World Cup

So the World Cup starts tomorrow, well technically today, but whatever. Id anybody excoited about this? I just hope the US can get out of the bracket and at least do somthing this time around. Hoepfully, Donivan plays like he should and put a few in the back of the net.

!! I had a nice little post lined up to post as well.

I'll post it anyway.

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In answer to your first question, I'm extremely excited. Rooney's been given the go-ahead to play in the knockout stages, and we've got the best team we've had since '66. We're also second favourites at the English Bookies with 7-1 odds that we win (Brazil are the favourites at 5-2).

The US didn't do all that badly in Japan. You got further than us... then again, we DID play Brazil with a weak team. Where'd you get up to? Semi's?

In fact, my bad - we both dropped out of the Quarters.

US 0 - 1 Germany
England 1 - 2 Brazil

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Quick reminder of the groups:



England are in the easiest group - B.
US are in group E. The only hard match might be against Italy.

And the list of matches:

England v Paraguay (Frankfurt) Tomorrow
England v Trinidad & Tobago (Nuremberg) 15th June
Sweden v England (Cologne) 20th June

USA v Czech Republic (Gelsenkirchen) 12th June
Italy v USA (Kaiserslautern) 17th June
Ghana v USA (Nuremberg) 22nd June

The second round is played from the 24th to 27th June.
Quarter Finals are on 30th June and 1st July.
Semi's on the 4th, and 5th July (third place playoff on the 8th).
And the Final is on Friday 9th July.

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Btw, at the bookies, America are at odds of 100-1 to win.

Actually, looking at the figures - Italy are 9-1, Czech Republic are 33-1. So they might be a bit difficult.

But there's no way of telling until the match is in progress.

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Good luck to both teams, then. Methinks I might watch the USA games, if I've got nothing else to do. Just watch England tomorrow - you might get to see us play like magic... but T&T aren't exactly hard, so it'll be a boring match.

i just want to watch all the games available to us. Ill sit back with some beer and watch and hopefully our teams get to go against each other later on in the tourny

I'm watching Germany vs. Costa Rica in a few minutes here. Then Ecuador vs. Poland at 1:55 PM CST. I want Argentina to win, but they are in what is said to be the toughest group. Both of these are on EPSN2.

They are televising all 64 games on ESPN networks and ABC.

ITs soccer, lololol. Sorry random soccer comment. However, I was watching the Germany vs Costa Rica game, first goal by Germany was just money, better be a Sports Center top 10.

Fucking Grass Fairies.

GO TEAM USA!

the germany game was a blow out but the poland game was awesome. Ecuador kicked ass.

Germany's defense was disappointing. Their keeper sucked too. I can't believe they tried to use an offside trap at an international level. Otherwise, they had good control, and that last goal by Frings was amazing. That, along with Lahm's goal, are real pretty goals.

Poland came out very sloppy, and never really gained momentum. Ecuador didn't really show too much dominance, but it got a pair of goals. I don't think either team can measure up to playing in the final.

Out of the 7 goals scored so far, I've only seen that one with the offside trap. Nice goal though.

The thing about Germany is that they always have a bad start. No matter whether they win, lose or draw, they have terrible starts. But once you get into the knockout stages, they really become good.

And Argentina are in a horrible group. The Netherlands can be absolutely amazing when they get into their stride. You've heard of Total Football, right? And there's the second rule of the World Cup (only broken twice, last year being the second time) - no team, no matter how good, or how talented, can put up with a journey acorss a major ocean. Which unfortunately means all the South American countries, and USA.

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I don't care how badly we play tomorrow - I just can't wait to see us play. If anyone IS watching, then look out for:

Gerrard
Crouch
and maybe Walcott.

- Gerrard should be playing up front with Lampard, with Carrick holding the fort behind the two.
- Crouch is... well, he's 6 foot 7. Looks like a gangly owd fool, plays pretty damn well. And if he scores, look out for his "robot dance".
- Walcott is our wildcard. 17 y/o. Never been tried at Premiership level, never mind International. Yet he's rumoured to have terrific pace and a knack for getting into tight spaces. But, he's no Rooney.

Then there's the obligatory Owen running, Beckham crossing, and Sven sat on the bench looking mildly interested... jumping up and clapping sedately if we do something right.


Don'tcha just love that? When people start talking about their football team in the "we" sense?

I'll be up at 8 AM sharp to watch them take on Paraguay. Paraguay were the runners-up at the 2004 Olympics, although there were 2 red cards issued to their team. I'm guessing that's because they were playing their South American rival Argentina. I hope that England at least makes it to the semi's.

You and 60 million other people.

