PRESS RELEASE FOR SANTIAGO CITY TOUR PODCAST (VTT)
During October of 2008, Marcelo Mackinnon, a Santiago based travel writer, took hundreds of digital photographs of the most important areas and landmarks of Santiago, the Chilean capital. The photographs and descriptive script was converted into an audiovisual podcast that is now being distributed in DVD, Ipod, MP3 and cell phone format by Visual Travel Tours of Santa Barbara, California, USA. (www.visualtraveltours.com ).
The main inspiration for Mackinnon´s work was to promote a city that is becoming one of South America’s most visited tourist destinations.
The 30 minute podcast will guide visitors, be they cruise ship passengers, business travelers or backpackers in a confortable walking tour around Santiago’s central business district, known locally as “El Centro”. Included in the podacast are spectacular high altitude views of the city from the top of Santa Lucia and San Cristobal hills, both of which are near to 3000 feet above sea level.
The editor at Visual Travel Tours is Gordon Burgett, a travel writer that has published more than 1,700 articles and offered over 2,000 professional presentations during his career. During that time he has appeared extensively on radio and TV, as a guest author and a publishing specialist. Burgett is a long-standing member of the National Speakers Association, the American Society of Authors and Journalists, and the Publishers Marketing Association; has produced 26 audio cassette series and singles, and has written 27 books, including The Travel Writer’s Guide, Sell and Resell Your Magazine Articles, Publishing to Niche Markets and, Niche Marketing for Writers, Speakers, and Entrepreneurs.
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Showing posts with label fifa south american soccer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fifa south american soccer. Show all posts
Friday, January 09, 2009
Friday, June 20, 2008
Chile Fans Inspired after Victory over Venezuela
National football team in third place of 2010 W.Cup qualifiers
If the qualifying tournament for the next World Cup was to end today then Chile would be one of the four South American teams classified to play in that event. However, Chile still has to score enough points in the remaining twelve matches, (the last of which must be played in December 2009), in order to book tickets to the world’s biggest sporting event.
After defeating Bolivia four days earlier by 2-0 in the altitude and cold of La Paz, on June 19 the Chilean national team had to play in the intense tropical heat of Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, against the local team. There was a full house of 40,000 spectators at the modern General Anzoategui Stadium that was inaugurated last year for the 2007 Copa America, (S.American nations tournament). The local fans were in a confident mood due to the good form shown by its national team that in the previous match drew with Uruguay in Montevideo and had also beaten Brazil two weeks ago. As the match began, a rainstorm began that made the pitch very slippery and many players had to change boots to cling to the surface. Even so Chile began to control the actions and in the 18th minute Alexis Sanchez (River Plate, Argentina) could have scored but his shot rebounded off the left post. Venezuela then reacted and leveled the play but the first half ended without any goals being scored.
In the 58th minute of the second half the local fans went into ecstasy as a free kick taken by Giancarlo Maldonado was deflected by a Chilean defender into the goal defended by Claudio Bravo. Chile struck back quickly as only four minutes later Alexis Sanchez was fouled in the area by a Venezuelan defender. It was Humberto Suazo, currently playing for Monterrey and leading goalscorer of the Mexican league that equalized by scoring the penalty.
The local fans reacted angrily by throwing beer bottles at the Chilean players and coaching staff but their spirits died down as in the 71st minute Chile scored yet again as Gonzalo Jara connected a free kick cross from the left wing taken by Marco Estrada.
It seemed that Chile´s 100th World Cup qualifying match would end in a 2-2 draw since in the 80th minute Juan Arango scored for Venezuela after a fast counterattack, but the match would have a spectacular ending. In the 92nd minute Suazo received a good pass from Sanchez and scored with a hard low shot from outside the area. After the end of the sixth round, Chile has ten points and shares third place with Colombia, while Paraguay is first still with 13 points after a surprise defeat to Bolivia by 4-2. Second is Argentina with 11 points that drew 0-0 with Brazil that is now in fifth place with 9 points. The outsiders are Uruguay with 8 points, Venezuela (7 points), Ecuador (5 points), Bolivia and Peru with 4 and 3 points respectively.
