World Cup Weary

If you're like me, you're completely exhausted from the World Cup.  Hell, I haven't blogged in two weeks, which strangely coincided with the beginning of the World Cup.  Not intentional really, but I really didn't want to do a World Cup blog.  Sure, I could have continued musing on the local leagues, but to be honest I have no idea what's been going on the past two weeks.  It's been all WC all the time.  I haven't talked about the US team because, well, what could I add that hasn't already been said?  Landon choked (the A-Rod of soccer).  Beasely practically vanished (save a nice cross to Deuce).  Convey lost his form somewhere between the triangle of England the US and Germany.  Reyna finished his career the way we'll mostly remember him, injured.  Keller, while not poor, showed why Friedel always got the World Cup nod.  The backline was ok, but would it kill someone to play during a set piece?  Pablo looked useful in the half against Italy, but then he went all Pablo and began manuvering us behind the 8-ball.

Really though, I think all that needs to be said is we need a new coach.  I'm not really a BA fan or apologist, but going into the Cup I was content with 4 more years.  He got the US team to do things no other coach had gotten them to do.  But just like that he and the team caved.  I don't know what the cause was.  Was it poor tactics?  Partially.  Was it poor motivation?  Partially.  I'm not sure why it went wrong, other than to say it all went wrong when we couldn't afford for it to.  Sure, the refs treated us like sheep in Australia, but even so, we should have gotten more than a point.

Of course, while all the naysayers are decrying the poor performance (Colleen the tool Cowherd is one of them), I mean really who expected us to take the world by storm.  No expert did.  Most of us hoped we'd make it out of the group, but it was never overly likely.  I told everyone I knew that when they asked me our chances.  I flat out said no chance we make it.  Sure, I picked us to finish second in my pools, but that's like me picking Duke to win the NCAA tourney.  They're my favorite team, and I'd rather not be wrong the one time I don't pick them.  Yes, the #5 ranking is a joke, but any knowledgeable person knew that (i.e. not the radio talking heads).  Of course, the team that was #2 in the World only got 3 points, and that came against us, so that should really be a sign that maybe like the NCAA's rankings have a tendency to get thrown out in a crazy two weeks.  You're telling me Duke was the top team in the country when they were bounced in the Sweet Sixteen?  George Mason was really one of the top 4 teams in the country?  Of course not, but that's how tournaments work.  Ghana got insanely hot (not that they aren't talented).  The Italians know how to flop around like the wet noodlemakers they are.  And the Czechs know how to do whatever it is the Czechs know how to do.

Yes, it was a poor display in terms of what we hoped, but we tied a European team in Europe.  If not for some crummy officiating, we may have scored in that game on our own.  If that random PK isn't called, maybe we beat Ghana… who knows.  We can play the what if game forever.

Of course, the Cup was bitter sweet for me.  I got to watch fellow Furman Alum and noted rapper Clint "Deuce" Dempsey knock home the only US goal.  I really just wanted to make an FU shout out, that's really all.  So my little school holds the NCAA record for points in a basketball game (100 by Frank Selvy), helped invent the LASER (google it), created Behaviourism (Watson I think), and now scored a goal in the World Cup (surely the grandest of the 4).  Of all the players on the US squad, Clint is probably the only one who made any money out of this endeavor.  I think he could get picked up by a Dutch side within a year.  Hopefully a Dutch side (Spain would work), not of that slow, boring English stuff.  If Pablo hadn't gotten a red, I think he had a Euro move in him, maybe a good 2nd division German side.  He impressed me as much as anyone else with his play.

That's about all.  2 WC games for tomorrow and something like 5 MLS games.  Hopefully the internet is still working for me.  Oh, and check out www.spoccer.com.  It's the local pickup league for Charleston.  They're trying to spread to other cities, right now Richmond VA.  Just a little plug for some people who are doing a good thing.

Razov blisters Galaxy in Chivas win

Another Superclasico is in the book.  Yes, a rivalry as large as the Yankees and Red Sox (at least according to Sepp Messing) has another game in the books.  I honestly can't tell if this did indeed have a classic super ending, since I went to bed.  At halftime I fell asleep, woke up in the 60th minute, and said enough was enough.  Not that the game was overly boring (though it seemed to be heading that way), but that I was just tired out here on the good coast.

Anyway, the game was kind of dead for about 16 minutes after the opening kick.  Then all of a sudden, a cross was played in around the edge of the box, and Ante Razov connected with a brilliant strike.  Seriously, you have to see it.  That cross could not have been hit any better than that.  He struck it dead center.  I don't know that any keeper in the world would have stopped that one.  About 5 minutes later, he does it again.  This one may have been even better.  A pass was laid out to him just outside the box.  He hit it one time, but this time without the blistering pace.  It was struck so lightly, but so perfectly that it curled around the blond in net and settled right into the corner.  Perhaps this one could have been stopped, but I doubt it.  Few strikers would have picked out the low, far corner netting on a ball like that.  Any harder, and it doesn't spin enough to get back.  Any more spin, and it slows enough for Hartman to stop it.  Seriously, you have to watch these goals, easily both goal of the year material.

Razov Goals 

The Galaxy got within one around the 28th minute on a goal from Herculez.  Burpo just misplayed the shot, which could nicely be called a worm burner, but which I called damn luck.  That seems to be how it ended, with Chivas on the good side of a 2-1 score line.  Yallop loses in his first game in LA, after his hiatus from the Earthquake/Dynamo.  So was he fired from Canada, or is he just moonlighting?

Anyway, if you're like me, the next month is going to be crazy.  No MLS on national TV for a while now with the World Cup on, so MLS.TV and maybe HDNet will be your local soccer kick for the next month.  It really sucks that the World Cup is on during the day.  I'd miss work, but evidently they frown on that, especially for non-essential stuff.  I was thinking about sneaking a TV and sattelite in there, but I'm not sure how.  So for now I'll be recording the games on the computer and watching them later in the day… maybe put them on my PDA and have them for work….. hmmm.  Anyway, there may or may not be torrent links for games here, since it wouldn't make sense if these didn't somehow end up online.

Anyway, happy World Cupping.  USA!