How influential is soccer in Argentina? Well, for starters the president of the Argentine FA (AFA), Armando “Chiqui” Tapia, is the son-in-law of the most powerful worker’s union leader in Argentina, Hugo Moyano. Moyano also happens to be the president of Independiente. Television mogul and former AFA presidential candidate Marcelo Tinelli has served in various functions at San Lorenzo including vice-president. The most obvious example is that of current Argentine president Mauricio Macri. His “political” career began back in the mid 1990’s when he became the president of Boca Juniors. Even the current Boca president has important ties to the intelligence community in Argentina.

Beginner’s Guide to Argentine Primera División

In the US, the English-language TV rights to the Primera Division are currently owned by Paramount+. The ViacomCBS company acquired the rights in the spring of 2021 and now stream matches through the 2024 campaign.

For Spanish listeners, games can be accessed via the streaming service Fanatiz. This provider offers legal streaming of Primera Division games, including River Plate and Boca Juniors games. Plus, Fanatiz also features the Chilean league and Chilean Cup, among other competitions from the continent.

Teams to watch

The two biggest clubs in Argentina are undoubtedly Boca Juniors and River Plate. Combining for 70 titles between the two teams, the next closest club has raised the trophy just 18 times. While Boca Juniors and River Plate are the two dominant teams, other clubs such as Racing, Independiente, Velez Sarsfield, Rosario Central, and San Lorenzo have also enjoyed some success in recent years.

Format

After years of format adjustments, particularly the number of clubs in the top flight, the first division now consists of 26 teams. The season typically runs from July/August into the South American summer. Remember, South America has flipped seasons compared to the northern hemisphere.

Much like most countries that play semester-type tournaments, Argentina implemented averages of the last four seasons to determine relegated teams. Here is the formula: Points won divided by matches played equals average.

These teams would be replaced by the champion of the Primera Nacional (second division) and the winner of a single-elimination tournament between teams placed in second to ninth place in the table.

For a more in-depth look at how promotion and relegation works across the soccer world, check out our article on the subject.

Copa Argentina

In addition to the league, clubs play the Copa Argentina. This cup tournament returned after two previous editions in 1969 and 1970. This competition started during the Fútbol Para Todos days. Moreover, founders set the goal to reach out to areas that do not have top clubs consistently competing in the region.

The competition begins in February. Typically, matches transpire in a neutral venue. Generally, the last two teams play in the final in late November or early December.

The winner of this competition gets a spot in the Argentine Super Cup where they would face the winner of the league. The second reward that the cup winner obtains is a spot in the Copa Libertadores should they have not already qualified for that competition. In the event that the winning team has already obtained a spot in Copa Libertadores, the runner-up in the competition would then qualify.

If you have any questions about the Beginners Guide to Argentine Primera División, let us know in the comments section below.

READ MORE: Name variations of soccer leagues, cups and tournaments

Browse through these beginners guides to the many of the popular soccer leagues:

Soccer Beginner's guides

• Beginner's guide to soccer rules

• Beginner's guide to Argentine Primera División

• Beginner's guide to Bundesliga

• Beginner's guide to Championship

• Beginner's guide to Champions League

• Beginner's guide to Copa América

• Beginner's guide to English Premier League

• Beginner's guide to Euro 2024

• Beginner's guide to FA Cup

• Beginner's guide to Korea's K League

• Beginner's guide to La Liga

• Beginner's guide to Serie A

• Beginner's guide to Women's World Cup

• Beginner's guide to World Cup

CONMEBOL president Juan Angel Napout has told Argentine radio that the 2016 Copa American Centenario will be played in the United States, potentially providing clarity after months of speculation about the future of South America’s upcoming competition.

In a Tuesday interview, Napout confirmed to AM 950 in Belgrano, Argentina, that the tournament was still scheduled to take place as planned despite doubts which surfaced after spring raids on a Swiss hotel led to the indictments of 14 individuals associated with FIFA, including CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb and Costa Rican executive committee member Eduardo Li. Corruption alleged in the FBI’s investigation left the tournament, a cooperative effort between CONMEBOL AND CONCACAF, in doubt.

Napout used Tuesday’s radio interview to confirm CONMEBOL’s plans remain unchanged.

¨We spoke with CONCACAF about the things that were in place for the past few years, that the tournament will take place in the United States and alongside CONCACAF,¨ Napout said, claiming media ooutlets had speculated about alternative scenarios that had not been discussed by the confederation.

¨The most normal thing in football here is to find out through the media about things I didn’t say,” the former Paraguayan federation president explained.

Napout’s response contradicts recent reports in the Argentine press saying the tournament will be moved to Colombia or Ecuador. Chile has also been mentioned as a potential host nation, with AS Chile reporting that the country which put on this summer’s Copa America could host a relocated tournament.

Brazil, originally scheduled to stage the 2015 Copa America, will welcome the 2016 Summer Olympics to Rio de Janeiro, leaving the last World Cup host free of Centenario speculation.

“The U.S. is capable of hosting a World Cup tomorrow if they are asked to do it,” said Napout, asked about whether this tournament would change venues.

“We are [in discussions] and there has been a great deal of goodwill shown in order to get things done,” said Napout. “The announcement will be made official soon.”

When Ricardo Ferretti (nicknamed Tuca) was introduced this week as interim coach of the Mexican national team, he put on a display of a mild mannered man. This was not, by any means, the same man that many were accustomed to seeing, the one that berated journalists both on and off the pitch.  The man that was being presented to lead El Tri was a man that seemed very reflective and grateful.

He came out to thank his adopted nation that opened its arms to him at the age of 23 when he arrived at Atlas. Although he quickly became a productive player on that 1977 side, it was not enough to prevent them from going down to the second division. It might have seemed like the end for this young midfielder, but it was a new beginning. He would then see success when he headed to Pumas and then would team up with Hugo Sánchez to win the league title in 1981. He also would repeat the feat a decade later.

It was confusing to see Tuca acting so low-key during the press conference. Could it be part of the job conditions that were placed on him to keep it toned down because of his extra-coaching responsibilities?  Just a few short days before that, he was attacking the Mexican press during another butting of heads.

This was not distant from the Ricardo Ferretti who was one of Miguel Mejía Barón’s most trusted lieutenants while the latter was coach of the Mexican national team. One thing that Ferretti had over the Club América coach was that he could say he was undefeated as national team boss. Ferretti was given the chance to coach a match as El Tri began their road to the World Cup in the US back in 1993. On that occasion, his squad of alternate players was able to beat a Costa Rica side 2-0 at the Estadio Azul in an encounter that was rather forgettable for collective fans of their beloved Tri.

Approximately two years after his playing career came to an end, the Brazilian-born Ferretti was more Dunga than Sócrates.  He was more demolition man than Picasso as a player; yet he was a cult figure of sorts when he made his move to Mexico.

A few years ago, Tuca was asked about the chance of becoming coach of the national team. “If there is a job that I am not interested in, it’s the Mexican national team. If you offer me a job as a street sweeper, I might consider it.”

Those are rather harsh words for a job that he “pseudo-accepted” under certain conditions.

On Monday when he was presented as national team coach,  he talked about how his words were a bit too strong in the past.

If you’re not familiar with Ferretti, it’s possible you might confuse him with Miguel Herrera.  To be honest, I wouldn’t blame you.  He’s an effusive and even volatile coach that will not mince his words even if you might agree with him.  He will often curse in press conferences and is unapologetic about it.

Importantly, he’s able to explain what he wants out of his players, and during his nearly three decades in Mexico, he understands the idiosyncrasy that has been synonymous with Mexican football.

From a tactical standpoint, he’s been extremely criticized for being conservative.  No one is going to argue that his teams usually are tactically solid and have few liabilities especially from a defensive standpoint. There is nothing wrong with that. The criticism with his tactical layout is that he has usually fielded some of the most offensively talented sides in Mexican football the past few years, especially as coach of Tigres.

This was the greatest bit of criticism that he received after Tigres’ meek performance against River Plate in the return leg of the Copa Libertadores final.

Four matches will be a small time frame to really give a final verdict as far as to what he can do. Then again, that was pretty much the same thing that we all said then about Víctor Manuel Vucetich, Luis Fernando Tena and the other eight coaches that were national team coaches after Ricardo La Volpe stepped down after 2006.

From a personality standpoint, is he the best person out there?  Probably not. Tuca will have to give the players that’ll be taking part in that playoff match in the the Rose Bowl a major sales pitch in order to make sure they’re listening and respecting a caretaker coach.

Ferretti’s usual style is one that will emerge during this time period. His volatile style mixed with the more entitled nucleus of this squad could mix like oil and water. If one were to look at this major clash in approaches, it could be either a great way to see opposites attract or a short-term plan that could flame out in spectacular fashion.

The nucleus of Mexico‘s squad is also one that offers some dynamic but the well dries up rather quick.

With Ferretti, MLS fans may remember the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal matchup when his Tigres side came into Seattle and decided to drop back after scoring the first goal of the match. That strategy failed miserably as the Sounders stormed back to knock off that squad in a 3-1 scoreline.

This is why if you continue to watch this long-running soap opera, there are things that start to emerge that might not seem so far-fetched. At this stage of the game, you could give the United States a slight advantage over their eternal rivals.

When he was a player, Miguel Herrera’s blonde mullet accentuated his piquant naughtiness, mixed in with a nasty mean streak. He was dogged, hard-working, and one of the peskiest defenders in Mexican soccer during a greater part of the 1990’s. Although diminutive in stature, his intense nature made him a fan favorite. Yet it was his demons emerging from that mean streak that became his eventual downfall.

As a coach, Herrera still exudes that fiery nature but he’s combined it with a quick wit and a jocular personality (as well as an abundance of passion) that made him one of the most beloved individuals in Mexico.

How quickly things change.

Back in April, I had the pleasure of interviewing Miguel Herrera in Mexico City. The scene was perfectly set at the Centro De Alto Rendimiento (Mexican FA’s training ground). At that moment, it seemed that Mexican soccer was in a peaceful place. Everyone was smiling, and Herrera cracked jokes at times while the press laughed in unison, which was strikingly reminiscent to the canned laughs you hear in old sitcoms.

While my conversation was brief, it was still extremely telling in hindsight. One of the questions I asked him was what his “best mistake” was. What I meant by that was a mistake that taught him a great lesson where he ended up benefitting from it in the long term.  He candidly spoke about the time he was with Atlante and that infamous fight he had prior to the World Cup.

That same fight was that one that virtually ended his international career. He told me that fight taught him to control his emotions and not allow them to get the best of him. He remembered that incident vividly and told me how it marked him as a player. It would be that fight that many would revisit after this latest scandal that could cost him his job.

Our conversation was brief as he was quickly whisked away in order to speak to various sponsors present. He would then join a US-based radio program, then he got ready to attend an event near the Zona Rosa in Mexico City where the most popular wax museum in the capital was ready to unveil a statue of the Mexican national team coach. He was on top of the world.

Excesses are usually not a good thing. Wherever he went, he was asked for. Whoever asked for him, he tended to them in a gracious manner. In the end, that attitude, in addition to his commercial and coaching obligations, took a toll.

This type of accessibility was praised highly by the Mexican press. Why? Well, he was the antithesis of of Nestor De La Torre’s drier and even less sociable demeanor.

Through all the praise that Herrera won from the media on both sides of the border, he did lose touch with a very harsh reality of Mexican soccer. When scrutiny came along, the popularity became taxing and his sense of infallibility became greater.

Herrera talked about not calling up players “for the sake of taking them away from the US” and “Mexico had 90 players” he could choose from to make a callup list. He was taken to task quickly. In retrospect, that was one of the first moments when you had an indication that the tide was turning against Herrera.

He then talked about there not being a Mexican A or B team for two tournaments this summer. A few weeks later, he gave the guarantee that Mexico would be playing in the final of Copa América. Unfortunately for Herrera, Mexico came up short as El Tri were knocked out of the group stage for a second consecutive tournament.

Those performances in Copa America saw him arrive to the Gold Cup with tremendous pressure on his shoulders. It was a win-at-all-costs attitude that the Mexican had and their form did not help at all. Their form was accentuated by the team’s behavior after matches when they did not address the media and Herrera’s demeanor turning combative with the Mexican press.

But it would be his non-football related attitudes that would start to truly begin to signal the downfall. For example, his tweets where he supported a political party during the elections in Mexico.

Yet through all the obstacles Herrera experienced this summer, the writing was slowly written on that proverbial wall.  Tinkering with players, playing them out of position combined with the team’s overall sluggish play (sans favorable calls) had “El Piojo” within the cross hairs of the media. The problem was, he constantly fired back.

These actions lead to the decline of his popularity and possibly his demise as coach.

When it was least expected, Herrera’s demons that harmed his playing career struck again. This time it was TV Azteca commentator Christian Martinoli who would be on the opposite side.

Herrera and Martinoli had their spats on social media and bumped heads on various occasions based on disagreements in the recent past. Yet all of this escalated when Herrera threatened the journalist by allegedly saying that “they would meet in an airport” and they would “settle things.” No one would have imagined that resolution would be achieved by hitting anyone in the back of the neck or shoving someone in an airport line.

What does the future have in store for Herrera? We’ll see what the verdict will be after the coach meets with officials later this morning. As of right now, the talk is that Miguel Herrera will become the fifth coach in less than two years to coach El Tri.

There is only one thing that a person has to know about this topic. Herrera violated Article 3 of the FeMexFut code of ethics.

“Any person that holds a position or fulfills an activity directly or indirectly related to FMF and federated football, adheres to the principles and obligations within the current Code of Ethics, therefore, cannot argue lack of knowledge or non-existence of judicial interest as a defense adopting beginning or commencement of activities, with dignified conduct, authentic and integral that will avoid infringing on the principles within this Code.”

Just like in any other profession, violations of ethic codes are sanctionable with termination. Unlike any other job, though, few come with the demands of Miguel Herrera’s.

After this last fiasco within the Mexican national team, it doesn’t only show that Miguel Herrera was consumed by a job that crushed four coaches that preceded him in the span of a month.

It will probably be the last piece of business that the lame duck president Justino Compean makes before leaving on Saturday due to “personal reasons,” or as many would call it “the ghosts of FIFAGate creeping in”.

There have been several reports saying that Herrera would be sacked by today, although there has been an incredible amount of silence within the federation. It’s quite worrying for a federation that finds itself mired in controversy after winning a title in such a dubious manner while all of CONCACAF is still feeling the effects of the FBI investigation. Now the question is who will do the sacking? Will it be Compean or will it be incoming president Decio De María?

At this point, the CONCACAF playoff in October between Mexico and the United States is the least of Mexico’s worries. Herrera accomplished his objective of winning the Gold Cup. But the most ironic part is that he has only had a few hours to celebrate before facing the sack for his behavior in the airport and not the results on the pitch. Those demons, once again, got the best of him.

I’m always surprised when I hear stories about how some people never knew that their closest friends were involved in corruption.  In the modern world, let’s forget about soccer for a second, how can you NOT know something is going on right next to you with the amount of information that is available to us all?

After it was revealed that Chuck Blazer made corrupt deals on American soil for more than a decade, did many in the media here in the US decide to go silent or take a more nonchalant role in investigating the connection with US soccer?  Sure, they did.  Why? There were many things going on in the sports calendar, no doubt. Yet it was a story that was pertinent to what was going on in FIFA. But more attention should have been paid to it, not brushed aside the way it was by many.

In Wednesday’s US Senate panel hearing on corruption in soccer, some of the Spanish-language US media outlets such as ESPN Deportes played excerpts of the hearing and discussed what went on.  Some went as far as saying that ‘it might not be a lot, but it is a first step.’  It did leave US Soccer (especially Sunil Gulati) in a negative light within the international community because of the monk-like silence he has decided to take on throughout this entire ordeal.

During the US Senate panel hearing, US Soccer Federation CEO Dan Flynn said, “I was aware of some level of discomfort but it was all a general feeling. So, I had no hard evidence and we wanted to continue to participate in trying to influence (FIFA) as one of 209 members.”

However, Flynn later conceded that USSF decided to play ball with the likes of Blazer and Warner rather than follow-up on what was causing the “level of discomfort” because “we had other things to do to help build our sport.”

SEE MORE — The reaction from US soccer media to US Senate hearing on corruption in soccer.

While many in English were already nominating Sunil Gulati for canonization and propping him up as the next president of FIFA after the DOJ and FBI did all of the hard work to begin prosecuting corrupt CONCACAF and FIFA officials, there were some that asked the big question: “How did Gulati not know about Chuck Blazer and Jeffrey Webb and Eduardo Li?” These were individuals that he fraternized with at the Paradise Island hotel in the Bahamas back in April.

People forget that CONCACAF was a united front.  Every member of CONCACAF voted UNANIMOUSLY for Jeffrey Webb to continue his tenure as leader of a “reformed” federation.

International publications such as Marca and The Guardian weighed in on these topics, and even the highly-rated Jorge Ramos show on ESPN Deportes spoke extensively about the issues.  So, the belief that some elements of the press have not been “caring” or “brushing it aside” is not true.  Truth be told, a hearing where no one was subpoenaed or sworn in takes a bit out of this all.  Yet seeing Dan Flynn squirm like a kid that didn’t study for a pop quiz said volumes.

It’s quite amazing that Gulati, an executive committee member, did not know that money for the Goal Project has gone missing in various parts of CONCACAF.  It was amazing to know that someone so high up in the spheres of power at an organization has absolutely no clue as to what is going on around him.

SEE MORE — Choice quotes from US Senate panel hearing into soccer corruption.

Investigative reporter Andrew Jennings said his piece, albeit in interrupted fashion.  He hit some points, but he just enjoyed being in front of the mic and wanted to be the star.  Unfortunately, for him he wasn’t granted the spotlight he so direly longed for.

That spotlight went to Dan Flynn.  He pretty much put himself in the hole from the get go. His contradictions were prevalent from the beginning.  He went from not knowing anything about corruption to feeling “discomfort” about what was going on in CONCACAF elections where Jack Warner asked for “sealed votes.”  If he was so uncomfortable, then why didn’t he file a complaint or do something about it?

The way the FIFA culture works is that it’s focused on cooperation and enabling (looking the other way).  Ask individuals like former CONCACAF senior vice-president Lyle Austin or longtime head of the St. Kitts and Nevis FA Peter Jenkins as to what happens when you don’t follow the script.

Going back to the US Senate panel hearing for a minute, do these politicians care about soccer in this country in the grand scheme of things? I could probably count more people that consider underwater basketweaving as a source of employment.

Is the Senate going to be the answer to clean up the sport’s organizing body?  Well, we saw how effective the government was in getting steroids out of baseball.  Let’s be honest, the only reason the US government got involved was because of CONCACAF’s brashness in using banks here for their activities. That, and not paying taxes, are going to whip up the most ire from Uncle Sam.

The amounts of money moved around made American politicians realize it’s big business. Is it part of a political charade? Maybe.  It doesn’t take much to appease constituents when it comes to these types of issues, especially when the Iran deal and Greece’s austerity package are still dominating news cycles on and off of Capitol Hill.

There have been some wonderful stories that have emerged because of the rapid evolution of soccer in this country. Everything from the national team to the players that leave it all out on the pitch in the domestic leagues, to the fans, make the US such a great story.  They make you crack a smile because you remember the days when the mainstream in the US featured soccer as the butt of all jokes.

I am not writing this to make you think anyone is guilty of anything. That road is still a long one and there will probably be other names that fall sooner rather than later. I am writing this to make you think. A great part of this country’s media failed in stimulating you into doing exactly that. That is where “we,” and I include myself, have come up short.  Why?  As Senator Blumenthal said the “silence is deafening, and sometimes inaction signals complicity.” Our omission shows exactly that.

To what extent, well, that question has to be answered by all of us because we’ve failed the people that look to us to inform them, not tell them that all is good.  Those same people that are looking to be informed are the number one reason why the sport has grown and they deserve that more than anyone else.

Arsenal are close to a deal to sign Colombia national team goalkeeper David Ospina from French club Nice. The club president of the Nice team, Jean-Pierre Rivère, revealed, “There is still no agreement, but we are not far.” But if and when a deal is reached, what can we expect from Ospina?

When 17-year-old Ospina put on his gloves for the first time in a top flight match, there were nerves. Yet the casual fan or pundit would have never noticed.  In front of him was the most daunting task of his career, debuting in a packed house for one of the biggest clubs in Colombian football with Atlético Nacional, to start out a season.

For the Medellín native, he got to see his club win league titles from the bench but he knew that the chance was there to do great things and the enormous responsibility of being in goal where players like Miguel Calero and René Higuita had soared to tremendous heights at the continental level in years past was relished more than feared.

Ospina would help Nacional in 2007 become the first team to win the league title in back-to-back semesters since the inception of that format back in 2002.  His saves were spectacular as were his clashes in the area with any carbon-based object lurking in his box. Overall, the young goalkeeper showed why he was the goalkeeper of the future as the previous generation, with names like Oscar Córdoba, Faryd Mondragón and Agustín Julio, were near the end of their soccer careers.

Just a few months after his success with Nacional, he was called up for the Colombian national team. By the time 2010 rolled around, he established himself as the undisputed number one for Colombia.  By that time the eyes of various teams from Italy, Spain and England were inquiring about his services after two excellent seasons at Ligue 1 side Nice.

