by FRANCO PANIZO
Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the best player in the world, but his spot in next year's World Cup will be determined when Portugal and Bosnia square off in a two-legged playoff later this month. There is only one problem for Ronaldo: He may not have a say in if Portugal qualifies.
Ronaldo, who suffered an ankle injury in Champions League play in early October before aggravating it on international duty, was expected to return to action by now, but the ankle has shown little improvement. The Real Madrid attacker is expected to remain sidelined for at least another two weeks, putting him in jeopardy of missing Portugal's playoff against Bosnia.
Despite his uncertain availability, Ronaldo is expected to join Portugal for the Nov. 14 and 18 matches, and will be examined by its medical team.
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Kuszczak blasts van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar is known for being the most capped player in Netherlands national team history, but to one of his colleagues he is known for being a terrible teammate.
Fellow Manchester United goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak has labeled van der Sar a selfish teammate, stating that the former Dutch international refuses to pass down advice to him. Kuszczak, who has six caps for Poland's national team, also vented frustration about the lack of games he is getting for the Red Devils.
UPDATE – Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said Kuszczak's attack was a joke, and that there is no rift between his two goalkeepers.
Uruguay releases roster
Diego Forlan, Walter Gargano and Martin Caceres headline a loaded 26-man roster that Uruguay will use for its two-legged playoff series against Costa Rica later this month.
Among the players included by head coach Oscar Washington Tabarez is midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro, an uncapped 20-year-old who has helped lead Nacional to the top of the Uruguayan Apertura championship. (Uruguay's entire roster can be seen here.)
Uruguay travels to the cauldron that is Saprissa Stadium on Nov. 14, and then plays host at the hostile Estadio Centenario in Montevideo four days later.
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Do you think Portugal can beat Bosnia without Ronaldo? Hoping he misses out on the World Cup? Does Kuszczak have a legitimate complaint, or is he just being a baby? Think Uruguay will knock off Costa Rica with that roster?
Share your thoughts below.
I do not see Portugal winning with out Ronaldo in the Playoff. i am somewhat hoping Ronaldo misses the World Cup but that is as much about Portugal as it is about him. Kuszczak probably has a point about Van der Sar but is also probably whinning a bit. The turf could be the ultimate equalizer for CR but I do like Uraguay’s line up and think they will probably get through to the WC.
will the Uruguay-CR game be televised or only available on the internets
Um, what was even seemingly funny about Kuszczak’s “joke”? I don’t even see how it could have been funny.
Franco, baloosh13, did either of you read the article? It had to be a joke; He said it on MUTV. Plus, the whole article is about how it was likely a joke, so why wasn’t that mentioned above?
That Uruguay-C.R. fixture is going to be intense, probably one of the better play-off matches to watch. I’m pulling for Uruguay, they’ve played the bridesmaid/odd man out the last 3 or 4 rounds. I’d like to see if Forlan can produce on the big stage.
that is gonna be one cagey locker room
manchester is looking for a new goalie anyway so i think kuszczak is on his way out anyway
are the UEFA playoff games going to be on TV here?