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Bad seeding and poor formula made the 2010 men’s world championship a big joke, where to advance losing can be more interesting than winning

By Sidronio Henrique

Theo Lopes, a back-up right side, played as a setter for Brazil against Bulgaria. Photo: Courtesy FIVB

What a shame! The second round of the 2010 men’s world championship held in Italy is over, but instead of the technical level, the buzz is about some unexpected results. Not those that would add more excitement or change the scenario, but deliberated losses. Started on September 25^th, the tournament finishes on October 10^th.

“Palhaços” (clowns), shouted the Brazilian crowd last Saturday at their own players in the city of Ancona, as the Brazilian squad was making an effort to lose against Bulgaria, a team they easily and recently defeated four times in a row during the World League. Near the end of the match, Brazilian supporters turned their back to the court. The disposition to play was so high in the Brazilian side that Theo Lopes, a substitute right side, was playing as a setter. Bulgaria won by 3-0, and both teams advanced, but Brazil, ranked number 1 in the world and trying its third consecutive title, will have an easier task in the third round, although they finished second in their pool, behind Bulgaria. By the way, the Bulgarians also tried to lose, lining-up only with substitutes. In the battle to see who would get defeated, the fans at Palarossini Gymnasium felt like losers.

It wasn’t the first time that something like that happened at this tournament. A day before, in Catania, Russia let Spain win. After the strong Russian team was leading 2-0, vice-champion this year at the World League, it simply stopped playing, it sometimes didn’t even try to block the Spaniards. The last three points by Spain at the fifth set were a clear demonstration of the lack of appetite of the Russians for the game.

Team France, who had been one of the best squads in the first round, when they stopped the physically strong Czech and also beat Bulgaria, started the second round playing Argentina. It was quite strange to watch France lose 3-1 against Argentina. Not if you look at the formula, though. Finishing second in a pool that also had Japan, France would advance to a much easier group next round. The Argentineans tried to lose later against Japan, but there was a risk of being eliminated on the point ratio criteria, so they decided to win. That’s volleyball at the 2010 world championship. Other matches had some weird results.

Some coaches, like the multi-champion Bernardo Rezende, a man who transformed Team Brazil from a strong group to an almost unbeatable squad last decade, accuse International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) of creating a formula to benefit Italy, the host country. Three times world champions in the 1990s, the Italian were overshadowed by Brazil early in the 2000s. Later, in the mid 2000s, they also lost the spot as the second best squad in the world. This year, for example, at the World League, Italy failed to reach the final four – the last time Team Italy obtained a medal at the World League was in 2004. In the last edition of the world championship, in 2006, they finished fifth. At this worlds, with a push of the tifosi, their fanatic supporters, Team Italy remains unbeaten, but the level of the opponents is not even close to the same faced by the powerhouses.

Argentina tries to block France, in a game with another strange result. Photo: Courtesy FIVB

Brazil, Cuba, Serbia, Poland and Bulgaria have had a more difficult way. The Polish were already eliminated, after playing against Brazil and Bulgaria in the second round. Russia hasn’t still been tested, but the perspectives to the third round were frightening, so much they decided to lose to the Spaniards. Meanwhile, Italy played Japan, Egypt, Iran, Germany and Puerto Rico. If the Germans can be considered very consistent, their level doesn’t put them among the top 8 squads in the world. All the others are way below. Reaching the semi-final was never easy like this. In the third round Italy plays France and USA. Even though France is stronger than Argentina (France lost to the South Americans to finish second, running away from Russia and Serbia), facing them is nothing compared to the battle some other squads will have. Team USA vaguely resembles the one that captured the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

These are the pools for the third round:

Pool O (in Rome): Italy, France and USA

Pool P (in Florence): Russia, Serbia and Argentina

Pool Q (in Florence): Cuba, Bulgaria and Spain

Pool R (in Rome): Brazil, Czech Republic and Germany

Spaniard Francesc Llenas digs a ball during the match with Egypt. Photo: Courtesy FIVB

Each first place advances to the semis, which will be held in Rome. Teams who finished second will travel to Modena, where they play for 5^th to 8^th places. The third place of each group will decide 9^th to 12^th places in Florence. From now on, no one can lose if they are thinking of being on the top of the podium on October 10^th.

In pool O, the host appears as the most probable bet, but France may be able to put the Italians to the test. The USA still has most of the Olympic champions in its roster, but they have to improve the level, as we haven’t seen anything significant from them so far in the worlds.

Russia and Serbia will fight in pool P – no chances for the Argentineans. The Russians have a slight advantage over the Serbians, with better hitters overall and that amazing block, but once Nikola Grbic (setter) and Ivan Miljkovic (right side) play for Serbia it’s hard to say if Russia can consider itself already in the semi-final.

The Cubans are stronger than the Bulgarians, and these two should decide who will get a spot in the semis in pool Q. Spain had good matches against Cuba and Brazil in the first round, but they’re not strong enough to be among the top 4.

