WCP Cup Blog

Premature Predictions - Group A and B

2012-03-01T15:43:00.001-06:00

Group A
It's fairly clear that Ireland and Sudan should be the teams coming out of this group. Anything other than seeing these two teams at the top will be the story of the tournament. Ireland, while losing a couple players, will still be the team to beat in the group. Sudan, although extremely exciting last year, still failed to even make playoffs. A lot of people seem to forget that. Ireland will have the know-how to matchup with them, but at the same time, Sudan will be better prepared this time around. The Ireland-Sudan game on opening night should be a showcase for some outstanding soccer. As for the rest of the group, I wouldn't be surprised to see Botswana and Serbia give one of the top two teams a good game, but maintaining that high level of play would be very difficult for them.

Predicted order of finish:
1.Ireland
2.Sudan
3.Botswana
4.Serbia
5.Scotland
6.Somalia

Game of the Group: Ireland vs. Sudan - Friday, March 30 at 10:30

Group B
I find this group to be the most intriguing out of all of them. The winners aren't as clear cut as it seems. The favorites are Laos and Canada, but you can anticipate some real battles here. Colombia has gotten stronger every year, they play hard and they did knock off Sudan last year. Their team will be ready for this tournament. Afghanistan is another dark horse. Pay no attention to the draw vs. Poland, as Afghanistan were playing with the likes of Mike Collins and company, but they have picked up some impact players. They still have a ways to go to be considered a contender. With Jamaica, it's always interesting to see what they can bring to the table. They have a very good offence, but a weak defence. If they can shore up that defence, Jamaica could get back to being a legitimate team. Lastly, we come to Northern Ireland. They've been the cause of some upsets in years past, and they could pull if off again. I'd recommend following each game in this group fairly closely, because it'll be very close.

Predicted order of finish:
1. Canada
2. Laos
3. Colombia
4. Afghanistan
5. Jamaica
6. Northern Ireland

Game of the Group: Laos vs. Canada - Sunday, April 15 at 8:00
Stay tuned for Groups C and D.

Rumblings

2012-02-16T19:01:00.000-06:00

What's going on with different teams this year? Let's take a look...

Ireland- Lost top strikers David Brown to a knee injury, Jay Tomchuk and Brett Levis to Poland, and a couple other key cogs...is this finally the year Ireland crumbles? Knowing Ireland, they'll replace the players with some quality players and keep it going. It will be interesting, since they play Sudan right at the beginning, and won't have a difficult challenger until the playoffs.

El Salvador - Could be losing a key defender in Jordian Farahani and striker in Jerson Barandica-Hamilton to teams in the United States where they have tryouts scheduled. Remains to be seen how those tryouts go. Still, this is a team that took Ireland to shootouts last year. They'll still be quite strong.

France - France is another team that will be missing some key players. Losing striker Brett Bachelu and defendersYianni Harbis and Mason Bulych will hurt the most, but France is replacing them with top players. The Patterson twins were in talks to join France, but it appears they'll remain with Germany this year. Expect France to be a top team and challenge El Salvador for Group D.

Poland - It's easy to see why Poland is this year's most exciting team. With strong additions at striker and defence, a strong fan base, Poland has to be the most dangerous team in the tournament.

Germany - Assuming they can keep the Pattersons, Germany has added a couple more players from Regina and Saskatoon. They still need to find some consistency, but they're going in the right direction.

Serbia - Serbia is looking to add some former Ukraine players, and could a surprise contender in their group with Ireland and Sudan.

Canada - Look out for Canada this year. They've added a strong midfielder in Ahmed Shirif, and replaced a couple other players with good players. Definitely a strong team.

Colombia, Greece, Nigeria, Hungary and Northern Ireland are all taking part in the RSA Tournament at the end of February, this should be a decent indicator of what each team will bring to the WCP Cup.

Anything else?

2012-02-13T13:50:00.000-06:00

Here's your 2012 WCP Cup Schedule.

Check it out in PDF format here.

WCP Cup Schedule

2012-02-09T12:39:00.003-06:00

FYI: Schedule has been delayed until February 12. I'll post the schedule here as soon as it's finished.

New Look

2012-02-01T00:15:00.001-06:00

Almost done the site updating, still a couple tweaks here and there though...

First, some BREAKING NEWS! Somalia has been added to Group A on the Men's Side. This makes all the groups even.

If your team has a website you'd like to include here, please let me know, and I'll gladly post it. If you have any other ideas, complaints or suggestions, again, let me know. I'll be in direct contact with WCP Cup organizers, so don't hesitate to give me a shout. I can be reached at wcpcupblog@hotmail.com.

Are you trying to schedule any exhibition games with teams? Looking to for someone to play with?
Let me know!

Stay tuned for more updates.

Changes

2012-01-25T23:07:00.002-06:00

Please be patient while the WCP Cup Blog undergoes a makeover.

2011-11-05T09:50:00.001-06:00

WCP Cup 2012 Groups
Womens Division
Group A
1. Ukraine
2. Italy
3. EL Salvador
4. Netherlands
5. Poland

Group B
1. Germany
2. Chile
3. Canada
4. England
5. Ireland

Mens Division
Group A
1. Ireland
2. Sudan
3. Scotland
4. Botswana
5. Serbia
EDIT: 6. Somalia

Group B
1. Laos
2. Colombia
3. Jamaica
4. Afghanistan
5. N.Ireland
6. Canada

Group C
1. Poland
2. Nigeria
3. Portugal
4. Germany
5. Vietnam
6. Hungary

Group D
1. EL Salvador
2. France
3. Norway
4. Italy
5. South Korea
6. Greece

Previews to follow in the coming days!

WCP Cup Final

2011-04-24T13:55:00.000-06:00

Ireland vs. Laos: 3-0 Ireland. A dominant performance all-around. It doesn't really need to be gone into detail. And with the cabaret last night, this thing is all wrapped up. Good show everybody! I'll get some details on next year for you.

Semi Final Recap

2011-04-22T17:56:00.000-06:00

Ireland vs. El Salvador: 2-1(PKs) Ireland. Great game to watch. El Salvador did very well getting up for their second big game in 2 days, and despite missing a couple key players, they managed to take Ireland to a penalty shoot-out. El Salvador knew what it would take to beat Ireland, and they executed it perfectly. They did much the same thing they did against France, which was to sit back and defend, and hope to take advantage of an opportunity if it came up. Criticize it, but that strategy had to be employed against Ireland if El Salvador wanted to have a chance at winning. Ireland controlled most of the game, but El Salvador wouldn't let them finish their chances.

Laos vs. Poland: Laos 4-3. Another overtime game. Both teams were aggressive and creative, and it was a great game to watch. Much more back and forth than the Ireland vs. ES game. It was a shame that one team had to lose, because they both were deserving of a spot in the final. Poland, uncharacteristically, made too many defensive errors this time. A red card put even more pressure on Poland, and Laos eventually capitalized. Laos knows how to win the big games, and they proved it again last night.

So we come to another Ireland vs. Laos final, something we've seen twice already before. The series is 1-1...so who will win the matchup this time around? Stay tuned! 5:00 on Saturday.

Quarter Finals Recap

2011-04-21T11:23:00.001-06:00

Laos vs. Greece: 3-1 Laos. The Greeks showed why they were able to go undefeated in Group C with a strong effort against Laos. Scoring the first goal, Greece really started to worry Laos. Laos kept it together though, tieing it before half. Laos kept up the pressure in the second, and managed to finally break through and take the lead off a low shot beating the keeper. They added a third before the game was over. Pretty good game to watch, and it was great seeing Greece contend in the game.

Canada vs. Ireland: Ireland 7-2. Canada gave up a couple more goals than I thought they would, but the result was still the same. David Brown scored 5 goals, which is testament to his talent, but he was left open constantly to take those shots. He's the tournament's leading scorer, shadow the guy. I was very surprised Canada couldn't figure that out. No way a team should let a guy score 5 on them. Anyway, it's clear that Ireland is absolutely dominating the tournament. They'll likely coast through the rest of the playoffs.

France vs. El Salvador: 1-0 El Salvador. El Salvador won on essentially the last play of the game in the second overtime. It was well under the 2:00 minute mark when they got a free kick at the top of the box, and Riggs picked the top right corner with the shot. Needless to say, it was heartbreaking for a France team that expected to contend with Ireland in today's semi-final. The game itself started out fairly slow, with both teams getting a feel for their opponent. France started to take control, and they held it for most of the game. El Salvador had a few flashes where they had opportunities, but France were holding them in check for the most part. France covered the El Salvador players close, not allowing them to get up to their tricks. El Salvador hung back defensively, daring France to make something happen. And in the end, France simply weren't able to finish their chances. Simple as that. El Salvador capitalized on one good opportunity at the end. A disappointing end to the tournament. Both teams played very good, and I guess every team but one will be disappointed at the end. El Salvador goes on to take on Ireland tonight, and they have the unenviable task of trying to take down a very strong Ireland team.

Poland vs. Norway: 3-0 Poland. Norway played much better this time around, and showed much more patience with the ball. Neither team was showing much, but then Poland started to wear them down after a 0-0 first half. The second half was all Poland, and the shots came from everywhere. Poland moves on to face Laos tonight.

PLAYOFF PREVIEWS Part 2

2011-04-20T13:22:00.000-06:00

France vs. El Salvador

Summary: France is a very strong team. They have proven players, they can completely shut down offensive teams, and they can score from anywhere on the field. Comparably, El Salvador is right up there. They have arguably more pure playmakers than France, and more shooters. France rely on a couple players to get it done, but El Salvador has a range of players that can score easily. France's players play much better working together as a unit, being able to move up and down the field as a team. Both teams are good, and this is a pretty even matchup. France's key to winning will be making sure El Salvador doesn't get time with the ball in space. El Salvador will have to play better as team and avoid costly breakdowns to win this one.

Prediction: 2 very exciting teams, and a great matchup. If France can play the way they did against every team but Greece, they'll win. Give El Salvador the time that France gave Greece, and they'll punish France. France should have the players to shut down El Salvador's playmakers, and then quickly counterattack while everyone's still up the field. France 3-2.

Norway vs. Poland

Summary: Norway was put into a fairly easy pool. Ireland was the top team by a large margin, and they proved that with an 8-2 victory over Norway. Norway hasn't shown anything to prove they'll be able to get by another very good team. Still, they will be better against Poland with addition of a couple players. Poland, on the other hand, played very tough games in a tough pool. By now, they're accustomed to playing close games against tough teams.

Prediction: The large majority of us haven't been treated to Norway's full-strength roster, nor have we seen them play with their lives on the line. Well, tonight we get both hopefully. Will they be able to match Poland? Doubtful. Poland knows exactly what to do and how to do it. They swept Group D for a reason, and I can't pick against such a hot team right now. They'll have the support of the crowd as well, and I'll say Poland 4-1.

PLAYOFF PREVIEWS Part 1

2011-04-19T21:13:00.000-06:00

Laos vs. Greece

Summary: The defending champs versus the surprise Greece. Not too many people saw this one coming, but it could be a good one. Greece moves fast, and they tackle hard. Laos is better known for their ball control, quickness, and solid teamwork. Both teams hustle hard to every ball. Laos were surprised by Sudan at the start, but still managed to win. They've looked strong so far, and haven't shown any real weaknesses. They don't have the same attacking flair, but they're still a very dangerous team. Greece won't impress you with their ball skills, but they'll outwork you until the end. They specialize in set pieces and hard tackling. Make no mistake, Greece is a difficult team to play against.

Prediction: Greece will punish a smaller Laos team physically. Laos will have to play smart and get that ball moving quickly to catch the Greeks out of position. This is pretty much Laos' specialty, and I think they'll execute it. The Greeks are good shot blockers, but Laos should be able to some shots by. I don't see Greece being able to keep up to Laos' scoring. Laos 3-1.

Ireland vs. Canada

Summary: Ireland is very strong, there's no denying it. Can anyone beat them? Maybe, but it'll take one great game to do it. Canada can be that team. There are few teams better suited to take on Ireland. Canada has a solid defence, they cover players tight, and can score 2-3 quality goals on any team. They'll definitely need some luck to beat this Ireland team though. Ireland has quality at every position, but they haven't faced a team that's given them a real challenge yet. Ireland has to be forced to pass the ball around, and they'll need patience to beat Canada. Hopefully Canada can give them a good game.

Prediction: Ireland hasn't faced a quality team yet, so they could be surprised by Canada. All the pressure is on Ireland, as they're expected to win easily. Canada can come out and play their game, with no real worries. The longer Canada can keep Ireland from scoring, the more panicked they'll get, and the more Canada's confidence builds. However, Ireland is still a top-notch squad. Canada is good, no question, but they didn't exactly win convincingly against Ukraine, they tied Germany, and lost to Poland. Ireland is better than all those teams, and they'll show up to play. Everyone is cheering for the upset, but I just don't think it'll happen. Ireland 5-2.

WCP Cup Weekend Recap

2011-04-18T11:35:00.002-06:00

I'll keep this short because I want to get to some playoff previews. Most games ended up being irrelevant, so let's go over the ones that actually meant something.

Saturday

The most meaningful day for some of the best teams...

Canada vs. Ukraine: 2-1 Canada. Another extremely close Canada victory. Ukraine played very good, and were in control for most of the game, but Canada got 2 quick goals near the end and came away with the win. That makes 2 close games in which Ukraine was in control and gave away in the end. Unfortunate way to go out.

Jamaica vs. Poland: 5-1 Poland, In a must-win game for Jamaica, they came out very flat. In a meaningless game for Poland, they came out flying. Poland sweeps Group D, and they have to be extremely proud of themselves no matter how this tournament ends. Back to the drawing board for Jamaica, as this is the 3rd or 4th year in a row where they've been expected to contend and have fallen hard. Poland goes through in 1st place.

Afghanistan vs. Nigeria: 6-3 Afghanistan. Nigeria, after being hyped all pre-tournament, fell flat again. They were strong in exhibition games, but that didn't translate at all to the tournament. Beatings by Greece, France and Afghanistan made the tournament a disaster for them. That just goes to show there's no point in even coming to this blog until the tournament starts.

Laos vs. El Salvador: 1-1 tie. In the game to decide Group A, both teams came out ready to fight hard for first. Laos struck first fairly early, and El Salvador responded immediately. Everyone thought we'd be in for a high-scoring game from then on, but it never happened. Neither team applied intense pressure, because El Salvador was simply trying not to lose, and Laos still would win the group with a tie. Still, a good game though. Both teams looked strong.

Sunday

Essentially the big wrap-up day for the Group stages. This day decided the final playoff positions, even with a couple games on Monday.

Women's Poland vs. Women's Canada: 2-1 Canada. Intense game. That is all.

England note: They salvaged some pride this weekend, I think. They tied Portugal 4-4 and lost to Serbia 4-3. Close games, and likely gives them reason to come back next year.

Women's El Salvador vs. Women's Chile: 2-0 Chile. Another win-or-you're-out game, Chile edged El Salvador for the final playoff spot in their group as well. They'll take on Ukraine.

Ireland vs. Norway: 8-2 Ireland. The battle for top spot in Group B was a battle in the same way that a broom can be considered a fruit.

Canada vs. Germany: 1-1 tie. A must-win game for Germany, but they just couldn't pull it out in the end. Both teams missed capitalizing on some very good chances. Injuries and suspensions took their toll on Germany, but overall they had a good showing. Rough start, but very strong recovery. Unfortunately for them and Ukraine, it was inevitable for the Group D teams.

Ukraine vs. Jamaica: 5-2 Ukraine.

France vs. Afghanistan: 8-2 France. The final win-or-you're-out game of the tournament, France took it to Afghanistan. After much hullabaloo over their possible demise, they finish as expected.

WCP Friday Recap

2011-04-17T16:38:00.000-06:00

Women's England vs. Women's Italy: 2-0 England. Unexpected test for England, but they're still rolling.

Poland vs. Scotland: 7-1 Poland.

Austria vs. Northern Ireland: Tied 2-2.

France vs. Nigeria: 2-0. France came through in a game they absolutely had to win. Not the prettiest, but a win nonetheless. France now faces another must-win against Afghanistan to go through on Sunday night.

WCP Cup Thursday Recap

2011-04-15T09:20:00.002-06:00

YG Brazil vs. El Salvador: Brazil 6-0

Women's Germany vs. Women's Austria: 9-1 Austria.

El Salvador vs. Colombia: 4-0 El Salvador. Colombia has taken some great strides in the tournament, and this game was another good one for them. They missed a lot of opportunities, and they definitely had a chance to upset El Salvador. The scoreline doesn't show it, but a great game by Colombia. The tournament has to considered a success for Colombia, and look for them to improve on it next year. El Salvador vs. Laos will decide the group tomorrow.

Greece vs. Afghanistan: Greece 4-1. Greece finished their group games, and in the process, they moved into sole possession of first place in Group C. What does this mean for the rest of Group C? Greece has 4 wins and a tie, and they'll be going through. The rest is wide open. The France vs. Nigeria game is a must-win for both teams. The loser will likely be out, assuming both France and Nigeria beat Afghanistan...and that's not a guarantee either. This weekend will be very interesting for Group C. Massive game tonight for France and Nigeria.

WCP Cup Monday to Wednesday Recap

2011-04-14T10:38:00.001-06:00

Monday

YG Canada vs. Germany: 3-3 tie.

YB Italy vs. Ukraine: 6-5 Italy.

Greece vs. Italy: 3-0 Greece. Greece continues rolling. Undefeated in the group.

Jamaica vs. Scotland: 5-0 Jamaica. Scotland played very hard once again, but again, they just aren't on par with the rest of their group.

Tuesday

YB England vs. Germany: 9-4 Germany.

YG Brazil vs. England: 5-0 Brazil.

Ireland vs. Serbia: 10-2 Ireland. What did you expect?

Italy vs. Nigeria: 5-2 Nigeria. Nigeria is back on form, and Italy faces Botswana for personal pride in their last game. Nigeria takes on France on Friday night in a huge game for both teams.

Wednesday

YB Canada vs. Scotland: 4-2 Scotland.

YB England vs. Ukraine: 10-1 Ukraine.

Austria vs. El Salvador: 4-1 El Salvador.

