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01 July 2010
I'm into the World Cup. I'm not afraid to say it. And, no, I'm not one of those bleeding heart patriots yelling "USA! USA!" after every goal to be sure. Actually, I've watched more foreign soccer matches over the last week than U.S. games I've seen in my entire life. It's the spectacle that has me hooked. The fact that the entire world is watching the same tournament at the same time. Do I enjoy it as much as the World Series or the NCAA Tourney? No. But you'd be hard pressed to find data saying the World Cup isn't bigger than both of those combined.
Hell, against the better judgement of my family and friends, I went out and joined the local rec soccer league. That shit is harder than it looks. And tiring. But it has garnered my respect. (Except for the flopping. I hate the dives. I have a hard time believing you are so very injured, right up until the whistle blows and you steal a call, and the go back to frolicking around the pitch for the next hour. Get up, fairy.)
So here's a newbies look at the first two rounds of the 2010 World Cup.
Lionel Messi is the best player in the world. He may not have a goal, but he's had a hand (foot?) in damn near every Argentinian goal scored. And look at the numbers, La Albiceleste (the sky blue and white) are torching teams, and playing very little defense in the process. But it doesn't seem to matter. Which brings me to my next point.
I want to hang out with Diego Maradona. Aside from just looking like he knows what to do with a bag of cash and time to kill, the guy is a former Argentinian national team player, regarded as one of the best players of all time, and employs one simple strategy as coach: Just go score. Maradona isn't wasting time working up sets and defensive trapping tactics. He's putting a fun group of hard workers on the lawn and just asking them to play. And it is fun to watch. I just wonder what he does the 5 nights between matches...
Here's a list of people I had no idea existed in May, but now want to see get punched in the face. Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey, Wayne Rooney (could not be located in June), Anelka (take your gloves off, you look like a butler), Carlos Queiroz (put a tie on, it's the goddam Catalina Wine Mixer, I mean World Cup!), and last but certainly not least, Joseph S. Blatter. You are simply awful.
Completely uninformed picks! Ghana knocks out Uruguay 1-0. Brazil eeks by the Netherlands in a battle of smoking hot national team fans 2-1 with a late finisher. In easily the most anticipated match of the quarterfinals, Argentina bests Die Mannschaft 22-18 Saturday morning. And I'll take Spain over Paraguay because, well, Paraguay had a pretty tough time with Japan. And I don't even think they play soccer in Japan.
In the semis I'll take Brazil over Ghana in a blowout, to match up with Maradona's Argentinians, who eek by Spain on PKs.
In the final: Argentina over Brazil. And looting. Lots and lots of looting.
