Tag Archives: soccer

Oregon Coast near North Bend, April 2007

Are you tired of hearing about Landon Donovan’s goal yet? Even if you are I think you should check out this link.

It’s clips of crowd shots watching the final moments of the game. Remember the set up? We’d watched 90 minutes of the US unable to score. I’ve watch the US in a number of World Cups. I’ve learned to keep my expectations cautious.

Then the US makes the run and they strike and goalkeeper blocks it but the ball is loose and Donovan comes in and hits it.

So in these clips you see every one in despair, then watching the run hopeful, then ARGH! But then AHHHH!!!!

Seriously if you’re going to waste 60 more seconds online, just watch one or two of the first clips. It made me every bit as happy as seeing the actual goal in real time.

Today’s Games

I was a slacker today. I had to get some work stuff done.

The Italian diving team got sent home. I love this team and the idea that I’m never going to get to see Cannavaro taking his shirt off after a game again makes me weepy but they didn’t do anything to impress me until they were down by 2 to Slovakia. Good-bye! But Slovakia gets a marked down a few points for blatant time wasting.

I foolishly fired up the Cameroon v. Netherlands game when I should have been watching Denmark v. Japan. I only watched the first half. Cameroon’s goalkeeper is named Soulymanou and he was wearing purple. I love the purple goalie outfits.

Non-Soccer Item

Every once in awhile I find myself frantically looking for something I don’t need.

Like today. I have two hair clips in my desk. I wanted to put my hair up and I only need one clip but I wanted to know where the second one was. I kept searching the different drawers trying to find the second one. Why? I had the one I needed. But I had to know where the other one was. I don’t get it.

Klamath River Rocks

I don’t have time for a proper wrap up today.

Here: enjoy the weekend thighlights

I got up early to watch Portugal destroy N. Korea. At last a European team has done something I expected. I left after the fourth goal and drove to work so I could be there in time to see the start of the Chile v. Switzerland game. Switzerland has a guy on their team named Gelson Fernandes. When we lived in California we shopped at market called Gelson’s and for the first time I realized the market must be named after a guy, Gelson. I watched most of that game and most of Spain v. Honduras. When Spain was up by 2 I turned it off and went back to work.

No more 4:30a games. Now we start 4 games a day but since two are played concurrently I’ll only watch two and the highlights show. In most cases it’s easy to pick.

This morning I went out to pick snails in the rain. I was in the back corner of the yard and noticed we have a bunch of raspberries ready to pick. I figured once the rain stopped I’d pick them and bring them in and take a photo. It never stopped raining. This is a neighbor’s dogwood April 09

I decided to be picky about what I games I watched today since I had a few other things I wanted to take care of.

I skipped Slovakia v. Paraguay 0-2

Sounds like I didn’t miss much.

I crawled out of bed at 7am fully expecting to watch Italy wipe the pitch with New Zealand’s asses. And again, my expectations were not met.

I loved the game. I love it that New Zealand scored in the 6th minute and Italy had to hustle right away. I hated the Italian diving. Didn’t someone on the German team get a yellow card for diving?

Last week there was this meathead who went off about how lame soccer is. “Just a bunch of guys running around, no one knows that they’re doing.” He said, “You can’t have a game with a tie. That’s unamerican.”

I’ll leave it to you to perform an analysis of that statement. In this game a tie was awesome and it was fun to see the fans going insane in the stadium.

Brazil v. Côte d’Ivorie 4-1

I watched the first half but my attention started wandering. The score was 1-0 I was pretty sure Brazil would win so I decided to skip the second half. Apparently it was really good. I think I’m going to go watch it now. Every time I skip something exciting happens.

I’ve been in a mild panic the last couple of hours trying to take care of some stuff and laundry, dinner, stuff for the week to come. I’m going to try and wind down now.

Riverplace Marina, Marquam Bridge and Mt. Hood, Portland Feb 6, 2006

I would have done a post last night but I had just posted about the beg-a-thon and wanted to keep that up top for at least 24 hours.

First, here’s my nothing-to-do-with-World-Cup favorite comment thread of the day: Health Food of the Future: Less Salty Wieners. I try to avoid comment threads because 90% of them make me feel that mankind is doomed and deserves it but it’s the ones like these that keep me from losing all hope.

One more thing about Denmark’s own goal. John Harkes, the commentator, said: terrible clearance on that ball.

Yes, that’s one way of putting it.

Game 12 New Zealand v. Slovakia 1-1

I missed this game live but heard the outcome. When I got home last night I watched the first half and then decided to FF until NZ scored. I got to the 80th minute and figured if they scored that late I’d just watch to the end of the game. I had one eye on the clock and I was getting all panicky that I misunderstood and wondering what was going to happen. 90+3 – what a heartbreaker for Slovakia but really cool for NZ.

Winston Reid got a yellow card for taking his shirt off. My letters to FIFA pleading that this rule be withdrawn continue to go unanswered. If you haven’t seen this yet, Jezebel is doing World Cup Shirtless photos. You’re welcome.

Game 13 Côte d’Ivorie v Portugal 0-0

Côte d’Ivorie has the most gorgeous colored uniforms. I want to take a bath in that color. It’s like your-life-is-perfect gold. And the goalie’s uniform is purple which is also awesome. Also their crest with the elephant is cute.

