2010 World Cup Thread

[jersey cubs fan]

Whoever the Rod Woodson look-a-like commentator is just made a good point about the kazoos, it makes it impossible to hear crowd reactions/chants. I have been thinking that the crowds have been quite dull, but maybe it is just that those grade school fair trinkets have been drowning them out.

[brinoch]

Folks, if you don't like soccer, that's okay -- but I really don't need to read multiple pages about how boring it is.

 

Those of us who love soccer are just as confused as to the low scoring trend as those who find it boring. I wonder if players really are having a hard time hearing each other and Patrice Evra isn't just being a douche. I hate the vuvuzelas and find them to be really, really lame. Ban them, please.

[TruffleShuffle]

if the vuvuzelas have some sort of cultural significance to south africa - which is probably bull crap but whatever - then let the fans use them when the bafana bafana play and ban them when everyone else is playing.

[SpongeWorthy]

That would be like vuvuzela apartheid man.

[Exile on Waveland]

My point really wasn't to start an NHL vs MLS/Soccer argument. Clearly neither are hugely popular in the US, though I'd say both are trending upward. I was trying to bring a little levity to sulley and my complaints about soccer. I'll watch some of the world cup, but I doubt I'll ever consider myself a soccer fan. That said, my intent really wasn't to run it down. I still contend that the NHL is more popular in the US than MLS, but I'm not interested in debating it.

 

Ohhh . . . excellent transition from "hockey is more popular than soccer" to "the NHL is more popular than the MLS." Those aren't the same arguments. At all.

 

 

Note: You cannot "still contend" something different from your original contention.

[Exile on Waveland]

Folks, if you don't like soccer, that's okay -- but I really don't need to read multiple pages about how boring it is.

 

x eleventy billion.

[SpongeWorthy]

A buddy of mine insists that the 1970 Brazil team would dominate every international team these days. He's on a big kick about how the level of play is down in international soccer.

 

What do you soccer geeks think?

[Magnetic Curses]

Folks, if you don't like soccer, that's okay -- but I really don't need to read multiple pages about how boring it is.

 

Those of us who love soccer are just as confused as to the low scoring trend as those who find it boring. I wonder if players really are having a hard time hearing each other and Patrice Evra isn't just being a douche. I hate the vuvuzelas and find them to be really, really lame. Ban them, please.

 

i wasn't attemtping to hate on soccer. i still enjoy it every 4 years, i just suggested that they should have power plays to increase scoring chances from time to time.

[wolf stansson]

Folks, if you don't like soccer, that's okay -- but I really don't need to read multiple pages about how boring it is.

 

Those of us who love soccer are just as confused as to the low scoring trend as those who find it boring. I wonder if players really are having a hard time hearing each other and Patrice Evra isn't just being a douche. I hate the vuvuzelas and find them to be really, really lame. Ban them, please.

 

i wasn't attemtping to hate on soccer. i still enjoy it every 4 years, i just suggested that they should have power plays to increase scoring chances from time to time.

It's the world's most popular game, it generates billions and it's been played for hundreds of years. They've got a pretty good handle on what works and what doesn't. The people who check in for a few hours every four years who seem to think this is some cute, poorly organized game that needs improvement are annoying.

 

Those of us who love soccer are just as confused as to the low scoring trend as those who find it boring.

Not all of us.

 

it til brazil beats north korea 8-0

Brazil are primarily a counter attacking team. As are many in this tournament, which is a huge reason scoring is down.

North Korea's 11 men behind the ball bunker actually does not cater to Brazil's strengths. I know you were joking and I wouldn't be surprised if Brazil wang whips them for 90 minutes straight and puts up 8, but I don't really see a ton of goals. 3-0 at most.

[Mark Priors Calves]

Please stop taking over this thread, soccer complainers.

 

I'm actually interested to see how North Korea plays against the other two teams in their group. I thought they held their own today vs. Brazil but obviously weren't going to get any points from the game anyway. I think it would be great to see DPRK hold teams to ties because those other teams are desperate for points against them knowing they have to play Brasil too.

[OleMissCub]

and folks think Americans don't like soccer

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/14/somali-soccer-fans-execut_n_611576.html

 

Gunmen believed to be from a radical Islamic group in northeast Mogadishu, Somalia, shot two people dead during an impromptu raid on a house where people were watching a World Cup match Saturday night, Reuters reports.

