D6


S


KLMNO World Cup 2010 WORLD CUP NOTEBOOK


Goalie Howard cleared to play against Slovenia


by Steven Goff


Tim Howard, the U.S. World Cup goalkeeper whose ribs were bruised Saturday when an Eng- land player slid into him, has been cleared to play against Slovenia on Friday. “After a physical examination this morning, the medical staff has determined there is no need to conduct additional testing,” the U.S. Soccer Fed- eration said in a written statement Monday. “He continues to make substantial improvement and is expected to be available for the match against Slovenia.”


Despite initial fears of a fracture, the injury


was later deemed not severe enough to require X- rays or an MRI exam. The injury occurred in the 29th minute when England forward Emile Heskey, attempting to connect with Aaron Lennon’s cross from the right flank, went full force with his right foot into the midsection of the outstretched Howard. The American was treated on the field for sev-


eral minutes, but despite clear discomfort re- mained in the game. He received a cortisone shot at halftime before making several outstanding saves to preserve a 1-1 draw in the Group C open- er.


Howard won’t be made available to comment about his condition until Wednesday.


Lineup changes afoot? Just because the United States came away with a positive result against England does not neces- sarily mean Coach Bob Bradley will retain the same starting lineup against Slovenia. “It’s not that automatic,” he said. Midfield changes are quite possible. Maurice Edu or Jose Torres could replace Ricardo Clark in a central role and partner with Michael Bradley. DaMarcus Beasley and Stuart Holden are poten- tial flank entries if Bradley decides to move Clint Dempsey to the front line in place of Robbie Fin- dley. Forward Edson Buddle is also in the mix after


playing 13 minutes against England. The back line is likely to remain unchanged. “There is a process coming out of one game, as- sessing where everyone is physically, trying to project what the next game might look like,” Bob Bradley said. “And that usually results in a couple of tough decisions.”


Praise from familiar face Frank Borghi, the U.S. goalkeeper who was part


of the 1-0 upset of England at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, watched Saturday’s match in Fenton, Mo., with former teammate Harry Keough. Interviewed by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Borghi, 85, praised Howard’s performance and said of England goalie Robert Green’s blunder: “He made a boo-boo. He handled that ball badly. He should have caught that ball. I could have made that play.” . . . The U.S. players were given the day off and, af-


ter attending a private function at the tony Mel- rose Arch development in Johannesburg, hosted friends and family at team headquarters at Irene Country Lodge.


Friendly ticket sales swell Ticket sales for the United States’ friendly against Brazil on Aug. 10 at the new Mead- owlands stadium in New Jersey have reached 25,000 after just three days of availability, accord- ing to game organizers. . . . Hope Solo, the U.S. women’s national team


goalkeeper, is in Johannesburg on behalf of 1GOAL, an international education campaign headed by Queen Rania of Jordan. After the WPS’s St. Louis Athletica folded last month, Solo moved to the Atlanta Beat, which was not sched- uled to play this past weekend.


goffs@washpost.com


GROUP A WL T GFGAPt


So. Africa 0 0 1 1 1 1 Mexico 0 0 1 1 1 1 Uruguay 0 0 1 0 0 1 France 0 0 1 0 0 1


Tomorrow’s match


South Africa vs. Uruguay, 2:30 p.m.


GROUP B WL T GFGAPt


So. Korea 1 0 0 2 0 3 Argentina 1 0 0 1 0 3 Nigeria 0 1 0 0 1 0 Greece 0 1 0 0 2 0


TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2010


WASHINGTONPOST.COM/SOCCER The Post’s World Cup headquarters keeps tabs on today’s games, and Steven Goff has all the latest updates on the U.S. national team at the World Cup.


JULIE JACOBSON/ASSOCIATED PRESS


Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar tries unsuccessfully to punch away a corner kick by Italy’s Simone Pepe, which Daniele De Rossi redirected into the net. ROUNDUP


Defending champion Italy opens with tie washingtonpost.com/soccer


De Rossi scores equalizer after Paraguay takes lead


Italy opened defense of its World Cup title with an


underwhelming, rain-soaked 1-1 draw with Para- guay on Monday in Cape Town. Paraguay defender Antolin Alcaraz scored on a header in the 39th minute of the Group F match. Ita- ly midfielder Daniele De Rossi equalized from close range in the 63rd after a miscue by goalkeeper Justo Villar.


