Edward Perez – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com Breaking news from the Farm since 1892 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 16:04:49 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://stanforddaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-DailyIcon-CardinalRed.png?w=32 Edward Perez – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com 32 32 204779320 Perez: Examining the stadium situation of the Oakland Raiders https://stanforddaily.com/2014/08/18/perez-examining-the-stadium-situation-of-the-oakland-raiders/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/08/18/perez-examining-the-stadium-situation-of-the-oakland-raiders/#comments Mon, 18 Aug 2014 16:04:49 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1087555 For the Oakland Raiders, it has always been tough to find a place to call home. Having emerged as the home for a professional football team against all odds, Oakland was selected to receive the eighth AFL franchise as a way to appease the demands of Los Angeles Chargers owner Barron Hilton, who wanted a […]

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For the Oakland Raiders, it has always been tough to find a place to call home. Having emerged as the home for a professional football team against all odds, Oakland was selected to receive the eighth AFL franchise as a way to appease the demands of Los Angeles Chargers owner Barron Hilton, who wanted a second team on the West Coast.

However, when the Raiders began as a franchise in 1960, there were no stadiums in Oakland that were suitable for hosting a football team at the time. As such, Raiders management was unsure about where to look to stage home games. Cal refused to lend Memorial Stadium to the Raiders, leaving the Raiders to look to Kezar Stadium as their first home field. Subsequently, the Raiders were permitted to use Candlestick Park for the final three home games of their first official season.

In 1961, the Raiders were allowed to play exclusively at Candlestick Park. However, one of the team owners, Y. Charles Soda, still threatened to move the Raiders out of the area if a stadium was not built in Oakland to host the Raiders. This threat prompted the Raiders’ move to Frank Youell Field in Oakland from 1962 to 1965.

Later, the Raiders were given the newly built Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum as their home stadium, as the Silver and Black played their first game at O.co in 1966. Along with the Raiders, the Kansas City Athletics (founded in Philadelphia as the Philadelphia Athletics) took interest in the new stadium and made a move to The Town, becoming the Oakland Athletics in the process.

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Fast forward to the present, and things are still not bright for the Raiders. Oakland has not made the playoffs since 2002, with its lease of the O.co Coliseum expiring at the end of the upcoming season. As such, the Raiders are on the prowl for a new home. Unless the Raiders can come to an agreement with the city of Oakland on a new stadium, Oakland may lose the franchise for the second time in 35 years.

The city of Oakland worries that a new stadium for the Raiders will cost over a billion dollars. As such, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suggested that the Raiders could rent Levi’s Stadium from the San Francisco 49ers, but Raiders owner Mark Davis has rejected the idea.

The A’s, which recently signed a new 10-year lease, but can opt out the deal after 2018 with minimal financial penalties, also factor into the Raiders’ future. This is because negotiations between the city of Oakland and the Raiders have included the possibility of demolishing the O.co Coliseum, which would sabotage the new 10-year lease that the A’s just agreed to.

As one can see, it is a really tricky situation. The A’s were also previously angling for their own stadium in San Jose, but Major League Baseball convinced them of staying in Oakland. In my estimation, the best move for the Raiders seems to be finding a new home outside of Oakland, with Davis strongly pushing for this option.

Los Angeles and San Antonio are at the top of the list for landing the Raiders in the future. In particular, let’s not forgot to mention that the Raiders moved to L.A. in 1982, where they remained until their return to Oakland in 1994.

A recent joint practice between the Raiders and the Dallas Cowboys in Los Angeles drew 8,000 fans, with most in attendance sporting the silver and black; the fans even proceeded to start a chant to bring the Raiders back to L.A.  Magic Johnson also believes that Los Angeles is ready to once again for an NFL team should the Raiders opt to return.

Most recently, news has focused on the possibility that San Antonio may have a chance to land the Raiders. On the other hand, Tom Osborn and Josh Baugh, in a report for San Antonio Express News, give insight on why this move may not ultimately happen. For one thing, the town’s beloved NBA franchise, the San Antonio Spurs, are opposed to the Raiders’ possible move to south Texas.

In their report, Osborn and Baugh also highlight the Raiders’ lack of recent success as a potential stumbling block to the move. While the Spurs have won five titles in the last 15 years, the Raiders’ last championship came in 1983. Furthermore, the Raiders have also not made the playoffs since their last Super Bowl appearance in 2002. Therefore, the Silver and Black’s complete implosion over the last decade as a franchise may deter would-be host cities, including San Antonio.

