Arg-Korea

Just a quick note on the Argentina-Korea DPR match. Argentina wins 1-0 off a sublime Sergio Aquero free quick. But they were certainly made to sweat it as Korea DPR put in a valiant effort and had numerous opportunities towards the close of the match to equalize. Argentina played a typical Argentina match, but were hardly convincing. Very good in possession and very technical, yet not nearly as dynamic as their senior team. Aguero is certainly a quality player as is their little winger Morales, but while the rest are sound I was by no means blown away. They certainly do not have a Riquelme, Messi, or Veron figure pulling strings for them. What was impressive, and this is nearly universal amongst many South American teams, was their usefulness of their first touch. Their first touch is used not merely to settle and control the ball more then it is to relieve pressure, set up a pass, move into space. While this is certainly not a novel idea, it is something that lacks among many American players including myself. Too often I am merely content with settling the ball with my first touch rather then giving it more purpose. Anyways, Argentina tops the group now and will await the second place team from the USA's group. So while pretty much assured of qualification into the next round, I am sure the US team will be playing with plenty of motivation. They can certainly play and beat the Argentineans as has already been seen earlier in the year in New York (a 1-0 loss to the South Americans despite the US outplaying them and missing some very clear chances), but I am sure they will look to avoid them until later in the tournament.