The 2011 Copa América was where he was supposed to emerge and become one of the best players at his position. Unfortunately an untimely challenge by former Wigan and U-20 teammate Hugo Rodallega ended his participation in the tournament before it even began.  Yet that did not deter him from his eventual goal.

His potential contributions to Arsenal

I’ve seen and heard Arsenal fans cringe the past few seasons ever since Jens Lehmann departed off into the sunset from his goalkeeping position.

The list of keepers that have come like Wojciech Szczęsny, Lucasz Fabianski, Vito Mannone and Manuel Almunia did not inspire a great deal of confidence in Gunners fans.  As a matter of fact, Alex Manninger, Stuart Taylor and Vince Bartram didn’t inspire the confidence at Highbury in the post-David Seaman era either before Lehmann asserted himself when he returned in 2011.

Some of these goalkeepers have shown flashes of quality, but their erratic play at times has seen that position on the squad become a revolving door of sorts. That is until Szczęsny saw Fabianski leave for Swansea City and Italian goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano did not see action at all during his short time as a Gunner.

Ospina comes in with a completely different pedigree. When Szczesny was just starting as a youth player, Ospina was already gaining experience as a backup and eventually a starter with Atlético Nacional in Colombia.  He was talked about by many as a goalkeeper with potential and he showed it at times as a 16-17 year-old etching his place on a professional club.  Yet it was his mental strength and maturity that made European sides take notice of what he could offer.

Former Köln and Philadelphia Union shot stopper Faryd Mondragón talked about the fact that the man in front of him on the national team before his retirement was going to be there for a long time.

Right now, Ospina’s skill set is probably the most well-rounded you will see in European soccer. His qualities are well documented – quickness, ability to cut off angles, and vision.  Yet it is the work that he has done in the past few years to improve certain deficiencies in his game that are what make him such an interesting long-term project for Arséne Wenger, who saw him up close in Brazil just a few short weeks ago.

“With David, (Colombia) have a goalkeeper for a log time.  He is very disciplined in goal.  He’s a modern goalkeeper, can stop shots, cut angles very well and makes big saves in crucial situations.  I like his style.”

– Faryd Mondragón

Ospina has also shown promise when it comes to using his feet and being able to organize and distribute the ball t0 his teammates. There might be a bit of an issue with the language, but it’s doubtful as he does speak French and Spanish, so from that perspective his bases are covered.

As a younger goalkeeper, Ospina was always a heart attack waiting to happen when he was coming out for crosses. Either he’d misplay the ball or would get smashed by another player (friend or foe) in the process. Ever since he arrived at Nice in Ligue Un, that part of his game improved exponentially.

Being at a club like Atlético Nacional as well as part of the Colombian U-20 team back in 2005 was also a tremendous learning experience. That club, according to many, was one of the best youth sides that Colombia ever had if you start to look at the names. Radamel Falcao García, Camilo Zúñiga, Abel Aguilar, Fredy Guarín, Carlos Valdés, Cristián Zapata, as well as David, were part of the 2010 World Cup side in Brazil. Edwin Valencia was on the World Cup side until an injury forced him out of the squad.  Ospina was the youngest player on that squad at 16, albeit he was a backup to Libis Arenas in that tournament.

“He’s a very young goalkeeper but with excellent skill set. I wish him the best.”-

Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo

The experience he gained throughout his career helped him become one of the most solid South American goalkeepers of the past few years.  It was an easy choice for many to see that Ospina was the most consistent keepers in the last South American World Cup qualifiers. He was also one of the players in his position that were able to shine the brightest in one of the highest scoring World Cups ever.

Yet, the most important observation that needs to be made is his contribution to help keep Nice afloat in Ligue 1 the past few years. Claude Puel’s side was one of the youngest sides in the league and had the worst offensive output as well. Despite these numbers, Ospina was amongst the best in the league.  He was fourth in goals against average (0.86) and tied for third in clean sheets with 13 alongside Monaco’s Danijel Subasic.

There is no doubt in the minds of many that Ospina could be the starter at Arsenal sooner rather than later. If that does indeed occur, the question will not be when will Szczesny get a start.  The question will be is which goalkeeper will be the one that can inherit Ospina’s position in the years to come. Until now, he will have to prove himself once more, like he did when he first started.

Juan Román Riquelme was always a personality that intrigued many in the soccer world.  His unparalleled skill and penchant to virtually will the ball wherever he wanted made him such an attractive footballer to watch on any pitch he played on throughout his career.

In the next few days, when Riquelme is presented on the same Argentinos Juniors pitch where it all began as a young kid, many will look at what happened to his legacy at Boca and how it all turned sour.

Even as a player that was coming out of the streets of San Fernando over in northern Greater Buenos Aires, he was one of the young and up and coming players in youth football by the time he turned 13.  That potential, unharnessed artistry, was beginning to be molded at the same place where a footballing demigod did just two decades before.  La Paternal was the place where Riquelme would start to be talked about by many and it would be a move to Boca would be in the cards for him and his destiny would take that turn to greatness. But at times, his success ended up dividing opinions in Argentina.

Since his debut as a 17-year-old kid at La Bombonera, he was able to captivate the imagination of a fanbase and a footballing nation whenever he was able to conjure up his magic.  Still if his style of play was engaging and able to seduce millions, his personality was often dry and even divisive.

His attitude was not the best one as Riquelme was often at odds with most coaches that he was under. He was at odds with Manuel Pellegrini at Villarreal, putting president Fernando Roig in a position where he backed the coach and left his biggest star out in the cold.

The same happened with Julio César Falcioni, when he chose to make the player more important that the squad.  The night before the Copa Libertadores final against Corinthians, Riquelme came out and said he was leaving the Xeneize because he had ¨nothing left¨ to give to Boca.  It was only after Carlos Bianchi returned for a third stint at the club that Riquelme’s tank of giving seemed full once again.  That was only after the fans at La Bombonera gave their final verdict in a stadium that resembled a Roman coliseum and the 55 thousand-plus fans gave their collective thumbs down to the coach that just a year ago led them on the second longest unbeaten streak and the second unbeaten league title in history.

During that time, Falcioni and Riquelme fell out. The most telling moment was when the team was on the plane coming home from Venezuela and the two started to jaw at each other.  Riquelme immediately called out Falcioni and his tactica, virtually taking away his authority within the club.  What ensued was a year filled with finals appearances, finals losses and the ghost of Riquelme looming over a coach that was in no position to bargain. While Riquelme hung out with his friends and had a good time watching Boca struggle from afar, Falcioni’s shoulders felt the weight of obligation, which was too much for him.

Ironically, when Bianchi had him back, the player decided not to go to pre-season. Instead he made his decision to return to Boca when pre-season was about to come to an end.

Riquelme made the club jump through an endless amount of hoops in an effort to negotiate his continuity in La Boca.  There were some truly unrealistic things that he was asking for in his new contract.  The first one was a long-term deal.  That to a 36-year-old player that missed half of his matches in the past six years, was beyond insane.  Add to that the fact that the player was asking for a salary of US$1.25 million was even wilder in an Argentine league that is stretched to the max from an economic standpoint.

What makes this story even wilder is that Riquelme was asking for the club to pay his salary based on the “blue dollar” exchange rate.  This is what is also a byproduct of the current situation in Argentina.  The official exchange rate between the dollar and the peso as of the time of this article being published was at $8.15 while the unofficial, or blue dollar, is at about $12.25. If you multiply it, the difference in money was significant in pesos — which was what club president Daniel Angelici was mentioning since the first day and that the team’s economic sacrifices were tremendous when they offered the Boca idol a contract “no one in Argentina could offer.”  Still was all for naught.  At one point Riquelme might as well just asked for a gazillion dollars and the response would have been the same. Boca took Riquelme’s offer as rhetorical. He just threw out a number as well as a set of conditions that he knew the club would not accept.

For many that have seen Riquelme, it was just another pretense to be able to miss pre-season once again. This is why Boca were fed up. “The club is biggest than its idols, its board directors and its coaches, ” said Angelici when talking about the negotiations between both parties collapsed.

At that stage on Wednesday, it was quite apparent that Riquelme was on his way out.

While this was going on, Riquelme would go on television anytime he wanted to continue saying that the club did not show any love for him and the most important thing in his career was Boca and that the money was not that important.

Now Riquelme is going “home”.  Argentinos Juniors will now become the most interesting team in the Nacional B – the Argentine second division.  Their short quest has them poised to be looking to earn promotion into the wacky 30-plus team tournament that will be the first division when it begins next year.

On Sunday, a new era of soccer begins in two Buenos Aires neighborhoods. Boca will have to endure life without Riquelme, which is a big weight to get off your chest. Ironically in the last two league titles that Boca won, Riquelme’s role was reduced. In 2008, he was looking to return to Argentina, while in 2011 the club played some dominating football en route to their second undefeated title in short tournaments.

Meanwhile, Argentinos will look to shift the focus of attention away from president Luis Segura.  Segura was under a great deal of fire after he was one of the AFA officials mentioned in the World Cup’s biggest story off the pitch of the last two weeks – the issue of ticket resales in Brazil. For Argentinos, the deflection of that bit of controversy will also be aided by the reinforcing of the defense and midfield with great cast players.  Some, in the case of Matías Caruzzo, look to return to the club to be able to redeem themselves.

In the end, Riquelme agreed to similar terms that he had at Boca with Argentinos.  That just further proves the mutual disdain Boca and their great idol had towards each at this stage of the proceedings.  So much was their dislike for one another that Carlos Bianchi was not able to be an influencing factor in keeping him in La Boca for at least 18 months.

Maybe some will say that he will look to prove them wrong, like he did the night of his famous celebration in the direction of Mauricio Macri when he criticized him about his imminent move to Barcelona.  The response was etched in Boca lore forever.

http://youtu.be/72WHiLEnvPg

Román will look to many mouths, especially Daniel Angelici’s. The Boca president might have cost himself a chance to be re-elected after this whole negotiation was botched by the club. At this stage, Angelici’s administration will be known forever as the one that let Riquelme go — although some might say that Angelici and company were the ones that pushed Riquelme out the door to show that they had the power ultimately.

In the end, they will see that the one that had the true power is going to be wearing red.  Meanwhile the “powerful one” showed once more that his pride surpasses even his playing ability. One thing is for sure, we better get ready for Sunday. Riquelme will not pull any punches and he will tell you so, in third person.

The free-kick in the dying moments of extra time saw Lionel Messi in a position where he could etch himself into immortality. He was not going to win the match at that point, but if he had scored, Argentina could have flirted with victory at least. The problem was Messi blasted the ball over Manuel Neuer’s net, not even forcing him to make a proper save.

With that last fleeting hope gone, the final silver bullet went astray. It was all over. The breath was sucked out of fans as Germany were already clamoring for the final whistle to blow to begin celebrating. Messi knew it as did the fans in attendance at the Estadio Maracanã. It seemed like a story that would have a different ending judging by the opening minutes against Germany. However his impotence was evident. Yet in all of this, he knew that the questions would arise and things would become grim once more as his team failed to end a 21-year trophy drought.

Messi started out the match running at the German defense as Argentina saw chances in the Die Mannschaft’s left side. However I doubt that showing up the few times he did does not make him the top choice for the Golden Ball in this tournament.

The big issue with Messi was not his overall performance. Let’s be honest. If Messi did not make an impact in the matches that he did in this tournament then we would be singing a completely different tune. If Messi failed to score against Iran or against Bosnia, things would have been completely different for Alejandro Sabella’s men.

He carried them to a certain point, but as the tournament pressed forward, the squad began to find its footing. Was it Messi’s fault that he was not able to perform in these instances? I am not sure I would go that far. Every time you saw Messi get the ball, he would immediately be surrounded by two defenders at least and would not be permitted to position himself to cause Germany any havoc.

The problem was that we just saw bits and pieces of what Messi could do. There was talk that he was not 100 percent, although he was one of the players with the most minutes played. All of what Argentina couldn’t do shouldn’t be blamed on Messi as players like Gonzalo Higuaín, Rodrigo Palacio and Sergio Agüero were not even close to being able to contribute to the cause on a consistent basis. Palacio missed two vital chances against Netherlands as well as in the final, while Higuaín seemed out of sync in this entire tournament.

This was why we saw Messi struggling to find a player to associate with. He’s been a player that thrived on feeding off of what other players can do. Unfortunately, Messi never was able to find that player in this cycle. Yet, in that process something greater occurred – Argentina found themselves.

Sabella’s Argentina were not a squad that was tiki-taka, jogo-bonito or any other style you would think they could play. What you saw on the pitch at Maracanã was what Argentina provided from a collective standpoint — a team-effort.

It was the end of the road for him. He came up short of what many saw as his destiny. It was his chance to finally consolidate his name amongst the Olympus of soccer.

Yet I am confident that he was not the best player of the tournament. Selecting him would be putting down some of the truly great performers like Arjen Robben, Thomas Müller, Toni Kroos, Javier Mascherano and even James Rodríguez (to me, the deserved winner). Messi, just should not be in this conversation. Although, the Barcelona man was the team’s leading goalscorer and was able to show his brilliance, those moments were too few and far between.

He played too alone at times and he had no one to associate himself with.

So what was Messi’s verdict? Adequate, at least for me if you see what he did at times and where the team got to. Still, if you are a talking about a middle of the road role player, “adequate” is good enough in a World Cup. Messi is a different story. Adequate for Messi is still not good enough. He’s on a different standard. His standards and records put him on a sometimes – unforgivable performance curve. That curve will always be just a bit steeper because of his game being so superior until the injury bug began to affect his play.

Is he the best player in the world still? You’ll have to make some debate for it, but he’s in the discussion at this point. Was he the best player of this World Cup? Absolutely not. Still at this stage of his career, Messi did get to a final. So if you want to compare him to Cruyff, honestly, that is not a bad person to be compared to at this stage of his career.

Editor’s note: One of the less discussed topics at this World Cup has been the vocal animosity that Brazil fans have shown towards Argentina, whether it’s Brazilians booing the Argentina team and/or cheering on Argentina’s opposition. Now with Argentina in the final on Brazil soil, we thought it’d be a good opportunity to have World Soccer Talk writer Juan Arango shine some light on this love-hate relationship between Argentina and Brazil.

If you were to tell me who to use as a reference in order to get a better idea regarding the relationship between Argentina and Brazil on the football pitch, I would recommend Jimmy Connors. The tennis player always said that throughout his career he had very few friends because he could not have an acquaintance of a person that could beat him on the tennis court. A rival can be respected, but to have a friendship with them would leave you susceptible to weakness.

When I lived in Argentina, I had the pleasure of experiencing the 2002 World Cup in a footballing nation.  The Argentine elimination after drawing with Sweden was one of the most surreal moments that I had seen up to that point.  Yet it was even more awkward to see scantily clad Brazilians dancing on the streets of Buenos Aires when they beat Germany to win their fifth World Cup.  It was about 45F on that winter morning, and a carnival emerged.  The noise for many was unbearable, not just because it was eight in the morning. It was unbearable and they didn’t care one bit. They celebrated on Argentine soil a title that was won nearly 11 time zones away.

As I watched from a local bar, an Argentine friend of mine told me words that gave me a bit of insight I never imagined to have. “It’s ok, they won the World Cup. Brazil are our rivals, but England are our enemies.”

Sunday’s match is similar but quite a bit different. Argentina are looking to win what would be the sweetest title should they overcome a powerful German side in the Mecca of Brazilian football – Maracanã.

There is no love lost between Argentina and Brazil on the pitch.  Yes, there is a great deal of respect by both sides.  You would see that respect on the streets of Savassi over in Belo Horizonte after Lionel Messi hit the ball into the back of the Iranian net. There was lots of commingling, lots of socializing and lots of “hookups” between Argentine fans and Brazilian locals.  Many were accompanied when the sun came up the following morning.  All this occurred just hours after Brazilian fans were at the Mineirão chanting in favor of the Iranians and were silenced by Messi’s wonder strike.

Just 24 hours earlier, Brazilian and Argentine fans fought in the streets of Belo Horizonte, throwing bottles of any that could fly to the opposite side of the plaza.  After that incident subsided and the trolling was over, fans of both sides were talking and discussing the World Cup in the official language of many tourists from Latin America- Portuñol.

At the international level, there is no rivalry like this one.  People can tell me about England-Scotland, England-Germany or even US-Mexico, but none of them match up to the rivalry and history that both Brazil and Argentina have been able to create.  This rivalry has been played on virtually every corner of the planet to packed houses.  What makes it more intriguing is the amount of players that have been on this pitch.

Do they dislike each other on the pitch? Absolutely. But beyond that, they know that they coexist very well.  If Brazil and Argentina were such huge rivals off the pitch, neither would be as vital to the other’s tourism.

“Brazil is the first country Argentinians visit. Argentina is the first country Brazilians visit,” said Mauricio Savarese, co-author of the book A to Zico, an Alphabet of Brazilian Football. “We mostly love each other. Not in football.”

Savarese talked about this extensively and it makes sense.  If two countries hate each other so deeply, they would have nothing to do with being a primary factor in the other’s tourism industry. Argentines flock to places like Rio, Bahia and even Florianópolis in Santa Catarina do Sul, especially in the summer.

The opposite happens with Brazilians as Buenos Aires is their point of preference within Argentina for getaways or even vacationing.  If you look at this, proximity is a factor, but the main one is that they enjoy going there.

Radio Globo pundit Marcelo Bechler also talked about this issue in an article he published on his column on Friday.  To say that Argentines and Brazilians just simply hate each other is extremely vague, and looks only at their relationship within the football pitch.

“Yes there are Argentina fans that call Brazilians macacos (monkeys). But that is what happens in moments of fury where things like those expose the racism we have and when the opportunity emerges, it comes out.”  Bechler also mentioned that there was a great deal of abuse given to Colombian defender Camilo Zúñiga after he injured Neymar.

Are there individuals that have a sense of vitriol towards their adjacent neighbors?  Absolutely.  That is the case in any part of the world. Argentina and Brazil are no exceptions to the rule. Those behaviors go beyond topography, geography or borders; that is a human condition.

The media in Brazil, like their counterparts in Argentina, feed off of that rivalry.  There is a need to despise. There is a need to have a rival or a rivalry when in reality there is no need to conjure one up.  When you watched commercials on Brazilian television, Argentines were portrayed as pedantic. Some took it to the bank. Companies like Bom Negocio took that as a way to market their company during the World Cup.

History

Soccer fans are well aware of the 1978 World Cup, and Brazilians constantly remind you that the tournament was a sham.  Many individuals in Brazil point at the Argentine military junta of the time doing everything that they could to make sure that the World Cup was not a source of victory but a way to empower the propaganda that they wanted to push out to the rest of the world.  Brazilian fans also are quick to point out the water bottle incident between Branco and current AFA manager Carlos Bilardo back in the 1990 World Cup.

This was certainly part of Bilardo’s modus operandi throughout his time as a player and as a coach. He was known for stepping on players and sticking opponents with needles during his playing days. As a coach, he’d also find out who his opponents’ wives were and would find information in order to use it against them in the heat of battle. All in the name of winning… at all costs.

In that 1990 World Cup, Branco said that Bilardo allegedly spiked a water bottle with sedatives that he drank.  That emerged from the mouth of the player like Diego Maradona years later in an interview with Argentine television and in a feature that focused on the subject.

That match in Turin became part of Maradonian lore and was also the rallying cry and source of banter of Argentines throughout this World Cup campaign.  A bit ironic being that Brazil won two World Cups in that span of time and played in a final in 1998 while Argentina’s trophy case remains the same as it was in 1993.

Yet their now infamous chant is one part provocation and one part retaliation.  Brazilians throughout the World Cup kept taunting them until the mouths of many were wired shut by the rare bit of Messi magic or Argentina’s newly found defensive inspiration.

All in all, Brazilians aren’t innocent in this rivalry either.  Many in England will forever remember Maradona’s “Hand of God”; but in Brazil they will always remember the “Hand of Túlio” in the 1995 Copa América quarterfinals when Tulio Maravilha literally trapped the ball in the area with his forearm and eventually scored the equalizer in that match.  Referee Alberto Tejada of Peru, the man that eventually became the current Minister of Health in the Andean nation, must’ve been watching some of the women in the stands during that play. Eventually the Brazilians advanced and would play the United States in the semifinals.

These are just some samplings of the greatest hits of the past quarter century.  Yet to get a bigger scope of what this rivalry is like, you have to recall some of the matches that the two countries played in the Copa Libertadores dating back to the 1960’s.  Historically, there were confrontations on a massive scale.  Between the fireworks and the chanting between the two, the fights and rock throwing outside the stadium were potentially worse.

“They wore the jerseys of all the teams that we faced,” said Renato Della Paolera of Argentine radio station Radio América.  “As the tournament went on, the situations got more aggressive, but in the end nothing really serious came of it save for the situation that emerged in Belo Horizonte (before the Iran match).”

Della Paolera also mentioned that the Argentines weren’t innocent either.  “Us Argentines weren’t far behind. We’re always looking to not back down in the banter.”  Yet he was very aware that the banter was just simply that.  “When both (Argentina and Brazil) weren’t playing, everything was fine.”

I was ridiculed by fellow colleagues when I told them that the rivalry was not as great. But when you walked around cities like Belo Horizonte, Rio and others, you saw Brazilians and Argentines sharing Brahma or even Fernet (that Albiceleste fans brought from their backyard).

