World Cup Report
So far, I've seen all 12 games of the World Cup. Here are my impressions of each game and each team. Since my earlier post used American football as a reference, I will try to find analogies of American football teams in each of the countries (though not all).
Game 1: Germany 4, Costa Rica 2
Germany has always been, well, German. They are a ball-control team. But on Friday, they came out completely different. They had an incredibly aggressive and precise offense, beautiful to watch and some just amazing goals. But they had no defense, which was exploited twice by Costa Rica, a team that is not a bad one. Germany reminded me of last year's Cincinatti Bengals. And thus I wonder if they have the defense to carry it through to the end.
Game 2: Ecuador 2, Poland 0
This was the first kind of upset of the Cup. Ecuador played well. They struck on counters, if I remember. I had NFL analogs at the time, but I don't remember them now.
Game 3: England 1, Paraguay 0
England is like the Oakland Raiders of football. They rely on the vertical pass and they have the most obnoxious, drunken fans on the planet. Paraguay played well in the second half.
Game 4: Sweden 0, Trinidad and Tobago 0
Sweden looked just fantastic early in this game. They have a high-powered offense. Somehow, T&T managed to create the greatest upset yet and just tie them. This was an exciting game to watch. I have a friend from UT who is married to a Trinidadian, and he must have been going just crazy during this game.
Game 5: Argentina 2, Ivory Coast 1
The first game from the Group of Death. I must say: I hate Argentina in soccer. They are a bunch of diving whiners. But that being said, their midfield possession skills were a wonder to behold. It was a beautiful exercise of soccer. It was like the old 49ers contolling the short game. The Ivory Coast came back, though, with tough, aggressive soccer, which was great. A good game.
Game 6: Netherlands 1, Serbia and Montenegro 0
Holland impressed me so much in the first half. My goodness they were fast to the ball. And they looked like warning pylons in their all-orange uniforms. They were very crisp. S&M (no jokes here) were like the Ohio State teams in the late 90s and early 00's: defense, defense, defense. They turned the crisp Dutchmen into soggy chips in the second half, but they couldn't score.
Game 7: Mexico 3, Iran 1
Probably the first time I ever rooted for Mexico. They were really fast and looked very good. They may have a chance to go to the quarters.
Game 8: Portugal 1, Angola 0
Portugal looked unbeatable early. Really fast and really crisp. They scored early. Then, Angola started getting physical with them and they became soft. That's not a good sign. I don't see them going far in the second round.
Game 9: Australia 3, Japan 1
The most amazing game I've seen yet, in terms of result rather than in terms of play. Japan took a 1-0 lead on a bizarre play that should have been called a foul, but wasn't. Australia couldn't do anything for the next remainder of the game, almost. But, then, in the 83rd minute, they scored a tying goal. Then, 3 minutes later, they scored again to go ahead. Then they scored one more time for the most unusual World Cup game I've ever seen. The Aussies must be going crazy.
Game 10: Czech Republic 3, USA 0
Talk about your downers. I knew the Czechs were good, but I thought we'd put up a better show than this. We were just whupped. We were flat. We looked like we weren't there. It was awful. And now we have to play Italy.
Game 11: Italy 2, Ghana 0
I've always hated the way the Italians play soccer. Usually, they play defense and foul, and wait for a counter. I was a bit surprised today when they actually went on the attack against Ghana. Nevertheless, they scored one of their goals in the old style, on the counter. Ghana put up a great competition and had a lot of chances to score, but it wasn't enough. Ghana is a good team; I was very impressed. There is a good chance the USA can go 0-3 in the World Cup. That is how hard this group is. I hope not. But to beat both Italy and Ghana will be a tall order.
Game 1: Germany 4, Costa Rica 2
Germany has always been, well, German. They are a ball-control team. But on Friday, they came out completely different. They had an incredibly aggressive and precise offense, beautiful to watch and some just amazing goals. But they had no defense, which was exploited twice by Costa Rica, a team that is not a bad one. Germany reminded me of last year's Cincinatti Bengals. And thus I wonder if they have the defense to carry it through to the end.
Game 2: Ecuador 2, Poland 0
This was the first kind of upset of the Cup. Ecuador played well. They struck on counters, if I remember. I had NFL analogs at the time, but I don't remember them now.
Game 3: England 1, Paraguay 0
England is like the Oakland Raiders of football. They rely on the vertical pass and they have the most obnoxious, drunken fans on the planet. Paraguay played well in the second half.
Game 4: Sweden 0, Trinidad and Tobago 0
Sweden looked just fantastic early in this game. They have a high-powered offense. Somehow, T&T managed to create the greatest upset yet and just tie them. This was an exciting game to watch. I have a friend from UT who is married to a Trinidadian, and he must have been going just crazy during this game.
Game 5: Argentina 2, Ivory Coast 1
The first game from the Group of Death. I must say: I hate Argentina in soccer. They are a bunch of diving whiners. But that being said, their midfield possession skills were a wonder to behold. It was a beautiful exercise of soccer. It was like the old 49ers contolling the short game. The Ivory Coast came back, though, with tough, aggressive soccer, which was great. A good game.
Game 6: Netherlands 1, Serbia and Montenegro 0
Holland impressed me so much in the first half. My goodness they were fast to the ball. And they looked like warning pylons in their all-orange uniforms. They were very crisp. S&M (no jokes here) were like the Ohio State teams in the late 90s and early 00's: defense, defense, defense. They turned the crisp Dutchmen into soggy chips in the second half, but they couldn't score.
Game 7: Mexico 3, Iran 1
Probably the first time I ever rooted for Mexico. They were really fast and looked very good. They may have a chance to go to the quarters.
Game 8: Portugal 1, Angola 0
Portugal looked unbeatable early. Really fast and really crisp. They scored early. Then, Angola started getting physical with them and they became soft. That's not a good sign. I don't see them going far in the second round.
Game 9: Australia 3, Japan 1
The most amazing game I've seen yet, in terms of result rather than in terms of play. Japan took a 1-0 lead on a bizarre play that should have been called a foul, but wasn't. Australia couldn't do anything for the next remainder of the game, almost. But, then, in the 83rd minute, they scored a tying goal. Then, 3 minutes later, they scored again to go ahead. Then they scored one more time for the most unusual World Cup game I've ever seen. The Aussies must be going crazy.
Game 10: Czech Republic 3, USA 0
Talk about your downers. I knew the Czechs were good, but I thought we'd put up a better show than this. We were just whupped. We were flat. We looked like we weren't there. It was awful. And now we have to play Italy.
Game 11: Italy 2, Ghana 0
I've always hated the way the Italians play soccer. Usually, they play defense and foul, and wait for a counter. I was a bit surprised today when they actually went on the attack against Ghana. Nevertheless, they scored one of their goals in the old style, on the counter. Ghana put up a great competition and had a lot of chances to score, but it wasn't enough. Ghana is a good team; I was very impressed. There is a good chance the USA can go 0-3 in the World Cup. That is how hard this group is. I hope not. But to beat both Italy and Ghana will be a tall order.
posted by cc at
4:48 PM
2 Comments:
Yeah, but at least they don't cause riots in the street!
Doug here, Steve. Yes, Eagles fans are by reputation the worst in the NFL. They don't have a presiding judge in the stadium on game days for nothing.
Thanks for the synopsis and the analogies. I'm not a soccer person, so these capsules are helpful.
Post a Comment
<< Home