Scout Report: Iker Muniain (Athletic Bilbao)

After Atletico goalkeeper David de Gea, we move across Spain to cast an eye (or even two) over the burgeoning buzz surrounding Athletic Bilbao’s slippery attacker Iker Muniain…

Feet of fury: Muniain (right) has burst onto the scene in Spain

Age: 16

Position: Left or right winger, second striker

Clubs: Athletic Club Bilbao

Bursting on to the scene to become the youngest goalscorer in La Liga history, diminutive Athletic Bilbao prodigy Iker Muniain immediately earned himself the moniker “the Spanish Messi”.

Such comparisions seem to be de rigueur for talented young footballers these days, even if Muniain’s record-breaking goal and ability to play on either wing might more accurately make him “the Spanish James Milner”.

Either way, the boy has some serious talent.

Just 16 and standing barely 5’5” tall, Muniain has nonetheless exploded on to the scene this season in a way that has major clubs across the globe sitting up and taking notice.

The well respected football website, IMScouting, said of Muniain, “it is clear that this young player is a true gem, a genius who is destined for stardom in the near future.” Such praise does not come lightly.

Review: Pro Evolution Soccer 2010

It’s one of the most hotly anticipated head-to-heads in football, but it only comes around once a year. PES has the historical advantage, but in recent years FIFA has become the consensus top dog. What have the Konami boys got in store this time?

Claiming the title: But is PES 2010 really a return to former glories?

It’s been a tough time on next gen consoles for Konami’s once lauded Pro Evolution Soccer franchise. While PES 6 on the Playstation 2 was arguably the finest version of the game to date, sequels on the latest range of consoles have often failed to liveup to the hype.

What is more, their Canadian-based rivals at EA Sports have had no such troubles, with their previously mundane FIFA franchise going from strength-to-strength in recent years. FIFA 09 was arguably the first time in the history of the rivalry that the Wayne Rooney-backed game was better than the Fernando Torres’ preferred — will this year prove that to be a blip, or the state of things to come?

The good news, if Shingo “Seabass” Takatsuka and his team will see it that way, is that on the whole PES 2010 is a superior game to FIFA 09. It’s the same joyful playing experience of old, with passes zipping around with ease and games never feeling the same.

Long range shooting, something that EA have never really managed to get to grips with, is the same blast it has always been. When the ball bobbles free outside the box, the sense of nervous excitement is palpable — anything could happen as the ball is fired goalward — and provides a tension that also contributes greatly to making multiplayer such a great experience.

There are areas for improvement, many that have long need some attention. The typical lack of licences will anger some more than others — especially as things seem to have regressed in recent years with La Liga no longer fully licensed. Goalkeepers are also the same erratic bunch of past versions, and consequently some otherwise good goals feel ‘cheap’ as replays highlight the ‘keeper’s woeful reflexes.

Scout Report: David de Gea (Atletico Madrid)

The focus shifts from attacking midfielder Javier Pastore to one of the most hotly tipped young goalkeepers in the world, Atletico Madrid prodigy (and Football Manager starlet) David de Gea.

Full stretch: De Gea's physical attributes make him an imposing presence in goal

Position: Goalkeeper

Age: 18

Clubs: Atletico Madrid

Life is never boring at Atletico Madrid. As Sid Lowe will undoubtedly tell you, there is almost no end to the drama the club is involved in — and usually of its own making.

After the departure of former No. 1 Leo Franco in the summer, Atletico were keen to find a suitable replacement to shore up their defence. With youngster David de Gea considered a huge talent by his coaches, many thought the club would opt for a short-term solution between the sticks.

But after signing Valladolid’s impressive stopper Sergio Asenjo, who many in Spain see as the heir to Iker Casillas, the club now finds itself with two outstanding young keepers who are set to fight over the No. 1 jersey for years to come.

Asenjo cost the club €5 million in the summer, and so unsurprisingly the 20-year-old quickly grabbed the starting role under then-coach Abel Resino. He is likely to keep his place under new main man Quique Flores, but already in his germinating Vicente Calderon career has been challenged by his emerging understudy.

After all, the 19-year-old, nearly 6’3” De Gea has all the physical attributes required of a top goalkeeper. He showed his shot-stopping skills on his debut, where he saved a penalty (that, admittedly, he gave away) in his side’s 2-1 win over Real Zaragoza.

