The Soccer Thread (Version 9)

The games don't need to be played. It's shitty soccer.
People have this wildly mistaken belief that somehow what happens among the elite in the sport has a huge influence on whether young people take up the sport.

The reason for the Dream Team was to promote the NBA and sell shit. It had nothing to do with Angola getting better just like bad teams getting the crap kicked out of them in the Women's World Cup doesn't make them better.

 

I think that VAR is going to win the Golden Boot.

 

The idea that elite teams and players have no influence on young people's participating in a sport is even dumber than saying Pete Rose was not a great baseball player. If it were true, Nike would be bankrupt, not a megacorporation.

 

I never wrote no influence. My objection is to the silly claim that Thailand getting the shit kicked out of it in any way drives participation in Thailand or the US and that the US curbstomping Thailand is similar t to USA-Angola in basketball when the latter was about selling an established professional league to everybody in the world. Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Manute Bol had nothing to do with the Dream Team.

Lacrosse, soccer. People play those sports with shitty/nonexistent professional leagues and nonexistent/crappy performances by US national teams.
Yes, kids get excited about the USWNT doing well. Why is the USWNT doing so well, though? Because a bunch of women starting playing soccer before anybody gave a shit about either of the teams in World Cup.

 

Much more subdued celebration by U.S.women after goal #1 vs Chile.

They may have acted defiant after game one, but someone with a brain may have talked tothem.

 

Goal #2 as well.

 

Corner leading to the second goal should have been a goal kick.

 

This Chilean goalkeeper is really, really good.

 

If she had a better defense in front of her, she'd be pitching a shutout. She has been absolutely fantastic.

 

The Argentine goalie against England was fantastic as well.

 

Turns out scoring all those goals has put the women on track to meet host France in the qfs.
Lloyd aims 'golf clap' celebration at U.S.'s critics

 

The USWNT sure seems to have some awfully thin skin.

The celebrations against Thailand were unnecessary and tasteless, after about the sixth goal. Just shut up and move on, celebrate normally in future games as long as they remain competitive, then tone it down.