Thanks to different styles, soccer offers fans many flavors

One of the great aspects of the game of soccer is that it is a global sport. Soccer is played just about everywhere. I enjoy watching the different flavors that each country offers. On the local level, you also see great differences in the way different clubs and high schools play the game.

Internationally, many fans love the English Premier League. If you want fast-paced action, you should sign up for Fox Soccer Channel and check out this league. The pace of the game is absolutely insane. The ball moves up and down the field like a ping pong ball. Players sprint, crash and fly like acrobats as they wage an all-out attack as if each game will be their last.

When you are in a mellower mood and wish to watch a more controlled game, tune into an Italian soccer game. Italy's top league, Serie A, features stylish play.

The Italians engage in a dance as each game evolves. They tend to build each attack from the back and move the ball around, searching for an opening in an opponent's defense.

On finding one, they attack with speed and try to exploit it. As they displayed in winning the last world cup, Italian defenses are tough to penetrate. Their defense is well organized and often thwarts the incursion. Upon winning possession of the ball and the dance begins heading in the other direction.

Latin American soccer is fun to watch if you are looking for individual flair. Yes, there is teamwork in Latin America, but fans love the game for the individual creativity of the players. And the players seem to delight in being unpredictable. For example, players from Brazil and Argentina, such as Ronaldinho, Pelé and Maradona have made fans' jaws drop with their clever and unexpected moves.

One of the aspects of the game that is exciting to me is when you can watch two different styles confront each other and see which triumphs. For instance, in the 1990 World Cup the Germans and their powerful and direct play defeated the crafty Brazilians in the final game of the tournament. On the other hand, in 2002 the Brazilians displayed incredible artistry in making it to the finals and getting revenge by beating the Germans.

As another season of high school girls soccer looms in front of us, I look forward to the action on the field. After a winter of being cooped up, it is always a great feeling to get outside to play and watch the game.

As fans, try to train your eyes to watch for new things. Instead of focusing on just one player or the ball, try to identify the overall style of play.

Ask yourself if the team is kicking long balls or trying to link short passes? Are they dribbling the ball up the field or passing? As you watch the games, try to identify each team's style of play and see if it is working for them. These are some of the elements that are hard to see, but are helpful in understanding why one team might be successful.

Let me give you some examples using the different styles of some of the local girls high school programs. For years, Pleasant Valley has had great success playing a direct style of play. The Bears moved the ball forward quickly and looked to get early balls to their speedy forwards. Last year, I saw something different with their new coach. There was more building from the back and interpassing on the way forward. That is, the style went from German to more Italian.

If I am not mistaken, Lehighton won more games last year than ever. Lehighton did this with an extremely direct style. It was decidedly un-Brazilian. The emphasis was not on clever moves by individual players. They defended hard and aggressively and then they sent long balls straight forward and everyone charged forward into the attack. It is a different style of play than Pleasant Valley used, but it was effective in winning some games for them.

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080309/SPORTS/803090341

2014 Soccer World Cup To Boost PVC Production In Brazil

Brazil's hosting of the Soccer World Cup finals in 2014 will boost its PVC industry. The major sport event will require construction of sport facilities, accommodations and tourism related establishments and even infrastructure, increasing the demand for PVC.

Miguel Bahiense Neto, executive president of the PVC Institute, told Business News Americas, "It will be a great barometer that will define the consolidation of PVC growth in the country."

Neto estimates a 7 percent to 8 percent increase in PVC consumption in the coming years. Aside from higher PVC demand arising from Brazil's winning the bid to host the World Cup, the state's growth acceleration program, with focus on civil works, infrastructure and sanitation ventures, will further boost the demand for PVCs.

Because of the bright projections, PVC producers Solvay Indupa and Braskem are set to increase their production capacities. Solvay is expected to finish in 2010 the building of a 60,000 ton per year ethanol-based ethylene facility at Santo Andre in Sao Paolo state. Braskem intends to finish within the next two years its production capacity at its Alagoas state factory by 150,000 to 200,000 tons per annum.

Brazil won the right to host the World Cup with no competition since it was the only one to tender a bid, which under FIFA rules mandates it be held in South America in 2014. Sao Paolo had held the World Cup title for five times and was its host in 1950, although Brazil lost the title that year 2-1 to Uruguay.

