Former FIFA president says World Cups were fixed

Joao Havelange, president of FIFA from 1974-1998 claims the 1966 and 1974 World Cups were fixed and produced the exact results his predecessor to the job, England's Sir Stanley Rous, wanted.

Havelange, who is Brazilian, claims that during both finals, the referees made decisions that allowed European nations to advance and help the host country win the cup (1966 England, 1974 West Germany).

In the 1966 semifinal between England and Argentina, a ref gave Argentina's captain Antonio Rattin a direct red for arguing. England won the match 1-0. In 1974 he points to missed calls that resulted in Pele getting injured and Brazil losing their chance to play Germany in the final.

There are been theories for years that some sort of fixing happened but there has never been an official as high ranking as Havelange to back them. So is this true or is this just the talk of a proud South American?

As far as I can see, he doesn't offer any sort of proof other then the 'isn't it strange this happened' kind. The fact that calls seemed to go to the home country more often then not is no surprise. The additional fact that it was European refs that made a number of the calls against South American nations just adds fuel to the speculation, but without any proof, there really is nothing to this story.

US beats Italy; face Canada in the Championship

Congratulations the US Women's team who beat Italy 2-0 today to win their group and a spot in the Peace Queen Cup finals on Saturday.

The win mean the women took all three-group games, including a 1-0 win against Brazil (a little better then their World Cup result from last year). Also, their offense seems to be back as they out scored their opposition 5-1.

The final will be a rematch of 2006 as America's neighbor to the north will try to extract their revenge. The Canadians walk out of their group as undisputed masters as they took all 9 points with a +9 goal difference (10-1). As impressive as this is, it must be noted that the US faced the number 4,12 & 13 teams in the world while Canada faced off against the 23,24 and 27th.

This is the fourth final the US women have played in this year and the second involving Canada. So far the US is 3-0.

US 0-0 Argentina - Player grades

US 0-0 Argentina

Let's see, amazing showing by a goalkeeper, horrible calls from the ref, an engaged, pro-USA crowd and Mastroeni walks off with a red, if only Brian McBride showed up bleeding from his face, it would have been World Cup 2006 against Italy all over again.

Sunday night was a great night for the US men as they played their best match since 2006 in front of almost 80,000 passionate fans. Argentina pressed and pressed, but the US was able to hold thanks in huge part to goalkeeper Tim Howard. The fact that he went 1 on 1 with Julio Cruz on four occasions and won every one of them is proof to his talent.

But the Americans did not just sit back and bunker down, instead they actually put together some good combinations that saw them open up the field and push towards goal. The bad news, when it came to the final third, the red, white and blue were still lacking.

As great as the play on the pitch was, the two biggest moments of the game were due to referee Joel Aguilar Chicas channeling his inner Jorge Larrionda and blowing calls. One, the missed penalty kick call against Tim Howard when he took down the on rushing Sergio Aguero in the 52'. Howard didn't get a single finger on the ball and took our Aguero's legs, it should have been a pk. Two, the phantom second yellow card to Pablo Mastroeni in the 71'. For once Pablo was completely innocent of anything as he wasn't even involved in the play that resulted in the foul. The reason given was unsporting behavior, but to earn a second yellow, in a friendly no less, Mastroeni must have said something really awful.

Both of these missed calls changed the flow of the game. The US was just starting to gain momentum when the Aguero mistake was made. Had the proper call be given, the game would have opened up for both teams. The Mastroeni red changed the entire mindset of the squad as they went from trying for a win to hoping for a tie.

In the end, this was a good way to end their three games of death. It showed us the weaknesses that still exist (forwards) and the strengths that we have (goalkeeping, defending).

Now the team moves on to the real matches as World Cup Qualifying starts next Sunday.

