Colombia vs. Paraguay

romy says on Oct 8, 2008, 16:34:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldFootballNews/idUKB60746420081008
Soccer-Goal-shy Colombia make wholesale changes


BOGOTA, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Colombia's new coach Eduardo Lara has announced seven changes to the side for Saturday's World Cup qualifier at home to South American group leaders Paraguay.

Lara has replaced Jorge Luis Pinto, sacked after last month's 4-0 defeat by Chile, and his first task is to end his team's chronic scoring problem.

Colombia have managed only four goals in eight qualifiers, three of which have been goalless draws.

Lara said Freddy Montero, 21 and topscorer in the Colombian championship with 11 goals for Deportivo Cali, would form the new striking partnership alongside Portugal-based Wason Renteria.

Experienced defender Mario Yepes, dropped by Pinto after last year's Copa America, returns to the side as captain. Midfielders Gerardo Bedoya and Fabian Vargas have also been recalled.

Players who keep their places include goalkeeper Agustin Julio and playmaker Giovanni Hernandez.

"I've always said that we were going to need men of experience," said Vargas.

"The previous group had very good players, but they lacked a bit of experience especially for the difficult moments and the pressure we are under now."

Colombia, who last qualified for the World Cup in 1998, are sixth in the 10-team South American group with 10 points from eight games.

(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta, writing by Brian Homewood in Buenos Aires; editing by Miles Evans)

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ruelemoine says on Oct 8, 2008, 16:39:

Thanks for the update! Go Colombia!!!!!

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Simon says on Oct 8, 2008, 18:14:

I HOPE WE KICK THEIR ASSES!!!



Btw, Romy, who will you be rooting for? LOL

"DON'T FOK WITH COLOMBIA!!"-----Simon

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romy says on Oct 8, 2008, 19:32:

colUmbia

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 8, 2008, 19:37:

I love Miquel Calero! The guy is awesome playing for Pachuca of the Mexican League. I wish the guy would take Luis Gabriel Rey from Atlante as well.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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august says on Oct 9, 2008, 00:44:

Just don't get jumped in Durban. Place can be dicey.

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jorgegdiaz says on Oct 9, 2008, 05:31:

Ya me deje crecer la uñas para el Sabado ...

Democratic party or Republican party is fine......as long as theres a party!!!!!!!

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elmodefoque says on Oct 9, 2008, 05:41:

paraguay? paraguay"
donde diablo queda eso
where the fok is this paraguay?

I'll get there, when I get there!

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manINred says on Oct 10, 2008, 02:14:

I am very excited for this match, and will be sporting the yellow, blue and red... however,

Does anyone actually see Colombia winning this? I mean, Paraguay are really on-form, and the opposite is unfortunately true of Colombia.

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manINred says on Oct 10, 2008, 02:15:

Then again, with England's 4-1 demolition of Croatia a few glorious weeks ago, I suppose anything's possible ;)

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rocinante says on Oct 10, 2008, 13:47:

With the reshuffle anything is possible.

"World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Not that the US president actually runs the US." Feb 5, 2008

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Andres Chiquito says on Oct 10, 2008, 14:54:

Does anybody knows if the game will be televise on Caracol or RCN in the USA. Gracias

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jorgegdiaz says on Oct 10, 2008, 15:03:

caracol, 6:20 PM

Democratic party or Republican party is fine......as long as theres a party!!!!!!!

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romy says on Oct 10, 2008, 18:44:

I'm pretty sure in North America it's only on ppv...

I see Colombia winning. Playing at altitude and lots of desire. Paraguay will be relaxed and playing for the tie.

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mike08 says on Oct 10, 2008, 21:36:

I don't have a good feeling about the outcome of this match. I've gone back and forth on wanting to go but the weather has been awful here this week and I would hate to sit in the rain for 4 hours to see them fall to a good Paraguay side. Then again, the next game isn't until March. Touch choice between the couch and an El Campin bench...

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billyb says on Oct 11, 2008, 00:14:

"I'm pretty sure in North America it's only on ppv...
I see Colombia winning. Playing at altitude and lots of desire. Paraguay will be relaxed and playing for the tie."

I agree on both counts.

