My crystal ball and the World Cup of hockey preliminary rosters

The 2016 World Cup of Hockey is seven and a half months away and the first names that will compete in Toronto from September, 17th to October, 1st were announced last Wednesday. Every nation (err..every Team) had to name 16 of the 23 players that would bring to the tournament, with at least two of them being goalies, and that meant that we would get to start the always entertaining game of projecting the names included, the major snubs and the potential surprises. To be clear, the subjects I consider “entertained” here are hockey nerds, hockey writers with columns to fill and people with too much time on their hands.

Anyway, in advance of the announcements, I took a couple of hours off my busy schedule to speculate on every player that would appear on the rosters’ lists (and not the ones I believed should have been selected), and then proceeded to evaluate my performance. This article describes my choices and rationales, and tries to impart into the thought-process of the management teams that actually had to do the job. I also sprinkle in a few predictions about the players that will be added until June 1st, when complete rosters have to be delivered.

A few months ago, I filed in a post about the construction of Team Europe’s roster (which you can read here and here ), so I plugged in some info from the analysis I did back then, and I am currently working on a detailed report on Team North America that will follow much of the same structure, thus refrained to share (or rehash) some ideas in this post regarding those two squads.

The 2016 World Cup of Hockey official logo

My main resource to speed up the process of compiling the potential preliminary rosters of every nation was this website , where you can sort out every NHL player that played in a season for nationality and position. It really saved up the time of scouring all NHL rosters, and I would also like to thank the European Teams for trying to restrict their players’ pool to the NHL. Especially Team Russia, who expediently announced the first 16 names would all be NHLers.

The article is naturally separated by each competing team, with each section starting with a resume of my mishaps, as OUT are players I wrongly named in my projection and IN are the ones who took their spot. I then transcribed my forecasted rosters and bolded the names I got right while expressing some ideas about every group (forwards, defenseman and goalies).

All the “real” preliminary rosters can be found here

 

Team Sweden

Out: C Carl Soderberg, G Jhonas Enroth
IN: D Niklas Kronwall (Detroit Red Wings), G Jacob Markstrom (Vancouver Canucks)

Forwards (9): Nicklas Backstrom (Washington Capitals), Daniel Sedin (Vancouver Canucks), Loui Eriksson (Boston Bruins), Alex Steen (St. Louis Blues), Henrik Sedin (Vancouver Canucks), Filip Forsberg (Nashville Predators), Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche), Henrik Zetterberg (Detroit Red Wings), Carl Soderberg (Colorado Avalanche)

Sweden was the only team to name just eight forwards and they’re all pretty much unassailable, forming a formidable staple up front. I’m pretty confident Soderberg will be part of the final group of 13, with his versatility and experience playing both left wing and center, but the amount of great candidates for the other four spots is staggering.

Marcus Kruger may be an ideal checking pivot to slot behind Henrik Sedin, Zetterberg and Backstrom, but Mika Zibanejad and Mikael Backlund are also in the run, while on the wings they can mix and match with the tenacity of Patric Hornqvist, the skill of Gustav Nyquist and Jakob Silfverberg or the speed of Carl Hagelin, Rickard Rackell and Andre Burakovsky.

Defenseman (5): Erik Karlsson (Ottawa Senators), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Arizona Coyotes), Victor Hedman, Anton Stralman (Tampa Bay Lightning), Niklas Hjalmarsson (Chicago Blackhawks)

Erik Karlsson (L) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (R) will command Team Sweden’s defence

The Tre Kronor’s blueline is once again absolutely stacked and I did hope they would leave two spots open for the wealth of options available. Niklas Kronwall’s decorated history with the national team proved too important, and moved out, for now, John Klingberg, who, for much of the first half of the NHL season, kept pace with Erik Karlsson in terms of offensive production. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the steady Anton Stralman was recognized, and should continue to be paired with Victor Hedman, a notable absence in Sochi 2014.

If Sweden makes the mistake of leaving Klingberg home, Johnny Oduya (Chicago Blackhawks) and Mattias Ekholm (Nashville Predators) should be the next in line, even if you can’t discount Alexander Edler, who, mind-bogglingly, was selected to cover for Karlsson on the top pair in 2014. Alas, let’s just hope the new coaching staff is smarter and joins the forces of Karlsson and Ekman-Larsson, creating a delightful, mouth-watering partnership.

Goalies (2): Henrik Lundqvist (NY Rangers), Jhonas Enroth (LA Kings)

If some teams opted to name three goaltenders, Sweden probably would have liked to leave it to Lundqvist, their only NHL starter. Enroth was considered the best goalie at the 2013 World Championships the Swedes won, and I thought that would give him the edge, but Markstrom and his never-truly-realized immense potential were favoured. The third slot may be decided by a coin flip between Enroth, Eddie Lack (Carolina Hurricanes), Robin Lehner (Buffalo Sabres) and even Anders Nilsson (St. Louis Blues).

Team Finland

Out: C Joonas Kempainnen, D Jyrki Jokipakka, D Sami Lepisto
IN: C Teuvo Teravainen (Chicago Blackhawks), LW Lauri Korpikovski (Edmonton Oilers), D Esa Lindell (Dallas Stars)

Forwards (9): Mikko Koivu (Minnesota Wild), Jussi Jokinen, Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers), Valteri Filppula (Tampa Bay Lightning), Jori Lehtera (St. Louis Blues), Mikael Granlund (Minnesota Wild), Leo Komarov (Toronto Maple Leafs) , Joonas Donskoi (San Jose Sharks), Joonas Kemppainen (Boston Bruins)

Finland never possesses the flashiest attack in senior competitions and that won’t change in the World Cup, since none of the first eight forwards above is a goal scorer. Donskoi is definitely the less known commodity but he’s had a fine debut season in the NHL and his selection was expected.

Lauri Korpikoski ‘s omission from my list was in favour of 27-year-old Kemppainen, part of last year’s World Championship squad before settling in Boston, while the below-expectations season put on by the talented Teuvo Teravainen convinced me he wouldn’t make the cut. Erik Haula, the third-year Minnesota Wild centre, is also a strong candidate to be a part of the final roster.

Scoring by commitment, always the foundation of Finland’s success internationally

Defenseman (5): Rasmus Ristolainen (Buffalo Sabres), Olli Maatta (Pittsburgh Penguins), Sami Vatanen (Anaheim Ducks), Jyrki Jokipakka (Calgary Flames), Sami Lepisto (Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, KHL)

A grand total of six Finnish defensemen have suited up for NHL teams in 2015-16, and only four have played more than 10 games. Thus, this screening process wasn’t exactly difficult, even if the youth of the group is a really big concern. Ristolainen (21 years-old), Maatta (21) and Vatanen (24) are all relatively inexperienced, even if the last two were already key components in Sochi 2014, so I searched a bit to bring up the name of Lepisto, a 31-year-old former NHLer with two Olympic bronze medals in his résumé. He’s no Kimmo Timonen, but his experience will definitely be appreciated.

The offensive-minded Esa Lindell, another 21-year-old, jumped in front of Jokipakka, who just a few days ago was his teammate on the Stars organization, despite only 4 NHL appearances against more than 90 amassed by the 24-year-old.

Goalies (2): Pekka Rinne (Nashville Predators), Tuukka Rask (Boston Bruins)

Rinne and Rask are studs and will battle it out for the starting spot, with Boston’s mainstay having the edge. The Dallas Stars duo of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi should extend their on-going confront to the national team, with the latter in advantage at this time.

Team Russia

Out: D Alexei Emelin, D Fedor Tyutin, D Evgeni Medvedev
IN: C Vladislav Namestnikov (Tampa Bay Lightning), D Dmitry Orlov (Washington Capitals), G Andrei Vasilevski (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Forwards (9): Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Kuznetsov (Washington Capitals), Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov (Chicago Blackhawks), Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins), Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis Blues), Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings), Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning), Nikolai Kulemin (NY Islanders)

Six of the top 25 point producers in the NHL are Russian forwards, and you just need to look at their names to confirm that they won’t lack firepower and copious amounts of offensive skill. The nine names picked up are non-brainers and Vladislav Namestnikov is a tenth no one disputes.

Right now, the question is where two all-world talents like Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Radulov fit in, since someone has to backcheck and kill penalties on that group. Datsyuk, Kulemin and Anisimov won’t be enough, so I expect Alexander Burmistrov (Winnipeg Jets) to be one of the late picks, with Viktor Tikhonov (Arizona Coyotes) also expected to carve his spot. A final note for Russia’s depth down the middle, significantly improved with the emergence of Evgeny Kuznetsov, who joins Malkin, Datsyuk, and Anisimov.

Artemi Panarin will be one of the young Russian forwards to watch at the World Cup

Defenseman (5): Andrei Markov (Montreal Canadiens), Alexei Emelin (Montreal Canadiens), Dmitri Kulikov (Florida Panthers), Fedor Tyutin (Columbus Blue Jackets), Evgeni Medvedev (Philadelphia Flyers)

Markov and Kulikov, who was left off the 2014 Olympic Games’ roster, were easy picks but Russia’s decision to ignore all the veteran blueliners caught me off guard. After all, the 31-year-old Tyutin participated in the last three Olympics, Medvedev is a regular fixture on their World Championships representations’, and Emelin’s physical style is pretty uncommon in the rest of their defensive options. No doubt the trio has seen his best years but I fully expect to see them on the final roster.

Dmitry Orlov (Capitals) has impressed with his offensive instincts this season for the Capitals and provides some much needed puck-moving ability to the group, thus the 24-year-old was always on the radar to be one of the seven rearguards on the list. Another player that has those types of qualities is Slava Voynov (SKA Saint Petersburg, KHL) but he’s persona non-grata for the NHL and NHLPA, hence the pressure to leave him at home is significant.

Goalies (2): Semyon Varlamov (Colorado Avalanche), Sergei Bobrovsky (Columbus Blue Jackets)

With Anton Khudobin buried on Anaheim’s depth chart, there were only three regular NHL goalies to choose from, so I guess they just decided to put the subject behind their back for all. The inconsistent Varlamov and a Bobrosvky coming off a nightmarish season will square off for possession of Russia’s crease, with Andrei Vasilevsky on the lookout in case both falter.

Team Czech Republic

Out: RW Jaromir Jagr, RW Radim Vrbata, RW Jiri Hudler, D Zbynek Michalek, D Marek Zidlicky
IN: LW Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks), RW David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins), D Andrej Sustr (Tampa Bay Lightning), D Michal Kempny (Avangard Omsk, KHL), G Ondrej Pavelec (Winnipeg Jets)

Forwards (10) : David Krejci (Boston Bruins), Jakub Voracek (Philadelphia Flyers), Tomas Plekanec (Montreal Canadiens), Jaromir Jagr, Jiri Hudler (Florida Panthers), Martin Hanzal (Arizona Coyotes), Radim Vrbata (Vancouver Canucks), Ondrej Palat (Tampa Bay Lightning Lightning), Michael Frolik (Winnipeg Jets), Vladimir Sobotka (Avangard Omsk, KHL)

Doing this prediction on a couple of hours was bound to lead to some blunders, and indicating Jagr is among those, as the 44-year-old and the team’s brass had already agreed to wait for the legend to decide on whether he wanted to represent his country one last (more?) time.

Vrbata and Hudler also fall in a similar category, as both were bizarre and glaring exclusions from the roster on the 2014 Olympics. Two years later, Vrbata is 34-years-old and going through a tough season in Vancouver, thus I can understand where they’re coming from. However, Hudler (32) is still productive, even if at a level significantly below his 2014-15 career season, and would have helped this team. Anyway, it’s not the first time the Czech take some strange decisions in terms of roster construction, and seems now clear that neither player is on their plans.

Tomas Hertl missed the 2014 Olympics due to a knee injury, but he should in Toronto come September

Nevertheless, looking at the entire group of 16, no player is older than 30, and going with the youthful exuberance and tremendous speed of Hertl and Pastrnak, two of the few exciting talents produced by the country recently, is definitely defendable. In the end, it won’t be the vital difference between failure and success.

To round out the forward group, the energetic Vladimir Sobotka is a great pickup, and I expect to see a couple more European-based players added later. Dmitri Jaskin, the 22-year-old St. Louis Blues forward, was the odd man out when I finished my preliminary group, but I believe he’ll also be part of the 23-man roster.

Defenseman (4): Zbynek Michalek (Arizona Coyotes), Roman Polak (San Jose Sharks), Radko Gudas (Philadelphia Flyers), Marek Zidlicky (NY Islanders)

My mishaps predicting the Czech roster extended to the blueline, where the unassuming Andrej Sustr, a regular on last season’s Stanley Cup finalists, was left off my roster. Although, in my defence, I can note that the 25-year-old is a bottom-pairing guy for his team and never represented his country on senior international competitions before.

The absence of Michalek is truly surprising, as the 33-year-old is an extremely reliable defensive presence boasting a long history with the national team. Meanwhile, Zidlicky is another notable omission because, despite being 39-years-old, his powerplay prowess and passing ability aren’t approached by any other Czech rearguard.

In contrary, out of nowhere came Michal Kempny, a 25-year-old undrafted defenseman that plays on the left side… and that’s all we know about him. As for Polak and Gudas, they will use all means necessary to keep the opponents in check, so their adversaries definitely hope they’re not paired together.

Goalies (2): Petr Mrazek (Detroit Red Wings), Michal Neuvirth (Philadelphia Flyers)

Just like Russia, there were only three real options to consider here, so makes sense that Pavelec’s inclusion was already taken care off. Nevertheless, at least this time, he won’t be the starter on the tournament, with the Czech hopes’ resting on the shoulders of the much more trustworthy Petr Mrazek, a star in the making.

Team Europe

Out: C Lars Eller, RW Marian Gaborik, RW Nino Niederreiter
IN: C Leon Draisatl (Edmonton Oilers), LW Tomas Vanek (Minnesota Wild), RW Jannik Hansen (Vancouver Canucks)

Forwards (9): Anze Kopitar (LA Kings, SLO), Marian Gaborik (LA Kings, SVK), Tomas Tatar (Detroit Red Wings, SVK), Marian Hossa (Chicago Blackhawks, SVK), Mikkel Boedker (Colorado Avalanche, DEN), Lars Eller (Montreal Canadiens, DEN), Mats Zuccarello (NY Rangers, NOR), Frans Nielsen (NY Islanders, DEN), Nino Niederreiter (Minnesota Wild, SUI)

Leon Draisaitl’s development can have a huge impact on Team Europe’s chances

The big standout from the initial roster is Leon Draisatl, the 20-year-old Oilers centre who took full-advantage of Connor McDavid’s injury to go on an offensive tear and seal his status as an NHL-ready middleman. With only Kopitar engraved as a high-end star pivot for Team Europe, the German may jump from the outside looking in right towards the 2nd line, pushing down the likes of Lars Eller and Zemgus Girgensons, who may be in direct competition for a lower-line role. Meanwhile, instead of Niederreiter, who I pencilled on the fourth-line’s right-wing, Team Europe’s management surprised by nominating Jannik Hansen, whose merits I defended ferociously on the aforementioned post.

Vanek and Gaborik were the skilled veterans on the downswing I mulled before my ninth forward indication. While I believed the Slovak’s familiarity with Kopitar made him a near sure thing, his knee injury, compounded with the 34 birthdays, probably scared some and contributed to Vanek’s appointment.

Defenseman (5): Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins, SVK), Roman Josi (Nashville Predators, SUI), Andrej Sekera (Edmonton Oilers, SVK), Mark Streit (Philadelphia Flyers, SUI), Dennis Seidenberg (Boston Bruins, GER)

I originally only had four defensemen on the preliminary roster, but ultimately believed that Seidenberg’s strong play as of late would erase any doubts that could exist. I was right, and now it’s up to Christian Ehrhoff to find his groove back and validate my original six. I overlooked Vancouver Canucks’ Yannick Weber before, but he’s on the race for the 6th/7th position with compatriot Luca Sbisa.

Goalies (2): Frederik Andersen (Anaheim Ducks, DEN), Jaroslav Halak (NY Islanders, SVK)

Andersen and Halak were absolute locks, but the terrible season of Calgary’s Jonas Hiller blew the door wide open for Thomas Greiss to step in, which will be a mere formality if he can maintain his lead amongst NHL goalies in Sv%.

Team North America

Out: C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, LW Boone Jenner
IN: RW JT Miller (NY Rangers), G Matt Murray (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Forwards (10): Brandon Saad (Columbus Blue Jackets, USA), Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers, CAN), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche, CAN), Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames, USA), Sean Monahan (Calgary Flames, CAN), Sean Couturier (Philadelphia Flyers, CAN), Boone Jenner (Columbus Blue Jackets, CAN), Ryan Nugent – Hopkins (Edmonton Oilers, CAN), Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings, CAN), Jake Eichel (Buffalo Sabres, USA)

I don’t want to spoil my incoming article, but I’m also still unsure where Ryan Nugent-Hopkins fits in the lineup for this team. However, Peter Chiarelli, the Oilers GM, co-picked the roster and it is still complicated to see him discard one of his guys. RNH is currently nursing an injury, which muffles the subject, but Edmonton’s media will create a uproar if the snub is repeated in June.

Like Hansen on Team Europe, I’m a passionate supporter of Boone Jenner’s possible contributions to this squad, yet his name was forgotten this week in favour of JT Miller, who appeared on the radar with a breakthrough season for the Rangers but no one expected to see nominated so early. Although there was definitely a need for a right-winger with speed and decent size on the top nine, my preference went for a more polished offensive player.

Chiarelli and Stan Bowman cautioned for the necessity to watch closely the ups-and-downs experienced by rookie players, hence I was reluctant to include Eichel and Larkin on the initial roster, but, in the end, their pedigree and impeccable track record representing the USA at International tournaments pointed me in the right direction.

Defenseman (4): Ryan Murray (Columbus Blue Jackets, CAN), Seth Jones (Columbus Blue Jackets, USA), Aaron Ekblad (Florida Panthers, CAN), Morgan Rielly (Toronto Maple Leafs, CAN)

Ryan Murra (L) and Seth Jones are forging a partnership in Columbus that should extend to Team North America.

Ekblad, Jones and Reilly comprise the trio of blueliners that will be asked to anchor the Young Guns’ defence, and Murray’s dependability, coupled with a flourishing chemistry with his Columbus’ partner, turned him into a favourite to land on the top 4. Nailing down the last three men will prove more difficult, but I’ll take my crack soon…

Goalies (2): John Gibson (Anaheim Ducks, USA), Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets, USA)

Team North America’s prospects on goal look way more promising now than last summer because all three men selected have exceled this season. Gibson was invited to the NHL All-Star game, and both Hellebuyck and Matt Murray got some games under their belt against the best in the World. The Jets goaltender string more than two dozen starts, and thus held the advantage to be the second name announced, but Murray’s first four presences were so impressive that no more scouting and evaluation was deemed necessary.

Team Canada

Out: RW Corey Perry, LW Brad Marchand, D Alex Pietrangelo
IN: C Tyler Seguin (Dallas Stars), D Marc-Edouard Vlasic (San Jose Sharks), G Corey Crawford (Chicago Blackhawks)

Forwards (10): Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins), Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks), Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning), Jamie Benn (Dallas Stars), Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim Ducks), Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins), John Tavares (NY Islanders), Jeff Carter (LA Kings)

Tyler Seguin will wear Canada’s colours for the first time on a best-on-best tournament.

Canada’s embarrassment of riches up front produces enough headaches just to trim down the group to 13 forwards, so imagine trying to pick only nine. I saw Crosby, Toews, Benn and Bergeron as locks, and Stamkos and Tavares were right behind alongside Perry, whose duo with Getzlaf is seldom broken. With so many centres in the mix and Perry’s slow start on the rear-view, his absence is head-scratching, but should be corrected in June. Getzlaf’s high standard of play over almost a decade was taken into account, while Jeff Carter was a hunch I was reasonably comfortable with. The LA Kings forward performed strongly at the 2014 Olympics on a depth role, and his speed, versatility, two-way ability and experience have always been greatly appreciated by every Canadian management group.

Tyler Seguin was overlooked in 2014 and, despite his outstanding offensive array, I thought they would overthink his selection and leave the decision for later, much in the same way it will happen with Claude Giroux. As for Marchand, his evolution from pest to one of the elite left wingers in the game has been so surprising that I wagered things would just keep going his way “off the ice”. It wasn’t meant to be and he’ll have to keep his hot streak going, because I believe he’s in direct competition with Taylor Hall for a spot.

Defenseman (4): Drew Doughty (LA Kings), Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks), Shea Weber (Nashville Predators), Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis Blues)

Doughty, Keith and Weber were seen as untouchables on Canada’s defence entering the 2014 Olympics and their importance stands, even if Weber’s slow decline has been well documented and he may no longer be an NHL top pairing D. Pietrangelo carried Jay Bouwmeester, his St. Louis Blues’ partner, to Sochi, and I thought that gave him an inside path, but it seems that Vlasic’s steadfast style caught more admires there. The Shark being a left defenseman, which balances the group of four, was also important on this equation.

Riskier options, like PK Subban, Kris Letang and Brent Burns, all righties, will have to wait a few months, while a third left-handed blueliner should be added, with Calgary’s duo of TJ Brodie and Mark Giordano in the mix.

Goalies (2): Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens), Braden Holtby (Washington Capitals)

The lack of details regarding Price’s mysterious injury are concerning, but at the end of the day he’s still the best goaltender in the planet, and nothing indicates there’s a chance he won’t be fully prepared to play in September. Holtby is the odds-on Vezina front-runner and the best man to backup the Canadiens’ reigning MVP, while Corey Crawford forced his way into the conversation with a stellar campaign for the Stanley Cup Champions. Even if Roberto Luongo wills the Florida Panthers to an unlikely Championship run, it won’t matter, since the Blackhawks’ goaltender convinced Team Canada’s management that he’s as essential as the other two.

