World Cup Wednesday- The Basics!

If you haven't heard, the World Cup is finally here!  Well, almost here.  Officially, the games kick off on June 12 but football (yes, the REAL football) fans have been delighted with lots of international friendlies.  The friendlies feature teams in and out of the World Cup.  For instance, the United States vs. Azerbaijan.  USA in, Azerbaijan out.  The friendlies have been a good preview of certain teams as the players you see are likely the ones you'll see in the games.  To get you ready for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, here are some basics:

2014 location: Brasil
How many teams participate: 32
How are they split: Into groups of 4 for a total of 8 groups
When do the games begin: June 12, 2014
When is the championship: July 13, 2014
Which countries are in each group:  see below

Official Groups:
Group A: Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon
Group B: Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia
Group C: Colombia, Greece, Côte D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Japan
Group D:  Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy
Group E: Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras
Group F: Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, Nigeria
Group G: Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA
Group H: Belgium, Algeria, Russia, Korea Republic (South Korea)

How do teams advance?
During the group stage, each team plays each other for a total of 4 games and a maximum of 12 points.  A win= 3 points, a draw (tie)= 1 point, and a loss=0 points.  The 2 teams with the most points will advance to the knock out stage, which decreases the pool to 16 teams.  If teams have the same amount of points, goal difference will be taken into account.  During the group stage, it is possible for both teams to have a scoreless draw (a 0-0 scoreline).

During the second stage (also known as the knockout stage), the 16 teams go head to head.  For example, the top team in Group A (1A) will play the second team in Group B (2B) and so forth.  Check out FIFA's website to see the pairings: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/index.html    .  Obviously, the teams are TBD :-)

Where can I watch the games:  In the USA, you can watch on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2.  You can also go to your local bar for some spirited banter, especially if there are other footy fans around!

What's your prediction?
Well...I'm only doing this for the group stage and there are ALWAYS surprise wins and disappointing play and suspense. However, you've gotta make predictions, so here are mine:

Group A: Brazil, Cameroon
- potential surprise team: Croatia over Cameroon (Cameroon has always been off-on in their World Cup appearances but I think they will advance, though Croatia has been looking strong)

Group B: Spain, Netherlands
-potential surprise team: Chile over Netherlands

Group C: Colombia, Japan
-potential surprise team: Cote D'Ivoire over Colombia (this is a toss up, both teams are loaded with talented superstars but Colombia is missing their biggest (and one of my favorites)--Radamel Falcao)

Group D:  England, Italy
-potential surprise team: Uruguay (Uruguay did make it to the quarterfinals in 2010)

Group E: France, Ecuador
-potential surprise team: Honduras over Ecuador (these teams are fairly similar, though I give the advantage to Ecuador)


Group F: Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- potential surprise: I don't think there will be any. I haven't seen Iran play yet, to be honest, but Nigeria did not impress in their friendly match against Greece yesterday (June 3, 2014).  Nigeria's 2010 showing was not good and while that's been 4 years ago, I have seen Bosnia play and they look good.  Argentina are the definite favorites and I don't see the second place team from this group advancing far.

Group G: Germany, Portugal
-potential surprise: It's a toss up between Portugal and Ghana, I think. Portugual's biggest asset is they have one of the top 5 footballers in  the world right now in Cristiano Ronaldo.  This group has been dubbed the Group of Death and this is a tough table.  Germany is heavily favored and Portugal likely is too.  I'd love to see Ghana advance and while national pride has me rooting for USA, their squad just doesn't look on par with a squad like Germany for instance. 

Group H: Belgium, Algeria, Russia, Korea Republic (South Korea)
-potential surprise: None.  I see Belgium sailing through along with Algeria.

If you want to learn more about the World Cup, check out FIFA's official website: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/

The World is Listening...

Vamos para o Brasil!

