OT: Boneyard "Other Football" World Cup Thread

[junglehusky]

Big rain storm overnight in Recife. Huge traffic problems due to street flooding.

Mike and Mike speculating they might need to postpone both matches... I dunno. Not like FIFA is known for Smart decisions. Maybe Recife is used to torrential rain?

 

[ZooCougar]

3 hours out... There's no way this one starts on time, maybe Recife has a giant wet vac or something.

 

[Dooley]

SportsCenter ‏@SportsCenter 19m
Referees will kick a ball around on pitch in Recife at 11 a.m. ET, an hour before kick, to judge if field is playable. (via @JeremySchaap)

 

[whaler11]

Well assuming they play:

Silver has Ger 63% US 15%.
Ghana and Port both 35% each.

The lines available to me had the US at 8:1 a few hours ago now down to 5.5:1 and I'm sure will continue to drop.

The Ghana strife has made Portugal a big favorite at less than even money with Ghana now over 2:1.

Too stressful.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Would be great if it comes true. I'm thinking Vancouver and Toronto would be the Canada venues and then the rest in the US? Get that expansion started on the Rent so we can host!

This rumor has been swirling now for a couple of months. The ‘internal’ FIFA investigation report is supposed to come out in July, likely after the 2014 is over. Of course, I have serious doubts about FIFA being able to do anything competently; but, the recent joint statement by 4 of FIFA’s main sponsors (Adidas, Coke, Sony & Visa), who combined represent roughly 60% of FIFA’s sponsorship revenue, and FOX, who has US television rights for 2022, which are equal to about 20% of FIFA’s broadcasting revenue, puts real pressure on FIFA to look at this seriously.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-08/fifa-partners-raise-concern-over-2022-world-cup-bid-allegations.html

Canada is a new twist, though. Of course, if FIFA does pull the rug out from under Qatar, this will end up in the courts in an instant. The US is a safe choice because if the court cases gets dragged-out, the US has the stadium capacity already in place (I believe 60K capacity is the requirement; but, that may be just for the final) to host it. I am not sure though if Australia, a viable alternative, and S Korea would protest the US hosting it without a vote.

As for using the Rent as a venue, assuming it was expanded, sorry folks, it will not happen. There is a lot of money on the table to be a World Cup host and the big cities will be fighting for it. Hartford’s location between Boston (Gillette) and New York (MetLife) does not help either and I am frankly not sure if the Hartford area has enough hotel rooms to be a host. If the Cup was moved to the US, I would expect the US to group the qualifying games into 4 geographic pods to cut down on travel time (Northeast: Boston, New York, Philly & DC; Midwest: Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, & Minneapolis; South: Atlanta, Miami, Houston, Dallas; West: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle & Vancouver). I would put money on MetLife hosting the final, though the Rose Bowl, which hosted the 1994 final, and Dallas, due to Jerry Jones’ ego, would be in the mix, too. DC, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, San Jose, and even Seattle would be in the mix for the quarter and semi final games.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Wow Ghana is a mess. Boateng and Muntari have been suspended. Mobile can't link right now

...and Brazil is threatening that if Ghana flies in what amounts to several suitcases of cash, it will be taxed.

 

[StevieDude]

BBC:

Uruguay forward Luis Suarez has been banned for nine matches and banned for four months "from any football activity" after biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

3 hours out... There's no way this one starts on time, maybe Recife has a giant wet vac or something.

Ah, folks, FIFA thinks it’s perfectly fine to host World Cup matches in the middle of a desert in August. A monsoon is nothing. They can play water polo instead and the US is ranked #8 and Germany is not ranked, sounds good to me.

http://www.fina.org/H2O/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4255&Itemid=317

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Big rain storm overnight in Recife. Huge traffic problems due to street flooding.

Mike and Mike speculating they might need to postpone both matches... I dunno. Not like FIFA is known for Smart decisions. Maybe Recife is used to torrential rain?

From Wiki, yep, another fantastic FIFA decision.

“Recife has a tropical climate, with warm to hot temperatures and high relative humidity throughout the year. However, these conditions are relieved by pleasant trade winds blowing in from the ocean.[16] Under the Köppen climate classification, the city features a tropical monsoon climate. January is the warmest month, with mean temperatures ranging from 31 °C (88 °F) to 22 °C (72 °F), with sun; July experiences the coolest temperatures, with mean temperatures ranging from 27 °C (81 °F) to 20 °C (68 °F), with rain. June is the wettest month and the second-cloudiest, receiving an average of 390 mm (15.4 in) of precipitation, and surpassed in cloudiness only by August. Indeed, August is cloudy in Recife, with a mere daily average of 3.5 hours of sunshine throughout the month. The driest and sunniest month is November, when maximum temperatures hover around 30 °C and an average of 48 mm (1.9 in) of precipitation is recorded. November is also Recife's only true dry season month, as all other months in the city are wet season months.”

