FIFA U20 World Cup: Round of Sixteen

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Daniel (@MKNN)

{Thoughts on the Group Stage here. The break in play at the Women’s World Cup has allowed me to catch up on the U20’s. I was able to avoid knowing results for quite some time, but right now I do know which two teams make the finals. Hard to avoid results for this long!}

Doing this a little differently …

#MOST IMPRESSIVE

Mali just continues to be incredibly composed, organized, and opportunistic. Ghana was the brightest of the African sides in the group stage, and Mali completely robbed their attack of any momentum, continually breaking up attacks before they reached the final third. I don’t see any future world stars on this team, but the coaching is certainly massively impressive.

Serbia was lucky to pull out their victory, as both sides were very hard to break down. Hungary‘s Bence Mervó continued to impress, and he should have increased his stock significantly over the course of the tournament. The tying goal for Serbia–scored in extra time–was by another name to watch, Ivan Šaponjić.

#MEH IMPRESSIVE

Colombia was probably the better team, but the USA won the game: a long clearance, a nice touch, and Rubio Rubin‘s scoring instinct gave the Americans the win, but they needed a penalty save from Zack Steffan to preserve their lead. Gedion Zelalem continued to impress with his touch, but he doesn’t look particularly comfortable in his role: unsure of where to go, often occupying the same space as a teammate, unsure what runs to anticipate. That will come: remember, he was only called into the American just before the tournament. Steffan, Matt Miazga, and surprisingly scrappy Paul Arriola continue to impress for the USA.

Germany–after breezing through their group matches–looked merely solid against Nigeria. They were never really in danger until the last dozen minutes or so, but they also never really dominated, and their goal, a knuckling, head-level shot by Levin Öztunalı, perhaps should have been saved. Taiwo Awoniyi had another good game, but the announcer’s love for Success Isaac seems based on his name alone. I mean, yeah, it’s a great name …

The Brazil – Uruguay game was just a nasty, testy, grueling affair with Uruguay playing very defensively until the final minutes of regular time, where they had two chances that really should have won the game. Judivan was taken off with what looked like a serious injury, which was a shame as he was having a breakout tournament to that point. Brazil got through, and it may end up being their toughest game.

#MISSABLE

Neither Ukraine nor Senegal look like contenders to me, although Sidy Sarr has had a nice few games. Likewise, Austria and Uzbekistan.

Not only was Portugal‘s defeat of New Zealand missable, I actually missed it.

#QUARTERFINALS PREVIEW

USA v Serbia. Serbia should win this. The USA is just a bit too toothless, and Serbia looks too tough.

Mali v Germany. Boy would I love a Mali win here, but Germany is clearly the better team. This is a true test of Mali’s tactical success: if they can neutralize Germany, their coach’s phone should start ringing immediately.

Uzbekistan v Senegal. Um … coin flip? Neither team has impressed me, and in that sense, they are lucky to draw each other. Let’s go for Uzbekistan, but, whatever …

Portugal v Brazil. This is where, I think, the Uruguay game helps Brazil: this contest should be less physical, more to their liking, and in a game that allows offensive freedom, Brazil should win.

Tournaments are hard. The best teams are probably Serbia, Germany, Portugal, Brazil, and Mali, but four of those teams play each other.

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WWC2015: Round of 16 Previews

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Daniel (@MKNN)

{Discussions of the first match days, the second match days, and a final overview of the group stage preceded this.}

While I’ve succumbed to the prediction bug below, I’m more interested in thinking about what the key components of each contest are. Especially in the Key Players sections, the goal is to help identify what to pay attention to in each game, sort of a viewer’s guide. We’ll see … football can be a fickle game.

GERMANY v SWEDEN

This is a nice outcome from the imbalanced groups: anticipating an easy road, Germany ends up facing a potentially very strong opponent in Sweden. Germany are most likely the best team in the world right now, so they win just by playing like they can.

Here’s how Sweden wins: either they bunker up and get through 120 minutes at 0-0 or 1-1 and survive on PK’s or they snatch a goal on a counter-attack or a wonderstrike (like Sofia Jakobsson did here against Australia) and the Germans have a bad day.

Neither of those are particularly likely, and as Sweden is a notch below Norway, I would see this being a 2-0 or 3-0 win for Germany.

Key Players for Sweden

Lotta Schelin (F) and Hedvig Lindahl (GK). Schelin has a long pedigree of success, and if she can drag another 90 minutes of greatness–or, actually, the right 90 seconds–that could provide the difference for Sweden. Lindahl is likely to be tested all day: the Germans shoot and shoot often, and Lindahl has been quite good throughout the group stage.

