Saturday, June 26, 2010

World Cup: U.S. loses to Ghana 2-1

June 26, 2010 3:59 PM
Chicago Tribune-Breaking Sports
Tribune News Services RUSTENBURG, South Africa -- Asamoah Gyan scored in the third minute of extra time to give Ghana a 2-1 win over the United States and a place in the World Cup quarterfinals.The teams were level at 1-1 through 90 minutes at Royal Bafokeng Stadium before Gyan ran onto a long pass and held off defenders Carlos Bocanegra and Jay DeMerit to smash a left-foot shot over goalkeeper Tim Howard from about 12 meters (yards).Ghana is only the third African team to make it through to the World Cup quarterfinals. It will meet Uruguay at Soccer City on Friday.
Kevin-Prince Boateng had put Ghana ahead in the fifth minute with a low shot from the edge of the area. He ran into space that opened as DeMerit kept retreating, then sent a ferocious shot that beat the diving Howard at his near post.Landon Donovan equalized with a 62nd-minute penalty after Jonathan Mensah got his second yellow card of the tournament, ruling him out of the quarterfinals, for swiping away Clint Dempsey's legs as he broke from deep.Donovan crouched in contemplation as he prepared to take the penalty kick, picking at the grass and ignoring the players around him before getting up to steer his kick in off the right-hand post.It was Donovan's U.S.-record fifth goal at the World Cup and 45th in international football. The United States threw Howard into attack for injury time at the end of the match, but Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingson punched the ball away from a corner and the Americans never came any closer. Both teams created enough chances to have won the game in normal time, with Ghana dominating the first 45 minutes before United States coach Bob Bradley stabilized his team at halftime with the second of two substitutions.United States midfielder Ricardo Clark, recalled to the starting lineup in an attempt to add solidity to the American midfield, had given Ghana its first real opening when he gave the ball away under pressure in the center circle.Ghana defended in numbers to deny space for the likes of Donovan and Dempsey to attack from deep, and countered swiftly through Boateng, Dede Ayew, Kwadwo Asamoah and Gyan when it did win possession.
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--http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Fate of McChrystal in doubt

6-22-2010
(Reuters) - The top U.S. general in Afghanistan faced possible removal on Tuesday after he and his aides were quoted in a magazine article mocking President Barack Obama and his top advisors.

General Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan and the architect of Obama's war strategy, was summoned to Washington to explain his "enormous mistake in judgment" directly to the president, Obama's spokesman said.
Asked whether Obama was considering ousting the general, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters, "I would say all options are on the table."
McChrystal has apologized for the article, due to be published in Rolling Stone magazine on Friday.
It quotes McChrystal's aides calling one top Obama official a "clown" and another a "wounded animal." The general himself made belittling remarks about Vice President Joe Biden and the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke.
The Pentagon blasted McChrystal over his comments and stopped short of expressing confidence in his ability to continue leading the nearly nine-year-old war, seen by many analysts as in a stalemate with the Taliban.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said McChrystal had "made a significant mistake and exercised poor judgment." Admiral Mike Mullen, who as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the top U.S. military officer, expressed his "deep disappointment."
"Gen. McChrystal has apologized to me and is similarly reaching out to others named in this article to apologize to them as well," Gates said in a statement.
McChrystal himself offered his "sincerest apology for this profile" before flying to Washington, where he will also meet with Gates on Wednesday.
"It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never have happened," McChrystal said in a statement.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai fully backed the U.S. general and "believes he is the best commander the United States has sent to Afghanistan over the last nine years," a spokesman said.
Just six months ago, Obama backed McChrystal's request for more troops, escalating an unpopular conflict in which costs and casualties are soaring.
(Additional reporting by
Will Dunham, Matt Spetalnick and Jeff Mason in Washington, David Fox and Jonathon Burch in Kabul; editing by Patricia Wilson and David Storey)

---Top aide to General McChrystal resigns

-davidsamuels7@gmail.com

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

World Cup Highlights

Soccer passion passed down
Today, June 16, 2010, 5:32:11 PM

Argentinian's explain how the passion for soccer is passed down from generation to generation.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Apollo Theater Benefit and Awards

Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson honored

Published : Monday, 14 Jun 2010, 11:24 PM EDT

MYFOXNY.COM - The iconic Apollo Theater in Harlem inducted Aretha Franklin and the late Michael Jackson into the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame on its special 2010 Benefit Concert and Awards Ceremony.
Hosted by comedian and Oscar-award winning actor Jamie Foxx, the ceremony also honored New Yorkers Mark Anthony and Jennifer Lopez with the Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis
Arts and Humanitarian Award
This award, named after the late Ossie Davis and his wife, Ruby Dee, is given annually to a couple who embody a rarified command of their craft, a deep commitment to their community, and an unshakeable connection to each other and their family, according to the Apollo.
This event is the Apollo's largest annual fundraiser. Proceeds of the event benefit the Apollo Theater Foundation. Inc., which preserves and develops the Apollo Theater and its initiatives for performing artists, educational programs, and community outreach efforts in New York City.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Ghana Gives Africa Its First Victory

