Portugal gives goodbye to Euro Cup

Germany showed its strength, Portugal won by 3 to 2, this fifth-place in Basle, and advanced to the semifinals of the Euro. It was the last departure of the Portuguese team under the command of technical Luiz Felipe Scolari, who head the vai Chelsea next season.

With the result, Germany expects the winner of the clash between Croatia and Turkey, this Friday.

Top arrasador

Portugal, even with more technical players, surrendered the attack early departure and opted for counter-attacks as a weapon to reach the German goal. And when they had the ball, the team of Luiz Felipe Scolari was unable to threaten. Cristiano Ronaldo and Deco, the main organizers of the team, took to find in the game, which Portugal did suffer.

Germany, without taking anything with this, valued possession of the ball. Schweinsteiger, on the right side, and Ballack, in the central strip of the field, were the two main players of the team. They had the help of Lahm, fast side that incomodou Bosingwa all the time.

Click and see the gallery of photos of confrontation

At 21, after losing good chance with Ballack, Germany opened the score with a beautiful goal by the left. Podolski received a deep pass after table and went to the fund. The attacker crossed strong to the area, and Schweinsteiger in the first, hit the corner of Ricardo, who could do nothing.

Germany followed better after the goal. And it took the advantage to enlarge. Schweinsteiger lack charged the head of Klose, who, in a legal condition, made the head.

The goal awakened Portugal and Germany to put to sleep. Scolari sacou the steering wheel Joao Moutinho and launched the half Raul Meirelles. The Portuguese grew and equalled the shares. At 41, reduced the advantage of German move in Cristiano Ronaldo. The long pass and half received chutou in the output of Lehmann. The goalkeeper made partial defence, but Nuno Gomes, in turn, picked up the spare. Metzelder also tried to rebut, but the ball died at the bottom of the goal.

Germany secure the second time in Portugal

The game started in a way very similar to the end of the first time. Portugal kept the pace, but Germany came from the locker room with the hand brake pulled. More rearward. Less aggressive with the ball on the feet. The decision drew the Portuguese for the attack, and the confrontation was tense.

At 11, the Brazilian defender Pepe lost an incredible goal within the small area. After crossing Bosingwa, he, head, put on top of the dash.

The Portuguese fans were encouraged and pushed the team forward. Much more on the basis of will than of inspiration (because Deco and Cristiano Ronaldo did not have good performances), Portugal, master of the game, had several chances to empatar, but who mexeu in scores was Germany, with its pragmatic football, often boring. At 16, Schweinsteiger lack charged the head of half Ballack, who took the bad exit of Ricardo to enlarge.

In the final minutes, Portugal was launched to attack and reduced the difference with Postiga, at 42 minutes, to head. The game was dramatic. The pressure of time, Scolari was great, but it was already too late. End of line for Felipão.

Schweinsteinger: 'Portugal is my preferred opponent'

Elected the best player on the field in the victory of Germany over Portugal by 3 to 2, this Thursday in the St.Jakob-Park in Basle, the half Bastian Schweinsteinger recalls always have luck against the opponent.

-- It seems that Portugal is my favorite opponent. We are among the four best and that is fantastic. We eliminated the team that, for me, was the best of the tournament - said, referring to two goals marked the victory of 3 to 1 on the Germans in Portugal dispute the third place World Cup 2006.

The player left from villain to hero after being expelled at the end of the match in defeat to Croatia and have remained outside of the victory over Austria. On this departure sat in the gallery of the stadium in Vienna near the German Prime Minister Angela Merkel. And it received some advice.

-- She told me not to do anything stupid again and for that I play the same as two years ago, the World Cup. If the chancellor calls something to you, as not comply? -- Plays.

After elimination, Cristiano Ronaldo will have surgery

The striker Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed Thursday that this should go through a surgery in the coming days. The player ended its participation in the Euro with the defeat by 3 to 2 from Portugal to Germany, in Basle.

"I'll do an operation now. I had a small problem in the foot by some three months," said the player, that this Thursday also expressed its desire to defend the Real Madrid in Spain.

"I have an operation and then have a good time for me to recover," complemented the player.

Podolski: "I wanted to play at any cost"

The striker Lukas Podolski was said happy to have overcome the muscle pain that almost took the departure of Thursday, in which Germany beat Portugal by 3 to 2 and secured a place in the semifinals of Euro 2008.

The player of Bayern Munich said he "wanted to play at any cost" and managed to "bear the pain."

"Play very well. It was a great game. Now we can celebrate," he said.

Brazil and Argentina draw in Mineirăo

The Brazilian National Team draw this Wednesday evening with Argentina at 0 to 0 in Mineirăo that it has received an audience of 52,527 paying. With the result, Brazil has reached nine points earned and is in fourth place in Rounds of the World Cup of 2010. Paraguay leads with 13, followed by Argentina with 11 points.

The game was equal and much disputed in the first time. Both teams concentrated most of the bids in mid-field, using the touch of ball to find a way to penetrate the defenses.

The two teams had two opportunities to mark. The first, from Brazil, was clearer, with the chute of Julio Baptista stopping the defense of Abbondanzieri in the rebound of Robinho chute, after move that began with Adriano.

Messi had a chance to Argentina, but wasted, chutando out.

The Brazilian National Team still has a bid in which the Argentine defender chutou the chest of Juan, in a bid that the penalty was called.

