World Cup Quarterfinals: Match Previews (Day 1)

FIFA are a disgrace and Qatar’s government is repressive and cruel.

I’ve had 2-3 requests for match previews, and now that there are fewer matches to write about it’s become more feasible to do them. Simply too many matches before now! But yes, it’s quarterfinals time and this is very much the business end of the tournament. Bad teams do not make it this far, and every team is here for a reason. Some thoughts and predictions on Friday’s matches!

Brazil vs. Croatia – Friday Dec. 9th 7 AM PST

This is an intriguing matchup for a number of reasons, as 5-time winners Brazil take on 2018 runners-up Croatia. Brazil are probably the team’s best tournament so far, scoring goals for fun up front while being incredibly stout at the back. The third goal they scored against South Korea in their Round of 16 match was nothing short of sublime. It’s insane that striker Richarlison has been a part of two very good candidates for goal of the tournament. Despite a loss to Cameroon in the group stage, Brazil look very strong right now. They have talent by the truckload in the likes of Neymar, Vinicius Junior, Casemiro, and Thiago Silva. Their manager Tite has built them on defense and slowly loosened the reigns on his attackers as the tournament has gone on. But the horses have been allowed to run freely now, and they should continue doing so. As long as they keep their team mentality positive, they should win this match.

That being said, Croatia will not be as easy to dispatch as South Korea was. They boast a very talented and experienced midfield, and as shown in the Round of 16 against Japan, they can conjure up a goal out of absolutely nothing. Croatia’s chances in this match will largely be dictated by how their midfielders – Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, Mateo Kovacic, and Ivan Perisic – all play. Modric in particular will be the one with the team on his shoulders, like he usually do. He is Mr. Croatia and despite his age he will leave everything he can on the pitch for them. If that midfield is allowed time on the ball they have the talent and experience to create chances. A concern for the Croatians is the lack of a dominant center forward. They have not scored many goals this tournament, and the form of the strikers is the main reason why. Brazil can score at will, and I do not know if the Croatians will be able to keep up.

Prediction: Brazil 3-1 Croatia

Netherlands vs. Argentina – Friday December 9th – 11 AM PST

This matchup is going to be terrific, in my opinion. We have two of the traditional major powerhouses if world football pitted against one another, and it just so happens to feature probably the greatest player of all time. It’s also probably the closest one we have to a toss-up in terms of a winner.

All eyes will be on Lionel Messi both at home and worldwide as he leads his team against a well-coached and sneakily-talented Dutch side. Messi is probably at his last World Cup, and there is no way he is going to want to go home in the quarterfinals. He will need to be accounted for every time the Argentines have the ball within 40 yards of the Dutch goal. He scored against Australia in the Round of 16 and it would be unwise to bet against him doing so again. That said, Messi is not the entirety of this team. Argentina made it to the final in 2014 using the tactics of “defense + Messi”, and that defensive prowess has once again resurfaced. The Argentines, led by Nicolas Otamendi and Lisandro Martinez, are extremely physical in defense and will be tough to break down. I also like that Messi has slightly more help in attack and midfield in this tournament talent-wise. The concern is their tactics and team spirit should they start losing. They could be doing everything right in attack except for scoring, but as soon as they go down 1-0 they seem to forget what works for them and they try to play it through their midfield, which isn’t their strong suit.

The Dutch on the other hand are a very curious team. Ahead of schedule, perhaps? I am very familiar with their manager Louis Van Gaal as he used to manage Manchester United, and while his style of play did not usually provide for the most entertaining football, he did win us the FA Cup in 2016. His style at the club level is different from the national team level, though. For the Dutch, he tailors his team selection and tactics to the opposition, as it were. He set up his team to play possession and passing in the group stage, but then against the Americans he sat his men back and let the Americans have the ball, knowing they wouldn’t be able to break them down. The Dutch hit the Americans on the counter for their first goal just 10 minutes in and never looked back. They also used their wingbacks Daley Blind and Denzel Dumfries to great effect. They also have the in-form (and highly sought-after) striker Cody Gakpo up front, with winger/forward Memphis Depay usually up alongside him in support. Factor in center back Virgil Van Dijk, and it becomes clear that the Dutch have more than enough talent to beat Argentina. It will be interesting to see what tricks Van Gaal has up his sleeve to try and neutralize – or at least minimize – the threat of Messi.

