Back in KC

Monday, June 21, 2010

Match 30
Cape Town
Portugal 7 – 0 Korea DPR
Place watched:  Comfort of my living room, Olathe, KS, USA

It felt so good to wake up in my own bed, even if the time spent there was short.  My father had picked me up in Minneapolis and we had a lovely drive back to Kansas on Father’s Day.  We arrived home at 2:30am and I was up for the early game.

And what a game it was!

Portugal finally looked like the powerful team they were touted to be entering this tournament.  The North Koreans were completely over-matched and, while a result was still in reach at the half (Portugal was up by a single goal), Portugal scored at will during the second stanza.


Match 31
Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth
Chile 1 – 0 Switzerland
Place watched:  tape delay – living room, Olathe, KS

My father had to get back to the Twin Cities by tonight (it’s my mother’s birthday—Happy Birthday, Mom!), so we had an early lunch with my brother and his family.  Therefore, we left my house at half-time with the match scoreless but Switzerland going down a man in the 31st minute.

Brunch went well and my dad hit the road with plenty of time to get him to Minneapolis for this evening’s festivities.

I returned home to watch the conclusion of the match, which turned out to be a good one.  The 10 - man Swiss side held on remarkably until the 75th minute.  Their 3 points against Spain last week still gives them hope of advancing to the knock-out round, but their hopes took a blow with the suspension of Valon Behrami.  He was the first Swiss player ever to be sent off in a World Cup match.


Match 32
Johannesburg – JEP
Spain 2 – 0 Honduras
Place watched:  Ugly Joes, KC, MO

My usual soccer-viewing place is apparently closed for renovations.  It seems a bit odd that an establishment that prides itself for being a Kansas City soccer haven is closed during the Cup.  I guess it is entirely possible that the owner and his family are currently in South Africa watching matches live… I just thought of that now…

Regardless of the reason, I found a little place not too far away that will do nicely.  There are several big-screen TVs and a nice atmosphere for a good match. 

This match had a special significance due to a Kansas City Wizards player starting for Honduras.  Roger Espinoza is at right back for this match against arguably the best offensive team in the Cup.  While he seemed to hold his own, he was subbed out for a striker at the half.  Honduras was down a goal and hoped to generate additional offense.

They didn’t.

The final score was a pretty fair result.  Spain assaulted the Honduran goal and the Hondurans were lucky to leave the match with only a 2-goal deficit.  Besides the 22 – 9 shot disparity (8 – 0 on goal for Spain) David Villa missed a penalty that would have earned the striker a hat-trick.  A thorough kicking sent the first CONCACAF participant packing.  While not ideal for the region, it will be nice to get Roger back early and substantially more experienced!