Reds manager Osieck magnanimous in defeat

It’s been a rough week for the Urawa Reds to say the least.
Last Wednesday the two time defending Emperor’s Cup champions were sent packing from this year’s tournament by second-division club Ehime FC, an embarrassing 2-0 loss that was followed by an even greater disappointment on Saturday—-failure to repeat as J-League champions.
The Reds crashed to defeat to last-place Yokohama FC on the final day of the season, allowing the Kashima Antlers to spirit the title away thanks to a 3-0 victory over Shimizu S-Pulse.
The Antlers finished the season with 72 points, two more than Urawa, who only five rounds earlier had led Kashima by 10 points and looked to be a shoo-in for their second major title of the year following victory in the Asian Champions League in November.
Having lost both trophies that predecessor Guido Buchwald had captured a year earlier, current Urawa manager Holger Osieck had every right to be in a glum mood afterward. But much to his credit, the 59-year-old German took the recent defeats in stride, exhibiting the kind of class and dignity you see all too infrequently in professional sports these days.
Following are excerpts from Osieck’s press conference and a chat after Urawa’s 1-0 loss to Yokohama at Yokohama’s Nissan Stadium:


“We’ve experienced a huge disappointment today. We couldn't achieve this season's main goal but I've thanked the players, who I think have done wonderfully this season.
This past month they've been extremely tired both mentally and physically. I’ve been asked about this many times and said they weren’t bothered by all the matches but they were, they are tired. I think the victory in the ACL final made them lose the extremely high level of concentration they had all season. I think this is only human after a great achievement. But they have done really well, they have won one big title and this shows how hard it is to win two big titles in the same season.”

Q: It was a disappointing result today but how would you sum up the season to date?
“Despite the disappointment we feel today, overall it has been a very successful run with a lot of positives. Today of course it was not what we expected. We thought we could win the J-League too, but sometimes you’re lacking that final touch of concentration after winning a major title and you can observe this in many other areas. And to keep the focus up despite all our efforts it’s pretty difficult and I think subconsciously there may some kind of setback. Although the players really tried everything today, in particular the second half when we switched our system and focused more on attacking. I can’t blame anybody. They really tried hard. It wasn’t that they played arrogantly or whatever. Everybody could see they tried their utmost.”

Q: Do you think that by winning the J.League last season, the players maybe didn’t have the same fire to win it again this year?
“I don’t think so. If you want to be a successful team you’ve got to continually set new targets. And after the ACL I think it was our target and we were in the position where we could have achieved it.”

Q: Was this a tricky game for you to coach given that there was such a huge gap between the Reds and Yokohama FC?
“I didn’t see any gap today. If they had played the entire season like that they would be among the top six (instead of being relegated to J2). That’s for sure.”

Q: So were you surprised at how well they played?
“No. Because I followed their recent games on DVD and look at the scores—they hardly allowed any goals against. And they hardly scored but OK they did today but even if we had tied today it wouldn’t have been enough. We had to win.”

Q: And now you only have one week until the start of the FIFA Club World Cup. It’s relentless.
“Well it’s another big one and I hope I can get my players back in the real state of freshness, not only physically but mentally. Of course, we have to get over this disappointment today first.”

Q: The players will be down but the possibility of playing AC Milan in the semifinal should be a big motivating factor for them.
“I think the game in itself has enough motivation that it might accelerate the process of recuperation.”

Q: Will your players be physically ready for the Club World Cup?
“You may be ready, you may be in the mood, you may be willing but between what you want to do and what you can do actually because of various things is the flip side of the medal. I’m pretty sure every player will try his best and try to produce the best performance. I’m 100 percent sure, but it’s definitely a different situation when you have players in midseason playing against players at the end of a season. The other teams are all in midseason. Iran’s Sepahan started their season in August. In Europe they start their seasons at the end of July or start of August. The same with the other countries. It makes a slight difference. If we had 26 odd games less under belt our freshness would be at a different level. Those are all facts. That’s just information, nothing to do with excuses. But it must be considered.”

Q: Was there any sense of anxiety in the dressing room after losing to Ehime on Wednesday?
“No, no, no. I think we tried to keep our focus. The Ehime game was a different situation, with different players. Internally I have to deal with it. With different players on the pitch I expect them to perform. In particular when you haven’t played regularly.”