Laos vs. Colombia
: 6-2 Laos. The stage is set for the Laos vs. El Salvador showdown on Saturday. It will determine the top 3 positions in the group. Will we get to see Sudan in the playoffs? Can El Salvador wrestle first place away from Laos? Saturday night, be there.

WCP Cup Weekend Recap: Sunday

2011-04-12T11:00:00.000-06:00

Sunday Recap

Women's Poland vs. Women's Italy: 2-2 tie.

Youth Girls Brazil vs. Youth Girls Italy: 2-2 tie.

Women's Germany vs. Women's El Salvador: 5-2 Germany. Germany took it to El Salvador. It was a dose of reality for ES after thrashing Austria 10-0, and it's clear they still have work to do in order to be mentioned in the top teams.

Women's Ukraine vs. Women's Canada: 5-2 Ukraine. Ukraine continues to roll towards the playoffs, and look unbeatable right now. Their biggest test is yet to come though, when they face England on Saturday.

Youth Boys Germany vs. Youth Boys Italy: 5-4 Germany. If you haven't been able to catch a Youth Boys game, go check one out. The soccer is exciting, intense, and generally just fun to watch. Scout a couple kids for the future.

Austria vs. Sudan: 5-2 Sudan. Sudan got back on track against Austria, showing off the abilities that made so dangerous against Laos and El Salvador. Sudan was up 3-0, and it looked like they might put the game out of reach, but Austria scored 2 quick goals to make it 3-2. They put the pressure on Sudan, but a couple more breakdowns led to a Sudan victory.

Canada vs. Poland: 3-1 Poland. The main draw of the night. Canada and Poland were the top two teams in the toughest group, and a victory would go a long way towards securing first, not to mention a playoff spot. Canada looked to be in control early on, and they scored the first goal. Poland gradually figured out Canada's gameplan, answering back before half, and then it looked to be Poland's game from there on in. Canada was controlling the ball well at the back, but Poland was completely closing down any legitimate chances on goal. Poland eventually got their 2nd goal, and Canada still weren't able to put any pressure on Poland. The Poles added a third as the game closed out. Poland has emerged as the clear front-runner in the group, and have a firm grip on first. The fight for second will be a dogfight.

Norway vs. Sierra Leone: 5-1 Norway. Norway improved to 4-0, assuring themselves a playoff spot. They've improved as the games have gone on, and even though their pool is fairly easy, it's still a notable accomplishment. The battle for first with Ireland takes place on Sunday.

Ukraine vs. Germany: 3-2 Germany. The other big Group D on the schedule didn't disappoint. A back and forth affair saw Germany come through with the victory. It was a physical, hard-fought game, finally coming to a peak with two red cards at the end of the game. Germany has improved with every game, and they're really starting to show the skill that made them an early group favorite. Solid play all-around. Ukraine had a tough weekend with two losses. Still, they played quite well. In both games Ukraine has shown they have the skills to be a top contender, but it's just not coming together for them. They're not out yet, but the road through the group is tough.

France vs. Greece: 4-4 tie. The most shocking result of the night belonged to this game. France, touted as a top contender, was put to the test by an undefeated Greek team. It became clear France wouldn't have another easy game on their hands after Greece managed to block all of France's shots in the opening minutes, and it wasn't long until a long free kick found it's way into the net to make it 1-0. France answered back very soon after, and that seemed to be the story of the game. Greece would score, and France would score right back. Greece seemingly won it when they blasted one home in the last minute, only to have France score on a long header on the last play of the game. Both teams played tough and exciting soccer, and this group just got a lot more interesting. With Nigeria looking back on form and a good Afghanistan team looming, France and Greece will have their work cut out for them. Keep a close eye on this group.

Afghanistan vs. Botswana: 9-2 Afghanistan. Afghanistan dominated Botswana, and it's clear Botswana isn't the same upset-ready team they once were. Afghanistan looked good, and they'll give France, Greece and Nigeria some good games.

WCP Cup Weekend Recap: Saturday

2011-04-11T08:42:00.000-06:00

The weekend was filled with excitement, so let's get to the recaps. Sunday's recaps will follow later.

Youth Boys Canada vs. Youth Boys Germany: 3-3 tie.

Women's Canada vs. Women's Italy: 2-1 Italy.

Youth Boys Scotland vs. Youth Boys Ukraine: 6-3 Ukraine.

Norway vs. Portugal: Norway 4-1. Norway is playing better. They're controlling the game a lot better, and good thing too, because their final game is against Ireland next Sunday.

Youth Girls Canada vs. Youth Girls England: 5-3 England.

Women's Poland vs. Women's England: 8-2 England.

Colombia vs. Sudan: 2-1 Colombia. UPSET SPECIAL! Colombia pulled off the upset against the most talked-about team in a crazy game. Sudan had chance after chance, but the resilient Colombia team stepped up to keep the ball out of the net. By the end of the game it was chance after chance for Sudan, and Colombia always managing to get in the way and block or clear it. Another great game to watch.

Jamaica vs. Germany: 5-3 Jamaica. Germany came out firing Saturday, but Jamaica was able to capitalize on almost every single German mistake. A back and forth game, Jamaica always seemed to get a goal only to have Germany come right back with their own. Only at the very end, when the entire German team rushed forwardSome beautiful goals, great passing, and exciting soccer. Both teams opened the tournament with bad games, and this was a statement game for both. The level of play was much higher this time, and all the teams are still in it. I'll elaborate on that in the Sunday recap. Great game by two good teams.

England vs. Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone 3-1. England was looking for redemption, but they wouldn't find it against a good Sierra Leone team. Still, a much better game.

Laos vs. Austria: Laos 5-1. Laos is looking ready for a strong playoff run. After their Sudan surprise, they've looked fairly solid. Next real test is against El Salvador next Saturday.

Botswana vs. Nigeria: Nigeria 3-1. Nigeria was able to bounce back after their Greek defeat to beat Botswana. They've got a good chance to make it out if they can produce a result against Afghanistan and France.

WEEKEND DISCUSSION

2011-04-09T18:16:00.000-06:00

Who had fun watching Ireland blowout England?

No one likes being part of a blowout. Last night, you know who felt good after Ireland's 14-0 thrashing of England? Not the WCP Cup Organizers. Not the fans. Not England. Not anyone who's considering coming to watch exciting soccer. Not Ireland(well...they probably felt alright). It hurts the tournament to see results like this.

WCP needs to do something about the disparity between teams. This is the background on it: People want to play in this tournament, and people want to win this tournament. Some people have the luxury of being able to recruit people from around the province to help them win. Some don't. Ireland picks up the best players they can to help them win. They don't need all the best players, because they're pretty good anyway, but they recruit hard nonetheless. Players will come play for them, and why not? They have a good chance at winning. You can't fault Ireland players for being skilled. England is a group of players who play hard, but simply aren't as skilled as Ireland. It's obvious there's a large gap in talent, but England doesn't go around trying to get the best players on their team. They can't. I'm not trashing Ireland, and I'm not trashing England. NOBODY WANTS TO BE A PART OF A BLOWOUT. It's a fault that has naturally occurred in this tournament. So what can be done about this?

OPTIONS: 1. There's been talk of instituting a rule that a team can only have a certain amount of out-of-town players. It makes teams take on more Regina players, and since fans are all from Regina, it creates a bigger draw to the tournament. The Saskatoon players could still come down, but they would play on different teams. Not that big of a deal. This is really just an Ireland rule. But it's been talked about.

2. A qualifying tournament. Each year, anyone can submit a team. There's no boundaries. You want to submit a team? Go ahead, you just need to find enough players. So how about a qualifying tournament for say...the bottom 12 teams? The problem with that is cost. What teams would be willing to pay essentially the same fee to compete just to participate in the WCP Cup? It's a tough call.

3. More pools. Pools are at 6 teams a pool. The World Cup has 4 teams in each pool. More pools would mean that each game is extremely critical. If a good team gets upset in WCP Cup, they can hammer on 3-4 other teams to gain that advantage back. Lots of teams have no chance of making it out of their pools now. But say you have a pool with Laos, Colombia, Austria, and Nigeria. Sure Laos will probably come out, but second place is lot more uncertain. It can come down to the last game of the group, whereas in the current format, you know who's out of the tournament long before all the games are finished. This option makes it more exciting for the weaker teams.

...

As a player, you don't want to blowout a team. You want to provide excitement for the people who come to watch, and you want to play good soccer. But what are you supposed to do if you're on a good team? Score on yourself? Play a man down?

Teams are getting better, make no mistake. I'd say there are 12-13 quality teams in the tournament, and it gets better every year. Look at how exciting Group D is. Group A too. We've seen good games in Group B and C as well. The tournament is still as good as it's ever been.

What are your thoughts on this? Is it an overreaction to a couple blowouts, ex. Ireland vs. England and France vs. Italy? Does something need to be done?

WCP Cup Friday Recap

2011-04-09T17:16:00.001-06:00

Poland vs. Ukraine: 2-1 Poland. Ukraine was up 1-0 for the better part of the game, and it looked they were on the verge of a second before Poland got two quick goals with about 4 minutes left. A good game to watch, and Poland has managed to take an early lead for the group favorite. Canada is next up for Poland on Sunday, and Ukraine takes on Germany an hour after that. Group D features Germany and Jamaica today, where the loser is likely done in the group.

Ireland vs. England: 14-0. All-around embarrassment for everyone involved.

Colombia vs. Northern Ireland: 3-2 Colombia. Colombia gets their first win of the tournament. Next up, Colombia gets to take on Sudan today.

WCP Cup Thursday Recap

2011-04-08T08:45:00.002-06:00

Youth Girls England vs. Youth Girls Germany: 4-3 England.

Women's Chile vs. Women's Ireland: 3-1 Chile. Chile is proving they belong back in the conversation with Ukraine, Germany, and England.

Canada vs. Scotland: 7-0 Canada. An expected scoreline, and it doesn't look like Scotland will be able to pull off any upsets in this group.

France vs. Italy: 11-1 France. I was really hoping Italy would give them a game. It was over within the first 10 minutes.

Overall, a fairly boring night. Fans were great for the Women's Chile and Ireland game, but that's to be expected out of Chile fans. Also, if anyone is interested in joining a USA team next year, please contact Chad Isaac at chad.isaac@gmail.com. He's looking to start up the team, and would like to know ASAP if people are interested.

WCP Cup Wednesday Recap

2011-04-07T09:36:00.001-06:00

Youth Girls El Salvador vs. Youth Girls Canada: 4-1 Canada.

Women's El Salvador vs. Women's Austria: 11-0 El Salvador. Honestly, no matter how much better the other team is, you should never lose by that much. Especially when El Salvador isn't even a top team themselves.

Norway vs. Serbia: Norway 3-2. Serbia went up early 2-0 off of Norway mistakes, but Norway eventually clawed their way back to win 3-2. Serbia played pretty good, but Norway has to start showing more than this. If they want to be considered a top team, they have to win these games comfortably. No more critical mistakes, and start controlling the pace of the game. Norway has a history of playing down to their competition, so they better be careful. Luckily for them, they'll likely be in the playoffs due to a fairly easy group.

Sudan vs. El Salvador: Sudan 6-3. You want to watch exciting soccer? Go watch a Sudan game. They are, by far, the most exciting team in the tournament. No team has more passion for the game. When you've got players that truly believe they can rifle a shot top corner from half, you've got a team to watch. When you've got players that will backheel it to their centerback, regardless of who's around, you've got a team to watch. After their Laos game, in which they barely shot, they came out firing the ball. Tied 1-1, El Salvador started to come together, making it 3-1. But Sudan is at their best when they're all-out attacking, and they roared back with 5 unanswered goals. Sudan has been nothing but excitement, and you add in some great ball skills, a couple players with reach like Dhalsim from Street Fighter, and they're now the team to beat in Group A.
This makes the game between El Salvador and Laos mean everything. If Laos wins, it will be Laos in first and Sudan in second. If El Salvador wins, it'll be a toss-up between the three teams, with Sudan leading the way on Goals For. This is all assuming those three teams win the rest of their games in the group. Either way, get set to see much more of Sudan.

WCP Cup Tuesday Recap

2011-04-06T09:43:00.001-06:00

Youth Girls Germany vs. Youth Girls El Salvador: Tie 1-1.

Women's Ukraine vs. Women's Italy: Ukraine 8-1. There's a clear disparity between some women's teams, and Ukraine is at the head of the class.

Austria vs. Columbia: 2-1 Austria.

Greece vs. Botswana: 2-1 Greece. Greece is looking like the early favorite to take second place in the group. Can they challenge France for first? We'll see. The matchup between Greece and Afghanistan will likely decide second place.

Monday Recap

2011-04-05T08:10:00.000-06:00

Youth Boys England vs. Youth Boys Italy: 4-3 Italy.

Afghanistan vs. Italy: Afghanistan 4-2. Keep an eye out for Aghanistan. They've got a couple goal-scorers, and could be dangerous in this group. They played together all indoor, going undefeated in Div.4. It's Div.4, but that still takes skill. They play well together.

Portugal vs. Ireland: Ireland 10-3.

Laos vs. Northern Ireland: Laos 7-2. Nice bounce-back game for Laos.

Sunday Recap

2011-04-04T13:51:00.001-06:00

Saturday Recap Below

Youth Girls Brazil vs. Youth Girls Canada: Canada 5-2.

Youth Boys Canada vs. Youth Boys England. Canada 10-0.

Women’s Canada vs. Women’s England: England 8-2. England starts their tournament off with a bang. The top Women’s teams are becoming clearer by the day. England is clearly gunning for Ukraine.

Women’s Austria vs. Women’s Chile: Chile 7-0. Chile is back after a disappointing showing last year, and they’re in the mix with Ukraine, England and Germany as contenders.

Portugal vs. Serbia: 3-2 Portugal. Portugal held off Serbia for a 3-2 win. Not the most still-filled game of the tournament, but nonetheless entertaining.

Ukraine vs. Scotland : 5-0 Ukraine. I’ll say this. Scotland is trying hard. They’re a young team, they run hard, hustle, don’t give up, but they are in for a very rough tournament. This isn’t anything new. They’ve been placed in the toughest group, and it’s extremely likely that all their games end up this way. Ukraine will be tough to take down in this group.

Norway vs. England: Norway 4-1. Although you wouldn’t necessarily see it from the scoreline, Norway did not look like a team that’s expected to challenge Ireland in the group. Far too many mistakes, poor touches and a lack of discipline. Neither team was able to really gain control in the game, and it looked as though it could go either way for the most part. Norway eventuall potted a couple more goals to seal it. However, it has to be noted that Norway were missing a couple key players and that it was the first game of the tournament. I expect a better showing at their next game. England is a decent team though, they played well.

Poland vs. Germany: Poland 4-2. The third shocking result of the weekend. Poland went up early on Germany, and never looked back. It was 3-0 by the time Germany finally scored, and Poland scored one more to seal it before the Germans scored in the last 10 seconds of the game. Germany was expected to be an offensive force, but none of this was seen during their game against Poland. The reason became quite apparent as the game wore on, which was that Germany completely took their own midfield out of the game. The word “possession” is a word that the Germans have to learn if they want to win this group. The long ball is a great way to catch a team off-guard once in awhile, but it can’t be used every single time. Poland knew it was coming every time and simply clogged it up and retook possession. While the German defence ball-watched, Polish players ran into space and punished them. Germany is one of the most talented teams in the tournament, but they blew this one. It was disappointing to watch a team as good as Germany stumble like that. This was their first game together since last year, and you can bank on them being better than that in their next game. And Poland? Great game by every player. They knew Germany is very tough to handle, and they made a real statement with that victory. Hard work, solid defence, good goalkeeping, and goal-scoring from everywhere makes them a very real threat to make it out of the group. Look out for Poland.

Nigeria vs. Greece: Greece 4-2. This game was a shocker, but for all the wrong reasons. Sloppy play from both teams, and Greece just ended up overwhelming Nigeria. Nigeria was supposed to have top notch team play, and we saw that in the RSA tournament. Yesterday? Non-existent. Turnover after turnover killed them. Greece took full advantage of every turnover. Nigeria has to get their act together, and they’ve got an uphill battle to make it out of this group. I’m looking to Afghanistan as the next team in line to take second place in the group, and their game against Greece should be interesting. Congratulations to Greece, as they held together against Nigeria. Not an easy task.

Saturday Recap

2011-04-04T09:48:00.003-06:00

Sunday Recap to Follow

Opening Ceremonies: Great work by the OC for keeping it short and sweet. They understood that no one wanted to listen to a whole bunch of speeches, and we got right to some great soccer.

So, by now you've probably heard of the big story of the weekend. Laos vs. Sudan.

It started right after Opening Ceremonies. The entire Sudan team came out ready to go, warming up in a very organized fashion. There was still quite a bit of time before kick-off, but Sudan just kept warming up. And apparently they needed to be as warmed-up as possible, because they ran Laos ragged. We saw a glimpse of last year’s Laos team at the start of the game, but Sudan soon took the game over. No one was getting by Sudan’s #2 at the back and no one could stop Sudan’s wingers or strikers from zipping by, but Sudan’s downfall came from a lack of shots. They have to shoot more if they want to make it to the playoffs. Laos didn’t have the depth or raw talent to compete with Sudan, but they did have organization. They held off a very good Sudan team, and came out with the 2-1 win off of an own goal. Sudan’s goal-keeping is also lacking, and I think that will cost them against a very accurate shooting team like El Salvador.

Women’s Ukraine vs. Women’s Poland: 5-1 Ukraine. Ukraine starts off their title defence strong, but the scoreline is a tad deceiving. Poland’s critical mistakes cost them every time.

Youth Boys Scotland vs. Youth Boys Germany: 5-3 Scotland.

Youth Girls England vs. Youth Girls El Salvador: 3-1 England.

Ireland vs. Sierra Leone: Ireland 9-1. Ireland continued their usual domination of every team. Sierra Leone isn’t that bad, it’s just that Ireland contains all the best soccer players. What else is new?

Women’s Germany vs. Women’s Ireland: 4-0 Germany. Germany will be challenging Ukraine and England for the championship this year. Count on it.

France vs. Botswana: France 7-0. France cruised in this one. Botswana never put up much of a fight, but France certainly wasn't going to let them. They likely won’t face a real challenge until playoffs.

