usa vs italy

espn's commentary of the world cup matches sucks.

first off, no disrespect, but what the hell is a woman doing in the studio commentating on the performences of the men's game? i doubt you'll find that in any other country that is playing in this year's tournament. it's got nothing to do with equality, but everything to do with world cup football. this of course works both ways.

the guy running up and down the field, calling offsides and throw-ins is a linesman, not a 'referee's assistant.'

when a ball is kicked onto another player and it comes off that player, it is called a deflection, not a 'rebound'; this isn't basketball.

how come i can count an entire play, with the ball being touched by some 10 players, before one of the commentators actually informs us of who has the ball, instead of reading off their very carefully prepared scripts. 'it's called play by play', or 'running commentary'

how come whaen iran take to the field, they always mention the political issues, but when angola play, there's nothing about cholera and the mind-numbing appalling living conditions experienced by many citizens, living on piles of rotting rubbish and sewage of an oil-rich nation?

i heard whilst watching the portugal game that if you were a new soccer fan, you should "watch the czech republic vs ghana game, because it has huge implications on the usa team".

how pathetic! how about"you should try and watch as many of the games being played as possible"? i guess if it doesn't directly involve america, there's no 'need' to watch the other games.

the world cup. every four years americans suddenly seem to get very enthusiastic about football...or have no idea about the game whatsoever.

italy :)