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World Cup!

  • Thread starter Est
  • Start date

Est

War. War never changes.
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As many of you know, the 2006 World Cup opener ended just moments ago. Who here is one of the some 1.5 billion viewers who were projected to be watching the match? I know I was!

Not a bad way to start! I'm glad Germany won (my home country and all) and Costa Rica played a pretty nice game! I'm looking forward to an awesome World Cup this time around. Who here plans on watching? What teams are you rootin' for?

--Edit--
In the joy of it all, I've gone and made a spelling error in the title... Sigh.
 
I will watch whatever games end up on network TV (since that is all I get.)

I am not rooting for anyone in particular but I do hope to catch a match up between any two of the "dirty dozen"
 
I'm Watching!!! POLSKA!!!!!!!

....They lost to ecuador!?!?!?!?!
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Zac
 
It's been exciting so far!
Seems like for the A section the team ranking (in my mind) is Germany, then Costa Rica, then Ecuador, then Poland.

The tight teamwork that I saw in the Germany vs Costa Rica match just wasn't there in the Ecuador vs Poland match.

Germany seems to be a LOT better this year in terms of keeping things tight and communicating. In the first match, when someone kicked the ball, it always made its target player, players exhibited a lot of control over the ball. Germany DOES need to pick up on the defence though! I can't wait to see Ballack come in!

I'm looking forward to the Czech Republic vs USA game, it should prove to be an exciting match!
 
Not me. Don't like soccer. Plus I've heard that they are racist against black players and fans. Makes me sick.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (JMurphy97 @ June 10 2006,7:52)]Not me. Don't like soccer. Plus I've heard that they are racist against black players and fans. Makes me sick.
Yes. And all tennis players are pansies, all football players are pigs, all golf players are rich snobs, all hockey players are inbred. Maybe you'd spend less time being sick if you did more than listen to a few voices.

You think there's any lack of support for teams with black members? Try watching a game. Not ten minutes ago you should have seen the calls seen the crowd in the Trinidad and Tobago vs Sweden match. One team was primarily white, the other primarily black, but if you think that changed what the calls were like, then you've got a different thing coming.

There will always be idiotic jerks in a sport, but saying that an entire sport or fanbase is racist is absolutely ridiculous. Nations from all over the world participate in the World Cup. Countries from Africa, the Mid East, Asia, Europe, North and South America- you think that changes the calls changes the crowd?

Watch the crowd, the ref, the players during and after the game, read the news, or be part of the festivities. Soccer fans can get rowdy (ref: British soccer hooligans taking over the country of Belgium,) but have you ever seen an unfair call made based on race?

You know what makes me sick? Presumptions.

You don't like soccer, fine. But don't mar the names of those who do, or the players, or those associated. Thank you.
 
Look I'm not trying to start anything but I saw and heard what I did. Let's drop it and let everything be good.
 
Is this airing on ESPN? If not, what channel?
 
ESPN, ESPN 2, ABC, as well as others are airing it. One of the matches that people looking for the big exciting ones are going to want to see is on Monday; USA vs. Czech Republic. The CR has been very impressive lately and are ranked #2 in the world. But the US made a pretty impressive run last time around, and people are thinking that it should be even better this Cup.

I have to miss it, but I'll definitly tivo it and watch it later.
 
  • #10
My wife watched the US - Czech Republic game today and said it was even more lopsided than shown by the statistics of the 3-0 score and one shot on goal by the US. I'd want Brazil to win, except I hate picking the favorite. I live on the fringe of a Brazilian neighborhood and it's pretty wild when they start winning important games.

My daughter plays and my wife played in high school, but I was 17 before I ever saw a soccer ball and I have the same level of understanding of the sport that the average European has of baseball.
 
  • #11
With all the Europeans and South Americans who visit these forums its surprising that this topic has been so quiet.

Well after weeks of hype leading up to the tournament..  then days of excuses for losing the first match..  and then days of listening to the scenario of what the US team needed to do to advance, the pain is finally over and the US is headed home.

