Ballack out, Fabregas in?

According to ESPN Soccernet, German captain Michael Ballack is doubtful for tomorrow's Euro 2008 final match. This would unbalance the German side, as Ballack has been central to most everything his team has done well in this tournament.

This development comes alongside the possibility widely reported that Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas may be the one to replace the injured David Villa. Fabregas had a significant impact on the Spanish attack once he came on in the semi-final, replacing the injured Villa. With Fabregas in and Ballack out, the scales may be tipping in favour of a Spanish team that hasn't been in a final since 1984.

The Footy Show

Hats off to the Footy Show for an excellent podcast they released Friday. Joe Ross and James Sharman, the pods usual hosts, spent half an hour talking with former Canadian international and U20 coach Paul James about the state of football in this country. I didn't agree with everything James had to say (such as suggesting the men's national team should shut up and play where the CSA tells them to), but I think he had some great insight into where the Canadian game should go (he likes MLS in Ottawa and believes the collegiate system in Canada should be our route to producing players). Available through iTunes and the Score website, this is great listening for anyone who loves the game in Canada.

Canada in Montreal

As I mentioned in my last post, I went to see Canada play St. Vincent & the Grenadines in Montreal on Friday, June 20. The game was less than good, with the visitors lacking any real quality and Canada not really taking advantage, but the home side won 4-1 nonetheless. Both Ali Gerba and Dwayne De Rosario had excellent games for Canada, Gerba coming close to a hat trick several times but settling for a brace.

Saputo Stadium, nestled under the shadow of Olympic Stadium in east Montreal, is a top class facility. The pitch was immaculate and the atmosphere was decent. Richard Starnes, who blogs for the Ottawa Citizen, was amongst the journalists to suggest many of the Canadians would like to play their upcoming group stage matches exclusively at the new Montreal stadium.

This is unlikely as the CSA wants the games in Toronto and Edmonton, but I'm sure top-level football is sure to return to la belle province in the near future. Particularly if Canada makes it through its group of Mexico, Honduras and Jamaica into the final group stage, where five games will be played on Canadian soil.

MLS in Ottawa, We're off to see Canada and number 7

MLS coming to Ottawa?

According to a report by Hugh Adami in the Ottawa Citizen today, the owner of the Ottawa Senators and Biovail founder Eugene Melnyk is actively seeking to bring a MLS team to the city.

As Adami points out in the article, billionaire Melnyk faces a rough road in his quest, both from the City of Ottawa who are reluctant to pump money into either aging Frank Clair stadium or a new stadium at a new site and from competition for new franchises.

MLS wants to add four teams to its 14 league by 2012 according to Adami's piece, with Seattle and Philadelphia already claiming two berths. To make matters worse for a potential Melnyk bid, groups in both Montreal and Vancouver are eying teams of their own. They both happen to have the advantage of already owning USL teams with decent fan bases. Ottawa have the USL Player Development League Fury, which draws next to no media coverage and little in the way of fan support.

Melnyk's ambition is admirable, since football appears to be gaining a firm toehold in the Canadian sporting scene and top flight clubs will eventually dot cities here. I think MLS has other plans and as a U.S.-based league, they will surely look to build their business in U.S. cities.

As for the next Canadian team, I feel MLS will favour Vancouver, if only because it's profile will be high in the next few years with the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and another West Coast team will balance out travel for a league strung across this massive continent.

As a side note, Adami mentions that NBA star and Victoria native Steve Nash is interested in putting some cash into an MLS team, also strengthening a Vancouver bid.

Canada vs. St Vincent & the Grenadines

I'm heading off today to see the second leg match in Canada's opening World Cup 2010 qualifying round. Canada lead 3-0 after the first leg, so a home tie being held at the brand new Saputo Stadium in Montreal should be a matter of course. It should be good fun, with a post tomorrow to fill in all the blanks.

One number 7 is playing well...

Anyone who follows this blog at all (yes, all two of you I'm sure) knows I admire the skills of Christiano Ronaldo, but despise him as an athlete competing in sporting events. Well, I am vindicated for another day after his uber-sulk yesterday against the Germans in Portugal's 3-2 defeat in the Euro 2008 quarterfinal.

Ronaldo put in about five minutes (total) of noticeable effort, resulting in one goal, as far as I could tell. Yes, not a bad return for a match. But when you are supposed to be the Greatest Player To Ever Play (as anointed by many in the naive media) and your team in fact needed two ADDITIONAL goals to win (plus the one he had nothing to do with) and you simply sulk because the Germans won't cave to your otherworldly footballing powers, you don't really deserve the hype.

