The somewhat reviled FIFA Confederations Cup starts this weekend at Ellis (Coca-Cola) Park in Johannesburg when the hosts, South Africa take on Iraq in the opening match.

In recent years the tournament has been labeled a waste of time in an already crowded calender by many people, including myself. Indeed this year the United States is unlikely to send a full side as the team is mandated by CONCACAF to send an "A" selection to the regional championship, the Gold Cup, which starts on July 4th.

What the Confederations Cup does do is give South Africa, who are taking a major step in hosting the World Cup next year, a chance to work out any kinks before the curtain raises on the big show next year. Recently a group of South African tourism ambassadors offered American bloggers (sadly, not this one) an all-expenses paid trip to cover the Confederations Cup. This was done in hopes that the bloggers would expose their fellow Americans to South Africa, and hopefully encourage Americans to spend tourism dollars in the Republic. An innocent move which has somehow attracted the ire of those guardians of traditional media in America, as the excellent Tom Dunmore wrote about at Pitch Invasion.

Controversy aside, there is a lot of football to be played this month, and South Africa is eager to show off their progress to the football world both on and off the pitch, but lately Bafana Bafana have left a lot to be desired, leaving the stadiums and hospitality as the likely saviors of South Africa's showcase.

Group A sees the hosts given a somewhat favorable draw as they face European giants Spain, Asian champions Iraq, and Oceanian minnows New Zealand. Obviously Spain will move on from this group, they simply have too much firepower for their relatively weak opponents, but the chase for the qualifying spot could be very fun to watch. Despite their struggles and shortcomings, South Africa will feed off the energy of their supporters and play above their level which may see them spring a surprise on an Iraq team that has disappointed since winning the Asian Cup in 2007. New Zealand are no doubts seen as the whipping boys of this cup having come from the OFC micro-confederation, but they do have some players in Europe and a team in the improving A-League.

Group B is where the action will be. It features two excellent sides in Italy and Brazil, along with two wild cards in Egypt and the USA. Though it seems a foregone conclusion that the former two will advance, don't be so sure. The Americans are surprisingly strong against Italy and have produced some decent results against Brazil. Egypt also pack explosive attacking power in Al-Ahly maestro Mohamed Aboutrika. With that said, the Americans are struggling recently and need to improve quickly to avoid getting embarrassed.

Overall I believe Brazil will prove too strong for everyone and win the Confederations Cup. While Italy and Spain are sending strong teams, Europeans traditionally don't take it as seriously as South Americans and that could prove a tipping point.

Globo.com (in Portuguese)

Though a time and venue have yet to be agreed, a meeting was held on Monday to announce the match.

The match is set to be billed as Jogo da Paz, or the Game of Peace, in the same fashion as a Haiti v Brazil friendly match from 2004. Like Port-au-Prince, Ronaldo is likely to feature in Palestine. The Flamengo side is set to include Adriano.

In 2008, Palestine opened the Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium in Al-Ram, north of East Jerusalem. The first match saw Palestine hold neighboring Jordan to a 1-1 draw. The 7,000-seat ground was build with help from a grant given by FIFA's GOAL program.

According to Soccer By Ives, fifty-eight of the seventy venues contacted by the United States Soccer Federation have expressed interest in hosting World Cup matches. The twelve venues that expressed no interest are all NCAA (American) football venues.

Of the remaining stadiums there are many that I have questions about, specifically their ability to fit an international sized pitch. I know that the field can be raised at the expense of some sections of seating but I don't really think FIFA or the USSF wants to do that this time.

Well, it is good to see interest from so many cities anyway.

The USSF recently released a list of potential venues it is studying to host World Cup matches if the United States is awarded either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup by FIFA. Some of the venues listed are obvious, some are mind-boggling.

With that said, here's my fantasy World Cup bid: [Non corporate name required for WC]

Pod A (East) -

• Meadowlands Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey): As it serves the largest city in the country this is an obvious choice.
• Lincoln Financial Field [Philadelphia WC Stadium] (Philadelphia, PA): It was between Philadelphia and Foxborough, I picked Philadelphia though I have nothing against New England.
• New Stadium (Washington, District of Columbia)*: You'd expect the national capital to host matches but DC's treatment of DC United is nothing short of shameful. After bending over backwards to steal the baseball Nationals from Montreal and then build them a stadium the District has treated United, a championship team, like a second-class citizen and if they continue to do so...
• Bank of America Stadium [Carolina Stadium] (Charlotte, North Carolina)*: Charlotte should step in and host in DC's place if the mistreatment of United continues. Charlotte is a capable host (indeed, it plays host to 300,000 visitors twice for events a year and has hosted numerous basketball finals) and a very willing host. Charlotte has gone above and beyond to make people attending special events feel at home. Quietly, with four solid USL teams, North Carolina is one of the homes of American soccer.

