Update

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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.