Now, who will Brazilians be rooting for on Sunday you ask?  Well, that you will have to ask on a case-by-case basis.  They were given seven reasons on Tuesday to not root for Germany, but will it be enough for it to trump generations of footballing rivalry? We’ll see. But as much as people on the outside think Argentines despise Brazilians, well you’d have to write a separate article on the English and that one might change your mind.

There are no words you can give you perspective about when you lose a colleague. It gives you perspective on how blessed one is to actually be working in this “calling”.  When Argentine journalist Jorge “Topo” López passed away this past week, one reflects and one realizes. López, like many other people (myself included) in Belo Horizonte, passed through the bridge that collapsed last week.

He passed that bridge minutes before it collapsed. But his fate was elsewhere. Days later in São Paulo, López would be sideswiped in an intersection by a car that was used by thieves to get away from police. The 38-year-old journalist died instantly that morning and was a huge blow for many Argentine colleagues. This was just a few days after María Soledad Fernández died in a car crash in a trip from São Paulo to Belo Horizonte after she finished watching Argentina play at Arena Corinthians.

Those were tough blows, but there are some that hit home a little harder. There are also moments that make you appreciate life a little more.  The reason being is that when you know a person that you “grew up with” professionally and he suddenly dies, it makes you stop and think more about what they left behind.  In the case of Armando García, it was a tough one to swallow. He was a trendsetter in this country.  He was one of those people whose passion involved covering leagues outside of Major League Soccer or the Premier League. Sometimes he argued against the current, and to him it was pleasurable.

His projects like Forza Futbol and The Ball Is Flat websites and podcasts that he ran with his friends made you believe that soccer in this country had hope and was heading in the right direction.  This sentiment was believed even when MLS was not undergoing the explosion that we have seen in the past few years. The difference was that Mando did not do it waving pom poms and rooting senselessly like many did here.

Mando didn’t do it with bias, although many times he did show his Periquito spirit; sometimes with a jocular, other times… not so much.  Yet throughout his time as the leader of Forza Futbol and the founder of the Espanyol USA Supporters Group, he showed vision and passion for the game, his colors and family (his real one as well as his futbol one).

All of this I am saying is just about the man that could have been a journalist with the amount of knowledge he had.  Yet his first true love was teaching.

In the way he spoke to you, immediately you had the understanding that he was in the teaching profession.  He was a person that looked to teach people about futbol and there was a need to have people like those around, especially in the United States. Yet what he did in the classroom helping mold the lives of many youths in Los Angeles was much more admirable than what many millionaire footballers have done on a pitch.

Mando’s human qualities made journalistic ones seem miniscule. He helped me out during a very tough time when my career was at a crossroads and my mother was dying of cancer.  His words of encouragement were helpful and sometimes empowering. He was one of those voices that helped get me through that time and get back into what I had come to love. I can tell you for sure that every time a new endeavor emerged on my end, Mando was one of the people that always congratulated me.

His well wishes to one and all were paid back to him with the wonderful family that he had.  If there was one thing he was more passionate about than his beloved Espanyol, it was his family.  From his wife to his kids, there was a joy when you spoke to him you knew that his family was greater than any futbol title his team would earn.

Sometimes life is cruel. It distances those because of geography and the obligations of being a grown up, but futbol always had that something that let us all know that we were still around.

We never met face-to-face, but I can tell you that I appreciated him – disagreements and all.  Yet, more than what he helped me out with, I believe it is guys like him that have helped the sport gain the traction it has in this country.  He didn’t do it in a high-profile way.  He did it at a grassroots level and exposed people to something that the mainstream had a hard time covering.

This might be one of the best World Cups we seen in our lifetime, but the journalistic part of it took a tremendous hit.  Topo López, María Soledad Fernández as well as Mando are no longer with us, but they have the best seat in the house at that Maracanã in the sky.  I know for sure Mando will be interjecting and offering his insight to them. Also, I could see a debate or two brewing there.  One thing is for sure, I hope they enjoy the final.  Knowing Mando, I know he will.

Here are some additional notes from others at World Soccer Talk who knew Mando well:

Editor’s note:

As the editor and publisher of World Soccer Talk, I was shocked and saddened to hear the news late this morning of the death of Armando (or better known as Mando). Armando was a great friend of the website and podcast. And I kept in touch with him personally, especially on the topic of Spanish football.

Armando wrote several articles for our now defunct sister site LaLigaTalk.com.  One of them, especially, was more memorable than others, which was a travelogue of his journey to Spain to go watch Espanyol play.

Throughout my interactions with him, I always found him to be a very humble, kind and intelligent person.

To me, he was one of the pioneers of the soccer podcast space in the United States — one of the unsung heroes. He and the Forza Futbol podcast team, as well as a handful of other soccer podcasts in the 2005-2007 period, helped grow the game in the United States and helped connect fans long before the sport became as popular as it is today.

I’ll miss you Mando.

Kartik Krishnaiyer

Mando was an incredible colleague. Supportive and loyal to a fault. He was always willing to give me ideas and advice regarding my writing and podcast work. His knowledge of history complimented my interest in the subject and we struck up many a devoted conversation about historical and political topics and their impact on the sport of soccer. He was a great friend and colleague. His presence, which was so critical to the building of this site and my career in soccer journalism, will be forever missed.

RIP ARMANDO GARCIA, 1966 to 2014.

I remember fondly a Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen during the 2012-13 season. Bayern Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer runs up towards the Leverkusen goal.  He dribbles and sets up a cross that drifts into the area, and in the end the ball skips off the crossbar. Bayern loses the game. This was no doubt a tough loss for Bayern Munich to absorb, but it was a moment of important reflection as they would go on a tremendous rampage afterwards. The season culminated with the Bavarian club winning a treble. Even at that time, many were amazed at Neuer’s capabilities and his penchant for the spectacular far away from his own net. This World Cup has furthered Neuer’s legend and shown what a great technical soccer player he is in addition to being a great goalkeeper.

Moments like that against Leverkusen were what made Neuer irreverent and rebellious.  At the same time, it’s very much a style unique to what we have seen in recent years when compared to other goalkeepers around the world. The Bayern Munich net-minder is even more impressive when you take into account his body frame. He also shows such great movement and smoothness when knocking the ball around and feeling so comfortable with the ball at his feet.  To many in South America, his style harkens back to the glory days of goalkeepers past.

Neuer made many reminisce about former Boca Juniors goalkeeper Hugo Orlando Gatti who was a true entertainer in his own sense.  Gatti was intelligent on the pitch as well as a showman.  When he first arrived at Boca, the fans really did not have an affinity towards him due to his River Plate past. One day, they threw a broom at him.  His first reaction was to start sweeping his area.  That action was one of the first instances where we saw a love affair that lasted over two decades between the keeper and his faithful.

He also shows the moxie of a goalkeeper also nicknamed “El Loco”, René Higuita.  England fans still remember what he did at Wembley back in 1995.  Yet it was his dribbling and his ability to kick freekicks that made him a showman that very few players could compare.

Yes, they were crazy and whooped up fans with their antics.  At the same time they were part of that rare breed of goalkeeper-libero that emerged in different eras.  Neuer is that man in this era.  While goalkeepers now come out of the box to just smash the ball into the stratosphere, Neuer can clear it out but he can also chest it down and dribble it out.  He offers you that option to keep the ball secure.

The great example of that performance is the match against Algeria.  In that match, Neuer was coming out to cut off counters and any runs that were being made past the defense and challenging attackers outside of the box.  What helps a shaky German back line is to know that you have your goalkeeper watching your back.  Neuer has this uncanny ability to read a match and know where to position himself on the pitch.

Neuer came up huge against France in the quarterfinals, making some critical stops at important times in the game.  He also slammed the door on Brazil in the few tough situations he was faced with, further breaking the will of the host nation that was already battered.  Yet it was all in some cool and collected demeanor, part of the reason why former German international Mehmet Scholl began calling the former Schalke man “Icecube” prior to the match against Brazil.  At the same time, Oliver Kahn declared that the Neuer was the best goalkeeper in the game.

This tournament will have a legacy of being one of the highest scoring major events in history.  Yet at the same time, this tournament has also was impressive because of the performances that were put on by several goalkeepers.

Yet if there is one thing that Manuel Neuer will be known for, and that’s not the Keylor Navas or Tim Howard-like saves.  It’s not the penchant that Sergio Romero or Tim Krul showed in penalty kick shootouts.  What Neuer has done goes beyond that; he’s the best goalkeeper in the world right now and he’s also changed the way the goalkeeping position is played. In the process, he has made it entertaining and filled with personality once again.

Chile had Brazil on the ropes and that was what Germany saw as they knew that the two sides would cross paths at one point in this World Cup. It was a foreshadowing of things to come, although many thought things were on the up and up when they defeated a Colombia side that was suffering from stage fright brought about by the reverence they had for Brazil.  By the time the Colombians overcame that, they were behind 2-0 and the climb just got too steep by then.

Colombia were hit by a barrage of tactical fouls, but they never saw a way out of their predicament until the latter stages of the match.  That, more than the poor decisions by the ref, sealed Los Cafeteros’ fate against the host nation.  For Brazil it was a short-term solution, and that was going to be exposed for the world to see just days later.

At the Mineirão fate, home field advantage, refs or any other types of conspiracy theory was not going to be enough as Germany showed they were in a class all by themselves.  Maybe the final score was not indicative of how much of a chasm there was between the individual players.  The result was more telling of how broken and dependent one team was compared to the collective solidity of the other. Right there you saw the difference between a group of standout players facing a quality team that was a contender since the first day of competition – and didn’t disappoint.

Despite all the energy that Brazil showed in the first few minutes, there was a perception that if Germany were to score, they’d put the home side in quite an adverse situation.  Little did we know how adverse that situation would truly become after just ten minutes.  The first corner of the match for Germany was a blow that the Brazilians were never able to recover from.  It was then when the second came and then the historic third by Miroslav Klose and so on.

This time around the magic of singing the anthem a capella to the top of their lungs and hearing fans sing in unison would not prevent Brazil fans from seeing a total deluge of goals like they have never seen in their lives – or the lives or their grandparents.  No one in Belo Horizonte’s Mineirão, not even the most optimistic German, expect what was about to occur.

When the final whistle, the fans were numb.  No longer was the talk about the quality of Mexican referee Marco Antonio Rodríguez or any other ancillary talking points that were on the table in the days leading up to the game in Belo Horizonte.

The environment wasn’t a funeral; there was no eulogy being given.  There was no closure whatsoever to this situation.  Instead Felipão talked about how the team suffered a big blow against a team that “played better” than them.  What Scolari said made lots of sense. It was all the right things being said by a coach that was just beaten by their rival.

His justifications in the post-match press conference became juxtapositioning if you start to look at the World Cup victory guarantees that he put out there back in November when his team was in Miami.  He said his team failed in obtaining the objective that was in place – getting to the final.  No longer was it to win it all.  It hadn’t been for the past couple of weeks as he began to say that not winning the World Cup “was not the end of the world”.

What didn’t fit in this whole puzzle was that what he was saying would be accepted by a coach that lost by a goal or two; not by a difference that was greater than the amount of World Cups they possessed and will possess for at least another four years.

It was something where you felt a dose of shame but also a dose of embarrassment. You saw a meltdown in progress and it was a moment where you truly felt for the person that was with a major problem. It was a problem that was denied for a while, but all it takes is one moment to realize that something must be done.

The comparisons with death for something like that were just not appropriate.  The most fitting comparison would have been to compare it to when your best man got drunk at your wedding and just absolutely were ridiculed by what he did.  It was one of those moments where you had to reflect and see what the actual problem was with a person that you had such high esteem for.

The Maracanazo was a sad moment for Brazilian football. That loss to Uruguay in 1950 was like a boxer getting knocked out in the final round of a title fight. What happened in Belo Horizonte was a contender having his glass jaw shattered with the first punch he took. By Germany’s second goal, they were like a windmill in a storm.

Their tactical deficiencies were exposed as only the back of the Brazilian net repelled wave after wave of German attacks.  Scolari’s defense lacked solidity, and one is not just talking about their backline alone.  Collectively there was miscommunication and there was more coordination in a sinking ship than in Brazil’s defensive assignments.  Germany moved the ball around as if the defender were pegs on the ground.  I could describe them as cones, but at least cones move when there is a strong wind.

Their mental frailties were also an item as it just took one blow to virtually end this match.  The other six goals were the icing on the cake.  This match told you who the most important player on the squad was – Thiago Silva.  He was their emotional rock and his absence clearly noted his importance to the team beyond the more tangible statistics that measure and categorize a player.

Thiago Silva was the player that carried the squad emotionally.  His emotional meltdown against Chile now seems now more of a weight lifted as he carried a team and offered them the strength that they needed to endure that difficult test.  He was also vital against Colombia by scoring the opener and becoming the stalwart in that backline.  Having him watch from the stands made it that much worse for Luiz Felipe Scolari and his men.

Don’t get me wrong, Neymar offers just a “wee bit” as well.  He is the spark for this side.  He offers that flash, if you will.  He’s a vital part of this team.  To say the opposite would be ludicrous; but to say missing him alone was part of the Canarinha’s debacle would be just reading the cover of the prologue of a book.  There is a great deal missing to Brazil.

As the World Cup progressed, one realized that Oscar was not in top form.  As he went, so did Brazil’s ability to possess the ball in dangerous areas and be able to create threats that did not consist of Neymar having to pull a rabbit out of his hat.  There was not a number ten in this squad that could take that role and provide for the forwards, which were non-existent as well.

That was also part of the stubbornness they had that was reflected in part with Scolari’s loyalty to some of his guys.  Scolari’s loyalty became his greatest flaw – his fatal flaw – in this tournament. There were players like Fred that Felipão stuck with that did not respond at all.  Maicon showed some solid play against Colombia, but Germany left him looking like his days at Manchester City.

If there is person that could be forgiven in all of this, it would be Julio César.  The Toronto FC goalkeeper did not have a chance in five or six of the goals that Germany scored.  Yet if you look at what he did, Brazil might not have gotten to this stage without his performances. Ironically he was the player that was resisted the most by Brazilians as they thought that Botafogo’s Jefferson, Atlético-MG Víctor and even Cruzeiro’s Fabio (who wasn’t called up) would have been better options in goal.

In a time in football history where we constant give last rights to styles of play (i.e. Spain’s tiki taka), no one can truly say jogo bonito was dumped into the depth of the Lagoa Santa in Pampulha. The reasoning for this is because Brazil haven’t played jogo bonito for almost 24 years and it surely didn’t show up in this tournament.

Yes, there was World Cup success and titles sprinkled into this time period, but the style was no longer there.  Winning and having the quality players that Brazil had during that time helped out a great deal.  Despite the collective deficiencies, the individual brilliance helped them achieve during this time period.  The problem is that in this World Cup, no one could really figure out what Brazil played.  They were virtually unrecognizable.   Their tactical fouling against Colombia saw the media satisfied with the result, but disgusted with the means.  Some media outlets going as far as saying that Brazilian football reached a “new low” by going into the dregs of pragmatism.

What did see its demise Tuesday was the swagger that was embodied in the adage of “Brasil é Brasil” (Brazil is Brazil).  It was a prevalent mentality within Brazilian football where they thought that because of what they were, they could win solely on that.

It was part of their swagger.  It was all part of the mentality where Brazil were going to win because they were just better – technically and individually.   They were going to win simply because… well, they were Brazil.  That came to an end, once and for all, on Tuesday.

Yeah, it was a day where positives will be hard to come by.  The lessons will be extremely bitter and hard ones to assimilate.  Yet if there is one ounce of solace that comes out of all of this is that spirit of Barbosa might have found its way out of football purgatory and found peace after 64 years of suffering both here and in the afterlife.

In 1990, Sergio Goycochea stepped in for the injured Neri Pumpido and would be one of the catalysts to help lead Argentina in the World Cup. Between Maradona playing on one leg and “Goico” making important saves as well as stopping penalties in shootouts against Yugoslavia as well as Italy, the Argentines reached the final for the last time.

Twenty four years later, Argentina find themselves in a similar path to the final and the destiny lies with the man in goal. Sergio Romero was the poster child for all goalkeepers that were sacrificial lambs when Argentina collapsed against Germany in the World Cup in South Africa four years ago.  Romero was essentially without a defense in front of him as wave after wave of German attacks harassed his goal in Cape Town.

At that moment, Romero was the undisputed top goalkeeper since he was the starter over at AZ Alkmaar but things would start to gradually change and his grip on his spot wasn’t as solid as it once was.

Going into the 2014, Alejandro Sabella was questioned coming into the match against Romania in Sofia back in March.  The former Sampdoria man headed to Monaco in order to solidify his position within the Argentine national team but his lack of continuity at the club level ended up being the negative side of the double-edged sword.

The prevailing sentiment in that match was “how could a player without any type of club continuity be the undisputed starter of a national team?”  Sabella stuck to his guns and decided to go with the goalkeeper that had been there for the previous two coaches and has since proved all the naysayers that his coach was right in picking him.

His performance against Romania was one of the more amazing performances of an illustrious international career up to this point.  It was a moment where he was made the undisputed shot stopper.  Thus that ended the talk about players like Mariano Andújar or Juan Pablo Carrizo to get a shot.  At the same time, though there were many proponents for those two to be starters at that moment, the case against them was the same one as Romero’s- lack of playing time.

Then many were talking about the possibility of seeing Málaga goalkeeper Willy Caballero’s make the trip to the World Cup. Crystal Palace man Julian Speroni was also mentioned. Yet Sabella stood steadfast with his guy and when the World Cup started he was once again proven to be the man for the job.

In this World Cup, there has been a great deal of stress and strife in each and every one of Argentina’s matches.  Although many thought that the Argentines would breeze relatively easily into this stage.  As we reflect on what has gone on in this tournament, the Albiceleste won all their matches by a goal difference.  Some were stressful finishes; others were nerve wracking such as the match against Iran and the quarterfinal against Belgium.

Romero’s performances throughout the World Cup might not place him in the upper echelon of goalkeepers in this tournament, but it’s been good enough for Argentina to get to the semis for the first time in 24 years.  You could truly make the argument that Romero has been the team’s most consistent performer in this tournament to date.

Even though Messi has been the hero on several occasions, he’s appeared in flashes.  Still his greatness is something to behold and the goals and passes that he’s scored have been well worth the money spent on admission.

Yet it was Romero’s heroics in the most difficult moments that put Argentina in situations where Messi’s genius would stand out.  It was Romero against Iran that denied the few chances they had that were near goal.  Romero also slammed the door on Switzerland and Belgium in the dying moments of the match.  His save in the end and some “papal intervention from afar” were key after Ángel Di María’s goal had 45 million Argentinians looking for ways to see how it was physically possible to make time go faster.

Yet when it came down to it, it was the security that one of its biggest question marks that made this team even stronger where it was weakest and now sees this squad poised to surpass the greatest challenge that it has had to face so far in this tournament.

BUENOS AIRES — Uruguayan radio personality Sergio Gorzy went off on Colombia and its soccer team after Uruguay lost 4-0 to Los Cafeteros at Barranquilla in World Cup qualifying play back in 2012. His anger was so extreme that he started talking about how soccer in Colombia was being run by “drug dealers” and how Colombia was “backwards” due to the tricks that they had up their sleeves to get the upper hand against the visitors.

His rant was sparked after Uruguayan players and coaches mentioned that their locker room was without working air conditioning amid the scorching heat of the Barranquilla summer.

Gorzy’s comments created a major uproar from the Colombian press and many fans. His comments were on the front page of several dailies throughout Colombian and had radio stations with phone lines burning with fans wanting to give Gorzy a piece of their mind. The backlash was so extreme that the Uruguayan journalist had to issue a public apology on a simulcast of his daily radio show with various networks in Colombia.

“This is why Colombia’s trophy cases the way they do- empty. They have one Narco Cup that they won back in 2001 where Argentina could have scored six goals on them on any pitch. They didn’t go play with their stars to play with those savages while Uruguay and Brazil went with alternate sides. That’s how Colombia won their lone little title they won in their lives. Colombian clubs, only through drug trafficking, were able to obtain money to buy a bunch of stars to get to the finals of Copa Libertadores and then lose them.”

That story is like many other South American rivalries. There are always chapters that stand out and give some morbidity to any potential tie. In the case of Uruguay and Colombia there are interesting stories that make it such a compelling encounter in the 2014 World Cup knockout stage and there is a history that it brings into Saturday’s encounter (4pm ET/1pm PT kickoff).

History

Uruguay ironically was the team that gave the Colombians their first-ever World Cup experience back in 1962 in Chile. Many of the Colombian players were overwhelmed and star struck to see players like Luis Cubilla, Nestor Sasia, Nestor Gonçalves and Pedro Rocha. The match ended in a 2-1 victory for La Celeste as the team coached by Juan Carlos Corazzo had to come from behind in Africa with goals by Cubilla an Sasia. An interesting tie-in to Saturday’s game at the Maracanã for Diego Forlán, as his grandson will play in that match.

Colombia then won their first-ever qualifier on the road back in 1973 when they defeated Uruguay 1-0 at the Estadio Centenario. The brilliance of Willington Ortíz was seen in a goal where he weaved around the Uruguayan defense and Atlético Mineiro goalkeeper Ladislao Mazurkiewicz as they came away with the historic win. Uruguay ended up getting the last laugh as they went to the World Cup while the Colombians missed out for a fourth consecutive tournament.

