Football World Cup, 2014

[Hunter]

I agree with Columbia, young, hungry and dangerous team, they have impressed me the most so far of any team. Also agree, watch out for France, they may sneak out a few more wins and then who knows.

Messi continues his magic.

Suarez needs to be gone, repeat offender and just straight up dirty player, he is a good player, hate to see that talent lost but that is completely outrageous behavior.

Looking forward to this Germany US game, I dont know if we can do it, I guess we need a little help from Portugal too. Id be thrilled with a draw at this point. As long as Clint Fucking Dempsey suits up we have a chance.


THE BAD NEWS? The big worry for the United States men's national team is that the physical and mental fatigue of the 2-2 draw against Portugal will be too much to overcome Germany.

The U.S. and Portugal played in Manaus — an oppressively hot, humid outpost in a remote part of the Amazon.

In this World Cup, the four teams who have played there (Italy, England, Croatia, Cameroon) have all gotten destroyed once they left.

They all lost their next games, and went 0-1-5 in tournament games overall after playing in Manaus.

FIFA makes its decision:

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has reached a decision in the case related to Luis Suárez of Uruguay following an incident that occurred during the FIFA World Cup™ match between Italy and Uruguay played on 24 June 2014.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided that:

· The player Luis Suárez is regarded as having breached art. 48 par. 1 lit. d of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) (assault), and art. 57 of the FDC (an act of unsporting behaviour towards another player).

· The player Luis Suárez is to be suspended for nine (9) official matches. The first match of this suspension is to be served in the upcoming FIFA World Cup™ fixture between Colombia and Uruguay on 28 June 2014. The remaining match suspensions shall be served in Uruguay’s next FIFA World Cup match(es), as long as the team qualifies, and/or in the representative team’s subsequent official matches in accordance with art. 38 par. 2a) of the FDC.

· The player Luis Suárez is banned from taking part in any kind of football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) for a period of four (4) months in accordance with art. 22 of the FDC.

· A stadium ban is pronounced against the player Luis Suárez in accordance with art. 21 of the FDC as follows: the player Luis Suárez is prohibited from entering the confines of any stadium during the period of the ban (point 3). The player Luis Suárez is prohibited from entering the confines of any stadium in which the representative team of Uruguay is playing while he has to serve the nine-match suspension (point 2).

· The player Luis Suárez is ordered to pay a fine in the amount of CHF 100,000.

The decision was notified to the player and the Uruguayan FA today.

“Such behaviour cannot be tolerated on any football pitch, and in particular not at a FIFA World Cup when the eyes of millions of people are on the stars on the field. The Disciplinary Committee took into account all the factors of the case and the degree of Mr Suárez’s guilt in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Code. The decision comes into force as soon it is communicated,” said Claudio Sulser, chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee.

[82_28]

While I will be interested in the upcoming US Germany game, I have to give my stock answer to when it comes to soccer:

Even if your team wins it's still soccer.

It's basically a way of saying that I can't stand the way it is played, scored, timed etc. I've tried, I mean I have really tried to warm to soccer, but as a sport it seems totally futile. I woke to this realization when a bunch of people were all high fiving after a "draw" and saying "good match". A tie is never a good game. That is sheer boredom. I would in fact get into soccer if they had overtimes and timed the game right, allowed substitutions like hockey does. It would totally liven it up. As it is, I am actually more riveted by golf. Don't get me started on the fake injuries.

Soccer and Auto racing I think are the only "big" sports that I just can't get into.

[JackRiddler]

I woke to this realization when a bunch of people were all high fiving after a "draw" and saying "good match". A tie is never a good game.

Classically American attitude. I do not share.

Soccer and Auto racing I think are the only "big" sports that I just can't get into.

Car racing is not a sport.

===

Uruguay is thus buried. So what's with Suarez? Why does he bite? Obviously some kind of possession, no rational thought could be involved.

[Hunter]

Yea I have to agree with Jack, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a draw and it is not an uncommon result in soccer, two tough teams battling it out and in the end neither one can out duel the other, there is beauty in a draw, a win is always better but there is nothing wrong with a draw. I understand the sentiment, as a US sports fan I could never imagine my Yankees or Jets ending a game in a tie but for the game of soccer, it is ok, strange as it may seem.

Also the way the game is set up it can actually be a winning strategy to play for a draw.

I love cars, I love working on them and restoring them but I also cant get in to car racing but I think it is a mistake to compare to soccer, those guys are real athletes, they may be the athletes on the planet when you factor in everything.

I also love golf, one of my favorite things to watch actually, for the same reason, what those guys do with that little ball and club is nothing short of amazing and takes tremendous focus and skill. British Open is coming up, one of my favorite events of the year.

[Hunter]

I woke to this realization when a bunch of people were all high fiving after a "draw" and saying "good match". A tie is never a good game.

