World Cup 2010

[Triforcer]

Samurai Japan pull off the biggest upset of the Cup so far- first World Cup victory not on Japanese soil for them.   Although that first half in particular was some ugly football. 

The Netherlands will flatten them, but I think Japan has a real chance to beat Denmark.  I'm not sure a draw and four total points will get them to the round of 16. 

[rk47]

I still am unclear on how Grp A will turn out. I'm 66% convinced S. Africa & Uruguay will make it, but the permutation is hard to visualize.

For tonight: Slovaks to snatch their easiest 3 points and rack up goals to up the goal difference vs New Zealand.
Brazil v N. Korea is going to be  I really can't tell.

[Azazel]

Go New Zealand!

As unlikely as it is, I'd love to see them pull an upset. They're doing well though so far, with 0-0 almost 30mins in.

[Cyrrex]

I still am unclear on how Grp A will turn out. I'm 66% convinced S. Africa & Uruguay will make it, but the permutation is hard to visualize.

For tonight: Slovaks to snatch their easiest 3 points and rack up goals to up the goal difference vs New Zealand.
Brazil v N. Korea is going to be  I really can't tell.

Seeing as how very little of this WC is turning out as expected thus far, I fully expect NZ to either draw or win against the Slovaks.  North Korea will either lose spectactularly, or they will declare war on Ronaldinho before the match and fire on the Brazilian team bus.

[Jeff Kelly]

I watched my first game of the WC yesterday (Italy vs. Paraguay)
Completely missed Germany vs. Australia because I just assumed that Germany would play as they always do. Seriously what happened to our team?

Besides the Ita. vs. Parag. game being a snoozefest the biggest gripe for me is the constant buzzing noise those vuvuzuelas make. You don't hear anything. No fan songs, nothing shouted by either players or trainers. It even completely drowned out the british fans.

It's gotten so annoying that German stations installed filters that filter out the noise made by those hellish things.

[Azazel]

What an awesome ending to the NZ-Slovak game. 

I'd love to watch the next two games. but it's almost midnight, and fucking work expects me to turn up in the mornings...

[Cyrrex]

Way to go, Slovakia.   

[Khaldun]

Cote d'Ivoire are really going at it now. Be a shame if Portugal pulled it out somehow.

[Paelos]

I'm getting sick of the ties already, and we're not past the 5th day. 0-0 games at the highest level are why the United States will never accept this as a sport.

Almost half the matches as draws? Two entire groups tied? Fucking yawn.  

Brazil better stomp N. Korea, or I'm going to get really pissy.

[Cyrrex]

I'm getting sick of the ties already, and we're not past the 5th day. 0-0 games at the highest level are why the United States will never accept this as a sport.

Almost half the matches as draws? Two entire groups tied? Fucking yawn.  

Brazil better stomp N. Korea, or I'm going to get really pissy.

Everyone fucking playing not to lose.  I almost wish they'd change the point system to address this, but I'm not sure how they'd manage it.

[Azuredream]

Not a huge soccer fan (live in the US) but I enjoy watching the World Cup.. when it's not USA playing I just root for the offense.. so yeah, the 0-0 games are horrendously boring for me. I enjoyed the first game today, did not see that last goal coming. From what the TV is telling me Brazil is way better than their opponent, so maybe that game will be more exciting.

[IainC]

I'm getting sick of the ties already, and we're not past the 5th day. 0-0 games at the highest level are why the United States will never accept this as a sport.

Almost half the matches as draws? Two entire groups tied? Fucking yawn.  

Brazil better stomp N. Korea, or I'm going to get really pissy.

I've watched some great matches that ended in draws. Some of them were even 0-0 draws. The score doesn't say anything about how interesting the game was to watch.

[Cyrrex]

The score doesn't mean everything, but it's an indicator.  Several of these games have been pure bullshit.

Not a huge soccer fan (live in the US) but I enjoy watching the World Cup.. when it's not USA playing I just root for the offense.. so yeah, the 0-0 games are horrendously boring for me. I enjoyed the first game today, did not see that last goal coming. From what the TV is telling me Brazil is way better than their opponent, so maybe that game will be more exciting.

