FIFA World Cup 2006

[Righ]

And back on topic... super secret video of Italy training.

That was awesome. All Americans should watch this to see what they're up against.

[Hoax]

I forgot my absolute biggest gripe, no idea how.

The power meter for shots is just stupid, anything more then a tap with anyone who isn't a superstar is gaurteed to but the ball into sub orbit.  Is this supposed to add to the realism or something?  I've found it super frustrating and basically every time the game gets broken out amongst friends it takes me 3 matches to start scoring because I just cannot adjust to the annoying tap-or-die shooting mentality.  Oh I sort of miss ball spin too, but not a huge loss there.

[Righ]

Bit more World Cup TV news here for y'all. If you are 'lucky' enough to be a Comcast HD subscriber, and are wondering where ESPN2HD is... it's coming, probably, possibly. Comcast have been pushing to get ESPN2HD rolled out in all areas where there is sufficient bandwidth in time for the first World Cup match tomorrow.

Some places have new channels in the 200s, some in the 700s. In NJ, they're pre-empting INHD2 with ESPN2HD, so its not on the channel listing. Depending on how you are set up, you may need to reboot your cable box to get an updated channel guide. They've cut very close to the wire in most areas with this one.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=686272&page=2&pp=30

[Tale]

Poor old Oceania has only a half place for the finals and the winner (Australia) has to play the fifth placed South American team (Uruguay) to qualify.

Was a great game, too. Uruguay lost on penalties, and Australia (where soccer has a similar low profile as in the USA) went World Cup mad. I can't even call it football, because that means either Rugby League or Australian Rules Football depending on region. But half the cars on the road now have an Aussie team flag.

For most of the world, this is bigger than the Olympics.

P.S. This Nike viral ad featuring Ronaldinho is pretty amazing, even if it's said to be fake (action starts 1 minute in): http://youtube.com/watch?v=lsO6D1rwrKc

[Luxor]

Anyone ever played Football Manager? Is it any fun? An English teammate of mine keeps telling me I should try it out.

FM is brilliant but its not an arcade game, its a stats fest manager sim and is huge in europe. The database used is so complete that real life managers use it to scout opponents. I'd recommend it but only if you dont mind losing huge chunks of your life to it :)

[Abagadro]

No spoilers, but based upon this morning's game let me just say I dig the new ball and this is going to be a very fun Cup to watch.

[El Gallo]

I've never been into soccer but I'll give it another shot.  Because what I really need in life is another sport to spend time watching on TV.  So, go Poland! 

I'm sure the offsides rule and the "nobody knows how much time is actually left" thing will always get on my nerves though.

[WayAbvPar]

No spoilers, but based upon this morning's game let me just say I dig the new ball and this is going to be a very fun Cup to watch.

I am guessing there weren't any clean sheets then? =) Answer that tomorrow- I taped CRC v GER!

I'm sure the offsides rule and the "nobody knows how much time is actually left" thing will always get on my nerves though.

Offsides is a pretty straightforward rule- is it the interepretation or the actual rule itself that bugs you? The referee keeping time on the field is kind of annoying, but it really adds to the drama at the end of the game; since no one is sure exactly how much time is left, you get some serious desperation action, which is good drama.

Really enjoying the hell out of the X-Box game. Playing on the total n00b level I beat Czech and Italy, but Ghana got a late goal to tie me! Still won the group and avoided having to play Brazil in the first game of the knockout round though.

[HaemishM]

Since I don't understand it, what exactly IS the offside rule? Remember, total socceer newb am I.

[WayAbvPar]

This explains it reasonably well.

Offsides in soccer is determined when the ball is kicked rather than when the player receives the ball. In order to be offsides, a player must be on their attacking half of the field, be involved in the play, and be closer to the goal line than the ball and any of the opposing team's players. Offsides does not apply on corner kicks, throw ins, and goal kicks. If offsides is called, the opposing team gets a free kick wherever the offsides player was when he was offsides. If the player is level with his last opponent, he is not offsides.

