UF Quick Throw: South Africa Stadium Strike Over

What the subject line says. After a work stoppage last Wednesday, stadium workers in South Africa ended their strike after accepting a 12% raise (they were demanding 13%).

The agreement was supposed to have been signed a few hours ago but is still awaiting ink as employers work out the final wording. So if you're clinging to the last vestiges of hope that the World Cup will be pulled from South Africa and relocated to the US, there's that little sliver for you.

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Confederations Cup Liveblog: Spain v. South Africa

3rd place match? Are you sure?

Good morning kids! Today on UF will be all-NYK, all the time as I will be liveblogging both matches today to anchor our 100% Confederations Cup liveblog guarantee. This first match presents a study in contrasts as Spain surely thought they would be in the final, while South Africa can hold their heads high for having made it to the 3rd place match.



This match is being held at Rustenburg-Royal Bafokeng Stadium and features an Austrian officiating crew.

Spain will run out a 4-1-2-1-2 featuring:
GK: Casillas
DEF: Capdevila; Pique; Albiol; Arbeloa
MID: Riera; Xabi Alonso; Cazorla; Sergio
ST: Torres; Villa

So del Bosque has sat Puyol, Xavi and Sergio Ramos - not a surprise considering their recent performances, particularly the latter. However, in order to avoid being further embarrassed he is still relying on his strike tandem of Torres and Villa to produce some powerful offense.


South Africa will use a 4-4-2 featuring:
GK: Khune
DEF: Gaxa; Booth; Mokoena; Masilela
MID: Pienaar; Dikgacoi; Sibaya; Modise
ST: Parker; Tshabalala

Joel Santana has replaced Mhlongo with Tshabalala but has otherwise kept his squad intact, which is a good strategy considering their last effort against Brazil. The midfield has truly been impressive for the Bafana Bafana, with Modise the clear star (for my money).


-03:00 - The lead-in to the Confed Cup on ESPN2 is NASCAR Now. Just in case you were wondering Jeff Burton is not happy with his recent performances.

-02:00 - I have a strange feeling that this liveblog will consist mostly of me talking to myself. For some reason, a 3rd-place match at 9AM between these 2 squads does not seem to enthuse a lot of people. But, a promise is a promise, and we guaranteed you fine people 100% livebloggery of the Confederations Cup!

-00:30 - Also, AJ Burnett and the Yankees can suck it. The Mets will probably lose again today because baby Jesus hates me, but at least we managed a hit last night to prevent the no-no.

-00:00 - Vuvuzelas!

00:00 - And we're off!

00:30 - And bonjour to joe!

01:45 - A little bit of ping-pong in the early going, with every ball to the S. Africa defense resulting in chants of "BOOOOOOOOOOOTH"

03:45 - Pique attempts a long ball over the top as the midfield has been bogged up, but the ball is too far. However, Spain regain the ball after a poor throw and Villa gets off a great shot that forces a great save from Khune. The resulting corner is tipped out by Khune, and eventually cleared.

05:30 - Spain are looking more comfortable now moving the ball, as there is some good interplay between Arbeloa and Villa. A throw-in goes all the way back to midfield, and Spain look to rebuild.

06:30 - Xabi Alonso plays Villa over the top, and he beats Masilela to the ball. The shot is from a difficult angle and he puts it well over the bar.

07:30 - Masilela dispossesses Cazorla, and Pienaar winds up drawing the foul. The free-kick comes into Booth at the back post, who sends it back to Pienaar. The shot is deflected for a corner. The ball comes into Booth, who attempts a backheel, but the eventual shot from Tshabalala is well over the bar.

10:15 - A cross from Riera goes across the goalmouth but is too high for anyone to get a head onto.

11:45 - Some excellent passing from South Africa is wasted as Masilela puts his final pass directly to the feet of Albiol. A bit of alternating possession, and each side has had some decent opportunities so far.

13:00 - Modise is fouled (and goes down a bit easily) by Pique about 35 yards out (oooh, close - ESPN says 38m). The kick again finds an unguarded Booth, and his header is wide. He really should have done better there.

14:45 - Arbeloa finds Cazorla, who in turn leaves it for Villa. But Booth is there to clean up the mess. The resulting throw-in finds its way to Cazorla, who feeds Riera. The pass into the box comes off Villa's foot as his touch let him down.

16:00 - Khune takes the goal-kick while adjusting his gloves. Wardrobe malfunction?

16:45 - A South Africa break is lost as Parker's touch lets him down and he commits a foul in an attempt to recover.

18:15 - Spain surge forward but yet again commit a sloppy turnover. Pique is forced to send the ball out for a throw-in to stop the South Africa counter. In the interim the referee has a little talk with Sibaya and Torres. Bad Nando!

19:00 - A poor cross is sent out by Arbeloa, as no one told him that he had time to play the ball cleanly. The resulting corner is cleared easily, and Cazorla plays Villa on the break. Looking like he would score, he is tackled by Masilela at the last possible second.

21:00 - Some wonderful interplay between Torres and Arbeloa results in El Nino in the box, but Sibaya is enough of a nuisance to result in a weak shot that is gobbled up by Khune.

24:00 - More frustration for Nando, as he dribbles 2 midfielders only to be stopped by Pienaar.

25:00 - Parker surges forward, and with Tshabalala wide open Parker instead scuffs his shot.

27:00 - A wonderful ball by Pienaar is misread by Tshabalala, who did not continue his run. South Africa are getting chances by building through the middle, but their touch is letting them down in the final 3rd of the pitch.

29:15 - Casillas is forced to come out almost to the touchline as a ball over the top looked to have played Parker in alone. Rather than a big boot, Casillas touches the ball around Parker and then launches it. Nervy stuff.

30:00 - A cross from Masilela drifts into Casillas and becomes an easy shot for the GK to handle.

31:15 - Parker does some excellent work to get past Capdevila, but Pique is there to stop him. Unfortunately for Spain, Pique plays with the ball too much and it goes out for a corner. The ball comes into Pienaar, who rifles a shot that is spilled by Casillas. The follow-up from Booth is wide left. A 2nd opportunity for the big man that he should have done better with.

33:15 - A long ball over the top is cleared by Booth. Not sure why Spain keep trying that, as they clearly have no one who can compete with the big man.

35:00 - Some brief action results in a shot from Tshabalala, but it comes off his right (weak) foot and is handled easily by Casillas.

35:45 - Spain responds with a ball into Riera, who has Gaxa beaten. The shot/cross goes past Khune, but also past the far post and out for a goal-kick.

38:00 - First card of the match, as Sergio receives a YC for bundling over Masilela after the pass had already left his foot. The free-kick from Modise finds Parker, whose header is easily grabbed by Casillas.

39:30 - Some interplay between Xabi Alonso, Arbeloa and Torres results in a deep throw-in, during which Sergio is fouled by Masilela. The free-kick from Cazorla is headed wide by Sergio.

45:00 - A deep throw for South Africa punctuates several minutes of frustration for both sides, as there has been a lull in attacking opportunities.

45:00 + 01:00 - Sergio goes down as his ankle gets raked late, but he pops back up rather than rolling around.


HALF-TIME - Spain 0-0 South Africa. Early opportunities for both squads, but by the 35th minute the match had settled into a routine of attacking play only in the middle 3rd of the pitch. Spain may need to switch defensive tactics on free-kicks, as Booth has been unguarded on several attempts and has come close to scoring twice. South Africa, on the other hand, need to pay more attention defensively on the wings, as Spain has had numerous chances built up from the wings.


45:00 - And here we go again!

45:45 - Torres is fouled by Mokoena (almost the 1st time today we've heard from him) at the top of the box. The free-kick from Xabi Alonso hits Pienaar, who receives a YC for infringement. The re-kick from Xabi Alonso is passed to Villa whose shot is pushed out by Khune. It lands at the feet of Sergio, who scores, but is adjudged to have been offside.

49:00 - Sibaya does an excellent job of dispossessing Riera and then maintaining his calm in the face of pressure from 2 midfielders, putting it out off Cazorla for a throw.

50:30 - Torres receives a pass from Pique, turns, takes 2 dribbles and fires a shot. Khune has to get low to make the save, but in the end it was relatively easy.

51:30 - Good work down the left side from Tshabalala results in a throw for South Africa. The ball comes into the box and Sergio is able to clear.

53:45 - A run from Gaxa down the right results in a throw, as South Africa have had a spell of possession. Sibaya is fouled by Villa as he attempts to move past Capdevila. The resulting free-kick from Modise is punched out by Casillas, but the offside flag had already gone up.

56:30 - Substitutions for Spain: Villa off, Silva on. Torres off, Guiza on.

58:30 - Tshabalala fouls Silva, and the resulting free-kick is played around for a bit before a ball over the top barely misses Silva.

60:00 Sibaya is taken down from behind by Silva, and the resulting ball finds Pienaar offsides.

