930 Forums
=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: sweetcell on March 02, 2010, 08:15:39 pm
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100 days until the World Cup.
wo0t.
we currently don't own a TV, we generally watch stuff online (hulu, etc). we've just bought a house and i'm in charge of lining up internet access. normally we'd get internet access only, but the world cup is the only reason my wife would support bundling HDTV with internet. i'm thinking fios, since we're eligible.
who will be broadcasting the WC? wanna make sure i get the right channel(s).
will anyone be streaming it online in HD? maybe a subscription service?
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ESPN has the rights and every match will be in HD on ESPN/ESPN2. It should also be available online from ESPN360 for those internet providers that allow for it. FIFA also offered a pay package online for 2006, so the ESPN360 stuff may not be available, but expect one or the other.
A number of matches will also be available in 3D on an ESPN channel.
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For those up for it, Ive cancelled my South Africa plans and instead will be watching a number of matches in the country of the teams playing.
We're starting in London for the England-USA match, working our way across Western Europe (some combination of Holland/Gemany/France/Italy) on our way to Slovenia for USA-Slovenia, then back across Western Europe to get to probably Spain.
The Algeria match is currently under consideration for a trip to Algeirs. It's going to take some convincing though....
Smackette is not coming along this year, so if anybody wants to be my roomie, send a photo to my email address.
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thanks for the info about ESPN, smackie. nice to know we won't need a fancy cable package to get the tournament.
A number of matches will also be available in 3D on an ESPN channel.
3d??? special glasses required?
would love to join you in your euro-romp, but can't swing the time off :'(
do consider adding algiers to your travels. very interesting place. not sure how loudly you'd be able to cheer for the american team, tho.
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It's still just professional kickball and the 2nd most boring sport behind golf!
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the venue should be interesting. brazil and argentina are the only teams to have won the world cup away from their own continent. i was hearing arguments that the ivory coast is overhyped coming in, but if the get guus, the tune might change
i liked england's chances of doing some damage, but man their back line has taken a fall the past couple of months. and they still dont have a keeper worth a damn...
u.s.a. has some expectations, but injuries have really exposed the lack of depth
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so, what are some good bars to watch the mundial in DC/MD/VA?
in 2006 my standby was Lucky Bar. was very convenient as i lived a 10 minute walk away (20-25 minute stumble on the way back). great atmosphere at times (england-portugal was EPIC), but not the best viewing - i'm not a fan of their projection screen and when the place is packed, sight-lines aren't always good.
someone suggested http://www.publicbardc.com/ although reviews say that it's expensive and service is atrocious. maybe the WC will them in a better mood.
anyone even been to Nellie's Sports Bar, at 9th and U?
(should we discuss the world cup here or in "on the eve of a new season"? dunno if the regulars of that thread want to pollute it with non-european league chatter :D)
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I think its a great idea to talk about it here...
Lucky Bar was kind of a mess but had great atmosphere..
I'm interested in watching it via the internet... at the moment we're using/mooching some neighbor's wireless though so I have no idea if it would work..
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Summer's in Arlington right by the Courthouse Metro is a major concentration point for soccer fans... The decor though is kind of blah
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my boom boom room. everything reclines
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I'm interested in watching it via the internet... at the moment we're using/mooching some neighbor's wireless though so I have no idea if it would work..
per smackie's post above, ESPN3 (http://espn.go.com/espn3/index/_/sport/soccer-futbol, formerly ESPN360.com) will be streaming games, but you need an account with a high-speed ISP: http://espn.go.com/espn3/faq#4 so that might not work.
there are bound to be lots of illegal streams.
my boom boom room. everything reclines
are they accepting reservations?
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I just tried the espn used to be 360 link up above and hit watch live and it started playing the french open (venus!)
does that mean i should be able to watch the world cup games just like that? seems too easy
I'm a stay at home dad with a 7 month old which is why I'm particularly interested in this..
I have a friend who plans to open up a bar for us to watch the games but the games at 7:30 am are too early and ideally I dont' want to go to a bar with the stroller at 10 am every day! although for key games i'll do what it takes..
I note the June 12 USA- England I'll be watching it at the Irish Times by Union Station...so thats something..
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I just tried the espn used to be 360 link up above and hit watch live and it started playing the french open (venus!)
does that mean i should be able to watch the world cup games just like that? seems too easy
hum. maybe the ESPN3 system recognizes that your (i.e. your neighbor's) connection is through a participating ISP and you have access that way? it worked for me without logging in, and i'm on a participating ISP.
PDF schedule, in case someone doesn't already have it: http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/64/42/24/2010fwc_matchschedule_3004_en.pdf. game times in the top-right corner of each square, south africa is 6 hours ahead of Eastern Time.
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good point, i'll likely watch the weekend games live (at least the two early ones) and dvr one a day during the week. i always seem to pick wrong when i do that though
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I read that some guys want to show the US vs England game in Dupont Circle...that could be fun...
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in case someone wants to make a last-minute trip to ZA:
FIFA: More than 160,000 WCup tickets still unsold
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gguVUjpxHKmnRyJkW7d4zprtMEGg
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I read that some guys want to show the US vs England game in Dupont Circle...that could be fun...
here's a link to the story:
http://www.welovedc.com/2010/05/26/dupont-snowball-fight-organizer-wants-to-bring-you-world-cup-soccer/ (http://www.welovedc.com/2010/05/26/dupont-snowball-fight-organizer-wants-to-bring-you-world-cup-soccer/)
i'd be all about that.
thanks for posting the schedule, sweetcell!
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i really really hope i can make it to brazil in 2014
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I read that some guys want to show the US vs England game in Dupont Circle...that could be fun...
current word on the street is that it's a no-go, given the cost. things could change.
i really really hope i can make it to brazil in 2014
yup, i'm hoping the same. the missus has spent time in brazil and speaks fluent portuguese. she would be my guide and hopefully sweet-talk my way out of bar fights with the locals. we contemplated south africa but the security concerns, and other financial priorities, got in the way. having already traveled around brazil we're comfortable with it. my one trip to south africa left me a little concerned about kicking around the country.
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I will be in Brazil as I have many friends in Sao Paolo.
The fanfest things are fun - we were looking for these in Europe and have found one only in Berlin, so we're going there. I hope for your guys sake, they do one in Dupont Circle. SF is doing two - one outside City Hall (USA v England) and one in Dolores Park (for the final).
And this is awesome:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5fYJcdEeiM
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BTW - with Essien out, I'm pretty certain now that not a single African team will make it out of the first round. I suppose Cote d'Ivoire has a chance if Portugal continues to struggle, but I think it's a distinct possibility.
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i'm definitely picking cote d'ivoire to go through over portugal
anthony bourdain loves sao paolo, so i'm down
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I'm hoping it is Cote d'Ivoire as well over Portugal, but I think it's Cameroon that will advance out of the African countries.
Maybe the DC Sports Commission will show the game at RFK like they did for the 2002 quarterfinals. Granted , its first round play, but still, would be fun and the stadium, fromw what I can tell, isn't being used that day by another event.
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rio will be more fun than sao paolo.
The fanfest things are fun - we were looking for these in Europe and have found one only in Berlin, so we're going there. I hope for your guys sake, they do one in Dupont Circle.
my only minor issue with fanfests is that depending on the location, drinking may be prohibited. yes, i'd rather have a fun atmosphere than drink beer alone, but the best is a fun atmosphere and beer.
BTW - with Essien out, I'm pretty certain now that not a single African team will make it out of the first round. I suppose Cote d'Ivoire has a chance if Portugal continues to struggle, but I think it's a distinct possibility.
wow, that would really suck for the continent if that happens. what with this being labelled "africa's cup", expectations are sky-high for the six african teams. lots of soul-searching would ensue.
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I think Cameroon is Africa's best hope to go through, not Cote d'Ivoire.
Rio is for tourists.
The only fanfests I've been to were in Europe. There are no prohibitions on alcohol in Europe during the World Cup. Except staying sober - that's prohibited. SF might enforce no drinking by city hall, but not at Delores Park.
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i like cameroon in that group too actually
if it gets really quiet at work today i'll make my group predictions in earnest
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Rio is for tourists.
yes, tourists go to rio because it's an interesting place to visit. sao paulo is the business capital of brazil, rio is party central. i'll be going to brazil to party.
that being said, the missus spent most of her time studying in SP so she's got a soft spot for the city.
also, if we're all going to visit the city, we should learn how to spell it ;)
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oh get over it!
hahah you spelled it wrong too. we're both terrible people
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yes, i originally got it wrong too, as did smackie... that why i said "we". how do you say "i suck" in brazilian?
