World Cup 2010 - Group D Preview

Group D

Australia
Germany
Ghana
Serbia

June 13 Serbia v. Ghana
June 13 Germany v. Australia
June 18 Germany v. Serbia
June 19 Ghana v. Australia
June 23 Ghana v. Germany
June 23 Australia v. Serbia

Favorites: Germany and Serbia

Australia

Key players: Tim Cahill (Everton), Mark Schwarzer (Fulham), Brett Emerton (Blackburn), Lucas Neill (Galatasaray), Harry Kewell (Galatasaray)

Australia is a country made up of hard men doing hard things the hard way. These were the men sent to die on the beaches of Gallipoli. The men who conquered the Outback and surf with sharks; descendants of prisoners sent to Van Diemen’s land. Australia is Paul Hogan opening a can of Fosters with his teeth and then slamming it with a Yellowtail chaser. And I think we all know how hard it is to drink Fosters or Yellowtail, let alone at the same time.

That same toughness is found in their soccer team. The Aussies aren’t pretty, but they’re big and strong and they’ll push you around. They make it hard for you to operate in midfield and stifle any creative players you might have. Their toughness in tackle and physical resolve are their main strengths.

Their formation plays to those strengths. Australia lines up in a 4-2-3-1, with two big holding midfielders sitting in front of the defense, and only one striker up top. For years that striker was Mark Viduka, but he’s eaten himself out of contention. Instead, the Aussies will look to go with Harry Kewell, the once highly touted Leeds prospect who has had a career plagued by injury. Supporting Kewell will be a pair of solid attacking wingers in Brett Emerton and Tim Cahill, both plying their trade in England’s physical Premier League. If Australia are to score many goals in this tournament, it will likely be Cahill or Emerton scoring them, not the ineffectual Kewell.

The backline of Australia is a microcosm of their squad. Lucas Neill was an average player in England, but what he lacked in guile or speed, he made up for with determination and grit. Expect hard tackles and sharp elbows from him. The same can be said for their midfield protectors. Jason Culina and Vince Grella will be charged with breaking up attacks before they reach Neill, conceding free kicks rather than letting strikers run at the Aussie’s slower center backs.

Australia has looked good in some of their recent friendlies, whooping Ireland 3-0, beating the Danes by a goal, and, most impressively, holding the Dutch scoreless. While much of the Dutch game involved the Aussies watching Holland outpass and outskill them, they held firm and would not let the Oranje score. If they are to have any success in this world cup, the same will have to happen. However, this is the same team that was just beaten handily by the United States 3-1, never a good sign.

If you like your soccer to be a fine wine, this Australian team is not for you. What they lack in skill, they more than make up for in heart and heavy tackles. Playing Australia is a bit like drinking Yellowtail: tough to swallow and won’t go down easy. That just might be enough to get them to the next round.


Germany

Key players: Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Phillip Lahm (Bayern Munich), Mesut Oezil (Werder Bremen), Sami Khedira (Stuttgart)

One of the most influential artistic and design movements in the last 100 years started in the sleepy German town of Weimar. The Bauhaus was born out of the ashes of post-WWI German society, a product of the openness of the new Republic. One of the parts of the movement rejected the usual artistic subjects of romantic expressionism in favor of a stripped down version of the visual. Art served a function, and there was beauty in that functionality. The functionality of an ordinary, mass produced chair was lovely in its own right, without any baubles or bits to distract the eyes. In fact, any traces of decoration meant solely for aesthetic purposes were unnecessary, and anything that even hinted at style for style’s sake was strictly verboten.

The movement leapt from art to architecture. The modernist school of Mies van der Rohe revolutionized building, one skyline at a time. Tall, black, functional, strong structures rose above the shores of Lake Michigan, symbolizing the broad shoulders of the city in which it sat as well as the modernist, Germanic soul of its architect; a soul forged under the hot coals of rational, functional, German thought.

That same soul has been the foundation of German soccer for the last 50 years. German soccer is functional soccer, and the function of a soccer team is to win. The philosophy filters down to each player. The Germans are never out of position, always make the right pass, and never, ever miss a penalty. Let the Brazilians play to the samba beat; let the French play with Gaullic flair; let the Spanish play with Flamenco style; the Germans are unimpressed with your frills. Style is for losers, the name of the game is to win.

And win they did: Three world cups and three European championships. Imposing their ruthless, physical style, never giving up, winning games late when other teams crumbled under the pressure. By eschewing individual flair for team spirit and collective will, the Germans took on all comers, and almost always emerged victorious. Ask the Hungarians in 54, the Dutch in the 70s, the English every time they go to penalties. No frills, just tough. The Germans are Chris Pronger. The Germans are Jack Lambert. The Germans are Ben Wallace.

The Germans are not going to win this World Cup. This particular German team is stuck in a transition phase. The generation of German players in their 30s is not a vintage one, with only one great player: Michael Ballack. But Ballack is injured and will miss the tournament, leaving Germany without their midfield general and dangerous set piece attacker. Miroslav Klose is past his prime, but will still be counted on to lead the attack. A goal poacher who was never blessed with world class speed, he has become even easier to mark as age has taken what little pace he once had.

The younger generation is talented, but they are not ready to win a world cup. Bastien Schweinsteiger will orchestrate the attack from midfield, surrounded on his flanks by speedy wingers like Mesut Oezil. Sami Khedira will take over Ballack’s defensive role in the middle of midfield.

But midfield will be a problem for the Germans. Without Ballack they lack individual strength, so they will try to make up for it with strength in numbers; packing the center of the park with five midfielders and playing Klose alone up front. This protects a central defense that is strong, but slow. Set pieces should not trouble the Germans, but quick creativity might. Speed certainly will.

The German’s recent form has been good but there are signs of trouble. They have beaten the lesser teams (Bosnia, Malta, Hungary) handily, while losing at home to Argentina. Their world cup group is balanced with teams that traditionally give Germany fits: big, strong teams that will not be bullied.

But let us not forget that this is Germany. They’ve taken lesser teams to international tournaments before and, through the luck of the draw or the penalty spot, come away with great runs and classic victories. It might not be pretty – and really, it almost never is with Germany – but it is effective. As usual, this German team will leave the pretty to its neighbors while it worries about winning. The function of a soccer team is to win soccer games, something the Germans do better than almost anyone. Despite the talent deficiencies, they should not be counted out.

Ghana

Key players: Sulley Muntari (Inter Milan), Stephen Appiah (Bologna), Asamoah Gyan (Rennes), John Mensah (Sunderland)

For hundreds of years, the manpower of West Africa was hijacked by the slave trade. The future leaders and workers in the region now known as Ghana were removed to British colonies in North America, Spanish and Portuguese colonies in South America, and even parts of Europe, thus depriving the area of some of its prime human resources. The descendants of those caught up in the West African diaspora now ply their trade for countries like Brazil, Portugal, and the United States.

Those who remained in Africa now willingly go abroad. The most talented Ghanians are snapped up at a young age by talent scouts and farmed out to Europe. Some make it, some do not; of those that do, some become citizens of their new homelands and forego the chance to compete for Ghana. That used to happen to West African nations a lot more than it does today. Now, for every Patrick Viera (born in Senegal, plays for France) there are two Michael Essiens.

Unfortunately for this Ghana team, there is only one Michael Essien, and he’s hurt. This is part of a disturbing trend for the Ghanaians, as all of their top players seem to be either out of the competition completely due to injury, or coming off serious injuries. The Ghanain midfield of Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, and Stephen Appiah is excellent. But they are all injured. With a healthy squad, Ghana is the second best team in this group, without healthy star players, it is not a sure bet that they will win one game.

If they are to win a game, it will because of their organization in defense and a goal from their striker Asamoah Gyan. It had better be from Gyan, because there aren’t too many other options on the team. Ghana’s problem, even with healthy, was a lack of talent up front. They could always control the midfield and play well enough at the back, but it was the lack of a world class striker that held them back at the top of the international game. Gyan is a serviceable international player, but may not be enough given the injuries in midfield. Service will be hard to come by.
Just Ghana’s luck. After years of pouring its resources into the development of the national team and turning their small country into an African powerhouse (2009 Youth World Cup champions), they finally arrive for the first African world cup and their entire roster is injured. Instead of witnessing the organization and skill of a complete African side, the world will once again witness a West African team stripped of best players. Only this time, the culprit is the cruel fate of the injury and not the cruel intention of the slave trader.

Serbia

Key players: Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), Dejan Stankovic (Inter Milan), Nikola Zigic (Birmingham), Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea), Milan Jovanovic (Liverpool)

The most famous Serbian in history is a murderer. Well, he was kind of Serbian…but more Bosnian…but was a supporter of Serbian independence and involved in a clique with young Serbs committed to overthrowing the yoke of Austrian oppression. And besides, the whole murder thing fits the narrative, so we will go with him being the most famous Serb.

Gavrilo Princip stepped onto the world stage in 1914 and murdered the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. 94 years later Nemanja Vidic stepped onto the pitch at Old Trafford and began murdering strikers. Vidic embodies Serbian football to the core: big, mean, and willing to eat small children if they dare threaten his goal. He is the central defender for Manchester United and the leader of the “Famous Four” defenders of Serbia along with Branislav Ivanovic, Neven Subotic, and Aleksander Kolarov. With Vidic anchoring the defense, Serbia are difficult to break down, and very difficult to score on from free kicks. Not to mention difficult to play against without coming away injured.