Prediction: Netherlands 2-2 Argentina, Dutch advance on penalties

World Cup Roundup – Groups A and B

FIFA is a criminal organization that sells a legal product, and Qatar have been more than happy to overpay for that product as it helps them sportswash their country.

Group A

Winners – Netherlands

Runners Up – Senegal

Eliminated – Ecuador and Qatar

The Dutch went for a stroll today and beat Qatar 3-0 without ever getting into full gear. Qatar are a flat-out bad team that should never have been at this tournament. They only qualified because they are the host nation and did not bring a competitive edge to this group. Well done to the Dutch for winning, but let’s not pretend that it was a challenging match for them today. Dutch striker (and rumored Manchester United transfer target) Cody Gakpo is one to watch in the race for the Golden Boot, given out to the tournament’s top striker.

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Senegal vs. Ecuador was a much different affair. The way the the group shook out, the winner of this match would join Netherlands in the next round. Ecuador only needed a draw technically, but The African side won 2-1 and it was not an easy match for either side. Winger Ismaïla Sarr put the Senegalese ahead 1-0 from the penalty spot on 44 minutes after winning the penalty himself via a foul, but Ecuador persevered and got an equalizer on 67 minutes from midfielder Moisés Caicedo. It was a tap-in from close range for Caicedo, after the ball was flicked on from a corner. Poor marking from Senegal, but well done to Caicedo for being in the right place at the right time.

Ecuador’s jubilance was perhaps a tad strong though, as the Ecuadorians conceded again just three minutes later when center back Kalidou Koulibaly powered it home from about 8 yards out. Senegal had won a free kick in the right channel, and the clearance from Ecuador unluckily fell straight to Koulibaly. Center backs aren’t always the best finishers, but there was no mistake from the big man on this occasion. Ecuador pushed and pushed in the final 20+ minutes to find the miracle goal to send them through, but the west Africans held firm. It was tense, but it was clear that Ecuador’s main goal-scoring threat Enner Valencia was not 100% fit this match. It will be disappointing from their point of view to go out like this, especially after the good results against Qatar and the Dutch.

Some of my more observant readers will note that I predicted Netherlands and Senegal to get out of this group before the tournament started! Happy to be right with a prediction for once!

Group B

Winners – England

Runners up – USA

Eliminated – Iran, Wales

England needed only a draw to advance today, and they even could have done so with a loss as long as it wasn’t by four goals or more. But as the England match kicked off and got underway, it was very apparent that Wales would not be scoring four goals against them. The first half was goal-less but much better for England than their previous match against the USA. Striker Marcus Rashford went close after being through on goal early on, only for his effort to be snuffed out by a very alert Welsh keeper in Danny Ward. Wales maybe had a half chance or two towards the end of the half, but England keeper Jordan Pickford was never seriously tested. England were doing a much better job of running the counter-press and looked to be worthy of a goal.

England finally turned all their positive possession and attacking intent into a goal on 50 minutes when forward Phil Foden won a free kick in a very dangerous position, just to the left of center of the goal roughly 20 yards out. After a discussion among some of the players, Rashford stepped up and hit the ball very sweetly with his right foot. It flew over/through the Welsh wall and flew into the right corner of Ward’s net. A great strike from a great player!

England got their second roughly a minute and a half later, when Rashford won the ball high up the pitch on the right wing. He played the ball forward to striker Harry Kane, who was on the edge of the right side of the penalty area. Without even looking up, Kane hit a low cross that was met at the far post by Foden, who slotted home with his first touch from a tight angle. Another great goal, but for a different reason. The first goal was a marvel of technical skill. The second goal was the result of aggressive pressing and a sublime final ball from Kane.

At 2-0 the match was mostly done and dusted, but Wales responded with their best chance of the match when a deflected strike from distance nearly wrong-footed Pickford, but he recovered enough to push the ball away. England got their 3rd on 68 minutes when Rashford was allowed to run into the box and cut inside substitute left back Connor Roberts. He lashed a fierce shot straight at Ward, who made a colossal error by allowing the shot to slip between his legs. It was poor from Ward, but take nothing away from Rashford. Goalkeeping errors only happen as a result of aggressive play, and England were very aggressive today. Rashford now suddenly finds himself in the race for the Golden Boot!

