As expected, last week’s announcement of Portugal’s 23-man squad yielded no surprises. Even the inclusion of Renato Sanches, which was very likely due to Bernardo Silva’s ill-fated thigh injury, was far from unexpected, given the youngster’s impressive season with Benfica, and his pricey move to Bayern Munich. Anyone familiar with Portuguese coach, Fernando Santos’ career, knows… Read More »
The FIFA Ballon d’Or awards are never without controversy. The award ceremony is very much a reflection of the institution it represents, and often highlights the biases of players and managers alike. This year, the inclusions of David Luiz and Andres Iniesta in the FIFA/FIFPRO World XI were certainly causes for some head-scratching, since neither had… Read More »
Eric Krakauer and Cristiano Oliveira welcome Juan Arango of Al Jazeera Sport (formerly GolTV) to discuss FIFA’s newest controversy, the USMNT’s loss versus Colombia, and preview Portugal vs Argentina, and the MLS Playoffs.
Follow Eric Krakauer @bigsoccerheadny Eric Krakauer talks US men’s national team, Portugal, and other World Cup topics with the Sports Animals, Chris Hart and Gary Dickman of ESPN Honolulu. Click on Media Player or Link (below) ESPN Interview (click)
This article first appeared on Soccerly.com Follow Eric Krakauer on Twitter @bigsoccerheadny Once you get past the dubious penalty call, and Pepe’s deserved red card, Portugal’s dismantling at the hands of Germany comes down to tactical ineptitude. Portugal’s friendlies against Greece, Mexico, and Ireland gave Paulo Bento the opportunity to experiment with different formations and… Read More »
This article first appeared on Soccerly.com Follow Eric Krakauer on Twitter @bigsoccerheadny Cristiano Ronaldo’s return and the dismantling of Ireland provided a much-needed psychological boost for Portugal. After underwhelming in their previous friendlies against Greece and Mexico, the Portuguese showed just how much of a threat they could be in the World Cup. With… Read More »
This article first appeared on Soccerly.com Follow Eric Krakauer on Twitter @bigsoccerheadny It may not be a first memory, but every football fan is indelibly impressed by that one moment, or one sequence of arbitrarily strung events, that has fostered an eternal love affair with the World Cup. The alluring quadrennial has the memory-imprinting power… Read More »
A game-winning goal by Bruno Alves may have served to instill Portugal with some confidence, but it did not mask the difficulties felt by a team that desperately misses its talisman. With one more friendly to go before Portugal head to Brazil, Paulo Bento took advantage of Ronaldo’s absence to test out new players in… Read More »
Follow Eric Krakauer on Twitter @bigsoccerheadny This article first appeared on Soccerly.com For the superstitious, Tuesday’s thunder and lightning were bad omens. After a brief a press conference that saw Nani get inundated with questions about Cristiano Ronaldo’s injury, the press core was escorted to Portugal’s practice field, only to be shepherded back into the… Read More »
Follow Eric Krakauer on Twitter @bigsoccerheadny This article first appeared on Soccerly.com Portugal’s first preparation game en route to Brazil served mostly to test out a new system, as well as some of the players who are vying for the last few spots in Paulo Bento’s starting eleven. One of those players could very well be… Read More »