The World Cup

Amen to that. Motor sport is strictly for anoraks, and motorsports on round or oval tracks are the dullest of all.

I've only been to one baseball game, and half the fascination for me was trying to work out what was going on. It seems so simple on the surface, but there are quite a few little subleties which rounders lacks! I think it basically has the same appeal as cricket: you can sit around for hours drinking beer and pretending to be knowledgable about the finer points of the game. And like cricket, it's a statistician's dream.

I think it's a shame that football doesn't get better coverage in the US, because your national team has improved dramatically in the last few years. Four years ago you were desperately unlucky in the quarter-finals against Germany, who went on to reach the final. I'm not sure if you can repeat the feat this time though, as I understand that a number of your key players have been in poor form lately.

My tip would be to do what some of my mates in the states do, and watch football on the Spanish language TV channels. Even if you can't follow the commentary, the enthusiasm and the atmosphere are infectious!
 
I totally agree. Neither team showed the quality of either Argentina or Ivory Coast. But Holland can improve a lot - they need more players than just Robben to click. I think they will have to!

Serbia will be stronger if they reshuffle their starting line-up to be closer to the team they finished with, but I wonder what their morale will be like after that defeat?
 
i dont know what to do... i got my spm training class on thurs but its at the same time as england match!!!!! neone in the same predicament? right now im leaning towards the match
 
I would never encourage anyone to miss class, but.....



..... just this once won't hurt.
 
Japan were lucky to go in front when Takahara blocked off Schwarzer, allowing Nakamura's cross to go straight in, though the Japanese had looked the more skillful up till then.

Second half Australia just started playing long balls forward to Viduka, who was owned for most of the match by Miyamoto. Japan seemed to fall to pieces late on, giving the ball away very easily in the Aussie half. And then Cahill did what Cahill is very good at... popping at of nowhere and scoring goals after a bit of kamikaze 'keeping :rolleyes. His second was a great finish and then Aloisi went past the defender too easily to make it 3-1.

Man of the Match: Up to Japan's capitulation it was their captain Miyamoto, who had a great game stifling Viduka. But with the Jap's midfield continually giving the ball away, they allowed supersub Tim Cahill to get the Oz's first ever world cup points.
 
GO CZECH REP...


i bet 10 for them to win world cup haha... 33/1 odds!!!

my prediction is czech 3 - 1 USA
 
lol. I'm 1/8th Czech. Yay. I predicted 3-0 before the match, if only I put a bet on it.
 
I missed the Austria-Japan game because the selfish and unreasonable company I work for expect me to turn up every day even during the World Cup finals! But what a finish by the Austrians! It look like justice was done, as Schwarzer was completely taken out for Japan's goal.

Tough opening match for the USA, and they were disappointing. The Czechs were superb, but they will miss Jan Koller. As in the Euro's, I suspect that their lack of depth will hurt them in the long run. Superb first choice XI, but they just don't have enough quality cover. Enjoy watching them for as long as they last though, because they are one of the classiest teams in the tournament.

For a period during the first half of Ghana v. Italy, I thought we were going to have a classic. Ghana gave it a real go, but failed to exloit the space down the Italian flanks. Once Italy scored, Ghana's shaky defence disintegrated, and it looked easy for Italy in the end. I felt sorry for Michael Essien, who for me was man-of-the-match as he tried to carry the rest of the team virtually single-handedly.
 
*Gasp*
The scoundrels !
You must be working long hours though Johnno as Japan were actually playing Australia



Very true, the US looked very lightweight, especially up front. Landon Donovan was even more poor than I remember him when he was playing in Germany.
 
I know - I just couldn't bring myself to say it!

Football is the last bastion, the one sport where we are still better than them. But I fear we won't be for much longer.

The USA are hard working and honest, but very one-paced and predictable. Their system was tailor-made for the Czechs, who were able to exploit the spaces between the US defence/midfield and midfield/attack because they have key players who operate in both the 'holes'.
 
A bit late, but...
Ya, the US-Czech game was pretty boring after watching the Mexico-Iran game and the Angola one. Mexico was awesome. I was surprised Iran was holding out so long, but Mexico was bound to score eventually.
 
I think Iran paid the price for their lack of ambition. They settled for 1-1, and ended up getting well beaten. Otherwise they might well have got at least a point.

Personally, I wouldn't call the USA/Czech game 'boring'. I think the Czechs are one of the most watchable sides in the world. They strike just the right balance between individual flair and collective teamwork. And their three goals were each totally different, but all top quality.

The USA made a few half-chances (and Claudio Reyna was unlucky not to equalise) but they were outclassed by one of the best teams in the world.
 
Back
Top