Football Fashion Friday

Recently we’ve been watching the world cup games, and I forget how much I love soccer (or football, depending on your country code) until I get caught up in it once again.  I was amazed at the very sophisticated level of play by the US team.  To watch them move them the ball down the field in these crazy zig-zag passing routes?  It was truly awesome.  We were heartbroken with the US lost to Ghana, but c’est la soccer.

The Quarter-Finals start this weekend, with eight teams left:  Netherlands, Brazil, Uruguay, Ghana, Argentina, Germany, Paraguay, and Spain.  I think I’m rooting for Spain, but I”m not sure.  I like Argentina, too.

There are several differences between soccer and football.  One is the amount of babying the players are allowed.  When you watch the world cup games, you notice players taking dramatic dives in order to draw the foul.  What was funny was the refs.  They would walk over, glare at the player rolling around on the ground, and gesture for him to get up.  If the player did not get up, the ref would only glare harder.  I would love to have the officials miked.  “Hey, you big wussy!  Why are you down on the ground?  Get your butt up and let’s get this game going again?  I’ve got a cold beer waiting for me, and I don’t have time for some Nancy Boy diva who thinks now is a good time to play dead.”

As you can see, I like to make up my own commentary.

Carlos Bocanegra and Jozy Altidore of the USA

However, this blog is not referee Friday, but Fashion Friday, so I will discuss the uniforms.  Much like professional football, each team has two uniforms, light and dark, and I have no idea how they decide which one to wear.  Most of the time, the US team wore white, but there are a few times they showed up in the dark colors. We have a lot of very good retiring players on the US team, and I was sad to see them lose. I’m hopeful that in four years, we’ll have another round of great players, but the sports commentators said that this was really the US’s year. Dratted commentators.

Landon Donovan, USA

I have now discovered that Argentina is a really good team, and their colors are very pretty.  A light blue and white stripe.  There was Imelda Marcos with her shoes, and the Argentinean team with their stripes.  Obviously Argentina is a very tasteful country. They are also very dramatic, with lots of gesturing and pumping their fists in their air, and also displaying some other, less positive gestures as well.

Argentina

Portugal is another team that is very good, but they are out of cup, defeated by Spain.    Portugal’s uniforms are red and green, although sometimes they do wear the white jersey with white and green stripes.    They are often caught wiping their faces with their jerseys.  I’m assuming that allergies are bad for the Portguese players, but I do not mind.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Carvalho of Portugal

Red is also the color of the uniform of Spain, although their jersey is red and yellow, with cute blue-striped shorts.    The shorts are missing in this photo, but trust me, they are cute.

Fernando Torres, Spain

France’s uniforms are stylish and classic in a navy blue and white with dashing stripes along the midriff.

Yoann Gourcuff of France

I hope you have enjoyed this little bit of sports fashion.  As writers, I think it’s important that we broaden our horizons, both culturally , fashionably, and also athletically.

So, my question today: Is anybody else watching the games?  Will Brazil take the cup?  Any favorite players or teams that I missed?  And if you’re not watching the game, what’s the best sport to watch and why?

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