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***Official*** 2018 World Cup thread (and Drinking Guide) (3 Viewers)

Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
LOL at Belgium's red kit.  "The look we're going for is argyle sweater."
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It's distinctive, which is better than almost all the Nike strip.  It's also a big improvement over the black shouldered ones they wore at the last Euros.

Over a third of the countries have red as their primary kit color; Belgium is among the best of those.

 
Gonna be watching the knockout stages and round of 16 in the various bars and beer gardens of Kyiv, Baku, Tblisi, and Berlin. May have to change my rooting interests based on the scariness of my fellow patrons. Advised my son to in no way root for Russia while in Ukraine.

 
seriously though... What happened to the Puto-bird sanctions? They're back in full force (not like they ever really left) with seemingly no repurcussions.

 
Evilgrin 72 said:
My ancestry is German and English.  Mostly German, so I typically root for them if the US is not in play.  I do also pull for England a little as well, there are always LOTS of UK tourists around where I live and I often find myself in English pubs for the games surrounded by hundreds of drunken Englishmen on holiday.  It's way more fun to root with them than against them.
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That's only because you haven't gone all dressed up in a German kit to those bars and spoke in an excited German accent every time Germany does something good.  That'd up the fun factor in an English Pub by at least 100.

 
shader said:
I'll always kick myself for not enjoying the sport for the first 36 years of my life, but I'm sure as heck gonna enjoy the next 36.
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You and me both except first 58 for me.This will be my first World cup that I am actually going to watch as much as I can and I am sure I am going to enjoy it.The shame of it is I probably don't have a whole lot of them left even if I do manage to live another 30 years.

 
Oh how I love how big an impact soccer has made on main stream America's journalism.  

CBS Sportsline dot come gave a 10 players to watch preview today....and well, I pretty much nearly threw up in my mouth a bit upon reading

Kevin De Bruyne, 26, Belgium

His Manchester City teammates have nicknamed him "The Prince," and if he manages to win the World Cup, he'll be considered Belgian royalty by his Red Devil supporters.....

 
guru_007 said:
Oh how I love how big an impact soccer has made on main stream America's journalism.  

CBS Sportsline dot come gave a 10 players to watch preview today....and well, I pretty much nearly threw up in my mouth a bit upon reading

Kevin De Bruyne, 26, Belgium

His Manchester City teammates have nicknamed him "The Prince," and if he manages to win the World Cup, he'll be considered Belgian royalty by his Red Devil supporters.....
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Belgium national team is also referred to as the Red Devils.  Still a poor choice in phrasing from them.

 
shader said:
This time 4 years ago I had a friend telling me I should really devote some time to soccer for the WC, since the NFL is entering it's dead period.  I figured, what the heck?

In the midst of watching as much as I could over a 3-week period, I fell in love with the sport.  4 years later here I am, a huge fan and I can barely watch American football.  I've enjoyed the last 4 years with you guys, starting as the annoying rookie with dumb questions and now I'm the semi-annoying novice who thinks he's smarter than he really is.

I'll always kick myself for not enjoying the sport for the first 36 years of my life, but I'm sure as heck gonna enjoy the next 36.
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Ditto

To make matters worse i am Portuguese and grew up surronded by soccer by my family and community but couldnt stand it. Preferred all the US sports.

Wasnt til about 5-6 years ago i noticed there were soccer matches early Saturday/Sunday morning that i could bet on :bag: i would watch the EPL matches and followed the main euro leagues as well as the Portuguese league. 

Chaves is a small city near my dads village that had a team in the 2nd league that i took to following. Told my cousin if they ever make it to the premiere division we are going to go watch a game. 2 years later they made it and we went to watch them get beat by Benfica.

Last year i coordinated a trip to portugal with my mom around being able to watch a match. Got to see Portugal beat Switzerland to qualify for the WC. Just got back from taking my mom there again memorial day weekend and was pissed the friendly against Tunisia was in the north of portugal. I almost decided to make the 5 hour trip but my flight departed at 8am the next morning.