The second time, Brazil to reach faster in front of shots, but can not overcome the defense argentina to get done.

Argentina has had a bid of more danger in the final minute, but the tie ended up prevailing.

Brazil: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio, Juan and Gilberto, Gilberto Silva, Anderson (Diego, after Daniel Alves), Mineiro and Julio Baptista, Robinho and Adriano (Luis Fabiano). Technical: Dunga.

Argentina: Abbondanzieri, Burdisso, Coloccini, Heinze; Zanetti, Mascherano, Gago, Riquelme (Battaglia) and Gutierrez; Messi (Palacio), Julio Cruz (Agüero). Technical: Alfio Basile.

UPDATE: World Cup 2010 - Brazil v Argentina Line-Ups: Barca's Messi, Arsenal & Spurs' Gilberto's, Man Utd's Anderson Start

TEAM UPDATE: Full starting line-up’s for Brazil v Argentina in their World Cup 2010 Qualifying Match at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil on Wednesday evening.

Paraguay are currently leading the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying table after defeating the Brazil’s Seleçao 2-0 on Sunday, with Dunga’s team currently in 5th place in the CONMEBOL table, behind Uruguay and Colombia, in 4th and 3rd respectively.

Argentina managed to scramble a late-point against Ecuador in Buenos Aires in the Albiceleste’s last World Cup qualifying match at the weekend, with Alfio Basile’s team now in 2nd place in the South American table.

Seleçao head coach Dunga, speaking after the loss against Paraguay at the weekend, is upbeat about their chances against their local-rivals, saying: “The Paraguay result was very bad for us and it's increased the pressure ahead of the Argentina match.

"Sometimes things just work out that way, sometimes they don't. I'm optimistic about Wednesday's game and we'll be going there to win."

Brazil start with Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva starting alongside his North London rival and namesake Gilberto (full name Gilberto da Silva Melo) from Tottenham Hotspur, with Man Utd's Anderson and former Gunners loan player Julio César Baptista also in midfield.

Full Teamsheets for Brazil v Argentina in their World Cup 2010 Qualifying Match:

Brazil Team: Julio César, Juan, Maicon, Gilberto, Lucio, Miniero, Gilberto Silva, Julio Cesar Baptista, Anderson, Adriano, Robinho.

Brazil Substitutes: Doni, Luis Fabiano, Josué, Daniel Alves, Thiago Silva, Alexandre Pato, Diego.

Brazil Head Coach: Dunga.

Argentina Team: Roberto Abbondanzieri, Javier Zanetti, Gabriel Heinze, Jonás Gutiérrez, Fabricio Coloccini, Nicolas Burdisso, Juan Riquelme, Julio Ricardo Cruz, Javier Mascherano, Fernando Gago, Lionel Messi.

Argentina Substitutes: Sebastián Battaglia, Jonathan Bottinelli, Juan Carrizo, Rodrigo Palacio, Gonzalo Javier Rodriguez, Maxi Rodriguez, Sergio Leonel Aguero.

Argentina Head Coach: Alfio Basile.

Euro 2008 Result: Portugal 2-3 Germany - Ballack, Schweinstieger & Klose Seal Quarter-Final v Croatia Or Turkey

Germany have beaten Portugal 3-2 in the EURO 2008 Quarter Final match, with Portugal being eliminated from the tournament after goals from Bastian Schweinsteiger, Miroslav Klose and Michael Ballack sealing the win for Germany, despite Gomes & Helder Postiga scoring for Portugal.

The game started off at a fairly high pace, with Portugal having the majority of possession in the opening minutes of the match.

Chelsea new-boy Jose Bosingwa delivered an excellent cross for Joao Moutinho in the 20th minute, but the Portuguese striker somehow thighed his shot over the bar from just 4 yards out.

Germany started to find their feet in the match and took a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute, with a strike from Bastian Schweinstieger giving the Germans the lead in their first true attack of the game.

Lukas Podolski was the provider, after making a great run down the left channel, crossing the ball into the penalty area for Schweinsteiger to knock the ball past Ricardo to make it 1-0.

Germany doubled their lead just four minutes later. Miroslav Klose scored his first goal of the tournament after latching on to a Schweinsteiger free-kick, beating the offside trap to head past Ricardo and give Germany a two goal advantage before the half-hour mark.

Portugal pulled a goal back in the 40th minute, with Nuno Gomez scoring off a rebound from Cristiano Ronaldo’s shot which was saved by Lehmann.

Gomes’ shot proved too strong for Christoph Metzelder to stop the ball deflecting into the German goal to make it 2-1 before the break.

Portugal took the game to Germany in the beginning of the second-half, with Lahm and Friedrich seeing bookings early in the second half for Germany.

But despite the Portuguese revival, Germany re-gained their two-goal advantage in the 61st minute with a header from Germany captain Michael Ballack.

Ballack seemed to push Chelsea club team-mate Paulo Ferreira out of the way to find space to head past Ricardo to make it 3-1 from another badly defended set-piece.

Lukas Podolski had a stunning effort on goal in the 78th minute, which flashed just wide of Ricardo’s left-post as Germany looked to run the game out.

Portugal scored a second goal with just three minutes of normal time remaining.

Manchester United midfielder Nani made a superb run down the wing, cut back and crossed to fellow substitute Helder Postiga, who headed past Lehmann to make it 3-2 to Germany.

