Through the Doors of the World Cup

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South Africa, through the uncertainty and the hopelessness over the last 20 years it has been handed off as a divided nation but when the FIFA the country to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup six years ago, the country was drawn into celebration. But at the same time, the country was in certain doubt into what the economy, transportation and security was going to be about because it would take more than four years to improve all of the above so the organizers were in doubt whether the World Cup was to be celebrated in the country. This summer, South Africa will be the first African country to host the greatest tournament ever played in the world. This territory is marked down by history from the racial segregation division in the country during the apartheid, but successfully got out of with the help of Nelson Mandela, but it is also affected by crime and AIDS, but this opportunity to be the host of the 2010 FIFA World Cup opened the doors of optimism not for the country but for all the African continent. The celebration is just beginning and this friday, June 11, the ball will start rolling and all eyes are on South Africa this summer.

South Africa has shown the good side of its nation due to the fact with conflicts and criticisms of its multicultural population. Since 1974, the South African national soccer team was suspended due to the apartheid, the regimen that divided the whites and blacks of the country, filling it with chaos and destruction. The country was created by English colonists and has been rejected by the international community as an independent state away from the English since. In 1991, the South African national soccer team came back to play official soccer matches. South Africa hasn't achieved any glory ever since but the country is loved by its rugby winning as Rugby World Cup Champions in 1995 and in 2007. One of the many ideals of South Africa's Nelson Mandela was to convince the FIFA his dream for his country to become the host for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but they were won against Germany by two points, something that seemed impossible to achieve.

But, when South Africa was named the host for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the dreams for Nelson Mandela was made come true and this time, What I think that this is going to be the greatest and the most interesting World Cup the world has ever seen because this tournament is about unity amongst nations aside from religion and politics. On June 11, 2010 We shall stand as one nation, one world.

The Curse of the World Cup?

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While all of the 32 teams participating in the World Cup are prepping for their debuts, many of their respetive key players are getting injured that can last weeks or even months. Players like Didier Drogba, Andrea Pirlo, and Rio Ferdinand are added to the list that will surely miss the World Cup, but on the positive side they will support their teams in achieving the glory of obtaining the maximum title in the world. Ferdinand got injured his left knee during England's national team second training session since their arrival in South Africa. The Manchester United defender will be out of the fields from four to six weeks, but Michael Dawson, aside from having a successful season with Tottenham, will replace Rio Ferdinand in the defense of England in hopes to make it to the finals and win the World Cup. While for the African teams, Didier Drogba's injury in his arm has left him totally out of the World Cup.

Drogba's injury came about within a collision with a Japanese players in a friendly the Ivory Coast national team went against Japan with a win 2 - 0. When Drogba was injured in the game, he told his teammates that he was going to be definitely out of the World Cup leaving the teams morale low, but having strength of having a successful world Cup in less than a week. While on the European front, Italy's offensive midfielder Andrea Pirlo was injured in his knee during his teams international friendly match loss against Mexico with a 2 - 1 score in favor of the aztecs. Pirlo is definitely out from the first game against Paraguay but right now is it uncertain of whether or not his condition is going to evolve any time soon. The FIFA strictly states that any player can have a replacement 24 hours prior to the debuting official match.

There are low expectations of Andrea Pirlo's evolution to be slow moving, but it is said that Andrea Cossu, midfielder of Cagliari will replace him. Diego Milito is certain to be out of the first game Argentina will face against Nigeria. David James, goalkeeper of England's national team, is resting due to an injury in his knee but it is A mystery whether or not he will play for England in the group stage. This so called curse is not bad luck, but the maltreatment of the player's physical standing because in order to kepp the player out of the game one must leave out to rest and prepare that player from the main goal, which is their goal for their respective teams to move forward.

Diego Milito's Unofortunate Event

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It was not too long ago since Argentina stepped in South Africa and felt the World Cup fever coming along with the other teams arriving for the mayor sports party of the planet. Argentina has trained privately in their main headquarters in Pretoria focusing on the debut against Nigeria on June 12. But, since the extreme curiousity of the media, Argentina's delegates offered the public access to their training for the South African audience to enjoy one of the most talented participants in the tournament less than a week. While Diego Maradona revises his players on who is going to play on the debut is uncertain, Diego Milito suffered an unfortunate event, he left the practice injured and barely walking. Milito suffered an injury in the knee and the Argentina's national team doctors are on their way for the consult of the evolution of his injury whether or not he is optimal conditions to play against Nigeria.