 

[UCFBfan]

As for using the Rent as a venue, assuming it was expanded, sorry folks, it will not happen. There is a lot of money on the table to be a World Cup host and the big cities will be fighting for it. Hartford’s location between Boston (Gillette) and New York (MetLife) does not help either and I am frankly not sure if the Hartford area has enough hotel rooms to be a host. If the Cup was moved to the US, I would expect the US to group the qualifying games into 4 geographic pods to cut down on travel time (Northeast: Boston, New York, Philly & DC; Midwest: Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, & Minneapolis; South: Atlanta, Miami, Houston, Dallas; West: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle & Vancouver). I would put money on MetLife hosting the final, though the Rose Bowl, which hosted the 1994 final, and Dallas, due to Jerry Jones’ ego, would be in the mix, too. DC, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, San Jose, and even Seattle would be in the mix for the quarter and semi final games.

I know the Rent is a pipe dream. However, if the Olympics ever came to NYC, I'd bet they'd use the Rent as a location for soccer before the finals. My question would be, why and where play in Detroit? I know they played there in '94 but who wants to play in a dome? It's the summer! Is BC Place in Vancouver a complete dome or does it have an opening? I'm not sure.

As for the final spot, I'd look for it to be in Dallas. Jerry World is too massive to say no too in regards to ticket sales, etc. MetLife might make a run, as would a spot in Miami or LA. My guess would be on Dallas though.

Also, I believe Australia is already in the process of suing FIFA for the $40 million it spent on the application. I'm actually surprised this doesn't happen more in Olympic bidding and World Cup bidding

 

[DarthGrumpy]

BBC:

Uruguay forward Luis Suarez has been banned for nine matches and banned for four months "from any football activity" after biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.

For a guy with two previous suspensions for biting, another suspension for racist taunts at a game, and flagrant cheating against Ghana in the last Cup, 4 months is nothing. It should be a maximum ban, 2 years. Of course, Uruguay authorities will claim it’s a global conspiracy because Suarez is such a good guy and, most importantly, they advanced.

 

[Carl Spackler]

From what I gather, the US soccer team regularly deals with all kinds of crap when on the road in meso-America. The kind of stuff that's meant to throw a visiting team off their game. My guess is that in south America, traveling through flooded streets and gridlock to a game from the team hotel and playing on a field that is less than perfect condition, is probably not something that might bother us Americans much. THe Germans on the other hand, and their obsession with perfection - maybe not?

 

[StevieDude]

The link below has the stadiums included in the '22 US bid

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_2022_FIFA_World_Cup_bid#Candidate_venues

 

[UCFBfan]

Wow Ghana is a mess. Boateng and Muntari have been suspended. Mobile can't link right now

I read somewhere that Muntari was out for this match anyway for accumulating two many yellow cards? So it wouldn't make a difference for this game anyways. I know they were hoping to advance beyond today but they needed to win in order to do so.

 

[SubbaBub]

#monsoonclasíco

 

[StevieDude]

Posted Today, 10:13 AM

Rich Eisen ‏@richeisen 1m

Wow RT @JeremySchaap Agent @RichardMotzkin tells ESPN US team family/friends have decided not to attempt trip to stadium. Too treacherous.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I know the Rent is a pipe dream. However, if the Olympics ever came to NYC, I'd bet they'd use the Rent as a location for soccer before the finals. My question would be, why and where play in Detroit? I know they played there in '94 but who wants to play in a dome? It's the summer! Is BC Place in Vancouver a complete dome or does it have an opening? I'm not sure.

As for the final spot, I'd look for it to be in Dallas. Jerry World is too massive to say no too in regards to ticket sales, etc. MetLife might make a run, as would a spot in Miami or LA. My guess would be on Dallas though.

Also, I believe Australia is already in the process of suing FIFA for the $40 million it spent on the application. I'm actually surprised this doesn't happen more in Olympic bidding and World Cup bidding

I agree with the Olympic comment. Hartford, Harrison (Red Bulls), Boston (Gillette and if the Revs finally get a stadium), Rochester, Philadelphia (Lincoln Field and PPL) would all be in the mix. But, I honestly do not see the Olympics coming back to the US for a while or until some reform is made. The cost is just too high and the benefit too low. The Olympic Committee already has a disaster on its hands with the 2022 Winter Olympic did as several finalists have dropped out (Stockholm, Krakow, and likely Oslo while Lviv, Ukraine, is unlikely due to issue there) leaving Beijing (WTF?) and Almaty, Kazakhstan. It’s important to note that those are two cities where the local citizens have no choice regarding their interest in hosting.

