We watched the final game between the US and Japan here in Iceland. It was a match for the ages. The US team played very well but wasted their chances and became over confident both times they got the lead. The Japanese were able to capitalize on US mistakes and come from behind twice. The US performance in the penalty shoot out was horrible. We were surprised that Boxx took the first kick since she had not done well previously from the penalty spot in the tournament. The Japanese victory was a soccer cinderella story and of course a wonderful moment for the Japanese nation that has suffered through a disastrous 2011.
Amazingly, my brother predicted on this blog a few weeks ago that the US and Japan would meet in the finals and that the finals would go into a penalty shoot out though he did think that the US would prevail. Nobody thought that Japan would get this far.
A historic and exciting 2011 Women's World Cup is now over.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Historic Semi Finals
The Semi Finals match ups are intriguing because very few people expected that three out of the four teams would ever make it that far. The Japanese, Swedes, and the French were known to have good teams before the tournament but nobody really expected them to make it this far. These nations have never won the cup so they are in unchartered waters.
We have seen the Swedish team twice in the tournament and they impressed us very much. They have excellent forwards (notice the speed of #14 Josefine Oqvist), two very good midfielders in Sjogran #15 and Seger #5 and a solid defense. We think they will give the excellent Japanese team a difficult time. Psychologically the Japanese will be spent after their difficult win over Germany so we think the Swedish will win this one.
The momentum is all on the American side. The French team, though, is very good. They have skilled players especially in the midfield and speedy forwards. Their defense is a bit shaky however so we hope the American team plays an attacking game.
We predict that the US and Swedish teams will prevail and meet in the Finals on Sunday.
We have seen the Swedish team twice in the tournament and they impressed us very much. They have excellent forwards (notice the speed of #14 Josefine Oqvist), two very good midfielders in Sjogran #15 and Seger #5 and a solid defense. We think they will give the excellent Japanese team a difficult time. Psychologically the Japanese will be spent after their difficult win over Germany so we think the Swedish will win this one.
The momentum is all on the American side. The French team, though, is very good. They have skilled players especially in the midfield and speedy forwards. Their defense is a bit shaky however so we hope the American team plays an attacking game.
We predict that the US and Swedish teams will prevail and meet in the Finals on Sunday.
4500 km - 2800 miles
Well our time in Germany is coming to an end. We leave Frankfurt tomorrow and fly to Iceland. We will watch the semifinals there on Wednesday.
During our stay here we have logged 4500 kilometers in our car which is about 2800 miles which is the equivalent of traveling from Williamstown to Los Angeles.
We will continue blogging until the final game.
Next stop Brazil 2014 and Canada 2015??
During our stay here we have logged 4500 kilometers in our car which is about 2800 miles which is the equivalent of traveling from Williamstown to Los Angeles.
We will continue blogging until the final game.
Next stop Brazil 2014 and Canada 2015??
Monday, July 11, 2011
Ada and Karen Reflect II: Mean Marta
Marta is an awesome player and is probably the best player in the world today. Very fun to watch. However, we started calling her "Mean Marta" during yesterday's game. Even the fans during the game started booing her and the neutral ones started supporting the US.
Karen thinks that Marta is the second best player after the American player Megan Rapinoe (her favorite player) whereas Ada still thinks Marta is the best. For Karen, there is Rapinoe. Then there is everybody else.
Karen thinks that Marta is the second best player after the American player Megan Rapinoe (her favorite player) whereas Ada still thinks Marta is the best. For Karen, there is Rapinoe. Then there is everybody else.
Pictures from our three country tour
The girls having chocolate in Belgium and shopping and dining in France.
Interesting stat of this trip which should give the fathers a bronze medal. We have been to at least 8 H&M stores in three different countries. And guess what - the clothes are everywhere the same!
120+2!!!
The quarterfinals featured two matches for the ages.
The first was the Japanese victory over Germany. We were biting our nails as we watched that one. It is an incredible accomplishment by the Japanese women to beat the reigning world champions who were playing in front of their home crowd. After a shaky start, the Japanese women started to play very well. They kept their cool and were able to limit the effectiveness of the German forwards. They played systematic and clean, good football. A great victory in overtime!
