Denouement

It's hard for this soccer diehard to admit it, but in recent offerings, The World Cup undergoes a certain drag from the quarter-finals onward. Yes, the powerhouse teams face off against each other, but this is part of the reason we start to see inordinate emphasis on doing whatever is necessary to win. As the stakes rise, we are presented with tantalizing matchups, only to see over-cautious play from managers who take the games out of the players' hands and, in some cases, resort to dirty tactics.

Argentina dominated Germany throughout most of their match. Initially, I thought Germany might have been playing cautiously on purpose, but I think Argentina simply had more skill on the ball, keeping the Germans at bay. After scoring their goal, Argentina inexplicably and completely changed its tactics. Obviously, they wanted to protect their lead, but if they had kept playing at 80% instead of 30%, I'm convinced Germany would not have found its rhythm. A team doesn't change its tactics so drastically unless the manager has instructed them to do so. Pekerman's substitutions were, to say the least, curious. Unless Riquelme was injured, why would you take out the one player who can control possession better than anyone else on the pitch? And why did he not bring Messi or Savioli into the game instead of Cruz? The Argentines had their best chances through speed and skill, not through size and strength. Pekerman has offered to resign. Obviously, he's done a great job in building up this team, and one game doesn't make or break a manager's career. But I wish he had let Argentina play soccer, instead of getting too caught up in managerial tactics.

On the other hand, what is happening to Italy? The team that perfected catenaccio played with an offensive flair that led to three goals, including two for Luca Toni, who must be thrilled to finally find the back of the net. Italy did not seem content with a 1-0 scoreline. As for Ukraine, they started playing soccer again. And it nearly paid dividends. They hit the woodwork on two separate occasions and had a close, direct shot before Toni found his scoring touch at the other end. If they had found Shevchenko on those occasions, they might have equalized. I wonder if they might have scored more easily if they hadn't turned off their offense for nearly two games.

England, on the other hand, has never turned its offense on. Sven Goran Eriksson said that reaching the quarter-finals was "not good enough." No kidding. Given the talent that England possesses, being bounced out in the quarter-finals for three successive tournaments has to be inadequate. England is capable of playing elegant, attractive soccer. During Eriksson's tenure, they have apparently decided to bore their opponents to death while waiting for Beckham to score on a set piece. It's a strange choice for a team with so much potential. And talk about strange substitutions. What exactly was Eriksson thinking when he waited until the 118th minute to substitute for a substitute? Aaron Lennon was one of the few bright spots on the pitch. Does he take bad penalty kicks? Put him tenth on the list. Carragher had obviously practiced his "no look" penalty kick; it's too bad he didn't wait for the whistle. If Eriksson wasn't going to play Theo Walcott, why did he pick him for the squad? John Terry was getting cramps. Why not put in experienced Sol Campbell to help a tiring defense and to offer another target for set pieces?

Only a few of their players seem to rage against this machine of Eriksson's sleep walking soccer. Wayne Rooney is one of them. But he showed us the dark side of his passion. Regardless of what might have happened, Rooney needs to show more composure in these circumstances. England already knows who will take the helm of this team. Hopefully, Steve McLaren will tap into his players' natural skills, rather than suppress them only to lose in penalty kicks. What isn't clear is who will take the helm on the pitch. Watching Beckham limp off the pitch, while Gerrard yelled at teammates for missed assignments and Terry organized them in the back, made everyone wonder about the captaincy.

Portugese manager Scolari has a twelve game winning streak in The World Cup. He has managed to send England home in the last three major tournaments. It's an impressive streak. But what I find most disconcerting about Scolari's impact on his teams is the dirty tactics. Let's not forget that the Scolari-led 2002 Brazil team featured Rivaldo's distasteful cheating tactic. Brazil plays a very clean, fair brand of soccer, often resulting in the fair play award (even though they play so many games). It was shocking to see Rivaldo act in this way and even more shocking to hear him admit he cheated. Scolari defended Rivaldo's action. On this occasion, several Portugese players are engaged in time wasting, diving, injury faking, and who knows what Cristiano Ronaldo said or did during Rooney's red card episode. Ronaldo apparently winked at the Portugese bench after Rooney was ejected. Ronaldo went on to lecture Peter Crouch when one of his Portugese teammates was clearly faking. It's great to see that someone of Christiano Ronaldo's talents is using his time in the Premier League to "learn" about his English club teammates. Given the number of players, and the number of incidents, one has to believe this is part of Scolari's tactics. Marcelo Balboa sadly (and repeatedly) believes that such cheating is part of the game, but does Scolari not believe Portugal can simply play great soccer? He has a great winning streak in The World Cup, but I think it comes with an asterisk.