Key Players for Germany

Melanie Leupolz (M), Leonie Meier (D), and Celia Sasic (F). Leupolz makes the German engine run, and if she can control the pace and pattern of the game–when to maintain possession, when to take risks going forward–Sweden is in for a long game. Meier offers the most going forward of the German defenders, and since I anticipate most of the game to be played in the Swedish half, she could be a difference-maker, both from her service from the right flank and her shots from distance. While Anja Mittag has more goals, it is Sasic that I think may have the creativity to unravel the Swedish defense: she may not score, but watch the impact of her runs, of the Swedish backline needing to always be aware of where she is.

CHINA v CAMEROON

Easily my most anticipated matchup of the round. I’m an unabashed fan of this Cameroon side and will be wearing my Indomitable Lion(ess) jersey (yeah, I do have one, although it is desperately in need of replacement). Even taking off that hat, though, this could be a great game. We’ll learn a ton here about China: if they can shut down the Cameroonian attack, they will be the first team to do so.

But I think Gaelle Enganamouit rebounds from her weakest game of the tournament, and Cameroon pushes China to the limit.

My crystal ball says the final score is 3-2, but it refuses to say which way. I know which I’ll be rooting for.

Key Players for Cameroon

Raissa Feudjio (M) and Annete Ngo Ndom (GK). The obvious choices are Enganamouit and Gabrielle Onguene, but I think watching Feudjio and Ngo Ndom will reveal more about how the game is going: if Feudjio is breaking up the Chinese attack and winning the battle of midfield, and if Ngo Ndom is composed in goal (something that has occasionally eluded her), Cameroon will have a good day.

Key Players for China

Li Donga (D) and Zhao Rong (D). The partnership of Li and Zhao will go a long way to determining China’s success. A slower paced, more grinding game favors the Chinese, and the steady play of the two defenders will determine to what degree that is possible against the Cameroonian attack. Clearly, someone has to score for China as well, but it’s not clear where that is going to come from.

FRANCE v KOREA

I think this is a fortuitous matchup for France, even if the “good” Korea of their second half showing against Spain shows up. Simply, Laura Georges and Windie Renard in back are just better than the Spanish backline the Korean Republic exposed, and I don’t see the Korean defense containing Eugenie Le Sommer for 90 minutes. 2-0 France.

Key Players for France

Jessica Houara (D) and Laure Boulleau (D). Korea seems to depend on flank play to generate their offense, largely through crosses into the box–indeed, they won against Spain thanks to a cross that was mishit enough that it turned into a goal. As such, Houara and Boulleau’s ability to defend on the outside will be a key, as will the speed with which they can transition from defending to launching an attack of their own.

Key Players for the Korean Republic

Jeon Gaeul (M) and Kim Jungmi (GK). Jeon has been impressive in midfield for her country, industrious and creative, and she will need to put in a big game on both sides of the ball if they are to impress here. Jungmi is long and strong, and while she spills the ball a little often, it never seems to go very far. France will test her.

BRAZIL v AUSTRALIA

I think this is a potentially yummy matchup, but the key word is potentially. The argument for Australia is that Brazil has really yet to be tested and, when faced the waves of attack that Australia can provide, the Brazilian defense can be exposed. Maybe.

The problem is that we have some evidence the opposite is true as well: when faced with a strong attacking team, Australia lost 3-1 to the USA. But if you look more closely, the source of the threat is different. For Brazil, Marta, Formiga, and Andressa form a fantastic spine, but the outside players have yet to really impress. And, even if one did, they aren’t going to suddenly turn into Megan Rapinoe.

So … I may be putting too much faith in the continued brilliance of Lisa De Vanna, but I put this down to 2-2 and the coin-flip of penalties.

Key players for Brazil

Luciana (GK), Marta (M), and Tamires (D). Luciana can be shaky in goal, and needs to be solid, not only in this game, but for the rest of Brazil’s contests in the tournament. Marta still has the ability to dominate a game: the key here is that, if she doesn’t, who steps up for Brazil? Finally, Tamires is the only field player to have played every minute of their games so far, and her ability to organize and anchor their defense will be crucial against Australia.

Key players for Australia

Elise Kellond-Knight (D) and Caitlin Foord (F). Foord started her career as a fullback, and her ability to contribute on both sides of the ball will be important, but Australia’s defense starts with Kellond-Knight. If they can be solid at the back, the mixture of De Vanna, Kyah Simon, and Samantha Kerr will pose danger going the other way.

CANADA v SWITZERLAND

Honestly, I don’t have a lot to say about this one. It is two teams in red and white, so there’s that. Neither have performed particularly well, either could potentially make the semifinals. I think Switzerland has been a shade less impressive, so I’ll go with a Canada team inspired by the home crowd, 2-1.

