We can't wait for the World Cup here. My sons (4yrs and 2yrs) are getting their USA kids kit in the mail today! My husband's USA jersey should be here on Thursday, it is a surprise. Too bad we will be moving right about the time it starts--just hope we can get our TV set up ASAP!
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The 2010 World Cup
- Thread starter Jaffa Cake
- Start date
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I think I've got my surrogate team for this year! Who are they playing?
Welcome.
Although, I suspect Beasley will be cut. But you never know.
I'm trying to decide whether to get a home or away shirt. And still desperately trying to discover if there's any chance I'll be able to watch any matches live, especially USA ones.
When does it officially start? I enjoy soccer and will somehow need to make sure that I have a channel here in the US that will carry the matches.
The opening match – in which hosts South Africa take on Mexico – takes place on 11th June.
Just a month away!
Plus, the dark blue away shirt would give you a bit of solidarity with your new Scottish best friend.
Just a month away!
I'd steer clear of the white home shirt, if you're wearing it in snowy Alaska no one would be able to see you. That could prove disastrous in the event of an emergency.
Plus, the dark blue away shirt would give you a bit of solidarity with your new Scottish best friend.
I'd steer clear of the white home shirt, if you're wearing it in snowy Alaska no one would be able to see you. That could prove disastrous in the event of an emergency.
Plus, the dark blue away shirt would give you a bit of solidarity with your new Scottish best friend.
I am leaning towards the away shirt actually, because my current shirt is the (previous) home variety. Plus, the away shirt is sort of half a Scottish flag if you squint.
Speaking of snow, I'm freezing today actually. This damned state should be burning all this oil for heat rather than just pumping it away so Californians can put it in their cars.
Unless I'm very much mistaken (which happens quite a lot) I think that every one of Fabio's 30 play their football in England. I'm not sure what that's saying about English football, good or bad.
I also calculate their average age at 28 which isn't as bad as I thought.
The USA away strip isn't offensive. Seeing as I've been sent to sunny Middlesbrough again (-1 degC this morning) I'll have a look at the shops.
I also calculate their average age at 28 which isn't as bad as I thought.
The USA away strip isn't offensive. Seeing as I've been sent to sunny Middlesbrough again (-1 degC this morning) I'll have a look at the shops.
Well, Sky are always breathlessly telling us that the Premier League is The Best League In The World™, so I'm sure that won't be a problem...
Historically most of our players have been home-based, had Beckham have been fit then we would more than likely have had one foreign-based player.
The Premier League is the "Best League in the World", and yet the English are probably the most untravelled players in the world. English players in the Premier league don't go to Spain, Italy, Germany or France when they make a move out of the Premier League - they go to the Championship, Scotland, or retirement....
19 of the 30 players on the USA squad are based in Europe, 2 play in the Mexican Primera Division and the remaining 9 play in the MLS. I expect all of the cuts to come from the pool of MLS players.
I'm hoping at least one of the two Columbus players make it.
19 of the 30 players on the USA squad are based in Europe, 2 play in the Mexican Primera Division and the remaining 9 play in the MLS. I expect all of the cuts to come from the pool of MLS players.
I'm hoping at least one of the two Columbus players make it.
That's what I was getting at. The PL is hyped as the best league in the world so it's a good reflection of the technical talent of the squad. Then again, is it not incredibly narrow minded or even lazy of the players not to go and discover football further afield, discover other ways of playing?
Looking through the records, the last 40 England caps all played for English clubs at the time apart from Beckham.
Most of the Scotland squad who aren't in the SPL play in the Championship!
The head organizer of the World Cup has slammed Brazil manager Dunga for not including Ronaldinho in his world cup squad:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-...paign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines&cc=5901&ver=us
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-...paign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines&cc=5901&ver=us
No Ronaldo either. I'm actually more surprised that Pato was excluded, although he's had injury trouble this season.
There's no tougher squad to get into than Brazil, even players who would be automatic starters for almost any other country have to fight for a place.
Guys like Pato, Adriano, and Diego have to stay at home. Sheesh!
Maradona's baffling selections for Argentina are really going to cost them IMO. No Riquelme, no Cambiasso, no Gago? In particular Riquelme would have given them what they need creatively in midfield to go very far, but Maradona couldn't man up and put his personal spat aside.
ESPN and Univision will pretty much show every game in HD...i think the final will be on ABC (parent company of ESPN)...
