Chile Rebounds From The Earthquake To Face Brasil in 2010 World Cup

Way to go, Brasil!  It has been a good run thus far!  The chilean team has been winning and making people turn their heads.  After Brasil, Chile has become a South American powerhouse.  We must not forget Uruguay and Argentina that are doing very well too.

Chile plays Brasil today.  We wish them good luck.  A winner has to emerge.  Will it be Brasil or Chile?

See the devastation of the quake in Chile

Hollywood Stars Would Not Mind Meeting 2010 World Cup Hot Soccer Stars

Next Games: Germany vs. Argentina, Brasil vs. Chile, Ghana vs. Uruguay

It will be interesting to see the outcomes of the games between Argentina vs. Germany. Both teams have excellent young players who will do anything to advance their teams. The game of Ghana vs. Uruguay should be entertaining too. Brasil vs. Chile will be a repeat of the South American powerhouses. More comments will follow.

Mexico Vs. Argentina: Argentina is winning because of Referring Mistakes

It is time that there is a replay camera in soccer games.  So far, Fifa is not having any of that.  Yet, referees can not see every possible foul and outside position in the game.  That is how Tevez managed to score the first goal for Argentina.  The goal upset the Mexican players who protested it heavily.  The line referee was consulting with the main referee but nothing was changed.  The mistake of the first goal led to the lack of concentration of the Mexican defender who handed the ball to the Argentinian attacker who scored.  Then, it all went downhill from there.

Argentina beat Mexico 3-1.  Maradona behaves more like a cheerleader than a coach.  After all, a coach should be the main cheerleader! Congratulations to Maradona and Argentina!

The Best Players of 2010 South Africa World Cup Thus Far: I prefer Diego Forlan to Cristiano Ronaldo...

Germany Took Care of England: Not Much from Rooney For The Whole World Cup

A young German team took England out of its misery in the 2010 world cup. The English team played a game without any brilliance. If it was not for Lampard, the English side could have given the victory to Germany that played an excellent game. The German team is full of young players who showed a lot of innovations and demonstrated extreme teamwork. In the end, Rooney did not have much to do with anything. He was shell shocked. The Vuvuzelas beat him. Just like the French team who was complaining about the noise, the English team left South Africa only to go home to find their soul again.

Brasil Beat North Korea 2-0: See Brasil in the Finals Maybe Against Germany or Argentina

The first win by Brasil. Now, let us see what the group of death will give us. Brasil will play Portugal and Cote D'Ivoire or Ivory Coast. These are tough games. Both Portugal and Ivory Coast will want to win, which will force both teams to make mistakes that Brasil can exploit. Who will die and stay in the cup? We do not know.

VuVuZeLas: South African Staples to Stay in Soccer Per FiFA

At any soccer stadium, it's normal that you can barely have a conversation at any time of the a game. It is always extra loud. Shouting, screaming, drumming, dancing, arguing, chanting, music, trumpeting are always mixed and produce lots of noise. At an American football game, we have tailgating. England has the infamous hooligans. Shouting invectives at players is not the same as the vuvuzelas in most European games. Except for the hooligans and racial epithets, all of that has never been too much of a hassle. Now some people want to ban the South African, typically cultural instrument from stadiums because of its noise effects. Nobody wants to ban the Japanese drumming or the Brazilian flag waving and hip swinging or backside shaking.

The vuvuzela is now an international instrument. People buy and stuff them in their suitcases and take them home. The vuvuzela will spread beyond South Africa's borders. It now has a new stage, the world of public opinion.

Argentina Takes the Lead Over Nigeria: Arg. 1 vs. Nigeria 0; Argentina Won

Coach Diego Maradona won his first game against Nigeria. Argentina 1, Nigeria 0

So far, a great game is being played. The two teams are trying to outmaneuver each other. From a header, the Argentines are leading the Nigerians in the first half. So far, the Nigerian team is doing a good job containing the fire power of the Argentines. Coach Maradona is very excited about the game thus far.

Diego Maradona Likes Ivory Coast and Portugal Teams, Not Afraid of Brasil

The 49-year-old, who lifted the World Cup as Argentina captain in 1986, having infamously scored a goal with his hand against England in the quarter-finals, said he hoped the referees would ensure the Africans play fair.