Key players for Canada

Erin McLeod (GK) and Allysha Chapman (D). I’ve already written about Kadeisha Buchanan‘s impressive play and the notion that Christine Sinclair may be losing the race with time. Either could prove me wrong decisively: the one thing Buchanan lacks is the calm and tactical understanding that comes with experience, and Sinclair could summon up a match from her youth. But I’m going with McLeod in goal and Chapman on the flanks here: McLeod is usually fantastic and occasionally loses her mind: in a tight game, Canada can’t afford her to do that. Chapman has been as impressive as any fullback in the tournament, and if that carries forward, may provide a real edge for Canada on her side of the field.

Key players for Switzerland

Ana Maria Crnogorcevic (M) and Lia Waelti (M). I think the connection between these two players is the engine for Switzerland: if they work well together, the pressure is reduced on the back for, and chances are created for the more attacking players. I would add Eseosa Aigbogun (F) as a wildcard: she looks raw, but very talented, and capable of coming up with a goal.

USA v COLOMBIA

This works out very well for the USA, who should get by without a lot of struggle. Much hinges on how Jill Ellis sees the game: she could very well use it to give some of the second string field time: if you see Tobin Heath, Amy Rodriguez, and Sydney Leroux in the starting eleven, you’ll know that’s where she’s headed.

Note that I would rather see Heath and Leroux start in most cases: my preferred front six would be Heath, Carli Lloyd, Morgan Brian, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, and Leroux, I think (I know that ignores a traditional holding midfielder. Against anyone except perhaps Germany, I’m OK with that). The choice between Leroux and Abby Wambach is a coin-flip; in either case, I would want them prepared to go all out for sixty minutes, and then have the other come in to close the game: whether you go from physical presence/traditional striker play (Wambach) to the speed and creativity of Leroux or vice-versa can be argued either way.

4-0 USA. Be prepared for the media storm after this game about the team being “back.” Discount it: the gulf in class in this game is larger than any other round of sixteen matchup.

Key players for USA

Without knowing the lineups, it’s hard, but I think the USA scores, no matter what. So I’ll go with Julie Johnston (D) here, just because someone has to make sure the defense doesn’t give up a cheap goal.

Key players for Colombia

It’s going to be all about the back line, so we’ll include them all: Sandra Sepulveda (GK), Natalia Gaitan (D), Carolina Arias (D), Nataly Arias (D), and Angela Clavijo (D). They will be under constant pressure all day, and will need to provide the performances of their lives to give Colombia a chance. I’ve been impressed with Sepulveda so far, although she also seems to teeter permanently on the edge of being injured. You’ll hear a lot of talk about Lady Andrade (F), but while she is vital to Colombia scoring, if the back line is merely good and Andrade has a great day, Colombia still lose 4-2.

NORWAY v ENGLAND

This should be a very tightly contested game. It also could be incredibly boring for the casual viewer, as both teams are likely to focus on defensively responsible tactics, counter attacks, and the vague hopes of a moment of brilliance from some very capable players.

Norway is tough and strong. And, very funny. And their best attacker, Ada Hegerberg, is in fine form and, more importantly, able to be a difference-maker on her own. This last point, I think, gives them the edge: Fran Kirby and Karen Carney need combination play to be most effective, and that may be hard to generate against Norway’s defense.

2-1 Norway.

Key players for Norway

Hegerberg first and last. But, Lene Mykjåland (M) is the fulcrum around which the team turns, and paying attention to her effectiveness in midfield should give a good indication of the Norwegian fortunes on the day.

Key players for England

Jill Scott (M) and Eniola Aluko (F). Look, I don’t even know if either of these players will see the field (both were given England’s last game off, and since that was pretty much a “must win,” that may not bode well for their time here). But Scott and Aluko (although she hasn’t shown it yet) are the two players able to pull a moment of brilliance out of nothing on this England team and, in the end, I think that is what will be needed to beat the stout Norway defense.

JAPAN v NETHERLANDS

The final game could also be one of the better contests of the round. The only way I see this game being a blowout is if the long-rumored explosion of the Dutch side finally occurs. Otherwise–and the most likely scenario–is a tight affair that could swing either way. Japan looks very smooth, and seems to usually do just enough to get by. But if you look at their games, they haven’t been terribly impressive: beating Ecuador by one goal isn’t a great result and they were lucky not to drop points against Cameroon.

So that gives the Dutch more than a puncher’s chance in this match. The defensive partnership between Stefanie van der Gragt and Mandy van den Berg looks solid, and it seems improbable that Vivianne Miedema and Lieke Martens are kept under wraps for yet another game (ignoring for the moment Martens’ fantastic game one strike). I think they come through, 2-1 to the Netherlands.

