A Big Change for the Canadian Stretford End

Posted: July 27, 2010 by Sam in Canadian Stretford End News, United Rant
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I’ve started writing for another Manchester United blog called “United Rant” which you can find at unitedrant.co.uk. I’ll be writing most of my United pieces here now which means a bit of a change for the Canadian Stretford End. Yes from time to time I’ll have United pieces here that don’t really fit with United Rant, but most of my Manchester United coverage will be at United. Which means the Canadian Stretford End will become primarily a Canadian soccer blog.

It means I’ll be branching out to cover much more of Canadian soccer than I ever have before on the blog, and hopefully more on the world game in general. I’m going to try and bring back the interviews that the blog had in its earlier days with more a more in depth look at the game up north.

Cheers for reading and Enjoy!!!

4-4-2 vs. 4-5-1… A Case for the 4-4-2?

Posted: July 25, 2010 by Sam in Formation Theory, Manchester United
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As Manchester United’s season came down the stretch last year it seemed like every game was up for debate as whether to employ the 4-5-1 or the 4-4-2. Both formations had their advantages and downfalls. In the end United opted for 4-5-1 in European matches, and big Premier League matches home or away, while they played the 4-4-2 in Premier League matches against weaker opposition, normally at home. So far on both of United’s North American Tour matches they’ve played a pretty basic 4-4-2. Which once again raises the question for the coming season, 4-5-1 or 4-4-2?

The Gaffer of the Man Utd 24 blog recently tackled the issue and pointed out some of the benefits of each, citing that although the 4-5-1 was the favoured formation of Sir Alex last season with a fully fit Macheda and Chicharito coming into the fold playing a 4-5-1 may not offer enough opportunities to the United’s full array of strikers. This isn’t yet a Manchester City sized problem with nineteen potential starting forwards, but with Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen as well as the previously mentioned Kiko Macheda and Chicharito plus possible addition of Danny Welbeck if he is not sent out on loan thats a pretty serious load of forwards. If United were to opt for a 4-5-1 for the majority of the season that takes a potential year of first team development away from Macheda and Chicharito.

On the other side the 4-5-1 brought Manchester United some huge results that the 4-4-2 might not have. The key to United’s 4-5-1 was a high-octane, high pressure midfielder, playing high up the pitch. Both Darren Fletcher and Ji-Sung Park filled this role very well last season. This gave more room to the wingers while helping Rooney and co. capitalize quickly on mistakes through counter attacks. The 4-4-2 often slows down these attacks, and instead of having a quick ball winner high up the pitch like a Fletcher or a Park there is another forward who in the case of Berbatov or Michael Owen is not great defensively and doesn’t provide that same pressure. This slows down the United attack into a pin point passing mode.

While in the 4-4-2 this pin point passing is key. Because the pressure high up the pitch isn’t there, and the attack in general is slower United will have to break down eight, nine and ten men defenses all playing in one third of the pitch. The 4-4-2 changes the focus of the game from the centre third to United’s attacking third. This takes away any opportunity for a counter, but allows United to get the ball into the opponents final third more easily/often which may lead to more chances depending on how well the opposition defends.

The beauty of the 4-5-1 is it leaves United much more defensively sound, while taking away the problem of breaking down teams that play ten men behind the ball since most of the game is played in the midfield. What the 4-4-2 does allow for though is more dangerous, attacking players in the opposition third. From there it is all about moving the ball quickly, taking players on 1v1 and finding openings. United has often been successful breaking down stern defenses, but they’ve also been left frustrated on many an occasion. The 4-4-2 is where a player with a bit of trickery like Nani or a player who can move the ball across the pitch in an instant like Scholes, become very important. Another key element to breaking down teams who “park the bus” is with a bit of pace, and based on what was on display at the World Cup, Manchester United have a player with that and more in Chicharito.

