Daily Dribblings
A blog dedicated to the beautiful game.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Five Keys to a US Win Over Ghana
1. Organization - the US defense will need to stay composed and remain organized as a unit to withstand Ghana's attack.
2. Control midfield -Michael Bradley has been excellent in midfield. Fighting for every ball and distributing passes to the forwards. He will need to settle the game and pick his opportunities to go forward.
3. Take advantage of opportunities - Teams do not get that many chances in big games. The ones who take advantage end up winning. The US must pounce on every lose ball in Ghana's box and pressure Ghana's fullbacks.
4. Tim Howard - Howard has been the main reason for the US winning Group C and advancing in the tournament. He must come up big once again. The US will count on Howard to take control of the defense and distribute balls to start a counter attack.
5. Keep emotions in check - This is one of the biggest games in US soccer history. The players know the immense pressure of winning. They will need to play with urgency yet keep their emotions under control.
Enjoy the moment because the US fans are enjoying the ride.
Go USA!! We will be cheering.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Great Day for USA Soccer
Even if you are not a soccer fan you've got to admire the US's desire to win. They never let up against a pesky Slovenia team which seemed to be playing for a scoreless tie. The US win not only kept the US alive for the knockout stage but won Group C despite England's disregard for the rest of the group.
When the World Cup group C draw was made last year, England and their fans all but had the group won and were focusing on who they would be playing in the knockout stage. They overlooked a resilient, gritty, USA team hungry to make a mark in South Africa after disappointing performances in the last two World Cups. So now both the US and England move on to the next round. Drama and excitement will surely be ratcheted up a couple notches in the knockout stage.
Next up, US vs Ghana on Saturday.
Go USA!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Don't Ban the Vuvuzelas
Granted some players have complained they couldn't hear the referee's whistle, but I hope the FIFA committee listens to reason and allows the fans to continue to blow the horns with all their hearts. FIFA had discussed banning the plastic horns weeks before the World Cup began and decided not to. It would be unfair to the fans to ban them now. Fans should be allowed to express themselves in supporting their teams, even if it means hearing nothing but buzzing for the rest of the tournament.
If it's not the vuvuzelas it's the squirrelly Adidas ball "causing" the lack of quality play in the group stage. Or maybe the South African sun is too bright.
What's next - the grass was cut too perfect?
Thursday, June 10, 2010
World Cup 2010, Let the Games Begin
All competing players and teams will play inspired soccer for their country. Players dream of their chances of winning the World Cup. Going into the tournament there are the usual favorites; Italy, Brazil, Germany, Spain. Then there are the countries with high expectations to do well such as: Portugal, England, Netherlands, France, Argentina and USA. Team USA will have to play its best if it wants to make it out of the group stage. And don't forget the African teams Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and the host nation, South Africa.
For those that are not familiar with soccer or the World Cup, I encourage you to watch at least one game. World Cup 2010 Schedule
The World Cup is a special sporting event that rivals the Olympics in its worldly appeal. Yes, some of the fans can be zealous but that is a result of the passion that fans feel for the "beautiful game" or maybe its due to excessive beer consumption.
You will see the biggest stars of the game, dazzle with uncanny ball control and precision passing.
Here's my list of some players to watch for:
- Wayne Rooney, England - very tough, great skill and always hungry to score.
- Cristiano Ronaldo, Portgual - one of the best dribblers and free kick specialist in the world, if he can keep his ego in check.
- Didier Drogba, Ivory Coast - recently broke a bone in his elbow but will play. Drogba has exceptional shooting skills, hard to defend on headers and tough as nails.
- Landon Donavon, USA - in my opinion the best player the US has ever had. Gives effort till the final whistle, a true play maker and can score goals. If he gets space and the US is in an attacking mindset then they'll have a chance.
- Lionel Messi, Argentina - probably my favorite player in the world. Player of the year, great passer, gets shots off quickly, great dribbling ability in tight spaces. His most endearing trait, small ego.
- Andres Iniesta, Spain - a teammate of Messi's at Barcelona, one of the top midfielders in the world, does not lack in any skill, reads the game very well. Has the ability to control the game from midfield.
- Gianluigi Buffon, Italy - one of the likable personalities of the game. Excellent goalkeeper in big games.
Go USA!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Alice in Wonderland Movie Review
Storyline
On the day of Alice's engagement party, as she is being proposed to, Alice is distracted by a white rabbit in the bushes. She cannot deny her curiosity and walks off to follow the white rabbit. And as the story goes falls into the rabbit hole ending up in the magical world of "Underland".
Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter is convincing. Depp is always good at portraying these bizarre yet likable characters. Why doesn't he do a movie with a serious role? You know change it up a bit.
Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen is brilliant as usual. She embodied evil whenever she shouted "off with their heads!" The White Queen played by Anne Hathaway seemed somewhat bored and disjointed in each scene.
I was disappointed to not see the Walrus and the Carpenter. I think they would of translated well in 3D, but its Burton's movie and vision. My favorite character was the smoking Blue caterpillar( Alan Rickman) who provided Alice with wisdom and direction. Let's not forget Alice, played by Mia Wasikowska who at times seemed to have trouble evoking any emotion.
Overview
Despite the few shortcomings, Alice in Wonderland is well worth the 109 minutes of escapism into an enchanting world. A must see in Real 3D. My one knock on Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is that the dialog was somewhat weak and didn't seem to make sense. Maybe that was because of the nonsensical nature of Underland.
Even though the movie was visually stunning I hope that Hollywood is not using 3D technology to try to fool us into thinking it will make up for bad dialog and bad acting. A good story expressed through believable characters along with compelling dialog will trump technology every time.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Still Alive and Kicking
In the upcoming posts I will weigh in on variety of interests such as movies, books, culture, science, the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and some additional fun stuff along the way.
I hope you come along for the journey.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Oh Obama
I was thinking back to President Obama’s Obama inaugural speech. Obama delivered a sobering speech with eloquence and humility. He looked into the crowd’s eyes and challenged us to stand up and take responsibility. Barrack Obama is the most important president to be elected in my lifetime. He takes office in a very critical point in America’s history. He has to be ready for the enormous challenges that await him; economy, war, environment, jobs, housing, healthcare. All issues that typically are a part of the candidate’s campaign platform. But this time is different. I believe the enormity of the challenges call for a leader with unwavering commitment to solving the issues instead of the usual lip service. I truly believe Obama is the right man, at the right time. He will need the help of all Americans. We must all take greater responsibility going forward with the same enthusiasm as was demonstrated during the presidential campaign. If we face each challenge with the same passion, energy and hope then we will overcome the current crisis and emerge a much stronger nation.