Key players for Japan

As always, Aya Miyama (M) makes the team go, but I would also pay close attention to Aya Sameshima (D), whose influence at the back could be tested by the Dutch attack.

Key players for Holland

Sherida Spitse (M) and Danielle van de Donk (M) don’t get the glory of the forwards, but without them, the Dutch engine grinds to a halt. The matchup between Miyama and Spitse should be especially telling, and van de Donk seems to always be just on the edge of providing the right touch to connect with the three attackers: if she can finally put it all together, the Dutch should do well.

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@The Movies with PopPop: Salt of the Earth

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Daniel (@MKNN)

Salt of the Earth is a remarkable documentary of the life and work of Sebastião Salgado, the Brazilian phtotodocumentarian. The film was written and directed by Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, Sebastião’s son, and was an Academy Award nominee this year.

Salgado spent most of his life photographing the range of miseries experienced by those in disastrous situations, usually resulting from poverty or war — hence the title. His projects included studies of workers around the world, starvation in Ethiopia, migrations and exiles from war or drought areas and the Sahel, among others. His work is both devastating and beautiful, and the accumulation of tragedy and its tension with the beauty is extraordinarily powerful. Makes it understandable why in the last couple of decades he turned both to nature photography — the earth unscarred by its most dangerous animals, humans — and a project co-led with his wife Leila of rainforest restoration, Instituto Terra, around his childhood home in Brazil.

His story, his partnership with Leila, his journey from World Bank economist to photographer to conservationist is fascinating, but the heart of the movie is his photographs, the places he accessed, the connections he made, and the beauty with which he captured such terrifying situations.

Do see it!

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WWC2015: Group Match 3 Thoughts

Posted on June 18, 2015 by Daniel (@MKNN)

{Written after the completion of Group Play. Thoughts on the opening games here; second games here. Will have a preview of the Round of 16 sometime after this.}

Warning: This is a long post, as it turned into more of a summary of the overall group play than just the final game. I had more thoughts than I thought I did and, you know, there are six groups.

Tournaments that include group play tend to follow an always-unique-but-somewhat-predictable script: interesting storylines emerge, some teams surprise early, and at the end of the day, regression to the mean is very hard to overcome, and quality tends to separate towards both the top and bottom.

I’m not saying this WWC has been predictable in its specifics–far form it–but overall the “right” teams are progressing.

GROUP A

Maybe the Dutch are better at math than the rest of us: they sure celebrated their tie with Canada as if they knew progress was assured. In the end, the one team that surpassed expectations–New Zealand–is the one team going home. Canada, China, and Holland all come out of the group still searching for their best form.

If any of those three teams are going to progress past the next round, someone needs to really catch fire. Wang Lisi has been getting the attention for China, but Tang Jiali has been more impressive for me; we’re still waiting for Christine Sinclair to really make an appearance (but the inevitable ravages of time may preclude that entirely); and while Lieke Martens has been fantastic at points, the much-ballyhooed 3M strike force of her, Vivianne Miedema, and Manon Melis has yet to really sparkle.

That may be a reflection of good defense as well, of course: Canada will continue to be hard to break down, as Kadeisha Buchanan is emerging as a potential superstar (yes, she makes some mistakes: she’s nineteen) and I’ve been very, very pleasantly surprised by Allysha Chapman‘s work on the wings. China’s been a bit more suspect defensively, and the Dutch are suffering from some potentially significant injuries along their back line.

In the end, though, I think most people thought three teams (and, probably, these three) would go from Group A, with Canada topping the list.

GROUP B

Again, very few surprises, other than I’m pretty sure nobody thought the best goal (This should take you to 1:40 of the highlights) from this group would come from 4’7″ (on a good day) Ange N’Guessan from Côte D’Ivoire.

We know very little about Norway and Germany: they are several levels of class better than the other two teams in the group, and predictably dominated them, distorting all sorts of statistics (goals is the obvious, but also things that relate to minutes played and defensive evaluation as well).

They most important result–by far–is the 1-1 draw between the top teams: Germany will be disappointed with that game; Norway will see it as proof they can contend for the title. And, if Ada Hegerberg keeps on, perhaps they can.

GROUP C

Cameroon (along with Colombia below) are quickly becoming the darlings of the World Cup (although, if I hear more announcers gushing about the athleticism and physicality of the Cameroonian players without recognizing their technical skills and work rate, I will be … um … predictably disappointed by the use of lazy and ultimately racist stereotypes in the sports media).

