It’s been a few months since the initial projection and it’s changed a bit with several friendlies taking place. Overall, the core of the team remains the same with the final spots still unclear. This projection is of what the team (23 man squad) will be for the World Cup (in 2014) and not during qualifying.

The third goalkeeper could change but for now I’m giving it to Nick Rimando. David Yelldell could also be in that spot and it’s probably a coin flip on who will be selected. There’s no change to the defense and forwards but that’s not to say these are stable. Aging veterans like Carlos Bocanegra and Steve Cherundolo are not guarantees to be around in two years and Omar Gonzalez has to return from a torn ACL.

The first six or so midfield spots are easy to pick with a few question marks for the last two spots. Brek Shea has a bright future but he failed to impress during recent friendlies. Robbie Rogers continues to get opportunities and recently made a move to English Championship side Leeds United. Neither Shea or Rogers are anything close to a lock at this point.

The latest projection is below.

USA 2014 World Cup Squad Projection – Version 1.5

Goalkeepers (3) – Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, Nick Rimando

Defenders (8) – Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Tim Ream, Omar Gonzalez, Timmy Chandler, Eric Lichaj, Steve Cherundolo, Jonathan Spector

Midfielders (8) – Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Stuart Holden, Maurice Edu, Brek Shea, Jermaine Jones, Robbie Rogers

Forwards (4) – Jozy Altidore, Juan Agudelo, Teal Bunbury, Edson Buddle

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USA 2014 World Cup Squad Projection – Version 1.5 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has once again won the FIFA Ballon d’or, which is awarded to the top player. Messi, who led Barcelona to the La Liga and UEFA Champions League trophies, was the clear favorite heading into today’s ceremony. Cristiano Ronaldo finished 2nd to Messi while teammate Xavi Hernandez finished third in voting for the second straight year.

It wasn’t a total success for Messi in 2011 as Argentina struggled in the Copa America and Barcelona lost

The voting was not that close with Messi receiving almost half all votes.

Leo Messi: 47,88%
Cristiano Ronaldo: 21,6%
Xavi: 9,23%

Messi stated in his acceptance speech that credit should be given to his teammates including Xavi.

“Xavi, this Ballon d’Or is yours as well”

“We’ve shared this moment for four years. This Ballon d’Or is also yours (Xavi). Without your help I would not be here.”

The Ballon d’Or was first awarded in 1956 and changed to the FIFA Ballon d’Or in 2010. It originally was only available to European players on European clubs but has recently been opened up any player. Messi is now tied with Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, and Michel Platini.

Messi is only 24 and at this point could end up winning many more Ballon d’Or trophies.

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Lionel Messi Wins 2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or For Third Straight Year - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

It was a year of good and bad for the beautiful game. As 2012 nears, it’s time to reflect on this past year in the world of soccer. Who was the worst transfer, the worst moment, miss, and more? Below is my list of the worst of 2011 soccer awards.

Worst Transfer - Fernando Torres

This wasn’t too hard to pick as Torres cost roughly 50 million pounds (around $75 million) and has scored three goals in 28 appearances. Torres has looked a shell of the player he was at Liverpool and lately has been relegated to the bench. He could still turn things around but for 2011 it was clearly a poor transfer for Chelsea. There shouldn’t be a ton of blame placed on Chelsea for making the move as Torres, when in form, is still capable of being one of the top strikers in the world.

Worst Moment - Sepp Blatter

Blatter made headlines, for all the wrong reasons, when he spoke about racism in the sport. He said the following:

“There is no racism [on the field], but maybe there is a word or gesture that is not correct.The one affected by this should say this is a game and shake hands.”

Now, anyone can make misguided or insensitive comments, but this is just one of several missteps from FIFA and Blatter. They continue to lose credibility and trust from fans, media, and players. The fallout from picking Qatar for 2022 is still there and few believe there wasn’t some money or bribes involved with the decision. This statement might not have been enough to been the worst this year but based it being Blatter and all the problems with FIFA, it adds up to be the worst of 2011.

Most Disappointing Team - NY Red Bulls

At times, the MLS side looked unstoppable but ended up struggling to make the playoffs and eventually eliminated in the quarterfinals. On paper, the team has lots of talent but consistently underachieved on the pitch. It’s not totally clear what went wrong but certainly deserves some blame. The Mexican defender was given a large contact but was a bust and even called out teammates for not being good enough. The team could be losing Tim Ream in the transfer window but could use that money to bring in another top player.

The Red Bulls serve as notice that bringing in top players doesn’t always translate to victories. It’s important to have chemistry and consistency, something that that Red Bulls never had in 2011.

