USA

Just after lunch on Sunday afternoon I hit my recliner and checked out all the movie channels that I can get on Direct TV and then started checking the sports.  Team USA was ahead of Brazil 1-0 and finding what I considered to be nothing better to watch I sat and watch the match.

I am in no way a fan of World Cup Soccer men or women..  I would rather watch a high school match over the World Cup with my thinking being if these are the greatest players in the world why are the scores only 2-1?  It didn't take long to get my interest up as the further the game went along it seemed the USA was going to have to beat the refs too in order to win this match.

Since  I know nothing related to the rules I have no idea whether it was a good call or not Red Carding the USA player on what to me seemed to be about as good of a defensive play as you can make.  It is easy to tell when you pull a player down or trip someone that a foul should occur but in this instance it looked like a completely good defensive play.  The penalty kick was stopped by the USA goalie only to hear she moved and Brazil got a second kick and this one was good.

The Red Card sent the USA player to the sidelines and the US played one player short for rest of the game.  Playing one short today would mean another 24 minutes of regular time plus all these added minutes.  The US did a great job and managed to hold the score at 1-1at the end of the game.  Now Overtime  where they play a 15 minute period and then another 15 minutes more.

Finally Brazil made a spectacular goal to give them a 2-1 lead only to see the replay that Brazil was off side but not called.  Whether it is soccer or hockey I don't see the point of offside.  It seems to me letting players move about the field regardless of where the ball is would open up more scoring.  If you want to risk keeping a player down at one end while the other team attacks your goal it seems to me to be a coaches choice. The first 15 minute over time passed and USA is down and just about out.

The last segment Brazil goes into the delay mode doing every thing they can to end the game even faking injuries.  When the clock said the game should be over we are told there are three extra minutes  and two pass by with team USA now in desperation  mode putting everyone on offense.  If happen as if this is a makeup for all the bad calls but a kick soars toward the right front of the goal and a USA head bats the ball into the goal to tie the game at 2.  It is the latest goal in the history of the World Cup.

The World Cup has just had a fifteen minute and then fifteen  minutes over time periods and now they decide the game on penalty kicks. As the cameras panned the players as their coaches talked to them in what order they would kick the shots you could almost tell that the USA was going to win.  They were excited and pumped up Brazil looked in shock and dismay.

USA made all five of their kicks while Solo the USA goalie stopped one shot and that was enough to propel the USA to the semi finals.

They had  better not waste maybe the craziest come back in World Cup history and lose either in the semi's or finals.  I found myself cheering for those girls because the circumstance of the flow of the game they should have never won but they did.

USA USA USA