Starting Lineups:
Chile: C.Bravo, G.Medel,C.Carmona, G.Jara, R.Cereceda, J.Beausejour, I.Fuentes,M.Estrada, P.Morales,A.Sanchez,H.Suazo.
Venezuela: R.Vega,G.Chacon,L.Vielma, J.Rey,J.Hernandez,M.Mea Vitali, J.Rojas,R.Vargas,A.Rondon,J.Arango,R.Vargas.
If the qualifying tournament for the next World Cup was to end today then Chile would be one of the four South American teams classified to play in that event. However, Chile still has to score enough points in the remaining twelve matches, (the last of which must be played in December 2009), in order to book tickets to the world’s biggest sporting event.
After defeating Bolivia four days earlier by 2-0 in the altitude and cold of La Paz, on June 19 the Chilean national team had to play in the intense tropical heat of Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, against the local team. There was a full house of 40,000 spectators at the modern General Anzoategui Stadium that was inaugurated last year for the 2007 Copa America, (S.American nations tournament). The local fans were in a confident mood due to the good form shown by its national team that in the previous match drew with Uruguay in Montevideo and had also beaten Brazil two weeks ago. As the match began, a rainstorm began that made the pitch very slippery and many players had to change boots to cling to the surface. Even so Chile began to control the actions and in the 18th minute Alexis Sanchez (River Plate, Argentina) could have scored but his shot rebounded off the left post. Venezuela then reacted and leveled the play but the first half ended without any goals being scored.
In the 58th minute of the second half the local fans went into ecstasy as a free kick taken by Giancarlo Maldonado was deflected by a Chilean defender into the goal defended by Claudio Bravo. Chile struck back quickly as only four minutes later Alexis Sanchez was fouled in the area by a Venezuelan defender. It was Humberto Suazo, currently playing for Monterrey and leading goalscorer of the Mexican league that equalized by scoring the penalty.
The local fans reacted angrily by throwing beer bottles at the Chilean players and coaching staff but their spirits died down as in the 71st minute Chile scored yet again as Gonzalo Jara connected a free kick cross from the left wing taken by Marco Estrada.
It seemed that Chile´s 100th World Cup qualifying match would end in a 2-2 draw since in the 80th minute Juan Arango scored for Venezuela after a fast counterattack, but the match would have a spectacular ending. In the 92nd minute Suazo received a good pass from Sanchez and scored with a hard low shot from outside the area. After the end of the sixth round, Chile has ten points and shares third place with Colombia, while Paraguay is first still with 13 points after a surprise defeat to Bolivia by 4-2. Second is Argentina with 11 points that drew 0-0 with Brazil that is now in fifth place with 9 points. The outsiders are Uruguay with 8 points, Venezuela (7 points), Ecuador (5 points), Bolivia and Peru with 4 and 3 points respectively.
Starting Lineups:
Chile: C.Bravo, G.Medel,C.Carmona, G.Jara, R.Cereceda, J.Beausejour, I.Fuentes,M.Estrada, P.Morales,A.Sanchez,H.Suazo.
Venezuela: R.Vega,G.Chacon,L.Vielma, J.Rey,J.Hernandez,M.Mea Vitali, J.Rojas,R.Vargas,A.Rondon,J.Arango,R.Vargas.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Brazil´s Best Footballer is from Chile
Jorge Valdivia Leads Palmeiras to win Sao Paulo State Championship
It was a week-end of exciting football all over Brazil as most state championships in this nation of 190 million people came to an end.
In Sao Paulo, the industrial capital of Brazil, all attention was focused on the Palestra Italia Stadium, home ground of the Palmeiras F.C that represents the Italian community but also has millions of fans all over the country.
The Palmeiras fans were anxious to see their team defeat Ponte Preta and end the 12 year dry spell of not having won any tournament, except for 1999, when Palmeiras won the Libertadores Cup (South American Champions league). The Palestra Italia was full to its 30,000 capacity and many thousands were left out since the day before the police had reported that many tickets had been forged by a gang that stole the printing machine from the stadium.
