2010 July | Soccer Improved

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Spain Falls To Switzerland In World Cup Group Play

In arguably the biggest upset of the 2010 World Cup, Switzerland used a Gelson Fernandez goal to defeatSpain 1-0. Spain entered the competition as one of the favorites to win the entire tournament, but was shut down by a feisty Switzerland defense. Spain controlled possession throughout and outshot their opponents 25-9, but only 5 of their shots were 'on goal'. It was the 5th consecutive World Cup shutout for the Swiss team, who made it through the entire 2006 World Cup without conceding a goal before being eliminated on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals.

The Switzerland victory also produced a hefty soccer betting payday for their financial supporters. The Swiss were a +1100 underdog to take three points from their opening game. Spain had been installed as a -400 favorite, with the odds on the draw priced at +400. And has become the common refrain during this very low scoring World Cup, the single goal scored went well UNDER the posted total of 2'.

Switzerland employs a 'bend but don't break' defensive style, which allowed Spain to control possession and play but yielded very few significant scoring chances. For the game, Spain held a 74% to 26% time of possession advantage and outshot Switzerland 25-9. More significantly, however, Spain managed only 5 shots on goal. Spain's passing game was beautiful-they completed 574 passes, which is the most so far in the 2010 tournament.

After Gelson Fernandez scored on a rare Swiss counterattack, Spain wasn't able to recover. After the game Fernandez seemed as shocked by his second goal in International play as anyone:

"To be fair, I'm not used to scoring goals, so I was a bit surprised. It was a bit of luck."

Switzerland coach said that not playing Spain's preferred style was the key to victory:

"These were three unexpected points. If you play an attacking game against Spain, you'll lose and suffer one goal after the next."

Spanish coach Vincente del Bosque was undeterred by the loss:

"Today wasn't our day. We have two games ahead of us. We have to find a way to win them."

Despite Spain's #1 FIFA ranking and status as pre tournament favorites, they had a lot of history against them. Only two of the last eight reigning European champions have won their opening match in the World Cup, with the last being Germany in 1998. Furthermore, Spain has never advanced past the quarterfinals in World Cup play since its fourth place finish in 1950.

None of this will help Honduras, who'll have to face Spain in the second game of Group H play. Their undisciplined play combined with a formidable foe that needs to win will most likely produce a blowout result. Spain will have a more difficult time against a solid Chile side in their final Group H game. Switzerland will look to continue their defensive mastery of opponents on Saturday against Chile before they finish their group play schedule on June 25 against Honduras.

David Glisan is a widely published writer specializing in horse racing, soccer betting and three legged dog breeding. He is a contributing editor for several online sportsbook directory websites and a highly respected oenophile. He lives in Southern Nevada with his Asian houseboy, a a retired pack mule and a three legged dog named 'Saucy Jack'.

categories: World Cup soccer,soccer,sports,recreation,entertainment

A List Of Sportspersons Who Have Acquired Fame And Fortune From Playing Soccer

Soccer is famous throughout the world as a game of skill and excitement. It is full of twists and turns and is not a very easy game to predict.

Many people play this game from a young age with dreams of one day making it into the big time as a professional soccer player but alas not all of them make it.

Here are a select few individuals that manage to carve out a career and become famous at the same time:

The Brazilian Maestro has to be the first person to mention. Edison Pele was just a 15 year old boy when he made his first class world cup debut for Brazil. This was a feat in itself and one in which he also managed to score two goals. He also went on to become known the king of soccer and was elected as the athlete of the Century according to the International Olympic Committee.

Classed as probably one of the most influential people in the twentieth Century as reported in Tim Magazine, Pele went on to score an amazing amount of goals in his 25 year playing career.

An Argentinean of the same caliber as Pele was Diego Armando Maradona. This player also had talent to spare and just had a knack of scoring great goals.

Maradona played between 197 and 2001 and really established himself in the world of soccer. Unfortunately he has since made his name off the field too in some of his exploits.

Bulgaria's answer to the complete soccer player was Hristo Stoichkov. From his humble beginnings playing for CSKA Sofia he soon hit the highlights with FC Barcelona with whom he won the Spanish title. His playing style certainly gave him fame and fortune but since he retired in 2003 he seems to have left the game behind.

Last but not least there is David Beckham. This man managed to represent his country of England in three world cups. David Beckham started his professional career aged just 16 and within 5 years he was playing for Manchester United and winning all before him. The pinnacle of David Beckham's career had to be captaining his country in the world cup of 2006.

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categories: careers,profession,athletes,soccer,recreation,sports,people,fame,celebrities,game,fitness,entertainment,recognition,success

A Glance At The Games Of This Year’s World Cup Tournament

The World Cup is always a universal spectacle. It seems that everyone in the world cares greatly about it, with the exception of the United States. Even this year, however, it seems like Americans are invested in the tournament more so than years past.

It's unfortunate that the tournament has been a let down so far. You can't tell me otherwise. Most games have been ties, usually 1 goal a piece, or a team has won 1-0. Call me old fashioned, but I want to see some goals! There are many possible reasons for this drought in scoring.

