View Poll Results: Who do you think will win this years World Cup?

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  • Brazil

    16 9.82%
  • Croatia

    3 1.84%
  • Mexico

    1 0.61%
  • Cameroon

    0 0%
  • Spain

    4 2.45%
  • Netherlands

    21 12.88%
  • Chile

    2 1.23%
  • Australia

    0 0%
  • Colombia

    2 1.23%
  • Ivory Coast

    0 0%
  • Greece

    6 3.68%
  • Japan

    1 0.61%
  • Uruguay

    3 1.84%
  • Costa Rica

    2 1.23%
  • England

    6 3.68%
  • Italy

    6 3.68%
  • Switzerland

    0 0%
  • Ecuador

    0 0%
  • France

    3 1.84%
  • Honduras

    0 0%
  • Argentina

    12 7.36%
  • Bosnia

    1 0.61%
  • Iran

    1 0.61%
  • Nigeria

    0 0%
  • Germany

    55 33.74%
  • Portugal

    4 2.45%
  • Ghana

    0 0%
  • U.S.A.

    6 3.68%
  • Belgium

    3 1.84%
  • Algeria

    1 0.61%
  • Russia

    1 0.61%
  • South Korea

    3 1.84%
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Thread: World Cup 2014, Brazil

  1. #721
    Muizer's Avatar member 3519
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    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    Quote Originally Posted by Knight of Heaven View Post
    My point is, due to the "religious" nature of soccer wich in other countries is more like that, or failing that a passion, then actualy a sport, it has alot to do with how strong is cimented in a culture, then actualy a matter of organization, even though it does matter somewhat. And football is cimented strongly arround the world, except maybe US, even though i was led to belive it has been growing there recently.
    I will not enter in a dynamic of hate against US sports, and their non interested in football, i always seen this US national team, as pretty solid team, specialy well organized ( as Americans usualy are in sports), what they fail to understand, football isnt like the other sports, organization alone doesnt cut it. It might for a while, for a few games, or for a few selected games, but there is a reason Football is able to atract bilions worldwide, it has alot to do with its beuty, to its unpredictability, and to its genuine lay ground of creativity, and even individual creativity.
    Imo as a sport is a perfect blend of mechanized sport action with creativity, and improvisation, that offers simply a beautifull spectacle. A thing other sports or either lack or isnt very noticable. Most other sports out there, or you either are simply counting points after points, or you realy need to get into it, to get a measure of understanding, in order to actualy enjoy the game. Football is usualy immediate.

    So i find that talk of americans investing even 20%, they were able to win the world cup, and titles rather silly to be honest, there are alot of clubs out there that were bought by bilionaires, and trowed cash at it, and bought expensive players, and still they dont win much, certainely not more then others.
    Yes, and this "religion" has led to a couple of exceedingly competitive, and very wealthy, leagues, especially in Europe. These leagues are so competitive that national squads tend to select players acting even at the lower end or second division from those countries over players from their domestic leagues. At the moment, the MLS, to my knowledge at least, supplies hardly any young talent to bigger leagues. The team currently playing depends heavily on guys raised in countries where there is a football tradition. Getting young talents scouted to play in those countries would be the first hurdle for the USA to take.
    "Lay these words to heart, Lucilius, that you may scorn the pleasure which comes from the applause of the majority. Many men praise you; but have you any reason for being pleased with yourself, if you are a person whom the many can understand?" - Lucius Annaeus Seneca -

  2. #722
    Aymer de Valence's Avatar Protector Domesticus
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    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    "They're going home. They're going home. They're going... England's going home."
    And I will actually sing this with you! Every single tournament it's the same old nonsense "this year it's our year!" and we lose dreadfully (thankfully this year wasn't as bad as 2010). Will be interesting to see how the crowd receives the players on Tuesday vs Costa Rica; after the Uruguay match I had actually forgotten we still have one more match to play. Absolutely useless.

    COME ON CHILE!
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  3. #723

    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    Boy am I glad I didn't bet money on Spain.


    Quote Originally Posted by Aymer de Valence View Post
    Well done Ghana, what a cracking match Portugal vs Ghana will be on Thursday!
    Nothing against the US team, but I hope Ghana will advance to the KO stage and make it as far as possible. If possible, they should knock out Argentina or Italy on the way. Assuming Italy makes it out of the group stage of course...


