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The Soccer thread

Started by Zetaspeak, June 14, 2018, 03:16:41 PM

Dr. MD MD

Quote from: Rix Gins on July 03, 2018, 07:33:50 PM
You've got Russia, Belgium, Sweden, France, England, Uruguay, Croatia and Brazil.  These eight will play and four winners will advance.   Then the four will play and the resulting two winners will meet in the World Cup finals match.  The two losers out of that group of four will play for third place shortly before the finals match is held. 

P.S. I didn't care either until I watched a World Cup match back in 1990.  I loved the drama, the excitement, the player's emotions and the roar of the crowd so much that I haven't missed one since.  It really takes sitting down and watching a match to catch the bug.  If I hadn't have watched that one match I still might not have cared.

P.P.S.S.  The final game will be played on July !5th.

I'm picking Belgium just because they're evil and make good chocolate. ;)

Rix Gins

Quote from: Dr. MD MD on July 03, 2018, 07:43:48 PM
I'm picking Belgium just because they're evil and make good chocolate. ;)

The Red Devils, good choice.  They will be facing Brazil next.  Both teams like to attack, so hopefully there will be lots of action in that game.

Metron2267

Quote from: Rix Gins on July 03, 2018, 07:33:50 PM

P.P.S.S.  The final game will be played on July !5th.

Thanks for that, my bad on the date.

Rix Gins

Quote from: Metron2267 on July 04, 2018, 09:45:25 AM
Thanks for that, my bad on the date.

No problem.  Sometimes the dates and times can be kind of tricky. 

That was quite a game yesterday between England and Columbia.  Whenever a game comes down to penalty kicks, anything can happen.  England's record in World Cup shootouts has been less than stellar.  I remember one cup that they were in and it came down to penalty kicks, though I can't remember who they were playing.  All I remember is that Mick Jagger was in the stands, nervously chewing his fingernails.  England lost that particular shootout.

I am convinced that they would have lost yesterday's game had it not been for Captain Kane.  He was the first to take a penalty round kick for England and he utterly drilled it into the net.  Had he have missed, I'm sure that it would have taken the wind out of the rest of his players.  I was very happy to see that the shootout curse has finally been lifted from team England.  Of course, there are still more games to be played, so who knows? 

Metron2267

A fine summary that was, and frankly I'm chuffed to see the Englies taking a page from our NBA on team building.

But I'm also interested in the run Belgium's made.

All good stuff this Cup, hail Neymar too!

https://www.wsj.com/articles/englands-soccer-team-needed-help-so-they-stole-from-the-nba-1530523802

SAMARA, Russiaâ€"It was the night before the Super Bowl, and sitting courtside at the New Orleans Pelicans vs. Minnesota Timberwolves game was a man who had traveled all the way from England with his mind intensely focused on another global sports event: the World Cup.

There has never been anyone more interested in a Pelicans vs. Timberwolves matchup than England manager Gareth Southgate.


SredniVashtar

Listening to Americans talk about football (and I will stab anyone in the face who tries to make me call it 'soccer ') is like your parents having sex: you're aware it goes on but you'd rather not know about it.

Metron2267

Oh poor Shreddi, blissfully unaware that there's more "soccer/football" played here in youth leagues than almost anywhere in the world!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soccer_in_the_United_States

As of May 2015, over 24.4 million people play soccer in the United States.[8] In 2017, Gallup reported that soccer was the third-most played team sport in the U.S., behind only basketball and American football.[9] The popularity of the sport in the U.S. has been growing since the 1960s and 1970s, and received a significant boost when the United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup and 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. It is the most popular sport in the United States after American football, baseball and basketball, and is the second fastest growing sport in America, surpassed only by lacrosse.

http://www.espn.com/soccer/fifa-world-cup/story/3523402/us-tops-2018-world-cup-ticket-sales-to-fans-outside-of-russia

MOSCOW -- The United States will send more visiting supporters to the 2018 World Cup in Russia than any other nation, despite the failure of the national team to qualify for the tournament.

