Preview of the Final Match

Sam Beckwith is a freelance reporter who has written for English soccer magazines like "World Soccer" and "When Saturday Comes"—in addition to covering the Czech National Soccer Team for Prague TV. We spoke to him to get his predictions for the World Cup as well as get an insider look at the Czech team that will face off against the US World Cup team on June 12th.

Let's start off by getting your reaction to the team you cover most...the Czech Republic. What happened? Were they as good as they showed against the Americans or was the U.S. team that bad? And where does the Czech team go from here?

To be honest, I'm still trying to figure that out… Perhaps the Czech campaign shows how important an early goal can be for confidence.

Against the USA, they got one, and went on to play very well. (I also think the Americans badly underperformed.) Against Ghana, they conceded an early goal and seemed to panic. I've never seen so many normally reliable Czech players - Tomas Ujfalusi, Tomas Galasek, and even Pavel Nedved - play so badly.

I also think the loss of Jan Koller was a massive blow. Heading into the Ghana game, the Czech squad seemed very tense. Coach Karel Bruckner's pre-game press conference was extremely cagey - something the media here criticized him for - and they just didn't have the confidence you'd expect from a team that had won their opening game 3-0.

The Italy game wasn't quite as bad, at least in the opening 20 minutes, but it eventually followed a similar pattern.

Bruckner has just been given a new two-year contract, covering the Euro
2008 qualifying campaign, but it's going to be a struggle. The Czechs have a very difficult group - Germany, Ireland, Wales, Slovakia and Cyprus will all have hopes of qualifying - and they'll be without some of their key older players. Karel Poborsky has already said he'll retire from international football, Vladimir Smicer probably won't carry on playing for the national team, and Nedved is still making his mind up.

Aside from France and Italy were there any other teams that surprised you with their fine play during the Cup. Any disappointments? (You can mention the U.S. team. I know I want to.)

It's been a World Cup of relatively few surprises, but some teams surpassed my expectations, particularly Germany. They had some terrible results in warm-up games and though it's one of football's clichés that you should never write off the Germans, I didn't expect much from them.

I knew Ghana would be a strong team but the quality of their performance against the Czechs was totally unexpected.

And Argentina and Spain were two teams who I thought would disappoint but who played some sensational football in the early stages.
(Ultimately, though, they didn't get that far.)

I suppose that overall the USA campaign was a disappointment, but I thought their performance against Italy was heroic. I'd been talking the Americans up going into the opening game and felt a bit silly when the Czechs beat them so easily.

Personally, I found England hugely disappointing. Of the so-called "major footballing nations" they were probably the dullest team to watch, even though they grounded out results. With so many talented individuals in the squad, I expected a lot more. They didn't start playing well until they were down to 10 men against Portugal.

Italy seemed less than stellar in the early rounds of Group play. What happened to cause this sleeping soccer giant to finally awaken?

Apart from the USA game, I actually thought Italy played pretty well in the group stage. They deserved to beat Ghana, and though it pains me to say it, they played very well against the Czech Republic, which must have been a confidence-boosting win.

Of course, Italian preparations for the tournament were far from ideal. Their coach, Marcello Lippi, has been implicated in the Italian league's ongoing match-fixing scandal, and there were calls for him to resign only a couple of weeks before the World Cup began. Because of the scandal, however, the squad seems to have developed a bit of a siege mentality, and have begun to focus solely on their games.

Italy have also benefited from a relatively easy route through the playoffs. With all due respect, neither Australia nor Ukraine are among football's super-powers and the current German team, though it has a huge amount of spirit and support, isn't the most talented group of individuals.

Typically for an Italian team, their defense is very strong, but the current squad has some talented attackers too. Italy isn’t the most likable team - the endless play-acting drives me crazy - but you've got to respect them. They're now unbeaten in 24 games and have conceded only one goal so far in the finals - the own goal against the USA. Those are very impressive statistics.

Was the Brazil team too cocky going into the quarter final?

I'm not sure that cockiness was a factor - I just think that they came up against a France team finally playing to its full potential. Up until then, I don't think they'd been seriously tested. They looked good against Japan, and in sections of the Ghana game, but, for all their talent, they rarely looked more than the sum of their parts. And when they fell behind against France, they didn't seem to have the character to bounce back.

Turning to the final game...what can we expect in this match? What are the keys to a France victory? Keys to an Italian victory?

I think again that the first goal will be vitally important. If Italy goes up 1-0, and can sit back, defend, and hit France on the counter-attack, they'll be very difficult to beat. If that's the case, it'll probably be a frustrating and rather dull final.

If France scores first, though, it could be very exciting. Italy will be forced to push forward and leave gaps in defense that Thierry Henry, for one, will be happy to exploit.