If United do opt for a 4-4-2 Chicharito may see a lot of playing time. One partnership which could be very effective would be a Berbatov-Chicharito duo. With Berbatov’s ability to hold up the ball and lay it off, the speedy Mexican may be able to run on to Berbatov’s deft flicks and create openings in the opponents back line. Of course this partnership leaves Wayne Rooney out of the equation, something that Sir Alex surely would never do by choice, but as United learned the hard way last season a plan B is key.

Even a Rooney-Chicharito partnership could flourish into something with Rooney providing the creativity and drive forward, while Chicharito could exploit these pockets of space. Then of course we come to the ever complicated Rooney-Berbatov partnership. As I said earlier, I do believe it can work, just maybe not in an orthodox 4-4-2.

Fergie will most likely employ both the 4-5-1 and 4-4-2 in the season to come. The 4-5-1 has produced the results over the past year, but with Nani hitting top form, Macheda returning from injury, Chicharito joining the club and Berbatov looking solid in pre-season, there is a lot of potential with the 4-4-2. Whatever Sir Alex choses this season one certainty is that the 4-4-2 vs. 4-5-1 debate will rage on.

He Comes from Serbia… And He’s Staying in Manchester

Posted: July 23, 2010 by Sam in Manchester United, Nemanja Vidic, Transfer Circus
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After endless speculation about Nemanja Vidic’s future with Manchester United, he has finally resigned on a long year deal. Manchester United’s 2008-2009 player of the season had a poor season hampered by injury in 2010-2011 and after he was mysteriously omitted from the squad playing Leeds in the FA Cup while previously being named to the starting XI forty-five minutes earlier the rumours about a possible transfer started to gain steam. For a team that struggled defensively at times last season, it is a big boost to have Nemanja Vidic signed on for the season.

With Vidic confirmed as a Manchester United player for next season, and Ferdinand’s recovery from injury going well  United supporters will be hoping for that partnership to be renewed. The 2008-2009 title winning team was build on defensive stability, Vidic was a key part of that. The team was by no means exceptional going forward, and often struggled to score more than one goal in a match, but it was the back four that truly won that title. When Vidic is at his best he plays with a certain arrogance that very few other centre backs in the world do. He is dominant in the air, he is good in the tackle, and is one of the strongest players in the Premier League.

With Vidic back for the season United’s centre back pool is looking stronger than ever. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic will obviously be first choice, but behind them Johnny Evans, Wes Brown and hopefully Chris Smalling will all be able to fill in. So all I can say is well done to David Gill (you won’t hear me say this very often throughout the season, but that’s another story) and Sir Alex for getting Nemanja Vidic signed on.

The Enigma that is Dimitar Berbatov

Posted: July 22, 2010 by Sam in Dimitar Berbatov, Manchester United, United 2010 North American Tour
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Manchester United are touring North America without star forward Wayne Rooney, a situation which United struggled in last season against the likes of Chelsea and Bayern Munich. Dimitar Berbatov showed he just wasn’t ready to lead the line by himself. Despite the clear technical ability Berbatov has he has yet to live up to the thirty million pound price tag that was (probably unfairly) attached to him ever since his move from Tottenham to Old Trafford. He has shown flashes, but never maintained consistently good form for a prolonged period and never against the top teams when the pressure is on. Two games into Manchester United’s North American Tour Berbatov is showing a few more flashes of brilliance, but as a United supporter one can only hope that these flashes will turn into something a little more when the real season kicks off.

Last season Dimitar Berbatov started on the bench for most European or big Premier League games, with Sir Alex opting to play Rooney at the top of a 4-5-1. Berbatov would often be brought off the bench, but one thing Berbatov has never been and probably never will be is an impact substitute. Last night in Man. United’s 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Union Berbatov did come off the bench and open the game up for United, but that was a rare circumstance. United will not play many games at that slow of a pace this season, and United will not play many “Philadelphia Unions” this season. Natural finishers like Solskjaer or players with pace and energy like Tevez often make good impact substitutions, whereas slow, methodical players like Berbatov don’t capitalize on the tired opposition they are up against. Berbatov has been misused as a substitute many times in the past, but he just is not suited for the role.

