Erling Haaland had no trouble picking up a pair of goals in Norway's World Cup opener this past week.Charles Krupa/The Associated Press
Jamie Ross is The Globe’s sports editor; Cathal Kelly is The Globe’s national sports columnist.
Jamie Ross: Hey Cathal. I wanted start by asking about the video you shot after Canada’s big win over Qatar in Vancouver this week. When you’re on camera, how do you know what to do with your hands?
Cathal Kelly: Jamie, I will happily concede that I have the hands – and a face – for print. But once again, for about the eighth time, video is the future.
It reminds of an earlier one of these jags, involving our mutual pal, since-retired Toronto Sun baseball writer, Mike Rutsey. One day, they informed all the veterans of that sports section that they’d be filming their own video at games, as well as writing about a hundred stories.
To put it very mildly, Ruts had a curmudgeonly streak. You and I both figured he would be the least likely to go along with it. But he was sanguine. Didn’t complain. Sat through the training.
On the day I knew he was supposed to start filming, I was razzing him in the press box: ’Hey Scorsese, where’s your camera?’
Ruts turns and says he went to the office, collected it, walked out of the office, threw it in the first trash can he saw, went to the baseball game, phoned the office and told them he’d lost the camera. And that was kind of it for the Toronto Sun’s video era.
I suspect it will stick a little better at the Globe. Possibly because they have professionals operating behind the cameras (if not, as mentioned, appearing in front of them).
That Canada-Qatar match wasn’t much of a game, but it was a hell of an experience. A lot of hell-of-an-experiences in the last little bit. As usual, the World Cup starts, everyone freaks out about how bad it will be and then it’s great.
We’re a week and a bit in, which is soon enough to start making some judgments. If you had to pick the standouts so far – players, teams, themes, etc. – what have you got?
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo was held scoreless in his team's World Cup opener against Congo.Ashley Landis/The Associated Press
JR: I didn’t expect a Mike Rutsey reference this morning, but I welcome it. As for the soccer, I felt a little bad for Cristiano Ronaldo after his first game. While his mega star buddies were filling the net across the tournament, he was skunked in Portugal’s opener. Maybe he caught too much sun lounging on the beach in Miami. I enjoyed seeing the star power show everywhere though, from Haaland to Messi to Mbappé.
CK: You’ve hit it dead on there. This isn’t a World Cup of teams. It’s a World Cup of individual stars. Ronaldo blows it and he’s the story, not Portugal. Messi scores three, and he’s the story, not the returning champions running wild. Ditto Mbappé. Ditto Haaland.
FIFA is deft at steamrolling its problems, but I wonder what happens when the biggest stars get truly wise to the power they have here, a la the trouble tennis currently has brewing.
What would happen if Messi – or, more likely, whoever becomes the next Messi – decides they don’t like their cut and threatens to skip the World Cup? It is a weird sort of business set up, where the stars of the show get a (relatively) minuscule cut of the profits.
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One boldface name drops out, that’s manageable. Two is a problem. Three is a revolt.
Until then, the stars are the ones pushing this forward. A week ago, Jonathan David was a faulty part in the Canadian team engine. Today, he’s Just Fontaine. That’s the star-making power of a World Cup.
Speaking of Canada, what did you make of their postgame celebration after beating Qatar?
I realize you’re the sort of editor who is often seen fist-pumping your way up and down the length of the Globe newsroom when the section hits deadline, but even for a Liberace-temperamented sort such as yourself, was it a bit much?
Jesse Marsch's post-match celebrations after his team's win over Qatar rubbed some people the wrong way.Agustin Marcarian/Reuters
JR: Classic Curmudgeon Cathal. Can’t a guy have a little fun? Sure, you’d be forgiven for mistaking that group stage win in Vancouver for the celebration that followed the Golden Goal in 2010, but hey, it was a big moment. Let people enjoy it!
Come to think of it, between the video you shot and column you wrote, I don’t know where you stand.
In video, you seemed to acknowledge the magnitude of the moment, a first-ever win for the Canadian men at World Cup. Your column on the weekend was like a cold shower. So which is it?
CK: It’s both. If there are three options, I’ll take all three. Wanting things every which way is the columnistic privilege.
The game was a big national moment, the booze-free rager right afterward, less so. The problem isn’t the moment in snapshot. It’s what happens if they lose to Switzerland on Wednesday.
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If winning the second game of what is hopefully a five(!) or six(!!) game tournament is worth going absolutely bananas over, does losing the third mean you should all drop where you stand as the final whistle goes and have a group weep?
I’m not knocking it. For professional reasons, I’d rather every team/player/coach/GM/owner be as unhinged as possible. But getting swept away by the moment got Canada in trouble in the last World Cup. They’re a better team now, but that issue hasn’t been fully resolved.
Here’s guessing that a Canada win on Wednesday – which would be a bigger deal – will be greeted by a far more muted response.
Sobriety, solemnity, monkish self-abnegation – that’s my sort of sports.
Democratic Republic of Congo fan Michel Nkuka Mboladinga poses as a statue of the country's independence hero Patrice Lumumba during an Africa Cup of Nations match in January.Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
You love celebrating. That’s obvious because it often takes you until noon to get going on a weekday ending in ‘day.’ What’s your ‘awwww’ moment of this World Cup so far?
I am very stuck on the DR Congo fan who stands stock still through each match, miming a pose from that country’s great political hero, Patrice Lumumba.
If I could purchase a statue of his statue act, I would.
JR: I don’t do ‘awwww’. I prefer my sports to be like Rollerball (the James Caan one): violent and ridiculous. Which is why I was absolutely loving Australia and the United States the other day.
Guys getting brushed with a finger and dropping like they’re shot. As far as embellishment goes, it happens in any sport with body contact, so whatever. But you gotta be good at the act.
When you’re hit in the face, why would you roll around on the ground? Your legs work fine. If your face is so grievously injured that you’re bordering on convulsions, you should use them to run as fast as you can to run to an ambulance.
CK: It remains a mystery to me why soccer players are so bad at this fakery. I have a theory, but I’ll leave that for a column.
So far, we’ve seen less diving than at previous tournaments. One of the effects of the expansion of VAR, I suppose. Another one of those – a player red-carded for covering his mouth while saying something to an opponent. If that’s the new bar for sporting comportment, baseball is about to have some problems.
I think what this whole conversation shows is that – so far, at least – there isn’t much to complain about at this World Cup. We live in hope.