tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-292224292024-03-06T22:32:00.451-08:00The Montanan Hooligans' WORLD CUP CENTEROut of the heart of Montana comes World Cup news and analyses for the smart, and the smartasses.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.comBlogger253125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-74171021061532501182017-03-20T19:57:00.000-07:002017-03-20T19:57:00.193-07:00Hexed! CONCACAF Happy Trails #113<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/67/PoliceAcademyMoscow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/67/PoliceAcademyMoscow.jpg" width="228" /></a>It's time for World Cup Qualifiers to enter their home stretch. Within 2017, the remaining 31 teams will have accomplished their "Mission to Moscow", and been sued for copyright infringement by the creators of the <i>Police Academy</i> franchise. But focusing only on those who qualify excuses us from the equally important work of focusing on the un-qualified countries. So we write these "Happy Trails" posts as a way of holding a candle for them, just as we hold a candle for sweet, sweet Tackleberry.<br />
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This week, we honor the North/Central American (and Caribbean) nations that have once again missed out on the final stage: the Hexagon. These nations should be familiar to most of us; after all, three members of the Hex have seemed set in stone for the competitions 20 year history: Mexico, Costa Rica, and the US of A. Two others have been in over half the competitions (Honduras + Trinidad And Tobago). The final spot now seems the purview of Panama, at least until Canada rises from the football ashes.<br />
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So who are these hexed has beens? This CONCACAF chaff? The minnows we cast back into the Caribbean for another three years? Here's the latest edition of Happy Trails.<br />
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<b>#113 Fare the well, St. Vincent And The Grenadines (+41 from 2014)</b><br />
<b>Why they lost: </b>Vincy Heat took a huge step reaching Round 4 this time out, so much so that a -23 goal differential is a minor detail in comparison with their accomplishment in getting here. (There should be some concern that a winless 2016 did them more harm than good though)<br />
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>The best stars of St. Vincent (and friends) can actually be seen regularly in the USL as part of the Seattle Sounders reserve squad: so get ready Rochester! Oalex Anderson and Myron Samuels are coming soon to a pitch near you.<br />
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<b>#112 Hasta luego, El Salvador (+14 from 2014)</b><br />
<b>Why they lost: </b>The friendly confines of Estadio "Magico" (named for Salvadoran legend Jorge "Magico" Gonzalez) may be the greatest boon to Los Cuscatelos, especially since they managed a pair of draws against group rivals Canada and Honduras. Unfortunatley, they still need to play away matches.<br />
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>A wider spread hipster appreciation of "Magico" Gonzalez. (Think of it, "Magic is going to run the Lakers? Ohhh...the basketball player, I was thinking about the Salvadoran striker..." etc.)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eOXdYmVcs-0" width="560"></iframe>
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<b>#111 Buh-bye, Jamaica (-66 from 2014)</b><br />
<b>Why they lost: </b>In what might well be called a catastrophe by Jamaican standards, the team was pushed back from its lofty perch as a consistent CONCACAF threat. In particular, losing at home to Haiti, a squad they normally push around, has to sting.<br />
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>Dumb allusions to Bob Marley songs. ("No Hexagon, No Cry", "I Shot the Sheriff, but I Couldn't Shoot the Winning Goal", etc.)<br />
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<b>#110 Au Revoir, Haiti (+34 from 2014)</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/july-2015-haitis-duckens-nazon-celebrates-his-goal-with-kervens-the-picture-id579606956?s=594x594" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/july-2015-haitis-duckens-nazon-celebrates-his-goal-with-kervens-the-picture-id579606956?s=594x594" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belfots and Nazon 4 Eva</td></tr>
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<b>Why they lost: </b>Les Grenadiers have seen a serious boost to their profile in the last year, a shock qualification for the Copa America Centenario gave them prime time billing alongside Brazil last summer, and a sturdy defensive corps saw them ship only four goals during World Cup Qualifiers (to more high profile CONCACAF sides (Costa Rica, Panama, and Jamaica). Their next step will be to turn those narrow 0-1 defeats into 1-1 draws.<br />
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>The continued development of my Haitian strike force dream team: Kelven Belforts and Duckens Nazon. (Also, the chance to turn "Belforts and Nazon" into a TNT original mystery series.<br />
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<b>#109 Farewell/Adieu, Canada (+16 from 2014)</b><br />
<b>Why they lost: </b>A few years ago, the Canucks reported that their national soccer association had a budget of <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/canadian+soccer+association+calls+2015+watershed+year+reports/11904552/story.html">$24 Million dollars</a>, and walked away with a $1.7 million dollar surplus. Which is a little less than .002% of what <a href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/study-canadian-hockey-worth-11b-annually/">Hockey is worth </a>to the Canadian economy. That may not be a fair comparison (I'm not a math person), and there are reportedly more soccer players than hockey ones in the great white north, but the simple fact is that until there are more soccer <i>fans</i> than hockey ones, Canda will always be a big country with a relatively meager investment.<br />
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>Any logical consistency to Canda's match scheduling. Outside of Qualifiers Canada has had to set up matches in the last year with Azerbijian, Uzbekistan, Mauritania, Morocco, South Korea and Bermuda. I mean...seriously...Canada...pick a lane, bro.<br />
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<b>#108 Ciudata, Guatemala (+16 from 2014)</b><br />
<b>Why they lost: </b>Because despite the glitzy golden ball won by Carlos Ruiz (who netted 8 in this round of competition), Guatemala can't play St. Vincent and the Grenadines every match (which is why Ruiz's 5 goals against them were ultimately futile).<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vr3egZOWBys" width="560"></iframe>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>The vague, sinking feeling that overcame the entire US Soccer fan base when Guatemala when Los Chapines beat the Yanks at home, and sent Jurgen Klinsmann's career as manager into a death spiral. Oh the old days of US National Gloom and Doom, only slightly less fun then current day gloom and doom.<br />
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The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-46675375054639761862016-04-22T09:49:00.001-07:002016-09-04T10:52:03.904-07:00Happy Trails in 2016: (142-116) One Shining Moment<i>The following is as close as we really come to an In Memorium tribute for World Cup competitors. After all, while "One Shining Moment" Montages love to end with a a thrilling buzzer beater and confetti explosion, they just don't pop without a crying flutist or two.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>Here now are the World Cup corollaries to said sad flautists.</i><br />
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<u><b>142 'Ilaa Liqaaa, </b><b>Kuwait 2014 Finish: #132 (-10)</b></u></div>
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<b>Why they lost: </b>While they were riding high in second place of their group last October, Kuwait's government (read: the royal family) got involved in the FA again. (<i>Exactly what they did is unclear, as every <a href="http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2016/m=1/news=kuwait-sanctioned-after-unplayed-fifa-world-cuptm-qualifier-2755349.html">press</a> <a href="http://kfa.org.kw/NewsDetails.aspx?Id=631">release</a> and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/oct/16/kuwait-fa-suspended-fifa">wire</a> <a href="http://english.alarabiya.net/en/sports/2015/10/17/FIFA-suspends-Kuwait-Football-Association.html">report</a> uses vague generalities to excuse the actions.</i>) So, for the third time in 10 years, Kuwait was disqualified from all tournaments and competitions they were entered in. (Oddly almost held on to their runner-up status, a Lebanon draw on the final match day, just barely knocking them back into third).</div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>The excitement of dream casting the HBO Mini-series/Movie about the Kuwaiti FA offices. Please let this be an excuse to cast Shah Rukh Khan....PLEASE!</div>
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<u><b>141 Long Jay Gay, </b><b>Bhutan: 2014 Finish #205 (+64)</b></u></div>
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<a href="https://sports-images.vice.com/images/2015/04/16/bhutan-body-image-1429202944.jpg?output-quality=75" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://sports-images.vice.com/images/2015/04/16/bhutan-body-image-1429202944.jpg?output-quality=75" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a><b>Why they lost: </b>The Thunder Dragons may have had their heads turned a bit by all the positive press coverage. But that kind of coverage will come your way if you win your first games ever in FIFA qualifications (even if they're won against Sri Lanka). After the BBC, ESPN and all manner of mainstream (<a href="http://montanansforsoccer.blogspot.com/2015/03/well-ill-be-damned-2018-kickoff.html">and more obscure</a>) media gush over them, it's hard not to be excited.</div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>Changlimath Stadium. I mean...we'll see it again at the 2046 World Cup when 80% of the Earth is under rising sea levels and all tournaments are hosted by mountain ranges. But who knows how often we'll connect again before that?</div>
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<u><b>140 </b></u><b><u>Lia Suhn Hao-y, </u></b><u><b>Cambodia: 2014 Finish #199 (+59)</b></u></div>
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<b>Why they lost: </b>The Angkor Warriors have made some serious strides since we last saw them get dummped out of the competition by Laos four years ago. Still, a porous defense ceding 27 goals nearly half of which came in two ties against Syria, is hard to over come.</div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>The seven way Phenom Penh Derby is practically a league unto itself, but while that particular drama mostly plays out in the streets of the capital, the music of Cambodian-style Pop band Dengue Fever, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmwKD1STXZk">is for everyone</a>!</div>
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<u><b>139 Jaigen, </b><b>Chinese Taipei: 2014 Finish #197 (+58)</b></u></div>
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<b>Why they lost:</b> Taipei, or as it's better known from the labels on your shirts/your kids toys "Taiwan" took another step this round. Moving in to the second round after beating Brunei. However, and to state the obvious, second round teams were better than Brunei, and despite scoring several goals on the road, a drought at home left them unable to capitalize on any kind of home field advantage.</div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>We're not China-phobes or anything, but c'mon, a little pro-democracy tweaking of President Xi Jingping, is always a plus in our books.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thenewswheel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Jimmy-Carter-statue-The-Simpsons-560x488.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://thenewswheel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Jimmy-Carter-statue-The-Simpsons-560x488.png" height="174" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Carter/Sohel...similar positions</td></tr>
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<u><b>138 </b></u><b><u>Bhalo Thakben,</u></b><u><b> </b><b>Bangladesh: 2014 #180 (+42)</b></u><br />
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<b>Why they lost:</b> The final 590 minutes of Bangladesh's qualifying run passed in an offensive malaise that left even Jimmy Carter speechless (YEAH! obscure Carter Joke!). Ultimately falling: five-nil; four-nil; two-nil; five-nil; four-nil; and eight-nil to a Jordan crew that clearly missed the memo about goals against the worst team in your group not counting. In retrospect giving six out of seven games to keepers younger than 25 might have given experience, if not confidence to the young team.</div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>First choice goalkeeper Shahidul Yousuf Alam Sohel. Not because he was incredible, but because we expect he'll be going into witness relocation programs.</div>
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<u><b>137 </b></u><b><u>Hau ba lai, </u></b><u><b>Timor-Leste: 2014 Finish #203 (+66)</b></u></div>
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<b>Why they lost: </b>When the Little Samba Island was going well, they were really going well. A famous draw in Kuala Lumpur and a draw at home against Palestine was a vast improvement on the last cup. Even narrow defeats at home to Malaysia and UAE were things to take pride in. But when they went wrong, they really went wrong, with a 10-0 drubbing AT HOME to Saudi Arabia the final <a href="http://www.goal.com/en/news/3194/video/2015/11/17/17416082/we-want-10-timor-lestes-defence-has-a-night-to-forget">straw</a>.</div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>Samba-offs in place of penalty shoot outs. Honestly, it seems about as fair, and possibly more dramatic (especially if we're dealing with Russian judges). </div>
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<u><b>136 </b></u><b><u>Ila Al-Liqa, </u></b><u><b>Yemen: 2014 Finish #179 (+43)</b></u></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Al-Sarori celebrates, that much closer<br />
to a college mixer!</td></tr>
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<b>Why they lost: </b>The Red of Yemen didn't have much offense, and when both of their goals at this stage came from 40 minutes from substitute striker Ahmed Al-Sarori. To be fair he's only 17, and better still, he's only 17.</div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>With the rise of Al-Sarori, we may just be missing the final bottoming out of Yemen. 14 years ago they were dangerous, now they're increasingly an afterthought. Easier to miss the trough than the peak.</div>
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<u><b>135 </b></u><b><u>Phir Milenge, </u></b><u><b>India: 2014 Finish #183 (+48)</b></u></div>
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<b>Why they lost: </b>India's biggest sports juggernaut: T20 Cricket. Great for a cricket-crazed country and people who love instant offense. Lousy for a minor soccer bubble and anyone who likes a good tea interval. (<i>Sidebar: India also holds a unique distinction, the first team I've ever seen who had to forfeit a game 3-0 after losing it in real time...3-0)</i><br />
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>The probable swan song for Captain and 50 goal legend of the Blue Tigers: Sunil Chettri. Cricket players get half-centuries all the time, Chettri (31) may not be around long enough to add to his tally in another Cup Qualifier.</div>
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<b><u>134 </u></b><b><u>Selamat Tinggal, </u></b><u><b>Malaysia: 2014 Finish #182 (+48)</b></u></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.gulfnews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1580873!/image/2034099731.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_460346/2034099731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://static.gulfnews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1580873!/image/2034099731.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_460346/2034099731.jpg" height="150" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Really hope they're debating whether<br />
they like "Comet" or "Weeping Willows"<br />
better.</td></tr>
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<b>Why they lost: </b>If your country gets shellacked 10-0, you're pretty much cooked in World Cup qualifying. If your country gets shellacked 10-0, you're probably going to be pretty upset with how your team and Federation are working. If you get shellacked 10-0, you might be tempted to show how upset you are at the next home match. However, if you get shellacked 10-0, <i><u>then</u></i> show your displeasure by throwing flares and smoke bombs on the pitch while your crew looks for a late equalizer against the best team in the group....well...you're not helping much.</div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>A far more angsty counterpoint to the most frustrated American ultras.</div>
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<u><b>133 </b></u><b><u>Sok Dee Der</u></b><b><u>, </u></b><u><b>Laos: 2014 Finish #191 (+58)</b></u></div>
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<b>Why they lost: </b>Laos saved their three goal outburst for a game that did not occur, winning by forfeit over Kuwait...and yet Kuwait still managed to finish six points clear of Tim Xad.</div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>The statute of limitations running out on the "New Laos National Stadium", constructed in 2009. I never thought I'd see the need for naming rights so clearly. Speaking of...any one want to go in on the naming rights for Laos' National Stadium with me?</div>
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<u><b>132 </b></u><b><u>To Bozdid, </u></b><u><b>Tajikistan: 2014 Finish #186 (+54)</b></u></div>
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<b>Why they lost: </b>Squished amongst other former Soviet states, Tajikstan has the smallest landmass, relatively minor economic advantages, and a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emomali_Rahmon">beloved leader/despot who has ruled for 22 years</a>. I'm not saying they're a little disadvantaged in investments in youth soccer, but I'm guessing other things come before set-piece training.</div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>Despite a clear decline in their form from the last cycle, the Persian Lions have <a href="http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/blog/2016/03/24/tajikistan-take-socceroos-prime-time">invested heavily</a> in youth development, going so far as to make their U-19 side double up as a club team in their top division. On top of all this, they're making the team the focal point of their the only HD network in Tajikistan, so what I'll really miss is discovering exactly what passes for a "Hot Take" in Tajik color commentary.<br />
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<b><u>131 </u></b><b><u>Dhanee, </u></b><u><b>Maldives: 2014 Finish #187 (+56)</b></u></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.oneandonlyresorts.com/~/media/oneandonly/reethi-rah/about/793x634/one-and-only-reethi-rah-maldives-location.jpg?v1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://www.oneandonlyresorts.com/~/media/oneandonly/reethi-rah/about/793x634/one-and-only-reethi-rah-maldives-location.jpg?v1" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Watch the sunset, or the news....<br />
No brianer in the Maldives</td></tr>
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<b>Why they lost: </b>Ahhh, Maldives, pretty enough to be my retirement home, tumultuous enough to be my nightmare. (Seriously, I know I just did a little mini-poli-sci rant about Tajikistan, but the Maldives makes that mess look as controversial as a Rick Santorum sweater vest.) There's a former president in <a href="http://www.brownpoliticalreview.org/2015/04/autocracy-and-back-again-the-ordeal-of-the-maldives/">jail for terrorism,</a> a former vice president <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/maldives-politics-idUSKCN0SI05520151024">under arrest</a> for plotting the assassination of his OWN president, and a growing hunger for the authoritarian, China-cuddling, radical-Islam preaching, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/10/maldives-revokes-state-of-emergency">son-of-a-former-dictator current president to lead the way</a>. With all this unrest it was nice to have Bhutan to beat up on.</div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>Ali Ashfaq. Now, <a href="http://montanansforsoccer.blogspot.com/2011/08/happy-trails-191-177-afc-rd-2.html">as he was before</a>, the most interesting striker in Southeast Asia. And possibly, the most trustworthy public persona in the Maldives. </div>
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<u><b>130 Adios Esta, </b><b>Guam; 2014 Finish 207 (+ 77)</b></u></div>
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<b>Why they lost:</b> Like Bhutan, Guam didn't even enter last cycle's tournament. Unlike Bhutan, Guam won a game in this round. They actually won two! And won a draw against Oman to be well positioned for advancement half-way through the round. Then the wheels came off the wagon, right around the time they went on the road. Dropping their final four matches without scoring a goal (notably, talisman/LA Galaxy player AJ DeLaGarza did not travel for those games).</div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>Having a little slice of America kick butt in a totally different confederation: USA! USA! USA!</div>
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<b><u>129 </u></b><b><u>Tam Biet, </u></b><u><b>Vietnam: 2014 Finish 181 (+52)</b></u></div>
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<b>Why they lost: </b>If you ask the Vietnamese board, it probably has something to do with former coach Toshiya Miura's poor player development. Despite a solid 24 points out of 14 matches under Miura, and a better record with the U-23's, the board <a href="http://www.espnfc.com/blog/football-asia/153/post/2795527/vietnam-sack-japanese-head-coach-toshiya-miura">canned Miura</a> after getting bounced out of the U-23 championships in January of this year. To be fair, under coach Nguyen Hu Thang, the first local manager to cover a Cup qualifier in over a decade, they did record a thumping 4-1 win over Taipei, and a narrow 1-0 loss away to Iraq.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Nguyen Van Toan...Nào Loons!!<br />
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>Scouting opportunities. (Under the theory that Vietnam has a clearer development system than Laos, I thought my local club side--Minnesota United--could consider taking on players who appeal to a large segment of the local fan base.) Two of the most promising candidates: Luong Xuan Truong and Do Duy Manh have already been poached by the J-League and the K-League respectively, but their fellow Academy member Nguyen Van Toan has also been called up...I'm just saying...</div>
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<u><b>128 </b></u><b><u>Thwa Dau Me, </u></b><u><b>Myanmar: 2014 Finish 184 (+56)</b></u></div>
<div>
<b>Why they lost: </b>Four years ago, we pinned their defeat on that all encompassing of villains, <a href="http://montanansforsoccer.blogspot.com/2011/08/happy-trails-191-177-afc-rd-2.html">the military junta</a>. This time, it's a little more logical: deprived of all home matches (see the in-match violence that contributed to their elimination last time round), it was vital to gather up as many road points as possible. But a late goal in Lebanon and a fail to scramble home a winner in Laos left them in fourth rather than second.</div>
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<div>
<b>What we'll miss: </b>Awkward photo ops for Aun San Suu Kyi. Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Parlimentarian, "State Counselor"/Power-Behind-the-Throne in Myanmar's politics, and burgeoning <a href="http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/communities/2013-14/aung-san-suu-kyi-praises-premier-skills-in-myanmar.html">football fan</a>!</div>
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<u><b>127 Khuda Hafez, </b><b>Afghanistan: 2014 Finish #200 (+73)</b></u></div>
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<b>Why they lost: </b>Still young, still growing, still optimistic, Afghanistan notched their first point ever in World Cup Qualifying. In fact they notched 9 points in 8 games, both massive improvements for the team. The downside is that the points all came against fellow lower tier squads like Cambodia and Singapore while juggernaut South Korea (and shocking story Syria) ran roughshod over them. </div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>With players bringing their training from refugee locales around the world, the mixing of Afghanistan's Swedish, German, Dutch, and American roots makes them a veritable stew...or since we're talking about Afghanistan...a Chalau for the masses.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/980w/public/images/methode/2016/02/27/f46bb292-dcf5-11e5-ba33-b7a5a5ded6db_image_hires.jpg?itok=xU4D9w_4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/980w/public/images/methode/2016/02/27/f46bb292-dcf5-11e5-ba33-b7a5a5ded6db_image_hires.jpg?itok=xU4D9w_4" height="208" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">The fall of Bahrain is, indeed,<br />
a head scratcher.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<u><b>1</b></u><u><b>26 </b></u><b><u>Allah Yisallimak, </u></b><u><b>Bahrain: 2014 Finish #130 (+4)</b></u></div>
<div>
<b>Why they lost: </b>With so many other rounds of qualifying knocked off before Asia wrapped up, it looks like Bahrain got a little better...but don't be fooled, this is a sharp decline from a team that twice in the last decade, was one match away from a World Cup debut. Maybe their golden generation has rusted, maybe they're despondent that Sheikh Salman wasn't elected as president, or maybe they're the poster children for how oodles of FIFA money can't buy you a trip to the big show.</div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>Poking fun at Sheikh Salman, I mean...c'mon, he was nearly the most powerful man in football AND a Human Rights abuser! Such a better villain than another bald European <a href="http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/35966433">linked to offshore bank accounts again</a>...c'mon let's not totally buy into cliches, people!!<br />
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<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Logo_Azkals.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="mw-mmv-final-image" crossorigin="anonymous" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Logo_Azkals.png" width="158" /></a><u><b>125 Paalam, </b><b>Phillipines: 2014 Finish #185 (+60)</b></u></div>
<div>
<b>Why they lost: </b>I was rather bullish on The Azkals/Street Dogs at the start of this round, but they whimpered on the way to the finish line through a <a href="http://sports.inquirer.net/198741/azkals-concede-late-goal-fall-to-yemen">stunning 1-0 loss at home</a> to bottom of the heap Yemen. </div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>The logo that appears on most national team broadcasts: that's a dog that looks like it would even take a bite out of Manny Pacquiao!</div>
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<u><b>124 Smell Ya Later, </b><b>Singapore: 2014 Finish #138 (+14)</b></u></div>
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<b>Why they lost: </b>At the end of the day, second place Syria was simply better than Singapore. Big defeats home and away broke up a promising opening half of the campaign, and punctuated a miserable final three defeats in a row.</div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>I would say the by now psychic team chemistry between 120+ cap duo Baihakki Khaizan and Shahril Izak, but as they both play for the Malaysia's favorite B Team (Johor Da'Rul Tazim) they're nearly inescapable. So I'll just say the dream of covering a game in Singapore and writing off drinks at the <a href="http://www.raffles.com/singapore/">Raffles</a> bar as a business expense.<br />
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<u><b>123 'Illa-liqaa, </b><b>Lebanon: 2014 Finish #95 (-28)</b></u></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wiesbadener-kurier.de/fm/819/thumbnails/CON_525012280_55204_M.jpg.28729300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.wiesbadener-kurier.de/fm/819/thumbnails/CON_525012280_55204_M.jpg.28729300.jpg" height="150" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Coming soon to a box near Beriut</td></tr>
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<b>Why they lost: </b>As their greatest offensive outburst (<a href="https://youtu.be/gAaA1adRZDY">a seven goal thumping of Laos</a>) Lebanon can thrive when playing in from the wings, but their inability to repeat that feat against non-Laotian sides like Kuwait and South Korea tamped down their goal difference and stopped them from making their second straight trip to the last round of qualification.</div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>A host of young debutantes have a chance to make a real impact on the Cedars in years to come. Most notable FSV Mainz's goal keeper in waiting: Daniel Zeaiter.</div>
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<u><b>122 Ila Al-Liqa, </b><b>Palestine: 2014 Finish #178 (+56)</b></u></div>
