The Official South Africa 2010 World Cup Thread!

We might as well get this one going, I think. And what better way to do it than by showing our US football-starved (and sometimes -ignorant) brethren how they can can see the Football World Cup which is held in South Africa this year:

http://www.worldcupblog.org/world-cup-2010/espns-world-cup-2010-tv-schedule.html

So, which team will win it this year? - Any guesses?

Apart from 1958 in Sweden, when Brazil won, the European and American teams have always won when the Cup was held in "their" continent(s). Well, this time it is held in Africa for the first time, so will it be an African team?

I think several European teams are showing great form, so I think one of them might win this time... - But, well, Brasil is always a strong contender.

My team, Denmark, is there. I hope they will qualify from the group stage together with the Netherlands, which will surely win the group. After that I don't have big hopes...

I'll be rooting for team USA naturally but once they're out I'll be rooting for Germany.

But not sure, that Germany goes that far.
Some here call Löw´s team "Gurkentruppe".

However Panzermeyer.
Lets make a deal here and now .
I ´ll support the US team ( if germany is out ) and you Germany ( if the USA does not make it ) .

Spain is a strong contender this year.

I'll be backing USA all the way - Donovan, Dempsey, Altidore, and Beasley are just the tip of a potentially strong World Cup contender. Other teams have better chances, but USA is getting to the point that with luck and perseverance we can surprise people. More and more of our home-grown talent is appearing in various Euro club teams and managing to give results. My dream is to see us win the Cup final one time before I die.

But if the USA goes out early I'll back Germany.

You've got yourself a deal!

Well, the Netherlands a in a relatively easy group. Like Freycinet said, Denmark and the Netherlands are most likely to come first and second in the group. The problem with the Netherlands is that once we get somewhat far, like the quarter or half finals, it all falls apart. But I'll keep hoping, we have a strong team right now, we're actually fourth in world ranking.

And then I also have to support Mexico, they are in a difficult group with South Africa, France and Uruguay (IIRC). They'll play the first match of the tournament against South Africa. Well, I hope they make it through the group stage. Anything they make it after that will be great.

But first 26 May, there will be a friendly match Mexico-the Netherlands which I'm really looking forward to. I'm going to watch it with Mexican friends, so let's see how they take when they inevitably loose

Jaz

I might actually be in England when the US plays the in June. Might be a good reason to hang out in a London bar and talk trash.

I'll be rooting for the U.S., but I am a realist, and the usual culprits will probably contend i.e. brazil, germany, italy, and spain.

I'll view it a success if the us makes it past the round of 16.

First time I've actaully lived in England for a World Cup since '98 and I'm gonna be in Sweden for England's latter two group games. Shame the Swede's didn't qualify as well, World Cup + Midsummer would be quite a party.

Despite England's mounting injury concersn, it's hard to see either Algeria or Slovenia finishing in the top half of the group. However, assuming group D works out as expected, if England or the USA don't win the group their next opponents would be Germany. Don't fancy that much, which makes England vs USA on the 12th kind of important.

Oh, and while proper football is still going on - Come on Fulham!

I'll be in England for this World cup

New Zealand are there for only the second time ever! Should be good for a laugh.

I'll be following the All Whites (NZ) and England (was born there) but think the Dutch will do it this year.

Spain are the favourite ( they play the best game) of course , as always , Brasil...once France is out (we have a f....g arrogant and incompetent coach, one of the most hated personality in France), for me it will be : go Brasil !!!!

What Jaz said. For the rest, the World Cup will commence June 11th, which is the day I'll be flying home to Holland for the summer holiday. Don't know when I'll go back to China but it will be AFTER the finals!

Maybe we should watch the games with these Italian commentators...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-lUDundoIo

Do not under estimate some of the african countries this year. Cameroon looks brilliant. It will be awesome if they could win it. Me, my work place is 1km away from one of the stadiums. It's going to be hectic that month!!

Say it with me people..."Go Aussies!"

Well. You are right we are not favourites to win or even make the 16...but a little bit of nationalistic pride is allowed I think.

Do you drive to work? I can imagine that the traffic there will be horrendous during the World Cup!

yeah no kidding. If I could I'd take some time off to get away from the craziness. I think this would dwarf quite a few sporting events in terms of the crush of people coming in.

Hey Brun, sorry about Fulham. I've been sort of following them since Clint Dempsey joined the club, so I hated hearing the news.

USA then Germany...After that, we'll see!

Great campaign by fulham, though, they can be proud of the scalps they took!

Luckily a scooter, which is in the shop at the moment with clutch problems but should be fixed by then. Was doing the car thing the last week and it's bad already with all the roadworks and last minute changes to get everything sorted in time. For instance I need to pass over an eight lane bridge on the way here and it's currently down to 2 lanes each way. Traffic is horrendous going over that bridge mornings and evenings.

And the winner is .... England!

According to:

http://ftalphaville.ft.com/blog/2010/05/18/233991/england-to-win-world-cup-says-jpm-quant-model/

"Football is a game of 90 minutes, and at the end the Germans win.", Gary Lineker.

Never underestimate the Germans. Even when they have a crappy team (1986, 2002, 2010!) they usually get to to the semi's at least.

1954 Winners
1966 Runners-up
1970 Third
1974 Winners
1982 Runners-up
1986 Runners-up
1990 Winners
2002 Runners-up
2006 Third

That list doesnt include 6 European Championship final appearences, winning 3! Thats a pretty good record.

you conveniently left out a few championships in that list, but yes, still very impressive!

So, a lot of star players out with injury from the warm-up matches, this is crazy!

Ballack, Drogba, Ferdinand...

Denmark has lost both its warm-up matches 0-1 (to australia and south Africa) which I actuially think bodes well.

WC-day -5

Robben as well, hamstring problem. Won't go to South Africa with the rest of the team.

Oh, that's GRE..... - Ahem, I mean, sorry to hear that he won't be able to play... (against Denmark a week from now...)

Ballack..well, might be a good chance for Schweinsteiger and Kroos to show their quality.

Spain will most probably win anyway.

World Cup ?

Nevermind...shouldn't feed the trolls.

I'm not a troll, just expressing my opinion. Similar opinions are shared by others whenever a Hockey thread is posted. I find Soccer extremely boring.

As always, The Onion is right on top of the situation:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/nations-soccer-fan-becoming-insufferable,17553/

Germany... I don't know, I think they can make it through the group, but I wouldn't bet on it. Don't bet on my expertise either, I always said that since 1990.

The only teams I don't like at all are the ones whose players may be excellent football players, but are also prone to play-acting, especially once the referee is watching.

that would be Portugal and Italy

And it's so true.

ESPN is trying to drum up interest over here, but it's not going to matter. No one in America cares about soccer, other than kids.

Yup. Even David Beckham signing with some soccer team in LA didn't really do much to stir up interest.

Yep, being in the L.A. media market, I can attest to his arrival here not nearly generating the type of interest soccer types hoped he would.

Holland

I've tried to watch a few times but the game never caught my interest.
I went to one professional game when I was in High School and the team set their attendance record that night.
Over 30,000 thousand showed up at Anaheim stadium, not to watch them play soccer but to see the concert after the game.
The poor team caught all sorts of flack to get the game over so the concert could start.
I doubt they ever beat that amount considering up to that point their attendence record was around 5,000.


Wheels

It's all just silly. Trying to make soccer popular in the US is like trying to make baseball popular in Europe.

I'll run the rule over the top teams....

-- England -- World class talent, but will find a way to lose. Especially if they go to penalties. Defense is suspect, Ferdinand out, Terry off form, little international experience in depth defensively. Plus it is certain the officials have already colluded to give England the shaft. They should have included Adam Johnson, best right winger in the England pool IMO. Rooney is a match winner, but can he stay fit? On paper England look a great side. On the pitch.... not so much, despite their great qualifying campaign. Look no further than the last 3 results (all wins, but unimpressive) to see England are not going all the way.

-- Spain-- Probably the best squad in the tournament, will collapse under the pressure of being the favorite. Fantastic midfield and strikeforce, but seemingly have just a plan A. If their possession style fails to deliver against the bus, do they have a plan B? Will Torres stay fit? Great keepers, lots of talent in virtually every position, but they will fall at the final hurdle.

-- Argentina -- Were my favorite to win it all if you had asked 2 years ago. But Maradona is a nutjob, and he is certain to undermine the team in some dramatic way. Tons of talent that will wilt under the cloud of Maradona. Questionable squad selection (Palermo? kidding right?). Not getting past the semis.... Unless Xavi suits up in the center of the park for Argentina.

-- Germany -- Never count out the Germans. They always seem to do well in tournaments. Organzied, tough and balanced. But suspect goalkeeping and strikeforce will be their downfall. Klose ain't close to being Klose anymore. 2006 will seem a long time ago. Lahm as captain? Maybe sneak into semis, but no further.

-- Italy -- If they don't fall over dead from old age they could make the quarters. Always organized and tough to break down, but severely lacking in invention and flair. Leaving out Rossi was a mistake. Will need to keep their matches low scoring, Buffon will help. But lack of goals will be their achilles heel.

-- The Dutch, err the Netherlands, I mean Holland -- Another team like England where the parts are greater than the sum. Team chemistry is the issue here, plus the heavy reliance on fragile players like Robben and Van Persie. If they stay healthy the Dutch will make some noise. But this is another team that is probably looking no further than the semis.

-- France -- Raymond Domenech.... 'nuff said. How this guy is still in a job defies belief. France have no shot. Lucky to even have made the finals. Some world class talent, but lacking the leadership and manager needed to do well in the World Cup.

-- Brazil -- Will win it all. Might not be the Joga Bonito of old. But Dunga has fashioned a style that works. They get results. Top players all over the field. They can outscore you 6-5 or 1-0. They have the players and mentality needed to win it all. It may not be pretty, but it's effective.

-- African teams -- Would be heartwarming to see an African team go far, but I just don't see it happening. Ivory Coast probably the most likely, and if Drogba plays they just might. But no African team is strong enough to win this thing IMO, or even make it past the quarters IMO.

-- USA -- Quarters would mean a successful tournament. Favorable draw, but too many strong teams will be waiting after the group stage. Can't see the US beating several of the teams above in succession. They are fit and play well on the counter, but not enough ability to hold the ball. Set pieces will only take you so far...

-- Portugal -- Bewildering loss of form for Portugal means they will be lucky to make it out of their group. Injuries and Ronaldo's inability to score for the national side will do them in.

That said, injuries, weather, the crazy unpredictable ball, suspensions etc will all have their effect and with football, ya just never know. Once you get to the knockout rounds anything can happen. This may be the most unpredictable world cup in memory. But will be entertaining for sure. And there could be some surprise packages, teams like Serbia, Denmark, and Mexico could spring a surprise or two. Ya just never know!

A well made Nike commercial, to get you all in the right mood.

