Ronaldo has officially retired from football

http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/6120565/lack-fitness-led-retirement-18-seasons

Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima has officially retired from professional football after a tremendous that lasted 18 years. Ronaldo started his senior career with Cruzeiro in 1993 and would play for PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, AC Milan and would finish his career in his native Brasil, playing for Corinthians. Ronaldo did everything in his career any player would dream about. Winning two FIFA World Cups with Brasil, three FIFA Player of the Year awards, numerous league titles, scoring titles and countless individual awards, Ronaldo is on everyones list of all-time greats and is arguably the greatest striker to play the game. Ronaldo not only did wonderful things for his club teams, (352 goals in 515 appearances), but he also was a masterful with Brasil. Along with his two World Cup titles, Ronaldo has the record for most all-time World Cup goals with 15 to his tally and has scored 62 goals in 97 caps for the squad.

Ultimately Ronaldo will be remembered for multiple reasons. Not only will he be rememebered for all the great goals he scored, the water like fluidness of his “silks”, but also he’ll be rememebered with the “What if?” factor. Hard to believe with a guy with so much on his resume. Ronaldo suffered three severe knee injuries during the course of his career and still came back every time and competed at a high level. Ronaldo’s mental toughness along with his physically was seemingly unmatched by anyone before, during, or after his prime. Ronaldo was always one of the biggest and fastest players in the world which resulted in countless mismatches. Teams would often send multiple defenders after him and many times he either shook em off and kept going, or he found a teammate in open space to get another goal for his team. It will be strange not seeing El Fenomeno no longer on the pitch, but the memories he’s left us are amazing.

To Ronaldo, Thank you for everything you’ve done for the sport, and personally I thank you for being a great person to look up to. I’m glad I have a hero like you who played the game with passion, respect, honor and integrity.

Darren

Ronaldo

Ronaldo is,was,and always will be my favorite football (Soccer for my fellow Americans) player of all-time. An idol of mine for more than a decade, I admire “R9″ like no other and respect him to the fullest. I’ve worn his #9 and even mimicked some of his “silks” on the pitch. So as I found this video of all of his World Cup record 15 goals, I decided to share it with everyone. Enjoy!

Darren

Maicon interested in Real Madrid?

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=809909&sec=transfers&cc=5901

Brazil’s right winger and Inter Milan star Maicon made it clear that he would like to transfer to Real Madrid to reunite with Jose Mourinho, but he has no problem staying in Italy and playing for his current squad. The 28 year old right back is viewed as the best right back in the world and would definately be welcome in Madrid. If Real Madrid decides to push for the transfer it will be a tough one with Inter placing a steep price tag on the Brazilian. As a Real Madrid fan I would love to have him transfer, but at the right price. We’ll see how it plays out.

Darren

Analyzing Brazil’s 2010 World Cup run

Coming into the 2010 World Cup, Brazil was the #1 ranked team in the world and the co-favorite (with Spain) to win it all. With former team captain and hard nosed defensive midfielder Dunga as the coach, the Brazilians came in with a different approach than usual. Getting away from the “beautiful game” the Brazilians had been accustomed to playing, Dunga had the squad playing a lethal counter-attacking style and had made the roster changes necessary for it to work. Dunga did not bring former teammate and the legendary Ronaldo (World Cup all-time leading scorer and 2-time champion), no Ronaldinho (highly regarded as one of the world’s best players), no Adriano (deadly left footed striker) and no Dida (Goalie in the last two World Cups). Also International retirements of Cafu, Roberto Carlos and Ze Roberto left spots to be filled in by Dunga. Among the new faces included Michel Bastos starting at left back, Luis Fabiano as a striker, and Elano in the midfield. The roster was loaded with guys Dunga knew would take the tournament 100% serious.