Age might also be a factor. Many of France's top players - Zinedine Zidane, Claude Makelele, Patrick Vieira, Lilian Thuram - are in their thirties, and coming to the end of a long tournament, played in very hot conditions. Even after going to extra time against Germany, I'd expect Italy to be fresher in the latter stages of the game.

Who do you see coming out on top in the final match?

Unfortunately, I think the first scenario - the one where Italy scores first, defends, and bores our socks off - is the more likely. But it could be a classic.

And one last question--as an Englishman abroad do you think Wayne Rooney will have any fallout from his undisciplined behavior against Portugal?

Beyond a two- or three-game ban, and a little press criticism, probably not. The English fans and a lot of the media have been quick to lay blame for England's exit elsewhere. England's Swedish coach, Sven-Goran Eriksson, has come in for a lot of flack over squad selection and tactical decisions.

Bizarrely, the Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo has also become a figure of hate for many fans. Despite playing with Rooney at Manchester United, Ronaldo seemed to urge the referee to send Rooney off following the stamping incident, which hasn't gone down well at home. Within 48 hours of England going out of the tournament, someone had even set up an anti-Ronaldo website!

Zidane’s Jersey

Figo you were thinking about exchanging jerseys with Zidane in the 89th min. even though the game went to the 94th min.

Your career ended two years ago. It wasn’t enough to waste Inter Milan’s money, but you now  have equaled a farce during the World Cup. Henry and Ronaldinho have only been more criminal in the use of their teams as vessels, to secure plane tickets to Germany.

Zidane you have scored the goal that Henry dived for. Enjoy because Italy has more luck then you!

Meditations from the Mongoose
SavageSoccer.com

Le Tour Is Great, But Soccer Rules In Strasbourg

(This is direct from our Tour De France blogger James Raia who is currently in France covering the race--and noticing many French men and women are mostly concerened with World Cup soccer.)

Like bicycle racing, cricket and sailing, soccer is a sport of acquired taste. I don't particularly understand its popularity. A 1-0 match? A game decided in penalty kicks? Referees taking over a game? Players
feigning injuriess? I don't think I'll ever be a fan.

I don't understand cricket or sailing, either. But I appreciate those who have a passion for it, and now I have some idea of the passion of soccer fans — at least those in Strasbourg.

---

For the rest of this article check out the Active Tour de France special section.

Standards Lower then Man United

Yes, if Cristiano Ronaldo would have had a game like he had against France, in the Premiership, then they would have lambasted him.

He played like a dirty little monkey. I know a few dirty monkeys, and they don’t do anything on  or off the field.

Cristiano shed a tear at least, like you did when you thought your Cup was over against the   Netherlands. Yes, the thigh-high tackle was nasty, and tears were warranted, but today you could have done much better and you didn’t.

That is why you are not of age, and for that matter, neither is Holland’s Van Persie. Both of you need to stay up in the trees for 2 more years until the European Cup comes out to play—that is when your monkey business will work.

Meditations from the Mongoose
SavageSoccer.com

July 5, 2006 : Portugal 0 - 1 France Semi Final

Portugal

vs.

France

Zinadine Zidane scored on a penalty in the 33 minute and Frances suffocating defense made it stand up against an dreary Portugal team for a 1-0 victory. France will now play Italy for the World Cup. DVR rating 2 diamonds. Read More >
		Lilian Thuram #15 France
			19
	Game Honors Full Report >

  Full Player Report

Portugal  0  Valemte      17  Ronaldo      14  Figo      12  Meira      10  Ricardo      8    Carvalho      5  Maniche      5  Costinha      4  Miguel      3  Pauleta      3  Deco      3	1  France   19      Thuram   14      Barthez   10      Zidane   9      Henry   8      Vieira   5      Abidal   4      Ribery   4      Malouda   4      Sagnol   2      Gallas   -3      Makelele
POR Totals      89	78    FRA Totals

Zidane’s Penalty Ends Portugal’s Run

France defeated Portugal 1-0 to reach the Finals of Germany 2006. Even though both teams employed the lone striker, both teams still pushed forward looking to score. Portugal started the stronger and created a few chances in the early minutes of the game. Once France settled down, they were able to nullify Portugal’s midfield, especially the creative influence of Deco, who rarely got a touch on the ball. Thierry Henry proved instrumental in the 33rd min. when he went down in the penalty area after the lightest of touches from Portugal defender, Ricardo Carvalho. Zidane then converted the spot kick against Ricardo, who guessed right, but could not keep the ball out. France continued to hold out defensively and now find themselves one match away from World Cup glory.

What happened to U.S. Soccer in Germany?

Jamie Trecker is one of the most controversial and interesting voices in U.S. Soccer. As a columnist for Fox Soccer Channel, he has written extensively on the crucial issues affecting soccer in the U.S. We spoke to Jamie one last time to get his take on the USA's performance at the World Cup and what changes U.S. Soccer can make to improve their chances four years from now. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of eteamz and Active.com.

