Running, all-purpose World Cup thread

Was it talked about on this board how thoroughly crappy the Japanese shooters were yesterday?

12 year-olds at an AYSO game would have been embarrassed by that shooting.  Every "shot" was half-cross, half shot.  They blew it.

 

Actually, the World Cup is the sport's chance to crown a world champion, which will enjoy that distinction for the next four years.

If the sport of soccer, whether through decisions made by FIFA or decisions made by US soccer (and be aware, MANY bad ideas for changing the game have been bandied about in MLS' history), ever makes a sad, deliberate and blatant attempt to play to what they think are "American sensibilities" then I'll be one of the first to condemn it.

Soccer doesn't need to change, American soccer doesn't need to change, except to keep improving in the realm of the sport. It is what it is. take it or leave it.

EDIT: For those such as Crass who despise the joke that is Giorgio Chinaglia as much as I do, here;'s the complete transcript of his interview with SI. "Look at ME! I scored more goals than anyone in a now-defunct league, and yet no casual fan has ever heard of me! Please love me! I'm the greatest player to ever play in the United States!"

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/richard_deitsch/06/16/q.a.giorgio/index.html

What a piece of work.

 

Spain with their classic AFraud impersonation. Is AFraud Spanish?

 

Tunisia takes an early lead.

 

Tiro libre para Espagna....Vamos!!

 

They can still play spoiler against the reeling French, right?

 

All this and more at:
http://www.soccercommercials.com
www.soccercommercials.com/songs.html
Trooper, that is top-notch. Look forward to your barrage of posts at the end of the day...

 

Tunisian defender heads the ball off the line.

Tommy, we know who FIFA is.

 

Debes mirar el partido en Univision. Es tan mejor que ESPN...

Tommy Smyth is the worst ever IMO. Marcelo Balboa is close, but he's actually been tolerable the past couple of games. Smyth needs to be euthanized...

 

Goooooooooooooooooooolasssoooooooooooooo Raul!!!

 

Calling someone a FRAUD is a hallowed SportsJournalists.com tradition. To prematurely or wrongly call a person or team a FRAUD is a serious SportsJournalists.com foul.

 

In Canada, we get the English announcers. On the weekend I was down in the U.S., and I had to watch America-Italy with the American dudes, including the tall guy with the long black hair.

In short, they were fucking awful. It was like they'd never seen the game before. And more homerish than the Yankees guys. Seriously bad.

Watching Spain-Tunisia with the Brit commentator, and I feel as though I've died and gone to Heaven.

Of course, we have to put up with Vic Rauter at halftime: The worst sports broadcaster on any continent.