World Cup 2010!!!

[mat1419]

Who's coming with me???

I figure by next World Cup I'll be 27 and at the point in my life I can do some nice vacations, so I'm already planning on getting my ass to South Africa. I think it'll be a super neat vacation.

If all goes well I'll be in Brazil in 2014 watching the US grab its second in a row!

[justinevans]

Who's coming with me???

I figure by next World Cup I'll be 27 and at the point in my life I can do some nice vacations, so I'm already planning on getting my ass to South Africa. I think it'll be a super neat vacation.

If all goes well I'll be in Brazil in 2014 watching the US grab its second in a row!

Brazil didn't get it for 2014 yet, they want to bring it back here.

[Yankees' #1 Fan]

do you have to get shots to go to south africa, because no soccer games are worth getting a shot for

[wessa]

Brazil didn't get it for 2014 yet, they want to bring it back here.

I don't know if they US would get it again. It helps us because we have good facilities but we just hosted and i feel like they would give some other countries a chance as long as they have good enough facilities.

[histrionics22]

I don't know if they US would get it again. It helps us because we have good facilities but we just hosted and i feel like they would give some other countries a chance as long as they have good enough facilities.
True, but a lot of other countries don't have the facilities/weather to host such a thing.

[preppyak]

do you have to get shots to go to south africa, because no soccer games are worth getting a shot for
yes...depending on where..but a place I've looked at for Whitewater Rafting needs like 3 or 4 shots at least

Brazil didn't get it for 2014 yet, they want to bring it back here. :shake:

I'd rather not see us lose games here again...at least on another soil it's out of sight, out of mind.

If all goes well I'll be in Brazil in 2014 watching the US grab its second in a row!
I assume you're half joking with that....because I don't see the US winning it for easily another 20 years.

It's just not our sport...it's a casual fun thing, but not something our athletes grow up to play. I mean, the boom years for soccer were when the World Cup was hosted here, and basically these players now were in high school/middle school then, thus why they seemed to have more hope than prior teams....and yet they still lost 3 games (0-2-1 might as well be 0-3) to teams that showed themselves to be very beatable.

In Europe and Brazil, that is THE sport...here, Soccer comes to those who can't hack it in any of the other sports, but are still fast and athletic enough to be professional at something.

[fire on my lips]

FIFA would have every world cup here if they could. 94 had the most ever fans and grossed FIFA a lot of money. All the other teams fans loved it. And the US made it out of their group in 94, as would they if they hosted it (the groups are rigged to allow the host country to get out of their group).

All that being said, the US won't get the World Cup until 2018 (if FIFA sticks to their planning) and it's doubtful then because you don't want the same country to host consecutive times when their region is hosting the World Cup. Of course it's doubtful if other countries could handle the huge crowds, but it's eight years away from that being determined, and it's doubtful that FIFA will stick to their continent plan.

[wessa]

In Europe and Brazil, that is THE sport...here, Soccer comes to those who can't hack it in any of the other sports, but are still fast and athletic enough to be professional at something.

i really can't believe you just said that, soccer is MUCH harder than baseball, basketball, and football. I'll just assume you were making a joke.

[justinevans]

FIFA would have every world cup here if they could. 94 had the most ever fans and grossed FIFA a lot of money. All the other teams fans loved it. And the US made it out of their group in 94, as would they if they hosted it (the groups are rigged to allow the host country to get out of their group).

All that being said, the US won't get the World Cup until 2018 (if FIFA sticks to their planning) and it's doubtful then because you don't want the same country to host consecutive times when their region is hosting the World Cup. Of course it's doubtful if other countries could handle the huge crowds, but it's eight years away from that being determined, and it's doubtful that FIFA will stick to their continent plan.

Brazil doesn't have the funds to upgrade their facilities.

[fire on my lips]

Brazil doesn't have the funds to upgrade their facilities.
Watch that problem magically disappear if they win this year.

EDIT: Also FIFA could loan them the money and get paid back via ticket sales. If FIFA wantsit to happen (which they do) it will happen. Another World Cup in Brazil will make a lot of money, much more than one in South Africa.

[justinevans]

Watch that problem magically disappear if they win this year.

EDIT: Also FIFA could loan them the money and get paid back via ticket sales. If FIFA wantsit to happen (which they do) it will happen. Another World Cup in Brazil will make a lot of money, much more than one in South Africa.

