# The World Cup 2006 thread



## gastonbuffet

*The World Cup 2010 thread*

Triggered by a recent post (fifa06) about a console game, i now have enough nerve to start a thread looking into the almost here World Cup Germany 2006 by FIFA.

http://fifa.com/default.html (soccer:football:futbol's main page)

http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/ (tournament itself)


I don't expect many, if any, contributions from my fellow ehmacers; after all, this is Canada. Don't get me wrong, I would love to hear anything from any of you( insults, curses, praises, hateful remarks), but I'm just being realistic here. This is a price I endure for living in this beautiful country. Chances of online brawls are slim. But , who knows, maybe some of England or France fans could ignite a "debate". 

Still, i will post every now and then with the latest. Call it therapy.



Next, on WCT (world cup thread)...........November 12th matches.


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## kevs~just kevs

I wouldn't call myself a soccer fan, but I do really enjoy watching the World Cup. When does the race begin? Nov 12th??? Seems early no?

<quickly raises head> screams "GO ITALIA!" <ducks below desk>


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## gastonbuffet

So, what happens this Saturday.

1) the last set of qualifying matches towards the world cup begin. Basically, this means that 10 countries that are good but not good enough to have qualified in the main qualifying process, now have to play for a spot on the Final (only the best 32 teams in the World go to the finals, of which 27 are already in, the last 5 will come up from this last 10 teams). This means that there will be 5 double matches, one at home, the other away, against one other of this 10. Some historically powerful soccer nations are, believe it or not, in this stage. (Spain, Uruguay; also Turkey and Norway).

2) A world round of friendlies matches. 
from

http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/051110/1/57rg.html


" The FIFA World Cup™ qualifying play-offs are not the only mouth-watering matches taking place this weekend as those teams who have already booked their tickets for Germany begin the process of fine-tuning their squads for next summer's finals. Three matches in particular stand out: England v Argentina, France v Germany and Netherlands v Italy.
England, who struggled to get the better of Poland in their qualifying campaign, are off to Geneva to measure up against one of their oldest rivals. Injury has deprived coach Sven-Goran Eriksson of first-choice full-backs Gary Neville and Ashley Cole as well as Jamie Carragher and Jonathan Woodgate, but the biggest point of interest could be seeing which of Sol Campbell and Rio Ferdinand starts alongside John Terry.

As for Argentina coach Jose Pekerman, he will be closely monitoring the recalled Julio Cruz, understudy to Adriano at Inter Milan. The 31-year-old has not figured for his country since February 2002 when he hit the equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Wales but his form for Inter has earned him another chance with the national side.

France just scraped through Group 4 but they will want to give a good impression at the Stade de France when they meet FIFA World Cup finals hosts Germany. Victory would be a confidence boost for both sides, who have suffered during some recent patchy performances.

Les Bleus go into the match on the back of their 3-2 win over Costa Rica in Martinique in midweek. Playmaker Zinedine Zidane, who is still recovering from a groin strain misses out while goalkeeping understudies from both sides will get the chance to display their talents - Jens Lehmann stands in for Oliver Kahn for Germany and at the opposite end, Gregory Coupet will replace veteran Fabien Barthez.

Attractive tie in Amsterdam 
In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, who dominated qualifying Group 1, take on Italy, who did likewise in Group 5. This match should provide a number of pointers with Marcelo Lippi giving goalkeeper Christian Abbiati a chance to start in place of the injury-hit Gianluigi Buffon. Otherwise, Lippi should remain true to his usual lineup, the only inclusion of note being the return of Lazio defender Massimo Oddo.

The Dutch, meanwhile, will be without Mark van Bommel who suffered ligament damage to his left ankle in training and will be out for upto two months. The 19-year-old Ajax defender Urby Emanuelson, who has impressed in the UEFA Champions League, should make his debut appearance while forward Romeo Castelen and defender Joris Mathijsen are also back in the squad.
The remaining friendlies offer a break from convention. World champions Brazil travel to Abu Dhabi to face the United Arab Emirates, Korea Republic will take on Sweden in what should prove a tough test for their new coach Dick Advocaat, while the United States visit Scotland for the first time since 1952.

Elsewhere Côte d'Ivoire, who squeezed through the African qualifiers to reach their first finals, face stern opposition in Romania, Portugal shape up against Croatia, while Mexico will be at home to Chile in Monterrey. " 

To make that long story short.... Argentina plays England!!! 
Exciting, isn't it? 

Let me fill you in on England's situation. 
From 
http://www.englandfootballonline.com/CmpWC/CmpWCTmHist.html


England's World Cup History

This competition, begun in 1930, has become the world's largest sporting event. It has been staged every four years since then with the exception of 1942 and 1946, when the Second World War forced its suspension. 

England did not enter the first three competitions of 1930, 1934 and 1938. Although FIFA assiduously sought England's participation, the Football Association declined all invitations. Not until the fourth tournament in 1950 did England take part.

