8) While Corey is taking a siesta somewhere, I'll fill in... I watched both opening games today and they were pretty good. Germany is the host country, so they got the first game...and against a patsy, Costa Rica to boot. The crowd in Deutchland loves their team, but there was a lot of controversy surrounding the German head coach, Jurgen Klinsmann going in. The former star German goal scorer is a local who lives down at the beach here and he's using American training methods and a new attacking offense designed by American coach Bruce Arenas. Needless to say, this has gone over with the Master Race like a turd in their strudel... Only one goal had ever been scored in the first half of the very first game in the history of the World Cup, so the home crowd went bonkers when Germany scored about 10 minutes into the game. They were still celebrating 2 minutes later when Costa Rica shockingly tied the score to silence the stadium...and I mean dead slient. You could have heard someone click their heels from one sideline to the other. They never learn, do they? They always think the first suckerpunch wins the match... In the end, the Germans won 4-2, although it was harder than they thought it would be. The hero was a familiar face. Miroslav Klose...pronounced Close-Ah...scored two goals. Another guy scored on a rocket from 40 yards out that shook up everybody. The Germans looked good, but the jury is still out on Klinsmann's attacking offense. Even the players say that it doesn't give them enough defense and its not the German "style." Klinsmann's argument is that if the Germans ever want to beat the best teams, like Brazil, they will have to become as athletic and offense oriented as the Brasilieros... BTW- all of these players have their own websites...
The second game was NOT an upset, although the Eurotrash THINK it was an upset. Ecuador 2 Poland 0... First of all, while Poland is always in the World Cup, they haven't scored a goal since around 1974...and they didn't score yesterday neither. Secondly, Ecuador beat BOTH Brazil and Argentina just to get into this tournament and they haven't lost in about their last 13 games, if I heard the broadcaster correctly. That's a pretty good team! In fact, they beat Poland easily. It wasn't even close and now that I think about it, I can't remember ANY European team beating both Brazil and Argentina in the same World Cup. To make the second round now, Ecuador need only defeat Costa Rica in their next game. As for how good they are, we'll know a lot more after game #3 of Round #1 when Ecuador plays Germany... Games today beginning in about 5 hours include the first appearances of England and then later on Argentina... Watch for the savage style of play of Paraguay today against England. They along with Uruguay are always the dirtiest players in the world... The two best players that I've seen so far are striker Miroslav Klose of Germany and a defender for Ecuador named Espinoza who is one of the best that I've ever seen... IMHO... The best team in the world is Brazil and its not even close. Their roster reads like a list of the greatest players in the world and they have so many, that their second stringers would have a good chance to win the WC if they were a separate team. Players to watch for Brazil are too numerous to mention, but the great ones that I've seen before include; Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaka, Roberto Carlos and Adriano... Other teams that might upset the mighty Brasilieros are; England, Argentina, and Germany. My dark-horse pick is Spain... .................JO'Co
Nice analysis JO'Co. I notice that you are not impressed with any of the teams from the "group of death" or the US group. I know Italy is not as strong as usual. I don't know too much about the Chechs but we'll get to see them on mon. As I'm writing this the Brits are up 1-0 vs Paraguay. There have been a rash of penalties vs Eng. They're not taking anything from Par.