Did not know that Domenech's reputation has gone so far...the incarnation of arrogance and uncompetence: the players pool is very good IMO but the team plays upside down , it is obvious that this manager has no, if negative, influence on the team...people here are counting on the essential qualities of the players to make it on the first round, but this is not a team.

Great ad Jayhawk!

Yeah, domenech is pretty dismal.

Denmark won't spring any surprises, that is for sure! We'll muddle through honourably and not get very far...

Good analysis, DBond!

Although I would liked to have seen Butt (no joke ) as No. 1 I don`t see our probs with the goalies. It`s more the defence. The midfield isn`t exactly stellar too. As for the offense, well, not that good.

If things are running well, we`ll reach the quarter or half finals.

Flag-waving aside, I`m pretty excited about the WC and I`ll watch as much games as I can. Many interesting matches ahead.

`night

Karsten

Don't worry, the "Bayern-Block" will see us through.

Actually I'm glad Ballack is out. Schweinsteiger and Khedira were playing great against Bosnia last week.

Here's my "Aufstellung" for the German team:

Butt (ok, Neuner is set, but I can dream, can't I )
Lahm - Mertesacker - Friedrich - Badstuber
Müller - Özil - Schweinsteiger - Khedira
Podolski - Cacau

During the halftime break switch Schweini for Kroos, and Marin for Podolski.

Our weakest link IMO is the centre defense, Friedrich and Mertesacker.

So can someone please abduct Klose and Trochowski for the duration of the WC. Oh, and take Löw as well, please.

And for the non-German crowd: yes, our secondary goalie's name really is Butt (Hans-Jörg Butt)

Frey, I still remember "Danish Dynamite" from '92.

Ah, yes... Maybe we still have a chance!

I agree, Jayhawk, Klose is way to old to play in the attack. Just like our Danish so-called center forward Jon Dahl Thomassen....

Kickoff @ 16h00 local!!!!

And here is an ad from one of our local Nando stores.

Read the small print

Result alert

LOL Rogue. An ad like that would get someone in the US in hot water because it would be deemed too politically incorrect.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcu...recautions.html



There was also an incident with the Greek team where 3 players were robbed and two Chinese journalists where assaulted inside their car while returning to the hotel.

Locals said this is just the beginning. Before the end of the tournament the journalists should expect to be robbed 2 or 3 more times at least.

are the games taking place in a hive or is it just me?

I'm still waiting to see some prawns er..I mean aliens in the grandstands at the stadiums.

Don't get this thread moved with your insensitive talk of aliens! haha

Blue_Mask, it is the sound of Vuvuzelas, and it is doing my bloody head in!?!
I hope they get drowned out by the singing tomorrow!

Singing? Who will be singing at the World Cup? lol

, There is always singing at football matches, well more chanting, but in league games there are songs.

http://www.fanchants.com/

I hope so too! Im wondering what songs England will have for the USA because from what Ive heard/read English fans can make lyrics about anyone or anything to any tune.

I'll be watching some of the USA vs. England match. I dont think the US will win but as long as it's a close and competitive game I'll be happy.

wow irony in the Uruguay and France game. the (in)famous French hand baller calling for a handball.

Not that I'm going to be watching much of this, but that incessant buzzing would drive me crazy. Crazier. Must be some big bumble bees to make that much noise.

I can't wait, only kick off is just after I drop the wife off at work, it is only 5 mins away but then i'm 'sposed to take my daughter to bed.... might wait 'till half time and tell her not to tell mum!

Im gonna miss most of the England, USA game because of a graduation party but Ill probably be checking my phone very 5 minutes for an update.

LOL Friday. Best of luck with that.

End of first day of tournament.

Southafrica 1 - Mexico 1 <= entertaining game.

France 0 - Uruguay 0 <= Terrible boring game. They better improve or will have to be back sooner that expected, specially France.

Can't they have sudden death or overtime or something?

Not in this stage of the tournament. It starts with 8 zones of four teams that plays all against the other. The first two qualify, and from then on is direct elimination. When in the phase of direct elimination, if there is a tie, it goes to overtime and then to penaltys if the tie persist.

Oh, OK. Thanks!

Did anyone else notice the many empty seats during the opening ceremony ? It wasn't a good look for the start of the tournament.

re the France-Uruguay game. One commentator on ABC said that France is missing a leader like Zidane. He's probably right. I was watching a pitch filled with great players like Ribery, Henry, Gallas, Anelka, Malouda, Sagna, Evra, etc . . . but they were missing the ability to pull it all together. Even after Uruguay had one of their players red-carded out of the game, France could not get through their defence. I don't know if the equivalent of Zidane is lurking amongst the French team members, but unless he emerges to inspire the team they might remain a team of great individuals but not a great team.

The vuvuzelas are already getting on my nerves. Instead of the "flow" of applause and the fan chants you have this monotone buzzing in the background. For 90 minutes. Honestly, I don't care much if this is south-african culture, it's brutally annoying. It totally destroys the 'interaction' between audience and players.

Which, in turn, destroys the game. The players partly depend on the audience to cheer them on, which might give the team a boost, which in turn gets the audience even more excited, and so on.

FIFA should ban this crap from the stadiums ASAP. At least when we reach the quarter finals.

France lacks a great coach, at least one experienced player with some game vision, and someone that is capable of scoring when the match is closed or difficult.

But well, you never know, they can make it through like in 2006. Or just lose like in 2008 european championship.

A lot of big teams first matches are boring because they are not at the top physically. They plan to be at the top for the final. Most of the small teams plan to be at the top for just the first matches.

Greece-South Korea 0:2.

Well-deserved win for the Koreans against a very weak Greek team that, except for the last 20 minutes, acted absolutely harmless and ineffective. And watching the Greeks wasting half a dozen good opportunities towards the end of the game was painful.

Next: Argentinia vs Nigeria.

And really looking forward to England-USA later this evening.

When do the Germans play and which country do they face off against first?

Argentina started off great, but after Heinze's goal the game became a little stale.

Messi is just out of this world, though.

And those Vuvuzelas.....

I'm ignorant. What is or are a vuvuzelas?

Those unnerving, plastic blowing horns that are responsible for that beehive-like buzz in the stadium, which is driving pretty much everyone (except Africans, it seems) crazy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vuvuzela

I'm guessing they are large noisy insects like wasps or locusts.

edit: Oops, nevermind. I was WAY off.

I am going to check out the England vs USA match, even though the only player I have heard of is Wayne Rooney.

It's the 3rd game on Sunday, against Australia.




It's a plastic blowing horn that's very loud (up to 120db) and which is used by thousands of south africans in the stadiums. They produce a constant, montone noise which reminds me a bit of a bee swarm and that basically drowns everything else.

Sunday evening (20.30 CET), against Australia.

Thanks Para. I'll be rooting for Germany!

All right England. Let's do this.

Ok my mum just sent me this and thought it funny,...


"Eng V USA
sat night,
kick off 1930.
The Yanks won't turn up till 1941. Old habits die hard."


smirk mode on, hehehe

+1

Thought the South Africans looked the business and were unlucky with the draw.
France/Uruguay - Meh! Nearly fell asleep.
South Korea deserved their win over a very mediocre Greece.
So far Argentina are deserving their 1 nil lead with 15 mins to go.

I agree that these bloody horns are annoying and should be banned. They're such a distraction!

Where are you watching the games, mate?

here you go! Just hit the "replay" button.

http://espn.go.com/espn3/index

If you are at work and dont have a TV, but still feel like having 0 productivity haha.

Does any body want a four year old that won't stop singing jingle bells?

C'mon England!!!!

Lovely Nando's ad up there. Great place to eat if you like underdone chicken. Generally about medium rare.

"Most foreigners think South Africa is full of bribery and corruption."

Misconceptions?

Having lived there for years, I'd like to point out that foreigners would in fact be laboring under a misconception if they were only to think that S.A. is full of bribery and corruption.

They should be every bit as certain of it as they are that fire is hot and ice is cold. To only think it, without absolute certainty, would be to fall short of the mark of which S.A. is most certainly worthy. Aish! We undah pressure!

Cheers!

Rick...

USA 1: England 1!!

What a gaffe by Green!

1:1!

LOL - Green shouldn`t have failed on this one.

USA! USA! USA! USA!

England needs some Stick Em' on those mits! LOL.

Jason

LOL,

the English and theirs keepers, one of these stories...

OTOH our Neuer is always ready for a nasty "surprise" too.

Green! Unbelievable! Credit to the USA, though, they've had a good first half, had the majority of possession etc.

Looking forward to the second half!

Here we go. . . .

Hey, hey, that's just keeping with tradition. Seaman, James, Green....

Have we gotten our butts kicked, yet?

Nope, shan2...not at all.

At least that's one spill the Americans aren't complaining about.

Whoa... We're tied with England? Wow...

Green, don't f&*k it now!!!!!

The English are playing pretty rough - if they continue like this I see a red card coming soon!

Yup. Great game so far.

Maybe not great, but certainly very entertaining - and right now the English team was very lucky.

This game is giving me tourettes!

It`s over - 1:1

Strange bloodless performance from England (minus Rooney, who fought to the end as always).

After the draw of France yesterday (which had a same bloodless performance), the second disappointment from one of the favourites.

What is really getting on my nerves are these horns though, I`d rather hear chants, rhythms, etc from the stadiums than this constant humming.

Pretty disappointed with England. Rooney laboured a lot but overall the English team's performance was just not enough. The US team IMO held up pretty well, I appreciate that they didn't go totally defensive after the 1:1.

Not a great game by all means, but still fun to watch.

Handy link, thanks for that.

BBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZMMMMMMMMMMMMZZZZZZMMMMMM sorry Kilosierra, can't hear ya BZZZZZZMMMMMMMMMZZZZZZMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

You will do if you keep playing like that!

Well, it didn't go our way, but a draw is ok at this stage.

A few choice words from this camp, too

Fun game to watch. Yeah..that guy Rooney looks like he'd beat you up, steal your car, shag your Mom, then claim the booze made him do it.. UK got lucky with that off-the crossbar shot by the US.. But right after that for the next 10 minutes it seemed UK had a few good looks at the US goal for sure.

One thing - what the hell is the constant buzz in the background coming from the crowd? Did they pass out kazoos to the whole stadium or something? Annoying as all hell..sounded like a swarm of bees was filling the stadium.

Edit..just read the rest of the thread..bee explanation noted..

These bloody Vuvuzelas really get on my nerves now. It sounds like a swarm of bees and that constantly over 90+ minutes definitely sucks!

The people that blow those things are idiots. "Part of the African football experience", my a$$.

Nice to not lose...

I watched the second half, it was entertaining enough. I dislike ties though, its like kissing your sister.

Wait 'til the group phase is over, then there won't be any ties anymore. We'll make a fan out of you yet, just watch.

