Toronto FC miss out on Huckerby, Ronaldo doing his best to become most hated man in Manchester

Toronto FC target Darren Huckerby has signed for the San Jose Earthquakes. It had been hoped that former Norwich City teammate Carl Robinson and English coach John Carver might be able to sway the 32-year-old forward to sign for the Reds, but according to a story on ESPN Soccernet, Huckerby's agent said he "liked the idea of California."

The Reds will now pin their hopes on signing former Manchester City striker Paul Dickov.

Ronaldo thumbs his nose at Manchester

Cristiano Ronaldo seems to be doing his best to annoy everyone in the red half of Manchester these days. Not only has the Portugal winger essentially said his dream is to play for Real Madrid, he is now agreeing with the foggy commentary that spews from FIFA boss Sepp Blatter.

According to a story in The Guardian, on the topic of players and their public wishes to move from club to club, Blatter said there was "too much modern slavery" in football.

This was followed by Ronaldo agreeing with Blatter:

"It's true. I agree with what the president of FIFA said. I know what I want and what I would like. We have to see what happens. I do not know where I will begin next season."

Clearly, much like Gareth Barry of Aston Villa, a statement like this is crudely designed to force a club's hand. It is unfortunate for the fans of Manchester United, who generally recieve a reasonable amount of loyalty from their players, that someone of Ronaldo's stature needs to continue with his childish ways off the pitch, instead of restricting his tantrums to the field of play.

Other Transfer News

Manchester United have bid £20 million for Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov, according to a report in The Daily Mail. Spurs apparently will insist on £30 million. The article goes on to state Alex Ferguson is not looking to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, but "the manager is interested only in strengthening his side." Really...

The Times reports Tottenham Hotspur are looking to sign top Espanyol striker Luis Garcia (not to be confused with former Liverpool midfielder Luis Garcia, now of Athletico Madrid). The article suggests Spurs are looking to rid themselves of two of Robbie Keane (Liverpool?), Darren Bent (Wigan, possibly) or Berbatov. Garcia would apparently cost the north London club around £8 million.

Newcastle have signed Liverpool's Danny Guthrie for an undisclosed fee according to several sources. The 21-year-old midfielder impressed while on loan last season with Bolton enough that several clubs were interested in acquiring his services.

Things are getting strange at Blackburn. New manager Paul Ince apparently has no ambition of moving his side up the table, if his transfer dealings are any indication. It has been widely reported that former Cardiff City and Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler has joined Rovers and a report in The Daily Mail has Ince lining up current Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant as a replacement for David Bentley, whom the former MK Dons manager has resigned himself to losing. Good luck with the new job, Gov.

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.

The world does not need any more Premier League

One of the big stories swirling around the Barclay's Premier League this month has little to do with what's taking place on the pitch and a whole lot to do with marketing one of the hottest properties in world sport.

In early February, the Premier League began floating the idea of playing a 39th league match outside of Britain. The various scenarios concentrated on games to be played in China, Australia and the U.S.

From a Premier League operating standpoint, this makes good sense. Go over to the States, fill a 70,000 - 80,000 seat American football stadium, charge ridiculous prices for seats and negotiate a fat TV contract for the rights to broadcast the one-off match with a U.S. network.

The Premier League clubs seem cool to the idea, especially since most of the bigger clubs complain about too many matches. FIFA has outright condemned the move.

I think it is right to be skeptical of the proposal. While it would likely be a great moneymaker, it would continue to distance the game from fans who already feel alienated from the teams they support.

In North America, the MLS has been moving in the right direction for the past five or so years, slowly changing their league format to something more familiar to cultured football fans. It has come a long way, but still pales in comparison to the European game.

The MLS needs to continue to grow on its own terms, and doesn't need the added pressure of competition from Europe. The MLS will become a great league by continuing to spread its brand of football throughout the U.S. and Canada, not by trying to keep up with the Premier League.

An incursion by the Premier League or any other foreign league into developing football markets will have a detrimental effect on the progress the game is making in those countries. Fans can always get their fix via television, but live football should remain a domestic experience, free from the glow of brighter foreign lights.

Is 11th place good enough?