8) Three games today... Game 1. England 1 _ Paraguay 0 What a horrible game. If all the games were like this one, there wouldn't be any soccer fans. It was the only 1-0 World Cup game ever decided by an "own goal." Four minutes in, Beckham bent one perfectly to the center of the box and a Paraguayian defender accidently headed it into his own goal. From that point on, it was a street brawl, with England shutting down its offense and answering Paraguay's dirty play hack-for-hack, chop-for-chop and trip-for-trip. It was ugly. One-legged men should never get into arse-kicking contests, but Paraguay never learns... Game 2. Sweden 0 _ Trinidad & Tobago 0 What a shocker. Trinidad & Tobago is the smallest country ever to qualify for a World Cup, with barely one million people. They're the opposite of the betting favorite, Brazil. They're the team with the longest betting odds against them: literally 100's-1. Just before the game, their goalie was injured and they had to start an old man, 37 years-old, named Shaka Hislop, who plays in Britain. Well guess what? He pulled off one of the greatest miracles in World Cup history and became the second oldest goalie ever to record a shut out. He was magnificent and the stunned Swedish fans left the stadium crying at getting only a draw with the "worst tream." It was not a great game, but it was great personal drama... Game 3. Argentina 2 _ Ivory Coast 1 This was one of the greatest games I've ever seen. It had everything and anyone who had never seen a game of futebol would have become addicted to the sport after watching this one... Argentina is a world power in futebol and this is one of their best teams. WOW! They have everything they need to win it all and they just might pull it off. Both strikers scored early and they had another goal disallowed when the ref didn't see it cross the goal completely. The same ref also didn't see a handball in the box, which means a penalty kick, which the replays clearly showed. It could easily have been 5-0 Argentina at halftime, but it was bad enough... Ivory Coast was playing in its first World Cup, but you knew they had to be good, because traditional African powers like Cameroon and the Super Eagles of Nigeria didn't qualify. You have to figure that the teams who beat them out are pretty good and Ivory Coast didn't disappoint. BTW- The civil war in Ivory Coast is currently on hold. Both armies stopped fighting about a week ago when the team left for Germany to watch the games on TV... The other reason that Ivory Coast had to be good was that they have one of the world's greatest players: Didier Drogba. He's the great goal scorer for Chelsea FC in Great Britain and his team was beating everyone there the last time I looked. Argentina almost blew it. They substituted too early, taking out BOTH of their strikers and putting in more defenders to try to put the game in the icebox...but Didier Drogba doesn't do iceboxes. The Ivorians seemed to smell blood in the water and came alive in the final 15 minutes, with Drogba scoring and just missing several other tries. It was a fantastic finish to one of the great games of all-time. It had drama, controversy, skillful play, clean play, dirty tricks and many of the greatest players on the planet throwing the kitchen sink at each other. It was one to remember and these kind of games seem to follow Argentina around. They're the team that everyone either loves or hates. Their population is about 80% Italian, with 20% German. They're the only Latin Americans who speak Spanish with an Italian accent. They also have no indian populations because they exterminated them all in the early 20th Century; they're more than 95% Catholic and they still have millions of Peronista fascists who admire clowns like Mussolini and Franco... All of this and more makes them one of the greatest shows in every World Cup and this one is no exception. Can you say, "Evita...Evita...Evita...?" ..............JO'Co
I really enjoyed waching Sweeden's hope blown up by TNT. I have nothing against the Swedes but little TNT really played with hear. Although scoreless, it was not a boring game. Lost of good chances. Some great saves.
8) :twisted: The Sunday Times June 11, 2006 Scots join World Cup party Mark Macaskill and Colin Gray Anti-English displays could hit tourist industry PUBLIC displays of anti-Englishness during the World Cup could cost Scotland millions of pounds in lost revenue, tourism chiefs have warned. Peter Lederer, chairman of VisitScotland, has said he fears that English tourists could be deterred from visiting Scotland if the tournament becomes the focus of a wave of anti-English behaviour. While Lederer said there was nothing wrong with goodhumoured rivalry, he warned that public displays — such as Scots cheering on England’s World Cup opponents — could have a devastating effect on the tourist industry. “There are serious concerns that the banter may become something more serious,” said Lederer. “This is a very important issue because there is no doubt the cost will run into millions of pounds if