Possibly, but Brazil's money isn't worth shit.

[hockey0001]

i really can't believe you just said that, soccer is MUCH harder than baseball, basketball, and football. I'll just assume you were making a joke.

i disagree

[histrionics22]

i disagree
Harder physically than baseball and basketball. You have to be in better running shape to play soccer than football.

[wesgemm08]

If soccer was THE sport in the US, we would dominate that shit, mainly because of training facilities and population size, imagine a defense with all guys the size of Oguchi Onyewu

[hockey0001]

Harder physically than baseball and basketball. You have to be in better running shape to play soccer than football.

all sports are hard in there own ways (hockey, baseball, soccer, basketball, and football). You cant really definatively say that one is harder than the other.

[histrionics22]

all sports are hard in there own ways (hockey, baseball, soccer, basketball, and football). You cant really definatively say that one is harder than the other.
Alright. I agree with that.

[somethingyellow]

ill be 25 by then and will definitely be saving up to go. Id like to go to euro 2008 as well

[histrionics22]

If soccer was THE sport in the US, we would dominate that shit, mainly because of training facilities and population size, imagine a defense with all guys the size of Oguchi Onyewu
Size doesn't mean anything in soccer. Maradona is like 5 foot nothing. Onyewu sucks.

[hockey0001]

If soccer was THE sport in the US, we would dominate that shit, mainly because of training facilities and population size, imagine a defense with all guys the size of Oguchi Onyewu

imagine of lebron james, reggie bush, or t.o. grew up playing soccer

[wesgemm08]

Size doesn't mean anything in soccer. Maradona is like 5 foot nothing. Onyewu sucks.
yea, size doesnt mean anything when you have a 6'8 guy from the Czech Republic going up for a header over you... are you fucking retarded?

steve nash is like 6 foot flat but that doesnt mean height doesnt mean anything in the nba

[wesgemm08]

imagine of lebron james, reggie bush, or t.o. grew up playing soccer
yea, allen iverson would own the soccer field though, he was an all state high school quarterback... the guy could probably do anything athletic wise

[histrionics22]

yea, size doesnt mean anything when you have a 6'8 guy from the Czech Republic going up for a header over you... are you fucking retarded?

steve nash is like 6 foot flat but that doesnt mean height doesnt mean anything in the nba
You said to imagine if everyone was Onyewu's size. Well guess what. Onyewu fucking sucks. Size doesn't mean shit in soccer. Have you ever played?

[wesgemm08]

You said to imagine if everyone was Onyewu's size. Well guess what. Onyewu fucking sucks. Size doesn't mean shit in soccer. Have you ever played?

I said height, not talent... and it does matter defensively to a certain degree.. if you have an offensive player a foot taller than the rest of the field, he's gonna get uncontested headers on goal the whole game

...and height and size also has an intimidation factor on the other team, no matter what sport you are playing

[histrionics22]

I said height, not talent... and it does matter defensively to a certain degree.. if you have an offensive player a foot taller than the rest of the field, he's gonna get uncontested headers on goal the whole game

...and height and size also has an intimidation factor on the other team, no matter what sport you are playing
If you have good positioning and know how to play, then height really doesn't make a difference. Ever watch England play? The forward Crouch is like 6'7. Yet he's often in terrible position and fouls a lot on head balls.

If you know how to play, size doesn't mean much.

[Yankees' #1 Fan]

height matters in soccer, it definitely does.

but yeah as people have said, all of the best athletes in these countries play soccer, and unfortunately for our soccer program, it is basically the 5th choice and isnt looked at as a way to make big money.

[wesgemm08]

height matters in soccer, it definitely does.

but yeah as people have said, all of the best athletes in these countries play soccer, and unfortunately for our soccer program, it is basically the 5th choice and isnt looked at as a way to make big money.

thank you

[histrionics22]

Maradona 5'5.
Pele 5'7.

Two of the best players ever and they are both short. Height doesn't matter if you are good.

[wesgemm08]

Maradona 5'5.
Pele 5'7.

Two of the best players ever and they are both short. Height doesn't matter if you are good.
steve nash and allen iverson are both 6' maximum... they are two of the best players in the nba, but you can't say size in the nba doesnt matter because they are only that tall


....and neither of those guys are defenders in the first place

[wesgemm08]

If you have good positioning and know how to play, then height really doesn't make a difference. Ever watch England play? The forward Crouch is like 6'7. Yet he's often in terrible position and fouls a lot on head balls.

