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Italy tied by New Zealand 1-1. Italy is on thin ice. All of these draws have not done much to separate teams in many groups, which will lead to a very interesting last round of group matches.
Now if only the Ivory Coast could pull off a miracle and beat Brazil.
More surprisingly ALL (including USA and Mexico) of the teams from all the Americas are undefeated. That is really amazing.
[QUOTE=Kevins]More surprisingly ALL (including USa and Mexico) of the teams from all the Americas are undefeated. That is really amazing.[/QUOTE]Honduras lost to Chile. But it still impressive.
[QUOTE=Doggboy]Now if only the Ivory Coast could pull off a miracle and beat Brazil.[/QUOTE]Your Brazilian Visa has been revoked, effective immediately.
More inept referring on display in the Brazil / Ivory coast match. Appalling. Not that it made all that much difference. Brazil was the better team by far.
The South Americans remain undefeated. Let's see if Chile can keep the streak going tomorrow.
Some interesting matches today, is N Korea more than a 1 match wonder? Can Spain show it's true personality and dazzle us?
You have to give Brazil the kudos they deserve, uplifiting us with their entertaining soccer. Braziian soccer, like their women, have the instinctive and infectious joy of the pleasures of life.
[QUOTE=Black Shirt]Some interesting matches today, is N Korea more than a 1 match wonder? Can Spain show it's true personality and dazzle us?[/QUOTE]I, for one, have a major bet on the "Iberian Peninsula" tomorrow. Had to lay big odds, in the case of Portugal vs. The DPKR, and absurd odds for Spain vs. a Honduras team which I though was the worst side I saw in the entire first round of games. But that's my bet.
For those of you following my adventures, I also am trying to play the South American trend and taking Chile over a presumably fairly happy and hopefully complacent Switzerland. At least in the case of this game, I GET 1.3 to 1 odds. (I lose if they draw)
[QUOTE=Big Travel Guy][QUOTE=Black Shirt]Some interesting matches today, is N Korea more than a 1 match wonder? Can Spain show it's true personality and dazzle us?
QUOTE]I, for one, have a major bet on the "Iberian Peninsula" tomorrow. Had to lay big odds, in the case of Portugal vs. The DPKR, and absurd odds for Spain vs. A Honduras team which I though was the worst side I saw in the entire first round of games. But that's my bet.
For those of you following my adventures, I also am trying to play the South American trend and taking Chile over a presumably fairly happy and hopefully complacent Switzerland. At least in the case of this game, I GET 1.3 to 1 odds. (I lose if they draw)[/QUOTE]Good luck, like to see people in the money. For me, watching games are more pleasurable independent of having a wager on the game, but I do enjoy wagering as well.
Maybe some one should do like they do in S. A. on bad calls.
[QUOTE=Doggboy]That ref's Wikipedia page already assaulted.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=WorldTravel69]Maybe somesone should do like they do S. A. On bad calls.[/QUOTE]That ref has not called a game since. He was the "sideline" ref in a match yesterday. No whistle.
It is disgusting the way fucking arrogant FIFA doesn't respond publicly to the problems with refs. The ref in the Brazil / Ivory Coast match stunk to high heaven as well.
A few weeks ago a horrible call by a baseball umpire cost a pitcher a perfect game. The next day, after seeing the tape, the umpire apologized, the pitcher graciously accepted the apology, and the whole thing was resolved as best as possible.
Of course, while we are on the topic of overly powerful, arrogant, money grubbing sports organizations, let us not overlook the NFL. Pushing now for an 18 game season, not to mention the rest of their fascist shit. Even worse now than during the "North Dallas 40" days.
Another undeserved red card, this time for a Swiss player. Honest to God, the refs in the first division of Argentina futbol are better week in and week out than many of these gutless, supposed hotshot refs we have seen at the WC.
