The
USA’s defeat in the match-up with Ghana on Saturday may have crashed the dream
of millions of Americans who’d hoped it would finally enter the quarterfinals
of the World Cup. Now, off it goes, out of Africa! It’s even more discouraging
to think, in retrospect, that this was actually a rematch for both teams in the
2006 World Cup in Germany
that the American team lost. Ironically it may sound, four years later the US
team was beaten all over again by the same “Warrior King”, a tiny country
nestled on the edge of African continent.
Though psychologically sided with the
US team while watching the event
unfolding on TV, I have to say that the Ghanaian performed much better, either
with the team’s collective tactics or with their individual player’s skill,
speed, and stamina. Appearing languish and unorganized, the USA team apparently
struggled, in both offense and defense, throughout the first half and couldn‘t
get a good shot past the
Ghana
team in spite they had several chances toward the end of the second half. The
imparity between these two teams, if not out of league, was clearly demonstrated
by the facts that the Ghanaian scored the first goal in less than ten minutes
after the game started, and that the only goal the US team scored was by a
penalty kick in the second half, which was a huge swing of the game for the US
team at the moment yet it was quickly caught up by its rivalry when Ghana scored
another goal in the extra time and finally sealed the fate.
As the camera panned through the stadium and stopped from time to
time in the area where the dignitaries were seated, Bill Clinton was seen in the
audiences reacting accordingly to the ebb and flow in the field, just like a
regular fellow who loves soccer so much. Although he can't be too emotional in case it would cost his statesmanship,he looked more heavy-laden toward the
end of the second half when there was little hope left for the
USA team to catch up and take
the lead. Clinton must be a big soccer aficionado as he was reportedly seen in
the locker room extending his ardor and support for the American team when they
won against Algeria.
Oh, the vuvuzela! It would be impossible to watch the World
Cup games this year without noticing that ear-splitting humming sound in the
stadium. Wonder what it would feel like sitting inside the stadium and how those
players could concentrate on the game when they’re drowned in the ocean of that
intensive monotone sound. Even on TV, the noise feels like there are millions
of bees buzzing around an inch away from your eardrums, so uproarious it almost causes
visceral discomfort, literally an auditory havoc. Small wonder the French now offer
vuvuzela-free broadcasts for the World Cup by introducing a frequency-separating
technology that can block out the vuvuzela drone while allowing other sound come
through. Good move, French!
That was just a week ago Roger Cohen talked about vuvuzela in
his article entitled
“Freedom’s Blaring Horn”, saying vuvuzela in this particular case carries
powerful symbolism, a celebration for the freedom from slavery. I don't disagree in general but wonder if he would still consider it the same way when he sits for a few days in the stadium where thousands and thousand of vuvuzelas are making a deafening political proclamation, crescendo after crescendo,
while everything else is drowned out.
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