FIFA Updates

By Steve Keating

TORONTO, July 15 (Reuters) – Manchester United’s first
North American Tour in six years got off to a subdued start on
Thursday when the world’s richest club was left grounded in
Chicago by bad weather and forced to delay its arrival in
Toronto.

An already short stay in Canada was trimmed to a little
more than 24 hours for the Red Devils, who will open their four
city tour against Scottish Premier League runners-up Celtic on
Friday before leaving for the second leg of the trip the next
morning.

The stormy conditions denied organisers an opportunity to
promote the match and make one final push to boost ticket sales
for an event that is going head-to-head with the Toronto Indy
being raced on city streets this weekend.

While the Indy is offering free action, promoters of the
Manchester/Celtic friendly are asking fans to fork out between
$90-165 for a contest that will be missing the players who
represented their countries at the World Cup in South Africa.

Certainly the Red Devils did not receive the type of
fanfare normally reserved for the world’s most famous soccer
club when they arrive for a match.

Only a handful of reporters, two photographers and two
television cameras attended the delayed media briefing that
featured just one player, Darren Fletcher.

The Scotland captain appeared to draw the short straw but
was not forced to give up much of his time, fielding just five
questions before a team media officer abruptly ended the news
conference.

“It’s great to be here in Toronto and all the players are
looking forward to it,” Fletcher said. “We’re excited to get
our first game of the pre-season after 10 days of training all
the lads are itching for their first game.”

Arriving in Toronto just four days after the World Cup
final, Manchester will wrap up their visit in Houston on July
28 by providing the opposition for the Major League Soccer
All-Star Game.

In-between, United will take on the Philadelphia Union
(July 21) and Kansas City Wizards (July 25) before a trip to
Mexico, where they will help Guadalajara open their new stadium
(July 30) as part of a deal to sign Mexican striker Javier
Hernandez.
(Editing by John O’Brien; To query or comment on this story
email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP)—Chile’s progress to the second round of the World
Cup means that every South American team made it out of the group stage for the
first time in twenty years.

Chile, despite a 2-1 defeat to Spain Friday, joined Argentina, Brazil,
Paraguay and Uruguay in the round of 16.

That’s the first time each South American representative has done so since
the World Cup in Italy in 1990.

However the achievement of the class of 2010 is superior to that of 1990
when Brazil was the only team to top its group while Argentina, Colombia and
Uruguay all progressed despite finishing third.

This time, all the South American sides bar Chile topped their groups.

The 1990 tournament had 24 teams in six groups, with the four best
third-placed sides going into the round of 16. Since 1998 when the tournament
was expanded to 32 teams, only the top two in each group go through.

It’s possible that South America will make up half the quarterfinal lineup
in a week’s time as the only all-South American clash in the round of 16 is
Brazil-Chile. Uruguay faces South Korea, while Argentina confronts Mexico in the
second round for the second straight World Cup, and Paraguay takes on Japan.

Add in the United States and there’s a distinct American feel to the round
of 16. Honduras was the only team from the Americas not to progress from the
group stage.

In stark contrast to South America’s achievements, Europe has suffered its
worst showing in the group stage since the World Cup was expanded to 32 teams.
Only six of its 13 participants made it through the group stage, with 2006
finalists France and Italy the biggest casualties.

Europe’s numbers will definitely be reduced to three by the quarterfinal
stage as they all play each other. Germany takes on England, while Spain faces
off against Portugal, and Slovakia confronts the Netherlands.

Though Europe’s teams may not be faring as strongly as they usually do, it
will be no surprise if one of them makes it to the final at Soccer City in
Johannesburg on July 11.

Europe has had a finalist at every World Cup since the second tournament in
1934. In 1950 there was no final as such, though the last match between Brazil
and Uruguay involved the only two teams who could win the trophy—Uruguay
shocked the footballing world and 200,000 Brazilians by winning the match and
the tournament.

However, history suggest the winning team will be South American. No
European side has won the World Cup outside the confines of its continent.
Brazil is the only team ever to win outside its continent, in Sweden in 1958 and
in Japan/South Korea in 2002.

By NANCY ARMOUR AP National Writer

RUSTENBURG, South Africa(AP)—You want an America’s Team to get behind, America? Here you go.

Scrappy, determined and not about to back down to anybody – not even big, bad England – the U.S. men hung on for a 1-1 draw at the World Cup on Saturday night that was every bit as good as a blowout victory. It’s the kind of blue-collar effort the USA loves, and it might just give the Americans the major-league status they’ve been fighting for the last, oh, 20 years.

Or at least get them a lot closer.

“We fought our way back into this game, and that’s what our team is all about,” veteran defender Steve Cherundolo said. “We fight for every inch of playing field there is.”

Fans have insisted for years that soccer is on the verge of becoming America’s game and critics have always shot back with “Oh yeah. When?”

Kids have been playing for more than a generation now, we’ve adopted David Beckham and still the game is well below the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball on the U.S. sports Richter scale.

But it is growing and gaining interest, there’s no denying that.

More tickets for this World Cup were bought by Americans than fans in any other nation except South Africa, despite the considerable expense to get here. Before the game, Americans marched proudly through the streets outside the stadium, dressed in red, white and blue from their Uncle Sam-hatted heads to their toes.

Back home, the World Cup is getting the kind of wall-to-wall TV coverage usually reserved for the other football’s big event, the Super Bowl. People went out of their way to watch the match, some from the comfort of their homes, others at bars and restaurants – even the New York Mets were tuned in.

America’s Team didn’t disappoint.

Part of the reason soccer has been so slow to take off in the United States – aside from the fact that, for much of the last century, the national team was about as good as Albania’s – is that it’s nothing like “our” football. We’re used to big, tough guys grinding their way to down the field. We revel in the game’s big hits and its brute physicality, and revere players who are only missing the proverbial lunch pail.

The U.S. men may not have the shoulder pads and helmets, but they have the same mentality – and similar battle scars.

Goalkeeper Tim Howard will be feeling Emile Heskey’s shoes on his bruised ribs whenever he breathes the next few days. The England forward slammed feet-first into Howard’s chest in the first half, a pain Howard described as “agony” and that left him writhing on the ground for several minutes.

Yet Howard played on, and it was his big saves more than anything that ensured the Americans would finish as England’s equal. For one day, at least.

“We’re a resilient side,” said Howard, who was named the man of the match. “We’re a tough side, and on our day, we can put a good performance in.”

Make no mistake, England is a better team. Just as Spain was last summer, when the Americans upset the reigning European champions at the Confederations Cup. After Steven Gerrard scored in the fourth minute to put England up 1-0, most people figured the game – or at least the result – was a done deal.

But there’s something about adversity that brings out the best in this team, a trait near and dear to every American’s heart.

“The funny thing is, we talk about ‘Don’t concede early, Don’t concede early.’ And man, it’s been our trademark lately,” captain Carlos Bocanegra said. “Credit to our guys to stick to the plan and keep fighting.”

Some of the English players used the word “luck” to describe the draw, and they may be right. England goalkeeper Robert Green did muff Clint Dempsey’s 25-yard shot that tied it up, after all.

But 50 years from now, when fans are remembering the day when American soccer’s fortunes turned, the result is all that will matter.

“You get the feeling,” Cherundolo said, “that everybody’s really excited about this team.”