Tag Archives: soccer

World Cup final – a somewhat belated post

Impossible Germany – Wilco Astute readers may have noticed that I never posted my commentary on the World Cup final. When I was informed of this (Hi, Hunter!), I was surprised since I remembered having written it up. But, it turns … Continue reading

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World Cup semifinals – Blühe, deutsches Vaterland!

Two games. One: a blistering assault that produced one of the most shocking results in the entire history of the game. The other: a relatively lifeless 0-0 decided on penalties, in which some of the best attacking players in the … Continue reading

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World Cup quarterfinals – we’re gonna party like it’s 1990

Yikes. Well these quarterfinals are a bit of a turd floating in the punchbowl of an otherwise outstanding World Cup. None of these games were good, and several of them were actually pretty terrible. These were almost certainly the two … Continue reading

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World Cup day 20 – Team USA departs with heads held high

Belgium 2 – 1 United States (after extra time) Talk of noble defeats is always bittersweet. I’d much rather win ugly than be going home. But this tournament has been all about noble defeats, and the US offered another stirring … Continue reading

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World Cup day 19 – the paths of glory

Two amazing games today.  Filled with tension, excitement, and occasionally some real skill.  This World Cup continues to deliver. France 2 – 0 Nigeria This was the best performance by Nigeria so far. They looked worlds better than the team … Continue reading

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World Cup day 18 – more late drama

Two more enthralling games. Both featured goals in the final five minutes which radically shifted the game. The Dutch came from behind to win as the clock ticked down. And a 10-man Costa Rica lost their lead but just barely … Continue reading

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World Cup day 17 – heartbreak for Chile, reprieve for Brazil

James – Ex Cops Brazil 1 – 1 Chile (Brazil win 3-2 on penalties) What a fantastic game, and a great way to start the knockout round. The skill on the ball wasn’t always perfect, and both sides could very easily … Continue reading

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World Cup day 16 – a brief respite

There are four quadrants of the bracket, each of which will produce one semifinalist. Today I’ll briefly preview each, and give a quick thought or two about what I’m looking for in these matchups. I should also say, for what … Continue reading

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World cup day 15 – All differences forgotten, and no need at all to mention the war

Moving On – Mimicking Birds I’ve Got It All (Most) – Modest Mouse We are through! In the end, it was a tiny bit anticlimactic.  For a period of 20 minutes or so, we were a single goal away from elimination at … Continue reading

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World cup day 14 – Argentina and France top weak groups

Nigeria 2 – 3 Argentina Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 – 1 Iran Messi was at it again, scoring two more goals and playing much better outside of the goals as well.  Argentina still have a lot of questions to answer—having … Continue reading

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