Coach Bruce Arena has taken a lot of flack for his indirect criticism of MLS and how it doesn’t prepare players for international play. Is he wrong? Is sending more of our players over to Europe really the answer?

No, and yes. Arena’s problem is that he can’t evaluate talent. Arena sees players in an MLS context where they look much, much better than they actually are. To his credit, he has worked hard to create opportunities to see the likes of Donovan, Mastroeni, Pope, et. al. in tougher settings, but we all know that friendly games are no longer places to breed talent and that if a player consistently plays in a weak league he will have great difficulty lifting his game against better players.

Look at Ukraine (the quarterfinalist with by far the fewest `name’ players) and how they struggled against Spain and Italy. Dynamo Kyiv and Shakthar Donetsk as players are apparently as far away from the big arena as those at Los Angeles, Chicago and Kansas City. That is not the players’ nor the managers’ fault and it may not be the media’s fault for over-hyping the U.S. side either.

The problem is that those who DO watch World soccer (and I don’t mean just league soccer — I mean the world game all around) knew the U.S. was not a high- quality team and that it lacked any players who could dominate. But because most people lack that knowledge (and it is not their fault) there are people actually believing that Clint Dempsey (off two average WC games) will be a future star. This creates a feedback loop where pressure is put on a manager which, in turn, reinforces bad information. The truth is that Dempsey won’t be a star if he stays at New England and only has to prove himself maybe four times a year instead of forty.

Now, as for Europe: The more experience American players can get playing with and against better players can only help. But that isn’t going to help the American team as a whole. What will help the USA is improving a badly broken development system that relies on well-meaning but clueless volunteers, setting up a true development track in conjunction with MLS, and working to improve MLS to a realistic level instead of clinging to the ridiculous belief that MLS could be made into a top world league.

Do you think Bruce Arena will be back in four years? If not…who do you see on a possible shortlist?

Gosh, I hope not.

The problem is a new coach will not make the players better. And, anyone who takes the USA national team job from abroad will be counting on two things: 1) A big paycheck and 2) That no one really cares about soccer over here so he can work in obscurity. That’s a trap.

The only thing that will improve the team, again, is better talent. The USA needs to: 1) Get players out of the urban environments and start integrating badly segregated suburban leagues; 2) Improve the financial opportunities for players so that top athletes have an incentive to stay in the sport instead of following the richer paths laid out by the NBA, NFL and MLB; 3) Put in place a comprehensive program of pro-track development (I’ve suggested the model used by USA Hockey in the past and I’ll say it again until I’m blue in the face for the simple fact that the program is proven to work) and 4) End the reliance of U.S. Soccer as an entity on the youth and amateur factions of the sport which have done nothing to actually improve the pro-level game.

That last one is a critical issue: USSF needs to become a more professional organization in just about every aspect, from player development to how it runs business to how it interacts with the media. The problem is that it is addicted to the monies brought in by youth leagues and amateurs and has a charter that makes it an amateur organization. It either needs to re-form, spin off a pro- and national teams-arm; or get out of the way.

I think Sunil Gulati (U.S. Soccer Federation President), by the way, is the man to bring the hatchet, and I hope he does.

Has Landon Donovan played in his final World Cup?

No. The kid’s what, 24? Now, Donovan may never play again if he doesn’t improve as a player and get out of his safety bubble, but that is a personal choice that no coach can force upon a player. Truth be told, he’d be a better player for gutting it out in Germany, but he showed he couldn’t hack it and folded at the first sign of pressure. This isn’t to pick on Donovan — he’s far from the only American (or, indeed, only player) to not be able to exist outside of his home turf. But it is a shame considering his talent level; it apparently is not matched by much in the way of what we used to call “intestinal fortitude.”

What happened with Damarcus Beasley?

Good question. He came into camp in a funk, and stunk out the Cup save for a few flashes against Italy. He clearly has had issues with his pro managers — he alienated both Sarachan (Chicago) and Hiddink (PSV) — by basically quitting on them after getting ticked off, and some of his performance issues have to be psychologically-based as a result.

Who impressed you on the US team with their play during the World Cup?

No one. If anything, I thought guys who might have had a shot to transfer abroad cost themselves some slots.

What do you think of the overall work of the referees during the World Cup?

Mixed. I think the refs followed the letter of the law in the first round and took a lot of heat for it, which is hardly their fault. You can’t — as FIFA does — pass a set of rules, tell refs to follow them and then get mad at them when they actually follow through. Let’s also keep in mind that this tournament had perhaps the weakest field ever and we saw some dreadful teams and games. Thus, you see a lot of fouls.

