Kaaaaaaaahhhhnnnnn!!!

Wow.
I slept on the couch last night, and set my alarm to 415 am so I could watch the game without waking up my wife.
Nolan slept on the floor in front of me, and ordered me to wake him when the game started.
When the alarm went off, we both sat up, and watched USA take on Germany…

As a former goalkeeper myself, I can say with some authority that when you have two great teams, the difference comes down to goalkeeping, and Kahn is simply phenomenal. The US tested him more fiercely than he’s been tested this entire tournament, and with greater pressure than Germany’s seen.
I’m proud of USA, the same way I’m proud of Senegal. Nobody thought either of these teams would make it past the first round, much less into the quarterfinals.
My only real quarrel with the game was on the foul which resulted in the indirect kick which resulted in the goal. It really looked like a dive to me, but I’m watching through USA eyes, in the middle of the night
I don’t think there was a hand-ball in the 2nd half. The ball clearly played the German defender, as I saw it, and heartbreaking as it was, that was the only time USA was going to beat Kahn.
Funny thing about Kahn…every time he’d make a huge save, we’d look at each other and in our best Captain Kirk, say:Kaaaaaaaahhhhnnnnn!!!
I thought it was a great match, and it was nice to see Germany have to play really hard against a team who wasn’t expected to make it past the round of 16.

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100 thoughts on “Kaaaaaaaahhhhnnnnn!!!”

being a scotsman I had no team at the world cup to support…however I had pulled the usa out of the hat in my office sweepstake so had a vested interest in u guys doin well…did my best homer simpson “u-s-a, u-s-a” chants whilst watchin their games and I am just hellasorry that u guys lost out to what was a very definite penalty for handling on the goal line…what makes it sadder is that the referee was a guy called hugh dallas from scotland…the shame…i love u guys as eric cartman would say…

being a scotsman I had no team at the world cup to support…however I had pulled the usa out of the hat in my office sweepstake so had a vested interest in u guys doin well…did my best homer simpson “u-s-a, u-s-a” chants whilst watchin their games and I am just hellasorry that u guys lost out to what was a very definite penalty for handling on the goal line…what makes it sadder is that the referee was a guy called hugh dallas from scotland…hellalame…the shame…i love u guys as eric cartman would say…

Wil?
Just wondering! Have you heard of the Hollywood United football team? They are mainly made up of British ex-pats (but they wont hold that against you ;o)), and I read somewhere, that they are always on the look-out for fresh meat, I…I mean talent! lol
I know Rod Stewart plays for them, as well as a few of the Sex Pistols and Vinnie Jones has turned out for them a few times as well!

Time to give a big thanks to all the old school American players who made this possible. Guys like Alexi Lalas (who didn’t play on this World Cup Team) Agoos, Balboa(who also missed this one) Cobi Jones, and Ernie Stewart. Guys that in many cases were walk ons for their collegiate teams. Alexi for Rutgers and Cobi for UCLA. They weren’t supposed to make it to the international level but they did. If Ernie had been called up to the Dutch national team he’d have never played in a World Cup as the Netherlands have failed to make it the last two times.
Thank you for the memories and with guys like Mastroeni, Donovan and Beasley, I am really looking forward to the future.

soccer is confusing. just cuz i know nothing about it.
and when the ball comes at your head? that’s scary.

Soccer Is definitely a third world sport.BORING!! It’s funny how “soccer enthuiasists” try to ram their little sport down peoples throats. If you don’t like it you don’t understand it!! Waaaahh!! they try to put the ball in the goal, and it does’nt happen much. Take your Soccer and shove it up your ASSES!!

Hey Wil,
I didn’t watch the game …. yes, beat me with a stick… but I didn’t need to, with your great recaps!
Lily

You’re into soccer, too? And hockey?
Hmmm… there was a film called Baseketball, so why not…
Soccerockey!

Hey, Wil!
You should have heard that “Kaaaaahhhhhhnnnnnnn” yell in the pup in Kempten (germany) I watched the game (funnily it was an american bar called “rookies”).
I died several most cruel deaths watching the USA’s wonderful forceful play and was raised into heaven seeing Ballak make the goal.
Olli Kahn stole the game from the USA.
Now it’s 8:30 the next day and I watch the game of our next contrahent. I think it will be spain…

I was just pissed the USA beat Mexico, they did play far beyond what anyone (including mexico) expected. props for going down well…It was a good day to die…;-) i couldnt help myself

Balls, the handball incident was a definate and should have resulted in a penalty kick and a sending off. We in England must have had different coverage of the game because on the replay it clearly shows the ball hitting the defenders wrist, the arm snapping back from the impact and the ball bouncing out. The USA did score in that game and were cheated out of thier world cup advancement by a poor German. The Germans as usual dived whenever anyone got near. And the whole game was a farce. Now is the time for the fourth official to be watching replays throughout the game and relaying it back to the ref. I’m sick of the fouls, shirt pulling, simulation and other cheating that’s gone into this world cup.

