FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa - Day 18 - Live Thread: Neth vs. Slovakia then Brazil vs. Chile

06.28.10 | Perdogg

[Perdogg]

FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa - Day 18 - Live Thread: Netherlands vs. Slovakia then Brazil vs. Chile

[darkangel82]

3-0 now. Chile is done.

[cartan]

Looks like some English fans actually did have fun, yesterday…

[dfwgator]

A little chunky, but I’d say ‘Not Guilty’

[cartan]

Agree. Somebody should have told her, however, that streakers are supposed to be nekkid!

[cartan]

Agree. Somebody should have told her, however, that streakers are supposed to be nekkid!

[cartan]

Sorry for the double post. Aargh…

[SilvieWaldorfMD]

Fascinating.

It is a remarkable sport.

[SilvieWaldorfMD]

Just saw on Univisión that they had their largest audience ever on Sunday — 9.3 million viewers — during the Argentina vs. Mexico match. This is the largest audience for any event or program in the history of the network!

[SilvieWaldorfMD]

I just realized that the Semifinals and Finals could end up being ALL LATIN AMERICAN TEAMS.

It could be this:

Brazil (if they beat Holland)
Uruguay (if they beat Ghana)
Argentina (if they beat Germany)

and

Paraguay (if they beat Japan tomorrow) or Spain or Portugal (if they beat each other tomorrow) — then Paraguay would have to play with either Spain of Portugal, and all of those countries are Latin.

INTERESTING.............

[Perdogg]

Holland Over Brazil - upset
Uruguay over Ghana unless the refs cheat
Portugal over Paraguay

Argentina/Germany - wow too tough to make a prediction.

[MontaniSemperLiberi]

I think what Ruud gets and the UWhatever coach doesn’t is that in Holland, Germany, Brazil, etc. uncles teach older brothers teach younger brothers how to play. There is no mystery in their minds to the game and no need for every seven year old to look at every situation as a brand new event. Every touch must have a purpose. The purpose must be explained. Only then do kids get to learn a quality touch from a bad touch. Why in the world we expect a seven year old to figure it out on his own is beyond me.

That, in my mind, is why our strikers suck wet butt. By the time they do start to figure it out they’re are as about as world class as Usain Bolt will be in ten years.

We have a style too. Go watch a U14 team play, an NCAA team play and our Nat team play and it’s the same.

Thanks for putting up with my rant. Watching our backs be afraid to dribble the ball into the midfield has put me on edge.

[MontaniSemperLiberi]

PS - A dutch guy taught me the game. I have the utmost respect for all they do, except penalty kicks.

[cartan]

Argentina/Germany - wow too tough to make a prediction.

Not at all: Germany will win. Here is why:

• Argentina has Demichelis as a center back: One goal for Germany. 1-0
• Their goalie Romero is as awful as his greasy mullet: Another goal for Germany. 2-0
• The German keeper, Neuer, has his qualities: Great reflexes, active defending, and a unique ability to fasten up the game by his “throw-ins” on the one hand, lack of experience that leads to blunders on the other hand. Let’s be pessimistic and count that as a goal for Argentina. 2-1
• Argentina likes to play offensively; this creates open spaces that the super-fast young German players need: Another goal for Germany. 3-1
• On the other hand, Mertesacker is nothing but a liability: One goal for the Argies. 3-2
• Boateng is quite good, actually, but a bit too inexperienced yet: Another one for the Argies. 3-3
• Messi is desperate to make a goal; he’ll play selfishly and make idiotic goal kicks instead of making a pass that would lead to an easy goal: One less for the Argies. 3-2

End result: 3-2 for Germany. QED!

[MontaniSemperLiberi]

Agree. Germany vs. Argentina will be Big kids vs. Little kids. Big kids win.

Mexico played right into the Arg pressure. The Germans will play a short pass back then play it over to a big running striker.

It’s nice to watch games with the lesser teams gone. The game becomes nice and watchable instead of random.

[Azzurri]

I tried watching part of the game yesterday,,,, kinda like watching paint dry. I stopped after 10 mins and did yard work.

Not sure what you were watching, because the two games yesterday (England-Germany, Argentina-Mexico) were highly entertaining.

[Perdogg]

Apparently Germany had some laspes yesterday. They were up 2-0 and let England score two goals in less a minute. Had the second one actually counted, the match could have gone the other way.

[longjack]

I probably didn't express myself well enough to represent what the U level coach. He would agree with what you said. He felt that you had to create an environment where higher tactical skills are expected. He didn't want kids getting away with low level performance, but didn't line them up in some type of drill to teach them the 'right' way. All the explanation was done in the course of playing, and the requisite skills had to be developed within the process of movement during the game.

Rinus Michels, for example, would ask a kid who made a bad pass what team he played on. When the kid said, "the red team", Michels would ask him, "Well, why did you just pass it to the white team", nothing more. That was during the course of the game, without stopping it, and without telling him the correct thing to do. He probably said that exact thing dozens of times during the course of the practice.

Michels didn't believe in teaching skills. He said skills were what you did to pass time when you were first one to show up at the street game, waiting for the other kids to get there.

Compare that to the youth soccer environment in the US.

As you say, soccer nation kids play with high level thinking that's passed down from their elders at a young age , but I don't think it's coached. They play in the street in an environment that is functioning at that high level already, and they are expected to play accordingly.

If you keep passing the ball to the other guys no one will pick you for the next game.

[cartan]

Yes, there were lapses indeed. This German team has some glaring weaknesses, and I don’t think they are going to win the cup. But the English were even worse. Not just in this game, in all others before, too. They wouldn’t have won this. That is just wishful thinking on their side.

Of course, if that is what they want to believe, I cannot stop them. I have had this kind of discussion with English soccer fans for decades. I have learned:

1. When Germany wins, it was never deserved. It was always luck.
2. When England loses, they have always been robbed. The other team was never better.
3. When England loses to Germany, both rules apply.

It is all pointless speculation. In the end, what counts is who wins, nothing else.