World Cup 2018

[McLoofus 35,182]

3 minutes ago, AU64 said:

  I was down there a 2 or 3 times a year from about  1990-1997..... Colombia was very nice back then too.....temperate weather.   Oh...but there were armed guards on about every street corner and when you visited some companies they looked under your car with mirrors.   It took three levels of TSA type inspection to board an airplane,  the sidewalk outside,  ticket and baggage check area …..and the Sala when boarding the plane....and you had to touch and claim you bag on the ground by the stairway into the plane as you got on the plane..   Funny that all that security did not make me feel very secure......this was during the civil war with FARC.

Remember one of my customers (Ga Tech grad)  met me at my hotel in his new Toyoda Highlander....brand new and on it's way to the armorer later in the day.    I understand he was kidnapped and killed a couple years later. ☹️

BUT a beautiful country and nice people....for the most part.   

Very sad. I know little beyond what I've seen on Narcos and travel shows and, well, your story seems in line with both, for good or bad. 

Glad you had pleasant time and didn't experience any of "that" firsthand. 

[AU64 10,122]

1 hour ago, McLoofus said:

Very sad. I know little beyond what I've seen on Narcos and travel shows and, well, your story seems in line with both, for good or bad. 

Glad you had pleasant time and didn't experience any of "that" firsthand. 

Just observed the results of it.....felt bad for people there.....Colombia is / was like most countries in the world.....about 95% of the population of any given country just want to be able to go about their lives and be left alone …..and the other 5% in that country are making life miserable for them one way or another. 

 

 

[AUBwins 10,075]

Ronaldo was a beast tonight. What a gorgeous game overall tonight between Spain and Portugal.  Awesome finish with Ronaldo getting the hat trick on a free kick in the 89th minute

[McLoofus 35,182]

The Iberian Derby was a classic. Wow.

Fun start to Arg vs Ice

[McLoofus 35,182]

Ronaldo currently leading the who's better debate by a significant margin. 

[AUDub 11,147]

17 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Ronaldo currently leading the who's better debate by a significant margin. 

For real. Couldn't convert a penalty. Couldn't get his FKs from scoring range on frame. 

How about Iceland taking the point though!

[McLoofus 35,182]

27 minutes ago, AUDub said:

For real. Couldn't convert a penalty. Couldn't get his FKs from scoring range on frame. 

How about Iceland taking the point though!

Well earned for sure. Despite playing so much of the match in front of their own goal, it felt like they were pretty comfortable playing that game. Impressive.

[AUDub 11,147]

4 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Well earned for sure. Despite playing so much of the match in front of their own goal, it felt like they were pretty comfortable playing that game. Impressive.

Did you watch their Euro run? They haven't changed their approach at all. Just the kind of team they are.

Love me some Iceland. Fewer people than the B'ham metro area, but they can squeeze crazy quality out of them. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

5 minutes ago, AUDub said:

Did you watch their Euro run? They haven't changed their approach at all. Just the kind of team they are.

Love me some Iceland. Fewer people than the B'ham metro area, but they can squeeze crazy quality out of them. 

Amazing what happens when a country commits to being good at a sport.

[AUDub 11,147]

I love Latin American commentators. Guy calling this Peru game sounds like he's having the time of his life. 

[AUDub 11,147]

Denmark breaks through in the 59th. Peru with a great attack right on the heels of the goal. Schmeichel makes an amazing save to keep the Denmark lead. 1-0 in the 62nd. 

[AUDub 11,147]

Yeesh. Peru a hair's breadth from equalizing with a back heel. 

[AUDub 11,147]

Shout out to the Icelandic commentator lol.

https://screengrabber.deadspin.com/icelandic-tv-announcer-loses-mind-over-messi-pk-stop-1826887996/amp?__twitter_impression=true

[AUDub 11,147]

In stoppage. 

[AUDub 11,147]

Denmark endures 1-0. Maybe I have the wrong Leicester player as my avi lol. 

[ellitor 33,091]

War Damn Mexico!!! Took down World #1 Germany 1 - Nil.

[McLoofus 35,182]

5 minutes ago, ellitor said:

War Damn Mexico!!! Took down World #1 Germany 1 - Nil.

Good to see you in here my dude. Well deserved victory for Mexico.

[ellitor 33,091]

3 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Good to see you in here my dude.

With USA not involved I'm really not interested this year unless Mexico makes a run. I have a slew of Mexican friends.

[McLoofus 35,182]

Interesting take from Men in Blazers about making organized soccer more accessible to all young athletes in the US. I have always thought of it in terms of just opening up a much larger and potentially more athletic population, but they were saying that "football is a working class sport" and that many of the comparatively more sheltered, privileged kids who comprise so much of the higher levels of the sport in the US just don't have the hunger and the fight necessary to sustain the national team in international competition. It would seem that entitlement was at least one ingredient in our recipe for disaster here recently.

What a fun weekend. American absence aside, I couldn't have asked for much more from this Cup so far.

[mustache eagle 2,398]

i enjoyed the games this weekend and shamefully found myself rooting for mexico.  really, i just found myself rooting for all of the underdogs i think.

my general comment on accessibility for kids playing soccer ... i think sports in general have become entirely too complicated.  i just wish kids could go play sports as kids.  my comparison for soccer is always basketball.  all you need is a playing surface a goal and a ball ... and friends to play with.  as an aside, that is how i came to love football.  a flat yard, a ball and friends to destroy ... made me love my game.  not adults. not extra practice. not shiny new equipment. not private lessons.  just sheer joy of playing in the neighborhood.

if adults would simply get out of the way and encourage kids to play ... sports would improve.

[looney 794]

Came here for a discussion about that 2nd Senegal goal. 

I really don't understand what happened. I didn't think subs were ever waved on during the run of play.

Just nasty luck for Poland. They deserved a point out of that match, I think.

Edit: I didn't realize it was a player returning from injury, not a sub. Still - seems an odd time to wave them on.

[McLoofus 35,182]

4 minutes ago, looney said:

Came here for a discussion about that 2nd Senegal goal. 

I really don't understand what happened. I didn't think subs were ever waved on during the run of play.

Just nasty luck for Poland. They deserved a point out of that match, I think.

Edit: I didn't realize it was a player returning from injury, not a sub. Still - seems an odd time to wave them on.

A lot of conversation about that. I think it's a really, really unlikely sequence of events and I'm not sure the official did anything wrong.

Of course, if I were Polish, I would've murdered something by now.

Could honestly be one of those times where the officials got it right but the rules need to be looked at. Not sure how they could change it, though. 

[AUDub 11,147]

Argentina are the biggest pretenders in this tournament. Messi should have stayed retired from NT play. 

[AUBwins 10,075]

3 hours ago, AUDub said:

Argentina are the biggest pretenders in this tournament. Messi should have stayed retired from NT play. 

I was hoping Messi would get a cup, but he has not done his part either

[aucanucktiger 1,791]

The international soccer community always feels compelled to call somebody "best in the world. But every era does not have a player that's clearly best. Michelle Platini and Lev Yashin won it mostly from media buildup rather than dominating play. Like the Heisman some years. Right now is such an era - Messi and "Chrissy" Ronaldo have been clearly excellent, entertaining players for a long time but neither have ever done much when not surrounded by phenomenal talent or playing against twinkies. Media are doing their best to hype Neymar as heir apparent but he needs to do something consistently other than just being Brazil's forward (kind of like a USC RB or U of Miami's QB constantly being on the Heisman watch...regardless).