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Italy has no time to celebrate after England win

By WTOP Staff

ANDREW DAMPF
AP Sports Writer

MANAUS, Brazil (AP) — Italy can’t afford to celebrate too much after opening the World Cup with an impressive win over England.

The Azzurri have to recover physically after a draining match in the jungle venue of Manaus and prepare to face a surprising Costa Rica side. They also have to guard against their tendency to play poorly against lesser-known teams and to struggle in the second matches of major tournaments.

“The second match is decisive,” coach Cesare Prandelli said after the 2-1 win over England on Saturday.

On Sunday, the Azzurri flew back down to their training base in Mangaratiba. But they will have to travel north again for Friday’s match in Recife against Costa Rica, which came from behind to stun Uruguay 3-1 and start a tough Group D with a major upset.

“I watched the opening matches of this World Cup and there are no poor teams,” said Italy forward Mario Balotelli, who scored the winner against England. “They are all organized well. But we don’t fear anyone. It’s the other teams that should fear Italy.”

Asked if Italy could reach the final like at the 2012 European Championship, Balotelli replied, “I’m focusing only on Costa Rica. We can’t get bigheaded otherwise we’re going nowhere.”

Costa Rica and Italy each have three points to top the group and Italy will enter its next match as a clear favorite.

However, the Azzurri were also full of confidence after drawing 1-1 with title-holder Spain to open Euro 2012. They went on to struggle in their second match, also drawing 1-1 with Croatia, and then needed a 2-0 win over Ireland to be sure of advancing.

Even in 2006, when Italy won its fourth World Cup, the Azzurri opened with a 2-0 win over Ghana only to draw 1-1 with the United States in their next match and again struggle to get through.

And in 2010, things went from bad to worse from the first match to the second. After a 1-1 draw with Paraguay, the Azzurri were held to an embarrassing 1-1 draw by New Zealand before then being eliminated by a 3-2 defeat to Slovakia.

Making matters more complicated this time around is the climate. According to FIFA, it was 30 degrees C (86 degrees F) with humidity at 61 percent for the England match and Prandelli criticized organizers for not allowing time outs.

“It was an epic match,” Prandelli said. “A match that we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.”

Midfielder Daniele De Rossi echoed Prandelli when he said that it was “absurd to play a World Cup opener in these conditions.

“Now we’ll see if we need to make some lineup changes to help recuperate,” De Rossi added.

Prandelli might use Lorenzo Insigne to add some spark on the left wing, where Italy struggled on Saturday. Mattia De Sciglio could return at left back after sitting out the England game with a muscle strain, and center back Gabriel Paletta could return to the bench after struggling to stop England’s physical forwards.

Most importantly, Prandelli has to examine the condition of captain Gianluigi Buffon, who also sat out with an injured ankle. Salvatore Sirigu performed admirably in goal in Buffon’s absence but Buffon can take Italy to another level.

“This squad has great character,” said midfielder Claudio Marchisio, who scored Italy’s opening goal. “After we took the lead we all went over to hug Gigi (Buffon), because he’s always there for us.”

Prandelli was pleased with the play of fullback Matteo Darmian and attacking midfielder Antonio Candreva on the right wing.

Candreva set up Balotelli’s goal and Darmian showed poise despite making his international debut just two weeks ago in a warm-up match with Ireland.

“The chain on the right worked very well,” Prandelli said. “‘Darmian doesn’t just have enthusiasm. He understands well what I want.”

What Prandelli wants now is to avoid a letdown against Costa Rica.

___

Andrew Dampf can be followed at www.twitter.com/asdampf

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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