I never played soccer but I was a bad ass at kick ball. My cousin got a scholarship to NC State in the early 80's playing soccer from southern California. He's the women's head coach at Baylor U today and is married to a world class former player.
The truth is I never understood the game because I never played it. I've been watching because of the "lull" in my favorite sports. I'm finally appreciating the strategy involved in playing soccer. It's similar to a chess match. Argentina exposed the USA's team weakness. We never got a shot on goal.
That was not the case with Chile. Those dudes knew what they had to do and they did it. It's hard for a "traditional" sports fan to embrace a game I am foreign to. I'm getting close!