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my bad we're all terrible people
also i figure if i go to rio i'd just want to talk about city of god the whole time
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I wonder if any place in DC will be showing the WC in 3D
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I'm going to Brazil to watch football, not see the sites. I'm going to Sao Paola because I have many friends there. The misspelling is intentional and a long running joke with my friend Fernando, but if you're so concerned about my spelling, I'll fix it when you capitalize.
We'll likely hit Rio for a day or two, but SP will be my base.
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I'm going to Brazil to watch football, not see the sites. I'm going to Sao Paola because I have many friends there.
ah, well there ya go. i'm going to brazil to watch football with brazilians and soak up the atmosphere. rio is sure to have more atmosphere.
The misspelling is intentional and a long running joke with my friend Fernando, but if you're so concerned about my spelling, I'll fix it when you capitalize.
Omission of capitalization is an established convention on the Internet. I could adhere to proper use of capitals if I wanted to, whereas the spelling "Paola"/"Paolo" hasn't made it out of your circle of friends. You really want to equate the two? Smiley-wink.
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propaulo, anticaps...i dont know which side to take here
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seriously.
how can the american public not understand and appreciate the passions that are stirred by soccer?!? you never hear about baseball fans getting all wound up over this stuff!
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Ireland destroyed Algeria today in a friendly. That bodes well for the US chances to advance from the group.
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That's all I want, is for the US to do better this time around and to get out of their bracket.
I haven't been following soccer at all recently, but I get heated into it during the World Cup. It's just so much fun. Can't wait for it to start.
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I should have realized when Croatia didn't make the World Cup, neither would Theo Walcott.
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my guess is they'll start joe cole left and milner right, but confusing choices on the back up wingers
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my guess is they'll start joe cole left and milner right, but confusing choices on the back up wingers
He was the only one worth a damn against Japan, so I'm happy for Cole (that's me talking myself into becoming a Joe Cole fan ahead of next season).
I think Barry's injury has presented Fabio with some problems ahead of the US match, and there really wasn't room for SWP, Lennon and Walcott, so the least fit of the bunch didn't make the cut.
Carrick was crap on Sunday, but since Capello couldn't get Scholes out of int'l retirement, there weren't many more options. I predict he will do well holding the ball against better competition in the quarters and semi's, but the press will be all over him in the opening round.
The one I think is a miss was Adam Johnson. It's clear Capello wanted a mature squad (the vast majority of the players are in their prime at 27-30), but Johnson has impressed all season and his creativity will be missed in the latter stages of the tournament.
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to take swp and not even have ashley young in the provisional is nuts in my opinion. agreed that johnson would have been useful
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to take swp and not even have ashley young in the provisional is nuts in my opinion.
That's a great point. SWP plays for big teams, but he's rarely in against big squads, unlike Young.
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The good news for you Guiseppe is that Lippi, like all Italian coaches, let you play well into your 30's so you might get to two World Cups in your lifetime, otherwise you've got one shot at glory.
Italy Cuts Guisseppe Rossi (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/5239010/ce/us/italy-cuts-giuseppe-rossi-marco-borriello-world-cup-roster?cc=5901&ver=us)
Oh, and by the way - you can piss off. You could have been the David Beckham of American soccer and played in 4 World Cups. You missed your chance at being a hero.
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to take swp and not even have ashley young in the provisional is nuts in my opinion.
That's a great point. SWP plays for big teams, but he's rarely in against big squads, unlike Young.
swp has only started over 20 league matches once in the past five season i believe. i dont know how justifying his form over ay's is sensible
everyone knew rossi made a huge error. his loan stint at the toon was...frustrating
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http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-breaking-news/dc/world-cup-step-closer-to-airin.html?hpid=newswell
it seems that USA vs England in Dupont Circle will happen after all
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this is basicaly the time of year I go into can't walk away from tv mode...
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The good news for you Guiseppe is that Lippi, like all Italian coaches, let you play well into your 30's so you might get to two World Cups in your lifetime, otherwise you've got one shot at glory.
Italy Cuts Guisseppe Rossi (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/5239010/ce/us/italy-cuts-giuseppe-rossi-marco-borriello-world-cup-roster?cc=5901&ver=us)
Oh, and by the way - you can piss off. You could have been the David Beckham of American soccer and played in 4 World Cups. You missed your chance at being a hero.
Bwahahah. How does that taste? Now he can go back to auditioning for Jersey Shore.
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http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-breaking-news/dc/world-cup-step-closer-to-airin.html?hpid=newswell
it seems that USA vs England in Dupont Circle will happen after all
awesome. i'm meeting a bunch of friends in the dupont area to watch the morning games. will stumble on over to the circle for ENG-USA.
this is basicaly the time of year I go into can't walk away from tv mode...
innovation for me this year: i have a DVR. last WC, i caught what i could live and watched a few replays at the lucky bar at night (i'd go in to seclusion until i made it to the replay, remaining unaware of the score was never easy). i ended up not watching many games because of work & life conflicts. but now... i can time shift the WC. for 15 days i'll be coming home to 4 or 6 hours of recorded games, assuming i don't catch any of it live. as if i don't sleep enough already.
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Turns out SONAR is happening in Barcelona while we're there. Might interfere with my soccer watching.
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I've got $10 that says he's faking it....
Didier Drogba Breaks Arm in friendly with Japan (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/5250486/ce/us/didier-drogba-broken-arm?cc=5901&ver=us)
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And I've got $10 that says he's not faking it:
Rio Ferdinand hurts knee, out of World Cup (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/04/rio-ferdinand-injury-world-cup)
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What a bummer about Drogba and Ferdinand...
I'm increasingly skeptical about the value of these friendlies..glad Argentina doesn't have any
I don't know that one can fake a broken arm or what have you.
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what a bummer that drogba is out... rio ferdinand probably too
I have to say that playing "friendlies" before the start of WC is idiotic.. At least Maradona got that right.
Well, Rio was hurt in training and anyone who watched United this season probably knows that he brought this with him - he was the definition of fragile this season.
Playing as many friendlies as Mexico is a mistake, playing as few as Argentina, also a mistake. Playing Wayne Rooney for over 60 minutes in any friendly also a mistake, but I don't think playing 2-3 warmups spread out over a month is idiotic, especially when the players are spread out over a few continents during the league.
Drogba was simply unlucky, or, as I'm predicting, he's faking it.
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cant believe i'm going to say this but i hope he's faking it too. was pretty pumped to see what he could do this time around
man argentina cant do anything right. i mean, i kind of secondarily root for them because they have jonas but even thats hard
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what a bummer that drogba is out... rio ferdinand probably too
I have to say that playing "friendlies" before the start of WC is idiotic.. At least Maradona got that right.
Well, Rio was hurt in training and anyone who watched United this season probably knows that he brought this with him - he was the definition of fragile this season.
Playing as many friendlies as Mexico is a mistake, playing as few as Argentina, also a mistake. Playing Wayne Rooney for over 60 minutes in any friendly also a mistake, but I don't think playing 2-3 warmups spread out over a month is idiotic, especially when the players are spread out over a few continents during the league.
Drogba was simply unlucky, or, as I'm predicting, he's faking it.
Maybe you are right.
I hate to lose all these players... Ballack, Essien, Drogba, Beckham, etc.
I was about to post and I see a comment that says "Argentina can't do anything right"
I think it makes sense for Argentina not to bother with these friendlies... I think for the teams with the real talent friendlies are a waste of time and risky.. I also like the fact Maradona's keeping his cards close.. if I was him I would surprise everyone an hour or two before Nigeria... Maradona is working on creating a group and motivating the team...I'm fine with that...
ALso I should think it would not be that hard to root for Argentina given we consistently provide some of the more exciting soccer:
1994 Best game of World Cup; Romania vs Argentina
1998 Three excellent games featuring Argentina: Croatia, England and Netherlands
2002 ok this one we did not do much I'm afraid
2006 The game against Serbia, Mexico, I forget what else
I guess all I'm saying is since about 1990 we've been providing some of the more exciting action.
Oh and ARgentina has the top goal scorer in Spain and best player in the world, the second top goal scorer in Spain, Milito and Tevez..
Come on! If you like futbol you could do worse than root for Argentina.. unless you're still bitter about the Hand of God or something...
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i didnt mean historically hard to root for. just the maradona-era decision making is hard to go along with. of course they have awesome players, i said i kinda sorta root for the because they have one of my favorite players for my club
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I was about to post about how you conveniently left out the hand of god game, but then you corrected your post, so I'll let it slide.
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I've got $10 that says he's faking it....
Didier Drogba Breaks Arm in friendly with Japan (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/5250486/ce/us/didier-drogba-broken-arm?cc=5901&ver=us)
@georgina_turner: Drogba has opted for surgery, may yet be fit for CIV vs PORT opener in 10 days. Can't imagine Chelsea are thrilled about that.
