"When will it be Spain's time?"

"When will it be Spain's time?" A question that's response does not guarantee the same reaction.

LEFT: Xavi give me your shirt
CENTER: Iniesta give me your shirt
RIGHT: Pique, give me Shakira!

Last May I infamously boasted to friends or anyone who would listen a bold sports prediction (not uncommon for those that know me), "Spain's run of dominance on the soccer field is over, and Italy will beat them to win Euro 2012". I was sadly mistaken and would be on the verge of suffering an infamous letdown last 1st of July.

I had been led to believe that the Spanish stars "Casilas-Puyol-Xavi-Iniesta-Torres-Villa" were on the outs and the new Spaniard kids were not up to par.

Even after Spain had outclassed my Azzurri last summer, I still stood by my pre-tourney prediction, that, from then on, going forward "Spain's run of dominance, is over"

But just as recent as 11 days ago, I was taught a hard lesson. Spain's run of dominance on the soccer field is not over, and in most people's eyes has just begun.

I may not be as distraught as Azzurrini starlet Lorenzo Insigne was after the crushing 4-2 defeat to Spain in last week's Under 21 European Championship game, but my eyes are wide open to the awesome talents of Thiago, Isco, Morata, and all the other Spanish under 21 players.

SIDE NOTE: Not to take anything away from the 'piccoli Azzurrini' who were brilliant technically in the tournament, and were hard done by a bad call in the final. Italy's future is very bright. But if you’re a fan of this blog then you should know that already.

EXTRA SIDE NOTE: Even the under 20 Spain team is wreaking havoc in Turkey with the talents of Suso, Jese, Bernat, who have them poised as the favourites to win the 2013 U20 World Cup.

That dog was probably the only one in Italy happy to see Mario home early

With this new realization and the fact that Super Mario went home early, my excitement for the Azzurri's chances to win had evaporated by Thursday morning.

So when my mate from London Luke informed me we would be joining Goya nominated screenwriter Jorge LaPlace and his family & friends at Berry Park in Williamsburg for the game, I was hesitant.

Why? Because Jorge Laplace is a native of Sevilla, Spain (pronounced Se-vi-ja) and is a passionate football fan. Jorge's from Spain, not from a country that just speaks Spanish but actually from the country that has been the torment of my Azzuri since 2008. So if he is bringing family and friends, I'm sure they are all from Spain as well. Not the best scene for someone like me (if you know me, then you know I get really into Juve/Azzurri) games. So I decided against wearing a jersey, but wore an aqua blue outfit to hint at my support.

Upon arriving at the bar, Jorge introduced me to his family and friends as 'Alessandro', which marked the first time I didn't want people to get that I was Italian off of my name, but to no avail. I saw a look on their pleasant European faces, a look that meant today we wanted different outcomes.

I sat sipping my delicious SchOfferhofer Grapefruit Lager in its oddly shaped tall glass, while Giaccherini and Maggio captured my imagination with missed chances. I kept my emotions intact for respect to my new friends, but it had me asking myself "is today the day I witness the beginning of the end of Spain's dominance on the pitch?"

The 'back and forth' 'on your feet' action of the first half was replaced with a quiet and uneventful start to the second half. Which prompted a lot of conversation between me and my new Spaniard viewing buddies. In these conversations I started to learn that the same question I had been asking for the last year, "When will Spain's dominance on the field end?", was being asked by these Spaniards as well............... just worded differently.

Jorge introduced me to his father, who is a lifelong 'Madridsta' (Real Madrid Supporter). According to Jorge his father is very irrational to watch a 'Galacticos' game with, which instantly made me respect him, as many have said the same about me watching a 'Zebras' match. All one can do is admire someone for that same amount of passion for a football club.

Jorge and his friend Carmine explained to me that the reason the team they and all of their countrymen of his generation hate the most about Italy was because of an incident in USA '94 World Cup Quarter Final Match between the two nations. For me that World Cup was a bad memory for a more famous reason. But as Jorge and his friend made me realize that was just a part of many of Spain's international failures in the years between 1964-2008.

This made me realize that while over the last year I may have been asking when will it end, Jorge, his generation and especially his father were asking for a lot longer of a time, when will Spain's dominance on the soccer field begin?