Finally, according to NBC Sports, the Spurs also worry that if the Raiders were to move to San Antonio, the health of the basketball franchise would be undermined by competition in the market for revenue streams like sponsorships, suite rentals and ticket sales.

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For now, the Raiders will likely stay at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for one more season. Nevertheless, the franchise will be anxious over what the future holds for them. Regardless of the final outcome, the next few months figure to be filled with contentious debate over the fate of a historic and proud franchise.

Contact Edward Perez at edwardp.nbtb13 ‘at’ gmail.com.

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Perez: My journey to the University of Dayton through college basketball https://stanforddaily.com/2014/08/14/perez-my-journey-to-the-university-of-dayton-through-college-basketball/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/08/14/perez-my-journey-to-the-university-of-dayton-through-college-basketball/#comments Thu, 14 Aug 2014 16:00:29 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1087483 Growing up in a family of four, with both of my parents having emigrated from Mexico to the United States, I can vividly recall watching countless Mexican soccer matches on TV. When I was two, I remember my dad sliding into his giant green armchair after a long day of work, turning on the TV […]

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Growing up in a family of four, with both of my parents having emigrated from Mexico to the United States, I can vividly recall watching countless Mexican soccer matches on TV. When I was two, I remember my dad sliding into his giant green armchair after a long day of work, turning on the TV and flipping the channel to Univision to tune into the 1998 FIFA World Cup that was staged in France. In fact, looking back now, it is as if the Mexican national soccer team was the only team that my family watched on television.

The only time my sister and I really experienced any sport besides soccer was when my mother played the Space Jam VHS cassette we owned. I swear I watched Space Jam at least 50 times during my childhood. The humorous showdown between the cast of Looney Tunes characters, alongside basketball legend Michael Jordan, and the “Monstars,” sparked my interest in basketball as a kid. As such, my siblings and I managed to convince my mom to buy us a basic basketball system from Fisher-Price.

Over the years, my interest in basketball was subdued by my overwhelming passion for soccer. Thinking back now, it is kind of ironic; I remember condemning soccer, and anybody playing the game, in the second and third grades. However, my passion for soccer was sparked in the fourth grade, after I watched Joga Bonito commercials that featured soccer legends such as Eric Cantona, Thierry Henry, Ronaldo, Luiz Nazario, Roberto Carlos, Wayne Rooney and my all-time favorite player, Ronaldinho. I wanted to be just like Ronaldinho, so I would practice for hours every day, aiming to perfectly replicate his infamous elastic move, and also attempt endless bicicletas.

In any case, basketball did not capture my interest again until the eighth grade. My writing teacher had attended the University of Texas at Austin, and around March, I recall her mentioning March Madness and explaining what it was. She defined it as a heated point in the NCAA basketball season when numerous colleges would compete to advance to the finals for a shot at winning the national championship. She would then proceed to make horns with her index finger and her pinky, and shout “hook ‘em horns!”

It seemed strange at first, but something about the concept of March Madness was nevertheless interesting to me. The only problem was that I grew up in a low-income, working-class community, so college was not really on the agendas of many of the children growing up in our community. Therefore, the only university I was familiar with at the time was Stanford University, since it was literally down the street from where I lived in East Palo Alto. However, I never knew what channel televised these “March Madness” games.

My enrollment at Eastside College Prep made me a bit more familiar with colleges and universities, as the school had a reputation of sending 100 percent of its graduates to four-year colleges and universities.  Nevertheless, it was not until my junior year of high school that I discovered my passion for writing, so I decided to take part in my school’s journalism program.

There was not much to cover in the world of sports since my school was really small. But basketball is at the heart of Eastside’s identity, as the school has a tradition of consistently winning league titles. Once more during March of my junior year, I was reunited with the concept of March Madness when I was assigned to cover the March Madness picks of teachers on campus.  It was not anything special; I simply asked each teacher to explain his or her picks.

My senior year was when the idea of college literally took over my life. The application process was very stressful, and I was still unsure where I really wanted to go. In the process of choosing schools to apply to, I selected schools where some of my relatives had attended. One of them in particular was a school that I never seriously considered attending. I knew nothing about the university besides for the fact that it was in Ohio.

