The official 2022 FIFA World Cup thread
doubledragon
Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭
I'm starting this thread in case anyone wants to talk about the 2022 FIFA World Cup. You see, once every four years I become a hardcore soccer fan, a fake soccer fan you might say, and I always enjoy listening to real soccer fans talk about the sport, so if anyone wants to comment on the World Cup, we're open for business.
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I wonder if @Justacommeman is watching the World Cup right now, I know he loves soccer. Don't be a stranger Mark, drop us a line!
I have to admit, I know nothing at all about soccer, I do remember a number of years ago that this annoying noise maker became popular with world cup fans. It seems like it was all over the news. It would have had to be for me to hear about it as I dont watch the games.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
I don't think too many people around here seem to care much about soccer, it will be interesting to see how many responses this thread gets, probably not many!
I just want to give everyone an update, team USA had Wales on the ropes until they gave up that penalty kick, it ends in a 1-1 tie. This is fake soccer fan signing off for now.
high scoring game.
Hello and welcome to the official 2022 FIFA World Cup thread, we appreciate you stopping by. Yes, it was an action packed game, and if team USA doesn't win the World Cup, which they won't, then I am rooting for Argentina, they have pretty cool looking uniforms. Go Argentina!
a nation of 335 million people and the best we could do against Wales is a tie
we are potent in soccer
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
Yeah, no kidding, it's pathetic.
a Lumbergh meme
you have officially reached the mountain top my friend
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
Yup, here we go again, another underwhelming performance by Team USA. We always hear that 'this is gonna be the year this time', but then they tie with Wales, a country of 3.14 million, even beating Iran if they do, they may not make the next round. Well done Team USA, just please stop telling us that you don't suck because...........
This is so exciting, check out these highlights from the Morocco vs Croatia game!
I dont care one lick about soccer, but i did just start watching the NETLIX documentary about FIFA. what a dirty organization. holy cow.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Yes, FIFA is a filthy, dirty organization, very shameful. I actually have FIFA 16 corruption edition on xbox, I think I'll play a few games tonight!
Team USA can make the next round if they beat Iran. A tie and a win usually suffices. It is very realistic that they can beat Iran. While they should have beaten Wales, soccer has that element of unpredictability that humbles you quickly.
As a long time Germany fan, I was disappointed that they let the game against Japan slip away. It was theirs to preserve since they had the lead. A real tough pill to swallow. Japan did everything well and took advantage of Germany's lapses. Now Germany must face a soccer powerhouse in Spain and must win to keep their hopes alive in reaching the second round. They only failed to reach the second round once in their history of playing in the World Cup and that was just last year. I thought 4 years was enough to distance themselves from the melt down of the 2018 World Cup, but it seems as though it is still following and haunting them.
In any case, that game has to be put behind and the focus should be on the next game against Spain. Both teams split during the Nations League tournament, so Germany has all the potential to redeem itself. I cannot imagine they get so unlucky in two games in a row. Hopefully the Japan game was simply a wake up call.
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Thanks for mentioning this. I got to see that documentary one of these days. I do not doubt that corruption is rampant in that organization. The fact that the World Cup is being played where it is proves it. I wish for the day where they can simply clean house.
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Just saw the Portugal-Ghana game.
Portugal is a solid team, but they have to be careful to pay full attention at all times and never leave their guard down. They can control the tempo of a game and grind down the opposing team and then have their strikers finish them off.
BST: Tennessebanker, Downtown1974, LarkinCollector, nendee
The USA held their ground nicely against England and came away with a point in the group rankings.
I imagine the US strategy was to do their best against England and win against Iran and Wales. Well, not everything goes to plan, but going on to the second round is still entirely up to them. They must beat Iran. It is something within their skill and abilities. It should be an exciting match up.
There is still a gaping omission of this year's World Cup that I have not heard talked about. The Four-time World Cup champions Italy missed their second consecutive World Cup tournament. They missed 2018 due to Sweden and 2022 due to North Macedonia. The former is a strong team, but the latter is not a household name.
BST: Tennessebanker, Downtown1974, LarkinCollector, nendee
Can someone please explain this to me, didn't the game end in a 0-0 tie, what the heck is going on here?
