soccer academy to discuss football. I've translated the short article from a Chinese newspaper below:


Wenger Visits China, Talks Football on the Great Wall

The manager of English Premier League club Arsenal, Arsene Wenger is on a tour of China; he visited the "Bird nest" (Beijing's 2008 Olympic stadium) and went to see the great wall. Mr. Wenger spent a day in Beijing and discussed the development of football in China at a soccer academy.

Mr. Wenger is puzzled that China, with its 1.3 billion plus population, has not become a powerhouse in football. He thinks China should focus on teaching technical skills to young players in order to become a force in the football world. "A good player possesses all the skills he needs by the age of 13 or 14", Wenger says "beyond that age, he only gains strength and experience."

Well known for developing youthful talent for Arsenal, Arsene Wenger insists that good players be identified early. He says "Nowadays kids have many opportunities to be exposed to football at a very young age. This is a good thing because I think a kid at 12 should have all the basic techniques that a football player needs. If a 12-year-old still doesn't have all the basic techniques, it might be too late for him to develop them. In fact, many of the world's best players are like that. Take Lionel Messi as an example, he was recruited by FC Barcelona at 12 because his football skills were already well developed by that age."

Mr. Wenger recommends that, in order to teach football the right way, the infrastructure for development must focus on age groups. When he toured a soccer academy in Beijing, Mr. Wenger asked the students there to do 20-meter dash, slalom dribbling, and tested their jumping ability. Ten boys were selected to play in a 5-a-side for 15 minutes. He shared his thought about the strengths and weaknesses of the boys afterward. Mr. Wenger thinks that the boys trained at this academy are the "football hope of China's youths".

Arsene Wenger expressed his hope that Chinese footballers can play in stronger leagues overseas so that they can improve by playing against the best players in the world. "There are three prerequisites for improving a nation's football players. First you must have a large population from which to nurture players; secondly you must have a good education system which not only teaches football but turns out well-rounded citizens; then you must take the best football players and give them good training and good competition to let them improve. If you put a good student in a class with bad students, the good student will not make a lot of progress. If you put the good student in a class full of other good students, everybody will make significant improvement because of competition."

Having managed in Japan, Arsene Wenger has credibility when he talks about football in Asia. He thinks Asian football players are highly mobile, very pacey, and have good foundation in technique. Asian players must play with a style that emphasizes their strengths and avoids exposing their weaknesses to enable them to reach the height in football.

The World's 5 Best Players

I did a post a couple years ago quoting someone about the World's 5 best players, and the headline brought in an unexpected number of hits. The quote at the time was that based on Ribery's initial performances for Bayern Munich, he must be among the world's five best players. After getting so many hits, I had realized that as a kind of public service, I should periodically post a list of the world's five best players, but I hadn't gotten around to it, until now, with the Real Madrid bringing in top players to compete with Barcelona and their top players.

So here it goes, and mind you, this is open to debate, which is very nearly the whole point, but the five best players in the world today, based on the football I've seen recently, are, in this order:

1. Christiano Ronaldo
2. Lionel Messi
3. Andres Iniesta
4. Kaka
5. Fernando Torres

Honorable mention to Steven Gerrard, who's consistently been near the top for years and years now, and to Xavi who was voted player of the tournament at Euro 2008 and man-of-the-match in the Champions League final. Given those accolades, it seems a bit odd to leave Xavi out of the top 5, but my instincts have me putting him at number 7 in the world today.

In the Arsenal squad, we have Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie, Theo Walcott, and Andre Arshavin who could all possibly be breaking into the debate of the world's best players at some point in the future, hopefully soon.

Also, there's always a possibility that I'm completing forgetting somebody who should be in there.

I think in the latter stages of the Champions League, mostly the semi-finals, Ronaldo was making more of an impact than Messi, so that tipped the balance for me at the top.

I can't take my eyes off Iniesta when he's playing for Barcelona or Spain. He's a more exciting player for me than Xavi, and there's almost certainly a bias in my list for exciting players (you'll notice the lack of holding midfielders, defenders, and goalkeepers).

Torres and Gerrard are a fearsome duo for Liverpool, but Torres nicked that winner in the Euro 2008 final, and I'd probably pick him ahead of Gerrard at this point to play on my side in a match of football at recess.

Ribery's name is being thrown around as a player worth paying vast sums for, and he has been the best player for France since Zidane retired in 2006, and would probably figure in the world's top ten.

Robben is another player who, on his day, could figure in the debate.

Among non-attacking players? Maybe Rio Ferdiand - he's been near the top of his game for a few years, and Gigi Buffon always looks like quite a good keeper.

Kaka goes to Real Madrid

Kaka has changed clubs from AC Milan to Real Madrid with Real Madrid breaking the world-record transfer fee they paid Juventus to bring in Zidane. That Zidane fee was reportedly around 47 million pounds, and Real Madrid have reportedly paid AC Milan around 56 million pounds for the right to sign Kaka.

Speaking to the press after the transfer was finalized, Kaka said that he was motivated, in part, to accept the transfer to help AC Milan's finances.

Kaka has been a big player for AC Milan, getting them to a couple Champions League Finals, and winning one of them.

In the last World Cup, in 2006, Kaka emerged as the best player for Brazil, as Ronaldinho's form was too far along its still-continuing decline. Brazil was confronted by a force of nature in 2006, though, with Zidane leading France to victory, rarely letting Brazil get a touch. Prior to being knocked out, though, Kaka looked fantastic for Brazil. I remember him scoring from outside the box, with his weaker foot, I believe, and making it look routine.

In the Champions League semi-final a couple seasons ago, Kaka cut through Man United, in what I remember as a lopsided victory on aggregate.

Kaka plays a kind of attacking midfield or support forward. He has great pace, and he's consistently good, although the motivation for Real Madrid, I suspect, to pay so much money to bring him in, is that he's a player who's good enough to make a difference in big matches, and they can't stand being second best to Barcelona.