The University of Dayton never made my top five of colleges that I wanted to attend, but nevertheless, I still applied because one of my cousins attends the school and likes it. When the early months of this year came around, college acceptance letters flooded in, and by March, I was down to deciding between three schools based on financial reasons: St. John’s University, St. Edward’s University and the University of Dayton.

March Madness was also going on at the time, and it was being streamed online for free by the NCAA, TBS and CBS. I promised myself that I would keep up with it, so I tuned in to see what was going on. To my surprise, Dayton had just advanced to the Sweet 16 after upsetting Syracuse 55-53, which was a No. 3 seed and one of the favorites to advance to the Final Four.

Dayton was now on my radar, and I looked forward to the Flyers’ confrontation with Stanford in the Sweet 16. In the meantime, I also watched the Round of 32 game between Arizona and Gonzaga, as well as the Baylor-Creighton matchup. Basketball was streaming on my laptop all day at that point.

Game day finally arrived for the Flyers, as they were scheduled to face Stanford in Memphis, Tennessee. In reality, it seemed like a home game for the Flyers, as Dayton’s fans drowned out the cheers from Stanford’s fans. The Flyer faithful was incredible throughout the game. The noise level the fans produced was insane, and the blue and red paint covering some of the fans represented the pride that they had in UD.

I was practically sold on attending Dayton midway through the game. I wanted to be in the stands next season, cheering for this incredible team. As Devin Oliver and the humungous Matt Kavanaugh kept the momentum going for the Flyers, the noise level coming from the UD fans only increased. At the end of the first half, Dayton took a 10-point lead into the locker room.

Besides for opening college letters and taking final exams, my anxiety levels have never been as high as they were during that game. I really felt as if I were in Memphis, cheering Dayton on as a fan. In an empty house besides for my mother and I, my cheering echoed through the halls of my house, with phrases such as “Hit them threes, baby!”

I had my hands in my hair and my teeth in my pillow, hoping to see Dayton advance. Players such as Kendall Pollard and Jordan Sibert played the game of their lives, with Pollard making all but one of his shots, and Sibert scoring a team-high 18 points.

Furthermore, Dayton’s chances were helped when the Cardinal lost some key players to foul trouble. In particular, when Stefan Nastic stormed off the court after committing his fourth foul in the second half, it was clear that Dayton was going to advance. Ultimately, thanks to tremendous teamwork and passion, the Flyers advanced to the Elite 8 for the first time since 1984. Twelve Flyer players received minutes in the Sweet 16 game, which helped tire the Cardinal, leaving them unable to stage a comeback.

I remember immediately posting a picture of the game on Instagram, captioning it “D8on on to the elite 8, I’m sold!” Unfortunately, a few days later, the Flyers fell to another favorite to win the tournament, Florida, by a score of 62-52. However, despite the loss, Dayton had a terrific season, and I hope to attend many of their games during my time at UD.

Nevertheless, having also interned at the Branner Library this summer, and with The Stanford Daily, I have also formed a connection to the Cardinal. I have a lot of respect for Stanford, and I hope to see the Card continue their tradition of excellence in academics and athletics. I can certainly say that it would be great to see Dayton and Stanford in the NCAA tournament next March.

Edward Perez will be a college freshman at the University of Dayton in a couple of weeks. To wish Edward well as he enters an exciting time in his life, contact him at EdwardP.NBTB13 ‘at’ gmail.com.

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Perez: Surveying the European club football transfer market https://stanforddaily.com/2014/08/09/perez-surveying-the-european-club-football-transfer-market/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/08/09/perez-surveying-the-european-club-football-transfer-market/#respond Sun, 10 Aug 2014 00:00:55 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1087362 When addressing the ongoing buzz about summer transfers in the world of football, one cannot help but give credit to the 2014 FIFA World Cup for providing a fantastic stage for players to shine on in front of the eyes of millions. When the last club season came to an end this past May, teams […]

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When addressing the ongoing buzz about summer transfers in the world of football, one cannot help but give credit to the 2014 FIFA World Cup for providing a fantastic stage for players to shine on in front of the eyes of millions. When the last club season came to an end this past May, teams from across the world began to reflect on their seasons, while looking for ways to improve before the start of the new season in August.

For many squads, a primary way to improve is by replacing aging and deficient players. Even former world-class players with tremendous vision and technical ability are not immune from this phenomenon; Barcelona midfielder and former Spain international Xavi Hernandez, at 34, is one example of a player who is simply past his prime, as he is unable to keep up with the aggression and speed of modern football, especially when participating in La Liga and the Champions League.

