Helluva 'Friendly' Pitch Play

So this is gonna be a little bit of a rant today...just want to go ahead and forewarn all of the futbol fans out there! This great game is the one sport that takes brute strength, physical endurance, strategy and outright grit to be successful! So with that in mind, I am seriously sick and tired of all the diving that goes on in the glorious game of futbol these days. The South Americans have seemed to perfect the art over the years and now most Europeans apparently spend all of their game-tape study time on how to dive correctly without getting a card for blatant unsportsman-like conduct. Personally, I would spend my time focusing on defensive and offensive strategy of a 2-5-3 line-up rather than perfecting the 'flying Dutchman' that Wesley Sneijder for Holland so successfully pulled off in the box against the US today to get a penalty kick. Sure, the US defensiveman Jonathan Bornstein grabbed his hand while Sneijder was driving to the goal, but the most that play possibly deserves is a direct kick 18 yards out. Sneijder literally went diving to the turf in an off-balance pirouette and reeled in agony as though he got hacked and would walk around as a gimp for the rest of his life! Seriously?! And to be honest, the only great goal of the game was by Carlos Bocanegra with a sweeeeeet consolation header at the end of match play. Come on people, the US is down two of their best players due to injury and who will most likely not make World Cup play, and the US still played with Clockwork Oranje (#3 World ranking). And to beat it all, a real takedown WAS just inside the box that should have been an obvious penalty kick with Jozy Altidore given the smackdown by defensiveman Stijn Schaars. Yet, I digress, considering it was the United States B squad against what Holland concedes to be their best...we will all just have to wait in nervous anticipation with what the World Cup 2010 will bring coming June 12. So, to put the last nail in this coffin and lay the argument to rest, let the game get back to real skill that wins a game...where Diego Maradona abuses 6 defensivemen to score a spectacular goal...'put a Schumacher' on an unsuspecting striker that got too close to his goal and separate some vertebrae...and bend the ball like Roberto Carlos into any corner of the net he chose...heart and grit, that's all I am asking.
Lastly, there were some other sick goals around the world today with all the 'friendlies' on the pitch. Spain continues to show why they are the best team in the world, especially considering David Villa has come up in the individual player rankings since October of '09 to play alongside THE best, Cristiano Ronaldo. I have to give another 'seriously?' here considering Spain has four of the top 20 (3 in top 6) players in the world. The next closest is England with three in the top 20 and do not get me started on the domination of Wayne Rooney. It makes me a little worried for the US come World Cup time, especially with Slovenia routing Qatar 4-1. And finally, where were the defending World Cup champs in their game against Camaroon?! I get it that Marcello Lippi was tweaking his line-up, but the Azzurri are badass and Cameroon Lions' have not shown any domination since their quarterfinals appearance in 1990.
This all boils down to a great tournament that is only weeks away with the World Cup 2010 coming in June. Come by Mercury Bar on 33rd and 3rd and watch all of the games with us and cheer on your favorite teams in match play. Whether it be the Red Devils in Champions League play or your own country in friendlies leading up to the World Cup...we can show ALL games and that is why we are the best sports bar in Murray Hill, if not the whole island.