Confederations Cup: Final Preview.

Spain: Vincente de Bosque

The Spaniards have been on a run winning 3 of the 4 major tournaments that they have been a part of since 2008. Spain’s team has a lot of chemistry with the starting 11 coming from Barcelona and Real Madrid. Chemistry has been very important Spain it’s the main reason why they have been so successful recently.  Spain will be looking to win the Confederations Cup for the 1^st time in their history. Scoring goals will be very important for the Spaniards if they are to win the one tournament that has eluded them for many years. It maybe be the right time for Javi Martinez to impress and  seal a permanent starting place as he should be getting a lot of playing time due to the injury of Xabi Alonso.

Brazil: Head Coach – Luiz Felipe Scolari

The Brazilian squad includes the likes of Thiago Silva (PSG), Oscar (Chelsea) and Neymar (Santos). The Brazilians will be going into the competition with a lot of confidence after trashing France in their last warm up match. The Brazilian squad does not have a lot of experience. Out of the 23 man squad only 9 players have more than 20 caps. What this means is that the few experience players will have to be on the top of their game. I think this Brazil squad can reach another level if the coaching staff gets it right. The squad has an average age of 26; they have a lot of youngsters who have impressed all across Europe all year.

My predictions

Expect both teams to score. The team that plays more aggressively will win and I think that will be Spain.

NBA FINALS: Game 6

This is what each team needs from their starters.

Miami Heat

	Mins	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	Tot Rebs.	Assist	Steels	Points
L.James	44:00	14-23	0-0	7-9	11	8	2	35
M.Miller	24:30	6-8	5-5	2-2	5	4	2	19
C.Bosh	38:00	6-10	1-2	7-7	14	3	1	22
D.Wade	40:00	12-21	0-0	8-9	8	11	5	32
M.Chalmers	26:00	6-8	4-5	2-2	4	6	3	18

San Antonio Spurs

	Mins	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	Tot Rebs.	Assist	Steels	Points
K.Leonard	32:00	6-8	2-4	4-4	14	2	0	18
M.Ginobili	36:00	8-14	2-2	8-10	6	8	1	26
T.Duncan	39:00	7-19	0-0	11-14	16	4	1	24
D.Green	34:00	8-15	5-7	3-3	5	3	1	24
T.Parker	38:00	10-14	2-4	8-8	6	10	5	30

 

The turnovers should stay at minimum for each team and each bench should be contributing at least 25 points.

My Predictions

Miami win

Spurs vs. Heat: Game 5 Preview

Sunday June 16 will be the crucial game 5 of the NBA Finals. It’s do or die time for these players. Lebron James has to be impressed with wade and bosh for their performance in game 4. The Heat needs that same production and energy from the big 3. Lebron James and D. wade should make it their duty to drive to the basket frequently in game 5. The San Antonio Spurs do not have a strong inside presence so when the Heat players are driving to the basket one of two things can happen either they make the lay in or they get foul and have a chance to gain their points at the free throw line. If the Miami Heat has a strong end to the game they could be one step closer to the championship.

The San Antonio Spurs has to get more production from their big 3. One or two players will not be able to defeat the Miami Heat so everyone needs to be clicking. Ginobili need to come alive because with him play good offense Spurs are difficult to beat. The turnovers mean a lot in this game 5. The team that best protects the basketball will win the game. Bench points key again in this game. The next two games after tonight will be in Miami therefore I think Spurs will have to win this game 5 if they are to win the championship. It’s time for the All Stars on both teams to take over.

My Predictions

It will be 3-2. Winner TBD!!!

The 2013 Confederations Cup: A preview of Rio 2014

The FIFA Confederations Cup is an association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup is the ninth staging of the tournament. It is contested by the holders of each of the six FIFA Confederation Championships. ( UEFA- Italy, CONMEBOL- Uruguay, CONCACAF- Mexico, CAF- Nigeria, AFC- Japan, OFC- Tahiti)  along with the world cup holder (Spain) and the host nation (Brazil) to bring the number of teams up to eight (8). The two groups are as follow: Group A- Brazil, Japan, Mexico and Italy.  Group B- Spain, Uruguay, Nigeria and Tahiti. Six (6) stadiums will be used they are: Estádio Mineirão, Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Estádio Castelão, Itaipava Arena Pernambuco,  Estádio do Maracanã, Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova. These six stadiums have an average capacity of 62,557. The tournament will indeed be an exciting one with most of the games being decided by one goal. I predict that Brazil, Uruguay, Italy and Spain will prevail into the semi finals of the tournament.