61:30 - Riera makes an excellent push after a chested ball by Guiza, and gets off a good shot on goal. Khune does equally well, not only stopping but holding onto the shot.

62:15 - A cross from Pique finds Guiza unmarked at the back post, but the ball is slightly high and he is unable to control it. More open play from both teams now, as the final 1/2 hour seems to be bringing some urgency. Cazorla gets off a powerful shot, but it is straight at Khune, who punches it over the bar.

63:30 - Substitution for South Africa: Pienaar off, Mphela on. The Spain corner is easily cleared by the defense.

65:00 - Given the score, a good question about the result, if it stands like this. Since the Confed Cup is a FIFA "major" event and factors into FIFA rankings, which in turn affect seeding for WC 2010, I am assuming that a victor has to be determined in the 3rd-place match, meaning that if we are still tied at the end of full-time we will have some extra footy.

66:30 - Modise is beaten like a rented mule as he receives a scissor-kick to the midsection.

68:30 - A ball from Silva finds Guiza, who is once again adjudged to have been offside in a very close call.

69:00 - Substitution for South Africa: Modise off, van Heerden on. Apparently, the latter has been playing for Bruges (cue Colin Farrell jokes).

70:00 - A ball over the top finds Guiza ~19 yards offside. This seems to be a pattern with him. South Africa return the favor.

71:00 - A shot from Guiza from the top of the box runs through several defenders and goes well wide for a goal-kick. That ball comes out to midfield, eventually resulting in an offside call against Mphela.

72:00 - GOAL! Spain 0-1 South Africa. Good work from Parker finds Mphela with the ball deep in the box, but he slips as he turns for the shot. The ball comes out, but only as far as van Heerden, who plays it into Tshabalala. The latter finds Mphela alone in the box, who controls with his knee and blasts it past an unlucky Casillas.

75:00 - The Bafana Bafana fans are in full throat with some raucous vuvuzelaing (possibly not a word) thanks to Mphela's heroics. Del Bosque does not seem pleased.

76:00 - The referee has to give Pique and Mphela a talking-to, but I'm sure the South Africans welcome the time it takes.

77:10 - Apparently, the talking-to was more than that, as Pique and Mphela have both picked up a YC for an unknown reason. Also, goals apparently bring out lurking commenters/UF authors. Where were you all before? I was lonely!

78:45 - Spain are on the back foot as South Africa continue to surge forward. Gaxa sends a cross which Pique was content to let bounce, but Tshabalala gets a foot on it and Casillas has to clean up the mess.

80:00 - Yet another long ball into the box, but Guize is beaten to the ball by Khune.

81:30 - A cross from Capdevila into the box is cleared by Masilela, but Spain are clearly pushing hard now. Mokoena takes charge, and South Africa begin to build, but they too play the ball too long.

82:30 - The latest cross to be cleared is from Arbeloa, and Masilela makes an excellent run that forces a foul (and YC) from Albiol.

83:30 - Substitution for South Africa: Tshabalala off, Mhlongo on.

84:30 - South Africa are content to hoof the ball forward, but Spain are not responding by building through the midfield so there is no resulting counter-attack. A driven ball by Arbeloa barely misses Guiza at the far post, and goes out for a goal-kick.

87:00 - GOAL! Spain 1-1 South Africa. A ball in from Cazorla finds Guiza deep in the box. He controls well, turns, and blasts it low past Khune.

88:00 - GOAL! Spain 2-1 South Africa. Guize completes a brace with a weak floated ball that finds the back of the goal. It looked like a cross to me, but Spain get lucky as the ball hits the post and barrels into the net.

90:00 + 00:30 - 3 minutes of extra time, but South Africa look beaten. Mphela doesn't keep his head down, however, but his cross into the middle is cleared.

90:00 + 01:30 - GOAL! Spain 2-2 South Africa. Riera jumps onto van Heerden's back for a free-kick, but the former takes an extra few seconds to get up off the pitch. The free-kick from Mphela is blasted into the upper 90 past a stunned Casillas. Absolutely no rotation on that ball, just an incredible shot.


90:00 + 03:30 - EXTRA TIME!


+00:00 - The first 15 minutes of extra time kicks off, and we have no idea what will happen next. Perhaps Guiza and Mphela will both complete their hat-trick?

+01:00 - Riera races down the left and finds Llorente (who apparently was subbed on for Sergio) in the middle. The latter turns directly into the defense, and the ball is cleared. On the clearance Sibaya goes down in a heap and leaves the pitch, re-entering 30 seconds later.

+03:30 - Mphela is through but his shot is stopped by Casillas. No matter, as he was offside.

+05:00 - A cross from Capdevila turns into a shot, hitting off the crossbar at the far post as Khune flails helplessly.

+06:00 - Xabi Alonso fouls Gaxa at the very edge of the box. The resulting free-kick from van Heerden is cleared by Riera.

+07:00 - Mphela is played over the top, and this time he is onside. 1-on-1 with Casillas, the GK comes up big, making the save with his feet.

+09:30 - An excellent tackle on Arbeloa results in a corner for Spain, which is played short. Silva's effort at a cross is headed out by Llorente.

+11:30 - South Africa surge and Mphela finds Mhlongo, who lays off for Parker. The shot is well-taken, and forces Casillas to tip it out for a corner. The resulting ball from van Heerden comes to the back post deep for a diving header for Mhlongo, which goes over the bar.

+13:00 - A cross from Riera finds Silva in the air, but his header is extremely poor and goes well wide.

+14:00 - A cross from Arbeloa finds Riera at the back post, and his header comes off Mhlongo's arm and goes out. Looked to be a PK as his hand was well away from his body, but the referee doesn't make the call.


+15:00 + 01:00 - HALF-TIME OF EXTRA TIME!


+15:00 - And we're off again. 15 minutes until PKs.

+15:30 - GOAL! Spain 3-2 South Africa. Booth fouls Llorente out wide near the top of the box. The free-kick from Xabi Alonso comes in past everyone and catches Khune off-guard, as Llorente and Booth both make a play on the ball and provide just enough of a screen.

+17:30 - YC to Masilela for a foul on Arbeloa as he gave him a bit of an elbow in the chops.

+18:30 - Mphela gets a talking-to from the referee for a foul on Xabi Alonso. The free-kick from midfield is played to Guiza, and eventually Llorente is fouled by Mokoena 35 yards away. The resulting free-kick from Xabi Alonso is played into the box and cleared by Booth.

+22:00 - Cazorla receives the ball alone at the top of the box, but he elects to take a final dribble to get the ball onto his left foot. His shot is sent well wide.

+22:30 - Parker goes down at the top of the box after contact from Albiol, but it was definitely a dive.

+24:00 - Spain are dominating the possession now, and they are contact to move the ball around without pressure. Llorente receives a YC for an unknown offense.

+26:30 - South Africa gain possession through a foul, but they are looked very unsettled. A long ball forward from Booth is easily cleared by the Spanish defense.

+28:30 - South Africa make a final push, but the ball is turned out for a throw-in to Spain. The Bafana Bafana look tired, and are unable to get any consistent pressure out of the midfield.


MATCH OVER! Spain 3-2 South Africa.


Definitely an exciting finish to the match, and an unfortunate result for South Africa. They played extremely well but just didn't have enough gas. Thanks for joining me, and come back later for the USA v. Brazil liveblog!

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Confederations Cup Liveblog: Brazil-South Africa

Welcome to the UF liveblog of the second Confederations Cup semifinal. I have two predictions. One: We will not surpass yesterday's comment total. Two: I will write shorter updates than LB does. Beyond that, this tournament has taught me not to make any grandiose predictions on the game itself, because I will be wrong.

I'm sure many of you are like me, still floating on a high after yesterday's US win over Spain. We have 72 more hours to enjoy it until the final kicks off. The presumption is that the Americans will face Brazil in the final, of course, but the game must be played first. And this is why we are here.

Sit back, enjoy, and complain about the vuvuzelas. It's the natural order of things.

Brazil: Julio Cesar; Maicon, Lucio, Luisao, Andre Santos; Felipe Melo, Gilberto Silva, Ramires, Kaka; Luis Fabiano, Robinho.

South Africa: Khune; Gaxa, Masilela, Mokoena, Booth; Mhlongo, Dikgacoi, Pienaar, Modise, Tshabalala; Parker.

Alright, one prediction. Brazil in a cakewalk. There is four goals worth of difference between these teams. Let's see it.
----------------------------------------------
-7.00 Ref is Busacca from Switzerland, if you care.

-6.00 Booth is tall, isn't he? Robinho smiling like he's riding the bus or getting a discount at a store.

-4.00 Is it bad that I was laughing yesterday when Iker Casillas, representing Spain, read the anti-racism thingy?

-2.00 I haven't heard a temperature update, but I'm presuming cold since Julio Cesar had two neck warmers on. Brazil's anthem short and sweet. South Africa's presumably newer.