Q: Would you comment on the performance of goalkeeper Ryota Tsuzuki over the season. He’s been massive for you.
“Of course. He had a very good season. He conceded the smallest number of goals in the league. Of course the defense had a lot to do with that but there were a number of times when he was on his own and he did really well. I think he played outstandingly this season.”

Q: You seemed very friendly with Kashima manager Oswaldo Oliveira following the 1-0 loss to the Antlers in the penultimate round. Do you plan to call him tonight to congratulate him?
“From my perspective we are colleagues. OK, we are also competitors and we both want to win. But that doesn’t mean that I have to bitch at somebody or whatever. You have to admit that he is doing his job, he’s doing his best, I’m doing my job, I’m trying my best. Why not when getting together have a chat or whatnot? I think it sends a positive signal. In particular, in some countries in Europe there’s a kind of hostility that comes from within and that shouldn’t be the case. Of course I’m all for rivalry but why not shake hands? Like today, (Yokohama FC manager Julio Leal) did a great job, so should I get in his face over it? No, it’s OK, “Congratulations on a job well done.” You’ve got to have some standards otherwise you should stay home. If you cannot lose in dignity you don’t deserve to win. That’s for sure. That’s my credo and I’m living up to that.”

Q: A bit off topic, but could you comment on Takeshi Okada taking over as the new manager of the national team?
“Yeah, I read it today and I wish him the best of luck. I know him and he’s a very experienced coach and he’s very close to the top football minds in Japan, he used to be national team coach himself, and was a very successful club coach too. If it’s true, not just a media (fabrication) … I learned from my mother. She said, ‘Whatever you read in the papers is correct.’” (laughs)

Q: You had to deal with a lot of injuries this season. Do you feel a need to deepen the squad next year?
“I don’t want to touch on this today because it may sound like an excuse. I’m not the kind of guy to say, how do you say? To blame it on fatigue. It’s a fact. Everybody who’s involved in the game knows it. You have some injuries, the odd player isn’t available but OK, that is why you have a bigger squad. But a bigger squad doesn’t necessarily mean you have 18 or 19 players who play on the same level. And there must be a gap. Even the top teams have a gap. Some may have 18 players that you can use whenever they need but in every team there are key players who determine the structure of the team and you can never do without them. If those players are not playing then the entire structure is getting weaker. But no excuses. I mean we had it, we could have done it, but OK, it didn’t happen and so it wasn’t meant to be. You have to accept it. Should I now jump from here [pretending to throw himself over a railing] or shoot myself?” (laughs)

Copyright © C.G. Williams & Soccerphile.com

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Beer-man Osieck raises glass to Urawa's ACL victory

The Urawa Reds became the first Japanese team since Shimizu S-Pulse in 2000 to win a continental championship when they defeated Sepahan of Iran 2-0 in the final of the Asian Champions League on Wednesday at Saitama Stadium.
An elated Holger Osieck spoke afterward about the win, the season and his preferred celebratory poison of choice:

Q: Did you feel Sepahan were capable of scoring tonight?

A: They always create something. The strikers were obviously a little overambitious, they were running too early too deep and they were caught offside. But you should never underrate that. If they had scored then it would have made our players anxious and therefore you could never be 100 percent sure. If it’s a normal game sure, but in this game where you have to calculate away goals it could have made a difference. But fortunately it didn’t happen and we could keep our lead. And our boys worked extremely hard and considering what we’ve accomplished in the last couple of days, not weeks, it’s amazing. We had to travel to Iran (to play Sepahan in the first leg on Nov. 7), and then the Kawasaki Frontale game (on Nov. 11), which was like a championship game they way they played us. What they did (their rough play) was unbelievable. I have nothing against ambition but there’s a limit … And today again, we should never forget it was a final and there’s always pressure, always tension. And you could feel that throughout the day. There was nothing normal about our preparation like for a league game. Everybody knew what was at stake and you could really sense what was going on. And it was very important for us to show that we could handle this kind of pressure, handle our nerves.

Q: Ahead of the season you said Yuichiro Nagai (who scored the game winner on Wednesday) was going to be an important player for you. Do you feel vindicated now after some people questioned why you had given him the chance earlier in the season?

