Five Things To Love About The World Cup

Two years ago, it was the European Cup.
Last year, it was the Confederations Cup.
This summer, soccer’s biggest event is all the rage, and you’d better believe that I’m right there in the middle of it once again.
You may or may not remember (if you don’t, it’s OK) that I never used to be a soccer fan. I was one of those “typical” Americans who believed that if you can’t use your hands, it isn’t a real sport. Granted, I was also once a fan of the WWF (before it became the WWE) and considered that to be a real sport. But that was back before Hulk Hogan became a parody of himself.
Anyway, somewhere along the way, I started becoming interested in soccer. I think it stemmed from an invitation to play goalie for an indoor soccer team with some friends I met when I moved out here to Valley Center. I had never played soccer before, but I used to play goalie when the kids from my church youth group back home would play floor hockey, so I figured it was pretty much the same thing.
Turns out it was a lot of fun, and the more I saw how exciting soccer is, the more I wanted to see the high-quality, professional version.
And it doesn’t get much better than international soccer, where players are playing for more than just a ridiculous paycheck.
The past two summers have featured some outstanding soccer, from Spain’s big win in the Euro Cup to the thrilling run the USA had in the Confederations Cup last year. When the weather started to warm up this spring, I had June 11 circled on my calendar and I was devouring everything I could find to read about the tournament.
Thus far, the World Cup has fulfilled all my hopes and more. I’m far too lazy – er, busy – to get up at 4 a.m. to watch the matches as they happen, but thanks to the magic of digital video recording (DVR), I’ve been able to watch all but a few of the matches. I’m sure that some people care about matches like Serbia vs. Ghana, but I tend to like watching matches that involve at least some degree of interest.
With one more match for each team in the group stage left to play, I’ve started to appreciate some of the really great aspects of the tournament, while also lamenting some of the downfalls.
Here is a list of my five favorite and least favorite things about the 2010 World Cup so far.

