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Soccer Saturday: Your Running Commentary

BalotelliItaly1 (Getty)

By JUSTIN FERGUSON

More international action highlights this Soccer Saturday as the Confederations Cup group stage winds down and the U-20 World Cup continues with another slate of opening matches.

Confederations Cup hosts Brazil will try to continue its perfect start in the competition with a final group stage match against fellow undefeated squad Italy. Although both teams have punched their tickets to the semifinals, Saturday’s match will determine the seeding for the final four—and the loser will face defending World Cup champions Spain. The two sides played out a thrilling 2-2 draw back in March.

With both winless squads already eliminated from the competition, the Japan-Mexico match will be all about pride and ending the trip to Brazil on a positive note. A misfiring Mexico offense will have a chance to right some of their scoring wrongs on Saturday when it takes on a Japan defense that has allowed seven goals in two matches.

In Turkey, some of the world’s bright young stars will take the stage in U-20 World Cup action. While the senior team continues to struggle, a promising young Mexico squad kicks off its campaign with a match against Greece, who is led by prominent goalscorer Dimitrios Diamantakos. Another match to keep your eye on Saturday will be Australia-Colombia, a clash featuring several English club prospects and a pair of world-class youngsters.

If you will be watching today’s action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action (Today’s TV schedule is after the jump):

11am – ESPN – Mexico vs. Greece – Under-20 World Cup

11am – ESPN3 – Colombia vs. Australia – Under-20 World Cup

2pm – ESPNU – Turkey vs. El Salvador – Under-20 World Cup

2pm – ESPN3 – Paraguay vs. Mali – Under-20 World Cup

3pm – ESPN – Italy vs. Brazil – Confederations Cup

3pm – ESPN Deportes/ESPN2– Japan vs. Mexico – Confederations Cup

7pm – MLS Direct Kick – D.C. United vs. San Jose Earthquakes

8pm – MLS Direct Kick – Columbus Crew vs. Chicago Fire

8:30pm – MLS Direct Kick – FC Dallas vs. Sporting Kansas City

9pm – MLS Direct Kick – Houston Dynamo vs. Toronto FC

9:30pm – MLS Direct Kick – Real Salt Lake vs. Seattle Sounders

Comments

  1. Any Black Cats supporters here? Tons of rumors re Jozy to Sunderland today. Is he a fit? Is there anyone good for him to combine with there? As I recall, they were pretty barren last season.

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    • Not a Sunderland supporter, but I believe they have stephen fletcher, who is pretty good. Plays well whenever I watch him.

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    • They were next in line to relegated, uggggh. Joey playing for a bottom dweeller doesn’t seem like a good place for him, he could do much better IMO.

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    • F that noise.

      Jozy is in a better situation than Sunderland. That’d nearly be a step backwards when comparing the current state that Sunderland is in.

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      • It’s a game-changing decision. He blew a play dead with the whistle and then let Italy kick the ball in the net and counted it!!!

        That’s beyond inexcusable. It’s outright cheating. That goal was never scored. The game was not live. The referee just awarded Italy a goal without them scoring one.

      • Game-changing? It was either a goal or a penalty for Italy. Probably the same result. You should calm down…but judging from your previous posts I think that is unlikely.

      • Good for you. You can read!

        “Probably the same result?” Who knows what the result would be.

        I mean who cares right? #$$#%$ the rules. No need getting upset when referees blow major calls in major tournaments since…?

      • well, when it’s a matter of inches any call is correct, in my opinion.

        Just to recap: first scored was offside, no doubt.

        Neymar’s free kick was a wrong call.

        Third score was good.

        4th in doubt.

        A final 2-2 is the most fair result.

    • Overreact much? This game matters little but yes it was a very poorly done by the ref. Not that it really matters but Balotelli would have taken and more than likely made the penalty since he has never missed. Also Brazil later scored a goal that I thought was offside

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      • Both their first and last goals were offside. Offside is not the same thing.

        As was just stated by Alexi Lalas and Bob Ley–the referees mistake was beyond excusable and to quote Bob Ley “you probably won’t see him[referee] next year.”

        Last MLS referee to do what this referee did never officiated another match again. It’s a huge, huge mistake.

      • So two of the Brazilian goals should not have counted and one of the Italian goals should not have counted. All three human error. And Italy would have had a penalty. Yeah Brazil should be upset.

