World Cup! Let's keep this thread kicked until it's over!

[Writer]

USA USA USA USA!

[Writer]

1. You guys are NO FUN.

While I go join the REST OF THE WORLD and have my own World Cup party in my media room, you all can sit on your patio chairs, drink horrible beer, and pick your navels until baseball season officially begins.

Bleh!

[Karenina]

2. C'mon Writer, I'm with ya!!!

Just poured a Paulaner and I think Germany may have just scored again (it was 2-1 when I left the grocery store according to the guy in the grilled chicken truck) cause there's an uproar! The store was deserted as are the streets. Michael Ballack is sidelined. There's a second game at 21:00.

[Writer]

3. Wicked. I need to get a shower and lunch, but I'll be back ...

in front of the TV in a moment. :)

[WoodyTobiasJr]

4. GOAL!!

61 mins: GOAL Germany 3-1 Costa Rica
The first German goalscorer combines with the second for the a third goal for the host nation. Philip Lahm crosses from the left and, after seeing his initial header parried by Jose Porras, Miroslav Klose rifles in the rebound.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

8. The surname of that Costa Rican goalie is an obscenity in Portuguese.

Shame I'm on the job. I REALLY want to see the Brazilian narrators mentioning the guy. :evilgrin:

[alfredo]

381. Mesen or Porras?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

430. Porras. Porra = sperm, but it's used here like "Fuck!" or "Shit!"

Or, "que porra é essa?" = "what the fuck is that?"

[Blue Poppy]

5. I'm with you!

I am stuck at work and "watching" via MatchCast.

I will be up early tomorrow to watch England!!
:bounce:

[WoodyTobiasJr]

6. I can't log into matchcast

Im getting the BBC feed

[951-Riverside]

13. I found a spanish language stream on SOPCast

[951-Riverside]

17. Here is a 300k stream from China (CCTV5)

http://wwitv.com/t_tv/7025.asx

[951-Riverside]

25. If you have any other streams POST EM!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

7. Germany winning 3-2 against Costa Rica with 10 minutes to go

Go CR!

[ceile]

10. Sweet!

Go CR!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

16. Damn. 4-2. Game over. -nt

[jakefrep]

26. Awesome! nt

[TexomaDem]

75. offsides

On CR's second goal, Wanchope was clearly offsides. Refs missed it.

The goals by Lahm and Frings were awesome shots. Goals by Klose weren't bad either.

[Karenina]

18. Yup! Just heard more screaming.

I'm waiting for the speeding cars laying on their horns with flags waving out the windows. Ah, THERE they go!

[Blue_Tires]

60. i would have laughed my ass off if Germany tied or lost

[951-Riverside]

9. Any internet streams?

[Blue Poppy]

11. Go to this link:

http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/index.html

and you can watch it. It's under the Emirates Airline banner.

[951-Riverside]

12. MatchCast?

[WoodyTobiasJr]

15. I tried that one..

I could never get in though. I think their server was getting bombarded

[alcibiades_mystery]

14. With the reminder: NO SPOILERS IN THE SUBJECT LINES!!!!!

I just about blew up DU last time around with that bullshit, plus a bunch of unapologetic jerks telling me not to go online if I don't wanna know the final score. AAAAAAARGH.

Deutschland!!!!!

[Karenina]

19. Game 2 starts in a half hour.

Who is playing next?

[alcibiades_mystery]

20. Poland Ecuador

Group A Games today.

[ceile]

21. I wonder....

if my boss would be upset if I watched at my desk.....

[ps1074]

22. that would be a good game

Even better than the first one. Aside from the score and 2 great goals I found it quite boring :shrug:

[Karenina]

38. OK. That's one for the

hardcore.

Check out John Cleese's "Art of Football." It's A-Z the FUNNIEST SHIT I've ever seen on the subject. Commentary by Pele, Dave Stewart, Franz Beckenbauer, Mia Hamm, Dennis Hopper, Boris Becker, Desmond Tutu and HENRY FUCKING KISSINGER, just to name a very few...

[WritingIsMyReligion]

23. I don't follow tennis.

:P :P :P :P :P

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

24. Here's what I love about soccer commentary

Germany leads 2-1: Germans look shaky.
Germany leads 3-1: Germans are absolutely dominating this match!
Germany leads 3-2: Germans have left a lot to be desired in the openers.
Germany wins 4-2: Germans dominated the match!


Seriously, :wtf: Goals happen. When matches are decided by so few goals in the first place, how can you base "domination" on score alone? There is so much more to the game than score alone - one team can look dominant in a tie, or even a loss! Do the commentators even think about what they're saying before they say it?

[ceile]

27. Poland v Equador

about to start!!! C'mon Poland!

[951-Riverside]

28. Was that a left hook Equador just gave Poland?

[Common Sense Party]

29. Purely accidental, I'm sure. The Polish guy is a good actor, though.

[951-Riverside]

49. 0 Poland 2 Ecuador

[Common Sense Party]

30. Wow! Double header!!!

Ecuador scores first on a double-header ball (two of their players head the ball in succession).

Never thought Ecuador would tally a goal first.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

35. Speak for yourself. I bet Germany and Ecuador would qualify. -nt

[Common Sense Party]

51. I thought I *was* speaking for myself. nt

[Common Sense Party]

31. Is anyone even on this thread?

Ecuador is playing kind of rough and dirty, IMHO.

Poland looks frustrated that they can't make something happen.

[WoodyTobiasJr]

32. Still 1-0?

Any sign of the Polish hooligans?


Haha hooligans - that's a funny word

[Common Sense Party]

37. I haven't seen any. But I'm watching a 4x3" window on my PC.

The British army could march across the screen and I might miss it.

Still 1-0 at the half.

[Writer]

44. Do you have a link for this? n/t

[Common Sense Party]

48. Yes, here:

http://www.sopcast.com/index.jsp

You have to download the player. Took me all of 30 seconds on DSL.

Then the sop stream (I don't know what that means, but...) is:

sop://202.101.35.147:3912/6226

[951-Riverside]

33. Still here (making a snack ATM) :D

[Common Sense Party]

34. So what language do the refs use to speak to the players?

You've got players who speak Spanish, players who speak Polish, and a ref that looks like he speaks Korean (?).

What language do they use out on the field so everyone understands? English? French? ???

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

36. Whistle, cards, hand gestures. Those are standardized. -nt

[Common Sense Party]

46. Well, yes, I know. But you see the ref speaking to the players,

and you see them whining to the ref about his calls. I'm wondering what language they are SPEAKING.

[mwooldri]

155. Ummm... tends to be English usually.

Though that's not always the case. I guess they get a ref who can speak a standard language to both teams.

Mark.

[RagingInMiami]

39. Here's one way to keep the thread kicked

[Writer]

40. Any English language streams I can try?

I'm now at a coffee shop with my laptop and can't watch it. I'm hunting... but can't find anything!

[WoodyTobiasJr]

41. The BBC has one ---

But I couldn't get it running

[Writer]

42. There's a note that says that the Poland-Ecuador game...

is available to UK users only :( :( :(

[WoodyTobiasJr]

43. Bummer - maybe try fifaworldcup.com

Again, I couldn't get in this one either, I think their server was getting hammered. I don't know if is a video broadcast or just text though

[951-Riverside]

45. Right now (unless ESPN covers it) the only options are Chinese and Spanish

[Common Sense Party]

47. I'm watching a Brazilian stream, thanks to a poster upthread

who mentioned SOPcast. I downloaded it and presto! I've got
the mundial.

[Common Sense Party]

50. NICE teamwork there by the Ecuador strikers!

Made it look easy.

Poland surprised me here. I thought they'd put up a fight.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

53. Ecuador displayed great defense as well

I felt bad for Poland

[LadyAziz]

56. a great result for Ecuador

Over the last few weeks on FSC the commentators were saying how Ecuador play at their best at home because of the high-altitude. But look who's laughing now.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

52. Trinidad and Tobago! Trinidad and Tobago! Trinidad and Tobago!

Any country that calls the sport "soccer" doesn't deserve to even play!

[Writer]

57. How in the @#$^ did that come to be, anyway?

El futbol... football. And in the US: soccer?

[Meshuga]

54. Brazil has an amazing group of forwards

They are usually favorites but this time around they have a killer group of awesome players up front AKA "The Fantastic Four" AKA "Kaka, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, and Adriano". This might be their best team ever (at least on paper). Hopefully they will entertain us like their legendary 1970 team we read so much about in the soccer websites.

Germany looked good today but I think they would not be able to beat Brazil, Argentina, or England in the later rounds. In my opinion, these three teams are the favorites by far to go all the way.

This counts as my kick to keep the thread going! :-)

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

55. So is it round robin or Swiss within the groups, then single elimination?

We had some doctors from the Netherlands visiting where I work. I asked them if their guys were going to win this year, they said nah, Brazil or Argentina.

[CatholicEdHead]

58. If this is kicked until the WC is over it will pass the Kudzu thread

[Writer]

59. I don't have a problem with that LOL.

;)

[Kajsa]

61. I'm with you all the way.

32 Billion people around the globe are watching
the World Cup match.

It's time we caught up with them.

[helderheid]

62. ORANJE!

:)

[Meshuga]

67. Besides the oranje team that comes to mind...

Isn't Ivory Coast oranje as well?

[musiclawyer]

63. Just got home to see the tivo'd Poland game

Equador looked strong, tough, smart; like a team that has been up against better teams. (Note to self--they have in qualifying!) Going to bed now to wake up to early England game, on west coast.

[Meshuga]

64. Kick! - England vs Paraguay

England vs Paraguay should be a good game this morning!

[Zech Marquis]

65. very hard to predict the US results this time

The Group opponents are not pushovers at all-Czech Republic, Italy, and Ghana wpn't roll over and play dead. BUT, the game is played on the pitch, not on stat sheets :-) I'm pulling for England myself.

[alcibiades_mystery]

66. ENGLAND PARAGUAY t minus one hour

Clap clap clap-clap-clap clap-clap clap-clap - ENGLAND!

On a side note, they actually used the word "hooligans" on the Today show this morning. That fills my heart with joy!!!

[Random_Australian]

68. USA SUX AUSTRALIA RULES!

[Meshuga]

80. I think the US is a better team

than Australia. Regardless, both teams are very well coached. USA vs Australia would be an exciting game but I don't think it's going to happen because both teams have pretty tough groups.

[Kire]

355. well coached?

Arena is shite. At the Morocco friendly, he said, "The most important thing is to have fun". And guess what? They lost.

He's never going to coach another US team again. That's for sure.

[TexomaDem]

85. yeah...

Team USA is overrated. But at least they've qualified for the past few WC's. How many years has it been since Australia made it to the tourney? 32 years... ;-)

[alcibiades_mystery]

69. SCORE SPOILER

England 1 0 Paraguay

Beckham sends in a scorcher in the 3rd minute, headed in accidentally by Gamarra of Paraguay (own goal).

[Telly Savalas]

70. Yipes. England will have to do better than they did in the 2nd half

if they hope to go very far into the tournament.

[alcibiades_mystery]

71. Nah

England pulled a pushover grouping.

The only minor threat is Sweden, and that's super-minor.

The US, on the other hand, pulled the worst grouping imaginable, with every team a top quality contender.