The second was of course the US victory over Brazil. Wambach's winning goal came in injury time in the second half of overtime or in the 120th minute + 2. You do not see that very often. It was also poetic justice since a little bit earlier one of the Brazilian defender went tumbling down. She seemed to be faking an injury and was carried out on a stretcher. But as soon as she was on the stretcher it was as if divine intervention occurred. She jumped off and came running back onto the pitch as if nothing had happened. Fortunately, the ref did give her the yellow card. But that "injury" was what contributed to the injury time that resulted in Wambach's goal. So in this case, cheating did not pay off!
The first was the Japanese victory over Germany. We were biting our nails as we watched that one. It is an incredible accomplishment by the Japanese women to beat the reigning world champions who were playing in front of their home crowd. After a shaky start, the Japanese women started to play very well. They kept their cool and were able to limit the effectiveness of the German forwards. They played systematic and clean, good football. A great victory in overtime!
The second was of course the US victory over Brazil. Wambach's winning goal came in injury time in the second half of overtime or in the 120th minute + 2. You do not see that very often. It was also poetic justice since a little bit earlier one of the Brazilian defender went tumbling down. She seemed to be faking an injury and was carried out on a stretcher. But as soon as she was on the stretcher it was as if divine intervention occurred. She jumped off and came running back onto the pitch as if nothing had happened. Fortunately, the ref did give her the yellow card. But that "injury" was what contributed to the injury time that resulted in Wambach's goal. So in this case, cheating did not pay off!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
We had Hope!
An incredible US victory over Brazil!!
We drove down to Augsburg, where Oma, Karen's great grandmother is from and watch Sweden Australia. It was actually a good game with lots of goals. The Swedish team impressed us once again. They have fast talented players and are well organized. Their matchup against Japan should be a good one.
But the story of the day is of course the magnificent US victory! We watched the game in a bar in Stuttgart. The US players played much better than against Sweden. We didn't understand why Brazil was allowed to retake the penalty. Further, giving Buehler the red card was a harsh call. So the ref put her mark on this game.
The Americans were resilient and showed great spirit. They were a person down for more than hour and still won. They keep things exciting. We were confident going into the penalty shoot out because the Brazilians were dejected having just conceded a goal. And we had Hope - Hope Solo that is!
We drove down to Augsburg, where Oma, Karen's great grandmother is from and watch Sweden Australia. It was actually a good game with lots of goals. The Swedish team impressed us once again. They have fast talented players and are well organized. Their matchup against Japan should be a good one.
But the story of the day is of course the magnificent US victory! We watched the game in a bar in Stuttgart. The US players played much better than against Sweden. We didn't understand why Brazil was allowed to retake the penalty. Further, giving Buehler the red card was a harsh call. So the ref put her mark on this game.
The Americans were resilient and showed great spirit. They were a person down for more than hour and still won. They keep things exciting. We were confident going into the penalty shoot out because the Brazilians were dejected having just conceded a goal. And we had Hope - Hope Solo that is!
Love, Politics, Soccer
Yesterday proved the old adage that anything can happen in love, politics and soccer. Very unexpected results especially the shocking Japanese victory over Germany. The Japanese deserved to win this one. Both of yesterday's games were fun to watch. It was five straight hours of soccer!
We were particularly impressed with Sawa the Japanese midfielder and Necib the French striker. Both are very skilled and have a nice touch.
Since we did such a horrible job predicting yesterday we are mum about today's games. WIth Germany out, the road to the final is wide open.
We drive about 3.5 hours to get to Augsburg for the early 1pm kickoff. We will then watch USA-Brazil somewhere on the road probably in Karlsruhe or Stuttgart.
We were particularly impressed with Sawa the Japanese midfielder and Necib the French striker. Both are very skilled and have a nice touch.
Since we did such a horrible job predicting yesterday we are mum about today's games. WIth Germany out, the road to the final is wide open.
We drive about 3.5 hours to get to Augsburg for the early 1pm kickoff. We will then watch USA-Brazil somewhere on the road probably in Karlsruhe or Stuttgart.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Quarterfinals begin today
Today´s match-up feature Germany vs. Japan and England vs. France - both very intriguing games.
