As if Spain's victory was not enough to lift my spirits... these phrases made me chortled while working in my quiet lab...
"So nearly a month, 62 matches and tens of thousands of vuvuzela blasts later, the World Cup is down to two title contenders: Spain and the Netherlands..."
Showing posts with label soccer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soccer. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
World Cup 2010
It has been four years since I came to this land that calls football as soccer. This is the sport that I used to be really passionate about. I hope this world cup can reignite the passion for the world's - not including America-most popular game.
I was real glad that I didn't have to watch it alone but with another gal that has even greater passion for the game than me. If it were left up to me, I would miss the first match between South Africa and Mexico. My beauty sleep was more important. I would watch selective match based of my mood and of course favorite countries. Luckily, I wasn't alone. It was an exciting match, especially the second half with a great finishing by South Africa, followed by a great pass (but an easy goal) by Mexico.
But of course, the real lesson that I learned was the "real" meaning of football's most confusing term- offside.
The FIFA rule:
A player is in an offside position if: he is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent (at the time the ball is played).
All the hype about Mexico's first half "goal". Was it offside? If you said yes, then congratz, you really know the meaning of offside.
I -and many people for sure- thought it wasn't at first. See, we thought there was another South African player in front of Mexican Carlos Vela when his teammate dos Santos put the ball to the net. Well, the keyword is the second-last opponent. The S.African player that was at the goal was the last man, which usually is the keeper. But since the keeper move up, the keeper was the second-last opponent (simply put, they "switched" places), and since Vela is in front of the keeper, he was offside.
I used to have this scenario in my head and wanted to asked someone, but I think I didn't as I assume that it might not be offside as there were still players there to "defend" the goal post (sometimes there are 2 players at the goalpost to help the goalkeeper when there's a corner). I forgot about my assumption and logic till I saw the reply and began wondering why was it not offside. My friend agreed with the referee... then, I remembered my assumption.
Looking forward to the England vs USA match tmr. I want to see Gerrard in the field leading England. How I missed seeing him in action >.<
I was real glad that I didn't have to watch it alone but with another gal that has even greater passion for the game than me. If it were left up to me, I would miss the first match between South Africa and Mexico. My beauty sleep was more important. I would watch selective match based of my mood and of course favorite countries. Luckily, I wasn't alone. It was an exciting match, especially the second half with a great finishing by South Africa, followed by a great pass (but an easy goal) by Mexico.
But of course, the real lesson that I learned was the "real" meaning of football's most confusing term- offside.
The FIFA rule:
A player is in an offside position if: he is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent (at the time the ball is played).
All the hype about Mexico's first half "goal". Was it offside? If you said yes, then congratz, you really know the meaning of offside.
I -and many people for sure- thought it wasn't at first. See, we thought there was another South African player in front of Mexican Carlos Vela when his teammate dos Santos put the ball to the net. Well, the keyword is the second-last opponent. The S.African player that was at the goal was the last man, which usually is the keeper. But since the keeper move up, the keeper was the second-last opponent (simply put, they "switched" places), and since Vela is in front of the keeper, he was offside.
I used to have this scenario in my head and wanted to asked someone, but I think I didn't as I assume that it might not be offside as there were still players there to "defend" the goal post (sometimes there are 2 players at the goalpost to help the goalkeeper when there's a corner). I forgot about my assumption and logic till I saw the reply and began wondering why was it not offside. My friend agreed with the referee... then, I remembered my assumption.
Looking forward to the England vs USA match tmr. I want to see Gerrard in the field leading England. How I missed seeing him in action >.<
Saturday, December 05, 2009
I was watching the 2010 S. Africa World Cup group draws... I felt so detached from soccer now. I remembered how I fell in love with this sport and the suave, athletic players. I became such a fanatic that I would wake up in the wee hours in the morning just to catch my favorite team in action, that their performance would affect my mood, how it would become the only topic I talked about for the day, how my english essays would be inspired by it, and how it took up much of my life for the majority of my teenage years.
Since I came to US, the passion grew lesser and lesser. Not only my passion for soccer, but for sports. I used to be rather sporty, playing badminton, skipping rope ( i remembered how I would skip with the rope made with loops of rubber bands everyday before tuition, during class breaks and after school in the garage), and try some other sports. Now, I prefer to stay at home, cuddle on my bed watching unrealistic dramas...
But lately, I discovered or may be rediscovered other passion--- crafting. I always like to make things be it personal handmade cards for my friends or family or other decorative crafts. I enjoyed arts classes (except when the teachers were trying to pressure me to come up somethings that I didn't know how and the hours it took to complete something). I would spent hours and even forgoing dinner working on my arts project or exams. I decided to let arts go during my upper sec. years and for that 2 years, I felt rather lost.My only encounter with arts was being a member of the Art Club but I didn't enjoy it very much. The stress of exams and "o" level blinded me of the joy I once had with arts and crafts.
Nowadays, cross-stitching and making cards help me relax. I wished I have better drawing skills or even apt with graphic design software then I can make more beautiful things easily. The sudden urge to take up drawing and designing classes.
Since I came to US, the passion grew lesser and lesser. Not only my passion for soccer, but for sports. I used to be rather sporty, playing badminton, skipping rope ( i remembered how I would skip with the rope made with loops of rubber bands everyday before tuition, during class breaks and after school in the garage), and try some other sports. Now, I prefer to stay at home, cuddle on my bed watching unrealistic dramas...
But lately, I discovered or may be rediscovered other passion--- crafting. I always like to make things be it personal handmade cards for my friends or family or other decorative crafts. I enjoyed arts classes (except when the teachers were trying to pressure me to come up somethings that I didn't know how and the hours it took to complete something). I would spent hours and even forgoing dinner working on my arts project or exams. I decided to let arts go during my upper sec. years and for that 2 years, I felt rather lost.My only encounter with arts was being a member of the Art Club but I didn't enjoy it very much. The stress of exams and "o" level blinded me of the joy I once had with arts and crafts.
Nowadays, cross-stitching and making cards help me relax. I wished I have better drawing skills or even apt with graphic design software then I can make more beautiful things easily. The sudden urge to take up drawing and designing classes.
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