When I wanted to write a preview of the Bafana Bafana vs Jamaica match in Bloemfontein this evening, I thought I would just go and see what the online experts say.

Kickoff.com Bafana's One problem is Two Shoes

Former Bafana Bafana midfielder John "Shoes" Moshoeu says that while South Africa has not been doing very well in their last few international games, all is not yet lost.

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People living in poverty near Soccer City stadium outside Johannesburg battle police during anti-World Cup protests. Local residents demand houses rather than world-class stadiums.
Recommended reading: Ashwin Desai's The Poors and this article.

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Move aside Bafana Bafana. The world has a new favourite South African team, and their name is Vakhegula Vakhegula, which means "Grannies" in the local Xitsonga dialect. Why? Because they're a team of grandmothers of course, ranging in age from 40somethinng to 80something and competing in an eight team local league in around the Nkowankowa township, 600 kilometers north of Johannesburg.

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Gertrude was not thrilled with the news!

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JOHANNESBURG South African traditional leaders plan to perform ritual animal slaughters to bless stadiums for the 2010 World Cup tournament ahead of the start of the showcase event next June, they said on Friday.

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Fabio Capello feels England should make the World Cup final next year, but has warned the squad that form in the qualifying group will mean nothing when they arrive in South Africa.

England sealed their place in the 2010 World Cup with two games to spare in Group Six thanks to a crushing 5-1 win over Croatia at Wembley, making them one of the favourites to lift the ultimate prize next summer.

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As I already wrote week ago about world cup 2010 schedule., I wanted to give you some more informations about matches schedule (WC games schedule) and about places where matches will be played.
Here is a complete table of2010 World Cup schedule
2010 World Cup schedule
Day Venue & Time Stage Team 1 Result Team 2 Friday, 11 June Johannesburg, 16:00 Group A South Africa – A2 Cape Town, 20:30 A3 – A4 Saturday, 12 June Johannesburg, 13:30 Group B B1 – B2 Port Elizabeth, 16:00 B3 – B4 Rustenburg, 20:30 Group C C1 – C2 Sunday, 13 June Polokwane, 13:30 C3 – C4 Durban, 16:00 Group D D1 – D2 Pretoria, 20:30 D3 – D4 Monday, 14 June Johannesburg, 13:30 Group E E1 – E2 Bloemfontein, 16:00 E3 – E4 Cape Town, 20:30 Group F F1 – F2 Tuesday, 15 June Rustenburg, 13:30 F3 – F4 Port Elizabeth, 16:00 Group G G3 – G4 Johannesburg, 20:30 G1 – G2 Wednesday, 16 June Nelspruit, 13:30 Group H H3 – H4 Durban, 16:00 H1 – H2 Pretoria, 20:30 Group A South Africa – A3 Thursday, 17 June Polokwane, 13:30 A4 – A2 Bloemfontein, 16:00 Group B B4 – B2 Johannesburg, 20:30 B1 – B3 Friday, 18 June Port Elizabeth, 13:30 Group D D1 – D3 Johannesburg, 16:00 Group C C4 – C2 Cape Town, 20:30 C1 – C3 Saturday, 19 June Rustenburg, 13:30 Group D D4 – D2 Durban, 16:00 Group E E1 – E3 Pretoria, 20:30 E4 – E2 Sunday, 20 June Bloemfontein, 13:30 Group F F4 – F2 Nelspruit, 16:00 F1 – F3 Johannesburg, 20:30 Group G G1 – G3 Monday, 21 June Cape Town, 13:30 G4 – G2 Bloemfontein, 16:00 Group H H4 – H2 Johannesburg, 20:30 H1 – H3 Tuesday, 22 June Bloemfontein, 16:00 Group A A4 – South Africa Rustenburg, 16:00 A2 – A3 Polokwane, 20:30 Group B B2 – B3 Durban, 20:30 B4 – B1 Wednesday, 23 June Pretoria, 16:00 Group C C2 – C3 Port Elizabeth, 16:00 C4 – C1 Johannesburg, 20:30 Group D D4 – D1 Nelspruit, 20:30 D2 – D3 Thursday, 24 June Johannesburg, 16:00 Group F F4 – F1 Polokwane, 16:00 F2 – F3 Rustenburg, 20:30 Group E E2 – E3 Cape Town, 20:30 E4 – E1 Friday, 25 June Durban, 16:00 Group G G4 – G1 Nelspruit, 16:00 G2 – G3 Pretoria, 20:30 Group H H4 – H1 Bloemfontein, 20:30 H2 – H3 Saturday, 26 June Port Elizabeth, 16:00 Round of 16 - Match 1 1A – 2B Rustenburg, 20:30 Round of 16 - Match 3 1C – 2D Sunday, 27 June Bloemfontein, 16:00 Round of 16 - Match 4 1D – 2C Johannesburg, 20:30 Round of 16 - Match 2 1B – 2A Monday, 28 June Durban, 16:00 Round of 16 - Match 5 1E – 2F Johannesburg, 20:30 Round of 16 - Match 7 1G – 2H Tuesday, 29 June Pretoria, 16:00 Round of 16 - Match 6 1F – 2E Cape Town, 20:30 Round of 16 - Match 8 1H – 2G Wednesday, 30 June Rest days Thursday, 1 July Friday, 2 July Port Elizabeth, 16:00 Quarter-final C 5 – 7 Johannesburg, 20:30 Quarter-final A 1 – 3 Saturday, 3 July Cape Town, 16:00 Quarter-final B 2 – 4 Johannesburg, 20:30 Quarter-final D 6 – 8 Sunday, 4 July Rest days Monday, 5 July Tuesday, 6 July Cape Town, 20:30 Semi-final I A – C Wednesday, 7 July Durban, 20:30 Semi-final II B – D Thursday, 8 July Rest days Friday, 9 July Saturday, 10 July Port Elizabeth, 20:30 Third place play-off Loser I – Loser II Sunday, 11 July Johannesburg, 20:30 FINAL Winner I – Winner II
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Ronaldo and Portugal are 3rd in their group to qualify

