On Writing a Book
Blame it on the book, Siddartha, but I've had a moment of "om" lately regarding life that has constantly been bringing me back to the idea of purpose as the framework in which to explain my life in the past, my current iteration, and the yet unknown future.I understand and embrace more clearly today than ever before why I was a "man of the cloth" for six odd (or does that make it even?) years in the past, had unwavering conviction that I was called and destined to be in Christian ministry, and thought at the time that I would have a lifelong journey of laughing, crying, marrying, burying and working alongside people in a church.I'm also completely settled with the idea that I have not an iota of desire nor an ounce of "conviction" to return to such a holy calling. Does that mean I heard God incorrectly the first time? Or is it the inner Luke Skywalker in me, rebelling against the claim that I know to be true deep in my heart? Or is it all the liberal indoctrination i have undergone (which ironically started in seminary) that has completely put me out of touch with status quo evangelical orthodoxy? I know I'm not the only Gen Xer out there unhappy with the way things have gone, nostalgic of the carefree, angst ridden times epitomized by Nirvana and Doc Martens boots, and still confused about whether to join the man, become the man, or run away from the man.I'm considering writing a book in the maybe-not-so-near future: Confessions of an Ex-Pastor. I've googled the title and it seems there aren't too many out there, and the few on the web seems to be a veiled guise for a rebellion against "big box mega church" American Christianity and a push for the house church movement.Mine won't be a secret push for an agenda towards another church model or a hipster version on ye old time religion. Rather, it will be a cathartic release and an ode to Ex-Christians, borderline Christians, and recovering Christians alike. Dave Eggers and Chuck Klosterman and a dash of Jack Kerouac will be my inspiration.
New York Times best seller list? Or Borders' super sale clearance bin?
2010 World Cup Final Review
After exactly a month, the 2010 FIFA World Cup has come to an end. The final was anything but the spectacular, dazzling display of finesse, skill and teamwork we were promised with a dream match up between the Netherlands and Spain. The Netherlands decided to abandon their stylistic play for a more brutish attack, best epitomized by Nigel De Jong's flying karate kick to Alonso's chest. The Guardians' Fiver column had such hilarious email responses from the thuggish behavior of the Dutch: 
"When Dirk Kuyt was quoted in Friday's Fiver as saying 'We are going to attack', I had no idea he meant it so literally" - Bryan Paisley.
"I was on a date last night and my companion asked me if I wanted to 'go Dutch' on a restaurant bill. So I raked my studs down her chest, harangued the maître d' and then left in tears" - Bill Chilton.
Meanwhile, Spain stuck to its guns and played for controlling the tempo and the ball, scoring in extra time from a beautiful Fabregas assist that led the midfield wizard Iniesta to put the ball behind Stekelenberg and into the net. As I reflect, I can't help but to feel that this World Cup had more lows than highs. Here's my quick rundown. First with the lows.
THE LOWS
Diving
This tournament has definitely been soured by all the diving and play acting on the pitch. Sure, there's always going to be "selling the call" to the ref from the players, but at times some players looked like they were shot by a 9mm, wriggling helplessly on the field, only to get up when the ref blows the whistle, hands a card or walks away nonchalantly. Italy are the masters at this (one of the reasons why I can never root for Italy no matter what), but more and more teams are using this as a tactic to keep possession and advance up the field.
Non-Beautiful Football
Along with the diving, so many teams have resorted to a defense and counter attack type of football. All the great display of attack and goals were only shown in glimpses, while most of the games were a battle between wills and patience, waiting for the other team to start slacking or exposing their weakness for a last minute goal before the end of the match. In the end, Brazil tried to win with this tactic and failed. Netherlands tried to win with this and failed.
The Old England
England yet again disappointed everyone with their play. They boast one of the best leagues in the world, are the inventors of the sport, and annually receive tremendous hype about being serious contenders and have the potential to win it all each time. Yet, they showed no organization or grit, and seemed archaic compared to all the other teams.
French Meltdown
What more can be said about the French? Domenech is now gone, and Laurent Blanc is the new head coach. The team imploded during training, and did not have a single player to step up and be the leader to galvanize the team. They boast some of the best talent on this planet, and yet have failed to win a single game. Only if they could convince Zizou to step out of retirement once more, things might have been different. Never mind the fact that he's been in retirement for a few years now. Some youtube footage of Dennis Bergkamp playing currently shows that these legends still can provide some pizazz. I expect France to be competitive once again with their new guard in Nasri, Gourcuff, and Lloris.
Nigel De Jong
His flying karate kick was worthy of a spot in a kung fu movie, but deserved a red card on the World Cup final. The fact that Howard Webb didn't have the gall to send him off in the first half is probably even more atrocious than the kick itself. It truly epitomized the nastier side of football at the highest level.
Nike's Write The Future
At the time, everyone thought it was a genius piece of advertisement: the world's celebrated footballers coming together to film an epic commercial by one of Hollywood's prominent directors. But, little did everyone know that it would be the reason for such dismal performance from players who often carry the weight of the world's expectations. Not a single person highlighted in the commercial did anything to "write the future". Sure, maybe it's all just hokey pokey non-sense, but there's something to be said about the fact that Drogba, CR, Rooney, Ribery, and Cannavaro did little to push their teams through. Are they too over-hyped? Are they not hungry enough? Do people expect too much out of them? Whatever it is, this commercial doomed them from the start.
