How Excited About the Upcoming World Cup?

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Go Denmark!

Although he looks an awful lot like a Maori boy to me.

 

Yeah, but most people living in the US, would prefer to, you know, live in the US. Perhaps you haven't been following the recent US immigration issues, but there are currently a lot more people interested in coming here than leaving.

The real question is if you are athletically gifted, why would you pursue soccer, if in all likelihood it would mean uprooting your family to play overseas? Why not pursue a sport where you can make just as much money and play in the US?

 

Because you love soccer and maybe aren't physically suited to gridiron or baseball? I bet more than half the players in European leagues are playing for teams outside their home countries - I know some of the English teams seem to have no English people in them. Like your goalkeeper.

14th best team in the world is pretty good! I'm not sure why you want to deny it.

Anyway - go New Zealand!! First ever non-loss!! It's great to have such low expectations - it's impossible to be disappointed!

 

Oh, I'm not denying that they have a pretty good team. It's just that in most international competitions, the US are among the best teams in the world. Take the Olympics for example, where a huge array of sports are featured.

All I'm saying is this - if I were interested and did well in two different subjects in high school, and one of them held future career prospects that were very good domestically, and the other were very good in a foreign nation, I'd likely pick the one where I could get a job domestrically. Just sayin'.

 

I'm sorry, but did you say baseball?!?!

Call me un-American, but I hate baseball...and this is coming from a guy who went to about 4 Anaheim Angels home games a year. (Yeah, I said Anaheim Angels...they'll never be the LA Angels to me because they're not in LA County.)

Back to the main point...HB, welcome to 2010. People aren't going to pass up a 7-figure salary to go play soccer because they love it. Even if Joe Somebody is the epitome of soccer awesomeness, but is still pretty good at football...He gets an offer from the LA Galaxy (MLS) and the Cleveland Browns (NFL)...the Galaxy's offer is for $150k per year, for the 1st year, and $350k thereafter. The Brown's offer is $800k for the 1st year, and $1M thereafter...Joe is going to take the $800k, even if he'll be playing for the *worst* team in the NFL.

 

Enjoy it. I was at work and I had to think about your reaction.

 

Um, Kitrax, have you seen what soccer players earn in Europe?? Easily comparable to the money you're talking about for gridiron.

Any NZ soccer player worth his salt goes and plays in Europe or England to earn more money. The American MLS may suck just as badly as the NZ and Australian leagues, but that doesn't stop top players from going and plying their trade in Europe. Just like Yao Ming plays basketball in USA.

 

Plus he was born and grew up in New Zealand. That helps too.

Go Switzerland! No wonder I can never win anything in World Cup tipping competitions.

 

Wow, this has been one *****y world cup as of yet. Vuvuzelas and disciplined defence. Spain lost and kudos to Switserland but it seems like defence beats offence or is at least capable of making it neigh impossible to score even if your players lack the individual skill. Mourinho and Inter inspired the world, everyone is playing destructive catenaccio and it is horrendously effective. My bet is that Brazil will win.

 

That loss is not entirely devestating to Spain though - I imagine that they can win the other two. Heck, it's not like the Swiss are this power house - they are no lock to keep winning either, although it will be very difficult for Spain to finish 1st in their group now. Not only was that a loss, but it was a loss with zero points scored, so it does nothing for their tie-breaking chances either.

 

Just goes to show how hard it is to pick all these results. Most people have Spain v Brazil in the final but it could easily be a completely different result.

 

All teams have played once now, and only few teams have convinced me. Germany played the best football so far, it's interesting to see how they'll do against a better opponent. Other teams have played well only some periods. South Korea was actually quite good.

Solid defence is always nice, but I'd rather see more goals. I agree that picking results has been very hard, I have nailed just 3 games out of 16 right so far.

 

This made my day.

I'm glad Switzerland won, mostly because it was a damn fun surprise... and it's always nice when cheering for the underdog works.

 

Cheer for New Zealand then! Dogs don't get any more under than us.

 

Harbs, I've been cheering for you guys since you kicked our squad's butt in that friendly.

Besides, how can I not cheer for NZ? Half of my RP fun comes from there.

 

What do you mean?

 

NZ had beaten Serbia in the friendly.
Deathmage lives in NZ.

 

I can't watch this.

This is why Americans don't like soccer - and why it's not my favourite sport..

Is there any other sport in the world where a team can base their whole strategy around elaborate diving and fake injuries? These Italians are incredible. They should get jobs as Hollywood stuntmen. They writhing around on the ground in pain like little babies. Unbelievable. I thought the refs were supposed to be cracking down on diving. Ridiculous. Regardless of how this game turns out (currently 1-1), my enthusiasm for the tournament has taken a huge, er, dive.

 

Maybe if the New Zealands hadn't gotten an offside goal approved, several hostile elbows delivered for free then just maybe they would have gotten away with a shirt pulling in the penalty area. Yes, he extended the foul but it was still a foul nontheless.