The World Cup Thread

Soccer has been in the US for 40 years. A huge number of kids play the game at the youth level. Then every HS has both a boy and girls soccer team. Every college, even those who don't have a football team, have a mens and women's soccer team.
You would think by now the US would have a top of the world soccer team every year. But we don't. Cities that have professional soccer teams and play in football stadiums can't fill 25% of the stadium.
Let the rest of the world think soccer is a big deal. In Ammerica football is king, from HS to the NFL. The major colleges have 100,000 people attend football games,.
And soccer is much more boring to watch on TV than golf.
It's been at least 100 years, probably more.


And golf on TV has far more action than football or baseball. There are typically dozens of cameras on the golf course, and the action constantly shifts from golfer to golfer as shots are being played. You'll see a drive by one guy or gal followed by a bunker shot from another player followed by a long putt by a third.

Lots of actual play of the sport, versus a bunch of players standing around waiting for someone to adjust their jockstrap or 20 replays of a questionable catch while waiting for the referee to hear from some wise guy in New York.
 
Ah well, 3-1 Netherlands, the US go out.

But making it to the knock out stage is a big deal and it's a young, hungry team and it is a good foundation for the World Cup in the US in 4 years' time. The US needs a good striker and maybe a change to a high-profile, established coach.
 
Here’s my Ted Lasso not-a-soccer-expert take:

  • Team America (f yeah) had plenty of chances, multiple shots that with an extra 0.2 seconds of composure, could have been goals
  • Seems like we controlled the midfield pretty good all game. Controlled time of possession in the game.
  • The US defenders were like idle practice cones. The Dutch scored on the same predictable cross multiple times. I don’t know the defender names but Team USA needs way more physical centerback defenders
 
Not embarrassing or anything but disappointing. I thought the Netherlands were "getable" and would have enjoyed a match up with Argentina.

We need a large striker who can stand up against a 6'5" center back. Think of a young Zlatan Ibrahimovitch. On corners the whole team was playing for the second ball.

We have 3 talented forwards, but they are all basically the same guy.

Turner was pretty huge today (I hope Arsenal was watching).

Our top 13 or so is really good, but after that there is a big talent drop off. Kind of a big deal when your playing in the middle of the desert.

N.B. I gave up trying to evangelize the sport a long time ago, don't like it, don't watch. That said if you tell me you hate soccer because it's "boring" and "nothing every happens" but you also love baseball then I am going to ROTFLMFAO. I guess it's scintillating watching Nomar adjust his gloves for 3 minutes every pitch and then seeing Clemmons nod and shake his head a lot. To each his own I guess.
 
Largely due to all the flopping internationally, I don’t think men’s soccer will ever leapfrog football, basketball, baseball, hockey, or college variants of the above anytime soon in terms of popularity.
 
I know you guys don't follow soccer, but what a day at the World Cup...

Argentina just beat the Dutch after it went to extra time and then a penalty shootout.

Earlier, the Croatians (Bill will be delighted) beat the mighty Brazilians, again in a penalty shoot-out and now Argentina will play Croatia in the semi-final.

The drama and tension was unreal. And tomorrow there are two more quarter finals.
 
Largely due to all the flopping internationally, I don’t think men’s soccer will ever leapfrog football, basketball, baseball, hockey, or college variants of the above anytime soon in terms of popularity.

Glad you brought that up, because it's my number one beef and the very first thing you hear on the topic right before "not enough scoring".

It's a good thing that nobody in American sports cheats like that, because we have higher standards than the rest of the planet Earth, which, let's face it, doesn't
matter all that much.

I'm glad that nobody holds in the NFL, because it'd be a lot harder to watch. Basketball is a huge international sport and thank God nobody walks with the ball or hacks the
arms on jumpers. If they did, I'm sure the refs would call them fairly regardless of whether NBA royalty was involved. Didn't the Sox Manager Cora get suspended for stealing
signs in Houston?

I'm not trying to pick on you here, but I had the exact same though recently and have been questioning it ever since.

If you ain't cheatin' then you ain't tryin', but I don't like the way THEY do it.
 
Horrendous news from Qatar. The much loved and respected US Soccer Journalist Grant Wahl dropped dead during the Argentian game last night. They tried to save him on the spot but to no avail. Such sad news; he was such a passionate writer about soccer., RIP Grant.