THE HIGHS
Siphiwe Tshabalala's goal
The best goal for me was the first goal made by South Africa's Siphiwe Tshabalala. It was a beautiful breakaway clinically finished. As the first goal, it truly got everyone excited for the tournament, regardless of what country they were rooting for. In my mind, it showed all that was good and beautiful about soccer. Plus, coming from the tournament hosts, everyone can get behind the goal and celebrate it.
Diego Forlan
Forlan is truly the player of the tournament. He is a leader among leaders, a consummate professional, and an inspiration to the whole nation. He has single handedly carried his team all the way to the semi-finals, often providing the much needed goal to keep the team alive. Every time the ball was given to Forlan, you could tell that he was going to do something with it, and that the opposing team was fearful of him. He was truly talismanic, and a joy to watch.
Maradona
Misunderstood for the most part, Maradona showed the world that he did indeed know what he was doing with the Argentina national team. He not only had the appearances of a coach, but he also acted like one too. And some of the set pieces and strategies were from himself. The only piece that Argentina is missing is that of a true playmaker. Messi likes to attack from the wing, while Di Maria likes to come from the opposite end. Neither are meant to be playmakers, but were often forced to play that role for the likes of Higuain and Tevez. Once they have a true number 10, Argentina may yet have another revival.
The New Germany
Germany was easily the most entertaining team this time around. They had three games where they scored 4 goals, and never were afraid to go on the attack. Their squad is young with an average age of 24, and truly play like a team. The world is now familiar with rising stars such as Mueller, Oezil, and Khedira. While England and Italy are languishing as their veteran stars grow old and young talent yet identified to replace them, Germany has successfully blended the two, ensuring a smooth transition. Kiessling, Marin, and Kroos are also up and coming and will make their mark in the future.
Knaan
What an awesome theme song to accompany the first World Cup in Africa. There's joy, there's celebration, there's spirit, and there's heart. I can listen to it over and over again, and it brings chill down my spine. The song is truly one of the highs of this tournament.
But now, the World Cup is over. And with this, I've decided to take a hiatus of sorts from football. I'll be sad to miss Chamakh's debut as a Gunner, and will miss out on who else Le Professeur will sign on to Arsenal this year. But life is more than football, and there's other matters to tend to. I'm entering another season of simplifying my digital life, spending more time with books, contemplating, and writing.
No more streaming matches, soccer updates from the Guardian, and footytube reviews. Instead, more playing on the fields, more interaction with people, and more being present. But for those of you who want to continue on, best of luck. The internet is your friend and will allow you to follow your favorite teams and players, even if you don't live in England, Spain, Germany, or Italy.
See you on the other side.
2010 World Cup Semifinal Review
28 days later, the World Cup is rapidly coming to a close. It seemed eons ago when many a nation had dreams and hopes of reaching the final. Now, most of those dreams have been crushed save for two. And this time, whoever wins, it will be a first. So don't worry about whether Germany would get to keep the Jules Rimet after their third win much like when Brazil won for the third time in 1970, they permanently kept the trophy. It's not going to happen. FIFA decided that they will no longer hand out the trophy to teams who win three times or more. The current Jules Rimet, created in 1970 for $50,000, is estimated to value at millions upon millions right now. Meanwhile, I've started to make plans after the World Cup, because conventional wisdom says better to make plans in anticipation of what is to come, much like anticipating a bad breakup in a romantic relationship.
The Orange Dream Machine
Now everyone knew that Uruguay without Suarez and his Hand of Diablo was not going to make it out against the Dutch. So, the real question and concern on everyone's mind was in which manner would the Dutch win? Will they show an appreciation for style and the "beautiful game"? Or, will they eek by with some defensive game like so many games displayed by Chelsea and Inter Milan? Fortunately, Gio Van Bronckhorst decided to shake things up in the 18th minute of the game with a totally unmarked shot from 42 yards out of the box. At the beginning of the tournament a friend and I were reminiscing how useless Van Bronckhorst is to the team, and how much of a liability he has been over the years. Funny how easily that reputation can be changed with one beautiful kick.
If Netherlands wins the whole thing, Sneijder will have racked up so much silverware in one year, it won't even be funny. And he was integral to all of those trophies, so good for him. But truly the unsung hero among the Dutch is Dirk Kuyt. He has been hustling like James Brown all over the field, defending, marking, pushing the ball up, chasing loose balls, and setting up his teammates for goal. Without him, the Dutch would have languished early on.
And what can I say about Van Bommel? Is he a genius? Is he a punk? There's some talk that in this tournament, the holding midfielders have made the difference (the final four have arguably the best holding midfielders of the tournament: Alonso, Van Bommel, Schweinsteiger, Egidio Arevalo) and that's probably a very accurate observation. But Van Bommel's incessant bullying has paid off, and now the Oranje have a ticket to the final. And if it's truly up to the holding midfielders, then my money is on Netherlands, because not only does Van Bommel act like even bigger bully than Gattuso, but he also has the uncanny ability to avoid getting carded.