Here are the player grades:

Starting XI
Tim Howard (GK) - If anyone had any questions as to our number one in the nets, he shut them down last night. He was lucky with the pk call, but that still doesn't take away from his first half heroics. A+
Steve Cherundolo (D) - Beat a lot by Messi, but could hold his own with others. B-
Oguchi Onyewu (D) - He covered the mistakes of others and provided us with the best scoring opportunity of the night (which is also kind of sad). Still, he missed his marks a couple times. A-
Danny Califf (D) - Slow start but picked up as the game moved along. Held his spots and blocked a bunch of centering passes. He deserves more looks. B+
Heath Pearce (D) - This was his breakout night. He kept the left flank tamed and pushed the ball forward. I think we have our left back. A
Michael Bradley (M) - Bad night for the little Bradley. Wasn't controlling the ball or supply. Maybe a couple weeks off will do him good. C+
Pablo Mastroeni (M) - Up to the red, he was looking good. Provides coverage for defenders and placed some good balls forward. B
Clint Dempsey (M) - The most consistent attacking presence, but passed instead of shot a few too many times. Has good ball control and helped in defense, but needs to take the shot. B+
DaMarcus Beasley (M) - Nice speed along the side that surprised Argentina more then a few times. His crossing is still in need of some help. B
Landon Donovan (F) - Not a bad 100th cap, but nothing spectacular. He wasn't given many balls to run onto, but still caused some trouble. Getting better with corners and passing. B+
Eddie Johnson (F) - Time to move EJ to the sub list. Three starts and nothing from them. Last night saw more of the same. He's good at getting in but he doesn't know how to take a shot. C-

Subs
Maurice Edu (M) - On for Bradley in the 46'. Held his own and started a number of the second half attacks. B+
Jay DeMerit (D) - On for Onyewu in the 61'. Looked good and make some smart plays while his team was down a man. B
Freddy Adu (M) - On for Dempsey in the 61'. Did not take over the game like he did in Spain but gave the US some sort of push, especially late. Wasn't the best technical decision to go 1 on 4 while trying to kill the clock but I like his effort. A-
Sacha Kljestan (F) - On for Johnson in the 74'. The fact that this change only seemed to happen because Johnson get an injury is frustrating. Kljestan gave the side energy and make some good passes. Would have liked to see more then 20 minutes form him. B+
Eddie Lewis (D) - On for Pearce in the 78'. He still has something, which is good to know if the injury bug comes along. B
Frankie Hejduk (M) - On for Beasley in the 91'. Ran down the balls in his few minutes on the grass. Much like Lewis, he can bring some experience and calm to the side. No grade.
Sub not used: Brad Guzan


Bob Bradley (Coach) - Other then starting Eddie Johnson and then not subbing him out earlier and not giving Adu a bit more time, it was a good night. When Mastroeni was sent off, his changes to the team's setup proved capable of holding off the number one team in the world. Still needs to figure out the offensive problems. B+


So the US comes out on a high note, even without a goal in any of the three games. Hopefully this drought will end next weekend.

US starting lineup against Argintina

Here is the official starting lineup:

-----------------Howard---------------

Cherundolo--Califf--Onyewu--Pearce

Dempsey--Bradley--Mastroeni--Beasley

-----Johnson------Donovan (c)---------

Looks like Landon Donovan will get his 100th cap and do it as captain.

My concern with this lineup is the lack of creativity in the midfield. With Michael Bradley playing below his level the last couple matches, he will need to turn it on in order to give Johnson and Donovan something to work with.

On the defensive side of things, Mastroneni could win his way back onto the squad if he plays tough without crap fouls in the midfield while Califf has the chance of a lifetime to make Bob Bradley think about changing his center back duo.

US-Argentina preview - Who needs to perform?

US vs. Argentina
7:30p ET/4:30p PT
TV: ESPN Classic and Galavision
Internet: ESPN 360
Text call at Matchtracker

The final game of the US’s triple crown takes place in just a feel hours with a great deal on the line. Since this is the final match before World Cup Qualifying starts, the US men need a good outing not only to gain confidence, but to give US fans a reason to hopefully about things to come.

Bob Bradley has not called Jozy Altidore in for this match, which means the forward spots are wide open. Look for Eddie Johnson to get one more look to finally make it happen, but Kenny Cooper could be a second half sub.

In midfield, all eyes will be on Freddy Adu as we see if he can continue his strong showing from Spain. But his big question is can he work well with Donovan.

Finally, the backline looks to get figured out tonight. With Bocanegra off the roster, the center spot with Onyewu is open.

Argentina has most of their first team in for this one and after dismissing Mexico 4-1 on Wednesday night, they are looking to take down the other CONCACAF big weight.

There really is no way the US can win this game, but if they can pull off a tie and control stretches of the game, it will be big for the team.

