Touching distance, now. It’s the semi-finals and, of all the matches in the Pop World Cup, the semi-finals are the most tense. The stakes feel high: win, and you’ll soon savour the feeling of running out in the biggest pop football game of all; lose and you’ll join the club – that stupid club – of teams who’ve experienced the anti-climax of the third place play-off. Strange things can happen under this kind of pressure…
This match closes at midnight on Sunday 6th June
HONDURAS Los Bohemios – “Romantico Suicida” The Manager Says: “Unbelievable scenes here Jeff, who’d have thought it, really this is beyond our wildest dreams. Now that we’ve calmed down a bit we thought we’d go for something a little more classy against such a strong team as the Germans, hence Los Bohemios, an eclectic side who like to mix up their influences and bring ska, reggae and, as you’ll hear, salsa to their reggaeton beats. Might be a touch wobbly up front, but the midfield have plenty of silky skills and I think at this stage of the competition any team can beat any other, Brian.”
GERMANY: De-Phazz – “What’s the Use Of” The Manager Says: “I promised I’d have something different for the semis, and I have. Have some lounge jazz/drum and bass fusion. I know carsmilesteve has been boasting on Twitter about how Honduras are going to beat Germany but to me that kind of braggadoccio just shows insecurity. We’re confident enough at this stage that we don’t need to worry about beating the other side, just playing the best game we can…”
Semi Final 1: which track do you prefer?[ballot]
- GERMANY - De-Phazz 53%
- HONDURAS - Los Bohemios 47%
Total Voters: 59
Poll closes: 6 Jun 2010 @ 23:59
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Commentary Box Analysis Both players have stylistically side-stepped again: Andrew H, while side-swiping at his opponent’s “talking, talking”, fields a side who mix up the styles with some fizz, employing a Cuban pace and formation with an energetic, banjo-driven midfield. Have they enough upfront, though, in terms of hooks or vocal stylings? We’ll see. Carsmile Steve wrongfoots everybody by stepping away from his tried-and-tested seam of reggaeton, moving also into a loungey salsa – initially it seems that their passing formation may be so neat as to fall into syrupiness, but there seems to be a bit of grit in the spine of their team and there’s some great stuff being played in an assured back line.
So this is not the game we were expecting, and not a game we’re keen to call at this stage. The press box is buzzing with grumbly hacks who wish that either of these Cuban-flavoured numbers had come up against Castro the Destroyer – we love it when an analysis writes itself.
Coming up The second – and last – semi-final is an all-African affair, pitching Matt DC’s Nigerian steamroller against Weston Debevec’s Cameroonian rollercoaster.