The Official World Cup Thread

[shnsajax]

US-Italy had nothing on that game. The two countries hate each other to begin with, and the ref had no clue from the begining.

 

That looked more like a Mexican league game with all the pushing and such.

 

BTW, shnsajax, I'm sorry about the Oranje.

 

I like Van Basten a lot, just really clueless as to what is going on. They are going to be very good in Euro's and in South Africa come '08 and '10. They help to ease the US pain.

[sethuel1]

I'd also like to say that Nike's soccer commercials, for the most part, suck. Adidas has them beat pretty easily.

 

Incorrect. Although i will say that the better Nike commercials have only been viewable online, they easily beat the "Jose and his fat friend" Adidas commercials. in fact, solely on the merit of the incredible Thierry Henry boot-off-of-his-own-calf-backwards-goal-on-concrete, Nike beats Adidas.

 

Also, I would like to kick Jose in the face.

Edited June 25, 2006 by sethuel1

[shnsajax]

Marco van Basten must have been saving van Nistelroy for the 3rd Half...that was a crapperrific tactical error.

 

And the FIFA refs are giving the NBA refs a run for their money. A new record for red cards and we're not even thru the round of 16 yet.

 

I hope he was hurt otherwise he has to explain something. Ruud equals at least a tie if not the win. Very depressed now.

 

I didn't get the sense that he was hurt. He was warming up, and looked like he was coming in. I got the sense that van Basten tried to prove some stupid point by not putting Ruud in, and then when the avalanche of cards came out, he wet the bed and put the guy with 33 letters in his name in.

 

Certainly Ruud finishes the clear chances Kuyt had. I don't even know how you don't put him in, even if he is nursing something. You were up a man most of the half, and you controlled posession, so it's not as if he's going to be making 40 yard runs. You put him in to finish in the 18.

 

Thats exactly what I don't understand. If van Bommel got a little desperate when up a man with his selections. Why van Persie struck his shot with the outside of his left instead of the inside I don't get either unless he thought he didn't have time.

 

Also, just to get this off my chest. Figo is a little #$&@!. I hope the hooligans show up on Saturday.

[sethuel1]

Marco van Basten must have been saving van Nistelroy for the 3rd Half...that was a crapperrific tactical error.

 

And the FIFA refs are giving the NBA refs a run for their money. A new record for red cards and we're not even thru the round of 16 yet.

 

I hope he was hurt otherwise he has to explain something. Ruud equals at least a tie if not the win. Very depressed now.

 

I didn't get the sense that he was hurt. He was warming up, and looked like he was coming in. I got the sense that van Basten tried to prove some stupid point by not putting Ruud in, and then when the avalanche of cards came out, he wet the bed and put the guy with 33 letters in his name in.

 

Certainly Ruud finishes the clear chances Kuyt had. I don't even know how you don't put him in, even if he is nursing something. You were up a man most of the half, and you controlled posession, so it's not as if he's going to be making 40 yard runs. You put him in to finish in the 18.

 

Thats exactly what I don't understand. If van Bommel got a little desperate when up a man with his selections. Why van Persie struck his shot with the outside of his left instead of the inside I don't get either unless he thought he didn't have time.

 

Also, just to get this off my chest. Figo is a little #$&@!. I hope the hooligans show up on Saturday.

 

I thought that at first, too, but after seeing the replay from the other angle, he got absolutely hammered by that elbow.

[Jon]

I'd also like to say that Nike's soccer commercials, for the most part, suck. Adidas has them beat pretty easily.

 

Incorrect. Although i will say that the better Nike commercials have only been viewable online, they easily beat the "Jose and his fat friend" Adidas commercials. in fact, solely on the merit of the incredible Thierry Henry boot-off-of-his-own-calf-backwards-goal-on-concrete, Nike beats Adidas.

 

Also, I would like to kick Jose in the face.

That commercial just reeks of Nike trying to sell soccer based on street basketball. It's really forced.

