I think it’s safe to say that soccer will never be as big in America as it is around the world. Our attention is too focused on football, baseball and basketball for the sport dominant like it does other places.
But, with that said, the World Cup still generates a good deal of buzz here for good reason – it’s possibly the best showcase for any sport. And now that the 2010 edition of the tournament is roughly six months away, we’ve begun seeing an influx of related apps for the iPhone.
What is likely to be the most popular of these iPhone apps is yet another free download from ESPN called ESPN 2010 World Cup. If you’ve had experience with any of the company’s iPhone apps, you should know what to expect here, and — long story short — this is another quality release from the sports giant.
2010 World Cup opens with a countdown, a “Did You Know?” fact and the familiar ESPN news ticker. Because the bottom of the iPhone app is occupied by the ticker, the menu is in the middle of the screen. All told, it sports a different look from most iPhone apps, though it’s simple enough and effective.
Aside from the price, the most enjoyable thing about the app is that there is a ton of content. The team pages are reminiscent of what you will find on ESPN Soccernet, with things such as history, news, schedules, rosters and a comments section for all 32 World Cup qualifiers.
There is also information on stadium sites and the tournament’s history dating back to 1930. It even has a bracket predictor that allows you to pick the outcome of every World Cup match, similar to what they offer for March Madness.
Really, the only thing missing from 2010 World Cup is videos, as you would think they would include the clips that are available on their Web site. Still, there’s enough content here for a paid app, so this is far from a big issue.
As annoyed as I’ve become with ESPN’s television programming, I have very little to complain about with the company’s iPhone app releases. They seem to have a great grasp on what the iPhone user wants, and this iPhone app is just another example of that.
While you have options – there is a free version of iFooty World that also includes league information – and it is early, it’s pretty safe to say 2010 World Cup is the best World Cup iPhone app. Essentially everything you need to know about the tournament is included, it’s free and there’s no Chris Berman or Skip Bayless. It doesn’t get any better than that.
