Pretty crazy, goalie Tim Howard’s goal. From the wide angle you wonder how the other goalie let that happen, but then there’s a side view replay and that thing is moving.

Oh man, this is painful to watch.

I’ve only been following the World Cup on my periphery, but after reading The Genius of Messi...

Messi simply does things — little things and big things — that other players here cannot do. He gets a ball in traffic, is surrounded by two or three defenders, and he somehow keeps the ball close even as they jostle him and kick at the ball. He takes long and hard passes up around his eyes and somehow makes the ball drop softly to his feet, like Keanu Reeves making the bullets fall in “The Matrix.” He cuts in and out of traffic — Barry Sanders only with a soccer ball moving with him — sprints through openings that seem only theoretical, races around and between defenders who really are running even if it only looks like they are standing still. He really does seem to make the ball disappear and reappear, like it’s a Vegas act.

… I had to find some video. There’s some real magic in there. The ankle-breaking direction changes look effortless, and all while controlling the ball so precisely. Really, great, even in small screen contextless clips. (via kottke)

A buddy of mine encouraged me to hit up YouTube for some Roberto Carlos clips, and I’m glad I did. First up is the physics-defying free kick against France HQ. It must have been disbelief that kept the goalie pretty much pinned in place. That post should not have been fair game. This top 10 goals compilation is also pretty good (alas, not in high quality). I think the goal at 2:57 is actually more impressive than the free kick, and if the soccer itself isn’t proof of his athleticism, check out the air on his celebratory leap at 0:40.

• I enjoyed Keith Scott's simple explanation of the hows and whys of foam rolling. Then I noticed his blog is good across the board. « via Joachim Bartoll »
• From "The Genius in All of Us": How Beckham Bends It. Be sure to check out the highlight reel he links to.
• Two videos: an impressive jump, and the Crossfit women display impressive Tabata squat prowess (you'll have to click through to the video).

...allegedly (he pleads not guilty).

Holy crap. Imagine if Larry Bird's last act on the court was to knee Magic Johnson in the balls.

(The analogy almost certainly breaks down in drawing the Materazzi/Magic comparison, but still...)

A buddy of mine e-mailed succinctly: "Did you watch Zidane today? Amazing thing, competitiveness."

How sad.

I've collected a few links I've been meaning to post separately, but ran out of time. So here's the lot:

• The photo here is of Parallette Back Push-ups: "The U.S. Navy record for this exercise in 1943 was 89 reps."
• Dynamax medicine ball workout (WMV 5MB). Looks intense. Wish I knew how heavy the ball was. « via CrossFit »
• Art De Vany: Vitamin A, Protein, and Testosterone. Who knew?
• Wow, check out the Seven-minute Michael Owen highlight reel. English striker whose World Cup ended on an ACL tear. What a shame.