Official World Cup 2010 thread

[xfedaykinx]

FUCKING COLO-COLO. WORTHLESS FUCKS

[xfedaykinx]

jesus. i can't handle this.

[fourfourtwo]

Two-nil Spain. Poor Chile. They're playing terribly. 10 men now. Red cards.

[xfactor675]

what a fucking stupid second yellow card. Not only it was accidential, it didn't even bother the situation.

[fourfourtwo]

Yeah... the ref looks familiar.. What other game has he been in this world cup?

[xfedaykinx]

im gonna fucking cry. i am going to fucking cry. my hope relies on honduras now.

[xfactor675]

a good second half is ahead of us!

[xfedaykinx]

yeehehehehehhessssss!

[xfedaykinx]

brazil it is. not looking forward to that one.

good luck against spain, fourfourtwo

[inutil]

I'm so sorry Coco.

[xfedaykinx]

haha, i will personally hold you responsible if we lose on monday, bruno!

[fourfourtwo]

brazil it is. not looking forward to that one.

good luck against spain, fourfourtwo

Thank you! And good luck against brazil. The games are on Tuesday, aren't they?

[danthemjfan23]

I wish these two games weren't on at the same time.

seriously, i dare somebody from FIFA to explain this to me with a straight face. this is the biggest tournament in the fucking world. it happens every 4 years. EVERYBODY on the planet is watching every game they can. why would you have your own programming compete against itself?

[goraiders]

I wish these two games weren't on at the same time.

seriously, i dare somebody from FIFA to explain this to me with a straight face. this is the biggest tournament in the fucking world. it happens every 4 years. EVERYBODY on the planet is watching every game they can. why would you have your own programming compete against itself?

so two teams don't have the advantage over the other two by knowing exactly what they need. it makes sense.

[danthemjfan23]

that's a shitty statement about the sport, though, don't you think? that's almost akin to match-fixing. if a team is going to play differently (be it harder, or not as hard) because they "only need a tie" to advance, or if they need to win by +3 goals, that's idiotic. why not play your best all game every game? if you play hard and win 2 of the 3 games in group stage, nothing else matters. goal differential won't come into play, because you're advancing automatically.

and this is exactly my point... the players need to just fucking play. stop worrying about all the other bullshit and just play. stop diving. stop grabbing your face like you took a musket to the teeth when somebody clips your heel. stop looking at the clock to see how much time you need to stall for on this corner kick. just fucking play. soccer is a GREAT game when it's played the right way. there's a reason it's the most popular sport in the world. but it's all the other bullshit associated with it that makes it ridiculous at some point.

it would be SO easy to eliminate all the diving and injury faking. and personally, i think the game would be better off for it. i don't even mean "soccer in America," i mean the sport itself. people don't watch Ronaldo because he's a good actor. they watch him because when he's on his feet (and not writhing around on the ground "in pain") he's one of the best athletes on the planet. it's absurd to me that he doesn't understand he's 100 times more valuable to his team when he's got the ball at his foot, and not when he's rolling around on the ground like a fucking baby.

[3milesdown]

i can understand what the last poster is trying to say, but at the same time, you have to realize that this is the world cup. players from all over the world compete for their nation once every 4 years. and to start means you are at the top of your game, ready for your country. But what most people don't realize is that there's so much more going on behind the curtains. you have to play your best not only for your country, but for yourself. everybody is watching the world cup. when S.korea hosted 2002 and hit 4th place, over 40 korean players moved to overseas clubs. underrated players get recognized more than ever at this stage. not to mention players get bonus' and etc for advancing.

my point: every game is a huge fucking deal. even though you want your team to win every game, you have to look at the big picture. for example, if you already won your first 2 games, it's ideal to bench some of your stars so they don't get caught up in injury or add yellow cards to have them suspended. why put yourself in that position? when argentina played their final game, they went through like 8 changes or some shit like that to their starting squad cuz they knew, they were already through.

as for playing the games at the same times, that's the only fair way to get it done so teams try their best. i'll use todays games as an example. what if the swiss vs honduras game was on first and then the spain vs chile game was on later. since the Switzerland tied, they ended up with 4 points. and that puts spain in a must win position and as for chile, they auto advance with those 6 points. it doesn't matter for them, they don't need to sweat or TRY or even worry about it. HOWEVER, if they played at the same time like they did today, chile NEEDS to show up to play since they don't know how the swiss will do. if swiss beats honduras, they'd have 6 points along with the other countries and Chile would need goals for better goal differentials (which they DID score). by having the games on at the same time no team is advantaged by having the bonus of knowing what to do to qualify

sorry for writing a fucking book, i hope that makes sense if not look up algeria, germany, chile, austria world cup.