Brazil: Head Coach – Luiz Felipe Scolari

The Brazilian squad includes the likes of Thiago Silva (PSG), Oscar (Chelsea) and Neymar (Santos). The Brazilians will be going into the competition with a lot of confidence after trashing France in their last warm up match. The Brazilian squad does not have a lot of experience. Out of the 23 man squad only 9 players have more than 20 caps. What this means is that the few experience players will have to be on the top of their game. I think this Brazil squad can reach another level if the coaching staff gets it right. The squad has an average age of 26; they have a lot of youngsters who have impressed all across Europe all year.

A starting 11 that can get the job done:

Gk- Julio Cesar, RB- Dani Alves , CB- Thiago Silva, CB- David Luiz, LB- Marcelo, MF- Oscar, MF- Lucas, MF- Pailihno, MF- Luiz Gustavo, FW- Hulk, FW- Neymar.

Uruguay: Head Coach – Oscar Tabarez

The Uruguayan squad includes the likes of Diego Lugano (Malaga), Edinson Cavani (Napoli) and Luis Suarez (Liverpool). Coming into the tournament Uruguay has won only two of their last five games. This tournament could be the right opportunity for the Uruguayan team to find some form as they will need it to secure a world cup qualifying spot for 2014 world cup in Brazil  Uruguay currently are 5^th on the table with 16 points, 5 points behind 4^th place Chile who has 21 points. In this confederations cup for Uruguay they need Luis Suarez to be on his best game and also his best behavior   if they are to have any chance of winning the tournament.

Key Players

Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, Diego Lugano, Walter Gargano , Diego Forlan and Maxi Pereira.

Italy: Head Coach- Cesare Prandelli

The Italians will be hoping that they can get their hands on a trophy that they have never won in their history. The team has a lot of experience with midfield genius Andrea Pirlo coordinating the attack and long serving veteran Gianluigi Buffon guiding the back line. I think the Italians have a good chance of winning this tournament if they do not rely solely on star striker Mario Balotelli. The Ac Milan forward can be a real treat to defenders when focused but he can also be a total disappointment when he is not cam. If Italy can get Stephan Elsharawy or Sebastian Giovinco scoring goals they will be difficult to beat. Giorgio Chiellini will be the strong man at the back for Italy, don’t expect the Italians to concede more than 6 six goals throughout the entire competition.

Key player

Andrea Pirlo

Spain: Vincente de Bosque

The Spaniards have been on a run winning 3 of the 4 major tournaments that they have been a part of since 2008. Spain’s team has a lot of chemistry with the starting 11 coming from Barcelona and Real Madrid. Chemistry has been very important Spain it’s the main reason why they have been so successful recently.  Spain will be looking to win the Confederations Cup for the 1^st time in their history. Scoring goals will be very important for the Spaniards if they are to win the one tournament that has eluded them for many years. It will be the right time for Javi Martinez to impress and maybe seal a permanent starting place as he will be getting a lot of playing time due to the injury of Xabi Alonso.

Expect a lot of flair and some quality goals in the 2013 Confederations Cup.

My Predictions

The finals will be contested by;

Brazil vs. Spain: Result TBA

Spurs vs. Heat: Game 4 preview

The San Antonio Spurs will host the Miami Heat in a crucial game 4 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio on Thursday June 13.

The Miami Heat needs a win to keep their championship hopes alive after getting blown out on Tuesday 113-77.  Miami will have a difficult task if they don’t close out the 3 point shooters of the San Antonio Spurs. The heat gave up a NBA Finals record 16 three pointers to the Spurs, 13 to Danny Green and Gary Neal alone. The Heat also got hammered on the boards 52 – 36 and they turned the ball over 16 times, thus far in the finals it has been clear that the team with fewer turnover wins the game. The Heat need to handle the ball better as they did not share the ball well in game 3, finishing the game with only 21 assists.

