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Barcelona, Real Madrid still finding their stride
By Martin Rogers
November 8, 2009
Two Spanish giants, two hated rivals and two unexpected Champions League headaches for Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Both teams began the new campaign with rightfully lofty European expectations. Barca’s imperious march to last season’s trophy was so impressive that it was impossible to foresee any slipups in the early stages this season. For Real Madrid, the combined talents of newcomers Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema were thought to be enough to give the team a legitimate shot at dominating at Champions League level.
Instead, both clubs and their signature stars – Ronaldo at Madrid and Lionel Messi at Barcelona – have experienced problems that have their teams perilously situated with only two games of group play remaining.
Messi has been unable to deliver his customary magic on the field after being stifled by Russian champions Rubin Kazan in back-to-back games that produced only a single point for Barca. The speed and physicality of Kazan has shown that Messi can be contained, if not stopped altogether, and that his impact on this year’s tournament may not be a striking as it was last season.
Madrid has had to make do without Ronaldo ever since the Portugal star went down with an ankle injury last month. His absence has been glaring with the team’s lack of creative impetus in its last two games against AC Milan.
Yet are the issues facing the Spanish teams as simple as the patchy form or non-presence of their biggest stars? Another school of thought suggests that La Liga, while a wonderful spectacle and a league full of skill and creativity, no longer adequately prepares its teams for the rigors of Europe. Spanish football’s highly technical nature does not translate so well into the Champions League these days, where a more rugged and physical approach has quickly become the norm.
The toughness and intensity of the English Premier League appears to be the best breeding ground for European success just now, as shown by our latest rankings.
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UEFA Champions League rankings
1. Chelsea – Settled for a point but still the toughest team in Europe.
2. Arsenal – Cruised through the group without breaking a sweat.
3. Manchester United – Survived a major scare and looked shaky.
4. Lyon – Qualified thanks to Lisandro’s late equalizer.
5. Barcelona – Another draw and elimination is still possible.
6. Bordeaux – Slick and tenacious side can make a splash.
7. Real Madrid – Can’t wait for the return of Ronaldo.
8. Inter Milan – Critical victory in Kiev puts them top of group.
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Man of the matches
Cesc Fabregas. Arsenal’s young captain was phenomenal once again as the Gunners breezed past AZ Alkmaar 4-1. Despite rumors linking him with a move away, Fabregas continues to perform at an outstanding level and scored twice as the Gunners surged into the knockout stage.
Shock of the week
It was almost even more of a shock but CSKA Moscow’s 3-3 with Manchester United at Old Trafford was the most surprising result of the round. Just a couple more minutes and the Russian visitors would have pulled off a spectacular upset – and Sir Alex Ferguson would have had some explaining to do.
We’re happy
Bordeaux. The French champions have been outstanding so far and are into the round of 16. Bordeaux’s victory in Munich on Tuesday was further proof that Laurent Blanc’s men have a chance of not only winning a group that includes Juventus and Bayern Munich but also making serious progress in the competition.
We’re not
Liverpool. Rafa Benitez could have seen the final nail hammered into his Anfield coffin by Lyon’s late equalizer, which effectively doomed the Reds to elimination from the Champions League. Apart from a memorable victory over Manchester United in the English Premier League, Benitez has overseen a desperately poor run and the sack is surely not long in coming.
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Chicago 2, New England 0
By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
November 8, 2009
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — A dramatic comeback capped by a late goal assured the Chicago Fire of their third consecutive appearance in the Eastern Conference final.
This time, however, they’ll host it.
John Thorrington and Cuauhtemoc Blanco scored to help Chicago beat the New England Revolution 2-0 on Saturday night, taking the two-game semifinals series 3-2 on aggregate.
Chicago entered the contest trailing the Revolution after a 2-1 defeat at New England on Sunday.
Thorrington leveled the aggregate score in the 35th minute with a one-timed shot into the lower left corner. The goal was the midfielder’s first in postseason play, and came in his first game after missing seven with a leg injury.
