Agudelo spoils the party: SA 0, USA 1

By Peter Alegi | November 18th, 2010 | 2 Comments

Agudelo scores the winner (Photo by Sophie Alegi)

Juan Agudelo — six days shy of his 18th birthday — scored the only goal of the game in the 84th minute and spoiled a massive party in Cape Town. 51,000 of us were on hand at Green Point stadium for this glossy friendly on a warm and breezy late spring evening.

As we walked towards the ground, pubs were full of Bafana fans wearing the yellow national team shirt.

World Cup atmosphere at Green Point (Photo by Peter Alegi)

A few Americans chanted their support for the stars-and-stripes and confidently predicted a victory.  The World Cup atmosphere was back (minus the FIFA branding).

Who said soccer ain't American? (Photo by Peter Alegi)

Inside the arena a welcoming vibe enveloped us. The sweet smell of football. The energy of a racially mixed and patriotic crowd. President Zuma meets the teams on the pitch. All for a good cause: the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. Fans belt out South Africa’s multilingual national anthem in unison: a rare, precious moment of communitas, football’s unique contribution to a fractured society searching for a shared national identity.

Unfortunately, the football on the night was crap. Let’s call a spade a spade. A strangely lethargic Bafana Bafana side knocked the ball sideways and backwards, while the second-string Americans kept their shape and every once in a while hoofed the ball forward hoping for a break. Still, the two best chances fell to the hosts who, characteristically, squandered them. 0-0 at the half. Perhaps the one silver lining for SA was Leeds striker Davide Somma’s positive debut.

Play resumed at the same monotone pace, passes going astray, nobody really able to turn defenders or take a decent shot at goal, and a series of edgy tackles that did little to improve the flow of the game. A steady stream of substitutions made matters worse. The Mexican wave takes off, a universal symbol of bored fans.

Photo by Peter Alegi

The concocted drama of penalties beckoned until the Colombian-born Agudelo, left wide open in the box, capitalized on an inviting assist by Mikkel Diskerud, a former Norwegian under-19 international whose mother is American. Bafana pressed for the equalizer, but it was too little too late.



As the home crowd filed out quietly, a group of vociferous American college students wrapped in red-white-and-blue began their celebrations. I couldn’t help but think back to the last time South Africa played in Cape Town: a 3-1 loss to Zambia in September 2007. Is the Mother City cursed?

The Americans Are Coming!

By Peter Alegi | November 16th, 2010 | 4 Comments

The year of Africa’s first World Cup is coming to an end. Tomorrow I am headed to Cape Town with my family for the South Africa – United States match at Green Point stadium. It’s a friendly branded as the Nelson Mandela Challenge — all proceeds go to the Mandela Children’s Fund.

A couple of days ago Rodney Reiners of the Cape Argus contacted me and Anders Kelto, an American reporter and former Under-17 US national team captain, for some insights on American soccer to share with South African readers in the build-up to the match. Here’s the interview in full:

Rodney Reiners: What should South Africans know about the establishment and rise of the MLS?

PA: Major League Soccer is a legacy of the 1994 World Cup. It kicked off in 1996 and marked the resurrection of professional soccer in the USA after the demise of the North American Soccer League in 1985. (There were some other attempts at pro soccer in between the NASL and MLS but nothing terribly noteworthy.) I was at the first final at Foxboro Stadium in ’96 with 30,000 mad people in a torrential rain of biblical proportions. It ended 3-2 on a golden goal for DC United: incredible stuff. This league, it seemed to me, was going places. The NASL’s collapse a decade earlier influenced the MLS’s decision to have centralized ownership of player contracts (that is, the league owns contracts not the clubs); to not over-expand the number of teams (we now have 16); make the league more “American” and not overly dependent on over-the-hill foreign stars.

AK: And to prevent the kind of imbalances that doomed the NASL. The New York Cosmos bought the world’s most famous players and drew huge crowds, but just about every other team struggled on the field, and financially.

PA: That’s a very good point Anders. I should add that the commitment of several large corporate sponsors and multi-year TV contracts helped keep MLS afloat in the difficult early years and also legitimized it. Today, MLS competes with ice hockey as the best professional league in the country after The Big Three (NFL, MLB, NBA). That’s a significant achievement and it’s sustainable in the long term.