England have entered all 14 post-war competitions. They reached the final tournament 11 times. They qualified through play in the preliminary competition on nine occasions ( 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1998 and 2002), as host country once (1966) and as reigning champions once (1970). They failed to qualify for the final tournaments on three occasions ( 1974, 1978 and 1994).

England have had only moderate success in the World Cup, and that is perhaps a fair indication of their standing in the world game. They won the tournament once, in 1966, when it was held on their own soil and they played all their matches at their home ground, Wembley Stadium, an advantage extended to no other team in World Cup history. Their 4-2 extra-time victory against West Germany in the only final match they have reached has remained clouded by the controversy over whether their third goal, the first of extra-time, actually crossed the goal line, and, at least in the view prevailing in Latin nations, by the furore surrounding the expulsion of Argentina captain Antonio Rattin in the quarterfinal. 

Note: if you see footage of this game, and understand spanish, you will notice 
Rattin talking as a Gentleman he is, and the SOB that expelled him should be ashamed. The match was fixed, bastards!

England reached the semifinals on only one other occasion, at the 1990 tournament in Italy, where, following extra-time victories over Belgium and Cameroon, they went down to West Germany on penalty kicks after a 1-1 extra-time draw. They then lost the third-place match to the host nation, 2-1.

England have reached the quarterfinals on five other occasions, at the 1954, 1962, 1970, 1986 and 2002 tournaments. At the 1982 competition in Spain, where the final tournament was conducted through two group stages with the teams topping the four second-round groups proceeding directly to the semifinals, England finished the second group stage unbeaten but were eliminated anyway. Their second-place finish in the second-round group was tantamount to a quarterfinal appearance.

England have been eliminated in the round of 16 teams stage on one occasion since the final tournament was expanded to more than 16 teams in 1982--at the 1998 final tournament in France.

England have been eliminated at the first round group stage on two occasions , 1950 and 1958, when they finished level in group play with the U.S.S.R. but lost a playoff match.

The World Cup has been a frustrating odyssey for England, particularly since 1966. At several tournaments, their performances have filled their fans with justified hope, but in the end, they have just not had enough to overcome the world's most powerful teams in crucial knockout matches. 

Consolation-seekers like to point out that it has been England's misfortune to meet the eventual World Cup winners in the knockout stages of four tournaments. They went out to Brazil, 3-1, in the quarterfinals of the 1962 tournament, to Argentina, 2-1 by way of Maradona's "Hand of God" goal, in the quarterfinals of the 1986 tournament, to West Germany, on penalty kicks after a 1-1 extra-time draw, in the semifinals of the 1990 tournament and to Brazil again, 2-1, in the quarterfinals of the 2002 tournament after holding the lead.

Twice they have been eliminated in penalty-kick shootouts, in the 1990 semifinal against West Germany and in the 1998 round-of-16-teams match against Argentina following a 2-2 extra-time draw in which they played a man short following the expulsion early in the second-half of midfielder David Beckham. On a third occasion, they were eliminated during extra-time, in the 3-2 quarterfinal loss to West Germany at the 1970 tournament after they held a two-goal lead with 23 minutes to play in regulation time.

Perhaps most disappointing was their elimination at the 1982 tournament in Spain. Having won all three of their group matches quite handily, all they could muster in their second-round group was a pair of goalless draws against eventual finalist West Germany and hosts Spain. They went home unbeaten, having yielded only one goal in five matches. 


Next on WCT....... more Argentina and England Tango


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## gastonbuffet

A CBC preview of the last match between Argentina and England

http://www.cbc.ca/pcgi-bin/templates/sportsView.cgi?/news/2002/06/06/Sports/eng-arg-rivalry020606


What finally happened that day, Argentina dominated the entire match, England won. 



A little on politics and world cup. Mind 1966 Rattin's expulsion (remember the fixed match/ fixed tournament, the only World Cup England ever won? ) for the French Speaking.

http://www.contrapie.com/vercronicas.asp?id_cronica=179


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## Ighareeb

England fan here, over the summer bought 3 of the new jerseys with numbers so im set for when we start up...
We are the champiiiiooooons....lol
like you said canada...they are busy with more exciting sports eg. curling. lol


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## K_OS

Notable country's that are going to miss World Cup 2006 so far are Denmark and the so called Euro champs Greece.

Laterz


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## Fink-Nottle

I cheer for England and the Southampton Saints... so I am used to pain. Bring it on.


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## TheBat

The World Cup is the only sporting event I watch in it's entirety. This thread may not draw a lot of interest, but we may be surprised. I think that soccer may be the fastest growing sport in Canada.


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## The Great Waka

DEUTSCHLAND!!!!


ahem

The only thing that REALLY bothers me that while it's hosted in my homeland, the official beer is Budweiser! I mean, that's not even beer! What were they thinking?!?!