Up front the Serbs are no less imposing. Nikola Zigic is their front man and he stands all of 6’8. Skill is not Zigic’s game; he likes the ball in the air, is physical, and scores with his head. Flanking Zigic will be Milan Jovanovic and Milos Krasic; behind him sits Dejan Stankovic. All of them are decent, if unspectacular offensive players capable of collectively breaking down a defense on occasion, but not with too much regularity. Free kicks and corners are likely to be Serbia’s most effective means of breaching the other team’s defense.

In qualifying the Serbs beat out a favored France by only allowing 8 goals in 10 games. But their recent form has left much to be desired. Beaten 1-0 at home by New Zealand in a recent friendly, the team was chased off the pitch by angry fans…before the game was finished. The inability to score against New Zealand does not bode well for a team about to take on the likes of Germany.

If Serbia are to struggle somewhere, it will be in their ability to create chances from open play. Like the other teams in this group, they are physical and not very creative offensively. This will play to Serbia’s strengths, as they are the most physical of the bunch and teams without much creativity don’t bother them that much. Playing even more in their favor is the long list of injuries suffered by their opponents, while Serbia remain relatively healthy.

Like Princip, the health of their opponents will be the furthest thing from Serbia’s mind. They are ought for blood and will present a strong challenge to Germany to win this group. If you are looking for a dark horse (literally and figuratively) to make a deep run in this tournament, Serbia might be your best bet.

Group D predictions sure to be wrong:

Serbia 2 v. Ghana 0
Germany 2 v. Australia 1
Germany 1 v. Serbia 1
Ghana 1 v. Australia 3
Ghana 0 v. Germany 2
Australia 1 v. Serbia 1

Germany 7
Serbia 5
Australia 4
Ghana 0

Germany and Serbia advance

A Legend Passes

When I was in fifth grade, I took a trip with a couple friends to a cabin in Lake Arrowhead. We went up to play in the snow. At some point on that trip, as the college basketball season was getting underway, I heard a radio personality say that if the Bruins were to win the NCAA championship that year, it would be their 11th in 20 years. Now, at that time I was more interested in the math, though I knew I was a UCLA fan. But it wasn't until later in life that I learned the 10 championships of which the radio personality spoke were thanks to John Wooden.

In the '90s, rooting for UCLA, leading up to their championship in 1995, I learned more about the greatness of John Wooden. And from everything I learned, he received more credit as a great person than he did as a great basketball coach. I have memories of Kareem Abdul Jabar and Bill Walton going on Roy Firestone's show with Coach Wooden and lauding the man, even moreso than they lauded the coach.

In 2005, I spent a season watching the greatest college basketball team I've ever seen, the 2004-2005 Illinois Fighting Illini. One of their signature wins came in the Wooden Tradition at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis against highly regarded Gonzaga. After the game, Coach Wooden raved about the unselfishness of Deron Williams and Dee Brown and the rest of the Illini. They thrashed Gonzaga that night, and they did it with a style that Coach Wooden loved. Their trademark was passing and shooting, and it was all on display that afternoon. In one game that season, they made 14 passes in a possession against Northwestern before hitting a three pointer. That was the type of team Coach Wooden loved. Fundamentally sound, great shooters, great passers, great defenders. They didn't wear the blue and gold, but they were a Wooden team.

A couple years ago, I got tickets to see Coach Wooden and Vin Scully give a Q&A with TJ Simers in Los Angeles. I attended the event with my parents. Until the day I die, it will be one of my most treasured memories. I got the chance to see two of Los Angeles' greatest legends hold court, and I got to do so next to my dad, my greatest role model. I've been in Illinois for about a third of my life, but I'll always be an Angeleno, and to see those two mesmerize the crowd, and to do so with my parents, is something I'll never forget.

John Wooden is more than just a great basketball coach. He was a great individual. His contributions to the game are dwarfed by his contributions to the human race. We are all better for having experienced his greatness.

RIP, Coach.

World Cup 2010 - Group C Preview

Group C

England
United States
Algeria
Slovenia

June 12 England vs. United States
June 13 Algeria vs. Slovenia
June 18 England vs. Algeria
June 18 Slovenia vs. United States
June 23 United States vs. Algeria
June 23 Slovenia vs. England

Favorites: England and the United States

England

Key players: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), John Terry (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United)

The English have a deserved reputation for conservatism, change should only occur – if it needs to occur at all - slowly and incrementally. Soccer is no exception to this rule. England invented the game and dominated it for 50 years. Why should they change? They were so secure in their dominance, they didn’t even both to show up to the first “world cups.” Surely, these would be nothing more than the “rest of the world” enjoying a new fad. They certainly didn’t see any need to change their style of play, even after they were dominated by the Hungarians in the 1950s, the Spanish in the 1960s, the Dutch in the 1970s, the Brazilians in the 1980s, the French in the 1990s, and the Germans every time the game went to penalties.

The English style of soccer has not changed in ages. Four defensemen, four wingers, and two strikers. One tall, burly man at the front to get the ball, the other smaller and quicker to makes runs off the big burly guy and score the goals. When you get the ball, you hoof it up to the front man, or you get it to the speedy wingers who run down the sides and cross into the box for the burly front man to head it home. Strength and speed were the keys.

As was good old fashioned English grit. Skill on the ball, or quick passing were never as important as a players’ intestinal fortitude. They may not be the most stylish of teams, but they had something their Gaullic and Spanish neighbors would never have: English “endeavor.” They would simply outwork their lazy continental (or, South American) opponents and win the game by pulling up their boots and forcing the other team to submit. Style was for weaker men; resolve was for champions.

But the championships stopped coming. 1966 saw the English win the world cup (they had decided to lower themselves to compete) on home soil. They have never won it again; they even failed to qualify for USA 94. They have never made the final game since 66. But still, change comes slowly.

But it does eventually come…sort of. England finally realized that a few individuals outside of their great island fortress might know a thing or two about the game. They have hired an Italian named Fabio Capello to lead their national squad. Capello is one of the most successful club level managers in history, preaching discipline and cohesiveness.
What he has not preached is change. He has not tried to change England into something they are not: a slick passing team. Instead, he has tried to find a way to bring out what they do best (run, tackle, toughness) and while minimizing what they do poorly (pass, posses the ball). It worked in qualifying, with the English easily winning their group and humiliating their former bogey team Croatia. It has not been nearly as effective when England play the elite teams in the world: Spain beat them 2-0, Brazil 1-0.

This is not to say that the English are totally without skill. On the contrary, they have some of the most skillful players in the world. Wayne Rooney is generally considered to be the third best player on the planet. Steven Gerrard is a talismanic midfielder capable of scoring and passing with the best in the world. Rio Ferdinand is a silky smooth defender with the speed of a winger. Frank Lampard bombards down the middle of the pitch, sending rockets toward the goal. Joe Cole is a particularly skillful attacking midfielder.

But they don’t play particularly skillfully for the national squad. Instead, it is still a lot of running and long passes forward, a lot of physical play, and a reliance on speedy wingers and a burly center forward. The team has definite weaknesses. For starters, two of their best players (Lampard and Gerrard) play the same position. When they are on the field at the same time, they often get in each other’s way. Emile Heskey is a very big soccer player, but not so adept at doing anything but being big. They also have wingers like Aaron Lennon, Sean Wright-Phillips, and Theo Wolcott who are very fast, but are not very good at passing the ball or getting back to help their defense.

And that defense also has problems. Ferdinand and John Terry are getting older and have been injured. Left back Ashley Cole is generally considered to be the best in the world; right back Glen Johnson is excellent going forward but so poor in defense that he becomes a liability. They have options on the bench, but those options are either untested (Michael Dawson), painfully slow for international play (Jamie Carragher), or injured too often to be reliable (Ledley King). Their goalkeepers are either too young (Joe Hart, Robert Green) or too old (David James), and generally aren’t world class.

The English come right at you, relying on their superior strength and speed to beat you. It works against opponents who cannot match their athleticism. Fortunately for England, there are no teams in their group that can match them in that regard; however, it can make them vulnerable to counter-attacks, especially with an older defense and a right back who is so deficient defensively. And all three teams in group C are good counter-attacking teams.

Despite their troubles, the English are heavily favored to make it out of this group and have the capability to go far in the tournament. With a little good fortune (and what country doesn’t deserve a little good fortune more than the victims of the “Hand of God”?), the English could find themselves in the semi-finals or finals. And that would be a change even England would support.

United States

Key players: Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Tim Howard (Everton), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan)

Despite our obvious differences over the course of history, Americans usually follow the lead of the English. We use English law, English language, and take more from English culture than any other. The same is true in soccer.

The US usually plays 4-4-2, just like the English. The US relies on superior athletes, just like the English. The US lacks individual skillful players, just like the English. The US wins with organization and toughness more than passing and possession, just like the English. The US often loses because it is naïve tactically and relies more on belief than skill, just like the English.

The biggest difference is that the English have much better players. America has two players who could make the English squad: Tim Howard and Landon Donovan, two players who play positions where the English are weak (goal and wing).

But not having players as good as England’s is no crime. America has a solid, if unspectacular group of players who work well together. The attack is led by young, big Jozy Altidore up front, with either Landon Donovan or Clint Dempsey playing slightly behind, waiting to take passes after Altidore holds up the ball for them (sound familiar? It’s a very English system). Michael Bradley will often make runs from midfield into the box to support the strikers. America will use its size and strength up front on set pieces and corners to overpower smaller sides.

