World Cup, Brasil 2014

[Flexible Horn]

Ha Ha! Hey, Jackson is clearly taking an interest and good on him!

Argentina through to the semis with a gritty performance against Belgium. Well deserved. They defended their ass off. Before the WC began I figured Argentina would have to score bunches of goals to offset the shaky defense. It hasn't turned out that way. Kudos to Sabella for that.

Doggboy of all the Americans I have met on my travels you are the one and only I could have an interesting conversation about soccer with.

Maybe in a few years we will be chatting about the USA at Lords in a 5 day test match. .

Most neutral supporters want the dream final Brazil v Argentina. I'm one of the 99.99% of English people who won't be cheering for Germany. My father and grandfather would turn in their graves if I even thought about supporting them.

There is no stand out team this world cup and on their day any of the 4 could win it, I just hope the match officials don't spoil any of the remaining matches.

[DavieW]

Because Cesar never touched the ball.

Cesar was going for the ball, but he missed it, and instead his momentum carried him directly into the other player's feet, tripping him up and thus denying him his legitimate opportunity to play the ball himself.

The rule is simple: You have to play the ball. If the defender touches the ball first, then almost anything else is permissible, including the other player tripping over the defender's feet in the ensuing scramble.

Yup, that's pretty much on the money. Additionally, if the foul denies the attacking player a clear chance directly on goal it should be an automatic red card for the offender. This is always administered if the foul is committed by the last player before the goalkeeper. In this case it was actually the goalkeeper! There is absolutely no possible explanation as to why Cesar wasn't red-carded. (Except that the referee feared for his life at the hands of 60,000 Brasilian fans.).

Argentina just squeaked past Belgium. Here's hoping for a Germany v Holland final. If bloody Argentina win it I'm getting out of here on the next flight.

[El Perro]

Jackson discussing the rules of football. Beam me up Scotty.

Ha Ha! Hey, Jackson is clearly taking an interest and good on him!

Argentina through to the semis with a gritty performance against Belgium. Well deserved. They defended their ass off. Before the WC began I figured Argentina would have to score bunches of goals to offset the shaky defense. It hasn't turned out that way. Kudos to Sabella for that.

[Flexible Horn]

The rule is simple: You have to play the ball. If the defender touches the ball first, then almost anything else is permissible, including the other player tripping over the defender's feet in the ensuing scramble.

Thanks,

Jax

Jackson discussing the rules of football. Beam me up Scotty.

[Jackson]

Why was that a penalty at all? He was trying to play the ball and the opposing player could have seen him.

I'm confessing ignorance here, not trying to argue with you. A canna ken the difference between a good tackle and a bad one.

Because Cesar never touched the ball.

Cesar was going for the ball, but he missed it, and instead his momentum carried him directly into the other player's feet, tripping him up and thus denying him his legitimate opportunity to play the ball himself.

The rule is simple: You have to play the ball. If the defender touches the ball first, then almost anything else is permissible, including the other player tripping over the defender's feet in the ensuing scramble.

Thanks,

Jax

[WorldTravel69]

Suarez gets a raise.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/luis-su...48-soccer.html

[WorldTravel69]

In Brazil at the matches beer is not sold. Because too many people got killed by drunks.

But, Budweiser told the Brazilians they can sell it any match.

FIFA is a non-profit organization. They have over a Billion dollars in reserves.

They also get most of the profits from these matches.

[Daddy Rulz]

but how the hell was it NOT a red card for Cesar?!?!!

Why was that a penalty at all? He was trying to play the ball and the opposing player could have seen him.

I'm confessing ignorance here, not trying to argue with you. A canna ken the difference between a good tackle and a bad one.

[Rev BS]

Is this the end of the road for Brazil? Can they survive Germany with 2 of their key players out? We will probably see Dante from Bayern Munich take over for T. Silva. At least he knows German players & German football. But there is nobody of Neymer's stature to replace him. But then again, the Germans are not banging them in in the last 2 games. Zuniga should have been red carded.

Should penalty takers be allow to hesitate or stop & go for the penalty shot? It should be one smooth run up, you can't do the cha cha cha, and then shoot. For me, I would run backwards and kick with my heel, that would really stun the football world.