Jamaica vs. Canada: 5-0 Canada. In the 2nd of 3 major stories from the weekend, Canada destroyed Jamaica. Jamaica, going through their usual pre-tournament hype, was expected to at least put up a fight. That wasn’t the case. 10 minutes into the game and it was apparent where this one was going. Canada, true to their Enter club team roots, shut down all Jamaican strikers. They blanketed Jamaica’s midfield, so they didn’t even have chance to get the strikers in play.
With the midfield covered, the strikers non-existent, it became a free-for-all on Canada to feast on Jamaica’s defence. This game was a statement game for Canada, and it’s apparent that they are the team to beat in this group. However, expect closer games from Canada in the coming weeks. Solid all-around team. As for Jamaica, they have to figure out a way to stop the bleeding. Teams can exploit them, and they’re doomed if they don’t shore up a bad defence.

El Salvador vs. Northern Ireland: ES 7-3. An expected result, but give Northern Ireland credit. They played quite well, but El Salvador can put goals away much too easily.

What Do YOU Want to Watch on Opening Weekend?

2011-03-31T09:13:00.002-06:00

SATURDAY
Opening Ceremonies 1:00 Will they be long? Probably. Will they be boring? Most likely. But c'mon, it's the Opening Ceremonies for the 2011 WCP Cup. The very first day of Saskatchewan's best soccer tournament. I'm excited to get this thing going, and you should be too. There will be tons of people there, and you'll get a taste of the awesome atmosphere.
*Note: The World Curling Championships start on Saturday(great timing).

What else might pique your interest?

Laos vs. Sudan 2:00 What's not to like? We get to see the defending champions back in action, and we get our first look at the brand-new team of Sudan. It's the first game of the tournament, and it'll be a good one.

Timeframe From 3 - 6 Get to see the top-notch Ukraine Women's team take on Poland, and some Youth Boys and Girls games. Chance to watch the players of the future perhaps.

Ireland vs. Sierra Leone 6:00 Top team Ireland takes on the other brand-new team, Sierra Leone. It's unfortunate that the two new teams have to be subjected to playing the top 2 teams in their first game of the tournament. Everyone wants to see how these teams play though.

Women's Germany vs. Women's Ireland 7:00 At this point, the tournament should be behind schedule by 30 minutes or so. Take that into account. But Germany will be Ukraine's main competition for the Women's Championship, so take a look.

France vs. Botswana 8:00 Top contender France plays their first game against the always exciting Botswana. France's first real game in a long time, against a Botswana team that will be itching to pull off the upset.

Canada vs. Jamaica 9:00 The main event of the evening. The two teams that many expect to make it out of the incredibly tough Group D. This game will go a long way in determining the group, and it's only the first day. Will all of Canada's players be ready and healthy enough? Will Jamaica's Saskatoon players make it down? It's the perfect timing for a great matchup between two long-time rivals. One of the best games of the tournament.

El Salvador vs. Northern Ireland 10:00 To cap off the day, we get our first look at the El Salvador team, looking to take their group away from Laos. If there are any upsets in this group, Northern Ireland is likely to be the team to do it. We'll see if their team can actually be taken seriously.

SUNDAY
The Sunday games aren't as exciting as the Saturday games. If you can only make one day, make it Saturday.

2 Youth Games, Women's Canada vs. Women's England, Women's Austria vs. Women's Chile, Portugal vs. Serbia, Scotland vs. Ukraine, England vs. Norway 1:00 to 8:00 There will be some good games in here for sure. I'll be there watching most of them. I want to see if Women's England is still a contender, if Women's Chile can get back to their former glory, if Portugal has the potential to be top team again, if Scotland can upset Ukraine, and see exactly how good Norway is. There's some storylines in this bunch.

Germany vs. Poland 8:00 This is the game you want to be there for. Every Group D will be great, and this is your first look at Germany and Poland. Will Germany gel together on the pitch? Will Poland find enough offence to keep up with them? Both teams will be ready to crush the other one. Be there for this game.

Nigeria vs. Greece 9:00 Can Greece shoot down Nigeria's hopes of contending for first in the group? Last game of the night.

It'll be great weekend. What game are you most excited about this weekend?

Debate: Momentum + Women's Update

2011-03-29T22:03:00.003-06:00

Which teams are peaking at the right time? Which are tripping over themselves? Let's take an uneducated look.

Teams on the UPSWING

Jamaica
The team everyone seems to be talking about. Mainly because they've been playing a lot of high profile exhibition games, and doing well in those games. They've beaten El Salvador 2-1 and Nigeria 4-2 among the bigger ones. So is Jamaica a legitimate contender for the Championship? Here's my thoughts: They've still got problems at the back, and have no depth on the outside. A couple good players like O'Gilvie, Banerjee, Amilcar and Korthius can only take you so far, and then a good team will come along and exploit those weak spots. Jamaica will be a good team, no question, but they're getting hyped up to be better than they are. Still on the upswing though, because winning those games goes a long way towards solidifying your team.

Nigeria
Another team playing a lot of exhibition games. They'll be in game shape by the time they hit the field, and they'll give France a run for their money at the top of the group. When it comes to the playoffs, Nigeria still doesn't have the raw talent to beat the top teams, but with a lot of hustle and solid team play like they've shown, they'll have a much better chance.

Poland
Poland is getting lost in the their group. And this is a good thing. They've got a solid defence and core group of players, and they'll have a couple more Saskatoon players. Last year, the entire aim was to get the ball at the feet of their most dangerous player. He's gone now, replaced by a couple good players. Teams can no longer focus on one guy, they'll have to worry about the entire team. Poland also has great fan support, which does help. Playing good in exhibition games, and going in as an underdog. Recipe for success.

Northern Ireland
Luckily for them, they're in an easy group, where all it takes is a tie and lucky goal for a ticket to the playoffs. They've held their own against teams like Canada, and have the best chance out of their group to be able to repeat that success against Laos or El Salvador.

Portugal
Their team might surprise some people. Younger players and hard-working. Remember, they made it all the way to fourth a couple years ago with a scrappy team, and that scrappiness is back.

Teams on the DOWNSWING

France
Don't get me wrong. They'll be in the playoffs, and they're a definite favorite for the title. But a complete lack of exhibition games and full practices has to be painful. France is in a group where they'll win, but they'll pay for it. Nigeria, Afghanistan, Greece and Botswana have never been known as graceful teams. This group will be the most physical group. France will be hacked often in this group, and for them to do well in playoffs they'll have to avoid any major injuries against these teams. Being away from real soccer for this long won't help them.

Laos
Losing two of their top players won't help. Out-of-towners that can no longer make it won't help. The core group has stayed the same, but like the rest of us, they haven't gotten better. Mix that all together, add in the fact that they won last year and have nothing left to prove, and Laos could have a rough time in this tournament. Poor showings in exhibition games as well. Again, don't get me wrong, they're a fantastic team and will very likely be in the semi-finals. But likely on the downswing.

...

Regarding the Women's portion of the tournament, teams are becoming much stronger. As interest grows in the women's portion, the teams are becoming a lot more even. Take for example the U of R girls against AC in the Women's Div. 2 Final on Tuesday night. An exciting game from start to finish ended with AC winning in a shoot-out. The U of R players, consistently touted as the best players in the WCP Cup, have some up and coming talent to watch out for. Look for these players in the Women's WCP Cup.

...

Any other teams on the upswing or downswing?

2011 WCP CupTicket Prices

2011-03-26T09:28:00.001-06:00

Here are the ticket prices. 85$ for a tournament pass, and that doesn't include the final. The big question we're all still wondering about is: what's going on with liquor licensing? SOMEBODY get an answer, please.

Adult: $7 per day
Youth: 15 and under $2 per day
Kids: 10 and under Free
Tournament Pass: $85
(April 2-April 22 does not include Final day)

*Tournament Passes will be available 12:30pm April 2nd
at the front desk of the Eventplex.

Final Day April 23 Ticket Prices:

Adult: $10
Youth: 15 and under $3
Kids: 10 and under Free

Debate: Group D

2011-03-24T13:28:00.002-06:00

Let's start this up. A daily debate on which teams are better. To kick it off, let's go with the group everyone is talking about: Group D. So who are the two favorites to come out?

Well, right now, it looks like Jamaica and Canada. I don't like mentioning specific players(to keep their privacy intact), but it's still fairly easily to see the way this group is going.

Jamaica has played a lot of exhibition games. They most recently beat Nigeria 4-2, and Nigeria should be no slouch at this point. Nigeria has probably the team that has spent the most time together before the WCP Cup. They played in the Regina Men's Tournament, losing in the final, and seem to have an exhibition and/or practice every single week. That being said, they should be pretty good at this point. Jamaica is no slouch either, and I believe they've played quite a few exhibition games as well, but have preferred to practice more than they play.

Anyway, Jamaica beating Nigeria 4-2 shows that Jamaica might be a lot better than we're giving them credit for. And then they tied Laos 3-3. We've talked about how they depend on their Saskatoon players, but that might not be the case. It looks like Jamaica might be able to handle the tough games on their own. The Saskatoon players will definitely help though.

Canada has played a couple exhibition games as well, but haven't really had their team together either. Their showing has been worse than Jamaica's. Poland has been getting their games in too, but aren't destroying the weaker teams they play. However, Canada and Poland might look and play completely different when the tournament rolls around.

Ukraine and Germany haven't had any exhibition games, and it seems unlikely they'll have a solid feel for the size of the field and gameplay before the tournament. The large majority of Ukraine practices weekly, as does Germany. But a once-a-week practice doesn't provide the same experience.

I say that Jamaica and Ukraine come out. Ukraine played well in the Moose Jaw tournament, even though they lost in the Semi-final, and they stay in very good shape. Their team is ready to go. They'll outlast Canada, Poland and Germany with their rough schedule, because their players are used to it. Their first is also against Scotland, which allows them to feel out how all the other teams play. They won't be surprised. They'll need someone to step up and start finishing chances though. Jamaica is just playing too well, and without Saskatoon players, to not make it out. They've been working hard and are committed to winning. Germany is too unpredictable, and I don't think they can play solid soccer for the entire group stage. Very good team though. Poland just won't have the players or skill to make it out. They'll win a game or two, but I can't see them beating 4 other very good teams.

With that being said...go Scotland! Beat someone in this group!

And submit your brackets!

Bracket Submissions

2011-03-18T16:02:00.000-06:00

Get them in ASAP! Check the Bracket post out here.

Opening Ceremonies Announcement

2011-03-17T14:19:00.002-06:00

MOBADASS frontman Earl Pereira (co-founder of Wide Mouth Mason) will be singing the National Anthem at the Opening Ceremonies this year.

"As a double-platinum artist and 3-time JUNO nominee, MOBADASS frontman Earl Pereira (co-founder of Wide Mouth Mason) has established himself as one of the most entertaining performers in the country. Pereira has shared the stage with The Rolling Stones, Nelly Furtado, Alanis Morissette, AC/DC and more. With demand for MOBADASS continuing to grow, Pereira made the decision to leave Wide Mouth Mason in 2010 to focus solely on his increasingly popular project. MOBADASS Performed over 150 shows in 2009/2010 including the 2010 Winter Olympics, 2010 Grey Cup, and National television performances on TSN, CTV, SHAW, GLOBAL, and CBC. In 2011, MOBADASS will release their second studio recording, Starcity Shakedown, the follow up to their acclaimed debut release, Island Rock. For more details visit www.mobadass.ca"

Just one more reason to get excited about the WCP Cup. Bring it on already!

Issues

2011-03-16T08:28:00.004-06:00

You may or may not have heard what's happening right now, so I'll fill you in.

The main WCP Cup blogs have been contacted by WCP Lawyers regarding the content of this blog. I won't go into details, but this is something that really makes me wonder about the people that come on here.

Listen, I've come on here for the past 5 years. I post predictions, recaps, and other soccer-related topics for the people to talk about. I've never insulted anyone, and my posts are always clean and respectful. I take a lot of time to maintain this blog and keep it updated. I do it because I love soccer, and I love the WCP Cup.

What do I get in return?

People are complaining about this blog behind my back. About what? I don't know. The comments are very clean. If you have a problem, my e-mail address is prominently posted. I've always responded to everyone that's ever e-mailed me. Don't go whining to the organizers. I'm here. Talk to me. I'm more than willing to comply with any reasonable requests. To those that have chosen to complain behind my back to WCP Cup Organizers, you're an embarrassment to the soccer community.

Me, and the other bloggers, we do this for FUN. Get it? I have to deal with countless insulting comments every day. What's your aim here? I don't have to do this. I get absolutely no support from the soccer community, even though I'm providing a service everyone wants. For FREE.

My e-mail was hacked last night. Someone went in, deleted every message in my inbox and outbox, and changed my password. They proceeded to send very disturbing e-mails regarding an individual in our soccer community to people I have great respect for. This made me furious, because it was an intrusion into my personal life that I do not want. As a sidenote, all the brackets that had been e-mailed in were deleted. Please re-send your brackets in. There were quite a few brackets in, and it embarrasses me that I have to ask for them again. I have yet to decide whether or not I'll cancel the entire thing, because these issues with lawyers, e-mail hacking, and insulting comments has really worn me out.

I'd appreciate some support for this blog. I've done my best to give everyone a place to talk about the WCP Cup, and it's getting thrown in my face.

Great Moments in WCP Cup History

2011-03-11T10:50:00.002-06:00

***Fill out your BRACKETS! You could win $40, and it's free! Click here.

As we get closer to the WCP Cup, we know we're going to see some great games take place. So let's take some time to recall some great times in the WCP Cup history.

2005- The first WCP Cup held in the old soccer facility. Who could forget the leaking roof and run-down facility? However, fans flooded into the place, and it was as loud as could be for the final games. While it only featured something like 6 teams, it set the stage for a great tournament.

2006- The first year in the new facility. Teams entering the tournament shot up, and we were treated to a whole different type of game. The top teams were Ireland, Germany, El Salvador, Jamaica, and Canada. Germany, El Salvador and Jamaica were much the same as 2006. Ireland and Canada were relative newcomers as teams. As the tournament wore on, it became clear that no one respected Canada as a team. They were old and slow, with no skills. Teams took them way too lightly, and ended up paying for it. The Semi-Finals featured Ireland vs. El Salvador, and Jamaica vs. Canada. Ireland and El Salvador had proved to be the top two teams, and they won in a shoot-out. Canada beat Jamaica in an upset to advance to the final, but Ireland beat Canada fairly easily. A great start in the new facility.

2007- The time when the tournament format changed to be much like the one we know today. 20 teams, 4 groups. And lots of exciting soccer. The big story to kick off the tournament was Group D, where El Salvador, England, Laos, Greece and Germany were put together. ALL these teams were strong. We were treated to some epic games by every single of these teams, and when the dust settled, it was Greece and Laos left standing. Ireland had an easy group(no surprise), and so did Jamaica. The other interesting group, Pool B, featured Canada, Ukraine and Norway. These three teams battled hard, and it came down to them having to score as many goals as possible in their last games. Norway ended up edging out Ukraine by scoring over 8 goals. And then we all know what happened after that. Norway went on to win a very exciting final. Great goals, great plays, and an epic overtime header to win 4-3 in an upset. Still the best game in tournament history, in my mind.

We'll stop there for now, and continue with 2008, 2009 and 2010 later. For now, try and remember some of the games from those years and talk about them in the comments. What were some epic games you remember?

Fill out your bracket! See post below.

WCP Cup Bracket

2011-03-10T12:07:00.001-06:00

Anybody want to win $40?

In conjunction with March Madness, the Blog has decided to put up some prize money donated by 2 generous organizers. To win the money, all you have to do is fill out the attached form.

Click the picture and zoom for full size.

Entry is FREE into the bracket.

To complete: Fill in each group with the finishing order. Ex. Laos- 1, El Salvador 2, and so on, up to 6.
Write the team names in to the spots in the Quarter Finals, Semi Finals, and Final. Ex. A1- Laos.
Beside each Quarter Final is a number from 1 to 4. Those numbers correspond with the Semi Final game.
Write the winner of each Quarter Final in each numbered box.
Whoever wins Game #1 goes in the Semi Final Box labeled 1. Ex. 1 Laos
Then write what you think will be the score in the final. Ex. 3-2.

Entry is FREE. Total Prize: $40. All entries MUST be in before April 2,
and I’ll post all the brackets on the website so you know where you stand.
E-mail wcpcupblog@hotmail.com with your entry.
A couple ways to fill it out:
1. Print off the picture, fill it out, scan it, and e-mail it.
2. Go to a picture editor (Microsoft Paint), fill it out using the pencil tool, save it, and e-mail it.
3. Simply write me an e-mail or post a comment that contains all the relevant information contained in the form.

Point System: Groups: 1st place- 10 points, 2nd place- 8 points, 3rd place- 6 points, 4th place- 3 points, 5th place- 2 points, 6th place- 1 point

Each Quarter Final: 15 points

Each Semi Final: 20 points

Consolation Final: 25 points

Final: 30 points

Here's the pdf file as well. This is the easiest method to send it in. Download the file, go to the Tools tab. Click on "Typewriter" and then simply click and write anywhere on the document you want. When you save it, save it as a JPEG, and e-mail it in.

Bracket

I look forward to seeing your entries.

WCP Cup Schedule

2011-03-03T08:03:00.006-06:00

Click on any picture to enlarge. Printable PDF version in links to the left.

WEEK 3

WEEK 2

WEEK 1

Potential Finals, Women's Preview, Notes, Results, Etc.

2011-03-01T08:59:00.001-06:00

----If it’s like last year, Group A should be taking on Group C, with Group B against Group D. So what might we be looking for the playoff round?

I especially like the possible matchups between Group B and D. We could see Ireland vs. Canada (a classic matchup), Germany vs. Norway (high-scoring group rivals last year), or Norway vs. Canada. Never mind the possibility that completely different teams could be in there, such as Jamaica, Poland and Ukraine. Going on my previous predictions, this could be the first year that the top 4 remain the same. The matchups would be Laos vs. Nigeria, France vs. El Salvador, Ireland vs. Germany and Norway vs. Canada.
Laos, assuming they finish first, would play second place in Group C, likely Nigeria. I would expect Laos to beat whoever comes out in second in Group C. France should be able to beat a weakened El Salvador team, if El Salvador can finish second. Ireland would be facing Germany, and Norway would face Canada. If all 4 teams from last year make it back to the final 4, there will be one major difference. They won’t play the same teams. Laos would likely go up against France, and Ireland would take on Canada (an Ireland vs. Norway semi-final would be very intriguing as well). In my opinion, that would take us to a France vs. Ireland final. And that would be a spectacular final. Anyway, that’s all just speculation. The tournament is crazier every year. There’s virtually no chance it works out like that, but you never know.

