World Cup

[Big T]

There are some great comedic posts on twitter today...couple of my favorites

 

@TheFakeESPN: Dallas Cowboys closely studying tape of USA vs Germany desperately trying to learn how to lose and still advance.

 

@jimgeraghty: Looks like we're going to play Belgium. Time to rename those things, "Freedom Waffles." #WorldCup

 

That first one is priceless.

[baller]

Belgium scores late so it is 1-0 and it looks like we will be playing them.

[baller]

Belgium wins 1-0 .

[eagle eye]

Talk about the stars aligning. Portugal beating Ghana was proof positive that the soccer gods are on the side of the USA. Pure dumb luck is about all you can say about the USA advancing--that and some inspired play to hold Germany to only one goal. I'm curious what the more experienced soccer fans think here--did the USA benefit from the soggy field conditions yesterday? I think everyone felt like Germany was the much better team so I wonder if torrential rains actually helped the underdog USA team. Another argument for the soccer gods pulling the US team forward.

 

Ha, ha. Always some way to get a dig in on the Cowboys even when it's another sport entirely. I did hear a joke yesterday from a co-worker who like to needle me about the Cowboys. Jerry Jones, inspired by the advancement of Team USA, is trying to figure out a way to tie AND advance to the playoffs. Since Dallas has gone 8-8 the last 3 seasons it may be Dallas only hope to advance. Geez, now even I'm aiding and abetting the Cowboys slammers.

[Big T]

If anything, I believe that the soggy field hampered the Americans. They are know for their ability to break out and run for fast break goals. You did not see that yesterday because the field was playing so slow.

[eagle eye]

What's the scouting report on Belgium? They play next Tuesday and I'm curious if Team USA is going to be a huge underdog. I'm sure Belgium is good to make it this far but I'm interested in BRI points of view on this match. There is speculation Joze could be back for that match.

[Big T]

IMO, the two teams are about even when it comes to talent. One thing is for sure, the US is not a huge underdog.

[eagle eye]

In the discussion on Mike and Mike this morning there were two things clear. 1) The USA has got a definite chance to beat Belgium tonight and 2) there was a debate about how effective Jozy Altidore would be IF he even plays. I didn't realize how stringent the substitution rules are for soccer matches and the reasoning was if Altidore plays it won't be until late if the US is trying to protect a lead or if they need a score. Either way it should be an interesting side bar to the match.

[eagle eye]

All you can say after today's USA/Belgium match is DAMN! For 93 minutes nobody scored then in the 30 minute extra period a total of 3 goals were scored. Unfortunately, for Team USA they were on the short end of that stick losing to Belgium 2-1. US goal keeper Tim Howard was brilliant but you have to feel like he ran out of luck in the extra period. Belgium had so many shots on goal during the match it was inevitable that his luck and skill would run out in the Brazilian heat. The heartbreaking thing is the USA almost won in the final seconds of the penalty minutes at the end of regulation when a header off a corner kick flew harmlessly over the top of the goal. It was such a hard fought match it would have been a shame for either team to lose but obviously I was rooting for the good guys. Sometimes the good guys don't always win. Belgium moves on to the quarter finals and the USA gets to come home but they can hold their heads high because they represented us very well, very well indeed.

[Big T]

I was only able to catch bits and snatches of the games today as I am in San Antonio with my mother and she is not a sports fan. Lol It was a hard fought game and I am not disappointed. Just think of what a team like this can do in four to eight years... The US is on a meteoric rise lead by Jürgen Klinnsman and in the next couple of years we are going to the development of his young players that he has found and are training in camps around the US and Europe. The US will be true contenders in eight years.

[baller]

The USA was outplayed for much of the game including time of possession and shots on goal.They did have a great chance to score in stoppage time and win.After Belgium scored two goals in the extra 30 minute period the USA played well and had multiple great chances to tie the game.The USA goalie had a game for the ages and was superbly positioned time and time again.Belgium was definitely better today but the USA is making strides.We should be proud of our team.

[eagle eye]

It's down to the semi's now. Brazil vs German (that should be a good match between maybe the best team in the tournament, Germany, and the home country rep, Brazil) and the Netherlands vs Argentina. Who do you guys think will be in the final?

 

According to the betting odds Argentina is favored to win it all with the other three teams all in the same area odds-wise. Since Brazil's best player, Neymar, was injured in the win over Columbia (I wonder which Columbia team member is murdered for this loss?) making the Brazilians chances of winning it all somewhat remote.