A: I think he started the season pretty well even though people were wondering why I played him. I have to admit that he was in kind of a slump but then he came back. His return to form came in the Gamba Osaka game (a 1-0 Urawa win on Aug. 15 in which Nagai scored the winner). From that game on he proved what he could do and did what I knew what he was able to do. He scored some very important goals for us, for example against the F. Marinos, etc., and he did a good job for us up front doing what I asked of him, such as defensively during build-ups by our opponents. I think Nagai has done very well for our team this year.

Q: There was a lot of pressure on you following in the footsteps of former manger Guido Buchwald, who won the league and Emperor’s Cup titles last season. You’ve won the ACL and are close to clinching the J.League title. It must make you very happy to be in this position?

A: I was aware of the pressure that was surrounding the team and in particular myself because it is never easy taking over a team that is very successful. It was easier for me in the old days when I coached here (1995-1996) and we were a bottom team. People were happy with any win we could get. Now we’re in a situation in which people ask for wins even if you have no chance. I recall we had some draws earlier in the season and it was not too pleasant. We lost some ground in the league and I think people became a little critical. But I am happy we could overcome it. And for me our trip to China for the A3 tournament was the turning point. That was the first time we were together as a full squad. In the preseason we were pretty much torn because of the different commitments of players and the late arrivals of our foreigners. I never had the entire team together. China was the first time we could really create some understanding and create some chemistry between the coach and team. And from then on it went OK. We won four in a row and headed into the summer break and I think that four-game streak carried over and of course we had an extra game against Sanfrecce Hiroshima that we won. Our start against Reysol was a bit bumpy but then we met Gamba and winning that was the most important thing we did. The performance of the team after that became very stable. In addition to our domestic success we had good games in the ACL. We beat Cheonbuk Motors, eliminated Seongnam Ilhwa, which was a very good team, and then today. In a nutshell that is our season, so you can close your notepads and write your stories now.

Q: After the victory over Seongnam (in the semifinals of the ACL) you said you were going to celebrate with a beer. Are you going to go for something a little stronger tonight?

A: Well actually I am a beer kind of guy. Whatever happens, if it’s a birthday or a victory, it’s nothing more than beer.

Q: German beer or Japanese?
A: I prefer local because you never know what’s inside imported beer.

Q: Looking back on the ACL campaign, would you say Seongnam were your toughest opponent?

A: I would say they were the strongest we played in the competition. They played football, unlike Cheonbuk, who were like another team we recently played in the J.League (referring to the rough play used by Kawasaki). You can guess, it’s like a riddle, I won’t say anything more (laughs).

Q: Are you looking forward to appearing in the FIFA Club World Cup?

A: I think it’s a great opportunity for us. If we happen to reach the semis and play AC Milan that would be a highlight in the Reds history.

Q: How does the ACL win compare to other trophies you’ve won in the past?

A: Every title you win is a special one. And this again has it’s special character, you can’t compare them. The only thing you can do is be happy you won the competition.

Q: Sounds a little like women …

A: That’s his quote, not mine!



Copyright: C.G. Williams & Soccerphile

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Reds roll into Asian Champions League final

