The Official World Cup Thread

[Marco4]

You have to explain Scots in terms of the movie Braveheart. otherwise we Americans won't understand.

 

*Additionally, Scottish men paint their faces blue, wear skirts and roar a lot.

 

From personal experience with Scots, the roaring part actually is true.

 

Ditto.

[soccer10k]

Final Group C Standings

Team                  W    D    L    P   GS   GA   GD
Argentina             2    1    0    7    8    1    7
Netherlands           2    1    0    7    3    1    2
Ivory Coast           1    0    2    0    5    6   -1
Serbia & Montenegro   0    0    3    0    2   10   -8

 

Congrats to Serbia & Montenegro for being the first, and likely only team to give up 10 goals in the group stage of the tournament.

[Marco4]

Saudi Arabia are in with a shout. Depends how Spain take it.

[soccer10k]

Time to post the games for Thursday June 22. We will have the final group stage games for both Groups E and F.

 

Here are the current standings:

 

Group E

Team             W    D    L    P   GS   GA   GD
Italy            1    1    0    4    3    1    2
Czech Republic   1    0    1    3    3    2    1
Ghana            1    0    1    3    2    2    0
United States    0    1    1    1    1    4   -3

 

United States v Ghana 7 AM PT ESPN

Italy v Czech Republic 7 AM PT ESPN 2

 

Nobody in the group has advanced yet. Italy wins the group with a win or a tie and either a USA-Ghana tie or a USA victory. Italy also advances with a loss and a USA-Ghana tie. Czech Republic wins the group with a victory and a Ghana loss or tie or if Ghana doesn't win by as many goals as the Czech Republic. Czech Republic advances with a tie and a Ghana loss or tie. Ghana wins the group with a victory and an Italy tie. Ghana will advance with a victory or a tie and a Czech Repulic loss. USA will advance with a victory and a Czech Republic loss. Obviously there are other scenarios involving goal diffentials but I don't feel like going into those.

 

Group F

Team        W    D    L    P   GS   GA   GD
Brazil      2    0    0    6    3    0    3
Australia   1    0    1    3    3    3    0
Croatia     0    1    1    1    0    1   -1
Japan       0    1    1    1    1    3   -2

 

Brazil v Japan 12 PM PT ESPN

Australia v Croatia 12 PM PT ESPN 2

 

Brazil wins the group with a win or a tie but has already advanced. Australia advances with a victory or a tie and a Japan loss or tie. Croatia advances with a victory and a Japan loss or tie. Japan advances with a victory and an Australia-Japan tie. Again, other scenarios that I don't want to go into.

 

The winner of Group E will play the runner up of Group F (and vice versa) in the Round of 16.

[soccer10k]

Saudi Arabia are in with a shout. Depends how Spain take it.

 

Spain would have to put in four but I agree, it could happen. If it did, and even if it didn't but Spain put in 3 goals, then Spain would become the only team to put in 10 goals in the group stage.

[brinoch]

The referee for tomorrow's game:

 

Germany's Markus Merk, one of the world's top-rated officials, was assigned to referee the game. He worked the 2004 European Championship final, handed out six yellow cards in the World Cup's first-round game between the Netherlands and Serbia-Montenegro, and said he was insulted by Australia's Harry Kewell following the Socceroos 2-0 loss to Brazil on Sunday.

 

I thought Merk did a pretty good job in both games. Certainly nothing horrid like Larrionda. Australia are complaining because he called too many fouls on them -- well, it was clear to me that a part of their game plan was to foul the Brazilians as they came through the midfield to slow the game down and to try and intimidate them. Merk called the game a little tighter in the Brazilian box than the Aussies would have liked, but with all the clutching and grabbing they did, that's not surprising.

 

Having watched the game, I don't see how Australia backs the claim that the Brazilian goals were offsides, either. Furthermore, that's the linesman's call, not the ref's.

 

Group E is coming down to the last day, and after all the media scrutiny on reffing after the USA-Italy match, they want a well run game with no mars. Merk is very well regarded -- he's certainly among the best refs in the world and perhaps is the best in the world. I suspect he's been instructed to ensure that the US and Ghana game is officiated correctly and that absolutely no screw-ups happen.

 

Also, Benito Archundia (Mexico) has been named as the Italy-Czech Republic ref. He officated the France:S. Korea match, as well as the Brazil:Croatia match. The French have no love for Benito after he booked Zidane for a nothing foul and disallowed that goal. Although, let us be fair, that was a tough call -- where was the help from the linesman? On the bright side, he should be well-versed in identifying and calling floppy fouls.

[soccer10k]

Official report is that Owen tore his ACL.

 

Link

[USSoccer]

http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9902/14/lockerbie/great.britain.map.jpg

 

Right.

 

Looking at this, there are four clear areas; England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

 

The United Kingdom is, as the name suggests, the unification of all four of those named areas. It includes the big island and some of the small island and is the name of the team you see in the Olympic games.

 

Great Britain is the name of the big island - the one that contains England, Scotland and Wales.

 

England is the bit below Hadrian's Wall and to the east of Offa's [expletive].

 

Why is this important? If you ever come to the UK, you'll realise that the people of each of the four countries have very different personalities and very different identities - each equally strong. The Scots, for example, have been cheering England's opponents as forcefully as they cheer their own team during the World Cup, as they always do.

 

You have to explain Scots in terms of the movie Braveheart. otherwise we Americans won't understand.

 

Well, well played, my friend!

[da bears]

Well Ghana is already talking about playing Brazil in the next round. I hope the U.S. takes it to them, even if Italy doesn't win and the U.S. can't advance.