----The schedule comes out tomorrow. I’ll break it down, and give you a good idea of which days are best to come watch soccer. The ticket prices are very high, but you can a package that allows you to watch a certain number of games. That might be better and cheaper than a full tournament pass. We’ll find out when the schedule comes out. Stay tuned.

----Anyone have any updates on the alcoholic beverage situation? I’ve heard everything from beer carts to portable bars. Someone make an effort to find this out.

----Exhibition game result: Jamaica beat Afghanistan 6-1. While these are never very accurate of how a team will do in the tournament, it could show that Jamaica is starting to get their act together. Afghanistan went undefeated in their Men’s Division 4 League, but what does that mean? That’s Division 4. Many Division 2 teams would even struggle in the WCP Cup, so that doesn’t mean much. Afghanistan will need to be better.

----Women’s Preview: While not an expert on Women’s soccer, it is great to see so many teams practicing and trying to get a decent team together. The teams are pretty much unchanged from last year, except France has now become Poland, and Scotland is now Ireland. Let’s take a quick look at how it might shake down:

Group A- Led by Ukraine, Group A is probably the stronger of the two groups. Ukraine and England will battle it out for top spot, and that game should be the best of the tournament. Poland will be fishing for the upset here, and if they can pull off a win vs. either team, they’ll have a spot in the playoffs (barring a major collapse).
Group B- Germany leads this group, but the rest of the group is up in the air. Scotland, now Ireland, came out last year but got crushed in the playoffs. Chile can play with the likes of England, Germany and Ukraine, but they’ll need to rebound from last year’s disappointing performance.

Prediction: The groups are evenly matched this year, and England should be able to get revenge on Germany. Germany vs. England and Ukraine vs. Chile in the Semi-Finals, with Ukraine taking on England in the final. Just like the Men’s Side, anything can happen.

----Any ideas for the next poll?
Top Two Teams in Group D? Best Potential Final Matchups? Best Day to Watch Soccer (when schedule is out)? Biggest Sleeper Team? Let me know any suggestions in the comments.

Preview A Pool: Group D

2011-02-25T21:13:00.001-06:00

Hang on, this is a long post. But you'll get a decent preview of each team in the group.

Group D
Canada
Ukraine
Germany
Poland
Jamaica
Scotland

Summary: A difficult group? Look no further than Group D. 5 out of 6 teams can easily be considered contenders for the Championship. Canada first. Canada finished 4th last year, but were they really the 4th best team? Canada had arguably one of the easiest groups, with only Ireland as a real challenge. Canada actually managed to tie Botswana, and the best teams should not be tying Botswana. Then they proceeded to tie Ireland, and the best teams SHOULD be able to hang with Ireland. Consider the Botswana game a slip-up. Canada beat Poland in the quarters, and lost the champions, Laos, in the Semi-Finals. Not bad at all. The 3rd place blowout to France meant nothing. So what's in store for Canada this year? They are mostly comprised of players from Enter, the Regina Men's Top Division Winner. Enter has never been known to be a team with lots of skill, yet they consistently win. Canada takes on the same form as Enter. Every player works hard, in always in their position, and does their job. Not flashy, but it gets the job done. Every game involving Canada this year will be close, and will be a good game to watch. There won't be a collapse with this team.
Ukraine is made up of a lot of Yorkton players, a city with a lot of Ukrainian heritage. The Strikers, made up almost entirely of Yorkton players, finished 2nd in the Top Men's Division. They play in much the same way as Enter, not relying on single players to get the job done. In recent years, Ukraine has fallen off in terms of being able to compete with the elite teams, as France and Laos beat them handily in the group stage last year. The younger talent is starting to step up for them, and that could make a difference this year. Germany is the next team in the group, and they should be the main team that others are scared of in this group. Their goal-scoring ability is unmatched by any other team in this group, and maybe the tournament. They can rip goals in from anywhere and everywhere. Teams can't relax on them for a second. Canada and Ukraine specialize in keeping goals to a minimum, and if Germany can score quickly, these teams will be out of their element.
Their issue is getting their players caught up front, leaving them exposed to bad counter-attacks. If they have one weakness, that's it. One thing's for sure, Germany games will not lack excitement. Poland was a surprise team last year, rolling through their group with ease. They'll need to raise their game even more this year, because the group was quite easy last year. Nigeria was their only victory over a legitimately good team. While they've lost a good midfield player, they have gained other players that can pick up the slack and hopefully keep Poland strong. They've got great fan support, and now the big-game experience to go with it. But if one team is going to experience a major drop-off, I'd say it will be Poland. They'll have to bring the intensity every night, and I don't know if they can handle it as well as the previous 3 teams mentioned. Jamaica is often one of the more disappointing teams of the tournament, even though they are exciting and a really good team. Every year we hear about new players that are coming to play with them, and how they'll actually be there this time. I'll believe it when I see it. Having good players show up, without ever practicing with the team, for a couple games is no guarantee of any success. Jamaica does have a solid team, but they need to have a committed and consistent lineup that they can rely on. Teams have to work hard to win these games, and bringing in a couple good players who aren't very interested in it won't help. It's been the same for 3 years, so we'll see. Despite who shows up, Jamaica will have a strong midfield and striking force. They have holes at the back, and the midfield is often stuck hanging back to make sure teams aren't scoring on them, so their scoring potential is never fully realized. Once again, they'll be a very interesting team to follow anyway. Scotland rounds out the group, and they really don't stand a chance. They can't compete on the same level as these other teams. It's just unfortunate for them, this being the second year in a row it's happened. You can completely expect every team in this group to write off the Scotland game. But you know what? Scotland lost to Norway 3-4 last year, in the same type of group. A team tying or losing to Scotland here will be a dagger to any playoff hopes. I'm sure Scotland is praying that teams will take them very lightly, and you can bet they will. Watch for an upset.

Prediction: Who to take here? Canada can handle this tough type of group. So can Germany. Jamaica can, with the right team. It's a toss-up. I don't think any of these teams have improved substantially. I'll say Canada makes it out in first because they've got the players, team chemistry, and experience. They may not be the most talented, but can withstand the punishment of playing 5 tough games. I'll take Germany in second. My decision was really between Canada, Germany and Jamaica. I don't think Ukraine is on the same intensity level as these 3, and I think Poland will have a tough time in this group. It's incredibly tough to predict this group, and every single game will be great to watch. I've probably played against every player in this group, and I know we're in for some great soccer. I'm just going to sit back and enjoy it, because it will be awesome.

In Finishing Order: Canada, Germany, Jamaica, Ukraine, Poland, Scotland.

Preview A Pool: Group C

2011-02-23T22:47:00.001-06:00

Group C
France
Botswana
Greece
Italy
Nigeria
Afghanistan

Summary: Group C plays out a lot like Group A and Group B. El Salvador SHOULD get second in Group A, Norway SHOULD get second in Group B, and Nigeria SHOULD get second in Group C. But in Group C, it's a lot murkier. France is back with a vengeance after being ousted by Ireland in the semi-final. They beat Laos fairly handily, and Laos ended up winning. The team remains the same, give or take a couple players. If the schedule works the way it did last year, France won't have to face Ireland until the final. And you can bet France will be bulldozing its way to the final. Botswana was up and down last year, playing Ireland a lot closer than expected and tying a strong Canada team, but they also lost to Columbia. They need some consistency if they have any hope of making it out of the group this year. Luckily for Botswana, the frontrunner for second place is Nigeria, the most inconsistent team in the tournament. Greece always shows up to play. They may not have the talent they once had, but they're Greek through and through, and a great addition to the tournament. A physical team, they'll have to rely on a compact defence to prevent any balls from getting through, because they lack scoring ability. Italy has been in the tournament for the last 4 years or so, and the result has always been the same. Never a contender, they play hard for pride and the occasional win. Attaining third in this group would be a great accomplishment. Nigeria. What can you say about them? Every year that they're expected to do good, they fall flat. Once you're down on them, they impress you. No one really knows what to expect from Nigeria, except the Nigerian team. They've been practicing hard for quite some time now. They did exceptionally well in the Regina Men's Tournament, reaching the final and narrowly losing to the O'Neill Alumni Team. They practice in the facility quite a bit(way more than any other team) and are scheduling exhibition games galore. You want a prepared team? Nigeria is it. They may not have the individual skills, but they'll play great as a team. Anything less than the semi-finals will be disappointing for them. Afghanistan is another up and down team, much like Botswana, but that's because the makeup of their team has changed so drastically from year to year. Rumor has it their team is on the rise, and could challenge Nigeria for that second spot. Before they can do that, they'll need to find a defence and some composure. They would concede a few goals, get a couple cards, then concede a few more goals. We'll see what they can come up with this year.

Prediction: France will easily sweep the group. Nigeria doesn't have the track record of El Salvador and Norway, so locking them in for 2nd place is a little tougher. However, I do expect their preparation to pay off and see them in the second round. The groups rarely turn out the way you'd expect, but these first three groups are pretty straightforward. Any upsets would be tremendous, and I hope I'm wrong on all these predictions for that reason. Botswana and Afghanistan are the next best teams, and will battle it out for third. Italy and Greece will bring up the rear.

In Finishing Order: France, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Botswana, Italy, Greece.

Preview A Pool: Group B

2011-02-23T08:22:00.002-06:00

Group B
Republic of Ireland
Norway
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Portugal
England

Summary:Ireland leads the way in group B. Ireland has consistently gotten an easy group at the draw, and this year is no different. Fielding another dominant team, Ireland has too much skill at every position to not win this group. But Ireland relies heavily on Saskatoon players, and the uncertainty of who will play on any given night could hurt them. They could also be becoming disheartened, as there was talk that Ireland wouldn't even enter a team. Norway was able to make it out of a group last year that included El Salvador, Germany, and Jamaica. Not an easy task. However, Norway can be exposed on defence, and they don't have premier striking ability. Hustle, strong midfield play, and hard work are Norway's attributes in this tournament, not necessarily skill. Serbia was in the easiest pool last year, and only finished 4th in the pool. We've seen them bring in a couple good players from Winnipeg in the past, but there were none last year. If they've convinced some good players to join them, they'll have a chance. Again, another good group for the weaker teams to be in. Sierra Leone is a newcomer, and I know nothing about them. But I REALLY hope they come in with a good team. Portugal was usually a good team, but then last year took a nosedive. They aren't expected to regain their former glory, mainly due to losing a lot of players. They used a lot of players from the Moose Jaw Air Base, but many of those players were transferred before last year. What we might see this year is a much younger Portugal team. A lot of the younger players have ties to some Portugal players, and likely will be recruited by them. If that's the case, Portugal will be a fairly decent team. England is the final team in this group, and while they're not expected to win many games, it sure would be nice to see them play hard and take it to one of the top teams.

Prediction: Ireland has to be considered the favorite to win all of their games and make it out of the pool. I think they'll get tested by Norway, but ultimately prevail. Norway will make them work very hard for the win, because Norway fits the definition of "playing together as a team," but they don't have the talent to stop Ireland from scoring multiple goals. Norway can win, but it will take a flawless effort. Serbia, Sierra Leone, and England will try and put a dent in Norway's and Ireland's hopes, but it is unlikely. Portugal will have a decent showing, assuming they field the type of team I believe they will. The younger players are often counted out because we don't really know who they are, but they can provide very good reinforcements for a team. If you know of one, I suggest getting them on your team.

In Finishing Order: Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Sierra Leone, England, Serbia.

Preview A Pool: Group A

2011-02-22T13:05:00.003-06:00

Group A
Laos
El Salvador
Austria
Sudan
Columbia
Northern Ireland

Summary: Laos is looking to defend their title this year, and at first glance, it doesn't seem like they'll have any difficulty at all in getting back to the playoffs. Laos is far and away the most talented and experienced team in the group. El Salvador, after a great showing 2 years ago, wasn't able to make it past France and Laos in their group last year. This year, El Salvador could be hurting even more, by losing some of the younger and talented players to the University Final timeframe and other issues. El Salvador will be hard-pressed to put together a team capable of beating a top team.
Austria has always been a fighter in the tournament, but never had the skills to overcome the best teams. They work hard and score some goals, but can't put together the total effort needed to win. If it's true that they're losing their keeper to Norway, it will be a huge blow to their team. Sudan is a newcomer, and it's always tough to judge how newcomers will do(ex. Afghanistan 2 years ago). Sudan will get acquainted very quickly with the close quarters and physical style of this tournament. They might be bringing some skilled players, but if you haven't played in this tournament before, you're in for some trouble. Columbia has always been like Austria...they'll make a team work for the win. You can't just show up. Northern Ireland has been a strong team in the past, but they seem to have slowed down. The thing is, if they're going to get back on track, this is the group to do it in.

Prediction: Laos should easily win the group, barring a stellar performance by El Salvador. El Salvador is the real wild card here. If they don't show up with a decent team, this group is wide open. Austria, Sudan, Columbia, and Northern Ireland can duke it out for the rest of the spots. If one of these 4 teams can dominate the other ones, they'll have a good shot at El Salvador for 2nd.

In finishing order: Laos, El Salvador, Columbia, Northern Ireland, Sudan, Austria

Women's and Youth Pools

2011-02-22T13:01:00.002-06:00

Women:

Group A
Ukraine
Poland
Canada
Italy
England

Group B
Germany
Ireland
Austria
El Salvador
Chile

Youth Girls:
England
Brazil
Canada
Germany
El Salvador

Youth Boys:
Scotland
Ukraine
Italy
Germany
Canada
England

Men's Groups

2011-02-19T16:16:00.002-06:00

The draw last night was exciting as always, and the big topic of discussion is, as usual, Group D. The group of death. It's a curse. And every single game will be very exciting in that group. It also brings up the discussion of further seeding...maybe seed the top 8 teams? Discuss it in the comments if you want.

Also note that commenting on this site has changed. Comments will be moderated by me before they are made public.

Group A
Laos
El Salvador
Austria
Sudan
Columbia
Northern Ireland

Group B
Republic of Ireland
Norway
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Portugal
England

Group C
France
Botswana
Greece
Italy
Nigeria
Afghanistan

Group D
Canada
Ukraine
Germany
Poland
Jamaica
Scotland

Rules and Regulations- An In-Depth Look

2011-02-17T09:17:00.003-06:00

The draw is TOMORROW at 9:30. Be there.

*I would also ask that anyone receiving e-mails from the WCP Organizing Committee please forward them to wcpcupblog@hotmail.com. Repeated attempts to contact the Committee to get information for the public have proved useless. Thanks.

The rules and regulations are available online here: Take a look at the player transfer requirements.

"Player movement will be restricted taking into consideration the 2010 WCP Cup Rosters. Any Player who
participated in the 2010 WCP Cup (“Original Team”) may not register with a Nation team in the 2011 WCP Cup
that is different from the one participated with during the 2010 WCP Cup (“New Team”) unless:
(a) The Original Team is not participating in the 2011 WCP Cup;
(b) The Original Team has cut/released the Player and the Original Team Coach/Management signs a
declaration form to that effect and provides said form to the Player. The Player/New Team will
require this signed form to register the Player. Any Original Team refusing to sign a release form for
a Player will be required to register that Player and provide him with the chance to participate in the
2011 WCP Cup;
(c) The Player can demonstrate that he has a higher percentage of Heritage with the New Team. The
onus to demonstrate Heritage remains at all times on the Player; or
(d) The Player or New Team pays to the WCP Cup Organization/Registration Committee a Player
Transfer fee in the amount of $200.00."

Star player requirements are gone for this year. It seems as though any player, heritage or non-heritage, has to pay the $200 transfer fee. But what about the part in the rules where it says: The Player can demonstrate that he has a higher percentage of Heritage with the New Team.? Any non-heritage player could simply say they were 25% of the new country's heritage, and avoid the fee. Since they would have been 0% heritage as a star player, it's easy to transfer. There's still ways around the heritage requirements, but this is a good start for the WCP Cup. Now that teams are finally fairly evenly distributed, the $200 transfer fee will be a small way of discouraging players to switch teams. Not much, but it's something.

See you at the draw!

Men's Preview

2011-02-08T08:26:00.003-06:00

The WCP Cup draw is coming up soon! February 18th! See the post below for details.

Note: Women's preview and Youth previews to follow.

So, it's almost time. Let's get some talk going. The Men's side is looking at 4 groups of 6 this year, assuming Sudan and Somalia are allowed in. But with 24 teams, what are we looking at talent-wise?

How about this? We assign each team a grade between 1 and 5? 5 is the best, 1 is the worst. This is an exercise to see how many good teams we actually have, and how many good matchups we can actually get. We want to get a general sense of the competition out there.

1. Afghanistan-2
2. Austria-2
3. Botswana-2
4. Canada-5
5. Colombia-2
6. El Salvador-4
7. England-1
8. France-5
9. Germany-5
10. Greece-2
11. Ireland-5
12. Italy-1
13. Jamaica-3
14. Laos-5
15. Nigeria-4
16. Northern Ireland-2
17. Norway-4
18. Poland-5
19. Portugal-3
20. Scotland-1
21. Serbia-2
22. Ukraine-3
23. Sudan-new-1
24. Somalia-new-1

While these 1-5 scores can obviously be disputed, it gives you a general sense of the competition.

- The 5's are clearly contenders, and given the talent they displayed last year, as well as improvement, these teams are expected to advance into the final stages. Unless they meet each other(and some clearly will), they should place in the top 4.
The 5's are Canada, France, Germany, Poland, Ireland, and Laos.

-The 4's are also contenders, but need improvement and a bit of luck to be in the medal round. The 4's are very good teams on the cusp of becoming a top contender. The 4's are El Salvador, Nigeria and Norway. El Salvador lost a lot of their strength last year from being a 5, Nigeria has improved considerably from last year, and Norway is almost there. They're oh-so-close.

-The 3's are good teams, and they're usually the team that the 4's and 5's are scared to face. They clearly have skill and talent, but don't gel well enough together to beat the best. Expect some 3's and 2's to upset 4's and 5's. Jamaica, Portugal and Ukraine are the 3's.

