Category: Section 2 Around the Net

World Cup TV ratings are hitting new heights and Cup-related Internet traffic is soaring, and The San Francisco Chronicle is saying “History may well remember The 2006 World Cup as the one in which technology helped Americans end their futbol isolationism and appreciate soccer on their terms — on demand.” What do they mean by […]

The U.S. Military was more or less resigned to missing out on watching the World Cup until media mogul Rupert Murdoch read about it in Tuesday’s New York Times. Infront Sports and Media, which acquired the rights to broadcast the games from FIFA, failed to secure funding from the U.S. Armed Forces Radio and Television […]

Perhaps, as the Guardian says, Brazil’s 1-0 victory over Croatia was “no statement of intent” from the world champions, but everyone in the tournament will note that the team of superstars, the overwhelming favorites, really didn’t look THAT good. They didn’t look bad either, but the Croatians, despite being forced into defending for most of […]

Ghana, apparently, is having a hard time picking itself up after the team’s 2-0 loss to Italy on Monday. Ghana coach Ratomir Dujkovic says no one is suffering more than defender Sami Kuffour, who gifted the second goal to Vicenzo Iaquinta after bungling his back pass to the goalkeeper. For those who remember Manchester United’s […]

The New York Times was surprised that Togo actually produced some good-looking soccer in its 2-1 defeat yesterday to South Korea. This, too, despite a host of off-field problems, including disputes over player bonuses and a coach who can’t seem to decide whether or not he wants to quit. Togolese players boycotted practice last week […]

The Korea Herald has several stories in amusing English about the feats of heroism performed by its countrymen in yesterday’s 2-1 comeback win over Togo. South Koreas top Group F following France’s 0-0 stalemate with Switzerland. Korea, confident now it can win away from home, likes its chances against France, which has have failed to […]

Spain put in the best team performance of the tournament thus far thrashing the hapless Ukrainians 4-0. It played the kind of nonstop, free-flowing soccer we expected to see from the Brazilians yesterday in 90 minutes of total domination. Luis Garcia, David Villa, Marcos Senna and Fernando Torres were all excellent in the victory, and […]

Diego Maradona wants to see greater competition for places in Argentina’s squad. The international Argentine legend visited training camp yesterday, declaring: ” It’s a marvelous team, but I want the team to be a bit more aggressive in terms of competition for starting places.” To be sure, Argentina’s coach, Jose Pekerman, has a wealth of […]

Is World Cup fever disrupting business in the U.S.? What are they doing about it? At large New York-based companies in particular, which employ people from across the globe, the World Cup has indeed proven disruptive; employees who don’t smoke are faking cigarette breaks, stealing outside to watch games in bars, many more are keeping […]

The beauty of The World Cup is encapsulated in moments like those produced by Australia yesterday in its great-escape 3-1 victory over Japan. The Socceroos found themselves trailing the Japanese thanks to some poor officiating, in which a harmlessly flighted ball over the top of the defense found its way into the back of the […]

The Financial Times wasn’t particularly impressed by Italy’s 2-0 victory over the Ghanaians yesterday. The world-renowned business journal said Ghana made Italy work hard for their dinner and came close to beating Gianluigi Buffon on several occasions. Michael Essien, Africa’s most expensive player, was particularly busy, causing all kinds of trouble for the Italians in […]

So the U.S. were outplayed and outcoached yesterday in the 3-0 drubbing it received at the hands of Tomas Rosicky and the Czech Republic. The headline from Soccernet said it all: “Class Dismissed.” Even so, for many in the American press, the progress made by the United States team in the last 16 years has […]

Thanks to Yahoo, the 2006 FIFA World Cup has been outfitted with more interactive bells and whistles than any previous tournament: blogs, chats, contests, photos, interactive city guides, news and commentary, as well as live animated MatchCasts and three-to five-minute video highlights of each game as they conclude. Fans attending the games in Germany will […]

Perhaps the World Cup has no greater impact on any other continent than Africa. Many of its countries have unstable governments and economies and the World Cup, in some cases, is the first and only event to bring these nations together. There are four African countries playing in the tournament this year for the first […]

The Americans have been well-received in Germany, a nation that remembers all too well how lucky it was to get passed the United States in the quarterfinals in 2002. Four years and a No. 5 FIFA world ranking later, the foreign press and the other nations competing in the tournament are curious to see the […]

Dutch winger Aarjen Robben produced the kind of individual performance you dream about during the Netherlands’ 1-0 victory over Serbia & Montenegro yesterday. Not only did he score the only goal of the game, but he set the tempo throughout with his speedy play down the left flank, causing all kinds of problems for the […]

After 75 scrappy minutes, Group D favorites Mexico produced two goals in quick succession, taking advantage of some poor defending to sink unfancied Iran 3-1. Mexico’s goals came thanks to the introduction of Zinha, the naturalized Brazilian midfielder who came off the bench to set-up the first and then score the second, a beautiful header […]

England’s uninspiring 1-0 victory over Paraguay has the nation’s pundits out in full force, mulling over all possible reasons why England’s enormously talented squad continue to under-perform on the big stage. ESPN Soccernet columnist Richard Jolly blames a combination of Sven Goran Eriksson’s cautious tactics and the fading potency of Michael Owen, once England’s undisputed […]

FIFA is optimistic this year’s tournament will be doping-free, after its doping control officers reported 216 clean urine tests prior to the start of the tournament. Professor Jiri Dvorak, FIFA’s chief medical officer, confirmed that unannounced tests had been performed at the training camps of all 32 of participating teams and at 24 international friendlies […]

Every four years angry sports writers and columnists across the nation get to vent their frustrations about the World Cup, and particularly, how the American media tries and tries to get millions football, baseball, and basketball fans interested in a tournament our country has little chance of winning. I think it’s funny to watch this […]

With no Leo Messi, no Carlos Tevez, and about a minute’s worth of Pablo Aimar, Argentina was able to produce a solid win over a very tough Ivory Coast anyway. Two very good first-half goals from the supply-line of Juan Roman Riquelme put the favorites comfortably ahead at halftime, a lead Argentina looked certain to […]

By any measure, England disappointed yesterday. As the second favorite to win the World Cup (according to most bookmakers), England’s listless 1-0 victory over a Paraguayan team that never looked interested in drawing level was disappointing for fans, players, and certainly too for ABC, whose opening broadcast for the World tournament brought a single own […]

Despite the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of the Iraqi insurgency, there will be no security increase for the U.S. national team, which is based in Hamburg. That said, American players have been monitored in their hotel rooms by German police, State Department officials and private security — not to mention the FBI and […]

Associated Press columnist Nancy Armour called the opening World Cup ceremony “hokey,” saying FIFA put on an opening ceremony “that even a two-bit carnival wouldn’t take.” Yikes. In the U.S., we couldn’t see the opening ceremony on ESPN2 prior to the start, but gosh, we hope it wasn’t that bad. But a reggae band? Goat […]

A Washington Post article written by human rights activists exposes the seedier side of huge events like the World Cup: Sex trafficking is expected to surge in Germany this year to meet the demand brought on by thousands of visitors to the country’s 12 World Cup cities. Directors of the anti-trafficking Polaris Project, who wrote […]