Germany now face either Croatia or Turkey in the first Semi Final of the tournament.

Full Teamsheets For Portugal v Germany EURO 2008 Quarter Final Match:

Portugal Team: Ricardo, Paulo Ferreira, Jose Bosingwa, Cristiano Ronaldo, Petit (Helder Postiga, 73), Joao Moutinho (Raul Meireles, 31), Simao, Pepe, Ricardo Carvalho, Deco, Nuno Gomes (c) (Nani, 67).

Portugal Substitutes Not Used: Nuno Espirito Santo, Rui Patricio, Hugo Almeida, Jorge Ribeiro, Bruno Alves, Fernando Meira, Miguel Veloso, Miguel, Ricardo Quaresma.

Germany Team: Jens Lehmann, Arne Friedrich, Simon Rolfes, Bastian Scweinsteiger, (Clemens Fritz, 83), Miroslav Klose (Marcell Jansen, 89), Michael Ballack (c), Philipp Lahm, Thomas Hitzlsperger (Tim Borowski, 73), Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski, Christoph Metzelder.

Germany Substitutes Not Used: Robert Enke, René Adler, Heiko Westermann, Torsten Frings, Oliver Neuville, Mario Gomez, Piotr Trochowski, David Odonkor, Kevin Kuranyi.

Success Or Flop?

This past Saturday brought the birth of Live MMA on Network TV in a prime time slot. Was the endeavour a success or did the show flop and give the sport a black eye?

Elite XC aired the first ever live event on NBC this past Saturday. The internet has been alive with comments since and is showing no love for what should be heralded as an amazing step forward for the sport.

The night was filled with questionable early stoppages and poor officiating but the main event with Kimbo Slice vs James Thompson was the icing on the cake. Both the Brett Rogers-Jon Murphy heavyweight bout and the middleweight fight between Joey Villasenor and Phil Baroni were waved off as soon as Murphy and Baroni were dropped to the mat. Kimbo vs Thompson however was a different story, Kimbo weathered several elbows and punches to the face while on his back for 40 seconds near the end of round 2. Then in round 3, Kimbo pops a fluid filled ear on Thompson, lands a few more solid shots and the ref stops the fight with both fighters still on their feet.

Even the Gina Carano-Kaitlin Young fight which in my opinion was the fight of the night could have been argued to have an early stoppage. Then there was the Smith vs Lawler fight stoppage by the doctor, not even giving Smith the allotted time to recover after a accidental finger to the eye.

To say the biggest step forward in making MMA seem legit and break into prime time was a failure would be an understatement in my opinion. While the show did draw record numbers of viewers and the viewership grew as the event broadcast played out, the quality of the show was severely lacking.

The only way to salvage what took place would be to learn a great deal from the first event and make changes to be sure it does not happen in the second event. If Elite XC can not step it up then what was perceived to be a huge step forward for the sport could end up being one of its biggest failures. Only time will tell but as all fans I have to hope for the best.

Arlovski Signs With Affliction

Sources say that at tomorrow's Affliction press conference, Donald Trump will be announcing that former UFC heavyweight champion, Andrei Arlovski, has officially signed with the upstart promotion. The Executive Vice President of The Trump Organization and the Special Counsel to Donald J. Trump, Michael D. Cohen, confirmed the news.

Trump will also announce that he has become an equity partner in the Affliction promotion. When asked what percentage of the organization he now owns, Mr. Cohen would only say "a significant amount."

First, the fight with Ben Rothwell is now officially a go. Second, the UFC has now officially lost another top heavyweight talent. Third, it's hard to speculate so early as to how Donald Trump's involvement in Affliction means for their MMA arm or efforts. I sincerely doubt Trump has the sort of commitment to this sport that Dana White has, but nevertheless, add Trump to the growing list of big money heavyweights throwing their hat in the MMA arena. Perhaps Trump can assist in marketing or television opportunities, but for now, we'll have to wait and see.

Is Matt Hughes Finished?

Georges St. Pierre beat him as if he were a rookie and then submitted him at UFC 79, Matt Hughes admitted that thoughts of retirement had crossed his mind.

Saturday, in the main event of UFC 85, Hughes became a notch on the belt of Thiago Alves as he suffered another defeat in overwhelming fashion.

At the UFC 79 post-fight news conference in Las Vegas, Hughes vowed that he would retire before he'd become anyone's highlight reel but now it has happened 2 fights in a row.

Has Matt Hughes past his prime? Should Hughes hang up his gloves and retire to just teaching his once finely sharp honed skills?

Both the UFC and other promotions are over run with fighters and several are a new breed of well trained, hungry and on the edge fighters. While Hughes was one of the greats, it may be time to cut his losses and retire before he becomes another of the once great fighters who are now stepping stones for the up n comers to make a name off of.

Twist Dutch invades Berne. Again

The number of Dutch fans who invaded Berne for the match against Italy on Monday, was so great that the organization of Euro decided Botar another telão for fans of the Netherlands in the area dedicated to fans without tickets, the Fanzone, Berne. On this Friday, once again there was an orange invasion, but at least the Dutch have more space to attend the match against France. It is estimated that 50 thousand fans from the Netherlands are in the Swiss capital.