[danthemjfan23]

i can understand what the last poster is trying to say

i actually don't think you do, as i was trying to make the exact opposite point as you just did. all you have to do is win 2 games and you're through. play your own game, and don't worry about what the other teams are doing. if you're good enough to be able to turn on a switch when you "need to win," then just win and be done with it. i have no problem with a team sitting all it's star players in game 3 of group play when they know they're advancing. it's the bullshit "play for a tie" mentality that irks me. or "play to goal differential." just win.

or at least TRY to win. that's more my issue. as the world cup is set up right now, ties are part of the equation, so they will certainly happen. but when a team doesn't even attack the goal in the last 38 minutes of a match because they'd rather tie 1-1 than take a chance at scoring, miss, and then possibly get scored upon on the counter-attack, that's not the way the game is supposed to be played.

[3milesdown]

well i was kinda agreeing with you to sort of an extent. the 2 games thing was just an example. obviously as a team you want to go for wins, but playing for ties can be either smart/dumb given your standings and schedule.

you were basically saying it sucks that the games were on at the same time. doesn't make sense are far as ratings goes. and that other dude replied, "so two teams don't have the advantage over the other two by knowing exactly what they need. it makes sense. ". and you said it was bullshit since teams shouldn't play for ties or whatever, but instead play their hardest. which makes sense, but go over what you just posted in that final paragraph. why do you think most teams do the variation of the 4-4-2 formation with only 2 strikers up front? And why is ManU so dominant with the 4-2-3-1 formation? because it's all about the counters that they perfected. you cant have all your midfielders attacking just cuz the ball is in the opposing side. one mistake and you're going to be sprinting back to try to stop the opposition. it's about key players, movement off the ball and knowing your role.

it's hard to score goals in soccer and it's not like the other sports. which is why tie's are so important. if you only need to play for a tie, it's ideal to take out one of your wingers to put in a defensive midfielder. back to back counters is not rare in soccer and that is why when you see your team winning and a player is having a breakthrough, you only see like 2 men vs 8 so the quick counter doesn't reverse.

and your last paragraph is the reason why games are played at the same time. yes games are not supposed to be played for ties or whatever, but ideally if you have the points, it's the safest way to advance/win (even though you tie). think of it like taking a knee to run the clock. obviously it's not the same since in football you use your downs to run the clock for the W whereas in futbol, you're running the clock by just passing it around so you don't lose possession. just realize, just cuz you're not attacking does not mean youre not trying to win.

http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/06/22/world-cup-why-are-todays-games-at-the-same-time/

the link basically is about your 2nd paragraph. teams not really playing and going for a tie since they knew both would advance. but it makes you realize games playing at the same time is ideal cuz of this exact reason...

[goraiders]

I think it kind of sucks, but it has to be done to an extent. Definitely all the diving, crying etc etc is annoying but as for the playing strategically (for a win, tie etc) it'll happen when you have such high stakes as if you're playing a season in only 3 games. The same thing would happen in football or baseball etc in such a short time. Its an inevitability

[danthemjfan23]

i appreciate your response, and i do understand the strategy that is being implemented. my argument, though, is that it's bullshit. just because that's what's going on doesn't mean it's the way the game is supposed to be played. it sort of ties into my diving/flopping hatred... just because it's completely ingrained in the culture of the game doesn't mean it's the way it should be. it just means that, based on the way the rules are currently set up, teams are taking advantage of a loop hole.

is there something beautiful in a team like brazil being able to play keepaway from a weaker team for 7 straight minutes without their opponent even touching the ball? of course there is. but the number of teams who just "dump and chase," hoping to clear the ball out of their side of the field is far greater than the number of teams who control the ball and refuse to attack.

another thing i have never understood about soccer (and, please keep in mind that i played travel soccer and traveled all over the midwest playing in tournaments when i was younger, so i'm not some average idiot american fan who doesn't know anything about the sport), is why most players dance around so much in the box, or continue to pass/cross the ball when they're 6 yards away. i mean, i do understand WHY... they're trying to get taken down and get a penalty kick. but that rarely ever happens. these are professional athletes who have trained since the time they were 4 years old; they should know how to finish a goddamn goal.

instead, they pussyfoot around, hoping to get taken down, so they can have a free shot on the goalie. if they just took a shot on target, it might go in or the goalie might deflect it and be out of position for a rebound, allowing a teammate to sweep up the garbage and score. but most players rarely shoot, and it boggles my mind.

while i'm on that subject, another thing that blows me away is how often a player takes a shot from let's say 22 yards out (or somewhere in that range) and isn't even fucking close to on-target. how can shots be so poor? i'm not talking about shots where a defender deflects it or something. i'm talking about pure mis-hits. they happen at an astonishing rate. they don't all need to go IN the goal, but they should all be somewhere within shouting distance, no? think of an NBA player taking a three-pointer and hitting the shot clock above the backboard. it would be absurd.

