World Cup 2006

So the World Cup is over. The Italians danced in celebration for an hour after beating France 5-3 in PKs. Cameronesi (w/ that chic Bushido hair style) sat and juggled a pair of shoes as the rest of his teammates, in unison, sang and skipped in a circle. Their happy faces wont last too long as a reordering will shortly ensue due to players and coaches involved in match fixing scandals back home in the Italian Leagues. The French looked old and distraught, as Zidane went out hammering Materazzi in the chest. That didn’t particularly matter as the aged Trezeget went on to mess up an easy PK and lost it for France. Was Zidane’s act provoke? Surely. That seems to be the story of the 2006 World Cup. Brutal, dastardly attacks and flops riddled the cup. Why then were Americans unenthused? Flops, perhaps, as they’re truly un-American. Low scoring battles, probably. Not appreciating why the whole world is captivated and not even the slightest bit curious? Most likely. That’s odd because I thought Americans enjoyed melees. The Portugal v. Netherlands death match? The fights after the Germany v. Argentina? Wayne Rooney displaying true English brute and vagabond grit while stepping on a crotch? Zidane thinking this was a rugby match? The vicious elbow to McBride? The numerous slaps throughout games? What else do Americans want? Ironically, the American team displayed an intimidated, nervous, almost queasy style of play in their 3 matches. They were not ready to fight for their chance to win or even flop for that matter. They bowed out un-Americanly.
The Cup had its great moments: Germany, the host nation, beating everyone in sight; Brazil’s dazzling all-star team; the African teams showing some life (esp. Ghana); Australia coming of age; Talented Portugal on the cusp of winning; New stars introduced: Robinho, Messi, Tevez, Podolski, Riberry, Shevchenko, Milevskyi, Cahill, Essien, Didier, C. Ronaldo. And its bad moments: Tommy Smythe not commentating beyond the first round; Germany’s top dogs, Klose and Ballack, mustering no clutch performances; Goal Dancing was kept at a minimum; the Argentine coach not placing phenom’s Messi or Tevez in critical moments (esp. Messi), they would have won the Cup otherwise; Flops galore: mainly Portugal and Mexico; True thugs: England and Holland; the constant heckling to refs by many nations (esp. Italy); France’s goalkeeper, Barthez, looked like a sad, dog faced cartoon character throughout their run and didn’t do much to help; Ronaldinho and Ronaldo went missing along w/ Jan Kohler; the Asain teams looking clueless (esp. SArabia); Some stars left us with a few morsels, others with a bang: Beckham, Figo, Zidane, Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Raul, Henry, Viera. Overall the Cup was decent, with the first round mildly exciting. The following rounds were better as the competition was fitting, although the scoring was down. The favorites drowned out early with the improbable finalists engaging in mildly entertaining game after half time. The Italians won amidst match fixing allegations, (remember that dubious foul call in the Australia game that turned into a winning PK for Italy) how fitting.