The easiest job in the world belongs to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as he supports Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics.
All da Silva has to do is say “Rio has the most beautiful beaches in the world,” and he has an instant audience.
He made this simple statement Tuesday in throaty Portuguese, with English translation, and right away I was picturing the long foamy waves and Corcovado in the background and, well, all right, I was also picturing “The Girl From Ipanema.”
In a week or so, da Silva will fly to Copenhagen for the Oct. 2 vote by the International Olympic Committee that will decide from among Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid and Rio. He will undoubtedly mention beaches. But he will also push his other talking points: Brazil is an emerging economic giant and it deserves to represent South America, which has never hosted the Olympics.
A union man, a former lathe worker, da Silva talks with passion about poor kids from Brazil or Argentina or Colombia who could “hop on a bus or a truck” to see the Games. It is not clear that any of the 106 voting members of the I.O.C. will care about this populist sentiment.
In New York to visit the United Nations on his way to Pittsburgh for the G-20 economic summit on Thursday and Friday, da Silva will then go to Copenhagen. He is following in the path of Prime Minister Tony Blair, who flew to Singapore in 2005 and chatted up I.O.C. members, apparently so successfully that London was chosen for 2012.
And then there was Vladimir V. Putin, who as Russia’s president traveled to Guatemala City in 2007 and turned on his K.G.B. charm until the city of Sochi was chosen to hold the 2014 Winter Games.
After those two missions, the folk wisdom is that it does not hurt to have a head of state work the room before the members take their secret vote.
“I have information on how London won,” da Silva said. “And yes, Blair talked to a lot of people.” Sebastian Coe, the head of the London organizing committee and a gold-medal runner, is also said to have turned a few delegates as London stunned Paris to win the vote for 2012. But the point was made: schmoozing just might work.
With that in mind, Japan’s new Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, is considering traveling to Copenhagen and King Juan Carlos of Spain is expected to attend. But President Obama has said he is not going.
“I would make a case in Copenhagen personally if I was not so firmly committed into making real the promise of quality affordable health care for every American,” Obama said recently, adding, “But the good news is I am sending a more compelling superstar to represent the city and country we love and that is our first lady.”
Asked if it was helpful for a head of state to attend the meeting, da Silva volunteered that he has been talking to I.O.C. members for two years. When somebody noted that Michelle Obama would represent the United States in Copenhagen, da Silva said he was bringing his wife with him, “so it will be two against one.”
More damaging than the absence of President Obama is the reality that the acting chief executive officer of the United States Olympic Committee, Stephanie A. Streeter, and the president, Larry Probst, have relatively little standing in the I.O.C., which is known for clubbiness and contacts.
The I.O.C. president, Jacques Rogge, has said, rather ominously, that disputes with the U.S.O.C. about revenue sharing and a proposed Olympic network in the United States will have “no negative effects whatsoever” on Chicago’s chances. The generally attractive plan by the great city of Chicago could be offset because some I.O.C. members are still unhappy over losing their perks in bid cities after revelations that favors helped bring the 1996 Summer Games to Atlanta and the 2002 Winter Games to Salt Lake City.
All four finalist cities for 2016 received good reports by the bid committee earlier this month. The strongest criticism of Rio mentioned violence, but da Silva said Brazil had not suffered an overt terrorist attack, and he told how poor youth from Brazil’s slums had helped quell robberies during recent sports events.
Speaking to invited representatives of about a dozen news outlets, da Silva made the point that Brazil has the largest economy of any nation that has not yet held the Summer Games. He stressed the development of oil fields off the Brazil coast and the nation’s aircraft industry.
“We’re not this tiny country people thought,” he said.
He noted that Brazil will be the host for the World Cup of soccer in 2014, and said infrastructure would be created for the tournament that would be useful in 2016. But the best infrastructure of all might be the sand and the waves.
Wait a minute: the 2016 Summer Games will be in August, which just happens to be late winter south of the Equator. However, a check of the weather for Rio in August revealed an average high of 76 degrees Fahrenheit and an average low 64 (24 to 18 centigrade). Very nice for walking on the beach, somebody from the bid committee reassured me. No doubt da Silva will mention this to the I.O.C. members.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/sports/23vecsey.html?_r=1
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Global Soccer: Academy for Brazilians on the Fields of Italy
Before a ball was kicked in the Serie A season, the national coach, Marcello Lippi, expressed the wish that the Italian league would make the world sit up and notice its quality before the World Cup in 2010.