It was definitely a penalty for handball – Blindo Hugh Dallas must have thought he was back at home in Scotland to miss that one. Might not have changed the outcome, but it would have made it a lot more interesting.

Wil, at the risk of sounding commercial, I have one word of advice to you to avoid middle of the night referee calls………. TiVo.

I think a lot of people are forgetting that the United States was ranked 10th in the world coming into this World Cup. Just because we tend to underachieve on the International stage, and our best club side probably couldn’t beat a bunch of Portugese university students, doesn’t mean that we didn’t belong in the Quarterfinals.
But hopefully now MLS will start to resemble a Football Association with real footballers that play real football with a real football. (Can you tell I’m not a Raiders fan?)

My commiserations to the USA team, but my heart is broken from the lucklustre performance that saw a not-great (relatively compared to teams in their history) Brazil take England out.
We really had a chance to make this another 1966 but we were too tired and inflexible. Perhaps the players play too many games during the normal league run (what with the English Premiership, Champions League etc etc)
Korea vs Spain though – WOW! Another shocker in a perhaps the most surprising World Cup ever (eg France out, Argentina out, Italy out etc). Its a pity had that otherwise Man of the Match Joaquin had to marr the ending with an angry outburst directed against officials.
I’m even surprising myself by rooting for the Koreans to win! Their fitness and gamesmanship has been a breath of fresh air. When we routinely have players diving for penalties, pretending that they’re hurt when they’re clearly not, pulling shirts, pushing, using elbows etc – its refreshing to see the Koreans get up after a nasty tackle and play on without having to stop the game for a bout of histrionics.
Just like Andy Taylor said above, my heart says Korea, my head says Brazil (although a Brazil – Germany final would be great).

Penalty would have been a harsh call and a red card would have been a crime.
The defender even tried to get his arm out of the way, this would never have been called a handball on the field so why should it have been a handball on the line?
The red card comes if it is a DELIBIRATE handball… but I guess Da was one of the 80% of people in Britain a recent poll showed didn’t know the laws of the game :p

Wil! I was a goalkeeper as well and I have to say this World Cup has been a former goalkeeper’s dream to watch! So many of these games have been decided by the keepers. I was sad to see Friedel beaten by a free kick that shoudn’t have even happened. (Germany must be taking acting lessons from Mexico, eh?) He had a hell of a run. I admit he wasn’t my favorite American Keeper going in. (KELLER KELLER KELLER!) But damn he made me proud!
Oh well, the world is officially on notice. USA… The Sleeping Giant has awoken!
Burma- OUT

Did not Landon Donavan have an incredible tournament? WOW!
Kaaaaahhhhnnnn! He is the only reason we are not in the semi-final.
GO USA!

Shouldn’t that read Captain Fucking Kirk?

Kaaaaaahhhhnnnnnn! ((laughs)) That never gets old.
What channle dos these soccer game’s come on? I’m going to have to check it out.
Today is my 18th birthday! Now I can rent porn. ((laughs))

Odd.
I hang out on the Children of Acid site. Guess who I see?
Wil Wheaton.
Not to cut you down or anything but, you hardly seem like an Acidhead.
But then again, looks aren’t everything. I don’t personally know you or anything, I’ve been to this site a couple times and you seem to be a little too settled to be a Lords Of Acid freak.

Oh I quite agree with you on the handball issue and Kahn was the best in that game. Amazing. With that game, he has become one of my most favoured goalkeepers. Later.

Hey Wil and everyone else –
Okay, it would have been interesting to see the US advance but, really – would it have meant ANYTHING except to the few soccer fans in this country? No way. When you get the President of South Korea, after the Koreans won today, stating “This is the happiest day in our country in five thousand years” (okay, maybe that’s a little paraphrased) do you think we, as a country REALLY deserved it? Don’t think so. The guys on the US team certainly DID deserve it but it would have been anything of consequence to this counrty? Nope, I don’t think so. I think George II MIGHT have given it an “Oh, that’s nice” but not much more than that and the vast, vast majority of sports fans out there would have just brushed it off.
Later,
K

Somehow, I’m not surprised Uncle Wil likes the Lords of Acid, Andromeda.

