Monthly Archives: June 2006

The Brazilian team moves with quite an entourage. No, we’re not talking about the extra team doctor here, but rather the 600-strong media circus that followed the national team to Germany. “Like a herd of wildebeests crossing the Serengeti, the Brazilian media descends upon unsuspecting venues, flattening — and interviewing — everything in its path,” […]

Shortly before the tournament began, comScore Networks, an Internet traffic management company, conducted a multi-country online survey in which they asked respondents to name the country they felt would win the World Cup. Overwhelmingly, Brazil was the answer. In France, 46 percent of respondents chose Brazil as the eventual winner, followed by Spain, 41 percent, […]

Say what you will about David Beckham, but England’s captain not for the first time saved England from another dire performance against Ecuador last night. As ever, Beckham’s goal came from a free kick, which he curled to perfection past the despairing Cristian Mora. It was a great goal, but it was also about the […]

There are two sides to David Beckham, writes Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle: One is a mythic figure capable of doing incredible things with a dead ball and the other is an aging soccer star past his prime, and probably Jenkins says, hurting his country. Beckham’s goal against Ecuador was pure mythic-Beckham; played […]

The reaction from the press is unanimous: yesterday was a black day for World Cup soccer. No less than 16 yellow cards and four dismissals tainted what could have been a classic round-of-16 encounter between the Netherlands and Portugal. Instead, as LA Times reporter Grahame L. Jones says, “Disgrace is the better fit.” Is the […]

Many of us know this already, but the rest of the U.S. is now figuring out there’s nothing quite as festive as the World Cup. “I’ve been to almost every major sporting event in the world,” Hank Steinbrecher, secretary general of the U.S. Soccer Federation between 1990 and 2000, tells the Chicago Sun-Times. “I’ve been […]

Soccer’s “best tradition,” says Steve Davis of the Dallas Morning News, is how player’s actually applaud the fans after games. In a way, this is patriotism at its finest, as the players gather in front of the section of the stadium where most of their fans are, applauding them for their support, sometimes taking flags […]

How about Germany? Pundits across the globe had their doubts the hosts would even be good enough to get out of their group, let alone coast their way to the quarterfinals. But coast they have, prompting Germany’s famously reserved national public to wave the flag like never before. German flag-waving is a new phenomenon in […]

Mexico finally brought it’s A Game last night against Argentina, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Albicelestes from marching on to the quarterfinals. An absolutely unstoppable volley from Maxi Rodriguez was the difference yesterday, as Mexico’s tireless midfield kept the likes of Riquelme and Saviola quiet throughout. Even the introduction of Leo Messi and […]

Adidas is setting records this year at the World Cup. Senior executives have said sales are surging beyond a billion euros and beyond expectations, as the World Cup has created a spending bonanza across Europe. The company attributes much of its success to its global marketing efforts; in fact, Adidas this year was given the […]