I Was Wrong About the Final Not Being a Moral Conflict
At one point during the final I entertained fantasies of the Dutch team crashlanding in the Andes and having to eat each other to survive. I don’t think I’ve ever [&hel
Passion Play
The storyline of the final has taken an odd turn lately. It’s almost become a passion play. You have the dull Dutch up against the saintly Spaniards which is, frankly, [&hell
Are Spain Boring?
Spain have won every game in the knockout phase 1-0, scoring their single goal in the second half. Once they had the goal, they spent most of their time playing […]
It Took a Great Effort Not to Use Mannschaft-related Puns
Spain 1 – 0 Germany Paul the Psychic Octopus was right. I suppose that’s what I get for doubting him. Soon, once he has gained full control of his immense […]
Semifinal Words
Holland 3 – 2 Uruguay It was nice to see the Dutch get up to their old tricks, though some simple positional changes is hardly the return of total football. […]
Uruguay vs. Holland
I said I was going to talk about Germany, but the trouncing of Argentina was so thorough that I don’t really know what to say about it. Germany were really […]
Review of First Two Quarterfinals
Brazil vs. Holland First of all, what a game. What a game! My heart was pounding from the moment Robinho scored the first goal until the final whistle. It wasn’t […]
Which of the Last Eight Teams Should Icelanders Support?
There’s only one team that we Icelanders should support, only one team that we have a familial connection too. Before I tell you which one that is, let me first […]
Three Fun Links
Soon we move into the ultra-seriousness of the quarter-finals, then the deadly importance of the semis, and finally the world-changing event that’s known as the World Cup Fin
Previewing the Second Round, Part 2
Holland vs. Slovakia Team nicknames: Oranje (Orange, also known as The Clockwork Orange) vs. Repre (short for Reprezentacny tim, which means Representative team) The Netherlands ar
Football History Links
The esophagus that saved U.S. soccer is the story of Dino Vanole, the goalkeeper for the U.S. team in qualifications for the 1990 World Cup. It’s a lovely character study. [&
African Football
This is the first World Cup in Africa. There were great hopes that African teams would do well. Only Ghana made it out of their group, and they face a […]
Previewing the Second Round, Part 1
Here are previews of the first four second round matches. Uruguay vs. South Korea Team nicknames: La Celeste (The Sky Blue) vs. 붉은 악마 (Red Devils) Uruguay hold a special [&
The Experience of Watching
Any spectator sport takes its audience on a journey. It can be joyous, heartbreaking, thrilling or dull. I want to talk about three games in this World Cup and what […]
The Greatest Rivalry in Sports
Like most everything in post-war Europe, the rivalry between Germany and the Netherlands can be said to have its origins in World War II. Like other nations under the yoke [&hellip
The Stories of This World Cup
African Tragedy Cameroon was the first team eliminated in this World Cup. Ivory Coast and South Africa are holding on by the slimmest of threads. Algeria and Nigeria need things [&
The Vuvuzela Menace
Seldom has a dinky plastic item so thoroughly inserted itself into the world’s consciousness as the vuvuzela at this World Cup. So here are three humorous links for your mono
Hypothesis for Football Beauty
Why it is that humans appreciate art is not exactly well understood. It would be foolish to say that there is one single explanation. People appreciate art in different ways, [&hel
Three Fun World Cup Videos
Japanese World Cup legends animation. Animals playing soccer. Where the Hell is Matt World Cup dance (for more Where the Hell is Matt go to his website). Photo by Axel […]
Americans and Footb… Soccer
It’s easy to forget, but football has a long history in the US. Back in the early days, before World War II, they were quite good, even reaching the semifinal […]
Who to Support, the Underdog or the Beautiful Game?
It’s human nature to support the underdog. Dickens knew it. Hollywood knows it. We love to root for the underdog. Witness the success of the Mighty Ducks trilogy. But it̵