"We know how Nigeria play and they know how we play. We don't expect to play a rough and tough team, although we're ready to play any team," said Maradona, whose international career ended in disgrace when he failed a drugs test at the 1994 World Cup finals when Nigeria were also in their group.

"But the only thing I can say right now is those looking for fair-play should not stand alone.

"Let's really look for fair play and referees should understand what fair play is.

"When fair play started in 1990 I got a kick from a Cameroon player who nearly kicked my head off.

"Claudio Caniggia got a yellow card for a small kick and I nearly got kicked in the head.

"We've been through that but we want good football, we want fair play, we want to enjoy the match.

"If you don't want to play clean football, go into the stands. People want to see football and we want people to watch football peacefully without violence."

Although he may be worried about Nigeria's physical presence, he did have a word of warning for the Super Eagles' Swedish coach Lars Lagerback, who only took over on a five-month deal in February.

"I don't think it's a good thing to change a coach on such short notice but perhaps he can introduce some good elements, such as set-pieces," said Maradona.

"But it all depends on the players and he'll have to plan his matches according to the players he has.

"But in football you need continuity and I wish him all the best but he has very little time to work on many things he should be doing as a coach."

The controversial Maradona - who had people calling for his head as Argentina struggled to qualify and his selection policy became more and more erratic - admitted that his players are nervous ahead of their World Cup opener.

"We have many players who are tense, there's a particular tension that builds up when you come to the World Cup and they know perfectly well that many (other) players could have qualified (instead of them) for this competition," he said before adding that he himself is calm.

"I was much more nervous when I was a player. I was telling Javier Mascherano yesterday that I had sweaty palms.

"I live just as intensely today but I'm not as nervous because I firmly believe in these 23 players I have. I'm going to live or die with these 23.

"I know what people back home are expecting and feeling and I just love to see them that way and tomorrow I believe we'll start building a dream.

"Many of us cherish this dream and it's not come true for quite some time."

Argentina will begin as favourites against Nigeria but they haven't forgotten what happened in their opening match in Italy in 1990 when a Francois Omam-Biyik goal gave Cameroon a shock victory.

And Maradona believes that even if they were to suffer a similar fate this time, his team would be able to recover.

Coach Diego Maradona Goes Against Brazilian Phenom Pele, Criticises Him for Lack of Faith in South Africa

Diego Maradona, it is time to shut up and put up! Diego is enjoying his stay with his team in South Africa. He said that he can not understand why Pele did not believe in South Africa as the country that can organize the world cup. Coach Maradona said that his team has a nice stadium to train in Pretoria, the capital. He eats and rests well.

Diego stated that Pele thought that South Africa would not be ready for the World Cup. He addressed Pele not by his name but by his 'coloured player..." Diego must have just had some buzz when he made this statement. It looks like he is still hiding behind the color thing.

Well, Pele and the rest of the Brazilian fans are watching what Diego's team, full of super stars, is going to do today against an unfavorable openent that plays a tough and rough game.

Why did Diego have to start complaining about the toughness and roughness of the Nigerian players?

South African Goal Keeper Complains That the Vuvuzelas Were Not Loud Enough, Needs Their Support

The goal keeper of the Bafana Bafana complained about the lack of noise that could defeat his opponents. In the opening game of the team, the keeper said he could not hear the Vuvuzelas whose sole mission was to create confusion among the Mexican squad. He complained that the Mexican fans outnumbered the South African ones. He wants the Vuvuzelas' support to win.

Nigerian Kanu Not Afraid of Argentina's Big Name Players

Kanu will be facing Argentina for the fourth time in his career, and the Portsmouth striker is confident the Super Eagles have what it takes to beat the Albiceleste.

"Argentina have the big-name players and everyone respects them. We also acknowledge that they are good and great players," Kanu told African website Kick Off.

"Argentina also have the same respect for us because they know the quality of our team and know that there is plenty that we can come up with at anytime. Yes, it will be tough but I believe we can overcome on the day. It is the World Cup and things do happen."

Despite the quality Argentina possess, the 33-year-old believes Nigeria will come out on top and that the game will be settled by a single goal.

"You know, it is always very close any time we play them at the top level. It is either 2-1 or 1-0. I expect that on Saturday, it would also be close, but victory will be Nigeria's."

Argentine Coach Diego Maradona Gets Along Well with Power Striker Lionel Messi

The now Argentina coach scored one of the greatest goals of all time against England 24 years ago, along with four more across the tournament to lead the Albiceleste to their second World Cup.