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 11, 2008, 09:40:

Playing at altitude is one of the strengths of the Paraguayans because so many of them play in the Mexican league: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=888536.html In the CONMEBOL no team can take any other team for granted so it is quite possible for Colombia to come out on top. I just hope that the Colombians make a better showing than they have so far.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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romy says on Oct 11, 2008, 13:21:

3 hours to gametime...

http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=907199
WCQ Preview: Colombia - Paraguay

It's Now or Never

The Colombian national team are desperately in need of the points, and will be looking to upset group leaders Paraguay at home in Bogota on Saturday. The appointment of Eduardo Lara has brought new life into the Colombian camp. After a home defeat against Uruguay, and a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Chile, Colombia are in a must win situation at home to Paraguay. Lara insists that his new look side will go for the three points, but he understands that Paraguay, the group leaders, are a solid side, who have a very dangerous attack. Colombia will be looking for goals, and because of this Lara has put confidence in Deportivo Cali striker, Freddy Montero, who is the top-scorer of the Colombian Clausura Championship with 11 goals.

Lara counts with a combination of youth and experience in his squad, and the coach is confident that his team will pick up a good result. "We are calm, the group have worked well, and are ready to confront Paraguay. The players want to do things well, they are going to do their best, and are going to play their hearts out for the Colombian shirt," stated Lara. Colombia can't afford to drop anymore points at home, even against the leading sides. After a great beginning, they have struggled a great deal, and they haven't won a single match since beating Argentina 2-1 late last year.

Are Paraguay the Real Deal?

Paraguay will be hoping to consolidate their position at the top of the standings, as they intend to close in on a fourth successive World Cup finals. Roque Santa Cruz will be out of action once again, but Gerardo Martino will be able to count with the menacing strike-force of Nelson Haedo Valdez and Salvador Cabanas. The Paraguayans have been in outstanding form in the qualifiers so far, and come into the clash as the favourites, despite the fact that they will be away at Colombia, a team who are traditionally very strong at home. Martino's side have found consistency in the competition, as well as an effective game plan, that is likely to be the difference during the match.

For years now Paraguay have been one of the strongest teams on the continent, and along with the likes of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, they boast high-quality squads. Although many of their players aren't recognized around the world, they have demonstrated that they are world-class players who rise to the big occasion. They will be hoping to continue their good run against a Colombian side who may have a new coach, but continue to lack depth in their squad.

TEAM NEWS

Colombia

Despite keeping many of the players who were taken into consideration by Jose Luis Pinto, Lara has brought in some news players, like Mario Yepes of Chievo Verona. Another player who makes the team is Atletico Madrid defender Amaranto Perea, while Agustin Julio remains in goal, despite a number of poor performances in the qualifiers. Giovanny Hernandez will be Colombia's main playmaker, while Wason Renteria and Freddy Montero will lead their attack. The biggest loss for the side is River Plate striker Radamel Falcao Garcia, who is injured.

Paraguay

The Paraguayans come into the match with some injury concerns. Claudio Morel Rodriguez took a knock to his right knee, and may not be fit in time for the match, while Nelson Haedo Valdez, of Borussia Dortmund is suffering from fatigue. If Valdez doesn't recover in time, he will be replaced by Oscar Cardozo, while Aureliano Torres is likely to play in Claudio Morel's absence. Because of this, head coach Gerardo Martino has yet to confirm his starting XI for the match. Perhaps the biggest loss in the Paraguay camp is that of Blackburn Rovers striker Roque Santa Cruz.

Most Probable Formations:

Colombia: Agustin Julio, Camilo Zuniga, Amaranto Perea, Mario Yepes, Pablo Armero, Freddy Guarin, Gerardo Bedoya, Fabian Vargas, Giovanny Hernandez, Wason Renteria and Freddy Montero.

Paraguay: Justo Villar, Dario Veron, Julio Cesar Caceres, Paulo Da Silva, Enrique Vera, Aureliano Torres, Edgar Barreto, Víctor Caceres, Christian Riveros, Salvador Cabanas and Nelson Haedo Valdez.

PREDICTION

Colombia are in great need of the points, and for that reason they should manage to record a positive result. They will play their hearts out against Paraguay, but will need to be in top form in order to get something from the match. It is likely to be a very even contest, and Paraguay's experience in these kinds of matches should go a long way in earning them a valuable away point. It promises to be an enticing clash that could well end up even.

