I disagree about 2006. Besides the Germany-Italy semifinal there was no other really memorable and exciting game. The whole tournament became a chore to watch, especially the knock out games.
2010 had a disastrous start but as the tournament progressed we had some great matches (Germany-England, Germany-Argentina, Uruguay-Ghana). Unfortunately, it all ended in a sour note because of the bad final, with zero excitement and an incompetent referee. I am a Spain fan but that game left a bad taste in my mouth.
Germany-Argentina was fantastic, with Ballack's late goal to tie and then a very dramatic shootout. Portugal-England was one of the more interesting 0-0 matches I can remember, with Rooney being sent off.
Germany vs. England/Argentina were "great matches" in the sense that Germany played great, which yes, was fun to watch, but there was hardly any drama. Unless you count Frank Lampard's no-goal, which I count as a travesty that contributed to ruining the tournament.
And Italy/France was a much more memorable final than Spain/Netherlands.
no unworthy upstart nations ruined the party by reaching the quarterfinals
God bless Soccer snobs! I love it!
If every World Cup was like 2006, I'd be thrilled. Germany was a great host, too.
I hate upstarts in all sports, although I'm obviously willing to make an exception for USA soccer.
I also hate when FIFA/the IOC try to be cute with their selections -- just put these things in countries that already have stadiums and infrastructure and know what they're doing.
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