The U.S. earned a point by drawing with Italy yesterday in what was an even more physical game than Germany-Poland (which was one of the best matches of the tournament thus far; Germany won 1-0 on a spectacular late goal). I didn't get to see the first half - we were driving down to Cal's surprise 30th birthday party, and yes, he was surprised - but by its end, both teams were playing with 10 men as a result of two red cards. In the opening minutes of the second half, defender Eddie Pope received an undeserved yellow, which, coupled with a first-half caution, meant ejection. The U.S. played 9 to Italy's 10 for the remainder of the match. I didn't see either of the goals (both came in the first half), but the officiating was certainly suspicious, especially in light of the fact that the referee was suspended back in 2002 for unspecified irregularities. Hmmm. Anyway, the U.S. still can advance, but they obviously must been Ghana on Thursday.
A quick thought on Cup coverage; I think ABC/ESPN is doing an admirable job, but the lack of coverage from other outlets is discouraging. Get this - on our way down to Cheverly yesterday Jenny and I managed to find an Italian language broadcast of the match (on AM station 730), but not an English broadcast.
No comments:
Post a Comment