All Things World Cup

[quote="TX Redman" post=289490][quote="mjmaherjr" post=289489]Wow what a game !!!!![/quote]

Not great quality but high on tension / drama. Spain were a bit toothless, Rooskies tough to break down. Last kick save by Akinfeev was special. Reaction by Russian coach was priceless. The guy has vodka in his veins...[/quote]

I was rooting for Spain. Except for the women, I don't like anything Russian.
Our biggest fan in Europe is Gonzalo so it hurts even more.
 
[quote="Section9" post=289491][quote="mjmaherjr" post=289489]Wow what a game !!!!![/quote]

I thought I was watching Germany; pass the ball around outside, never have any penetrating runs, dominate posesion and.......lose.

Actually the two games yesterday were much better from an action standpoint.[/quote] games were definitely better yesterday but I have Russia in my office pool which makes it great game. What a start to Denmark Croatia !!!!!!
 
Full disclosure, not a soccer fan. Respect those that are for sure but I don’t get the game at all. Unfortunately, working today so I had Fox on in the office for noise (read, company). So you get 4 goals in 240 minutes of play which comes out to a goal an hour. Which is okay, because real soccer fans don’t mind, they obviously get much more out of the game than just scoring. But penalty kicks, man oh man. Teams fight hard for 2 hours of playing time to end the game so unnaturally. Anyway, to those into it, enjoy. It is a genuine spectacle (no sarcasm at all), obviously the most popular sport in the world by far.
 
[quote="Logen" post=289502]Full disclosure, not a soccer fan. Respect those that are for sure but I don’t get the game at all. Unfortunately, working today so I had Fox on in the office for noise (read, company). So you get 4 goals in 240 minutes of play which comes out to a goal an hour. Which is okay, because real soccer fans don’t mind, they obviously get much more out of the game than just scoring. But penalty kicks, man oh man. Teams fight hard for 2 hours of playing time to end the game so unnaturally. Anyway, to those into it, enjoy. It is a genuine spectacle (no sarcasm at all), obviously the most popular sport in the world by far.[/quote] I’m definitely not even close to hard core fan like the others here. Hard core Peru fan obviously and that’s what got me into because Peru was something I could watch with Nats Dad over the years. In our years of traveling we always try to do local things and soccer has been great to watch. Galatasaray in Turkey was amazing. We went to a game in Chile where the fans were barred from entering because they got banned for several games for shooting fireworks in the stands and on the field. Lol. Long story short now I find World Cup and Nationals friendllies and Copa etc riveting. For me as a casual fan this World Cup has been my favorite by far and it’s so enjoyable watching it with a bunch of soccer fans at a bar ( ok any bar is a good bar is good bar but that type of atmosphere is amazing)
 
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I just hope they start paying attention to keepers on the line. The save on the ET PK he was way off the line. Same goes for many of the kicks at the end.
 
You worked the wrong day.
Yesterday's game took 90 minutes, during which 7 goals were scored.
And that’s 90 minutes without a single commercial.
Amazing, huh?
If you're an American football fan, which is played with hands and not feet, you probably enjoy the fact that 7 points are awarded for a score, followed by so many commercials you can get a beer AND go to the men’s room.
Soccer only allows 1.
If you're a baseball fan, you enjoy multiple runs scored in different situations given how many runners, who never actually run, watch the ball.
Soccer only allows 1.
Soccer doesn’t allow offensive/defensive substitutions.
The guys in the baseball field, who witness 3 strikeouts, get to rest their weary asses after never having to walk, never mind run.
Football might be easier.
These defensive guys can actually sit for 8 minutes of game time, not counting out of bounds stoppage, more commercials, incomplete passes or replays, all of which probably add up to a half hour of real time.
Yeah, in soccer they have to run the entire 90 minutes.
 
I would never have been a soccer fan if it wasn’t for the son of the Armerian super in my building growing up in the 70’s. He was a couple of years younger then me and boy did he love to play so a couple of us would join him in games and later a league and it led to a real appreciation of the game. He would go on to play Division 1 soccer. Goalie was my favorite position.

I always loved watching the World Cup and back then never thought I would see the U.S in one. I mostly watch the World Cup and U.S matches but I always enjoy it. I am also a huge baseball fan who can appreciate a 1-0 baseball game that goes three hours so I have no problem with a low scoring soccer game on occasion.

As for today’s games, I thought Spain was very unimpressive. They dominated the ball but had very few quality shots to show for it. Russia played the game they needed to win. Bad two days for the Iberian Peninsula.
 
