soccer Page 311 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
A Closer Look At Jorge Larrionda
I don't often blames losses on officiating. And I'm not doing that here, either, particularly since there was no loss to speak of, and sure, both the Italian and United States sides have complaints. But there is plenty of controversy concerning red-card happy official Jorge Larrionda of Uruguay. ...
I Suspect Mafia Involvement
Okay, not really. But given the credibility of top Italian football officials at the moment, I think it's fair to let the mind wonder. The ref in the United States/Italy game was handing out red cards like they were commemorative souvenirs....
A Love Letter To Ghana
With their courageous defense and scorching balls, Ghana has provided hope and inspiration to a United States soccer team that can use all it can get. With their unlikely 2-0 drubbing of the Czech Republic, a US win over Italy today leaves Group F wide open....
Live Blog: Mexico vs. Angola
Since our attentions are usually more focused on the World Cup than, say, any other aspect of soccer, we always forget that Mexico is the United States' main rival; they kind of hate each other. How happy Mexico must be now, then, since they're just one win away from the Final 16, while the United S...
Of Shmoos And Men
Something's been bothering us about the World Cup. We've had a nagging feeling that something was vaguely familiar, but we couldn't quite put our finger on it. No, it wasn't the rampant groping. It had to be ... the ball. Yes, it suddenly occured to us that the new soccer ball that FIFA threw into...
Live Blog: Netherlands vs. Cote d'Ivoire
You have no idea how much fun our dad used to have with us as a kid, trying to convince us that "the Dutch," Holland and the Netherlands were different places. He would set us up in front of people and make us talk about the differences in the people. That was kind of mean, now that we think about i...
Hirshey: God Save Wayne Rooney
David Hirshey will write regularly during the World Cup....
Live Blog: Argentina Vs. Serbia & Montenegro
You know, we're pretty proud of ourselves for not once — not once — making a single "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" comment. Maybe it's because they haven't lost yet. We're gonna see if we can keep that going. Except for now, that is....
Live Blog: Sweden Vs. Paraguay
Remember, everyone: Everything is funnier when it is translated into the language of the Swedish Chef. Bork bork bork! Anyway, Sweden had a disappointing draw in the first round, and if they can't sneak out a win here, they could be in serious trouble with the Brits next on the docket....
Taking 'Group Of Death' A Little Too Literally
It may be of interest to our men and women soldiers serving overseas that war is just like the World Cup. So says U.S. forward Eddie Johnson, anyway. The U.S. team was at Ramstein Air Base outside Kaiserslautern, Germany, where they will play Italy on Saturday. Johnson stopped by on Wednesday to say...
Live Blog: England Vs. Trinidad & Tobago
Hey, everybody, it's England! America, Sr.! This is the first weekday game for the Brits, but despite an opening victory over Paraguay that was much-maligned, a win here sends them into the Round of 16. Will we see that Rooney fellow? Will Crouch do the robot? Is Beckham wearing a sarong? All kinds ...
Hirshey: Oh, Germany Won. GREAT.
David Hirshey will write regularly during the World Cup....
Live Blog: Ecuador Vs. Costa Rica
We can't say that people have been banging down our doors to spread the virtues of Ecuador, but don't look now: A win this morning puts the team in the field of 16. Costa Rica had the difficult distinction of playing the first game of the World Cup, against the host, no less....
Live Blog: Germany Vs. Poland
This is a key second game for each of these teams, with Germany needing a win to nail down a Round of 16 appearance and Poland needing a win (or at least a draw) just to have a chance. It's a good thing, too, because there's no obvious historic link between the two countries that would otherwise a...
Live Blog: Tunisia Vs. Saudi Arabia
We know, we know: We haven't quite adequately captured the storied glory of the Saudi Arabia-Tunisia rivalry this week. We're trying, but JJ Redick keeps getting arrested, and it's distracting us....
Hirshey: Brazil Stays Mostly Sheathed
David Hirshey will write regularly during the World Cup....
Live Blog: Spain Vs. Ukraine
Anybody else having difficulty not making "Insane In The Ukraine ... Insane in the brain!" comments? The song's just stuck in our head....
Hey, We Can All Agree To Hate Soccer TOGETHER!
In this time of international turmoil and global conflict, it is good to know that there are issues that we can all come together on. President Bush says he never saw a soccer ball as a kid, and now a Saudi cleric says soccer is against Allah....
Live Blog: Brazil Vs. Croatia
As has been pointed out, Brazil is like the Yankees it's OK to like. Few people think the Brazilians are arrogant or full of themselves, and rarely do people root against them. We think it's because every single Brazilian person we've ever met is extremely attractive. That's more than we can say f...
Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em
When we first saw this, we thought it was an Onion headline. But no, it's for real; Fifa Urges Mexico Coach To Try Nicotine Patch. Ha. Evidently FIFA is a bit miffed that Mexico coach Ricardo Lavolpe lit up a couple of Camels on the sideline during Mexico's 3-1 win over Iran in the World Cup. That's...