I keep bugging @Ned to take a trip to portugal with me but im not cool enough for him

My next soccer venture will have to be a trip Spain or Germany.

I havent been able to get into MLS but this year my interest is growing...and i dont only mean by betting.

 
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comfortably numb said:
Ditto

To make matters worse i am Portuguese and grew up surronded by soccer by my family and community but couldnt stand it. Preferred all the US sports.

Wasnt til about 5-6 years ago i noticed there were soccer matches early Saturday/Sunday morning that i could bet on :bag: i would watch the EPL matches and followed the main euro leagues as well as the Portuguese league. 

Chaves is a small city near my dads village that had a team in the 2nd league that i took to following. Told my cousin if they ever make it to the premiere division we are going to go watch a game. 2 years later they made it and we went to watch them get beat by Benfica.

Last year i coordinated a trip to portugal with my mom around being able to watch a match. Got to see Portugal beat Switzerland to qualify for the WC. Just got back from taking my mom there again memorial day weekend and was pissed the friendly against Tunisia was in the north of portugal. I almost decided to make the 5 hour trip but my flight departed at 8am the next morning.

I keep bugging @Ned to take a trip to portugal with me but im not cool enough for him

My next soccer venture will have to be a trip Spain or Germany.

I havent been able to get into MLS but this year my interest is growing...and i dont only mean by betting.
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I've been really trying to get into MLS.  I do like Atlanta but still haven't been able to pull the trigger.

I suspect that in the end the MLS will get me in a natural way, by me falling for my hometown team in Nashville. 

Biggest issue I have with MLS is that I think having playoffs, while exciting during playoff time, makes the regular season dull. 

 
shader said:
I've been really trying to get into MLS.  I do like Atlanta but still haven't been able to pull the trigger.

I suspect that in the end the MLS will get me in a natural way, by me falling for my hometown team in Nashville. 

Biggest issue I have with MLS is that I think having playoffs, while exciting during playoff time, makes the regular season dull. 
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Yea and regulation. 

Holy crap. Watching some of those B teams qualify entry into a premier league...you would think the city was just freed from a 56 year dictatorship.

Or 2 last place teams playing for a chance to not get regulated.  So much on the line for 2 teams who never stood a chance to win the championship. 

 
comfortably numb said:
Yea and regulation. 

Holy crap. Watching some of those B teams qualify entry into a premier league...you would think the city was just freed from a 56 year dictatorship.

Or 2 last place teams playing for a chance to not get regulated.  So much on the line for 2 teams who never stood a chance to win the championship. 
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This is a huge part of it that lots of Americans can't quite grasp. If you have a thousand clubs in a thousand towns across the country, they're all playing for the magical moment of promotion and that would fuel excitement all around the country in ways that MLS by itself can never match.

:hupaltoona:

 
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shader said:
Good points...I should go to a game.  
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Do you feel at this point in your fandom, after only being exposed to the top level of the sport, that you would have a hard time watching a lower level? (there is nothing wrong with that by the way, I think it is natural)

 
NewlyRetired said:
Do you feel at this point in your fandom, after only being exposed to the top level of the sport, that you would have a hard time watching a lower level? (there is nothing wrong with that by the way, I think it is natural)
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This is where i am at. 

Watching several Euro leagues all morning and then watching an MLS match at night...its just not the same. Throw in teams losing iant that big of a deal (playoffs/no regulation) just leaves me unsatisfied. 

Ive been to a Union game with @ned (see i will go watch his team play but the dude wont fly accross the ocean to watch my team....some friend)

I am slowly appreciating the level of talent in MLS though and talking MLS with @ned and a coworker has a son who plays on the Union so been following more last couple years....but i would have to follow the red bull. They built that stadium a few blocks where i grew up and still visit. Plus they dont suck as bad as the Union.

