Coming Down to Last, and "The Match"

Ever since the draw for the 2014 World Cup was made last December, landing the US in the 'Group of Death' with WC nemesis, Ghana, Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, and Jurgen Klinsmann's former German side, the speculation and drama rolled rampant.

The MD -1 press conference for US-Germany had both coaches admitting their long-time respect and friendship for each other, but also adamantly reinforcing this was a match both their teams were making every effort to win.

Most of the night before, and the morning of the match, torrential seasonal rains hit Recife, and my choice was to take the very first FIFA shuttle from the hotel, due to both the weather conditions and the early kickoff of 1:00 p.m., local time. The ride to the stadium, 40 minutes the day before, was nearly two hours on match day.

Recife's streets had flooded to the point where three-lane roads in each direction were completely submerged, with police diverting all cars, only allowing truck and bus traffic in the middle "high ground" of the road. Quality of the photo isn't great due to early morning light and driving rain, but you get the idea.

Just getting from the door of the hotel to the bus, I got completely soaked, and my shoes and socks bore the worst of it. My choice of lightweight nylon fishing pants and quick-dry US Soccer shirt (my shirt of choice for all matches here), proved to be good, as they would eventually, hours after the match, dry out.

Despite the continued rain into and throughout the match, the pitch was in pretty good shape, and not really a factor.

The shooting conditions for most of the match, however, were extremely difficult. Most of the time out on the field was spent under the camera 'rain jacket' and poncho, unused from Katie's college graduation in May (thanks!). It was mostly camera protection, as everything else was soaked through and through.

The players said the playing surface during the rain was less a factor than the actual rain making it hrd to see, hitting their eyes on recovery sprints, etc.

This shot of Mesut Ozil on the dribble gives you an idea of how hard the rain came down at times.

Overall, the match was played to the US plan of limiting German possession in and around the box, and taking the match into halftime scoreless, showed that plan was working. Afterwards, though, Jurgen Klinsmann would state "in the beginning we gave the Germans too much respect, allowing them more possession than we would have liked."

It was that continued possession that would finally pay dividends for Germany. In the 55th minute, Tim Howard made an excellent punch of a German shot.

The rebound would go outside the left edge of the box, where a lurking Thomas Mueller, given just a little too much room, and not closed down quickly enough, would bend a brilliant finish inside the far post for a 1-0 German lead.

Despite the possession stats being strongly in the Germans' favor, 63-37, much of that was due to the early 'respect' Klinsmann referred to, as well as some significant passing around the back, with the US playing only Clint Dempsey up top at forward.

German-American Jermaine Jones was a man possessed the entire match, winning head ball after head ball, and challenging and winning loose balls all over the field.

Another tireless worker, midfielder Michael Bradley, sprinted to cover, held to delay, and covered more space than imaginable in the midfield. Through the entire Group Stage, and covering all 32 teams, Bradley covered more ground than any other player, nearly the distance of a complete marathon, much at a very high pace, or out-and-out sprints.

DeMarcus Beasley, the most veteran of the US team, now in his fourth World Cup, also continued his outstanding play on the left flank of the defense. His play was so strong it drew yet another frustration foul, although this obvious infraction, possibly even worthy of a yellow card, by Miroslav Klose was not whistled by the referee.

As the match neared full time, the US built an attack, which nearly snatched a point. A ball served from the left flank was tracked down by Dempsey on the back post, and very likely would have found home, had not enough of a leaning into by defender Mats Hummels kept 'Deuce' from driving all the way through his shot.

Admittedly, the draw would have changed nothing as it turned out. The threat of Ghana was dispatched when Portugal won that simultaneous match, 2-1, a fact the players were made aware of as the final whistle in Recife sounded. With both teams safely into the Round of 16, friendships were renewed and advancement celebrated. The sacrifice and support of the American Outlaws, and all of the US fans has been praised and greatly appreciated by the team, which defied 'Death'.

In the end, I even had a personal moment, finally catching up to my alma mater's Class of 2010, four members of which celebrated their recent college graduations, and two of them their birthdays, in Brazil at this World Cup. We had messaged and tried the previous two matches, but ultimately, just like the US, made it happen in the end. LionPride, and again, as I said four years ago, when two of these four were in South Africa, pride fuels passion.

A date in the Knockout Round with Belgium awaits.
For those who are not aware, the very first World Cup was played in South America in 1930. The second match ever contested was, you guessed it, US-Belgium, with the US winning, 3-0. Since then, the two countries have only played four more times, with Belgium winning all four. We are now, back in South America, and this is a US team that is looking to make their own history. Here. And NOW.

