Anybody care?
I love it personally.
First game was exciting.

I am rooting for the african teams, a win for them would go along way.

Anybody but brazil or england or germany.
Rooting for the underdogs...and of course the home team !!

I like to cheer for the African teams as well. I used to love Cameroon back when Valderamma was still playing. I also love watching Brazil though, I know it's no fun cheering for an overwhelming favourite, but I can't help but enjoy watching the way they play the game. I'm not going to be rooting for them, but I definitely want to watch their games! This year I will also be cheering on Iran, as one of my good buddies is Iranian and I think it could be a very positive thing for that nation to do well, as well as for Holland, I think it might finally be their time!

quote:

Originally posted by Smenkharon:
I like to cheer for the African teams as well. I used to love Cameroon back when Valderamma was still playing.

When North American are talking about (European) football... Carlos Valderama is Colombian.

quote:

I used to love Cameroon back when Valderamma was still playing.

If you mean Carlos Valderrama, then you're referring to a Colombian player. Either way, I love the Cup and watch religiously. Thanks to Maradonna in '86 and Baggio in '90 & '94, I'm a life long fan. My wife and I will both be rooting for Argentina with fanatic passion. Tevez, Crespo, and Messi should be able to bring it home this year.

Although I can never root against the United States unless its basketball, I enjoy our role as underdog. Soccer is one sport that we don't dominate in America and I would hate to see the day that we did. (Although that day will never come)

I don't know how much winning a World Cup title would do for a third world country as far as long term change is concerned. I'd imagine that Iran would still be Iran in the long run. I do know from experience that losing can emotionally devastate a country for years.

quote:

Originally posted by P-Bo:


I don't know how much winning a World Cup title would do for a third world country as far as long term change is concerned. I'd imagine that Iran would still be Iran in the long run. I do know from experience that losing can emotionally devastate a country for years.

your right, i wast saying that in context to real, good change.it would just be cool for some teams to do well.
the stories of a few of the african teams are phenomenal, i believe national geographic did a story on each of them.prety incredible stories...

good for ecuador too, poland looked sluggish !

When North American are talking about (European) football... Carlos Valderama is Colombian.
OOPS! Where was my brain...?
The both start with a C though! Lol
I don't think that World Cup success for Iran will change anything politically, but if it can help to make Iranians feel less isolated, then that will be a very positive thing!
I hope Togo can get it together, apparently they did not practice today as the players are seeking higher pay.
I can't bring myself to like Argentina, aside from the infamous hand-ball, I find them to be a little on the dirty side, and I absolutely despise diving(same goes for Manu Ginobili's disgusting flopping theatrics in basketball!)! The Portugese are probably the worst offenders in the diving department though. They will likely choke again this year too.

good games today, i was most entertained by the 0-0 match !! that was a really exciting match.

i wish i vory coast would have faired better but, they seemed overmatched most the time.

I've been enjoying the World Cup so far. I don't usually like soccer but the high level of play and the drama surrounding the whole event is drawing me in.

Is anyone else having trouble with the forums? All the text has been the same color as the background and I've had to highlight it to read it the last couple of days.

I've had no such problems.

I guess I'm rooting for England, but it would be pretty cool if a third world country like Ivory Coast won or did well. It's a very welcome change that the United States isn't the dominant force in a sport for once. I almost want to see them lose to a very small country to help cement that claim.

Anyone else think a movie about Trinidad & Tobago at the World Cup might make a good sequel to Cool Runnings? They managed to hold off Sweden 0-0, but what lies ahead for them?

quote:

Is anyone else having trouble with the forums? All the text has been the same color as the background and I've had to highlight it to read it the last couple of days.

no, i suggest you put down the pipe and try a different hobby. Jogging is always a good choice.

I never watch football/soccer, but I did sit through the whole 0-0 Sweden-Trinidad match earlier today (it is summer, what can I say). I actually thought it was very interesting, especially at the end where the Trinidad fans were cheering and hugging each other, while the Swedes were sobbing and frowning, even though neither team even scored. I still like American sports better though because with soccer there just doesn't seem to be as much situational tension. In football you have fourth down, in baseball you have the ninth inning, in basketball you have one point leads with five seconds remaining, in golf you have the 18th hole, in tennis the tiebreaker, but in soccer? There's usually just a stage in the match where you realize one team is going to lose, and you're like, oh.

^^^

I am totally opposite.
I have grown up playing and watching sports religiously.Basketball,baseball, football.

I am telling i have grown so bored of all the american leagues.That is why i am drawn so much to soccer.it is so fresh to me and so new.I just got into the premiership last year and now the world cup.

Anyways, i am very excited to be a football fan.
I am stoked to be watching the world cup and actully know whats going on and recognizing players.