South America matches are amongst the most intense and in recent years we’ve seen that there have been two teams, Uruguay and Colombia who fought for the same spot in the three previous World Cup qualifying cycles and left them a step away. Back in 2002, the Colombians were behind by a goal from surpassing Uruguay. Their 4-0 win against Paraguay in Asunción was still not enough as the Charrúas advanced to the World Cup after beating Australia in the playoff. In September of 2005, Colombia were on the verge of knocking out Uruguay from the World Cup.

The Uruguayans were on the verge of seeing their World Cup dream come to a premature end although their goalscorer, Marcelo Zalayeta was causing all types of problems for the Colombian defense. The crowd in Montevideo’s Estadio Centenario willed their team on and hoped for a miracle. All of a sudden, Zalayeta beat the defense on a long ball and his hat-trick secured a 3-2 victory and left Colombians all over lamenting what was the possibility of facing Australia.

In the end, Uruguay did not qualify and both sides were watching the World Cup from their TV sets. For Colombia it was a much more bitter pill as they ended up a point away from that playoff spot. Although if you talk to Uruguayans, they will tell you that getting knocked out by Australia in penalties was a blow that would need four years to get over.

It was a bitter pill for Colombians, because for a second consecutive qualifier, Colombian saw themselves helplessly watching their last chance stray while Uruguay and Argentina “helped each other out” with a convenient result for both.

Fast forward to 2012 and Uruguay were facing a Colombian squad that was looking to recover from a poor start to the qualifying campaign. José Pekerman was getting some criticism at this point from the Colombian press and that was when national team turned up with one of the most brilliant performances of the qualifying process. It was also the match that turned things around for the Colombians and sunk the Uruguayans into an unbelievable slump.

That would change when both sides met in Montevideo in September of 2012 when José María Giménez would make his international debut and it was Christian Stuani that helped Uruguay win at home and help Uruguay position themselves for the playoff spot, while preventing Colombia from celebrating their World Cup qualification.

This tie will undoubtedly be one of the main attractions of the round of 16 not just for its potential talent but also the morbid state of the headlines that have surrounded this matchup in the past 24 hours. Of course, because of the Luis Suárez fiasco, the Colombians have received some grief. Some even looked in the Uruguayan press were looking at Colombia at this old opponent that they know very well as their first rallying point to win the World Cup “for Luisito”.

While all the eyes of the world will be on the men in sky blue, the pressure will be off Colombia somewhat. There will be a great deal of intrigue as to how the Uruguayans
will come out. Should things not go their way, there will be some complications for La Celeste and that could lend itself for the Colombians to attack. The big question is, how will Uruguay attack and will this offer a chance for Edinson Cavani to have the chances to make a difference in this match. There will have to be other heroes that will have to emerge for Uruguay. Diego Forlán, who at 35, will have to emulate his 2010 form in order to see Uruguay come away victorious.

In the end, nothing is easy for Uruguay and the possibility to “go after those that got Luis suspended” will be what helps them push forward. One thing is for sure, Uruguay will battle until the end and Colombia are ready to match them blow for blow as they have proven they can handle these types of situations both in qualifiers as well as tight spots in this World Cup.

Colombia are well aware of this and they know that this is their toughest match to date in the World Cup. This is why all the experience that these players have accumulated will have to be put to good use against a veteran team that is wounded and looking to inflict mortal wounds.

Despite missing Luis Suárez, Uruguay will expect to bring out their mystique as well as their “us against the world” rallying cry to motivate them on to victory. Meanwhile this match will be historic for the Colombians as a win would put them in a position they have never been in before. More importantly, a win in the Maracanã, their biggest win ever, would be in the same stadium that the Uruguayans had theirs 64 years ago.

Enner Valencia’s goal against Honduras this past Saturday made the small town of Ricaurte in the north of Ecuador go into a frenzy. This small town is closer to Colombia (11 miles from the border, to be exact) than it is from Guayaquil, but his success made that the epicenter of Ecuadorian soccer.

His goal helped La Tri get back into the race and help many fans begin to dream about the prospect of a spot in the round of 16 in the World Cup. The Ecuadorian international also made history when he got into the history books as he equaled Agustín Delgado’s mark for most goals scored in a World Cup.

This form has been the standard for Valencia the past six months as from a player that arrived in Mexico without much pomp, but ended up becoming the leading goalscorer in the Liga MX this past season. Despite all the plaudits that he received en route to the league finals and his all the rumors that link him to some top European clubs, Enner’s road to Brazil was an extremely long one.

In an interview in Ecuador, Enner’s father talked about how he was not just passionate about soccer, he was also very curious about the game.  He was also willing to do anything to make that dream come true. “He did all his chores when he came from school – milk cows, pack and load products and clear water from the canoe – and then would not eat to go play soccer,” said his father.

On his days off from school, Enner sold the milk from his father’s cow to go and buy the boots he needed to go and play soccer.  Seeing that commitment, his father gave him one of the greatest gifts a father could get an aspiring footballer. Enner’s father made a soccer ball out of rags so his son could practice and play on a consistent basis.

Enner began to shine and knew that he had to make a move, what he didn’t expect was that his “move” would be as a ten-year-old and headed to the province of Sucumbios over in the eastern, more Amazonic region of the country to join second division side Caribe Junior.

While there, he was sent to Ecuadorian giants Barcelona over in Guayaquil. As a young teenage kid, Enner was now on the other side of the country (179 miles from Ricaurte to Quayaquil) while his family survived up north.  That made the blow of Barcelona rejecting him that much harder to take.

At that point when it seemed like his soccer career ended before it even started, Emelec took him in and began developing him. As years passed, he became one of the young players that had the potential to move up to the first side, but other coaches that were at the club decided to bring in imported players as a higher priority compared to young Enner.

This would all change when then-coach Jorge Sampaoli saw him play and decided to bring him on to the club’s senior side. The Argentine coach, currently coaching the Chilean national team, saw his physical attributes and saw him as a diamond in the rough.

It took very little, but Enner quickly decided to show and he eventually earned a spot in the starting lineup. Once that happened, Enner was not taken off.  As time passed and Sampaoli left for Universidad de Chile and eventually the Chilean national team, Valencia remained solid and continued to improve.

By 2013, Valencia was the leading goalscorer in the Copa Sudamericana and was the top-scoring Ecuadorian in the domestic league that year and helped Emelec dethrone Barcelona in a record-setting season. By then, many began calling him “Superman” as his power and pace made the difference in addition to his penchant for the timely goal. All of this happened while wearing the number 14 of the late Otilino Tenorio, his childhood idol, who passed away in 2005.

Despite his successes on the pitch, Valencia still remembers his roots and gives back to the people of his hometown. Since he began his professional career, Enner has given back to his native Ricaurte by donating jerseys, uniforms, boots, balls and all types of equipment necessary for the kids in that area to play.

Still ingrained in his mind are those vivid memories of milking cows to be able to make those childhood dreams come true.  This is what makes his story just as compelling off the pitch as it is on it.

BELO HORIZONTE, BRAZIL — Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero was one of the heroes for the Albiceleste on Saturday against Iran. Yet when he addressed the media, all his plaudits went in the direction of his captain. “The little guy rubbed the genie lamp once more,” said Romero in reference to Lionel Messi.

What Romero said was on point as Messi’s two goals in this World Cup were as if they were sent from a different match. Yet once again, the Argentines found themselves in an all too familiar scenario. The squad had trouble creating chances offensively and the defense… well, let’s leave those words for a little later.

Messi’s 91st minute strike brought the house down at the Estadio Mineirão in Belo Horizonte. The same thing goes for his strike against Bosnia-Herzegovina at Estadio Maracanã.  That’s great, if you look at it.  Your best player shows up in the most important stage of the match, right?  In a way, yes.  The problem was that he was held at bay for the majority of the match.  A few darting runs, but nothing that any journalist would have written about in a positive way should the match have ended scoreless.

For many Argentine fans, it was a chance to breathe again. The match was a perilous experience where the flair and panache of the protagonists did not show was overshadowed by the grit and sacrifice that the supposed sacrificial lamb was not expected to show.

Argentina continue to show the same deficiencies that could prevent them from raising the World Cup trophy on Brazilian soil. The defense continues to be questionable, and I use that term describing them when they are in top form.  Saturday was just another prime example of a list that continues to grow longer.

In the second half, Iran threatened as much as Argentina, but the Iranians did so with much lesser numbers, which is even more worrying for Sabella and staff.  Many commentators in Argentina and Brazil were saying that had that been later in the tournament against more precise opposition on offense, they would be going home.

“When the ball went in I felt a great deal of joy. Because we qualified for the next round and the roar and celebration was great.”- Lionel Messi

The backline looked battered, anemic at times as they were overpowered by the Iranian counter attacks. Their saving grace was a providential tackle or a mistake by Queiroz’ men. Iran looked like they were coming close to taking the lead, throughout the second half especially.

After the match, Ángel Di María spoke about how hard it was for Argentina to look to create anything when there were 11 men behind the ball. What he did fail to see was the individual and collective imprecision when it came down to moving the ball. It was difficult to find the spaces, no doubt, but there were some individual performances that caused many attacks to be imprecise. The same thing went for Fernando Gago, who was an option for Alejandro Sabella, but throughout the match showed that he was not able to solve the defensive riddle that was put out on the pitch by the former Portugal and Real Madrid boss Carlos Queiroz.

Meanwhile, Javier Mascherano was all by himself in the middle and in this formation, Sabella is showing that this midfield still has some liabilities that it did in 2010.  Many can point to the match against Germany and several of the things that happened in that match and there is the potential for disaster there. Mascherano all by himself in the middle with no support from Gago or Di María led to the Iran threats to be so consistent.

Reza Ghoochenijad was a tremendous force for Iran both on the counter and in recovering the ball. He was Iran’s big star in the match for the majority of the encounter.  His ability to run at the defense and make them uncomfortable by his lonesome, was quite telling for Argentina.

Finally, Kun Agüero and Gonzalo Higuaín showed little at the Mineirão and were absolutely irrelevant throughout the match and were easily taken off the ball as well as their game.

Even Sabella’s subs didn’t work. Rodrigo Palacio as well as Ezequiel Lavezzi weren’t the answer and Argentina’s attack seemed like it was eroding after having gone the entire first half looking to batter Iran’s Alireza Haghighi and making him look like one of the stars of the match.

Could this be Argentina being told that they have to wait until Russia to be vindicated?  Or is this fate telling him that he has to grab the tournament by the scruff and win it on his own in order to rightfully crowned as the greatest of all time?   Man, I’d love to sound romantic right about now, but reality is sometimes too overwhelming to ignore no matter how hard people want dreams to come true or if Argentina have the spiritual force of the pope behind them.

As Brazilian color commentator Neto said during the telecast on Saturday, “There is no justice in football, there’s only greatness.”  Messi’s goal against Iran should be framed in order to serve us as a reminder of that statement.  As much as many of us will praise that stroke of genius from a player that virtually neutralized for the overwhelming majority of the match, there are still issues that the team will have to address if they want to assert themselves on the pitch as “contenders”.

Chile was all smiles and fulfilled their potential when they defeated Spain 2-0 at the Estadio Maracanã on Wednesday.  For them it was a reconfirmation of the potential that the team had individually as well as collectively.

Many looked at Chile as a team always playing on the edge. Their frenetic pressure in all sectors, where wave after wave come after the player with the ball, always put them on the edge of greatness or disaster.  It was tiki taka meets speed metal when you saw them against Spain as they all flew around the pitch with reckless abandon and flustered the reigning champions. Some might say it was the best interpretation of “Bielsism.”

Their style has been hailed as one of the most exciting ones in the World Cup and those that looked forward to seeing them in this tournament have not been disappointed one bit. Yet for Chile it was a return to the roots that were established by Marcelo Bielsa when he arrived on Chilean soil and left something greater than success. It left an identity.  This is why Jorge Sampaoli’s arrival was one of the most important moves in Chilean soccer history. It wasn’t just him getting the team back on track. It was a continuation of a project interrupted.

Less than 18 months ago, Chile found itself “on the edge” but for a completely different set of reasons. Claudio Borghi was sacked after his disastrous tenure as coach of La Roja after several embarrassing incidents off the pitch and on it. The team was on the outside looking in when it came to World Cup qualification. Under Borghi, the team lost three consecutive matches and dropped out of World Cup qualifying positions.

What was more important was not that they lost those matches; it was that Borghi lost the team. The infamous “Bautizazo” incident where many of the leaders of the Chilean squad, including Arturo Vidal, were caught drinking late at night at a baptism was unfortunate. Borghi’s erratic management of the squad was what caused a great division within the squad and saw the team go downhill after he removed several players involved in that incident.

Borghi also changed some things tactically and the squad was a far cry from that they were when Bielsa was coach. Due to their disposition, Chile did not press as much as they once did and were vulnerable giving up more spaces than they did before. It was evident in some of their losses in qualifying to teams like Colombia and Argentina at home. The match that really was the final straw was the match against Peru in Lima.

Enter Sampaoli

The former Universidad de Chile manager was one of the most successful South American coaches of that time and he saw that two things were needed: (1) have the leaders return and (2) play like Bielsa had them. Sampaoli is a Bielsa apostle in his passion and has his obsessive attention to even the most minute detail.

His arrival led to a change in attitude as well as the return to the squad of players like Vidal as well Carlos Carmona, Jean Beausejour, Gonzalo Jara and Jorge Valdivia. He reacquired control of the squad and also got the players — most of them part of the 2010 World Cup side — to regain the essence of his and their “Inner Bielsa.”

Once that occurred, the squad went on a roll obtaining 16 out of a possible 18 points in qualifying and ending up in third place behind Argentina and Colombia. Chile’s play was high-intensity under Sampaoli and his offense was high-powered. Chile outscored their opponents in that stretch 17-6.  What makes that point even more impressive was that three of those goals were scored by Colombia in that thriller in Barranquilla in October of last year.

The defense no longer left spaces between the midfield. Although to many, that seems borderline suicidal. There is however logic to this madness. When there was a separation in the backline of three from the midfield, this left them exposed to what the opposition wanted to do offensively. It gave them room to operate.

This is why they were being decimated when Borghi was coach as matchups and numbers did not favor him once his shortcomings were being exploited.

There was that susceptibility of seeing a team play a ball over their heads, but the defense had the collective speed to recover. Speaking of over their heads, Chile was also looked at as a team that could be taken advantage of in set pieces with a backline whose tallest player stands at a towering 5’9”.

Nottingham Forest’s Gonzalo Jara quickly debunked that theory saying that he defended players six inches taller than him and was still able to hold his own. Save for Tim Cahill’s goal in Cuiabá, those “short Chileans” held their own, being able to neutralize heavy hitter like Sergio Ramos with good positioning on the ground and also the support of Claudio Bravo coming out very well on the crosses.

The Spain win was the crowning achievement for Sampaoli and his team.  The way they neutralized a team and the manner in which they knocked them out gained plaudits from the entire footballing world.

They have surely shown that potential and look like they want to show more. After the Spain match, Jorge Sampaoli said something that stuck with many in the media. “I always believe that our best match will be our next one,” he said. If what he’s saying is true, I think we should all watch out because the Red Tide could wipe out some contenders as they look to make the road back to the site of their greatest victory to date, the Maracanã.

When Radamel Falcao was injured in that fateful Coupe de France match back in January, the overall emotion in Colombia dipped to a low. There seemed to be a deflated sense of value to the overall squad as if the team was knocked off a pedestal.

There were other injuries that exacerbated that sentiment when Edwin Valencia, Amaranto Perea and Aldo Leao Ramírez were also taken off the squad due to injury days before flying into their Cotía complex.  Yet all the doom and gloom seemed to have gone by the wayside after what happened on the pitch.

Fast forward to Brazil and the Colombia national team have been one of the most supported sides in the World Cup and have also shown a new side in this sans-Falcao era.

The players knew that their contributions were going to be vital and their team unity had to be greater than ever. This you saw a great deal in both matches, showing the unity and desire to look for the greatness that José Pekerman has made them believe they can achieve.

After the match against Cote D’Ivoire, coach José Pekerman said that his team showed it has enough “heart and courage to endure difficulties.” The team faced a tough battle in some instances against Ivory Coast, but were able to overcome the Ivorians on the counter attack. For the second consecutive match, this side showed promise but that they’re still learning as they evolve.

For everyone, except goalkeeper Faryd Mondragón, this was the maiden voyage in a World Cup.  So for every World Cup instance, every play, every goal scored and conceded is a new experience.

“The team is mentally strong and all the players showed a great deal of form which was important for the team’s play,” added Pekerman.

For a second consecutive match, Colombia lost the possession battle. There were times they dropped back too much and, unlike against Greece, Cote D’Ivoire is a squad that can make a team pay in a big way. Still, for a second consecutive match, Colombia showed how lethal they can be with the ball at their feet.

Colombia, showed that they can also muscle in their corner kicks when Juan Guillermo Cuadrado delivered a ball and James Rodríguez headed it to the near post once more to give Los Cafeteros the lead.

While Colombia didn’t have the majority of possession, they knew when to make things complicated for the opposition. A mistake by Serey Die ended up at the feet of Teófilo Gutiérrez and Juan Fernando Quintero netted his first career goal in a World Cup. That goal made him the second youngest player in Colombian soccer history to achieve such a feat.

Yet there was something in the air that made you aware that Cote D’Ivoire still had something up their sleeve as Didier Drogba came on, and you saw “that light” turn on.   Despite Gervinho’s goal, Colombia were still able to overcome and take over the top spot in Group C. If Colombia advances to the Knockout Round, they’ll return to a place where they haven’t been in nearly a quarter of a century.

Colombia showed fight. They showed the guts to continue pressing forward and make it possible to complicate things for other sides, although they are still a work in progress.

These players underwent a crash course in experience that few teams have undergone in Colombian soccer history. Yet on this day, they’ve already accomplished more than any side ever. Their second win raised the bar for future teams and their legacy, which was what Pekerman always talked about, is being strengthened with every day. They did it against all the adversity they faced and a true belief in what they were able to do despite what many believed that they couldn’t do without their talismanic forward and three other key starters that got them to Colombia in the first place.

SETE LAGOAS, BRAZIL – Since Monday, there was a great deal of tension at the Uruguayan national team camp at the JN Resort in Sete Lagoas. It was tension that was intoxicating. Oscar Washington Tabárez was very short with his answers and was very standoffish with the domestic media. The international media was shuttled off relatively quick after Diego Lugano and Tabárez spoke, yet there was something in the air. That something that made you feel the suffocating sensation that was frustration and desperation after their 3-1 loss to Costa Rica in Fortaleza.

While he did speak to the international media, Tabarez’s answers had a little dose of venom in them directed at the colleagues in Uruguay. The media seemed at odds as many were outside the press conference room and later on went in when there was a session exclusively for domestic press and rights holders.

Even the Uruguayan media looked battered and still hurt at that moment. Some seemed dejected and saw the prospect of getting knocked out in group stage in their eyes.

Today’s match at the Arena Corinthians is not just important for England to have a chance to continue. For Uruguay, it could also mark the end of what was one of the most important runs in that national team’s history.

It was part of the drama going on and offering the tremendous divide between the federation as well as within the media. According to some reports, this all emerged when some media outlets leaked the starting lineup as well as some activities that occurred in some of their closed practices.

“I don’t think that the (employees) here are the ones share things to the people outside,” said Lugano. “Seems like we’ll never change. It makes me angry because there are codes that need to be maintained. It makes me angrier than losing a match.”

He also lashed back at the media when he was asked about the knee injury he picked up in the match against Costa Rica that ruled him out of today’s game.

Still all these events are just the tip of the iceberg for Uruguayan futbol. The past few months have been filled with crisis and there is another looming within the halls of the FA’s offices. Slowly but surely the dirty laundry was put out for the people to see as there are individuals that were jockeying for position in the upcoming presidential elections on July 31 where the possibility of having everything that was created by former president Sebastían Bauzá could be changed.

There is a great deal of talk about the future of this squad filled with veterans. A loss to England would have this generation playing against Italy as a swansong instead of as a chance to play for their qualification.

On the pitch, there are going to be changes and the squad looks ready to fight for its life.  A loss could mean some major changes in store and there would be something of note come Copa América time next year.

Honestly, after seeing them fall to Costa Rica and then to see Spain go out the way they did, I would not be one bit surprised if they are packing their bags prematurely.

BELO HORIZONTE – Uruguayan national team goalkeeper had a rough time in his hotel as well as in at the Arena Castelão in Fortaleza.  When he arrived to his hotel room, he found some insects in his bed.  This whole ordeal was documented by the Galatasaray keeper on his Twitter account the moment it happened.

The photo had a great deal of repercussion in social media as individuals retweeted and shared Muslera’s photo well over four thousand times prior to the 3-1 loss to Costa Rica this past Saturday.

Now this investigation took another direction as police gave a report to FIFA stating that they were dealing with sabotage. The Diario de Ceará reported that the police report stated two facts that led to the theory.

The police investigation also stated that the insects were termites and not ants as was originally mentioned.

According to the report, the police inspected the entire room in an effort to find any foreign objects or chemicals. This was also the case with the remaining 42 rooms in the second floor at the Marina Park Hotel in Fortaleza.

After the room was fixed up it was given to FIFA. According to the source within the police department they stated that if there was a problem to begin with, this would have been dealt with prior to the incident occurring.

Uruguay arrived into São Paulo on Tuesday as they prepare for their must-win match against England at the Arena Corinthians. Both sides are coming off losses in their opening matches against Costa Rica and Italy respectively.

