I liked this line from The Guardian’s match report:
Anyway, I’ll certainly be supporting the USA in their next two matches. If they win both, then we can afford to draw at least one of ours and still go through. Not that we should, but England never seem to raise their game against lesser opponents.
I agree with RedFury that it’s probably not racism, and I’ve been watching Univision’s coverage too. I heard someone suggest that the commentator is trying to sing Tshabalala’s name to the tune of Duran Duran’s “The Reflex” (the first few seconds of it, anyway). I think he’s just trying to be funny, and even though he isn’t, that won’t stop him from saying the player’s name that way for every South Africa game.
Really, he’ll do it every chance he gets. A few years ago, when Brazil was playing in the Copa America (or it may have been the Confederation Cup; I can’t remember), Wagner Love was one the Brazilian players. Every time Wagner Love touched the ball, the Univision commentator (perhaps the same one) would say “Wagner… Luuuuuuuuuuuuv.”
Every. single. time.
So, yes, it will be that way for the entire tournament.
As for the tournament so far, the most memorable moment has to be Green’s fumbling the ball across the goal-line. Truly horrific. But, while England probably should have won the game, this squad really doesn’t have the quality to win the World Cup. Rooney and Lampard (esp. the latter) went missing for long stretches, Carragher and Wright-Phillips were woeful. And it’s still an open question who should partner Terry in defense (doesn’t look like King is fit yet–guess it’ll have to be Upson or Dawson), and–in light of Green’s performance–who will be in goal.
So I doubt England will make it far, though they should get out of their group and probably go on to lose in a penalty-shoot out in the knock-out stages.
I also have doubts about Argentina. Messi is simply incredible, but he’s just one man. So long as he’s clicking, they’ll do well–but their defense is incredibly vulnerable, and a stronger team than Nigeria will surely exploit that vulnerability. Nigeria came very close to doing that themselves.
I think the team that will win the World Cup hasn’t played yet–most likely Spain, although Brazil or Germany may have something to say about that.
Thank God I’m not the only one who thought England’s performance was woeful. I’d been watching 60 minutes before I realised Lampard was still on the pitch. Wright-Phillips did nothing at all. Carragher nearly got sent off within 10 minutes of coming on. Johnson’s crossing, contrary to popular opinion, was terrible. Green had a nightmare: his “wonder save” nearly ended up with the ball in the net from the near post, never mind his Grobellar-style goalkeeping earlier.
The only England player who looked like he turned up was Heskey.
I think they came together for a bit after our goal, but I agree–I didn’t see well coordinated, smooth play. Without Howard, they would have been scored on several more times. IMO it was a very physical battle and we kept it to a tie by sheer staying power. I feel bad for the one guy who was gonna go in and the Ref blew the whistle to end the game. He must be gnashing his teeth…
Don’t. It’s a tactical move designed to waste a few seconds (help run out the clock) normally done by the team who wants to keep the score as is. It just happened to work to perfection in that it wasn’t even needed. Obviously the sub knows this.
Götterfunken.
Good post. I think you’ve encapsulated both issues (the racism charges and the teams we’ve seen vs the likely winners) quite well.
I’ll just add that although I have the Univision feed, we have local commentators (the analyst is an Argentinian who’s single-handedly carried footy in this country for decades – but he still sucks big time as a broadcaster) and though of mixed races themselves, they go off on all sorts of tangents which would at least be labeled “controversial” in the US market. However you’ll hear nary a peep about them here – in this culture, it’s simply par for the course.
As for Spain’s chances, the less I talk about them, the better it is for me. Superstitious lot us footy fans. 
Heskey was much better than Rooney who was neutralized by Jay freaking Demerit. Didn’t he assist on the goal? I thought he was one of England’s best players. Like Findley for the US, his main asset isn’t scoring, which some people can’t accept from a forward.
