2010 World Cup Thread - Page 3

Oh my god I hope I dont have to listen to Sal Masekela for a month. Most annoying person on espn.

Tomorrow is the debut for my team. Uruguay vs. France. It would be awesome. It's a hard series too.

Tis past midnight here so now I can say the World Cup kicks off... today!

I don't even know how to feel about England, I'm still burned from 4 years ago when I felt some welcome optimism and we turned out to be AWFUL.

Correct, sir. I got my references mixed up. Hence the jacket I’ll be wearing to and from the restaurant.

I’m watching with an ex-pat group I joined, so I’ll be fine during the game. It’s scary to note that the group leader had to set the meetup out of Central London with a reminder to not wear any US merch outside the restaurant.

England will be a lot better this time. I've got them beating the US 3-1.

Ah you think the US will breach the impenetrable, unforgiving defence of England? Beware all who attempt such a feat!

I do hope we're a LOT better than last time around but with Heskey in the side I worry.

It's a subject over here at the moment but I'm really concerned about Rooney losing his temper in a friendly against a local South African club or whoever it was. What's at stake in a game like that? Nothing, so what's he gonna be like when the match actually matters?

We keep being assured that he's fine and he can control his temper but... I won't even say I'm apprehensive, I just flat out don't believe them.

I am so ready for this.

Glad to see that it took less than a half for the refs to make an utterly retarded call.

Those horns are annoying already, at least play a tune!


You mean the offside goal? It was offside though...

I was gonna ask if we're all sick of the vuvuvulevas already.

Oh Desailly the 'pundit'... I'm convinced he's only there for comedy purposes.

The guy was planted on the back line, maybe I'm confused by the rule, but he never came off the line.

I thought that was why ITV bought Chiles. Or was it because he's more convincing as a human than Jim Rosenthal

Decent first half, SA* seemed to have woken up.

*please stop calling them Bafana Bafana. It's just silly.

Keeper was beyond the line of the attacking player so only one man between the striker and goal line = offside. It was a very good spot by the linesman and the number of professional pundits on the TV who don't the rule is alarming

1-0, great goal, shit macarena celebration.

Wow what a finish, and of course the commentator subsequently said BAFANA BAFANA twice in the space of 20 seconds.

And, Tshabalala? Spectacular.

That's our team's name. It's in Zulu.

EDIT: An yes, the Vuvuzelas are infuriating. Just be glad you don't have to walk around hearing them all day, like I do.

I have nothing against the name, but the way the ITV commentators substitute it for the name of the country strikes me as "We're supporting the home team. Look how we call them the same name the fans do". Don't think I've heard them refer to Mexico by "El Tri" yet.

Tidy goal by Tshabalala mind

This score is great. Go Uruguay!

Well there you go. I was wrong. My apologies to FIFA.

Man Mexico got extremely lucky there at the end.

Well... Gotta say things got off to a slightly disappointing start for me. Logic would dictate that I should have been rooting for Mexico (Latin heritage and all) but I tend to like African teams. Honestly, though, South Africa barely registered. Good goalkeeper, that's a fact. A couple of those saves were miraculous. I'll be wearing the South Africa jersey again, but they've got a bit of a hurdle given their performance today. Uruguay is hungry and France is definitely going to cream them.

I wouldn't exactly call that a great goal. It was practically given away. Mexico let their guard down and their goalkeeper is shit. The one that pissed me off was that ball that hit the post midway through the second half. THAT would have been a spectacular goal, agreed?

Overall, I wouldn't call them lucky. They played very well. Dos Santos and Vela are definitely the stars here. But they needed to keep that agression up for the second half and they didn't. They're going to have a hard time with France.

..............

Things are off to a fine start. Unfortunately, work commitments mean I'll miss the Uruguay-France match. But I'll just state that France is probably a lock on that one. I'm going to say 3-1. Am I overestimating France?

As for tomorrow? Let me say this: My heart lies with England. It always will. But heritage and patriotism demand I back a losing horse. So, for 90 minutes, it will be 1776. I'll keep it friendly though. Plan to catch the game at a pub. I'm sure I'll be the only one with my team's jersey. Be nice to me.

Oh... I've now heard Wavin' Flag about 743 times. (50 of those times just today). Wanna swap ears with me?

Argh, why did the BBC bring Mark Lawrenson? boring unfunny know-nothing.

This has been a pretty decent game so far, number of chances for each side, think France will edge it in the second half. France are a hard team to predict, they were pretty poor four years ago and still got to the final. I believe England are likely to meet them
in the quarters if they get that far, don't think the English would have too much trouble with them.

Feel like I could've improved those French attacks. Fair play to Uruguay for hanging on. Diego should've won it for them, though, with that volley.

Henry's hand-ball shout had to happen sooner rather than later.

Yeah, France is likely going nowhere. The team just doesn´t have any structure in any relevant category nor spirit, albeit great individual players. Uruguay will regret these lost points.

I haven´t seen the opening match due to work which is pretty much the first time in my live I missed it. Guess I am getting old, grown up and bald now. But the fever is peaking. I am really looking forward to this weekend. Sunday evening´s gonna be great, but I am even more amped for the clash tomorrow. Should be interesting to follow this thread.