The lesson that Alejandro Sabella learned at Estadio Maracanã was to not try and fix what is not broken.  Tinkering with what was effective and making it utterly useless.  In the second half Argentina, he returned to what was originally in place and although it was not the most effective, Argentina still were able to gather enough pixie dust to see Lionel Messi slam the door shut on Bosnia by a 2-1 scoreline.

It was one of the most imposing venues in this or any World Cup and Argentina made it their home very quickly.   Fans as well as popular models made their presence felt at Estadio Maracanã and that was one of the  few places where Argentina minimized their rival on the pitch in their World Cup debut.

When they pressured early on there were signs that seemed like Argentina could steamroll past the Bosnians.  What ended up happening was that Alejandro Sabella’s latest tactical inspiration to solidify what was never solid and he ended up losing the middle of the pitch.

In the process, there were moments when squad truly struggled in a 5-3-2.  Certain sectors saw a major need for change especially when you have Ángel Di María going back so deep that he was not able to link up with  Sergio Agüero.

The problems were so evident that Sabella did something that was extremely atypical in his time as coach.  He brought in Gonzalo Higuaín and Fernando Gago and took off Maxi Rodríguez and Hugo Campagnaro.  At first there was a great deal of suspect play as Bosnia came out of the gate quickly.  Eventually you saw that with the addition of Higuaín and Gago Messi looked more comfortable and that led to his first goal of the World Cup.

To say Lionel Messi is important to Argentina is like saying wheels are important to a car.  As he goes, so does La Albiceleste.  With this change you saw a Messi that was out of sync and seemed alone at times as his teammates were very far from him to be able to create or even clear some marks and prevent multiple players converging on him.

Then the moment many fans paid hundreds and even thousands of dollars to see, came to fruition.  Messi’s run began in typical Messi fashion as he links up in a play with Higuaín and then the little slap, by the guy that could be his partner at Barcelona shortly, freed him up to take a left-footed shot that beat Asmir Begovic.

It was a page from an Oscar-winning script put into a B-movie.  It was a moment of brilliance that many knew had to come, but with the progression of the match looked doubtful.  More importantly, it was a goal that calmed a great deal of nerves and helped Messi relaxed just a little bit as eight years of burden was lifted off his shoulders rather quickly.

Yet the imperfections remained.  There were some problems on defense and it was shown on Bosnia’s goal by Vedad Ibisevic in the 86^th minute.  A defensive lapse saw Argentina go in chase mode and the Stuttgart ace would find the back of the net via Sergio Romero’s five hole.  Still Sabella understands that those imperfections are part of the dynamic of this Argentine side.

He’s mentioned that on various occasions when he’s said that his job was to “minimize those weaknesses”.  Today’s attempt to do so was a major indicator that he went a step too far.  Fortunately, he was able to right the ship on time and secure an important result.

This result essentially puts the Argentinians in an ideal situation as they will sit back and wait to see what happens between Iran and Nigeria at the Arena da Baixada in Curitiba.’

The Uruguayan national team is poised to make a run deep into the World Cup once again. This team is a bit longer on the tooth, but there are some individuals that are in the peak of their careers that will be vital for any type of pretensions they may have going into the World Cup.

There are certain givens such as Diego Forlán being 35 years old. And that he might not be the person that will be able to lead the squad in Brazil like he did in South Africa. For many, what he is able to do is a major contribution to anything that Uruguay will pretend to do in the World Cup.

These are five players that will have to make it big in Brazil for the ghosts of 1950 to begin haunting yet once again.

1. Gastón Ramírez

The Southampton playmaker is going to be looked at as a player that will have to make this tournament his. His ultimate flop in the Olympic Games in London saw his profile with La Celeste take a major hit.  This is why he needs to use this tournament to turn things around and establish himself as the number ten that the Uruguayan press always thought they had when he was emerging over at Peñarol. There has been a great deal of talk about how he and Nicolás Lodeiro is in the fight to be the team’s playmaker.

2. Nicolás Lodeiro

If things do not work out with Gastón, the newly signed Corinthians man will be the man that will looked upon a great deal to create in front of Cavani and Suárez.  It seems like a lifetime ago when Lodeiro was being touted as a highly ballyhooed Nacional youth product that got his debut in the World Cup playoff against Costa Rica in San José in 2009.

At this point, Lodeiro bounced around with clubs as well as agents and is looking to make this tournament a major turning points for him after suffering in South Africa when he was sent off in the opening match against France.

3. Cristian Stuani

When things weren’t going well, the addition of Cristian Stuani was a tremendous addition for Oscar Washington Tabárez helped get Uruguay in position where the squad were able to get to the playoff against Jordan.  Stuani gave another feature to a Uruguay attack that struggled at times, despite playing out of position.

Playing out wide compared to up top where he is accustomed to prior to being switched by Javier Aguirre at Espanyol.  That move for him was a blessing in disguise as that allowed Tabárez to look at him as a vital option of attack on the wings.

4. Diego Godín

Although Diego Lugano is the undisputed captain of the national team, the former West Brom man is a liability in the Uruguayan backline.  The Atlético Madrid man is the lone bright spot to this backline that has Lugano in questionable form, Sebastián Coates coming back from a long injury and José María Giménez being a viable option despite still being 19 years old.

5. Luis Suárez

It is hard to put a list of players to watch for and not have one of the top three players in the world right now. Suárez also has a soap opera of his own as he looks to be ready for the clash against England.

SEE MORE — Read our Uruguay World Cup Preview.

BELO HORIZONTE – The Uruguayan FA released a video to intensify their country’s support as the squad continues to prepare for the world cup in Brazil.

“We know the World Cup is going to be difficult. Some say that it is going to be impossible. They talk about the group of death, faraway matches and a lot of other things,” says the narrator in the footage while the national team playing. The minute video asks fans to help “Awaken The Mystique.”

This campaign also focuses on and appeals to the toughness of Uruguay as well as the ability that they’ve had to overcome adversity by doing what they have to do in order to get the job done. At that moment, you see the controversial Luis Suarez stopping Ghana from scoring with his hand in the 2010 World Cup quarterfinal match from South Africa.

The Uruguayans look confident and they showed it in their video where La Celeste stars like Edinson Cavani, Diego Forlan, and Suarez spoke about how the team is looking to return to the top of this tournament.The team is holding training camp in Sete Lagoas and Suarez continues to improve and looks to be ready for their opener.

Below is the video and Uruguay will debut on Saturday in Fortaleza against Costa Rica. The national team will try to repeat what they did in 1950, which is win the World Cup in Brazil.

There are still high expectations for the Colombian national team despite the absence of the talismanic goalscorer, Radamel Falcao García.  Despite this huge loss, there are other players that are ready to take on the challenge and step in to fill a void that many know is irreplaceable.

Colombia’s group will be a difficult challenge, but it’s still one that the team can through, and even deeper into the tournament than that. For all that to occur, there are five players that must be looked to in order for Colombia to accomplish the expectations that were placed on José Pekerman and his men as they return to the biggest sporting event on the planet after a 16-year absence.

1. Juan Cuadrado

When Juan Cuadrado arrived to the Colombian national team a few months after Pekerman took over his impact was felt rather quickly.  He added another dimension to the team by offering an option down the right wing.  Cuadrado’s speed as well as his attacking capabilities make him a dangerous option for Los Cafeteros and makes the others just a bit more dangerous.  His efficiency as a right back or as a right wing make him a vital cog to Colombia’s attack.

2. Fredy Guarín

The central midfielders are the ones that are fairly silent in this Colombia lineup.  They don’t receive as many accolades or get as many headlines as the men they nourish up top, or the criticism the players behind them are subject to. Guarín, like any of the other players that often fill this area of the pitch, is key in order to pressure as well as provide on the attack and give the outside backs a bit more freedom. More importantly, the Inter man will be looked upon as an integral part of the national team system with the absence of Aldo Leao Ramírez.  The Morelia midfielder will miss out on the World Cup after suffering a Grade 1 ankle sprain that will have him out for about a month.

3. Carlos Bacca

The native of Santa Marta will be the man that will have the unenviable task of having the tag of “Falcao’s replacement”.  His success at Sevilla put him over players like Jackson Martínez, Adrián Ramos and even Fredy Montero in the Colombian national team pecking order at the forward position.

What also sets Bacca apart from the other potential starters is that Bacca is the player that best associates on the pitch and is most familiar with the movements that are made by Teófilo Gutiérrez.  This affiliation goes all the way back to when both were up and coming players with second division side Barranquilla FC as well as when they made the move up to Junior where both saw their talents rewarded by winning league titles during their time there.

4. Carlos Valdés

The Philadelphia Union man on loan to San Lorenzo will get the nod as Luis Amaranto Perea will be denied a chance to take part in a World Cup.  This brings in a central defender who slowly came into his own upon his arrival to Argentina via a transfer that ended up being messier that initially imagined.  Valdés will need to return to his MLS form – the same form that got him into the national team – in order to be a viable partner alongside Mario Yepes.

5. James Rodríguez

As much as all the media talk was about getting Falcao healthy and his impact for the national team, the man that pulls the strings and gets Falcao the freedom to not be marked is his Monaco teammate,  Rodriguez.  The former Porto and Banfield man has been Colombia’s key to unlocking the opposition goal. He becomes even more important with the absence of Edwin Valencia. 

The Mexican national team has a history of being a squad that can cause problems for big teams, yet at the same time finds itself on a constant mission to surpass that World Cup obstacle that they call “The fifth match.” Despite a rich history of soccer, El Tri have yet to make it past the quarter finals of the World Cup. This year, Mexico are in a position where they have the daunting challenge of facing hosts Brazil in the group stage, along with two quality opponents in Croatia and Cameroon to compete with.

Opponents have enjoyed the benefits of having El Tri in their group. In their 15 previous appearances, Mexico played with 13 eventual World Cup semifinalists. On one occasion, in 1962, Mexico played with the two eventual finalists in Czechoslovakia and Brazil in the group stage. This time around, the malaise that is the Mexican national team’s current form of the past year and a half will depend on five players if their fortunes are to have a chance of changing.

1. Guillermo Ochoa

For Memo, this is a moment where his goalkeeping can carry a team a long way in a tournament.  It’s amazing to fathom that Ochoa was not part of the 2010 World Cup squad and was snubbed for Oscar Pérez.

Memo Ochoa is the type of goalkeeper that can help a team stay afloat while they endure a tough stretch. He did that for various seasons before Ajaccio’s eventual relegation this past season in Ligue 1.  Now the former Club América goalkeeper will have a chance to prove his worth as Mexico’s number one man between the sticks.

2. Javier Hernández

The World Cup will be Chicharito’s time to prove that he is Mexico’s top scoring threat.  He is also playing for his future prospects and will feel the need to prove his worth to new Manchester United boss Louis Van Gaal. In order to accomplish this, he will need to cause problems against Brazil, Croatia, and Cameroon. These sides will offer even greater resistance than squads like Israel or Bosnia could from a defensive standpoint.

Sometimes opportunity comes to people in the face of adversity. That is something Hernández is very familiar with dating back to his 2009 season with Chivas. A drop in his form saw him struggling that year, resulting in his relegation to the bench. He needs another return to the form that caught Manchester United’s eye back in 2010.

3. Carlos Alberto Peña

León’s all-terrain midfielder is one of those players that can truly impress individuals in the foreign media. Peña showed up in some of the León’s biggest matches en route to becoming the first team since Hugo Sánchez’ Pumas won back-to-back semester titles nine years ago.

Peña will be counted on heavily by Head Coach Miguel Herrera. The player that was on the Arsenal’s radar is one of the big stars of the past two semester for Gustavo Matosas’ side and will prove to be a difference in the midfield for Mexico should he see his club form translate to the international side.

4. Oribe Peralta

Peralta is the highest profile signing for Club América this current off-season. “El Cepillo” (The Brush) was one of the deadliest scoring threats for Santos Laguna and has emerged as one of Mexico’s top scoring options. With the struggles of the forwards like Hernández, Jiménez, and Dos Santos, Peralta will be looked at as the main target man.

5. Miguel Layún

The 25 year old Layún is coming off a terrific campaign with Club América. His rise to stardom gave Mexico manager Miguel Herrera the “luxury” of experimenting with Andrés Guardado as a defensive midfielder in the match against Israel.  Guardado did not have the most successful season at Valencia and played sparingly at Bayer Leverkusen, while Layún’s potential saw him overtake the former Atlas man as the Mexican side number three. Layún will be crucial in anchoring the Mexican defense in Brazil.

SEE MORE — Read the Mexico World Cup Preview or listen to the Mexico World Cup Preview podcast.

FROM BUENOS AIRES – Uruguay is looking forward to seeing how its squad will fare in the upcoming World Cup. There is a great deal of expectation on the shoulders of the men led by Oscar Washington Tabárez despite their squad being in one of, if not the most, complicated group in the tournament.

In the coming months, Uruguay will also have their focus shifted towards the future. The nation will look to the future by embracing the past as they begin making a case to win the bid to host the 2030 World Cup.

A World Cup hosted in Uruguay in 2030 would be an ideal way to mark the 100th anniversary of the very first World Cup that was hosted in Uruguay in 1930, and where the final was played in Montevideo’s legendary Estadio Centenario.

There will be a great deal of sentiment that will be brought into this bid as Uruguay would be the ideal candidate to host this tournament exactly when FIFA would be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the world greatest sporting event.

This would ramp up the bid effort in Uruguay after it began in earnest back in 2011 when Uruguay Natural, the brand name of that country’s department of tourism, started to take the first steps in this campaign.

Here’s a video of the initial 2011 bid:

Banco República became the first privately owned corporation to launch this movement. Their first step was a very ambitious one bringing in Uruguayan international Diego Forlán as well as actress Natalia Oreiro together as two “secret agents” that are on a mission to cover the Obdulio Varela’s medal that was stolen. Because of this, several moments in Uruguayan football history changed.

The short film shows Sebastían Abreu looking to chip the final penalty kick against Ghana and hitting it over the crossbar.

To get a better idea of what the promotion itself talks about, it basically is a mix of James Bond, Bruce Lee in Game of Death and Spy Kids with a special appearance by a Dr. Doom doppelganger.

Director Martín Sastre brought Oreiro and Diego Forlán together for this feature that will be released in the coming days in the South American nation as part of the Banco República’s “Protocolo Celeste” campaign where this entity looks to bring some corporate muscle to the Uruguayan World Cup bid.

According to Sastre, Forlán was a fine actor in this project and fully understood the role he had to play and took very well to the direction that he was given.

In the short film, Forlán would have to take part in some action sequences as he was involved in some “combat scenes” with some villains that he had to fight in order to get back Odbulio Varela’s medal.

Watch the trailer for the short film:

FROM BUENOS AIRES: If one were to say three years ago that Lionel Messi would be cheered and given all the affection he needed in Buenos Aires and not Barcelona, they would be asked from what parallel universe did they come from.

It was both ironic for soccer fans as well as comforting for Argentines to see that bit of energy that he showed Wednesday night.  There was a certain bit of solace that you saw in the first half when Messi attacked non-stop and was serving some impressive dagger-like, defense-splitting passes to Di María, Lavezzi, Palacio and even to Hugo Campagnaro at right back.

The goals didn’t come at a fast and furious pace, but the chances were being generated against a Soca Warrior backline that at times could not keep up with the constant movement of the Argentine attack and the pressure that they would place on the visitors when they looked to play the ball out of the back.

He even came close on various occasions to scoring. In the first half, Messi had two chances to score. One of the efforts saw Messi’s shot drift just wide of the Trinidad goal after a series of passes that put him in front of target and could have opened up the scoring for the Albiceleste.

In the dying moments of the first half, Ángel Di María pulled a rabbit out of the hat and ended up all alone in front of goal. Instead of taking the shot and making it 1-0, Di María decided to give the ball to the oncoming Messi to slam it home in front of an empty net.  As soon as he was about to touch that ball with his right foot, Messi had the ball deflected by a Trinidadian defender. The eventual result on that play was a header by Rodrigo Palacio off the ensuing corner. The play was truly an embodiment of the selflessness that the squad has in knowing who needed to score a goal in order to be able to reaffirm himself. At the same time, his teammates were there to back him when the ball was not going in.

For those that constantly harped on how Leo Messi was saving himself for the World Cup, the answer was for all to see on Wednesday night’s match between Argentina and Trinidad. There was little doubt that he looked refreshed — both mentally and physically — as he ran at Soca Warrior defenders for a greater portion of the match at El Monumental. More importantly, Messi was looking for contact.

Everyone at the stadium saw that when he’d take on three defenders at a time and would find an open man on the wings. Yet the play that embodied it all was in the early part of the second half. Messi made a run into the heart of the Trinidad defense and was brought down just outside the box, according to Uruguayan referee Daniel Fedorczuk.

The moment seemed like one of those where you expected magic to occur. That free kick was one where you knew that Messi could do everything and anything with. One by one lights began to come on over at the Sívori section of El Monumental. Each light looking to forever capture a moment that would be eternal. It looked to be a moment that many wanted to show friends and future generations that they personally saw with their own two eyes (and smart phone).

It didn’t come out as planned as Messi’s free kick got past Jan Michael Williams but the post would deny him a fantastic goal. Or did it? The ball ended up right in front of Javier Mascherano who knocked it in for the second goal of the match. I guess we can call it a “perfect assist” by one Barcelona player to another.

Messi didn’t score on this night. This is the greatest irony of all. A few years ago, Messi would have been criticized for not putting his shots into the back of the net. Yet there was a frenetic pace from Messi that on this evening was only matched by the Trinidadian drum section that sat over at the Oriental Alta right on the Avenida Figueroa Alcorta that made the trip from the Islands to support their side. That was appreciated by fans a great deal. So much so, that every time Argentina had a corner kick and Messi would take it each corner of the stadium would stand and cheer for him.

That evening in northern Buenos Aires felt like as if we lived in a parallel universe. A place where Messi was no longer feeling like a prophet in his own land. He finally made peace with the fans that once had him inexplicably under a microscope at times for things like not being vocal, not scoring and not being Maradona. Now they understand that he is not vocal and he is not Maradona — he is Messi.  Now is when the majority of Argentine are realizing that and they are doing something that the rest of the world has done for a while now — cherishing him.

Rumors swirled over Argentine camp this week after PSG forward Ezequiel Lavezzi was given permission to leave  for “personal reasons” at the same time that FIFA decided to do a surprise drug testing at the Argentine training complex in Ezeiza.

When Lavezzi was excluded from the testing, the rumors were rampant as to why this was happening and the only logical explanation was that Lavezzi was going to have a positive drug test. Well, that theory began to make the rounds in social media.

AFA representative Juan Carlos Crespi came out to deny those rumors almost immediately, “I was the one that signed off on the permission to have him leave training because he had to personal problems,” said Crespi.  “The doctors made a surprise visit, so for people to say that we were looking to (prevent Lavezzi) from taking those tests is complete nonsense.”

Argentina are not strangers to surprise drug tests and the controversy that lie behind them. Let’s not look too far at Diego Maradona and the whole ordeal he went through in the 1994 World Cup when his “legs were cut off” after turning out positive for ephedrine. Specifically, it was a product called Ripped Fuel, which wasn’t banned in the US at the time. The drug was later made illegal when the US government passed the revised version of the Patriot Act in 2005 where they included the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act.

Argentina technical director Carlos Salvador Bilardo also quashed these rumors during his nightly talk show on Radio La Red. Bilardo was on the phone from the Cidade do Galo complex in Belo Horizonte where the Albiceleste will train during the World Cup.

Lavezzi was one of two players that were not present during the drug testing that was made by FIFA.  The other player that was absent was Real Madrid winger Ángel Di María, who was on vacation after having played the UEFA Champions League final last weekend in Lisbon.

Argentina are set to play against Trinidad & Tobago on Wednesday at the Estadio Monumental and then will play against Slovenia on Saturday at the Estadio Unico in the city of La Plata prior to heading out to Belo Horizonte as they will prepare to take on Bosnia, Iran and Nigeria in World Cup group play.

Argentine club River Plate were in shock this week after the sudden departure of manager Ramón Díaz from the helm of the Argentinian team. The transition took very little time to resolve after sporting director Enzo Francescoli announced on Radio La Red Friday that former Argentine international and River Plate star Marcelo Gallardo would take over as soon as some details were finalized.

Gallardo was part of River’s squad as a player on three separate occasions where he was part of six league titles, a Copa Libertadores and a South American Super Cup title.

The former DC United man and Olympic silver medalist would have his second coaching stint after leading Nacional in Uruguay to the league title during his only season on the other side of the River Plate after having retired from the club the year before after sustaining a serious knee injury.

Gallardo was the second option to take over in Núñez after River looked to hire former Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino just days before. “It was very complicated to get Martino,” said Francescoli. “He was still going through a great deal after what happened to him [at Barcelona].”

River should be making the announcement official sometime this week as well as some personnel decisions that will be made for the upcoming season and Copa Sudamericana. River made their way to Mexico City to face Boca Juniors this weekend. The tickets went on sale after the international friendly between Mexico and Israel on Wednesday.

Chile have come out with one of the most inspirational commercials for the World Cup so far. Banco De Chile presented their World Cup promotion using the 33 miners from Puerto Esperanza to be the leaders of La Roja when they march into Brazil.

