Post Mortem on the World Cup

Well, I can finally go back to a normal (ha) sleep schedule now that the World Cup is over. It turns out that, like everyone else, my predictions weren't even close. Ah well.

The final was very entertaining and it was nice to see Ronaldo purge his demons with two goals (maybe he and Vieri will be able to avenge their Scudetto loss at Inter this year). Germany, despite the fact that they were lacking much of their best talent, proved to be consummate professionals this tournament. In the end, the best team in the tournament won. I don't think anyone can take issue with that.

Overall, I thought the Cup was a very good one; most games were well played, close, and full of differing degrees of tension. Unfortunately, the upsets and surprises made a few of the late games (the semifinals, especially) somewhat anti-climatic. I mean, while I don't take anything away from Turkey or South Korea, the inclusion of teams like Argentina, England, or France in the "final four" would have provided more attractive matchups. But I shouldn't complain about that, either.

As I pointed out last week, the US performed very well and football promises to have a good upside in this country if - and only if - public support stays at a level tenable for those keeping MLS on lifesupport (ahem, AEG). Talent, in the long run, will not be a problem. In the very near future, though, there is going to have to be a reconciliation between market initiative and the sport's unfriendly-for-TV format.

Teams that surprised: eh, do I really have to do that? Just look at the final eight.

Most Impressive Players: El Hadji Diouf showed a balance on the ball and ability to dribble at people that nobody else came close to (he does need to work on his finishing, though); Rivaldo, despite being a prima donna, proved again that he is the best forward-midfield hybrid in the game; Michael Ballack asserted that he's one of the best DH's in the game (where the hell were you, Patrick Vieira?) and will make Bayern proud this year; and Kahn, despite his drop in the final, is off the charts in terms of keeper ability. Promising young players, especially on the surprise squads (US, Korea, et al.), make for future optimism.

While there's a lot of crap rhetoric flying around about the "future of soccer" in America, here are two very simple tips for keeping the momentum:

*Support American youth soccer and, perhaps more importantly, the professional leagues: MLS and the WUSA. Both leagues run from late spring to early fall. Go to some of the games. If not, catch MLS games live on ESPN's Soccer Saturday or WUSA games on PAX TV. Subscribe to Soccer America magazine. Keep up with soccer news from ESPN's domestic soccer site or the more global Soccernet.com.

*Watch international soccer. ESPN2 carries UEFA Champions League matches on intermittent Wednesdays and Tuesdays from September to May. Catch weekend games on Spanish TV (Univision, Telefutura, and Telemundo). Also look for other foreign games on local access TV. For example, in my area, there’s an Italian Serie A match on WNYC every Sunday morning. Keep up to date with all of the soccer on television via SoccerTV.com.