As a result, there is a possibility that Xavi may leave the Spanish giants and join Al Arabi, a team located in Qatar. To replace their central mastermind, Barcelona signed Ivan Rakitic, who alongside Luka Modric, put up a stellar performance at the World Cup. The two will now face each other in the upcoming season in the Spanish Clasico that promises to be epic.

Continuing on the topic of transfers in La Liga, the signings of Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez shocked the world, as Real Madrid signed two of the top players from the 2014 World Cup. Rodriguez emerged as a star of the World Cup, while clinching the Golden Boot Award for having scored the most (six) goals in the tournament in only five matches. Kroos was vital to Germany’s success in the World Cup, having notched four assists and two goals in seven matches.

With a roster filled with superstars, Barcelona will not hesitate in deciding who does not meet its standards. In making room for the most controversial signing of the summer, namely former Liverpool striker Luis Suárez, Barcelona sold Chilean superstar Alexis Sanchez to Arsenal. Suárez, who is banned for four months of club football and nine international matches for biting Giorgio Chiellini (after having bit Otman Bakkal in 2010, and Branislav Ivanovic in 2013) in a group stage match between Italy and Uruguay, could possibly debut for Barcelona in the first Clasico of the 2014-15 season, scheduled for October.

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Goalkeepers were a huge story at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Although 171 goals were scored in total, goalkeepers still managed to shine and attract the eyes of big clubs. Guillermo Ochoa, a favorite of Mexican fans, was humorously portrayed as a saint in memes all across the Internet after he played a fantastic match against the initial World Cup favorites, Brazil.

In the second group stage match for both sides, Ochoa emerged as the Man of the Match with six crucial saves to keep the game scoreless after Brazil proved to be the more threatening side. While Ochoa was tentatively called up to Mexico’s 23-man World Cup roster with the distinct possibility that he might not play a single minute, he became an instant hero to many.

After being released by his former club AC Ajaccio, which has been relegated to Ligue 2, Malaga signed Ochoa on a free transfer. In his debut for Malaga on August 6th, Ochoa played 60 minutes, with his side prevailing by a score of 4-1.

Continuing on the topic of goalkeepers in the transfer market, Claudio Bravo emerged with a save rate of 81.8 percent at the World Cup, catching the eyes of Barcelona with his performance.  He signed with the Blaugrana side on July 7.

Similarly, David Ospina landed a move to Arsenal after having played a crucial role in Colombia’s success at the World Cup, where he emerged with a save rate of 84 percent. Keylor Navas, the Costa Rican goalkeeper, ended his run in Brazil with an impressive save rate of 91 percent. He recently announced his move to Real Madrid, whose current goalkeeper, Iker Casillas, conceded several goals this summer at the Cup, including his five-goal debacle against the Netherlands.

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Turning away from goalkeepers and La Liga, I will transition to transfers taking place in the Premier League, particularly with Alexis Sanchez’s move to Arsenal. This was one of the biggest signings of the summer, as the Chilean agreed to a 35-million-pound move from Barcelona to the Barclays Premier League.

As previously stated, Barcelona has a roster filled with superstars, contributing to the reason why Sanchez never got as much playing time as he deserved with Barcelona. The clinical finisher scored 47 goals in 141 appearances for Barcelona, and clinching La Liga, the Copa del Rey, two Spanish Super Cups, a UEFA Super Cup and a Club World Cup during his time at Camp Nou.

Now, as Barcelona adds Luis Suarez to its roster, there is simply no room for Alexis on the team anymore. With Barcelona, Sanchez was a very disciplined player, as he had to play within the system known as Tiki-Taka. However, as was seen in the World Cup, Alexis was free to do whatever he wanted with the Chilean national team, allowing himself to demonstrate his skills and true ability.

It is clear that a transfer to Arsenal was the right move for Sanchez due to its nature of play, as the Gunners are known for their fast breaks and lethal counter-attacks. The Chilean speed is impressive, and with Theo Walcott by his side and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the wing, Sanchez and Arsenal will be a force to be reckoned with.

In addition to Sanchez, the Gunners have made an all-around impressive effort in improving their squad. Last year, Arsenal shattered its spending record with the signing of Mesut Ozil for 50 million euros. Now, Arsenal has already spent more than 47 million pounds in the signings of Mathieu Debuchy (who will replace the Manchester City-bound Bacary Sagna) and Sanchez. Carl Jenkinson is out on loan to West Ham United, and so Arsenal also obtained Calum Chambers from Southampton to replace him.