-The 2's aren't that bad, but their fight isn't to get out of the group. It's to give teams good games, and hope to come out with a win or 2 somewhere along the line. The 2's are Afghanistan, Austria, Botswana, Colombia, Greece, Northern Ireland, and Serbia.

-The 1's just aren't good enough. They're here to participate in a great tournament and have some fun while doing so. It's not every day you get to play with the best soccer players in the province and be a part of a great tournament. The 1's are Italy, England, Scotland, Sudan and Somalia.

..............

So what do we get out of this?

5- 6 teams
4- 3 teams
3- 3 teams
2- 7 teams
1- 5 teams

The winner will come from the 4's and 5's. If they don't, it will be the craziest tournament EVER. Anyway, it's a fairly even distribution. Exactly half the teams (12) can be considered quality teams, therefore they would be a good matchup. I don't know where Sudan and Somalia got the players to form 2 more teams, but good on them for joining up.

If the teams are evenly distributed (they rarely are...Group of Death anyone?), then we'd have 3 quality teams in each group. That's a pretty good number.

Thoughts anyone?

Another News Update

2011-02-01T13:00:00.004-06:00

-For all teams, you should have at least 10 representatives in team colors at the draw. Doors open at 9:30, and the draw won't begin until all team representatives have signed in and collected their draw envelopes(Not applicable for Youth teams).

-Schedule will be released on March 2nd

-A lot of teams have registered this year, and on the Men's Side we're looking at potentially 24 teams. Newcomers include Somalia and Sudan.

-The Women's Side is looking at 10 teams, with Ireland and Poland as the newcomers.

-Youth Girls will have 5 teams, and Youth Boys will have 6 teams.

-The first day for the WCP Cup is April 2nd, NOT April 3rd as previously mentioned.

-Opening ceremonies are being held at a different date than April 2nd, at a date to be confirmed later. They might be held on the April 1st evening.

Alright, Let's Do This!

2011-01-30T16:43:00.002-06:00

Ok everybody, it's time!

Dates have been confirmed for the WCP Cup, and it'll run from April 3 - 23. The draw will be held on Friday, February 18, at the Italian Club.

Head on over to CBC.ca and check out their Sights and Sounds videos so you can get pumped for the return of that incredible atmosphere.

Hey Everyone! Update!

2011-01-12T14:18:00.003-06:00

Alright...it's almost time to start this thing up again.

The BIG news is that the tournament is starting earlier this. But that's all we've got on that right now.

Check out the new commenting format as well, it's now slightly easier to comment on posts around here.

As teams start getting together, I'm sure we'll have more news for you.

Final Preview

2010-05-01T12:18:00.002-06:00

Ireland vs. Laos

Who will take it? Can Ireland win it for the third time in a row? Can Laos finally knock them off? It will be a great game!

Ireland is once again a powerhouse, and will be the favorite. Two years ago, Laos came very close to doing it, but fell just short. They'll be eager for revenge, and they'll have the fans on their side. This WILL be a great game. Ireland has always had a tough time with Laos, and if Laos can win, it will be a great moment for this tournament. Ireland is a great team though, and they have no visible weaknesses. They won't have any momentary lapse in concentration, so Laos will have to play perfect. Since I've picked against Laos in every other match, and since they've kept winning, I'll continue the trend. Prediction: Ireland 3-2.

Semi Final Previews

2010-04-29T17:50:00.002-06:00

Quarterfinals went much like I expected, except Laos beat Germany. In any case, that game was very good, and it was always going to come down to whoever could get the last good chance on goal.

Ireland vs. France- France didn't look as good as they've looked throughout the group stage. Against Laos, they looked phenomenal. I would have taken France if you'd said they were playing Ireland after the Laos game. However, after the Norway game, I'm not sure if France can do it. They'll need to be perfect to beat a strong Ireland team. France matches up well with Ireland, but not well enough. Ireland should win, 3-1.

Laos vs. Canada- Laos is coming off a tough win against a good Germany team. Canada is finally coming together, and will not be an easy victory for Laos either. I see Laos looking past Canada to Ireland, and not quite showing up for the semi-final. Laos is favored, but I think Canada can pull off the upset. Canada 4-3.

Quarterfinal Previews

2010-04-27T19:45:00.004-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posts everybody, I was unavoidably delayed. It will take too long to recap the weekend, and by now you probably know what happened anyway. Let's just get to the predictions.

France vs. Norway

France has played very well this tournament, and have only gotten better as it goes on. Norway has played very strong as a team this tournament. That's the reason they're through. So who will win this matchup? France. France has been impenetrable on defence lately, and Norway does not have the talent to penetrate it. Norway has not faced a defence like France's. Germany's defence is not good, El Salvador's defence is just as bad, Scotland didn't have a defence, and Jamaica's defence is right on par with the bottom 10 teams. France's defence is a big step up. Any Norway striker will be suffocated, and the only hope they have is to shoot from outside and hope something manages to luckily find its way in. The main difference in the game will be France's strikers. France will get shots off, and if they're remotely on target, they'll go in. France has some very good shooters, so expect a lot of what you saw Germany do to Norway in terms of shooting. Norway has some hustlers in midfield, and this is the only way they'll win. France's midfield is a little slow, and a couple Norway 1-2's near half will be the pinnacle of their goal-scoring opportunities. Yeah, Norway is playing well as a "team," but so is France. They won't have a letdown of last year's quarterfinal happen again. France wins, 4-1.

Germany vs. Laos

Germany advanced after an exciting win over Norway on Monday to take first in the group. Props to Germany. They had a big game to win, and they finally did it. Congratulations Germany! Your prize is...a quarterfinal against Laos. But maybe this is a prize they want. Laos is reeling after getting absolutely pummeled by France on Saturday(they got killed, and if you dispute that, you're wrong), then only winning 2-1 on Sunday against a physical Austria team. So do we write Laos off? Not at all. They're a very dangerous team, and come flying at you with quick touches and speedy players. They'll have their entire team there on Wednesday, and they'll be mad. But Germany has been playing very well lately, and will up to the challenge. Germany can beat Laos by doing a couple things. Don't rush into tackles, and mark your man. France did this very good, and Germany can do the same. If Laos can break free from Germany's defence just a couple times, this game will open up, and give it to Laos. But I think Germany will be pretty amped up about being in the playoffs, will play hard, and I think they can steal one from Laos. This one should be a high scoring game regardless. Germany wins, 5-4.

Ireland vs. Nigeria

The least intriguing matchup of the playoffs. Nigeria is good, but not Beat-Ireland good. If Nigeria can keep it close, it will be a success. In order to beat Ireland, you need to have a stellar defence and good goalkeeping. Nigeria does not have this. Ireland can shoot, and they can shoot good. I'm not writing Nigeria off completely, but they shouldn't be able to compete with Ireland if Ireland plays well. If Nigeria can catch them sleeping, that will be something special. Ireland wins, 6-1.

Canada vs. Poland

Canada finally showed their strength against Ireland. They play a similar style to Ireland, and it was clear to see that if they come to play, Canada is hard to beat. Canada gets to take on a Polish team that rolled through their group. Poland never faced a extremely strong opponent, but are nonetheless a very good team. Canada might finally be gelling as a team, and if they are, it's coming at the right time. Canada has a big and tough defence, but they are susceptible to getting out of position. Overall Canada is a big team, and would have a tougher time against a very small team like Laos. Simply put, they play well against players like themselves. Poland is not a team like Canada, but Canada still matches up well player for player. This will be the most intriguing game, because no one is really sure how good either team is. When Canada comes to play, they are very good. They'll show up for the quarterfinal. Canada wins, 3-2.

Day 11 Recap

2010-04-25T12:08:00.002-06:00

YB Scotland vs. YB Italy. In a clash of the two best Youth teams, Italy was the victor. But there's little doubt Scotland will get a chance for revenge in the final.

Afghanistan vs. Norway- Norway 4-1. It could have been a trap game for Norway, but Norway came out and played solid all game. Afghanistan's frustration started to show, as they took multiple cards. Head over to Norway's blog for a full recap.

Portugal vs. Northern Ireland- Northern Ireland 3-2. In a must-win for both teams, Northern Ireland continued their run as giant killers. If not for the two close losses to open the tournament, Northern Ireland would have overtaken Nigeria. They still have a chance, but they need to beat Poland and get some help. Portugal has looked lost in this tournament and are done.

Ukraine vs. Austria- Ukraine 4-0. Ukraine looked much better against a physical Austria game. Their defence can shut down weaker teams like Austria, but against better teams, like Laos, their defence is much too slow. They'll fight to get out of the group when they take on France on Sunday.

Ireland vs. Chile- Ireland 5-1. Ireland started slow, and only scored right before half to make it 1-0. But thanks to some absolutely stunning goals, they pulled off the win once again. Ireland will likely face Nigeria in the next round.

Day 10 Recap

2010-04-24T18:02:00.003-06:00

YG Canada vs. Brazil- 3-2 Canada. Seems to me like this was an upset, considering how the rest of the games went.

Afghanistan vs. Jamaica- Jamaica 4-1. Jamaica finally gets a win, and if they win out, this could be very interesting.

Nigeria vs. England- 9-2 Nigeria. Nigeria keeps rolling. They don't back down off of weaker teams and now look to be a lock to go through.

Laos vs. Italy- 7-2 Laos. No surprise here.

Day 9 Recap

2010-04-22T13:33:00.002-06:00

YB Canada vs. YB Germany- YB Germany 6-3.

W France vs. W Ukraine- Ukraine 5-0. Ukraine looks quite dominant thus far. They'll make this year's playoffs quite exciting on the women's side.

Austria vs. Greece- Austria 1-0.
Austria managed to hold off Greece in an exciting 1-0 victory. Austria has played quite well so far this tourney, and will get chance to do some damage this weekend when they play Ukraine and Laos.

Botswana vs. Canada- Tied 2-2. In a game with huge implications, Botswana tied Canada. Canada looked lazy, not hustling to the ball or putting much effort in to get the ball back. Botswana, on the other hand, played like they wanted it, and made sure to prevent Canada's shots. Canada's lackluster performance has made this group very exciting now. With one game apiece left, this will likely come down to Goal Differential. If that doesn't settle it, it goes to Goals For, then Goals Against. So let's take a look here...

Botswana- 3-0, 2-6, 2-2...Giving them a goal differential of -1 at 7 Goals For and 8 Goals Against.

Canada- 3-1, 7-2, 2-2...Giving them a goal differential of +7 at 12 Goals For and 5 Goals Against.

Canada is up by 8 goals right now, with Ireland left to play. Botswana has Columbia left. Here's a scenario for you. Canada loses 4-0, Botswana wins 5-1, they'll be tied in every aspect. The very last tiebreaker would be a shootout between the two teams. Cross your fingers!! Only one thing is for sure, it will be exciting to see this play out.

Week 1 Notes and Predictions

2010-04-21T11:55:00.003-06:00

So, we're about halfway through the group stages, and we've seen some pretty good soccer.

Notes- Group A features Ireland rolling through once again, but yet to face another top contender in Canada. Group B has been the most exciting, with El Salvador, Germany, and Norway leading the way. Jamaica and Afghanistan are talented teams, but have yet to put it together to make that final leap. Expect the final games in this group to be very exciting. Group C, while not the most talented, has provided very good games to watch, some close matches and some very high-scoring. Group D has been a physical group, with teams like Austria, Greece, and France. France and Laos have owned the group so far, and there's been no real upsets or close games. This isn't the normal way for this tournament, so be prepared on the weekend for a couple surprises.

Predictions-

Group A
Ireland will be coming out of this group for sure, along with Canada. Botswana still has to play Canada, but Canada should be able to hold them off. Botswana is good, but not good enough to beat an experienced team like Canada. Ireland will be well-matched with Canada, as they play similar styles, but Ireland will be able to beat them. Ireland in first, Canada in second.

Group B
El Salvador is the top team in this group, but not by much. This group is the most wide open out of all of them. Norway has played very well so far, but haven't necessarily played a top team yet. They have yet to face the top teams in Germany and El Salvador. Jamaica hasn't shown anything so far, although they have skill. If they can get it together and win out, it will be very interesting to see what happens. I say El Salvador keeps it going, finishing in first, and that the Norway-Germany game next Monday decides the group, with Germany taking it to finish second. Every game in this group matters, and every point is crucial. It should be a race to the finish.

Group C
Poland has dominated so far, and will take the group. Second place is Nigeria's to lose. I don't think Nigeria will lose again, and will buckle down and play smart, so I give them second place over Portugal.

Group D
The group looked to be a race between Laos, Ukraine and France, but Laos might have squashed any hope Ukraine has of making it through with a convincing victory. The top spot will be a battle between France and Laos. Austria has yet to play Laos or Ukraine, and could potentially upset one of them. Ultimately, the group will go to France and Laos. Laos first, France in second.

Day 8 Recap

2010-04-21T11:38:00.002-06:00

YG World vs. YG Germany- 4-0 World.

YB Italy vs. Ukraine- 5-3 Italy. Italy is the top contender to knock Scotland off. Their matchup against each other on Friday will be a preview of the final.

England vs. Poland- Poland 7-1. Poland is all set to take the group, and look to go through undefeated.

Nigeria vs. Northern Ireland- Tied 2-2. In what could be considered another upset, Northern Ireland tied Nigeria. After Nigeria's strong effort against Poland, they seemed to have a letdown against Northern Ireland. If they want to be considered as an actual good team, they have to step their play. Any more slip ups and Portugal will pounce on their playoff spot. Northern Ireland has a habit of playing the top teams very well, like when they beat Ireland last year. They play Portugal and Poland next, and could deal the death blow to Portugal if they take points if that game.

France vs. Greece- France- 5-1. France looked strong from the opening kickoff and never let up. Greece was outmatched. France has slowly looked better with each game, and this group will peak on Saturday night when France takes on Laos for the top spot in the group. In a similar situation as Afghanistan in Group B, Greece has taken on 3 of the top teams in the tournament. They'll get their chance to prove something against a tough Austria team.

Day 7 Recap

2010-04-21T11:21:00.002-06:00

YB Canada vs. YB Ukraine- Ukraine 6-4. Scotland, Ukraine, and Italy look to have qualified for the playoffs, and the final spot will go to the winner of the Germany-Canada game.

W Canada vs. W Scotland- Scotland 6-3. Scotland finally gained a little respect.

Scotland vs. Afghanistan- Afghanistan 5-1. Afghanistan had two very tough games to start the tournament, but their victory over Scotland shows that they're a good enough team to really screw up this group. With games against Jamaica and Norway, they could catch a team sleeping and knock them out of playoff contention.

Canada vs. Colombia- 7-2 Canada. Canada looks in top form for their upcoming game against Ireland. But they have a feisty Botswana team to go through first.

Day 6 Recap

2010-04-19T20:32:00.002-06:00

Sunday capped an exciting first week of games and festivities...so let's get to the games.

YG World vs. YG Brazil- 2-1 Brazil.

YB Scotland vs. YB Germany- 3-1 Germany. Scotland is still the best YB team, with only unbeaten Italy left to play.

Portugal vs. Serbia- 8-2 Portugal. Portugal finally gets their first win against Serbia, and got a lot of goals in the process. Portugal's hopes of making the playoffs have taken a huge hit though, and it will take another team upsetting Poland or Nigeria for them to even have a chance. Certainly possible in this tournament though.

Ireland vs. Botswana- 6-2 Ireland. Botswana was still riding the momentum of their convincing victory over Chile, but then they ran into Ireland, the defending champions for a reason. Ireland dominated Botswana, and only allowed 2 goals in the later stages of the game. However, this shows that Botswana never gives up and will keep fighting, and this could be very important when Botswana takes on Canada for the second spot in the group. If Botswana can keep it close early, they might be able to pull off the upset.

W England vs. W Italy 5-1 England. England dominated Italy in every aspect, and it's become clear that Chile and England will be coming out of this group.

Germany vs. Jamaica- 3-1 Germany.
Jamaica continued its disappointing play against Germany, and now their only hope lies in winning out the tournament, including beating El Salvador. Jamaica has the talent to do it, but they haven't shown any good team play yet. They can get back on track against Afghanistan and Scotland. If El Salvador loses to Norway, this pool will be very interesting coming into the final games. Germany looked very good against Jamaica, but still have a tough road to the playoffs. Every game in this group matters.

W Germany vs. W Ukraine- 3-2 Ukraine.
Ukraine scored twice very quickly off the start to pull out to an early, but Germany shook it off and attempted their comeback. Ukraine's third goal was the clincher, and they managed to hold off a charging Germany team to take control of their group. Ukraine should be able to finish first in this group.

Laos vs. Ukraine- 6-2 Laos.
In a much-anticipated Group D game, Laos played great against Ukraine. Ukraine struck first, but it was all Laos after that. Laos was too quick with their passing for Ukraine to react, and it allowed Laos to run up the score. Ukraine played alright, but lacked speed and offence, and they'll need to come up with something if they want a hope of making it out of the group. In any case, Laos looks like a top contender for the title.

Nigeria vs. Poland- Poland 2-1.
In what could be debated as the most exciting game of the tournament so far, Poland just held off Nigeria. A great game by two great teams, it featured a lot of skillful displays, hustle, and great saves. Both teams deserve to come out of this group, and it's likely they will.

El Salvador vs. Afghanistan- El Salvador 7-3.
Afghanistan kept in close for awhile, but it was only a matter of time until El Salvador exploited their defence. Afghanistan is still playing hard, and they can beat a good team if they put together a complete effort. They've played two of the top teams in the tournament, and could deal a fatal blow to Norway or Jamaica's chances. Stay tuned.

France vs. Austria- France 4-0. In what looked to be the most physical game of the tournament, France outmuscled Austria for the win. France was in control of the game, but had to deal with a tough Austria team. Only winning 1-0 at half, France managed to match Austria's toughness and put in 3 more to seal it. France is looking better with each game, and has very good chance to make it out of their group.

Day 5 Recap

2010-04-18T14:24:00.003-06:00

Lots of games yesterday...so let's go.

YB Italy vs. YB Germany- Italy 3-2. Looking like if any team will challenge Scotland, it will be Italy.

W Italy vs. W Chile- Chile 3-1.

Chile vs. Canada- Canada 3-1. Chile was supposed to challenge for the second spot in this group, but that seems to be out of the question now. It will take a miracle for Chile to get back in it. Now it's between Canada and Botswana for that second spot.

