England v Brazil in Doha November 2009
Wind,rain and flooding - not ideal for watching football.
But that was in the UK.
In Doha it is hot and sunny.
Construct some high class hotels, an impressive museum , some American quality shopping centres in a location around a bay. Add in some skyscraper towers and a sanitised souq.
Bring in multitudes from the Indian sub-continent to do the work - work that visibly continues at a pace despite the economic downturn.
And you have an environment that is safe and secure with guarenteed weather.
The only downside being the tolerance of smoking in public places (and the likely boredom after being there for a while)
Doha - an attractive venue for many sporting contests, conferences and other prestigious events.
Such as...
England 0 Brazil 1 in the Khalifa International Stadium.
The locals made it family friendly with an opening presentation complete with flourescent lights.
In the game itself our reserves were always going to struggle against a stronger Brazilian team.
As usual we made some defensive mistakes - one by Wes Brown should have resulted in a red card for Foster. The referee kept it friendly and also let a number of other fouls go by.
We created little - Bent hardly had a touch from the minimal service he received - making it very difficult to assess him as a World Cup striker.
The stadium was stylish - like a lot of Doha - in an area next to a world class mall (complete with canal and gondola) and a striking tower.
It was also a stadium with an arch - like a number these days.
Prompting the question about Wembley -why did we not make more effort to preserve those unique twin towers ?
Afterwards I returned to my hotel via a bus from outside the stadium followed by a walk along the corniche to the accompaniment of noisy, ecstatic Egyptians celebrating their result against Algeria.
On this trip I did forgo any alcohol - it was available at a price in the larger hotels but was usually accompanied by a haze of smoke .
That wouldn't have been comfortable - unlike Brazil's victory.
Brazil October/November 2009
Football is popular in Brazil.
Through Sao Paulo passport control and straightaway you see a TV showing football. It was Fulham v Roma.
And to continue the UK connection the Brazilian news even covered the postal strike.
In Sao Paulo the metro still needs to be 'joined-up' -they are opening over 30 new stations in the next few years. So going from east to west is somewhat tricky - I chose an airport bus and taxi to get to my hotel near the Morumbi shopping centre.
But replenished with a caipirinha you soon feel better.
Braganca Paulista.
Bragantino 4 Fortaleza 1 in Serie B.
The bus takes about an hour and a half to get to Braganca Paulista from Sao Paulo.
Its an average, safe place with a nice lake and not much else.
Not too many fans turned out on this Friday night - in fact 418 paid including a dozen from distant Fortaleza.
The latter are battling relegation and this result did their cause little good.
Bragantino scored through a free kick from a narrow angle. They then went on to pick Fortaleza off as they were forced to attack, it didnt help that the visitors had a man sent off in the second half.
Via bus to Sao Paulo and a flight to Rio.
Maracana - Rocket Man.
Vasco da Gama 2 Bahia 1
The Maracana was used for this game due to amount of interest in the game and the limited space at Vasco's regular home ground. Personally I would have preferred the original choice.
Vasco are on the verge of returning to the top division and this result virtually ensured their promotion.
Their many fans (50,000) produced terrific noise and atmosphere but inevitably large areas of the stadium were sparsely populated.
But the Maracana is still the Maracana - the sense of scale, the curve of the stands - the history.
It made this writer think of the 1950 World Cup final and what it would have been like to be among those 200,000.
Anyway on this day Vasco and Bahia probed for long periods without producing much action until a defensive error allowed Fagner to break through and shoot in.
It took until the second half before the much maligned and generally inactive, top scorer, Elton secured the win with a flick and a great left footed volley.
Bahia got one back soon after but they were well held and like Fortaleza remain near the bottom. Bahia brought a couple of hundred fans placed in the lower tier and they were very much drowned out by the Vasco songs.
This being Rio I chose a metro ride on the Sunday morning to the Copacabana area, joining many locals (and tourists) packing the beaches. Which were thronged with thongs.
I join the Botafogo ultras.well briefly.
Botafogo 0 Flamengo 1
I chose the metro and minibus taxi to get close to the Engenhao stadium.
The feeling of a clasico is soon evident - the amount of police, threatening local fans checking for away fans going down the wrong roads. A helicoptor overhead.
