World Cup Soccer

[dc.]

I'd have to say observing a very slow, low scoring and tedious sport. Dude I've been trying. I really have, but the best I can do is watch games...excuse me, matches the USA is involved in. The rest is like watching flies f**k.

 

I just don't get this game.

 

No offense, Billy... but I wasn't talking about you or non-soccer fans. I hear your complaints all the time. I disagree with them, but am fine with them.

 

But even some serious soccer fans and commentators have been casually mentioning how the first round of games was a bit mild and a bit of a let down. I just don't get those complaints. Most games I've seen have been great.

[papasmurfbell]

The only way to watch soccer.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t62Y0Z56rI&feature=popt00us16

[BengalBilly]

No offense, Billy... but I wasn't talking about you or non-soccer fans. I hear your complaints all the time. I disagree with them, but am fine with them.

 

But even some serious soccer fans and commentators have been casually mentioning how the first round of games was a bit mild and a bit of a let down. I just don't get those complaints. Most games I've seen have been great.

To be honest dc I'll be up VERY early out here in Arizona to watch the USA vs Slovenia. That's a game I can watch.

[cravnravn]

USA

[dc.]

US got robbed. Awful.

 

First, getting their butts whooped 2-0 in the first half...

 

Then come back and make it 2-2 late in the game... an unbelievable comeback to begin with.

 

Then the US gets a goal to take the lead on a brilliant free kick and touch in... and the US getting held all over the place (literally, huge bear hug on Michael Bradley)... and the call? Foul on the US. Goal disallowed.

 

As the announcers have said all morning: it was either a play and a goal or it was a penalty kick for the US. But there was no US foul there. Simply stolen.

 

But amazing comeback and amazing game overall.

[cravnravn]

I see the Pittsburgh Refs are calling this game, they took a goal from us, the winning goal.

[Spen]

Well I came here to bitch someone out because I thought I read here that the US game started at 7:30 this morning. Guess who got up at 7:30? But reading through the thread I see it was my mistake.

[dc.]

Haha, sorry Spen. I still at least set my alarm for 9.

[cravnravn]

Jimminy Christmas, I was listening to our game at work, I DVR'd it and watched it last night..Mr Official should be sent before the firing squad, If he wants to "fix" a game, fine fix it but be a little less obvious of your intentions,

 

No offsides, hell he cant even give an explanation of why he disallowed goal #3.

 

And all FIFA can say is, it was his first WC Game..Boo hoo effin hooo

[ForceEight]

FIFA might axe the ref: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/5304289/ce/us/fifa-ax-us-slovenia-ref-wc?cc=5901&ver=us

[papasmurfbell]

http://www.sportsgrid.com/media/south-african-man-killed-by-family-over-world-cup-watching-dispute/

 

South African Man Killed By Family Over World-Cup-Watching Dispute

 

Bizarre, tragic, awful story stemming from the World Cup: according to police, 61-year-old David Makoeya was beaten to death by his wife and two grown children on Sunday. The cause? He wanted to watch the World Cup, the rest of them wanted to watch a gospel show. We really, really wish we were making this up.

 

From the AP’s report (linked, via ESPN):

 

“He said, ‘No, I want to watch soccer,’” police spokesman Mothemane Malefo said Thursday. “That is when the argument came about.

 

“In that argument, they started assaulting him.”

 

With few details known, and speculation that can only be disturbing (i.e. Malefo saying it appears Makoeya’s family beat him by banging his head against the wall), there’s not much to add except that we wish there weren’t a side of humanity this ugly.

 

[JPPT1974]

Not much of a soccer fan but felt that the USA was cheated by that ref! Really the ref gave the USA a raw deal by not giving them a point!

[RavenMad]

How can they call for "Respect" to refs when they are making blunders all over the place. The USA were definitely robbed and some of the sending offs have been ridiculous.

 

The holding from corners and other set pieces has been ridiculous as well. It seems that you can't touch a player anywhere else on the pitch without a free kick being given but once there is a corner or free kick being put into the box then it becomes standard to have a wrestling match with your opponent.