Already without injured midfielder Andrea Pirlo,


Italy’s fortunes took another hit when it lost perhaps its most valuable player, goalkeeper Gianluigi Buf- fon, after the first half. The 32-year-old Buffon was removed in favor of inexperienced backup Federico Marchetti because of an apparent back problem. De Rossi made up for the opening goal, sliding in to redirect a corner kick from Simone Pepe. It was a solid start for the midfielder, who was suspended for four games during Italy’s 2006 run after bloodying the face of U.S. forward Brian McBride with a sharp elbow. After a day of often intense rain, the match kicked


off under a drizzle, leaving the field slippery. Tem- peratures stood at 46 degrees, but the swirling winds coming off the ocean made it feel colder. There were relatively few fans from Italy and


Paraguay among the near-capacity crowd of 62,869 at Green Point Stadium, although the usual buzz of vuvuzelas made it difficult to determine exactly who was rooting for whom. Italy was organized from the start, pushing up the right flank with Gianluca Zambrotta and Pepe, but the Azzurri had trouble getting the ball in attacking position. Paraguay was content to sit back and wait for counterattacks and didn’t venture into Italy’s half until the 20-minute mark, when the South Americans won a couple of corner kicks. With the rain picking up and fans blowing harder on their vuvuzelas — seemingly demanding more action — both teams stalled in midfield for a while before Paraguay took the lead. In the second half, Italy appeared rattled at first without Buffon shouting his usual orders, and En- rique Vera nearly scored in the 52nd minute when defender Giorgio Chiellini failed to clear the ball. After De Rossi’s equalizer, Italy’s best chance for victory came in the 83rd with a long shot from Mon-


GROUP C WL T GFGAPt


Slovenia 1 0 0 1 0 3 England 0 0 1 1 1 1 U.S. 0 0 1 1 1 1 Algeria 0 1 0 0 1 0


TODAY’S CAN’T-MISS MATCHUP


Ivory Coast vs. Portugal, 10 a.m., ESPN: The status of Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba will not be known until hours before his team’s match against Portugal. Drogba (Chelsea) broke his right arm in a warmup match on June 4 but has practiced with his teammates the past two days. FIFA must also approve the protective cast Drogba will have to wear.


GROUP D WL T GFGAPt


Germany 1 0 0 4 0 3 Ghana 1 0 0 1 0 3 Serbia 0 1 0 0 1 0 Australia 0 1 0 0 4 0


Soccer Insider Get all the latest updates from Post reporters. washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider


World Cup explorer Interactive map with news, schedules and rosters for all 32 teams.


Historical database Searchable World Cup historical database dating back to 1930.


U.S. Team Bios on all 23 U.S. team members, with photos and video interviews.


Scores For final scores from every game, text "SOCCER" to 98999.


TODAY ON TV


7:30 a.m. New Zealand vs. Slovakia, ESPN 10 a.m. Ivory Coast vs. Portugal, ESPN 2:30 p.m. Brazil vs. North Korea, ESPN


PHIL COLE/GETTY IMAGES


Keisuke Honda of Japan (top) celebrates scoring the only goal of the match against Cameroon.


tolivo that Villar did well to push wide.  JAPAN 1, CAMEROON 0: Japan showed it can win a World Cup game outside its borders. Coming off four straight exhibition losses in the buildup to the tournament, the Japanese earned their first World Cup victory on foreign soil in Bloemfontein when Keisuke Honda scored in the first half against unin- spired Cameroon in Group E. “As a team we had very little good luck in our warmup games going into this match,” Honda said. “But as a team we were thinking: ‘Don’t be down. Be positive. Go for it.’ ” And they did against a favored Cameroon squad


that was lifeless in the first half. After a sloppy first 30 minutes, Japan broke the tie in the 39th when Daisuke Matsui’s curling cross from the right drifted over the heads of Cameroon defenders Nicolas Nkoulou and Stephane Mbia. The ball fell to Honda at the back post and the striker neatly controlled it and sent it past goalkeeper Ha- midou Souleymanou. Despite an attack led by Samuel Eto’o, Cameroon never really challenged Japan keeper Eiji Kawashi-


GROUP E WL T GFGAPt


N’lands 1 0 0 2 0 3 Japan 1 0 0 1 0 3 Denmark 0 1 0 0 2 0 Cameroon 0 1 0 0 1 0


GROUP F WL T GFGAPt


Italy 0 0 1 1 1 1 Paraguay 0 0 1 1 1 1 N. Zealand 0 0 0 0 0 0 Slovakia 0 0 0 0 0 0


Today’s match


New Zealand vs. Slovakia, 7:30 a.m.