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<b>Why they lost: </b>Palestine needs a much wider pipeline into the burgeoning world of Chilean/Palestinian prospects. The path blazed by defender Alexis Norambuena has now led to Yashir Pinto, who netted two goals in his first ever national cap.</div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>Any chance to see more matches in the Palestinian territory. After all, if they can host a match in Jerusalem or Hebron, it's because they have a safe environment for foreign teams, referees, journalists and observers. And the more safety there is in Palestine, the better for everyone.</div>
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<u><b>121 Sag Bolun, </b><b>Turkmenistan: 2014 Finish #177 (+56)</b></u></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/photo/2013/06/the-city-of-white-marble-ashgabat-turkmenistan/a11_hgabat08/main_900.jpg?1420507846" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class=" lazyloaded" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/photo/2013/06/the-city-of-white-marble-ashgabat-turkmenistan/a11_hgabat08/main_900.jpg?1420507846" data-src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/photo/2013/06/the-city-of-white-marble-ashgabat-turkmenistan/a11_hgabat08/main_900.jpg?1420507846" height="146" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">So Excited, But we Can Actually Hide It.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Why they lost: </b>Turkmenistan was at their best at their home stadium in Ashgabat, <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2013/06/the-city-of-white-marble-ashgabat-turkmenistan/100528/">City of White Marble</a> and gargantuan golden statues of former President for Life Saparmurat Niyazov (who may also have named himself President of the After-Life, reports are vague). Had they been able to take all that white marble with them to Tehran, Oman or Guam, they might not have lost those matches.<br />
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>Following up a match in Turkmenistan with that most exciting of Turkemn activities: Bumper Cars</div>
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<u><b>120 </b></u><b><u>Jakshy Kalyngydzar,</u> </b><u><b>Kyrgyzstan. 2014 Finish: 188 (+68)</b></u></div>
<div>
<b>Why they lost: </b>As we all know, as FC Dordoi goes, so goes the Kyrgyz national team....okay, maybe we don't all know that. The Yellow Blue of FC Dordoi Bishkek have put 19 players on the national team in the last year alone. But while that unity often pays off for national teams with cohesive squad mentalities (see Spain), Dordoi's struggles against reigning champions Aly Osh may have affected their confidence.</div>
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>Kyrgyzstan is a 30 point Scrabble word...if only they allowed Proper Nouns! </div>
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<u><b>119 </b></u><b><u>Allah yisallimak, </u></b><u><b>Oman. 2014 Finish #92 (-27)</b></u></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/shared-images/players/a/ali-al-habsi/28491-lsh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/shared-images/players/a/ali-al-habsi/28491-lsh.jpg" height="138" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">All for Al-Habsi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Why they lost: </b>Oman seems to be that perpetual bridesmaid of Asian soccer. Always on the cusp of breaking through, never actually doing it. It may have become part of their whole identity, like the Cubs or the Clippers. They've even begun to shuffle blithely to their doom in smaller contests like the Gulf Cup of Nations. Oman needs a win, a convincing, commanding triumph to get back on track. Perhaps they could host Andorra?<br />
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>If Daniel Zeaiter is the future of Goalkeeping, let's take a moment to tip our cap to the past in Ali Al-Habsi whose 118 national team appearances (and track record in the Premiership) have set a lofty standard for his heirs to the gloves in Oman.</div>
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<u><b>118 Jongin, </b><b>Hong Kong: 2014 Finish: #189 (+71)</b></u></div>
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<b>Why they lost: </b>In the NCAA tournament field they talk about "signature wins", impressive wins against vaunted opponents. Hong Kong needed one of those. Two <a href="http://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1855037/china-v-hong-kong-world-cup-qualifier-live-blog">scoreless</a> <a href="http://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1879851/hong-kong-v-china-follow-all-action-live">draws</a> against mainland rivals (both athletically as well as socially and politically: <a href="http://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/1766548/hong-kong-and-china-square-again-world-cup-qualifiers">China</a>. Against a backdrop of the <a href="http://time.com/3471366/hong-kong-umbrella-revolution-occupy-central-democracy-explainer-6-questions/">umbrella revolution </a>and perpetual soft power exertion by Xi Jingping, Hong Kong would have thrilled to beat their <strike>overlords</strike> opponents, or at least settled for eliminating them from the competition. (Poor perfromances by our next two eliminated squads couldn't even give them that small solace)<br />
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>Triumphs for democracy.</div>
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<u><b>117 </b></u><u style="text-align: center;"><b>Annyong hi-Kashipishio, </b></u><u><b>North Korea. 2014 Finish: #133 (+16)</b></u></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chinadailyasia.com/attachement/jpg/site441/20130805/1375674813936_674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.chinadailyasia.com/attachement/jpg/site441/20130805/1375674813936_674.jpg" height="131" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting at every position soon....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Why they lost:</b> There's a little bit of pressure on the Thousand Mile Horse (<i>Chollima in Korean</i>). Failure may be met with <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1302110/Claims-North-Korea-World-Cup-squad-tortured-early-exit.html">torture</a> or <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jul/30/north-korea-footballers-public-mauling">public shaming</a>. So with victory with less than 10 minutes to see out a victory that would move them on to the final round of qualifying, it is entirely plausible that the pressure got to them in Manila: ceding two late goals and beginning the long, slow march back to Pyongyang.<br />
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<b>What we'll miss: </b>Pak Kwang-ryong. The lone North Korean <a href="http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/article/2015/01/13/pak-lifts-veil-secretive-koreans">to play</a> in Europe (in the Swiss League)...but I've also struggled to identify where he's playing at present. If you google yourself Kwang-ryong: STOP READING. Run, Run, RUN NOW.</div>
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<u><b>116 Salaam, </b><b>Jordan. 2014 Finish: #34 (-82)</b></u></div>
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<b>Why they lost: </b>The Chivalrous had a difficult time putting the ball through in the final third. Take away their shellackings of Bangladesh and their 21 goal outburst shrinks to 9. Part of that may come from the revolving door in the manager's seat since their inter-confederation playoff three years ago. Six coaches including two non-consecutive terms for local Ahmed Abdel-Qader, two ill-fated brits and one hapless Belgian have left a once promising squad adrift and listless.</div>
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<b>What we'll miss:</b><b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b>The vanishing <a href="http://montanansforsoccer.blogspot.com/2013/09/waning-seconds-afc-playoff-picture.html">Jordanian strike force</a> of Abdallah Deeb (pushed back to the midfield) and Mossab al-Laham (uncalled for a year, and stalled out on the club side).<br />
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The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-31144559901084874452016-02-20T06:29:00.003-08:002016-02-20T06:37:07.664-08:00FIFA Election 2016: Lose but Don't ChooseJust when you think you've done the unthinkable and escaped the endless talking points and countdown clocks around the American Presidential Primaries, I'm here to batter you with news of another election!<br />
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<a href="https://static-secure.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Pix/pictures/2015/7/20/1437399934774/Fifa-President-Sepp-Blatt-010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://static-secure.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Pix/pictures/2015/7/20/1437399934774/Fifa-President-Sepp-Blatt-010.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a><br />
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Don't worry, this one isn't about who gets access to nuclear launch codes, or the power to appoint a generation of jurists. It's actually about important things: World Football. Specifically the election of a new FIFA president (unless Sepp Blatter seizes power through some kind of bureaucratic coup, rising up with umpteen forms in triplicate and pockets stuffed with Swiss Francs).</div>
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Unfortunately, we have absolutely no way to influence the vote. No fan does. No FA has polled their populace. No debate was held (though one was hilariously/feebly scheduled). No candidate is glad handing or meeting regularly with the press, players or supporters who make the beautiful game so beautiful.</div>
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So perhaps it's fair to ask "why should we care about which over-indulged bureaucrat gets to over-indulge until they die or an Attorney General arrests them?" It's a fair question, but here's the fair answer: even the court jester had to know who was king. </div>
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Much as we mock the misanthropes in Zurich, we are beholden to them for the national games, for the global pride, for the international joy of watching and wallowing in athletic artistry. We're stuck with them, and even if they don't care about us, what they choose to do will effect the games we see across America in the future.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sportingintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Last-Supper-final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Last Supper final" border="0" class="attachment-full wp-post-image" src="http://www.sportingintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Last-Supper-final.jpg" height="251" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Candidates in the light from Left to Right: <br />
Sexwale, Salman, Champagne, (Blatter & Platini), Infantino, Ali</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Using, <a href="http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2015/11/16/sportingintelligences-guide-to-fifa-2016-presidential-race-161101/">The Sporting Intelligence</a>'s insightful and brutally direct break down, I highlighted a few key parts of each candidates platform. Almost every candidate has known enough to make approving noises about big transparency issues, and pledges for reform, but so did Uncle Sepp, and while those things matter, we may not see the truth of such "reforms" for another 20 years or so. For the here and now, local fans will most notice if the next president works to: </div>
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<ul>
<li><i>improve minor associations</i> (which would expand the talent pool for US Club teams and support greater parity on the world stage);</li>
<li><i>expand the World Cup</i> (from 32-40 as per Michael Platini's proposal)<i>; </i></li>
<li><i>invest in grassroots and women's football</i>; <i>tackling social ills</i> (i.e. doping, racism, child trafficking from the third world under the guise of "club scouts"); </li>
<li><i>include geo-political requirements on World Cup hosts</i> (which would ideally save fans from the queasy feelings instilled by bully candidates like Russia and Qatar); </li>
<li>and <i>increase technology in the game </i>(the one thing everyone has claimed they will do)<i>.</i></li>
</ul>
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<div>
So where do they stand and who would win a local-fan primary? Let's look at the candidates, their life stories, their effect on local fans, their chances, and who their best presidential campaign corollary is (<i>apologies to ardent Republicans who would rather not see their favorite candidates connected to the mess of FIFA. I'm not implying any judgement, it was just easier to draw from a big pool</i>)</div>
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<b><i>The Guy who Doesn't Know When to Quit: <a href="http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2016/01/15/fifa-2016-race-candidate-interview-prince-ali-150102/">Prince Ali Bin Hussein</a></i></b></div>
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<a href="http://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/01/06/07/ali-bin-al-hussein-PA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/01/06/07/ali-bin-al-hussein-PA.jpg" height="150" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a><b>Who He Is: </b>A member of the Jordanian royal family and runner-up to Sepp Blatter in the last election (in May of 2015). Prior to that he founded a regional organization for football in the Middle East, was a FIFA VP for Asia and a staunch advocate for allowing the hijab in Women's football. He's also kind of the rock and roll candidate, turning up to Arsenal games, showing up for just about every public event, showing his family man status, etc.</div>
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<b>Who He Is Not: </b>A humble street urchin posing as Prince Ali Ababwa...that would be ridiculous!</div>
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<b>How He Would Effect Mid-American Fans: </b>Hussein is in favor of continuing many of the growth oriented practices of FIFA's recent past (more technology, cracking down on racism, supporting small member associations, growing grassroots/women's game). But he differs in two key details: he would alter requirements for World Cup Hosts (incorporating human rights issues--after 2022--and looking for ways to decrease cost burdens on hosts), and he's mostly focused on giving money to smaller countries rather than growing membership or reforming local FAs. </div>
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<b>What are His Chances? </b>Fading fast. Ali was the only other option 9 months ago, and had the backing of the Europeans furious with Blatter. But with two European candidates this time around, his support base has dried up faster than an Agrabah oasis.</div>
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<b>Which US Candidate does He Resemble? </b>Mike Huckabee/Chris Christie. Cool enough to be intriguing, but not to actually win anymore.</div>
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<a href="http://www.theanfieldwrap.com/uploads/2014/03/Jerome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.theanfieldwrap.com/uploads/2014/03/Jerome.jpg" height="124" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a><b><i>The Man Out of Time: <a href="http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2015/12/30/fifa-2016-race-candidate-interview-jerome-champagne-301201/">Jerome Champagne</a></i></b></div>
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<b>Who He Is:</b> A French diplomat who segued into football management during the 1998 World Cup. After 11 years near the center of the football decision makers, Champagne took to bopping around the globe consulting smaller federations on ground level improvements (most notably in Palestine). He didn't get the nominations needed to run in 2015, but is back again and still bucking for the presidency.</div>
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<b>How He Would Effect Mid-American Fans: </b>Like Prince Ali, Champagne is one of the most vocal reform candidates. But he would take a more active role in addressing the minor associations (as a consultant for minnows, that makes sense): building pitches, pushing an on-line management training class, adding a voice for players in FIFA, getting boots on the ground in burgeoning markets (China/India/Indonesia) and explicitly campaigning to add Kosovo and more Oceanic nations.</div>
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<b>What are His Chances? </b>Not good. As relevant, viable, and progress-driven as he may seem in the eyes of fans and the press, he's not terribly relevant to the powers that be in FIFA-land, being dismissed by some as "the minutes taker". </div>
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<b>Which US Candidate does He Resemble? </b>John Kasich. Obviously capable, but oblivious to the tides of voters and the times.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.lequotidien.lu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/FBL-FIFA-INFANTINO-afp_com-20160201T155352Z-doc-7k5pd-1024x672.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.lequotidien.lu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/FBL-FIFA-INFANTINO-afp_com-20160201T155352Z-doc-7k5pd-1024x672.jpg" height="131" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Infantino (w/ball) and his homies</td></tr>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><i>The Rock Star: <a href="http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2016/02/18/fifa-2016-race-candidate-qa-gianni-infantino-180201/">Gianni Infantino</a></i></span></div>
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<b>Who He Is: </b>A Swiss sports management official, given the defacto backing of European confederations when Michael Platini was banned in the fall. He's been around the ever increasing popularity of European football, and enjoys the support of lots of players also connected to UEFA management.</div>
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<b>How He Would Effect Mid-American Fans: </b>Unclear. Infantino is long on popularity and short on specific suggestions for improvement. Of the five topics I identified as relevant, he hasn't take a definitive stand on any of them (not even curbing racism, which...COME ON MAN!). He has said in the past that he backs World Cup expansion, and he wants to start his presidency with a football game at FIFA with some favorite old stars, which would be fun.</div>
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<b>What are His Chances? </b>Great! Most of Europe and South America have pledged their support, and with a platform that's long on vagaries and short on specifics, the old hands in Zurich will feel quite comfortable with him.</div>
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<b>Which US Candidate does He Resemble? </b>A hybrid of Jeb Bush's establishment credentials and Donald Trump's blanket pronouncements/celebrity pals.</div>
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<a href="http://betting.cafe/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/c.files_.bbci_.co_.uk10087production_86217656_shaikhsalman-129e3a6d51a5d3ff1a875690f2527edd24f8e9cf1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://betting.cafe/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/c.files_.bbci_.co_.uk10087production_86217656_shaikhsalman-129e3a6d51a5d3ff1a875690f2527edd24f8e9cf1.jpg" height="112" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b><i>The One with a Die-Hard Fan Base: <a href="http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2015/11/23/fifa-presidential-race-profile-sheikh-salman/">Sheikh Salman</a></i></b></div>
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<b>Who He Is: </b>A member of the Bahraini royal family, Salman Bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa, has a degree in English literature, but rather than racking up debt (or just wasting royal family money) on a graduate degree, he got involved in football, first as president of the Bahrain FA (just as the team's golden generation finished painfully short of the World Cup in 2006 and 2010), and now as President of the Asian Federation. He also has been l<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/oct/16/sheikh-salman-al-khalifa-fifa-president-bahrain-human-rights">inked to the imprisonment and torture</a> of Bahraini athletes who took part in pro-democracy protests during the Arab spring.</div>
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<b>How He Would Effect Mid-American Fans: </b>The Sheikh wants more money to small federations (his own has gotten the most over the last decade), and he has made appropriate mutterings about the social issues everyone cares about...or says they care about anyway. Racism = Bad. Mission accomplished. Hope you're happy everybody. But generally he wants to be hands off and let the game be the game. So if you're cool with how the most powerful clubs and countries have been doing things lately, get comfy.</div>
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<b>What are His Chances? </b>Pretty strong. Many FIFA watchers have suggested a potential backdoor deal between Infantino and Sheikh Salman where the president isn't white, and nothing really changes either. </div>
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<b>Which US Candidate does He Resemble? </b>Ted Cruz. All the promise that makes his supporters happy, all the baggage that makes others wince.<br />
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<a href="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/40761d83d571ff2ad11f3c6ac668ae4e03aebac4/0_109_3400_2040/master/3400.jpg?w=1200&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=867249c58ba5da8bd7537a4f8da2ec05" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/40761d83d571ff2ad11f3c6ac668ae4e03aebac4/0_109_3400_2040/master/3400.jpg?w=1200&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=867249c58ba5da8bd7537a4f8da2ec05" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a><b><i>The Zombie Campaign: <a href="http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2015/11/16/fifa-presidential-race-profile-tokyo-sexwale/">Tokyo Sexwale</a></i></b></div>
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<b>Who He Is: </b>A former dissident and prisoner in Robben Island alongside Nelson Mandela. But rather than becoming a beacon for hope and democracy around the world, he followed up a brief political career by making gobs of money in mining, starting the "Say No to Racism" campaign, and becoming Franz Beckenbauer's BFF.</div>
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<b>How He Would Effect Mid-American Fans: </b>Sexwale is in favor of EVERYTHING! More associations! More grassroots promotions of pitches in the developing world! More money to the poor! More teams in the World Cup! More Women (presumably playing football)! More doping!...Wait...I mean, more stopping of doping! All he doesn't explicitly want is vetting of World Cup hosts, so get ready for Venezuela 2026!</div>
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<b>What are His Chances? </b>Bizarrely worse than the other "reformers". As a new face, a rich backstory, and a person from the underrepresented constituencies in FIFA, many tipped Sexwale (<i>Seck-wall-ee, not Sex-whale</i>) as a putative early favorite. But after making a big bang on his entrance, he's fizzled. His website is down, his twitter is dormant, his campaigning looks meek next to Ali and Champagne, and he has no confirmed voters (heck, even the mild mannered Champagne has Guinea-Bissau).</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Which US Candidate does He Resemble? </b>Ben Carson, but without the narcolepsy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px;">So, it's pretty clear that, barring some bizarre turn of events, it will be either Sheikh Salman or Gianni Infantino. But in a more democratic world, where the whole world actually had a voice, who would get your vote? </span></span><br />
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The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-67560338077554627652016-01-01T09:37:00.000-08:002016-01-01T09:37:05.667-08:00What to Watch for Worldwide in 2016We spent the last few days reflecting on the teams that have bowed out of the next round of the world Cup in 2015. Now it's time to look ahead to the 2016 International Soccer Calendar and ponder what, if anything, matters to the average Upper-Midwest-Mountain-Time-Zone-Type Soccer Fan.<br />
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<b>January 3rd: SAFF Championship--India</b><br />
Forget your podunk Tax Slayer and Alamo Bowls, the first real hardware on the line this year will be awarded when India and Afghanistan meet in Kerala this Sunday. The Afghans have long dominated the subcontinent but are about to defect to a different subregion, meaning that India will soon be the lone giant in their area (as usual). The Blue Tigers have already been mathematically eliminated from the world cup qualifiers with two games to go, but they play throwback American footy. As in: a throw back to those late 80 days when 90% stadium seats were empty and even the best players were tentative. Ahhh memories. (You can watch the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxyYuMkCJr8">live stream here</a> at 7 AM local time Sunday, but be warned there are no announcers, but feel free to invent your own.)<br />
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<b>January 11th: Ballon d'Or Awards</b><br />
AKA Lionel Messi wracks his brain to think of someone he hasn't yet thanked in an acceptance speech.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uhh...my great-great-great grandma I guess?</td></tr>
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<b>January 12th-30th: Asian Olympic Qualifying/U-23 Championship</b><br />
It will be interesting to see who makes it to the Olympics (I'm still riding the Thai War Elephants bandwagon), but what really matters is our sense of progress and organization in Qatar who hosts the tournament. Sure it's still 6 years off, and they've hosted an Asian Cup with more spectators and journalists, but the closer we get to 2022 the more we want to see wrinkles ironed out.<br />
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<b>February 7th: African Nations Championship</b><br />
You might be thinking...didn't Africa just play a championship last year? Yes they did, but this time they take only players based on the continent into their national teams, giving a slightly trickier job to the coaches involved. Unfortunately the late timing means that if someone has a great tournament they have to wait five long (injury-prone) months before they can become a transfer target again. But, as an added bonus, you can brag at that evening's Super Bowl party that you won the Office ANC Pool. ("<i>What's that</i>?" you can continue "<i>your office doesn't have a pool for the African Nations Championship final? Well...I suppose we're just more worldly over where I work</i>"--and that's how you win Hipster of the Year with 10 months to spare)<br />
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<b>February 26th: FIFA's Extraordinary Congress</b><br />
Sadly, it's not a congress made up of FA directors who are also steam punk superheroes. It's a bunch of officials running to replace Sepp Blatter as most derided and loathed man in the world. There's a full month plus of campaigning, including the possibility of a live ESPN debate around the world on January 29th so we can get more into the who, what and why and if you want logical, intelligent coverage rather than my style of mockery and pop culture allusions, <i><a href="http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2015/11/16/sportingintelligences-guide-to-fifa-2016-presidential-race-161101/">Sporting Intelligence</a> </i>has just about everything you need to know to make an informed decision about who you would least dislike winning an election you can't vote in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://c.files.bbci.co.uk/B76C/production/_86365964_fifa-candidates_getty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://c.files.bbci.co.uk/B76C/production/_86365964_fifa-candidates_getty.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Be prepared to loathe one of these men for the rest of their professional lives!</td></tr>
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<b>March 15th & 16th: FIFA Meetings on Development and Cup Organization</b><br />
AKA Shoot, people are watching us now...how do we "develop" our bank accounts like this?<br />
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<b>March 21st-29th: International Break #1</b><br />
The biggest piece in this session will be Asia's final round of second round matches, with a number of spots in the final round still up for grabs. The great stories of Bhutan and Guam have reached their disappointing endings, but there's still hope for Cinderella story runs for Thailand (coming of a trophy win last year), Hong Kong (who could qualify off the back of China) and Syria (who...holy hell what would their progression mean?).<br />
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<b>May 12th-15th: FIFA Congress in Mexico City</b><br />
The new president will have the eyes of the world on him as he announces a host of minor bureaucratic "reforms" that will either continue the devolution of power to an international base or set billionaire European club owners toes a-curling.<br />
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<b>May 15-29th: COSAFA Cup--Windohek, Namibia</b><br />
