By Clive Gorman

Hey guys. I’m here just after the conclusion of the FIFA Interactive World Cup National Final in New York City.

Just to remind you, we had the elite top eight FIFA Soccer 09 gamers from the US here at the Sony Wonder Technology Lab in Manhattan, NYC. It’s a fantastic venue supplied courtesy of our partners PlayStation 3.

The final eight were from all around the country:

•    Nenad Stojkovic, Parma Heights, OH
•    Nick Casillas, Saunderstown, RI
•    Amir Nassar, Bayonne, NJ
•    Mike Eapinoza, Los Angeles, CA
•    Ivan Lopez, Long Beach, CA
•    Dan Meyers, Pittsburgh, PA
•    Giuseppe Guastella, Ukiah, CA
•    Michael LaBelle, Missouri City, TX

Gamers competed on PlayStation 3’s hooked-up to an enormous state-of-the-art HD cinema screen with friends, family and other guests to cheering them on just like a real soccer match

I managed to grab some time with the finalists and get their thoughts just before they proceeded into the knock-out stages. I asked them what they thought it would take to become the US champion today and they shared their thoughts in one of two videos that I put together for you.

Soccer legend and ex-Colombia international player, Carlos Valderrama, made a personal appearance to meet with gamers, sign autographs and will be available interviews. “El Pibe” (The Kid) made 111 appearances for the Colombian national team and as well has having a celebrated club career both in Colombia and Major League Soccer, ending his career with Colorado Rapids in 2003.

Current star of the US Women’s National Team player, Heather O’Reilly, was up first making an appearance. O’Reilly is a US team regular having been a star at the 2004 Olympics earning a gold medal. She also featured in the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup, earning a bronze medal as USA finished third in the competition. O’Reilly also plays for Sky Blue FC, a member of the Women’s Professional Soccer league

O’Reilly took on the girlfriend of our eventual winner, Giuseppe, in a quick match. While a valiant effort was made by both, it seems that Giuseppe won’t be worried about either of them challenging him for his title any time soon based on their match!

We were also joined by some New York Red Bulls players, namely Andrew Boyens, Macoumba Kandji and Nick Zimmerman.

As mentioned above, Giuseppe was our eventually champion after a round-robin group stage followed by two knock out rounds. The irony of the day was that both finalists, Giuseppe and Michael LaBelle, were not only friends but both qualified for the final through the online bracket.

Michael was probably the favourite going into the game because of his previous form (he didn’t lose a game in the round-robin) plus he was last year’s US champion. However, Giuseppe battled to a 1-1 draw at the end of extra time and finally beat his old friend after a marathon penalty shoot-out when it took a save on the seventh attempt to clinch the title. I caught up with Giuseppe straight after his victory

What a great way to finish the day! Congratulations to Giuseppe and all the finalists, plus everyone else who took part in the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2009 US Qualifiers. Plus thanks to PlayStation 3, adidas and VISA for their great contribution.

Don’t forget that the Grand Final in Barcelona, Spain, is going to be held on May 2 and our very own EARom will be there to cover the event. Check out Inside Blog and Football World for all the latest info.

Clive.

by Clive Gorman

Hey again,

I just arrived back from a great weekend in Santa Monica for the West Coast conference final.

The competition was tight with a fairly even level of ability. There were few high-scoring matches and it was in the balance exactly who was going to secure the three finalist places up-for-grabs.

The two online finalists, Michael Labelle and Giuseppe Guastella were on hand and spent the day playing with our special guests LA Galaxy player, Eddie Lewis, and Chivas USA player, Sacha Kljestan, plus other gamers.

We also hosted LA Galaxy Futboleros, ball jugglers who put on a great show for attending competitors and passersby.

Ninety gamers competed took part in the tournament which lasted from 9am in the morning through to 3pm in the afternoon. However, after a long day we eventually whittled it down to the lucky three. Congratulations to 1st place qualifier, Mike Eapinoza, 2nd place qualifier, Ivan Lopez and 3rd place qualifier Dan Meyers.

The final few matches were a tight affair with the 3rd place decider being one of the most exciting between Portugal and France. Two goals in the normal 90 minutes pulled the match into extra time before Portugal eventually broke down France and score two extra goals after fatigue got the better of the team.

The final match was between Manchester United and Spain was a more open affair with the score finishing 1-nil to Man Utd. Both Mike and Ivan knew they were qualified for NYC so the pressure was off a little. The main reason for winning was for the title of West Coast Champion and a prize bundle that included a brand new PSP and EA SPORTS games.

If you want a chance to take them on, along with our online finalists, then sign-up to qualifier in Baltimore, MD, on Mach 21 here: http://www.easportsworld.com/en_US/FIFA/FIWC/home
There are plenty of spaces so we look forward to seeing you there.

Clive.

by Clive Gorman, Product Manager

Hey guys,

I wanted to take a little time to speak to you and update you on the FIFA Soccer 09 tournament this year – the FIFA Interactive World Cup US Qualifiers.

This weekend we will host the first of three live events for gamers to get together face-to-face to compete for a place at the US National Finals. From 9am this Saturday, March 7, up-to 256 gamers are going to be battling it out in the open air leg of the tournament in Santa Monica.

We’ve secured a cool venue in 3rd Street Promenade in the heart of shopping drag and I’m personally looking forward to getting some sunshine (it’s miserable up here in Vancouver right now). Thanks to PlayStation, we’ll have 32 kiosks set-up outside so gamers can also enjoy some of the California weather.

Last year we had a number of gamers travel the length of the country just to take part, including our eventual live finalist, Michael LaBelle from Texas.  Michael then went onto represent the US along with the online finalist, Michael Ribeiro at the global finale in Berlin. Check out his interview on Football World.

This year we have a different set-up where the top three placed guys are going through with five other finalists to a National Final in NYC. There they’ll be matched up with two winners from an online bracket that finishes this Thursday and three winners from our other live qualifier on March 21 in Baltimore, MD.

If you’re in the Santa Monica area this weekend come and check out the event – you can even walk-up and compete so don’t be shy if you fancy your chances.

I’ll be uploading a recap of the event next week so say hello and I’ll mention you in the blog. For more information on all the above check out our US FIWC website here:

http://www.easportsworld.com/en_US/FIFA/FIWC/home

Clive