The number of Dutch in the city exceeded the expectation and planning of the Prefecture of Berne. And the city is that the Netherlands will also do the final departure of the first phase of Group C, against Romania, on Tuesday. The number of French fans in Bern is greater than that of Italians on Monday, but nevertheless does not compare to opponents of the streets of the capital of Switzerland.

Italy tie with Romania and is a complicated situation in the Euro

A Itália empatou com a Romênia nesta sexta-feira, por 1 a 1, em Zurique, e ficou em situação delicada no Grupo C da Eurocopa. A Azurra não depende mais do próprio resultado (próximo jogo contra a França) para chegar às quartas-de-final.


Os gols da partida foram marcados por Mutu e Panucci. O atacante da Romênia chegou a desperdiçar um pênalti no fim do segundo tempo.


O técnico Roberto Donadoni ficou decepcionado com a atuação da Itália na derrota para a Holanda por 3 a 0 e decidiu fazer quatro alterações na equipe. Del Piero, uma delas, deu mais força ofensiva à equipe, principalmente por causa da sua movimentação pelos lados do campo.

Os primeiros minutos foram tensos e estudados. Depois, a Itália, até pela derrota na estréia, saiu um pouco mais para o ataque. Luca Toni, enfiado entre os zagueiros romenos, tinha papel importante. Em determinados momentos, ele fazia o pivô, escorando as bolas para as chegadas do meio. Em outros, era a referência na área.

Aos 20, depois que a Romênia acertou a trave em cabeçada de Niculae, um lance assustador. Na disputa de uma bola aérea, Radoi se chocou violentamente com o companheiro Rat e caiu no gramado. O golpe na cabeça deixou o rosto do meia muito inchado e ele precisou deixar o campo na maca (Dica entrou em seu lugar).
A Itália continuou melhor após o lance. A pressão foi grande. Luca Toni teve algumas boas chances para abrir o placar. Na melhor delas, já aos 47 minutos, chegou a balançar as redes após cabecear cruzamento de Camoranesi, mas o árbitro marcou impedimento erradamente, mantendo o 0 a 0 no placar.


Etapa complementar

O segundo tempo começou diferente. Com gols. Aos 9, o lateral Zambrotta falhou ao tentar recuar a bola para o goleiro, e Mutu, livre, chutou no alto, sem defesa para Buffon. E dois minutos depois, a Itália chegou ao empate em lance de escanteio. Chiellini desviou para a pequena área e Panucci escorou para empatar e colocar fogo na partida.


Donadoni mexeu na Itália e pôs o atacante Cassano no lugar do meia Perrotta. A Itália ficou ainda mais ofensiva. Só que a Romênia, com um contra-ataque veloz, também ameaçava. As chances surgiram. A principal delas foi da Romênia, em pênalti de Panucci sobre Nicolita. Mutu cobrou no meio do gol, e Buffon, primeiro com a mão, depois com o pé direito, salvou em linda defesa.


No final, o empate foi pior para a Itália, que fica com apenas um ponto em dois jogos e precisando de uma combinação de resultados para avançar às quartas-de-final.

After Euro, Real paid $ 203 million by C. Ronaldo, English newspaper says

The complaint from Manchester United in Fifa seems insufficient to undermine the dream of Real Madrid to take the craque Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo to the Spanish team. In this edition Tuesday, the British newspaper "The Times" says that Real would be willing to pay € 80 million (U.S. $ 203 million) by the player after the end of the Euro.

The technician of Real Madrid Bernd Schuster also expects a happy ending for the club. The German never tires of praising the Jersey 7 of the Portuguese selection and expressed the desire to have craque for next season.

-- The hiring of Cristiano Ronaldo does not concern me, because it is not an obsession. We must wait to reach Madrid. Obviously it would be a great recruitment. He would not have problem of adaptation in time - say, a Spanish newspaper interview to "make".

Is Paul Williams Now The Top Welterweight In The World?

With last Saturday’s one round destruction of WBO welterweight champion Carlos Quintana, once beaten Paul Williams (34-1, 25 KOs) may have once again cemented himself in as the top welterweight in all of boxing, bar none. Forget all about WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, because he has his hands full with former WBO welterweight champion Antonio Margarito, whom he fights on July 26th at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Williams, 26, has already done the business of beating Margarito, having done that that by a 12-round unanimous decision on July 14th, 2007.

Once Cotto can do the same, or do it in even more impressive fashion, boxing fans can pretty much stay quiet about Cotto. Williams, though, he’s showed his worth as a champion by not only beating Margarito, but now having beaten a second welterweight champion in Quintana. Many fans and ring experts alike were giving Williams little chance at winning against Quintana, saying that the Puerto Rican fighter “had his number,” that there was “no way” that Williams could fix the problems in his game in only four months. Yet, that’s exactly what he did, not only fixing the problems but making himself almost invincible in the process

Boxing

Boxing (sometimes known as pugilism, Anglais boxing, Fistfighting, or English boxing) is a combat sport in which two participants (generally) of similar weight fight each other with their fists. Boxing today is conducted in a regulated way, typically in a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds. Victory is achieved if the opponent is knocked down and unable to get up before the referee counts to ten seconds (a Knockout, or KO) or if the opponent is deemed too injured to continue (a Technical Knockout, or TKO). If there is no stoppage of the fight before an agreed number of rounds, a winner is determined either by the referee's decision or by judges' scorecards.