The next way Berbatov has been used is in a 4-4-2, a system which Berbatov was more successful in last season. When Berbatov is playing with another forward he is given the chance to hold the ball up, lay it off to the other forward and help be a part of the build up. The problem is Manchester United’s 4-4-2 is a lot faster, and relies more on quick counter attacks than the one Berbatov played in with Robbie Keane at Spurs. Berbatov is not a fast player, he often slows down the United attacks when he holds up the ball. Sure his first touch and skill on the ball is incredible, but  when he slows the play down the entire United attack stops functioning. Wayne Rooney, Nani, Antonio Valencia, Ryan Giggs all of these players are forward thinking players who like to get the ball into the attacking third quickly. So although Berbatov’s goal scoring record with United playing in a 4-4-2 last season was good, there is an argument there that he hurt Manchester United’s attack.

The final way Berbatov has been used at United and by far the least effective is as the lone striker in a 4-5-1. Last season was all about Rooney’s 4-5-1 which was fast, effective and used a lot of width. In comparison when Berbatov led the line a 4-5-1, the attack slowed right down, the wingers were forced to cut in to pick up the ball making it look more like a 4-3-3 and very few goals were scored with Berbatov in the 4-5-1.

Based on the evidence above and the evidence we’ve seen from Berbatov on the pitch he is not really a Manchester United player. The type of player Sir Alex was trying to buy when he bought Berbatov, a player who would bring the best out of Rooney, was clearly not the player Sir Alex got. With all that being said though, United have Berbatov who is an incredible talent so not to find a way to use him would be a waster.

Against Celtic in Toronto, Berbatov looked good playing in a 4-4-2 with the young forward Mame Birame Diouf. Diouf did most of the running and pressuring while Berbatov got into advanced positions in the attacking third and spread the ball out effectively. He also find himself with space in the box on several opportunities and one of these chances led to a well taken goal. United supporters will remember the old Wayne Rooney who would never stop running and would often run so much he would get lost in the big games, this is not a Rooney that United supporters want to see again. It is alright for Diouf to play a role that helps free up Berbatov, but Sir Alex will not want Wayne Rooney to sacrifice himself as a major goal scoring threat to help give Berbatov the space and chances he needs.

However using three players to help open up space for Berbatov might work, especially in European competitions where the games are tighter. This World Cup we saw the 4-2-3-1 on display with three of the semi-finalists in Spain, Germany and the Netherlands all employing a 4-2-3-1. At times last season Manchester United’s 4-5-1 looked a bit like a 4-2-3-1 with a player like Ji-Sung Park as the player “in the hole” (the centre forward/midfielder in the 3). This is where Berbatov could be effective. If the two wingers in the attacking three stay wide keeping their men to the outside and Rooney could continue to pressure higher up the pitch there could be a big hole in the middle for Berbatov to show his magic. With Berbatov a little further back and not at the highest level of the attack, Berbatov holding the ball would not slow down the attack, because the two wingers and Rooney would still be running forward. It would then be the job of either Berbatov or the two central midfielders to get the ball forward to them. This gives Berbatov his space while not compromising the pace of attack at all.

Dimitar Berbatov has proved to the Manchester United supporters that he is a talented striker and he could be effective the question is just how. Above is one idea of what must be hundreds running through Sir Alex’s head. However casting Berbatov aside entirely would surely be a waste.

Simeon Jackson to Norwich with High Expectations

Posted: July 19, 2010 by Sam in Canadian MNT, Norwich City, Simeon Jackson, Transfer Circus
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Canadian striker Simeon Jackson completed his transfer from League two bound Gillingham to Championship bound Norwich City last week. Simeon Jackson has always been the great hope for Canadian forwards in the future. He was highly touted by Canadian supporters through the youth ranks and as he racked up the goals playing with Rushden and Diamonds, and more recently Gillingham, but at twenty-three now Jackson is no longer a striker for the future. He needs to start producing now as he enters the prime of his career and as Canada pins their goal scoring hopes for World Cup 2014 qualifying on his shoulders.

