Hello again everyone!

I’ve had a pretty busy few weeks since I last wrote.

The weather has warmed up a lot so as you can imagine I’ve really enjoyed that! School has also been pretty hectic with a few exams and assignments being due over the past few weeks but I’ve been doing pretty well!

As I said in my last piece, my team had some games coming up.

Last weekend we travelled to the University of Western Michigan to play two friendlies against Detroit University and Western Michigan. We played both games back to back.

In the first game we beat Detroit 2-1 and unfortunately we lost 1-0 to Western Michigan in the second game.

As a team, we could be reasonably happy with our performances. We dominated the first game and were completely deserving of the win. In the second game we had the better run of play in the first half. In the second half they were probably the better team.

It was tough to play 2 games back to back this time of the year because we aren’t as fit now as we were during the actual season, so the tiredness was expected in the end.

On a personal level it wasn’t the best of days for me.

About ten minutes into the first game I copped a pretty hard knock to the ankle and had to come off. I didn’t go back on until the second game against Western Michigan.

Then, once again after about 10 minutes I was off again after receiving a yellow card. My coach has a pretty strict policy when it comes to cards (and so he should). There’s no point in taking a risk with someone on a yellow card when you have unlimited subs.

I was subbed back on with about 10 minutes to go to give us a bit of extra width as we were chasing the game being down 1-0. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make the difference in this game. Overall it wasn’t the best day ever, but I’m looking to produce some better performances in our next few games.

Over the weekend just gone, I had trials with AFC Cleveland, the team I will be playing for over Summer Break. On Sunday the squad was finalised and the 25 players chosen signed the paperwork and committed themselves to the team.

I’m looking forward to playing over the summer against some very good teams and it will be enjoyable as well since there are seven or eight of my teammates from school who are also in the team.

Sadly, this means I will not be going back to Sydney until Christmas. I miss everyone back home a lot and I’m already looking forward to that Christmas break!

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the things you are doing. I love the life I have and I think it’s important to love what you do to get the maximum benefit out of it.

I appreciate all of you who take the time to read about what I’m up to and if you ever want to ask any questions or need advice I’m always happy to listen!

Also if you have any requests or ideas for what you would like me to talk about apart from what I’m up to with the football, I will take your thoughts into consideration!

Thanks again for reading and don’t be shy to leave your thoughts!

(ps. A special shout out to the entire Prems squad at Glenmore Park FC who take on Bondi FC in the New South Wales State Cup tonight! Best of luck boys!!!)

Hello from America!

For the bulk of you who probably don’t know me, my name is Carlo Manna and I am a 21-year old Australian college student in America.

I started here in January 2010 and am on a scholarship to study psychology at Notre Dame College in Cleveland, as well as to play football – living the dream!

At the moment I am in the second semester of my second year. In total, I will be here for four years so I am almost halfway through.

I’ll be writing a little piece like this every couple of weeks to keep you guys updated with what I’m up to as well as what life is like over here, but don’t worry, mostly football related! If you have any questions don’t be afraid to ask!

As I said earlier, I am in the second semester of my second year. I have had two seasons here with the college so far. In my first season, I made 14 appearances in 24 games. Unfortunately I didn’t make any starts but it was an incredible season.

As a team we won 23 games straight before losing the national final 5-3. It was a season I will never forget for many reasons.

The team really was unbelievable and was definitely the best squad I have ever been a part of. Losing the national final was a huge disappointment especially since it was our last season in the NAIA division. After my first season we would be moving across to NCAA Division 2.

My second season was the team’s first season playing against NCAA D2 teams.

As it was our first year we were unable to go to the national tournament, which was a major bummer.

Although we couldn’t play for a national championship we were still very hungry to continue our impressive form from the previous season.

Last season was very good for me personally as well as for the team. I managed to start 18 out of 19 games we played and we won all 19 games. We also were able to compete in a tournament at the end of the season which was good as it gave us a bit of extra motivation.

We won the final of that tournament 4-0 and I even managed to score a goal. It was a great way to finish out the season – we were all buzzing.

At the moment we are in what is called the Spring semester, meaning it is the off season for us. Spring semester is from January to May, whilst fall is when our season happens, going from August to December.

Currently we are training three times a week. After this week it will increase to four or five times a week. We will also start playing friendly games in the next few weeks. I will be sure to keep you updated with how training is going and how we go in our games! So stay tuned!

As I said earlier, more than happy to answer any questions you have. Hopefully I’ll have some photos and videos

Thanks for reading, speak soon!

ENGLAND

Formation: 4-2-3-1

TAB Sportsbet: $6

The Coach: Fabio Capello

A great leader, Capello will be looking to add the biggest trophy to his impressive CV. He came in under controversy and has had to deal with a range of dangerous situations including the Terry-gate saga, but he led them to the Cup having only lost one and winning nine games.

The Captain: Rio Ferdinand

Captaincy has been a massive issue for England over the past few months and many touted either Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard to get the spot, however Rio’s presence at the back won him the job. His leadership at the back will be crucial.

The X-Factor: Steven Gerrard

Whilst he endured a very difficult season at Liverpool, the sleeping giant of England could prove the extra ingredient needed to take them all the way. His ability to produce when required and desires to get something out of a terrible year or two will be enormous.

Keeper Drama... Who will put their hand up?

The Flaw: The Keeper

Whilst England certainly doesn’t lack keepers as such, they are more in need of a consistently well performing number one. David James looks like he’ll get the starting spot over Rob Green and Joe Hart as he has been awarded the number one jersey for the Cup. But neither of them have been able to really cement their spot in the side and have all looked shaky in their time.

The Verdict: Champions

They’ve had their fair share of controversy over the past year and a bit, however this is most likely their best chance to win the Cup since 1970. The fact that many of this squad will be gone by the next Cup will be a motivating factor and when you have so much talent on hand it’s hard to go past them.

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USA

Formation: 4-4-2

TAB Sportsbet: $67

The Coach: Bob Bradley

Not the most popular coach ever with his lack of team cohesion and style seeing him lose faith with some fans. However, he led the country to their sixth consecutive Cup and will remain at the top.

The Captain: Carlos Bocanegra

Can Landon produce his Everton form?

Bocanegra has become a great leader for the States after captaining his country for the first time in 2007. He led them to that win over Spain in the 2009 Confederations Cup and will lift his team in South Africa.

The X-Factor: Landon Donovan

The strikers showing for Everton last season made people sit up and notice. His electric pace and ability to beat his opponent is brilliant and if he can do that in South Africa, it could spell a rise to fame for the striker.

The Flaw: Defence

The States leaked 13 goals in qualifying from only 10 games and could only keep Trinidad and Tobago (twice) and Mexico scoreless in three games. Lacking a ‘big’ name in defence could be their downfall and when they come up to technically superior team like England they might struggle.

The Verdict: Quarter Finals

If they can muscle up the back and guys like DaMarcus Beasley Jozy Altidore can step up, they have the ability to do well. Their performances in the Confederations Cup shocked the World and if they can repeat those performances, we could see a few American upsets.

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ALGERIA

Formation: 4-4-2

TAB Sportsbet: $251

The Coach: Rabah Saadane

The fact that Saadane was drawn to tears before Algeria’s game against Egypt to qualify for the Cup conveys how much this man works for the team. He’s already led them to the Cup in 1986, but the biggest challenge will be maintaining his players in the dressing rooms.