Soccer Fan Pro

This would be strange. And probably exciting, as well.

A one-game playoff at a neutral site to determine the winner of Africa Goup C.

Here is a link to that story.

In short, the playoff will happen if Egypt defeats Algeria by two goals, in Cairo, on Nov. 14, the last day of Africa qualifying. (Or so we thought.) That would leave Egypt and Algeria with 13 points and identical goals-scored and goals-allowed.

Apparently, the “away goals” tiebreaker sometimes employed … is not in effect here.

Which brings even more tension to a match that already carried lots of it.

Here are the standings in Africa Group C.

Algeria goes to the World Cup with a victory or a tie. It also goes in the case of a one-goal defeat.

Egypt wins the group if it wins by three goals. (And the Egyptians know well that sort of swing can happen, having been part of it at the Confederations Cup, when the United States defeated the Pharoahs 3-0 to jump into the semifinals.)

But if Egypt wins by two goals … 2-0, 3-1, whatever … here comes that one-game neutral-site playoff.

North Africa would be riveted. People in Egypt and Algeria would be almost crazy with anticipation. It would be fun. And it would be a little weird. But that’s world soccer for you, isn’t it.

After Real Madrid’s more than humiliating loss to third-league Alcorcon, trainer Manuel Pellegrini has been given an ultimatum: if Real fails to win against Getafe this weekend, Pellegrini’s contract will be terminated and he’ll be replaced as head trainer.
In Real’s last 5 games, three have resulted in losses (including the most embarrassing to Alcorcon, Sevilla, and AC Milan), one in a tie (Sporting Gijon), and one victory (Valladolid). They’re still in 2nd place in La Liga, 3 points clear of Sevilla and 3 points shy of Barcelona. They’re tied in their Group for 1st with AC Milan (who they play next week), I can’t find standings for the Copa del Rey and I don’t know how the rules work for advancement. However, if it’s like the CL and the aggregate score is what gets a team through to the next round, then Real will have to score 4 or more goals when they visit Alcorcon on the team’s home turf. They are in trouble in that respect.
They were also handed more happy news today. CR9, whom most of Madrid is probably blaming for the recent results Real has suffered, will be out for another week. He won’t play against Getafe this weekend, and he won’t play against AC Milan next week. Pellegrini had better say his prayers before those games start.
I give Pellegrini until the AC Milan game. I think this team is way too dependent on the Portuguese powerhouse, and as soon as he’s in form they’ll start winning again. The trouble is, Pellegrini might not be around to see that.

Rayo Vallecano 2-0 Athletic Bilbao Osasuna 2-1 XerezDeportivo 1-0 MurciaZaragoza 1-1 MalagaGetafe 2-0 EspanyolHercules 2-1 AlmeriaCelta 2-1 TenefireValencia 1-0 AlcoyanoBarcelona 2-0 Cultural Leonesa
There wasn’t too much high scoring going on today and yesterday between the big clubs and their lower-league counterparts. I guess in my naivete I assumed that the Primera league clubs would blow away those in the lower leagues. However, the scores of today and yesterday mean one of two things. Either the leagues within Spain are decently matched and those in the lower leagues can contend with those of the Primera league and prevent a blowout, or the big teams sent out their second string players. I know that’s what Barcelona did- Pedro, a second-string striker who can’t help but score in almost every game he’s played in so, scored Barcelona’s two games today. We all know that wasn’t the case with Real Madrid yesterday, but that was a different story.
Four more games will be played tomorrow before the whole round is repeated next month with this round’s home team traveling to the home pitch of the away team.

I had this mental image of South Africa, semi-poor, borderline Third World South Africa … building some functional stadiums for the 2010 World Cup. They would work, we hoped, but that would be all.

Clearly, I was wrong.

At least one of the new stadiums is visually arresting. The one in Cape Town. “Green Point,” it is called, in Cape Town.

Take a look for yourself. They lit up the thing last night, and three photos are posted at the Johannesburg Sunday Times web site.

Doesn’t it look like a gigantic diamond sitting there in the distance? Reflecting all that light, like the facets of a gem?

Very impressive. Bravo, South Africa.

I don’t know if you can afford this (and who can afford any of the great world events?) … but that is one sharp stadium. Like the Bird’s Nest in Beijing … except maybe even more visually arresting.

Well done.

The defending Professional Arena Soccer League champion Stockton Cougars announced Wednesday they have re-signed three members of last season’s team — midfielder Majell Aterado, defender Lee Pricer and goalkeeper Santos Arteaga — and added former Los Angeles Galaxy forward Isaias Bardales to the 2009-10 roster.

Aterado will be in his third season with the Cougars, having joined them in 2007 as the California Cougars through the Major Indoor Soccer League Supplemental Draft. He wound up spending part of the 2007 season with the Stockton Pumas, an affiliate team in the second-tier Premier Arena Soccer League before being called up to the MISL level.

Pricer played for the Turlock Express, another Premier affiliate franchise, before coming to Stockton and had three total blocks in three games.

Arteaga also spent time in Turlock.

Bardales was the 11th overall pick in the 2001 Major League Soccer SuperDraft and played 12 games over two seasons with only one goal scored. He was then loaned to the Syracuse Salty Dogs of the A-League (now United Soccer Leagues First Division) in 2003, but was released during the season.

Before joining Stockton, he played in the USL’s Premier Development League with the San Diego Gauchos (2006) and the San Jose Frogs (2007).