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[quote="Tom in Salem" post=289517]You worked the wrong day.
Yesterday's game took 90 minutes, during which 7 goals were scored.
And that’s 90 minutes without a single commercial.
Amazing, huh?
If you're an American football fan, which is played with hands and not feet, you probably enjoy the fact that 7 points are awarded for a score, followed by so many commercials you can get a beer AND go to the men’s room.
Soccer only allows 1.
If you're a baseball fan, you enjoy multiple runs scored in different situations given how many runners, who never actually run, watch the ball.
Soccer only allows 1.
Soccer doesn’t allow offensive/defensive substitutions.
The guys in the baseball field, who witness 3 strikeouts, get to rest their weary asses after never having to walk, never mind run.
Football might be easier.
These defensive guys can actually sit for 8 minutes of game time, not counting out of bounds stoppage, more commercials, incomplete passes or replays, all of which probably add up to a half hour of real time.
Yeah, in soccer they have to run the entire 90 minutes.[/quote]

I get it, you like soccer, good for you, I didn’t put the game down, I said I wasn’t a fan. Obviously the only thing you could like more would be a cancer cure or world peace. I apologize for pushing the hottest of your hot buttons. And , oh, for the record, there is an awful out of standing around in soccer while players pass the ball meaninglessly waiting for the clock to run down not to mention all the rest they get when it’s Oscar time, writhing on the ground because someone brushed their uniform sleeve. So spare me the spartan running for 90 minute nonsense.
 
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[quote="Logen" post=289521][quote="Tom in Salem" post=289517]You worked the wrong day.
Yesterday's game took 90 minutes, during which 7 goals were scored.
And that’s 90 minutes without a single commercial.
Amazing, huh?
If you're an American football fan, which is played with hands and not feet, you probably enjoy the fact that 7 points are awarded for a score, followed by so many commercials you can get a beer AND go to the men’s room.
Soccer only allows 1.
If you're a baseball fan, you enjoy multiple runs scored in different situations given how many runners, who never actually run, watch the ball.
Soccer only allows 1.
Soccer doesn’t allow offensive/defensive substitutions.
The guys in the baseball field, who witness 3 strikeouts, get to rest their weary asses after never having to walk, never mind run.
Football might be easier.
These defensive guys can actually sit for 8 minutes of game time, not counting out of bounds stoppage, more commercials, incomplete passes or replays, all of which probably add up to a half hour of real time.
Yeah, in soccer they have to run the entire 90 minutes.[/quote]

I get it, you like soccer, good for you, I didn’t put the game down, I said I wasn’t a fan. Obviously the only thing you could like more would be a cancer cure or world peace. I apologize for pushing the hottest of your hot buttons. And , oh, for the record, there is an awful out of standing around in soccer while players pass the ball meaninglessly waiting for the clock to run down not to mention all the rest they get when it’s Oscar time, writhing on the ground because someone brushed their uniform sleeve. So spare me the spartan running for 90 minute nonsense.[/quote]
 
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I'm a casual soccer fan (really only watch during world cups) but totally understand that for most of the world it is THE SPORT. As with hockey, I have never played it and really don't understand the rules which always makes following it and appreciating it harder. That being said, I am totally enjoying watching good parts of each of these round of 16 games.

To me, there is nothing to compare with basketball & baseball because those are the two sports I played the most growing up, which I think has a lot to do with it. Got into tennis in my mid twenties and also love watching that now. To each his own.
 
[quote="Logen" post=289521][quote="Tom in Salem" post=289517]You worked the wrong day.
Yesterday's game took 90 minutes, during which 7 goals were scored.
And that’s 90 minutes without a single commercial.
Amazing, huh?
If you're an American football fan, which is played with hands and not feet, you probably enjoy the fact that 7 points are awarded for a score, followed by so many commercials you can get a beer AND go to the men’s room.
Soccer only allows 1.
If you're a baseball fan, you enjoy multiple runs scored in different situations given how many runners, who never actually run, watch the ball.
Soccer only allows 1.
Soccer doesn’t allow offensive/defensive substitutions.
The guys in the baseball field, who witness 3 strikeouts, get to rest their weary asses after never having to walk, never mind run.
Football might be easier.
These defensive guys can actually sit for 8 minutes of game time, not counting out of bounds stoppage, more commercials, incomplete passes or replays, all of which probably add up to a half hour of real time.
Yeah, in soccer they have to run the entire 90 minutes.[/quote]

I get it, you like soccer, good for you, I didn’t put the game down, I said I wasn’t a fan. Obviously the only thing you could like more would be a cancer cure or world peace. I apologize for pushing the hottest of your hot buttons. And , oh, for the record, there is an awful out of standing around in soccer while players pass the ball meaninglessly waiting for the clock to run down not to mention all the rest they get when it’s Oscar time, writhing on the ground because someone brushed their uniform sleeve. So spare me the spartan running for 90 minute nonsense.[/quote]

It takes an intelligent mind to appreciate certain sports
There are many statistics comparing sports but none is more revealing than "miles run" during the course of a match. The average miles run by soccer players is anywhere from 7 to 9 miles per game. During that 90 minutes of "nonsense" there are no time outs and time spent "on the ground" is added to the time left to play so there is no "down time" for the players.
How many [strike]miles[/strike] yards are run by your average baseball "athlete"? I find it riveting to sit in the stands for 3 hours to see 2 runs scored.
As for standing around, isn't that what every baseball player is doing 90% of the time during a game?
Riveting indeed!
 
