AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2006 > June > 15 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USHaving a ball with the Cup
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
I’m not a morning person, and I’m not much of a TV person, either. But every morning I watch the World Cup, and every afternoon, too. The days I’ve tried to stop watching have produced the most riveting finishes of the tournament — Australia scoring three goals in the last eight minutes; Saudi Arabia scoring the apparent winner only to be matched by Tunisia’s even later equalizer. So now I’m hooked for the duration.
I’ve even developed a system. When Dave O’Brien is calling a match for ESPN or ABC, I switch to Univision. Do I speak Spanish? Why, no. But I’d rather understand next to nothing than to listen to someone who knows less about soccer than I do. I’ll flip over at halftime for the analysis — Eric Wynalda is rather good — and then back to Univision for the second half.
Sometimes, just for variety, I’ll hit the TV mute button and listen to the play-by-play on XM radio. This can be confusing, given that the satellite radio feed takes longer to bounce back to Earth and runs about 10 seconds behind the televised action, but when there are three games every day you have to mix it up.
The highlight of the tournament to date has been Shaka Hislop in goal for Trinidad and Tobago against Sweden. I’ve liked Shaka Hislop for years — he plays for West Ham in England, and West Ham has always been my second-favorite side after Manchester United — but he’s considered past his prime now and started only because the No. 1 T&T keeper hurt himself in warmups. But Hislop, on cue, was fabulous, keeping a clean sheet for the smallest nation in the field.
The lowlight? Well, the U.S. loss to the Czech Republic was bad, but I can’t say I was all that surprised. Even though many observers in this country believed the U.S. performance in the 2002 World Cup was a sign of greater things to come, I’ve tended to believe that much of what happened in Korea and Japan — Argentina, Portugal and France being eliminated in the group stages, the U.S. reaching the quarterfinals, South Korea and Turkey making the semis — was an aberration. I think the U.S. is getting better every year, but I still think it has years to work before it can approach the better European sides.
No, the real lowlight has been Ronaldo. He is, not to put too fine a point on it, fat. He did nothing against Croatia, and by nothing I mean he didn’t even trouble himself to run. When mercifully he was pulled, Brazil finally started to look like Brazil. But I think the controversy over what to do what the famous Ronaldo will undo Brazil in this tournament, much as it did when an obviously out-of-sorts Ronaldo was allowed to play against France in the 1998 World Cup final. (France won 3-nil.) I’m one of those who believes the world’s best team will not win the 2006 World Cup.
So who will? When in doubt, go with the host nation. Even Germans hated this German team coming into the World Cup, but after two rousing wins they’ve begun to believe. And so have I. As they say in their anthem: Deutschland Uber Alles.
Permalink | Comments (14) | Post your comment | Categories: Mark Bradley, Quick Hit
Comments
By Harold
June 15, 2006 12:33 PM | Link to this
Harold loves recording these things on HD-DVR and watching them in the evening. Harold also loves that the coworkers are too ignorant to even be aware that it’s going on. Nobody spoils the games by blabbering the scores before Harold sees them! Perhaps America does not need destroyed after all.
By Me
June 15, 2006 12:46 PM | Link to this
Harold is an idiot.
By DavidU
June 15, 2006 12:51 PM | Link to this
The US hoped to win 2 games..technically the Czech game was the hardest, Italy has the history and the pedigree, but the Czech team is really good now…today…not in the past like Italy. Italy is a good team, but so is the US, so don’t be scared of them.
Would have been nice if at least the US would have come out with some kind of fire and kept the goal differential close, but instead they came out thinking they were Brazil and could turn it on and off (bought the hype they created about themselves) like Brazil often does throughout a game, but the US team like we all knew and they found out by being embarrassed, is not Brazil so we have to work for every ball, go and try to block every kick (I’m talking to you Claudio Reyna!!!!).
But it’s no where near over, Italy was the game in which were most likely to win of the first two, their big guy in the middle, is not nearly as tall as the Czechs, so let’s try to come out and show the passion. Put Beasley on the left (Since he is a LEFFTY!!!) drop Landon back to the midfield and double Italy’s big man Tony (who is only 6-4 vs. the Czechs 6-8 monster). This team can do this, they just have to actually show it.
USA! USA! USA!
By DavidU
June 15, 2006 01:00 PM | Link to this
Forgot. The lowlight for me was France, if it’s possible, they played worse than the USA, but against an opponent they should have dominated in Switzerland. You bring Zidane out of retirement and you have Henry, you should at least score. Expected more.
