And on the twentieth day, the World Cup rested
28 June 2006, 19:13
I spent 19 straight days watching soccer, sometimes for eight hours a day. When I wasn’t doing that, I was usually reading about it, or writing about it, or watching Sky Sports News highlights of the games I had just seen. Now that I have two days of rest, I realize I’ve let a few things go unattended. My apartment is a mess. I’ve been wearing the same clothes for days. I’ve missed out on some work opportunities. To top it off, I’ve been suspended from my food co-op.
Today I had time to get things in order and to reflect on the last few weeks. The first thing I did was hang up my Ecuador shirt. It was a sad but necessary ritual. I didn’t take the shirt off after their loss on Sunday. I saw Ecuadorians on the news celebrating in the face of defeat. I didn’t want to be a fair-weather fan. Besides, I hadn’t done laundry in a while. That shirt was as good as any.
The performance of La Tri in the first two games is one of the things I’ll remember about the Cup. Ultimately, though, they couldn’t get past a dull English side. England packed the middle of the field, and the Ecuadorians looked lost. Beckham’s free-kick was so good, it seemed to have induced vomit. The rest of the match was similarly sickening. Adios, Ecuador. Until we meet again.
My other fake nationality failed me as well. Spain folded right on cue (more on this in a later post) while France suddenly looked alive. The pasty, but deceivingly fast, Frank Ribery cut through the semi-soft Spanish defense. Spain ceded the midfield that they had so dominantly controlled in earlier matches. Zidane danced a bit. Henry barged into Puyol and flopped (Did someone say Henry doesn’t flop?). France took the lead. Zidane and Barthez rubbed each other’s heads. ¡Qué lástima!
Switzerland made it very clear that they did not have much use for goals. They conceded none in four matches, but they couldn’t score from the penalty spot.
The Netherlands went out with chaotic disregard for the normal rules of civil society. The thing I’ll remember most from that strange battle with Portugal is the image of Deco and Van Bronckhorst, sitting together on the sideline smiling. The two Barcelona players, playing against one another, had been sent off. The game was brutal, and the refereeing was awful. But they seemed the best of friends, compatriots in the spectacle of sport.
I was thinking about that match as I was folding my clothes, thinking I wanted to figure it out. So I started to watch it again (Ah, the beauties of the DVR!). Then I realized I have three more games I still haven’t seen. I have a lot of soccer to watch before games begin again on Friday. I put my other taks aside. I have to get started.
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I can lend you some clean shirts for the quarters and semi’s.
— Tyson · 29 June 2006, 07:41 · #