[goraiders]

i appreciate your response, and i do understand the strategy that is being implemented. my argument, though, is that it's bullshit. just because that's what's going on doesn't mean it's the way the game is supposed to be played. it sort of ties into my diving/flopping hatred... just because it's completely ingrained in the culture of the game doesn't mean it's the way it should be. it just means that, based on the way the rules are currently set up, teams are taking advantage of a loop hole.

is there something beautiful in a team like brazil being able to play keepaway from a weaker team for 7 straight minutes without their opponent even touching the ball? of course there is. but the number of teams who just "dump and chase," hoping to clear the ball out of their side of the field is far greater than the number of teams who control the ball and refuse to attack.

another thing i have never understood about soccer (and, please keep in mind that i played travel soccer and traveled all over the midwest playing in tournaments when i was younger, so i'm not some average idiot american fan who doesn't know anything about the sport), is why most players dance around so much in the box, or continue to pass/cross the ball when they're 6 yards away. i mean, i do understand WHY... they're trying to get taken down and get a penalty kick. but that rarely ever happens. these are professional athletes who have trained since the time they were 4 years old; they should know how to finish a goddamn goal.

instead, they pussyfoot around, hoping to get taken down, so they can have a free shot on the goalie. if they just took a shot on target, it might go in or the goalie might deflect it and be out of position for a rebound, allowing a teammate to sweep up the garbage and score. but most players rarely shoot, and it boggles my mind.

while i'm on that subject, another thing that blows me away is how often a player takes a shot from let's say 22 yards out (or somewhere in that range) and isn't even fucking close to on-target. how can shots be so poor? i'm not talking about shots where a defender deflects it or something. i'm talking about pure mis-hits. they happen at an astonishing rate. they don't all need to go IN the goal, but they should all be somewhere within shouting distance, no? think of an NBA player taking a three-pointer and hitting the shot clock above the backboard. it would be absurd.

Well, I am an average American idiot fan, but I agree with you in theory. Definitely about the diving crying etc. One of the games France (i think) let up a goal because they were too busy complaining about offsides. If something like that happened here people would go nuts over it.

I loved in one of the games today when the ref gave a Yellow for diving, even if the announcers said they should've given a red. I don't understand why they don't do that, add another ref if you have to. There are so many times when it could be a good chance and they dive to try to get a penalty shot (like you said). Everyone talks about reasons why Americans don't like soccer, and I think (along with the ties) this is the main one. Or at least it is for me.

[danthemjfan23]

add another ref if you have to.

THIS. or just allow the flagsmen to make calls, too.

on a baseball field during the world series, there's 6 umpires. in an NFL game, there's 7 officials. on an NBA court, there's 3 officials. a soccer field is the biggest of all of them, and there's 1 dude who can make a call? there's something not quite right about that.

(and, for what it's worth, my last post was in response to threemilesdown)

[partysmasher]

add another ref if you have to.

THIS. or just allow the flagsmen to make calls, too.

on a baseball field during the world series, there's 6 umpires. in an NFL game, there's 7 officials. on an NBA court, there's 3 officials. a soccer field is the biggest of all of them, and there's 1 dude who can make a call? there's something not quite right about that.

(and, for what it's worth, my last post was in response to threemilesdown)

the linesmen can pretty much make calls, the ref will always consult them if he needs to and they will go to him if they've seen something that they feel needs to be addressed.

[partysmasher]

i can understand what the last poster is trying to say

i actually don't think you do, as i was trying to make the exact opposite point as you just did. all you have to do is win 2 games and you're through. play your own game, and don't worry about what the other teams are doing. if you're good enough to be able to turn on a switch when you "need to win," then just win and be done with it. i have no problem with a team sitting all it's star players in game 3 of group play when they know they're advancing. it's the bullshit "play for a tie" mentality that irks me. or "play to goal differential." just win.

or at least TRY to win. that's more my issue. as the world cup is set up right now, ties are part of the equation, so they will certainly happen. but when a team doesn't even attack the goal in the last 38 minutes of a match because they'd rather tie 1-1 than take a chance at scoring, miss, and then possibly get scored upon on the counter-attack, that's not the way the game is supposed to be played.

I don't get why ties are such a big deal to people... they are part of the game, always have been and always will be. For example, i see absolutely no problem with a small team who caused an upset in the first round and find themselves in a position where they can advance should they draw. So why not play for the draw? If i was them i'd want to. It can be as interesting watching a tiny team trying to hold off a favourite as it is to watch that favourite steamroll someone else.

"as the world cup is set up now, ties are part of the equation"

If you could, would you eliminate the possibilities of a tie in world cup group games, really? If there was no possibility of ties, and things were decided in added time and penalties i guarantee you'd see more small teams putting 11 men behind the ball in order to reach penalties. You don't have to be Messi or Ronaldo to score a penalty and end up beating a bigger team. But i'd rather see a couple of games with huge upsets that came out of the blue and subsequent games involving the giant killer trying to get through by drawing than that team KNOWING they can cause an upset by trying to go to penalties. If i assumed wrong that you feel draws should be eliminated then i apologise for this last bit, i just get the impression the american version of the game has ruined this part of football, didn't the MLS make draws impossible for a while?

i have some more stuff to say in a bit, off to the dentist now, ha.

[goraiders]

Its just boring to see people play for a draw, especially for US where we're thinking the world cup is supposed to be the far and away best. Brazil - Portugal best 2/3 teams in the world and its a boring game - doesn't make us want to watch.

other soccer that is, if the best is this boring. Not to say its necessarily true but it puts that image across.