[punk_guy182]

Maradona is going to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa!

 

[dazzer1975]

who in their right minds would vote for England? Jesus, we are worse than excrement so far and I reckon we are out tomorrow.

 

[soozieq]

Quote:

who in their right minds would vote for England? Jesus, we are worse than excrement so far and I reckon we are out tomorrow.

When I watched the England/USA match, I thought, well, at least there's no way we could play as shamefully as that again.... then I watched the England/Algeria match...

 
On the plus side - we're unbeaten so far

 
Oh, and does anyone else think Rooney is slowly morphing into Joe Cocker??
 

 

[gooky]

Quote:

Yeah, well they're going home now.
 

Did anyone else think the red card against Gourcuff was harsh?  Jeez.  I thought it was a yellow; games always change a lot after a red card, so it should never be pulled out willy-nilly.  There was no intent.
On a lighter note, how come no one 's mentioned Ronaldo's goal against North Korea?  Neatest goal all tournament.  I'm not his biggest fan, but I was impressed by how well he recovered, and found the ball.  Because when it was over his head, you could tell by the expression on his face, he had no idea where it was.  Those people who said it wasn't a good goal on tv should try it sometime; I bet they couldn't track it down.  Now, if they mean the goalkeeper should have never touched it, well, no one's perfect, right?  Even Ronaldo makes mistakes.  Lots.

 

[smeerkaas]

I do believe that elbows should be punished. In that way, players will try to avoid planting their elbow in their opponents face when jumping. Especially since it's so easy to make it look unintentionally. I do however believe that if they are are punished, they should all be punished. It's now unclear what exactly constitutes as an elbow foul which is unfair to players.
 
Ronaldo's goal was a mix of good skills and good luck. There were even suspicions of off-side but I think he was on the same line as the last defender. In addition to that, it was a North Korean mistake that led to the oppurtunity. I'd rather see a goal which is the result of good combinations and team play.
 
I much more enjoyed the goal of Bendtner against Cameroon. Where Simon Kjaer send out a stunning 50 yard long ball to Rommedahl. Rommedahl controlled the ball excellently, made a quick dash down the right and passed it right in between the defenders and the goalie in front of Bendtner. Maybe the final touch wasn't that impressive as that of Ronaldo's but it was a good play by the Danes.
 
But that is a personal preference of course. On the other hand, maybe nobody mentioned the goal because it was the 6-0 in a game Portugal was expected to win anyway.

 

[Pianist]

 
Quote:

LOL...There is importance or there isn't. So men "evolved" from meaningless and unimportant blind "nature"(ie nothing) and yet we somehow now know importance and meaning? LOL...I am doubled over at the absurdity.
 
Neo is a fictional character in a fictional movie.
 

Nature is not nothing - it's everything. Men did not evolve from nature, but within nature, because they are a part of nature. Like I said, meaning and importance are just the products of our minds (that is we did not discover them - we created them), which is ultimately the result of our complexity. These products are basically our survival tools and are not relevant to nature as a whole. Just because our lives appear to us to have importance and meaning doesn't mean that other things necessarily have importance and meaning also, at least in the sense in which we understand these concepts.
 
As for the Matrix example - that was just an example to contrast the basic view of the world with the complex view that our mind creates.

 

[mcnoiserdc]

Well USA got through! I liked what I saw, lol just a bit
England seemed happier today. I liked the few I saw.
Yes you got it, I as always thinking Rooney with beard was a 'Deja vu'. YEs it is Cocker, lol!!!

 

[Paganini Alfredo]

Ha, I'm glad I've read that someone is of the same opinion that human beings, and that everything we do and are a part of, is a part of nature and natural.
 
Back on topic, USA WON!!!!

 

[waterlogic]

Quote:

I liked watching USA today. I feel something for USA, I guess that is the influence of listening to millions of american musicians, whatching millions of american movies and tv shows which connect one to them. Well the hate for the wars still call me to reality though
 
Well they fought and they could win if not the strange foul I didn't see.
 
