Can you believe it??? Qualifying for 2012 begins in just a few days! Because we’re almost breathless with anticipation, let us tell you about 3 of the traditional powehouses to keep your eye on (though for different reasons) in the next, oh, 2 years or so…

Italy – Yes, we’ll start with them. After all, no nation has more to prove. Shockingly, the Azzurri have not won a competitive match in more than a year. Their disastrous exit from the World Cup in South Africa was a sign that the squad must get younger, and old school Italian football tactics must change with the times. Enter new Manager Cesare Prandelli. With fans from Palermo to Milan clamoring for change, the new boss has his eye on youth. In their opener against Estonia on September 2, the man charged with righting the ship has called up 4 players who haver worn the gorgeous blue kit, something former chief Marcello Lippi would never do. Prandelli likes to attack and he’ll have plenty of options there like Cassano and Balotelli, but Italy must improve defensively to have any chance to do well this time around. Players like Bonnucci, Santon, Cassani and Molinaro must show that they are worthy replacements for the departed defensive superstars. And Prandelli must show that he understands the international game. IF they can do this, Italy will have a chance to win tournaments in the future.

Germany – No team was more entertaining in the recent World Cup. And but for a silly refereeing decision which left Tomas Muller out of the semifianl against Spain, perhaps Germany hoists the cup in place of the Iberians. Having said that, the Mannschaft look poised to be at the top of the footballing world for years to come. Manager Joachim Loew is fast becoming a hero in his homeland. The man who instructs his players to shorten the amount of time they hold on to the ball, keeping it constant motion, and away from the opposition, is also becoming known as a great football brain. He bravely brought youngsters like 20 year old Muller and 21 year old Mesut Ozil and gave them starring roles in the action in South Africa. The man clearly has no fear and makes Germany one of the favorites to lift the European Cup in 2012. Their quest to do so begins on September 3 against Belgium.

France – Being proud Italians, we have to thank the French. After all, France’s absolutely tragic performance on and off the pitch at World Cup 2010 took a bit of the spotlight off of our own team’s ugly performance. A headline from the Telegraph read “France’s World Cup team refused to train today in protest against Nicolas Anelka’s expulsion from the squad.” There was dissension, a coach in denial, and awful, awful football from a nation known for great football in the recent past. It got so bad that the French Football Federation held a hearing after the tournament which resulted in International play bans being handed out to players like Anelka (19 games), Patric Evra (5 games), and Franck Ribery (3 games). The team scored only 1 goal and earned only a single point from 3 matches in the tournament. So what’s next for the French? Things can only get better of course. France has plenty of talent and needs to start to using it to get their house in order. New Manager Laurent Blanc is a no nonsense guy, and his first move should be to exclude all of the players from the 2010 team to start getting rid of the stench. In our opinion, that is their only hope.

Enjoy the games!

Jerrito

Andrea Pirlo

Born in 1979 in Flero, Italy.

Originally a classic offensive midfielder who played close behind the strikers, he became a superstar when Milan Manager Carlo Ancelotti developed the position of deep lying playmaker exclusively for him.

With Milan he has won almost everything possible domestically and internationally, including 2 Champions League Titles, 2 European Super Cups, and a FIFA Club World Cup.

He has played for Italy’s Under 15, 18, 21 National teams and of course the senior national team, with which he won the ultimate trophy, the World Cup in 2006. Trust me, I have the DVD.

At Milan, his teammates have nicknamed him the Metronome because of the way he dictates the rhythm of the match. For Italy, he is the “Architect” for his role in constructing goals.

Why he’s great

Not as slick as Cristiano Ronaldo or as quick as Leo Messi, no midfielder relies more on quick thinking than Andrea Pirlo. In our opinion, no player in the last 20 years or so has done so as well. No sooner does he receive the ball from a defender than his head pops up, his foot swings in a smooth, almost effortless motion and suddenly the other team is on their back foot. From this position, he is known to launch a ball which lands precisely on the foot of a teammate 50 yards or more away. But he is also smart enough to lay the ball off to a defender when Italy or Milan has the lead. The way he dictates the tempo of a match is absolutely clinical.

A master of the free kick assist, we have not seen a player find his teammates in the middle of a crowded box off a corner this well since Diego Maradona. He can put it at the right height, drop it between defenders, or strike it with pace and accuracy to a teammate making a run from afar.

While watching my favorite player of the last 10 years run the midfield in a match Euro 2012 qualifier against Estonia today I had a thought. Andrea Pirlo is the most valuable player in the World. Why? 2 Pirlo Corner kicks, 2 Italian goals. Victory in a very important match and 3 points that could change Italy’s fortunes. As if we needed proof, he showed once again that Italy won’t win without him. Is there any other way to measure a player’s value?

Enjoy the games!

Andrea Pirlo

30% off Select Football Cleats at Eastbay. Click our link to see whats on sale.

Spend $75 and get free shipping with coupon code LKS1JF75 or LKS1JF75

Update:  At the moment their web site is showing $20 off $99 with coupon code IPEBT979

Need some soccer balls for the team? Right now Amazon.com has adidas World Cup MLS Team Soccer Balls as low as $9.08 today. Spend $25 to qualify for free shipping.
No sales tax for most of you. Good training balls.

       Free shipping, no sales tax for most you. Plenty of stores still sell this game for $60.

Amazon has 2010 FIFA World Cup $39.99 (PS3 Xbox 36) $29.96 for Wii

While watching Chelsea (my son’s favorite club team – ack!) play West Ham the other day I had a thought. What if kids ran the game? After all, isn’t this the sport we fell in love with as children? So why not turn it over to them? Here are some changes we might see if my 8 year old son (or your son or daughter) was in charge…

There would now be timeouts in football. Not for breaks in the game, but to replace yellow cards as punishment.

All games right up to the professional level would have 14 breaks of five minutes each which accounted for time to get goldfish and mini pizzas (Gennaro’s favorites), and for general distractions like butterflies on the pitch, not to mention those moments when the player “remembers” that he has to go pee very badly, or feels the need to give his mommy a hug.

John Terry would be asked to sit quietly by the corner flag when he “talks to” (that’s how daddy described it) another players girlfriend or wife.

There will be no more goalkeepers in an effort to encourage more scoring. Seriously, kids love goals. As my son so eloquently put it after being kept from scoring on Saturday, “goalies are bad!”

Lionel Messi would live next door to us. Because Gennaro said so.

Teammates would be required to shake hands after a match and say “good game” even if they didn’t mean it.

Shin Guards would be banned. Because they don’t “feel good”.

No spitting. It’s “nasty”.

Enjoy the Games!

Jerrito

Big savings here people. I tried this 40% off code on a pair of $200 cleats and it worked! Knocked $80 off. Works on everything.

Ok, start by clicking this Puma Link (Free shipping for $85 orders, otherwise $7 flat rate)

Find some shoes, any shoes and add to cart.

At checkout enter 40% off (expires 9/20) coupon code FRIENDSOFPUMA910

Spend $100 or more at World Soccer Shop and save 15%. – Expires Sept 21, 2010

At checkout use coupon code 7WSS921

Size 5!

Amazon has adidas World Cup 2010 Repliqué Soccer Balls on sale for $16. Spend $25 to qualify for free shipping.

Ok so you like to play soccer video games right? Duhhh? Well, The Home Shopping Network just sent out a $20 off $20 coupon code which you can use on ANYTHING. Looks like they have some of my favorites. You will pay shipping. Few examples below. For NEW customers. **EXPIRED**

The $20 off $20 coupon code is 319175 ******EXPIRED*****