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View: https://twitter.com/celinegounder/status/1601404727014879232
 
On a brighter note, Miss Croatia is alright isn't she? Giving good 'support' to the team in Qatar!

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Terrible news.

RIP, Grant.

Yes it is, but there are already rumors that something is rotten in Qatar. Like they slipped him a mickey for writing critical stuff
about the creepy games committee.

His brother, for one has weighed in.

Eric Wahl said his brother had received death threats and that he believed Wahl was killed. He also stated that the family was in contact with U.S. State Department and White House officials

I had a case of bronchitis once that made it hard to breathe, so it is probably something natural that Wahl ignored to cover the Cup, but I wouldn't assume
that is a mortal lock. He pissed off a lot of very rich people recently.
 
RIP, Grant.

Yes it is, but there are already rumors that something is rotten in Qatar. Like they slipped him a mickey for writing critical stuff
about the creepy games committee.

His brother, for one has weighed in.

Eric Wahl said his brother had received death threats and that he believed Wahl was killed. He also stated that the family was in contact with U.S. State Department and White House officials

I had a case of bronchitis once that made it hard to breathe, so it is probably something natural that Wahl ignored to cover the Cup, but I wouldn't assume
that is a mortal lock. He pissed off a lot of very rich people recently.

Yes, he did. Could be the Qataris but I doubt it. There is an elephant in the room.

 
Yes, he did. Could be the Qataris but I doubt it. There is an elephant in the room.


Not really, let's go there into tinfoil hat territory?


View: https://twitter.com/jason_kint/status/1601422180763725824
 
Glad you brought that up, because it's my number one beef and the very first thing you hear on the topic right before "not enough scoring".

It's a good thing that nobody in American sports cheats like that, because we have higher standards than the rest of the planet Earth, which, let's face it, doesn't
matter all that much.

I'm glad that nobody holds in the NFL, because it'd be a lot harder to watch. Basketball is a huge international sport and thank God nobody walks with the ball or hacks the
arms on jumpers. If they did, I'm sure the refs would call them fairly regardless of whether NBA royalty was involved. Didn't the Sox Manager Cora get suspended for stealing
signs in Houston?

I'm not trying to pick on you here, but I had the exact same though recently and have been questioning it ever since.

If you ain't cheatin' then you ain't tryin', but I don't like the way THEY do it.

well written . I hear ya. but…

every sport tries to win. baseball sign stealing, hockey cheap shots, linemen trying to hold, look at Goodell with a hard-on for taking Pats draft pick picks.

I think the flopping every 2 mins with zero contact is a bit different, it’s pathetic and American sports fan culture wouldn’t respect it. as an example, James Harden is a flopper in the nba and is not a popular player
 
Glad you brought that up, because it's my number one beef and the very first thing you hear on the topic right before "not enough scoring".

It's a good thing that nobody in American sports cheats like that, because we have higher standards than the rest of the planet Earth, which, let's face it, doesn't
matter all that much.

I'm glad that nobody holds in the NFL, because it'd be a lot harder to watch. Basketball is a huge international sport and thank God nobody walks with the ball or hacks the
arms on jumpers. If they did, I'm sure the refs would call them fairly regardless of whether NBA royalty was involved. Didn't the Sox Manager Cora get suspended for stealing
signs in Houston?

I'm not trying to pick on you here, but I had the exact same though recently and have been questioning it ever since.

If you ain't cheatin' then you ain't tryin', but I don't like the way THEY do it.
I think there's an art to the dive. If it's well done I don't get annoyed, I think it's frustrating when it insults my (and the refs) intelligence, that was what Iran tried in the last several minutes, instead of trying to actually score, which if they did, they very well might have gone through.

I've enjoyed Wahl's writing for years, never realized how young he was.

I really hope there was no foul play involved, I don't expect a free and unbiased investigation at any rate.
 
The diving in soccer has long been a plague, and me and so many other fans have called for a long time for instant red cards and lengthy bans and also, for refs to cut down on the abuse they received from players which can also be disgraceful. Players surrounding the refs and screaming in their faces. it would never be tolerated in any other sport. Coming from a rugby background, the diving and playacting and abuse to refs is abhorrent to us. We don't get it. US major sports are the same.
 
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