Simon Kuper has re-issued his 1994 book “Soccer Against the Enemy” and claims his original stories are still relevant. Although soccer may not explain politics or sectarian rivalries as well as it used to, it still matters tremendously. Either way, “Soccer Against the Enemy” makes a good read.

Until now, soccer has treated Bill Littlefield very well. But a two-day World Cup hiatus has transformed him into an embittered poet–for now.

And Then There Were 16…; NBA D-Day; Talkin’ Baseball; Goodnight Moon!; Only A Game? No Way!; Charlie Pierce; Paper Tiger

There was a time, not long ago, when American sports fans completely excluded soccer from the hierarchy of professional sports. With the World Cup in full swing, though, Bill Littlefield is noticing some changes.

A lot of men and women are devoted to the game of golf. Devoted enough to spend a year playing nothing but it? Well, probably. In any event, Tom Coyne did just this and wrote “Paper Tiger”, a narrative not only about golf, but about the lifestyle that accompanies it.

World Cup Roundup; Migrant Soccer in Michigan; Exhibition Game; Full Swing; Charlie Pierce; Letters; E,E,E for England

Bill finds many hits and few errors in Ira Berkow’s memoir.

Here’s some World Cup doggerel that’s sure to bulge the onion bag.

World Cup Preview; Game Still Beautiful For Iran?; “The Thinking Fan’s Guide to the World Cup”; A Changing Landscape; Charlie Pierce; NYPD Jiujitsu

Soccer players certainly have an effect on the everyday lives of fans. But can they successfully give hope and happiness to their home countries as politicians? Further, are politics and soccer are good fit? The World Cup will give us an idea–but let’s not stray too far from the fun and games.