2014 FIFA World Cup Thread

[RJH999]

I was talking about Brazil's second round match.

Oh yeah that will be interesting, but I think Chile might sneak in there.

[Chilli Dipper]

Oh yeah that will be interesting, but I think Chile might sneak in there.

Possibly, but my gut says Spain comes out of the tunnel hungry for blood tomorrow. They're a lot better than they played in the second half against the Dutch. There is a team from the Iberian peninsula who's done as far as this tournament is concerned, but Spain isn't it.

[mchepp]

Your predictions are as bad in soccer as they are in golf! ;-) :-D

Ouch! Sadly very true.

[RandallT]

Russia-South Korea game is exciting but neither one can get great scoring chances. Could this be the 2nd straight 0-0 draw of the day?

[RJH999]

Goalkeeper don screwed up. Big time. I like how Randall posted that and six seconds later they score

[RandallT]

Goalkeeper don screwed up. Big time. I like how Randall posted that and six seconds later they score

Ha, it figures. I was watching with a minute delay on my dvr too and didnt realize. Embarrassing but not as embarrassing as those soft hands of the Russian keeper. I think that fired Russia up cuz they got one back. Can they erase the mistake?!?!

[Lihu]

Russia-South Korea game is exciting but neither one can get great scoring chances. Could this be the 2nd straight 0-0 draw of the day?

1-1, not even close.

I would say you called it, pretty much.

Soccer is the one sport where 2-1 victories are historic. . .

[RJH999]

Group H is interesting. Algeria made Belgium panic today. Who knows with matches against Korea and Russia, maybe they can advance. A good draw for South Korea, not so much for Russia. Assuming Belgium takes 9 points, Russia and South Korea probably end with 4. Goal Difference will decide who gets destroyed by Germany.

[Lihu]

Group H is interesting. Algeria made Belgium panic today. Who knows with matches against Korea and Russia, maybe they can advance. A good draw for South Korea, not so much for Russia. Assuming Belgium takes 9 points, Russia and South Korea probably end with 4. Goal Difference will decide who gets destroyed by Germany.

Do you know how they decide the number of points? Is it based upon attempts made or something like that?

[RJH999]

Do you know how they decide the number of points? Is it based upon attempts made or something like that?

3 Points for a win, 1 for a tie, 0 for a loss

[RJH999]

I can literally watch John Brooks winner and Ian Darke all day.

[yrew]

Today we'll see how the Netherlands will do against Australia. The expectations are huge since that last match against Spain. I predict it will be a very difficult match for the dutchies.

[RJH999]

Today we'll see how the Netherlands will do against Australia. The expectations are huge since that last match against Spain. I predict it will be a very difficult match for the dutchies.

If the Netherlands don't win by at least 3, i'll eat crow.

[dsc123]

Russia-South Korea game is exciting but neither one can get great scoring chances. Could this be the 2nd straight 0-0 draw of the day?

I'm trying to give soccer a chance, but I find that I really don't understand much of it.  I watched the last 15 minutes of this game yesterday.  It was tied 1-1, so I thought the closing minutes would be exciting with everyone frantically trying to put a ball in the net.  In that time there were probably 4-5 players lying on the ground at various times for no apparent reason.  At one point the referee was standing over one guy laughing and telling him to get up.  Are they just trying to draw fouls?  Do the other players get mad at their teammates for sitting down in the final minutes of a tie game?

[yrew]

I hope you don't have to. Although we won against Spain, I don't expect the ausies are going at it like Spain. And if you look objectively at all the moment from where the goals came from, you have to admit that it was because Spain gave away a lot of room behind the defenders. Or it was a corner or it was cassillas making a big mistake.

[nevets88]

Holy 2 goals.

[cipher]

What a goal that was by Cahill!

[RandallT]

I'm trying to give soccer a chance, but I find that I really don't understand much of it.  I watched the last 15 minutes of this game yesterday.  It was tied 1-1, so I thought the closing minutes would be exciting with everyone frantically trying to put a ball in the net.  In that time there were probably 4-5 players lying on the ground at various times for no apparent reason.  At one point the referee was standing over one guy laughing and telling him to get up.  Are they just trying to draw fouls?  Do the other players get mad at their teammates for sitting down in the final minutes of a tie game?

Yah, I hear you but I'm not the best judge of excitement, because I actually enjoyed the Kaymer domination at the US Open. I found it interesting that he kept his foot on the pedal, but it was nearly universally panned.

Anyway, at the end of a match, quite a few players are at the point of exhaustion. There are no subs in and out in soccer. You get 3 per match, and if you leave the field by being replaced, you're done. Often when you get injured, you will get attention on the sidelines by a trainer and let the team play with 10 while you hopefully recover.  Those guys have been moving for 90 minutes, and if I recall correctly, that game was basically in the middle of a rain forest with high humidity and hot temps. That's enough to drain even the fittest athletes.

I don't remember guys just lying on the ground, but if you saw that, I guess it happened. These guys train their lives for the World Cup, so I'd bet most of them give every ounce of energy in they have. So yes, their teammates would probably not appreciate someone slacking off and just lying on the ground for the final minutes. So whatever it was, I doubt it was laziness. Maybe they were faking a foul or something. Soccer is definitely known for some of its antics to get the ref to call a penalty. Many refs will taunt right back and penalize a guy for obviously faking it. They'll even hand out cards for faking, so the players don't have too much leeway in trying to fall down to fake the ref.