I thought the USA put up a good match.I expected more from England I guess,but in the end I can live with a draw.
I cringed at Heskey's brush with Howard,especially in the slo-mo replay.Ouch!

Yep, that really looked painful.

OTOH, Green will probably get more than that from his team mates in the shower...

Considering what my expectations were, I'm quite happy to take the draw.

Seems like a lot of draws from what I've read.

Vuvuzelas are nothing. You should live over there. Many's the morning at 2:00 AM or so that I've awakened and turned to the wife to say, "That's it! I'm gonna find 'em and kill 'em all! They can bury them with their drums shoved up their keisters!"

Of course, the few times I went out and followed the drum sound and actually found them in the middle of the bloody friggin' night, they just shouted something about "white devil" and ran like hell before I could actually shove their drums up their arses...

So, a tie, eh? Just think, six months ago, in some American suburb, a bunch of guys got together and one of them said, "Guys, the World Cup is coming up, and if we don't do it, America won't have a team! It's the WORLD CUP! So what d'ya say we drink a few brewskies and play a little soccer for the red white and blue? We can do it!"

And now, six months later, people worldwide are saying, "Those bloody godd*mn Yanks! They've buggered the entire World Cup play ladder with their amateur meddling!"

Sort of the "Cool Runnings" of football (soccer). I love it.

Cheers!

Rick...

I had an odd feeling about this match.England have a few 'arch enemies' in the football world but I don't consider the USA one of them.I even cheered when USA scored!
Now if it had been England vs Germany or Argentina,I would have been baying for blood!

Hopefully both teams will be at the top of the group,but England need to be number 1 to avoid that 'difficult' group.

USA appeared at every WC since 1990 and have been constantly improveing since then. The US players usually play in renowned premium division teams in Europe and are competent enough to hold their own.

So I`m sorry to wake you up from this dream, but your story is indeed a fairy-tale. Albeit a nice one.

Those are just his good points!

Only since the early 90s, apparently.

Isn't it settled by penalty kicks? BOOORRRIIING.

LOL! Yeah, I know! But we are somewhat behind the rest of the world in our appreciation of and participation in football (soccer), (and a number of other sports that everyone else plays except us...)

Cheers!

Rick...

One thing I found odd was how the officials decide how long Overtime is. They decided on 4 minutes....but why ? Also is Overtime sudden death ?

Do you mean injury time? Injury time is decided by how much time was wasted with ,well, injuries or things that prevented play. I think...Most of my working knowledge comes from FIFA and Football Manager haha.

Yeah, that wasn't really overtime. It's called injury time, and it's always added at the end of each half (not just when the game is tied). They never stop the clock in soccer, even when there's a delay. Instead, they estimate how much time was wasted and add on a few minutes so you get roughly 45 minutes of playtime per half.

Actual overtime, when a game can't end in a tie (in the knockout stages), is two periods of fifteen minutes each, non-sudden-death. Penalties if still tied at the end.

It's what I've been saying about USA (and so has Purolator). We are at the point where we have gained just enough skill and experience that with a little luck we can pull off some big surprises. Remember, luck is when preparation meets opportunity. Dempsey's goal against England will likely be remembered as the luckiest goal of the World Cup, but only if you don't count the fact that he has consistently contributed goals to both the USA and to his club team Fulham.

It's still uncertain whether or not the USA as a country will ever adopt soccer as one of its beloved sports, but with more and more American players finding positions in European club teams our chances are increasing. I can dream, right?

So who does USA play next or is that not determined yet?

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/index.html

Greets

K.

Slovenia is next for the USA and I can very well imagine the US team is going to win this match.

So after tonight's draw, assuming the US and England are both capable of beating Algeria and Slovenia, whoever gets the best results probably avoids Germany in the next round.

Take your pick of Australia/Serbia/Ghana for the winners of group C. Will be a close run thing, but I fancy the Serbs to sneak it.

The US play Slovenia on Friday. Kick off 1500hrs GMT.

Can you please get Rehhagel off our hands? He gave us a Euro but I think he's turning senile.

He's been using some of the players that won the 2004, and haven't done anything else since then, due to lack of talent and playing time, and injuries. He uses good players out of place. He doesn't use the most talented young player.

I think I may catch some of the Germany vs. Australia match today. Is Germany favored to win this one?

Anything less than a clear victory by the German team would be considered a minor sensation.

OTOH the Socceroos are certainly expected to put up a tough fight. They have a number of good players (Schwarzer, Bresciano, Cahill), are known for their excellent team spirit and, of course, have nothing to lose.

lol,

next great performance from a keeper.

Wow Ghana penalty shot ....sigh.....

Ghana 1: Serbia 0

Quite a surprise. The penalty was a correct decision. Shame that the whole game wasn't as interesting as the last 15 minutes.

USA WIN!



Nate

After 45 minutes

Germany 2: Australia 0

Beautiful goals by Podolski and Klose (finally!).

So far an excellent game of the German team against the Aussies who started surprisingly offensive but after a good chance early in the 4th minute started to get outplayed on a regular basis.

Now the 2nd half.

Germany is running away with this. 4 - 0 now.

Germany 4: Australia 0

Best team performance of the tournament so far. Very well played, with beautiful goals.

My only criticism is the red card for Cahill, totally undeserved IMO. Yellow: yes. But no way that this foul warranted a red card.

yup!

So far I`m still undecided what it was worth, as I don`t really know the potential in the Aussies team.

I'm in Leicester. Watched it at The Stamford Arms in Groby.

Was not impressed with the officiating. Hopefully the Mexican ref won't officiate any more games. The supervisor needs to have a good talk to him.

Great performance from a balanced & positive German team. Best game of the tournament so far.

BTW, calling the England team "UK" is not totally correct. There are also national teams from Scotland and Wales in football, so England is just England in this game.

Ah, ok. I caught the first 45 at our local, cracking atmosphere!!

PS are you familar with the name of Ceri Evans?

I'm suprised that the Welsh & Scottish lads haven't chimed in to point that out before now!

Suid Afrika, USA, Nederlanders, in hierdie orde.

Cheers!

Rick...

What? No love for Northern Ireland?

I'm curious as to what you folks think of the vuvuleza?

Was waiting to see how long it would take for somebody to catch THAT one

I totally hate it. It must ruin the experience in the stadium and I'm glad I didn't go all the way down to SA to sit and listen to that noise live.

Today we have two interesting matches:

Netherlands vs. Denmark

Italy vs. Paraguay

I'm sure this one will bring a lot of heated posts from our Danish and Dutch SimHQ members.

Yes I'm aware of Ceri.

My family are very good friends with John Hill (ex World Cup All White 1982). Infact we know quite a few others as a number of the national team played for Giborne City (where I live). I think it helped that Kevin Fallon was the coach at the time. In saying that Gisborne was one of the best teams at the time.

Dutch look the better team at the moment but Denmark look dangerous on the break.

The boss gave us permission to watch the game live at work today. Halftime now, it's a bit boring actually. Hopefully the 2nd half wil bring some fun.

Go Denmark!!!

and two minutes later we score... - But an own goal! - damn'....

England 1 - USA 1 -> Sorry but from an outside perspective, it was a boring game . And i thought it was going to be very entertaining, considering that England have´s IMO one of the best teams today, and USA usually try to play very good futbol (soccer). But England didn´t play well, and USA didn´t showed that good "futbol" (Spanish term of the game) that played on the last three world cups. I remember Korea-Japan worldcup that USA played very well but lacked a little bit of luck.
Lot of people blame the poor Green because of the tie, but England had a full half time to score again and was not capable of doing it, so the full team had a low performance.

Germany 4 - Australia 0 -> Not much to say, Germany outperformed Australie in every zone of the field. So far the best game of the tournament. Didn´t know the number 8 of Germany, very VERY interesting player, have´s a lot of quality and skill with the ball. I will keep following this guy on the next germany games!

Argentina 1 - Nigeria 0 -> Final score should have been Argentine 3 - Nigeria 1, because of the opportunitys created to score for both teams, but well. Argentina deserved to win, made some good things, and also some bad things (lack of definition and weak right wing defense) that better be improved to advance on the tournament. Each time Messi gets the ball and goes foward its a completely diferent team .

Couldn´t see the other games. So far Germany gave me the best impressions, by far!. Hope they keep it up, unless they play against Argentina, of course!

Come on Denmark, i have big hope for you!

Noooo, 2-0 for Holland, and only three minuts left.

Why on Earth does Maradonna play Gutierezz at right back? Surely there must be someone better suited to that position, even discounting the ancient Zanetti.

Nice save from Poulsen in the 87th minute... 10 centimeters from the goal

Yes, the save was made by the guy who made the own goal, so he made amends, somewhat...

Very nice to see our coach, morten olsen, do what he could to comfort poulsen, after the match. It was a freak own goal any way...

Damn' though!

So I see Green has some company now.

Don't worry Frey... Denmark is an excellent team and will have a lot of good moments in the WC.

See you in the finals!

What are we supposed to think? Its annoying. Just looking at that picture makes my ears bleed a little.

Wish i could answer that!. To be real, with the exception of Zanetti, its been years since Argentina lacks of good right wind defenders. Burdisso could occupy that position because he did a good job in the last world cup playing on the right (until got injured), but he is a central denfender so its not his natual position. I would give an arm for a Roberto Carlos, Lahm or Lizarazu on the right .
As for Maradonna and why he puts Gutierrez on the right back, well, all i can say is that we suffer the same problem as the frenchs, we have a bad manager. Still i think Domenech is even worst that Maradona . My apoloogies to the frenchs buddys around here, noh mean to offend.

I tend to agree. Cold shouldering a player like Esteban Cambiasso is madness. Have they got some sort of personal feud going or something?

It's a pity because Argentina are my second team after England, but I think they're a bit disfunctional under Maradonna. Unfortunately, I don't think they'll do as well as many are tipping to be honest.

Die Nederlanders, ek het geweet hulle sal wen, LOL!

Cheers!

Rick...

Wow, Japan over Cameroon 1 - 0

What a storm they had to weather for the last 5 minutes!

Indeed a storm it was in the last minutes - if the Cameroonians (is that correct to say so?) had started with this kind of effort somewhat earlier they might have changed the outcome. But overall it came too late.

Not as far as i know, and didn´t here anything about it here on specialized sport newspapers or comentators.


Sadly, i agree with you. Lots of people here have lot of faith on the team, but i don´t because of Maradona as a manager. Hope i proved wrong!

Tonight: The Dying Swan. Leading role: Team Italy.

Act I will begin in about 10 minutes.

38th minute:

Paraguay 1: Italy 0

LOL! That'll make you popular in old Napoli! We've got friends in Paraguay, so I'll have to go with them.

Cheers!

Rick...

First half over, what a surprise!

Pretty disappointed with Italy so far. They ARE the better team, but all actions just seem to lack that certain something.

