The first set of group play matches for the 2010 World Cup are complete and the second set got underway Wednesday as South Africa lost to Uruguay 3-0. The tournament has been entertaining so far, and I have a few thoughts on what I have seen.
- For the people complaining about the vuvuzelas, get over it!! I have been able to ignore them, you should be able to also. If not, turn the TV down. The vuvuzelas are part of the culture in South Africa and I think it’s ignorant that people have actually wanted to ban them.
- The teams have been playing extremely cautious. It puts you in such a deep hole if you lose the first game that most teams have been reserved with their play. Look for teams to start playing to win, instead of playing not to lose in the next set of games. A lot of these countries are now in must win situations, including the United States.
- I think the ball is playing a factor in the low scoring. Normally the goalies are the ones affected by the ball, this time around, I think it’s the strikers. It seems as if nobody can keep their shots down. I can count on one hand how many free kicks I have actually seen on target. Most of them sail over the crossbar.
- Out of all the teams, Germany, South Korea, and the Netherlands have impressed me the most to this point. The best match had to be Spain/Switzerland followed by U.S./England, although I have been entertained by most games.
For those of you that are skeptical about the World Cup, just hang with it. The second and third set of games in group play will be a lot more action packed. Plus, it really starts getting good in the knockout rounds and there will be no draws for those of you that it bothers.
