It Can Only Get Better...Right?

Bumble-Bee Man Laments The Lack Of Goal-Scoring Chances

Well, the 1st round of games is in the record books. To be honest, it hasn’t been fantastic soccer. Too many teams playing too cautious and defensive. They’re afraid to make a mistake. I don’t think that’s going to get you very far as the tournament progresses, or at least I hope not.

Time to do a quick ranking system for the 1st round. I’m going to do 2 thumbs up and work my way to 2 thumbs down, selecting a team and a player for each, and then finish the column off with a couple of quotes.

(Author’s note: I wrote this before Switzerland’s upset of Spain, mainly because I thought the Swiss had no chance of winning…ok, so I was wrong…but I’m not amending my column, because Spain did everything but score, so there!)

2 Thumbs Up –
Team – Germany – The only one of the 32 teams who waged a full-on blitzkrieg on their opponent in the 1st round. Their offense was so potent that they could have been arrested on misdemeanor assault charges against the overmatched Aussies, who, thanks to a stupid straight red card on Tim Cahill, can kiss any chance they had of reaching the 2nd round goodbye. The Germans were easily the best team in round 1.

Player – (tie) Podolski and Klose – Germany – Forget that these two had less than stellar club seasons this past year. Coach Joachim Low showed why the players put their trust in him, as he fielded a nice mix of youth and experience that worked perfectly in game 1. Klose and Podolski were sharp from the get-go and seemed rejuvenated. If they can stay on form, Germany has as good a chance as anyone of winning the Title.

1 Thumb Up –
Team – Netherlands – They didn’t do anything spectacular against Denmark other than grind out a hard-fought 2-0 win. It was the kind of game the Dutch normally has a problem with, as it goes against their free-flowing style. But they did it without Arjen Robben, and although most critics said they weren’t inspirational Monday, that doesn’t mean they weren’t effective.

Player – Park Ji-Sung – South Korea – Scored a wonderful 2nd goal after stripping the Greek defender late in the game and calmly slotting the ball home. Big goal, as the 2nd place winner between them and Nigeria comes down to goal differential. Park, who plays for Manchester United, showed he is still a formidable threat in International play, and he will have a big role in deciding South Korea’s fate as the next 2 rounds begin.

No Thumbs –
Team – (tie) Ivory Coast and Portugal – It was obvious that neither team cared to score a goal by the time the 60th minute came around, even after Drogba made a heroic return for The Elephants. Only 1 great chance in the game; Ronaldo’s blistering shot caromed off the woodwork. What was viewed as arguably the best of the 1st round games disappointed most observers.

Player – Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal – Not great, not poor, just blah. As mentioned, he hit a shot off the crossbar in the 10th minute that would have probably been the goal of the tournament, but after that attempt, seemed to create little, other than some drama every time he fell to the ground. He needs to step up and be the leader of this team, and I’m not sure he’s capable of doing that right now.

1 Thumb Down
Team – France – They don’t like each other; they don’t like their coach; the coach doesn’t like them. It’s a perfect formula for failure…early failure. The team has talent but can’t get it together. I made the mistake of thinking they would do so once the tournament rolled around. However, after that ugly and uninspiring performance against Uruguay on the 1st day, I wish I could change my prediction about them. They have a chance to redeem themselves against Mexico in round 2, but I think El Tri will go around the French like the Nazis did the Maginot Line.

Player – Lionel Messi – Argentina – He actually didn’t play poorly. He was dangerous nearly every time he touched the ball and created numerous scoring chances. But at this level, and on this stage, he’s gotta put one of those in the back of the net. That game should not have ended 1-0 for the Argies, as they let Nigeria hang in until the very end. They could play great like this the entire game, but against tougher competition, against a team that can finish, they’ll go home trophy-less.

2 Thumbs Down
Team – Cameroon – One of the least inspirational performances I saw in the 1st round. There were a few other teams who looked bad, but for an African team playing on their home continent, I expected much more. They weren’t exactly playing a juggernaut in Japan, who were in terrible form coming into the tournament. Cameroon is really behind the 8-ball, needing at least a win and draw in its last 2 games against Denmark and Netherlands to even have a chance to advance.

Player – Frank Lampard – England – Yes, I know Robert Green let in one of the worst goals ever, but he did make a splendid save on Jozy Altidore in the 2nd half to preserve the draw. Lampard was invisible for the entire match except for the 1 free kick he took that wound up in the 8th row (though that’s just an estimate on my part). He completed most of his passes, but they were square or backward, and he made few/any offensive flurries into the U.S. third. He needs to do better. This team needs a 3rd option when Rooney and Garrard (aside from his early goal) are stifled, as they were Saturday night.

Notable Quotes
A text to me from Walsh when England’s starting 11 was announced for the U.S. game – “Thank God for Robert Green.” Nice prediction, Pat!

From ESPN announcer Martin Tyler when Cuauhtemoc Blanco entered as a sub for Mexico against South Africa – “He’s not quite the oldest player in the competition, but he certainly is the heaviest.”

Check back for Pat’s analysis after the 2nd batch of Group games are done on Monday.

Thanks for reading and continue to enjoy the Cup!