South Africa Opens world cup Play Against Mexico
All of the promotions and the hype will soon end as the 2010 FIFA World Cup finally gets underway Friday with host nation South Africa taking on Mexico in Johannesburg.
In three days, South Africa will never be the same.
The World Cup is about to make its first appearance on African soil, bringing the very best soccer players and millions of devotees from across the globe. It’s a far cry from 20 years ago, when South Africa was under white rule and Nelson Mandela had just been released from prison at age 71.
It’s hoped Mandela will be well enough to make an appearance before Friday’s opening match (10 a.m. ET, ESPN) in Johannesburg between the host nation and Mexico.
It would definitely be a boost for the South Africa players (known affectionately as the Bafana Bafana, or “The Boys”) if Mandela can be there in person. The team met the Nobel Peace Prize winner on Thursday, two days in advance of their international soccer friendly against Denmark, then they pulled off a mild upset with a 1-0 victory. South Africa was priced at +160 compared to +150 for Denmark and +225 for the draw.
“It was so emotional to see (Mandela) there and everyone was so happy,” South Africa manager Carlos Alberto Parreira told Kickoff.com after the match. “I’m sure it helps the team a lot when we play.”
Inspiration plays a huge role in sports, but as handicappers we can sometimes get lost in the numbers. Soccer is different. It is the greatest art form of all the familiar sports on our radar; goals are scarce, and success hard to measure beyond wins and losses. In the case of Tuesday’s match, the Bafana Bafana are on a 12-game undefeated streak (six wins, six draws), while Mexico went 11-5-2 in World Cup qualifying.
This is a big test for South Africa, both organizationally and on the pitch. Mexico is No. 17 in the latest FIFA world rankings (released on May 26), while the hosts have moved up from No. 90 to No. 83 and should rise even higher after their victories over Colombia (No. 35), Guatemala (No. 114) and Denmark (No. 36). But that still leaves a considerable distance between these two teams.
And yet South Africa is only a small underdog on Friday at +175 to Mexico’s +145, with the draw (through 90 minutes plus injury time) at +225. Even with South Africa’s recent performance and what’s sure to be a patriotic effort in the works, those soccer betting odds are pretty generous to the host nation. Mexico is fresh off a 2-1 win over the 2006 champions from Italy, who were trying out their 4-2-3-1 formation and clearly weren’t happy with the results.
Granted, Italy appear to be a shell of their former selves, with little fresh blood to replace their aging stars. And Mexico (nicknamed El Tri, referring to the nation’s tri-color flag) did lose 3-1 to England and 2-1 to the Netherlands the week before. However, those are World Cup contenders we’re talking about. Mexico can also boast a recent 1-0 victory over No. 18-ranked Chile.
Manager Javier Aguirre has done a fantastic job assembling this team since taking over last year from Sven-Goran Eriksson. Aguirre stepped in under similar circumstances in 2002 and guided Mexico to the Round of 16, where they lost to the United States. El Tri got a taste of revenge last year by annihilating the Americans 5-0 for the Gold Cup – their first win on U.S. soil since 1999. That victory was against what would have to be described as America’s B-Team, but since then, Mexico has clearly become the class of the CONCACAF region.
A draw would be something of a moral victory for South Africa in this matchup, and sharp handicappers are well aware of the value in taking the result nobody wants to see. A goalless draw would pay off at 11-2 on the exact score prop; so would another 1-0 victory for Mexico. May the Jabulani bounce your way on Friday.
All of the promotions and the hype will soon end as the 2010 FIFA World Cup finally gets underway Friday with host nation South Africa taking on Mexico in Johannesburg.
In three days, South Africa will never be the same.
The World Cup is about to make its first appearance on African soil, bringing the very best soccer players and millions of devotees from across the globe. It’s a far cry from 20 years ago, when South Africa was under white rule and Nelson Mandela had just been released from prison at age 71.
It’s hoped Mandela will be well enough to make an appearance before Friday’s opening match (10 a.m. ET, ESPN) in Johannesburg between the host nation and Mexico.
It would definitely be a boost for the South Africa players (known affectionately as the Bafana Bafana, or “The Boys”) if Mandela can be there in person. The team met the Nobel Peace Prize winner on Thursday, two days in advance of their international soccer friendly against Denmark, then they pulled off a mild upset with a 1-0 victory. South Africa was priced at +160 compared to +150 for Denmark and +225 for the draw.
“It was so emotional to see (Mandela) there and everyone was so happy,” South Africa manager Carlos Alberto Parreira told Kickoff.com after the match. “I’m sure it helps the team a lot when we play.”
Inspiration plays a huge role in sports, but as handicappers we can sometimes get lost in the numbers. Soccer is different. It is the greatest art form of all the familiar sports on our radar; goals are scarce, and success hard to measure beyond wins and losses. In the case of Tuesday’s match, the Bafana Bafana are on a 12-game undefeated streak (six wins, six draws), while Mexico went 11-5-2 in World Cup qualifying.
This is a big test for South Africa, both organizationally and on the pitch. Mexico is No. 17 in the latest FIFA world rankings (released on May 26), while the hosts have moved up from No. 90 to No. 83 and should rise even higher after their victories over Colombia (No. 35), Guatemala (No. 114) and Denmark (No. 36). But that still leaves a considerable distance between these two teams.
And yet South Africa is only a small underdog on Friday at +175 to Mexico’s +145, with the draw (through 90 minutes plus injury time) at +225. Even with South Africa’s recent performance and what’s sure to be a patriotic effort in the works, those soccer betting odds are pretty generous to the host nation. Mexico is fresh off a 2-1 win over the 2006 champions from Italy, who were trying out their 4-2-3-1 formation and clearly weren’t happy with the results.
Granted, Italy appear to be a shell of their former selves, with little fresh blood to replace their aging stars. And Mexico (nicknamed El Tri, referring to the nation’s tri-color flag) did lose 3-1 to England and 2-1 to the Netherlands the week before. However, those are World Cup contenders we’re talking about. Mexico can also boast a recent 1-0 victory over No. 18-ranked Chile.
Manager Javier Aguirre has done a fantastic job assembling this team since taking over last year from Sven-Goran Eriksson. Aguirre stepped in under similar circumstances in 2002 and guided Mexico to the Round of 16, where they lost to the United States. El Tri got a taste of revenge last year by annihilating the Americans 5-0 for the Gold Cup – their first win on U.S. soil since 1999. That victory was against what would have to be described as America’s B-Team, but since then, Mexico has clearly become the class of the CONCACAF region.
A draw would be something of a moral victory for South Africa in this matchup, and sharp handicappers are well aware of the value in taking the result nobody wants to see. A goalless draw would pay off at 11-2 on the exact score prop; so would another 1-0 victory for Mexico. May the Jabulani bounce your way on Friday.
The power (FIFA) and the home crowd, blowing the god damn vuvuzelas, are with them Friday. Bafana-bafana wins this 1-0
