World Cup Goalkeepers - Roberto Carlos Abbondanzieri

Roberto Abbondanzieri, 33 years old, succeeded Pablo Cavallero as Argentina's number one after being given a chance by coach Jose Pekerman and has thrived in the spotlight since. Popularly known as El Pato or ?The Duck?, Abbondanzieri?s professional debut took off in 1994 with Rosario Central, with whom he played until 1997. He then moved to Boca Juniors as their reserve goalkeeper. He trained in the shadow of Oscar Cordoba until February 2002 when Cordoba moved to Italian Perugia.

Abbondanzieri won the World Club Cup with Boca Juniors in 2000 and 2003. Since then, Abbondanzieri has become a permanent feature in Boca?s goal and in June 2004, he became the goalkeeper for the Argentine team at the age of 31, which is quite unusual. As they say, it is better late than never. On May 6, 2006, he was named as a definite squad member for the 2006 World Cup by Pekerman. Having represented the country on 19 occasions, Abbondanzieri has been a regular for Argentina over two years and was named the South American Goalkeeper of the Year in 2003.

Abbondanzieri has however, been hit earlier this year with a poor run and is hoping to put it behind him when he lines up for Argentina in the World Cup finals. At one point, the goalkeeping position of the Argentina squad had come to be viewed as the weak link in a side brimming with talented outfield players. Abbondanzieri said he has been in the national team for more than two years and never understood why the fans always went for the goalkeeper when there were other players and areas to analyze. This was made worse by the fact that he let in 6 goals in 2 warm-up matches against England and Croatia.

With such a negative perception, the pressure on Abbondanzieri must have been great. In such a situation, mental training is a must. For without such training, the confidence of anyone under such stress would surely be affected.

However, coach Pekerman has been reported saying that this was no longer the case and that Argentina would be going into the World Cup with a well-rounded team, capable of rising to the occasion. Abbondanzieri helped Boca Juniors win the Argentine Championship for the second year running in May this year.

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Economic Growth Continues - More Than 5.3 Million Jobs Created Since August 2003
On June 2, 2006, The Government Released New Jobs Figures – 75,000 Jobs Created In May. The economy has created about 1.9 million jobs over the past 12 months – and more than 5.3 million since August 2003. The unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent – lower than the average of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

The Economy Remains Strong, And The Outlook Is Favorable

Revised Report Shows Fastest Real GDP Growth In Two-And-A-Half Years. Real GDP grew at an annual rate of 5.3 percent for the first quarter of this year. This follows our economic growth of 3.5 percent in 2005 – the fastest rate of any major industrialized nation.

Productivity Increased At A Strong Annual Rate Of 3.7 Percent In The First Quarter.

Real Hourly Compensation Rose At A 3.2 Percent Annual Rate In The First Quarter.

Personal Income Increased At An Annual Rate Of 6.7 Percent In April. Since January 2001, real after-tax income has risen by 12.9 percent, or 7.3 percent per person.

Real Consumer Spending Increased At An Annual Rate Of 5.2 Percent In The First Quarter.

Employment Increased In 47 States Over The Past 12 Months Ending In April. Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 41 states in April.

Industrial Production Increased 4.7 Percent Over The Past 12 Months. Over the past 12 months, manufacturing production has increased by 5.5 percent.

President Bush Has An Aggressive Agenda To Keep The Economy Growing

This Week, President Bush Nominated Henry Paulson As Treasury Secretary. Paulson has an intimate knowledge of financial markets and an ability to explain economic issues in clear terms. For the past eight years, Paulson has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Goldman Sachs Group, one of the most respected firms on Wall Street.

The President Has Expanded Tax Relief And Is Working To Make His Tax Relief Permanent. Two weeks ago, President Bush signed into law a bill that extends the tax cuts on dividends and capital gains. This legislation also contains an Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) patch enabling millions of middle-income families to avoid paying higher taxes in 2006.

The President’s Tax Relief Has Helped Spur Growth By Keeping $880 Billion In The Pockets Of American Taxpayers. The Administration reduced taxes for every American who pays income taxes, doubled the child tax credit, reduced the marriage penalty, created investment incentives for small businesses, and put the death tax on the road to extinction.

Growing The Economy And Reducing The Deficit Depend On Controlling The Spending Appetite Of The Federal Government. Every year since the President took office, the Administration has slowed the growth of discretionary spending that is not related to the military or homeland security. The President's last two budgets cut discretionary spending that was unrelated to the military or homeland security, and we are on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009.

If The Emergency Supplemental Bill – Which The President Has Requested To Help Fund The War On Terror And Hurricane Recovery – Includes Non-Emergency Or Wasteful Spending Or Exceeds The President's Set Limit Of $92.2 Billion Plus Funding To Prepare Our Nation For A Pandemic Flu Emergency, He Will Veto It.

In The Long Run, The Biggest Challenge To Our Nation's Budgetary Health Is Entitlement Spending On Programs Such As Social Security And Medicare. We call on members of both parties to join us in a bipartisan commission to address this critical issue.

The President Will Continue Working With Congress To Restrain Spending In Other Ways, Including Passing A Line-Item Veto. A line-item veto would allow us to cut needless spending, reduce the budget deficit, and ensure that every taxpayer dollar is spent wisely – or not at all.