Bafana Bafana remains the dominant force in the region, but shockingly trail Zimbabwe and Zambia in total titles. With Zambia a dark horse for Wold Cup qualifying and Botswana and Angola riding a youth wave, there are some interesting story lines to watch before most teams settle in for three years of waiting for the 2022 qualifiers.<br />
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<b>May 28-June 11: OFC Nations Cup/2nd Round Qualifiers</b></div>
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AKA New Zealand enjoys some lovely beach weather in Papua New Guinea and wonders how it can join the Asian Federation.</div>
<img src="http://pngembassy.org/images/location1.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">C'mon All Whites, look at this view</td></tr>
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<b>June 3-26: Copa America Centenario--USA</b><br />
Ahh, the tournament that gave Attorney General Loretta Lynch the opening needed to whomp FIFA on the head with the reform stick (<i>thanks Traffic Sports Marketing!!</i>) For those who are still keen on seeing great international soccer (<i>assuming it rises above the stink of bribery that it was built on</i>) it's only 5 hours to Chicago which will host three first round games (including one US Men's National Team and one Argentine game) as well as a semi-final.<br />
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<b>June 10-July 10: Euro 2016--France</b><br />
The big tournament of the summer will offer answers to a few big questions: is Germany unbeatable? Can Spain and Italy bounce back? Are France and Belgium ready to join the short list of title contenders? Dare we dream of Irish, Welsh or Icelandic qualification? Who is destined to make Euro pundits giggle like star-struck teens before turning in a wildly disappointing next season and disappearing off the face of the sporting earth? Ohh, Euro season, how I tolerate you.<br />
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<b>June 24: CAF 3rd Round Qualifying draw</b><br />
While some strong teams still look indomitable (Ivory Coast, Algeria, Ghana) we've reached that stage of African development where often overlooked squads are on the rise (Cape Verde Islands and Congo), while older squads have faded just enough to create groups of deaths (Egypt and Nigeria). We'll have to wait and see how the groups shake out, but there's a good chance that three more spots will be in the balance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.rio2016.com/sites/default/files/op-juntos_1.png" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alright! More Cartoon Sports Enthusiasts</td></tr>
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<b>August 3-20: Olympic Tournament--Rio de Janeiro</b><br />
Hey! A soccer tournament in Brazil! Move over pigeons of Manaus, we need that stadium again...for a couple of hours anyway. Seriously, the U-23 teams coming in from around the world should give a sense of which county's development programs may be bearing fruit in two years time (Denmark, Sweden, Honduras, South Africa, maybe just maybe the US--if they can beat Columbia in March).<br />
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<b>August 29-September 6: International Break #2</b><br />
Just a few weeks into the start of the new club season, and just six weeks after the Euro Championships, UEFA starts another round of Cup Qualifiers, and even San Marino dreams big (<i>We lost 5-0 it's a miracle!!</i>)<br />
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<b>October 3-11: International Break #3</b><br />
It's Africa's turn to start a round of qualifications based on the June draw for 5 groups. Assuming people aren't so pumped after watching the new Channing Tatum as <i>Gambit</i> movie to lose focus. They love their early-90s X-Men in Gabon!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images-cdn.moviepilot.com/image/upload/c_fill,h_675,w_900/t_mp_quality/channing_tatum_as_gambit_by_pac23-d7ij7ti-check-out-the-concept-art-for-channing-tatum-s-gambit-jpeg-80304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://images-cdn.moviepilot.com/image/upload/c_fill,h_675,w_900/t_mp_quality/channing_tatum_as_gambit_by_pac23-d7ij7ti-check-out-the-concept-art-for-channing-tatum-s-gambit-jpeg-80304.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's go, cher pantheres!</td></tr>
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<b>October 20-11: FIFA Meetings on Marketing and Television/Development</b><br />
AKA "Dude, check out all the tv money we can...oh...dang it, they're still looking."<br />
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<b>October/November: Central/East-Central African Cup (Possibly?)</b><br />
Uganda has been on a great run of late, making the third round of World Cup qualifiers and winning their 14th regional cup. If (as Wikipedia seems to believe) there's another cup in the offing, the Cranes may be able to build themselves up more for a longer qualifying run (or run themselves ragged when they need to be fresh).<br />
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<b>November 7-15: International Break #4</b><br />
North American fans rejoice, it's time to start the Hexagon. Assuming the US can get past the Grenadines and Tobago, we will see more high stakes matches with local rivals Mexico and Costa Rica, whether or not we see that with Jurgen at the helm depends on your fondness for our resident Ubermensch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fcfighter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/001_Josh_Barnett_vs_Daniel_Cormier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://fcfighter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/001_Josh_Barnett_vs_Daniel_Cormier.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jurgen and his critics move to a slightly larger space</td></tr>
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<b>December: ASEAN Football Federation Cup--Myanmar/Phillipines</b><br />
What a great way for Aung Sang Suu Kii to celebrate her first year in power! The Southeast Asian nations will run another tournament. With Thailand on track for their first final qualifying round and Vietnam still in the hunt, the AFF Cup might make a good tune up for those teams with big dreams, or salve the wound if it all falls apart. Plus, I hear the Nobel Prize winner's a pretty creative attacking midfielder.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-60252299453090339452015-12-30T14:49:00.002-08:002015-12-30T14:52:27.564-08:00Happy Trails in 2015 (168-143): Agony of Da-feet<i>This is part of what ought to be a consistent series about the teams eliminated from contention for the World Cup. It <u>ought</u> to be consistent, and I <u>ought</u> to be better about balancing work and personal life. Still, before we embark on another big year in international soccer it's nice to remember those we are destined to forget about in 2015.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>There's a lot of them so we'll split it into two posts: this is the second post, devoted to those teams who won just enough to make this really hurt.</i><br />
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<b><u>CONCACAF 3rd Round</u></b><br />
<b>168 Gotta go, Grenada (<u>2014 Finish #155; -13</u>) </b><br />
<b>Why They Lost:</b> Much as some might complain about the overly defensive and dull football we see now-a-days, a little bit of defense is rather valuable. Ceding six goals to Haiti and only scoring one thanks to a penalty made the Spice Boys a lost cause.<br />
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<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Seeing the few remaining Spice Men from last cycles squad explain what the Spice Girls were to the brewing batch of 20 somethings coming up with Grenada.<br />
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<b>167 Best wishes, Belize (<u>2014 Finish #150; -17</u>)</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4b/Canadian_Bacon_(movie_poster).jpg/220px-Canadian_Bacon_(movie_poster).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4b/Canadian_Bacon_(movie_poster).jpg/220px-Canadian_Bacon_(movie_poster).jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="135" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ohh, that old time propaganda</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>If you think that Canada has it tough (what with being America's hat), just know that Belize has it even tougher. Claims that they're Honduras' belt buckle have a lot more menace to them, given long histories of Central American conflict, as opposed to the 200 years of tenuous peace between the US and Canada. I'm sure the Canucks were just trying to teach their fellow Commonwealthers how to deal with the angst...and snuck four goals against them just because.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>The CONCACAF poster boy for scoring for fun: Deon Macaulay, especially if we can put his name alongside Luis Suarez for top scorer in the tournament.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>166 Ayo, Curacao (<u>2014 Finish #149; -17</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>With coach Patrick Kluivert at the helm, Curacao had a tremendous run of form, going undefeated in his first six matches. Unfortunately that Kluivertian magic ran out because Patrick Kluivert could not call up Patrick Kluivert to pick apart El Salvador.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>More Patrick Kluivert analysis!! PATRICK KLUIVERT!!!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>165 And we'll be seeing you, Antigua Barbuda (<u>2014 finish #128; -37</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>The Brenna Boys were keen to keep the magic of their last run in a World Cup (when they made what it is now the 4th round), and the master work of their last round (when they piled on the goals late against Saint Lucia to win on aggregate). And while they had it in hand after a first leg win, and a first-half scoreless line, two late goals ended what they clearly wanted to be a recurring dream.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Antigua/Barbuda's two captains, Josh Parker (at Red Star Belgrade) and Quinton Griffith (with USL's Charleston Battery) are strong, experienced, well capped and just 25 and 23 respectively.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>164 Tot Gauw, Aruba (<u>2014 Finish #192; + 28</u>)</b><br />
<b>*NOTE: If you noticed Aruba in a previous Happy Trails, please <a href="http://montanansforsoccer.blogspot.com/2015/06/happy-trails-194-185-plus-rankings.html">return</a> and see just how Barbados lost a game they won*</b><br />
<b>Why they lost:</b> After "winning" despite not scoring a goal in the last round, Aruba turned their attentions to a more home grown squad, trimming their Dutch league talent from 14 to 6. Still, they scored more goals than they had before...so maybe the magic touch will be an all Aruban line up<br />
<div>
<br />
<b>What we'll miss:</b> The eternal dream of being able to sing "Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I want to take you" with a group of ultra fans at a World Cup qualifier between the Beach Boys' rivals.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>163 Adios, Nicaragua (<u>2014 Finish #153; -10</u>)</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.authentichistory.com/1974-1992/3-reagan/5-irancontra/Poster_Go_Ollie-Lt_Col_Oliver_North_All_American.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.authentichistory.com/1974-1992/3-reagan/5-irancontra/Poster_Go_Ollie-Lt_Col_Oliver_North_All_American.jpg" height="200" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="130" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GOOOOOOLL ie!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>La Azul y Blanco, won a great victory in Kingston, trumping the CONCACAF silver medalist on their home turf. But that don't mean a thing if you don't keep it together in your own backyard, losing 2-0 to fall 4-3 on aggregate.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>The chance to get Fox Sports and Fox News to cross promote with Oliver North as an embedded reporter with the Nicaraguans!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b><u>CAF 2nd Round</u></b><br />
<b>162 Tutaonana, Tanzania (<u>2014 Finish #100; -62</u>) -7 to Algeria +2</b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Tanzania forgot one of the most critical rules in international football: "don't lose 7-0 to Algeria".<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>We were fans of Mrisho Ngassa before. We're still fans of Mrisho Ngassa. But when his national team only gives him two caps in two years...it's a little hard to feel the love.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>161 A bientot, Togo (<u>2014 Finish #106; -55</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>The downside to having a golden generation that takes you to two world cups, is that eventually they get older and less golden.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Emmanuel Adebayor's auditions to play somewhere...anywhere...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1416348/george-weah-holds-aloft-eurpean-player-yera-award-1996-getty.jpg?w=331" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1416348/george-weah-holds-aloft-eurpean-player-yera-award-1996-getty.jpg?w=331" height="200" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="129" /></a><br />
<div>
<b>160 Later, Liberia (<u>2014 Finish #107; -53</u>) </b></div>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>The Lone Stars have been undergoing quite the change of late with 22 players being called up to experience national team life for the first time. Unfortunately, when you play Cote D'Ivoire and their years of experience, you get blooded and bloodied at the same time.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Liberia recently called up George Weah Jr. (who did have 2 caps with the US U-20 squad), and the thought of the former World Player of the Year coming with orange slices is kind of nice.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>159 M'asselema, Sudan (<u>2014 Finish #113; -56</u>) </b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>The Falcons of Jediane struggled to do one critical thing against Zambia: score.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Omar Al-Bashir has been downgraded to number two on the list of tyrannical Bashirs around the world. It would be nice to rub his nose in that a little longer...if it didn't involve, you know...allowing the other awful Bashir to continue being awful.<br />
<br />
<div>
<b>158 Nangalapo, Namibia (<u>2014 Finish #103; -55</u>) </b></div>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Like Liberia and Sudan, Namibia dropped three goals to their rival this round (Guinea), as the old saying goes: live by Willy Stephanus, die by Willy Stephanus<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>There's a whole lot of crazy FA Logos out there, and it's a little comforting to find a few understated classics out there.<br />
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1e/Namibia_Football_Crest.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shirt badge/Association crest" border="0" data-file-height="119" data-file-width="200" height="119" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1e/Namibia_Football_Crest.gif" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b>157 Sai Watarna, Niger (<u>2014 Finish #110; -47</u>)</b></div>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Les Menas (or the Gazelles if you prefer not to speak French) got a tremendous result with a draw in Cameroon, but dropped three goals in the first leg at home to seal their own fates.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>A favorite of ours from last cycle, Amadou Moutari, has excelled for Anzhi Makhachkala since he moved there two years ago, earning promotion and keeping them just above the drop zone.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.supersport.com/2015/7/JacintoGelson-150709-Conference-S300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://images.supersport.com/2015/7/JacintoGelson-150709-Conference-S300.jpg" height="200" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gelson hoping for a ride to prom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b>156 Enda Nawa, Angola (<u>2014 Finish #104; -52</u>) </b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>That old cliche about scoring too early was proven all the more accurate when they scored their only goal of the tie, in the second minute of the first match. After that...South Africa kept tacking on.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>That goal scorer? 19 year old Gelson, the future of Angolan soccer, particularly since the past of Angolan soccer has pretty much headed home.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>155 Murabeho, Rwanda (<u>2014 Finish #111; -44</u>) -3 to Libya +1 (Libya Lowest team left from July ranks)</b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>The Wasps are one of the youngest, and most intriguing teams of the moment. They've been rising in stature through the last several years with a young and growing squad. They were favored in their match against Libya, but after a penalty in the first game they were on the back foot. And Libya was able to capitalize on a desperate Rwandan squad in the second half to put it away.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Four years is a long time to wait for Rwanda to get back in action, that's where keeping up on other African competitions will pay off.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>154 Adieu, Chad (<u>2014 Finish #162; + 8</u>)</b><br />
<div>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Chad very nearly pulled an upset of the early stages having taken a 1-0 victory over Egypt in the first tie (even though the Pharaohs hit them hard in Chad a month before). But four goals int he first half in Alexandria to start the second leg ended any hopes Les Sao might have had.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss:</b> Le Mond Francophone. Chad has 20 of its 22 most recent call ups playing in one of 6 French speaking leagues around the world. That's a lot of haute cuisine.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>153 Veloma, Madagascar (<u>2014 Finish #161; +8</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Everything was copacetic in Antananarivo, the Barea scored two in the first half to grab an early lead. But it wasn't enough to win the first 45 minutes, and Senegal scored 5 in the remaining 135 to take it by a seemingly comfortable 5-2 margin.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Madagascar's second goal scorer was Njiva Rakotoharimalala, and as awesome as that name is to say, it's still not quite as good as his fellow midfielder John Baggio Rakotonomenjanahary...seriously, Roberto Baggion might be the more legendary athlete,<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5029/5850659254_c73513394c_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5029/5850659254_c73513394c_b.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Le Comodore du Comoros</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b>152 Namkwaheri, Comoros (<u>2014 Finish #166; + 14</u>)</b></div>
<div>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Comoros started well with a draw at home with the now perennially problematic Ghanaian squad, but you can't really stop the Ayew boys, you can only hope to contain them, and so it was with Comoros as well.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>I invariably relate Comoros with Comodores...so there's that little amusement gone.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>151 Sala Kahle, Swaziland (<u>2014 Finish #169; +18</u>)</b></div>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>At some point you might assume that the mightiest teams were playing back a bit, waiting for the home leg to seize the advantage. Yet again the underdog got a draw to start, and yet again in the second leg, the top flight squad took the advantage. So you could say Swaziland lost because they got played by the system.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>If the mayors of teams in national championships make wagers on who will win, it would be nice to see the King of Swaziland bet the Queen of England on a match (particularly as it would add just enough pressure to get the English to scuffle).<br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div>
<b>150 Ma'as salaama, Mauritania (<u>Did not enter in 2014</u>) </b></div>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Tunisia tallied a pair of 2-1 wins both home and away, as untested goal keeper Brahim Soulemaine yielded four to four different scorers.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>It's a shame that the Maruitania First Division doesn't get much air time in the states. Reigning champions Tevragh Zeina can boast of having a midfield full of national team selections.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>149 Dehna Hunu, Ethiopia (<u>2014 Finish #38; -111</u>) </b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Maybe the thrill of their epic run last time around was bound to beget a hangover. Maybe they were worn down from their first round victory. Maybe Congo was just better. Whatever the case there will be no repeat for the Walia whose crashing defeat may make them the biggest drop from one cup to the next.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>The audacity and fearlessness of Getaneh Kedabe, notching two of the team's four goals this round and showing why (at age 23) he's entrenched at the top of the Ethiopian scorer sheet.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x396GV1KWJ8" width="560"></iframe>
<b><br /></b>
<b>148 Kwaherini, Kenya (<u>2014 Finish #108; -40</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Kenya nearly knocked out the other epic story of underdog overachievement from 2014 when they took the first leg against Cape Verde. But ceding <a href="http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/sports/article/2000182859/kenya-s-harambee-stars-beaten-in-cape-verde">a brace to Heldon Ramos</a> back in Praia, swung it back towards the Blue Sharks<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Kenya's president and vice president have had to face questions from the International Criminal Court...so our decision to invest in Kenyan sports tv rather than Kenyan CourtTv is looking like less of a winner.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>147 Magha, Equatorial Guinea (<u>2014 Finish #102; -45</u>) </b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>The "National Thunder" has been riding high since their fourth place finish in January (you know...<a href="http://montanansforsoccer.blogspot.com/2015/02/3-on3-off-african-cup-of-nations.html">the super sketchy one</a> filled with accusations of human rights violations, referee bribes and a semifinal riot?). But the heavily favored Equitorians were bounced by everyone's oft-forgotten old giant of African football: Morocco...maybe because they could bribe/riot their way to victory?<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Teodoro Obiang. Of all the ass-hatted dictators who use football to supplement their hold on power among lower classes, you are surely one of them.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>146 Salang Sentle, Botswana (<u>2014 Finish #69; -77</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>The Zebras ousted Eritrea in the first round and took a 2-1 lead into the second leg with Mali. But the 2-0 loss in Bamako was enough to end their run.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Have you seen these jerseys? I mean...seriously...have you seen them? Zubas are ready for a law suit!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.passionemaglie.it/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/all-kasi-botswana-kits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.passionemaglie.it/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/all-kasi-botswana-kits.jpg" height="223" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>145 N'gasaka, Burundi (<u>2014 Finish #163; +18</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Fiston Abdul Razak can do many things. He got Burundi past Seychelles, and nearly got Les Hisrondelles back into the end of their tie with DR Congo. But he cannot stop shots...yet...<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>We sadly don't know many guys named Fiston.<br />
<br />
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnLwTSIIR1D8DOLj34OOrbMKQBejrIReDkkSFOF_ca6lp5JghmFgk__7YhXxFFicp8P96exdtEvqIUyxETsz27DRL3KGG5wud4HtbKPegfttywbXYYxooS39skuzczWRcWR6vrA/s1600/Benin2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnLwTSIIR1D8DOLj34OOrbMKQBejrIReDkkSFOF_ca6lp5JghmFgk__7YhXxFFicp8P96exdtEvqIUyxETsz27DRL3KGG5wud4HtbKPegfttywbXYYxooS39skuzczWRcWR6vrA/s200/Benin2.JPG" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="150" /></a><b>144 Bo yi bo wa, Benin (<u>2014 Finish #105; - 39</u>) </b></div>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Like so many teams, Benin couldn't finish off an early lead with a win or draw on the road when they needed it. As consolation, they did lose to Burkina Faso, perhaps the most deserving team yet to make a World Cup.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Every time I look into Benin there's another random factoid to amuse me. Their team nickname is "The Squirrels" seriously!!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>143 Adeus, Mozambique (<u>2014 Finish #112; -31</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>After 180 minutes Mozambique and Gabon were knotted at 1. So they played extra time, and were still tied. So they kicked penalties, and when gifted a golden opportunity when Malick Evouna missed, Luis Miquissone AND Clesio Bauque both misfired. That was all Gabon needed<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Deriding Bauque. After all, he just got promoted to the Benefica A Team, so maybe there will be another chapter in his story.</div>
The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-31007860326194691732015-12-30T09:36:00.000-08:002015-12-30T10:44:36.308-08:00Happy Trails in 2015 (184-169): Dead on Arrival<i>This is part of what ought to be a consistent series about the teams eliminated from contention for the World Cup. It <u>ought</u> to be consistent, and I <u>ought</u> to be better about balancing work and personal life. Still, before we embark on another big year in international soccer it's nice to remember those we are destined to forget about in 2015.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>There's a lot of them so we'll split it into two posts: first up those teams whose qualification collapsed at the first hurdle.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><b><u>OFC 1st Round</u></b><br />
<b>184 Muo Nofo A, Tonga (<u>2014 Finish #172; -12</u>) </b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Tonga struggled much more than last time out, failing to gather a single point against their fellow Oceanic Minnows (which is to say their fellow Sardines of world football).<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>All the delightful comedy of the Tongalese youth movement (8 players are Under 23, including three strikers no older than 18 and also fielded 15-year-old Anthony Likiliki.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZODTK2pO-Yc" width="560"></iframe>
<b><br /></b>
<b>183 Ka Kite, Cook Islands (<u>2014 Finish #174; -9</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>With a group leading six points entering the final match, a draw would have been enough to see the Cooks [not their nickname] into the next round, instead two second half goals to American Samoa dropped them into a three-way tie and undid the work of Taylor Saghabi who netted all 4 of the Cooks goals.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Trying to popularize their national team nickname: THE COOKS!<br />
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<b>182 Tofa, American Samoa (<u>2014 Finish #173; -9</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>While both Cook Islands and Samoa walloped little Tonga 3-0, American Samoa had to come back after ceding a first half goal and only took a 2-1 victory. Had they matched the other scores, they'd have had the goal difference needed to move on.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i4.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article3499257.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/Jaiyah-Saelua-with-coach-Thomas-Rongen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i4.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article3499257.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/Jaiyah-Saelua-with-coach-Thomas-Rongen.jpg" height="133" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saelua and Rongen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>In addition to references to the inimitable Thomas Rongen (known to my Minnesota readers as the former coach of the Tampa Bay Rowdies), there's also the remarkable story of Jaiya Saelua who made her debut as the first transgender athlete in a World Cup qualifier (but failed to appear in this round of qualifying)<br />
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<b><u>CAF 1st Round</u></b><br />
