I love the World Cup. And I think we need it.

I’m no soccer supremacist. Count me among the Americans who bemoan tie games and exaggerated dives. Consider me also sympathetic to complaints that it’s mostly boring to watch: a ball ping-ponged back and forth, the camera too zoomed out to capture the footwork that might otherwise be really thrilling.

What is unequivocally not boring, though, are the goals. They’re awesome. The athleticism, the finesse, the elation, the disappointment, the cheers. All of it. It’s great. For those few seconds, too few times per game.

Besides, what I love most comes after the 90 minutes are up, especially now that we’re in the knockout stages. Because my absolute favorite thing is to see soccer superstars cry.

I love witnessing these paragons of manhood completely paralyzed by emotion when they’re eliminated from the tournament. I........

© NY Daily News