By the skin of their teeth the Urawa Reds staked their place in the finals of the Asian Champions League on Wednesday.
The J-League holders beat K-League champions Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 5-3 on penalties in the second leg of the home-and-away semifinal at Saitama Stadium after playing to a 2-2 draw in regular time.
The teams also played to a 2-2 draw in the first leg in South Korea on Oct. 3, giving the Reds a slight advantage heading into the return leg.
But true to his word, Urawa manager Holger Osieck had his team play for the win rather than throw everybody behind the ball in hopes of eking out a 0-0 or 1-1 draw, which would have been enough to see the Reds through due to the away goals rule.
Brazilian attacker Washington, playing in a black mask to protect the nose he injured in Urawa's 4-2 league win over JEF United Chiba on Saturday, wasted no time in exhibiting his willingness to play his usual physical style.
The Brazilian recorded the first shot of the match 58 seconds in and tested out his new headgear a short while later by heading a free kick from the Urawa area.
It took Washington 21 minutes to show why Seongnam manager Kim Hag-bum singled out the J.League's joint leading scorer last year as Urawa's biggest offensive threat.
After collecting a cross from Robson Ponte at the right of the Seongnam area, Washington tore off toward goal and launched a blistering shot into the opposite side of the net that keeper Kim Yong-dae had next to no chance on.
Both teams had limited opportunities to score as the first half wore on and what chances did materialize were quickly neutralized by some confident goalkeeping.
Seongnam made the trip to Saitama minus ace striker Mota, who injured ligaments in his right knee during the team's final K-League match a week and a half ago.
The visitors seemed to miss the tournament's leading scorer early on, as the three forwards playing in his absence-Itamar, Nam Ki-il and Choi Sunk-kuk--rarely threatened the Urawa defense.
But that all changed in the second half when the match went from interesting to absolutely gripping as the Seongnam forwards found another gear.
A slip up by defender Keisuke Tsuboi in the 57th minute allowed Seongnam to equalize. Tsuboi, who also had a blunder result in a Seongnam goal in the first leg, lost his footing while marking Itamar to the right of keeper Ryota Tsuzuki. Suddenly free of his marker but too close to Tsuzuki to bury the ball, Itamar fed Choi in front of goal for an easy tap in.
The goal added newfound tension to the proceedings and the 51,651 already-vocal fans in attendance cranked the volume level up another notch.
The Reds, meanwhile, lifted their game a notch as they attempted to retake the lead and finish off a team that simply would not roll over.
But just as Urawa's three-pronged attack of Washington, Tatsuya Tanaka and Ponte started to test the waters at one end of the pitch, Seongnam surprised everybody with a go-ahead goal.
Once again it was Itamar who got the play started. The 27-year-old Brazilian uncorked a stinging shot from the edge of the area that Tsuzuki could only parry away, and Kim Dong-hun beat Marcus Tulio Tanaka to the rebound to head home.
The pulsating encounter took yet another twist moments later when Urawa midfielder Makoto Hasebe slotted home a pass from Tulio to knot the score at 2-2.
Washington and Keita Suzuki both had glorious chances to put the Reds back ahead, but both skied their efforts and the match headed into extra time.
With nothing decided 30 minutes later, it was up to the crap shoot known as penalties to decide the outcome of what was surely one of the most entertaining matches ever to be played in the Asian Champions League.
Ponte, Washington, Yuki Abe, Yuichiro Nagai and Tadaaki Hirakawa all scored for Urawa, while Tsuzuki made the all-important save on Choi to earn the historic victory.
The Reds are the first Japanese team to reach the finals of Asia's premier club competition since the adoption of its current format in 2002. The last Japanese team to claim a continental crown was Shimizu S-Pulse in 2002 when the tournament was known as the Asian Cup Winners' Cup.
The Reds will play the winner of the semifinal between Sepahan of Iran and Al Wahda of the United Arab Emirates. The two-leg final is scheduled for Nov. 7 and 14.
The winner of the tournament earns a ticket to the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan in December. Since the J.League winner will also represent the host country at the CWC, the ACL runner-up will represent Asia at the prestigious year-end club competition should Urawa take both the ACL and the J.League titles.

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ACL loss to Sepahan confirms Frontale's season a bust

Kawasaki Frontale's exit from the Asian Champions League earlier this week proved what many had feared about Takashi Sekizuka's men over the last couple of weeks: they're a spent force whose season has gone the way of a Britney Spears comeback.

Only time will tell how their freefall into irrelevancy in 2007 will affect Frontale in the foreseeable future, but there's no denying that the team has suffered a major setback.
Frontale has improved in the league standings every year since finishing 7th in J2 in 2001, returning to J1 in 2005 before shocking all but the most optimistic supporters with their runner-up performance last season.

What a difference a year makes.

Currently in ninth place, Kawasaki sit 22 points and a prayer behind pacesetters Urawa Reds.
With nothing left to play for in the league, Sekizuka trained all his focus on progressing in the ACL. He rested the bulk of his first-choice players, including Brazilians Juninho and Magnum, for Frontale’s Round 26 match with Kashiwa Reysol three days before Wednesday’s ACL clash with Iranian cup winners Sepahan.

