I've Got a Fever...And The Only Cure Is More Football!!!

That's right, World Cup 2014 has kicked off and I'm once again knee deep in the beautiful game. It's been fun to watch so far, because you never quite know what is going to happen on any given day (like the Netherland's 5-1 dismantling of Spain or Germany's 4-0 pummeling of Portugal).

Last night started off great for the US with hometown hero (Seattle Sounders) Clint Dempsey scoring in less than 30 seconds. Then things get somewhat dicey as we endure a couple of injuries and a relentless Ghana attack that is less than technical until they tie the score in the 82nd minute. And then magic:

John Brooks comes on and powers in a header off a corner in the 86th minute and the US holds off Ghana for a 2-1 victory!!! I'm a happy camper, for sure. Now we face a reeling Portugal and then the German machine. Hoping for the best in the next two matches.

Last day of school for my little dragons is tomorrow, so I will have a lot more time for painting, posting, and perhaps even finally listing some of my excess lead on eBay. Unless I just sit around and watch the World Cup for the next several weeks...one never knows.

Been There, Done That

I feel Robert Green's pain. Green was in goal today for England, and he made a terrible mistake and let a bad goal in. Good for the U.S., bad for Green & England. I'll take the point and hope we beat Slovenia and Algeria to advance to the next round.

I've been a football/soccer goalkeeper for 32 years and counting. If I tallied up the number of bad goals I've allowed in over three decades, it wouldn't be pretty. But Green's gaffe and Kasey Keller's recent blunder against DC United show that even the pros have bad moments. Granted, I've never blown a save in a World Cup match, but trust me, a glaring error by the keeper in any league isn't fun.

Go USA!

Are you ready for some FUTBOL?

World Cup 2010 kicks off on Friday June 11th! I am primed and ready to spend the next month watching the best footballers in the world do their thing in South Africa. First up for the U.S. is the English juggernaut on June 12th, with most pundits predicting a victory for England. I am hopeful to prove the pundits wrong, because I know the U.S. lads are capable of great things (see their 2-0 victory over Spain in the Confederations Cup for example). But my optimism is tempered by their ability to implode (see their 3-2 loss to Brazil in the same Confederations Cup final after going up 2-0 for example).

Advancing out of group play is not a sure thing for the U.S. this time around - in addition to facing England, we also need to do well against Slovenia (6/18) and Algeria (6/23). As always, it's going to be interesting and entertaining to see how events unfold for each and every team.

Luckily, the games are going to be on in the morning around here, so my World Cup watching won't interfere with my painting schedule, such that it is.