In midfield, the US has a couple different options. It will always play with two defensive midfielders, and, depending on the opponent, may play with three. The usual two defensive midfielders are Ricardo Clark and Michael Bradley. Bradley is bigger and more skilled going forward, Clark is strictly a defensive presence whose job is to protect a vulnerable back four from attack. On some occasions, the US will have Benny Feilhaber or Jose Torres playing out wide to add some creative passing ability. Sometimes Donovan and Dempsey will drop back to play as traditional wingers, giving the US some depth, sometimes one will sit behind the strikers, giving the US more of a diamond look and adding another body in midfield to stifle attacks before they reach the US defense.

And if there is any part of the US team that needs to be protected, it is that defense. The US centerbacks are big and slow, useful against teams that have big strikers or who rely on set pieces to score, but extremely vulnerable against teams with quick strikers who run right at you. The fullbacks are woeful. Generally slow and devoid of much skill, they are a major weakness. The US has no world class fullbacks, and if teams can get behind their midfield on the flanks, the US is in big trouble.

To top it off, the US’ best defenders are coming off injuries. Carlos Bocanegra is a centerback by trade who is forced to play fullback on the US, but he’s coming off hernia surgery. Oguchi Onyewu is a huge presence in the middle, but he missed the entire season with a knee injury. The others just play like they’re injured.

The biggest difference between the US style of play and that of the mother country is that the US plays the counter-attack, waiting for the other team to come to them, then hitting them on the break. That will play well against England who will come right at the Americans, but will probably result in boring, sloppy matches with Algeria and Slovenia, who play the same style as the US. America’s plan will be to survive against England, root for Algeria to beat Slovenia, and then beat Slovenia themselves. It cannot afford to be behind Slovenia on points going into the final day, because that will invite England and Slovenia to play for a tie which could eliminate the Americans regardless of what they do against Algeria.

This is a decent American squad with some major flaws at the back. That doesn’t bode well for a deep run in the tournament. America should expect to get out of this group, but not go much farther than that. Just another way that the US is copying the motherland…

Algeria

Key players: Madjid Bougherra (Rangers), Karim Ziani (Wolfsburg)

97 years ago, Albert Camus was born in Algeria. Raised in Algiers as the son of French colonialists, Camus would go on to write a number of influential books, serve in the French Resistance, and win the Nobel Prize for Literature. One of his major philosophical works was The Myth of Sisyphus, where Camus imagines Sisyphus not as the tortured soul condemned to an impossible task for all eternity, but rather as a happy man, content in pursuing his work no matter how futile the final result may seem.

If so, the Algerian national team can look forward to some damn good times in South Africa.

Algeria is one of the worst teams in the tournament. Their most consistent trait is their inconsistency. They shocked the soccer world by beating heavily favored, three-time African champion Egypt in a one game playoff to ensure qualification. Then, less than a year later, the same Egyptian team throttled them 4-0 at the African Cup of Nations, which happened right after Algeria beat a heavily favored Ivory Coast team 3-2. You never know what Desert Fox team you are going to get.

But you do know what Desert Fox formation you will get: 3-5-2. Coach Rabah Saadane only runs one look, a packed midfield, a mobile defense, and two strikers up front to hit you on the counter. Stifle the other team in the middle of the park and use their two quality attacking players to move the ball up the field quickly and catch the other team unaware.

Those two quality players are the central defender Madjid Bougherra and the right midfield attacking player Karim Ziani. Bougherra is the reigning African player of the year, a solid central defender who leads a strong backline but can also move up field to start the attack. Ziani is the creative force in midfield, pulling the strings for the strikers.

Unfortunately for Algeria, that’s all they have. On top of that, Bougherra is injured and struggling to be fit for the tournament. Without him, Algeria are not only impotent at the front, but a mess at the back. Their recent form demonstrates as much. They were obliterated 3-0 at home by Serbia, and then on the road 3-0 by Ireland. Bougherra missed both games. He was sorely missed.

Algeria is not likely to be missed at this tournament. They play a counter-attacking style that is often dull to watch for neutrals. It’s only exciting when they don’t play it particularly well, for then the goals come in bunches for the other team. If Bougherra fails to be fit for any games, this is a strong possibility against a team like England. However, the United States and Slovenia also play a counter-attacking style, which could lead to a number of slow games in clogged up midfields. Nobody expects much from this Algerian team, and they have thrived under those types of circumstances before. But that was against lesser opposition and with a healthy side. It seems unlikely they will replicate those miracles again here.

In addition to being a writer, Camus was also a philosopher known internationally for being one of the founders of Absurdism. Any notion that Algeria will make any noise in this tournament would fit right in with Camus’ line of thinking.

Slovenia

Key players: Robert Koren (West Bromwich Albion), Milivoje Novakovic (Cologne), Zlatko Dedic (Bochum), Samir Handanovic (Udinese)

Slovenia is the smallest country in the world cup with a population about the size of Kansas City. Historically, Slovenia has been dominated by outsiders; the French, the Austrians, the Venetians, the Ottoman Empire, the Communist Party. If there is one seminal moment in Slovenian history, it is the Battle of Sisak. There, a coalition of Slovenians and Croats held off an attack from a far superior Ottoman Empire force; defending to the last man as the Ottomans laid siege to their territory.

Defense against all odds runs in Slovenia’s blood. In order to qualify for the world cup, Slovenia was up against a far superior Russian squad. One coached by the “genius” Guus Hiddink, and led by players plying their trade in Europe’s biggest leagues. Faced against such insurmountable odds, Slovenia dogged the Russians over two legs, snatched a goal in Moscow, and then held off the Russians in Slovenia to pull one of the biggest upsets of European qualifying. Like Algeria, they were not supposed to be here.

And like Algeria, they play defensive football. The most common words used to describe the Slovenian team are “disciplined,” “organized,” and “hard working.” They are dogged defenders who play a possession style of soccer designed to get the ball out of your hands (feet?) and keep it from you. Think South Korea, only a bit bigger.

Their best players are currently playing abroad, but doing so at smaller clubs on smaller stages. Robert Koren is the key to the Slovenian offense. An attacking midfielder at West Brom in England’s Championship league, he is the link between the Slovenian defense and its counter-attack. Novakovic and Dedic are the spearhead of that attack; a pair of strikers who will be the targets of Koren’s passes.

What Slovenia lacks in talent, it makes up for in organization. Matjaz Kec took over the Slovenian team before this world cup qualifying cycle and immediately began to remake them. Abandoning the traditional Yugoslavian/Balkan style of attacking soccer, he instituted a defensive 4-4-2 system based on possession and the counter-attack. Using Koren as his linchpin, he formed an organized defense that was extremely difficult to breakdown, and a transition from defense to attack that was difficult to stop.

It has been wildly successful. They qualified out of a group with traditional powers the Czechs and the Poles (albeit, not traditional Polish or Czech quality teams). In the ten qualifying games, they only allowed 4 goals. Beating Russia was no mean feat, including shutting them out on home soil. Following that, they gave future opponent England all it could handle in losing 2-1 in Wembley and thumped Qatar 4-0. Slovenia’s defense should not be ignored.

Nor should its attack. While it lacks the firepower of England (or even the US), it plays a style that is extremely effective at turning its own defense into attack. Slovenia poaches its goals here and there from teams caught napping.

But this is the main stage, where it is more difficult to find teams unaware. Slovenia will be tested in this group by a mix of teams that will not play into their hands. The Americans and Algerians are not attacking teams, and will be satisfied to let their superior athletes overpower the Slovenes, daring them to come out of their shell. England will challenge the Slovenes much like Russia, only the English have more athletes and one of the best strikers in the world.

If Slovenia is to make it through, it will likely be at the expense of the US, and they have a big advantage in that regard: the schedule. The US must start with England, while Slovenia plays Algeria. If the expected happens and Slovenia and England win their opening matches, then Slovenia will only need a tie against the US to go into the last day in a favorable position. Assuming England beat Algeria, both Slovenia and England will only need a tie to advance. If history has told us anything, it is that teams in the world cup will only do whatever is necessary to advance, and a tie in such a situation is far from out of the realm of possibility.

Slovenia, through its defense and its schedule, is the main competition for the Americans in this group. The US-Slovenia match will likely decide who is the runner-up to the English. Look for the Americans to win that match, but don’t look for the Slovenes to go quietly, just prepare to be bored by two teams sitting around and waiting for the other to make its move. A recipe for boredom for fans, but just what the Slovenes ordered.

Group C predictions surely to go wrong:

England 3 vs. United States 1
Algeria 0 vs. Slovenia 1
England 4 vs. Algeria 1
Slovenia 1 vs. United States 2
United States 3 vs. Algeria 0
Slovenia 0 vs. England 1

England 9
United States 6
Slovenia 3
Algeria 0

England and the United States advance

World Cup 2010 - Group B Preview

Group B

Argentina
Greece
Nigeria
South Korea

The favorites: Argentina and Nigeria

Schedule

June 12 South Korea v. Greece
June 12 Argentina v. Nigeria
June 17 Argentina v. South Korea
June 17 Greece v. Nigeria
June 22 Nigeria v. South Korea
June 22 Greece v. Argentina

Argentina

Key players: Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Juan Sebastian Veron (Estudiantes), Diego Milito (Inter Milan), Javier Mascherano (Liverpool), Walter Samuel (Inter Milan)

It must be hard to be a genius. I certainly wouldn’t know. But it seems that geniuses have a difficult time living their lives after their days of genius are over. Even tougher is the genius who dares to become a soccer manager. Whereas the most successful managers were water carriers or average players, the genius just can’t seem to get his viewpoint across to his players; can’t seem to make them play the way he played. While there are exceptions to every rule, for every Johann Cruyff there seem to be three Marco van Bastens…or Ruud Gullits…or Roy Keanes….