FIFA has confirmed that 2.4 million tickets have already been sold for the 64-game competition, which will kick off Thursday when the hosts face Saudi Arabia in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.

ge30542

Quote from: SredniVashtar on July 04, 2018, 02:39:30 PM
Listening to Americans talk about football (and I will stab anyone in the face who tries to make me call it 'soccer ') is like your parents having sex: you're aware it goes on but you'd rather not know about it.
LOL. I'm sure our lame understanding of the subtleties of soccer, (lol), is annoying. I said it previously, it is 1966 all over again.
Does any remaining team, (I've only been watching Germany, Mexico and England) display such apparent dominance in the attacking end? Trippier, Lingard, Sterling, Kane. Very strong.
Lest we forget how absolutely gorgeous Stones is!

SredniVashtar

Quote from: ge30542 on July 04, 2018, 03:02:52 PM
LOL. I'm sure our lame understanding of the subtleties of soccer, (lol), is annoying. I said it previously, it is 1966 all over again.
Does any remaining team, (I've only been watching Germany, Mexico and England) display such apparent dominance in the attacking end? Trippier, Lingard, Sterling, Kane. Very strong.
Lest we forget how absolutely gorgeous Stones is!

Every now and again you people will say something that sets my teeth on edge. It's not 'two to zero' it's 'two -nil' FFS!! I heard somebody say 'points' once too. I nearly had a stroke.

We've usually had people who can attack, but we struggle to produce playmakers to create in midfield, so we rely too much on dead-ball situations.

If we get past Sweden I might have some more optimism but they are a bogey team for us.

ge30542

Dude, relax, trust me SV, England will get past Sweeden, and then Croatia, meeting up with Belgium. I wonder how many points England will score against Belgium.
Are the Scots, Irish and Welch pulling for England? I would guess not alot of them.

ge30542

Ooops, I mean Sweden, sorry

Jackstar

Quote from: ge30542 on July 04, 2018, 03:25:42 PM
Dude, relax, trust me SV, England will get past Sweeden, and then Croatia, meeting up with Belgium. I wonder how many points England will score against Belgium.
Are the Scots, Irish and Welch pulling for England? I would guess not alot of them.

It's amazing how this all seems to actually matter, when it's a real sport.

SredniVashtar

Quote from: ge30542 on July 04, 2018, 03:26:29 PM
Ooops, I mean Sweden, sorry

And 'Welsh'.

If it's anything like our usual games against Sweden it will be boring as hell and go to penalties. We shall see. I noticed a few describing the Colombians as 'animals' which is exactly the word Ramsay used to describe Uruguay in 1966. We're so desperate to see it 'coming home'.

The rest of the British Isles hates our living guts.

ge30542

Quote from: Jackstar on July 04, 2018, 03:27:11 PM
It's amazing how this all seems to actually matter, when it's a real sport.
Did you perhaps mean NOT a real sport?

This is basically all that most of the world have. No MLB, NFL, NHL, AND it only occurs every 4 years. I just wish they wouldnt "flop" so much, i.e. Neymar. He's worse than anyone in the NBA.
I actually think it is a brilliant display of athleticism, endurance, stamina and heart.  With sometimes amazing drama, i.e. Germany's tying goal last weekend in extra time.
Never mind that i dont know what a cap, or pitch, or a nil is.
God help me understand what "off sides" is.

Metron2267

Quote from: ge30542 on July 04, 2018, 03:50:48 PM
Did you perhaps mean NOT a real sport?

This is basically all that most of the world have. No MLB, NFL, NHL, AND it only occurs every 4 years. I just wish they wouldnt "flop" so much, i.e. Neymar. He's worse than anyone in the NBA.

Oh no, the ALL TIME worst was Robben.

::)

Metron2267

Quote from: SredniVashtar on July 04, 2018, 03:32:02 PM
The rest of the British Isles hates our living guts.

Lol, such a "united" kingdom of serfs it is.. :-[

SredniVashtar

Quote from: ge30542 on July 04, 2018, 03:50:48 PM
Did you perhaps mean NOT a real sport?

This is basically all that most of the world have. No MLB, NFL, NHL, AND it only occurs every 4 years. I just wish they wouldnt "flop" so much, i.e. Neymar. He's worse than anyone in the NBA.
I actually think it is a brilliant display of athleticism, endurance, stamina and heart.  With sometimes amazing drama, i.e. Germany's tying goal last weekend in extra time.
Never mind that i dont know what a cap, or pitch, or a nil is.
God help me understand what "off sides" is.