Paraguay put up a solid, tactically sound defence and only provided some token offence, seemingly relying on set pieces. So far it works for them.

I'm sure the 2nd half will get more exciting.

It seems comments like that are getting to be more common for this World Cup.

Im rooting for Paraguay just so we can finally have something REAL to talk about in the world cup.

Yeah, but as long as it turns out true...


BTW: again a goal through a massive blunder by a goalkeeper.

Italy 1 - Paraguay 1.

Still a surprise.

Thought you guys might appreciate this

So apparently Brazil plays North Korea today?

I wonder if anyone outside of NK will be rooting for them? LOL

NZ 1 all against Slovakia.

I went jumping around the pub. People thought I waas crazy!

NZ first points ever in the world cup.

Maybe unlucky not to win but a deserved draw. Us Kiwis played above our station!

Solid defense by NK, surprising. Commentary said that the NK fans in the stands are actually Chinese actors paid by NK.

Yea I heard that. Im kinda sad. I wanted a big upset from the little country that could.

Finally! Brazil woke up. 2:0.

About time... I almost fell asleep there.

That was a really beautiful shot the Brazilian made, going sideways and all.

Oh boy. NK scores.

*facepalm*

The spirit of Kim Jong IL is spurring on his comrades!

LOL. Don't post stuff like that when I'm sipping on my beer.

Brazil wins 2:1. The first half was plain refusal to work by Brazil.

Interesting game in any case.

So Germany beats Australia 4-0 but Brazil only beats NK 2-1. Go figure!

These were just the first matches. Worst thing the German team can do now is getting cocky!

In fact I expect some other performances by teams like Italy, Brazil, England, Argentina and other highly regarded teams in the next matches.

Italy and England certainly know they are under pressure and have to shape up.

Brazil and Argentina know they have to increase their performance too, despite their victories, if they want to win the Cup.

Oh, and we haven't seen Spain yet. I expect Spain to win against Switzerland by 2:0 tomorrow, plus to be in good enough condition to be able to grasp the Cup.

And in other news, the North Korean World Cup Soccer Team mysteriously disappeared today...

Go Paraguay! (My PR team lost to Honduras...HONDURAS...)

pfunk

Ooops..apologies to all the better parts of the U.K. for lumping you in with England. So..uh..do the other parts of the U.K. have better food than the "England" part? LOL..

I'm down in Mexico right now..sure would be fun to find a local bar to watch the next Mexico match..

Damn those horns. Okay, so there are people selling them, but why the hell are people buying them? Maybe at the next world cup I'll set up concession stands selling Jew's Harps. Won't that sound awesome? Twing twang twoing - GOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!

The first round is often quite tactical, teams just don't want to lose. Soon the make it or break it matches will start.

Not even people in north Korea are rooting for the NK team, their matches are not transmitted on NK television!

- The dictator and his henchmen are afraid that somebody will hold up a "down with Kim Jong-Il placard", in which case the NK regime would of course collapse immediately.

"Look, the emperor is not wearing any clothes"...

Do that, you will realise that being in a bar seeing people watching a futbol game is more an spectacle that the game itself! . By the way, they play tomorrow (june 17th).

About Brazil, they only won 2-1 because they were not intereseted on scoring more. They have potential to do much much better. Its common on Brazil that games that are not dificult to them to play intentionally in a lower level just because they know with that is enough to win. Sometimes they get surprised because of that, but usually they win without effort.

Shouldn't there be loads of posts by now with pictures of female football fans? Or is that a separate thread?

Dutch "Bavaria" Girls

This here 'Murican is confused. I thought Bavaria was in Germany, not Holland?

"Bavaria" is a Dutch beer brandname.

Ahhh... football babes... doesn't get much better than this!...

The photo was taken in 2006. I wonder what became of that young lady!

She became my wife!

liar liar pants on fire!

I'm going to tell your g/f about this...

Fascinating,

http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-c...orldarrest.html

Wooo go Switzerland! Make the world cup exciting!!!

So I was sitting in a bar in Tierra del Fuego, drinking an ice cold Castle Lager when I thought, "The world doesn't put enough emphasis on geography in our school systems..." So I decided to drive up to Pretoria and view the Inca ruins while I though about a solution.

Cheers!

Rick...

Well, if I were their lawyer I'd protest the use of "official beer" and "Budweiser" in the same sentence. If the slogan had been "Budweiser is the official horse piss of the 2010 World Championship Football" it had been a different story.

(not that Bavaria is that much better btw...)

LMAO! I wonder if Rick Sanchez prepared that slide?

I've always been a big fan of women suspected to be involved in organized acts to conduct unlawful activities.

Whether or not they're part of a larger group or there's anything commercial about the activities.

Switzerland coming with the upset. I can feel it.

Switzerland up 1-0 on Spain at the moment. And the game of the day coming, South Africa vs. Uruguay!

Cheers!

Rick...

biggest upset so far about to happen!

AWESOME! YA!!! Finally something exciting!

Unbelievable! Switzerland wins!

whoa, spain loses to Switzerland! - If spain ends up 2nd in group they meet Brazil!

First BIG surprise of the tournament. Spain, for a lot THE CANDIDATE, loose with Switzerland.
Spain must be carefull with Chile, that have´s a very good team and IMHO one of the best managers, that is Marcelo Bielsa.
This zone could end up on a triple tie for first place, with victory of Chile over Honduras and Switzerland, victory a Switzerland over Spain and Honduras, and victory of Spain over Honduras and Chile.
Honduras is by far the weakest team on this zone, i doubt very much they are able to win a single point on the wc.

All in all before this match Switzerland has played 18 times in their history vs. Spain. 15 times they lost and never won once.

Until today.

I say this is the first really huge sensation of the Cup!

Marcelo Bielsa, the best Manager Chile has ever had, definitely changed the way Chile plays. We should have won more than just 1-0 but the 3 points are there. The following games in group H will be mini playoffs, one defeat and you're most likely to be eliminated.

And what happened to attacking football? Only Argentina, Germany, Holland, Spain and Chile play "real" football, this WC must be very boring for non-football fans.

If South Africa beats Uruguay today, there's a chance...

Cheers!

Rick...

Is it just me or are the strikers in this WC looking absolutely awful. The opportunities are there but the finishing is atrocious. Spain could easily have scored three or more goals if they could hit the net.

That's pretty much what I've been thinking. Seems to be a trend in a lot of matches.

Cheers!

Rick...

South Africa 0 - Uruguay 2

Ok...hopefully that means less Vuvuzela noise in the background in a few matches time, when SA is gone. Their chances to reach the next round are severely dented now.

Crap! Uruguay 3, South Africa 0. Better luck next time, I guess...

Congrats to Uruguay on a good game!

Cheers!

Rick...

If Germany's first match performace is any indicator, they might prove to be the exception.

I still think the Vuvuzelas are partly to blame. At least 20 % of the game relies on verbal communication. I guess the Vuvuzela noise is heavily interfering with players giving commands to each other. That's why we see so many failed passes and players being surprised by tackles - normally a fellow player would shout a warning when an opponent comes up from behind.

All it takes to ban the Vuvuzela is for some brave fans throwing theirs onto the playing field. Then FIFA would have to act and ban these things (that's basically what some ranking FIFA official said recently).

So, dear Vuvuzela owners in South Africa: please be so kind and throw yours onto the field.

Re. Germany:

I think we have the most homogeneous team: the key players either all play for the same clubs (Bayern München and VFB Stuttgart), and almost all play in the German League; that means they are a close-knit team, or at least all play the same style, share the same playing philosophy.

Other teams, on the other hand, have superstars who play for different teams in different countries; so while one part of the team plays in the English Premier League, others play in Spain, Italy or Germany, France etc. The style of gameplay and playing philosophy differs greatly between different national leagues. In so far team-building is much harder, and I believe that's why some of the top teams are giving such mediocre performances as we've seen.

But if they can stay in the tournament long enough, they will come around eventually. Matches during the quarter finals and beyond will be much more interesting to watch, with much better gameplay.

I would hate to think that regulations will have to be made for noise makers, but these ghastly plastic trump-kazoos from hell are changing my mind. What happened to chants? I mean what if all of the 2006 World Cup games sounded like Alp Horns? Or the 1998 World Cup sounded like only accordions? Or 2002 sounded like banjos? I really wish that the spectators would make a sensible decision before FIFA has to step in.

First round goal average in the world cups...

2010: 1,6 mål
2006: 2,5 mål
2002: 2,8 mål
1998: 2,3 mål
1994: 2,5 mål
1990: 2,3 mål
1986: 2,2 mål
1982: 2,8 mål
1978: 2,8 mål
1974: 2,0 mål
1970: 2,5 mål
1966: 2,6 mål
1962: 2,0 mål
1958: 3,6 mål
1954: 4,0 mål
1950: 4,3 mål
1938: 4,1 mål
1934: 5,0 mål
1930: 3,2 mål

I have to say that showing averages for 2010 with over 20 games still to play is a bit misleading.

Finally!

Argentina 4 - Korea 1

Boy, the first 20 minutos of the seccond half were stressfull, with Korea holding the ball and attacking, and Argentina only defending. Only when the third goal was scored that calm came to the team, me and all the people i work with .
At last Iguaín scored for Argentina, and three times .

I think Kore made a good match, but they were too precoucious with Argentina. In te first half they give away to Argentina complete control of the ball, and end up with two goals againsts. For what they did on the seccond half, they could have tried to play more the full game and would have had a better chance to win. I don´t complain, i just think it was a mistake from their part
Now, if Greece does not win, any other result will secure that Argentina will qualify for the 8th finals.

Greece certainly looking a better team after the sending off of the Nigerian player. While there wasn't anything in it you just can't react like that at this level. In saying that I still think the Greek player should have received a yellow for his over reaction!

I hope they lose just for that. Can't stand diving.

EDIT

2 - 1 to Greece. The sending off was pivotal in the game. Except for that horrible bobble that led to the second Greek goal the Nigerian keeper had a great game.

Don't see Greece beating Argentina. Will Argentina rest their best players though?

My guess is that some will get rest but some will play. Even if its dificult, there is still mathematical chance that Argentina do not qualify, that puts you in an "uncomfotable" situation on choosing which players left playing and whichs give them rest. Making big changes in a team that is wining never give good results, for the match and the match next to it. My guess is that Messi, Iguain and Tevez will keep playing, and if Argentina its winning by the end of first half, then we will see changes to give rest to the best players.

France vs Mexico should be interesting to watch.

Yeah, maybe Mexico will be able to beat the French yet AGAIN.

This France v Mexico is the best so far with 28 minutes gone. End to end stuff!

0:0 after 45 minutes.

Good game IMO, just lacking goals.

Looking forward to the 2nd half, I predict a Mexican victory.

I think this referee is too whistle happy.