With a squad that includes the World Footballer and European Footballer of the year, a defender who is far and away the best of his generation and a striker who has managed 66 goals in international club competition, it's a little underwhelming that AC Milan lies in 11th place in Serie A.

While they do have three games in hand and could be up to sixth if they gain maximum points, the reigning Champions of Europe and newly crowned World Club Champions have done little right in their domestic league this season. They only have three goals and no wins at the San Siro. They've fared better away from home, but short of winning the Champions League again, it appears as though the current Milan squad won't be in a position to qualify for next season's competition.

That's a shame. Milan's squad deserve more, at least from a sentimental perspective.

Paulo Maldini would be in any well thought out all-time starting XI. He's managed to win 5 Champions League trophies, 2 Intercontinental Cups, 1 World Club Cup, 4 European Super Cups, 7 Serie A Championships and holds the Italian record for international caps. At 39, he would still displace players ten years younger in most club sides. He seems quite content with his achievements and will retire at the end of the season. But I'm certain he would retire with a clear conscience were Milan to qualify for Europe again.

The same sentiment must be shared by Kaka. The winner of both the World and European player of the year has detractors, but his ability to show up for big games is beyond question. Whenever Milan need a performance on the big stage, the Brazillian is there to lead the way. I agree with many of the criticisms aimed at Kaka, since I think his failing is that he doesn't seem to deliver consistently in the league, a fact laid bare by Milan's current position in the table. Even though he has publicly committed himself to the club, Kaka has been doggedly pursued by Real Madrid (the Madrid club president never fails to state this ambition publicly when the occasion arises). One would begin to question his dedication were Milan resigned to the UEFA Cup or worse at the end of the season.

With two goals in the World Club final in Japan, Filippo Inzaghi added to his impressive international club goalscoring record. Like many of his teammates, Inzaghi has struggled this season, failing to score in 9 league appearances. At 34, perhaps the weekly grind of Serie A is catching up with the forward, but with only 4 strikers on the books at Milan, one would expect more from a player of his ability to score when it matters most.

With all this in mind, is it any wonder that Jose Mourinho has been linked with the Milan management job. Current manager Carlo Ancelotti has been under increasing scrutiny and criticism, despite his international achievements. With the January transfer window around the corner, the time to make a move in the management department would be now. It appears Mourinho would look favourably upon the position and would certainly be a good fit for the Rossoneri.

Milan may be getting long in the tooth, but with players like Kaka, Gattuso, Pirlo, Gilardino and Clarence Seedorf, it would not take much for a new manager to turn the ship around. Here's to hoping they do; the Champions League wouldn't be the same without them.

Why England will host World Cup 2018. Probably.

Back once again after a long spell. A combination of busy times at school and one killer flu led to a lack of inspiration for a good blog, but I'm glad to be at it again.

Alongside the announcement that Brazil will host the 2014 World Cup, FIFA supremo Sepp Blatter declared an end to the rotation policy used for bidding on football's top tournament.

This immediately sent the English FA into dreamland, since they would otherwise have to wait for bids from both the North American federation as well as another tournament from Asia before attempting to land another World Cup.

So far, the 2018 favorites include England, China, Russia, the U.S., Mexico and Australia. The pros and cons of each potential bid are many, but it's fairly easy to point out the major talking points:

China: This bid seems to be a bit of a no brainer. China is currently shaping up to be an economic powerhouse. What better way to show the world you've arrived than by hosting the world's biggest sporting event? Never mind that they're well on their way to making a hash of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. We'll know shortly after that event whether FIFA will travel down the same sad road as the IOC and give the thumbs up to China. Verdict: No chance in hell. The problems that are cropping up now and will surely appear next summer will make this an easy decision for a sober FIFA committee.

Russia: Similar to China, Russia is coming into its own as a nation (ethical considerations aside, of course). The World Cup would be the best way imaginable for Vladimir Putin & Co. to show the world what billions in oil money can do. Guus Hiddink has done a fine job with the national team, but I think many people at FIFA will wonder whether Eastern Europe is ready for the big time. Verdict: Close to no chance, but check this space in a couple years.

