Posted on 06/28/2010 3:19:36 AM PDT by Perdogg
FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa - Day 18 - Live Thread: Netherlands vs. Slovakia then Brazil vs. Chile
PING!
Thanks for the thread. This has been an amazing and thoroughly unpredictable cup this time around.
Cindie
you are welcome!!!
I’m going to flamed but does this soccer stuff ever end. We are on Day 2137 it seems. What a waste.
Nethrlands vs. Slovakia — Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz............
The most important sports event in the world occurs for one month (June 11 to July 11), and it’s only once every 4 years.
Toughen up. We’re halfway there.
The Netherlands used to be called “A Clockswork Orange”, that will be a good game.
I’m wearing my Orange hat,today.Of course,this is after jumping off the American bandwagon.
I know, I know. I did not know it was held every 4 years though. I’m not much of a sports person.
I have always loved the World Cup since I was 12 (1978). I have an old 1978 world cup replic Brazilian jersey (for a kid that I wore for my class picture to the displeasure of my mother). This is the best you ever watch, that and the Eurocup. Messi from Argentina is probably the best in the world.
I defintely would have liked to see the US get further than they did. I heard that refs were not not real favorable to the US. That is understandable though since it seems most of the world don’t like us.
The Netherlands was an is a powerhouse. They were in the finals with West Germany in 1974, and with Argentina in 1978 (they lost both times). I don’t think they have a FIFA World Cup title yet.
In Spanish, the Netherlands team is called “La Naranja Mecánica” — loosely translated into “The Orange Machine”...
I started watching in 1978 too (I was also 12), and follow the CONCACAF as well... it’s the greatest sport in the world!
I tried watching part of the game yesterday,,,, kinda like watching paint dry. I stopped after 10 mins and did yard work.
They won’t play as fast as they do in their league but they will have to open it up a bit today I think. Next game, Brazil.
I didn't think the officiating was the problem against Ghana. The US team came out sluggish - again - and got behind - again. They managed to tie it up (the penalty shot shouldn't really have been awarded, but I look at it as a make-up call for earlier borderline non-calls), but ran out of gas in extra time.
Now, England and Mexico have every right to complain about horrendous blown calls...
In the 1970s, PBS used to broadcast “Soccer Made In Germany”. It was the best introduction to the sport. Been hooked ever since!
Sadly, I’ve lost most of my interest since USA and England left the tourney. Although clearly, neither was good enough to move on.
I guess I’ll jump on the Brazil bandwagon. My daughter likes Kaka. Watching them play it is indeed the “beautiful game”.
The Belgian ref in our game against Ghana was pretty good. We just sucked during the first half.
Germany, for example, has a much more difficult road by comparison. They must beat Argentina and the whoever emerges from the Spain/Portugal/Paraguay/Japan group.
Holland has gone under the radar up till now. FIFA ranks them #4 in the world after Brazil, Spain, and Portugal. Slovakia is ranked #34.
Watch out for Chile! They are QUICK.
“Soccer Made in Germany” was great. I knew just about every player on Germany’s WC teams in 82, 86 and 90 because of that show. Still gotta love play by play guy Toby “Oooo, look at that!” Charles.
No doubt they are a good team. I just think that except for Argentina, Brazil intimidates all of the other South American sides once they get to the big dance. I wish that at least one of the big four on the other side—Spain, Argentina, Germany, and Portugal—could have faced Brazil in the quarters or semis. It is clear sailing for Brazil now. Holland and Chile will just be speed bumps I fear.
So, Robben did his standard move, and it is 1-0 for Holland. I hope the defenders have learned it now. Normally this would be just the right time to kick the Dutch out of the tournament :-)
Well everyone talked about people rooting for Ghana because they were the last African team, I’m rooting for Slovakia because they are the last Slavic team.
I grew up watching that show too, and they also would show English First-Division games as well. And back then, if you wanted to watch the World Cup, the Spanish channel was the only choice.
You’re kidding, that call on Dempsey was an obvious penalty.
LOL, the first time I saw “Soccer Made in Germany”, my first thought was “What is John Cleese doing announcing soccer?”