Although fighting with fists comes naturally to people, the ancient Greeks were the first to make a sport of it, by giving rules and staging tournaments with professionals. The birth hour of boxing as a sport may mark its allowance as an Olympic game as early as 688 BC. Modern boxing evolved in Europe, particularly Great Britain.

In some countries with their own fighting sports, the sport is referred to as "English Boxing" (e.g. in France to contrast with French boxing). There are numerous different forms of boxing practiced across the world.

Surfers and surf culture

Surfers represent a diverse culture based on riding the naturally occurring process of ocean waves. Some people practice surfing as a recreational activity while others demonstrate extreme devotion to the sport by making it the central focus of their lives. Within the United States, surfing culture is most dominant in California and Hawaii. Some historical markers of the culture included the woodie, the station wagon used to carry surfers' boards, as well as boardshorts, the long swim suits typically worn while surfing. Today, the modern clothing retailer of Hollister Co. has marketed surfing culture to mainstream America.

The sport of surfing has become so popular that it now represents a multi-billion dollar industry specially in clothing and fashion markets. Some people make a career out of surfing by receiving corporate sponsorships, competing in contests, or marketing and selling surf-related products, such as equipment and clothing. This rise in popularity has also led to the creation of surf schools and camps, where lessons are taught to novice or beginner surfers. Other surfers separate themselves from any and all commercialism associated with surfing. These "soul surfers," as they are often called, practice the sport purely for personal enjoyment and many even find a deeper meaning through involving themselves directly with naturally-occurring wave patterns and subscribe to ecological philosophies, or ecosophies. While often classified as a sport, surfing is also considered a lifestyle and to a lesser extent a religion.[citation needed]

On September 2, 2007 in Brazil, 84 surfers (from Australia, South Africa, Portugal, Britain and the US, to beat the former record of 73 surfers on a wave) caught the same wave. But while 300 turned up in Cornwall and Cape Town, the Brazilian waxheads won. With only 120 people, surfers in Santos, south-east of Sao Paulo, smashed the South African record.

Hydrodynamics

Swell is generated when wind blows consistently over a large area of open water, called the wind's fetch. The size of a swell is determined by the strength of the wind, the length of its fetch and its duration. So, surf tends to be larger and more prevalent on coastlines exposed to large expanses of ocean traversed by intense low pressure systems.

Local wind conditions affect wave quality, since the ridable surface of a wave can become choppy in blustery conditions. Ideal surf conditions include a light to moderate strength "offshore" wind, since this blows into the front of the wave making it barrel or tube.

The factor which most determines wave shape is the topography of the seabed directly behind and immediately beneath the breaking wave. The contours of the reef or sand bank influence wave shape in two respects. Firstly, the steepness of the incline is proportional to the resulting upthrust. When a swell passes over a sudden steep slope, the force of the upthrust causes the top of the wave to be thrown forward, forming a curtain of water which plunges to the wave trough below. Secondly, the alignment of the contours relative to the swell direction determines the duration of the breaking process. When a swell runs along a slope, it continues to peel for as long as that configuration lasts. When swell wraps into a bay or around an island, the breaking wave gradually diminishes in size, as the wave front becomes stretched by diffraction.

For specific surf spots, the state of the ocean tide can play a significant role in the quality of waves or hazards of surfing there. Tidal variations vary greatly among the various global surfing regions, and the effect the tide has on specific spots can vary greatly among the spots within each area. Locations such as Bali, Panama and Ireland experience 2-3 meter tide fluctuations, whereas in Hawaii the difference between high and low tide is typically less than one meter.

In order to know a surf break, one must be sensitive to each of these factors. Each break is different, since the underwater topography of one place is unlike any other. At beach breaks, even the sandbanks change shape from week to week, so it takes commitment to get good waves (a skill dubbed "broceanography" by a few California surfers). That is why surfers have traditionally regarded surfing to be more of a lifestyle than a sport. Nowadays, however, surf forecasting is aided by advances in information technology, whereby mathematical modelling graphically depicts the size and direction of swells moving around the globe.
Surfing in the wake of the Upper Sluice, Thun, Switzerland
Surfing in the wake of the Upper Sluice, Thun, Switzerland

The regularity of swell varies across the globe and throughout the year. During winter, heavy swells are generated in the mid-latitudes, when the north and south polar fronts shift toward the Equator. The predominantly westerly winds generate swells that advance eastward. So, waves tend to be largest on west coasts during the winter months. However, an endless train of mid-latitude cyclones causes the isobars to become undulated, redirecting swells at regular intervals toward the tropics.

East coasts also receive heavy winter swells when low pressure cells form in the sub-tropics, where their movement is inhibited by slow moving highs. These lows produce a shorter fetch than polar fronts, however they can still generate heavy swells, since their slower movement increases the duration of a particular wind direction. After all, the variables of fetch and duration both influence how long the wind acts over a wave as it travels, since a wave reaching the end of a fetch is effectively the same as the wind dying off.

During summer, heavy swells are generated when cyclones form in the tropics. Tropical cyclones form over warm seas, so their occurrence is influenced by El Niño & La Niña cycles. Their movements are unpredictable. They can even move westward, which is unique for a large scale weather system. In 1979, Tropical Cyclone Kerry wandered for 3 weeks across the Coral Sea and into Queensland before dissipating.