[USSoccer]

So I'm really wary of Ghana tomorrow. They have a ton of speed. Crazy fast, plus they have 2 mids (Amoah and Essian) who, if given space, will dominate the US and create all sorts of issues, especially without Mastroeni.

 

For the US to win this game, they are going to need to score early and knock Ghana's confidence back right off the bat. They need to defend the flanks and control the middle of the field. Service from the US flanks (I'm looking at you, Bobby Convey) needs to be much better.

 

I'd almost be tempted to start Beasley tomorrow, given Ghana's speed. EJ definetly needs to start. With no Pope and Mastro, I put Conrad in the back and Johnson up front, with Donovan dropping to attacking mid.

 

Your other option is to 3-5-2 your lineup, with DMB, Dempsey, JOB, Donovan and Reyna in the middle. I don't know if I trust 3 in the back in a must-win game, though.

 

Keys:

 

-Donovan. Needs to score.

 

-Reyna. Needs to be better in the attacking third.

 

-Gooch. We need the Italy Gooch again.

 

-The first 15 minutes. Score. DO NOT LET THEM SCORE.

 

-Limit set pieces in your area.

[soccer10k]

Key to the game: Score more than the other team.

 

I've heard that the team that scores more wins something like 98% of the games played. Not sure on that stat though.

[Jazz]

Alexi Lalas on the Colbert Report

HUH-LARIOUS

[Outshined_One]

Please tell me you guys were watching The Colbert Report tonight.

[Jon]

Haha. Colbert just ripped Ronaldo a new one.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Lalas was just on the Colbert Report while Stephen tried his hand at soccer trash talking.

 

"Hey Ghana! Maybe if you can hold it together we can loan you a couple billion dollars in Gross Domestic Product!"

[Outshined_One]

"The last time Ronaldo scored was when he got a Grand Slam at Denny's!"

[Transmogrified Tiger]

"The last time Ronaldo scored was when he got a Grand Slam at Denny's!"

 

I preferred "Hey Brazil, what happened to all your good players? Oh that's right, Ronaldo ATE them!"

[Jazz]

HEY GHANA-REA, your not GHANA win, (i know i missed some stuff in between but i was laughing to hard to take notice)

 

Stephen Colbert is a true american

[Outshined_One]

And yes, my ex did have a poster of "The Kiss" in her apartment.

 

I enjoyed that joke.

[Jon]

"The last time Ronaldo scored was when he got a Grand Slam at Denny's!"

 

I preferred "Hey Brazil, what happened to all your good players? Oh that's right, Ronaldo ATE them!"

Yeah. Good delivery, too.

 

Conan has had some good World Cup stuff recently. He had Ronald McDonald and Mayor McCheese beating the tar out of Chef Boyardee the night before the Italy match.

[USSoccer]

Lalas on Colbert=Awesome!

 

You're not 'Ghana' win...

[Andy]

SportsPickle.com today: Ghana about to find out that beating US means no more AIDS funding

[sethuel1]

So I'm really wary of Ghana tomorrow. They have a ton of speed. Crazy fast, plus they have 2 mids (Amoah and Essian) who, if given space, will dominate the US and create all sorts of issues, especially without Mastroeni.

 

For the US to win this game, they are going to need to score early and knock Ghana's confidence back right off the bat. They need to defend the flanks and control the middle of the field. Service from the US flanks (I'm looking at you, Bobby Convey) needs to be much better.

 

I'd almost be tempted to start Beasley tomorrow, given Ghana's speed. EJ definetly needs to start. With no Pope and Mastro, I put Conrad in the back and Johnson up front, with Donovan dropping to attacking mid.

 

Your other option is to 3-5-2 your lineup, with DMB, Dempsey, JOB, Donovan and Reyna in the middle. I don't know if I trust 3 in the back in a must-win game, though.

 

Keys:

 

-Donovan. Needs to score.

 

-Reyna. Needs to be better in the attacking third.

 

-Gooch. We need the Italy Gooch again.

 

-The first 15 minutes. Score. DO NOT LET THEM SCORE.

 

-Limit set pieces in your area.

 

I mostly agree with you. A couple things:

 

Amoah is the starting forward that isn't banned. Appiah is the other midfielder you're thinking of. The one that looks like a tank and runs people over. Plays in Turkey. And before that he played for Juve. he's learned well.

 

With Pope and Mastro out, I put Conrad and O'Brien in. Same lineup as before, which is basically a 4-1-4-1 or a 4-5-1 or a 4-2-3-1. I think. I'm not really sure what we've been playing, to be honest. Unless O'Brien isn't fit, in which case I'd put Eddie Lewis into a midfield role. Unless we think Reyna can play Mastro's ballwinning tough guy role, but I don't think he can. Then again, I don't think Lewis can either. And he's be on the same side as Convey, and we all know how that worked last time. basically I hope O'Brien can play. I do know that we need 4 at the back.

 

I hope to god these suspensions don't mean Berhalter sees the field, because that's simply not acceptable.

 

I miss Gibbs.

 

Ghana is overconfident. We have to hit them early, I totally agree with that.

[soccer10k]

Just over 9 hours to go. I already have my jersey on and have caught myself numerous times starting the following chant:

 

USA!! USA!!

 

Well, the chant isn't actually in color. But if I could chant in color it would look like it does above.

[sethuel1]

I am going to be standing in line at Ginger's Ale House when it opens an hour before the start of the game.

 

USA! USA!

 

Clap, clap. Clap, clap, clap. Clap, clap, clap, clap, US!