This was supposed to be "The best team the USA has fielded in decades..."  Well if this is the best they can come up with, I suggest that they just give it up altogether. Aside from the decent effort in game 2 against Italy, this has been one of the worst soccer teams I have ever seen play. Fully deserving of the 0-2-1 record they posted and the single lousy point they earned in the standings. With all the big name players on this team its completely disgusting to see that they only scored 1 lousy goal over the entire 3 games (not counting the one that Italy put into their own goal). I suspect there will be a major overturn of personel before the next tournament.

Well I am off to watch Australia vs. Croatia...

Cheers
Steve


BTW..  did anyone else notice that the USA keeper pretty much stunk up the whole joint? He was touted as one of the top keepers in the world...  I dunno..  from what I saw, he couldn't stop a beach ball if they kicked it right into his hands...
 
  • #12
Currently watching Brazil vs Japan. Go Brazil (I'm such a patriotic Japanese!
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)! Croatia are doing surprisingly well against Australia I might add.
 
  • #13
While I am still in the mood to rant a bit...  I need to say that the officiating in the last 2 USA games has been about the worst I have ever seen.

Not to draw away from the fact that they just didnt play well, it really didn't help that the refs seemed to be watching a different game than the rest of us. The red card against Mastroeni in game 2 was a complete joke. The tackle was a split second late..  and certainly not an intent to injure. It was a foul yes, but a red card?  Cmon.. Then to turn around and give a 2nd yellow card to Pope in the first minute of the second half was even worse. Frankly I dont think he deserved either one of those cards.

As if all that wasn't bad enough, Ghana gets a penalty kick in stoppage time of the first half today that gave them the lead, and ultimately the win.

I understand that the refs have a tough and very unappreciated job to do, but its not hard to understand why they are so hated when you see them make those phantom calls that have so much influence on the outcome of such important games.

Ok...  end of rant (for now)
Steve
 
  • #15
Heh.. despite winning their group, England has not been all that impressive either. If they continue the way they have been so far I would not be surprised if they are on the plane home on Sunday night.
 
  • #16
You're right they have been playing relatively poorly so far, but we're just saving ourselves for the knockout phase, when things are more important
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  • #17
It doesn't get any easier for England from here. Ecuador has played well in every game I have seen them in. After that its going to be either Holland or Portugal. Both of those are very good teams. I hate to say it.. but the future looks bleak for the Brits this year... Stranger things have happened though.. guess we will just have to watch the matches and see what happens eh?

Go Holland!!!

Cheers
Steve
 
  • #18
Every sport has subjective officiating(when they make robotic computers that can do it, human officials are history!) but that red card vfy guy mentioned was really horrible.
My dark horse(in my opinion anyway) is Argentina.

Cheers,

Joe
 
  • #19
I think the 2006 US team performed as should be expected and maybe better - I never expected a tie with Italy.  The 2002 team's run through the World Cup was an aberration and the US has to recognize it's a 3rd World country when it comes to soccer.  Especially if you look at players whose families have been here more than a single generation.

Even though a phenomenal number of American kids are in youth soccer, many are there to allow parents an hour of free time.  Even if they're into soccer, boys eventually have to choose between (American) football and soccer as a fall sport and a lot of the best will choose football.  Football is the ideal American sport.  It has lots of dead time for announcers to explain what just happened, plenty of militaristic jargon, and regular breaks for beer & truck commercials.  And it's perfect for betting in office pools.  Soccer doesn't offer any of that.

Argentina can never be a dark horse in soccer, by the way.  Official dark horse rules don't allow it.
 
  • #20
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Ecuador has played well in every game I have seen them in. After that its going to be either Holland or Portugal. Both of those are very good teams.

There are no easy matches from now on, but Ecuador, Holland and Portugal are far preferable to playing Brazil, Italy, Germany, Argentina or Spain.
 
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