The quest for perfect surf has given rise to a field of tourism based on the surfing adventure. Yacht charters and surf camps offer surfers access to the high quality surf found in remote, tropical locations, where tradewinds ensure offshore conditions. Since winter swells are generated by mid-latitude cyclones, their regularity coincides with the passage of these lows. So, the swells arrive in pulses, each lasting for a couple of days, with a couple of days between each swell. Since bigger waves break in a different configuration, a rising swell is yet another variable to consider when assessing how to approach a break.

Surfing

Surfing is a surface water sport in which the participant is carried along the face of a breaking wave, most commonly using a surfboard, although wave-riders may make use of kneeboards, body boards (aka boogie boards), kayaks, surf skis, and their own bodies. Surfing-related sports such as paddleboarding and sea kayaking do not require waves, and other derivative sports such as kitesurfing and windsurfing rely primarily on wind for power, yet all of these tools may as well be used to ride waves.

Two major subdivisions within contemporary stand-up surfing are reflected by the differences in surfboard design and riding style of longboarding and shortboarding.

In tow-in surfing (most often, but not exclusively, associated with big wave surfing), a surfer is towed into the wave by a motorized water vehicle, such as a jetski, generally because standard paddling is often ineffective when trying to match a large wave's higher speed.

SriLankan Airlines Pro off & running in the Maldives, building swells to deliver an awesome week of surf!

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 9 June, 2008 : - - Pasta Point on the beautiful Chaaya Island in the Maldives greeted 200 of the world’s top ASP World Qualifying Series surfers with waves that built throughout to an excellent 1.5m by the end of day one of the SriLankan Airlines Pro.

What started as wind effected and quite small conditions transformed to the typical quality and rippable perfect left point peeling waves as an expected new swell filled in and the surfers delivered excellent performances with high 8 and 9 point rides common.

Former world top ten surfer Phil MacDonald (AUS) was the standout performer of the morning with an ominous performance which included the day’s top scoring single ride of 9.33 to easily win his heat.

MacDonald was a surprise non qualifier for the 2009 ASP World Tour following six years of high performances that had him firmly inside the world’s top ten on the ratings. The powerful natural footer put on a performance today that was stamped with determination to get his world career back on track and after his heat MacDonald commented on his present position saying –

Blake Wilson : photo Steve Robertson

“I’ve had time to really get back to enjoying my surfing this year and I think a break from the ASP World Tour could be just what I needed to get my focus back. That heat was fun, the waves here suit powerful backhand surfing and in the past I’ve done well here so hopefully I can do well again and get the right waves. The 9.33 I scored in that heat I feel I can really surf way stronger than that and build significantly, especially with what appears like some seriously good swell for the rest of the week.’

Other strong opening day winning performances came from Fredrico Pilurzu (Costa Rico), Joan Duru (France), Jay Quinn (NZ), Jack Perry (AUS) and Marlon Lipke (Germany).

Brazilian surfers have always stood out at this event and the large contingent here which includes defending event champion Heitor Alves cheered on two barnstorming winning performances from compatriots Jadson Andre and Robson Santos. Andre, a former World under 18 surfing champion posted the days highest scoring heat with 17.66 in his demolition victory over Australian’s Dion Atkinson (2nd) and Luke Cheadle eliminated in 3rd.

With the events top seeds set to enter the water tomorrow and most of them fine tuning their performances today and acclimatizing to the 30 degree waters in the excellent nearby surf breaks at Sultan’s and Honkies this afternoon, tomorrows action is not to be missed, particularly with perfect swells predicted to remain with the event throughout the week!

Fredrico Piluzo : photo Steve Robertson

Just a few of the top seeded surfers off enjoying excellent nearby waves today included Hawaiian 2000 world champion Sunny Garcia along with Shaun Cansdell (AUS), Travis Logie (ZAF) and Patrick Gudauskas (USA). Sixteen round one heats were completed today and tomorrow will see the remaining 8 round one heats completed before going straight into round two.

Pasta Point is located on beautiful Chaaya Island, Dhonveli in the exotic Maldives. The 6 Star Prime Rated SriLankan Airlines Pro is a key event in the ASP World Tour offering bonus in ratings points as one of the limited Prime Rated events conducted around the globe, the SriLankan Airlines Pro is a focus point on the tour for the elite of the ASP WQS tour members.

THE SriLankan Airlines Pro prides itself on being an ASP 6 star Prime Rated event, regarded by many as the World’s Premier ASP World Qualifying Series Events held in possibly the HOTTEST waters on the ASP Tour! The Maldives presents SriLankan Airlines Pro is proudly sponsored by SriLankan Airlines, Maldives Tourism & Promotions Board, Dhiraagu, Chaaya Island, Bank of Maldives, Inner Maldives Holidays Atoll Travel & Atoll Adventures

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Event Brief: The SriLankan Airlines Pro is widely regarded as one of the premier events on the prestigious ASP International World Qualifying Series. Held in the Maldives each year since 2001 during early June the event has always delivered high quality surf and the event is famous for being held in the warmes surfing waters of any event world wide, at an amazing approximate of 30 degrees.

Hugo Savali : photo Steve Robertson

The number one seed this year is Michael Campbell (AUS), a former world number 2 rated surfer and the field includes the likes of 2000 ASP World Champion Sunny Garcia (HAW), Travis Logie (ZAF), Masotoshi Ohno (JPN), Aritz Aranburu (SPAIN), Jay Quinn (NZ), Brett Simpson (USA) to name just a few of the outstanding surfers here this year. The defending champion is Heitor Alves (BRA) who is scheduled to surf in heat 16 round 5 which is expected to surf on Wednesday with the finals expected to run through Saturday and Sunday.