Fundamental in helping Palmeiras win its 22nd Sao Paulo State Championship (known by the locals as Paulista) has been Jorge Valdivia, a 24 year old attacking midfielder that was transferred in 2006 from Chilean club Colo Colo. At first Valdivia had a hard time winning a permanent place in the Palmeiras squad but after six months he had become the favorite of the fans not only in Sao Paulo but also in the rest of Brazil that nicknamed him “The Magician”.
The green Palmeiras shirt with Valdivia´s name on the back has become the most sold in Sao Paulo sports stores. In 2007 Valdivia was voted “Best Attacking Midfielder” by the Brazilian press and during this year’s championship his goals were crucial to get Palmeiras into the final after defeating archrivals Corinthians (1-0) and Sao Paulo F.C. (2-0). During the first half against Ponte Preta on Sunday, Palmeiras were already 2 goals up but it was Valdivia that wrapped up the match in the 70th minute as he scored a spectacular goal (his ninth in the tournament) with a long range shot after dribbling four rival players. The Palmeiras fans went into ecstasy as they sensed they were well on the way to reaching their objective and began to shout “We are the Champions” while setting off fireworks, green flares and smoke bombs as play continued. Alex Mineiro scored two more goals and also became leading goalscorer of this year’s Paulista championship with 15 goals. After the match Brazilian TV highlighted Valdivia´s goal and statements where he declared that along with the birth of his daughter, this was the most important moment in his life. Now Palmeiras fans are worried since the club has received offers of up to US$ 40 million from several European clubs that want to hire Valdivia. The “torcida” (organized supporters club) has begun a fundraising campaign in order to raise Valdivia´s salary and allow the Chilean player to continue at Palmeiras and help the team win this year’s “Brasileirao” (Brazilian National Championship) that will begin in a few weeks. What will decide the fate of Brazil’s most popular footballer? The devotion of the Palmeiras fans or the club’s financial needs due to a debt of several million dollars?
Results from other State Championship finals:
Rio de Janeiro: Flamengo 3 - Botafogo 1
Rio Grande do Sul: Internacional 8 - Juventude 1
Minas Gerais: Cruzeiro 1- Atletico Mineiro 0
Parana : Atletico Parana 2 - Coritiba 1
Bahia: Vitoria 5 – Itabuna 1
Friday, March 21, 2008
Colo Colo Stuns Boca Juniors in Libertadores Cup
Chile´s top team defeats Argentine counterpart by 2-0
On March 20, Chile´s most popular team, Colo Colo gave an inspired performance and once again beat Boca Juniors, also the most revered team in Argentina during a match of the “Copa Libertadores” , the South American equivalent of the UEFA Champions League. Boca Juniors is last year’s champions of the event and plans to repeat in 2008 but it seems that it will not be so easy after last night’s defeat in the Chilean capital. The local police had described the match as “high risk” due to the rivalry between the two teams that goes back to 1991 when Colo Colo defeated Boca Juniors 3-1 in the semifinal of that year`s edition of the Libertadores . That match is well remembered by fans in both countries since it ended in one of the most brutal brawls in football history. Several Argentine players ended arrested after assaulting the local police, and the Boca Juniors coach suffered serious injuries after being hit with a photographic camera in the face.After defeating Boca, Colo Colo went on to win the Libertadores and became the first Chilean club to do so.
Thursday night’s match began could not have begun better for the local team since Cristobal Jorquera scored after only three minutes with a low long range shot from outside the area. Colo Colo continued attacking and were further rewarded in the 34th minute as Gustavo Bizcayzacu headed in a second goal in the 34th minute.
During the second half Boca attempted to equalize the scoreboard but time and time again their star strikers, Martin Palermo and Juan Riquelme were denied from scoring.
Colo Colo could have further increased the scoreboard in the 73rd minute but Gozalo Fierro missed the penalty that had been awarded. Now, along with Atlas of Mexico, Colo Colo is in first place of Group 3 of the Libertadores, followed by Boca Juniors and Atletico Marcaibo of Venezuela. Colo Colo will have to play the return match next Thursday in Buenos Aires against Boca Juniors, and its coach Claudio Borghi has declared it will try to get a historic victory in the Argentine capital.