And I am picking Costa Rica to go all the way. Now that USA is out, we have to support CONCACAF fully.

[El Perro]

Neymar out with a broken back which should help Davie. Thanks for the report. I watched Germany squeak by France, and then the Brazil vs. Colombia match kicked off at 3 AM here. I couldn't make it. Sounds like Brazil are playing Dunga-ball again. Against France Neuer reminded me of King Kong on the Empire State building swatting away planes. Flicking away Benzema rockets with one big paw. He's hard to deal with.

Another test for Messidependencia tonight. Rojo is suspended at LB and likely to be replaced by Basanta who is a completely different player. He rarely gets forward and when he does he does little. Also quite a bit of talk that Gago will be replaced by Lucas Biglia. Other than a nice pass or two Gago hasn't done much and I welcome a replacement, but would prefer Enzo Perez from Benfica who is a tough nut. So, its all to play for now. I think Argentina can get by Belgium but after that it will be difficult.

Having watched the Brasilian 'Plan B' ie. kick the sh1t out of the opposition and rely on the ref letting you get away with it, for the first time in my life I'll be supporting the Germans in the semi-final (imagine that, an Englishman supporting the Germans!).

That was the ugliest football ever played by a Brasilian team and if it came to light that the ref had been bought off, unlikely though that might seem at this level, it would come as no great surprise to me. There were over 50 fouls and only 4 bookings, one of which wasn't even a foul and was 'committed' by a player that hadn't previously fouled anyone and was for the free-kick that Brasil scored from, by a player that had committed enough fouls in the first 30 minutes of the game to have received at least 2 yellows and a straight red! Then there was the penalty - the poor ref had no choice to give it (however reluctant he may have been) or there would have been a riot, but how the hell was it NOT a red card for Cesar?!?!!

Exciting game mind!

[DavieW]

Having watched the Brasilian 'Plan B' ie. kick the sh1t out of the opposition and rely on the ref letting you get away with it, for the first time in my life I'll be supporting the Germans in the semi-final (imagine that, an Englishman supporting the Germans!).

That was the ugliest football ever played by a Brasilian team and if it came to light that the ref had been bought off, unlikely though that might seem at this level, it would come as no great surprise to me. There were over 50 fouls and only 4 bookings, one of which wasn't even a foul and was 'committed' by a player that hadn't previously fouled anyone and was for the free-kick that Brasil scored from, by a player that had committed enough fouls in the first 30 minutes of the game to have received at least 2 yellows and a straight red! Then there was the penalty - the poor ref had no choice to give it (however reluctant he may have been) or there would have been a riot, but how the hell was it NOT a red card for Cesar?!?!!

Exciting game mind!

[Rev BS]

Just kick back, have your favorite snacks and spirits beside you, and take in Wimbledon and the World Cup offerings. Only enhancement would be a local naked nymph giving head & feet massages as needed. But perhaps not, you do not need any other distractions, even bathroom breaks can be annoying. And today of all days, sandwich between July the 4th and my birthday, I feel like I'm ruling the world. That is, my world, not your world, so there is no need to get agitated.

For appetizers, Wimbledon men semi-finals showcase Djokovic and Federer of the ruling class against the young princes who are knocking on the door, Raonic and Dimitrov Both have been on the rise for a while now, can they do it today? Dimitrov has the tougher match with Djokovic, and whilst he has been able to conquer Maria Sharapova, I don't think he can conquer Djokovic. But I heard it through the grapevine, that Sharapova has issue an ultimatum, that unless he can win a Grand Slam, she cannot continue her relationship with someone below her class. As for Raonic, boasting perhaps the best serve on the tour, I think he is more than ready to take Federer.

And the entrees will be Brazil vs Colombia & France & Germany. Nothing to say here but you will know the food will be good, and perhaps, you will eat too much.

So enjoy.

[DavieW]

If after all of that the USA still can't churn out squat for soccer, then I don't know what to say.