The worry for many is that he might not get the same opportunities at Norwich in the Championship as he did in the lower leagues of English football. We’ve seen plenty of Canadians with lots of potential waste away sitting on the bench for English clubs, hopefully Jackson’s name will not be added to the list. However making the jump was a risk Jackson needed to take, a League One striker is not going to take an average team to a birth in the World Cup, no matter how much he is scoring with his club.

Norwich played a 4-4-2 with Chris Martin and Grant Holt up front last season as they gained promotion from League One. Martin scored twenty-three goals in all competitions, while captain Holt scored an impressive thirty and was voted supporter’s player of the season. So in order for Jackson to get consistent starts next season he will have to break up this duo. He will probably start as an impact player off the bench, a role he did well in with Canada at the 2009 Gold Cup. The difference being this time he will have to score goals.

Since scoring in his debut for Canada against Cyprus Jackson has played nine more times for Canada often having an impact off the bench, but he has yet to score again. The championship is a strange league, back to back promotions are far from unheard of and back to back relegations are just as possible so coming off a dominating season in League One Norwich City will want to start fast in the Champions and possibly chase after a playoff spot. If Jackson doesn’t get hot early and start finding the back of the net his opportunities could thin out very quickly with two proven strikers already ahead of him in the depth chart.

Canada unfortunately doesn’t have that same depth up front that Norwich City has so they will need Jackson to find some form playing high level football over the next two years in order to be ready for qualifying come 2012. Canada’s only real other options aside from Jackson are Rob Friend, Ali Gerba, Stephen Ademolu and Gavin McCallum. Aside from Jackson, Rob Friend is the only one currently playing at a level with his club that is anywhere near international class.

People still talk about Jackson as a player for the future. He will be twenty-five years old when World Cup qualifying roles around, and there is no one else who can match his goal scoring record at club level aside from Friend. Jackson’s time has to be now or else Canada may have more difficulty than ever finding the back of the net over the next two or three years.

Little Manchester in Toronto

Posted: July 17, 2010 by Sam in Celtic, Manchester United, Match Recap, United 2010 North American Tour
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Toronto has a little Italy district, little Portugal, Chinatown and many more ethnic districts, but this weekend Toronto’s “little Manchester” was alive and rocking. It all kicked off Thursday with a meet and greet down at the Manchester United Supporters Club of Canada’s pub, the Main Event. Where ex-players Dennis Irwin and Paddy Crerand were greeted by hundreds of United supporters. With the giant “Love United Hate Glazer” banner sent over from Manchester for the occasion and fans from all over the world in the pub the atmosphere was fantastic. Irwin and Crerand were gracious and signed autographs late into the night after a question and answer period. All in all a successful night.

After a restless sleep Thursday night I woke up ready to go for Friday. The game against Celtic was to be my second live United match after watching them lose 4-1 to the Scouse in the 08-09 season. I went down to the Main Event at around two and the party had already kicked off. Various news channels came in through out the day to get footage of us belting out “the Pride of all Europe”. One of the highlights being after a rendition of “My Old Man” (for those who are unfamiliar with the lyrics just search it on google…) the reporter just stood there shocked and after a momentary silence she said “I can’t put that on TV!” which lead to louder renditions. After trading various United stories we headed down to the Rogers Centre.

Despite being in the United end the atmosphere needed a bit of help when we got there which we duly provided. Throughout the game the only real chant that took off through out the whole stadium was a simple “United! United!”. However throughout pockets in the United end we went through the entire repertoire of Man. United’s songbook as we sang about everything from Giggs to City to Cantona to Sir Alex and the Glazers (plus a lot in between). The match itself was quite entertaining as well.