<b>181 Ma'as salaama, Djibouti (<u>2014 Finish #171: -10</u>) </b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Djibouti ceded 7 goals to those bullies from Swaziland. Then again, that was an improvement from their eight-nil drubbing against Namibia last time out. But when you've only played 5 matches in four years, you can't expect top form.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>The chance to compose satirical...okay, just punny...lyrics to the classic Buddy Hackett song "Shipoopi"<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9Jj622vbrrU" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<b>180 Nabad geylo, Somalia (<u>2014 Finish #168 - 12</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Somalia still can't host any games and gave up two on their Ethiopian "home leg" to Niger. From there the trip to Niamey was more or less a forgone conclusion<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>As someone who lives in the heart of the Somali diaspora I'm still dreaming of an additional excuse to watch a match and gorge on Sambusa.<br />
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<b>179 Selamet, Eritrea (<u>2014 Finish #165; -14</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Four years ago, Eritrea struggled after two years of non competition. This time around, the 18 men called up had a grand total of 13 caps to their names. Botswana won both legs handily.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Great coverage of the Eritrean team by local writers...oh wait! No we wouldn't because local dictator Isaias Afewerki is currently celebrating his eighth straight year atop the "least-free press" rankings. When you're suppressing opinions that much, it's hard to work in time on the pitch.<br />
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<b>178 M'asselema, South Sudan (<u>Did not exist for 2014 Qualifiers</u>) </b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Despite a first leg draw at home (when all the scoring was done in the first 5 minutes), South Sudan ceded four goals in Mauritania to seal their fate.<br />
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<b>What We'll Miss: </b>After decades of struggle, conflict and war, (decades that are still going on, by the by) it's a shame that the Bright Stars don't have a slightly longer run to distract them.<br />
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<b>177 Orevwar, Seychelles (<u>2014 Finish #170; -7</u>) </b><br />
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/11/Seychelles_Football_Federation.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shirt badge/Association crest" border="0" data-file-height="118" data-file-width="139" height="170" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/11/Seychelles_Football_Federation.png" width="200" /></a><b>Why They Lost: </b>The Pirates had no answer for Burundi's deadly striker: Fiston Abdul Rizak. He netted in both legs, the Secyhelles netted in neither, and that does make it hard to compete.<br />
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<b>What We'll Miss: </b>This national team logo, which could easily be substituted for many, if not all Floridian teams.<br />
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<b>176 Where'd you go, Mauritius (<u>2014 Finish #175; -1</u>) </b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>A gritty nil-nil draw in Kenya is a good result for a team with Mauritius' low profile. Unfortunately it came after a 2-5 drubbing at home.<br />
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<b>What We'll Miss: </b>The only non-extinct Dodos are, as ever, one of my favorite nicknames of any national team.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdUcuWdTt9TfKQpgFQ22fYED8B_Rk95HzL-rsDPZyCZD1rEFk7qBk0aV9AF4d6oWdYasgLK8R6HsX5a8bIC9JzeAG6sNSQwrnMD_VqOea_i974AA-23bVFu8Yyud48_2Idv6pGw/s1600/140629_manasse_enza_yamissi_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdUcuWdTt9TfKQpgFQ22fYED8B_Rk95HzL-rsDPZyCZD1rEFk7qBk0aV9AF4d6oWdYasgLK8R6HsX5a8bIC9JzeAG6sNSQwrnMD_VqOea_i974AA-23bVFu8Yyud48_2Idv6pGw/s200/140629_manasse_enza_yamissi_1.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry Manasse!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>175 Gue Ngozi, Central African Republic (<u>2014 Finish #109; -66</u>) </b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>I'm tempted to say something about inability to protect their home turf (given the home loss and away draw), but it may be a little too soon after the civil war.<br />
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<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Predictions about C.A.R. players. Last time around I was all excited about Ligue 1 talents Fernander Kassai (who has now been kicked down to Kazakhstan) and Hilaire Momi (now clubless). This cycle's unlucky target? Defender <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manass%C3%A9_Enza-Yamissi">Manassé Enza-Yamissi</a> currently in the top league of Portugal, and soon to be starring in Antarctica.<br />
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<b>174 Tchau, Sao Tome e Principe (<u>2014 Finish #167; -7</u>) </b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Having bested one of my long time favorites, Ethiopia at home, a three-nil drubbing in Addis Abbaba crushed the dream.<br />
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<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Extended gloating against fans of Sporting Praia Cruz, with 7 players on the national team you know those bandwagon fans would have been insufferable.<br />
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<b>173 Nabai, Guinea Biseau (<u>2014 Finish #164; -9</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Last cycle, it was Emmanuel Adebayor who crushed the Djurtus' dream, this time it was Liberia's William Jebor, whose hat trick in Guinea Bissau was the death sentence.<br />
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<b>What We'll Miss: </b>A chance to see midfielder Zezinho, I said last time around that 19 year old midfielder Zezinho might grow into a force if he built up his time with Sporting Lisbon. Instead he has languished on loans, neither playing nor growing. Only two matches for Gineau Bissau doesn't help that either.<br />
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<b>172 Tionana, Malawi (<u>2014 Finish #67; -105</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Malawi had a hard time finding the net, dropping behind two goals to Tanzania in the first leg, and only finding it once at home when <a href="http://www.nyasatimes.com/2015/10/11/malawi-beat-tanzania-1-0-but-booted-out-of-world-cup-on-1-2-aggregate/">there was everything to play for</a>, but were unable to steal a win (or even send it to penalties)<br />
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<b>What We'll Miss: </b>As Malawi are "The Flames" and as the kids like to threaten to "Flame" their rivals, it seemed like a good time to establish some Malawian based insults, (i.e. "don't mess with me or I'll rip you apart like Chiukepo Msowoya rips apart Zambia!")...I'm not good at this.<br />
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<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/01/Gambia_FA.png/200px-Gambia_FA.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Shirt badge/Association crest" border="0" data-file-height="249" data-file-width="217" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/01/Gambia_FA.png/200px-Gambia_FA.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/01/Gambia_FA.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/01/Gambia_FA.png 2x" width="174" /></a><b>171 Fo tuma du, Gambia (<u>2014 Finish #116; -55</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Having fought back for a draw at home, it all looked good for Gambia when they took an early 1-0 lead in Windhoek. But defender/captain Abdou Jammeh couldn't lock down the back, and two second half goals later it was all over for the Scorpions.<br />
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<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Entry number two in our mid-nineties retro logo campaigns. Somewhere there's a brand executive muttering."..if they just changed that red to a teal...."<br />
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<b>170 Tsamayng Hantle, Lesotho (<u>2014 Finish #114; -56</u>) </b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Mohamed M'Changama. A goal up with twenty minutes to go, Lesotho looked good for progression, but when Comoros' leading/only goal scorer slotted home, that away goal was all she wrote and Lesotho was gone.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://hobnobcolumbus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/96/2015/07/Kamara_Kei_23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://hobnobcolumbus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/96/2015/07/Kamara_Kei_23.jpg" height="200" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We miss you already Kei</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Strong defense. Literally. Lesotho has one top flight club run named for the<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesotho_Defence_Force_F.C."> armed forces</a> and another <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesotho_Correctional_Services">organized by prison guards</a>.<br />
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<b>1</b><b>69 Nain Dat, Sierra Leone (<u>2014 Finish #101; - 68</u>) </b><br />
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Away goals. Away goals. My kingdom for someone who can explain the Away goals rule to me. Chad scored at the end of the first half in Sierra Leone, meaning that the two goals Sierra Leone scored to win the match weren't enough to win the series. C'mon...there's got to be another way...third match on neutral turf? Anything's better than "away goals"...except a coin flip maybe.<br />
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<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Like all good American fans there's only one acceptable answer: Kei Kamara.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-72285866909444950702015-12-22T08:11:00.000-08:002015-12-22T08:26:33.960-08:00"Nationality"<div style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; widows: 1;">
<em>(Note: I had intended to include this in a comment on two <a href="http://northernpitch.com/_/minnesota-soccer-news/are-you-american-enough-r629">other</a> <a href="http://northernpitch.com/_/minnesota-soccer-news/american-soccer/dear-abby-define-%E2%80%9Cforeign%E2%80%9D-r632">blogs</a> to hit this topic...but it kept going on far longer, so just consider this a long form continuation of the conversation</em>)</div>
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The feet and ball slapped against the read earth, and the shouts and scuffs of ten boys playing five-aside after school carried back to us on the warm summer air. Sitting opposite me in a small grove of trees was an athletically built 18-year-old whose eyes flicked to the game, and whose feet tapped out a rhythm of steps, feints, attacks and delays though the ball was not near us.</div>
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I was working at a school in Ghana and interviewing students from the school drama program to develop my masters thesis. I wondered whether participating in school plays could affect how students see their nationality, and as Ghana focuses more on students creating plays rather than studying and reciting them, they made a fascinating case study.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCMEJbccGJvBol-IrJ0J_5a1K5HODIalpNsHDJMV3x5cpw-XbZrsiQW-aoQkk_v4nyc61Qbq8yeA-YHaBeQRfmtppMiVKo5NOmU0CAywxu7AuICsC_Nyv9C3X_QIvqsS-_Cdb5A/s1600/IMG_4475+copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCMEJbccGJvBol-IrJ0J_5a1K5HODIalpNsHDJMV3x5cpw-XbZrsiQW-aoQkk_v4nyc61Qbq8yeA-YHaBeQRfmtppMiVKo5NOmU0CAywxu7AuICsC_Nyv9C3X_QIvqsS-_Cdb5A/s200/IMG_4475+copy.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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It was just good fortune that this put me on the continent during the 2010 World Cup. Allowing me to teach all morning, interview in the afternoon, then transcribe and code interviews while watching the evening matches and munching on sweet plantains and fresh fish. </div>
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I was near the end of my time in the country, but couldn't resist the chance to interview this young man. He was a favorite of his fellow actors and the program's director. Fast and funny in improvisation, he had a big smile that the girls particularly loved. His only problem was that he often skipped rehearsal to play football with his classmates in the dusty courtyard of the high school. I couldn't blame him. Though any coordination I ever had long since left me, the game was far more interesting than my rote recitation of questions.</div>
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I dragged his attention (and mine) back to the interview and asked the big question, the one that would be the crux of my thesis: "What does it mean to be Ghanaian"?</div>
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"Wow!" he gasped. Clearly considering this question for the first time.</div>
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"I warned you there'd be broad questions."</div>
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He started speaking quickly, "I'm a Ghanaian, and I love to be Ghanaian, and I'll always be a Ghanaian, because I'm proud to be Ghanaian...And Ghana is also one of the countries every African wants to come to because we are very good at embracing all African countries, even from Europe, every--everywhere else in the world." </div>
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He launched into all the ways that Ghana was growing, changing. How he and his classmates made plays to show audiences that they ought to include, rather than shun, those with AIDS. He recounted all the ways he had used the school shop/craft classroom to make props, and costumes to show both traditional and modern Ghana. How he used his acting to overcome family distrust of technology or kissing girls, while trying to act in Nigerian films and also improving his soccer skills.</div>
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Finally, as we circled for a landing, he said, "I want the whole thing, and so many things. So I don't know what I want to become right now." We chatted a little more, I thanked him, and together we drifted off to watch the five-a-side players snake their way through the trees as they kept the frenetic pace alive.</div>
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I've been going back to that interview while reading the various takes on "American" soccer for "American" players. I won't lie: I've wondered about the changeable nature of "national team sides" in an age of globalization. I rather like the idea of trying to put together the best team possible under certain limitations ("limitations" that are anathema to billionaire-brokered European leagues). I have a pipe dream in which the World Cup final is played between Vanuatu and the Faroe Islands, because things like coaching, training and youth development can coalesce anywhere, but money can't.</div>
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But every time I think about limiting a national team, I think about this 18-year-old kid with dreams of "the whole thing" and I remember that it's maybe a little much to ask young men (and women), facing a major part of their professional career to come, to search their hearts and determine which pre-existing set of boundaries they will swear (soccer) allegiance to. </div>
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And beyond the act of picking sides, there's the fact that identities, including nationality, are changeable. You aren't the same person at 17 as you are at 34, and demanding that you never change your national identity seems as dated as demanding that you never change your loyalty to the first band you loved. </div>
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As Ghana, and Germany, and the US "embrace" other people from other countries, we will grow, we will change. The plays children don't just mirror the culture they have, they model the culture they want to see in their country. The team we field at the World Cup doesn't just mirror the "nationality" we're used to, it models the "nationality" we will become. And besides, limiting us to just "American" Americans, would be going against nearly a century of tradition, all the way back to when our 1930 World Cup Bronze medalists <a data-cke-saved-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Wood_(soccer)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Wood_(soccer)">fielded</a> <a data-cke-saved-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Auld" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Auld">five</a> <a data-cke-saved-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Moorhouse" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Moorhouse">naturalized</a> <a data-cke-saved-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Brown_(footballer,_born_1908)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Brown_(footballer,_born_1908)">British</a> <a data-cke-saved-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart_McGhee" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart_McGhee">citizens</a>, none of whom had been in the country for more than a decade.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who here is actually American?</td></tr>
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It seems like a rising tide of nationalism has prompted politicians, athletes and other public personas to question what it means for people to be "American" enough. It's not a bad question, but it's a question that has no answer. Rather, we are constantly answering it in all the ways we live, and act, and play.</div>
The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-37692442586354575792015-11-24T18:49:00.001-08:002015-11-24T18:49:10.646-08:00Why I Still Write About Sports at Times Like ThisIt's been a hard fall for me to write in these spaces. Every evening I try to sit down to write, I find a dozen other things to do. There are papers to grade and recommendations to submit and people to actually be married to. So while I love to write, and even though I want to write, it slips through my fingers more often than I like.<br />
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This past week, I had the time, I had the energy, but every time I opened up this page, I stopped and stared. And as the feeds from North Minneapolis streamed into my phone, as people I love and trust engaged in louder and louder protests for more pressing matters than quality sports analysis, I couldn't find it in myself to write.<br />
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So as I sat in front of the screen, I could think of nothing to say that wasn't horribly, dreadfully irrelevant. And when I went in to work, to discuss issues of the day with young people who lived blocks from the fourth precinct, who spent all night raising their voices for justice, all I could think was how insignificant it would be to write down potential snarky nicknames for Byung-Ho Park or warmed over jokes about how I liked <i>St. Vincent </i>and the Grenadines better when it was Bill Murray and a light syrup.<br />
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What reason could I have for publishing my millions of minor notions about these silly little games, while a senior boy--a young man I've worked with for four years, an academic on track for college and a major in architecture, a person I would trust to rule justly and fairly as Grand Poobah of the Universe-- while this <u>friend</u> of mine confessed his intense fear that the last thing he would ever see would be the somebody's boots on the curb, and the last thing he would hear would be the cocking of a gun, as he lay on the street with his hands behind his back?<br />
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The truth is, I (and many people like me) have the privilege of turning off the news, of tuning out the rhetoric, of tending to our hobbies and interests, because we don't live near the fourth precinct or worry that our lives will end with a bang and a brief, perfunctory, utterly unsurprised comment on the local news.<br />
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It's particularly easy for those of us who love sports to see successful people of color in our community, to cheer for their successes, wish them the best and forget that people like them in our community are struggling. We can bleed purple with Adrian and Teddy and dream on the futures of Byron, Miguel and Byung-Ho. We can debate the upside of Towns and Wiggins and marvel at the cross-cultural partnerships of Ibson and Alhassan and remind everybody that we loved Maya Moore and Simone Augustus before it was cool to do so. We can, and do, hold our local heroes close whatever their background, even though--as fans in the stands--we have always looked more like Killebrew and Mikan than Hunter and Garnett.<br />
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But what's dangerous is if we start to feel that, because we know the men (and women) who wear jerseys emblazoned with <i>Minnesota</i>, we don't <u>need</u> to know the men and women, the fathers and mothers, the sons and daughters who walk the same streets, work in the same buildings, and attend the same institutions that we do.<br />
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If we confine ourselves to watching the games from the comfort of our couches and our big screens, we miss the joy of watching together. If we insulate our passions to the podcasts on our headphones or isolate our opinions to small talk with family members and friends, we turn our very public institutions into extremely private pleasures. <u>But</u>, if we <u>insist</u> on sharing our loves, if we make a point of socializing around the colors and emblems and players that we adopt as "one of us," then these silly little games can unite us in a way that few other things can.<br />
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Right now, with the ways we consume sports changing rapidly, it's easy to isolate ourselves in our fandoms. And for those who attend games on a regular basis, it's even easier to forget that what you see on the field or the court or the ice isn't reflected in the stands (even adjusted for our metropolitan demographics).<br />
<br />
As mere fans, there's little we can do. No championship trophy is going to unite us all or solve the systemic problems that have left so many so desperate for change. We can't have one good conversation at a sports bar, or over the water cooler and end injustice.<br />
<br />
What we can do is be open. What we can do is to talk about what we love and learn what others think. What we can do is use sports as the icebreaker, as the gateway, as the conversation starter, to come together and build a better community.<br />
<br />
We might have to go out of our way to find new opinions. We may need to visit a bar on Lake Street rather than in Northeast to watch a Champions' League match. We may need to share more than a nod with a neighbor or coworker who wears team gear after a big win. We can invite them to watch the game on Sunday (or Saturday, or whatever day). We can take an extra ticket that a friend flaked on and try to pass it on to someone different rather than just resell it. We can donate to the team funds that <a href="http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/community/grants/twinscare-tickets-for-kids/">make</a> <a href="http://wild.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=51028">attending</a> <a href="http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/community/timberwolves-tickets-kids">a game</a> <a href="http://www.mnunitedfc.com/groups">easier</a> <a href="http://www.vikings.com/outreach/vikings-childrens-fund.html">for others</a>. These things won't bring justice or peace, but they will bring us a little closer together.<br />
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<a href="https://cbsminnesota.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/186730061.jpg?w=424&h=282" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://cbsminnesota.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/186730061.jpg?w=424&h=282" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" /></a></div>
I talk about sports, even at times like these, not because I want a distraction from work or the worries of the day. I talk about sports because it reminds me of how great it is to be part of something bigger than myself: bigger than my job, bigger than my worries. Sports reminds me of what it is to be part of a community of fans, and how much better we are together than we are alone.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure when I'll have time to write again, or if it'll be about sports when I do, but I know I'll ask the boy from over North--the one who still wears a Mauer jersey through every snorting laugh from his friends--what he thinks of the bullpen for next year; I'll ask the girl from Lake Street who moons over Ronaldo if she's seen Christian Ramirez up close yet. And after we talk about that, we'll talk about the next thing, and the next, and the next, until we stop being two individuals talking and start being a pair of fans in community.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-88518050147749678612015-08-05T14:30:00.002-07:002015-08-05T14:30:14.048-07:00Shooting From the Hip: The Western Hemisphere (CONCAF/CONMEBOL)With this summer's confederation cups wrapped up, International competition is about ready to refocus on qualification for the 2018 World Cup. Most people won't pay much attention to these matches for another two years...but those people aren't crazy Montanans (thankfully, or I'd have no niche market at all).<br />
<br />
Since the qualifying draws were held two weeks ago in Russia, I've been positively deliberate in creating these predictions (oh, who am I kidding, I made the predictions on the day and only just took the time to write it).<br />
<br />
We'll start our predictions in the Western Hemisphere with predictions for rounds three and four of CONCACAF (which will be wrapped up next year) and the single round of CONMEBOL (which won't end until the fall of 2017).<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>CONCACAF ROUND 3</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>August 31st-September 15 2015</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Matches:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Curacao V. El Salvador</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Canada V. Belize</div>
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Grenada V. Haiti</div>
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Jamaica V. Nicaragua</div>
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St. Vincent and the Grenadines V. Aruba</div>
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Antigua and Barbuda V. Guatemala</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>The Favorites:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In CONCACAF the safest way to predict things is to count on the higher ranked teams moving on, chalk talks in North America, with the lone possible exception at matches in Central America. <i>Haiti's</i> recent form (including a game performance against the US and a draw against China--in China) has served them well enough to make them a heavy favorite over Grenada, and <i>Jamaica's</i> Gold Cup Silver Medal and Caribbean Cup victory certainly gives them momentum over Nicaragua. This draw also plays to those groups with <i>Guatemala</i>, <i>El Salvador</i> and <i>Canada</i> all facing minnows both of size and of history.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sanpedrosun.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Deon-McCaulay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.sanpedrosun.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Deon-McCaulay.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some would say I cheer for McCaulay<br />and Belize because I like to mock Canada...<br />those people are right.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>The Darkhorses: </b>The most prolific scorer in recent CONCACAF qualifier history is Deon McCaulay who Minnesota fans may know best from a fourteen cap, three goal performance with the Atlanta Silverbacks last year. His 11 goals made him a co-golden boot winner from qualification alongside little known strikers Luis Suarez and Robin Van Persie. Some would point out that this is more a reflection of the paucity of CONCACAF defenses and the lack of a second option in <i>Belize</i>, but the truth is somewhat in between as McCaulay is indeed a force up top and a key difference maker for the Jaguars, even if it is about to set him up against a stout Canadian defense.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The only oddball match up is between underwhelming sides from <i>St. Vincent and the Grenadines</i> and <i>Aruba </i>where the "Vincy Heat" ceded 6 goals and needed away goals to pass Guyana and after a year off the field, Aruba came up goalless in two matches against Barbados, relying on Barbados disqualifying themselves to advance.</div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Qualifiers</b></div>
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<b>El Salvador; Belize; Haiti; Jamaica; St. Vincent; Guatemala</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>CONCAF ROUND 4</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>November 2015-September 2016</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Top Two Teams from Each Group Qualify for the Hexagon</b></div>