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## gastonbuffet

wow, responses. Great. The more English fans (or German) the merrier. This will make my gloating, once Argentina wins the cup, more justified 

So tomorrow Germany will play France, that should be a great match, which Germany IS going to win. This Cup the Germans have a powerful team, and they are probably the team working the hardest to fine tune their team for the finals(as no other team has played so many friendlies this year as them, of course they did not had to play the qualifiers due to them hosting the tournament). The last friendly match Germany played with Argentina ended in a 2-2 draw(020905).
On contrast, France is not going to have Zinedine Zidane(hell of a player) and their team is the weakest i've seen in a decade.


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## miguelsanchez

K_OS said:


> the so called Euro champs Greece.


Boo! That's undeserved! They won fair and square! Let them have their glory. It'll probably never happen again.  

They were trying to qualify this year with too many injured players, and I think they did quite well considering. Many of their matches were lost in the late stages when one little defensive mistake led to the game-winner being scored.

It says something that the finicky Greek football fans still want "King Otto" to stay on as coach.

As for the Copa, I'm going with my beloved Brasil, but I've turned into a big Spain fan since the last Mundial.


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## Boomcha

Greece did win fair and square. But it goes to show that every team has its lucky period.
As a friend says.. "Even the sun shines on a dog's ass somedays."

As for me.. Go Portugal!! and failing that .. Vamos Brasil!!

Soccer rules.

Jorge


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## gastonbuffet

Spain.
Historically, a great strong team. A contender, always. Never won though. I'm expecting them to get fed up one of these Cups (Copa) and just steal the goddam trophy.

Brasil. Brasil..... the best team in the world. They won the Cup 5 times. No other team has done it so many times. If you want to know which match draws more attention than any other,in the world; even more attention than an England-Germany match, is when Brasil plays....Argentina. Why? Because we are their only weakness. And we are better!!!! 

but that's a long story, to come on WCT


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## Moscool

Well my team has won a friendly against Costa Rica (!) 3-2 so you read it here first: France is back!!!


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## SINC

While I have no idea why anyone would want to watch paint dry, I understand your enthusiasm for the game. I think! Enjoy.


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## gastonbuffet

Thanks for the support Sinc.

Today is the Day, i woke up at 4:30 (too excited), i took the day off work, and will be heading towards the bar as soon it will open. The game is at 11:45 Toronto time, and I have choosen what is considered the most British Pub in This city to see it. The Duke of something in Downtown T.O.. I will be the only guy with an Argentinian Team shirt surrounded by hordes of drunken Brits. This is going to be fun!!!


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## yatko

It is not Soccer. It is *futbol*.

My favorite team is playing against Switzerland today and there will be another one on Wednesday. Hopefully if they qualify I will be in Munich next summer for the WC(My birth town).


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## Loafer

ENG-GEEEEEER-LAAAAAAAND
ENG-GEEEEEER-LAAAAAAAND
ENG-GEEEEEER-LAAAAAAAND

nice thread
maybe we could have a EhMac soccer get together to watch the games......althought they will be mid-afternoon affairs, not an issue when you work for yourself


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## K_OS

miguelsanchez said:


> Boo! That's undeserved! They won fair and square! Let them have their glory. It'll probably never happen again.
> 
> They were trying to qualify this year with too many injured players, and I think they did quite well considering. Many of their matches were lost in the late stages when one little defensive mistake led to the game-winner being scored.
> 
> It says something that the finicky Greek football fans still want "King Otto" to stay on as coach.


What can I say they play a very boring brand of Football and only won trough shear luck but that's ok they won and now have failed to qualify for the Worlds to me justice has been served somewhat.

I'll root for Portugal till they get knocked out but other teams to look out for in Europe would be Croatia they allways look strong and in South America the allways contenders Brazil are allways an exciting team to watch.

Laterz


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## Loafer

Woo-Hoo
3-2 to England!!!!!

take that you war mongering steak eaters!


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## gastonbuffet

i will kill Michael Owen 

I'm shutting this thread now. Bye


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## gastonbuffet

This was only a friendly match, just a test to see where we are headed. Now if you'll excuse me, i'm going to take a few hours to get it out of my system. Congratulations England.



sob


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## Fink-Nottle

There can be no deeper irony that describing a football match between England and Argentina as "a friendly".  

Seriously... most English people I know (including myself) couldn't care less about the Falklands but Maradona's handball past Peter Shilton in World Cup 86 still really hurts! 

Picture Here!


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## Loafer

Fink-Nottle said:


> There can be no deeper irony that describing a football match between England and Argentina as "a friendly".
> 
> Seriously... most English people I know (including myself) couldn't care less about the Falklands but Maradona's handball past Peter Shilton in World Cup 86 still really hurts!
> 
> Picture Here!


Don't you mean Malvinas ? 

It's true, the 'hand of God' still hurts the nation as a whole more than the Falklands war.
It still bothers me though that a man of Peter Shilton's stature can get out jumped, hand or no hand, by a fat little short arse cocaine snorting gimp like Madonna.

Anyway....at least we won today. Not quite as god as beating the Germans 5-1, but comes close


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## gastonbuffet

Loafer said:


> a fat little short arse cocaine snorting gimp like Madonna.