Cameroon suffers from some indications of the classic broken team, where a strong defensive line and a strong attacking line lack cohesion between them. In their case, I don’t think it’s a case of ability, but rather tactical discipline: Raissa Feudjio sits in front of the back four quite well (and their tackling–especially captain Christine Manie–has been superlative), but the other midfielders get drawn too far upfield in attack, leaving the team vulnerable to the counter.

But, oh that attack … If you told me that Gaelle Enganamouit would have an off-day, I would give them no chance against Switzerland. But Gabrielle Onguene was utterly magnificent in that game, tireless and aggressive and routinely beating and holding off defenders that were significantly larger than her. It was, for me, the single best performance of the tournament.

Japan wins the group with 9 points and Aya Miyama being a predictable pleasure to watch, but were less than dominant throughout (beating Ecuador by a single goal is not a good result for a team with championship pretensions). Likewise, Switzerland’s thrashing of Ecuador is what allowed them to the next round through the beauty of goal differential, but the Swiss team was unable to really find their offensive legs against either Japan or Cameroon.

GROUP D

The Group of Death turned out to essentially follow expectations: Sweden and Australia were difficult match ups in very different ways, and the USA won the group, despite significant questions remaining about their offensive performance. And Nigeria … was Nigeria: pacey, athletic, disorganized, a bit of a shambles, and full of very odd assertions from its leadership. I do still think Asisat Oshoala is the next big thing, but she’ll have to chalk this WC up to a learning experience.

Sweden was very hard to figure out: they looked miserably vulnerable against Nigeria, and then combative and solid in their last two games. They are always a threat to push an elimination game to PK’s, but their offense needs a lot more–especially from the much-heralded Lotta Schelin who, like Canada’s Sinclair, may be exposing the twilight of her career to public critique.

No such issues exist for Lisa De Vanna, who continues to carry much of Australia’s hopes on her shoulders (and, more, on the undimmed fleetness of her feet). Australia will shine in a wide open game, but they certainly can be tamed–especially by a smart, organized back line.

And that brings us to the USA, whose situation is largely unchanged: we’re still waiting for one of the forwards to take control (although Alex Morgan‘s start was promising and the complaints about Abby Wambach are, for me, really unwarranted: nobody, not Tim Cahill, not Peter Crouch, nobody, succeeds most of the time propelling their noggins towards spherical objects hurtling at odd angles and spins) and we’re still waiting for Jill Ellis to solve her midfield conundrums.

On the other side, the back four have been largely magnificent, with Meghan Klingenberg making an argument as their best player not named Rapinoe and the partnership between Julie Johnston and Becky Sauerbrunn becoming very, very effective.

GROUP E

The media would have loved to jump on either Spain or Costa Rica‘s bandwagon, but in the end a lack of either luck or finishing proficiency doomed the former and the pure talent gap proved too wide for the latter.

So, we’re left with Brazil who emerges largely untested and Korea, who run very hot and very cold: if they play like they did for most of the second half against Spain (and, oh! that header), they can cause some problems, but they were lackluster against Brazil and downright tepid against Costa Rica.

Luciana continues to look shaky in goal for Brazil, but Marta is still Marta and Andressa is turning into a significant contribute for this team, bridging their midfield quite impressively (she is usually the first midfielder back to help defensively, and her passing touch–see her assist on Raquel Fernandes‘ goal against Costa Rica–has been well evident.

GROUP F

The final day of Group F was anti-climactic, but still entertaining, as long as your heart didn’t belong to Mexico. There are two competing narratives on France: either they have regained their form and are back on track or we have no clue, because Mexico is that bad. While I am a big fan of this French team (or, perhaps more accurately, I am a big fan of the future of this French team), I fear that the latter holds more weight than the former.

Still, any team with Eugenie Le Sommer up top is dangerous, and their defense can be impressive, despite the play against Colombia. And, btw, for all the deep-lying midfielders who never get their moments in the sun, this from Amandine Henry may help.

England has done well to recognize how important Karen Carney is to their success, and I think the interplay between Carney and Fran Kirby is the real hope for them in future rounds; that and the continued strength of Steph Houghton in back.

It’s not kind to write off Colombia, but I will. I’ve enjoyed Lady Andrade as much as anyone, but this is a team that is progressing on a single result and, at the end of the day, a team that would probably lose to New Zealand.

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@The Movies with PopPop: Blue Jasmine

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Daniel (@MKNN)

While Blue Jasmine, Woody Allen‘s latest film, has some funny, and even more ironic lines, it is not a comedy!

It is a first rate film, that in a very Woody Allen way seriously engages issues of class and privilege, and perhaps yields his best character study to date of a woman at the center. This is a film full of lies and pretensions, the unraveling of which provide the spine of the film. Cate Blanchett provides an extraordinary performance as the woman at the center, and the supporting roles are all quite strong. Settings alternate between New York and San Francisco, and indeed, the chickens come home to roost!