Another player wearing number seven in this match, looked like he may be one of the best in the world right now. Bastian Schweinsteiger had a superb match, as did German captain Michael Ballack. If these two keep it up, Germany will be tough to beat. Schweinsteiger is playing like a man possessed right now, and is closer to being the player Ronaldo is supposed to be than Portugal's defeated number seven.

Scolari and other things Portuguese

I watched the Portugal-Czech Republic game on television with some interest last night, partly because I picked a Czech upset in my EURO 2008 pool, partly because I wasn't as impressed as many were by their 2-0 win versus Turkey in their tournament opener.

They had moments during that game where they looked a menacing, attacking force set on reducing the Turks to ruin. Overall, however, they simply played an efficient match, producing the result that many expected. Deco, Ronaldo and company had yet to show any of the flash that makes them the sexy choice to win the tournament.

Last night in Geneva however, the talent of Portugal rose to the top with a masterful performance by Deco, resulting in the first plaudits for Ronaldo. Yes, the young Manchester United winger looked more like the Premier League Golden Boot winner than he did against Turkey, but it was Deco who created the opportunities to shine.

The Czechs looked a better match for the Portuguese, but in the end they lack the creativity usually provided by the injured Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky. They threatened the Portuguese goal enough to lead me to think they will get the result against Turkey, but the quarterfinals is surely all they have to look forward to.

That brings us to what transpired after the match, an announcement by Chelsea that they had appointed Luiz Felipe Scolari as their new manager to replace Avram Grant, who had been fired May 24.

That Portugal remains the choice source for Chelsea saviours is less than surprising -- Scolari, a native Brazilian, has done a masterful job managing Portugal. He has seamlessly moved the team from the Figo Era to the Ronaldo Era. He changes tactics to suit his chosen side and to exploit the opposition's weaknesses. Those traits will go well with the deep, diverse squad at Chelsea.

What remains to be seen is whether Scolari can cope with the media pressure placed on English club managers (reportedly he turned down the England job because he didn't want to face the cameras every day) and whether he can turn the vastness of Roman Abramovich's pile of gold into astute signings that can top the Russian's ultimate target: the European Championship.

If nothing else, Scolari will provide football fans with something Grant did not: a flamboyant, charismatic manager who will keep us wondering what he'll do next.

My EURO 2008 predictions

The two major international football tournaments, the World Cup and the European Championship, are great fun indeed for fans around the world. Games almost every day, top-class talent on display and wall-to-wall media coverage in some of the darndest places.

For my part, I'm going to look at some of the highs and lows of the 16-team field and hash out who will be happiest come June 29.

The Also-Rans

I'll spare you some money: don't be placing any wagers on Austria, Greece or Sweden to make any waves this year.

The co-hosts, Austria, are woeful without much anywhere in their line-up. No strikers, no wonder kids in the midfield, no intimidating center backs, no keepers. Nada. Their FIFA ranking, about 30 places below Canada for chrissakes, is a miserable 92nd. A scoring a goal would be a worthy milestone for this group.

Now I don't have anything against Greece, I just don't see lightning striking twice. Decent team, but up against Spain, Russia and Sweden in Group D, I can't see them eking through to the quarter-finals.

Oh yeah, Sweden. Yes, they're okay, but see the above argument and deduce that three points would be a good haul for this group.

Outside Shots

For some reason or another, the next group of teams has something that could potentially set them apart from some of the more established sides. Read: these guys could pull Greece -- Poland, Turkey, Romania, Russia and Switzerland.

Poland topped their group ahead of Portugal - beating them once and earning a draw in the process - during qualifying. They play disciplined, organized football, sort of like Greece! If they can get a point from either Croatia or Germany to go along with three against Austria in Group B, they could get through.

Switzerland are a similar case, with a solid back line and organized midfield that produced a good display two years ago in Germany. Coupled with their home field advantage, they could do enough to get past Portugal and Czech Republic and on into the quarters.

Romania, the poor cousin in the group of death, could very well sneak up on their glittering opposition and slip into the knockout round. With only one defeat in qualifying (a loss to Bulgaria on the next to last qualifying date -- they beat Albania 6-1 on the final day), they topped their group ahead of the Dutch. As such, they appear to be a reasonable force in their own right, led by Adrian Mutu who has come off a spectacular season at Fiorentina. Points will be precious here so even a modest return could vault a team into the quarters.

After finishing in the top four at Japan/Korea in 2002, Turkey have floundered a little. They haven't been to a major tournament since, but there's still talent in the lineup. Their group could be the most favourable, with no clear cut top two teams in Group A amongst Switzerland, Portugal and Czech Republic.