Lebron James struggled in game 3 shooting 7-21 from the field but that should not be an excuse for the lost of the game because the Heat has quality players who can get the job done. Chris Bosh needs to be averaging at least 16 points and 10 rebounds for the remainder of the playoffs if he’s to win his 2^nd ring this year. Chris Andersen is the player that has impressed the most throughout the playoffs. In game 3 he played a little above 10 mins, which is not enough, the bird man needs more playing time. The Heat will need a spark from the bench. In game 3 Mike Miller was 5-5 from three point range for 15 point Erik Spoelstra will need that productivity off the bench again for game 4. A better team effort will lead to a victory for Miami Heat.

The Spurs on the other had a booming confidence after game 3 but they may have to play game 4 without their All Star play maker Tony Parker. The 6”2 point guard did a MRI on Wednesday and found out that he had a left hamstring strain. It would be a tough lost if the spurs are to play without their Assists leader. It should be noted however that in game 3  Danny Green and Gary Neal scored 27 and 24 points respectively. The big 3 of San Antonio Spurs were not assertive on the offensive end. Parker, Ginobili and Duncan combined for 10-24 shooting for 25 points that performance will not beat Miami Heat in game 4. The Spurs shot well from behind the arc in game 3 it has to remain or get better in game 4 if the Spurs are to take a commanding 3-1 lead over the defending championships. Bench points will be key in game 4 for both teams.

My Prediction:

I am going with the Miami Heat to level the series making way for an interesting end.

San Antonio Spurs vs. Miami Heat: Game 3 preview.

Big 3’s clash

The Miami Heat are 5-2 on the road in the 2013 playoffs. This is an important stat to point out as the Heat look to go on a three game road streak in the NBA Finals. The Heat won game two by a convincing 19 points, however there are still room for improvement if they are to reclaim the Larry O’Brien trophy.

In game 2 the Heat gave ten 3 pointers to the Spurs, 5 to Danny Green alone. The Heat has to close out the Spurs 3 point shooter better than they did in game 2. If the big three (James, Wade & Bosh) is averaging 40 points per game and the role players are doing their part the Heat will be difficult to get by.

The San Antonio Spurs will be hoping that they can get a few wins to keep their championship hopes alive. In game two the Spurs shot poorly from the field and they really lost the game when they started to miss from 3 point range; at half time they were well above 60% from 3 pt. line and they finish the game below 50%. The Spurs bench got outscored by the Heat bench. Manu Ginobili’s woes continued as he had another poor game. The main thing that cost San Antonio the game was their turnover rate. If they are to win they need to lower their turnover rate and poor on pick and roll, which allowed Miami to get to the rim easily in game 2.

My Prediction:

Miami Heat will find a way to win.

CONCACAF WCQ: Honduras vs. Jamaica preview

The Reggae Boyz will play their 6^th world cup qualifier game against Honduras on Tuesday, June 11. The Boyz are desperate for a win as they currently sit at the bottom of the table. They will play away to Honduras, who is coming off a 0-1 loss against Costa Rica on June 7.

In their game against the USA on Friday June 7, the Reggae Boyz seemed to be on their way to claiming a point after they scored late in the game but they defended poorly and give up an easy stoppage time goal to the Americans. The Reggae Boyz did not defend well on set piece as they were not able to close out danger man Michael Bradley who made the decisive play that lead to the Jamaicans losing the game.

The reggae Boyz are now in a do or die position. After watching the two home games one could imply that the more strikers the reggae Boyz have on the field the better the chance they have of scoring goals. Jermaine Johnson was prolific in the last game but he left the field due to an injury. It is critical that he has a part to play in the game on Tuesday if he is able.

I predict that the Reggae Boyz will be able to walk away from Tegucigalpa with at least a point.

Starting Good….Ending Strong: The Miami Heat look to even series at 1-1

Big 3’s clash

On Sunday the Miami Heat will be looking  to even up their series against San Antonio Spurs in the NBA finals after losing game 1; 92-88 at home on Thursday June 6. The Miami Heat seemed to be in control of the game through three quarters until Tony Parker erupted for 10 points in the 4^th, at one stretch Parker alone outscored the entire Miami Heat team in the 4th quarter. The Miami Heat turn the ball over four times in the 4^th and had 9 overall oppose to Spurs 4. Miami out rebounded the San Antonio Spurs and Lebron James had a triple double 18 Points, 18 Rebounds and 10 Assist all in a losing effort.