The crowd stops blowing those damned horns long enough to give a rousing rendition of their anthem. (Unless the voices are piped in)

0.00 Kickoff. Seems to be a couple of minutes behind, unless ESPN is delaying the feed.

2.00 The first big BOOOOTH of the night. Pitch is the same as US-Egypt, and is in horrible shape.

4.00 Kaka fouls the crap out of Pienaar. Feels bad about it.

6.00 Brazil maintaining most of the early possession, but can't break through in the last twenty so far.

7.00 Dunga also cold. Looks stylish in his "High School Senior All Dressed Up" look .

9.00 Andre Santos gives the ball away and gifts SA a counter, but it comes to nothing. Andre Santos eventually the one to win the ball back. See that Deuce?

10.00 Julio Cesar doing jumping jacks to stay warm. Might be most of his action tonight.

12.00 First real shot of the game saved by Khume going to his left. Ramires with the shit from just inside the box. Maicon with the running on the right to set it up.

13.00 Quickly to the other end, Cesar has to make a dive after Andre Santos loses his man. The shot whistled wide.

15.00 A couple of times tonight, SA have had difficulty clearing the ball from their own box, instead seeing it pinball off of other players. Will such a mistake catch them out?

17.00 Brazil have a promising three on two shut down because of poor passing. Not much of an edge so far from the South American giants.

19.00 Robinho falls down after beating his man. Make no mistake, SA are packed in and it will take a special effort to beat them tonight.

21.00 Mokoena comes so very close. Lucio let him go on a free kick and Mokoena headed over from maybe three yards. Tough that. They need to make sure of the few chances they get.

23.00 SA have started to attack more, but that leaves them more open for a counter. One almost worked for Brazil there. Undeterred, SA press forward again, but it comes to nothing.

24.00 Robinho sure does love his step overs, doesn't he?

26.00 Pienaar kills a SA attack with a Landycakes type pass to no one.

28.00 SA free kick upcoming from about the same area that Mokoena headed over from earlier. Three players on top of it. Tshabalala takes it and forces a save from Cesar. Corner kick. Gets headed out by SA.

31.00 SA with the better of play. Yellow Card on Felipe Melo for flipping Gaxa. SA advantage played until Modise shoots wide. On the other end, Ramires' heavy touch in the box means he loses out on a nice look at goal.

32.00 Robinho called for offside. Correct call by a yard. Khune still saved the sit.

34.00 Andre Santos with a shot from 20. Saved well by Khune. Fabiano looked to have handled in the build up. Question: Where the F is Kaka? He's invisible.

35.00 Game getting chippy with some hard fouls. Ramires the latest to dish one out.

37.00 Brazil are getting their counters, but then holding the ball up and allowing SA to gain numbers and position. Strange.

Kaka sighting. Shot from 22 after moving in from the right misses the top corner by a yard or so.

39.00 Robinho wins a corner under the challenge of Mokoena and Booth. Poorly taken by Maicon.

40.00 Tshabalala is the most fun name to say in the tournament. Derek Rae certainly thinks so.

41.00 What is Method Man doing in the crowd?

42.00 Another Brazil counter. Kaka takes it nearly the whole way and tries to squeak it in near post on Khune. Khune gets down just in time to palm the ball on the ground.

43.00 Pienaar with a shot from 25 just gets saved by Cesar. No corner though.

45.00 Yellow card for Masilela. Took out the ankle of Andre Santos dead center on front of the goal, 25 yards out. Free kick upcoming. Who fancies it?

Brazil try tricky, but Pienaar runs it down.

Tweet tweet TWEEEET

As odd as it sounds to say, this game is rather even. Brazil seemed to get pissy at about the twenty minute mark and allowed SA into the game. South Africa obliged and got themselves some good chances. Both teams have gone close and could have scored.

The halftime talk for Brazil should be about how to get their heads back into the game and not to slow down on counter attacks. South Africa must look for more of the same effort, especially defensively.

See you in 15.

45.01 Second half begins. To be fair to Kaka from earlier, he was invisible because he wasn't being looked for. Hopefully, Brazil can rectify that in this half. I do not want extra time.

46.00 Early corner for Brazil goes to nowt.

47.00 Oh yeah, Gilberto Silva is out there too. Midfield for Brazil not used too much in the first half. Robinho shoots well over from 25+.

49.00 Kaka has the best straight arm in the business. Corner kick Brazil.
Nothing doing.

51.00 BZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

52.00 Kaka heads over off of a ball from Maicon. Wasn't convining attaking the ball.

54.00 SA working the left side and finally find Parker in with a look. Looked like his shot was deflected, but in the end was just that bad.

56.00 Maicon and Ramires work a two man game on the right. Cross in gets to Fabiano but his challenged header goes nowhere near the goal.

58.00 Modise's shot from outside the box takes a deflection off Luisao. Cesar initially went the other way and had to scramble to push the ball around the post. It was going in otherwise.

59.00 SA have taken over the game once again.

60.00 SA outshooting Brazil 11-9 at this point. Also, we hear singing instead of vuvuzelas. Nice.

61.00 Andre Santos gets a Yellow Card after taking Modise out at midfield.

62.00 Luis Fabiano gets a shot off. Was never going to beat Khune.

63.00 Robinho tries a half bike off of a giveaway. Goes wide of the post. Question-Is Jo'burg at altitude? Is that affecting Brazil? (Answers-yes;maybe)

67.00 More SA attacking. Brazil are looking to have everything covered, though.

69.00 The problem seems to be that neither team is looking to make that break-the-defense-open pass. Both teams are willing to shoot from distance at this point. It's not working.

71.00 Mhlongo gets called for a touch foul on Kaka. Sometihng indirect, so I don't know. Free kick goes for *gasp* nothing. Where are the subs?

74.00 Luisao seemed to play the man more than the ball on a cross from Tshabalala to Parker. No call though.

75.00 Brazil starting to wonder if they can play Italy again, because this sucks.

77.00 Extra time starting to look like a real possibility. Why don't Brazil sub?

78.00 Brazil have a couple of half chances, but SA defense are in the way of everything.

80.00 SA starting to look tired as well. Great.

81.00 More SA shots from 30+.

81.00 If this thing goes all the way to PKs, I want a raise. Dani Ales about to come on.

82.00 Corner kick Brazil. SUB: Alves on for Andre Santos. RB for LB. Corner kick clears everyone.

84.00 Lucio fouls Pienaar 35 yards out. Let's watch this shot miss.
Nope. Hits the onrushing wall.

86.00 Agreed gramesy.

86.00 Free kick in close for Brazil. On the left side, right outside the box. Come on, anything. It will be Alves.

GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL And I just cheered that there will be no extra time. Alves hits it hard to the far post and Khune was nowhere close. Slid just inside the post.

88.00 Alves Yellow Card for over celebration.

90.00 SA prepare their first sub. It's a double sub.
Fabiano blows a one on one.

Only one minute added. It's half over already.

Triple Sub: two for SA, one for Brazil. None of them will get a kick.

I was wrong, Kleberson gets a touch. Two minutes in to the one minute added on.

More subs. Last shot for SA.

FULL TIME
After a false whistle, the final whistle finally goes. Tough luck for South Africa who outplayed Brazil for long stretches of the match. There is something to be said, though, for not settling on a 30 yard shot. Brazil's winning goal come on a free kick after Brazil attacked the defense.

That's all there is to it. We'll see you on Sunday for the third place and final matches.

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Confederations Cup Liveblog: Spain v. South Africa

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Vuvuzela.

The Group A standings are as follows: (1) Spain - 6pts, +6 GD; (2) South Africa - 4pts, +2GD; (3) Iraq - 1pt, -1 GD; (4) New Zealand - 0pts, -7 GD. If Spain beats S. Africa 1-0 and Iraq beat New Zealand 2-0, then South Africa and Iraq will be tied on pts, GD, and goals scored. This means that there will be a random draw to determine the 2nd team to move into the seminfinals from Group A. That would suck for everyone involved, so let's hope for a different outcome.


Spain will run out a 4-4-2 featuring:
GK - Reina
DEF - Albiol, Pique, Puyol, Arbeloa
MID - Riera, Sergio, Fabregas, Xavi
ST - Villa, Torres

Eh, that's not bad, I suppose.


Bafana Bafana counter with a 4-5-1 featuring:
GK - Khune
DEF - Gaxa, Masilela, Mokoena, Booth
MID - Mhlongo, Sibaya, Pienaar, Modise, Dikgacoi
ST - Parker



There are rumours that the Iraq v. New Zealand match is possibly on Telefutura. It may also be available on ESPN360. If it is available and one of my comrades is able to get to it, we may have dueling liveblogs. Feel free to jump back and forth between the 2 if that happens.


NOTE: If this liveblog ends mid-match, you should be aware that I have most likely been killed by the largest fly that I have ever seen.

