World Cup

[TFoA]

Classic Italian win

Scandal-check

Cheating-check

Intimidate opposition- check

Revert to catenaccio to avoid defeat - check

Italy wins - Football worldwide loses

Just shut the hell up, no one on Italy's team is being accused of cheating or a diving. It was the other teams (by which I mean, not just France, but all the teams in the world cup) that were trying to get Italy to cheat and/or to make them or France dive. So to you I say...

Viva Italia!

What World Cup have YOU been watching?

Unlike most sporting events, if the team I'm rooting against wins, I nod the hat to them.

This one, unh unh, hell naw. They won on PK's and got dominated the whole game. No love for Italy. They got their 4th World Cup on flopping, diving, and (my one compliment) incredible yet boring defense. That's it. Anybody who says Italy was playing beautifully is blinded by the love for their team, and don't know the game that well...

With that being said, Oranje for the Euro in 08 and the Copa Mundial in 2010.

[MrAsterisk]

Matterazzi got ZIDOWNED

True that.

My family is Algerian (that's where the parents of the "heroic son of immigrants" immigrated from) and we all agreed that it was a pretty Algerian thing to do.

Certainly, though, Zidane wasn't thinking. He was exhausted from a long game, a long tournament, and a long career, and he just lost it. And who knows what Materazzi could have said? Clearly by the time he was carded, Zidane came to his senses and realized what a shortsighted thing he had done.

I'll still be sporting my Zizou sig for the next week or so.

[harperdc]

My Blog take on Soccer

Comments ?

soccer-ignorant American's typical points of view? *shrug*

Penalties are a necessary evil. Unless substitution rules were changed to allow, say, an extra player or two for third or fourth overtime periods, players who are used to 90 minutes of soccer (as 95% of a professional's games are) and may start to drag at the end of regulation and are dead at the end of extra time would surely be cramping left, right and center in the summer heat of a World Cup if more extra time periods were added. Hockey can have overtime upon overtime because of line shifts; for soccer, you get three subs for eleven men, even if you've used all your substitutes and somebody's legitimitely injured, you would play short.

I think the referee situation can be boiled down to FIFA handing instructions to the referees that say "begin to call these fouls" and the margin for error in some regards being tightened up for professionals who are used to slightly looser restrictions. Other than the two biggest debacles, USA-Italy and Netherlands-Portugal, I think you could blame many of the needless penalties and cards on that more than anything. It's like when they started calling some pass interference calls differently in the NFL, except instead of at the start of the season they change the rules for the playoffs; how are you supposed to react in a situation when you have the muscle memory ingrained after a full season of playing a certain way?

Asking for changes to injury time or - especially - offsides is just messing with core tenets of the game. Would you suggest they remove offsides from hockey? You'd have the same situation there.

and there is is high-level international soccer every year, the UEFA Champions' League. Best clubs in Europe playing in a tournament that's stretched out throughout the season. Quite entertaining, and you get to see the stars too.

the reason many people in the US don't like soccer is simple: we didn't grow up with it, and the way it's seen and (to use harsh phrasing) pushed on some people in the US makes it seem like a very liberal, global-market, somehow anti-American thing, just as other aspects of the era of globalization scare many Americans into a shell in the same manner. You can't expect a game that many of the citizens did not grow up playing or watching to suddenly generate interest; read: NFL Europe. That's also why you have a mediocre product in the MLS, because there isn't interest the best players are not attracted (either to move from Europe or abroad in, or to leave as Americans from the MLS to the bigger stages in Europe) and you only lose interest - a downward spiral. Signing big-name old guys like Ronaldo or Beckham won't help much either. Really, it has to get a niche in the culture - and it may do so within twenty years or so, when more people have grown up playing and watching and following the game. Until then, it'll be on the periphery.

[zig]

Classic Italian win

Scandal-check

Cheating-check

Intimidate opposition- check

Revert to catenaccio to avoid defeat - check

Italy wins - Football worldwide loses

Just shut the hell up, no one on Italy's team is being accused of cheating or a diving. It was the other teams (by which I mean, not just France, but all the teams in the world cup) that were trying to get Italy to cheat and/or to make them or France dive. So to you I say...

Viva Italia!

What World Cup have YOU been watching?

Unlike most sporting events, if the team I'm rooting against wins, I nod the hat to them.