“I made my debut in the Vicente Calderon, and I stopped a penalty,” De Gea said.

“This is a dream for me. We must continue improving from here. This win will allow us to enjoy a peaceful week.”

Tom Brady gets the job done, but what next for the NFL International Series?

After another successful game on these shores, the NFL seems confident enough in the potential of the International Series to consider taking it to the next level. But, after a sizeable number of fans left Wembley early after the game was already won, is there really a next level to reach?

Crowd pleaser: UK fans were once again drawn to the NFL's glitz and glamour, as Wembley once again played host

The third NFL International Series match at Wembley went with the form book, as quarterback star Tom Brady led his New England Patriots passed the much-maligned Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brady’s three touchdown, 308-yard textbook performance was only blotted by two underthrown interceptions. But it was still more than enough for the Patriots to ease to a 37-7 win as Brady’s opposite number, Josh Johnson, struggled to keep pace.

The 22-year-old former fifth round pick threw an interception on just the Buccaneers’ third play of the day, an error that was returned for a touchdown by Pats cornerback Brandon Merriweather.

From then on, the 85,000 strong Wembley crowd knew the result was not in question.

A second interception from Johnson in his very next series allowed Brady to get away with an uncharacteristically slow start, and once the Pats’ considerable offence got rolling they regularly put points on the board.

Indeed, such was the one-sided nature of the game, both teams were able to change their quarterbacks in the fourth quarter. Brady was replaced by his understudy, Bryan Hoyler, after a solid day’s work had been done.

Johnson, on the other hand, was replaced by Josh Freeman, the organisation’s 2009 first round draft pick who head coach Raheem Morris has high hopes for. With Freeman considered the man for the future, Johnson might not get the starting job back when the Bucs return to action in two weeks’ time.

Few of the fans inside Wembley will spare much thought for the No. 11’s plight, however. It was Brady who was the game’s undoubted star attraction, and he said all the right things in the aftermath of a performance that satisfied the expectant crowd, if not quite blow them away.

“It was like a Super Bowl, all the flashbulbs going off and the fans waving their flags for the first five minutes of the game,” Brady said.

Tom Brady ready to live up to expectations at Wembley, as Tampa Bay fear the worst

The third iteration of the NFL’s experiment abroad continues on Sunday as another two teams venture to London for the International Series. 86,000 fans will be looking to one person — Tom Brady…

Focus of attention: New England Patriots main man Tom Brady will face a bunch of expectations from the UK crowd

Tom Brady is coming off the back of one of the best weeks of his career as his New England Patriots travel to the country that resides in their name to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brady threw a franchise record five touchdown passes in the second quarter (six overall) of the Patriot’s 59-0 win over the Tennessee Titans, before being withdrawn in the third quarter with a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

Now he gets to fly across the Atlantic and show off his talent to a different, equally appreciative audience.

“I think this is a game we’ve been looking forward to since we heard we’d be flying across the Atlantic to play,” Brady said in an interview on Tuesday.

“It’s not often we fly east to play a game and to play in Wembley Stadium will be great – it’s as historic a stadium as there is in the entire world and all our team is very excited about that.

“This will be a game we’ll all remember for the next 40 or 50 years of our life so we just want to go out there and play at our best.”

Brady and Indianapolis Colts No. 18 Peyton Manning might be widely considered as the two greatest quarterbacks in the modern game, but Brady will have to perform at his illustrious best if he is to impress an English audience that witnessed two other fine exponents of the position last season.

Scout Report: Javier Pastore (Palermo)

Last week it was Miralem Pjanic, who might well tear Liverpool apart in the Champions League. Now the focus falls on Javier Pastore, a South American arrival in Italy who looks set for big things…

Ready for lift-off: Pastore (c) announced his arrival with Huracan last season

Position: Attacking midfielder

Age: 20

Clubs: Talleres de Colombia, Huracan, Palermo

Young attacking midfielder Javier Pastore is another in a long line of creative Argentinians to travel to Europe and ply their trade in Italy.

Pastore joined Palermo, capital city of Sicily, in the summer for a reported fee of $8 million, after a scintillating season in domestic football with surprise package Huracan. The 20-year-old was a vital cog as ‘el Globo’ made a valiant challenge for their first title in 35 years.