The slow pace of the pre-season match allowed the more technically gifted players to really shine. Berbatov was very impressive. He scored the opener with a well taken first touch and perfect finish, he went on to assist both Welbeck’s and Cleverly’s goals. Although I’ve said many times on here Berbatov doesn’t really fit the United system, he showed last night he still has a tremendous amount of class. He holds up the ball as well as anyone in the world and his control is impeccable. Berbatov was given the man of the match award an honour he clearly deserved.

Even though he only played the first half, Paul Scholes looked quite sharp. His passing range was as good as ever as he regularly picked out Giggs and Obertan on either wing. The partnership of Scholes and Fletcher worked well last season and was quite effective again last night. Without a doubt Darren Fletcher is better in the tackle than any centre midfielder United has had since Roy Keane left.

A few more quick player notes:

Edwin Van Der Sar – Despite the horrendous purple keeper kit, he put in a solid performance.

Chris Smalling – The kid really impressed in his United debut, despite conceding the penalty which lead to Celtic’s goal. He was very confident and a huge guy, probably about 6’5″ and well over 200 pounds.

Gabriel Obertan – He has a lot of pace, he could turn into something quite special, hopefully he will get a few more chances in the first team this season.

Danny Welbeck – Looked good and scored what ended up as the game winning goal, which is nice to see because some were speculating he may be destined for an exit after what had been a brilliant start to his United career.

Well after two days in Toronto’s Little Manchester my voice is dead and I’m exhausted, but it’s been an incredible experience. Hopefully the 3-1 win over Celtic will be the start to another vintage Manchester United season.

World Cup Diary: United and Some General Thoughts

Posted: June 30, 2010 by Sam in 2010 World Cup, Joga Bonito, Manchester United, Transfer Circus
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For Manchester United players this was a World Cup they will probably want to put behind themselves. Wayne Rooney failed to score for a second straight World Cup as England were disappointingly eliminated in the round of 16 at the hands of Germany. Nemanja Vidic conceded a penalty to Germany which was saved as Serbia knocked off the Germans, but beyond that one win Serbia’s World Cup was short as they joined the long list of European under achievers. Patrice Evra had the worst World Cup of all as he captained the French team to a winless World Cup marred by scandal, controversy and training ground bust-ups. The only two United players who can look back on good memories at the World Cup are Park and our new Mexican signing Chicharito.

Ji-Sung Park led South Korea to a spot in the knockout stages, and scored a goal against the Greeks to boot. Although they lost to Uruguay in the Round of 16, the South Koreans should be happy with their performance at the World Cup and a lot of that came down to the play of their captain, Park. The biggest United story at the World Cup was undoubtedly Chicharito. United’s first ever Mexican scored twice with his goals coming against France and Argentina, the second of which was an absolute beauty. He looks to be real quality, a player who could have a major impact playing with Rooney next season.

It’s funny how a World Cup can change things. About a month ago I set out a wish list of players I wanted to see United go after in the offseason. The number one target I suggested was David Silva who unfortunately has gone to Manchester City this morning, the other was another forward. I think we may be able to get through the season on the forwards we have at the moment though. With Rooney, Berbatov, Owen, Macheda, Chicharito and maybe even Welbeck fighting for spots up front I think the depth is adequate at least for now. I think we should give the guys we have a shot, if it’s not working by January, sure I don’t mind dipping into the transfer market then, but at the moment I’m content. Even with Luis Fabiano knocking on the United door at the moment, we don’t want to splash money on a player who may turn out to be a bench player later in the season.

So as the World Cup continues my pre-tournament prediction of an Argentina-Brazil final still looks good, as do my predictions of Luis Fabiano for the Golden Boot and Lucio for the Golden Ball. Lucio has been just a joy to watch this World Cup, the way he wins the ball at the back and then will carry it forty-fifty yards forward taking on men in the centre of the park, the confidence there is just outstanding. I also would like to tout my vuvuzela for predicting a Germany over England result in the last sixteen (although I had England winning their group and Germany finishing second in theirs).