Or Diego Maradona.

In November 2008, Argentina decided to place its most famous citizen in charge of its most recognizable export when it named Diego Maradona the head coach of its national soccer team. Maradona came to the job with an ego the size of his belly, but without any significant coaching experience. With other successful coaches available, it was a big gamble by the Argentinean football association, placing their trust in a man who has been in and out of drug rehab for most of his life, and walked away from his last, brief stint as a coach as soon as things got a little shaky.

The results have been mixed. Argentina started brightly under Diego, winning its first three matches. Then things went south in a hurry. A 6-1 drubbing to unfancied Bolivia. Losing 2-0 in Ecuador. Being run off the park 3-1 by Brazil…AT HOME! Finally, a stunning 1-0 loss to Paraguay left Argentina on the brink of failing to qualify for the tournament altogether.

Diego was prickly. The press were baying like hounds for the blood of the now-fallen hero. And it was all falling into place for disaster. Argentina – a team with more striking talent than any nation on earth – could not score at home to Peru in the middle of a torrential downpour. The unthinkable was about to happen. And then…Martin Palermo came from nowhere to stick the ball in the back of the net in the 90th+ minute and Argentina had qualified. Palermo, a Maradona favorite and late substitution in the game, had saved the savior. The genius was back.

Or is it? Argentina boasts the best collection of attacking players in the world: Messi, Higuain, Tevez, Milito, Aguero. Lionel Messi is the undisputed greatest player on the planet and the heir to Maradona’s throne as the greatest player in Argentina’s history. Milito scored the two goals that gave Inter Milan the Champions League title and is probably the most in-form striker in the world. Tevez just completed a remarkable season at Manchester City. But with so many great players, why does Argentina find it so difficult to score?

The answer may lie with Maradona. He is determined to build the team around Messi. And why not? He’s the greatest player of his generation. But the way he shines at Barcelona is due as much to the team around him as it is to the player itself, and Argentina do not seem to have figured out how to replicate the situation. At Barca, he has Iniesta and Xavi controlling the midfield with sharp passes, giving Messi space to work. He is also surrounded by fullbacks who maraud down the flanks to open up space for the little genius to move freely.

For the national team he has none of that. Maradona has surrounded him with speedy wingers in Gutierrez and di Maria and relied almost exclusively on one man to get him the ball: Juan Sebastian Veron. Unlike Xavi or Iniesta, Veron will sit deep and try to hit Messi – or the wingers – with long diagonal passes to open up space. Javier Mascherano will play the traditional role of Argentinean hatchet man, but passing the ball is not his forte, and finding Messi is not his priority. Whether this works remains to be seen, but it hasn’t set the world on fire during the qualification phase.

Another problem is in defense. Maradona inherited a team without any great fullbacks and tried to solve the problem by leaving the one great player he had who could play the position off the team (Javier Zanetti). Instead, he decides to play four center backs. Four large, lumbering, slow center backs. Teams with speed on the outside will be licking their chops. Argentina is solid in the middle, but weak in goal and on the flanks.

The last hurdle they must overcome is the man himself. Maradona’s team selection raised eyebrows all over the globe. Martin Palermo is by all accounts a nice person, and he did save Diego’s bacon against Peru, but there is no way he should be included in a squad loaded with talent up front at the expense of a player like Zanetti (or even Cambiasso) who could help at the back and to defend the wings. Apparently Zanetti isn’t Maradona’s favorite person, so he gets left off the squad for much less useful players like Maxi Rodriguez, who take orders better.

Fortunately for Argentina, Maradona isn’t very tall, so the hurdle may not be as great as it seems. They are in a weak group and should progress easily. Milito and Messi are in the form of their lives. The center of defense with Samuel and Mascherano is strong. The talent is there to overcome the weaknesses. And if they don’t make at least the semi-finals, the press in Argentina will be making the hurdle even smaller by cutting Diego down to size for the next four years.

Greece

Key players: Theofanis Gekas (Eintracht Frankfurt), Georgios Samaras (Celtic)

In the summer of 480 BCE, the Greek army was faced with a dilemma. The Persian army was approaching, threatening to overrun the small Greek city states. Outnumbered, outgunned (outspeared?), and threatened to be overrun, the Greeks made the decision to send a small division of soldiers out to meet them, find the most defensible position and hold it against all odds. It worked, as the story goes, the Greeks held off the Persian army at Thermopylae long enough for the full army to get its act together and regroup.

Fast forward a few thousand years to Portugal. A 150-1 underdog Greek team took to the fields of Lisbon against a horde of vastly superior European soccer teams determined to drive them off the pitch. Outgunned (outfooted?), out talented, and threatened to be overrun, the Greeks made the decision to defend at all costs, eschewing any attempt at offense.

It worked. The Greeks defeated the French, the Czechs, and the host Portuguese by refusing to let them score. In one of the greatest tournament upsets of all-time, the descendants of the defenders of Thermopylae were crowned winners of Euro 2004.

The Greeks bring a similar team to this year’s world cup. Otto Rehhagel is still the manager, seamlessly matching his German organization with his players’ Greek resolve. Many of the players are the same as well: Karagounis, Charisteas, and Kyrgiakos are still major players on this year’s squad, and still defending to the last. Rehhagel will pack the midfield defense, centered around Karagounis, and force teams to try to push their way through. If the other team gets sloppy, the Greeks will hoof the ball downfield and hope for a corner kick or a set piece in order to score. Rarely will they shoot the ball, content to defend and make the other team come to them.

It’s all so boring to watch. It’s not as if Greece is devoid of attacking talent, they just refuse to use it. Samaras is a decent player, Gekas has ability, and young Soritis Ninis is a fine prospect at attacking midfield, but he rarely plays. Rather than risk a defeat, the Greeks will play for a 0-0 draw every time. It is an effective strategy and, to be fair to Rehhagel, the only one that could produce a victory. It may not be pretty, but it works.

But will it work again? The Greeks advanced to the World Cup from the easiest of qualifying groups, and barely did so, having to beat Ukraine (1-0, of course) over two legs. In the run up to the tournament, Greece has been poor. It lost to non-qualifier Senegal 2-0, and then drew 2-2 with a very poor North Korea. A Greek team leaking two goals a piece to Senegal and North Korea is not a good sign.

At Thermopylae the Greeks famously sacrificed themselves to protect their way of life. For that, we in the West should be forever grateful. Now, 2000 years later, the Greeks are sacrificing attractive soccer in the name of victory. For that, we should all hope for their early exit.

Nigeria

Key players: Jon Mikel Obi (Chelsea), Taye Taiwo (Marseilles), Obafemi Martins (Wolfsburg), Joseph Yobo (Everton), Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Everton)

Nigerian soccer has a problem, one that is exemplified by its biggest successes. At FIFA youth tournaments, Nigerian teams are regularly champions. Nigeria has won 3 FIFA U-17 titles and been runner-up twice. While it has never won the FIFA U-20 title, it has made the finals twice. Despite its success at the youth level, it has never made a real impression in the world cup.

Why the success at the youth level but not the senior level? For one, Nigerian players are always suspected of being a little older than what their country claims them to be. Second, the players have raw talent, but no national program to mold that talent into a professional side capable of winning tournaments. Both are examples of the lack of national organization that holds Nigeria back and prevents them from amounting to anything more than a continental powerhouse.

Once again, Nigeria’s lack of a national plan has reared its head. Shortly after qualifying for the World Cup, they decided to sack their manager, displacing Nigerian Shaibu Amodu with Swede Lars Lagerback. That lack of organization spills onto the pitch, as Nigeria’s back four can be stable, but will slip up at inopportune times. Lagerback may help with that, or he may not, it’s too early to tell, which is not a good sign when the tournament starts in a week.

Nigeria is not without talent; however, that talent is confined mostly to the defensive positions and up front, leaving the Super Eagles short of midfield creativity that could leave it short on goals. Taye Taiwo is an excellent fullback, one of the best in the world. Jon Mikel Obi is a world class holding midfielder, he will sit in front of the back four, protecting Nigeria’s big, lumbering center backs from a direct attack.

But how will Nigeria attack? They have talent up front in Anichebe, Yakubu, and Martins, but no one to get them the ball. Nigeria lacks a world class attacking midfield presence. Mikel and the defense may be able to stop players going forward, but they have no one to pass the ball to and lead the counter-attack. Instead, Nigeria will look to play the ball wide to its wingers (and Taiwo bombing forward from fullback) who will then try to get the ball to its strikers from the outside in. How successful this strategy will be remains to be seen, a recent 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia does not leave me convinced.

Nigeria are a big, physical team, which could serve them well in this group ad their main competition to advance looks to be South Korea, an organized but small squad. Argentina are a bridge too far for the entire group. If Nigeria can physically dominate the South Koreans, they are likely to emerge to the next round.

South Korea

Key players: Park Ji-Sung (Manchester United), Ki Sung-Yong (Celtic), Park Chu-Young (Monaco), Lee Chung-Yong (Bolton)

One of the wonderful things about football is that national teams often take on the characteristics of the nation they represent. French style, German organization, English toughness, Spanish flair. Nations come to expect their teams not only to win, but to win in a certain fashion. When a Brazilian team wins without style, the victory is seen in many parts as incomplete. When a Dutch team wins without tactically outmaneuvering the other squad, the manager is pilloried in the press despite the success.

