World Roundup
I will do an International/MLS roundup on January 1st, a European domestic one on June 1st and then separate ones for the Gold Cup, World Cup and Euro Championship.
Canada Year in Review
The Canucks participated in the 2009 Gold Cup, finishing at the top of Group A. Canada beat Jamaica and El Salvador before tying Costa Rica, to advance to a quarterfinal matchup against Honduras. Despite controlling a majority of the game, a questionable penalty call gave the Hondurans a 1-0 win and denied a trip to Chicago (random personal story: I actually booked a trip to Chicago to see Canada, but since they lost I ended up going to the White Sox game instead in the afternoon. It just so happened that game was Buehrle's perfect one).
The year also saw the debut of many new national team players. Simeon Jackson, David Hoilett and Nana Attakora were among many to receive their first cap. One player who did, Jacob Lensky, won't be featuring for Canada anymore after announcing that he will play for the Czech Republic (in real life).
Canada won't be in any major competitions in 2010, and will instead look to establish a core for the 2011 Gold Cup.
Canada Match Results
May 30: Cyprus 0-1 Canada
June 30: Canada 3-0 Guatemala (Oxnard)
July 3: Canada 1-0 Jamaica (Carson)
July 7: El Salvador 0-1 Canada (Columbus)
July 10: Costa Rica 2-2 Canada (Miami)
July 18: Honduras 1-0 Canada (Philadelphia)
September 5: Canada 4-1 Haiti
September 9: Canada 2-0 Iceland
October 10: Macedonia 3-2 Canada
November 18: Bolivia 1-1 Canada
Friendly
2009 Gold Cup
Canada Best XI Age in parenthesis
GK - Lars Hirschfeld (31)
D - Michael Klukowski (28)
D - Andre Hainault (23)
D - Kevin McKenna (29)
D - Paul Stalteri (32)
M - Dwayne De Rosario (31)
M - Josh Simpson (26)
M - Atiba Hutchinson (26)
M - David Hoilett (19)
F - Ali Gerba (28)
F - Rob Friend (28)
S - Greg Sutton (32)
S - Julian De Guzman (28)
S - Adrian Serioux (30)
S - David Edgar (22)
S - Dejan Jakovic (24)
S - Simeon Jackson (22)
S - Olivier Occean (28)
Voyageurs Player of the Year
1. Ali Gerba, Toronto FC
Although Gerba had some club struggles, jumping from MK Dons to Toronto FC in July, the 28 year old striker was deadly for the Canucks. Gerba scored winning goals in Gold Cup matches against Jamaica and El Salvador, and added three more goals in friendly matches. He has 16 goals for Canada, three off Dale Mitchell's record.
2. Simeon Jackson, Gillingham
Jackson had his first cap on May 30 against Cyprus, and scored the only goal in a 1-0 Canada win. He also added a strike against Macedonia. The Jamaica born but Canadian raised player starred for Gillingham, scoring 12 goals in the latter half of last season, including the winning header that sent the Gills up to League One of the English system. In 26 matches during the 2009-2010 season, Jackson has been absolutely incredible, scoring 22 goals in 26 matches to lead the whole division.
3. Dwayne De Rosario, Toronto FC
This pick was somewhat controversial, as De Rosario skipped the Gold Cup to focus on club play. He was the best player on Toronto FC, scoring eight times for The Reds. DeRo also played well internationally, scoring twice against Haiti and again when facing off against Iceland. De Rosario's age will likely prevent him from being a major factor in qualifying for Brazil 2014, but he should still feature prominently in the 2011 Gold Cup.