Colombia 1-1 Paraguay

Gregory Sica

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 11, 2008, 17:30:

My man, Salvador Cabanas, one of the great South American players playing in the Mexican League, scored for Paraguay.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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romy says on Oct 11, 2008, 17:54:

fluke gol

Colombia can't catch a break

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 11, 2008, 18:17:

I don't have too much sympathy for a team that leaves players like Juan Pablo Angel and Luis Gabriel Rey off its squad. My wife says it's all political trickery as to who gets on the team and knowing Colombia, I am sure she's right. How about playing with the country's best players????????

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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mike08 says on Oct 11, 2008, 19:08:

i am glad i didn't waste the 60.000 and my saturday to watch this at el campin. could they possibly have had the ball in front of paraguays net without shooting more than they did? how about trying to score instead of trying to dive in the box for a PK. they look like the better team but why can't they score?

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Monpirri says on Oct 11, 2008, 19:40:

Colombia has Never been able to beat Paraguay in Bogota.
um, I wonder why?

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 11, 2008, 19:46:

"they look like the better team but why can't they score?"

You have to have guys who can put it in the net like Angel and Rey. Some guys just don't know how to score.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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jorgegdiaz says on Oct 12, 2008, 07:20:

... Angel ? ... he`s history !
he scores for NY but because is the MLS !!
they don`t have 2 guys breathing on your neck as soon as you get the ball
About Luis G. Rey, I don`t think he`s playing in Pachuca, is he?

Democratic party or Republican party is fine......as long as theres a party!!!!!!!

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 12, 2008, 08:05:

Rey plays for Atlante along with Maldonado of Venezuela. If you're in Cancun, you can watch them play along with Federico Vilar, their Argentinian goalkeeper.

As for Angel, he is 32 and don't kid yourself, he can still get it done. But then again, I guess the Colombians feel that they should get all their players internally even though like Paraguay, their best players are playing in other countries. Of course, Gerardo Martino of Argentina (Paraguay's national coach) doesn't have his head firmly planted UP his ass.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 12, 2008, 08:14:

And as for the comment above that Cabanas's goal was a fluke, did you see it? He caught the keeper out of position and blasted a magnificent shot just inside the left post. There was NOTHING fluky about it. Colombia should be so lucky as to have a guy who can make "fluky" goals like that. Of course, as we know, THEY DON'T!

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Monpirri says on Oct 12, 2008, 11:23:

It was a weird goal. The goalkeeper did not know that the ball was going to land in that corner, but it was his fault that he was not able to stop the ball because he was standing on the opposite side instead of being in the center.
The player who kicked the ball he did not know either that the ball was going to scorer.
Follow up with the interview.

The life spam of a taste bud is ten days

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romy says on Oct 12, 2008, 14:54:

Cabanas aimed for a cross and came out with a shot at goal... hmmm not skill, fluke.

Politics have little to do that JPA has lost form from his glory season at Villa and that Rey never had the quality to be a national team player. Rodallega that tears it up in Mexico contributes little to the national team so I'm not a fan of drawing talent from that league.

Anyways, it's sad to see so much Colombian talent that has failed to blossom. I wonder what causes this?

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billyb says on Oct 12, 2008, 17:17:

"Anyways, it's sad to see so much Colombian talent that has failed to blossom. I wonder what causes this?"

I always thought it was the "external" pressures they used to face, but now I'm tempted think that they are just not that good.

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 12, 2008, 17:56:

"Rodallega that tears it up in Mexico contributes little to the national team so I'm not a fan of drawing talent from that league."

Paraguay has 10 players from "that league". It's attitudes like yours that will ensure Colombia does not qualify for the WC for many years. Anyone who says that Cabanas has no skill has no idea what they are talking about. And just to show how TRULY ignorant you are, Rey made 10 appearances with Colombia's national team scoring 4 goals. So keep on crying and whining!

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Noelito40 says on Oct 12, 2008, 20:12:

Colombia could have been on the pitch on their own and they wouldn't have scored...Now this could be (as billyb has suggested) that they simply don't have the players but from what I saw last night and from their earlier games, they also seem to have an allergy to shooting and a tendency to overplay the ball. This can happen to a team who hasn't scored in a while, they all want to glory of being the guy to break the team's duck, but overplaying the ball invariably ends up wasting it.

It's all very well if you have the talent of Arsenal, with the players who can string 30 passes together and then score, but Colombia simply doesn't have players with the ability to do this, so it's the job of the coach to tell his players to shoot and to pass early...

