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Team Poland, defined

May 31st, 2006 | By: Os Davis | 10 Comments »

Right, then.

I’ve gone to bed, gotten up, and nothing’s different. That 2-1 result is the same.

Since i started my pre-Colombian speculation by (blasphemously, perhaps) mentioning a truly legendary team, the New England Patriots, i’ll start post-game quips with them, too.

In the second of their three champion wins, the Patriots took on the Carolina Panthers, a decent squad that year with some excellent D, if dull offensive skills. The game, though a bit weird (for reasons that would require too much dickering about with intracacies of American football which needn’t be gotten into), was quite good, with the clutchest player ever, Adam Vinatieri, kicking another game-winning field goal. Final score: 32-29 in a thriller. Unfortunately, everything about the game, the teams and even the Patriots’ season was overshadowed by a single aging pop star who decided to show puritan america a pasty on her nipple. Forever more was Super Bowl XXXVIII to be known as “the Janet Jackson Breast Super Bowl.”

Or a bit closer to home, who remembers the exciting and admirable run Team USA had in World Cup 1994? Hmmm…well, perhaps you remember that red, white and blue team as winning the Game In Which The Escobar Scored An Own Goal And Later Got Killed For It In A Barfight.

The point here is that it doesn’t really matter what Team Polska does, short of perhaps beating Germany, England and Brazil (and maybe not even then); this team is forever to be remembered as the Team Who Gave Up The Goal To The Goalkeeper. Should Poland lose to England in the knockout round, the story will go something like “In a game that our boys almost lost to a team that allowed a goalkeeper’s goal…” I can already hear Paul Dempsey’s earnest tones in the description of Group A teams on the highlight video: “Poland, without controversial goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, came into the tournament having allowed a goal by the Colombian goalkeeper in a friendly…” Hell, he’s probably in the booth doing turns on the phrase right now.

¡Cheers, Luis Martinez! You’ve entered trivia history.

Meanwhile, Team Poland has been defined, boxed in, pigeon holed. They’ve been posterized. The Bialo-czerwoni have been to the freak show and have not come back the same. My job as blogger may even be considered done.

Sudden thought. Maybe i jinxed them, comparing them to a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon like the guys from Foxboro. Maybe all it took for the karmic grid to shatter like a glass web was a little trash talking from one more blog…

More hard news on this tomorrow, including all that stuff about Janas insisting he’s not panicking (Ever notice how that only people who are panicking say “I’m not panicking”? It’s kind of like saying “I’m not drunk.”) and a million idjits lining up to dis Ebi (warranted) while praising the Dudek (come on, now).

But right now, serious football seems very far away indeed…

Tags: Colombia, janet jackson, luis martinez, new england patriots, Poland

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Comments

By Bart | May 31st, 2006 at 12:24 pm

Why are you comparing soccer to football. A lot of what you said is speculation and its difficult for me to understand your point. Poor Post my friend

Posted from Canada

By David | May 31st, 2006 at 3:06 pm

“this team is forever to be remembered as the Team Who Gave Up The Goal To The Goalkeeper”

Dramatic much? Goalkeepers make mistakes all the time, by the time the WC starts few will even remember it. Who cares, it’s just a friendly. If that happened in the WC that would be a different story.

Posted from Canada

By Soares | May 31st, 2006 at 11:04 pm

Marek Saganowski, the best striker of Poland and player of Vitoria Guimarães from Portugal. Why does he not going to play in the World Cup? Any polish can explain me this?

Posted from Portugal

By Tom Smolarek | June 1st, 2006 at 12:36 am

Poland’s top striker in qualifying doesn’t even get a spot so I don’t see how Saganowski could.

Posted from Australia

By Giraldo, Jorge | June 1st, 2006 at 12:50 pm

well still was a outstanding goal, good one for the futbol history.

Posted from United States

By Seb | June 1st, 2006 at 11:49 pm

YOu know what.. Everyone is confused in Poland. Frankowski should have made it.. I hope this will not come back to haunt Poland. 2002 all over agian>?

By Francisco | June 2nd, 2006 at 12:25 am

I am originally from Ecuador. I like to analyse my country and there opponents in Group A. My only concern right know is why in the World would a country like Poland leave so many good players out of this World Cup? I mean Dudek is one of the best keepers I’ve seen play, specially in Liverpool. Why did Jenas not draft the top scorer of the Polish during qualificacions. What ever happened to the stricker Olisadebe? Also in the German squad why did Klinsman not call up Kuranyi, a player that showed great qualities. Then Costa Rica who recently lost to a second division German team, and have been loosing their friendlies in recent days, and have not been able to score like their coach wants them to. Ecuador them selfs haven’t been getting good results eighter. But Ecuador strickes first and then lets their guard down and that have cost them the last few matches. If they fix the lack of concentracion they will have a great world cup. Why am I writting this is as Ecuadorian I’m happy of this recent flaws of the rivals of my country before the World Cup. But at the same time this is also bad, because if I was to see my country pacing the group stage I wanted to see them beat all of this teams with all their best players and at their to plevel. This would of been great for Ecuadorian football.

Posted from United States

By RAFAL BODUCH | June 4th, 2006 at 8:01 pm

FRANKOWSKI AND DUDEK ARE NOT PLAYING BECAUSE THERE IS A GOOD REASON FOR IT. DUDEK IS A VERY GOOD GOAL KEEPER BUT FOR THE LAST YEAR HE WASNT PLAYING IN HIS CLUB AND FRANKOWSKI WAS PLAYING FOR SOME WEAK TEAM IN SPAIN SO POLISH COACH HAD OTHER PLAYERS ON THEIRS POSITONS

Posted from United States

By Running diary: Poland v. Ecuador -- The Candy Ham Sports Bar | June 11th, 2006 at 5:26 pm

[...] And then this bozo on Sport Klub BRINGS UP THE COLOMBIA GAME! No joke. [...]

By glamour-agency | October 3rd, 2007 at 1:30 pm

Glamour Modeling Agency

hey great stuff

Posted from United States

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