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[quote="NCJohnnie" post=289525]I'm a casual soccer fan (really only watch during world cups) but totally understand that for most of the world it is THE SPORT. As with hockey, I have never played it and really don't understand the rules which always makes following it and appreciating it harder. That being said, I am totally enjoying watching good parts of each of these round of 16 games.

To me, there is nothing to compare with basketball & baseball because those are the two sports I played the most growing up, which I think has a lot to do with it. Got into tennis in my mid twenties and also love watching that now. To each his own.[/quote]

I was way too short to play basketball yet love it the most but I played soccer as a youth due to my ethnic neighborhood having many club teams. At St. John's I played on what was then a "club team" with a volunteer coach who was the Hungarian coach of the fencing team. That's how I ended up with a Polish student roommate on the fencing team off Union Turnpike.;)
While I enjoy all sports, I rank them on the level of boredom and, no offense, but baseball is easily the most tedious sports to watch, especially since they play something like 160 games in a season that stretches from May through October. I enjoy the world series and think the whole baseball season should be as long as the playoffs and world series.:p
Finally, I especially love women's beach volleyball. I find it riveting.
 
[quote="Logen" post=289502]Full disclosure, not a soccer fan. Respect those that are for sure but I don’t get the game at all. Unfortunately, working today so I had Fox on in the office for noise (read, company). So you get 4 goals in 240 minutes of play which comes out to a goal an hour. Which is okay, because real soccer fans don’t mind, they obviously get much more out of the game than just scoring. But penalty kicks, man oh man. Teams fight hard for 2 hours of playing time to end the game so unnaturally. Anyway, to those into it, enjoy. It is a genuine spectacle (no sarcasm at all), obviously the most popular sport in the world by far.[/quote]

I’m new to the sport, though I have many friends and family members who have always been rabid fans. I only paid some attention every four years during the World Cup. A few years back, when NYCFC was being formed, I decided to try and get into it and root for them since they are partly owned by the Yankees. By extension, I started to follow Manchester City that are also owned by the same group. I immediately fell in love with the team (Man City) as well as the sport. I realize that all I needed was to have a rooting interest and my love for the sport would develop. With NBC’s contract to broadcast the Premier League, I’ve seen almost every MCFC match the last four years. I will be attending the US tour match between Man City and Liverpool. My best buddy is a life long Liverpool fan and he’s coming up from NC for it.
 
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FWIW Brazil Mexico has HUGE juice down here tomorrow. The afternoon game not so much but it will be rocking down here early. my guess it's definitely pro brazil but not much. maybe 60-40 so far
 
I have a lot of friends who are a lot more offensive about soccer than Logen just was. They are brutally offensive about the fact they think it’s a game for wussies and boring.

For me personally there is nothing better. College basketball is the only sport that comes remotely close.

Have travelled with my wife often who luckily enjoys the game enough (or could it be the excuse to vacation?) to join. Witnessed a 6-1 comeback in the champions league where 2 or 3 goals came straight from simulation or pure lack of respect for fair play and quite frankly nobody cared. Grown men were embracing and crying in the Camp Nou as if it were one of the best moments of their lives.

The passion fans bring to the sport is real and unlike anything you’ll find in America. The closest thing we have is fans in Buffalo throwing each other through flaming tables and even then most of them are just “doing it for the gram.” Not a fan of MLS although I watch on occasion since summer is usually the off-season in europe. I have to say the fan bases are really growing and the passion for each club is real. Hopefully the uptick in support for the game continues without a reliance on the USMNT performing well every 4 years
 
[quote="sirvoo" post=289548]I have a lot of friends who are a lot more offensive about soccer than Logen just was. They are brutally offensive about the fact they think it’s a game for wussies and boring.

For me personally there is nothing better. College basketball is the only sport that comes remotely close.

Have travelled with my wife often who luckily enjoys the game enough (or could it be the excuse to vacation?) to join. Witnessed a 6-1 comeback in the champions league where 2 or 3 goals came straight from simulation or pure lack of respect for fair play and quite frankly nobody cared. Grown men were embracing and crying in the Camp Nou as if it were one of the best moments of their lives.

The passion fans bring to the sport is real and unlike anything you’ll find in America. The closest thing we have is fans in Buffalo throwing each other through flaming tables and even then most of them are just “doing it for the gram.” Not a fan of MLS although I watch on occasion since summer is usually the off-season in europe. I have to say the fan bases are really growing and the passion for each club is real. Hopefully the uptick in support for the game continues without a reliance on the USMNT performing well every 4 years[/quote]
How about the crowds Atlanta United is drawing. May not last but this is impressive.
[URL][URL]https://www.usatoday.com/...ed-dc-united-mls-attendance-record/415386002/[/URL][/URL]
 
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[quote="Class of 72" post=289492]
I was rooting for Spain. Except for the women, I don't like anything Russian.
Our biggest fan in Europe is Gonzalo so it hurts even more.[/quote]

Thanks for your words.
It was a very bad World Cup since the beginning.
We were one of the favourites, but we were never confortable in the World Cup.
 
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