Football is having its time in the spotlight. Until, that is, I become global dictator and force everyone to play cricket.

If you didn't have the offside rule, teams would just leave players hanging around the opposition goal and it would end up like ping pong, with them basically whacking the ball from one end to the other.

ge30542

Quote from: SredniVashtar on July 04, 2018, 03:56:41 PM
Football is having its time in the spotlight. Until, that is, I become global dictator and force everyone to play cricket.

If you didn't have the offside rule, teams would just leave players hanging around the opposition goal and it would end up like ping pong, with them basically whacking the ball from one end to the other.
No, SV, i understand the need for, and the concept of, offsides, I just cannot follow in Soccer, Football when a play is, or, is not offsides. One cannot be behind the defender when, when ball is kicked?  At any place on field, pitch?

SredniVashtar

Quote from: ge30542 on July 04, 2018, 04:07:12 PM
No, SV, i understand the need for, and the concept of, offsides, I just cannot follow in Soccer, Football when a play is, or, is not offsides. One cannot be behind the defender when, when ball is kicked?  At any place on field, pitch?

Yes, but it's usually only relevant near the opposition goal. Some teams, like Italy, who love defensive football, love to play the offside trap to lure the other side into making optimistic attacks. It's far easier to understand than rugby, tnough, which is truly baffling.

It's hard to tell in real time though. You need to see it side-on to make sense.

Metron2267

Quote from: ge30542 on July 04, 2018, 04:07:12 PM
No, SV, i understand the need for, and the concept of, offsides, I just cannot follow in Soccer, Football when a play is, or, is not offsides. One cannot be behind the defender when, when ball is kicked?  At any place on field, pitch?

Watch any hockey, that whole blue line and icing thing is pretty interesting...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrAhY4KnRAg

ge30542

I can recognize offsides in Hockey as quick as the next guy.
In Soccer football must one be not behind defender when ball is kicked, or lands?
Ill google it when i put down this Kindle and get on the desktop.
I still say England over Belgium, 2 points to zero.

SredniVashtar

Quote from: ge30542 on July 04, 2018, 04:38:43 PM
I can recognize offsides in Hockey as quick as the next guy.
In Soccer football must one be not behind defender when ball is kicked, or lands?
Ill google it when i put down this Kindle and get on the desktop.
I still say England over Belgium, 2 points to zero.

When it's kicked.  The clever ones learn to play off the last defender and run ahead the moment it's kicked.

Metron2267

Quote from: ge30542 on July 04, 2018, 04:38:43 PM
I can recognize offsides in Hockey as quick as the next guy.
In Soccer football must one be not behind defender when ball is kicked, or lands?
Ill google it when i put down this Kindle and get on the desktop.
I still say England over Belgium, 2 points to zero.

I like your prediction, I had them both spotlighted for the final.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKTOEHvr3aM

Metron2267

Quote from: SredniVashtar on July 04, 2018, 04:50:55 PM
When it's kicked.  The clever ones learn to play off the last defender and run ahead the moment it's kicked.

Well you know your football that's for sure.

ge30542

He does obviously know Soccer, but was he alive in 1966?
(Hint, I was.)

Metron2267

Ok then, that counts for something!

SredniVashtar

Quote from: ge30542 on July 04, 2018, 05:11:23 PM
He does obviously know Soccer, but was he alive in 1966?
(Hint, I was.)

I bow to your superior decrepitude, old-timer!

ge30542

Quote from: SredniVashtar on July 04, 2018, 05:23:11 PM
I bow to your superior decrepitude, old-timer!
Inferior, not superior. If I was in a herd of lions, I'd be that one who limps around the fringe, no Thomsons Gazell, no lion pussy for me, nothing but scraps.

ge30542

Enjoy the action Sports Fans!

Metron2267

Quote from: SredniVashtar on July 04, 2018, 05:23:11 PM
I bow to your superior decrepitude, old-timer!

Not to worry, you'll have your day in the raisin factory soon enough... :o

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