I hope she reads this, and gets you!!

Back to Maradona,he was, loaded with all the drugs the europeans made him addicted to, the greatest player that ever lived. Could you imagine if, at his prime, had he not been a junkie, like he was, what an even more unbelievable player he would have been? What a waste to the Sport. Darn European Leagues!



A little article on The Observer (England), link at the end of the article.


Friendly? You could have fooled me. The latest instalment of Anglo-Argentine rivalry contained none of the rancour that has attended these meetings over the years, and was bigger on incident and excitement than the whole of England's qualifying campaign.

If all England friendlies were this good Sven-Goran Eriksson would have been made Mayor of London by now. And if Wayne Rooney can play this well against the big names in Germany next year we can all start looking forward to an entertaining World Cup.

It might be too early to predict a successful tournament, since the game was 87 minutes old by the time Michael Owen rescued a draw and at least three minutes older by the time he turned it into an unlikely win, but if confidence is important this result will do England no harm at all.

'That is what these World Cup warm-up games are for,' Owen said afterwards. 'It meant a lot to both sides. You could see that. When they scored their players and fans were going mad as well.'

Even at 2-1 down England had put in a hugely impressive performance in what was easily their best display since returning from Portugal last summer. Argentina thought they had done enough to win. England, and Owen in particular, proved them quite wrong.

Eriksson described his match-winning hero as 'maybe the best goalscorer in the world', while his counterpart Jose Pekerman was more impressed by Rooney. 'He's very dangerous and aggressive - a key player. I always knew that England was a tough team with very good players. They will play a key role at the World Cup.'

Whether they will play that role with the formation that started this game remains open to question. Ledley King recovered from his knee injury in time to stake a claim for the holding midfield position in a safety-first line-up, and a bigger surprise was Wayne Bridge's inclusion at left-back in prefernce to Phil Neville. Bridge soon discovered he would need to be up to speed when Juan Roman Riquelme went past him in the fifth minute to bring the first save of the match from Paul Robinson, who made many more in a game that featured 30 attempts at goal. England countered through Steven Gerrard and Rooney, the latter finding Owen with a delicately chipped cross, only for the striker's accurate header to be ruled out by the offside flag.

Argentina upped the tempo and the early part of the game resembled the torrid last moments of England's rearguard action in Sapporo three years ago, with Robinson making saves from Carlos Tevez and Maximiliano Rodriguez in quick succession and John Terry standing firm to block a shot from Rodriguez when the goalkeeper was stranded off his line. Hernan Crespo had the ball in the net from a free-kick in the 12th minute, but the Swiss referee upheld English complaints that he had used his arm.

When the game settled down after a breathless 20 minutes, England found themselves playing deeper than they would have liked, with Gerrard and Frank Lampard operating almost level with King, and Rooney having to drop back well into his own half to pick up the ball.

England grew in confidence and on the half-hour were unlucky not to open the scoring. Gerrard halted an Argentine advance with a timely interception, and played Rooney into the space behind the defence. Rooney controlled the ball and beat Roberto Abbondanzieri almost without breaking his stride, but what appeared to be a goalbound shot rebounded off the post.

Just as England appeared to be gaining control Argentina struck, with Rooney guilty of losing the ball to Esteban Cambiasso just across the halfway line. Riquelme and Tevez swiftly transferred it to the right, where England were weakest. Rodriguez beat Bridge to cross, Rio Ferdinand fluffed his attempted clearance and Crespo scored from close range.

Three minutes later England were level. Argentina failed to clear their lines, David Beckham jumped to contest a loose ball and won, and Rooney did the rest. Facing goal from 10 yards out, Rooney advanced to bang the ball past Abbondanzieri, looking as if he, too, wanted to announce his arrival on the world stage with a goal against Argentina.

Paul Konchesky came on for the labouring Bridge at half-time and was soon feeling the pressure. When Riquelme drifted over a 53rd-minute free-kick for Ayala at the far post, it fell to England's substitute to contest the ball with the Argentine defender. He failed, and Roberto Ayala's header back across goal was forced over the line by Samuel.

Perhaps with three centre-halfs in the side, England ought to be better at defending aerial set pieces, but once Argentina were in the lead again the holding midfielder was deemed surplus to requirements and King made way for Joe Cole. Argentina withdrew into their own half to protect their lead and took off Crespo.

Lampard shot wide, not for the first time, when he might have scored, and with Rooney less menacing and Owen almost invisible England rarely looked like finding a way through again until the frantic closing minutes. Even when Ayala had to come off, Argentina held firm, and it seemed the closest Owen and England would get was in forcing a sharp save from Abbondanzieri when the striker tried to reach a rebound from a long-range Beckham free-kick.

Then Rooney came again, producing a superb chip four minutes from time that the keeper only just managed to keep out, and a cross from which Beckham could only head straight at the same pair of gloves. With three minutes remaining Gerrard hoisted a high ball from the right and found Owen at the far post. England were already celebrating - a draw was enough - but Owen saved the best till the very last, jumping across Peter Crouch in stoppage time to thump Cole's cross past Abbondanzieri's outstretched hand to secure a victory that will inevitably lead to the talking-up of England's prospects next summer.