Worst Miss - Fernando Torres

Torres is an easy target these days but his miss on September 18th against Manchester United was poor. The Spaniard had dribbled around the goalkeeper and had an open net from inside the box. He missed in several feet wide and while the goal might not have changed the result (3-1 Man Utd win), it certainly would have helped to give confidence to Torres. There are probably other misses that were easier but Torres’ is the worst based on several reasons. Torres has been a top notch striker (look at Liverpool scoring record), his transfer fee cost, and the fact it was in a crucial EPL match.

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The Worst Of 2011 Soccer Awards: Torres, Blatter, and More - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

FC Barcelona defeated Santos FC 4-0 in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup final on Sunday, December 17, 2011.

Santos FC 0-4 FC Barcelona Video Highlights

The match highlights can be viewed here at Free Soccer Highlights.

Santos FC 0-4 FC Barcelona Recap

Barcelona won their second FIFA Club World Cup trophy in three years as they dominated Brazilian side Santos.

The Spanish side were once against led by the Argentine Lionel Messi who had goals in the 16th minute and 82nd minute. The other goals were scored by Xavi in the 23rd minute and Cesc Fabregas in the 44th minute. Santos, who most thought were the second best team in the tournament (behind Barcelona), never really appeared to have a chance once Barcelona took the lead.

It’s been an impressive tournament for Barcelona as they beat Al Sadd 4-0 in the semifinal. The only downside has been the injury to David Villa (broken leg). The injury is expected to sideline Villa for most (if not all) of the La Liga & Champions League with a return for Euro 2012 (June) possible.

Messi and Adriano lead the scoring for the tournament with two goals a piece while Santos had three players with one goal each. Neymar, who has been the topic of speculation about a big money transfer to Europe, didn’t have a great performance in the final. It’s still unclear when/if he’ll move to Europe but it seems a very real possibility it could be at Barcelona.

Barcelona will play a second leg in the Copa del Rey on December 22 before their winter break. They return to La Liga on January 8th. Santos’ domestic season has finished.

Santos FC 0-4 FC Barcelona Match Stats

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Santos FC 0-4 FC Barcelona – Video Highlights, Recap, Match Stats – FIFA Club World Cup – 18 December 2011 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

The FIFA Club World Cup, an annual competition between the top clubs in each region, is currently taking place in Japan. The 2011 edition is the 8th of the tournament and despite having clubs like Barcelona and Santos, it’s usually not viewed as that prestigious. How can the tournament be improved on and off the pitch? Below are three ideas.

Three Ways To Improve The FIFA Club World Cup

Expand The Tournament - Currently, there are six qualifiers from six confederations plus the top team from the host country. The current format should stay the same but there could be several more teams added. There could be playoffs between regions as in World Cup Qualifying such as the CONCACAF Champions League runner-up playing the Copa Libertadores runner-up or AFC Champions League runner-up playing the CAF Champions League runner-up. The field could be expanded to 12 or 16 teams.

Other options for the extra teams could be chosen based on the strength of each region. For example, UEFA would get the most teams followed by CONMEBOL and the rest split up amongst the other regions. While there’s not a universal ranking system for club teams, one could be created and the top ranked sides not automatically qualified could be selected. Whatever way is decided, it definitely improve the tournament to include more of the top teams from Europe as well as other nations (such as USA) where they haven’t been represented at the tournament.

Have Europe/USA Host - The tournament has been played almost every time in Asia/Middle East (with exception of 2000 in Brazil) which makes for not the most ideal television kickoff times for Europe, North America, and South America. For example, the semifinals  are played or 5:30 AM USA Eastern Time, 11:30 AM UK time, and 12:30 PM CET (Central Europe) time. Moving the tournament to Spain, Italy, Germany, England, or somewhere else in Europe would help to improve TV ratings in these countries.

Another reason is that the tournament needs to move to different areas each year to help grow the tournament. While Asia and the Middle East are areas where soccer is growing, it can make the tournament an afterthought in other places. It’s a similar theory to the World Cup that it’s a good idea to move the tournament around to help it grow globally. By keeping it almost exclusively in one region, it’s going to prevent the tournament from increase in popularity and prestige.

Move The Tournament To Summer - This point goes along with the previous as it’s virtually impossible to have a tournament in the Middle East during the summer (110 degree weather). While there are leagues that play in the summer (MLS, Scandinavia), moving it July/August could be a great way to lead into the upcoming domestic seasons. The tournament could be played in December (which it currently is now) if it is held in the Middle East in certain years or during World Cup years.

These are just a few ideas to improve the FIFA Club World Cup but I wouldn’t hold my breath about these happening. The tournament is already scheduled to be in Asia/Middle East through 2014 and there’s no sign that it will be moved to Europe and/or the USA.