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i didnt mean historically hard to root for. just the maradona-era decision making is hard to go along with. of course they have awesome players, i said i kinda sorta root for the because they have one of my favorite players for my club
Yes I understand that..
Believe me if it was up to me Maradona would not even be in South Africa much less managing or what have you...
The Hand of God goal, Vansmack, is so overhyped.. Of course he should not have done that but why is it that only in England and the US people focus so much on the hand of god goal and so little on the second goal..
Moreover, people seem to think that if there had been no hand of god goal then England would have won? Thats ludicrous... We don't know who would have won but what we do know is that ARgentina had the best team that World Cup...Again, I wish he had not done that.. I wish Simeone in 2002 had not gotten Beckham sent off but every nation brings a part of its culture to the way they play.. Unfortunately, ARgentina is a corrupt country going nowhere where people have to lie, cheat and sell their children to survive.. this is part of the culture and is reflected on the pitch (thats actually the only reason I could see for people not wanting Argentina to do well: that the Argentina team while very talented can at times "cheat" or what have you..we're certainly not England in that respect but Argentina the nation is not England the nation)
The only reason England scored at all is arguably because once ARgentina was up it did its classic "we're up, time to sit back and wait" mistake which is unfortunately part of the culture (just like against Germany in 86 final, against Germany in 2006, etc.).. If ARgentina kept attacking instead of trying to guard the games history would be a lot different but we or the Argentina team is what it is..
Sorry for haste reply but my baby is mugging me
Having said all of the above there are classier players and less classy players on Argentina's team.
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I'm not interested in having a discussion about it because I really don't care. I just thought it was funny that originally, you completely ignored it.
And judging by the 5 paragraphs you wrote about it, it's not just England and America that care.
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i dont care about the hand of god either
i care about (http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01591/jonas-gutierrez_1591727c.jpg)
dude in the background is awesome
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I like Argentina. In general they seem to combine elements of the beautiful game with italian-esque toughness. Maradona' performance pre suspension in 94 was one of the most electrifying I've ever seen period. He seems like a trainwreck as coach which leads me to hope its so crazy it just might work. Certainly the world is a better place if Messi work his magic deep into the tournament.
I didn't see the hand of god game but I've seen highlights. The handball is so subtle that it warrants some respect in its execution.
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In general they seem to combine elements of the beautiful game with italian-esque toughness.
That's because Spain founded a permanent colony there, then they hid all the Nazi's and Facists after WWII in exchange for the best Argentine footballers to play in Italian professional leagues.
Can you tell I LOVE the World Cup?
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Of course, Argentina is also highly Italian . . .contributing to its sense of Europeanness and extremely good-looking women.
The ol' Nazi sympathizin' is a bit of a black eye. As is the history of disappointment, military dictatorships and economic fiascos. But at the same time that serves to make the soccer team compelling. In Messi especially we see all the great potential of Argentina (genius, truth, beauty) which we know exists because it lives in his game . . .yet they could easily disappoint in the World Cup as they have over the entire course of their existence. (Come to think of it, didn't Maradona personify all of the above - genius, truth, beauty, disappointment, fiasco, sympathizing with the enemy (castro as nazi) . . .is cocaine addiction an analogy for military dictatorship of the mind??)
I also love the World Cup.
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Let's not bring the beautiful ladies into this to distract me.
This is strictly about football. And Politics.
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the really weird thing is how brazil arguably rules the world stage but no one cares about torneo paulista...if you think about it, Argentina's tournament is very compelling, and to watch boca vs river is always rewarding (almost), yet have you ever worried about a corinthians vs flamengo? we could talk about brazilian women if that's more interesting though...
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I did a GREAT job naming my dog. I'm positive this kid is going to succeed at United:
Chicharito's Dad Quits his Job to Watch his son at the World Cup (http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/blog/dirty-tackle/post/Mexico-star-s-father-quits-coaching-job-to-watch?urn=sow,245514)
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I want to go to this watch party.
Party at the cantina (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zd_khk6zXo)
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I want to go to this watch party.
Party at the cantina (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zd_khk6zXo)
that may be the most awesome commercial i've ever seen.
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Robben injured in friendly...
big bummer for the soccer lover..
Also Mikel out in Nigeria..'
They're dropping left and right!
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I want to go to this watch party.
Party at the cantina (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zd_khk6zXo)
that may be the most awesome commercial i've ever seen.
I offered $100 for a lifesize cutout of a stormtrooper at our local Adidas store about 3 weeks ago and was told that I wasn't even close to being in the ballpark of the highest bid they've recieved. Smackette was relieved...
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Barca, any insight on the link below (or any other apartments on that site) would be much appreciated by our group:
http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/31558
IE, good part of town, is there a better place to be, etc.
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when do you leave
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man argentina cant do anything right. i mean, i kind of secondarily root for them because they have jonas but even thats hard
The story sounds apocryphal, but it has been reported that the defender who helped Colón finish 14th in the Argentinian league was included because Maradona had a dream that his team won the World Cup and the only face he could remember being there was Garcé's.
You can't beat that logic. I guess Zanneti and Cambiaso were not in the dream.
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when do you leave
Thursday: SFO-LAX-London
Sunday: London-Lisbon
Tuesday: Lisbon-Barcelona
Thursday: Barcelona-Nice
Saturday: Nice-Majorca
Wednesday: Majorca-London
Thursday: London-LAX
Friday: LAX-SFO
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i'm pumped and i'm not even going
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I will very likely not be updating my thoughts here, so if you want to talk World Cup or follow my travels, it would be best friend me on the faceboks...[vansmack] at [msn.com]
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i basically told my wife i'll do whatever she wants this weekend
after 4:30
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so, who's going to Dupont Circle to watch USA vs England this Saturday?, I'll be there :)
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I'm taking Saturday until 5:30 as a personal day.
Two of the games that interest me the most:
Argentina-Nigeria
USA-England
I will be watching at a bar where I can drink beer.. the DUpont Circle thing doesn't sound fun to me...Standing in the heat watching the game with a mob?
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i'll be at home.
gotta bust out something powder blue for jonas. i'm pretty pumped for uruguay/france too. sunday isnt nearly as good
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i'll be at home.
gotta bust out something powder blue for jonas. i'm pretty pumped for uruguay/france too. sunday isnt nearly as good
Uruguay-France is a really good match up.
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so, who's going to Dupont Circle to watch USA vs England this Saturday?, I'll be there :)
right now it's looking like i'll be in dupont, but inside. maybe wander out after USA-ENG if the US wins, should be a fun atmosphere. i'll be surrounded by a number of brits... come to think of it, i'll probably also wander out if the US loses. those limeys are insufferable enough as is.
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less than 12 hours to kick-off.
DVR programmed.
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get yer grateful dead world-cup t-shirts:
(http://store.dead.net/sites/default/files/GRA9000030MD.jpg)
http://store.dead.net/t-shirts/usa-soccer-t-shirt
brazil and spain also available.
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uhmmmm . . . part two.
(http://i48.tinypic.com/2dilhkz.gif)
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Which team is that Beckham guy playing for?
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Which team is that Beckham guy playing for?
the one that goes home without a win.
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is it really the ball . . . or the goal tender. uhmmm, tender. like kfc chicken.
wait a minute . . . is it goal tender or goal keeper? is tender for hockey and keeper for soccer?
and are those horns annoying.
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Walkie, according to the NY Times, it's goalkeeper. And ours is hurt!
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Shots on goal:
England 7
USA 4
Kobe alone put more shots IN the goal in one half last night.
Good lord, could there be a more boring sport?
I think my wife had it right when I asked her what the rest of the world sees in soccer and she said, "They like it because they don't have any other sports."
She raised an interesting question...is the rest of the USA as interested in world cup soccer as DC seems to be, or are DC people alone in their quest for "coolness"?
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Shots on goal:
England 7
USA 4
there are lots of shots taken, but only those that would have been in save for the goalie are counted as shots on goal. a great break-away that yields an interesting shot but happens to be a foot wide doesn't count as a shot on goal. in other words, shots on goal aren't the only indicator of action.
how very american: only shots on goal - the only thing that you can comprehend in this game - make the game worth watching. it's hardly surprising that you don't like the sport if you're going to be so one-dimensional.
is the rest of the USA as interested in world cup soccer as DC seems to be, or are DC people alone in their quest for "coolness"?
right, the only reason to like world cup soccer is coolness.
project much? :)
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If DC thinks soccer makes them cool why does no one go to DC United games? The 2nd best if not the best DC team.
Only behind the Washington Warthogs.
