Ten World Cup Observations
Soccer is poetry of the bones.
a) I am glad for those who never watch soccer but now share public opinions about red cards, flopping, and time-stopping. It’s an American thing to desire to improve things, and as such, we should listen. I am actually delighted to see this country more engaged in the jogo bonito—the beautiful game.
b) What Cape Verde—a nation of roughly half a million people—accomplished is the pinnacle of excellence: a country unknown to much of the world emerged on the world stage and took on the greatest team in the world, Argentina. From Vozinha to Duarte, a tiny country showed what a concentrated strategy can look like when applied rigorously and methodically. Lots of life lessons here.
c) Germany’s might in 2014—defeating Brazil 7–1 and then winning the World Cup—was the end of an era of greatness. Germany’s talents have lost their competitive sense of the game. You cannot simply rely on Bayern Munich’s excellence to propel the nation to glory. Even if Neuer were 25—he’s 40—he still could not have protected a weak defense and an unimpressive squad.
d) Around five billion people engaged with the World Cup in 2022. I suspect that number will increase this year. It’s a testament to American capitalism, creativity, and marketing. Fox One’s line-up with Henry, Ibrahimović, and Lalas is hilarious, tense, and informative—a perfect combination.
e) Messi is far superior to Cristiano Ronaldo. He may not have scored as many goals, but he is a player who can always change things; he can do the unexpected at any moment. Ronaldo is fabulous, but predictable in his capacity. Messi plays like a man who sees three seconds into the future.
f) Mexico made the Azteca Stadium look like a coliseum. Those players fought hard, and aside from Norway, they had my favorite fans.
g) The future of Brazilian soccer will require a form of national congress, a Vatican-level, Constantinian gathering of the intellectuals and practitioners of the game. We need to reconsider the sport anew: how to develop midfielders, wingers, and true 9s who can get the job done. And we need the speedy retirement of the philanderer and aficionado of self, Neymar. He has taught an entire generation of players to cherish the nightlife and manage their portfolio of doom.
h) Futebol is remarkably musical. Every move is a stanza, and every goal is a refrain. The reason it is hated by so many is that it has achieved a status of power that can never be revoked. It provides the chants of a generation and hearkens to national pride in a way no other sport can.
i) Hoping the U.S. national team shows the Belgium players how to get to Dallas International Airport after this evening.
j) Take a look at that picture below. David Pivtorak is right: “A thousand years ago, this is the last thing you saw before your skull was caved in by a battle axe.” That was the face Brazil saw before its predictable death.
