World Cup Thread

[Lauren Hynde]

Except when applied by Cristano Ronaldo

LOL - he's a disciple of the Amicus School of Economic Thought.

 

[JamesSD]

The own goal is lucky....but it is also a result of the U.S. staying aggressive.

Personally, I don't like the whole Red card thing...it seems like too much of a penalty to a whole team for one players transgression....

Soccer is a team game. If you elbow a guy in the face, your team suffers.

I'll be pissed if the US can't muster at least a tie at this point!

 

[Guest]

Will Rooney kick the grass and break his foot in the first 10 minutes again?

lol, he might even do that before then.

Anyway, Rooney, schmooney... our team is bigger than one man.






Except Crouchie, of course.

 

[neonlyte]

LOL! That's the second time in the past few minutes that someone has said exatly what I was thinking.

Didn't wanna wind up dear Lauren even more, though.

It's OK, Lauren and I have already discussed this,

Quote on the BBC website: Francesco Totti has a clothing range called "Never Without You". Well now Italy are without him after Marcello Lippi mulls over his options and chooses to sacrifice the playmaker for the more tigerish midfielder Gennaro Gattuso.

 

[Belegon]

Didn't wanna wind up dear Lauren even more, though.

I like her wound up!

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Yes, but even now, the players the US sends to soccer have always been the third or fourth level of athletes in the country, at best...

If you are a premier athlete in the US, why play soccer for 100K a year when you can play baseball for 5 Million?

Because a baseball player will never be more than a national celebrity, but a Football Star, has the whole world at his feet. And still gets the 5 million and more - as long as he's good enough to play in a top European club, where the money is, and not in the US.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Good display of sportsmanship and fair-play by US international Pablo Mastroeni, who went out of his away to ensure a high-quality second half with an even field. With 10 players on each side, players on both teams should be able to find more space to gain momentum.

 

[Belegon]

Because a baseball player will never be more than a national celebrity, but a Football Star, has the whole world at his feet. And still gets the 5 million and more - as long as he's good enough to play in a top European club, where the money is, and not in the US.

Lauren, I'm a rarity in the US in that I know footballers other than Beckham or Ronaldo...

...and despite being fairly knowledgable for a US sports fan, my knowledge is paltry compared to most here...

BTW...Ichiro Suzuki, Albert Pujols, Pedro Martinez...every kid in the US knows these names, and not a single one is a US citizen....

...and Japan won the inaugral World Baseball Classic, not the United States...

 

[Belegon]

Good display of sportsmanship and fair-play by US international Pablo Mastroeni, who went out of his away to ensure a high-quality second half with an even field. With 10 players on each side, players on both teams should be able to find more space to gain momentum.

weak call, a make-up call and we all know it...

but at least if we do win the second half, the world won't be able to say it was because Italia was down a man...(of course, they will still point to the own goal)

and I really do like Lauren all riled up *grin*...I'm a glutton for punishment I guess...

 

[JamesSD]

Good display of sportsmanship and fair-play by US international Pablo Mastroeni, who went out of his away to ensure a high-quality second half with an even field. With 10 players on each side, players on both teams should be able to find more space to gain momentum.

Oh you mean with the tackle he made that should have been a free kick, or maybe a yellow card?

Bad call by the refs.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Lauren, I'm a rarity in the US in that I know footballers other than Beckham or Ronaldo...

...and despite being fairly knowledgable for a US sports fan, my knowledge is paltry compared to most here...

BTW...Ichiro Suzuki, Albert Pujols, Pedro Martinez...every kid in the US knows these names, and not a single one is a US citizen....

...and Japan won the inaugral World Baseball Classic, not the United States...

I know that, i was exaggerating, but my point is: baseball stars are like roller-hockey stars. Every kid in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Brazil and Argentina knows their names as well, but do you? Football superstars are known all over the world (with the exception of the US and Canada) and get all the money that comes with that status. You just have to go to where the money is.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

weak call, a make-up call and we all know it...

but at least if we do win the second half, the world won't be able to say it was because Italia was down a man...(of course, they will still point to the own goal)

and I really do like Lauren all riled up *grin*...I'm a glutton for punishment I guess...

Is that all you have to say? It was a funny comment and you know it.

 

[neonlyte]

I know that, i was exaggerating, but my point is: baseball stars are like roller-hockey stars. Every kid in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Brazil and Argentina knows their names as well, but do you? Football superstars are known all over the world (with the exception of the US and Canada) and get all the money that comes with that status. You just have to go to where the money is.

