World Cup

[Will Lavender]

I'm definitely excited.

I've never played soccer and only watched it live maybe twice, but it's a tremendous (and underrated in the States) sport.

In '02, I got up at 5:00 in the morning to watch the US play Germany. We got beat, but we played a good game.

I'm thinking the Red, White and Blue is going to surprise some folks this time around.

[Littlemeyer]

I'd be lying if I said I was excited about it. That said, I respect the sport of soccer, and definitely respect the athleticism required to perform at that (World Cup) level. I've just never been a big fan. I would probably chalk it up to lack of exposure.

I remember 2002. I had just moved to Alabama, and was surprised to see such an interest in the World Cup there. One of the guys I was working with kept me updated with how the US was doing, and I'll admit that it pumped me up a bit. Wasn't it just four years earlier that the US finished last, or very near last?

I heard a segment on NPR a few weeks ago, an interview with the coach and some of the players, and even heard some clips from practice. I tell you what, that coach gets after it! A lot of the credit for the recent successes of the US team was given to the strength and conditioning coach, whose name I wish I could recall.

Despite my current lack of excitement, I certainly have a rooting interest in the ol' U.S. of A, and hope to see them "shock the world!"

[EricBigNally]

I actually hate soccer, but for some reason I always end up watching some of it. I figure if I keep watching it from time to time, I'll pick up on some of the stuff about it that I don't know. I don't know how much I'll watch, but I'm sure I'll find the time to watch some of it. Excited - no, but planning on watching it - yes.

[Athens2005]

We got ourselves in an amazingly tough pool.



I hope we can pull off the Czech upset in game 1 to get some momentum right off the bat.



The Angola game will also probably be big, in the event of a tie-breker.



I'd hate to miss the 2nd round, just 4 years after reaching the quarterfinals.

[Caveman Catfan]

I never played soccer. My grandfather used to say that it would be the most popular sport in this country. 25 years later, that might be true when it comes to kids playing the sport, but not yet true from a spectator perspective.

I have now watched chunks of three World Cup games and have LOVED IT! The Mexico/Iran game today was great. BRAVO!

I used to go to my HS soccer games when I was in HS. I went to a big football school and the crowds at soccer games were not that big. I enjoyed it then, but I really love it today.

I hope the USA does well tomorrow!

[KY Blue in Carolina]

I played soccer for good ole Waggener High School in Louisville back in the 70's (30 years and a hundred lbs ago). In general, I find it a much more entertaining game to play than it is to watch.

I find the World Cup moderately interesting, and will gravitate to it if the US can get out of this round. I won't go out of my way to watch.... but will watch if I stumble across it.

[Coldstream]

Man!! We absolutely stunk it up today out there. Losing 3 - 0 right now and that will hurt us with a score like that in pool play.

[Mountain Cat]

Coldstream wrote: Man!! We absolutely stunk it up today out there. Losing 3 - 0 right now and that will hurt us with a score like that in pool play.
The Czeks were awesome. I think our keeper did a poor job on distribution. We lost probably 90% of his punts and long GKs......so he kept blasting it down filed like a freakin Irishman. If you are giving up 4-6" a man, and are not faster, then you need to play possession style.

I also noticed that on average we took 1-2 extra touches per man, which made us look even slower. First touch away from pressure was poor, leading to rushed passes and narrow passing lanes. Our team need to break this film down and see how poorly we played at a fundamental level.

[Caveman Catfan]

Who would have guessed a Ghana upset. They dominated today!

[Coldstream]

Played with alot more fire than what we showed against the Czechs especially having only 9 men on the field. We still got a couple of close opportunities for a goal but in the end we tired as expected against the Italians' 10. Would have preferred a win but we'll take it. :thumbup

[Brian McCat]

The referees for the USA/Italy match must have been SEC Football refs. Horrible refereeing, with all the ejections. It was a very physical match, but great job by the Americans, holding their own against Italy.

[cumberlandredskin]

The US just lost to Ghana 2-1. The World Cup is over for us this year. I couldn't watch the game so I don't know how it went other than Ghana scored the go ahead goal via a penalty kick.

[Athens2005]

^^^^ A penalty kick during "bonus time" albeit.

I've only heard that the penalty was "harsh."

Of course, all of my media coverage comes from US outlets. ;)

[joneagin]

Penalty was horrible call. Pretty much everyone I have heard agreed. Our guy got punished for being bigger than the Ghana player. However, we just didnt play good. Maybe that call changes the momentum (since we had just tied a min before) but still, we had chances but we just didnt play good enough to win.

[BOURBON TOWN CAT FAN]

This has been an overall poor showing for the U.S. in this years World Cup.

[Caveman Catfan]

In his closing commentary on the latest edition of HBO's Real Sports, Bryant Gumbel said more people in this country should give soccer a chance:

"Please spare me the stifled yawns and typical American gripes about how boring the sport can be. For God's sake, we're a nation that venerates 1-0 baseball games, watches cars make endless left-hand turns and televises people playing poker and dominoes."

[Littlemeyer]

:lol: Dominoes. Yep, I've seen it. In fact, I recorded it and showed it to my wife...just so she'd believe me that it was real.

Actually, I think 1-0 baseball games are a thing of beauty, but maybe that's just me. Overall, though, I can't disagree with much of what Mr. Gumbel said.

[Brian McCat]

Caveman Catfan wrote: In his closing commentary on the latest edition of HBO's Real Sports, Bryant Gumbel said more people in this country should give soccer a chance:

"Please spare me the stifled yawns and typical American gripes about how boring the sport can be. For God's sake, we're a nation that venerates 1-0 baseball games, watches cars make endless left-hand turns and televises people playing poker and dominoes."


Thank you for that quote, Caveman. It's just ridiculous that we berate soccer for its lack of scoring yet watch other inanities.

My wife, who haaaaates Baseball, Football, and Basketball, is going nuts while watching her Spaniards play in the World Cup.

Although the US is out, I'm definitely still watching. At this point, Brasil certainly seems to be the team to beat, with Spain running a very close second. Can't count out the home team, Germany, either.

[BigBlue75]

Because of some physical problems (that have long since disappeared) I wasn't able to participate in competitive sports in high school (1970's), but if I could have, soccer would not have been one of them. My school's team won the state championship in 1973, but I really didn't pay much attention to it.

That being said, for some reason, as I've gotten older I've started to pay a bit more attention to it. I'mno one's idea ofan expert, mind you, but I can watch it and understand what's going on. The World Cup seems to bring a sense of national pride and unity that other sports don't have, and I think that's pretty special. I also appreciate the caliber of play that's required.

I really don't have a favorite since the US is out, but I think an England-Germany matchup would be a good one (if they can even end up playing each other. Not sure how the brackets are set up. I'm probably exposing my ignorance on that one.)

[joneagin]

A lot of rumors around about Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany National Team Coach) becoming the next US National Team coach. He lives in California and has said he is tired of the commute back to Germany for national team stuff. Bruce Arena got us this far but its time to move on. National Team soccer coaches change all the time, even if they have great success. Brasils coach from the last world cup (when they won) now coaches Japan. Its just the way it works in International soccer. I for one, would love to have Klinsmann.

[Brian McCat]

FCFS82 wrote: Clockwork Orange, baby! (The Netherlands)

My Final Four is Germany, Italy, Brazil, and the Netherlands.


Portugal 1-0. What a bizarre match with all the yellows and reds.