[Telly Savalas]

72. I don't mean they'll have problems getting out of their group.

I'm just saying they won't advance much further than that if they put on the sort of tepid performance they did in the 2nd half.

[Telly Savalas]

73. And on the subject of the US

They did get a dreadful draw.

Even if they can manage to place second in their group, it's almost certain they'd face Brasil in the first elimination round. I'm cheering for them, but one has to be realistic.

[ps1074]

74. Not happy with any of the games sofar

eom

[ps1074]

76. First upset

Sweden 0 - 0 Trinidad and Tobago

Sweden are my favorites to reach the final :(

[Telly Savalas]

77. That was a really exciting game.

At least the second half was (missed the first)

With Ibrahamovic and Larssen, it's pretty amazing that Sweden could go for 45 minutes on the verge of scoring, but never actually getting a goal.

[musiclawyer]

78. Sweden looks good on paper

but like my team, Spain, they tend to not finish, both goals and games. I attribute it to the constant chaos of trying to find the right lineup and key guys not playing together enough

[TexomaDem]

79. red card

And T&T played with only 10 men in the second half. The Swedes should be ashamed of themselves.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

91. The faces of the Swedish fans in attendance were priceless.

The players looked like they were about to dig holes in the field and bury themselves. Ouch! :rofl:

[Meshuga]

81. Argentina vs Ivory Coast is next. Predictions anyone?

Ivory coast can beat Argentina. They are good. But I think Argentina is going to prevail today with the score of 2-1.

What do you think? Let's compare predictions after the game! ;-)

[NewJeffCT]

82. I think it will be 2-0 Argentina

my blind guess.

[Meshuga]

83. Good guess

for a blind guess.

[ps1074]

84. Argentina are one of the strongest teams

It will be very difficult for Ivory Coast to get anything from this game. This group is very very tough - Netherlands, Argentina, Ivory Coast and Serbia. This is a must win game for Argentina. I say Argentina win 2-0 with goals from Riquelme and Crespo.

[Ilsa]

87. Damn you're good! Saviola, instead, but good call. eom

[Meshuga]

88. I guessed it right! 2-1!!!

Lucky me! ;-)

[Ilsa]

86. Here's a wall chart off BBC News site:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sol/shared/spl/hi/football/06/worldcup/pdf/wallchart.pdf

This is a pdf file of a World Cup wall chart.

It's been fun watching it today...

[mwooldri]

153. Delete.

Oops.

[Writer]

89. Kick. n/t

[YellowRubberDuckie]

90. Sorry, baby, it's going probably going to be Germany.

Possibly England. Count out those crybaby Paraguay players. And I would have more to go on, but we're getting screwed in this market. :cry:
Duckie

[BlueCollar]

92. kick

England looked horribly patchy after Owen came off and Crouch looked lost at times...As for A.Cole...has he got a clue what passing the ball means?

England had better put it together before they play Sweden..

[Meshuga]

93. Next Game: Holland vs Serbia - Predict the score!

I think it's going to be a 1-1 tie. Holland is notorious for starting slow in the World Cup.

What do you think. Predict the score and let's compare after the game.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

94. Netherlands wins 2-0. -nt

[Kellanved]

97. I say 2-1

It might get ugly in the second half.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

98. Perhaps, if the Dutch lose their groove.

So far, they've been playing some pleasantly high-quality football. That goal by Robben was of pure Ronaldo vintage.

[Meshuga]

100. 1-0

We didn't get it right! :-(

[Wetzelbill]

95. maybe if it was called the "Kudzu Cup"

:)

[Writer]

109. LOL! Would it look something like this?

[Wetzelbill]

112. Exactly!!!!!

[Cannikin]

96. I'm a notorious thread killer. Lets hope that doesn't hold true here!

[alcibiades_mystery]

99. I spit on your reputation as a thread killer!

No Cannikin thread will die if I see it first!!!

Nederlands 1 0 Serbia Montenegro (54th minute)

[brentspeak]

101. The Dutch just beat Serbia, 1-0

but it wasn't even close; Serbia was like a college team against the Orange.

[Meshuga]

102. So far...

We have a bunch of games with teams who score first holding on to the lead and the other team with an impotent offense that cannot score. The only two teams to put up somewhat of a fight after being scored on first were Costa Rica and Ivory coast.

[Blue_Tires]

103. Mexico-Iran coming up!

[ps1074]

104. my prediction is for a very good game

Mexico will probably win by 2 goals. Either 2-0 or 3-1... This is also the first game with an asian team in this world cup.

[ps1074]

105. My prediction was right

:woohoo:

It was a good game with Iran looking like the better team the first half. But they were not even close in the second half. A well deserved win for Mexico.

Next game - Portugal v Angola. I expect an easy win for Portugal. On a side note - most of the Angolan players play in Portugal, though not in the biggest clubs. Still, it will be a fun game to watch.

[Meshuga]

107. Good game indeed

Probably one of the better games so far.
I think Angola might give Portugal some trouble. I don't think it's going to be easy.

[Blue_Tires]

111. serves Iran right

for trying to sit in a tie for 40 mins....

[Karenina]

108. Well your 3-1 prediction

is where it stands now. Not too much hoopla on the streets because EVERYONE is in the park. It's an INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL day! Went for a walk and after sniffing the roses I came upon a boxcar that had a bigscreen installed, benches in front and an elderly, corpulent couple sitting on the front bench in their Iran t-shirts clutching flags. Further on, I nearly tripped over a 3 year old with his football. There were toddlers and footballs all over. The best strategy is to stand stock still till they pass- you never know which way those rugrats are gonna run.

[Writer]

110. Karenina - where are you? n/t

[Karenina]

113. I'm right HERE

in cyberspace with YOU!!! :P:hug::P

[Writer]

114. Smart arse!

:P

[Karenina]

116. Just got back from a beer run

Watched 10 minutes of Angola vs Portugal (0-1) at the kiosk, should be hearing the car horns soon... (the Portugese live down the street to the left; FABULOUS bakeries), the Angolan businesses are around the corner to the right. I'm waiting for it...

[CatholicEdHead]

106. The world did not end

I figure the Iran-Mexico matchup on a US TV Network on a Sunday morning would have some people nationwide blow more than one fuse.

[musiclawyer]

115. Curious at what the ratings will be

vs ratings on Univision for the same Mexico game. If the audience was not split, I bet they ratings would have been huge.

[BlueStateGirl]

117. Can't wait for tomorrow's USA- Cech Republic match! I think

I will take the afternoon off.

Had a great time watching today's games. There is almost nothing better than a couple of pints and soccer on a Sunday afternoon.

[Writer]

118. What time is USA-Check Repub.?

I thought it was on in the morning...

[Meshuga]

119. Noon

I'm taking an extra hour at lunch to watch this game! Kick!!!

[Writer]

122. Hmm, Mr. Wiggles. Don't know about THAT one...

I now sort of feel like petitioning FIFA for my time BACK. :o

[Swamp Rat]

120. Oh eehhh oh eh oh eh oh ehh, Brasil, Brasil!!! (warning! lots of pix!)

:o Oh eehhh oh eh oh eh oh ehh, Brasil, Brasil!!! :D

[Karenina]

126. In all the game hoopla filler this evening

I saw a clip of Ronaldo responding to Lula's criticism of him being too fat. He quipped, "It's a lie that I'm too fat, just as it is a lie that he's a drunk." TOR!!!

[Swamp Rat]

128. rarararara!!! ... PORRA!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Tudo bem amor? :hug:

I spent the weekend playing samba! ... e você? :hi:



Oba!

[Karenina]

129. Fußball und Frühlingsputzen und spazieren gehen!

Das Wetter ist ja SUPER! Mir geht's gut! :hug: Die Amis haben noch viel zu lernen.

Hmmm... My street noise prediction is for Ghana. There are LOTS of Italians around and it's pretty damn quiet...

OOPS! There they go! Tricolors and horns! Italy ? to ?

[shugah]

121. any streams for today's games?

all good matches today, and i'm lucky to be home to watch them. my poor husband, however, left for work complaining "in england there would be televisions everywhere!"

[ceile]

123. Not a good first showing for US n/t

[Karenina]

127. As in, the Amis got

their asses kicked? They seemed to be playing "Keep Away." Decent at taking over and maintaining possession but no concept of offense OR of how to control the Czechs when they got in close.

[alcibiades_mystery]

132. It was a humiliation

Asses kicked? That's putting it lightly. The USA team just got shown how to play international soccer, and it looked like a professional team playing the junior high school B squad. American soccer may have just seen its death knell. Absolutely horrific. Worst case scenario.

[meow2u3]

133. I know why the US got their asses kicked

Bush called Bruce Arena. The Swaggering Swine is a real jinx to the players--and the team! :puke:

Do us a favor, Chimpy! Keep your goddamn mouth shut until after the World Cup.

[Karenina]

134. Oh, such histrionics!

They never had a chance, they were seriously outclassed. Where I thought they were good was in forcing turnovers and maintaining possession. But they were playing "Keep Away." The Czech defense was only strong in the goal area and otherwise seemed a bit airheaded. Their OFFENSE once they got positioned close in was AWESOME!

[alcibiades_mystery]

135. You must be joking

There was no offense. There was no nothing. The Czechs handed the US their ass, and the US team looked like scared schoolboys. Keep away indeed. It looked like they were deathly afraid for the Czechs to touch the ball. And they were right to be, since the Czechs OWNED the US squad whenever they got the ball. Offense? Awesome? Rose colored glassed couldn't even produce that judgment. It was a disaster.

[Karenina]

136. Hey DUDE!

What I meant was the CZECHS, once they got in position, were AWESOME and DEADLY offensively. Midfield the Amis controlled the ball and they were better in forcing turnovers. Offensively, Johnson is the only one on the Ami team who gets an A for effort. The AMIS SUCKED at offense. When they're able to add some strike ability to their keep away skills, THEN we'll have something to discuss. The Czechs outclass them. After the VERY SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH of looking at all their pix and info, my friend gave it 2(3)-1 C, and I 4-1 C, 2 for Jan. Poor baby...

[librarycard]

124. I highly recommend watching US v. Czech game.

It was wonderful!

[alcibiades_mystery]

130. It was wonderful on the Czech side

The US, on the other hand, played about the worst game of soccer I've seen in a long goddamn time. It looked like college kids playing against twelve year olds. The prospects of US soccer just deflated, perhaps for the next ten years. The whole world is laughing their asses off as we speak. And, with the Italians winning, the US will pretty much have to win the next two games to get out of group play. Of course, playing the way they played today, it's unlikely that they would beat the top high school teams in either Italy or Ghana, much less thei national squads. A global public embarrassment.

[LadyAziz]

137. Yesterday while I was watching FSC....

the female reporter was interviewing Czech fans and this one guy (seemed kind of drunk) said his team would beat the US 3-0 and that Nedved would score one and Baros would score two, then the reporter asked but isn't Baros injured? the guy says no he will play the last 15 minutes. I was at work so I missed the the game but when I came home and checked the score I was a bit taken back. I hope they do better next time for their own sake.

[librarycard]

141. The US will not beat Italy

The US will lose by a wide margin. I hope it won't be too embarrassing.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

125. Italy Vs Ghana now

Any upsets here? Italy haven't been strong these past few years.