In your WC 2010 qualifying news, there were several CAF matches. Those scores:

Algeria 2-0 Zambia (Final)
Kenya 2-1 Mozambique (Final)
Morocco 0-0 Togo (Final)
Sudan 0-2 Ghana (Final)
Burkina Faso 3-2 Ivory Coast (Final)
Tunisia 0-0 Nigeria (Final)


In your pre-game festivities, Magnus Samuelsson defeated Richard Skog 13 reps to 11 in the log lift on World's Strongest Man.

OK, kids - since there is no CWS game necessary, the Spain v. South Africa (my match) is on ESPN, while Iraq v. New Zealand is on ESPN2. Enjoy accordingly.


00:00 - And we're off!

01:30 - Spain using the width of the field, as a pass from Puyol to Xavi is cleared by Booth.

03:00 - Free-kick for Spain taken by Riera elicits a nice save from Khune.

05:00 - Spain is absolutely dancing around the Bafana Bafana, and we see a YC for Sibaya for a late challenge on Cesc. Seriously, the last thing he needs is another hard tackle.

05:40 - Xavi takes the free-kick and it is headed over by Villa.

06:30 - A quick counter from Parker takes too long to get across the field to Modise, and Spain clear.

07:35 - Free-kick for S. Africa on a push by Arbeloa. Modise drives it in and it is flicked on, but the defense clear after Booth has a semi-chance. On the counter, Cesc attempts to slip a pass to Xavi but comes up short.

08:40 - Masilela attempts to dribble the entire Spanish defense but he is eventually dispossessed.

09:50 - A soft pass drifts back easily to Khune, who clears it to midfield. Spain make another run on the right through Puyol but his cross goes over the endline.

11:00 - Riera does some excellent work coupled with Villa in the middle, and he is fouled at the top of the box. The free-kick hits off the wall and is gathered by Khune.

12:45 - Parker is down after a challenge from Pique. He pops up and limps around for a bit while play resumes.

14:00 - Another free-kick for Spain, as Modise commits the foul. The ball is played quickly but is cleared.

15:20 - Puyol plays Fabregas into the box. Booth clears it out, but only as far as Puyol, who sends it on to Torres, whose shot is deflected.

16:20 - A cross from Arbeloa is too close to Khune, who comes out and takes it easily.

17:00 - Foul on Modise by Fabregas for a free-kick at the top of the box. The kick, taken by Modise floats over the bar harmlessly.

19:50 - Some nice interplay between Torres and Fabregas, but Torres doesn't continue his run, allowing the ball to run out over the endline.

20:40 - Gaxa to Pienaar, who sends the ball a little too far down the line for Sibaya, resulting in a deep throw-in for Spain.

21:50 - Xavi with a long ball to Torres, who brings the ball down on his chest (arm?). The shot appeared to be going wide, but Khune gather it up anyway.


ED NOTE: I refuse to make a "Biko" joke in response to Georger's query.


24:00 - The first offside of the match comes on Parker, and after the action Albiol manages to get himself a YC - it appears to have been for grabbing Parker's jersey, which is a fairly soft booking.

25:00 - A dangerous cross is cleared by Mokoena, resulting in a throw for Spain. The ball is played back out wide for Puyol, who finds Fabregas. The ball moves easily, but Sergio loses control and then commits a foul.

27:00 - Sibaya is caught in the corner with the ball against 2 defenders, but manages to earn a corner. The ball is played short and results in a throw after a deflection. Gaxa puts the ball into play and a horrible clearance from Sergio comes directly to Modise. In the chaos, Pienaar is fouled by Sergio (settle down, man!). The free-kick is taken by Modise but goes directly into the wall.

29:40 - Sergio goes down as Gaxa gets up to head the ball over him, but miraculously gets up to defend the throw. Albiol heads it out for a corner, which is taken by Pienaar. Spain look to have cleared, but the ball winds up with Pienaar. A pass to Dikgacoi results in a cross/shot that goes wide.

32:20 - Pienaar goes down in a heap after Pique gives him a boot in the thigh. I can't tell what happens next, because ESPN drops the damn feed yet again. We get switched to Iraq v. New Zealand for 2 seconds, and then back to our match. Congrats, ESPN! Your streak of losing the feed during EVERY match is intact.

34:30 - Best chance of the match as Fabregas streaks through and finds Torres. The attempted chip is turned away by Khune and Booth cleans up the mess.

36:20 - Spain dominating the match, but the Bafana squared are acquitting themselves well here. Good defending has resulted in only 2-3 legitimate chances for Spain.

37:45 - A nice run from Pienaar is wasted as his pass to Parker is shot well over the bar.

38:30 - A quick counter finds Villa at the top of the box, but the ball is just inches beyond his foot and rolls over the endline.

39:10 - And S. Africa should be up 1-0, as Pienaar finds Modise on the left side of the box. His curled chip shot barely goes wide of the post as Reina looked on.

41:00 - Fabregas finds Torres, who dribbles past Masilela and Booth. His pass finds Villa, but the shot is well off-target.

42:00 - Some nice passing from S. Africa goes the width of the pitch across the midfield and ends with a scuffed shot by Parker. Fabregas begins the counter with a pass to Riera. The ball comes back to Fabregas, whose chip is almost headed into an OG but Khune is there to collect.

43:30 - Xavi with a shot/cross that goes wide.

44:50 - Fabregas dances with the ball and eventually finds Puyol. The return pass is cleverly back-heeled...over the endline.

45:00 + 02:00 - Some sloppy play by both sides ends the half, and we are tied 0-0.



HALF-TIME NOTES: As I mentioned, S. Africa are doing well defensively, outside of some minor lapses near the end of the half. Xavi has been a non-factor for Spain, and he needs to regain his midfield dominance if they are to make something happen.

On the Group B front, the studio analysts tell us that the USMNT needs to exhibit some heart in their next match against Egypt. No shit, Sherlock.



45:01 - And we're off again!

45:30 - Well, JP, if I'm Spain I'm wondering: (1) how can I be a whole country; and (2) why the fuck am I on a couch in Michigan?

46:20 - Sergio goes down holding his knee after having been grazed. The resulting free-kick from Xavi barely misses wide, although Khune appeared to have it covered.

48:20 - A long ball from Pique is out of reach for Torres, but El Nino gives him the thumbs up anyway. It's a self-esteem building exercise.

49:50 - Fabregas running into the box, and he is taken down! Mokoena gets in a late challenge after Cesc was past him for an easy decision. Villa is STOPPED on the PK! Khune guesses right and makes the save, and then saves the rebound from Puyol as well. Outstanding work!

51:20 - GOAL! Spain 1-0 South Africa Villa atones for his miss by chesting down the ball from Riera and slotting it at the far post.

52:30 - A YC to Modise for a late tackle, as the Bafana Bafana may be coming undone.

53:20 - Dikgacoi and Puyol get into it, followed by a hip challenge from the former on Albiol, which earns him a YC.

55:50 - Yet another YC, this time to Pique for a very late challenge on Gaxa, as things are getting a bit heated.

57:00 - Good work through the middle, played out wide to Gaxa. His cross fails to find Modise or Parker, but earns a corner. The short corner results in nothing, as Puyol heads it out. The counter finds Villa offsides.

58:20 - Pique struggles to control a ball down the side and S. Africa earns a throw. However, Pienaar commits a foul after the ball is played in.

60:00 - Hernandez on, Villa off for Spain. Llorente on, Torres off for Spain. This is clearly a decision based on preserving Villa and Torres, health-wise.

61:00 - A ball to Hernandez from Fabregas results in a corner. Xavi puts it into the box, and it comes back out to Pique. Pienaar dispossesses but loses the ball again. S. Africa unable to clear until Modise tracks back and takes charge of the situation.

62:40 - A long ball from Pique is too far for everyone and winds up in the hands of Khune.

63:40 - A short kick from Reina comes back in through Modise, but Sergio takes control and sends it up to Hernandez. The ball comes back out to Xavi, but the next touch is too far and goes over the touchline.

66:10 - Booth down the wing finds Masilela, who plays Modise through. His shot is blocked by Puyol, but is tracked down by S. Africa. Gaxa eventually sends in a ball at the 6, which Parker heads wide.

69:00 - Spain use some brilliant passing on the defensive end to avoid some trouble from Sibaya. The ball comes back into Pienaar, but his pass for Parker is just a bit too heavy and Reina pounces on it.

70:20 - GOAL! Spain 2-0 South Africa. A free-kick for Spain after a Mhlongo (where has HE been all match?) foul on Fabregas. Played quickly, and the ball is moved well around the midfield. Modise gets called for a foul after he catches Puyol in the face with an elbow. The resulting free-kick from Xavi is played low to Fabregas, who mis-hits it through for Llorente to get a touch on it for a goal.

73:40 - Parker is down on the pitch, so Fabregas puts the ball out of play. South Africa return the ball as Parker is able to shake it off.

75:50 - Free-kick for South Africa directly at midfield. The Bafana Bafana are still providing some pressure on the Spanish defense


ED NOTE: According to JP Dellacamera, Brazil, Argentina, and France are "clubs" that are tied with 15 wins in a row. Yeah, those are national teams, buddy.