OK, bear with me on this, and use a little imagination, but it's not so crazy:
Making some assumptions / predictions, I see Uruguay as winner of Group A, Brazil as the winner of Group G, Argentina as the winner of Group be, and Paraguay as the winner of Group F. (Uruguay and Brazil are the shakiest of these predictions; they'll both advance, but to win their Groups, Uruguay would need a win or--probably sufficient--a draw vs. Mexico, and Brazil would have to beat or draw with a suddenly pretty scary looking Portugal team)
To make it to the semi finals, Uruguay probably needs wins over South Korea, and then the winner of a USA / Serbia game. QUITE POSSIBLE. Brazil has the hardest route: I see them having to face Spain, and then the Netherlands / Italy winner--doesn't get much tougher, but they were the pre-cup favorite, so they will be favored in both matches. Argentina is probably looking at Mexico, and then the winner of Germany / England. Plenty of opportunity for them to lose there, but hey? Maybe? And Paraguay, who looks pretty good, may need to beat Japan and then the winner of a Switzerland / Portugal match.
The chances of these four teams all being placed in four different quadrants of the knockout round are just what they are--chances--and then that they would all win their two games requires a lot of soccer luck, but none of what I've spelled out here is crazy?
Final four at the 2010 World Cup: Uruguay vs. Brazil, Argentina vs. Paraguay.
Nuts, no!
[QUOTE=Big Travel Guy]I, for one, have a major bet on the "Iberian Peninsula" tomorrow. Had to lay big odds, in the case of Portugal vs. The DPKR, and absurd odds for Spain vs. a Honduras team which I though was the worst side I saw in the entire first round of games. But that's my bet.
For those of you following my adventures, I also am trying to play the South American trend and taking Chile over a presumably fairly happy and hopefully complacent Switzerland. At least in the case of this game, I GET 1.3 to 1 odds. (I lose if they draw)[/QUOTE]Congrats, nice sweep.
Unless the near impossible happens this afternoon, Argentina will play Mexico Sunday afternoon, 3:30PM.
I know it's not real helpful to tell people about a great bet AFTER the game has been played (and the money been made) but how easy was it to bet against France today? Getting odds to do so, no less.
That French team, and its fractured psyche--what an unholy mess!
[QUOTE=Big Travel Guy]Final four at the 2010 World Cup: Uruguay vs. Brazil, Argentina vs. Paraguay.[/QUOTE]The second fantasy game there is certainly what we are hoping for in my household, and with a win by Paraguay. Although we have sympathies with Argentina, obviously because we live here, we figure the perfect ending would be Paraguay winning the cup with Argentina somewhere below:)
And my sister-in-law's school mates who tell her just about every day how crappy the "dirty" Paraguayan team is (the young Argentinos' words, not mine) and how embarrassing that Paraguay managed to even tie the previous world cup winner Italy in their first game - well, thats what fantasy picks in the most literal sense of the world are for, eh? It would go well with the last game between the two teams when Paraguay won, before the cup.
:)
USA robbed of a goal again on a phantom offside call. Let up already!
[QUOTE=Doggboy]USA robbed of a goal again on a phantom offside call. Let up already![/QUOTE]I am not sure why the official didn't disallow that goal scored by Donovan in stoppage time.
[QUOTE=Big Travel Guy] Now, if you want to make some money: One interesing bet is the USA to win their group. Last I checked, you get about 4:1 on that prospect.[/QUOTE]I can't tell if I should feel real, real lucky, or if I should be pissed that I even NEEDED that much luck in the first place (I. E. phantom disallowed goals)
That game was more dramatic than I needed. One of the most exciting games I have ever seen (of course, having a dog in the fight makes it more so)
What a great metaphor for America in general. Overcoming huge obstacles, many imposed by misguide and perhaps malicious regulators, for victory in the end.
Between the disallowed goal and the three freebies they missed, it could have been 5-nil, yet I'll take a 1-nil win in stoppage. They might want to tighten up the finishing between now and the next match. Can't be giving away those chances anymore.