The scene takes place back in the area where these miners were trapped for over 70 days back in 2010. The commercial shows the miners grabbing bits of dirt that they will take to Brazil to spread all over La Roja’s training ground in Toca da Raposa II, Cruzeiro’s training ground in the outskirts of Belo Horizonte.

The leader of the miners, Mario Sepulveda, was the miner that stole the spotlight in this promo. Sepulveda narrates the trials and tribulations that they went through during that time.

“It’s the refection of the strength and will that we gathered to survive. This is what we want the national team players to have. (We want them) to think about the love and faith that the Chilean people have in them.”

While he talks about the situation and how their spirit helped them over come the adversity that destiny put them in, you start to see images of the national team in their best moments flashed alongside images of the rescue efforts in the mine.

“Spain is difficult? Netherlands are difficult? We don’t fear the group of death, because we’ve beaten Death before.”

Now let’s see if they can beat their rivals as well in the World Cup

Mobile app users, watch the video here.

Nearly a year once Portuguese international Deco announced his retirement from soccer, he’s back in the spotlight with a vengeance. The former playmaker was cleared on Thursday by the Brazilian Court for Arbitration of Sport but he is now considering taking legal action against the World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA, as well as Brazilian-based Ladetec.

“I will speak to my lawyers and then decide what to do,” said Deco in a statement he released today. “If there was an error, both the WADA and Ladetec should be responsible.”

Last year, Deco was suspended after he took a drug test prior to the beginning of the Brasileirão tournament last season with Fluminense. In this test, he turned out positive for two illegal substances, one of them being the diuretic hydrocholorthiazide as well as tam by Ladetec. This is the same organization that lost their accreditation when tested by WADA in August of 2013.

Because of this issue, FIFA will be forced to send urine and blood tests collected from players participating in the World Cup to Switzerland due to the decertification.

The 36-year-old also mentioned that during this past year he lost plenty of opportunities due to being falsely accused.

The two-time UEFA Champions League winner was part of the Portuguese national team that lost the final of Euro 2004 in their home country and reached the semifinals of the World Cup back in 2006. He was regarded one of the best players among Portugal’s golden generation but his legacy has taken a hit due to the drug test results but he plans on doing whatever it takes to clear his name and become a positive figure in soccer again.

It seems like a team with injury problems is more the rule instead of the exception as we are 15 days away from the beginning of the World Cup in Brazil.  Colombian midfielder Edwin Valencia was finally sent back home on Wednesday after being unable to recover from a muscular injury that prevented him from practicing with the national team over in their Los Cardales complex just outside Buenos Aires.

“I have news that is not too fortunate for everyone here. Edwin Valencia will not be able to take part in the World Cup,” said coach José Pekerman in Wednesday’s press conference at the Hotel Sofitel. “It is a very important loss as he was a player that contributed a great deal to the national team.”

Pekerman also mentioned that Valencia’s recovery time would be too long for him to be able to play in the World Cup and that is the reason why the decision was already made.

Valencia has played in over 100 matches for Brazilian side Fluminense and this past season saw well over 30 appearances between Brasileirão (Brazilian league), cup and state tournaments.

With the loss of Valencia, the squad is down to 26 players after the release of players MacNelly Torres, Aquivaldo Mosquera and Mainz man Elkin Soto.

The loss of Valencia will also give Atlético Nacional man Alexander Mejía a chance to shine as there have been inquiries from teams abroad for his services. Mejía is one of the hot commodities of Nacional especially after the club won the league title for an unprecedented third consecutive time since the implementation of the short tournaments in the South American country.

The other player that is questionable due to health problems is Cruz Azul’s Luis Amaranto Perea. The former Atlético Madrid man has seen some complications in the recovery of a groin injury that has hampered him throughout the month.

The injury affected Perea during the latter stages of the season, especially in the elimination of the reigning CONCACAF Champions League winners in the Liga MX playoff at the hands of eventual two-time champs León.

There was also news regarding Radamel Falcao and his status. Coach Pekerman stated that he would wait until the last minute for the AS Monaco goalscorer. During a brief statement about the Santa Marta native, Pekerman made it clear that he would give Falcao every chance to prove to him that he would be able to contribute to the team right up until the final list of 23 is given to FIFA.

Colombia will debut in Belo Horizonte on June 14 against Greece, then face Ivory Coast in Brasilia five days later, before finishing off with Japan over in Cuiabá on June 24.

One of my most memorable moments that embodied Mario Kempes as a person was when he was walking around during the 2006 World Cup coverage and he was en route to the studio to tape a show.  He walked by a group of employees that were joking and laughing with a former US international that was telling them about his World Cup experiences. They gave him room to go through and continue his path to his final destination. He went by virtually unrecognized.

Being caught in the middle and having the chance to see the entire picture, I chuckled.  Imagining the stories that Mario could offer.

More recently, I had the chance to sit down with Kempes for a one-on-one interview, to hear about his World Cup memories.

“During the 1966 World Cup, my father was building our house and I was 12 years old. And I was breaking bricks to help my father build the house. I heard [the World Cup] a little bit over the radio then,” said Kempes, the ESPN Deportes pundit and commentator, who will be covering the World Cup 2014 tournament for ESPN Deportes as an analyst.

“The television set would get those horizontal lines and you would have to hit it a couple of times. . . So when they were showing, let’s say in Mexico [1970 World Cup]. We would be playing in the neighborhood league or would see them somewhere. Back then, there wasn’t this frenzy over watching all the matches.”

“As World Cups passed by, I liked to watch [games] when I could,” said Kempes, almost visualizing those days and narrating as he went on.  “That’s why I can say that Brazil ’70 team was great . . . I saw it later on, not at that moment.”

Kempes said that he always had the “spine” of a footballer but it didn’t develop until later in his teenage years. Around 17 or 18 years old, Kempes started to get more involved in Argentina’s youth system, especially in the 1972 Cannes U-18 tournament where they lost to Brazil 2-1 in the final on the last play of the match.

That tournament left a taste of disappointment in his mouth, but it was also a moment where he started to see the seeds of his career grow, especially on the national level.  That 1972 tournament, that entire experience, allowed Mario to meet some of his eventual teammates that would have success six years later.

“Some of the players started at Boca, others at River, others at Huracán.  We practically began together at a young age,” he said. Kempes was from Córdoba and eventually ended up playing at Rosario Central.

“When we got together, we became friends and with every trip we eventually became that.”

The 1974 World Cup

The youth experience for him and some of his fellow teammates helped their transition to the senior side leading up to the 1974 World Cup.  When Mario arrived to the national team prior to the World Cup in West Germany, he never felt so overwhelmed or awestruck. At that stage of his young career, he was already a top player in the Argentine league with Rosario Central and would eventually head to Spain to play for Valencia.

There was a moment where he almost did not head to the 1974 World Cup.  “I spoke to Vladislao Cap and said to him that if I wasn’t a starter I wasn’t going to stay on the team.”  When Cap heard that, he replied to Mario with one word: impossible.

“After that, I said goodbye,” he said. The 20-year-old Kempes was on his way out of the training complex in La Plata and heading back to the FA complex to finalize his exit from the squad. Luckily, an AFA official who took a car ride to the complex with Mario convinced him to remain in the national team.  Mario returned to the camp and asked for Cap’s forgiveness.

“I didn’t just want to be on the national team.  It’s great, but to not play, it killed me,” said Kempes, explaining his reaction to Cap not starting him.

Mario was part of the Argentinian side in 1974 World Cup, but he did not have the same impact or presence in the squad that he would have four years later. In Mario’s words: “It was not a very good tournament collectively, but it was the experience for many of us.”

1978 World Cup

Argentina’s World Cup was one mired in controversy. Kempes, along with Rene Houseman and Ubaldo Fillol, were the “veterans” of the Argentinian side going into the World Cup under head coach César Luis Menotti

“From the ’74 squad, no one was left.  It was all new. . . It was different. . . All the players were from Buenos Aires, but having played against them all the time I was familiar with them, and they were like that with me.” Mario said.

At that time, prior to the 1978 World Cup, Kempes explains that there was another player that began making the rounds in Argentine football, Diego Maradona.

“Diego, you could not see him in Europe on television like you do today. He had a lots of references but it was just that. . . But once you saw him, you knew he was phenomenal.”

Before the 1978 World Cup, Kempes was the only Argentinian player that played for a club outside the nation. At this time in his career, he was playing at Valencia while other squad members all played in Argentina. When he arrived for training, Kempes explained that “the big difference was that the other players had time to prepare.” He went on to explain that “what happened was that the [domestic] players played with the clubs and during the week they trained with the national team and that was great.” 

This concept implemented by Argentinian coach Menotti was crucial. It established cohesion within the team and made them familiar with one another. “They adapted,” said Kempes. “They learned about tastes, good moods, bad moods and every week learning about them and on Sunday playing against them.” 

There was also a difference in the way that Kempes played. Menotti noticed that he needed to play more towards the middle instead of being out on the left wing. “It’s a position that I was familiar with as I played like that at Valencia,” said Kempes.

The change saw Kempes become more active in front of the goal in the initial group stage, but that did not necessarily translate to success in front of the net. Menotti made another change and played Mario in the middle.

“I would hit a post, hit it to the goalkeeper or assist on a goal. But it would not go in,” said Kempes. “But I kept going because I was working and practicing well so I knew it would go in eventually.”

Although he was not scoring, he was looking to contribute whenever and wherever he could. One of the most memorable instances was when he stopped a goal with his hand in the match against Poland. This resulted in a penalty that was save by Ubaldo Fillol. “It was the only thing I could do. I couldn’t head it and my leg was obviously not going to get there,” Kempes chuckled. “I’d never do that today,” he added.

Like many top goalscorers, Kempes would get out of his slump and eventually get rolling and lead Argentina to their first-ever World Cup trophy.

1982 World Cup

Argentina had a different mindset coming into Spain for the World Cup in 1982.  They were the champions and were looking to defend their title in Europe. Prior to and during the World Cup, Argentina was in a war and the people of the nation turned to soccer to try to find some solace.

This time around, Mario was not the focal point of the national team anymore as Diego Maradona began to establish himself on the world’s stage for the first time ever.

There was one moment when Ossie Ardiles scored a goal against Hungary when he broke down and cried. The entire team celebrated that goal with him knowing the situation he endured. Ardiles’s brother had died in the Falkland Islands war a few months earlier.

“What happened at that moment is that we started to find out how the war was going when we got to Spain,” said Kempes. “When we were in Argentina, everything was great.  We were winning 50-0. When we arrived in Spain we realized that we were actually losing 100-0. That’s when we realized the magnitude of that war.”

In Conclusion

Mario’s World Cup experiences are vast. As a player and as a pundit, he’s seen various World Cups from a very close vantage point. “All World Cups are great. If you live them from up close, [they are] even greater, like I did in ’74, ’78 and ’82 . . . One thing is to experience it from within, but to do so as a journalist or fan, those are completely different situations.”

Forty years after Mario’s first call-up to the national team, Kempes will be part of ESPN Deportes’ team present at the World Cup in Brazil offering his perspective on the tournament. For Kempes, this will be his tenth consecutive World Cup that he has a link to.

What always stood out about Mario is his humility and his predisposition toward people that made a difference with him being just “Mario.”  In 2011, at the Copa América in Argentina, Mario Kempes was asked for a credential to enter the stadium. What makes it even more amazing was that he was about to go and buy a ticket in order to get in. At that moment, an AFA official charged ahead and challenged the security guard that denied him entry. 

“He doesn’t have a credential,” the usher said. “You know what’s his credential, young man?” said the official.  “Look up there.”

Within the sightline of the tunnel, he saw the following three words: “Estadio Mario Kempes.”

Editor’s note: For the past nine years, Kempes has worked at ESPN as a soccer analyst for ESPN Deportes and ESPN in Latin America. You can find Kempes’s analysis regarding world soccer and the World Cup on ESPN Deportes.

The World Cup is a time to see the creative mind of ad companies trying to innovate and make campaigns go viral. Unfortunately, recently Pepsi launched their newest campaign in Argentina but have done so for all the wrong reasons.

Striker Mauro Icardi has become one of the most controversial figures in Serie A and not because of what he does on the pitch. The Inter playmaker constantly makes headlines off the pitch due to his relationship with Argentine entertainer Wanda Nara after she left her husband, Sampdoria’s Maxi López, for the man that was at one point Maxi’s good friend.

People have taken to trolling social media accounts regarding the controversy, but now it’s gone to a new level after Icardi and Nara appeared in a Pepsi commercial for Argentina. In the commercial, Icardi is stealing Pepsi tops from different fans and teammates. He is also shown breaking into cars and houses in order to try to get a free Pepsi.

But this commercial gets personal when Icardi is seen running out of a house he just broke into, with his girlfriend waiting for him in their getaway car. As they drive away, the car has a sticker with the names of two kids — both Maxi López’ children.

Obviously, the commercial didn’t go over too well to the Argentine audience as their country finds itself mired in a wave of violence and insecurity in the streets that has rocked many lives and families. So seeing a player stealing obviously is not a good role model.

Even their slogan turned off many people. “Ganar por Afano,” which translates to “win by stealing.”

I guess we’ll now have to wait until Coca-Cola and Quilmes come out with their commercials, to see commercials that will empower Argentina for all the right reasons instead of appealing to decadence.

Liverpool’s Luis Suárez once again made headlines in his native Uruguay, but not for what he was doing on the pitch.  After reports that he will be named Player of the Year by the PFA later today, Suarez continues to put a smile on the faces of Liverpool supporters.

Suarez is now the face of the Uruguayan national team in his home country and as he is on the verge of making history in the Premier League.  That’s why Pepsi has decided to use him in a promotion where fans could meet him.

The first video is a trailer featuring Suarez as a rock star in concert.  The Liverpool star is dressed all in leather, with guitar in hand and wearing sunglasses as he’s decked out in typical rockstar mode.

Suarez rocks out to Born To Be Wild, which is what he does to most opposing defenses week-in and week-out in the Premier League..

After he’s done “belting out” the lyrics to that rebellious anthem, he does his trademark gesture of kissing the inside of his wrists. The videos show the joker and light-hearted side of a player that has been mired in controversy throughout his career.

Ghana is on the verge of officially announcing that its World Cup team will play a friendly against South Korea in Miami prior to heading to Brazil for the tournament. If finalized, it means that Ghana and South Korea will join the list of England, Ecuador and Honduras who will play warm-up matches in Miami this June.

Ghana, nicknamed The Black Stars, are looking to play another friendly match as they are scheduled to play in Los Angeles as well as Atlanta before going to Brazil.  Reports on Thursday began to emerge in Ghana that the national team will play an additional friendly in Miami against South Korea.

This move comes off the heels of the cancellation of Ghana’s friendly against Guatemala, as reported by L’Equipe back on Tuesday.  Ghana have already confirmed their friendly against Netherlands on May 31st in Rotterdam.

The reports came out on Ghana Soccernet, stating that the South Korean FA were looking to get a friendly match with Ghana around June 10th in Miami; the site of their training camp prior to heading to Brazil for their Group H debut against Russia at the Arena Pantanal in Cuiabá on June 17.

According to sources in the Ghanaian media that were contacted by World Soccer Talk, the sources have actually confirmed that the match will take place at FIU Stadium.  This announcement has not been made official and authorities over at FIU have said that they have no knowledge about a match, although they did say that the Korean national team will be training at their complex during those times.

The Taeguk Warriors were in the US back in February as they faced both the US as well as Mexico and lost to them 2-0 and 4-0 respectively.

“We will announce the exact schedule and place once the friendly is confirmed,” the KFA said in an official statement.

Ghana will begin their World Cup campaign on June 16 when they face the US at the Arena Das Dunas in Natal.

CONMEBOL announced today that The Clásico de las Américas will be renewed starting this year and will take on a more international spin this coming year.  The tournament was cancelled last year due to scheduling inconveniences, but now there will be some major changes to offer a greater appeal to one of the biggest rivalries in international soccer.

This year’s edition will take place in Beijing’s Bird Nest on October 11.  This was the site where Argentina won their second consecutive gold medal back in 2008 when they defeated Nigeria in the final 1-0 courtesy of an Ángel Di María goal.  The other change that is made to this encounter is that the match will take place during a FIFA international date. This will allow the stars on both sides to be able to take part in this match.

Brazil won the last two editions that were disputed in 2011 and 2012, which were played on a home and away basis.  The last edition, saw the return leg match in Resistencia, Argentina postponed due to electrical issues at the stadium. The match was then played at La Bombonera where Argentina won the match 2-1, but lost the title in penalty kicks.

Earlier today, Atlético-MG President Alexandre Kalil announced the signing of free agent Nicolas Anelka, who recently had his contract terminated at West Bromwich Albion of the Premier League.

A little less than a month after the Frenchman’s dishonorable departure from West Brom, Anelka knew that it was time for move to a more exotic location. What was so strange about the move was that he refused the notion just days earlier. In a report on Belo Horizonte daily O Tempo, Kalil denied vehemently that the team would be able to bring in the former French international because the club found “he was too expensive.”

What changed in the past few days? Most likely, it was Anelka’s pretensions moneywise. Earning well over $75,000 per week like he did at The Hawthorns would be short of impossible. He knew that for him to get a chance to play, that he would have to become a bit more financially flexible. According to Globo Esporte, there were negotiations that continued as the player was interested in a reunion with former PSG man Ronaldinho Gaúcho. As of press time, there are no details of a contract being signed or anything of that nature. There should be an official statement from the club regarding this matter.

Based on his inactivity as well as his age, it will take some time to be able to get him in form for the beginning of the Brasileirão in a couple of weeks. He will have the benefit of the World Cup break, but it will be a grueling schedule from that point until early December.

Atlético-MG could and would be able to play a 4-3-3 with Anelka playing towards the right with Diego Tardelli on the left and Jô in the middle. Tardelli would be the man that could drop back.

He might not have the pace that he used to, but he can offer another option to Autuori’s 4-2-2-2 coming from the right. That area of the pitch has seen a reduced production ever since the departure of Bernard to Shakhtar Donetsk during the summer transfer window. That option might be a bit more far-fetched or you could see Diego Tardelli to drop back alongside Ronaldinho and Anelka would play up top with Jô.

One benefit for Anelka would be the amount of space that Brazilian soccer does offer. That could help him out as far as getting maximum production out of him.

With all this being said, it’s Nicolas Anelka we’re talking about. He’s not known for being a player that is nicely packaged and is a given – on the positive end – that is. There are several flaws and his character is a major question mark. He brings baggage and a well-documented record of misbehavior.

What if he doesn’t fit in? Would the coaching staff be willing to change the tactical map so he feels comfortable? Well, you know the questions.

Many must be talking about the white elephant in this conversation. I mean there is a reason why he is in Brazil and that was beaten to death. After his actions that got him out the Premier League to begin with, yes, there will be a backlash. Let’s see how that is taken by both the player and the club. At this stage, it is too soon to know exactly how the news is going to be taken. One thing is for sure the Jewish community will not be happy about it at all. How big of an impact will it be as Anelka looks to make a “fresh start,” you say?

According to the 2010 census, there are approximately 107,000 Jews living in Brazil. Although the numbers do vary, what remains consistent is that Brazil does have the tenth highest population of Jews in the world.

Yes, there is going to be displeasure and the move will be unpopular for many individuals. How can it not be? The whole quenelle incident was polarizing to say the least, anything written here is not going to add an iota to that conversation. In Brazil, they are well aware of what he did and each individual will react a certain. That we will see.

What can be said for sure is that Nicolas Anelka will be getting another chance, deserved or not. He’s getting another opportunity to ply his craft despite tripping with the same rock at Real Madrid, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Liverpool, Fenerbahçe, Chelsea, Shanghai Shenhua amongst many others. For Anelka, it could be the last chance to do something in a career that had potential on the pitch mired by his antics and lack of common sense and poor judgment.

Juan is a freelance writer as well as a match commentator in the United States. He is a correspondent for The Telegraph as well as regular guest on TALKSport as well as BBC World Service and Radio Globo (Brazil). You can follow him on Twitter.

Bolívar manager Xabier Azkargorta was always a motivator and a coach that maintained a positive outlook on things no matter how they were playing out on the pitch. In his office, he had a sign that read “Never Stop Going Forward. A Golazo For Life.” On Wednesday, that golazo came in the 70th minute when Julio Ferreira scored a tremendous goal with one of the few opportunities he had in Bolívar’s 1-0 victory over León in the Copa Libertadores.

In that match, the Bolivians endured countless attacks by the reigning Liga MX champions, but survived because of their organization and practicality. The squad did not attack much, but at the same time, León failed to find the spaces to put Bolívar in a bind on a consistent basis. The few times “La Fiera” were able to do so, the ball would tease the players and fans in attendance, but they eventually lost.

The win was not just “historic,” as several players mentioned after the match, it was a reaffirmation of what Azkargorta instilled in them in just two short weeks when he took the helm at Bolívar.

It seems like back to the future for the Bolivian. When he took over as coach of the Bolivian national team for the 1994 World Cup qualifiers, there were many naysayers in the Bolivian press that were won over by his work all of a sudden.

Twenty years later, Azkargorta returns to the spotlight once again as coach of Bolívar just hours after parting ways with the same national team that he put on the international soccer map two decades earlier.

Once again, Azkargorta quickly started to show his “coaching magic,” changing the fortunes of a Bolívar side that struggled in the early part of 2014 under caretaker coach Víctor Soria while magnate Marcelo Claure was looking for a replacement for another Spaniard, Miguel Ángel Portugal, who departed for Atlético-PR back in December. That move, ironically, saw Azkargorta go from one of the poorest national teams in the western hemisphere to coaching the club owned by one of the richest men in Bolivia — communications magnate and David Beckham business partner Marcelo Claure.

