Snak

Italy 2-2 Brazil: Júlio César, David Luiz disappointed with result

Queens Park Rangers´ goalkeeper Júlio César and Chelsea´s defender David Luiz aredisappointed that Brazil did not win the game, having allowed Italy to equalize in second half.

Júlio César had an impressive performance, making many saves that prevented Italy from winning the game.

The goalkeeper talked to press after the game, he said: "the goals they scored against us were due to our mistakes. We´ll talk internally, so that we don´t make these mistakes again".

Chelsea´s centreback David Luiz was the team´s captain, he also expressed his disappointment: "we lost focus in second half, they dominated the game, created more chances and managed to get the equalizer. We know 2-0 is a dangerous score, we know have to beat Russia".

Brazil have not beaten a full strength top team since 2009, when they beat England 2-1 in Doha. The national team face Russia next Monday in London.

This was Scolari´s second game since he assumed the national team for his second time, as Brazil lost 1-2 to England last month.

Italy 2-2 Brazil - Milan full-back De Sciglio: Neymar is almost unstoppable

Milan´s left-back Mattia De Sciglio was impressed with Neymar´s performance as Italy drew 2-2 against Brazil in Geneva.

The 20-year old full-back was assigned with the job of marking Neymar after the Brazil winger was moved to his side of the pitch.

He praised the Santos star after the game, De Sciglio said "Neymar is almost unstoppable when he is running with the ball, it´s impossible to mark him, I always try to do my best the simplest possible way, I managed to stay calm on the pitch".

Neymar was involved in both Brazil goals, created other chances, and nearly scored a goal himself in the first half.

The winger was also regarded by Brazil´s press as the national team´s best player in the game, along with Chelsea midfielder Oscar. The good performance against Italy might help change the idea that Neymar is not ready to perform well in big Brazil games.

The Seleção´s next game will be played in London on Monday. against Russia.

Scolari: Brazil´s lineup will change against Russia

Brazil´s manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has announced that there will be changes in Brazil´s line-up for the game against Russia.

The former Palmeiras boss thinks the team showed improvement, he said: "I noticed more than anything a big evolution, it´s important to point out that it was the second game, we didn´t even know how to play in the first one. I liked the performance, despite conceding two goals".

Felipão added that there will not be many changes for the game against Russia: "we will have few changes, two or three at most, but the system will be the same".

He added that Thiago Silva will be back to the starting line-up: "I selected Dante because he is playing in a regular basis, while Thiago Silva played only two times since he returned [from injury], but he will be a starter against Russia".

Scolari was asked if Kaká might start, but he has not decided yet, he said "maybe, but I can´t guarantee anything yet, we´ll see".

The manager also praised the performance against Italy, he said "I liked in general, especially the tactical aspect. Despite the ups and lows, the team did well and showed progress. I have to insist, we need to be ready, and that´s the path. The team conceded goals but did not lose their cool, they played football. The goals we conceded were strange, but we did well, in general".

Former Chelsea midfielder Deco considering retirement
Former Chelsea midfielder Deco is considering the idea of retiring at the end of Brazil´s season, as his physical decline continues.

The 35-year old midfielder joined Fluminense in 2010, after spells at Porto, Barcelona and Chelsea, having won most of the main European titles.

He also became part of Portugal´s national team, despite the fact he was born in Brazil.

He arrived at Fluminense under high expectations, but only started living up to the hype in 2011, and was a key player in Flu´s Brazilian national league title in 2012.

Deco talked to cable TV channel ESPN Brasil about his future and the possibility of retiring this year, he said "I said after Libertadores that I would talk something about what may happen. I´m under contract with Fluminense until December and I intend to see it out, but it will depend on how things happen. I´m not sure but this might be my last year".

The midfielder also mentioned that his style changed over the years, he said: "Nowadays I think more and run less".