Germany is heavily favored to move on and defeat Japan. In their last game against France the looked like a new side. Their coach had made the wise decision to bench their star player Brigit Prinz who had a major fit and meltdown when she was subbed against Nigeria. The German press have been all over that one. Against France the German side looked like its old self. Inka Grings, who is #8, was particularly forceful. The German side did not completely dominate against a talented French team. They should, however, have an easy time with Japan. It will be size vs. speed. Against France, two of the German goals were headers. Expect them to rely on set plays and putting the ball in the air.
England and France should be a fun game. These are not traditional power houses in the women´s game like on the men´s side. The English team has been getting better throughout the tournament. The French main goalie was red carded in their last game so will not be eligible to play and their reserve goalie looked shaky at best against Germany. So we think England will win this one.
We will go downtown Frankfurt to watch these games at the Fan Fest with a nice atmosphere.
Tomorrow we head for Augsburg to watch Sweden - Australia.
Germany is heavily favored to move on and defeat Japan. In their last game against France the looked like a new side. Their coach had made the wise decision to bench their star player Brigit Prinz who had a major fit and meltdown when she was subbed against Nigeria. The German press have been all over that one. Against France the German side looked like its old self. Inka Grings, who is #8, was particularly forceful. The German side did not completely dominate against a talented French team. They should, however, have an easy time with Japan. It will be size vs. speed. Against France, two of the German goals were headers. Expect them to rely on set plays and putting the ball in the air.
England and France should be a fun game. These are not traditional power houses in the women´s game like on the men´s side. The English team has been getting better throughout the tournament. The French main goalie was red carded in their last game so will not be eligible to play and their reserve goalie looked shaky at best against Germany. So we think England will win this one.
We will go downtown Frankfurt to watch these games at the Fan Fest with a nice atmosphere.
Tomorrow we head for Augsburg to watch Sweden - Australia.
Friday, July 8, 2011
4 countries in 3 hours
There are no games in the Cup today so we are going to attempt to be in 4 countries in a span of 3 hours and conduct meaningful transactions in each of them. We will start here in Germany and drive to Luxembourg. Since Luxembourg is a banking center, we will exchange some $ for euros. Then we will drive to Belgium and have afternoon coffee/tea with some Belgian chocolates - what Belgium is famous for. After our chocolate fix, we will drive south to France and have dinner there either in Metz or Thonville. We cannot think of many places in the world where you can do the same (i.e be in four different countries in three hours). Can you?
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Girls not having any fun,,,,
I don´t think the girls are having any fun at all here...what do you think?
Being vegetarian at the World Cup
My daughter Karen is a vegetarian. The German soccer stadium do not cater to vegetarians! So it has been a challenge. These are the options at each stadium that we have been to:
1) Bratwurst
2) Hot Dog
3) Curry Wurst
4) Schnitzel in Bread
A heaven for carnivores.
Also beer costs 3 euros whereas water costs 4 euros...Prost!
1) Bratwurst
2) Hot Dog
3) Curry Wurst
4) Schnitzel in Bread
A heaven for carnivores.
Also beer costs 3 euros whereas water costs 4 euros...Prost!
pictures from Holland
Here are some pictures from our visit to Holland. They include pictures of the De Gooyer windmill - which was in Alan´s family for many years- and the girls in front of the Anne Frank House. We waited for an hour to get into the museum but it was worth it! Very neat museum with interactive features. We also visited my friend Joost and his wife Connie who live in the country side. They have two children Max and Sara.
Pictures from USA Sweden game
We had very good seats for the USA Sweden game. All around us were scouts from the other teams. The girls made it onto the Jumbotron once. I took a picture of them on the big screen. You can't really see it here in my picture so you'll have to take me on my word. We were surprised that there many more Swedish supporters than American at this game. And the Swedish fans were loud, good natured and colorful.
Disappointing game
The USA - Sweden did not turn out as well as we expected. The US team was flat and lacked any kind of creativity. The defense did not handle well the speed of the Swedish forwards and the American midfielders did not attempt to play together and string together any kind of passes. Instead, they relied on "kick and run" which was not successful at all. We did feel that the Swedes were lucky to get two goals in the first half. The US did have a number of opportunities but did not capitalize.
We were also surprised by the US substitutions in the second half. Instead of emphasizing offense, the US coach put in two defensive minded players out of the three players she subbed in. The subs did not contribute anything at all. There was no momentum.