DD, I think they are just goofing on SA soccer. greatest strategy game since Tic Tac To
This was from the previous World Cup meeting between the USA and England, 12 years ago or so, which did end 1-1. As this time, England fans expected to win easily but only got the single point. The guy leaping in the picture (Clint Dempsey) is one of the commentators for this tournament.
England has never beaten the USA in a game that counted for anything, fwiw.
Germany needs a W today vs Spain. Going to be tough.
We just got back from a week in Panama. Cup was on everywhere and everyone was into it. All the restaurants, shops, wherever there was a tv the games were on. We walked through the mall by our hotel on turkey day, every tv in that place had the games on and the cafes that didn't normally have tvs had standup ones there for the games.
I see, thank you for clearing that up. Like I said, I usually don't watch much soccer, but I've always enjoyed the World Cup, it's a fascinating tournament, I love the atmosphere, it lasts for about a month and it really is an epic sporting event.
Canadas first WC goal...followed by 2 for Croatia. Tough
Too much added time every game.
DPOTD-3
'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'
CU #3245 B.N.A. #428
Don
I suspected similar too. However, it seems to be consistent across all the games. It could be a rule change so that teams stop wasting time when they are ahead or for any other reason.
I have not heard anything addressed regarding this in any official capacity though.
BST: Tennessebanker, Downtown1974, LarkinCollector, nendee
Germany played better in this matchup against Spain. Overall, they created more chances because of their second half surge, but it was not enough for the win. However, a tie keeps their status alive and the next match against Costa Rica presents the best case scenario for a victory. Costa Rica is a solid team and they have all due respect, but they are not going to be more difficult or challenging than Spain or Japan. This is a humbling sport and the better team does not always win. They already had the short end of luck in their first two matches, so let us see some things go their way this time around.
I look forward to the Portugal game tomorrow.
BST: Tennessebanker, Downtown1974, LarkinCollector, nendee
DoubleDragon,
I do not follow the professional soccer leagues either, but I do pay close attention to international soccer. The World Cup, Euro Cup, and Nations League is what I follow. There are also qualification matches for the World Cup and Euro Cup that I follow too. There is virtually year round action for the national teams.
BST: Tennessebanker, Downtown1974, LarkinCollector, nendee
I’m not a soccer fan because I’m afraid I would be terrible at rioting.
Portugal seemed to be in good form today against a formidable team. While Portugal is a solid team, they did have some things go in their favor today. If they play Uruguay next week, it could easily end in a tie. That is the nature of soccer.
In any case, they play South Korea in a few days. While they qualified for the next round already, they can give some of their bench ample playing time so that they are warmed up against the second round opponent with full force. The knockout stage could have some games that are extended to 30 minutes if they end in a tie during regulation time, so it would be a good idea to have the whole team hone their skills.
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I want to bet USA vs Iran
The draw seems enticing with the best odds
I imagine the US would be an amazing powerhouse if our national team didnt have to use the leftovers from the athletes who chose football, basketball and baseball over soccer. I believe we have the greatest athletes in the world, ours just happen to choose other sports.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
We're getting ready to play Iran here in a bit, I'm pumped up!
Team USA is up 1-0 over Iran right now, I'm watching the game and eating a chicken sandwich!
We won, we won, team USA wins, we beat Iran 1-0!
ONE TIME FOR THE KID!!!
@galaxy27 🇺🇸💪💯🙌🍻 💰 💸
Decipher that is easy!!
🍻
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
A job well done by team USA!
The team is solid and competitive. They should be fine against the Netherlands. Anything can happen in the knockout stages. It can go either way.
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The USA has a large population, so it can feed any of its sports teams just fine. Just think, traditional soccer powers like Germany (83 million), Italy (60 million), France (65 million), Uruguay (3 million), Spain (46 Million), Portugal (10 million), Argentina (45 million), Netherlands (17 million), etc. have populations that are many times smaller than the USA. You only need a minority of the population in the USA to be interested in order to be competitive. Besides having the numbers, you also need player development/investment. Probably not a lot of resources are being funneled to US soccer as they are to other sports, so players fall through the cracks of getting the right training and expertise.
