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.

Training in Paradise

One of the most critical decisions each nation's federation makes in preparation for a World Cup is the choice of a home base and training facility. The way it worked for the 32 participating nations in the FIFA World Cup teams was FIFA set a date, and after midnight of that date, federations could put their requests to FIFA for training sites.

U.S. Soccer had been on the ground in Brazil, scouting club facilities well in advance of this time, and the nearly universal feedback was the Sao Paulo FC training ground was among the, if not the, best in the country. At 12:01 a.m., of the FIFA date, U.S. Soccer made their request, beating several other countries, all in line to jump at the chance to use this wonderful ground.

On off days, when the U.S. team is in Sao Paulo, there are generally press opportunities to meet with selected players and observe the first 15 minutes of each practice. Thursday was such a day, so I made my first visit to Sao Paulo FC, wanting to see for myself the source of these rave reviews.

As one can readily see, the U.S. has in no uncertain terms made this their home ground for the duration of the team's run in Brazil. Such visibility also comes with the attendant security each country receives from the Brazilian army and federal police.

Once one clears the obvious need for a security checkpoint, then turns into the training ground, the first impressions are strong. This is a beautiful training ground.

The field where the team trains has a good-sized grandstand and is a match field for scrimmages and the lower age group developmental teams. There are also two more full-size pitches, one with a nice shooting wall, which as a coach, I really like for interjecting some 'fun' into training.

The other amenities of the club are equally as nice. There is an outside patio, which overlooks the training pitches, and is perfect for the variety of entertaining, sponsor, and media functions, which go with running any successful club.

Once inside, the first thing one sees is the indoor 'recovery' pool, which is also suited for some soccer-related fun. Upstairs is a large press conference room, on a level with anything I ever experienced in the NFL, and an open area, outside the press conference room, for 'roundtable' interview situations.

It is in this open area the selected players for the day; Kyle Beckerman, Fabian Johnson, and Jermaine Jones held court with the media.

Straight from these sessions, the players hit the field to join the rest of the team in warmup running, stretching, juggling, and even sword play.

Once it is time to get down to work, Jurgen Klinsmann pulls the group together to give them their thoughts and topics for the day, then preparation for the next match, in this case, Portugal, begins. Can't really tell you anything about those preparations, as that's when the media is led back to their bus for the ride back to the hotel to file their stories and images.

One gets to stay behind, and that is my colleague, John Todd, who as owner of ISI, the official photo agency of U.S. Soccer, gets a different level of access than the rest of us. It is my privilege and honor for John to have selected me to help with ISI's coverage of this World Cup, and so far, I seem to be holding up OK, in all the ways previously discussed.

Tomorrow morning, Saturday, the Media Program groups leaves very early in the morning for Amazonia, the state where the host city of Manaus resides, and Portugal awaits.

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