Day two of Euro 2008. Austria 0-1 Croatia, Poland 0-2 Germany.

The second day of the European Championships followed a very similar pattern to the first.

The joint hosts Austria, like Switzerland before them, put up a decent showing against one of the ‘outside bets’ for the tournament, Croatia, who like the Czech Republic before them, looked far from impressive. The hosts lost the game 1-0.

In the second game one of the favourites, Germany, like Portugal before them, played well and looked pretty impressive against one of the outsiders, Poland, who like Turkey before them, huffed and puffed and played well, but had no penetration. The favourites won the game 2-0.

On the positive side, and most of it has been very positive so far, all four games have contained some excellent football. On the negative side, it has all turned out to be quite predictable in the end.

Today, the ‘group of death’ takes over and that will buck the early trend because nothing in that group is predictable. The games between Romania and France and particularly Holland and Italy are very difficult to call.

The facts from yesterdays matches are that in the early game Croatia were handed on a plate what proved to be a fourth-minute winner when new Tottenham recruit Luca Modric drilled home a penalty after Austria’s Rene Aufhauser clumsily fouled Ivica Olic in the area. It was an obvious foul and the Austrian protests were surely out of frustration at their teammate rather than the decision.

Croatia dominated for the next twenty minutes or so with Modric looking impressive but Austria gradually took a hold on the game. They played some excellent football and created a number of half chances. In the end they couldn’t find the net and ultimately paid for having a lack of real quality in the final third.

Although Croatia won the game, the same could indeed be said of their quality in the opponents penalty area. The team, who looked a long way from being potential winners of the tournament, don’t appear to have adequately replaced injured Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva.

In the later game, Germany had what was in the end a fairly comfortable victory against a spirited but ultimately limited Poland side. A goal in each half from Polish born striker cum wide man Lukas Podolski was enough to see the tournament favourites cruise to a deserved win.

Poland had a good period in the second half when they were only 1-0 down but they never seriously troubled Germany. As well as the two goals, Klose and Gomez managed to combine to make a total mess of one great chance, Gomez missed another good opportunity and Poland keeper Boruc made some decent saves and one stunning one to deny Chelsea’s Michael Ballack.

In the second half, Poland introduced Brazilian born Guerrero to the side and he looked the most likely player to unsettle Germany. One cross he provided was headed towards goal by Marek Saganowski, but Jens Lehman saved easily.

So, after four games we have seen nothing to suggest that the tournament will provide any major shocks. The group of favourites look about right, the ‘outside bets’ have won but not looked good, and the ‘no hopers’ have battled and played with pride but lost. It looks like the bookies have got it right, as usual.

One thing that I feel I should comment on after these first four games is the quality of the refereeing. With one or two exceptions when play has been prematurely stopped when the offended against team were in a good position and advantage should have been played, the standard has been particularly high. The referees have been under-stated. They have hardly been noticed. That is exactly as it should be. In the Premier League in England we are used to referees trying to make themselves the star of the show.

The four referees so far have not been ‘card happy’ and have run the games with a great deal of common sense. When players have fallen theatrically to the ground the refs have simply told them to get up and get on with it. When the referee was confronted with the difficult decision to award a penalty against the host nation after just three minutes yesterday, he didn’t hesitate.

The refereeing has been refreshing so far. The games have been refreshing so far. The football has been refreshing so far and the spirit in which the games have been played has been refreshing so far.

As an Englishman, I am truly hoping that all of the above is not true mainly because England aren’t there and we haven’t yet seen an English referee! That is what I’m hoping, but it isn’t necessarily what I believe!

Deco: I’m Headed To Either Chelsea or Inter

Jose Mourinho only took charge of Inter on June 2nd, but he has already moved quickly in the transfer market.

The Italian midfielder has been one of the Nerazzurri’s prime targets ever since Mourinho took over at the club, although he was also a target for predecessor Roberto Mancini.

The 30-year-old had a disappointing season at Camp Nou and will definitely leave the club. Rumours from news agencies in Italy say that the Inter club has agreed to pay Barca between 12 and 13 million Euros, with Deco signing a three year contract worth five million Euros per season.

“At this moment I have only two possibilities – Chelsea or Inter,” the Barcelona man told El Mundo Deportivo.”

“I have not sealed a deal with either of them, though. I have not yet decided upon my future, as I have to meet with me agent and see what is best for me.”

“I certainly will not go to a club that I don’t like or that won’t allow me to win trophies, as that is my objective.”

Mourinho has been brought in with the immediate goal of aiming for the Champions League victory which he has already won with Deco at Porto.

“Undoubtedly my rapport with Mourinho is excellent and that does factor into my decision, but I have to view many other elements too,” continued the Portuguese international.”

“Inter are a good squad that satisfy the aspirations of any player. So do Chelsea, where many of my friends currently play.

Ronaldinho To Turn Down Manchester City

Ronaldinho seemed to be set on moving to Manchester City from Barcelona next season, but representatives of Ronaldinho are now saying that he will be turning them down unless the current offer is increased.

City are said to have offered Ronaldinho a set contract worth £8million with an added £1.6m in bonuses, if the club qualify for Europe next season. This would seemingly beat his current deal at Camp Nou which has 2 years left on it, but that might not be enough.