    I just find it unbearable watching Germany play though - whoever they are facing I support as if they were my own team!
    Haters gonna hate...

  4. #724

    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    Quote Originally Posted by athanaric View Post
    If possible, they should knock out Argentina or Italy on the way. Assuming Italy makes it out of the group stage of course...


    Haters gonna hate...
    .

  5. #725

  6. #726
    Mary The Quene's Avatar Praeses
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    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    Belgian line up
    Belgian line up

    --------------Courtois---------------

    -Alderweireld-Van Buyten-Kompany-Vermaelen

    --------------Witsel-------------------

    -----De Bruyne------Fellaini------------

    Mertens-------Lukaku-----------Hazard
    Veritas Temporis Filia

  7. #727

    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    Quote Originally Posted by Wulfburk View Post

    Heck i bet an african nation will win the WC first than the US... If only their good players didnt change nationalities for some european countries.


    In realitly it just doesnt matters how much people of a country really "follow" the said sport (or it matters only a little). I dont really know ANY brazilian who follows Volleyball like people follow other sports, but yet we are what, the top team? Or alongside Italy? I dont even know! (so it doesnt matters if football is the 5th US sport, really...)
    Me too
    I thought volleyball is second most popular sport in Brazil. Serbia is also pretty good at volleyball.

    Quote Originally Posted by Knight of Heaven View Post
    ...
    I mean Soccer is the only sport i seen that if its playing on TV in a strip club, men will face the TV instead of the naked ladies. I seen it happening
    Chelsea is the only lady I would turn around for

    Go go Belgium kick Russians back to Tundra!

  8. #728

    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    Quote Originally Posted by Gallus View Post
    The eye was injured. There's still a possibility he will lose the eye. A high kick near another player's head is an automatic yellow as far as I know. A kick in the head should be automatic red, intentional or not. It can kill a man for god's sake. If that is not reckless then I don't know what is.

    And I believe referees should take the extent of the injury in consideration. They may be instructed not to, but imho that is wrong. Red cards exist to protect the players. If you cause serious injury to another player you should be ejected.
    With the way players play act on so many fouls this would be a very bad idea. Moreover, do you really want to put the referee in a position where he could be completely wrong? Plus, the face can bleed very easily and most serious injuries may not have any visible signs.

    Quote Originally Posted by smoke imix god View Post
    Altough I doubt it, I really hope Portugal beats the USA, they are such arrogant self-centered snobs...
    How exactly are we snobs in the World of Football? We haven't really won anything nor had any sustained success ever! I know people (Europeans especially) tend to misjudged American confidence as arrogance. However, we are taught from the beginning if you think you can't win, then don't play. The minute you play, you play to win.

  9. #729
    Halie Satanus's Avatar Emperor of ice cream
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    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    Quote Originally Posted by Petrucci View Post
    Me too
    I thought volleyball is second most popular sport in Brazil. Serbia is also pretty good at volleyball.
    Beach volleyball.

    Is the second most popular sport everywhere.

  10. #730

    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    Decent first half. Mertens plays good,but I have feeling he's bit selfish at the end. Solid De Bruyne ,outstanding Kompany and Courtois and I expect more from Hazard in the second half. Too bad TV got injured.

  11. #731
    I WUB PUGS's Avatar OOH KILL 'EM
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    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    Quote Originally Posted by Wulfburk View Post
    words
    The US has 300 million people to pull from and soccer didn't even start gaining any sort of traction until I was a kid. I'm 31 and I played soccer as a kid. The sport started growing here in the 80's. Tim Howard is 35, Dempsey is 31, Landon Donovan is 32. Do they suck? And that's our first generation of quality pro players. When I said "20%" I didn't mean the US government invested, we don't do that. I'm talking about Americans actually making Soccer one of the Big 5. People think it is, but its popularity is minimal outside of a niche and the latinos. Soccer has the advantage that it can be played anywhere. You still need a basket and court for basketball, hockey is a winter sport. The closest thing we have to soccer in this country in its accessibility is football and baseball, and I only say that because you can play touch football in any field or tackle at the beach. Baseball used to be the sport where kids would get a mit, someone had a ball and between friends there'd be a couple bats. Its still played in poor areas all around the world.........its called stick ball and many of the best players in the world start with a stick and some sort of ball. But soccer isn't popular. Its still mostly played as an organized sport on the weekends in areas that have nicely kept fields dedicated to the sport. Go to an American beach and there's a better chance of seeing a group playing volleyball than seeing anyone playing soccer. Throwing a football around at the beach is practically a given.