Here are the players that need to perform:

High Pressure
Dominic Cervi (GK) – If he sees time, it will be due to an injury to Guzan or Howard. He will need to prove that he’s got something good.
Dan Califf (D) – With a center position open, this game could go a long way to deciding his story with the senior side.
Jay DeMerit (D) – He has everything in common today with Califf.
Heath Pearce (D) – He has placed his claim on the left side, but can he hold it?
Drew Moor (D) – With Pearce looking strong, Moor will need to give Bob Bradley a reason to look his way more often.
Freddy Adu (M) – He was the creativity against Spain, but can he do it again? If he can and if he can be the person that frees Donovan with quality passes, it will be hard to deny him more starts.
Michael Bradley (M) – Not his best over the last two. Where is the control, where is the smart pass and where has his first touch gone?
Maurice Edu (M) - Bradley needs a new Reyna to control things, might Edu become that player?
Sacha Kljestan (M) – Needs to give some versatility so earn more caps.
Pablo Mastroeni (M) – Looked good against Spain. Another positive night and he might just be past the World Cup red card.
Landon Donovan (F) – Mister Century Mark could silence his critics today with a performance against the top team in the world.
Eddie Johnson (F) – He has looked much better in creating chances, but a striker needs to be able to strike. So many opportunities against Spain, but no danger, that must change.
Kenny Cooper (F) – The US is dieing for someone to come in and give them a point man up top. Cooper has the size and pace, but does he have the killer finish?

Medium Pressure
Brad Guzan (GK) – He was better against England then Spain, will need to control his backline better.
Steve Cherundolo (D) – Can he control against explosive talent?
Frankie Hejduk (D) – Old-timer has looked very solid. Keep it up and he might get a chance at another Cup.
Oguchi Onyewu (D) – The best defender so far. He is controlling his size better and not giving up many cheap fouls, but there have been communication failures.
DaMarcus Beasley (M) – His spark is still off. Needs to give an option done the side.
Eddie Lewis (M) – Might his age be the reason to keep him? If he can bring a calm to the side, he might have more caps coming.
Clint Dempsey (F) – Clint is exhausted and has been absent for most of the last two games. If he wants to be part of this month’s qualifiers he needs to give something.

Low Pressure
Tim Howard (GK) – This is the kind of match that can make him into a folk hero of US Soccer (see Keller vs. Brazil 1998 for reference)

US roster for Argentina

US vs. Argentina
Sunday, 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT
TV: ESPN Classic and Galavision

Bob Bradley has released his list of 19 for Sunday's friendly against Argentina and there are a couple surprises.

Carlos Bocanegra is not on it, meaning Jay DeMerit or Dan Califf is going to get a good look over. Also missing is Jozy Altidore, Nate Jaqua, Josh Wolff and just about every other MLS player that might have been called in as a forward.

One MLSer that is back on the list is Landon Donovan so he might get his 100th cap against the number one in the world. Also, Sacha Kljestan has made the final roster.

Overall, it is good, but it will take more then good to handle Argentina (see Mexico's result).

Here is the full roster:

Goalkeepers: Dominic Cervi (no team), Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton)

Defenders: Dan Califf (Midtjylland), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard Liege), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock)

Midfielders: Freddy Adu (Benfica), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Michael Bradley (Heerenveen), Maurice Edu (Toronto), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Eddie Lewis (Derby), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado)

Forwards: Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles), Eddie Johnson (Fulham)

US vs. England at Wembley May 28th - It is official

USA vs. England
May 28 at Wembley Stadium
8p local/3pm ET/12pm PT
TV: ESPN Classic, Univision

After a month of rumors, it is now official, the US men will play England at Wembley stadium on Wednesday, May 28. This will be the first time the US has played England on British soil since 1994. As previously noted, there is a good chance this game will also see David Beckham gets his 100th national team cap.

The US will use this game as a tune up for World Cup Qualifying, which begins June 15th. Following the match with England, the US will play Spain at Estadio El Sardinero in Santander on June 4 and we should here confirmation of a June 8 date with Argentina soon.

With England failing to make this year's Euro, coach Fabio Capello will probably use this game to try out some different players ahead of their WCQ campaign that begins in September.