The 4-0 loss to Reysol will hurt a lot more now than it did before the demoralizing defeat to Sepahan, who eked out a 5-4 penalty-shootout win after 210 minutes of scoreless football in the two-leg tie.

Despite outplaying their opponents in both legs, Frontale were unable to put the sword to Sepahan, the result of an impotent offense that Sekizuka says has dogged the team for two months.

“We’ve found it difficult to score since August, and it was the same today (Wednesday). We’ve got to figure out what the problem is and fix it so we can get our league campaign back on track,” Sekizuka said at the post-match press conference.

Frontale may very well be at rock bottom, having won only three of their last 15 league games and having salt rubbed in their wounds by rivals Urawa, who advanced to the ACL semifinals on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Jeonbuk Motors of South Korea.

The disappointment of the last few months was clear for all to see on Wednesday, as a glum Sekizuka apologized for failing to take his team further in the continental championship.
“I am personally disappointed that I couldn’t meet the expectations of those in the J.League and Japanese football in general. We had a good chance to progress after drawing away in the first match and I feel terrible for not living up to everyone’s expectations,” Sekizuka said.
Frontale need to shake off the hurt quickly, however, as the team is still in the thick of things in the Nabisco (league) Cup. Kawasaki play the Yokohama F. Marinos in a home-and-away semifinal for the right to meet either the Kashima Antlers or Gamba Osaka in the final on Nov. 3.
Motivating his troops will be a tall order for Sekizuka, who has seen his team go from confident and freewheeling to frustrated and vulnerable in the span of a year.
It will take a tremendous turnaround for Frontale to salvage anything from what is quickly becoming a shipwrecked season.

Copyright: C.G. Williams & Soccerphile



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If it's gift-wrapped, the Reds don't want it ...

Urawa Reds manager Holger Osieck remains optimistic about his side’s chances of advancing to the semifinals of the Asian Champions League despite losing hold of a stranglehold on the home-and-away quarterfinal clash against Jeonbuk Motors on Wednesday night.
The Reds outclassed the reigning ACL champions from start to finish and were up 2-0 heading into the waning moments of the match at Saitama Stadium when Jeonbuk defender Choi Jin-cheul blazed home through a maze of players to take the glean off a terrific showing by the home side.
Since away goals count as double in the event of a stalemate, Choi’s last-gasp strike throws the rematch on Sept. 26 in South Korea wide open.
The ever-pragmatic Osieck, however, said he was far from disappointed with the way things transpired on Wednesday.
“First of all it's about winning, and we did that,” the German said. “And secondly, if (Jeonbuk) want to progress they have to beat us. So therefore my impression is that we can be confident. Not arrogant, but confident.
“I don't think our players will be arrogant. They will be focused 100 percent. And from what I saw (Wednesday), I think that yes, we can manage it.”
A tireless Tatsuya Tanaka stole the show for the Reds, helping set up Makoto Hasebe’s opener four minutes in before scoring the eventual game-winner in the 59th.
He was unlucky not to have scored two or three more as the Jeonbuk defense took the night off, but some nice saves from goalkeeper Sung Kyung-il and a fair dose of good luck prevented a blowout.
“We played good football. We have some decent stuff,” Osieck said of his team, which came off a comfortable 4-2 win over Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Saturday to open up a four-point lead at the top of the J.League table. “Sometimes we pushed forward and sometimes we slowed the pace down and that is the type of rhythm that I like to see. And that is what my players can do.”
The Reds have a league clash this weekend against the Yokohama F. Marinos before flying to South Korea for the rematch on Wednesday.
That the road game against the defending champs in one of the most important matches in the history of the Reds organization hardly fazes Osieck, however. In fact, he appears to relish the challenge that awaits his charges.
“For me it doesn't matter if we play home or away, I want to see the same kind of football from my team. We can do it on the road and we can do it at home,” he said. “First and foremost we have to win. We have to be switched on from the start to the finish.
“I think that with our potential and our self-confidence right now that we shouldn't be worried. We’ll go there with our heads up and fully focused.”
Needing only a scoreless draw to advance, the question begged to be asked: Would he tell his players to smother the game?
Not a chance, Osieck said.
“If you go for a draw you will definitely lose. That's a fact. Why should we hide? We’ll play our game, just as we always do.
“Besides, you have to work hard for everything worth having in life. The only exception is at Christmas when you receive presents for nothing. But even then you usually don't get what you want.”