Team USA

Out: C David Backes, C Brandon Dubinsky
IN: LW Justin Abdelkader (Detroit Red Wings), C Derek Stepan (NY Rangers)

Forwards (9): Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks), Joe Pavelski (San Jose Sharks), Blake Wheeler (Winnipeg Jets), Zach Parise (Minnesota Wild), Ryan Kesler (Anaheim Ducks), Max Pacioretty (Montreal Canadiens), David Backes (St. Louis Blues), Brandon Dubinsky (Columbus Blue Jackets), TJ Oshie (Washington Capitals)

Team USA’s attack also encompassed a few slam-dunks (Kane, Pavelski, Parise) and others almost no one would contemplate to leave out, namely Pacioretty, in spite of being in the middle of a frustrating season in Montreal, and Kesler, whose effectiveness has slipped slightly over the last couple of years. Wheeler, one of the NHL’s most underappreciated offensive dynamos, belongs in that group, and his rise as the second best American right-wing pressed Phil Kessel into a corner where his pure goal-scoring prowess may be left at home, a foolish cogitation not too long ago.

Will “Little Joe” Pavelski also be named Team USA’s captain?

Backes and Dubinsky are just the type of rugged, physical two-way players John Tortorella loves, but I have to disclose that their inclusion on my list had less to do with that, as I didn’t remembered who the coach was, and more with the USA’s usual fascination with that kind of players. Just remember Dustin Brown and Ryan Callahan’s presence in Sochi and the unexpected call up of Justin Abdelkader, whose experience complementing top players in Detroit was brought up as a basis for the selection.

I was unsure about Oshie’s early inclusion until I realized the shootouts will be there once again, while Derek Stepan is a safe choice to provide some centre depth that can chip in regular offense, something the American’s don’t have in spades. To fill out the group, some tough decisions will be made on the wings, where, besides Kessel, stand out the candidacies of James Van Riemsdyk (who may not play another game this season), Bobby Ryan, Kyle Okposo and Chris Kreider.

Meanwhile, Brandon Saad and Johnny Gaudreau would have been shoe-ins on this roster, but will have to settle for Team North America.

Defenseman (4): Ryan Suter (Minnesota Wild), John Carlson (Washington Capitals), Ryan McDonagh (NY Rangers), Dustin Byfuglien (Winnipeg Jets)

Suter, Carlson and McDonagh formed the backbone of the American defence in Sochi and their place was never in doubt. Byfuglien’s impact every time he steps over the boards is so remarkable at both ends of the ice, that he just bullied his way to a spot and no one bat an eye. He’s not yet someone Tortorella will fully trust to defend a lead late, but his cannon shot and strength cannot be ignored like happened in Sochi, when the USA could have used a catalyst of change during the showdown with Canada.

There’s also a balance between lefties and righties on this top four, and, if five blueliners were appointed, Justin Faulk (Carolina Hurricanes) was the next man up. I’m confident the veteran Paul Martin, still playing top-line minutes in San Jose, won’t be neglected, with the seventh spot turning into a bloodbath for a plethora of names, including Kevin Shattenkirk, Cam Fowler, Erik Johnson, Matt Niskanen, Jake Gardiner, Keith Yandle..

Goalies (3): Cory Schneider (New Jersey Devils), Jonathan Quick (LA Kings), Ben Bishop (Tampa Bay Lightning)

With so many teams naming three goalies, at least it wasn’t the only one I thought would do it to buck the trend. Quick and Schneider, two goalies that interpret the position in entirely different ways, will continue to push the envelopes for their teams in hopes of securing the starting spot, while Bishop, despite being in the middle of a career-season, departs a step below. Quick, a third-string goalie in Vancouver 2010 and the leading man in Sochi 2014, may get the nod, but Schneider’s numbers are better across the board since he was elevated to top status in New Jersey.

Final Record: 105/128 ≈ 82%

Field Report: Czech Republic

Being a sports fan is not only about marvelling at watching the best do their thing. It’s not only about dreaming of reaching their level, trying to imitate them on the court, the rink, the field or a road that seems to never end. It’s also about experiencing the energy of the living organism that is a crowd during an on-going event: gasping, howling, heckling, suffering in anticipation of the worst and, yes, exploding in ecstasy at the sight of the incredible.

Taking all of this in can become an addiction and quickly spun into the search for new sensations, different environments, fresh faces and impulses. Thus, in sport, just like in life, one way you can feed the addiction is to pack your things and travel, explore and discover other spaces and perspectives.

Just to be clear, because the semantics on that paragraph seem to point to some life-altering trip, this is not what we’ll chronicle on this post. Just a slightly exaggerated preamble to indicate that the magic of traveling and the passion for sports go hand-in-hand perfectly, since there’s no better way of expanding your fandom than expressing it wherever your feet land.

Anyway, recently I had the chance to spend eight days on the Czech Republic and manage to stay level-headed enough to be able to recount some things. The timing of the visit coupled with the scheduling of sporting events (blame football’s winter break) dictated that options were limited, so I only ended up attending a couple of ice hockey games. I visited Prague and the quaint university town of Olomouc, and in this article will expose my thoughts on what I saw, felt and perceived on their respective arenas.

Additionally, even if this isn’t a travel blog, I’ll take the chance to collect some personal remarks about extra-sports aspects of the places I got to know. These two sections will be clearly delimited, should one of them be outside of your interest.

My first stop was the capital of Central Europe’s hockey hotbed (sorry, Slovakia), so I’ll start there.

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HC Sparta Praha – PSG Zlín, Wednesday, 3rd February 2016

The Tipsport Czech Extraliga is the main ice hockey division in the Czech Republic and ranks fifth in average attendance amongst its European counterparts, after the Swiss, German, Russian (KHL) and Swedish leagues, with a bit over 5000 spectators per match. I took advantage of my stay in Prague to enjoy the battle between Sparta Praha, the home side that was close to clinching a playoff spot and cruising in second place on the league standings, and a Zlín squad desperate for points to approach the sixth and final postseason berth.

DSC00355

The ice hockey Olympic gold medal conquered in 1998 helped build the O2 Arena. That is represented in front of the main entrance.

Starting this season, the O2 Arena hosts the matches of Sparta’s ice hockey section, since their banner Tipsport Arena, located on the Holesovice district, is in need of significant renovations. Opened in 1962, the former home of Sparta, which hosted the Ice Hockey World Championships on four occasions and could accommodate 13,150 spectators, will be part of a complete makeover underway at Výstaviště, an extensive area with facilities used for concerts, exhibitions and other cultural and leisure activities. Some club services, like the main fan shop and youth team’s activities remain there, but all of the matches take place on Prague’s main venue, the O2 Arena, where more than 17,000 can appreciate the wonders of live hockey.

Opened in 2004, this multi-purpose building is a modern infrastructure that can be reached easily from the Cêskomorávská metro station – on the yellow metro line(line B) – a half dozen stops from the city centre, and without surprise caters to the needs of its visitors, whatever type of spectacle they’re in for. The entrance occurs swiftly despite the presence of metal detectors, the concourses are spacious to accommodate thousands during intermissions, and there’s no shortage of bathrooms, which almost completely eliminates the nuisance of queues. Meanwhile, ample seating capacity at the concessions area was also not forgotten, a must due to the impressive multitude and diversity of food stalls, which supply almost every type of food you could be expected to find on an entertainment venue, including burgers, pizzas, hot dogs and Klobásas (a thick, spicy sausage served accompanied with slices of brown bread), tacos, baguettes, sandwiches, potato pancakes (a Czech favourite), chips…

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My own submission to the “How to recognize a terrible photographer” booklet.

Nevertheless, if the arena had all the comforts necessary, I was there to watch a hockey game and was presented with an entertaining affair between a home side dressed in the classic maroon and white colours and the visitors wearing a yellow and blue outfit. Sparta managed to take the lead on three separate occasions but every time Zlín came back to tie the match, wasting a golden chance to secure the two points late in regulation after a penalty was whistled to their opponents. Then, already in the overtime period (unfortunately, not 3 on 3), the tables turned and Zlín went down two men with a pair of penalties in quick succession, but Sparta couldn’t capitalize on the 5 on 3 despite a crowd standing in anticipation of the game winning goal. The match thus drifted into a deciding shootout, where Sparta scored twice to no response from the 2013-14 Czech Champions, setting the 4-3 final score line.

As for individual standouts, you couldn’t help but notice the reaction of the audience to the heroics of 25-year-old Miroslav Forman. Sparta’s home-grown C/RW scored the opening goal and also delivered on the shootout’s first attempt with a nice deke, deserving a farewell applause to the tune of a “Miro Formaaan“ call that, more than once, caught me humming for a similarly-named star player from my own football team. No idea if Forman also disappears in big games, though.

Credit: hcsparta.cz (blame O2 Arena’s security regulations)

Meanwhile, Forman’s goaltender, Tomáš Pöpperle, was also on the spot regularly and not for the best reasons, slowly getting back into position to confront the puck on the first two goals allowed, and always looking shaky managing rebounds. He also fumbled the puck behind the net on an opportunity that didn’t end up costing dearly by miracle. Pöpperle was a 5th round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2005 and played two NHL games back in 2006-07, but it’s fair to say that he was feeling the pressure provided by the recent acquisition of Danny Taylor, a 28-year-old Canadian goalie that was part of the LA Kings and Calgary Flames organizations and became one of only two non-Europeans on Sparta’s roster.

Actually, the great majority of the league’s lineups include only Czech and Slovak players, with “imports” being scarce, a different approach than seen in rival countries like Germany and Switzerland.

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Repairing the ice during the second intermission.

Still, Sparta’s roster included a few players with NHL experience, brief in the cases of defenseman Michal Barinka, a former Blackhawks prospect, and Jaroslav Hlinka, who represented the Colorado Avalanche in 2007-08, and more pronounced for 39-year-old Jan Hlavac, who amassed 436 games for 6 NHL teams from 1999 to 2004 and during a second stint in 2007-08.

As one of the most heralded Czech teams, Sparta Praha has won six national Championships since 1987, when the nation’s league was instituted, and is looking to end a drought of eight seasons in 2015-16, thus their roster includes some interesting players that I wouldn’t be surprised to see moving overseas in the near future. I liked Juraj Mikos, a 27-year-old well-rounded Slovak blueliner that Toronto selected in the 5th round in 2007 and later played three years for the Toronto Marlies, but he’s unlikely to go back. So, I would put my chips on 23-year-old skilled centre Daniel Pribyl, a Montreal Canadiens 6th rounder in 2011 who is clocking at a point-per-game pace (38 in 38 games) in the Czech League, or 25-year-old Jan Buchtele, an undrafted left winger that looked strong on the boards and unafraid to drive to the net, having obtained over 15 goals in three consecutive seasons.

Before moving on, allow me a few words on the overall atmosphere around the ice. About 7500 spectators showed up to fill the lower bowl of the arena and the atmosphere was animated, with a markedly youthful crowd (Sparta has some type of campaign to deliver a bunch of free tickets for groups of students that apply their schools) providing a colourful vibe. This also extended to the enthusiastic group of organized home supporters, which were standing in close proximity to where I was seated and were relentless in their attempts to drown out the chants and reactions of around two hundred fans that made the trip from the Eastern Moravian town. No ill-advised incitements or provocations were thrown cross-rink and both groups confined themselves to backing up their teams, which made for an enjoyable experience throughout the game.

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Jaromir Jágr’s equipment from his time at HC Kladno on display at the Czech Hockey Hall of Fame

Although the O2 Arena dominates the attentions, for hockey fans the attractions on the area don’t stop there, as the Harfa Shopping Center, located just to the right of the arena, hosts the Czech Hockey Hall of Fame. The space (entrance fee Adult: 140 CZK, ≈5.5€) presents an overview of the origins of the sport in the country, the national team’s main feats and trophies conquered – with evident focus on the Olympic Gold Medal earned in Nagano 1998 – plus the triumphs and contributions of the most successful clubs. It is also replete with memorabilia and multimedia records from the inducted members of the Hall of Fame, including esteemed NHL legends like Jaromír Jágr, Dominik Hašek, Peter Šťastný or Ivan Hlinka. If you have time, you may spend a couple of hours on the exhibition but I would say that most visitors are lured to the fun zone, where you can showcase your skills in shooting*, passing and stickhandling simulators or indulge on a game of air hockey.

Leaving the exhibition, you can also check their small shop, with a decent chunk of NHL merchandise, namely club-themed hats, beanies, water bottles, pucks and a few jerseys, but the choice is a bit limited. So, if you’re after that, head to the centre of Prague and the JB Sport – Hokej Centrum shop (address: Dlážděná 1491/3, 110 00 Praha 1-Nové Město, http://www.jbsport.cz/ ) situated not far from Prague’s main train station. It is a 300m2 paradise for hockey fans in general, and NHL fans looking for jerseys, t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, among others. And no, they did not sponsor this paragraph.

*Well, if they could provide a right-handed stick fitted for a normal sized person so you can manage to wire the puck decently on the shooting gallery, it would be nice

******

Time for some random considerations regarding the city of Prague, in bullet form:

– I won’t shock anyone by confirming that Prague is as picturesque, charming, full of history and (I suppose) romantic as advertised, but it’s still nice to understand that a stone-throw away from the hordes of visitors, you can find some peaceful alleyways and understated beauties. For instance, just drive off Karlova, the street that connects Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square) and Charles Bridge, to explore and get lost on the maize of lanes and crannies littered with restaurants, boutique shops and courtyards the bustle does not touch.

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Just to fill the obligatory cliché pic quota..and yes, that is a light blue sky.

– As you quickly get used when you travel, the most famous tourist attractions can be extremely underwhelming. In Prague, there’s no doubt this flag is waved proudly by the spectacle put in motion every hour at the Astronomical Clock. Literally hundreds – even in the peak of the Winter season – flock to stand in front of the medieval mechanism in order to watch a handful of small figures shake, clink and barely move for what amounts to 90 lost seconds. I mean, the clock is definitely a work of art but the “show” is so trite you just leave befuddled.

– They’re pretty much conspicuous on Prague’s Old Tour but I still had to sneak in a mention of it. Do not miss the chance to taste the sweet Czech pastry by the name of Trdelník you’ll see getting roasted wrapped around sticks over a grill on street stands. This portion of rolled dough topped with cinnamon sugar is absolutely delicious, and so crispy its beehive shape fades perfectly as you eat. You can also have the inside coated with Nutella, jam or caramel to provide the perfect excuse to try it again and again.

– The Old Town Hall Tower and the Žižkov Television Tower can be climbed to experience dramatic overviews of the city, but Prague isn’t short on much more budget-conscious options to observe great panoramas of different districts. The city is defined by several hills and reaching the top won’t cost a penny, with the rewards coming in troves. One example is Petřín Hill, a major recreational area which is adorned by several interesting buildings, including a lookout tower that resembles the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Meanwhile the Letná Park is an extensive green area ideal for a stroll, with his elevation providing great views of the historical area, just across the Vltava River. As for Vítkov Hill, home of the equestrian statue of legendary general Jan Žižka and the imposing National Monument, it is less visited but the view is equally impressive, especially towards the northern neighbourhoods of the city.

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The view from the Letná Park

– The Žižkov district (Prague 3) is a great option if you’re looking for affordable accommodation, with a wealth of mid-level hotels stationed on the quarter delimited in the north by Husitská/Koněvova street (on the foothill of Vitkov Hill) and in the south by Seifertova. The first road is served by several buses that put you on Florenc’s Metro Station (or even the city center (bus #207)) in five minutes, while Seifertova is connected by a plethora of trams that stop at the main train station and reach Wenceslas Square in less than a dozen of minutes. Additionally, Žižkov hosts a lively nightlife, with Bořivojova street, just off the Lipanská tram station, famous for the multitude of bars and restaurants. However, the atmosphere in the neighbourhood permanently feels calm and safe, even after dark.

*****

Sandwiched between two shifts in Prague, I headed to the town of Olomouc, in the Moravia region. As before, first the match “report”:

HC Olomouc – BK Mlada Boleslav, Sunday, 31st of January 2016

My first hockey game on Czech soil occurred on a rainy afternoon, confronting two teams in direct competition for the fifth position on the standings and trying, at the same time, to create some more breathing room above their desperate pursuers for the last playoff spot. The match was disputed at the Zimní (the Czech word for Winter) Stadion Olomouc, located just north of the city centre, on a zone where we can find a cluster with all the major sporting facilities in town, including a tennis centre, an aquatic centre, several football fields prepared for athletics and, more significantly, Sigma Olomouc’s football stadium, still proudly boasting the decorations left from the 2015 Under-21 UEFA European Championships.

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Exterior of the Zimní Stadion Olomouc, home of HC Olomouc

For this hockey match, 4830 spectators congregated in the creaky arena, built in 1948, a number right in line with last year’s average of 4745, which not only means the stadium is constantly close to the full capacity of 5,500, but also that the extensive lines formed at the only two entrances should be an integral part of the game day experience. The number of seats is around 3800, and few spots were unoccupied, with the same ringing true on the standing section that saw the home club’s “ultras” sing along, jump in unison and proudly stretch their scarfs.

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Mesmerized by the moving red in the stands.

Nevertheless, at every intermission, the fans descended into the cramped hallway to mingle and pick up food or beer, which didn’t completely congest the area under the stands because a few opt to just head outside (and I’m pretty sure their re-entrance is in no way controlled). As for the menu available, you’ve surely intuited that it is way more restricted (beer, coffee, klobasa, mulled wine) than at the O2 Arena but, at least, I can attest that my portion of fries (or hranolky, as I hastily discovered after spending a good 45 seconds furiously pointing in an effort to make my order understandable to five pairs of bemused eyes) did the job.

The packed small venue, totally in favour of the hosts, looked engaged during the entire 60 minutes of a chippy, tight affair, and the mass did their part to encourage their players forward when the opportunity arose, functioning as an extra element and controlling the anxiety on the last minutes while the visitors pressed in search of the tying goal.

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Handshake lines after regular season matches? Sure

The game had started at lightning speed, with multiple chances for the hosts on the first two minutes, but never delivered on the promise of fireworks. Both teams worked hard to gain the opposing blue lines and keep the puck deep by getting an edge on board battles, but, to put it bluntly, skill didn’t abound. The ice was finally broken by Olomouc midway through the second period, with forward Dávid Buc taking advantage of a defensive lapse, which left him with too much space on the slot to bury a goal line pass past the Mlada Boleslav goaltender. The teams kept trading chances after the 1-0, with the posts entering the equation at times, but not even a frantic late charge from the visitors, which pumped 14 shots on the final period, resulted in more goals, as the home stopper, 26-year-old Tomáš Vošvrda, stood tall to lock two key points for HC Olomouc.

The 26-year-old Vošvrda was the most prominent man on the ice, pitching a 28-saves shutout and repeatedly denying the efforts of Mlada Boleslav’s first line, which is centred by 41-year-old David Výborný, a veteran who spent seven seasons (2000-08) on the NHL playing in a scoring role (317 points in 543 games) for the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets, and now devotes the heyday of his career to receiving orders from his father and team coach, 62-year-old Frantisek Výborný. Accompanying Výborný in every shift is another former NHLer, albeit one with a less decorated career, RW Jakub Klepis, who represented the Washington Capitals from 2005 to 2007.

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Caught a Czech Hall of Famer winning a faceoff. What a thrill!

The entire roster of Mlada Boleslav is comprised of Czech players, except for Slovenian Olympic defenseman Mitja Robar, and HC Olomouc’s is not much different, mixing in a few Slovaks on a group that features just one member that can claim to have savoured the best level of competition on the planet. Pavel Skrbek, a 37-year-old defender, was a 2nd round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1998 before playing a grand total of 12 games with Pittsburgh and Nashville.

**********

The sixth largest city in the Czech Republic is a bit more than two hours away from Prague by train, is served with direct connections pretty much every hour and can easily function as a jumping point to the region of Moravia, which occupies the South-Eastern part of the country. Brno and Ostrava, the nation’s second and third biggest cities, are 1.5h/1h away should you be craving a more metropolitan feel, but if you’re looking for a town with a large, well-preserved historical centre that has yet to be discovered by most tourists, Olomouc beats the likes of Český Krumlov or the spa town of Karlovy Vary.

As you leave Olomouc’s train station, several trams connect to the city centre, where you’ll find a wealth of attractions, in a handful of minutes. The main one is the massive Holy Trinity Column looming on the Upper Square (Horní náměstí), a baroque monument that reaches 35m in height and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but there’s also an Astronomical Clock adorning the Town Hall, which almost rivals the one in Prague in beauty and sees way smaller crowds at the hour mark (conversely, the spectacle doesn’t lag behind either).

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Olomouc’s Horní náměstí. The Town Hall on the left, the Holy Trinity column and Hercules fountain on the right

Also popular among visitors is the tour of the plethora of fountains found around the city’s squares, depicting Roman Gods like Jupiter and Neptune, human motifs or mythical figures like Julius Caesar, the legendary founder of Olomouc. The town is distinctly ecclesiastic, with prominent religious buildings like Saint Wenceslas Cathedral or Saint Michael’s Church worth visiting if you’re into that kind of sightseeing.

However, there’s another facet of Olomouc that features strongly on its daily life. The Palacký University (Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci, in Czech), the second oldest in the country after being established in the XVI century, brings hordes of outsiders to join the roughly 100,000 inhabitants, whereby during the school semesters one in four residents are students.