Moving on from Arsenal, new Manchester United head coach Louis Van Gaal has been keen on buying talented players to restore United’s dignity after an embarrassing end to the 2013-2014 season. For example, Jose Mourinho believes Van Gaal overpaid for Southampton defender Luke Shaw; in addition, Van Gaal also obtained Ander Herrera from Athletic Bilbao.

Whatever Van Gaal is up to, it clearly is working, as Manchester United ended its U.S. tour with a International Champions Cup-clinching 3-1 victory over Liverpool. Southhampton, on the other hand, has been sucked nearly dry of its talents, as it sold 10 players while only making 3 purchases.

Chelsea has had its share of astonishing transfers. With the purchase of Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona for 30 million pounds, Diego Costa and Felipe Luis from Atletico Madrid for a combined price of 52 million pounds and the return of Chelsea Legend Didier Drogba, the Blues stand as one of the favorites to win the Premier League this season.

All in all, the World Cup has sparked interest in the upcoming club season, as many teams reinforced their ranks with the stars of the World Cup. Ultimately, the actual season will decide whether these transfers were wise transactions or simply busts.

Contact Edward Perez at EdwardP.NBTB13 ‘at’ gmail.com.

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Perez: Summer soccer exhibitions show that the MLS remains a work in progress https://stanforddaily.com/2014/08/02/perez-summer-soccer-exhibitions-show-that-the-mls-remains-a-work-in-progress/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/08/02/perez-summer-soccer-exhibitions-show-that-the-mls-remains-a-work-in-progress/#respond Sat, 02 Aug 2014 16:00:13 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1087275 With the World Cup officially behind us for the next four years, the attention of soccer fans has turned to the start of the pre-season for club soccer. In particular, several European sides, including Manchester United, Manchester City and other EPL squads, have staged exhibition matches in the United States with MLS teams as part […]

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With the World Cup officially behind us for the next four years, the attention of soccer fans has turned to the start of the pre-season for club soccer. In particular, several European sides, including Manchester United, Manchester City and other EPL squads, have staged exhibition matches in the United States with MLS teams as part of U.S. tours.

When thinking about these summer friendlies that occur annually between MLS teams and UEFA club teams, one realizes how interesting of a dynamic is at play with these matches. More specifically, while the MLS has been in full swing with its season since early March, many UEFA teams are just now playing as a single unit for the first time. Nevertheless, the friendlies so far have been markedly one-sided in favor of the European teams.

In trying to explain the reasons for this phenomenon, we must look back at the history of soccer on both continents. It is obvious that the European teams have been on the pitch for a much longer time when compared to current MLS teams. Competitive soccer in Europe launched in 1863 with the founding of the Football Association in London, England. The first league to kick off was the Football League in 1888, which consisted of 12 club teams from London and Manchester. Soon after, more football leagues were formed England before professional football spread to the rest of Europe, as both the Italian Serie A and the Spanish La Liga were both launched in 1929.

In contrast, in the United States, soccer only started gaining in popularity in the 1960s and 1970s. Furthermore, it took another 25 years for the game to grow even more with the staging of the World Cup on American soil in 1994. After that Cup, the United States did not even launch its own professional soccer league, the MLS, until 1996, showing just how new and inexperienced American club squads are when compared to teams from the rest of the world.

However, as this 2014 World Cup shows, it is clear that soccer is making strides in becoming one of nation’s more popular sports; Americans bought more tickets for the World Cup than fans from any other country in the world, excluding the host Brazilians. As soccer continues to slowly grow in America, there are some crucial elements that need to be identified as contributors to the emergence of the sport in the U.S.

In particular, the MLS makes brilliant use of the Designated Player Rule, also known as the Beckham Rule. MLS teams use the rule to compete on the international market for world-class players, as it was used by the Los Angeles Galaxy to acquire David Beckham in 2007. As part of Beckham’s multi-million-dollar contract, $6,500,000 would be paid directly by the MLS and the rest would come from the boost in jersey sales and other income sources from the club. The rule allows for MLS teams to offer players a much higher salary than their other MLS players. Using this rule, the MLS has recently landed top players, such as New York FC’s signing of former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, as well as the transfer of former AC Milan midfielder Kaka to Orlando City SC.

