World Cup winners ??

[H2Andy]

It's becoming obvious that you don't really understand football at all!

some say, "it is so written; let it be thus"

i say, "it will be thus; let it be so written"

I would suggest that Andy's team might be Cuba -- but they were eliminated in the first round of qualifying two years ago

let me remind you, my fine longhorn friend, that Cuba was the first country
in the Caribbean ever to qualify for the World Cup.

they did this back in 1938.

... and haven't made it back since

 

[ScubaTexan]

let me remind you, my fine longhorn friend...

Guess again...

 

[ScubaTexan]

 

[Quero]

I've got two team "families": US and Brasil (I'm binational). One needs loving nurturing and the other, well, just needs to be adored. Kim's got that part right.

I've also raised kids on four continents. My Brazilian boys played futebol/le foot/soccer/football in Brazil, Europe, the US and Asia, so I have a special perspective on youth developmental progression in the sport. From this perspective, I believe that the US sport suffers not in its lack of promising young athletes but rather in the fact that in South America and Europe a talented player goes straight from secondary school to pre-pro club play and intensive training. For example, one of my sons was on an "elite-level" club team in Europe in which the kids were expected to graduate to pre-pro as soon as they "left" secondary school and had more hours a day to spend at the club to train; then we moved to Asia and his year-round training ended. Now he's upcoming Captain of his university NCAA team in the US. That's okay both with him and with me. He has a better shot at success with an education than with athletic training, and he still has a blast on the pitch. Nevertheless, even for US scholar-athletes who might have professional aspirations, soccer's not such a good deal--few and small scholarships, meager opportunities after graduation from university, and altered expectations of life during their transition from teens to young adults. To make a really solid, world-class team player in football/soccer, I'm convinced, means immersing a talented teen in the sport before "real life" takes hold.

 

[ScubaTexan]

Two questions on tomorrow's matches:

1) How bad will France beat Togo?
2) Will it be enough?

 

[theatis]

Guess again...

Aggie??? :11:

 

[theatis]

Yup Daylonious, Ronaldo showed great touch in the fourth goal that he scored.
It was the one two pass with Juan was it??

Anyway Ronaldo seems to be regaining his form and touch, I'm concerned a little bit with his movement off the ball though.

He doesn't seem as fast or nimble as he once did..
Hehehe, but i'm sure he'll get better as the world cup progresses !!!

Have you ever seen Serginho play for AC Milan??
He's really good, think he should have been in the World Cup.

Hey Jam,

yes, great touch on the 4th goal, sweet spin on the ball. He had a chance for a more spectacular variation of the same with the 1-2 with Ronaldhino, he also had a couple of decent headers.

You're dead on about his movement, at times he stands around a little bit too much but hey he's a striker! The one time i was disappointed was the cross by Robinho between a defender's legs that Ronaldo didn't catch up to. Sure, the ball was a bit too far but the young Ronaldo (Inter era, remember him?) would have nailed that.

BTW, back to the question of how to balance playing time between Ronaldo and Robinho; maybe playing both is the answer?

Let's see what happens tomorrow. I'm slowly getting on the Espana/Torres bandwagon but Spaniards can go from brilliant to bone-headed within the same game (Reyes and Luis Garcia especially come to mind). As for France, it's amazing how uninteresting some of the best players in the world can look collectively.

On a totally unrelated point, is anyone else thinking that if they called Maradona down from the stands for a substitution he'd be on the field in a heartbeat? They could even cut his hair short and pass him off for Riquelme.

 

[Bubble Junky]

Ronaldo has now equalled the record of most goals scored in the World Cup.

He can add that to his record for the most pies eaten before a World Cup !!
He's definately looking a bit better than in the first two matches - but Robinho looks alot sharper. Good to see Brazil stepping up a gear, and it was a great finish from Ronaldo for the fourth.
As a Liverpool fan, it was good to see Harry Kewell put the Aussies through too. But Graham Poll had a nightmare !!! He managed to show three yellow cards to one player !!

 

[Jamdiver]

He managed to show three yellow cards to one player !!

Oh my god!!!!
:rofl2: :rofl2:

I hear that the match was resembling a rugby games at times.
Useless factoid Mr. Poll was here a few months ago on vacation, he even officiated a game in our local football league also.

 

[Jamdiver]

Hey Jam,

yes, great touch on the 4th goal, sweet spin on the ball. He had a chance for a more spectacular variation of the same with the 1-2 with Ronaldhino, he also had a couple of decent headers.

You're dead on about his movement, at times he stands around a little bit too much but hey he's a striker! The one time i was disappointed was the cross by Robinho between a defender's legs that Ronaldo didn't catch up to. Sure, the ball was a bit too far but the young Ronaldo (Inter era, remember him?) would have nailed that.

BTW, back to the question of how to balance playing time between Ronaldo and Robinho; maybe playing both is the answer?

Let's see what happens tomorrow. I'm slowly getting on the Espana/Torres bandwagon but Spaniards can go from brilliant to bone-headed within the same game (Reyes and Luis Garcia especially come to mind). As for France, it's amazing how uninteresting some of the best players in the world can look collectively.

On a totally unrelated point, is anyone else thinking that if they called Maradona down from the stands for a substitution he'd be on the field in a heartbeat? They could even cut his hair short and pass him off for Riquelme.

Yes, yes quite true.
The ronaldo of a few years ago would have at least had a touch to the ball and as for the Ronaldo of the Inter era.

Ah such memories, memories......

I haven't seen much of Spain's play, but i'm holding back a bit with the accolades and predictions of them being the 'surprise' of the world cup.
No doubt they have great players and Aragones is a great motivator and coach but I think due to the relative youth of the squad among other thing they won't be making it too far.

Probably the quarter finals and that's it.
Need to find out who they're playing in the second round..