79:50 - Excellent ball played to Pienaar, who pushes it through to Parker. The attempt comes off a bit weak, and dribbles to Reina for the easy collection.

80:20 - Cazorla on, Riera off for Spain.

82:20 - Mashego on, Sibaya off for South Africa.

83:10 - Gaxa finds Parker in space, and he gets off a good left-footed shot that Reina gets down to save.

83:50 - Fabregas lays off the ball for Cazorla, who has his shot pushed wide by Khune. The corner goes out for a throw, which is played up the line for yet another throw for Spain.

85:30 - A well-taken Cazorla cross is headed out by a Booth, triggering a break. Mashego has his pass played out by the defense, but it comes back in to Modise. Sergio gains control and is fouled by Parker.

87:00 - Yet another pass from Cazorla is headed out by Booth, and the ball makes its way down the entire pitch to Reina. Spain is content to play with controlled, passive passes.

88:20 - Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, JP just referred to Xavi as "Xabi." I am surprised that it took this long.

89:50 - Alright, maybe it's just JP's accent, but it sure sounds like he is saying "Xabi."

90:00 - 00:40 - Sergio is taken down for a Spain free-kick, and the cross from Cazorla is mistimed by Hernandez, rolling out for a throw.

90:00 - 02:00 - The ball is in the back of the net for South Africa, but Modise was about 172 yards offside.

90:00 - 03:00 - Tshabalala on, Parker off for South Africa.


FULL-TIME: Spain 2-0 South Africa. Both teams will advance into the semi-finals, as the Iraq-New Zealand match has ended in a 0-0 draw.

Thanks for joining me. Tune in again tomorrow for liveblogs of the US v. Egypt, and Brazil v. Italy matches. For now, go out and play (unless it is pouring rain there).

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Confederations Cup Liveblog: South Africa v. New Zealand

Well, here it is... the test of how much you really love football. Probably the two worst teams in the field are facing off. We're hoping for a surprise as, if either team has any prayer of advancing, those prayers involve their God of choice handing them a win and smiting their enemy.

Line-ups after the jump as soon as I find them.

Starting Line-ups:

South Africa: Khune, Gaxa, Masilela, Mokoena, Sibaya, Pienaar, Modise, Dikgacoi, Booth, Parker, Fanteni

New Zealand: Moss, Lochhead, Vicelich (great name), Elliot, Brown, Smeltz, Killen, Bertos, Christie, Mulligan, Boyens

Jesus the news on the web sucks. Is nobody covering the Confederations Cup? I so wanted to get a pic of the reverse own-goal from South Africa in the opener. The above was the only artwork I could find from that match [UPDATE: New video art subbed in].

Okay, we've got live pictures. Bafana Bafana. Zuzuvelas or vuvuzelas or migraine machines are in full effect. At least we'll be spared Harkes and Dellacamara (sp?).

Hey Derek, I've met multiple people who think that NZ and Oz are connected by a bridge. Yes, Americans are that geographically illiterate. Such as. Therefor.

I'll probably be checking in on the Cubs and Sahx, so we're your one-stop sports shopping if legit sites are firewalled at work.

Rae (hooray!) and Smith (less hooray). Pienaar is healthy. So there's that.

Moments from kick.

Kick. Blogger commemorates the occasion by hanging. Thanks.

1st minute: I like that South Africa has the token white in Booth.

2nd minute: And South Africa whiffs on the first good chance. A great cross to Fanteri who was WIDE open outside the six, and he promptly swings over it. Fail.

4th minute: Holy Crap, we have a Norwich City mention. The first of the Confederations Cup I do believe. Then South Africa promptly push a shot wide. Nice effort from about 30-plus but it was never really on goal.

5th minute: It's only the 5th but possession has to be about 90-10 in favor of South Africa. Moral victory for New Zealand... they were already down to Spain by this point of the opener.

And we've got a piper down.... Simon Lochhead for the Kiwis is laying supine on the grass with a bleeding forehead. Now he trots off the pitch.

7th minute: And I've been corrected... that's the second NCFC mention. Ooops. South Africa owns the ball. NZ is keeping shape better but there is also no Torres on the pitch. Parker turns from the top of the 18 and is smothered as he gets a weak shot through to the keeper. Easy save.

9th minute: Lochhead back on with a wrapped head. Foul on Pienaar. And New Zealand finally get a ball into the attacking third... then promptly give it back.

10th minute: Fanteni celebrates a goal. Too bad he didn't know the flag went up. He was off. Good call.

11th minute: Booth plays Peter Garret in the Midnight Oil movie.

12th minute: Long ball into the box but it goes right to Moss. South Africa better be careful or they are going to let New Zealand get some confidence.

13th minute: I'm pretty sure this is what life sounds like when you're a bee. Few exchanges of possession. South Africa controlling around midfield. If I may... this is poor play from South Africa. They outclass the Kiwis and should keep the ball on the floor. They are trying to play long crosses and long balls in. It's not working for them.

15th minute: Phone call from my sister. Hold on. And the White Sox are up on the Cubs 2-0 in the 2nd.

17th minute: Pienaar with a rocket from the top of the 18 but it goes straight to the keeper.

18th minute: I don't think that the Kiwis really mean the kit color when they call their side the All Whites. Pienaar wide to Gaxa. He had a couple of men in support but he feeds it to Boyens, who plays for the other team.

19th minute: Fun fact. I picked South Africa to upset Spain. I am an idiot. South Africa swinging the ball back along their backline.

21st minute; GOAL! South Africa 1-0. Masilela got the corner and Mulligan went down (golf joke... anyone). Parker was wide open in the box and buried the feed into the upper right corner (more mid-upper than upper).

22nd miunte: Kiwis... -6 and counting. Ugh. And Bafana Bafana are already bac on the attack. Of course this is also a moral victory as by this time Torres had a hat trick already.

24th minute: Kiwis are chasing now. Really on their heels as South Africa keep possession in the attacking third.

Oh wow... Parker really mis-hit the ball and it deflected off the hip of a Kiwi defender. That deflection is what spun it out of Moss' reach. When you suck and luck goes against you, you've got no chance. I think that was Boyens again. Bet that guy wishes South Africa had never been born.

27th minute: Why did we ever spend money on Gitmo. We could have just sent detainees to South African soccer matches. Free kick for the kiwis. They get the ball in to a good position with two guys there but Vicelich can't get a head on it.

It was indeed Boyens with the deflection. Ugh...

29th minute: Better for New Zealand. They are keeping possession in midfield for spells now. Okay, just one spell, but it's their first. Baby steps.

31st minute: Boyens plants his elbow into Parker's back. Should have been a yellow. Sahx still up 2-0 in the third. Pienaar is off as he tapes his shin.

32nd minute: Kick save and a beauty! Parker turns around Vicelich at the top of the box and fires one low and to the right but Moss makes a great save. Gaxa was open but Parker took it himself. Should have laid it off would have been 2-0. But again, great save from the Kiwi keeper.

33rd minute: Mulligan tries his best Rory Delap. Gets the ball into the box and it's headed back by a Kiwi. The ball falls perfectly for Brown but he shanks it off the side of this foot. The first good chance for New Zealand and the pull a Norwood.

36th minute: South Africa has fallen back and are inviting the Kiwis upfield. This is proving to be a bad idea as the Kiwis are getting crosses into the box. And they are tall.

37th minute: Corner New Zealand. It's cleared long... And on a nice through ball Boyens makes a good play to clear. So he's not completely inept. Really that has to totally help his confidence.

38th minute: A long free kick from close to midfield. It gets sent it well but Booth cleans up and heads it back out.

40th minute: Game has slowed considerably. South Africa no longer pressing and trying to absorb everything in midfield. Corner for South Africa goes long. Neither Mokoena nor Booth could get it. Open play gives a free kick to SA from about 20 yards out... Ball is played in then headed long by Mokoena.

42nd minute: Slow play for South Africa. Swining it back and forth as they patiently look for something upfield. Whatevs. They're probably cool with a 1-0 halftime lead.

44th minute: Kiwis have gotten back into the game and have had the better of play since the goal. Still they can't keep enough of the ball to put South Africa on their heels.

45th minute: Cross in from Mulligan. And I bet he wishes he had that cross over... See, golf joke. It writes itself. Masilela goes down looking for a card from... Mulligan. Probably could have been a card.

+1 minute: Stretcher on for Masilela. Just a minute of stoppage... and there's the whistle. 1-0 at half. South Africa was dominant early but laid back after the goal. Kiwis have been clearly outplayed but are getting crosses into the box in the attacking third. They are really, really tall and just need one clean header.

Yeah, that's my lame attempt at teasing the second half for potential drama. I started. I'll finish. I'm going into the cone of silence for halftime though.

And we're back

Kick. Second half underway.

