Oh, Joe Posnanski You're Perfect, Please Don't Change A Thing

"There have been people who have studied what is now known as “The Death Match” … and there are a few who insist that the death of the players had little or nothing to do with winning the game. Time blunts emotion and leaves behind vague hints. But the story is still told, year after year, and maybe to know the story is to understand soccer just a little bit more, to understand why it means so much to so many people all over the world. The stadium where the FC Start and the Germans played the match is still standing in Kiev — it is now called “Start Stadium.” There’s a monument in front to the players who would rather win and die."

http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2010/07/15/a-soccer-story/

From SI 2002...on how the U.S. Advanced to the Elimination Round

So decisive was Monday's victory that it was easy to forget how lucky the U.S. had been to reach the second round after its dreadful 3-1 loss to Poland last Friday. As the minutes ticked away in Daejeon, South Korea, midfielder Earnie Stewart would later admit he was certain of elimination. After all, South Korea and Portugal, which were playing at the same time in Incheon, had yet to score; each needed only a tie to advance from Group D if the U.S. were to lose. But not so fast. As U.S. assistant coach Glenn (Mooch) Myernick likes to say, "Soccer can be the most gracious lady, and it can also be the biggest bitch." On Friday it was both. The cohosts, thanks to a two-man advantage for most of the second half and Park Ji Sung's breathtaking goal in the 70th minute, beat Portugal 1-0—and the U.S. fell ass-backward into the Sweet 16, the only team to do so with a loss.

An hour into the Americans' quiet bus ride back to Seoul there was a scene reminiscent of the one in Almost Famous, in which the band members spontaneously break into Elton John's Tiny Dancer on their woebegone tour bus. After Arena offered the team muted congratulations, Frankie Hejduke and Cobi Jones cut the tension by launching into the chant they'd heard ad nauseam from the home fans all month. Heyyy...Ko-re-a! Heyyy...Ko-re-a! Soon most of the players were singing along and clapping—an entirely appropriate gesture of thanks. Said Arena the next day, "I spent the morning shopping for the Korean team and coaching staff."

That's how we draw things up...

Yes, I have just compltely stolen this from Noahs other website

Bocanegra: just so classy

Bill, Meet Carlos

I Enjoy This

Some Final Thoughts

Not to wax poetical, but I think it's incredible what we accomplished this World Cup. On May 5, 2006 I received an email from yatrick.cell@airindia.in confirming that I'd bought a ticket to London for $633.20. I have a vivid memory of Noah, Geoff and me taking a car to JFK, roaming middle-of-nowhere Brooklyn, trying to find the airport, and really just having no idea what we were getting into. We got from one airport to another in London, spent the night on the floor. I filmed for the first time. We got to Dusseldorf, got a car, drove to Gelsenkirchen, found Jeremy on a train, met Tom, and the rest is history. A few weeks later we were at the Ghana game, then we were living together in Bushwick.

At the time, saying we'd get to South Africa was something we all wanted, but it was tough to fathom the actual ability needed to make that happen. Hold down the fast forward button for awhile and you get to today.

There was a moment outside the stadium in Pretoria when I turned Geoff and said something along the lines of "How crazy is it that we're here." Other than beginning college with the goal of ending it four years later, the space between the two World Cups is probably the longest goal-followthrough-completion experience I've ever had.

I'll also add one more thing. 2006 was a novelty. Yes, I mean that for me personally - you all know I'm game to go see a juco college baseball game for no reason other than that it's there. I was a soccer fan and the World Cup was amazing, but I'm not sure that I was going for any reason other than to say I went. But I also mean that it was a novelty for the US. When I told people I went in 2006, people thought it was cool. But it was like going to a Final Four or a Super Bowl. Yes, that would be great, but everyone watched it at home and the atmosphere was pretty much exactly the same as it's been for 20 years. So in 2006, I sort of got a pat-on-the-back, vague oh-I-wish-I-was-there-too response.

But this time I think it's very different. This time people think, "Holy shit, you were there? What was it like?" This time I knew and understood that there is something about the World Cup that doesn't come across on TV - I think Nate put it best when he said, "The most best part... was the people."

Think about going to a Sox game. Do we ever talk to random other Sox fans? Do we care about them? No. Odds are, they are a bunch of massholes and we'd have very little to talk about. But the collective experience of the World Cup - people from all over the world and not from all over the Boston suburbs travel to these games - is incredible. A lot was captured in the lead up to the Ghana game. I talked to German journalist from Cologne. A South Africa guy who explained why there was a stadium in Rustenberg. A bunch of British fans who began the conversation by looking at my head and saying "I'm sorry, what's 1776?" An American fan who may have been on drugs and bought our extra ticket. A South African/Canadian/Red Sox fan who was epileptic and bought our QF tickets. And a British guy in full Monty Python regalia. I mean, shit, where else could any of that happen?

I love the World Cup. I can't believe it's over. I can't believe we have to wait until 2014.

We were there.

Final Recap Days 23-31

Missed a bunch of days here, but I'll do my best to recap...

Day 23
GER-ARG. Germany dominated this one. On the one hand, their scorelines benefited from being ahead and having desperate opponents late in the game. On the other hand, no one else did it. In fact only these teams won games by more than two goals: Germany (vs. Australia, vs. England, vs. Argentina), Uruguay (vs. South Africa), Argentina (vs. South Korea), Portugal (vs. North Korea), Cote d'Ivoire (vs. North Korea) and Brazil (vs. Chile). And only Germany and Brazil did it in the knockout round. Needless to say, Germany was the most exciting team to watch this tournament. They are also going to be stacked for 2012 and 2014.

PAR-ESP. The second in a string of elimination 1-nil victories for the Spanish. The Paraguayians were formidable and scrappy and proved to be tough.

Day 24
No games. I went to casino.

Day 25
No games. Not sure what I did.

Day 26
NED-URU. The Dutch were probably the second most exciting team to watch in the tournament, until they started murdering people in the final. Forlan makes things in real life because as exciting are they are in Jeremy's mind.

Day 27
GER-ESP. Sad end to the Germans run. I did not find this game superbly exciting. Jeremy did. Ask him.

Day 28
No games. Struggled with the fact that this thing was almost over.

Day 29
No games. Struggled more.

Day 30
GER-URU. One of the most open games of the tournament. Impressive the German B squad beat a tough Uruguayian team which may be remaned Forlania from hence forth. I have decided that we should buy tickets to this game in 2014. Ok? Ok.

Day 31
NED-ESP. The final. Incredible that it's come to an end. The game in itself was not particularly artistic or even that exciting, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I will say this. Spain deserved to win. If not for that individual game, they were certainly the best team over the past two years. And while, arguably, the Dutch were the second best, the Spanish deserved their first World Cup title with this squad. The Dutch deserved their win in the 70s and didn't get it.

Pool winner: Josh and Jeremy. Really I'm too upset to comment about that though.

Other People, Stop Filming

Great moments with the Associated Press. Video really takes off when they let the unshaven kid in at the 1.06 mark. Maybe sit a few plays out, Champ ...



And before Slovenia at the 1.11 mark.

Control Tower

South Africa, We Love You

Untitled from Andrew Silver on Vimeo.