Monumental Stadium,Santiago,Chile.
Crowd: 50,000
Referee: Martin Vasquez (Uruguay)
Starting Lineups:
Colo Colo (2) :C.Munoz (gk), L.Mena, J.Carrasco, R.Rojas, G.Fierro, C.Jorquera, A.Sanhueza, G.Bizcayzacu, M,Villarroel,L.Barrios, J.Salcedo,
Boca Juniors (0) : M.Caranta (gk), J.Maidana,J.Caceres,G.Paletta,C.Rodriguez, P.Ledesma, F.Vargas.S.Battaglia, J.R Riquelme, M.Palermo,R.Palacio.
Other results:
Flamengo (Brazil) 2 – Nacional (Uruguay) 0
Libertad (Paraguay) 1 – Fluminenese (Brazil) (2)
Audax (Chile) 1- Atletico Nacional (Colombia) 0
On March 20, Chile´s most popular team, Colo Colo gave an inspired performance and once again beat Boca Juniors, also the most revered team in Argentina during a match of the “Copa Libertadores” , the South American equivalent of the UEFA Champions League. Boca Juniors is last year’s champions of the event and plans to repeat in 2008 but it seems that it will not be so easy after last night’s defeat in the Chilean capital. The local police had described the match as “high risk” due to the rivalry between the two teams that goes back to 1991 when Colo Colo defeated Boca Juniors 3-1 in the semifinal of that year`s edition of the Libertadores . That match is well remembered by fans in both countries since it ended in one of the most brutal brawls in football history. Several Argentine players ended arrested after assaulting the local police, and the Boca Juniors coach suffered serious injuries after being hit with a photographic camera in the face.After defeating Boca, Colo Colo went on to win the Libertadores and became the first Chilean club to do so.
Thursday night’s match began could not have begun better for the local team since Cristobal Jorquera scored after only three minutes with a low long range shot from outside the area. Colo Colo continued attacking and were further rewarded in the 34th minute as Gustavo Bizcayzacu headed in a second goal in the 34th minute.
During the second half Boca attempted to equalize the scoreboard but time and time again their star strikers, Martin Palermo and Juan Riquelme were denied from scoring.
Colo Colo could have further increased the scoreboard in the 73rd minute but Gozalo Fierro missed the penalty that had been awarded. Now, along with Atlas of Mexico, Colo Colo is in first place of Group 3 of the Libertadores, followed by Boca Juniors and Atletico Marcaibo of Venezuela. Colo Colo will have to play the return match next Thursday in Buenos Aires against Boca Juniors, and its coach Claudio Borghi has declared it will try to get a historic victory in the Argentine capital.
Monumental Stadium,Santiago,Chile.
Crowd: 50,000
Referee: Martin Vasquez (Uruguay)
Starting Lineups:
Colo Colo (2) :C.Munoz (gk), L.Mena, J.Carrasco, R.Rojas, G.Fierro, C.Jorquera, A.Sanhueza, G.Bizcayzacu, M,Villarroel,L.Barrios, J.Salcedo,
Boca Juniors (0) : M.Caranta (gk), J.Maidana,J.Caceres,G.Paletta,C.Rodriguez, P.Ledesma, F.Vargas.S.Battaglia, J.R Riquelme, M.Palermo,R.Palacio.
Other results:
Flamengo (Brazil) 2 – Nacional (Uruguay) 0
Libertad (Paraguay) 1 – Fluminenese (Brazil) (2)
Audax (Chile) 1- Atletico Nacional (Colombia) 0
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Chile Gets Morale Boosting Win over ROK
South Americans defeat locals by 1-0 in Seoul
The preparation match played on Jan. 30 at the Seoul National Stadium was a clash between similar forces in World football. On one side was the Republic of Korea, a country whose national team has improved tremendously and at present can stand its own ground against any other, while its opponent was Chile, whose team is always overshadowed by neighboring superpowers such as Brazil and Argentina. Both teams are preparing for its next 2010 World Cup qualifying matches, Korea will play Turkmenistan in a weeks time, while Chile has more time since its next rival will be Bolivia in July. Also both teams did not show its strongest lineup, as the Korean coach decided to sideline Park Ji Sung (Manchester United) and Lee Young Pyo (Tottenham Hotspur), while Marcelo Bielsa of Chile had the chance to try out many players that had not previously been in the national team.