It seems under Dunga, this Brazil team is much more defense-oriented than previous Brazil teams. I don’t see as much of the “Beautiful Game” from this crew.
Brazil will force the Dutch to come out of their possession game.
In real time, I thought so. On replay, it looked a lot cleaner to me. I really think the penalty was awarded for an accumulation of misconduct rather than the specific incident. Ghana had been pushing the edge for several minutes and had gotten away with a couple... that was one time too many, even if it wasn't as bad as the ones that were let go.
Agree with your point about the Brazil intimidation factor with the other S American teams. I’ve always thought it was because they try too hard to be the JV version of Brazil, rather then play with their own style. Argentina definitely does NOT just try and copy Brazil and have reaped the rewards.
Confucious say “Name go in book” (obscure monty python/soccer reference).
I watched my first World Cup in 1974 when I was stationed in West Berlin. The final was between West Germany and Holland. I still remember the local newspapers with photos and stories about Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff.
It should have been Poland in the final instead of West Germany. The game between the two should never have been played in those terrible conditions. Totally neutralized Poland's speed advantage over the Germans.
This one’s over, 2-0 Holland.
Let’s hope for a good quarterfinal. The Dutch are the last real obstacle to Brazil reaching the final.
Too little, too late for Slovensko..... 2-1 Holland is the final.
I watched my first world cup in Naples in 1970. The Italy-West Germany semi-final game was a classic. It got me hooked as I sat in a crowded hotel lobby with a huge number of Italian fans and my wife who is German and myself the only ones rooting for the Germans. The game went back and forth. End to end football at its very best. The Italians prevailed in the end, but it was a victory for fussball.
Ping
Thank God for the Dutch, and “Total Football”, which drove the final stake in the heart of Catenaccio.
I wish I could have been in Italy during a World Cup.
My dad was stationed at Aviano AFB from 1963-1965, and we lived off-base in Pordenone (the base was small back then, and there was no on-base dependent housing). The local kids taught us how to play soccer, and they always beat us.
I think to be good at kicking a ball, you have to start young. No matter how much the American kids practiced, we weren’t as good as the Italian kids. Conversely, it was hard to teach an Italian kid how to hit a baseball.
I agree with your comments about the Italians and soccer as well as most other countries in the world. It is instinctual versus the learned way we teach soccer in the US. Until we get to that point, i.e., an instinctual feel for the game similar to that we have for basketball, it will be difficult to be competitive and dominant at the highest levels of soccer. We already have the skills and techniques, but still lack the feel for the game. It is changing, but we are still not there yet.
Hey man. How was partying it up yesterday? You catch the game live or in a bar?
I was watching with some German friends here. What a classic match.
It should have been a classic match, but the missed goal ruined it. Mind you, probably Germany wins anyway, but still, if it were 2-2, things could have really gotten interesting. As it turned out, the rest of the match was rather dull, England didn’t do bupkis after that.
I wouldn’t say the incorrect call “ruined” the game. Bad calls like that happen all the time (unfortunately), it’s just the way it is. It would have been an ugly stain only if the result had been 2-1 for Germany or something. But 4-1, or 4-2, are clear enough. Of course, that won’t stop those who are so inclined from blaming the ref for the next twenty years or so, but frankly, that makes all the whining even more enjoyable for me :-)
Yeah, but I think you realize in soccer there’s a huge difference between being even and being a goal down. Teams become more vulnerable, because they commit more to the attack.
Does Germany score two more goals, if England takes a more defensive posture with the score tied? Does Germany take a different approach than they would of had the score been tied. We’ll never know.
With the momemtum England would have had after tying the game, could that have continued through halftime with perhaps England taking the lead. You can’t deny that the call took a lot of wind out of England’s sails.
Germany clearly deserved to win the game, based on the hands that were dealt, the English squad was a mess. But still, it’s a shame to not know what would have happened.
Missed calls are a part of the game, yes, but a ball one and a half yards beyond the line should never be missed, NEVER!
Speaking of missed calls, a clear penalty missed for Brazil.
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