FOOTBALL IS COMING HOME » Venezuela

Golazo de Rey

David Patrick Lane — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:24:39 +0000

Who’s going to miss Ronaldo in South Africa? Not me.

High and Tight in Venezuela

David Patrick Lane — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:16:07 +0000

Brazil have qualified, despite their early drama. Argentina can end their drama tonight in Ascunion. Chile and Paraguay are expected to qualify, though a close look at their remaining fixtures suggests their drama may be about to begin. The other usual suspects, Colombia, Ecuador and Uruguay are drifting, clinging to the hope the current with take them to Costa Rica. Bolivia and Peru have time to plot their way to Brazil in 2014. And Venezuela?

As we approach October, it is usual for Venezuelans to be considering which baseball franchise from El Norte to support in the World Series. This year Venezuelans have other balls to juggle. Venezuela showed they got game in Santiago on Saturday night. Check out the highlights above. Watch Jose Manuel Rey continue to give “High and Tight” a whole new meaning in Venezuela.

Venezuela entertain Peru tonight. A win is likely. When it comes, Venezuelan football may begin to be taken seriously outside South America. Other South American nations are already wise to the Vino Tintos. With the exception of two thumpings by Argentina and Brazil, Venezuela have been competitive in every fixture.

The Vino Tintos are a team sourced from home grown and home based players. They like to polish each other’s boots. They are tight.

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When the Boot was on the Other Foot

David Patrick Lane — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:16:38 +0000

Argentina losing at home to Brazil was not so extraordinary. It had happened before. It was actually more noteworthy when several months earlier Uruguay lost a World Cup qualifier at home to Brazil. That had never happened before.

South American World Cup qualifiers are ultimately predictable affairs, the current Argentine drama notwithstanding. Earlier in the qualifiers, bigger questions hung over Brazil.

After 8 qualifiers more than a few Brazilians feared this would be the year Brazil failed to qualify. Four draws, three of them 0-0, including an embarrassing night in Rio de Janeiro, when Bolivia secured their first ever World Cup point in Brazil. It was more humbling than Brazil’s earlier defeat in Asunción

Somehow Dunga survived.

If Brazil had not beaten Venezuela in San Cristóbal last October, I doubt Dunga would have found himself shaking Maradona’s hand in Rosario last Sunday night.

It’s Venezuela, Brazil’s opposition that night, that now promises to be the story of the South American qualifiers.

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