The Soccer Thread

YEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One happy Aussie right here boyo. I wasn't around in '74, but I'm around to enjoy it now. Our improvement in football has coincided with our demise in rugby.

I prefer football so I don't mind.

YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 

1974

 

I was surprised at how many of the team play in the English Premiership...

Viduka and Kewell are well-known - but there's also Cahill, Schwarzer, Neil, Lazaridis, Emerton etc.

We can adopt them as the English second team!!

 

Austrailia has qualified for the 2006 World Cup by beating Uruguay on PK's after 120 minutes of play. The game got a good writeup for excitement. The 'roos have not qualified since 1974.

In other WC Quallies:

Switzerland holds on to edge Turkey, despite losing 2-4
Trinidad and Tobago oust Bahrain
Czech Rep. dispatches Norway
Spain cruises past Slovakia

I beleive that settles the 32 teams, no?

 

Bruce, speak like a proper patriot! We don't want them!

I hope England get drawn against Australia so we can crush them.

 

Soccer....that's the sport where they start crying and rolling around on the ground like a girl if someone touches them right?

 

I can't tell you how big a deal this is in Australia. We've been trying to qualify for a world cup for 31 years, and we finally did it. What's more, we did it after several years of absolute turmoil within the sport and with a coach that has only had 4 weeks to prepare the team.

And Uraguay aren't exactly easybeats. They played well for 15 minutes last night, but once Harry Kewel came on, the South American's were never really in it. Australia's finishing needs work though, and for this reason I can't see them threatening any of the big names come June in Germany. We're just happy to be there

 

There seems to be two threads going on this. I just posted this in the other one:-

I can't tell you how big a deal this is in Australia. We've been trying to qualify for a world cup for 31 years, and we finally did it. What's more, we did it after several years of absolute turmoil within the sport and with a coach that has only had 4 weeks to prepare the team.

And Uraguay aren't exactly easybeats. They played well for 15 minutes last night, but once Harry Kewel came on, the South American's were never really in it. Australia's finishing needs work though, and for this reason I can't see them threatening any of the big names come June in Germany. We're just happy to be there

 

Uruguay is not a pushover by anymeans. I've seen them live in DC and they can post a fine side. Good to see 83,000 in Sydney for the match??? Is that a correct number? And that they could sing?? Do tell...


I'm happy because I consider AUS to be one of the great sporting countires on the globe. They show up ready to play hard, fair, and have a laugh regardless of result.

 

A few points from my perspective on the match that will be probably analysed in greater depth later on but what about:
- The early sub of a defender (Popovic) for Harry Kewell. Absolute master stroke.
- The composure from continual diving and "gamesmanship" from the Uruguayans... but not only were we composed, we indulged in a bit of it ourselves ;-) Mark's comment is unfortunately spot on.
- The substitution of Recoba for Uruguay? Why?? No real apparent injury as far as I could tell, and his team never looked like scoring without him.
- Schwarzer's saves in the shoot out. Two brilliant and legitimate penalty saves - None of that jersey dudek crap and getting lucky with the ball hitting his body, but two FAIR-DINKUM saves!!!!! The 2nd in particular was a one-handed ripper!
- Viduka's penalty shootout miss! I thought it was in the bag when he stepped up. A penalty to rival Baggio or Beckham methinks! But at least it didn't cost us in the end... ..

 

I'm not sure of the exact munber, but it was a sell-out. And at $150 for the cheap seats, that's an excellent effort.

 

Gratz to the socceroos, this is an awesome achievement!

 

Yay!

 

Yeah it was a good turn out. My dad flew up from Melbourne to see the game!

 

My Trini boys will be celebrating tonight!!

Boy, that Aussie game went to penalties. I'll bet Mark Viduka is thanking his lucky stars that his PK miss didn't cost them their bid!!!

 

Please refrain calling soccer 'football'. We all know that football is the AFL (Up the Mighty Bombers!!!!!!)

EDIT: i think having a team in the world cup will allow me to finally feel like i have a reason to watch.

 

I saw the end of that games - it was shown live on EuroSport!!

It was really close and getting very nasty at the end!!

So it was in Bahrain with a huge partisan crowd and guys on megaphones whipping up support...

But the Trinidad guys were too big and skillful - by the end though they we clearly tiring and Dwight Yorke was just holding up the ball by the Bahrain corner - trying to run down the clock and the Bahrain players got annoyed and one guy dived two-footed straight at Yorke - who thankfully managed to get out of the way in time!!

It all kicked off in a big fight - then Bahrain went down the other end and the Trinidad goalkeeper easily got the ball and was holding it when a Bahrain player kicked it out of his hands and put the ball in the net and celebrates that they're going to the world cup!!

It was clearly illegal though and the referee blows for a free kick - Bahrain players go mad, man-handling the ref and the crowd start throwing objects on to the pitch - complete riot!!

The Bahrain coaching staff eventually dragged players away and ref sent one guy off - then blew for full-time...whew!!

And some people say football is a matter of life and death - no it's more important than that!!

 

On account of Canada sucking so hard at soccer (though the Canadian Football League is easily the best form of that other game) I'll have to cheer on my adopted team, the Czech Republic. I've been a fan ever since watching the '96 Euro Cup while in Africa. Up here nobody much cares, but over there it was about the most important thing in the world.

-Nate