The World Cup (and Me)

It’s been three days since the World Cup Final has been played and I’m just posting the recap now. Several people have asked why. Have I really been that busy? Am I trying to find a way to extend the World Cup? Was I unsatisfied with the final match?

Well, first I want to say I was riveted by the final game and enjoyed it much more than most people (judging by their feedback anyway). We had some heart-stopping moments. Spain masterfully controlled the game as they had all World Cup. I think their ball control abilities are taken for granted. You can only play that passing game with elite players. Also, Spain was down to essentially one forward this World Cup. If Torres was firing on all cylinders and if they were able to get Fabergas some more time, I think you would have seen more goals from an opportunistic, if not prolific, offense. It was interesting to see the Dutch devolve too. They instilled the same brutally physical game plan that won them the Brazil match, only this time they were even more punishing. It’s almost like they lost confidence in their skills as footballers.

So, back to the question of my anti-climactic end to this blog. I did achieve my goal. I watched all 64 fixtures of the 2010 World Cup. I missed some minutes here and there (most notably part of the second half of Italy-New Zealand, and part of the first half of Germany-Australia), but in all I think in I missed only 3 goals. I watched games in at least 25 different locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Massachusetts, and on a bus. It was mostly always fun, but I was getting very worn out by the end of the Second Round, when there were finally some off days. My work at my job suffered. I fell very far behind and stayed until 11:30pm this past Monday to finally feel somewhat caught up. So while I would do it all over again and had a blast celebrating the World Cup, I was comfortable with it ending.

But why then they delay in this? It’s because I spent a month living a dream. I was watching a sporting event I loved and wrote about it on a daily basis. I found that other people were enjoying the fact that I was doing this. It was great. Don’t get me wrong I understand that the 50 people at most that have been reading this is a tiny number, but it was so much more lively than a desk job at a corporation.

So what I am saying in the most rambling post I’ve put up to date is: Now what? Where do I go from here? I feel like this. Except without a coat because it’s way too hot here. I know this is odd, since I’ve (tried) to keep all my posts funny and informative. I’ve done little of both here. But maybe that’s why I didn’t post after the final. I was too sad it was all over (the whole experience, not the World Cup itself). I wanted to be funny, but when I think back I still can’t. World Cup 2010 was fantastic on a purely sports level. What it has meant to me personally, since I invested so much time into watching and writing about it, I’m still trying to figure out.

Game: 7.5. As I’ve said I think I enjoyed this game more than most. Was very excited about the Spanish victory. I wish I had posted a predictions entry so I could gloat that I picked the final match-up and champion correctly. Of course so did an octopus. And that annoying fact that Spain came in as tourney favorites. Iker Casillas was a savior for Spain and in a World Cup where the goalkeeping has been surprisingly weak, both keepers turned in heroic efforts. The dramatic late-goal by Ineista is going to be legendary in Spain and be a highlight in World Cup lore forever. I also loved that Fabergas played a key role in the victory (solidifying himself as my favorite active player). The Netherlands were hard to root against, but despite an excellent World Cup by them, they were outplayed in the Final even though they did produce some good chances.

Atmosphere: 7. Very crowded at the Black Horse Pub. It was my fourth time there and this crowd was much more hostile (since there was a split between Dutch and Spanish fans) and understandably much more tense. In a comedy of mild disasters I ended up watching the game alone. Three friends arrived a little too late and weren’t allowed in because Black Horse reached capacity, and the three other friends I was with left right after kick-off since they had to tend to one person in the group who was quite literally passing out. A little disappointing but at the very same time it felt appropriate to end the journey alone to be a bit more reflective of my soccer-obsessed month that just ended.

Now of course you watch the World Cup for the final game and the journey to it. Which, on paper, makes the third place match an outlier to the whole shebang. But really the ceremonial game is the perfect victory lap and celebration of the World Cup event. It is often the most entertaining game of the tourney (because there is a perfect mix of low stakes and national pride), providing open play and usually high score lines. It gives you a chance to reflect on the tournament and debate who’s going to be good for the next one (my teams to watch for 2014: Mexico & Chile).

So it was with that I made my attempt to enjoy the ceremony with ze Germans at Zum Schneider, a popular German soccer restaurant deep in the East Village. I was running a bit late and it proved costly that I only arrived 15 minutes early. The place was full and a hopeful line a half-a-block long was already built. The immediate surrounding bars and restaurant were also full, absorbing the Zum Schneider spill-off. I was stuck in a neighborhood I only see at night with minutes ticking down to kick-off and every location showing the World Cup was completely full or completely empty.

