19 days...but where next....

The video below is an interesting US perspective from TV host/comedian Drew Carey on the World Cup vs the Superbowl, and why the World Cup should come back to the USA in 2018 or 2022. Personally I think we have a good chance of England hosting it in 2018 and the US in 2022. That would be a right result personally, especially if Phoenix has an MLS team and a super-dooper indoor soccer stadium by then!!

FIFA likes to rotate the World Cup around continents. From 1958 (Sweden), FIFA began a pattern of alternating the hosts between the Americas and Europe; this pattern continued until 2002 when the Finals were hosted jointly by South Korea and Japan. This was the first World Cup to be held in Asia, and the only tournament with multiple hosts. Next month South Africa will become the first African nation to host the World Cup. And in 2014, the competition will return to South America (Brazil) for the first time since 1978 (Argentina). This will be the first time that consecutive World Cups will be held outside Europe.

In October 2007, FIFA ended the continental rotation policy. Instead the last two tournament host confederations are ineligible, which means African nations are ineligible for 2018 and South America are ineligible for both 2018 and 2022. Personally I think that gives Europe (basically England) a more than fair chance of winning in 2018, and consequently the US a great chance in 2022 (as Europe & South America will be ineligible), unless they take it back to Asia, or even Australisia!

In recent years, and by recent I mean the ones I can remember, South America had it in 1978 (Argentina), Europe in '82 (Spain), the Americas again in 1986 (Mexico), Europe again in 1990 (Italy), North America had it in '94 (USA), Europe again in '98 (France), Asia in 2002 (Japan/S Korea), Europe again in 2006 (Germany) and now Africa in 2010 (South Africa).

The decision for 2018 and 2022 will be made by FIFA on 9 December of this year!

Anyway, listen to what Drew Carey thinks with unfortunately just a little arrogance creeping in!

Write the future - Nike!

This Nike gem was brought to my attention recently, thank you Jane! Three minutes and worth every second! Highlights include a fat Wayne Rooney living in a caravan, and Homer Simpson with Christiano Ronaldo, oh and Kobe Bryant even gets in on the act! Brilliant!

Again, note that Nike isn't an official World Cup sponsor, but because of their player and kit deals, there is nothing to stop them running ads around the World Cup as long as they don't use the FIFA brand or World Cup trademark. Ambush advertising!

Enjoy, and pay attention, you may need to watch it twice to catch everything!

3 weeks and counting...

Only three weeks to go to the start of the World Cup Finals; and the latest FIFA rankings may tell us who the favorites are...

Brazil (1st) have retaken the top spot from Spain (2nd), with Portugal (3rd). The reigning World Champions Italy are in 5th, while England (8th) have been overtaken by Argentina (7th). The USA have risen to 14th. Other notables include England and the USA's other group opponents Algeria (31st) and Slovenia (23rd), while hosts South Africa are 90th...not much chance of a 'home win' there I feel!

So according to form, England should exit at the quarter finals (no surprise there!) and the USA should make it out of the group stages to the second round... Both are distinct possibilities...

You can see the full list here

Argentina...Argentina...Argentina!

Argentina coach Maradona held his first training session with his World Cup squad on Thursday, and said he had high hopes for the June 11 - July 11 tournament in South Africa. Note that this picture isn't from the training session!

"Our World Cup starts today because we start work with 17 players. We have high hopes," said Maradona, who led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory in 1986.

Maradona was without five players for his first trip onto the paddock with his South Africa-bound squad. Sergio Aguero played in Wednesday's Spanish Cup final for his club Atletico Madrid, while Inter Milan duo Walter Samuel and Diego Milito, and Bayern Munich's Martin Demichelis are all in Madrid ahead of Saturday's UEFA Champions League final. Clemente Rodriguez and Juan Sebastian Veron were to play for Estudiantes later today.

Two-time champions Argentina were drawn alongside Nigeria, UEFA EURO 2004 champions Greece and 2002 semi-finalists South Korea in Group B and begin their campaign against the African side on 12 June.

Of course I'm married to an Argentine gal, so I kind of/sort of have to "cheer" them on these days, unless they are playing England OBVIOUSLY, but it's tough to forgive and forget this from (can you believe) 24 years ago! You'll notice the commentator for the second goal is Martin Tyler who will be commentating on ESPN this summer.