A World Cup without Ronaldo or Messi? Sounds absurd, but with Argentina and Portugal only two of several top teams stuttering in the qualifying campaign, it is anything but unlikely

With many having already written South Africa 2010 off as a tournament to forget before it has even begun, one wonders what the seemingly irrepresible doubters would have to say if Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Petr Cech, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto'o were all absent from the tournament.

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U.S. Men's National Team defender Heath Pearce has been with the team since the beginning of the summer when the team met up May 26 in Miami. Since then he's been to Costa Rica, Chicago, Pretoria, Rustenberg, Bloemfontein, Johannesburg, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago (again), and finally New York. Click to continue reading...

Carlos Tevez may return from Manchester City's pre-season tour of South Africa without any competitive football, with his bruised heel threatening to rule him out of the final match in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Tevez aggravated the bruising when he undertook his first training session in the Kings Park stadium on Monday evening and though it is not a serious problem - City's medical staff would have patched him up with a pain killing injection for a competitive match - Mark Hughes is weighing up whether he wants to take any risk.

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Orlando Pirates are a South African football (soccer) club based in Parktown, Johannesburg that plays in the Premier Soccer League. It was founded in 1937 in the Orlando section of Soweto. The Pirates are one of the most successful South African teams. Last season, they finished 2nd in the ABSA Premiership. Click to continue reading...

Interview conducted and edited by Paul Demko
Grant Wahl is, without question, the best soccer writer in the United States. A decade ago -- when mainstream coverage of soccer was about as common as cholera outbreaks in Antarctica -- that wouldn't have been much of a compliment. Back then Wahl's dogged reporting and seamless prose for Sports Illustrated was manna for futbol fans. Click to continue reading...

This is the third in our series of posts on the new stadiums under construction in South Africa for World Cup 2010. See our previous posts on Green Point Stadium and the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

The first and last stadium we will see in the 2010 World Cup is also fittingly the most distinctive: the 91,141 capacity Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg is designed to look like an African cooking pot (calabash), by South African architects Boogertman Urban Edge & Partner.

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As mentioned before, thousands of South African construction workers walked off their jobs today over pay disputes.
Here, more about the story including some interesting quotes from the Associated Press ...Â

South African construction workers went on an indefinite strike Wednesday at stadiums being built for the 2010 World Cup -- a move that could derail Africa's historic first World Cup tournament.

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I saw this article earlier on ESPNSoccernet. Apparently work has shut down at stadiums across South Africa today over wage negotiations. Workers are demanding a 13 percent pay increase while employers are offering 10.4 percent.

The strike means some of the World Cup venues for next summer's World Cup could see trouble in finishing on time for the first Cup in Africa.

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With England needing only one win from their remaining three qualifying games they have all but qualified for the World Cup in 2010 and Capello is planning to start England preparation for the World Cup in Austria. Capello is said to be worried about the high altitude of Johannesburg which is ... Click to continue reading...

Another beautiful day in Seattle. That makes it easier to get up in the morning, even when you're jet-lagged after coming back from Johannesburg. For the full gallery of photos, head over to ussoccer.com or click here.
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It's fortunate that there are so many coffee shops here in Seattle. Despite arriving last night after a 25+ hour journey from Johannesburg, Bob Bradley and some of the travel party are up and about to head to Day 1 of training for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The U.S. opens at Qwest Field on Saturday night against Grenada. Click to continue reading...

Great question, Leonardo. As you all know, training camp opens today for the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, two days after the U.S. took second place in the FIFA Confederations Cup after five games in 13 days. So what was on tap for the coaches in between? Here's a sample of one itinerary:
June 29
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The last of the 23-man roster has just departed for the airport in Johannesburg, silver medals and memories in hand of what was and what might have been, and more importantly, what there is to come. The U.S. team has spent the last week stunning the soccer world, and has but a moment to catch its breath before the next journey begins. Click to continue reading...