[alcibiades_mystery]

131. SPOILER SCORE

Italia 2 0 Ghana

Finito.

Group E
Czech Republic 3 points +3 goals
Italia 3 points +2 goals
Ghana 0 points -2 goals
USA 0 points -3 goals

[Anarcho-Socialist]

138. SPOILER comment

Italy outplayed Ghana overall; but Ghana could have equalised and gone ahead early on if they converted their chances.

Italy seemed to show greater fitness and were dangerous on the counterattack. Ghana were good at running at defences but were poor in the air. Both teams seemed poor defensively.

If Italy avoids making silly defensive errors, they could make the semi-finals; but I'm not convinced so far. We'll see how they do next time.

[Meshuga]

139. Brazil plays tomorrow - I can't wait!!!

That's the team everybody is waiting for. They are playing a 4-2-4 (4 defenders, 2 mid-fielders, and 4 forwards) against Croatia. That's ballsy! I haven't seen a team use the 4-2-4 since the 1970 World Cup! That's 4 forwards when other teams use only one or two in a game. And they have 4 amazing guys up front also known as the "magical four" who are all amazing players.

The "magical four" are: Kaká, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, and Adriano and they are finally playing together in a tournament. People would call them the "magical five" but Robinho has to sit on the bench. Robinho would probably be a starter in any other team but not for Brazil who are loaded with players up front.

The catch is that these guys haven't played together much and the 4-2-4 system opens up for the other team to score so it should be an interesting game against Croatia.

Anyhow, this Brazilian team has the potential to be their greatest ever. The question is whether these guys will play well together. Tomorrow is the big test.



Kaká is peaking right now. He is the player to watch!
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/w/player/184312_KAKA.html



Adriano is a scoring machine
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/w/player/175683_ADRIANO.html


Ronaldo needs two goals to be the all-time top scorer in World Cup finals
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/w/player/92699_RONALDO.html


Ronaldinho is the best player in the world. Look up his videos at the Nike website. They are amazing!
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/w/player/3243_RONALDINHO.html


We will see more of Robinho's entertaining game in 2010
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/w/player/194815_ROBINHO.html

[devilgrrl]

140. F' Brazil! Go Mexico!!!!!

:silly:

[Meshuga]

143. Mexico's hero so far...

...is Brazilian born. ;-)

[Karenina]

142. Brasilien vs Kroatien 21:00

eight hours from now...

[Writer]

147. Damn! Was that a good game.

Croatia really held Brazil back.

[Karenina]

148. Got to a screen just as Ronaldo

was waving buh-bye. We were looking for a late goal but Croatia really did just say no.

[Writer]

149. What happened to Ronaldo, anyway?

Did he just casually walk onto the field at the second half? The ESPN announcers were discussing him at length because he didn't show up to play today.

[Karenina]

150. Prolly still pissed

at Lula for calling him fat.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

157. Lula was right.

And he didn't even "call him fat," he just said he was worried about Ronaldo's physical fitness. Ronaldo responded with a very unpolite tirade.

[Karenina]

162. Methinks Ronaldo

spoke the unvarnished truth.

[Meshuga]

144. Kick! n/t

[Writer]

145. Kickety kick. n/t

[ps1074]

146. kick

Brazil v Croatia starts in 27 minutes. I have a feeling it will be a great game.

I think I might even have a beer watching it :toast:

[Karenina]

151. Mittwoch! Deutschland vs Polen!!!

21:00. That's noon in L.A. and 3 p.m. in the Apple.

[Karenina]

152. Spain vs Ukraine now underway

[Karenina]

156. Tunesien vs Saudi-Arabien schon vorbei

Scores :shrug:

No TV in my flat. A friend a coupla doors down is expecting me. See ya in a bit! :hi:

[Kellanved]

186. Here's the Germany - Poland match as rap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D7lktO_5sg

Well ... whatever.

[mwooldri]

154. Thursday: England vs. Trinidad & Tobago.

My guess is an England win. The 20th with Sweden? Sorry I can't guess that one.

Mark.

[Karenina]

158. SPOILER ALERT

1-0 DEUTSCHLAND!!!!

:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:
AT 90 MINUTES!!!
:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:
When Klinsi put David in there I just KNEW the energy would shift!!!
:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

[Karenina]

159. Didn't anybody watch?

:freak:

[Meshuga]

160. Yep

The end of the game.

[TexomaDem]

164. yes

It was a nail biter. The Poles torwart kept them in the game. Should have been 3-0 at least. Germany has to win next Tuesday(I'm sure they will)to win the group.

Damn goal differential...

[Writer]

167. I WILL watch - so everyone KEEP QUIET!!!

;) ;) ;)

[Sequoia]

161. I hope Iran wins

[Karenina]

163. Thursday's line-up

Ecuador vs Costa Rica
England vs Trinidad-Tobago
Schweden vs Paraguay

[progressivegunowner]

165. Kick

Um, why not? When did the USA get eliminated? Wasn't that when they lost to Italy...

[progressivegunowner]

166. Huh, they aren't done yet.

When do they play Italy? That's probably when we'll be eliminated, lol. Man, if we played the American version of football for a world cup, rather than the European version, we'd probably stand a much better chance of winning.

[Writer]

168. Schweden?

Is that like "schwing!"??? :shrug:

[Karenina]

169. Ganz genau!

:P

[Writer]

170. Hey - quit cursing at me in German!

;) ;) ;)

[Karenina]

171. Man, that would have been really embarrassing

for England had not Crouch grabbed the TriTo by the hair to score...

Had a REALLY funny encounter with a friend. Marie (6) & I were BOTH wearing red and white. SHE decided that meant I was for TriTo and Marie for England. COMPLETELY UNCONSCIOUS und auch gar nicht böse gemeint. I called her on it later but then had to allow her to deny herself off the hook as I could see how startled she was. Das heißt FREUNDSCHAFT.

Sweden "lucked out" on their win, it was my impression that 0-0 would be the outcome.

[Blue_Tires]

172. not a whole lot of sexiness in tomorrow's matchups

but that Holland-Ivory Coast game could be fun

[Writer]

173. Isn't the US playing tomorrow? n/t

[Blue_Tires]

174. USA plays saturday against Italy

[Karenina]

175. Friday line-up:

Argentinien vs Serb.-Mont.
Niederlande vs Elfenbeinküste
Mexico vs Angola

Elfenbeinküste??? Oh yeah, Ivory Coast!

[Blue_Tires]

184. um...yeah

i looked at my maps, and i know for a fact that FIFA let an imaginary country into the World Cup, since i can't find Elfenbeinküste anywhere! :silly: :crazy: :dunce:

but in all seriousness, i feel sorry for the Ivory Coast--they got the two hardest matchups in their first two games as anyone! out of all the teams going home early so far, i feel they are the best, and had they landed in a friendlier group (England, Spain--I'm looking in your directions) could have easily advanced

[Karenina]

176. Coming up next!!!

Don't cry for Argentina! ;-)

[Meshuga]

177. We should cry for Serbia & Montenegro

They got killed by Argentina 6-0

[Karenina]

178. SHHHHHH!

Mexico vs Angola underway.

[Writer]

179. Si! Viva Mexico!

:D

[Writer]

180. What is wrong with the top seeds! Subpar play all around...

England, Mexico, the US... even Brazil!

I hope it gets better in the next round.

[Meshuga]

181. Top seeds

Top seeds are not going to give a show now in the first round. But look at Argentina, a top seed with a 6-0 victory today.

I like the US but they are not the top seed. The top seed in the US group is Italy.

Only in 1970 did a team look impressive in the begining and won the world cup in the end. The champion of the tournament usually give up a tie or even a loss before the end of the tournament. It's normal.

You will see these teams give a show in the later rounds. The early rounds are here for the long shots to impress the world.

[Karenina]

182. Italy vs U.S. Saturday 21:00

I'm having such fun! No TV in my flat, but the games I've wanted to see I've been able to watch with like-minded souls. That means like shul/church/moschee. EVERYBODY SHUT UP, I'M WATCHING THE GAME! Caught the last 15 of Mex/Ang at the corner watering hole. Big screen on the wall, complete peace and quiet in the midst of a bar scene. GEIL!!!

When my kids were young the WHOLE FAMILY KNEW "Sunday 11-4" was MOM'S NFL TIME. Better ask Dad.

[Karenina]

183. The Amis take to the field

in 8 hours! Gotta go do a beer run!

[Kellanved]

185. Hmm. There will be a minute of silence for Fritz Walter

Somehow I think there are worthier June 17th events to be remembered , but OK.

[TexomaDem]

187. incredible... Ghana... (spoiler alert)

2 Czechs 0

U.S. can start packin their bags.

[zwielicht]

193. Amazing game, maybe the best one i've ever seen!

Ghana should win the world cup, but it will be hard, as corrupt as the referees seem to be

[Meshuga]

188. Ref took the chance away from the US

I agree with Backenbauer, the refs in the world cup are horrible! They give a card for anything. US deserve the win even when playing with only nine players.

[Writer]

189. That was the US' game!!!

Incredible! I've never seen such poor refereeing in ANY spectator sport. The man should be boxed up and shipped back to Uruguay. Pronto!!!

[TexomaDem]

190. Have you been...

watching the NBA playoffs? Now there's some bad officiating.

[Writer]

191. What's going on?

I've been all World Cup this month.

[TexomaDem]

192. the last few minutes

of game 3 in the Mavs-Heat series. A loose ball foul on O'Neal that wasn't called. And a steal, where the defender(offender in this case)went thru Nowitzki to get the ball, come to mind :grr:

Yes, I'm a Mavs homer...

let's keep this thread WC though.

[BlueStateGirl]

202. Kick

[musiclawyer]

194. Besides what I wrote under the USA game thread

... about Bruce Arena being exposed as a less than world class grade coach( see Eddie Pope Brian McBride) Did anyone hear Claudio Reyna's name called at all in the second half?
The world cup finals is for dudes in their PRIME! Did you catch that Bruce? ABC announcing team--terrible. Not nearly enough outrage. You can tell by how a game is called, both in play by play and color, whether you are a soccer nation. I sadly acknowledge that USA is not there yet, not yet. But soon.

[Karenina]

195. The U.S. looks good to me

in their turnovers and possession. I was not surprised that their defense held, more that the Italians didn't score again.

[Meshuga]

196. I think the US played a fine game

And looked better than Italy. After Eddie Pope got the red card they were playing with nine and that is tough to do.

[mvd]

203. They did play well

Isn't it true that the USA will be with 9 players for the next game? They said that no team has ever scored with 9 players.

I like soccer in small doses, which is why I've been watching the World Cup.

[Writer]

204. I think they're playing with 11...

the 2 players who received a red card, however, can't participate. Another 2 will have to take their places.

[mvd]

206. Well, that's good to know

The players still might be missed.

I'm just posting for a short time today - bye, all! :hi:

[Karenina]

197. Fathers Day line-up:

15:00 Japan vs Kroatien
18:00 Brasilien vs Australien
21:00 Frankreich vs Südkorea

[meow2u3]

198. In English, please

I don't speak, read, nor write German. Thank you very much.

[Mutley]

199. ...

