Americans should not be near a keyboard and be thinking about soccer at the same this guy totally put me in a bad mood. Here is the link.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ngs/index.html
This Jonah Freedman who I now respect his opinions on soccer as much as Morgan Freeman decided to do a soccer power rankings of the 32 teams in the world cup here are the 32 teams he ranked in order.
1. Brazil
2.Germany
3. Argentina
4. England
5. Italy
6. France
7. Netherlands
8. Mexico
9. Spain
10. Czech Republic
11. United States
12. Ukraine
13. Ivory Coast
14. Paraguay
15. Sweden
16. PORTUGAL
17. Ghana
18. Australia
The rest don't matter to me now.
WTF Portugal 16th???? what was this guy abused as a kid and hit over the head one too many times. Im glad Portugal is ranked ahead of such power houses as Ghana and Australia who are really the Croatia B team since half there players are really from Croatia but Croatia is ranked 20th behind Australia go figure.
Im not trying to say Portugal is the best team in the world but in no way are they in the bottom half of the teams in the World Cup. Let's look at some of the teams in the top ten. Germany at number two ranked way too high and only ranked that high based on the fact the World Cup is in Germany. This is a team that Portugal bitch slapped 4-0 in euro 2000 and since Ballack and Kahn were playing for Germany then it holds some water. If you look down the roster of Germany and then look down the roster of Portugal forget where the world cup is played 6 out of 10 people would pick the roster of Portugal. Im not trying to say Portugal is better then Germany I am trying to say that Portugal belongs in that group being the top ten.
England at number four. You wanna talk about a choke job really look no further Sven-Goran Eriksson who would fuck up a cup of coffee if it had any importance never mind a big game and he still gets to coach England I never understood that. Portugal took them out of Euro 2004, Portugal came back from 2-0 to win 3-2 in Euro 2000, hell Portugal beat England in the 1986 World Cup however England does have the most important win coming in the semi's of the 1966 World Cup. Yet this team is 12 spots higher than Portugal????
France at number 6. France is old as dirt and they had a tough time even making it to the World Cup having to ask Zidane to come back. Since this reporter mentioned Portugal choke job in 2002. How did France do in 2002? Oh and who finished ahead of who in Euro 2004? Oh but France should be ranked 10 places higher than Portugal.
Netherlands at number 7. This one pissing me off the most. Who took out the Netherlands in Euro 2004 that's right Portugal winning 2-1 and the score shouldn't of been that close since the Netherlands goal was an own goal by Portugal when they were already up 2-0. Portugal owns Netherlands when it comes to soccer the style that Portugal plays just exposed there weakness and again this reporter mentioned Portugal choking in 2002 well atleast they made it to the World Cup in 2002 unlike the Netherlands and who was the team to knock off holland to get in the 2002 world cup oh yeah Portugal but why let facts like that get in the way of ranking the Netherlands 9 spots higher than Portugal.
Mexico at number 8. Who in the world does Mexico play to deserve to be seeded so high? Portugal plays in the toughest region in the world to make it to the world cup and Mexico plays in the easiest. I can't think of a big win Mexico ever has had that wasn't played in Mexico. Take them out of Mexico and there merely an avergae team.
Spain at number 9. Who knocked out Spain from going thru in Euro 2002. Ah but of course that doesn't matter.
This is what the idiot mentioned when talking about Portugal.
"Need yet another weakness in another perennial underachiever? You rile Cristiano Ronaldo, you throw off his game. You do that, and the Selecção's attack is compromised. If ever Portugal needed its leader to step up, it's now -- Luis Figo needs to tell the crucial 19-year-old winger to cool his jets."
Another weakness??? Perennial underachievers??? This is a team that finished 3rd in Euro 2000 going 120 minutes with the best team in the world during that time in France and losing one minute before going to PK's via a handball in the box. You had Dick Bevetta in disguise during the 2002 world cup giving every call to South Korea but fine you can call that a choke job and they made the finals of Euro 2004 which one can agrue is a harder event to win then the World Cup. Alot of teams would be happy with that overall performance in the last 3 major events. Of course he didn't mention that Portugal had the widest margin of goals for and goals against during qualifying in Europe again the toughest region to make the World Cup nor the fact that Portugal has the best or at the very least one of the best coaches in the world Luiz Felipe Scolari the man who lead Brazil to the 2002 world cup leading this team. Plus Ronaldo is 21 NOT 19 he couldn't even get his facts right even about that. If this reporter had an e-mail I would so give me a piece of my mind but this will have to do I feel better now.