By JEFFREY MARCUS
Published: June 13, 2010
PRETORIA, South Africa — Ghana and Serbia came into the opening game of Group D of the World Cup with different agendas.
Serbia aimed to erase the memory of its disappointing performance from four years ago in Germany, where it played with Montenegro, and was eliminated after three straight losses, including a 6-0 thrashing by Argentina.
Ghana, which had advanced to the Round of 16 in 2006, hoped to ride a wave of African support even deeper into this tournament, the first on its home continent.
It appeared the game was destined to be a scoreless draw, until a late penalty — the tournament’s first — gave Ghana the opening it needed in a 1-0 victory. The win was the first for an African team at this World Cup.
“We are so happy an African team won against a strong European team,” Ghana Coach Milovan Rajevac said. “We are happy if all of Africa is happy.”
In the 84th minute, with Ghana pressing a one-man advantage after Serbia’s center back Aleksandar Lukovic was sent off for receiving a second yellow card, Zdravko Kuzmanovic, a second-half substitute, hit the ball with his hand while leaping awkwardly to head a cross. The referee Héctor Baldassi from Argentina awarded the penalty kick and Asamoah Gyan smashed the ball to the right of goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic, to the delight of the vast majority of the 38,833 vocal fans in Loftus Versfeld Stadium. The stadium was the site of South Africa’s 1-0 victory over Sweden in 1999, its first win against a European opponent.
It capped a strong and ambitious effort by Ghana that left Rajevac, a Serbian, with conflicted emotions. He politely shook hands with Serbia’s coaching staff while his players celebrated on the field.
“For myself, my job, this is a great victory,” Rajevac said. “I’m sorry for the Serbian team. I love its players. I tried to perform my duties in a professional manner and it is very difficult to play against Serbia.”
He added, “I wish Serbia to attain 6 points in the next two games.”
Ghana controlled the ball and the pace of the game, though the teams shared possession almost equally. The Ghana players were quick and dynamic, showing keen passing, but lacked the strong final touch needed to score.
In the 15th minute, after sustained offensive pressure, Ghana had three good shots — two from Kwadwo Asamoah and one by Kevin-Prince Boateng — that were blocked well by the Serbian defense.
Boateng, Asamoah and Andre Ayew were strong on the left side of midfield in the first half, quickly moving the ball from Ghana’s defensive third into the attacking half of the field. Their probing passes tested a shaky Serbian backline.
Before the game, Lukovic said Serbia would concentrate on defense and show that it had shored up a backline that looked out of sorts in two pre-tournament exhibitions. Instead, Serbia was slow and predictable.
“During the game, I didn’t notice Ghana really had many opportunities to score before the penalty,” Serbia Coach Radomir Antic said. “We played the correct game during the first 45 minutes considering our opponent.”
Ghana had 13 shots to Serbia’s 10, but the Serbians conceded large swaths of green in the midfield, allowing Ghana’s outside players to advance up field.
Right back Branislav Ivanovic looked surprisingly overmatched, requiring help from Lukovic and Nemanja Vidic on a number of occasions in the first half. Ghana’s Ayew and Gyan were often able to run free.
Serbia was less aggressive on offense, preferring to have Dejan Stankovic and Nenad Milijas remain deep in midfield and send long balls to the tall forward Nikola Zigic to flick up the field with his head, or over the top of the defense for striker Marko Pantelic to run to. The approach failed. Serbia had only five shots in the first half, none of them a true threat to go in the net.
Ghana’s best chances came in the second half courtesy of Prince Tagoe. In the 54th minute he sent a lofting cross from the right side over the Serbian defense that met Ayew’s head, but went just wide. Moments later, Tagoe danced through two defenders, into the Serbian box. Ayew followed his cue, letting a shot go in the 56th minute, but the ball sailed high.
In the 60th minute, Gyan leaped high above the Serbia defenders to nod John Pantsil’s long throw-in off the post — surprising given the size of Serbia’s centerbacks Vidic and Lukovic.
Perhaps more stunning for Serbia was Lukovic’s lack of discipline. A lazy foul in the 74th minute earned him his second yellow card of the game and he was dismissed. Lukovic clearly held Gyan’s arm before the Ghana forward went down to the ground.
Eleven minutes later, Gyan converted the penalty kick to seal the game.
“Everybody is happy,” he said. “Not only Ghana, but the whole of Africa.”
---
http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com