Maybe it will. But it might not be the Italians doing it.
The eye-catching performances in AC Milan’s 2-1 victory in Siena on Saturday night were Alexandre Pato and Ronaldinho in the attack and Alessandro Nesta and Thiago Silva in defense. Three of the four are Brazilians who are hoping the Italian league makes their national coach, Carlos Dunga, sit up and notice them.
The other, certainly, is pure Italian, Roman in fact. But Nesta, classy defender though he could once claim to be, is 33 and coming back gingerly from a back injury that many feared might finish his career.
In the hot and humid late summer Tuscan night, the dovetailing of Nesta and Thiago was exactly what Milan needed after the retirement of the club captain, Paolo Maldini.
“Thiago helps him, Nesta guides him,” Leonardo, the new Milan coach, said on television after the game. “They complete each other.
“Sandro had the possibility of not playing anymore. This gave him an incredible motivation to return the same player as before.”
Thiago, almost a decade younger, tall and strong but also quick because he started his career as a winger with Fluminense, is, of course, a Brazilian, like his new coach.
Before Saturday, Leonardo had never coached in competitive sports. Now he is entrusted by Silvio Berlusconi, Milan’s president and Italy’s prime minister, to take care of his team. A player at the highest level, a World Cup winner with Brazil, but, before this summer, more of an aide, a talent scout to the president, Leonardo has replaced Carlo Ancelotti who had five years as a Milan player and eight as its coach.
The first player Ancelotti tried to take with him when he decamped to Chelsea in June was Milan’s “baby,” another Brazilian, Pato. Ancelotti had called Pato a phenomenon of youth — swift, with a powerful shot, superb balance and, something that nobody can coach, that extra sense of where the goals are.
Berlusconi said yes to selling Kaká, his Brazilian playmaker, to Real Madrid soon after Ancelotti left. He said no, at any price, to letting Pato go.
Those who have followed this remarkable youngster can sense why. But he looks a youth no longer. His birth certificate says he was born in Pato Branco, in the south of Brazil, 19 years ago, but the growth of beard, the possibly still-growing stature, the sometimes almost calloused expression, makes him a man before his time.
Pato, whose real name is Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva, slipped back to Brazil to marry the actress Sthefany Brito last month. Their honeymoon was short; Milan, like many a top European club, had scheduled a summer tour to make dollars in the United States.
It had lost eight out of 10 matches leading up to the Serie A start on Saturday. Leonardo claimed he was little troubled by that because he had seen the form and the pride being primed by his players for the real thing.
“I’m in the role now of thinking about others’ emotions, not mine,” said the coach. “My rapport with Berlusconi is very good. Berlusconi is in love with Ronaldinho. He thinks he has a pearl at home that needs to be used at its best.
“I have known Ronaldinho forever. I know his story, I played for years with his brother, I’m Brazilian. With Ronaldinho, it’s now or never with Milan and with the national team. Pato is an incredible talent who must affirm himself in the national team. I think they and Thiago will soon return to Brazil’s lineup.”
They are not on the squad named for the Sept. 5 crunch qualifying match in Rosario, Argentina. But five Serie A players are on the squad, as are Kaká and Adriano, who recently left AC Milan and Inter. As Lippi wished, the Italian league is being noticed, if only as a major part of a Brazilian renaissance.
What illuminated the tough opening fixture in Siena on Saturday was hugely Brazilian. Ronaldinho, pulling the strings of imagination behind the running of Pato and Marco Borriello, has some way to go to recapture the magical Ronaldinho of three or four seasons ago with Barcelona.
But little by little, the passes of Ronaldinho, the timing, the spontaneity split Siena’s rugged, he-man back line. There were men there who tried to kick Pato from the thighs down, but Ronaldinho knew where to put the ball, in places where those pack dogs would not snap at the younger Brazilian.
Each goal that Pato scored and at least four other chances emanated from Ronaldinho’s exact passes and Pato’s intuitive running. Add to that Borriello’s willingness to be the selfless foil and the pace of Marek Jankulovski down the left, and the two goals might well have been five.