They eventually finished second behind Velez Sarsfield, but Pastore was nevertheless voted player of the season by the Argentinian sports daily Ole in what was an impressive individual campaign.

Courted by some of the giants of European football over the summer, including Manchester United and FC Porto, Pastore eventually decided to sign with Palermo, who had long been interested in the player. The move was complicated by the midfielder’s contract status — Huracan orchestrated their original move of Pastore from junior club Talleres de Colombia by selling 55% of the player’s economic rights to an investment group and leaving Talleres with the remaining 45% (the move was technically a long-term loan).

Many of the big clubs were put off by this situation, on that is becoming increasingly prevalent in South American football. But not Palermo, who believed the 6’2” attacker’s combination of agility, technical proficiency and creativity was worth spending a sizeable amount of to tie down to a five-year contract, one that should see him remain at the club until 2014.

Cincinnati Bengals quickly graduating from school of ‘Hard Knocks’

They finished last season as one of the worst in the NFL. But five games and four wins later, the Bengals are quickly gaining the respect of all around them…

Summer workout: The Bengals in training camp, where every move was followed by the 'Hard Knocks' cameras...

With the 2009 NFL regular season hitting its stride, storylines abound. Picking the biggest one is virtually impossible.

Is it Brett Favre, alienating Green Bay Packers fans as he searches for success with arch-rivals the Minnesota Vikings?

Is it the 5-0 Denver Broncos under preposterously young head coach Josh McDaniels, despite trading away star quarterback Jay Cutler in the off-season?

Or is it future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning once again putting up Most Valuable Player numbers with the impressive Indianapolis Colts?

The answer depends greatly on the fan you speak to. Some might even eschew those three options to suggest that it is actually the Cincinnati Bengals that are the story of the season so far. After all, the Bengals are 4-1 and atop the AFC North so far this season, an impressive turnaround from 2008’s disappointing 4-11-1 effort.

Their improvement is all the more notable for the obstacles and issues they have had to overcome since the off-season, a charge-sheet of problems that made the Bengals’ storyline attractive to HBO as they looked for potential teams on which to base the fifth season of the popular series Hard Knocks.

“This is a story perfect for our times,” said Ken Rodgers, one of the show’s producers, when the Bengals agreed to be filmed. “[Football] is not about getting knocked down, but how you get back up.”

Scout Report: Miralem Pjanic (Olympique Lyonnais / Bosnia & Herzegovina)

So, I haven’t written anything for a while — sue me. But in an attempt to spur me to write more regularly, here is a new series I intend to update every week on the young players seemingly set to make a major splash in world football…

Things looking up: Pjanic has a bright future ahead of him

Position: Attacking midfielder

Age: 19

Clubs: FC Metz, Olympique Lyonnais

FC Metz might not have the best record on or off the pitch in recent years — in 2007-08 they finished well adrift at the bottom of Ligue 1, and suffered a one point deduction for instances of racist abuse from their fans — but they enjoy widespread respect in the footballing world for their youth system and scouting network.

After all, this is a club that has given untried talents such as Robert Pires, Louis Saha, Emmanuel Adebayor, and Sebastien Bassong their opportunity to break through in professional football, and a club that relies on the recruitment of young players to maintain their league standing.

Unfortunately, all the aforementioned players — as is the accepted way for a provincial club like Metz — moved on to bigger and better clubs in order to continue to fulfil their potential and ambitions.

Miralem Pjanic is just the latest example of such a player.

Time for Chelsea’s academy to step up to counter effect of transfer embargo

Earlier in the week it was UEFA stealing the headlines with their punishment of Eduardo, now FIFA have got in on the act. Chelsea might appeal the ruling with all the might they can muster, but if the worst comes to the worst then perhaps the answer to their problems might lie in the very place that got them in trouble…

Head up: Gael Kakuta might have a bright future, but his club's immediate outlook just got a whole lot bleaker...

It may not be an exaggeration to say that the football world has been rocked by the news of Chelsea’s year-long transfer embargo, imposed on the club by FIFA after the Blues were found guilty of acting improperly in their acquisition of young French midfielder Gael Kakuta.