The stance and sense of the world remain Allen’s — for better and worse — and it’s well worth seeing, even if you don’t emerge laughing

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Monday Evening Quarterbacking: Thoughts on the USA’s Third Game

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Daniel (@MKNN)

Wanted to get these out there before the game, as it’s so easy to claim these things in hindsight.

  • The USA will not reach the finals of the WC insisting on playing Carli Lloyd or Morgan Brian out wide. It’s really kind of baffling: you need a creative, attacking force opposite Megan Rapinoe, and presumably you included Tobin Heath on your roster for something. What, exactly, if not this? And if not her, why has Heather O’Reilly fallen so totally out of favor? I would rather see Sydney Leroux out wide than Lloyd or Morgan.That’s not a knock on Morgan and Lloyd: it’s just that their talents are vision, creativity, possession, pressuring the defense into poor decisions. They need to play between the channels to do that at their best. And if they play at their best, suddenly the USA has a skill dominance in a key part of the field.This is especially important, as Ali Krieger is performing solidly enough defensively, but isn’t offering a lot going forward. Meghan Klingenberg is pushing up higher than Krieger on the left-which the USA needs, because Rapinoe is likely to wander off in search of moments of brillance (and well she should). That means Krieger is probably right to hold back, but it also means the midfielder out there needs to be much, much more effective.I really want to see Heath there. I would even prefer Rapinoe on the right and Heath on the left. But evidently that’s just me.
  • The USA will reach the finals if they can consistently get Brian or Lloyd the ball with some space in the middle of the field. Either one–or someone else, even: the point is that they need someone to own that spot behind their forwards, someone to either set Alex Morgan or Leroux free with through balls, or to get the ball out wide for service into Abby Wambach.
  • OK, this has nothing to do with tomorrow’s game, but … do you think Nike just gave the same pitch to the USA and Brazil for their away shirts? Thinking, you know, what are the odds both of them go for it? That’s the USA on the left, Brazil on the right:

USA Brazil

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@The Movies with PopPop: Ida

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Daniel (@MKNN)

Ida is a wonderful 2013 film, in Polish and in black and white, by the Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski. It’s a story set in the ’60s of a young novice about to take her vows. Before she does, the Mother Superior insists she leave the convent to visit her aunt. Though the convent knew of this aunt’s existence, for Ida, the novice, this is the first she hears of her.

She meets the aunt, and fairly quickly is told that her parents had been Jewish and been killed in post-war Poland. We learn that the Aunt had been an ardent Stalinist in her youth, had been a prosecutor during the Communist rule and sent at least several people to their deaths, and is now a judge in some minor court system.

They wind up spending several days together and they and we learn further detail about the historical events, what they each believe, and what they’re each about. We watch their relationship evolve and watch them face current decision points in each of their lives.

The acting is magnificent, understated and internal sometimes, and the photography is used wonderfully to enhance the mood and focus.

Well worth seeing.

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WWC2015: Group Match 2 Thoughts

Posted on June 14, 2015 by Daniel (@MKNN)

{Thoughts on the Match 1 here.}

Ultimately, I’m conflicted. The round 2 games were, overall, a bit underwhelming. But they set up a fantastic set of clashes for round 3, with almost every game having potential impact on what nations make it through to the next round.

GROUP A

China impressed me in squeezing out the win, but really none of these teams have hit their stride. If Canada can’t beat New Zealand (who, yes, were quite game), they can’t go very far, and China can’t continue to rely on last gasp goals to win.

All that said, the Canada – Netherlands game should be quite good.

GROUP B

Watching the Côte D’Ivoire battle Thailand was enjoyable, but not a great argument for the strength of the women’s game. It’s part of the difficulty of expanding the field, and the first mention of an ongoing theme: if these countries invest in their infrastructure and support their players both at home and abroad, either of them could make a mark over the next 4 to 8 years. The talent is there at the top end, it just drops off too precipitously.

The other game, now that was a different matter altogether. Look, Germany is a great team and will most likely play in the final, but this game certainly showed that they can be beat, or at least competed with.

GROUP C

Japan‘s first half performance was quite strong, but they were, in the end, quite fortunate to gain all 3 points against Cameroon. The Switzerland – Cameroon game should be fantastic: Switzerland is nowhere as good as they looked against Ecuador, and Cameroon will cause them some troubles.

