Manana it all comes to an end. A month of triumphs, disappointments, and surprises. A month for me and the fellow pirates Gustavo and Ricardo of tons of miles by air and road, sharks, giraffes, dodgy streets, charming people, and a beautiful country.
Kudos South Africa: job well done. All the apocalyptic predictions of crime waves, terrorist attacks, and a developing country too primitive to accommodate the world....WERE JUST WRONG. Take the time to see the country and stop believing years of negative hype. It is a continent of progress with alot of work to do, but it is not a stone age place of primitive, famine ridden people who don't get it. World wake up!
On the field of play not the most scintillating tournament. The superstars did not rise to the occasion: Portuguese Ronaldo, the entire English team, Torres, and Messi to name a few. France provided more entertainment off the field with their soap opera than on with their goal scoring drought and lackluster play. Below is a hodgepodge of awards and observations for 2010 World Cup.
Primetime Player: Diego Forlan. Where did this come from? A disappointment at Manchester United and a solid player at Athletico Madrid, he played liked the man throughout the tournament. Free kicks, volleys, vision to set up his teammates. The guy just didn't quit, and brought all he had. Don't know if he will be in Brazil, but thanks for a great tournament.
Next World Power: All you can say about Germany is wow! A new world order is in the making. A offensive-minded, young, fast juggernaut. Add in the mix that with Turks, German, and Africans it represents a multicultural Germany I see version 2.0 of the 1998 French team. A new way of thinking about Germany and a new generation of style on the field that bombards you with goals.
Undeserved Villain: Luis Suarez of Uruguay. Somehow he becomes the Darth Vader of 2010 for a smart play to give his team a thread of hope. He played by the rules, got penalized, and his team found a way to win. He did not cheat. Asomoah Gyan of Ghana had a penalty for all the fame and glory.... and choked. Stop hating the playa, hate the game.
Biggest Soap Opera: France, why even take out Ireland, get on the plane, come to the beautiful country of South Africa, to play like shit at the World Cup?
Best Dramatic Team in the Right Way: The United States. With grit and guts overcame goal deficits and bad referee calls to bring it in two straight games, and almost a third against Ghana. You can question their technical ability, but not the heart. And Donovan, congrats on stepping up to the spotlight. Hope you can continue it week to week in the Premier League.
Too many moments to collect in one post. But one more game left, and a new nation will join the list of World Cup champions and collect a star for the badge. For me I hope Espana brings La Furia Roja for 90 minutes and takes the trophy home. But if Holland can make the third time in the final a charm, they deserve to be dogpiled by a bevy of blonde bombshell beer girls.
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Let’s not forget Mod and his stylish cardigans, scarves and Ringo doo. I agree Suarez did what he had to do and his primal instinct to win trumped arbitrary standards of moral philosophy. Can’t please everyone… one man's vuvuzela is another man's perforated ear drum. Hero by sacrificing himself with an immoral act, he saved the greater good; he moved Uruguay on to the semis. Iniesta’s tribute "Dani Jarque siempre con nosotros" to a fellow compadre in front of a near billion audience was also worth a card. Got to love the game of futbol! The stage is set for Rio. Who's in?
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