Tag: Qatar

  • World Cup Dispatch (UPDATE): USA v Iran

    A day like today is what makes the World Cup fun; Must win matches to get to the next round. Lots o’ drama.

    Unless you’re living under a rock with no wi-fi, then you know the big match of today is USA v Iran. The Americans need a win to advance, and Iran needs a win or a draw to move on to the next round. Then there is the animosity between our two countries which only heightens the emotions leading to this face off. I really don’t think there is much more insight I can offer, that hasn’t already been shared over the past few days.

    For me, I’m approaching this like a fan – I just want my team to win. And that desire creates in me an enjoyable competitive knot in my stomach. I felt this before when the Cubs went down in flames in 2003, or watching the Rangers lose the greatest game ever against the Cardinals in the World Series. But I also felt like this when the Mavericks won it all in 2011. And my insides were so squished together during the rain delay for Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, that I thought I might throw up. But I didn’t because the Cubs came out of the locker room to rally and break the curse.

    So, I know that feeling nervous just means that I care about my team, and I want them to win, and it sucks waiting for the match. And it will suck watching the match. And it will suck even more if the outcome isn’t the one I so desperately want.

    Boy! This is fun!

    UPDATE: The first half went a lot better than I thought it would. Iran looked like they had been knocked back on their heels, and didn’t have an answer to the American attacks. USMNT looks hungry out there, and they aren’t playing wild, just aggressive.

    Now, not for a second do I believe that Iran is out of this match. They seem to play better in the second half, and forty-five minutes is a long time. I expect them to put the pressure on by try to out run USA.

    I’m nervous but still having fun.

    (And if you are having fun easing this blog, show your appreciation by giving it a like. The Holidays are coming and that’s an easy gift to give.)

  • World Cup Dispatch: Catching Up, and Today

    So… I caught a cold this weekend. In fact, my wife caught it, too. We were done in by our daughter, who had a cold last week, got over it, and we thought we had dodged the bullet. We didn’t. It’s not awful, but it is a cold, which meant I did watch matches over the weekend, but just didn’t have the energy to write about it.

    My quick takes from the weekend:

    1. Feel bad for Mexico, but I had a feeling the Messi was going to show up, and he did. Things look good for Argentina, and rather dark for Mexico.
    2. I thought Japan would win, but Costa Rica’s Cup dreams are still alive.
    3. Germany is also not dead yet, but this could be the second Cup they don’t make it out of the Group stage.
    4. And the Big One; Belgium losing to Morocco. First of all, credit to Morocco for winning this against the number one team in the world. Second, maybe Belgium isn’t the powerhouse that everyone thinks they are; They did just barely beat Canada. Outside of France and Spain, none of the conventional “big” teams are playing very well. Not sure why that is, but it is making the tournament rather exciting.

    As for today, a little surprised that South Korea lost this morning. That might push them out of advancing, but I think there is a slim chance – a very slim chance. Brazil and Switzerland could be exciting with Neymar out, which could make Brazil human for the next two matches. Then there is Portugal and Uruguay. I can see this one getting chippy, and aggressive. I can’t explain it, but I think Uruguay will pull this one out.

    Let’s see how this goes.

    (Thanks for making it to the bottom of the post; either by reading or just scanning. If it was reading, and you enjoyed it, please give a like. It’s the only currency in this cold dead land.)

  • World Cup Dispatch: Spain v Costa Rica, and Other News

    I don’t know a whole lot about either team here; Spain or Costa Rica. What I do know is that Costa Rica is a scrappy squad whose best showing was back in the 2014 Cup when they made it to the Quarter Finals and lost to the Netherlands on penalties. And then there is Spain, who won it all back in 2010. What I do know about Spain and football, comes from my uncle who lived most of his life in Madrid. What he told me is that Spain’s love of football cannot be described, it just is part of Spanish life – it is the culture. All that having been said, Spain should win this… And at the 11th minute, Spain just scored.

    As we know, I will not get up at 5am to watch the first match of the day, but I am a little surprised that Croatia didn’t beat Morocco; I will need to read up and see what happened there. I mean, Belgium is predicted to win this group, but if Canada can pull a draw (very unlikely) then this group could end up rather competitive and fun to watch.

    Lastly, is anyone else having issues with the FIFA app on their phone? It’s glitchy and slow to update on my end, and was curious to see if anyone else is having problems.

    And Spain just scored again…

    (And, thanks for reading all the way to the bottom of this post. If you could do me a favor, hit that like button over there. It will help me out, with rankings and stuff.)

  • World Cup Dispatch (Update): Germany v Japan

    I have come into this match at the start of the second half, so I didn’t see Germany score its lone goal. The conventional wisdom here is that Germany should win this match, as Germany is one of the powerhouse nations when it comes to football. But, remember that the 2018 Cup was a disaster for Germany, so there are still questions lingering about this team. Now, Japan does have its work cut out for them, but by no means are they a long shot in this match. Since 2002, Japan has been fielding competitive teams in international play, and the only way you get better is by competing more.

    And watching Japan in this second half, they are coming across as the more aggressive team. They are fighting for every ball, and have had at least three really good scoring chances. Then, Japan’s goaltender, GONDA, just had four major stops in a series of shots from…

    And now Japan just scored! It’s 1-1, and Japan does look like the more relaxed team out there, as Germany looks edgy.

    Let’s see how the next 10 minutes go.

    UPDATE:

    WOW! Japan did it! Better than a draw, they beat Germany! The last twenty minutes were all Japan. That’s not to say that Germany didn’t threaten, but Japan’s defense was iron tight. GONDA, Japan’s goalie, was amazing! He seemed to be everywhere. But I also have to point out that Japan’s defense on Germany’s set plays are corners was impressive. This was not a weak German team, but Japan wore them down, like the old rope-a-dope, and then just took over at the end of the match.

    That was fun! That was a lot of fun to watch!

    (And, thanks for reading all the way to the bottom of this post. If you could do me a favor, hit that like button over there. It will help me out, with rankings and stuff.)

  • World Cup Dispatch: Mexico v Poland

    Full disclosure; I was running errands when this match started. (See, I needed to get the last of shopping for Thanksgiving done, which meant a run to Trader Joe’s, then to Old Navy to exchange some pajama bottoms, then to Whole Foods for a specific cheese that the wife needs for the big meal, and finally I went to neighborhood Key Foods to shop for dinner. Not that this has anything to do with anything, I just wanted to share it.) By the time I got home it was halftime, and the consensus was that Poland was holding their own against Mexico, as the score was 0-0.

    In the second half, I was able to catch, what for right now is the save of the Tournament. Lewandowski was fouled in the box, which gave him a penalty kick. Standing in front of goal for Mexico was their clutch goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. I remember Ochoa from to 2018 Cup, and he kept that Mexican team together, even as they started to faulter in the group stage back then. This time around, Ochoa kept his legend alive as he blocked Lewandowski’s kick, and the huge crowd of Mexico supports exploded in cheers! In the end, as the matched in a draw, Ochoa saved his team, and has kept them alive with one point.

    Looking at Group C, I never thought Argentina would be sitting at the bottom, nor did I think Saudi Ariba would be alone at the top. I know it’s early, and a lot can still happen.

    (And, thanks for reading all the way to the bottom of this post. If you could do me a favor, hit that like button over there. It will help me out, with rankings and stuff.)