Já sabemos que o Brasil é o favorito. Aliás, o Brasil é geralmente o favorito, a não ser que jogue contra alguma das duas ou três selecções mais bem cotadas no momento.  Amanhã, não vai ser diferente.  Contudo, Portugal tem valor para entrar em campo de igual para igual contra o escrete canarinho.  É sobremaneira importante ter um bom desempenho nesse jogo.  Terminar em primeiro coloca-nos contra a selecção segunda classificada no grupo H.  Que importa que seja a Espanha a segunda classificada no grupo H, se isso vier a acontecer?  Portanto, temos que entrar em campo para ganhar.  Para mais, não é todos os dias que se termina à frente do Brasil.

They have signed Rich Costanzo, 24, a defender, who played in 2009 for the Minnesota Thunder. Costanzo was on the Maryland Terrapins’ team that won the 2008 NCAA championship.
The Rhinos also signed Roy Clark, 26, midfielder and forward, who is from Costa Rica. In 2007-08, Clark played for Lower Hutt City AFC of New Zealand, where he scored 18 goals. More recently, in 2008/09, Clark played for Cartaginés in the Costa Rican First Division.
Additionally, the Rhinos signed Tyler Bellamy, 21, defender, who attended St. Bonaventure. Bellamy is from New Jersey.
Finally, the Rhinos had signed, a few days ago (on 02/17/10), Darren Spicer, 26, a midfielder, who played in the last two seasons for the Charleston Battery. In 2007, Spicer played for the Minnesota Thunder. Spicer was a former MLS draft pick of the Chivas USA, first round, 13th overall, in 2006.
After these four signings, the Rhinos have 13 players under contract for the 2010 season.

The signed players are Anthony Hamilton, a forward, and Isaac Kissi, a forward who also plays the midfield.
Hamilton is 6-2, 24 years of age, and played last year for the Ventura County (PDL), where he scored eight goals and registered three assists in 16 games. He could, very likely, be the top candidate to take Atieno’s position, now that Atieno is no longer with the team.
Kissi is 22 years of age, a Ghana native, and had been drafted by the C.D. Chivas USA in the third round – 42nd overall pick – of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. He attended the University of Dayton, where he scored 15 goals and registered 8 assists in 52 career games. In 2009, Kissi scored 9 goals and registered 4 assists in 16 games. Kissi could, very likely, be taking the place vacated by Johnny Menyongar, who has joined the NSC Minnesota Stars. Coach Lilly, last Saturday on the Kick This radio show, compared Kissi to Macounba Kandji, presently with the New York Red Bulls, who had played for the Atlanta Silverbacks before joining the New York team.
This two additions raise from seven to nine the number of players presently under contract with the Rhinos.

The Rochester Rhinos have added three new players to their 2010 roster.  They are Neal Kitson, Adam West and Carlos Aguilar.

Neal Kitson is a goalkeeper and will, very likely, be the number two keeper, behind the captain Scott Vallow.  They can always add a more experienced name to be the number two keeper but, for the moment, Kitson is the number two.  Last year's number two keeper, Tim Melia, is no longer with the team.  Melia, last year, played in 13 games, to a total of 1103 minutes, with a GAA of 0.979, which represents 91.9 mpg (91.9 minutes per each goal).  Melia played very well for the Rhinos in 2009.

Adam West is a left-back who can also play the left side of midfield.  Basically, he is a player with a lot of similarities to Danny Earls, who has recently signed with the Colorado Rapids of MLS.  So, Adam West will be replacing the departed Irishman Danny Earls, primarily at left-back.

Carlos Aguilar is an attacking midfielder, who can also play as a second, or supporting striker.  For the moment, it looks like he will be playing the former, mainly because Andrew Gregor has retired, Menyongar, who, during stretches of games, dropped down to playmaking roles, has signed with the NSC Minnesota Stars and Zé Roberto (José Roberto Santana) is not returning for 2010.  Also, coach Bob Lilly, in today's Kick This radio show, left the impression that Carlos Aguilar will be the attacking midfielder, the one who will be asked to create scoring opportunities for the forward line.

So, as we stand, the Rhinos have seven players under contract for 2010.  They are Scott Vallow (GK), Neal Kitson (GK), Frankie Sanfilippo (RB & CB), Adam West (LB), Nathaniel "Nano" Short (HM & Def.), Ryan Heins (RW) and Carlos Aguilar (OM, N10).

