USA: Bring on the heat!

sport24.co.za ^ | June 11, 2014 | sport24

[Berlin_Freeper]

"When you talk about playing in the heat, the travel, it doesn't bother us," midfielder Michael Bradley said Tuesday. "And not only does it not bother us, it excites us to see that now the other teams are so worried about it."

[Berlin_Freeper]

World Cup booze ban as England fans told just THREE beers is their limit
Brazil lifted total ban on beer but now men can only buy three and women can only buy two from stadium vendors

World Cup kit: huge TV and a pint of beer
In the final countdown to the World Cup tournament, the excitement is not limited to football fans – bar owners and sellers of televisions are equally buoyant.

Retailers are reporting a strong demand for flat-screens.

[Hot Tabasco]

the Republic of Ireland

Huh, I've always known it as just Ireland.......

[Berlin_Freeper]

http://tvtotal.prosieben.de/tvtotal/wm-songs-2014/

[Berlin_Freeper]

Captain America: Dempsey is key to U.S. soccer hopes
Asked about his earliest World Cup memory, Clint Dempsey can recall the colorful images clearly. They came from a movie he watched as a kid in small-town East Texas.

“Hero: The Official Film of the 1986 FIFA World Cup.”

He remembers the key details. The tournament was held in Mexico and won by Argentina, led by the legendary Diego Maradona, someone who would have an integral influence on Dempsey’s vibrant, flashy style of play.

Most important, he remembers feeling a connection and comfort from watching thousands of soccer-crazed fans from every corner of the globe. “Here I am in Nacogdoches, Texas, where not many people are as passionate about the sport as I am,” said Dempsey, 31, who plays for the Seattle Sounders FC of MLS, “and then I’m looking on TV and seeing people from all over, from all these different countries that have the same passion that I do, and they’re willing their team on.

“That’s when I fell in love with it and wanted to one day be on that stage and represent my country. I mean, what could be more special than that?”

That special dream has been lived by a special player.

Dempsey’s third World Cup begins Thursday, and as captain of the U.S. national team he will be called upon to guide an underdog squad through a group that seems almost unfairly difficult. He will try to become the first player in U.S. soccer history to score in three World Cups.

[Berlin_Freeper]

[Berlin_Freeper]

It's almost time: Brazil ready to finally get World Cup under way
The day Brazilians have been anxiously waiting for is finally arriving.

Brazil plays Croatia on Thursday to get the home World Cup underway, beginning its quest for a sixth world title almost seven years after the nation was picked as host.

After so much talk about delays, protests and problems, fans at last are getting a chance to cheer for the national team on home soil in football's showcase tournament.

The Official 2014 FIFA World Cup Song We Are One (Ole Ola)

[Berlin_Freeper]

These World Cup teams will field the most foreign-born players
If Germany is knocked out, there are six other teams with German-born players that supporters can back with some justification.

[Berlin_Freeper]

Loew and his constants
Change, they say, is the only constant. In the constantly changing football environment, where technology, in all spheres, is beginning to have its say, there has been one constant at the football’s most celebrated event. They adapt, they deliver and they make a statement. With their uncanny ability to peak at the right, and in high-profile, moment, the German football team, against popular ‘bookies’ prediction, pose as strong title favourites for the football carnival in the land of Brazil.

“An essential part of our philosophy is flexibility and that’s the trend I’m expecting to see in Brazil. Teams have to be able to vary their tactics now more than at any time in the past. Playing with just a single system isn’t enough nowadays,” Loew told FIFA’s official website in an interaction.

In words of Winston Churchill, “to improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” Can Germany change enough to lift the title after a long gap of 14 years? We shall know in the coming weeks.

[Berlin_Freeper]

“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

[Berlin_Freeper]

“Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

[moose07]

It’s political.
Republic of Ireland : The South
Ireland or Eire: The whole Island
Ulster: The North

It keeps the peace and keeps everybody happy. Well.....

[John O]

somehow I get the idea you’re a big fan of this european game called soccer.

[Berlin_Freeper]

“Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment — that which they cannot anticipate.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

[Berlin_Freeper]

all in or nothing

[Hot Tabasco]

Thanks, I never knew that

[kevkrom]

Try them. Whenever I have tried to make some casual watcher explain the offside rule to me, they got it wrong.

There's wrong, and then there's really wrong. I'd give partial credit to anyone who refers to the last defender. Let's see, without referring to the rulebook directly, if I have the impact of the rule memorized correctly:

You must be level with, or behind, the second-to-last defender (that is, two defenders, usually including the keeper, between you and the goal) at the point when the ball is played forward, with three exceptions:

1. You are on your defensive side of midfield at the point the ball is played forward
2. You are behind the ball at the point it is played forward
3. When the ball is played forward on a throw-in

To make the offside call, the referee's assistant on the offense's right/defense's left is supposed to position himself level with the second-to-last defender so that he can look straight across the field at the moment the ball is played forward to gauge the player's positions.

[kevkrom]

I suppose I should add, if a player is in an offside position, but he is not involved in the play, that player is not supposed to be ruled offside, which is a relatively modern change to the rule, IIRC. It’s also a judgement call as to what “involved in the play” means - I’ve seen a goal disallowed when a player was in an offside position, didn’t touch the ball, didn’t screen the defender or keeper, but was judged to be “distracting” to the keeper by being in his peripheral vision. (I disagreed with the call, but it does show the subjective nature of it.)

[cartan]

We need offside technology.

That would be cool. It would be interesting to develop such a system. I guess you would need some sort of chip on every player, and in the ball, to be able to analyze the passes. Deciding accurately which players are passively offside could be hard…

[cartan]

Your explanation is very good. Most people erroneously believe that one of the two defenders has to be the goalie, for example. Also, many people do not know that it is never offside when you pass the ball to someone behind you.

Another thing that few people know is that it is ok (not offside) if one or both of the defenders are even outside the field, behind the goal line, holding their ankles or something. That actually happens every few years, usually making the crowd very angry because they don’t understand why the refs do not call offside then.

[ken5050]

Or, alternatively...soccer need a “red line”