Re: Mmm. delish Yes, Belgium is good, but they don't move the ball like Germany. Their team is full of EPL and top tier regulars, but they move the ball more slowly and methodically. They like to win 1-0 vs Germany which would win 10-0 if they had enough time.
I'm not really a soccer fan, just because I find it somewhat boring. However, certain kinds of contact are incidental. There's late hits in football, tackling the kicker real bad, high sticking in hockey, but biting, to me, is in a whole different realm of poor sportsmanship. There can be nothing accidental about it. And it's the behavior of someone less than civilized. I just don't get why it's OK in soccer but it wasn't OK for Mike Tyson. And by OK in soccer, I mean the dude still gets to play. Two very different sports, but none should have any biting. Imagine if you saw the first baseman bite the runner just before a pitch was thrown.
Re: Mmm. delish Let's state some facts here about said fight: Holyfield was a dirty head butting fuck and he deserved that. He constantly mangled fighters with that cheap-shot method. The two guys are great friends now, so happy ending. Biting always looks nuts because its primal and well, causes infections. I only looked at it as a desperate self-defence move, like when you're piled on or being strangled. I've been bitten and it sucks but there's far worse things a person can do.
Where are you seeing that it is OK? He's banned for 4 months, he's sent home from the World Cup. Nothing happened during the game cause nobody was quite sure what the fuck happened and you can't go to the replay for a retroactive card. Its like an NFL player getting punched in the nuts behind the play on a kickoff return, if the ref didnt see it at the time, there wont be a flag thrown or an ejection, but they will definitely be suspended or fined by the league after the fact. Its also hard to equate it to another sport due to style of play and padding. The only place you could see a similar bite would probably be basketball.
Re: Mmm. delish US definitely has a shot at the next round. The US put up a Great Wall against the fastest-moving team there is and Belgium is not near that explosive. As said, they are more technical and the U S seems to like going for steals, which could work out great for them. You never know how far a team will get. In the USA WC in 94 Sweden came out of nowhere and made it to the final four. That same year Colombia was ranked 6 and played like drunken retards. One of their players got an "own-goal" and his own fans killed him for it. There are plenty of times when it's anybody's game. And there are times when your own fans kill you.
I guess because after having done it so many times, I feel something more permanent would be done. I don't think I'm being crazy or harsh. Yes, I know there are far worse things that can be done to a person in any sport, but biting someone like an angry retard seems just so far off the marker to me.
Re: Mmm. delish Yes. They'll probably lose, but they have a decent shot. ELO Ratings are probably the most respected ranking system in international soccer. They rate us as marginally better than Belgium but approximately equal (13 v 14). That being said, that system probably underrates the Belgians, who are ranked 9th in ESPN/Nate Silver's SPI system to our 18th. However, even Nate Silver's method estimates our chances in the 40%-45% range, so we certainly have a shot. Belgium has also been underperforming so far. They've looked confusing and haven't been getting a ton of quality shots. They only scored four goals in arguably the weakest group (IMO, second weakest), and needed some late game heroics to win their matches (not a single goal was scored before the 70th minute). However, they have at least 3 world-class players and a few other pretty good ones. They could come alive at any moment. If you want to scare yourself, watch Eden Hazard's highlight clips. His dribbling is some other-level shit. It's worth keeping in mind here that they were playing in a city that was literally flooding at the time. It's harder to play fast on a soaked field.
Re: Mmm. delish Yeah, I'd say this is pretty spot on. USA has a chance, but I'd put Belgium as the favourite. On paper I think Belgium are a significantly superior team, but they've played pretty average so far. If team USA plays like they did against Portugal then you have a really good chance of winning. If they play like they did against Germany then Belgium will likely take it. USA put up a strong defense against Germany (although they looked shaky for the first 15 minutes), but did not get a single offensive shot on target until the final couple of minutes. You can't win a knockout game if you never really threaten the opposition goal. Also perhaps I'm being overly harsh, but Klinsmann needs to give Bradley a pass for this next match. He played woefully against Germany and turned it over so many times. In a knock out round, with everything on the line, he's a liability.
I agree. Bradley should have been pulled after that poor showing in the game against Portugal, let alone that crap against Germany. Bradley's failure to control the ball( and lack of effort in general to get it back) at the end of the game against Portugal is the reason that game ended in a tie. Had he just controled the ball, Ronaldo would never have been able to make that cross…which was beautiful BTW.
You don't bench the guy who was, according to pre-WC consensus, your best player because he has a few bad matches. Especially when you don't really have the talent to replace him. Davis doesn't deserve a starting spot. The odds are slightly better if Jozy is at full health and you can play two forwards and 4 midfielders. Even then, you still probably don't.
Exactly. He's playing out of position as well. I'm not gonna defend his play, cause he's been awful, but its like an NFL team benching their starting, $100MM QB because he threw a few picks. Bradley is the best American outfield player, they need him. He looked much better against Portugal until he got clearly tired at the end (that missed trap was the result of tired legs). Having Jozy back to not put so much pressure on him needing to hold possession will help.
Belgium won't/can't control a game with possession as much as Germany did. Belgium's defence has looked shaky, and Hazard has been quiet so far. USA definitely have a solid chance.
So I read this morning that the Greek national side wrote a letter to their Prime Minister refusing their bonuses ($3 million) and wanted it spent on upgrading facilities instead, as they don't play for money but rather "Greece and it's people". SO awesome. They went out on penalties this morning, but to be honest I think the Dutch would've been fine with playing them or Costa Rica anyway, which should see them make the semi finals.
Re: Mmm. delish John Hopoate was an Australian Rugby League player who's tackling methodology (3 fingers in the rectum of the man he was tackling) has been named in his honor in some circles. I've even heard gay friends use the term to describe foreplay.
If you are a sports fan, its hard to not be enjoying this World Cup. The games have been exciting, there's been plenty of scoring, and the story lines have been compelling. Really wish I could've seen the end of the Dutch game, but at least I got to see the end of the Brazil match. I can only imagine the riots that would've happened had Brazil lost. I imagine Brazilians would start burning down the stadiums in protest and just call off the rest of the tourney.
I'm not going to become a regular soccer fan, but you're right about this year's WC; it has been entertaining and interesting. On the other hand, the Greece - Costa Rica game was probably the worst I've seen all tournament: Lots of acting, (at one point three CRC players were laying on the turf clutching their ankles like they blew out their achillies) lackadaisical play by the Greeks, and lots of bitching at refs. Just an awful game all around.
I just caught it from when the Greek coach was being kicked out... and then the shootout. It was actually kind of entertaining...
Yea, I didn't get to see that game fortunately. Its not surprising it ended up playing out like that. The Costa Ricans are known for diving and in general being a dirty team. The Greeks seemingly always play for a draw and dive like crazy as well. Clearly that was the least anticipated game of this round.