tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34376762024-03-06T22:11:31.806-08:00The Concerned Troll<img src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_zoBCYM4ggaM/RpHWwaZigmI/AAAAAAAAADE/nYO5ZZk5B5s/s320/2382520036_ORIG.jpg" height="203"> <i>Més que</i> -- <i>un blog</i> <img src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_zoBCYM4ggaM/R6zzK-K0DVI/AAAAAAAAAEc/pzy1RkO_ocY/s320/3794820521_ORIG.jpeg" height="203">Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.comBlogger3569125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-80752065281373881832014-07-14T14:41:00.002-07:002014-07-16T12:05:49.319-07:00Germany 1, Argentina 0: After an evening of poorly-executed chances by both teams, it took one of the best goals of the competition to give Germany its first World Cup title as a unified nation (the previous three were won by West Germany). Mario Gotze's goal in the 112th minute ensured that Die Mannschaft became the first European squad ever to win the World Cup played in the Western Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-49250909615269515022014-07-13T09:36:00.002-07:002014-07-13T10:07:08.691-07:00Holland 3, Brazil 0: Most disappointing finish by a host nation ever comes to an ignominious conclusion.Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-11519058255597404782014-07-10T11:04:00.001-07:002014-07-10T11:04:06.031-07:00Argentina 0, Holland 0 [PK: 4-2]: Well-played defensive battle, in which both teams played cautiously and where the stars (Messi, Higuain, van Persie, Robben, et al.) were mainly silent. Which is to say, like a Ravens-Seahawks Super Bowl, or a Dodgers-Tigers World Series, it was dull for the non-partisan, but a feast for the connoisseur. That it would be decided by penalty kicks was Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-84736212471740047572014-07-08T23:11:00.001-07:002014-07-08T23:11:28.430-07:00The hosts get brazilianed....Germany 7, Brazil 1: Fired up by the loss of their leading scorer and star defender, the hosts came out firing on all cylinders, holding Die Mannschaft to only five goals in the first half, then capping things off with a deadly strike in injury time to clinch a spot in the consolation final Saturday...or to look at it another way, every favela that was torn down and each of its Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-74190310777153904842014-07-05T21:29:00.003-07:002014-07-05T21:29:41.295-07:00Duke beats Florida Gulf CoastHolland 0, Costa Rica 0 [PK:4-3]: Scrappy, underdog team, barely kept in the game thanks to the heroics of a goalie playing out of his mind, taking a world power to the limit before succumbing at the end...it never gets old. Holland won its first-ever penalty kick tie-breaker in a major competition, fueled in large part by a surprise substitution of goalkeepers in extra time, to Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-47014115244772491212014-07-05T11:21:00.001-07:002014-07-05T11:23:20.350-07:00Argentina 1, Belgium 0: To the apparent surprise of the Red Devils, Argentina plays the game better than the U.S. Qualifying for their first semifinals since 1990, the Albiceleste went up in the ninth minute, thanks to their other real good player, Gonzalo Higuain, and then seemed content to let Belgium control possession and set up ineffectual pieces from the side. At one point, Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-61548084955864717232014-07-05T10:00:00.000-07:002014-07-05T10:00:15.510-07:00Brazil 2, Columbia 1: Thrilling game, in which two of the towering leaders from this tournament played their final game. Brazil jumped out to a quick lead, padded their advantage on a beautiful free kick, then held on as Golden Boot frontrunner James Rodriguez scored with ten minutes left off a penalty. Shortly afterwards, Neymar, the only player on the host country's squad who could Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-39527898781959343312014-07-05T09:25:00.002-07:002014-07-05T09:25:11.112-07:00Germany 1, France 0: Continuing the pattern of the initial knockout games, a dull, defensive, low-scoring affair. The Germans scored early, shut down the high powered French attack, and justly earned their record fourth consecutive semi-final spot. Each team had point-blank opportunities to change the scoreline, but fired directly at the goalkeeper. Disappointing end to what hadSteve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-58333451538838221702014-07-02T12:05:00.002-07:002014-07-02T12:32:36.640-07:00Belgium 2, U.S.A 1 [A.E.T.]: Some miscellany about last night's game:
Until the overtime started, Belgium pretty much dominated the match for 90 minutes, nearly scoring in the second minute and putting constant pressure on Tim Howard;
The defense for the USMNT was shambolic, forcing Howard to make a record number of saves;
Chris Wondolowski is going to have nightmares about his miss in the 90thSteve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-27283929441406945472014-07-01T12:16:00.000-07:002014-07-01T12:23:13.060-07:00Argentina 1, Switzerland 0 [A.E.T.]: 118 of minutes of sheer boredom punctuated by two minutes of utter madness. Messi assists on a perfect pass at the end of the second extra period, leading to a desperation near-goal in final seconds by the Swiss.Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-34772791638806603022014-06-30T17:15:00.000-07:002014-06-30T19:27:35.095-07:00Schurrle you can't be serious....Germany 2, Algeria 1 [A.E.T.]: The sort of game that was exciting not because the teams were evenly-matched, but because one team was so much worse than the other that its ability to stay in the game for so long elevated the suspense for two hours...and as always, in the end, Germany wins.
The history behind the two teams centers on a controversy from back in 1982, when West Germany eliminated Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-12730008761869573352014-06-30T11:59:00.000-07:002014-06-30T11:59:57.521-07:00France 2, Nigeria 0: Another day, another African team bows out after a strike over "bonuses"...after a prolonged period of frustration around the Nigerian goal, Les Bleus struck twice in the final ten minutes to assure a spot in the quarters. Regardless of who they play, there's a great film to put either match-up into context....Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-79480214491804190182014-06-30T10:14:00.002-07:002014-06-30T10:14:45.672-07:00Costa Rica 1, Greece 1 [PK: 5-3]: Well, it's the first time Greece has ever scored in consecutive World Cup Games...Saw this game at a casino near Vegas, where the crowd was overwhelmingly supporting the Ticos. The officiating left something to be desired: an obvious hand ball in the box was not called against the Greeks which would have put the game out of reach in regulation, then the refSteve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-65663977825169200932014-06-29T11:44:00.001-07:002014-06-29T11:47:00.633-07:00Dos a unoHolland 2, Mexico 1: Just minutes away from their first trip to the quarterfinals in 28 years, Mexico instead lost for the sixth straight time in the second round, and the fourth time by a 2-1 scoreline. To repeat the cliche used in a different sport of football, the only thing playing a prevent defense does is prevent you from winning. For sixty minutes, El Tri was in complete Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-90109486701847408952014-06-28T18:46:00.003-07:002014-06-29T09:36:18.072-07:00Columbia 2, Uruguay 0: Remembering of course that Columbia's best player is sitting this tournament out, we may be watching the most impressive team coming out of nowhere since 1974 Netherlands...James (pronounced "ya-mayce") Rodriguez, aka J-Rod, scored twice. Playing without its talismanic vampire, Uruguay came close to scoring on a number of occasions, and quite surprisingly, consideringSteve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-84240758968569590172014-06-28T12:18:00.001-07:002014-06-28T12:18:56.408-07:00GoalpostinhoBrazil 1, Chile 1: [PK: 3-2] And the Sweet 16 begins...a tense, beguiling two hours decided by a penalty kick off the goal post, and the host country advances. It will be tough to top that one. Both teams scored in the first half hour, then gamely held on for the duration as a combination of goalkeeping and woodworks kept the score even. Chile conceded a goal on what was Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-74677825321260204842014-06-28T11:00:00.002-07:002014-06-28T12:27:14.082-07:00Is "a Steven Smith" the Worst Person in the World?Not quite, but I did make Keith Olbermann's hourly show on ESPN last night...it has to do with a commentary of his the other night, decrying the advancement of the USMNT over Portugal to the elimination rounds