Ukraine vs. Italy- 4-0 Ukraine.

YG Canada vs. YG Germany- Tied 5-5.

Serbia vs. Northern Ireland- Serbia 3-2.

Portugal vs. Poland- Poland 3-1.

W England vs. W Scotland- England 8-0.

Norway vs. Jamaica- Norway 6-3? I don't remember. Something like that. In any case, Norway played very well against Jamaica, and beat them pretty convincingly. Norway seems to be emerging as a top team in this group, while Jamaica, after picking up some very good players, has hit a major stumbling block. They'll need to pick it up tonight against Germany. If Jamaica thought Norway had some offence, wait until they see Germany. Jamaica's defence played terrible last night, and it cost them.

El Salvador vs. Germany- El Salvador 5-3. El Salvador was pretty well matched up with Germany, and for the first half it seemed like either team could win. Both teams were breaking through and getting good chances. Germany seemed to go into a shell in the second half, and El Salvador eventually put them up 4-3. This brought Germany out and they started getting some offence again, but couldn't break through. El Salvador scored a late one to secure the victory.

Laos vs. Greece- Laos 6-1. Laos looked dominant early on, and never let up. They'll get a real test today against Ukraine.

Day 4 Recap

2010-04-17T14:50:00.003-06:00

YB Italy vs. YB Canada- 5-3 Italy.

Germany vs. Afghanistan- Germany 6-3. Germany came out strong, and easily handled Afghanistan. Afghanistan didn't play that bad, but there was just no way that they were going to stop Germany's superior offence. Afghanistan looks like they'll be the team that gives a top team a run for their money, like Austria in Group D, or Botswana in Group A.

Ukraine vs. Greece- Ukraine 6-2. Ukraine still looks like a strong contender to get out of their group, although they scored most of their goals on free kicks. They won't get so lucky against teams with better goalkeeping. Still, Ukraine looked dominant against Greece, and anyone writing them off in the group will be in for a surprise.

England vs. Serbia- Tied 3-3. A exciting back and forth game. While the teams may not have the highest skill levels, they can still provide some exciting soccer to watch. England was once again the victim of momentary lapse in focus that allowed Serbia to quickly get back in the game.

Portugal vs. Nigeria- Nigeria 9-5. This was a crazy game. Nigeria was pummeling Portugal all through the first half. Portugal scored a couple quick goals after halftime to make it look like we might get a game, but then Nigeria answered right back. Nigeria looks to be back on track after a dismal last two years, and are definitely the new frontrunners for that second playoff spot. Both teams defences need some work if they want any chance at winning a playoff game though.

Day 3 Recap

2010-04-16T10:04:00.002-06:00

YG Brazil vs. YG Germany- YG Brazil 4-1.

YB Scotland vs. YB Ukraine- YB Scotland 5-3. Scotland still looks like the best youth team.

France vs. Italy- France 5-2. To no one's surprise, France dominated early, ending the first half up 5-0. However, in the second half, France seemed to really slow down and let Italy back in the game. Italy scored twice and really put the pressure on France. Italy put on a much better performance than they did against Austria. France will have to do better when they play the better teams in their pool.

Norway vs. Scotland- Norway 4-3. In another exciting game, Norway held off Scotland to take it. Norway seemed to be in control of the entire game, but then Scotland would suddenly surge and answer every Norway goal with a goal of their own. It made for an exciting game, but Norway definitely deserved the win. I'll remind you that you can visit Norway's blog, and link is on the sidebar. Scotland played much better than they did against El Salvador. They could be the team that upsets one of the better team's chances of getting out of the group.

Botswana vs. Chile- Botswana 3-0. In the tournament's first upset, Botswana dominated Chile. Botswana was great in this game, swarming Chile and hustling to every ball, getting 3 goals to show for it. Botswana looked great, and Chile might have just seen their playoff chances take a nosedive. Chile couldn't get anything going against the fast Botswana team, and if Botswana plays like that for the rest of the tourney, they'll be a real challenge for any team. Botswana gets their win EVER, and they deserved it.

Day 2 Recap

2010-04-15T11:52:00.002-06:00

NOTE: If someone on your team would like to take some initiative and make a website or blog for your team, I'll gladly link to it. It allows everyone to familiarize themselves with your team, and likely will increase your fan support. It's easy, fast, and great way to get some publicity. The latest team to do so is the Men's Norway team. Click here for the link, and its also on the sidebar.

To the games...

YB Germany vs. YB Ukraine- Tied 3-3. In an exciting, fairly high-scoring game, both youth boys teams showed some good skill. Scotland won't have it so easy winning this thing.

Italy vs. Austria- Austria 3-1. Italy was definitely the weaker team. With decent fan support, its a shame that Italy couldn't have put on a better show. Austria wasn't much better, but last night's match was a clear indication that neither team is much of a contender. Sloppy passes, poor shooting, and bad touches made for an excruciatingly bad game. Austria can definitely perform better, but not sure about Italy.

W Chile vs. W Canada- Chile 6-0. Another bad game to watch. Chile dominated Canada in every aspect. Chile will have to wait for a real test.

Northern Ireland vs. England- Northern Ireland 3-2. England took the early lead, and possession drifted back and forth. No team looked to take control until Northern Ireland scored two quick goals near the end of the game to take the lead. The final pushes by England were useless. Both teams will have to raise their level of play if they wish to make it out of their group. They lucked into a fairly easy group, so both teams have a chance. More so Northern Ireland, although they don't look to be as good as they were last year.

El Salvador vs. Scotland- El Salvador 5-1. El Salvador showed the skill that got them to the final last year, and they certainly look to be on their way to doing it again. Scotland is not the same team they were last year, and it showed. They had no real offensive presence, and could only attempt to hold off El Salvador.

That's it for now. See you tonight!

Day 1 Recap and Opening Ceremonies

2010-04-14T14:58:00.002-06:00

The WCP Cup kicked off last night with the Opening Ceremonies. We were once again treated to a full house as everyone showed up to welcome the teams. Let's get right to the games.

Ireland vs. Colombia. 5-1 Ireland. Ireland opened up the tournament with a convincing victory over Colombia, but Colombia definitely showed they had some fight. There were periods where Colombia controlled the game, and they had a couple chances to make Ireland pay. If Colombia had shot the ball when it had the chances, instead of trying to be fancy, the score might have been a little different. However, they would have also needed to have somebody marking Ireland's midfield, who were constantly open. There was no question Ireland dominated, but Colombia showed the same spirit they've shown since they've joined the tournament, and that's a never-quit attitude. Ireland certainly looks well on their way to defending their title, and it will be interesting to see how the rest of the group plays out.

YB Scotland vs. YB Canada. 4-1 Scotland. The Scotland boys also opened up their title defence with a convincing win over Canada. They are definitely the favorites to repeat.

YG Canada vs. YG World. 5-0 World.

W Germany vs. W France. Germany 3-1. Germany will be hard-pressed to take this group after narrowly beating France. Ukraine should be a better test for them.

Notes

2010-04-09T10:35:00.005-06:00

-Less than a week until the tourney begins! The schedule is set, and everyone is raring to go. Get pumped!

-It's great to see that all the teams are playing so many exhibition games. It seems like every team is much more committed this year.

-NEWS: Comments will now have to be moderated before they will appear on the site. This will eliminate idiotic comments, and you won't have to make an account(God forbid THAT). The new commenting system is best for everyone. It won't clog up the comments with unnecessary profanity, and will still allow for easy and fast commenting. I try and give you freedom, and you embarrass the tournament and this blog. So this is what happens.

-Opening ceremonies are at 6:30 on Tuesday. Be there.

See you on Wednesday!

WCP Cup Playoff Schedule

2010-04-06T12:15:00.002-06:00

See the posts below for Weeks 1 and 2. Click on the picture for an enlarged view.

WCP Cup Schedule Week 2

2010-04-06T12:12:00.000-06:00

Click on the image for an enlarged picture of Week 2.

WCP Cup Schedule Week 1

2010-04-06T12:03:00.001-06:00

Click on the picture for an enlarged view. If you know who runs the WCP Cup website, please direct them my way.

Update

2010-03-29T23:37:00.001-06:00

Since no one likes getting accounts, we're going back to anonymous commenting. The lack of commenting on posts is quite disturbing. Have at it.

Preview A Pool: Group D

2010-03-27T14:16:00.002-06:00

Laos
Ukraine
France
Austria
Greece
Italy

Group D will definitely not be an easy group, and along with Group B could be considered the hardest pool. Laos gets the 4th seed in this one. Ukraine joins them, but it is a significantly weaker Ukraine team. They should definitely not be counted out though. France, another top contender, is back and raring to go. Austria was a strong team last year, giving France all they handle in the group stage and keeping up with Ukraine in a scorefest in last year's group stage. Greece, another mainstay, is always up to play, and gives everyone a good game. Italy is the last team, and anything they can do to the other teams will be a huge blow to that team's hopes. France should be able to pull it together this year and come through on top, and Ukraine will also be playing hard. Laos will be hard-pressed to fend off these teams, and this could be the year they finally fall.

Prediction(in order of finish): France, Laos, Ukraine, Greece, Austria, Italy.

Game to Watch: Laos vs. France. Two of the top 4 teams in the tournament. That's all you need to know.

Preview A Pool: Group C

2010-03-27T13:51:00.002-06:00

Portugal
Nigeria
England
Serbia
Northern Ireland
Poland

Group C features the surprise teams from last tournament, with Portugal and Poland. If you remember correctly, Group C from last year had top contenders in Scotland and Germany. Both were beaten out by, you guessed it, Poland and Portugal. Portugal ended up in 3rd place to top it off. Now these teams will have to prove that last year was no fluke. Poland is well on their way to becoming a top contender, and should be quite strong this year. Portugal has been quiet, but they have the ability to score on teams at will, so you can never count them out. Northern Ireland was also a part of one of the better games last year, when they beat Ireland 4-3 in the group stage. They'll get their rematch with Portugal from last year's quarterfinal. Nigeria has been a mainstay of the tournament, but they can never seem to pull together as team. England is back again, but has been very quiet. Serbia, the final team, was hyped up last year, but fell hard. Whether they get the players they were supposed to get remains to be seen.

Prediction(in order of finish): Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Northern Ireland, Nigeria, England.

Game to Watch: Poland vs. Portugal. The two best teams in the group.

Preview A Pool: Group B

2010-03-27T13:34:00.002-06:00

El Salvador
Scotland
Germany
Afghanistan
Norway
Jamaica

While all the groups came out relatively even this year, Group B could be considered the hardest. El Salvador will be very strong this year, and looking to avenge their loss in the final last year. Germany has a stronger team this year, and though they often fall below expectations, this could be year they finally pull it together. Scotland is not the powerhouse they once were, with a completely new team this year. Afghanistan, another new team, will be tough to gauge. With so many good teams in this group, Afghanistan and Scotland could have a lot of fun spoiling the plans for some teams. Norway has also gotten better, and will also be looking to regain their former glory. Jamaica, always a good team, is the last team in the pool, and always a threat to make it out.
This group will be very interesting. El Salvador may be favored to take the group, but as we've seen before, that's anything but certain. But they will be hard to knock off. Once again, it should be a battle for that second spot.

Prediction(in order of finish): El Salvador, Germany, Norway, Jamaica, Afghanistan, Scotland.

Game To Watch: El Salvador vs. Germany. This game should bring out the best in two very skilled teams. It will showcase both teams' strengths and weaknesses.

Preview A Pool: Group A

2010-03-27T13:25:00.004-06:00

Ireland
Colombia
Chile
Botswana
Canada

Group A kicks us off with the defending champions. Ireland gets the pool of 5 this year, and not a very hard pool at that. New-look Canada and Chile will likely be their best opponents, while Colombia and Botswana will attempt to play the role of spoilers. Canada and Ireland are both physical teams, and it will be interesting to see if Canada can finally make it back to the playoffs. Chile has been playing together all team in the Men's League, and they are definitely no slouch either. They plan well as a team and will likely be battling Canada for the second spot in the group.

Prediction(in order of finish): Ireland, Chile, Canada, Colombia, Botswana.

Game to watch: Chile vs. Canada. This should determine the second spot.

Draw Date

2010-03-03T17:50:00.007-06:00

The WCP Cup Draw will take place at the Italian Club on Friday, March 26.

The Italian Club is located on 2148 Connaught Street, just off of Lewvan and 13th Avenue. It's the best part of March, and it's always sure to be a great time. Bring your friends, and show them just how much fun the Saskatchewan Soccer community can have. See you all there!

There also seems to be some confusion as to which teams are even entered in the tournament. If you know for a fact which teams are entered, please post them in the comments so we can get some in-depth analysis going.

NEWS:

Early Favorites- The favorites for the tournament this year might surprise some people. The previous pre-tournament favorites, such as ROI, Laos, Ukraine, and Scotland, are no longer the teams they once were. ROI is the only team that looks to remain a top contender, but even they are feeling the effects of age. Laos has lost a couple key players this year, and hasn't gained any difference makers. It is uncertain as to whether Ukraine will have a team due to many difficulties in assembling players, and Scotland is unlikely to have a team.

So we're essentially left with ROI and Laos from those 4, but those two will be challenged by new and old teams this year. El Salvador, last year's runner-up, will still be strong, and France will be out for revenge with a better team as well. Can Jamaica regain some former glory? Can Serbia finally get the players they hoped would come?

New challengers will include Germany, who are always considered a top team but have never had the players to push them over the top until this year. Also, Poland looks to have added good players and will build on their surprising success last year. Afghanistan is a newcomer, and will likely have a lot of the players that made Saudi Arabia a contender last year. Canada has gained former Scotland players, and should make it back to the top ranks this year.

-To note: With Saudi Arabia not in the tournament this year, who takes their place in the top 4? With all the new teams this year, we could see a Group of Death like no other.

Any other news, please post in the comments.

Here We Go!

2010-02-05T15:21:00.002-06:00

WCP Cup fever is hitting Regina again, so let's get to it.

-I encourage everyone to get a username and comment on posts, because frankly, the comments are usually the best part of this blog. Do it!

Last year's WCP Cup was full of upsets, with relatively unknown teams toppling the supposed giants. We saw favorites like Scotland, Ukraine and France all fall to relatively unknown teams like Poland, Portugal and Saudi Arabia. Is it a changing of the guard? Will these teams be able to rebound?

The answer? Not likely.

Scotland is being dissolved, with players leaving to join teams like Canada and Norway, while Ukraine has lost some players as well. France will be out to avenge their embarrassing loss to Saudi Arabia. And speaking of Saudi Arabia, will they even have a team after withdrawing from the RSA mid-season?

As usual, the lead-up to the WCP Cup promises to be very exciting. Posts will come rolling in as the rumors heat up and as dates are announced. Team registrations should be in by now, so when those are set, the next date to look forward to is the WCP Cup Draw. As soon that is announced, we'll start preparing for it.

See you in a bit!

Thanks

2009-05-14T15:41:00.002-06:00

Well, the WCP Cup has ended. Yet again, it was a great tournament full of excitement, surprises and great finishes. Thanks for supporting the WCP Cup Blog throughout the tournament, and I hope you enjoyed the Blog. I look forward to next year when the tournament is sure to be even bigger and better. Every year is better than the next.

I'll post something every once in awhile concerning rumors on next year's tournament. Enjoy the summer!

The Final Games

2009-05-03T17:01:00.003-06:00

Wow.

Women's Final

First, we had the Women's Final, with Germany taking on Chile. Germany looked like the stronger team at the beginning and throughout the first half, taking a 2-0 lead. In the second half, Chile woke up and answered back with 2 quick goals of their own. The momentum seemed to have shifted to Chile's side, with a disheartened Germany now just trying to keep Chile from scoring. But as the game went on, Germany would still get the odd opportunity, putting in their 3rd goal. Chile was really on the attack now, desperate to get a goal in order to even it up. Germany managed to hold them off, with the help of the post and good defending, winning the Women's WCP Cup 3-2.

Men's Final

The main event, the Men's Final, featured ROI and El Salvador. Much like the final in previous years, it was a classic. ROI came into the game on a hot streak, having turned around after a poor group showing. El Salvador was the new team, knocking off some of the top teams in the tournament, and fighting their way to the final. The game kicked off to an already-pumped crowd(from the Women's Final). The game started off quickly, with wonderful opportunities on both sides. Surprisingly, El Salvador seemed to be controlling the game. ROI seemed content to let them dribble around at a distance, and El Salvador certainly tried to make them regret it by shooting from those distances. However, it was ROI who struck first. El Salvador had more opportunities than ROI, but ROI's opportunities were much more dangerous. They got their second goal to make it 2-0 Ireland going into the half.

The second half came with Ireland hoping to put the game out of reach. 3-0 would certainly spell the end for El Salvador. ROI had their chances, but El Salvador managed to score first. El Salvador was back in the game now, and it seemed that the powerful Ireland could be beaten. The game's momentum was shifting in El Salvador's direction, and sure enough, they scored again to make it 2-2. Ireland, as they've done many times in this tournament, stepped up the intensity hard. They realized they were on the verge of collapsing, and they couldn't let it happen. El Salvador also realized they were on the verge of knocking off the defending champions. Neither team could get the momentum on their side, as regular time ran out with the score tied 2-2.

The first overtime was crazy, with both teams getting their chances to put it away. Neither could, and it went on to a second overtime. It wasn't long into the second overtime when Ireland scored on long range free kick that just slipped inside the corner of the net, giving ROI the win. The final score of 3-2 capped off a fantastic tournament with a fantastic game, and even though the final goal was a bit of a letdown, the game itself definitely made up for it. A great game, very well played by both teams. Congratulations to ROI.

On to the Final

2009-04-30T23:18:00.002-06:00

Ireland vs. Saudi Arabia- 6-2 Ireland. ROI has really stepped up their game after that loss to Northern Ireland. Since that point, they've absolutely dominated every game, and definitely look like the old ROI. Saudi Arabia played good, missing some great opportunities when they were down by a goal. Had they converted those, the game could have ended differently. But if you don't get all your chances in on Ireland, they'll make you pay, and they did that tonight.

