Trust me, despite being an England fan, I can be as critical as anyone when it comes to suffering through – and analyzing – many of the side’s underachieving performances over the years. I still shiver at recalling the likes of Andora away in 2007, losing to Germany 1-0 at the final game played at Wembley Stadium in 2000, the …
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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!
History 4 England 1
On its first goal, Germany played like England; on its second it played like Brazil. And on its third and fourth goal Germany played like Italy. England, on the other hand, spent most of he evening playing like the Faroe Islands in this 4-1 thrashing. The score line is tricky. This game will forever be known as the one where accounts …
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Enough
Trailing 2-1 near the end of the first half, England’s Frank Lampard scored the game tying goal against Germany, as his shot hit off the top crossbar and bounced about two yards over the line. But ball popped out, and the ref did not call it a goal.
What a joke. The absence of video replay in soccer is close to ruining this World Cup. …
Ghana Crushes the American Dream
The go-for-broke Americans finally ran out of comebacks tonight. A tremendous individual goal by Asamoah Ayan, who shouldered off Carlos Bocanegra and smashed a shot past Tim Howard in the first extra time period gave Ghana a deserved 2-1 win over a U.S. team that made one mistake too many. As they have done in this tournament—indeed …
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Taking the Temperature of Little Ghana
The nice part about living in New York City is that you can learn more about American foes, since immigrant fans of every country in the Cup live in the Big Apple. Took a subway ride up to Little Ghana in the Bronx, met some gracious people, passionate fans, and even a guy who will be wearing red, white and blue. Here’s the link.
Paying the Penalty: Looking At The Dreaded Spot Kicks
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 …
All Bets are Off in a Multipolar World Cup!
The unceremonious (and richly deserved) dumping of Italy and France out of World Cup 2010, and the travails of England, Germany and Spain — and arguably even Serbia and Denmark — are a sign that world soccer has gone multipolar. “Multipolarity” was a term coined by French foreign policy wonks fretting over the Bush Administration’s …
What’s Wrong with the European Sides?
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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 …
A Last Gasp Winner for the U.S.
Landon Donovan finally found a distance from which the U.S. couldn’t miss the goal. About 4 yards away. After Jozey Altidore missed a sitter from 6 yards and Clint Dempsey hit the post from 12, Donovan ended an almost desperate second half siege against Algeria with a scrambled last-gasp goal in the 91st minute—the first minute …