Noelito

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romy says on Oct 12, 2008, 21:04:

it's strange because this particular generation of players had success at the youth levels but has failed to deliver at the senior level. So I'm not sure if there is something that is stumping the talent development or if the talent happens to reach its full potential early. I'd like a top-notch manager to take over the team, because my feelings is that a solid system can put things together. I don't know maybe I'm hopeless and nostalgic of the good old days for the national team.

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jorgegdiaz says on Oct 14, 2008, 05:47:

Right on Romy,
I wanted el loco Bielsa for the team when the federation mistankely fired R. Rueda.

Democratic party or Republican party is fine......as long as theres a party!!!!!!!

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Monpirri says on Oct 15, 2008, 05:00:

Does Colombia play against Brazil tomorrow, Wednesday?

The life spam of a taste bud is ten days

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jorgegdiaz says on Oct 15, 2008, 05:03:

si, 8PM (-5 GMT). live on Caracol

Democratic party or Republican party is fine......as long as theres a party!!!!!!!

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romy says on Oct 16, 2008, 00:27:

HUGE tie at maracana...
Colombia is now vying for the 'half' spot out of conmebol. it would be ironic if Honduras under Reinaldo Rueda is the opposition out of Concacaf.
btw, I just got back from watching Canada v. Mexico... the stadium was overrun by Mexicans, still Mexican talent is lacklustre and disappointed the lively crowd. it's just low quality soccer that's being played north of the Darien.

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manINred says on Oct 16, 2008, 03:39:

At least the Mexicans have a chance of making the WC. The Mexicans would blow out Colombia, though I do agree that there is a lack of talent north of the Darien, but make that north of Ecuador (yes, including Venezuela).

Colombia winning against Brazil in Brazil is a laughable concept. As I stated earlier, even a Brasil stunted by the ineptitude of Dunga won't lose this one.

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manINred says on Oct 16, 2008, 04:09:

Well, while I wrote this a few minutes ago, it was before I knew the match was played. I suppose I was correct in asserting Brasil wouldn't lose. Though i did want to see this match.

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Monpirri says on Oct 16, 2008, 04:28:

Jorgegdiaz, gracias!

The life spam of a taste bud is ten days

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Monpirri says on Oct 16, 2008, 04:31:

That is the reason Colombian has never been able to beat Paraguay in Bogota.
Colombia does not a Lively CROWD in Bogota! Chacaco crowd is like putting your video on mute.

The life spam of a taste bud is ten days

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romy says on Oct 16, 2008, 15:15:

Brazil doesn't lose at home period.
anyways, If Colombia were thrown into CONCACAF for being mostly on the northern hemisphere then for sure we'd be going to South Africa, just like Mexico will for sure.

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Monpirri says on Oct 16, 2008, 15:24:

That is the reason Colombia has never been able to beat Paraguay in Bogota.
Colombia does not have a Lively CROWD in Bogota! Chacaco crowd is like putting your video on mute.

I posted the above again with corrections.
Anyway, good luck to Colombia today!

The life spam of a taste bud is ten days

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manINred says on Oct 16, 2008, 16:49:

Too true Romy, I would think that they should qualify in CONCACAF, since the CONCACAF teams leave a lot to be desired, but even now I have my doubts. I personally think CONCACAF gets a very generous portion of representation in the WC, and Mexico has it lucky because they should never NOT qualify.

Oh well, at least Colombia are not Canada, the biggest joke in football in the world.

It is such a shame, with better direction Colombia should make the world cup! Who am I gonna root for when England get knocked out in the quarter finals???

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romy says on Oct 16, 2008, 17:04:

Canada's hope of making the world cup lies in hosting it in 2018. The canadian soccer association is a joke, they better spend some money in a new manager if they want to have a shot at making the world cup in Brazil, perhaps Capello will be available by then after failures elsewhere ;)

I still have Argentina to cheer for if Colombia doesn't make it...

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manINred says on Oct 16, 2008, 17:15:

haha, well Capello is already a success given the fact that he's done several things England has never done before :)

And Dale Mitchell, if he had any decency, would resign ASAP. But that's not gonna happen anytime soon. But let's be real... Canada won't host it! They simply don't have the capacity, and I don't see them developing it anytime soon. Though that would be great if they could.

As for Argentina, I always cheer for them (except when playing against Colombia or England) since I love their style, their players, and I have stayed there for extensive periods of time, and some of my best friends are Argentinian. So yes, I will fall back on them too, at least they're bound to do well!