'We know we've got a chance [in Germany]. No more than that and no less than that,' Owen said. 'Other teams have got a chance, too, but these results help us, they give us confidence. Tonight it could have gone either way. It showed that there is not much between the top teams in the world.'



http://observer.guardian.co.uk/sport/story/0,6903,1641620,00.html



I'm still shocked by the result, and now i get to face all the co-workers. ( Don't know why, but they all cheer for the British)


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## miguelsanchez

gastonbuffet said:


> ...the greatest player that ever lived...


You do mean Pele, of course?


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## K_OS

miguelsanchez said:


> You do mean Pele, of course?


You guys are opening up a huge can of worms, there are a few players that I can think of that deserve that title.

Pele
Maradona
Eusebio
Bobby
Beckenbauer
Bobby Charlton
Paolo Rossi
Figo
Zidane

I'm sure there are others that deserve to be on that list but those are the ones off the top of my head.

Laterz


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## boadicea

Yeah go England Go.......the time has come.

As a former Scouse now living in Victoria!!!!

Remember the Euro Cup? Miracles do happen!


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## gastonbuffet

Kaos,

are you high? 


My english might be poor, but "THE" best can be only ONE, and 
basically, there are two to pick from. Pele or Maradona. All the rest are just amazing players. Hey, i didn't make this thing up, it's just the way it is.

Although ,some people are talking wonders of a 17 year old that plays great, in Spain, Lionel Messi. He will be at the World Cup in Germany. We'll see.


On England, they got game. My Candidates are: Germany, Brasil, England and Argentina.


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## gastonbuffet

Australia is now in the finals, after 32 years, they are back for a second shot at the cup. They beat Uruguay, the 2 time world champions, that in the last 20 years have not been playing so well. 

There are still 4 more qualifying matches for today, and a few more friendlies, but none are really important, though Argentina is playing Quatar and Italy plays Cote d'Ivoire.

Once these matches are over, we will have the 32 countries that will clash next summer in Germany.


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## K_OS

gastonbuffet said:


> Kaos,
> 
> are you high?
> 
> 
> My english might be poor, but "THE" best can be only ONE, and
> basically, there are two to pick from. Pele or Maradona. All the rest are just amazing players. Hey, i didn't make this thing up, it's just the way it is.
> 
> Although ,some people are talking wonders of a 17 year old that plays great, in Spain, Lionel Messi. He will be at the World Cup in Germany. We'll see.


Nope not high just informed as those players are amongst the elite but the list could be allot longer if my dad was to do one and I can asssure you that Eusebio would be at the top of his list. So that's what I meant when I said you were opening a big can of worms when you mentioned the all time best everybody's list will be different.

FORCA PORTUGAL!!!!!!!!!!

Laterz


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## miguelsanchez

K_OS said:


> FORCA PORTUGAL!!!!!!!!!!


Now your comments about the Greek team make a lot more sense!  

Being beaten twice by one team in a tournament can really make some people bitter.  

Now don't get me wrong, I think Portugal have a great team, but it was really sad to see Cristiano crying at the end of that game.



















Sorry, couldn't resist. Good luck to Portugal in the Mundial.


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## miguelsanchez

Woohoo! Spain are in! This was pretty much assured after their last game. 

I'm surprised but happy to see Switzerland in over Turkey. Also T&T. Their first time in the World Cup finals.

On a side note, congrats to Canada for beating Luxembourg 1-0!


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## K_OS

miguelsanchez said:


> Now your comments about the Greek team make a lot more sense!
> 
> Being beaten twice by one team in a tournament can really make some people bitter.
> 
> Now don't get me wrong, I think Portugal have a great team, but it was really sad to see Cristiano crying at the end of that game.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry, couldn't resist. Good luck to Portugal in the Mundial.


That's ok I'm not that pissed about it anymore justice has been served and Greece is not in the 2006 World Cup. I would be happy if Portugal got into the quarter finals that would be a great achievement but it's an honour just to be going and competing in the tournament itself.

I was bitter when it happened not because of the loss but at the arrogance of 2 Greeks where I use to work and there attitude that they were bound for greatness in the 2006 Worlds when they would meet and beat Brazil on the Football field. So much for that idea.

FORCA PORTUGAL!!!!!!!!!!

Laterz


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## Moscool

Well I guess Greece & Turkey are on an equal footing now... Australia and Saudi Arabia in their place... Not sure if it's a fair swap


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## gastonbuffet

So the suspense is on, as tomorrow it's the draw that will determine who plays who in next year finals stages of the worldcup. To even things out a bit, the "top" eight teams will each lead a group (of 4 teams), so as not to have 1 group with england, brazil and germany (all pretty firm candidates to play the final match) eliminating each other from the final stages, causing Teams not as good to take their place.

link that explains better:
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/051206/1/5hj3.html


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## Moscool

Mexico ahead of Italy looks like a fix... As your link specifies, they have the right to create "geographic balance"...