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my take as a hockey fan is this. in hockey, you (mostly) just fire it on the net and hope for a deflection or a goalie screen or a mistake or something. In soccer, these guys are forever shooting it high and wide trying to pick the top corner instead of working for a slip up, rebound, etc. and then they just get a goal kick. make the goalie work people, you never know when he's gonna fuck it up
i preached this all morning at the bar on saturday...til the english goalie did just that.
soccer isnt boring to me, but what is lame is that there are so many teams in the world and so many leagues its just so hard to keep the hell up with it. and i have a job and stuff.
but i do love the world cup...and bars in baltimore were packed all weekend too, btw.
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If DC thinks soccer makes them cool why does no one go to DC United games? The 2nd best if not the best DC team.
Only behind the Washington Warthogs.
Euro-snobbery. I guess that can come out of supposed "coolness," but ultimately it's snobbery. In many soccer fans eyes (certainly not all), DC United isn't Manchester United, in terms of player quality, so DC United is not worth their time.
This is not my belief FWIW.
soccer isnt boring to me, but what is lame is that there are so many teams in the world and so many leagues its just so hard to keep the hell up with it. and i have a job and stuff.
Just watch Champions League, you get to watch the best clubs and players. And DC United, so you don't become a Euro-snob :-)
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dc united is pretty bad this year, and they didnt make the playoffs last year but going to games is pretty fun. i'd rather do that than go to a nats game any day. the main issues with mls for me are 1) they play in ridiculous heat and 2) they play on saturday night. which is ok if you are going but hurts for watching on tv
the matches havent been that good so far but no one's making you guys watch. its still early too
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So far this WC is underwhelming....
I'm thinking of buying a vuvuzela and blowing it outside the South African embassy...see how they like it
On pace for lowest scoring WC ever...by far..
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So far this WC is underwhelming....
vuvuzela
do you think there is a link between the two? players have been complaining about the inability to hear each other (and the ref's whistles) on the field because of the damn noise-makers. i first i thought the vuvuzelas here fun and added a fun local flavor to the WC, now they just annoy me. they certainly aren't contributing to a better game on the field.
possibly related: what are your thoughts on the ball? damn thing seems to have wings. crosses are consistently too long and shots for more than 15 yards out end up in the upper deck seats behind the goal. it was supposedly designed to increase the scoring but other than being too slippery for some goalies to hold on to (*ahem*green*ahem*) it appears to be detrimental the game. players have only been able to practice with the ball for 3 or 4 weeks, which i wouldn't think is enough time to really get a feel for it - and practice long shots in game situations.
i agree, there hasn't been a game i've really been able to sink my teeth in to other than US/ENG, but that was because of its personal significance as opposed to than actual game itself. and yes, mr. ford, this despite all the exciting shots not on goal...
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the ball maybe, but the horns i dont think make the play worse. i hate them too, though
just think we've only seen the teams once or not at all yet. too early to pass total judgement
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Something is wrong.. this is what I wrote on my FB note yesterday... The two games today only serve to raise further misgivings..
----------------------------------------------
I owe my loyal readers the truth: not good so far.
Teams more afraid to lose than eager to win, vuvuzelas taking crowd participation out of the game, few moments of magic, too many key players coming in banged up or simply unable to play at all, players almost to a man who can't- so far- bomb the goal from outside the box and get even close (balls sailing by miles from the goal!), etc. Pretty much every game ends 1-0 or 1-1. Goals often scored due to goalkeeper miscues... Clearly superior teams unable to make that difference count.
Except for Argentina which had the most chances of any team and Germany, which was by far the most ruthless turning chance after chance into goal, few teams have really actually tried to win a game! This is a World Cup so far on pace to end with the lowest goals per game of any (and that will say something to those that remember 1990). So far in this World Cup average goals per game is about 1.5 which is far lower than any other WC (1990 2.2). THe difference with 1990 is that unlike that Cup teams are not using fouls to prevent scoring but aren't fully committing to attack or are simply unable to score even with possession of the ball. Worse yet, in my experience it is in the early part of the WC that you tend to see more goals! Its still early but anecdotal evidence would support the conclusion that the ball- at least in South Africa- is not working that well perhaps due to the altitude: there are hardly any shots on goal that are close even though these are some of the best in the world. Basically we are seeing games without more than 3 or 4 real scoring chances at all lets not mention goals. Many of the goals we are seeing are in fact from goalkeepers misplaying or misjudging the ball. When you take these out of the equation how many goals are there? Its not all about the goals but nobody who watches soccer regularly would argue that the level of play at this World Cup is anywhere near that of say Champions League soccer... Usually its the group round that sees the more open flowing soccer and scoring as the heavyweights pounce on the minnows. Perhaps things will change tomorrow...lets hope so...or rules changes will be necessary (something I've been advocating taking a look at for a while...). The fear of giving up just ONE goal and having no chance to get it back is leading countries to take every possible measure not to give up that goal leading to a stunted game. It will be interesting to observe what Brazil and Spain, the two favorites, are able to muster.
What we are seeing is teams are so afraid to concede that first goal that they are hardly going on the attack at all. Cameroon earlier today started without its talented #10 in the lineup. If only he had started and partnered up with Eto'o it might have been an entirely different story but Cameroon only really went for it the last 10 minutes against a very inferior opponent (known to be inferior coming in having lost its last four friendlies!) and this is typical of this World Cup.
Ultimately one may support country X or Y but any fan of the game wants to see a great and exciting World Cup and as Argentine sports writer Horacio Pagani noted today in a Clarin video note "This World Cup, so far, is in debt with people."
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You have loyal readers?
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hutch are you fb friends with smackie
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zd_khk6zXo&feature=player_embedded
cool.
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Vamos Chile!
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It will be interesting to observe what Brazil and Spain, the two favorites, are able to muster.
Spain looked impressive!!!!
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hutch are you fb friends with smackie
Nope.
2006 WC avg goals per first 16 games: 2.5625
2010 per first 16 games: 1.5625
This is dramatic.
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It will be interesting to observe what Brazil and Spain, the two favorites, are able to muster.
Spain looked impressive!!!!
srsly?
on the off chance that wasn't facetious: yeah, their passing game is top-notch but passes don't score goals. they showed how easily they are handcuffed by a solid defense paired with that damn ball-with-wings. keep them away from the goal and they'll pass themselves into oblivion.
the real disaster for spain is that this game happened so early. now chile and honduras know what to do.
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You're so American.
It's not about the goals scored, it's about the excitement generated.
hutch are you fb friends with smackie
Nope.
2006 WC avg goals per first 16 games: 2.5625
2010 per first 16 games: 1.5625
This is dramatic.
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But the passing game is just as exciting as goalscoring, right?
It will be interesting to observe what Brazil and Spain, the two favorites, are able to muster.
Spain looked impressive!!!!
srsly?
on the off chance that wasn't facetious: yeah, their passing game is top-notch but passes don't score goals. they showed how easily they are handcuffed by a solid defense paired with that damn ball-with-wings. keep them away from the goal and they'll pass themselves into oblivion.
the real disaster for spain is that this game happened so early. now chile and honduras know what to do.
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are you getting forced into watching sports in the middle of a work day again
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look at that, 11 goals in the last 3 games! maybe match 2 for each team will be much more high scoring!
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This happens every friggin tournament..
the grass is no good, the ball sucks, it's too loud, I can't communicate, there's not enough people in the stands, I can't score ... whine whine whine whine...
shut up and play football.
crossing fingers for tomorrow!
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You're so American.
[/quote]
You're not?
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You're not?
nope, i'm one of them foreigners who are here to steal your jobs and your women (successful on both counts, fyi).
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You're not?
nope, i'm one of them foreigners who are here to steal your jobs and your women (successful on both counts, fyi).
me too! ;) ;D
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You're not?
nope, i'm one of them foreigners who are here to steal your jobs and your women (successful on both counts, fyi).
I'm American, but my parents are both Salvadoreans.
I do work in insurance, and white women are attracted to me and my tan. So... I do this too.
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2 . . . 0. :'(
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2 . . . 0. :'(
:-\
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2-1 ....golazo by Donovan
2-2 that's what i call "garra"
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Gah, England MUST lose! Algeria next?! Bring iitt!
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what a terrible call by the ref......jesus christ.
that being said, i think the US are in if england beats solvenia and the US beats Algeria...regardless of the England / Algeria outcome.
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amazing comeback!!!!!!!!! I love it ;D
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Did Borat score any goals for that slovenly country that were playing?
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NUKE MALI! friggin disgrace.
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woohoo!!! england tied, great news for the US. A win over Algeria and the US is in. A draw and an a Slovenia win and the US is in. A draw and an England/Slovenia 0-0 or 1-1 draw and the US is in.