The spunk and energy that we saw versus Columbia was completely absent in this game. Since the US lost this game, we will not be seeing them play in the quarterfinal game in Augsburg. Instead we will see Sweden Australia. We will be rooting for the Swedes!
We were also surprised by the US substitutions in the second half. Instead of emphasizing offense, the US coach put in two defensive minded players out of the three players she subbed in. The subs did not contribute anything at all. There was no momentum.
The spunk and energy that we saw versus Columbia was completely absent in this game. Since the US lost this game, we will not be seeing them play in the quarterfinal game in Augsburg. Instead we will see Sweden Australia. We will be rooting for the Swedes!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Amsterdam and off to USA Sweden
We have had a few great days in Amsterdam. We have walked a lot and enjoyed the sights. We visited the De Gooyer windmill and the Anne Frank House and went on a canal cruise. Ada proved that she is part Dutch by eating a raw herring! Impressive! Today we visit my friend Joost who lives on a farm. Then we head for Wolfsburg for the USA Sweden game. More later...
Monday, July 4, 2011
Brazil vs Norway
We drove 4 hours north to see the Brazil vs. Norway game. The game was a sell out in the Wolfsburg Arena that seats about 25000. Most of the fans there were supporting Norway though there was a very vocal yet small Brazilian following. The stadium is beautiful but it was cold and rainy.
The Norwegians played well in the beginning but then the world´s best player Marta scored the first goal. The goal should have been disallowed because she fouled the Norwegian defender to get to the ball. So she cheated to score that goal. Therefore it was unfair that Brazil took a 1-0 lead.
It seems like the Norwegians had decaffeinated tea at half time because they were half asleep at the beginning of the second half. Brazil scored two quick goals. And if Marta cheated to score the first goal, she showed her brilliance in the second two goals. She scored one herself and had a wonderful assist in the other. So that sort of evens out the cheating in the first half. This is perhaps similar to Maradona´s goals against England in the 1986 World Cup (the "Hand of God" goal and his priceless run through the English defense). Perhaps Marta´s foul could be called "the Push of God".
Karen and I actually did not see those goals live. We were in line at the concession stand (not much Germany efficiency there I must say. Very slow service...) waiting for our pretzels but we saw the goals on the monitors by the concession stands.
Even though Brazil won 3-0, it does not give a good sense of how equal the teams were. A more just result would have been 2-1 or 1-0. And I am not just saying this to stick with my Norwegian cousins....
After seeing Brazil today, I still think the US has the best team in the tournament.
We will be gong to the Netherlands for a few days so we may not be blogging as much. Our next game is on Wednesday when we return to Wolfsburg for USA vs. Sweden. Our seats for that game are directly above the benches to the left of the journalists. So the tv cameras should be right at us. The girls will be wearing their red wigs and Dr. Seuss hats so look out for us again!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Ada and Karen Reflect
If we would have gone right instead of left in Heidelberg we would never have met Mia Hamm or Brandi Chastain. The day before yesterday everyone was happy about seeing Mia Hamm, Brandi Chaistain, and Briana Scurry, but yesterday the fans in the Marktplaz were like wild animals let loose from captivity.
Germany so far has been great. We have seen a lot old buildings. So far we have not had really a typical German meal except for Ada who had bratwurst. But we have had Japanese, Italian, Thai, and Turkish food. Maybe that is Germany today!
Strong USA performance
The US completely dominated the Columbian team. The Americans were tactical, strong and fast. They seem to be peaking at the right time. Further, the team clearly has "team spirit" evidenced most clearly in how they celebrated their goals. Additionally, the US team basically has a home field advantage with so many Americans living here in Germany. The play of the American team and the light atmosphere surrounding the team stands in stark contrast to the German team. The German press has been reporting that their star player Prinz has been complaining and sulking. The team also looked flat in the game we saw against Nigeria. Perhaps they are feeling to much pressure. So we may have to revise our earlier prediction that the Germans would beat the US in the semi-finals. The US now looks like the team to beat.
Today, we drive to Wolfsburg, a small town up north where the main Volkswagen factory is located. It is about a 4 hour drive from here. We will see tonight´s Brazil vs. Norway game featuring perhaps the best player in the world, Brazil´s Marta.