15:00 Japan vs Kroatien — Japan vs. Kroatia
18:00 Brasilien vs Australien — Brasil vs. Australia
21:00 Frankreich vs Südkorea — France vs. South Korea

The times are probably in the German time zone, which I think is 5 hours ahead of our EST, and are also on a 24 hour clock instead of a 12.

[meow2u3]

200. Thanks for the crash course in German

:D

I didn't know what the Germans called France. It sounds like the name of an American football player, Frank Reich, to me. :D

[Mutley]

201. Ha!

One lone American Football player against the entirety of the South Korean soccer team! :D

[Karenina]

205. Errraaa... Montag 19 Juni

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

15:00 Togo vs Schweiz
18:00 Saudi-Arabien vs Ukraine
21:00 Spanien vs Tunesien

[Karenina]

207. Dienstag 20Juni

16:00

Ecuador vs Deutschland - Berlin
Costa Rica vs Polen - Hannover

21:00

Paraguay vs Trinadad & Tobago - Kaiserslautern
Schweden vs England - Colonia. Kölle Alaaf!!

[Writer]

208. Thanks, Karenina... I think I might actually watch the England game.

I have a theory that they need a tough opponent to play well. Let's see if that theory holds water...

[MissHoneychurch]

209. Next game England vs Sweden

and Germany beat Ecuador :bounce:

[BlueCollar]

210. Crouch on the bench to start this game

Rooney and Owen up front...

Finally!!!!

I'm a Liverpool fan but a realist...weneed speed and creativity up front

[MissHoneychurch]

211. Well

Owen out, Crouch in ....

[BlueCollar]

213. I know....

:scared:

Crouch hasn't done much but Lampard and Cole are playing well

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

227. Ouch. My double-entendre-o-meter exploded with that one! -nt

[arwalden]

229. Is It Just Me... Or Does That Sound Dirty?

[StellaBlue]

212. Watching it

I root for England, having lived there for three years. LOVE it. Not that I follow world football much. I am much more obsessed with Texas American football. But I am really enjoying this World Cup. I wish I was in England celebrating tonight with my friends, though.

:toast:

[BlueCollar]

214. 1-1

I'm getting worried now

[StellaBlue]

215. Indeed.

Pretty interesting.

[MissHoneychurch]

216. 2-1 England

I should have gone to the Irish pub :rofl:

[BlueCollar]

217. i feel just a tiny bit better now....

a tiny bit...

Thank God for Gerrard

[StellaBlue]

218. indeed

I love this. I miss England sooooo much.

America's boring.

:hide:

[StellaBlue]

219. Oh, SHIT. Spoke too soon.

nt

[BlueCollar]

221. my exact word

dammit

[Kellanved]

220. The Irish pub with England scoring?

no, that doesn't sound like a good idea. :scared:



2-2, BTW - maybe the Irish pub would have been a good idea, after all.

[BlueCollar]

222. I'm off to work....

God, I hate this

[MissHoneychurch]

223. So we are playing Sweden in the next round

not that I know if that is better or not. :shrug:

[Kellanved]

224. Well, it probably won't matter

Sweden and England looked pretty identical so far.

Feelings won't run as high against England, so that's a plus.

Damn. I watched the match today at that stupid mini-stadium at the Reichstag and now have an earworm with two of the most horrible songs ever composed.

[MissHoneychurch]

225. Poor you

earworm with crabby soccer songs is horrible. I feel with you. What do you think about our team?

[Kellanved]

226. Oh, cautiously optimistic

Three games against small opponents and the huge media hype make a cool assessment difficult.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

228. Are you talking about Germany or Brazil?

Mirror, mirror.

[WoodyTobiasJr]

230. Germany is playing with a confidence they haven't shown in a long time!

LET'S GO DEUTSCHLAND!!!!!!!

LET'S GO ALEMANIA

LET'S GO L'ALLEMAGNE

LET's GO LA GERMANIA
LET'S GO المانيا
LET'S GO ドイツ


LET'S GO 독일
LET'S GO 德国

[Kellanved]

231. Well, then you'll like those

http://www.viva.tv/Stars/Player/id/311817/asset_id/34060/type/video/inter_id/419

http://www.viva.tv/Stars/Player/id/151303/asset_id/33805/type/video/inter_id/14146

:evilgrin:

[Karenina]

232. They got the job done today! WOOHOO!!

:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

The whole city went nuts when the Berlin game ended. We had a sea of Swedes and Brits in town for the late game. The friends with whom I was watching wanted to get their baggage checked for an early flight stateside soo... Off to the Hauptbahnhof we went.

Getting there was an adventure. I couldn't convince them to just make a beeline to the U-bahn so a cab dropped us at the U-bahn. 3 stops. No muss. No fuss. Sherry noted, as we ploughed through the crowd single file, that my clothing suddenly made sense to her. (Ja, Iwa sportin' homie cullas mit a spring green Ampelmann on my red t-shirt and a hair thingy :evilgrin: ). The atmosphere was Karnevalesque, absolutely exuberant. The clerk at Lufthansa's check-in was wearing face paint. :rofl:

Are you ready for some Fußball?

:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

[Karenina]

233. Mittwoch 21 Juni

16:00 Leipzig/ Gelsenkirchen
Iran vs Angola/ Portugal vs Mexiko

21:00 Frankfurt/ München
Niederlande vs Argentinien/ Elfenbeinküste vs Serbien-Mont.

[Karenina]

234. Where y'all be???

We're into dramatic development mode now! Let the 8th finals begin!

NO COMMENT on Argentina or the Dutch? IMHO Elfenbeinküste is the best of the lot dropped from contention. Hmmm... let's see who's up next. OOOHOOO!

Do. 22.06.06 16:00 Nürmberg GHANA VS USA!!! HOLY SHIT!!! :scared:

[Writer]

235. I'm here... I'm just choosy.

I'm following the US, England, and Mexico. It's because I'm a Murkin who scrambles about in her self-involved, insulated bubble chasing resources to fund her mini-mansion and mega car. All other nations be damned!

;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)

Seriously... over the last week I've had two job interviews, am writing, and have been practicing my favorite hobby - drinking. I've also been training for triathlon.

Otherwise, I catch as many games as I can. I can't wait until the next round!

[Karenina]

236. But, WRITER!!!

THURSDAY 16:00 GMT in Nürnberg, OMFG!!! :tinfoilhat:

[Writer]

238. And the Czechs and the Italians are playing at the same time!

I hope the Italians K-O the Czechs.

And that the US wins by at least three goals over Ghana :P

[NewJeffCT]

237. Any early predictions for USA-Ghana?

It's been a crazy group - Italy beats Ghana 2-0, then Ghana beats the Czechs 2-0, while the Czechs beat the US 3-0 and US & Italy tie.

[Karenina]

239. I wouldn't dare.

Hasn't anyone watched Argentina/Holland yet? How about that crotch grab, eh? NO CARD!

[nevergiveup]

240. USA 2 Ghana 1 ---- Italy 2 Czechs 0

Ghana will give USA fits but we will prevail. No way Italy will not advance to second round.

[Karenina]

241. 4 HOURS TIL NURENBERG!

MUST FIND TV!

[da_chimperor]

242. I SOOOO wish I was there. It's only an hour away from where I live.

Stupid exams! x(

Well, after enough Münchner helles I don't think i'll be that heartbroken. :beer:

[Writer]

244. Don't feel too bad... the US is playing some pretty poor soccer...

long live the US team. :cry: :patriot:

[Brewman_Jax]

243. Kick

[musiclawyer]

245. When Landon Donovan is your best player, you have problems

He's a decent enough attacking midfielder, but not nearly enough help. ESPN announcers and coach wrong to be singling him out. If anything this World Cup exposed the USA as old in key positions , see, Reyna, McBride, Pope, and a coach way too conservative for World Cup level play. More about that later

[Writer]

246. After advancing as far as we did in 2002, this team was...

trumped up. Especially the GK... although there's only so much a GK can do while playing for a weak team. What a poor showing for the US this year... I'm still rooting for England and Mexico, though. :P

I think we need to package up a choice selection of MLS players, ship them to England, and teach them how to play FOOTBALL.

[musiclawyer]

248. Na, MLS isn't the problem

With some some simple changes made, Italy should have been a victory, Ghana too. I agree that MLS should let go it's better younger players sooner, e.g., Eddie Johnson. MLS is deep enough to maintain an entertaining product

[Writer]

250. I think the MLS is a LARGE reason for the US's lack of competitiveness...

it's simply neophyte soccer as compared to Europe and no where near as skilled as South America. It's bad soccer and that's the bumper crop from which we produce our players. The few good players we do produce play overseas. Also, culturally, we're a little too attached to body padding.

I do agree that Arena needs a boot. So does the GK.

[ikri]

257. A neutral's perspective

The US were pretty well organized, but good organization alone won't win you anything.

There's a glaring lack of creativity in the US midfield, there's no one there who seems able to find the killer pass or beat two or three players. If you look at every country that has qualified for the second round so far you'll find those types players in every midfield - England have Gerrard, Cole and Beckham, Germany have Ballack and Frings, Brazil have the whole team, France have Zidane, Ribery and Vieira, Holland have Robben, Van der Vaart and Van Persie, Argentina have Messi, Riquelme and Aimar, etc. etc.

I can't remember seeing the US making the best use of Landon Donovan, arguably the US team's best player, he has superb pace, enough to beat many defenders, but there weren't enough balls played through past the defense for him to run on to where he could have used his pace.

Perhaps there is a cultural problem, strength and athleticism is all well and good, but not at the expense of flair and creativity. The type of player who can dance his way through opponents won't be able to adapt to other sports very well since sheer brute strength is less important than good balance.

I would agree that more US players need to play in top flight European football, but that's another cultural (and legal) issue. Do US footballers go to college? If they do they're likely hindering their career. A top class footballer in Europe can expect to be scouted by age 14 where a club will track their progress and attempt to have them become part of the club's academy, sign an apprentice contract when they leave school at 16. If they're a success then by age 18 they'll have signed a full time professional contract, by age 20 or 21 they need to have broken into their club's first team. If they reach 22 or 23 without having secured a long-term contract to play a role in the first team they'll usually start looking around for other clubs in lower divisions.

If you look at Freddy Adu, the US wonder-kid, he's now 17 and playing for DC United. He needs to be playing for a top European team if he has any chance of meeting his potential, no offense to DC United but he's never going to learn much from their current crop of players, in fact they've only ever had 1 player who could teach him anything beneficial in Hristo Stoitchkov and he's now coaching the Bulgarian national team. Barcelona, Chelsea and Inter Milan have all been linked with Freddy Adu and if he were to join any of these teams he'd learn a great deal from the players and coaches they have.

I'd look very seriously at the draft system that's used by the MLS too, as far as I'm aware it's the only league in the world to use a draft system. Everywhere else clubs develop players.

Another issue of note is out of the control of the US. The qualifying area for major tournaments that the US is part of is quite possibly the easiest qualifying group in world football. A tough qualifying tie for the US might be a game against Grenada. No offense to Grenada, but they're hardly Brazil.

There is another trick that the US could use. There are a number of teams around who use players from other countries, Portugal were often called "Brazil B" for their use of Brazilian players with tenuous ties to Portugal in the national team. In this World Cup Trinidad & Tobago used Christopher Birchall, his Grandparents were English but emigrated to Trinidad where his mother was born, she lived there for 18 years before moving back to England where he Birchall was born, that was enough for him to qualify to play for T&T. The US could adopt a similar system, using players with links to the US who might not get into other national teams to boost the options available to the country.