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<b>GROUP A: </b>Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Belize</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/140624064357-herrera-gal-6-story-top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/140624064357-herrera-gal-6-story-top.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Never gets old...unless you're the<br />Mexican FA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Favorites: </b>Despite the run-of-the-mill (by team <i>Mexico</i> standards) coaching drama, selection drama and performance anxiety, El Tri is still a team to beat especially within CONCACAF. The days of Giovanni Dos Santos and Javier Hernandez as the heralds of a supposed "Golden Generation" have faded, but they still represent some of the youngest talent on a veteran Mexico squad. As ever, the only thing that can get in Mexico's way, is Mexico. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Dark Horse: </b>Though they are often the chosen whipping boys for beefier sides in North and South America, <i>El Salvador </i>boasts a young and growing squad that continues to cut its teeth in foreign leagues. My fellow Minnesotans may recognize Midfielders Dustin Corea (Edmonton), Richard Menjivar (Tampa Bay) and 24-year-old captain Andres Flores (New York Cosmos). "La Selecta" may be peaking at just the right time, particularly with a mishmash of a Honduras squad that has been erratic and best and dismal at worst since their qualification for last June's World Cup.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>GROUP B: </b>Costa Rica, Panama, Haiti, Jamaica</div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Favorite: </b>Los Ticos set the world on fire with their quarterfinal appearance last summer, and nearly set themselves on fire to protest the <strike>match fixy</strike> unfortunate refereeing in their quarterfinal against Mexico. Truth be told the last three months have not been kind to <i>Costa Rica,</i> with scuffles against Panama, Colombia and Spain, and lackluster draws against Mexico, Jamaica and El Salvador. Still, the talent and recent success of the team makes them the team to beat in Group B.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Dark Horse: </b>It's a shame really, because I can talk myself into all three of the other squads cruising through qualification in Group C and having a better than average chance in Group A. While I've talked before about <i>Jamaica's</i> defense being its new found key to success (a 370 minute goalless stretch during the Gold Cup was instrumental in their silver medal), and though <i>Haiti</i> is an intriguing squad of international vagabonds (two play in NASL, two in India, and two in Cyprus), I think it's worth noting the perennially, unregarded <i>Panama</i> squad that earned its third place finish at the 2015 Gold Cup--and maybe even more thanks to the aforementioned <strike>idiotic</strike> questionable refereeing of any game Mexico played in. In Panama's last six confederation tournaments they've made the semis in five and they had the pole position for World Cup Qualifying in 2013 until a miraculous bicycle kick pushed Mexico on. Only one of those three teams will hit the Hexagon, and until proven otherwise I think it's Panama.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://usatftw.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/mex2.gif?w=1000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="irc_mi" height="179" src="http://usatftw.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/mex2.gif?w=1000" style="margin-top: 56px;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Panamaian Version of Morten Andersen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>GROUP C: USA, Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent/Grenadines, Guatemala</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Favorite: </b><i>U-S-A</i>! U-S-A! U-S-A! Seriously, who cares if we can't figure out a back line, create consistent service or find a second goal scoring option behind an aging Clint Dempsey, we're America dad blast it and we will win this group!! U-S-A!! U-S-A!! Klinsmann for Chancellor!!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/82/Gtlogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/82/Gtlogo.png" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also, a Guatemala win is a win for<br />70s FA logos!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Dark Horse: </b>Despite the Soca Warriors recent offensive outburst (built largely through veteran striker Kenwyne Jones) their swings in play (they lost to Curacao in May but won their Gold Cup group), make them an ideal target for an upset minded squad. Enter <i>Guatemala</i> (La Furia Azul) who have balanced veteran strikers with a young and energetic midfield many of whom play together at CSD Comunicaciones, the dominant force in the Guatemalan league. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>HEXAGON QUALIFIERS: </b><i>Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, USA, Guatemala</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>CONMEBOL</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>September 4th, 2015-October 10th 2017</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
South America does it simply: All ten teams play each other in a standard round-robin league style. The top four advance, fifth place takes on Oceania's best team (*HINT* IT'S NEW ZEALAND!) for a play-in (*HINT* THE SOUTH AMERICAN TEAM IS GOING TO SUCCEED!!)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Favorites: </b>There's little point in rehashing how dominant <i>Argentina</i> has become, nor how quietly consistent <i>Chile</i> is and how ineffably promising <i>Colombia </i>appears. Those three squads, even with two years and 18 matches to play, look like easy qualifiers. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.thefbleague.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Enner-Valencia-celebrates-his-goal-against-Honduras-in-the-World-Cup-in-Brazil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://blog.thefbleague.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Enner-Valencia-celebrates-his-goal-against-Honduras-in-the-World-Cup-in-Brazil.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, Enner, I'm excited about your chances too!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Dark Horse: </b>The far bigger drama is whether any team can snipe a spot from the aging giants of the South American game: <i>Brazil</i> and <i>Uruguay</i>. While Dunga's Brazil has been a Bizarro-World version of the Selacao that the world came to know and fear (and even the methodical branding machine that made Ronaldo's crew so ubiquitous), Uruguay has seen their recent success pull a quiet nucleus farther apart on the world stage making reunions and consistency difficult. The recent Copa America showed just how easily local minnows can outperform their higher profile neighbors, with Paraguay, Bolivia and Peru each offering a surprise. But CONMEBOL qualifying isn't a sprint, it's a marathon, and the only squad that looks equipped at that task (despite their own lackluster performance in Chile this summer) is <i>Ecuador</i>. With both big game experience and a habit of consistently seeking out tougher competition for the next generation to compete with, Los Amarillos have a solid chance to surprise, particularly if players like Jonathan Gonzalez and Carlos Gruezo see greater opportunities in the upper levels of foreign leagues to build their confidence with the corps of a national team based in country.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>PREDICTED AUTO QUALIFIERS: </b><i>Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Brazil</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>PLAY-OFF TEAM: </b><i>Ecuador</i></div>
The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-90394828792581038662015-06-19T16:37:00.001-07:002015-12-30T09:44:37.950-08:00Happy Trails 194-185 (PLUS a rankings update)As the summer international season is upon us, some heavyweight hardware is going to be handed out soon. The Gold Cup, the Copa America, the U-20 World Cup, and, most pressingly for many American's the Women's World Cup.<br />
<br />
But tucked away in the far corners of the World Soccer stage there are other matches being played out, long before the biggest piece of hardware can be bestowed. We've completed another round of World Cup qualification, and much as we'd like to revel in the matches of the future, it's also important to recognize those who have fallen by the way side.<br />
<br />
First, a bit of business. In keeping with rewarding teams that actually play matches, we'll be post-facto upgrading our<a href="http://montanansforsoccer.blogspot.com/2015/04/happy-trails-209-196ish.html"> last set of eliminated squads</a> to make room for another team that was unceremoniously bounced without even playing a match. So Congrats Bahamas you actually went out in 207th place rather than 208th!<br />
<br />
<b>Your new 208th placed finisher</b><br />
<b>208: Sampa Jumpai , Indonesia (<u>2014 Finish #139; -69</u>)</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.indonesia-digest.net/Photobank/elections/jokowi/101514time-jokowi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.indonesia-digest.net/Photobank/elections/jokowi/101514time-jokowi.JPG" height="200" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">President Widodo doesn't<br />
give two figs for FIFA's "rules"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Why they lost: </b>Drowned out by the cacophony of noise around Blatter's reelection and other officials suddenly at risk of massive Federal investigations was the news that Indonesia <a href="http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2015/m=6/news=indonesia-disqualified-from-2018-fifa-world-cup-russia-and-afc-asian-c-2617809.html">had been eliminated from the World Cup</a>. At fault, the Sports and Youth Ministry's a<a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/06/03/uk-soccer-world-indonesia-idUKKBN0OJ11420150603">ttempt to terminate the Indonesian Premier League Season and the National Soccer Federation</a> that ran it because of the inclusion of Presebaya Surabya and Arema Indonesia (<a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/04/13/soccer-indonesia-fifa-idINKBN0N40MU20150413">two clubs whose finances and operation had been called into question</a> and were precluded from play lest they deny players/coaches their salaries and thereby incentivize match fixing). Surprisingly, Indonesia's president Joko Widodo responded with a clear cut "<strike>who gives a damn?</strike>" "this will help us focus on improving our domestic game." FIFA has very clear rules about preventing any kind of governmental interference, in order to protect players and officials from political scraps, that it also positions officials and executives as above local laws is just an added bonus.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>What we'll miss: </b>The team sheets released before they were banned showed that Indonesia was planning on bringing up 6 debutantes (along with 6 others who had 5 or fewer caps). They may not have had much of a chance of making it to Russia, but this international cycle was a critical time in the development of the next wave in Indonesian football, so, this plan to revamp the domestic game had better freakin' work.<br />
<br />
<b>194:</b><b> Bon Swe, Dominica (<u>2014 Finish: #158; -36</u>)</b><br />
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c3/Dominica_FA.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shirt badge/Association crest" border="0" class="mw-mmv-final-image" crossorigin="anonymous" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c3/Dominica_FA.png" width="176" /></a><b>Why they lost: </b>As the lowest ranked team going into the second round, Dominica was always a long shot, but facing top ranked (at this stage) Canada was particularly brutal. When Canuck Keeper Milan Borjan was ejected twelve minutes from time (using his hands outside the box), Dominica still couldn't capitalize and a limp second leg in Toronto sealed their fate as 6-0 losers on aggregate.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>What we'll miss: </b>We are firm fans of any organization that uses cartoon parrot heads as some sort of intimidation tactic. For that reason alone, you will be missed Dominica.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>193: Hasta la vista, Dominican Republic (<u>2014 Finish: #148; -45</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why they lost: </b>Los Quisqueyanos can't seem to find much traction on the pitch (as opposed to the diamond), and while there's a major league training/scouting service seemingly every other city on the island, the football pitches are few and far between. Still, they were easy favorites against Belize, but their defense looked utterly out classed by the dangerous Deon McCauly who buried three goals en route to a four goal margin for Belize.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What we'll miss: </b>The future is bright for 19 year old <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geremy_Lombardi">Geremy Lombardi,</a> who equalized in the first leg (before the team ultimately lost on...surprise, surprise...a McCaulay goal), less than 30 minutes into his Dominican Republic career (note, that goal is also the only one the DR scored). The Inter Milan youth talent switched national allegiance after 11 showings as an Italian U-16 and U-17 talent. If he could bring some of Italy's excellent infrastructure, he might make the national team stronger still.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Edn8arppTlU" width="420"></iframe>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>192: </b><b>See You Later</b><b>, Barbados (<u>2014 Finish #159; -33</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why they lost: </b>This spot was originally occupied by Aruba, however <a href="http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/68788/bajans-escape-sanction">FIFA decided to crack the whip</a> against Barbados for accidentally fielding Hadan Holligan. Holligan scored the game winner and put the icing on the cake of a clear three-nil aggregate crusher. Instead he cost the country another round of competition.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What we'll miss: </b>I've said it before, and I'll say it again. World football needs more tridents. Barbados brings the tridents. Enough said.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>191: Doei, Suriname (<u>2014 Finish # 152; -39)</u></b><br />
<b>Why they lost: </b>It's rare that I get to blame legislation rather than performance, but that's exactly what I'll do! Suriname <a href="http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2008/m=2/news=suriname-little-secret-692090.html#surinames+little+secret">has a rule that players who move overseas are not allowed to return to play for the national team</a>, that rule has deprived them of the chance of having stars like Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids, and Patrick Kluivert on their squad in the past. A bill to change this rule was encouraged by the national federation, but not voted on in time, ergo, the all local national team was run out on to the field, and then run off the pitch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://eyscout.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/gravenberch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://eyscout.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/gravenberch.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously, his name is <br />
DANZELL GRAVENBERCH!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b>What we'll miss: </b>Both their elimination from the cup and the stall in legislation means that we're still a ways away from seeing center back Danzell Gravenberch suit up. The former Ajax Youth and Dutch U-19 player may be the team's best hope, and he also has the name "DANZELL GRAVENBERCH!"<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>190: So Long, St. Kitts and Nevis (<u>2014 Finish #151; -39</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why they lost: </b>The Sugar Boyz went into their second lang in San Salvador tied at 2-2...the 4-1 thrashing at the hands of El Salvador was all they wrote and left St. Kitts ending on a whimper rather than a bang.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What we'll miss: </b>Was the 69th minute goal in the second leg from Atiba Harris the last we'll see of him in the green and red? The most travelled MLS striker in memory has been a national team talisman for 12 years, he'll be 34 at the time of the next qualifiers. And if this is the end, get used to seeing St. Kitts down at the bottom of these lists for a long while.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>189: Buh-bye, Bermuda (<u>2014 Finish #146; -53)</u></b><br />
<b>Why they lost: </b>A gritty nil-nil draw in Guatemala, set up Bermuda for a prime chance at the upset as they returned home. According to the twitter feeds of the suprisingly concerned Alejandro Bedoya and Mix Diskerud, there were at least three Guatemala goals fishily disallowed and a black out in the stands, but Bermuda still lost and the cries of foul were easily shrugged off.<br />
<br />
<b>What we'll miss: </b>Hudderfield's Nakhi Wells may be the most prominent up and coming Bermudan, but we hope to see more of the young keeper Dale Eve (he who ceded the winning goal). Eve was a 16 year old prodigy, sought after by both Man City and Stoke, and has since been on a ceaseless journey through the depths of non-league squads like Congleton Town.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>188: Hasta Manana, Puerto Rico (<u>2014 Finish #147; -41</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why they lost: </b>Despite a 1-0 victory in the first leg at Bayamon, Los Huracanes Azules couldn't seal the deal in Grenada, losing 2-0 with a clear difference made by defender Joan Morales, whose own goal added to Grenada's tally and removed any chance of penalty kicks and further good fortune.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What we'll miss: </b>Not much, in fact we may end up seeing more Puerto Rican players without them heading off for national team duty,especially now that Minnesota fans are guaranteed to see the Puerto Rico Islanders stop off at the NSC in Blaine (at least for the next couple of seasons)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://dunk360.com/media/2015/06/DUNK360-Featured-Image-melo1.png" height="193" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please, please let this be Carmelo's next career move</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b>187: See Ya, St. Lucia (<u>2014 Finish: #157; -30</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why they lost: </b>If Puerto Rico's defeat was difficult, St. Lucia's defeat was crushing. Staked to a two goal advantage by a 3-1 victory, they had a comfortable edge ten minutes from time after a Kurt Frederick penalty made it 4-2 on aggregate. Then it all came undone, including two goals in 5 minutes of added time to give Antigua and Barbuda an official 5-4 win on aggregate, though they likely could have stopped one before to win on "Away Goals" (put in quotations because both matches were in Antigua).<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What we'll miss: </b>Honestly, I'll miss not having St. Lucia around to ask questions like "okay, seriously, did you legitimately lose this match or what...because this is crazy pants." Or to put that in terms Jack Warner would understand, "I'll miss not being able to rumor monger and conspiracy theorize".<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>186: Adios, Cuba (<u>2014 Finish: #127; -59</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why they lost: </b>It's not always possible to pinpoint one player for being at fault, but Cuba's stunning defeat at the hands of Patrick Kluivert helmed Curacoa may come down to keeper Sandy Sanchez, who yielded the equalizer to Papito Merencia, and thirty minutes later was ejected from the match for l<a href="http://curacaochronicle.com/main/curacao-through-after-draw-against-cuba/">egitimately fouling a Curacao striker</a>. As Cuba pushed for a desperately needed winner in driving rain, they were stymied (and likely would have appreciated an 11th man on the field)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://cdn.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.10501086.1433294922!/httpImage/image.JPG_gen/derivatives/display_960/image.JPG" height="208" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sanchez in happier times (being beaten by the Comos)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>What we'll miss: </b>Now that we're normalizing diplomatic relations with everybody's favorite socialist island paradise/repressive regime, it's a shame that we won't get a chance to see Yanquis versus Cubanos on the pitch.<br />
<a href="http://static2.artfire.com/uploads/product/0/660/78660/2378660/2378660/large/golden_leaping_jaguar_hood_ornament_8x10_classic_car_photo_symbol_f9073174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://static2.artfire.com/uploads/product/0/660/78660/2378660/2378660/large/golden_leaping_jaguar_hood_ornament_8x10_classic_car_photo_symbol_f9073174.jpg" height="200" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a><b><br /></b>
<b>185: Goodbye, Guyana (<u>2014 Finish: #129; -56</u>)</b><br />
<b>Why they lost: </b>Matched against St. Vincent and Grenadines, Guyana had no shortage of offense, burying 6 goals over two matches. The defense was more problematic as Chris Nurse (he of the Carolina Railhawks) couldn't stem the tide of six other goals coming into their net. Since Guyana scored two on the road, and St. Vincent scored four on the road...viola! Guyana is gone.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What we'll miss: </b>We've <a href="http://montanansforsoccer.blogspot.com/2012/09/concacaf-wibd-rd-3-guyana.html">plumped for the Golden Jaguars</a> in the past, and as ever, we'll miss the chance to dram of a future where we own a real Golden Jaguar.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-76004434522455559972015-06-15T08:37:00.000-07:002015-06-15T08:37:19.713-07:00Why I Still Watch International SoccerFor fans of the beautiful game, it seemed like days like these would never come.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://po4ep.s3.amazonaws.com/1241/l/26515427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://po4ep.s3.amazonaws.com/1241/l/26515427.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" /></a>Soccer is front page news. It's being tweeted about, blogged about, photoshopped and meme-ified like nothing else in sports.<br />
<br />
<br />
Of course, the majority of the soccer news is about just how corrupt, conniving and deplorable FIFA executives can be rather than how thrilling any match is, but hey, one step at a time.<br />
<br />
It may not be as adorable as Riley Curry, or as polarizing as LeBron James, or as unifying as American Pharaoh, but it has definitely captured the public interest (as anything that pops up as a go to joke for Drive Time DJs and NPR hosts has to). Unfortunately for those of us who really love international soccer season, it's a little aggravating to try to see past the clouds of corruption and the deluge of drama to get at the games.<br />
<br />
"Besides," carp the wags and critics, "how can you support such a corrupt system? If you hate Blatter and Co. as much as the rest of us, why not boycott? Why not shut it off? Why not let them count their ill gotten gains in the sketchy back rooms of bureaucrats around the world?"<br />
<br />
"Because," I respond, "this is beautiful.<br />
<br />
"Because four years ago, women in Thailand and Ivory Coast were lucky to get half a bleacher full of people at their matches, now <a href="http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/videos/highlights/match=300269461/index.html">they're playing on international television</a>.<br />
<a href="http://frenchfootballweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/AdamaTraoreLOSC-563x353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="http://frenchfootballweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/AdamaTraoreLOSC-563x353.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
"Because Adama Traore didn't ask for CAF officials to take bribes, he's just trying to play a beautiful game in a beautiful way.<br />
<br />
"Because for every idiotic Jack Warner video/scheme/claim, there's a kid in the Caribbean who wants to walk out on the pitch next to the greatest stars in the game, and <a href="http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport/Inspiring-in-defeat_19133931">they see people who look like them doing it.</a><br />
<br />
"Because Guam got a win, and Bhutan's still playing and so are Belize and Curacao and St. Kitts & Nevis, and just think how richer the game would be if the actually got all the money they deserved rather than what was left over after officials skimmed the top.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.jafootball.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/IMG_00421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://www.jafootball.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/IMG_00421.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></div>
"Because these players: these inspiring and devoted women, children and amateurs, are bigger victims of systemic corruption than I am. And rather than ignoring them, rather than ridiculing, disparaging, dismissing or isolating them, I want to celebrate who they are and what they are doing.<br />
<br />
"Because the game is beautiful, and commitment is beautiful, and a committed game in the face of all the other stupidity and corruption in the world is absolutely beautiful."<br />
<br />
<i>Author's note: I'll write about specific teams and players again soon, now that summer vacation has started I should have time to actually write consistently. [Crosses Fingers]</i>The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-76533458477946275482015-05-27T09:46:00.000-07:002015-05-27T09:46:26.605-07:00The FIFA Election: Seriously...this is happening...This Friday, Sepp Blatter will stand for election against former vice president Prince Ali of Jordan. Until about 7 hours ago, he was widely expected to win easily, he had seen two of his other challengers (Michael Van Praag of Holland and Luis Figo of Portugal) off and after nearly two decades worth of political wrangling and glad handing there was nearly no one who would dare challenge him...outside of the cranky Europeans who would like a little more say in matters as its their leagues and their players that make most of the money.<br />
<br />
And then..<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/football/video-1187153/As-happened-FIFA-officials-arrested-dawn-raid.html">.this happened</a><br />
<br />
Okay...that wasn't quite as dramatic as I thought it would be, I mean its a lot of bed sheets and nice brown pants, but still!!<br />
<br />
The point is this: Swiss Police arrested 9 current and former FIFA executives including major executives in the CONCAF and CONMEBOL federations.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Accusations of bribery and corruption make up the main list of charges against these officials. Some suggest that broadcasting rights, kit sponsorship deals, and any number of other pieces of football management have been tainted by bribery and black backroom dealing. To which soccer fans around the world replied, "well D'UH!!!" </div>
<div>
<br />
Still there's something immensely satisfying after a few weeks of raids on Biker Bars and ISIS camps, it was nice to hear of a raid on a Luxury hotel in Zurich. It was also strangely gratifying to read newly minted Attorney General Loretta Lynch hammer the targets of the probe, noting how their actions have <i>"profoundly harmed a multitude of victims, from the youth leagues and developing countries that should benefit from the revenue generated by the commercial rights these organizations hold, to the fans at home and throughout the world whose support for the game makes those rights valuable". </i>As someone who has long rooted for underdogs and against heels, this is a big one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="166" src="http://trip-europe.eu/site/public/images/hotel-images/1647694008/large/01.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No more wretched hive of scum and villainy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
Exactly what happens next is unclear. I mean, it's clear if you're a an FA executive. Those charged will be extradited to New York to answer their accusations. Meanwhile, Swiss officials have said that they're launching a separate investigation into corruption and bribery surrounding the infamous 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process votes. So basically, if you've been a FIFA official in the last row 30 years or so, it's pretty clear that you'll want to schedule a meeting with your lawyers.<br />
<br />
It's clear that FIFA is determined to continue its business as per normal. The Women's World Cup, the various summer tournaments (COSAFA, Gold Cup, Copa America, U-20 Cup, etc.) will continue on as will all the qualifiers and stadium building for Russia 2018. Even the FIFA stupidity will continue too, as evidenced by the fact that they are currently claiming to be <a href="http://www.fifa.com/governance/news/y=2015/m=5/news=fifa-is-fully-cooperating-as-injured-party-in-the-actions-by-swiss-aut-2609130.html?intcmp=fifacom_hp_module_news_top">one of the victims</a> of these terrible, terrible, men. (<i>Odd that Lynch neglected to mention "immensely powerful/enriched friends and colleagues" alongside the children, impoverished and fans around the globe...</i>)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When it comes down to it on Friday, voters will still have to choose between Sepp Blatter and Prince Ali of Jordan. Blatter is conspicuous only by his absence from the list of accused individuals (and his prominence in being referenced/pictured in every news story covering it). FIFA officials have noted that Blatter "<i>is not dancing in his office...he's not kind of a happy man today saying, 'that's really cool what happened.'</i>"<br />