The Hernando Siles stadium was always the biggest strength for Bolivian clubs and national teams, as it was (and continues to be) a place of strength as even the biggest of rivals trembled when the prospect of having to play 3,640 meters (11,948 feet) about sea level. The same could be said about Oruro (3,706m/ 12,159 feet) or Cochabamba (2,558 m/8,392 feet).

Now when they play away from those confines, their results are dire to say the least. The Bolivian national team have not won on the road in World Cup qualifying play in 21 years. That was when Azkargorta’s side defeated Venezuela 3-1 en route to their first and only World Cup appearance.

Playing away from home was always the demon that Bolivian sides endured. Having to leave that comfort zone was always a problem mentally, and Azkargorta was always aware of that. This is why the win against León was so huge. Azgargorta’s win was not just also important for his team as they went top of the table in their group in Copa Libertadortes; he was also the coach of the first Bolivian side to ever win on Mexican soil.

“It’s about convincing the players that they can play and fight in any condition; that the rivals don’t have three legs or two hearts and don’t have seven lungs,” said Azkargorta after Bolívar’s 1-0 win against León in Guanajuato. “They are a football player which they can compete against.”

In the press conference after the match, he was asked about his team’s good fortune.

“Luck is a lady and you have to seduce her. Send her flowers, take her out to dinner and work towards getting her. She never arrives on her own. Today we worked hard and we sent her flowers and in the end. She helped us out.”

He believes that he’s changed the culture of the club in just two weeks. What was most important was not that the club believe in some intangible. The important part is being able to measure the intangibles with tangibles. Their draw against Flamengo at the Estadio Maracanã was a start as no Bolivian team have earned points on Brazilian soil until that match. They followed up that performance with a 2-1 win against O Mengão at the Hernando Siles and then went on to get the win in Mexico.

Before that, the results were not coming despite having an outstanding campaign from captain Julio Ferreira and former Real Madrid B and Real Valladolid man José Luis Capdevila as well as former Real Madrid youth player Juanmi Callejón (Napoli’s José María Callejón’s twin brother). Callejón is Bolívar’s leading goalscorers in Copa Libertadores and is currently tied with fellow compatriot and former Pichichi winner Dani Güiza, who currently plays at Cerro Porteño in Paraguay.

Still there is a different vibe at training in one of the biggest clubs in Bolivia as one of the greatest names is beginning to get them out of their early year doldrums. In typical “El Vasco” fashion, Azkargorta has resurrected the morale of this side and now it seems like they are once again poised to fight for big things domestically, despite their 4-0 loss to Aurora with an alternate side. Right now all guns are blazing and many in Bolivia are talking about this team being at the doorstep of returning to the knockout stage for the first time since 2012.

Yes, it’s only two weeks that he’s been in charge; there is a tendency to get a bit carried away. Through all that, the old wise Basque man with the pronounced moustache shows many of his naysayers that he still has what it takes when given the tools. Maybe that could be the lesson that the Bolivian federation could learn from this.

Juan is a soccer pundit that has covered football from all over the world for the past 11 years. He’s done television works for various outlets and has written for sites like Goal.com, The Telegraph, Soccerly and In Bed With Maradona amongst others. He is also a frequent guest on TALKSport, BBC World Service, Radio Globo and Radio Huancavilca amongst others. You can follow him on Twitter.

There are soccer fans all over the world of all shapes and sizes. The beauty of it all is what helps many of us gravitate towards this most magical of all sports.

The passion of soccer fans is limitless. Yet at the same time there are some that take the level of fandom to new heights, for better or for worse.

Take the case of Victor Dell’Aquila. He’s the Argentine soccer fan that captured the imagination of the world in 1978 when he jumped onto the pitch after the final whistle blew in the final against the Netherlands. He ran straight to goalkeeper Ubaldo Fillol and defender Alberto Tarantini as they embraced on the ground.  That moment was forever embodied in a photo where Dell’Aquila was right there next to the two players in the greatest moment in soccer history for that country.

Dell’Aquila’s story seems pretty normal for a fan that was extremely exuberant and had the chance to be able to share a moment with two conquering heroes of a nation that found itself in strife as the height of the Dirty War coincided with the world’s greatest sporting event.

What made Dell’Aquila different was that he spent the majority of his life without upper limbs. This tragedy was due to an accident he had when he was 12 years old. He was electrocuted by a fallen light post. And in the eventual race to save his life, he had to lose his arms.

After this occurred, there was a sense of worthlessness that Dell’Aquila had.  Such was his displeasure with this situation that he questioned his own existence. “Son, you have to give your mother her life back,” remembered Dell’Aquila in an interview he gave to Argentine daily newspaper La Nación when recalling what the doctor told him was his reason for living.

For Victor, soccer became his life.  It was what helped make sense of what occurred and give solace to his current situation that he had no other choice to deal with. Soccer was his passion. Boca Juniors was his “drug,” and it was what gave his life reason and motivation.

There’s an old adage in South America: “Football always offers a rematch.” The beauty and the redeeming factor of it all is that you always have a chance to make things right.  For Victor Dell’Aquila, that chance came 10 years after his accident. After he saw Mario Kempes score the first goal, things were frenetic. Then the second goal by the Valencia man put the Argentines one step away from immortality. At the same time, that goal put Dell’Aquila one step closer to the pitch.

He would be a step away after the crowd went insane when Bertoni scored the third goal during extra time. Victor said he thought about running onto the pitch, but there was still time left. When Italian referee Sergio Gonella blew the final whistle, there was no hesitation in young Victor’s mind as he became yet another body sprinting on the pitch.  He saw only one person not moving, goalkeeper Ubaldo Fillol. The River Plate man simply crumbled to the ground and immediately broke into tears while over 80 thousand fans screamed uncontrollably.

Dell’Aquila went in that direction; but Tarantini beat him to the spot. So at that point he froze and watched. “I saw (Fillol and Tarantini) just so close. They embraced and that’s why I stopped,” said Dell’Aquila in a tribute to Alfieri after his death in 1994. “The sleeves on my sweater went forward just when photographer Ricardo Alfieri took the picture. It looked like we embraced.”

Alfieri, who years later flagged down Dell’ Aquila at La Bombonera to give him an autographed copy of the moment where he “embraced” both Tarantini and Fillol, forever captured that moment. The photographer was interviewed about the moment where rivalries were forgotten as Tarantini played for Boca from his time as a youth to his eventual departure to Birmingham City weeks after the World Cup. Fillol was the undisputed icon under the sticks for River Plate and the national team. To this day, many even say that the Albiceleste have not found a replacement for him. But on that day, a Boca player (who would play for River a few years later), a Boca fan and a River Plate icon encapsulated a moment where the only colors that mattered were sky blue and white.

Now 36 years later, Dell’Aquila was reunited with both Tarantini and Fillol to do one thing he was not able to do — “lift” the World Cup alongside his two heroes in one of several commercials released in Argentina as they look to win the World Cup for a third time.

Here is that video:

The wave of insecurity in Argentina is reaching an alarming level. Much like any other aspect of society in that country, soccer is directly or indirectly involved. When you read soccer news from Argentina, it sounds more like a daily police blotter or sensationalistic articles about rumbles, shootouts, gunfights and death.

Violence is ubiquitous throughout the country and the culture of the barrabrava using their club colors as a shield is rife.

River Plate midfielder Jonathan Fabbro looked forward to Saturday when his family members were getting together to celebrate his mother’s birthday. Obviously, it was a moment when the family was looking forward to being together at Jonathan’s mother’s home in Villa, but life has a way of turning around in drastic ways.

Upon arriving at his house around midnight, Fabbro’s car was surrounded by six masked individuals. He was accompanied in his car by his four-year-old son, his three–year-old niece and his girlfriend — Larissa Riquelme (yeah, that one).

On Tuesday, Fabbro addressed the media because he knew it was his solace. It was his way of looking to get some type of normalcy in his life once again. He talked about the longest 40 minutes of his life where he saw his son with Down Syndrome was hit in the face by these thugs and his niece was held at knife point. Fabbro’s son suffered injuries to his mouth and nose after taking repeated blows from the criminals. While that went on, Jonathan was hit in the back of the head as well.

“What we see happen on television everyday here happened to me and my family,” said Fabbro. What was worse was that this did not seem like a random incident as they recognized him, his brother and agent Darío, and Larissa Riquelme.

After pretty much anything and everything of value was stolen, and leaving everyone at the party tied up, the thieves said to Fabbro as they headed back to their car, “Thank goodness you followed through on every detail. If not, it would have been a massacre.”

What Fabbro detailed in his interview with TyC Sports and in his press conference is chilling to say the least. Still that is the reality of Argentine society. The violence is nearly pandemic in that country. There is just no other way to put it.

Independiente, one of the biggest clubs in Argentina, underwent a similar situation in the past few days as the club finds itself in an institutional crisis of unprecedented levels since the arrival of club president Javier Cantero.

That, as well as many other glorious moments in that club’s history, seem quite distant now. Independiente, a club that won seven Copa Libertadores titles and are amongst one of the great squads of South American football, unfortunately find themselves mired in the Nacional B (Argentine second division) and are fighting to stay alive in the race to be promoted. The reality of Argentine football has seeped into the foundation of the club as the barrabravas tighten their grip either by hook or crook. Some of the more recent events seem to have inspired Mario Puzo to write The Godfather.

Last week, groundskeepers and several employees at Club Atlético Independiente were in shock (and a great deal of disgust) when they found two dogs hung to a tree. Just 24 hours later, their Wilde complex suffered another attack as three barbecue areas, designated specifically for club members, were burned down.

These two incidents, in addition to the 1-0 loss to Huracán, were the explosive combinations that led to a face off between fans and players. For Independiente, this was their third consecutive loss with only two points earned out of a possible 15 in their last five matches.

“I understand the criticisms, I don’t have a problem with that,” said forward Facundo Parra. “What I can’t accept is that I have to wait two hours after a match to leave because fans want to lynch me.”

Independiente President Javier Cantero is also facing battles on other fronts including an accusation coming directly from FIFA of player transfer irregularities as well as lack of payment on Leonel Núñez’s contract. Both of these offenses could have some major consequences as FIFA are set to fine the club as well as maybe even ask for a points deduction.

Meanwhile for southern Buenos Aires side Quilmes, things reached another “crescendo” when opposing groups of the club faced off prior their match on Monday against All Boys. Current club president Aníbal Fernández was on radio and talked about this situation and mentioned that these types of altercations that are due to “matters outside the stadium.”

According to many in the Argentine press, there was a dispute between the two Quilmes supporter groups. What makes his comments so resonating is that Fernández is a member of the Argentine senate as well as the Minister of Justice under Cristina Kirchner.

These are glaring examples of Argentina football nowadays. Argentina’s top flight, even up until a decade ago, was still one of the sexier leagues around and had the focus of many around the world. Now it has not only hit rock bottom, it is now digging its own grave, which is akin to what’s currently happening in Argentine society.

Last week’s international friendlies featuring South American teams revealed some trends and issues that could become major problems if they’re not remedied soon especially with the World Cup less than 100 days away. Here’s what we learned from the most recent matches:

Argentina

Outside of Leo Messi vomiting, there should not be a reason to worry about the Albiceleste’s front line. Yes, the Argentine media once again are drumming up the support for Carlos Tevez as well as Rodrigo Palacio, who at this stage both look like they will be watching the tournament from home.

Another positive is that Sergio Romero responded under the sticks for Alejandro Sabella with several great saves in the scoreless draw against Romania in Bucharest. Romero’s performance reduced some doubt over the Monaco man who has mostly been on the bench since making his move to Sampdoria this past summer.

The negatives? Against Romania, if it weren’t for goalkeeper Sergio Romero, Argentina could have conceded three or four goals. Any and all options for Alejandro Sabella left much to be desired. The central defense can’t defend and the outside back can’t attack nor track back on a consistent basis.

Marcos Rojo should be an experiment archived onto the bottom of the ocean. I am not saying that he is not a competent player. I am saying that he is a player that his teammates do not confide in. On several occasions, Rojo was open and teammates decided to look the other way and not get him involved in the play. That plus his limitations on defense are one of many reasons why Sabella will have to make certain adjustments.

Argentina also created a trend that is very preoccupying. Javier Mascherano was attempting to become more like Andrea Pirlo than the Javier Mascherano we’ve come to know throughout his career. He was looking to become the distributor instead of the destroyer. Mascherano’s deep balls to his teammates up top neutralized Argentina and helped Romania just drop back.

Colombia

José Pekerman’s men played what was arguably their worst match under the Argentine coach.  Colombia looked disorganized in the middle and could not string together two consecutive forward passes as Tunisia decided to pack the middle. And there was no way to get the ball to James Rodríguez on a consistent basis.

The holding midfielders showed very little marking, thus exposing Luis Perea and Mario Yepes in the back. The team looked overly unbalanced and left spaces where the Tunisians would go on counterattacks leaving the Colombians wrong-footed on the opposite side of the pitch.

David Ospina is a quality goalkeeper, but if there is one weakness to his game, it’s coming out for crosses. Tunisia’s equalizer was the embodiment of that deficiency. There are some major issues that need to be worked on when the national team reconvenes prior to the World Cup.

And for those that want me to say, I will. Colombia miss Falcao… a lot.

Uruguay

Uruguay showed their usual mettle in a 1-1 draw against Austria. They turned things around in the second half after a calamitous first 45 both offensively and defensively. Uruguay seem slow on defense still and Martín Cáceres is missed a great deal over at left back position over Jorge Fucile.

It’s becoming more and more evident that Walter Gargano was a better midfield pairing for Egidio Arévalo Ríos than Diego Pérez.  With the Inter midfielder, you saw a more precise passer and distributor to get out of the defensive zone and start attacks on the opposite end.

Diego Forlán showed signs of rust as he only played 81 minutes prior to this match. Add to that the fact that he had to fly from Japan to Germany, which was also a long flight right after the 1-0 loss to Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Diego Lugano is also feeling the fact that Father Time has started take a toll on him. And although he is still an emotional part of the squad, he is now more of a tactical liability in the back for Oscar Washington Tabárez. This was why the substitution where he was taken off for Atlético Madrid youngster José María Giménez was not just tactical; it was also the generational torch being passed from one player to another.

Gastón Ramírez also showed that he was worthy of being the playmaker behind Suárez and Cavani or even Forlán and Stuani out wide.

Ecuador

Reinaldo Rueda saw that his experimentation was borderline disastrous after Australia jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the end of the first half in what seemed to be a mirror image of what unfolded in the friendly against Germany in Boca Raton last May.

Collectively, Ecuador have learned that they will have to be focused from the get go if they do not want France or Switzerland to jump out in front of them and possibly see their World Cup aspirations come to a premature end.

Juan Carlos Paredes asserted himself as the right back as youngster Christian Ramírez of Fortuna Düsseldorf was not able to defend Tommy Oar over on that end of the pitch as he was instrumental in the first half with his runs and crosses to Tim Cahill in the middle of the area.

Ecuador’s most glaring weakness remains their center back pairings. Gabriel Achilier still shows deficiencies in the back and the only other option there is a Frickson Erazo who lacks confidence ever since he arrived at Brazilian side Flamengo.  That could be where Jorge Guagua can offer some type of stability as well as experience from previous World Cups. Nonetheless, there are certain guarantees that this backline is not offering and it is something that needs to be addressed immediately with personnel changes.

Of course, not all was bad. The circumstances of the match changed when Mitch Langerak was sent off.  This is where you saw Ecuador’s athleticism and pace take advantage of a young Socceroo side.

Jefferson Montero showed in the second half how dangerous Ecuador can be with relentless attacks on a vulnerable Australia side.  He was also complimented by Antonio Valencia, who on various occasions caught Australia napping and made them pay dearly.

Brazil

Brazil’s match against South Africa really wasn’t a true litmus test for them. The 5-0 drubbing they offered the Bafana Bafana was just proof of their offensive potential as well as how badly the South Africans played.

The big surprise in the match was that Brazil only scored five goals on South Africa.  Brazil’s first true test will be against Croatia over at Arena Corinthians on June 12.

Chile

I am sure that Joachim Löw raving about Chile in Germany’s 1-0 win over La Roja says a great deal about what to expect in the World Cup.  I purposely left Chile for last because despite them being the only South American side to lose in this FIFA date, they left the most positive impression.

Overall the function of the squad was impressive but the goals did not come, partly due to a lack of clarity in that final touch and partly due to German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer’s brilliance.

There is a need to score goals for Chile and this is why Jorge Sampaoli decided to extend an invitation to former Inter and Lazio man Mauro Zárate to join the Chileans.  The Argentine was never part of his country’s national team and his father was born in the desert city of Calama.

Zárate could offer scoring for Chile with the absence of Humberto Suazo due to his shoulder injury.

If you looked at Colón three months ago in Argentina’s top league, they were dead in the water. Many had gone as far as already putting them in the second division after they were docked six points after the Falcón ordeal with Mexican side Atlante. They were a squad that had very little to offer back then and have even less now.

Club Godoy Cruz were also in quite the crux after Martín Palermo left at the end of last semester. They found themselves in relegation spots coming into this semester, but former Xolos coach Jorge Almirón righted the ship and they now find themselves sharing the top spot in Argentine football after four rounds.

This sounds like a tremendous turnaround story for both teams. Colón’s example seems like a tremendous underdog story since they were not allowed to acquire players during the off-season due to the Atlante ordeal.  Yet, this is what makes this topic so intriguing and confusing at the same time.

Here’s the current top 4 standings in the league:

1. Godoy Cruz
2. Colón
3. San Lorenzo
4. Estudiantes

However, here’s the list of teams that are facing possible relegation:

Averages

15. All Boys               1.222
16. Colón                   1.222
17. Godoy Cruz         1.212
============================
18. Olimpo                1.174
19. Quilmes               1.164
20. Argentinos Jrs.  1.162

In Argentina, relegation is calculated based on the total number of points accumulated during the last three years divided by the total number of matches played during that time frame, to determine an average.

This story is yet another chapter begin written in the absolute dislike for the relegation format that is in place in Argentina as well as in many other countries in Latin America.  The format consists of dividing the sum of points in all the short tournaments of the past three years by the amount of matches played. This format places an excruciating amount of pressure on newly promoted sides should they begin their top flight campaign on the wrong foot. The inverse is also true. Relegation races in countries such as Argentina favor the recently promoted side as well just because of numbers alone.

If a newly promoted side strings together multiple matches where they accumulate points, their average improves drastically compared to a club that has generated points across all three years, with the points being counted towards their average.

AFA president Julio Grondona brought the average back in 1995 in order to bring about more parity to the league. That might have been true, but many in Argentina concluded that this system was brought for one thing only, to help out the big clubs.

Two years ago, Tigre were going into the final round of the Argentine league with a chance to win their first-ever top flight tournament. At the same time, Tigre found themselves fighting on another front but not at the international level. Tigre also came in to that final round knowing that a series of results were also going to see them go down to the Nacional B.

The system that was made to make big squads relegation-proof never took into account the fact that the league would go down in quality the way it has in the past decade.  So the law of averages made the league very topsy-turvy.

That is just the way things roll in Argentine football based on the system that is in place. It’s just nonsensical to think about how the system of averages works. To think that this system was implemented back in 1981 in order to favor the big teams in the Argentine league to not have to worry ab0ut relegation.  The ironic part is that 30 years later, River Plate would be heading to the Nacional B. Two years later, Independiente would suffer the same fate as they, too, after they were relegated for the first time in their history.

History Lesson

In 1981, Grondona decided to implement a concept that was used 20 years before in an experimental mode but was then trashed in 1963. That year, the victim of the unfair system was San Lorenzo. Two years later River Plate were mired in the worst campaign in their history. If you would have looked at the table based on the long tournament format that was in place, River as well as Racing Córdoba should have gone down in 1983 based on how they were doing that year. Instead it was Racing Club that was victimized that year.

If you were to go to the lower levels, go no further than 1989 in the Nacional B.  Argentino de Rosario ended up in second place in that tournament, yet instead of going to the top flight of Argentine football, their demons of the past had them drop to the Metropolitano B (Argentina’s third division).

In 2004, Talleres de Córdoba ended up third in the Clausura tournament; sixth overall in the annual table. Yet their troubled past saw them face Argentinos Juniors in the promotion playoffs where they ended up losing their spot in the first division.

The format allows teams to get out of a rut with a series of good campaigns and yet the opposite is true for several teams.

Is there a solution? Well there is, but that solution is mired in the interests of the creator of a 40-team tournament and no relegations just a few short years ago.  Yes, the same source that blamed the media on Tuesday for the out of control growth of its biggest plague – barrabrava violence – after the president of Los Andes had his house shot at and the club’s board stepped down.

Yes, the media is the one to blame solely and not his lack of vision.  That same lack of vision that refuses to see what FA Stadium Security Head Chris Whalley presented to him on Tuesday in Buenos Aires on how to solve the violence problem in Argentina.

So let’s be honest, if Grondona can’t (or doesn’t want to) see what serious problems are in front of him, does it look like he will be able to change or fix something as simple as a broken promotion-relegation system? Unfortunately not.

