***Official 2014 World Cup Thread*** (2 Viewers)

[roadkill1292]

Meh. Just like the NBA, you only have to watch the last 10 minutes of a soccer match.

I only watch the last three minutes of NFL games.

They still take an hour.

 

[NewlyRetired]

In the PK shootout yesterday between Brazil and Chile, they only converted 50% of them.

I don't think any others have been stopped/missed in the tournament though.

Pretty sure there have been a miss our two (france? )

There was at least one. I am blanking on it right now.

 

[Steve Tasker]

Costa Rican girl with lips painted red white and blue > omg hi

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Well I think the biggest difference in the discussion is that the NFL discussion is primarily among NFL fans. The soccer "tweaks" from folks not familiar with the game are less welcome. Its as if they are saying "we don't like your game, so why don't you adjust it for us?"

Plus it's easy to get a little defensive whensomeone starts down the same road as the "soccer sucks" gang. Maybe you're asking an honest question, but 95% of the time we hear it it's just foreplay for someone who can't wait to tell us how much they hate the game.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Here is a wiki page for every PK shoot out in World Cup history.

England...... :(

 

[Sinn Fein]

Ugh Greece. Feels like a chore.

Played ok that last game when they really needed to. They need to today as well... could be a fun game. As with most of these, an early goal helps open things up

Greece and "early goal" don't seem like they go together.

 

[El Floppo]

Arguably surpassed Mexico in Concacaf, but Mexico brings it in the world cup.

If by "it" you mean round of sixteen exits - then yes.-QG

mesko

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Guess Benzema missed one

http://www.joe.ie/football/world-cup-2014-brazil/vine-frances-karim-benzema-misses-a-penalty-and-yohan-cabaye-misses-the-rebound-from-three-yards/

 

[Christo]

In the PK shootout yesterday between Brazil and Chile, they only converted 50% of them.

I don't think any others have been stopped/missed in the tournament though.

There had been one saved in the run of the game. The difference between a PK in the game is that the team generally has one guy who is an excellent PK taker. Whereas in the shootout - you start with 5 players, 4 of which would not take them in the game, and the pressure is so much higher at that stage.

Right, since goals are so few and far between during the game a penalty is almost a bonus whereas a penalty in a shootout is usually a must-make.

 

[roadkill1292]

[nancyreagan] JUST SAY NO! (to commercials) [/nancyreagan]

 

[The Z Machine]

Arguably surpassed Mexico in Concacaf, but Mexico brings it in the world cup.

If by "it" you mean round of sixteen exits - then yes.-QG

mesko

Still not really understanding the hate. If it's a rivalry thing, I get that. But it seems to run deeper than that for you.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Well I think the biggest difference in the discussion is that the NFL discussion is primarily among NFL fans. The soccer "tweaks" from folks not familiar with the game are less welcome. Its as if they are saying "we don't like your game, so why don't you adjust it for us?"

Plus it's easy to get a little defensive someone starts down the same road as the "soccer sucks" gang. Maybe you're asking an honest question, but 95% of the time we hear it it's just foreplay for someone who can't wait to tell us how much they hate the game.

I also call total BS on being more defensive than other sports.

If everyone who hated baseball jumped into the baseball threads and started offering suggestions on how to fix that abortion of a sport, you have to be nuts to think there would not be some push back.

 

[The Z Machine]

Just to chime in on commercials, soccer has essentially ruined my enjoyment of other sports simply because of the constant in-game action combined with essentially a 2 hour time block for a complete match. It makes watching the game on TV nearly as good as watching in the stands.

 

[GregR]

One thing that does impress me is how often they get offsides calls right. I know there are always some missed calls... but they have to look between where the player is and the ball being struck. Throw in human reaction time and I'm surprised they don't get it wrong far more than they do.

 

[Christo]

Arguably surpassed Mexico in Concacaf, but Mexico brings it in the world cup.

If by "it" you mean round of sixteen exits - then yes.

-QG

LOL. True.

Don't tell me Mexico didn't bring it for 85 minutes today. I felt they were the better team up until about the 80th minute. Obviously the wheels fell off, but this Mexico team could have done damage if they had held on.

Part of the blame for their loss has to go to their tactics though. They bunkered much earlier than they had to. So I'm not sure that I'd agree that they "brought it" for 85 minutes.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Dumb question: For penalty kicks, what is the rough percentage for how many of those are made at a world class level like these guys are?

I think it is around 70% in the top Euro leagues.

I'd love to see that broken out for penalties in the flow of a normal game with a dedicated shooter vs those at the end of a knockout game where five different guys have to shoot. Always seems like there are a lot more misses during shootouts, but I've never seen anything actually looking at the difference.