KC sign Argentine Claudio Lopez as their Designated Player

After months of rumors and speculation, the Kansas City Wizards finally signed Argentine striker Claudio Lopez for the 2008 season. Lopez said of the move, "I had different offers but Kansas talked to me first and I respect that."

The Wizards will call on the 33 year old Lopez a lot since their striker options are thin. This could be a test for Lopez as he has minutes have been limited during his past season with Racing. The good news is he is not coming off any major injury and he has a habit, even now, of finding the net.

Lopez will probably be combined with Scott Sealy up top. This match-up should give KC a dangerous attack that never seemed to come together with Eddie Johnson. Of course this will only happen if the Wizards can provide the support out of the middle, which is where fellow Argentine Carlos Marinelli will probably come in.

Overall, this move is an improvement for Kansas City, however, as with all Designated Players, the proof will come on the pitch. Will Lopez end up being more of an Angel or a Denilson? My guess, a bit in the middle. Lopez will get some good goals as he is a born scorer, but I think he will fade towards the end of the season.

US to play Argentina June 8th at Giants Stadium

It is official, the US Men's National team will face FIFA's top ranked team, Argentina, on June 8th at Giants Stadium.

This match looks to cap off a simulated 'group of death' series for the US men as they play England on May 28th, Spain on June 4th and Argentina on June 8th. Since the first two games are in Europe and the third in the US, it will be interesting to see how coach Bob Bradley deals with issues of fatigue.

The US played Argentina in last summer's Copa America and the 4-1 defeat was not pretty. However, the US did not bring their A-team, so hopefully they will do better in New York.

Although these three games are only friendlies, this is a great test run for the 2010 World Cup. Facing difficult teams in hostile locations (expect Giants Stadium to have a pro-Argentina crowd) is what we all wanted and US Soccer has delivered. Congrats to the federation for making it happen.

US Men's 2008 schedule:
19 Jan - US 2-0 Sweden (Friendly)
06 Feb - US 2-2 Mexico (Friendly)
26 Mar - US at Poland (Friendly)
28 May - US at England (Friendly)
04 Jun - US at Spain (Friendly)
08 Jun - vs. Argentina at Giants Stadium (Friendly)
15 Jun - vs. Barbados-Dominica winner at LA (8pm ET/5pm PT) (World Cup Qualifier)
21/22 Jun - at Barbados-Dominica winner (World Cup Qualifier)

If they beat Barbados-Dominica winner (Word Cup Qualifiers)
20 Aug - Away
06 Sep - Away
10 Sep - Home
11 Oct - Home
15 Oct - Home
19 Nov - Away

Houston gets young Argentine striker, is a stadium next?

The biggest concern for Houston this off-season has been the lack of forwards in the squad, but it looks like that is about to change.

The team is expected to soon announce the signing of Franco Caraccio from the Argentine Primera División's Arsenal de Sarandi. Caraccio appears to be just the type of player Houston coach Dominic Kinnear loves to work with as he has talent but it needs to be developed.

Caraccio has played on Argentina's under-20 national team, but was mostly a reservist for his club, meaning his experience level is limited making this a bit of a risk for the Dynamo. However, at just 21-years of age, it is a risk worth taking.

Instead of going after a known 30+ year-old, Kinnear has opted to go for youth. Caraccio will have a fantastic opportunity to showcase himself as the speeder striker along side Brian Ching. Combine this with the attacking styles of Stuart Holden and Dwayne De Rosario and the Dynamo again look great up top.

It also appears to be a double win for the club as it looks like they will get him on a free transfer and that he will sign a four-year deal at about $70,000 a year, meaning they should have some money left over for another player.

It is amazing how many things just keep going Houston's way on the pitch and it looks like another might be about to happen off the pitch.

During the whole Houston soccer stadium debate, the mayor has insisted that no property tax revenues would be used to build a home for the Dynamo, however it now appears he is open to using other city monies.

"I'm not saying we won't provide any public funds," White said. "What I am saying is we won't use funds that could be used for providing for essential city services, such as solid waste and parks and libraries and things like that, public safety."

So what does this mean?

White said if public funds were used, they will not come out of the city's general fund or involve new taxes.

The mayor discussed a scenario that would involve property taxes collected by a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, a special district in which rising property tax revenues are funneled back into the zone for infrastructure improvements to attract further development.

