For years, the tabloid newspapers in England have been renowned for overhyping the expectations
of England's chances in the World Cup. Those wheels have already been set in motion and now The
Sun newspaper, which has a daily readership of 7.9 million, have declared that England's group
which includes the United States will be easy.
This past Friday, ESPN broadcast a World Cup draw special for three hours into American homes.
As one of the selected reporters who attended the event, ESPN's level of ambition was on full
display.
World Cup 2006 enjoyed higher than expected English language ratings on ESPN and ABC.
This is how lucky the United States got Friday.
After the U.S. was drawn in Group C with England, if I could have handpicked a country from Pot
3 and Pot 4 I would have selected Algeria and Slovenia (if you don't believe me, I worte it
yesterday). For the U.S. to actually draw both those teams there was a 1/64 (1.
photo credit: stella_gonzales2003
Jamie Carragher has now called for "character" to be shown in Anfield after another disappointing
loss by the Reds this weekend. Like the title says, I don't mean to harp on Liverpool but this is
a club that not too many years ago won the Champion's League in a shootout and now they can't seem
to buy a goal.
Friday's FIFA World Cup draw ... if you can't find television coverage, well, you really aren't
trying very hard
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There was a day when soccer fans could legitimately complain about ESPN's treatment of
soccer.
At about 12:o3 p.m. EST on Friday, someone on ESPN (probably Alexi Lalas or John Harkes) will
give the following monologue:
"This is the day we've been waiting for. Trying to make predictions before the draw is foolish
because no one knows who's playing who. It's all about matchups! Depending on the group, the U.
So, I flip on the TV and see the four-letter network's coverage of the World Cup draw and
they're going over the Group that the U.S. is in and commenting on who they should be able to beat
and blah, blah, blah. The U.S. drew into a group into England, Slovenia and Algeria where they
should be able to get out, but it won't be alot of fun.
MLS Talk correspondent Eric Altshule caught up with US National Team and MLS Stars Jimmy Conrad
and Sacha Kljestan to discuss the World Cup Draw
Related posts:
- The Case for Jimmy Conrad Jimmy Conrad made his return for the United States...
- MLS Talk Podcast: Alexi Lalas Eric Altshule sits down with a legend of American.
After months of pleading and begging, it is an honor to have Ibrahim Dabo officially come over to
Mad About Futbol. The former editor of Goal.com's Africa edition is one of the preeminent voices of
the game in the Dark Continent and his opinions will be vital in order to gain a greater
understanding of the national teams from that region.
ESPN will have unprecedented coverage of the 2010 World Cup draw which pulls in at least 134.5
million viewers world wide and is shown live in 137 countries. Also, if you'll be at work like me
there's good news. ESPN 360 will also have coverage. Here is that schedule (Times are listed as
Central Time):
Fri, Dec 4 11:00PM FIFA World Cup Draw
Fri, Dec 4 11:00PM FIFA World Cup Draw World Feed
Fri, Dec 4 1:00PM FIFA ESPNSoccerNet Press Pass: World Cup Draw Special
Here is ESPN's press release with the details of all their coverage:ESPN will provide
comprehensive coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Draw across its U.
ESPN Personalities Bob Ley, Efan Ekoku and Alexi Lalas share their initial thoughts about the
World Cup draw. This commentary was recorded right after the draw was completed.
Related posts:
- EPL Talk Podcast: Steve McManaman on the World Cup Draw
- Alexi Lalas Criticizes Premier League
- World Cup Coverage in America, Day 5
Calcio Padova is an Italian football club, based in Padua, Veneto. The club was founded in 1910.
They are currently campaigning in the Italian Serie B having last been in Serie A in 1996. Famous
Padova alumni Walter Zenga, Alessandro Del Piero, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Demetrio Albertini and Alexi
Lalas. As part of the centennial celebrations, kit manufacturer [.