El Salvador vs. Portugal- 3-2 El Salvador. This game was a lot closer than most anticipated, and Portugal has definitely been a treat to watch in this tournament. After being tied 2-2 for quite a while, El Salvador scored the winner fairly early in the second half. This was a game filled with shots, and they came from everywhere.

...

So on we go to the final, featuring ROI and El Salvador. The last time these teams met was in the semi-final of the second WCP Cup, when ROI won in a shootout to go to the final. Ireland is playing fantastic right now, and should be favoured to win their 3rd WCP Cup. El Salvador is no slouch, and can definitely keep up with Ireland. The final is always a good game, and this year should be no exception. See you there.

Sidenote: How Crazy is this tournament?

2009-04-30T10:26:00.004-06:00

Is it incredibly crazy? Or maybe insanely crazy?

In any case, the tournament is definitely operating on some level of crazy.

Could anyone have foreseen that of the 8 teams that made playoffs last year, the only team left in the semifinals is the one that lost critical players? Not me. Not anyone. Now we have an ROI vs. Saudi Arabia semifinal, and a Portugal vs. El Salvador semifinal. Don't even bother trying to predict what will happen, it's impossible. Anything can happen in this tournament, and people forget that every year. But this particular year will be impossible to forget.

Here's a little preview for tonight's games.

Saudi Arabia vs. ROI- Saudi Arabia is an all-around good team. All their players are decent, most of them have the ability to score from anywhere, and they have a very balanced attack. They don't rely on one individual to get the job done, they find a way around the opposing team. ROI is bigger, and likely has more individual talent. They do not have the same hustle of the Saudi Arabia team, so after ROI attacks, it will be critical for Saudi Arabia to have a very quick counterattack. Look for ROI to be scoring off of free kicks.

Portugal vs. El Salvador- Both teams are very offensive teams. They both rely on the ball skills of the forwards to hold up the ball and create chances. With El Salvador, the ball is distributed from the back to the forward almost every time. If Portugal players can stay on their man and not let them stand there looking for a chance, Portugal will have success. However, no one has done that so far. Portugal works the same way, relying on the forwards to hold up the ball and wait for the team to get to their spot.

Note: Feel free to be skeptical on that analysis. I'm no genius.

Quarterfinals

2009-04-30T09:59:00.002-06:00

ROI vs. Poland- ROI 3-2. Not many people expected Poland to put up a fight, but those people haven't payed attention to what's happened in this tournament. ROI was up 3-0, and looked comfortable, but Poland never gave up and scored twice in the second half to make it 3-2. They had a chance to tie it in the end, but it went off a crossbar. Poland played a great game, and they've been a fantastic surprise this tournament.

Laos vs. El Salvador- El Salvador 1-1(PK win). Laos encountered their second tough game after a relatively easy group stage. From the opening kickoff, El Salvador definitely looked like the better team. Laos was constantly making poor decisions and giving up the ball in simple passes. El Salvador just had to wait for Laos to screw up, then take they'd take the ball down the field for a chance. Luckily for Laos, their defence was still playing fairly good and they managed to hold El Salvador off. It was only a matter of time though, as El Salvador got the first goal off a free kick. Laos, trailing for the first time in the tournament, started playing better and better, getting themselves to their usual level, though still making some bad decisions. Laos got one back off of a misplayed corner kick, but neither team could break through for the rest of the game. Overtime solved nothing, but you could see Laos was starting to wear down El Salvador with their superior speed and hustle. So, on to penalties we go. Laos was the first to miss, and El Salvador could have put it away, but hit it high. After trading saves and goals, El Salvador had another chance to win and put it away for good. A great game to watch.

Portugal vs. Northern Ireland- 6-3 Portugal. Portugal always looked like the better team in this one. They are a goal-scoring machine right now, and it will be tough to stop them unless your team can match their offensive firepower. Northern Ireland played good, but when you allow 6 goals, it's very tough to win. The semifinal is now between Portugal and El Salvador, and we can expect a very high scoring game. Should be a good one.

France vs. Saudi Arabia- Saudi Arabia 4-0. In another shocker, France got hammered by Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is a good team, and it's not surprising that they won, but more so that France lost so bad. With a crowd that got behind them more and more, Saudi Arabia kept giving them something to cheer for, with goal after goal. France had one of those nights where nothing goes right, hitting posts all over the place. But plain and simple, Saudi Arabia outplayed them.

Women's Final preview- Chile vs. Germany. No upsets in the women's side, where the two best teams in each pool will face off in the final on Saturday. Both teams are very good, so tune in Saturday at 2:30 to check it out.

Final Day Recap

2009-04-30T09:56:00.002-06:00

ROI vs. Jamaica- 6-0 ROI. ROI finally showed up to the tournament, pounding Jamaica. Jamaica, for its part, played terrible in their do or die situation.

Laos vs. Chile- Laos 4-1. Another easy game for Laos.

Day 12 Recap

2009-04-27T11:49:00.002-06:00

In the final day for most teams, the games were either heartbreakers or meaningless. There was no in-between for these games. You'll see what I mean in the recaps.

Men- Ukraine vs. Austria- 6-4 Ukraine. Ukraine went up very early with 2 goals, and never looked back. Both teams gave a fine effort, but it was obvious to anyone that Ukraine was still reeling from their defeat the night before. Austria, as they've done the entire tournament, kept up their intensity and played very well. The game was never that far out of reach for the Austrians, and they punished Ukraine's mistakes. The game was utterly meaningless though.

Men- Scotland vs Portugal- Portugal 3-2. In a decisive game for Scotland, Portugal kept on rolling with a 3-2 victory. Teams alternated goals, and momentum switched back and forth(as it has for almost every other Group C games), but ultimately Portugal's 3rd goal was the clincher. Portugal assured themselves of first in the group, leaving second place to be decided by the Poland/Norway game. Scotland needed a Norway win, a tie, or a win by Poland of less that 4 goals. The odds were clearly in Scotland's favor...right?

Women- France vs. Austria- France 5-2. France gains a little pride with the win, making sure they don't finish last in their group.

Men- Norway vs. Poland- Poland 6-1. There were 2 possible scenarios for the effect this game would have on the group. The first scenario was that Norway would win, or Poland would win, or maybe they'd tie...but in any case, the result would send Scotland and Portugal through, Poland and Norway would keep their statuses as teams that aren't very good, and life would go on. The other scenario was that Poland would destroy Norway, and go through ahead of Scotland, making Group C the absolute craziest group.

Guess which scenario happened?

Yeah, I can't believe I'm typing it either. Portugal and Poland are through in Group C. Poland played a spectacular game behind the support of their large contingent of fans, and Scotland was pushed out in heartbreaking fashion. Up only 2-1 at halftime, Scotland looked secure, but Poland played great in the second half, seemingly scoring at will. They've definitely come a long way from their embarrassing defeat by Germany. It seems almost fitting that they were the only team from which Portugal couldn't pull out a win.

Men- Serbia vs. El Salvador- 7-3 El Salvador. Another meaningless game. Serbia had tied them 3-3 at half, but it was never likely El Salvador would lose to Serbia.

Women- Ukraine vs. Chile- Chile 2-1. The battle for first place on the women's side was a good one, with Chile getting the victory and securing first. The women's playoffs are set, while the men's are to be decided on Monday.

Men- Greece vs. Canada- 4-1 Greece. Greece went out in a blaze against a rough Canada team. While Canada was playing to make it out of the group, Greece was playing for pride. Both teams beat up on each other, and once Canada's exit from the tournament was assured, the game turned into something less than soccer. It couldn't have ended soon enough.

Men- Nigeria vs. Botswana- 3-2 Nigeria. Like Greece, Nigeria regained some of their pride with a win in their final game. Though they played well, Laos and Saudi Arabia were just too good to be toppled. It's good that both Greece and Nigeria exited the tournament with a win and on a high note.

Women- England vs. El Salvador- England 5-1. England won easily, and look like they'll finish in second place in their group, barring Germany being upset on the final day.

Day 11 Recap

2009-04-27T11:07:00.002-06:00

Overall, this was a great day for soccer. It was absolutely the best day yet.

Men- Norway vs. Italy- 6-0 Norway. Italy has been a disappointment in this tournament.

Men-Portugal vs. Germany- Portugal 5-3. In a game that decided the fate of these teams, Portugal simply outplayed Germany. Portugal has been phenomenal lately, and kept it up against Germany. Germany played well and the game was great to watch, but Portugal is on a roll. Germany was eliminated with the loss, and Portugal clinched a playoff spot. The rest of the group would be decided on Sunday.

Men-ROI vs. Northern Ireland- Northern Ireland 4-3. Bet no one expected that score. In a another candidate for game of the tournament, Northern Ireland shocked ROI 4-3. ROI scored early, and it looked like just another ROI win, but Northern Ireland kept up their intensity and did not back down. The scoring went back and forth until ROI woke in the final minutes again and started hammering Northern Ireland. ROI had shot after shot in a seemingly never-ending last couple of minutes, and it really didn't seem believable that Northern Ireland would win until the final whistle finally blew. This game was the perfect example of how far ROI has fallen. They lacked intensity for most of the game until it became clear that they were going to lose. ROI is now battling for their lives on Monday against Jamaica. Northern Ireland is through. Wow.

Men- France vs. Serbia- France 7-1. Serbia's Winnipeg players finally made it in, and the game looked to be a close one, but Serbia ended up losing by the worst score yet. It's a shame Serbia couldn't live up to the pre-tournament hype.

Men- Canada vs. Jamaica- Canada 3-2. As surprising as this score may seem, it isn't. Canada has owned Jamaica in the last couple years. They continuously prevent Jamaica from making the playoffs, and this year was no exception. Every year it seems Jamaica could be one of the top teams, and then Canada knocks them off completely. Frankly, it's hilarious. Jamaica now battles ROI for the top spot in the group. The winner is in first, the loser is out. In the event of a tie, Jamaica would go through in second.

Men- El Salvador vs. Ukraine- El Salvador 5-3. It was do or die for both teams, so this was a great game to watch. Though not necessarily as exciting as some other games, the level of soccer was definitely higher with these two. El Salvador scored midway through the first half, but neither team was really controlling the game. As with the Ukraine/France game, there weren't many chances for either team. Ukraine evened it up after half, but another limited chance for El Salvador got them a second goal late in the game. By this point, Ukraine were really pushing hard for a goal and definitely had their chances, but couldn't put one in the back of the net. The defensive shell by El Salvador proved to work, and they clinched the game with a 3rd goal off of a blocked penalty shot in the closing minutes. Another giant fell, with Ukraine being eliminated.

Women- Austria vs. Chile- Chile 2-0. Chile continues rolling through its group, and takes on Ukraine on Sunday for first place.

Men- Nigeria vs. Saudi Arabia- Saudi Arabia 6-4. Saudi Arabia rolled to a 6-4 victory, wrapping up 2nd place in the group. They'll be preparing to face a tough France team in the quarterfinal. Nigeria played well, but Saudi Arabia is another team that you always seem to know will win the game.

Men- Laos vs. Botswana- 5-0. The result was expected.

Women- El Salvador vs. Canada- 5-0. It's a shame the night ended off with 2 snoozers. If you missed out on the afternoon and early evening games, you really missed some great soccer.

Day 10 Recap

2009-04-25T11:11:00.002-06:00

Men- Scotland vs. Germany- tie 2-2. In a wonderful back and forth game, Scotland and Germany made sure whoever is going through in this group will be a secret until the end of this weekend. Throughout the entire game, momentum swung back and forth. Scotland would score, and Germany would answer right back. A great game to watch, and it's a shame it happened to be the earlier game because a lot of people missed it. Germany is playing very well right now after a poor start. Scotland has played consistently good, and they are definitely a solid team, but can't seem to cement their place as the group's top team. Portugal hasn't played the two other top teams in the group yet, so we'll find out exactly how good they are this weekend. Norway is by no means out of it, and two wins this weekend will place them right up at the top, in contention. Poland can't be counted out either, because if other teams tie(which is a definite possibility), Poland can squeak through. They'll need help, but anything is possible in this group.

Women- France vs. Scotland- 2-1 France. This game was more for pride than anything. France won't be able to finish higher than 3rd, as Ukraine and Chile are assured to go through. Chile and Ukraine need only to battle it out for the right to first.

Men- Ukraine vs. Colombia- Ukraine 9-1. Ukraine pounded Colombia. There was never any question that Ukraine would win this one, scoring twice very early. They dominated We'll find out if Ukraine can make it through their group today when they take on El Salvador. The winner is through, the loser is out. Doesn't get much better than that.

Men- Serbia vs. Austria- 2-1 Serbia. Serbia's Winnipeg players finally made it in, but it looks to be too late to save their chances of going through. If they had been able to beat Colombia in their last game, this weekend would be a different story, where they would have a way better chance of making it through. It was definitely clear that Serbia was a different team last night, and they can still get some glory against France and El Salvador this weekend. A win or two against those teams would garner lots of respect for their team. Austria has played very well this tournament, providing lots of excitement for the fans with their close games and solid play. The standings don't reflect just how good they are.

Day 9 Recap

2009-04-24T12:55:00.002-06:00

Men- Poland vs. Italy- 3-0 Poland. Continuing to make the mess that is Group C an even bigger mess, Poland dominated Italy. Poland, after two straight strong games, needs only a win against fast-falling Norway this weekend to have a shot at the playoffs. It won't be easy, as they'll need some ties and key losses, but with this group, anything is possible.

Youth-Canada vs. Germany- 0-0 tie. First scoreless game of the tournament, possibly in it's history.

Women- Ukraine vs. Scotland- 2-1 Ukraine. Women's Group B looks to be coming down to Ukraine vs. Chile.

Men- Saudi Arabia vs. Chile- 5-2 Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia had a strong showing against Laos on Day 8, and followed it up with a resounding defeat of Chile. This Group has been the easiest to predict, with Laos on top and Saudi Arabia at second. Chile has taken a real fall this year after losing their players to El Salvador. Laos awaits the winner of Saturday's El Salvador/Ukraine game to see who they'll likely play in the Quarterfinal.

Day 8 Recap

2009-04-23T14:07:00.002-06:00

Men- Portugal vs. Norway- 5-1 Portugal. Group C, with a history of being a crazy group, lives up to that history. Portugal destroyed Norway in every aspect of the game. Now we have Scotland, Germany, Portugal, Norway, and possibly even Poland in the mix to make it out. Italy can't seem to put anything together to get a win. Early on, it didn't look like Portugal would do any damage in the group, but now it's clear they are no joke. Norway, however continued its rapid decent down the group. They played so well against Germany, and it's a shame they can't continue that success. No team is this group is guaranteed to make it out. This coming weekend will be a must-watch weekend for every game in this group. It makes my head hurt just trying to figure out which teams will make it out.

Youth- Ukraine vs. Canada- 3-0 Ukraine.

Men- Northern Ireland vs. Greece- 5-1 Northern Ireland. NI is normally a defensive team, relying on 1 or 2 goals to win games. Greece is normally a defensive team as well, and prides itself on making it very hard for strikers to get a shot off on net. This game was anything but normal. Greece was noticeably less fired up for this game than their games against Ireland and Jamaica. Northern Ireland was surprisingly offensive, putting two quick goals in the net. Greece became very deflated, and seemed to come to terms with the fact they won't make it through to the playoffs. Northern Ireland definitely still has a chance, but must rely on Jamaica losing to both ROI and Canada. They'll have to beat Canada as well. Greece, while playing valiantly in their first two games, lacked the intensity in this one, but hopefully we'll see them exit the tournament with a strong showing in their last game.

Men- Laos vs. Saudi Arabia- 2-1 Laos. Laos was put the test by arguably the strongest team in their group(besides them). Laos played very well, and are a lock for first in their group. They didn't dominate the game, but they certainly looked like the better team. Leading 1-0 most of the game, they put in a second goal in the middle of the last half. Saudi Arabia was able to get one back soon after, and was really putting on the pressure at the end. Still, Laos deserved the win and got it.

Day 7 Recap

2009-04-23T13:41:00.002-06:00

Definitely one of the top days of the tournament so far.

Men- Austria vs. Colombia- 2-0 Austria. Austria continued to show some guts, beating Colombia 2-0. Though Austria won't make it out, they've played some very strong games in the tournament. They played great against France, and won the second half of their El Salvador game. In any other group, you'd have to consider Austria at least a contender to make it out. They've played very good so far.

Youth- Scotland vs. Germany- 7-2 Scotland. Scotland is running away with the youth competition, blowing out all their opponents so far.

Men- Poland vs. Scotland- 1-1 tie. This game was supposed to be an easy victory for Scotland. But that's the beauty of this tournament, anything can happen to any team. Germany's blowout of Poland seems a lot more significant now, and could mean the German team has figured out how to play as a team. Poland was not lucky to get the tie in this one, as they played very hard and strong. They had a chance to win on a close free kick at the very end, but couldn't put it away. Scotland had their chances as well, with the ball just unable to make it past the goal line, despite sitting on it a couple times. A very good game.

Men- France vs. El Salvador- 3-2 France. Coming off their victory over Ukraine, France needed this one to secure first place in the group. In the opening minutes, you could tell this would be a much different game than the Ukraine/France game. There were probably more shots in the first 10 minutes than the entire Ukraine/France game. El Salvador went up early, but France answered right back. The chances for both teams went back and forth, with neither team dominating the game. Even though neither team dominated, it always seemed like France would win. Their chances were closer and more powerful, while El Salvador had to abandon its strikers and shoot from far outside. France is now through to the playoffs in the first place, playing second place in Group B(whoever that may be). In any case, France is clearly a top contender, and look to be making their way to the final. El Salvador will be taking on Ukraine for second place Group D on Saturday, with the winner(barring some crazy result) likely playing Laos in the first round of the playoffs. That quarterfinal game will be the same quality as the final.

Day 6 Recap

2009-04-23T13:21:00.002-06:00

Youth- Canada vs. Brazil- 6-1 Canada.
Women- Canada vs. Ukraine- 6-1 Ukraine.

Men- Italy vs. Portugal- 4-0 Portugal. Portugal got its act together after a poor game against Poland. They have to be considered a contender to get out of their pool.

Men- Jamaica vs. Greece- 3-1 Jamaica. Jamaica continued its strong showing so far. They will surely be going through, unless something crazy happens. Right now, it looks like the real question for Jamaica is whether or not they can steal first place in the group from the Irish. They also have a game against Canada, a team that always plays well against Jamaica. Greece put on a good show, but Jamaica was just too good.