Blanco helped secure the Fire’s berth in the conference title game when he found the back of the net with seven minutes to play in regulation.
The series-clinching goal started when forward Patrick Nyarko fended off Revolution defender Emmanuel Osei along the end line, dribbling into the box and drawing out goalkeeper Matt Reis.
Nyarko slipped a pass to Blanco in the center of the box, where he pulled the ball to his right foot, faking out two defenders before finding the upper right corner.
“I think our guys understood what was at task. From the get-go, we went at it and deservedly got the win,” Fire coach Dennis Hamlett said.
It’s the second consecutive season in which Chicago has eliminated New England from the playoffs, and fourth in eight all-time postseason matchups. The Fire are 7-0-0 when they’ve hosted New England in the playoffs.
Since the Fire are the highest seed remaining in the East, they’ll host Real Salt Lake in the conference final next Saturday. Salt Lake reached the title game by beating Columbus 4-2 on aggregate on Thursday.
The last time the Fire hosted the East final, they beat New England 1-0 in overtime in 2003. Since then, they’ve reached that round three times but have lost each time on the road.
“We were a happy group on Thursday night when we saw Columbus lost and we had an opportunity to host the final,” Hamlett said. “Our guys had a little more energy in terms of being able to play with the idea that you can host the conference final.”
Chicago outshot New England 21-12, but also had 13 shots on net compared to four for the Revolution.
“It seems like this year when we lost we’ve done it to ourselves,” said Reis, who had 10 saves. “Once again it happened tonight. We did what we needed to do, but in the end we made a mistake and it cost us. In these games you need to play mistake free.”
Revolution defender Pat Phelan had two chances to tie the series late. He saw his header in the 89th minute go just wide right of the goal before a shot five minutes into stoppage time was saved by goalkeeper Jon Busch.
New England has been ravaged by a slew of injuries all season, and coach Steve Nicol felt the team’s accomplishments shouldn’t be diminished.
“It’s been incredibly difficult,” he said. “When you go week to week not knowing who will be available on the Saturdays.
“I guess it’s true there is some solace in the fact that we got to the playoffs under the conditions that we did. It says a lot about the character of the players.”
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Nashville continues to pursue World Cup soccer tournament
Biggest sporting event anywhere could enrich city for years to come
By Chas Sisk
November 8, 2009
One might compare it to a month of Super Bowl Sundays. Or to the Olympics, without as much hassle or expense.
The World Cup soccer tournament, by some measures the globe's biggest sporting event, brought hundreds of thousands of people to the United States in 1994. When those fans left a month later, after Brazil beat Italy in a tense final and the U.S. team made an improbable run, the tournament had dispelled any doubt that this nation could ever be friendly to soccer.
Fifteen years later, Nashville wants to get into the game. U.S. soccer officials are putting together a bid to host the World Cup once more — in either 2018 or 2022 — and this week officials from Music City will make their pitch to be one of the 18 sites chosen to represent the nation.
Some people may consider the campaign quixotic, unlikely and, frankly, a little foreign. But there's little doubt, based on the experience of cities that have hosted the tournament in the past, that the World Cup would leave a cleat mark on Nashville.
Analysts say Nashville has at least an outside shot.
Nashville attractions and culture have wide appeal
The World Cup would pump hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy, and it is likely to generate countless connections with foreign visitors and corporations, planting the seed for investments that could pay off years later, say economists, sports marketing specialists and people who saw firsthand the impact of the 1994 tournament.
"It was probably one of the most positive things that our community has done," said Glenda Hood, the mayor of host city Orlando, Fla., at that time.
Nashville and the nation's bid to host the World Cup show just how far soccer has come in the half-generation since the United States last hosted the men's version of the international tournament.
When talk began of bringing the World Cup to the U.S. in the late 1980s, organizers struggled to win the support of business leaders, corporations and tourism officials for a tournament that few Americans were familiar with. Most small cities, like Nashville, sat out the bidding.