[Righ]

I'm sure the offsides rule and the "nobody knows how much time is actually left" thing will always get on my nerves though.

Offside is only really difficult because so many fans don't understand it. It's actually quite simple.

A player is offside if he is nearer the opponent's goal line than BOTH the ball and the SECOND LAST opponent AND is in his opponent's half of the pitch. Easy. However, being offside does not make for an offside offense. Read on.

An offside player is penalised for an offside offense when HIS TEAM touches or plays the ball AND he is found to be interfering with play or an opponent OR if he's found to be gaining advantage by being in that position when his team touches the ball. An offside player is not penalised if he receives the ball from out of play (throw in, corner, goal kick).

Probably the most complex case is that although a player can be onside when receiving the ball, and can dribble it such that he's in an offside position, it's not an offense for him to then pass it BACK to another offside player.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/football/rules/newsid_3632000/3632335.stm

Can't help you with the time left problem. :)

[Righ]

In order to be offsides, a player must be on their attacking half of the field, be involved in the play, and be closer to the goal line than the ball and any of the opposing team's players.

Heh. That would normally make passing possible only to players in your own half of the pitch. Slight mistake there. :)

[WayAbvPar]

LOL I didn't even catch that! Good eye. It should be ALL of the other team's players, for those of you playing at home.

[Righ]

Not that either. Second last in big caps for a reason. Its the key to understanding the rule. :)

[El Gallo]

What seems cheesy/annoying/whatever about the rule to me is that the defensive team can run up and force you offsides.  I'd feel better if there was an offsides line on the field like there is in hockey.  I remember trying to get into the world cup in, I think 1990?, and it was a 0-0 game despite the fact that one team seemed clearly better than the other, because the worse team would just turtle up.  Eventually the better team won in the shoot-out, but the fact that (it seemed to me, who admittedly knows jack) a "meh" team could force an awesome team to a shootout just by turtling turned me off.  I know the offsides rule isn't the only issue there, but I do remember that every single time I felt excited at any moment of that game, the play would be blown dead as offsides.  I (mostly) understood the actual rule, but it's been replaced with an "if it's exciting, then it's offsides" rule in my mind.

Maybe I just misunderstood the game, or maybe there have been rules or strategy changes since then, but it seemed dull and cheesy to me back then.  Like I said, I intend on giving it a shot this year, since the Stanley Cup will soon be over and the NBA Championship doesn't run every night, and the NFL season is so very far away :-(

The timekeeping thing just feels amaterish or sloppy to me, but I fully understand that's because I'm used to sports that are exceptionally anal about timekeeping.

[WayAbvPar]

Not that either. Second last in big caps for a reason. Its the key to understanding the rule. :)

I am now utterly confused. I thought I understood the rule (I played for 10+ years). Help!

[El Gallo]

The last opponent is the goalie, no?

[Abagadro]

The last opponent is the goalie, no?

DING!

[Righ]

It's a vital part of the rule. Let me explain the bit that's almost certainly what has got you confused - the goalkeeper is an opponent. But you'll have to admit that not counting the goalkeeper and interpreting the rule in the way that you have will cause for errors when the goalkeeper is forward of a defender.

Wiki's pretty decent on this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offside_law_(football)

[WayAbvPar]

Ah ok- I was wondering if you were talking about the goalie.

You link is broken for some reason; this should work. 

[sigil]

Spoiler in black

If germany plays like that in the future, they wont be around to see July. Their offside trap, and what the hell are they thinking trapping 40 yards out, will not work if  you're completely out of sync.The Ticos could have had three or four if their striker had more support because of breakaways. Fortunately for Germany, they had the better talent.

And that ball is just crazy. I can see why the keepers hate it so.

[Righ]

Maybe we should have a spoiler thread, since black on grey doesn't really work.

Edit: and who's to say people aren't using another style?

[Abagadro]

On the "don't know how much time" they announce the injury time at the end of each half so you at least have some idea how much is left.

