Ball or Nuthin' » Multi-Sport

World Cup: Brazil Stunned by the Netherlands

T Lamont — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:19:47 +0000

In a game where very few points are scored, a one point lead can make all the difference.

And thus, the Netherlands shocked the soccer universe by scoring two goals after halftime to defeat number-one ranked Brazil, 2-1.

Brazil controlled the flow of the contest in the first half, getting out to a lead very early in the match. At the nine minute mark, Robinho blasted an attempt past Netherland goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg to put Holland up 1-0.

Brazil had more missed opportunities in the first half that proved to be critical. Holland’s Wesley Sneijder made Brazil pay. Sneijder scored the first of his goals in the 53rd minute, when he put the ball into the net to even the score at one. 17 minutes later, and following a corner kick, Sneijder scored again with a header.

From here, the Brazilians were left scrambling in attempts to get back into the game. The frustration began to mount as Brazilian midfielder Felipe Melo stomped on Dutch forward Arjen Robben, and consequently, was removed from the match. Amid a hectic amount of action to end the contest, Brazil was unable to score again – giving the Netherlands the biggest upset of the World Cup.

Holland moves into the World Cup final four, and will meet up with the winner of the Uruguay-Ghana match later today.

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Ten Most Disliked Sports Figures??

T Lamont — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:51:03 +0000

Fox Sports recently posted its “Top 10 Most Disliked People in Sports”…and in more than a few of their choices, they missed the mark.

Let’s review their top 10:

10. Gilbert Arenas

Now obviously, Arenas was a late entry…barely making the cut at #10, which Fox Sports may believe actually makes it legit. But I’m sorry – Arenas in no way deserves to land on this list. Throughout his career, he’s been nothing but a jovial prankster – - trying to live up to a reputation as a carefree rebel without a cause. Well, that finally caught up with him this fall, and suddenly – out of the thousands of notable sports related people – he’s one of the top 1% (or less) of disliked people. I’m not buying it.

9. Allen Iverson

This must be a lifetime achievement award, if you will. Iverson hasn’t done anything of importance on or off the basketball in a few years now. The last unlikable A.I. incident was probably when he beefed about coming off the bench for Detroit (and, as sorry as they are, who in their right mind wouldn’t have beef about that?).

Of course, Iverson has been reckless during his basketball career, being involved with guns, fights, unhappy relationships with coaches, etc…

He’s one of the pioneers of the urban, street style wardrobe that was adopted by many players in the late 90′s and early 2000′s. And the Hampton, Virginia native had others copying his cornrow patterns.

Cornrows and gangsta wear? I guess that image will last in people minds’ for years to come.

8. Alex Rodriguez

With his steroid admission only a year and some change behind him, A-Rod’s championship season did little to get the haters off of his back. He’ll always be remembered as the $252-million man – and the mega-contract only generated more critics (not fans). I even know some Yankees fans who don’t like him.

"What did I do to land on this list?"

7. Terrell Owens

What can you say about T.O.? Generally speaking, people don’t his light-hearted arrogance and creative showboating. I wouldn’t say that his hate factor is very high – but maybe this position is one that fits him OK.

6. Mark McGwire

The former Bash Brother was America’s sweetheart during the magical 1998 home run battle between him and fellow doper Sammy Sosa. But after not giving much comment during the steroids in baseball Congressional hearing, his star began to fade as if it were Big Mac’s batting average. Ironically, McGwire is looking much worse than his blabbermouth ex-teammate Jose Canseco – who admitted the baseball/steroids problem to anyone who wanted to hear it.

5. Jerry Jones

Jones is spurned by those who despise the Cowboys. Although he never does or says anything particularly newsworthy, just hearing him reverberate “How ’bout them Cowboys?!!” is enough to make some people want to place him on the 40-yard line and kick him through the uprights.

4. Tiger Woods

Once again, I’d say that this one is aptly positioned. Nobody would have saw this coming a year ago…but now, how will Woods become the crowd favorite that he was? Or will people be able to move past this incident at all?

