"A game that is supposed to be 11 against 11 became a game of eight-man flag football.
You will have to excuse me if my journalistic objectivity will look slightly out of kilter today because I just had my first out-of-body experience at this World Cup. I thought I was prepared for it but clearly this was not the case after my native Portugal defeated the Netherlands 1-0 in the round of 16.
The often-overlooked Portuguese squad has made it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the first time since 1966. The tension and joy was such that I couldn't even muster a few tears, as I did in sadness the other day in this same stadium when my other home country, the United States, had been sent packing by Ghana. This is almost the exact reversal of four years ago in Korea, where I felt such exuberance for the U.S., even after it had helped send Portugal home. Such are the emotional twists of a World Cup if you also happen to be a fan of the game, as well as a journalist.
Sunday night, I actually went so far as to ask for a seat in the non-working area of the media section. I was quite sure that I would display more than a little emotion during the 90-plus minutes of the Portugal-Holland encounter. I may have lost a little control during that time, but nowhere near as much as a Russian referee named Valentin Ivanov. By almost universal consensus, it was among the worst officiated World Cup matches ever. If there is such a thing as a killjoy individual, surely this ranks high among them."
View Marcos' full report at the Tampa Tribune >>
About Me
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- The largest organization of elite-level soccer leagues in North America, United Soccer Leagues is dedicated to growing the sport at the grassroots level in every community. The USL First Division and Second Division (North American men’s professional soccer), the USL Premier Development League (U23 North American men’s amateur), the USL W-League (North American women’s amateur), the USL Super-20 League (U20 North American men’s and women’s amateur) and the USL Super Y-League (North American boy’s and girl’s elite youth amateur) have provided a platform for thousands of players to reach their dreams since 1986. This vision and commitment to develop a soccer nation by fans, investors, administrators, coaches, and players has created the foundation for the growth of the sport, while presenting affordable, exciting family entertainment in over 100 cities and towns on the continent.