France 0 : Mexico 2

Well deserved win for the Mexicans, and what a débacle for les bleus.

Agree. Deserved win to the Mexicans.

France could have a repeat of 2002 when they get bundled out without scoring a goal.

Impressive win indeed!

Sheesh, so many great individuals on the French team but no glue.

Who would had thought? So far the only american team that lost, was Honduras against another american team (Chile). None other american team has lost so far.

Lets hope USA keeps this useless stadistic tomorrow!

smosh, as I wrote that was the goal average of the first round of games from all the world cups. So, quite comparable.

Well that certainly has to have increased after the 3 games today

Haha..watching that Mexico v. France game in a beachside bar in Mexico was awesome. What a roar when that first goal was scored..

Well deserved victories for Mexico and Argentina!

Greece has improved, but will that be enough for the next match against Argentina? I doubt it, unless the Argentine team has a serious off-day, which I doubt.

Will Lancelot go crazy with joy if Argentina wins the World Cup? Stay tuned, folks!

Cheers!

Rick...

I`m speechless about the French performance. Absolutely puzzling that a team with such great individual players can play that abysmal. There must be something seriously wrong within the team.

Another surprise today were the Greeks. I wouldn`t have bet they would pull themselves together like they did. Chapeau!

`night

K.

Why? England have been doing it for 40 years

Three words come to my mind: (bad) ego, (bad) coaching, (too much) Individualistic = no teamplay, no goals= sure defeat!

Vivement Laurent Blanc (next coach, loved by French and key player of the 98 and 2000 victories) to put back some humbleness, impose a more better discipline to these overpaid divas and MUCH more focus on the word: TEAMPLAY.

In a way, you probably won't believe it but this loss is sort of a victory for French people, it will oust the awful coach Domenech out of the team quicker than expected...

I'm still puzzled why Domenech is still coaching the french national team. I mean the antagonism towards him ain't new, it had been there four years ago so why wasn't he sent on his way long ago?

That is the mystery...after the complete failure in the Euro 2008 he would have been thrown out (when you know that adding offense to insult, answering to the question "what do you have to do now ?" he answered " to propose marriage to Estelle -his female companion in life-",in front of millions of astonished and bitter TV spectators...) harsh and ironic with the journalists , weak with some players (unfortunately the brainless ones)because of his lack of competence.

Since years the team France did not show anything better than mediocre, but players and staff were constently saying that they'll show out how good they are when playing serious competitions...like the guy who falls from a skyscraper and at every storey tell people at the window:"so far, everything's allright !"
"Chronicle of a foretold death"...



A lot has to be done in the team management ,human, tactics and technics too...hopefully a new cycle will begin very soon...we need some vivid air and a renewed team with a sane spirit.

This Spanish referee is going to ruin this Germany v Serbia game. No one will be prepared to tackle for fear of getting a yellow or second yellow card!

There's certainly been a few fouls but nothing deserving a card.

So the US plays Slovenia today. Go USA!!

Well there you go!

Germany have a man sent off for a ridiculous second yellow and Serbia score less than a minute later.

This referee shouldn't even be in charge of a burger stand!

Bummer... and I was looking forward to a Holland-Germany final

Funny...



...a t-shirt that changes colour if the temperature rises...

yeah,


OTOH Klose really was stupid, he got his first card for nearly the same foul. Plus it was in the midfield. Stupidstupidstupid!!!!!!!!

But still one half to play and the last seconds were promising. They are still able to score, even with one man less on the field.

K.

Yes Legend, that is why I am always looking forward to a Holland-Germany. It's always a source for lots of humorous stuff.

And I have the benefit to look at it as an outsider, so whatever the score, I'll always have reason to party

OMG! Germany miss a penalty. Will that come back to haunt them?

I´m already crazy, son not much change there.

Germany just wasted a penalty, unbeleivable!! (Hope i wrote it right! )

Alpen horns FTW.

Or accordians.

The referee apparently was on drugs. And in the second half the effect has worn off. Or vice versa?

I hope this... person is never allowed to the pitch again during this WC.


Anyway, congratulations to Serbia. A cleverly played match on their part.

yup,

9 yellows and one yellow-red was waaaayyyy too much in a game that was never unfair at all.

But still, this wasn`t the culprit today. The Serbs played clever and we were a little out of luck, so a deserved win for Serbia.

And there still is a chance to get further in the tournament.

Now USA vs Slovenia

Go USA!

Best luck!

K.

Two Slovenians play for my hometown team (Suler and Ljubijankic), so dear American friends, forgive me if I cheer for Slovenia. The longer Slovenia is in, the more compensation their league teams get, and so I'm hoping for improved catering in the stadium next season

ooooops!

Ugh, that looked bad, he camped out to make that shot, Howard looked asleep.

Now 2-0, looks like the US is going down, hard to come back from that.

This ref is showing his true skill! A yellow card for hitting the ball with your head. Thats against the rules you know.

...and I still don't know why Findley received a yellow card.

Yeah, that was a joke, hit it with your face and you get a yellow, nice!

Ah well. Maybe next World Cup...

USA! HECK YA! Woooo! Ha back in the game 1-2

YES!

They are back into the match!

Nice goal!

Yeah, that was a good shot.

This is gonna be good! another goal 2-2!!! (We love a good comeback story in the US don't we haha)

Well I guess I should have more faith in my team!

Ugh terrible ref, looks like a tie.

Oh,

this will lead to discussion, IMO no foul and no offside. A clear goal not given.

The USA got robbed...

I saw the replay and saw nothing which deserved to discard that goal for the US team.


The referees begin to seriously annoy me by now!

Exactly... that referee apparently doesn't have much international experience.

Glad we came back, but should have been 3-2. That ref is on drugs or something.

Hey, I got a copyright on that statement today, you know?

Ah, yes, so I see, thanks for letting me use it...

Actually if you can believe it I heard a commentator say this ref was the official for a cup final game in South Africa. :/. How do these refs slip through? Like the one who gave France their handball against Ireland.

A stolen goal.

A very good game. USA deserved to win. There was no way that wasn't a goal.

Good comeback from USA! Followd the match by internet. Didn´t know the USA made a goal that was not validated by the referee!
America continue invictus on the tournament!

lol!

Cool bird sitting on the algerian goal.

By the way England are playing the little bird isn't going to get disturbed.Sleep on little fella.

i don't really care about world cup but...........greek SUCKS ! centuries of olympic games and thats the best their genes came up with ? pfff
Also brasil and england are sucking too.

Im English, but I think I will just support Brazil from now on - no guile-less, gut-less, hopeless, brainless nil-nil's when they play.

FFS! Feel like screaming.

I knew the little bird had nothing to fear.

I want the last 90 minutes of my life back please England.You suck!

Only 90 minutes? It felt like endless hours that never end.

And the bloody worst thing is that i'll be there next time, nervous and self-deluded about England still going to win whole the damn thing...

ARGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Only saw Germany vs Serbia today and have to say I'm totally disappointed with the referee. 9 yellow cards, including one yellow-red, that was absolutely laughable for such a game. Yellow cards should be reserved for dangerous, deliberate fouls, but should not be given for seemingly every single contact between two players. If THIS is the future of FIFA football then I can only shake my head in disbelief.

Having said that, Serbia's victory is OK, some bad luck for the German team but the Serbs played very well and prevented Germany from playing 'their game'.

1:1 would've been a just outcome, though.

I guess I should be happy that the US has had two ties so far!

I really wanted to see that US game this evening, but my godson and his brother prevented that.

For sure the best match today.

Plus, as the commentator said, the first time in a WC that the USA came back after being behind.

It looks like the US team are in a better position to go through to the next round than England.

England were truely woeful today against Algeria. They didn't seem to have any zest in their play and were under the cosh for most of the first half.

What's up with the refs this WC? Were they always this lousy or does the FIFA want to turn the sport into a nice afternoon conversation where the players throw dabbers and say niceties to each other? Football is a sport which sometimes contains a bit of body contact so what are the dumb@ss functionaries trying to do? Make it more "family friendly" (or industry-friendly)? All nice and fine and without emotions (same cr@p like a yellow card for over the top cheering after a goal)? That ref in the match Germany vs Serbia was one of three or four which should have never been allowed to ref at an international level, much less at the WC. I'm getting more and more disgusted by these FIFA idiots who are destroying the game for commercial considerations.


Here's to you, FIFA. (Where's that FINGER! smiley?)

ouch,

another bad ref. No way this was intentional hand.

Aussies have one man sent off and are now at a draw due to the (not deserved) penalty. That will be difficult for the Socceroos.


edit: btw. fell asleep during Netherlands vs. Japan. Bad match from what I`ve seen.

Yeah, wasn't our greatest match. The referee was good in that one, though.

C'mon Socceroos! You can do it!

OMG,

what a missed chance for the Aussies!

http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2010/06/18/referee-koman-coulibaly-could-face-expulsion-from-world-cup/



That's nothing! What they should do is put him in a middle of a large hall surrounded by an army of vuvuzela blowers for the rest of the tournament.

I'm actually glad for Referee Koman Coulibaly's idiotic call.

Now, no matter who wins the World Cup, I can assert that the only reason we DIDN'T win was because of anti-American bias resulting in a deliberate rotten call. And there's no arguing with that. We'll never really know for sure. So any victory is now diminished.

So, to whichever team eventually prevails, enjoy the tainted win. Only the USA can claim a virtuous victory after this, LOL!

Cheers!

Rick...

Sure rick, sure.

http://i.imgur.com/3wzpx.jpg

Someone give them vuvuzelas quick! They are gonna blow!

Cameroon vs Denmark,best game so far!
The Danes put Cameroon out of the competition.

yup,

great game. Both teams could have won though, Cameroon left out BIG chances!

With Australia vs. Ghana being a draw, Germany must win against Ghana in the last match to stay in the tournament.

Paraguay 2 - Slovakia 0

Slovakia is by now almost out of the competition, but during this WC you cannot predict anything anymore.

Paraguay now has to face Italy in their next match, I sense this will get interesting.

Talking of Italy, they play against New Zealand in about 30 minutes and I will keep my fingers crossed for New Zealand. Not that this will help them a lot though.

Regarding Germany, I see it very straightforward - if the team doesn't manage to win against Ghana they are not only eliminated from the WC but also simply do not deserve it to not being eliminated.

I'm rooting for New Zealand.

The team - the "All Whites" - should do what the "All Blacks" do before every Rugby match:



That would give the Italian players a good reason to dive.

GOOOAAAAAL! New Zealand: 1, Italy: 0 !!!!!!

Offside but we'll take it!

NZ can't afford to keep belting the ball up the field and losing possession. They'll be hammered if they keep it up!

GAH! Rubbish penalty.

It's not about skill anymore but who can con the referee.