Some of the TIRZ monies could be used to reimburse the city for the land purchase, or possibly for a small portion of the stadium itself, White said.

To sum up, it looks like the mayor is willing to spend some city money to get this deal down. Yet another example of how much Houston wants a stadium downtown.

But the always great Bernardo Fallas points out another sign this move seems to point towards, as it could mean the sale of the team to the 'De La Hoya/Brener people' is almost done.

Could it be that the next couple weeks will see the Dynamo get new owners and a stadium deal? They should be so lucky.

Onyewu loves US-Mexico derby, wants next match in DC

Oguchi Onyewu, who has been in much better form the last couple months, loves to play Mexico because it brings out so much.

“Obviously the rivalry is there and it’s a derby in terms of CONCACAF, so we get up for those games.”
...
"The emotions are gonna be high for those games just because of the rivalry which has been going on for quite some time.”

And as much as he enjoyed the 70,000 fans in Houston for this month's meeting, he hopes the next time the US takes the pitch, they do it 'in front of a true home crowd.'

“I hope we play (next) in D.C. We need to play in our nation’s capital. I don’t know the last time we played there; I think it was 2004.”

“We don’t have a national stadium but still, I think we should play in our nation’s capital every once in a while (as other national teams do)."

There is a lot of talk about DC hosting a US men's event with most of it colored by the ongoing DC United stadium situation, but Onyewu is right, the national team should play in the nation's capitol from time to time.

For the record, the last time the US team played a match in DC was 14 October 2004 when they smashed Panama 6-0 in a World Cup Qualifier. The crowd for the Thursday night match was 19,793.

So it seems the Gooch is pushing for RFK to host US Soccer's top-5 opponent tentatively scheduled for June 8th, but as he says, "It’s not me who decides where we play though; I’m just a soldier on the field."

US men to face top 5 team in June; World Cup Qualifying host city shortlist released

President of US Soccer Sunil Gulati announced that the US men will face a top 5 FIFA ranked team June 8th in the Northeast (edit note, the linked article says Northwest, but it is indeed the Northeast). Although he did not hint at the team, I think I have a good guess.

The current top 5 are Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Spain and Germany. Since all three European teams qualified for Euro 2008, which starts on 7 June, it is pretty safe to rule them out, which leaves the two South American powerhouses. The US men just played Brazil in the fall, and although I'm sure a lot of money was made out of it, I have a difficult time seeing the men in yellow back on US soil so soon. Which leaves me to guess the team for early June is Argentina.

As far as where? New York is the obvious choice provided they put down grass, but US Soccer loves Foxborough, which has no national games on the 2008 schedule. DC can also make a case, but US Soccer might be saving RFK for a qualifier. I would think Giants Stadium would land this one (combined with a Red Bulls game), but the Kraft family has a strong gravitational pull on the soccer federation.

Gulati also mentioned the possibility of adding another game in Europe ahead of their 4 June match against Spain (could this mean the training camp will be held in Europe?). After 2006, the federation promised harder tests for the men's team and it looks like they are delivering again on that promise.

The other bit of joy Gulati shared with us is the list of possible Wold Cup Qualifying sites for the semi-final round. RFK Stadium (DC), Pizza Hut Park (Dallas), Home Depot Center (LA), Dick's Sporting Goods Park (Denver), Qwest Field (Seattle), Toyota Park (Chicago) and Crew Stadium (Columbus) are the locations in the running for the three home games the US men will play if they advance to the semifinal round. Likely opposition is Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala and Cuba.

US Men's 2008 schedule:
19 Jan - US 2-0 Sweden
06 Feb - US 2-2 Mexico
26 Mar - US at Poland
04 Jun - US at Spain
08 Jun - vs. someone
15 Jun - vs. Barbados-Dominica winner at LA (8pm ET/5pm PT)
21/22 Jun - at Barbados-Dominica winner

If they beat Barbados-Dominica winner
20 Aug - Away
06 Sep - Away
10 Sep - Home
11 Oct - Home
15 Oct - Home
19 Nov - Away

Looks like a very busy year.

DC United get Argentine Franco Niell

It has been a little over a month since Juan Sebastian Veron turned DC United down, but the team ended up with an Argentine anyway as they have signed 5' 4", 145 pound forward Franco Niell (and people thought Adu was small).