In their opening game of group play, Brazil took on the North Koreans and noticed from the get go that they were going to play defensively. Struggling in the first half to get any open looks, the Brazilians knew where they could catch the Koreans sleeping: Off the wings. Bastos and Maicon came out ready to run the wings and early in the second half, 55th minute to be exact, Maicon scored a subperb goal off the wing to put them up 1-0. Later on Elano would get fed a beautiful pass and bury the shot in the 72nd to go up 2-0. Late in the game the Koreans would have a beautiful run and capitalize but Brazil walked out a 2-1 winner. Then up came the Ivory Coast. Didier Drogba in the starting lineup and all wasn’t enough for the Ivory Coast. Luis Fabiano would place one in the back of the net in the 25th minute, and later added one in the 50th. Elano would score once again, this time in the 62nd. Drogba would get the Ivory Coast a goal late in the game but Brazil thoroughly dominated the game and won 3-1. The final group play game came against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal. Only needing a tie, Portugal left C. Ronaldo up top solo and played very defensively. Never in any real danger of conceeding, Brazil pushed and pushed to get a goal but couldn’t muster anything substantial. A lackluster scoreless draw was enough for Brazil to win the group with 7 points ans Portugal to move on.

Moving onto the eighth-finals was the second task checked off by the Brazilians. Facing an outclassed Chilean team, Brazil came out firing on all cylindars early. Center back Juan came up on a corner kick and headed the ball into the back of the net to put them up 1-0 in the 34th minute. Moments later Luis Fabiano would score and put the seleção up 2-0. Then in the 59th minute, the Chilean team killer Robinho would score, giving him 4 goals in 7 games against Chile in his career. Brazil would easily advance after a 3-0 victory. In the Quart-Finals, Brazil went up against the 6th ranked Netherlands in a game many called an “early final.” Brazil wore their blues for the first time in the tourney and came out ready to go. Robinho would get fed a beautiful pass and buried the shot in the 10th minute and it looked like it was going to be a route of the Dutch. Standing tall, the Dutch kept fighting and ended the half down 1. In the second half it went downhill fast for the Brazilians. Wesley Sneijder and co turned up the heat and found a way to attack the Brazilians defense. First off of a free kick Sneijder hit a ball into the box and as Juilo Cesar was coming out to punch the ball away, Brazilian midfielder Felipe Melo backed into him and the ball brushed his shoulder and went in for the equalizer. Then in the 68th minute, off of a corner kick, a double touch header was placed in the back of the net by Sneijder and gave the Dutch a 2-1 lead. Then Brazil started to unravel. Felipe Melo would get a completely ridiculous red card for stomping on a player, Nilmar would enter the game for a quiet Luis Fabiano, and every chance Brazil had late in the game seemingly needed one more player finish. Losing in the quarters in back to back World Cups, and ending Dunga’s reign as head coach in the process.

The positives for Brazil:

Luis Fabiano: Much like the man who wore the #9 yellow and blue before him, Fabiano emerged as a lethal goal scorer for the Brazilians and will more than likely be back in 2014. Only problem for him is consistency. He faded out of the Netherlands game and Brazil really needed him to step up.

Robinho: Many questions were asked about Robinho before the Cup started. With a pair of goals scored and fine play, Robinho played well for the team and silenced many of his critics.

Lucio: What more can be said about the captain? Lucio has always been a fine center back and one of the world’s best defenders and set-piece players, but his attack and ball handling skills were on display in this Cup which added an extra dimension to the team’s attack.

The negatives/disappointments:

Felipe Melo: Countless unecessary fouls and cards probably cost him another run on the National team. Dunga was disgusted as were many of the Brazilian teams’ supporters. Melo let the team down and made costly errors.

Kaka: One of the top 5 players in the world, Kaka played like many of the world’s stars in this cup, lackluster. Sure his form wasn’t top notch due to injures, but Kaka never really found his world class touch in any of the games. He had a couple assists and had a few solid plas, but his shot was off and he made a few uncharacteristically bad passes during the tournament. Hopefully he heals back up, plays well for Real Madrid and comes back ready for 2014.