Pod B (South) -

• Dolphin Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida): Again, an obvious choice given Miami's appeal to tourists and Americans alike. The very cosmopolitan city would be a great fit.
• Reliant Stadium [Houston WC Stadium] (Houston, Texas): Houston was actually questionable for me because it's seemingly adverse to mass transit (a MUST during a major event like this). But it is a very, very large city and it would be insane to leave it out.
• LP Field [The Nashville Coliseum] (Nashville, Tennessee): I picked this over Atlanta and Birmingham. Birmingham was my second choice. Nashville and Birmingham seem to embrace soccer events and have stadiums that can actually host internationals. Birmingham is in a dodgy financial situation and wouldn't be able to upgrade Legion Field so Nashville got the nod.

Pod C (Heartland) -

• Soldier Field (Chicago, Illinois): A very obvious choice. Chicago has always been supportive of international events and the second city would welcome the World Cup with open arms.
• New Cowboys Stadium [Arlington WC Stadium] (Arlington, Texas): I have to admit, I think it's a tacky monument to excess. But it has to be included. I still love the Cotton Bowl though.
• Lucas Oil Stadium [Indianapolis WC Stadium] (Indianapolis, Indiana): A great venue, and like Charlotte, a very willing host.

Pod D (West) -

• Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California): A heavy refurbishment would be required but the most storied venue in the American game cannot be forgotten.
• Qwest Field [Seattle WC Stadium] (Seattle, Washington): Seattle is a soccer hotbed and a wonderful city. It's a natural fit for matches.
• University of Phoenix Stadium [Glendale WC Stadium] (Glendale, Arizona): A great venue.

Knockout round assignments -

• Eighthfinals: Glendale, Houston, DC/Charlotte, Indianapolis, Nashville, Chicago, Pasadena, East Rutherford
• Quarterfinals: Chicago, Seattle, Philadelphia, Miami Gardens
• Semifinals: Arlington, East Rutherford
• Consolation: Miami Gardens
• Final: Pasadena

I understand that Pasadena would be an unpopular choice with many for the final, but it was either that or Chicago. While New York and Dallas would be glamor venues the soul of the American game isn't there, it is in LA.

As I said, while it may be an obvious host, the USSF and FIFA should punish DC if it's treatment of United continues as it is. Charlotte has proven it's mettle in the past and would not let them down as a reserve host. Other cities to be considered are obviously Foxborough, Orlando, Tampa, Stanford, and Minneapolis.

So, what would you change? Would you kill me for making these suggestions?

Oops.

This is going to be big. One of the players detained once turned out for Atletico Madrid.

The turbulence and uncertainty ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa continues to cast a dark cloud over what should be a nation's coming out party. The latest episode follows a report from the British newspaper The Guardian stating that insurers were fearful about providing coverage for the event amid fears that the stadiums would not be complete on time. This report comes at a time when around 500 workers have gone on strike at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga. The estimated date of completion for the 46,000-seat stadium is mid-2009 but unless this problem is solved quickly that will surely be pushed back.

It is widely thought that the United States is the stand-by host in case the event cannot go ahead in South Africa. Certainly living in the United States I would be delighted at an opportunity to attend World Cup matches so easily, but I want South Africa to host it, I think South Africa needs to host it. Few nations have had to deal with the hardships that South Africa has and the country needs something that could give it a chance to become the great nation it has the potential to be. I think, and I hope that the 2010 World Cup would do just that. So, I wish South Africa the best of luck

Tomorrow (or today in most places) Arsenal and Liverpool will meet in what will be the second of three matches in one week's time. It's an important match for both clubs, particularly Arsenal who need a win to keep pace with league leaders Manchester United. Despite a recent slide in form Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal still have enough in the tank to capture their first championship since the 2004 season in which the Gunners went unbeaten. The Londoners will need a solid performance from Phillipe Senderos and William Gallas in the heart of defense as it seems likely Rafa Benitez will call upon Peter Crouch who has made it a habit to score against Arsenal throughout his career. Arsenal also announced that goalkeeper Manuel Almunia has signed a new contract. Lots of people question Almunia's ability, while there are many goalkeeper's I'd rather have I believe Almunia has done a respectable job.

In 2009 the city of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan will host the 8th edition of the World Games. Due to it's status as an Olympic sport Football is not on the program for the World Games but there is very little doubt that the World Games Stadium will host several Taiwan/Chinese Taipei national team matches following it's completion.

While the stadium features the dreaded athletics track it more than makes up for it with it's self-sufficient solar energy system. If the stadium receives enough sunlight it will be able to provide 80% of it's required energy while hosting events, and provide a surplus which will be sold back to the municipality when not hosting events. This is a huge step forward as stadium roofs cover a lot of room and the potential for solar energy is huge. The WG Stadium is not the first stadium in the world to take advantage of it's roof area for solar use, Basel's St-Jakob Park, which will host matches at the upcoming European Championships, is also an example.

The stadium was designed by the innovative Japanese architect Toyo Ito who has designed several notable buildings throughout east and southeast Asia. If the stadium goes as planned it will be in stark contrast to the many domed stadiums, such as the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, which dot the American landscape and could serve as a wake-up call of sorts for Western architects and developers.