With the World Cup now just eight short days away, I realized its time for me to stop being lazy and start posting some new stuff. For starters, the U.S. team is all settled in their compound/hotel in South Africa, and have had no injury setbacks thus far. They play Australia on Saturday in nearby Roodepoort. Hopefully the match against the Soccerroos will provide a solid final tuneup yet will keep both teams safe from injury so close to the start of the tournament.
In other news, some of you might be wondering why there had been little news from powerhouse Brazil other than rumors of a Kaka-Felipe Melo feud. This has been because Dunga has never wavered from his controversial 23 man squad, and the team had yet to play a friendly, that is until today, when the Selacao faced off with Zimbabwe. It was perhaps not a huge surprise that Brazil got off to a slow start, but it was nevertheless alarming to see Zimbabwe dominate for the opening half hour and come close to scoring several times. Brazil finally scored in the 42nd minute thanks to a smashing free kick from left wing back Michel Bastos, which was later followed by two more spectacular goals that proved that joga bonito is still alive and well within the Brazilian squad. Highlights and even the entire match can be viewed on espn3.com, the goals are well worth a look.
In addition to the Brazilians, there has been some recent news from the defending campioni del mundo, Italia. To the surprise of many, coach Marcello Lippi omitted the young American/Italian striker Giuseppe Rossi from his final 23 man roster, causing the inevitable frustrated sigh from many American fans who are thinking that he could be the star of the U.S. team in South Africa, instead of watching the games from his couch. Remember however, that Rossi is only 23, and thus will have plenty of future opportunities to star for the Azzuri. And in case you were wondering who made the team over him, the names include Italian striker regulars such as Alberto Gilardino and Antonio Di Natale, as well as Napoli forward Fabio Quagliarella, who has proven he knows how to strike a football.
The other news from Italia regards their captain and MVP of the 2006 WC, Fabio Cannavaro. After having his contract not renewed by Juventus, the 36 year old defender transferred to, wait on it….Al Ahli. What??? Exactly. The club is based in Dubai, and signed Cannavaro to a two year deal. I find this news both hilarious (as a owner of a Cannavaro jersey) and sad, as an Azzuri fan. Their star defender for the World Cup just signed with a Middle Eastern team, one of the surest signs in sports that ones skills are washed up. While I’m sure he’s making good money, the fact that he’s not finishing his career at his hometown club of Napoli to play alongside his brother Paolo is the final nail in the coffin for any who claim that Cannavaro is still an elite defender. I hope he proves me wrong by regaining his 2006 form in a week, but it’s not looking good for Italy once one looks past their easy Group F.
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