    Point is, America doesn't care about soccer, but we are starting to slowly but it will never be anywhere near the popularity it is elsewhere, if only because we have several other sports that take up our time and money. But 20% or maybe even 10-15% of kids getting into soccer and sticking with it through high school would change things.

    Apparently we've already locked up the technical and "team" facet of the game, we're just lacking the artistry. Which to say that that isn't attainable is quite frankly moronic. Like there is something that the rest of the world possesses that we cannot when it comes to this one game. Like there is no creativity in any of the sports we play. So stupid.

    If you want to know why England sucks, ask an Englishman. I can only parrot what I've read on this board and it basically boils down to "yeah we have the best league in the world, but we invest pennies in our own players". As for Brazil having the most players........... well correct me if I'm wrong, but Brazil is the largest soccer playing nation on earth and it isn't exactly dirt poor anymore. So geez, no wonder.

  12. #732

    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    What are the next gen of US players though?
    Regardless, the US still hasn't produced a World Class players of the level of Eto'o, Drogba or others that mid-tier African countries have.
    The MLS also faces a major restriction which is lack of access to the UEFA Champions League. And that's where all the big names, the big public and the big money are.
    Being a fat money graveyard for former top stars isn't really what will make the MLS big. They tried it before, the Cosmos signed even Pelè. It went down the toilet.

    on topic, very poor performance of Belgium so far.. they actually deserve to lose
    Last edited by Basil II the B.S; June 22, 2014 at 12:34 PM.

  13. #733
    Macunaíma's Avatar Campidoctor
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    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    If that's the great Belgium generation, I wonder what the others look like...


  14. #734

    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    first double post i ever did....
    Then, as throngs of his enemies bore down upon him and one of his followers said, "They are making at thee, O King," "Who else, pray," said Antigonus, "should be their mark? But Demetrius will come to my aid." This was his hope to the last, and to the last he kept watching eagerly for his son; then a whole cloud of javelins were let fly at him and he fell.

    -Plutarch, life of Demetrius.

    Arche Aiakidae-Epeiros EB2 AAR

  15. #735

    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    What are the next gen of US players though?
    Regardless, the US still hasn't produced a World Class players of the level of Eto'o, Drogba or others that mid-tier African countries have.
    The MLS also faces a major restriction which is lack of access to the UEFA Champions League. And that's where all the big names, the big public and the big money are.
    Being a fat money graveyard for former top stars isn't really what will make the MLS big. They tried it before, the Cosmos signed even Pelè. It went down the toilet.
    ^ Exactly.
    Then, as throngs of his enemies bore down upon him and one of his followers said, "They are making at thee, O King," "Who else, pray," said Antigonus, "should be their mark? But Demetrius will come to my aid." This was his hope to the last, and to the last he kept watching eagerly for his son; then a whole cloud of javelins were let fly at him and he fell.

    -Plutarch, life of Demetrius.

    Arche Aiakidae-Epeiros EB2 AAR

  16. #736
    I WUB PUGS's Avatar OOH KILL 'EM
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    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    We don't know what the next gen will be. The player base has been growing steadily. Fielding a solid, competitive team is accomplishment enough for now.

    I don't see African or South American teams playing in the Champions League. I just see a ton of their players playing for those clubs though. We've had players play in Europe and be reasonably successful. I think this is the way to go. MLS isn't going to be the future of soccer here. Teams don't make that much money and can't afford to compete with the money to be had in Europe. That's the biggest difference. Simply can't charge the prices and sell the merchandise to pay for more than one star, and as I said earlier, outside of the top 5 contracts in MLS, everyone is paid pretty poorly, like League Minimum for even the National Hockey League, and Hockey is squarely in the #4 spot in the Big 4.