All of which brings us to the South Koreans. The Korean team embodies many of the national traits we have come to associate with the country. They play hard. They are organized. They work well together. Their whole is more than the sum of their parts. They’re short.

Short in stature, but not in achievement. South Korea is the most decorated Asian team, having made it to the semi-finals (due in no small part to a number of dubious refereeing decisions) on home soil in 2002. While that is their biggest success, it is not the only one as the South Koreans have made every world cup since 1986 and steamrolled through Asian qualifying this year. They are the dominant team in Asian soccer.

They do so with an organized, ball possession style. Once the South Koreans get the ball, they keep it, connecting on short, accurate passes to move the ball down the field and keep it away from their physically bigger opponents. They lack dynamic playmakers at the main offensive positions, but get by with workmanlike performances from a number of players. Key to their possession style are their midfield dynamos Park Ji-Sung and Ki Sung-Yong. Both are adequate offensively while being tireless workers defensively, dogging their opponents into turnovers that help the South Koreans regain possession while keeping the other team from taking advantage of their small defense.

Ah, but that defense IS small. Cho Yong-Hyung and Lee Jung-Soo start at center back for South Korea and, while capable defenders, they are short. This leaves South Korea vulnerable to bigger teams with tall strikers who can take advantage of Cho and Lee on set pieces or corner kicks. The South Koreans will try to counter this by shutting down the wings to prevent crosses, and not fouling players in the middle of the pitch. Their impressive organization and work rate combines to keep many other teams off-balance, and often without the ball.

The strategy has worked in the run-up to the tournament. Since qualifying, they have beaten the Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Japan all by the same 2-0 score. Both the Ivory Coast and Ecuador are teams that traditionally give South Korea trouble (i.e.: big), but they were dispatched with relative ease. This bodes well for their matches against Greek and Nigerian sides who are both very physical.

The question for the South Koreans will be can they score. They have no proven, world class striker adept at knocking in goals. What they do have is a team approach, working together to overcome their deficiencies through teamwork and hard work. In many respects, the South Koreans have many admirable qualities; however, those qualities do not always win soccer matches. What they have in hard work, they lack in guile and style. What they have in organization, they lack in strength and power. All told, it might be enough to get them through this uneven group, but not much farther.

Group B predictions surely to go wrong:

South Korea 1 v. Greece 0
Argentina 4 v. Nigeria 2
Argentina 2 v. South Korea 1
Greece 1 v. Nigeria 1
Nigeria 1 v. South Korea 2
Greece 0 v. Argentina 1

Argentina 9
South Korea 6
Nigeria 1
Greece 1

Argentina and South Korea advance

World Cup 2010 - Group A Preview

Group A

South Africa
Uruguay
Mexico
France

The favorites: France and Mexico

Schedule

June 11 South Africa vs. Mexico
June 11 Uruguay vs. France
June 16 South Africa vs. Uruguay
June 17 France vs. Mexico
June 22 Mexico vs. Uruguay
June 22 France vs. South Africa

South Africa

Key players: Stephen Pienaar (Everton).

As most humans are probably aware, South Africa is hosting the World Cup this year. As any soccer following human knows, no host nation has ever failed to make it out of the group stages. Even the lowly United States in 1994 and Japan/South Korea in 2002 have advanced. Now this trend faces its biggest challenge. South Africa is not a good team, they would be lucky to be called an average team. Hell, they are lucky that North Korea and New Zealand are in the tournament, lest they be called the worst team.

South Africa is a great sporting nation. From Zola Budd to the Springboks, South Africans are obsessed with sports and obsessed with winning those sports. They are also the one of richest soccer leagues in Africa. Unfortunately for them, their ambition and local money does not match their ability when it comes to soccer. Quite simply, they are bad.

One way to judge the quality of an international team is to see how many of that team’s players are currently plying their trade in Europe. The big leagues in Europe are the place to be in soccer. That’s where the money is, that’s where all the best players from around the world play. South Africa has only a handful of players operating at a high level in Europe, and only one who could be considered a star. To provide context, the US could field an entire team of players from high level European leagues.

While things seem bleak, South Africa is not without hope. They have one excellent player in Stephen Pienaar, a couple of intriguing talents in Aaron Mokoena and Tsepo Masiela, and an excellent coach in Brazillian Carlos Alberto Parreira (who won a World Cup as Brazil’s coach). And, maybe more importantly, they have the home crowd and all the pressure (expectations) and advantages (referee decisions miraculously seem to go your way at home for some odd reason) that go with it.

South Africa are likely to park the bus and play on the counter-attack. Most teams that lack the talent or skill to compete make use of this tactic. It involves playing most of your players in a withdrawn, defensive position in front of your own goal and structuring your game to try to prevent the other team from scoring. Then, if you get a lucky break or a turnover, you try to race down the field and put a goal on the other team while all their players are caught on your side of the pitch. It can be incredibly boring….and incredibly successful. Perhaps the most famous success being Greece winning the European Championships (at one stage beating France by scoring a goal on the only shot they attempted all game).

Can the South Africans “pull a Greece”? The odds are not in their favor. Their defenders are below par (Mokoena has not been good this season in England) and they lack a speedy, consistent striker who can threaten the other team’s goal. What they do have is a couple of midfield players – Pienaar in particular – who may be able to create a chance off a set piece or an excellent through ball that could give the South Africans a goal.

Their most recent warm-up games have been successful. They beat Thailand 4-0, and while the Thai team is nothing to write home about, the fact that South Africa was able to actually score 4 times in one game is nothing short of miraculous (in the past two years they’ve only scored 32 goals in 34 matches).

Most odds makers believe South Africa will not make it out of the group stage. I’m not so sure I agree. Sometimes people forget the power of playing at home, and South Africa’s group, while tough on paper, is full of some teams with fragile psyches. I can see the Bafana Bafana pulling off a miracle. Of course, “pulling off a miracle” for this team is simply to win one game, not the tournament.

Uruguay

Key players: Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid), Luis Suarez (Ajax), Nicolas Lodiero (Ajax), Diego Ludano (Fenerbache)

Every preview of Uruguay must begin with the past. This small South African nation was the world’s first soccer super power, winning the first world cup, and then winning another in Brazil in 1950 in one of the biggest upsets in world cup history. How did such a small nation (Uruguay’s population is the size of the Seattle metro area) become such a dominant force? Through the Branch Rickey method: they let the black players play.

You may find this hard to believe, but back in the day, descendants of Africans were treated rather harshly in many parts of the world, including South America. The darker skinned you were, the less chance you had of doing anything in life other than lifting something for someone else. The same was true in soccer. It was a game for elites, not street urchins.

Uruguay was instrumental in changing that. They allowed “black” players onto their teams and then played them. Once they did, they started winning. A lot. It took a couple world championships for the rest of the world to catch up to them and by the 1950s they had been passed by Brazil (and Hungary and others) as the leading team in the world. While they are still a regular participant in world cups, they have never again threatened to reach their previous heights.

This year’s team will likely be no exception. But they are not without talent and are a definite threat to make it out of this group. Led by Manchester United wash out but Atletico Madrid star Diego Forlan and Ajax striker Luis Suarez up front, as well as attacking midfielder Nicolas Lodiero in the middle, Uruguay have firepower. Sebastien Abreu will come off the bench to provide size if they go against bigger defenses. The key to their 4-3-3 attacking system is Lodiero, he is the creative player able to unlock defenses for Forlan and Suarez, sending them on runs into space with clever chips and through balls. But he’s only 20, and unproven in major top level tournaments. Without a good game from Lodiero, it’s hard to see Uruguay getting through.

The other problem will be the defense. Uruguay’s central defense is big and solid, led by Diego Ludano. However, they are not are not the quickest of men, and any small strikers with pace could give them trouble. This will test their midfield of Perez and Periera. Expect to see a lot of free kicks conceded as Uruguay’s defensive midfielders fight to prevent speedy players from running at their central defense. Uruguay will most likely take their chances against set pieces rather than open field runs.

The expectations are always high in Uruguay given their historic place as the first world champions. But, as the Chicago Cubs will tell you, just because you won a lot 100 years ago doesn’t mean much today. Uruguay is an attractive, attacking side that could threaten this group, but do not have the overall depth, team strength or defensive ability to make a deep run.

Mexico

Key players: Guillermo Ochoa (Club America), Cuhatemoc Blanco (Veracruz), Giovanni dos Santos (Galatasary), Carlos Vela (Arsenal), Rafa Marquez (Barcelona)

Full disclosure on my part: my wife is Mexican. My daughter is half-Mexican. My in-laws and extended family are all Mexicans. I put hot sauce on everything. I enjoy a tortilla more than most. I even drink Sol on occasion. I love me some Mexico.

But I despise their soccer team. On my levels of hate (think Dante’s levels of hell…only stupider), Mexico’s soccer team is right up there with Ohio State, Duke and Sidney Crosby. They’re in the pantheon.

Any US soccer fan knows the chant well: dos a cero. That’s the scoreline from when the US beat Mexico in the 2002 World Cup and one of the greatest days in my sporting life. [Costanza] The streets of Mexico City were angry that day my friends! Like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli![/Costanza]. The US knocked Mexico out of the World Cup, and off its perch as the dominant team in North and Central America. It’s been that way ever since.

