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SANTIAGO, CHILE -- I went to Mr. Jack's, a sports bar/burger joint in the poche "Sanhattan" neighborhood of Santiago, Chile to watch the World Cup opener. A Brazilian couple were sitting at the table next to me, chatting with some Chilean businessman enjoying the game. The restaurant was heavily "pro-Brazil". In fact, unless a South American country is playing against their own, any of the 6 qualifying countries' fans will root for the other South American team (with my dear Argentina, sadly, being the unpopular exception).
The Opening game was quite exciting, and most can agree Brazil got away with a win when perhaps a tie should've been the just result. Neymar and Oscar were sharp and quick. I'm scratching my head as to why Willian wasn't in the starting roster in place of the lesser "Hulk" (an apt name, indeed, but not the best choice for Brazil's starting 11). Some of the other Brazilian players seemed mortal, if not beatable, especially on defense. Croatia showed how a strong and powerful set of forwards and midfielders can expose the Brazilian defense with hard crosses from the wings. Although Marcelo gave up an "own goal" by accident, it could've happened to any player. The real liability in the back is David Luiz, a heavily overrated player. What he possesses in offensive-minded talents, he lacks
in his role as a part of a team defense. Brazil looks vulnerable, and will give up goals to the better sides in the tournament. While they have the crowd and a strong attacking group on their side, I have a feeling a good European side like Holland or Italy will be their undoing. At the end of the Brazil match, the Brazilian guy made a funny comment when I asked what he thought of Julio Cesar, their Brazil goalkeeper: "manos de lechuga"… the Spanish version of "Butter Fingers"… let's see if that's an omen!!!
A few quick comments:
-If Spain's 5-1 loss was the biggest upset, then Uruguay's unraveling against little Costa Rica certainly was a shocker, even without Luis Suarez, healing from knee surgery! Uruguay will have no choice but to start the illusive Suarez in order to pull off a must-win result against happless England, and at least a tie against Italy, provided Costa Rica pick up no points against the European sides of one of three Groups of Death (Groups B, D, and G, in case you're wondering).
-I was impressed by Japan's tenacity, scoring the first goal and continuing to overachieve in the World Cup since 2002. A team of less talented players playing together as a cohesive team, versus a team of immensely talented Ivorian players that took most of the match to finally gel and find the net twice to earn 3 points. I can't wait to see Cote D'Ivoire battle Colombia...
-Ecuador sure blew an opportunity. Valencia fed Arroya a great pass, and after one touch, he could have taken a shot at goal. Instead, he tried to set up the perfect shot, lost possession in the process, and an immediate counterstrike resulted in Switzerland getting a shocking winner with just 20 seconds left to go in the game! What a thrilling finish!!
To answer the leading question of this mini-edition of the Brew, "What is the Record Number of Flops in a World Cup Game by a Player?" Well, I'm sure our knowledgeable futbol statisticians Scotty T. or Sammy N. have that answer, but it could have changed hadn't Wilson Palacios been issued a red card in the 43rd minute. Truth be told, the red card came about 15 minutes too late. He "simulated" at least 3 times in the half before his bone-head shove in the penalty box. I will never root for Wilson Palacios on any level, what a poor sport! Had he been red-carded earlier for his BS dives, perhaps Honduras could've arrived at the half time break without giving up that first goal. Palacios was on pace to dive 7 times across the match! Worse than Vlady Divac or Derek Fisher in the early 2000's NBA Western Conference Finals!!
-Eric Foster
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