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## gastonbuffet

yeap, the ranking procedure sucks. The Netherlands should be seeded instead of Mexico.

and I'm not saying that because we are playing the Netherlands in our group, known as the "group of death".


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## gastonbuffet

The finals are closing in, and here is a list of friendly matches to come.

International Friendly Fixtures
15/Feb/2006 Mexico	vs	South Korea
15/Feb/2006 Saudi Arabia	vs	Syria
18/Feb/2006 Japan	vs	Finland
19/Feb/2006 United States	vs	Guatemala
22/Feb/2006 Japan	vs	India
22/Feb/2006 Yemen	vs	Saudi Arabia
01/Mar/2006 Russia	vs	Brazil
01/Mar/2006 Turkey	vs	Czech Republic
01/Mar/2006 Scotland	vs	Switzerland
01/Mar/2006 Italy	vs	Germany
01/Mar/2006 Iran	vs	Ukraine
01/Mar/2006 Wales	vs	Paraguay
01/Mar/2006 Tunisia	vs	Portugal
01/Mar/2006 Spain	vs	Ivory Coast
01/Mar/2006 Poland	vs	United States
01/Mar/2006 Netherlands	vs	Ecuador
01/Mar/2006 Mexico	vs	Ghana
01/Mar/2006 England	vs	Uruguay
01/Mar/2006 Croatia	vs	Argentina
01/Mar/2006 Rep. Ireland	vs	Sweden
01/Mar/2006 France	vs	Slovakia
22/Mar/2006 Germany	vs	United States
22/Mar/2006 Iran	vs	Taiwan
29/Mar/2006 Mexico	vs	Paraguay
29/Mar/2006 Japan	vs	Ecuador
29/Mar/2006 Saudi Arabia	vs	Poland
29/Apr/2006 Angola	vs	Mauritius
30/Apr/2006 Angola	vs	Mozambique
25/May/2006 Sweden	vs	Finland
26/May/2006 Czech Republic	vs	Saudi Arabia
27/May/2006 Spain	vs	Russia
27/May/2006 Netherlands	vs	Cameroon
27/May/2006 France	vs	Mexico
30/May/2006 Germany	vs	Japan
30/May/2006 England	vs	Hungary
31/May/2006 Czech Republic	vs	Costa Rica
31/May/2006 France	vs	Denmark
01/June/2006 Netherlands	vs	Mexico
03/June/2006 Czech Republic	vs	Trinidad and Tobago
07/June/2006 France	vs	China


first of that list, Mexico played S. Korea in LA, USA and LOST 0-1. FYI, Mexico is ranked 6 in the "Coca Cola" world ranking, whereas S Korea is thirty something.


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## gastonbuffet

Japan beats Finland 3-2, and kicks India's butt 6-0.

USA beats Guatemala 4-0 
The United States finished their stateside set of friendlies with a crushing defeat of Guatemala at Pizza Hut Park on a cold and blustery February afternoon in Frisco, Texas.

The Americans got goals from four different players on a night when Bruce Arena handed several players their first-ever caps. 



But the big day is tomorrow.
......


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## gastonbuffet

Article by Mark Oakley ( http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=19&art_id=iol1141105474404W210 )




The World Cup countdown kicks off on Wednesday night as the competition's favourites begin their warm-up matches a little more than three months before the start of Germany's soccer extravaganza.

Brazil, Argentina, France, England, Germany and Italy, for many soccer pundits the top nations at the June 9 to July 9 event, are all in action on a night of international friendlies.

Brazil travel to Moscow to face Russia and Argentina meet Croatia in Basel, Switzerland, as the perennial top teams of South America begin their build-up to the footballing bonanza. 

Surely the most intriguing fixture is between Italy and Germany in Florence, given the two nations' success over the years.

Both countries are among the favourites in Germany this summer given their rich international pedigree, with three World Cup wins apiece and four European championship triumphs between them. 


England meet Uruguay in Liverpool as preparation for their opening World Cup match against another South American side in Paraguay while 1998 champions France host Slovakia at the Stade de France to the north of Paris.

Ronaldinho will miss Brazil's match after picking up an injury in Barcelona's Champions League win against Chelsea last week.

The World Footballer of the Year left Stamford Bridge with a swollen left ankle but was still considered fit enough to turn out for Barcelona against Real Zaragoza on Saturday.

But after scoring a penalty in the 2-0 win the injury flared up again forcing Ronaldinho to leave the pitch before the final whistle.

Ronaldinho joins AC Milan keeper Dida and Julio Cesar (Inter Milan) on the sidelines for Wednesday's game at Lokomotiv Moscow's ground.

Brazil face Croatia, Australia and Japan in the World Cup group stages.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi is relishing the opportunity to pit his wits against the tournament hosts.

"They are a great team with a wonderful history, and as hosts of the World Cup they are very ambitious," he said.