All contents of this blog, written and photographic, are copyrighted 2014, All Rights Reserved, by Perry McIntyre - Atlanta, GA.

Dramatic Subplots and Scenarios

When Portugal snatched back two points in the final seconds of their match with the US in Manaus, it removed one of the great possibilities of the Americans entering the final match of Group G play in first place, with Germany needing a win to claim the group.

Instead, the two second-match draws in Group G left all four teams with at least some chance of advancement into the Knockout Stage. With US still in control of the second spot, a tie against Germany guaranteeing advancement, there was some speculation Jurgen Klinsmann's past associations with his homeland, national team, and coach, would steer the match in that direction.

During the Match Day -1 press conference, all on hand, from both teams, assured the media the competitive nature of the athletes and coaches, once the match was underway, would not allow for such an arrangement. The spirit of both sides during the press conference, though, was upbeat, with both Klinsmann, and his former assistant, Joachim Loew, now in control of the German side, relaxed.

The players, too, assured all their efforts were focused on their respective sides winning, with first place in the group the prize. Naturally, as a dual citizen of both countries, who plays in Germany, Fabian Johnson of the US was emphatic of his team's intent.

And US midfielder Kyle Beckerman recalled to all on hand the nature of the US team during World Cup qualification, playing through every match, especially at Panama, when having already qualified, the US fought back late to win, thereby eliminating the host team from a trip to Brazil, and giving Mexico the play-in lifeline, which they have used to full advantage in Brazil.

The only German player presented was Mesut Ozil of Arsenal in the English Premier League. For those of you old enough to have seen the classic comedy, Mel Brooks movie, Young Frankenstein, I quietly chuckled at the resemblance to the character Igor, played by Marty Feldman. It's the eyes (as in 'I-gor'). OK, and for you Arsenal fans, yes, I acknowledge he's a brilliant player, nonetheless.

After the press conference, the US was first on the field, and the strangest of sights for this time of year in Recife, the sun came out. The hopes were, since this was the same time of day as would be the match the next day, maybe, just maybe, we would be so lucky for similar playing conditions.

As it would turn out, nothing could have been further from the truth, but that is for the next post.

All contents of this blog, written and photographic, are copyrighted 2014, all Rights Reserved, by Perry McIntyre - Atlanta, GA.

Quick Turnaround. Another Plane Ride

The day after the Holland-Chile match, we were packing up at our Sao Paulo hotel to travel again, this time once again up to the northeast coast, to Recife, for the final Group G match - Germany.

The flight was an evening affair, so the three-hour flight was time for a short nap, and a late, after midnight, arrival at our FIFA hotel, the Mecure Navegantes, one block off the beach. Its designation as a FIFA hotel means it was a FIFA shuttle stop, and that it had the most modern accommodations. Those modern accommodations did not involve the easiest, or most consistent, access to the Internet, and differing from all of our other host hotels, our media program package did not include breakfast.

The next morning, we awoke to not an overcast day, that marks the changing of the seasons here, as they just entered their 'winter', which means rain. Nonetheless, my 16th floor did show me the beach in daylight.

Upon waling out my door, the walkway opening showed the city of Recife, itself.

Recife is the fifth-largest city in Brazil, and has the traffic and lack of infrastructure to make it a traffic nightmare. Much of the developmental density is pushed towards the beach, but many narrow, and even one-way streets make navigation tricky, especially as our group travels on a large coach-style bus.

To travel to Arena Pernambuco, named for the Brazilian state where Recife resides, it is a 40-minute ride with NO traffic. We arrived to find this modern facility, but as we would refer to the locale back home, 'out in the country'.

With that introduction to the third and final of our host cities, I will close this entry, and devote the next to the actual Match Day -1 preparations and press conference.

One final note, however, is there is a popular restaurant down the block from our hotel. A number of our group chose to venture there for dinner. One of the New York writers had his Visa cloned there, and hit up for over $46,000 in charges in less than 48 hours. I know, it could happen anywhere, but Brazil is using the World Cup to pad every pocket possible, in any way possible.

All contents of this blog, written and photographic, are copyrighted 2014, all Rights Reserved, by Perry McIntyre - Atlanta, GA.

So Far Behind, So Sorry....

As we sit in the US Soccer media work room on Saturday, watching Brazil-Chile in the first match of the Knockout Round, my guilt is heavy for not having been able to post anything since Manaus.