As a quick comparison, The Guardian reports this new deal would equate to eventual weekly wages in the region of £200,000, which is close to what Ronaldo will probably be getting next year at an estimated £220,000 per week if he stays at Manchester United.

There is a possibility Ronaldinho is just unhappy about some personal terms, and less concerned about the financial offer, but Manchester City is still confident that they will land the transfer of the summer. Eastlands directors are to travel to Brazil in an attempt to reach an agreement with his brother and agent Roberto De Assis Moreira.

US 0-0 Argentina - Player grades

Let's see, amazing showing by a goalkeeper, horrible calls from the ref, an engaged, pro-USA crowd and Mastroeni walks off with a red, if only Brian McBride showed up bleeding from his face, it would have been World Cup 2006 against Italy all over again.

Sunday night was a great night for the US men as they played their best match since 2006 in front of almost 80,000 passionate fans. Argentina pressed and pressed, but the US was able to hold thanks in huge part to goalkeeper Tim Howard. The fact that he went 1 on 1 with Julio Cruz on four occasions and won every one of them is proof to his talent.

But the Americans did not just sit back and bunker down, instead they actually put together some good combinations that saw them open up the field and push towards goal. The bad news, when it came to the final third, the red, white and blue were still lacking.

As great as the play on the pitch was, the two biggest moments of the game were due to referee Joel Aguilar Chicas channeling his inner Jorge Larrionda and blowing calls. One, the missed penalty kick call against Tim Howard when he took down the on rushing Sergio Aguero in the 52'. Howard didn't get a single finger on the ball and took our Aguero's legs, it should have been a pk. Two, the phantom second yellow card to Pablo Mastroeni in the 71'. For once Pablo was completely innocent of anything as he wasn't even involved in the play that resulted in the foul. The reason given was unsporting behavior, but to earn a second yellow, in a friendly no less, Mastroeni must have said something really awful.

Both of these missed calls changed the flow of the game. The US was just starting to gain momentum when the Aguero mistake was made. Had the proper call be given, the game would have opened up for both teams. The Mastroeni red changed the entire mindset of the squad as they went from trying for a win to hoping for a tie.

In the end, this was a good way to end their three games of death. It showed us the weaknesses that still exist (forwards) and the strengths that we have (goalkeeping, defending).

Now the team moves on to the real matches as World Cup Qualifying starts next Sunday.

Here are the player grades:

Starting XI
Tim Howard (GK) - If anyone had any questions as to our number one in the nets, he shut them down last night. He was lucky with the pk call, but that still doesn't take away from his first half heroics. A+
Steve Cherundolo (D) - Beat a lot by Messi, but could hold his own with others. B-
Oguchi Onyewu (D) - He covered the mistakes of others and provided us with the best scoring opportunity of the night (which is also kind of sad). Still, he missed his marks a couple times. A-
Danny Califf (D) - Slow start but picked up as the game moved along. Held his spots and blocked a bunch of centering passes. He deserves more looks. B+
Heath Pearce (D) - This was his breakout night. He kept the left flank tamed and pushed the ball forward. I think we have our left back. A
Michael Bradley (M) - Bad night for the little Bradley. Wasn't controlling the ball or supply. Maybe a couple weeks off will do him good. C+
Pablo Mastroeni (M) - Up to the red, he was looking good. Provides coverage for defenders and placed some good balls forward. B
Clint Dempsey (M) - The most consistent attacking presence, but passed instead of shot a few too many times. Has good ball control and helped in defense, but needs to take the shot. B+
DaMarcus Beasley (M) - Nice speed along the side that surprised Argentina more then a few times. His crossing is still in need of some help. B
Landon Donovan (F) - Not a bad 100th cap, but nothing spectacular. He wasn't given many balls to run onto, but still caused some trouble. Getting better with corners and passing. B+
Eddie Johnson (F) - Time to move EJ to the sub list. Three starts and nothing from them. Last night saw more of the same. He's good at getting in but he doesn't know how to take a shot. C-

Subs
Maurice Edu (M) - On for Bradley in the 46'. Held his own and started a number of the second half attacks. B+
Jay DeMerit (D) - On for Onyewu in the 61'. Looked good and make some smart plays while his team was down a man. B
Freddy Adu (M) - On for Dempsey in the 61'. Did not take over the game like he did in Spain but gave the US some sort of push, especially late. Wasn't the best technical decision to go 1 on 4 while trying to kill the clock but I like his effort. A-
Sacha Kljestan (F) - On for Johnson in the 74'. The fact that this change only seemed to happen because Johnson get an injury is frustrating. Kljestan gave the side energy and make some good passes. Would have liked to see more then 20 minutes form him. B+
Eddie Lewis (D) - On for Pearce in the 78'. He still has something, which is good to know if the injury bug comes along. B
Frankie Hejduk (M) - On for Beasley in the 91'. Ran down the balls in his few minutes on the grass. Much like Lewis, he can bring some experience and calm to the side. No grade.
Sub not used: Brad Guzan


Bob Bradley (Coach) - Other then starting Eddie Johnson and then not subbing him out earlier and not giving Adu a bit more time, it was a good night. When Mastroeni was sent off, his changes to the team's setup proved capable of holding off the number one team in the world. Still needs to figure out the offensive problems. B+