Hey, remember a couple of days ago? When there was a World Cup and stuff?
(Timely blogging!)A couple of thoughts:
- What a hackfest of a final. It was easy to get caught up in the drama of the match, the spectacle of the biggest sporting event in the world and the storyline, which essentially boiled down to "which country will be stuck with the 'best to never win' tag?" But I feel bad that nearly 25 million Americans watched that, and many left saying, "that's what the big deal is?" I blame Holland mostly, for taking the wrong lesson away from the Spain-Germany semifinal. Instead of saying, "we need to press their midfield," it became, "we need to beat the holy hell out of their midfield, karate kick them if necessary, and pray that the ref is so afraid of kicking players out of a final that he keeps the cards in his pocket."
- Wait, did I just say 25 million Americans watched a soccer match? Holy [expletive].
- Overall, the tournament will be remembered more for its downsides than anything else. It will be remembered for uninspiring play from traditional powers, horrendous refereeing, and either a ball unfit for the world stage or players whining about a perfectly good soccer ball.
- Quick officiating sidebar: In 2000, the NHL added a second referee in order to have officials closer to the action at all times. If soccer had two referees along with the linesmen, there'd be less grabbing, less contact and less diving. Just a thought.
- It's a shame, because there were some genuinely great moments. Uruguay's run to the semifinal was inspiring, even if the team played some fairly negative soccer at different points in the tournament. The coming-out party for Germany's Thomas Mueller will be remembered for a long time.
- And then, there's the champs. A lot of soccer purists talk about the beauty of the Spanish "tiki taka" style of short, quick passing, but for once I have to side with the typically American point of view: At some point, you have to sack up and go to goal. Watching Spain at times reminded me of a more potent version of DC United's 2000 team, which held on to the ball all day, always won the possession battle, and didn't even make the playoffs at a time where eight of the 12 MLS teams went to the post-season.
- I watched the final match at a movie theater in 3D, which was a mistake, considering that the only way to get through the match with my sanity would have been with a couple of shots of Jameson. I was surprised by how subtle the effect was - only the confetti at the end and the occasional behind-the-goal shot really showcased that extra depth of field. 3D for live events isn't ready for prime-time yet, if this showing was representative.
- The World Cup in 2014 is in Brazil. Yes, please. Saving money...now.
Comments