World Cup Corner: Weekend 1
Thoughts from the weekend:1. Apartheid ended in 1994. 1994.
2. Holy shinballs the vuvuzelas are annoying. Have to say, though, FIFA should have thought of that one before giving South Africa the World Cup and if that incessant buzzing (which is supposedly at 130 decibles in the stadiums, Hump Dome ain't got nothing on them) is the mark or distinction of this world cup (along with, hopefully, incredible soccer) than let the vuvuzelas sound!
3. Watched US v. England. Hate to be Robert Green. A great piece on Clint Dempsey, if you don't know the story, take the time, wow (I think we know who scored that goal.)
4. RTS - any tally from Gamblor's corner? Saw you went Benedict Arnold on that one, I should ban you for a week from posting but that would limit this blog's output and I can't do that to our reader.
12 Comments:
How awesome was Saturday? Yes, the game was actually somewhat boring, but the atmosphere and vibe around town was great. International sporting events definitely provide a rare moment to cheer alongside those whom you usually oppose (when watching college football, etc.). And this world cup seems to be an even bigger deal than usual. After Dempsey's goal, the bar I was in went absolutely batshit crazy. Oh, and you could hear the national anthem being sung all over the neighborhood. Fun indeed.
And to all those English who can't stop talking about how lucky the US was, I say "tough shit." The Vikings were very unlucky in the NFC championship game, but I didn't see any Saints fans or players offering to give us the trip to the Super Bowl instead, even though we "deserved" it!
A couple thoughts:
1) Despite what I said in paragraph 1, that game could have easily finished 4-1, if it weren't for Timmy Howard.
2) What makes the draw even more satisfying is that the US team has 3 or 4 players who are legitimate starters in Europe (Donovan, Dempsey, Altidore and the aforementioned Howard). England has top 5 in the world talent across the board. A draw vs. the US is essentially a blowout loss in the eyes of England's fans. Sort of like a bronze in olympic basketball for the U.S...
3) How great was "David Beckham face" throughout the game? Suggit, dude.
4) I thought the US team settled in quite nicely after giving up the early goal, and actually held even in time of possession until the last 20 minutes of the match.
5) As flukey/dirty as Dempsey's goal was, how sick were his two moves to even free himself up for a shot?
6) Tim Howard. Wow. What a stud. Hopefully the sore ribs won't prevent him from playing on Friday. He made a couple of absolutely ridiculous saves in the 2nd half (although on one of them it seemed like the guy blew it and kicked it right at him - what do I know, though).
7) Gotta guard against a letdown. The next match is just as important.
Oh - and what happened to the Twins' offense this weekend?
June 14, 2010 at 1:12 PM
Ditto on the crowds Saturday. Wass and I were at a bar (actually a 2nd bar because the first one we went to was overflowing at 9am) and I'm not sure that I've ever seen anything like it...maybe Marquette beating Kentucky to go to Final Four. Absolute mayhem for 5 minutes.
I thought that the US did a better job than usual controlling possession and using a build up (vs. counter attack) to get chances. England had the better chances but Howard stepped up every time...ridiculous.
Can't overlook Friday's game...given that they only play 3 in the group stage, it seems insane that a team could not be focused but you never know.
Finally some beautiful play yesterday (by the Germans). They looked like they could have scored 7.
June 14, 2010 at 1:32 PM
Agreed and agreed. This tournament is special. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that I've watched no more than 1 hour in aggregate of soccer since the last world cup, but there is something really special about this tournament that makes me even care about games like Portugal v. Ivory Coast, much less anyone that the U.S. is playing.
Add the whole national pride factor that was drummed up with the U.S. playing its former colonial oppressor at their game and you've got a perfect storm like story... it was awesome.
Absolutely love the fact that this sport is so big that this tournament takes on far more importance than the olympics in the eyes of the players/fans... makes me wonder why I don't watch soccer more often (though I think I had this exact same thought four years ago as well).
June 15, 2010 at 10:49 AM
LH, I echo your comments. I have not watched a lick of soccer in 4 years but I am watching 3 games a day at work (we flipped from CNBC). I did miss the US/ England games. To the dad's in the group that watched it in a bar, how do you do that? Is the key not being so drunk that you can't walk afterwards so you can still rejoin the family?
Back to agreeing with LH, The World Cup is way better than the Olypics. I have fond memories of a summer spent in summer school in Iowa City. I took 1 class, worked part time, watched the World Cup and masterd the World Cup Pinball machine. It got to the point where I would have to walk away leaving credits on the machine. I don't know if that is cool or sad but it happened.
June 15, 2010 at 11:53 AM
This comment has been removed by the author.
June 15, 2010 at 12:10 PM
In response to LH point "makes me wonder why I don't watch soccer more often", let me respond -- because it's boring. THIS isn't boring. THIS is fantastic and a great spectacle and a great sports exhibition. It has an energy all its own. But let's not confuse the event with the sport. RTS - try watching three soccer games a day on a random tuesday in 2011, and I think you'll know why you don't watch it every day.