The joy of snaring the 2014 sport event was expressed by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on behalf of the soccer-crazy nation. Lula said, "Soccer is more than a sport for us, it's a national passion."

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7010239197

Beijing Olympic sponsor Adidas learns not to mess with China's flag

Don't mess with China's flag.

Olympic sponsor Adidas learned that lesson when it recently placed a sports bag on the market in Hong Kong, which mixed its own logo with that of China's national flag.

The issue was first raised by the Hong Kong newspaper Mingpao, which pointed out that Adidas had violated China's flag law. The law forbids using the flag in commercial images.

China's national flag consists of a large yellow star with four smaller stars arranged alongside in an arc _ all on a red background. In the design of the sports bags, Adidas put its logo inside the large star.

Erica Kerner, the director of Adidas' Beijing Olympic program, said the bag was never marketed in mainland China. She said it was on the market for about a week in Hong Kong and then pulled. She said she did not know how many _ if any _ were sold.

«Hong Kong obviously has lots of their own rules,» Kerner said. «We knew the China flag rule but (the Adidas staff) missed it in Hong Kong. The intent was to celebrate China, not to cause any discomfort and of course not break any rules.

Hong Kong is Chinese territory, but has its own legal system, some autonomy and western-style civil liberties.

A high-profile Beijing Olympic sponsor, Adidas has reportedly paid about US$200 million (€130 million) for the rights. It has paid a similar amount for rights to the 2012 London Olympics.

COACH NELSON:@ Donnie Nelson has a second job _ assistant coach of China's Olympic basketball team.

The president of basketball operations for the Dallas Mavericks will assist head coach Jonas Kazlauskas with the Chinese national team at this summer's Olympics.

«Nelson and Jonas Kazlauskas have worked together very well before in Lithuania,» said Hu Jiashi, deputy director of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Hu said hiring a foreign assistant _ rather than a Chinese _ would have advantages.

«A foreign assistant can communicate better with the head coach,» Hu said. «During the game, a substitute or change of tactics is important, and if they speak different languages there'll be a problem.

Presumably the common language will be English. Kazlauskas' native language is Lithuanian.

Former Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Del Harris coached the Chinese Olympic team to eighth place in the Athens Olympics. Nelson served as a team consultant at the time.

NO FAVORS:@ Superstar athletes won't get special treatment when the Olympic Village opens on July 27.

«In the Olympic village, all athletes are equal,» said Yu Debin, deputy director of the Olympic Village Department for the Beijing organizing committee. «We have the same (rules) for all athletes.

A few high-profile athletes like tennis No. 1 Roger Federer have suggested they might skip the village. Federer complained about drawing too much attention from other athletes during the 2004 Olympics.

If Federer is absent, the stars of the Olympic Village will be Brazil's soccer team, which could have stars such as Kaka and Robinho. In past Olympics the Brazilians have stayed in five-star hotels. This time Brazil's soccer confederation president Ricardo Teixeira says they'll be in the village. The Brazilians have won the World Cup five times, but have yet to win Olympic gold.

«It's an Olympic team, so the players will stay at the Olympic village and where the Olympic committee assigns it to stay and will travel with a commercial airline,» Teixeira said.

OPENING CEREMONY:@ Steven Spielberg or no Steven Spielberg, top Chinese officials are pressing on with plans for the opening and closing ceremonies. Few specifics have been revealed about the pomp, and a top official speaking this week didn't add much.

Chen Weiya, deputy director of opening and closing ceremony committee, said the ceremonies would «spread the essence of Chinese culture and conception to the world.

Chen acknowledged the pressure of expectations.

«Everyone has conceived an ideal opening ceremony in their mind and the Chinese people have pinned too much hope on the galas,» he said. «The hardest thing for us is to present the fruits of Chinese and world civilization harmoniously.

Stay tuned.

RELIGION:@ Hotels in China might provide Bibles to foreign visitors during the Olympics. Liu Bainian, head of a government-authorized group that runs the Catholic Church in China, told the English-language China Daily that Beijing organizing committee «was still studying the proposal.

Religion is heavily regulated in China by the officially atheistic ruling Communist Party. Chinese officials have said that Bibles and other religious items will be welcome at the Olympics _ as long as they are for personal use.

A temporary religious venue will be set up in the Olympic Village, a 600-square-meter «religious services facility.» It will serve five major faiths: Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews and Muslims.