The Miami Heat will look to correct the errors that cost them the game at home on Thursday. Dwyane Wade had an ok game scoring 17 points and adding 2 rebounds and 2 assist. The Miami Heat needs more output from players like Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers. Bosh scored 13 points after shooting 37% (6-16) from the field he also added 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block shot. Chris Bosh definitely needs to be more aggressive both offensively and on the Boards. Mario Chalmers has to improve his field goal percentage and as a point guard he needs to have a better impact on the game, 2 assists is not good enough.

If Miami plays a high paced game then Spurs will have no chance and the production from the bench has to be at least 25 points if Miami is win game 2.

For the San Antonio Spurs Manu Ginobili has to improve his game. It has not been a good playoffs for the veteran, he has been struggling to find some range. His productivity will be key in game 2. Kawhi Leonard has to be more involve offensively. In game 1 he had three beautiful looks from behind the arc and he missed on all three attempts, if Leonard is making 3 pointers the San Antonio Spurs will be difficult to beat. Spurs bench have to contribute both offensively and defensively If they are to take a commanding 2-0 lead over the defending champions.

Key match up

I see Lebron guarding Tony Parker throughout game 2.

Predictions

I predict that the Miami Heat will come out more aggressive in and will win the game to ties the series 1-1

Perfect Chemistry: The Reggae Boyz seek win against USA

The Reggae Boyz will be looking to end their four (4) game winless streak when they host the United States on Friday, June 7. The Boyz are at the bottom of the table after their first 4 games and it seems as if Coach Theodore Whitmore has failed to find the right 11 to get the job done. In the last game that the Jamaicans played against Mexico there was a numerous amount of players playing out of position. The team has made at least 5 changes in each of their four World Cup Qualifying games. It is very clear that chemistry has a lot to do with the team’s poor performance and coach Theodore Whitmore has failed to find the prefect chemistry as every game they play there is a player making his debut. The coaching staff is not making the decisive decisions to place the team in a position to win. It does not take a genius to know that players make their debut in International friendlies not World Cup Qualifying games. The Boyz will be optimistic of their chance as they won their last home game against the U.S back in the first round of qualifying.

However, the U.S team will be booming with confidence after they won their last game against International powerhouse Germany. The Reggae Boyz will have a difficult test of keeping U.S.A starlet Clint Dempsey quiet. The Tottenham midfielder has been on firing form; recently Dempsey netted twice against Germany less than 2 weeks ago.

If the Boyz are to get a positive result against the United States they will have to keep Michael Bradley quiet. The Roma midfielder has the potential to be a real play maker if given the chance. Another player that the Jamaicans must keep quiet is Jozy Altidore who may be looking to get on the score sheet against the Reggae Boyz.

I predict that the Reggae Boyz problems will continue and they will lose at home once more.

Scoring Goals: The Reggae Boyz face a crucial match up at home

RSPL leading goal scorer for the past 2 seasons

The Reggae Boyz will play a crucial game on Tuesday in their quest to qualify for the 2014 world cup in Brazil. The Jamaicans will be looking for the maximum 3 points from the Mexicans, but it will indeed be a difficult task. It is very clear that goals win games and the Jamaicans have only managed to score once in their previous 3 WCQ games; it doesn’t seem like goals will be coming anytime soon. The Reggae Boyz head coach, Theodore Whitmore has dropped the team’s all-time leading goal scorer Luton Shelton and as yet to call on leading goal scorer in the country Jermaine ‘Tuffy’ Anderson.

The four forwards that will be available for the match against Mexico have only eight goals between them and those 8 goals have been scored by Ryan Johnson, In other words, the other 3 forwards Darren Mattocks, Theo Robinson and Jermaine Beckford have yet to score a goal for the national team. This is definitely not a positive look for the Jamaicans going into this game.

I predict that the Jamaicans will lose on their home soil.