Peter Wilt
writes for Pitch Invasion
The Minnows Are Eating the Sharks in the 2010 Parity Cup
Is this the changing of the guard or world parity? Have the many surprising and even shocking group play results so far been unusual or does the quadrennial break give us upset amnesia? Or perhaps it’s the curse of the Nike Soccer “Write the Future” ads? The late Commissioner Pete Rozelle, who championed parity in the NFL, would smile…so would Lamar Hunt and I imagine Don Garber and Sepp Blatter are smiling, too.
Four of the seven top seeds have been “mortalized” in group play. Upsets are nearly becoming the rule rather than the exception. European giants Spain, Italy, Germany, England, France and Netherlands have all conceded points to much lesser teams. African nations have failed to take advantage of their home continent advantage. While South America has been the strongest region (10-2-0 through 12 matches), even Brazil and Argentina have shown they may not be invincible to lesser opponents.
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