The red card comes if it is a DELIBIRATE handball… but I guess Da was one of the 80% of people in Britain a recent poll showed didn’t know the laws of the game :p
Posted by J

I told you Germany will win…

I saw the game from Cairns, Australia live too. I am an American on a study abroad. That kick that resulted in the point definitly did not look like a foul, in fact, to me at least, none of them looked like they deserved anything (maybe a couple here and there). I really wish they could have won — especially since I was watching the game with several Germans. Either way, it was a good showing, especially considering that the USA has only ever made it this far one other time (1930’s I think). –llanos

Still in mourning over England being resoundly thrashed to bits by Brazil, but at least when my husband and I go out now, we’ll be spared a white and red painted neanderthal bawling ‘Owwwaaayyyy The Lads!! C’mon Becks! Innngerlund, Ingerlund!!’ Dunno how the USA are doing at the time of writing, but it’s great to see ’em in the games!
Cool site Will….BTW, here’s one (very ancient) Trekkie who actually LIKED Wesley Crusher, AND who LOVES Russell Watson’s theme to Enterprise ;)…ok, so shoot me!!
Losta Hugs 🙂
MadamCodXXXXXXXXXXX

…..oookkkaaay, so I didn’t read the thread carefully enough. Ah Well, Team USA will have a chance in 2006!

….and I don’t have to wear a chicken costume!!! My american co-worker and I had a bet on the game, the loser had to come to work dressed up as a chicken. Thank god for Kahn!

Joi – That number (80% of england doesn’t know the rules). Ask any diehard fan of the big four US sports and I doubt they could define a balk or infield fly in baseball, holding in football, icing in hockey or why most fouls are called in basketball. Cheering like blind fools must be more important than having much of a knowledge of the game.
k

Da:
> B: The arm was held away from the body sufficiently to deflect the ball
> even though the player was holding onto the goal with both hands previously.
“Look, he’s moved! Must be cheating!!!”
> C: Germany always cheat at this level of play.
Now, that’s a great way of deciding whether to send a player off or not.
If I had it on tape I could comment on your first point, too, but the last two definitely weren’t very convincing.
It should have been a penalty though.

Anybody but the Germans! Now England, Ireland, USA and Senegal are out Im cheering for South Korea! Nice to see them beat Spain! ha ha ha!

That part during halftime when TeamUSA were about to tunnel there way to freedom but then decided to return and play the rest of the match with Germany…that was priceless.
Bushie Bush

Ok so maybe the last one was a bit of a dig. :p

hey k, there are actually more soccer fans in the u.s. than you might believe – and think of it this way: we have probably the same amount of fans that are in england, or germany or spain. it’s not our fault we have a bigger population that makes the soccer-loving majority seem lesser… 😛 the way soccer has been organized in our schools though, i know many many kids my age (17) who love soccer – and as more generations learn it, it will become bigger – just like our other games, it has to become more ingrained. also, i really don’t think it matters how happy the president is – if south korea has nothing to be prouder of in 5000 years, something is seriously wrong. (well, duh, :p) and if it makes ya feel better, dubya called the team pre-game.

Hey “Uncle Willie”,
Okay, I AM V DISAPPOINTED THE US LOST!!!!! & it figures you’d root for the germans 😛 but anyway, eNGLAND lost and thats all that matters. Love ya!!

Wil – you are such a cool dad! I’m two years into my journey into fatherhood, and I have to admit you inspire me. It sounds like you offer your kids a lot of strength, courage and fun.
We didn’t watch much soccer together (hey my daughter is two years old – waking up at 4 in the morning is the *last* thing I’m going to encourage!!), but we did a lot of cheering for Canada’s hockey teams in the Olympics. When I ask her who her favourite team is, she now smiles and yells “CANADA”. Too cool.
I enjoy reading about your life and family.
Blog on, m’man!

Am still sad that USA lost. They were the best there. Germany only won because of luck.
Bye, Helene

In case you sleep through any of the remaining games….you can find great commentary on http://www.worldcupblog.org
It’s getting great reviews and it’s as hilarious as it is serious about the sport.
Fun.

hi!!
There was (or this still is) a webpage (don’t know the title): there is a a drownd Enterprise bridge with Jirk and his crew. Below this there are colors, if you click on them you will hear someething nice:))!! Like this Khaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnn!!!!! or Enterpriiiseeee with a strange looking!! It’s cool!! If anyone fond this please send me the title of this page! Thanks! Have everyone a nice summer holiday!!!! (Evrybody have a summer holidayya lalalala la…!!!) Agi