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.