I'm sure someone will claim something about the wonderful beauty of the game or somesuch about the pluckiness of those adorable North Koreans, but if Brazil doesn't win by at least 3 goals, then it will be another bullshit game.  They are several orders of magnitude better than NK.  It would be like a team of NFL All Pros taking on the Somalian side in American football.

[Khaldun]

Portugal and Cote d'Ivoire were not playing for the draw in the second half (first half was a yawner, I agree). The score really does not tell you how interesting or not the game was. The game is boring largely when you have two very tight defenses playing each other--if someone could figure out a way to discourage that kind of play, that would be a welcome rule change. Maybe something like a reverse-offsides or something like a time limit on how many defensive players can remain below the line at the top of the goal box, I dunno. But you can have a draw that's a thrilling game when it's either an attacking team versus a defensive team, or two attacking teams pounding at each other.

[Jobu]

I'm getting sick of the ties already, and we're not past the 5th day. 0-0 games at the highest level are why the United States will never accept this as a sport.

Almost half the matches as draws? Two entire groups tied? Fucking yawn.  

Brazil better stomp N. Korea, or I'm going to get really pissy.

You say that now, but all these draws are going to make the last days of each group REALLY tense. It is very strange to see so many games with only 1 or 2 goals though. The last World Cup group stages already had most of the games having 3 or 4 goals in them in the opening days, even a 4-0 whooping by Spain on Ukraine. Better defending this time? I blame Jose Mourinho and the trendiness of 4-2-3-1 or other single-striker variants.

A lot of badly overhit crosses and soaring free-kicks. Maybe the highly paid whiners are right, the new ball is bouncy and weird?

[01101010]

Come on N.Korea . . . make daddy happy. 

Did I mention I am also a Browns (NFL) fan?

[Sjofn]

It would depend on the design and the material used, I suppose. When I was a goalie in my school I always preferred to use my bare hands. Always felt I got a better grip. That said I didn't play very often and its one guys opinion, but whatever.

Wow, really? When I was playing keeper, I wouldn't have been caught dead in my bare hands. Different people are different, who knew!

There are some gloves that aren't the hilariously giant type, although I did indeed use the big-ass paddle ones most of the time (they were what my coaches always seemed to buy, and I wasn't SO into being a keeper I'd bother to buy my own). Basically in the spring (or sometimes summer we'd have a tournament) I'd be sweaty, so I wouldn't want to use my bare hands, and in the fall it would get cold enough where my hands would be numb and not as good.

I wanted to give the English keeper a hug after he fucked up. Every goalkeeper ever has done something completely fucktarded like that. They just tend to um. Not do it in the WORLD FREAKING CUP.

(Yeah I posted this WAY LATE, I was in NJ and wasn't bothering to post much! Nyah!)



EDIT: My pet rule change for pepping up soccer some without totally fucking up the goddamn point of soccer would be more substitutions allowed.

[Paelos]

Portugal and Cote d'Ivoire were not playing for the draw in the second half (first half was a yawner, I agree). The score really does not tell you how interesting or not the game was.

No, sometimes the score won't give you a good indicator. Sometimes the keepers are playing spot on, denying all comers, and possession swings are 5 minutes at a time with tons of agressive action. At the end of all that, sometimes you get a tie.

That being said, none of the 0-0 games did that. I could maybe put the US-England game in that category, but I'm biased. Howard did make that worth the price of admission though.

[Stabs]

I think this stage is in many ways the most charming stage of the World Cup. The fans of the various nations are always fantastic.

The North Korean fans (and there aren't many of them allowed out) are currently being conducted by a wonderful classical music conductor in a kind of orchestra of claps and chants on the terrace.

Also in the crowd is a Brazilian gentlemen who owns 1) a magnificent bandido moustache and 2) a replica of the World Cup trophy which he apparently spends every moment of the match hugging and kissing. If his wife ever divorces him for unfaithfulness she will have about 500 million witnesses.

Replying late to the question about why rattles were discontinued (it's been rattling around in my head for a couple of days, processing) I think it was the emergence of a more sophisticated singing culture. Many popular fan songs sung by crowds here are based on 50s and 60s culture - Doris Day (que sera sera), a John Wayne film (she wore a yellow ribbon), Gerry and the Pacemakers (you'll never walk alone). On top of the basic refrains opposing fans will often cleverly twist the already revised lyrics to riposte in a form of verbal sparring. It's a folk culture of great depth, complexity and subtlety.