As for Gerry World, yes, the stadium is big enough and Jerry’s ego is more than enough; but, when people think about the US, they think New York and New York is the media capital of the World. Same with Brazil, San Paulo is the largest city in Brazil and its financial hub, but Rio is Brazil. Thus, the final is in Rio. Plus, the cup is held in the summer, a final in Dallas when it is 100 F would not be much fun for the players and spectators. My guess, a World Cup final in the US would be at Met Life in New York. The semi’s would be in Los Angeles and Dallas. Canada, if it is a co-host, would have to get a quarterfinal; but, I am not sure if the Rogers Center in Toronto can be made a soccer stadium (turf, dome, etc.) Assuming it is or a new stadium is built, Toronto gets a quarterfinal along with DC, Chicago, and San Fran/San Jose (49’ers new stadium). As for the rest of Canada, Vancouver’s stadium has a retractable dome and holds 54,000, so all it needs is grass instead of turf.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

The link below has the stadiums included in the '22 US bid

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_2022_FIFA_World_Cup_bid#Candidate_venues

That’s a list of all possible stadiums. Jerry Jones would drop a nuke on the Cotton Bowl before it was picked over his stadium. Indianapolis, St. Louis, Nashville are too small. Same concern with Kansas City; but, they have shown to be very good soccer supporters. Some stadiums are even duplicates, i.e. Husky Stadium and Century Link in Seattle. I would guess between 8 and 16 stadiums would be used.

 

[Dooley]

The link below has the stadiums included in the '22 US bid

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_2022_FIFA_World_Cup_bid#Candidate_venues

I would HATE to have any World Cup games hosted in stadiums with field turf or played in a dome.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I would HATE to have any World Cup games hosted in stadiums with field turf or played in a dome.

I think FIFA has certified certain type of turf fields. I know the Qatar bid will have to use some turf fields as they can’t grow grass in that environment. Of course it could be worse, could play soccer on the old Astro Turf. I absolutely loathed slide tackling on the old turf at Strong Stadium in West Haven playing soccer. I would literally leave a layer of my skin behind every time.

 

[meyers7]

For a guy with two previous suspensions for biting, another suspension for racist taunts at a game, and flagrant cheating against Ghana in the last Cup, 4 months is nothing. It should be a maximum ban, 2 years. Of course, Uruguay authorities will claim it’s a global conspiracy because Suarez is such a good guy and, most importantly, they advanced.

Probably not 2 years (I agree it should be) because his 3 bites have been in 3 different authorities (Eredivisie, EPL and FIFA WC).

Supposedly Suarez is a pretty decent guy off the pitch. Loses his mind on it though.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Probably not 2 years (I agree it should be) because his 3 bites have been in 3 different authorities (Eredivisie, EPL and FIFA WC).

Supposedly Suarez is a pretty decent guy off the pitch. Loses his mind on it though.

If you think a guy can do something like this on the field, in competition, repeatedly, with the scrutiny and visibility and reprecussions that can't be avoided in any way - and is a "decent" guy away from the field - I've got a bridge to sell you. he might not be a dangerous menace to society off the field, but you don't just flip a switch on that kind of problem when you step across the lines onto or off the field.

 

[meyers7]

If you think a guy can do something like this on the field, in competition, repeatedly, with the scrutiny and visibility and reprecussions that can't be avoided in any way - and is a "decent" guy away from the field - I've got a bridge to sell you. he might not be a dangerous menace to society off the field, but you don't just flip a switch on that kind of problem when you step across the lines onto or off the field.

I don't personally know him, just relaying what I've read about him. From what I've read he's had no problems off the field (drugs, drinking, womanizing, bar fights, etc.) and has been a decent team mate. No problems in the locker room.

And I'm pretty sure I wouldn't buy anything from you.

 

[junglehusky]

If it's a joint US/Canada bid, I think Canada will get one of the semis, and a pretty good share of the other matches.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Interesting, Davis is in the starting line-up over Bedoya. Not sure why. What’s the bet that Green subs for him at some point? Cameroon being benched is no surprise, though I though Brooks deserved the starting nod over Gonzalez.

On the other pitch, Ghana looks to be burning itself down. Boateng and Muntari (who was already suspended for the Portugal game for Yellow cards) are both off the team after fighting with management. Plus, they seem to have money issue. While this does help the US, I actually feel bad as I like Ghana and would have rooted for them if they were not in the same Group as the US plus they got screwed by Uruguay in the 2010 cup after screwing the US in the 2006 Cup.