      • It’s sad that you believe a blown close offside call is the same as a referee awarding a goal that never happened. The play was dead. The whistle blew.

        Not a normal mistake.

      • Mistakes happen. I agree the play should have stopped, but Italy probably would have scored from the penalty. I know it is not a given, but it’s hardly so egregious that protests should be filed and the such.

      • What Alexi Lalas says matters little to me, I would rather listen to a nine year old give his opinions of the game. Its a bad call and the ref should be disciplined but ultimately he was trying to do what was right and screwed up. Advantage should be played but its tough in the box cause once the ball is shot you cant call it back and then give a penalty.

      • What is right?

        Awarding the penalty he blew the play dead for is what is right. Upholding the rules is what is right.

        Awarding a goal that was not scored is the opposite of right.

      • Another analyst opinion

        BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson on BBC Three

        Italy 2-3 Brazil

        “You can tell by the way Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar reacted, he was convinced that the whistle was blown before the ball went in. He rushed all the way up to the referee on the half-way line. The referee pointed to the penalty spot after the foul on Mario Balotelli and then when the ball went in he decided it was a goal. It was actually good refereeing.”

      • Sorry but it was not. It could have been if Balo himself did score despite the foul.

        In all other cases, the moment the whistle sounds the game is stopped.

        Even Chiellini had to ask the ref.

      • Hey san fran settle down please. Really, your posts are just a bit over the top (all the time). Be insightful not a curmudgeon! A change of screen name would be nice as well. We don’t act like that in the City

      • Ahhh that makes more sense. I knew there was something familiar about SanFran’s over the top outrage.

      • Not sure about that. Looked to me like Neymar fell down after kicking the Italian player. Not squabbling here, seemed very embellished.

  2. Luis Gustavo bubble thought… “Hey Ref… that wasn’t a real clothesline, just trying to get the dandruff off the dude so he can dribble past me and look sharp ya know. I mean why the yellow card?”

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  3. Haha.

    Only an Italian can literally dislocate his own shoulder from theatrical flailing to sell a tackle. Watch the Abate replay, it makes ZERO contact with Neymar.

    Pure comedy.

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    • I had the same thought… From the replay it appears that the shoulder that hits the ground isnt the one that he hurt. I have no idea how the shoulder popped out on that, if that is truly the injury.

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      • Correct.

        The shoulder that lands on the ground is the uninjured one. However, I don’t believe he was faking the shoulder separation. You can see it through the kit on the slow-mo replay.

        …but he DID injure it selling a fairly weak tackle.

    • You make it sound as if Neymar wasnt in the wrong there at all. He was annoyed he didnt get a call like a minute earlier and went in late/hard on that tackle, yes the Italian got hurt selling it while fouling but that was a dirty play from Neymar.

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      • I make it sound like an Italian player flailed and dislocated his own arm.

        Which is exactly what happened.

      • This is true but it doesnt happen if Neymar doesnt react like a child. Unless im not remembering the tackle right he came in very recklessly cause he was annoyed about a call right before that. Also it really was a bit of bad luck in addition to embellishment, whenever you stick out an arm to brace a fall you have a risk of breaking/dislocating something.

      • “whenever you stick out an arm to brace a fall you have a risk of breaking/dislocating something.”

        He didn’t injure the arm that braced his fall. Once again, please observe the absurdity that I’m pointing out.

        Abate dislocated his own shoulder and he did it by being dramatic.

        That’s.the.comedy.

  4. I like the female commentator on the u20s. She is a lot more tolerable than Fernando Palomo on the Confederation games.

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    • Agreed, but I wish she had a little more enthusiasm. She almost sounded bored with the game. Max is always excited about everything, so that may have something to do with it too.

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  5. Can’t wait to see how both Mexico and Japan respond from their last two games today…from a cultural perspective, they are on opposite ends of the spectum r/t coping with adversity. You’ve got the Mexican machismo that manifests itself in an inability to handle loss with honor versus the Japanese way of the warrior which manifests itself in playing as hard as possible in this scenerio. Might get REAL ugly for El Tri today. Get your popcorn ready.

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    • jason -maybe i am misunderstanding you – are you saying that mexicans handle ANYTHING at all with honor?

      i think you may have gotten the two cultures mixed up. japanese culture is all about honor and class (samurai culture) whereas mexico is all about playing hard and throwing all “class” out the door. see red card in WC2002, sanchez attempting to slide tackle eddie johnson after getting scored on?

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