On top of the ban, which will last for two transfer windows and mean the next opportunity for the club to sign new players will be in January 2011, the club have been ordered to pay compensation to Kakuta’s former club, RC Lens, totalling around $186,000.

Understandably, the Stamford Bridge club are not going to willingly comply with what is an unprecedented, if not unpopular, decision from the game’s governing body.

“Chelsea will mount the strongest appeal possible following the decision of FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber over Gaël Kakuta,” a statement on the club’s website read.

“The sanctions are without precedent to this level and totally disproportionate to the alleged offence and the financial penalty imposed.”

On this, it is arguable Chelsea have a point. The club might well come away from the inevitable hearing with CAS (the Court of Arbitration for Sport) with a reduced embargo, or even just a sizeable fine.

If not, as they have already found out with the recent Adrian Mutu saga, there is always an even higher court to continue their appeal in.

However, no one should be under the illusion that a successful appeal is inevitable. FIFA will not have come to such a decision, especially knowing how much attention it would bring, without a determination to see it enforced.

If little else, it can be taken as read that the organisation will do everything it can to ensure the London club comply to ever aspect of the ‘sentence’ they have passed down.

As such, the Chelsea hierarchy must start making contingency plans (as limited as they may be) in case the punishment imposed on them remains in place, especially as it has such widespread implications on their prospects.

With an already ageing squad (the average age of the first XI this year is over 29), the prospect of not being able to sign fresh blood until January 2011 is something that could well prove detrimental to short-term fortunes.

In that time, they are likely to miss out on long-rumoured targets Sergio Aguero and Franck Ribery, among others. With both players likely to move next summer, Chelsea will have to watch on mournfully as rival clubs fight over players they have long coveted.

Not only that, but they will have little opportunity to respond as key squad members (Drogba, Kalou, Essien) head to the African Cup of Nations in January of this season, or make arrangements next summer to counter the potential impact of certain important players (Drogba, Ballack, Carvalho) hitting an age where their talents will reasonably be expected to diminish rapidly.

Lastly, the club faces the prospect of being held to ransom by its squad players, many of whom might take advantage of the transfer embargo and their own expiring contracts to negotiate inflated wages for themselves that the club will have little option but to pay.

All in all, FIFA’s ruling could destabilise a squad that could arguably be considered the most settled in England just a few days ago.

Many have already taken this as reason enough to right off Chelsea’s chances, if not this season then certainly in 2010-11.

This doesn’t have to be the case, however, as there is some scope for Chelsea to turn FIFA’s decision into something of a positive—by focusing on the one thing that got them into trouble in the first place.

Youth development.

Chelsea’s academy, so expensively maintained and overseen by coaches of international repute since Roman Abramovich’s take-over, has so far failed to produce a notable first-team contributor since John Terry—a player who hit the first-team long before the Russian billionaire ever even flew his helicopter over Fulham Road.

Michael Mancienne might be a player considered worthy of note—indeed, the on-loan Wolves defender will undoubtedly be called upon frequently next season—but beyond him few academy graduates have made the grade in recent teams.

This state of affairs exposes the club’s current youth setup as an abject failure. For all the bluster, Frank Arnesen (now the club’s sporting director, but originally appointed as head of the youth team) has achieved very little in his time at the club.

Now more than ever is the time to refocus on making the academy effective.

Just last week, club chief executive Peter Kenyon called on his club’s youth system to provide the first team with the quality of players it requires, while bemoaning the costs involved.

“Every club is spending more time, more money and more resources on the academy. But the standard which we’re demanding of the players is just going up all the time,” Kenyon said.

“I think we’re all producing more good players but it’s hard to get them to breakthrough at the level we need them and that will take time. The infrastructure is certainly there at our club, it is as good as anyone’s and I’m sure the next John Terry will be coming through.”

Now, more than ever, Kenyon will be hoping his words are prophetic.

And, with no other players to spend money on, resources invested in the club’s youth infrastructure might suddenly be even more plentiful.

Youth development has not just been a problem for Chelsea in recent years; it has been a problem for almost all clubs in England.

While Barcelona started last season’s Champions League final with seven players from their own youth team, the ‘Big Four’ combined would only realistically be able to contribute four—Terry, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, and Ryan Giggs.

