Top 10 Most Exciting Incidents of the World Cup 2010 Opening Round!

Only once every four years is the World blessed with the greatest and most followed international sporting event in existence, the Cupa del Mundo!!!! There are many exciting things that have happened in this World Cup, and we’re not just talking about the Mexican announcer on Telemundo yelling Goooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllll!!! (I wonder if he lost his voice in the Portugal-N.Korea match?). Here are the Top 10 Most Exciting Incidents for the opening round of World Cup 2010.

(#10) South Africa ties and defeats powerhouses

The energy of the World Cup is quite unparalleled by any event in the world (even the Miss Universe pageant doesn’t come close). The energy the host nation brings to the World Cup is quite awesome to witness. Although heavy underdogs, it was good to see the host nation South Africa tie Mexico 0-0 and defeat the former powerhouse France 2-1. Unfortunately, South Africa became the first host nation in World Cup history to not make it through to the second round.

(#9) Greeks Pop their Cherry

The Greeks have been first in giving us many modern things. They have provided us with language, Socrates, architecture, gyros, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, theater, Mikonos, Yanni, 300, great salads, and science. And as of their game against Nigeria, the Greeks now have given the world their very first World Cup victory. Much congrats! Now that they didn’t make the second round, they can continue developing more great arts and food to share with the world!

(#8) Kiwis (New Zealanders) go undefeated

If you told the Kiwis that in this World Cup they would lose fewer games than Mexico, France, Germany, and Spain, they might have joyfully asked you to ‘skull’ a beer with them before their next training session. But if you told them they would be the only team to go undefeated and still not make the second round, they’d probably bring out their inner rugby skills and tell you to ‘f#$% off.’ But that’s just what the Kiwis pulled, tieing all three of their games and being cut from the second round.

(#7) Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuain’s hat trick

If you score a goal in the world cup, the moment will be replayed in the backyards of homes, playgrounds of schools, and on youtube lego videos for eternity. How about scoring 3 goals in one game? Well you just might be the closest thing to God… That’s what Higuain pulled for Argentina against South Korea, in large part, thanks to the assists of the great Lionel Messi.

(#6) Sibling Rivalry

As much as the World Cup bring the world together, it can also divide us apart, drawing strict lines of loyalty as we stand behind our teams. This held more true than anywhere else when Ghana faced off against Germany, and for the first time ever in the World Cup, two brothers saw themselves battling against each other. The tension was even higher considering the brother from Ghana had taken out the German captain in a match last month. Dad decided not to play favorite, and he didn’t have to, as both teams ended up advancing.

(#5) Kaka Red Card

We are lucky that our world is blessed with such diversity and culture. Although, it may sometimes be difficult for people to relate to other ways of life, there are three constants that always seem to transcend all cultures and unite people of every background: 1) Beer, 2) American film, and 3) Flopping in soccer. Whether it’s the Honduran midfielder or the Danish forward, international soccer players seem to get as much training in the theatrical arts as they do in soccer dribbling. It’s very interesting that ALL teams, every single one of them, suffer grotesque injuries from little or no contact . But, the Academy Award winning performance of the first round would have to go to Abdul Kader Keita, who ran into Brazilian forward Kaka, fell down, rolled on the ground for five minutes until the referee ran over to red card Kaka, kicking him out of the game. The call was so bad, we have to say, Kaka got kaka’d on (pun very much intended).

(#4) French Team walks out

Do they have labor unions for the soccer team in France? That’s what it looked like after French player Nicolas Anelka was kicked off the French team, only to see Jean-Lous Valentin storm out of the French practice, jump on the plane and head back to France to eat caviar and a drink a glass of red wine with his wife. Whether the French team kept their leading scorer Thierry Henry on the bench, refused to practice, or looked like a group of confused tourists on the field, this French dynasty crumbled faster than the guy who Zidane head butted four years ago.

(#3) Portugal’s 7 goals

What’s the best way to punish the North Koreans? Forget about US naval ships and long diplomatic meetings, just call in the Portugese. The Portugese offense laid such a blast of power onto the North Koreans, even Kim Jong II was ready to shut down his nuclear program. Portugal, with the #1 player in the World, scored the third highest point total in the history of the World Cup with a 7-0 victory. We hope Obama was paying attention to the Portugese tactics.

(#2) Italia’s last stand

Alright, so you’re team is up 2-0 with a little over ten minutes to go. Game is in the bag, riiiight? For those unfamiliar with the great sport of soccer, having a 2 goal lead in the 80th minute is like having a 20 point lead entering the 4th quarter in the NBA or NFL. You got it in the bag…unless you’re playing Peyton Manning or the returning World Champions Italy. In classic we’ll-get-up-off-our-but-and-do-it-only-when-we-really-need-to Italian fashion, the Italians finally got off their cute little vespas and brought out their inner Romans to create the most exciting finish in the first round of this World Cup. They scored a goal in the 81st to make it 2-1 and then nearly did it again in the 85th (the Italian forward was barely offsides). After Slovakia scored in the 89th to go up 3-1, the Italians scored two minutes later to pull in 3-2. In the very final minutes of stoppage time they had another clear shot but this time they missed, ending their reign to repeat as World Champs. But at least they went out in style. The battles in the Colosseum probably paled in comparison to this game.

(#1) USA goals and comebacks against Algeria

Put some adversity in the face of America, and we’ll feel right at home. Backs against the wall, facing elimination, needing a miracle victory to pull us out or face dire defeat…this is what America is all about. It’s been ingrained in our heads since the Prince saved Cinderella from the Evil Step Mother, Mario rescued Peach from Bowser, and now our humle Prince Donovan saved American soccer from the Algerians (next Disney fairy tale?). The first round has been a journey and like all great missions, sometimes a little help from upstairs is welcome (hence the English goal keeper’s mistake). But the American rally from a 2-0 halftime deficit to defeat the Slovenians (technically it was a tie, but we all know there was no foul ), or the needed goal scored in the final three minutes of stoppage time, were both cherished moments that will remain with us forever in USA soccer history.

Here's a slideshow of select photos from the opening round of the World Cup:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ucJe84UJ-M