(c) C.G. Williams & Soccerphile


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Verbeek calls it quits

South Korea manager Pim Verbeek told reporters Saturday that he resigned prior to watching his team take third place at the Asian Cup with a 6-5 penalty shootout win over Japan in Palembang, Indonesia.
The news ended weeks of speculation that Verbeek would either step down or be sacked after the tournament. A transcript of his post-match press conference follows:

“I decided to resign. I asked the KFA this afternoon to terminate my contract. It’s time for me to find a new challenge.
I had two important targets. The first being winning the Asian Cup, which we didn’t. The second being qualifying for the Olympics.
I was disappointed that my four most talented players were ruled out of the (Asian Cup) due to injury, but I admit that I had plenty of other talented players to choose from and perhaps should have done better.
I have to be fair also and say we didn’t score enough. Defensively we were great, but to win at this tournament you have to score goals.
I lived a long time in Korea and they have great fans. I will leave with wonderful memories.
I really enjoyed the Asian Cup from start to finish. I’m not being sarcastic or cynical, I really enjoyed the tournament.
But now I need a long break so I can be ready for the next ten years (of coaching).
I plan to go back to Europe and take a holiday. I’ve lost my energy to be honest. It’s time to re-energize and find something new.”

Asked if he would consider coaching another Asian team, Verbeek responded:

“I will seriously consider any interesting option. I am open to everything. But in the next five months? No thank you.”

Copyright © C.G. Williams & Soccerphile.com

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History never threepeats

Japan coach Ivica Osim and his players are placing little faith in history ahead of tonight's Asian Cup semifinal against Saudi Arabia in Hanoi.
The two-time defending champions boast a 6-1-2 record against the underdog Saudis, cruising to a 3-1 win in their most recent meeting last year, but insist that the past will have no bearing on the upcoming encounter at My Dinh Stadium.
"We shouldn't dwell on history. We have to focus on the future. We'll see what happens (tonight) and then we can talk about history," Osim said, adding that Saudi Arabia have changed considerably since the teams last locked horns.
"They've changed coaches and are a new team that is completely different from last year. They've become much more aggressive and play a modern style of football. They have a couple of players who will be very difficult for us to handle."
One of those players is 24-year-old striker Yasser Al Qahtani, who is in the running for tournament MVP thanks to some sterling performances that have so far produced three goals, including one against Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals.
Japan's danger man, Shunsuke Nakamura, said his team would have to shut Al Qahtani down if they were to have any chance of advancing to the finals in Jakarta on July 29.
"I've watched the Saudis on TV and Al Qahtani is very dangerous. But thankfully it's not my job to cover him, it's Bomber's (Yuji Nakazawa)," Nakamura said. "It's a very important game because if we lose we've accomplished nothing. More than being physically ready, we need to be mentally prepared. We've still got a lot to improve but I want to us to go all the way."
A win for Japan could set up a mouthwatering final against regional rivals South Korea, who play Iraq in the other semifinal on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia were the victims of a nasty bit of scheduling following their quarterfinal on Sunday. The team was forced to fly to Vietnam for the semifinal, a journey that manager Helio Anjos said took a grueling 12 hours because there are no direct flights between Hanoi and Jakarta.
That deprived the Saudis of an entire day's training and the team is certain to struggle with its fitness this evening.
The mood in the Japan camp, meanwhile, is buoyant as Osim's men continue their quest to become the first nation since Iran in 1976 to lift three successive Asian Cups.
"The communication within the team is good and we have kept our focus on our ultimate goal, which is to win the cup," volante Keita Suzuki said at training earlier this week. "We keep urging each other to take it to the next level. We've hopefully got two more games ahead of us, both of which will be the most difficult of the tournament."