I noticed that the two players celebrating head butted each other. If that was a NZ player in there the Italian would have hit the ground like he'd been shot!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8750302.stm



If they went to the world cup to act like this then they should have just stayed home a let Ireland take their place.

spoiled brats

Slug

Well done New Zealand!!!
Ok,there may have been a touch of offside about the NZ goal,but the Italians then showed their flair for over-acting and tried to get Fallon sent off.Shameful stuff and not at all professional.

Ranked 78 I think NZ are,but they held the World Champions to a draw,and man of the match Reid well deserving.Top game from the NZ goalie too.



Agreed,there are 'certain' teams that excel in this.If I had my way,any player trying to get another player a card by conning the ref should be sent off,end of.

Italy 1 - New Zealand 1!

Italy needed a penalty to get this draw, incredible!

The NZ team can be proud, no "football expert" considered sane would have predicted that outcome.

I agree, well done Kiwis!

That sending off of Kaka is the most ridiculous thing I have seen so far. I hope they review that!

LOL, it is the sad end (or happy) of a sad period...everything ran upside down since 2004 ...the addition of FFF authorities cast in their golden armchair, a uncompetent manager (choosen by these authorities) and bad -educated undisciplined prima dona styled players.Result: bad playing, bad mood, bad results. Good riddance for most of the protagonists of this bad movie!!!
And today a 44th french soldier has been killed in A'stan in the line of duty...

This Keita is a sh.t on the field...played at Lyon last year: a living joke.

I like this one is better.

Awesome result for the All Whites ! They had a game plan and stuck to it.

I don't want to be too harsh on the Italians, but some of their players were doing Hollywoods every chance they got to try and influence the Ref.

http://www.smh.com.au/world-cup-2010/wor...00621-ypj8.html

QFT!

Italy did it - again!

Oh boy, I don't mind Italy, nor the Italians, but instead of a World Cup the team of Italy usually should get an academy award - aka. Oscar.

It is disgusting, as the Italian team contains too many diving experts. No wait, Cristiano Ronaldo can do it even better (that is, even more blatantly). But that is just one man, not several in one team.

For the record, before any Italians jump on me...I could also name some German divers.

I missed this whole weeks games basically Was taking a break trying to catch Marlins and Sailfish @ Sodwana near the Moz border but now I'm back. Sad to see SA going down 3 zip to Uruguay and now we need to beat the french with at least 3 goals to go through to the next round. Very very remote chance if any. I see they have issues in their camp though so maybe moral will not be that good!!

About the noise...this is Africa bru, lions in the streets, bees as big as houses...you know!!!!

Ag, nie man! Moenie my mal maak nie!

Cheers!

Rick...

Ja swaer, nie veel wat ons daaraan kan doen nie Hoop maar hulle sit 'n goeie effort in

The French spectacle is really sad to watch... - like a slow motion train crash...

And to think Ireland were robbed by those jokers. Let's hope morale is low enough for South Africa to thrash them 4-0.

What the French team so far has shown is utterly devastating.

If I were their trainer I'd send the whole team home, even before the last game.

Nice comparison. Isn't the word farce of french origin? This is really disgraceful.

0-4 and the game isn't over yet.

I'm actually starting to be worried about the North Koreans.

Worried of what might happen to them when they go back home.

0-5

Some divine justice in France being defeated by a Mexican team wearing the exact same colours as Ireland!

0-6

0-7

Holy sh*t!

The Koreans are still desperately trying to score. They probably hope to save themselves from the firing squad and only get torture and life in prison instead.

Wow 7 - 0

Nice to see that it is possible to win convincingly without having to resort to diving.

...and this game was shown on TV without delay in North Korea...

I guess there was a significant signal loss after the 0-2

"We are suffering signal loss due to the FIFA trying to manipulate the historic victory of our heroic team over the capitalist imperialists. But our glorious leader will personally commentate the game for you over national radio."

I read a letter to the editor in today's newspaper that said it didn't matter what the final score was in any soccer match. Final scores, who won and who lost, are an American invention. Soccer is only about skill.

Maybe the NK's could try that out and see if it flies.

Maybe 'scores' are an American invention but in the good old days, when soccer was played using a skull as ball and the 'goals' being the village squares of the two teams, the losing team was summarily executed.

And their families too and their homes burned?

Now that's a sport!

That s what they believe, in real, it is a fake game that is actually shown at NK TV...they have a bunch af such staged games to show, till the endgame where naturally NK is World champion .simple.

Wow, reminds me of what happened to the losing team in those Maya handball matches!

Julle kan darem maar kak praat as julle die dag lus is huh

Oh joy! Another unnecessary red card. The average referee in this WC is about as competent as the average goalkeeper, it seems.

And don't get me started on FIFA's "new" rules. Sepp Blatter should resign already! Franz Beckenbauer for FIFA president!

Chile vs. Switzerland.

A Swiss player got the red card now.

The referee saw an assault against a Chilean player.

Personally I saw nothing like that in the replay and I'm getting seriously disgusted with the referees during this WC by now!

@Jayhawk: Ich weiß nicht was die Offiziellen den Schiris vor dem Spiel im Briefing sagen (oder zu rauchen geben...), aber mittlerweile ist es echt lächerlich!

Einfach nur noch zum Kotzen, in manchen Spielen sind die Schiris halblind in anderen dafür dermaßen kleinlich, dass es einfach keinen Spaß mehr macht. Das ist jetzt die nunte WM, die ich mitverfolge, aber sowas habe ich echt noch nicht erlebt.

Except, wasn't it the winning team that got "sacrificed"?

You are not alone.
I just turned off the TV.
Qualification of referee seems to be deteriorating, or at standstill at the very best over the last couple of the WC games.

The red card to the Aussie for intentional handling was way too absurd and today's card against Swiss simply crossed the line again to reconfirm that it's referee's game of playing God.

FIFA needs to jerk its head up. It seems to be too busy counting money...

Ich weiß auch nicht mehr. Die beste Schiri-Leistung, die ich bisher gesehen habe, war bei Dänemark gegen Kamerun - und das war meiner Meinung auch eines der besten Spiele dieser WM. Das zeigt doch, dass die Qualität der Spiele nicht so grottig wäre, wenn die Schiris nicht so katastrophal pfeifen würden.

Ich traue halt der FIFA und vor allem dem Blatter nicht über den Weg - möchte gar nicht wissen, was da so hinter den Kulissen abgeht. Und diese "neuen Regeln": Laut Paul Breitner besteht die Regelkommission der FIFA aus drei ziemlich alten Herren aus England, die von modernem Fußball wohl nicht mehr allzuviel verstehen (wie gesagt, laut Paul Breitner, bei Waldi's WM-Club ). Jedenfalls scheint die Auslegung dieser Regeln bei den Schiedsrichtern für einige Verwirrung zu sorgen. Dann kommt noch Unerfahrenheit hinzu, und bei einigen womöglich nationale Ressentiments? Ich sage nur USA gegen Slowenien.

Was ich erstaunlich finde, ist dass selbst ehemalige Schiris wie Urs Meier (der ja bei den letzten beiden Turnieren als Experte immer die Schiedsrichter in Schutz genommen hat) teilweise massive Kritik üben.

Mir jedenfalls vergeht langsam der Spass an dieser WM...

Hoffentlich nich. Gerade jetz wo wir als Amis entlich anfangen eine echte Interesse zu haben im internationalen Fussball.

Ja, warum der Pfeifenheini das Siegtor für die USA nicht gegeben hat ist mir immer noch nicht klar geworden. Immerhin, der Typ ist raus aus dem Turnier.



Was soll man bei den Schiedsrichterleistungen auch noch beschönigen? Da hat auch ein Ex-Kollege keinen Spielraum mehr.

Die Meinung von Signore Pierluigi Collina würde mich auch mal interessieren - wenn ich mir solche überforderten und inkonsequent pfeifenden Typen wie diesen saudi-arabischen Schiri bei Chile-Schweiz angucke kriegt man doch richtig Sehnsucht nach so einem Schiedsrichter von Format.



Das höre ich jetzt nicht zum ersten Mal, es geht leider vielen so. Ich hab mich auch drauf gefreut, aber sie verkommt allmählich zur Farce.

North Korean Coach takes the blame for the defeat:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i4v9H6jzQjSwXils9NMC5IC6Y2mA



I'm sure they will. The great leader is renowned for being a VERY understanding person.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i4v9H6jzQjSwXils9NMC5IC6Y2mA



OMG... the dear leader will certainly not be amused.

We should start a oscar nomination after this Cup is over, some players really excell in their acting.

@ purolator, Letterboy, and anyone else who understands German: a good article about the topic:

http://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussball/0,1518,701963,00.html

I read the article, Jayhawk...it is frustrating.

Well known referree Markus Merk summed it up well, when he says this is "Wettbewerbsverzerrung" (distortion of competition)

Thanks Jayhawk. I need to go to the Spiegel site more often because I'm losing my German speaking ability. I like their kicker.tv video clips.

Oh that's right, you speak Georgia redneck now.

http://img.casttv.com/video/iarfry/north-korea-1-brazil-0-north-korean-broadcast-video

I was just thinking... does anyone here know how to build a bomb shelter?

!!!

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/06/21/2010062100829.html



So that's why they lost the game! They were being constantly distracted with instruction from their Great Leader!

20 minutes played,

South Africa 1: France 0



I so hope that France gets kicked out of the tournament, the farce the French team showed the last couple of days was a disgrace to professional football.

EDIT: red card for the French team, yet another absolutely ridiculous decision by the referee. Yellow? Yes, but no way that foul warranted a red card.

EDIT2: 37 minutes played:

South Africa 2: France 0

2-0!

Yeah baby, yeah baby!!!! Go Bafana Bafana!!

Wow, I'm glad I'm not a France fan!

It looks like France have thrown in the towel. 2-0 + 1 player sent of... <shakes head>.

Am I the only one that thinks the France game has been rigged to let SA through?

Adieu les bleus!

South Africa still needs to score twice to go through, and that's if the score in the other game remains unchanged. Here's me holding thumbs though!! The more goals Uruguay score makes it much easier for us though!! I'm also rooting for them, bigtime!!!!

EDIT: What's very obvious is SA's lack of finishing touch. Lots of chances but just not enough skill to finish it off

EDIT2: and the unthinkable just happened

And goal difference killed us.

Raymond Domeneche is a complete fruit-loop. He refused to shake hands with SA coach Carlos Alberto Parreira after the game! Good riddance to you, Raymond, as most of France and Ireland would surely agree.

I remember after the final of the last World Cup most of the French players behaved poorly when they were given the second place medals by taking them off even before they cleared the stage.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...ST2010062104206

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...ST2010062104206



I'm surprised they allowed it go all the way to the end without any interruptions.

I wonder if there will be any repercussions. I mean for a population that is used to hear they are the greatest a defeat like that is bond to cause soe kind of effect.