Apparently a sellout it was nowhere near full (25,000) presumably becuase ticket sales were restricted due to security concerns.
The stadium, modern with large two tier covered sides and much smaller ends is divided 50:50.
Prior to the start two sets of Flamengo ultras, the rubra negro and the torcida joven have a brief skirmish - they don't get on - and a large gap is formed between them in the stands.
The game is settled by Adriano (ex-Inter), evading two defenders, getting space and using his left foot to do the rest. Otherwise, as seems typical for some Brazilian strikers, he does little but wait for a chance to score. Despite this he is joint top scorer in the Brasileiro.
Botafogo contributed to their own downfall after Lucio Flavio's shot from the penalty spot is easily saved.
Flamengo though challenging for the title (at the time they were 3 points behind Palmeiras at the top) didn't look like Championship winners.
Mainly because after getting in front they wasted time continually and tended to defend rather than go for more goals.
Anyway it worked this time.
I exited briskly and immediately got caught up with the Botafogo ultras - they trying to find some Flamengo fans to attack - me to find my bus. We both dodged the ramaging police horses incl. one that charged along the pavement.
I made the bus and metro back to central Rio without further incident.
To Bahia state and Salvador.
Where there is an impressive historic centre - full of decaying, imperial style churches and steep cobbled streets.
Its an awkward bus ride to get to the Barradao to watch Vitoria - but its definitely worth it for a big night game such as :-
Fireworks in Salvador.Vitoria 0 Corinthians 1
Outside the small crowded, hilly, streets are numerous stalls with beer and, well, meat - all adding to a typical big match in South America.
As the teams come out - Fireworks - you're not kidding - all around the home stands - red flares everywhere.
Generating a tremendous atmosphere.
And Corinthians brought a large group of fans cramming most of the left hand end.
The stadium, in a dip in this hilly area is basically 3 sides and mostly open.
The opposite side contains the dressing rooms and, apart from some trees, not much else.
So 20,000 plus noisy fans made this a night to remember - all this and Ronaldo too.
Yes he hardly moved around but there was the odd touch - and he did manage to allow space for young talent de Federico to beat the offside trap and score the winner.
The taxi ride, back to Rio Vermelho, was much quicker than the outward journey.
Then a flight to Recife - further north and again a better than expected experience.
Sport going down.
Sport 1 Coritiba 1
Loads more red and black in evidence as Sport fans chanted their team on to avoid relegation.
We had only played 2/3 minutes when some of the floodlights failed, fortunately they did come back after a 20 minute delay.
After which Sport attacked relentlessly providing a very entertaining first half.
But after going behind Coritiba fought back to equalise.
This was another game with plenty of atmosphere and a stadium with an Argentinian feel - different sized stands/terrace and fans at both ends.
22,000 or so watched and produced plenty of noise (though with only a small group from Coritiba)
Somehow it was not to be for Sport and I felt for them in their frustration.
This time I could stroll back to my, elderly, central riverside hotel via fairly deserted streets - transformed from the earlier noise and bustle
And back in Sao Paulo.
From where I took a bus trip of some hour and half to a hot Campinas to see promotion contending Guarani.
Easy Portuguesa.Guarnai 0 Portuguesa 3
Plenty of Guarani green around with fans parading through the city centre to get to the ground, many with 'champs' t shirts.
Their stadium is also greenish (coloured) with medium level open seats and a covered side with a large terrace/stand above.
Another decent crowd of over 10,000 were not encouraged as Portuguesa took over in the first half , slicing apart the home defence to score three times.
Guarani failed to get too close and ended well beaten - they'll almost certainly still go up but not as Champions.
Lastly in a suburb of Sao Paulo reached via an efficient bus system and taking around a hour and a half :-
Just like watching Brazil.Santo Andre 2 Gremio 0
I'd chosen this game as an alternative to Palmeiras v Corinthians as this original choice had been moved to Presidente Prudente (hundreds of kms away at the other end of the state) for security and monetary reasons.
But I did see a very enjoyable free flowing game to end the trip.
Santo Andre, in Brazilian yellow, looked a lot better than a bottom four team against a largely inaffective Gremio.
The home side scored through striker Nunes and benefited from an headed own goal by Rafael Marques soon after the break. Gremio made it worse by having Roberson sent off.
