Press Reports on Draw and Comments

Well, Honduras is a minnow, but unlike most minnows our strength is in attacking not defending.
We have a very experienced mid (Serie A, EPL, Mexican Primera, La Liga even if not currently)
On a good day we can put up a good amount of goals. The biggest weakness is our keeper. He can really be something, with some huge mental mistakes. In qualifier, for example, our game against Trinidad and Tobago in Port of Spain, we dominated and scored a goal. At the very end of the game Trinidad got a weak shot off, Valladares (our GK) could not handle it for some reason and they tied up with not much time to go.

Another strong thing about Honduras is that it has been a 3 year process, the team knows each other well. I will also tell you that David Suazo is great for us but not whom I consider our most important player. For that I would say it is between Amado Guevara (our captain, has played in Europe, now in Toronto FC) WIlson Palacios (Tottenham Hotspurs) Julio Cesar "Rambo" De Leon (Torino, but he was one of the best Parma players last year. Mexicans and US fans can atest to his Set Piece abilities.)

I think we have a chance, we are definetly not favorites, but I think we can pull some upsets along the way. (you hear that Spain )

here is a piece of Honduran media. Use google translator if you cannot understand.

Definitely, the Catrachos need to improve their defense. It's not just Valladares but the side defenders. Croses always get your defense out of position. Izaguirre, in particular, strikes me as weak defending.

Unlike most other teams in the WC, Honduras plays with wingbacks, which means they have to run back quick to defend. That puts added pressure on the defensive mids, too. Besides Hendry Thomas, I can't think of any other defensive mid in your team. Wilson Palacios is more of a box-to-box mid. You'd need to play with two defensive mids, since you're using wingbacks instead of fullbacks.

I can see us playing with one lone striker, and Putting all three of Hendry, Guevara and Palacios too good use in the middle. We have Melvin Valladares, who can play defensive midfielder, from Real Espana, Spur liked him but not enough to sign lol.
See the left side with Izaguirre might be Figueroa if Victor Bernardez gets playing time towards this last six months in Anderlecht. If he is match fit, Rueda will surely use him and Osman Chaves in the Centre Back, while Figueroa plays in the left, his regular spot in Wigan. That would really take some pressure off, because he can go up and down no problem.
Remember we also have Alvarez from Bari, who can play anywhere on the side of the pitch. He can be given more defensive responsibilities if need be. He is one of the fastest players in Serie A.

Agreed. They have to find someone else--isn't there a decent keeper for Marathon or Real Espana or Motagua?

I also with your later analysis that points to a 4-5-1 or a 4-1-4-1 with more defensive-oriented wingbacks (Figueroa pushed out left).

Chile's wing play, for example, is absolutely devastating if it finds space back there.

Is Costly getting many minutes in Poland? If not, you have to think Suazo alone up top, at least to start a match. Suazo was coming back for the ball far too often in qualifying.

Then a midfield of Rambo-Guevara-Palacios-Alvarez in front of Hendry Thomas as a true d-mid protecting the back 4.

You could also bring Nunez off the bench for Rambo, and either Pavon or Costly to pair up with Suazo. Pavon is too old to start and go 90 or even 60 at this level.

But you can't go into 2010 with Valladares starting and expect to have a chance. The T&T error was bad enough, but what happened vs. the U.S. in SPS was criminally poor goalkeeping.

Well, I would venture to say that the best keeper in our league, is Obelar from Marathon, but he is Uruguayan and people don't want him naturalized.

Not only is Pavon too old, so is Amado Guevara, but he is the captain (and my all time favorite player) and I highly doubt he gets benched. I would Almost like to Ramoncito Nunez in there instead of him.

Goalkeeping wise we also have Donis Escober, he played in the WC and with Olimpia they alternated with Valladares as starters every game. My Problem with Donis is his height, but he is more secure than Noel Valladares.

Pues, Ya se puso grave la situacion.

Well, at least Del Bosque didn't prohibit using cell phones, so Piqué will be able to communicate with his -more than- "friend", Ibrahimovic.

http://www.cooperativa.cl/la-fifa-r...-espanola/prontus_nots/2010-05-26/080711.html
La FIFA realizó sorpresivo control antidopaje a la selección española

Ocho jugadores fueron sometidos a exámenes de sangre y orina.

El organismo anunció que realizaría al menos 575 controles antidopaje a los futbolistas que disputarán el Mundial.

La FIFA efectuó este miércoles un sorpresivo control antidopaje a la selección española de fútbol, que está concentrada en la Ciudad del Fútbol de Las Rozas preparando su participación en el Mundial Sudáfrica 2010.

Según informaron a EFE fuentes de la selección nacional, un total de ocho jugadores, elegidos por sorteo y de los que aún no ha trascendido su identidad, han tenido que pasar el control, que consistió en unas tomas de sangre y orina.

Los encargados de efectuar el análisis por encargo de la FIFA se personaron en la Residencia de la sede de la RFEF y efectuaron el control alrededor de las 08:30 hora local, cuando los jugadores de Vicente del Bosque tenían previsto levantarse para afrontar su tercera jornada de concentración.

La Comisión Médica de la FIFA anunció hace unos meses que realizaría al menos 575 controles antidopaje a los futbolistas que disputarán el Mundial entre el mes de marzo y el final del torneo.

"Haremos controles antidopaje por sorpresa tanto en los países de origen de los jugadores como tras su llegada a Sudáfrica", aseguró en febrero el doctor Jiri Dvorak, jefe médico de la FIFA.

La idea era, como ocurrió, que al menos ocho jugadores de cada selección escogidos al azar se sometan a análisis tanto de sangre como de orina, y que al menos dos jugadores de cada equipo hagan lo propio al término de los encuentros, tanto en amistosos como en choques oficiales.

La Comisión Médica de la FIFA recibió de los 32 médicos de las selecciones la firma de un documento en el que se comprometen a luchar contra el dopaje.

jajajaja: post of the day.