The Welsh looked finished, and truthfully England looked much more likely to score a fourth than Wales did to get their first. The substitutes were running wild for a bit there. England will be very happy with this result after the rather tepid display against the Americans, and it proves that England are at their best when they play aggressively and press high up the pitch. Sitting back and defending, simply put, does not suit this group of players. We need to carry this aggressive form forward as the tournament progresses.

Wales will of course be disappointed to not have done better at this tournament. They only scored one goal and earned only one point as a result of it. They have quality in this team, but they could never put it together for 90 minutes. Their best half of play was the second one against the Americans in the opening group match, but one half of good play out of six is usually not enough to secure progression. It will be interesting to see how star players Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale handle this loss. Bale says he isn’t retiring from Wales, but we will see if his mind changes about that once he’s back on his beloved golf courses. One thing that’s for sure is that he looked like a passenger today, and had to go off at half time due to apparent injury.

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The match between USA and Iran was much more closely-contested. The Americans were the better team by far in the opening 45 minutes. They were running at Iran and controlling possession effectively. While they squandered numerous chances and were caught offside one or twice, they got their breakthrough via attacking midfielder Christian Pulisic, who bundled the ball home from close range after a good cross from right back Sergiño Dest. Pulisic hurt himself while scoring and had to come off, but the Americans were good value for their lead. Iran was struggling to put passes together and to hold on to the ball. Iran did not have a shot on goal in the opening half.

The Iranians did grow into the game a little more as the second half started and wore on, but they struggled to seriously test USA keeper Matt Turner. Iran’s final ball was lacking all match, and despite 9 minutes of extra time, they could not find the equalizer that would have sent the Americans home. After a solid defensive effort, USA held on to win 1-0.

While the Iranians were disappointing, I can’t really blame them for playing as poorly as they did today. It’s very clear the players and their families are under a heavy degree of scrutiny by the Iranian government, and there were rumors pre-match that any sort of protest by the players against the regime would result in harm happening to the players’ families. I can’t imagine having to play under those conditions. Not taking anything away from the USMNT today, but I have to question just how much those negative emotions impacted their play. #standwithwomen #iranianwomen #mahsaamini

For the Americans, this was more of the same. They are young, fast, and athletic; but it’s very clear they lack a strong center-forward. They would be a much more dangerous team with a Kane or Olivier Giroud of their own. They need a big, strong forward who can hold off a challenge in the box and finish with aplomb. The defense has played well so far, and I have been especially impressed with midfielders Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams, but the Round of 16 will be a much tougher test than Iran was today.

I also thought England and USA would get out of this group before the tournament! 4 for 4 so far!

USA vs. Netherlands – Saturday December 3, 2022 at 7 am PST

England vs. Senegal – Sunday December 4, 2022 at 11 am PST

Four Goals For United in Ten Minutes!

That’s emphatic!

Of course there were lots of interesting talking points from Manchester United’s final Europa League group match against AZ Alkmaar today at Old Trafford, but the headline for sure was 4 goals for the Red Devils in just 10 second-half minutes. United won 4-0 and ensured they would finish top of Group L, thus potentially avoiding some of the more difficult sides that also reached the Round of 32. United needed only a draw to win the group, but I personally was hoping for a win so that our good form could continue. It would have been bad for the team’s mentality to beat Tottenham Hotspur and Man City and then draw with a (no disrespect) small club like Alkmaar.

Tale of two halves, really. Nothing much of all happened in the first. The Dutch visitors had the better of the chances for the most part, with keeper Sergio Romero being called into action on occasion to make a routine save. United worryingly did not have a shot on target until a tame header from Harry Maguire in the 38th minute. At halftime it was 0-0, and if I was the Alkmaar manager I would have felt pretty good about that half. They had more than held their own against United away from home and looked likely to sneak a goal in the second half.

But, as alluded to above, the second half was completely different. Credit must be given when credit is due, and this victory is owed almost entirely to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaeer and his coaching staff. United shifted into a 4-3-3 formation after half time, with Spanish midfielder Juan Mata playing generally lower down on the pitch in central midfield. Mata had been harassed and man-marked profusely in the first half, but Alkmaar pressed him less and gave him more space after he moved down from the #10 position (attacking midfield) into more central/defensive midfield position. This allowed him to pick up the ball from the defenders more easily and make key passes in space.