"For us it's one of the last real tests before we fly out to Germany, one that we hope will build our confidence."

Lippi said he hoped the Italy fans would get behind his team at the Artemio Franchi stadium, home of Serie A side Fiorentina.

"We are playing in Florence where the people are passionate about football and a lot will depend on their support."

Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann played down his side's chances of victory against the Azzurri.

"Italy have quality in every position, and Lippi's squad is more mature and more experienced than ours," said the 41-year-old, who took control of Germany in July 2004.

"They have a team full of champions while we are a young side looking for its identity, one that plays aggressive, attacking football."

England's match is the first time the squad has got together since it was announced that Sven-Goran Eriksson would be stepping down as manager after the tournament.

"The anticipation of the World Cup is building more and more with every week now," midfielder Frank Lampard said. "As the season goes on, it becomes sharper in your mind and you can't help but start to get excited about it." 

Lampard is one of at least 18 players who are certain to make Eriksson's final squad for the finals and time is running out for fringe players such as Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing, who missed out on the squad for this friendly, to squeeze in.

For those who are on England duty this week, it could be make-or-break time for Charlton striker Darren Bent, who is giving Jermain Defoe a run for his money in the battle to be named as Michael Owen's back-up.

Left-back Wayne Bridge also has to prove himself worthy of a place on the plane having moved on loan to Fulham to ensure he gets regular soccer after spending the first half of the season sidelined at Chelsea.

Amongst the England players there appears to be a genuine believe that they can go all the way in Germany, although doubts remain about whether Eriksson has really found away of effectively meshing the similar styles of Lampard and Gerrard in the crucial central midfield departments.

France, who will be relying on the experience of veteran star Zinedine Zidane in Germany, had a last-minute setback in their preparations for the Slovakia fixture.

Chelsea defender William Gallas has a muscular problem in a leg and 22-year-old Nantes midfielder Jeremy Toulalan was called up as a replacement.


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## gastonbuffet

this article has something on Canada. Find Wally!!!! 




Friendlies give players chance to impress
By KRYSTYNA RUDZKI

( http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/2006/02/27/1465050-ap.html )



LONDON (AP) - With just over three months to the start of the World Cup, time is precious for players still trying to earn their trip to Germany.

Thirty of the 32 teams in the June 9-July 9 World Cup finals have friendlies scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. Only Togo and Australia are idle. Most of the action takes place in Europe on Wednesday - 100 days before the World Cup starts.

Brazil visits Russia; Argentina plays Croatia in Basel, Switzerland; England hosts Uruguay and Italy hosts World Cup host Germany. France hosts Slovakia; Spain plays Ivory Coast in Valladolid; the Dutch are against Ecuador in Amsterdam and the United States gets to test Kaiserslautern as a World Cup venue when it plays Poland.

On Tuesday, World Cup newcomer Trinidad and Tobago plays Iceland in London and Japan plays Bosnia-Herzegovina in Dortmund, Germany.

Canada plays Austria in Vienna on Wednesday.

Brazil is using the Russia friendly as its final game before announcing its World Cup squad. Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira is missing four players who are likely to be in the final roster - defenders Cafu and Roque Junior and goalkeepers Dida and Julio Cesar, all who are injured.

The rest of the team - led by two-time player of the year Ronaldinho - will be a reflection of the lineup Parreira plans to start in Germany as Brazil attempts to win a record sixth World Cup title.

"It's not time for experiments," Parreira said. Brazil's last pre-World Cup game is against New Zealand in June 4 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Spain expects a strong test against African Cup of Nations runner-up Ivory Coast.

"In terms of individual ability, it's the best African team," said Aragones, who believes Chelsea's Didier Drogba and Arsenal's Kolo Toure are the most dangerous players.

Aragones is expected to give Cesc Fabregas and Marcos Senna their Spain debuts.

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson chose several fringe players for his squad to face Uruguay at Liverpool's Anfield stadium, missing eight regulars with injuries.

Eriksson has named rookie striker Darren Bent and given Wes Brown, Kieran Richardson and Luke Young the chance to impress.

"Everything depends on how many injuries we have," Eriksson said. "The door is open to everyone but if everyone is fit then I'm quite sure of 19 or 20 at least."

Eriksson, who will step down after the World Cup, wants a successor chosen before the tournament starts.

"We must have a manager before the World Cup starts. If we wait until after, that's too late," Eriksson said.

Germany faces Italy without experienced defender Christian Woerns, whom coach Juergen Klinsmann said last week would not be part of his World Cup squad after the player criticized him.

Captain Michael Ballack said the decision surprised him.

"Christian was an important component of the national team," he said.

However, Klinsmann is believed to prefer younger defenders with attacking skills.

Timo Hildebrand or Jens Lehmann are expected to play in goal in place of Oliver Kahn, who has pulled out with a bruised thigh. Germany also plays the United States in Dortmund on March 22.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi named newcomer Manuel Pasqual and welcomed back striker Christian Vieri. Pasqual, a 23-year-old Fiorentina defender, is replacing injured Juventus regular Gianluca Zambrotta while Vieri, now playing with Monaco, is rejoining the Azzurri after eight months.