[sigil]

On the "don't know how much time" they announce the injury time at the end of each half so you at least have some idea how much is left.

To expand on that a bit:

In the case of a  decided game, extended time ends pretty much when the clock indicates. In a close game, it's usually stopped after a change in momentum if the the trailing team, or both teams in a draw is pushing forward and trying for a goal.

It's like in American football. You have the last play of the game and the clock strikes zero. Play will continue until the play is over. Unless if you have a corrupt ref, since it's his discretion.

It used to be that the time ended at the end of the 90th minute , with the watch kept by the Ref. Cheating, diving bastards like the Italians are the reason we have to have injury time, to prevent the clock from being milked even more than it already is.

[eldaec]

In order to watch and enjoy football, you can summarise the offside rule thusly...

 - You can't pass to someone who is behind the last defender (goalkeeper excluded)

That is all a spectator needs to know. Yes there is a more complicated version to keep rules lawyers happy, no you don't need to read it. It boils down to the above.

[eldaec]

It's like in American football. You have the last play of the game and the clock strikes zero. Play will continue until the play is over. Unless if you have a corrupt ref, since it's his discretion.

This is wrong. In american football (or rugby football for that matter) the ball must leave play to end the game.

In association football, play ends at the end of 90 minutes + added time for delays, and theoretically the ball should be in play when the game ends.

Theoretically the ref should blow his whistle even if a shot is hurtling toward an open net. Refs aren't that stupid though.

[Hoax]

Typically ref's are trained to not blow the final whistle until the first change of possession or when the ball travels out of bounds after the time has expired. 

Basically when I was a ref I would keep track of stoppage time as the half went.  For example if there was a hard foul and it took awhile for the kid to get up and play to come back I would add a minute or 90 seconds in my head.  Then when time expired I would look down at my watch and think "ok it is 3:24 and I have 2:30 of stoppage so far so the half ends at 3:26".  I would keep tracking the play and every time an attack was stopped or the ball when out of bounds I would look down at my watch.  If the time was past or at 3:26 I would blow the half over.

It is a bitch.  But it worked I think.

[Jobu]

What seems cheesy/annoying/whatever about the rule to me is that the defensive team can run up and force you offsides.  I'd feel better if there was an offsides line on the field like there is in hockey.  I remember trying to get into the world cup in, I think 1990?, and it was a 0-0 game despite the fact that one team seemed clearly better than the other, because the worse team would just turtle up.  Eventually the better team won in the shoot-out, but the fact that (it seemed to me, who admittedly knows jack) a "meh" team could force an awesome team to a shootout just by turtling turned me off.  I know the offsides rule isn't the only issue there, but I do remember that every single time I felt excited at any moment of that game, the play would be blown dead as offsides.  I (mostly) understood the actual rule, but it's been replaced with an "if it's exciting, then it's offsides" rule in my mind.

The offsides rule isn't really the cause of that "meh" game. A turtling team (jokingly refered to as "parking the bus in front of the net") only INVITES pressure onto them. If they don't counter-attack and play out of their half, the ball is just going to be pinging at their goalkeeper non-stop. They were lucky to not have gone down in that case.

The beauty of the offside rule, IS the offside trap. I love watching defenders jump up and catch a striker offguard. Even better if they screwed up and he's got a clear run at goal. It creates a very subtle strategy where they can't hold their line too high in their half, because if the opponents have a fast striker who can get behind them, he can easily outrun them to a ball placed between them and the keeper. If they hold back too far, they invite some lethal crosses into the box from anywhere on the pitch. It's all careful balancing.

FIFA changed the interpretation of the rule slightly to wait until the player makes contact with the ball before flagging him. In the past, they would flag him the second the ball was passed, irregardless of who the pass was intended for. Lately the refs have been very good about not flagging an offside player if he doesn't interfere with the play. Thierry Henry in particular I have to single out as very intelligent about this. He'll just suddenly stand still and hold his hands up, so that the guy near him who IS onside can run onto the ball, and he avoids stopping a great play by removing himself from it.

