Early Days
What to make of the first two days of the World Cup?
Goals have not been hard to come by so far — 12 through four matches. The refereeing has been ok, and VAR hasn't produced anything to moan too much about yet. The ball hasn't taken any bizarre twists or turns mid-flight.
All three host nations have been competitive. Mexico did well to dispatch South Africa 2-0, Canada fought back for a 1-1 draw with Bosnia & Herzogovina, and the US made light work of Paraguay, winning 4-1 in Los Angeles. It was Canada's first-ever point in World Cup play, and the first time the Americans have scored more than three goals in a World Cup match. Even the South Korea - Czechia match, finishing 2-1 in favor of the Koreans was a lot of fun.
The mid-half hydration breaks have been somewhat unwelcome for the TV viewer. Halting the match for three minutes in order to essentially show commercials is shabby treatment for a demographic largely unused to stoppages of this sort. We know why this is being done, but it doesn't have to be done. Ninety seconds would be enough, and cutting away from the action is anticlimatic. You don't realize how much of an interruption it is until you really get used to having no commercials. Nails on a chalkboard kind of stuff. I really hope it doesn't become a trend.
Who is the best player I've watched so far? Not having watched the first half of USA-Paraguay, I can't speak for Pulisic, although it sounds like he did well. I thought Hwang In-Beom did really well for Korea. Kone was exceptional for Canada. Kolasinac was a warrior for Bosnia until he went off injured. It was delightful to watch Jimenez score in the Azteca for Mexico.
What to listen to: Totally Football. The first World Cup episode of James Richardson's podcast features an appearance from a skunk. I don't really listen to Totally Football most of the time, but I've turned to whatever Richardson is working on during major tournaments. One of my favourite podcast series was those made daily for the Guardian (Football Daily) by Richardson and company during Euro 2008 (from the Goesser Bierklinik!). Featuring jokes of the dry English persuasion and updates from Athletic journalists, this should keep you up-to-date throughout.
Up tomorrow: Qatar v. Switzerland (San Francisco), Brazil v. Morocco (New York), Haiti v. Scotland (Boston), Australia v. Turkyie (Vancouver).