This means that the ambiance is distinctly juvenile and there’s a notable rate of the usual services directly targeted to students, including specific bars, cafes and restaurants. Unfortunately, my visit coincided with the examinations period and between-semesters down season, thus everything seemed to function at half-speed. Nevertheless, many of the different faculties, which are scattered around the urban area, occupy some of the most beautiful buildings on the historical centre, calling for a closer look inside, something facilitated when the fuss of a normal day is absent.

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“Limping in the rain”. An all-time classic to be made

Olomouc has a pleasant, compact city centre that is easily walked or cycled, with large parks on short distance and nature encircling the town, giving way to a Moravian countryside replete with castles, caves, swimming holes and natural reserves. My two days on the city weren’t enough to explore these options, but I definitely noticed that you can walk fifteen minutes from the main square in every direction and probably find yourself away from civilization.

World Tour’s most fascinating teams in 2016

Another gruelling cycling season is ahead of us (or already in full swing if you’re stationed on the other hemisphere), so it’s time to unpack what we can anticipate on the New Year. Since previewing every team in the World Tour in excruciating detail would be an incredibly hard task for the reader (yes, you, not me, I’m up for it), I decided to limit it to just a few teams I consider merit the recognition.

Thus, after a thoughtful process, I congregated them in the innocuous tagline of the “most fascinating teams” to watch in 2016. So, by now, you’re definitely asking what makes them “fascinating”? Well, the word can definitely lead to several interpretations, but my reasoning can be summarized on positive answers to these questions:

– Is this team undergoing a radical change of approach in terms of goal setting for the new season?
– Did the roster suffer a fair share of turnover, preferably with a few unexpected additions and subtractions that made experts scratch their heads in confusion and question whether it can all come up together in a successful mix?
– Is the organization undergoing an identity crisis, with questions about the team’s future lingering because they’re long-time star(s) may be leaving soon and amassing wins is already difficult enough?
– Have they added several sought-after names, even if relatively unexperienced at the top level, that make you yearn to follow their progress during the year?

If a WT team fits one or more of the criteria above, it was probably under consideration to appear on this article. But, entrances were at a premium, so I’m sorry if whom you were expecting didn’t make the cut.

Without further delay, read about the “Fascinating Four”, with an overview on why they were selected based on the past and the plausible future, their cyclists of interest, offseason moves, main race targets and talking points to take into account in 2016.

Team Giant – Alpecin

Since the ascension to the top echelon of professional cycling in 2013, the German-registered team has been reliant on stage victories from their finishers. Harbouring the strongest sprinter in the entire peloton naturally pushes the entire squad towards taking full advantage of his talents, and Giant became wildly successful after developing the best lead out train in the World Tour, which boomed Marcel Kittel to several high-end wins.

Marcel Kittel ahead of the pack. An image too rare in 2015

The massive German amassed 13 of the team’s 41 triumphs during 2014 and made the best of the opportunities on the grandest stages, stretching his arms in celebration on a total of eight occasions distributed between the 2013 and 2014 editions of the Tour de France. However, last season was one to forget for the 27-year-old, who went down with an illness early on and never regained his best form throughout the year, missing out on a spot on the Tour roster. The relationship with the team deteriorated following that bold decision, and the common resolution to terminate it precociously ended up not being that surprising.

Covering a loss like Kittel’s is nearly impossible, but Giant had to get used to it for much of 2015 and you couldn’t say the outcome left them in shatters. The team diversified its resources in order to claim other races, got some famous wins and promises more for 2016, aiming to build around two building blocks in John Degenkolb and Tom Dumoulin.

The 25-year-old sprinter can’t match his compatriot’s explosive speed, which partially explains his on-going search for a maiden Tour de France triumph, but he more than makes up for it as an elite classics’ rider, with his standout Milan – San Remo/Paris-Roubaix double in 2015 setting up the stage for many seasons to come. Degenkolb’s support system on his crowns’ defence will be headlined by Bert de Backer and Ramon Sinkeldam, winner of the Binche-Chimay-Binche, while Koen de Kort, Albert Timmers and Roy Curvers drive the well-oiled machine towards the finish line on flat terrain. Besides Kittel, Luka Mezgec, another powerful finisher, was also let go, which opens some opportunities for Nikias Arndt, a well-rounded fast man on the mould of Degenkolb, or Belgian Zico Waeytens, who at age 24 still has a bit of growth to do before becoming a reliable contributor.

Tom Dumoulin’s rolls alone likes few others on the World Tour

As for Dumoulin, one of the World Tour’s breakout stars in 2015, the sky may be the limit for the talented Dutch. His physical attributes turn him into a contender on almost every type of race, from selective time trials or one-day races to week-long stage events, and the Vuelta showed that even a bonafide Grand Tour contender is blossoming in there way earlier than expected. The 25-year-old is entering his prime and the 2016 Giro d’Italia route seems tailor-made for Dumoulin’s ambitions, while leaving ample time to prepare for the Olympics, which will be his main focus on the year. However, should things kick off well at the Italian GT, he will be, once again, a lonely man amidst the wolves, as Giant’s roster doesn’t yet contain enough decent climbers to spread over different platforms.

Thus, the Dutch’s calendar places the general classification’s leadership role at the Tour de France and Vuelta squarely on the shoulders of Warren Barguil, who will be looking to break into the top 10 at his home GT for the first time. Expected to ride in close proximity with the French, the experienced Laurens Ten Dam is a vital acquisition to bolster Giant’s roster on the mountains and provide backup for Barguil, even if way more than a 35-year-old will be needed if the team’s GC ambitions continue to rise in the future. The 24-year-old French also showed some promise on a few bumpy one-day races (San Sebastian, Quebec, Il Lombardia) towards the end of 2015 and may look to meddle in again.

Warren Barguil’s debut at the Tour de France cost him a few bruises

As for the rest of the squad, there’s no shortage of quality domestics, even if Simon Geschke stands out due to his Tour de France stage win last year, consequence of an audacious racing style that is good for more than the truly occasional success. The 23-year-old Lawson Craddock, one of Dumoulin’s main helping hands at the Vuelta, opted to move on to Cannondale before realizing his potential, but the Dutch-based team can take the hit since other diamonds in-a-rough were added to the fold, joining a program known to develop future mainstays.

Norwegian Sindre Skjøstad Lunke, 22 years old, Denmark’s Søren Kragh Andersen, 21, and Sam Oomen, a 20-year-old Dutch, form a new batch of riders the organization hopes to nurture, with Oomen regarded as an extremely consistent GC prospect, and Andersen as a versatile cyclist that can target classics, time trials, selective finishes and breakaway sprints, therefore not far from the Dumoulin model.

There’s a lot to like on Giant-Alpecin’s prospects in 2016, with home-grown, top-notch talents still in evolution mixed with a base of savvy veterans and a few exciting youngsters that can grow in the shadows. This squad is an eclectic bunch that can approach almost every race with funded aspirations to make some noise, be protagonists and, at the same time, enjoy the freedom to risk big without dreading of falling short. Not many other World Tour teams figure to be able to boast the same.

Orica GreenEDGE

The fifth WT season for the Australian outfit promises to be crucial on the swift transition the roster has experienced, as the organization scoops up an increased role on cycling’s landscape by spicing the roster with an international flavour and pointing towards new achievements.

Since debuting on the top-echelon, Orica accumulated a wealth of triumphs every year with a squad geared for accruing stages decided at the line and almost unbeatable on team time trials, but the focus shifted when they were able to recruit a bevy of prospective GC contenders to work with.

In 2014, Colombian Johan Esteban Chavez and British twins Adam and Simon Yeats signed for the team and started the clock towards the moment Orica would hedge their bets on them. The 25-year-old Chávez already did a lot almost by himself at the Vuelta, taking two stages and the fifth overall position – by far the best GC result on the team’s existence -, and 2016 promises to be the time for the 23-year-old Yeats boys to seriously challenge for top ten finishes over three weeks. After all, it is the logical step after Adam shined at the Clasica San Sebastian (1st), Tour of Alberta (2nd) and GP of Montreal (2nd), and Simon hanged with the best on the Vuelta al Pais Vasco (5th), Tour de Romandie (6th) and Critérium du Dauphiné (5th). Thus, this season the Colombian climber will once again tackle the Vuelta-Giro combination hoping to reach the podium, while the twins will focus on creating havoc at the Tour de France and approach contention status for the young riders classification.

Adam (L) and Simon Yates (R) will be looking for a premier role on this year’s edition of the Tour de France

To assist their spearheads on the multiple stage races disputed on European soil, the team snatched up some reinforcements, with 35-year-old Spanish veteran Rubén Plaza leading the way after an inspired season for Lampre saw him claim a couple of Grand Tour stages. His compatriot Amets Txurruka was also acquired to contribute experience, aggressiveness, tactical nous and some climbing punch, while Danish Christopher Juul-Jensen will assume a role of domestique similar to what he had at Tinkoff-Saxo, enjoying sporadic opportunities to try to capture something along the lines of his title at the Tour of Denmark.

Juul-Jensen and Plaza are also accomplished time-triallists that can fill for the exits of the likes of Cameron Meyer, Brett Lancaster and Leigh Howard, long-time Orica affiliates. Meanwhile, Luka Mezgec, the 27-year-old Slovenian sprinter, was recruited to alternate with 21-year-old Caleb Ewan as the team’s go-to-guy on bunch finales, even if they may coincide on the Giro (and probably Vuelta lineup) as neither should be an option for the Tour.

The bright Australian youngster (11 wins as a neo-pro in 2015) someday will fight for sprints on the Grand Boucle, but for now the stage hunting will be reserved for Michael Matthews, who will look to pick up his first Tour triumph and conquer a maiden victory on a famous one-day race, such as the Milan-San Remo or one of the Ardennes Classics, after having barely missed out last year on a few occasions.

Caleb Ewan edged John Degenkolb and Peter Sagan to claim his maiden Grand Tour stage win at the Vuelta a Espana

Matthews’s consistency will be tested in 2016, but he’s also looking to shake off the emerging feud with compatriot Simon Gerrans, Orica’s leader since the team’s inception and a former Milan-San Remo and Liége-Bastogne-Liége winner. The 35-year-old had a 2015 season to forget, and saw Matthews rise up the charts to challenge for the team’s backing in selected races, generating questions about how the two stars will cohabit over the season. The first half should see them attack different targets, but if Gerrans achieves important results, Orica’s management will have a hard time leaving him off the Tour de France roster, where Matthews will have high expectations.

Michael Albasini, another veteran, is also a puncher that regularly leaves his mark, especially in events held on his homeland, such as the Tour de Suisse or Tour of Romandie, while the cobbles races will be the main focus of Belgian Jens Keukelaire, who will try to build on the sixth position at last year’s Parix-Roubaix. Denmark’s Magnus Cort Nielsen, just 23-years-old, is another adaptable man the team is hoping to develop into a regular contender for sprints and one-day races.

The irreverent Simon Clarke was the most relevant exit on the offseason, leaving a trail of courageous riding that delivered a trio of GT stage successes’, but Orica GreeEdge’s steady work on the peloton will remain, with the main grinders on the roster returning for another season.

On this matter, Mathew Hayman (37-years-old) and Svein Tuft (38) tower over their teammates due to their road leadership and know-how, while, on the other side of the spectrum, the team added three Australian newbies in Robert Power (20), Jack Haig (22) and Alexander Edmondson (22). The first two claimed several noteworthy results in the most important under-23 events in Europe, namely on the general classification of the Tour de L’Avenir, whilst Edmondson established his credentials with the U-23 Tour de Flandres triumph last spring.

Cannondale Pro Cycling Team

The first season for the structure that resulted from the merger between Cannondale and Garmin-Sharp was one to forget, with the team picking up the first win as the end of March approached, and collecting a single triumph at the World Tour level, by David Formolo at the Giro d’Italia. The season total of 11 was embarrassing and it’s no surprise that the new Cannondale Pro Cycling Team oversaw the biggest roster turnover on the peloton.

The changes started right at the top of the heap, with two of the team’s lynchpins leaving. Daniel Martin’s gutsy riding led to prominent conquests at the Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia in years past, but the Irish was always marred by inconsistency, more times than not coming up close to superlative performances only to fall just short in dramatic fashion. 2015 was no different, with the 29-year-old crashing twice during the Ardennes Classics’ week, and finishing as the runner-up on three Grand Tour stages to ultimately come out empty-handed on the season.

Daniel Martin tried hard but he couldn’t score a win for Cannondale-Garmin in 2015

Martin will wear the jersey of another organization for the first time on his 9-year professional career, and Ryder Hejsedal will come close, ceasing a connection that lasted since 2007. The Canadian carried the team to its highest point, the Giro title in 2012, and still stokes something on the tank at age 35. The spirited effort on last year’s Italian GT was a clear demonstration, as Hesjedal fought to clinch the fifth overall position.

Hejsedal, Martin and Andrew Talansky tallied one combined win during 2015 (Talansky’s ITT National Championship), the entire team only 11 and, consequently, team director Jonathan Vaughters had to change the mix, replacing experience and slackness with a lot of hunger and youthful enthusiasm. However, the most surprising addiction is neither young nor fits the usual pattern of the squad’s acquisition, especially since the Garmin days, where it was always viewed as a hipster’s paradise.

Colombian Rigoberto Uran is an established, rather consistent Grand Tour contender that Cannondale can count on to climb and race the clock on time trials with the best. Moreover, a Giro route that suits his characteristics can prompt a serious podium challenge in 2016, with the Tour de France overall pursuit left for another veteran reinforcement. Pierre Rolland stepped out of the comfort zone to ride for a foreign team for the first time, and will be eyeing a fourth career top ten placement at home.

Will Rigoberto Uran wear the Giro’s pink jersey as a Cannondale rider?

Thus, the dependable Uran and Rolland pretty much wash up the losses of Martin and Hejsedal, and lead the unit that will try to aim for mountain feats, which should also feature Portuguese André Cardoso and Australian recruit Simon Clarke, a wild card to throw into breakaways. Additionally, the squad hopes that Andrew Talansky can regain the form that put him on the lookout for a top five finish at a GT as recently as May 2014, when he triumphed on the Dauphiné, and a lot is also expected from two of his six countrymen on the roster. Joe Dombrowski impressed at the latest Tour of Utah (1st overall) and Tour of California (4th) and should translate his qualities into European soil, while Lawson Craddock was wrestled from Giant-Alpecin’s ranks following strong showings at the Tour de Pologne and Vuelta a Espana.

Dombrowski is 24-years-old and Craddock just 23, but they’re not even close to being the infants on the youngest roster in the WT peloton, which features just 5 riders above 30-years-old. That being said, the team has suffered in the past from the lack of a road captain and options continue to be scarce, with Matti Breschel, added to team up with Sebastian Langeveld on the tougher one-day classics, seemingly one of the better candidates to assume that burden.

But, getting back to what really drives this roster, the team’s brass will retain a close look on the evolution of talented 23-year-old Italian Davide Formolo, which besides the Giro also turned heads in Poland and Alberta, and compatriot Davide Villela, 10th on a star-studded Milano-Torino. The management group certainly hopes their development doesn’t flat line like happened to some teammates expected to deliver wins.

The promising David Formolo is one of Cannondale’s young riders to watch in 2016

A group that includes Tom-Jelte Slagter (26), that nonetheless conveyed some positive signs at Alberta and Quebec late last season, Moreno Moser (25), and Ramunas Navardauskas (27), the Lithuanian who should use the bronze medal obtained at the World Championships to jump up his performances and confidence on one-day races. Furthermore, Dylan Van Baarle (23), the out-of-nowhere winner of the 2014 Tour of Britain, passed through last season almost incognito, failing to capitalize on a sturdy frame that can be filled to pack a nice cobbles rider.

As for the new addictions, Vaughters mined some pearls from lower levels, especially on the North American circuit. There’s Canadian Michael Woods (29), a late-bloomer who featured in the top 10 of the Tour of Utah and Tour of Alberta, and neo-pro Toms Skujins (24), the Latvian-born winner of the Americas Tour after excelling at California, Alberta and the USA Pro Challenge, plus someone to keep an eye on in one-day events like the Tour de Flanders or Amstel Gold Race. To fill a clear need on the roster, Dutch sprinter Wouter Wippert was recruited after fighting tough and nails with Mark Cavendish and Peter Sagan at the Tour of California, while New Zealander Patrick Bevin (24) racked up podiums on off-grid races like the Tour of Taiwan and Tour of Korea.

In short, the Cannondale Pro Cycling Team is a society of Nations, with 16 countries represented on the 30-man group, and probably an unpredictable, diverse bunch like any other on the World Tour. Whether that is the receipt for unexpected successes all over the cycling world, or a discombobulated unit that will struggle to coalesce and find their stride, it’s anybody’s guess.

Trek-Segafredo

Back in 2011, when the Schleck brothers worked backstage to form the then named Leopard-Trek cycling team, the project seemed to have solid foundations. After all, Andy Schleck was a burgeoning Tour de France candidate, his brother Frank an extremely solid partner in crime on the mountains, and Fabian Cancellara was on top of his game and hoarding time trials and cobbles monuments for fun.

Since then, however, despite joining forces with the Radioshack structure (former Discovery), things have continually gone downhill: the career of the younger Schleck span out of control due to injuries and ended prematurely, Frank’s decline hit swiftly when he approached the mid-30’s, and the Swiss saw his triumphs become less frequent due to bad luck, injuries and stiffer competition on the ITT events. Entering 2016, which his bound to be Cancellara’s last season, the team is at a crossroads, staring into the uncertainty about what type of formation they want to become, and which individuals will lead them moving forward.

Fabian Cancellara and the crashes have crossed paths consecutively over the last few years

The 2015 season was a difficult one for Trek, punctuated by wins few and far between, and with Spartacus, their inspirational leader, unable to deliver on his goals due to significant bad luck. Cancellara crashed badly at the E3 Harelbeke and couldn’t take part in the Tour de Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, competitions he has won 3 times each. After returning, he assumed the yellow jersey at the Tour de France on the second day, only to get caught on a massive collective fall one day later, being forced to dejectedly pull out.

Bauke Mollema assumed the team’s lead during the rest of the calendar’s top race and finished 7th overall, but not even the Dutch could fill the cavernous void left open during his debut season for Trek. Although he did his best by taking top honours at the Tour of Alberta and coming out 2nd in the general classification at the Tirreno-Adriatico. As for the rest of the team, a trio of stage wins at the Vuelta a Espana concealed some of the fragilities displayed throughout the season by a roster bereft of top-level talent, but including human capital to produce more.

The American-based team needed an injection of quality and added some interesting pieces in the offseason, starting with Rider Hejsedal, who despite being no young chicken showed last season that he can still contend for honourable GC positions. He will be the team’s captain at the Giro, guaranteeing that Trek will, at least, hold some presence on the overall contention, before supporting Bauke Mollema on the French Tour.

Beyond the pair, Trek hopes other names on the roster can step up their game when the road leans in, with 27-year-old Julian Arredondo on the spot after being a complete non-factor last year, which followed a debut season brightened by a stage win and the mountains jersey at the 2014 Giro d’Italia. New recruit Peter Stetina also hopes to rejuvenate his career after an injury-riddled season for BMC, and both Frank Schleck (35) and Haimar Zubeldia (38) are back for another year, with the Luxembourger having shown at the Vuelta that the tank isn’t yet completely empty, and the Spaniard “just” two years removed from a top 10 finish at the Tour de France.

Frank Schleck gave Trek a hard-fought triumph on stage 16 of the Vuelta a Espana

This isn’t exactly a sparkling unit but will have to suffice in the near future, as TJ Van Garderen, an American star they’ve coveted for years, has already decided to remain with BMC until 2017, and Vincenzo Nibali, whose contract with Astana will expire at the end of 2016, is, by now, nothing more than a pipe dream. However, a full on charm offensive for the 3-time GT Champion is already underway, as Trek secured an important sponsorship deal with Italian coffee giant Segafredo, and the country’s influence on the team has been steadily improving, the 2016 roster containing five Azzuri, the higher national count.

Amongst those, 22-year-old Niccolo Bonifazio is a new face and an under-the-radar acquisition that can prove fruitful for the team in the long run. The former Lampre sprinter impressed in several World Tour races over 2015, including the Tour Down Under, the Tour of Pologne and the Milan-San Remo, where he was right up there with the favourites at the finish line. Bonifazio would probably have to defer to Sacha Modolo had he stayed on the Italian outfit, but at Trek he can expect to challenge fellow compatriot Giacomo Nizzolo for the sprint authority, as the 26-year-old is developing a reputation of always being in contention but never delivering the win, something the measly three triumphs over the last two seasons corroborate. Meanwhile, Fabio Felline will attack more selective finishes and one-day races, hoping to build on some eye-catching appearances at the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, Eneco Tour, Strade Bianchi or Critérium Internacional.

Also projected to deliver some triumphs are two Belgian speedsters. The 23-year-old Jasper Stuvyen carries some expectations regarding an evolution into a cobbles specialist capable of mustering explosive power compatible with stage wins like the one he got at the Vuelta. Meanwhile, the promising Edward Theuns – pried from TopSport-Vlandeeren after amassing a wealth of imposing results on several one-day races – isn’t as quick, but may become one of Belgium’s best hopes of regaining supremacy at the Tour de Flanders a bit down the road, with the chance to ride this season in support of Cancellara functioning as a crucial learning experience.

Niccolo Bonifazio will exchange the pink and blue of Lampre for the black and white of Trek-Segafredo

Another acquisition made by Trek that can pan out well is Kiel Reijnen, a 29-year-old American with a good track record on home soil, especially in mountainous races like the Tour of Utah and USA Pro Challenge, where he’s shown an ability to climb and finish on small groups.