Klose But No Cigar
Beautifulpeople.com allows you to rate the most attractive and the ugliest footballers of the world cup. Not only that, but they've managed to compile an average "beauty" score for each team. The winner is Spain. Funny how the best looking players also happen to be the best footballers so far. And coincidentally the North Korean team ranked lowest in beauty.
But Spain didn't just win on good looks. They played their typical possession football, stringing pass after pass, as if to weave an intricate pattern with the ball on the pitch. In effect, they lullibied the German baby to sleep before going in for the lethal header by Puyol. It was perhaps their best performance of the tournament, even though the scoreline only showed one goal. So this pits two nations to fight for the World Cup title. Neither country has ever done this so whoever wins, it will be history in the making.
So many questions remain in light of this World Cup saga. Will it be the Oranje and their pragmatic approach that vaguely reminisces total football? Or will it be Spain and their tiki taka? Will Robin Van Persie score a goal? Will Paul the Octopus be sautéed before getting a chance to guess the final?
And for those who are still downtrodden about England's early exit, rest assured their future will be on the shoulders of Jack Wilshere and Josh McEachran.
And this is what a nutmeg is.
And as a parting gift, I present to you, my man Julio Cesar schooling Materazzi.
2010 World Cup Quarter Finals Review
Jay-Z's recent remake of "Forever Young" by Alphaville made me think a lot about my high school days. For every high school dance I can remember, there was always the obligatory "Forever Young" slow jam, and every love bird would hit the dance floor wobbling along like penguins, not having a care in the world because they were in love. I remember in many cruises around town with friends, we always had a Doggystyle album on cassette and a new wave mix handy, in which the song "Forever Young" was always a staple. It was as if it was our anthem in a time when we felt invincible and on top of the world, where the rules did not apply to us, and we were immune to sickness and old age. We roamed the streets of Apku and Kangnam as if we owned the place, and stepped into every bar and every club like it was our own house.
The Hand of Diablo
Uruguay and Ghana performed a spirited match in which a Sully Muntari strike opened the door for Ghana to advance. But-and how many times have you heard this storyline?-Forlan would drag the team back into contention with a wonderful free kick that led Kingson helplessly flail his arms and the Jabulani in the back of the net. The rest of the match was a stalemate, all the way to extra time. At the end of extra time, a late scramble in front of Uruguay's goal led to a header by Adiyiah, only to be prevented by Luis Suarez's hand (of God, or Diablo, you pick).
Now, the referee, thankfully, saw it and gave a red card and a penalty. All Asamoah Gyan needed to do was put it in, just like he did twice before in this tournament. But that didn't happen. Instead, he shanked it high above the goal. Did Suarez cheat? He did what he had to, and was punished within the rules of FIFA. Was it considered "beautiful football?" Probably not. Would anyone else do the same thing to help their team? Absolutely. I, for one, wanted to see Ghana advance because it would have made for a great story, this being the first tournament in Africa and all. But, unfortunately when it came time to perform, Gyan simply couldn't. And during penalties, Mensah, out of his arrogance, made a poor penalty that practically gifted it to the keeper. And finally an Adiyiah miss put Uruguay through. So, yes the Suarez handball may not have been the classiest act, but was well within the rules of the game. Suarez' claim that the real hand of God belonged to him was an even more of a douche move. But the fact of the matter is Gyan should have put that penalty in to win the game. But he didn't. The Black Stars had another opportunity to win, but they failed to deliver. And that's where the men are separated from the boys, and the mega million paycheck is separated from the paltry million paycheck. Maybe this calls for changes to the rules, but until then Suarez did what he needed to keep his team alive, and Gyan didn't do what he should've done to put his team through. It's sad, but it is what it is.
Oranje Crush
The Dutch have done it. They beat the tournament favorites Brazil. And now, every football fan is rejoicing that Dungaball is over. Let's face it, Brazil without its flair and panache, without its Ronaldo (the fat one), Ronaldinho, and Kaka trifecta is not really the Brazil we want. We want the samba, the dancing, the pass after pass, the nutmeg, the pedalada, and the goals that will be shown in highlight after highlight and immortalized in Youtube. Instead, we were subject to the god-forsaken Dungaball. We were coerced to watch defense and counter attacks over flair and possession. But everyone can now breathe a sigh of relief, as the Dutch have now crowned themselves as the nation with the spirit of jogo bonito.
A Felipe Melo error put Julio Cesar out of reach from the ball going in. And not to be outdone by his first error, Melo committed an unnecessary stomp on Robben that got him sent off and Brazil down with ten men. Sure, even I prognosticated that this tournament would be the era of counter attacks and defense first. I had Julio Cesar as the golden boot winner, and Brazil as the lifter of the Jules Rimet. But, alas, Brazil was left unraveled and all their defense couldn't save them from the tireless Kuyt who provided the engine, and a masterful Sneijder that put in both goals to put them on top. Meanwhile, my favorite, Robin Van Persie was lackluster like all his superstar colleagues, and he's not even a Nike man. By the way, Arsenal released their new jerseys, hot or not?
David Villa's Spain
There's no doubt anymore that Spain is David Villa's team. It's not Fernando Torres', or Xabi Alonso's, or Xavi Herandez's. And with his lone goal, Spain marched to their first ever semi-final of the World Cup. But let's take a step back here and watch the manner in which Spain has come here. At times in the group stage, their defense was exposed, and all their tiki taka was for naught, but in this crucial quarter final match, it produced a winner. Alas, that's all that I could say about this otherwise lifeless match.
Die Mannschaft!
But what you really wanted to hear about is Germany. Yes, this new youthful, multi-cultural, Germany. The Germans have shown England and the like what happens when you spend millions in your youth setup, instead of on pointless exhibitions to pimp your star players and ungodly salaries to your Italian mob boss. What you get is a successful transition from old to young, from blonds to non-blonds. Team Germany truly reflects this multi-cultural, multi-polar, and multi-ethnic world we live in. Even the Aryan looking Germans are actually from Poland! How cool is that? But wait, there's more delicious offerings from the National Mannschaft. Miroslav Klose, the striker that everyone written off, including Bayern fans, have emerged as a Golden Boot contender with four goals to his name. Thomas Müller, is the youngest footballer at the age of 20 to score in the World Cup, and have done it four times already. The average age of the team is 24. And their coach, Joachim Low has the best sartorial taste among all the coaches in the tournament by a landslide.
And finally, all of the punditry touting this tournament as the death of the old world domination, including from myself, has been made somewhat in haste, now that we have three out of four teams in the quarter-finals represented by European nations.
2010 World Cup: Round of 16 Review Part 2
It's been a full three days, and my legs and knees are still sore from playing soccer. It's either because I'm getting older, or really the legs take a beating when you're sprinting every other second up and down the field. It makes me appreciate older players like Sol Campbell who is still making an impact for his team. Yes, I am one of those that would wish Arsene Wenger would re-sign Sol for one more year. But that's going to be harder than getting Steve Jobs to add a stylus to the iPad, it seems.
Brazil And Their Non-Beautiful Game
It's no surprise that Brazil has beaten a lackluster Chile in the round of 16. But the manner in which they have done is anything but Brazilian. A standard corner kick was met by Juan's not-so-large head to open up the scoring for the Brazilians. Alexi Lalas praised Brazil for their wonderful display, and deftly opined that the Brazilians are big and tough. Unfortunately Brazil is not known for their size, nor for their physique, but rather for their guile and somewhat "soft" play. Yes, that's right. Until Alexi Lalas hangs up his mic, I will not tire in pointing out his inferior commenting and analysis of the game. For those of you who may not know what to compare with, just think of Alexi Lalas as the equivalent of Bill Walton of soccer. How many times have you seen a crap play and hear Bill Walton say something that is clearly biased towards the center position? "He is so big and strong in the paint" (a center who manages to put the ball in the basket in a crowded area, aka doing his job). "One of the greatest players ever to play the game!" (any center who is playing a decent game at the moment). "What display of skill!" (a center landing a bunny).
Meanwhile, across the pond, the folks at the Guardian lamented that the cross was the fault of the Chilean defense rather than a truly "beautiful goal." Everyone is bemoaning the fact that Brazil, molded after their coach, no longer subscribes to Jogo Bonito, but rather on defense and counter-attacks a la Mourinho. Do we really want to see more Mourinho-esque football? Did anyone truly believe that the Champions League final between Bayern and Inter was mesmerizing (besides the individual brilliance of Milito)? Brazil as national conscience care as much about winning as they do about the manner in which they win, but from the likes of it, an ugly defensive-minded game with a quick counter will look to win the World Cup this year. The flat top crew cut of Dunga should've alarmed everyone of this.
If They Were True Samurais, They Would Contemplate Seppuku
Although Japan was the other Asian nation to make it to the round of 16, there were probably hardly any Koreans actually rooting for Japan. This means, Japan would have to go it alone if they were going to make it. And make it they did not. The Brazil v. Chile game was a cracker of a match compared to the lifeless game that Japan and Paraguay displayed. But perhaps it was not as atrocious as the Algeria v. Slovenia game, which if you happened to have devoted 90 odd minutes of your life to watching that match, you would never be able to recoup that loss ever again in the history of the world.
To be fair, Japan was the more spirited side, although they were never able to capitalize on their chances. Paraguay, or more specifically "The Most Beautiful Footballer In The World" (Roque Santa Cruz), was dismal in their performance. Had not the coach substituted him out for Oscar Cardozo, Paraguay would have probably lost in penalties. But going back to Japan, despite their best efforts, they were not able to beat a mediocre team of Paraguayans. And when the pressure mounted, Yuichi Komano couldn't deliver. Good thing they're not really samurais. So the debate rages on, whether Korea is better or Japan. The likelihood of settling this is slimmer than the likelihood of figuring out who's land is Dokdo Island.
His Name Is David Villa
If you didn't know his name because you were too busy familiarizing yourself with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo, then you can forget those names now and just remember one: David Villa. He has singlehandedly captured the imagination of everyone watching the world cup with his performance so far. With four goals so far to his name, Villa looks to be a front-runner for the Golden Ball. And what a contrast he was to Cristiano Ronaldo, who seemed to be busy looking the part than actually being the part. Perhaps it is the gel on his hair, or the awareness of every single camera on the pitch capturing his every move, or maybe it's the curse of the Nike commercial, but CR looked quite dazed and confused. He was busy complaining about non-calls than he was about playing football. Meanwhile, David Villa was literally everywhere on the pitch, hustling back when he needed to, then sneakily moving from left to right and at the crucial moment freeing himself up to receive a pass for the kill. A true predator. And what better way to shine than on the world cup? All his "quiet" years in Valencia are now paid off million times over, as he will start the new season with The Yankees Real Madrid Barcelona (correctly pointed out by bil).
Don't worry friends. The lull is almost over. I know your body is uncontrollably twitching and you can't stand the fact that there is no football to watch during work hours, and that you don't have to sneak away to a pub nearby to watch more World Cup. In two days, it will be the best weekend ever. Dream match-ups between Argentina and Germany, and Netherlands and Brazil. If I'm going to stay on top of my bracket I'd want Germany and Brazil to win, but if I want to follow what's right in the world, I'd want Germany and the Dutch. And how is it that a country where hash brownies and the finest ganja is legally consumable have such technically superior and beautiful football? I want to visit now.
And now, I present to you, the nutmeg of all nutmegs:
2010 World Cup Round of 16 Review - Part 1
It was 94 degrees today, and people were crazy enough to play soccer. Every time I sucked hot air into my lungs, it was immediately transformed into lead and coursed its way down to my legs. After 90 minutes of running in what was like the sahara desert from the movie Lawrence of Arabia, a few chances at goal came and went, and it began to dawn on me that the Suarez-esque late winner I was envisioning was never going to happen. At least I didn't make a Kim Nam Il mistake. Or is that a Cha Du Ri error. Or a Lee Dong Gook miss. Oh well. I guess I should be content that I'm still standing and not keeled over because of the heat.
Korea Packs Their Bags
Korea made history by advancing past the group stage for the first time on foreign soil. But, history ended there, as they were bested by Diego I-have-abs-you-should-be-jealous-about Forlan and a better Uruguay. As much as I am sad, I am very optimistic about Korean football and its future. Yes, I ranted on some of their errors and mistakes, but overall they performed valiantly and garnered much respect, almost beating out the South Americans. The real challenge now is to develop a stronger defense, one in which many of them have top level international experience. The difference between Korea and Uruguay (besides having superior strikers Suarez and Forlan), was in the back line. While Uruguay's defense has regular exposure to Champions League football, the Korean defense mainly plies their trade in the K league or in a mid table team in Germany (i.e. Cha Du Ri). Once we have defensive center backs who can handle the pressure, pace, and guile of a Forlan or a Suarez, we will be much more competitive.
Meanwhile Suarez, and his goal that is perhaps the best goal in the tournament so far, put Uruguay back into the quarter finals since 1970. Well done.
Kudos goes to all the Koreans who showed up to plazas, public places, and Seoul City Hall (pictured here) to root for the team, even in ungodly hours such as 1am or 3:30am. They were religious in their chanting and meticulous with their thunder sticks (who cares if the team can't hear it in South Africa). Bleary eyed children and old grandmothers made their way through Lawrence Plaza here in the bay, and we laughed and we cried together with the team's successes and failures.
Now, I expect many Koreans to start following the EPL, SPL, and Ligue 1 with some of the stars playing in Europe. You can still pick up a Ki Seung Yeung Celtic FC shirt (the "bumblebee" strip will be a collector's item for sure) and begin to support Koreans playing abroad.
Ghana Did It For Africa
Ghana also made history by advancing to the quarterfinals by beating USA. Maybe the grueling battle with Algeria sapped the energy out of the Americans, but they were definitely the weaker side. I happened to be rooting for Ghana (yes, I was born here, am a citizen here, and enjoy my freedom to consume in safety) because having the tournament in South Africa, I really want to see an African nation go far. I was actually cheering for Ghana in the company of friends who were all cheering for the US. After the match, I got an earful from the mrs and in retrospect realize that perhaps I was not respectful enough. On top of that, I also got a schooling on priorities and loyalties that are still ringing in my ears.
So having said that, let me just say the USA, while technically not as advanced as a Spain or Brazil, has tremendous heart and a "never say die" attitude. They played with all they had, and was unfortunate to be beaten by a Kevin Prince Boateng strike and a Asamoah Gyan goal. The good news about the US is that MLS is a growing breeding ground for quality soccer players, and more cities and teams are investing in soccer-specific stadiums (it's atrocious how many MLS teams play on astro turf). I vowed to never watch an Earthquakes game again (high ticket price for a mediocre game at best), but perhaps I should also put my money where my mouth is so that soccer can continue to grow in this country. The best US player this tournament is Michael Bradley, who did a lot of everything: hustling to win 50/50s, passing through to move up the offense, hustling back to cover D, and scoring the dramatic equalizer in the cracker of a match against Slovenia.