But don't let his size throw you, the talent he has with his feet should be enough to cause some serious pain for defenders.

It also looks like this is the first of three South American signings coming in the near future as Colombian defender Gonzalo Martinez and Peruvian goalkeeper Jose Carvallo are scheduled to be in DC within the next week.

He is coming to MLS from Argentinos Juniors. During his time with the first-division club, he scored 10 goals in 60 caps.

I have a feeling Niell is going to bring some very fun ball movement to DC and the league.

October 2007 FIFA Rankings - Argentina takes the top spot

The October rankings are out and Argentina has returned to the top spot. They last held the #1 position in March of this year. Other movement has England again falling out of the top 10 after climbing to number 9 last month while Mexico took a bit of a slide to 15th. The US holds steady at 18, which is 11 spots hirer then they were last October. However the big news is Russia who pole-vaulted 10 spots to 16th overall.

Rank Team (Last month) Points
1. Argentina (2), 1,533
2. Brazil (3), 1,459
3. Italy (1), 1,387
4. France (6), 1,271
5. Germany (4), 1,245
6. Spain (7), 1,226
7. Netherlands (5), 1,207
8. Portugal (8), 1,203
9. Czech Republic (11), 1,174
10. Croatia (10), 1,155

11. England (9), 1,137
12. Romania (12), 1,086
13. Scotland (14), 1,049
14. Greece (15), 1,034
15. Mexico (13), 978
16. Russia (26), 960
17. Uruguay (19), 900
18. United States (18), 886
19. Nigeria (23), 841
20. Poland (16), 837
Both the Ukraine (22nd) and Sweden (24th) fell out of the top 20.

Over the whole list, Georgia had the biggest upswing by ticking up 33 spots to 71st, followed by New Zealand (+28 spots to 128th) and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (+24 to 73rd).

On the downside, Bolivia went backwards 17 steps to 107th, Belarus shed 24 spots ending up in 94th and the biggest loser of all is Cape Verde Islands who dropped 36 places to land at 112th.

Here is the way CONCACAF shapes up:
15 Mexico (13)
18 USA (18)
51 Canada (54)
55 Honduras (59)
64 Cuba (71)
65 Panama (66)
66 Costa Rica (56)
68 Haiti (83)
73 St. Vincent and the Grenadines (97)
78 Trinidad and Tobago (64)

92 Guyana (103)
93 Barbados (108)
100 Guatemala (88)
103 Jamaica (96)
134 Bermuda (135)
141 El Salvador (137)
144 Suriname (143)
145 Antigua and Barbuda (131)
148 Dominican Republic (139)
156 St. Kitts and Nevis (146)

161 Nicaragua (158)
163 St. Lucia (163)
165 Grenada (162)
170 Bahamas (168)
180 British Virgin Islands (179)
181 Turks and Caicos Islands (181)
183 Netherlands Antilles (182)
187 Dominica (186)
188 Cayman Islands (188)
195 Puerto Rico (195)

197 Anguilla (197)
200 Belize (200)
200 Aruba (200)
200 US Virgin Islands (200)
200 Montserrat (200)

Uruguay and Argentina want to host the World Cup

Back in 1930, Uruguay hosted the first ever World Cup and they want to do it again 100 years later. However, they realize that the current version of the finals is a bit too big for them to do it alone, so they have joined with neighbors Argentina for the right to host the 2030 World Cup.

AFA president Julio Grondona expressed his desire to help Uruguay host the event through a formally written letter that was sent to the AUF headquarters in Montevideo earlier on in the week.

“Working for this goal together will bring the relationship between both nations closer than ever. The sporting authorities, and both governments, must work together so that we can reach our objective by 2030,” he stated.

Grondona (76) feels that both nations have a lot of work to do, and they will only send in their proposal once they have a detailed outline of the whole project.

So these two have joined together to host an event that is still 23 years away.

But there might be a problem with this desire. FIFA is expected to soon pass a rule that will end the World Cup rotation after 2014 and that will open up future finals to all continents except for the last two that have hosted World Cups. Because of these changes (and other things coming out of FIFA), it is very much speculated that Europe will again play host in 2018. So here is the way future cups look:
2010 - South Africa
2014 - Brazil
2018 - Europe (most likely England)
2022 - Asia or North America
2026 - Asia or North America
2030 - ?

