World Cup

[Grrrrrr]

Who's excited?

I know in '02 bars in cities stayed open 24 hours for the games. Does anyone know of such an establishment in the Chicaogland area?

 

[punishment]

I'm sure you can find an Irish pub somewhere. Go to one of the communities that has a large immigrant population, and I guarantee you will find a far that will show every single game.

I'm excited. My picks were horrible last time, but only because I had Argentina beating Portugal in the final, and neither made it to the 2nd round.

I have a hard time picking against Brazil this year, there is just so much talent there. But, I think I am going with a non-traditional team this year. (Meaning, someone who is not Italy, Brazil, Argentina, German or England.)

I am going with the Czech Republic to beat Spain in the final. That's right, you heard it here first, so open up your checkbooks and pay up now.

 

[irishfox]

I can't wait for the WC to begin. One of the best sporting events to take place. I hate to say it but I am pulling for England even though Rooney is hurt and prob. won't play. They are very well rounded in every position.

 

[jiggafini19]

Who's excited?

I know in '02 bars in cities stayed open 24 hours for the games. Does anyone know of such an establishment in the Chicaogland area?

All of the ethnic areas in Chicago will have various places open for games. If you fish around based on what country you want to watch, you can find one easily.

Back in 2002, certain neighborhoods had bars open to watch italy.

 

[NDAlumSon]

World Cup

I don't understand. Being an American, of multi-European heritage, am I supposed to root for Italy, Ireland, or England. Are black Americans [African-Americans= NO ; Americans of African descent=YES] supposed to root for their country of ethnic origin? Why is it that, at this point in history when the U.S. soccer team is rated 5th in the world, are we looking for ethnic bars. How about an ESPNZone bar with a Budweiser, hot dogs and U.S.A., U.S.A. chants.
I suspect this post is going to draw some responses.

May 2006 FIFA World National Team rankings
1 Brazil
2 Czech Republic
3 Holland
4 Mexico
5 USA
5 Spain
7 Portugal
8 France
9 Argentina
10 England
11 Denmark
11 Nigeria
13 Italy
14 Turkey
15 Cameroon
16 Sweden
17 Egypt
18 Japan
19 Germany
20 Greece
21 Tunisia
22 Uruguay
23 Iran
23 Croatia
25 Romania
26 Costa Rica
27 Columbia
28 Senegal
29 Korea Republic
29 Poland
31 Republic of Ireland
32 Ivory Coast
33 Paraguay
34 Saudi Arabia
35 Switzerland
36 Morocco
37 Russia
37 Bulgaria
39 Ecuador
40 Norway
41 Slovakia
42 Honduras
42 Australia
44 Serbia and Montenegro
45 Ukraine
46 Jamaica
47 Trinidad and Tobago
48 Ghana
49 Finland
49 Israel
51 Guinea
52 Iraq
53 South Africa
54 Bahrain
55 Zimbabwe
56 Belgium
57 Angola
57 Zambia
59 Scotland
60 Uzbekistan

 

[Óglaigh_na_hÉireann]

I'm incredibly excited. I've been waiting for this for years. I'm a bit dissappointed that Ireland didn't make it though, as they'd be my second team (and probably more successful).

Does anyone know what time the games will be shown over here? It's good for soccer's status in America that the population will actually be able to watch the games, as they're being shown much earlier than they were in South Korea/Japan, I believe.

 

[punishment]

I don't understand. Being an American, of multi-European heritage, am I supposed to root for Italy, Ireland, or England. Are black Americans [African-Americans= NO ; Americans of African descent=YES] supposed to root for their country of ethnic origin? Why is it that, at this point in history when the U.S. soccer team is rated 5th in the world, are we looking for ethnic bars. How about an ESPNZone bar with a Budweiser, hot dogs and U.S.A., U.S.A. chants.
I suspect this post is going to draw some responses.

Because Americans don't really like soccer. Hooters will play a Yankees-Red Sox baseball game before a US-Brazil soccer game.