"Hello Williamstown"
The USA-Columbia game was sold out and there was no chance of getting tickets. There are a number of American military bases nearby (such as in Mannheim and Heidelberg) so there was a lot of local interest. So we left Sinsheim empty handed and instead we went back to the Market Platz in Heideilberg and watched the game there. Since the girls were cute and stylin´ in their USA outfits the producers of ESPN asked them to be front and center for the pre-game and post-game show. They gave Karen and Ada a huge poster board to make signs and they made one that said "Hello Williamstown!" You can see them next to Brianna Scurry, the former US goalkeeper and current ESPN analyst. Most of the other kids are children of US military personnel based here in Germany.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Watch for us on tv today at USA Columbia game!
We do not have tickets to the USA Columbia game and the game is sold out. But we are going to down to Sinsheim anyway and see if we can get tickets. If the game is sold out, we will go to Heidelberg and watch the game from the square where ESPN has set up their broadcast booth. So watch for us on TV.
Karen will be wearing a crazy red Medusa type wig and Ada is wearing a red and white Dr. Seuss hat. They will also paint their faces red, white and blue. So if you see some crazy looking girls that resemble Ada and Karen it will probably be them.
Meeting soccer legends!!!
We decided to have a touristy day today and visit the historic town of Heidelberg (about an hour's drive away). As we were walking along the main shopping street we saw a big ESPN van and they were broadcasting live from Heidelberg. We immediately saw Brandi Chastain (who scored the winner in 1999 World Cup for the US and famously celebrated by tearing off her own jersey), the coach from the 1999 team Tony DiCiccio and the legendary Mia Hamm, perhaps the greatest woman soccer player ever. They were nice enough to pose for pictures with us and gave us ESPN caps which they autographed. Both Karen and Ada were thrilled to meet these stars. They sat behind them as they were watching the broadcast of the England - New Zealand game.
We also made it on TV on several occasions so if you were watching the England-New Zealand game today we were in the shots from the Market Platz in Heidelberg.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Competitive Level of Play
What has been very impressive in the Women's World Cup is how even the teams are. Most games have been low-scoring (e.g. 1-0 or 2-1) but that doesn't mean that the games have been boring. On the contrary, they have been intense, physical with open attacking soccer. Very entertaining. In the women games, there has been more displays of technical skills than you typically see in a men's game. If a man starts dribbling around his opponents, he is often mowed down. The women have more opportunity the play the game as it should be played. The environment at the games is also more fan-friendly. For example, at last night's game there were not many people drinking (a lot of) alcohol and very little rowdy behavior. We felt very comfortable with our daughters at the game last night.
Apart from the French victory against the Canadians, there have been no blowouts in this year's Cup. The teams here are equal which goes to show much progress has been made in women's soccer all across the globe. In this Cup there are 16 teams (as opposed to the Men's Cup that features 32 teams). With more and more girls playing soccer around the world and starting to play at an earlier age, the women's game will progress by leaps and bounds whereas you can debate whether the men's game has been progressing at all in the last 10 years.
Another German joke from the girls
A joke made by Karen and Ada in the back seat of our car:
After the bratwurst, we hit the highway and found ourselves having to ausfahrt often!
Germany - Nigeria 1-0
The atmosphere in the stadium was great. Lots of waves, singing and clapping. The Germans did not play very well. They were sloppy and allowed the Nigerian defense to frustrate them. The Germans will have to play much better if they are to become world champions.
The German crowd was into the game. They followed every move and nuance and were quick to let the ref know what they didn´t approve of.
What´s a 100 years between friends?
Well the 700 year castle in Königstein turned out to be a 800 year castle! It dates back to 1215. We visited this spectacular site this morning and it has stunning views of the valley. Then we walked around downtown Königstein and drove to Wiesbaden for lunch (a pan-Asian place). Later in the afternoon we took the train to downtown Frankfurt and walked around the Fanfest area. Lots of beer gardens and bratwurst. We also tried our luck playing soccer in the dark. It was a little exhibit set up by the Dialogue Museum to give people a sense of how blind people experience life. After about an hour at the fanfest we took the tram to the stadium for the Germany - Nigeria game.
The pictures above are from the castle in Königstein.
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