Three Ways To Improve The FIFA Club World Cup - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

Below are predictions for all the AFC 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying matches on Tuesday, November 15, 2011. Times listed below are GMT or local UK time.

AFC 2014 World Cup Qualifying Match Predictions

Tuesday, 15 November 2011

Thailand v Australia, 11:00 – Australia wins 3-1

Singapore v China, 11:30 – 1-1 Draw

Indonesia v Iran, 12:00 – Iran wins 1-0

Lebanon v South Korea, 12:30 – 0-0 Draw

Uzbekistan v Tajikistan, 13:00 – Uzbekistan wins 2-0

Kuwait v UAE, 14:30 – Kuwait wins 2-0

Jordan v Iraq, 16:00 – Jordan wins 2-0

Qatar v Bahrain, 16:00 – 1-1 Draw

Saudi Arabia v Oman, 16:30 – Saudi Arabia wins 2-1

AFC 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Match Predictions – 15 November 2011 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

Below are predictions for all the CONMEBOL 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying matches on Tuesday, November 15, 2011. Times listed below are GMT or local UK time.

CONMEBOL 2014 World Cup Qualifying Match Predictions

Tuesday, 15 November 2011

Colombia v Argentina, 21:00 – 1-1 Draw

Ecuador v Peru, 21:00 – Ecuador wins 2-0

Chile v Paraguay, 23:30 – Chile wins 2-1

Venezuela v Bolivia, 01:00 – Venezuela wins 1-0

CONMEBOL 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Match Predictions – 15 November 2011 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

The final 23 players in contention for this year’s FIFA Ballon d’Or has been announced with eight from Barcelona and five from Real Madrid. The award is for the best player in the world (merging of Ballon d’or and FIFA World Player Of The Year) and is voted on by players, managers, and journalist.

Lionel Messi remains the favorite to win the award (he won last in 2010) while others with a decent chance are Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. The lone Englishman on the list is Wayne Rooney.

2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or Shortlist

Eric Abidal (FRA), Sergio Aguero (ARG), Xabi Alonso (ESP), Dani Alves (BRA), Karim Benzema (FRA), Iker Casillas (ESP), Samuel Eto’o (CMR), Cesc Fabregas (ESP), Diego Forlan (URU), Andres Iniesta (ESP), Lionel Messi (ARG), Thomas Muller (GER), Nani (POR), Neymar (BRA), Mesut Ozil (GER), Gerard Pique (ESP), Cristiano Ronaldo (POR), Wayne Rooney (ENG), Bastian Schweinsteiger (GER), Wesley Sneijder (NED), Luis Suarez (URU) David Villa (ESP), Xavi (ESP)

2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or Shortlist - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

The bidding process for the USA 2018/2022 World Cup television rights have been decided. FOX beat out ESPN (which has held the rights for a while and will broadcast the 2014 World Cup) while Telemundo won the Spanish language rights. FIFA had the following statement on the decision.

“The FIFA Executive Committee today (21 October 2011) ratified the bids from two US media companies for the TV rights for the period 2015-2022.

“Fox (including radio rights) and NBCUniversal’s Telemundo Media (Spanish-language, excluding radio rights) have acquired the exclusive US media rights to FIFA World Cup football across all platforms from 2015 to 2022, which includes the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2022 FIFA World Cup, the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and other FIFA events.

“Fútbol de Primera Radio has acquired the Spanish-language radio rights.”

It’s not surprising FOX won the rights as they have made a committed effort to increase their soccer coverage. Through their cable channels like Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus, the company now has rights to the EPL, Serie A, Champions League, Europa League (starting next season), and FA Cup.

There aren’t details yet on how much FOX paid but it is expected to be significantly more than previous World Cups.

FOX Gets USA 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup TV Rights - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

Below are the standings for the CONMEBOL (South America) region of 2014 World Cup Qualifying. The top four teams will qualify for the tournament while the fifth place team will play a country from the AFC region in a playoff. Brazil, who are the host country, will not participate in qualifying.

2014 World Cup CONMEBOL Standings Through October 12, 2011

Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Uruguay	2	1	1	0	5	3	4
Argentina	2	1	0	1	4	2	3
Ecuador	1	1	0	0	2	0	3
Colombia	1	1	0	0	2	1	3
Peru	2	1	0	1	4	4	3
Chile	2	1	0	1	5	6	3
Venezuela	2	1	0	1	1	2	3
Paraguay	2	0	1	1	1	3	1
Bolivia	2	0	0	2	3	6	0

2014 FIFA World Cup CONMEBOL (South America) Qualifiying Standings Through October 12, 2011 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog