Maybe I'm just a naive Yank, but I wouldn't exactly call Brazil "ordinary". I agree they haven't been able to maintain a stellar game for an entire 90 minutes, and often seem careless, but frequently they appear (to my eyes) quite brilliant. Quite a few of them seem to be able to pass to a particular spot on the left boot of a teammate racing up the other side of the field. I hope this will be an entertaining final, and I think Kahn will have his gloves full.

Speaking of brilliance, I was fortunate to have had the chance to see Pele play, with the N.Y. Cosmos against the Philadelphia Fever of the old NASL back in 1970 (at Franklin Field), but I didn't appreciate the game well enough back then to really appreciate him.

I'll be taking a USSF Referee course this weekend, so after my knee gets better I hope to be whistling down those 14-year-olds pretty soon! I think I've learned a lot by watching these World Cup matches.

Aloha,
Mark