Uruguay took the longest, most difficult route to the World Cup, the last to qualify in South American and only after winning a playoff. No wonder they wanted to stick around so long. Let’s also give Holland its due: this team deserves its spot in the World Cup final. Holland has run the table in both qualifying and in the World Cup. …
World Cup
Orange You Glad You’re Not Brazil?
Wow.
Well, my earlier criticism of the Dutch is that they’ve tended to play up or down to the level of whatever team they’ve faced each day—a tactic that got them through the group round, but risked being trickier to replicate in the knock-out stage against the cream of the world’s footballing crop. The Netherlands not only …
“Insipid” Sounds About Right
Jeezo peezo. If that farce was a World Cup 1/8th final match, I wonder how we managed to avoid death by narcolepsy during the group rounds. Certainly the Netherlands deserved its 2-1 victory over Slovakia, but only because it lost what for the most part looked like a sleepwalk competition: the Dutch couldn’t quite manage to be as …
From Paris: More On England Getting Robbed
Our Paris bureau chief, World Cup Blog contributor, and all-around football guru Bruce Crumley commented on my gut reaction post to the Frank Lampard play. Bruce’s post shouldn’t be buried in the comments section: he offers a clear, in-depth argument as to why instant replay is needed in soccer. Check it out below. Right on, Bruce!
Multipolar Dreaming
Japan’s inspiring play last night (and Tony’s post) have me daring to wish for what in any other Cup would have been the impossible: greatly favored sides being shown the door by nominally modest rivals. If France and Italy can both go out in disgrace, and the U.S. finish ahead of England, why not hope for (but not lay lots of money …
World Cup Rebels: Why U.S. Soccer Should Reach the Semis
Now that the euphoria has faded – perhaps ever so slightly – following America’s remarkable 1-0 win over Algeria in the World Cup, it’s time to look ahead. And believe it or not, on paper, the U.S. is a favorite to reach the semifinals.
Ah, They’re Home! After Them!
It just keeps getting uglier. Not 48 hours after their World Cup elimination, members of France’s soccer team returned to a French public whose lust for pay-back hasn’t been seen since locals who collaborated with Nazi troops were being shot or shorn of their hair. Indeed, the public, press, and political denunciation of the …
World Cup Miracle: Could the U.S. Win the Whole Thing?
Oh my, scratch the obits – on both sides of the pond.
The Agony of Defeat (Not To Mention Group Suicide)
And so the miracle the entire world had waited for transpired after all. No, France didn’t pull itself out of the pathetic, self-mocking off-field tantrums for which it had become a laughing-stock in recent days. And didn’t knock in enough goals to beat South Africa and sneak into the knock-out round as Mexico lost against Uruguay. …
Portugal Resplendent
The match isn’t over yet (well, it is; just time isn’t out yet), but Portugal’s 5-0-and-counting drubbing of North Korea is as impressive as Germany’s opening pounding of Australia was—and perhaps then some. Sure, it turns out Australia isn’t as bad as it looked in taking four unanswered German goals last week, while North …
France: World Champion–Of Pathetic Controversy
Herewith an update to my earlier post about Nicolas Anelka’s obscenity-driven verbal assault of coach Raymond Domenech Friday night. It now serves as a perfect reflection of the incompetence and hypocrisy of the entire French Football Federation responsible France’s South African debacle on and off the pitch.
Player Gives Domenech A Piece of France’s Mind
Now we know what it took for French coach Raymond Domenech to—finally—pull the utterly useless attacker Nicolas Anelka off the pitch in the hopes someone else might create something remotely resembling an offensive presence: Anelka lavishly insulting the previously adoring Domenech in front of the entire squad.
Is England The Most Boring Team in the World Cup?
This is the second time I’ve trekked to a stadium to watch England play in the World Cup and – bar the first four minutes of the first game, when Steven Gerrard struck a composed goal – my God, they’re dull.