Listen Hear

It's been a pretty hectic few weeks for David Villa with transfer rumors and gossip overwhelming the news but he hasn't let that affect his form on the field. While his penalty miss against South Africa was pretty bad, Villa's goal (one minute later) was an incredible display of skill and helped to extend Spain's record-breaking unbeaten run and win streak.



A few more thoughts on the Confederations Cup group stage:

- First off: the United States. Wow. I'm sure several professional sports journalists have written about it so I won't get into it all but wow. After two lackluster performances, they finally showed some spirit on the field, producing 3 goals and conceding none against a tough but suddenly out-of-form Egyptian team. Not only did they pull off that miracle (they had only one goal, from a PK no less, in their two previous games) but they were handed second place in the group when Brazil destroyed Italy, also 3-0. Things like this don't happen often in sports so suffice to say, it was very exciting. Now the US moves on to face Spain in the semis. A respectable display against them would do wonders for a team that has been shaky as of late.

- I'm not usually one to heap praises on Landon Donovan but he has had a strong tournament. He's been working hard on defense, running at defenders with the ball and creating good space without. I know he's one of the best players in US history but I am a little surprised at how he has done. Let's just hope he continues playing well in this tourney, and carries this form into the Gold Cup, WC Qualifying and WC 2010.

- I am quick to praise Clint Dempsey, one of my favorite American players but he has had a pretty bad Confederations Cup. He picked up his play against Egypt picking out a couple superb through balls and scoring a nice header but other than that, he has not done that well. Had he not scored in the Egypt game, he would have warranted being benched for the early Gold Cup games. He's given up the ball cheaply, not hustled on defense and attempted to draw a foul too many times. All that leads me to believe he should be playing higher up on the field. He hasn't shown the work-rate to play in the midfield and honestly, he's just more effective as a forward or striker, something Coach Bob Bradley probably realizes now.

- After catching several Barca and Spain games in the past 18 months, I'm beginning to understand and appreciate the play of Xavi and Puyol. Earlier this year, it happened with Iniesta but after watching these Confederations Cup games I see why people love Xavi and Puyol as well. For someone not looking for things to like about these players, their ability to impress can be subtle because neither player is known for the spectacular in a SportsCenter Top Ten sort of way. Xavi's vision, confidence and composure on the ball when pulling strings in the midfield is top notch. He is also a solid defender which might not be expected based on his height and speed (or lack thereof). I've seen Puyol play at center back and on the right the past few times. Out wide, he's surprisingly effective going forward, creating space and picking out the right passes. In the middle, he uses his strength and smarts to win headers over players much taller than him, and he is a naturally-gifted tackler. The more I watch soccer, or any sport for that matter, the more I become familiar with the intricacies (some them obvious oversights based on prejudices, I admit) that make great players great. I don't know. It's nice to find reasons to like world class players that typically don't impress me.

- Even while missing some big name players and not choosing to play others, Brazil has looked strong. Fans may be complaining about the lack of flair this team plays with but few can argue the results. Yeah, it'd be nice to see some fancy footwork and silky skills but the style that Dunga has the Brazilians playing is grittier and more effective than I remember seeing the past few World Cups. Also, players I am less familiar with, like Maicon, Ramires, and Felipe Melo (a possible Arsenal transfer???) have been more impressive than players like Robinho, Kaka and Julio Cesar.

- The Italian team is an aging bunch but even still, they underachieved this tournament. I don't know what it was, but they just didn't look sharp. To touch on the age thing, I don't follow Serie A as much as La Liga or the BPL but I have gathered that the Italians like to honor their veteran players and they are a little hesitant to give young stars a chance. Without knowing the whole story about any of this, look at Giuseppe Rossi. He's only 22 years old. He plays in Spain for Villareal, where he earned a starters spot and has played really well. That allowed him to be called up to the national team where he also has done well, most recently scoring two goals against the US. Had he played in Serie A, I don't know if that would have happened so soon. Juve's Sebastian Giovinco for one, might be an excellent player for the national team but he doesn't get enough playing time for the coaching staff to evaluate him. Yes, Juve is arguably a deeper team than Villareal and Giovinco may not be as good as Rossi, but he still deserves a chance. At Juventus, he was playing behind the soon-to-retire Del Piero, the just-retired Nedved and the injured Trezeguet but he still only made a few appearances last season. Maybe it's because I like him but I feel that with experience, he could be a good player for the Italians... Other players that do get playing time at the club level and have been called up to the national team, need to get more games too. How can players like Santon and Santacroce gain experience at the international level when they don't get a chance?

- Last random thoughts... It was unintentional but I didn't watch any of the New Zealand games except the first half of the Spain game, which saw El Niño get a hat trick in 17 minutes. NZ didn't look good... Egypt played well in their first two matches. Even though they were missing Zidan, I would have thought they would have come out stronger in the US... Against Spain, Iraq showed everyone how to lose respectably. They held the best team in the world to one goal and they did it without parking 11 men in the box. Aside from giving the ball away too easily throughout the game, they were even able to maintain possession on occasion... South Africa looked decent from what I saw, which is good. It's always nice when host nations step their game up and compete against stronger teams. It definitely adds to the excitement, and this tournament has gotten me really excited for 2010... Finally, I don't see what the big deal is about the horns. One of my roommates can't stand them but I think they're fine. I don't think they take anything away from the broadcast. I think they either add to the atmosphere or provide a nice white noise to tone down annoying commentators. Mostly though, I just don't notice them that much because I'm focused on the game and they really aren't overwhelmingly loud through the TV. If they get banned from WC games, it would be stupid and if I was South African, I would be pissed.