If you know how to play, size doesn't mean much.

so making those problems and being the same exact player, if he wasnt 6'7 and was short, do you think he would still be playing on the English team?

[histrionics22]

steve nash and allen iverson are both 6' maximum... they are two of the best players in the nba, but you can't say size in the nba doesnt matter because they are only that tall


....and neither of those guys are defenders in the first place
And the majority of guys in the NBA are above 6'4. Being tall is generally a prerequisite in the NBA to being good. Their are the exceptions like Iverson and Nash.

Being tall does not necessarily help in soccer like it would in the NBA. Generally, soccer players aren't that tall. And if they are, they are usually slow and awkward on their feet. Witness, Crouch next time England plays.

[histrionics22]

so making those problems and being the same exact player, if he wasnt 6'7 and was short, do you think he would still be playing on the English team?
He's playing because he scored a lot of goals for his club team and has a cult following overseas. The World Cup is a different game than club leagues.

[Yankees' #1 Fan]

that stupid Oaf that scored for Czech against us, scored that goal because he is basically Lurch and his head was higher than our Willow sized defenders

[wesgemm08]

And the majority of guys in the NBA are above 6'4. Being tall is generally a prerequisite in the NBA to being good. Their are the exceptions like Iverson and Nash.

Being tall does not necessarily help in soccer like it would in the NBA. Generally, soccer players aren't that tall. And if they are, they are usually slow and awkward on their feet. Witness, Crouch next time England plays.
so, if the USA had taller, larger athletes that were just as good on their feet and as fast as all the smaller players in the world cup right now, you are trying to tell me that wouldnt be an advantage?

...this basically pwns your arguments

[histrionics22]

that stupid Oaf that scored for Czech against us, scored that goal because he is basically Lurch and his head was higher than our Willow sized defenders
I think it was more because our defenders were out of position. You have no idea how hard it is to head a ball with a defender jumping right in front of you. Even if the defender doesn't win the ball, its A LOT harder for a forward to put it wherever he wants it.

[Yankees' #1 Fan]

no it was because he was fucking tall, just get over it tall people are good to have on a soccer team

[histrionics22]

no it was because he was fucking tall, just get over it tall people are good to have on a soccer team
Clearly you don't play/know anything about soccer.

[histrionics22]

so, if the USA had taller, larger athletes that were just as good on their feet and as fast as all the smaller players in the world cup right now, you are trying to tell me that wouldnt be an advantage?

...this basically pwns your arguments
Find a tall person who can keep up with the slowest player on Ghana. They are few and far between.

[fire on my lips]

Possibly, but Brazil's money isn't worth shit.
Their currency doesn't matter. The Pound Sterling, the US dollar, and the Euro are worth more than shit, so everyone will get paid.

ill be 25 by then and will definitely be saving up to go. Id like to go to euro 2008 as well
Let me guess, you'll be following France? I'll see you at the final. The Irish will get some revenge for last september. lol.

I said height, not talent... and it does matter defensively to a certain degree.. if you have an offensive player a foot taller than the rest of the field, he's gonna get uncontested headers on goal the whole game

...and height and size also has an intimidation factor on the other team, no matter what sport you are playing
thank you proving that you don't have to follow soccer to still be smarter than histrionics22

And I read your last post, we have a huge population. If we developed our country to play soccer we'd be unstoppable. Look at the NFL. If a Pro-Bowl caliber linebacker (obviously not at his football playing weight) played defense in soccer, he'd be AS fast as the foward, AND atleast six inches taller.


To whoever said that soccer is the sport for people who can't play the other "american" sports, just shut the fuck up. Go take a hackeysack and see how many times you can juggle it using your feet. It's harder than it looks. I'm sure a shit Second Division (the lowest professional division in England) player can juggle a hackeysack a few hundred times without a problem.
to play soccer you have to amazing foot-eye coordination. Its the same thing as with hand-eye in most sports, except at your feet and about five feet lower to the ground.
EDIT: I realize that it was preppyak who said that. I normally respect your opinion on sports, but you are dead wrong here.

[Snails]

Who's coming with me???

I figure by next World Cup I'll be 27 and at the point in my life I can do some nice vacations, so I'm already planning on getting my ass to South Africa. I think it'll be a super neat vacation.

