OT: World Cup 2018

[intlzncster]

Group stages don't seem too exciting at first blush. I want to say it will be a lot of chalk. Gotta wait til the games are played of course. Interestingly, no real Group of Death. I guess Group F (Germ/Mex/Swe/SKor) qualifies, but it doesn't feel like it.

Brazil;France;Spain;Germany. Pick em. I tend to like the teams with the top keepers. Really pays off in WC play with not everybody always in perfect sync.

Maybe Argentina or a team like Belgium--last chance for this group. Will their prior experiences finally pay off?

Portugal too old. Uruguay not quite enough. Colombia strong but not Champion strong. England too green

Portugal Spain tomorrow is appointment tv.

 

[navery12]

I got Serbia in my World Cup pool but I'm not very confident in them getting me any money

 

[intlzncster]

I’ll root for Colombia as well. A good little portion of my heart belongs to Colombia(nas)

ftfy

 

[UConnSwag11]

 

[UConnSwag11]

 

[UConnSwag11]

 

[intlzncster]

I got Serbia in my World Cup pool but I'm not very confident in them getting me any money

 

[UConnSwag11]

 

[intlzncster]

Is falcao still playing? He’s probably old but was very good

He's 32. Not ancient, but no spring chicken. Believe it or not, it's his first World Cup! He was injured for the last one.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Messi doesn’t need the trophy to be the best ever. It’s a lot harder to win when your team around you and crap and so is the coach. He is the best all around player I’ve ever seen. His game has evolved more and more every year. Really hope Ronaldo doesn’t win it bc I don’t think he’s the greatest. One of the best goal scorers arguably though

Argentina is crap?

 

[UConNick]

Absolute must-see tomorrow between Portugal and Spain. Will be interesting to see how the managerial change affects Spain. My guess is not much given how experienced the team is and that the system likely won't be changed at all. That being said, I have a gut feeling Portugal could pull the upset. 2-1 to Ronaldo.

 

[intlzncster]

I think so. He’s been hampered by injuries so if he is playing I’m hoping he’s healthy

He was out injured in 2014, but I'm pretty sure he's healthy this time around.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Absolute must-see tomorrow between Portugal and Spain. Will be interesting to see how the managerial change affects Spain. My guess is not much given how experienced the team is and that the system likely won't be changed at all. That being said, I have a gut feeling Portugal could pull the upset. 2-1 to Ronaldo.

watching Portugal in the Euro was annoying. I don't know if they won a game in regular time but still won the whole thing

 

[intlzncster]

Fair enough, I’ll make sure to watch those teams this summer, and try to key on the creativity aspect. My downfall may be Ive only watched USA every four years.... I mean there has to be a reason that outside of the States it’s the most popular sport.
As far as the replay thing , I was watching something on FS1 and they said replay is for cards too... but prob not for spot fouls.

Love the US, but if the USMNT is your barometer for the game of soccer....it's going to be tough to enjoy.

One of the things that's tough for the casual fan to enjoy is the tactics. It's kind like watch American Football without knowing anything about the plays (the chess match).

 

[Rocktheworld]

ftfy

One of them was actually just after Germany did... whatever you want to call it... to Brasil in 2014, who had just beat Colombia so of course I claimed Germany given my highly Germanic heritage. Stupid to say we "connected" on that but I remember that vividly from when we first met up. So I associate that last World Cup and win with her a lot.

Always rooted for Germany, although I've only been an adult for 3 Cups. Never cared about the US team. Even if they become good, I'll still root Germany. Wondering if I want to go down to a Chula Vista brewery for Germany v Mexico

 

[intlzncster]

Ug. People who want to rag on soccer - just go away.
I never watch soccer - except the world cup. Unfortunate that the U.S. is not in it, but maybe it will end up being for the best, in that it may light some fires under some butts.

I really enjoy watching world cup soccer. For a non-soccer playing U.S. football/basketball/baseball sports fan, soccer is not an easy sell. But that's okay. Lot of people think chess and reading are boring. What can you say?

Soccer is an ebb and flow game. There's a depth to it that does not exist in any other sport. It's like two giant sailed wooden ships trying to maneuver for the perfect broad side.

Every sport can improve. NFL needs to cut back on replay time and figure out a catch rule. NBA needs better ref rules and reffing, particularly after the game 1 debacle. Baseball is sloooooooooooow.
For me, soccer would be made better by penalizing dives - far too much of it. Also, the offsides rule creates too much controversy. Every 3rd or 4th goal the goalie and the defenders claim there was offsides, running around with their hands up, caused by the defenders constantly trying to game the back line to put people off sides. Make it like hockey or some variation. Other than that, it's a great sport to play or watch.

I'm cheering for Ibrahimovich's team, whichever that is, if he's still playing.

By the way, the argument that taller guys can't be good at soccer is the same argument as QBs taller than 6/4 or whatever can't make it in the NFL; you have to adjust for % of population. For example, how many 6/4 guys are walking around columbia or brazil or italy? 1 in a 1,000? And of those guys, how many are siphoned off into basketball?

