Football World Cup 2010 in South Africa

[kerry101]

"Football isn't a matter of life and death.....................it's more serious than that":laugh:

nah, its still only a game...i can think of more interesting things to watch......like the paint drying

[gryphon]

Well it has started!:popcorn::playball:

[Music Head]

U.K. vs. U.S.

Not sure who I favor.

Seriously!!!

[kerry101]

U.K. vs. U.S.

Not sure who I favor.

Seriously!!!

lol its only a game

[JonG]

Ha-ha Green. How embarrassed is England?

But seriously, England and the US should both advance, right? Surely Slovenia and Algeria aren't threats.

[Iota]

If it's England vs. Germany in the last sixteen, I'll be really sorry for you guys. Seriously.

[Music Head]

An interesting editorial by David Blackstone (sports writer)




RUSTENBURG, South Africa -- Four years ago, England blamed its World Cup failure on untimely penalties and injuries. In 2002, it was their misfortune at meeting a brilliant Brazil team. In France in '98, it was David Beckham flubbing and missed shootout kicks.

Saturday night, England's newest failure in the World Cup, a 1-1 draw with the U.S. team in both teams' tournament opener, was credited to its keeper's blunder.

It's always something with the English side. It's always something other than their collective side, the team itself, which won this tournament one time way back in 1966.

So why isn't it time to credit the Three Lions, as the so-called great England national team is called, for what it is? Overrated.

Had the U.S. fans who trekked to Royal Bafokeng Stadium on this plain in southern Africa brought a page from student sections of college basketball arenas, overrated is what they would've chanted as time expired on the tied match. It wouldn't have been taunting England, either. It would've been the truth.

The sun hasn't set on English soccer, either -- but only because it's never really risen.

Soccer, we've been told, is England's game, what with the prestigious Premiership and all the decades of history that have created so much lore. But the world of soccer should've been reminded again on Saturday night, this time from a dusty plain in southern Africa, that the roar of the Three Lions is far more ferocious than its bite.

Here was a team with a player of the tournament candidate in Wayne Rooney and yet it managed but eight shots on goal, two of which he manufactured. The lone goal by England came on a defensive mix-up by the U.S. in the opening four minutes of the contest. England threatened again but did little more than draw a sigh from its fans who predominated the 38,646 who packed Royal Bakofeng Stadium in the chilly air.

And the one goal England surrendered seemed to sum up its World Cup story for so many years. It looked like a product of nerves.

England keeper Robert Green let an easy ball from Clint Dempsey spill from his hands and topple into the goal to even the score, which stood the rest of the game.

But the sun is shining brighter on the U.S. side with every tournament. It is time to start calling it another name too -- underrated.

For once again, the U.S. team wasn't supposed to have much chance at stealing a point from England on Saturday with a tie, let alone beating England. They never have been given a shot, especially the only other time they met England in the World Cup in 1950.

England had not just Rooney but Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. Each member of their 23-man roster could make the U.S. team. They were playing a team on which only U.S. keeper Tim Howard could start for them. They were little less than an English Premier League All-Star team.

But they didn't win, again.

It was said in the immediate aftermath Saturday that the U.S. upset England in the draw. But it didn't.

Truth is, the U.S. should be as disappointed that it didn't top England to kick off this tournament as England's coach and players suggested they were at coming up short once more.

After all, the U.S. could have folded Saturday after coughing up a goal in just the fourth minute.

"We were a little deflated," Howard admitted.

But they recovered quickly by putting together three consecutive corner kicks against an England defense that stayed the course until the last five minutes of the half when Green suffered the biggest leak in English history next to this ongoing BP mess in the Gulf Coast. England never appeared to recover from that. The U.S. outplayed them much of the rest of the match, particularly on defense.

U.S. players stymied Rooney. He managed four shots. It was hard at times to remember he was out there.

"It was a good team effort defensively," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "Rooney is such a mobile player, the way he moves around takes a good level of concentration. I thought in the first half there were still some times when our back line was a little bit out of sync, but I thought that got better in the second half."

It did.

Bradley and his charges were modest and respectful about their effort. The British press won't be the same about their team's performance. It rarely is, but for good reason this time.

The U.S. owns England in the World Cup now, as do most of the truly best entries in the tournament -- Brazil, Italy and Germany. It may just be a two-game measure, but the U.S. hasn't lost either of them and England hasn't won one of them.

U.S. soccer is starting to look against England, if not the rest of the world, finally like the rest of the world started looking a few years ago against U.S. basketball.

In fact, it may as well have been like 1950 all over again Saturday except for the fact that the field is much more even now. It was less triumph for the U.S. on Saturday in South Africa than it was 60 years ago in Brazil, but it was no less embarrassing for England. The only thing that should be different now about these two teams is our perception.

[Tiggi]

U.S. players stymied Rooney. He managed four shots. It was hard at times to remember he was out there.

I may live to eat my words, but the above paragraph is the only part that isn't optimistic nonsense. Take nothing away from the USA, however.

England were very poor, & I'd agree with Iota's sentiments. Expect England to blossom as the tournament progresses, as they usually do.

Still can't see them progressing very far...

[JonG]

Wow Germany rolled over Australia. I would have liked Australia to score at least once to make things a little more interesting.

[Iota]

We're on our way to world domination once again.