It's almost June and I'm studying my Portuguese.  Not because I'm vacationing there (at least not yet) but because the 2014 FIFA World Cup is coming!    Now besides the fact that I absolutely LOVE football/futbol, I can't think of another event other than the Summer Olympic Games that unites the world.  Interest in soccer is rising in the USA but globally, football as it is reigns supreme!  That couldn't have been more evident on my recent travels to England, France, and Spain.  Whether it was riding the tube and hearing a passionate debate on the state of a certain Premier League club, seeing fans decked out in Paris Saint-Germain kits (jerseys) or driving by RCD Espanyol's stadium, it is evident that football isn't just a sport.  Football is a way of life around the world...and I'm all about that life!

Now back to the title of this post.  Every year there is a soundtrack for the World Cup with one single song representing the event.  Whether it's "Wavin' Flag" (my favorite) or last year's infectious hit "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa / Eso Es Africa)" by Shakira and Freshlyground, these songs represent the vibe of the host city.  I was really excited to see (or rather hear) this year's song and when I heard it, well let's just say I was really disappointed.

The song is "We are One" by Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull.  Now, I actually like J-Lo's music and consider myself a fan (been riding since her On the 6 days). So I'm not a hater in the least!  I even like some of the collaborations by this pair ("On the Floor" and "Dance Again") but this one is just lame.  It sounds like just another generic pop song to be honest and in my opinion (as this whole post is) wastes the opportunity to incorporate Brazil's rich culture.  We are talking about Brasil, one of the most diverse and uniquely blended nations on Earth.  Where is the  cavaquinho or samba feel?  I'm not an expert of Brasilian music and I know there's more to the sound than what I listed but what?!  "Waka Waka" by Shakira really gave me culture.  Plus it would've been cool to see a collaboration with a Brasilian artist/musician.  Here are some artists I would've loved to have heard (with some of my favorite tracks):

Santana (This band brings the soul and the energy):

Kat Deluna (she brings the party!):

Tânia Mara (if you're looking for the VOICE, she's it):

 In fact, this could've been an interesting collaboration.  A lady can only dream...

Or if Jennifer Lopez had gone more the route of this sound:

or 

In the end, this doesn't really put a damper because it's not about music, it's about the GAME!  Stay tuned for more 2014 World Cup postings and get ready for the global event (June 12- July 13)!

Happy30: Kids love a Footballer!

Today's smile moment comes courtesy of Liverpool F.C.'s star striker Daniel Sturridge.  For my non-sports fanatics, he's an English soccer player and a rising star of the game.  His team is currently contending for the English Premier League title and he's awesome.  Off the field, he seems to be a stand up, class guy.  Watch as he gives surprises students in a prank they won't soon forget :-)

Well done, mate!

FIFA Fever—Let’s get ready to VUVUZELA!

World Cup 2010 has taken center stage in the world. Whether you have been watching the games or not, interested in the games or not, chances are your facebook feed is full of spirited statuses, your twitter timeline is flooded, or you’ve been seeing team jerseys and flags on the street or in your favorite bar. If you still don’t know what I’m talking about—um tell me what rock you hide under so I can escape there too.

Quick explanation for those who don’t get how it works: As of today’s blog, we are already within the round of 16, also known as the knockout stage. If a team loses from now on, they’re out of the tournament. How did we get to the 16? Stay with me. There were 32 teams divided in 8 groups (4 teams per group). When the World Cup games began on Friday, June 11th, there were many games going on as each group played each other. Let’s look at Group C that was comprised of England, Slovenia, Algeria and the beloved United States. In the group stage, the USA played England, then the USA played Slovenia (controversy abounds), and finally the USA played Algeria. The top 2 teams advanced based on number of points. A win=3 pts, draw=1 pt, and a loss=0 pts. USA’s run consisted of 2 draws and a win or 5 points. Our cousins across the pond also had the same result making us the top 2 teams.

Here’s who advanced (go to espn.go.com to see all 32 teams):

Group A: Uruguay and Mexico

Group B: Argentina and South Korea

Group C: United States and England

Group D: Germany and Ghana

Group E: Netherlands and Japan

Group F: Paraguay and Slovakia

Group G: Brazil and Portugal

Group H: Spain and Chile

Knockout stage: As I mentioned before, if you lose you’re out. Winners are listed and the remaining schedule is posted for games not played yet. It goes like this, 1st place of Group A plays 2nd place of Group B and 1st place of Group B plays 2nd place of Group A. Think of it as A vs. B, C vs. D, etc following that format.