But why? Mexico has a long soccer tradition and is a large country that is obsessed with what is now it’s national game. They have the biggest and richest league in the region. They’ve hosted two world cups. They had one great player (Hugo Sanchez) and another very good player (Rafa Marquez) make it on the highest level of football. Mexico should dominate the US. But they don’t. And the key to why they don’t is why I dislike them so much.

Mexico is a bully. Like every bully, they have a chip on their shoulder and pretend to look down upon those around them, but when someone stands up to them, they crumble. Going back to that game in 2002, the US was winning the game late and started stalling for time. Mexico began to beat them up. Marquez almost decapitated Cobi Jones and got red carded for his trouble. Every US player on the ball was viciously chopped down. Blanco stood over fallen Americans and threatened them. After the game, they simply walked off the field, offering no congratulations or shirt exchanges. The bully had been humiliated.

And the sad part is that it doesn’t have to be that way. Mexico plays very attractive soccer most of the time. They are a ball possession team with skillful players connecting to each other through short passes and triangles, working their way down the field and keeping the other team off balance. They have a talismanic figure in Blanco; a creative attacking midfielder with the exceptional vision to play in strikers or curl in free kicks in a way most Americans associate with David Beckham. Mexico are talented, and when they play against any other team besides the US, they play that way. Against the US, they feel their manhood is threatened and they have to beat them up. And they lose.

Fortunately for Mexico and the soccer watching public, they are not playing the US in the group stages. Instead, we will likely see the Mexico that plays creatively. Dos Santos and Vela are young, fast strikers with worlds of potential. Andres Guardado is a great offensive midfielder and Blanco is excellent “in the hole” as the player sitting right behind the striker and making cutting passes.

On defense Mexico have some issues. While their goalkeeper is solid, he is young. And while their key defensive player is also solid, he is old. Rafa Marquez has been a rock in front of the Mexican back four for the last decade, but he was terrible at Barcelona this year and is not going back to Europe next season. In fact, he’s been used as a central defender more often than not in order to save his old legs. If his form continues to be poor in South Africa, look for the Mexicans to be giving up a lot of free kicks near their own goal. And that is the biggest weakness of this team: its inability to stop the other side’s free kicks. Their defense is too small against the big European clubs to match their strength and power without an in-form Marquez.

Mexico almost always make it out of the group stages. For one because they’re talented but also because they often find themselves in easy groups. That is not the case this year. They open with the host in the opening game of the tournament. The local team is going to be very emotional and Mexico could get caught. If they lose that game, it will be difficult for them to get through.

As much tradition as Mexico has, it’s not difficult to see them getting out of this group with a poor South African team, an unbalanced Uruguay, and an ambivalent France. However, their opening game against South Africa is scary, as is their defense against a big, powerful team like the French. This may be the year Mexico goes home early.

France

Key players: Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Youann Gourcouff (Bordeaux)

I love France. I love French cities and culture. I love French food and wine. I love French football and the French league. I love the French language and history. I love French women and French films starring French women speaking French and sitting in French cities surrounded by French culture and history. Give me a one way ticket to anywhere and I’m going to Paris and not coming back. In short, I am a Francophile.

But I hate this French team.

A lot of what goes into a country’s national soccer team happens off the field; in boardrooms and the back rooms of smoky bars where the politics of those in charge take precedence over the results on the pitch. Exhibit A is the French head coach Raymond Domenech.

Domenech is a weird person. He uses astrology to help him pick his team and proposed to his longtime girlfriend on television after France lost a match (she said no). Despite his weirdness, up until recently he was a successful coach. Then Zinedine Zidane retired and it was discovered that perhaps the emperor had no clothes.

The Emperor in this case is a very defensive soccer coach. Too defensive minded for most Frenchmen’s liking, where style is king and losing is acceptable as long as it’s done with a certain joie de vivre. Domenech has no joie in his vivre, only steady as a rock defensemen who are never caught out of position. He likes to play with two defensive midfielders no matter who France is playing. In a recent match, his team was losing and needed to score when one of his defenders was sent off with a red card. Domenech responded to this urgent need for goals by taking off a striker and replacing him with a defensive midfielder. France did not score.

Ever since Zidane struck a blow for his sister’s virtue in the middle of Marco Matterazzi’s chest, France has not been the same. With Zizou (Zidane’s nickname), it had one of the greatest players in soccer history; a creative maestro who could change a game by himself. This allowed Domenech to play his ultra-conservative style but still win games. Zizou would bail him out with a great pass, a free kick, or a well taken strike and France would win. With him gone, there is no one left to score, only to defend.

And the sad part about this team is that their defense is its weak link. Patrice Evra is an excellent attacking fullback for Manchester United, but he’s not much of a defender, neither are Gael Clichy or Bacary Sagna. William Gallas used to be excellent in the middle, now he’s 32. Their best defensive midfielder will miss the competition with stomach issues. Their best defending fullback will be forced to play centerback because there is no one else to play the position. Fortunately for France, Hugo Lloris is one of the best goalkeepers on the planet. He might be very busy.

The flip side is that the French are very talented offensively….they just have trouble scoring. Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda are excellent at Chelsea, not so much for France. Franck Ribery is a quick, creative winger. Youann Gorcouff is an excellent playmaker for Bordeaux. And, of course, they still have Thierry Henry. But, like Gallas, he is old and well past his sell-by date. As a unified creative force, they rarely click. As the Ireland debacle made clear, France may need a helping hand in order to score when the other team parks the bus.

The squad chosen by Domenech to go to South Africa is not a cohesive unit. 23 players, 23 Renaults as the saying goes. A bunch of disaffected superstars who dislike each other. The older generation (in particular Henry) reportedly do not get along with the younger generation. And no one likes William Gallas except for maybe his mom. In fact, the most unpopular person on the team other than Gallas is Domenech, who is so hated in France that he would probably lose an election to the Duke of Wellington.

But coaches are not selected through general elections. No democracy here, it is the back room dealings of the French Football Federation where Domenech has his supporters (and those who tacitly support him in order to see him fail and then move on their political opponents when he does). Laurent Blanc has already been named as Domenech’s successor. Blanc is a young coach who preaches an attacking style of soccer which is the exact opposite of Domenech’s vision of a world of 0-0 scorelines. But unless he replaces Domenech before June 11, France is unlikely to make much of a dent in this year’s competition.

Group A predictions surely to go wrong:

South Africa 2 vs. Mexico 1
Uruguay 3 vs. France 1
South Africa 0 vs. Uruguay 2
France 2 vs. Mexico 2
Mexico 2 vs. Uruguay 1
France 1 vs. South Africa 0


Uruguay 6
Mexico 4
France 4
South Africa 3

Uruguay wins the group. Mexico advances on goal difference.

Welcome to the World Cup

by Ben Belcher

Like most things in America these days, the most annoying opinions about soccer are found at the extremes, and those extremes seem to be the only opinions that are voiced in the press. On the one hand, there are those who think soccer is a communist plot brought on by the Comintern to bore Americans to death. On the other hand, there are those who think ordinary Americans (unlike themselves) are too unsophisticated to look up from their watered down Miller Lites to appreciate the subtle genius of a back heel pass.

The truth lies somewhere in between.

* * *

For those of us who have been American soccer fans since the pre-internet days, these are wonderful times indeed. No longer do I have to wait until Sunday night to see a one hour highlight show on English football. No more waiting to Thursday to get my copy of the Sunday English papers to read the ink stained wretches. No more tracking down any person with an foreign accent to ask him what they thought of Barca's defense or United's midfield. No more watching soccer games in Spanish.

The internet and the satellite have changed all that. Now I can watch almost every game I want, translated into the language of my choice. I have three channels devoted solely to soccer, not to mention ESPN's new interest in the game. No more waking up at 6am to drive tjavascript:void(0)o a bar full of hungover Englishmen to watch United, now I can enjoy them from my own couch next to my hungover wife.

Suddenly soccer is everywhere. Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba are on the cover of Vanity Fair. Wayne Rooney is living in a trailer park on your tv. Hell, even Franck Ribery is getting a little play (and not the kind he has to pay for). Someone even asked me about Ronaldo the other day.

It must be World Cup time.

* * *

Yes, 2010 is finally here. Time for entire nations to stay up until 4 in the morning. Time for countries to declare national holidays during game days. Time for the streets to be empty for 90 minutes at a time.

The hype is almost over and the games are about to start. The storylines are being set all over the globe: Can Brazil win without creativity? Can Spain get the world cup monkey off its back? Can an Italian lead an English revolution? Can an African team make a run on home soil? Can an insane genius prove his critics wrong and take Argentina to the promised land? Is one stadium big enough to hold Cristiano Ronaldo's ego?

For the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be posting Group previews and predictions. During the tournament, I'll do updates and recaps and look ahead to the stories and games for the next day. Hopefully you'll find it interesting and helpful.

* * *

The world cup is not the best showcase for how to play beautiful soccer. There are too many teams of disparate quality; too many games where the only way one team will win is to play defensive and hope for a lucky break.

But what the world cup lacks in style, it makes up for in drama. The entire psyche of nations are wrapped up in 90 minutes of a game that is essentially kickball. German efficiency, Gaullic flair, Japanese honor, English stiff upper lip, Argentian hardness, Italian pragmatism, American athleticism.

As a great American once said, are you ready for some football?

Watch This Space

Hey everyone, guess what? Content!!

I know, it's been a while, but in my own defense, I'm very, very lazy. Anyway, a friend has asked to "guest blog" the World Cup. So over the next few days/weeks/whatever, my friend Ben will be posting his world cup previews. I'll probably chip in about the Angels once they reach .500, which may be sometime in 2013.