Just before penalties began, the nerves were at an all-time high in Berry Park, and my emotions had started to show a little. Jorge turned to me and revealed why he was really disappointed if Spain were to fall to Italy in a dreaded penalty shoot-out.

Growing up all Jorge (and myself included) ever heard was that Brazil is the best and strongest Soccer nation; the international Power House. Now that Spain had two consecutive Euro Cups, and a World Cup under its belt, Jorge and all of Spain feel that this Confederations Cup (a trophy Spain has never won) this final battle with Brazil and arguably Spain's greatest starting XI, is the final test if this Spain team is as great as they all believe they are.

So how could I root against that? We had just seen a disastrous Italy vs. Brazil. Did I really want to see that again?

He did note that even though most people don't care about this cup, Spain wanted it. I want to argue though as to why people should care about this fairly new Trophy. It’s only been supported by FIFA since the 3rd edition in 97, this marking the 9th edition of the Confederations Cup; formerly known as the King's Cup. The concept for the tournament itself is great: A year before the World Cup, the host nation hosts the Champions of all the previous international soccer tournaments to try and make a 'Best of the Best' situation. All previous editions of this tourney never lived up to the billing, but I must say we have seen some great games so far (Italy v Japan, Brazil v Uruguay).

The penalties came and went, and although I knew Bonucci would miss the whole time, I am damn proud of my Azzurri for the effort they put in on Thursday. To go out that way is never easy.

Baggio part II?

Jorge and his family did not boast in my face after their victory, they shook my hand like respectful opponents. That is when I truly realized that Spain is a great soccer nation, and I should respect them and their soccer stars for playing the beautiful game.

They represent a lot more than just passing and attacking style that Brazil made famous in the 70s (Joga Bonita). This Spain team is one of the shortest teams in most tournaments they enter. This trumps a Canadian soccer philosophy that "size matters".

Also unlike Spain’s opponent today; Brazil they don't dive and look for the call as much as most other teams do in today's game. How can anyone not respect that? 

So I have figured out the answer to my question of "When will Spain's run of dominance End?" And the answer is not any time soon. The "Winning" mentality is now embedded in the Spanish culture as much as it is on their jersey. From the Under17 Spanish team to the Main guys, they are going to produce World Class soccer players for years to come, much to the delight of Jorge and co.

Also back on the Confederations Cup, unless you are someone living in Brazil and have no job, you cannot hate on this tournament. If not for this tournament we would not have a Canada Day special like today.

 Two of International Soccer's most prestigious teams Italy and Uruguay meet for the Bronze Medal at 12pm EST. 

And Since 1970 the teams that have dominated it the most meet for the first time in decades. Brazil hosting Spain in the Confederations Cup Final at 530pm EST.

Should be an epic day of Football.

ENJOY.

Armenia vs Italy Thoughts

De Rossi and Osvaldo scored for Italy along with
Andrea Pirlo in a 3-1 victory at Armenia today.

The trip to Armenia was another one of those games for Italy that you just knew seemed easier than it was going to be. Armenia thought to be a minnow among the general soccer population was not at all an easy victory for the Italians. As usual the Azzurri played down to their opponents, for whatever reason they cannot get up for these games. The difference between Italy vs Germany in the Euro tournament and Italy now is about the size of the Grand Canyon it would seem. However we must try to stay calm and cheer on the Azzurri no matter what.

This is still an experimental period for Cesare Prandelli and as we have seen he continues to test out many different players. Its a luxury Italy has that many other nations do not, which is they can test out a lot of different things and still come away with victories without the 'A' team of the moment. Prandelli is looking at the bigger picture and who might be his 'A' squad in 2014.

I hate to say it but the more I watch Sebastian Giovinco the more I lose faith in him. He is an incredibly talented player but he just can't get the job done on the big stage, whether it be with Juventus or the Nazionale. He started out well today vs Armenia, but they adjusted to him and he became a non-factor along with fellow striking partner Pablo Osvaldo for much of the match. One thing the Atomic Ant does extremely well though, is win fouls.

Domenico Criscito made his return to the squad and the masked man was one of the better players on the pitch, attacking the down the left flank and somehow getting back in defense as well. He may not have made a difference against Spain in the final of the Euro, but he would have made the team better overall, will be an integral part of the 2014 squad.

Chiellini was left out of Italy's starting XI
vs Armenia.