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Alright, most of my reports have been on facebook, but here's a 9:30 exclusive, just so my mom doesn't hear it....
Nearly got in my first fight tonight....with an England fan (not surprising).
After the US draw (which is a great result BTW), a group of English fans walked by us, to which I nodded. One guy's response was "Don't fucking nod at me." Fine, but in my head I was thinking a US draw is great for a country that can't find a single person among 40 million that can catch the ball.
But then he chanted "Where are your Towers?"
Kudos to the English hooligans for knowing the tipping point of every country in the world, and of course this sent a pack of Americans in his directions. I called out to him "right next to your Tube and goal scoring ability" but alas cooler heads prevailed, thanks mostly to the lads he was with.
After the 0-0 draw with Algeria, I saw the first guy in the pack who was carrying the St. George's Cross flag. He came up to me to apologize for the earlier incident. I asked him where his boy was. "Oh, he was arrested about 5 minutes before kickoff for starting a fight in the bar..."
"Yeah, no shit."
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I wish I had printouts of this to handout tonight:
(http://theoriginalwinger.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/sunworldcupcover.jpg)
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(http://www.shaz-bot.com/images/wank.jpg)
saw this on facebook....its in edinburgh, heh. made me chuckle.
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Man what days! A lot of action..
England is in trouble I think...They really looked like crap...
I don't know why every World Cup I buy the England hype... ..
Very ticked off about the US getting robbed...it seems to happen almost every game! The US players and mainly the US SOccer Federation need to take a stand...won't change anything now but perhpas going forward could help
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Vansmack glad you're staying out of trouble! :)
Sounds like a blast!
Argentina is looking at resting a lot of players for its game against Greece.. a lot of key players picked up yellows which won't get cleaned til after quarters if one makes it that far....then there's some injury concerns..
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(http://i.imgur.com/Ipzxf.jpg)
"guess that explains everything"
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i don't think it would be fun to be a ref. the most hated participant on the field by all fans no matter what the reason. the most scorned when any type of mistake is made. a player could take another player to the ground with such force, where it was clearly done on purpose and that the ankle literally bends the other way so that player is done for a very long time . . . but if the ref misses it and yes it is proved on television replay that it was forced, the ref would be the one to hunt down and kill, not the player at fault.
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i don't think it would be fun to be a ref. the most hated participant on the field by all fans no matter what the reason. the most scorned when any type of mistake is made. a player could take another player to the ground with such force, where it was clearly done on purpose and that the ankle literally bends the other way so that player is done for a very long time . . . but if the ref misses it and yes it is proved on television replay that it was forced, the ref would be the one to hunt down and kill, not the player at fault.
Lets not make excuses...this COULIBALY cockroach stole the win from the US.. and then didn't even have the decency to say what he called..
THe weirdest thing is he was born on the 4th of July!
There are good refs that will make mistakes but there is the ocassional ref that makes a decision to influence the outcome of the game.. they are two different breeds...
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Guess ESPN will be adding that seven second delay to their broadcast ;D
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But then he chanted "Where are your Towers?"
Kudos to the English hooligans for knowing the tipping point of every country in the world, and of course this sent a pack of Americans in his directions. I called out to him "right next to your Tube and goal scoring ability"
I'm so disappointed. THAT'S the best you could come up with?
?Our Libertines (and their solo projects) have held up better than your Strokes (and their solo projects.)?
?The Gordon Brown Revolution....that lasted a tidy ten minutes, didn?t it??
?We figured out the Gallagher brothers had run out of ideas/ways to rewrite 'Dear Prudence' and 'All the Young Dudes' FIFTEEN years ago.?
?I don?t care how hard he tries. Robbie Williams is never going to be a star over here.?
?We?ve got your Morrissey. Who do you want in return??
?Dane Cook on his absolute worst day is a MILLION times funnier than Russell Brand on his best.?
?Our Kerry Katona did a lot of coke and stayed rail thin. Your Paris Hilton did a lot of coke and got horribly fat.?
"Gerrard's goal in the first four minutes was a great debut. The stuff you did in the next twenty minutes was good to ok. And then everything after that has been cliched and terrible. Is that in the English DNA?"
Perhaps some of those are a bit wordy.
Brian
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BTW - with Essien out, I'm pretty certain now that not a single African team will make it out of the first round. I suppose Cote d'Ivoire has a chance if Portugal continues to struggle, but I think it's a distinct possibility.
I'm not saying, I'm just reminding folks that well before the tournament started I said this.
It really comes down to Ghana getting a result against a must-win German squad and I just don't see that happening.
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I wish I had printouts of this to handout tonight:
(http://theoriginalwinger.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/sunworldcupcover.jpg)
Another example of how S.I. doesn't have the print media curse market cornered!
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i watched a good bit of the brazil / ivory coast game . . . mainly thinking, "the ivory coast has a team?" good game though. i love it when players fake injuries and such, wriggling around on the ground and such, just to eat up the clock at the end.
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Ivory Coast has to be the sorriest team I've seen in this entire tournament. Those last 10 minutes were so pathetic, they dove at everything. Fifa should punish that referee for giving Kaka the red card. That one guy on the Ivory Coast who got 2 yellow for stomping 2 players shins, because it DEFINETELY did not look like he was making a play for the ball. Ivory Coast deserved to get stomped, Brazil made those goals look insanely easy. I wasn't rooting for Brazil once during the game until the end.
and, USA! USA! USA!
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south american nations (Arg, Bra, Uru, Para, Chile) - correct me if I'm wrong- have a record of
8 wins and 2 ties in 10 matches so far and have only conceded 4 goals.
All five should go through...
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almost as bad as the officiating at USA-SVN and BRA-CIV: the quality of announcing. some of their anecdotes and attempts at cutesy humor are down-right painful. personally, i prefer to keep my sports and my dad humor separate. "a goal by shambalala - now there's a name just waiting to have a song written for it!". ugh.
on the upside, they dropped the "ONE GAME CHANGES EVERYTHING" tag-line after the second day of the tournament. gawd that was annoying, and you could hear that the european announcers weren't nuts about having to say it every 5 minutes.
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south american nations (Arg, Bra, Uru, Para, Chile) - correct me if I'm wrong- have a record of
8 wins and 2 ties in 10 matches so far and have only conceded 4 goals.
All five should go through...
very impressive. gutted for the african nations though
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South Africa!! wahooo!!
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Apparently, Messi and Tevez want Oasis to come back together...
http://www.thespoiler.co.uk/index.php/2010/06/22/lionel-messi-and-carlos-tevez-vow-to-reform-oasis
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Dissapointed in Argentina today... Veron is a disaster.. a one man wrecking crew...
NO ideas.. little use of the wings which was the way to play this one.. Clemente Rodriguez my favorite player today and he surely wont start against Mexico
Messi needs to start putting the ball in the back of the net or Argentina is going nowhere.. Call an exorcist urgently!
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not looking good for the US right now. england up 1-0 - US missing too many opportunities (even though one goal was discounted that should have been a goal)
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x.x Im not even watching the game and Im stressing out, those limey pricks are up 1-0! We need another 3, errr, 2 goal half!! USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
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WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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AMAZING
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Im about to cry at work LEZGO USA!!!
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fucking brilliant ending...amazing.
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unreal
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whoa! really got into the USA game and yelled the goal so loud my 7 month old baby freaked!
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yeah, it was a pretty emotional one ;D
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USA won hearts and almost broke the internet:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/06/23/world.cup.traffic.record.mashable/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn
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The television ratings have been through the roof too, even with the early morning West Coast starts. This is great for US soccer.
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This gave me shivers and nearly brought tears to my eyes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbn3rOPmR9w
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This gave me shivers and nearly brought tears to my eyes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbn3rOPmR9w
Cool, but the calling it 'The World's reaction' really waters it down. Various bars in the US and Lyon, France hardly equate to the world and just feeds into the stereotype of America being self centered.
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calling it america's reaction isnt proper either
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I mean, they aren't trying to literally mean "the world". It just seemed like the most appropriate title for the video since it wasn't just American bars featured.
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want emotion with your goals? then listen to the spanish commentary (http://www.fanaticos.com/2010/06/23/asi-narro-andres-cantor-el-gol-de-landon-donovan/).
(http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2008/05/14/alg_andrescantor.jpg)
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I cried when they scored and so did a lot of the English I was with, of course they were crying because it meant they had Ze Germans in the next round...
We were outnumbered probably 20-1 in the bar, but the English game had long since wrapped up by the time landycakes slid it through. All eyes were on our match, which had mostly gone ignored at that point. I wish I had a camera on us and our celebration with all the long English faces. would have been priceless, though we did get a lot of free pints after that.