As for the cyclists moving to other addresses, two losses in particular may prove costly. After several years of nurturing on the Trek organization, 23-year-old Bob Jungels was seduced by Etixx-Quick Step just as he was displaying signs of coming into his own, not only as a burgeoning time trial list but also as prospective general classification contestant, like happened at the Tour de Suisse (6th overall). As for Danny Van Poppel, which signed for Team Sky, reports indicate that the team wasn’t keen on offering him an extension, with the 22-year-old Dutch sprinter rising his profile later on the season after triumphs at the Vuelta (stage 12) and Tour of Wallonie, apparently in time to parlay the success into a deal with the British powerhouse.

Trek-Segafredo seemed to take some positive steps heading into 2016, augmenting the number of riders that are capable of delivering wins at the highest level while providing more support for their leaders, but the roster is still far from impressive. With the post-Cancellara era on the horizon, what they’ll be able to achieve this season can influence greatly the decisions taken in the near future, and even put in peril the existence of the team.

Bonus pick:

Team Sky

You probably noticed that every formation analysed before is on the latter part of the World Tour club list ordered by budget. Thus, I didn’t want to let you go without touching on one of cycling’s giants, which happens to also be the richest cycling squad on the planet.

So, why do I believe Team Sky’s fortunes in 2016 are worth monitoring closely?
They’ll naturally go all-in for a fourth Tour de France overall title in five seasons, but the British outfit will also gun for other goals that have eluded them consecutively. In order to do that, they constructed a roster of unparalleled quality and depth that is fascinating to dissect.

Front and centre is the quest for a success on the other two Grand Tours on the calendar, with the Giro roster already set to include two of the team’s glittering acquisitions. Mikel Landa, which took last season’s Giro by storm on his way to a breakthrough podium finale, left a tumultuous situation at Astana and fell on a perfect spot in Sky’s pecking order, where he’ ll benefit from a supporting cast that is the envy of GT contenders with many more races under their belts.

Mikel Landa (R) and Mikel Nieve (L) will be teammates in 2016

Thereby, the group will include Beñat Intxausti, a critical blow landed on rivals Movistar, fellow compatriot Mikel Nieve and maybe Nicholas Roche, which means they’ll enter the race with four riders that have managed to secure top ten finishes on the general classification of Grand Tours. Later, to attack the Vuelta, much of the same can be expected, with Landa, Intxausti and Nieve guaranteed and Sergio Henao and/or Leopold Konig also tipped to participate.

If you’ve been counting, that’s six top ten racers named on those lines, and the seventh is Christopher Froome, who will handpick the roster for the Tour. Richie Porte, his first lieutenant during the two Tour wins, will be wearing different colours in 2016, but Geraint Thomas, Wout Poels and even Peter Kennaugh are ready to climb the ladder and assume more of a load. Were they on a more modest formation, Thomas and Poels would be, by now, more accomplished performers, which speaks for the sheer depth of Sky’s roster.

However, the team is also starving for a maiden triumph on one of cycling’s monuments, with the acquisition of 2014 World Champion Michal Kwiatkowski meant to address that. The Polish has shown flashes of brilliance on one-day races before, and both the Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia are right up his alley, with Colombian Sergio Henao and Norwegian Lars Petter Nordhaug as backup options. Meanwhile, on the cobbles, Geraint Thomas will be one of the main competitors for the Tour de Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, with Ian Stannard and Luke Rowe completing a British trio that seems to have amassed the necessary quantities of physical strength, know-how and smarts to outwit other candidates.

I’ve already listed half of Sky’s roster and made it this far without a reference to the novel individual time trial World Champion, Belarus Vasyl Kiryenka, who may be so buried on the team’s chart that he’ll be handed limited opportunities to go full throttle in order to showcase his rainbow jersey.

Team Sky’s constelation of stars will be asked to take victory in (almost) every race of the WT calendar

The fact is, even with a calendar that stretches for ten months, such affluence of talent is bound to leave frustrated some gifted riders, obliged to work intensively for others without enjoying their own chance to shine. Take, for example, the case of 28-year-old Czech Leopold Konig, 7th in the 2014 Tour and 6th in the Giro last season, which will spend one of his prime years as the third or fourth option at the Grand Tours. Or Sergio Henao, whose versatility on one-day races and weeklong events has never been fully explored by Sky.

On the other hand, Ben Swift, Italian Elia Viviani, and Dutch newcomer Danny Van Poppel will receive ample leash to search for stage wins on bunch finales, even if the work won’t be cut out as the team lacks the structure to put them in perfect positions to succeed. Sky’s allergy to involve resources on the sprints mayhem drove Mark Cavendish out a few seasons ago, and doesn’t seem likely to change shortly, as the youngest faces on the roster are promising GC prospects in 21-year-old Brit Alex Peters, and Italian Gianni Moscon, who also dabbles in one-day classics.

Sir Dave Brailsford, the team’s architect, put in place a tremendous collection of talent and the expectations are as high as they can possibly be. Every move, every victory and every failure will be scrutinized, and capturing the Tour de France for the second consecutive time may already be considered insufficient if the rest of the results don’t follow suit. Thus, 2016 has to be considered an enthralling challenge for Team Sky.

Seven (err…twelve) indelible sports moments in 2015

Another year has gone, which means we can now snoop over a bin full of sports memories to cherish and remember. The turn of the calendar is as good a time as any other, so I decided to empty my brain and select what sports fans will take with them from 2015, including instances when athletes overcame their physical and mental limitations, superstars were born or regained some of the respect lost along the way, history books were re-written, or stunning upsets left fans agape.

The screening process was, obviously, enormously dictated by my own preferences (read more about it on the “About” page linked above), and the reader will disagree with a lot of my choices, but I tried to instil as much diversity as possible on the final list. I touched base on a variety of sports, even if, naturally, can’t recognize them all, and searched for a balance between individual and team-based achievements (or failures). An assortment of time frames was also pursued, with the action that enveloped the “moment” being reviewed ranging from a matter of few seconds, to entire matches or even week-long struggles.

I wrote about the seven moments of 2015 that left a deeper mark on my memory and – I believe – in that of the many fans which follow the sports world on a daily basis. In addition, I later appointed five more which also stood out among the numerous monitored live throughout the year.

(By the way, absent is any reference to the heroics of a racing horse on some posh trio of events held in the Spring, or a famous defensive play that occurred with forty something seconds to go on a Championship match that enjoys an unparalleled television audience)

So, without further delay, my breakdown of the main sports moments of the year in no particular order of appearance.

Usain Bolt dodges Justin Gatlin’s challenge

There’s just no way around it. Every time Usain Bolt steps on the track for a major final, the World stops and waits to be amazed. However, before Beijing’s 2015 World Athletics Championships kicked off, the question marks surrounding the Jamaican were at an all-time high since Bolt was unable to surpass a really average (for his standards) 9.87 seconds showing obtained earlier in the year. He was definitely harassed, listening to the same type of discussion produced in 2011 and 2012, when his compatriot Yohan Blake posed a major threat, and rival Justin Gatlin, enjoying a third chance after two suspensions for doping, had been simply outstanding, putting together a 28 races unbeaten streak highlighted by a time of 9.74 seconds and several 9.8 postings.

On the Birds Nest, the American further increased is favouritism with a smashing triumph on his semi-final heat while Bolt had to cover ground on the end just to go through. However, with the stakes at the highest point, the pressure proved too much for Gatlin to handle. Bolt exited the blocks better than expected, and kept the rival in check throughout the race to narrowly defeat a stumbling Gatlin, crossing the finish line in 9.79 seconds. The winning margin was just 0.01 seconds, the tighter victory since Bolt broke through, and more than 0.2 ticks off his World Record (9.58).

Usain Bolt’s patented celebration emerged again in Beijing

The same stadium and city that 7 years ago saw the emergence of a myth wouldn’t see the start of his downfall like many expected, and some days later the 29-year-old doubled down, comfortably sweeping off the speed events with the titles on the 200-meters (with a “normal advantage” over Gatlin) and 4X100 relay. Bolt was ran over by a Segway-ridding cameraman as he was celebrating the double hectometre triumph but, just like during the competition, was able to walk away unscathed.

We’ll see if he can say the same after the Rio Olympics next year, where he’ll fight for a preposterous triple/double collection of gold medals, looking to cap off his legendary career with a third consecutive Olympic triumph on the 100m and 200m events.

Robert Lewandowski nets five goals in nine minutes

Ok, this one is a bit of a cheat, since I wasn’t actually watching the act as it occurred, but following on twitter is close enough, right? A middle-of-the-week league tie, even if contested between the German Champions and the runner-up, can’t be considered appointment viewing, and there was a reason Bayern’s spearhead was on the bench to start the match. However, the half-time disadvantage for the hosts convinced Pep Guardiola that Lewandowski had to go in and the rest is history. Actually, four fresh entries on the Guinness World Records book were added after that night on the Allianz Arena.

The Polish striker needed just five minutes to tie the contest with an opportunistic tip after a superb assist by (former) teammate Dante, and off he was. Two minutes later, and just five touches on the ball in, a creeping shot from distance gave him a brace, and the hat-trick goal soon followed after he buried an attempt that initially found the post. By this time, social media was already exploding with an incredible achievement on a top-level competition, and no one really understood what was happening after the fourth strike in seven minutes!

Pep Guardiola’s reaction to Robert Lewandowski’s wonder night was one of the images of 2015

The fifth, exactly 8:59 min after the ball first found the back of the net, came on a marvellous acrobatic volley from just inside the edge of the box, and became the cherry on top of a remarkable moment for the forward and the sport. Certainly, the type of performance for the ages football fans are lucky to watch once in a lifetime, and an impact substitution not even a master like Guardiola will be able to repeat. Eventually, his face on camera told it all.

As for the poor Wolfsburg side that was on the wrong side of the achievement, well…why did you sign Dante? (Sorry…but not really).

Roberta Vinci shocks Serena Williams at the US Open

Many, if not all, of the events on this list will linger on fans’ minds for a long time, but very few are in the running for the recognition as the greatest upset of all-time on its sport. This one happened because an “undistinguished” 32-year-old Italian decided “to play literally out of her mind” on the biggest stage and moment of them all, and thus spoil part of the legacy of one of the greatest figures in the history of tennis.

So many superlatives? Yes, it was that relevant, that unexpected and, so, so baffling. Serena Williams had already secured three quarters of a lifetime achievement, the calendar Grand Slam, adding her sixth Australian Open, third Roland Garros and sixth Wimbledon to stand on the verge of becoming the sixth human to manage something last seen in 1988. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that only Serena could stop Serena from lifting the trophy at the end of the fortnight on the Artur Ashe Stadium. Eventually, even the top players that could remotely hang on with her were on the other side of the draw (Muguruza, Kvitova, Azarenka, Halep) and dropping like flies.

Roberta Vinci reacts after the match of her life

The American was tested by Bethanie Mattek-Sands and her sister on the early rounds, but was never actually close to losing, and absolutely no one believed Roberta Vinci, the No 43 in the World, could go further than every other Grand Slam adversary in 2015. Serena breezed to take hold of the first set with a 6-2 score line and then the astonishing outcome took form. The crafty, experienced, yet Grand Slam semi-final debutant taking the 2nd set? No reason to panic, Serena had been there countless times before.

Vinci serving for the match? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE? Can’t, won’t happen, right?

The crowd stood in disbelief as the Italian reached the 40-0 lead and the legend eyed the abyss. Serve, cross-court attack, half-volley…Veni, Vidi, Vinci. The unthinkable had materialized. The pressure weighted too much. A career dream was crushed on the finish line. Forever?

Vinci would lose the final to compatriot Flavia Pennetta the next day, on another emotional encounter, but the story was Serena’s choke. The 34-year-old undisputed Queen of women’s tennis came oh so close and blew it. She didn’t took the court again for a WTA match in 2015, and, even for someone like her, it’s tough to muster the strength to come back and push for the same feat again. If it happens, it would probably be as remarkable as whatever occurred in New York on that September evening.

Katie Ledecky obliterates the competition at the Swimming World Championships

An American dominating an edition of Swimming World Championships is far from a unique circumstance. Michael Phelps took five gold medals from the 2009 meet in Rome and Ryan Lochte equalled the feat in Shanghai 2011, while Missy Franklin stepped it up a notch in Barcelona 2013, gathering six titles. Thus, Katie Ledecky’s performance in Kazan, Russia, last August might be a bit undervalued. Don’t be fooled though.

None of her compatriots had to swim as much as the 18-year-old freestyler on a frenetic week of competitions. No less than 6.2 km, 124 laps, and 63 minutes of racing as she navigated the heats, semi-finals, and finals of four individual events, including the gruelling 800m and 1500m, with the final of the last race, the longest on the calendar, preceding by just 20 minutes a close, highly-competitive 200m semi-final.

Katie Ledecky, the podium, trophies and medals. An acquaintance process in full swing

The Washington DC native kicked off her campaign with the triumph on the 400 meters, with a 3.89-seconds advantage never seen before, but was just getting started, showing clear signs of disappointment at the end after missing out on breaking the World Record. Lauren Boyle, the runner-up on the 1500m, touched the wall almost 15(!) seconds after Ledecky set her second World Record on consecutive days at the distance, and she also smashed the 800m mark by 3.61 seconds and her competitors to the tune of a 10-second gap. Because savouring triumphs on longer events is getting boring, Ledecky has added the 200 meters to her repertoire, and she was also successful despite all the miles on her body, gathering the speed to beat the last two world champions on the race. She, thereby, finished up a sweep of the 200, 400, 800 and 15000 meters free events, or the now called “Ledecky Slam”. Amid all this, anchoring the USA’s 4×200 meters relay win was just icing on the cake.

The four individual gold medals represent a unique feat for a female swimmer on the history of the World Championships, and only trail Phelps’ record of five in Montreal 2007. Back in 2012, Ledecky caught the World by surprise winning London’s 800m as a 15-year-old, and the youngest member of the entire US Olympic squad composed of more than 500 athletes. In 2016, she may well be the singular face of the entire Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

Carly Lloyd erupts to take down Japan in 16 minutes

With no FIFA men’s international competition on the calendar in 2015, football’s brightest eyeballs shifted attention to the Women’s World Cup. Another stepping-stone tournament for the sport on the female side saw the USA and Japan clash for the third consecutive time in major competitions’ finals, four years after a dramatic World Cup final in Frankfurt, and three following Wembley’s Olympic decider. On the BC Place of Vancouver, the story ended up being way different from 2011, when the four goals were scored on the latter half of regulation and overtime, before the penalty shootout separated the parts.

Carly Lloyd carried out one of greatest World Cup performances ever against Japan

This time, inside just 16-minutes, the heavily-supported Americans were well on their way to victory after mounting a four-goal blitz that stunned the reigning Champions. Carly Lloyd deflected in a low corner three minutes into the game, and one hundred seconds later found the ball inside the box to chip it past the Japanese goalkeeper for the second time. With the Nadeshiko dazed, Lauren Holiday took advantage of a terrible clear on the 14th minute to dash with an over the top, classy finish, while Lloyd completed the hat-trick with an astonishing strike from the halfway line that beat a reeling Kaihori. Things slowed down a bit after that, with the final result settled at 5-2 because a brave Japanese team never gave up on the match, but the day undoubtedly belonged to the Americans and to Lloyd.

The USA’s #10 midfielder propelled his side to a magnificent start, one rarely watched before at this level of competition, and completely decimated the opposition, leaving her mark on a major final like she had done in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Her inspired performance throughout the tournament merited the Golden Ball for best player of the tournament, and she will surely welcome another individual accolade in a few days, the FIFA Women’s Player of the Year award.

Fabio Aru and the improbable Tom Dumoulin go head-to-head at the Vuelta

Selecting just a moment from a whole cycling season comprised of numerous races can be a monumental task. Others may answer with Alberto Contador’s epic recovery on the Mortirollo ascent during the Giro, Chris Froome’s irresistible (and much discussed) attack on the climb to La Pierre Saint Martin during the 10th stage of his second Tour de France triumph, or even Peter Sagan’s coup d’état, with the Slovak finally getting the best of an entire peloton to punch a signature victory on the World Championships.

However, I believe no other battle symbolized what cycling racing is about like the up-and-down affair between Fabio Aru and Tom Dumoulin at the Vuelta, which culminated on the Dutch clinging to the dream until the last day, only to see it vanish through the fingers. The Giant-Alpecin rider was the talk of the first half of the competition alongside Colombian Esteban Chavez, with the pair alternating the ownership of the red jersey while in discussion of the plethora of stages culminating on steep terrain, but not many predicted the 25-year-old could keep up with the best as the difficulties accumulated. Not even after a superb victory over Froome at the end of stage nine.

Fabio Aru (white jersey) and Tom Dumoulin (in red) excelled at the 2015 Vuelta a Espana

Dumoulin would lose ground on a diabolic stage 11 at the Pyrenees, but his feverish fighting spirit provided for terrific moments of cycling as he almost strapped himself to the Vuelta GC contenders over the next few days on the mountains, managing to stay within striking distance while all his teammates lagged way behind unable to support him. Fabio Aru would command the race lead until Dumoulin shattered the opposition on the individual time trial at Burgos, turning the overall classification into a 3-second stranglehold between Dutch and Italian.

Despite Astana’s push over the next two days, Dumoulin resisted stoically, even showing his muscles on the cobbled end at Ávila, before finally succumbing in dramatic fashion on stage 20, at the Puerto de la Moncuera, as Aru and friends were getting antsy and frustrated. The Maastricht-native, on his own, completely empty and defeated, sank further on the final kilometres to finish the Vuelta in sixth, but the fortitude and drive he displayed by leaving it all on the road against the odds impressed every observer. And were well worth of a reference here.

Stan Wawrinka ends Novak Djokovic’s Roland Garros bid

A truly significant season for tennis saw two players end the year with three Grand Slam titles on their bags, and it could have been even more incredible had Novak Djokovic joined Serena Williams on the quest to complete the calendar Slam at the US Open. He couldn’t because the only stain on a brilliant 2015 season came in June, at the final of the only big tournament that still eludes the Serbian.

The 27-year-old entered the Court Phillipe Cartier still riding the wave of a drubbing over Rafael Nadal on the quarter-finals, only the second time (and first when healthy) that the King of Clay got beaten at Roland Garros, but also feeling the effects of a nervous five-setter against Andy Murray on the semi-finals. A match where the pressure of clinching the trophy that is missing on his curriculum started opening some cracks on the armour.

Stan Wawrinka came out ahead of Novakj Djokovic at Roland Garros

Like happened to Roger Federer until 2009 – and to other tennis greats that never grasped success at the French Open – Djokovic may have shrunk with the tension and indomitable desire to win he had to cope with, but the final was much more than a favourite throwing out a golden opportunity. Stan Wawrinka had already backed up his candidacy to a second Grand Slam title with a straight sets victory over Federer, and was completely “in the zone” on that afternoon, unleashing his patented one-handed backhand with devastating precision left and right after “Nole” took the inaugural set.

Djokovic had to settle for the finalist’s plaque and a deserved rising ovation from the crowd after a crushing defeat, but snapped out of it pretty quickly. Wimbledon and the US Open would later join his other nine titles amassed in 2015, and that loss to the Swiss was the only in 28 matches at Majors and one of just six during the best season of the Serbian’s career. The setback in Paris just fuelled his hunger for more, and he figures to come back in 2016 even more prepared to complete his own career Slam and equal Nadal and Federer, his contemporaries that figure on a shortlist of just seven names.

And, on a quicker sequence, five more moments that just missed the main cut:

Lionel Messi gets back to marvelling the world

Football fans around the world blessed 2014-15 for the return of the best Lionel Messi. The Argentinian wizard used the motivation after a crushing World Cup Final defeat to power Barcelona to a second treble in four seasons, as the Blaugrana hoarded the Spanish League, the Spanish Cup and the Champions League. Messi’s brilliance was at its peak on two key moments.

First, on a monumental goal against Bayern Munich on the 1st leg of the European Cup semi-final, turning Jerome Boateng into a bowling pin before chipping the ball beautifully over Manuel Neuer. A few weeks later, he embarrassed Athletic Bilbao’s defence on the Copa Del Rey decider with a preposterous slalom which started near the convergence of the sideline and center circle and ended with him slotting the ball home.

The Ski Flying World Record falls twice on a weekend

Slovenia’s Peter Prevc flew like never before at Vikersund

Humanity’s enduring fascination with flying finds resonance on ski jumping and especially its more risky offshoot, ski flying, where athletes really push the limits of audacity. 2015 brought the first jump over the 250 meters barrier, as Peter Prevc flew exactly that in February, 14th, during a World Cup event held in Vikersund, Norway.

The Slovenian broke by 4 meters the mark set on the same venue, in 2011, by Norwegian Johan Remen Evensen, but his reign would be really short. To the delight of the home crowd, Norway’s Anders Fannemel soared 251.5 meters the following evening under perfect conditions and stole the record back. The next few years promise new heights, since Vikersund and the “rival” infrastructure in Planica, Slovenia, have suffered renovations and extensions, so expect more superlative images of sportsman gliding on air for what appears like an eternity. After all, the 300m may be just around the corner.

The Golden State Warriors complete a fairytale season with first NBA title in 40 years

The gang of Stephen Curry had shown flashes of domination in years past, but only after Steve Kerr took over the bench everything clicked into perfection. The Golden State Warriors won 67 games on the NBA Regular Season led by an unique sharpshooter enjoying an MVP-worthy performance, an incredible sidekick (or should I say Splash Brother?) in Klay Thompson, and Mr. Everything Draymond Green, and then weaved through the minefield that are the Western Conference playoffs to reach the NBA Finals.

