Ending Soccer Matches in Penalty Kicks

Past PKs

There is no doubt that there has been a lot of backlash towards the sport of soccer after the U.S. lost to Japan in the Women’s World Cup Finals 3-1 in penalty kicks. This brought up the old argument against ending such an important game with PKs, something that may not necessarily validate the winning team as champions. Two of the last four Women’s World Cup champions have been crowned after prevailing in penalty kicks during the finals, the other one being the famous 1999 game at the Rose Bowl between the U.S. and China when Brandi Chastain famously ripped off her shirt in celebration after scoring the winning PK. Of the four quarterfinals matches in the 2011 Women’s World Cup, two went into penalty kicks, one of which was when the U.S. prevailed over Brazil and the other was France defeated England.

United States’ World Cup Elimination

          The United States has been knocked out the 2010 World Cup by the same team that eliminated them 4 years ago and by the same score, Ghana 2-1. Last World Cup the U.S. was eliminated in the Group Stage, this year they managed to put up a fight in the Round of 16.

Optimism

          Looking at the tournament as ‘the glass is half full,’ the U.S. won their group over powerful England. They went down early against England, Slovenia, and Ghana but managed to fight back in all three, tying England 1-1 and Slovenia 2-2 (after going down 2-0), and losing to Ghana after tying the game. They didn’t lose to Ghana without battling back, having the game sent into extra time before they were put away. Their ‘never say die’ attitude was inspiring as they continued to

2010 FIFA World Cup

The Best of the Best

With the World Cup in South Africa only one day away, it’s as good a time as ever to defend it as the greatest sporting event in the world. First of all, it’s one of very few tournaments where the champion can truly be named “world champion.” The term is thrown around in the NBA, MLB, and NFL, but are the teams that win the NBA Finals, World Series, and Super Bowl truly world champions? No, because they are competing nationally, not internationally, thus the title “world champion” is inappropriately used. Other than the World Cup, there are pretty much two schools of thought in terms of greatest sporting events. In my opinion, both NCAA March Madness and the Olympics can be compelling arguments, but in the end both fall short. Starting with March Madness, the single elimination tournament