Soccer World Cup 2010

[anonymous1980]

The octopus was right.

I'd like to say that I'd be interested in sports more if it involved a psychic octopus.

[Sonic Youth]

So it's Spain vs. Netherlands in the final.

I predict Spain

Spain vs. Netherlands. That's so 16th century. Paul, the psychic octopus agrees with your prediction.

The U.S.'s fascination with soccer/football is nowhere near the levels of Europe/S. America/Africa/etc. When I was living all-too-briefly in the Netherlands, they would put up a huge television monitor high up in the market square in Eindhoven during the league championship, and thousands of mostly working-class Dutch men would crowd in the square watching and cheering (and cursing and grumbling, because Eindhoven lost).

There's nothing here to that extent. But it's been very interesting to see how popular the World Cup has become here in the U.S. My wife and I were visiting Boston a few weeks ago, and as we walked by all the bars and clubs we could see all the TVs had the Argentina-Mexico match on, and people were crowding the sidewalks to get a glimpse of it. Some time after Argentina won, half a dozen Argentinian-Americans were running through the Charlestown neighborhood with Argentinian flags and cheering. I said to one, "I'm guessing you're not Mexican", and he laughed.

It's also getting quite a bit of television and newspaper coverage, and people in general that I know and work with have been following it, and talking about it, and having arguments over it. The point is, I've never seen enthusiasm in the World Cup as high as this, and although personally I still don't find the game itself very interesting (although I was in a league as a kid, and loved playing it), it's nonetheless very exciting and gratifying to see the U.S. finally catch up with the rest of the world.

And yes, I'll be watching the game today. Maybe what makes this game so great and universally beloved will finally sink in to me. And since I lived in the Netherlands for 3 months, and nearly moved there permanently, and fell in love it... well, I don't have to tell you who I'm cheering for.

But here's a hint:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGaVUApDVuY



Edited By Sonic Youth on 1278870700

[mlrg]

So it's Spain vs. Netherlands in the final.

I predict Spain

[Okri]

Well, whodathunkit? I thought this German team would be great in 2014, but crumble under the pressure tonight. Should be fascinating semi with Spain, with their passing game vs the German's counterattacking one.

[Hustler]

C´mon Argentina!

[rudeboy]

Grim, but inevitable. We were outplayed at every turn... the British media has made a big deal of this German side being young and inexperienced, but they were organised, fluid and consistently dominated.

I think the final will be Argentina-Brazil, however. What a match that would be!

[Okri]

If England goes out because of that...... Fuck, I wouldn't want to be on the streets then.

[rudeboy]

What a strange World Cup this has been so far. France - out. Italy - out. Hosts - out. Most impressive performance so far, for me, was Japan trouncing Denmark to seal their place in the last 16 - what an energetic, plucky and thoroughly entertaining performance. England face the Germans tomorrow and I don't think I'll sleep much tonight.

[mlrg]

Portugal (my country) just won 7-0 against North Korea!! wow!!!

[Okri]

Domenech... why does the French federation support him so much? The public loathes him, and I think his players dislike him as well.

I'll be honest, Klose's ejection bugged me more than the wrong call with USA vs Slovenia, but I was rooting for Slovenia (and I had assumed that England would rout Algeria, pretty much ending Slovenia's hopes). It'd be cool, though, if those were the two teams to go on and England not making it out of the first round (and France).

I'm really happy that South Africa managed to score the first goal of the World Cup. Pretty cool for the country despite the ... lack of results so far.

[ITALIANO]

Raymond Domenech really is insane

Difficult not to agree with this.

[Johnny Guitar]

I wouldn't go so far as to threaten Guantanamo - I'd just be happy to never see Coulibaly officiate any more matches with the teams I like. He was just very bad, and the fact that the replays showed him to be so wrong indicate that maybe he's not up to refereeing at the highest level. I mean, when the US scored their third goal, it's not as if the charge looked any different than dozens of goals scored each week in professional football throughout the year ... it shouldn't have confused him so much. Horrible.

So France (like England) are a squad of good/great players who haven't been much of a good team at the tournament so far. Spain are mystifying - they really have been just about the best team in the world the last few years. I believe their loss to Switzerland is more a fluke than an indication of something really wrong. Maybe if Fabregas comes in instead of Iniesta for the next match things will be better. (Speaking of players sitting on the bench, how on earth has the great Thierry Henry fallen so low!? It's unreal that he wasn't put on against Mexico. Raymond Domenech really is insane.) If the World Cup stays as defensive as it has started off, then I think Uruguay might be one of the dark horses to reach the quarter- and maybe even semi-finals.



Edited By Johnny Guitar on 1276895584

[jack]

WOO-HOO!! USA wins!! USA wins!! USA beats Slovenia with a score of... um.... 2-2.

<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>(Could someone please explain this game to me?)</span>

It was a draw. I kept hearing that they won as well. At this point I can see it being Slovenia and USA progressing.

[ITALIANO]

What a disappointment England today. Still I swear that it had been great in the qualification phase - this doesn't even seem to be the same team (and the same coach).

I love Johnny Guitar's reaction (including his threatening the referee of being deported to Guantanamo!) - but these things unfortunately happen, and I'd say that the final official result mirrors the balance between the two teams (and only in soccer can a small country like Slovenia prove as strong as the US). It was a great match though, one of the best I've seen till now in this World Cup, and I saw almost all.

Nice to see, by the way, that more and more Americans seem to follow what is, to me, the best sport ever, or at least the best team sport. Right now, in this group, I'd say that Slovenia and US are the most deserving to go on, but it will be uncertain till the last minute.

France is terrible by the way - no ideas, no personality, nothing. Spain disappointing too. Italy, well, Italy is always unpredictable, but I swear that if we don't win on Sunday with New Zealand I will submit myself to watch the complete movies of Beulah Bondi.

Argentina and Brazil are good though.



Edited By ITALIANO on 1276894315

[Johnny Guitar]

Sonic, what you saw there was just a horrible, horrible refereeing decision. Not even a "controversial" call on which people can disagree - just an objectively wrong decision. I hope that official's World Cup career is axed - there was the legitimate-yet-disallowed US goal, along with the laughable "handball" yellow card against Findley ... it was a disgrace. I don't mean to sound jingoistic, especially as Slovenia were the better side during the first half, but I think everyone knows that the US was robbed of a very hard-earned victory, where they - in truth - scored three very good goals. Period.

In the entire first round of the group stage, Germany were the only really top-class team. Then they go & lose their game this morning. (The card-happy referee there didn't help them, though - Miroslav Klose was ejected early on from the game, extremely harshly.) The World Cup started out incredibly dull, has gotten a little better over the last few days, and there are no clear, consistent dominating teams. At this stage I imagine Brazil are going to win the whole thing ...



Edited By Johnny Guitar on 1276888492