Extract from a larger article posted at Courtesy: Philly.com Sports


Seven Hot Matches

by Jonathan Tannenwald

Friday, July 6, 2012

It's the time of year where it gets a bit hard to find seven matches to fill out this column. So I did something a bit unconventional and picked a CONCACAF Futsal World Cup qualifying game.

The United States was involved in the tournament until Wednesday, when it was eliminated at the end of the group stage. I figure you have better things to do at 10 p.m. on a Friday night than stay home to watch indoor soccer, but if you are around, check it out.

Also, I should mention that Gol TV has an interesting-looking UEFA Under-17 Championship group stage game today at 1 p.m.: Portugal vs. Spain. Here's hoping a dash of youthful innocence leads to some goals after the grownups' scoreless draw last month.

So here goes.

Mexico at Guatemala futsal
10 p.m. Friday (Univision Deportes)

Futsal is the term that the rest of the world uses for indoor soccer. But if you ever saw a Kixx game at the old Spectrum or the Liacouras Center, this game will look quite different from the Major Indoor Soccer League.

Instead of artificial turf, the futsal floor is painted-over hardwood. There also are no boards around the playing surface, and the scoring is like traditional soccer - all goals count for one point.

Futsal is played in many countries around the world, and is widely credited with helping young players develop ball control and passing skills that are later used on bigger soccer stages.

CONCACAF is holding its qualifying tournament for November's FIFA Futsal World Cup.This game is a semifinal, and Guatemala has home-court advantage.

Mexico has won the most recent CONCACAF Gold Cup, the Olympic qualifying tournament, and the under-20 championship. El Tri may be two wins from adding another soccer trophy to their display case.




Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com