Favorites

1. Patriotism
Like I said, it’s one thing to watch an athlete play a game to earn a bloated salary. Elite athletes are elite regardless of what they’re playing for, but there is a little extra something when a team of individual talents comes together to represent their country together. You see a little bit more heart, a little bit more emotion, a little bit more hustle, and just a little bit more exuberance. I guarantee that every one of the players in this tournament has thought about what it means to represent his country on the field, and it shows in how they play.
And while the focus on national pride brings out a spirit of friendly competition, the tournament can also help bridge a gap that can be otherwise un-bridgeable. The fact that North Korea has a team in the World Cup is a testament to the breaking of barriers that a tournament like this can accomplish. There was a lot of mystery surrounding the North Korean team heading into the tournament, from their players to their tactics to even their uniforms.
But when they’re on the field, they’re just like all the other players. They run, they pass, the fall down at the slightest bit of contact (spoiler alert for my least favorite section), and they look like they’re having fun. Well, except during that 7-0 drubbing that Portugal handed them. Something tells me that I don’t want to ride any subways or visit any tall buildings in Portugal for a while.
See though, that’s what is so great about this tournament – even though there is a very real tension between North Korea and… well, pretty much everyone, the World Cup is a way to help us all see that they are real people. Even if their leader (reportedly) has a secret communication link to the coach so he can talk to him during the games, the players are out there for the same reason as all the other players: to represent their country by playing a game they love.
2. The British commentary
My wife likes to tease me for thinking that I’m English, which I like to encourage by telling her that I consider myself to be English. In reality, my ancestry is English, but I really enjoy the mannerisms, and especially the witticisms, of our neighbors across the pond.
Whether we’re hearing from Martin Tyler, Derek Rae, Adrian Healey, Ian Darke, Efan Ekoku, or Ally McCoist, it’s just fantastic to hear their descriptions of even the most mundane on-field (or on-pitch) activities.
In the last two summers, I’ve noticed that English commentators refer to a country in the plural, as in, “England are attacking with a purpose tonight,” or something along those lines. There are lots of other terms specific to the sport, such as “pitch” instead of “field,” or “boot” instead of “shoe,” or “good ball” instead of “nice pass.”
But the one phrase I’ve been especially excited about this year is the way the commentators talk about a team that is creating some opportunities on offense. You’ll see a player bring the ball up the field and start to make headway, and the commentators will say that the player is “asking all sorts of questions of the defense.” I don’t know why it’s so fantastic, but I love the way they say it. Honestly, a person with a British accent can make just about anything sound cool, but these guys take it to a whole new level.
Another fun thing about international soccer is the informal nicknames given to the teams.
Among the many nicknames out there, the English are known as The Three Lions (because of the three lions on their crest), the French are known as Les Blues (because they wear blue jerseys – leave it to the French to come up with something so clever), the South Africans are known as Bafana Bafana (The Boys, a term of endearment in Swahili), and the Australians are known as The Socceroos. American sports teams have names, some nostalgic but most often fueled by marketing purposes. But there’s something about a name originating with the fans that adds a connection to the team that goes just a little deeper. It’s like when you get to know why your friend John is called Turtle by all his other friends. For the record, I’m pretty sure it’s because he really loves those little chocolates with the caramel and pecans.
3. The flair
Everybody’s got their own set of fashion rules these days, and the players in the World Cup are definitely not an exception.
From frosted tips to bleached braids to a collection of faux-hawks that stretches farther than the eye can see, the players inject their own flair into the proceedings.
But even more impressive than the individual styles are the fantastic uniforms (aka “kits”) worn in the tournament.
From the classic whites worn by the English to the light-blue-on-white vertical stripes of Argentina, to the trademark orange of the Dutch, to the mint-crème green of the Algerians (aka The Desert Foxes), so many of the jerseys this year are fabulous. Some teams even have a watermark-esque design on the shoulders, as seen in the form of a fox on the Algerian jersey, or an elephant on the jersey of the Ivory Coast.
Granted, there are some aberrations, like the beauty-queen-ish sash look on the blue USA jerseys or the cartoonish bright-red-on-bright-blue look the Spanish are showing us this time around.
But overall, most of the kits in this tournament are fun to see, and I think it adds another dimension to the proceedings.
4. The French are awful
I admit it. When I saw that French striker Nicolas Anelka got sent home for a “profanity-laced tirade” against his coach, the soon-to-be-dismissed Raymond Domenech, I chuckled. Then, when the rest of the French squad refused to practice because of the dismissal, I wondered who was sharpening up the guillotines.
France have yet to score a goal in the tournament, and they look old on the pitch. They made us suffer through a scoreless tie against Uruguay on the first day of the tournament, then gave all of Mexico another excuse to throw a party after a 2-0 loss to the Mexicans. The team is in disarray, the coach bases his lineup around the signs of the zodiac (I’m not making that up), and when you do a Google search for their best player, the top three suggested searches are Franck Ribery scandal, Franck Ribery scar, and Franck Ribery prostitute. None of that can lead to anything good.
5. Underdogs
Nothing makes sports more fun to watch than the fact that, as commentators have often said, the games aren’t played on paper.
Whether it’s the 1-1 tie between USA and England, or the 1-0 win for Switzerland over European champion Spain, or the 1-0 win for Serbia over a German team that was coming off a four-goal romp over the Socceroos.
Big-name players are getting lost in the shuffle of unlikely heroes, from Tshabalala for South Africa to Gabriel Heinze for Argentina to keeper Diego Benaglio of Switzerland.
Goals are at a premium, perhaps in part due to the new Jabulani ball that the players disparage so much, but the quality of play looks good so far, and for the fans who enjoy good soccer, it looks like there is plenty more to be had.
Next week, we’ll discuss some of the things I’m not so fond of in the World Cup, which may or may not contain a reference to Tim Donaghy. Stay tuned!
And if you have any thoughts of your own about the World Cup, drop me a line at sports@valleycenter.com and let me know what you think. I’ll even put the good responses in next week’s issue.
Unless you write in French, in which case you should just give up. Like the rest of the French.