Is it just me, or does Ricardo Clark put on a perfectly anonymous performance for the US each and every time he steps on the pitch? It seems like he mostly chases the ball around midfield for 90 minutes without ever catching it, and the only time I really remember seeing him during the match was on the opening goal when Stevie G galloped right past him.
Any insight as to why Bob Bradley consistently starts Clark in favor of the (IMHO) far superior Torres and Edu?
I just happened upon this thread started by MichaelQReilly* which was shut due to its redundancy to this one. But in all fairness to him I’d like to re-post the link he had in his OP as I think it’s a great inspirational video – even if we come out on the losing end.
So, without further ado, here it is: Don’t Tread On Me
Now, don’t think for a minute I am posting that video just for American fans – I also want it to be a reminder to our own team that there’s no such thing as a “small enemy.”
Enjoy.
*No worries buddy. You beat us fair and square. But again, I’m all for a re-match. 
70% according to the Stats presented by ABC during the game.
Seems as if the more money you make, the more delicate you become – not that I’d know about that.
Seriously though, team chemistry is really hard to achieve. And really easy to vaporize – it only takes one intra squad squabble. Seen it happen many a time throughout the years.
I watched most of the match down at South Street Seaport at the Puma City, a bunch of exhibits and portable stores in the main aisle of the Seaport at Fulton St. The RED restaurant had a giant–well, OK, largish–two-sided TV that about 200 people were watching in the bar, outdoor cafe, and streets and sidewalks. It was great when we scored the goal and hearty shouts of U-S-A! U-S-A! rang out over the old cobblestones. Some England fans showed up (you could tell by the giant St. George’s cross-bedsheets they were wearing) and got a little ribbing but otherwise stood peacefully among us. There were even two or three vuvelezas, although to me they’re just those horns kids blow into on New Years and the Fourth of July. I kept my ipod Touch open and updated the BBC minute-by-minute website since even though the sound was turned up loud, the TV couldn’t compete with a crowd turned up to 11.
The game ended and with some applause and waving of Old Glory, everybody left to find bars with some space in them. I walked around for a while and on every TV I saw, in bars and homes and electronic stores, was a bright green field with little guys running around.
Yep. Thousands of vuvuzelas (horns) being blown throughout the match. I’m starting to like it.
Great story, know the area well. It’s called “footy-fever” and it’s about time you (collective sense) catch it!
There were some interesting performances. Not much play out of some superstars: Donovan was held tight by Cole and Rooney was held down too. On the England side Heskey seemed to get possession constantly, but other than that one pass to Gerrard, did nothing of value. On team USA Bocanegra seemed completely absent, but my favorite footballer, Dempsey, played solidly even without the lucky score. Gooch and Tim played well too.
Overall it was clear that England just wasn’t quite as together as USA. Though not reflected in the score, the game showed England the better team; it seemed USA was on the defensive for the entire second half, and just out of sheer will and good teamwork kept the ball out of the net. Considering the matchup, a draw is a great result for us, and a real morale booster. I’ve only been watching soccer for a few years now, mainly EPL (I’m a Fulham fan), but I have come to believe that psychological momentum is a big part of the sport, and as such a draw is a liability for England at this point.
It was an exciting game in any case, can’t wait for more. As for the vuvuzelas, I hate them. It sounds like someone dropped a beehive in my living room. Give me some good ole chants anyday.
Psst… check out post #93 to see the nose I’m tweaking here.
But to answer your question, I’d be too psyched/nervous about Game 7 to even evaluate my feelings about the series to that point.
Tis true. It’s like you can stick 4 world class musicians in a room together, but there’s no guarantee they’ll make a band.
So … game on! Anybody watching?
Of course. It’s the World Cup.
Group C looks weak, don’t you think? If we can’t get out of this group, we don’t deserve to be there in the first place. Algeria the better team so far, anyway.
I thought this new ball was supposed to have erratic, unpredictable movement. I’m not seeing that, or else I don’t know that’s what I’m seeing.
It seems a little weird to have the showcase of football introduce an unfamiliar ball and expect players to adapt to its differences immediately.