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2024 Copa America: Group C Focus

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

It’s interesting for the World Cups, the host nation is normally in the first group. Same with the Euro. The Copa America has the defending champions in Group A instead and the host nation in any group. Here it’s Group C. Not that I have a problem with it. It’s just unique that way. In the meantime, here’s my look at Group C of this year’s Copa America:

-United States (11): You either love them or you hate them, but you can’t deny that The Stars and Stripes or The Yanks are a football force you should take seriously. They’ve qualified for eight of the last ten World Cups and even got as far at the quarterfinals in 2002, they’ve won the CONCACAF Gold Cup seven times, and have even finished fourth at the Copa America twice. With the World Cup coming in 2026, you can bet the USA want to be on.

The team is coached by Greg Berhalter who played for the US in two World Cups including 2002 when they last made it to the quarterfinals. Top players include defender Antonee Robinson, midfielder Weston McKennee and forwards Tom Weah and Christian Pulisic. They’ve had a win against Ghana since the end of World Cup 2022. They’ve also achieved a win and a draw against both Jamaica and Mexico. They’ve also had two wins and a loss to Trinidad and Tobago and losses to Germany, Colombia, Slovenia and Serbia. The stage is ready here in the US and they want to deliver a team the host nation can be proud of just before they co-host World Cup 2026.

-Uruguay (15): La Celeaste or Los Charruas are a sentimental favorite for many people. They won two straight Olympic gold medals in the 1920’s, they won the first-ever World Cup in 1930 and upset hosts Brazil in 1950. For these past fifteen years, Uruguay has showcased its greatest team in four decades with a fourth-place finish at the 2010 World Cup and a 2011 Copa win. Recently its Group Stage ouster at Qatar 2022 led many to think their recent Golden Generation was ending.

A year ago, Marcelo Bielsa was assigned to be the head manager of Uruguay’s team. Top players include defender Jose Gimenez, midfielders Federico Valverde and Rodrigo Betancur, and forward Luis Suarez. Notable wins since the end of World Cup 2022 include Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and South Korea. They’ve had draws against Japan and Colombia and losses to Ecuador and the Ivory Coast. Chances are right here in the USA, Uruguay could have what it takes to win the Copa.

-Panama (45): It looks like Los Canaleros have been going through their greatest era ever. This decade they qualified for the 2018 World Cup and finished runner-up in three CONCACAF Gold Cups this century. Despite their recent success, they still show a lot of vulnerability like most Central American teams. Despite their great abilities, it’s been hard for them to prove themselves against the bigger teams.

Panama’s team is coached by Danish-born Thomas Christiansen who emigrated to Spain and played for Spain internationally. Top players include defenders Fidel Escobar and Michael Murillo, midfielders Anibal Godoy and Yoel Barcenas, and forward Jose Fajardo. Notable wins in the last year and a half include Costa Rica, Qatar and Bolivia. They had a win and a draw against Guatemala and had draws against the US and El Salvador. They’ve also had losses to Mexico, Jamaica, Canada and Paraguay. Chances are Panama could deliver a shocker and go further than most expected.

-Bolivia (85): Now is a struggle for La Verde to prove themselves. Team history shows them playing in three World Cups and scoring only one goal. They’ve had a single Copa win back in 1963. Their last Top 3 finish at the Copa was runner-up back in 1997 and they’ve only made it past the group stage once this century in the Copa.

Bolivia’s head manager is a Brazilian: Antonio Carlos Zago who was part of Brazil’s Copa winning team of 1999. Top players include defender Jose Sagredo, midfielders Leonel Justiniano and Rodrigo Ramallo, and goalkeeper Carlos Lampe. Bolivia has had it rough this past year and a half with wins only coming against Saudi Arabia, Peru and Andorra. They had a draw to Chile but all their other games were losses. Nevertheless, anything can happen in a football game and Bolivia could deliver a shocker or two.

My Predictions: I easily felt Uruguay will top this group. Seeing some of the head-to-head results got me questioning. In the end, I favored the USA over Panama.

And there you go. That’s my look at Group C of the Copa America. Just one last group to review and I’m ready for the tournament!

VIFF 2016 Review: All Of A Sudden (Auf Einmal)

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

all-of-a-sudden
Sebastian Hulk plays a man accused and his world falling apart in All Of A Sudden.

All Of A Sudden is a story of a crime mystery that leaves you wondering what the truth is.

The film begins with a party with many adults. A man named Karsten sees a woman named Anna at his home. He gives her a cupcake with a candle and sings her Happy Birthday. Then she gets sick. Karsten runs to the town clinic to seek help but it’s closed. Upon returning home, it’s too late. She’s dead.

His parents offer him relief at their home along with his girlfriend Laura. Unfortunately more information unfolds.  Anna’s widower has Karsten charged with wrongful death. A video from a smartphone of Judith–one of the friends of Laura and Karsten–shows Karsten talking to Anna at the party just shortly before her death. Karsten is constantly questioned about why he left to run to a medical clinic instead of calling emergency. Because of the turn of events and sudden findings, Karsten is demoted at his job and Laura leaves him feeling she’s betrayed. Karsten’s relationship with his parents even becomes heated.

One day Karsten just leaves for a hike just to get away from it all only to be found by his best friend with the news. Anna’s husband has dropped the charges. Karsten is shocked and wonders why. He confronts her husband Andrej to find out why. Only Karsten knows why, much to Andrej’s disappointment. Karsten goes back to his job and demands he be returned to his original position or else he will sue. Karsten meets with Judith ‘intimately’ only to set the record straight with her and the video. Finally it looks like Karsten has his life back together.

The most unique thing about this film is how it tells the story. It presents the events as they unfold and it tosses the opinions from others around Karsten. It’s almost as if you’re a part of the situation yourself and you’re led to draw your own conclusions. I’ll admit that when I first saw this, I was ready to draw my conclusion that he was responsible for this. He appeared criminally negligent. Like why did he run to the clinic when he could have called 911 instead? Did he do it to hide from Laura that he was with another woman at the time? They’ll leave you questioning. Even that video Judith took of Anna during the night with Karsten will leave you guessing.

Just as unique about it is how it took that one break, when Andrej decides to drop the charges, that Karsten becomes a changed person. He first comes across as a man who’s all together at the beginning. Then he comes across as a victim, like the world is against him. Then after this sudden reversal, Karsten soon becomes a man who settles the score with those who did him wrong. It’s like a complete change of character and traits I didn’t see in Karsten before. In order to make such a major change of character, the actor had to make this work. I feel Karsten’s change of character came off well. It was drawn out longer than I feel it should have but it worked.

In retrospect I think this story of Karsten and Anna can come across as any crime story. Any situation can lead one to believe certain things. Any set of facts you know and facts you don’t know can cause you to draw your own conclusions. Anyone in the same situation like Karsten can easily be preyed upon by others. No surprisingly the victim in all this can easy ask themselves: “Why is the whole world against me?” However it just takes that one change of fortune for a person to become a changed person the same way it happened to Karsten. I guess that’s the trick of the film. It takes Karsten’s story and shows how it’s so much like many situations before it.

Turkish-German director Asli Ozge writes, directs and edits a very good thought-provoking film. Without a doubt, the film belonged to Sebastian Hulk. This was Karsten’s story and the whole film rested on Hulk delivering the performance of Sebastian in the right manner. Hulk did a very good job of acting without having to be overdramatic. There were also excellent performances by Julia Jentsch as the girlfriend struggling with the situation and Luise Heyer as two-faced Judith.

All Of A Sudden is a unique story. It presents a before-and- after story that will lead one to draw their own conclusion. It really makes you think.