• Personal Heros:
  • The Brazil team (of course)
  • Rustu Recber (Turkey)
  • Neuville (Germany)
  • Ballack (Germany)
  • Zanetti (Argentina)
  • Aimar (Argentina)
  • Coly (Senegal)
  • Joaquin (Spain)
  • Sheringham (England)
  
  
• Favorite Team (runner-up): Turkey (a surprise, fresh and a joy to watch)
  
  
• Best Goalkeeper: Rustu Recber (Oliver Kahn, like David Seaman, only appeared excellent until they meet Brazil, the real test of any "best-of" contender. In that regard, Rustu can hold his head up high - he had the misfortune to face the samba calvary in his very first game - and survived, losing only two goals in two clashes with the South Americans. He also came up well in a very different kind of test - against the ferocious South Koreans.)
  
  
• Most Over-rated Player(s):
  • Beckham: Football's answer to Leonardo DiCaprio, world's most over-hyped boy-toy. The difference? Hype is in DiCaprio's job description. And what has Beckham done this World Cup to earn his oversized paycheck? That dubious penalty against Argentina, that's about it. He should dispense with the pretense and just go to Hollywood, where he so obviously belongs.

  • The entire Italian team: The previous comment applies to this team of GQ models. Their behavior in this tournament makes one wonder what they came here for - to pose or to play football? At least the Backstreet Boys sing. Having a clueless coach like Trappatoni doesn't help, either.
          This is no idle sarcasm. Their basic problem is that they have no hunger left. What chance do spoilt middle-age celebrities have when they meet up with a bunch of "ghetto kids" who had been eyeing their Lexus for so long? With their pathetic, obscent showing against Mexico, they deserved everything they got next from South Korea, conspiracy or no conspiracy.

  • Chilavert: What's the fuss with this clown, anyway?
  
  
• Best Matches:
  • France-Senegal: The opening match to end all opening matches. The first shot of the "peasant revolution", before its joy gave way to Jacobian bloodthirst. It helps that Senegal was the most fun-loving of the rebels, and this game the most joyful of the far-too-many 1:0 games in this tournament. Fluid and flamboyant, they were more Brazilian than Brazil, who has now learned to defend and to hoard. Well, they lost and Brazil won - once more proving that fairy tales don't last in real life.

  • S. Korea-Portugal: More opera than football, much of the excitement about this game has to do with what was happening off-stage - in the other game unfolding simultaneously in Daejeon, which turned out to shape the rhythm more than anything happening on field. From a classic attacking start to mid-game hesitation as the result from Poland-USA trickles in - we in front of the TV can feel the temptation descending on the players: "Should we just tie it up and save us all some sweat?" Portugal has already started shuffling. TV commentators were trembling at the prospect of slow death by boredom. Only the sea of Red Devils around them didn't seem to get it - their tidal waves of roars never slackened.
          Then the moment of truth hit: "What the heck - let's kick some ass!" You could almost feel the thought balloon coming over the Korean team. And kicking they did, as their opponents self-destructed in the most dramatic fashion of this tournament (besides the Saudis, that is). With the final whistle, the Juggernaut of 2002 rolled out of the gate. And the World Cup will never be the same.

  • Germany-USA: These were scrappy Americans, not the hegemon that we are so used to seeing. And God bless them - they were so fresh and relaxed that they made playing the three-time champion look easy - just another Sunday afternoon at Meadowland. Coming after the sturm and drang of the preceding days, how the American playfulness cleansed the palate!
  
  
• Best Matches Missed:
  • Brazil-Costa Rica: The rare time Brazil and her opponent both cut loose - and the score reflects it. This is the Brazil that we all love - carefree and headstrong, not wised-up and self-preserving. And there's that Edmilson spectacle.

  • Turkey-S. Korea: What football can be when it's driven by honor and not the bottom line. The excitement was capped by the beautiful display of graciousness and sportsmanship of both winner and loser in front of their fans. Everybody is a winner. To me, Korea's graceful last bow redeemed the stench of suspicion and singlemindedness that had dogged their march to greatness.
  
  
• Most Good-looking Player:
  • Alright, if I have to go by looks, it'll be Figo and not Beckham - now that's a real man! A dark, handsome stranger from the Mediterranean with eyes that see into your soul ;-) Among the rapidly regressing Portuguese he remained the diplomat. Perfect Bond replacement for Pierce Brosnan.

  • Runner-up: Rustu again. Ponytail that actually works, and killer warpaint. Being a great footballer helps, of course.
  
  
• Fun Facts:
  • Is Basturk Jay Leno's long-lost younger brother?
  • ... and there's Neuville and Alfred E. Neuman (can't be a coincidence can it? ;-))
  • Lucio: Reminds me of some poor, put-upon waiter from one of those Brazilian joints on Ferry Street.
  • What's the deal with all these one-word names on the Spanish team?
  
  
• Tragic Moments (Götterdammerung):
  • The tears of Batigol (and Crespo, and Ortega ...): end of Sweden-Argentina
  • The collapse of Zidane: 2nd half, France-Denmark
  • The defeat of Figo: end of S. Korea-Portugal
  

      (7/3/02, Red Bank, NJ)