World Cup

[dmiles2186]

Anyone watching? (I don't expect glen to respond to this thread very kindly)

Some good action so far. The US-England game was great, tense, even for a tie. Ivory Coast-Portugal today was a great matchup that resulted in a draw. Great things is we've got almost a month left of this.

[Winning Unlimited]

I thought the USA/England game was a little dull. The Dempsey goal was a great bounce, but it was a garbage goal. The first Brazil goal today was incredible.

The Brazil right side forward chased down a runaway ball to the right of the Korea goal post, caught it at the goal line, and blasted a shot almost horizontally. The ball curves into the net. It was an unbelievable angle.

I don't know how soon FIFA will strip this from Youtube, so watch it while you can!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA-pAoxhc40

[fargoblues]

[Leedog]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[dmiles2186]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Awesome. A soccer hater calling it boring. Completely and totally original. It's unique, even.

[Leedog]

Besides intellect, the thing that separates us from most of the animal kingdom is the oposeable thumb, and the ability to do tasks because we can hold things. So, let's invent a sport, a really boring one at that, where you get penalized for using your hands. Brilliant!

[glen a richter]

Besides intellect, the thing that separates us from most of the animal kingdom is the oposeable thumb, and the ability to do tasks because we can hold things. So, let's invent a sport, a really boring one at that, where you get penalized for using your hands. Brilliant!

That is the perfect rationale for hating this pointless, mindless dribble of a so called sport. It's more exciting waiting for paint to dry in the rain.

[northwest dave]

Why does every dedicated soccer thread have to infiltrated by soccer hating (Frank)? Yeah, we get it...you don't like the sport. Then don't (Frank) contribute to the thread. Jeebus.

[dmiles2186]

Why does every dedicated soccer thread have to infiltrated by soccer hating (Frank)? Yeah, we get it...you don't like the sport. Then don't (Frank) contribute to the thread. Jeebus.

Amen!

And glen, I knew you'd hate on soccer in this thread, so no surprise...haha. But I know you are a huge baseball fan. I'd make a case that baseball is just as 'boring' as soccer, except it takes 90 minutes and change to play a soccer game and sometimes over 3-4 hours for a baseball game.

[glen a richter]

Why does every dedicated soccer thread have to infiltrated by soccer hating (Frank)? Yeah, we get it...you don't like the sport. Then don't (Frank) contribute to the thread. Jeebus.

Amen!

And glen, I knew you'd hate on soccer in this thread, so no surprise...haha. But I know you are a huge baseball fan. I'd make a case that baseball is just as 'boring' as soccer, except it takes 90 minutes and change to play a soccer game and sometimes over 3-4 hours for a baseball game.

In baseball, you never know what's going to happen. It's also the hardest sport in the world. The hardest thing to do is put the bat on the ball with any regularity. Players who bat over .300 are accomplishing an amazing feat. At the same time, a well pitched game is also an amazing feat because out of 27 batters minimum, someone HAS to get a hit. A perfect game or a no hitter, those are a couple of the most exciting events in sports. In particular because they're so rare and they usually involve a couple of defensive gems.

Soccer is predictable, the games are boring as waiting for ice to melt in a freezer and they all end in low or no scoring affairs after 90 minutes of kicking the ball back and forth.

[Leedog]

The ball is in the air. Should I catch it and throw it where I want it to go? Oh yeah. Can't do that. What to do. What to do. I know. I'll let it bounce off my head. Even though I spend every second of my life off the soccer field trying desperately to keep things from hitting me in the head. I'll let it bounce off my head. Brilliant!!!

[glen a richter]

I can't respect a sport where it's acceptable practice to hit the ball off your head. How these guys aren't braindead is completely beyond me.

[northwest dave]

The ball is in the air. Should I catch it and throw it where I want it to go? Oh yeah. Can't do that. What to do. What to do. I know. I'll let it bounce off my head. Even though I spend every second of my life off the soccer field trying desperately to keep things from hitting me in the head. I'll let it bounce off my head. Brilliant!!!

You could say that about hockey. Why do I have to use this stupid stick to hit a rubber disc...and it's not even a ball. How stupid!

We get it...you hate soccer. You are typical Americans who like high scoring games without much strategy. Surprised you all aren't BIG NBA fans.


