World Cup 2010
 

June 11 - July 11th - South Africa.

Official site.

A Beginners’ Guide to the World Cup

The USA starts in Group-C and plays UK in their opening game. The first level is a round robin with two teams moving up from each group then it goes to single elimination.

Waka Waka – Official World Cup 2010 Song by Shakira

Not an easy game to open with....the UK is one of 3-4 teams with a realistic shot to win the cup.

But I figure the US will advance out of their group.

Not that I consider myself any sort of international soccer expert.

Soccer is, in my view, only interesting if you're watching in person. It is an awful TV sport. Since I'm not in South Africa I'm sure I'll fail once again to care. Though '94 was lots of fun as was going to the DC venue for Olympic soccer in '96.

Also fun if you're in London, watching Italy vs. Brazil in the finals at an Italian restaurant run by Brazilians.

I played in a soccer league for 9 years, and continue to play recreationally when I can, but I still can't watch the game on TV. But I'm sure I'll try to catch bits here and there as the Cup plays out.

Soccer is like hockey played on grass. But completely different.

I'm going to a kick off party for the USA v. England game. Should be fun. I love watching it on TV.

I am reminded of Andres Escobar, the Columbian defender who scored an own goal in the 1994 World Cup vs. the USA and was murdered a short time after. I sure hope British soccer fans are more forgiving, because that was one massive gack. A 1-1 tie for the US against one of the favorites with a real chance to win it all is a huge victory for the US team. I would suggest it virtually gaurantees advancement, unless the US has a major gack of their own.

For the conspiracy-minded (and they abound in soccer, that's for sure), with 2 weak opponents in their draw, neither the US nor UK needed this win to advance, so a draw is a good outcome for both. Just sayin'

We had a family brunch in Hermosa Beach this afternoon so I had set the TiVo to record the match. But as it turned out we, there was a bar a block and a half away from my aunt's condo. We could hear the roar for each shot, so we were kept informed, no need to watch.

Heh, a couple suggestions for home-audio-engineering solutions to vuvuzelas here

Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool!


I mean. Woooooorrrrk!