ma. The Africans struggled to possess the ball and generate any rhythm up front, and even when they put a few passes together, the buildup usually was wasted by poor crosses. “We lost many, many balls because we were ner- vous and that is why I am disappointed tonight,” Cameroon Coach Paul Le Guen said. Japan’s only previous World Cup victories came against Russia and Tunisia in 2002, when it was co- host of the tournament. This is its fourth World Cup.  NETHERLANDS 2, DENMARK 0: The Netherlands surged into the World Cup with one of the globe’s fiercest attacks. It took some luck to get that offense on track. The Dutch got an own goal in the 46th minute and beat Denmark at Soccer City in Johannesburg, failing to break through on their own until the 85th minute, when Dirk Kuyt tapped in a rebound off the post from close range. “We wanted to play beautiful soccer but we lost the ball,” said Netherlands Coach Bert Van Marwijk, whose team did not lose in qualifying. But “from time to time you could see how good we can be.” The Netherlands took the lead when Denmark de- fender Simon Poulsen headed a ball off the back of teammate Daniel Agger and into the net. He had been trying to clear a cross from Robin van Persie. — From news services


GROUP G WL T GFGAPt


Brazil 0 0 0 0 0 0 No. Korea 000 0 0 0 Iv. Coast 0 0 0 0 0 0 Portugal 0 0 0 0 0 0


Today’s matches


Ivory Coast vs. Portugal, 10 a.m.


Brazil vs. North Korea, 2:30 p.m.


HOCKEY Carlson, Alzner and Neuvirth propel Bears to second straight Calder Cup by Tarik El-Bashir


hershey, pa. — If Monday’s game was indeed the last in the minor leagues for John Carlson, Karl Alzner and Michal Neuvirth, the trio of touted Washington Capitals’ prospects couldn’t have scripted a better ending. Carlson and Alzner each scored


first-period goals, and Neuvirth stopped all 22 shots he faced to make sure the Hershey Bears claimed a second straight Calder Cup with a 4-0 win over the Texas Stars. “It never gets old,” Carlson said in the midst of a wild on-ice cel- ebration at Giant Center. “I’ve won a few championships now,


and every time it’s a thrill.” The championship is the Bears’ third in five years, 11th overall and it underscored a regular season that saw them win a league-rec- ord 60 games. They’re the first team to win back-to-back titles since Springfield in 1990 and 1991 and first in league history to re- bound after dropping Games 1 and 2 on home ice. Capitals General Manager


George McPhee, who watched in- tently from a suite, hopes the comeback will serve as a spring- board for the organization’s prized youngsters. “It never hurts and it almost al-


ways helps to play in pressure sit- uations,” McPhee said. The AHL “is the second-best league in the


world, and what you like is this builds a foundation, a frame of reference so when things aren’t going well in Washington, they’ll have something to fall back on. They can say, ‘I’ve won every- where and I’m going to do it here, too.’ ” Chris Bourque captured the


Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the playoff MVP, capping a weird year in which the 2004 third-round draft pick earned a spot on the opening night roster, got waived because of salary cap issues, played 20 games for the Pitts- burgh Penguins and then rejoined the Capitals organization. “When everything settles


down,” said Bourque, who didn’t record a point Monday but fin-


ished with 27 points in the play- offs, “I don’t know what I’m going to think about this year. This is a good place to be stuck if you’re stuck in the AHL.” For Carlson, the victory capped


a breakthrough season that in- cluded scoring the gold medal- winning goal for the United States in the world junior champion- ships, tallying his first NHL goal and a suiting up for 29 games withWashington. Now, the 2008 first rounder can add the Calder Cup-clinching goal to an already impressive résumé. “There were a couple of games where he wasn’t sharp, but these last few games, he’s done some things that come naturally to him that you can’t teach and they were


big time plays,” McPhee said of Carlson, who acknowledged that playing a total of 95 games con- tributed to his slow start in this series.


Alzner, who was recalled eight times by the Capitals last season and skated in Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens, played an instrumental role in shutting down Stars prospect Jamie Benn (two assists). “If this is my last game in the American league, there’s no better way,” said Alzner. “I don’t think it can get any better than that. I was here maybe a year too long, but I think it’s going to be good for my development in the end and I’m a hundred times better than I would have been.”


Like Alzner, it seems Neuvirth has nothing left to prove at the minor league level. The only ques- tion is whether he joins fellow 22- year-old Semyon Varlamov in Washington next winter. “That decision hasn’t been made yet,” McPhee said. “That’s part of the debate.”


When told this would probably be the last time he would don a Bears jersey either way, Neuvirth choked up. “If that’s true, it’s pretty nice to


get a title shutout in my last game as a Hershey Bear,” he said. Capitals Note: Capitals center Brendan Morrison will not be re- signed, McPhee said before the game.


elbashirt@washpost.com


GROUP H WL T GFGAPt


Spain 0 0 0 0 0 0 Swit’land 0 0 0 0 0 0 Honduras 0 0 0 0 0 0 Chile 0 0 0 0 0 0


Tomorrow’s matches


Honduras vs. Chile, 7:30 a.m.


Spain vs. Switzerland, 10 a.m.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54