OT: World Cup

[DarthGrumpy]

"Typically Italian calls"??? Give me a break...

In 2006, Australia should have beaten Italy if it was not for the refs and the 1st ground game versus the US was not much better. Been sore with Italy ever since.

 

[intlzncster]

"Typically Italian calls"??? Give me a break...

In 2006, Australia should have beaten Italy if it was not for the refs and the 1st ground game versus the US was not much better. Been sore with Italy ever since.

I don't know about "typical", but I'm with Conehead on the 2006 "Italian Job". As an Aussie supporter, that was a kick in the nuts.

 

[progrocks]

Here about the Mexican coaches response to some apparently off-color jeers from Mexican fans at the last match during the opposing team's goal kicks. He basically blew it off saying that's what Mexican fans do. Not smart. FIFA is under a lot of corporate pressure to clean that stuff up. Mexico's football association may be looking at a fine.

The fact that they got away with pretty much screaming f-gg-t every time there is a goal kick is pretty amazing. That needs to be stopped immediately. The sad thing is that they extend it to their club teams in the USA too. Hear it at MLS games from that segment of the fan base.

Good luck to FIFA on that one, would greatly appreciate it.

 

[UConnDan97]

In 2006, Australia should have beaten Italy if it was not for the refs and the 1st ground game versus the US was not much better. Been sore with Italy ever since.

The game against the USA was fairly called. All 3 red cards were probably all deserved, and the ref did not let De Rossi get away with the viscious elbow. There are always blown calls during WC games. It's a combination of the pressure on the refs and the pressure of the magnitude of the games. I've seen at least 5 major botched calls to this point in the tourney, only one of which was for Italy...

 

[Gurleyman]

The game against the USA was fairly called. All 3 red cards were probably all deserved, and the ref did not let De Rossi get away with the viscious elbow. There are always blown calls during WC games. It's a combination of the pressure on the refs and the pressure of the magnitude of the games. I've seen at least 5 major botched calls to this point in the tourney, only one of which was for Italy...

Mastroeni's was just a terrible play. Was so pissed at him for giving away our advantage. The other one (Pope, right?) I remember I didn't like, but had to accept that it was well within the referee's bounds. Certainly not a botched decision.

 

[Waquoit]

Violence, we love. s e x, not so much.

Creepy old men, even less

 

[intlzncster]

The game against the USA was fairly called. All 3 red cards were probably all deserved, and the ref did not let De Rossi get away with the viscious elbow. There are always blown calls during WC games. It's a combination of the pressure on the refs and the pressure of the magnitude of the games. I've seen at least 5 major botched calls to this point in the tourney, only one of which was for Italy...

I know there are always blown calls. I do. But this still disgusts me. To make this call in the final seconds of injury time of a second round match? No way.



Side note, in searching for this, I found it amusing that there are wiki's displaying controversies for each World Cup. Here's 2006:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_FIFA_World_Cup_controversies

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

These start times in California are just killing me. I thought it would be fine, but I've missed most of the good matches this week.

Hah, that's nothing. Try being in Asia! Staying awake for midnight games, crashing extremely early for 3 am games and heading back to sleep, waking up very early for 6 am games, or combinations of the preceding makes for some messed up sleeping patterns. Luckily, I've worked from home more, taken some siestas, and started all over again.

At least all of the games are televised here in one language, dialect, etc. Some absolutely great games, and not many very bad games to date. Think I'll crash tonight, as Argentina should destroy Iran and the German-Ghanaian game obviously directly impacts US prospects to advance.

I believe

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

They have their priorities in order.

Yeh, imagine the new employee/soccer fan's views on their new boss who 1) foolishly failed to check the US schedule, 2) figured it out and kept the training as scheduled, and 3) appears to have failed to simply re-schedule the training to earlier Monday or to some other day. Go figure?!

 

[intlzncster]

Hah, that's nothing. Try being in Asia! Staying awake for midnight games, crashing extremely early for 3 am games and heading back to sleep, waking up very early for 6 am games, or combinations of the preceding makes for some messed up sleeping patterns. Luckily, I've worked from home more, taken some siestas, and started all over again.

At least all of the games are televised here in one language, dialect, etc. Some absolutely great games, and not many very bad games to date. Think I'll crash tonight, as Argentina should destroy Iran and the German-Ghanaian game obviously directly impacts US prospects to advance.

I lived in Australia for 7 years, so I know your pain. Adjusting to normal life after the 2006 WC (Germany) took me about a month.

 

[uconnfan68]

I've really tried to like soccer over the years. It's an entertaining game. I suppose it doesn't help that the U.S. team isn't a top team despite having 20 million kids playing rec soccer at any given moment in this country.

Watched Croatia/Brazil. Not a soccer guy, but Croatia appeared to get jobbed pretty badly.

I know soccer guys absolutely hate when non-soccer guys suggest changing the rules, but that's what needs to happen here. 1 official calling the whole field? The call on the Croat for the PK was just ridiculous. The flopping is ridiculous. It makes Duke look like amateurs. It makes the game very difficult to watch for someone like me, a non-hardcore soccer fan.

Rules need to change. Start with this - the penalty kick system is just plain stupid. A whistle gets blown, and a guy gets a kick that he makes 80% of the time or more? And then a 2-1 lead is virtually insurmountable? And he wasn't facing the goal and he had little chance of scoring, if any? Doesn't seem like an 80% shot is the correct reward for the infraction. Maybe have different levels of penalty kick, depending on what was happening at the time of the foul.