I chose a French word for the title of this entry to honor Zidane. I eat my words yet again for suggesting that maybe the French would be better off without him in the lineup--and I'm glad to do so. It was fantastic to seeing him play with such joy, skill and passion. Was Brazil simply overwhelmed? On more than one occasion, Zidane weaved his way through stunned Brazilian players, but Brazil also didn't come to play. For the entire World Cup. Perhaps the selfishness they displayed in their match against Ghana was evidence of a lack of teamplay. I don't think the 4-5-1 formation helped matters either. While he leaves with the all-time scoring record, Ronaldo certainly hasn't been working hard up front. Once Brazil fell behind (and how could Henry rush forward completely unmarked?), we saw Adriano and Robinho, which changed matters. There was finally urgency but, again, it was basically driven by individual initiative, rather than cohesive teamwork.

If we're praising Zidane for his individual inspiration that led to great teamwork, it's time to admit something that few are saying at this point:

Ronaldinho was the biggest disappointment of the 2006 World Cup.

Zidane's prime performance was eight years ago (or perhaps over the next two games?) and it's been three years since he was chosen World Player of the Year. Ronaldinho is coming off back to back recognition of this pinnacle of individual accomplishment, and a Champions League title with Barcelona. If anyone should have matched Zidane's brilliance, it was Ronaldinho. Perhaps when Zidane was sitting on the bench during France's final first round match, he realized how few opportunities even someone of his considerable gifts would experience. It would take a meteor strike for Brazil to miss the 2010 World Cup. So Ronaldinho should get another chance, and hopefully he will fully embrace the idea that he should bring his best game to The World Cup.

For all the tactics, clean and dirty, that managers bring to their teams, it's important to realize that the players must win the matches by simply playing soccer--and that's when the game is its most beautiful.

A Beautiful Day of Soccer

Germany continues to play elegant, flowing, and highly effective soccer. Jürgen Klinsmann had a nice touch as a striker, and it seems that as a manager, he's conveying some of his artistry to his team. In 2002, Klose basically disappeared after the first round. While he didn't score in the game against Sweden, he was absolutely instrumental in both goals, with Podolski being the fortunate recipient of Klose's hard work and deft passing. Ballack kept pounding shot after shot at Swedish keeper, Isaksson, who kept the scoreline low. Anyone watching the Germans' soccer showcase must have been impressed.

Just ask the Swedish midfielders and defenders, who seemed as equally impressed as the fans. They were guilty of ball watching and not closing down space on German players. After some speculation about their defense in their first game against Costa Rica, Germany has recorded three shutouts. But there's no time to rest on their laurels. Argentina awaits them in the quarter-finals, offering a highly anticipated matchup.

A matchup that almost didn't happen because of an inspired, wonderful performance by Mexico. The first half, in particular, of the Argentina v. Mexico match offered soccer at its finest. Both teams were surging forward with their attacks, playing end to end soccer. The offside call against Messi during stoppage time was questionable. But having that goal waved off gave us the opportunity to see what must be the best goal so far. Maxi Rodriguez's shot was one for the ages.

Argentina showed an important resiliency in this match. Even as Mexico continued to assail them, they showed a calm resolve that ultimately paid dividends. Perhaps Riquelme's deliberate approach to the beautiful game is the ideal soothing effect for this team. Both Germany and Argentina have shown us the elegance of soccer. It is a shame that one of them will be out after Friday. These two teams met in the finals in 1986 and 1990. In 1986, some questioned whether (West) Germany was a worthy finalist; in 1990, some questioned whether Argentina was a worthy finalist. I think most soccer fans would agree that both of them would make worthy finalists in 2006.

