COLUMN: 'Go-o-o-o-al!'

     Random World Cup notes:

     • Honestly, I think the thing I enjoy most about the World Cup is when Andres Cantor is the TV announcer, someone scores, and he shouts out his famous “Go-o-o-o-al!”

     Then, before shouting it again, he yells something random, like “Boom goes the dynamite!” Followed by another “Go-o-o-o-o-o-al!”

     When he’s announcing, I kind of want the final score to be 5-4 instead of the usual 1-0 or 2-1.

     • I hate flopping in soccer.

     If you watch for any length of time, you’ll see it. Two guys go for the ball, their shoes or legs make contact, and one of them falls to the grass, writhing as if he has a broken leg.

     So, here’s a rule change suggestion: give the fallen player 15 seconds to get back up. If he “can’t,” he must be “really hurt,” so he must be removed from the match for a minimum of 10 minutes of playing time.

     Pretty sure this would stop soccer flopping, or at least reduce it. Because nine times out of 10, the guys who act as if they have been hit by a bus are up and running in seconds, as if nothing ever happened.

     • Two things strike me about the beauty of the “beautiful game” as I watch soccer at the World Cup level. First, is there any sports play more breathtaking than a goalkeeper launching himself to one side, arms outstretched, to bat away a shot? And second, the ball control is amazing. You wouldn’t think one team could keep possession of the ball for such long periods, but they do.

     • I don’t really have a dog in this fight. I do find myself pulling for Mexico a bit, but for the most part, overall, I just want to see underdogs advance and favorites get beat. So in that respect it’s like the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, without the recruiting violations.