The match was broadcasted by TV live at 8:00 a.m. in Chile, while in Seoul did not draw such a large crowd at the National Stadium, probably due to the low temperatures that were near to -8 degrees Celsius.
In the first half, ROK had many chances to score but all were blocked due to a fine performance by Chile´s reserve goalkeeper Miguel Pinto.
Gonzalo Fierro broke the deadlock in the scoreboard in the 55TH minute of the second half, and Chile was lucky to be able to end up with the victory, mainly due to the ineffective shooting shown by the Korean players and Pinto’s inspired play.
This was the eighth time that Chile had played Korea, the first being in the 1966 World Cup when the South Americans drew 1-1 with North Korea. In 1984 a Chilean U-21 team traveled to Seoul and lost by 3-1 against the locals, while two further matches were played in 1985 during the Independence Cup played in Indonesia. Chile won on both occasions by 4-0 and 1-0 and the next two results were a 0-0 draw in 1987 and a 1-0 victory by the ROK during the 2000 Sydney Olympic games.
Starting lineups:
Republic of Korea : Kim Byung-Ji (46' Jung Sung-Ryong); Cho Sung-Hwan, Cho Won-Hee, Cho Yong-Hyung, Kim Chi-Woo; Hwang Ji-Soo (70' Lee Jong Min), Lee Kwan Woo (46' Hwang Jae-Won), Yeom Ki-Hun, Kim Nam-Il; Kwak Tae-Hwi y Jung Jo-Gook (34' Cho Jin-Soo. 77' Park Chu-Young).
Chile : Miguel Pinto; Gary Medel, Gonzalo Jara, Hans Martínez; Roberto Cereceda, Manuel Iturra, Marco Estrada, Pedro Morales (90' Pedro Morales); Gonzalo Fierro, Eduardo Rubio (92' Osvaldo González), Jean Beausejour.
The preparation match played on Jan. 30 at the Seoul National Stadium was a clash between similar forces in World football. On one side was the Republic of Korea, a country whose national team has improved tremendously and at present can stand its own ground against any other, while its opponent was Chile, whose team is always overshadowed by neighboring superpowers such as Brazil and Argentina. Both teams are preparing for its next 2010 World Cup qualifying matches, Korea will play Turkmenistan in a weeks time, while Chile has more time since its next rival will be Bolivia in July. Also both teams did not show its strongest lineup, as the Korean coach decided to sideline Park Ji Sung (Manchester United) and Lee Young Pyo (Tottenham Hotspur), while Marcelo Bielsa of Chile had the chance to try out many players that had not previously been in the national team.
The match was broadcasted by TV live at 8:00 a.m. in Chile, while in Seoul did not draw such a large crowd at the National Stadium, probably due to the low temperatures that were near to -8 degrees Celsius.
In the first half, ROK had many chances to score but all were blocked due to a fine performance by Chile´s reserve goalkeeper Miguel Pinto.
Gonzalo Fierro broke the deadlock in the scoreboard in the 55TH minute of the second half, and Chile was lucky to be able to end up with the victory, mainly due to the ineffective shooting shown by the Korean players and Pinto’s inspired play.
This was the eighth time that Chile had played Korea, the first being in the 1966 World Cup when the South Americans drew 1-1 with North Korea. In 1984 a Chilean U-21 team traveled to Seoul and lost by 3-1 against the locals, while two further matches were played in 1985 during the Independence Cup played in Indonesia. Chile won on both occasions by 4-0 and 1-0 and the next two results were a 0-0 draw in 1987 and a 1-0 victory by the ROK during the 2000 Sydney Olympic games.
