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Countdown to South Africa: Group H

By By Michael LeClair and Jaime Heilbron

Sports Editor and Assistant Sports Editor

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Published: Thursday, April 15, 2010

Updated: Thursday, April 15, 2010

Spain Futbol

Group H presents the postcolonial conflicts under which the World Cup seems to thrive. European champions Spain headline the group, matched with their former New World possessions, Honduras and Chile. The Chileans are making their first appearance in the tournament since 1998, while Honduras will exhibit itself on the world’s biggest stage for just the second time, their debut having come in 1982. Switzerland round out the group, making their second-consecutive trip to the World Cup, but just their third in the last 40 years.

Chile

The Chilean national football team surprised football experts around the world by finishing in second place in the CONMEBOL qualifiers with a 10-5-3 record, a single point behind Brazil. Their key to qualification was their high-powered offense, which scored 32 goals in 18 games. It was crucial, since a porous Chilean defense allowed 22 goals in the campaign. Chile went 5-2-2 at home, earning important victories over Argentina, their first ever, and Colombia, as well as disappointing ties against Uruguay and Venezuela.

Chile was almost as successful away from home, finishing 5-3-1. Their play was quite peculiar, as they scored 14 goals at home and only allowed eight, yet on the road they both scored and allowed more.

Chile has appeared in a total of eight tournaments, most recently in 1998. Their best World Cup was in 1962, when they hosted the tournament, finishing in
third place.

Player to watch: Real Zaragoza’s Humberto Suazo is eighth on the all-time scoring list for Chile, having scored 17 goals in 41 games, ten of which came in these World Cup qualifiers. At 29 years of age, he has experience that others simply do not have. His prolific talent for scoring, will position him as Chile’s go-to guy this summer, especially when facing off against good defensive teams in Spain
and Switzerland.

Honduras

Honduras qualified for the World Cup out of CONCACAF, one of the weakest confederations in the world. In doing so, they surprised many experts, beating out the heavily-favored Costa Ricans, who had appeared in the last two editions of the tournament. They were dominant at home, winning eight of their nine home qualifying matches, including two impressive wins over Mexico. Their only home loss came to the United States, falling
to a Conor Casey double and a Landon
Donovan goal that capped off the performance.

Honduras’s qualification came down to the last second of qualifying, literally. After beating El Salvador on the road on the final day of qualifying, Honduras needed the United States to earn at least a draw against Costa Rica in Washington, DC. Costa Rica jumped out to a two-goal lead, but a 71st minute goal from Michael Bradley set the stage for the most dramatic finish in CONCACAF history. In the fifth minute of second half stoppage time, a Landon Donovan corner found the head of Jonathan Bornstein, who headed past the Costa Rican goalkeeper to give the United States a 2-2 draw, taking two points away from Costa Rica, propelling Honduras to third place in the group, good for automatic qualification. Bornstein has since become a legend in Honduras, and was invited to vacation in the Central American country by none other than the Honduran President,
Roberto Michelleti.

Honduras’ lone appearance in a FIFA World Cup occurred in 1982, when it was hosted by Spain. Despite earning two draws, and remaining level with Yugoslavia until the waning moments of their match, Honduras failed to advance out of the group stages, and has been absent from the world stage
for the past 28 years.

Player to watch: Real España’s Carlos Pavón, at the age of 36, is a veteran. He is also, however, Honduras’ all-time leading scorer and still their most dangerous player. Pavón has scored 57 goals for his national team in 97 appearances. In 33 games for Real España this season, he has scored 17 goals, his highest total since the 2005-2006 season, so he is obviously still capable of putting the ball in the net. As one of Honduras’s veterans, he is expected to lead the team in their
second-ever tournament.

Spain

Spain is ranked first in the FIFA World Rankings and is a clear favorite to win the World Cup come July. And so they should be. Since February 2007, Spain has lost once, falling to the United States, 2-0, in last summer’s Confederations Cup semi-final. Over this time span, Spain has amassed a ridiculous record of 41 wins, three draws, and just that one loss. From 2007-2009, they went unbeaten for 35 matches, a world record.

The talent that Spain possesses borders on the absurd. Goalkeeper Victor Valdes, the starter for Barcelona since 2003 and widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the word, has never appeared for Spain. Ever. Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal’s dynamic midfielder who is the lynchpin for one of England’s top clubs, started in just three of Spain’s 10 World Cup qualifiers. The talent keeping them off of the field reads like a collection of all-stars. Iker Casillas, at just age 28, has amassed 102 caps in goal for La Furia Roja. In midfield, Xabi Alonso, Xavi and Andres Iniesta would be the key player for any nation in the world. When on the same team, they combine to form the strongest midfield any club or country can
put forward.

