Bulletins From BA #29

Bulletins From BA #29

22 junio 2014

¡Hola! there… Rodger French here.

World Cup Report #2 - Más half-baked opinions and debatable observations.

Say Who? - Costa Rica is going through from Group D. Excellent; let’s hear it for the little guys. So what does FIFA do? Drug tests for seven players. C’mon, say it with me: FIFA (insert adverb here) sucks.

Shocked. And Stunned. - Spain fails to make it out of Group B. It’s sad, but the defending champions just didn’t have enough in the tank this time.

The Group of Death - Germany vs. Ghana: 2-2. USA vs. Portugal: 2-2. Group G features great, heartbreaking fútbol and is totally up for grabs. It’s unfortunate that only two of these teams can advance.

Better Lucky Than Good - Argentina has (1) Lionel Messi, (2) a weak group draw, and (3) Lionel Messi. Good thing, too, or there would be even more fútbol-related angst in the streets of Buenos Aires than usual. Incidentally, the nickname for the Argentine side is La Albiceleste, meaning “The White and Sky Blue”. Cool.

Best Uniforms – The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon get my vote for their kit of green jerseys, red shorts, yellow socks, and yellow shoes. Leave it to an African team to pull this off. Awesome. [Honorable Mention: France. Yeah, I know, but the throwback blue jerseys (white collars!) with white shorts and red socks? Très spiffy.

Fashion Victims - We live in what I believe will one day be remembered as an era of truly goofy hairstyles for men, and some fútbol players are fervid trendsetters in tonsorial silliness. That, and the ongoing pandemic of ill-considered tattoos. I blame Beckham.

Due Credit - To Uruguayan forward Luis Suárez (aka, “The Most Hated Man in Ghana”) for his comeback from a knee injury and subsequent brilliant play. Of course, I’m still rooting for him to fail in spectacular fashion, but there’s no denying his talent.

Más tarde. ¡Adelante!

Rodger