That's fine. The exact number isn't super important.

What I was thinking was how giant calling a PK penalty is.

Thinking of the game, the scoring is in such giant chunks. Opposite of a basketball game where there are a ton of tiny scores.

Soccer is on the other extreme with just a few scores per game. Football and baseball are more in the middle. Hockey would be closer to soccer.

So with each score being so huge, a PK call is maybe the powerful penalty in sports. Would that be fair to say?

J

 

[The Z Machine]

Question for all you guys that are getting hooked on soccer after watching the World Cup, will you try and get tickets for Copa America in 2016?

(I kinds of want you to say no because then tickets will be cheaper... but I kind of what you to say yes as it would mean more people getting hyped about the tourney)

 

[Spartans Rule]

In the PK shootout yesterday between Brazil and Chile, they only converted 50% of them.

I don't think any others have been stopped/missed in the tournament though.

I don't have any numbers to back it up but I would guess shootouts are generally a lower percentage because A. There's more pressure in that situation and B. A team is using its best 5 takers instead of just its best one.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Question for all you guys that are getting hooked on soccer after watching the World Cup, will you try and get tickets for Copa America in 2016?

(I kinds of want you to say no because then tickets will be cheaper... but I kind of what you to say yes as it would mean more people getting hyped about the tourney)

Z it won't matter whether they want to or not.

Those ticket prices are going to be through the roof. The amount of fans that are going to kill to get those tickets will pretty much keep out any newer fan.

 

[The Z Machine]

Arguably surpassed Mexico in Concacaf, but Mexico brings it in the world cup.

If by "it" you mean round of sixteen exits - then yes.

-QG

LOL. True.

Don't tell me Mexico didn't bring it for 85 minutes today. I felt they were the better team up until about the 80th minute. Obviously the wheels fell off, but this Mexico team could have done damage if they had held on.

Part of the blame for their loss has to go to their tactics though. They bunkered much earlier than they had to. So I'm not sure that I'd agree that they "brought it" for 85 minutes.

Probably right. In hindsight, playing better touches through the midfield and not letting off the gas would have been a better idea. But really, how many games when you are up 1-0 are lost in the last 20 minutes of play? (Champion's League Final doesn't count as RM won in extra time).

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

One thing that does impress me is how often they get offsides calls right. I know there are always some missed calls... but they have to look between where the player is and the ball being struck. Throw in human reaction time and I'm surprised they don't get it wrong far more than they do.

It's amazing how often they get it right given that lag. I think the rule change instructing the linesman to give the close call to the offense has helped some too since there are more wrongly called than wrongly ignored (it seems to me).

 

[Sinn Fein]

Understandable - but probably best left unsaid....

Landon Donovan is going be honest here. He is going to be brutally honest. He knows this isn't going to sound good, but the last few weeks have reminded him that only by mining the darkest moments can one discover his light.

Donovan is admitting that shortly after he was cut from the U.S. men's World Cup team, he briefly rooted against them.

It was the end of May. It was a few days after the announcement that Donovan, the face of U.S. soccer and its all-time leading scorer, was being left off the World Cup roster. While watching the U.S. team take its first public steps without him in a warmup game against Azerbaijan, Donovan said he was overcome with a chilling jab of jealousy.

"I'll be completely honest, watching them play Azerbaijan, inside, part of me was thinking, I hope the game doesn't go very well today," Donovan said Friday in a phone interview. "In my heart of hearts, I thought, if we get a 1-0 win and the team doesn't perform well, that would feel good."

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

PKs and red cards are probably the biggest calls a ref can make in just about any sport. 5 minute major penalty in hockey and some turnover/TD/pass interference calls in football can be just as impactfull though I think. Or fouling out a superstar in basketball or ejecting an MLB player maybe similar.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Dumb question: For penalty kicks, what is the rough percentage for how many of those are made at a world class level like these guys are?

I think it is around 70% in the top Euro leagues.

I'd love to see that broken out for penalties in the flow of a normal game with a dedicated shooter vs those at the end of a knockout game where five different guys have to shoot. Always seems like there are a lot more misses during shootouts, but I've never seen anything actually looking at the difference.

That's fine. The exact number isn't super important. What I was thinking was how giant calling a PK penalty is.

Thinking of the game, the scoring is in such giant chunks. Opposite of a basketball game where there are a ton of tiny scores.

Soccer is on the other extreme with just a few scores per game. Football and baseball are more in the middle. Hockey would be closer to soccer.

So with each score being so huge, a PK call is maybe the powerful penalty in sports. Would that be fair to say?