I do not think US soccer players failed to get on the football, basketball or baseball teams and then decided they will do soccer. Those that wanted soccer, went for soccer against all the odds of being stigmatized, ostracized, and probably made fun of. Also, basketball and football requires a very different physique from its athletes. Who on the USMNT looks like they can be in the NBA or NFL? Christian Pulisic, for example, is a world class player, but he does not have that physique for the NFL or NBA. He chose soccer as his first choice.
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that is sort of what i meant. I believe we have the greatest athletes in the world. most of them, for what ever reason go into nfl, mlb, nba. say we were a soccer only country and all of those athletes played soccer instead. we would dominate. can you imagine tyreek hill on the soccer pitch if he were trained in soccer from age 3? so many NFL WR/CB/S would be able to physically dominate the sport. I also dont think their speed could be matched. think of the nba players, if they had gone into soccer at a young age. imagine how quickly they could move up and down the pitch at 6'6"?
Great athletes + early training = world domination.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Our women are a soccer powerhouse
Iranians celebrate their own defeat to the USA.
https://m.timesofindia.com/sports/football/fifa-world-cup-2022/watch-protesters-celebrate-irans-defeat-against-us-in-fifa-world-cup/amp_articleshow/95874648.cms
its a good point, and it further illustrates mine. there are way fewer opportunities for women to play professional sports in the US. there is the WNBA, but no NFL or MLB. I would imagine that our women are being "funneled" into soccer as the alternatives are fewer and further between.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Mexico came up just short in an entertaining and frenzied game today. They hadn't scored in the tournament yet, and needed a win to advance, and they finally went after it against Saudi Arabia. Mexico needed a win for sure, but what else depended on the results of the simultaneous Argentina-Poland game. Not knowing exactly what results were needed added to the fun in watching the game on TV. Mexico scored 2 nice goals, including one great free kick, and were in position to settle the matter by winning big enough to win the tiebreakers. But they were still short one goal, and despite peppering the Saudi defense, they were looking to be almost exactly tied for 2nd place with Poland, but would lose out based only on having more yellow cards in this tournament! (Next up was a coin flip.) But the last goal to break the ties was not coming, and that is the end of the tournament for Mexico.
I think the USA has a good shot against the Netherlands. It won't be easy of course, but we have a chance. The two sides have never met in a game that meant anything.
Mexico typically advances to the second round. They have done for a long stretch. This is the first time since 1978 that they did not get out of the group stage. They just missed it.
It goes to show that a little luck is sometimes needed to overcome some odds. If group play was repeated, you would get a different outcome and Mexico would likely advance.
Now the USA against the Netherlands....it can go either way. The Netherlands is probably the best team in history that has not yet won the World Cup. They made the finals multiple times, just never won the championship. I can see a scenario where the USA can win, but the Netherlands are no pushovers either.
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What devastating and heartbreaking lost opportunity for Germany yesterday. They beat Costa Rica 4-2, but were dependent on the Spain-Japan match outcome in regards to advancing out of the group or not. Yes, they should have never been in this position in the first place as they could have tied with Japan in that match up or scored an extra goal against Spain to beat them in their second game. The only years Germany did not make it past the first round in the 20 World Cup tournaments (out of 22) it participated in was 1938, 2018, and now 2022.
This means that in a total of 22 World Cups so far, including this one, Germany finished no less than 8th place in 17 of them. no other team in the world has a better record than that. Like all Germany fans, we always looked forward to seeing how far they get towards the finals. They made the semifinals in 13 tournaments overall. That is a better than a 50% occurrence.
It is so unusual not seeing Germany again for this tournament. Besides the USA, I still have one team that I closely follow. I am all behind Portugal to finally claim the World Cup.
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Man USA got put on the tracks early, oh well. Let's go Messi/Argentina!
We ended up where we should have. US is what, the second youngest club, yet showed they could drive possession at larger intervals with a couple of the top 6 teams in the world. Through today, created the 3rd most scoring chances. But 3 defensive lapses, missing even a semi-legit #9, and Walker Zimmerman and his stupid Gareth Bale manbun is not fit to be anything more than America's Rob Holding....a guy who isn't good enough to anything except come on for the last 10 minutes when the team is behind. Find even a semi-legit #9 and a centerback, and then you can raise expectations.