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Joy in Hanoi

A 4-1 loss has never been so satisfying.
Co-host Vietnam squeaked into the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup on Monday as Group B runners-up, despite receiving a footballing lesson from defending champions Japan at My Dinh Stadium.
Vietnam booked their ticket to the knockout round in place of Qatar, who crashed out of the competition with a 2-1 loss to the United Arab Emirates in Ho Chi Minh.
News of that loss triggered wild celebrations across Hanoi that lasted well into the night. The humbling loss to Japan was quickly forgotten, as was the match-fixing scandal that sent seven of the team’s players to jail only three months before the tournament. Monday night was all about celebrating the present; there was no need to dwell on the past.
The team most pundits predicted would lose three straight had reached the second round of a competition they hadn’t appeared in since 1960, and nobody could dampen their spirits.
“I think it’s a sensation,” gushed Vietnam coach Alfred Riedl, who earlier called the match against Japan the biggest in the nation’s history. “It is very good for Vietnamese football, a good education for us. Very few people expected us to go through.”
Flag-waving fans on motorbikes tore through the capital honking their horns and chanting “Vietnam! Vietnam!” for hours after the match.
One of them, Ngo Ngoc Khanh, was overcome with joy. “This is the best thing to happen to Vietnam in years,” said Khanh, adding that he was unfazed by the prospect of Vietnam having to play its remaining games away from home. “I don’t care about that. It would be nice to see them play in Vietnam, but the important thing is that we got to the quarterfinals. Vietnam is number one!”
Riedl also said he wasn’t bothered with having to play play Group A winners Iraq in Bangkok.
“It’s not where we play that’s important but how we play when we get there against a strong opponent,” Riedl said. “I don’t see any problems with our fitness or anything else just because we’re in a different country. We may surprise again. You never know.”
Japan, meanwhile, will stay in Hanoi for their Final Eight match against Australia on Saturday after topping Group B with two wins and a draw.



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Say what?!

If there's anything more bewildering than the roads in Hanoi, it's the Asian Cup press conferences.
We've got Arabic, Japanese and Vietnamese teams in Group B, with French, Austrian and Bosnian managers, and a football confederation determined to filter everything through the lips of an English speaker (and more often than not one with only a rudimentary knowledge of the language).
The result has been an unmitigated disaster.
Questions and answers get so lost in translation it's hard to discern where one train of thought starts and another ends. It's a mish-mash of nonsense that takes all the king's horses and all the king's men just to make it intelligible again.
You know things are fairly fubar when Frenchman Bruno Metsu resorts to speaking English during a press conference.
The UAE manager with the Robert Plant coiffure is notorious for eschewing the international language whenever possible, famously refusing to speak it during one press conference at the 2002 World Cup. But Metsu has been so appalled by the poor interpreting at the Asian Cup that he's taken to interrupting translations mid-sentence and doing it himself.
Following the UAE's 3-1 loss to Japan on Friday night, Metsu was flanked by no fewer than three interpreters--one to translate French-Vietnamese, one for Arabic-English and one for English-Vietnamese.
Metsu, who speaks English well despite himself, lasted about two minutes before he started shaking his head and rolling his eyes when the end product was finally delivered.
And when his French-Vietnamese conduit asked him to repeat an answer, Metsu steadfastly refused. "It's your job to pay attention," said Metsu in French, arms crossed defiantly.
After that, Metsu made all three translators obsolete by conducting the rest of the proceedings in English.
Things haven't been any better in the Japan camp. Bosnian manager Ivica Osim's interpreter, Zen Chida, was pressed into providing English translations earlier in the tournament despite only being proficient in Serbian and Japanese. Most questions had to be repeated two or three times until he understood them, and the answers were either unintelligible or completely off topic.
He knew he was crashing and burning. So did Osim. So did the rest of us. So when Osim flew into a rage at his players after a 1-1 draw with Qatar on Monday, the pressure was all too much for Chida, who broke down in tears while attempting to translate the coach's wrath to the players.
The AFC wisely wheeled in a replacement for Chida to handle the English during all subsequent press conferences. Unwisely, they chose someone who seems to have no knowledge of football and is incapable of translating any more than 25 percent of what's being said.
Thank you very little.
The substitute interpreter was so bad during a media gathering on Thursday that both Chida and Osim started speaking in English to get their points across.
I’d send a letter complaining about all this to the AFC, but I’m certain it too would get lost in translation.

