Tag: FIFA

According to UTfifa15coins, the qualification events for FIFA Under-17 World Cup have already began, the United States Men’s Under-17 National Team was preparing training match for a long time, Luca de la Torre, Danny Barbir, Joe Gallardo, and Matthew Olosunde are some star of hope.

One name most people are unfamiliar with has a very recognizable last name. Joshua Perez is the nephew of former U.S. international Hugo Perez. Uncle Hugo amassed 73 caps, 16 goals and innumerable stepovers for the stars and stripes. It’s at this point unclear where the younger Perez plies his domestic trade. He’s been in and around the youth team Fiorentina in Serie A, but Italian reports suggest a deal to make him an official Fiorentina player isn’t final until some paperwork is straightened out. However, what is clear is the talent this young man possesses.

Heading into the U-17 tournament Perez was considered a safe bet to be a starter on one of the American flanks. But after an uninspiring performance against Cuba, he was benched in the following game against Trinidad and Tobago. The third game against Guatemala presented Perez with another opportunity and this time he didn’t hesitate to show everyone why he’s being pursued by a team like Fiorentina.

0:37 – With some quick and shifty moves he draw a dangerous free kick. This will be a familiar trend throughout the match. His quick feet make it extremely hard to take the ball off of him.

0:51 – Yes, I know what you are thinking. “WHAT KIND OF GOALKEEPING WAS THAT?” And you would be right. But the initial ball by Perez is put in a fantastic spot. It made it difficult for the defenders and goalkeeper to deal with and had a US attacker been making the appropriate run it was a perfect ball.

1:15 – While this was extremely hard to notice in live action, the technical ability this one touch flick pass takes is extraordinary. A moment of brilliance that helps his side start an attack.

1:47 – His shot is high and wide, but his cut inside is exactly what you want to see from an inverted winger.

2:16 – After a great pass from Pulisic, he gets in front of a defender and fights off a tackle. Then he cuts to his dominate left foot and slots home the shot from 19 yards.

2:52 – ELASTICO! OH EM GEE! Weak footed cross … needs to work on it …

3:56 – His dirty work of tracking back and winning the ball leads to his team winning a penalty on the attacking end.

4:30 – Good penalty. That’s all I have.

4:58 – A nice little deft pass results in an eventual goal. It’s the little things that matter.

5:29 – There were many instances in the match to point out his work rate, but this one was the best. It’s 4-0. He has no business working this hard.

6:10 – We save the best for last. The things I like most about Perez are his dribbling ability and ball retention. Again there were many chances to point out these skills but I felt this was the best. First he sombreros one defender, then uses his insanely quick feet to dance around another, and then delicately chips a pass around a third. It’s moments like these that really stand out.

Fernando Pacheco, a 15-year-old Peru football player have already won something after be a member of Peruvian, just like Jefferson Farfan, Paolo Guerrero and Claudio Pizarro, who have got an international title for their country, he is a successor of Peru football.

The kid they call La Foca (The Seal) top scored for Peru when they won gold at the Men’s Youth Olympic Football Tournament Nanjing 2014, a notable high point for a country now unaccustomed to success on the big stage.

Pacheco and his teenage team-mates will embark on another major challenge this Wednesday, when the South American U-17 Championship gets under way in Paraguay, with a continental title up for grabs as well as four places at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015.

With those objectives in mind, Peru have put together a squad comprising players from two of its most successful sides in recent times: the team that won gold in Nanjing and the side that won the U-15 Sudamericano in Bolivia in 2013, the country’s first continental title since the Copa America in 1975.

“If we give everything we’ve got, we’ll be in with a shout,” said Pacheco, in conversation with UTfifa15coins.com. “We want to go to the World Cup and I know the group of players we have. We’ve done it before and we can do it again.”

Contemplating Peru’s group at the Sudamericano, which also features Paraguay, Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia, the Sporting Cristal striker added: “We’re in a very tough section but we’ll be there, fighting hard. The coach always tries to calm us down and make sure we’re at our very best.”

Learning the ropes

The coach in question is Juan Jose Ore, the man responsible for Peru’s recent successes at youth level and who masterminded their run to the last eight at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Korea 2007. That competition is the only time to date that Peru has qualified for the world finals in the age group, the country having appeared at the 2005 finals as hosts.

“He shows us videos of our opponents,” said Pacheco of Peru’s youth supremo. “He wants us to pass the ball around in midfield and play a quality possession game without resorting to the long ball. He always asks me to keep it simple and not to be scared when I try something.”

Dubbed “The Seal” because of comparable playing style to the similarly nicknamed Farfan, Pacheco started out as a forward but was switched to a holding or wide midfield role on joining Sporting Cristal in 2012.

Spotting his attacking abilities in a national team training session, Ore restored him to his favoured position, a decision that paid dividends in Nanjing last year, though Pacheco is not guaranteed to start up front in Paraguay.

“Sometimes he plays me in attack and sometimes he puts me on the right side of midfield and asks me to attack and defend,” explained the player. “At first I found it hard to step up to a different age group, and I had to battle for the ball and try to hold on to it. I’m stronger now, though, and I’ve got used to it.”