Milan, despite six players missing through injury and its new striker, Klass-Jan Huntelaar, suspended, did just enough to win. Siena leveled after Pato’s first goal, but never looked likely to do so twice.
Pato turns 20 next month. He was sadly, almost comically, pursued by a pack of Siena players angry with him for teasing and wasting time at the end — but Pato has been upsetting older players since he was 3.
That is when he was spotted, and he then played futsal, indoor soccer. By 11 he had moved in with 83 boys and youths in the training academy of Internacional in Porto Alegre. After 10 games for that club, Pato, then 17, was sold to Milan.
Italy has been preparing him for Brazil ever since.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/sports/soccer/24iht-SOCCER.html
Maybe it will. But it might not be the Italians doing it.
The eye-catching performances in AC Milan’s 2-1 victory in Siena on Saturday night were Alexandre Pato and Ronaldinho in the attack and Alessandro Nesta and Thiago Silva in defense. Three of the four are Brazilians who are hoping the Italian league makes their national coach, Carlos Dunga, sit up and notice them.
The other, certainly, is pure Italian, Roman in fact. But Nesta, classy defender though he could once claim to be, is 33 and coming back gingerly from a back injury that many feared might finish his career.
In the hot and humid late summer Tuscan night, the dovetailing of Nesta and Thiago was exactly what Milan needed after the retirement of the club captain, Paolo Maldini.
“Thiago helps him, Nesta guides him,” Leonardo, the new Milan coach, said on television after the game. “They complete each other.
“Sandro had the possibility of not playing anymore. This gave him an incredible motivation to return the same player as before.”
Thiago, almost a decade younger, tall and strong but also quick because he started his career as a winger with Fluminense, is, of course, a Brazilian, like his new coach.
Before Saturday, Leonardo had never coached in competitive sports. Now he is entrusted by Silvio Berlusconi, Milan’s president and Italy’s prime minister, to take care of his team. A player at the highest level, a World Cup winner with Brazil, but, before this summer, more of an aide, a talent scout to the president, Leonardo has replaced Carlo Ancelotti who had five years as a Milan player and eight as its coach.
The first player Ancelotti tried to take with him when he decamped to Chelsea in June was Milan’s “baby,” another Brazilian, Pato. Ancelotti had called Pato a phenomenon of youth — swift, with a powerful shot, superb balance and, something that nobody can coach, that extra sense of where the goals are.
Berlusconi said yes to selling Kaká, his Brazilian playmaker, to Real Madrid soon after Ancelotti left. He said no, at any price, to letting Pato go.
Those who have followed this remarkable youngster can sense why. But he looks a youth no longer. His birth certificate says he was born in Pato Branco, in the south of Brazil, 19 years ago, but the growth of beard, the possibly still-growing stature, the sometimes almost calloused expression, makes him a man before his time.
Pato, whose real name is Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva, slipped back to Brazil to marry the actress Sthefany Brito last month. Their honeymoon was short; Milan, like many a top European club, had scheduled a summer tour to make dollars in the United States.
It had lost eight out of 10 matches leading up to the Serie A start on Saturday. Leonardo claimed he was little troubled by that because he had seen the form and the pride being primed by his players for the real thing.
“I’m in the role now of thinking about others’ emotions, not mine,” said the coach. “My rapport with Berlusconi is very good. Berlusconi is in love with Ronaldinho. He thinks he has a pearl at home that needs to be used at its best.
“I have known Ronaldinho forever. I know his story, I played for years with his brother, I’m Brazilian. With Ronaldinho, it’s now or never with Milan and with the national team. Pato is an incredible talent who must affirm himself in the national team. I think they and Thiago will soon return to Brazil’s lineup.”
They are not on the squad named for the Sept. 5 crunch qualifying match in Rosario, Argentina. But five Serie A players are on the squad, as are Kaká and Adriano, who recently left AC Milan and Inter. As Lippi wished, the Italian league is being noticed, if only as a major part of a Brazilian renaissance.
What illuminated the tough opening fixture in Siena on Saturday was hugely Brazilian. Ronaldinho, pulling the strings of imagination behind the running of Pato and Marco Borriello, has some way to go to recapture the magical Ronaldinho of three or four seasons ago with Barcelona.
But little by little, the passes of Ronaldinho, the timing, the spontaneity split Siena’s rugged, he-man back line. There were men there who tried to kick Pato from the thighs down, but Ronaldinho knew where to put the ball, in places where those pack dogs would not snap at the younger Brazilian.