Now, if you’re asking about questionable calls (such as the dive by Grosso against the Aussies or the dive by Primpong against the USA); those happen. To me, this points to a need for MORE refs — I’d like to see a tandem system in place. Right now, the game is too fast for one guy to cover all that space alone. I’d also point out that if the USA and the Aussies could actually score a goal now and again, those errors wouldn’t have changed the game. And I was very disappointed to see Arena — who needs to get it through his thick skull that humiliating a ref in public brings payback — blame the ref in the USA-Ghana game for changing the result. He didn’t: the USA plain didn’t perform to the level it needed to, in a tough group, to succeed. They wouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place if they hadn’t allowed the Czechs to run all over them in the first game, you know.

Who's your pick to win it all?

Before the tourney I said Holland or Italy; I'm secretly rooting for France, however.

Where does the U.S. Soccer team go from here?

Home. In the future it’s pretty clear that USSF is going to have to spend some cash to play better opponents (Latvia? Venezuela?) and on development. Until that happens, you’ll see the same thing happen over and over again.

Remember: The USA still have not won a major game on European soil. Their best result EVER is that 1-1 tie against Italy. It’s a step, but this team is a long way away from greatness.

In our earlier conversation we talked about unrealistic expectations for the U.S. Soccer team which reached the quarter finals in Korea. But did you ever think they’d play this badly?

Short answer: Yes.

I’ve written about 6,000 words on this subject, so I direct your readers here to my multi-part series on the subject.

Grosso’s Last Minute Heroics

Italy defeated Germany 2-0 in extra-time to claim a place in the Final of Germany 2006. In a match that looked destined for penalties, the Italians spoiled Germany’s hopes with two goals coming in the dying minutes of play. With both teams playing a conservative style, the game was very slow and meticulous in its build-up with very few chances.

Germany’s Bernd Schneider had the only chance in the 1st half just missing narrowly, with a right-footed drive, over Buffon and the bar. In the 2nd half, Germany’s Podolski was foiled by Buffon, who pushed his shot over the bar with a one-handed save. The Italians also carved out two chances in the 2nd half as both Gilardino and Zambrotta beat German keeper, Jens Lehmann, only to be denied by the post.

Much of the same reserved play dominated the extra-time period; however, with penalties pushing closer and closer, the Italians finished off a patient build-up to devastating effect as Grosso finished off a neat passing play in the 119th min, with a bending shot that curled past the out-stretched Lehmann into the back post. Del Piero added the 2nd in the 120th min, finishing off another passing move through the dejected German defense.

Zidane Dethrones the Samba Boys Again

Zinedine Zidane’s composure, and tenacious French defending, put a stop to Brazil’s hope of securing a sixth World Cup Championship trophy. Zidane’s smooth touch and tight control showed how great players can find other ways to turn a game even when age sets in and pace has diminished over time. Brazil, uncharacteristically, fielded only one striker and preferred a patient holding game over their traditional joga bonito--paying the ultimate price of defeat.

The lone goal came in the 57th min. from a Zidane free kick that found Thierry Henry, who finished from close range, with a side-foot volley, past a helpless Dida. Brazil’s defending of the set piece was abysmal with most players deciding to hold a defensive line at the 18, allowing French players to press in unmarked on the back post. Brazil’s offensive play was even more atrocious though as Ronaldinho was a non-factor, and they simply could not find the space, or their rhythm, to play their beautiful game.

Ricardo Stops England Again

Portugal defeated England in another Quarter-Final penalty shoot-out. Just like in Euro-2004, Portugal’s keeper, Ricardo showed that he is the master stopper of spot kicks. In an uneventful match, the most significant moment came in the 62nd min. when Wayne Rooney received a red card for a stamp on the groin area of Portugal’s defender, Ricardo Carvalho. The young English striker’s indiscipline—reminiscent of young Beckham in France 1998—getting the better of him at the expense of his country. With no decider coming in extra-time, it was time for deja vu as England tried to vanquish the specter of penalties past.

Simao Sabrosa converted the first spot kick for Portugal while England’s sure-fire Frank Lampard continued his misery at the penalty spot as Ricardo easily saved his effort. Portugal gave England a life line as Hugo Viana’s kick struck the post and deflected wide. Owen Hargreaves then stepped up and converted for England to bring the tallies level.

The drama continued as Petit missed for Portugal, yet England could not take advantage as Steven Gerrard’s effort was also saved by Ricardo. Helder Postiga converted for Portugal putting the pressure on Jamie Carragher to convert for England. At first, it seemed as Carragher had put the scores level; however, Carragher struck his penalty before the referee had blown his whistle, and on his second effort, England was denied once again by Ricardo. Cristiano Ronaldo finished off the contest, placing his penalty past keeper, Paul Robinson as England suffer another penalty heartbreak.