The 2015 NBA Champions, the Golden State Warriors

Against LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers, the most exciting team in basketball conquered the ultimate prize in six fascinating games, undoubtedly benefitting from an opponent that was weakened by substantial injuries to star actors, and had to place too much of a burden on the planet’s best player over the last decade. Nevertheless, with or without the injury bug, no team lighted out arenas all over North America throughout the season like the Warriors, and the series may well be reminisced before long by the passing of the torch from James to Curry as the world’s finest player.

Japan stuns South Africa at the Rugby World Cup

England welcomed what can probably be considered the biggest sports competition of 2015, and beyond the hosts’ lacklustre performance, and New Zealand’s uncontested supremacy towards reclaiming the spot at the top of the mountain, there was time for a completely unexpected result. Rugby’s history places the sport amongst those where the minnows stand lower changes of humbling the giants, whereby Japan’s courage and faith belied the norm and they were deservedly rewarded for it.

The moment Japan dreamed with

On that afternoon at Brighton, the “Brave Blossoms” did justice to their name, deciding to press for the winning try as the final whistle approached instead of settling for a potential equalising kick. The Springboks had already sweated way beyond their expectations to conjure a narrow lead, were left to crawl in order to protect it, but they probably never realized a team with only one World Cup triumph could pull off the tournament’s greatest shock ever.

That is, obviously, until New Zealand-born Karne Hesketh finalised the 34-32 score in injury time, with what looked like a bunch of folks helping launch him forward so the ball could touch South Africa’s area. It was goosebumps-inducing stuff. In 2019, at home, can Japan do an encore, please?

Jamie Benn clinches NHL’s Art Ross Trophy at the buzzer

You really thought I would go away without a hockey reference? At the end of 2014, I had two moments lined up for the “would be” review list of the year, but this season was leaner in worthwhile memories. The Chicago Blackhawks collecting a third Stanley Cup in six seasons was kind of boring (for neutral fans), and the playoffs lacked striking scenes, even if the Hawks and Ducks on the West, and the Rangers and Caps on the East, weren’t far from the level of excitement provided by that Hawks-LA Kings matchup of a year ago.

Thus, my choice was the theatrical and improbable late charge that delivered Dallas Stars’ captain Jamie Benn his scoring title. With his team out of the playoff race, he put up 15 points in the last 6 games to leap John Tavares on the 82th and final contest, grabbing 4 points, including an assist with just 8.5 seconds remaining, to reach 87 on the season. On a game with no implications table-wise, the buzz, voltage and elation on the American Airline Center, as time ticked away and the team pushed for the tally that Cody Eakin ultimately delivered, made for a stunning sports instant that few won’t relish.

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And that’s all I have for you from 2015. Thanks for reading, and let’s hope for even better in 2016!

(PT) NHL: A escuridão que nem os relâmpagos trespassam (II)

Todas as equipas que referimos na primeira parte têm cumprido (ou excedido) as expectativas, mas existem outros conjuntos que, apesar de inícios menos prometedores, possuem qualidade para fazer mossa e subir aos lugares da frente nas próximas semanas.

Para onde foram os nossos golos?

Um deles são os finalistas da Stanley Cup há apenas cinco meses, os Tampa Bay Lightning. O melhor ataque da fase regular em 2014-15 encontra-se agora numa incaracterística 25ª posição, e apesar da incerteza que grassa sobre Steven Stamkos – numa posição contratual em tudo idêntica à de Anze Kopitar -, não tem sido apenas pelo capitão (11 golos) que o disco não tem entrado. Em vez disso, a grande decepção tem sido o eclipse dos “Triplets”, o trio ofensivo que tomou a NHL de assalto no ano passado mas já foi até desmembrado por John Cooper. Ondrej Palat foi a primeira vítima, lesionando-se em inícios de Novembro, mas Nikita Kucherov (8 golos, 15 pontos) e Tyler Johnston (4 golos), que se tem debatido com problemas físicos, também têm passado ao lado dos jogos em várias ocasiões. O talento dos Tampa Bay Lightning não se manifesta igualmente no powerplay, onde ocupam um lugar no último terço da NHL, à imagem de outra equipa com dificuldades em transformar as oportunidades que queria.

Sidney Crosby (#87), capitão dos Penguins, tenta fazer entrar o disco na baliza dos Edmonton Oilers de forma muito pouco ortodoxa. Uma tarefa que tem iludido a equipa durante esta temporada. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Os Pittsburgh Penguins de Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin e agora também de Phil Kessel, três dos atacantes mais produtivos da NHL na última década, têm precisado demasiado do desempenho do guardião Marc-André Fleury para somarem triunfos, imitando os rivais NY Rangers ainda que com menos sucesso em termos de resultados. Desta forma, a incapacidade atacante tem principalmente a face de um Crosby irreconhecível em muitos momentos, com os 18 pontos obtidos em 26 partidas a fixarem estes dois meses de temporada como o pior começo de sempre daquele que para muitos é (era…) o melhor jogador do mundo. O capitão carrega ainda um desagradável +/- de -9, não muito longe do fundo da NHL, onde está colocado o melhor defesa da equipa, Kris Letang (-14).

Quanto a Kessel, leva nove tentos apontados mas não tem sido o factor diferenciador esperado, mesmo que partilhe o gelo com Malkin (25 pontos), regularmente a presença inspiradora numa formação apática, coleccionando vários momentos ofensivos de tirar o fôlego durante as ultimas semanas (vídeo em baixo). E nem a profundidade ofensiva que o GM Jim Rutherford fez por providenciar no defeso tem feito a diferença, já que Chris Kunitz, Patric Hornqvist ou David Perron ainda não passaram da dezena de pontos.

Os Penguins encontram-se actualmente fora dos lugares de acesso aos playoffs, e o mesmo acontece com os Anaheim Ducks, apontados no início da temporada como a equipa favorita a vencer a Conferência Oeste. Apenas duas vitórias averbadas na primeira dezena de encontros colocaram em risco o lugar do treinador Bruce Boudreau, mas a equipa já escalou lugares, estando actualmente a um mero ponto dos lugares de acesso mesmo que a consistência de resultados tarde em chegar. Ryan Getzlaf (18 pontos) somou apenas um ponto nas oito partidas iniciais, tal como a outra estrela da equipa, Corey Perry (10 golos), mas o duo recuperou a confiança e o mesmo parece estar a acontecer a Ryan Kesler e ao principal defesa do conjunto, Cam Fowler.

Os Ducks ocupam actualmente a 30ª e última posição em termos de golos marcados (1.93 golos por jogo) mas, com mais de dois terços de temporada para jogar, seria uma enorme desilusão que falhassem a presença nos playoffs, onde as exibições realizadas seis meses antes são absolutamente irrelevantes.

Entre um triste presente e a esperança no futuro

E finalmente chegamos ao fundo da tabela, onde a presença de uma formação tem sido especialmente estranha, atendendo a que estas profundidades normalmente estão reservadas para equipas em renovação.

Os Columbus Blue Jackets, apontador por muitos como uma das equipas que podiam fazer uma gracinha após o impressionante final de temporada em 2014-15, começaram com 8 derrotas seguidas em tempo regulamentar, o pior início de sempre na história da NHL, e isso custou o lugar ao treinador Todd Richards, substituído pelo implacável John Tortorella, campeão da Stanley Cup em 2004 com os Tampa Bay Lightning. O registo da equipa é positivo desde a mudança (11-8-1) mas ainda se encontram a oito pontos dos lugares que oferecem os Wild Cards na Conferência Este.

Sergei Bobrovsky foi um dos principais responsáveis pelo início desastroso dos Columbus Blue Jackets (Ed Mulholland – USA TODAY Sports)

Para o recorde negativo muito contribuiu o começo terrível de Sergei Bobrovsky (0.865 SV%, 3.97 GAA em Outubro), mas o guardião russo conseguiu um mês de Novembro de clara retoma (0.940 Sv%, 8 vitórias em 11 jogos), abrindo boas perspectivas de subida na tabela. Na linha ofensiva, o capitão Nick Foligno e Ryan Johansen, que fizeram furor no ano passado, têm estado mais discretos, com as maiores contribuições a serem retiradas do jovem Boone Jenner, que leva 11 golos, e de Brandon Saad, outros dos sacrificados na necessária purga do plantel campeão em Chicago, que apontou já nove tentos pela formação do Ohio.

Se a surpresa causada pelo começo negativo dos Jackets foi enorme face às expectativas criadas, muito do mesmo pode ser dito sobre os Edmonton Oilers, que pelejam mais uma vez pela lanterna vermelha da NHL. A formação do estado de Alberta, que trocou de GM e treinador durante o defeso, acumulou apenas 24 pontos, apesar de Taylor Hall pertencer ao top 10 dos melhores pontuadores, e do prometedor Leon Draisatl ter concretizado um começo impressionante após ser recuperado das ligas inferiores (20 pontos em 18 partidas). O central alemão aproveitou exemplarmente a oportunidade em aberto devido à lesão do prodígio Connor McDavid, que alcançou 12 pontos em 13 jogos no decorrer da sua muito esperada estreia na NHL, e parecia melhorar exponencialmente a cada partida disputada. A nova coqueluche da liga lesionou-se num choque contra as tabelas em partida diante dos Philadelphia Flyers a 3 de Novembro, e a fractura na clavícula deve afastá-lo pelo menos até final de Janeiro.

A lesão de Connor McDavid foi um dos momentos mais relevantes da fase regular da NHL até ao momento (Shaughn Butts / Edmonton Journal)

Ainda assim, não tem sido na vertente ofensiva que os Oilers têm quebrado, com uma das piores defesa da NHL a ter reflecção no falhanço, até ver, da aposta num dos guardiões suplentes sensação do ano passado. Cam Talbot (0.899 Sv%) não tem sido tão feliz como Martin Jones (San Jose Sharks), e por isso até já perdeu a posição para o sueco Anders Nilsson (0.922 Sv%), regressado à NHL após um ano na Rússia.

Contudo, os percalços dos Oilers não podem ser alvo de chacota pelos seus rivais de estado.

(continuar a ler aqui)

(PT) NHL: O festival do golo vai de Dallas a Montreal (I)

A temporada de 2015-16 da NHL já leva quase dois meses e todas as equipas já cumpriram mais de um quarto da longa maratona de 82 jogos que é designada como a fase regular. Uma amostra de 25 apresenta-se assim como suficiente para perceber quais os conjuntos que se assumem como reais candidatos à conquista da Stanley Cup, quem terá muito que melhorar para poder ambicionar a um desempenho de respeito nos playoffs, e em que cidades os adeptos deverão prepara-se para uma longa temporada de sofrimento e frustração.

Nesta revisão do que mais importante aconteceu desde que o disco foi largado pela primeira vez, na 1ª semana de Outubro, iremos começar por um olhar sobre as equipas que têm formado a elite situada no topo das classificações da NHL neste momento, e apontar os perseguidores mais perigosos.

Para a 2ª parte ficarão um conjunto de candidatos que começaram a época com inesperadas dificuldades em encontrar a rede adversária, e os clubes no fundo da tabela, nomeadamente os que têm surpreendido pela negativa, procurando identificar as principais razões que justificam este insucesso.

A Elite

Começamos esta viagem pelo continente norte-americano com os dois conjuntos que mais têm justificado elogios, liderando as respectivas conferências e ocupando igualmente os lugares de topo na lista de equipas com mais golos marcados.

John Klingberg festeja mais um golo dos Dallas Stars (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)

Com uma média de 3.41 tentos apontados por partida, ninguém festeja mais que os Dallas Stars, uma espécie de rolo compressor ofensivo baseada no brilhantismo de um trio absolutamente imparável. O capitão Jamie Benn não ficou satisfeito por ter alcançado o seu primeiro Art Ross Trophy (jogador com mais pontos na fase regular) no ano passado e está bem dentro da disputa por repetir o feito, somando já 35 pontos e 18 golos, liderando destacado nesta ultima categoria muito devido à ajuda do inseparável Tyler Seguin, com quem segue empatado no 2º lugar entre os pontuadores. Seguin e Benn têm partilhado a principal linha de ataque nesta temporada com Patrick Sharp, que demorou algum tempo a aquecer os motores (apenas 3 assistências nos primeiros nove jogos), mas já deixou para trás as memórias douradas dos três títulos conquistados com os Chicago Blackhawks.

Contudo, não é Sharp que partilha a maioria das manchetes junto do duo atacante mas sim o jovem John Klingberg, o sueco que tem explodido este ano para níveis de desempenho que o colocam na corrida para ser eleito como o melhor defesa da NHL. A cumprir apenas a 2ª temporada na NHL, Klingberg leva já 27 pontos, apenas superado pelo compatriota Erik Karlsson entre os companheiros de sector, mas não tem sido o único responsável por os Stars terem reduzido substancialmente os golos sofridos em relação ao ano passado, onde foram a 5ª pior defesa. Johnny Oduya, que tal como Sharp, foi adquirido aos Hawks, tem formado um segundo par defensivo de grande consistência com Jason Demers, e o desempenho na baliza também tem sido bem mais positivo, com a aposta numa parelha finlandesa com cartel a dar frutos. Anti Niemi possui mais presenças que Kari Lehtonen, mas têm pertencido ao titular do ano passado as melhores exibições quando não fica de fora por lesão.

A formação do Texas tem um registo de 20 vitórias em 27 jogos, um inédito começo de temporada na história da franchise desde que se mudou para Dallas, e apenas os Montreal Canadiens mostram-se capazes de manter o mesmo ritmo, contando para isso com um ataque que tem produzido a níveis muito semelhantes ao dos Stars, algo inesperado face à 20ª posição alcançada o ano passado neste indicador especifico. Este progresso é explicado por uma excelente começo do trio Max Pacioretty (13 golos), Tomas Plekanec (25 pontos) e Brendan Gallagher (19 pontos em 22 encontros disputados até partir o dedo), mas outras linhas também têm dado água pela barba aos adversários. Sobretudo o grupo centrado por David Desharnais, onde Tomas Fleischmann, uma das pechinchas deste defeso, já acumulou 15 pontos, e o aguerrido Dale Weise contribuiu com 9 golos.

Max Pacioretty (#67) e Tomas Plekanec têm elevado o nível do ataque dos Montreal Canadiens (Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)

Ao contrário do esperado, os Habs nem têm necessitado sobremaneira de Carey Price para ter sucesso, já que o guardião canadiano marcou presença em menos de metade dos encontros da equipa – com os habituais números excelentes (2.06 GAA, 0.934 Sv%) – e o seu lugar tem sido ocupado pelo estreante Mike Condon, que tem cumprido. Contudo, Price sofreu nova lesão recentemente e estará parado por mais seis semanas, sendo uma incógnita o modo como Condon irá comportar-se perante a exigência de defender as redes da mais premiada formação da NHL por um longo período de tempo.

Stars e Canadiens lideram com folga as Divisões Central e do Atlântico, respectivamente com oito e sete pontos de vantagem, enquanto no Metropolitano e Pacífico a luta está mais acesa. Washington Capitals e New York Rangers têm alternado na frente na primeira, com a formação da capital americana actualmente em melhor forma, pontuando em nove dos últimos dez encontros. Os comandados de Barry Trotz nem têm precisado que Alex Ovechkin (12 golos, 23 pontos) e Nicklas Backstrom (22 pontos em 22 jogos) se apresentem no pico do seu rendimento, uma vez que o grande destaque no ataque tem sido o emergente Evgeni Kuznetsov, com 26 pontos já arrecadados. Do mesmo modo, os reforços para o lado direito das linhas ofensivas têm-se revelado acertados, com o veterano Justin Williams (17 pontos) a adaptar-se rapidamente, e TJ Oshie a assumir um papel importante no powerplay apesar de não apresentar números deslumbrantes (14 pontos). O grupo de vantagem numérica, que nos últimos anos tem sido o melhor da NHL, não tem estado especialmente inspirado, mas isso não impede a equipa de somar já 18 vitórias em 25 jogos, baseada numa defesa consistente onde o guardião Braden Holtby (0.928 Sv%) cobre os eventuais erros que possam acontecer.

Henrik Lundqvist, a muralha de New York (USATSI)

Por outro lado, os NY Rangers apresentam igualmente um registo impressionante, detendo 18 triunfos em 28 partidas, mas que se mostra algo enganador face à predominância que o brilhantismo de Henrik Lundqvist tem assumido. O guardião sueco tem números sublimes (0.938 Sv%, 1.99 GAA, 2 SO) e é por muitos considerado o MVP da NHL até ao momento, carregando a sua equipa ao topo das que sofreram menos golos apesar de os Rangers estarem no top 3 das formações que permitem mais remates direccionados às suas redes. Se o conjunto da “Big Apple” espera manter-se nos lugares cimeiros, convém que atacantes como Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider e Rick Nash, que anotou 42 vezes na temporada passada, melhorem, permitindo diminuir a pressão sobre o seu guardião e Mats Zuccarello, o ala norueguês que leva já 11 golos e 22 pontos, um andamento bem superior ao que tem sido habitual na sua carreira.

Na outra costa, a disputa pela liderança ocorre entre dois rivais de Estado. Os Los Angeles Kings detêm para já a vantagem, beneficiando da habitual consistência defensiva – sendo segundos neste particular entre as 30 formações da NHL- e acertando na rede adversária quanto baste, como também já se tornou norma. Jeff Carter (25 pontos) e Tyler Toffoli repetiram o forte começo do Outono passado, tendo ambos já ultrapassado a dezena de golos e cotando-se entre os líderes em +/-, enquanto o reforço Milan Lucic encaixou a preceito após se lhes ter juntado, deixando a sua marca tanto no placar (10 golos, 17 pontos) como nos corpos adversários. O sucesso desta linha tem permitido que novo início periclitante de Anze Kopitar (16 pontos) e Marian Gaborik (5 golos) seja menos notado, mesmo que o central esloveno continue envolto na incerteza quanto ao futuro, com o seu contrato a expirar no Verão e o acordo para assinatura de novo vínculo a demorar mais que o esperado.

Brent Burns bem merece as felicitações dos companheiros de equipa após um fantástico começo de temporada ao serviço dos San Jose Sharks (David Zalubowski, Associated Press)

Mais a norte, os <strong>San Jose Sharks parecem dispostos a apagar da memória o falhanço do ano passado, quando não se qualificaram para os playoffs pela primeira vez em mais de uma década.

(continuar a ler aqui)

European Tour of Sports – Romania

The Basics

Population: 20.1 M
Area: 238 391 km2
Capital: Bucharest
Summer Olympic Medals: 301 (88 G-94 S-119 B)
Winter Olympic Medals: 1 (0 G-0 S-1 B)

Popular sports and History

Romania places in a very honourable 15th position on the all-time Olympic Games’ medal count, and there is an edition that contributed with more than one in six medals conquered for the country. In 1984, at Los Angeles, Romania only trailed the hosts, collecting 20 golds and a total of 53 laurels, a haul never approached before or after. Those Olympic Games were indelibly marked by the boycott of the rest of the so-called Eastern Bloc, headlined by the Soviet Union, but Romania’s feats can’t be belittled as they reigned supreme over powerhouses like China, Japan or West Germany. And that performance came in the middle of a stretch where the country amassed, at least, 24 medals on four consecutive editions, starting in Montreal 76 and ending in Seoul 1988. Those were the heydays of Romania’s artistic gymnastics, but we’ll get to that later.

Our first stop is on a sport that hasn’t contributed to the more than 300 medals conquered on the Olympic stage, but it is, nonetheless, the most beloved by Romanians. The nation’s football history has no record of a major international triumph by the “Tricolorii”, the Romanian National team, but they’ve participated in seven World Cups, with the pinnacle being a quarter-final in 1994, a tournament highlighted by the elimination of Argentina. On the continental stage, Romania will take part for the fifth time on the European Championships in 2016, hoping to best the quarter-finals achieved in 2000.

Connecting the squads of 1994 and 2000 was one man above all others, The “Regele” (“The King”) of Romanian football, Mr. Gheorghe Hagi. The exquisite playmaker graced the fields of Europe for two decades and is not only one of the few players to have represented both Real Madrid (1990-92) and FC Barcelona (1992-94), but also a legend in Turkey, where he’ll forever be remembered as “The Commander” by Galatasaray fans. Hagi’s technique and vision were responsible for another nickname, “The Maradona of the Carpathians”, and the recognition as the greatest Romanian player of all-time, a country he represented in 137 occasions (35 goals).

Gheorghe Hagi with the Romanian jersey on the 1994 World Cup

Names like those of Gheorghe Popescu, who also played for Barcelona and Galatasaray, and Miodrag Belodedici, the first player to win the European Cup for two different clubs (Steaua Bucharest (1986) and Red Star Belgrade (1991), are also inked in the nation’s books, while Mircea Lucescu served Romania as a player (70 appearances) and coach (1981-86), but is most recognized for an illustrious career as a manager in Italy, Ukraine and Turkey, where he led Hagi and Galatasaray to an unprecedented triumph on the 2000 UEFA Cup.

At the club level, FC Steaua București is, undoubtedly, the most important institution, becoming the first Eastern Europe club to win the European Cup, in 1986, and losing the final three years later. Steaua also has a record number of National Championships (26) and National Cups (22), with fierce rivals Dinamo București coming next. Dinamo was the first Romanian team to reach the semi-finals of the European Cup, in 1984, defeating the holders Hamburg SV. FC Rapid București, FC Universitatea Craiova and CFR Cluj have also amassed a significant number of national honours.