This one, unh unh, hell naw. They won on PK's and got dominated the whole game. No love for Italy. They got their 4th World Cup on flopping, diving, and (my one compliment) incredible yet boring defense. That's it. Anybody who says Italy was playing beautifully is blinded by the love for their team, and don't know the game that well...

With that being said, Oranje for the Euro in 08 and the Copa Mundial in 2010.

Italy Won on flopping? Did you see today's game? France was flopping like crazy. It seemed as a french player was on the ground every 30 seconds.

If Italy was boring why would they be the leader for most exciting team?

The semi-final game between Italy and germany was one of the most exciting games i saw this cup.

Going into the cup their were two team i din't want to win, Germany (home field advantage) and France. The french deserved to loose with their hot-headed captain, and you may say italy got lucky but did you see the semi-finals? Portugal dominated play and France won because of a PK on a foul that was sold very well.

Hey but at least we can agree on one thing: DEATH TO THE BUFFASLUG

[MrAsterisk]

Going into the cup their were two team i din't want to win [...] The french deserved to loose with their hot-headed captain

You have got to be kidding. I am on the verge of, for the first time ever on the internet, calling someone an idiot.

Going into the cup? Had you done such extensive research before the World Cup on all of Italy's possible finals opponents that you knew about Zinedine Zidane's previous headbutting and Saudi Arabian-stomping before the tournament even began? I find that hard to believe.

Stop making things up. You didn't want France to win because they faced your team in the finals, and before that, the only bias you would have had against France was some bandwagon anti-French hatred that you'd aqcuired from FOX News. Besides, even after the fact, none of us know the whole story.

[zig]

Going into the cup their were two team i din't want to win [...] The french deserved to loose with their hot-headed captain

You have got to be kidding. I am on the verge of, for the first time ever on the internet, calling someone an idiot.

Going into the cup? Had you done such extensive research before the World Cup on all of Italy's possible finals opponents that you knew about Zinedine Zidane's previous headbutting and Saudi Arabian-stomping before the tournament even began? I find that hard to believe.

Stop making things up. You didn't want France to win because they faced your team in the finals, and before that, the only bias you would have had against France was some bandwagon anti-French hatred that you'd aqcuired from FOX News. Besides, even after the fact, none of us know the whole story.

no i didn't want france to win because they won in 98. I also forgot to mention brazil. not because i don't like the french or anything like that. The thing about zidane was only because what he did in the finals.

[slapshot]

Matterazzi got ZIDOWNED

ZIDOWNED!!!

ELIZONDOWNED!

[ProvidenceRI]

My Blog take on Soccer

Comments ?

soccer-ignorant American's typical points of view? *shrug*

i thought his points on deciding a championship on penalty kicks is totally valid.

the rules encourage the less-talented teams to stock the box with defenders and hope for a chance at a goal.... and play for the draw.

i've lived in europe and america, and i like soccer, but you can't decide a championship or an elimination game on penalty kicks. it's unfair.

this world cup is like the patriots first super bowl championship... yeah they won, but they were not the best team in the field. i don't know who was this year.

and can FIFA stop giving the home teams from getting such easy draws? talk about unfair.

[zig]

My Blog take on Soccer

Comments ?

soccer-ignorant American's typical points of view? *shrug*

i thought his points on deciding a championship on penalty kicks is totally valid.

the rules encourage the less-talented teams to stock the box with defenders and hope for a chance at a goal.... and play for the draw.

i've lived in europe and america, and i like soccer, but you can't decide a championship or an elimination game on penalty kicks. it's unfair.

this world cup is like the patriots first super bowl championship... yeah they won, but they were not the best team in the field. i don't know who was this year.

and can FIFA stop giving the home teams from getting such easy draws? talk about unfair.

I agree i'm not a huge fan of penalty kicks. I feel it's like ending a stanley cup game 7 with a shootout. Don't get me wrong, i'm glad italy won but i would have felt better if they won during regulation. I feel fifa should allow 3 more subs after the first 2 halfs of ot. Then you play a 15 minute haf then are allowed 4 more subs. So by theory every on the field would be fresh. Then you continue this stratagy through more ots

[winghaz]

Heh....in honor of France losing, I'm cooking a baked chicken....stuffed with dressing, you know, because the French are full of it.....

Fantastic idea!

But Italy winning just gave me a reason to eat spaghetti. I was hungry for spaghetti, anyway.

