Day Two

The English are the Brazilians of Europe. What's that, you say? What about Spain (maybe not in The World Cup), the French, the Netherlands, or the Czech Republic. The Netherlands v. Czech Republic game in Euro2004 was a clinic on beautiful soccer. Well, the English have their share of elegant play. But what I'm really referring to is the fan and press reaction to the English team. It seems that unless they play elegantly and win The World Cup, their fans will be disappointed.

There was 1966. Geoff Hurst, the hat trick, the goal that did or did not cross the line. What English fans may not be willing to acknowledge is that if you take away the 1966 World Cup, England's World Cup record is equalled, even surpassed by other countries who have yet to win the Cup. You can't minimize the importance of winning the Cup; only seven nations have managed it. But, for a moment, imagine that Pele hadn't been hacked out of the 1966 tournament...The English team in 1986 and 1990 was one of their best. If Maradona hadn't inspired the Argentinians in 1986 and had a hand in their victory over England (sorry, I couldn't resist), England would have made the semi-finals. 1990 was the only other occasion when England made it to the semis or finals. This team featured many great players, but I always thought that Gary Lineker didn't get enough recognition.

Beyond these tournaments, the English have not particularly excelled in The World Cup. Yet, each time when The World Cup comes around, we hear about how the English are one of the tournament favorites (at least in the US). In 2006, they certainly have a great midfield and potent strikers (especially if Rooney is ready to play). But they also have a bad habit of playing down to their opponents. Perhaps it is part of Sven Goran Ericsson's strategy to slow down, conserve energy, and contain the game. But an own goal off a Beckham free kick hardly represents a powerful offensive display. And Paraguay had a few chances. If only one of them bounced the right way (or wrong way depending on your perspective), it would have been a disaster for England. Rooney not only provides considerable talent, but he also brings a certain passion and fire to the team. He doesn't want to win 1-0. He wants to score goals. Perhaps more than anything, he'll bring intensity, throughout the entire game, that might elevate England to the top. Assuming he's fit.

Of course, the result from the second game in Group B must have come as welcome news to England, and Trinidad and Tobago, given 2000-1 odds of winning the Cup. Even their manager guaranteed that they would not win The World Cup. Sweden has world class players and loads of experience. Trinidad and Tobago is the smallest nation to qualify for The World Cup. Then their first choice goalkeeper injures himself during the warm-ups (for the first thirteen minutes, the commentators kept referring to Kelvin Jack, instead of Shaka Hislop). During the second half, they are reduced to ten men. Surely, Sweden would win easily. This, my friends, is why they play the game.

Thirty-four year old Dwight Yorke came out of retirement to join Trinidad and Tobago. And I'm sure they are glad he did so. Shaka Hislop is thirty-seven years old; he had the energy of a twenty-year old. Brent Sacho, plays for a third division English club, but he played like a premier Italian defender. They, along with their teammates, stood very tall on this day. If you've ever played sports, at any level, you might know those rare convergences of being "in the zone" or rising above your natural talents. To watch an entire team, even one man down, an entire nation ride this wave of energy, inspiration, even magic, is really something. I'll be the first to admit that many 0-0 soccer games are dour, dull affairs. But this game showed that a 0-0 game can feature plenty of entertainment and suspense.

In 2002, when Belarus defeated Sweden in Olympic ice hockey, Swedish newspapers declared it the greatest upset in Swedish sports history. If Trinidad and Tobago had somehow beaten Sweden (and they hit the crossbar at one point!), I suspect this one would have been even bigger. I know, I know, hockey is king in Sweden, but still...

For 90 minutes, Trinidad and Tobago became everyone's favorite soccer team--except for the Swedes, of course. But they deserve a great deal of credit for how they handled this game. Ljungberg showed frustration in the final minutes, but who could blame him. At the end of the game, the Swedes shook hands, swapped jerseys and showed their respect. They knew they were on the short end of this moment, but they seemed to acknowledge (albeit begrudgingly) their role in creating World Cup lore.

After Belarus defeated Sweden in Olympic hockey, they came back down to reality. Even the Belarus goalie who seemed impenetrable against Sweden, looked very average in the next game. Jon Davidson, one of the hockey commentators, said that he hoped everyone remembered Belarus' goalie as he was during the game with Sweden. Shaka Hislop may come back down to earth as well but, on this day, he was king.

During ESPN's post-game show, Eric Wynalda said that Argentina was the best team we've seen so far. I agree. Argentina displayed creativity on offense, and enough discipline on defense to beat a talented Ivory Coast team. They "choked" the game without turning it into a sloppy, boring affair. I have to admit that I wondered about how Riquelme's deliberate style would fit within the Argentinian scheme. So I have to admit that I was very wrong. He had a role in both goals, and his pass to Saviola for the second goal was pure genius. Saviola's deft touch must have made Argentinian fans feel better about the striking duo with Crespo.

Ivory Coast had its moments, and if they had scored first, the game would have been very different indeed. The defender who was marking Crespo simply froze on the first goal. They also didn't manage to find the "optimal" play with the referee, who I believe missed several calls. Drogba was pushed in the box, but perhaps his (undeserved?) reputation as a diver cost him. Argentina kept Droga off balance throughout the game--literally. While the ref should have kept a better handle on this, the Argentinians did manage to take full advantage without crossing the line (or was that the first "goal" of the game that I'm referring to)? Ivory Coast probably could have pushed, nudged, even fouled Riquelme more than they did. The Netherlands and Serbia and Montenegro (I think it's still OK to refer to them in this manner) will almost certainly close him down more quickly. And they should. He wears no. 10, and while he's not Maradona, he certainly has exceptional vision and skills.

Drogba showed why he can be so dangerous with their goal, after the Ivory Coast seemed to wake up with about twenty-five minutes left in the game. If they can tighten up the defense and play with intensity throughout the match, I still think they can advance to the next round. In groups of death, it's possible for each team to end with four points in the round robin beating that each team will face. Goal differential and goals scored will be important.

Perhaps the novelty and pressure of being in The World Cup for the first time was too much for the Ivory Coast. Maybe they could have watched the Trinidad and Tobago game for inspiration :-)