World Cup Report – Part 1
By Paul Lyons
The World Cup 2006 has begun and the international spectacle is awesome. This is really my first true World Cup, as when one lives in the United States, it is not that big a deal. In Guatemala, the street traffic in town definitely is less during the matches where Italy, Mexico or Brasil are playing.
The "Pelican Café Language Institute - World Cup Intensive Spanish Session" http://www.pelicancafe.net/BlogsRec.asp?IDblog=1&IDblogrec=10 sold out in two days. The various students from around the world are working their Bus Driver Assistant jobs and really getting into it. It is surprising how a change of scenery from some depressing cubicle can completely invigorate people. Gilda from Germany is working the route between San Marcos and the little town of San Antonio. I should have never given her my cellphone number as she has a really hard time with basic math and making change – "Es zis Paul? OK now ze old man here zays I give him ze wrong change. Quince is ze same as cincuinta, right?" Gilda is a good sport though – she loves hanging out the door dressed in all her Berlin thrift store garb and singing her own out of tune “Sound of Music” medleys. The only problem is that she is teamed up with Felipe, a conservative Evangelical, who first thought the language course was a great idea but with Gilda working his bus his rider ship has dropped off. Some of the people are afraid to get on the Felipe’s bus now. They see Gilda with about twelve piercings in her head, orange hair and cat glasses and they think they are about to get on a bus owned by the devil. She signed up for the course only because see hates football and could not stay in Germany while all the crazed fans took over her country.
Meanwhile, at Jorge’s the Bus Driver Assistants are living it up, ordering out for chicken and making a mess of the place. I stopped by the other night to give them their bonuses for all the hard work they did following the first few days of matches. Jorge’s 38 year-old grandmother will never forgive me for this language course thing. I am certain of it.
I have taken in a few of the matches. My first impression is that this is a truly beautiful event. The sportsmanship has been awesome. As so many sports in the United States, especial tackle football, have become places where selfish grandstanding and childish antics seem to make the headlines, The World Cup seems above all this. The genuine warmth between teams, the cute thing they do with pairing up kids from one team with the players on the other team, really gives you some hope for the world. Surely our world leaders need to take note and learn a thing or two.
The most beautiful goals were those scored by Mexico. The header to the winger who then deflected the ball in was my favorite. Italy looked very good as did their opponent, Ghana. The Czech Republic’s drubbing of the United States made this Eastern European team look pretty formidable, however that will be truly assessed when they play a first rank team.
The United States Team looks pretty terrible. It almost seems that they are playing according to some textbook on soccer that they got out of the library. Their offensive attack is slow and they play so carefully they telegraph all their moves - rarely does something with goal potential develop. Not to judge a book by the cover, but it is my impression that the players on US team look like classmates who you played volleyball against in high school gym class - and these were the guys who where not on any varsity sports but were good at things like Biology, Computer Science and Math. I mean just look at the Italian Team and see the comparison. Guys like Totti and Calaveros look like characters out of some ancient Roman fable – intense, serious and emotional.
The other thing that the US team does not do, which every other team does, is go down with a flourish. It is not a noble part of the game, but has made for more yellow cards than anything else. If you have the ball, are in trouble, and the other team merely touches your leg, go down and roll around the ground, hold your shin in agony. The Italians do it as though their day jobs are understudies in the Milan Opera Company. The stretcher comes on the field. The player is hauled off by five guys from the Red Cross. A close up is shown of the player’s face in extreme agony. Two minutes later, the same player, gets a fast break down the middle of the field, beats out the defender with sheer speed and scores the winning goal. This is exactly what happened in the Italy-Ghana match when Vincenzo Iaquinta, after being carted off the field, came back on to score the second goal. His legs miraculously recovered making me think that perhaps Barry Bonds needs to go to Italy and figure out what these guys are taking. Barry – one thousand home runs is possible.
That is all for the World Cup Report – Part 1. I must go out and buy another card for my cellphone as Gilda used up my last 30 minutes and I can see from my messages that she is trying to call again.
Add Comments +
|
 |
|
RECENT ESSAYS:
By Paul Lyons
April - 2006
Shopping in San Pedro
4/15/2006 10:07:38 AM
The Rooster
4/17/2006 3:56:27 PM
Agua Tibia
4/24/2006 8:45:36 AM
Climbing Tajumulco
4/26/2006 5:18:30 PM
Champerico
4/27/2006 9:54:56 AM
May - 2006
Leonel Zolorsano Wins
Taxi Driver of the Year Award
5/12/2006 11:27:10 AM
Remembering Tikal
5/15/2006 9:40:27 AM
Pelican Café Spanish Institute
5/24/2006 9:43:50 PM
June - 2006
If You Need Me, I’m at the Shop
6/1/2006 8:45:09 AM
Finca Niagra #57
6/12/2006 6:45:53 AM
» World Cup Report – Part 1
6/14/2006 7:36:14 AM
How My Son Was
Converted to Catholicism
6/15/2006 6:11:52 PM
The Rainy Season
6/16/2006 8:42:20 AM
World Cup Report – Part 2
6/20/2006 11:46:47 AM
July - 2006
The Hungry Cyclist
7/3/2006 9:47:58 AM
World Cup Report – Part 3
7/10/2006 8:22:28 AM
Tikal Revisited
7/10/2006 7:10:35 PM
Great-tailed Grackle
7/13/2006 8:38:51 AM
Only the Essentials
7/28/2006 12:21:08 PM
August - 2006
Antigua Café – Not in Antigua
8/3/2006 8:13:50 AM
La Castalia
8/3/2006 9:12:05 AM
The Virgin Guadalupe and I
8/11/2006 9:13:38 AM
Dogs in Guatemala
8/28/2006 10:48:04 AM
Surfing El Paredon
8/30/2006 8:54:47 PM
September - 2006
Intervida
9/7/2006 4:56:30 AM
Bookish
9/14/2006 6:31:45 AM
Reflections on Guatemalan Independence
9/18/2006 7:29:46 PM
October - 2006
The Black Cat – Antigua
10/11/2006 10:30:01 PM
Shoe Shine – Dos Quetzales
10/12/2006 10:05:32 AM
La Democracia
10/14/2006 12:09:59 PM
The Sporting Scene
10/20/2006 6:52:33 AM
November - 2006
A Day in Comitancillo
11/8/2006 1:47:39 PM
Lake Atitlan
11/21/2006 7:27:02 AM
Road Work
11/22/2006 6:45:19 AM
The Chicken Lady
11/23/2006 6:06:32 AM
Moses at the Supermarq
11/28/2006 7:08:30 PM
December - 2006
Centro Recreativo Nuevo San Rafael
12/2/2006 10:24:46 AM
Climbing Tajumulco – Part 2
12/3/2006 9:56:17 AM
The Music Police
12/5/2006 7:01:57 AM
Ropa Americana
12/24/2006 8:37:54 AM
Climbing Tajumulco – Part 3
12/24/2006 8:39:21 AM
January - 2007
Semuc Champey
1/3/2007 3:09:16 PM
Leaving Guatemala
1/3/2007 3:09:51 PM
|
ABOUT THE PELICAN CAFE |
PRIVACY POLICY |
PASSWORD HELP |
LOG OUT
