By Dan Gaspar, on June 29th, 2010
Dan Gaspar is a member of Portugal’s 2010 World Cup coaching staff and the head coach of the University of Hartford’s men’s soccer team. He also runs the acclaimed Star Goalkeeper Academy and the Connecticut Soccer School. He is guest-blogging his journey for WorldSoccerBars.com.
When you start the journey that is the World Cup, there’s always a sense of anxiety.
You try to focus on the two segments of the tournament: there’s the qualification aspect, which Team Portugal has already achieved, and then there’s the knockout phase, which requires a winning mentality. The loser goes home and the winner stays. We’ve reached that stage and we don’t want to go home.
As Team Portugal prepares for the match against Spain, we’re in a good space and a good frame of mind. The game plan is on track. We haven’t conceded a goal at the World Cup and if we can maintain that discipline and sense of structure, we’re always in a position to compete.
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By Thomas, on June 28th, 2010
Watch Portugal vs. Spain as they take center stage in Cape Town in an Iberian matchup between the #2 and #3 ranked teams in the world (according to FIFA). The match at Green Point Stadium is first time Spain and Portugal have faced-off in a World Cup match. In 32 previous matches Spain [...]
By Thomas, on June 21st, 2010
Portugal vs. North Korea
Group G 7:30 a.m. EDT TV: ESPN, Univision
Portugal will look to impress a disciplined North Korean side that made Brazil look ordinary in a 2-1 loss in their first match.
Chile vs. Switzerland
Group H 10 a.m. EDT TV: ESPN, Univision
It’s the unstoppable force vs. the immovable object [...]
By Thomas, on June 14th, 2010
New Zealand vs. Slovakia – 7:30 a.m. EDT
Group F – (Rustenburg)
Ivory Coast vs. Portugal – 10 a.m. EDT
Group G – (Port Elizabeth)
Brazil vs. Korea DPR – 2:30 p.m. EDT
Group G – (Johannesburg)
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By Dan Gaspar, on June 14th, 2010
Dan Gaspar is a member of Portugal’s 2010 World Cup coaching staff and the head coach of the University of Hartford’s men’s soccer team. He also runs the acclaimed Star Goalkeeper Academy and the Connecticut Soccer School. He is guest-blogging his journey for WorldSoccerBars.com.
Coach Gaspar and Cristiano Ronaldo take a break from the Portugal Airforce Team Building exercises.
The moment of truth is just around the corner. Portugal plays its first World Cup match, Tuesday, June 15th 4:00pm versus Ivory Coast in Port Elizabeth at the beautiful Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. As many of you know, we defeated Cameroon 3-1 in a preparation match in Covilha, Portugal. Eighty thousand people bid us farewell from the Eduardo VII Park as we departed from Lisbon. When we arrived in Johannesburg we were greeted by thousands of Portuguese immigrants at the airport as well as along the highway. I’ve never seen so much green and red colors. Portuguese immigrants are the largest number of immigrants in South Africa. Our training sessions are also attended by thousands of Portuguese fans. According to the police, 200 cars followed us to our final destination. There are eight teams who are receiving the most security attention. The United States is considered a high risk team and has extensive security. The Portugal National Team is also on that list as a result of the popularity of the team. We also defeated Mozambique 3 to 0. These results were beneficial on many levels. Cameroon and Mozambique are similar in many aspects to Ivory Coast. These positive results have build momentum and confidence that will prepare us versus Ivory Coast.
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By Thomas, on June 9th, 2010
Now that we’re inside of the 48 hour mark before the first kickoff of this year’s World Cup and if you’re like us, you’re getting really twitchy, possibly irritable and having a really hard time concentrating at work or school. For those of you rooting for the US MNT or rooting against England (we’re [...]
By Dan Gaspar, on May 20th, 2010
The entire village of Covilha is ecstatic about hosting their special guest, the Portugal National Team. Carlos Queiroz, his coaching staff and the FPF administration lead by Carlos Godinho have left nothing to chance. The attention to details has been impeccable. This level of organization and commitment to perfection is to limit any potential [...]
By Dan Gaspar, on May 14th, 2010
I almost did not make it to the Portugal National Team official player presentation. I had flight delays resulting from airplane technical difficulties and then the volcanic dust cloud. The airport was absolutely chaos. I just made it in time, but my bags arrived a day later. That is another story for another day.
On [...]
By Dan Gaspar, on May 12th, 2010
Well the moment has arrived. I leave for the Portugal National training camp in preparation for the South Africa World Cup!
I have been fortunate to have worked on three different continents with world class players at all levels. However, I never had the opportunity to participate in the World Cup. In fact I [...]
