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FIFA World Cup 2014
- Thread starter GrumpiusMaximus
- Start date
Also, I'd love to see a Germany - Netherlands final, especially if both teams were properly on form.
Now there are two African teams: one Saharan and one sub-Saharan. No Asian teams through to the Round of 16, although I did catch some of the Australia matches which were very entertaining.
Man this had to have been the worst group of the bunch. Belgium wins 3 games but by 1 goal each game against not too much of a competitive group. I think, in my opinion ofcourse, the US has to be the only 2 place team that's going to be the favorite in the round of 16. They lucked out.
Regarding the US v Germany match: Anyone notice that when the US had a counter-attack, the Germans would foul and the ref would stop play without using the advantage rule ? Yet, when the Germans had a counter and the Americans fouled to stop it, the ref would use the advantage rule to wave play on. Anyone notice that?
US will not be a favorite against Belgium - that squad is stacked with players from top clubs in the English, German, Spanish, Italian, French and Russian leagues. We have a chance and certainly a better one than we would against Germany, Netherlands, Brazil, Columbia but we are underdogs nonetheless.
Yes, but he missed a bunch of fouls including some cardable ones that the US committed. Not the best ref I've seen so far in the tourney but not the worst. I do like how FIFA makes it pretty clear in the way they make the referee assignments what it thinks about the refs performance. It will be interesting to see if that guy gets a Round of 16 game, I think he might not.
TBOT WC PREDICTION LAST 16 Part II
OK Lads here is the second part of the Last 16 Draw for your predictions.
(If you haven't done part I yet you need to get it in swiftly: see Post #1619 for the matches.
I'm still a bit sick so will get an update of the table at the end of the Groups up shortly.
OK Lads here is the second part of the Last 16 Draw for your predictions.
(If you haven't done part I yet you need to get it in swiftly: see Post #1619 for the matches.
I'm still a bit sick so will get an update of the table at the end of the Groups up shortly.
Some people may have noticed that I seem to be rooting against all the European teams in this tournament, and it's generally true, but I have a good reason. I have a lot of European friends and acquaintances, and the one thing I can't stand about any of them is their arrogance when it comes to futebol.
They all share the mentality that the only countries on this planet that know how to play the game are Brazil, Argentina, and the Europeans. As a Mexico fan, I've been told countless times that if Mexico were part of UEFA, they would never qualify for the finals. And if they think that about Mexico, imagine what they think about the US, Costa Rica, etc... That is why this has been my favorite World Cup.
The boys from the English Football thread know I hate statistics, but I'm going to give you these anyway:
There are only three countries in the world that have qualified for the second round in each of the last 6 World Cups (including this one.) Those three countries are Brazil, Germany, and Mexico. In those 6 World Cups, Mexico has played 18 first round matches. They have only lost 3.
Yet, everyone from Croatia to Russia to Luxembourg thinks they play better than Mexico merely because they are a part of UEFA.
Here's another stat: Since 1998, when the World Cup adopted the 32 team format, the CONCACAF teams which failed to qualify for the second round have a better record in the tournament than the European teams which also failed to advance. This matters because FIFA is considering taking a spot in the finals away from CONCACAF and giving it to UEFA.
So that's why I've been rooting for all the Asians, Africans, and American teams. (Best World Cup EVER)
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49 - 2-1
50 - 0-1
51 - 2-1
52 - 2-0
53 - 2-0
54 - 2-1
55 - 2-1
56 - 1-0
But I hope Colombia and Switzerland win 50 and 55, respectively.
Though given the number of draws we've seen, I suspect we'll see plenty of extra time, maybe some penalty shootouts.
50 - 0-1
51 - 2-1
52 - 2-0
53 - 2-0
54 - 2-1
55 - 2-1
56 - 1-0
But I hope Colombia and Switzerland win 50 and 55, respectively.
Though given the number of draws we've seen, I suspect we'll see plenty of extra time, maybe some penalty shootouts.
This is a nice post.
Yes, I think it's a milestone for Concacaf teams. I'm glad they did it. They even have good chances to go to the round of 8, except for MX of course, unless Ochoa plays the game of his life.
It's nice to see different names advancing: Costa Rica, Algeria, Belgium, Greece. Definitely a bit of an underdog tournament so far.
And, by the way, UEFA does not need another spot for the World Cup. They get more than enough for the competitiveness that their classifying round is: 9 groups with 1 strong team, a middle of pack team and then some who never/rarely show up on each group. I'm glad Concacaf can tell them at least "but wait..."
This is quite funny to me, because I know Americans & American soccer fans who hate Mexico/Mexican fans because of their arrogance and superiority complex over the likes of the USA.
That said, I agree with the main point, and believe anyone who considers Mexico some 2nd tier team, or writes them off is quite dim. I don't think any team should be too confident walking into the Azteca.
FIFA can 'eff off trying to shuffle the deck so another mediocre European team can get in.
Are we going by final score or full time score?
I just ask because I see Chuck and Syxz have predicted draws . . . in the knockout stage of the tournament?