"I would love to see that,'' Maradona said. "I certainly would appreciate it if he could have the same impact on the World Cup that I had in 1986, the same leading role that I had then.

"But behind Lionel there is a whole team backing him up and he should be the cherry on the cake. I just hope from the bottom of my heart that Lionel gets to show what he can do and that he has the best performance of all time.''

Concerns had been raised by fitness coach Fernando Signorini over the condition of Messi after a long domestic season with Barcelona, but he has been declared fit for Argentina's opening game against Nigeria on Saturday.

Maradona acknowledged that the Barcelona star has had a gruelling season, but he is confident the reigning World Player of the Year is capable of having a major impact.

"(Barca coach Pep) Guardiola would take the other people off the pitch, Xavi, etc...and he wouldn't take Messi off, so he has played 63 matches, but Messi knows very well that he can make the difference and create chances,'' Maradona said. "But this is what a World Cup is all about, there's little margin for error and there is no guarantee that the players will always be at their best."

Messi comes into the tournament with a reputation for being the best player of his generation but Nigeria coach Lars Lagerback insists he will not target the Argentina star, saying: "We are playing Argentina, not Messi. So there will be no player given the special job to mark him."

With Messi's talents well known to footballers all over the world, Maradona hopes that opponents do not adopt a heavy-handed approach to dealing with the 22-year-old.

"Those looking for fair play shouldn't stand alone, let's really look for fair play and referees should understand what fair play is," he said. "We've been through that but we want to see good football, we want to have fair play in matches, we want to enjoy this World Cup.

"I think FIFA must definitely look for fair play. If you don't want to play clean football then go up into the stands. People want to see football and we want people to watch football peacefully, without violence.''

Maradona also admitted that, while he still lives and breathes every match his team plays, he is more relaxed than he was as a player because he has complete faith in his 23-man squad.

"I was much more nervous as a player. I was telling (Javier) Mascherano yesterday that I had sweaty palms, I was wondering how I was going to play, I was trying to save energy while I was playing.'' Maradona said.

The Players Representing Argentina: Argentina Plays Nigeria

Here are the 23 players that will represent Argentina at the World Cup:

Goalkeepers:
Sergio ROMERO
Mariano ANDUJAR
Diego POZO

Defenders:
Nicolas BURDISSO
Clemente RODRIGUEZ
Martin DEMICHELIS
Ariel GARCE
Gabriel HEINZE
Nicolas OTAMENDI
Walter SAMUEL

Midfielders:
Jonas GUTIERREZ
Javier MASCHERANO
Juan Sebastian VERON
Angel DI MARIA
Mario BOLATTI
Maxi RODRIGUEZ
Javier PASTORE

Forwards:
Lionel MESSI
Gonzalo HIGUAIN
Carlos TEVEZ
Diego MILITO
Sergio AGUERO
Martin PALERMO

Haitian Gaetjens and Team Helped Beat England in 1950: Will The US Beat England in 2010 World Cup?

This is the day that the world has been waiting for: England vs. the US. It is seen as a repeat of the 1950 game that the US won thanks to a player of Haitian origin who only had to declare his intent to become a US citizen. Gaetjens scored the goal that has soiled the history of the country known as the creator of the modern game.

According to various pronostics, the US has a good chance of winning this game thanks to the triad of Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan and Tim Howard as leaders of a team led by Michael Bradley. But we must not forget the determination and skills of a player such as Wayne Rooney on the English squad. This guy is all over the field seeking, attempting tricks with the sole goal of scoring for the English.

The US squad hopes to recapture the spirit of 1950 when the US delivered the biggest upset in the history of the game to England.

What should the US do to contain Rooney?

Let the commentators answer this question.

"Yet despite all these perceived advantages, the U.S. knows it will have to play the perfect game (or something close to it) to get a result against England.


"When we look at any top-level game & you need six, seven, eight guys to have really good nights," U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley said. "And the other guys need to have solid enough days. There's a lot that goes into winning big games, beating good teams. We've done that before, and we're just concentrating on doing all of those things now in training leading up to the game so that we're ready to go."