Italy however showed many holes in defense, they bent but didn't break .. although Gigi Buffon made an incredible stop on a Davit Manoyan volley which was set up by the man who was the best player on the pitch Henrikh Mkhirtanyan. The midfielder who plays with Ukrainian club Shakhtar took the game to Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci for the second time in as many weeks, the first being in the Juventus-Shakhtar Champions League match a week ago. But back to the Azzurri defense, the first question I ask is why Bonucci and Barzagli? Has Bonucci overtaken Giorgio Chiellini in the eyes of Prandelli? In my eyes the best central defense Italy can offer right now is Barzagli and Chiellini in a four man defense. Bonucci still has a lot of questions to answer as a young defender. Even if Prandelli is looking to the future, the most likely to be left out of the 2014 squad would be Barzagli as he will be 33 by then. However I still believe Italy's central defense is in good shape for the future as it usually is.

I still question Francesco Lodi not being given a chance at the Azzurri squad, dude can flat out play, is the best set-piece taker in Italy aside from Andrea Pirlo and has led Catania to successful Serie A seasons (by their standards) for quite some time now. So what gives? If your going to give Alberto Gilardino a call-up because he is in form, then Lodi deserves one also.

Riccardo Montolivo does nothing for me.

Tuesday will be a much more difficult match-up against Denmark, and hopefully the Azzurri will get some extra motivation from the home fans because they are going to need it. Hopefully Mario Balotelli is ready and able to play, and I'm willing to give Giovinco one more chance, mainly because I think the best complement for him is Super Mario. We shall see but expect another exploratory attack from the Azzurri.

GROUP B

Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Italy	3	2	1	0	7	3	7
Bulgaria	3	1	2	0	4	3	5
Czech Republic	2	1	1	0	3	1	4
Armenia	3	1	0	2	2	4	3
Denmark	2	0	2	0	1	1	2
Malta	3	0	0	3	1	6	0

Keep Calm and Forza Azzurri

With another set of World Cup Qualifiers on the horizon for Cesare Prandelli's re-vamped Azzurri squad, we as fans of the Nazionale, need to keep calm and trust in the project. As good as the run through the Euro 2012 was, one thing was very evident in the squad, the need for youth.

The first excuse used for the 4-0 drubbing in the final of the Euro was fatigue. Not for anything but Spain had to play the same amount of games, so why were the Azzurri so much more tired than 'La Roja'?

One thing is forsure Cesare Prandelli has recognized the need for a new influx of youth and is giving many youngsters a fair chance at making a name for themselves. Marco Verratti, Angelo Ogbonna, Mattia Destro just to name a few. If Italy is to be successful they will need these guys to be integral parts of the squad.

As great as Andrea Pirlo is, and how he has been able to continue playing at such a high level despite his age, he struggles when playing a lot of games in a short amount of time. Moving to Juventus last season was the best thing that could have happened for the midfield maestro. They had only the Serie A to worry about, it was their lone goal for the season, to return as Italian champions. Pirlo was able to stay fresh and was one of the main reasons, if not the reason Juventus was able to win the Scudetto. But in the Euro, and now in Juventus' Champions League campaign, he struggles when having to play a lot of games in a short amount of time. It's not that he becomes a horrible player, he is just not as good. This is where Marco Verratti comes in, at least for the Azzurri, Prandelli knows that it is time to start grooming the 19 year old to be the 'Regista' of the Azzurri midfield with Pirlo on the decline. We won't know how much Pirlo will be able to give the Azzurri come 2014, and with a talent as bright as Verratti it is a no-brainer that Prandelli should start to expedite the process of replacing Andrea Pirlo as the midfield maestro of the Azzurri.

Marco Verratti is not the only Italian youngster on the rise. Mattia Destro, Angelo Ogbonna, Lorenzo Insigne, Ciro Immobile, Luca Marrone, Stephen El Shaarawy, are just some of the names that have been getting Calcio fans excited over the last year or so and are all names that could and maybe should be on the 2014 World Cup Squad if they continue at their current rate of progression. That means a lot of the casual Azzurri fans won't know who the heck these guys are, and might be all up in arms when the time comes. Well I'm here to say Keep Calm and Forza Azzurri. We must trust in the project and trust in Prandelli building this squad.