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I cried when they scored and so did a lot of the English I was with, of course they were crying because it meant they had Ze Germans in the next round...
classic and so true
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As much as I enjoy watching England get their asses kicked at their own game, they got totally and completely screwed on that goal. FIFA is like college football, they would rather have controversy drive ratings than honest calls on the pitch.
Of course they folded in predictable fashion after that, but 2-2 is a completely different game.
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2-2 would have been ridiculously against the run of play though. ze germans were shreading the english all over the pitch
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In a one goal game with 25 minutes to play to bring everybody forward like that was one of the most shocking things I've seen in the tournament. Germany had already shown they're much faster than England and can counter - to put that much faith in free kick was wrong sided and stupid.
Germany out played, out coached and out classed the English, and while I wish FIFA would do something about touchline reviews, to blame that on the outcome of the game is simply making excuses for that fact that one country refuses to realize that they just aren't in the same class as the rest of the world class nations.
Oh, and Germany is going to be REALLY good in 2014. England will be lucky to qualify.
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Dissapointed in Argentina today... Veron is a disaster.. a one man wrecking crew...
NO ideas.. little use of the wings which was the way to play this one.. Clemente Rodriguez my favorite player today and he surely wont start against Mexico
Messi needs to start putting the ball in the back of the net or Argentina is going nowhere.. Call an exorcist urgently!
You've got to be feeling pretty good these days. As much as I loathe Maradona, he has, by far, put together the most entertaining squad to watch in this world cup. Germany v Argentina - what am I going to do now?!??!?
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i gotta apologize for my earlier comments regarding maradona making the team hard to root for. dude is so awesome
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England will be lucky to qualify.
major mistake to leave out ashley young, gabs, dawson, walcott, ect.
not only were the english old and slow, they didnt get their young players any experience
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i gotta apologize for my earlier comments regarding maradona making the team hard to root for. dude is so awesome
Except when he dry humps every player he takes out. I could do without that.
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England will be lucky to qualify.
major mistake to leave out ashley young, gabs, dawson, walcott, ect.
not only were the english old and slow, they didnt get their young players any experience
Great point. Don't forget Adam Johnson as well....
How much are the young Germans enjoying playing their style without Ballack out there being a d!ck to everybody? Secretly, I bet one Boateng ordered the hit from the other on behlaf of the future of German soccer.
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adam johnson for sure
ballack is exactly the kind of player the english seemed to favor. old, slow and full of himself. i guess thats what the english should have expected with an italian picking the side, though. and seriously how in the hell do i see carragher in the 2010 world cup? once he came on i knew they were in trouble
i gotta apologize for my earlier comments regarding maradona making the team hard to root for. dude is so awesome
Except when he dry humps every player he takes out. I could do without that.
maybe capello needed to show some more manlove out there
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i gotta apologize for my earlier comments regarding maradona making the team hard to root for. dude is so awesome
Except when he dry humps every player he takes out. I could do without that.
vansmack, please - walkonby is just starting to show interest in soccer. gotta pander to all the demographics.
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anyone happen to know a spot where brazilians gather to watch the WC? maybe in NE?
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anyone happen to know a spot where brazilians gather to watch the WC? maybe in NE?
This was almost a decade ago, but I watched a Brazil game in Columbia Heights back in 2002 and it was a lot of fun. There is no way I'm going to remember the name of it though...
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Dissapointed in Argentina today... Veron is a disaster.. a one man wrecking crew...
NO ideas.. little use of the wings which was the way to play this one.. Clemente Rodriguez my favorite player today and he surely wont start against Mexico
Messi needs to start putting the ball in the back of the net or Argentina is going nowhere.. Call an exorcist urgently!
You've got to be feeling pretty good these days. As much as I loathe Maradona, he has, by far, put together the most entertaining squad to watch in this world cup. Germany v Argentina - what am I going to do now?!??!?
afraid not..
you can't beat germany without a midfield and that is the way argentina is playing....or a midfield of 1 i should say (mascherano)...unless maradona makes some changes we're outta there saturday...
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afraid not..
you can't beat germany without a midfield and that is the way argentina is playing....or a midfield of 1 i should say (mascherano)...unless maradona makes some changes we're outta there saturday...
Sure, but it's going to 4-3 and entertaining as hell to watch for the folks without a dog in that fight.....
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Suarez.
Cheat or Ultimate Team Player?
Discuss.
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depends if you're asking uruguayan.
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"The player instinctively stopped the ball and was given a red card accordingly. He was thrown out and can't play the next match. What else do you want me to do with Suarez? What else do you want the referee to do with Suarez? These are the circumstances of the game, simply that. Is Suarez also to blame for Ghana missing that penalty in that shootout?".
Uruguay's Coach Milton Tavarez
anyways, FIFA could suspend Suárez for two or more games,,,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jul/03/fifa-may-extend-luis-suarez-ban
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depends if you're asking uruguayan.
from lagas' article: "Suárez is being hailed as a hero in his home country but the incident has provoked condemnation in other parts of the world."
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The Germans are just plain bad ass.
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surgical.
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selfless. The entire German squad. I still hate them, but that was something to watch. I predicted they'd score four, but I certainly didn't see them shutting out the Argies.
And Suarez should not see another World Cup game this tournament - I'd give him at least two games. That being said, he's got a future in Uruguayan politics. Incredible play, even if completely contrary to the spirit of the game.
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This German team reminds you that Germany is the country of Beethoven and Kraftwerk . . .represents their best light. There are still villains, but also positive characters. Mueller has been the revelation of the tournament, has he not?
I saw Suarez' hand ball as good tactics, although I don't think it was a premeditated decision . . .just a desperate reaction. He did the crime and he and Uraguay did/will do the time . . .and they survive and advance. Essentially Ghana was at the cusp and Suarez posed the question 'Are you Ready?' and Ghana looked within itself, saw the Void, and responded 'We are not Ready.' Then like a Zenmaster, Uruguay elegantly closed the show and sent Ghana back out to keep chopping wood.
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selfless.
very good point. let's not forget the second half of that equation: disciplined. it's great that they're willing to pass (instead of being greedy), but ya gotta have someone to pass to. that was a problem for the US: someone would make a great run, be within easy striking distance, and he'd be up there alone with no one incoming. zee deutsch always have someone (typically klose) sweeping in a few steps behind the play.
germany over holland, 3-1.
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germany over holland, 3-1.
Spain over Holland 2-1
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germany over holland, 3-1.
Spain over Holland 2-1
Holland over Germany, 2-1.
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disciplined. it's great that they're willing to pass (instead of being greedy), but ya gotta have someone to pass to. that was a problem for the US: someone would make a great run, be within easy striking distance, and he'd be up there alone with no one incoming.
That's not discipline, that's talent. The US needs a clear #9, and they don't have it. Well, they do, but he couldn't even crack an Italian squad that couldn't get out of the first round. I like Charlie Davies, but he's no Gessepie Rossi. The US will not have a European manager until they have a decent #9. And that's a shame.
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Uruguay over Germany 1-0
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depends if you're asking uruguayan.
from lagas' article: "Suárez is being hailed as a hero in his home country but the incident has provoked condemnation in other parts of the world."
I briefly spoke with my dad about this and when he won they didn't have cards but he felt he was properly punished. It wasn't a "cheat" like Maradona or Theiry.
I thought it was funny how some think if the final is Germany/Holland it will be revenge for 1974. Chris Connelly thinks the 1974 team was the most "critically acclaimed" sports team of all-time. So what would the equivalent be? U2 vs The Smiths? U2 vs Big Star?
Ummm....Germany def. Spain on Wednesday.....2-2 (PK-4-3)
And I have to go with Uruguay tomorrow for the simple fact that it's AMAZING the Jeremy Roenick can be SO awesome at TWO sports.
Brian
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I thought it was funny how some think if the final is Germany/Holland it will be revenge for 1974.
That's weird. I think it will be revenge for May 10, 1940.
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depends if you're asking uruguayan.
from lagas' article: "Suárez is being hailed as a hero in his home country but the incident has provoked condemnation in other parts of the world."
I briefly spoke with my dad about this and when he won they didn't have cards but he felt he was properly punished. It wasn't a "cheat" like Maradona or Theiry.
I thought it was funny how some think if the final is Germany/Holland it will be revenge for 1974. Chris Connelly thinks the 1974 team was the most "critically acclaimed" sports team of all-time. So what would the equivalent be? U2 vs The Smiths? U2 vs Big Star?
Ummm....Germany def. Spain on Wednesday.....2-2 (PK-4-3)
And I have to go with Uruguay tomorrow for the simple fact that it's AMAZING the Jeremy Roenick can be SO awesome at TWO sports.
