Since I wrote about American baseball, I feel like I must give the rest of the world equal time. So let;s talk about soccer, or football for those outside the United States. The World Cup semifinals are set, and it's an all Europe event, with Argentina and Brazil both losing int he quarterfinals. I am still guessing that Germany will win, but can anyone count out France, who has suddenly come alive, having beaten Brazil?
I feel bad for my British friends, whose team lost in a shoot out yesterday. I know how much soccer means in England, but their team just didn't come through when they needed a superior effort. I was impressed with the goalie for Portugal; he got a hand on every one of the penalty shots from the English players. Will England soon forgive Mr. Rooney for being sent when his country needed him most? I don't think so.
There just isn't enough scoring in soccer for it to ever catch on in a big way in the United States. I went to a baseball game last night and the score was 9-2. The largest win in the quarterfinals was Italy's 3-0 win over my people, the Ukrainians. But the matches were on television here, and people are following with moderate interest.
I am sticking with my prediction that Germany will win, but anything can happen this coming week. I will be watching, as long as there isn't a baseball game on television at the same time to woo my attention away.
Technorati Tags: The World Cup, soccer
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