As he explained, Pacheco has been playing the game since the age of five, when his grandfather first took him to the pitch by his house: “That was where I fell in love with football, thanks to my granddad.”

An avid player and watcher of the game, young Fernando supported Barcelona, in the days when Ronaldinho was in his pomp, and watched every game on TV. After joining local club Union Bujama, he then began to admire the ball-striking skills of one Andrea Pirlo, attempting to model his game on that of the stylish Italian: “I always shoot from outside the box and I take free-kicks too. I’ve scored a few goals like that.”

His most important goal to date was the fierce drive that gave Peru victory over Korea Republic in the gold-medal match at Nanjing 2014, a triumph that earned them a noisy and jubilant homecoming in Lima.

“We didn’t expect to get such a great welcome,” said the hero of the hour. “There were so many people. We’re just weren’t expecting it. When I think about it now, I feel happy to have achieved something so important at such a young age.”

New expectations

That achievement in China has raised hopes among Peru’s passionate and long-suffering fans, who have had very little to cheer about since the golden days of the 1970s. The fact that the national side has not graced the FIFA World Cup™ since 1982 means there is no little pressure on Ore’s exciting young breed, who are known as Los Jotitas (The Little Js), after the coach’s initials.

“The pressure is there,” acknowledged Pacheco. “When I bump into fans they tell me: ‘I really hope you can achieve something.’ Sometimes it’s easy to handle, and other times it’s not so easy. They say it to you in such a way that if we don’t win anything, then it will feel as if we’re just the same as we’ve always been.”

Having already targeted a career in coaching at the end of his playing days, Pacheco displays a maturity that belies his years. “I like my PlayStation but I won’t be taking it to Paraguay,” he said. “That’s my own decision, not the coach’s. It might distract us.”

Determined to pull off another notable triumph in Paraguay over the next few days, the ambitious Pacheco is mindful of the bigger picture and how important it is to keep making progress: “We achieved something big and people have more faith in Peruvian youth football now. We’ve got some very talented players who have what it takes to get themselves noticed.”

Rafael Marquez is a well-know footballer in Mexico, who has a lot of fans and be regarded as a nation hero. Mang people think that he is Mexico’s best defender and maybe the most talented footballer in the history of Mexico football.

He debuted with Liga MX club Atlas when he was just 17 years old. His toughness and hunger secured him a spot with the national team in 1997, and his performance with El Tri took him all the way to Europe.

During his time with Barcelona, Marquez won it all. He also used his experience to lead El Tri in some of the most important competitions in the world.

Marquez is still in shape and proving his worth on the pitch. No wonder why Serie A side Verona acquired his services after the 2014 World Cup.

On his 36th birthday, here are 15 great moments in the Mexico legend’s career.

Rafael Marquez spent three years with Atlas before leaving to Europe. His performance with the Mexican club wasn’t the main reason why he left the country.

Actually, the center back caught the attention of Monaco during the 1999 Copa America.

The Red and Whites’ scouts traveled to Paraguay to see Pablo Contreras. However, they were dazzled with the Mexican, who joined the club in 1999 (Monaco signed both players).

Marquez made his debut on August 14, 1999, against Bastia.

He won the Ligue 1 title in his debut season, the Champions’ Trophy (2000) and French League Cup (2002-2003) in his four-year stint with the club.
In 1999, Mexico hosted the Confederations Cup, becoming the first country other than Saudi Arabia to organize the competition.

Rafael Marquez, who had already signed with Monaco but hadn’t made his debut, was an undisputed starter in Manuel Lapuente’s XI.

Showing his skills in the defensive line, Marquez stopped some of the most lethal strikers of the time, such as Ronaldinho and Alex, and helped El Tri secure the title.

It was the first time the national team hoisted a FIFA trophy, and they did it with one of the most brilliant generations, which included Luis Hernandez, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Ramon Ramirez, Pavel Pardo, Claudio Suarez, to name a few.

At age 35, Marquez was the only member of the squad that represented Mexico in the 2014 World Cup that secured a contract overseas during the summer transfer window.

It’s amazing that Socceroos climb 37 places to No.63 on FIFA rankings after they become the winner of Asian Cup, which really make fans of Socceroos so excited. They are a not very famous football team before, but they are well-know now because of their rapid progress.

The significant move up the rankings comes after the team dropped only one match throughout the tournament, when they lost in the group stage to South Korea, the team they would ultimately vanquish in the final.

The 37-position climb was not the biggest in the latest addition of the rankings though.

African minnows Equatorial Guinea jumped a huge 69 places to be ranked 49 in the world on the back of their African Cup of Nations performance, where they finished fourth when losing a penalty shootout to DR Congo.

While there wasn’t much action at the pointy end, the Asian Cup saw plenty of movement among the AFC.

Iran moved up 10 places to be the top Asian team at 41, while South Korea jumped up 15 spots to 54.

Despite a shock quarter-final loss to the UAE, Japan only dropped one place to 55, the biggest losers being Qatar who dropped 17 spots to 109.

At the top, Germany maintained their No.1 ranking ahead of Argentina, Colombia, Belgium and the Netherlands and there were no new entries into the top 10.

Ivory Coast did not come into top 20 of the list, despite they move up eight place in the world game’s 20th-best side.