We flew overnight from Manaus, back to Sao Paulo, then I jumped on a bus at the airport, directly to Arena Corinthians for the Holland-Chile Group B finale. The next day we were out the door again to Recife, for the U.S.-Germany match prep. The combination of long flights (and waits), bus rides, bad (or mostly no) Internet at the Recife FIFA hotel, the time demands of my photo mission, and more travel (back to Sao Paulo) having given very little in the way of time to keep the blog as I would have preferred.

Sitting now until halftime of the Brazil match, when we leave for U.S. training, thought I would at least get some images, and a few comments, up from the Holland-Chile match.

First, you have to know when you go to a Holland (Netherlands, Nederlands) match you will see LOTS of orange, especially at a World Cup.

Only once I received the start sheet (roster), did I realize Dutch star Robin Van Persie was suspended from the match for accumulated yellow cards. That changed the focus of my shoot, as well as the point of attack for the group leaders. Bayern Munich star Arjen Robben is always a thorn in the side of any opponent, but against Chile, he was a dynamo, and the last thing you want to seeing when playing Holland is Robben dribbling through space towards your penalty box, then getting the ball on his lethal left foot.

Admittedly one of the world's elite players, his look and snarky demeanor makes him a  'love him, or hate him' type of player. To me, he just reminds me of Captain Jean Luc Piccard from Star Trek - The Next Generation.

Without Van Persie, however, Chile was able to hold the Dutch at bay through halftime, and into the second half. Midfielder Wesley Sneijder, was a shadow player, so much so, I was not even able to get a photo of him on the ball. He was removed in the 75th minute for Leroy Fer.

It was only a couple minutes later, Fer put Holland in front with a header off a corner. From then, the Dutch nursed their lead with three-tournament veteran Dirk Kuyt keeping things organized until being subbed out in the 89th minute.

With Chile desperate to get an equalizer, they were caught on a counter attack in the second minute of stoppage time, when Robben broke the left flank, crossing a back post ball to Memphis Depay, who had come on in the 69th minute for an ineffective Jeremain Lens.

The win guaranteed Holland a perfect nine points for the Group Stage, matching them in the Knockout Round with surprising Mexico, which tied Brazil with seven points in Group A, but was second out of the group on the goals tiebreaker.

With the return of Van Persie, the Dutch have to be one of the favored teams to reach the final from their half of the bracket. Their semifinal would be either Argentina, or of course the U.S., who still look to be a factor in the process at the time of this writing.

One final note, actor Patrick Stewart, who played Capt. Jean Luc Piccard, shares my birthday, July 13th, the day of the 2014 FIFA World Cup final. Yeah, I know, it probably means nothing, but.....

All contents of this blog, written and photographic, are copyrighted 2014, all Rights Reserved, by Perry McIntyre - Atlanta, GA.

Belly Ball, then Belly Drop...

My apologies for taking a while to post from the Portugal match. We returned to our Manaus hotel long enough to shower, pack, then get on a 3:15 a.m., bus for the long flight back to Sao Paulo. Upon arrival in Sao Paulo, I immediately went to Arena Corinthians to shoot the Holland-Chile match.

The time has given me some opportunity to reflect, and get past the disappointment of letting two points, and guaranteed advancement into the Knockout Stage, slip away past the fifth minute of stoppage time. In reality, considering our group, the vast majority of fans, coaches, players, et al, would have gladly accepted sitting on four points after two matches, were we given the option going into the final match.

That being said, the match ended so dramatically, and with such a sudden turn of tide, there was palpable emotion at the end of the match. Players, who had for the most part, played excellent matches, all had a moment or two of 'what ifs', but in the end the team, and we as supporters, are all in this together, so second-guessing at this point does nothing towards picking ourselves up from the disappointment, and getting ready for Germany in Recife.

Fact is, in most soccer matches, regardless of the level, it is the little mistakes by the opposition good teams capitalize into chances and goals. It was such a mistake on a poor outlet pass, which led to Portugal's first-half lead.

With renewed focus, US came out for the second half, looking to level the match. In the 55th minute, midfielder Michael Bradley found himself running back post with most of the target to finish for an easy equalizer. From the Portugal perspective, defender Ricardo Costa had fortunately drifted into the mouth of the goal, and only his kneed clearance kept his team's advantage. For the moment.

At halftime, a number of players had delivered a message to midfielder Jermaine Jones, who very likely played his finest match ever for the US. It took until the 64th minute for the opportunity in the halftime message to find its chance, but in his words:

"At halftime everybody told me to try to shoot," Jones said after the match. "When I got the ball, I tried to get it on my left foot. I tried to get the ball in that corner. I only heard Beas from behind, 'shoot, shoot, shoot,' so I shot and I am happy it goes in."