God, that miss in front of the goal by the nigerian player is probably the worst miss I ever saw in football. Congratulations to SOUTH Korea for qualifying for the next round!

Yeah,it was a sitter.He's not going to forget that for a while.
I like the way the South Koreans play football.Always busy.

Oh yeah, and Domenech refusing to shake hands with Parreira. Shame, shame, shame on the French team, France deserves better.

Ei Desert Eagle, ja ta rezando pros santinhos ajudarem no próximo jogo ?
Eu não torço pra minha seleção mas vou torcer contra Portugal so pra sacanear meu cunhado que é do Porto ahahahaha.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4ZY9sJe0rY

Luck played too much parts for our boys today but what the heck, the ball is round.
Thanks to Argentina for not resting through the entire match against Greece

So USA faces off against Algeria today.

Go USA!!!

I thought Legend said they put a filter on those infernal horns. Well, if that's what they sound like with a filter, I'd hate to hear them without.

Ah, yes, in Europe they put a filter on the noise. In the USA, with its rightwing media, the filter is used to enhanced the sound so people will get an aversion to football!

It's working!

a minha namorada e do Porto

You are welcome!

[fancy handwave]These are not the droids your looking for[/fancy handwave]

[fancy handwave]You WILL enjoy proper football and not call it 'soccer' anymore[/fancy handwave]

Tonight Germany has to defeat Ghana to stay in the tournament.

So GO! (home) Ghana.

By the way, great sig from Seven Samurai!

Domô arigatô *bow*

England....uhm....actually scored?!

1:0 for England.

Another goal not given to the US; and, again, a wrong decision.

I'm not a conspiracy freak but this is really starting to make me wonder now.

AND AGAIN!

I am and if that happens again in this match, that a clean goal by the US-squad is not accepted it's a strong indication of proof for me!

Oh BTW, the referee set for the Germany-Ghana match tonight has been under investigation in the latest betting scandal. And he's known for being quick at the draw with cards. Don't even want to imagine what that means within the context of this WC...

I understand what you mean, but already USA is doing some work alone, i´m seeing only partial parts of the game and already counted three very clean oportunitys to score from USA and missed because of bad definition from its players.

Oh we score all the time. The problem comes when the other side scores as well.

HELL YA! USA!!!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, the US score literally in the last second!

2 minutes to go. Let me be the first to say: congrats!

They've done it!

It's official. USA make it to the next round.

Jeez the US like drama, it was all on purpose because they want a movie made out of this. (My theory anyway)

fantastic!

Well done, USA!

Against the odds in the end, but the team made it and even wins the group.

If you're not a conspiracy theorist you'r not a fan.

What a dramatic end for this group!. USA passed from being out of the WC to win its group, and all in the last minute.

Congrats USA!

England won, but it was another very low performance from their part. It really suprise me the low level of football showed on the three matches by england with the very good performance it had on the classification to the WC.

WOOHOO!! Congratulations to team USA!!

Take that you crappy referees.

They could have done better but at least they weren't like France.
Rooney needed to score on today's match to get his senses back. Hope they are waking up for the sake of WC.

Ok, I'm off to watch the Germany-Ghana match. See you on the other side.

Columbus State University hosts a soccer camp every summer and today I set up a projector in one of our auditoriums to show the USA-Algeria match. There's nothing like watching the game with a big audience. 300 kids . . . they sound like 1,000 regular fans! I almost lost my voice when Donovan poached that goal. 90 minutes of almost-goals and another disallowed goal was almost too much for me and finally all of that tension came out! Whatever happens after this, I am truly proud of our team. I am also proud of coach Bradley's decisions as far as Onyewu and other substitutions.

Ich hoffe Deutschland gewinnt.

Did I say that right?

Me too, then USA would play Ghana...

So if Germany and Ghana tie, and Serbia beats Australia, then it would be Serbia 1st and Germany 2nd, right?

Damn, the wife took me out shopping after work... I missed the sencond half. Congrats, USA!

Bedankt Legend.

Pela maneira como Portugal jogou, talvês seja o Brasil que devia estar um pé atrás.

Afinal o Brasil é famoso por só jogar o necessário para passar nas fazes de grupo e
os resultados mostram-no. 2-1 contra a Coreia e 3-1 contra a Costa do Marfim, em ambos os
casos os golos dos adversários vieram depois do Brasil estar a vencer folgado.

Com a qualificação assegurada aposto que a atitude vai se manter.

Não me admirava se o Brasil se visse a perder repentinamente por 1 ou mesmo 2 golos sem
saber bem como e com Portugal a atacar com tudo. Vai tudo depender da atitude com que entrarem em campo.

I didn't get to see the game so could anyone tell me:

Was the pitch like this?

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/903/pitch.png

The Germans are wearing black, be afraid...!

And black is an appropriate colour so far...

@Panzer: yep, that's perfect. And I hope you are right.

EDIT:

TOOOOOOOOR!!!

Great game for the USA. I actually listened to the game on the AM radio in my car..which was an odd bit of retro-sports technology. I had pretty much lost hope and then that play-by-play by the announcer was just awesome. I threw my hands up and was doing fist pumps..I'm sure all the other drivers nearby thought I was flipping them off. Fantastic though..really great news..

Ok, this was what in German is called "Arbeitssieg".

Now on to Germany vs. England on Sunday.

Great goal from Özil. Bad kick overall. A lucky win.

If Ghana had some real strikers, we would be on our way home now. Our defence is abysmal.

K.

A win's a win, congrats to Germany.

I would translate that as "hard won victory"? In other words a victory you had to work hard for.

Precisely, PM

Another description: It wasn't pretty, but there was visible effort.

Germany-England, yeah!

So when will we start taking bets?

btw. Congrats to the USA and of course England for reaching the finals.

I had to work very long today, so I didn`t see the matches.

Will be interesting if the English tabloids are already running hot, I see already Panzer, Kampf and Blitzkrieg on the main pages.....

It would be too much to hope for another 5-1 win over Germany I suppose?

I think in the current state of both teams everything is possible.

Why don't we just skip the game and go straight to penalties? Would save a lot of time...

I don't know what happened to the German team, but I want the team back that beat Australia 4:0!

This here 'Murican just has one thing to say to Ghana. Bring it on!!

For US fans less familiar with how the WC is organised, winning your group can be very important, it gives you an easier ride in the next couple of rounds. Winning has put you a group of teams for the 16s and quarters that you'll probably fancy your chances against, Uruguay, S Korea, Ghana. Beat Ghana then Uruguay, quite possible, and your into the semis. Get to the semis and anything could happen.

Compare that group with the teams England are up against as they came second, Germany, Mexico, Argentina England have a huge task now. Every England fan looks forward to England v Germany games, but prefferably later in the competition.

Congrats to the US team, top of the group no less.

Of course we score after I get up to watch the whole game and then 2 mins after I get in my truck to go to work...

Fantastic effort by the US, as I'm sure Bill clinton told them in the locker room after the match :-)

In 1930, the USA finished 3rd. They lost 6:1 to Argentina in the semi final. The American goal came in the 89th minute.

Argentina then lost 4:2 to Uruguay in the final.

Lets all hope history repeat itself but with a victory from Argentina in the final!

Uhm.....let's not.

If Uruguay does not need to pack their bags next Sunday...

Looks like Italy will go home today. 2:0 Slovakia.

Now only 2:1, with 7 regular minutes to go.

Italy finally decided to start playing football.

3:1.

3:2! What a crazy game!

Italy is out, even though they really fought well during the last 10 minutes. Too little, too late.

3:2 to Slovakia. What a game!

Defending champions are out. Karma is a #%&*$# you diving primadonnas!

NZ draw with Paraguay nil all.

We go out but leave with 3 more points than anyone would have given us credit for.

Too bad for NZ, though. Just one goal would have made the difference.

Woah, what a thriller! Well, at least the last 20 minutes.

Italy's out of the tourney, who'd have thought that?

well-fought by Slovakia for 90 minutes, well-fought by Italy for the last 10 minutes... - Italy just felt that they were entitled to go through to the next round, whether they fought for it or not... Not clever. Their new keeper looked weak on slovakia's first two goals as well, Buffon wouldn't have let those in...

The Japs are thumping the Danes too.

It's World Soccer Opposite Day.

allez les Bleus !!!! hum !

Ends 3:1

That free kick goal by Honda looked like a knuckleball.

France gone. Italy gone.

The defending champ and a former champ out already. Anything goes!

Yeah baby!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXPPyjtw5WU

Wow, England's chances are looking better and better every day.

Damn, the Danish team was humiliated, they were SO far away from their usual form and had a dinosaur forward incapable of hitting the ball... Oh Well... At least we qualified for the Finals!

The Vuvuzela is actually good for something:

http://www.cad-comic.com/comics/925c20361277442301.jpg

Yellow card on Portugal for diving, tee hee...

Is it over yet? Ah yes, 0:0.

"A game about honor" my arse. Too bad for Côte D'Ivoir that they didn't score higher (much higher).

Mas que jogo medíocre, ainda bem que só assisti o segundo tempo.
Portugal jogou bem, já o Brasil jogou como o Fluminense, pra mim merecia ter perdido.

^^ What he said.

I'm fluent in Spanish so I can actually understand quite a bit of Portuguese so I'm pretty sure I know what Blade was talking about.

"what a mediocre game", yes.

Fortunately i´m at work and didn´t saw it, but i expected a crappy game. Both were "qualified" for the next round, so the is noh point on risking your players when with a tie both team go to the next stage. Everybody in their places would do the same thing.

Now that was against the run of play...Spain 1-0 Stupid goalie!!

EDIT: 2-0 and Chile one man down to boot!! Not a very good decision there by the ref me thinks.

But he could have been sent off ealier already. The coach should have taken him out of the match, it was clear that he wouldn`t see the end of the match anyway.

But a great game so far, far better then the boring Brazil vs. Portugal this afternoon.

It just about died before the halftime whistle. I do not see the second being played at the same pace as the first.

The diving and antics from the players are really getting to me now. Everyone does it and the big teams seems to think they can go that little bit extra.

The goalie from Slovakia yesterday will take the oscar for the tourney thus far I think

Let's get psyched...USA!USA!USA! (BzzzzzzzzzBzzzzzzzzBzzzzzzz)

Good luck to the US team

Uruguay 2 - South Korea 1. To be honest, I fell asleep within.

I think USA can do it.Into the last 8.Go boys!

Go USA!!!!

Oh damn it

That is not a good start

The US defense needs to get their heads into the game real fast.

yup,

high time to kick in a higher gear, otherwise that`s it.

Bill Clinton and Mick Jagger are there btw.

Please don't miss this!

YES!

1-1!

Donovan scores after a penalty was granted to USA.

He didn't Close though :P

Very cool headed!
I hate penalties.

C'mon USA!

Let's see what happens tomorrow then, shall we?

Ahh, you've beat me to that punchline.