This gets us to our final 8 (think of March madness college hoops: Sweet 16 down to the Elite 8). Winners are italicized

Uruguay v. South Korea

Argentina v. Mexico

United States v. Ghana

Germany v. England

Netherlands v. Slovakia

Brazil v. Chile

Paraguay v. Japan

Spain v. Portugal

We already know some of the upcoming matchups: Uruguay v. Ghana and Argentina v. Germany (that’s going to be a major one—prepare for status updates, tweets, etc). Based on the play I’ve seen so far, Germany looks unstoppable, while Argentina is polished (hence it’s a great match-up). Brazil and the winner of Spain/Portugal will likely also be threats for the crown.

Controversy: There are many things discussion-worthy this World Cup including the rise of the underdogs, demise of Team France and the early exit of reigning champs Italy. However, the thing that has taken center stage beyond everything else is the calls (or often no-calls of the referees). Most egregious:

-Disallowed goal for the USA v. Slovenia during the Group Stage; result=ended in a draw with the USA on the brink of elimination had they not beaten Algeria (mind you there was a disallowed goal in the very next game against USA). The referee who has in essence been fired offered no explanation and appeared to only see an imaginary infraction against USA players while NOT seeing the multiple fouls being committed by Slovenia players against USA. Andy Roddick said it best…

-Disallowed goal for England v. Germany during the knockout stage: To the surprise of probably no one, Germany went up 2-0 early in the first half. However, England fought right back to tie—or not? Again after blatantly not seeing a goal, half-time came and the score was 2-1. Needless to say, the Brits never recovered and honestly while the lack of goal was egregious, seriously Germany would’ve had the same result. 4-1 was the final score, just saying…

-Allowing a goal while clearly being offsides (an illegal move in soccer) for Argentina v. Mexico during the knockout stage: Hmm, now this clearly changed the tempo of the game. While Argentina did win 3-1, had the score only been 1-0 at the half, Mexico probably would’ve felt optimistic. It can be demoralizing to go down 2-0 before halftime. It makes the hill that much higher. But then again, we wouldn’t get Germany v. Argentina if Mexico had won.

-2nd yellow card for Brazil’s Kaka after a fake injury: This actually happened a lot where players received yellow cards for over-exaggerated non-injuries. I’ve isolated Kaka’s incident because he ended up missing the next match (2 yellow cards=missing the next match) when it was so clear that Ivory Coast’s Abdel-Kader Keïta was pretending. You got elbowed in the chest dude yet you grab your face on the way down while making sure the refs see you. Hey, can’t blame a player for trying. Blame it on the refs!

Why were USA fans so hyped this year? Because we were in it! As I’m sure you’re aware, soccer isn’t the primary sport here—football, baseball, and basketball are! Team USA had a great chance to go far in the tournament. But as fate has it, we got knocked out during the group of 16 to Ghana. This was very sad because people were finally tuning in and showing love to the States. All isn’t lost though, there’s a newfound interest and revival in soccer that hopefully the MLS (Major League Soccer) will capitalize on. One of the Cup’s biggest heroes was Landon Donovan and he plays for the LA Galaxy (alongside David Beckham!) Almost every major city has a team, support yours!

Lastly, what is all this talk about a vuvuzela? It’s an instrument native to South Africa (where the World Cup is being hosted) used for celebrations. Clearly there is no bigger celebration than the World Cup being hosted for the first time in your continent, let alone in your country! It has somewhat of a low hum sound and when there are multiple, it sounds similar to a swarm of bees. Many fans around the world and players and coaches have complained BUT hey futbol nation is in their country, let the people celebrate. If you’re really paying attention to the games, you don’t even notice it (unless it’s boring but blame that on the teams!). Hope you’re a little bit clear on how this wonderful game is played! The World Cup only takes place every 4 years so don’t wait until it’s over to see why people get so amped!