We have this thing called a 'free market' in Europe Bel We don't mess around with salary caps. Footballers can earn in excess of $200k per week. That makes sure the championship is fairly spread between the competing teams - as long as they are called Chelsea or Manchester United. Occassionally they let one of the smaller teams like Arsenal win

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Oh you mean with the tackle he made that should have been a free kick, or maybe a yellow card?

Bad call by the refs.

I'm not watching the game, just reading the play-by-play at FIFA: "The US are reduced to ten men when MASTROENI Pablo (USA) fouls PIRLO Andrea (ITA) with a late two-footed tackle. PIRLO Andrea (ITA) leaves the field on a stretcher."

Late two-footed tackles are red-card offences no matter how you look at it...

 

[Belegon]

We have this thing called a 'free market' in Europe Bel We don't mess around with salary caps. Footballers can earn in excess of $200k per week. That makes sure the championship is fairly spread between the competing teams - as long as they are called Chelsea or Manchester United. Occassionally they let one of the smaller teams like Arsenal win

We have Chelsea and Manchester United too...they are called the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox...*Grin*

but money alone doesn't always buy championships anywhere, thankfully... as Ghana proved earlier today, one of the great things about sports is their ability to surprise...

 

[Lauren Hynde]

We have Chelsea and Manchester United too...they are called the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox...*Grin*

but money alone doesn't always buy championships anywhere, thankfully... as Ghana proved earlier today, one of the great things about sports is their ability to surprise...

Ghana's top star plays in Chelsea.

 

[Belegon]

that kind of referring will always kill every advance the game makes in the US...

 

[JamesSD]

I know that, i was exaggerating, but my point is: baseball stars are like roller-hockey stars. Every kid in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Brazil and Argentina knows their names as well, but do you? Football superstars are known all over the world (with the exception of the US and Canada) and get all the money that comes with that status. You just have to go to where the money is.

Tiger Woods - 80 million $/year
Alex Rodriguez - $25,705,118.00 (salary)
Derek Jeter -$19,600,000.00 (Salary)

David Beckham - The number I found was around $10,000,000 for playing soccer. My assumption is he's the highest paid/most famous?

Soccer is better for worldwide fame, but Baseball is more lucrative (American Football is in the short term, but most players only last 4-6 years)

 

[JamesSD]

I'm not watching the game, just reading the play-by-play at FIFA: "The US are reduced to ten men when MASTROENI Pablo (USA) fouls PIRLO Andrea (ITA) with a late two-footed tackle. PIRLO Andrea (ITA) leaves the field on a stretcher."

Late two-footed tackles are red-card offences no matter how you look at it...

It was not a red card.

This officiating is terrible.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

David Beckham - The number I found was around $10,000,000 for playing soccer. My assumption is he's the highest paid/most famous?

He's neither. Ronaldinho Gaucho earns over $57,800,000 per year.

 

[Belegon]

I'm not watching the game, just reading the play-by-play at FIFA: "The US are reduced to ten men when MASTROENI Pablo (USA) fouls PIRLO Andrea (ITA) with a late two-footed tackle. PIRLO Andrea (ITA) leaves the field on a stretcher."

Late two-footed tackles are red-card offences no matter how you look at it...

maybe I'm showing my ignorance, but on both those cards, though the tackles were late, the player got ball...

when I played (at an admittedly low level) a tackle that got ball was like a blocked shot in basketball...

I could see fouls...but cards? and reds? I always have thought a red should be reserved for a play that endangers another player... (Pope got two yellows, not a single red...but even the second yellow seemed rather quick and ill advised to me...)

There is a large contingent of US fans that honestly believe the US faces an international bias...that the rest of the world WANTS us to fail at THEIR game...

That said, this referee sucks...he has blown calls against Italy too...especially offsides...

 

[JamesSD]

That said, this referee sucks...he has blown calls against Italy too...especially offsides...

Very true. Significantly below average refereeing.

 

[Belegon]

He's neither. Ronaldinho Gaucho earns over $57,800,000 per year.

I think that his salary is not his largest source of income either...the marketing money outweighs it I bet...

 

[District Line]

This is a fucking crazy game.

This is excruciating. I'm a neutral, but I really, really don't want the US to lose this.

 

[District Line]

Oh man.

No one can say they didn't at least deserve a point from that.