 

The incident came on the heels of a national ban on viewing "un-Islamic" World Cup games made by the local militia group al Shabaab, which controls much of south and central Somalia by force.

 

"Football is an inheritance from the primitive infidels, and we can never accept people to watch it and we are directing a final warning to those who want to watch it," said Sheikh Mohamed Abdi Aros, a spokesman for Hizbul Islam, a group which has reportedly raided homes and detained at least 30 other World Cup fans in Afgoye, about 18 miles south of Mogadishu.

[UMFan83]

People that compare soccer to hockey are kind of right in some respects. Both low scoring, although hockey is a little higher scoring. But what's exciting about both sports is the buildup to scoring. If people wanted scoring, sports like lacrosse would be more popular as it is played in a similar fashion to soccer and hockey, but the scores are like 15-12. I've watched plenty of 0-0 and 1-0 soccer games that end up extremely enjoyable.

 

It's the same idea with hockey. Teams might not score much but there are a crapload of great passes that just miss their target, or a player gets some space in their opponents zone, or your team is able to clear a rebound out of their own zone killing a scoring threat. All very exciting stuff. Soccer is a little different but it's the same types of nuances that make keep fans coming back for more, and develop new fans of the sport everyday.

 

Anyways, this is a dumb argument to be having in the world cup thread.

[Magnetic Curses]

Folks, if you don't like soccer, that's okay -- but I really don't need to read multiple pages about how boring it is.

 

Those of us who love soccer are just as confused as to the low scoring trend as those who find it boring. I wonder if players really are having a hard time hearing each other and Patrice Evra isn't just being a douche. I hate the vuvuzelas and find them to be really, really lame. Ban them, please.

 

i wasn't attemtping to hate on soccer. i still enjoy it every 4 years, i just suggested that they should have power plays to increase scoring chances from time to time.

It's the world's most popular game, it generates billions and it's been played for hundreds of years. They've got a pretty good handle on what works and what doesn't. The people who check in for a few hours every four years who seem to think this is some cute, poorly organized game that needs improvement are annoying.

 

i don't think it's cute or poorly organized, either. just giving some feedback as to how it could appeal to more americans, which is a pretty big market.

 

I WANT POWER PLAYS

[Hairyducked Idiot]

The average NFL football game in 2009 had 2.8 touchdowns and 3 field goals per game.

 

That's 6 scoring plays in about 3 hours.

 

The average NHL game is about 2.5 hours and has 5.7 goals.

 

Nobody ever complains that the NFL is low-scoring. But for the amount of time you are sitting there, you don't see that many scores.

[Magnetic Curses]

i change my opinion. no one is right

[SpongeWorthy]

The average NFL football game in 2009 had 2.8 touchdowns and 3 field goals per game.

 

That's 6 scoring plays in about 3 hours.

 

The average NHL game is about 2.5 hours and has 5.7 goals.

 

Nobody ever complains that the NFL is low-scoring. But for the amount of time you are sitting there, you don't see that many scores.

 

Some people complain about specific NFL games being low scoring. I like a good battle in the 20s rather than a 13-9 game personally.

[USSoccer]

I was going to make some well thought out and organized post about Friday's game, but instead about all I'll say for now is that if we can't take care of our business against a team that's at best a better version of Guatemala, we have no business in the knockout rounds, and we're nowhere near as good as we all think we are.

 

Two wins gives us a fantastic shot to win the group, and winning the group means we have a really easy path to the semifinals (relatively speaking).

 

No excuses. We're a better team then they are everywhere on the field.

[UMFan83]

The average NFL football game in 2009 had 2.8 touchdowns and 3 field goals per game.

 

That's 6 scoring plays in about 3 hours.

 

The average NHL game is about 2.5 hours and has 5.7 goals.

 

Nobody ever complains that the NFL is low-scoring. But for the amount of time you are sitting there, you don't see that many scores.

 

Maybe we should make each goal scored in a soccer game worth 6 points. In this example Brazil beat North Korea 12-6 today.

[TruffleShuffle]

The average NFL football game in 2009 had 2.8 touchdowns and 3 field goals per game.

 

That's 6 scoring plays in about 3 hours.

 

The average NHL game is about 2.5 hours and has 5.7 goals.