They top the group so hopefully Germany will finish first or third in Group D.
And the winner for best World Cup drama is. U. S. A. Did not think I could get so caught up in this soccer stuff. Fuck me, that was quite a match.
Justice is done. Now, for this afternoon. Are the Germans really as good as is usually the case, or can we see surprises this afternoon? Stay tuned.
With this victory the USA has had a successful WC. I hope for more and more, but getting out of the group stage is always a success for the USA. It cements their move out of the class of pretenders.
How 'bout that Palermo!
What a game! The drama of the Algerians almost scoring before Howard sent the ball down the other way and the US scoring.
What comes next for the US is just as interesting. The final 16 are going to be in groups of 4, with one from each group making a semi. With the U. S. Are Ghana, South Korea, and Uruguay. Very lucky, as the other group already put together is Argentina, Mexico, Germany, and England. Also, the first game for the US is Ghana, which the US lost to in group play in 2006 and which kept the US from advancing to the knockout. If they could somehow win that, the next game could be South Korea, which won the US' group in 2002 and made it to the semis themselves. Both games would be grudge match / payback time. In the semis, the US could play Brazil or the Netherlands or Paraguay, so they most surely would not get past that. Argentina would not be faced until the final, as they are in the other half. Contrary to what I said before, the Argentines are playing great and could make the final. With a lot of the Euros being weak, a Brazil-Argentina final is a definite possibility. Can you imagine how South America would go nuts if that happened?
Stinger
Italy ousted and joins France as old guard European wannabees.
Still no South American losers, as Paraguay had a draw today. That South American run will be put to the test tomorrow when Chile takes on Spain. If the Chilenos lose they could be out despite having won their first two matches.
Gearing up for the weekend as the stakes get raised. Cigar Eric will be glued to the tube as the rehabbed Nazis take on the Limeys. The frenchies and wops will be bottoms up in wine, and moaning.
[QUOTE=Doggboy]Italy ousted and joins France as old guard European wannabees.[/QUOTE]Italy's loss today was the highlight of the World Cup for me.
I think that the strongest teams (based on what I have seen) are Brazil, Argentina and Portugal. I thought Germany looked beatable. I have not had a chance to see the Dutch play yet, but getting out of their group with 9pts says a great deal.
I can see a scenario with the US getting past Ghana and South Korea or Uruguay but it gets a little murky after that. While the US could have (and should have were it not for 'poor' (being generous here) officiating) finished at the top of their group (which I know they did anyway) with 7pts, I do not think that they have the 'mojo' to run with the big dogs of LatAm. Technically, they could stay close to the Netherlands or Germany (although I would wager that they would lose to either) but when the Hispanic (traditional not contemporary definition - a la lineage to hispania) teams (include Portugal in this group) start to spread them out.
[QUOTE=Wild Walleye]I can see a scenario with the US getting past Ghana and South Korea or Uruguay but it gets a little murky after that. While the US could have (and should have were it not for 'poor' (being generous here) officiating) finished at the top of their group (which I know they did anyway) with 7pts, I do not think that they have the 'mojo' to run with the big dogs of LatAm. Technically, they could stay close to the Netherlands or Germany (although I would wager that they would lose to either) but when the Hispanic (traditional not contemporary definition - a la lineage to hispania) teams (include Portugal in this group) start to spread them out.[/QUOTE]We don't agree much on politics, economics, etc. But I think here we pretty much agree. I think the US will have a psychological block to overcome to beat someone like Netherlands, Germany, Argentina, etc.
I think Argentina suffers from the same problem. In 2006, they lost to Germany, even though they had a better team. The seemed scared to death in the match. This year, they looked pretty crisp in group play, so we'll see.
Rooting for Chile tomorrow. I'd like to see Big Travel Guy's dream scenario of a southern cone final four play out at least a little further. Would also love to see Spain going home.
Enjoy!
[QUOTE=JuanCaminante]BTG.
Its USA vs England.