Most (not all) love of soccer in the US comes from immigrants, or 2nd generation American born immigrants.

During the 1994 WC, 16 of 22 players on the US roster were foreign born. That number has since dropped, and in 2002 only 9 were foreign born.

Our best player, Donovan, became a soccer fan mostly because he grew up in a heavy Mexican influended neighborhood. The next great American player is going to be Adu, who is African-born.

And as for the start times, whenver the WC is in Europe or the Americas, the start times are usually from 10:00 a.m through about 4:00 p.m. These were the start times for WC94 and WC98. The only reason that WC2002 had start times from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. was because the time difference would not allow for different start times.

 

[punishment]

I don't understand. Being an American, of multi-European heritage, am I supposed to root for Italy, Ireland, or England. Are black Americans [African-Americans= NO ; Americans of African descent=YES] supposed to root for their country of ethnic origin? Why is it that, at this point in history when the U.S. soccer team is rated 5th in the world, are we looking for ethnic bars. How about an ESPNZone bar with a Budweiser, hot dogs and U.S.A., U.S.A. chants.
I suspect this post is going to draw some responses.

Another reason is that from a very early age we have other sports engrained into our head. Think about the order in which you got into certain sports. FOr most Americans, it is usually (1) baseball, (2) football (3) basketball (4) hockey (5) and then non-sports like golf, tennis, etc, and soccer is about (11), only after equistrian sports are out of season.

In the rest of the world, soccer is the first sport, and for many, the only sports. Part of its is because it is very cheap to play. Don't need pads, baskets, baseball equipment, etc. Just a bunch of shirts wrapped with tape will do.

Interestingly though, (I don't know how true this), but amongst women, soccer is supposed to be probably the favorite sport. Which would explain why the US women's team has had great success. (Among other things)

Also, those rankings are meaningless. I would never rank anybody from the CONCACAF (north american region) in the top 10. Ranking the top countries is an even more inexact science than college football rankings. In WC2002, Argentina was #1, and Portugal #2, neither made it to the 2nd round. Brazil was ranked #6, and Germany #12.

 

[Guest]

my favorite world cup memory was the 94 cup which was played in America, Ireland and Italy played a game in the meadowlands, and Ireland pulled of the huge upset 1-0....It was good to rub it in all my italian friends faces, i still rub it in their faces till this day...

I'm picking Germany for this one.....

 

[NDAlumSon]

The Beautiful Game

The Beautiful Game

Punishment,
Thanks for your answers. You make great points.
Personally, I don't know how anyone can not love the "beautiful game".
Landing a cross field "banana" of 60 yards right on the foot of your running teammate is an incredible skill and a beautiful thing to watch.

 

[LuckoftheIrish86]

Argentina!

 

[joresendez]

This World Cup will be quite bittersweet and emotional.....unfortunately, it will be the last cup i enjoy with my grandfather (who played professional soccer in Mexico and semi-pro in Chicago)....i'm rooting hard for Mexico (and almost as hard for the American team) to make a good run to give my Grandfather some joy as his time diminishes.....i guess its kinda like the espn advertisments say....once every four years this tournament transcends the world and means a lot to many people like myself.....As for my pick, Ronaldinho will lead to Brazil to the finals....Mexico and the USA will bow out in the quarters.....viva Mexico.

 

[maison bleu]

"Because Americans don't really like soccer. Hooters will play a Yankees-Red Sox baseball game before a US-Brazil soccer game."

I've heard it said that Americans consider soccer a sport for women and children. Real men, presumably, play real (American) football.

And who wants to see championships decided by penalty kicks? Let them play until someone scores a REAL goal. They play til they drop in the NHL playoffs, why not in the World Cup?

 

[jiggafini19]

The most talented athlete I have probably ever seen (video, of course) is Pele in his prime. The guy was simply amazing. Jesse Owens is probably right there, as is Jim Thorpe, but what Pele did with a soccer ball was simply amazing.