Now, dozens of cities have made their pitches to USA Bid Committee Inc., formed to oversee the selection of host cities and represent the country.
That includes Nashville. A coalition of local groups, led by the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, will give its final presentation Tuesday and should learn its fate in spring.
"It's great exposure for the state of Tennessee," said Lisa Delpy Neirotti, a professor at George Washington University who studies international sports. "Whatever the impact is, it's going to be significant."
The effort to bring World Cup soccer to Nashville may seem like a long shot to some. The city lacks a major professional soccer team, and it lacks the well-developed public transportation boasted by some of its competitors.
But Nashville can claim to be a top tourist destination, with ample hotel rooms, an accessible airport and a readily marketable identity known internationally.
And with the potential benefits to be had from the tournament — benefits that have been seen by Orlando and the eight other cities that hosted the tournament 15 years ago — many business and political leaders in the city as well as sports marketing experts believe it's worth taking a shot.
"The 1994 tournament showed that the attendance is there," said Butch Spyridon, the bureau's president. "We decided if we do this, we're doing this for the economic impact."
Hosting tournament is costly
Backers of Nashville's bid say hosting the World Cup would not be cheap. They have not given a firm estimate, but Spyridon has said the cost would be comparable to that associated with hosting the Super Bowl.
An analysis performed by the Los Angeles firm AECOM for the USA Bid Committee put the cost of stadium modifications alone in each of the host cities at $10 million. But Spyridon says the upgrades to LP Field, where Nashville games would be played, could be substantially less, since the stadium was built to meet specifications for international soccer.
Millions more would have to be spent on security and transportation to control crowds.
But the economic impact to the region is almost certain to make the cost worthwhile, economists say. For instance, in Orlando, the 1994 host city most like Nashville, total direct spending on hotel rooms, merchandise, food and other items came in at $200 million, according to a study performed soon afterward by the University of Southern California.
But like the Super Bowl, the World Cup is about more than just the games themselves.
The World Cup also appeals to well-heeled executives who are as interested in striking deals as strikes on goal. Whether they watch from luxury boxes or from their homes, the tournament's host cities receive tremendous international exposure, possibly giving them an edge in later competitions for investment, economists say.
For certain, the World Cup raises its host cities' diplomatic profiles. At least six nations set up consulate offices in Orlando to handle the influx of international visitors. Two of those countries, Mexico and the Netherlands, still have a consulate presence in that city.
"There are seeds that get cast out with an event like this," said Sean Snaith, an economist at the University of Central Florida. "You never know which seed is going to take root, but suffice it to say, the more seeds that are out there, the more opportunities."
Since 1994, the impact of the World Cup has grown. At the most recent World Cup, in 2006 in Germany, an estimated 18 million to 21 million people went to fan festivals in the host cities over the tournament's 31 days, most of them just to watch the games on large-screen televisions.
AECOM estimates that in 2018 or 2022, host cities will receive $400 million to $600 million in total economic impact, based on the assumption that each is given four first-round matches and one later in the tournament.
The effect is larger than that of the Super Bowl, said Jeff Cohen, one of the researchers who prepared the study. That game might be the biggest sporting event in the nation, but its festivities wrap up in half the time of the World Cup tournament, and its fans are people traveling from places like Pittsburgh or Indianapolis, not foreign visitors making a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the United States.
"Nothing against the Super Bowl, but the Super Bowl is one week or two weeks," Cohen said. "You get comparable out-of-market visitors, but foreign visitors, they're making a totally different type of trip."
Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, Qatar, Russia and South Korea are also bidding on at least one of the two tournaments in 2018 and 2022. The Netherlands and Belgium have also united to submit bids, as have Portugal and Spain.