J

Ironically, a red card could be just as big or bigger at times

 

[The Z Machine]

Question for all you guys that are getting hooked on soccer after watching the World Cup, will you try and get tickets for Copa America in 2016?

(I kinds of want you to say no because then tickets will be cheaper... but I kind of what you to say yes as it would mean more people getting hyped about the tourney)

Z it won't matter whether they want to or not.

Those ticket prices are going to be through the roof. The amount of fans that are going to kill to get those tickets will pretty much keep out any newer fan.

You're probably right. It would kind of suck to go to a US game with it less than half full of US fans, so on the whole I guess it's a good thing if they are into it and want tickets.

 

[NewlyRetired]

PKs and red cards are probably the biggest calls a ref can make in just about any sport. 5 minute major penalty in soccer and some turnover/TD/pass interference calls in football can be just as impactfull though I think. Or fouling out a superstar in basketball or ejecting an MLB player maybe similar.

Hockey?

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

So with each score being so huge, a PK call is maybe the powerful penalty in sports. Would that be fair to say?

I might be blanking on something, but it's probably the biggest call a ref makes in any ball-type sport. Red cards are way up there too.

 

[sporthenry]

Dumb question: For penalty kicks, what is the rough percentage for how many of those are made at a world class level like these guys are?

I think it is around 70% in the top Euro leagues.

I'd love to see that broken out for penalties in the flow of a normal game with a dedicated shooter vs those at the end of a knockout game where five different guys have to shoot. Always seems like there are a lot more misses during shootouts, but I've never seen anything actually looking at the difference.

That's fine. The exact number isn't super important.

What I was thinking was how giant calling a PK penalty is.

Thinking of the game, the scoring is in such giant chunks. Opposite of a basketball game where there are a ton of tiny scores.

Soccer is on the other extreme with just a few scores per game. Football and baseball are more in the middle. Hockey would be closer to soccer.

So with each score being so huge, a PK call is maybe the powerful penalty in sports. Would that be fair to say?

J

I think that is fair to say and why I'm a fan of having a goal line official. I think it is also why you see the ref tend to err on the side of no foul and why I'm normally a fan of that.

 

[Sinn Fein]

Dumb question: For penalty kicks, what is the rough percentage for how many of those are made at a world class level like these guys are?

I think it is around 70% in the top Euro leagues.

I'd love to see that broken out for penalties in the flow of a normal game with a dedicated shooter vs those at the end of a knockout game where five different guys have to shoot. Always seems like there are a lot more misses during shootouts, but I've never seen anything actually looking at the difference.

That's fine. The exact number isn't super important.

What I was thinking was how giant calling a PK penalty is.

Thinking of the game, the scoring is in such giant chunks. Opposite of a basketball game where there are a ton of tiny scores.

Soccer is on the other extreme with just a few scores per game. Football and baseball are more in the middle. Hockey would be closer to soccer.

So with each score being so huge, a PK call is maybe the powerful penalty in sports. Would that be fair to say?

J

Second only to a PK plus red card, which is awarded if the penalty prevents a clear chance on goal - essentially taking down a player on a breakaway

 

[The General]

Question for all you guys that are getting hooked on soccer after watching the World Cup, will you try and get tickets for Copa America in 2016?

(I kinds of want you to say no because then tickets will be cheaper... but I kind of what you to say yes as it would mean more people getting hyped about the tourney)

I prolly won't go to any games but may watch them / pay attention especially if US team continues to trend up.

Soccer is on the uptick for sure, great sport to watch with at bar or with group of people.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Understandable - but probably best left unsaid....

Landon Donovan is going be honest here. He is going to be brutally honest. He knows this isn't going to sound good, but the last few weeks have reminded him that only by mining the darkest moments can one discover his light.

Donovan is admitting that shortly after he was cut from the U.S. men's World Cup team, he briefly rooted against them.

It was the end of May. It was a few days after the announcement that Donovan, the face of U.S. soccer and its all-time leading scorer, was being left off the World Cup roster. While watching the U.S. team take its first public steps without him in a warmup game against Azerbaijan, Donovan said he was overcome with a chilling jab of jealousy.

"I'll be completely honest, watching them play Azerbaijan, inside, part of me was thinking, I hope the game doesn't go very well today," Donovan said Friday in a phone interview. "In my heart of hearts, I thought, if we get a 1-0 win and the team doesn't perform well, that would feel good."

Definitely better left unsaid -- especially in the middle of the World Cup.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

PKs and red cards are probably the biggest calls a ref can make in just about any sport. 5 minute major penalty in hockey and some turnover/TD/pass interference calls in football can be just as impactfull though I think. Or fouling out a superstar in basketball or ejecting an MLB player maybe similar.

