Anthony DiCicco is the CEO of SoccerPlus Companies, which includes one of the most successful soccer camp organizations in the United States as well as SoccerPlus Connecticut, an accomplished premier club.
When you look back at what all 6 of us who picked the knockout stages picked, there was some debate over who would get through the USA-Brazil game, and as we all saw rightfully so as the match was closer than most could have possibly imagined. But at the end of the day, we all picked Germany to win the World Cup and they went out in the Quarterfinal which means not only did they not win this event but they also fail to qualify for the 2012 Olympics (which in this writer's opinion is criminal by UEFA). But let's also be certain to give credit where credit is due, Japan and France were the stories of this tournament from the purist footballing standpoint. They both play the game with a commitment to possession and with a tactical savvy that we need to learn from and emulate on fields across the country. The United States have rode this uncompromising mentality of "we're not going to fail to reach the final again" embodied so strongly by Abby Wambach. I believe that mentality will be strong enough to overcome another herculean effort by the Japanese. But I take my hat off to Japan who are giant slayers at the moment knocking down Germany and Sweden after an uninspired performance against England. The Japanese are proud and good and should not be taken lightly. The USA was on the ropes for much of the game against France but strong tactical moves by the coaching staff changed the game. Failure to make similar moves against Japan could leave open the door for a Japanese team that was unaffected by gifting an early goal to Sweden. USA 2, Japan 1
When you look back at what all 6 of us who picked the knockout stages picked, there was some debate over who would get through the USA-Brazil game, and as we all saw rightfully so as the match was closer than most could have possibly imagined. But at the end of the day, we all picked Germany to win the World Cup and they went out in the Quarterfinal which means not only did they not win this event but they also fail to qualify for the 2012 Olympics (which in this writer's opinion is criminal by UEFA). But let's also be certain to give credit where credit is due, Japan and France were the stories of this tournament from the purist footballing standpoint. They both play the game with a commitment to possession and with a tactical savvy that we need to learn from and emulate on fields across the country. The United States have rode this uncompromising mentality of "we're not going to fail to reach the final again" embodied so strongly by Abby Wambach. I believe that mentality will be strong enough to overcome another herculean effort by the Japanese. But I take my hat off to Japan who are giant slayers at the moment knocking down Germany and Sweden after an uninspired performance against England. The Japanese are proud and good and should not be taken lightly. The USA was on the ropes for much of the game against France but strong tactical moves by the coaching staff changed the game. Failure to make similar moves against Japan could leave open the door for a Japanese team that was unaffected by gifting an early goal to Sweden. USA 2, Japan 1
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