UK do not have a soccer team - four countries = four teams.
If you remember that there will be 5 milllion Scotsmen cheering for you next week![/QUOTE]Haha, so true Johnny Walker!
Jack
Before World Cup 2010 started, Brazil and Spain were the 2 top favorites. And now, the 2 teams could end up playing in the 2nd round. Brazil and Portugal will play earlier to decide the winner of Group G. In Group H, it looks like Switzerland is a shoo-in playing Honduras, leaving Spain with no option but to beat Chile who needs a tie to get through.
So where are the suitcases with the dollars? $200K for each Honduran player to beat Switzerland!
I'd love to see Chile beat Spain today. C'Mon!
A stat indicating what kind of history the USA has at the WC-they have not won two straight matches since 1930. They have a tremendous chance to do that now versus Ghana.
Schmoj points out that Argentina has had a bad case of the nerves in the past when they reach this level at the WC. I think most people who follow the game would agree, and also this seems to be the big difference made by Maradona. For all his negatives, he does deflect a helluva lot of focus away from the players, and he has also clearly been able to instill a loosey-goosey atmosphere. We will see if that holds up. Mexico always plays Argentina tough.
Now that was a great goal by Spain.
The second goal was very nice as well. Espana!
Some drooling games coming up, hope they live up to expectations. Germany and England resuming World War II, and the Koreans and Japanese trying to show that they can play as good as they make cars. USA & Mexico trying to say that the home front is not as bad as it looks. But it is the year of the South Americans, all 5 entries still aive and kicking. Holland, Spain & Portugal are the new European upstarts, they might make the spoil the ending.
Well, here we go. USA found a very physical Ghana to be extremely difficult to play against. Both teams had chances to win, but it was Ghana that found the magic at extra time with a superb goal. The other game followed a similar script as Chile scored late against South Korea. Both games were hard-fought games, I could actually feel the pain of the hard crunching tackles. The losers can go home with their heads held high.
Are you guys actually cheering for Maradona now? Be sure to use Argentina's success to get some generous bargains from the girls, I would use the euphoria to get some concessions from them.
This was a disappointing loss for the US. Sure, they made it out of their group, but this is a game the US could have (and probably should have) won. As I said before, the US seems to have a psychological barrier the prohibits them from performing in the WC. I didn't expect them to win the WC, but I did expect them to win this game.
The first half was horrible. They were slow getting to the ball and sloppy on defense, which Ghana took advantage of. They played well the second half, but then back to sloppy defense in the 1st overtime. Ghana again took advantage.
I guess this is really as much as we can expect from USA football.
Speaking of psychological blocks, we'll see how Argentina performs. Mexico is also known to choke in the WC. I predict Argentina will beat them and lose to Germany.
It's 2006 all over again. Well, except the France and Italy part.:-)
Here is an interesting article:
[url]http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/16/a-world-cup-mentality/[/url]
My favorite quote: "So this is my month to be a citizen of the world — and suffer through an unfair neurotic sport with everyone else."
Reaction to Donovan's goal against Algeria, in Nebraska of all places:
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfS9kbyfiMM[/url]
Here we go. Huge day of futbol. Mouth watering matchup between England and Germany. Can Argentina continue their impressive run against a Mexico squad that many are giving little chance?
I preferred the Argentina of two months ago that was being belittled by many. The Maradona that was criticized up, down and all around. Now, they are in the favorites role and Maradona has not been kind to today's opponent, with some disparaging remarks.
There are no walks in the park at this stage.
I repeat, who ARE these guys? The ball about a meter into the goal and neither the referee or the linesman can see it! And, England needs all the help they can get. Without Rio Ferdinand their backline is horrible.
[QUOTE=Doggboy]I repeat, who ARE these guys? The ball about a meter into the goal and neither the referee or the linesman can see it! And, England needs all the help they can get. Without Rio Ferdinand their backline is horrible.[/QUOTE]The ghosts of 1966 is back to haunt England.