Mexico: They have a great deal of World Cup pedigree, having hosted the final twice (1970 and 1986), but not much else in comparison to the other contenders. Like Brazil, who need to upgrade 18 stadiums in time for 2014, Mexico would need to do a similar reno job to be ready for the tournament. Verdict: Like Russia, there's always a chance, but likely not.

U.S.A.: The Americans could be considered as a host for every single World Cup tournament, simply because: A) They have dozens of state-of-the-art, 60,000-plus seat stadiums at their disposal, all over the country. B) Americans love to put on a show. C) There's 300 million Americans. The U.S. won't get the 2018 World Cup for one excellent reason: people in America don't give a toss about football. Verdict: Why take the big show where no one watches?

Australia: The Australian FA came out quickly after the announcement to end the rotation policy and stated they intend to bid. Aussies love their sport and are willing to put big money into things like World Cups and Olympic Games. Without a doubt FIFA will look at this bid with interest, especially since Oceania, which Australia were a member of before defecting to the Asian federation, has never hosted the finals. However, they face the same challenge as the Americans, that the country is huge, detracting from the atmosphere FIFA loves about geographically small nations. Verdict: Barring a major gaffe by England, Australia will have to wait.

England: Without a doubt, England should be the favourites to host 2018. Right now, this minute, they have the finest football specific stadiums in the world. By 2018, the new Anfield will be complete, surely Old Trafford will be improved again and as long as Abramovich is around, Stamford Bridge is due for a face lift. This is before the FA and the British government bring out the cash to spruce up the other grounds across the country (St. James Park, Villa Park and White Heart Lane come to mind). Along with the new Wembley, City of Manchester Stadium and the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, there are enough other stadiums that are above or could easily be made to match the FIFA requirement of 40,000 plus. To go with the English infrastructure and short travel distances, you only need to add one of the most football mad nations in the world. Verdict: They would really need to screw this one up...

All that being said, Australia and England will be quite a choice for FIFA to make. They can't go wrong with England, but if they pass up an Australian bid, how long will it take to get to a country who deserve a shot to host the World Cup?

I think England have a lock, because there is a lot that can go wrong for FIFA at the next two tournaments. South Africa already looks like a mess, with venue construction behind schedule and an alarming national crime rate.

Brazil, in being awarded the 2014 World Cup have stated they need to spend $550-million (USD) on improvements to 18 stadiums. Since the new Wembley cost almost twice as much to build, this initial investment may prove to be a little short. Cost overruns are not the best way to get the ball rolling, but we'll wait and see.

Finally, listening to World Soccer Daily, Steven Cohen has suggested the rotation policy was scrapped with North America on deck because South Africa isn't going to be ready for 2010. This would mean the U.S. would be at the top of the list to step in and host the tournament, like Mexico did in 1986 when Colombia backed out. I tend to agree with Mr. Cohen here, since I've not heard any good news about the African bid in some while. Stay tuned.

Canadian Football Fans To Protest

Tonight's match between Canada and Costa Rica at the National Soccer Stadium in Toronto will feature fans protesting the leadership of the Canadian Soccer Association.

Fans, led by various Toronto FC supporters groups, are encouraged to wear black to protest the what they believe is poor handling of the elite football programs in the country.

Some of the protest details and motives behind it are outlined on the U-Sector forums. Stephen Brunt of the Globe And Mail also wrote a column about the protest and the issues involving the CSA in today's edition.

In my opinion, the criticism of the CSA is fully deserved. I hope the fans at the game follow through with their comittment to cheer the team but make others aware of the poor state of the game in this country.

Canadian football deserves more

How North American Journalists Are Trying To Spoil Football For Us All

With the FIFA U-20 tournament and David Beckham pushing football into the North American media limelight, it's interesting to see how sports writers are undermining the growth of the biggest sport in the world in what has been a perpetual backwater.

Exhibit A: The article published in the L.A. Times on July 13 by award winning writer Bill Plaschke.

Clearly, Plaschke is not much of a football fan. He spends much of the piece portraying Beckham as a sideshow amidst the other, more worthy, more American stories flying under the radar because of a "celebrity" not an athlete. At the same time, Plaschke shows that on this day he's not much of a reporter either.