And instead of incurring the wrath of the mrs, I will root for the USA next time around. USA! USA! USA!
The Fatherland Marches On
Perhaps we all saw it coming. The birth place of soccer, England was supposed to march to glory but would be thwarted by a far superior, athletic, and young Germany. The Guardian has bemoaned the loss with some stingers in their titles:
"English Football - The End of the World"
"England Hit A New Löw"
Even though Frank Lampard was denied a goal (oh the injustice!), Germany was the far better side, with their crisp passing and delicious dribbling skills that left the likes of Glen Johnson and even Cashley Cole confused and bewildered like a deer caught in a pair of oncoming headlights. Klose, who was largely silent with his club Bayern Munich throughout the year, has found his World Cup mojo and is closely catching up to Ronaldo's World Cup scoring record of 15 with 11 of his own after today's match agains the English.
Maradona Wrong Footing Everyone
I read an interesting article about how Maradona may just be "wrong footing" everyone this tournament. Argentina barely qualified, and much of the malaise was blamed on Maradona's inexperience with coaching, his troublingly odd antics, and his puzzling selections using over 100 players in a myriad of combinations. He may just fooled everyone and this World Cup may reveal just how much he is a genius as a manager as he was as a player.
World Cup 2010 Day 12 & 13 Review
As a companion to the World Cup, I've been reading Soccernomics, and it has been revelatory. The book borrows from Michael Lewis' Moneyball, an in-depth look at Billy Beane's strategy in looking at statistics and buying for cheap to build a very competitive team of relative unknowns, and then making a further profit by selling those players for much more. The book talks quite a bit about modern day Arsenal and its manager, Arsene Wenger, who as a trained economist, employed Beane's methods to not only keep the club in the positive, but also manage to make a highly competitive team with its "youth players." Part of my love for Arsenal lies in Le Professeur and his ability to discover great young talent and develop them into world class players. I'm glad that there's a book that actually details some of the inner workings of soccer.
But I digress.
Democracy Is Better
Korea survived their battle with Nigeria and advance to the round of 16 for the first time on foreign soil. This is an amazing accomplishment and a dream come true for us Koreans. I remember growing up in Korea, whenever a World Cup came around, all the newspapers and all the coaching staff would say "our goal is to advance into the round of 16". It would be splashed around in every kiosk, every newstand, and every subway advertisement panel. And with hope in their hearts, Koreans would buy their newspapers and ride their subways, but alas hope is meant to be deflated and dreams are meant to be crushed.
Until now.
For the past few days I was quite furious at the way Korea played (as evidenced by my colorful Facebook updates), especially from the likes of Cha Du Ri (who practically rolled out the red carpet for the Nigerians to score in the box) and Kim Nam Il (who made an elementary mistake of dribbling the ball into the box instead of outside), and a little left over for Park Chu Young (despite his wonderful free kick goal). I had some scathing remarks for them, but since it's been a few days I've cooled down quite a bit. Good thing I didn't write this the day after. But if I can say one thing, coach Huh should not play Kim Nam Il, even as a substitute.
Playing against Diego (!) Forlan and Uruguay will be tough, and it will require a much more defensive approach and a fast counter attack. I would think a 4-3-2-1 formation, with Park Chu Young as the loan striker, and Ki Seung Yeung and Lee Chung Yong on each flank supporting the attack. Four backs lining up the defense and Park Ji Sung holding up central midfield just might do the trick in stopping Uruguay's fast paced game through the middle.
Before I get into my cynical doomsday mentality, one bright spot about the Korea National Team is the successful transition and development of their youth. Ki Seung Yeung and Lee Chung Yong are both 21 and have become an integral part of the squad. The new keeper Jung Sung Ryong has been a breath of fresh air and looks to make a move to Europe after the World Cup. All of this combined, shows that Korean football is on the rise and will only get better. I suspect, many more Korea fans will become EPL fans and Scottish league fans as they follow the likes of Lee Chung Yong (Bolton), Ki Seung Yeung (Celtic FC) and Park Ji Sung (Man United).
La Fondue
By now, it's old news that the French team had a complete meltdown and have left South Africa early. Domenech refuses to shake Carlos Perreira's hand after the match with South Africa, Le Sulk does what he does best, Evra is left out of the game because of his insubordination, and the entire French team flies back home economy class. Oh la tragedie! Fondue in the largest proportions!
Meanwhile, Laurent Blanc is quietly plotting a course for a French comeback, and this time, Benzema and Nasri will be towing the line.
Good Riddance!
The defending world champions, the mighty Azurri have fallen and the unlikely heroes, Slovakia, have taken their place in the round of 16. I suspect some of the blame must be put on the coach for his team selection. Camoranesi was the one to provide the spark and the lead up to goals in the past two matches, yet he was left on the bench. And as my friend pointed out, Pirlo was nowhere to be found, despite the fact that he is probably Italy's best playmaker. Without him, truly Italy has to rely on their operatic acting skills more than their passing.
To be fair, the latter half of the match was a thrill to watch. Italy did wake up from their slumber and pressed for the attack, eventually netting two goals. Yet, in the end you could tell there was just not enough gas in the tank.