Compared to that a machine for making a noise like a table falling down the stairs is a bit crap.

[Cyrrex]

There is a rumor that NK had to hire a bunch of Chinese to act as their fans, simply because they aren't allowed out of their country.  If true, it's both depressing and awesome.


Edit:  Also, 34 minutes in, and zero goals from Brazil?  NK playing up to their level?  Is this the fucking Bizarro World Cup?

 

[stu]

This has been the most interesting game of the tournament so far. A secretive red wall underdog waiting for its moments against the stylish and aggressive Brazilians. An unconventional pairing.

My favorite was the bit about the North Korean coach getting game time advice from Kim Jong Il through an invisible transmitter.

[Cyrrex]

...and the NK goalkeeper is now scheduled for public execution.

[Stabs]

Nonsense, all the North Korean team will be absolute heroes at home. They are the lowest ranked team in the tournament and took on the favourites with enormous heart, technical ability and discipline.

Certainly was the best match of the tournament so far, in fact it was possibly the match of the tournament when it was still 0-0.

[Paelos]

The last match of the day did not disappoint. It ended up saving the day from the other two complete snoozefests.

[ghost]

I almost wish they'd change the point system to address this, but I'm not sure how they'd manage it.

Why change the point system?  Just have them play until someone fucking wins.

Edit:  and none of the damned shootout stuff, either.  These first round matches are like the western front.

[Paelos]

I almost wish they'd change the point system to address this, but I'm not sure how they'd manage it.

Why change the point system?  Just have them play until someone fucking wins.

Then it would be like playoff hockey, and thus far too cool to exist.

[rk47]

Alright folks. If tonight isn't going to have more than 2 goals per match I'm not going to bother watching the grp matches anymore.

Chile v Honduras : Same MO as Slovak vs NZ, can Chile grab the easiest 3 points in the grp? After NZ debacle, I'm not so sure. Office colleagues groaned cause they blew their Slovakia bet on the FINAL MINUTE. 

Spain v Switzerland : There shd be goals here. ENTERTAINMENT FFS. Backing Spain all the way.

[pxib]

My father writes a lot of Wikipedia articles and pays attention to how much attention they get, then tries to figure out what causes the highs and lows. This weekend every single article he's written (and, with a little investigation, every article on Wikipedia) was getting a strangely low number of hits. He couldn't figure out why. I informed him.

[ghost]

Spain-Switzerland should be 5-nil. 

[Paelos]

Will Uruguay actually try to mount anything resembling offence against South Africa, or should I just play a tape of those fucking horns for 90 minutes while I do spreadsheets?

The world wants to know!

[Sjofn]

Nonsense, all the North Korean team will be absolute heroes at home. They are the lowest ranked team in the tournament and took on the favourites with enormous heart, technical ability and discipline.

Certainly was the best match of the tournament so far, in fact it was possibly the match of the tournament when it was still 0-0.

I thought Argentina was the favorite? I mean, Brazil is always a favorite but the little coverage I managed to watch would not fucking shut up about Argentina. Maybe they just want Maradona to do something completely insane and were talking up Argentina so Americans would realise they should care if he does.

Not to take away from North Korea hanging in with Brazil, of course, that's pretty awesome for them.

[WayAbvPar]

Argentina has the best player in the world, but the overall team is a little dicey and they are being led by a madman who smuggled cocaine in by dusting his beard with it.

[Sjofn]

He was pretty hilarious to watch during their match though! 

[Stabs]

I thought Argentina was the favorite?

Maybe it differs according to which bookie you talk to. Maybe also it depends on how popular the subject of the bet is. In England not many people bet on Argentina simply because people rather dislike them. (They knocked us out of the 1986 World Cup with a handball goal and they invaded the Falkland Islands in 1982). It's probably bad news for bookies to give a favourite that people don't want to bet on because some people only like to back the favourite.

[Ingmar]

FWIW:

http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/ranking/lastranking/gender=m/fullranking.html