The stadium is two-sided with one side largish, open, including a section for the couple of hundred away fans and the other, smaller, with a curving cover. Around 1,500 attended.
I returned by three buses and went on to enjoy a memorable meal in a Churrascaria.
As is usually the case South America did not disappoint.
more pics at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/228282765
Ukraine v England October 2009
Flares back in fashion.Ukraine 1 England 0 in the Dnepro Arena.
Defensive mistakes that didn't really matter as we had already qualified or an inherent weakness that will continue to be exposed.
Take your pick.
Goals being conceded must frustrate coach Capello.
And the seeming reliance on livewire Rooney looks fragile.
Ukraine were certainly up for it, they passed well and limited England to few chances.
Their fans were eager with the flares. At the start, and when Shevchenko contrived to miss the penalty that followed Robert Green being sent off.
In Dnepropetrovosk the weather was not too cold, the scenery conducive and the xenophobic youths generally controlled. Much might well have been different with an alternative result or, worst of all, an abandonment.
Culturally I visited the History Museum, Monastery Island and joined the locals strolling around Park Shevchenka as the leaves fell and winter felt closer.
U-20 World Cup in Egypt
Borg al Arab.The Under 20 FIFA World Cup began in the 'new' Borg al Arab (military) stadium outside of Alexandria.
The stadium was being used for the first time for a major game despite being built over 3 years ago (for a failed World Cup bid)
Very surprisingly around 80,000 turned out , post-Ramadan, to enjoy an entertaining opening ceremony and the first game featuring the hosts and Trinidad & Tobago.
Yes there were thousands of the pastel coloured military service personnel trucked-in for the occasion but nevertheless it was an impressive beginning. Inevitably with president Mubarak attending (alongside FIFA president Sepp Blatter) many were still outside as the stadium was 'locked down' some 3 hours before the 8pm kick-off.
Egypt U-20 4 Trinidad & Tobago U-20 1
The local youngsters were not overawed by the surroundings or size of the crowd as they passed the ball well and went in front through a Messi-like dribble from Afroto. Though the Caribbeans equalised after an Egyptian error the hosts dominated the second half scoring through Arafat (twice) and Talaat.
Time for a coloured coordinated Mexican wave finished by some turf-kissing and much local celebration to get the tournament off to a bright start.
Cairo.
Its Friday - a day to savour.
The roads are relatively benign and many are at prayers.
I choose the metro then short taxi ride to the Cairo International stadium for the first game of a triple-header :
Italy U-20 0 Paraguay U-20 0
Its Italy so a nil-nil draw is never far away regardless of the age group.
A sparse crowd watched as both sides erred on the side of caution , both probably feeling confident of being able to progress beyond the group stages. It got languid at times in the 30 degree heat.
After a quick taxi ride, some dodging and weaving, and some searching I get to :
Al Salam.A new stadium some 40 minutes or so from the main Cairo stadium , featuring an impressive centrally positioned video screen and holding around 20,000 when full.
Nigeria U-20 0 Venezuela U-20 1
A reasonable number of Venezuela fans had made the trip for their first ever major FIFA event and they generated some atmosphere in the stands. Nigeria also had support, presumably from local workers. As always the pastels were trooped in.
The impressive Del Valle slid in the winner for the South Americans and perhaps typically the Nigerians had a man dismissed. Nigeria battled hard later on but failed to get a breakthrough.
Spain U-20 8 Tahiti U-20 0
The third game of the day, also in the Al Salam stadium.
Its not every day that you see a team from Tahiti play.
Though the South Sea islanders did have an early half-chance that was it. The closest they got to the Spaniards was to present them garlands prior to the start.
A shellshocked Tahiti goalie may as well as not been there as Spain destoyed their opponents, particularly down the right wing. They eased off in the second half and still scored eight.
Suez.A hot Suez and another new stadium , this time with a good sized 40,000 capacity, named after president Mubarak rather than the usual military nomenclature.
Germany U-20 3 USA U-20 0
A strong looking german side fairly easily overcame a partly college based US team - that often looked like, well, college players.
Look out for the German left back (Kopplin) - also a long throw exponent and their striker Sukuta-Pasu.