Brian
who is your dad? someone i should know?
who is Chris Connelly? someone i should know?
germany destroys spain on wednesday... like they have everyone else recently. i'll be generous and say 4-2. los espanoles could only muster 1 goal against paraguay - their defense was solid, but you'll need better offense to keep up with zie deutsch.
That's weird. I think it will be revenge for May 10, 1940.
smackie, i love you. again.
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Spain has a defense and goaltender to compete with germany unlike england and argentina. Obviously torres should sit and spain needs someone other than david villa to finish. But that hasn't happenened yet and there's no reason to think it will happen tomorrow. Mueller has been a tremendous catalyst so maybe his absence drops the attack from audi to volkswagon.
Too bad uruguay not at full strength
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on the flip side, spain could only muster one goal against paraguay... the paraguayan defense was solid, but so is the german's. spain is going to have to score a lot of goals to keep up with the germans, something they haven't been doing this tournament.
and in other news:
argentinians have at least one reason why they should be grateful that their team didn't go all the way - because maradona would have (http://www.thestar.com/sports/soccer/article/814664--maradona-will-run-naked-if-argentina-wins-world-cup)
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Spain has not faced any team with the pace or finishing quality of Ze Germans. Of course, Ze Germans can't keep finishing at this pace, can they? They've been perfect throughout, and, well, that's just not right.
Oh, and any chance the Uruguayan's had went out the door when the Dutch trotted out in the All Oranje.
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JABULANI!!!!
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Roger Bennett: (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/blog?entryID=5334407&name=offtheball&cc=5901&ver=us) "I always said that a young, inexperienced squad could go deep into this tournament if it remained disciplined and egoless. In my dreams, I hoped it would be the U.S. I had no idea it would be Germany."
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So, has anyone seen games at the Biergarten Haus while it's super hot out? A friend is thinking of this place tomorrow for Spain v. Germany, but I'm worried it's going to be an oven... It's not comfortable even when it's nice out, but if you're drinking lots of beer, no biggie. Tomorrow I will be very excited about the game, but quite moderate with the beer...
We've been to BlackFinn for the USA games and it was a blast, but I can't show up 2 hours early for a table tomorrow.
Thoughts from the peanut gallery??
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i'll be downtown tomorrow, and have told my workmates i'll be unavailable between 2:00 and 4:30'ish. i'm thinking of hitting up Lucky Bar for old time's sake - has anyone been recently? has it been packed stupid? should that be the case, i'll find somewhere else nearby. public bar was a decent option for USA-ENG, although it was 105 degrees in that place.
bags: haven't been to biergarten haus, so no info for ya.
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I think I want to stick with BlackFinn. As it's a weekday, I think the crowds will be manageable compared to the US weekend games.
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What a tease Joachim Löw.
Why do you bring the old Germany back now? These kids were fun to watch...
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Fantastic performance by spain. Mueller's absence was felt.
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Wtf happened with germany's offense? they got NOTHING going all game long. Spain has has owned the ball until now... I didn't expect it to continue today. my bad.
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surgical.
The patient died on the table.
Brian
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Ze Germans clearly came out with defense in mind and hoped to score on the counter. That's not at all how they played this entire tournament. There will be questions to answer after this...but they still have to be very happy with how far they got and look like Euro 2012 favorites right now.
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Actually when I predicted Uruguay vs Germany 1-0, it was for the 3rd place match... ;D
now, for the title... Spain over Holland 2-1
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Was the only one here who bet for Spain, you guys allowed a 4-1 and a 4-0 to impress you way too much. those scores were misleading. Argentina does not exist with Maradona as a coach, and England is awful as a national team, not when the players are playing for their clubs.
Barcelona is one step away of winning the World Cup! the philosphy of Johan Cruyff (Guardiola, Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi obviously)
Happy for Spain, this is huge for the country.
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you guys allowed a 4-1 and a 4-0 to impress you way too much. those scores were misleading.
I thought the opposite. I was more underwhelmed by Spain's 0-1 loss to Switzerland, 2-0 defeat of Honduras, 2-1 defeat of Chile then back to back one goal game's against Portugal and Paraguay then I was impressed by Germany's victories.
Either way, congratulations on "Barcelona's" victory, and nice shout out to Johan Cruyff, whose head must be about to explode with this final.
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How was germany's strategy today any different than it was against england and argentina? germany has been emphasizing capitalizing on counterattacks all tournament (see e.g. goal 3 vs england, which was brilliant). germany played with the same set-up as those games and did have plenty of opportunities (but no mueller to finish or make perfect passes). spain played their game and made plays. i don't blame german coaching at all.
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How was germany's strategy today any different than it was against england and argentina?
I thought maybe I was being too harsh on Low after seeing the adoration of the Spanish gameplan, so I watched it again last night. Sitting back against that midfield is basically announcing that we're allowing you to hold the ball for 90 minutes if you wish, because Spain can do that. And they did.
But to your point though, even on the counter, which was Germany's strength after the group stage, you rarely saw Lahm going forward, and Boateng, who was taken out oddly at the 52nd minute, was a disaster going forward, basically running right into Ramos everytime. Watching the counters, it was pretty much up to Ozil and Klose because even Schweinstager and Khedira were sitting back. 2, and on the rare occassion 3 going forward, but you rarely saw the 4 and 5 man attacks that led to the goals against England and Argentina.
Sure, Spain were fantastic (if not down right boring to most) with their tiki-taka style of game, but let's not forget: the lone goal was scored on an set-piece, not some dazzling display of touch pass football. God I hope the Dutch don't sit back and let this happen to them.
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It will be interesting, for sure. If netherlands aka holland aka the dutch open up spain will create beautiful opportunities. Can they finish? Iniesta and xavi are finally on point, but they're more facilitators. Pedro is a huge upgrade for torres, but also a facilitator. Xabi camr real clos to being a hero yesterday and is a good suspect to join villa on score sheet. Holland aka netherlands aka dutch are super solid and I'm not betting against sneijder anytime soon, but I think spain will make them also appear strangely impotent.
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in case you needed another reason to cheer for holland (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/07/bobbi-eden-netherlands-po_n_637329.html)
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in case you needed another reason to cheer for holland (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/07/bobbi-eden-netherlands-po_n_637329.html)
10,000,000 guys just signed up for her twitter ;D
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Klinsmann said it after the Germany-Spain game: Germany just respected Spain too much..They didn't take it to Spain...
Honestly, Germany just seemed so much more pumped up for the England and Argentina games... Klinsmann said that he thought the defeat against Spain in 2008 still weighed against them..
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Pulpo Paul was right again...
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Totaalvoetbal def. Tika Taka. 2-2 (4-3 PK) (What I thought Deutschland would defeat Espana by.)
And somewhere, a proud Johan Cruyff buys Tom Brady and Jim Kelly a beer.
Brian
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Total Football? That's like calling Pat Riley's Knicks 'Showtime'.* Glad Iniesta finally pulled the trigger and the better team won before penalty kicks.
*And if Spain could have had a possession without getting fouled perhaps they could have demonstrated to the Dutch what Total Football looks like
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Fuck off.
You're boring, you dive, you scored the lowest goal total to win a cup by a long shot (8 goals! despite 32 teams) and half your own country hates you. I'll remind you why....
(http://www.theolivepress.es/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/franco_a_hitler.jpg)
Congrats. See you in Kiev.
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Pretty unfair. Spain plays an elegant style which embodies the Dutch tradition passed onto Barcelona and now, finally, the national team whose DNA was rooted in Barca (who are rooted in Total Football).
The team started to click in the knockout rounds but ran into bad style matchups other than the German game, which was awesome. The Netherlands chose to play a negative game and foul essentially every play. Spain could never find a rhythm b/c of the ugly play of their opponent. The 'dives' were responses to intended fouls . . .a negative response to a negative intention (the few times Netherlands didn't actually foul) to keep the ref on notice. Paraguay played a negative game. Spain's best performance was against Germany, a high powered team rendered helpless (but which still could easily have won and probably would have with Mueller) for the most part.
Spain came into the tournament with 3 goalscorers - Villa, Torres and David Silva. Torres and Silva were worse than useless. Villa was great. Despite being handicapped, Spain managed to score each game and lock down their opponents. Casillas was brilliant.
In the past two years if Barca only had Villa instead of Messi in combination with Etoo then Ibrihimovic as well as Henry would they be boring? No. Would they score less. Of course.
The nations of Franco and Hitler play beautiful soccer/football today . . .a testament to progress (and the reemergence of national characters which had been hijacked to emphasize their worst possible sides). Interestingly it was the Netherlands team that played a game reminiscent of Fascism.
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Congrats to Barcelona, I bet he has the greatest hangover ever...it wasn't a good game, but throughout the tournament they were the most consistent team, even with the low scoring...i wonder how does it feel to be a world champion, unfortunatelly, it's likely I'll never know (though Chile was the last team to score a goal against Spain, a golazo by el chino millar)...