[eagle eye]

Okay, don't be one of those guys who claims he KNEW Brazil was going to be blown out by a score of 7-1 by Germany. I would buy it if you said Germany would win because Brazil was without their best player, Neymar who suffered a broken vertebrae in his back in the win over Columbia and the Brazilian team captain, Thiago Silva, who was serving a suspension after his second yellow card of the tournament in the same match vs Columbia. How could you could expect the Brazilians to win with such big hits to their roster? However, nobody, but nobody, could have predicted the Brazilian team would go into the tank being so close to the finish line. They hardly put up a fight falling behind in the 1st half 6-0. The fact is Germany showed some sportsmanship deliberately missing a goal in the second have and making a half-hearted effort to allow the Brazilians to score a goal late in the match. The pro Brazilian crowd chanted "OLE" for the Germans while booing their own team off the field. That's kind of like the way the Russian crowd turned around and cheered for Rocky Balboa when he defeated Soviet champ Ivan Drago. (Rocky IV in case you forgot.)

 

Do soccer fans take the sport too seriously? ESPN's Mike Tirico said that the announcer in the stadium encouraged German fans to remain in the stadium until they could be escorted out of the stadium by the authorities to avoid confrontations with Brazilian fans. Really? Soccer fans seem to want to take "fan-atic" to a different level. People, it's just a game. People don't have to be injured or die if your team loses. Sheesh.

[Big T]

Well, I can honestly say that I was not in the least surprised. Now was I expecting Germany to hang 7? No I wasn't. But I wasn't surprised in the least bit when they did. Germany is just that good and Brazil was a dejected team who was missing their best player and without him are just that average.

[eagle eye]

It's Argentina that has to face the Germans. In an earlier post I noted that Argentina was the favorite to win the World Cup and it seems the odds makers kind of know what they are talking about. Argentina had a rough go of through regulation and the 30 minute extra period. The Netherlands actually scored a goal but the scorer was off sides. Wow. However, in the penalty kicks at the end of the game Argentina took control and won. So the weekend is set. Brazil and the Netherlands in the consolation match and Germany facing Argentina for the Cup. Should be good. The only relevant question will Brazil be any better with team captain Thiago Silva back in the lineup? Or, will the ass whoopin' at the hands, or feet, of Germany demoralize them to the point of being neutered?

[baller]

Messi needs to have an impact on today's match against Germany for Argentina to win.His father Jorge has said that he is exhausted and feels"as if his legs weigh 100 kilos each." I hope this is just gamesmanship or Argentina may be in for a very long match.The 5'7" Messi is the inspirational straw that stirs Argentina's drink.

[Big T]

I don't care what type of game Messi has, it's Germany all the way.

[eagle eye]

The Argentines have had one less day of rest than Germany but it's still been four days. After the past weeks of the World Cup everyone is tired. Germany has the luxury of not playing extra minutes and a free kick period like Argentina and that extra day of rest. Argentina's marathon against the Netherlands didn't help but it didn't seem to hurt the Netherlands as they bashed the Brazilians yesterday. You're in the final of the biggest soccer event on the planet Messi will run on adrenaline. That's just what great players do in any sport. I think the Germans have been surgical in the way they've dismantled their opponents so far. The USA came the closest to beating them and we were dominated in every stastical category except the score. So, to make a long story a little shorter, I agree with Big T. Germany, baby!

[baller]

Halftime and both teams have had scary good chances to break the 0-0 tie.I too think the percentages are in Germany's favor but goals are so precious and the better team doesn't win as often in this sport as in some others.I am pleased the officials have not red carded anyone in such an important match.

[baller]

Congratulations to Germany for winning 1-0 scoring in second extra 15 minute period on a beautiful cross and equally special shot.It is the first World Cup championship for a European team to win in the Americas.Argentina had more quality opportunities than many thought they would have but Germany was the better team and scored the most goals in the tournament.On a more personal note,my wife,a devoted Lamar basketball fan, commented she sure is glad she didn't have to stay standing until her team scored like at basketball games.

[eagle eye]

The only thing left to wonder about is this, will anyone give a crap about soccer until the next World Cup? The last two WC's ended and you barely hear about the sport unless you specifically look. Is Colin Cowherd right, that soccer is growing and will be bigger than baseball very soon? Or is he full of crap and soccer goes back to being a niche sport that lives on ESPN the Ocho? (C'mon, you gotta love a "Dodgeball" reference!)

[Big T]

The average age of Soccer fans in the US is 37. That is compared to 46 for football and 53 for baseball. Soccer is growing in leaps and bounds and it is growing more and more popular with the young people of America. I can get into all of the political reasons of why it is now growing and why it will continue to grow in America, but it would piss someone off. But, one f the main reasons it continues to grow is the growth of the game at the low levels. More and more kids are starting to play and fall in love with the game. This allows the scouts to find more and more talent which then increases the level at which the game in America is played. It is a safe sport for a kid to play unlike football, it is a cheap sport for kids to play unlike baseball, and there is a culture of refinement that goes along with the sport that is lacking sometimes in basketball. (That is part of the politics) Sunday night, Seattle played Portland at CenturyLink Field and sold it out. It also had one of the highest TV ratings for an MLS game ever. The movement is unstoppable and I say in ten years the MLS will be the second largest sport in America surpassing Baseball and the NBA.