But that's what's great about this, and great about being an American. I don't need to love to watch it as a general rule to love watching it in this specific instance. I actually like that Americans can turn it on for this, the way they turned it on for the '80 Olympic hockey team -- believe me, 99.9 percent of the country never watched a hockey game before that, and hasn't watched one since. But it's still the most unifying and important sports moment in history.
I love the way the people of the world care about this in a way that can only be truly understood by people who irrationally care about things. I feel that way about our hometown teams and it's good to know the world is filled with people who won't just want to bash a bottle off an opposing fan's jawbone because they wore their teams jersey - they will actually do it. I'm not advocating violence, I'm advocating the passion that leads to it.
June 15, 2010 at 12:15 PM
Whoa...lets be clear once this is over the only soccer that I will be watching will be the under 6 girls and boys league that Annie is starting in the fall.
My one fault with the games, it is not the horns I love the horns, is how the players act like they just snapped a leg everytime they fall. It brings back memories of the Seeler collapsing in the middle of the field and asking the opposing Breck player to massage out his cramp.
June 15, 2010 at 1:50 PM
dtk wins, and I'm stuck under that wet blanket a little bit right now. I'm finding this time around that the colors and pageantry and passion and symbolism of certain matchups seen through the prism of world politics/economics/etc. are all that's keeping me interested in the World Cup. That and wanting the U.S. to embarrass/really piss off/annoy the insufferable soccer fans of other countries we face. But I'm not really feeling it this year.
Let's be honest - U.S.-England was a fairly good game, with solid tactical cohesion from the Americans after the fifth minute and a great goalkeeping performance. But it was rather uneventful most of the game, and ended with just 2 goals, one of which was a fluke. And, we're now 14 games into this tournament, and exactly 2 of them have featured more than a pair of goals. Total, not just by one team.
In the end, for me, I like soccer. I just have come to feel that it's never going to move beyond that. We had a couple decent dates, and I hooked up with her a couple times, but that's about it. She's just a little too flaky for my taste.
I've tried to get into the sport by buying the theory that it's like a good wine: you have to sip and savor, let it breathe a little bit, stop obsessing over immediate gratification. Good play is reward in itself, and the difficulty of actually putting a ball in the net in soccer makes it that much more feverishly exhilirating when it happens. I get all that, in theory.
In the end, though, every sport has its flaws. And soccer's flaws: too much deviation from the general rule of "team who plays better should win most of the time"; and its corollary of "exceptional plays should lead to tangible reward"; too much time with no appreciable action; too much diving - tend to outshine its charms: the occasional transcendent moment of superior athleticism, the cathartic release of tension when someone finally scores after all those missed opportunities.
I appreciate the rest of the world's mad love for the game, and like watching them act as dumb and irrational as we do for "our" sports. The game itself just isn't moving me this time around, though.
Help, anyone? Make me care. I just want to care, dammit! Is watching with 200 other people the only way?
June 15, 2010 at 6:05 PM
This blog is nothing if not eloquent.
MCA, nice summation. Not sure how to get you to care this go 'round, just like everyone here admittedly is doing their 4 year love affair with soccer, much like our 4 year love affair with Olympic sprinters and such. Similarly, I'm sure we would all jump at the chance if given the time/money/what-have-you to take in the World Cup and be in the middle of that sporting experience/environment/what-have-you.
June 15, 2010 at 8:45 PM
Honestly, I think watching with others in a large group / bar setting is the best way to get into a match. Otherwise, my eye starts wandering...internet, movies on TBS, etc.
RTS - yes, the key is to go to the bar early, come home right after the game, and only have 3 beers while you're there. Otherwise, you'll blow it and won't have the opportunity to go back.
June 16, 2010 at 12:18 PM
RTS - Next year when we're all together at the Justin Morneau/FTLOSBW Arthritis Foundation dinner, you'll have to tell this group the story from your Chicago days of "I feel shame." You, sir, have the most understanding wife (then girlfriend) of all.
June 16, 2010 at 12:29 PM
Spain/Switzerland - helping, and not helping, me. One the one hand, I saw ten minutes of the game on the Univision streaming today, and my god it's fun watching Spain whip the ball around and get into attack mode like it's supposed to be done. On the other hand, of course, talk about Exhibit A in the case of "Why the outcomes of soccer games offend one's sense of right and wrong more than any other sport." If this had been basketball, it would have ended about 84-37 Spain.
I saw a great analysis on some other blog today about why the author was struggling like I am, which included an interesting point: the simple fact that soccer is played strictly with the feet, which is evolutionarily-speaking a really stupid and counterproductive way for humans to do anything, is where it all starts. Because our feet our so inefficient, they (along with the sheer size of the field) limit the promise of what could be a game with a lot more pace, and finishing, to it. Contrast to hockey, most obviously.
Which led me to thinking that this World Cup probably wouldn't have been spoiled for me if I hadn't spent the last two weeks watching the Stanley Cup, which I rarely bother doing. Maybe that's the problem.
June 16, 2010 at 5:59 PM
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home