 
NewlyRetired said:
Do you feel at this point in your fandom, after only being exposed to the top level of the sport, that you would have a hard time watching a lower level? (there is nothing wrong with that by the way, I think it is natural)
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I have a hard time caring about the MLS currently. But that being said, I don't really care who wins a random Bundesliga game either.  So I don't think it's really about the levels, I think it's about my fandom.  I've often equated soccer to college football.  I was a rabid CF fan for 25 years.  But even at the height of my interest in the sport, I didnt' care who won a game in the WAC or the Big East or the Mountain West. I cared about the SEC and I cared about the big teams competing for a spot in the BCS game.

Similarly I care about the PL because of Liverpool and I care about the CL.  That's about it.  The rest may be interesting to watch if it's on, but I don't have a rooting interest.

So for me it will be about developing a love for Nashville SC and then I think I'll greatly enjoy the MLS, because I have a team to root for.

I had planned to wait until 2020 because I figured all these current players would be gone in 2 years. But maybe I should start getting into them now.  Your post did inspire me to look for tickets.  I think I'm gonna try and go to the Nash-Cincy game at the beginning of July.  

 
If I can care about college football AND the NFL, I think eventually I can care about the Premier league and the MLS.  

 
I'm pretty similar.  I love the sport itself, and its one of the few sports I can sit and watch on TV at this point.  But I'm only really interested in following the top level, and since that's not happening here, it's very difficult for me to get into.  I end up being a "fair weather" fan, or whatever you call someone who only pays attention for the world cup.   

 
Scoresman said:
I'm pretty similar.  I love the sport itself, and its one of the few sports I can sit and watch on TV at this point.  But I'm only really interested in following the top level, and since that's not happening here, it's very difficult for me to get into.  I end up being a "fair weather" fan, or whatever you call someone who only pays attention for the world cup.   
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Man. You are missing on on the best level play during the seaon and Champions League in Europe if i read that correctly. 

 
Jaysus said:
Let's keep this going as an official record.  I am in with Russia to win and Timo Werner for the Golden Boot (and Suarez to pants someone on the pitch)
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The reply options on this board are stupid - why can't I nest the fn replies?

Gator: "OFFICIALLY on France to win it and Muller for the golden boot."

RHE: "In with Spain and IscoMania running wild."

Jaysus: Russia and Timo Werner

Chuck Steiner: "Give me France to win and Griezmann for the Golden Boot."

 
comfortably numb said:
Ohhhhh

I didnt follow along that well.

I assumed he was talking MLS and Nashville already had an MLS team :bag:
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no not yet.  They, along with Cincy, are currently in the USL (second division in US).  The teams will both be moving up one level soon.

That is what makes this game he wants to go to really unique and hopefully fun.  

 
for as long as I can remember, Spain continually under performed at these tournaments, until it all finally came together.

Since then England has taken on the roll where the sum of the parts seems so much less than the individuals pieces suggest it should be.  But I think, at least at some point, it is all going to come together for England as well.  Could this summer be it?

 
Scoresman said:
I'm pretty similar.  I love the sport itself, and its one of the few sports I can sit and watch on TV at this point.  But I'm only really interested in following the top level, and since that's not happening here, it's very difficult for me to get into.  I end up being a "fair weather" fan, or whatever you call someone who only pays attention for the world cup.   
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To be fair, the WC is not really the top level....a misconception I once had

 
Christo said:
España y Messi
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The reply options on this board are stupid - why can't I nest the fn replies?

Gator: "OFFICIALLY on France to win it and Muller for the golden boot."

RHE: "In with Spain and IscoMania running wild."

Jaysus: Russia and Timo Werner

Chuck Steiner: "Give me France to win and Griezmann for the Golden Boot."

Christo: Spain & Messi

@NewlyRetired that is multiquote, not nested quote... multiquote is for suckers. 

 
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