[eagle eye]

Wow, Big T, bold prediction! 2nd biggest sport?! In ten short years. I would say that soccer is still reaping the World Cup mania benefits and I would be more impressed if you told me the sold out game in Seattle and Portland was more than a one-time deal. Now, it think soccer is more popular in the northwest than it is other parts of the country so this may not be an unusual event but, I do think the close proximity to the World Cup means the attendence may have been something to do with that. You hear ads on ESPN Houston for the Dynamo lauding players fresh from the WC so come out and watch your Houston Dynamo. It's smart marketing but it doesn't necessarily mean long term results.

Teaching refinement in the sport? From the players constantly flopping to cheap shots all the way to fans (in other countries at this point) killing players or one another if they lose. All I can say is God help us if that's refinement. I understand that tennis depends on the integrity of tthe players and their opponents for matches not to devolve into a fist fight but the petulant nature of some players doesn't send a good message to fans. Golf has an unwritten LAW that there is a level of integrity that really goes deeper than tradition that honestly demands a person to be of high character to really be worth playing with. By far, I believe golf fosters the notion of being a high character individual. You want to teach kids about integrity and honor? Steer them to golf because every single sport I know of outside of darts and shuffleboard is about pushing the limits of the rules and benefiting when you get away with breaking one or more of the rules. Golfers call penalties on themselves on a regular basis. In golf, following the rules is everything. I know of no other sport like golf in this regard.

Now, I'm not saying Big T is wrong. If the new commissioner of baseball is a Bud Selig clone baseball will continue to lose traction among fans. Selig clung to tradition to the extent that he retarded allowing the game to morph into the 21st century. He turned a blind eye to the steroid issue until freaking congress had to get involved. Replay just now is being introduced. I think baseball does itself a disservice by fostering so-called "select" teams traveling all over playing tournament and that is happening year round now. By the time a kid in, or just out, of high school gets to that level they are burned out. The new commissioner has to be more visionary and rely less on it's past. I'm not saying forget who's gone before but that's why there's a Hall of Fame. Stuff like the arbitrary strike zone that exists from one umpire to another is total BS. Use the technology to call balls and strikes. This crap of calling a strike an inch outside the black on the plate is totally unfair to the batter. But, we're talking soccer. I'll be interested to see what happens.

[Big T]

Wow, Big T, bold prediction! 2nd biggest sport?! In ten short years. I would say that soccer is still reaping the World Cup mania benefits and I would be more impressed if you told me the sold out game in Seattle and Portland was more than a one-time deal. Now, it think soccer is more popular in the northwest than it is other parts of the country so this may not be an unusual event but, I do think the close proximity to the World Cup means the attendence may have been something to do with that. You hear ads on ESPN Houston for the Dynamo lauding players fresh from the WC so come out and watch your Houston Dynamo. It's smart marketing but it doesn't necessarily mean long term results.

Teaching refinement in the sport? From the players constantly flopping to cheap shots all the way to fans (in other countries at this point) killing players or one another if they lose. All I can say is God help us if that's refinement. I understand that tennis depends on the integrity of tthe players and their opponents for matches not to devolve into a fist fight but the petulant nature of some players doesn't send a good message to fans. Golf has an unwritten LAW that there is a level of integrity that really goes deeper than tradition that honestly demands a person to be of high character to really be worth playing with. By far, I believe golf fosters the notion of being a high character individual. You want to teach kids about integrity and honor? Steer them to golf because every single sport I know of outside of darts and shuffleboard is about pushing the limits of the rules and benefiting when you get away with breaking one or more of the rules. Golfers call penalties on themselves on a regular basis. In golf, following the rules is everything. I know of no other sport like golf in this regard.

Now, I'm not saying Big T is wrong. If the new commissioner of baseball is a Bud Selig clone baseball will continue to lose traction among fans. Selig clung to tradition to the extent that he retarded allowing the game to morph into the 21st century. He turned a blind eye to the steroid issue until freaking congress had to get involved. Replay just now is being introduced. I think baseball does itself a disservice by fostering so-called "select" teams traveling all over playing tournament and that is happening year round now. By the time a kid in, or just out, of high school gets to that level they are burned out. The new commissioner has to be more visionary and rely less on it's past. I'm not saying forget who's gone before but that's why there's a Hall of Fame. Stuff like the arbitrary strike zone that exists from one umpire to another is total BS. Use the technology to call balls and strikes. This crap of calling a strike an inch outside the black on the plate is totally unfair to the batter. But, we're talking soccer. I'll be interested to see what happens.

 

Seattle and Portland both sell out every game no matter what.

[eagle eye]

Gotta love the Pacific Northwest! How do Houston, LA, Washington and Philly do? I'm lazy and I don't want to do the research and you know a lot more than me about this anyway. I can be willing to admit I'm wrong but the way soccer disappeared from the front page the last two times it makes you wonder.