I'd like to see this "Donivan" fella play. From what I've read, he's quick down the wing and has got a pretty good pace. Apparently your whole team is quick. But what's up with your keeper? Ain't he got some kind of back injury?

Even so, he's solid. You will be amazed at Donovan's play though.

If he's as good as I've been hearing, then he should be an interesting guy to play against... that is if we meet up in the Quarters, Semi's or even the Finals.

To quote directly from a little World Cup thingy I picked up from a Newspaper:

How do you beat them [USA]? Catch them on the counter-attack. The domestic Major League Soccer is slow in comparison to the Premiership and less technical than Serie A or La Liga. High tempo, high quality football could unsettle them.

Now I don't really watch Premiership matches all that much, but let me tell you - they can be as slow and as boring as wathing paint dry. If that's the case, and if the American Leagues are slower, then I shudder to think what you have to put up with.

Once again, it'd be interesting to see how you handle the Czech's. 5.00pm on Monday, I'm gonna be watching.

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EDIT: Right, 10 minutes before the match.

Watch out for Beckham's crosses, Terry on set-pieces, and Owen and Crouch up front.

And I'm off again.

COME ON ENG-ER-LAND!!

Your quote is right, the MLS is slower than the Premiership and Serie A. But, the USA has proven that they can definitely keep up with international play.

Did you see Beck's amazing goal in the 3rd minute!!!???

Lol, sounds like you liked that.

Actually an OG by Gamarra, but we're letting Beckham have the glory. You'd better get used to that - he's an absolute demon with his free-kicks and crosses. So accurate.

Paraguay only really had one chance, didn't they? Right at the end of the First Half. In the Second Half they nearly got through, but we still held them... even though we played abysmally. That's our problem - we can keep up the tempo and whatever in the First Half, stunning everyone, then when we come out for the Second Half we lose our Killer Instict.

Methinks Sven was stupid bringing Owen off. Sure, he hasn't played much and needs to not be playing so much he tires himself out, but did you see how Crouch had no-one to head on to? Or when beckham broke through, knocked the ball across the goal mouth... and there was no-one to get it. Owen would've scored that, no questions asked.

Lampard had his chances too. He was unlucky not to score. We should've got a second, but we just didn't take the chances. We need to play more as the tournament goes on we will get better.

And the fact that we had a wanker for a referee didn't help one bit. Yellow card for Gerrard, because someone jumped over him... but no free kick given. Yellow Card for Crouch for a trivial little tackle. And all those free kicks and decisions going Paraguay's way. But what happens when Downing, amking a superb run down the wing, is taken out with the ball 10 feet in front of him? "Carry on!" Absolute wanker.

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Let's see if you fare any better. I really do hope for you that you don't have a stupid ref. They can really ruin matches. If you don't have that South American ref, or that Swiss bastard we had for our game against Portugal in Euro '04, then you should be OK.

I liked the England game, but I thought it was dangerous trying to hold on to a 1-0 lead. I would have gotten another goal just for security.

You really liked it? I 'spose it wasn't that bad... but I've seriously seen a lot better. And there were no Owen runs! Just wait till you see one... he ought to do one. He first came on against Argentina in '98, had a run, and BAM! Jeez louise was that good. Did the same against Brazil in 2002.

To be perfectly honest - the way England play football, naturally, is to get a second goal after a first. But Sven, being Sven, an itsy bitsy Swede, coaching the England squad, with the spirit of Italian football in him, prefers to hold onto each goal.

IF we'd've had Owen when Beckham knocked across the goal mouth, we'd have scored.
IF we'd've had Owen when Crouch was heading them up, we'd have scored.

And IF, it's a gigantic IF, IF we'd've had Rooney playing, we'd've got hundreds of goals (well, slight exageration, but he works absolute magic. Not even Gerrard or Owen can receive the ball with their back to the goal, surrounded on every side by defenders, and still score).

Don't you think we played absolutely awful during the second half though?

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Going back to:

I want Argentina to win

1. Never tell that to an Englishman. You'll get your head kicked in.
2. The beat Cote d'Ivoire 2 - 1, and got 3 (out of 5) yellows in the process.

Argentina played terrible, they are lucky that Ivory Coast couldnt put the ball in the back of the net. THey played like pusses.

I'd never have thought you'd be one to like Football.

Don't forget, they're complying with the "second rule" of the World Cup - no team, no matter how talented, survives a trip across a major sea. It may sound like a load of rubbish, but look at past years - it is true... excepting maybe Brazil.

And Argentina have really gone down in standard these past few years. We've been beating them for a few years now - before France '98, we didn't stand a chance.

If they played that badly, then I'd be surprised if they make it out of their Group of Death and into the knockout stages.

... And where do you find the time to keep track of all this?