Soccer Time

Congratulations everyone! The long wait has finally payed off. We are now two days into the 2010 FIFA World Cup and five games are in the books. One of the world's most exciting events is living up to the hype so far, with three of the first five matches resulting in a draw. South Africa was able to keep up with Mexico and finish with a 1-1 tie in the opener. France and Uruguay went scoreless in the second game yesterday as well. South Korea has been the only team to score two goals through the first five games, as they took down Greece 2-0 in Saturday's early game. The most notable match, however, was England vs. United States. I think it's safe to say that all Americans are satisfied with today's outcome, whether they were pleased with the performance or not.

England is ranked 3rd in Soccer Power Rankings, while the US is ranked 15th, so England was the heavy favorite going into the match. However, the Americans had a lot of confidence. Things weren't looking too good for US coach Bob Bradley and his squad after England midfielder Steven Gerrard put the ball in the net just four minutes into the match. Lucky for the Americans, goalie Tim Howard played fantastic with five great saves, even though he got injured in the 29th minute after being kicked in the chest. His superb play was one of the reasons why both squads came away with one point. The other reason was an unfortunate error by England goalkeeper Robert Green. In the 40th minute, Clint Dempsey took a shot with his left foot that went straight at Green. Green just didn't get a good grip on it, and as a result, the ball slipped by him into the goal. The score stayed at 1-1 until the final whistle, and both teams walked off the field with a point in their pocket.

All in all, I felt that everything canceled out for the US. They got very lucky on Dempsey's goal, but they missed a bunch of golden opportunities, particularly Jozy Altidore. England missed some chances too, but I felt like the US could have easily dominated England if they had finished more plays. For example, earlier in the game, they had three corner kicks all within a minute or two, and after the third one, the US turned the ball over. Looking at the scorecard, the stats were pretty even for the most part. Each team had a third of their shots on goal, and the game finished with a total of 26 fouls, but just six of those fouls earned yellow cards (three for each team).

One of the most hyped matchups of the entire event is now in the past. Americans should be happy, while England should not. It's ok though because the perennial powerhouse will have a chance to recoup against Algeria on Friday. Tomorrow, Germany and Australia headline a three-game day that should be as close as the games from today and yesterday. After what's happened in the first two days, I cannot wait to see the outcome of the first round. It's finally summer, and there is no better way to start it off than the famous FIFA World Cup.