They just reached the last 16 at the World Cup FFS! Better than England, Spain, Italy and a whole sh1t-load of countries with 100+ year long histories of playing the game that never even qualified. It's not like American 'football', which only one country in the world plays, or baseball, which 4 countries play, or ice hockey, which 6 countries play - 207 countries entered this World Cup! I think the USA did pretty damned well and in 20 years or so will be up there challenging for the trophy.

[Rev BS]

Thing about it is that kids in the USA are already pretty damn competitive when it comes to soccer. Ever since I can remember soccer has been a highly highly competitive sport with a very selective and rich development system. If by the time you are 15 you are not on elite select teams, then you have no chance at being groomed for the next level. Nearly every community has several select teams all part of several leagues throughout any given state that virtually play at almost any given time of year, weather permitting. If after all of that the USA still can't churn out squat for soccer, then I don't know what to say.

But our women's soccer program is tops in the world. Then again, our women aren't women, theyre wannabe men, in a country that wants them to be men.

I agree with your assessment of the soccer in the USA, especially in regard to the youth league. But overall, it is a suburban game played by the middle class. Yes, and it is very well organized with good facilities and very structured coaching. So you say, what's wrong with that?

Overall, the rest of the world starts to play soccer earlier and much more often because soccer is the main deal. Like Americans going out to the front yard and throwing the baseball or football. And because they are kicking around in whatever fashion (neighborhood games) and locale (surface), they develop skills and creativity necessitated by tight spacing or irregular bounces of the ball. American youths have beautiful putting greens to play on, well, so it is much easier to putt, So American players at this moment do not compare overall well to other countries when it comes to magic on the field. Yes, they can covered the field, they can make the basic passes, they have size, they have stamina, they can be physical. But there is no magic, not one player the Americans can pull out of the hat. When you have a Michael Bradley as the go-to guy in the middle, then you know the American team will have to win by hard work and bad luck on the other team. Sorry, I had to pick on you, Bradley!

On the inner-city issue, we know where the some of the best athletes in America are. Sprinters, hurdlers, high & long jumpers, running backs, defensive backs, receivers, special teams, outfielders, dunkers, and more. Soccer & Volleyball, 2 sports that could use an infusion of that DNA. There is still time. Soccer is just not cool enough yet, just ask the AP Board of Directors.

[Shawman]

The USA follow the script of underdog teams, play total defense and hope for a lucky bounce of the ball to win. If not, then hope for a lucky victory in the penalty shoot out.

Along with Switzerland, Belgium came into the World Cup with a group of young stars from their successful youth teams over the last several years. Not considered among the elites of Europe, they are changing the face of world football as Colombia and Costa Rica are doing in their respective regions. That is why Soccer is the world's greatest game. Loving & enjoying soccer is not anti-American as Ann Coulter suggest, I am sure in jest.

Belgium dominated play, sweeping down the field with ease. Their transition from defense to attack was scary. Somehow, American defenders and goalie Howard managed to stretch their legs and extend their feet to block & poke every Belgium shot and final pass. Howard was big time, his positioning and leadership gave the defenders in front of him the confidence they needed to make the all-out challenges they needed to make. But I am now in the firm belief that American toes are longer than the rest of the world! But it was all in vain, the extra-time was exciting as the Belgium went ahead 2-0 only to have the USA come back with a goal and extend the suspense right to the end. For this World Cup, the USA gave their fans who travel to Brazil their money's worth.

How do we get inner city kids to play soccer? When they realize that they can make a decent living just like the American basketball players that are playing in every corner of the world. Only then, will the USA join the elites of soccer. Or maybe, it's up to Nike & ESPN?

Thing about it is that kids in the USA are already pretty damn competitive when it comes to soccer. Ever since I can remember soccer has been a highly highly competitive sport with a very selective and rich development system. If by the time you are 15 you are not on elite select teams, then you have no chance at being groomed for the next level. Nearly every community has several select teams all part of several leagues throughout any given state that virtually play at almost any given time of year, weather permitting. If after all of that the USA still can't churn out squat for soccer, then I don't know what to say.

But our women's soccer program is tops in the world. Then again, our women aren't women, theyre wannabe men, in a country that wants them to be men.