Im quietly confident.
There shouldn't be any tears this time

I'll be watching it at the Biggin Hill air show, should be a busy day

I'm envious. The weather should be fine too.

Please just refrain from starting an air raid with all the warbirds at Biggin, should Germany win tomorrow.

What I really like about the US team is the teams morale. They know how to come back, after they were behind in scores.

Some good chances to, but alas...no further goal yet.

Well the police force they are deploying for this match is a small army. They are not taking any chances.

Oki,

we have the first additional time.

May the better one win, so far the draw is okay IMO.

K.

Although the US-team played way better during the second half. Seems like team Ghana is tired out.

Ouch!

That little dance took away all the coolness of that goal!

Ghana just scored again...let's see if the US morale is as high as I hope it is.

13, unlucky for some!

Gutted

Well, I'm still proud of the USA. I can think of many criticisms, but I'm sure they already know and will come back stronger in four years.

I think I'll pick England to cheer for next. Come on boys, get organized again . . . you've got too many great players to not be kicking a$$. I don't want Rooney to grow a giant beard and be a pitch keeper like in that Nike commercial.

The US team seemed very shocked from the goal and never pulled out of that. It looked like they were very exhausted too in the end. Anyway, good show.

Congrats Ghana.

Kilosierra, you're right. Besides, the US can only make those come-backs so many times. I do not begrudge Ghana their win; they deserved it.

Bummer. US plays pretty well but they just let down their guard momentarily and BOOM! Ghana is pretty good with blocking goals with headers, so many of them denied.

Oh well, I guess I'll be rooting for Germany now.

Blocking goals with headers is very easy when the opposing team insists on pressing through in the middle instead of going over the flanks.

Fantastic match! - both teams played a great great game, the best of the world cup so far. Both deserved to win. The US was just amazing in the second half: what a display of attacking verve! Of course they were deflated by that extra time goal that came out of nowhere, but that is football to you...

So lovely to see a physical attacking game with no theatrics and no antics, just superb football... - This game is what football is all about and both teams leave it with honour!

Great match. That 2nd goal by Ghana was awesome. I mean..the way that guy caught sight of it over his head, then bounced it off his chest and finished.. Just really well done. Congrats to the U.S. for really good, whole hearted play. I was on the edge of my seat those final minutes...but alas, no miracle at the end of this game..

I'm gonna have to root for Mexico now...

Yeah, that was a very good 2nd goal that Ghana pressed through, guy really fought for it. US fought hard also but just seemed lacking finesse in setting up any winning strikes and just depending on long strikes and corner kicks, etc. I'm no expert by any means, just struck me like that.

En-Ger-Land! En-Ger-Land!

The second Ghana goal was very good.It would have been so easy for him to have 'gone down' under the pressure from the American defender in the box but he kept going.
In the same position I can think of plenty of players who would have gone down clutching their leg/face/knee/etc screaming 'penalty'!

Good game, sorry for the US team. Would've liked to see them make it to the next round. It's quite obvious that US football has been steadily improving for years, I'm sure we'll see much more of them in the future.


We finally got some good weather here, will be heading out to the public viewing area later to witness England's doom.

Muhuhuhahaha! Operation "Seelowe" but the soccer version.

Wait, you mean we'll 'postpone' the match against England and go play the Russians instead?

Sollten wir gewinnen könnten wir Jogi ja "See-Löw" nennen.

To hell with the "it was a good run for the US" , we've been past that point for years now! It's time to make it much deeper in the WC. That we can't manage to pull these things out suggests to me that we lack quality players. Can't pull it out every game with heart. I asked a German fan last year when they got knocked out of the Confederations cup how she felt, her words were simple and to the point, "Zey deserved to looze". You can see the same expectations in this thread with England fans after the draw with the US, many were pissed at the performance. We got to expect more from our US team, stop babying them. This is what is wrong with Americans and pro soccer, it's like were watching our 10 year old play and are happy with them either way. Way to go sweetie you did your best, #%&*$# that, these guys should have done much better.

Bless those English fans: they are out-cheering those #%&$# Vuvuzelas!

GOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1:0 !!!! SCHLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND!

1:0!!!

unfortunately an offside goal it seems...

2:0

2:0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


JAAAAAAAAA

No offside after the keeper kicks the ball in.


YES!!!!!!

I have to agree, you can say they "tried hard" which may be true, but I want them to go farther. The object is to win. It is really interesting how popular soccer is here with kids, so many of them do it for summer (my own included) but then on the pro level the interest isn't there. Too bad as I quite like it, fun to watch. I also like watching the cup games w/o all the obnoxious ads as with American sports. I will have to start watching the MLS games I suppose.

Germany up now 2-0, come on England!

According to the commentator, there's no offside during goal-kick (Abstoss).

Poor England's goalie..
He just can't stop swearing.


Another goal!!!
Looks like much more to come...

Wake up Defoe and Loony.. Rooney, I mean. Dang...

Come on Germany!!! Haha

Ok, no offside then.

2:1!

England scores!

Another Wembley moment. This time Germany was lucky.

What the hell!?

OMG!!!

THAT WAS A GOAL!!!!


IT SHOULD BE 2:2

Well... at least this should convince FIFA that from now on video image should be used to determine events.

The English goal didn't count - despite the ball being definitely in the goal and this match is becoming dramatic now!

IMO that was a goal, but thankfully for Germany the linesman didn't see it.

The lions woke up now...

...only because the assistant referee wasn't where he was supposed to be.

Hey, I'm certainly not complaining.

Blind referee, should have been 2:2 now.

Seems the 2:0 finally woke up the English.

Well, Jayhawk - I do. A match shouldn't be decided by such referee decisions. It would be a draw now, and not an undeserved one.

For someone who professes to hate football, you certainly spend a lot of time commenting and trolling about it.

Totally agree with that.

It's not just losing a tie goal. The stupid referees again simply f$#@&* up the match!

That's just unbelievable to me, to not be able to tell such a basic thing, was a goal scored or not, gross incompetence.

I see it as some kind of "karmic adjustment" for the undeserved red card for Klose during the Serbia game.

Complaining is moot anyway, because the decision of the referee is irreversible. Games have been decided many times by wrong decisions, and as long as there is no video evidence, this will continue to be that way.

In this case it was tough luck for England. Next time it might be tough luck for Germany.

Next time in four bloody years, it could be..

Bad decisions happen a lot, but HarryM's right - THAT particular decision represents a level of incompetence that really shouldn't be seen at this level of the game.

The game is far from being over, Germany only leads with one goal, and England is p!ssed off now. I don't see this wrong decision as being decisive yet.

Well, Jayhawk - I seriously hope it doesn't stay 2:1 now. I'm no England fan, nonetheless I'm pretty miffed about that mess.

I'm pretty confident someone will score again yet. Look how offensive both teams are playing. Actually so far one of the most interesting games so far during this WC.

I agree. But then again, within the context of this WC and the refereeing so far, I'm actually not really that surprised.

Goal for Germany!

3:1!

Ok, now Germany would still be in the lead even if the goal by England would have been a valid one.

3:1! Beautiful goal by Thomas Müller.

Not as happy as with the 2:0 due to the goal not given to England (somehow the game is tainted now), but still happy.

4:1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Müller again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, if Germany wins by larger margin than 1 goal, that's fair.

Wow, another goal, England is falling apart now.

4:1!

Rock 'n Roll!!!

Dammit, if England are out I'll have to get a job!

YEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

What a crazy match.

It looked as if England would crush Germany eventually, and now this.

What!!!??? Müller and Klose for Trochoswki and...wait for it...Gomez??????? Gomez??? Is that Löw's way of making sure England won't be humiliated by even more goals?

I don't get it: never change a winning team!

There's a player with the name of Gomez on the German team? What's the world coming to?

Haven't you heard? We're multicultural now.

Gomez...der personifizierte Chancentod...was hat Löw bloß für einen Narren an dem gefressen? *kotz*

@Panzer: Not only does the German team have a Gomez (albeit I would rather not have him in the team, thank you very much), we also have an Özil (Turkish roots), a Khedira (Arab roots), a Boateng (rooting from Ghana) and a Cacau (born in Brazil) in the German team.

Das weiß ich auch nicht. Vielleicht weil er ursprünglich aus Stuttgart kommt? Ich musste ihn ja auch noch die ganze Saison beim FC Bayern ertragen.

Aber mit Kiessling kommt jetzt noch ein guter Stürmer, vielleicht schafft er das 5:1, dann wäre die Revanche für das 1:5 von vor ein paar Jahren perfekt.

Ich glaube die ist jetzt schon perfekt.

Man sollte England jetzt nicht auch noch völlig demütigen, die haben heute echt genug Pech gehabt. Und ich gebe zu, sie tun mir etwas leid.

And Dennis Aogo's father is from Nigeria.

Oh, and Müller, Lahm, Schweinsteiger and Badstuber are from a little mountainous country with stubborn, unrelenting hill people called "Bavaria", where the men wear trousers made of animal skin, where they drink beer from 1 liter kegs, and perform the holy rite of eating Schweinsbraten.

Ja, ich habe eigentlich viele Sympatien für England. Schade dass die so nach Hause fahren müssen. Und schade dass Rooney nicht in dem Turnier getroffen hat.

Well, the best team won, what a bag of s!*t, we did not deserve to win that one!
GG guys!

Sounds like Bavaria is the German equivalent to Old Dixie.

And the goalie Neuer originates from an area were humans became moles in earlier days, the pulse sounds like banging on steel, where a spade is called a spade and where the beer is often a tad stronger than in Bavaria.

IMO a deserved victory for Germany - despite the goal not given. England had a phase of domination over the German team that lasted about 20 minutes, but couldn't exploit it.

I'd rather see other teams go home than England, though.

Fully agreed.

Firecrackers and horns outside. Now on to my race in rFactor.

QED

Congrats to Germany, clearly the better team.

Well ... two nations have been arguing for more than 40 years about a certain match taking place in the old Wembley. Now we know what we'll be arguing about for the next 40 years.

You definitely deserved to win that one Jayhawk, the only good game we played was our last one against Slovenia, I hoped that they would have continued to up the game but they didn't!
We were out classed and one disallowed goal wouldn't change anything.
You guys were fantastic on the break! Our defense sucked.

...and maybe for the 1966 Cup final English goal that was on the line and ref counted is as over?

Just watched the game in the pub - if there were any other germans they were just as quietly enjoying the game as me In the beginning of the second half I expected England to score, they put so much pressure on that I though it would be just a matter of time.

So much for the English 'Golden Generation'! Apart from Rooney and Johnson, not sure who to pick for Englands Autumn matches.

At least we know that Schweinsteiger has signed for Chelsea. Frank Lampard asked him when they were swapping shirts and Seb said 'Ja!'.

Yeah, so where's our karma for the "hand of god"!