Ronaldo was fat before he got to the World Cup, so I figured he would just waddle around and set picks for Ronaldinho anyways.
By Ace
June 15, 2006 01:51 PM | Link to this
Mark thanks for paying attention!
The US side is not out of it, but the situation is bleak. They must win both remaining games and hope that the Czechs kill Itlay. Hopefully they will start Eddie Johnson at forward (the lone bright spot Monday) and move Donovan back into the midfield. Bench Beasley and insert John OBrien instead of Convey if he’s fit enough after injury. Josh Wolff would be my first guy off the bench if the team is down or tied in the second half.
I still think the Dutch have a great shot at winning.
By Chop Chop
June 15, 2006 02:00 PM | Link to this
2004? It’s the 2006 World Cup, Mark.
By Footyfan
June 15, 2006 02:53 PM | Link to this
Thank you for expressing what so many of us feel about the brilliant World Cup. An England supporter through and through, it’s been exciting to watch any match possible. Hopefully team USA improves which will create greater interest here in the US. It’s such a shame that our country doesn’t get the diehard feeling so many other countries around the world feel.
By Rutuger
June 15, 2006 03:37 PM | Link to this
I watch the very beginning of the first game before work and then head home for the better part of the nooner, and DVR the 3:00 game. It’s nice because when I finally get home from work to watch the late match, it’s dark here just as it is on TV, so I can pretend, as I did last night with the spectacular Germany-Poland game, that the action is live.
Big ups to Harold. I too love that my coworkers will never reveal any score to me during the day.
France is my 2nd favorite team and they looked p**-poor. Englad, my 3rd fave, looked awful for 82:30 today, but I think they’ll have it together for the next round.
My first fave isn’t even worthy of mention at this time… Let’s just say they wear white and blue uniforms and couldn’t have beaten the Woodward 8th grade girls team the way they played on Monday. Alas, I can’t frickin wait for Saturday.
Great post Mark, keep it up!
By honest abe
June 15, 2006 04:20 PM | Link to this
watch out for the red devils….our defense looks shaky but everyone can agree….we are relentless!!! couple that fact with france being overrated and old…ooooooooo pilsung koooooorea could just squeak into the round of 16!!! DAEEEEEEE HAN MIN GOOK!!!
By crackbaby
June 15, 2006 04:52 PM | Link to this
Is it just me, or did the Brazilians act like NBA hoodlums in the early part of their match against Croatia? Took much strutting and attitude and no respect for their opponents. Not the Brazil I remember seeing over the decades - the beautiful game, the smile expressed through futball.
Was it just me?
By Oscar Gamarra
June 16, 2006 01:36 AM | Link to this
I wento to ESPN’s web site, to follow soccer news, but to my surprise, and I hope many of you, when I clicked the soccer web page, a new page asking where I was from came up. No problem about that. But the issue is that the options were, USA/Canada, Europe/UK, Australia/New Zealand, Asia and, yes, Other. No Central America, no South America, or even no Latin America, if they wanted to abbreviated it. Just Other. We are right below your bordes, all the way to the tip of South America. But it seems like you always look to the east, regardless of all the effects that the south means to you, good or bad. We know North Americans, Us citizens, for the most part are not that ignorant or closed minded, but it does surprises us that a major US network would consider Central and South America as just Other. I love the US, I have lived, legally in it for 13 years, and it is a gretat country. I support border controls, because you have a right to protect the borders and the people within them, but that is no excuse to demostrate either ignorance, or racism against people that have been, and are, part of the Us society for many years. It is easy to say that those who cross borders are hurting, and I may agree, but there are many highly qualifed professionals, doctors, finance experts, sientists, etc, that have contributed to this great country. The least you can do, is to acknowdledge that Central and South America exist.
By Vince
June 16, 2006 09:41 AM | Link to this
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz …
By Brendan
June 16, 2006 01:12 PM | Link to this
The only Cup anyone should be having fun with … is the Stanley Cup. Which might well be presented this Saturday night in Edmonton. Hockey is no longer “soccer on ice.” It’s back, and better than ever.
Okayyyy, some of this World Cup action has been good. Germany scored its only goal in “injury time” to beat Poland, 1-0. That’s an exciting outcome for them.
But I repeat, 1-0. We’re supposed to watch 90+ minutes of “on field action” and see, uhh, one (1) goal.
Sigh.
By Chris
June 16, 2006 04:45 PM | Link to this
Oscar,
http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/