South Korea U-20 0 Cameroon U-20 2
The second game of the Suez double-header.
The sometimes comically wild shooting of the Cameroonians versus the all action Koreans.
Cameroon won following a Korean goalie error and a second later in the second half.
Name of the tournament - Banana Yaya , the Cameroon no.4.
Al Salam.Monday for another fraught triple header beginning with :-
Nigeria U-20 0 Spain U-20 2
A lob over the goalie for the first when put through and a Panenka-like chipped penalty for the second. Arsenal's Fran Merida ran this game.
True to form Nigeria have another guy sent off (Salami)
Cairo.Italy U-20 2 Trinidad & Tobago U-20 1
Back in Cairo International stadium after a typically hair raising taxi ride, on a busy Monday, involving dirt tracks, going the wrong way along the main road and dodging a car stuck in a deep hole in the road.
As the hosts were playing later a decent crowd built up - mainly supporting the underdogs.
Albertazzi headed in the first but after a defensive mistake Junior Clarence converted the equaliser. It looked like Trinidad would get an impressive draw but a misplaced pass allowed Raggio to drive home the winner.
Egypt U-20 1 Paraguay U-20 2
The third game of the day and the main event. It is watched by well over 50,000 fans generating a vibrant atmosphere for their young team.
After a bright start from Egypt the South Americans quietened the crowd with a goal from Santander.
Arafat missed some half chances for the home side before Huth gets caught out and is red carded for holding back an Egyptian forward.
Afroto chips in the free kick for 1-1.
Into the second, and with a substitute goalie, Paraguay hold their own.
With various players succumbing to cramp the game ends with a corner headed back for Paniagua to volley home the Paraguayan winner from close range.
The locals disperse quietly though probably convinced that they will go through to the next phase anyway. And so it was.
Summary.It is the second biggest FIFA event in the calendar, after the main World Cup.
Though many major European football countries choose not to give it much support - England being a prime example - in Egypt there were plenty of takers.
Characteristically the play is more erratic (think Cameroon) , sometimes naive, and sometimes the players struggle to last the pace. But often the games look similar to full Internationals, as do the tactics employed (think Italy)
Egypt itself and Cairo in particular went from the relative heaven of the holidays after Ramadan to the mayhem we expect with snarled up roads and pollution.
Though Sepp Blatter thought that Egypt could stage the next African (full) World Cup it is hard
to see the infrastructure being capable.
more pics at
http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/206285668
Ireland September 2009
The Luas DerbyShamrock Rovers 1 St Patrick's Athletic 0
Now in their new stadium in Tallaght, with two stands open and a big crowd of over 5,000 there was a definite buzz around this game.
The ultras could do their thing and their team did theirs via an early Twigg penalty.
St Pats had a man sent off in the penalty incident and though the visitors did better in the second half it was not enough.
With Bohemians losing it was a very good night for Rovers as they closed in on top place.
Afterwards I took the Luas back to Red Cow.
Done good.
Portadown 1 Dungannon Swifts 4
Newly promoted Portadown have a decent ground including an older main stand and two newer stands, plenty of room to accommodate around 300 for this fixture.
After a dull, goalless, first half the Swifts pressed on to a convincing win against a limited Ports team.
Better game.Newry City 1 Cliftonville 2
This was good entertainment for a higher than usual (Sunday) crowd , though with less goals than at Portadown. Both teams pushed forward from the start and the home side edged the first half.
But the Belfast team came out top in the 2nd scoring with two short range goals to seal the win.
No game.Carrick Rangers v Ballyclare Comrades
Carrickfergus was mostly shut on this Monday night though the pub I went into was lively enough.
The Comrades brought some 'ultras' but they and the rest of us didn't see any football as the floodlights flickered and expired. A few minutes hanging around and the game was abandoned.
Punchless.Ireland 1 South Africa 0
From Belfast to Dublin by bus , then hire car to Limerick for this friendly.
Played at Thomond Park, home to Munster rugby and prior to redevelopment the ground were the touring All Blacks were once defeated.
Ireland picked various reserve players.
South Africa passed well and dominated possession but lacked any punch up front.
Pienaar was typically prominent.
But it took a Liam Lawrence free kick to show them how it should be done.