Bringing the conversation back to the summer friendlies between MLS teams and UEFA club teams, let’s look at some cases where the disparity in skills and experience were particularly prevalent on the pitch. On July 23, Louis Van Gal debuted as Manchester United’s new manager in a friendly against the LA Galaxy. Van Gal enjoyed a dream start in his debut, as his side swept past the Galaxy in a 7-0 rout.

The general lack of experience among MLS sides showed on Manchester United’s first three goals, which were the byproduct of careless mistakes made by LA Galaxy defenders. On the first goal, Danny Welbeck was the beneficiary of Juan Mata’s interception of a poor Galaxy pass; Welbeck would find the bottom right corner of the net with a shot outside of the eighteen in the 13th minute. Twenty-nine minutes later, Antonio Valencia took the ball down the right flank and attempted to cross the ball into the box, only to have the ball deflect off the hands of A. J. DeLaGarza, giving Manchester United a penalty in the 42nd minute. From there, it was an academic finish for Wayne Rooney on Jaime Penedo’s left-hand side of the goal.

A couple of minutes later, Antonio Valencia again received the ball on the flank and sent a cross that remarkably went through the legs of Tommy Meyer and onto to the foot of an unmarked Rooney; despite failing to chip the ball past Penedo, Rooney was there for an easy tap-in. Subsequently, Ashley Young came to wreak even more havoc on the Galaxy, as he assisted on two goals for Reese James before getting a brace in the last two minutes. In addition to the final scoreline, the number of red shirts in support of United significantly outnumbered the number of Galaxy supporters in the Rose Bowl, showing just how far the MLS needs to go in catching up with Europe.

Of the MLS teams that have challenged European squads this summer, the New York Red Bulls are the only MLS team to have overcome an EPL side. Thanks to Bradley Wright-Phillips, the Red Bulls eased past my beloved Arsenal in a 1-0 victory. However, before the match in an interview with the New York Post, Arsenal legend and current NY Red Bull forward Thierry Henry said, “I think hopefully the stadium will be full,” Henry told the New York Post. “Not having a go [at the fans], but that would be a first. So hopefully everybody can come and support us, too, not only Arsenal,” acknowledging the MLS’ inferiority when compared to European soccer leagues.

In closing, MLS teams really wasted a precious opportunity this summer as they faced off against some of the best teams in the world. As a league, the MLS was gifted a chance to grow the game immensely with the play of its teams against the elite clubs of Europe after the USA’s impressive performance in the World Cup. Instead, MLS squads have largely floundered in these summer exhibitions. While the growth of the USMNT has had a tremendous impact on the popularity of soccer in the States, at some point, the hopes of American soccer will depend on the progress of the MLS in becoming a top-flight league on the world soccer stage.

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Perez: Tactical errors made against Germany in Brazil’s historic World Cup semifinal loss https://stanforddaily.com/2014/07/14/perez-tactical-errors-made-against-germany-in-brazils-historic-world-cup-semifinal-loss/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/07/14/perez-tactical-errors-made-against-germany-in-brazils-historic-world-cup-semifinal-loss/#comments Tue, 15 Jul 2014 05:10:14 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1086809 Hundreds of millions of people around the world watched as Brazil was routed at home by Germany on July 8 in its worst ever defeat in international football. Coming off a 2-1 win over an impressive Colombian side, Brazil was expected to at least challenge the Germans in what was predicted to be a grueling […]

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Hundreds of millions of people around the world watched as Brazil was routed at home by Germany on July 8 in its worst ever defeat in international football. Coming off a 2-1 win over an impressive Colombian side, Brazil was expected to at least challenge the Germans in what was predicted to be a grueling battle between the two strongest sides in the world.

However, what made it so easy for Germany to brush aside Brazil and advance to the World Cup final with a whopping 7-1 victory over the South American giants? Quite simply, a bit of bad luck that ruled out Brazil’s captain, center back Thiago Silva, while its jewel and creative attacking midfielder Neymar was out with a fractured vertebra, leading to a lack of composure and formation on the part of the Brazilian side.

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Prior to its semifinal match, Brazil had come out on top in one of the most physical matches that I have ever seen. The quarterfinal game between Brazil and Colombia was so intense that it more closely resembled a brawl than a game of football.  In the end, there were 54 fouls committed throughout the entire game — the bellicose Brazilians committed 31 fouls, while the upstart Colombians committed only 23 fouls. Now that is impressive.

