entombed in the shrine of zeroes and ones

Waiter! I did not order this extra serving of irony!

A stomp for a knee, a handball for a handball. The US team plays its best game, its best soccer of the Cup, and it goes home. The more i think about it, the more i want to cry, even though (or perhaps because) this was more than i expected. And i can't believe i missed Ecuador-Croatia. Damn it all.

I love this game. I love the World Cup. Even Italia `90, widely regarded as the suckiest tournament over the last two decades, was a wonderful event.

All of a sudden, US Soccer's "Win the Cup by 2010" doesn't look preposterous anymore. And the next Cup will be played in... Germany. Hoo ha. Go USA!

For my money, the team that's played the prettiest soccer this World Cup is Senegal. No contest. The energy of the Irish is admirable, but the Senegalese have that flavor, that joy that was brought to the forefront by the Brazil teams of Pelé, and also the 1982 & 1986 teams. If their individual talent were higher amongst all their starters, they would definitely be a new-millennium, African sort of Brazil.

USA, baby! WHAT?

Senegal's schoolchildren got the day off, since it could not be reasonably expected of them to focus on schoolwork when Senegal's first World Cup match ever was going on. After Senegal's victory, a national holiday was declared.

Needless to say, i'd love to see similar treatment in case the US beats Portugal.

Llegó por fin el Mundial@$##@!$!!@GRAN HIDEPUTA COSA MÁS GRANDE CHICO@!#$$@#!$$!#

I'll be sick all June. Don't try to call.