Several of those nations have stronger soccer followings and have never hosted a tournament before. But the U.S. might hold an edge: The 1994 tournament remains the best-attended World Cup, mainly because of the ease of travel to the U.S. from overseas and because the U.S. has more large sports stadiums than any other country.
The International Federation of Association Football, known by its French initials FIFA, has said stadiums must have at least 40,000 seats to host a World Cup game. The 27 potential host cities boast stadiums with an average stadium capacity of 78,000.
"We're unique in that we have so much infrastructure in our country," said Jurgen Mainka, a spokesman for the USA Bid Committee.
FIFA will pick the 2018 and 2022 host countries no later than December 2010. Bids to the organization are due in May.
The USA Bid Committee will make its final picks on host cities sometime before then. Besides Orlando, Nashville's competitors include Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; and St. Louis. Also in the running are several cities that hosted World Cup games in 1994, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington.
"You know they're going to go to L.A., and you know they're going to go to New York," said Delpy Neirotti. "You know they're going to go to Washington, and they're going to go to Houston or Dallas. They're going to go to major markets first.
"Then, I think it starts getting more interesting. I'd say there are two or three slots that are up for grabs."
To back up their bid, Nashville's supporters point to the five international matches that have already been played at LP Field, including the World Cup qualifier in April between the U.S. and the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago.
USA Bid Committee officials have visited Nashville three times to meet with city leaders and local executives. The committee will make its selection based on infrastructure, the local stadium and the enthusiasm shown by locals, Mainka said.
LP Field is smaller than the average stadium in the bidding, with a listed capacity of 69,143, but Delpy Neirotti said the venue size would probably matter less than factors such as the attractiveness of the city itself. Nashville's backers have stressed the proximity of LP Field to downtown cultural attractions and its music scene.
"What is there for the dignitaries to do?" she said. "They can't watch games all the time."
Supporters of Nashville's bid hope that will be enough to help the city make the cut.
"We can't do the Super Bowl because of the temperature," Spyridon said. "This would be about the biggest event that we could do."
HOW SELECTION PROCESS WORKS
Nashville is one of 27 cities competing to be included in the USA Bid Committee’s bid to host the World Cup soccer tournament in either 2018 or 2022.
The committee plans to select 18 sites no later than May. Nashville supporters make their final pitch to the committee this week.
Even if Nashville is included, there is no guarantee the city will host any games. Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan and Russia also plan to submit bids individually, while Netherlands-Belgium and Portugal-Spain plan to submit bids jointly. Qatar and South Korea have applied to host the 2022 tournament.
The deadline for the USA Bid Committee’s application is May 14, 2010. FIFA, the Switzerland-based organization that oversees international soccer, plans to name the host countries for 2018 and 2022 on Dec. 2, 2010.
TO BACK BID
The USA Bid Committee has set up online petitions in support of the U.S. bid and each of the 27 cities still in the hunt. Support Nashville and other finalists at: Go USA Bid.
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Mwanika receives free ticket for soccer World Cup
By Norman Katende
November 8, 2009
JOHN Mark Mwanika was the lucky winner of the final ticket for the 2010 soccer World Cup due in South Africa as the MTN Fever2010 promotion concluded in Soroti on Saturday.
Mwanika, a Tororo-based social worker, joined Grace Mwanje, Adam Ntanda, Joseph Ito and Edward Kaddugala who won their tickets earlier for the life time trip.
On top of earning return air tickets to watch soccer’s biggest show, the five winners will each get a visa card credited with $10,000 (sh19m).
During their 10-day stay in South Africa, they will choose which four matches to watch.
According to Patrick Adiima, the MTN eastern region manager, a bigger promotion for the World Cup will be announced in Kampala soon.
“It will be all inclusive. What we want is for everyone to be part of the World Cup,” Adiima explained.
“It is the greatest soccer event and it is coming to Africa for the first time. We want to live it," said Adiima.
Other people who were not fortune to win tickets to the World Cup, got airtime and other goodies in the six month promotion courtesy of MTN.
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