Oh, and the next unlucky person that will trump a Vuvuzuela next to me or near me will get shot. In the guts. Repeatedly.

Wait, they have them overseas now?

Yeah. Just like commercial cancer.

I can really see France having another epic terrible World Cup (like in 2002). And yes, Forlan should have won the game on that volley.

Someone drove past my flat earlier blasting on one of those horns out of their window, I wanted to chase him down and shove it up his arse, bah!

France were quite poor there, no cohesiveness and they played like strangers. Still, they won't miss sitters in every match I wouldn't write them off just yet.

Looking forward to the Argentina game tomorrow. I've decided to adopt them as my pet team for this tournament and i want some craziness from Diego tomorrow.

So what are the predictions for US vs England tomorrow? 3-0 USA ? ;-)

I'm being cautious and predicting just an 8-0 win for England.

France were awful but I said the same 4 years ago, I'm sure they started weak, seemed weak throughout group stage and then when they got to knockouts they turned it on.

In that group the way they're playing might be enough to get through.

Wise words, Dusty. After all, remember how well the Netherlands (who, incidentally, I'm defaulting to again) started Euro '08 before peaking too soon?

3-1 England. I dont see the US winning this game.

Did anyone see the BBC feature on the England 0 - USA 1 game from the 1950 World Cup? It was pretty entertaining, the Americans were basically non-league standard players, they turned up wearing Stetsons and smoking cigars and then won with the spawniest goal ever. The guy who scored the goal was from Haiti and went back there not long after and was apparently executed by the dictator in charge (Papa something?), really fascinating story.

I think England will win tomorrow but it won't be comfortable, probably 2-1. It'll be a typical cagey first game and a lot will depend on how well Donavon plays, who seriously impressed me when he was at Everton, and if Rooney and Emile 'The Black Pele' Heskey link up well.

Fuck France in the ass.

I didn't catch the game but the bits I heard on the radio and the highlights were frustrating. Like someone said, though, this is not unlike 2006. They started out weak and then Zidane popped in and the team's morale was given a boost.

One could imagine the same except, this time, there is no Zidane. France once again shows how the whole can never equal its parts. Some fantastic players on this team, and yet....

(Then again, they could always bribe Brazil or something.)

You all expected better than this, right?

I would say that Uruguay is pretty hopeless.

As far as tomorrow's England/US match, I also think ENGLAND 3-1 is a safe bet.

*fills out the bet card at the pub like so*

*proceeds to root for the US like a jackass*

Papa Doc Duvalier.

And that is a pretty interesting story.

Maybe its been a habit for I dunno a few decades, but I don't see the US team doing anything.

Geez guys, dream a little!

I think 2-1 is a likely score, to be honest. Either way. Historically the US doesn't shit the bed when not in Europe, so we'll see...

That was a pretty decent feature. The Game of Their Lives is a fantastic read if you want to learn more about the 1950 team. It's too bad the Hoosiers/Rudy guys were boned on the budget for the movie adaptation, because that was a missed opportunity for a great sports film.

My quest for a shirt continues. Niketown in Oxford Circus had two USA jerseys left, both in medium. The guy said they'd be getting more in later in the week, and figured they'd be going for half-price after tomorrow (ha?).

I swear to God, the bars I've found which open at 7 am for games have earned my loyalty forever.

The France Uruguay game may have ended goalless but I enjoyed the struggle. Each first round match is only part of a trilogy for each team and the two games this morning did a pretty good job of introducing the characters of the sides. If Forlan and Suarez can find a rhythm Uruguay could really trouble the defences of SA and Mexico, but as it was this morning those two guys just weren't on the same wavelength.

As for the vuvuzelas, I don't mind them but I hope the FIFA TV producers can find a way to position the stadium mics so that the fans of the likes of Brazil, Denmark and England, who have their own, more creative ways of generating atmosphere, come across in the broadcasts.


Yeah, Gourcuff seems to be the player charged with that Zidane playmaker role but apart from that one great free kick he looked pretty easy to handle for the Uruguayans. And Malouda is no Zidane either (nobody is really, not even Messi yet) but I hope he gets a start instead of Gourcuff next time. Malouda seems more dangerous and is bound to link with his Chelsea buddy Anelka more fluently.

Then again, I won't cry if France goes out again in the first round and we see two of the other teams progress in their place. SA advancing would be unexpected but a great thing for the tournament and for football.

USA vs England match ad from ABC

"Tyranny is not easily conquered ..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDz30...layer_embedded

In my mission to watch every game on tv live...I will be waking up at 7am to watch the South Korea vs Greece match. Anyone gonna be up to watch?

Ah. Weekend. World Cup. Three matches. BBQ and a fridge full of supplements.

Life is beautiful.

So I'm trying to listen to the cup on the radio, but it's a pain getting onto either bbc or espn. Anyone have any suggestions for online radio commentary for an international chewer?

Man, I'm glad I'm not a commentator after seeing the team line ups for this match. The South Koreans look pretty handy, could of had three already. And if Liverpool's Kyriagios was playing he would of gotten his head to that corner, the man is a beast.

I'm surprised to see so many empty seats, don't they usually give them away to schools and the like if they can't sell them?

Infrastructural problems aside, ticket clusterfucks are a FIFA tradition by now considering their shady hospitality and commercial partner ticket deals.