Dunga: With all due respect to coach Dunga, there still will be MANY questions and about his methods. What if he took Ronaldinho and Neymar? What if he let Ronaldo have one last run of the World Cup pitch? What if he would have embraced the beaufitul game? Dunga did a very good job in his time as head coach, but very good isn’t the words Brazilian supporters. myself included, want to say about the team or coach. Great would have been to win the Cup. Very good gets the team to #1 ranked. We’ll see where Dunga goes from here and who the Brazilians have coaching them next.

Darren

Analyzing Portugal’s 2010 World Cup run

Entering the 2010 World Cup as the world’s #3 ranked team, Portugal had high expectations, but after being placed in Group G with #1 ranked Brazil and Afrcan power Ivory Coast, Portugal knew it would be a tough road to the knockout stages. In their opener, Portugal played a tough game against Ivory Coast in which Cristiano Ronaldo took a shot that hit the post, received a yellow card and midfield standout Deco got injured. Ivory Coast superstar striker Didier Drogba came on in the 2nd half as a sub and missed a golden opportunity inside the penalty area that could have given his team the victory. After the draw Portugal took on North Korea without Deco, who didn’t appear in the tournament again, without Pepe, still nursing an injury, and with their star player on a yellow card. It didn’t matter. Portugal thrashed North Korea 7-0 in a game that saw Tiago hit the back of the net twice, C. Ronaldo score an acrobatic goal, and the North Koreans look lethargic and amatuerish. After giving them a cushion over Ivory Coast in goals, Portugal knew that the smartest way for them to move on would be to play nine men back and leave C. Ronaldo up top and play defensively to get the draw. The plan worked as the Portugese frustrated the Brazilians by always havin 4-5 guys in front of the ball, forcing Brazil to shoot many long range shots. Portugal never really threatened Julio Cesar but their objective was achieved. Then came the bad news… Spain had won their group, group H, therefore setting up a Portugal/Spain matchup in the eigth-finals. Throughtout th game Portugal keeper Eduardo played a world-class game. Stopping shot after shot and playing brilliantly, Eduardo kept the Spaniards wondering if they’d ever hit the back of the net. Then in the 63rd minute, Spain striker David Villa, who had been terrorizing the Portugese defense all game long, broke free after some masterful passing and hit a shot that was blocked by Eduardo’s leg, giving up a costly rebound. Villa would be as prepared as any top level striker should be and buried the rebound just under the crossbar for the goal. Portugal would up the attack for the remainder of the game but couldn’t score on world #1 Iker Casillas and the match ended 1-0 in favor Spain. After you would see many different emotions from the Portugese. Eduardo sat on the pitch in tears, Cristiano Ronaldo walked off in frustration, Pepe upset but also happy for his fellow Real Mardid mates Casillas and Sergio Ramos, and many in shock after playing their hearts out. It’s one of if not the toughest way to lose a game in soccer.

Portugal’s strong points in their 4 game run were as follows:

Keeper play: Eduardo who is known as a solid shot stopper proved to be just that as he stopped everything within reach, only conceeding the Villa goal in the 4 games.

Defensive play: Playing three teams with great strikers, the Portugese only conceeding one goal was an amazing feat. Going heads up with the likes of Villa, Drogba, Luis Fabiano and co., they were able to lock up the oppositions strikers and kept the ball away from their net.

Simao: A solid ball distributor, Simao played very well during the tournament in my opinion. Feeding balls to Tiago, C Ronaldo and Hugo Almeida, Simao was all over in the midfield and deserved to be recognized in Portugal’s success.

Negatives were:

Offensive attack: Understandably you would want C. Ronaldo on the attack, but when your teammates are in awe of your skills, it’s very hard to sustain a solid attack when it’s you vs 5 every time you have the ball. Also Portugal seemed content with ties against Ivory Coast and Brazil and it ended up costing them big time. Sure, opening up some might have cost them a goal but it also drastically improves your goal scoring chances and they failed to try attacking teams.

C Ronaldo’s shot selection: Coming in Portugal knew Cristiano was their ace in the hole but Ronaldo failed to really get any solid shots off in the four games. His best attempts were the post crusher against Ivory Coast and a free kick attempt vs Spain that forced his clubmate Casillas’ hand but never really put him in danger.