When the U.S. plays more talented sides, it typically clogs the middle and tries to hit its opponents on the counterattack. Turning this strategy into a winning formula is another matter, of course, requiring many pieces to fall into place. Ball possession, for starters. It's long been a weakness for this U.S. team, and while England will likely have an edge in possession, the U.S. needs to hang onto the ball long enough to free its best attacking players, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey.


Otherwise, the U.S. is just chasing the game.



But what the U.S. needs most of all is to get big games from goalkeeper Tim Howard and the rest of the American defense. Unfortunately, the back line just so happens to be the part of the lineup with the most question marks.


Defender Oguchi Onyewu -- who is almost eight months removed from knee surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon -- has yet to play a full match since returning to the field against the Czech Republic on May 25, and hasn't looked sharp when he has played. His replacement, Clarence Goodson, has logged just 14 caps and played in one World Cup qualifier. Carlos Bocanegra, perhaps the most consistent U.S. defender, is needed at left back. But he can't fill that position if Onyewu isn't fit.



If that lineup puzzle gives you a headache, thinking about how the U.S. will stop England striker Wayne Rooney should give you a migraine. Rooney is among the top 3 players in the world. Not only is he an adept passer and finisher, with a newfound ability to consistently head the ball into the back of the net, but he's also a pest away from goal. Rooney's penchant for dropping deep into midfield can twist defenses out of shape.


To contain Rooney, the U.S. will have to rely on positioning and communication.



"You need to be close enough to your teammates so that when [Rooney] comes off of you, the next guy knows he's there," Howard said. "If you have him, then you have him. But if you want the next guy to take him you have to open your mouth."


U.S. defender Jay DeMerit said, "Between the midfield block and the defending block, we have to try to condense the space so we don't give [Rooney] enough time to manipulate the game as much as he would like."



Another key to the match will be where England decides to line up Gerrard. The Liverpool midfielder has been at his best when given a free role on the left flank. But because England's holding midfielder, Garreth Barry, is out with injury, Capello might have to slot Gerrard in the center of midfield with Frank Lampard -- a pairing that has not worked well for the Three Lions in the past.


If Capello decides to free up Gerrard in his traditional attacking role, he could slide Michael Carrick or James Milner into the midfield role. But Carrick has had a poor second half of the season, and the jury's out as to whether Milner, an offensive-minded player, can work well as a holding midfielder.



The U.S. will also need to be mindful of the attacking forays of England fullbacks Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole. While Donovan and Dempsey are fairly interchangeable in terms of which side they play on, Donovan's pace makes him a better fit to track Cole.



The play of forward Robbie Findley could also help break down England's defenses. Findley's speed and diagonal runs may be enough to prevent England's fullbacks from venturing too far forward. This will ease the defensive burden on Donovan and Dempsey and free up space for the American duo to exploit...."

An iPhone App for the World Cup and Social Network vs. Streaming the Soccer Game

There is an app for everything. Why not an app for the World Cup? It was just a no-brainer! Fans want it. They want their tech gadgets to give them the edge

Today millions of people are lugging the Internet for legitimate World Cup video streams on opening day match between South Africa and Mexico, this contest is now halfway through and now aimless,

First

we talk about ESPN Mobile, this application is free and available for the iPhone, there is a premium service that can be purchased for $ 7.99. The free service allows you to view live scores, statistics, analysis, news and tablets for all teams.

France Vs. Uruguay: Uruguay Could Have and Should Have The Game against France Which Was a shell of Itself!

Les Bleus showed up, played lethargically and tied the game against a more powerful Uruguayan team led by Forlan and his mates. The French team did not show any greatness, any innovation and any strength during the games. If they continue to play like this, they may not go far enough.

There is more hope for the Uruguayan squad that played a good game. They need better organization and attempts at the goal. They need to seize their opportunities too.

Tragedy on the Eve of the World Cup in South Africa: Nelson Mandela's Great Granddaughter Died in Accident

Nelson Mandela was not able to attend the opening ceremony after he had worked so hard to bring the game to South Africa. His granddaughter died in a car accident after a concert. The driver was drunk. So he was not able to participate in the game.

South Africa Could Have Won Its Opening Game Against Mexico: South African 1 - Mexico 1

The Bafana Bafana should have won the game against Mexico. They had lots of opportunities which they missed. No matter what, Shabala scored a powerful goal with his left foot. He is a natural leftie. Then in the second half, Hernandez tied the game for Mexico.

Each team won 1 point which may end up helping them later.