I have no interest in joining the great World Cup debate.
That is, I don't want to join those who immediately dismiss it as a minor event. It is part of what paints us as uglay Americans, with out haughty attitude, so dismissive of what is the world's most popular game.
Having said that, I can probably be labeled a fair-weather soccer fan. Sure, I get interested in World Cup, especially when the U.S. of A. is involved. Major League Soccer? I don't think so, even if one of the teams plays its games right here in Delaware County.
Yes, that means the Union. No, I have not yet caught a game at PPL Park on the Chester waterfront.
All of this is to serve as an introduction to what happened to the U.S. team yesterday in their crucial World Cup clash with Portugal.
If you want to know why soccer will always struggle to be taken seriously by U.S. fans, I would submit yesterday's game as Exhibit A.
Aside from baseball, which has a timeless parameter all its own, dependent on gaining a certain amount of outs, our sports are controlled by a clock, one that is clearly displayed, both in stadiums and on TV broadcasts. It is the clock that creates much of the drama that surrounds our sporting events, in particular when it comes to dramatic finishes. Without the clock, there is no nail-biting sense of building anxiety, which inevitably leads to the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat.
Instead, yesterday we were treated to the agony of something called 'stoppage time.'
Soccer games are played in two halves, over 90 minutes.
But the referee keeps track of time during the two halves when play is stopped, such as for injuries, and then adds that time at the end of the game.
That's what happened as the U.S. hung deserately to a 2-1 win that would have punched their ticket to the next round. They came within seconds of winning, but that was just enough time for superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to serve up a perfect crossing pass, which was deposited in the U.S. goal on a great header by Silvestra Varela.
Can you imagine the drama had anyone been aware that there were literally seconds left in the game?
Instead, after the crushing goal, play resumed - and ended - seconds later.
Apparently no one knows but the ref exactly how much time is left. If I'm wrong about this, can someone please correct me?
Otherwise, I was left to grumble about how the soccer gods can possibly allow a game to end like this.
I suppose it could have been worse. The game could have been tied and the U.S. delivered a crushing blow to lose the game.
As it is, the tie keeps them alive and they will face Germany Thursday. A win or tie will put them in the Knockout Round of 16. Here's how the U.S. can advance.
That's not going to make yesterday's unsatisfying tie any easier to stomach.
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