And as the runners up France and the champions Italy fell in group stage, it is a telling sign that once you're on top, it's hard to sustain the hunger and the drive to keep going, especially since the tournament is every four years. A back to back title has not been done since 1962, and even then Brazil had possibly the most gifted footballer in the history Pele on their side.
Wunderkid
How good is Mesut Özil? He's been instrumental in Germany's attack every game, and had a beautifully struck goal against Ghana. Now there's even talk that Arsenal may be interested in the 21 year old. I won't succumb to the rumor mongers just yet, but suffice to say part of the fun in watching Germany this tournament is because of the Werder Bremen wonderkid.
Van Persie Strikes
And finally, my man Robin Van Persie scored a beautiful goal in the otherwise lackluster match against Cameroon. RVP is always a joy to watch, and exemplifies the Dutch way of playing football. With Robben back on track and Sneijder firing on all cylinders (do these guys ever get tired?), truly the Dutch look like they might go very far this time around. With all the English players fatigued after a grueling season in the EPL, the Brazilians not yet dominating like they are expected to, and the Germans showing some weakness in their back four, you could say that the Netherlands just might push ahead of their European counterparts.
Jogi Watch
Joachim Low puts as much effort into his sartorial taste as he does into the strategy on the pitch. Against Ghana, he sported a black double breast trenchcoat and scarf. Can you imagine his directive to his staff before arriving to South Africa?
"I want all of you to pack the following: powder blue v-neck, slim black sport coat, black double breast trench coat, white pressed shirt, black pants, and oh yeah, it's cold so a dark scarf is optional."
Next match against England, I predict Jogi and staff to don a white shirt and black sport coat with a nice watch to give some accent.
World Cup 2010 Day 11 Review
In our pickup game yesterday, we played with a real Jabulani ball. Not the cheap $20 replica, but the official one that costs a mere $149. The ball did have more flight and stayed up in the air longer, as if it grew wings every time it took off. It might have even elevated everyone's games, as we looked like a well oiled machine, playing the "beautiful game" with pass after pass that eventually leads to a beautiful goal.
Well, maybe not that beautiful, but it did give us a sense of importance and grandeur. If not in our play, at least in our minds.
Cristiano Ronaldo ended his goal drought and put in a goal. It was quite a display, as the ball landed on his back, and he then proceeded to flick it over his head for a easy finish. In fact, Portugal put in six others to stomp out the North Koreans 7-0. It was a clear difference from their previous game against Brazil. They came out more attacking, and perhaps they were too confident in themselves, having held the giants Brazil. But Portugal, as we have seen, is no pushover. They clearly showed North Korea a lesson, and perhaps in the dressing room they vowed to repeat the 5-3 scoreline of the 1966 world cup.
David Villa scored twice, and nearly scored a hat trick if he did not miss the penalty. Spain comfortably beat Honduras 2-0, shaking off their defeat from Switzerland last week. They say it's bad omen since no team has advanced to the finals after losing their first match in the World Cup finals (statistic courtesy of the stat happy ESPN). Whether Spain can hold on will be one of the major storylines this time.
And people can finally rejoice at all the star players hitting their stride. Now we just need Red Card Rooney and El Nino to step it up as well.
Perhaps it is not yet the end of football in the old world, as I predicted last time around. Germany and England still have a chance to prove themselves, and France... well I'm watching France right now and it is a complete meltdown. Platini is kicking himself as we speak.
Today Korea will be playing the most important game of their lives against the Super Eagles. I'll be sporting my Seung Yeung jersey during the match. C'mon South Korea, show the North how it's really played.
World Cup 2010 Day 10 Review
And the champions Italy couldn't fend off the roaring Kiwis. Despite an Iaquinta goal, the All Whites came back to tie the game and played a very spirited side, something quite uncommon this tournament. The only Italian that seemed to have a spark was Camoronesi. And did everyone else notice Public Enemy #1 as the fourth referee? I bet all the Americans were burning with anger at every sight of him. 
Meanwhile, all the teams in the new world are doing superb. The US has tied both of its games, Argentina is breezing through, and even teams like Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile are all on top of their groups. Brazil, of course, cruised through Ivory Coast with a 3-1 finish. Fabiano had two hand balls for his goal, which the referee saw and yet didn't blow the whistle, as evidenced by the wink and smile to Fabiano afterwards.
It turns out the referee was French.
But perhaps the real concern is with the fact that except for Ghana, all the African nations are languishing. Ivory Coast and Cameroon are virtually eliminated after their matches yesterday. I had both advancing out of their groups, so my optimism has gotten the better of me. It would have made for a great story, to see African nations do well, but that epic shall not be written this time.
World Cup 2010 Day 8 & 9 Review
At work we have a live feed of the BP oil spill underwater cam on one of our screens. It's atrociously amazing how much oil is being spilled out, after its first burst in April 20. That's a full two months. The full consequence of the damage it will bring is still to be seen. But really, all is not right with the world because we have seen quite a few controversies on Day 8 of the 2010 World Cup. 