History
2009: Ali Gerba
2008: Tomasz Radzinski
2007: Julian De Guzman
Top Goalscorers (International)
Ali Gerba - 5
Dwayne De Rosario - 3
Patrice Bernier - 2
Simeon Jackson - 2
Rob Friend - 2
Marcel de Jong - 1
Olivier Occean - 1
David Hoilett - 1
Top Players (Value)
T1) David Hoilett, Blackburn (on loan at Cercle Brugge): $6.75 M
T1) Julian De Guzman, Toronto FC: 6.75 M
3) Dwayne De Rosario, Toronto FC: $4.9 M
4) Rob Friend, Gladbach: $4.3 M
5) David Edgar, Burnley: $3.9 M
6) Marcel de Jong, Roda JC: $3 M
7) Dejan Jakovic, D.C. United: $2.9 M
8) Kevin McKenna, FC Koln: $2.8 M
9) Lars Hirschfield, FC Cottbus: $2.2 M
10) Nana Atatkora, Toronto FC: $2.1 M
International
World Cup
The World Cup field has been finalized
Europe: Spain, France, Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Germany, England, Greece, Russia, Turkey, Portugal, Croatia, Holland
South America: Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Argentina
North America: United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras
Asia: North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia
Africa: Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Algeria, Tunisia, South Africa (host)
World Player of the Year
1) Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid
2) Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Barcelona
3) David Villa, Valencia
Domestic
MLS
Quarterfinals:
Chicago over Colorado
Seattle over New England
Chivas USA over San Jose
Houston over Los Angeles
Final:
Seattle over Chivas USA
MVP
1) Amado Guevara, Toronto FC
2) Pat Onstad, Houston
3) Donovan Ricketts, Los Angeles
Stalteri to make last appearance against Costa Rica
TORONTO (CP) - Stephen Hart has selected both Senior and U-20 sides for a pair of friendlies against the respective Costa Rican teams.
After a friendly matchup with Belgium fell through, Hart managed to arrange a friendly with the Ticos, who are prepping for the World Cup that starts in less than three months.
Canada will be without Daniel Imhof, who announced his retirement from the national team program back in January, and Ali Gerba, who strained his groin in training with Toronto FC and will miss the match. Vancouver's Kyle Porter has the chance to make his first national team appearance, and Paul Stalteri will make his final appearance for the national team after declaring he will retire after the season.
The U-20 team will also play a friendly against the Costa Rican U-20's. They are led by Vancouver's young defender Ethan Gage, as well as West Ham keeper Adam Street. Genoa keeper Robert Stillo rejected the callup, and its believed that he will play for Italy instead of Canada internationally.
Many of Costa Rica's national team players star for Saprissa of the Costa Rican League, but star player Celso Borges is out with a hamstring problem. Bryan Ruiz of FC Twente in Holland will be a player to watch for.
Canada is ranked 70th in the world (6th in CONCACAF), while the Ticos come in at 25th (3rd in CONCACAF).
Senior Roster
Nana Attakora l D l Toronto FC (Canada)
Patrice Bernier l M l FC Nordsjaelland (Denmark)
Jim Brennan l D/M l Toronto FC (Canada)
Julian De Guzman l M l Toronto FC (Canada)
Marcel de Jong l D/M l Roda JC (Holland)
Dwayne De Rosario l M/F l Toronto FC (Canada)
David Edgar l D l Burnley (England)
Rob Friend l F l Gladbach (Germany)
Andrew Hainault l D l Houston (United States)
Lars Hirschfield l GK l FC Cottbus (Germany)
David Hoilett l M/F l KSV Cercle Brugge (Belgium)
Iain Hume l M/F l Barnsley (England)
Atiba Hutchinson l M l FC Copenhagen (Denmark)
Daniel Imhof l M l VfL Bochum (Germany)
Simeon Jackson l F l Gillingham (England)
Dejan Jakovic l D l D.C. United (United States)
Will Johnson l M l Real Salt Lake (United States)
Michael Klukowski l D l Club Brugge (Belgium)
Kevin McKenna l D l Celtic (Scotland)
David Monsalve l GK l FC Inter Turku (Finland)
Issey Nakajima-Farran l M l AC Horsens (Denmark)
Olivier Occean l F l Lillestrom SK (Norway)
Kyle Porter l F l FC Cottbus (Germany)
Adrian Serioux l D l Toronto FC (Canada)
Josh Simpson l M/F l Manisaspor (Turkey)
Paul Stalteri l D l Gladbach (Germany)
Greg Sutton l GK l Montreal (Canada)
U-20 Roster Goalkeepers: Keenan Gracey, Jordan Santiago, Adam Street
Defenders: Jack Cubbon, Ivan Djuric, Ethan Gage, Mario Kulis, Branko Majstrovic, Kyle Molina, George Williams, Carlos Zaballos
Midfielders: Stalin Cardenas, Kevin Cobby, Dwayne Franks, Miles Johnson, Andrew Kliment, Jonathan Lao, Marc Lassonde, Damir Radosavljevic, Sahil Sandhu, Russell Teibert
Forwards: Simon Boytchuk, Joshua Gross, David Nagaro, Gabriel Peeters, Gabriel Salustius
LA PAZ (CP) - Dwayne De Rosario tied Dale Mitchell's all-time Canada goals record, as the Canadian team fought to a 1-1 draw against World Cup-bound Costa Rica at BMO Field.