Even more impressive is the fact that Carlos Carballo, the Spanish referee officiating the quarterfinal game, showed only four yellow cards. One of these yellow cards was shown to Thiago Silva for unnecessarily attempting to steal the ball from the hands of Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina, leading to a suspension for the following semifinal match. Later on, a dangerous challenge from behind in the 88th minute resulted in Juan Camilo fracturing Neymar’s vertebra, leaving the Brazilian star unable to continue in the tournament.

With two crucial players unable to set foot on the field for the semifinal game, Felipe Scolari, the head coach of the Brazilian national team, was left in a difficult position. He ultimately chose two players who had not logged a single minute of playing time during the World Cup to fill in, with Dante stepping into Thiago Silva’s role as a center back, and Bernard Anicio stepping in for Neymar to serve as the playmaker for the team.

Scolari believed that Dante would be an excellent replacement for Thiago Silva, given that Dante plays for Bayern Munich, the German club team that boasts seven of the 23 players on the German national team. Dante was expected to provide the team with insight on how Brazil could overcome Germany’s lethal teamwork and precise decision-making. With 29 appearances for Bayern Munich, Dante has experience playing alongside Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos, two German stars who could not stop scoring at this World Cup.

In turn, Bernard has many of the same abilities as Neymar, having made 17 appearances in the Ukrainian Premier League with Shakhtar Donetsk, and nine appearances in the UEFA Champions League. As such, Bernard was potentially an excellent candidate to take the spot of Neymar on the grand stage of the FIFA World Cup.

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Turning to the action of that now infamous semifinal match, I have to admit that things were amiss with the Brazilian side from the start.  The Brazilians certainly were not as aggressive as they had been in past World Cup games. The Brazilian side looked very passive without Neymar and his uncanny ability to make timely and beautiful passes.

In addition, as the ESPN broadcasters noted on their telecast, there were simply too many gaps in the Brazilian formation. Germany took advantage of this fault by sending balls through the gaps in Brazil’s defense. However, despite the lopsided end result, it was actually a pretty even game with regards to some of the stats. Brazil actually held the ball longer in the contest, with 51 percent of the possession, compared to 49 percent for the Germans. Furthermore, the Brazilians took more shots (18) and had more shots on target (13) than the Germans, who notched 12 shots on target on 14 total shots.

As a result, the only key difference between the two sides was that Germany was able to capitalize on these opportunities by finding a way into the attacking third before proceeding to move the ball around until a German player had a clear shot. As a matter of fact, all seven of Germany’s goals were scored from within the 18-yard box, which shows how static Brazil’s defense was.

German players consistently had the luxury of strolling unmarked within the danger zone, which put them in position to tap home a goal as soon as the opportunity presented itself. The by-product of this was a series of easy goals for the Germans, as they made full use of the sweating technique, an oxymoron that describes an effortless goal. “Sweaty goals” commonly occur on a counter, during which the number of offensive players outnumber the number on defense. The offense simply holds onto the ball until a defender draws near, leaving a fellow teammate unmarked with tons of space in the box to receive an easy pass. From there, it is an easy finish into an open goal.

This was seen on Germany’s fourth goal, when Toni Kroos stole the ball from a struggling Fernandinho to link up with Sami Khedira in a two-on-two situation — Kroos laid it off to Khedira, who then passed it back between Fernandinho and Dante to an unmarked Kroos, who beautifully slotted the ball past an incredibly frustrated Julio Cesar.

Three minutes later, a similar three-on-three situation arose, with Khedira, Ozil and Klose on the ball against Marcelo, Maicon and Dante. Khedira received the ball and laid it off for Ozil on his left, prompting both Maicon and Julio Cesar to move toward Ozil. This allowed Ozil to lay it back to a now unmarked Khedira, who placed the ball in the back of an open net. The simple give-and-go shed light on the state of Brazil’s uncoordinated defense. Without team captain Silva to help the squad remain organized, the Brazilians could only watch as the Germans wreaked havoc on their net.

***

It is said in the world of football that while offense sells tickets, defense wins championships. This was certainly the case in the now-historic semifinal game between Brazil and Germany. Brazil had many clear chances to score goals, but Germany’s well-disciplined defense, led by Philip Lahm, managed to hold off Brazil’s offense, while the tactical German offense simply overwhelmed a poor Brazilian defense.

Contact Edward Perez at EdwardP.NBTB13 ‘at’ gmail.com.

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