Knowing that Europe doesn't like going more then two finals without playing host, it would be hard to imagine them not pressing for the 2030 cup.

This is still along way from anything happening and who knows what shape the world will be in 20-years from now (or what rules FIFA will have changed), but the way things are looking from here, it might be a choice between celebrating the history of the game or letting Europe have another one.

2007 Copa America - Brazil reins supreme

Argentina looked to be the stronger team during the whole tournament, but in the end, Brazil came out on top. It was an evenly played first half but thanks to an amazing goal by Julio Baptista and some Brazilian luck in the form of an own goal by Roberto Ayala, the Samba Kings went to the break feeling very good.

Argentina came out hunting for a goal in the second but Brazil still dominated. Even when Alfio Basile came on for Argentina in the 58th, they could not push hard enough. The men in yellow soon nailed the coffin closed thanks to Daniel Alves finishing a wonderful counter attack.

This defeat must sting the Argentineans hard as they brought everything they had to this Copa while Brazil was lacking a number of stars and didn't seem overly interested at the start of the group stage.

With the win, Brazil earns their eighth Copa America title and has now won four of the last five tournaments. Argentina still dwarfs Brazil in the total number of Copa titles (14), however, they have not won it all since 1995.

As champions of South America, Brazil will join South Africa, Italy and the USA along with the winners of the 2007 Asian Cup, 2008 African Nations Cup, 2008 Euro and 2008 OFC Nations Cup at the Confederations Cup in 2009 in South Africa.

Congrats to Brazil and to Robinho who won the golden boot with 6 goals.

Here is the final placement of the 12 participating teams.
1. Brazil
2. Argentina
3. Mexico
4. Uruguay
5. Paraguay
6. Venezuela
7. Peru
8. Chile
9. Columbia
10. Bolivia
11. Ecuador
12. USA

2007 Copa America - Day 3 - USA 1-4 Argentina - Ouch

USA 1-4 Argentina

The US men have suffered their first loss since the World Cup and did it in a big way. The Nats looked all right during the first half but fell to pieces as the match went along. With very little support available off the bench, Argentina was able to just want the US out. This match reminded me a great deal of the friendly against Germany back in March of last year. In both games we went in with weak sides, played a decent first half and then fell apart just a bit after the hour mark.

Anyway, it was a bad night. Instead of doing a full player grade, I'll just point out the folks that I thought had at least an average or better night: Johnson, Mapp, Conrad. Others had some okay moments, but overall it really doesn't matter as it was a painful game to watch. That said, at least they didn't fall as bad as Colombia did against Paraguay. Then again, the US face Paraguay on Monday.

Goals:
US: Johnson (1) 9'
Argentina: Crespo (1) 12', (2) 65', Aimar (1) 79', Tevez (1) 86'

Paraguay 5-0 Colombia
This one became an official sack beating late in the match as Paraguay got three goals in the final ten minutes. The first half was a snore in this one but then Paraguay took charge in the second. Colombia had a couple of chances but nothing to cause worry. The score is about equal to the play on the pitch.
Goals:
Paraguay: Roque Santa Cruz (1) 30', (2) 46', (3) 80', Cabanas (1) 85', (2) 88'

Group A

Team	Pts	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD
Peru	3	1	1	0	0	3	0	+3
Venezula	1	1	0	0	1	2	2	0
Bolivia	1	1	0	0	1	2	2	0
Uruguay	0	1	0	1	0	0	3	-3

Group B

Team	Pts	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD
Mexico	3	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2
Chile	3	1	1	0	0	3	2	+1
Ecuador	0	1	0	1	0	2	3	-1
Brazil	0	1	0	1	0	0	2	-2

Group C

Team	Pts	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD
Paraguay	3	1	0	0	0	5	0	+5
Argentina	3	1	1	0	0	4	1	+3
USA	0	1	0	1	0	1	4	-3
Colombia	1	0	1	0	0	0	5	+5