The beneficiaries of this midfield are the strikers, who even on their own are among the best in the world. Valencia’s David Villa has netted 37 goals in 55 matches for Spain, 202 goals in 377 matches for his various club teams, and is currently the third-leading scorer in La Liga. Paired up top with Villa is Fernando Torres, whose 23 goals in international competition look disappointing, but his role with Spain is more that of a support striker, rather than
being the primary goalscorer.
Not to be forgotten is the Spanish defense, which is among the world’s best. Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique are the next generation of defensive stars in football, combining great defense with the ability to play the ball out of the back with the precision of a midfielder. Veterans Carles Puyol and Joan Capdevilla provide the experience necessary for a deep Spanish run in South Africa, one that has the potential to be among the best World Cup performances in the 80-year history of the tournament.

Player to watch: Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez, usually referred to by just his famous first name. Spain has long had a history of high expectations, followed by disappointment in big tournaments. This trend reversed in Euro 2008, when the Spanish dominated, taking out Italy, Russia, and Germany on the way to their second European Championship, with Xavi as the team’s centerpiece. He was given the Player of the Tournament award, yet he remains underappreciated by fans around the world. Xavi will again prove key to Spain’s success, and could carry them to their first
World Cup title.

Switzerland

The Swiss made it to South Africa on the back of a solid, if wholly unspectacular, qualifying performance. In one of UEFA’s weakest groups, Switzerland scored more than two goals just once, but also never allowed more than two. Their performance ranged from the impressive (beating Greece, 2-1, in Piraeus) to the dismal (losing, 2-1, to Luxembourg in Zurich). Though they eventually came out on top of their qualifying group, their play was nothing to write
home about.

In order for Switzerland to do well in South Africa, they will have to rely on their defense, just as they did in Germany 2006. In that edition of the World Cup, the Swiss did not allow a single goal in either the group stages or their second round match, where they fell to Ukraine on penalty kicks, thus making Switzerland the first country in history to not concede a regular-time goal in the tournament. Their defensive unit from 2006 has remained largely intact over the past four years, with Johan Djourou, Philippe Senderos, Christoph Spycher, and Ludovic Magnin still featuring prominently.

With the defense well-accounted for, questions arise on the offensive part of the field. Switzerland possesses a number of players capable of producing magic, but those attackers are typically not on the same level of those on the rosters of their group opponents. Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta is one of the up-and-coming offense threats on the Swiss team, having picked up 50 caps for his country, despite being just 24 years old, and will have to produce for the Swiss to progress this summer.

Player to watch: FC Basel striker Alexander Frei. The Swiss legend has scored 40 goals for his country during his nine-year international career, and will hope to add to that total in South Africa. With a consistent defense behind him, Frei will not have to worry about contributing to the team’s defensive effort. He will instead have to focus on converting the few chances he is likely to get.
Contact Michael LeClair at mleclair@colgate.edu and Jaime Heilbron at jheilbron@colgate.edu.

los árbitros para Sudáfrica 2010

Listos los árbitros para Sudáfrica 2010

Armando Archundia y Marco Antonio Rodríguez representarán al arbitraje de Concacaf y el futbol mexicano.

Ciudad de México.- La FIFA (Federación Internacional de Futbol Asociación) eligió a los silbantes para el Mundial de Sudáfrica 2010.

Armando Archundia y Marco Antonio Rodríguez representarán al arbitraje de Concacaf y el futbol mexicano.

La Comisión de Árbitros de la FIFA, en su sesión del 5 de febrero de 2010, en Zúrich, bajo la presidencia del ex silbante español Ángel María Villar Llona, nombró a los encargados de impartir justicia en el terreno de juego en la Copa Mundial de la FIFA Sudáfrica 2010.