Ze Germans Beaten
After Germany's fine display against Australia, I was hoping for another thrashing against Serbia. But the referee had other plans in mind. Klose was given two yellow cards for innocent tussles, and Germany was forced to play a more compact game against a very tough and defensive minded Serbia. A Khedira strike was denied by the third arm of the goalie, and Lukas Podolski had a chance to equalize, but failed to convert the penalty. The distinguished media noted that perhaps this is the end of the world as we know it, as Germany has not missed a penalty since 1982. I think this particular statistic speaks on Germany's efficiency, but really, does it matter? In another match, I remember ESPN spitting out stats like "this team has not won a world cup game since 2006," which to the casual observer might seem like a very big drought, but really all it means is the two games played this year, and a handful of games played in the last world cup, which is coincidentally in 2006.
Jogi Low's Slim Cardigan Was Not Enough To Pull A Win
Jogi Low and his staff came out with matching cardigans, which looked slightly more stylish than their previous powder blue v-neck t-shirt under a dark sport coat. Unfortunately, games are not won on looks, otherwise Germany would be the runaway winner.
Does anyone else think that ESPN's coverage is woeful and tragic? At least they don't have Dave O'Brien calling the games like in 2006, but seriously, some of the trivia is just horrendous. And the in-studio commentating by Alexi Lalas and crew are absolutely unbearable to watch. Oh, and if I hear another John Harkes comment, I might just stick a metal fork in the closest electric socket. The only silver lining is Martin Tyler and long time Champions league commenter Derek Rae calling certain games.
The English Tragedy of Shakespearean Proportions
If there's any game more unwatchable than the Algeria v. Slovenia game so far, it's the England v. Algeria game on day 8. The English seemed to be resolute on proving everyone that they are not a kick and rush team, as expertly analyzed by Franz Beckenbauer. Why Beckenbauer, a German, decided to impart his wisdom to the English, I have no idea, but maybe it's a European thing. But their on-the-ground game was no better than their kick and rush game. In fact, it was just as bad if not worse. It was so bad that the English media has hit out on all four cylinders against the two and a half lions (as the Guardian's Marina Hyde calls them). This quote during the live coverage amply conveys the attitude:
"But Algeria seem to have hit upon the effective tactic of kicking the ball deep to Carragher and then waiting for it come back to them in a better position."
"David James flings the ball to Emile Heskey on the halfway line. He's standing alone under no pressure, the ball hits his shin and bounces to an Algerian player standing five yards away. Good hold-up player my backside, he's a joke. He couldn't trap a bag of cement."
You get the idea. Meanwhile Robert Green is now sighing with relief, as this game cannot be blamed on him.
Cappelloface!
The only entertaining thing about the game was the constant slow motion captures of Fabio Capello's endless rage (Capelloface!), and something-for-the-ladies Beckham showing his rueful facial expressions, as if he knows exactly when the camera is on him. Another friend commented that anything in slow motion makes it awesome, even when players are elbowing others in the face (Dempsey), braving the cold on the bench (Thierry Henry), and biting their fingernails (LeBron James). Well done, ESPN.
Denied by Koman
How good is Donovan? He's come a long way from his awful spell in Germany back in 2005. He's made a killer goal at an awkward angle, unlike the rubbish that is the Maicon goal. Yes I still think that Maicon goal is non-sense in the fact that he "just went for it" and it happened to bend and go in. Almost as rubbish as a "f--ing Frank Lampard goal." The USA has come back from a two goal deficit and even made a third, only to be denied by a certain referee Koman Coulibaly. The Americans are at an outrage, and Koman Coulibaly has become public enemy number one. I've seen the highlights multiple times, and find it puzzling that he blew the whistle even before Edu had a shot at goal. He must have seen something, and perhaps it is as stated in this NYTimes Goal blog.
Meanwhile, The Oranje marched on over Japan with a 1-0, with Dirk Kuyt dishing out some "fine" trash talking, by saying to the media that many of his teammates enjoy eating sushi, and look forward to eating it for dinner after the match. They shall eat sushi indeed, just as me and the mrs have done the night before.
The real story behind this year's World Cup is not in that the games are not exciting enough, or that the Jabulani is horrendous, or that Cristiano Ronaldo's hair has too much product in it. The real story is that even the minnows are capable of holding their ground, and able to compete in a meaningful way. The USA is now a legitimate contender, South Korea is a respectable opponent, and North Korea can put up a fight that doesn't involve guns and nuclear warheads. This makes for a more exciting tournament with less blow-outs and less rubbish games at the end of the group stage, where teams rest their best players and the rest on the pitch play 90 minutes of monkey-in-the-middle.
By the way, it's becoming increasingly difficult to write these blog posts, with erratic sleeping patterns (4:30am for us west coasters), work (unfortunately can't take 30 days of PTO), and being in my first year of marriage (so many things to do, so little time). The fine folks at the Guardian seem to be watching and live blogging during work (oh, the productivity!), while I'm busily writing while I watch at 7 in the morning. Only if I can apply such efficiency and dedication to more important things like spirituality.
Postscript: Anelka is going home after giving a mouthful to his coach, Domenech. Bon Voyage!