North east rising – why football in Brazil’s poorest region may be on the up

At around six o’clock on Sunday, with the sun slipping down behind the stands of the Amigão stadium in a blaze of crimson and ochre, referee Jailson Macedo Freitas blew his whistle one last time. As the simple concrete terraces shook under the weight of 20,000 wildly celebrating souls, the players of Campinense, from the town of Campina Grande, in the north eastern Brazilian state of Paraíba, sank to their knees in triumph. The home team had just beaten ASA, from the neighbouring state of Alagoas, to lift the 2013 Copa do Nordeste. It was the first time a club from Paraíba had won a regional, let alone national, CBF recognised competition.

As discussed in this column back in November, the nine state nordeste region, home to around 53 million people, is the wrong side of Brazil`s footballing tracks, a world away from the wealth and glamour of the big Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo clubs. Only once in the last twenty five years has a team from the area lifted a national trophy, and in recent years, all of the big nordeste clubs, which include Bahia and Vitória from Salvador, Ceará and Fortaleza from Fortaleza, and Santa Cruz, Sport and Náutico from Recife, have spent as much time out of the top flight as in it, often dropping down as far as Serie C or even D.

Despite this, clubs in the area are some of the best, most passionately, supported in the country. In 2011, while playing in Serie D, Santa Cruz boasted the biggest crowds in Brazil, an average of 40,000. And in 2012, no fewer than seven nordeste teams, all of whom spent the year either struggling against relegation from Serie A (in the case of Bahia, Náutico and Sport) or toiling in the lower divisions, boasted higher average crowds than title winners Fluminense.

The main reasons for the nordeste’s woes are financial. The region is officially the poorest in Brazil, for decades starved of private and government investment, where, according to the 2010 national census, 51% of the population earns less than the minimum monthly wage. As a result, while the clubs in the area may be able to put more bums on seats than their southern rivals, those bums pay much less for the pleasure. Similarly, local sponsorship and TV deals bring in a fraction of the income that teams from Rio and São Paulo can generate.

Nor do the Brazilian media help. Giant TV networks such as Globo can often seem like official subscription channels for clubs like Corinthians and Flamengo, their games and gossip dominating the schedules, while nordeste teams, on the rare occasions they’re mentioned at all, are treated like distant, slightly backward cousins up from the sticks.

But perhaps things are beginning to change. This year’s regional Copa do Nordeste, a popular competition back in the late nineties and early years of this century, was a success upon its return. Crowds were higher than Brazil’s traditional, though now archaic, state championships, the prize money was more than welcome, and cable TV viewers lapped up the din and colour that nordestino fans brought to the stadiums. The winners of next year’s competition will even earn a place in the ugly duckling of South American continental tournaments, the Copa Sul-Americana ­– a competition sniffed at by many clubs from the south east, but of not considerable value, in terms of cash and profile, to a team from the nordeste.

More importantly, economic conditions in the region are improving. Former president Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva is from Pernambuco, and did a great deal for the area, expanding welfare programs, increasing the minimum wage, and encouraging private investment. Pernambuco now boasts an enormous industrial hub at the port of Suape, and companies such as Fiat are building factories in the area. Although growth in the region and Brazil as a whole has now stalled, in recent years Pernambuco handily outperformed the national average, shrinking the economic gap a little. This increased investment and growing financial confidence can only benefit the city’s football clubs.

Such confidence will be apparent come 2014. While slugabeds in Rio and São Paulo dawdled, the rebuilt Castleão in Fortaleza was the first of Brazil`s “new” World Cup grounds to open, and three more are on the way in the nordeste – the Arena Pernambuco, the Fonte Nova in Salvador, and the Arena das Dunas in Natal. Footballing gentrification is a considerable risk in an area where not everyone can afford high ticket prices, but these new stadiums should mean improved revenue streams for the clubs. Not so long ago, a World Cup in Brazil would have been an entirely south eastern affair, while the rest of the country watched on enviously via their TV screens. In 2014 a total of 21 games will take place in the nordeste, including two of the quarter finals.

