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by Paul Gardner on Jun 28, 2:09 AM
There's not much point in trying to make out that the Confederations Cup semifinals gave us sublime soccer. Both games were rather ragged affairs. The problem in the Brazil-Uruguay semi was the endless series of mistakes, by both teams -- mistakes that usually led to the ball being lost, which in turn led to scrappy attempts -- fouling and borderline fouling -- to get it back.
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by Paul Gardner on Jun 25, 12:46 PM
I was thinking that the sport of soccer had surely, by now, come to understand that head injuries are dangerous. Just that -- a simple understanding that concussions cannot be dismissed lightly, that they must be treated with great seriousness.
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by Paul Gardner on Jun 21, 1:18 AM
A mere seven years ago, you may remember, we were being invited -- though at times it seemed almost like being commanded -- to appreciate the wonderful social benefits of soccer.
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by Paul Gardner on Jun 14, 1:04 PM
The Confederations Cup has taken a good deal of abuse in its short lifetime, mostly because it has seemed to be an unnecessary tournament, a money-making event imposed on already overworked players.
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by Paul Gardner on Jun 10, 1:42 AM
We have recently been asked to contemplate the idea that the future of soccer will belong to the Germans, rather than the Spanish who rule the roost at the moment.
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by Paul Gardner on Jun 9, 1:09 AM
So, another shapeless, luke-warm performance from Jurgen Klinsmann's team. Of course he'll take it, three points on the road, in Jamaica where points have always been hard to come by.
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by Paul Gardner on Jun 1, 2:10 AM
I don't see how losing 4-2 on your home field, can be viewed as anything other than an acute embarrassment. Even when the opponent is Belgium, currently one of the better European teams, playing with virtually a full squad.