 

Nobody ever complains that the NFL is low-scoring. But for the amount of time you are sitting there, you don't see that many scores.

 

Maybe we should make each goal scored in a soccer game worth 6 points. In this example Brazil beat North Korea 12-6 today.

 

that will just make all the 0-0 finals look even worse

[Mark Priors Calves]

I was going to make some well thought out and organized post about Friday's game, but instead about all I'll say for now is that if we can't take care of our business against a team that's at best a better version of Guatemala, we have no business in the knockout rounds, and we're nowhere near as good as we all think we are.

 

I'm curious of Slovenia's mentality in the US game. Knowing they have England waiting for them, are they going to be really pushing for a win? I hope so, that plays to the US's counter attack and I think that's a huge advantage.

[Exile on Waveland]

I was going to make some well thought out and organized post about Friday's game, but instead about all I'll say for now is that if we can't take care of our business against a team that's at best a better version of Guatemala, we have no business in the knockout rounds, and we're nowhere near as good as we all think we are.

 

I'm curious of Slovenia's mentality in the US game. Knowing they have England waiting for them, are they going to be really pushing for a win? I hope so, that plays to the US's counter attack and I think that's a huge advantage.

 

I really hope so. I'm more afraid of a bunker-and-counter Slovenia team than a Slovenia team pushing the issue, or at least playing straight up. I really like the US's chances in such a game. I'm worried if Slovenia bunkers, the US won't bust it and Slovenia will snipe a counter goal.

 

Again, the US has to try and WIN this group. They need to win both games, with a solid goal differential. Advancing out of the group is always a great goal for the US; but that changed when they drew (i) this group and (ii) England. Now they need to try and win it. Winning the group is the difference between an almost certain second round loss, and a legitimate chance at the semis.

[UMFan83]

I was going to make some well thought out and organized post about Friday's game, but instead about all I'll say for now is that if we can't take care of our business against a team that's at best a better version of Guatemala, we have no business in the knockout rounds, and we're nowhere near as good as we all think we are.

 

I'm curious of Slovenia's mentality in the US game. Knowing they have England waiting for them, are they going to be really pushing for a win? I hope so, that plays to the US's counter attack and I think that's a huge advantage.

 

Yeah looking it from Slovenia's perspective, I think they will go all out to win this game against USA, who they obviously see as a better opportunity to take points from than England. If they get 0 points from USA and England predictably beats Algeria, we are left with USA 4, England 4, Slovenia 3 with USA playing the weakest team of the group and Slovenia playing the hardest team of the group. Slovenia would have to basically play for a tie with England and hope Algeria pulls off a huge upset of USA.

 

Basically this game is ridiculously huge for deciding who gets out of this group. If the USA loses, they basically have to hope that England loses to Slovenia and USA beats Algeria enough to overtake goal differential. If the teams tie, the odds are a little better...the USA's best shot then would be to hope to win and hope Slovenia loses to England or ties them while winning goal differential.

 

So basically, please win USA. And if you don't win at least tie, although I would be a little upset.

[Exile on Waveland]

I'm nearly certain Slovenia will be thrilled to tie. I'm less certain it will actually be discernible whether they're playing for the tie or playing to win.

[UMFan83]

I'm nearly certain Slovenia will be thrilled to tie. I'm less certain it will actually be discernible whether they're playing for the tie or playing to win.

 

I guess so. But if they tie the standings are still England 4 (assuming they beat Algeria), Slovenia 4, USA 2. With the USA playing Algeria and Slovenia playing England. I guess their best chance is to tie the USA and hope Algeria can tie or better against the USA.

[Exile on Waveland]

I'm nearly certain Slovenia will be thrilled to tie. I'm less certain it will actually be discernible whether they're playing for the tie or playing to win.

 

I guess so. But if they tie the standings are still England 4 (assuming they beat Algeria), Slovenia 4, USA 2. With the USA playing Algeria and Slovenia playing England. I guess their best chance is to tie the USA and hope Algeria can tie or better against the USA.

 

A tie Friday puts Slovenia in position to advance. If they play to win, sure, they could beat the US, but that's not likely. And a loss would all but end their campaign. Never mind that I think bunker-and-counter is likely Slovenia's best path to win anyway. If I'm Slovenia, I'm playing 10-11 men behind the ball, hoping for one counter goal leading to one victory, or two ties.