Super unfortunately, Zlatan will not be playing for Sweden. It's sad for everybody.

They're supposedly going to swallow the whistle on close offside calls this tournament. We'll see where that goes though.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Argentina is crap?

it was... They played very poorly together and the Federation was managed poorly

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Fair enough, I’ll make sure to watch those teams this summer, and try to key on the creativity aspect. My downfall may be Ive only watched USA every four years.... I mean there has to be a reason that outside of the States it’s the most popular sport.
As far as the replay thing , I was watching something on FS1 and they said replay is for cards too... but prob not for spot fouls.

The type of professional soccer you are watching impacts how fun it is to watch. US soccer and the MLS is typically pretty painful, I dont usually watch.
If you watch high end European leagues (the English Premier League), it's essentially a different sport with a lot of clubs with rich history, and a lot of drama and rivalries. Same goes for high end international matches, such as when we get to the knockout phase of the World Cup.

 

[intlzncster]

I used to feel the way you do. Low level soccer, like HS soccer (and even U.S. College), can be pretty tough to watch. World Cup level or strong club teams in Europe can be great to watch. The fact that it mostly doesn't stop means the strategy is less obvious than American football, and is instead more a shifting approach as each team probes and counters the other's defense. As you gain understanding it becomes much more interesting. Watch Brazil, because they really never play a boring style. Germany also tends to be aggressive. Italy is out thankfully, because they are the masters of the 1-0 win.

That said there are some crappy aspects. Diving. The fake anguish (it saddens me to see grown men act like six year olds). Turtling on defense to protect a lead. Fake injuries to delay the game (helped cost the U.S. a World Cup berth). They can do more to clean that stuff up.

Italy is usually the most boring team in the world to watch play. They got a little better (with Pirlo), but now of course, they are out.

 

[UConnSwag11]

 

[intlzncster]

Define "popular."
As the old saying goes, in the United States, Soccer is the future of American sports and always will be.
Someone makes a unimaginative remark (Soccer is boring) and of course it's perceived as an insult to other posters heritage, family, physiology, and intelligence. Hence, we get these little tete a tete strings.
Face it, soccer is not "popular" in that a plurality (say 30%) of American sports fans could properly describe the geographic space on which the game is played. (I believe they call it a pitch) OTOH, I suspect that a substantial majority of Americans (not even sports fans but simply those who watch enough TV) could rattle off the names of 10 players in NBA, MLB, or NFL. Conversely if 1 in 10 American sports fans know the name of a current soccer player, I would be surprised.
It's not an attack nor an insightful observation that most, as in a majority of American sports fans, are uninterested in soccer. You would get the same response if something was posted about celebrity or royal wedding, it is not something American sports fans are going to interested in, and usually that will prompt a bit of snark. It is what it is, learn to get over it; and maybe appreciate that while you may be an idjit, at least you know the difference between a baseball pitch and a football pitch. (You can fulfill the need to be superior to something or someone!)

I definitely think it is (and has) finally changing. Much of that due to the internet and vastly expanded game availability on TV. It allows foreign leagues to be more immediate.

The younger generations in the US are more into it than those in the past.

It's been slow, but the growth has been real.

Who bought the most tickets to go see the World Cup in Russia? The United States.

 

[UConNick]

watching Portugal in the Euro was annoying. I don't know if they won a game in regular time but still won the whole thing

The team who I'm really riding as a dark horse in this tournament is Croatia, who arguably should've beat Portugal in 2016 and outplayed Spain in that same tournament. I just feel like this is the perfect combination for them. Both the midfielders (Rakitic, Modric, Kovacic, Brozovic) and forwards (Mandzukic, Kalinic, Perisic) are in their peak years, at the best clubs in the world. Plus, they beat my Ukrainians to get into the UEFA playoff, so they better go far and make that stinging loss worth it.

 

[UConnSwag11]

The team who I'm really riding as a dark horse in this tournament is Croatia, who arguably should've beat Portugal in 2016 and outplayed Spain in that same tournament. I just feel like this is the perfect combination for them. Both the midfielders (Rakitic, Modric, Kovacic, Brozovic) and forwards (Mandzukic, Kalinic, Perisic) are in their peak years, at the best clubs in the world. Plus, they beat my Ukrainians to get into the UEFA playoff, so they better go far and make that stinging loss worth it.

modric and rakitic are 2 of the best midfielders in the world. modric makes Real go

 

[intlzncster]

Always rooted for Germany, although I've only been an adult for 3 Cups. Never cared about the US team. Even if they become good, I'll still root Germany. Wondering if I want to go down to a Chula Vista brewery for Germany v Mexico

Careful you don't get any urine thrown your way.

 

[navery12]

My best chance is they get out of the group stage (which I think they can) and somehow win 1 more game to get the quarterfinals. I'd at least get my money back