[Alphabet Man]

i was waiting for someone to hit the ball over the bar ala Baggio in USA 1994

Congrats Italy, i suppose we lost (controversially) to the world champs which should help the sport develop in this country....

Does Italy jump to No.1 in the FIFA rankings now?

[DEAD!]

This is an even better take on Zidane's headbutt. (I took this from another message board, I've added it to my photobucket account, it's too small to see them though, I've also loaded to same ones onto Geocities)

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b378/qua...headbutt-01.gif (copy and paste 01-11)

http://www.geocities.com/quadival/zidane-headbutt-01.gif (copy and paste 01-11)

[Saturn]

Zidane is quite possibly the manliest person ever. He's my new idol.

[BaltimoreFan]

Penalties are a necessary evil. Unless substitution rules were changed to allow, say, an extra player or two for third or fourth overtime periods, players who are used to 90 minutes of soccer (as 95% of a professional's games are) and may start to drag at the end of regulation and are dead at the end of extra time would surely be cramping left, right and center in the summer heat of a World Cup if more extra time periods were added. Hockey can have overtime upon overtime because of line shifts; for soccer, you get three subs for eleven men, even if you've used all your substitutes and somebody's legitimitely injured, you would play short.

and there is is high-level international soccer every year, the UEFA Champions' League. Best clubs in Europe playing in a tournament that's stretched out throughout the season. Quite entertaining, and you get to see the stars too.

Instead of penalty kicks, a friend of mine had a good idea (he said he played this in overtime in a tournament once). If the game is still tied after 2 OTs, each team has to take one man off the field every 5 minutes or so. Who ever scores first wins. I've seen this suggested on other boards before. Personally I think it would be exciting as you would see each countries' best players left on the field. However I have heard complaints on other boards. What do other people think?

Also, is the Champions League televised here in America. I know the CHampionship game was last season, but do they show more of it. I looked it up, and it looks really interesting and I would like to watch it.

[zig]

the fifa awards are announced

Golden Ball:Zinedine Zidane (France)

Golden Shoe (top scorer): Miroslav Klose (Germany)

Most Entertaining Team: Portugal

Best Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)

Best Young Player: Lukas Podolski (Germany)

I think its crazy that Richard Kingson from Ghana has the third most saves with 22 and the Angola goalie, Ricardo Joao, has the 4th most with 21. Ghana only played 4 games and Angola only played 3.

goalie stats http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/w/stat...html?section=gk

This world cup final is one of just five Finals that has not involved either Brazil or Germany. The Finals of 1930, 1934, 1938 and 1978 are the others.

[Fred T. Jane]

Instead of penalty kicks, a friend of mine had a good idea (he said he played this in overtime in a tournament once). If the game is still tied after 2 OTs, each team has to take one man off the field every 5 minutes or so. Who ever scores first wins. I've seen this suggested on other boards before. Personally I think it would be exciting as you would see each countries' best players left on the field. However I have heard complaints on other boards. What do other people think?

Too difficult to do, as footy is too free-flowing to stop to remove players.

Here's what I propose.

Knock-out rounds have the following OT rules:

Regular OT (2 15 minute periods) with Silver Goal (Whoever leads at the end of the first OT wins)

After regular OT, Both sides go to 8+1 (8 players+Goalkeeper), all players subbed out in the first 120 minutes become eligible to enter the game again, and restrictions on subsitutions are removed. OT periods after 120th minute are 20 minutes long with 5 minute rest periods between periods. First team to score wins.

[DEAD!]

There are sugestions that the provocation that led to Zidane's headbutt was that Materazzi called him a "terrorist"

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/tm_...-name_page.html

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticl...ANCE-ZIDANE.XML

[Breakwood]

There are sugestions that the provocation that led to Zidane's headbutt was that Materazzi called him a "terrorist"

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/tm_...-name_page.html

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticl...ANCE-ZIDANE.XML

I figured it must have been a comment about race or religion, because that is about one of the only things that would make a professional lose their cool like that.

[Braden]

Constant diving, taking advantage of poor officiating to win games from the penalty kicks...

Bullying the other team's star with racial slurs, causing them to lose their cool and get kicked out...

Padding the score of games when they already had the game in the bag...

Cheating and poor sportsmanship at it's worst.

Hold on... the team that did this the is the sport's World Champion?

I have lost all respect for this stupid game.

[arr1023]