Perhaps that is due to a widespread problem with how English youngsters are introduced to football. Perhaps it is just a cause of poor coaching. Whatever the cause, Chelsea find themselves in an enforced position where they can attempt to do something about it—and gain an unlikely advantage on their rivals in the process.

If they can, then youngsters like Kakuta (the club’s scholar of the year last year), Miroslav Stoch, and Ryan Bertrand might develop enough to reinforce what will become a stale first team squad.

With other junior players like Daniel Sturridge and Nemanja Matic already in the first-team squad and showing great potential, the club might surprise many and be hold things together until the embargo is lifted.

And, as an added bonus, the club might be even stronger in the long run.

No one can reasonably suggest that Chelsea did not have this sort of scenario coming, even if many of their rivals have no doubt indulged in similarly murky practices.

In their pursuit of Ashley Cole and John Obi Mikel, Chelsea were shown to be more than willing to bend the rules, so it can easily be inferred that similar tactics were being employed with the 15 and 16-year-old youngsters the club wanted to attract.

Make no mistake; FIFA’s ruling is a body blow for a club that has become accustomed to life at Europe’s top table. But maybe, even if an appeal fails them, the club can salvage something from the wreckage.

They might not develop an exact substitute for a multi-million pound signing, but perhaps with the right steps a silver lining can be found from what looks an especially dark cloud.

It may not be an exaggeration to say that the football world has been rocked by the news of Chelsea’s year-long transfer embargo, imposed on the club by FIFA after the Blues were found guilty of acting improperly in their acquisition of young French midfielder Gael Kakuta.

On top of the ban, which will last for two transfer windows and mean the next opportunity for the club to sign new players will be in January 2011, the club have been ordered to pay compensation to Kakuta’s former club, RC Lens, totalling around $186,000.

Understandably, the Stamford Bridge club are not going to willingly comply with what is an unprecedented, if not unpopular, decision from the game’s governing body.

“Chelsea will mount the strongest appeal possible following the decision of FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber over Gaël Kakuta,” a statement on the club’s website read.

“The sanctions are without precedent to this level and totally disproportionate to the alleged offence and the financial penalty imposed.”

On this, it is arguable Chelsea have a point. The club might well come away from the inevitable hearing with CAS (the Court of Arbitration for Sport) with a reduced embargo, or even just a sizeable fine.

If not, as they have already found out with the recent Adrian Mutu saga, there is always an even higher court to continue their appeal in.

However, no one should be under the illusion that a successful appeal is inevitable. FIFA will not have come to such a decision, especially knowing how much attention it would bring, without a determination to see it enforced. If little else, it can be taken as read that the organisation will do everything it can to ensure the London club comply to ever aspect of the ‘sentence’ they have passed down.

As such, the Chelsea hierarchy must start making contingency plans (as limited as they may be) in case the punishment imposed on them remains in place, especially as it has such widespread implications on their prospects.

Usain Bolt stuns the world again with another gold and another world record

Wow. Mere words cannot do justice as Usain Bolt proves once again that rules are only there to be broken.

Blistering: Bolt saved his celebrations for after the finish line this time.

The gold trainers may have been traded in for orange ones, and Beijing’s Bird’s Nest exchanged for Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, but in the end, the result was exactly the same.

A gold medal, a world record, and an awe-inspiring performance.

Leaving the competition trailing in his wake, Usain Bolt added a World Championship 100m gold to his growing medal collection with a stunning time of 9.58 seconds.

Mere adjectives can perhaps not do justice to the feats Bolt seems capable of achieving.

Exactly one year earlier, Bolt had stunned the world in Beijing, grabbing gold in the most comprehensive fashion imaginable and setting a new world record of 9.69 seconds in the process.

The fact the lanky Jamaican ran that time despite slowing down over the last 30 metres to celebrate his impending victory (with his shoelaces undone), only added to the majesty and mythology of a performance few thought humanly possible.

It also led many to logically assume that, if the Jamaican ever did run flat-out for the whole 100m, a time of around 9.60 seconds would not be beyond him.

In Berlin, the 6’5” phenomenon proved that such logical assumptions were not wide off the mark.

“Back up a little bit, back up,” Bolt told the camera as he lined up before the race. “I’m ready. Are you ready?”

No one could have been.

His opponents certainly were not.

After a solid start that left him level with his rivals, Bolt soon exploded into his stride and, unlike in China, didn’t relax until he crossed the line.