the perception after the World Cup is that Scotland is not a welcoming place. “Light-hearted banter is fine but when does [it] become more serious and something that affects Scotland in a very negative way? We need to be more responsible because a vast amount of our business comes from the UK market.” Of the £4 billion generated from tourism in Scotland each year, more than 90% comes from domestic holidaymakers. Much of that is from tourists who live south of the border. In recent weeks a number of high-profile figures have declared their support for England’s rivals. They include Jack McConnell, the first minister, who was criticised for backing Trinidad and Tobago, one of the teams in England’s qualifying group. Others include Andy Murray, the tennis player, David Coulthard, the Formula One racing driver and Alex Salmond, the SNP leader. Last week it emerged that Scottish radio and television broadcasters had been warned not to make derogatory remarks about the “auld enemy”. Ofcom, the broadcasting watchdog, has said offenders face fines and could lose their licence if they breach its code. The Commission for Racial Equality in Scotland has also raised concerns about the World Cup being used as an excuse to flaunt anti-English sentiments. It said that people who engaged in physical or verbal abuse, bullying and harassment could be prosecuted. In schools across the country, pupils have been warned they face expulsion for making anti-English remarks during the tournament. Nevertheless, most Scots say they will not support England. One survey published yesterday suggested that almost two-thirds will not cheer on Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side. A similar poll of 3,500 Scottish Gas employees revealed that just one in 10 wants England to win and the Scottish crew of a Royal Navy aircraft carrier are said to have been incensed when they were ordered to line up on deck in formation to spell out “England expects”. One said he would rather cut off his own limbs. A number of bars and pubs are also running promotions such as free drinks when England concedes a goal.
re: "I'm sure that the Irish aren't rooting fanatically for the Brits either." True. Can you imagine the Brits allowing US to crew one of their aircraft carriers? Incoming! Heh......heh..... :twisted: Speaking of holding a grudge... I've decided to join Islamic Jihaad. Today's second game is Iran vs. Mexico. I hope those sons-of-mullahs kick the chimichangas right out of our dear neighbors south of the border... :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
The end of the Trinidad Tobago-Sweden match up was a hoot. The T&T fans rejoicing was so unrestrained it made me wonder if the president of the country had announced that every citizen would receive a pound of top quality ganja. After the game, a T&T fan was quoted as saying, "We won the World Cup." In contrast, the expression of grief and shock on the Swedish fans and players was as if they received news that the black plague returned to their country after an absence of six centuries. Jo Co commentary on the Ivory Coast-Aregntina game was right on the mark. That was a great game and the Argentines were fortunate to escape with a win.
8) We can't take those Islamo-fascists amywhere. Boy!...were they lousy or what? Iran looks like one of the oldest and slowest World Cup teams that I've ever seen. When one guy had the ball, everybody else stood around and watched him. Hey rube! Buy a ticket! Geeeez... The other two games were ho-hum affairs. Holland beat Serbia in a matchup of two good teams. Portugal beat its former colony, Angola, the same way that England beat Paraguay: they got a goal, then sat on the lead for the rest of the day to win 1-0. This may not be the way to win over new soccer fans, but its a great way to keep your job if you're the head coach at Portugal... Today's LA Times says that Franz Beckenbaur was worried and concerned when he witnessed with his own eyes just how good Argentina is. They didn't even play their top 3 offensive players against Ivory Coast! Now that the Euros have also seen how good Ecuador is too, they're REALLY worried. They're already saying that only England can stop Argentina and nobody may be able to stop Brazil... Tomorrow is USA! USA! USA!... Tomorrow's opponent, the Czech Republic, is the hottest team in Europe in qualifying games... ..............JO'Co
BTW... Did you see the controversy surrounding the Mexican team? Millions of fans back home DO NOT support this team and some players won't even talk to other players and/or have shouting matches. What's the problem? It seems that some of the players selected for this team were NOT BORN IN MEXICO! Including one of the guys who scored today! Some of them are from Brazil or Argentina and millions of Mexicans hate their guts, because they took jobs that "rightfully" belonged to Mexicans... :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