England sucked big and Capello disappointed me. No connection on the team, no inspiration, no equilibrium, no spark, too much wrong passes.
 
He should have tried two wingers. free role for gerrard and rooney alone is enough. Heskey is doing well but that system makes the team play only on side and despise the other. The other thing is that the team should be more compact, shorter. If you look at the team positioning after the finish you'd see what I am talking about, but this may be too deep
 
Now I have to say that Brazil is going to win this. They are the only solid team now, plus almost anyone on the team can pull some match winner trick.

Slovenia is a small country (less than 2 mio inhabitants) . How big is USA ?
I think the USA team is a big joke ...
 

 

[Pianist]

I was disappointed with South Korea's performance yesterday - I hope they put themselves together and tighten up that ridiculous defense and start to play with more confidence in the next match. I believe they can beat anyone if they really want to.

 

[Paganini Alfredo]

Quote:

Slovenia is a small country (less than 2 mio inhabitants) . How big is USA ?
I think the USA team is a big joke ...
 

Yeah yeah yeah. We get it, always have. USA sucks.

Trouble is soccer (ahem, football) doesn't really gel well with the typical American mindset of what sports should be like, and what they support in turn. If the general populace DID like and support soccer then we no doubt would have a better team from drawing out of a bigger pool of athletes. Pure conjecture on my part.

 

[calaf]

Quote:

Slovenia is a small country (less than 2 mio inhabitants) . How big is USA ?
I think the USA team is a big joke ...
 

I think you do not understand much about football: USA may have no superstars, but it plays remarkably well as a team. Definitely quarter-finals material, and may very well go past that!
 

 

[sinquito]

 
Quote:

I think you do not understand much about football: USA may have no superstars, but it plays remarkably well as a team. Definitely quarter-finals material, and may very well go past that!
 

Agree, I think that the USA soccer team plays like many teams should, united. But on the other hand I dont think that they are a real contender against many of the other teams that are qualified.

 

[IanM]

 
Quote:

Yeah yeah yeah. We get it, always have. USA sucks.

 
I don't believe too many real football fans think that way i.e. people who actually watch football and formulate their own opinion, rather than repeat lazy, jingoistic, tabloid stereotypes. The results and performances over the last decade or more are pretty respectable for the USA team.
 
Quote:

...If the general populace DID like and support soccer then we no doubt would have a better team from drawing out of a bigger pool of athletes...

 
Sorry this is going to get a bit political (and I may need to be corrected on some points as I'm not from the USA)
 
That may be one issue, it seems the best young athletes are always pushed towards American Football and a system that is rigged against fair treatment of athletes in order to generate maximum revenue for franchise shareholders and TV broadcasters. I know it is an important part of US history, but as I understand it the College Football (and other sports) system prevents young athletes from entering the professional game until they have spent their college years playing the amateur game - why? It's crippling development, young soccer players need to be playing with and against the best players at an early age.
 
Closed competition and the draft system is an absolute joke. There is no real competition when everything is managed like the MLS. Clubs need a proper league structure where they face relegation, and have a bigger incentive to develop their own players and youth academies. Some thrive and some fade away, it's sad when clubs to disappear but the current system where everybody team is safe, and the weak teams get handed a crutch by the league only encourages mediocrity.
 
Central contracts and capped salaries are utterly despicable, and it's shocking that the law permits players to be treated this way. You have to wonder why any athlete would choose to join the MLS, they'd all be better off moving to Europe or Mexico. David Beckham comes to the US and earns millions of dollars alongside team-mates who earn a pittance.
 
 

 

 

[Paganini Alfredo]

Well now we're getting into talk above my paygrade so to speak. I don't know how the league and club systems work, in any sport really. I don't follow ANY sports normally, only international football when it comes along. If club football were available for me to watch on a regular basis I probably would, but for one I would seem like an idiot for following it here in the States and second I would have no one to talk with about it.
 
Sorry I can't debate with you here.