With 25 minutes to play, no one could know the level of drama that would unfold in the remaining regulation time (plus five-plus minutes) of the match. Soon after the goal, Jones would pick up a yellow card for a 'good' foul, which ended a dangerous Portuguese buildup. The danger now, is Jones pick up a second yellow against Germany, making him unavailable should the US move into the Round of 16.

The match was played very much from end to end, with Portugal having a slight 52-48 edge in possession for the match as a whole. A player still looking to find his pre-World Cup form, Graham Zusi, made good in the 81st minute on one his few deep runs into the attacking third. Sending a ball in front of goal, Zusi found his target, where as a good forward does, Clint Dempsey used whatever way necessary to redirect the ball into the net, in this case, belly-bouncing the ball home for a 2-1 lead and a glimpse of imminent advancement.

With a sense of purpose, and a final muster of energy, the US stiffened their resolve, making every effort to get the ball on the other half of the field. One of the key components in this effort was the 72nd minute substitution of World Cup debutante, DeAndre Yedlin, who gave some pace and energy to the attack and recovery on the right flank.

As this, the Portugal left flank, is one of the preferred hunting grounds for world superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese dynamo found himself drifting to the right flank, patrolled ably most of the match by the US veteran of now four World Cups, DeMarcus Beasley. Such was Ronaldo's frustration that Beasley became the target for a late foul, which required his being momentarily stretchered off the pitch.

When the match reached full time and the board went up with five additional minutes, there were some exchanged glances among the US faithful and media that amount of extra time may have been a bit generous. The inopportune substitution, removing Zusi in the 91st minute, may have indeed extended the stoppage time those fatefully few extra seconds at the end.

A ball, uncharacteristically turned over in midfield, which was now one man short with the added defender, resulted in a ball finding its way to Ronaldo on the flank. Beasley hesitant, or unable, to shut down the cross, leading to the pinpoint centering pass, which found itself in the US net, and the match level at essentially the final touch of the ball.

On a positive note, the US had taken a point from the team ranked fourth by FIFA going into the tournament. Admittedly, that Portuguese side was depleted from injuries and suspension, but so too was the US, without Jozy Altidore, so much so, Klinsmann went with a formation featuring only one player up top.

Now the entire group goes into the final day of Group G play, with simultaneous matches, and all teams having incentive to put forward their best efforts.  Sadly, FIFA set the schedule so both Germany and Ghana have an extra day of rest. Portugal and the US come off an emotionally and physically draining match, played in the furthest most outpost of World Cup venues, Manaus, deep in the heat and humidity of Amazonia.

The US chances of advancement still squarely lie in their own efforts, so as much drama as was presented to the world in Arena Amazonia, even more so will be on tap, Thursday, noon, EDT, from Recife.

The team are appreciative of the attention from home, and enter the match believing, 'One Nation - One Team'.

All contents of this blog, written and photographic, are copyrighted 2014, all Rights Reserved, by Perry McIntyre - Atlanta, GA.

Welcome to the Jungle

My facebook friends have already seen a few images in an album of the same name, but the reality is, today, for the critical Group G match with Portugal, it is in the dreaded Manaus, where the US contingent finds itself.

Arriving Friday, the team began to acclimate to the heat and humidity, which is not all too dissimilar to Florida. The remainder of the US support group, friends, family, and of course, media, arrived yesterday, Saturday.

Cannot go any further without sharing my first glimpse of the Amazon River, on our approach to Manaus.

Several of the media group chose the morning of the match, Sunday, to go on a brief river tour, to view the stark, color line confluence of the Rio Negro. I, however, am in the comfort and air conditioning of the SMC, getting caught up on work, which has slipped behind in travel.

Speaking of travel, and back to yesterday, we went  from the Manaus airport directly to Arena Amazonia, for the US press conference and training session. Of the  arenas I have visited so far, this one is the most modern and worthy of a being a World Cup venue.

As the US press conference was beginning, the result of the Germany-Ghana draw was becoming final. Despite that result, and the obvious chaos and raising of the stakes for the US match with Portugal, both coach Jurgen Klinsmann and goalkeeper, Tim Howard, came across as relaxed and ready for the challenge.

Once the team hit the pitch for training, for which the media only have access for the first 15 minutes, the team looked very much like a focused side, ready to get on with a big match. One of the big topics has been the status of captain Clint Dempsey, but other than a pretty good shiner, he seems fine, despite the broken nose suffered in the Ghana win.