<br />
And yet it's a pretty safe bet that come Friday Blatter will be happy. Because after all think of it like this:<br />
Say you're a voting member in the FIFA parliament. You can <b>A)</b> Vote for Prince Ali as a stand against corruption and the system that enabled it even though many others may not and risk irking the teflon president of the organization who has a habit of making his rivals disappear. <b>B) </b>Vote for Sepp Blatter as a sign of unity and trust for a man who has not been implicated and continue riding the gravy train all the way to Scrooge McDuck's vault (assuming the Feds don't get you first).<br />
<br />
We may eventually see some hefty fines and minimum security jail time for the guys (including, apparently <a href="http://northernpitch.com/articles.html/_/minnesota-soccer-news/fbi-indicts-9-fifa-officials-5-corporate-executives-including-nasl-ceo-aaron-davidson-r304">the CEO of the NASL</a>), but the games will still be played, he cash registers will still ring out, and this Friday in Vienna, we'll see old Uncle Sepp raise his fists, thank the thronging masses and promise to respect the trust placed in him.<br />
<br />
If only that extended to admitting culpability for the culture he's created.</div>
The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-84455331447969032682015-04-15T11:22:00.000-07:002015-04-15T11:22:04.291-07:00Shooting From the Hip: AFC Second RoundYou don't get far in this world playing it cautiously. It's as much a part of the Montana spirit as speed-limit free highways and sales-tax-free beef jerky.<br />
<br />
So when it comes to predictions, I'll shoot from the hip. Take a chance when I'm not exactly sure. Be blunt and direct and optimistic when I can be.<br />
<br />
The second round of Asian qualifying was announced on Tuesday, and while it won't start for another month and won't end for another year, I figured it was best to make predictions within 48 hours.<br />
<br />
The nearly-year long second round, 8 groups of 5 will play home and away. The winners, and the top four runners up, will move on to the final round. (That's where your odds as one team in 2 groups of 6 get a heck of a lot better.)<br />
<br />
So who will reach those lofty heights?<br />
<br />
<b>Group A: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Timor-Leste, Malaysia</b><br />
<b>Winner: </b>The Saudis have the higher profile and the richer pedigree, but the <i>United Arab Emirates </i>has had the better run of form lately. With probably the softest competition around them, I'd guess Zayed's Sons have the best chance.<br />
<br />
<b>Dark Horse: </b>Set aside the geopolitical turmoil and the fact that their leaders seem hell bent on getting Israel kicked out of FIFA, but <i>Palestine</i> likely offers the best chance at an upset. A squad built on non-local players will never coalesce perfectly, but their familiarity with top flight squads (as seen in a trip to the the AFC Cup in January) will serve them well.<br />
<b>***</b><br />
<b>Group B: Australia, Jordan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh</b><br />
<b>Winner: </b>This isn't quite a tap-in for <i>The Socceroos</i> but it's close. One of the dominant sides in Asia will have no trouble handling the rivals, the only real match to watch will be against Jordan.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2014/03/29/1226868/532907-39ca6f9e-b70b-11e3-9942-d7dbb3111cd3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2014/03/29/1226868/532907-39ca6f9e-b70b-11e3-9942-d7dbb3111cd3.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Socceroo tap in</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Dark Horse: </b>Speaking of <i>Jordan</i>, "The Chivalrous" have a strong case to make as one of the top sides in West Asia. They've had great fortune against the lesser sides of Asia (which definitely includes the Bangladeshis, Tajiks and Kyrgyzseseses--okay the Kyrgyz no offense meant), and by cutting their teeth in an endless series of friendlies against higher profile foes they'll keep that strength, take their lumps against Australia and move along.<br />
<b>***</b><br />
<b>Group C: China, Qatar, Maldives, Bhutan, Hong Kong</b><br />
<b>Winner: </b>Loathe as I am to give them any credit, <i>Qatar</i> has put just about everything they have into developing a team that will match their stadia by 2022. And in case you're wondering, yes that does include pressuring foreigners into service (<i>including Frenchman Dame Traore, Ghanaian Mohammad Muntari and Brazilian Luiz Junior</i>). A strong 2014 was undercut by a truly underwhelming performance in the Asian Cup, but I think they'll be under pressure to get close this cycle--so they don't become the first team since Italy in 1934--the second cup ever--to host a world cup without having played in one before.<br />
<br />
<b>Dark Horse: </b>I'm absolutely drinking <i>Bhutan's</i> Kool-Aid, but I don't care. The low profile, lack of film, high altitude home matches and general "do you believe in miracles vibe" makes the land of the Thunder Dragon an easy squad to root for. In the end they'd need to take points at home against both China and Qatar and sweep all matches against Maldives and Hong Kong, but hey, crazier things have happened.<br />
<b>***</b><br />
<b>Group D: Iran, Oman, India, Turkmenistan, Guam</b><br />
<b>Winner: </b>With or without the recently departed Carlos Quieroz, <i>Iran's</i> got too much talent to miss out in this group. A debacle during a penalty shoot out at the Asian Cup this January shouldn't distract from the fact that they were easy front runners at the tournament and should be for this one as well. If they put their minds to it, I'm sure that young striking talents like Sardar Azmoun and Karim Ansarfarid could find some salient suggestions for the nuclear deal too.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="213" src="http://cdn87.psbin.com/img/mw=640/mh=427/cr=n/d=7ocio/ank7gnrle6jwegpv.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go Go Guam!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Dark Horse: </b>Much as I love plumping for India (where I lived and worked for a few years), the baffling dark horse to root for is <i>Guam. </i>The rare American protectorate that actually IS an underdog, Guam garnered big headlines when they <a href="http://www.espnfc.us/blog/football-asia/153/post/2379028/guams-rise-in-asia-is-a-lesson-to-singapore-about-what-is-possible">drew at higher profile Singapore</a>. A squad filled with American college kids and MLS developmental talents might not do much against even average Asian sides like a dangerous Omani crew. But they are the ultimate dark horse.<br />
<b>***</b><br />
<b>Group E: Japan, Syria, Afghanistan, Singapore, Cambodia</b><br />
<b>Winner: </b>It will take a lot for any of these teams to meaningfully challenge <i>Japan</i>. The Blue Samurai got an excellent draw despite a lackluster World Cup and Asian Cup. Still, they're at the top of the Asian standings and even if they don't consistently bring back European based players they should be able to handle these qualification rivals.<br />
<br />
<b>Dark Horse: </b>If one of the other four sides can put together a consistent run against the other three they could pull a surprise especially with other second-tier teams (and Japan) playing so inconsistently. At a guess, I'd put money on <i>Singapore</i> which boasts a young squad with some internationally based players and more who work together at Lions XII bringing cohesion and confidence into the mix (not to mention avoiding the ...but when you lose to Guam...my whole confidence is undermined.<br />
***<br />
<b>Group F: Iraq, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Chinese Taipei</b><br />
<b>Winner: </b>Credit where it's due, <i>Iraq</i> consistently makes the best of an unusual and often trying situation. They've played the top teams in Asia very closely and make a habit of taking lower-ranked rivals seriously. A few foreign based players (including the Columbus Crew's Justin Meram) show continued promise and growth.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.arabnews.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/galleryformatter_slide/2014/12/10/9935284692041843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="http://www.arabnews.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/galleryformatter_slide/2014/12/10/9935284692041843.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #646159; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 15px; text-align: left;">From Left to Right: Chanathip Songkrasin and </span><span style="color: #646159; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 15px; text-align: left;">Kroekrit Thawikan</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Dark Horse: </b>The biggest challenge for Iraq will be the frequent long-distance hauls to South East Asia. So the question for a dark horse will be any team who can boast a difficult home environment (to steal a win against the favorites) and real sway over regional rivals. By that standard <i>Thailand</i> is your most likely nominee (just winning the South East Asia Suzuki Cup, boasting a young and growing squad, consistent at home), but that's not anything I'd wager heavily on.<br />
***<br />
<b>Group G: Korea Republic, Kuwait, Lebanon, Myanmar, Laos</b><br />
<b>Winner: </b>Korea is still one of the preeminent powers in Asian football, perpetual status as bridesmaid's not withstanding. Their growing influence in Europe doesn't hurt matters, world cup qualification is now expected and the rivals here won't slow that down.<br />
<br />
<b>Dark Horse: </b>Right now the hottest team for fans of Asian underdogs is Bhutan, but <i>Lebanon</i> was <a href="http://montanansforsoccer.blogspot.com/2012/09/afc-wibd-round-4-stand-still-and-conquer.html">pulling the Cinderella story during the 2014 cycle</a>. They're back again against two teams they beat on the road during the last set of qualifiers, higher regarded Kuwait and Korea. Though it ended with whimper in the final round of qualifying, the Cedars stood tall, and while Kuwait's a more likely runner-up/qualifier. Lebanon is still where my loyalty lies.<br />
<b>***</b><br />
<b>Group H: Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Philippines, DPR Korea, Yemen</b><br />
<b>Winner: </b>The Uzbeks have long been a favorite of this blog. After all there's a strong corps of players being augmented by solid youth talents from a growing domestic league. They were in the hunt for a World Cup Spot until the final weeks of the last cycle, and they played well in the Asian Cup this January. Sure their president might be a nut job who made his daughters pop stars, ambassadors, corporate honchos, heirs apparent to the presidency, and then (at least in one case) political prisoners. But still, how 'bout that team, eh?<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.uznews.net/con_images/iu/8/8123_ba88908b871137ec_middle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="189" src="http://www.uznews.net/con_images/iu/8/8123_ba88908b871137ec_middle.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least he didn't name them manager</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Dark Horse: </b>Maybe it's that they're the only reasonable country in the group. Maybe it's that their nickname is "the Street Dogs". Maybe it's that I'm afraid of Manny Pacquiao. But I feel like the <i>Philippines</i> might be poised for a surprising finish. Bahrain and Korea are both on the slide and Yemen is in turmoil while the Philippines has seen steady results and, in goal keeper Neil Ethridge, boast the only Chelsea trainee in the whole group.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<b>12 Teams advancing to third Round (** signifies Top 4 runner up)</b><br />
<b>UAE</b><br />
<b>Australia</b><br />
<b>**Jordan</b><br />
<b>Qatar</b><br />
<b>Iran</b><br />
<b>Japan</b><br />
<b>Iraq</b><br />
<b>**Thailand</b><br />
<b>South Korea</b><br />
<b>**Kuwait</b><br />
<b>Uzbekistan</b><br />
<b>**The Philippines</b>The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-69987253893201973382015-04-07T08:24:00.000-07:002015-04-07T08:24:05.692-07:00Happy Trails: 209-196(ish)I'm rather fond of giving a little glimpse into the minnows and would-be-Cinderellas of the World Cup Qualifying campaigns, and I don't even feel like it's a pattern that should be limited to those who win (or are likely to win).<br />
<br />
That's where this "Happy Trails" feature comes in. At the end of any month that features World Cup qualifiers I try to take a peek and see who has ridden off into the sunset of international futbol irrelevance for the next few years.<br />
<br />
As this is the first time every member of FIFA is set to compete in qualifying, we have a lot of people to say goodbye to, long before we even smell the borsht in Russia three years from now. With that, let's raise a pint (or, given FIFA's sponsorship deals: Let's raise AN ICE COLD BUDWEISER BROUGHT TO YOU BY COCA COLA, OFFICIAL SPONSOR OF HYUNDAI'S SPONSORSHIP OF THE WORLD CUP) to the gone, and soon to be forgotten eliminated squads of the World Cup<br />
<br />
<i>(Note, each entry<b> </b>bases the ranking on games played, goal difference and finally chronological order. Entries begin with goodbye in a local language, a recap of previous performance, and change in position from one world cup cycle to the next)</i><br />
<br />
<b></b><br />
<b>
209-ish*Lesali Sesihamba, Zimbabwe (2014 Finish #115; -94 spots)</b><br />
<div>
<a href="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dVxF2K7jPRk/0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dVxF2K7jPRk/0.jpg" height="150" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a><b>Why They Lost: </b>Well, technically they haven't lost yet, they haven't even played a game yet. But FIFA has "expelled" Zimbabwe from the World Cup because they failed to pay former <a href="http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2015/m=3/news=zimbabwe-expelled-from-the-preliminary-competition-of-the-2018-fifa-wo-2557911.html/index.html">coach Jose Georgini </a>after firing him. And while <a href="http://www.zifa.org.zw/index.php/component/k2/item/281-%E2%80%9Czimbabwe-will-play-world-cup-qualifiers%E2%80%9D.html">Zimbabwe's totally going to fight this</a>, FIFA's not exactly known for changes of heart.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's worth noting that Zimbabwe was allowed to participate in the 2014 qualifiers, despite the fact that their previous head of the FA (ZIFA) was fired when she <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwe_Football_Association#cite_note-The_Guardian-1">sent a fake national team to lose in South Asia and couldn't explain what happened to a $103,000 loan from the government</a>. So, you know, undermine the legitimacy of the international system, no biggie, fail to pay a coach and hold your horses! Her replacement Dr. Cuthbert Dubet (who some accuse of organizing the charges against her despite his awesome name) makes <a href="http://www.herald.co.zw/cuthbert-dube-grossed-us6-4m-per-year/">$6.4 Million a year</a>, so at least graft shouldn't be an issue for him.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So long story short, if Dr. Dubet fixes it we'll drop the others on this list down a spot each, if Zimbabwe stays eliminated let's just say it's because of total systemic corruption...</div>
<div>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Lots of sure fire Robert Mugabe zingers. "Robert Mugabe's so paranoid, he thinks the Western forces driving him out of power are being driven out of power by other Western forces"; "Robert Mugabe's got so many delusions of grandeur even Kanye West thinks he needs to settle down." I CAN DO THIS ALL DAY MUGABE!!<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<b>#208 Buh Bye, Bahamas (<u>2014 Finish: #176; -32)</u></b></div>
<div>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>After their unfortunate dismissal due to infrastructure problems <a href="http://montanansforsoccer.blogspot.com/search?q=Bahamas">four years ago</a>, The Bahamas were utterly smoked by Bermuda in both legs of their matches, losing five-nil AT HOME and three-nil in Bermuda. Sloppy defending and frequent fouls seem to be the most common problem for Bahamian Slayersz (<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahamas_national_football_team">seriously, according to Wikipedia that's their nickname</a></i>). With disarray on set pieces, failures to clear, cynical challenges and even captain Happy Hall earning a red card.</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U7vAw4DdXbI" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<div>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Hard to top a player named Happy Hall, even if he didn't look remotely Happy during the drubbing </div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>#207 Fare thee well, Anguilla (<u>2014 Finish: #195; -12</u>)</b></div>
<div>
<div>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>The worst team to enter CONCAF Qualifying had to feel unlucky drawing the best team in the first round. There were long odds against Nicaragua from the off, and those long odds got longer when they lost five-nil in the first leg. The Three Dolphins may have bitten off more than they could chew, but there's always four years from now.</div>
<div>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Ryan Liddie may not sound like a great keeper, but from the <a href="http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/deportes/356067-minuto-minuto-nicaragua-vs-anguila/">Nicaraguan match report</a>, it was pretty clear that he was the only thing standing between Anguilla and a brutal drubbing.</div>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>#206 Ta-Ta, Turks and Caicos (<u>2014 Finish #196; -10</u>)</b></div>
<div>
<div>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Four years after getting pummeled by the Bahamanians, Turks and Caicos clearly found a way to get in to goal. They even grabbed a lead during the away leg thanks to Defender <a href="http://www.concacaf.com/category/world-cup-qualifying-men/game-detail/230461">Widlin Calixte's brace</a> in the first five minutes. However, all the new fire power made little difference when they were repeatedly picked apart by St. Kitts' even more potent attack (including <a href="http://www.lcfc.com/news/article/panayiotou-nets-first-international-hat-trick-2361550.aspx">Leicester City's Harrison Panayiotou</a> and his hat trick).</div>
<div>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>As a Montanan living in Minnesota, the chance to bask in Cup Qualifying glory of the rival San Antonio Scorpions 'twin Turk/Caicos combo, Billy Forbes and Marc Fenelus (though since Fenelus is only 17 there's still time.)<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<b>#205 Bayarti, Mongolia (<u>2014 Finish #198; -7</u>)</b></div>
<div>
<div>
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/df/Mongolia_FA.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shirt badge/Association crest" border="0" class="mw-mmv-final-image" crossorigin="anonymous" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/df/Mongolia_FA.png" height="201" width="320" /></a><b>Why They Lost: </b>The Blue Wolves couldn't repeat the 2011 feat of taking a win in qualifying against this cycle's opponent, Timor-Leste and while a 4-1 defeat left a lot of work to do on the return leg. But a stultifying one-nil loss in Ulan Bator where nothing but cards flew after the 9th minute, showed that the young Mongolians still have a long way to go. </div>
<div>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Forward Soyol-Erdene Gal-Erdene has a lot of weight on his shoulders as a part of Tottenham Hotspur's youth program, but the real focus should be on Murun Altankhuyag, the midfield playmaker who will need to partner with Gal-Erdene for future matches. Hopefully a move <a href="http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/wswf/wswf_20150320-0232a.mp3">to Serbia will boost those odds</a>.</div>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>#204 Jongin, Macau (<u>2014 Finish: #207; +3)</u></b></div>
<div>
<div>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Four years on from a 13 goal drubbing by Vietnam, Macau was actually much improved against Cambodia including a 1-1 draw to draw a point in the home leg of the match. But the 3-0 defeat in Phnom Penh under cut that.</div>
<div>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Easy access to book makers and Macau's world famous gambling paradise. What's that? International accusations of match fixing? Uh...I'm sure there are other things to miss in Macau...</div>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>#203 So Long, US Virgin Islands (<u>2014 Finish: #160; -43</u>)</b></div>
<div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://boxscorenews.com/clients/boxscorenews/3-27-2015-11-00-58-AM-9288079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="pagephoto layout_pagephoto" src="http://boxscorenews.com/clients/boxscorenews/3-27-2015-11-00-58-AM-9288079.jpg" height="102" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dashing Eagles must leave the pitch<br />
in 20 minutes so 7th graders can<br />
run the mile.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>The Dashing Eagles have a lot of youth and optimism around their team. With a host of teenagers, a confident captain in Dusty Goode (the old man of the team at 28), and an inspirational coach in Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed (of Mogadishu). But they do not have Wigan Athletic captain Emmerson Boyce. Barbados did. So despite a 1-0 win in Barbados, a 4-0 loss at home (where <a href="http://boxscorenews.com/us-virgin-islands-falls-to-barbados-looks-to-promising-football-future-p117653-112.htm">Boyce's addition seems to have made the difference</a>) saw them out of the contest</div>
<div>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>The Virgin Islanders hosted a match at a Junior High School Field. That's the kind of home field advantage for young players that would be beautiful to see (especially if Mexico had to come to town)</div>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ab/All_Nepal_Football_Association.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shirt badge/Association crest" border="0" class="mw-mmv-final-image" crossorigin="anonymous" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ab/All_Nepal_Football_Association.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><b>#202 Namaste, Nepal (<u>2014 Finish #190; -12)</u></b></div>
<div>
<div>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>In the last cycle we were plumping for young <a href="http://montanansforsoccer.blogspot.com/search/label/Nepal">Rohit Chand</a>, while he's still young, and still Nepal's best hope, he seemed out gunned, i<a href="http://www.sportskeeda.com/football/match-preview-fifa-world-cup-2018-qualfiers-india-nepal">f you believe scouting reports</a> that put him in charge of stopping India's top striker: Sunil Chhetri...only to have <a href="http://www.goal.com/en-india/match/india-vs-nepal/2012936/report">Chhetri's brace</a> be the difference in qualification. But it's also worth noting that vaunted youth striker Bimal Magar, (currently trying out with Belgium's KRC Genk), was a total non-factor.</div>
<div>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>The charming Nepalese badge, like a double corner kick over Mount Everest.</div>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>#201 Khuda Hafiz, Pakistan (2014 Finish: 201; No Change)</b></div>
<div>
<div>
<b>Why They Lost:</b> I've got to say, I don't think Pakistan is at all to blame here, I mean. They played Yemen twice in the gulf due to security concerns in both Yemen and Lahore. Delays, confusion, all of that left the Pak Shaheens unfortunately discomfited for their ties against a similarly confused but more highly regarded Yemeni squad. </div>
<div>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Muhammad Hamza's <a href="https://twitter.com/thefutbolwizard">tweeting</a> and <a href="http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/26577/can-pakistan-qualify-for-the-fifa-world-cup-2018/">writing</a> is a great sample of passionate and proud futbol journalism from a country that few might focus on otherwise.</div>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>#200 Poittu Varen, Sri Lanka (<u>2014 Finish: 202; +2</u>)</b></div>
<div>
<div>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Overconfidence? Underestimation? Apathetic fans? Whatever the case, Sri Lanka crashed out to Bhutan. They had the better run of form, more professionals who played in a better league, a more experienced and worldly coach, a higher FIFA ranking and none of that mattered an inch. But on the plus side, they are responsible for what may become my new mantra while talking about underdogs. Whatever skills and talents the favorites have..."So Did Sri Lanka"</div>
<div>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>The chance for a nice nap...<br />
<br />
Here's the fans when Bhutan won at home<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic7XT0BjqtGyxQ8VOvSewLQkpwIUR3gYQf4DfNxKfKXKEiQXbZQxlfvM7EZCY7TV6VAX-rxSb4zqt8iPh2nYQop4HYZrqZ-n6gwSAroHNKJPARp1_5dwbc05YOjYtBSqgz3Fn48g/s1600/Thipu+Stadium.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic7XT0BjqtGyxQ8VOvSewLQkpwIUR3gYQf4DfNxKfKXKEiQXbZQxlfvM7EZCY7TV6VAX-rxSb4zqt8iPh2nYQop4HYZrqZ-n6gwSAroHNKJPARp1_5dwbc05YOjYtBSqgz3Fn48g/s1600/Thipu+Stadium.jpeg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
And here's the best shot of the fans I could find from Colombo. </div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqcr_wmjlEN9kiZk9np9ZLZSxQ41-uy70jFGZVy_XsfPCpmvZdePTJw4gxDgDSXxWeKiTyOtCRNpA_JgNhVwr2Uvk54A6FnaYFi9ObNtMgtuSFdIhorWuxYAL0SD9UVvySG1mGA/s1600/Colombo+Stadium.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqcr_wmjlEN9kiZk9np9ZLZSxQ41-uy70jFGZVy_XsfPCpmvZdePTJw4gxDgDSXxWeKiTyOtCRNpA_JgNhVwr2Uvk54A6FnaYFi9ObNtMgtuSFdIhorWuxYAL0SD9UVvySG1mGA/s1600/Colombo+Stadium.jpeg" height="113" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Tiny Thimpu turned out 15,000 for a match, Colombo only rounded up 3,500 (many of those were Bhutanese University students)...despite the fact that Thimpu's metro population of 115,000 is about 2% of Colombo's 5 Million. Sure Bhutan's story is great for football, but sports writers need to sleep as much as the next guy/girl.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.cnwimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/sultan-of-brunei.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.cnwimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/sultan-of-brunei.jpg" height="200" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="143" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uh, oh...he heard me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>#199 Selamaat Tiggal, Brunei (<u>2014 Finish: Did Not Enter; +11)</u></b></div>
<div>
<div>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>Brunei seemed to suffer from a classic case of scoring too early. The down side of doing that in a two-legged match is that you leave all manner of time for your opponents to get you back. Adi Said's strike in the 36th minute in Tapei gave "The Wasps" a big lead...a lead they squandered at home, conceding a goal on either side of their orange slices, to leave the wealthy sultanate wondering what went wrong...and why they didn't get a better half-time snack than orange slices, I mean...come on you're Brunei! You're supposedly the fifth richest ruler in the world!</div>
<div>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>Sassing the Sultan of Brunei: he's a man rich enough to afford a different medal for every hour of the day. But clearly he missed the oligarchical football management class from Roman Abromovic</div>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>#198 Bye, British Virgin Islands (<u>2014 Finish: 193; -5</u>)</b></div>
<div>
<div>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>The British Virgin Islands didn't get the benefit of a home leg against Dominica due to construction on their best pitch (a combination cricket/soccer pitch...more proof that multipurpose stadiums just don't work! If only an owner could threaten to move the national team...). So despite <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Virgin_Islands_national_football_team#Current_Squad">young talents</a> playing the game in the lower levels of the British professional system and various American colleges, they couldn't put it all together against Dominica.</div>
<div>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>For a team called "The Nature Boyz" this would have been a tremendous opportunity to double down on Ric Flair References. Sadly, we'll save the stylin' and profilin' for Christiano Ronaldo.</div>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>#197 Ta, Ta, Montserrat (<u>2014 Finish: 193; -4)</u></b></div>
<div>
<div>
