4. The Unnecessary Back Pass To the Goalkeeper. This is the kind of thing that is more characteristic of 2010. I'm not talking about a harried defender flipping the ball to his keeper so he can boot away under pressure. I mean the moment, all too common so far in this Cup, when a fullback of some kind, with no opposing player within 15 yards, arbitrarily knocks it back to the goal-box. I know that tactically this move might be defended as the safest way to reverse field and restart the possession on the other half of the pitch. But really, most of the time it just looks like bored, spiritless, life-denying football. It says to the viewer: "There will not be a goal, or a chance at a goal, in the next 45 seconds, and probably far longer. You may now get up and raid the fridge for your leftover Taco Bell Big Box without fear.." (Well, actually, if I had a leftover Big Box in the fridge I might not mind so much.) It's exactly the kind of ultra-conservative thing that stops many an American from appreciating soccer, and I guess I'm American enough to resent it, too.
Any of you guys have any ideas about how to fire up the offenses a little more? Or should I just accept that "defense wins championships" and stop harping on this theme?