Mata, when given time, can produce some absolutely world-class football. His best years are behind him athletically, but when given time and space on the ball he can work wonders for the attack. That’s exactly what happened. He finished with 2 assists and a goal from the penalty spot all on his own! Biggest game from him for United in a long time.

I think of all the goals scored, the first one was probably the most visually appealing. Ashley Young opened his account for the season with a rare goal, a fabulous strike from a tight angle that beat the Alkmaar keeper over his head. Some very nifty work from Brazilian midfielder Andreas Pereira in the build-up as well, who did a fantastic job of beating two defenders on the left flank  and starting the move that ended in the goal. The below link is the best I could find that includes all the build-up.

https://streamvi.com/watch.php?video=1576185040

Speaking of Pereira, where the hell has this form been all season? He gets a bit of a confidence and all of a sudden he’s world class? Wow. I’m not mad that he played well, I’m just mad he hasn’t been doing this all season.

Star man of the evening though has to be 18 year old striker Mason Greenwood. Two goals in the match giving him 6 on the season. He is United’s leading scorer in Europe, and is second only to Marcus Rashford overall in total goals scored for the club. Both of his goals were excellent finishes, impressively one with his left and the other with his right. His shooting form is very tight and controlled, and he does not need a lot of room to get a shot away. He bagged United’s second and fourth goals today, and also won the penalty for the 3rd goal converted by Mata. Great to see a United academy product shining so brightly in the first team, along with Rashford, Brandon Williams, and others.

United were in cruise control from then on out despite it only being the 63rd minute. They created a few more half chances and OGS took the opportunity to sub off our most-tired players. Romero was required to make a smart save late on, but Alkmaar were denied a consolation goal. Romero, of all people, now has the highest percentage of clean sheets among United keepers with at least 50 appearances. In our history we have had some absolutely world-class keepers like Alex Stepney, Peter Schmeichel, Edwin Van Der Sar, and even current keeper David De Gea. But it’s the Argentine Sergio Romero who has the highest percentage of clean sheets kept. Go figure.

Among additional positives on the day, OGS was able to give some much needed rest to key players like Fred, Scott McTominay, and Rashford. Anthony Martial was taken off early in the 2nd half as well. United showed they can win big even with their “depth” players, despite these very same players (Pereira, Mata, Nemanja Matic, Young) all not playing well recently or not playing at all due to injury.

Everton are next for United, at Old Trafford next Sunday, in the early morning America-time. There is no excuse for United not to go out and smash the Toffees. We are finally in good form, and now that some of our best players have gotten a game off, I expect United to come out and press Everton from the get-go. There is no excuse for them not to. If we come out slow again and play another dull first half, I don’t think Everton will fall apart and concede four in a row so quickly. United have all the momentum and all the impetus though, and Everton’s defense is not exactly stout. Let’s get at them, press them, and shoot!

OGS mentioned in his post-match interview that reinforcements will be required in January to take United to that next level. He is exactly right about that. At least two midfielders and a striker by my estimations. Ed Woodward, get the check book out please! Support the manager you have so far claimed to stand by!

Glory glory Man United! I’ll keep you all updated on who we draw in the Round of 32 when it happens, which I believe is some time next Monday, Dec. 16.

US Women Take Down the Dutch, Win Record 4th World Cup

I think it’s important to start off here by acknowledging the historical level of dominance the USWNT has over their sport. What they have achieved not only in this World Cup but historically as well is simply amazing. The stats are incredible, of course.

For those who don’t know, there have only ever been 8 Women’s World Cup tournaments in history, and the first one was in 1991. The USA have won 4 of those World Cups. Half of them. No other team has more than 2. To go 4-4 in the World Cup is absolutely incredible for any country. They were runners-up in 2011 as well and as far as I could tell have never finished worst than third. That’s incredible. This current team has won a record 12 consecutive World Cup matches, and while they were tested by England and Spain, the USA somehow always did just enough to keep moving on. Congratulations to them; it is fully deserved.

