OT: soccer thread

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Germans will be good, Serbs don't matter then. No 0-0 uninspired stalemate.

I wouldn't say that.
I expect a very tight match and think it could easily end up being a 0-0 or 1-1 draw.
Serbs got good players and would be hard to beat if they're to score first.

Uninspired is the key word here. I wouldn't rule out 0-0 1-0 0-1 1-1 results but it shouldn't look like french games I hope.

[Tupik]

Blanc will obviously be much better than Domenech, which isn't hard. Plus Blanc is actually a nice guy and not a total jackass like Raymond.

[Walt Cronkite]

Looks like I missed a crazy early game.

GO USA!!

[fatlever]

world cup, where bad refs ruin soccer.

i'm still in shock over that call by the ref. disgusting.

and i guess we'll never see torres again.

[Det the Threat]

Like i've said, that Serbia match will be tough and i didn't want them to take the lead.

Though, that ref must've been quite bad(thanks to all the reactions by the players and the things i've read on the internet) handing out all those cards and sending off Klose.
Still, why the heck did Podolski take that penalty with Schweinsteiger still on the pitch?

Anyways, we've got to beat Ghana now to win the group and advance to the knockout stage.

BTW: Solid comeback by team USA, which should've even won cause i'm not sure why that ref didn't allow their 3rd goal.
Still, Bradley got me 11 points.

[e4Nf6]

OMG, I literally feel light-headed after that game...

I guess today was our Quadranual WC ref screwing, at least this time it didn't cost us a loss as it has in the past, we should consider ourselves lucky. BOTH games today decided by terrible refs, well done FIFA, you have the worst officiating of any major sport by far.

I don't see how Torres can live this down, in the two games he's started as a nat we've been down 2-0 at halftime in both.

[Walt Cronkite]

Stolen game, can we protest anything?

[Walt Cronkite]

Missed most of Algeria/England, how has no one scored?

[Walt Cronkite]

Shock the world, French B team!

[Fred Williamson]

Missed most of Algeria/England, how has no one scored?

both teams played Bobcats style offense.

[fatlever]

eric wynalda was on the radio here in charlotte adamantly declaring the ref was bribed. great interview. i love wynalda. he always cracks me up on fox soccer fone in. fifa should be disgusted with that ref, but they wont... they dont care.

[e4Nf6]

Wynalda is insane, he's always fun to listen to....



It's possible that every single US player is getting fouled in the box on that play....and somehow the call went against us.

[Bizz]

I want to congratulate US for a game well played. I probably lost 2 years of my life watching this game but it was well worth it. I feel your pain and I must addmit as a Slovenian fan that I don't know what the ref saw on the third goal by US. But it's not like he made great calls for us he was terrible most of the game letting a lot of pushing, elbows, ect. go unpunished. On moments I didn't know if I'm still watching football or American football. It was the best match of the cup so far, with the best goal (BIRSA!!).

I think that both teams should be disappointed at first with the draw. But after a good sleep everbody souldbe happy with a point. To bad we have to beat the injured lions now. It's not easy to injure a lion. But the kill is always the hartdest. This group will have the most interesting games in the last round.

I could say I wish you luck, but that would be a lie. I wish you good health and better refs in your next game and I hope we beat or draw with the English so I can root for you because you have a team with great heart and I always cheer for teams that fight and show a lot of heart.

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[Tupik]

LMAO at Anelka, he insulted Domenech during halftime of the France - Mexico game, saying what could be translated by "Go get f*cked, you son of a bitch !"

We lost, but at least they're still here to make us laugh

[e4Nf6]

I hope one of the french team writes a book or something in the future, I have a feeling we haven't heard about half the stuff that went on behind closed doors....

[Tupik]

Yeah, apparently there are a lot of tensions, and the state of mind of a lot of the players are really **** up. For example, it is rumored that Gourcuff is not appreciated by the rest of the team because he's too pretty and popular, ie he's taking too much of the attention is on him. No wonder the team can't play well together, when you're thinking about stuff like that... I mean, really ? He's too popular ? WTF ?

Oh, and it's not like Domenech was harsh against Anelka or whatever, he was just telling him that he wasn't playing where he was supposed to play (which was absolutely true btw), and apparently not even with a bad tone or anything.

[Det the Threat]

@Tupik:
Looks like you guys need a real cut and start over after the WC.

Luckily you've got Blanc coming in and still lots of younger talent as well.

That Holland vs. Japan game was brutal to watch and it showed that the dutch guys will have problems with teams playing very deep. Also, they shouldn't keep playing van der Vaart on the wing, cause he just can't play there and always ends up more in central midfield taking away space needed for Snijder.


BTW: Want some positive spin about Germany's first loss in a group match at the WC sinc 24 years?
This was only our fith loss in a group match at the WC and those other four losses happened in 1954, 1974, 1982 and 1986.

The good thing about that?
The way we finished those tournaments.

1954 & 1974 = World Cup Winners
1982 & 1986 = 2nd place

Therefore we've got ourselves the first finalist of this years world cup.

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I'm gonna apologise to all Aussies here - I need a cleansheet from Ghana so I would kinda toor against Socceroos although I generally tend to do theč exact opposite. It is a shame first that penalty kick against Italy and then Cahill's red card, they seem to get no luck in World Cups.

[Diop]

Why do our starts always get red cards this World Cup.
First Cahill now Kewell. Ridiculous!!