One of the worst aspects of Soccer, IMO, is that the score doesn't tell much about the game. Sure, that's true in other sports with which we're familiar to an extent, but in soccer it's a TRUISM.
Read the account of the game. The U.S. had Germany fighting for its life. In the minds of the German fans and players, there should have been no contest, but if you changed the outcome of the events of just a few split seconds, we could have been talking U.S. 2 Germany 1.
The score just doesn't tell the whole story--and that, to me, is a WEAKNESS in the game.
Interesting post ... The score just doesn't tell the whole story--and that, to me, is a WEAKNESS in the game.
Let me state at this point that I do enjoy soccer, didn't play it as a kid, wish I did. I've coached a few youth teams (my son's) and was assoc. prod. of a youth soccer video. Got to meet Eddie Pope briefly at a national coaching conference - nice, quiet guy, but always hard to tell at conferences like that.
My point is that you're correct - it is hard to determine the character of a soccer match by the score, but it's equally difficult to do so in baseball unless you read the box scores. For instance, a 1-0 game may have had a TON of baserunners due to errors, walks, wild pitches, etc., but runs were saved in time by the defense once the runners were on base. Or it could be a very close no-hitter or even a perfecto.
OTOH, a 16-15 game could either be a nine inning slugfest in Coors Field with the wind blowing out, or it could be the game where the Cleveland Indians game from behind in the 9th, and put 12 runs on the board to beat the mighty Seattle Mariners (an amazing game - I may not have gotten the score right). Numbers do not tell all ... and even a 9-5 score may not show how close the game may have been ... perhaps the bases loaded and Lance Berkman at the plate...?
At any rate, I was sorry to see Germany win this one, but am very proud of our Team USA (including San Jose Earthquake Landon Donovan!).