[shnsajax]

Marco van Basten must have been saving van Nistelroy for the 3rd Half...that was a crapperrific tactical error.

 

And the FIFA refs are giving the NBA refs a run for their money. A new record for red cards and we're not even thru the round of 16 yet.

 

I hope he was hurt otherwise he has to explain something. Ruud equals at least a tie if not the win. Very depressed now.

 

I didn't get the sense that he was hurt. He was warming up, and looked like he was coming in. I got the sense that van Basten tried to prove some stupid point by not putting Ruud in, and then when the avalanche of cards came out, he wet the bed and put the guy with 33 letters in his name in.

 

Certainly Ruud finishes the clear chances Kuyt had. I don't even know how you don't put him in, even if he is nursing something. You were up a man most of the half, and you controlled posession, so it's not as if he's going to be making 40 yard runs. You put him in to finish in the 18.

 

Thats exactly what I don't understand. If van Bommel got a little desperate when up a man with his selections. Why van Persie struck his shot with the outside of his left instead of the inside I don't get either unless he thought he didn't have time.

 

Also, just to get this off my chest. Figo is a little #$&@!. I hope the hooligans show up on Saturday.

 

I thought that at first, too, but after seeing the replay from the other angle, he got absolutely hammered by that elbow.

 

I still didn't think so. He was playing positioning, and his arm did get up after he cut him off on route to the ball. Lots of refs won't even call that, Figo knew if he went down and milked it he would draw another card. I can't blame Figo especially being a man down, I just have never liked him.

[sethuel1]

I'd also like to say that Nike's soccer commercials, for the most part, suck. Adidas has them beat pretty easily.

 

Incorrect. Although i will say that the better Nike commercials have only been viewable online, they easily beat the "Jose and his fat friend" Adidas commercials. in fact, solely on the merit of the incredible Thierry Henry boot-off-of-his-own-calf-backwards-goal-on-concrete, Nike beats Adidas.

 

Also, I would like to kick Jose in the face.

That commercial just reeks of Nike trying to sell soccer based on street basketball. It's really forced.

 

As forced as the cutting-in-footage of-Beckenbauser-with-litle-kids routine from Adidas?

 

Let's just agree that, along with the crappy Pele Puma commercials, all of this year's commercials suck.

[USSoccer]

Figo will be very lucky if he isn't suspended for that head butt, which was far more deliberate than that elbow to the nose was.

[sethuel1]

Figo will be very lucky if he isn't suspended for that head butt, which was far more deliberate than that elbow to the nose was.

 

Oh yeah, I forgot about the head butt.

 

I am now in agreement.

[Outshined_One]

Figo will be very lucky if he isn't suspended for that head butt, which was far more deliberate than that elbow to the nose was.

 

If he sends them a written apology, I'm sure he'll only get a slap on the wrist.

[Marco4]

Figo will be very lucky if he isn't suspended for that head butt, which was far more deliberate than that elbow to the nose was.

 

If he sends them a written apology, I'm sure he'll only get a slap on the wrist.

 

But that would cause him to writhe in 'agony' on the floor for a few days, so the result would be much the same.

[Balsa]

Wow. That was just awful by FIFA. I mean.....just wow.

 

16 yellow cards.

 

4 ejections.

 

1 big black mark on the World Cup.

[USSoccer]

Wow. That was just awful by FIFA. I mean.....just wow.

 

16 yellow cards.

 

4 ejections.

 

1 big black mark on the World Cup.

 

Sepp Blatter and David Stern are laughing right now in the secret Colorado cottage known as "the Meadows"

[Transmogrified Tiger]

So I missed Beckham puking/scoring and another cardfest? Crap.

[soccer10k]

It looks like FIFA is actually blaming the referee's for the match.

 

Even FIFA president Sepp Blatter was unimpressed with how the game was handled.

 

"The refereeing wasn't up to the level of the teams," Blatter told Portugal TV on Sunday night. "Today certainly wasn't a fair-play day."

 

I'm going to have to watch a replay of this game sometime. My dad has it on TIVO so when I go home next weekend I'll have to watch it because I know World Cup Live won't do it justice.