Lista de árbitros para el Mundial:

Asia (AFC):

Khalil Ibrahim Al Ghamdi (Arabia Saudí)
Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistán)
Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh (Malasia)
Yuichi Nishimura (Japón)

África (CAF):

Mohamed Benouza (Argelia)
Koman Coulibaly (Mali)
Jerome Damon (Sudáfrica)
Eddy Allen Maillet (Seychelles)

Concacaf:

Joel Antonio Aguilar Chicas (El Salvador)
Benito Armando Archundia Téllez (México)
Carlos Alberto Batres Gonzlález (Guatemala)
Marco Antonio Rodríguez Moreno (México)

Conmebol:

Carlos Amarilla Demarqui (Paraguay)
Héctor Walter Baldassi (Argentina)
Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay)
Pablo Antonio Pozo Quinteros (Chile)
Óscar Julián Ruiz Acosta (Colombia)
Carlos Simón (Brasil)

Oceanía (OFC):

Michael Hester (Nueva Zelanda)
Peter O'leary (Nueva Zelanda)

Europa (UEFA):

Olegario Manuel Bartolo F. Benquerenca (Portugal)
Massimo Busacca (Suiza)
Frank de Bleeckere (Bélgica)
Martin Hansson (Suecia)
Viktor Kassanl (Hungría)
Stephane Lannoy (Francia)
Roberto Rosetti (Italia)
Wolfgang Stark (Alemania)
Alberto Undiano Mallenco (España)
Howard Melton Webb (Inglaterra)

With Jonathan Bornstein's goal in October, the United States tied Costa Rica and set off celebrations in Honduras.

U.S. Soccer Player Is National Hero (in Honduras)

Win McNamee/Getty Images

With Jonathan Bornstein's goal in October, the United States tied Costa Rica and set off celebrations in Honduras.

By BILLY WITZ

Published: January 22, 2010

CARSON, Calif. — With the United States trailing by a goal in the waning seconds, Jonathan Bornstein looked at his fellow defender Steve Cherundolo as the team prepared to take a corner kick.

STR/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The interim president, Roberto Micheletti, declared a holiday after Honduras secured its first World Cup berth since 1982.

“I was like, hey, dude, one of us should go inside the box,” Bornstein said. “We both don’t need to stay back here.”

And so off Bornstein went, sprinting toward Costa Rica’s goal, where he was about to find out just how far a little initiative could resonate.

When Bornstein headed Robbie Rogers’s corner kick into the net in October, it set off an emotional celebration at R.F.K. Stadium in Washington. Although the result of the final World Cup qualifying match meant little to the United States, which had already advanced to South Africa, the Americans took inspiration from their teammate Charlie Davies, who lay in a nearby hospital after he was involved in a fatal car accident a day earlier.

But the real roar emanated from Honduras, which, with Bornstein’s goal moments after it had beaten El Salvador, 1-0, clinched a berth in the World Cup for the first time since 1982. A country that had been torn by a political coup found a reason, at least for the moment, to coalesce. Hundreds of thousands of people emptied into the streets of the capital, Tegucigalpa. The interim president, Roberto Micheletti, declared the next day a national holiday.

Micheletti, who had been installed as the country’s leader after an army-backed coup ousted President Manuel Zelaya last July, ordered a parade rerouted in front of the presidential palace so that he could pose for photographs with the team.

But he did not forget Bornstein. He offered an all-expenses-paid trip to the resort area Islas de la Bahia.

“We’ll bring this gringuito who scored on the header,” Micheletti said. “He doesn’t need a visa to come here to Honduras.”

On Saturday night, Hondurans will have an opportunity to express their gratitude personally, when Honduras plays the United States in an exhibition here. Bornstein is expected to be at his familiar left back position.

“Growing up, you score goals in club soccer or in college and they maybe help your team win,” said Bornstein, whose goal knocked Costa Rica into a playoff, which it lost to Uruguay. “This goal against Costa Rica had a real impact on a whole nation. It doesn’t just affect me or the team, it affected three countries. That a simple soccer goal could do that is very surreal.”

Bornstein has autographed the shoes he wore against Costa Rica, and on Friday he began auctioning them on eBay, the proceeds going to disaster relief in Haiti. The bidding runs until Wednesday, by which time his teammates may stop ribbing him. Some wondered if he would play a half for each team Saturday.

“You might hear some Johnny Bornstein chants,” said Benny Feilhaber, a midfielder for the United States who grew up playing with Bornstein. “They’re in love with Johnny right now.”

Over the last three months, Bornstein’s Facebook page has been peppered with messages thanking him, and a page named Gracias Jonathan Bornstein has been set up. During the United States team’s three-week January training camp, he has been stopped several times leaving the field by Honduran fans who wanted to pose for a photograph with him.

“People are going to remember that name for a long time,” said Alfonso Rosado, a Honduran who has lived in the United States for 14 years.

Rosado was watching the United States-Costa Rica game with friends at his apartment in Long Beach, Calif., fearing the worst. Honduras was on the verge of World Cup berths in 1986 and 2002, only to lose its final qualifiers at home, to Canada and to Trinidad and Tobago.