In what was a surprisingly warm March evening, the Canucks didn't look out of place against a team that's ranked 3rd in the region and will be heading to South Africa in June.
Costa Rica took the lead in the 64th minute when Erick Scott stripped Mike Klukowski of the ball in the box, and fired a brilliant shot just inside the post to make it 1-0. After that, Canada turned to a fully offensive strategy, putting eight players up to attack, and it paid off, with De Rosario being wide open in the box to head in a cross to equalize.
Kyle Porter made his debut for Canada, and he came on for Paul Stalteri, who received a standing ovation upon leaving what will be his final match for the national team. Stalteri's 80 appearances put him two off the all-time record, set by Randy Samuel.
Scoring First Half
No scoring
Second Half
CRC: Erick Scott '64 Klukowski careless in box, Scott steals ball and fires booming shot off crossbar and in
CAN: Dwayne De Rosario (de Jong) 82' De Jong avoids defender, Canada has a 4 on 1 in box which DeRo finishes easily
Man of the Match
Dwayne De Rosario did a great job scoring the equalizer, but he also set up plenty of chances earlier in the match that weren't converted. Lars Hirschfeld was brilliant once again.
Upcoming Matches
June 5, 2010 - at Trinidad & Tobago
August 11, 2010 - vs Cyprus
August 15, 2010 - vs England
September 8, 2010 - vs Honduras
November 17, 2010 - at New Zealand
February 9, 2011 - at Northern Ireland
TORONTO (CP) - As the European domestic seasons come to a close, Stephen Hart has called a 23 man squad for a trip to Trinidad & Tobago for a friendly against the Soca Warriors.
Canada will now only call up 23 players to all matches, based upon a new CSA travel policy. Although the U-20 squad currently has 26 at this point, it will also be trimmed to 23 in the future. The Canadian U-20's will take on their T&T counterparts.
T&T is led by Jason Scotland, who has made 43 appearances for his national side. Both of these teams will not be participating in the World Cup, which starts in a week.
Canada has fallen to 79th in the FIFA rankings, but still are 6th in the continent. T&T is one spot ahead of them in CONCACAF, and 55th in the world.