Portugal is one of my favorite teams and they didn’t do much. I wanted more. Also, they have a player who looks like 80’s era Limahl. No time for photo evidence tonight.

Game 14 Brazil v. Korea DPR 2-1

The TV at the office is pretty crappy. There’s something about the color red that displays funny. When I saw the NK players on the field they looked like big red glowy dots and I was thinking: Ok, am I seeing auras? Do I have some super power I can see their true identity? (I know, too much sci fi.) Then on a close up they looked like regular people.

During the half of this game I started penning my “What the hell players? Start scoring some goals. None of this own goal (Denmark), penalty kick (Ghana), butterfingers goalie (USA) crap either. I want some really nice goals, like Germany,” manifesto.

But then Brazil came through with a couple. That Maicon goal was AMAZING. And NK got a great one, too.

I thought Brazil was going to sail through a lot easier in this game.

Game 15 Honduras v. Chile 0-1

Missed it. Sorry guys.

Game 16 Spain v. Switzerland 0-1

SPAIN I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU.

You were very handsome while you lost, however.

Game 17 South Africa v. Uruguay 0-3

Wow. I’ve never seen a goalie thrown out on a red card. Is there any sporting duty worse than being #2 goalie and being tossed into a game in the 80th minute to try to block a penalty kick? I really wanted him to block it because that would have been cool.

– – –

Tomorrow’s a big day. I have Argentina playing at 4:30am. (Yes, going to try to watch it). Then a regular work day and then a Timbers game after work. SOCCER!

Yes, it is a lot of soccer but it’s only once every 4 years and makes me really happy.

Library in Amsterdam

Coverage is brief tonight because Monday is my long day and I’m about to keel over.

I probably would have gotten up to watch the Netherlands v. Denmark game (4:30a) but since I was feeling off last night I figured it would be smarter to get my sleep.

I watched the Italy v. Paraguay at the office.

I have clearance to watch soccer at the office. I just need to watch my time and either work early or late or use leave, or any combination of those.

Our TV gets a million channels including a half million public access. There was even a channel showing a poetry society.

There were tons of channels selling things including this gadget where you could make all kinds of fancy meals in minutes. There is a ton of stuff you can make in minutes without a gadget if you don’t count the prep.

The channels are all goofy and there’s channel 61.2 and 62.3 and then 101.1. I’ve never seen anything like it. Also it was like the channels had to load, like webpages. So I was shuffling through impatiently trying to decode this stupid TV.

Finally I had to give up and I was all pissed because I’d have to watch it on Univision which I’ve done before and it’s not that bad but dammit! That was back in the olden days when you didn’t even get all the World Cup games live.

Of course I left the commentary on because why not and I can’t understand anything they’re saying but it all sounds super exciting. And then Paraguay scored and the guy did his GGGGOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL! And it so worth it. If you have no idea what I’m talking about here’s an example.

Italy is one of my favorite teams and I’m glad they tied it up but I liked the way Paraguay played too.

Tonight I went to yoga and my teacher tried to burn my arms off. They are so tired I was having trouble scrubbing my dinner dishes.

I hurried home and fired up the Netherlands v Denmark game. Netherlands is another one of my favorite teams and Denmark looked great too. I watched the first 70 minutes and then used the FF because I need to go to bed.

I didn’t even see one minute of Cameroon and Japan. Sorry guys! I’ll watch the highlight show tomorrow.

Your reporter seems to have a touch of the crud so today’s report will be half-assed because my head hurts when I sit in front of the computer. (And I mean actual crud, not like from drinking too much and eating too much junk while watching soccer.)

Serbia v. Ghana

One of the commentators has taken a cue from me and described a player’s “blond mop” and suggested he looked more like he should be in a rock band. I can’t remember the player’s name but I agree, and probably a 70’s band. Judas Priest perhaps.

Also Serbia has a player named Stankovic. Also their goalie looks like Antonio Banderas.

Ghana was fun to watch. Their fans were very entertaining.

Algeria v. Slovenia

I watched this game last and didn’t get a lot out of it. I seem to saturate at 2 games. Slovenia has a sort-of Charlie Brown stripe on their jerseys. This was the first game of the day and the sun was shining in the stadium. The Slovenian goalkeeper had a baseball cap on to shield his eyes. I had about a half-second of disconnect when I saw the baseball cap: something looks wrong here.

Germany v. Australia

Both teams are extremely nice to look at. The only thing that would have made it better was if Michael Ballack’s face was on the German jerseys.

This was my main game of the day and it was a good one if you were rooting for Germany.

I like the Australian team and thought they played great in the last World Cup and I was a little bummed that they played so poorly today. And I though the red card on Australian Tim Cahill was a little harsh.

But Germany was fantastic. And it was nice to seem them do so well in their first game.

At one point the commentator make a remark about a yellow card and said at least the other team got a fruit cake out of it. I was like: fruit cake? I’ve never heard that lingo before. I knew they didn’t really get a fruit cake although it was a funny image, someone running to the other team with a fruit cake after yellow card has been issued. It took me a second to figure out he said: free kick. From now on I’m going to call free kicks fruit cakes.

Non-Soccer Tidbit:

Ben & Jerry’s has a flavor of ice cream called Magic Brownies. Raspberry ice cream with brownies in it. I’ve never seen it before and I had to buy some for Bob. I tried some last night. I could have eaten the entire carton.