Dan Gaspar

Dan Gaspar will be blogging for sportsnet.ca during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa while serving as goalkeeper coach for Team Portugal.

Ivory Coast star Didier Drogba with Dan Gaspar.

Portugal team member Dan Gaspar on the first match in the Group of Death which saw a cameo from Drogba.

MAGALIESBURG, South Africa -- Our first result is in the books with the 0-0 draw against Ivory Coast. Obviously we got a valuable point. Like all teams, we would have preferred the win but the important thing is we’re still in the running.

In terms of the pace of the match, Ivory Coast didn’t play like a typical African team. They put 11 players behind the ball and were content in allowing us to have possession with the hopes of trapping our players in the midfield for a quick counter. Usually, the African teams don’t play with that type of tactical defensive discipline and it required us to make adjustments.

In the second half, we increased our speed of play with quick combinations. As a result, the game opened up and became more entertaining.

In past World Cups, the African players were more free spirited. They played with joy and imagination -- no fear of losing, sending numbers forward. Today, many of the African players are playing in top clubs around the world where they must be responsible and accountable for their actions. Tactically, the African countries are now more disciplined and the expectations are higher than the past so the fear of losing has increased. Fewer risks are taken and a more defensive position with quick counters is implemented.

Ivory Coast waited until the deadline to decide if Didier Drogba would dress and he did, sitting on the bench as a substitute. There is no doubt he is the leader of their team. When he stood on the touchline to come into the match, the roar of the crowd shook the stadium. When he entered the field, you can sense his presence. The only time that I had a similar sensation was when I was with the South African national team and Thierry Henry came into the game for France. Like Drogba, when Henry receives the ball, everyone on the pitch backs off out of respect for his ability.

The best scoring chance for either team, however, came from Cristiano Ronaldo. I think that moment demonstrated his gifts and attributes as a player. He’s dangerous from anywhere on the pitch. The way he struck the ball so well, it dipped and swerved and the keeper was beat. Unfortunately, in this case, the keeper’s best friend was his post.

Shortly after that play, Ronaldo was given a yellow card. We watched the game video on the plane returning after the game and it was clear that Ronaldo’s card was unjust. He was clearly fouled and did not retaliate and yet he got a yellow card. It was a surprise for him and a surprise for us. As a result, the Portuguese federation is appealing to have the card revoked.

One of the positives from the match was we know that we can keep the ball out of our net. When you’re able to do that consistently as the Portugal national team has, you’re always in the match. We know we only need to score one to win and that’s a good feeling to have.

Fabio Coentrao of Portugal chases down the Jabulani ball.

Everyone is going ballistic over the new adidas ball, Jabulani. There are eleven colours in the ball representing the eleven languages in South Africa and the eleven players that line up for a team. The name of the ball Jabulani means “happiness.” Apparently it has brought very little happiness to goalkeepers and field players. The ball dips and bends and players need to keep their eyes on the ball at all times. However, the goals conceded that I have observed have not been a result of the trajectory of the ball but rather goalkeeper technical mistakes.

Should Portugal get into the next round, we will play our matches in higher altitude and it’s expected the ball will move a little faster and bounce higher. In my opinion, too much focus has been given to the adidas ball. Players need to love the ball. Quality, technical players will adjust and discover the best way to manage it.

Of the rest of the first round of matches, Switzerland beating Spain obviously stands out. Switzerland played as if they had 11 diving goalkeepers on the field. The number of blocked shots that their field players were able to successfully defend was very impressive. They had a no-shot, no-goal mentality so that was an impressive victory.

Unfortunately, South Africa’s loss to Uruguay was disappointing. I really wished that the hosts would go through to the next phase but it’s going to be difficult now. It also appears Nigeria is not going onto the next round. It’s important the African continent is represented in the next phase.

Looking ahead, Portugal is working hard in preparing for its crucial match against North Korea. They are a difficult team to scout because information is limited as a result of the closed environment they impose. Their match against Brazil indicates that they were well prepared tactically, very fit and disciplined. Their team is certainly a reflection of their culture.

Dan Gaspar is the head coach of the University of Hartford men's soccer team and founder of the Star Goalkeeper Academy. Watch for Gaspar's blogs throughout the World Cup as he provides a perspective of what it's like to be on the pitch and in the clubhouse as part of the coaching staff with Team Portugal in South Africa.