Oh...loved the US game yesterday. If they could actually play a full 90 minutes, they'd be tough against anyone.

[dmiles2186]

Soccer is predictable, the games are boring as waiting for ice to melt in a freezer and they all end in low or no scoring affairs after 90 minutes of kicking the ball back and forth.

How is soccer predictable? Soccer is a very strategic game really. I won't get into all the specifics but it's typical to look on the surface and say a sport is boring. You broke down baseball. Here is my impression of a soccer hater saying the same stuff about baseball.

Ahem. "All you do is wind up, throw, if the batter puts the ball into play, someone fields it or the batter runs. Throw to the base. Tag. Repeat. Repeat again. Do this for 3 hours. Occasionally someone will hit the ball over the wall. And managers? What do managers even do? They write names on a lineup card and they are done for the day. Sure, a pitching change here and there but whatever. Any sport that makes a manager or coach where a uniform is just ridiculous to me."

Now, obviously those aren't my thoughts. I love baseball. I love pretty much all the basic sports aside from basketball. But any sport can be broken down into the most simple terms when trying criticize it. Doesn't make it accurate. And the majority of Americans who dislike soccer ALWAYS boil it down to the bare descriptions when they are critiquing it. Sure, there are down times in soccer. Sure, there are boring games every now and then. Sure there are low scoring games quite regularly. Doesn't mean the action in between isn't intense and engrossing. People say the same about hockey. They see 1-0 scores or 2-1 scores and they immediately call it boring because no one scores. You and I know that's not true. To me, if we're boiling things down, soccer is like a slower paced version of hockey, played on grass with larger nets. Just like in hockey, goals in soccer bring an amazing outpouring of emotion because they can be, at times, few and far between. It makes the accomplishment all the more special.

I'm not saying you can't hate soccer. Be my guest, you aren't the only ones. But for crying out loud, the game isn't just kicking the ball back and forth, just like hockey isn't "fighting on ice" or whatever lame arguments haters of hockey call it. That's all.

[dmiles2186]

By the way...Portugal just beat North Korea 7-0. In (American) football, that's 49-0 .

[fargoblues]

LetsGoBlues.com, World Cup style...

[abc789987]

USA USA!
Wow, we scored in the extra time or whatever it's called to advance to the next round. I bet that was fun. Wish I could have been watching it live.

[WaukeeBlues]

Whatever. Hockey is still the greatest sport on the planet.

[dmiles2186]

Whatever. Hockey is still the greatest sport on the planet.

'Tis. But was just happened with the USA is what makes the World Cup the greatest event in sports. For 2 hours, I sat depressed thinking that I was going to have to wait 4 more years to see USA give it a go only to have them score in stoppage time and send me shrieking like a girl as I ran around the room.

[cprice12]

The ball is in the air. Should I catch it and throw it where I want it to go? Oh yeah. Can't do that. What to do. What to do. I know. I'll let it bounce off my head. Even though I spend every second of my life off the soccer field trying desperately to keep things from hitting me in the head. I'll let it bounce off my head. Brilliant!!!

Dumb rationale. The "no hands" criticism is lame. You can't hold onto the puck with your hands in hockey either unless you are the goalie.

Soccer and hockey are actually very similar.
And some of the best hockey games I have ever seen have been low scoring affairs... game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs between the Coyotes and Blues that was 0-0 in double OT before Turgeon scored....amazing game.

If a game had to be high scoring to be entertaining, then the NBA would be a great sport, and we all know that it isn't.

Soccer is an extremely hard sport to master. Saying it is an easy sport, is lame. Anyone who has played the sport knows better.
Being able to dribble the ball in traffic and bending the ball on net while running at full speed and avoiding defenders...easy? ...forget about it. It ain't easy.

If you want to rag on soccer, then criticize the constant diving and faking of injuries. It happens waaaaaay too often to the point of it being ridiculous. It's my only real gripe about professional soccer.

Soccer is a great game...and the World Cup is amazing to watch. I feel sorry for those that can't appreciate that.

And earlier today...England was winning their game so the US had to win to advance...and Donavan's goal in EXTRA TIME to break a 0-0 tie and put the US into the round of 16 was about as intense as it gets...amazing. I don't know how any US sports fan couldn't appreciate that moment.