His opening dig at Beckham involves pondering why the new L.A. Galaxy midfielder took so long to come to his new home. The Spanish season ended almost a month ago, Plaschke points out.

Uhhh, Bill, I think that he was still in Madrid because they still owned him. Unlike North American sport, where free agency occurs on a set date for all players, Football contracts have varying termination dates. Yes many of these dates are the end of June, but Beckham's ended in July. He arrived in L.A. when he was no longer employed by his previous club.

That doesn't seem unreasonable to me, but seemed to escape the venerable Mr. Plaschke.

Exhibit B: Where are the stories?

If Toronto FC play a mid-week game, particularly out of town, a sports section is likely to run a inch long brief about the result at most. Pundits on the radio or TV will then talk about how football doesn't capture their or the general public's imagination like the domesticated sports.

How do you generate interest if there is no outlet to spread the word about football? 20,000 people go out to BMO field every game, and that's at least 20,000 people who would read an actual story about TFC, not to mention stories or at least briefs about other MLS teams. Fans are cultivated by learning about a league, not just one team.

Yes, highlights on the nightly wrap shows on TV help, but the context that is provided by well written news stories is invaluable.

Exhibit C: News is not made, it happens.

Just because the 40 - 60 year-old writers who dominate the sports writing industry dislike "soccer," doesn't mean it can be ignored. More people play football in Canada than any other sport, and by a large margin at that. This means there are thousands of football stories out there. Go find them. That's your job.

Stephen Brunt of the Globe & Mail is an exception to this trend. He also happens to be the best sportswriter in Canada and one of the best on this continent. Many of his colleagues would do well to follow his example.

A new player comes to TFC or a young Canadian player goes overseas, interview them. This is news. Simply ignoring this sport because you've been coddled on a strict diet of American football, baseball, hockey and basketball doesn't mean you're right. Editors and journalists not paying attention to the world's game is a failure of the profession.

Fortunately there are great online outlets for Canadian and American football fans. We can only hope that the mainstream will catch up some day with the rest of us.

FIFA U-20 World Cup: Argentina 1 - 0 Mexico

Argentina was able to comfortably hold off a dogged Mexican team after scoring almost on the stroke of halftime. A deflected Maxi Moralez strike from the top of the penalty area wrong-footed the keeper and stood up as the game winning goal.

Mexico pushed hard for most of the first half and slightly edged their opponents in the tightly contested midfield. But Gio Dos Santos, the prolific Mexican striker, was unable to break free of tight marking by Fazio and Mercado in the heart of the Argentine defence.

Once they were a goal down, Mexico added an attacking player early in the second half, but even with three up front, chances were few and far between. Once again, Argentina looked the most composed and competent side in the tournament.

Argentina was content to sit back and stymie the Mexican attack, leading to some dry football, but this largely failed to dampen the spirits of the crowd.

Mexico, going into the match, looked to be a side that could challenge for honours at the tournament. It is truly to Argentina's credit that they made the match look rather easy.

I was fortunate enough to be in the stands for this quarter-final match between these two Latin American powerhouses. Frank Clair stadium here in Ottawa was packed to its 26,500 capacity and both the Argentine and Mexican fans were in full voice.

The stadium proved to be an excellent venue for football, with the stands close to the touchlines and partially covered, amplifying the noise of the crowd. It's a shame that there's no permanent resident for the old ground by the Rideau.

FIFA U-20 World Cup: Austria 1 - 0 Canada

Can't say that I caught the whole match, but from what I saw this was a very similar result to the match from Sunday. Austria is not Chile, but certainly proved themselves the more competent side.

What Canada lack is a central midfielder to run their attack. They have decent forwards in Ricketts, Lombardo and Johnson, but outside of Peters down the right wing, the only service to the strikers seems to come from long balls out of the back line.

A player in the middle of the park who could feed the wingers or play a well timed ball through the middle would be the difference between the Canada that looks like bowing out in the group phase and a Canada that can at least hold its own against the best young squads in the world.