Senior Roster
Nana Attakora l D l Toronto FC (Canada)
Patrice Bernier l M l FC Nordsjaelland (Denmark)
Julian De Guzman l M l Toronto FC (Canada)
Marcel de Jong l D/M l Roda JC (Holland)
Dwayne De Rosario l M/F l Toronto FC (Canada)
David Edgar l D l Burnley (England)
Rob Friend l F l Gladbach (Germany)
Ali Gerba l F l Toronto FC (Canada)
Andrew Hainault l D l Houston (United States)
Lars Hirschfield l GK l FC Cottbus (Germany)
David Hoilett l M/F l KSV Cercle Brugge (Belgium)
Iain Hume l M/F l Barnsley (England)
Atiba Hutchinson l M l FC Copenhagen (Denmark)
Daniel Imhof l M l VfL Bochum (Germany)
Simeon Jackson l F l Gillingham (England)
Dejan Jakovic l D l D.C. United (United States)
Will Johnson l M l Real Salt Lake (United States)
Michael Klukowski l D l Club Brugge (Belgium)
Kevin McKenna l D l Celtic (Scotland)
David Monsalve l GK l FC Inter Turku (Finland)
Issey Nakajima-Farran l M l AC Horsens (Denmark)
Olivier Occean l F l Lillestrom SK (Norway)
Josh Simpson l M/F l Manisaspor (Turkey)
Greg Sutton l GK l Montreal (Canada)
U-20 Roster Goalkeepers: Keenan Gracey, Jordan Santiago, Adam Street
Defenders: Jack Cubbon, Ivan Djuric, Ethan Gage, Mario Kulis, Branko Majstrovic, Kyle Molina, George Williams, Carlos Zaballos
Midfielders: Stalin Cardenas, Kevin Cobby, Dwayne Franks, Miles Johnson, Andrew Kliment, Jonathan Lao, Damir Radosavljevic, Sahil Sandhu, Russell Teibert
Forwards: Simon Boytchuk, Joshua Gross, David Nagaro, Gabriel Peeters, Gabriel Salustius, Kyle Porter
------------------------------------------------ June 3, 2010
TRN (CP) - While in training with the national team, Toronto FC defender Nana Attakora separated his shoulder and will miss the friendly against Trinidad & Tobago, as well as at least eight more weeks. The Canadian team has called up Eddy Sidra of Cottbus to fill in.
World Rankings
1) Brazil
2) Spain
3) Croatia
4) Italy
5) Russia
6) Greece
7) Portugal
8) France
9) Holland
10) Argentina
CONCACAF Rankings
1) Mexico (18)
2) United States (24)
3) Costa Rica (27)
4) Honduras (29)
5) Trinidad & Tobago (55)
6) Canada (79)
7) El Salvador (88)
8) Jamaica (90)
9) Panama (95)
10) Cuba (106)
Continental Competition Report
North American Champions League
Quarterfinals:
Real Espana (HON) over Marathon (HON)
Toluca (MEX) over Liberia (CRC)
Pumas (MEX) over Columbus (USA)
Houston (USA) over Cruz Azul (MEX)
Final:
Toluca 2-1 Pumas
European Champions League
Advancing teams (listed in order of finish)
A: Barcelona (ESP)/Inter Milan (ITA)
B: Manchester United (ENG)/Olympique Marseilles (FRA)
C: Arsenal (ENG)/Dinamo Moscow (RUS)
D: FC Bayern (GER)/ Shakthar (UKR)
E: Liverpool (ENG)/Wolfsburg (GER)
F: A.C. Milan (ITA)/Real Madrid (ESP)
G: Chelsea (ENG)/Rubin (RUS)
H: Juventus (ITA)/Sevilla (ESP)
Quarterfinals:
Barcelona over Inter Milan
Juventus over Manchester United
Sevilla over Wolfsburg
Liverpool over FC Bayern
Final:
Juventus 3-1 Liverpool
Europa League
Quarterfinals:
Athletico Madrid (ESP) over Villareal (ESP)
Giorndins Bordeaux (FRA) over Sporting CP (POR)
Fiorentina (ITA) over Werder Bremen (GER)
Everton (ENG) over Anderlecht (BEL)
Final:
Everton 1-2 Fiorentina
European Domestic Report
Coefficient Rankings
1) England
2) Spain
3) Italy
4) Germany
5) France
6) Russia
7) Ukraine
8) Holland
9) Romania
10) Portugal
England
1) Manchester United
2) Cheslea
3) Liverpool
4) Arsenal
5) Everton
6) Tottenham
7) Manchester City
FA Cup: Manchester United over Charlton
League Cup: Chelsea over Tottenham
Spain
1) Barcelona
2) Real Madrid
3) Valencia
4) Getafe
5) Athletico Madrid
Italy
1) Inter Milan
2) Juventus
3) A.C. Milan
4) Palermo
5) Fiorentina
Germany
1) FC Bayern
2) Leverkusen
3) Hamburger SV
France
1) Olympique Marseilles
2) Giorndins Bordeaux
3) Olympique Lyonnaies
TRN (CP) - Canada went into the heart of CONCACAF and came away with a dominant victory.
