given that there were more soccer broadcasts on nbc-owned telemundo (and in spanish at that) than on nbc or their english-speaking channels, i would surmise that the soccer camera crews were european to start with, and the nbc feeds were specifically done the same way telemundo shows pan-american hispanic soccer matches.
likely the greeks did the camera work, since they themselves are part of the european leagues and have far more experience at it than any american company does.
yes, the americans tend to play man-to-man, and its hurting them internationally. In this, they are just like the basketball team, who got their butts kicked by fundamental-level zone playing (you know, stuff Americans perfected back in the *50's* before the ABA's street/playground game changed the rules.
when the american soccer league started, they tried to play it up like basketball, where each team had 1 or 2 "stars" to attract attention, and a decent, if not exceptional supporting players to hold it together. DC United was one of the few teams that didn't have such an approach, but instead had a genius of a coach who got that team of 0 stars but tons of talent to live up to its name. It took 3 years for the other teams to finally catch up.
But even an average English or European team could kick the best American team's ass in a heartbeat...or 90 minutes, whichever comes first.
soccer
likely the greeks did the camera work, since they themselves are part of the european leagues and have far more experience at it than any american company does.
yes, the americans tend to play man-to-man, and its hurting them internationally. In this, they are just like the basketball team, who got their butts kicked by fundamental-level zone playing (you know, stuff Americans perfected back in the *50's* before the ABA's street/playground game changed the rules.
when the american soccer league started, they tried to play it up like basketball, where each team had 1 or 2 "stars" to attract attention, and a decent, if not exceptional supporting players to hold it together. DC United was one of the few teams that didn't have such an approach, but instead had a genius of a coach who got that team of 0 stars but tons of talent to live up to its name. It took 3 years for the other teams to finally catch up.
But even an average English or European team could kick the best American team's ass in a heartbeat...or 90 minutes, whichever comes first.