A few thoughts on the Germany- Costa Rica opener
As Zach points out- that Adidas ball can fly. It is going to be a goalkeeper’s nightmare but it...
Category: World Cup History
ESPN’s coverage of the World Cup: A tip of the hat
ESPN’s pair of experts Eric Wynalda and Julie Foudy worked well together in the opener. It’s a good team...
Frings puts it away: Germany 4 Costa Rica 2
A set piece. And a pile driver from Frings from 25 yards out. Porras could only look at the...
Video: Who is Paulo Wanchope?
The Wikipedia entry on Wanchope is uptodate- including his two goals today! I’m impressed!!
Wanchope scores again: Germany 3 Costa Rica 2
Whooooo!!! This game is still on . Wanchope tapped the ball past Lehmann after dubiously being ruled onside. He...
Video: Who is Miroslave Klose?
The birthday boy scores his second goal. Germany’s beating up on Costa Rica… Here’s a Klose compilation:
The Germany- Costa Rica game unfolds
The German trio of Podolksi- Schweinsteiger- Schneider look dangerous. Something for other teams to look out for. Wanchope is...
Germany up through Klose
Ding dong battle. 17 minutes three goals. Germany up again through Klose as he finishes off a Schweinsteiger pass...
Germany 1 up on Ecuador
Philip Lamm scores from the left flank after some nifty footwork. Great shot to the left hand corner of...
Wanchope equalizes for Ecuador
What a game. Wanchope just collected the ball and cool and calm, tapped the ball past Lehmann
Soccerblog analysis: Poland vs Ecuador in their World Cup matchup
VS Poland meets Ecuador today, Jun 9 in Gelsenkirchen at 9:00 PM German time (3:00 PM EST) Poland- Ecuador...
Gerd Muller’s 14 goals wears heavily on Ronaldo’s head
If for some reason Ronaldo does not get to break Muller’s record, then we will have to regale ourselves...
The Soca Warriors: Entertaining the Volk as they prepare
C’mon Russell!! C’mon Dwight!!Le’sgo Soca Warriors!! The Soca Warriors are having a blast at their training camp at Bremen...
Soccer divers beware: The fans are adopting a zero tolerance policy
As the videos below show how diving has become an artfrom, and we can now laugh at these outrageous...
Interesting World Cup statistics
* Since the beginning of group play in 1950, teams that have won the first games have advanced to...
Video: JAPAN Preview – World Cup 2006
We’ll find out if Coach Zico knows his business…
Video: UKRAINE Preview – World Cup 2006
I used to be a fan of Blokhin… now I’m not. Still, I wish them the best.
Video: TRINIDAD & TOBAGO Preview – World Cup 2006
Will the Soca Warriors take out England? or Paraguay?
Video: Australia Preview – World Cup 2006
The Socceroos may surprise us, and themselves!
Video: France Preview – World Cup 2006
Without Cisse, they’re in trouble…
Soccerblog analysis: The US vs Italy match up in the World Cup
VS The US meets Italy on 17 Jun at Kaiserslautern at 9 PM German time (3 PM EST). USA...
Ronaldinho: “Book ’em, Ref!”
Ronaldinho has pleaded with the referees to look after him and his World Cup titleholding team-mates Brazil during the...
Why the US doesn’t love soccer: A few more thoughts
I came across Chicagoland’s Dave Eggers (his novel ‘You Shall Know Our Velocity’ was a great read ) tongue...
The Ritual: England’s 13 Failures
There is an alternative universe in which Beckham didn’t get sent off, Banks didn’t get ill, the referee spotted...
Ball History: Which Ones Have you Kicked?
I never have kicked a TELSTAR – I like its classical looks. Its the design I like the most-...
Basil Fawlty makes peace with the Germans on the eve of the World Cup
In Episode 6 of Fawlty Towers, “The Germans” a clearly discombobulated Basil Fawlty goes around his staff imploring them...
Soccer roundup: Italy, Ukraine draw; Germany over Colombia
Italy ground to a 1-1 draw with a Shevchenko-less Ukraine and Germany put away Colombia 3-0 with surprising ease...
Video: Holland Preview – World Cup 2006
Marco Van Basten is a non nonsense coach who is interested in performance. The Dutch could go all the...
The Beatles: Albert Stubbins and Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
Cover designed by Peter Blake Albert Stubbins- 1930’s Liverpool player The cover of the Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club...
The US soccer team, the Beatles, and the Reeperbahn
Cover designed by Klaus Voormann The Beatles spent plenty of time in Hamburg in the early 1960’s. Stu Sutcliffe...
Soccerblog analysis: The USA vs Czech Republic match up
VS The US opens against the Czech Republic on June 12th. FIFA rank/ WC odds Czech Republic 2/ 29:1...
Video: ITALY Preview – World Cup 2006
They’ll be playing in the shadow of corruption. But you can never count them out…
Video: ENGLAND Preview – World Cup 2006
Rooney or not, England has a chance!
Video: BRAZIL Preview – World Cup 2006
Clearly the favorites, but they never win when they are…
A rebuttal to Vas is Los? I’ll tell you Vas is Los
I think Tony Karon is being a bit tough on the German team. Admittedly the world has incorporated all...
Where is the buzz out here on the biggest sporting event of the world?
I must be missing something. At least that’s the way I console myself when I look around and see...
Will the US soccer team be favorably received in Germany?
In WC 2002, the US team played a contentious match with co-hosts South Korea. The 65,000 S.Korean fans were...
Video: Brazil’s Duty to Beauty
Times correspondent Owen Slot flies down to Brazil to chat with Dr. Sócrates– the Dean of Jogo Bonito. The...
Lev Yashin, the Black Panther: USSR’s soccer talisman
We have talismans for every country for each World Cup in soccer and then you have Pele, the most...
The Eurocentric effect on soccer: Juju men are being marginalized
BF Skinner, the father of behavior pyschology studied the association between ritualistic behavior and a desired outcome that leads...
Double Dutch: Johan Neeskens tutors the Socceroos
Johan Neeskens, The Socceroos assistant coach Gus Hiddink is the coach of the Socceroos and his assistant coach is...
Strange rituals: Sergio Goycochea, Argentina’s 1990 WC hero
All players in every game go through every type of ritualistic behavior that they think will make Lady Luck...
Video: The Life and Times of Kevin Keegan
In some ways, the brutal honesty of Kevin Keegan was responsible for both success and failure. He did things...
Beenhakker thinks England is all hype: The trash talking begins
Soca Warrior coach Leo Beenhakker has had it with England will do this and that. As T&T’s friendly against...
Video: Croatia’s Chances
Will they get to the finals? I believe they could upset Brazil in their group: “Brazil are favourites, not...
Nature vs Nurture: What makes Brazil so good
Pele celebrating the 1970 Brazil victory Reading through Nobel Laureate Gerald Edelman’s work, of selectional theory of brain development,...
National Geographic: Why the World Loves Soccer
Tons of good stuff from the soccer nerds at National Geographic: “Introduction” by Sean Wilsey “IVORY COAST—The Way to...
Alessandro Del Piero: Peter watches but does not admit him into heaven
……. At least not this time. Impressive dribbling though. But some people are hard to please, as noted below...
Video: Gordon Banks – “The Banks of England”
The greatest save of all time? The greatest goalkeeper on the planet, said Pele. Here’s how Banks remembers the...