Each goal that Pato scored and at least four other chances emanated from Ronaldinho’s exact passes and Pato’s intuitive running. Add to that Borriello’s willingness to be the selfless foil and the pace of Marek Jankulovski down the left, and the two goals might well have been five.
Milan, despite six players missing through injury and its new striker, Klass-Jan Huntelaar, suspended, did just enough to win. Siena leveled after Pato’s first goal, but never looked likely to do so twice.
Pato turns 20 next month. He was sadly, almost comically, pursued by a pack of Siena players angry with him for teasing and wasting time at the end — but Pato has been upsetting older players since he was 3.
That is when he was spotted, and he then played futsal, indoor soccer. By 11 he had moved in with 83 boys and youths in the training academy of Internacional in Porto Alegre. After 10 games for that club, Pato, then 17, was sold to Milan.
Italy has been preparing him for Brazil ever since.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/sports/soccer/24iht-SOCCER.html
Friday, August 14, 2009
Brazil: Brazil is always Brazil
The five-time world champions may have improved to 10-1 this year, but their 1-0 victory against Estonia on Wednesday in Tallinn wasn't pretty. The Seleção couldn't find its form, and even if it was its first match since winning the Confederations Cup in June, the best team in the world was expected to do a whole lot better against the 112th-ranked team, which last year was thumped 7-0 by Bosnia-Herzegovina in a World Cup qualifier.
But is this worrisome for Brazil ahead of the clash with archrival Argentina on Sept. 5? Not at all. The majority of the Brazil squad played few competitive matches since the vacations, and this was clearly noticeable on the field. For instance, Kaká just made his Real Madrid debut in a friendly win against MLS' Toronto FC last Friday, and is nowhere near full fitness.
Brazil coach Dunga said his "only concern" was avoiding injuries against the Northern Europeans, but the match was hotly contested, with both teams playing physical soccer and with no Joga Bonito in sight. The only Brazilian to come off seriously injured was Flamengo midfielder Kléberson, who dislocated his shoulder. But such a fiery encounter might have been good preparation for the Brazilians because, with World Cup spots at stake, the highly anticipated showdown with Argentina promises to include even more aggressive play.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/gregory_sica/08/13/south.america.qualifying/
But is this worrisome for Brazil ahead of the clash with archrival Argentina on Sept. 5? Not at all. The majority of the Brazil squad played few competitive matches since the vacations, and this was clearly noticeable on the field. For instance, Kaká just made his Real Madrid debut in a friendly win against MLS' Toronto FC last Friday, and is nowhere near full fitness.
Brazil coach Dunga said his "only concern" was avoiding injuries against the Northern Europeans, but the match was hotly contested, with both teams playing physical soccer and with no Joga Bonito in sight. The only Brazilian to come off seriously injured was Flamengo midfielder Kléberson, who dislocated his shoulder. But such a fiery encounter might have been good preparation for the Brazilians because, with World Cup spots at stake, the highly anticipated showdown with Argentina promises to include even more aggressive play.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/gregory_sica/08/13/south.america.qualifying/
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
AC Milan deny Pato offer from Chelsea
AC Milan have dismissed a newspaper report suggesting that Chelsea had agreed a deal to sign Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato.
The 19-year-old rising star has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge since former Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti was confirmed as the new Blues manager earlier in the summer.
One newspaper report claimed that Ancelotti had agreed a £45m fee with his former club but would allow the teenager to spend the next season on loan in Italy ahead of moving to England in 12 months' time.
However, Milan claim the story is completely without foundation and have reiterated their previous claim that Pato is not for sale at any price.
"With regards to the rumours circulated this morning by the English press, AC Milan clarify and reaffirm that there are no negotiations ongoing with Chelsea regarding Alexandre Pato, and that the player is absolutely non transferable," read a club statement.
Pato scored 15 goals in 36 Serie A appearances last season and is regarded as one of the brightest talents in world football.
Meanwhile, striker Luis Fabiano insists he is fully focused on Sevilla despite seeing his dream move to AC Milan fall through.
The Brazil international was expected to join the Italian giants last month before Milan decided to pull the plug on the deal when they were unable to agree a fee with their Spanish counterparts.
The Rossoneri then turned their attention to Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and swiftly wrapped up the signing of the Netherlands striker from Real Madrid.
"I'm not thinking about Milan," claimed Fabiano. "They made an offer, but I was always calm and thinking about Sevilla.
"I have been training for several weeks and I'm not yet at 100 per cent so that's what I'm concentrating on now, continuing working with Sevilla to start the season well.
"Everything's forgotten, I'm only thinking about Sevilla."
Elsewhere, Lazio beat Internazionale 2-1 in the final of the Supercoppa Italiana in Beijing's National Stadium on Saturday night, but despite the defeat coach Jose Mourinho was happy with his side's efforts.
Brazilian Francelino Matuzalem opened the scoring for Lazio before Tommaso Rocchi scored with a spectacular lob.
New signing Samuel Eto'o reduced the deficit with his first goal for the Nerazzuri with 12 minutes to go.
"We lost. What can I say?" said Mourinho. "I am not happy, but I liked it that my players showed character and fought until the end to win.
"I am very satisfied with the match, although not with the result, we should have won by two goals at least."
On the contrary, Lazio president Claudio Lotito was buoyed by his team's success.
He said: "I'm very satisfied with my team's performance.
"I consider it a victory of the group, not just the team."
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/ac-milan-deny-pato-offer-from-chelsea-1770110.html
The 19-year-old rising star has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge since former Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti was confirmed as the new Blues manager earlier in the summer.
One newspaper report claimed that Ancelotti had agreed a £45m fee with his former club but would allow the teenager to spend the next season on loan in Italy ahead of moving to England in 12 months' time.
However, Milan claim the story is completely without foundation and have reiterated their previous claim that Pato is not for sale at any price.
"With regards to the rumours circulated this morning by the English press, AC Milan clarify and reaffirm that there are no negotiations ongoing with Chelsea regarding Alexandre Pato, and that the player is absolutely non transferable," read a club statement.
Pato scored 15 goals in 36 Serie A appearances last season and is regarded as one of the brightest talents in world football.
Meanwhile, striker Luis Fabiano insists he is fully focused on Sevilla despite seeing his dream move to AC Milan fall through.
The Brazil international was expected to join the Italian giants last month before Milan decided to pull the plug on the deal when they were unable to agree a fee with their Spanish counterparts.
The Rossoneri then turned their attention to Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and swiftly wrapped up the signing of the Netherlands striker from Real Madrid.
"I'm not thinking about Milan," claimed Fabiano. "They made an offer, but I was always calm and thinking about Sevilla.
"I have been training for several weeks and I'm not yet at 100 per cent so that's what I'm concentrating on now, continuing working with Sevilla to start the season well.
"Everything's forgotten, I'm only thinking about Sevilla."
Elsewhere, Lazio beat Internazionale 2-1 in the final of the Supercoppa Italiana in Beijing's National Stadium on Saturday night, but despite the defeat coach Jose Mourinho was happy with his side's efforts.
Brazilian Francelino Matuzalem opened the scoring for Lazio before Tommaso Rocchi scored with a spectacular lob.
New signing Samuel Eto'o reduced the deficit with his first goal for the Nerazzuri with 12 minutes to go.
"We lost. What can I say?" said Mourinho. "I am not happy, but I liked it that my players showed character and fought until the end to win.
"I am very satisfied with the match, although not with the result, we should have won by two goals at least."
On the contrary, Lazio president Claudio Lotito was buoyed by his team's success.
He said: "I'm very satisfied with my team's performance.
"I consider it a victory of the group, not just the team."
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/ac-milan-deny-pato-offer-from-chelsea-1770110.html
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Obama Lobbies FIFA for U.S. to Host Soccer World Cup
President Barack Obama lobbied the head of soccer’s international governing body today to bring the World Cup to the U.S. during a meeting at the White House.
The president also received a personal invitation from Sepp Blatter, head of world governing body FIFA, to attend next year’s tournament in South Africa, a trip in which Obama has expressed interest, according to a White House statement.
“We’ll use the opportunity of the meeting to advocate for the United States to host the World Cup in either 2018, or 2022,” Josh Earnest, deputy White House press secretary, said before the discussion between Obama and Blatter.
The international tournament is held every four years. The host for the 2014 World Cup will be Brazil. Blatter said in an interview yesterday that he expects a “big fight” over the chance to host the next championship.