I'd agree that perhaps a different coach would help, look at how well the Australian team have done with a world class coach, or look at South Korea, or any other team that succeeds beyond it's expectations thanks to an experienced coach.

[Writer]

260. What an excellent analysis...

As someone new to watching soccer on the world level, I at least could observe the difference between a team that fought and a team that did not. Ghana wanted to win, and their aggressiveness on the field demonstrated this. The US did not demonstrate the aggressiveness needed to compete on the world stage. They seemed to be merely scrimmaging at times, avoiding hard tackles.

That's from my amateur 'Murkin observations... :7

[meow2u3]

263. American laws are also a problem

Child labor laws in the United States generally prohibit kids from joining professional sports teams until they've reached their 18th birthday. I can't see why Congress can't make an exception for professional soccer (football outside the USA) players, with parental permission?

[musiclawyer]

249. Na, MLS isn't the problem

With some some simple changes made, Italy should have been a victory, Ghana too. I agree that MLS should let go it's better younger players sooner, e.g., Eddie Johnson. MLS is deep enough to maintain an entertaining product

[NewJeffCT]

252. I thought McBride did well early

At least he was dangerous on a few occasions. However, if I was watching the US for the first time, nobody would really have struck me as striking fear into the hearts of the opposition... was watching a wrap-up a little while ago on ESPN with Eric Wynalda & Julie Foudy and they had said that the US was supposed to be very strong offensively. Yet, they scored one goal on their own in 3 games.

[Karenina]

253. One old girl's observations...

The U.S. is NOT strong offensively. Give Johnson some time, he'll get there. They were great at maintaining ball possession and forcing turnovers. Combine that with striking ability and we'll have something to discuss. The team was overrated and I'm thrilled to have been spared the *U.S. commentary. Frankly I found them a bit thuggish, as the Dutch were against Argentina. (Am I the only one here who saw #9H grab #21A by the balls?)

[TexomaDem]

258. agreed

"The U.S. is NOT strong offensively"
agreed

"They were great at maintaining ball possession"
only as long as they didn't cross midfield.

"The team was overrated"
very much so. Take away the Italian own goal, and they only have 1 goal. And that was when Ghana gave the ball away deep in their own end. It was a nice goal though.

"I'm thrilled to have been spared the *U.S. commentary"
I wish I could say the same thing. I watched as many as I could on Univision(spanish channel).
Didn't understand a word, but it was better than the alternative.

"Frankly I found them a bit thuggish"
more than a "bit". They played the same way in 2002.

[Karenina]

262. Did you watch Holland?

They did the same song and dance with Argentina. Methinks the Argentinians got freaked watching their team members being carried off on stretchers. Togo was REAL GRABBY tonight but not that level of intentional violence.

[TexomaDem]

264. no, I missed it

1 hour till Germany-Sweden. I can't wait. I'm nervous already. Is 10 o'clock in the morning too early to start drinking? :beer:
I wish I could be there, in Munich. :toast:

[Karenina]

265. Can you believe I MISSED IT???

Had a training seminar... We turned on the radio whenever we heard the uproar rattling the building! ;-)

[TexomaDem]

269. Did you record it?

DVR or video?

I have to work on the 4th and 9th of July. If they go all the way, I won't be able to watch it live. :cry:

[musiclawyer]

247. And then there is Bruce Arena

Good coach, but seemingly one who has run his course. Nothing new. It happens to all coaches all over the world. 2002 wasn't a fluke. He made the right choices then, but had a much younger team and trhe element of surpise.

He had to surpise again this time. But No Josh Wolff, very little Eddie Johnson. Eddie Lewis playing out of position. Why on earth was John o'Brian on the team. A wasted valuable spot. And not that I hate Eddie Pope, but why play him at all. And why did he let him come on the filed with a yelloew card in the 2nd half of Italy game. I called that one. (If you knew my kids you could ask them). The USA has a good pool, especially with MLS. Now's the time for changes at the top.

[Blue_Tires]

251. drive home safely USMNT, and thank you for participating

[mvd]

254. I missed the US/Ghana match today

Sounds like the ref was a factor again today, though I can't complain too much without seeing it. Perhaps we are paying for our image.

[Writer]

255. I just want to mention that this thread AIN'T OVER...

just because the 'Murkins were eliminated (er, eliminated themselves) from the competition.

VIVA MEXICO!

GO ENGLAND!

GO... WHOEVER MAKES IT TO THE FINALS (I say Germany and Brazil)...

And stare curiously at European sex toys...
http://www.lovehoney.co.uk/bigpicture.cfm?id=7110&im=7290

[Karenina]

256. Friday 23 Juni

16:00

Ukraine vs Tunesien / Saudi-Arabien vs Spanien

21:00

Togo vs Frankreich / Schweiz vs Südkorea

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

259. Three good things are happening right now:

- Korea is being eliminated by Switzerland (I still can't swallow the outrageous thefts by the referees against Italy and Spain in 2002)

- France is getting in (the "Brazil Curse" was fun, but freepers hate France so I'm happy)

- Eight finals game: Spain vs. France! Yowza!

With 10 minutes to go.

[Karenina]

261. The Togo/France game tonight

was here in town. The atmosphere is just GREAT! Flags from all nations flying everywhere, people from all over converging on the city... This is MUCH MORE FUN than Karneval! Did anyone catch the KölschTogo Zug in the stadium? I LAUGHED SO HARD! "So WHAT if we're losing, it's just a game. WE'RE HERE TO P-A-R-T-Y!!!"

Togo struck me like the Dutch; less violent but overall MUCH TO GRABBY.
France advances.

[Writer]

266. Mexico and Argentina tied 1-1 - extra time!

Although I just heard Mr. Writer scream - was that a goal?

[BlueCollar]

267. Argentina vs. Germany in the Qtr Finals

As an England supporter I have mixed feelings about this one...LOL

I was pulling for Mexico this afternoon...

Tomorrow England vs. Ecuador.

Some good matchups in this initial elimination round...

[TexomaDem]

271. well...

""As an England supporter I have mixed feelings about this one...LOL""



Just keep reminding yourself of the "hand of god" goal Maradona scored in the '86 WC quarter-final.

[BlueCollar]

272. who can forget?

On the one hand I hope the Germans put the thugs from Argentina out...on the other hand I'd like to see England meet up with them again and take them out of this world cup...

As for the Germans...They're good...very good...too good?

[TexomaDem]

274. not me...

I'm still mad about the '86 final(and the '82 final). But the '90 final made me feel a little better. :)

When they weren't being thugs, they were taking dives. They would lose the ball and just fall down. And the ref called a foul. I'll be one mad mother-effer if that happens Friday and it costs Germany the game.


I'd give them a 10, out of 10 in scoring ability(creating chances). But a 7 defending around their goal. Too many guys getting through to the keeper.

[BlueCollar]

276. I expect the Germans

will make the Argentines feel every tackle.

Prissy Argentine sods today spent more time flopping about in fake pain and would have lost that game if not for a Mexican own-goal

[Karenina]

268. I walked away from "L"

where I'd watched the last 15 minutes, believing it was a 1-1 draw. :wtf:

[Karenina]

270. That's what I WANNA KNOW!

Cuz when the teams walked off the pitch, 1-1 was posted. I was screeching when that close-in shot hit the back net and couldn't figure out why the scoreboard didn't change... Hä?

[TexomaDem]

273. which one?

The goal in the 90th minute that was called offsides? Which was a bad call.

Did you miss the goal in the 98th minute? The goal from the edge/corner of the box? That was one hell of a shot.

[Karenina]

279. Indeed, it was!!!

[Blue_Tires]

275. tough breaks

i was really pulling for MEX to win against those cheating diving argies...hopefully the Germans will straighten their shit out

[Meshuga]

278. Me too...

I can't stand Sorin (their captain) who always hits the other players, never gets cards, and dives like crazy! I was pulling for Mexico but Argentina has a lot of talent and that counted at the end. Hopefully Germany will kick their butt on Friday.

[Karenina]

277. The tension mounts! Sunday:

SUNDAY 25 JUNE

SECOND ROUND MATCH THREE
England-Ecuador
Stuttgart, 1600
Live on BBC One/Radio Five Live

SECOND ROUND MATCH FOUR
Portugal v Holland
Nuremberg, 2000
Live on ITV/BBC Radio Five Live

[BlueCollar]

280. Portugal has impressed me so far in this cup

They're playing a very attractive and open flowing game. I like their chances to beat Holland by a single goal...

[BlueCollar]

281. England 1-0

Beckham with the free-kick,

Balboa can shut the F### up now

[Meshuga]

284. Balboa, Winalda, and Lalas...

Did a good job on the field in the 1994 World Cup but they are annoying commentators/analists. They were the culprits in creating the hype about the US team and then blamed the team for not "performing as expected". They read all the clichés from international media and repeat them on TV as their own material. I'm about to switch to Univision for their coverage in Spanish. :-)

[musiclawyer]

308. Winalda does a good job

I wish he would be even more candid. Lalas, Balboa, Foudy, just spew drivel. It's a shame the guys at FSC did not have the rights to call and comment on the world cup. They are broadcasters, not soccer player masquerading as broadcasters. US soccer should damand that soccer be called like it is in the rest a the world--(e.g. like the canadians call a hockey game)

[Ilsa]

282. Enjoyed today's match, but that drum beating was killing me. eom

[Karenina]

283. I watched 5 minutes

just to get a feel for how they were relating to each other. No dog in that fight. England advances.

How's the summer schedule advancing? :loveya:

[Ilsa]

286. OKay for now! Still one week left of summer school I, and then

we have several weeks at home, then the second session of summer school. My husband is going to London on business soon, so I'm rounding up some volunteers (I'm also going to volunteer to pay them a stipend) to take turns being an aide to him at a nearby Vacation Bible School. He'll get to see some of the other kids that he knows, and will be kept busy and on a schedule, and it'll give me a break each morning so I can have some peace! He'll also have a weekly dance class for him and a few others in July, his speech therapy, etc.

Thanks for asking. I wish I could go to England with my husband, but I shouldn't go during the summer when the kids are home so much. My in-laws wouldn't be able to handle them for that long.

I am going to ask my husband to spend an extra day over there so he can have some time to himself and maybe do some touristy stuff. I might be able to go later in the year, but I bet I have to go with a friend, not my husband. We feel pretty strongly about not travelling together if we can avoid it unless the kids are with us.

[Meshuga]

285. HOLLAND vs PORTUGAL

This should be a good game! Both teams are strong and Holland wants revange for Euro'2004. Lala's and Winalda are badmouthing Portugal on TV even when the Portuguese won all their group games. What else do they want from Portugal? I think both teams are good and there is not a favorite team in this game. These guys on ESPN/ABC are idiots.

[BlueCollar]

287. I watch the games on Univision...

only switch over to watch the US commentators eat s###.

I like Portugal to take this game...I think they're a more "explosive" team...more capable of the unpredictable...but the Dutch have/can produce a lot of flair...Should be entertaining to watch.

