Robson gets first taste of Asian Cup action

November 14, 2009

Former England captain Bryan Robson gets his first taste of Asian Cup football on Saturday when Thailand travel to Singapore for a must win qualifying clash against their Southeast Asian neighbour.

It is one of seven matches being played as the race to Qatar in 2011 heats up, with another round of games next Wednesday.

In Group B, Pim Verbeek’s Australia are in Oman with both sides on four points from three games, while Kuwait (three points from two games) host Indonesia (two points from two games).

Uzbekistan play Malaysia in Tashkent in the only Group C game while leaders Syria take on Vietnam in Group D and China travel to bottom-of-the-table Lebanon.

There are no Group A games, with table toppers Bahrain facing New Zealand in Wellington for a place in the World Cup on the same day.

Only the top two in each group qualify for the finals in January 2011 with hosts Qatar as well as Iraq, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, the top three in the 2007 tournament, into the finals automatically.

India have also qualified after winning the AFC Challenge Cup last year.

Former Middlesbrough and West Brom manager Robson, who took over from Peter Reid in September, will be in charge for his first competitive game and said he was confident of the right result.

“I have studied tapes of Singapore. Although they are a strong side, I think we are capable of getting an impressive result,” the ex-Manchester United legend told reporters.

Thailand are third in Group E after two goalless draws — in Jordan and at home to Iran.

They are a point behind Singapore who have one win and one defeat. Iran top the group with a win and a draw, while Jordan have just one point.

Robson’s assistant Steve Darby said it was critical that Thailand do not lose.

“We must try to get at least a point in such an important game. A result in Singapore will be crucial for Thailand’s campaign,” he said.

Such is the importance of the clash that Singapore coach Raddy Avramovic has closed his training sessions to keep prying Thai eyes out.

“If everyone sees what we are doing, it is not good,” the Serb told local media.

Iran, meanwhile, warned up for their match against Jordan with a 1-0 win over Iceland on Tuesday.

Australia, who will play at next year’s World Cup, have wheeled out their big guns for the Oman showdown, with Europe-based stars Tim Cahill, Lucas Neill, Harry Kewell and Mark Schwarzer all called up.

A win in Muscat will put Verbeek’s team in a strong position as they look to qualify for the their second Asian Cup, after making an unconvincing debut in 2007.

Kewell, who has been in great form for Turkish club Galatasaray, said they were determined to make Qatar and put the record straight.

“We’re going to go for it. We were disappointing in the last Asian Cup and I think a lot of people have ridden that wave a lot now,” he told reporters.

“I think this is why they’re still giving us stick because maybe they’re trying to push us to achieve more knowing that were capable of doing more.

“We want to put the record straight.”

In the other group match, Indonesia must pick up points against Kuwait but are struggling, with injury ruling out defender Ricardo Salampessy.

Indonesia coach Benny Dollo is also sweating over the fitness of influential striker Boaz Solossa, who has a thigh strain.

SINGAPORE (AFP)

Tags: afc challenge cup, asian cup, Benny Dollo, bryan robson, captain bryan, captain Bryan Robson, cup football, D, england captain, first taste, four points, impressive result, kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, manchester united, mark schwarzer, Muscat, Peter Reid, pim verbeek, Qatar, Ricardo Salampessy, saudi arabia, south korea, southeast asian, steve darby, strong side, table toppers, thailand travel, west brom

Sabah & Mexico prepare for Costa Rican challenge

September 4, 2009

It was a moment that helped send a stadium into frenzy. It helped give a nation new hope. Confidence was restored in a team that was in need of a boost thanks to Miguel Sabah.

The Mexican forward came off the bench to help El Tri beat its arch rival, the United States, 2-1 with a goal in the 82nd minute at Estadio Azteca last month.

It was his goal that injected new life into coach Javier Aguirre’s team.

Mexico kept close in the race for one-of-four qualifying spots to next year’s World Cup in South Africa with that win.

El Tri enters Saturday’s match against Costa Rica at Ricardo Saprissa stadium in San Jose following its most impressive result during qualifying.

Beating the Americans, a team that was coming off an improbable run to the Confederation Cup final, was arguably Mexico’s best performance after six matches played.

Mexico’s play against the United States had former El Tri and American coach Bora Milutinovic take note. He told reporters he believes Mexico could finish on top of the group standings once qualifying has ended.

But despite the hype and what is being said about Mexico, Aguirre is not buying it.

“What gives you the right to be confident? What have we’ve done to feel big if you haven’t done anything?” Aguirre said about his team. “That is said without diminishing what has been accomplished at Estadio Azteca and the results during the Gold Cup, which had not been won a title the last two.”

At the same time, Aguirre is not ruling out the possibility of winning the group.

“We shouldn’t feel we’re inferior,” Aguirre said. “If we take it game by game, we can accomplish it. There are four teams fighting for 12 points. Anything can happen.”

Mexico’s win against the U.S. shifted momentum in the standings.