For now though, in Campina Grande, where the World Cup bandwagon will not be calling, there are more pressing matters at hand. For a club from a small (at least compared to sprawling metropolises such as Recife and Salvador) town like Campina Grande, in a footballing backwater like Paraíba, Sunday’s triumph will be celebrated at least until the region’s famous São João festivities begin in June.

Campinense were rank outsiders at the start of the competition, but as the clubs from the big cities fell by the wayside, those noisy home fans and a side built around the collective ideal (the team’s 20 goals were scored by 10 different players) carried the club to a two-legged final win. There is a long way to go, but the rest of the nordeste will hope Campinense’s underdog spirit is the beginning of a wider revival for the region.

Jeg glæder mig til kampene i aften. Rygterne går i øvrigt på at Loco Abreu er blevet droppet fra landsholdet fordi man vil give modstanderne en chance. Passer det?

WCQ predicitions: Two draws and a Jamaica home win

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Michael Lewis

You know what I love about the CONCACAF hexagonal in World Cup qualifying? How unpredictable it is.

How many people would have predicted that the United States would be at the bottom of the standings after its poor performance in a 2-1 loss at Honduras? How many observers would have picked Jamaica walking out of Azteca Stadium with a point after a scoreless draw? And how man fans would have thought Costa Rica would be able to overcome a two-goal deficit on the road to secure a 2-2 tie in Panama?

Not many of us.

I certainly didn’t.

Prognosticating can be a humbling experience.

Saying that, there is always the next time for some retribution, starting with Friday’s three games.

Here’s one seasoned CONCACAF observers’ predictions:

U.S. 2, Costa Rica 2

Outside of Mexico, if the USA has one nemesis in CONCACAF it is Costa Rica. The Ticos will bring in a five-game unbeaten streak (3-0-2) against the Americans. The last time the USA emerged with a win over the Central Americans was a 3-0 win in Salt Lake City on June 4, 2005. Conversely, the U.S. brings in a 21-game home unbeaten streak (19-0-2) in World Cup qualifying, dating back to 2001.

My gut feeling is that both streaks will continue. The Costa Ricans will find some holes in a weakened U.S. backline and will manage to score goals behind their three main threats — Bryan Ruiz, Alvaro Saborio and Joel Campbell. The Ticos are considered among the weaker teams in the hexagonal, although their 2-2 comeback draw at Panama might have started to change some minds and turn some heads. Saying that, their defense is vulnerable and the U.S., behind the forward line of Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore and/or Herculez Gomez will find a way to score in what has the potential to become a shootout.

Honduras 1. Mexico 1

Still playing some gamesmanship in its second consecutive home game, Honduras again is trying to use the weather to grab at least one point if not three against Mexico. According to weather.com, temperatures will be a high of 98 degrees in San Pedro Sula on Friday, although the game time kickoff temperature at 5 p.m. ET will be a much more balmy 88 degrees. The Mexicans should be accustomed to playing in the heat, although several key players are coming in from Europe. The ploy worked for Los Catrochos in the Feb. 6 opener as the U.S. wilted as the game went on.

The Mexicans have to be a hungry side after that embarrassing home performance against Jamaica. Javier Hernandez, Giovani dos Santos and Andres Guardado and company must raise their play against Honduras or pay the price and the ire of its demanding fans. That being said, this is a talented Honduran side, one that is difficult to contend with, behind the likes of midfielder Roger Espinoza, the man who never stops running, two-way midfielder Oscar Boniek Garcia, central defender Maynor Figueroa and striker Jerry Bengtson. Somehow, the points get split in this one.

Jamaica 1, Panama 0

Considered to be a contender for one of the three automatic World Cup berths from CONCACAF, Panama still has to be smarting from its 2-2 comedown draw to Costa Rica, losing a two-goal lead at home. Los Canaleros will rue the fact they allowed two additional points slip through their hands and feat, especially since they have to play in such a difficult environment as The Office in Kingston, Jamaica.