Ahh, it seems so long ago when Colombia beat them 2-1...

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Monpirri says on Oct 16, 2008, 20:23:

Colombia 0 Brazil 0
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=230008&campaign=rss&source=socc...

The life spam of a taste bud is ten days

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jorgegdiaz says on Oct 17, 2008, 05:58:

...

Canada beat Colombia in 2001 in the Golden Cup final, 2-0 !!

Asprilla & Bedoya (with half of Deportivo Cali`s players) played, with Luis A. Garcia as coach

That has to be the biggest humilliation ever !!

Democratic party or Republican party is fine......as long as theres a party!!!!!!!

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Monpirri says on Oct 17, 2008, 13:14:

Yeah, in the past Colombia has been beaten by teams from CONCACAF.

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 17, 2008, 18:21:

I despise Argentina but I must admit that they play the best soccer in the world. One of the reasons that the FMF (Mexican League) is the seventh best league in the world is due to the number of Argentines that play there. The other reason is the number of players from other South American countries and finally, the Mexicans themselves, some of whom like keeper Guillermo Ochoa are world class. Whenever you look at the CONMEBOL results, frequently a goal scored is by a player from the FMF whether it's Maldonado of Venezuela (Atlante), Suazo of Chile (Monterrey), Benitez of Ecuador (Santos Laguna), Cabanas of Paraguay (America) etc. The Mexican national team is marginal but much of the blame is due to the Mexicans misplaced sense of nationalism which prevents them from completely accepting naturalized citizens like Matias Vuoso (Argentina) and Leandro Augusto (Brazil) on their team. Of course it was Vuoso who saved their traseros for them by tieing the Canada game with a nice header in the second half. I guess Swen was desperate and had to play him no matter how much the Mexicans whined.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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manINred says on Oct 17, 2008, 18:46:

How do you figure the mexican league as seventh? It wouldn't surprise me, but what are the top 6? (i assume the usual suspects).

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 17, 2008, 19:51:

Actually I saw it on a site that ranked all the world's leagues - I'll look for the url. I think the big four of Europe (England, Germany, Spain and Italy) were up there along with Brazil and Argentina. Of course the whole notion of which league is "best" is highly debatable. What is not debatable is the fact that the FMF is the highest paid league outside Europe. The salaries are far higher than those in any South American country and the MLS. That is the reason why every Mexican club (except Chivas) has four or five (or more) South Americans on their rosters. They come for the big bucks or should I say pesos. And those guys are not paid to sit on the bench - they are usually forwards and midfielders with a scattering of keepers and defenders. I love the FMF because of the South American players. I've even turned my wife into a fan. It's an extremely competitive league with surprises every week, kind of like the CONMEBOL qualifiers.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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manINred says on Oct 17, 2008, 20:22:

That would be very interesting. It's quite a feat if the Mexican league were ranked higher than leagues such as the French and Dutch leagues. Try and find that URL, I am really interested. There is lots of debate as to the best league, and subjective, but oftentimes fairly accurate at identifying which leagues will be better than others.. for example, it is clear that Serie A > League 1 of France, or Argentinian Apertura > Colombian Apetura (for instance)

I had no clue that the Mexican league was higher paid than the Brasilian and Argentinian. I suppose Boca, River, Santos, Corinthians (who were hilariously relegated recently) aside, on average it is quite possible.

As for Mexican misplaced sense of nationalism, well their time will come. The league will ensure that. Generally speaking, strong domestic league = strong national team. You can see that from the world cup winners and the top 6 leagues (assuming they are England, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Italy, and France which follows quite closely).

Look at Spain, they have suffered from the most misplaced sense of nationalism ever, something that has always killed them on the pitch, but they are now the best team in the world.

Mexico's time will come, Paraguay's success will attest to that.

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romy says on Oct 17, 2008, 21:07:

"The league will ensure that"
it depends how long they let them keep laundering drug money... remember Colombia lived through that period too.

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goin_south says on Oct 17, 2008, 21:19:

UTC: """I've even turned my wife into a fan"""

I can't believe,.... you've finally PERVERTED HER! lol

“ I would rather be a conservative nut job rather than a liberal with no nuts and no job.”

