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Scouting
Report
Style of play: Portuguese soccer is an enigma:
it is simultaneously tactically disciplined and offensively
explosive. Portugal takes very few chances at the back;
its defenders rarely move forward to join the offensive
rush. Luis Figo, slotted in on the right side of midfield,
is given licence to roam the pitch at will and take
on defenders as he sees fit. As a result, he dictates
the pace of the game and is responsible for organizing
Portugal's attack. Portugal also relies on the other
midfielders to create scoring chances for the two strikers
with sharp passes and precise crosses into the box from
the wings. In addition to feeding balls to their forwards,
the midfielders routinely charge up the field with an
eye towards the penalty area, giving Portugal even more
attacking options.
Strengths:
Skill and talent -- Portugal boasts one of the
most talented sides in this year's World Cup. Luis Figo,
Rui Costa, Joao Pinto, Nuno Gomes, Pedro Pauleta and
Sergio Conceicao are all world-class players who have
proven themselves with the biggest and best clubs in
European soccer.
Attacking options -- Portugal has so many offensive
weapons it isn't funny, especially to opposition defenders.
Pedro Pauleta and Nuno Gomes are two lethal strikers,
while midfielders Rui Costa, Luis Figo, Sergio Conceicao
and Joao Pinto are just as dangerous moving forward
in attack.
Defence -- Portugal is very solid at the back,
and you need look no further than their defensive record
during qualifying for proof - seven goals conceded in
10 games. Fernando Couto and Jorge Costa make up for
their lack of pace with guile and experience, and they're
not easily beaten by opposing forwards.
Weaknesses:
Goalkeeping -- Vitor Baia, Portugal's starting
goalkeeper, has been riddled with a string of injuries
the past year and half, raising serious doubts about
his fitness. Ricardo Pereira is an unproven backup with
little international experience.
Injuries -- Rui Costa and Sergio Conceicao battled
major injury problems and missed several games this
past season with their respective clubs. Luis Figo is
not completely fit and might have to play hurt in Japan
and South Korea. If this dynamic trio is not completely
healthy, Portugal could be ripe for an upset.
Euro 2000 -- The memory of its catastrophic collapse
after a disputed call in the semi-finals of Euro 2000
continues to haunt Portugal, especially since it was
a game Portugal should have won. Rightly or wrongly,
soccer pundits around the world have labelled Portugal
as chokers ever since. This reputation could either
be motivation or an albatross.
Key injuries/squad omissions:
Luis Figo has been battling an ankle injury the past
few months and recently admitted that he was unsure
if he would be completely fit for the World Cup….
Midfielder Daniel Kenedy reportedly failed a drug test
and was replaced with Hugo Viana…. Strikers Luis
Boa Morte and Ricardo Sa Pinto did not figure into coach
Antonio Oliveira's plans and were not named to the roster…
Outlook:
Portugal is one of the favourites at this year's tournament,
and has a very good chance of winning its first World
Cup. South Korea, Poland and the U.S. pose no serious
threat, which means Portugal will go untested in the
opening round on its way to finishing first in Group
D. With such world-class players as Luis Figo, Rui Costa
and Joao Pinto, this Portugal squad has drawn comparisons
to the legendary 1966 World Cup team anchored by Eusebio.
A potential match with Spain in the quarter-finals could
prove tough, but if the Spaniards wilt under the pressure,
as they are prone to do, Portugal would have an easy
path to the semi-finals.
The
Country
Location: South-western Europe, bordering the
North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain
Capital: Lisbon
Area: 92,391 sq km
Population: 10,048,232 (July 2000 est.)
Government type: Parliamentary democracy
Climate: Maritime temperate; cool and rainy
in north, warmer and drier in south
Ethnic groups: Homogeneous Mediterranean stock;
citizens of African descent who immigrated to mainland
during de-colonization number less than 100,000.
Religions: Roman Catholic 94%, Protestant.
Languages: Portuguese.