While Maradona is putting his full attention to his eleven, he put into order for the media to cover the last minutes of the practice with Ariel Garce, practicing in another field aside recovering from his injury as well. While I see this enough coverage of Argentina, we can also acknowledge that Argentina is not much of a candidate to win the World Cup title but you can say that this team will go through the group stage without problems but also considering the level of the rivals. Argentina is not playing the qualifiers anymore, they are affronting the tournament of their lives. What Argentina needs to do is to study their rivals' moves and styles of play because if they keep defending themselves, how are they going to put the offensive into effect to creating counter attacks. Argentina needs to see their rivals' ability to open up the spaces and their behavior.

Having a low profile is most likely to occcur for Argentina to show their moves and tactics, but they also have to show on the debut against Nigeria to see how grown are they fully to participate in this tournament. Lionel Messi and Juan Sebastian Veron are surely both players to create dangerous counter attacks effectively, but like I said in past blogs, Messi and Veron are not the hopes of Argentina to become champions. Argentina needs to explode from their defense to their offensive because they needs to imply their intensity of the game.

Brazil Celebrates Early For the World Cup

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The whole world is mainly putting eyes on the major teams, including Brazil, to celebrate the World Cup at large. Brazil won against Zimbabwe in an international friendly and looks like the Brazilian national team is expected to be successful this summer at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The whole African continent is dancing the samba after a glorious 3 - 0 win that has captivated much attention to the Brazilian way of playing. As I saw the coverage before the game, the goverment of Zimbabwe considered the game as their major game of their lives because of the honor that the world has now to play Brazil with such fantastic players from around the world and seeing this game at large. 50,000 people attended the game andwith such euforia into what the World Cup is going to be in Africa for the first time.

The most exhibited moments to watch is that Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, were in the suites and saluted the citizens attending the event and celebrated along with the crowd probably one of the best games exhibited in the continent for years. Many of the people of Zimbabwe were flattered by the organization of this event that took place in the capital of Harare. This game is extremely important because organizing the international friendly is to expose the country to the world and to promote the hope of doing another World Cup in Africa in later years following the next World Cup holding in the future. Zimbabwe is located in the northeast part of South Africa and has been isolated from the world due to political and social events that led the country in turmoil. An international friendly especially when it involves soccer is to show the rest of the world the unity that countries get to have despite political and social differences exhibited.

Zimbabwe surely made a goal, and that goal was to bring the Brazilian national team to the country and to show the audience its "joga bonito" to the audience that felt the awe of the style that Brazilians use to play. Despite Zimbabwe's lost, they have shown a very humble team that is not afraid of its rivals in spite of their level of play. Zimbabwe felt the courage and the right attitude of the world "team" was very effective because they fought for what they believed in and with much please they had a dream, a dream that maybe in four years they will get to go to the major sports party in the planet, the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. This experience will be an one and only, but the dreams will go as they should.

Brazil's Struggle

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Since Brazil's elimination in Germany 2006, the Brazilian national have prepared a long process that now can be effective to show the world the talent and the play that the players have to offer. Brazil has been an effective team since the elimination, they have confronted many international tournaments and friendly games that the Brazilian team little by little hopes to have the enough confidence to affront the World Cup. By the looks of it, Brazil is willing to show a spectacular show even though with the absences of Ronaldinho and Ronaldo, they surely proof that Germany was four years ago and to forget the unfortunate departure from the European country without holding the Cup. This Brazilian team is ready psychologically because of the many tournaments like the Copa America in Venezuela in 2007 and in the Confederations Cup last year, they have been prepared themselves because they all know their way of playing and showing that camaraderie in the field is what makes the team move forward. Robinho is going to be one of the players that much has to exhibit the individual game because like Lionel Messi, he is mostly responsible for the many counter attacks to distribute to his teammmates.