47th minute: Foul on Christie. Gaxa wide slips it back to the top of the back. They swing it around before Modise shoots and it goes over the crossbar.

48th minute: As bad as this Kiwi team is, they could be competitive with Bahrain or the Saudis. I mean they are a flukey goal and some good defending short of the World Cup.

49th minute: Fanteni from distance. He's got space but the shot is high and wide and never a threat to Moss. Second half starting like the first. Gaxa on a really good cross, but he can't control it off his chest and it bounces high giving Moss time to collect in traffic.

52st minute: Two whistle-able offenses by South Africa go unblown. Some long ball from both sides. Pienaar to Parker... GOAL! 2-0. It was actually Masilela with the feed from the left side. Parker came in front of his man and made a nice adjustment on the ball to slide it past the keeper.

54th minute: Card for Christie. Yellow for hacking at Parker. Actually it was an elbow. He tried to sneak one high. Life has been sucked straight out of the Kiwis.

Cubs Sahx is still 2-0 to the Sahx in the sixth. Cubs had 1st and 3rd with no outs during half but obviously failed to push anyone across.

56th minute: GD probably starts to matter here. If you're pro Iraq you want the South Africans held or the Kiwis to net at least one.

57th minute: Anyone know what 'Bafana' even means? Pienaar wins a free kick.

58th minute: And they get a corner off the free kick. It swings in and is cleared out.

60th minute: Nice little stat the flashed... New Zealand is 0-7-0 (American notation) all time in the Confederations Cup and have been outscored 24-2. Ouch. Parker waiting to poach a third off a run by Gaxa but New Zealand clear it. My bad... Gaxa just wiffed and topped the ball.

62nd minute: Mashego on. Think it was Fanteni off. Parker with a good header on target. Mulligan was beat but Moss made a nice save.

64th minute: Free kick from about 35 comes into the box. Boyens gets a head on it but Booth contests and it goes over the bar. On the resulting GK South Africa hoof it upfield fast. Masilela gets a shot off but it goes into the side netting. Kiwis should probably make a change and get a couple of guys who haven't had the lifeforce sucked out of them come in.

66th minute: Just as I say it... James on Bertos off for the Kiwis.

67th minute: Mashego gets Arssnal-itis and tries to make one too many passes instead of just pulling the fucking trigger when he was wide fucking open.

68th minute: And now Mashego is offside. But his work rate is nice. And he is suddenly everywhere.

69th minute: South Africa on the break, but a bad pass to Pienaar breaks it up. Think Rae just said that the Suadis drew so they go into the play-off with Bahrain.

70th minute: New Zealand is one of the least inventive sides ever. Mashego offside. By a good solid yard. He netted the ball but flag was up. Still Mashego is going to annoy the fuck out of Spain in a couple of days.

72nd minute: Boyens slides through Pienaar and gets a yellow for his effort. Totally deserved. In fact if Clark's was a red, that was a red (on first sight... haven't seen a replay).

74th minute: 17-year-old Chris Wood is coming on for Chris Killen. Wood plays for WBA in the Colaship. Kiwis must have made a sub at half because they just said they are out of subs. Smeltz with a feeble shot right to the keeper. Booth is cleaning up at the back.

77th minute: Stupid shot from distance by Smeltz when he had two players in support racing up the right side. And South Africa's counter is stopped by their own offsidedness.

79th minute: This is getting tough to watch. Kiwis are helpless. At least the worst is over for them in that they've already played Spain. I'm starting to think that Mashego is Afrikkaner for Inzaghi as that's about the 9th time he's been offside. And he didn't even play the first 60 minutes. I'm pretty sure I misspelled Inzaghi.

80th minute: Yellow for Pienaar. Parker off for Tshabalala Ding Dong.

82nd minute: Kiwis push forward. Or rather 2 Kiwis push forward because they hold it up and nobody comes in support. Even a good wide ball is wasted as Lochhead stops running.

83rd minute: Another good save from Moss to deny Mashego. Then on the rebound thre's a great touch to tart a give-and-go as Tshabalala drives toward the end line and feeds it back to a wide open Mashego but he's off balanace and he can't get a foot to it. Would have been an easy goal. Kiwis lucky.

85th minute: Smeltz with a Yellow for the All White. Clipped Pienaar's heels.

86th minute: A merciful God would end this early. It's getting a little chippy.

88th minute: Kiwis are gassed. Mashego with a great piece of individual effort to turn in the box and keep the ball. He floats it to himself then skies the shot. Holy shit... Mashego was finally onside and was in alone on the keeper but Moss made a great save. Both players turned to look for the flag thinking it was off. Nope. Just a good save.

Three minutes of stoppage time. Gaxa and Mashego are abusing the NZ defenders some more. The only thing they can't do is score.

Run you stupid fucking clock, run.

+3 minute: Vicelich gets a yellow for taking down Pienaar. Free kick for South Africa. from 25. It goes wide and the bench looks like they know they could have used another for GD.

Whistle. Final 2-0 South Africa.

And I'm spent. Thanks for playing.

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Yes We Will Be Liveblogging the Afternoon Match

For US Americans who enjoyed the Iraq's close loss to España such as you can therefor also partake in the liveblog such as New Zealand and the South Africa.

We're gonna call this the worst match-up in all of the Confederations Cup. South Africa pretty much has to win as they face Spain in their group finale. Lest you think Spain has nothing to play for having secured passage into the next round already, think again.

A win or draw for Spain in that match, and they equal Brazil for the longest unbeaten streak in international play at 35 matches.

New Zealand couldn't get off the pitch fast enough against Spain, yet they held 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 leads over Italy in a pre-tournament friendly. Still, they're not very good. We won't fault people that don't want to scar their retinas. But if you are really desperate for any competitive footie then please come back for kick at 2:30 in the pm (Eastern).

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Guess Who Wants to Get Robbed?

Well, besides players that sign to go to Anfield.

It's Americans. We have the highest demand for World Cup 2010 tickets. USA! USA! What recession? There's a country that doesn't know we're shitty tourists. Never mind that 55% of people who were able to refinance their mortgages are already over a month delinquent*. We've got a country to visit to watch a sport apparently we don't care about. Let's get going.

According to the Guardian:

Interest in the packages, including tickets, concessions and parking, for the tournament in South Africa has soared in the past month in the United States and Canada, said Keith Bruce, president of SportsMark Management Group, the exclusive sales agent within North America for the event. "We received double or even triple the number of inquiries into our website versus the prior 30-day period."

The Guardian notes that its corporate sales are handled through something called Match Hospitality. They license internationally to companies like SportsMark, which is a subsidiary of Omnicon Group. Omnicon is a massive advertising company that is in turn owned by GloboChem

Anyway, this is all long hand for saying that Bruce is talking about corporate packages for the World Cup.

So American companies are laying off people left and right and afraid to be seen entertaining in the swank seats at Yankee Stadium but if you're the right client, apparently there are African perks awaiting you in 2010.

Woo hoo. USA! USA!

[*Note: Irresponsible journalism alert... Can't source this, but pretty sure it was the number I heard on CNBC yesterday]

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Confederations Cup Liveblog: South Africa v. Iraq

Welcome to J-Burg, South Africa! The 2009 Confederations Cup opens this morning at Ellis Park with the hosts taking on Iraq. If you haven't yet done so, check out our profiles of South Africa and Iraq before we dive in.



Before we begin, 2 notes: (a) considering the squads, much of this liveblog will be taken up by poor attempts to spell the names of the players correctly; and (b) I am officially lodging a protest against both squads for poor numbering schemes on their jerseys.


South Africa gaffer Juelz Joel Santana will start:
GK: Khune (16)
DEF: Gaxa (2); Masilela (3); Mokoena (4 - Captain); Booth (14)
MID: Mhlongo (5); Sibaya (6); Modise (12); Dikgacoi (13)
ST: Parker (17); Fanteni (18)

So, Bafana Bafana run out a straight 4-4-2 formation. Obviously the big surprise here is that Everton's Pienaar starts the match on the bench.



Iraq's gaffer, the ageless Bora Milutinovic, will start:
GK: Mohammed (12)
DEF: Mohammed Ali (2 - insert boxing joke here); Basem (3); Fareed (4); Salam (14); Ali Hussein (15 - relax, it's a common last name)
MID: Nashat (5); Karrar (13); Mahdi (18)
ST: Imad (7); Younus (10 - Captain)

The multi-ethnic Iraqi squad (comprised of Shia, Sunni, and Kurds) run out a 5-3-2 formation, so Bora appears to be starting off defensively.


Now, buckle up because this thing is about to kick.

00:00 - Iraq is apparently running out the youngest and the shortest squad of the Confed Cup. Right up Bora's alley!

00:00 - (taps glass) Anyone out there?

00:00 - According to FIFA.com, the players are out on the pitch. Mere moments away from the opener - feel the excitement!

00:00 - How many people who just saw that commercial have no idea who Messi or Zizou are?