Day 5 Recap

2009-04-21T18:18:00.005-06:00

For the most part, these will be quick recaps.

Men- Poland vs. Germany- 5-1 Germany. Germany walked all over a seemingly weak Polish team. Germany is starting to get rolling after a tough opening loss to Norway, and the decisive game for them comes on Friday against Scotland.

Men- vs. Serbia- 5-1 Colombia. Colombia was on the other of a blowout this time. They'll need to take advantage of these opportunities when they come, because the rest of their group won't be so forgiving.

Women- Germany vs. England- 4-1 Germany. England lost to a German team that is destroying the rest of its group.

Men- Scotland vs. Norway- 2-1 Scotland. Scotland eked out a win vs. Norway, and Norway is now fighting for its lives after a strong opening game.

Women- Scotland vs. Austria- 1-0 Scotland

Youth- Canada vs. Scotland- 4-1 Scotland

Men- Ukraine vs. France- 1-0 France. This was supposed to be one of the best games of the tournament. While it was a relatively unexciting game to watch, it was a display of two of the best teams in the tournament. Very few mistakes and very few opportunities are an indication that these are two very similar teams. The best soccer won't always be the most exciting to watch. That being said, neither team played particularly well, but there's no doubt these are two of the top teams.

Men- Ireland vs. Greece- 4-2 Ireland. Greece was winning and playing good well into the second half, when Ireland finally got their act together. Ireland is definitely not playing their best soccer, and it won't be easy for them to get first in the group.

Men- Nigeria vs. Chile- 5-1 Chile
Men- Botswana vs. Saudi Arabia- 4-0 Saudi Arabia

Day 4 Recap

2009-04-19T10:18:00.003-06:00

Since there were so many games on Day 4, there won't be much of a recap.

Men- Ukraine vs. Serbia- 3-0 Ukraine. Ukraine dominated the game, but couldn't put many goals away.

Women- Germany vs. Canada- 8-0 Germany.

Men- Chile vs. Botswana- 2-2 tie. This could be considered a minor upset, as many people are tagging Chile to get out of the group. But if they can't beat Botswana, they stand little chance of beating Saudi Arabia or Nigeria to get second.

Women- Ukraine vs. France- 3-0 Ukraine.

Men- Poland vs. Portugal- 3-3 tie. Germany, Scotland and Norway are expected mainly to be the ones fighting to get out of this pool, but they should be looking over their shoulder at these two teams. Poland and Portugal might not make it out, but they certainly have the talent to make life very difficult for the rest of the group.

Men- Germany vs. Italy- 8-2 Germany.

Youth- World vs. Germany- 4-1 World.

Men- Canada vs. Northern Ireland- 2-2 tie. This group will be an interesting battle for second. Northern Ireland's chances took a real blow with the tie, and will need a lot of help to make it through now.

Women- Chile vs. Scotland- Chile 5-3. Chile had been winning 3-1 in the closing half, only to concede 2 goals in a very short time period. They picked it up though, putting the pressure on Scotland and scoring 2 goals to win it.

Men- France vs. Austria- 3-2 France. Best game of the tournament so far. France came in expecting to win by a large margin, but they got far more than they bargained more. France dominated the first half, getting shot after shot, but not being able to capitalize on anything. Finally, with about 30 seconds left in the first half, they scored to go up 1-0. It seemed like maybe France would really start to hammer Austria now. But the game shifted somewhat, and Austria started getting some chances of their own. The game actually evened out, and Austria was able to catch France's keeper off-guard with a dribbler into the bottom corner. Tied 1-1, the action really started to heat up. Back and forth, back and forth, then finally...Austria scores again! Austria wasn't getting many chances, but they had capitalized on the ones they were getting. France was really on its heels now, and Austria was getting more chances, almost going up 3-1. France finally realized what was about to happen and started to put the pressure on. A fortunate free kick caught Austria off-guard and France tied it at 2-2. At this point, Austria went into a defensive shell for the closing minutes, hoping to hold off an angry France team. It seemed to be working, until a miraculous rocket shot from under half grazed the underside of the crossbar, sealing the win for France.

Men- El Salvador vs. Colombia- El Salvador 4-0. Colombia played better than they did against France, but El Salvador was too much.

Day 3 Recap

2009-04-18T18:20:00.002-06:00

Men- Jamaica vs. Northern Ireland- 3-1 Jamaica. Not the greatest show, but a decent game. Jamaica always looked like they'd win it. Northern Ireland didn't have much of an offense and seemed to be content with defending their own net, which inevitably got scored on.

Youth- Scotland vs. Ukraine- 10-2 Scotland. Scotland obviously dominated.

Men- Norway vs. Germany- 3-0 Norway. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the score 2-0? I could have sworn Norway only got 2. In any case, the renewed German team just couldn't handle a tough Norway squad. Right in the opening minutes, it was apparent the game would take its toll on both teams. There were many hard hits and fouls. It was a rough game, to say the least. Norway was the only team with an offense for the first half, when they got their goals. The second half, the German team finally came together and started really pressing hard. Alas, they couldn't buy a goal. Definitely a good game to watch though.

Men- El Salvador vs. Austria- 5-3 El Salvador. El Salvador came out looking very strong and really had their fans into the game. Sure enough, a couple minutes in they scored, proceeding to score a couple to go into the half with a comfortable lead. Austria got their act together in the second half, getting out of their funk by winning the second half. El Salvador, while a great offensive team, looked to be quite lacking at various points in the game. Both teams will need to step up their play in this group.

Day 2 Recap

2009-04-17T09:35:00.002-06:00

France vs. Colombia- 8-1 France. France made their debut in stunning fashion, hammering Colombia 8-1. While the score seems extremely lopsided, the game wasn't completely out of hand until well into the second half. Going up 2-0 in the first 10 minutes with some very goals, France looked good early. Colombia was playing fairly good too, getting a couple chances, getting a goal back to make it 2-1. It looked like it would be a close game until France scored their 3rd goal, which essentially opened up the floodgates. You could tell from that point that Colombia had lost their confidence.

Chile vs. France- 1-0 Chile. The France team on the women's side made their debut as well, but it didn't turn out the way they hoped. Chile welcomed them to the tournament by beating them 1-0. Chile dominated and definitely deserved the win.

Scotland vs. Italy- 4-1 Scotland. Scotland also looked good in their opener, and they'll definitely be looking to make it into the medal round again. Much like the France game, the weaker team showed some confidence and skill in the first half, but fell apart in the second. There was no question Scotland was the better team though.

Laos vs. Nigeria- 4-0 Laos. Laos proved they are still one of the top teams with a win over feisty Nigeria. Nigeria was out to prove something after their dismal showing last year, and they definitely looked better. Nigeria played well throughout the entire game and looked to have regained the confidence they lost. They definitely had their chances to score. However, the good effort was no match for a very strong Laos team, which put in a good effort as well. They were flying around the field, and they will be very tough to knock off.

Opening Day

2009-04-15T23:00:00.002-06:00

Opening Ceremonies were about the same as they've been in the last couple years, and it's clear to see how much bigger the tournament has gotten. The place was packed. There were the usual keynote speakers, some cultural dances and then introduction of the teams. Games got underway at 7:30.

(Men)ROI vs. Canada- 1-0 ROI. Ireland certainly showed some rust in their opening game, narrowly beating Canada 1-0. Both teams had their chances, but it really didn't look like anyone would score. The game was, for the most part, pretty boring. No one could get a good shot on net, passes couldn't be completed, and the ball pretty much remained around half. Canada played well, but they are definitely lacking offense. Ireland will get their act together soon enough. If they don't, bye-bye Ireland.

(Youth)Canada vs. World- 2-1 Canada. The youth tournament started strong with an exciting game. The game was well played by both teams.

(Women)England vs. Canada- 4-0 England. England showed why they are the defending champions, dominating Canada in the Women's opener. Canada simply had no offense. England looked strong in all areas, and definitely look like they have a good chance to repeat.

Day 2 previews can be found below. The recap will follow the games tomorrow.

Happenings at the Blog

2009-04-13T00:41:00.002-06:00

Here we go, the tournament starts THIS WEDNESDAY!

-The WCP Cup Blog will be trying to provide daily game results, with somewhat of an analysis depending on which games are viewed. If anyone would like to help provide some analysis, send an e-mail to wcpcupblog@hotmail.com. For the most part, the focus will be on the Men's side, but anything else is appreciated. However, you will be able to find all the daily game results here.

-To figure out which game YOU want to watch, check out the previews for the days of the tournament. You can find them below. The previews for Day 8+ will be provided closer to those days.

One Week! (After Today)

2009-04-07T20:40:00.002-06:00

The countdown is on!

Exhibition games are still happening, new players are emerging, some players are going down with injury, but it all adds to the excitement of the WCP Cup. April 15th! Get ready!

Schedule Preview Day 5- Day 8

2009-03-27T13:17:00.005-06:00

April 19- Day 5

Men- Poland vs. Germany 12:30
Men- Colombia vs. Serbia 1:30
Women- Germany vs. England 2:30
Men- Scotland vs. Norway 3:30
Women- Scotland vs. Austria 4:30
Youth- Canada vs. Scotland 5:30
Youth- The World vs. Canada 6:30
Men- Ukraine vs. France 7:30
Men- Greece vs. Ireland 8:30
Men- Nigeria vs. Chile 9:30
Men- Botswana vs. Saudi Arabia 10:30

On a Sunday filled with soccer, this day is an interesting one. Poland could upset Germany in the early game, because we'll have Germany coming off 2 straight days of soccer and playing early, so this could be a surprise game. The rest of the afternoon isn't particularly exciting, except for Norway and Scotland at 3:30. BUT, at 7:30, we find what looks to be one of the best games of the tournament, with Ukraine taking on France. This is a must-see game, and has a very real possibility of being the best game in the group stage. This game is followed by Greece and Ireland, another game which should be entertaining. The night ends off fairly slow. This day, overall, is fairly unexciting, but the 2 after-supper games will be great. Grade: B

April 20- Day 6

Youth- The World vs. Ukraine 7:00
Women-Austria vs. Ukraine 7:30
Men- Italy vs. Portugal 8:00
Men- Jamaica vs. Greece 10:00

This is a scheduling mistake. The women are slated to play at 7:30, but there is a Youth game schedule at 7. Since there is no game at 9:00, I expect the women's game is supposed to be at 9:00. Hopefully they fix this mistake ASAP so people can change their plans if they have to. In any case, this will be a Monday without many consequences. Grade: C+

April 21- Day 7

Men- Austria vs. Colombia 7:00
Youth- Scotland vs. Germany 8:00
Men- Poland vs. Scotland 9:00
Men- El Salvador vs. France 10:00

This day starts off very soft and ends with a bang. The main event of today will be El Salvador vs. France game. This game is definitely one the main attractions of the tournament. The two newcomers will face off in what will surely determine who will come out of the group, and the teams are 2 of the best. The second must-see game of the tournament. Grade: A-

April 22- Day 8

Men- Portugal vs. Norway 7:00
Youth- Ukraine vs. Canada 8:00
Men- Northern Ireland vs. Greece 9:00
Men- Saudi Arabia vs. Laos 10:00

Great games all across the board on Day 8. Portugal takes on Norway in Group C to start us off at 7:00, and it continues on at 9:00 with Northern Ireland taking on Greece. At 10:00, we have the match between Laos and Saudi Arabia, arguably the 2 best teams in their group. Saudi Arabia can prove they belong as a top team with a strong performance against Laos. Grade: A

Schedule Preview Day 1- Day 4

2009-03-27T11:20:00.006-06:00

The schedule is out, but it takes some effort to figure out which days will be best and where the best games will be. I'll try to make it a little easier for everyone. Here is Wednesday April 15 - Saturday April 18. Every day will be assigned a grade rating. The best game of the day will be italicized. I've also included the Group Previews on the side links, so you can go back and take a look at those if you wish.

April 15- Day 1

Men- Ireland vs. Canada 7:30
Youth- World vs. Canada 8:30
Women- England vs. Canada 9:30

The opening day starts out with the all the defending champions playing the first game. The games aren't that good, but it's the opening day, so it should be fun regardless. For opening day's sake, the rematch of the final 3 years ago will be a good game to watch. Grade: B-

April 16- Day 2

Men- France vs. Colombia 7:00
Women- Chile vs. France 8:00
Men- Scotland vs. Italy 9:00
Men- Laos vs. Nigeria 10:00

The tournament really starts up on this day, with 3 men's games and 1 women's game.
This will be the first we see of top teams like France, Scotland and Laos, who are all pre-tournament contenders. It will interesting to see how the other teams can play against them, and our first chance to hope for a legitimate upset(I love upsets). This will be the first look at France for both men and women. The games might not be that great, but it will be interesting to see those teams play for the first time. Grade: B-

April 17- Day 3

Men- Northern Ireland vs. Jamaica 7:00
Youth- Scotland vs. Ukraine 8:00
Men- Norway vs. Germany 9:00
Men- Austria vs. El Salvador 10:00

This will be a great day. The first game of the night has a good chance to decide who will come out of Group A. Definitely worth watching, even just to check both teams out. The 3rd game, with Norway and Germany, is another game that will have strong implications in Group C. The last game is one of Group D's games, and every game in that group will mean something. Expect some top-notch soccer on Day 3, and this will be a great Friday night. Grade: A-

April 18- Day 4

Men- Ukraine vs. Serbia 12:30
Women- Canada vs. Germany 1:30
Men- Chile vs. Botswana 2:30
Women- France vs. Ukraine 3:30
Men- Poland vs. Portugal 4:30
Men- Germany vs. Italy 5:30
Youth- Germany vs. World 6:30
Men- Canada vs. Northern Ireland 7:30
Women- Chile vs. Scotland 8:30
Men- Austria vs. France 9:30
Men- Colombia vs. El Salvador 10:30

Whew. You want soccer? You'll get your fill on Saturday. With 11 games lined up for the first Saturday, it will be tough to find time to watch all the games. The day starts off with a bang, with Ukraine taking on a supposedly Winnipegish Serbia(if you don't understand, read the Group D preview). But from then on, there doesn't seem to be many intriguing games, from the men's side anyway. There's bound to be a few games that will be surprise you, and the day is definitely ripe for an upset somewhere. If you've nothing to do, hanging around the facility in your team colors and socializing is what you should be doing. Grade: C+

New Things

2009-03-23T15:17:00.002-06:00

-WCP Cup schedules are to be posted after midnight tonight(March 23). Check the WCP Cup website for the actual schedule.

-Once the schedule is out, we'll take a look at how the tournament might play out. The schedule will give us something else to talk about in the weeks leading up to the tournament.

-The poll is almost done, so we need another one. Any ideas? Post them in the comments.

Preview A Pool: Group D

2009-03-09T16:35:00.002-06:00

Group D

Group D

Ukraine
Austria
Serbia
El Salvador
France
Colombia

Once again, Group D stands for Death. Ukraine, even though they are a stronger team this year, will definitely be hard-pressed to win their group. Much hyped newcomers France and El Salvador are the most obvious threats, and are joined by Serbia, Austria and Colombia. What it makes this group even more interesting is that Serbia is bringing in players from the Winnipeg team that rolled into Regina and won the men's cash tournament in January. Add in that Serbia recently trounced Ukraine in an exhibition game(definitely not indicative of Ukraine's power, but still), and it's clear this group will be very exciting. Colombia proved to be a fantastic team in last year's tournament, and although they fared poorly in Group D, they still had exciting games. Austria won two games last year and played strongly against Norway and Chile. Austria is a decent team and the top teams will be in trouble if they overlook them too much. Austria and Colombia will hungry for an upset.

Prediction: Ukraine has their team set, ready to rock, and should take this group. We've seen what happens to teams that bring strong players in and expect to do great...they fall hard. France and El Salvador won't have the organization or depth to take Ukraine out of the top spot. Don't get me wrong, all 3 teams are very strong and close to equal, but Ukraine is better established as a team. Serbia will in contention for the second spot, along with France and El Salvador. Serbia, Colombia or Austria WILL beat one of the top 3 teams in here, mark my words. However, it should still come down to France and El Salvador for the second spot, with France's superior goal-keeping giving them the advantage. Finishing order: Ukraine, France, El Salvador, Serbia, Austria, Colombia.

Game To Watch: France vs. El Salvador. Everyone will want a good look at the 2 new, and supposedly great teams. This one is purely of curiosity to watch them in action after so much talk about each team.

Preview A Pool: Group C

2009-03-09T15:54:00.003-06:00

Group C

Scotland
Norway
Poland
Italy
Germany
Portugal

Scotland will be hard-pressed to defend their bronze medal performance of last year, with a fairly hard group again this year. Norway, Germany and Portugal will all be hungry to exact revenge after all failed to make it past the first round last year. Italy and Poland should be no pushovers though, because none of the teams in this pool are good enough to win even if they play bad. This pool will be tight.

Prediction: Scotland, Norway, and Germany have all lost players of significance, so it's quite unclear who the top team is in this group. That being said, I think Scotland will still come first, with Germany in second. Scotland proved they could win without their keeper in the bronze medal game last year and they have great team discipline. Norway, Germany and Portugal won't be nearly as organized as Scotland, and will be fighting it out for second. Germany should be the stronger of these teams and make it through. Expect Italy or Poland to make the pool very interesting and beat a couple of the better teams.

Game to watch: Scotland vs. Germany. Arguably the two best teams in the group, and will likely determine who will get first.

Preview A Pool: Group B

2009-03-09T10:47:00.005-06:00

Group B

Laos
Nigeria
Chile
Saudi Arabia
Botswana

Laos finally gets out of the group of death, and promptly gets placed in the easiest group this year. Laos should easily dominate this group, while the rest battle it out for second. Laos is far more skilled than the rest of the teams in this group. We should see Chile and Saudi Arabia fighting for second.

Prediction: Laos will dominate this easy group, and in all likelihood, the game between Chile and Saudi Arabia will decide who goes through in second. Chile is not as good as last year, and the newcomers Saudi Arabia can beat them if they play well. In finishing order: Laos, Saudi Arabia, Chile, Nigeria, Botswana. Don't be surprised if Nigeria or Botswana upset Chile or Saudi Arabia.

Game To Watch: Chile vs. Saudi Arabia. It will likely decide who goes through.