3. Ben Roethlisberger

The road from being a hero to being a villain can be a very short one at times. But Big Ben has been building a villainous case for some time now. Roethlisberger can’t seem to pry himself away from the bar scene. It’s time for the organization to take a hard-nosed stance on Ben’s future with the Steelers. For now, Roethlisberger’s earned this spot in the infamous lineup.

2. Al Davis

Davis is too busy cleaning up the colossal mess that has become the Oakland Raiders. Davis has suffered through his bad decisions for a decade – seemingly with the next big hope being available in the upcoming draft. I don’t know why the guy would be disliked so much. Perhaps its the fact, that the Raiders have struggled for so long. Or maybe Oakland fans are the loudest gripers. I’m not sure, but a #2 position is definitely much too high.

1. Michael Vick

No surprise here – Americans love pets. Vick killed potential pets (or, if you will, his own pets). People will remember that for a long time. Unfortunately, there’s not much that Vick can do to get off of this list. Time is the only thing that can help him. And not going to parties where people who were linked to his infamous criminal activities are getting shot.

As long as dogs roam the earth, Michael Vick will have plenty of haters.

Who belongs on this list that wasn’t mentioned?

Kobe Bryant

It doesn’t matter if his Lakers just won their second of back-to-back NBA titles. People either like Kobe or they don’t like him – plain and simple. My wife, who probably knows 20 NBA players by name, can’t stand him. Bryant’s attitude borders on the edge of arrogance or extreme confidence, which will sway one way or the other based on people’s individual perceptions of him. Kobe’s a great player and, unfortunately for him, one of the most polarizing figures that the sport of basketball has ever witnessed.

Barry Bonds

How could Mark McGwire be on this list, but not Bonds? He’s generated so much hatred – mainly because anyone with a television set could have observed the increase in the muscle mass of his head. However, nothing has been proven against him – which infuriates those who hold baseball records to be sacred accomplishments. Bonds is the current all-time and single-season home run leader, and now that the cat is out of the bag (about steroids) his records could stand for some time. Someone probably punched a wall just from reading that.

O.J. Simpson

Long removed from the sports scene, Simpson is hating for nothing related to athletics. Nevertheless, he was a sports figure and is one of the most despised people on the planet. The public doesn’t usually like people suspected of killing other people – off of the gridiron, that is.

Ghana Eliminates U.S. With 2-1 Victory

T Lamont — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 21:51:39 +0000

With elimination on the line, the U.S. desperately needed to avoid an early deficit.

But sometimes, old habits are just too hard to break.

Repeating a scenario that we’ve seen in the 2010 World Cup – the U.S. trailed early in regulation and in extra time – ending in a 2-1 loss to Ghana, which eliminated them from the tournament.

In less time than it takes to pop some popcorn and prepare an ice cold drink, the USA found itself in a 1-0 hole after a midfield turnover led to a left-footed strike from Ghana’s Kevin Prince Boateng at the game’s 5-minute mark. And just like that, Bob Bradley’s squad was forced to play in the manner that it has become accustomed to – turning up the pressure in search of opportunities while playing against the clock.

The remainder of the first half saw both teams searching for good looks at the opponent’s net, but unable to get many good quality shots on goal. Ghana’s first goal withstanding, there was still a great bit of feeling out that needed to be done.

At 61′, Clint Dempsey made a great individual move that would have produced an excellent look at the goal. But he was taken out by Jonathan Mensah, and Ghana was penalized for this – resulting in a penalty kick for the U.S.

Landon Donovan lined up for the free kick - one-on-one against Richard Kingson. Kingson dived to his right, but Donovan placed the ball to his upper left (off of the post) to tie the match at 1. The goal was Donovan’s fifth career World Cup score, which is the most by any U.S. player.

Boateng gave Ghana its early 1-0 lead over the U.S.

For the next fifteen minutes, the teams reverted to their defensive-minded play. But at 80 minutes, Jozy Altiodore retrieve a long lob pass. He was able to get a decent look, but his shot was off the mark. The teams settled to keep the score at 1-1 through the close of regulation. So, it was on to extra time.

FIFA extra time rules call for two 15-minute periods. And mere minutes into the extra time, Asamoah Gyan controlled a long overhead lob pass – and launched a a kick on the move that rocketed above the outstretched arms of American goalkeeper Tim Howard to push Ghana ahead by one goal.