Wandering around the East Village wondering how my quest for 64 is puttering at 63, I heard the sound of a vuvuzela and followed it. The beautiful tone lead me to Luca Bar, a tiny bistro that was decked out in World Cup paraphernalia with one open seat left at the bar. It was perfect. But I didn’t see any vuvuzela in sight. Where was the horn that lured me into this oasis? Was it divine intervention like the stars the three wise men followed to find Jesus? Well…no. As I soon found out, the Frenchman proprietor hooks up an iPhone to the sound system and plays a vuvuzela app at the beginning and ends of halves and when goals are scored. Egregious misuse of technology and human intellect? Yes. But it lured me in. Kinda sums up the whole Internet era.

The Frenchman owner, myself, the Scottish bartenderlady, and an Aussie on a six-week work contract in NYC formed a rag-tag group that used the third place match to talk about our favorite moments of the World Cup while taking in a highly entertaining 3-2 game. Our conversation went from the octopus that the Scottish bartenderlady called “the most popular octopus around” and the Aussie quite right pointed out that “the competition was rather weak” to all of us ribbing the Frenchman for France’s poor performance that apparently I took too far when I mentioned Henry’s handball vs. Ireland, since he threatened to kick me out. The Aussie was telling us he found himself rooting heavily for England, since as a current London resident, he found that their performance was directly tied into the happiness and well-being of the city. English football had a direct impact on the quality of his life. I spend a solid 35 minutes explaining that I wasn’t Spanish, since they misunderstood my reasoning for supporting Espana in the Final. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to watch this game.

After Germany wrapped up third place over Uruguay, the Frenchman excused himself from our conversation saying he had go play the German national anthem. 30 seconds later a killer live version of Rammestein’s “Du Hast” filled the bar. Brilliant.

Game: 8.5. The match was perfect, except it lacked the stakes needed to create real tension. Highlights include Forlan scoring a fantastic volley goal and Muller finishing off one of the best performances by a young player in a World Cup. Also loved that Suarez was getting booed so heavily. But commentator Ian Drake’s outrage over it was lame as hell. Ghana was the de facto home team, of course they are going to boo Suarez!

Atmosphere: 10. The perfect place to watch the third place match. I really lucked out.

The ultimate starting XI for World Cup 2010. According to me. See my second and third All-World Cup teams too.

All-World Cup 1st Team.

Forwards:

• David Villa (Spain)
• Carlos Tevez (Argentina)

Midfielders:

• Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany)
• Xavi (Spain)
• Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands)
• Keisuke Honda (Japan)

Defenders:

• Carles Puyol (Spain)
• Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Netherlands)
• Philipp Lahm (Germany)
• Maicon (Brazil)

Goalkeeper:

• Mark Paston (New Zealand)

Captain: Giovanni van Bronckhorst

Coach: Joachim Loew (Germany)

It was surprisingly easy for me to make these picks and group them accordingly. I guess that’s what happens when you watch every single game. The best players just kinda stick out.

All World-Cup 2nd Team

Forwards:

• Deigo Forlan (Uruguay)
• Alexis Sanchez (Chile)

Midfielders:

• Giovani dos Santos (Mexico)
• Thomas Muller (Germany)
• Dirk Kuyt (Netherlands)
• Landon Donovan (United States)

Defenders:

• Tulio Tanaka (Japan)
• Arne Friedrich (Germany)
• Gerard Pique (Spain)
• John Mensah (Ghana)

Goalkeeper:

• Iker Casillas (Spain)

Captain: Iker Casillas

Coach: Deigo Maradona (Argentina)

In the spirit of the media monster we (as in American sports fans and media) created known as LeBron James, I’m selecting the best players of the 2010 World Cup in a three-team All-NBA style. And like the NBA I’m doing it before a champion is crowned.

Note: When a player is often in a retracted forward position (such as Messi or Kuyt), I’m counting them as midfielders. All selections are based solely on WC performance.

All-World Cup 3rd Team:

Forwards:

• Miroslav Klose (Germany)
• Robert Vittek (Slovakia)

Midfielders:

• Mesut Ozil (Germany)
• Lionel Messi (Argentina)
• Arjen Robben (Netherlands)
• Park Ji-Sung (South Korea)

Defenders:

• Sergio Ramos (Spain)
• Lucio (Brazil)
• Kolo Toure (Ivory Coast)
• Gabriel Heinze (Argentina)

Goalkeeper:

• Maarten Stekelenburg (Netherlands)

Captain: Park Ji-Sung

Coach: Takeshi Okada (Japan)

I can’t believe Germany vs. Spain is game number 62. Leaving only two matches left, the third place game and the Final. It’s sad really. When the WC was on rest days on Sunday and Monday I felt a large gap missing in my life. I didn’t have soccer matches to look forward to. I felt more lost than Odysseus, only the siren calls of baseball were doing little to distract me. Basketball free agency? Call me when it’s over. I just wanted my international soccer fix.