Mexico remained in fourth place with nine points behind the Americans (10 points), Honduras and Costa Rica, but showed signs it can become a powerhouse in the region once again.

Costa Rica, the group leader with 12 points, appeared to lose some of its swagger after falling to Honduras (10 points), 2-0, on August 12.

That could change for Los Ticos. After all, Costa Rica has won its last three games at home, including an impressive 3-1 outing against the United States.

The heat, humidity, artificial turf and the unforgiving crowd at the Ricardo Saprissa are in favor of the Ticos.

The stadium is often referred to as “the cave.”

“We know all about it,” said Sabah, the man who scored the winning goal for El Tri against the U.S. and led the team in scoring during the Gold Cup. “We have to be ready for what the situation presents.”

Costa Rica will most likely be without its captain and all-time caps leader Walter Centeno who is nursing an injury.

“These types of absences don’t make me happy,” Aguirre said. “Everyone has his problems. Every roster is missing someone or has too much of something.”

Mexico perhaps can’t afford to have too much confidence.

By Ivan Orozco

Tags: American, american coach, arch rival, bench, best performance, Bora, confederation cup, Costa Rica, el tri, frenzy, gold cup, group leader, Honduras, hype, impressive result, Ivan Orozco, Javier Aguirre, Mexico, Miguel Sabah, momentum, new hope, powerhouse, Ricardo Saprissa, Sabah, San Jose, saprissa, South Africa, team mexico, Tri, U.S., United States, Walter Centeno, World Cup

A great win over Spain … now can the U.S surprise some more?

June 25, 2009

The Confederations Cup, effectively a warm-up tournament for the World Cup, rarely captures the imagination but fans in the United States aren’t lacking enthusiasm for the tournament after their team produced a major upset by defeating European champions Spain 2-0.

Goals from Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey ended Spain’s world record run of 15 successive victories and their 35-match unbeaten sequence, a world record streak they share with Brazil. That run has taken Spain to world number one in FIFA’s global rankings.

So a major upset — but just how big a surprise was it?

Our man at the game, global soccer editor Mike Collett, poses the question by putting the U.S’s victory in historical context — North Korea beating Italy in the 1966 World Cup probably takes the prize for this reporter and the fact that the Confederations Cup is a lesser tournament than the World Cup probably weakens the case for this win being among the very greatest upset ever. But regardless of the global-historical rating there is less doubt that, as Mike argues, the win is the biggest for United States since the 1950 shock over England in the World Cup finals.

The U.S have pulled off a few surprises since then, though, and Kartik Krishnaiyer at MLS Talk lists the main triumphs. As Kartik notes, a 3-0 win over Argentina in the 1995 Copa America was a particularly impressive result for a team which had yet to make a real impact in a World Cup. But probably the best U.S result, up until Wednesday, taking into account the importance of the match, was the 3-2 win over Portugal in the 2002 World Cup.

The inevitable question then arises, could this result mark the turning point for soccer in the United States?

Certainly those sceptics who discount the United States as an emerging force in the game solely because they play most of their football against supposedly weak opposition in the CONCACAF region, will be given cause to think again. I’ve long argued that the U.S are at least on a level with the second tier nations in Europe — the Swiss, the Scandinavians, the Belgians, the Austrians and the most of the teams from Eastern Europe and results in friendly games back up that view.

It should also be pointed out that CONCACAF isn’t entirely made up of ‘minnows’ — the likes of Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica are, when things are together on and off the field, teams capable of holding their own against most international sides.

So in terms of the credibility and reputation of the U.S team, this win should earn some additional respect for Bob Bradley’s side — especially if it is followed by a decent display in Sunday’s final against Brazil or South Africa.

Whether there is any knock-on effect for the domestic game is another matter entirely. It will take more than a single surprise result to change the habits of American sports fans and people with no interest in the game aren’t suddenly going to start attending Major League Soccer matches because of a win over Spain.

But — and this is where the fortunes of the US national team and those of MLS do intertwine — the result could serve as a wake-up call to those thousands of fans of international soccer, living in the U.S but with little interest in the domestic game. I am talking primarily of the still largely untapped Latin American market which produces impressive television ratings for international games but also of those young fans of the English Premier League and Champions League who just haven’t been turned on to MLS or the US national team.

If Bob Bradley’s team can build on this result, complete their qualifying for the World Cup in style and then make an impact again next year in South Africa, those fans will be tempted to start following the domestic competition much more actively, especially if some of the best American players can be persuaded (financially of course) to return to or stay in MLS.

Until then, don’t bet against some more surprises from this American team. It may lack big names, outstanding talent and be a little short on flair but as they showed against the Spaniards they have determination, solid organisation and impressive fitness — all qualities ideally suited to the specific demands of tournament football.

PHOTO: Jozy Altidore (R) celebrates with team mate Charlie Davies after scoring for the U.S. against Spain in their Confederations Cup semi-final at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, June 24, 2009. REUTERS/Jerry Lampen

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