As the first half of extra time moved on, Team USA was presented with a couple of opportunities in the box but did not capitalize. The half ended with Ghana holding their 2-1 advantage.

The second half of extra time saw the Americans play with some early aggression, and they managed a free kick from just outside the box. Kingson defended the play well, punching the ball away. The final minutes of the contest saw the Americans attempting numerous lob passes that Ghana was able top easily defend. Toward the close of the match, all of the U.S. position players (including Howard) came forward in an attempt to improve Team USA’s chances of placing a tying score on the board.

But it was to no avail, as the U.S. failed to advance – once again at the hands of Ghana, who also beat the Americans in group play by an identical tally in 2006.

Defending World Cup Champs Eliminated

T Lamont — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:00:24 +0000

After failing to seal the deal in its first two matches, team Italy has been eliminated from the World Cup.

Italy played two draws (against Paraguay and New Zealand), and needed a win in today’s contest against Slovakia to move into the Round of 16. Although they made a late push, the defending World Cup winners came up on the short end of a 3-2 outcome.

Slovakia built a two-goal advantage, thanks to Robert Vittek. Vittek put the ball into the Italian net in the 25th and 73rd minutes.

The prayers of many Italians soccer fans went unanswered on Thursday.

Italy attempted to rally back, scoring its first goal in the game’s 81st minute. But eight minutes later, Slovakia put some needed insurance on the board in the form of kick from Kamil Kopunek. Italy would follow with a goal during the additional time, giving the game its final tally of 3-2.

This outcome is indicative of the aggressive style of play that is rewarded by the World Cup tournament. The difference between a three-point win and a one-point draw is quite dramatic. Conversely, the difference between a one-point draw and a zero-point loss is half as much. A team with one win and one loss will sit higher in the standings than a team with two draws.

The bottom line is that teams cannot just sit back and wait for the match to fall in their lap. Each team must balance its offense with its defense, taking appropriate risks that won’t fully compromise its defensive positioning.

Slovakia played with the urgency it needed to come up with the win and move on.

And Italy….it played itself out of a chance for another World Cup title.

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Donovan’s Extra-Time Goal Gives U.S. 1-0 Victory

T Lamont — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:43:27 +0000

As the U.S. team set out to do something that none of its predecessors have done – win a third group stage match – the reality of the circumstances didn’t seem to phase them at all.

American coach Bob Bradley summed it up in the following manner:

“We understand that if we win, we advance.”

Bradley’s frank response fittingly corresponded with the blue-collar effort displayed by USA soccer. With an unfortunate (and flat-out missed) call marring what would have been a come-from-behind win against Slovenia – in addition to another setback that they would experience in today’s game - the U.S. has played with the resilience of a unit that refuses to be denied.

In minute 92 of today’s contest versus Algeria, the blue-collar attitude finally paid off.

Landon Donovan, who scored a game-changing goal in the second half of the United States’ draw with Slovenia, tickled the twine during the extra time to assure his team a spot in the next round of World Cup competition with a 1-0 triumph.

Donovan took advantage of an easy chance to score the game's only goal.

Jozy Altidore launched a ball that was blocked by Algerian goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi. The ball trickled out to a waiting Donovan, who slapped it into the corner of the net for the tie-braking score.

With both teams pulling out all the stops to claim this win, the game was extremely free-flowing at the start. As the game played on, the U.S. gained more scoring opportunities – only to be denied by MBolhi. Twenty minutes into the action, the U.S. saw it first bit of success nullified. Clint Dempsey put the ball in the opposition’s net, but his goal was taken of the board as the refs blew the whistle for an offsides penalty. As was the case in the U.S.-Slovenia tilt, the call looked to be incorrect.

Undeterred, the Americans kept their composure, but at the same time kept the pressure of Algeria. The match was filled with opportunities for both teams, but it wasn’t until Donovan’s moment that a draw was avoided.

The result immediately eliminated Algeria, but conversely, the U.S. moves on to the round of 16 after winning its group for the first time since 1930.

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