Tied 1-1 at half, the Netherlands scored two goals in the second half and held off a feisty charge from Uruguay to hold on, 3-2, and advance to the World Cup Final.
Holland’s second goal was semi-controversial as one of the Dutch players could have been called offsides when Wesley Sneijder’s shot ricocheted into the goal.
Netherlands has been called the best team never to have won a World Cup, and they’ll have a chance to shake that moniker in Sunday’s final.
Posted by Christopher Glotfelty (07/04/2010 @ 3:35 pm)
Julio Cesar was greeted by fans in Brazil despite being faulted for giving up the deciding goal against the Netherlands. The goal ended Brazil’s run at the World Cup, sending them home in the quarterfinals. The Brazilian crowds’ warmth was surprising, but Cesar couldn’t help but unleash the waterworks.
This just further exemplifies the differences between the United States and international soccer. When our players returned home after losing in the Round of 16, supporters probably swarmed them in dubious jubilation. For the Brazilian players, they can’t help but feel ashamed.
Posted by Christopher Glotfelty (07/03/2010 @ 4:36 pm)
Despite arriving as the tournament favorites, it’s been a string of hard-fought matches for Spain at the 2010 World Cup. With today’s 1-0 win over Paraguay, Spain advances to the World Cup semifinals for the first time in 60 years.
Spain’s lone goal came in 83rd minute, when David Villa pounded a shot from inside the box that ricocheted off both posts before hitting the back of the net.
The most exciting part of the game, however, came off back-to-back penalty kicks and misses. During a corner kick, Spain’s Gerardo Pique took down Paraguay’s Oscar Cardozo, earning Pique a yellow card. Cardozo then failed to score on the penalty kick as Spain goalie Iker Casillas came through for the save. One play later Villa was racing downfield and looked as if he would break the tie. He was soon fouled by Antolin Alcoraz, who notched a yellow card as well. Xabi Alonso then took the penalty kick. And missed.
Unbelievable. Both teams looked evenly matched and looked headed to overtime. Villa, however, finally scored after a bit of fine passing by the Spanish side, sending his team toward a match with Germany in the semifinals.
Everything seemed to be going to plan when Brazil scored the first goal of the game in the 10th minute. But the Dutch rallied with two second half goals to upend the World Cup favorites.
Wesley Sneijder, one of the shortest players on the field, scored in the 68th minute on a header for a stunning 2-1 quarterfinals victory over the five-time champions. Brazil, which also went out in this round four years ago against France, lost its composure after falling behind, and defender Felipe Melo was ejected in the 73rd minute.
Uruguay and Ghana square off this afternoon and tomorrow morning there’s a great matchup between Argentina and Germany on ABC.
Posted by Christopher Glotfelty (06/29/2010 @ 7:53 am)
The United States is out of the 2010 World Cup and the most remarkable thing about that fact is that most of the country knows it. Record-breaking audiences in America watched their national soccer team match England, get robbed of a victory against Slovenia and dazzle in the late minutes against Algeria. This was all en route to the knockout stage — a destination they were expected to make given their pool. But nobody cared about that — only a small percentage of Americans watching knew any back story about their team. They cared because their friend cared, or their neighbor, co-worker or sibling. Everybody seemed to be watching, or was curious at the very least. It left as quickly as it arrived — the excitement — but in its brief period, the American public — a people largely disinterested in the sport — got themselves a fast and free education about the beautiful game.
1. Soccer is not a beautiful game.
I wasn’t around to witness the Pele-era Brazil teams run circles around other nations with short passes, dead-on accurate crosses and goals kissed into the net with just the right touch. But I’ve seen footage, and I played on and against enough teams growing up to experience soccer as a cruel game of keep-away, where one side has the otherworldly chemistry to never lose control of the ball. It’s amazing. It’s art. It’s not the 2010 World Cup. Players flop all over place, turning the pitch into a minefield of prima donnas. As frustration builds, cooler heads don’t prevail, and they commit fouls. Of course, the center referee is blowing his whistle every 30 seconds attempting to keep things in order. But nothing is. It’s sloppy soccer — soccer with brute force. Goals in this World Cup are made on indecent opportunities — when the other team has its guard down, or a referee is too scared to be sure.
Posted by Christopher Glotfelty (06/27/2010 @ 1:10 pm)
Even after hiring decorated Italian coach Fabio Capello and boasting some of world’s best scorers, England could not run deep into the 2010 World Cup. Germany had the Three Lions’ number all day, defeating the the Brits 4-1 and sending them home to a disappointed nation.
A pivotal moment came late into the first half Frank Lampard knocked in a shot that hit the crossbar and landed behind the goal line. However, due to back spin, it bounced easily into the hands of Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
Germany went up on goals by Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski before England’s Matthew Upson made it 2-1 in the 37th minute.
Lampard’s non-goal came a minute later. After the ball landed across the line, it spun back into the arms of Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Capello initially celebrated what he thought was an equalizer by clenching his fists and shaking his arms. But his face changed when he realized the goal had not been given.
As the players headed off the field at halftime, Wayne Rooney walked over to a linesman and gestured with his hands how far he thought the ball crossed the goal line.