BTW: The soccer bar in Chicago to visit is GINGER'S ALE HOUSE. It is at 3801 North Ashland Avenue in Chicago, within walking distance of Wrigley Field.

 

[irishnd31]

Why is Ireland not in it? Probably a stupid question for those who follow the sport closely, but I never really got into the game myself.

 

[jiggafini19]

Oh, I'll be USA first and Italy second. And they're in the same group. Hopefully they're the 1-2 in that group, but Czech Republic is pretty good.

 

[punishment]

Why is Ireland not in it? Probably a stupid question for those who follow the sport closely, but I never really got into the game myself.

Europe gets 15 of 32 teams. There are about 50 countries in Europe. (I was surprised to find that out too) So they create 8 pools withabout 6 teams each, and the top 2 advance. Ireland just did not make the top two from their group. Ireland's squad has not been very good the last couple of years though. They have a very old team, and very young team. Not much in between. But Ireland is consistently one of the tope 30 teams in the world, and makes the cup about every other cup.

 

[punishment]

"Because Americans don't really like soccer. Hooters will play a Yankees-Red Sox baseball game before a US-Brazil soccer game."

I've heard it said that Americans consider soccer a sport for women and children. Real men, presumably, play real (American) football.

And who wants to see championships decided by penalty kicks? Let them play until someone scores a REAL goal. They play til they drop in the NHL playoffs, why not in the World Cup?

When the game was created hundreds of years ago (up for debate, but its been organized for about 150) in England (up for debate also, some say empires before christ played soccer) penalty kicks were put in the game originally. There is an excitement to penalty kicks that most soccer fans like, but not to decide championships.

Does hockey not have shootouts anymore? I don't really follow it too much, so I don't know.

But I think its more tradition. I can't say I'm a big fan of the golden goal (first team to score in over time wins the game) and kind of like the silver goal more (game is decided when over time period runs out, as opposed to goal being scored). But I guess that depends on whether your team scored the first goal or not.

I have to admit I do like penalty kicks. But maybe that is just because I grew up a fan of the game.

 

[punishment]

Punishment,
Thanks for your answers. You make great points.
Personally, I don't know how anyone can not love the "beautiful game".
Landing a cross field "banana" of 60 yards right on the foot of your running teammate is an incredible skill and a beautiful thing to watch.

I too will never understand. It is absolutely the greatest sport in the world, bar none. Even better than college football. (yikes)

If you are ever abroad, in Brazil, England, Italy, or any other soccer nation, go see a soccer game. I can guarantee that a healthy majority will come back soccer fans.

 

[maison bleu]

Does hockey not have shootouts anymore? I don't really follow it too much, so I don't know.
.

The NHL uses shootouts in the regular system, but playoff games are all sudden death. Nothing tenser than an playoff game goint to OT, double OT, triple OT... waiting for the one goal.

 

[irishnd31]

Europe gets 15 of 32 teams. There are about 50 countries in Europe. (I was surprised to find that out too) So they create 8 pools withabout 6 teams each, and the top 2 advance. Ireland just did not make the top two from their group. Ireland's squad has not been very good the last couple of years though. They have a very old team, and very young team. Not much in between. But Ireland is consistently one of the tope 30 teams in the world, and makes the cup about every other cup.

Thanks punishment. I was just surprised to see that Ireland was not a part of the WC. I was always under the impression that they were one of the top teams in the world, but thanks to your explanation, I see that I have much to learn. As I said before, I have never been a fan of soccer, but do support any US team and will probably watch to see how they do. Would have been cool to see the Irish play though.

 

[Fitzgerald]

I too will never understand. It is absolutely the greatest sport in the world, bar none. Even better than college football. (yikes)

If you are ever abroad, in Brazil, England, Italy, or any other soccer nation, go see a soccer game. I can guarantee that a healthy majority will come back soccer fans.