Tyson Gay—who won both the 100m and 200m at the World Championships in 2005, and entered the race as the fastest man this year after setting a personal best of 9.77 seconds in Rome in July—can be credited for that, pushing Bolt closer than anyone managed in Beijing.

But even his time of 9.71 seconds, a new national record, was nowhere near the answer required to meet Bolt’s challenge.

The one remaining medal on offer was grabbed by Asafa Powell, perhaps the forgotten man of sprinting in light of his compatriot’s recent endeavours. He came home in a time of 9.84 seconds—but the history books will not remember the race because of that.

Once again, it was all about Bolt.

In the semifinals that took place earlier in the evening, Bolt cruised through the first heat in a time of 9.89 seconds. It was a comfortable sprint—perhaps jog might be a more apt description—as Bolt hit the front by 40 metres and then eased his way to the finish. An impressive performance it was, but it gave little clue as to what was waiting in store.

Following on in the second semifinal, Tyson Gay set up the long-awaited final battle between the world’s two premier sprinters as he won his own heat in a time of 9.93 seconds. The 27-year-old endured one of his customary slow starts, but his late burst gave encouragement to those who thought he might challenge Bolt.

In the final though, Bolt ended those hopes.

“I was ready, and feeling good after the semifinals,” Bolt said afterwards. “I knew it was going to be a great race, and I just came out and executed. It’s a great time.”

Last year, former 400m Olympic champion Michael Johnson described Bolt’s Olympic performance as “amazing”. This year, if it’s possible, the praise was even more effusive:

“Usain Bolt is unbelievable. We’ve never seen anything like him, and I’m not sure we ever will again,” Johnson said, clearly shell-shocked. “I didn’t think I could be more shocked than I was last year. It’s absolutely mind-boggling what he can do.”

Bolt’s competitors had no choice but to acknowledge the 22-year-old’s superiority:

“I ran the best I could, it just wasn’t good enough tonight,” the likable Gay said afterwards. “I believe I put in a championship performance. I’m happy with a national record.”

Seventy-three years earlier, in the same stadium, Jesse Owens did his bit to break down political and social barriers by embarrassing the Nazi regime in its own backyard. As a result, the 1936 Olympic Games has gone down in sporting history.

Bolt’s effort might not have such a widespread social impact, but it will surely become equally important in making people re-evaluate the limits of human physical performance. For that, it will surely be remembered just as long.

Earlier in the week, Bolt suggested to reporters that a time of 9.40 seconds is the absolute limit of his physical abilities. Just over a year ago, most knowledgeable athletics commentators would have suggested such a mark might would not be achieved in the next 50 years.

In light of recent events, perhaps some will believe we might see such a time with the next few years.

Such is the incredible nature of Bolt’s talent.

Unfortunately for us mere mortals, such a pursuit will have to wait. In the meantime, for Bolt and the rest of the world, the attention must now turn to his next event.

“I’ve got the 200m to come, so no partying for me!” the Jamaican replied after being asked how he might celebrate another historic performance.

Will another epic performance, and world record, come in that event?

Few would bet against it.

The gold trainers may have been traded in for orange ones, and Beijing’s Bird’s Nest exchanged for Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, but in the end, the result was exactly the same.

A gold medal, a world record, and an awe-inspiring performance.

Leaving the competition trailing in his wake, Usain Bolt added a World Championship 100m gold to his growing medal collection with a stunning time of 9.58 seconds.

Mere adjectives can perhaps not do justice to the feats Bolt seems capable of achieving.

Exactly one year earlier, Bolt had stunned the world in Beijing, grabbing gold in the most comprehensive fashion imaginable and setting a new world record of 9.69 seconds in the process.

The fact the lanky Jamaican ran that time despite slowing down over the last 30 metres to celebrate his impending victory (with his shoelaces undone), only added to the majesty and mythology of a performance few thought humanly possible.

It also led many to logically assume that, if the Jamaican ever did run flat-out for the whole 100m, a time of around 9.60 seconds would not be beyond him.

In Berlin, the 6’5” phenomenon proved that such logical assumptions were not wide of the mark.

“Back up a little bit, back up,” Bolt told the camera as he lined up before the race. “I’m ready. Are you ready?”

No one could have been.