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GELFAND’S WORLD - This is a pretty good U.S. Men’s team in the World Cup. It has managed to defeat Paraguay, Australia, and now Bosnia-Herzegovina, for a record of 3-1. It’s ability to play the second half on Wednesday while down one player -- and still outscore the opposition -- says a lot. Still, we didn’t expect much from the Bosnian team, them being a third place finisher in their group. What makes it a triumph is that for generations, we didn’t expect the U.S. to make a dent in the established order. Making it through the group round as first place winner says something, and taking another victory in the knockout round (only our second in World Cup history) says something more. So, a triumph.
But also a disaster. The most productive offensive player for the U.S. team, Folarin Balogun, received a Red Card in Wednesday’s game for stepping on the Achilles tendon of an opposing player. This penalty caused him to be removed from the game – bad enough by itself – but also caused him to be suspended from Monday night’s game against Belgium in the Round of 16. Thus our most productive offensive player will miss our most critical game. Remember that it’s a knockout game. Win or exit the tournament.
Monday’s game is also critical in the sense that the U.S. is starting to assert itself in international soccer, but doesn’t appear to be at the level of powerhouse teams such as France and Argentina. A victory against a European team in the Round of 16 would be a substantial step forward. There was reason to hope, given the regained health of Christian Pulisic plus the established excellence of Balogun. Now, with half that attack missing, it’s not clear what to think.
The reason that there might still be some hope is that Belgium did not always play all that well leading up to this next game. It won exactly one game in its Group round, while playing to ties in two other games. It’s Round of 32 game had a rocky start, although the team finished with a bang, winning 3-2 over a presumably excellent opponent.
So, if the U.S. can play superb defense and manage to develop some offense in the absence of its so-far most productive player, there is a chance. The reason we have reason to hope is that the U.S. has been winning 2-0 games along the way, suggesting at least an adequate level of defense. Don’t miss Monday night’s game.
One other interesting tidbit: This time around, the World Cup is being hosted by 3 countries, including Mexico, the United States, and Canada. And all 3 host countries have made it into the round of 16. There’s a big possibility for Mexico as it faces off with England on Sunday.
Tourists react to the United States
Who would have predicted that one of the big stories in this World Cup would be ranch dressing? I’m not too surprised that In-N-Out Burger also makes the list. Apparently, one German visitor mentioned in his internet messages that he was having some enjoyable surprises during his visit and it went viral. Anyway, out of the collective tourist visits, some of American culture is gaining ground. Waffle House got good reviews, even if it is nonexistent in California (plenty in Arizona, though). One visitor described ranch dressing as being like crack.
(Bob Gelfand writes on science, culture, and politics for CityWatch. He can be reached at [email protected])