The Canucks had four different scorers in a 4-1 romp over Trinidad & Tobago that ended Canada's three game winless streak.
"We came out there today and just fired on all cylinders," manager Stephen Hart, who was born in Trinidad, commented during the post game press conference. "It was a total team effort and its nice to see grab a result like this over an opponent in our region."
The Socas made it to the World Cup in 2006, but failed to qualify for the upcoming tournament, that starts next Friday in South Africa. Canada hasn't qualified for a World Cup since 1986, their only appearance in international soccer's largest event.
Rob Friend, Atiba Hutchinson, Simeon Jackson and Josh Simpson, four players who will be large factors over the next few years for the Canadian side, all scored. Carlos Edwards scored for Trinidad once it was already 4-0.
"We did a great job moving the ball down the flanks today," said Simpson, who scored the 4th goal on a keeper blunder. The Canucks dominated the outside game, throwing crosses into the box and managing to find trailing midfielders all day long.
David Hoilett left the game late with an injury, but Hart did not believe it was serious. Hoilett is gaining an expanded role with the squad after performing above expectations in the Belgian Jupiter this season.
For now, both teams will go home and watch the World Cup, but Canada has a few friendlies in the near future, including a spotlight match against England on August 15th.
Scoring First Half
CAN: Rob Friend (De Rosario) 28' De Rosario whips the corner in and Friend gets above the defender to head it home
CAN: Atiba Hutchinson (Jackson) 42' Jackson finds Hutchinson who blasts home a brilliant strike from 30 yards out
Second Half
CAN: Simeon Jackson 56' Kenwyne Jones' backpass happens to find a streaking Jackson, who deposits it easily
CAN: Josh Simpson 68' Goalkeeper Williams attempts to rush out on backpass but doesn't get there in time
T&T: Carlos Edwards (Roberts) 74' Blasts the ball from 25 yards past a diving Hirschfield
Man of the Match
Atiba Hutchinson scored a memorable goal with a masterful strike from 30 yards out, and had four shots on target.
Upcoming Matches
August 11, 2010 - vs Cyprus
August 15, 2010 - vs England
September 8, 2010 - vs Honduras
November 17, 2010 - at New Zealand
February 9, 2011 - at Northern Ireland
Group Stage
After many questions about how teams from Europe and South America would perform in Africa, the answer came back in, and it was: resoundingly well. All 16 teams that made it to the second round were from those two continents, including a record high 13 from Europe.
Group A
Italy cruised to the top of the group, picking up wins in all three matches. Demark, Algeria and Japan all won one match, but in the end Demark's goal differential of -2 was one better than their other two adversaries, moving them onto the second round.
Group B Paraguay was expected to compete for the head of the group, but they were stunned by the Saudis in the first game and never challenged. Germany and Croatia picked up wins on the final matchday to move onto round two.
1) Germany - 7
2) Croatia - 5
3) Saudi Arabia - 3
4) Paraguay - 1
Group C Hosts South Africa were disappointingly dropped after the first round, picking up only one win. In the deciding match against Chile, they were soundly beaten 4-0. Greece shed their boring label and played rather attractive football, picking up five goals in their matches and coming second in the group.
1) Chile - 7
2) Greece - 7
3) South Africa - 3
4) North Korea - 0
Group D Seen by many as one of the tougher groups, it was Portugal who emerged on top, scoring more goals than Brazil to earn them the tiebreaker. Australia lost by one goal to both Portugal and Brazil, which was enough to send them home. Many thought Cameroon would surprise but they did not earn a result.
