The Ugly and Beautiful Game

I just returned from Baltimore, where I watched two soccer matches with a friend who writes for Sports Illustrated. (I highly recommend Slainte in Fell's Point -- one of the more random places to find a soccer bar, but a good one.)

The first was US-Uruguay in the round of 16 at the Under-20 World Cup in Toronto. I had thought of flying up to T-dot for the game, and to visit my Dad before my summer in Iraq, but had/have too much to do before departure. Anyhow, it was a painful game to watch, not because of any catenaccio or other boring play, but because the play tended to be sloppy and/or overly physical on both sides.

The South Americans, uncharacteristically playing in red (does light blue clash with white, and if so, why is your alternate color red? -- must be kinda like Germany in green, but I digress), went up on an ugly goal after a mix-up in the box and a backup keeper who shoulda put more stickum on his gloves. Then the US countered with what should have been a pretty play but ended up a jumbled own goal, fittingly scored by the Ugos' most hottest-headed player. Cardaccio was about as raw as... wait for it... carpaccio. (His name wasn't as bad as Gary Kagelmacher -- reminded me of an Argentine from the fabled '86 team named Walter Carpenter.) Finally, the Yanks sealed it with another ugly goal in extra time. Game over, US meets Austria (!) in the quarters.

Then we saw Argentina-Mexico in the semi-finals of the Copa America. Talk about a man-handling in this rematch of the 2006 World Cup round of 16! Heinze's ridiculous golazo put a stake in el Tri's corazon, then Messi absolutely messed with them on a gorgeous chip, and Riquelme gave the blancoceleste more riches with a definitive PK. 3-0 Argies, off to meet Brazil in the final again.