The Reggae Boyz, who themselves apparently have overcome the sting of failing to reach this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup during the Caribbean Cup, have proven virtually invincible at home. They could make it a night to forget for the Panamanians, utilizing their speed on the wings.

Honduras hopes to continue good form

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras - Honduras comes into Friday afternoon´s clash with Mexico cautiously optimistic about taking three more points against a regional power, after knocking off the United States in the opening match of the Hexagonal last month.

The Catrachos will enter the field at the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano for the second match day of the final round of CONCACAF qualifying with a full head of steam, as a number of Luis Suarez´s players have been at the top of their games of late for club and country.

Still, Suarez emphasized in an interview with the Honduran Football Federation website that even topping Mexico wouldn´t assure anything in the scheme of the year-long competition to secure a spot in the 2014 World Cup.

"Beating Mexico would be a huge step in the right direction," the coach said. "Thinking that because we beat Mexico and the U.S. we´re already in Brazil would be absurd."

Nevertheless, it´s proved harder for some team members to get around the idea that six points from two games against two top regional rivals for spots in the World Cup wouldn´t leave the Catrachos sitting pretty after two matches.

"Playing against Mexico is important," said attacker Jerry Bengtson, who arrived in Honduras from the United States after playing this past weekend with the New England Revolution. "We have to know what we´re playing for. We´d like to get the win and keep the three points at home. [Goalkeeper] Donis [Escober] said that getting three points would be the equivalent of getting half a ticket to Brazil, and I´m inclined to agree."

Bengtson, a regular starter of late for Suarez, will have some solid company in the competition for attacking spots against Mexico. The Major League Soccer duo of Mario Martinez of the Seattle Sounders and Boniek Garcia of the Houston Dynamo arrive in top form, after their clubs completed the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal round last week.

Midfielder and 2010 World Cup veteran Roger Espinoza of England´s Wigan Athletic has also been impressive for his club of late, along with forward Jerry Palacios, who has scored seven goals for Alajuelense of Costa Rica this season.

"We know it´s going to be a tough game, and that the Mexicans are going to have a great team," said Palacios. "But we have a great team too. We´ve shown that, and here at home we´re going to put the pressure on. Hopefully we´ll keep the three points here at home."

Honduras leads the Hexagonal after one round with three points. Mexico is among four teams tied in second place with one point from their first match, after a scoreless draw with Jamaica. The two take the field on Friday at 3 PM local time in San Pedro Sula.

Mexico aims to reverse Honduran trend

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras - With Mexico´s fourth qualifying trip to Honduras since 2008 set for Friday, El Tri will be hoping to change recent history, while the host hopes to take another giant step towards the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

After a surprise 0-0 result against visiting Jamaica to open its Hexagonal campaign last month, previously high-flying Mexico is looking to get back to the record-setting form it enjoyed in 2012. That won´t be easy for El Tri, though, since next up on the qualifying schedule is the complicated visit to San Pedro Sula on Friday afternoon.

Jose Manuel de la Torre brings his Mexican team to Central America tied for second place in the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying standings, two points behind host Honduras, which has a 2-1 win over the U.S. under its belt.

De la Torre insists that Mexico´s disappointing result in the Azteca doesn´t add to the pressure for his team coming into a difficult road environment.

"It was just the first game and though nobody was pleased with the result, that doesn´t mean we´re under pressure," De la Torre said. "It doesn´t make this a game of life or death."

Regardless of whether the Mexican team feels increased pressure or not on in its visit to the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, history suggests the challenge that De la Torre´s team will face will be immense.

Honduras has four wins and one loss in five all-time World Cup qualifiers played in San Pedro Sula against Mexico (the defeat came in 1965). The Catrachos have since won four straight in the northern city against El Tri, with a combined nine goals for and just three against, including a 3-1 win in 2009 - the last time these two squads met in a qualifier in Honduras.