<b>Why They Lost:</b> A team made up almost entirely of English citizens with Monserratian parentage (since a volcanic eruption 20 years ago sent a lot of the population to the less volatile English countryside) had a fair way to go just to compete, and minimal time to train. Also, they faced a Curaco squad coached by Dutch striking legend Patrick Kluivert...who can even get this match on to the sports pages of the vaunted <a href="http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/04/01/3729354/kluivert-leads-curacao-through.html">Idaho Statesman.</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/82/Cayman_Islands_FA.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Shirt badge/Association crest" border="0" class="mw-mmv-final-image" crossorigin="anonymous" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/82/Cayman_Islands_FA.png" width="147" /></a><b>What We'll Miss: </b><a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/12-flights-2-boats-9000-5471669">Lyle Taylor is clearly the main attraction</a> and focus for the Emerald Boys, his potential has allowed him to bounce around a bit, with his greatest successes coming in Scotland first with Falkirk and now on loan to Partick Thistle. Still just 25, he may be able to boost the islanders to new heights in four years.<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<b>#196 Catch ya later, Cayman Islands (<u>2014 Finish: 156; -40</u>)</b></div>
<div>
<b>Why They Lost: </b>The Away Goals Rule. A surprisingly game Cayman squad managed a pair of draws against a <a href="http://www.reporter.bz/uncategorized/belize-jaguars-0-0-draw-with-caymans-disappoints-fans/">better</a> <a href="http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=32016">Belize</a> <a href="http://www.guardian.bz/editorial/9273-belize-and-grand-cayman-nil-nil">team</a> (though Belize was without Atlanta Silverbacks Striker "Dangerous" Deon McCaulay who knotted 11 goals in the last cycle), but since they drew 1-1 in the Cayman city of George Town, Belize moved on.</div>
<div>
<b>What We'll Miss: </b>The Cayman Island badge is a nice subtle nod to their English heritage, but with a slightly smilier Lion. He's your pal!</div>
The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-53320563938373974272015-03-22T19:55:00.000-07:002015-03-22T19:55:11.169-07:00WIBD CONCAF Round 1: Anguilla<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/22/Aguilla_Football_Association.svg/500px-Aguilla_Football_Association.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Shirt badge/Association crest" border="0" class="" crossorigin="anonymous" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/22/Aguilla_Football_Association.svg/500px-Aguilla_Football_Association.svg.png" width="142" /></a>In keeping with my fondness for righteous underdogs, it's time to consider the wee minnows in our own backyard. Or in this case, the dolphins in our own backyard<br />
<br />
<br />
While the US has only a slight chance of hoisting the World Cup, their odds are decidedly better than their neighbors in the North American Federation, I mean, we're not Haiti, or Suriname, or Canada, and we are most certainly not the lowest seeded squad in the contest: Anguilla.<br />
<br />
The Three Dolphins (<i>who might be smarter than the Three Lions of England, but are also less likely to win a bar fight</i>) are ranked 208th in the World after going almost three years without a match (a 1-0 loss to the British Virgin Islands). But recent form suggests they might have a better future ahead, after taking two matches against those self same British Virgins (<i>Note: There's got to be a better demonym than that...oh Virgin Islanders of a British persuasion...that's better</i>)<i> </i>in the last month as a tune up for their qualifier against Nicaragua.<br />
<br />
Still, this is the World Cup, and Anguilla's never won a qualifying match. They haven't scored a goal against CONCAF opponents in a meaningful game like this since 2002, and have been dusted by rivals by a total of 28-0 in their last six matches. Their highest honor lately was making <a href="http://montanansforsoccer.blogspot.com/2013/12/starting-xi-federation-badges-well-miss.html">my list of 11</a> cool looking federation badges.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://football-uniform.up.n.seesaa.net/football-uniform/image/110708-Anguilla-0-2-Dominican20Republic.jpg?d=a1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://football-uniform.up.n.seesaa.net/football-uniform/image/110708-Anguilla-0-2-Dominican20Republic.jpg?d=a1" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="190" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Girdon Connor (#2, Left)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Normally statistics like that don't matter, I mean, squads turn over, especially in a decade worth of matches...but...well...this is still Anguilla, and they're still a nation sparsely populated by footballers, so much so that 36 year old Girdon Connor (who has been on the squad since 2004) is still their top performer.<br />
<br />
Facing all this, coach <a href="http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2015/m=3/news=anguilla-out-on-the-edge-2568973.html">Ryszard Orlowski (</a><i>a Polish refugee living in Pennsylvania who helped coach Nepal before taking over Anguilla</i>)<i> </i>remains optimistic. "We’ve won...games now and winning is contagious. Play our football and we will succeed.” Orlowski may have a point--after all, while Nicaragua has a squad filled with professionals, and consistent access to international competitions, so did Sri Lanka*.<br />
<br />
Win or Lose, the Dolphins will keep playing, keep working, keep improving, and keep living in Anguilla. That's a pretty excellent way to live your life, all things considered.<br />
<br />
<br />
*Note: "So did Sri Lanka" may become the rallying cry of every minnow in the wake of Bhutan's stunning upset...so...I may call "Trademark" on that.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-15154646177050635222015-03-02T18:43:00.000-08:002015-03-02T18:43:15.599-08:00Well I'll Be Damned! 2018 Kickoff<br />
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<br />
We're two short weeks away from the kickoff of World Cup 2018 Qualifying, and as such, it's time to reignite one of my favorite features to write during World Cup Qualification "Well I'll Be Damned" (WIBD) for short.<br />
<br />
WIBD is a quick way to give some press to the least known and most easily forgotten teams in qualification, the squads for whom winning a match would be a high point in their national history, for whom qualifying for the finals is the stuff of intense day dreams, and for whom actually winning the cup would signify certifiable delusions.<br />
<br />
Since the Road to Russia/Miles to Moscow/Long Haul to Luzhnki starts in Asia, that's where our WIBD profiles will start too, with the lowest ranked team in the whole cup: Bhutan<br />
<br />
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4d/Bhutan_FA.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shirt badge/Association crest" border="0" crossorigin="anonymous" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4d/Bhutan_FA.png" /></a>The Druk 11, as they're known in Bhutan, have a pretty paltry history in international soccer events. The 2018 tournament will mark their first foray into the World Cup. They haven't played a game at all in the last 18 months (a 5-2 loss to Sri Lanka in September 2013). And now they're set to face those same Lankan Lions in their first ever qualifying matches.<br />
<br />
Given the absurd altitude in the land of the Thunder Dragon, the national squad might be able to develop some tremendous endurance. But given the lack of financial opportunities for football players in Bhutan (the game is often given up by kids once they discover more exciting/profitable things...like math), players tend to have a hard time developing the skill sets to keep up with their other AFC counterparts.<br />
<a href="http://www.kuenselonline.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_7410-550x412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://www.kuenselonline.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_7410-550x412.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a><br />
Ranked 209th in the world and with an historical goal differential of -185, the odds are most definitely stacked against Bhutan. They've never drawn so much as a point against Sri Lanka, and in 15 matches against them they have scored exactly twice.<br />
<br />
Still I'm optimistic. Maybe it's the fact that anything can happen. Maybe it's the fact that Changlimithang Stadium is at 7,600 feet above sea level 1500 feet below the insurmountable Quito in Ecuador. Maybe it's the fact that I taught the former son of the Bhutanese FA and am still hoping I can get a national team jersey. But come on, let's face facts. Bhutan is a rising power, ten years after beatin gMonserrat they could easily beat the world.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-29876123467383810082015-02-28T09:34:00.000-08:002015-02-28T09:34:00.329-08:003 On/3 Off: African Cup of NationsA week after the Asian Cup concluded the African Cup of Nations wrapped up too.<br />
<br />
I watched, I cared, so why didn't I write about it until now, nearly a month later?<br />
<br />
Hey look it's an evasion of a question! On with the subjective judgements!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>ON: Ivory Coast's Golden Generation</b><br />
Arguably the greatest African nation of the past decade, the Ivorians boast a constellation of European club stars, a wealth of continental and global attention and acclaim and now, finally a major trophy. 23 Years after their first trophy, they've finally got another Nations' Cup title, and despite some middling, sleep-walking draws en route to the trophy they got there in the end. And though the biggest legend of the country could only watch from afar, his reaction pretty much says it all.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JIZtL7F-Qyk" width="560"></iframe>
<b>OFF: Ghana's Golden Generation</b><br />
I'm pretty unrepentant about loving the Black Stars. It's been 11 years for me supporting the squad even through the seemingly inevitable Grudge Matches with the USA. But the team still has little to show for their decade of success other than a couple of youth trophies, and an increasing funk around Penalty Kicks. (Give them this though: Andre Ayew is the boss)<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>ON: Equatorial Guinea's Team</b><br />
Nzalang Nacional was bounced unceremoniously from qualification for fielding an ineligible player. Even without that they struggled against their "ousters" Mauritania, who in turn got whipped by Uganda, who in turn came up short in the group stage. The backdoor qualification, taking over for a concerned Moroccan FA, didn't bode well either. But when it came down to it, they played well, qualified for the second round and knocked out Tunisia (thanks to some suspecting referring, but still). With four players under 23 trying to break into the first squads of La Liga's best, they're well positioned for the future as well.<br />
<a href="http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/assets/11482398/GHANA-RIOT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/assets/11482398/GHANA-RIOT.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a><b>OFF: Equatorial Guinea's Everybody Else</b><br />
Sure it was short notice, a tournament cobbled together on the quick and the cheap. But the facilities reported by journalists and teams alike were slipshod and poor. Rumors of biased referring dogged the knockout rounds. And the home team's biggest match (a semi-final versus Ghana) devolved into a full scale supporter riot that ended in tear gas from an army helicopter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/80661000/jpg/_80661596_afcon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="89" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/80661000/jpg/_80661596_afcon.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The highest drama in football.</td></tr>
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<b>ON: Random Chance</b><br />
Guinea and Mali drew their way through three matches, ending the group stage with the same points, goal difference, and goals scored. So what was the best way to select a winner? How about randomly drawing a name from a hat! In future random chance can also be used to determine overlong penalty kicks (which from Ghana's point of view, might actually be a better chance)<br />
<b>OFF: Cameroon's Best Efforts</b><br />
Once upon a time Cameroon was the best squad in Africa. Roger Milla was king and when people thought of African football, they thought of the Indomitable Lions. And though the team still has the infrastructure and resources to consistently contend for continental trophies, the lackluster, sleep-walking performances both in Equitorial Guinea and more aggravatingly at last summer's world cup make the team look lackluster at best.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-45273044527122896162015-02-23T19:03:00.001-08:002015-02-23T19:03:55.121-08:003 On/3 Off: Asian Cup EditionSo, I was back on schedule, and then...yeah.<br />
<br />
We hereby return to our summaries and catch-up of notable (and not-so notable) tournaments starting with the first federation cup of the new cycle: the AFC Asian Cup<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>On: Tim Cahill (Soccer Legend)</b><br />
Tim Cahill is to Australlian soccer what Bronco Nagurski is to American football.<br />
<br />
That is all.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Off: Australian Fans (Geopolitical Novices)</b><br />
<a href="http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2015/01/18/1227188/955090-ee58a178-9f05-11e4-b0c3-1d439f0b9016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2015/01/18/1227188/955090-ee58a178-9f05-11e4-b0c3-1d439f0b9016.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a>I'm all for hospitality, but Australian fans took it to a new level expressing their affection for North Korea. The Red Robot wasn't too likely to have a lot of fans in the stands, but that's as much for it's systemic disadvantaging of citizens as it is due to the country's small population. Cheer how you want to Aussies...but just remember that one man's satire is a nut job despot's eternal devotion.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>On: South Korea</b><br />
The Taeguk Warriors are certainly disappointed to have been forced to settle for a fourth silver medal since their last trophy in 1960. (Their four bronzes over the same time don't help either). But set aside the final standings and you can see a dominant squad that only trailed for 45 minutes (the second half of the final) and still managed a stunning equalizer in stoppage time. The resilient South Koreans are certainly worthy of a trophy, and I have every confidence they'll be gunning for one sooner rather than later.<br />
<a href="http://cache2.asset-cache.net/gc/450640622-japanese-fans-react-as-they-watch-the-2014-gettyimages.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=GkZZ8bf5zL1ZiijUmxa7QaOCCvRS9rhs2cthJiAZRWM1%2FfloQotpUIKZ7M6cKPiO" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://cache2.asset-cache.net/gc/450640622-japanese-fans-react-as-they-watch-the-2014-gettyimages.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=GkZZ8bf5zL1ZiijUmxa7QaOCCvRS9rhs2cthJiAZRWM1%2FfloQotpUIKZ7M6cKPiO" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a><b>Off: Japan</b><br />
Meanwhile, Korea's primary rival, Japan's Blue Samurai, were underwhelming, topping a middling Group D before being on the back foot for 74 minutes against the United Arab Emirates en route to their eventual ouster in the quarterfinals. Combine this lackluster showing with the fuzzy and unfocused runs in Brazil both last summer and the year before (at the Confederations' Cup) and Japan doesn't look terribly well prepared for the future.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>On: Asia's "Perceived" Third Tier (Uzbekistan/UAE/China/Iraq)</b><br />
<a href="http://www.nbcsports.com/files/nbcsports/styles/hero-image-full/public/statscom-images/2015/0114/201501140331126943674-p2.jpeg?itok=Tq6TpITK" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://www.nbcsports.com/files/nbcsports/styles/hero-image-full/public/statscom-images/2015/0114/201501140331126943674-p2.jpeg?itok=Tq6TpITK" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a>Recent form suggested that China and Iraq had no shot at the second round and that the UAE and Uzbekistan were too unknown to thrive in a bigger tournament. At the end of the tournament Iraq and the UAE finished 3rd & 4th, while China and Uzbekistan topped a group featuring more recent World Cup qualifiers (North Korea/Saudi Arabia).<br />
<br />
<b>Off: Asia's "Perceived" Second Tier (Saudi Arabia/Oman/Jordan/Qatar)</b><br />
The Saudi's remain Asia's most baffling squad, with a fine pedigree and minimal results. The other gulf states with rising standards and results (Oman, Jordan and Qatar)looked totally underwhelming en route to their own early exits. And while none conceded as many goals as debutants Palestine, their standards aren't to compete against Palestine...it's to compete against the other top teams in Asia.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-27159086224808605952015-01-17T20:00:00.001-08:002015-03-23T14:01:53.957-07:00Catching up on the Cups: Southeast Asian Cup<i>When you have a job it's easy to lose track of the fun things in life: like minor international soccer tournaments.</i><br />
<i>So, as we near the end of the actual Asian Cup we take a look backwards at the smaller, less prestigious, but far more fun Southeast Asian Cup, also known as the ASEAN Football Federation Cup, or the AFF Cup, or the Suzuki AFF Cup, because why not.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.republika.co.id/uploads/images/detailnews/kiatisuk-senamuang-_131220042343-133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://static.republika.co.id/uploads/images/detailnews/kiatisuk-senamuang-_131220042343-133.jpg" height="118" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything's Coming Up Kiatsuk!!</td></tr>
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<i><br /></i><b>ON: Kiatsuk Senamuang (Coach of Thailand)</b><br />
The former War Elephants striker returned to the team as a youth level coach and after a great run of form (including gold medals in two youth tournaments) repeated the feat when his youth players graduated to the national team. He's the first person to win the Suzuki Cup as both a player and manager. So basically, he's golden until Thailand fails to qualify for the World Cup.<br />
<b>OFF: Clarity of fan/political allegiance in Thailand</b><br />
As the proud owner of a Bangkok knockoff Thai National Team jersey, I have to say that I was swiftly pressured into identifying the color that noticed my political allegiance. Yellow for the monarchy, red for the reformers or blue for...well...farang tourists who didn't want to piss anyone off. But with their most recent trophy won in red and dedicated to the ailing king, it's hard to tell what anybody's rooting for in the Thai stands (other than victory/peace).<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>ON: Mohd Safiq Rahim</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/dJ1LMRY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/dJ1LMRY.jpg" height="200" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="166" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gratuitous Malaysian Bowling plug</td></tr>
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While Malaysia was unlucky again to be waylaid in their pursuit of futbol greatness. The country has a strong hunger for glory, but little to show for it. Their 2010 Suzuki Cup win was their first trophy in 21 years, and they've got just 5 points in the last 3 World Cup qualifying campaigns. But that's nothing to do with Safiq Rahim, who remains absolutley deadly from the penalty spot netting four of his Golden Boot winning 6 goals. And if that weren't enough, he's married to one of Malaysia's best known female bowlers Zandra Aziela. (Take that Nomar Garciaparra and Mia Hamm!)<br />
<b>OFF: Baby Face Laotian Keepers </b><br />
Living in a part of the world with a large Laotian diaspora, I keep hoping that Thim Xad will pick it up. But that's hard to do when they field a pair of goalies with 5 caps to their names. Perhaps Thailand built for their future by trying so many young talents out, but manager Dave Booth (of Grimsby Town fame) may actually have set back the process of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seng_Athit_Somvang" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-decoration: none;" title="Seng Athit Somvang">Seng Athit Somvang</a> (23) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soukthavy_Soundala" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; text-decoration: none;" title="Soukthavy Soundala">Soukthavy Soundala</a> (19) after that duo yielded 12 goals in 3 matches. God speed to the newbies.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/sites/default/files/public/article/images/featured/2014/12/Main.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/sites/default/files/public/article/images/featured/2014/12/Main.jpg" height="240" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="400" /></a><br />
<b>ON: The Street Rep of South Asian Fans</b><br />
You name the hooligan-ish behavior and South Asian fans seemed to go in for it. Throw toilet paper at the ref: Check (thanks Singapore). Point lasers into opponents eyes: check (thanks Malaysia). Deliver death threats to opponents: check (thank you Thailand). And just beat mercilessly beating people up: check (thanks again Malaysia...though Malaysian press says thanks go to Vietnam...let's just agree you both acted poorly.)<br />
<b>OFF: The Socceroos</b><br />
Technically Australia is part of the Southeast Asian Cup, but technically, Australia is much much better than everyone else in the sub-region. So! The Socceroos have chosen to participate only in the East Asian cup, with greater prestige, more money and greater challenge. But we know the truth, they just don't want to face the potential upset of so many consonants being dropped on confused readers of Aussie NewspapersThe Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-4900754000090157982015-01-12T19:46:00.001-08:002015-03-23T14:01:37.283-07:00Catching up the Cups: Caribbean Cup<i>When you have a job it's easy to lose track of the fun things in life: like minor international soccer tournaments.</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.cfufootball.org/images/Jam-champ-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" src="http://www.cfufootball.org/images/Jam-champ-2014.jpg" height="311" width="640" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
<i>So, as the new year kicks off, it seems only right to recognize some of the other tournaments in the world during 2014. Starting out with Caribbean Cup from November</i><br />
<b>ON: Jamaica's Reggae Boyz</b><br />
<a href="http://www.sportsvuesoccer.com/images/upload/blake0116_9312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.sportsvuesoccer.com/images/upload/blake0116_9312.jpg" height="190" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a>Though they entered the cup ranked lower than everyone but Curacao (and the unranked minnows of Martinique and French Guyana), Jamaica was an all around force on their home turf at Montego Bay. They utterly demolished their rivals in group B and held the stronger Trinidad and Tobago side at bay for 120 minutes, before winning the cup in a shoot out. While Leeds United's Rodolph Austin won the MVP for his midfield work, it's hard to under state the effect of Andre Blake. The MLS top draft pick and former Husky goalkeeper shut down all comers after a 29th minute goal in the first match. That's 316 minutes of shut-out soccer and a job well done.<br />
<br />
<b>OFF: Trinidad and Tobago's Soca Warriors</b><br />
Even thought they weren't the host, the Soca Warriors were the favorite, ranked 21 spots higher than anyone else in the tournament (Antigua/Barbuda according to FIFA), and 64 spots better than their rivals in the finals. And still they lost. They haven't won a trophy since 2001, and haven't made a dent in non-Caribbean Cup tournaments since the trip to Germany in 2006. I'm not sure what it's going to take for T'n'T to get back on the rise, but it's something other than this.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>ON: Haiti's Youth Movement:</b><br />
Les Grenadiers have a horde of talented youngsters (all under 28) populating the midfield, with the strongest players venturing far and wide to find the best careers, including Sony Norde (25) with Mohun Bagan (a dominant squad in India), and Jeff Louis (22) with Standard Liege in Belgium. While they were a little flat against Jamaica, the future's bright for Haiti.<br />
<b>OFF: Cuba's Old Guard</b><br />
Relations were normalized shortly after the cup finished, but for the sake of Cuban futbol, the Castro's may want to keep beat downs from us Yanquis at arm's length. Since winning the 2012 event (on a scant 5 goals in 5 matches), the Cuban philosophy seems to have been: keep everything exactly the same (hey, it's worked for the economy for the last sixty...oh wait...never mind). Despite a couple of shellackings that saw them bounced from world cup qualifying, <i>los Leones del Caribe</i> keep trotting out 40 year old Odelin Molina in goal, and the similarly 30+ Jaime and Yoel Colome. I'm going to make a heretical request Cuba, get something new.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>ON: The Ultimate Underdog--French Guyana</b><br />
We're fans of underdogs in Montana, and it's hard to find a bigger one than French Guyana. How low is French Guyana in the pecking order of FIFA, you ask? Nowhere. They aren't even a member. How well did they do? 5th place, good enough to get them a crack at the Gold Cup playoff against Honduras in March. And given that Honduras just came back from a World Cup that may seem like along shot, but remember, Honduras played terribly and has generally been awful while dealing with the whole drug-war thing. Here's hoping French Guyana gets in and pulls a shock or two this July.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.usatoday.net/sports/_photos/2011/06/20/Warner-quits-FIFA-bribery-charges-dropped-7367A8P-x-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.usatoday.net/sports/_photos/2011/06/20/Warner-quits-FIFA-bribery-charges-dropped-7367A8P-x-large.jpg" height="146" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack Warner's "What Me Worry"? Look</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>OFF: Caribbean Officials</b><br />
FIFA and "scandal" have slowly become synonymous, but it should be noted that more or less everybody involved in the caribbean football union had to resign over the alleged bribes paid by Mohammed Bin-Hammam in his ill-fated attempt to oust Sepp Blatter. (Included in the list the FA heads for Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana and the Bahamas, as part of 27 total warned, fined or reprimanded officials from 18 confederations). Does that have anything to do with the talented athletes? No...but I needed to mock someone, and my default position is to mock anyone linked to FIFA scandals.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-69437634933456903002014-09-28T20:17:00.001-07:002014-09-28T20:17:22.213-07:00NEW FEATURE: Texts and SubtextsWhile most of the futbol-ing world has turned its attention to club season, some of us are stubbornly focused on international contests. Those people are: me, Panini sticker collectors, and FIFA executives.<br />
<br />
So, on the off chance that people other than me want World Cup/International Futbol news even when there's a whole lot of time before any meaningful matches are played for Russia 2018, I'll be posting some key links about the World Cup, qualifiers, rumors, announcements, etc. every month--near the end of it.<br />
<br />
But rather than just having a link blast, I offer an added feature: "Subtextual Reporting". Where I put other worthwhile facts and obvious thoughts/feelings of the key players into the most interesting article of the month.<br />
<br />
This month I couldn't resist <a href="http://www.espnfc.com/fifa-world-cup/story/2025540/fifa-president-sepp-blatter-talks-up-united-states-chances-of-hosting-2026-world-cup">this article</a> where Sepp Blatter announces his intent to run for another term as FIFA President, lauds the US's chances of hosting a world cup, and then passive-aggressively smacks down England.<br />
<br />
First, Blatter is standing for another election, despite promises he wouldn't [<i>because lying is actually a plus for FIFA politicians</i>]. And with Michel Platini [<i>who currently makes an obscene amount of money running UEFA</i>] electing not to get elected [<i>and inherit the corruption and mishagosh of Blatter's recent rule</i>] Blatter is more or less a sure thing to be elected again.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1932347!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/491932375ml00065-brazil-v-n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1932347!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/491932375ml00065-brazil-v-n.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King Sepp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
He's rather pleased with the possibility of rounding out his next term with a vote on the 2026 World Cup [<i>and all the associated pay-ola that goes with it</i>] and hopes that it would go to the United States [<i>because it would make FIFA a butt-load of money</i>].<br />
<br />
But my favorite part was the end<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Blatter said: "It's not important who is the president of FIFA [<i>so long as it's me</i>]. If England wants to have again a competition then they bid [<i>and tell their meanie-pants press to shut up</i>] -- whoever is the president of FIFA [<i>and it will be me</i>]. And they should listen a bit about what is called fair play [<i>the whiny cry babies</i>].<br />"But, at least, don't forget that in football, you learn to win but also to lose [<i>unless you are me...because I never have to compete so I never lose</i>]. So, therefore, [<i>to cover my ass</i>] I appeal to all those to go back to the essence of football, and then you learn to lose [<i>C'mon England, you know what that's like</i>]. I have lost a lot of times [<i>though it was so many years ago, I can't remember it</i>] but, if you lose, then you stay there and you try to be better [<i>or at least, more positive about me</i>]. And then, stay fair, that's all.<br />"Fair play was invented by England, Great Britain -- the beautiful game and fair play [<i>and stupid journalists who attack me</i>]. So let's celebrate fair play [<i>so long as I never have to do it myself</i>]."<br /></blockquote>