And yes, the black-text spoilers aren't very good. They are dark enough on the brown to be illegible, unless I really concentrated, but the risk is too great! This is World Cup! It's serious business!!

[Abagadro]

Didn't they also liberalize it by making it upon contact of the passing player instead of the ball reaching the receiving player? I vaguely remember many moons ago you had to actually receive the ball onsides which was a nightmare. But I may have hallucinated that.

[Tale]

Since I don't understand it, what exactly IS the offside rule? Remember, total socceer newb am I.

This goes around football-playing parts of the Internet as "The offside rule explained for women" - may have some British English terms, but you'll live:

You're in a shoe shop, second in the queue for the till. Behind the shop assistant on the till is a pair of shoes which you have seen and which you must have.

The female shopper in front of you has seen them also and is eyeing them with desire. Both of you have forgotten your purses.

It would be rude to push in front of the first woman if you had no money to pay for the shoes.

The shop assistant remains at the till waiting.

Your friend is trying on another pair of shoes at the back of the shop and sees your dilemma.

She prepares to throw her purse to you.

If she does so, you can catch the purse, then walk round the other shopper and buy the shoes!

At a pinch she could throw the purse ahead of the other shopper and *whilst it is in flight* you could nip around the other shopper, catch the purse and buy the shoes!

BUT, you must always remember that until the purse has *actually been thrown*, it would be plain wrong for you to be in front of the other shopper and you would be OFFSIDE!

[HaemishM]

I am humbly emasculated.

[Soukyan]

Okay. Any good internet sites for viewing video of the World Cup action? Even just highlights would be alright.

[edit] <rant> Nevermind. Apparently BBC is the only site allowed to stream the games and that is in UK only and the Yahoo highlights site has absolute shit for highlights.  I was hoping for something more along the lines of Match of the Day. God forbid the US try to do something to bolster the nation behind its team for a worldwide sporting event. Ah well. See, the problem is that I don't personally like television so I don't own one and thusly do not have cable. Pity that in an age of information exchange, they can't even offer a pay-per-view webcast of the games as they happen or on-demand afterwards. My guess is that they are doing this because they will resell the entire tournament in DVD format afterward? Or is this just part of the agreement with ESPN and cable providers to ensure that all money goes through those channels? I suppose I shouldn't expect special treatment because I choose to eschew the one media channel upon which all sports are broadcast, but hell, I was able to get excellent coverage of the Olympics online. It's a shame that such a large worldwide event couldn't provide better highlight reels at the very least. And at a higher resolution. Yahoo is doing a less than mediocre job, IMO. </rant>[/edit]

[pants]

Yahoo is an 'official' partner of the World Cup - so any internet-related video and stuff is bound to be going through them, or their local affiliates (here in Australia theyve jumped into bed with one of the tv stations here).

[Righ]

Actually ESPN are the ones causing the monkey business. You can get all the ESPN matches through a service called "ESPN360" which is only available through certain broadband service providers. They want you to lobby your service provider if you don't get it.

http://broadband.espn.go.com/broadband/EBB2/web/shellMain

[Soukyan]

Actually ESPN are the ones causing the monkey business. You can get all the ESPN matches through a service called "ESPN360" which is only available through certain broadband service providers. They want you to lobby your service provider if you don't get it.

http://broadband.espn.go.com/broadband/EBB2/web/shellMain

Nice. I do have Comcast cable internet. (Oh, the hypocrisy of not paying for cable television, but paying the ripoff price for blazing broadband. I know, I know. I'll have a frac T1 someday soon... until then, a hypocrite am I.) I'll have to check this out when I get home. It still sucks a bit though as I can't get the streams while at work. It would be pretty damn nice to be able to stream it on my laptop while working (sans sound, of course). I appreciate the feedback.

[edit]Hmm, it appears that Comcast is not on that list of providers. I'm doomed to not see World Cup action this year.[/edit]