Awarding a 5 v 3 penalty in hockey is up there too. Probably not 75% of a goal, but pretty high.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Just to chime in on commercials, soccer has essentially ruined my enjoyment of other sports simply because of the constant in-game action combined with essentially a 2 hour time block for a complete match. It makes watching the game on TV nearly as good as watching in the stands.

Going to games is great too. Get there, 1.5 hours of tailgating, 45 minute half, pee, back to seats, 45 minutes, done. Four hour complete experience with drinking, traffic, and Italian fireworks almost burning you to death included.

 

[sporthenry]

One thing that does impress me is how often they get offsides calls right. I know there are always some missed calls... but they have to look between where the player is and the ball being struck. Throw in human reaction time and I'm surprised they don't get it wrong far more than they do.

This seems like its been a great improvement over recent WCs. Maybe just b/c the few botched calls didn't lead to goals as in past ones but they seem to be getting much better at it. They seem to be giving the offense more benefit of the doubt and I'd love to see that even more and add replay but that is asking for a lot.

 

[The Z Machine]

LD wears his heart on his sleeve. He's a rare bird for a professional athlete in that way.

 

[Christo]

PKs and red cards are probably the biggest calls a ref can make in just about any sport. 5 minute major penalty in hockey and some turnover/TD/pass interference calls in football can be just as impactfull though I think. Or fouling out a superstar in basketball or ejecting an MLB player maybe similar.

One of the surprises I had with hockey is the importance of penalties and the vast difference in infractions that can put a player in the box. I get 2 minutes for shoving a piece of wood into your back and driving you face first into the boards. But I also get 2 minutes for accidentally flipping the puck into the stands from the defensive zone.

 

[The Z Machine]

BTW, how great is FIFA doing about the slow motion tata bounce shots? Every game is filled with hotties in national colors enjoying the spectacle. There must be 5+ cameras searching the stands for pretty women (and avoiding fat drunken slobs).

Has someone put together a compilation of all these shots?

 

[Sinn Fein]

Regarding penalty kicks - I know it seems harsh - but as a player you are taught at a very early age that the box is sacrosanct. You know that a penalty in the box is the biggest no-no you can commit. So, when a player commits a foul in the box, they know they were taking a big risk.

Having said that, a ref could probably call a foul on every corner kick if he was so inclined, with the amount of grabbing and pushing that goes in in there.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Dumb question: For penalty kicks, what is the rough percentage for how many of those are made at a world class level like these guys are?

I think it is around 70% in the top Euro leagues.

I'd love to see that broken out for penalties in the flow of a normal game with a dedicated shooter vs those at the end of a knockout game where five different guys have to shoot. Always seems like there are a lot more misses during shootouts, but I've never seen anything actually looking at the difference.

That's fine. The exact number isn't super important. What I was thinking was how giant calling a PK penalty is.

Thinking of the game, the scoring is in such giant chunks. Opposite of a basketball game where there are a ton of tiny scores.

Soccer is on the other extreme with just a few scores per game. Football and baseball are more in the middle. Hockey would be closer to soccer.

So with each score being so huge, a PK call is maybe the powerful penalty in sports. Would that be fair to say?

J

Ironically, a red card could be just as big or bigger at times

Yes. Another big one. Bottom line it seems clear that soccer referees are hugely important. More so than other sports.

Are the refs viewed that way within the sport? Like are there refs that are famous and such? Do they pay a ton of money for refs? It would seem to me that given the power they have, every soccer ref would be the NFL version of Ed Hochuli or something.

J

 

[Sinn Fein]

BTW, how great is FIFA doing about the slow motion tata bounce shots? Every game is filled with hotties in national colors enjoying the spectacle. There must be 5+ cameras searching the stands for pretty women (and avoiding fat drunken slobs).

Has someone put together a compilation of all these shots?

FIFA knows tatas

 

[QuizGuy66]

Vamos Ticos!

Side note - anyone know if the USA is wearing white tomorrow or the Putin jerseys? We always win in the Putin jerseys.

-QG

 

[NewlyRetired]

Dumb question: For penalty kicks, what is the rough percentage for how many of those are made at a world class level like these guys are?

I think it is around 70% in the top Euro leagues.

I'd love to see that broken out for penalties in the flow of a normal game with a dedicated shooter vs those at the end of a knockout game where five different guys have to shoot. Always seems like there are a lot more misses during shootouts, but I've never seen anything actually looking at the difference.

That's fine. The exact number isn't super important. What I was thinking was how giant calling a PK penalty is.

