MLD Woody Posted July 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 Its not lack of athletes, it is development. I didn't take it personal. Just saying, your loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cysko Kid Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 I am also not into soccer. Or hockey. I just don't like that particular game that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zombo Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Its not lack of athletes, it is development. I didn't take it personal. Just saying, your loss. I've been hearing how rapidly soccer was growing in this Country since the 1994 World Cup, that's a generation. Those ten year old kids that were choosing soccer are 30 now. It is admittedly a great sport for youngsters if you are a parent, they get a great workout, learn team concepts and don't risk too much injury. So why with all these kids playing Soccer havent we developed a better National team? I think it is because Lebron James plays basketball and Andrew Luck plays football ... but theirs sisters might play soccer. The best American athletes still want to be stars in American sports. But we should have enough hackey sackers and hispanics by now to beat freaking Belgium. Z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gftChris Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 I've been hearing how rapidly soccer was growing in this Country since the 1994 World Cup, that's a generation. Those ten year old kids that were choosing soccer are 30 now. It is admittedly a great sport for youngsters if you are a parent, they get a great workout, learn team concepts and don't risk too much injury. So why with all these kids playing Soccer havent we developed a better National team? I think it is because Lebron James plays basketball and Andrew Luck plays football ... but theirs sisters might play soccer. The best American athletes still want to be stars in American sports. But we should have enough hackey sackers and hispanics by now to beat freaking Belgium. Z I agree that there aren't too many american icons that play soccer. Maybe now with Tim Howard? But you don't want a generation of goal keepers. There hasn't yet been an american player that's come anywhere near being world class. On the other hand, I disagree that you should be able to win just by sheer volume of people in the country. China has a billion people - are they going to beat Canada at football, soccer, ice hockey? No. You need the proper training and infrastructure from an early age. Those Belgians you're thinking you should be beating have been playing the game in a professional club's youth academy since a very young age. Eden Hazard - their best player - apparently joined his first pro club at the age of 4. Ridiculous, I agree. But soccer isn't a sport like football where you can just switch after college from basketball and become a superstar, it takes years, if not decades of training and dedication to get to the top. Another factor is that USA is a bit of an outlier in terms of domestic club football. You have the teams in Europe with all the money, and the best teams from each country play each other in continental competition each season. In south america, you have a lot of players that are either not quite good enough for a move to europe, or couldn't hack it there and came back, but the general idea is the same, you have several leagues of a relatively similar standing, playing each other regularly. As soon as any idea springs up in one league, the other leagues all have to learn to deal with it, and some will copy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLD Woody Posted July 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Its not like the players on the national team aren't athletes. They've just focused on soccer their whole lives. Altidore could have played football if that was his focus. A lot of guys could have been very successful at another sport. People want to act like if Calvin (or Lebron or whomever) played soccer they'd instantly be a star. That's not necessarily true. But these players on the national team are amazing athletes, its not like that couldn't translate to another sport. But like I said, its development. We're getting more club level experience for kids and many stay club level through highschool too. But in general this isn't near the preparation it is in other countries. College is basically looked at as wasted years as far as development goes. Belgium has a much better development system, pure volume doesn't matter What are you considering works class Chris? I'd say Tim Horward is pretty damn good. Dempsey too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gftChris Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 World Class? well, if you list the top 5 keepers in the world, Tim Howard isn't in there. There's a reason Man Utd let him go, and he's stayed at everton ever since. Top 20, maybe, but when you talk world class, I'm looking for the players that I'd take to make my ultimate team, and then the second team. Howard is a very good keeper though and probably your best player. Dempsey? No. Pick a position you want to play him in and you'll be able to list dozens of players better than him. He's been up front for USA this world cup, so listing the strikers that would be ahead of him just off the top of my head - Suarez, Messi, Ronaldo, van Persie, Rooney, Zlatan, Aguero, Falcao, Mueller, Cavani, Higuain, Mandzukic, Costa. He played in central midfield for Fulham; that's an even longer list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLD Woody Posted July 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 That's why I was asking what you considered "world class". So like top 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gftChris Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 That's why I was asking what you considered "world class". So like top 10 It's basically the top tier of talent. For goalkeepers, it's probably top 5 or less. Central midfielders, there may be 20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gftChris Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 France and Belgium have been playing lights out. Germany not so much. It's either gonna be France or Brazil from that side of the bracket. And boom goes the