Handball is the second team sport in Romania, with the men’s national team securing the World Championships on four occasions (1961, 64, 70, 74), tied for the most with Sweden, and adding four medals in Olympic tournaments (silver in 1976, bronze in 1972, 1980, 1984). However, Romania has been away from the top over the last two decades, missing all but two (2009 and 2011) World tournaments since 1997, and failing to qualify for the European Championships and Olympic Games since the early 90’s. Both Steaua București (1968 and 1977) and Dinamo București (1965) have won the sport’s Champions League, while CS UCM Reşiţa, HC Odorheiu Secuiesc and HC Minaur Baia Mare have secured other European competitions.

The Women’s National team won the World Championship in 1962, came second in 1973 and 2005, and has never missed the tournament, something no other nation can claim. CS Oltchim Râmnicu Vâlcea triumphed on every European Cup, except for the Champions League (finalists in 2010), and also holds the record for most national titles on the women’s side.

Romania is a top European nation in Rugby, having competed in every World Cup. The Stejarii (”The Oaks”) picked up the European Nations Cup (also called the Six Nations B, a tournament instituted in 2000) in four instances, trailing only Georgia, their challenger for the right to be considered the seventh best team on the continent. In their history, Romania has managed to beat France, Italy, Scotland and Wales, four of the Six Nations.

The Romanian rugby national team celebrated after a win over Canada on the 2015 World Cup

Other team sports that boast some relevancy on Romania’s sports landscape are basketball, volleyball and water polo. The Romanian men’s Basketball team finished 5th on the 1957 and 1967 Eurobasket, but hasn’t qualified for the competition since 1987, while their women’s counterparts took part in the 2015 Eurobasket, by virtue of co-organizing the competition with Hungary, and were defeated in all four matches. Gheorghe Mureșan isn’t the best Romanian Basketball player of all-time, since that honour goes to Andrei Folbert, captain of the national team for 25 years, but he’s definitely the most recognizable face, becoming the first to compete in the NBA and, in the process, sharing the distinction as the tallest man ever in the League, standing at 2.31 m.

Romania men’s volleyball team captured a silver medal in the 1980 Olympic Games and reached the podium in the World Cup on four occasions, from 1956 to 1966, while the water polo representation is a regular in the most important international competitions, even if they have never been able to guarantee a top three position.

Nadia Comaneci, an Olympic legend at age 14

For Romania, no sport has been engraved more on the world scale than artistic gymnastics, with a strong tradition rooted on the successes of their ladies. The sport has managed to fetch a staggering total of 72 Olympic medals, including 25 golds, and contributed with the best female athlete in Romania’s history. A 14-year-old girl by the name of Nadia Comaneci took by storm the 1976 Olympics and became the first ever gymnast to score a perfect ten during her routine on the uneven bars, one of the most memorable moments in Olympic Games’ history. She conquered three individual gold medals (uneven bars, balance beam and all-around competition) in Montreal, and added two more in Moscow 1980, leaving his Olympic tally in 5 titles, three silver medals, including two on the team competition, and a bronze.

Comaneci’s achievements transcended her sport and brought a great deal of attention to Gymnastics, something her country beneficiated from on the following Olympics, with Ecaterina Szabo collecting gold medals in three (vault, balance beam, floor) of the four individual events in Los Angeles 84. She also added the team triumph, missing the all-around crown for just 0.5 points to home favourite Mary Lou Retton. In 1988, it was Daniela Silivaș’ time to shine, medalling in all six events of the Seoul Olympics, including the titles in the uneven bars, floor exercise and balance beam. Romania’s prowess has continued into the 21st century, carried on by Olympic Champions like Sandra Izbașa and Cătălina Ponor, who combined for nine medals, five of them golds. On the men’s side, Marius Urzică and his unique style on the pommel horse were catalysts to a career highlighted by three Olympic medals in the event on consecutive Games (1996-2004), and three World Championships titles.

Another individual sport rooted in Romania’s lore is tennis, mainly by the achievements of the third member of Romanian sports’ gold triangle (alongside Hagi and Comaneci). Ilie Năstase is the only Romanian to ever become World N.1* (between August 1973 and June 1974) but he didn’t stop there. He won Roland Garros in 1972 without dropping a set on the entire tournament, the US Open in 1973, and four ATP Tour Finals, the most important titles of the more than 100 he amassed between singles and doubles. Năstase also led Romania to three Davis Cup finals (1969, 1971, 1972), losing out on the trophy at the hands of the USA on every occasion. Nonetheless, the long campaigns forged a partnership with teammate Ion Țiriac, who rose as far as 8th on the singles rankings before building a reputation as a billionaire businessman, tennis coach, manager and tournament promotor.

Ilie Năstase, Romania’s best tennis player of all-time

On the female circuit, Virginia Ruzici is (by now) the most accomplished player hailing from Romania, having won the French Open in 1978 on both singles and doubles. On the Fed Cup, Romania went as far as the semi-finals in 1973, but the country has been away from the top division since 1992, a run of futility that will end in 2016 due to a renaissance of the women’s game expressed on the presence of five players among the top 100 in the World. Meanwhile, no Romanian man is currently on the top 100 of the ATP Tour Singles Ranking.

*Horia Tecău, alongside Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer, climbed to the lead of the ATP Doubles Rankings today (23/11/2015) after winning the Masters

The second sport in Romania’s history in terms of Olympic silverware is rowing, with 37 medals conquered. Elisabeta Lipă collected a total of eight over a run of six consecutive Olympic Games, from 1984 to 2004, a feat no other rower has ever achieved. She ascended to the podium propelling four different boats, the singles, doubles and quadruple sculls plus the eight-oared boat. Likewise, the 20 years that mediated the first and last of her five Olympic titles are a record in the sport. Also on the history books, Georgeta Damian won six medals (5 titles) from 2000 to 2008, on the coxless pair and eights, first pairing with Doina Ignat (4G+1S+1B) and later with Viorica Susanu (4G+1 B). In London 2012, for the first time in 36 years, Romania came home without a medal from their rowers.

Also impelling the water, Ivan Patzaichin hauled seven Olympic medals (four titles) on Canoeing from 1968 to 1984, later becoming the long-time head of the Romanian national team on a sport that has contributed with 34 medals for the country’s tally.

Alina Dumitru, Judo Olympic Champion in Beijing 2008

Fencing is another sport that enjoys great tradition, with six Romanians among the sport’s Hall of Fame, and 15 medals, spanning every weapon, accumulated since the 50’s. The track and field events (Athletics) place third on the nation’s list of Olympic offerings, with 35 honours, and the women have also been responsible for most of the biggest moments, at least recently: Constantina Diță was the marathon Olympic Champion in 2008; Gabriela Szabo won the 5000 meters of the 2000 Sidney Olympics; Lidia Simon was a silver medallist on the marathon in the same edition, and Ionela Târlea a runner up on the 400 meters hurdles in Athens 2004.

Judo has come into the spotlight over the last few years, with half of the sport’s six medals conquered in 2008 and 2012. Alina Dumitru was a surprising Olympic Champion in Beijing on the -48kg category, and won silver four years later, while Corina Căprioriu lost the decisive encounter in London on the -57kg. Boxing, Wrestling, weightlifting and shooting have also brought joy to the Romanian people on multiple occasions.

Romania’s history on the Winter Olympics is much less impressive, including a single moment of glory, back in the 1968 edition, when the two-man bobsleigh crew of Ion Panturu and Nicolae Neagoe stepped up on the lower podium position.

To wrap it up, a reference to Romania’s own traditional sport, Oină, a team game sharing similarities with baseball that is also played on neighbouring Moldova, and wherever there is a Romanian ethnic or cultural presence.

Star Athletes

Simona Halep (Tennis)

The picturesque city of Constanța, on the edge of the Black Sea, welcomed Halep to the world in September of 1991 and, from early on, the diminutive Simona displayed tremendous talent and passion for the game. The pursuit of the dream to become a professional led to a move to Bucharest at age 16 and a triumph on the 2008 Roland Garros Junior event would soon follow, enlisting the Romanian on the list of biggest promises in the sport. She would dip her toe on the WTA during 2009, but her results didn’t really took off until she made the extremely brave decision to have breast reduction surgery in order to improve her career prospects, citing recurring back pain and trouble with the additional weight.

Simona Halep clutches the Indian Wells trophy, the most important she’s conquered on her career

From 2010 to 2012, Halep slowly improved her game and adapted to the top-level, despite failing to go past the second round on any Grand Slam or conquer a WTA trophy. In 2013, she finally put it all together and broke into the scene with a bang, winning her maiden tournament in June, at Nuremberg, and adding five more until the end of the season, to finish with six on three different surfaces (clay, grass and hard courts). She climbed from just inside to top 50 all the way to 11th, was named WTA Most Improved Player of the Year, and set her sight on breaking into the top 10. A quarterfinal performance at the 2014 Australian Open did the trick and Halep didn’t look back. Her first Grand Slam final followed soon, ultimately losing to Maria Sharapova at Roland Garros, but she also reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon, triumphed on the important Qatar Open, and celebrated, at home, on the Bucharest Open. By August, Halep had already became the 2nd player in the world and she ended 2014 with an impressive debut at the WTA Finals, defeating Serena Williams during the group stage before succumbing to the same opponent on the final.

In 2015, Halep solidified her grip on the top positions of the WTA Rankings, ending the season as the Number 2, but couldn’t take a step forward in the Grand Slams, with a semi-final at the US Open as the best outcome. However, her triumph at Indian Wells, a Premier Tournament, represented the most relevant trophy of her career and, at age 24, she has a lot ahead, with her aggressive game from the baseline combined with great athleticism and balance well suited for more successes down the road.

Marian Drăgulescu (Artistic Gymnastics)

So, up there I wrote almost 300 words on artistic gymnastics and Romania’s history on the ladies side, and now I’ll feature a male gymnast? It’s certainly strange but the pool of candidates it’s so much deeper on the women’s side that I had to scramble a bit.

Marian Drăgulescu is still picking up medals for his country at age 34

Anyway, Marian Drăgulescu is a more than qualified athlete to be here. After all, the 34-year-old has won a staggering amount of 26 medals between Olympics, World and European Championships. The Bucharest-native toggled with other sports as a youngster but ended up choosing gymnastics, and the decision paid off on the first international championship he competed in, the 1998 Junior European Championships, which he left with four medals. Two years later, on the 2000 Olympics, Drăgulescu was a 20-year-old newcomer that performed modestly among the big boys but, by the 2001 World Championships, the Romanian was already amongst the best, taking gold on the vault and floor exercise, the first two of his eight career world titles. Three more medals settled his spot on the top in 2002, netting the recognition as Gymnast of the year, and he reached the 2004 Olympics fresh of four triumphs on the European Championships (team competition, vault, floor exercise and all-around).

In Athens, he became a household name on his country by gathering a trio of medals. First, the 23-year-old helped secure a bronze on the team event, then came out second on the floor exercise, losing the title on a tiebreaker, and later added another bronze medal on the vault. On this event, Drăgulescu failed to secure the title after making an error on his second attempt, and the disappointment trickled into an extemporaneous retirement announcement in 2005, from which he returned before long to take the vault title on the World Championships. Two years later, a heavy fall during the European Championships derailed his preparation to the Beijing Olympics, and history ended up repeating itself, with the vault Olympic title escaping again after a near perfect first routine.

He left Beijing empty handed, retired and unretired again in 2009, and went through some tough seasons, pulling out of the 2012 Olympics due to injury. By 2015, approaching age-35, way past the peak for most gymnasts, Drăgulescu is still hanging on with the best, as proved by the gold medal conquered on the vault at the 2015 World Championships. Time will tell if he can finally write his name in gold on Olympic history next year, but the “Drăgulescu”, a move described as “a handspring double front with half turn” will stand the test of time on the future of the vault apparatus.

Cristina Neagu (Handball)

The 27-year-old born in Bucharest has carved a place amongst the top-echelon of female handball players in the World after shining on several occasions for her country at the international stage. Neagu debuted on the professional ranks for Rulmentul Braşov in 2006, and helped the team to an EHF Cup Winner’s Cup trophy in 2008 and three runner-up positions on the national league, behind a CS Oltchim Râmnicu Vâlcea club that was starting a string of seven consecutive titles. The left back switched sides in 2009, just as she was becoming the best player on the country, and the new challenge proved decisive for a 2010 season that would leave an indelible mark on her career.

She led Oltchim to the Champions League final, lost to Denmark’s Viborg, and then dazzled at the European Championships, where she won the top scorer award, was elected to the tournament’s All-Star Team, and helped Romania to a first podium position in history. Her performance was so impressive that she was named as the IHF World Player of the Year.

Cristina Neagu, Romania’s handball national team lethal left back

However, in 2010-11, Neagu started an injury ordeal that would last almost three years, first due to damage on her right shoulder cartilage that kept her out for two seasons and, in early 2013, after a rupture on the cruciate ligaments of her left knee. Before 2013-14, the Romania star left her country to join Montenegro’s ŽRK Budućnost Podgorica, and found her stride again, repeating the All Star Team distinction in the 2014 European Championships just a few months before coming in 2nd on the election for World Player of the Year. Her team lost the Champions League Final in 2014, but Neagu’s ability as a scorer carried them back to the decision in 2015, with the Romanian winning the biggest title of her career until today.

Other Athletes: Cătălin Fercu and Florin Vlaicu (Rugby), Cătălina Ponor and Sandra Izbașa (Artistic Gymnastics), Ana Maria Brânză and Simona Gherman (Épée, Fencing), Tiberiu Dolceanu (Sabre, Fencing), Alin Moldoveanu (shooting), Corina Căprioriu and Andreea Chițu (Judo), Elizabeta Samara (Table Tennis), Horia Tecău (Tennis), Alexandru Dumitrescu (Canoeing), Vlad Chiricheș (Football)

Venues

Romania doesn’t boast the same deep pockets that their western neighbours have demonstrated when it comes to building shinny new top sporting facilities, but they’ve steadily worked to modernize and substitute the most important venues in the country.

The symbol of that is the state-of-the-art Arena Națională (National Arena), which opened in 2011 and substituted the former Stadionul Național, the home of the national football team between 1953 and 2008. The 55.600-seats venue, located on the Romanian capital, has hosted, in addition to national team matches’, the 2012 UEFA Europa League Final – the first ever European football final held in the country – and several continental appointments of the country’s main clubs, especially Steaua and Dinamo Bucharest. In 2020, the stadium will receive four matches of the 2020 UEFA European Championships.

The Arena Națională on the night of the inaugural match, between Romania and France.

Beyond the National Arena, there are three more stadiums that can accommodate more than 30.000 people: the Dan Paltinisanu Stadium (32.972), in Timișoara, opened in 1964; the 1983’s Stadionul Iftimie Ilisei (32.700), in Medgidia; and the majestic Cluj Arena (30.201), a modern venue erected in 2011 to be used by Fotbal Club Universitatea Cluj. This arena is also equipped with a running track, opening the possibility of welcoming important athletics’ meetings. CFR Cluj, the city’s most famous club, plays on the Stadionul Dr. Constantin Rădulescu, a facility with capacity for 23.500 that dates back to 1973.

Steaua Bucharest’s long-time home, the Stadionul Steaua, is owned by the Ministry of National Defence, and disagreements with the government meant the club had to move out from the place they occupied since 1974. Until a solution is found, they’ve transferred to the Arena Națională. Opened in 2011, the Stadionul Ilie Oană, in Ploiești, seats just 15.500, but it’s one of the only three Romanian venues (alongside the Arena Națională and Cluj Arena) ranked by UEFA as a category 4 stadium, thus able to host Champions League and Europa League matches.

On a different perspective, the Stadionul Naţional de Rugby “Arcul de Triumf” deserves a reference, as the 5.500-seats facility is considered the historical ground of the Romanian national rugby team.

In terms of indoor arenas, the Sala Polivalentă (Polyvalent Hall) din București, with a capacity for up to 5.300, is the main hall for sports events in the capital. Renovated in 2008 and 2011, the building has hosted several high-end events in a number of sports, such as the final of the 2000 Women’s Handball European Championships, the 2014 European Judo Championships, or the 2009 European Weightlifting Championships. However, there’s a bigger indoor venue in Bucharest, the Romexpo, an iconic building for combat sports in Romania, since almost 14.000 can watch the battles on scene. With the concert configuration, though, 40.000 can flock inside a hall that dates back to 1962.

Cluj-Napoca’s Sala Polivalentă during an handball match

Cluj-Napoca’s own Sala Polivalentă opened up in October 2014, alongside the new Cluj Arena, and can host 10.000 fans for boxing or concerts and, approximately, 7300 for basketball and handball matches. The local men’s basketball (U BT Cluj-Napoca) and women’s handball (Universitatea Alexandrion Cluj-Napoca) teams hold their games on the hall.

In Craiova, the Sala Polivalentă is also very recent, having been inaugurated in 2012. The arena holds 4200 spectators in the matches of the city’s volleyball, basketball and handball teams. The Sala Sporturilor Olimpia, in Ploiești, was renovated from 2011 to 2013, and now welcomes 3500 spectators for the matches of CSU Asesoft Ploiești, the most successful basketball team in the country during this century, winners of 10 of the last 11 national championships.

Staying indoors but on a different surface, the Patinoarul Olimpic Brașov is a multi-purpose ice rink, with 1600 seats, inaugurated in 2010 with the goal of hosting the festivities of the 2013 European Youth Winter Olympic Festival. The ski jumping events for the Festival were held at the Râșnov Ski Jump, a hill that has hosted rounds of the ladies’ FIS Ski Jumping World Cup.

Meanwhile, the Patinoarul Mihai Flamaropol holds 8.000 and is the venue used by the Steaua Rangers, the ice hockey section of Steaua Bucharest and the sport’s most decorated club in Romania. The capital’s rink will be demolished to make space for a new 16.000-seats facility on the proximity of the Arena Națională.

Getting back outside, the Arenele BNR is a tennis complex with 11 courts – including a stadium with capacity for 5.000 – which hosts the WTA and ATP Tour annual events held in Bucharest.

Yearly Events

You can’t really say Romania has a league nested on Europe’s top-level (except maybe in women’s handball), but you’ll surely find some decent matches dotted around the country in various sports. Several handball, basketball and football teams are competitive on international competitions, so keep an eye on the league’s schedules from August to May.
For some of the main sporting events held on the country during the year, look below:

Irina Deleanu Cup, Rhythmic Gymnastics (World Cup Series)
Bucharest, April

The Arenele BNR Stadium on a night session

BRD Năstase Țiriac Trophy (Romanian Open), Tennis (ATP Tour)
Bucharest, April

Cluj-Napoca International Marathon, Athletics
Cluj-Napoca, April

Spring Cup, Rhythmic Gymnastics
Ploiești, May

BRD Bucharest Open, Tennis (WTA Tour)
Bucharest, July

Bucharest Trophy, (Women’s) Handball
Bucharest, August

Constanța-Mamaia ETU Triathlon European Cup, Triathlon
Constanța-Mamaia (Constanța district), September

Bucharest International Marathon, Athletics
Bucharest, October

Shaping Team Europe’s roster for the World Cup of Hockey (II)

(Introduction and forward group’s on the previous post)

Defence

Team Europe’s defensive corps is not short on experience and puck-moving ability, but there are some reasons for concern. Outside of depth issues we’ll mention later, they have a crucial trio that has been plagued by injuries recently, and a clear inclination for the left side. What I mean is that all of their prospective blueliners are left-handed.

The issue is not exclusive to this roster, since most players on the NHL shoot left (around 65%, and the predominance is even bigger in Europeans), but it is significant given the way this influences essential parts of a defenceman’s work, namely when clearing their own zone, escaping forecheckers, starting the breakout with an outlet pass, or keeping the puck on-side at the boards. I’m sure they’ll sort it out but one or two players will definitely move to their off-side, and it takes some time to adapt.

Zdeno Chara (Boston, SVK) – Roman Josi (Nashville, SUI)

After so many years leading Slovakia, will Zdeno Chara represent Team Europe at the World Cup?

A top pairing with Chara and Josi is, definitely, world-class but things get murkier if, for some reason, the hulking Bruins captain misses the tournament.

The proud Slovakian will be 39 by the time the tournament starts, and pulling out in order to save his body for the grind of a long season may be on his mind. Chara has participated in several World Championships and three Olympic Games for his country, and the idea of putting himself at risk for a team without a flag can’t be too exciting at this time of his career, when injuries are becoming increasingly prevalent. Nonetheless, assuming he takes part, his long reach, strength and booming slapshot would still be obvious difference makers.

Chara has patrolled the left side for his entire career, whereby it’s up to Josi to change his routines. The smooth-skating rearguard is already used to partner with a mammoth blueliner (RD Shea Weber), and figures to be the most important cog on a group that shares a lot of mileage. The Swiss’ impressive all-around game, ability to log big minutes, and growing offensive flair (28 goals over the last two seasons) will keep him on the ice in every situation, a load the burgeoning 2013 World Championships’ MVP seems ready to shoulder.

Christian Ehrhoff (LA Kings, GER) – Dennis Seidenberg (Boston, GER)

Germany’s top pair has a wealth of international experience sharing the ice, but, at this stage of their careers, it’s probably overmatched on a top four role.

The games of Ehrhoff and Seidenberg complement each other quite well, with the Bruins defenseman more than used to play the right side, but age and different ailments may have compromised their performance. The 33-year-old Kings blueliner is offensive-minded and can quarterback a powerplay with aplomb, but hasn’t been able to regain the level displayed for the Vancouver Canucks (2009-11) as a consequence of being side-lined for large chunks of games with concussion-like symptoms. Meanwhile, the 34-year-old Seidenberg plays like a true shutdown defenseman, and that style percolates into a richness of bruises that are starting to take its toll.

Christian Ehrhoff (#10) has been a stellar contributor to the German national team throughout his career

For Team Europe, it’s definitely beneficial that the competition will follow the off-season, since both players can be fresh and, hopefully, healthy heading into the tournament.

