A Soccer ThreeSum!

Three days into the 2010 World Cup and it’s time to pen a few random thoughts:

1. The vuvuzelas (pronounced vu-vu-ZAY-las) have become synonymous with the South African edition of the soccer World Cup. It’s such a nuisance that the television volume has to be turned down low to be able to enjoy the games.  Am I the only one complaining? The only way to have fun with the vuvus is to join them! (I've shortened vuvuzelas to vuvus; just so difficult to wrap my tongue around 4 syllables!)

2. The only teams to have scored two goals or more in their games have been South Korea and Germany. And I was starting to despair that this edition of the World Cup would see a goal drought. It took a team from the Far East to relieve the tedium. And though Germany may be considered boring, dull workhorses, they  rarely shy away from scoring goals!

Quote of the day:
Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. - Sir Richard Steele

3. England has only itself to blame for letting the US escape with a 1-1 draw. England seems to have perfected the art of making it tough for itself to qualify for the next round, circa 1998.

4. Watching Maradona on the sidelines is as entertaining as the brand of football dished out by his compatriots. Expect more fireworks in the days ahead from Diego and his team!

5. "A victory for African football" via Ghana rings hollow; the winning goal was a penalty. Penalties just don’t have that romantic flavor or edginess to them, do they?

6. The number of complaints about the new Adidas ball is directly proportional to how much the teams and players believe that it adversely affected their performances. A universally accepted truth: Winners never whine, losers always do!

7. Finally, compared to other sports, soccer is slow and not really made for television. You could watch an entire game without seeing a goal. Field and ice hockey are more result oriented , basketball has more baskets made and is played at a faster pace, and tennis has more points played. But what keeps the magic of soccer going is it's accessibility: all you need is a ball and a couple of rocks for goal posts. It  is perhaps the only game that most people have either encountered or played at some point in their lives. Thus, the romance of  soccer never dies! It is a game enjoyed more in the middle rather than from the sidelines! This game is truly bonito!

Have a great day!

Original article here: http://linusfernandes.com/2010/06/14/a-soccer-threesum/