Worse Than The US Soccer Team Performance

If there's been one bigger disappointment about the World Cup, than the US performance against the Czech Republic, it's been the broadcast and announcing on ABC. Not only are these clowns proving the America knows little about the most popular sport in the world, but ABC is distinguishing itself for its arrogance and America-first egoism.

Announcer Dave O'Brien who has been working the games broadcast on ABC spent way too much time during the Iran-Mexico match talking about Iran's President, his Holocaust denial and the political issues surrounding that country's nuclear program. He then opined about immigration issues and controversy over non-Mexican born members of the Mexican team. The effect was like the boorish uncle who gets up at the family reunion and starts telling blue jokes about other members of the family.

Yes, Iran's president is a dangerous turd of a politician. Here's a news flash, O'Brien. Iran's not the only country in the competition with this problem. This is soccer, chowderhead. Leave the politics for the news shows. Thank God, ABC also added Marcel Balboa to the broadcast to bring some soccer knowledge and insight to the show.

Adding insult to injury, ABC also reanimated Brent Musburger for the World Cup. How does this guy keep getting work? Does he have incriminating videotapes of the networks board of directors worshipping Satan? I just don't get it. The Burger can ruin any sport he broadcasts, whether it be basketball or American football, why let him kill soccer for any nascent fans who happen to tune in to the WC? Why take the world's most popular, most creative and free-flowing sport and give it the Burger - the most stunted, least insightful and least thoughtful announcer known to man? For those conspiracy theorists out there, here is your evidence that major American sports leagues are trying to kill soccer.

And for God's sake, stop fetishizing over the US team. During some of the earlier games, the broadcast cut away to features on the US team and players - in the middle of games! Crikey! And every break in the action, they're talking about the US team. Focus, people!

Yes, they're our team and we want them to win. But only a complete boob thinks they have a serious chance of going deep in the tournament. Tell us about the other quality sides in the tournament. Focus on the game in front of you, where good soccer is actually being displayed. The US hasn't won anything yet and still has to prove itself among the major soccer powers. Overemphasizing the team, to the exclusion of wonderful sides like Brazil, Argentina, Italy and the Czech Republic undercuts our desire to be a serious soccer nation.

I got so fed up with ABC this weekend that I ended up watching most of the games on Copa Mundial. I know only a few Spanish words (Porteto. Amigo. Nacho. Cerveza. That's about it. Oh, and GOOOOOOOOOOOAl!) but the passion and excitement of the Mexican announcers was enough to seal the deal for me. Plus, if the announcers go off the reservation and start talking politics I have no way of knowing.

Oh yeah, and one final gripe. Stop flashing information in those little bars at the bottom of the screen. Here's a clue: It obscures the field. Soccer is one of those sports in which it is quite useful to see the actual action that's occurring on the field. Thank you.

US Team Bounced, Trounced by Czechs

What's that hissing sound? Why that's the sound air rushing out of the inflated expectations of US soccer fans after a 3-0 drubbing that was not even as close as the score would appear. Let's start with the undisputable facts. The US team was widely over-hyped by a know-nothing US media and the USSF. Hype met the reality of international soccer yesterday in Gelsenkirchen.

The Czechs looked like a cat playing with a mouse, batting the US team around the pitch for 90 minutes. They were fast to the ball, knew where to go with it once they attained posession and numerous ideas in the final third of the pitch. In comparison, the US looked like a five-year-old lost in Macy's toy department, wondering where their mama was. Did you see the faces of the players while singing the national anthem? They looked scared. Not how you want your team feeling, going into a game against a top ranked side.

Making things worse, Coach Bruce Arena's post-game interview turned toxic.

For the record, the US has a very good goalkeeper in Kasey Keller. Their midfield is their strength. Neither the US defense nor its frontline strikes me as capable or competent on the international stage. They look like a good MSL team. They have no game-changing player. Like it or not, the best team from America is Mexico.

Australia's match yesterday, pitting another underdog (Well, they're the Socceroos, so maybe that makes them Underoos?) against an Asian side, that while not the Czech Republic, was considered likely to prevail. After all, the Aussies had yet to score a World Cup goal, being blanked in their first appearance way back in 1974, when I was in 4th grade.