 

It sounds like the referee absolutely butchered this match. I hope this makes FIFA wake up to what's been going on but they'll probably just consider this game as an anomaly and won't do much of anything.

[sethuel1]

It sounds like the referee absolutely butchered this match.

 

Yes, he did.

[Marco4]

It sounds like the referee absolutely butchered this match.

 

Yes, he did.

 

And now Portugal go on to face England without Deco and Costinha and, more likely than not, Figo.

[Outshined_One]

I was talking to my sister earlier and she made a great observation.

 

Whenever the camera panned to Bruce Arena on the sidelines, who did he most resemble? Where else have we seen that vaguely confused, annoyed, and generally disgusted look before? What men were the masters of the, "Maybe if I pretend I'm disgusted with this whole mess, everyone will forget I'm the one responsible for it," look?

 

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/5639/davewannstedt8au.jpg

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/7461/2765956pp.jpg

 

You be the judge.

[Andy]

I was talking to my sister earlier and she made a great observation.

 

Whenever the camera panned to Bruce Arena on the sidelines, who did he most resemble? Where else have we seen that vaguely confused, annoyed, and generally disgusted look before? What men were the masters of the, "Maybe if I pretend I'm disgusted with this whole mess, everyone will forget I'm the one responsible for it," look?

 

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/5639/davewannstedt8au.jpg

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/7461/2765956pp.jpg

 

You be the judge.

The alltime master of this look by my standards:

 

http://www.geocities.com/tarnished_dome/bob_davie.jpg

[SouthSideRyan]

I thought he was Dick Jauron in the sig of whoever has him in it.

[Balsa]

It sounds like the referee absolutely butchered this match.

 

Yes, he did.

 

And now Portugal go on to face England without Deco and Costinha and, more likely than not, Figo.

=D>

[NewUserName]

If I was in charge of FIFA. I would give an after game Red Card (Does this keep them out the next match, if not whatever would keep them out the next match also) to any player that was obviously taking a dive after looking at it on replay. I dont mean stop the match and have a on field ref look at replay, I mean some other official that is watching during the game. I have watched a lot of World Cup for the first time in my life and really enjoy it. They game is really getting tainted by players taking dives though and needs to be corrected in a more stern way than possibly getting a Yellow card if a referee catches it. If all the diving was removed than a lot of the other stuff would just clean itself up.

[sethuel1]

If I was in charge of FIFA. I would give an after game Red Card (Does this keep them out the next match, if not whatever would keep them out the next match also) to any player that was obviously taking a dive after looking at it on replay. I dont mean stop the match and have a on field ref look at replay, I mean some other official that is watching during the game. I have watched a lot of World Cup for the first time in my life and really enjoy it. They game is really getting tainted by players taking dives though and needs to be corrected in a more stern way than possibly getting a Yellow card if a referee catches it. If all the diving was removed than a lot of the other stuff would just clean itself up.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38053000/jpg/_38053615_riv300.jpg

[soccer10k]

If I was in charge of FIFA. I would give an after game Red Card (Does this keep them out the next match, if not whatever would keep them out the next match also) to any player that was obviously taking a dive after looking at it on replay. I dont mean stop the match and have a on field ref look at replay, I mean some other official that is watching during the game. I have watched a lot of World Cup for the first time in my life and really enjoy it. They game is really getting tainted by players taking dives though and needs to be corrected in a more stern way than possibly getting a Yellow card if a referee catches it. If all the diving was removed than a lot of the other stuff would just clean itself up.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38053000/jpg/_38053615_riv300.jpg

 

Is that a picture of Rivaldo when he took the dive in 2002? IIRC he got hit in the leg/thigh with the ball and fell down in a heap and grabbed his face.

[shnsajax]

It sounds like the referee absolutely butchered this match.

 

Yes, he did.

 

And now Portugal go on to face England without Deco and Costinha and, more likely than not, Figo.

=D>

 

Well said :D