Classically American attitude. I do not share.

Soccer and Auto racing I think are the only "big" sports that I just can't get into.

Car racing is not a sport.

===

Uruguay is thus buried. So what's with Suarez? Why does he bite? Obviously some kind of possession, no rational thought could be involved.

Isnt this like the tenth time he has bit someone. I dont get it either, maybe something he learned as a child or perhaps he was bitten and abused as a child, there is certainly more to it than him just being an asshole I would imagine, he almost seems compelled to do it in the times I have seen him bite someone. No place for that in the sport, it is unfortunate he is a really talented player otherwise.

Nine game suspension starting now.


As for the flopping and feigning injury, I dont like it either, I cant even watch professional basketball anymore because flopping has ruined the game, while it has always been a part of soccer it has certainly gotten worse as the stakes have risen in the sport.

[Hunter]

Here is another one, this is just straight up dirty play, the holding, the biting all of it:

[Hunter]

LETS GO USA!!! Lets see a good well played match.

[Laodicean]

I woke to this realization when a bunch of people were all high fiving after a "draw" and saying "good match". A tie is never a good game.

Classically American attitude. I do not share.

Soccer and Auto racing I think are the only "big" sports that I just can't get into.

Car racing is not a sport.

Nor do I. Classic as in stupid. Car racing a sport?


^This.

[Belligerent Savant]

.

Best part about watching "soccer" in the U.S. is the UTTER ABSENCE of f'ing commercials between halves. I remain convinced it's a primary reason it remains 2nd tier here (that and Americans with minimal attention spans).

How loathsome to watch sports --particularly "football" -- in the U.S. with TV TIMEOUTS!!!

In any event, I'm not the ideal example of an American soccer fan as my parents -- from Italy and Argentina -- arrived here after their marriage, so I was well-acclimated into the culture practically since birth. Indeed, I still vividly recall (as a mere 7 yr old) my father's leaps from the sofa when Italy won it all in '82 (I later joined him more recently in '06), and then, Argentina in '86.

I always enjoy rooting for the underdog, however, and there's a few this year.

[Hunter]

Yea TV timeouts have ruined basketball too, completely destroyed the natural flow of the game to the point it is really hard to enjoy anymore, I am a huge college basketball fan and it is losing its appeal because of that.


Mexico seems like a good underdog to root for, that would be freaking huge of Mexico pulled this off, unlikely but their goalie, Ochoa is a beast.has had some unbelievable stops so far. France too and Columbia are my dark horses with Argentina and Brazil and Germany probably being the heavy hitters and favorites that are left.

[Hunter]

Scenario 1:
USA and Germany tie and both teams advance. A tie in Thursday’s game would also eliminate both Ghana and Portugal.

Scenario 2:
USA wins and advances having won three points (bringing their Group G score to seven). Germany would earn zero points, bringing their total for group play to four. Germany’s fate would then depend on the outcome of the Ghana vs. Portugal match. A tie game would result in Germany advancing. If Ghana or Portugal wins the match, that team would be tied in group points with Germany, and the score of the game would determine who moves on to the knockout round.

Scenario 3:
If USA loses, that would bring their group points to four and Germany automatically advances. Team USA will advance if Ghana and Portugal tie. Should the Ghana vs. Portugal game end with a victor, USA would have a better chance of advancing if Portugal wins, because they are in a better position with their point differential. Conversely, Ghana is in a stronger position points-wise should they beat Portugal (and Germany wins over USA).

To put it succinctly, USA really wants to win against Germany on Thursday (doing so would not only earn them a spot in tournament play, but would also result in them winning the group). Second best is to walk away from the match against Germany with a tie. Should USA lose on Thursday, they’ll be hoping for Ghana and Portugal to tie, or for Portugal to win.




So if Portugal beats Ghana we could still advance even if we lose to Germany today, good to know. Portugal is currently winning.

[Hunter]

US down 1-0, Ghana Portugal tied up, if Ghana and Portugal ends in a draw US can lose by any score and still advance.

[Hunter]

Portugal winning, US losing, if this holds for 4 more minutes the US will still advance to next round.

[Hunter]

US loses Portugal wins and US advances!!!

[SonicG]

FWIW - I grew up red-blooded Merikan and was a somewhat fan of the major sports but lost interest as I became more politically activated until one lazy Saturday afternoon when a nice fat solo joint had me stuck on the couch giving soccer a fair chance.. It was an Inter -Milan derby that ended in a one-one draw but I was hooked ever since. I was fascinated by the midfield battle and the continually fluid play...All the incredible salaries and FIFA corruption aside, it is still a very pure sport...
Kind of amazing that three of the four Concacaf teams are through but while Mexico has a shot, I really can't see the US besting Belgium.