It looked like that would be the case as the Japanese side took a 1-0 lead on an audaciously missed call where keeper Mark Schwarzer was pushed off the ball by a Japanese attacker. The Underoos could not generate much of a threat until the 2nd half when Tim Cahill was subbed on. The bloke hit the equalizer in the 85th minute and the game winner at the 90th. Great stuff and then Aloisi salted the match away with a third goal in stoppage time.

Best news of all from yesterday, Peter Crouch has promised not to commit the robo-dance again during the cup, unless of course, they win (Which means he won't do it again. period.).

And this morning, WC newcomers Togo went up 1-0 on South Korea in the 1st half on an absolute corker of a goal from a fellow whose name I don't recall (that would be any of the 10 Togoans who are not Arsenal's Emanuel Adebayor).

There's some great stuff happening at the WC. Brazil is playing today. I've got my Brazil T-shirt on and am ready for the game. I'll post some comments later on the idiotic TV broadcasting for the World Cup.

World Cup Opening Weekend

I'm back in town after another weekend in Pasco for the LPTs. My daughter's team fought valiantly, but in the end did not have enough to qualify for one of the state leagues.

Like Wayne Rooney, though, the World Cup started without me. An interesting first suite of games. I caught most of them in the hotel room and have the rest taped to watch (including Germany v. Costa Rica). Ecuador is my surprise team so far. I was impressed with the spirit and purpose they played with in beating Poland (a team that looked like they had played in so many WCs that they'd become jaded and would've rather been home watching Dream Team or talking to their financial analysts). It's hard to imagine a team getting to the WC finals and looking as uninterested and uninviting as Poland did. Hopefully, their next result is better.

England is right about where I expected them. Strong midfield. No front line to speak of. They controlled posession against Paraguay (and hey, David Beckham looked like a footballer again) but the margin of victory was a very, very thin line. They're going to win their group, but they'd better have WR for the Knockout round.

I thought Holland looked very good. Arjen Robben is a terror. If he can keep healthy, he will be a force in this tournament. If the Orangemen begin to get Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Robin Van Persie involved, the men with the ugly kits could go far.

Argentina looked very strong. Ivory Coast did not. A big shout out to T&T for their heroic tie with Sweden, a team that doesn't look bound for glory. After watching the tape of Mexico's game last night, I am an even bigger believer that they're going to travel deep into the heart of the WC jungle. They're not a perfect side, by any means, and they had an off-game passing the ball. But they play a smart, probing game of football, keeping patient while knocking on the door. When they find a weakness as they did with Iran, the goals pile up in a hurry. If Mexico plays strong and catches a few breaks I think they'll make it to the last four.

Today - in less than 2 hours, actually - Team USA opens against the Czech Republic. I'm rooting for our guys all the way, but I just don't believe they've got the goods this time around. If they do make it out of group play, I think they need the result today. At the very least, a tie.

Let's go USA. Bounce the Czechs!

It's Here!

Fans in funny hats and painted body parts. Hooligans! Drunken and horny tourists. Oh yeah, and a lot of footy. It's here!

How are bookies like no one else in the world? Answer here. DeFoe is gone. Ballack is back. Rooney may be. Steven's is sore. Ronaldo's big-boned? Deco's down?

I filled out my WC brackets last night. Who will take the pitch for the finals? If you believe me (and there is absolutely no reason you should), it'll be Brazil vs. the Czech Republic (#1 vs. #2), with Brazil a 3-1 winner. I'm really torn on this prediction. I have a feeling that Brazil's backline is an Achilles heel that Koller, Nedved and Baros can crack. But, I'm rooting for Brazil, so heart wins out over head.

But that's soccer. What's the biggest match-up in this tournament? England v. Sweden? Brazil v. Argentina? Togo v. South Korea? All irrelevant. The real competition is much meaner, much more important. Money is at stake. Market share is at stake. These boys are playing for keeps.