1) Portugal - 7
2) Brazil - 7
3) Australia - 3
4) Cameroon - 0
Group E Holland were clearly the best team in this group and were through after their second match. Turkey played to a 0-0 draw with Tunisia where both teams failed to record a shot on target to advance, drawing boos and a small riot from the South African crowd.
1) Holland - 7
2) Turkey - 4
3) Tunisia - 2
4) Honduras - 1
Group F England started to stir the spirits of their countrymen, beating defending Euro champ Spain 3-1 to finish at the head of the group. Spain finished second, while Ghana and Costa Rica were generally outclassed.
1) England - 9
2) Spain - 6
3) Ghana - 3
4) Costa Rica - 0
Group G The "Group of Death," this one featured what many considered the best teams from two continents, as well as a star-studded Argentina team. Yet, it was the workmanlike Czechs who managed past Ivory Coast and Mexico to claim the group, with the Argentines managing a thrilling draw to advance. Mexico went out meekly, losing all three matches 1-0.
1) Czech Republic - 7
2) Argentina - 5
3) Ivory Coast - 4
4) Mexico - 0
Group H
South Korea gave up a stunning 16 goals in three matches, including an inexplicable 9-0 romping at the hands of Russia in the final match. France won all three of their games to win the group, while the Russians finished second. The Americans needed to beat France to move on, but lost 1-0 on a 90th minute goal.
1) France - 9
2) Russia - 6
3) United States - 3
4) South Korea - 0
Second Round
Italy (A1) 1-0 Croatia (B2)
Croatia never really put forth a threat, not recording a single shot on goal, but they were in the match late. Italy couldn't break down the defense, but Alberto Gilardino scored in the 89th minute to give the Azzuri a trip to the quarterfinals.
Germany (B1) 2-1 Denmark (A2)
Germany scored two early goals and then shut down the Danish attack for the remainder of the match. A red card allowed Denmark to score one goal on the advantage, but a trip to the quarters was never in doubt for the incredibly efficient Germans.
Brazil (C1) 5-2 Chile (D2)
Robinho scored twice for the Brazilians who won a fierce South American battle. Chile equalized after Robinho scored in the 16th minute, but late first half goals by the Man City striker and Kaka sent the Brazilians on their way.
Portugal (D1) 3-1 Greece (C2)
Cristiano Ronaldo got a very controversial penalty in the 40th minute that gave Portugal a lead, and then two second half goals allowed them to cruise onto the quarters. The Greeks actually outshot Portugal 6-3 but couldn't capitalize.
Spain (F2) e2-1 Holland (E1)
Spain showed why they are one of the favourites, scoring a 92nd minute equalizer off the foot of Iniesta to force extra time. Santiago Cazorla scored the winner in the 118th minute to send the stunned Dutch home with an early exit once again.
England (F1) p2-2 Turkey (E2)
Turkey were the comeback kids in Euro 2008, and it seemed there would be a repeat. England were up 2-0 on goals from Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney before Cetin scored in the 83rd minute and Melvut Edrinc equalized in the 93rd. Turkey hit the post in extra time, but it went down to penalties. England, historically brutal in shootouts, scored all four times, while the Turks missed twice.
Russia (H2) 3-0 Czech Republic (G1)
A game more commonly seen on the ice than the pitch had the Czechs run abruptly end. Andrei Arshavin continued his dominance in international play, assisting on all three goals for Gus Hiddink's side.
France (H1) 2-1 Argentina (G2)
Maradona's side was ousted after a flurry of goals in the middle of the second half. Frank Ribery scored in the 60th minute, followed by an equalizer from Pablo Zabaleta in the 69th. While the Argentines were still celebrating Ribery found the net again in the 71st minute to send the French to victory.
Quarterfinals
Portugal p0-0 Italy
After winning the 2006 World Cup on penalties, the shootout proved to be the undoing of the Italians in South Africa. Daniele De Rossi missed, while all five Portuguese players found the net to send Cristiano Ronaldo's side through.