“When the U.S. scored, we couldn’t believe it,” said Rosado, who watched Honduras work out Thursday night in a cold rain. “We were all jumping up and down. I got a call at 7 the next morning from friends in Honduras, who had been out drinking all night, yelling, ‘Can you believe it?’ ”

For a country that is still plagued by political problems, corruption and crime, the World Cup berth has given Hondurans a rare common cause.

“At that moment, in that day, everyone forgets about all the problems — the crime, the politics — and everyone is together,” Rosado said. “You wonder why we can’t do that on a daily basis, but we know there is at least one thing that can bring us together.”

Bornstein’s goal has opened windows for himself as well. He had understood what it was like to walk onto a soccer field in Central America as an unwelcome visitor, dodging coins, cups of beer and worse. Now he knows of at least one place where he can return to a warmer reception. He has looked into the Islas de la Bahia; a cabana amid the palm trees, sandy beaches and warm tropical waters does have its appeal.

So, about that next vacation?

“Maybe forever Honduras will be a good spot to go,” Bornstein said. “I’m going to keep those options open.”

The Mexican captain is sure that El Tri has the squad to make some damage in the World Cup.

Marquez Believes Mexico Will Go Beyond Group Stages In South Africa

The Mexican captain is sure that El Tri has the squad to make some damage in the World Cup.

Jan 8, 2010 1:21:56 PM

Getting out of the group stages in the World Cup is something not uncommon to Mexico. The World Cup is not won by advancing out of the group stages; it’s the knock rounds that count. This is where El tri has had some problems. That is all in the past and this World Cup should be different, stated Rafael Marquez.

“The group (group A) is accessible. It has a little bit of everything and anything could happen. I think we have a lot of possibilities and it will all depend on us because we still need to get better,” said Marquez in a radio interview with Estadio W.

The FMF has planed a busy 2010 for Mexico. They will come together 60 days before the start of the World Cup, which is great for Marquez.

“We have to take advantage of the time that we have to prepare as a team,” explained Marquez. “We have youth and experience and we need to play against big teams so that we can come together in a better way.”

El Tri can prepare all they want but nothing will prepare them for the pressure they will encounter. Mexico plays in the opening game and with none other than the host country.

“We have to work mentally to get over that (the pressure). We need to do our job and try not to think of the referee,” added Marquez.

“The good thing about it is that the whole world will see it. It’s a chance for us to show what we’ve got. The bad thing though is that it’s against the host, at their home, and with their people. They will give everything to get a good result and that’s what makes it difficult, but I think we can sum up some points.”

Mexico’s second opponent is France. Marquez and his French teammate, Thierry Henry, have already talked about the upcoming encounter.

“There have been jokes between us about our encounter and that it will be a great game. I just hope that both teams can enter that match with a victory,” stated the Barcelona defender.

No matter the team, Marquez feels that El Tri has the skills to take on anyone. The captain however, also recognizes that there is some improvement to be done and once they take care of that then the sky is the limit.

“We have shown it in the football aspect (that they can). We have to maintain that and get better mentally. I think that’s what cost us the most... we can get very far, concluded Marquez.

Sylvestre Adame, Goal.com

For more coverage of the Mexican national team, visit Goal.com's Mexico page.

Fabio Capello, técnico de Inglaterra, busca rivales con el mismo estilo de EUA, su primer rival en el Mundial, por ello pretende jugar contra México,

Inglaterrra podría foguearse ante Honduras

Fabio Capello, técnico de Inglaterra, busca rivales con el mismo estilo de EUA, su primer rival en el Mundial, por ello pretende jugar contra México, pero de no concretarse tiene en lista a Honduras

Londres,

Reino Unido

Inglaterra análiza cada detalle de su Grupo C en el que quedó ubicado en el Mundial de Sudáfrica-2010, en donde tendrá como rivales a Estados Unidos, Argelia y Eslovenia.

Por ello el seleccionador Fabio Capello busca un rival con características parecidas a la selección estadounidense y ha puesto su mirada en la zona de la Concacaf.

Capello tiene como prioridad jugar ante México antes de asistir a la Copa del Mundo, pero de no concretarse este amistoso, se enfrentaría a Honduras.

El marco donde se desarrollaría el duelo ante los aztecas sería insuperable: el estadio de Wembley, en el juego de despedida de la escuadra inglesa de su gente.

Según el diario británico Telegraph, el mismo Capello sería el encargado de solicitar el duelo, ya que quiere rivales muy similares a los que enfrentará en Sudáfrica y su principal preocupación son los estadounidenses. El duelo se celebraría entre el 19 y 23 de mayo, como parte de la gira de la selección mexicana por Europa.