00:00 - Re: Bafana Bafana tactics, apparently Pienaar has a bit of a nick so he is on the bench, but hoping to get some significant minutes. I'm assuming that Mokoena is starting in back in order to bolster a shaky defense. Santana wants his captain to be the rock in the back, as Iraq have already proven that they can score.

00:01 - And we're off!

00:01 - Over/under on number of times we are told that Iraq is out of WC 2010 qualifying, and thus are hanging their hopes on a Confed Cup title: 7. I'm taking the over.

00:01 - Dammit! FIFA lied to me about how Younis was spelled!

00:30 - First attempt at Route 1 from Mhlongo wins S. Africa a deep throw that eventually results in a foul and the first YC of the match to Fanteni.

02:30 - After a 2 minute injury delay while Karrar tried to determine if he could continue, we're off again.

03:00 - Every time Booth (SA) touches the ball the crowd reacts, but I can't tell if they are booing (he is white, after all) or saying "BOOOOOOOOOOOOTH" - aaaaaaaaaand the commentators just confirmed that it's his name being said. Thank goodness for progress!

04:45 - The ball has been mostly in the S. African third of the pitch, but with no real threats from Iraq. Some nice passing goes out for a goal kick and Younis looks around in frustration.

06:30 - Bafana Bafana with some better passing now, and a long ball from Booth into the box is collected by Mohammed.

08:00 - First corner of the match goes to Iraq. The midget squad sets up in the box but the ball is easily headed out for a throw. The result is rather weak, but earns another corner for Iraq. That ball is a little more dangerous is it makes its way through the box, but it is cleared for yet another throw. S. Africa are definitely on the back foot.

10:00 - Blatant dive by Imad, and the ball eventually gets to Khune. His long kick comes out to midfield, where it is collected by Parker for S. Africa's first shot on goal, but it is easily held by Muhammed.

12:00 - A long ball over the top from Iraq causes some confusion between Booth and Masilela, resulting in a throw for Iraq. The ball is sent skyward and Younis fouls Mohammed as both attempt to get up for the ball. The GK sends out what is essentially a goal-kick to midfield, where Modise is called for a foul.

13:30 - S. Africa push forward well, and Sibaya receives the ball in space to lash a shot just wide of the post. There was apparently a deflection, since they are awarded a corner, but the chance is wasted.

15:35 - Some empty seats in the first row. Probably some S. Africa fat-cats who are too busy to make the match, but it still doesn't look good for an opener of a tournament that your country is hosting and in which your national team is playing.

17:30 - More Route 1 footy from S. Africa. It results in a throw, but their best chance on goal so far has come from moving the ball through the midfield. A cross to the back post is sent back in by Gaxa (although it appeared to cross the end-line). They sort it out and Mohammed takes his goal-kick.

19:45 - Some nice passing from S. Africa, but they are eventually dispossessed after failing to get off a shot. They need to find the middle ground between Route 1 footy and too much passing/dribbling.

22:15 - Terrible turnover on defense but S. Africa is able to escape and continue moving forward. A throw comes in to Masilela, but he is stopped. Iraq thought they had a claim for a foul as Booth came in for the tackle to regain possession, but they are allowed to play on.

24:00 - S. Africa are beginning to look sloppy on defense, which will absolutely bite them in the ass if it continues.

26:00 - A free-kick for Iraq is put into orbit by Nashat.

27:00 - Building through the midfield results in a couple of switched fields for S. Africa with an eventual wayward cross going out for a goal-kick.

28:30 - The tone was set early by the tackle and YC, but this match has actually become much more physical over the past 10 minutes and the referee seems content to let them play.

30:00 - Another bad pass out of the midfield for S. Africa results in a throw for Iraq. Mohammed Ali plays the ball into the box, but Imad's first touch lets him down. Iraq retains possession, and Nashat is eventually fouled. The free-kick is into the wall and cleared by Sibaya.

34:00 - Some nice dribbling from Iraq, but Fateni steals the ball off Mahdi before being dispossessed himself. The ball comes back into Fanteni, and Iraq is unable to clear.

36:00 - Parker is able to get off a shot, but it goes just wide. It appeared that Mohammed would have had it covered.

38:00 - Another injury stoppage, as Iraq GK Mohammed appears to have rolled his ankle. He bravely shakes it off and tells the referee that he is able to continue.

41:00 - Mokoena makes an absolute mess of a clearance, but is bailed out by Booth (sign him up, 'Pool!)

41:45 - A free-kick from near the touchline by Modise is cleared by Iraq, but there is no counter-attack to speak of.

42:30 - Tommy Smyth notices that there is a player named Mohammed Ali. The world spins off its axis.

43:00 - A long ball over the top to Imad sends him too far into the corner, and he is dispossessed on his turn.

45:00 + 00:30 - Only 2 minutes of stoppage time, which seems at least 1 minute short. But I'm not the 4th official.

45:00 + 01:10 - Free-kick for S. Africa for at midfield, followed shortly by one for Iraq in almost the same spot for the last action of the half.


Your half-time statistics: (1) shots on goal - S. Africa 3, Iraq 3; (2) offsides - S. Africa 1, Iraq 0; (3) fouls - S. Africa 6, Iraq 5; and (4) corners - S. Africa 2, Iraq 2.

A little montage of USMNT players (alright, just Bocanegra and Timmy Howard) discussing why the Confed Cup is important. They appeared less than enthusiastic. This is followed by the ginger Lalas' ode to Landycakes, which makes me physically ill.


45:00 - And we have the 2nd half kick. S. Africa would probably be content with a draw here, but I think they need a win if they are going to advance.

45:40 - Ali Hussein takes down Gaxa just outside the box. The free-kick swings in, is cleared, and comes back in easily for Mohammed.

48:00 - S. Africa getting deeper into the box (that's what she said), and Parker gets off another shot, but Mohammed had the angle well-covered.

49:30 - Iraq coming down the right side and Booth fends off Younis with his elbow and gets away with it for a goal-kick.

50:45 - A nice through-ball almost releases Modise on goal, but a last-second clearance is made. The throw from Gaxa is wasted.

51:30 - I am endlessly amused by Tommy Smyth discussing these players as if he had intimate knowledge of their skills. Yes, Tommy, I'm sure you watch the Orlando Pirates every week.

52:30 - A long ball over the top to Younis is ushered out by Booth, but Iraq is awarded a corner. The resulting ball is too far to the back post and goes out for a throw.

54:00 - Karrar with a wasted shot from 35 yards out that trickles in to Khune.

57:10 - Some nice work by Sibaya and Modise is wasted as the final touch lets them down and Iraq are able to clear.

59:30 - Some extended passing results in a handball from Basem. The ensuing free-kick from Modise is well-driven, but there is a S. Africa foul in the scramble.

62:00 - A long cross to Imad is wasted, as he is unable to control the ball and it goes out for a throw.

64:00 - Crowd shot of Raymond Domenech, and I projectile vomit.

65:00 - Free-kick for S. Africa bounces around in the air before a clearance, but once again there is nothing resembling a counter-attack.

66:00 - Ali Hussein is forced to play the ball out for a corner, and Modise sends it in for an easy clearance. The set pieces in this match have been rather poor.

67:45 - Salam is forced to play the ball out, and the throw from Gaca comes to Parker, who lays it off for Modise. Unfortunately, the shot skies over the bar.

71:00 - A free-kick for S. Africa results in some shambolic defending followed by a smidgen of offside. Shenanigans from both sides, making this look like a U-14 match.

72:00 - Parker places excellent pressure on Mohammed Ali, and the latter is forced to play it out for a corner. The resulting ball comes in to Fanteni, who gets off an excellent header that just rises over the bar.

73:00 - YC to Nashat for attempting to play the ball while on the ground. This is followed by an Iraqi substitution of Hawar for Karrar.

74:00 - Modise is clipped at the top of the box and this looks dangerous. The free-kick from Modise is straight into the wall, and Mahdi is fouled on the clearance. Iraq make another substitution - Imad off, Zahra on.

76:00 - Substitute Hawar immediately provides some pace, putting pressure on Gaxa. S. Africa makes a sub - Fanteni off, Mashego on.

77:50 - Iraq corner sent in by Nashat is way too far to the back post. Another poor set piece.

78:00 - Best chance of the match so far, as substitute Mashego gets loose but he is stoned by Mohammed. His last touch let him down, as he had the opportunity to chip/dribble the GK.

79:30 - Gaxa streaks down the right side from defense and plays it to Parker in the middle. A beautiful turn and decent pace on the shot, but it goes straight into Mohammed's arms.

80:00 - YC to Sibaya (first name - Macbeth) for an unknown foul.

83:00 - More pressure from Iraq as Alaa sends the ball into the middle. It is pushed out for a throw, which is eventually cleared.

83:30 - Reverse OG! A cross is headed into the net by Gaxa, but it hits Parker and stays out!

84:40 - S. Africa substitution - Pienaar on, Parker off.