At last month’s G-8 summit in L’Aquila, Italy, Obama said it was his “goal” to travel to South Africa next June to attend the World Cup.
According to details today’s meeting released by the White House, Obama thanked Blatter for the invitation to the World Cup and for a gift of soccer balls for the president’s two daughters.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said no final decision has been made about Obama attending the World Cup, though he suggested that many of the president’s senior staff want him to make the trip.
“Scheduling has warned me against accepting unilaterally invitations to visit South Africa,” Gibbs said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=amSIiXAydsOM#
The president also received a personal invitation from Sepp Blatter, head of world governing body FIFA, to attend next year’s tournament in South Africa, a trip in which Obama has expressed interest, according to a White House statement.
“We’ll use the opportunity of the meeting to advocate for the United States to host the World Cup in either 2018, or 2022,” Josh Earnest, deputy White House press secretary, said before the discussion between Obama and Blatter.
The international tournament is held every four years. The host for the 2014 World Cup will be Brazil. Blatter said in an interview yesterday that he expects a “big fight” over the chance to host the next championship.
At last month’s G-8 summit in L’Aquila, Italy, Obama said it was his “goal” to travel to South Africa next June to attend the World Cup.
According to details today’s meeting released by the White House, Obama thanked Blatter for the invitation to the World Cup and for a gift of soccer balls for the president’s two daughters.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said no final decision has been made about Obama attending the World Cup, though he suggested that many of the president’s senior staff want him to make the trip.
“Scheduling has warned me against accepting unilaterally invitations to visit South Africa,” Gibbs said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=amSIiXAydsOM#
Monday, July 6, 2009
Fourth of July puts US Soccer in perspective
I spent one glorious summer in Rio de Janeiro many years ago. While still in graduate school, I was fortunate enough to have been awarded a scholarship to study Portuguese overseas. Mine was the typical exchange program where you live with a host family and take classes at a local university. Technically, I was there to conduct thesis research, and I did, as most of the summer was spent ‘familiarizing myself’ with Brazilian culture.
My timing could not have been more perfect. The year was 1994 and the country was smack dab in the middle of World Cup fever. As most of us know, Brazilians eat, sleep and breathe soccer. The game is so ingrained into their culture that at certain times of the year, nothing else matters. Not the economy, not poverty, not pollution. Soccer unites their nation.
Packers, Eagles and Giants fans? Do you think you’re religious about your team? Guess again. You Gator, Sooner, Buckeye and Notre Dame fans out there think you hold a candle? Nuh uh. The entire nation of Brazil gathers together when World Cup rolls around. I was lucky enough to experience that first hand.
One day I accosted a group of four beautiful Brazilian women chatting energetically while drinking beers at a beachside bar. Consider it the Brazilian version of ‘Sex and the City.’ The foursome was engaged in an in-depth conversation, about soccer. Where in the United States would you ever see that?
To further put things into perspective, the Horseshoe in Columbus, OH fits 102,000 screaming fans. Neyland Stadium in Knoxville seats 105,000. Michigan Stadium holds 108,000. While in Rio, I saw a regional soccer game at Estadio do Maracana. Maximum capacity 200,000! Brazil is scheduled to host the 2014 World Cup. Think they’ll have a home field advantage?
Prior to every World Cup game that summer, I was warned to have all beer, food and party accessories ready ahead of time for everything in Rio shut down at first kick. I didn’t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. During a match, there was not a storefront open or a vehicle on the street. Good luck finding a taxi.
The entire country gathered in their living rooms with family and friends with ice cold Brahma and feijao aplenty, remaining glued to the set for the entire game. These are not your fair-weather fans. When Brazil scored a goal, the city erupted. Shouts of pleasure echoed through the windows. Celebration ensued with each victory.
The United States hosted the World Cup that year. Ironically, Brazil played the U.S. on July 4th. I remember that date specifically because my host family threatened to kick me out of their apartment if the U.S. pulled off the upset. Needless to say, I was rooting for Brazil.
That 1994 Brazil team featured all-time greats: Romario, Bebeto, Taffarel and an 18-year old named Ronaldo. Taffarel, the goalie, consistently received the harshest criticism from both media and fans. That was until he blocked Italy’s game-tying goal in penalty kicks to bring home the title. He immediately became a national hero.