Los ingleses también planean un fogueo contra Egipto por su parecido en juego con Argelia.

Sorteo de grupos y opiniones

“Lo primero que pensé fue que habíamos caído en un buen grupo, porque nuestro principal objetivo es no tener que viajar demasiado. En ese sentido, nos parece perfecto. Pero no es un grupo fácil, al contrario, creo que es muy complicado. En 1990, todo el mundo pensaba que Camerún era fácil y acabamos perdiendo el primer partido.

Los surcoreanos tienen un equipo fuerte, pero los conocemos bien. Nigeria también es un rival difícil, y Grecia ha demostrado en los últimos años que puede competir de igual a igual contra los grandes. Si no nos hubiera tocado Grecia, nos habría tocado Portugal o Francia, de manera que no nos podemos quejar. Pero llegamos con mucha confianza, por supuesto. Maradona y yo ya estuvimos en dos finales de la Copa Mundial, ¿no está mal, no? Espero que siga así el año que viene. En 1986, Maradona fue el hombre decisivo en nuestra victoria y ahora tenemos a Messi. Es nuestro jugador más desequilibrante. No hablé con Diego todavía, pero seguro que él se siente muy confiado”, Carlos Bilardo, Coordinador de las Selecciones de Argentina.

“Se trata de un campeonato importantísimo para Nigeria, y somos conscientes de las expectativas que cargamos sobre los hombros. Hemos caído en un grupo difícil, con Argentina, Grecia y Corea del Sur, muy parecido al que tuvimos en el Mundial de 1994. No voy a ponerme a contar batallitas ahora, pero la gente recordará cómo jugamos en aquel torneo, aunque algunos pronosticaron que no lo haríamos bien. Este Mundial representa para los equipos africanos una gran oportunidad de demostrar su calidad al resto del mundo. Lo más importante para Nigeria será rendir bien precisamente en esta competición; nuestro principal objetivo consiste en pasar de ronda. En un Mundial, tienes que empezar bien y sólo entonces podrás progresar. Disponemos de los jugadores más capaces para representar a este continente con orgullo, pero tenemos que cohesionarnos como grupo y creer en este sueño. Ya nos hemos enfrentado alguna vez a algunos de nuestros rivales y tenemos una idea cabal de lo que nos espera”, Shaibu Amodu, seleccionador de Nigeria.

“En un Mundial no hay partidos fáciles, de manera que no tengo motivos para quejarme del grupo que nos ha tocado en suerte. Nos mediremos con rivales muy poderosos. Cada partido que juguemos será complicado, pero la verdad es que hemos superado pruebas muy duras en la fase de clasificación asiática. Lógicamente, una selección como Argentina por fuerza tiene que partir como favorita. Dispone de jugadores excelentes, muy famosos, aunque en realidad eso no supone para nosotros ningún problema, porque estamos acostumbrados a venir desde atrás. Jugamos contra los argentinos en la Copa Mundial de 1986, y perdimos. Sin embargo, con esa experiencia y las lecciones que aprendimos, esperamos hacerlo mucho mejor ahora. En 2002, nadie daba nada por este equipo, pero nos metimos en semifinales. Habrá quien dirá que no formamos parte del grupo de favoritos. Que digan lo que quieran. Mi principal preocupación son las lesiones, porque últimamente no hemos tenido ninguna suerte con el tema de las lesiones, y yo quiero llegar a Sudáfrica con todos mis efectivos. En 2002 aprendimos que una buena preparación es siempre lo más importante, de manera que nos prepararemos al máximo y estaremos totalmente a punto para todos los partidos que disputemos”, Huh Jung-Moo, seleccionador de la República de Corea.

“Argentina será la gran favorita en nuestro grupo, es la número uno. Los argentinos tienen un equipo muy bueno y muy peligroso, y me parece que a todos los demás del grupo nos costará mucho enfrentarnos a ellos. En mi opinión, está muy claro que los otros tres contendientes pugnaremos por el objetivo de acabar segundos. De forma que a nosotros también nos tocará luchar por el segundo puesto, y creo que todos tenemos las mismas posibilidades de pasar a la segunda ronda. Hay que arrancar bien la competición y trabajar con ahínco y tesón para seguir en Sudáfrica en las eliminatorias, ése será nuestro objetivo principal. Una vez hayamos pasado de ronda, todo es posible. No quiero hacer pronósticos, no se me dan bien. A partir de ahora, habrá que ponerse a estudiar a los rivales y a hacer planes”, Otto Rehhagel, seleccionador de Grecia.