Let me congratulate the U.S. team for giving us two fun weeks of soccer. It did not end well, but it was fun. In the end, they have a lot of learning to do:
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Team USA has been bundled out of its home World Cup in devastating fashion, hammered 4-1 by Belgium.
American striker Folarin Balogun started the match after a highly controversial intervention by Donald Trump saw his ban deferred.
However, the striker and his teammates could do little to stop the European heavyweights from teaching them a lesson they won’t forget.
Charles De Ketelaere scored early to give Belgium the lead before the U.S. equalized after a free kick deflected off the wall into the back of the net.
De Ketelaere would then head home less than two minutes later to reclaim Belgium’s lead.
A howler from American goalkeeper Matt Freese then ended all hopes of a comeback in the second half before Romelu Lukaku put the icing on the cake with a quality late goal to give them a massive win and book a place in the quarterfinals.
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Yes, the dream is over, and I wonder how many of us are now going to watch a lot more of the tournament. I am not sure, but I will likely watch highlights. It’s hard for me to drop everything and watch a game I still don’t understand.
As a Cuban kid growing up in the U.S., I watched and played baseball and then fell in love with what my parents called “futbol americano.” For a little context, every Cuban kid loves baseball. In our family’s case, we landed in the U.S., were relocated to Wisconsin, and watched Bart Starr and the Packers win titles. It was easy to love “futbol americano” with a team like that.
I mention all of this because soccer, or real “futbol” as they tell me, is relatively new to me. I admire the athletes, and the game can be very intense. Nevertheless, it’s still hard for me to watch the game and not remember that great song by Chicago: “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”
Yes, can someone explain the clock? You are watching a game, and then they go into “stoppage time,” say seven minutes, but it suddenly becomes 10 or 11 minutes. Who determines this, and why are fans the last to know?
Maybe there is a logical explanation, but it’d be easier for me to have one clock where the referee on the field can connect with an official clock on the board for a better idea of what’s going on.
Can FIFA consider my simple request? Can we have an idea of when the game is over? We have the technology to do it, and all we need is for FIFA to use it.
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Again, congratulations to Team USA, but can someone tell me what time it is?
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Image: Pixabay