When it comes to World Cup history, Brazil dominates nearly every statistic: championships won, games won, goals scored. Every other country is a distant second. Soccer in the U.S. can never reach the importance it garners in Brazil or in other areas of the world. It’s ingrained and generational. Even though we all play soccer as children, most of us switch to another sport we’re more interested in like baseball, basketball or football.
For whatever reason, most Americans don’t have a passion for soccer. Not enough scoring, no viable professional league, the inability to use one’s hands, whatever the reason. We just don’t have the appetite for it no matter how hard US Soccer tries to encourage us to pay attention.
That was until last week when the U.S. almost pulled off an upset of international proportions. In the final game of the FIFA Federations Cup, the US led Brazil 2-0 at halftime. David was inconceivably about to slay Goliath. Then the Brazilian juggernaut scored three goals in the second half to squash any hopes the US had for winning its first major international competition.
I found myself once again glued to the television as if it were 1994 revisited. It was refreshing to see others interested in the match as well. I watched the first half while exercising on an elliptical machine at my local YMCA. When Landon Donovan scored the second goal of the game, I heard a few random shouts from within the gym over my blaring iPod. Not bad. Now just imagine how Brazil was rocking when they took the lead for good.
US Soccer put forth a valiant effort in their tune-up for next summer’s World Cup. They turned a lot of heads and more fans will assuredly be watching. It’s unreasonable to expect them to equal their recent success but at least now this team won’t be overlooked.
Late one night back in 1994, the Brazilian team announced they would host a parade. The Cariocan (those from Rio) players would be bringing the trophy around for all to see. We stayed up all night celebrating the victory as fans played a variety of percussive instruments. The beats were infectious. Fans rushed the parading buses with players waving from atop as the parade route ran through Copacabana and Ipanema.
It’ll be a long time coming before the United States ever brings one of those home. Do you think we’ll even notice?
http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/dailyloaf/2009/07/06/fourth-of-july-puts-us-soccer-in-perspective/
My timing could not have been more perfect. The year was 1994 and the country was smack dab in the middle of World Cup fever. As most of us know, Brazilians eat, sleep and breathe soccer. The game is so ingrained into their culture that at certain times of the year, nothing else matters. Not the economy, not poverty, not pollution. Soccer unites their nation.
Packers, Eagles and Giants fans? Do you think you’re religious about your team? Guess again. You Gator, Sooner, Buckeye and Notre Dame fans out there think you hold a candle? Nuh uh. The entire nation of Brazil gathers together when World Cup rolls around. I was lucky enough to experience that first hand.
One day I accosted a group of four beautiful Brazilian women chatting energetically while drinking beers at a beachside bar. Consider it the Brazilian version of ‘Sex and the City.’ The foursome was engaged in an in-depth conversation, about soccer. Where in the United States would you ever see that?
To further put things into perspective, the Horseshoe in Columbus, OH fits 102,000 screaming fans. Neyland Stadium in Knoxville seats 105,000. Michigan Stadium holds 108,000. While in Rio, I saw a regional soccer game at Estadio do Maracana. Maximum capacity 200,000! Brazil is scheduled to host the 2014 World Cup. Think they’ll have a home field advantage?
Prior to every World Cup game that summer, I was warned to have all beer, food and party accessories ready ahead of time for everything in Rio shut down at first kick. I didn’t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. During a match, there was not a storefront open or a vehicle on the street. Good luck finding a taxi.
The entire country gathered in their living rooms with family and friends with ice cold Brahma and feijao aplenty, remaining glued to the set for the entire game. These are not your fair-weather fans. When Brazil scored a goal, the city erupted. Shouts of pleasure echoed through the windows. Celebration ensued with each victory.
The United States hosted the World Cup that year. Ironically, Brazil played the U.S. on July 4th. I remember that date specifically because my host family threatened to kick me out of their apartment if the U.S. pulled off the upset. Needless to say, I was rooting for Brazil.
That 1994 Brazil team featured all-time greats: Romario, Bebeto, Taffarel and an 18-year old named Ronaldo. Taffarel, the goalie, consistently received the harshest criticism from both media and fans. That was until he blocked Italy’s game-tying goal in penalty kicks to bring home the title. He immediately became a national hero.