Maybe it was because of these thoughts I was feeling a bit melancholy, having some preemptive nostalgia really, and had little interest to share my viewing experience with anyone else. I was also determined to watch the entire game closely since it was a clash of juggernauts and two of the most enjoyable teams to watch in this year’s WC. So with that, I watched the match at my desk with it playing on my computer at full screen. I wasn’t even going to pretend like I was going to do work, and my boss actually swung by to ask me how the game was going. Which is odd since she can care less about soccer, so maybe it was a tactic on her part to guilt me into doing work. Joke’s on her.

The game was a surprise. Not that Spain won (which is awesome!) but that the Spaniards utterly controlled the game. Germany showed only flashes of play that resembled the team that has three four-goal matches in this WC. And while having the young Muller would have helped, you couldn’t play their entire play on his unfair suspension. The Spanish midfield was just, simply said, better. Not that ze German defense made it easy for them. Quite the opposite. Spain might have an easier time scoring in the final against Holland since there is more space that the Dutch give up at the top of the box. The goal ze Germans finally did give up was an emphatic header off a corner kick scored by longtime Spain defender and hero Carles Puyol. Only his third international goal, Puyol atoned for an earlier missed chance on net, and sent Spain to its first ever World Cup final. He also locked up the third spot on the Ugliest Players of the World Cup list.

Game: 7. A treat to watch Spain control the ball, they have so much skill not only in the midfield but with their overlapping wing defenders, who create so many match-up problems. Was expecting a higher score for this game but ze Germans, who no doubt played hard, just seemed out-matched for the only time this World Cup. Also, both teams played a remarkably clean game and the ref did an excellent job. Even though there should have been more chances on goal for both sides, it was a thrilling 1-0 match.

Only two games to go! I think I’ll be posting some “best-of” type lists during the two upcoming off days. Build some excited for Spain v. Netherlands. We’ll have a new World Cup winner no matter what in this historic match in South Africa!

When I got into work yesterday (I know I’m posting this wicked late) it was already 87 degrees at 8:30. Not a good sign. However, got a note that my boss was out sick. Awesome. Tonic, home of Dutch football, is only eight blocks from work. I was so glad I decided to wear orange that morning. When I left the office at 2:15 it was 103 degrees. That’s a temperature you exaggerate to when complaining about hot weather. My prize for trudging through the eight block? Tonic was turning away folks since they were at capacity. Why would I think that rolling up 4 minutes to the place that offered this and this would be a good idea? Of course they would be packed by kick-off. I followed a crowd of orange shirts crossing the street into Playwright’s Tavern and happily the spillage was BP sized and the place had a hopping atmosphere.

That is until the crowd collectively realized that they weren’t getting any cooler now that they were indoors. In fact since we were packed in there like refugees it was becoming immensely hotter. When the door swung open you were relieved by the waft of cooling 103 degree air. But these Dutch fans were hardcore. They stuck around in shirts and ties and cheered on their national team.

The game started off closer than I was expecting with a lot of traded possessions and Uruguay looking like they could go toe-to-toe with the Netherlands. They traded stunning goals, one by Dutch captain van Bronckhorst who rifled a shot from long distance and a tough angle, placing it perfectly in the corner of the goal, and a keeper-fooling goal by Deigo Forlan for the second game in a row. I would say that the keeper really should have got to it in both cases, but there seems to be something about the movement of his shot that makes it tough for the keepers to read. Or they just blew it.

When the first half ended I got the hell out of Playwright’s Tavern and went back to the soothing comforts of air-conditioning and florescent lighting. I also learned a valuble less on how to make 103 degree heat feel like a brisk 80. Stand in a 120 degree room for 45 minutes.

The second half, as with all of Holland’s second halves this WC, the Netherlands dominated. Sneijder came away with another deflected goal and Robben scored on a beauty of a header. Uruguay did score a very late goal (thanks to a nice shot and mostly to some very lax defense) to make the last moments interesting, but really they were handled well by the men in oranje.

The best part about this game, really, was all the awkward subtext to it. I’m not sure how the South Africans really feel, but seemingly, these have got to be the two most reviled teams in the world cup. Uruguay for essentially eliminating home nation South Africa via a humiliating 3-0 defeat. Then the whole handball debacle in the Ghana quarterfinal match, knocking out the last hope for Africa in such a heartbreaking, bad-taste-in-your-mouth-leaving manner. And of course the Netherlands for colonization, Boer Wars, and that whole apartheid thing. While it may not have been Holland herself responsible, it is the country of origin for the Afrikaaners. Now if ze Germans make it to the Final, that’s going to be all kinds of historical awkwardness for South Africa. Vamos Espana.

Game: 8.5. Highlighted by two stellar goals and a frantic ending. Also ended in my favorite soccer score line, 3-2. You will never be disappointed by a 3-2 match.

Atmosphere: 2. Only because Dutch fans are great. And the women in front of me were really good looking. But to quote DMX, “it’s dark and hell is hot”.