I've been trying to figure out how soccer can have such an incredibly huge fanbase and I think it boils down to two things:

1) The simplicity - very easy to follow, doesn't have all the added details of most games.
Ex: Soccer is pretty much get a ball into a goal. Anyone could understand it, no matter what language they speak. I played with a bunch of guys in Mexico that didnt speak any English and even though I was horrible, I never didn't know what was going on.
Try to explain baseball, on the other hand, and it's like "Ok, so there are these things called innings, there are nine of them, and each team spends half an inning at bat and the other half in the field. When you're at bat, you try to hit the ball, then you have to run to a base, but if someone catches the ball or gets it to the next base before you get there, you're out. Then there's the strikes, balls, and fouls, now the thing about them is...
You get the idea.

2) The build-up to a goal or miss - While games like American football might have each team scoring once or twice every quarter, soccer only has each team scoring only about once, twice, or maybe not at all in an entire game. Seems boring to most of us Yankees, but the time between goals builds up so much tension that the fans literally go crazy when their team finally scores...or in the case of Sweden vs. T&T, when the other team doesnt score. What keeps people from every continent (except Antarctica) coming back for more more than anything else is probably that high they feel, a high that is legal, easily accessible, and costs only as much as an admission ticket or the price of a t.v. channel.

you also have to remember that every son and every father has been passed dow a team by their forefathers.there is so much history in soccer compared to most american sports.

also fans live and die with their teams, here we have alot of fairweather fans, they drift to teams that are in the lead, or to an up and coming player.which is also a reason that drew me to soccer, the fans are almost like a cult for their team, not literally of course, but no matter what they stick with that team through thick and thin.

quote:

1) The simplicity - very easy to follow, doesn't have all the added details of most games.

i disagree with that, when i first really got interested in the game i found it very hard to follow, some ofthe penalties are odd.the fact that the referee has so much leeway on penalties.the referee has alot more power in soccer than any ref has in any american sport.
also the formations, and how they work...really when u get into it it is very deep.

on the surface it does seem simple, but if you really want to get down and know the game and understand it, it is very intricate.

quote:

2) The build-up to a goal or miss

I totally agree, it really is one of a kind in that sense.because you know something 'could' hapen, but will it?


that sweden vs. t and t game is an excelent example of how a nil-nil game could be so exciting.sweden seemed like it was alway in its power zone and was always taking shots on goal.the goalie for t ant t was amazing some of those stops where incredible.
that lone shows the diversity of how a soccer game could be considered great.compare the germany game with 6 goals to the sweden game with zero?personally i think they are the 2 best matches so far. for totally different reasons.

i liken soccer to boxing in some ways.in boxing you can get random bursts of excitement, with alot of buildup to a knockout.just like soccer.
think about it the similarites between soccer and boxing are close...u could have an boxing match with no knockdowns that for themost part was amatch predicated on defending oneself, similar to soccer.

Well I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised to see this topic here. I started one on the Champions League awhile ago and it went nowhere...So people like futbol over there these days? I suppose with heroes like Brian McBride...
Anyway, despite a rather lazy approach against la Cote d'Ivoire, what little money I have has gone on Argentina at 10.5. I think of the big teams they are the best, and the African contigent this time around have nothing on Senegal and Cameroon from previous World Cups, even though I will, as always, be wishing them well.
All the early indications are that this will be the best World Cup in quite a while.
Here's hoping...

I like in soccer how every goal is a 'team' goal. A really great individual performance won't get you anywhere without a good team to feed the ball to you and keep you in the game defensively.

Usually the sports I watch are football, baseball, tennis, and basketball. I've only recently given up on the NHL.

quote:

Originally posted by Art Vandelay:
I like in soccer how every goal is a 'team' goal. A really great individual performance won't get you anywhere without a good team to feed the ball to you and keep you in the game defensively.

That's true, but the individual aspect of American sports is really what attracts me to them. When it's two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of a tied game, it is the pitcher versus the batter, may the best man win. We saw Vince Young practically single-handedly win the Rose Bowl earlier this year with spectacular play after spectacular play. That sort of individual talent is not as relevant in soccer.

quote:

Originally posted by paxsoprano:
That sort of individual talent is not as relevant in soccer.

Of course it is. The influence of players like Gerrard, Ronaldinho, Riquelme etc. on their teams is unquantifiable. Futbol highlights all the most appealing aspects of a "team game," while also allowing individuality to shine through.
The best of both worlds...

Well that type of player is very rare in soccer...so rare that the few players who can actually influence a game on their own become household names. In baseball 8 of the 9 people in the lineup can strike out every at-bat, yet the team could still win if one guy is seeing the ball well. In the playoffs it is possible for one or two pitchers to win a series (practically) all by themselves. My favorite sports to play (and watch) have always been sports like golf and tennis. There is just a lot more pressure in those sports on the individual.

quote:

Originally posted by Imprezu21:
compare the germany game with 6 goals to the sweden game with zero?personally i think they are the 2 best matches so far.

I can't see why you liked the German match that much? The goals were only caused by the horrible defense skills of both teams. My fave match by far until now was Argentina - Ivory Coast. The technic skills of Argentina are amazing and they were playing with a sort of relaxed attitude. Ivory Coast are a good team too.

Unfortunatly the "wrong" teams of Africa qualified for the World Cup. E.g. Nigeria and Senegal would be much more interesting than Angola or Togo.