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romy says on Oct 17, 2008, 21:40:

According to IFFHS:

The strongest National League in the World 2007:
1. England 1.171,0
2. España 1.074,0
3. Italia 1.027,0
4. Brasil 954,0
5. Argentina 852,0
6. Deutschland 839,0
7. France 761,5
8. México 734,0
9. Colombia 666,0
10. Portugal 643,5

http://www.iffhs.de/?b6e28fa3002f71504e52d17f7370eff3702bb1c2bb0f

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goin_south says on Oct 17, 2008, 22:25:

'07???

vamos. no?

“ I would rather be a conservative nut job rather than a liberal with no nuts and no job.”

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 17, 2008, 22:48:

According to the IFFHS, the Dutch league has diminished in quality while the Colombian league has improved. Interesting comments: http://www.iffhs.de/?b6e20fa3002f70d00ee2d17f7370eff3702bb1c2bb0e

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 17, 2008, 23:04:

Ali Gerba, a naturalized Canadian citizen from Cameroon, scored the first goal for Canada in their 2-2 draw with Mexico. I didn't see any Canadians mourning the fact that he is from Cameroon or complaining about his playing time. Meanwhile the Mexicans bitch about Augusto and Vuoso and about Sven Ericksson.......as far as I am concerned, their NT isn't going anywhere and they don't deserve to. If anything they should take away a couple of CONCACAF's WC slots and give them to CONMEBOL.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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jorgegdiaz says on Oct 18, 2008, 04:29:

romy says, " it depends how long they let them keep laundering drug money... remember Colombia lived through that period too."
How long do you think it`s been going on?
How do you think MX was able to finance the 68 Olympic games and the 70 World cup?

Con lana de la mota, guey !

Democratic party or Republican party is fine......as long as theres a party!!!!!!!

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Monpirri says on Oct 18, 2008, 08:11:

Top 25 Rankings as of October 2008
Rank Team Points Confederation

1 Spain 1643 UEFA
2 Italy 1365 UEFA
3 Germany 1336 UEFA
4 Brazil 1280 CONMEBOL
5 Netherlands 1258 UEFA
6 Croatia 1223 UEFA
7 Argentina 1200 CONMEBOL
8 Czech Republic 1111 UEFA
9 Russia 1076 UEFA
10 Portugal 1075 UEFA
11 France 1035 UEFA
12 Cameroon 1027 CAF
13 Turkey 1021 UEFA
14 England 982 UEFA
15 Bulgaria 969 UEFA
16 Israel 961 UEFA
17 Greece 945 UEFA
18 Romania 927 UEFA
19 Ukraine 893 UEFA
20 Uruguay 887 CONMEBOL
21 United States 861 CONCACAF
22 Egypt 860 CAF
23 Paraguay 860 CONMEBOL
24 Mexico 841 CONCACAF
25 Ghana 839 CAF

FIFA World Rankings

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Monpirri says on Oct 18, 2008, 08:13:

Awards
Each year FIFA hands out two awards to its member nations, based on their performance in the rankings. They are;

Team of the Year
Team of the Year is awarded to the team whose best seven matches of the year received the greatest number of points overall. The table below shows the 3 best teams of each year.

Year First place Second place Third place
2007 Argentina Brazil Italy
2006 Brazil Italy Argentina
2005 Brazil Czech Republic Netherlands
2004 Brazil France Argentina
2003 Brazil France Spain
2002 Brazil France Spain
2001 Honduras Colombia Costa Rica
2000 Netherlands Honduras Italy
1999 Brazil Czech Republic France
1998 Brazil France Germany
1997 Brazil Germany Czech Republic
1996 Brazil Germany France
1995 Brazil Germany Italy
1994 Brazil Spain Sweden
1993 Germany Italy Brazil

FIFA World Rankings

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Monpirri says on Oct 18, 2008, 08:15:

Best Mover of the Year

Best Mover of the Year is awarded to the team who has made the best progress up the rankings over the course of the year. In the FIFA rankings, this is not simply the team that has risen the most places, but a calculation is performed in order to account for the fact that it becomes progressively harder to earn more points the higher up the rankings a team is. The calculation used is the number of points the team has at the end of the year (z) multiplied by the number of points it earned during the year (y). The team with the highest index on this calculation receives the award. The table below shows the top 3 best movers from each year.