Andrej Sekera (Edmonton, SVK) – Mark Streit (Philadelphia, SUI)

Currently 25 years old, Roman Josi will be the youngest defenseman on the regular rotation for Team Europe, and Andrej Sekera is the other that has yet to reach 30.
The Slovak has regularly represented his nation, including on the last two Olympics, and has to help shore up the bottom pairing with his heady two-way game. A mobile defenseman that can move the puck but isn’t overly physical, Sekera will reach the tournament after a season as Edmonton’s top rearguard, and that experience will be crucial as he looks to withhold some minutes from the top four.

Mark Streit, another greybeard that has gone past the 37th birthday, won’t have to carry the same type of burden he’s used to for the Philadelphia Flyers, even though his offensive capabilities will be welcomed. A long-time powerplay specialist that can bomb the puck from the point, the 10-year NHL veteran has already participated in three Olympics and managed to become a savvy and responsible player on his end. Plus, he plays on the right side in Philly, which is definitely a bonus for this team’s handedness topic.

Andrej Sekera joined the Edmonton Oilers this offseason

We know the Russians will rotate four defensive units like always just to be different from everyone else, but since the rest will take seven blueliners to Canada to fill the 23-man roster, Team Europe’s final choice will likely come up to:

Luca Sbisa (Vancouver, SUI) / Mirco Mueller (San Jose, SUI)

Luca Sbisa jumped to the NHL as an 18-year-old (2008) with the Philadelphia Flyers, but he was clearly rushed and ended up stagnating in Anaheim, the organization he joined one year later as part of the Chris Pronger trade. As a matter of fact, he was a member of Switzerland’s 2010 Olympic roster but missed out in Sochi 2014. The 25-year-old failed to gain the coaches’ trust either in Anaheim or Vancouver because his skating ability and solid frame couldn’t disguise the bad decisions and hideous mistakes. Sbisa’s inconsistency have turned him into a low-end blueliner that struggles to crack the lineup at the NHL level, and the fact that he has some experience playing the right side is one of his few positive aspects.

20-year-old Mirco Mueller has had a cup of coffee in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks

Thus, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s passed over by his 20-year-old counterpart. The San Jose Sharks’ prospect is still raw and figures to spend most of this season on the AHL, but the lanky Mueller already displays a sound defensive game and is able to make a good first pass out of the zone. In 2014-15, the Swiss appeared in 39 NHL games and a few more would markedly hasten his development ahead of the World Cup.

Reserve

Did you notice how far you have to dig to find seven capable defenseman for this team? Well, in the NHL there’s literally no one else that fills the requirements of origin. Unless you ask Sweden for some loanees… maybe Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Victor Hedman? Mind-bogglingly they had no use for them in Sochi.

I had Andrej Meszaros on the mix but he has moved to the KHL after failing to land an NHL contract. Seems like a long time ago, but, in 2005-06, when he broke into the League, the now 30-year-old was one the brightest young blueliners in the game. However, since 2011, several injuries (back, shoulder, torn Achilles) derailed his progression and he fell out of favour. Positional errors, tentativeness with the puck and the refusal to engage physically turned him into a spare part, but, maybe, he can regain some confidence for HC Sibir Novosibirsk. Adept at playing the right side, his size and mobility were once important ingredients for his success.

Another Slovak, Lubomir Visnovsky, has also left the NHL, following an unsuccessful try-out with the Chicago Blackhawks, and returned to HC Bratislava. He will be 40 years old at the time of the tournament but…they say you never have too many puck-moving defenseman, right?

Group overview:

Experience and sound positioning are nice attributes, but if you don’t have the legs to hang on with the opponent, even more on a game that every day relies more on speed, you’re toast. Only Josi and Sekera possess above-average footspeed on Team Europe’s defence, they face some durability challenges, and there’s virtually no depth should an injury arise. We can safely say they’ll need a lot of help from the forwards corps to weather the storm.

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Goalies

The range of choices for the goaltending position is not the sturdiest, but I’m moderately certain they won’t be the most worried team on this category.
I’m looking at you, Team Czech Republic. And you, Team North-America.

Frederik Andersen (Anaheim, DEN)

The incumbent starter for one of the NHL’s premier teams is the favourite to take the reins on net. The 26-year-old is just on his 2nd complete NHL season, but has already collected 58 wins in 93 games and boasts very solid career numbers at the highest level (0.920 SV%, 2.31 GAA). Andersen is a big goalie (6’4”) that was drafted twice – first by the Hurricanes in 2010 (7th round) and, two years later, by the Ducks (3rd round) – and lacks some experience at the international level for Denmark, but he should be able to cover for that with another season backstopping the Ducks.

Frederik Andersen will be the lead man between the pipes for Team Europe

Jaroslav Halak (NY Islanders, SVK)

The Slovakian netminder is far removed from that memorable playoff run for the Montreal Canadiens in 2010, and those two months ended up being the peak of his NHL career. He seemed to be on cusp of stardom and almost forced the Habs to push Carey Price out of the door (*takes a moment to imagine what could have been*), but never evolved into an elite goalie and shared the crease most of the time. Halak’s best qualities as a smallish goaltender are his quick movement and positioning, and he has crafted a plum assignment as the starter for the up-and-coming Islanders, but the 30-year-old won’t be more than the backup to Andersen on the World Cup.

Jonas Hiller (Calgary, SUI)

The 33-year-old was once a workhorse goaltender for the Ducks, where he played 73 games during the 2011-12 season, but his numbers were never sparkling, except for a highly-respectful 0.924 SV% in 2010-11. Hiller defended Switzerland’s net at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics and maintains some of the agility that made him successful, but his career is definitely on the downswing, something clearly expressed by his difficulties to pin down the job in Calgary. For Team Europe, he will play third-fiddle.

Reserve:

Thomas Greiss (NY Islanders, GER)

The 29-year-old has been an average NHL backup since he gained a place on the San Jose Sharks roster in 2009-10. Greiss represented Germany at the 2010 Olympics and he’s currently the understudy to Halak on the Islanders. He’s decent enough to include on the roster if anything happens to the trio above him, but nothing more than that.

Group overview:

None of Team Europe’s goalies would appear on a list of the top ten in the World, but they’re capable of defending the team’s honour. Andersen’s evolution during the season will dictate if they can expect above-average goaltending, since the alternatives are past their heyday.

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I’ll have a look at Team North America once I see enough of Connor McDavid. Have to be absolutely sure he’s worthy of a spot. It may take a while.

(Check out Part I here)

Shaping Team Europe’s roster for the World Cup of Hockey (I)

The World Cup of Hockey will return in September of 2016 (17th to 1st October), with a tournament held in Toronto, and the NHL’s footprint made for some puzzling decisions regarding the format. None was more discussed than the idea of ditching the invitation for two teams to join the six hockey powerhouses (Canada, USA, Russia, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic) and, instead, congregate two makeshift rosters to complete the field of eight required to fulfill the two preliminary groups of four.

One of those will be an under-23 (on October 1st of 2016) team composed of the best North American youngsters playing in the League, and the other a mix of Europe’s talents born outside of the four nations previous referenced. Even if the effort to showcase more NHL talent is understandable, the outcry from countries like Slovakia (usually included on hockey’s seven traditional hotbeds) and Switzerland (that has seen the sport develop immensely both at the club and national team level) was immense and players were candid demonstrating their dissatisfaction. The final roster will likely be made up of players from Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Belarus, and maybe even France, and that creates problems for a group that has to come together in a month, build chemistry, integrate a melting pot of personalities and embrace the moniker of underdog. Plus, it’s still up in the air how to solve some simple elements of a group that congregates to compete against other nations, such as the flag and crest they’ll fight under, or the anthem heard after a triumph. In short words, the identity behind what can be considered a collection of misfits.

The man responsible for selecting Team Europe is former NHLer and Slovakia’s captain Miroslav Satan, while the coach will be Ralph Krueger, who coached the Edmonton Oilers in 2013-14, but has mostly been successful in Europe, leading Switzerland in 12 World Championships (1998-2009) and three Olympics (2002, 2006 and 2010). The 23-man roster may include three goalies and, predictably, thirteen forwards and seven defensemen, whereas the first 16 members have to be names until March 1st, and the entire squad announced no later than June 1st.

This article aims to predict the members of Team Europe’s roster and take a wild guess on the composition of the forward lines and defensive pairings we should expect entering the tournament and the encounter with the USA on opening day. I only included NHL-based players since the event is a joint effort by the NHL and the NHLPA, and it is on the best interest of these organizations that the number of NHL players be maximized. Plus, I don’t have enough knowledge about the players that ply their trade on the European Leagues to stack their merits against the NHL competition.

Switzerland came 2nd on the 2013 World Championships but that wasn’t enough to secure an invitation for the 2016 World Cup

To forecast the composition of the different lines, I tried to follow some simple guidelines that should be important for a group that will have a short window to gel and gain cohesiveness. Familiarity at the club level or in previous competitions for their nations, complementarity of styles (as subjective as the prediction of chemistry can be), and the need to balance the talent across the lineup were taken into account, with an effort to arrange four forward lines that can guarantee a solid two-way game and provide an offensive push. The NHL game today is about rolling four lines effectively and Team Europe will have to follow the same pattern, since it won’t be able to match the offensive fireworks we can expect from some of their opponents.
On the backend, the need for a consistent top four configures a feature of top-level teams and that was also a concern evaluating a prospective Team Europe’s lineup. I also took a look at the goaltenders and, for every position, appointed some reserve players that missed the cut and would be on verge of making the roster should the injury bug strike.

Forwards

Thomas Vanek (Minnesota, AUT) – Anze Kopitar (LA Kings, SLO) – Marian Gaborik (LA Kings, SVK)

On paper, a really potent top line…if we were in 2010.

Team Europe’s top center is probably the reason this team exists in the first place. Anze Kopitar’s Slovenia qualified for the 2014 Olympic tournament but that’s far from a regular participation and, thus, the Kings star is removed from competing with the best players in the world at the International stage. For this roster he’s a key player, the prototypical first line pivot that can matchup against any other sent to the ice, and the only complete scoring presence up the middle they can trust to put points on the scoreboard.

The 28-year-old has had, at least, 60 points in every NHL season but he covers many more fundamental facets of the game, being a strong penalty killer with a history of offensive prowess (9 SHG), a solid faceoff man (53.3% wins since 2011), and an elite two-way forward, expressed on a Selke nomination in 2014.

On the right side of Kopitar, the natural fit is his regular running mate in Los Angeles, Slovakian Marian Gaborik. At the age of 33, the winger has lost some of his trademark speed, and is already very far from the dynamic scorer that shined in Minnesota and New York, with his offensive production and shot rates tumbling over the last few seasons. Still, the three-time 40-goal scorer has shown that he can regain some of his magic in short spurts, like in the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs he led with 14 goals, and his talent can be a difference-maker for Team Europe.

Anze Kopitar (#11) and Marian Gaborik (#12) have shared the ice for the LA Kings since March 2014

Gaborik has flanked the top line at international competitions with one famous compatriot filling the other side but, this time, I believe that it’s for the best if Marian Hossa shores up the second line. Thus, another veteran NHL forward, Austria’s Thomas Vanek strides in. The 31-year-old is another player that is already over the hill and he certainly won’t improve the foot speed of this line, but his contributes can be valuable. His large frame and soft hands bring memories of more than 300 NHL goals, including ten-consecutive 20-goal seasons, and a lot of success with the man advantage, where he has accumulated approximately one-third of his offensive numbers.
Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if, by next fall, he is way below on the depth chart and maybe even out of the regular rotation.

Tomas Tatar (Detroit, SVK) – Zemgus Girgensons (Buffalo, LAT) – Marian Hossa (Chicago, SVK)

A couple of Slovak wingers with an eleven-year difference headline the second line.

24-year-old Tomas Tatar is just starting to come into his own at the NHL level and his 29 goals last year were flashes of a player that the Detroit Red Wings envision as a perennial 30-goal scorer moving forward. He’s probably Slovakia’s best hope to lead the transition after the likes of Gaborik, Chara and Marian Hossa retire, and the Red Wings would be thrilled if he comes remotely close to the career put on by his countryman.

Latvian Zemgus Girgensons should center one of Team Europe’s forward lines

However, for now, Tatar should benefit from another competition sharing the ice with the 37-year-old winger. Marian Hossa will probably say goodbye to international audiences very soon, but not without gracing the ice once again as one of the most accomplished players of his generation. A clutch performer, with 144 points amassed during the playoffs, 25 points in 15 games over three Olympic Games, and close to 500 NHL goals, Hossa’s numbers represent a brilliant and somewhat underappreciated career of an elite two-way presence that still displays the wheels to hang on with youngsters like Tatar.

Between the pair, Team Europe could ice the highest drafted Latvian player ever, Buffalo’s Zemgus Girgensons, a bonafide NHL All-Star, as evidenced last year. Ok…not really but, at least, Team Europe would certainly have the support of the rabid Latvian fans.

Jokes aside, the 21-year-old center is big (6’2, 203 pounds), physical and can generate offense flashing some power moves and using a wicked wrist shot. His development hasn’t been helped by the Sabres putrid roster over the last few seasons, but he could use the World Cup to improve his profile. Girgensons is also an effective two-way force and thus, slotting him with Hossa and Tatar, may give Team Europe a highly effective all-around line.

Mikkel Boedker (Arizona, DEN)–Lars Eller (Montreal, DEN) – Mats Zuccarello (NY Rangers, NOR)

Another line built on a pair of countryman that have performed together at previous international competitions.

Team Europe’s strength down the middle is suspect but you could do worse than the 26-year-old Danish on your third line. The versatile center can play on a checking line, like he’s usually deployed in Montreal, but he can also step up to a more prominent scoring role or move to the wing, taking a page out of Michel Therrien’s decision to start him this season on Alex Galchenyuk’s left side. Furthermore, Eller is a consistent two-way presence but to produce offense he will need to be flanked by skilled wingers, and that’s exactly what we’re looking at.

Mats Zuccarello will trade the colours of Norway for Team Europe’s (whatever they are..)

On the left, fellow Danish Mikkel Boedker is an underrated player that doesn’t get the recognition he deserves as one of the few flamboyant offensive talents the Arizona Coyotes have carried recently. The 25-year-old, who collected a career-high 51 points in 2013-14, is extremely fast, boasts some size and he’s especially dangerous on the PP, with his creativity and ability to play the point. A RW on the junior leagues, Boedker can easily shift to the left to make room for another crafty winger, New York Rangers’ Mats Zuccarello.

The 28-year-old Norwegian “hobbit” is way past the early concerns about his lack of size and strength, having become a go-to scorer for his team, which felt his absence deeply at last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs. Zuccarello had 59 points in 2013-14, and uses his left shot to manufacture offense from the right side of the ice, excelling with his vision and passing aptitude, attributes that should click well with his line mates, especially if Boedker finally realizes that he needs to shoot more and explore his great release.

Jannik Hansen (Vancouver, DEN) – Frans Nielsen (NY Islanders, DEN) – Nino Niederreiter (Minnesota, SUI)

Frans Nielsen would probably fit nicely on a line with his compatriots, but with the amount of depth other teams can throw on the ice, it’s important for Team Europe to present an experienced pivot on the fourth line. The 31-year-old is another recognizable two-way force and, even more than Eller, a player that, earlier in his career, was expected to put points on the board for a starved NY Islanders’ squad. The team’s improvement shuffled Nielsen down the lineup and he’s adjust to the role seamlessly, ghosting the oppositions’ best players and chipping in offensively. After all, he’s shown that he can score regularly, as occurred in 2013-14 when he posted 25G and 58 points.

The Danish is also a shorthanded threat, with 13 goals amassed in those situations over his NHL stay, and he may well form a fearsome pair in that situation with another Denmark-born forward. Vancouver Canucks’ Jannik Hansen may be a surprise inclusion on this roster, but the 8-year veteran has made a career as a PK specialist and shutdown forward for the 2011 Stanley Cup finalists, and his tremendous speed is an asset on the forecheck. Hansen is smart and versatile, can play either wing, and has also been called up to contribute on every line for the Canucks, including stints with the Sedin twins.

Frans Nielsen is one of several Denmark-born players expected to be a part of the roster

To provide an offensive pop to this line, the right side could use a big, skilled winger with a shooting mentality, and those are Nino Niederreiter’s main predicates. The highest-drafted Swiss player (5th, 2010) endured two frustrating seasons for the NY Islanders right after being selected, but the 2013 trade to Minnesota did wonders for his development. He learned how to use effectively his 6’2’’ frame, got consistent minutes with talented teammates, and flourished into the goal-scoring winger he was supposed to be, potting 24 goals in 2014-15. Just 23 years-old, he may be a wild card on this team, capable of climbing the ladder as the tournament progresses.

To round out the 13-men forward unit, I have two candidates:

Mikhail Grabovski (NY Islanders, BLR) / Nikolaj Ehlers (Winnipeg, DEN)

Common sense dictates that the center spot is essential, and entering the tournament with just four options for the position, since none of the proposed wingers has experience playing there, could prove problematic. Thus, the extra middleman may be a dependable veteran that could suit any role, and 31-year-old Mikhail Grabovski fits the mould, having accumulated experience since joining the Montreal Canadiens in 2008. A creative center that has been able to post offensive numbers despite limited attacking roles, the Belarussian has also acquired some experience on the left side for the New York Islanders.

Nikolaj Ehlers’ top-end skill set could prove valuable for Team Europe’s forward unit

However, just because I’m having a hard time leaving him outside, and it’s more than probable one of the 13 man listed above misses the tournament, the last player to make this roster should be a kid with the type of game-breaking talent Team Europe doesn’t have in spades.

19-year-old Nikolaj Ehlers has a lot to learn, but he’ll reach the World Cup with an NHL season under his belt after developing on the shadow of other scorers in Winnipeg, and his tantalising talent is just too exciting to leave out. An explosive skater with silky hands and the ability to play either side, Ehlers seems tailor-made to slot as a youngster destined to force Krueger’s hand into regular duty. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him operating Kopitar’s wing on the first day of the tournament…

Reserves

Unfortunately, the time when teams were allowed to carry a “taxi squad” is gone, but injuries always happen, so let’s get a sense of some possible reserves for Team Europe.
Should a middleman go down, Germany’s Leon Draisatl should slip in. The rangy playmaker has often been compared to Anze Kopitar but, right now, he’s just too much of an unknown quantity at the NHL level to pencil in without any doubt. However, his raw offensive skills are way above any other pivot on the team except for the Slovenian. Another German, Arizona’s Tobias Rieder, is also on the radar, with the winger cracking a top-six role for the Coyotes. Marko Dano, the Blackhawks’ much-heralded prospect, has the versatility to play center or wing, and could add speed and skill, while France’s Antoine Roussel is a valid option if the management staff decides the roster could use a pest with a crash-and-bang approach. Austria’s Michael Grabner has speed to burn and is an ace penalty killer, but injuries have hampered his ability to match the 34 goals reached as a rookie in 2010-11. However, in 2014, he tied for the Olympic tournament lead with 5 goals, so don’t discount him just yet.

Group overview:

Team Europe’s most famous forwards (Hossa, Vanek, Gaborik) have already seen their best days, which means some of the secondary elements, like Tatar, Boedker, Zuccarello and Niederreiter, will have to shine in order for this team to be competitive. On the positive side, there’s no shortage of defensively responsible players on the offensive mix, including down the middle of the ice. This group won’t be an offensive juggernaut but they have the means to slow down the heavyweights.

(Continues on the next post)

Euro 2016 Surprises: Meet the newcomers

The UEFA European Championship started as a four team’s tournament in 1960 but the evolution of the game has seen its format expanded roughly every two decades. Thus, 1980 was the first edition with eight teams, 1996 saw sixteen countries fight for glory in England and, next year, France will welcome 24 of the 54 nations that comprise the governing association of European football.

Naturally, this enlargement figured to decrease the competitive strength of the final tournament, which over the last decades has been considered even harder to win than the World Cup, but also drown out the interest over the 14 month-long qualifying campaign.
Yet, if the first proposition will have to wait until next summer to be evaluated, the second may have already been refuted due to a simple tweak instituted by UEFA. The new scheduling, which essentially enabled games continuously from Thursday to Tuesday, managed to establish a stretch where international football is, rightfully, at the forefront, enhanced the exposure on smaller nations and amplified the interest over the battles for qualifying spots, contributing to the most followed and stirring race in a long time.

Even with an easier path to book a place, some of Europe’s finest had to exert more to get in than they expected, including Russia, Belgium or World Champions Germany, and France’s tournament won’t be more than a mirage for two of the top seeds entering the group phase, Greece and the Netherlands. However, this article isn’t about the struggles of the heavyweights but about the exploits of the underdogs, those nations that hoped to rewrite their history and ended up thrilling their people.

I’ll tackle three countries that had been away from the spotlight for decades and that promise to colour next year’s tournament with the passion of their supporters, the strength of their play, and the shine of talented footballers that deserved the chance to set foot on a big international stage wearing their nation’s colours. They probably won’t lift the Henry Delaunay Cup after the 10th of July final on the Stade de France at Saint-Denis, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get to know them better.

Iceland

Less than two years after missing the chance to become the smallest country to qualify for a World Cup, falling short on the playoffs against Croatia, the nation with the Northernmost capital in Europe reached the finals of a major tournament for the first time.