People always are enamored with the impossible storyline.  You know the one I’m talking about; that plot in which the protagonist, with tangible characteristics that are overshadowed only by their immeasurable intangibles, overcomes an incident that had the potential to change their life forever. Moreover, that entire experience makes them even better and they end up obtaining glory.

In Colombia, that is the story that has been Radamel Falcao’s greatest challenge. Nearly eight years to the date of his first anterior cruciate ligament tear, the former River Plate man ends up suffering the same fate with just months before the biggest moment of his already illustrious career.

“Right now Colombia is in the denial stage of grief,” said columnist Gabriel Meluk of El Tiempo in his Sunday column.

Currently you can also say that Colombians are scattershot in their emotions.  Some are in the midst of anger, some are looking to bargain while there are others that are depressed and see a dark future for them while their leading goalscorer is out.

There were candlelight vigils and prayer circles done throughout Colombia in an effort to hope beyond hope and reality but the reality of the moment is too strong to deny.  Well wishes and holding on to every scant bit of hope that doctors gave of him being in Brazil is still a topic in Colombian culture.

Still it is very difficult to move on when hearing that “the next three months are crucial” and that “there is a chance that he can still play” as was mentioned by doctor Jose Carlos Noronha.  Falcao also was willing hold on to hope “even if it was a one percent chance”.  All the talk of Falcao using hyperbaric chambers and other elaborate technique to make and attempt to get there harkens back to David Beckham’s sprint to recover in time for the 2002 World Cup after the challenge he received from Aldo Duscher.

There are timetables that a person experiences that is undergoing the type of rehabilitation that Falcao will be beginning in the coming days. He can be the fittest individual; he could be a super-disciplined individual that will make every effort possible to become the exception rather than the rule.  He may have all the faith and pray every single day along with 47 million other Colombians; but injuries of his nature only know one thing — time.

These types of injuries need time to heal and based on the math that we’ve seen with other injuries in the past of this nature, it’s not enough. Right now I am talking about just the rehabilitation portion of his regime. Let’s not take into account the time he would need to get back into playing shape to be able to avoid re-injury and have a chance to play Greece on June 14 in Belo Horizonte.

The doctors have talked about the seriousness of this injury, they’ve discussed what needs to occur and they’ve made clear that in three months they will see how the recovery is going.

In other words it’s medicine, it’s not magic.  It’s also a chance for Colombian fans past and present to learn from past mistakes.

The Brand Comparison  

Do Colombian fans (at least those that can remember that far back) want the experience of Alejandro Brand to hit them right across the face yet once more? Brand was one of the great midfielders of the 1970’s in Colombian football. Brand was a bastion in the midfield where his playmaking abilities made the Colombians a team to be reckoned within that era. His technical skills and ability to change speed as well as his vision made him one of the more exquisite players in South America of the time.

Although his legacy ended up being a great one at his club, Millonarios, many would have told you that Brand had the potential to have left Carlos Valderrama in a close second as a national team all-time great. His story was one that left many, to this day, thinking what might have been because of one serious injury.

Brand, too, suffered an injury similar to Falcao back during the 1974 Copa Libertadores. The inability to properly rehabilitate and take care of this injury resulted after suffering a terrible injury due to a defensive challenge against Peruvian side Defensor Lima on September 24th.  After the match, the team’s medical staff worked on Brand incessantly to get him ready for the big match against São Paulo, three days later at the Estadio Morumbí. Part of that preparation also included needle infiltrations to drain the swelling as well as cortisone shots to allow the player to play in a match that could mean a trip to the semifinals of Copa Lib.

Millonarios coach Gabriel Ochoa called Brand up for action against the Tricolor Paulista and he would last all of 30 seconds. He would collapse on the pitch after hearing a “crack”, as he would recall years later in an interview. Millonarios lost that match 4-0 and, more importantly, lost their playmaker and goalscorer for 11 months. They actually lost their idol forever. After that injury, Brand would never be the player he was prior to the injury — and he was only 25. Until his eventual retirement in 1982, he admitted that he sometimes played “on one leg but continued being a goalscorer” because at that time “there was little they could do (for an ACL tear).”

Maybe my comparison is a bit exaggerated. The times have changed and technology and medicine have changed a great deal.  The point is that if a joint is not ready, be it five months or three days, there is a tremendous risk for re-injury and the potential to wreck a career. To be quite honest, at this stage it would be much better to let him recover in peace and have him come back at a hundred percent than have him risk his livelihood.

Right now Colombia should be making the transition, as Meluk said, to the acceptance stage. Jackson Martínez has to be the man to play the key role as striker, and he will have to start to step up in a big way, as do the rest of the vaunted forwards looking for a spot on the national team.  They all have to do what they must to take up the slack and if it means, like Meluk said, “ironing their hair and using keratin” (to emulate Falcao’s hairdo), then so be it.

For more coverage on Colombia, read our World Cup preview guide to the Colombia national team.

As soon as the final whistle blew Wednesday night in Montevideo, Puma launched one of their most ambitious marketing campaigns of the last few years. The German sportswear company had the perfect client to be able to mix history and football with in the Uruguayan national team as many were going to be feeling ghosts of the past emerge when La Celeste became team number 32 in the World Cup. Puma were able to come up with one of the more brilliant marketing campaigns to release the Uruguay line of kits for the upcoming World Cup, of which there will be a third kit that will commemorate the historic feat.

Puma’s Ghost of 1950 campaign evokes and brings to life the most bitter and tragic moment in Brazilian football as well as the apotheosis of the Garra Charrúa when an underdog Uruguay defeated the host nation in the World Cup final in front of 200,000 fans.

In the video below, the ghost travels and makes itself present to all in the city of its greatest conquest. It terrorized Brazilians on Copacabana as well as on the streets of Barra De Tijuca and in the favelas. The ghost even took some time to dance over at the Sambodromo in Rio.

This Puma campaign, despite having a limited outlet knowing that Uruguay is not one of the biggest football markets when it comes to merchandising, is doing quite well. Currently the campaign is only in Spanish, but once this hits mainstream and begins to launch in different languages, it’s sure to.

No doubt that this campaign is ready to raise eyebrows and cause a great deal of humor to many, unless you’re Brazilian.

Read: Check out the leaked images of Uruguay’s home and away shirts for World Cup 2014.

The Independent newspaper recently published an article about the forthcoming announcement of David Beckham opening a MLS franchise in Miami. The author spewed lazy stereotypes that many US soccer journalists, bloggers and fans have hurled at Miami for years. They recite the reasons why the market is a failure, a “soccer graveyard” as the author puts it. They criticize the low attendance for a US-Honduras match (21,000), conveniently ignoring the fact that the game was played in the middle of a tropical storm. It’s almost as if the Miami haters want the franchise to fail before it’s even been announced.

Hearing people talk bad about Miami when they don’t even live here is irritating.  It’s like insulting family.  Yeah, you can talk about a family member but if someone else does it, the gloves are off.

I admire that Beckham has faith in Miami and that he’s willing to give the market a shot. Previously, MLS (and its marketing arm SUM) had only thought of Miami whenever they wanted to occasionally promote the sport to the Hispanic market. In terms of TV ratings for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and previous MLS seasons, the impressive TV ratings make the media market highly coveted. And with a name like Beckham involved, the league finally knows that this market can be tapped

Beckham’s name and involvement is a major factor, no doubt. If Beckham wasn’t involved, Miami businessman Marcelo Claure would still be very silent and doing the same thing when he botched the FC Barcelona-led Miami deal a few years ago.

From the outside, Miami is viewed as a city known for its fast cars and hot women.  There is luxury galore in this town, no doubt. But if you look closer, Miami is one of the poorest cities in the United States.  I remember speaking to someone that is heavily involved in the sports market, and he told me something that really stuck in my mind. “Miami is all about image.”

He couldn’t have put it better.

People lease BMWs so they can turn heads, yet they can barely afford rent on their efficiencies. During the housing market collapse, I heard many stories of people losing houses that cost $300,000-$500,000. Yet they earned eight dollars an hour working in retail or fast food. These stories were rampant in Miami.

True fans of teams like the Miami Heat and Miami Dolphins have been shut out of being able to go see their teams play. To pay $60-$135 for seats puts sports into perspective. Especially when families are faced with choosing between feeding a family or going to see their favorite team play.

The sports fans that can afford the ticket prices are the ones living in the bubble. They’re the ones sitting in the bottom bowl of the American Airlines Arena. The ones who arrive in the second quarter and leave halfway through the fourth. Those are the ones that are marketed everything here. For them, it’s a matter of being seen, and not about supporting a team. They are part of the glitz and glamour that has earned Miami a reputation of being an event town.

The real people that live here, who work the 9-5 jobs, are the ones who are rarely marketed to. They’re the ones who can occasionally afford a seat for a Miami Heat game, in the 400 level. You know, those are the people that the cameras never focus on.  Those fans that are sitting way too high up to get a shot to grab any T-shirts being flung into the stands. Those fans are always the ones left in the dark.

Hopefully Beckham and his investors won’t hire the publicity agencies that implement the same methods of trying to attract people to come to a club. The answer is not to have flyers passed around near The Clevelander hotel over on Ocean Drive. The agencies need to get into the heart of Miami by going to places like Churchill’s (a watering hole that’s a local institution) and Fiorito over in Little Haiti and in surrounding areas.

Recent soccer events in Miami have painted a very positive outlook for a MLS team to come to the area. Events such as the International Champions Cup, and other friendly matches, such as Barcelona-Chivas de Guadalajara were a smashing success. Later this month, Brazil’s national team will return to Miami for the first time in a decade, where the record soccer attendance of 70,080 will likely be smashed when Brazil plays Honduras on November 16 at Sun Life Stadium, the home of the Dolphins.

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross understands the business potential for this sport to grow to the next level, with a local team for fans to support throughout the season, not just for one-off games. It’s no wonder that Ross is teaming up with Beckham. The two of them together can create success where others have failed in South Florida.

Sun Life Stadium has changed so much since the Florida Marlins (now Miami Marlins) baseball team left the premises. The Marlins ruined pretty much everything they put their hands on. They ruined a chance for Miami to be a World Cup venue in 1994. And, more recently, they ruined the friendly game between Nigeria and Venezuela at their new state-of-the-art stadium in downtown Miami, which didn’t have the sight lines for soccer.

Miami is not a “build it and they will come” type of town. Miami is a town that follows winners. If they fail to win, fans will find other things to do.

Second chances are very rare in sports. If Miami gets another chance, the city will have to take full advantage of the opportunity. The Miami haters across the United States, and even in South Florida, will want the team to fail miserably. But if there is one thing the City of Miami does well, it’s that it proves people wrong. David Beckham, we’re ready for you.

If you’ve heard managers of European players complain a lot about their grueling schedule, spare a thought for the managers and players in Brazil. The hosts of next year’s World Cup have arguably the most grueling club soccer schedule in the world.  Between the state and national tournaments, there are at least 60 matches that are played in a span of 11 months each year.

Also add the fact that some play both Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana matches, there could be another 20 matches possible. Plus, if you are an international player, you also might have to deal with that obligation as well.

This is the major issue that was tackled by the CBF in their Monday meeting, and it took about three hours for this change to come about.  The players’ groups were represented by Clarence Seedorf, Dida and a group of player representatives from the player’s union as well as members of the referee union and representatives of TV Globo. They reached a decision that was agreed upon.

The CBF decided to give players a month vacation as well as a month for preseason, according to Atlético Mineiro president Alexandre Kalil.  This would have the various state tournaments that usually start in the first two weeks of January begin to kickoff a month later.  The estaduais would be reduced while the Brasileirão would remain intact.

The CBF, via a statement on their web portal, are also looking at the prospect of implementing a maximum amount of matches that can be played in a month to no more than seven as well. Plus, there is also an effort to reduce the wear and tear on players, and to improve the level of performance in one of the most grueling calendars in the world.

Follow Juan on Twitter @JuanG_Arango.

Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa is without a doubt one of the hottest commodities in soccer right now.  Many teams and national sides will be making an offer soon to obtain his services for the upcoming World Cup, or even as a coach to start a long-term project for the next year at club level or for the 2018 World Cup.

There was a great deal of talk over the past month of Bielsa being looked at by the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) and there were conflicting reports from that country’s sport media both confirming and denying the interest of the Rosario native for the position.

On Wednesday, a report emerged in Peruvian sports daily El Bócón where they stated that the FPF has a plan in place to negotiate with the former Athletic Bilbao boss in order to acquire him as soon as possible in an effort to replace Sergio Markarián.

As a matter of fact, there are reports that there are negotiations ongoing with “El Loco” and that they’ve been positive thus far. In another positive step, there were reports that a representative had been sent to Spain for negotiatiations while former Real Madrid sporting director Jorge Valdano was the intermediary setting up the meeting.

What they have not realized yet is that Bielsa’s negotiations are as long as his answers in press conferences. If you don’t believe what I’m saying, ask the Colombian Football Federation when they negotiated with him.  His extensive dossiers on players, teams, projects and infrastructure saw him finally decide on turning down the offer, so Peru better have a satisfying long-term answer if they truly want him to accept. While infrastructure is a major issue, his salary will also be an even bigger roadblock.

When this story originally broke in September, the consensus was that Bielsa would sign right away. The best quote on that topic came from Peruvian daily Libero when they said, “He’s a man that has established a style of play based on discipline and orderly football and it tends to make teams competitive.”

Bielsa’s success at the national team level is well documented, especially how he was able to turn things around with Chile.  This part is especially poignant because of the cases with indiscipline that plagues Los Incaicos in every World Cup cycle. This has been one of the major reasons for the Peruvian national team have not participated in the World Cup since 1982.

Peru will also have to fend off potential competition from Chile.  There are also reports that Chilean giants Colo Colo are looking for Bielsa’s services as the club has fallen on hard times, and would look to have their entire program restructured as they find themselves in 11th place in the current torneo Apertura.  This move also seems ironic as it was the Colo Colo brass who were one of the main ones that forced Bielsa to be sacked as Chilean national team coach after Harold Mayne-Nicholls lost his re-election bid to current ANFP president Sergio Jadue. 

Let’s see how far this story goes.

Follow Juan on Twitter @JuanG_Arango.

After a decade-long absence, Brazil returns to Miami. The Brazilian national team is scheduled to face Honduras at Sun Life Stadium on November 16th as part of their World Tour.

The Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) as well as promoters Kics International made the announcement on Saturday as there was talk of a stop in South Florida being in the works either in November or sometime in 2014 last September when they were up in Foxboro playing Portugal.

There was a major caveat in place as Brazil is already locked in for the date and time, but the question mark is Honduras. If Los Catrachos were unable to lock up their spot for the upcoming World Cup, they would be replaced by another team. This is according to the statement released by the promoters of this match.

“We are excited to bring another marquee international soccer match to Sun Life Stadium,” said Relevent Sports CEO Charlie Stillitano. “As the finals of the Guinness International Champions Cup showed, Miami is one of the centers of soccer in this country and we have no doubt that this will be on full display November 16.”

Brazil have been one of the biggest draws in South Florida having been here for the 1996 Olympic football tournament (several matches were played at the Orange Bowl). In 1997, Brazil also stopped in Miami as part of the their world tour prior to the 1998 and they were joined by Carlos Santana in a post-match concert. In that match, they defeated Mexico 4-0.

Brazil also took part in the 2003 Gold Cup where they stopped in Miami and played Colombia. They defeated the Cafeteros 2-0 with a brace by Kaká.

This would be the first time they have played in this venue since that event took place. This would also be the first time that they would play at Sun Life Stadium.

Brazil also have another match that they plan to play in North America, but there currently is no time and place for it just yet. An announcement will be made next week in regards to that.

Juan Arango is a play-by-play announcer at Gol TV where he’s covered various leagues in Europe and South America. He’s also written for various publications on the Internet as well as in print. 

Any questions about South American football, post them in the comments section below and he’ll answer them for you in future editions of his column.

Follow Juan on Twitter  (@JuanG_Arango).

With the middle of the Argentine Inicial upon us, Newell’s Old Boys are showing that a system is more important than the sum of all parts. More importantly, when those parts are functioning well within a system, things can change and they will remain the same.

In soccer, we always talk about how one person is not greater than an institution.  Yet that argument can be challenged when a person arrives and changes the culture. It’s this change that has seen Newell’s Old Boys become one of the most solid teams in not just Argentine football, but in South America. Newell’s had a process instilled and that garnered them the nickname in circles throughout Argentine media as that country’s version of FC Barcelona. Although that comparison might be a bit exaggerated, there are some slight parallels between the two clubs and how they are currently playing right now in their respective parts of the world.

The greatest testament to Newell’s style right now came from a former coach. Ricardo Caruso Lombardi came out on Sunday after his old team defeated his current squad, Argentinos Juniors, 2-0. The usually witty and venomous Caruso Lombardi had only praise for the reigning champs when he said it was “impossible to defeat a team that always had possession of the ball.”

This was probably the biggest compliment one could receive from a coach. Throughout the match, Newell’s Old Boys pressed and forced mistakes in the heart of the park. Once they gained possession, they would weave the ball around and force the opposition to lose the ball.

Their solid midfield play with Diego Mateu anchoring the middle as well as pulling the strings as the first line of offense coming out of the back worked like a charm. Plus the defense is now amongst one of the best in Argentine football up until now.

Although this version of the Rosario side lacked the firepower that a goalscorer like Scocco had to offer, the entire squad knew that there would be no need for changes.  What is meant by changes is that every player would have to make greater collective contributions.  Everyone from recently hired veterans like David Trézéguet as well as individuals such as Gabriel Heinze, Diego Mateu and Maxi Rodríguez — who were instrumental in the title run last season with their great form and leadership on the pitch — was needed in order to replace 13 players that had departed during the off-season.

Their performance so far answered the biggest question mark looming over their heads coming into this Torneo Inicial — after losing some major pieces to their puzzle from their title-winning side. Ignacio Scocco left for Internacional while Gerardo Martino went to Europe to refresh a Barcelona side that started to show signs of decline despite having won their fourth league title in the last five years. A weird series of events led to Martino’s arrival to Can Barça after he replaced Tito Vilanova.

His handling of the Maxi Urruti move to Toronto FC was just probably more vilified in Rosario than Kevin Payne was in Toronto with the way he handled Urruti’s immediate transfer to Portland. For fans in that part of the world, the shocking move by Urruti was virtually the end of his career as he fell into the black hole that was one of the worst teams in Major League Soccer, a league that few know much about in that part of the world.

Despite the administrative chaos that surrounds La Lepra (The Lepers), the smartest decision was to continue with the mold that was established by the man that changed the culture of the club over 25 years ago.  The solution was rather simple for club president Guillermo Lorente. All he had to do was look at his stadium, and follow the course. It was a course that was lost in years prior to Lorente’s arrival to the presidency at the club.

Brief Flashback

In order for the about-face that was taken at Newell’s to be better understood, you have  to see how far the club fell both in performance as well as in administrative incompetence.

Lorente, after several failed coaching hires during the early stages of his presidency, was convinced that Marcelo Bielsa created something special in the late 80’s and early 90’s.  That, of course, went in an opposite direction when Lorente’s biggest political rival at the club took Eduardo López.  The López regime at Newell’s was marred with political corruption with events that saw barrabravas take over the club and the president eliminating elections during his 14-year tenure. Former Argentine Foreign Relations Minister Rafael Bielsa (Marcelo’s brother) called López “the only de facto president left in Argentina.”

During this era, all opposition were rejected by the club brass. This even included the two names synonymous with the team’s greatest success — Martino and Bielsa.

Gerardo Martino helped the team he so dearly loved back to the prominence they enjoyed when he was the emblematic leader of a squad that was contending for league titles and Copa Libertadores back in the day with Marcelo Bielsa at the helm.  Of course, when the decision was finally taken by the club brass to return to this formula for success, Bielsa was the first choice. Upon his rejection, Martino became available after he stepped down as Paraguayan national team coach. Newell’s found themselves in the precarious situation where they were being haunted by relegation and form was non-existent.

Fast forward two semesters and Martino oiled the machine and saw Newell’s win their first league title in nine years and were getting to the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores for the first time in 20 years.  He helped resurrect the career of Ignacio Scocco, who returned to Argentina after a disappointing stint in Mexico with Pumas.

Martino’s departure from Newell’s seemed to have left a vacuum on the coaching bench, but it took very little time to occupy as former Bielsa player and former assistant with the Chilean national team Alfredo Berti stepped up. Obviously he did not have the fanfare and standing ovations that Martino had before taking over in Barcelona. It was a much more lower key affair and the results have continued as if nothing changed. Even more lower key was their preparation during the pre-season. That quickly became silenced when they defeated Boca Juniors in their league debut. There were some doubts when they were blown out by Vélez Sarsfield 3-0 in Liniers. Instead of that being an alarm, it was more of a wake-up call for the squad and since then they have not looked back, winning their last three matches in consecutive manner and seeing them take over the top spot in a tournament that no one saw them fighting for in a few months prior to that.

Newell’s current run of form have them poised to emulate one of their greatest eras.  There’s been a constant storm surrounding the squad but in the end they’ve realized that positive results stemming from hard work trump all types of speculation that the media might hurl at them.

Juan Arango is a play-by-play announcer at Gol TV where he’s covered various leagues in Europe and South America. He’s also written for various publications on the Internet as well as in print. 

Any questions about South American football, post them in the comments section below and he’ll answer them for you in future editions of his column.

Follow Juan on Twitter  (@JuanG_Arango).