Group C Finales

I am really sorry that we won't get to see the Ivory Coast play in the next round. Even without Drogba, they offered up some impressive soccer against Serbia and Montenegro. Anyone watching the second half realized that it wasn't a question of if Ivory Coast would score, but a question of how many. It turned out to be just enough. Serbia and Montenegro showed some great finishing skills, and being a man down proved insurmountable for them (though Stankovic's missed header must have tormented their fans). It was refreshing to see Drogba join his teammates for their post-goal celebrations. There was a certain release each time they scored, and a huge sigh of relief when they netted their third goal. This team would have almost certainly advanced to the knockout phase if it had been drawn into another group. This is the last time that Serbia and Montenegro play as a unified team. Given that there were only two players on this team from Montenegro, it may be a sign that we may not hear much from them in soccer circles. Somehow, I don't think this was on their mind when they voted for independence.

Sometimes, great teams neutralize each other when they play, but Argentina and the Netherlands may have been neutralized even before they stepped onto the pitch. Both teams rested players. I would not be surprised if the possession was even, but the Argentinians made the most of their possession, mainly because of Messi and Tevez who had a chance to showcase their skills. Tevez, in particular, did his best impression of the Energizer Bunny. Riquelme did his part, offering several opportunities for others to find the net. Even then, he seemed about fifteen degrees off his best game. There were many, many moments of individual flair and skill, and a few sequences of surgical passing. But these moments only reminded everyone of what these teams are capable of doing. Some might assume that the Netherlands wasn't too picky between facing Portugal or Mexico, but I think this game just shows that both Argentina and the Netherlands are confident they can play with any team. It wouldn't be a shock if these two teams met again--with much higher stakes.

ESPN/ABC Coverage

ESPN/ABC's coverage is becoming unbearable. If I weren't addicted to HD, I would watch Spanish TV coverage. And, no, I don't speak Spanish.

Someone needs to stop ESPN/ABC from blocking up large portions of the screen (even on HD) with non-transparent graphics. Remember that the folks watching these games are either taping them and taking up their evenings with soccer, or taking time off from work to watch soccer live. Do you really think these people need the ticker along the bottom that reminds us when all the baseball games are beginning? Why not use the ticker for the soccer information that's filling up the screen.

Having said this, stop showing us meaningless, inane statistics!! Did you know that Brazil has never beaten a team when the moon is full, the planets are in full alignment, there's a hurricane on both coasts of the US, it's Tuesday, and aliens are invading the planet? Oh my God, surely, Brazil is going to lose the World Cup!!!! From the wisdom of the investment world, past performance is no guarantee of future results. What prior World Cup stat would have given us insight into France's victory in 1998 or South Korea's semi-final finish in 2002. Stop it with the stupid statistics!

There's also the continuous "wisdom" from the commentators that teams are trying to come in first or second in their groups in order to obtain a "favorable" pairing in the second round. For example, they keep talking about how Group A teams want to avoid England. Really? With the way England is playing, I would love to get them in the second round. And what's to guarantee that England will win their group. When was the last time England beat Sweden (I believe it was 1968). And think about Ecuador v. Germany. If that game ends in a tie, Ecuador wins the group. Stop assuming that Germany will win the group. We've already seen some great upsets, and some teams getting punished by looking for a particular result.

I'm also amazed by some of the basic points that the commentators seem to miss. I could have sworn Crespo's goal in Argentina's 6-0 drubbing of Serbia and Montenegro was an own goal. Instead of checking on this during the replay, they were too busy playing up the human interest angle of Lionel Messi getting his first assist. When a goalkeeper makes an acrobatic save, sometimes it's because of great reflexes; sometimes, it's because the keeper is out of position. Great goalkeepers make most saves look easy, and make the great ones when you need them. Not every wild jump or contorted body is a reflection of a great save. Help people understand when a keeper is out of position.

I should be fair in saying that I think JP Dellacamera, John Harkes and Tommy Smyth are doing a nice job. Adrian Healey's doing OK as well, though he needs to stop saying "games in glorious high definition." It not only sounds strange, it reminds me of my dependency. Other folks seem out of place. No mater how hard he tries, Brent Musberger looks completely out of his element. While he obviously knows about soccer, please stop Eric Wynalda from making inappropriate comments, like using the Japanese keeper's name as material for a joke.

Hardly a way to follow FIFA's advice to make new friends.