With that in mind, the Canadian keeper, Begovic, is a class player. He was hung out to dry against Chile, but came up with some great saves. Against Austria he put in a similar top-drawer effort, only to be let down by the other 10 players once again. Plying his trade professionally with Southampton of the League Championship, he has the makings of a senior Canadian stalwart in net. Look for more out of this youngster.

Finally, for those who missed out, do yourself a favour and track down the highlights of the American's 6 - 1 drubbing of the Poles. Freddy Adu had a barn-burner, particularly his first goal. Perhaps the guy has something to prove after all.

U.S. vs. Brazil tomorrow should be the match of the tournament so far. Adu v. Pato? We'll see who's left standing after this one goes down at Frank Clair...

FIFA U-20 World Cup: Argentina 0 - 0 Czech Republic

After watching two games today involving two highly hyped teams, I came away a bit more pleased with this evening's product.

Yes, the Czech Rep. tied a team they had no business holding, but they looked more like a team who were counting their lucky stars. In comparison, the Poles (a man down, I might add) looked like a squad who played with poise and purpose to a series of lucky breaks in the case of the Czechs.

Argentina swarmed the Czechs for most of the 90 minutes, peppering 22 shots on the Czech keeper to their opponent's 2 lonely attempts. As opposed to the Brazilians, who seemed to lose composure near the penalty area, Argentina only lost their nerve when staring down legitimate chances.

The big names on the Czech team, Strestik, Fenin and Pekhart were held relatively silent, with Strestik in particular looking pedestrian, especially during open play.

Finishing surely was the difference at Frank Clair stadium this evening. Players like Aguero, Zarate and Banega looked a class above their opponents, save for their finishing prowess. Banega in particular had almost a half dozen long range drives from good position sail harmlessly over the net.

The gem of the Argentine side might be their 5'3" midfielder Moralez. This dynamic half-pint drifted around the field at will and pestered the Czech defenders to no end, particularly in the first half. Watch out for this guy as the tournament progresses.

The CBC production was much better this time around, deferring the play-by-play duties to Premiership stalwart Steve Banyard. All by himself, he managed to keep the presentation lively and interesting, even as Argentina looked more and more like caged animal thrashing against the Czech wall. Perhaps they have John Champion and Martin Tyler somewhere in the wings as well...

FIFA U-20 World Cup: Poland 1 - 0 Brazil

Wow.

The pre-tournament favourite (or at least co-favourite with Argentina) was deservedly humbled this afternoon by a composed Polish squad.

Before the frogs start dropping from the sky however, it should be noted that the Polish team had what I think was a fortunate combination of events. They had some quality early possession, mostly due to some fine work by Janczyk up front and Cywka down the left. These efforts led to a fantastic free kick from Krychowiak putting the Poles up 1-0 in the 23rd minute.

Minutes later, Krol was sent off for a second yellow card. After this, the Poles dropped further and further behind the ball, leaving little room for the Brazilians to move. By the final 15 minutes of the game, Brazil could come up with precious little in the final third of the pitch.

The Polish rearguard deserve all the credit for holding on to the lead. The Brazilians would work the ball around the penalty area at will, but anything going into the box was quickly snuffed out.

The CBC broadcast team seemed disappointed by Brazil, but they seemed to discount the efforts of the Poles. Brazil was near flawless at the back. The Poles had no success running at Brazil, with any attempts to blow past the back four easily snuffed out.

Had Krol not been sent off, the Poles would have likely been caught out at some point, as they almost were a couple of times in the last few minutes of the match.

Pato and Jo both produced flashes of quality, but the Poles left little room for them to move. Many of the Brazilian players seemed to pass when they had space to turn and shoot or shoot when there was little daylight to get a ball in on net.

I will agree with Steve Armitage and Paul Dolan, the CBC crew, that Brazil might regret leaving Marcelo on the bench. Once he came on, room down the left flank did open up and several half-chances appeared.

In upcoming games, be sure to keep an eye on Pato, Jo and Marcelo for Brazil. These guys will find a seam in either the U.S. or South Korea to exploit.

For the Poles, Janczyk is a gem. He runs very well with the ball and uses his body to devastating effect. Watch for him to sneak through a less competent back line than that of Brazil.