(more…)

Heartbreak for South Africa

By Peter Alegi | November 11th, 2010 | 3 Comments

The biggest day in South African women’s football history ended in heartbreak as Equatorial Guinea defeated Banyana Banyana 3-1 after extra time on Thursday at a packed Sinaba stadium in Daveyton outside Johannesburg. After 90 minutes the score was 0-0.

The decisive moment came in the 103rd minute. Salimata Simpore capitalized on a defensive mistake by Van Wyk with a simple finish from just inside the box to give the defending champions a 1-0 lead they did not relinquish.

Psychologically shaken and physically tired, the hosts collapsed. In the 109th minute, a Banyana corner led to a breakaway by Equatorial Guinea that ended with a Jade cross being clumsily deflected by Dludlu inside the far post for an own goal that put the game away. As the deflated home crowd filed out of the stadium, Salimata collected a cross, and in one smooth move faked out a Banyana defender and the goalkeeper to slot home a third goal. Amanda Dlamini saved South Africa’s honor with a delicate chip over the keeper two minutes from time. Final score: 3-1 Equatorial Guinea.

The game had started with the defending champions in control, a fact reflected in their 60 per cent possession of the ball in the first twenty minutes. But the first chance fell to South Africa in the 14th minute when in-form striker Amanda Dlamini squandered the easiest of chances, shooting right at the goalkeeper from close range. Banyana gained confidence and territory in the latter part of the first half, largely thanks to Jafta’s domination of the midfield. Just before the break, Van Wyk’s free kick missile from 40 meters out (!) was tipped over the bar by Miriam. On the ensuing corner, Jafta turned and struck a wonderful shot from near the penalty spot, which forced a miraculous diving save from the Equatorial Guinea keeper. No score after a bruising first half. South Africa would come to rue the missed chances.

The second half was more guarded, neither side wanting to risk making a costly mistake. The Togolese referee seemed far too tolerant of rough tackling, with several players on both sides suffering injuries that required bandaging of heads as well as “holy water” treatment. Despite notching 56 percent of possession, Banyana were unable to penetrate, or seriously threaten the Equatorial Guinea defense anchored by Carolina. Then a turning point in the match: Augustine Makalakalane, South Africa’s coach, replaced Jafta with Makhabane, hoping to gain in creativity and attacking force. Instead the move backfired as Equatorial Guinea asserted control of the midfield. The best chances in the final twenty minutes fell to Chinasa Okoro and Salimata, with goalkeeper Mndaweni doing well to stop them in one-on-one situations.

Dlamini almost won it for South Africa on the stroke of 90 minutes with a high shot to the near post that Miriam parried away for a corner. As we readied ourselves for extra time, Salimata broke away from her marker down the right side but failed to deliver an easy pass to Chinasa for the simplest of tap-in goals. It was a sign of things to come.

Earlier in the day, news reports in South Africa had criticized Equatorial Guinea for quickly giving citizenship to players from Brazil, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Senegal. According to kickoff.com, Salimata even played in the AWC qualifiers for Ivory Coast! Cameroon lodged an official protest about Salimata in the group stage, but CAF appears uninterested in pursuing the case.

So Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria — 5-1 winners over Cameroon in the other semifinal — will represent Africa at 2011 Women’s World Cup in Germany. The African champion will be determined on Sunday.

Can Anyone Stop Nigeria?

By Peter Alegi | November 10th, 2010 | 4 Comments

Three victories by a combined score of 10-1 so far in the 2010 African Women’s Championship make Nigeria’s Super Falcons heavy favorites to claim the continental crown.

Led by superstar striker Perpetua Nkwocha’s seven goals, the Super Falcons face Cameroon in tomorrow’s first semifinal. (This match kicks off at 10am. Brunch at Sinaba stadium anyone?). These two West African rivals — in men’s and women’s football — have met in each of the last three AWC tournaments, with Cameroon losing three times (once on penalties) and drawing once. In the 2004 final in South Africa, Cameroon were humiliated by Nigeria 5-0, with Nkwocha scoring four goals. Not a good omen for The Indomitable Lionesses.

