Sports
The rhythm of the World Cup has thrown me off. I'm used to doing work, errands, business during the day and then unwinding at night with movies, going out, reading, you know...in short, the best, and most exciting part of the day comes AFTER all the business of living is done. But not during the World Cup. Now, my mornings are the most exciting time of the day. I'm left in a weird state come mid-morning or mid-afternoon, an emotional hang-over of sorts. Not major, but just...I don't know...like the best part of the day happens first. Strange.
I didn't get to think or savor the NBA championship game because the US-Slovania game was so much more exciting and thrilling than a rather ugly, boring, NBA finals-race-to-the-bottom. Good on the Lakers for being able to win a game like that, it felt like a Boston game, but they couldn't make baskets or rebound.
Excellent US game and I can't figure out the call that negated the third goal. Giving the referee the benefit of the doubt, I suppose there was a lot of physical contact during the kick and they'll rarely call that foul on the defense in the situation. But it was a pretty clear no-call. Yes, the US scored, but who knows when the whistle was blown and whether Slovania defenders stopped defending. You can't hear anything. Nevertheless, an exciting game and the US still has a decent shot at advancing. What is the rule for a tie? Goal differential? Presumably England will win out and the US can still advance at 1-0-2.
2 comments:
You're being too kind on this official. It was an egregious call that screams corruption or, at the very least, a sign of a referee who has an agenda.
This phantom offsides?, foul?, violation?, (it is still unclear what the actual call was, though, at the time he called it offsides) is different than say Joyce's safe call to take away Galarraga's perfect game a few weeks ago. In that case, an ump had to make a call-safe or out - and he made a mistake. And he immediately fessed up to making a mistake.
This soccer referee inserted himself into the match with intention to change the outcome. I hope we make the second round so that this is not the lasting memory of the 2010 World Cup. The U.S. team was ferocious in that second half.
Phil - you are turning into a true soccer fan. True soccer fans are always accusing officials of injustice and believe in corruption, etc. This is a good sign for the future of your relationship to the world's greatest sport.
Just wait until next round. In 2002, Spain got two goals negated - one of which happened on a play when the ball didn't go out of bounds and the linesman called it out against South Korea during an elimination match IN south korea. SK eventually won on PKs.
These tragedies occur a lot in soccer - it is an imperfect game - which I think adds to the experience.
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