At this juncture, am also throwing in a random photo of Kyle Beckerman, for my son, Will. Don't worry, Hunter, your shots of Wondo and Graham Zusi are in the works.

During the press conference, a couple of German writers attempted to ask Jurgen about the Germany match. Both the FIFA Media Officer and Jurgen quickly cut them off. "Today we only think about, talk about, Portugal." The smile in that press room, had turned 'all business' once the coach hit the training pitch.

It is y'all, now, finally, match day. Here's hoping it is an epic day for US Soccer history.
U! S! A!

All contents of this blog, written and photographic, are copyrighted 2014, all Rights Reserved, by Perry McIntyre - Atlanta, GA.

First, some Unfinished Business

Find myself sitting virtually alone in the SMC at Manaus, early Sunday morning of the US-Portugal match. The Internet in the hotel is not very good, and the air conditioning in the SMC is very good, so thought I would come over to get some catch-up work out of the way prior to the match.

The first blog to be cranked out this morning is a quick recap of the England-Uruguay match, Thursday, in Sao Paulo. Yes, due to schedules and travel, I am that far behind keeping you, my few loyalists, in the know about my experiences in Brazil.

In Sao Paulo, there is no good way to get to Arena Corinthians, the Sao Paulo venue, from our hotel, the Tryp Higienoplois. Seemingly the best method we have come up with to date is to ride the express train from the Luz station, as we did for Match 1. Less crowded than the day of the Brazil opener, of course, the train was nonetheless quite full, mostly of enthusiastic Uruguayan fans.

An interesting note is the two young girls in the middle in the Columbia jerseys. They had tickets to the Columbia match, that same day, but no way to get to the match, so they went with their family to the Sao Paulo match. I know this because they both attend 'The American School', and their English, even the younger one, was quite good. The older, a rising high school sophomore, hopes to go to college in the U.S.

Another fan in the same group, was in a divided kit, but his loyalties were solidly behind one player.

As it turned out, his choice was an impeccable one, the night Luis Suarez made his return to the Uruguay stating 11, after a minor knee surgery following the English Premier League season. It was also interesting England chose to start five of Suarez' Liverpool teammates, but as the match progressed, it was obvious Suarez was choosing to pick on the defenders from Chelsea (Gary Cahill) and Everton (Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka).

Speaking of defenders for a moment, it appears Uruguay has replaced their, in the politest terms, 'enforcer' from 2010, who was Diego Lugano, with Diego Godin. It was Godin, who in the ninth minute received a just yellow card from Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo.

After being booked, however, Godin continued his persistency, being warned on a couple of corner kicks of holding Gary Cahill, up as an obvious target player, then in this sequence, pulling Daniel Sturridge off a ball he would have easily won and turned into a dangerous attack at the top of the box. Strangely, Uruguay remained at full strength the entire match, with Godin playing perhaps beyond the boundaries of the laws for the more than 80 minutes remaining in the match.

It was Suarez slipping Cahill's mark on a back post header in the first half, naturally on the far end of the field from me, that gave Uruguay a one-goal halftime lead. England returned with a renewed vigor after intermission, and finally drew level in the 75th minute, again on the far end of the pitch from my position, when Wayne Rooney finally tapped in a back post sitter for his first World Cup goal in 10 matches. 

The entire second half, Suarez maintained pressure on England's back line in every contestable situation. Sadly, it was a great player, in a strong case of deja vu, who would make the critical error.

In a seminal match, late in the English Premier League season, Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard, a player of impeccable accomplishments and day-in, day-out sound play, misplayed a ball, which turned into an opposition goal, a goal that very likely could have cost Liverpool the EPL title. In the 85th minute of this World Cup match, it was Gerrard's misplayed attempt at a headed clearance that would bloop backwards, with a voracious Suarez immediately pouncing on the loose ball, driving to net for the winner, blasted over goalkeeper Joe Hart's right shoulder.

Indeed, it was a triumphant return for a player playing for his country against five of his club 'mates, and securing bragging rights in the Liverpool changing room for the duration of his recently extended stay on the red side of the Mersey.

The actual 'bragging' however, will very likely always go unspoken in that clubhouse, for on the other side that night in Sao Paulo, a stellar career of the Reds captain most likely ended for England. It was the bittersweet moment, and it was Suarez first, then other Uruguayan players later, who sought out Gerrard to console him. Where there are winners and great triumph, there too are always heartbreaking stories of the losing side.

All contents of this blog, written and photographic, are copyrighted 2014, all Rights Reserved, by Perry McIntyre - Atlanta, GA.