Thinking of the game, the scoring is in such giant chunks. Opposite of a basketball game where there are a ton of tiny scores.

Soccer is on the other extreme with just a few scores per game. Football and baseball are more in the middle. Hockey would be closer to soccer.

So with each score being so huge, a PK call is maybe the powerful penalty in sports. Would that be fair to say?

J

Ironically, a red card could be just as big or bigger at times

Yes. Another big one. Bottom line it seems clear that soccer referees are hugely important. More so than other sports.J

This is one of the reasons the sport can be corrupted so easily.

 

[The Z Machine]

There are some famous refs out there. Some are famous for being great, but some are famous for being imbeciles or cronies of people. It's not an easy job, that's for sure.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Soccer refs probably get death threats or worse when they screw up a big call. Also much easier to fix matches given the power they have.

 

[The Z Machine]

Vamos Ticos!

Side note - anyone know if the USA is wearing white tomorrow or the Putin jerseys? We always win in the Putin jerseys.

-QG

You mean Tuesday, right?

 

[Christo]

Dumb question: For penalty kicks, what is the rough percentage for how many of those are made at a world class level like these guys are?

I think it is around 70% in the top Euro leagues.

I'd love to see that broken out for penalties in the flow of a normal game with a dedicated shooter vs those at the end of a knockout game where five different guys have to shoot. Always seems like there are a lot more misses during shootouts, but I've never seen anything actually looking at the difference.

That's fine. The exact number isn't super important. What I was thinking was how giant calling a PK penalty is.

Thinking of the game, the scoring is in such giant chunks. Opposite of a basketball game where there are a ton of tiny scores.

Soccer is on the other extreme with just a few scores per game. Football and baseball are more in the middle. Hockey would be closer to soccer.

So with each score being so huge, a PK call is maybe the powerful penalty in sports. Would that be fair to say?

J

Ironically, a red card could be just as big or bigger at times

Yes. Another big one. Bottom line it seems clear that soccer referees are hugely important. More so than other sports.

Are the refs viewed that way within the sport? Like are there refs that are famous and such? Do they pay a ton of money for refs? It would seem to me that given the power they have, every soccer ref would be the NFL version of Ed Hochuli or something.

J

Go to the soccer thread and throw out the name Howard Webb or Mark Clattenburg and see how many opinions you get.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Vamos Ticos!

Side note - anyone know if the USA is wearing white tomorrow or the Putin jerseys? We always win in the Putin jerseys.

-QG

Someone on BS said they were wearing white but I have not seen anything official.

 

[QuizGuy66]

As for the penalty at the end of the Mexico game - they shouldn't have put themeselves in a position to make that penalty possible IMO. Play more positive after the goal and that doesn't happen.

Side note was the 6 minutes of stoppage time legit or did the refs just eant to lessen the chances of having to run around in the heat for another 30 minutes?

-QG

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Vamos Ticos!

Side note - anyone know if the USA is wearing white tomorrow or the Putin jerseys? We always win in the Putin jerseys.

-QG

You mean Tuesday, right?

What's a Putin jersey?

 

[Steve Tasker]

Call me crazy, but I like the running clock. A lot.

I'll be honest in that it's growing on me. Af first, I thought it was ridiculous. Now I'm kind of getting used to it. You have to basically forget what you know about Football (American). Clock management is such a huge part of the American Football game that fans are wired to look at every second and accuracy is huge. Split seconds matter when killing the clock and such. With soccer, it's more like bookends. You know when it's going to start and then you pretty much know when it ends (at least after 90 minutes). There really isn't any "management" as the players can't control the clock. Or at least that's just my impression of it as a new soccer viewer.

J

The players can't control the clock but they can prevent the game from being played which because of the rules runs time off the clock.

Used to be they didn't have stoppage time but there was enough uproar over players doing this that they added stoppage time. But from what I've seen, they don't truly add enough time back in so it's still a beneficial strategy. Especially in stoppage time itself... sometimes you see a ref extend the game further for stoppage during that time, but I don't think they always do.

IMO, though, it doesn't matter if the game truly isn't 90 minutes of game time. If the ball is in play for 86 or 87 or 85 or whatever minutes, both teams have the exact same amount of time. In football, the clock runs between plays regularly but we don't complain that there isn't actually 60 minutes of live action (can you imagine how long the games would be?). The only time the added time really becomes an issue, again IMO, is when one team is time wasting, and the refs always seem extra cognizant to add time on in these instances. Just see the Graham Zusi sub against Portugal...they supposedly tacked on a minute because he took to long to get off the field and deemed him it be wasting time. Seems ok to me.