Starting lineups:
Republic of Korea : Kim Byung-Ji (46' Jung Sung-Ryong); Cho Sung-Hwan, Cho Won-Hee, Cho Yong-Hyung, Kim Chi-Woo; Hwang Ji-Soo (70' Lee Jong Min), Lee Kwan Woo (46' Hwang Jae-Won), Yeom Ki-Hun, Kim Nam-Il; Kwak Tae-Hwi y Jung Jo-Gook (34' Cho Jin-Soo. 77' Park Chu-Young).
Chile : Miguel Pinto; Gary Medel, Gonzalo Jara, Hans Martínez; Roberto Cereceda, Manuel Iturra, Marco Estrada, Pedro Morales (90' Pedro Morales); Gonzalo Fierro, Eduardo Rubio (92' Osvaldo González), Jean Beausejour.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Chile Recovers Form with Victory over Peru
Second matchday of S.American qualifiers
The Chilean national team defeated its Peruvian counterpart by 2-0 on October 17 at the National Stadium in Santiago. Both teams were under pressure to obtain a positive result since the visiting team had only gotten a goalless draw against Paraguay while the Chileans had traveled to Buenos Aires where they lost 2-0 to Argentina. Chile was lucky to score after only eleven minutes of play due to a header by Humberto Suazo. Peru tried to counterattack but some good saves by local goalkeeper Claudio Bravo prevented the equalizing goal. The final result was obtained in the 54th minute after a good pass by Arturo Vidal (currently playing for Bayer Leverkusen of Germany) was finished off with a hard low shot by Matias Fernandez that sent the ball into the net. This positive result has calmed down the 60,000 fans that showed up at the stadium and the local press that expect more than average results from the national team specially after the spectacular signing of coach Marcelo Bielsa. The former Argentina coach has also become the best paid coach in South America with a yearly salary of US$1.5 million and after the match described the performance of the Chilean national team as "acceptable". Even if the team won three points for the victory, the general opinion is that the players must improve if they want to qualify for the 2010 Fifa World Cup that will be held in South Africa. Chile’s next matches will be on November 17 in Montevideo against Uruguay and on Nov. 21 in Santiago against Paraguay.
On Oct. 16, Argentina defeated the home team Venezuela by 2-0 , and is now the leader in the points table with 6 points. On Wednesday night at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil crushed Ecuador by 5-0, while in the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion, the home team beat Uruguay by 1-0 and in La Paz, Bolivia could only draw 0-0 with Colombia.
The Chilean national team defeated its Peruvian counterpart by 2-0 on October 17 at the National Stadium in Santiago. Both teams were under pressure to obtain a positive result since the visiting team had only gotten a goalless draw against Paraguay while the Chileans had traveled to Buenos Aires where they lost 2-0 to Argentina. Chile was lucky to score after only eleven minutes of play due to a header by Humberto Suazo. Peru tried to counterattack but some good saves by local goalkeeper Claudio Bravo prevented the equalizing goal. The final result was obtained in the 54th minute after a good pass by Arturo Vidal (currently playing for Bayer Leverkusen of Germany) was finished off with a hard low shot by Matias Fernandez that sent the ball into the net. This positive result has calmed down the 60,000 fans that showed up at the stadium and the local press that expect more than average results from the national team specially after the spectacular signing of coach Marcelo Bielsa. The former Argentina coach has also become the best paid coach in South America with a yearly salary of US$1.5 million and after the match described the performance of the Chilean national team as "acceptable". Even if the team won three points for the victory, the general opinion is that the players must improve if they want to qualify for the 2010 Fifa World Cup that will be held in South Africa. Chile’s next matches will be on November 17 in Montevideo against Uruguay and on Nov. 21 in Santiago against Paraguay.
On Oct. 16, Argentina defeated the home team Venezuela by 2-0 , and is now the leader in the points table with 6 points. On Wednesday night at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil crushed Ecuador by 5-0, while in the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion, the home team beat Uruguay by 1-0 and in La Paz, Bolivia could only draw 0-0 with Colombia.
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