History: A world power in the 15th and 16th
centuries, Portugal lost the majority of its wealth
and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755
earthquake. It was also devastated by occupation during
the Napoleonic Wars, and the loss of its Brazilian colony
in 1822. The monarchy was toppled in 1910 following
a revolution and Portugal was run for the next 60 years
by a series of repressive governments. Broad democratic
reforms were introduced in 1974 following a left-wing
military coup. In 1975, Portugal granted independence
to all of its African colonies, and entered the European
Community in 1985.
The Community in Canada
At least for now, Canada team doesn't stand much chance of making much of an impact in international soccer, so from a Canadian standpoint, an ideal World Cup second round would include Italy, Portugal, England, Ireland, Greece, China, the Ukraine and at least one team from the Caribbean - those being the communities most strongly and most widely represented in Canada.
But although 2002 has been the year of upsets, we'll still have to adjust our ideal roster. No teams qualified from the Caribbean, and neither Greece nor Ukraine made the cut. China, not really a soccer nation either, didn't make it past the first round, and incredibly, Italy and Portugal were in real danger of being ousted from the tournament by the end of the first round.
If it had only been England and Ireland from the above list that went through, it would have been a real shame. All Canadians joined in the celebrations back in 1982 when Italy won the World Cup in Spain. It was hard not to. There are well over a million Canadians of Italian origin in communities from coast to coast and over half a million in the Toronto area alone.
It all started with Giovanni Caboto (otherwise known as John Cabot) who claimed Newfoundland for England in 1497. Fans of TV's Degrassi High may not know that the Degrassi St. was named for one of the first Italian-Canadians, who settled in Toronto in 1831. The first big wave of Italian immigrants began in the late 1800s, when tradesmen and labourers primarily from Southern Italy came to help build the country.
Today, there are neighbourhoods in Hamilton, Ont. (where the entire downtown became gridlocked after the 1982 Italian victory), Toronto and Montreal. Some of those communities boast more residents with roots in particular Sicilian towns than reside in those Sicilian towns themselves. This makes for a great window on the passions of the World Cup - whichever way the fortunes turn. The spontaneous party on the Corso Italia along St. Clair Ave. in Toronto in 1982 and again during the close call in 1994 was a gift to the spirit of the city and a lesson in good-natured celebration.
Portuguese-Canadians, however, are ready to step in when Italy falters. Portugal's team is a recent (the team is only making its third World Cup appearance, but is among the favourites) powerhouse, but the community also comes as a multi-barrelled Lusophonic soccer powerhouse.
In past World Cups, Portuguese shopkeepers have proudly stood in front of their markets waving Brazlian flags and chanting: Brasileiro, Brasileiro! Add to that the fact that much smaller Lusophone communities from Goa, Macau, Angola, Cabo Verde and Mozambique tend to line up behind Brazil at World Cup time, and you have a massive soccer base with a built-in internal rivalry just to keep it interesting. And if Portugal beats Brazil or Brazil beats Portugal? Hey, the camps move easily.
A Portuguese seafarer, Corte Real, also voyaged to Newfoundland in 1497, but came to explore only. Pedro Silva, a Portuguese postman, carried mail between Montreal and Quebec City back in 1705, but large-scale immigration to Canada didn't begin until the 1950s. Although a certain brand of Portuguese port wine is ceremonially wintered in Newfoundland, the once vibrant Portuguese community in Newfoundland in many ways collapsed with the cod fishery of which they were a big part. Today, most of Canada's Portuguese community is centred in Toronto and Montreal to the tune of about 200,000.
Of the other Lusophone communities, Brazil is the best-represented, but still small. Small, but very vocal. Watching a soccer match with Brazilian fans is arguably the most fun way to take in a game. Good food, lots of drumming and chanting and a wonderful vibe in the room.
Depending on the fortunes of Portugal, the Brazilian fan base can swell up to the hundreds of thousands in Portuguese speaking communities - not to mention the countless fans from other communities who simply love the story of the Brazilian team and whose fascination with the Brazilian style of play goes back to those magic moments watching Pele play.
When Portugal trounced Poland on Portugal Day, the west end of downtown Toronto celebrated boisterously for hours. In 1998, even after France handed favoured Brazil a sound thrashing in the final, the entire College/Ossington area of Toronto shut down as thousands of Brazil supporters of a whole range of ethnicities staged a spontaneous street party.
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