Year First place Second place Third place
2007 Mozambique Norway New Caledonia
2006 Italy Germany France
2005 Ghana Ethiopia Switzerland
2004 China PR Uzbekistan Côte d'Ivoire
2003 Bahrain Oman Turkmenistan
2002 Senegal Wales Brazil
2001 Costa Rica Australia Honduras
2000 Nigeria Honduras Cameroon
1999 Slovenia Cuba Uzbekistan
1998 Croatia France Argentina
1997 Yugoslavia Bosnia and Herzegovina Iran
1996 South Africa Paraguay Canada
1995 Jamaica Trinidad and Tobago Czech Republic
1994 Croatia Brazil Uzbekistan
1993 Colombia Portugal Morocco

FIFA World Rankings

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 18, 2008, 11:46:

The breakdown on the 85 South American players in the FMF is:

Argentina 32 players
Paraguay 17 players
Uruguay 11 players
Brazil 8 players
Colombia 7 players
Chile 6 players
Peru 2 players
Ecuador 1 player but an excellent one (Benitez)
Venezuela 1 player another excellent one (Maldonado)

An interesting tidbit is that there are also 5 US players in the FMF.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Monpirri says on Oct 18, 2008, 12:40:

From the list above!
Team of the Year 2001
Colombia, Second place

Best Mover of the Year 1993
Colombia, First Place

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Monpirri says on Oct 18, 2008, 12:43:

CONCAF wants to equate South America teams or category so they have began a MASSIVE recruitment in the last five years.
But for over twenty years many of Colombian soccer players have been playing in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Europe.
Also since I can remember for over three decades Colombia has been deploying Argentinians, Paraguayans, Uruguayans, Chileans, Peruvians, Ecuatorianas in their local teams.

Just look up the history, Colombian history.

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Monpirri says on Oct 19, 2008, 09:28:

I just remember something related to this topic, the USA, a soccer team that has grown quite a bit, also have been employing in MLS Dozens of soccer players from other countries!

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 19, 2008, 20:37:

The MLS is bottom of the barrel compared to the FMF. Why? The salaries, other than those given to a few name players, stink.

" Thirty-two players earn the league minimum of $30,000, and developmental players get even less: 35 make $17,700 and 56 get $12,900. Only the top six players in the league have salaries above the major league baseball minimum of $380,000.

The average guaranteed salary for the 356 players listed is $115,478 and the median -- the point at which an equal amount make above and below -- is $52,965. Seventy four percent of the players have base salaries of $100,000 or less."

Taken from http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=427678&&cc=5901

Also, let's be clear about the difference between a national league and its national team. Only citizens who have never played for another country can play for their country's national team. The leagues of many countries are filed with foreign players. This is why the big European leagues are so good, they are like United Nations of soccer.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Monpirri says on Oct 20, 2008, 22:20:

I do not know much about CONCAF but this statistics tells me that the US soccer team has been doing very well in the last 7 years with 7 victories.
I wonder how many time they have won the championship?


USA Vs. Mexico

Jun 11, 2000 W 3-0 E.Rutherford,NJ (US Cup)
Oct 25, 2000 W 2-0 Los Angeles
Feb 28, 2001 W 2-0 Columbus,OH (WCQ’02)
Jul 01, 2001 L 0-1 Mexico City (WCQ’02)
Apr 03, 2002 W 1-0 Denver
Jun 17, 2002 W 2-0 Jeonju, S.Korea (World Cup 2nd Round)
May 08, 2003 D 0-0 Houston
Apr 28, 2004 W 1-0 Dallas
Mar 27, 2005 L 1-2 Mexico City (WCQ’06)
Sep 03, 2005 W 2-0 Columbus,OH (WCQ’06)
Feb 02, 2007 W 2-0 Glendale,AZ

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romy says on Oct 20, 2008, 22:32:

There probably is a correlation between the strength of the local league and the strength of the national team. The very successful Colombian club teams of the 80s probably lead to the development of the national team's golden generation. England should then be expected to rise amongst world rankings, however what may detract this is that the players that make that league so strong are mostly foreign and have taken a lot of spots on the top clubs away from the local boys.

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Monpirri says on Oct 21, 2008, 18:39:

In the CONCAF arena, the USA soccer team, basically a newbie, should deserve the praise:

CONCACAF GOLD CUP CHAMPIONS
1991 USA
1993 Mexico
1996 Mexico
1998 Mexico
2000 Canada
2002 USA
2003 Mexico
2005 USA
2007 USA

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