FIFA World Cup coverage.

[DrLeftover]

OK, I'll bow to the madness.

I just looked at the groups for world cup play. The US is in Group G with Germany, Portugal, and Ghana. IF. and that is a big bold word there. If the US plays like they know what the game is instead of winos, they might make it out of group play.

The best games will probably come out of Group A with the host nation leading off today, and B, with Spain, Netherlands, Chile, and Australia.

Of the other groups, Argentina will sleepwalk through group F while England will have a time of it but might make it out of D.

Remember one thing though, in World Cup play, the games between "why in the hell are THEY there" and "where's that at?" are often the best games. Such is the case with Groups C, E, and H where you will find "Ivory Coast" who might surprise somebody, the always entertaining French, and Algeria who apparently Does have a national team.

It begins in about four hours.

Groups listed at: http://www.fifa.com/

 

[Sinon]

RE: FIFA's cup coverage.

Well, I'm hoping Korea does well. USA will probably only struggle with Germany. I have NO idea what'll happen in group F, it's like the misfit table in a school cafeteria.

Overall, I think it'll be Brazil v Germany in the finals.

 

[DrLeftover]

RE: FIFA's cup coverage.

Korea is in group H with Belgium, Algeria, and Russia.

Without a superpower like Argentina in that pool, they might do OK.

The members of Group F, with Argentina, is simply cannon fodder for them. Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Iran might as well take the day off, Nigeria has proven to be scrappy, but they're not in the same class as Argentina.

 

[DrLeftover]

RE: FIFA's cup coverage.

So far so good.

Ten minutes into the first game and Brazil makes a mistake that COULD end their dream run.

They managed to score a point FOR Croatia with an "Own Goal" where they somehow muff a play and the ball ends up in the net off one of their own players.

So, the first point of the 2014 World Cup goes to a country that most Brazilians, like more Americans, probably couldn't find on a map.

 

[Sinon]

RE: FIFA's cup coverage.

They equalized though. Pity, I sort of want to see the underdogs shoot to the top.

 

[DrLeftover]

RE: FIFA's cup coverage.

But a Tie really doesn't help Brazil.

And that wasn't what the Brazilian people were expecting. Still a half to go.

 

[DrLeftover]

RE: FIFA's cup coverage.

Brazil pulled it out in the second. 3 - 1

The referees also served notice that they have been well paid by the host country to make sure that Brazil wins without serious challenge.

The run of the tournament will now be for Second.

 

[DrLeftover]

RE: FIFA's cup coverage.

Remember this.

Mexico WON.

By scoring ONE goal over Cameroon.


Yeah. Cameroon. That little strip of nomansland on the Atlantic coast of Africa.

Mexico will most likely win their group. And then face a REAL team in the next round.

 

[DrLeftover]

RE: FIFA's cup coverage.

Part of the problem with covering and prognosticating this kind of event is when teams are looking past group play for who they will play in the rounds "that count".

Well fine. Yes Mexico will probably make the cut.

But. If they go out and play at half speed and BARELY make it through, they might end up with a seriously good team before they're ready for it. Say, meeting Argentina in the next round instead of the semi's.

But then again, only beating a "who?" team by one point might come back to bite them and when the points are tallied, they MIGHT be going home instead.

Which won't set well in Ciudad de México, no?

 

[DrLeftover]

RE: FIFA's cup coverage.

A friend of mine from Dover, DE is FROM Spain. He is as rabid a soccer fan at the national team level as you would ever want to meet.

Right NOW as I write this. Spain is down by two goals with twenty minutes left in the first round of group play to the Netherlands.

I am Glad I am almost 900 miles away from his living room.

And I can ALMOST hear his shouting from here if I went outside and listened carefully.

 

[DrLeftover]

RE: FIFA's cup coverage.

"How the Mighty have fallen"

Spain. 1. "Holland". 5.

To call the result an earthquake in World Cup might be a slight Overstatement because the Netherlands have been a sleeper in WC play, and, indeed, the Olympics, over the last few years. But, given the political climate in Spain in recent days, including the King stepping down, this one will hurt.

 

[DrLeftover]

RE: FIFA's cup coverage.

Chile did allow the Aussies to get a goal in.

But they still won. Which is what was expected.

 

[DrLeftover]

RE: FIFA's cup coverage.

Today we find out if England has any shot at all at winning the thing as they face Italy.

We also get to see Japan and judge their chances of making it out of their group by how they hold up against Ivory Coast.

In the two earlier games you have Greece and Columbia then Uruguay and Costa Rica.

The only working question from those two games is: Is Uruguay's game on par with the other South Americans or are they another of those "why are they there" teams?

The first game kicks off at 10 Eastern. Then they go every three hours after that with Japan in the late game.

 

[DrLeftover]

So far, there's only been a couple of instances of "flopping".

The Brazilians are infamous for it, and, of course, in their first game, they had one that made a great picture for the papers. But for them, that's nothing.

Same with Spain, it seemed they were so busy trying to not do anything else stupid that they forgot to fall down and play dead.

And so far today in the Columbia / Greece game, a couple of Columbia's players tried to pull off a bit of acting by rolling on the field like they'd been shot by a sniper. But the ref didn't buy it, and, miraculously, they were suddenly healed and able to play on.

Has FIFA cured the Flopper Ailment? No, not by a long shot, but by this stage in the 2010 cup, we were all as sick of those that took a dive every time they ran by somebody in a different uniform as we were the vuvuzelas.

As the Cup continues, we'll have to see how it goes.

 

[DrLeftover]

ANOTHER upset?

Uruguay was seeded in the top 10. Costa Rica kicked their backsides 3 - 1.

But, we've already seen World Number One SPAIN get hammered.

So, it's going to be an interesting run of group play.

 

[DrLeftover]

England had a nice run of it.

But now it'll be tough for them to get passed group play.

As for Italy. I don't know about you, but I wasn't that impressed with them either.

 

[DrLeftover]

Leave it to France to create a controversy where it is supposed to be impossible due to incontrovertible evidence.

 

[Sinon]

Bosnia's own goal is the fastest in world cup history.

I can't breathe

XD

 

[DrLeftover]

They learned that trick from Brazil, and just did it one better.

 

[DrLeftover]

While I was checking today's times (Germany - Portugal play at 10 Eastern) I spent a few minutes looking at the Las Vegas odds on the various teams of winning it all.

Brazil was the favorite at 3 - 1, primarily because they have some, shall we say, influence, with the refs and Argentina at 9 - 2 came in a strong second.

Next was World Number One Spain, and European power Germany both at 6 to 1.

England, Italy, Uruguay, Portugal, Belgium, France, Colombia, and the Netherlands make up the pack at somewhere around between 20 and 30 to one.

OK, fine, hard to argue with those numbers.

But, somebody, somewhere, in a darkened bar at the back of a sports book in Vegas gave Japan the odds of taking home the trophy at 150 to 1.

Well, sure.

But they then pegged the USA at 200 to 1.

You'd THINK that the US's game has gotten a little better in four years, maybe not to rival some of those usual suspects, but 200 to ONE?

But then again, just the other day, Holland, the land of overpriced tulips and wooden shoes, beat SPAIN and Costa Rica, at 2500 to 1 beat Uruguay.

So. I guess we'll have to see how it goes.