Without a Benni McCarthy Bafana Bafana will struggle to score at the World Cup finals.
Reds beat Blues.Cliftonville 4 Linfield 0
Sometime later in North Belfast.
Solitude was vibrant for this feisty game though the main stand was not open and opposite was just the TV cameras (and a view of the countryside)
The Reds fans were behind one goal and the Linfield fans at the other with plenty of characteristic police vans outside.
One flag was against the famine but there was no goal famine for Cliftonville as they scored decisive goals and benefited from Linfield having a man sent off.
It was a memorable win for the home side.
After a ten minute wait to allow the away fans to disperse I walked back to the city centre through ever quieter streets and passing the odd hooded figure.
USA July 2009
"I gotta ask you a question - where do you come
from ?
"
"Ingerland ... i knew it."
"Is it true they all dress up smart in Ingerland..."
"I wanna go to Ingerland..."
New York.New York is hot and for once passport control is quick and painless.
New home win.New York Yankees 8 Seattle Mariners 5
At the new Yankee stadium - opposite the old one but without the memories.
At least the old site will not become the usual car park but will revert to a park with sports facilities, hopefully with some of its original structure preserved.
We had an hour of rain delay before the start - time for a couple of drinks to get in the mood.
The ballgame was slow to get going but had a great finish with the Mariners equalising at 5-5 before the home side scored three in the bottom of the 8th to complete the win.
A late 11.30pm finish, the subway from Queens and some sleep before an early flight to LA the next morning.
California.Three days based in Carson, LA for a mix of baseball and football.
Bees stopped play or Houston we don't have a problem.San Diego Padres 2 Houston Astros 7
It takes around 2 hours to drive south from LA to San Diego - past typically evocative place names like Long Beach, El Camino Real and Mission Viejo.
On the way I stop some surfers and ask where I can get a coffee - its somewhat different here than New York.
San Diego Petco Park is centrally situated and once inside you have a nice view of the downtown skyline.
For this afternoon game it was kids day. One way to ensure the many empty spaces were filled and also - tickets at half price ($7.50)
The (presumably larger than normal) all-you-can-eat seats were not full either.
Yet another delay - this time of about 50 minutes. Amazingly caused by a swarm of bees gathering around a jacket left on a chair near left field.
A pest control guy was called and eventually he administered the appropriate spray.
Frustratingly this happened in the 9th innings, not that it made any difference to the progressive Astros who had been well in control throughout.
The later finish meant enduring the rush hour traffic up highway 5 back thru Orange county to LA.
LA.The Gold Cup is a biennial event involving 12 teams qualifying from the North American, Central American and Caribbean regions. It is usually won by Mexico or the USA (Canada being the only other champion)
It began at the Home Depot stadium in Carson.
One Ali.Canada 1 Jamaica 0
the first of the double headers.
A single goal by ex-MK Dons striker Ali Gerba was enough to beat the Reggae Boys.
Both sides created chances and generally Jamaica edged the possession but the single goal clinched it. Canada produced a competent defensive performance.
El of an atmosphere.El Salvador 2 Costa Rica 1
Home Depot livened up considerably for the second part of the double header as thousands of blue shirted El Salvador fans filled most of the stadium , generating plenty of noise using their own version of the vuvuzela (see South Africa blog)
Their team did them proud.
El Salvador closed down the favoured Ticos scoring first through Romero, getting pegged back in the second half, but then capitalising on a defensive error for a great win.
Definitely not a typical Home Depot atmosphere.
Pre-Beckham win.Chivas USA 0 LA Galaxy 1
This MLS 'Superclasico' bore little resemblance to any in South America. Nor did it compare to being with the El Salvador fans the previous weekend.
But it was a better than normal MLS atmosphere with the Chivas 'ultras' at both ends of the stadium and a contingent supporting LA G in the right hand corner.
Inevitably we had the 'best dressed man feature' , many late arrivals and a soccer-mom singing the National Anthem.
Apparently the man himself watched from the stands as the Galaxy secured their win via a Edson Buddle header after about half an hour. Generally Chivas struggled to create chances although Atiba Harris (St Kitts) looked useful.
23,409 attended - not a sell-out.
