Casually Informed World Cup Observations

My Favorite Officials on Earth are the Offsides Guys
            Most sports use lines to determine when a player is offside or out of bounds, but soccer opts to use little European dudes running up and down the sideline with flags. It’s fantastic.

Lionel Messi is Better at Futbol Than Anyone Else is at Anything Else

            Argentina isn’t as deep as Brazil or Germany, and their defense isn’t highly regarded either. However, Lionel Messi is the greatest equalizer in the game. His mere presence on the pitch seemed to force Belgium into a hyper-defensive game plan (remember that this is the same Belgium team that peppered Tim Howard with shots last Sunday. They only managed one shot today, which either had to do with incredible defense by Argentina or FIFA rigging the match), which is reminiscent of how NFL defenses used to play against Randy Moss. Assuming Argentina gets past the Netherlands (which isn’t a sure thing), defeating Brazil or Germany in the final would further cement Messi’s near mythical status.

Goalies Have Been Ridiculous

            Whether it was Tim Howard or Guillermo Ochoa, we’ve almost seen NHL-like performances where a hot goaltender is almost enough to deliver a victory. Howard became an instant Twitter folk-hero with his record setting, 15-save performance against Belgium. Even though goal scoring is up, the play of goalies will be on of the things I remember about the 2014 World Cup. 

Soccer Players are Lucky FIFA Isn’t Run By the NBA

            With the amount of flopping that goes on in every game, the NBA would be doling out $2 million in fines per match.

I Love the Time of Day These Games are Played

            Seriously, what’s better than turning a World Cup game on when normally your best TV option is “The Price is Right” or “Ellen”? The USMNT game against Belgium did better in the ratings than the NBA Finals did, and that game started at 4 p.m. on a Tuesday. MLB should take some notes and consider moving their start times up.

The Start Times are Going to Suck For Americans in Four Years

            The 2018 World Cup is going to be in Russia, which means most of the games will begin between 5 and 7 in the morning for East Coast Americans. Americans have shown they can get into soccer, but the 2018 Cup will be a serious test of our dedication to the game.

USMNT is the Worst Acronym Ever

            Acronyms should be less than three letters (NFL, L.A., USA), with the only larger ones being acronyms that can be spoken like a word (NASCAR, NASA). USMNT doesn’t fit either of those two conditions.

 



Neymar’s Injury is a Bummer

            At least Brazil will have a good excuse when they lose to Germany.