 

Some of the games have been great to watch though. Brazil look good. Germany are about what I expected from such a young side. They will get through but I could easily seeing a much more experienced side frustrating them in the 2nd round or quarter finals. Argentina look good in spite of their coach and its funny to see the French self destruct.

 

The team I have been most impressed with so far has been Mexico. They really look like a well balanced team and have a great combo of pace, skill and technique going for them. I could see them "upsetting" a few teams to make the Semis.

 

As for England, they look poor. If they turn it round in their last group game I could actually see them be spurred on to great things but Rooney just doesn't look the same player before he got the injury late in the season and Gerrard is being played out of position but still looks a class act. That donkey Heskey needs a good kick in the ass (see what I did there ).

 

I'm looking forward the final group games for the excitement to really begin.

[dc.]

I have been very impressed with Argentina... which you should always be impressed with, but they have just looked extra good.

 

Germany looked very good in their opening match, but the foul trouble in the second hurt them.

 

Portugal looked absolutely ridiculous against NK. Couldn't love it more.

[cravnravn]

BRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[cravnravn]

What a great victory yesterday, My beliefs are now confirmed, the rest of the world does not like the USA, what a phantom BS call taking the goal away from the USA. But once again, we prevail.

[dc.]

I wouldn't overreact Crav... those calls are super close and missed frequently, just not as frequently on a big play. Kind of like the perfect game call a few weeks back for the Tigers. I heard an announcer say he thought the side judge was out of position.

 

And like in the NFL, the rules get toggled... in soccer, if there is any doubt that he might be on-side, you shouldn't call it. In the NFL, if there's any doubt that the contact may have been incidental, the foul should not be called. But in both cases, refs are whistle-happy.

[cravnravn]

Well if they want to get technical, the winning goal was scored and we were offsides, our man was on the ground behind the goalie, goalie blocks the shot and the ball rolls out to the penalty area for Donovan to hit it home, technically that was offsides on us.

[83eh01]

What the heck is offside in soccer?

[cravnravn]

While on attack, an offensive player cannot be ahead of the last defender and ahead of the ball,

 

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-offside-in-soccer.htm

Edited June 24, 2010 by cravnravn

[83eh01]

Well it's confusing when you are at the goal. Especially on a rebound off the goalie

[dc.]

Not quite Crav... you have to be "active" in the play to be offsides. That's why they never call it until you touch the ball.

 

So Dempsey, who fell over the goalie, was in an off-side position - parallel to the other guy who fell over the goalie, but behind the goalie - but he did not take an active part in the actual scoring of the goal (at least not while in the off-side position; he obviously played a role while he was on-side).

 

So - no. We were not off-sides. In either case.

[Spen]

For me as a slightly less than casual world cup viewer, having witnessed 3 goals called back in the last two tournaments which afterwords commentators seemed to agree were bad decisions - doesn't exactly sell the sport.

[RavenMad]

lol, there goes the Italians out at the Group Stage. I don't think either the defending champion or the beaten finalists from the last world cup have ever gone out so early before.

[dc.]

For me as a slightly less than casual world cup viewer, having witnessed 3 goals called back in the last two tournaments which afterwords commentators seemed to agree were bad decisions - doesn't exactly sell the sport.

 

The US goals this year have been pretty atrocious... I just don't get it. I don't think it's the norm.

 

There was an Italy goal called back earlier today which seemed a lot like Dempsey's, but upon further review it was more clearly offsides.

 

The first US callback was awful. The second... it happens. It's like flags for interference in the endzone... can be very questionable.

 

 

 

Meanwhile... Italy hasn't been out in the round robin since the 70's... they looked awful until the final 10 minutes of their game today. It was like "oh, right, we might be eliminated!" Ridiculous.

 

US is getting a nice chance in the tourney... Ghana, then winner of South Korea-Uruguay... Two winnable games if ever I saw them. But we'll be on the same side of the bracket as Netherlands, Brazil... perhaps Spain.