While they weren’t at their best for portions of this match against the Netherlands, it was only thanks to a heroic effort from the Dutch keeper Sari Van Veenendaal that kept the US out at first. She looked to be in rare form this match and it was interesting that this was the first match for the USA in this tournament where they failed to score in the opening 10-15 minutes. With the match 0-0 at halftime and the Dutch keeper playing so well, I wondered if the Dutch were setting us up for what I like to call a “smash and grab job”. You hang on for dear life in defense and hope you can get a goal through a set piece or corner late on, then hang on again for the win. This is a tactic commonly used by teams who aren’t as good in possession as their opponent.

Unfortunately for the Dutch, that did not materialize. The US was awarded a penalty after a VAR review 15 minutes in to the 2nd half. Alex Morgan was fouled by a Dutch defender that the referee initially did not call, but the VAR official signaled for a review. For me it probably was a penalty due to the high boot that made contact with Morgan’s arm. Morgan can be a tad dramatic at times but a kick to arm studs-up is very painful and worthy of a foul. Purple-Haired Lesbian Soccer Goddess Megan Rapinoe stepped up and wrong-footed Van Veenendaal to put the Americans ahead with a confident strike. She has done incredibly well this tournament, and at age 34 it may sadly have been her last one. She won Player of the Tournament as well! It’s true most of her goals came from the penalty spot, but her creativity and leadership on the pitch would be irreplaceable on almost any other team.

But because the US team is ridiculously stacked talent-wise, they have players who can hurt you all over the pitch. Rose Lavelle is one such example. She picked up the ball in midfield and sprinted forward, running directly at the Dutch back-line. Stupidly, they kept backing off of her and backing off her, which she took as an invitation to shoot. She knocked the ball onto her left foot later and hit a low and powerful shot into the right corner of the goal. Crystal Dunn contributed massively on the play by delivering a crunching tackle that won possession for the Americans in a forward area, so credit to her again. Lavelle had looked dangerous on the ball in spells in previous matches, but she usually lacked an end product. That was not the case today. She scored the biggest goal of her career in this match, and at only 24 you know she is far from done.

The Dutch were probably guilty of being a bit gun-shy in this match. They looked afraid to shoot the ball in situations that cried out for a shot on goal. If you don’t shoot, you usually don’t win. After the US penalty the Dutch had to push forward to try and find a goal of their own and were therefore more exposed at the back, and the fast the US forwards were having fun running at them and running into open spaces along the back line. Lavelle’s goal came from such a situation. At 2-0 it was basically over, and the Dutch never really looked threatening.

Consistency and efficiency I think is a good way to summarize this US team and the tactics employed by manager Jill Ellis. The Thailand match aside, the US never scored more than 3 goals in a single game. They never scored more than 2 in the knockout stages. Obviously they didn’t need to score more given their world-class defense, but plenty were skeptical of Ellis’s conservative style in the build-up to the tournament. It almost bit them in the ass against England, after all. But, you can’t argue too much with back-to-back World Cup wins. Results speak for themselves. That said, it is obvious that while the Americans are still the best, the gulf in class between them and the rest of the world is decidedly shrinking. It will not be as straightforward for them in 2023, mark my words.

On a tangentially-related note, the USMNT was in action this evening against Mexico in the Gold Cup final, which made today a very big day for US football/soccer. It’s rare for both the men and women to play on the same day, even more rare that both were playing in the finals of major tournaments. Sadly the Americans lost to Mexico 1-0 in a rather tepid affair in which they blew a few big chances in the first half. Despite a good run of form in the tournament, it’s clear the men’s team still has a lot of room for improvement.

There’s a bit of a break in football over the next few weeks before Manchester United’s preseason tour begins, so there won’t be many posts. I want to work up a United season review/preview for next season for sure, but other than there shouldn’t be much. Maybe if a major transfer happens or something.

 

 

England Have No One To Blame But Themselves

It feels a bit weird to be writing this on the 4th of July but it’s taken me a bit to get over this loss. This one was just as disappointing as England men’s team’s defeat in the semifinals last summer to Croatia. It actually might even be worse this time because we lost to the US, and American sports fans can be absolutely insufferable when they win things. Although, to be fair, had the Lionesses won I would be doing a fair bit of gloating myself.