Although some of the World Cup has been a little dry, as a spectacle so far I’ve loved it. There have been upsets, watching the South American dominance has been fun and then of course there is this young German team which has been enthralling. People who look towards the World Cup as the best football in the world  who feel let down are looking in the wrong place if it’s pure football  you want to watch the later stages of the Champions League. However what makes the World Cup the greatest sporting competition on the face of the planet is the drama, countries playing each other for national pride in an even that only comes around ever four years. It’s an incredible stage.

That’s all for my ramblings today, sorry for the inconsistent posting I’ve been too busy watching the World Cup to keep up posting, but the blog should be up in full force come the start of the United season, with a bit of a change in direction that should please you Canada supporters out there…

World Cup Diary: I Thought I was Neutral

Posted: June 12, 2010 by Sam in 2010 World Cup
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Going into the World Cup I was cheering for England as I said earlier, but I didn’t really have too much of an emotional attachment to the team or so I thought. About an hour before the match I started to watch Wayne Rooney highlights for this past season. Then as friends started to arrive for the match I got into animated discussions about Capello’s tactics, the team and everything football. When England’s goal went in, I celebrated, yelled a bit and was generally excited. As the match went on we started to pick out all the problems in the England team and attack every little flaw (or big flaws named Heskey). Then the American goal went in. Or rather Robert Green directed it in. I was disappointed, but I had faith England would tie it up. Of course they didn’t, and by the end of the match I was upset. No, it wasn’t close to what I felt after Manchester United lost to Leeds this year or when Canada lost to Honduras in the Gold Cup. But I didn’t think I cared that much about England. Here I was upset over a group stage draw against a good team. Maybe it was the way the match played out, maybe it was the fact I was watching with England supporters. Who knows?

So all I can say  from here on in is GO ENGLAND!

As for the other matches so far. The two highlights for me so far were South Africa’s first goal which was a brilliant way to kick start the tournament, and Ji-Sung Park’s perfect finish after a forty-yard run this morning against the Greeks. So far I’ve really enjoyed the tournament. It’s a chance to watch soccer with friends who normally could care less about the game. It’s a chance for our sport to showcase its best.

World Cup Diary: Being Canadian and Predictions

Posted: June 10, 2010 by Sam in 2010 World Cup
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As a Canadian being a soccer fan is not easy for three years and eleven months out of every four years. The one exception obviously being the World Cup, when every game is on regular television and the media act as if soccer is a mainstay. Although as a Canadian soccer supporter the World Cup can often be a time of frustration.

Thousands of Canadians will put their World Cup hopes behind a top European nation, Argentina or Brazil. Often this is a nation which they will claim some blood allegiance to (true or not). As I said yesterday when I talked about supporting England. I don’t think there is anything wrong with this. It’s the biggest soccer competition on the face of the earth. It’s the biggest freaking sports competition on the planet. Enjoy it anyway you want. I seriously don’t care. Just enjoy yourself.

What will piss me off about this World Cup is the attitude these “fans” will show towards Canada. These people who never dedicate an ounce of their time to watching soccer will suddenly claim a higher ground saying “Canada sucks at soccer” (and to be fair with the state of our national team at the moment there is very little comeback, shouting Gavin McCallum over and over again will probably achieve very little) or the infamous “I just don’t like their playing style I’d much rather watch Spain.” Really? You don’t like their playing style. Can you tell me Canada’s fucking playing style? Please describe to me why the soccer purist in you can’t stand watching the Canadian national team?

I probably shouldn’t be getting so upset about this but aside from bringing immense joy to the soccer fan in my the World Cup also brings out some real pricks. During the rugby World Cup next year I’ll probably watch a little. But I will not be masquerading any prior knowledge and if Canada doesn’t qualify (they may have already qualified or not qualified I have no idea) then I will not start putting down Canada’s rugby community by saying that Canada’s rugby team sucks.