Players like Maicon seems to be willing to do that, for example his role throughout the Champions League this season proved a very solid defense with Maicon and Lucio becoming a giant wall that neither midfielders or strikers could pass through. The Brazilian team has to do is to take advantage of the spaces left by his rivals and to control the ball continuously so that the rivals lose more rythm as the minutes go through. Robinho needs to exhibit his best game shown in Santos F.C., where most of his time, he spent doing choreographies that made the rival team dance away and confuse with his dribbling. With Robinho's fantastic ability, they will be able to liquidate the score with Kaká and Luis Fabiano's explosivity in the offensive. Also, what Brazil needs to do is to learn their teammates' moves and with practice they will be able to demonstrate their best game by scoring many goals.

Brazil is going to play their penultimate friendly game against Zibabwe, in which what they have to analyze their faults and to correct them, so that way they can learn from these experiences and to make a successful presentation in the World Cup.

Jabulani: The Goalkeeper's "Best Friend"

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Since the introduction of the official ball of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Jabulani, there has been much controversy surrounding the whol context and the travel of the ball that much talked about goalkeepers from national teams that are going to participate in the tournament. Many of the goalkeepers like Brazilian Júlio César and Chilean Claudio Bravo has complained that the ball feels very cheap, as if they have been distributed in supermarkets. To many the "Jabulani" ball was meant to define celebrate in isizulu, the language of South Africa, but to goalkeeperes are doing this to ban the ball because of the erratic movements that the ball has when executing a free kick. The "Jabulani" ball is too light to be a ball due to its make with synthetic leather. What many of the goalkeepers need to do in order to control the ball is to move back and not to lose attention of the ball's coordinates when it comes to the goal net.

Júlio César also complained that when used a free kick, they have to put players in the barriers formed by goalkeepers when used in the rival's free kick. What the the FIFA is trying to do is to harm the image of the goalkeepers and to change up the context of the soccer game by exhibiting alot of goals. Claudio Bravo, Chile's goalkeeper, compared the "Jabulani" ball to a beach volleyball because of its lightness. The ball is merely a pound and its texture is meant for the resistance of the ball. The ball is also meant for protection of the ball from harm and it is waterproof in case of rainfall.

ADIDAS is shocked to find out these criticism of the ball because it has been approved and good to go after doing many tests. It has been distributed to the national teams that are going to participate in the World Cup meant to get used to it little by little. It's trayectory has been driven to different directions when kicking the ball. FIFA is demonstrating that this ball is having technology because it is also meant to play in the altitude, giving it more rythm. But FIFA is implying this ball to show fans many goals to come in the tournament.

ADIDAS has modeled several ball in the past few decades. But, we have to acknowledge that the future is now and the new technology is in effect because the FIFA wants to show the world what they are capable of in terms of changing the course of a game.

Brazil Counts Down

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Kaka, one of the best players that Brazil has to offer, will be seen as one of the hopes for the attack on the offense for Brazil. Kaka has exhibited little because of an injury that left the player with no action this season with Real Madrid. With this, Kaka will surely demonstrate his quality when he plays in the Debut of Brazil in the World Cup against South Korea. Kaka has also shown in the practices prior to the tournament about the tactics that Brazil should imply in the field. Brazil's main objective is to win the World Cup in the most effective way, even if Brazil applies its "joga bonito" style against its rivals.

Luis Fabiano, Brazil's explosive striker, also has demonstrated in the practice that his tactics and concentration can convince the Brazilian people that his main goal is to be the World Cup's top scorer. Many of the strikers in Brazil is to be effective in their targetting in their rival's goal the Brazilian way. We can acknowledge that sometimes Brazil plays bad but still has a way to beat its opponents but their defense is the only way of becoming even more efficient because of their much concentration and motivation is to keep the score. Brazil can also make the rivals' defense dance the "samba" style that I call its "joga bonito" style because it makes the offense and defense erratic in a way. Many of Brazil is counting on the explosiveness and the effectiveness that they have to offer ever since Dunga came on board of being the Brazilian National team coach.

Brazil's motivation has boosted up since their 3-1 win against Argentina in the qualifiers which gives them a much more hope to become aspiring champions in the World Cup. Brazil has much to talk about due to the games ahead for the World Cup but like Argentina, they need to exhibit their best game possible to dance away and become a favorite to win for the good of Brazil.