The ball. This year's world cup has introduced a different soccer ball, which might possibly explain why goals haven't been going in. I doubt it though, as shots on goal are way down as well.

There's no doubt that part of the "problem" is defenses have been playing very well. Communication on the defensive end has been improved for most teams.

Those awful noise makers. The vuvuzelas make these games sound like a bee's nest. I almost prefer to watch the game on mute. I can't imagine how those things effect the players' mindset.

Since it is technically winter in South Africa right now, temperatures have dropped. Certain star players have been seen wearing long sleeved shirts and you can visibly see people exhaling air. Maybe the conditions aren't what most of the players are used to.

There have been a few shining moments in the tournament so far, however. The United States and South Africa both showed up in their first games, tying the favorites England and Mexico, respectively.

Unfortunately for South Africa, it looks like they will not make it out of the first round. The host country played brilliantly against Mexico the other day, resulting in a 1-1 tie. But today they lost to Uruguay in a crushing 3-0 loss.

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The Biggest Athletes of the Past 100 Years

Considering that just about none of us were alive at the turn of the 20th century, it's hard to write this article without at least a trace of bias.

If we weren't around to see these athletes in action, we'll never really know just how much they meant to the world at the time. Despite the fact that we've heard all of the stories, it simply isn't the same. Having said that, I'm going to do my best to account for this too.

These are the five most influential athletes in sports history, in my opinion of course. If you have thoughts of your own, by all means share them.

The first person I'll mention is a baseball player whose impact could never be felt today like it was a century ago. Ty Cobb was one of the most influential baseball players in baseball history, and is largely responsible for the sport's popularity.

Muhammad Ali. This man brought boxing to its height and electrified a world of fans. He's still talked about every single day as the best boxer of all-time.

In the soccer world, most will agree that Pele was the best man to ever play the sport. While soccer isn't as big in the US, this is the world's biggest sport. Pele could by and large be considered the most influential athlete in the world.

In baseball, no one gets more credit for shaping the sport than Babe Ruth does. He changed the way people watched the sport, and turned it into the biggest thing in the country. He also helped the Yankees to a dynasty that still lives on to this day.

You probably know who comes next. The legendary basketball player who is hands down seen as the greatest of all time. Michael Jordan was a hard worker, a clutch player, and highly marketable.

More about the author: A major sports fan, he also writes about bathroom light fixtures and bathroom ceiling lights.

categories: baseball,basketball,soccer,sports,history,advice,hobbies,teens,entertainment,celebrities,games,awards,careers,education

Who Will Be There After The Rafa-lution?

Rafa could have been paid a staggering 16 million pounds under the terms of his contract but reports suggest that he has accepted a figure around 6 million. Poor guy. After 6 seasons 1 UEFA Champions League(2004-05), 1 FA Cup(2005-06), 1 UEFA Super Cup (2005), and 1 FA Community Shield (2006) the Rafa-lution is finally over. Don't feel too bad for him though, because of the departure of one Jose Mourinho from Inter Milan it looks like he might already have a job in a few days time. Rafa did say before he left however;

"I'll always keep in my heart the good times I've had here, the strong and loyal support of the fans in the tough times and the love from Liverpool. I have no words to thank you enough for all these years and I am very proud to say that I was your manager. Thank you so much once more and always remember: You'll never walk alone."

The question now is who will fill his shoes? The rumour mill has been working away and word on the street was that Guss Hiddink was the man. Guss however has dismissed the reports. He has just taken the coaching job for Turkey and according to the Dutchman's agent Cees van Nieuwenhuizen. Opinion on if this has been a good thing or not for Liverpool is undecided. The 500 Liverpool fans that stormed Anfeild chanting his name certainly don't think so. I suppose that one unforgettable match in Istanbul is worth coming in 7th in the league this year.

"Guus has shown over the years that he is loyal to agreements that he signed," Van Nieuwenhuizen said. "There is no reason today why he would change such behaviour. "Guus just started two weeks ago in Turkey and as much as he likes the Premier League and as much as he respects Liverpool as a legendary club with a great future ahead, a switch would be hardly doable. I know, never say never and especially in football this is true, but for me this is an impossible thought."

Rijkaard's agent Perry Overmeers also dismissed any potential transfer to Anfield as he is dedicated to Turkish side Galatasaray. "Rumours linking Frank to Liverpool are just that, rumours," Overmeers said."Frank is the type of person who likes to fulfil his obligations and he has one year left on his contract with Galatasaray." So in some strange way Turkey is preventing Liverpool their ideal choice of managers. It's like they're saying "ok we gave you Istanbul and thats it!"

Unfortunately even if they do get a good manager Liverpool might have to wait 2 to 3 seasons before "HIS" Liverpool will bear fruit. The likely choices however appear to be Roy Hodgson (Fulham) and Louis van Gaal(Bayern Munich). Reports state that Kenny Dalglish and managing director Christian Purslow has shortlisted these two managers and will try to temp them to take the job.

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