Nah. That's true for hockey, which, even played in an empty stadium, but at playoff intensity, is an amazing sport. But soccer, the game itself, is boring. That's no slight on the athletes; basketball players are great athletes too, and look how boring that is. Soccer, for most people, is one of those sports that's fun to play, but not to watch.

But hockey, essentially, is soccer made watchable.

 

[jiggafini19]

Put a gun to my head and I couldn't tell you who is playing in the NHL playoffs right now.

And I'm not kidding. I'd be dead.

 

[punishment]

Nah. That's true for hockey, which, even played in an empty stadium, but at playoff intensity, is an amazing sport. But soccer, the game itself, is boring. That's no slight on the athletes; basketball players are great athletes too, and look how boring that is. Soccer, for most people, is one of those sports that's fun to play, but not to watch.

But hockey, essentially, is soccer made watchable.

I don't know about that. If it really were that much better, why are their viewer ratings so low?

Just as a measurement of the popularity of soccer is, the Super Bowl attracts 100 million viewers on average. The WC02 final between Brazil-Germany had 1.1 billion viewers. Even the Champions League final won be Barcelona was rumored to have had over 250 million viewers.

 

[punishment]

Nah. That's true for hockey, which, even played in an empty stadium, but at playoff intensity, is an amazing sport. But soccer, the game itself, is boring. That's no slight on the athletes; basketball players are great athletes too, and look how boring that is. Soccer, for most people, is one of those sports that's fun to play, but not to watch.

But hockey, essentially, is soccer made watchable.

I don't know about that. If it really were that much better, why are their viewer ratings so low?

Just as a measurement of the popularity of soccer is, the Super Bowl attracts 100 million viewers on average. The WC02 final between Brazil-Germany had 1.1 billion viewers. Even the Champions League final won be Barcelona was rumored to have had over 250 million viewers.

 

[shark83]

Thanks punishment. I was just surprised to see that Ireland was not a part of the WC. I was always under the impression that they were one of the top teams in the world, but thanks to your explanation, I see that I have much to learn. As I said before, I have never been a fan of soccer, but do support any US team and will probably watch to see how they do. Would have been cool to see the Irish play though.

We were in a tough group which included qualifiers France & Switzerland & were well placed up untill the final couple games when we just fell apart.

 

[punishment]

We were in a tough group which included qualifiers France & Switzerland & were well placed up untill the final couple games when we just fell apart.

I was actually very, very surprised at how well Switzerland played. I can't recall having ever seen them in a WC.

Regardless, remember, the Czech Republic is going to win it all. And then I can brag about picking the dark horse winner.

p.s. Svoboda, in case the Czech Republic does poorly, please erase all my posts from this topic so as to not leave a track record.

p.p.s. Can we set up a betting system for the WC like you do with all the other ones on here. We can do group winners, pick the 16 2nd round qualifiers, over all winner, golden shoe winner, etc.

 

[shark83]

Switzerland are a good tough team. We've played them in our group in the last 2 qualifing tournaments(World Cup & European Cup) They'll do well

 

[Óglaigh_na_hÉireann]

Put a gun to my head and I couldn't tell you who is playing in the NHL playoffs right now.

And I'm not kidding. I'd be dead.

I didn't even know the playoffs were going on right now.

 

[Óglaigh_na_hÉireann]

Results (in case you havn't been watching the games):

Game 1: Czech Republic 3 USA 0
Game 2: USA 1 Italy 1
Game 3: Ghana vs USA, 10 AM Thursday

After watching the USA's performance in the Italy match, I'm confident that the Czech Republic disaster was only a fluke. I think that if the US gave the same effort and used the same lineup as they did against Italy, that the game would have been much closer and we might have even been able to get a few points out of it.

I'm a bit worried about Ghana. They have a ton of speed and looked great against the Czech Republic (they won 2-0). They're more underrated than the US is.

For those who havn't been following, the U.S. needs to win tomorrow and have Italy beat the Czech Republic to advance.