GROUP D

My apologies to FIFA. Nigeria did indeed play Osinachi Ohale as their right-back, which is among the most befuddling choices I can think of. Ohale is hard working, tall, strong, slow changing direction, and incredibly awkward with the ball at her feet. Huge fan, but she’s a center back, and putting her on the wing is begging trouble.

The game with Australia was quite even, but Nigeria never really got going, unable to create enough space for Asisat Oshoala to really shine, and unable to threaten much elsewhere. While Kyah Simon got the goals, it was Lisa De Vanna doing what Lisa De Vanna has done for years that turned the game.

Mix that with a bit of a lackluster performance by the USA, who needed all 64 inches of Meghan Klingenberg to survive, and the final matches should be stunning: Australia v Sweden could very well be win-or-go-home, and Nigeria is totally unpredictable: if they play to their potential, the USA could lose and need help to advance; or the USA could expose their weaknesses in the back third of the field and win 5-0. Make it 5-1: I want Oshoala to provide one highlight reel moment.

GROUP E

Costa Rica was a lot of fun to root for, but don’t be fooled: relying on both of your shots on target resulting in goals to eke out a tie is not a strategy for success. Still, second place is wide open, any of the three teams chasing Brazil could end up there (especially if Brazil rests some key players, having already sewn up their spot in the next round).

If I were picking, I’d pick Spain, who have the marks of a team that is on the bad side of variance right now: if you generate enough near-misses, you eventually generate a bunch of goals.

GROUP F

And here we are. Everyone who picked Colombia to be on top after two games raise your hand. And … no one, other than Lady Andrade‘s immediate family. France was pretty dreadful, and my dark horse pick is looking worse and worse with every game. I’d like to say the trick is they need to bring on Kadidiatou Diani and Griedge Mbock Bathy, but the truth is they need Louisa Necib to be far more creative, and they need Eugenie Le Sommer and Claire Lavogez to play like they’ve played over the past year.

England did not impress me as much as they did others, and while both Fran Kirby‘s goal and story are compelling, the team looked unable to really capitalize on either Jill Scott or Eniola Aluko up top. Scott needs another player to combine with; Aluko needs one more touch to get free. Either could score a brace against Colombia, or the whole team could go down in flames.

Mexico flatters to deceive: at the end of the day, they just aren’t that good, and are another country that, with proper support, could emerge quite suddenly as a great team, but not this year. I would still tip England and France to move on, with each of them winning their final game. But anything could happen.

# # #

Best teams through the first two games: Germany, Norway, Japan, Cameroon, USA, Brazil. That includes both the USA and Brazil under-performing. Perhaps Cameroon is a surprise there, but it’s not like I think they will win it all.

# # #

 

Players who have impressed most so far: Gaelle Enganamouit from Cameroon has been a constant threat, somewhat unlucky not to have scored even more. Germany’s Celia Sasic has been a constant threat, and Leonie Maier has looked fantastic on their right flank. Switzerland’s Ramona Bachmann is as good as there is when she’s on her game, and their blowout win may have put her there. Norway’s Ada Hegerberg remains, along with Maier, the best of the young talent on display.

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@The Movies with PopPop: Mother of George

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Daniel (@MKNN)

Mother of George is a 2013 Nigerian-American film. It is filmed in and focuses on Brooklyn’s Nigerian-American community, an immigrant community large enough to retain a cultural enclave that can be all inclusive to its members, enabling them to live lives of various mixtures of Nigerian and American styles. The story focuses on Ade and Ayo, two Nigerians very much in love, Ayo’s mother and brother, and Ade’s best friend Sade. Ayo owns a Nigerian restaurant in the midst of Brooklyn’s Nigerian community; his brother works with him,

The film opens with a wonderful Nigerian commitment ceremony — as rich, vibrant and absorbing as any ceremony I’ve seen on film. There’s music, dancing, gatherings by gender, blessings by elders — including the assurance to Ade of her fecundity, and that her first child will be a boy, to be named George. (Hence the title.)

Ade doesn’t get pregnant throughout the first couple of years, and this leads to various complications that form the heart of the movie. Simultaneous themes deal with compromises forced by living in the two cultures, the stresses and burdens of crossing real or imagined cultural limits, and the struggles of keeping one’s true self.

It’s a low budget Indie film, with much unevenness. But for its capture of Nigeria in America, of cross-cultural and intra-cultural stress, of love vs, tradition, it’s well worth seeing.

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FIFA U20 World Cup: Group Stage

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Daniel (@MKNN)

{Written having watched all of the group stage matches on FS1 or FS2, but not any of the Round of 16. DVR’s are beautiful things.}

GROUP A

This group for the USA has been hailed as the best youth team produced on the men’s side in decades. That may be true, but it’s less a factor of stateside development than it is of international recruitment: the brightest lights for the USA are all based overseas, most notably Gedion Zelalem, Emerson Hyndman, and Cameron Carter-Vickers ( England), Zack Steffen (Germany), Rubio Rubin (Holland), and (at least in the first game) Maki Tall (France).