-J.-
France, Argentina will pay for their omissions...Brazil will not be a pretty team to watch and should be stopped by someone like Germany or Spain...
-J.-
-J.-
Argentina are the least predictable side going into the tournament. Their potential is very high but Maradona is a destructive influence with his bizarre call-ups and erratic personality.
Should be fun to watch.
I'm not so sure. "Dunga Football" has been very successful for them. Many of the top European national teams play a counterattacking style so if Brazil does it they'll fit right in.
My early prediction is for a Spain-Brazil final but all of my predicitons have been vastly off the mark lately so who knows. France is hurtling towards disaster, I can honestly see them finishing second to Mexico in the group stage.
Should be fun to watch.
theITGuy said:
I'm not so sure. "Dunga Football" has been very successful for them. Many of the top European national teams play a counterattacking style so if Brazil does it they'll fit right in.
My early prediction is for a Spain-Brazil final but all of my predicitons have been vastly off the mark lately so who knows. France is hurtling towards disaster, I can honestly see them finishing second to Mexico in the group stage.
Not picking former captain Pat Viera even as a dressing room inspiration is a big mistake...I say Mexico and Uruguay nip them in Group A...
-J.-
In 2006 I had Spain vs Germany, same as 2008 Euro...i'll say the same thing again...it's hard to beat a) any team w/o having the ball (anyone playing Spain) and b) as Gary Lineker famously said 90 minutes of footie and the Germans win...
-J.-
The big name players certainly tend to stay in this country, although to be fair there are plenty of Englishmen plying their trade in leagues all over the world just not ones generally of the standard to play for the national team.
I think when they're playing for the bigger clubs here they get in a nice comfort zone they're playing for a successful team, life's good, no real reason to move in their minds I suppose. Of course, the fact that the top flight here has some of the highest wages around is a major factor too.
We tend to go through little phases of big-name players going abroad, the likes of Lineker, Hoddle and Gascoigne were a few of the English players to have success in the late eighties/early nineties playing in some of Europe's top leagues (and Scotland
). Of course, the impact of the post-Heysel ban was a huge factor in their moving abroad as it was the only way these players could have access to European competition at that time.It's funny because when top English players go abroad it's I think it's fair to say they generally do well, and it would be nice to see more of our better players and managers for that matter give it a try. Unfortunately though too many seem to see the notion of playing abroad as a nice final payday towards the end of their careers rather than a means to improve their game earlier on.
It'll be interesting to see how the various national leagues are represented at the tournament, I strongly suspect that English clubs will have the most representatives in South Africa but it'll be interesting to see how other leagues such as the Spanish and Italian tally up in comparison. Once the final squads are announced I might do a bit of totting up...
hard to judge ... they are different characters than Lehmann and Kahn which both were two of the best "penalty box" dominators
Wiese is flat out brilliant on short range "reflexes".. in the box catching crosses: hit and miss
Butt: expierence, strong on penalties on both ends, also not the best the crosses, but better in closing the angles
Neuer: got same amount of goals as Butt in the Bundesliga, great allround keeper, and he sure knows how to do those miracle saves
IMHO Neuer is going to make it unless Löw decides to go with expierence and take Butt
the injured Adler is at the moment the best because he also has got that strong penalty box playing
but let's be honest germany choosing a goalkeeper is like brazil choosing strikers, even the 5th or 6th in line would be clear nr1 in another country
I don't think France's omissions will really hurt them TBH. Benzema didn't do much for Madrid this season and France has enough other striking options (Govou, Gignac, &c.). Vieira was awful this season, just don't see what else he has to offer on the pitch at this point. Nasri, I don't quite understand why he's not going. He was very good for Arsenal this season.
No matter, Domenech will find a way to screw up that team. So much talent, so much underachievement. And they are in a tough group.
No matter, Domenech will find a way to screw up that team. So much talent, so much underachievement. And they are in a tough group.
Lionel Messi: great when playing for FC Barcelona, but terrible when playing for the Argentine national team. Methinks Diego Maradona's antics will result in the team losing early in the knockout rounds.
Capello says no to Jaffa Cakes!
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/footba...a-and-custard-to-south-africa-86908-22252553/
Indeed.
Capello says no to Jaffa Cakes!
Like McClaren and Eriksson before him, Capello has chosen not to call me up.
I'm 34 now, and let's be honest at my age this was really my last chance to play in a World Cup. I've given the matter a lot of thought, and I've decided that the time has come to announce with regret that I am no longer available for selection for the national side.