2010 World Cup Thread

[biittner77]

Holland vs Spain. It's the 80 Years War all over again.

[wvcbxl]

'Psychic' octopus predicts Spain to win World Cup

 

With this knowledge, I guess there's no longer any need to actually play the match on Sunday. :wink:

[shnsajax]

'Psychic' octopus predicts Spain to win World Cup

 

With this knowledge, I guess there's no longer any need to actually play the match on Sunday. :wink:

 

So if Holland wins, calamari for everyone?

[jersey cubs fan]

'Psychic' octopus predicts Spain to win World Cup

 

With this knowledge, I guess there's no longer any need to actually play the match on Sunday. :wink:

 

So if Holland wins, calamari for everyone?

 

Leave the squid out of this.

[UMFan83]

I can't wait for this game. I hope Holland wins, but I don't think I'd be disapointed by either squad winning.

[biittner77]

I'm going to go with my heart and say 2-1 victory for the orange.

 

I'm a little disappointed that Laurens didn't comment on the 80 Years War reference. William the Silent would be outraged.

[shnsajax]

I'm sad we only have two days left.

[USSoccer]

I would have much more enjoyed the pure hatred that Germany v Holland would have given us, both pre match and during.

 

That said, I want Spain to lose, just because their fans and their country deserve to get ohsoclose and then lose. Their team is dull ass boring. Yeah, Xavi's a wizard. Great player, but I can only watch so much of him and Iniestula just passing laterally between the two of them before I get irritated. La Marca would be so much more entertaining after a loss as well.

 

Holland have the attacking skill to test Spain's backline in a very real way. Spain will get their usual 60% possession, but Holland will be able to hit them on a counter and their defense should be good enough to hold.

 

I'm going to go with 1-1 FT, and Holland in PK's, follwed by Wesley Sneijder and Robin van Persie getting into a fistfight over the Jules Rimet trophy while Dirk Kuyt just stands there.

[wvcbxl]

Food for thought: of all the players in the WC final, no less than 17 were formed as teenagers at the academies of Ajax (9) and Barcelona (8).

 

Ajax: Sneijder, Van der Vaart, Huntelaar, Elia, Heitinga, De Jong, Stekelenburg, Van der Wiel and Babel

Barca: Valdés, Piqué, Puyol, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro and Fabregas.

[shnsajax]

Hopefully the group stage team of the 08 Euro's shows up.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHOYkLy05B4

[CubInOK]

Food for thought: of all the players in the WC final, no less than 17 were formed as teenagers at the academies of Ajax (9) and Barcelona (8).

 

Ajax: Sneijder, Van der Vaart, Huntelaar, Elia, Heitinga, De Jong, Stekelenburg, Van der Wiel and Babel

Barca: Valdés, Piqué, Puyol, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro and Fabregas.

This is why MLS clubs are creating academies. The problem with this in the US right now are that these academy-trained players won't become US national team players (I'm looking at Subotic, Rossi, Najar, etc.)

[shnsajax]

Food for thought: of all the players in the WC final, no less than 17 were formed as teenagers at the academies of Ajax (9) and Barcelona (8).

 

Ajax: Sneijder, Van der Vaart, Huntelaar, Elia, Heitinga, De Jong, Stekelenburg, Van der Wiel and Babel

Barca: Valdés, Piqué, Puyol, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro and Fabregas.

This is why MLS clubs are creating academies. The problem with this in the US right now are that these academy-trained players won't become US national team players (I'm looking at Subotic, Rossi, Najar, etc.)

 

Thats also because the federation will botch the handling of this.

[UMFan83]

I've never watched a 3rd place game before. I never realized the quality of play resembles an MLS game.

[shnsajax]

How did Germany pick up two yellows in the 1st 10 minutes? 3rd place games are generally a little sloppy with the underdog winning a fair amount of the time. Weather looks shitty, hope tomorrow is nice.

[Guest]

How did Germany pick up two yellows in the 1st 10 minutes? 3rd place games are generally a little sloppy with the underdog winning a fair amount of the time. Weather looks [expletive], hope tomorrow is nice.

 

I don't remember the second one but the first was for a studs up tackle to the shins that could have been a red card.

[Guest]

Forlan's hurt and he still manages to come up with strikes like that. Great goal.

[Jon]

Forlan finding new ways to score.

[shnsajax]

Forlan's hurt and he still manages to come up with strikes like that. Great goal.

 

Wow quick equalizer.

 

Forlan simply knows how to score, seems like almost every chance he gets in at least on target.

[shnsajax]

Ozil has been very unimpressive the last 3 games for me.

[Guest]

Darke's ranting about how unclassy it is for the fans to boo Suarez is getting ridiculous. Its completely understandable why they're booing him.

[E.J.]

Wow. That was an exciting ending. Just missed.

[laurens]

I'm going to go with my heart and say 2-1 victory for the orange.

 

I'm a little disappointed that Laurens didn't comment on the 80 Years War reference. William the Silent would be outraged.

 

If you insist...

 

- it wasn't the Netherlands who fought in the 80 Year's War, it were the United Provinces

- the Union of Utrecht (who fought the war) didn't include all the Provinces

- since the United Provinces were at the time under the control of the Spanish crown, the 80 Year's War could be seen as a civil war (so Spanish-Spanish instead of Spanish-Dutch)

- if this were the 80 Year's War there would be a constant stream of extra Spanish players coming from the locker rooms, some of the Dutch would constantly try to score own-goals, the Dutch would be placing booby traps all over the field, some of the Dutch players would turn out to be English/French/Ottoman/German Protestant, there'd be a 12 year gap between plays of just talking, and there'd be a second game being played nearby of like 20 different teams playing each other at the same time while constantly kicking the ball into Soccer City Stadium.

 

But yeah, I get the analogy.

 

Anyhow, I hope the Netherlands win (to see everybody go loco over here), though I wouldn't mind seeing Spain win (to see the frustration, and I have some Spanish friends I can go party with).

 

Let the 90 Minutes' War begin!

[Guest]

Coming to you live from Johannesburg. :D

 

Wow, what a party here all over the city today. Go Netherland!

[Exile on Waveland]

A final that pairs a Spanish side that plays like the Dutch and a Dutch side that plays kind of like, well excuse me, Germany. Holland is my second favorite non-US side, but I wouldn't be terribly disappointed if/when Spain wins. Either way, two Liverpool players are going to win the World Cup (hopefully, those players will remain Reds).

 

I'm concerned we're going to see a rather dour, tactical 1-0 game. I'll be optimistic and predict a 2-1 Spain win, though.

[shnsajax]

Torres starting on the bench.

 

I really have no clue to how this will play out. Both teams want possession the Dutch will try to play to their midfielders more while the Spanish will try to play to their forwards more.