The Beautiful Game and Ugly Americans

Craig Dunkin’s letter last Saturday regarding the World Cup had a nice ring to it, but it is inescapable that the game will never catch on in the U.S. as a spectator sport. Germany beat us with two shots on goal! I don’t need an electrifying slam dunk from Kobe or another dinger from Shawn Green. I’ll take Derek Fisher drawing a charge, or a David Eckstein sacrifice bunt (of course another grand slam would be even better) over “the world’s game.”

Ken Feldman

Granada Hills

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I constantly see complaints, here and elsewhere, about soccer styles, particularly the German and Italian styles.

Grahame L. Jones lambastes them by stating: “ ... that reflected the Germans’ desire to put result before spectacle. Good for the Germans, bad for the fans.”

In a knock-out tournament, results are the only things that count. Saying that the loser looked beautiful counts for nothing. If it is beauty you are looking for, go see a ballet, or ice dancing.

Ronald E. Hohn

Los Angeles

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In any sport, is there a more unfair rule than soccer’s penalty kicks to determine a winner? Football’s overtime coin toss runs a close second.

Bob Therrien

Mission Beach

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I realize it may be difficult to make a soccer story interesting to many Americans, but Chris Dufresne’s comment: “Second thought: We still lead in World Wars, 2-nil,” is about as tasteless as anything ever written in The Times.

Is Chris single-handedly trying to maintain the world’s view of the “Ugly American”?

Bill Halpin

Long Beach