oh where to start <t>as JOCO laid out in such detail, Paraguay never learns. Never bet against the English winning on the European continent, and never try to 'out dirty' the inventor of the game.<br/> <br/> I just loved that IC-Argentina game. IC has great individual talents, while Argentina may be the most talented team in the world. They are certainly the most arrogant, but playing lil brother to Brazil in a place like South America has to give you some sort of complex.<br/> <br/> I cheered fantatically against the Swedes. They are belly flopping, dive taking, yellow cleat wearing pansy asses that are (imho) the european Mexicans. They laughed openly about how many goals they would score against TnT. Well guess what Sven, you just scratched out a point and England has a win in hand. For those of you who aren't familiar with World Cup group play, that now means they MUST beat England or Paraguay. I don't see either of those things happening. England will play to tie throughout the remainder of the round because 4 points will move them on. TnT will likewise play to tie. They've tied England once before and the English will be more concerned with carrying a healthy Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Owen, Ferdinand, Neville etc onto the next round. Paraguay will be in desperate need of a win and if they aren't up a goal after 70 min against TnT, they will shell up and play for the tie there as well putting all their eggs in the basket vs Sweden knowing that the Nordic warriors will have to come out and play aggressive as well against them. Suck on them meatballs Swede!<br/> <br/> Ahhh Mexic0. For anyone who has forgotten any of my political rants and the every 4 year World Cup rant... I hate Mexico. I hate their baby poop green uniforms. I hate their Estadio Azteca. IMHO, the whole damn place is one big crappy rest stop for hard working Central Americans to rest their weary heads on the way to Los Estados Unidos. Iran's awful. Like JOCO, I traded in my Irish Car Bombs for my Jihadi headband for the day. Thank God I spent the day with my son having fun rather than watching the two biggest outhouses on the planet going at it. Mexico's day is coming though.<br/> <br/> Well time to rally around the flag and get behind Sam's Army. The US has a tough one tomorrow!!</t>
Good to see you posting, Corey! Is it me or does ABC's coverage suck? I had a 4 hour drive home on friday and listened to the Germany/Costa Rica and Ecuador/Poland games on XM radio. I thought their announcers did an excellent job decribing the flow of the game, strategies, etc.Their crew, in contrast to the TV coverage, consisted of announcers, who, I believe, regularly call soccer games and were able to paint a verbal picture of what was going on that could assist a novice like me yet not insult the real soccer fan. In contrast, the ABC announcers during the England/ Paraguay seemed to talk about everything but the game and never really were able to create any drama in their coverage.
bobda <t>if you speak any spanish at all, catch the coverage on Univision/Telemundo. If you have CC/translation coverage on your TV, you can read along. The coverage is much, much better.<br/> <br/> One thing about taking the global view of sports is that you get to see American sports coverage is great for football and stock car racing, but really piss poor for most everything else.<br/> <br/> Get ready for tomorrow. The beautiful game takes the pitch. I absolutely treasure every chance I get to watch Brazil play. Win, lose or draw. There's just nobody better. Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Emerson, Kaka, Adriano and the baby of the bunch, Robinho are a world apart. The Croats are tough as hell, and just blue collar enough to give the Brazilians some trouble. Still, if they don't make this a brawl, they are in trouble.</t>
:x re: TV coverage Yes. The TV coverage of soccer on American TV is the worst. Its obvious that the broadcasters don't know anything about the sport, while the former players they use as color commentators don't know anything about broadcasting. Its the worst of both worlds... re: Australia Something has to be said here about Australia's win over Japan; the greatest miracle come-back in World Cup history. Australia had never scored a goal in World Cup history and trailed Japan 1-0 with six minutes to go. Aussie fans were asleep, crying or laying comatose in the stands, having already conceded defeat. The Aussie coach made some substitutions and ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE! The substitutes scored THREE goals in the finally six minutes to set off a wild celebration and leave the stunned Japanese with that Nagasaki look in their eyes... Something also has to be said about Australia's mascot. Its the greatest national mascot I've ever seen and I wish we had something like it. Its a big yellow kangeroo wearing red boxing gloves... Tomorrow...the Brasilieros. Set the timer on yer VCR if you have to work. They're the greatest show on earth... ...............JO'Co BTW- Where are our babes of the WC? :?
Well............. <t>We are all waiting the pictures of the lookers in the stands................</t>