10% of Iceland’s population, or 30 000 fans, may travel to France to support their team

Iceland could hardly have been more brilliant on their march to France, taking the victory from six of the first seven matches on qualification, including two famed triumphs over World Cup semi-finalists Netherlands, which capped an amazing improvement for a national team that was placed outside the top 100 on the FIFA rankings just five years ago. Since then, they appointed former Sweden’s coach Lars Lagerbäck, who is poised to retire in style next year and cede the position to current joint-manager Heimir Hallgrímsson, and became a tough side to overcome, incisive and daring on Reykjavík’s Laugardalsvöllur, solid and surgical away from home.

Although Iceland’s rise was helped by the presence of the first foreign national team manager in two decades, it is mainly about the important investments on infrastructures and training made on the country since the turn of the century. On an island faced with severe winter-related constraints, the escalation in full-sized halls and weather-resistant outdoor pitches has been remarkable, with newer artificial and natural grass fields allowing players and youngsters to train and improve their skills year-round, instead of toiling on gravel and indoor wooden floors. Similarly, the Icelandic Football Association (KSÍ) overhauled the entire coaching system, revolutionizing the education of the men responsible for teaching the new generations, with the number of UEFA Pro Licences increasing to levels that make their Scandinavian neighbours blush.

Lars Lagerbäck, alongside Heimir Hallgrímsson, led Iceland to the first international tournament

The outcome is a small country that is starting to export coaches, which follows the path set by much of the players that currently constitute the backbone of the national team, born between 1988 and 1992 and, thus, the first beneficiaries of the improvements on Iceland’s football structure. They comprise a true golden generation that first made waves by conquering a spot on the 2011 U-21 European Championship, with the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Aron Gunnarsson and Kolbeinn Sigthórsson shining in Denmark.

Those names are now plying their trade on Europe’s best Leagues as they reach their peak years, and the senior squad benefits from their maturity and the experience of some older players, a mix that flourished to make proud their 300,000 compatriots.
The Icelandic squad that surprised during this qualifying campaign is essentially an efficient side assembled on a straightforward formation, a 4-4-2 that Lagerbäck and Hallgrímsson rarely change and that has produced well on both areas. Until they secured the qualification, only the Czech Republic could break Iceland’s stout defence, for three times during the pair’s encounters, and the Czech were also the only team in the group that topped Iceland’s 17 goals scored.

Qualifying Campaign:

An impressive 3-0 win against Turkey at Reikjavik started Iceland’s journey to France but it wasn’t until the historic home triumph over the Netherlands, afforded by a Gylfi Sigurdsson’s brace, that the Nordic islanders showed the strength to severely importune the favourites for the qualifying spots.

To a loss in Plzen against the Czech, Iceland responded with three consecutive wins, including an encore on Dutch soil, to stand on the edge of advancing. A rainy, nervy 0-0 tie with last place Kazakhstan did the job and Iceland could finally relax, finishing the campaign by conceding a home draw with Latvia and a last-minute defeat, at Konya, with Turkey, the best third place team of all groups.

Formation and squad

See Iceland’s formation here

Iceland’s stingy defensive performance begins on goalkeeper Hannes Þór Halldórsson (NEC Nijmegen, 31 years old), who arrived this season to the Dutch League after three years in Norway. Actually, it was only in 2011, shortly after assuming the reigns of Iceland’s goal, that Halldórsson became a professional footballer, leaving behind several years representing Icelandic clubs and working as a film director. Ögmundur Kristinsson (Hammarby IF, 26) replaced Halldórsson for the last qualifying match.

The team’s two centre-backs, not surprisingly, are both tall and vigorous, with former defensive midfielder Kári Árnason’s (Malmö FF, 32) career including stops in Sweden, Denmark, Scotland and England, before debuting on the Champions League this season for the title holders of his birth country. His partner Rágnar Sigurdsson (Krasnodar, 29) conquered titles in Sweden (IFK Göteborg) and Denmark (FC Copenhagen) until a move to Russia in 2014.

Right-back Birkir Sævarsson (Hammarby IF, 30) spent six years on Norwegian club Brann before joining the Stockholm-based squad and is a versatile defender that can player anywhere on the back due to his height (1.87m). He usually covers for the offensive raids of left-back Ari Skúlason (Odense BK, 28), a former midfielder that retreated on the field due to Lagerbäck’s efforts, and today adds a new dimension to Iceland’s game by providing pinpoint crosses and long balls.

Gylfi Sigurdsson (10) and Aron Gunnarson (17) are Iceland’s central midfield duo

Patrolling the centre of the midfield is captain Aron Gunnarson (Cardiff City, 26), who plays in England since 2008, first for Coventry City and later for a Welsh side that spent 2013-14 in the Premier League. The holding midfielder generally has the company of Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City, 26), the team’s finest player, who can be moved to support a single striker when the game calls for more defensive consistency. The former Tottenham player defines most of his team’s plays, controls the pace of the game, and takes care of every free kick and penalty, having scored six goals during the Euro 2016 campaign, including three crucial strikes against the Netherlands.

If Sigurdsson has to move forward, Johann Gudmundsson (Charlton Athletic, 24) steps in, with the talented winger having returned to England after spending part of his formative years there before signing for AZ Alkmaar in 2009.

Appropriately nicknamed “Thor” in his homeland, Birkir Bjarnason (FC Basel, 27) is usually deployed on the right side of the midfield for the national team despite having played on the centre for his different clubs, a list that includes Viking FK, Standard Liège, Pescara and Sampdoria before joining the Swiss Champions this season. If Bjarnason tends to drift to the middle in order to help close down on defence, left winger Emil Hallfredsson (Hellas Verona, 31) provides width and a wealth of experience from six seasons performing in Italy. Defensive midfielder Ólafur Skúlason (Gençlerbirliği S.K., 32) is the man in hand should a suspension stop any of the regular midfielders from competing.

Up front, Iceland’s coaches like to pair two mobile forwards, with Jón Dadi Bödvarsson (Viking FK, 23) being the youngest player on the starting eleven and a versatile element that can also play as a winger. Kolbeinn Sigthórsson (FC Nantes, 25) is the biggest threat for opposing defences, having produced 18 goals in 30 games for the national team and 46 during his 5-year stay in the Netherlands, representing AZ Alkmaar and Ajax.

Kolbeinn Sigthórsson celebrates his strike against Turkey

With only thirteen players collecting minutes in more than 5 games during the qualification campaign, it’s clear that the pool of talent available to the managing duo is limited but, nonetheless, the attack is the position with more alternatives.
Rúrik Gíslason (FC Nurnberg, 27) is usually the first man off the bench to change things offensively, but the return of veteran Eidur Gudjohnsen (Shijiazhuang Ever Bright FC, 37), last March against Kazakhstan, broadened the options. Iceland’s greatest player ever could be a key influence on the team in France, even if the former Barcelona and Chelsea man best times’ have been gone for a while.

Alfred Finnbogason (Olympiacos FC, 26) is another piece of the puzzle even though the complete affirmation of the Eredivisie’s best goal scorer in 2013-14 (SC Heerenveen, 29 goals) has taken more than expected. Finally, Vidar Orn Kjartarsson (Jiangsu Guoxin-Sainty, 25) was the runaway top goal scorer on the Norwegian league in 2014, and may soon join the battle for a starting position.

Wales

The 1958 World Cup marks the first and only time Wales had qualified for a major tournament, and if next year’s campaign delivers the same result, a quarter-final exit, the rugby-mad country will be pleased. After narrowly missing the presence at the 1994 World Cup and the 2004 European Championship, the current generation of Welsh players has already achieved almost unparalleled heights, with the national team ranked, as of the 1st of October, as the number eight team in the world. Four years ago, Wales was 117th, behind Haiti.

Iconic legends in Great Britain’s football history like Ian Rush, Mark Hughes and Ryan Giggs never had the chance to experience a big international showcase for their nation, but fortunately the same won’t (*knocks on wood*) happen to Gareth Bale, the latest world-class player born on the western part of the biggest British Island.
The Real Madrid star is absolutely essential, and the only player on the squad to tally more than ten goals on his career for the national team (his 19 goals in 54 games at age 26 are just nine off Ian Rush’s record), but there’s more talent leading the surge to prominence, including a core group between the ages of 25 and 28 that has grown together for a few years.

Wales team spirit was on display throughout the ten-game campaign

The entire roster is based in England (and Scotland) outside of his main star, and the coach, Chris Coleman, also made a career as a defender for several English outfits, earning 32 caps for his country. He debuted behind the bench for Fulham in 2003, one year after ending his career on the London side, and left after four seasons to assume Real Sociedad, where he stayed for just five months. He returned to guide Coventry City during a couple of years and had a short stint in Greece, for Larissa, before being appointed as Wales’s national coach in January 2012, after the death of Gary Speed, a friend and former teammate.

Coleman’s squad scored a paltry eleven goals in ten matches during the campaign, with seven of those coming off the head and feet of Bale, but that was enough to collect six victories because their generous defensive unit only allowed a single goal at home, and four in total. Two clean sheets against a Belgium team laden with offensive stars – one which scored 24 times on the other 8 games – is the definitive proof of Wales’ stoic resistance and team spirit.

The Welsh approach most games with a mixed 5-3-2/ 3-4-1-2 formation, based on a strong and populated central area, which frees the outside backs and leaves Aaron Ramsey with the responsibility to link play and support a front duo where Bale has “carte blanche” to roam and explore spaces behind the defence. When the team needs to score, Coleman shifts to a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2, with Bale on the left or behind a striker.

Qualifying Campaign:

Someone who looked at Wales’ half-time scoreline (1-1) during their first qualifying encounter, at Andorra, would be hardly pressed to believe on a successful enterprise. And although Gareth Bale completed his brace on the remaining 45 minutes to give the visitors three points, his team would still take some time to get on track.

Gareth Bale’s tally sunk Belgium in Cardiff

Nonetheless, a 0-0 against Bosnia at Cardiff, and a hard-fought victory over Cyprus, after playing almost all of the last 45 minutes with a man down, placed Wales on top.
The following three-game stretch turned the Welsh dream into a distinct possibility, with the team securing a scoreless draw in Brussels before the irrepressible Bale took over, finding the net twice and assisting on the other tally during a signature 3-0 triumph in Haifa, Israel. The winger then bagged the lone strike to defeat the Belgians in Cardiff, and secured a dramatic late win in Cyprus with a bullet header.

Wales couldn’t clinch the spot in France at home, against Israel, after being held to a frustrating 0-0 draw, but the wait of more than 50 years was finally over on the next fixture. Despite a loss at Bosnia, Cyprus handed Wales the much awaited qualification by surprising Israel.

Formation and squad

See Wales’ formation here

Goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey (Crystal Palace, 28) is the undisputable starter for Wales since his 53 caps are exactly 53 more than the total of his two backups. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers goalie also played a lot at the club level from 2007 to 2014 but, since his move to the Premier League side, he has warmed the bench more times than not.

Wales’ skipper Ashley Williams was selected by UEFA for the Euro 2016 qualifiers best 11.

Wales defence is marshalled, be it on a configuration of four or five men, by captain Ashley Williams (Swansea City, 31), who also wears the armband for the Swans, the side he represents since 2008. Born in England but of Welsh ascendency, James Chester (West Bromwich Albion, 26) has secured a place alongside Williams since his debut last year, when he was yet a member of Hull City, the club he joined from Manchester United in 2011.

Rounding out the back three, when needed, is veteran James Collins (West Ham United, 31) or one of the team’s natural left backs, either Neil Taylor (Swansea City, 26) or Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur, 22). The pair competed for a spot on Swansea’s defence before the latter moved to London in 2014, but don’t have the same problem on the national team, since Coleman can move either to the centre or up to the midfield. Chris Gunter (Reading FC, 26) is a right back with Premier League experience and already more than 60 caps amassed, while Ashley Williams (Fulham FC, 24) backs him up and can also play as a left back or on the midfield.

The trio at the heart of the field has Joe Ledley (Crystal Palace, 28), a player with Premier League and Champions League experience for Celtic under his belt, as the most physical weapon and defensive anchor, while Joe Allen (Liverpool, 25) is a more refined midfielder that has struggled to live up to the £15 million paid to Swansea in 2012. Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal, 24) is a box-to-box threat that pushes the ball forward, and surprises opponents with his timely appearances to set up his teammates or pounce on goal.

Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey is Wales’ key midfielder

When one of these three players is absent, Andy King (Leicester City, 26) is the next in line and Coleman can thrust an element with a knack for goal, having scored 57 times over nine years for Leicester, a record for a “Foxes” midfielder. David Edwards (Wolverhampton Wanderers, 30) and David Vaughan (Nottingham Forest, 32) are long-time members of the squad that provide depth to the sector, while youngsters Jonathan Williams (Crystal Palace, 22) and Emyr Huws (Huddersfield Town, 22) are slowly finding their space on the main team.

On the attack, the attention is all on the mesmerizing runs, shots, tricks and turns of Gareth Bale (Real Madrid, 26), but the Cardiff native can also be extremely dangerous from thunderous free-kicks or even bullying opponents on the air. Besides Bale, Hal Robson-Kanu (Reading, 26) is another arrow pointed towards the opponent’s net, as the former Arsenal schoolboy usually plays as a winger at the club-level.

Simon Church (Milton Keynes Dons, 26) and Sam Vokes (Burnley, 25) are pure strikers, but their underwhelming career goal-scoring record turns them into regular bench fixtures for the national team, since Coleman prefers the services of winger David Cotterill (Birmingham City, 26) whenever he switches to a three-man unit up front centered by Robson-Kanu. The talented George Williams (Fulham, 20) has already collected some minutes, and he figures to see his profile raised over the next few years.

Austria

It won’t be a debut, like for Iceland, and the country did not have to wait almost 60 years to taste a major international tournament, like Wales, but this doesn’t mean that Austria’s qualification for the Euro 2016 isn’t a great achievement. After all, the country had never qualified for the European Championship – played part as a co-host in 2008 – and the last time they could pop the bottles to celebrate reaching a tournament was in 1998, on France’s World Cup.

For a nation that finished fourth at the 1934 World Cup, and third in the 1954 edition, this is a long time, and the first goal in France will be securing a competition triumph that escapes since 1990. Indeed, the last time they went past the first round is an even more remote memory, dating back to the 1982 World Cup.

The Austrians and their fans will be back to a major international tournament

Some of the biggest names in Austria’s footballing history were strikers, including Toni Polster, the all-time best goal scorer for the national team with 44 goals, and former Barcelona man Hans Krankl, but the current roster is much more about a group of players that thrived on the youth Austrian rosters, and achieved recognition with the fourth place at the 2007 U-20 World Cup. Those players are now fully developed as key members of the senior squad and the national team is reaping the benefits, even though their transcendental talent is 23-year-old David Alaba, who became the youngest player ever to debut for Austria back in 2009, at the age of 17.

Alaba joined Bayern Munich as a teenager, and this is a path that many Austrians follow early on, with almost the entire roster having played in Germany at some point in their careers, but the national team has also profited from the experience on the Premier League of names like Marko Arnautovic and Christian Fuchs. Thus, most of the side can relate and implement the technical and tactical concepts that dominate contemporary football, including a suffocating pressing that made several victims during the campaign.

Looking from the baseline is Coach Marcel Koller, who orchestrated an attractive style of play based on movement and pace, which extracts the best from his creative offensive midfielders. The 54-year-old Swiss represented his national team as a midfielder in 56 occasions and became a manager in 1997, leading the fortunes of Grasshoppers, Cologne and Bochum, among others, before being appointed as Austrian coach in 2011. Koller’s work wasn’t enough to earn a spot on the 2014 World Cup, trailing Germany and Sweden on the qualifying group, but the Austrian’s showed the promised that materialized in a wonderful campaign towards booking the trip to France.

Sweden was the only team that managed to stop Austria during the qualifiers

Twenty-two goals scored and only five conceded, nine wins in ten matches, and a couple of signature triumphs on the grounds of their two strongest rivals, tell the tale of 13 months to remember for a country that rediscovered the love for the game following the adventures of a revived squad.

The Austrians are a team structured on a balanced 4-2-3-1, which thrives on the unpredictability and positional swaps between their three attacking midfielders along with the relentless work of Alaba, used on the national team as a box-to-box midfielder. On the other hand, Austria’s Achilles heel is a defence that lacks speed, even if their opponents couldn’t take advantage, since the first goal suffered on open play came only on injury time eight games into the campaign.

Qualifying Campaign:

Austria only dropped two points on the road to the Euro 2016, and those were courtesy of Sweden on the inaugural match, a 1-1 draw in Vienna. The team followed that up with three consecutive one goal victories, the most important coming at home against Russia, when a late strike by Rubin Okotie acted as the decider on a game that Alaba missed with an injury. The Bayern Munich man would also fail the trip to Moscow, and his teammates managed to pull through once again, this time due to a Marc Janko’s tally.

Another narrow win, this time over Moldova in Vienna, set up a crucial encounter at Solna, Sweden, and the Austrians didn’t squander the chance to punch the ticket at the first opportunity, embarrassing their opponents with a categorical 4-1 score line after a sensational performance. To end the campaign, an injury-time winner in Montenegro gave Austria its eight consecutive triumph, a number that would rise to nine after beating Liechtenstein on the last fixture.

Formation and squad

See Austria’s formation here

Austria’s Number One is Robert Almer (Austria Wien, 31), an experienced shot stopper that spent the last four seasons in Germany playing for Fortuna Düsseldorf, Energie Cottbus and Hannover 96, even if he never turned into an unquestionable starter for any of the sides.

The defence mixes youth and experience. The full backs are Florian Klein (VFB Stuttgart, 28), who moved from Red Bull Salzburg to become the first-team right back for the German outfit, and captain Christian Fuchs (Leicester City, 29), whose move this season to the Premier League came after seven years on the Bundesliga, the last four for Schalke 04, where he created danger by flinging long free-throws. Meanwhile, on the centre, the talented Aleksandar Dragović (Dynamo Kiev, 24) is the leader of the sector, having flourished for Basel before joining the Ukrainian powerhouse, where his play is attracting several English top clubs.

Aleksandar Dragović is Austria’s better rounded defender

To play besides Dragović, Marcel Koller alternated between the lanky (1.94m) Sebastian Prödl (Watford, 28), a recent signee of the Premier League side after seven season on Werder Bremen, and the youngster Martin Hinteregger (Red Bull Salzburg, 23), a regular fixture on the perennial Austrian Champions. Kevin Wimmer (Tottenham Hotspur, 22), who joined the London outfit from Cologne this summer, is waiting on the wings, while right back György Garics (SV Darmstadt 98, 31) and left back Markus Suttner (FC Ingolstadt 04, 28) provide cover for Klein and Fuchs, respectively.

David Alaba (Bayern Munich, 23) has executed plenty of roles since Pep Guardiola took over the Bavarian Giants, and his versatility translates to the Austrian side, where he’s not viewed as a left-back, the position he prospered in. His energetic style, awareness and sublime skill bless Austria’s central midfield, and he’s the dynamo behind the team’s success after contributing with four goals in eight matches during the campaign. Alaba’s partner on the middle of the park is Julian Baumgartlinger (FSV Mainz 05, 27), a strong tackler who left home at age 13 to join TSV 1860 Munich’s youth academy.

Alternatives to the midfield duo include the physical Stefan Ilsanker (RB Leipzig, 26), the prototypical defensive midfielder, and Christoph Leitgeb (Red Bull Salzburg, 30), a product of Sturm Graz’s academy. Veli Kavlak (Beşiktaş J.K., 26), who moved to his parents’ country of origin in 2011, is also frequently called.

The chemistry between the trio that collaborates behind the lone forward is palpable, and thus coach Koller rarely dismisses the services of a group that combined to hit the net eight times during the journey to France. Martin Harnik (VFB Stuttgart, 28) brings it from the right and the Hamburg-born winger confirms for the national team the credentials of a career solidly built on the Bundesliga, which includes four dozens of goals collected for the southwest German club.

On the other flank evolves the mercurial Marko Arnautović (Stoke City, 26), the bad boy of Austria’s football, a winger as talented as inconsistent during stints for Twente, Inter Milan and Werder Bremen. Zlatko Junuzović (Werder Bremen, 28) plays as a right-winger for his club but, on the national team, is a classic Number 10 with a penchant for free-kick taking.

Marcel Sabitzer (RB Leipzig, 21) is the first man called upon when something needs to be changed on the attacking midfield, while Valentino Lazaro (Red Bull Salzburg, 19), of Angolan and Greek roots, has been viewed as the next big thing in Austrian football since debuting on the domestic league at the age of 16 years and 224 days, earlier than anyone else. Jakob Jantscher (FC Luzern, 26) fights for minutes and opportunities with the two young prospects. Andreas Weimann (Derby County, 24) signed for Aston Villa at age 16, and became one of Austria’s prominent footballers acquiring more than 100 Premier League appearances, but he’s currently removed from Koller’s regular selections.

David Alaba (R), Martin Harnik (C) and Marc Janko (L) after a goal on Austria’s smashing triumph in Sweden

On the attack, the starter is still the veteran Marc Janko (FC Basel, 32), whose seven goals in the qualification paced the team. A former record-breaking goal machine for Red Bull Salzburg that also played in the Netherlands, Portugal and Turkey, Janko seems revitalized after a stint in Australia, and is now an important member of the Swiss Champions. Rubin Okotie (TSV 1860 Munich, 28), born in Karachi, Pakistan, has been less prolific throughout his career, but his two goals on the campaign directly offered four points.

Lukas Hinterseer (FC ingolstadt 04, 22) is currently the third man on the pecking order, and his morphologic conditions (1.92m) anticipate that he can become Janko’s successor, while Marco Djuricin (Red Bull Salzburg, 22), currently on loan at Brentford searching for competitive minutes, is another piece of Austria’s future up front.

(Albania and Northern Ireland are also newcomers but didn’t make the cut this time. They’ll be featured later. Eventually.)