Loss of Deco: When Deco got hurt, Portugal’s midfield play dropped. Deco is a world class player and fantastic midfielder who would have definatley helped Cristiano and Almeida up top.

All in all I give Portugal a B rating in their 4 game stint. A solid showing against North Korea, keeping up with Spain and playing ultra cautious against Brazil and the Ivory Coast showed different sides of the Portugese. I believe that with a couple young players added and a healthy Deco/Cristiano Ronaldo combo the Portugese can come back stronger in 2014 and compete with the likes of Brazil and Spain for the title.

Darren

World Cup Group Play Predictions

For the 2010 World Cup, there are many teams who could be suprise advancers and a few top teams who could falter early. After the opening game, a 1-1- draw between South Africa and Mexico, it’s very clear that every game has a shot to be entertaining and well played. Here are my predictions for group play:

Group A: France,Mexico,Uruguay,South Africa

No host nation has ever missed out on moving on and South Africa is hoping that trend continues as they are in a solid group. I believe France will win the bracket in a tough,tightly played group and advancing with them will be Uruguay.

Group B: Argentina,Nigeria,Greece,South Korea

Argentina is a popular “choke pick” but Argentina has enough talent to get through this group. South Korea is a fit team but doesn’t pack a strong punch. I believe Argentina and Nigeria move on in this group.

Group C: England,USA,Algeria,Slovenia

In pretty much a two team race, England’s Saturday faceoff with the U.S will more than likely be for 1st place in the group. I think Rooney as co take care of business and the USA comes in 2nd.

Group D: Germany,Austrailia,Ghana,Serbia

In a group with a beat up German squad, Austrailia, Ghana, and Serbia’s chances got  stronger as the Germans had to find replacements for injured stars such as Michael Ballack. I think Germany still has enough to win this group and my pick for 2nd would be Serbia slightly over Austrailia.

Group E: Netherlands,Japan,Cameroon,Denmark

Another group that could go any which way, the Netherlands is the favorite to move on I think they will have enough firepower to do so. The interesting matchup will probably the Cameroon/Denmark matchup as I think that will dictact 2nd place. I believe Cameroon moves on with Netherlands.

Group F:Italy,Paraguay,Slovakia,New Zealand

The defending champion Italians seem to have an easy bracket in their return to the World Cup. The Italy squad isn’t as revered as they have been in some Cups but thats a good thing. In recent history when Italy has been slept on they’ve had solid showings.When favored, not so much. I think Italy takes care of business and moves on along with Paraguay.

Group G:Brazil,Portugal,Ivory Coast,North Korea

In my personal favorite group, my favorite team Brazil, #1 in the world, has a tough bracket which contains the world’s best player Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal squad, one of the most feared strikers in the Premiership Didier Drogba on Ivory Coast, and the ultra fit, sleeper pick North Koreans. Brazil will be challenged no doubt but will more than likely do what they do best and win games and move on. Second will probably be determined off the result of the Ivory Coast/Portugal game. I think C. Ronaldo and Portugal end up in 2nd and moving on.

Group H: Spain,Chile,Honduras,Switzerland

What more can be said about Spain? One loss since 2006, the best keeper in the world, and a tendency to score in bunches. Seemingly a perfect recipe for victory…Right? Well for Spain it hasn’t been firendly to them in the World Cup. Spain has a tendency to struggle and be lackluster but I believe this may be the perfect time for Spain. With Iker Casillas manning the net and Iniesta and co attacking, Spain should easily win their group and move on. My pick for second is the Swiss.

Darren

Brazil’s 2010 World Cup roster announced

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/5239773/ce/us/no-surprises-brazil-names-23-man-roster?cc=5901&ver=us

Ronaldo:El Fenomeno

In prep for World Cup 2010, I give you a video of the greatest goal scorer in World Cup history, Ronaldo A.K.A El Fenomeno of Brazil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2yLm445VKY&playnext_from=TL&videos=IwFE2ToWtwQ