Brazil, champion of the last two editions, has collected titles through the last decade and has the obligation to beat Czech Republic and Germany, advancing to the semi-final. Losing would be a disaster for the South Americans.

If we don’t have any surprises, we should see in Rome, at the semis, Italy or France versus Brazil, and Russia or Serbia against Cuba or Bulgaria – all of them playing for real. The fans would feel relieved, but surely won’t forget the absurd they had to follow in the tournament.

Volleyball

Men’s tournament starts this coming Saturday in Italy, and Team Canada faces off the European champion in the opening round

By Sidrônio Henrique

Soonias (7) and Mainville (1) block against Cuba during a friendly match in Ottawa. Photo: Phillip MacCallum / Photo Ventures

A few days from its first match on the world championship, Team Canada has something else to worry about than just a powerhouse like Poland – a squad that is simply the European champion, silver medalist in the last edition of this tournament, and arrives in Italy as one of the favourites. The execution of some plays and the improvement in transition as the defence needs more attention are still issues, according to the team manager, Julien Boucher. Canada will play against Serbia and Germany on the sequence in pool F, in the city of Trieste, trying to get one of the three spots to the second phase. The world championship has 24 teams in six groups.

After leaving Canada on September 12^th, the group stopped in Prague, Czech Republic for three matches against their national team. The series would help Canada, who had a low number of games on the way to the world championship, to get used to the style used by its opponents – very physical teams relying on a heavy serve and tall blocks. Even though Czech Republic isn’t as strong as Poland, Serbia and Germany, the results were disappointing to the Canucks – three defeats by 3-0. After Prague, Team Canada headed to Bled, Slovenia to face a local club coached in the last two seasons by Glenn Hoag, Canada’s head coach. In Bled the Canadians tasted a victory, but some problems remain, like those issues mentioned above.

The line-up in the first match versus the Czech will probably be the same in the world championship, with Fred Winters and Dallas Soonias on the left side, Gavin Schmitt on the right side, Adam Simac and Louis-Pierre Mainville as middle players, and Josh Howatson as the setter. However, Julien Boucher said changes still can be made.

Polish and Serbians, the first two adversaries of Canada in Trieste, are ending their route to the tournament playing friendly matches against some of the best teams in the world, but the bad news came from the German side, the third Canadian opponent, and theoretically the less difficult and direct obstacle to the third berth on pool F to the next phase. The Germans beat Italy recently by 3-1 and just finished a series against the ever champion Brazil. Team Germany defeated the Brazilians twice, by 3-2 and 3-0, having surprised Brazil with a strong serve. Obviously, exhibition games involve experiences, and the Brazilian coach, Bernardo Rezende, took the opportunity to give rhythm to some substitutes – Brazil won one match by 3-1. Anyway, the level of the game showed by the Germans was considered very consistent. Germany is coached by Raul Lozano, an Argentine with an impressive resume that includes the silver medal in the last world championship, when he took a relatively young Polish team to an unexpected result.

Julien Boucher commented that Team Canada is studying carefully its three opponents, and they are really focused to the face the challenge which is just about to start.

The International Federation of Volleyball (FIVB) website doesn’t inform yet which matches of the tournament will be streamed – FIVB started a partnership this year at the World League with Laola TV. The Canadian volleyball fans can check it out later at www.fivb.org. At least, the fans will have a live score. The world championship ends on October 10^th. Brazil, the defending champion, Russia, Serbia, Cuba, Poland, Bulgaria and Italy are considered the favourites.

Stanley and his teammates warming up for the first game in Chicago. Photo: Joel Masci

“I wish we could get more people to watch volleyball”: Clayton Stanley

The man who destroyed the Brazilian dream of winning the gold medal in the last Olympics after dominating the sport during the decade talks about how intense volleyball can be, the dream of seeing the rising popularity of that sport in North America, and shows concern about the training of the American squad towards the World Championship in September. But he is confident about his way to the next Olympics, to be held in London, 2012. One gold medal is not enough to Clayton Stanley, the MVP of the men’s volleyball tournament at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. PanTV interviewed him in Chicago, during the World League.

By Sidronio Henrique

Every Brazilian volleyball fan knows him very well; it’s a household name – Clayton Stanley, an American opposite hitter, the most valuable player of the 2008 Olympic Games. Italians, Bulgarians, Serbians and Russians had felt the power of his kills, when he and his mates finally faced Brazil in the final match at Beijing Olympics. A sequence of serves by Stanley put the Americans 6-0 ahead in the second set, after Brazil won the first. Stanley’s destroying serves was only the beginning of a comeback. The match ended 3-1 to the US team – 20 years later they got the gold again, led by Stanley, who was also the best scorer and the best server of the tournament. To Brazil, the silver medal had a bitter taste, a disappointment for a group who had won every major title in that decade until then. Clayton Stanley, a 6’8’’ tall athlete, 32 years old, doesn’t bring back good memories to the Brazilian volleyball fans.