What’s ridiculous is that the center referee did not consult his linesman. Why not exhaust your resources during such a crucial call?
Germany will face the winner of today’s Mexico/Argentina match in the next round.
The U.S. once again conceded a goal early, as Kevin-Prince Boateng took advantage of a sluggish American defense in the 5th minute. Slowly but surely, the play of the U.S. improved and after half, the Americans evened the game on Landon Donovan’s penalty kick in the 62nd minute.
With the game tied, 1-1, at the end of regulation, extra time was necessary, and Ghana scored in the 93rd minute when Asamoah Gyan turned a fairly harmless kick forward into the go-ahead goal. The U.S. had several good opportunities over the next 27 minutes of extra time, but were unable to capitalize. The Americans’ World Cup dream is over.
Posted by Christopher Glotfelty (06/26/2010 @ 3:00 pm)
Thierry Henry, the France striker whose handball against the Republic of Ireland landed his team in the World Cup, says he understands Nicolas Anelka’s situation. Anelka was booted off the French squad after reportedly cursing at coach Raymond Domenech.
From The Irish Times:
“I can tell you, from the experience with my handball, I was all alone and I know what it feels like,” the former France captain said in an interview on French television.
“I would have really liked him to be supported a bit.”
Henry knows what it’s like to receive the cold shoulder. As a result of the handball, Henry noticed the disrespectful way the other players acted toward him.
Having been relegated to the bench for the tournament, the 32-year-old said he had “no credibility” and was made to feel like an isolated and unimportant figure.
“I could have been the big brother (to the younger player) but I no longer am,” France’s all-time record scorer explained.
“I felt cast aside. People no longer spoke to me in the same way as before.
“They used to talk to me more. I was at the centre. When you no longer have any credibility in the squad, it gets to the point when it becomes difficult.”
Soccer is a different beast in other countries. When a player commits something wrong on the field, they can be nationally disgraced. In the U.S., we’d just cover the incident for a day or two and make sure its mentioned on his Wikipedia.
Kristina Schroeder told Saturday’s Rheinische Post newspaper the 2006 World Cup, when Germany reached the semifinals, boosted the national birthrate and “that is why I as the family minister would be especially happy if Germany wins the championship.”
Germany will face England in its second-round match on Sunday.
The government has long worried about Germany’s declining number of births. In 2009 it fell by 3.6 percent to 651,000—the lowest since World War II.
I have no idea how soccer victories increase fertility rates and libido in a nation, but leave it to Germany to find a correlation.
Also, I have the team going to the finals. If I’m right, talk about reaching a fever pitch, ya know what I’m sayin’? That’s a little soccer humor, on the house.
Posted by Christopher Glotfelty (06/26/2010 @ 12:34 pm)
Polarizing Los Angeles Times writer Bill Plaschke has worked his magic once again, this time in demanding more from American soccer fans. Essentially, Plaschke believes we should have expected a win over Algeria, instead of going absolutely bonkers when Landon Donovan knocked in the game-winning goal.
You see, we’ve been here before. But, this being soccer, we just don’t act like it.
I am as thrilled as anyone about Donovan’s extra-time goal to beat Algeria and give the U.S. its first group victory in World Cup history. I screamed. I jumped. It was cool.
But I just can’t understand why everyone is tearfully acting as if it were another Miracle on Ice. I can’t understand why we continually diminish soccer — and thus inhibit its growth — by continually setting its expectations so low in the face of opposing evidence so thick.
The miracle is that, after six consecutive World Cup appearances including that final-eight showing in 2002, we still go crazy over early World Cup success.
The miracle is that, in a country where you can’t leave your home on a Saturday morning without encountering at least one child wearing a baggy soccer uniform and clutching a juice box, we’re still acting as if soccer is some newfangled cult activity.
This miracle is that, even against a team that did not score a goal in three World Cup games and has never advanced past the group stage, we insist on celebrating like the underdog.
Plaschke almost has a point, but by narrowly missing his mark the whole column loses any value.
He needs to understand that just because much of American youth grows up playing soccer, it doesn’t mean that these children will follow the sport when they’re older. After finishing high school, most have fully-embraced MLB, the NFL and/or the NBA. If one is to continue following soccer, they have two options: 1) the mediocre MLS and its even more mediocre coverage or 2) the sporadic airplay of international league soccer.
True, America has boasted some of the best players in the world over the last 20 years. However, they usually don’t end up playing in the MLS. Instead, they are scooped up by leagues overseas. Although the talent-level is increasing, MLS play is far weaker than its international counterparts. The eyeballs just aren’t there. Americans are watching soccer now, but the other 35 months when the World Cup isn’t on they’re focused on the other sports.
This lends to the fact that America is uneducated when it comes to soccer. I know I am. We are favored to defeat Ghana later today, but how are Americans supposed to expect a victory when they are barely familiar with the players and have never experienced a World Cup championship? Plaschke is a tad unnerved that we lost our collective poo at the end of the U.S./Algeria match. We should have been prepared for a victory, he thinks.