Toto, I've a feeling we are in Kansas.But is it Kansas City , Kansas or Kansas City, Missouri ?
Confusing it may be but there is definitely much less traffic than in LA amongst the wide open spaces of each Kansas City.
Kamara strikes the pose.Kansas City Wizards 0 Houston Dynamo 1
In the Community America ballpark - a minor league stadium with awkwardly placed stands.
We had fireworks , it being 4th July , Harleys, US flags, military personnel and obviously the star spangled banner. It was back to a typical family orientated MLS event complete with an all-you-can-eat-section.
Many of the mums would probably have related to Kei Kamara putting on a white glove and striking a Michael Jackson pose after heading in the winner.
Some orange shirted fans from Texas ('Texian Army') had made the trip to see the high flying Dynamos win a decent game with both sides creating good chances.
Still in Kansas City (one of them) and back to the baseball.
Impressive scoreboard.Kansas City Royals 6 Chicago White Sox 3
To the Kauffman stadium - 36 years old but the sixth oldest stadium in major league baseball.
It has a very impressive scoreboard, fountains and a waterfall.
Just a smallish turnout over the holiday weekend to see the generally underperforming Royals finish this series of games with a win. There were two home runs - one for each team.
Very pleasant weather and this time no interruptions for rain (or bees)
Chicago.Lets go Cubbies.Chicago Cubs 4 Atlanta Braves 2
I walked down Clark to Wrigleyville.
For surely one of the best atmospheres and suroundings in baseball.
An historic venue. The adjacent streets with the roof-top views and the ivy clad walls.
A full house to see the Cubs win.
They bring out the 'W' flags to signify the result and all stay behind to sing the song - Hey Chicago whaddya say , the Cubs are gonna win today....
Columbus.The flight to Columbus was not full.
Small crew.Jamaica 0 Costa Rica 1
Not too many in the 'soccer-specific' Crew stadium (with a concert stage at one end) for these games. Those that watched saw Costa Rica get the win over an unlucky Jamaica who had a man dismissed.
Canada 1 El Salvador 0
Canada defended well as El Salvador couldn't create much. Again it was Ali Gerba who got the winner - a chip over the goalie. The El Salvador fans turned out in reasonable numbers amongst the 7,000 crowd.
Houston.I stayed near the awesome Texas Medical Centre - the largest such centre in the world.
The area is thronged with medical staff (and patients)
Nearby downtown is mainly, well, downtown with many of the shops being underground and air-conditioned against the hot conditions up top.
Meanwhile in Reliant Park the Astrodome waits - aloof and still apparently preserved.
Next to it is the impressive , air conditioned (it was 37 degrees outside) Reliant Arena where we see the next Gold Cup games. The record crowd was set when one Miley Cyrus gave a concert (see later)
Guadeloupe are good.Guadeloupe 2 Nicaragua 0
Guadeloupe passed well and looked like a competent side, not too surprising as they have various players in the French league.
Nicaragua were moderate and didn't do much better when Guadelopue had man sent off.
Captain Auvray and Ludovic Gotin got the goals.
Feisty.Mexico 1 Panama 1
Some 47,000 tickets were sold for this second game.
And to continue a theme we had a prolonged delay, not for rain (we were indoors) or bees, but when Ricardo Phillips of Panama refused to leave the field after being sent off. His route to the dressing room being bombarded by unhappy Mexican fans.
Phillips was the third man to be dismissed in a game where the two sides didn't get on too well.
Mexico had scored first from a Dos Santos (of Spurs) pass.
But Panama fought back with striker Perez (of Pachuca) getting the equaliser.
It was a disappointing performance by the Mexicans.
Incidentally Phillips had been sent off for pushing the Mexican coach (Aguirre - who was also dismissed) when retreiving a ball from the touchline.
Miami.Meanwhile in Miami (via Fort Lauderdale for this visitor) a smallish university stadium hosted the final group games for Costa Rica and co.
No vice.Costa Rica 2 Canada 2
Goals though.
The Ticos brought plenty of fans to see their team draw with an understrength , already qualified, Canadian side.
They saw four first half goals including a classy free kick from captain Walter Centeno.
No goal, no cry.El Salvador 0 Jamaica 1
El Salvador had the fans but their team underperformed, succumbing to a late winner by Omar Cummings of the Reggae Boys.