And this is how the Argentine commentator described the secong goal! Football is religion in Argentina, so the commentators do tend to get a bit carried away! It's just not the way and Englishman would do it! To my lovely wife and Argentine in-laws, I hope your team does well this summer, just not as well as mine!

A Scot backing England? Well done SAF

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has backed the USA to do well at next month's World Cup™ finals in South Africa - just not as well as England.

The United States open their Group C campaign against Fabio Capello's England in Rustenburg on 12 June before playing Slovenia and Algeria, and while Ferguson believes the Americans could go a long way in the tournament, he added that he is not expecting them to start their run to the latter stages until after their first game.

"In the group they're in with England and Algeria, it's not beyond them to qualify," Ferguson said during a press conference in New York to publicise Manchester United's summer tour to North America. "England will be very, very motivated under Capello. Capello is a really outstanding coach.

"Of course, he has some issues what his team is going to be to start with, but they will be difficult to beat. If [the US] can survive after that in terms of the next two matches, they have a very good chance at qualifying. In fact, I think they will qualify," he said.

Ferguson, whose side will face a Major League Soccer All-Star team in Houston, Texas, on 28 July as part of a four-game tour through Canada and the US, pointed to Fulham's Clint Dempsey and MLS 2009 player of the year Landon Donovan as the players to watch in Bob Bradley's squad.

"You know, they've proved themselves in previous World Cups. Donovan, Dempsey, have some experience of being there before," he said. "I don't think they're going to be overwhelmed with the atmosphere of the World Cup, the importance of the World Cup, the intensity. I think that will be easy for them. I think they'll be used to that. Those players have that, Donovan, Dempsey. Dempsey has had a great season in England this year. They are very athletic, they apply themselves very well, and are difficult to play against."

Backing Henry in the MLS

Ferguson also tipped former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry to be a great success in MLS should the France striker's expected transfer from Barcelona to the New York Red Bulls be completed.

"He was an outstanding footballer with Arsenal," the Manchester United manager said. "He was the best player. He had incredible speed and his goal scoring was exceptional. When he moved to Barcelona, that continued, although I think that Barcelona's team, as it's proved now in the last year or two, he found it difficult on that team.

"What you're getting with Thierry Henry is enormous experience and presence. I would not say he's deteriorated by any means. He's still a very competent player. He doesn't have the brilliant pace he had five years ago, but he's still quick and he's experienced. I think that when players get older, they know how to use speed better, their timing is better. I think he'll be a success here, I have no doubt in my mind about that," he also said.

Reproduced Courtesy of FIFA

The World Cup on ESPN

Some great news if you're watching the World Cup over here Stateside; we'll have some decent match commentary as Martin Tyler and Andy Gray have signed up with ESPN to provide the in-game call and analysis...much better than those goons on FSC...

OK, so they're not John Motson, but Tyler and Gray are possibly the best football commentary team since Motty hung up his sheepskin coat after Euro 2008. Check out some classic John Motson quotes below these two videos...


And if you're not in the States, I thought you might be interested to see how ESPN are promoting their coverage...

In case you were wondering, John Motson was a legendary English commentator who worked for the BBC and delivered these memorable quotes, among others...

• And Seaman, just like a falling oak, manages to change direction.
  
  
• Brazil - they're so good it's like they are running round the pitch playing with themselves.


• I think this could be our best victory over Germany since the war.


• It looks like a one man show here, although there are two men involved.


• It's Arsenal 0 - Everton 1, and the longer it stays like that the more you've got to fancy Everton.


• Nearly all the Brazilian supporters are wearing yellow shirts - it's a fabulous kaleidoscope of colour.


• Not the first half you might have expected, even though the score might suggest that it was.


• That shot might not have been as good as it might have been.


• The goals made such a difference to the way this game went.


• The match has become quite unpredictable, but it still looks as though Arsenal will win the cup.


• The World Cup is a truly International event.


• There is still nothing on the proverbial scoreboard.

24 days...

Grab you bag...it's on...24 days to go and the England team have arrived in Austria to start altitude training....

England Team arrive for training camp