Dan Gaspar

Portugal was defeated by Spain 1 to 0. Portugal was in Group G, “The Group of Death” that included Ivory Coast, North Korea and Brazil. Portugal played against number 1 team in the world, Brazil and number 2 in the world, Spain. I believe our players represented Portugal with dignity, honor and pride. Although we are sad and disappointed and certainly not satisfied to have to leave South Africa at this stage of the competition, we do come home

When you start the journey that is the World Cup, there’s always a sense of anxiety. You try to focus on the two segments of the tournament: there’s the qualification aspect, which Team Portugal has already achieved, and then there’s the knockout phase, which requires a winning mentality. The loser goes home and the winner stays. We’ve reached that stage and we don’t want to go home. As Team Portugal prepares for the match against Spain, we’re in a good

Now that is how you play football! Portugal’s 7-0 win over North Korea on Monday was obviously a big moment for the team. It really was the perfect game for Portugal. Our head coach Carlos Queiroz and staff prepared the team very well. The tactical plan was executed flawlessly by our players. We saw great mental preparation from the players so we couldn’t have asked for a better effort or a better result. You could see the desire in their

Figo, 2001 FIFA Player of the Year and former Portugal National Team captain, and Pauleta (all-time leading goal scorer for the Portugal National Team) stopped by our hotel to give their best wishes. Our first match of the World Cup was a draw versus Ivory Coast. This game highlighted the challenges of Group G also known as the “Group of Death.” This means any one of the four teams has the potential to be one of the two teams that

The moment of truth is just around the corner. Portugal plays its first World Cup match, Tuesday, June 15th at 4:00 pm versus Ivory Coast in Port Elizabeth at the beautiful Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. As many of you know, we defeated Cameroon 3-1 in a preparation match in Covilha, Portugal. Eighty thousand people bid us farewell from the Eduardo VII Park as we departed from Lisbon. When we arrived in Johannesburg we were greeted by thousands of Portuguese immigrants

The entire village of Covilha is ecstatic about hosting their special guest, the Portugal National Team. Carlos Queiroz, his coaching staff and the FPF administration (led by Carlos Godinho) have left nothing to chance. The attention to details has been impeccable. This level of organization and commitment to perfection is meant to limit any potential surprises. Their mission is to create an environment that does not allow any excuses for failure. Let me give you an inside tour of the

I almost did not make it to the Portugal National Team official player presentation. I had flight delays resulting from airplane technical difficulties and then the volcanic dust cloud. The airport was absolutely chaos. I just made it in time, but my bags arrived a day later. That is another story for another day. On May 10th, 2010 Carlos Queiroz announced his selection of 24 players who will have the honor of representing the Portugal National Team and defend the Portuguese national pride. It

Well the moment has arrived. I leave for the Portugal National training camp in preparation for the South Africa World Cup!  I have been fortunate to have worked on three different continents with world-class players at all levels. However, I never had the opportunity to participate in the World Cup. In fact I never even attended a World Cup. That is all about to change. Since I was notified to join Portugal’s National Team staff, for the past month I have