There you have it! The subtext of Sepp Blatter's recent clippings, all the truth, some of the slander, none of the responsibility. For more eloquent chiding of Blatter, check out the <a href="http://www.dw.de/opinion-emperor-blatter-and-his-fifa-world/a-17958167">Dutch Welle's</a> opinion section.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1951409!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/fifaweb25s-1-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="129" src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1951409!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/fifaweb25s-1-web.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uhhh...maybe...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>The biggest news</b> is all about the 2018 & 2022 investigative report submitted to FIFA by American Lawyer Michael Garcia.<br />
<br />
--One British MP wants to use the report to bring <a href="http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/29309391">criminal charges against FIFA leaders</a> (good luck)<br />
<br />
--In the wake of many many fans wanting to see the report FIFA leaders <a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/a-push-within-fifa-to-release-report-on-2018-2022-world-cup-bids-1411506921">also want fans to see the report </a><br />
<br />
--But a decision from FIFA's own personal judge on whether or not any action is taken against those accused of corruption <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/sep/19/fifa-investigation-2018-world-cup-2022-november-target">won't be heard until November at the earliest</a>...and more likely spring of 2015.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>MEANWHILE</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2014/06/10/the-west-should-boycott-putin-s-2018-world-cup/jcr:content/image.img.2000.jpg/1402424372457.cached.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://cdn.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2014/06/10/the-west-should-boycott-putin-s-2018-world-cup/jcr:content/image.img.2000.jpg/1402424372457.cached.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I must protect the Russian parts of that ball"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
--The fate of Russia 2018 may depend on just how badly Vladmir Putin wants to destabilize Ukraine. The <a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/9/9/boycott-russia-fifaworldcup.html">FA fears a boycott or removal of the games by FIFA</a>, though all mutterings of a boycott are pretty much just that...muttering.<br />
<br />
--When not fretting over whether or not they'll get the tournament in the first place, Russia is also mulling a way to get more competitive by 2018. Namely, they're <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/sep/11/russia-world-cup-2018-central-contracts">considering having the national team play in league matches against other Russian squads</a> (in 2017)...because how better to suit up for Germany than playing a bunch of guys not as good as you<br />
<br />
--A former head of the German FA has said <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/soccer/2022-world-cup-won-played-qatar-fifa-exec-article-1.1948442">he doesn't think the World Cup will be played in Qatar in 2022</a>...though not because of corruption, just because it's hot...<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-64074430638320823222014-09-22T12:06:00.000-07:002014-09-22T12:06:18.691-07:003 On/3 Off: Copa CentramericanoJust because the World Cup is approximately 9 Million Years Away (<i>Ed: Just 3 years and 9 months Captain Hyperbole</i>), doesn't mean that international soccer is irrelevant. Sure, fans of the big names and star-power will tune in to league matches at a much higher rate than those die-hards in remote villages who tune in to fuzzy pictures on a rare satellite dish.<br />
<br />
But as this is a "World Cup" Hooligan's website we'll keep you abreast of all the big competitions, and even some of the small ones. Starting with the recently concluded Copa Centramericano (Central American Cup) held in early September in the US (or rather: DC, Dallas, Houston and LA).<br />
<br />
What are our big takeaways, well, that's what 3 On/3 Off is for.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://media.philly.com/images/091414-600-costa-rica.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty good way to wrap up the summer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>ON: Costa Rica's Domination</b><br />
It's Los Ticos world in North America right now and the rest of us are just playing with it. The tournament might have been a mere formality after the quarter finalists took on a set of squads with an average rank of 117 in the world. Bryan Ruiz and Celso Borges never stopped, and Costa Rica can now gladly add $60,000 to their budgets thanks to their triumph (<i>AND </i>punch their ticket for the 100th anniversary of the Copa America in 2016...starring all of South America and the top 6 squads in North America).<br />
<b>OFF: Costa Rica's DOMINATION</b><br />
Champions though they are, Costa Rica didn't exactly mow down the competition like Sonny Corleone at a tollway booth. It took 2 goals in the final ten minutes to scrape a draw against a very game Panama, and another comeback after ceding a penalty to Carlos Ruiz of Guatemala to gain the trophy. Los Ticos are good, no doubt about it...but maybe not <i>that </i>good (at least, not without Keylor Navas)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chicago-fire.com/sites/chicago/files/imagecache/620x350/image_nodes/2012/02/Marco%20Pappa%20-%20GMNT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://www.chicago-fire.com/sites/chicago/files/imagecache/620x350/image_nodes/2012/02/Marco%20Pappa%20-%20GMNT.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who's your Pappa?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>ON: Marco Pappa (Guatemala)</b><br />
Case in point for Costa Rica's tempered optimism is Marco Pappa, who netted a pair of braces against Honduras and El Salvador (he didn't even pick on lowly Belize) en route to winning the golden ball and the golden boot for the tournament. That hardware will be fun to flaunt at Sounders teammates Clint Dempsey and DeAndre Yedlin.<br />
<b>OFF: Honduras </b><br />
Honduras takes home the fuzziest lollipop from the cup. Finishing fifth means they weren't the worst squad out there, but they certainly didn't look like the World Cup entrant from earlier this year (even when that World Cup Entrant was lackluster). Their only goals and points of the group stage came off of own goals by Belize (more on them in a minute) and the team didn't actually score until first half stoppage time against Nicaragua. So, yes, technically they are the fifth best team. Just like "technically" Honduras is still a country and not a Narco-Traffickers Jamberoo<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>ON: Panama Keeper Jaime Penedo</b><br />
It won't come as a galloping shock to any Panamanians, but Jaime Penedo is pretty darn good. After a century of caps for Los Canaleros, he has now three sets of Golden Gloves to show off, and the set from the Copa Centramericano is decidedly the shabbiest of the lot (the other two come from Gold Cups). Aside from an ugly final 10 minutes against Costa Rica, Penedo was an absolute fortress for Panama en route to third place and a special spot in the Centennial Copa America.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.footballzz.com/img/jogadores/05/114705_ori_deon_mccaulay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://www.footballzz.com/img/jogadores/05/114705_ori_deon_mccaulay.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deon can't do it all himself boys</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>OFF: </b><b>Belize Defense</b><br />
I'm fond of Belize, I really am. The beautiful beaches, the wonderful weather, the English speaking, it's all great...even if I've never been. I'd love to see Belize do well in their competitions, if only so I could somehow, someway claim to a Belizean soccer expert and get myself a trip to Belize. But sadly, it's not going to happen if the Copa Centramericano sets the tone. Belize's defenders scored two own goals against Honduras that more or less sealed their fate before half-time. Deon McCauley did score <i>for</i> Belize (rather than against them)...but that's not a great statistic. 3 Times Belize hit the net...and twice it was their own...oof.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-27203845130387394032014-09-15T13:01:00.000-07:002014-09-15T13:01:00.367-07:00Starting XI (A Month Late): Granting Montanan PassportsI know that most football fans are fixated on the current league season, and while we too are interested in the fates of the world's best footballers, we'll also take some time this year to shout out smaller regional tournaments [such as those for Central America (going on in the US right now!), the Caribbean (November in Jamaica), Southeast Asia (December in Vietnam), Asia (January in Australia), and Africa (January/February in Morocco)]<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.usflags.com/images/thumbs/0004102.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.usflags.com/images/thumbs/0004102.gif" height="200" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
But before we do that, let's take a minute to reflect on the players at the recent World Cup who impressed us most. Players we would want for a Montanan National team--if such a thing were to exist. Players who fit the Montana model: gritty, tough, dedicated, passionate, and just a little quirky (Ronaldo's and Muller's need not apply). And since FIFA's relatively easy going about the whole "actually being a citizen" thing, we might as well shoot for the stars with our starting eleven.<br />
<br />
<br />
Here's our guys:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2014/0621/20140621__Tim%20Howard~p1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2014/0621/20140621__Tim%20Howard~p1.jpg" height="133" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a><b>I. Tim Howard</b>--As if there could be any one else. Timmy is welcome in Montana any time, the beard, the tats, the blunt and forceful shouting...he basically is Montana any time, so sign on up Tim-bo, we'll be happy to have you.<br />
<br />
<b>II. Stefan De Vrij</b>--For the sector of the state that farms and ranches (which is to say...most of it), you need to be tireless, dedicated, omnipresent. There's no off day, no vacation time. And watching the Dutch run to third place it was clear that there was no break for Stefan De Vrij. So welcome aboard Stefan, there's a nice couple acres out north of Choteau if you're interested.<br />
<br />
<b>III. Matt Hummels</b>--Montana has an ample German history, strong willed immigrants who stake out the land and hold on to it, come hell or high water. Hummels would fit that mold nicely, grinding through every match, but showing enough of an offensive streak to be a little bit dangerous too. We're printing out "Private Property" signs for him to put around the 6 yard box.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/04/24/article-2313923-1756C469000005DC-801_634x374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/04/24/article-2313923-1756C469000005DC-801_634x374.jpg" height="188" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AND he has the quintessential Montanan basement</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>IV. David Luiz</b>--Lest you think we're all grizzled ranch hands, remember we also have Missoula...a city weird enough to make Austin jealous with none of the vainglorious self importance. David Luiz would be a perfect Missoulian representative: the hair of a hippy, the soul of a leader.<br />
<br />
<b>V. Mario Ypes</b>--As long as we're tending to often ignored demographics, why not get some of Montana's quickly aging population on board? I think if we offer them a representative on the team, say, Ypes, the certified crotchety old man of Colombia, we could have a little sympathy for the squad amongst the VAs and retirement homes.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>VI. Javier Mascherano</b>--Along with Montana's age and agriculture, we have a fierce artistic streak. That's where Mascherano comes in. The soul of an artist with the body and style of a defender, he's a perfect piece of dualism within a dualized state.<br />
<br />
<b>VII. Bastian Schweinsteiger--</b>This is simple: the man is talented and has a name that would be great fun to hear all my dear hoarse and disbelieving neighbors say.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.ibnlive.in.com/ibnlive/pix/sitepix/06_2014/shaqiri-win_2606getty_630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://static.ibnlive.in.com/ibnlive/pix/sitepix/06_2014/shaqiri-win_2606getty_630.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't shush my Alps mockery!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b>VIII. Xerdan Shaqiri</b>--While Montanans tend to confine their Swiss appreciation to the Miss and the Cheese (I mean...you call the "Alps" mountains...please). Shaqiri feels like a great fit for my own home town of Great Falls, a flier of sorts with a bad-boy mohawk, but enough attacking energy to keep the kids and the seniors alike well pleased.<br />
<br /><b><br /></b>
<b>IX. Celso Borges--</b>Costa Rica's overlooked midfielder offers a quiet, dependable presence, with little emphasis on style and a whole lot of focus on work ethic. He actually could spend his down time baling hay or on a thresher.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Iran_vs._Angola_2014-05-30_(188).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Iran_vs._Angola_2014-05-30_(188).jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your secret's safe with us</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>X. Enner Valencia</b>--Ecuador's top striker just feels right for the Montanan national team. He's not the first name you think of, he's not the most dominating or domineering figure, but he's dangerous...always dangerous.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>XI. Reza Goochenhejad</b>--In the spirit of "to each his own" Montanan individualism, and with a consideration for some fierce patriotism, we'd be happy to adopt the Gooch as our own Double agent. He already serves that purpose on the field, employing a mostly defensive mindset with splashes of daring attacks.<br />
<br />
There you go Treasure Staters, that's my pick for the Montana National Starting 11. Would we win? No. Would we make the finals? No. Would we be bad ass? Yes...and that's all that matters.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-25563764201222283682014-09-01T11:30:00.000-07:002014-09-01T11:30:01.551-07:00Starting XI: Cashing In--World Cup Transfers and the Price of Beef Jerky<br />
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<br /></div>
<br />
In honor of Labour Day, let's appreciate what it's all about: honoring the workers of the world...especially those who have made an obscene amount of money via the transfer window after the world cup. (I assume that was Marx's vision: "From each club according to their means, to each player according to a completely random sum of ever increasing money."<br />
<a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/03/article-0-1F56CA9A00000578-561_634x549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><b><br /></b><br />
Let's go ahead and total the tonnage of cash expended in the last two months on players who grabbed eyeballs and earned screams from the various supporters and rivals in terms of how much they are making, and how much beef jerky (particularly--Hi-Country Top Quality Beef Jerky--11 ounce packages at $12.95 each) they seem to be worth<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>I. Claudio Bravo </b><i>(Chile/Barcelona Goalkeeper)--10 Million Pounds Transfer Fee/1.28 Million packs of Jerky. </i><br />
The highest transfer fee for a keeper this window, Bravo is a more reliable and known property than the world's most darling keeper: Keylor Navas (who still drew in a handsome 8 Million from Real Madrid). His hard luck loss in the playoff round against Brazil didn't bother Barca, nor should it.<br />
<a href="http://media.shopwell.com/kp/2326412423_full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hi Country Beef Jerky Beef Jerky" border="0" height="200" itemprop="image" src="http://media.shopwell.com/kp/2326412423_full.jpg" width="144" /></a><br />
<br />
<b>II. Luke Shaw </b><i>(England/Manchester Utd Defender)--33 Million Pound Transfer/4.23 Million packs of Jerky</i><br />
England's underwhelming performance wasn't laid at the feet of Luke Shaw. After all, his one match (v.s. Costa Rica) was the only one where the Lions kept the ball out of the back of the net. Shaw joined the exodus out of surprising South Hampton this summer heading for the read devils for a wad of cash, and an equal amount of Teriyaki Beef Jerky.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>III. David Luiz </b><i>(Brazil/Paris St. Germain Defender)--43 Million Pounds Transfer/5.49 Million packs of jerky</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.scaryfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/900x540xdavid-luiz-funny-hair-hairstyle-curly-face-eyes-focused-lips-smile-2014-brazil-world-cup-transfer-psg-market.jpg.pagespeed.ic.C6a3QPh8uJ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://www.scaryfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/900x540xdavid-luiz-funny-hair-hairstyle-curly-face-eyes-focused-lips-smile-2014-brazil-world-cup-transfer-psg-market.jpg.pagespeed.ic.C6a3QPh8uJ.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a></div>
The most famous head of hair from the back line of Brazil, Luiz left the premiership for the more fashionable and stylish Paris St. Germain. With all the money and praise, one has to hope that Luiz recognizes that he can and should run...even if there are Germans against him.<br />
<br />
<b>IV. Elaquim Mangala </b><i>(France/Manchester City Defender) 35 Million Pounds Transfer/5.46 Million Packs of Jerky</i><br />
While Mangala, did not feature for France, there was still considerable enthusiasm for him, particularly amongst the Premierships most reliable money geyser: Manchester City. As he matures and grows, you have to hope that he's reliable in defense...or at least, you do if you're French.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518qBt5EZHL._SY300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518qBt5EZHL._SY300_.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="116" /></a><b>V. Angel Di Maria </b><i>(Argentina/Manchester United Winger)--65 Million Pound Transfer/8.3 Million Packs of Jerky</i><br />
The most recent transfer (required once United started stinking like yesterday's fish) Di Maria had been having a fine World Cup until an injury 33 minutes into the semifinal left him sitting and staring as Germany triumphed. I imagine that he can dry his eyes on his huge piles of money...or his huge piles of Honey Kist jerky, which would be more absorbent.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>VI. James Rodriguez </b><i>(Colombia/Real Madrid Midfielder)--70 Million Pound Transfer/8.93 Million Packs of Jerky</i><br />
The hottest name at the World Cup (hotter even than "Hansel"), James (pronounced Ha-mez) was the undeniable star of the undeniable tournament darling. He may well be the man in the middle for one of the most eagerly anticipated squads at Russsia 2018. But before then he'll be the heir apparent to Cristiano Ronaldo amongst Los Galacticos<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>VII. Antoine Griezman </b><i>(France/Atletico Madrid Midfielder)--26 Million Pound Transfer/3.31 Million Packs of Jerky</i><br />
Sure, there are other players who were deemed to be worth a little more money, but we've got a soft spot for Griezmann, our previously noted "Hip-Star" for the French squad, who did quite well in coverage for Franck Ribery. So well, in fact that Les Blus might have been the last real threat to Germany's title aspirations. Now he's on with La Liga champions and looking thoroughly eager for more glory.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<a href="http://media.shopwell.com/gladson/00023264115235_full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Hi-Country Beef Jerky" border="0" height="200" itemprop="image" src="http://media.shopwell.com/gladson/00023264115235_full.jpg" width="126" /></a><b>VIII. Alexis Sanchez (Chile/Arsenal Winger)--</b><i>33 Million Pound Transfer/4.23 Million packs of Jerky</i><br />
When Chile was at their best in Brazil, it usually had something to do with Alexis Sanchez, darting, dodging, digging deep and doing other things that start with D. Now with the Gunners, Sanchez has perhaps even weightier expectations on his shoulders with Arsenal expecting a trophy at last. With that much heavy lifting ahead, he may want to invest some of his money in power packed protein of peppered Hi-Country Jerky!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>IX. Romelu Lukaku </b><i>(Belgium/Everton Forward)--31 Million Pound Transfer/3.95 Million Packs of Jerky</i><br />
Lukaku is best known by American fans as "that-guy-who-crushed-our-dreams". But, as a herd of world cup fans make the segue to the Premiership, a large proportion of us seem likely to adopt Lukaku's new squad--the under awarded, highly enthusiastic Toffees of Liverpool. Just remember fellow hipster US/Everton fans--he did celebrate crushing our dreams by saying "Hi Mom"<br />
<img height="177" src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/ea7b53beac0e8aac542e387552e8dc60/tumblr_n820vdhrtE1rog9m7o1_400.gif" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /><br />
<b>X. Diego Costa </b><i>(Spain/Chelsea Forward)--33 Million Pounds Transfer/4.23 Million packs of Jerky</i><br />
The most valuable player in La Liga last year, the man who almost single handedly delivered Atletico Madrid the title (above Barcelona, above cross town rivals Real Madrid), he now has a chance to prove himself in the Premiership amongst the similarly high profile, highly paid Chelsea signings.<br />
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<b>XI. Luis Suarez </b><i>(Uruguay/Barcelona Forward)--71 Million Pounds Transfer/9.05 Million Packs of Jerky</i><br />
<a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/03/article-0-1F56CA9A00000578-561_634x549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/03/article-0-1F56CA9A00000578-561_634x549.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a>The most expensive transfer of the summer is also, perhaps the most controversial. Infamous around the world due to his repeated and almost incomprehensible biting habits, Suarez completes a trio of world class South American strikers alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar. Unfortunately, in making those transfers, Barcelona has put themselves into a position where they will not be allowed to make any further transfers for a year. There are all kinds of comments to make here about Suarez, biting, money and jerky...but come on...Hi-Country doesn't deserve to be tarnished by association with Suarez.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29222429.post-42285775375697292492014-08-02T13:23:00.000-07:002014-09-01T13:24:57.124-07:00A Final Happy Trails ReviewI posted this blurry, unsatisfying video that walked through all the teams that had been ousted, please spare me the singing critique that's not what this is about.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Ax8wZsWaZc0" width="420"></iframe>
Instead let's look at the teams who did the best job of over/underperforming to their FIFA Ranking<br />
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To be sure there are some flaws to my methods. I eliminated people chronologically, giving more credit to teams who powered through many rounds of difficult competition rather than those who ran up the score on the San Marino's of the world.<br />
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With that in mind, here are the top 5 over achievers club<br />
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Andorra + 112<br />
Ethiopia +98<br />
San Marino +84<br />
Lebanon +82<br />
Iceland +81<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/10/12/article-2217053-157A2AB7000005DC-721_634x413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/10/12/article-2217053-157A2AB7000005DC-721_634x413.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everybody loves Gylfi</td></tr>
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Okay, take out the "mathematical elimination in 2012 club" of Andorra and San Marino and you have three of the best stories of the tournament. Ethiopia (coached by a part-time high school gym teacher), Iceland (buoyed by one phenomenal Gylfi), and Lebanon (the only team in Asia to make it through three rounds of competition).<br />
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Here's our two best over acheivers of the finals themselves<br />
Ecuador +51<br />
Costa Rica +50<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/2014/06/21/brazil_soccer_wcup_honduras_ecuador_wcdp254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/2014/06/21/brazil_soccer_wcup_honduras_ecuador_wcdp254.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes Enner, I'm praising you again...</td></tr>
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Not surprising that the Ticos were here given their astonishing run to the last 8, but bear in mind that Ecuador was an even longer shot to make the cup Finals languishing outside of the top 64 teams in the world. Yes, if FIFA had done away with qualification and just taken the top 32 teams...even if they had held a separate consolation tournament for the next 32, Ecuador would STILL be sitting at home, pretty good especially given that they were one stoppage goal miracle for the Swiss away from the final 16 themselves.<br />
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Meanwhile here are our underachievers in chief<br />
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Serbia -50<br />
El Salvador -54<br />
Trinidad And Tobago/Haiti -55<br />
Scotland/China -56<br />
Syria -77<br />
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Serbia gets special mention as the World Cup team from 2010 that dropped the farthest (even though North Korea got eliminated first, they began their descent much sooner than the Serbs). The underwhelming North Americans were compensated for by one big overachiever (see the Costa Rica note). And Syria, well, technically they were eliminated for fielding an ineligible player, but I'd guess that civil war had a little something to do with their poor showing as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://files.stv.tv/imagebase/203/623x349/203181-scotland-star-steven-naismith-wheels-away-to-celebrate-after-scoring-his-sides-second-goal-of-the-m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://files.stv.tv/imagebase/203/623x349/203181-scotland-star-steven-naismith-wheels-away-to-celebrate-after-scoring-his-sides-second-goal-of-the-m.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We believe it too Steven</td></tr>
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Meanwhile Scotland and China have absolutely no excuses. They had money, they had time, they had organizations behind them and they crashed and burned. The tartan army was irrelevant after about half their matches, and dreams of China asserting their dominance have been pushed back another four years. (For the record though, I'm plumping for Steven Naismith to guide Scotland back)<br />
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So what does all this mean: simply this--as we get set to embark on another four year cycle of the World Cup and all the qualification falderal that goes along with it: do not forget the teams you don't see every day. Don't exclude teams that don't dominate the Champions league rosters or give extra favor to those who do (if that were the case, Serbia would be in and Costa Rica out...I think we're all grateful to watch Los Ticos rather than the Serbs). It's a long road to Moscow and you'll be consistently surprised along the way as some times rise and others fall.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.lusakatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/afcon_zambia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://www.lusakatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/afcon_zambia.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copper Bullets may be dreaming of a<br />different trophy...</td></tr>
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Also it allows for some totally random and not at all viable predictions:<br />
Whose in the same sweet spot that saw Ecuador and Costa Rica rise up? How about these names: Ireland, Zambia and Oman.<br />
And as for the long shot set to emulate near misses Ethiopia, Lebanon and Iceland? Is it too early to think that Antigua and Barbuda or Malaysia could take that vital next step?<br />
But the potential disasters in waiting? Well...it could be literally anyone...but I don't know...Turkey may be the next cautionary tale.The Scruffy Rubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08489155270875619871noreply@blogger.com0