By Clemente Lisi - NEW YORK, NY (Jun 28, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- Heartbreaking, upsetting, maybe even sad. There's no shortage of adjectives to describe the United States' 3-2 loss to Brazil on Sunday in the Confederations Cup final. The US, on the verge of making history in Johannesburg, playing a flawless first half – but broke down in the second – to lose its first-ever shot at winning a FIFA men's tournament. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool's Xabi Alonso scored the winning goal for Spain against the hosts South Africa in extra-time in the 3rd place play-off match today in Johannesburg.
Liverpool's play maker has surely added another few million to his asking price with his displays in the tournament and he capped it all off with a great free kick from way out on the left-hand side of the pitch to win the match. Click to continue reading...

The United States came out blazing Sunday night in the Confederations Cup final in Johannesburg, but could not hold a 2-0 halftime lead as Brazil rallied to ruin the Americans' dreams of glory in South Africa. Click to continue reading...

Perhaps it just wasn't meant to be. The U.S. Men's National Team put on a brave showing and jumped out to a shocking 2-0 lead in the first half of the Confederations Cup final at Johannesburg Sunday. But a resurgent comeback by Brazil, along with a refusal by USMNT head coach Bob Bradley to go to his bench until it was too late, doomed the Yanks, who lost 3-2.

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Brazil scored just seconds after the start of the second half, cutting the U.S. lead in half ... The Americans have been able to hold on to the 2-1 lead since then, as we're in the 73rd minute in Johannesburg .... Click to continue reading...

Stasera è Brasile-Usa. A Johannesburg, ore 20 e 30, va in scena l'ultimo atto della Confederation Cup. E' un epilogo inatteso, che in pochi ci aspettavamo alla partenza di questa manifestazione sudafricana, e in pochi speravamo confidando negli azzurri di Marcello Lippi.
E invece il campo ha dato questo responso, chiaro e preciso. Click to continue reading...

The word "anxious" doesn't begin to describe how I, and so many other USMNT fans, feel today, twenty four hours ahead of the Confederations Cup final in Johannesburg. I can't remember the last time...

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Güney Afrika'nın ev sahipliği resmiyete döküldüğünden beri gündemi oluşturan iki ana problem vardı. İlki stad inşaatlarının yavaşlığı öteki ise ülke genelinde var olan ve turnuva maçlarının yapılacağı şehirlerde de görülen yüksek suç oranı. Dünya Kupa'sını izlemeye gelecek turistlerin sayısının fazlalığı ve tüm bu misafirlerin güvenliğini sağlamak Güney Afrika cephesinin en büyük sorunlarından biri hali hazırda. Click to continue reading...

On the heels of the inspiring victory over Spain, the United States comes into its first ever FIFA tournament final against Brazil at Ellis Park in Johannesburg Sunday night. Click to continue reading...

It will be more than twenty four hours before the ball is dropped at Ellis Park in Johannesburg for the championship final of the Confederations Cup and after such a Jekyll & Hyde side in our US National Team from their first two group matches to their three goal victory against Egypt while getting help from Brazil as they took out Italy with three goals of their own and a Semi-Final shocker to take out the number one ranked side in the world.

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A brisk afternoon got a lot warmer with the welcome greetings of Miss US Lauren Perry. Lauren who is representing the US for in the 2009 Miss World Pageant which will take place in Johannesburg in December - is in the 'The City of Gold' for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. And she brought her own jersey! Click to continue reading...

In a press conference in Johannesburg earlier today, US National Team coach Bob Bradley got asked about everything from game preparation to his feelings on the death of Michael Jackson. Here are some excerpts: "When you play Brazil the first thing you notice is the talent and the way they go forward. Click to continue reading...

But we just thought you should know that Jozy Altidore will be the featured guest on PTI today!
Hosts Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon will be calling Jozy in Johannesburg to talk about the match against Brazil tomorrow as part of their "Five Good Minutes".
Tune in at 5:30 pm ET on ESPN today! Click to continue reading...

It's been a busy day here at MNT headquarters in Johannesburg, here's what's been going on:

• This morning coaches and some players headed to an optional gym session. Some players opted for sleeping in.
• After lunch, Bob Bradley and Carlos Bocanegra participated in a press-conference at the hotel.

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Soccer America's Ridge Mahoney previews the FIFA Confederations Cup Final between the USA and Brazil.
After conceding two goals in the first 20 minutes and losing Sacha Kljestan to a red card in the 57th (in their group play match versus each other), the USA did manage to hit the crossbar twice - Conor Casey and Benny Feilhaber - late in the match. Click to continue reading...

Brazil are into the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup after a late victory over a resilient South Africa. Substitute Daniel Alves scored the game winner for the Selecção 6 minutes after coming on as a substitute. At Ellis Park, Johannesburg: Scorer: Daniel Alves 88 South Africa: 16-Itumeleng Khune; 2-Siboniso Gaxa, 3-Tsepo Masilela, 4-Aaron Mokoena, 14-Matthew Booth; 5-Benson [. Click to continue reading...