Finally, Russia are the team of this group that I could see making the most noise in the tournament. One factor makes me write this, and perhaps one fact alone: Guus Hiddink. This man knows international tournaments. Having guided the Netherlands to the semi-final of World Cup 1998, he took South Korea to the semis in 2002. In Germany two years ago, he came very close to guiding Australia past eventual champions Italy in the second round, losing on a last moment penalty. Russia perhaps aren't Holland, but they're comparable to Korea or Australia surely. Watch out...

The Usual Suspects

But of course we now must move on to the more realistic sides, the teams many of us have learned to both love and loath for their talents and bad habits: Portugal, Czech Republic, Croatia and France.

As is ever the case, there will be Portugal, trotting out in their claret and green kits, putting on a dazzling display of footwork and play acting. Inevitably however, they will fail once they come up against a team that really doesn't care what party tricks they can pull and Portugal will limp back to Lisbon ruing a missed opportunity four years ago against Greece. They're good, but there's probably seven other teams in the tournament as good or better.

The Czech Republic is in a similar set of circumstances. Competent, especially at the back (Petr Cech is not too bad...), the Czechs have the ability to beat anyone on their day. Their day however could be next year for all we know. They will miss Tomas Rosicky and Jan Koller is a year older, but the plucky Czechs did top their qualifying group over the Germans, so don't count them out until at least the quarter finals.

Croatia may be the best of this group and will probably be the best team not in the semifinals. They made the English look silly at Wembley and they have an exciting attack. Their downfall will be an aging back line that while they managed to hold an impotent England at bay will be tested much more sternly by any team not led by Steve McClaren. I've been particularly impressed by Niko Kranjcar over the past season at Portsmouth...be warned.

France are truly the elder statesmen of the tournament. Patrick Viera, Claude Makelele, Lillian Thuram and Thierry Henry will once again suit up for Les Bleus. Unlike World Cup 2006, there will be no Zinedine Zidane, who loaded the whole crew on his back and carried them until he lost his, err...head? There are great youngsters in the form of Karim Benzema and Sami Nasri, but wait at least a couple years before penciling in the French for glory.

The Big Four (Manchester, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool need not apply!)

For those who've been counting, only the Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Spain are left. I feel these guys are the ones to watch during the final three games of the tournament.

The Dutch are a shambles, that should be said at the outset. There is ceaseless rumour-mongering surrounding this squad, and outright rebellion never seems far away. That being said, the names Robben, van Nistelrooy, van der Vaart, van Persie and Sneijder should put the fear in the best of them...I'm scared and I'm an ocean away. The Dutch also feature Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, the player with the Greatest Name Ever. They are suspect at the back, which will likely be their Achilles heel if dissent isn't already. The outsider of the big four, relying on otherworldly, fragile talent. Oh yeah, they also play in the Group of Death.

As reigning world champions, Italy are not to be trifled with. They feature battle tested players who get the job done: Gattuso, Pirlo, Zambrotta, Materazzi (I know your sister...), Camoranesi, Toni, sheer quality all over the pitch. If only because I don't think they are as good as the French team that won both the World Cup and Europe, I think they may fall short. They will miss Canavaro, who is hurt, but will likely benefit from the absence of Totti, who seems to unbalance every team he is selected for. Keep an eye on Di Natale, who has impressed in the lead up to the tournament, Aquilani, who I really enjoyed watching play for Roma in the Champions League this year and De Rossi, because everyone who knows more than I do says so.

At the end of the month, Germany will likely be one of the teams left standing. Like Italy, they are solid all over the pitch, but unlike Italy, they have moved on an built upon a semi-final appearance in that tournament. Yes they didn't cruise through qualifying, but none of the favourites did. They do have some of the best players in the tournament, like Ballack, who could look to make EURO 2008 a crescendo on the calendar year in which he has risen from the hard, hard pine at the end of the Chelsea bench to regain his stature as one of the best around. Podolski, Kuranyi and Klose up front provide firepower, while Lahm and Jansen provide attacking flexibility from the full back positions. In goal is their biggest weakness, German fans should pray Lehmann retires from international play at the end of the tournament.

And the winner is...Spain? The right mix of veteran savvy, youthful exuberance and technical excellence may finally end the pain for the Spaniards. Casillas and Reina are the two best keepers outside of Cech in the tournament and they play for the same side. Fabregas' will complement the likes of Iniesta and Hernandez in the middle. Torres, Garcia, Villa and Silva will provide the goals. The defense is competent if not flawless. They play decent but not tough opposition in the opening round. They very well could win. Ole.

These are predictions, not results, and I am no expert, but that's the way I see it.