Frankie Sanfilipo came to the Rhinos in 2005 from the Syracuse Salty Dogs, where he began his professional career. At that time, the Rhinos coach was Laurie Calloway, who had been Sanfilippo’s coach with the Salty Dogs.
Sanfilippo left the Rhinos at the end of the 2006 season. Calloway was still the Rhinos coach. Following that, Sanfilippo joined the Carolina RailHawks, a new franchise in the league – in fact, an expansion franchise – and played there during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The RailHawks coach was Scott Schweitzer, a former team-mate of Sanfilippo in 2005 with the Rhinos. At the time, it was Sanfilippo’s first season with the Rhinos and Schweitzer’s last.
Following the 2008 season, Sanfilippo joined the Charleston Battery, but only stayed there for one season. His departure from Charleston might have something to do with the Charleston Battery moving down to the USL 2 league.
Sanfilippo will, very likey, be a key piece on the team that coach Bob Lilly is assembling. The Rhinos, prior to this move, only had three players under contract – which were Scott Vallow GK, Nano Short HM and Ryan Heins RW — and Sanfilippo will be of major importance in the new Rhinos defensive line. He can play center-back or right-back, primarily, but he had also played, on occasion, at left-back while he was with the Rhinos.

Date: January 28, 2010, 3:00 pm local time.
Place: La Manga Resort, La Manga, Spain.
Type: Friendly 2 (preseason 2), season game 2.
Officiating: n/a.
Weather: n/a.
Scoring: Ángel (Hall) 42’.
Discipline: Ubiparipović (NY, yellow) 32’, Stammler (NY, yellow) 34’.

New York Red Bulls:
Sutton [trialist] (Gaudette [trialist] 46’); C. Johnson (Boyens 46’), Fredric Jonson [trialist], Ream (Petke 46’), & Borman (Da Luz 62’); Richards, Ubiparipović (Walter García 62’), Stammler (Öbster 62’), & Hall; Ángel (Irving García 62’), & Chinn.
Head Coach: Hans Backe (Sweden).

Date: January 25, 2010, 5:00 pm local time.

Place: Copamor Resort, Alicante, Spain.

Type: Friendly 1 (preseason 1), season game 1.

Officiating: Marlinez Suarez (referee).

Weather: 55 ºF, rain.

Scoring: 0-1 Dane Richards 6’; 1-1 Tomas Necid 49’.

Discipline: Nothing of note.

New York Red Bulls:

Cepero (Gaudette [trialist], 46’); Fredric Jonson [trialist] (C. Johnson, 46’), Petke (Boyens, 46’), Ream, & Borman; Richards (Irving García, 46’), Ubiparipović, Öbster (Walter García [back on the roster], 46’), & Da Luz (Hall, 46’); Ángel (Richard, 67’ – back in the game), & Chinn.

Head Coach: Hans Backe (Sweden).

Happy Thanksgiving for all!

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face."

— Eleanor Roosevelt

Não podemos falar em Xadrez, como portugueses, sem mencionar o nome de Pedro Damiano de Odemira.  Nascido em Odemira em 1480, tendo falecido em 1544, Pedro Damiano de Odemira foi um teórico lusitado do jogo de xadrez e o primeiro problemista de xadrez de Portugal.

Por mim, jogo xadrez quando me dá na 'gana' mas jogo contra o computador.  Sou um autêntico desastre, como é de calcular.  De vez em quando lá ganho um jogo, mas nunca de forma fácil ou desafogada.

Os grandes xadrezistas que me vêm à mente são Anatoly Karpov, Viktor Korchnoi e Garry Kasparov, mas há muitos outros, pelo menos quase tão bons como estes.  Nunca me esqueço, aí algures pelo Verão de 1976, só se falava no grande match entre Anatoly Karpov e Viktor Korchnoi (ou seria Kasparov?).  Lembro-me de ver na televisão um analista de xadrez a explicar as jogadas mais salientes desse confronto num tabuleiro pregado na parede com peças que se prendiam ao tabuleiro com a ajuda de algum magnetismo arranjado para esse fim.  Já lá vão 33 anos.  É muito tempo!