Oftentimes, the play-by-play can be dramatic. The following sequence taken from ESPNSoccernet.com's commentary for the US-Portugal game describes a five-minute period after US forward Brian McBride headed in a pass from defender Tony Sanneh (although the site mistakenly cited the pass from team captain Earnie Stewart). Minutes later, Portugal responded with a corner kick from international star midfielder Luis Figo to set a goal by defender Beto. 35 mins: McBride dives in to head a Stewart cross and the net billows. It's 3-0 to the USA. History is being made! 37 mins: Portugal, in ruins, try to attack again. They force a corner. 38 mins: Figo forces two more corners. Then the USA defence can't clear and Beto hammers home from close range. 3-1 now. This is really hotting up! 40 mins: This is turning into a real humdinger! For Sports.com's Gill, commentating is a balancing act of speed, efficiency and split-second quips laced with "good old English tongue-and-cheek cliches." "Getting my own gags in makes it unique," Gill said in an interview. "If my mates read my commentary, they can see that I've done it." Of course, not all comments are a hit with some fans. Oftentimes Sports.com is subjected to reams of flame mail, especially after matches in the English Premier League, where local passions run rampant. World Cup fans can also be unkind to commentator originality. One chat room on Sports.com is devoted to trashing one editor's comments about the Ecuadorian team's aspirations. Sports.com's Evans said he tries to emphasise balanced editorial standards to his staff. But given the country's obsession with the sport, passions also seep through. "We're English people," Evans said. "When you write a France vs Senegal commentary, there's not a lot of bias that can exist anyway." But when asked about covering something closer to home, Evans admitted that bias sometimes gets in the way. "If it's an England-France match, it's obviously going to be very hard to keep one's emotions in tow," he said. "But (we) try to be as professional as possible."
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