[TheRiddick]

Well, when someone like Howard, our GK, plays in Premier League in England, how do you figure he could have trained with the ball all along? Same for a number of others, they play outside their home home country more often than not. What FIFA has to insist on next time around is that every league in the world switches to the new ball a year prior to WC, that is the only way to have players used to it.

In regard to higher scores, or wish for those above, soccer has been called "chess on grass" for a reason, it is not just a physical game, but a (strongly) mental one as well. How often do you see huge result differences in chess games? Same for soccer, unless one team is greatly overmatched, score lines reflect small differences between teams these days, especially at WC where most teams are evenly matched and most players see each other in local leagues for years and know every little trick and movement by now. Its all mental these days, mostly.