If all goes well I'll be in Brazil in 2014 watching the US grab its second in a row!
You can come stay at my place, haha.

[leftstranded]

i really hope we do better in 2010. i don't want to go through this heartbreak again

[believethehyph]

If soccer was THE sport in the US, we would dominate that shit, mainly because of training facilities and population size, imagine a defense with all guys the size of Oguchi Onyewu
His size makes up for his (lack off) ability.

[mat1419]

You can come stay at my place, haha.
i'm in...maybe we'll play again.

have fun against brazil...that should be a blast to watch.

oh, but if Freddie Adu jumps ship to the Ghana team, we're not friends anymore.

[Snails]

i'm in...maybe we'll play again.

have fun against brazil...that should be a blast to watch.

oh, but if Freddie Adu jumps ship to the Ghana team, we're not friends anymore.
Yeah, maybe South Africa will even play you, that'd be awesome. Although we're really horrible at the moment.

Thanks, my expectations aren't too high, we'll have to hope for an amazing upset.

Haha. We'll see what happens with Adu!

[Adeniz19]

Find a tall person who can keep up with the slowest player on Ghana. They are few and far between.terrel owens, randy moss, and a whole shit load of others. height is an advantage. most of our tall quick players would rather play another sport tho.

[she cant swim!]

ill meet you there

[fire on my lips]

i really hope we do better in 2010. i don't want to go through this heartbreak again
Since South Africa is going to get an automatic bid and a seed, the US will most likely get put in a group with two European teams again, so it's likely they may not make it out of their group.
They would get a seed if Mexico fell apart and didn't qualify, but that's unlikely.

[Yankees' #1 Fan]

hist22 wont come back in this thread because he has been made to look like a fool by people who dont even follow soccer that much.

[mat1419]

terrel owens, randy moss, and a whole shit load of others. height is an advantage. most of our tall quick players would rather play another sport tho.
ha, its funny you bring that up because as i was watching us get outplayed against the Czechs, I got into a fun conversation about how great we'd be if the super athletes that play other sports were soccer players. It'll probabaly happen down the line a few decades too.

[histrionics22]

hist22 wont come back in this thread because he has been made to look like a fool by people who dont even follow soccer that much.
How about the fact that I go to sleep at night and got up and went to work all day?

I'm tired of this size makes a difference. Soccer is one of the few sports where smaller players can dominate. It's not an anomaly for a small player to do well in soccer like it is in basketball or football.

These tall football players might be quick, but their foot skills usually suffer from their height. Also I believe that there are great soccer players playing in the US that go widely unnoticed.

Once again, if any of you played soccer, height and size in general is a slight advantage. It has no where near the effect it has on soccer as it does on other sports.

[Yankees' #1 Fan]

your issues with size not making a difference indicate you are worried about your manhood.

[histrionics22]

your issues with size not making a difference indicate you are worried about your manhood.
I think it indicates that I played soccer past the recreation level, where the big kid who kicks far dominates.

[Yankees' #1 Fan]

i think it indicates you have a small cock. (no homo)

[histrionics22]

What is your obsession with talking about cocks?

[Yankees' #1 Fan]

you were wrong, thats my obsession.

[histrionics22]

you were wrong, thats my obsession.
Haha ok. Keep arguing. You obviously don't play soccer.

[justinevans]

i don't think anyone in America should play soccer anymore. We are a disgrace.

[Yankees' #1 Fan]

you are right i dont play soccer, because i am 22 and i'm not good enough to play professionally, whats going to be your next obvious statement?

[fire on my lips]

hist22 wont come back in this thread because he has been made to look like a fool by people who dont even follow soccer that much.
hahaha

Small players can dominate in soccer. He's right about that. Problem with him is, for him everything is black and white. Smaller players can dominate as can larger players, it all depends where they play. In the back four and up front they are better off because they win far more jump balls, while on a wing, a taller (above 6' or so) player would be at a disadvantage because he isn't as tall and he takes longer strides so he cant protect the ball as much.

[Yankees' #1 Fan]

*hist22* shut up you dont even play for a club team in europe, you dont know what youre talking about!*end*

[histrionics22]

*hist22* shut up you dont even play for a club team in europe, you dont know what youre talking about!*end*
I've played all my life and still play for my college. I have a pretty good understanding and enough experience to know a lot about soccer.