Mexican winger Andres Guardado chalks his nation´s struggles up to the Hondurans´ focus on beating Mexico whenever the two meet.

"It´s always a big rivalry with Honduras," the Valencia player said. "Obviously in Honduras, Costa Rica and El Salvador, they always see it as special facing Mexico."

The match between Honduras and Mexico kicks off at 3 PM local time in San Pedro Sula, in front of what´s sure to be another packed house at the Estadio Olimpico.

U.S. looks to overcome injuries, Costa Rica

COMMERCE CITY, Colorado -- The United States´ charge seems simple and direct enough when it hosts Costa Rica in a World Cup qualifier on Friday night: win and get three points.

But it might not seem that simple to the Americans because they enter the CONCACAF hexagonal round match a bit thin in the back.

No. 1 goalkeeper Tim Howard has been sidelined for several weeks after breaking some bones in his back. Aston Villa´s Brad Guzan is expected to replace him in the net. Veteran central defender Carlos Bocanegra (110 international appearances), who has captained the team, wasn´t chosen because he isn´t playing regularly with his club, Racing Santander.

Injuries to Steve Cherundolo, Timmy Chandler, Jonathan Spector, Danny Williams and Fabian Johnson have forced head coach Jurgen Klinsmann to pick a defense that had a combined total of 12 qualifying matches under its belt, 11 between central defenders Geoff Cameron (six) and Clarence Goodson (five).

Yet, Klinsmann was optimistic that the back four will gel and excel against the Ticos (0 wins, 1 draw, 0 losses; 1 point) in Commerce City, Colo.

"We have a roster together that gives us the confidence to approach both games very, very positively," he said. "I think we have a group of players coming in that have everything to get the job done."

Central defender Omar Gonzalez made his qualifying debut in the 2-1 loss at Honduras on Feb. 6. Tony Beltran, Matt Besler and Justin Morrow have not played a qualifier, at least not yet.

"You only get experience if you play," Klinsmann said. "If you don´t have the experience yet, then you have to get your games under your belt and gain that experience. I think the players that are here for the upcoming challenges, they definitely have the qualities and the confidence to get the job done. Experience is built over years, and it´s definitely an important factor. This is the roster we have total trust in and they will gain more experience by doing that."

After opening the final round with a loss at Honduras, the last-place U.S. (0-0-1, 0 pts.) cannot afford to give away any points, especially with a Tuesday confrontation against Mexico at the Azteca in Mexico City looming.

The Americans last lost a home qualifier more than 11 years ago. They bring in an impressive 21-game home unbeaten streak (19-2-0) into the encounter, last falling at home when they dropped a 3-2 decision to Honduras in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 1, 2011. Two of those draws were earned after the U.S. had clinched a spot either in the World Cup or for the next qualifying round.

"Every home game in the hexagonal is a must-win situation," Klinsmann said. "You want to get all the points possible in your home games so, independent of the result in Honduras, it´s a must-win on Friday night."

Klinsmann felt the U.S. would rebound from the Honduras defeat.

"We couldn´t adjust to the climate circumstances," he said, adding that the team "just played under our usual level.

"We learned quite a bit from that game but I think you´re going to see a completely different game on Friday night and then as well in Mexico. We get challenged in several areas. We want to keep a high tempo. We want to go forward and create chances and we want to get the crowd behind us as quickly as possible and get the necessary points."

The Costa Rican and Mexico qualifiers both will be played at altitude. Klinsmann, however, said he did not choose his team based on whether a player could play at rarefied air.

"It has no influence at all," he said. "We´re going to choose the players based on their qualities and based on how we put the puzzle together in different areas of the team. Yes, it might be easier for certain players to adjust to altitude based on where they play, but that had no influence on this roster at all."