Brazil 1-0 Germany
Two of the favourites for the competition went at it in the quarterfinals, and the Brazilian flair was too much for the German's systematic style. Robinho scored in the 7th minute, and Brazil continued to attack, not letting Germany get back in the match.
France 1-0 Spain
The French barely even made it to South Africa, but they're a big tournament squad and they knocked off the European champions. Loyal defender William Gallas headed in the winner off a 55th minute corner kick, and the star-studded Spainish strike force was shut down by a methodical French defense.
Russia 3-1 England
In what will likely go down as the craziest finish of the tournament, the Russians scored thrice in the final seven minutes to stun the English and move onto their first semifinal ever. Frank Lampard missed a penalty early, but it looked like Joe Cole's 51st minute goal would be enough. However, a Russian quickstrike meant that it will be at least another four years before England's drought comes to an end.
Semifinals
Russia 1-0 Portugal
The legend of Gus Hiddink continues to grow, as the super-manager stunningly takes Russia to the World Cup Final. Arshavin set up Roman Pavlyuchenko for his 41st minute winner, and even though Russia was outshot 16-5, Igor Akinfeev shut the door.
Brazil p2-2 France
In a rematch of the 1998 final, Brazil jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. However, after France made it 2-1, it was Thierry Henry, who knocked the Brazilians out of the '06 competition, tying it late to send it to extra time. After the extra periods resulted in nothing, penalties sent Brazil off to yet another final and a chance for their 6th World Cup.
Third Place Game
Portugal 2-0 France
Helder Postiga scored twice in the first 15 minutes as Portugal cruised to a 2-0 win over France. The Portuguese claimed the third place trophy, a rather successful campaign for them.
2010 World Cup Final
JOHANNESBURG (CP) - One of the most exciting World Cups in recent memory ended with the longest and most memorable penalty shootout in its history.
Maicon, the 20th kick taker, beat Igor Akinfeev to his right, and Brazil won their 6th World Cup, 0-0 (9-8) in what was the most intense games that anyone in Soccer City will ever attend.
The Russians were one goal away from hoisting the most prestigious trophy in sport, but Pavel Pogrebnyak was stunningly selected to kick over Andrei Arshavin, and he was stopped by Julio Cesar. After Pato's opening kick miss for the Brazilians, all nine remaining shooters found twine. Defender Igor Semshov, who had never attempted a penalty kick in his life, missed wide right before Maicon put home the winner.
Russia had the flow of play during regulation, but couldn't crack the Brazilian defense. It was actually Brazil who had the best chances, with Robinho getting stopped by Akinfeev on an amazing 30 yard strike late in extra time.
Brazil will now get the chance to defend the World Cup on home turf, with the 2014 tournament behind held in the largest land mass of South America. In what is an ironic twist, the 2018 tournament was awarded to Russia earlier in the day.
Awards
Best Player: Pato, Brazil
Best Keeper: Igor Akinfeev, Russia
Golden Boot: Alexis Sanchez, Chile
Dream Team:
GK - Igor Akinfeev, Russia
D - Maicon, Brazil
D - Marcelo, Brazil
D - Lucio, Brazil
D - Thiago Silva, Brazil
M - Santiago Carzola, Spain
M - Yury Zhirkov, Russia
M - Kaka, Brazil
M - Andres Iniesta, Spain
F - Alexis Sanchez, Chile
F - Pato, Brazil
S - Hugo Lloris, France
S - Robinho, Brazil
S - Xavi, Spain
S - Claudio Marchisio, Italy
S - Gennaro Gattuso, Italy
S - Phillipe Mexes, France
S - David Villa, Spain
S - Joe Cole, England
S - Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
S - Daniel De Rossi, Italy
S - Andrei Arshavin, Russia
S - Pepe, Portugal
TORONTO (CP) - Canada will be without Dejan Jakovic and Julian De Guzman for a pair of friendlies against Cyprus and England.
