World Cup 2010

And so it is... The World Cup 2006 final will be settled tonight. After almost a month long of soccer watching, the World Cup is going to come to a close. Surprisingly, this would probably be the World Cup that I managed to watch the most matches.
The world cup final is going to between 2 big teams. France & Italy, (as if you don't know, but this is for the 50 million other female readers who do not watch soccer.) Funny thing is how 2 tactically denfensive teams are in the final, while 2 more attacking minded teams are left to contest for third place. Perhaps the world of soccer is slowly but surely moving towards this type of play. Both teams in the final conceded the least amount of goals and have only an average number of goals scored in this last phase of the tournament. I do hope this is not the case as an increasing number of teams are choosing to play a more efficient and results focused soccer match. Where the entertainment value is sacrificed for a more results orientated approach. Ultimately, the match results would be the most important and the way the soccer tactics are heading, it seems most practical to do so. I've seen many matches where the team focuses on taking the lead and then camping right in their half to protect the lead. However, these matches also happen to be the most boring and spectators usually are pretty turned off with these kind of tactics.
Soccer has always been about Goals Goals Goals. No one really harps on about a vital tackle or a good save. Eventually, it's the goals that steal the limelight! The goals are the most important. Sadly, I do think we will see more of these kind of tactics in the future. With more focus placed on getting the results, I would think many coaches are hanging on to their jobs by a very thin thread. So they are left with very little choice actually. Perhaps in the future, defenders might even cost more than strikers! and they might get paid more too! But that might still be a long way to go. Anyway moving back to coaches and their negative tactics, that's why when raw defiant gems like the German's Klinsmann who takes over with their rare breed of attacking entertaining soccer, everyone takes notice.

Anyway, another bright spark in the World Cup was....... *drum roll*.......

Ta Daaaah! Top Rated Referee of World Cup 2006 as of 9 July 06 is STILL our very own Shamsul Maidin!!! Yeah!!! Maybe this was what our dear Football Association of Singapore meant when they said they wanted "Singapore" to be in the World Cup! 4 years ahead of schedule, some more! Hahaha...

Here he is on the left. Our man-of-the-moment, Shamsul Cool-As-A-Cucumber Maidin!!! Hip hip hooray! Singapore's fantastic representative. Best of all, unlike the many proud representatives of our dear Nation, this one is fully Made In Singapore. Not imported, not shipped here, not PR. 100% Kampung chicken, PSLE raised, education subsidised, you get my drift la huh... Haha. Cheers to Mr Shamsul!From certain angles he do seem a little korean huh? ahhaha..

Anyway I look forward to tonight's final match. I won't even try to predict the score lah. With every single media trying to predict the score and even hiring soccer analysts, feng shui masters and soccer players. I think everyone would have had enough of all these speculation. What I will hope for is a fantastic closing match of the 2006 World Cup! Especially, since I am losing sleep over it and have to wake at 7.30am tomorrow for work.

Lastly, I look forward to World Cup 2010 in South Africa! Where we just might hear the commentator say, "Stepping onto the South African pitch in the red jerseys are the team from Singapore...." hahahhahahahhahahaha

In the words of Heidi Klum before the she boots of another Project Runway contestant,

Auf Wiedersehen!