My football epiphany moment?

At lunch today I was watching the South African team play Uruguay in the World Cup, and I may have had an epiphany moment similar to one I had watching the Vuelta a España in 2002 or 2003.

I had started road cycling the year before, and in those days the Outdoor Network (now Versus) would show live coverage of all 3 Grand Tours.  And play ads for Lincoln Navigators.  It was bliss for a cycling fan.  Anyway, on one stage Phil Liggett commented that U.S. Postal Service was moving to the front, and Paul Sherwin may have said something about cross winds in that part of Spain.  The riders were on a huge road, perhaps a freeway, and when they took a left turn, Postal went all postal on the peloton.

The footage from the motor bikes showed Roberto Heras tucked in, protected by a couple of lieutenants while the rest of the Postal squad turned themselves inside out riding through cross-winds that had the entire peloton dramatically angled across the multi-lane road.  It was amazing: a giant snake of riders battling the winds and trying to stay with the Posties.

They failed.

The peloton shattered like so much safety glass.  There were a couple of groups organized by dropped favorites, but mostly it was just carnage.  In the end I don't believe any of the major contenders lost time, but it really opened my eyes.

It showed me, in a way that was obvious event to a beginner, how cycling is a team sport and what having a great team can do.  Now, watching football ne soccer, I have never understood offense.

There never seems to be any organization. The players just appeared to run around, or not, and then some superstar would take a shot (not unlike the NBA, which is why I don't watch anymore).  But in the first half today, Uruguay's players aggressively kept a roughly circular formation; they even swapped places as opportunity required another player to move.  It showed me much better what was going on.

Perhaps it was the white uniforms, or South Africa's poor defense, but Uruguay sure helped me.  Will it stick?  I don't know, but I have about a month left to find out.