Echo & the Bunnymen @ the Metro - 4/23/10

According to the list I put together on Facebook last year, this was the sixth time I've seen this lineup as Echo and the Bunnymen. I've also seen Mac do his solo show once, and I saw them once as Electrafixion (actually, that was the first time I saw Mac and Will Sergeant perform).

I'll give them credit for knowing their audience. This bunch of people was not there to listen to new music, which is kind of too bad. EATB has now released as many studio albums since re-forming in 1997 as they did in their first go-round. While I'm not in love with the last two albums, I really enjoyed Flowers quite a bit, and that was the only album they completely ignored. About 3/4 of the set was old stuff, while they hit one track off of four of the newer albums. In a first for this blog, you're actually about to read a complete and in-the-proper-order setlist (courtesy of the Notes feature on my iPhone):

• Going Up
• Show of Strength
• Rescue
• Villier's Terrace
• Stormy Weather
• Seven Seas
• Bedbugs and Ballyhoo
• Bring on the Dancing Horses
• Rust
• I Think I Need it Too
• All My Colours
• The Disease
• All That Jazz
• Never Stop
• The Back of Love
• The Killing Moon
• The Cutter
• Nothing Lasts Forever
• Do It Clean
• Lips Like Sugar

They played the hits, though the people around me only seemed to care if they played Lips Like Sugar. Want to feel old? Go to an EATB show and have a conversation with a young blonde who doesn't recognize any of the new stuff. Actual conversation between me and a girl standing next to me:

Her: Which song is this?
Me: It's called Nothing Lasts Forever. It's from Evergreen, the first album they put out after they got back together. It came out about 12-13 years ago.
Her: I was five years old.

Hell, I was already older than that when Crocodiles came out in 1980. The years have taken their toll on Mac the Mouth. His voice raspy from years of performing and thousands of packs of cigarettes, he can't quite hit the howl that he had in his youth, and it's really evident on the Porcupine era material (Never Stop, Cutter, Back of Love). Still, they know how to put on a good show, and Mac has never lost his sense of cool. The fact that you can't understand what language he's speaking during the between song banter is all part of the appeal. Will Sergeant can still get his guitar to hit the stingers and subtleties that made him a legend.

I was a little pre-occupied with the Kings game going on and some other things on my mind, but this probably wasn't my favorite Echo show. Still, they were entertaining, and they're worth $25 every few years. Pics below.

In-Season Milestones

Apparently the Angels had so much fun finally getting over .500 that they decided to head back under .500 just so they could do it again.

Yes, I'm off the ledge (but still at the window)

Not a bad sports weekend. The Angels swept the Blue Jays, and the Kings evened up the series with Vancouver, grabbing home ice in the process.

Angels

Three games of quality pitching and timely hitting. They picked up late runs in every ballgame, and nearly all proved necessary. Of the sixteen runs the Angels scored over the weekend, seven game in the eighth and ninth innings. Toronto picked up six runs in those same innings, so the Angels effectively maintained the status quo, and held on to leads they had earned earlier in those ballgames.

The starting pitching was phenomenal. All three starters (Weaver, Saunders, and Santana) worked deep into their respective starts, and Saunders and Santana finally gave us a glimpse of the type of run prevention we were hoping for heading into the season. Jered Weaver continued to pitch like an ace, allowing two runs (both on solo homers) in seven innings while striking out eight (he's third in the AL with 21 strikeouts). Joe Saunders did Weaver one better by working eight innings and only two runs, neither earned. His line would have looked better, and he may have had the strength for a ninth inning, if not for a nightmare third inning from Brandon Wood, who misplayed one ball into a double, then committed errors on back to back grounders, leading to the Jays' two runs. Not satisfied with an eight inning effort, Ervin Santana went the distance in his start, allowing only a solo home run to Adam Lind with two outs in the ninth. Adding to the optimism were two perfect innings from Fernando Rodney, filling in at the closer spot for the injured Brian Fuentes.

Mike Scioscia used the three games on turf to get some rest for a few guys, which meant that only Erick Aybar, Howie Kendrick, Juan Rivera, Hideki Matsui, and Kendry Morales started all three games. But Scioscia made the right calls, as four of those guys collected hits in each game. Morales, Kendrick, and Rivera picked up home runs along the way.

In all, it the combination of timely hitting and quality starting pitching that we expected to see going into the season. The Angels now sit in second place, just two and a half games behind surprising Oakland, who got to beat up on the awful Baltimore Orioles for a few games. Let's hope the Angels can keep things rolling against Detroit.

Kings

I can't express with words how much I've missed actually caring about playoff hockey. I just love the atmosphere, and it gets better in overtime. I was literally at the edge of my seat on Saturday night, knowing that a bounce either way could be the difference between the edge of hopelessness and home ice advantage. Unlucky in game one, the Kings took advantage of good fortune in game two, scoring twice on the power play, the second goal coming in overtime, to send the series back to LA all tied at one.

I can't say the Kings have been the better team so far. They were handled pretty well in game one, but Jonathan Quick, who looks to have rebounded (no pun intended) from his late season slump, kept the Kings in the game until Randy Jones turnover in OT led to the game ending goal. In game two, Vancouver dominated the first period, but the Kings used the power play to spring to life, and a little luck to tie the game. Anze Kopitar made a tremendous defensive play to save a goal, picked up the loose puck on the left wing boards, and took advantage of Sammy Salo's stumble to start a three on one. Wayne Simmonds finished the play beautifully for a 2-2 tie.

The kids came through in overtime. Jack Johnson fed the puck to Drew Doughty who slid a cross-ice pass to Anze Kopitar on the right wing half boards. Kopitar collected the rebound of his own shot and bounced it off of Roberto Luongo for the game winner. I'm pretty sure I either woke up or startled my neighbors with my yell as I saw the puck go in.

So far, the Kings look like they're getting the hang of playoff hockey, while Vancouver appears to filled with the largest collection of whiners I've ever seen. Can't wait for tonight's game.

That's more like it

Thank the freaking Lord for Jered Weaver. I think we've been waiting for Lil Weav to assume this role, but so far in three starts, he's been an ace. He's striking guys out. He's throwing strikes and working quickly. He's fun to watch, and he's easy to root for.

On the offensive side of the ball, things looked better tonight. Kendry hit #3. Every starter had a hit. Matsui and Hunter are off to good starts, and no one appears to be really struggling. Even Jeff Mathis is contributing.

I'm not off the ledge yet, but at least tonight was a nice surprise.

No Moral Victories in the Playoffs

1) The Vancouver Canucks aren't that fucking good.

2) Randy Jones really sucks.

As to point two, I saw the Kings play the Blackhawks at the United Center in March. I sat in the 300 level behind the net that the Hawks shot at twice, and if one thing was evident from that game, it was that Randy Jones is not an NHL caliber defenseman. His giveaway gave the game to the Hawks. His giveaway at center ice led to the exchange that cost the Kings tonight. He is worse than both Peter Harold and Davis Drewiske, both of whom were healthy scratches tonight.

The Kings played the Canucks tough, but they turned Saturday into a must win. Lose Saturday, and Dean Lombardi starts planning for next season. Very, very disappointing result tonight against a decidedly mediocre team.

And the Angels apparently still suck, but I'm losing interest real, real fast.

Two and Six

In two weeks, after the Kings flame out of the playoffs, I guess I'll have to look forward to college football.

This team sucks.

Titus Andronicus @ the Bottom Lounge - 4/7/10

Skipped the first opener, and stood around for the Saps, a local Chicago band that reminded me a fair amount of Team Band. I love Team Band, but they're kind of a hard band to emulate without making it really obvious. Maybe it's all coincidence and they there's no influence there, but it sure sounded like it to me.

TA took the stage around 10:45 or so, and played for a good 1:20, with no encores. But man, it was a really rollicking set. There's so much energy and passion in Patrick Stickles' screaming voice that it's hard not to get sucked in. And especially with the new material, with their slow, quiet intros that descend into a maelstrom of noise, they just have a way of sucking you in until you can't help but give in to noise. I'm not usually one for a lot of audience participation, but listen to the first song linked below and, well, if you see them live, try not to sing along with the Ooo Ooo - Na Na Na part at the 2:44 mark (note, this video is cut to only half the song - they cut out a great second half for the radio edit).



For as much energy as they put into their set, I'm a little surprised they played as long as they did. I was also curious to see how they would handle the new material. For those of you unfamiliar, 'The Monitor' is a sort of concept album about a kid who leaves New Jersey for Boston, and ends up returning to New Jersey after not quite finding what he was looking for. The kicker is that it's told through Civil War imagery. It's really quite impressive, but the album itself is a 10 song, 67 minute drama with each song segueing into the next. If you didn't know where the track breaks were, you could probably figure them out, but it would be tough, and you'd probably get some wrong. So the question was whether they could play some of those songs as stand alones, or whether they'd play the album from beginning to end. The played them as stand alones, out of order, mixing in songs from the first album, and it played great in my opinion. The incomplete and out of order setlist (actually, I think this is the right order, since I stole it from this guy - in my own defense, I had all the songs right):

• A More Perfect Union (opened with this)
• Joset of Nazareth Blues
• A Pot in Which to Piss
• Upon Viewing Breughle's 'Landscape with the Fall of Icarus'
• Richard II
• Fear and Loathing in Mawhaw, NJ
• No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future
• Titus Andronicus
• My Time Outside the Womb
• The Battle of Hampton Roads
• Titus Andronicus Forever
• Four Score and Seven

The opener and closer are right, and the middle of that setlist is a rough estimate of where songs fit in. So many of the songs on the new album are of this epic length and structure that they could easily be closers, but Four Score and Seven did the trick nicely (Battle of Hampton Roads, all 14 minutes of it, closes the album).

