World Cup Group Play: A Summary
Favorite player - (tie) France's Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane. Henry is so athletic and quick. Zizou has incredible vision and control. They are a pleasure to watch.
Favorite hooligans - (tie) England and South Korea. So loud, so passionate, so organized and so effing many of them.
Favorite hooligans story - The efforts by English authorities to prevent some 200 notorious hooligans from traveling to Germany by seizing their passports.
Most disappointing fans - USA. The fans were disorganized and drowned out in both matches. The upshot is that the team and the coach are at least taking heavy criticism this year which means that the USA may finally be interested enough in soccer to put the kind of resources into the national team that we need to really become competitive in the World Cup.
Most impressive team - Argentina. Very likely to win it all.
Most overrated - Brazil generally and Ronaldo in particular. Best in the world? You couldn't tell from the team's performance so far in this tournament.
Most exciting match - Australia vs. Japan. There is no question that the last ten minutes of this match were some of the most exciting minutes of soccer ever played. The Australian substitutes came in at the end and turned a 0-0 game into a 3-0 victory that I am sure will become the stuff of legends down under.
Least exciting match - USA vs. Italy, which was incidentally the highest rated match since the 2000 World Cup finals.
Favorite goal - (tie) Park Ji-Sung's (KOR) goal in the 81st minute vs. France. Ji-Sung scored on an assist from Cho Jae-Jin whose header off a crossing pass allowed Ji-Sing to punt the ball just over the head of Fabian Barthez to drop it in for a goal.
My other favorite was Esteban Cambiasso's (ARG) goal in the 31st minute vs. Serbia-Montenegro, which was the culmination of a series of more than 20 passes and was set up by the most incredible back-heeled assist from Hernan Crespo.
Favorite goal attempt - Mark Viduka's (AUS) strike in the 85th minute vs. Brazil. He planted a foot, leaped, met a long crossing kick in the air, his body parallel with the ground, and sent a powerful shot at the top left corner of the goal. It was a tremendous effort denied only by a miraculous save from the Brazilian goalkeeper.
Most humorous event - The English announcer in the Australia vs. Brazil game, who might have set a record set for gratuitous mentions of Maradona's Hand of God. It's been 20 years already. You need to get over it. Hey, at least you still have the Falklands!
Favorite hooligans - (tie) England and South Korea. So loud, so passionate, so organized and so effing many of them.
Favorite hooligans story - The efforts by English authorities to prevent some 200 notorious hooligans from traveling to Germany by seizing their passports.
Most disappointing fans - USA. The fans were disorganized and drowned out in both matches. The upshot is that the team and the coach are at least taking heavy criticism this year which means that the USA may finally be interested enough in soccer to put the kind of resources into the national team that we need to really become competitive in the World Cup.
Most impressive team - Argentina. Very likely to win it all.
Most overrated - Brazil generally and Ronaldo in particular. Best in the world? You couldn't tell from the team's performance so far in this tournament.
Most exciting match - Australia vs. Japan. There is no question that the last ten minutes of this match were some of the most exciting minutes of soccer ever played. The Australian substitutes came in at the end and turned a 0-0 game into a 3-0 victory that I am sure will become the stuff of legends down under.
Least exciting match - USA vs. Italy, which was incidentally the highest rated match since the 2000 World Cup finals.
Favorite goal - (tie) Park Ji-Sung's (KOR) goal in the 81st minute vs. France. Ji-Sung scored on an assist from Cho Jae-Jin whose header off a crossing pass allowed Ji-Sing to punt the ball just over the head of Fabian Barthez to drop it in for a goal.
My other favorite was Esteban Cambiasso's (ARG) goal in the 31st minute vs. Serbia-Montenegro, which was the culmination of a series of more than 20 passes and was set up by the most incredible back-heeled assist from Hernan Crespo.
Favorite goal attempt - Mark Viduka's (AUS) strike in the 85th minute vs. Brazil. He planted a foot, leaped, met a long crossing kick in the air, his body parallel with the ground, and sent a powerful shot at the top left corner of the goal. It was a tremendous effort denied only by a miraculous save from the Brazilian goalkeeper.
Most humorous event - The English announcer in the Australia vs. Brazil game, who might have set a record set for gratuitous mentions of Maradona's Hand of God. It's been 20 years already. You need to get over it. Hey, at least you still have the Falklands!
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