    I think its better to look at this growing talent pool and focus on the amateurs and then invite the European scouts over. MLS can be a sort of extended farm league. I don't see it ever competing with Europe simply because it won't be able to charge the money to pay enough top players.

    Edit: Its not like the Brazilians have some top notch killer league bristling with stars either. No, they all go play in Europe don't they! According to Wiki, there's only 4 players on the Brazilian team that play in Brazil professionally.
    Last edited by I WUB PUGS; June 22, 2014 at 12:45 PM.

  17. #737

    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    Hmm, top Brazilian teams used to be good until the 80s-90s though and Copa Libertadores used to be a big deal as it is the Champions League in Europe. The last 20 years created a fairly big gap, mostly due to the economic collapse of Argentina.

    Meanwhile Belgium gained an undeserved victory and they are through. They might even go far if they win their worst games.

  18. #738

    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    We don't know what the next gen will be. The player base has been growing steadily. Fielding a solid, competitive team is accomplishment enough for now.

    I don't see African or South American teams playing in the Champions League. I just see a ton of their players playing for those clubs though. We've had players play in Europe and be reasonably successful. I think this is the way to go. MLS isn't going to be the future of soccer here. Teams don't make that much money and can't afford to compete with the money to be had in Europe. That's the biggest difference. Simply can't charge the prices and sell the merchandise to pay for more than one star, and as I said earlier, outside of the top 5 contracts in MLS, everyone is paid pretty poorly, like League Minimum for even the National Hockey League, and Hockey is squarely in the #4 spot in the Big 4.

    I think its better to look at this growing talent pool and focus on the amateurs and then invite the European scouts over. MLS can be a sort of extended farm league. I don't see it ever competing with Europe simply because it won't be able to charge the money to pay enough top players.

    Edit: Its not like the Brazilians have some top notch killer league bristling with stars either. No, they all go play in Europe don't they! According to Wiki, there's only 4 players on the Brazilian team that play in Brazil professionally.

    Indeed, but before the confed cup, it was half and half in the brazilian squad, thats what a victory like that does

    And we just won the Toulon u-21 tourney, and our whole squad played in the brazilian league.

    But anyway, how did from your post you concluded that in 20 years its likely that the US will win a WC? Just as an example, Portugal and Belgium are just MILES ahead of the US, in their leagues AND in their nationa squad, and i dont think anyone firmly believes both of them will win a WC so soon



    Hmm, top Brazilian teams used to be good until the 80s-90s though and Copa Libertadores used to be a big deal as it is the Champions League in Europe. The last 20 years created a fairly big gap, mostly due to the economic collapse of Argentina.

    Meanwhile Belgium gained an undeserved victory and they are through. They might even go far if they win their worst games.

    Brazilian teams used to be much better back then, main reason it changed was the immigration of players to europe that is quite big sicne 2000. But no, the Libertadores means much MORE nowadays than it meant before. Back then the brazilian teams prefered to win the state championships than the Libertadores, now the Libertadores is the most important of them all.
    Last edited by Wulfburk; June 22, 2014 at 01:02 PM.
    Then, as throngs of his enemies bore down upon him and one of his followers said, "They are making at thee, O King," "Who else, pray," said Antigonus, "should be their mark? But Demetrius will come to my aid." This was his hope to the last, and to the last he kept watching eagerly for his son; then a whole cloud of javelins were let fly at him and he fell.

    -Plutarch, life of Demetrius.

    Arche Aiakidae-Epeiros EB2 AAR

  19. #739

    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    It might be a long shot, but Belgium has a chance this year. The tournament is very balanced. Other big teams are underperforming badly, who knows.

  20. #740
    Facupay's Avatar Senator
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    Default Re: World Cup 2014, Brazil

    Quote Originally Posted by Basil II the B.S View Post
    Hmm, top Brazilian teams used to be good until the 80s-90s though and Copa Libertadores used to be a big deal as it is the Champions League in Europe. The last 20 years created a fairly big gap, mostly due to the economic collapse of Argentina.

    Meanwhile Belgium gained an undeserved victory and they are through. They might even go far if they win their worst games.
    South American teams lost the capability to retain not only their stars or their youth promises but even their average young players, the gap is gigantic. Brazil and, to a lesser extent, Argentina are slowly regaining their strength but they're still miles away from what it was.
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