Copyright © C.G. Williams & Soccerphile.com

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Tour of Footy

Traveling to Hanoi for the Asian Cup or simply happen to be in town and want to check out a game? Here’s a hassle-free guide to getting to My Dinh Stadium and what you can expect when you get there.

My Dinh Stadium is Vietnam’s largest stadium, with a seating capacity of 40,000. Named after the area in Tu Liem District it’s located in, the stadium opened in the fall of 2003 and as such is as modern a facility as you’ll find in Southeast Asia.
Despite the existence of a running track, the view from the stands is excellent in this compact ground located roughly 10 kilometers northwest of the heart of Hanoi.
If you’re unfortunate enough to have a ticket to a match on a rainy day, make sure you bring an umbrella, as the majority of the seats are exposed to the elements. You’ll only be spared if you’re in the middle and upper tiers of the east and west stands.

Getting there: Forget walking, cycling or busing it unless you’re keen on adventure (and have a lot of spare time on your hands). Taxis are the only way to go. From the city center—i.e. in the vicinity of Hoan Kiem Lake—the stadium can be reached in 20 minutes at a cost of about 100,000 VND ($6.20 US). The taxis are metered and the drivers are by and large aboveboard. They also appreciate tips, although this is by no means required.
Warning: Be sure to specify you want to go to My Dinh Stadium or you may wind up being shuttled to the older Hanoi Stadium closer to town.



What to expect: The stadium may look like your typical modern sports facility, but don’t expect the creature comforts you might be used to in the West. If you find yourself parched on a hot day, for example, you stand a better chance of running into Elvis than getting a cold drink. Refrigeration isn’t an option at My Dinh. What you get instead are bags of lukewarm water fastened with twist ties and straws sticking out the top. That and cans of warm soft drinks and bottled water.
You’re in slightly better luck if you’re hungry. Hot dog-shaped meat on a stick can be transferred to a bun outfitted with local condiments. A tasty treat indeed. Bags of crisps and other assorted junk food can also be had.

Ringing the stadium are a smattering of souvenir shops where you’ll find official AFC merchandise at official AFC prices. T-shirts go for $15 US, but you’ll only be able to wear Japan or Vietnam on your chest--for some reason, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates didn’t make the cut. Baseball caps and tournament programs are also on sale.



The atmosphere ranges from electric (when the home team is playing) to comatose (anyone catch Japan vs. Qatar the other night?). Safety isn’t an issue, although things could be fairly tense for Japan supporters when Ivica Osim’s squad take on the co-hosts July 16. The odds of a full-scale riot breaking out aren’t high though, as the fans are well-mannered and there are plenty of security personnel on hand to ensure they stay that way.

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Copyright © C.G. Williams & Soccerphile.com

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Hanoi immune to soccer fever?

So much for “soccer-mad” Vietnam. You’d hardly know the Asian Cup was taking place here if you sidestepped the stadium.
Driving into the city center from Noi Bai International Airport you are met with a relentless bombardment of advertising—Vietnamese products, Chinese, Korean—but nary a mention of the Asian Cup until you reach the heart of the city, and even then you have to make an effort to spot the smattering of signs draped from light and telephone poles.
Yes, My Dinh Stadium was close to capacity last night for the Group B opener between Vietnam and the UAE, the host nation’s first match at the continental championship in 47 years, and yes, thousands of people were huddled around TVs throughout the city to witness the historic encounter.
But when the whistle blew to give the co-hosts a shock 2-0 victory, the wild celebrations inside the stadium stayed put. There was no ripple effect.
It was very much business as usual at the Funky Monkey bar in central Hanoi less than an hour after the game, with zero sign that any one of the 30 (mainly local) patrons even knew of the existence of the tournament.
Unlike the wild scenes throughout Germany last year at the World Cup following a victory by the home team, Hanoi was for all intents and purposes not interested last night. The place was abuzz as usual with a disorienting number of motorcycles whizzing to and fro, but there were no Vietnamese flags being waved nor any noticeable rise in the cacophony of vehicular noise that is the soundtrack to life in the capital city.
Proud of their win? You can count on it. But perhaps it’s going to take a victory over Japan or a ticket to the second round—or both—before soccer fever really sets in.

Copyright © C.G. Williams & Soccerphile.com




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