[Karenina]

288. Good game!

How many yellow and red cards? Rough game, as I expected. What I didn't expect was all the inter-team fraternization on the sidelines. Sooo cute!

[Swamp Rat]

289. Not the 'beautiful game' that's for sure.

And that ref?!! I wonder what FIFA's gonna do about him?

[Meshuga]

290. That was a war

Typical game of two teams with a grudge from a previous tournament (Euro 2004). Watch if the final game is Brazil vs Argentina. It would be the same type of grudge match.

[Karenina]

291. Give him a blue card prolly!

Up today, Italy/Aussies (early) Swiss/Ukraine (late).

[Blue_Tires]

292. wow....just wow (spoiler)

can we say the fix is in on that italy game???

[Karenina]

293. I'm STILL trying wrap my brain around it!

:wow: W-H-A-T??? :wow: :wtf:

Swiss vs Ukraine :boring:

[Karenina]

294. Tuesday 27 Juni

Brasil vs Ghana 17:00 Spain vs France 21:00

[Blue_Tires]

295. thank you Zizou for knocking out despised Spain

and thank you Ronaldo for shutting the haters up

too bad Brazil and France have to eliminate each other while Italy gets to coast

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

296. What's wrong with Spain? -nt

[KFC]

297. It might be due to their coach's racist remarks

I think their fans did a bit of race-baiting too.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

299. Whoa. Link? -nt

[Blue_Tires]

301. here you go--happened awhile ago

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/4055395.stm

i personally had other reasons for not liking the Spanish side, so either way i'm glad they got sent home

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

310. What an ASS

If you know Spanish, I found Aragonés digging an even deeper hole for himself here:

http://www.libertaddigital.com:83/php3/noticia.php3?fecha_edi_on=2006-06-26&num_edi_on=1454&cpn=1276282242&seccion=DEP_D

I wonder how the players felt (and if it was one of them who ratted on Aragonés after the original incident. Reyes?). There's no way in hell ALL of them are recists like the coach.

[Bassic]

319. That was one beautiful goal, was it not? nt

[Haole Girl]

298. Did I hear it correctly? Did they give out over 300 Yellow Cards...

...so far, this World Cup? :crazy: I must have heard that incorrectly...can anybody verify this? :crazy:

[KFC]

300. Yep.

They gave out 11 or 12 today, bringing the number over 300.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/sportsline/main9526214.shtml

Germany '06 sets record for red, yellow cards
June 25, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports



BERLIN -- More red cards have been shown at this World Cup than at any other, with 12 games remaining.

Sunday's match between Portugal and the Netherlands, in which 16 yellow cards and four reds were shown, brought the total of red cards in Germany 2006 to 23 in 52 matches. The four red cards were the most in any single World Cup match.

The previous record was 22 red cards in all 64 matches in the 1998 World Cup in France.

A total of 291 yellow cards have been shown in Germany, more than the previous record of 272 for the entire competition in Japan and South Korea four years ago.

[Karenina]

302. Ghana/ Brasil

was a very good-natured game and a joy to watch despite the lop-sided outcome. There was no lack of effort. Some cards but the players were cordial.

Very few cards in Spainien/Frankreich. MANY fewer than deserved.

I, for one, will fasten my seatbelt expecting turbulence ahead.

[Haole Girl]

306. Thanks

I thought I heard it correctly, but a friend of mine didn't believe me.

[Karenina]

303. To keep this thread kicked

through the 2-day lull, now that there is no danger of spoilers, would anyone else be interested in waxing rhapsodic over Fußball?

[Writer]

309. Yes, I would.

I am officially envious of everyone in Europe at the moment.

Americans need to learn how to play team sports without padding.

And... I love the social camaraderie of beer drinking and the national pride of watching your team get killed (in my case) by better, more experienced World Cup teams.

Cheers!

Writer.

[Karenina]

312. Wish you were here!

Would that you were with us tonight! I am so loving the atmosphere. No more games scheduled here but lots of folks from the four corners hanging around.

NO FUßBALL TONIGHT. THE.PROLES.MUST.BE.ENTERTAINED. Just as I was about to go into full-blown withdrawal a friend called beckoning me to the Media Park. GOCOO was playing (Taiko drummers) http://www.GOCOO.de HOT DAMN.

They have CDs, but this is a LIVE ACT. My entire body was reverberating as I danced, whooped and hollered to the sound of these huge wood cylinders covered with skin bound by rope, pounded by EXPERTS. 7 women, 5 men. HOLY FUCKING DRUMS, BATMAN! :woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

[Writer]

314. You have added so much life to this thread...

glad you have been a part of it.

Cheers! :toast:

[Karenina]

317. I'm glad you started it!

:toast:

[Bassic]

304. ALLEZ LES BLEUS

Hell Yeah baby!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

305. FUCKEZ LES BLEUS

[Bassic]

307. Although my favorite team is France,

Brasil is a close second. So whatever happens in th roud of 8 for me is a win-win.

But still, ALLEZ LES BLEUS!!!!!!!!!

[Meshuga]

316. I'm with you!

FUCKEZ LES BLEUS! PRA FRENTE BRASIL! :-)

[Bassic]

320. Why do you hate the French?

:P :hi:

[Kellanved]

311. Damn, less than 2 weeks left

Frankly it's the best time ever. Parties everywhere and everybody is happy. Also living is a lot more comfortable - no stupid regulations on when shops have to be open and closed.
It'll be hard to say "good bye" to shopping anytime anyday in the normal supermarket around the corner. Well, I'll savor every second.

That reminds me ... :D

[Karenina]

313. It's like Karneval in Köln

sans inebriated desperation. It's SO PEACEFUL, so very gemütlich. Beautiful weather, interrupted by brief violent episodes on "off" days, Open Air Concerts, silly hats all over, I'm planning my wardrobe for FRIDAY! OH SHIT! I need to reserve my screen space! Be back later!

[Blue_Tires]

315. have fun

[Karenina]

321. Dilemma!

I've been invited to watch Friday's game at a studio some media friends have rented with a HUGE wall screen. It will surely be PACKED. Many of the boys play every Saturday RAIN OR SHINE in the park. The problem is when I'm watching a game, I WANNA WATCH THE GAME without testosterone-laden pontification and can get rather testy, rather quickly if anyone demands my attention to deliver it.

I had my ex-husband and children TRAINED to leave me in peace on Sundays until 4p.m. during NFL season. It took a lot of effort but they finally understood, DO NOT DISTURB MOM when the game is on, unless it involves earthquakes, carpet-bombing or serious bleeding. Otherwise, she will BALLISTIC on you.

I'm leaning toward watching quietly with my adopted uncle (82). We simply sit, stand, watch and listen as we would in Shul. ;-)

[USA_1]

318. Why The USA Lost In The WC

Once Bush666 called Coach Arena to wish him "luck", it turned out to be the kiss of death for our team.

MORE REASON TO IMPEACH BUSH!

[meow2u3]

370. That's exactly what I said in another thread

Bush666 is a one-man hex to American team sports.

[TexomaDem]

322. Germany v Argentina in 5 min.

:toast: :bounce: :woohoo:

[Blue_Tires]

323. Germany needs to get their shit together

down 1-0 in the 2nd half

[VolcanoJen]

324. My heart is pounding

This is intense! Tied 1-1 going into the second overtime.

C'mon, Deutschland!!! Ach, mein Herz!!

[Karenina]

335. Indeed, it WAS INTENSE!!!!

:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:
:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:
:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

Quarter to midnight and the streets are one big P-A-R-T-Y!!!
LOTS of Italians in the 'hood! Germany vs Italy!!!

Shevchenko was GREAT! He really gave 100%.

[VolcanoJen]

325. GAH!!!! Argentina-Germany go to Penalty Kicks!

This is TOO INTENSE!!

[Blue_Tires]

326. insane...

i heard on the radio that a fight broke out as the teams left the field.....is that true?

[VolcanoJen]

328. It was a fight between assistant coaches

While Germany was celebrating, a melee broke out mid-pitch... seemed like it was one of the assistant coaches for Argentina going after one of the German coaches. Players got involved, lots of men in suits ran to the melee, and after about two minutes it calmed down.

I have no idea what started the fight, but it was interesting.

JAAAAAA DEUTSCHLAND!!!!


ON EDIT: Here's a brief news blurb about the melee. At the time, it looked like the respective coaches were having words with each other; maybe the German coach said something a bit too celebratory?

Players clash after shootout

Players of both teams clashed on the pitch after Germany beat Argentina on penalties to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup on Friday.

German team manager Oliver Bierhoff appeared to be at the centre of the fracas and and incurred the wrath of the Argentina players in the seconds that followed their exit from the competition.

FIFA officials and referee Lubos Michel were all caught up in the melee and punches and kicks appeared to be thrown in chaotic scenes which went on for approximately 90 seconds in front of a 72,000 crowd

[Easy]

329. According to an interview Bierhoff gave after the match,

he witnessed an Argentinian kicking a German substitute, and tried to calm things down. Didn't work out as planned, and he became the target instead. Then the other players noticed what was going on, and well... it got a little heated.

I guess there will be consequences in terms of bans for some players, and it seems like most assaults came from one or two Argentinians. At least, that's how I saw it. It's kinda sad, actually... the fans are celebrating peacefully, and the players and assistant coaches have a go at each other.

~Easy

[Karenina]

336. I just saw the Argentinian player

come up behind Schweinsteiger and pound him with his fist. That is gonna cost someone a bit of money. :eyes:

[TexomaDem]

327. I am spent

Germany wins!!!!

:party: :toast: :bounce: :beer: :headbang: :applause: :applause: :applause:

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[WoodyTobiasJr]

330. WHAT A GREAT GAME!!!

GO DEUTSCHLAND!!!

[Kellanved]

339. Yeah

It was a duel on multiple levels. Klinsman outsmarted Pekerman with the substitutions - Pekerman gutted the own team without need, while the German side got stronger. Odonkor did great in the joker role.

Lehmann's feat of catching two of the Argentina's penalties was nothing short of incredible. BY this win, the German squad has established itself as one of the best German squads ever. Not just playing well, but playing well with character. And they're young enough to go further in years to come.

[HuckleB]

337. Indeed.

I am grieving.

[Blue_Tires]

340. LOL

[Easy]

331. The Dark Side of the world cup

Well, at least for me ;) Since Germany won the game against Argentina, some drunk and f*cking stupid frat boys are sitting on their balcony and bellowing all kinds of feeble-minded chants across the street... *sigh*

I used to be one of those people who frowned upon the new flag fetish of the german populace, but the last couple of days I didn't have a problem with it anymore. But somehow such glaring display of utter stupidity kind of makes me kind of sceptical again. I mean, okay, of course I know that these dimwits aren't... well, caused by the world cup or the flag waving, but... I don't know. Maybe I just don't like fraternities and the kind of people they attract. ;)

Okay, enough ranting. Italy just won against Ukraine, this is going to be an interesting quarter final :)

~Easy

edit: Semi finals, not quarter...

[alcibiades_mystery]

332. AXIS v. ALLIES semifinals?

Germany v Italy
England v France???

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

333. Forza Azzurri!

that's all I'm going to say after today's spanking of Ukraine....

