This just in: vuvezelas are still annoying.
This morning marks what is in some ways the first viewer's milestone of the 2010 World Cup: after today, the daily barrage of matches at 7:30, 10:00 and 2:30 EST is no more. The final round of group games will be played simultaneously at 10 and at 2:30 -- so from Tuesday through Friday, actually, there will be more games per day but fewer hours to watch. I'll be back before the first of those final-group games with a preview, and an early glimpse at the permutations for the final knockout stage bracket.
Meanwhile, three days letter, the Malian referee's decision against the United States still doesn't make any sense. But that hasn't stopped the Internet from trying to defend him:
* Andrew Das at the NY Times's soccer blog play-acts as Coulibaly's defense attorney, presenting a few photos of what look like equal-opportunity mugging in the box, just as Donovan's cross comes through. I'm still not convinced -- even the worst American offense, Carlos Bocanegra's seeming arm-hug of a Slovenian, seems cancelled out by the fact that that same Slovenian has him in a headlock.
* Mike McConnell at the Bleacher Report argues, somewhat more convincingly, that US soccer should thank Coulibaly: this injustice may do more than simple group-stage success to make Americans care about the World Cup.
* Whatever the cause, more people at home are watching. ESPN and Univision's ratings are way up from 2006.
* The ultimate vuvezela gallery. Make sure to check out the Materrazi-Zidane replay.
* And you haven't heard already, Team France has imploded: "Go fuck yourself, you son of a whore."
Meanwhile, three days letter, the Malian referee's decision against the United States still doesn't make any sense. But that hasn't stopped the Internet from trying to defend him:
* Andrew Das at the NY Times's soccer blog play-acts as Coulibaly's defense attorney, presenting a few photos of what look like equal-opportunity mugging in the box, just as Donovan's cross comes through. I'm still not convinced -- even the worst American offense, Carlos Bocanegra's seeming arm-hug of a Slovenian, seems cancelled out by the fact that that same Slovenian has him in a headlock.
* Mike McConnell at the Bleacher Report argues, somewhat more convincingly, that US soccer should thank Coulibaly: this injustice may do more than simple group-stage success to make Americans care about the World Cup.
* Whatever the cause, more people at home are watching. ESPN and Univision's ratings are way up from 2006.
* The ultimate vuvezela gallery. Make sure to check out the Materrazi-Zidane replay.
* And you haven't heard already, Team France has imploded: "Go fuck yourself, you son of a whore."