TIDBITS:@ English soccer club Chelsea is trying to find Chinese soccer talent. The club will be part of a TV program in April called «Super Soccer Star.» The program, aired in the southern province of Guangdong, with select four finalists who will visit Chelsea's England-based academy later this year. ... The San Diego Padres are scheduled to tour the Great Wall of China before their March 15-16 exhibition games in Beijing against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Brazil's national soccer team to renegotiate deal with Nike

The president of the Brazilian Confederation of Soccer, Ricardo Teixeira claimed on Sunday that he plans on renegotiating the deal with the team sponsor, Nike.

The interest in the renegotiation of the fabrication of athletic apparel comes after France signed a deal with Nike that is worth nearly three times that of Brazil's.

"When the contract with the sponsor was readjusted to 22 million U.S. dollars per year, we agreed that we would again discuss a new contract when the sponsor added another country to the list of recipients," said Teixeira. The president of Brazilian soccer claimed that he plans on meeting with the directors of Nike in the next couple of days.

Nike signed a deal with France that would pay more than 61.5 million dollars per year to dress their national soccer team in their apparel. Teixeira stated that this information will serve as ammunition for his discussion with Nike. According to the president of Brazilian soccer, the deal signed for 22 million dollars was made in March of 2007 and would come into effect in 2008.

Teixeira hinted that he has been in contact with representatives from Adidas who were recently in Sao Paulo. However, he denied that Nike's competition in athletic apparel went after the Brazilian Confederation of Soccer to seek any sort of deal. "The Brazilian soccer team is a world favorite. Everyone wants a piece of it," said Teixeira.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/03/content_7706850.htm

Brazilian squad stays in Olympic Villa

The president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, Ricardo Teixeira, informed that his National squad towards Beijing 2008 will stay with the rest of the athletes.

The director warned that the Brazilian squad which will compete at Beijing Olympic Games 2008 will stay in the Olympic Villa and will have to accept the same treatment granted to any other athlete, without the privileges of previous editions.

"The players will have the same treatment athletes of other fields are offered," the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), Ricardo Teixeira, sentenced, on an interview published by O Globo.

"I've already tried some other ways (offering privileges and special treatment) and it didn't work. In Atlanta 1996 we had the best squad, the delegation stayed in the best hotels, we spent 5 million dollars, and we lost," Teixeira added.

Capturing the Gold medal, the only relevant trophy missing from the Brazilian soccer record, has turned into an obsession, among other, for Teixeira himself.

http://www.sportsya.com/english/news.php/Ricardo_Teixeira_said_Brazils_side_will_be_at_the_Olympic_Villa_in_Beijing_2008.html?id_estruc=283&id=172154

Soccer: Kaka extends contract with AC Milan to 2013

Brazilian Kaka, the World Footballer of the Year, signed on Thursday a new deal with the European champions AC Milan to remain at the club until 2013, the Italian giant said.

The 25-year-old, whose current deal runs until 2011 and is believed to be worth six million euros a year, said this week tha the wanted to spend the rest of his career with Milan.

Kaka signed for Milan in 2003 from Brazilian side Sao Paulo.

http://mathaba.net/news/?x=583751

Brazil's soccer team to stay with other athletes at Olympic village this time

Contrary to past years, Brazil's soccer team will not be given special treatment and will stay with other athletes at the Olympic village in Beijing.

Ricardo Teixeira, president of the Brazilian soccer confederation, said the team will receive the same treatment as all other Brazilian athletes even if stars including Kaka and Robinho are summoned to play, according to an interview with the O Globo newspaper on Sunday.

"I've tried other ways and it didn't work," he said. "In Atlanta, we had the best team, stayed in the best hotels, spent US$5 million (€3.3 million) and didn't win."

The Olympic gold medal is the only major title missing from Brazilian soccer's trophy case, and in past Olympiads the confederation has sought to provide an edge at the Summer Games to end that omission.

"It's an Olympic team, so the players will stay at the Olympic village and where the Olympic committee assigns it to stay and will travel with a commercial airline," Teixeira said.

Brazil was runner-up in 1988 in Seoul and 1984 in Los Angeles, when Dunga was a player. Brazil earned bronze in 1996 in Atlanta.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/02/sports/LA-SPT-OLY-SOC-Brazil-Accommodations.php