It meant that Jamaica would squeeze through to the semi-finals despite being very wayward up front.
17,000 eventually made it to this stadium in steamy conditions.
Phoenix.finally to the desert and the cactii - Phoenix, Arizona - renowned for its heat and it didn't disappoint - at a scorching 43 (or 110) degrees.
As in Houston the games were (thankfully) played in an indoor air-conditioned arena , the 60,000 University of Phoenix stadium, home to the Phoenix Cardinals NFL team.
From a distance it looked like a large spaceship had landed in the desert.
Beginning with a sparse crowd the attendance built up to over 23,000 as the Mexicans came in.
Like many stadiums in the US it isn't that easy to get to unless you have a car - a factor that must affect the crowds at these kind of events.
Panama stroll.Panama 4 Nicaragua 0
Easy for the Panamanians after they got the first goal.
Nicaragua had a man sent off and never threatened. The strength of the taller Panama team told as they converted the crosses against the smaller Nicaraguans.
More dismissals.Mexico 2 Guadeloupe 0
Guadeloupe decided on a cautious approach against a determined Mexico side with something to prove. Both had already qualified for the next phase but Mexico needed to build some momentum both for the Gold Cup and, more importantly, the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Again the team playing Mexico had two men sent off.
Obviously it didn't help any possible Guadeloupe comeback after Mexico had taken the lead.
They had been one of the more watchable and capable teams but this night wasn't one of their best.
Postscript.
In the USA you tend to see the future - so look out for 'Fatburger' and 'Potbelly' restaurants and all-you-can-eat sections in stadiums.
Perhaps we'll be speaking even louder on our mobiles (cellphones) like the lady on the train in Houston -
"I'd like to get my kitten neutered"
"ok - I've got that date - can I ask a question"
"the cat is very wild - do you know how old it is "
" 4 weeks - and its ...feral..."
"what if I can't get the cat under control..... euthanasia..."
"I don't want that"
She ends the conversation and speaks to one of her children.
"can you look up 'feral' on the Internet please and call me back, oh and find out how long it takes to break in the cat"
(just before my train stop)
"it means its wild - why did they let us have a wild kitten ? and it might take over a month to control it .....i want to keep the cat ...." (phew)
And in Hooters...
"I gotta ask you a question" "where do you come from" "I knew it ...Ingerland"
"I love Ingerland.... I'm 21 and I wanna go to Ingerland"
"Is it true they all dress up smart in Ingerland ?"
And so the tip was (slightly) higher.
more pics at
http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/144026400
Confederations Cup in South Africa 2009
Highveld Drifter.Johannesburg
.
I declined the offer of a small gun on my first evening in Johannesburg.
A satnav would have been more useful especially when negotiating the downtown area in the dark after an evening game.
The signs to the stadiums are reasonably prominent but the general city signage is very poor.
But the weather, during my week or so, was pleasant enough - it might be winter but it generally felt more like a typical English summer.
You see stadiums that are reasonably crowded considering this is not the World Cup though tickets were relatively expensive for the locals.
The atmosphere was, inevitably, noisy with the vuvuzelas (horns) a constant backdrop.
Close.South Africa 0 Iraq 0 at Ellis Park.
Ellis Park is near to downtown Jo-burg and does need a bit of smartening up but it can generate some atmosphere.
Prior to kick-off we saw a fairly basic but effective opening ceremony followed by some speechs , first by a passionate Sepp Blatter, then briefly by president Jacob Zuma.
Perhaps more entertaining was the Mamas football game as seen in an advert on the large screen - very funny.
After a moderate, error strewn, first half the hosts picked up their play and dominated the defensive Iraqis.
But they couldn't score.
The crescendo came when Bafana Bafana nearly scored but for their own player stopping a shot on the goal line.
Head Homos.
Egypt 1 Italy 0 at Ellis Park.
Before the start they had been trying to cover the prominent bare patchs on the pitch.
Some 52,000 tickets had been sold for this one and both teams had their support though the locals favoured their fellow Africans.
A header by new man Homos (given man of the match) got the Egyptians their first ever win over World Cup holders Italy. He had covered plenty of Ellis Park - nearly 12km.