It’s a good squad, certainly, quite strong in midfield, and with an attacking line that seems to be rounding into form–at long last for Rubin, but also nicely for Paul Arriola and Bradford Jamieson IV. I worry about their defense against top-tier teams, and would rather not have to depend on Steffen pulling rabbits out of his hat game after game.

The Ukraine result, especially, was troubling: Ukraine is a good side, but they aren’t that good, and the US seemed to very quickly go from highly competitive to largely disinterested. Certainly, Viktor Kovalenko had a lot do with that, and the combination of him and Artem Biesiedin looked quite strong throughout their group stage matches.

New Zealand are a good story as the hosts, and I think good things loom for Noah Billingsley, but I don’t see them moving out of the round of 16, especially given what should be a difficult matchup as a 3rd place seed.

GROUP B

This was the upset of the first round for me: boasting the best player in the competition that I saw, Argentina secured only two points, and crashed out of the competition. A horribly disappointing result, and one that prevents us all from seeing more of Angel Correa, which is sad for all involved.

Correa looked like the real deal: electric with the ball at his feet, good movement, an eye for goal, intelligence. He was always dangerous.

Ghana impressed again, returning many of the players who were first seen at the U17 World Cup a couple years ago. Yes, they were quite lucky to get the draw against Austria, but even if they lose that game, they still progress. Clifford Aboagye and Samuel Tetteh were the best of their players–the attention was focused on Benjamin Tetteh as the ubiquitous tall striker and Yah Yeboah, because (I assume) the announcers saw his affiliation with Manchester City, but the former is clearly used to playing opponents that struggle with his size alone, and the latter, while quite good as a calming force in midfield, lacked the dynamism of Aboagye and S. Tetteh.

It seems that moves from Ghana to Europe are slow and late in coming, so it’s hard to really predict what happens next for those two.

Also notable was Kingsley Fobi, who held his own as an outside back at the tender age of 16.

Don’t have a lot to say about Austria: they are very well organized, play solid defense, and as long as Bernd Gschweidl can get free once per game, can win a lot of 1-0 matches.

GROUP C

Portugal was highly impressive, but aren’t they always, just before losing in the next round? Ivo Rodrigues, Gerson Martins, and André Silva sparkled, but it was a weak group: neither Colombia nor Senegal looked particularly strong.

GROUP D

Mexico‘s collapse rivaled Argentina’s in many ways: one attacker sparkled (in this case, especially in the first two games, that was Hirving Lozano), but the team was lackluster, ill-disciplined, and ultimately quite ineffective.

This opened the door for a surprisingly game side from Mali: their performance against Mexico–especially after the first few minutes–was an absolute clinic in defensive organization and recovery, in how to combat a team that was quicker, technically better, and more skilled. Great coaching job, combined with the skills of Adama Traoré.

Serbia was the best team of the group, surprisingly for me, but the Europeans were composed and very tight defensively, while showing much more going forward than, say, Austria did. An emerging dark horse.

GROUP E

Most frightening for the rest of the field, Brazil came through the group with 9 points and never looked to really hit their stride. Historically at the youth level, they have a hard time moving into that upper gear, so we’ll see if it happens, but certainly the talent is there. Gabriel Jesus and Andreas Pereira were known quantities, but for me Judivan, Malcom, and Lucão were also quite impressive.

I don’t expect a lot from this Nigeria side, although their last match victory over Hungary (which I was unable to watch) does hint a team rounding into form. Hungary had the revelation of this group, though: I was very impressed by Bence Mervó. He looks at first to be a player successful at the youth game because of his size and strength, but his technical awareness and finesse were on fine display.

GROUP F

Much like their opening game to the WWC, Germany‘s 8-1 thrashing of Fiji did little more than put Hany Mukhtar and Marc Stendera in good position to win the Golden Boot for the competition. It certainly didn’t say much about their quality, and this team is really yet to be tested. Still, it’s a very strong side, and a contender for the championship.

# # #

So, that’s that. I can’t seem to find an empty bracket for the round of sixteen, so I can’t predict the outcomes, but the best teams I’ve seen so far are Germany, Brazil, and Ghana . The Americans could make some noise if they can keep it clean at the back, and Mali has shown enough tactical strength to surprise. Hungary and Serbia would be decent long shots, if I were forced to pick a couple.

But the U20 looks a lot like the grown up game right now: traditional powers, an African outsider, and the USA knocking politely to be let into the party.

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