[Yankees' #1 Fan]

you are a clueless human being, everything you post on here points to that.

[fire on my lips]

you are a clueless human being, everything you post on here points to that.
thanks. I said this in the WC and Soccer threads. I knew I wasn't the only person who felt this way about him. He does this with baseball and college basketball too.

[Yankees' #1 Fan]

he plays soccer in college, its hard to argue with such a force

[preppyak]

i really can't believe you just said that, soccer is MUCH harder than baseball, basketball, and football. I'll just assume you were making a joke. I don't think it's intelligent to say which is the hardest sport...because in my mind, Soccer involves some of the fewest elements to master....but they are tough to master. Like, Soccer involves largely footskill, and fitness, whereas hockey involves the ability to skate, fitness, the ability to control the puck with your stick, the ability to take and give out checks, etc....so, based on the elements you have to master, I'd say hockey is harder as a sport. But, I think any sport at a professional level is hard enough that saying one is harder than the other is disingenuous.

The other part, when I say "can't hack it", I meant that here you don't look to be a soccer player, not since the 1994 World Cup...as in they don't have any other sport when they were younger, but are still athletic enough to be good.

imagine of lebron james, reggie bush, or t.o. grew up playing soccer
And I didn't read through to see if this was already mentioned...but exactly. Think of all the great running backs we have that could be stupid fast in soccer, or the wide recievers who could be incredible in the box.

[bigmike]

I don't think it's intelligent to say which is the hardest sport...because in my mind, Soccer involves some of the fewest elements to master....but they are tough to master. Like, Soccer involves largely footskill, and fitness, whereas hockey involves the ability to skate, fitness, the ability to control the puck with your stick, the ability to take and give out checks, etc....so, based on the elements you have to master, I'd say hockey is harder as a sport. But, I think any sport at a professional level is hard enough that saying one is harder than the other is disingenuous.

The other part, when I say "can't hack it", I meant that here you don't look to be a soccer player, not since the 1994 World Cup...as in they don't have any other sport when they were younger, but are still athletic enough to be good.


And I didn't read through to see if this was already mentioned...but exactly. Think of all the great running backs we have that could be stupid fast in soccer, or the wide recievers who could be incredible in the box.
i didn't read this thread but i would agree that hockey has the most elements to master. whether that makes it the toughest? Eh, it's subjective.
And preppy, why are you up so early/late?

[she cant swim!]

pace is just one of the elements you need to be a good 'soccer' player, its a very fast paced game, you need creativity and timing, sure if you are quick you can catch up but that doesnt mean nothing if you cant take the ball and go past a few players

[histrionics22]

thanks. I said this in the WC and Soccer threads. I knew I wasn't the only person who felt this way about him. He does this with baseball and college basketball too.
I never post in a college basketball thread. I posted a few times during the tournament, but I have no clue where you get that from. I do not follow college basketball at all. And I know more about soccer than you do and its hard for you to accept it.

As for theclearstuff, he's just a bitter red sox fan who likes trying to argue with me. The only thing he knows more about though is the Red sox.

[histrionics22]

thanks. I said this in the WC and Soccer threads. I knew I wasn't the only person who felt this way about him. He does this with baseball and college basketball too.
You think fouling is the only way to intimidate a player. You're opinion has become useless to me.

[Yankees' #1 Fan]

im so bitter because im a red sox fan, my favorite team is in first place and it makes me maaaaaaad.

[histrionics22]

For some reason you like to argue with me. Example is you coming in this thread to disagree with me on a subject you know little about.

[Yankees' #1 Fan]

keep running your mouth pretending like you know every aspect of my life and whether or not i ever played soccer, keep it up. nobody likes you, not even your grandparents

[histrionics22]

Very mature as usual.

[fire on my lips]

wow way to put words in my mouth :clap

I never said it was the only.

And Red Sox fans aren't happy unless the Yankees sweep them. I kid, I kid.

Preppyak I still disagree with you, but you aren't going to change your mind. The foot skills you're talking about are as hard as al the other things you said combined.

[Broken Parachute]

I wonder if he ever did this.

[TZE]

another world cup thread?

guys join up AP fantasy world cup league if u havent already done so..
league code: 595829-129020
http://en.mcdonalds.fantasy.fifa.com/

closing in a couple of hours!