Indian-born Satish Muralidharan, who has been sensational for Vancouver this season, will make his Canada debut if he is called upon during either of the matches. Nicolas Ledgerwood also returns to the squad, now playing for Montreal in the MLS.
Canada played Cyprus last May, and defeated them 1-0 on Simeon Jackson's first senior goal. The Cypriots are bereft by injuries and should be an easy win. On the other hand, England, who made it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, will bring over their top squad.
Canada is ranked 74th in the world, 6th in CONCACAF. England is ranked 11th in FIFA (10th in UEFA), while Cyprus checks in at 33rd in Europe and 65th in the world.
Senior Roster
Nana Attakora l D l Toronto FC (Canada)
Patrice Bernier l M l FC Nordsjaelland (Denmark)
Marcel de Jong l D/M l Roda JC (Holland)
Dwayne De Rosario l M/F l Toronto FC (Canada)
David Edgar l D l Burnley (England)
Rob Friend l F l Gladbach (Germany)
Ali Gerba l F l Toronto FC (Canada)
Andrew Hainault l D l Houston (United States)
Lars Hirschfield l GK l FC Cottbus (Germany)
David Hoilett l M/F l Blackburn (England)
Iain Hume l M/F l Barnsley (England)
Atiba Hutchinson l M l FC Copenhagen (Denmark)
Simeon Jackson l F l Gillingham (England)
Will Johnson l M l Real Salt Lake (United States)
Michael Klukowski l D l Mouscron (Belgium)
Nicolas Ledgerwood l M l Montreal (Canada)
Kevin McKenna l D l Celtic (Scotland)
David Monsalve l GK l FC Inter Turku (Finland)
Satish Muralidharan l M l Vancouver (Canada)
Issey Nakajima-Farran l M l AC Horsens (Denmark)
Eddy Sidra l D/M l Cottbus (Germany)
Josh Simpson l M/F l Manisaspor (Turkey)
Greg Sutton l GK l Montreal (Canada)
U-20 Roster Goalkeepers: Keenan Gracey, Jordan Santiago, Adam Street
Defenders: Jack Cubbon, Ivan Djuric, Ethan Gage, Mario Kulis, Branko Majstrovic, Kyle Molina, George Williams, Carlos Zaballos
Midfielders: Stalin Cardenas, Dwayne Franks, Miles Johnson, Andrew Kliment, Jonathan Lao, Damir Radosavljevic, Sahil Sandhu, Russell Teibert
Forwards: Simon Boytchuk, David Nagaro, Gabriel Peeters, Gabriel Salustius
TORONTO (CP) - Ali Gerba and Iain Hume scored twice in a span of four minutes to lead Canada to a 2-0 friendly win over Cyprus.
In what was a somewhat surprisingly even match, the two teams were very even until Gerba put home his 17th goal for Canada.
"You know, we didn't do as well as we wanted to today, but we picked up the result and that's all that matters," said Gerba. "I was happy that I could carry the team a little today, and hopefully I can recover and contribute again Sunday."
On Sunday, Canada will play England in what is the highest profile friendly to be played on Canadian soil in some time, arguably since the Canucks played Brazil before the 1994 World Cup. In that match, against virtually the same Brazil team that would be on the field for the final in the Rose Bowl, Canada picked up a 1-1 draw.
Gerba picked up an injury near the end of the match, and he may be out for the England match.
Scoring First Half
No scoring
Second Half
CAN: Ali Gerba (Klukowski) 68' Klukowski fires a perfect cross to Gerba who volleys one home from 20 yards
CAN: Iain Hume (Johnson) 71' Johnson finds Hume on a breakaway and the Barnsley man easily puts it away
Man of the Match
Kevin McKenna was a stalwart on the backline and prevented any sort of offensive from the Cypriots. Klukowski and Hainault were also very impressive.
Upcoming Matches
August 15, 2010 - vs England
September 8, 2010 - vs Honduras
November 17, 2010 - at New Zealand
February 9, 2011 - at Northern Ireland
Operation Sports
11-05-2009, 11:10 PM
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