From the Spot of the Foul

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Spain 1 Netherlands 0 (aet)

2010 World Cup Final

Sunday 11 July 2010 | Soccer City Stadium | Johannesburg, South Africa

Spain joined 'the club' on Sunday, leaving the Dutch still longing for a smoking jacket and ascot.

Spanish perfection

Spain 1 Germany 0

2010 World Cup Semi Finals

Wednesday 7 July 2010 | Moses Mabhida Stadium | Durban, South Africa

Spain stuck to their guns - constructed with velvet handles and cold steel barrels - while Germany never got their game on. It resulted in a win for La Roja that could be described as perfection.

Trying to make the third time a Dutch charm

Holland 3 Uruguay 2

2010 World Cup Semi Finals

Tuesday 6 July 2010 | Green Point Stadium | Cape Town, South Africa 

This one didn't have the Shakespearean drama of the two previous quarter-final matches - Uruguay v Ghana and Spain v Paraguay - but it was well-played nontheless. This evenly-played match between two sides of high quality with discipline featured two captains, each scoring on thunderstrikes from long distances, of sides desperately trying to reach their third World Cup final.

Patience, madness and brilliance

Spain 1 Paraguay 0

2010 World Cup Quarter Finals

Saturday 3 July 2010 | Ellis Park Stadium | Johannesburg, South Africa 

Two minutes of madness and two moments of brilliance is what will go forth from this match in the annals of World Cup history.

When Paraguayan forward Oscar Cardozo stood over the ball at the penalty spot in the 57^th minute of a scoreless contest, no one could have predicted the sheer chaotic madness that was about to fill the following two minutes. The two moments of brilliance that occurred much later in the match were more predictable, but no less amazing in this memorable match.

Deutsch Freude

Germany 4 Argentina 0

2010 World Cup Quarter Finals

Saturday 3 July 2010 | Cape Town Stadium | Cape Town, South Africa

 

Germany's squad came into this World Cup as boys. They now go forth to the semi-finals as men.

 

The Argentinians went the way of the English, exposed as being not good enough for this stage of the biggest tournament in the world. The Germans sliced and carved apart Maradona's Men in the second half by defending like a steel wall and then sending waves of black-shirted jungen toward goal.

Death by cruel and unusual punishment

Uruguay 1 Ghana 1 (aet, 4-2 pen)

2010 World Cup Quarter Finals

Friday 2 July 2010 | Soccer City | Johannesburg, South Africa

 

Nothing is easy on the continent of Africa. This match reinforced that fact to the entire world of sport.

Dunga's Brazil is dead

 

Holland 2 Brazil 1

2010 World Cup Quarter Finals

Friday 2 July 2010 | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium | Port Elizabeth, South Africa

 

It was a simple, almost harmless, if not hopeful floater that Wesley Sneijder offered to the Brazilian goalmouth in the 53rd minute. The problem for Brazil was that, in attempting to clear, goalkeeper Julio Cesar collided with his teammate Felipe Melo and the ball just barely glanced off of the back of Melo’s head into the goal.

Connoisseur's delight

Spain 1 Portugal 0

2010 World Cup Round of 16

Tuesday 29 June 2010 | Green Point Stadium | Cape Town, South Africa

 

Portugal had given up only three goals in their last 16 matches (11 wins and 5 draws), and none in this World Cup. Spain had won 14 of their 15 since the loss to the United States in the 2009 Confederations Cup.

To say the least, this was a tasty matchup.

The aftermath of reliance on brute force

Ghana 2 United States 1 (aet)

2010 World Cup Round of 16

Saturday 26 June 2010 | Royal Bafokeng Stadium | Rustenburg, South Africa

The United States ran out of late-stage heroics Saturday in Rustenburg. They gave a performance high on effort but low on quality when it counted.

A European night north of Hadrian’s Wall

Celtic 0 Arsenal 2

2009-10 UEFA Champions League, Playoff Round

Tuesday 18 August 2009 | Celtic Park | Glasgow, Scotland 

Since watching European football over the years, I've developed my favorite venues based solely on the feeling I get while watching matches on television.

What were you expecting, revenge?

Mexico 2 USA 1

2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification, CONCACAF Fourth Round

Wednesday 12 August 2009 | Estadio Azteca | Mexico City, Mexico

After our B-side got soundly pounded and embarrassed 5-0 by our southern neighbor in the final of the Gold Cup last month in New Jersey, our Country's best today made the trip down to the Ninth Circle of World Cup Qualifying Hell – Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

FA Community Shield postscript

Oh, the carnage! Material was plentiful for future notes to be posted on the visitor’s dressing room bulletin board prior to the next meeting of Chelsea and Manchester United on Sunday November 8 at Stamford Bridge.

Can’t wait.

Be safe - always tape... but know what you're doing

Chelsea 2 Manchester United 2 (4-1 pen)

England FA Community Shield

Sunday 9 August 2009 | Wembley Stadium | London, England

I was out to dinner with the Misses late last night after watching Julie and Julia, a new Hollywood release about a young woman's use of her idolization of Julia Child to get out of her personal rut, and I was thinking to myself – are you going to get up at a quarter-to-seven to watch another dreadfully tepid pre-season football match known as the FA Community Shield?

When is a big lead not enough? When you play Brazil

The final of Confederations Cup, generally relegated to just a dress rehearsal for the host country for the following year’s World Cup, turned out to be an improbable matchup involving a USA squad that not only got out of their Group in the most improbable of circumstances, but shocked the world by defeating the number one ranked team in the world, Spain, in the semi-finals to advance to have the privilege of playing the world’s most successful team.