Anyways now I’ve got my anger out-of-the-way I can move on to something a little more cheerful. The World Cup is tomorrow. Yes folks… tomorrow!

There are only so may ways I can say that I’m super excited. But I thought I’d leave you all with some mindless predictions before all the fun kicks off so here are my picks for the countries to advance out of the groups (in the order of first, second) :

Group Stage:

Group A: Uruguay, Mexico

Group B: Argentina, South Korea

Group C: England, USA

Group D: Serbia, Germany

Group E: Netherlands, Denmark

Group F: Italy, Paraguay

Group G: Brazil, Ivory Coast

Group H: Spain, Chile

Round of 16:

Uruguay over South Korea

Germany over England

Netherlands over Paraguay

Brazil over Chile

Serbia over USA

Argentina over Mexico

Denmark over Italy

Spain over Ivory Coast

Quarterfinals:

Brazil over Netherlands

Germany over Uruguay

Argentina over Serbia

Spain over Denmark

Semifinals:

Brazil over Germany

Argentina over Spain

3rd Place Playoff

Spain over Germany

Final

Brazil over Argentina

World Cup Diary: June 9th

Posted: June 9, 2010 by Sam in 2010 World Cup
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Holy Shit. The World Cup is two days away. I haven’t posted in a while mainly because all of my time is being taken up by working like crazy to get stuff done before the World Cup and listening to World Cup preview podcasts. The fever is most definitely here. I’m going crazy with anticipation. The drama, the media, the football, the fans, everything.

I can’t imagine how I’d feel if Canada was actually there. I think I might explode. Anyways before the tournament I thought I’d lay out some early thoughts on the World Cup.

The first thing I want to talk about is the England-USA game. Many Canadian bloggers have been calling for all Canadians to support the Americans… in fact Squizz went as far to say, “So, to be clear: if you have English blood in you, and you would support Canada if they were playing, then the following sentence does not apply to you. But for everyone else… any soccer fan in Canada not supporting the USA in this game can go fuck themselves.”

Probably tongue in cheek from Squizz, but regardless I’ll be backing England. Not because I disagree that development for soccer in the USA helps Canada I agree with that point. But as a Canadian sports fan in general I find it difficult to cheer for the United States in any sport. Especially against a team which has two player from Manchester United in Rooney and Carrick. So I do hope the USA does well, but I consider England to be somewhat my surrogate team behind Canada. So all the power to the Americans to do well after the England match, but this weekend I’ll do what the rest of Canada is doing put their support behind a European superpower and claim some sort of personal attachment. Yep sounds about right.

The other thing that I enjoy about supporting England aside from the Manchester United connections is the culture. The self-deprecating, over-hyping, over-analyzing, the penalty shootouts. It’s all great. As a “supporter” listening to the ridiculous phone-ins, the pundits who will lose their brains over the next month in blatant bias and the massive circus is enjoyable. So yes I’m supporting England at the World Cup. Will I be gutted if they are eliminated in the same way I am after a big Manchester United or Canada loss? Of course not. But I’m along for the ride with the three lions and ready to have some fun.

My other team at the World Cup is New Zealand. The main reason being the only two countries I’ve lived in during my life are Canada and New Zealand. But as a Canadian supporters we should be able to sympathize with the Kiwis. In New Zealand soccer plays second fiddle to sports like Rugby, and Cricket. They are a country with a rich sporting history that theoretically should do well in soccer. They haven’t qualified for the World Cup since 1982 (1986 for Canada) and they are overshadowed by their big neighbours in form of Australia.

New Zealand probably aren’t that much of a better team than Canada, but this shouldn’t be a reason to begrudge the Kiwis being their. It’s a great underdog story.

Finally not really a team I have any history with, but for obvious reasons I’d love to see South Africa do well. As would the rest of the world presumably.

So the big party is only two sleeps away!!!!

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