As for the concert experience, I was just outside the mosh pit, which was a perfect place to stand. I'm well past moshing age, and I was never much of a mosher to begin with. Still, I was close enough to feel like a part of the action. I don't love the Bottom Lounge, but it's growing on me a bit. I still wish they would publish the door time AND the show time so that I'm not tricked into getting there an hour early, but I've learned to work around that. Hopefully these guys get a good slot at Pitchfork, where there's a good crowd that can really get into the atmosphere of the music. Pics and another couple vids below.

Titus Andronicus (song)


Four Score and Seven

Opening Day

Finally, one of the greatest days of the year, and at least for today, one of the nicest days we've had in Chicago for a while. Opening day for the Sox and Indians should go off without a hitch.

But I'm not here to talk about the Sox. I said most of what I had to say about the Angels a couple months ago, and for what it's worth, I don't think any of my analysis has changed very much. I still really like their offense. They've got power potential at pretty much every spot in the order outside of the lead-off spot (and the catcher's spot when Mathis plays). The outfield is old, and that's always a concern, since none of us can tell when any of those guys are going to go into a serious decline phase. They lose Figgins' OBP, but they hopefully make up for that a bit in Brandon Wood's power. I just hope the organization is patient with him, and that they leave him in the lineup to take his lumps so long as he is providing good defense at third base.

The starting pitching staff is solid 1-5, but there's not a ton of depth behind them. Of course, there's almost no team in baseball that has a great deal of depth beyond their starting four, let alone five. In a way, it almost makes the Angels more vulnerable to injury. Most teams are already throwing out junk for a fifth starter. If the Angels lose their fifth starter, they lose a legit starter, as opposed to a team that just replaces junk with junk. Still, I'd rather be in the Angels' position.

The bullpen looks to be deep, but not lights out dominant at any role. Fuentes will still drive us crazy. Shields will still have his moments where he can't seem to find the strike zone. Who knows what Rodney is going to bring. But I'm looking forward to another year of (hopefully) growth from Jepsen and Bulger. And we'll just have to wait and see if Stokes can be any type of replacement for Darren Oliver, even though the decision to not offer arbitration to Oliver still baffles me.

The Rangers and Mariners are improved, and every season is, to some extent, a crapshoot, but I just don't see the rush to crown either of those franchises the best in the west this year. I think a lot of the media driven hype around those clubs is a desire to see something different. On paper, the Angels are still the best team in the AL West. You never know what's going to happen when it comes to injuries, and the Angels are just as vulnerable to those as anyone, but all things being equal, the Angels will win the AL West for the fourth straight time this year.

Time to play ball.

Miles Kurosky w/ Pancho San @ Schuba's - 4/1/10

After failing to reach commercial success to match their critical acclaim, San Francisco pop outfit Beulah broke up in the summer of 2005. Actually, they officially called it quits before their last tour, which made that sort of a farewell tour. They played two nights in Chicago at the Abbey on that tour, both of which I attended. I was pretty much up at the stage on the second night, and was able to grab an extra setlist (something I've only cared to do one other time). I popped the setlist up on my refrigerator and it's been there ever since.

Last night Miles Kurosky, Beulah's former front-man, was in town playing material from his new solo album 'the Desert of Shallow Effects'. Because it was at Schuba's, a venue where you can usually chat with the performers afterward, I figured I'd bring the setlist with me to possibly get it autographed. Little did I know that the opening act, Pancho San, would consist of former Beulans Patrick Abernathy and Eli Crews. Pancho San also made up 3/5 of Kurosky's backing band for his solo material. The upshot is I was able to get all three to sign the setlist.

As for the show itself, Pancho San were pretty good. I've seen Patrick play with Beulah and with Rogue Wave, but this was the first time I'd seen him sing. Perhaps it's because I knew they were from San Francisco before seeing them play, but they seemed to deliver what one would typically consider the San Francisco sound. Jangly guitars, up-tempo pop-songs, and more or less ear friendly. I need to spend a little time with their album, which I picked up from the merch table after the show.

Miles Kurosky has endured some physical ailments between the end of Beulah and the release of his solo album, but he hasn't let that affect him. Pitchfork likened the new album to a fifth Beulah record, and that's both accurate and quite alright with me. It's nice to hear a familiar voice again, and the music on the new album is excellent. Miles played most of it last night, as should have been expected.

He also finished out the evening with some Beulah classics. The full band got together for "Emma Blowgun's Last Stand", "Landslide Baby", and "Popular Mechanics for Lovers". Miles also filled the encore void (it is Schuba's after all) with a short medley of Beulah tunes featuring "If We Can Land a Man on the Moon, Surely I Can Win Your Heart", "You're Only King Once", and "Gene Autry".

Particularly impressive was the full horn section that showed up to play. The band was backed by a couple trumpets, and couple saxophones, and a trombone. According to the guys in the band, they'd never met the horn players before, but they ran through the set at sound check and decided to give it a go. If you're familiar with Beulah, a lot of their stuff had some large trumpet parts, handled by co-founder Bill Swan. This band filled the void left by his absence quite nicely, and added a lot of texture to Miles' solo stuff, which is also heavy on horns. Pictures and some MK and Beulah vids below.



Dog in the Burning Building

Emma Blowgun's Last Stand

Vampire Weekend @ the Riviera - 4/26/10

First time I've seen them live, and they pretty much lived up to the hype. It might have been the few beers beforehand, but this was a really easy show to get into. A nice thing about Vampire Weekend is that they've only got two records, and most of their songs are short, so they can play a pretty full set that covers virtually all of their album material. They played the entire new album, except for Giving Up the Gun (surprising, since that's a new single), and and I Think Ur a Contra. They played the entire first album except The Kids Don't Stand a Chance. They also threw in Ladies of Cambridge, a b-side from the Oxford Comma single.

This was only the second time I've been to the show at the Riviera (first show was Spoon about two and a half years ago). It's a little bigger venue than I normally frequent. It's got a capacity of about 2,500 people, about 10-15 times the size of a place like Schuba's, which is a bit more up my alley. But the acoustics at the Riv are excellent, so it's hard to complain. We skipped Abe Vigoda, who opened (a band on my radar that I haven't gotten around to yet), and by the time we got in, the venue was fairly full, so visuals weren't easy to come by. But compared to my companion/date, who is about 5'3", I had it pretty easy.

Quick Recaps: Surfer Blood, We Were Promised Jetpacks, and Ted Leo

Three concerts last week, bringing the 2010 total to five so far.

Surfer Blood @ Schuba's - 3/10/10

First up was Surfer Blood, a band out of Florida with a California sound. They played Schuba's, which is right around the corner of my apartment. That made this show very convenient, as I had spent the previous 2+ hours at the United Center watching the Kings lose to the Blackhawks in overtime. So I missed the opener (Turbo Fruits), but got into the club about 10 minutes before the headliners took the stage.

They've only got one album, so they unsurprisingly played pretty much that whole album, minus one or two (I don't think they played Slow Jabroni). It was a pretty short set, maybe 40-45 minutes or so, but they sounded great on their single "Swim". You can tell these guys are fairly new to the game, but they brought their good sound and put on a decent show.

We Were Promised Jetpacks @ Lincoln Hall - 3/11/10

Scottish kids out of Glasgow via Edinburgh in their early 20s. A friend told me, and wikipedia confirms, that their first gig was a battle of the bands at their high school, which they won. That was about seven years ago. Their first album was released last year and I'll crib from Pitchfork and call it sincere, anthemic rock, which it pretty much is. These guys actually had a really nice stage presence considering their youth, and it was a very entertaining set. They just released an EP last week, from which they took a couple songs, but mostly played tracks from their first album, including the album's penultimate track "Keeping Warm", an eight minute track that they turned into about 11-12 minutes thanks to a rollicking three minute introduction. I'll admit that part of the reason I went to this show was to hang out with the girl who turned me onto them, but the show was pretty good in its own right.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists @ the Bottom Lounge - 3/13/10

Tough call on whether to go to this show, since it was the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day, which is practically a religious holiday in Chicago, provided your religion requires the consumption of a great deal of alcohol. I skipped the openers to drink with some friends, but I got into the club in time to hear TL/Rx play their first song. Their new album 'the Brutalist Bricks' just came out last week, and it's pure Ted Leo. Elements of punk, power-pop, and a tinge of traditional Irish music combine to make the TL/Rx formula, and it's worked well enough over the last decade that there isn't much reason to change things. Which isn't to say this is just a companion piece to their last album 'Living with the Living'. It's not. And as it's title suggests, it's a little more muscle bound. A little lighter on the hooks that sucked me in on 'Shake the Sheets', a little heavier on the pounding rhythms and desperate vocals (save for One Polaroid a Day).

He played at least eight or nine songs off the new album, and threw in some older tunes for fun, hitting a bit of each album (Timorous Me from 'Tyranny of Distance'; The High Party from 'Hearts of Oak'; Little Dawn from 'Shake the Sheets'; Bottle of Buckie from 'Living...'). A good solid 1:15 of content, which is good from a band that puts so much into each show.

Vampire Weekend is up next in two weeks.