87:10 - Younis has Masilela climb his back for an Iraqi free-kick. They make their final substitution, as Mahdi is off for Salih. The free-kick is driven too low and S. Africa break, but Mohammed Ali cleans up the mess.

89:00 - Younis goes down in a heap after Booth dispossesses him from behind, but the ref allows play to continue. S. Africa eventually play the ball out for an Iraq goal-kick.

90:00 + 01:00 - Iraq awarded a free-kick as once again Booth comes through Younis. The ball is played into the corner by Nashat, and eventually Masilela fouls Younis for another free-kick. That ball is played short by Hawar to Nashat, and the Iraqis are content to run it to the corner instead of putting it on goal.

90:00 + 03:00 - The final action of the match is a free-kick taken by Pienaar that is easily cleared.


FINAL - South Africa 0-0 Iraq. MotM for me was Modesi, who had some real pace and was consistent on both sides of the pitch.

Join us again in a few hours when Spectator holds down the fort for the 2nd match of the day.

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Hey Look At That!

I just happened to glance at our World Cup countdown widget over on the right and way down towards the bottom and what do you know? It is 365 days until the first match of World Cup 2010. Kickoff will be at 16:00 local time in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Personally, I cannot wait and neither can the South Africans, which is why they have planned festivities for the today.

At precisely 16:00 (if I have done the proper math it should be just about the same time as this is posted), South Africans across the country will stand up and blow a vuvuzela (that's the horn-like item they blow at soccer games seen in the picture on the left) and then sing the country's national anthem.

I'm imagining millions of South Africans tooting their zuzuvela's at that precise moment. This is something I really want to see pictures of today. That is your job today, find me pictures of these events.

Just to make sure everybody knows about this, a five-minute countdown will occur on radio stations in South Africa.

Capetown is going one up on everybody with festivities and noisemaking starting at noon.

Oh joyous days are the World Cup. Last time I watched every minute of every match. Some of it had to be taped and watched later, but I saw every last minute of even the dourest games. Alas, I do not foresee myself having the time to do that this time around. That's what happens when you are not unemployed during the World Cup.

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Confederations Cup Profiles: South Africa

Over the past sixteen years that the Confederations Cup has taken place, South Africa have only once qualified, when they failed to make it past the knockout stage in 1997. It is therefore quite fortuitous that South Africa is hosting this year’s tournament and the Bafana Bafana have “earned” an automatic qualification. On paper, at least, South Africa doesn’t appear to stand a chance, with their most recognizable player being Steven Pienaar. But host countries do always enjoy a boost of adrenaline. Home cooking and all.

What else do you need to know?
- On the eve of the tournament, the South African players demanded an improved bonus if they should happen to win the tournament, although it appears that the dispute has been settled.
- Pienaar picked up an ankle knock in a friendly against Poland.
- Ticket sales are going well.

Prediction: South Africa lucked out when they drew Iraq and New Zealand in their group, along with powerhouse Spain. The odds of getting at least a draw against Spain are still very long. Notwithstanding any bad blood created over their recent escapade with bonus money, Bafana Bafana should still advance to the knockout stage if they take care of business against Iraq and New Zealand. After that, in a single elimination format, where opposing teams might start longing to go on well-deserved holidays, and where fluky things can happen.... you just never know. Perhaps then it’s not so surprising that the bookies are giving better odds for South Africa to win the tourney than the good ol’ U.S. of A. (more on them tomorrow). If any country other than Spain, Italy or Brazil are going to win the Confederations Cup this year, well, you are probably looking at them.

Having read my half-assed in-depth and well-researched discussion of the South African national team, I’d briefly like to turn your attention to this amusing press release extolling the virtues of the 2009 Confederations Cup from Danny Jordaan, the CEO of the 2010 FIFAWorld Cup Organising Committee South Africa. Among points about “ushering in a vital new culture of football in our country” (fair enough), there’s the point that President Barack Obama will be watching “with intense interest.” I’m thinking that maybe, just maybe, Obama might have more important things to do. Mr. Jordaan also reminds us that everything is on track for the World Cup next year. Everything’s perfectly fine. Nothing to see here. Stadiums are done, hotels are built, safety not an issue, keep moving along.....

Here’s the Bafana Bafana lineup (notice that I really enjoy typing Bafana Bafana?). Some great names there, my favorite being Innocent Mdledle.

Squad:

GK: Brian Baloyi (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Rowen Fernández (Arminia Bielefeld), Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs)

Def: Matthew Booth (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Siboniso Gaxa (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Morgan Gould (Supersport United), Bongani Khumalo (Supersport United), Tsepo Masilela (Maccabi Haifa), Innocent Mdledle (Orlando Pirates), Aaron Mokoena (Captain) (Portsmouth), Bryce Moon (Panathinaikos FC)

Mid: Lance Davids (Supersport United), Kagiso Dikgacoi (Africa Golden Arrows), Benson Mhlongo (Orlando Pirates), Teko Modise (Orlando Pirates), Steven Pienaar (Everton), MacBeth Sibaya (Rubin Kazan), Siphiwe Tshabalala (SA Keizer Chiefs), Elrio van Heerden (Blackburn Rovers). Bernard Parker (Red Star Belgrade)

Fwd: Thembinkosi Fanteni (Maccabi Haifa), Katlego Mashego (Orlando Pirates), Katlego Mphela (Mamelodi Sundowns FC)

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Prison Footy is Good for the Soul

No word on if these men were involved in the match.

There has been some concern about South Africa's readiness for WC 2010, both in terms of stadia construction and with respect to safety. Of course, the country is holding the Confederations Cup this summer as a test of its preparedness. Even better, they are preparing for the Confederations Cup by staging a Prison Confederations Cup!



South Africa is well-known for its prison population, as it sits ranked #26 overall for incarceration rate and #8 overall for total number of individuals incarcerated. At some point, an enterprising member of the corrections department of Gauteng province observed that prisoners, like many other South Africans, were excited about the upcoming action in 2009 and 2010. Thus a reward structure was implemented whereby they were allowed to play football matches if they behaved themselves during their confinement. Due to the fact that there are quite a few prisons in South Africa, there were enough inmates nearby to stage a Prison Confederations Cup.

One of the matchups featured Boksburg prison (representing Brazil) against Heidelberg prison (representing Egypt; too bad Germany wasn't the UEFA rep - they would have been perfect), and the description of the event is in stark contrast to the crowds at "outside" events:

"Running alongside the road on the other side of the pitch is a three-metre-high wire fence, and beyond that again, silhouetted against the horizon like giant sand castles, three flat-topped pyramidal gold mine dumps.

A lone prison officer with a rottweiler named Rambo mounts guard over the fence."

Excellent name for the guard dog aside, these are not exactly the usual circumstances we think of for a match. However, the idea that football, on a general level, can alleviate some of the social ills that South Africa faces is an agenda that is being pushed harder and harder as the main event draws near. The Boksburg prison head of sports and recreation (who cheerfully refers to one of the players as "that coloured chappie") notes that recidivism in the area around Boksburg is down to around 15%, while South Africa as a whole has a rate of near 60%.

Georgey Jacobs (the afore-mentioned "chappie"), 31, says that playing within the prison system has caused him to re-evaluate his life, and that he wishes to become a professional footballer once he gets out. Sadly, the chances of that happening are far, far less than those of him returning to prison.


[Ed. Note: As a comparison, the latest statistics on recidivism for the US indicate that nearly 2/3 of released offenders will be rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor within 3 years of release. Slightly under 50% will be convicted for the new offense, and approximately 1/4 will be sent back to prison.]

And now, because any talk of prison footy requires it:

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Please Style Your Hair Appropriately for the Confederations Cup

The 2009 Confederations Cup is being held in South Africa from June 14th through June 28th as a "dry run" for WC 2010. Stadia need to be ready, crime needs to be dealt with, hookers need to be clean, and hair needs to be appropriately styled.


According to Ideate (a blog dedicated to small businesses in South Africa), adidas' Kopanya campaign encompasses not only the creation of a match ball inspired by African art, but also ads using "barbershop signage as an African art form." Apparently it is considered a measure of fame if you have a particular haircut/hairstyle named after you so adidas has put together this series of ads based around famous players.

The Kaka: Emo mop-top on the pitch?

The Xavi and the Gerrard: Spiky speed?

The Morris, The Pienaar and The Fanteni: The herd mentality?

We're 92.6% certain this is some not so subtle pseudo-viral marketing thing. Fortunately for adidas the posters are pretty sweet, but we do have some questions:

1. Last time we checked, England weren't playing in the Confederations Cup, so why is Stevie G present? Is it because he is one of the centerpieces of their footy adverts?

2. If adidas is using players from teams not even in the Confederations Cup, they are certainly missing the opportunity to explore some better hairstyles. We think they should add Cisse, Fellaini, and Sagna to the mix.

Any other suggestions?

[HT to: Frankie J - who knew this guy read UF?]

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