When it comes to World Cup history, Brazil dominates nearly every statistic: championships won, games won, goals scored. Every other country is a distant second. Soccer in the U.S. can never reach the importance it garners in Brazil or in other areas of the world. It’s ingrained and generational. Even though we all play soccer as children, most of us switch to another sport we’re more interested in like baseball, basketball or football.
For whatever reason, most Americans don’t have a passion for soccer. Not enough scoring, no viable professional league, the inability to use one’s hands, whatever the reason. We just don’t have the appetite for it no matter how hard US Soccer tries to encourage us to pay attention.
That was until last week when the U.S. almost pulled off an upset of international proportions. In the final game of the FIFA Federations Cup, the US led Brazil 2-0 at halftime. David was inconceivably about to slay Goliath. Then the Brazilian juggernaut scored three goals in the second half to squash any hopes the US had for winning its first major international competition.
I found myself once again glued to the television as if it were 1994 revisited. It was refreshing to see others interested in the match as well. I watched the first half while exercising on an elliptical machine at my local YMCA. When Landon Donovan scored the second goal of the game, I heard a few random shouts from within the gym over my blaring iPod. Not bad. Now just imagine how Brazil was rocking when they took the lead for good.
US Soccer put forth a valiant effort in their tune-up for next summer’s World Cup. They turned a lot of heads and more fans will assuredly be watching. It’s unreasonable to expect them to equal their recent success but at least now this team won’t be overlooked.
Late one night back in 1994, the Brazilian team announced they would host a parade. The Cariocan (those from Rio) players would be bringing the trophy around for all to see. We stayed up all night celebrating the victory as fans played a variety of percussive instruments. The beats were infectious. Fans rushed the parading buses with players waving from atop as the parade route ran through Copacabana and Ipanema.
It’ll be a long time coming before the United States ever brings one of those home. Do you think we’ll even notice?
http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/dailyloaf/2009/07/06/fourth-of-july-puts-us-soccer-in-perspective/
Friday, April 17, 2009
Pato is being picked on
AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has demanded that referees give more protection to star teenage striker Pato.
Milan have been complaining in recent weeks that Pato is being targetted by defenders and Galliani is worried for the Brazilian.
"He is being scientifically targetted the moment he steps on the pitch with the hope that, given that he is young, he will become a peripheral figure, something that happens on occasions," complained Galliani.
"Defenders have always kicked forwards but the treatment dealt out to Pato is a little excessive.
"But it's up to the referees to see if things are legal or not. Referees shouldn't protect anyone but they have to put the brakes on violent play and I hope they'll do so in the next match."
Milan, who host lowly Torino on Sunday, sit third in Serie A, just two points behind second-placed Juventus and four ahead of Genoa in fourth.
With leaders Inter Milan 12 points ahead of them, Milan's aim is merely to finish in the top three and ensure they qualify directly for the group stages of next season's Champions League.
Even so, the feeling in the San Siro is that second place is a real possibility.
"I don't like to make predictions, Juve have two points more than us but behind us there are Genoa, who are playing really well, and of course Fiorentina, we'll see what happens but it will be difficult (to claim second place)," added Galliani.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gmj4qXJ-CsoOjr77k5Sp81ggvLxA
Milan have been complaining in recent weeks that Pato is being targetted by defenders and Galliani is worried for the Brazilian.
"He is being scientifically targetted the moment he steps on the pitch with the hope that, given that he is young, he will become a peripheral figure, something that happens on occasions," complained Galliani.
"Defenders have always kicked forwards but the treatment dealt out to Pato is a little excessive.
"But it's up to the referees to see if things are legal or not. Referees shouldn't protect anyone but they have to put the brakes on violent play and I hope they'll do so in the next match."
Milan, who host lowly Torino on Sunday, sit third in Serie A, just two points behind second-placed Juventus and four ahead of Genoa in fourth.
With leaders Inter Milan 12 points ahead of them, Milan's aim is merely to finish in the top three and ensure they qualify directly for the group stages of next season's Champions League.
Even so, the feeling in the San Siro is that second place is a real possibility.
"I don't like to make predictions, Juve have two points more than us but behind us there are Genoa, who are playing really well, and of course Fiorentina, we'll see what happens but it will be difficult (to claim second place)," added Galliani.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gmj4qXJ-CsoOjr77k5Sp81ggvLxA
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