[alcibiades_mystery]

334. I believe it was Grosso coming in the same way he did against the Aussies

that scored the last goal (pass to Luca Toni in the middle). Ball don't lie. I think THAT dispute is settled.

[HEyHEY]

348. What do you mean by "feeble minded"

Are they being mean and nasty or just chanting?
Cause I think the singing and celebrating is the best part of the world cup. This morning I was Downtown to watch the game among the English. And when Portugal won I headed to that part of town to give congrats and party down.
Nothing wrong with that by any means.

[SKKY]

338. Since my teams, US and Spain are out of it, I guess I'll...

...have to go to the country that has the most beautiful women, and that would be Brazil. Sorry folks. I'm a guy. When
there's nothing we care about, we look to our instincts to help us.

[ContraBass Black]

375. Vive la France!

:D

[Blue_Tires]

341. GOD DAMMITT THE HELL FUCK SHIT (spoiler)

50+ million people living in Inglaterra and they still can't find anyone that can confidently kick a pen?!?!?:nuke: :grr: :thumbsdown:

my only consolation is that Brasil is gonna push the divers' shit in:evilgrin:

[Blue_Tires]

345. GOD DAMMITT THE HELL FUCK SHIT (part 2)

I guess i jinxed Brasil, who couldn't find a way to solve the french defense(!)....:evilfrown: :argh: :banghead: :web:

[VolcanoJen]

365. I feel only half your pain

England was ridiculous. Millionaire players like Lampard and Gerrard can't land ONE FUCKING PK?

It was heartbreaking, and England was lucky to have made it that far. They honestly owe it all to Becks. Beautiful end to the match; the Portugese came over to the English players and it was a spectacle of sportsmanship. It was all that is great about the World Cup.

I'm thriled for France. Happy to see an all-European semi-final, and the Brazilians were way overrated this Cup. They've been there the last three Cups, and it's time to say goodbye.

And besides... Zidane! Swoon... It's an honor to watch him play so magnificently, with an excellent and underrated French team, in his last World Cup.

I'm thrilled for the endgame but a little sad that it's winding down.

Cheers! :toast:

[Blue_Tires]

373. France obviously deserved the win

but Brazil will be back with a vengeance!


how funny would it be to see France celebrating it winning it all in Germany? call out the riot police!

[Kellanved]

374. Uhm, why?

The French team is pretty much everybody's darling. There's a fair number of French flags to be seen everywhere. The French team is the team most people here want to win, should Germany blow it.

:shrug:

[Blue_Tires]

376. oh, is that right?

i guess i was thinking France-Germany were really big rivals and that their fans may clash if they met up....I guess its the italians and portuguese that no one wants to win (not that i blame them!)

[Kellanved]

378. The big rivalries are with the Dutch and the English

France isn't among the "hated" rivals :D.

[Kellanved]

358. It really makes one wonder

OF course the real problem is that England can't get a decent team together, but has a press proclaiming even the worst assortment of lame ducks a favorite for any competition. Hypes cut both ways. Especially goalkeepers and strikers don't seem to exist on that island in any noteworthy quality. (sorry, it had to be said)

As to the penalties: Why does a team with a long history of suckage at penalty shootouts seek that mean to decide a game? It makes no sense.

[Blue_Tires]

372. good points

i though England waited way too long to try to get some good attacks in...and losing Rooney didn't help either (i'm still not convinced he deserved to be sent off)

[NJ Democrats]

342. Damn!

England lost. Oh well, I guess it will be Brazil vs. Germany again, just like i predicted...

[Karenina]

343. Brasil has NOT beat Frankreich yet...

I be heading down to the local watering hole to watch the festivities in a few...

[Blue_Tires]

350. congrats to Frankreich....

at least i still get to see Zizou play on and possibly go out a winner

[Karenina]

349. Thierry Henry.

See John Cleese's "Art of Football, A-Z" if you're interested in hearing an intelligent player speak about his job and "industry." He just did it, kicking Brasil's butt onto the next plane home.

[VolcanoJen]

367. I adore Henry

A role model and, in terms of what he's endured racially in European club play, you could call him Hank Aaron just to make American fans understand.

[hfojvt]

344. Isn't this tanj thing over already?

The Stanley cup has been awarded, the French Open is over and Wimbledon is probably going to end before this root canal of sports.

[Blue_Tires]

346. it's only once every four years

so kindly piss off:hi: :nopity: :-)

[hfojvt]

357. what is only once every four years?

The world cup or is that scoring frequency in a soccer match?

[Kellanved]

359. the game is not about scoring, it's about playing

n/t

[Karenina]

361. That is a concept

that is W-A-Y beyond far to many Americans' points of reference. Fortunately, this thread shows that there ARE those who GET IT.

[Blue_Tires]

360. just so you know;

this is a thread for fans that like to cheer on their nations of the beautiful game:D

another DUer in the lounge already took the initiative of posting his own "Soccer is boring/dull/has no scoring/steals attention away from 'real sports'/is unamerican/is for communists-wimps-sissies-queers-divers-lamers-atheists, etc" thread...Sadly, that one got locked, but feel free to start another if you like:P :think:

[hfojvt]

362. what? I just gave one little kick

to keep the thread alive until the tournament is over two years from now. I would think you guys would be grateful for some help, considering how exhausting the game is purported to be.

The comment about "once every four years" seemed to give me a free kick, so I took it. I thought it would be funny if I deliberately missed the ball and fell down, spraining my neck in the cause of comedy, but there is just no pleasing some people.

[Blue_Tires]

363. sorry about the overreaction

it's just where i live, i've had to deal with a lot of ridicule from less enlightened friends....


another kick

[VolcanoJen]

368. Pay no attention to anti-soccer meatheads

Why is it that so many American fans haven't yet realized that you don't have to choose between sporting events?

It seems so simple to me... how can sport fans not marvel at the spectacle of the World Cup? It's not like you're being a traitor to US football... which will begin soon enough, and I can't wait, either. Dear America: You Can Have Your Sports Cake And Eat It, Too.

I just don't get it.

[LSK]

347. root canal1?!?! its fucking awesome!!!!

:popcorn:

[Karenina]

351. Pearls before Schwein.

[BeyondGeography]

352. An absolute masterpiece by Les Bleus

Brazil have never been played as well as that; they were rendered completely invisible on offense almost until the very end. The football virtually belonged to France the entire game. Zidane was mesmerizing...at 34, the best player on the field.

The French could run the table here. Then again, Portugal are vey tough and their goalie was catlike on those penalty kicks today. The best goalkeeping you'll ever see in that situation. So no bold predictions, still savoring another elimination of Brazil by France (1986, 1998 and 2006) in what is becoming a magical Cup for Zidane and Les Bleus.

[Kire]

353. Brazil and England *spoiler*

They're both out. Anybody up for some Wimbledon?

[YellowRubberDuckie]

364. The England/Portugal game was a doozie

.oO(Did I just spell that right?) Anyway, I was bawling by the time it was over. That fucking Ronaldo running his mouth, knowing Rooney was going to get hot and do something about it. He wanted him out of the game. I can't wait to see the premiership this fall to see if Rooney is still pissed when it comes to playing with the guy. And the ABC freaks kept talking about Rooney steppiing on someone, when the guy fell and Rooney lost his balance and it was an accident. So many things about that game pisses me off. This just about sums up the whole thing too...

[ikri]

369. Rooney WON'T be playing with Ronaldo

Either Ronaldo will be sold to Real Madrid (he's been angling for a move there for a while) or Rooney will break the little twat's jaw.

Whilst a lot of people are blaming the cheating little twat Ronaldo, I lay a lot more blame at the feet of Eriksson and his one dimensional, predictable, negative football.

Here's to a France vs Germany final

[Writer]

354. My next husband: Zidane!

I have never seen a man handle his ball so well... ;)

[Blue_Tires]

356. i really hope there isn't a POR-ITA final

because 'joga bonito' it ain't gonna be---all that diving and dull play could make the stadium implode!

[JVS]

366. Yeah! France vs. Germany would rule

Think of the hooliganry!

[Writer]

371. I second that! n/t

[sleipnir]

377. My day of glory is at hand soon.

Well, I'm probably one of the few people who actually predicted a Germany vs Portugal final at the start of the knockout round. Those two teams are fierce and I wholly expect them to defeat their appropriate opponents and advance to the final. Now, if I can just remember to place some money on my predictions I might actually make a few bucks for the fun.

[Karenina]

380. GO FOR IT!!!

I passed through the Portugese section of the 'hood this evening on my bike. Flags everywhere, old men gatheresd at the kiosk to discuss the possibilities, EVERYONE is STOKED!!!

Being an athelete is much like being a musician. You train and train, suss out all the possibilities and at the end of the day, the ONLY THING THAT MATTERS is what happens when the baton comes down, the starting whistle is blown or the red light goes on.

[alfredo]

379. Now that Brasil and Ghana are out, Life is not

worth living.

I guess I will have to watch the Tour De France. Go Hincapie!!!

[Karenina]

382. TUESDAY, 4 Juli 2006

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FUßBALL??? :woohoo:

[samsingh]

383. kick

[Haole Girl]

384. Anybody watching Germany : Italy?

Should be good!

[Haole Girl]

385. Hell....thunderstorms in the area...

and the DISH just died! Have to go find a feed on the web....

[Haole Girl]

386. Whew! Espn.com has it live on the web...thank God! n/t

[stanwyck]

401. My Marine son and I watched today

he played soccer for 13 years. I miss going to soccer games.
We had a great time watching the game together.
He's played soccer with Iraqis during his two tours. It's an international game.
As America changes, the sport will be more popular here.
We've really enjoyed the World Cup. It's great fun.

[Haole Girl]

387. Germany and Italy are into overtime now...

nail biting time!

[Karenina]

395. 3 minutes left in overtime

And Italy FUCKING SCORES TWICE!!! We were FREAKING OUT!!! It was really quite a match, the Italians were very aggressive coming out of the starting gate. Lots of Diva dives, but the Ref was NOT having it. One of the funniest moments was when he looked at one of the Italian players writhing on the pitch, rolled his eyes and signaled him to get up, which he promptly did. :rofl: I cannot believe what I just saw... SHIT.

[Writer]

388. Fuck. Chinga... whatever...

I hope Italy gets its arse handed to them in the final.

[Haole Girl]

389. Heartbreak for Germany

I still can't believe it. Now, Portugal is my favorite (hot-headed reputation and all!).

[LadyAziz]

390. Forza Italia

Out of my 2 fav. teams (Brasil & Italy) only the Azzurris are still standing. Am so happy I hope they win the cup. The way they are playing they deserve it and thank God it did not go to penalties.

:-) :bounce: :-)

[KamaAina]

391. I do not believe I just saw that.

I seem to recall a side dressed similarly in blue nearly being beaten in group play by a dog-awful, nine-man American side. Can that possibly be the same one that just saw off the host Germans? For if it is, they're in the final while we're left to wonder if the sport even has a future on this side of the pond (well, technically, Mexico is on this side of the pond :P ). Where is the justice? :eyes:

Mr. Arena must have heard by now that the coach of Costa Rica's similarly crappy side has resigned in the face of protests and physical threats! Lucky for him, that sort of passion has yet to cross the Rio Grande; he may yet end up keeping his job, or at worst go back to (yawn) MLS.