Golden Boot
3 - Roque Santa Cruz - Paraguay
2 - Hernan Crespo - Argentina
2 - Salvador Cabanas - Paraguay
2 - Humberto Suazo - Chile
1 - Juan Carlos Arce - Bolivia
1 - Jaime Moreno - Bolivia
1 - Carlos Villanueva - Chile
1 - Cristian Benítez - Ecuador
1 - Luis Antonio Valencia - Ecuador
1 - Nery Castillo - Mexico
1 - Ramón Morales - Mexico
1 - José Paolo Guerrero - Peru
1 - Juan Carlos Mariño - Peru
1 - Miguel Villalta - Peru
1 - Giancarlo Maldonado - Venezuela
1 - Ricardo David Páez - Venezuela
1 - Pablo Aimar - Argentina
1 - Carlos Tevez - Argentina
1 - Eddie Johnson - USA

USA 1-1 Argentina - Half time

USA 1-1 Argentina
Halftime
Who knows what the second 45 will bring but the first half was not that bad for the US. Johnson has had some dangerous moments and they are winning some balls in the midfield. Keller had a bit of a slip on Argentina's goal but made up for it later on stopping a Veron blast.

That said, the US is suffering from lack of possession and Argentina is showing no signs of frustration. If they don't start connecting on more passes and maintaining some control, they are going to be exhausted around the 80th minute. With the bench a little light on top-notch players, it might prove to be the US's undoing.

USA - Argentina starting lineup

The lineups are out and here they are:

USA
G: Kasey Keller
D: Marvell Wynne, Jimmy Conrad, Jonathan Bornstein
M: Benny Feilhaber, Ben Olsen, Ricardo Clark, Justin Mapp
F: Eddie Johnson, Taylor Twellman
No real surprises here. Olsen and Clark are going to be busy. Twellman and Johnson could earn a lot of respect if they find a way through the Argentina back line.

Argentina
G: Abbondanzieri
D: Ayala, Heinze, Zanetti, Milito
M: Riquelme, Mascherano, Cambiasso, Veron
F: Crespo, Messi

The game kicks off at 8:45pm ET and will air on GolTv and TeleFutura (Spanish). You can also find a text play by play on US Soccer's match tracker.

2007 Copa America - How does the USA beat Argentina?

USA - Argentina
8:45pm ET/5:45pm PT
TV: GolTV, Telefutura (Spanish)

The US will finally return to South America's big show tonight as they open up against the Copa favorites Argentina. If you pay attention to soccer you know the basic overview of this match. Argentina has their A+ side and is hungry to lift the trophy after 14 years without while the US decided to bring their 'less then best' squad. To say this one has all the makings of massacre is almost under rating the expected outcome.

But what fun is there in going with the tide when you can pull for the under dog. Yes, you will lose just about every time but then again if you win, then the heavens are with you. With that in mind, I took some time to think up ways that the US could win this match without an outbreak of food poisoning in the Argentine camp.

America has two chances in this game (and no, they are not slim and none). The first is the Argentina looks past the US and plays lazy, however with their best on the pitch and with Brazil's defeat at the hands of Mexico still on the front page, this one will be difficult to pull off. The other chance, Argentina does not know most of the opposition, thus they might not anticipate what the Nats will do. How this one goes is that the youngsters of the US are so inexperienced that they will react very different then expected in situations and Argentina will not know how to play them.

The common denominator in both of these situations is Argentina beating themselves because I really don't see a way the US will be able to do it alone (unless Keller turns into an absolute mad man in goal). Argentina's midfield is going to be packed with quality and will provide Feihaber and Clark with competition like they have never seen before. If the US isn't winning a good share of 50-50 balls in the middle, they have no chance.

Still the worst thing the red, white and blue could do is sit back and wait for it. Instead, they need to press forward as much as they can and get bodies in the box. They will probably only have a handful of chances in this match so they need to make them count (just ask Mexico).

If there is one good piece of news for the US it is that they really shouldn't feel that much pressure as expectations are so low. Hopefully this will help Johnson, Twellman or whomever is up top relax and actually show something, while Mapp would feel free to open it up down the side. Also, this is a great game in which to get noticed. If you can prove yourself in this situation not only will you get more national caps but also you might catch the eye of a European suitor.

In the end it would be the greatest of upsets if the Blue and White did not walk out with three points.

Predicted lineup:
GK: Keller
D: Wynne, Conrad, DeMerit, Pearce
M: Olsen, Feihaber, Clark, Mapp
F: Twellman, Johnson

Predictions: Me US 0-2 Argentina, Wife US 0-4 Argentina