dynamite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLD Woody Posted July 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 That sucks for Neymar. That was clearly a foul but it didn't look as bad as it turned out it was. I also found out I missed the Nigerian player getting his armed snapped in half. Made sure to watch that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLD Woody Posted July 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 KKRRRUUUUULLLLLL Wow. That is a hell of a way to be there hero. He guessed correctly every shot. I'm hoping they win it all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taco918 Posted July 7, 2014 Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 Neymar barely got touched. I feel bad of him but that was a freak accident, nothing more, nothing less. Brazil's free kick goal (sorry I forgot which one it was) was unbelievable. Regardless of their ultimate legacy in this World Cup, that dude deserves a statue built. Amazing goal. Kroll (sp) was a legit badass. Not only did he win that game, he was talking shit the entire time. MJ would be proud. I was already a fan of the Dutch, but after his performance, I'm all in. Great games coming up though. 4 of the most talented nations squaring off. By far the best World Cup that I've experienced so far in my merge 26 years on this planet. Granted, it's only the 4th World Cup I've legitimately watched but still. I was talking to my dad yesterday, a man who doesn't what to visit Europe, much less Italy, which is his ancestral home with family and the whole bit, because they (in his world view) don't like American's, and even he was curious about what he was going to do/watch after the World Cup. That's all I need to know attitudes are a changing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLD Woody Posted July 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 I wouldn't say he was barely touched, but yeah it looked like a freak accident Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieHardBrownsFan Posted July 7, 2014 Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 Brazilian voodoo priest to curse Germany 12 hours ago .View photo Brazil football player dolls set inside a special box to enhance power and luck on them as part of the Afro-Brazilian religious ritual in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 3, 2014 (AFP Photo/Yasuyoshi Chiba) Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Germany will have to contend with black magic as well Brazil's Selecao in Tuesday's World Cup semi-final as a voodoo priest plans to curse die Mannschaft. Brazil will be without injured superstarNeymar in Belo Horizonte, but black magic enthusiast Helio Sillman from Rio de Janeiro says his curse will hinder Joachim Loew's team in the semi-final. "I'll take their top player and bind his legs so he can't run on the pitch," said Sillman, referring to the voodoo doll of an undisclosed German player that will be cursed in a ceremony before the game. In his shop "World of Orixas" in the northern neighborhood of Madureira, Sillman carries out a ritual before each Selecao game. Using a a small football pitch-shaped box as his alter, he puts inside lit candles in the colours of the opposing team and the voodoo doll of their most important player. Sillman's curse on James Rodriguez did not stop the Colombian star from scoring in his team's 2-1 defeat to Brazil in Friday's quarter-finals. Related Stories Brazil's Macumba priests ready voodoo dolls for World Cup AFP Loew relishing 'beautiful' semi against Brazil AFP Soccer-Neymar out of Cup as Brazil and Germany make semis Reuters Neymar laments seeing World Cup dream taken away AFP Neymar out of Cup as Brazil and Germany make semis Reuters And he was powerless to prevent Selecao star Neymar from suffering a fractured vertebrae against the Colombians that has ruled him out of the World Cup. But Sillman points to Brazil's results against Cameroon,Chile, Croatia andMexico as testimony to the influence of his magic. Voodoo dolls representing a player from each of the Selecao's opponents sit in a bowl. "Those are the four teams that Brazil have overcome," he said. Germany's Thomas Mueller, Manuel Neuer and Mats Hummels have been warned. View Comments (118) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLD Woody Posted July 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 Isn't religion crazy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted July 7, 2014 Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 So Belgium, Argentina, The Netherlands, and France are all that lies between us and the title. Hrmph. I am afraid that Germany will blitzkrieg those nations, just like 1940. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted July 7, 2014 Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 My uneducated thinking on the Brazil- Chile match. If you're going to play all that time, and go down to penalty kicks- at least make it like tennis- you gotta win by 2. Just an ignorant, stupid gimmick to get a game over with. They should play until someone scores. That is how they do it in real sports. Like Hockey. It would make teams far more aggressive at attempting to score. Right now there is too much laying back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted July 7, 2014 Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 your loss you also will be in a shrinking group also hard for you to make any comments, when you say you didnt sit through any games... Eliminate the offside rule. It promotes lazy defense, and the refs get it wrong at least 50% of the time and disallow goals that should count, or they allow goals that shouldn't. I watched enough of these game to still see absolutely no reason for that rule. Eliminate the stupid penalty kicks......have them play the real game until someone wins. Or else just eliminate the actual way the game is played and just have each team take penalty kicks. First one to 100 wins. Allow for more free substitution. Players will be fresher, you could use an entire roster, and the game will move faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLD Woody Posted July 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 Again, your "analysis" of the offsides rule just shows you have no idea what you're talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted July 8, 2014 Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 Again, your "analysis" of the offsides rule just shows you have no idea what you're talking about. I know what the rule is about....and I see that in fact it rewards lazy and incompetent defense in many many cases. As for the officials getting wrong half the time....I simply need to listen to the commentators who are constantly pointing out that the officials are getting it wrong all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taco918 Posted July 8, 2014 Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 7-1. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Germany is now the favorite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLD Woody Posted July 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 When was the last time Germany killed the collective hopes and dreams of so many people? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLD Woody Posted July 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 I know what the rule is about....and I see that in fact it rewards lazy and incompetent defense in many many cases. That's wrong. I'm also guessing you haven't watched or played in enough games to use the phrase "many cases". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieHardBrownsFan Posted July 8, 2014 Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 God bless the Fatherland! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gftChris Posted July 9, 2014 Report Share Posted July 9, 2014 I know what the rule is about....and I see that in fact it rewards lazy and incompetent defense in many many cases. As for the officials getting wrong half the time....I simply need to listen to the commentators who are constantly pointing out that the officials are getting it wrong all the time. It punishes lazy and incompetent defenses, and rewards those that are well drilled enough to be able to hold a line. Example: you would traditionally have four defenders; the rule generally means that there needs to be at least one defender between you and the goal (assuming the goalkeeper is there) - or level with you; if you have your four defenders in a straight line, then all attackers must be behind the defensive line. If you have a crooked looking line - picture one of the middle guys being 2 yards ahead, for example - then the guy he is marking can have that 2 yards head start because the rest of the defensive line is in line with him, so he's onside. Without the offside rule in place, the striker can stand as far up the pitch as he likes, while the other team attacks, waiting for the keeper to get the ball and punt it to him... Side note: this isn't a part of the game that anyone would consider 'beautiful' - it doesn't take any real skill or talent to kick the ball as far as you can to get it to the attacker and then for him to score like that. When I'm playing 5-a-side, where there are no offsides, nobody really enjoys scoring those goals. It's not what you play for. Back on track...that meant that at least one defender (probably two) had to stay back with him, and that meant that the team as a whole became more split, and you would have defenders specialising in only defensive play. Now, with the rule in place, you can move everyone higher up the pitch, resulting in the evolution of defenders from purely destructive players to having the ability to take a full part in the offensive element of the game as well, becoming much more technically adept and thus improving the overall attacking quality of the team. So not only does the offside rule eliminate the boring goals, it also had the side effect of improving the quality of the game. Similarly, the elimination of the backpass improved the ball skills of the goal keeper since he couldn't just use his hands, while also cutting down on time wasting. I hope this helps you to understand the positive impact of the offside rule - if you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieHardBrownsFan Posted July 9, 2014 Report Share Posted July 9, 2014 Well, they say a pictures tells a thousand words: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/germany-feels-bad-for-brazilians-after-ruining-world-cup-title-hopes-000911056.html Gay as hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gftChris Posted July 9, 2014 Report Share Posted July 9, 2014 Well, they say a pictures tells a thousand words: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/germany-feels-bad-for-brazilians-after-ruining-world-cup-title-hopes-000911056.html Gay as hell. Damn straight. Men should not touch other men. If you absolutely have to, make sure it's a handshake. With gloves on, preferably. Thank god real american men play a sport where they dress up in spandex, wear a load of padding and wait for one man to reach under another man's ass and grab a ball before running for 20 seconds and then having a break. Perspective is everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieHardBrownsFan Posted July 9, 2014 Report Share Posted July 9, 2014 Damn straight. Men should not touch other men. If you absolutely have to, make sure it's a handshake. With gloves on, preferably. Thank god real american men play a sport where they dress up in spandex, wear a load of padding and wait for one man to reach under another man's ass and grab a ball before running for 20 seconds and then having a break. Perspective is everything. You mad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLD Woody Posted July 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2014 Well put about the offsides rule. His assessment that it promoted lazy defense could not be more wrong. I've played defense my entire life, offsides is just another element I need to consider. Also, completely opening the game up and turning it into kickball would ruin it. But, like we've said before, his limited knowledge of the game isn't stopping him from trying to impose rule changes. Though it should, because he has no idea what he's talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gftChris Posted July 9, 2014 Report Share Posted July 9, 2014 You mad? Nope, just pointing out the perspective thing. I'm aware that in america it's seen as a girly sport. Not a big deal to me, because I (and the rest of the world) know otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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