Given the extent to which I’ve blabbered on about the World Cup over the past month, I’d be remiss if I didn’t come full circle and weigh in on the tournament now that Italy has triumphed. A few brief remarks:
1. US coach Bruce Arena has stepped down; he’ll now coach the New York Red Bulls (the asinine new name for what used to be called the MLS’s NY/NJ Metrostars). The New York Times World Cup blog has a great run-down of how the US national team can become more competitive post-Arena.
2. I liked the way Italy played, and they deserved to win. Contrary to their typical style, they played attractive, attacking football and they were a joy to watch, especially in their semifinal win against Germany. (Two knocks against the Azzurri, though: their draw was incredibly favorable, and they practically waltzed into the semis; and if you’re a cynic you’d say all the Italian players are corrupt anyway and were individually motivated to play well so they could find new teams after their Serie A club sides were relegated in a massive match-fixing scandal.)
3. The Zizou headbutt (recreated in the image above). Wow. What can you say? The incident encapsulates the drama of the World Cup — the tournament is about elation, anger, grief, recriminations, apologies. The tournament is truly life writ large on an international stage. Even the greats screw up sometimes.
4. If you’re an England supporter looking for a scapegoat after the team crashed out in the quarterfinals, I have one word for you: WAGs.
[Photo credit: Mads Boedker]