Military Families email us your - Archived Editions of the Fort Hood
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Military Families email us your - Archived Editions of the Fort Hood
SPORTS www.FortHoodSentinel.com D3 July 10, 2014 World Cup nears end; analyzing state of USA’s relationship with soccer Sports Commentary BY DANIEL CERNERO Sentinel Sports Editor And then there were two. After a month filled with day after day of soccer action, it all comes to an end Sunday when Germany takes on the winner of Wednesday’s game between A r g e n tina and the Netherlands (completed after press deadline Wednesday afternoon). Heading into the semifinals, four powerhouse programs remained, and the style of play figured to continue on, resulting in close, low-scoring contests that have become commonplace in this World Cup’s knockout round. Well, “low scoring” and “close” are two phrases most would not use to accurately describe what happened when Germany tangled with the host unrelatable to the American sports nation absent its top star, Neymar. fan. Germany proceeded to beat down This country’s identity, for the Brazil – and I feel like I deserve at most part, is wrapped up in this least some credit for avoiding any one sport. Their players are seen as Germany “blitzed” national heroes, and puns. for the first time in Miroslav Klose decades, Brazil was netted Germany’s able to become the second goal, putting sport’s mecca by hosthim on top of the alling the World Cup. time World Cup goal The meaning To go out in this fashscoring list and openion, ultimately losing ing the floodgates of this loss 7-1, is an utter embarfor the team wearrassment the country to Brazil fans ing black and red. won’t soon forget. To In fact, Klose’s goal is something add some perspective, was the first of four this World Cup was in six minutes real completely supposed to offer some time, because remem- unrelatable to sort of reconciliation ber, the soccer clock for Brazil’s devastating doesn’t stop ticking the American loss to Uruguay in the – or in Brazil’s case, sports fan. 1950 World Cup on the clock couldn’t tick their home soil – that fast enough. was 64 years ago! The 5-0 halftime And poor Brazil, the score left little doubt players, when all they of the eventual winwant to do is deflect ner. some attention and All that was left to do was watch hide from the spotlight for awhile, as Brazil’s fans coped with the fact they still have to show up for a thirdthat they were witnessing an instantly place game Saturday. That should go infamous game in their nation’s his- well. tory. And I don’t use “infamous” On the flip side, I’m delighted to lightly. The meaning of this loss to see the United States’ growing interest Brazil fans is something completely in the sport – look at the TV ratings, Don’t be ‘That Guy’ If you need help for alcohol and drug abuse, call the Army Substance Abuse Program at 287-1583 or stop by Bldgs. 36040, 36041, 36044 and 36045 which are located near CRDAMC hospital. For information about the That Guy campaign, visit the That Guy Web site at www.thatguy.com. look at the watch-parties organized in nearly every major city or any other measure and it’s clear to see a spike in popularity this time around. And a specific shoutout to the fans in Chicago, where the demand was so high they had to use Soldier Field as the venue for a watch-party. That said, there’s still a good possibility that the World Cup got a heavy dose of what Americans do for the Olympics every four years – care about it when it’s happening, everyone rallying behind the flag, before those sports fade to the back in non-Olympic years. Basically, I’m not ready to jump feet first into the deep end of soccer, convinced that the sport is going to catapult itself into the mainstream on a yearly basis. When it comes to any game involving the U.S. Men’s National Team, however, I think there will be an undeniable surge of interest moving forward, even when playing an international friendly or a qualifying match for the World Cup or a different tournament. The key topic becomes how Americans fill their newfound soccer interest in the absence of the USMNT. I, for one, am willing to give one of the European leagues a try – be it the English Premier League or the Italian Serie A. Although, admittedly, looking for where to start when it comes to a rooting interest is a pretty intimidating task. If there’s one thing that’s for sure, it’s that I’ll be coming at this with a bias toward USMNT players, wanting to see them play for their club teams and watch how they develop. So maybe I flip on an MLS game between the Seattle Sounders FC to see USMNT captain Clint Dempsey and one of the team’s budding stars DeAndre Yedlin. Or maybe it’s Sporting Kansas City, the home of defender Matt Besler and midfielder Graham Zusi. That’s just what my wife wants to hear: that I’m thinking about welcoming another sport into the fold, to go along with hockey, college football and basketball, professional football and basketball, and baseball. You can see why an ESPN.com tab is open on my browser nearly 24/7. Heck, I even got sucked into the Wimbledon finals Sunday morning between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. I guess my sports-watching has no bounds. Lastly, as you can surmise by the following topic’s allotted space, I’m bored with NBA free agency. Wake me up when there’s concrete news of players switching teams, because so far all we’ve heard is a lot of hype and smoke screens from “sources.” No thanks. PRO GOLF TIP From Chuck McPhilomy, assistant golf professional at the Courses of Clear Creek. Stand up to those slices If you slice the ball all the time, try standing a little more upright so that your shoulders are over your feet. Avoid the sitting down position in which your backside sticks out so much it restricts your leg movement. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I would much rather be hitting the driver and a nine-iron out of the rough than hitting a driver and a four-iron out of the fairway.” – Jack Nicklaus """ " !!! *Second free frame must be of equal or lesser retail value as the first frame. Customer only pays for the lenses and extra features. Complete pair purchase required on both pairs. Second free frame must be purchased with the first pair and at the same date and time. No dispensing fee. Cannot be combined with any other discount, coupon or insurance plan. All eyeglass and contact lens purchases require a current, valid prescription. Offer expires 08/30/2014. ©2014 National Vision, Inc. EXCHANGE CONCESSIONAIRE LOCATED AT THE FORT HOOD MAIN PX Clear Creek Road (next to the Toy Department) South Side Entrance Military Families email us your FREE trading post ads to http://www.forthoodsentinel.com 254-532-1540 E y e E x a m s Av a i l a b l e b y Dr. William Purcell Independent Doctors of Optometry