of the World Cup based on the "outdated" system of goal differential. After all, the US had lost to Germany in the final game, while Portugal won its final game, and the US had "Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-4488126082175338092014-06-26T20:43:00.000-07:002014-06-26T20:43:00.344-07:00Belgium 1, South Korea 0 // Algeria 1, Russia 1: Playing the entire second half a man down, Belgium still managed to dominate the game and scored the well-deserved winner in the final fifteen minutes to win the group. The Koreans never threatened, but did show ball-handling skills near the goal reminiscent of the San Antonio Spurs, if the NBA champs decided to never shoot. The other Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-36849153674077464592014-06-26T11:53:00.000-07:002014-06-26T20:25:25.318-07:00USA beats Germany, 0-1 !!!Germany 1, USA 0 // Portugal 2, Ghana 1: Playing as if they were in a competitive World Cup game, and not as if it were 90 minutes of kickball, the Germans used a spectacular second half goal by Thomas Mueller to best the USMNT, and assure themselves the top spot in the group. Twenty-four hours ago, this result might have sounded the death knell for the Americans, with Ghana needing only toSteve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-65441117541064477462014-06-25T18:58:00.002-07:002014-06-26T20:23:35.657-07:00France 0, Ecuador 0 // Switzerland 3, Honduras 0: The Swiss recovered from the humbling rout on Friday with a convincing win against lowly Honduras, while Ecuador came up with a way to slow down an unstoppable French attack: get their best player sent off with a red card. By virtue of the win, Switzerland nabs the second spot in group behind the French, thanks to a hat trick by Xherdan Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-37466448725870051622014-06-25T12:43:00.001-07:002014-06-25T12:43:46.164-07:00Argentina 3, Nigeria 2 // Bosnia-Herzegovina 3, Iran 1: In spite of losing its fourth straight one-goal game since 1994 to Argentina, Nigeria backed into the elimination round as Iran fell to already-eliminated Bosnia. Paced by two first-half goals from Lionel Messi, the Albiceleste clinched the group lead, while Nigeria, led by two scores from Ahmed Susa, played its first attractive World Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-3539201827028271192014-06-25T07:34:00.000-07:002014-06-25T07:34:26.741-07:00Greece 2, Ivory Coast 1 // Columbia 4, Japan 1: I see Mark Few has taken his big-game coaching to Africa. Only minutes away from making their first-ever elimination round, Ivory Coast conceded a late penalty, and lost the spot to Greece. Something seemed off about this game; Greece was on the attack for most of the match, even after they took the lead, while Ivory Coast seemed Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-6378172302708926082014-06-24T12:03:00.000-07:002014-06-24T12:03:18.224-07:00Uruguay 1, Italy 0 // England 0, Costa Rica 0: Luis Suarez, difference maker, goal-scoring talisman, foodie...Uruguay scored in the final ten minutes to send a short-handed Italy home early for the second straight World Cup, in a game marred by a savage foul by Giorgio Chiellini, who violently shoved his back into the teeth of Luis Suarez just before the winner.
Fortunately for Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-68014659367835219642014-06-23T15:26:00.001-07:002014-06-23T15:26:22.677-07:00Brazil 4, Cameroon 1 // Mexico 3, Croatia 1: A late offensive explosion sparks the Tricolores past a chippy side from Croatia, while Brazil, after a slow start, became the third team in group to dominate the Indomitable Lions. Mexico was helped by the return to form of supersub Chicharito, who assisted on the second goal before getting on the scoreboard himself with a header in the Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3437676.post-35958529541907519192014-06-23T11:21:00.001-07:002014-06-23T11:21:21.341-07:00Holland 2, Chile 0 // Spain 3, Australia 0: The Oranje methodically took apart Chile in the final 15 minutes to win the group, and possibly avoid Brazil in the next round, while Spain ended its campaign with a victory over the Socceroos. Not really a whole to be said about these games: Spain won the first truly meaningless game of the tourney, since both teams already knew they were going Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0