Bad Break for Cisse

OH MY GOD! Did you see Djibril Cisse's injury?! That was horrendous. Running down the pitch in a friendly against China, he got kicked in the back of the leg and the blow broke his fibula and tibia. Of course, FSN replayed the injury 10 or 12 times for full effect. Thanks, guys! I felt woozy after the show. But you've got to feel bad for Cisse. He missed the last WC 2002 with an injury, and the 2004 Euros with a similar injury to the other leg.

It seems that injuries are like football groupies, the closer we get to opening day, the more every team gets. For England it's the good and the bad; Wayne Rooney is looking more and more like a possible factor as his foot scan yesterday was positive and he can resume training. It'll be weeks before he's match fit again, but I think the news that he's back could be just the thing to lift the England team out of its usual WC doldrums...unless the injury bug bites someone else. Like Steven Gerrard.

Herr Ballack is out of the opener for Germany. Mexican keeper Oswaldo Sanchez is back in Mexico after his father's sudden death. Milan Baros is still uncertain for a date with the US.

Soccer in Pasco

I ended up spending my weekend in Pasco with my daughter's youth soccer team which was competing in the state League Placement Tournament. The tournament determines seeding for teams in several state premier and select leagues.

There were 53 girls' teams and a similar number of boys teams there (all at the U14, or 12 to 13-year old range). It was a lot of soccer and there were some very good teams there. Unfortunately, I hurt my back during the weekend and spent my time on the sidelines watching the games from a stooped old man posture. I would've liked to watch a lot of the other teams playing but spent my free time lying flat on my back.

I'm sure there are a lot of great ways to enjoy Pasco and the surrounding Tri-Cities area. This would not be one of them.

And by the way, the drive back reminded me yet again of how many incompetent boobs possess drivers licenses in Washington. It seems that every other car was driving 60 miles an hour (the limit was 70 most of the way) in the left-hand lane. It didn't matter how many "stay right except to pass" signs there were. These numbskull drivers were oblivious to my van approaching them, or my flashing headlights. Slow and steady as she goes.

You can complain about California drivers all you want, but in the Crazy State their drivers understand the concept of maintaining flow of traffic. There, the left lane is truly for the faster cards. Here, we seem to muddle along in our own little cocoon, unaware of the universe of traffic around us, and the social good of letting the faster cars go by, so as to keep traffic flowing.

And then, of course, if you do take the right lane to go around them, they have to speed up. Why is this? Is it some sort of automotive status warfare. I'm the King of the lane? Suffice it to say, I'm not looking back to the drive to and from Pasco this weekend as we return for Round II of the LPTs.

World Cup Begins...2 days

The good news, though is that the World Cup finally gets underway Friday. I've already got the first 10 or 11 matches programmed on the DVR. I still haven't figured out how I'm going to watch them all but I intend to do so.

Wayne Rooney gets his much-anticipated second scan of his broken foot today. The results will tell whether he plays for England or not. I highly doubt he'll be fit, but I hope so. Rooney ranks in the top 3 players on the globe for me, right up there with Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry. It would be a shame to have a WC with a talent as massive as his on the bench.

His importance to the England squad is such that if he plays (and even if cleared today, he wouldn't be able to play in a game until after the group qualifiers), I see England making the quarterfinals, and perhaps lifting the trophy. If he doesn't play, they'll limp out of group play in 2nd place and falter in the 2nd round.

My picks for title success are (in order) Brazil, Germany & Mexico. Of the 3, Mexico has a real dark horse feel for me. They could surprise everyone.

Arsenal News

Arsenal has got itself embroiled in an erupting mini-scandal in Europe. A Newsnight investigation reveals tha Arsenal surreptitiously loaned 1 million pounds to Dutch Club Beveren, the same club that sold Emanuel Eboue to the Gunners. Arsenal denies wrongdoing but the investigation contends that Arsenal could face expulsion from the EPL.

A Eurpoean sporting lawyer, however, says it's all tempest in a teapot and the Gunners haven't done wrong. Let's hope so. But that being said, I can't wait for the time when investigators start sniffing around Chelsea. If those boys are on the up and up in all their dealings, then I'll wear a Chelsea jersey for a month.