But it was their goalie El Hadary who produced some great saves to secure the win. Much as Italy tried , especially Iaquinta , they couldn't break through.
Pretoria.
Pretoria is somewhat easier to negotiate than Jo-burg. Again it has a well established stadium, in a rugby hotbed, located near to the centre. Again it feels like it needs a bit of updating.
But the surroundings are OK with some restaurants/coffee outlets within a short walk.
Double Rossi.Italy 3 USA 1 at Loftus Versfeld.
Italy had good support in the 34,000 at Loftus for their initial encounter with the USA. The Americans played most of the game with 10 men after having a man (harshly) sent off.
However they did score first through a Landon Donovan penalty.
It took the substitution of New Jersey born Guiseppi Rossi to change the game. His two goals, the first a cracker, and another great strike by de Rossi sealed the match for Italy.
Samba stroll.
USA 0 Brazil 3 at Loftus Versfeld.
A comfortable win for Brazil who started quickly with a goal by Felipe Melo. This was followed by a second from Robinho.
We sat back and enjoyed some Kaka magic.
The impressive Maicon clinched the victory in the second half.
Again the Americans suffered a sending off , not that it affected the result.
Italy fail to deliver.Italy 0 Brazil 3 at Loftus Versfeld.
In this final group game Italy needed to at least equal the Egypt result to progress to the semi-finals. Thats what we thought - not expecting the turn of events that allowed USA to jump ahead of both.
So it was a lacklustre effort by the World champions - a game too far maybe.
A sellout crowd of around 41,000 mainly supported the Brazilians and they watched the yellow shirts score twice through Luis Fabiano and finish off with an own goal by Dossena.
Bloemfontein.
Some 4 and a half hours down typically straight roads from Jo-burg is Bloemfontein
The Free State stadium is another enhancement of an existing structure.
Arguably the best atmsophere at this event was in this stadium with the local Celtic fans leading the singing and dancing that eventually circulated the stadium.
The vuvuzelas were less evident.
And the small groups of Spanish fans, along with other foreign visitors, enjoyed the occasion.
Just one is enough.
Spain 1 Iraq 0
Iraq parked the bus setting out to defend resolutely and hoping to pinch a goal.
They did the running - an average of 1km more per player than Spain.
It took the European champions 54 minutes to complete the victory with a Capdevilla cross being glanced in by David Villa.
That was enough.
Durban.
Even farther away for a day trip Durban is some 6 hours each way from Jo-burg.
The test is to stay alert along the quiet roads amongst the early morning fog and the odd speed camera.
Beastly.
South Africa 26pts British & Irish Lions 21pts.
Compare and contrast : Rugby vs Football.
Large hospitality areas , cars parked close to the stadium, with barbecues set-up, as against a large cordon sanitaire at the Confederations Cup football games.
Jugs of beer for the larger rugby fans.
Plenty of red shirted Lions fans arriving in groups very prominent in the 47,000 crowd.
However there were significant numbers of empty seats due to the very high prices (around £85)
But the most significant clue came as I wandered around outside the stadium .
Here you could buy a receiver through which you could listen to the referee as he gave his decisions.
Within a minute of the start it was obvious why this was important as the first penalty mystified many including this inexperienced rugby watcher. The theme would continue with much play being shrouded in doubt.
The video replays too were hard to discern and often took ages to decide.
The Lions players themselves spent some time asking for clarification from the referee regarding his penalty decisions.
Football has far more clarity.
It also doesn't tend to produce the sort of one sided score that we saw in the first half. Even though the Lions did get back into the game in the second half to provide some late drama.
Apart from during the anthem (just one) the noise levels were moderate and the many Lions fans didn't seem to sing much.
Conclusions.
So overall the time went well with some decent games in noisy, vibrant stadiums.
And the comparison with rugby proved once again that football provides the superior experience.
Clearly the challenges for 2010 will be to maintain a reasonable level of transport facilities and logistics to serve the much larger number of visitors. And keep them safe - at least from major incidents.
Unlike most World Cups a lot of this one will be experienced in the dark southern hemisphere winter.
As in most places in Africa you have to adapt to prosper.
But in the stadiums it will certainly be a World Cup to remember.
more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/129428944