Soccer is so popular in the rest of the world, that I can't see any changes ever being implemented. It's like having the #1 talk show on TV for 50 years running. Why make a change?

If the game is decided by one guy flopping and an official awarding a kick that goes in 80% of the time and that most likely decides the game, then that official needs to have somebody reviewing the calls, minimally.

Just never bet on it.

 

[intlzncster]

Just never bet on it.

Unless your name is Wilson Raj Perumal.

 

[intlzncster]

Big game for the US today with Germany-Ghana. I'm already getting excited. Hopefully, the Germans roll.

 

[intlzncster]

This is totally unrelated to the World Cup, but I just wanted to mention that I would never duckck with Hope Solo.

Hope Solo Jailed For Domestic Violence

 

[UConnSwag11]

MESSI!!!

 

[UConnSwag11]

Mourinho must be jealous of how Iran is parking the bus...

 

[UConnDan97]

I know there are always blown calls. I do. But this still disgusts me. To make this call in the final seconds of injury time of a second round match? No way.



Side note, in searching for this, I found it amusing that there are wiki's displaying controversies for each World Cup. Here's 2006:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_FIFA_World_Cup_controversies

Well, by the letter of the law, the defender is obstructing. He went to ground, and without making contact with the ball, partially impeded the player's forward progress. It's weak, but it's still accurate.

The one that we REALLY should be talking about is the Materazzi red card earlier in the game that should never have been. In other words, Australia was playing for 40 minutes with a one-man advantage because Italy DOES NOT get all the calls...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vWHp19N684

about the 1:15min mark

 

[intlzncster]

Well, by the letter of the law, the defender is obstructing. He went to ground, and without making contact with the ball, partially impeded the player's forward progress. It's weak, but it's still accurate.

The one that we REALLY should be talking about is the Materazzi red card earlier in the game that should never have been. In other words, Australia was playing for 40 minutes with a one-man advantage because Italy DOES NOT get all the calls...

True, but as we know, penalty kicks are everything. Especially with zero time left. There's always a grey area between 'letter of the law' and what should be reasonably called on the field in what situation, especially so in soccer with penalty kicks.

My measure of whether a call is acceptable is if I would have been ripped had it been my team and it was NOT called. I honesty wouldn't have given it a second thought, were Australia the attacking team (and not given the call).

 

[UConnSwag11]

What a goal by Messi!!!

 

[intlzncster]

Wow Messi. Wow. Messi just too good.

Poor Iran. They had a brilliant chance to win this game, not just tie it.

I was pulling for them. Announcer was saying they couldn't even get warmup matches due to international sanctions. Shame for them.

 

[UConnDan97]

True, but as we know, penalty kicks are everything. Especially with zero time left. There's always a grey area between 'letter of the law' and what should be reasonably called on the field in what situation, especially so in soccer with penalty kicks.

My measure of whether a call is acceptable is if I would have been ripped had it been my team and it was NOT called. I honesty wouldn't have given it a second thought, were Australia the attacking team (and not given the call).

In the context of what we are saying, which is whether or not "Italy gets the calls", the Australia game actually does more for my argument than not. We have a marginal penalty shot awarded Italy's way, and an absolute farce of a red card awarded Australia's way, allowing Australia to play for 40 minutes with an extra man. The idea that the Italians command the refs is ridiculous...that's all I'm saying...

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

Big game for the US today with Germany-Ghana. I'm already getting excited. Hopefully, the Germans roll.

I know Amida will be watching and rooting hard for Ghana. I think Ghana is a bit under valued right now after the loss to the USA. Is Germany over valued? I like Ghana here to make it a great game.

 

[superjohn]

I know Amida will be watching and rooting hard for Ghana. I think Ghana is a bit under valued right now after the loss to the USA. Is Germany over valued? I like Ghana here to make it a great game.

I also think it will be a great game, Germany is a great team but Ghana is also very good. Ghana was the better team than the US but the US found the back of the net twice.

 

[intlzncster]

In the context of what we are saying, which is whether or not "Italy gets the calls", the Australia game actually does more for my argument than not. We have a marginal penalty shot awarded Italy's way, and an absolute farce of a red card awarded Australia's way, allowing Australia to play for 40 minutes with an extra man. The idea that the Italians command the refs is ridiculous...that's all I'm saying...

I did qualify my first entry into the discussion with "I don't know about 'typical'" regarding the # of favorable Italian calls. But I did take it as an opportunity to bitch about 'The Italian Job' (as its often called in Oz). I never got over it. Probably because Australia had a really strong team that year with a bunch of veterans that weren't going to be there for the next cup.

I do know I'd much rather play with 10 men all game than have a gift of a PK with no time remaining any day.

 

[intlzncster]

I know Amida will be watching and rooting hard for Ghana. I think Ghana is a bit under valued right now after the loss to the USA. Is Germany over valued? I like Ghana here to make it a great game.

I don't think so. Germany is fit, physical and fast, and can (almost) match that aspect of Ghana's game. Yet they have so many skill players. Oetzel is an absolute joy to watch, despite looking like an alien. Podolski barely even plays. And sitting on the bench is the great Miroslav Klose! Yes, I know he's technically an ordinary player, but if you put him on in a WC match, he's scoring. One of my fav players ever.

Plus Mueller is the difference. By the time that kid is done, he'll be regarded as the best goal scorer in WC history. He's already got 8 WC goals to his name, and he's only 24! He literally has 3 WC's left (including this one here).