England lost 2-1 in a wild and controversial match, with goals from Christen Press and Alex Morgan for the USWNT and Ellen White for England. Morgan and White are now joint top-scorers in this tournament. If they finish even on goals they will share the Golden Boot.

I can’t really complain about either of the goals for the USA. The Americans have excellent athletes at every position and England were out-jumped on both occasions. Press used her height and strength to head home a cross from the right after poor marking from Lucy Bronze for the first goal. It came within the first ten minutes, something the Americans have done many times this tournament. I knew England would be on the back foot from then forward.

For the 2nd USA goal, England left back Demi Stokes was left to try and cover a striker with at least 5 inches in height on her, and the battle was lost as soon as Morgan got in front of Stokes. England’s goal was great as well, and it came as a temporary equalizer sandwiched between the other two. White made her own run decisive run into the box and managed to get a toe on a cross in from the left that flew into the opposite corner of the goal. The match was finely poised at half time, despite England being down a goal. I felt somewhat optimistic.

But the most important things that happened in this match were the goals that didn’t count and the opportunities missed. White ran onto a ball in the box in the middle of the 2nd half and slotted home underneath USA keeper Alyssa Naeher. The goal looked good to me, but a VAR review was called upon to check if White was offside. Unfortunately, by the thinnest of margins, she was off. Had she been wearing one size smaller of shoe, she would have been on and the goal would have stood. I’m not sure that a VAR review should have been used in this situation because it is only supposed to be used to review “clear and obvious” mistakes. I am not sure if this was a “clear and obvious” call, given how close White was to being onside. I know it’s a little bitter-sounding but I feel in the days before VAR this goal would have counted.

England can’t complain too much about the refereeing decisions though, as they were awarded a penalty a few minutes later after a foul in the box on White. England had already missed two penalties in this tournament, with Nikita Parris being guilty of missing on both occasions. I was relieved to see a different penalty taker step up, but it was not the one I would have chosen. I understand Stephanie Houghton is the captain and leader of the team, but she’s a central defender who doesn’t have as much practice shooting as the strikers or wingers. Moreover, White was on fire the whole game and has been in incredible form. So why not let White take the penalty? Her confidence was sky-high and she probably would have buried it. Houghton however struck a weak penalty that was far too close to Naeher, who made the save low to her right. England never really crafted another clear chance after that and the match was over. Houghton was heartbroken at the final whistle as were all of England’s players, but you have to question Phil Neville’s decision to have her take the kick in the first place.

Anyway, credit to the Americans for defending well and doing just enough to win. Sometimes in semifinals “doing just enough” is all that is needed. I was very sad of course. I almost would have preferred to lose 4-0 instead of coming so agonizingly close. England missed 3 penalties in total this tournament, but it never hurt them until this match. They do have the third-place match against Sweden left, but no one wants a bronze medal. I am glad that both the men’s and women’s teams are top sides, but with so many successive semifinal defeats it’s borderline torture to support these teams. England are a powerhouse of football again, but to cement that status a trophy needs to be won. Fans are desperate for silverware, and while England did lose to the best team in the world this time it still feels disappointing.

All of that said, I want the USWNT to go forth and stomp on the Netherlands. Admittedly, that’s mostly for non-football related reasons. I like the USA players individually, even if the fans are annoying. They seem to be intelligent and progressive women who understand how many people look up to them. It would feel wrong to cheer against them and I won’t let my bitterness ruin the fact that these women dominate this sport.

The Americans are the best team left and while the Dutch are talented I think they’re going to have problems breaking down the US’s stingy defense. To put it simply, I think England were a tougher match up for the Americans than the Dutch will be. I envision a record 4th World Cup being lifted next Sunday in Paris by the Americans.

By the way, Americans, the men’s team is also in action next Sunday night. They play Mexico in what will be a thrilling Gold Cup final from Soldier Field in Chicago. USA and Mexico are the traditional power houses of the CONCACAF region, and it will be the first real test of Greg Berhalter’s tenure as manager.

On Sunday, July 7 the women play at 11 am ET/ 8 am PT, and the men play at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT. Should be a very big day for American soccer! The women can cement their status as the most dominant nation of all time while the men have a chance to re-establish themselves as the premier North American team.