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before the final i was didnt know who i was going to root for. i dont really care for or against either side all that much, but as a fan of entertaining soccer i figured a dutch victory would be more exciting than a 1 nil spanish passfest. that lasted for about 10 minutes. for fans of positive soccer, spain were the only side to root for and the dutch were embarrassing
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What was the deal with that one corner kick where the Dutch didn't even play offense and the Dutch guy just gently passed it to the Spanish goalie?
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What was the deal with that one corner kick where the Dutch didn't even play offense and the Dutch guy just gently passed it to the Spanish goalie?
That was sportmanship. The ball that went out of bounds was a result of the Dutch giving the ball back to the spanish (who had possession before an inury whistle), but the kick was so far down the pitch that it bounced too high and the goalie had to touch it for fear that it would go in the net. The Dutch were simply making making amends and also making sure he caught it this time.
Begs the question though: Had it gone it, would the dutch have ceded a goal to the Spanish? Would have been awesome to find out.
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Pretty unfair. Spain plays an elegant style which embodies the Dutch tradition passed onto Barcelona and now, finally, the national team whose DNA was rooted in Barca (who are rooted in Total Football).
What games have you been watching? That was not elegant in the slightest. All 7 of Spain's matches in this World Cup have been some of the most boring affairs not being played by a team throwing matches (yes, I'm talking about you, Nigeria).
Before I begin, yes Spain deserved to win yesterday. Fine. But let's really look at this:
There's a free kick to the Spanish in a dangerous position. Here's a quick quiz:
Q1: Do Spain
(a) cross the ball into the box
(b) pass the ball to someone near the box
(c) attempt a complicated series of quick passes, the last of which disappears up a Spanish fundament?
ANSWER: You know the answer.
That's not elegant. Not trying to score is simply not elegant. Possession is fine, but not attacking when you have the chance is simply not elegant.
Here's what I will remember from yesterday:
Howard Webb issued twice as many yellow cards as he should have and twice as few red cards as he should have. By issuing so many yellows, the entire second half was dedicated to both teams, but mostly the Spainsh, trying to get someone sent off. ZZzzzz.
Heitinga was the LAST Dutch player who should have been sent off. Both of his yellows were soft, where as de Jong and Robben were both lucky to be out there and van Bommell obviously sold his sold to the devil all tournament.
de Jong should have been sent off in the 28th minute. That kick was worse that Zidane's headbutt. At the time I thought "Good for Webb for not ruining the rest fo the game" but in hindsight, if had made the proper call, I wouldn't have sat through that drivel.
As much as I disapproved of Webb's performance, Robben cost the Dutch more than anybody. Kuyt I expect to miss that goal, but not Robben. He deserved to be sent off for his second "dissent" and, for some strange reason didn't fall over on the break when Puyols clipped him, which would have earned him a penalty. I guarantee you Villa, Iniesta, Torres...all would have fallen over. Lot's of questions should be asked of Robben on Monday morning.
The Dutch made the same mistake with Sneidjer as the Germans did with Schweinstager. He was rarely seen in the final, and the one time he did go forward, Robben failed to finish. Too much respect for Spain resulted in the opposing teams playmakers being nuetered.
For all of their "elegance," lets talk about Spains last two goals. One on a set piece (Germany) and one on the run of play, against a 10 man squad on a possession they shouldn't even have had because that was a clear corner off the free kick. Just an awful decision by both Howard Webb and the lines man. That free kick clearly hit a Spanish shoulder squarely, wasn't even a glance. What should have been a Dutch corner resulted in a Spanish goal. That's elegance? Sounds pretty damn lucky to me.
That was one of the worst finals I've ever seen and I think the wrong team is taking the blame. Go back and look at all 7 of Spain's games and tell me they didn't play the exact same boring game in all seven of them.
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i can see not being entertained by the short passing game. heck, i agree on that point
but i'll take watching spain over watching the dutch (seriously, the dutch) try and pretend they're mourinho's chelsea with rvp instead of drogba. they saw howard webb and realized they could get away with not playing football. terrible
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i can see not being entertained by the short passing game. heck, i agree on that point
but i'll take watching spain over watching the dutch (seriously, the dutch) try and pretend they're mourinho's chelsea with rvp instead of drogba. they saw howard webb and realized they could get away with not playing football. terrible
Spain are essentially Barcelona without Messi, so we're on the same wave lengths...
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thats funny, the final kind of reminded me of a barca/real match i watched a couple of years back where real's entire approach was "foul messi. hard."
except without goals
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on national television, casillas was put on the spot and embarrassed by his reporter girlfriend after spain's defeat to switzerland.
casillas gets her back: Iker Casillas kisses Sara Carbonero (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul5vuyd0pA4) on live tv after the game... that red on her cheeks wasn't just the spanish flag. (version with captions (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A25UiaD1H-I) and an annoying background song)
teh awwz.
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Elegant may be a weak word . . .how about dynamic. The passing style is dynamic and fun to watch when they get into a rhythm . . .but once the team rounded into form it played Paraguay and the Dutch who each played a style focused on preventing Spain from finding any rhythm. In Netherlands' case at least it was by dubious means. I thought they were great fun to watch against Germany, even if they only found the net once (if Torres were 100% they would surely have scored more goals during the tournament. . .as is finishing was predictably a weakness).
Watching the game yesterday, I kept thinking about the Pat Riley era Knicks that killed the NBA in the mid-90's. Nobody looked good against them and every game they played was brutal to watch. Spain could not get into a rhythm and it was not really because of good defense . . . it was because of consciously dirty play. Each slow motion replay of Spanish 'dives' also showed a Dutch player at least attempting a foul. It was pass, pass foul. Any attempt to create was met with a foul. The ref was in an impossible position since he can't call a foul on every play. I thought the red card was absolutely justified not based on the severity of the particular foul but based on a body of work accumulated over the course of the game and the circumstances of Iniesta appearing to break towards goal. I thought the ref did a good job of being consistent - he didn't call a foul on every play by Netherlands while allowing Spain to make the same types of plays on the other end. . .and seemed to find some kind of balance. The result was an ugly, boring game which Spain adjusted to but certainly is not their preferred style.
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The dutch yesterday were a bunch of thugs... glad they got their comeuppance. De Jong should have been red carded and that would have been 11 against 10 early in the match
I thought Spain was not a beautiful team to watch.. not as effective as they should have been but I can watch Xavi and Iniesta all day even if they don't score. the way they run the offense, work together, etc is plenty fun to watch at least for me..
I also have to add that Forlan had an unbelievable tournament.. just really stepped up. Messi needs to call him up and learn how he took those free kicks. Heck he nearly even got a corner in...
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I haven't been that disappointed in a big sports final since....I'm going to have to go back to the last two Steelers Super Bowls. I felt DIRTY after watching that match.
The third place match (Germany-Uruguay) was a million times better on every level. My dad thought so, too. It was everything the final was not.
Spain-Holland was a three-bagger. A bag for you, a bag for her, and a bag for anyone, God forbid, that's peeking in the window.
Brian
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like the Super Bowl, the WC final is often the one full game that the non-fan will sit through. sunday's final didn't do much to increase casual interest in the sport (with the possible exception of those who think that soccer is too dainty, that flying-cleats-to-the-chest was cooler/more brutal than most body-blows delivered in the NFL).
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Now I almost wish they had won....
Storm over 'bunch of gays' in Germany's World Cup team (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/13/germany-footballers-gay-michael-becker)
Agent of injured captain Michael Ballack alleged to have sneered at 'bunch of gays' in national team
....n an essay entitled New German Men, Aleksander Osang recounts an interview he had with Becker prior to the World Cup in which the agent allegedly told him which of the players in the team were gay. He later said that a former national player was ready to reveal the "bunch of gays" in the German team, according to Osang. Asked about the sexuality of one of the newer players, Becker, who is a lawyer by profession, referred to him as being "half gay".
Osang went on to say that Becker put the new adroit, lighter and elegant style of play that has become a trademark of trainer Joachim Löw's players down to their homosexuality, in contrast to the typically more aggressive and offensive German style of past years, but suggested they played too delicately to assure themselves a place in the final.
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(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QxyVtKc7suA/TBIOfL5aWJI/AAAAAAAADOo/vBS41am6Wyc/s1600/90%2520Soccer%2520Looks%2520Gay.jpg)
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Clearly a foul.
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Agent of injured captain Michael Ballack alleged to have sneered at 'bunch of gays' in national team . . . while dressed like Hitler, but in drag, and being peed on by famous dominatrix 'Ms Helga'. . .probably.
Friggin Germans.