On the last weekend of June, in Chicago, PanTV talked with the top American volleyball player — the US team hosted Finland for two matches at the 21^st edition of the World League. A star in Russia, where he has been playing in the last four years, after two seasons in Greece, Stanley can walk anonymously in any American city. “I wish we could get more people to watch volleyball”, he said, after helping his squad to beat the Finnish on the second match. Being recognized, according to him, is not relevant, but making volleyball big in the land of baseball is a goal. The Sears Arena, with 12,000 seats, had only 3,500 people on the first night, and 4,000 on the second — a small audience to the Olympic champions, a modest number if we think about the packed gymnasiums in Brazil with 20,000 people to watch Giba, Dante or Murilo playing for the national team.

Attracting people to watch volleyball in North America is a tough task, agrees the MVP of the Beijing Olympics. Without support from the media, almost none TV coverage, the sport has been seen only by a few fans. A local newspaper in Chicago covered the first match, but focused on Sean Rooney, an outside hitter for the US team who was born in the city, saying almost nothing about the game. A local blogger informed that two years ago, also during the World League, he had to explain to a photographer of another Chicago newspaper what kind of pictures could be interesting for volleyball coverage — the photographer had no clue.

Two teenagers were waiting to take pictures with Stanley as he was coming to talk to PanTV – a contrast in comparison to the legion of fans in Brazil that go frenzy every time a Brazilian player walks by near the crowd. “People here don’t understand how intense volleyball can be. It is a tough sport, very demanding”, he stresses.

In three months the World Championship starts, the most important competition of the year, and the second most relevant for volleyball, after the Olympics. Both are held every four years — the World League is annual. The World Championship will be held in Italy, in late September. Brazil, the defending champion, and Russia are, in Stanley’s opinion, the main obstacles on the way of his team to a title the US only won 24 years ago — when a legend called Karch Kiraly was the lead and helped to put the pieces together in order to beat the former USSR, another powerhouse in the eighties. “Brazil has so many talented players, and they keep coming”, says Stanley, showing respect to the number one team on the FIVB (International Federation of Volleyball) rank — the US comes right after, as number two. The new Cuban generation, who beat the Americans last year in the continental tournament, is also a source of concern.

If two years ago the American squad was running smoothly, today things go different. Some veteran players are injured, new faces joined the team representing new blood but lacking in experience. “We are trying to keep the team together, but there are many problems”, Stanley affirms, referring to the injuries — that weekend the captain William Priddy, an outside hitter and one of the best American players, had to be subbed in due to some pain. “It is a young team, but we have a long journey until London 2012”, says Clayton Stanley, looking ahead to another gold medal. The Brazilians surely don’t want him to be as inspired as he was in 2008.

Stanley’s father, Jon, played on the 1968 American men’s Olympic volleyball team and he is a member of the Volleyball Hall of Fame. Clay’s step-grandfather, Tom Haine, was also on 1968 men’s Olympic volleyball team. Clay’s mother, Sandra Haine, played professionally for the Denver Comets as well as for Canada’s national team. With Stanley’s first Olympic appearance in 2004 he and his father became the first father-son Olympians in USA Volleyball history.

Stanley hits in the second match in Chicago. Photo: Courtesy FIVB

The matches

The Finnish team started the weekend surprising the host, but on the second match the Americans downed the visitors.

A short outside hitter for professional volleyball, only 6’5’’ tall, the Finn Urpo Sivula, a 22 year old player, was the name of the first game with 31 points on 28 kills, two blocks and one ace. The Finns stun the US squad with a 3-2. The Finnish coach, the Italian Mauro Berruto, was proud that night in Chicago. “I have been forced to congratulate our opponent the last four times. This was a victory against one of the best teams in the world. Passing was key. We showed a real improvement”, said Berruto.

Back on track, the Americans were more consistent on the second night in Chicago, and led by the veteran Clayton Stanley they showed a more appropriate game to their position as the second ranked team in the world. Stanley scored 19 points on 15 kills, one block and three aces. Still, the top scorer that night was the Finnish Urpo Sivula with 22 points on 22 kills. “I thought it was important that we improve in transition and we did that”, remarked Alan Knipe, the American coach.

The US and Finland are on pool C of the World League – there are four groups. Russia leads with nine victories and one defeat, followed by the Americans with a 7-3 record – Egypt completes the group. Brazil leads pool A. The finals will be held from July 21 to 25, in Cordoba, Argentina. Brazil and Italy are the biggest winners of the World League, with eight titles each.

Canada

The last time Canada participated of the World League was in 2007. Canada team was supposed to participate in the 2008 edition, but dropped due to lack of funds. The Canadian men’s team is now ranked 20^th by FIVB. Canada doesn’t qualify to the men’s volleyball tournament at the Olympic Games since Barcelona, in 1992, when they finished in 10^th place. Their best participation was in the 1984 Olympics, held in Los Angeles, with a 4^th place – Canada had one of the best teams in the world in the first half of the eighties, but the sport never took off in the country.