South Africa and Equatorial Guinea meet in the second semifinal (3:30pm start, thankfully). This is a rematch of the 2008 title game won by the small oil-rich nation by a score of 2-1. Neither team has played their best football yet so this is likely going to be a riveting contest. Local media have been giving Banyana Banyana unprecedented coverage. The sportive nationalism of the crowds at Sinaba stadium has boosted the confidence, if not the performance, of the South Africans and may well prove decisive against the defending champions.

Prediction: South Africa and Nigeria meet in the final on Sunday.

South Africa through to AWC semis

By Peter Alegi | November 7th, 2010 | 2 Comments

Another packed house at Sinaba Stadium was on hand to support Banyana Banyana in the last match of the group stage of the 2010 African Women’s Championship. Needing only a draw to qualify for the semifinals, South Africa defeated Mali 4-0 to take second place in the group behind Nigeria (3-0 winners over Tanzania). South Africa are one win away from qualifying for the 2011 Women’s World Cup in Germany.

While the scoreline suggests a one-sided affair, Mali and South Africa battled it out fairly evenly for 75 minutes. Ayanda Dlamini, making her first start of the tournament, put Banyana ahead with a nice header in the 32nd minute and it was 1-0 at the break.

The second half was marked by some rough and undisciplined play, with Mali earning four yellow cards and one red. As the West Africans grew more frustrated, Dlamini knocked in a loose ball from five yards out in the 77th minute to put the game beyond reach. Crisp finishing from substitute Seoposenwe (85th) and Sister (89th) then gave the 15,000 home fans more reasons to celebrate Banyana’s passage through to the semifinals. Their opponents will be decided tomorrow; probably Equatorial Guinea or Cameroon, although Ghana still have an outside chance.

Update: Click here to get access to AWC video highlights: http://www.supersport.com/football/african-women-champs/fixtures

Nigeria 2, South Africa 1

By Peter Alegi | November 4th, 2010 | 3 Comments

Perpetua Nwkocha was at her stellar best today, scoring two goals as Nigeria defeated South Africa 2-1 at Sinaba Stadium near Johannesburg. The three-time MVP of African Women’s Championships leads the tournament in scoring with five goals in two matches.

The contest was played in a relaxed atmosphere, nothing like the Battle of Vosloruus of 2000. The 15,000 capacity crowd — mostly young men — transformed the ground into a sea of yellow and gold. A small, vociferous group of Nigerian fans countered the vuvuzela cacophony with actual trumpets and drumming.

Banyana started tentatively, but hardly seemed a “desperate team,” as the Nigerian coach said in a pre-game interview. South African goalkeeper Thoko Mndaweni fumbled an easy shot six minutes in, and then failed to come out on a dangerous cross. The Super Falcons moved well on attack, dominating the middle of the park and exploiting their superior speed on the flanks.

Nigeria were rewarded in the 23rd minute, as Nwkocha smoothly finished a 1-on-1, courtesy of an Oji assist and lax marking. Nigeria continued to pile on the pressure, picking up corners and creating chances from their wing play.

Nwkocha made it 2-0 with a towering header off a corner in the 39th minute. Even the home crowd applauded the goal. Five minutes later, Banyana’s central defender Janine Van Wyk struck a thunderous free kick from 30 meters out to bring South Africa back into the game. The wonderful goal revived Banyana and the hopes of the partisan crowd. 2-1 at the halftime break.

I should note that Super Sport’s TV coverage was very good overall. Several cameras provided different angles, though not as many as in PSL (men’s pro) matches. The commentators were fairly solid. They showed respect for Nigeria, avoided condescending remarks, and relied on patriotic verve only a few times. A good sign for women’s football in South Africa and Africa.

As play resumed, South Africa discarded their long-ball approach but strikers Matlou and Popela remained too isolated and, therefore, ineffective.

Nigeria produced the first goalscoring chance of the second half in the 50th minute, before Banyana began to push the visitors back into their defensive half.

But the final twenty minutes saw Nigeria back in control as fatigue slowed Banyana down. The hosts created a last opportunity from a loose ball in the box in the 79th minute, but Nigeria calmly thwarted it. The Super Falcons came close to a third goal in added time and in the end deserved to take all three points from this entertaining and well-played match.