[Meshuga]

392. That's Italy

They always do it! Last time they won the cup (in 1982) they tied all three matches in group stages (Cameroon, Peru, and Poland), advanced because they scored more goals than Cameroon and then went out to win the World Cup. In 1994 they were pretty bad in group stage (losing to the Irish in the opener) to lose to Brazil in the final match. Italy always plays crappy but get results.

[Meshuga]

393. BTW

Italy deserved the win today!

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

394. Forza Azzurri!

It was a good game with an exciting finish, for sure. But am I the only one who thought that Germany looked tired?

[NewJeffCT]

396. I thought...

For a few minutes late in the 2nd OT, it looked like both teams were tired and waiting for penalty kicks... then, Italy had the run and, bang, it was a goal.

[Karenina]

416. Post-game musings...

It was NUTS here Tuesday night. On the way to watch, as soon as the bus passed the Roman gate in the Südstadt there was a SEA OF BLUE on the streets. On the way home, it detoured the area entirely. The streets around the Uni were barricaded and there was one HUMUNGOUS party going on.

I sat on the tram, surrounded by similarly costumed fans, all dressed up with nowhere to go but home, nursing my disappointment. The atmosphere was like a wake until some Azzuris boarded with a big flag a-whoopin' and a-hollerin'. They immediately toned it down and made sympathetic comments after getting the evil eye from everyone else in the car. :rofl: When I got off I saw the cutest couple, he in Azure and she in Schwartz-Rot-Gold... This has been SO MUCH FUN!

[Blue_Tires]

397. Germany seemed kind of hesitant late in the game

and it cost them....

now it is up to France to restore order to the football world!:bounce: :woohoo: :applause:

[DelawareValleyDem]

398. It's not unusual for a team to turn it on in the elimination round

Take a look at France this year. They hardly looked like world beaters in group play and have thus far dispatched Spain rather easily and outplayed the best team in the world.

[alcibiades_mystery]

399. LOL

That happens when the team in blue pulls Luca Toni and Francesco Totti early in the second half because they don't give a fuck about tying a half-assed American team and want, rather, to keep their players out of trouble for the real games. If it wasn't for the SELF-goal in the US game, Italia would have NO goals scored against them this tournament. None.

[KamaAina]

402. Carrying on the proud USA tradition of own goals

As it happens, two of our most important world goals (out of maybe five or six :P ) were scored for us by the opposition. The luckless Colombian player whose own goal helped see the USA through group play in '94 (see how far we've progressed in 12 years? :sarcasm: ) was assassinated upon his return by gamblers who had bet the ranch on a seeming sure thing in Colombia; the gunman yelled "Thanks for the auto-goal, (censored)!" as he pulled the trigger.

[mdmc]

400. italy!

:patriot:

[VolcanoJen]

403. Kicking for LES BLEUS!!!

Ten minutes until pre-game!

[Writer]

404. France!

It's a vertically-striped flag final!

[Blue_Tires]

405. much respect for France and Zidane

it was especially nice to see him and Luis Figo exchange kits after the match....

and portugal--wow! As i said, they were falling like dominoes the entire 95 min (they must have had a balance problem as a team:think: )

the funny part is Portugal is incredibly talented had plenty of chances to score without the flopping on the set pieces...now it is up to France to save joga bonito one last time by finishing off the italians

[Writer]

407. Here's the big question I have about that match...

what in the WORLD was that Uruguayan referee - the one that butchered the US-Italy match - doing calling one of the semi-final matches???!????? The man should have been suspended.

[Blue_Tires]

409. good question

only sepp blatter knows the reason....

[LadyAziz]

412. Sepp Blatter is an idiot

and now he wants to experiment with 2 refrees in the near future . :crazy:

[Blue_Tires]

414. welcome to the site!

[JVS]

411. Vive la France!

[Blue_Tires]

406. hard to believe it's almost over

i'm going to miss this thread:cry:

[Writer]

408. Me, too!

Where is Karenina? She hasn't posted in a while...

[Blue_Tires]

410. she'll be back.....n/t

[musiclawyer]

413. The world cup is like an exotic paramour

...sultry, exciting and intoxicating, busy with life elsewhere, returning older but more beautiful to your town every four years to see YOU.

[Karenina]

418. Sitting at my reed desk!

Gotta get one of them puppies stabilized for Bach Sonata II on Sunday.
Scraping reeds is great therapy for a hangover. Attended an oboe garden party yesterday where all the fine points of profilers, gouging machines and cane quality (some good stuff coming from Turkey these days) and orchestra politics were discussed at length.

Watched the last 20 minutes with the 6 yr-old son of our host, who DEMANDED to know my allegiances before allowing me to sit on the couch and plopping himself onto my lap. We were both pleased with the outcome.

I'm in love with Thierry Henry...

[Writer]

415. France will (should) kick Italy's butt.

If not, I am going to suspend myself from the Brooklyn bridge wearing nothing but a French flag.

And no, I will NOT take a DIVE. :crazy:

[Blue_Tires]

427. i certainly hope so

but sadly i think the italy defense will be too strong, and Barthez is due for a sub-par performance

[Writer]

417. Hey - how can the athletic cup thread be up but not this one?

:shrug: EH?

[Karenina]

424. Quick and easy remedy.

:dive:

[Blue_Tires]

419. LOL part 2

These signs are popping up all over Melbourne's "Littly Italy"

[ContraBass Black]

421. That's messed up.

Though not as messed up as this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=5340753&mesg_id=5340753

[Blue_Tires]

426. that is messed up...

[ikri]

422. This is doing the rounds too

[Blue_Tires]

420. LOL part 3

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7QSHB-AQZ1E

Portugal's LOW-lights against France

[Spider Jerusalem]

423. They ought to rename the tournament...

it really ought to be called 'The World Diving Championship', to judge from some of the games I've watched (Portugal & Italy are among the most egregious, but hardly the only ones).

[Blue_Tires]

425. yeah, some teams are really shameful and blatant about it

[Karenina]

428. TODAY: GERMANY VS PORTUGAL

What to wear? What to wear???

[Blue_Tires]

429. if you have an Ollie Kahn jersey, wear it

classy move to give him the start today in front of home fans in his last int'l match

[Karenina]

433. GOOOO Schwartz-Rot-Gold!!!!

[Kire]

434. He's a handsome man.

[Writer]

431. Other than Mr. Writer and I screaming "Kahhhhhhhn!" with every major block

we were both very impressed. What a wonderful showing by Germany this tournament. They played so very well.

And props to that German coach... wish we were both available. HA!

[Karenina]

432. WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!

It's a hot time in the old town tooo-niiiight!!! OLLIE! OLLIE!! OLLIE!!!
:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:
:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:
:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

May Klinsi decide to stay on. He is SUCH a dear one! Seeing his face after the game so warmed my heart. He's like a little kid! So often it seems like he just wants to jump into the bodies of his players just to give them an assist!

The team was great, the game more clean than not and the party on the streets is hale and hearty! There are groups of kids on the corners screaming and waving flags at every passing vehicle, car horns blaring, fireworks going off, lots of smiles and VERY HAPPY people guzzling beer.



I feel sorry for Petit...

[Kellanved]

435. A bittersweet result

Tonight's match showed that the German squad was good enough to win it, but the poor performance against Italy blew the chance. They showed the European press that the Portuguese team wasn't that hard to beat and that the hyped teams simply weren't up to the hype. (*cough* England, *cough* Netherlands)

The team played an amazing football and showed that a composition of players barely out of their teens can compete on the international level.


That said and despite it being a day early: thanks to the world for the best four weeks to be in Germany in years. Carnival all week and all day, no stupid regulations, open stores, friendly people - it was great.

Hmm They're selling the jerseys cheap, I think I'll buy a few USA ones for workouts.

[mdmc]

436. one more day

one more game

[MissHoneychurch]

437. One hour till the final

ITALY - FRANCE

[Kajsa]

438. Tickets to the Final-5000 Euros =$3,900.

Sold out, of course.

http://usa.2006.com/

[MissHoneychurch]

439. The official part started

Toni Braxton and the 4 young tenors just sang. And now Shakira is coming on stage

:wow:

[MissHoneychurch]

440. CRAZY!!!!

1:0 FRANCE !!!

[Ekirh]

441. IN less than ten minutes

Wev'e had a player down
A Yellow Card
and a Penalty inside the box


lovely . . .

in other news OMG 1-0 FRANCE GO FRANCE!!!!!!!! ;)

[MissHoneychurch]

442. 1 : 1

What a final!!! Two goals in less than 20 minutes!!!!

[Kajsa]

443. This game is MOVING!!

It's gonna be good--
:bounce:

[Blue_Tires]

444. extra time

the nerves can't take much more of this

[Writer]

445. That was the strangest behavior I've seen in this tournament...

Zidane? What the hell was he thinking? What possibly could have the Italian player said to him to have provoked him to foul him that cruelly?

[MissHoneychurch]

446. And it was his last game

what a shameful good-bye ...

[Writer]

447. Completely out of character...

He was baited, likely, but he shouldn't have bitten.

[Blue_Tires]

449. i have NO idea what was going on in Zidane's head

and it sucked all the momentum out of the French side....

[sakabatou]

452. Zidane has been playing for what 120 min?

Plus those two have been going at it for a while. But I'm not excusing Zidane's actions. That was totally out of line. I'm glad he got red carded.

[Writer]

448. It's Italy! BY a hair! n/t

[Anarcho-Socialist]

450. Zidane will need to go into hiding

[sakabatou]

453. As wil l the guy who took the second penalty kick

[Anarcho-Socialist]

455. He might actually be OK

France have a poor record on penalties, and also he has the 'fortune' to be overshadowed by what Zidane did.

[Blue_Tires]

451. as i said;

fucking weak-link Barthez would be the deciding factor in this game....

i mean honestly; italy!?!?!:puke: :mad:

[NJ Democrats]

454. ITS OVER!!!

[Haole Girl]

456. I can't believe it's over!

Even with the scandals surrounding the clubs in Italy, I am so relieved to see Italy win!!! And, what the heck happened with Zadane? Unbelievable. The only French player I felt sorry for was the one who missed the penalty kick- what an awful burden that must be to bear.

Well...until 2010!! Then, it's South Africa!!!!

[YellowRubberDuckie]

460. Don't forget the Keeper.

He didn't save a thing!

[Karenina]

459. The MOOOOON is yellow...

And the Italians won
The Germans grabbed third place
Zidane lost his calm face
But we've all had SUCH FUN....

It's all over except for the frenzy in the streets, which the cops will tolerate for another hour or so. The last weeks have been a Sommer Traum in Schwartz-Rot-Gold. I am SOOO proud of my adopted land! What a FINE HOST/ESS. May the wonderful, peaceful atmosphere continue til summer's end.

[Meshuga]

457. Congratulations to this thread...

...for lasting the entire tournament!

We should open a new one in four years for South Africa 2010! :-)

Take care!

[musiclawyer]

458. See you all over on the Football/Soccer Board

Keep us posted on the exciting players around the world in the various leagues emerging for stardom in 2010!

[Blue_Tires]

461. well, this was fun, wasn't it?

the outcome of the final notwithstanding....i guess i'll post my recap in a new thread

[Writer]

462. Reading through the posts as the tournament progressed is...

a rather neat experience.