Oh by the way Jonah Freedman as the kid from brooklyn would say Go Fuck Yourself with your stupid rankings.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ngs/index.html
This Jonah Freedman who I now respect his opinions on soccer as much as Morgan Freeman decided to do a soccer power rankings of the 32 teams in the world cup here are the 32 teams he ranked in order.
1. Brazil
2.Germany
3. Argentina
4. England
5. Italy
6. France
7. Netherlands
8. Mexico
9. Spain
10. Czech Republic
11. United States
12. Ukraine
13. Ivory Coast
14. Paraguay
15. Sweden
16. PORTUGAL
17. Ghana
18. Australia
The rest don't matter to me now.
WTF Portugal 16th???? what was this guy abused as a kid and hit over the head one too many times. Im glad Portugal is ranked ahead of such power houses as Ghana and Australia who are really the Croatia B team since half there players are really from Croatia but Croatia is ranked 20th behind Australia go figure.
Im not trying to say Portugal is the best team in the world but in no way are they in the bottom half of the teams in the World Cup. Let's look at some of the teams in the top ten. Germany at number two ranked way too high and only ranked that high based on the fact the World Cup is in Germany. This is a team that Portugal bitch slapped 4-0 in euro 2000 and since Ballack and Kahn were playing for Germany then it holds some water. If you look down the roster of Germany and then look down the roster of Portugal forget where the world cup is played 6 out of 10 people would pick the roster of Portugal. Im not trying to say Portugal is better then Germany I am trying to say that Portugal belongs in that group being the top ten.
England at number four. You wanna talk about a choke job really look no further Sven-Goran Eriksson who would fuck up a cup of coffee if it had any importance never mind a big game and he still gets to coach England I never understood that. Portugal took them out of Euro 2004, Portugal came back from 2-0 to win 3-2 in Euro 2000, hell Portugal beat England in the 1986 World Cup however England does have the most important win coming in the semi's of the 1966 World Cup. Yet this team is 12 spots higher than Portugal????
France at number 6. France is old as dirt and they had a tough time even making it to the World Cup having to ask Zidane to come back. Since this reporter mentioned Portugal choke job in 2002. How did France do in 2002? Oh and who finished ahead of who in Euro 2004? Oh but France should be ranked 10 places higher than Portugal.
Netherlands at number 7. This one pissing me off the most. Who took out the Netherlands in Euro 2004 that's right Portugal winning 2-1 and the score shouldn't of been that close since the Netherlands goal was an own goal by Portugal when they were already up 2-0. Portugal owns Netherlands when it comes to soccer the style that Portugal plays just exposed there weakness and again this reporter mentioned Portugal choking in 2002 well atleast they made it to the World Cup in 2002 unlike the Netherlands and who was the team to knock off holland to get in the 2002 world cup oh yeah Portugal but why let facts like that get in the way of ranking the Netherlands 9 spots higher than Portugal.
Mexico at number 8. Who in the world does Mexico play to deserve to be seeded so high? Portugal plays in the toughest region in the world to make it to the world cup and Mexico plays in the easiest. I can't think of a big win Mexico ever has had that wasn't played in Mexico. Take them out of Mexico and there merely an avergae team.
Spain at number 9. Who knocked out Spain from going thru in Euro 2002. Ah but of course that doesn't matter.
This is what the idiot mentioned when talking about Portugal.
"Need yet another weakness in another perennial underachiever? You rile Cristiano Ronaldo, you throw off his game. You do that, and the Selecção's attack is compromised. If ever Portugal needed its leader to step up, it's now -- Luis Figo needs to tell the crucial 19-year-old winger to cool his jets."
Another weakness??? Perennial underachievers??? This is a team that finished 3rd in Euro 2000 going 120 minutes with the best team in the world during that time in France and losing one minute before going to PK's via a handball in the box. You had Dick Bevetta in disguise during the 2002 world cup giving every call to South Korea but fine you can call that a choke job and they made the finals of Euro 2004 which one can agrue is a harder event to win then the World Cup. Alot of teams would be happy with that overall performance in the last 3 major events. Of course he didn't mention that Portugal had the widest margin of goals for and goals against during qualifying in Europe again the toughest region to make the World Cup nor the fact that Portugal has the best or at the very least one of the best coaches in the world Luiz Felipe Scolari the man who lead Brazil to the 2002 world cup leading this team. Plus Ronaldo is 21 NOT 19 he couldn't even get his facts right even about that. If this reporter had an e-mail I would so give me a piece of my mind but this will have to do I feel better now.
Oh by the way Jonah Freedman as the kid from brooklyn would say Go Fuck Yourself with your stupid rankings.
