US v Slovenia

Today's match showed how far the US team has come and just how far behind FIFA has fallen.

First the good part, Landon Donovan has changed US soccer forever. Too many times in the past the US teams have fallen behind and once they trailed an opponent the gig was up; for them and for their fans. The goal to start the second half changed the way US fans will view being behind, forever. Everyone saw the Slovenian defender fall but the goal still seemed defended by a well positioned goalie.

Who saw that the roof of the goal was open? Not I, and I don't think many others did either. I have checked, there is nothing in US coaching doctrine that tells players to shoot for the roof of the goal, nothing. But that is why we have players and how we separate great players from the rest, the great ones create something from nothing when their team (and their fans and their country) most need it. Congrats to Donovan for seeing something no one else saw and doing something when we needed it the most.

Now on to FIFA. FIFA has been headed by the same person for maybe a hundred years. During that time the national associations of which it is composed have done a remarkable job in developing this sport on every populated continent in the world. This has happened not because of FIFA but in spite of it. The game today was played between a country that exists only because the country it used to be a part of no longer does. It was officiated by a referee who lost control of the game immediately after the initial kick off and never regained it. The players who played for the country that did not exist consistently took dives, whined and committed egregious fouls with impunity. The system that put Slovenia into the World Cup was designed by FIFA and the system ensures a large number of teams arrive at the venue with nothing to hope for unless they "draw" an inept and probably corrupt referee so they come away with a tie instead of a richly deserved loss.

FIFA needs to go. The developed world and the sport should have an international governing body that has more interest in bring the game into the 21st century and less interest in cutting off YouTube videos.