Lippi also recalled AS Roma midfielder Simone Perrotta and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, fully recovered from a shoulder injury which sidelined him for months. Real Madrid midfielder Antonio Cassano was left off the roster.

France coach Raymond Domenech called up in-form Lyon defender Francois Clerc for the first time for the Slovakia match. Domenech also recalled AS Roma defender Philippe Mexes after a two-year absence and retained Fenerbahce striker Nicolas Anelka.

Dutch coach Marco van Basten also picked a rookie in his squad to play Ecuador. Feyenoord midfielder Nicky Hofs was picked, while Rafael van der Vaart, Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder and Andre Ooijer all were left off the roster to recover from injuries.

Countries must select their final 23-man squad by May 26.


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## Loafer

the excitment is killing me......thanks for the reading


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## K_OS

Just a change of your previously posted friendlies gastonbuffet Portugal is playing Saudi Arabia tomorrow and not Tunisia.

Laterz


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## gastonbuffet

Noted!!, thanks K_os. Now , should i correct it or just leave it like it is? Being that nobody gives a damm about football here but you and Loafer!!! 

Japan tied 2-2 earlier today with Bosnia.


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## Bosco

gastonbuffet said:


> Noted!!, thanks K_os. Now , should i correct it or just leave it like it is? Being that nobody gives a damm about football here but you and Loafer!!!
> 
> Japan tied 2-2 earlier today with Bosnia.



I appreciate what you're doing. If you keep posting schedules, results, opinions etc... I'll keep reading. I become a Soccer (Calcio) fan every 4 years. For now I have Lacrosse.


Forza Azzuri!


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## gastonbuffet

*Chelsea and a new kid on the block*

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ma...r26.xml&sSheet=/sport/2006/02/26/ixfooty.html



hat's another fine Messi that Chelsea gotten into
By Matthew Norman 
(Filed: 26/02/2006)



Given the basic requirement to acknowledge the existence of a superior being, it seems unlikely that Jose Mourinho is a religious man. If he is, however, he should be on his knees in church today offering thanks for Lionel Messi.

The ritualistic row that followed the young Argentine's theatrics during Barcelona's Champions League win on Wednesday is no more intriguing than that provoked by Arjen Robben's collapse a week ago.

Professional footballers are trained to be cheats, and all football managers develop the tunnel vision that enables them to condone or condemn the identical act depending solely on the shirt colour of the cheat involved. We fans are exactly the same. When did you hear an English voice ring a phone-in to rail against Michael Owen's penalty-winning dives against Argentina in the World Cups of 1998 and 2002? So it would be both pointless and hypocritical to dwell on the irony of Mourinho declining to criticise Robben on Sunday for the identical nonsense for which he lacerated Messi four days later. Had it been Arsene Wenger, Alex Ferguson, Rafael Benitez, you, me or any other deranged tribal loyalist, the same double standard would have applied.

The real relevance of the Messi debate, it seems to me, is its status as a diversion from the real story from Stamford Bridge - the bamboozlement of the strongest side in the self-alleged best league in the world for the third time in a year. Last season, thanks to astonishing good fortune, Petr Cech's wondrous work in goal and a Boston Crab on the Barcelona goalkeeper by Ricardo Carvalho stamped with the hallmark of a well-rehearsed training ground tactic, Chelsea fluked the tie. But, as on Wednesday, they were humbled by the speed, fluidity, imagination and sheer magnificence of Barcelona's play.

What is slightly bewildering is that, despite his seemingly limitless resources, Mourinho shows not an iota of ambition to electrify audiences in a similar way. Where is the challenge in using a Germanic, defence-based, counter-attacking style robotically to churn out titles in what is, for all the hype, an ineffably mediocre national league?









on Lionel Messi

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen...=739752ee-99f2-4723-8df5-72a68b595fd8&k=30783


Argentine phenom headed for stardom




Richard Starnes, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Saturday, February 25, 2006
The crowd is hushed as he stands, ball at feet like a snake waiting to strike. A dip of the shoulder, a shrug of the hips and he accelerates away, too quick to catch.
If Lionel Messi is on your side, you just gasp, holding your breath for the next wave of his magic wand. If he's not on your side, you simply sigh in admiration, caught up in another mesmeric soccer moment.
This week in London, those of us who had seen scant little of the amazing Argentine teenager were given the opportunity to watch him frazzle and frighten Chelsea's defence as Barcelona did something that just doesn't happen at Stamford Bridge: defeat Jose Mourinho and his multi-million-dollar men.
Little Lionel -- he's only 1.7 metres -- stands at the threshold of international stardom, an 18-year-old ready to assume Diego Maradona's mantle.
First, let's go back 13 years. The Argentine city of Rosario is famous as the birthplace of revolutionary Che Guevara. It's also where a budding soccer revolutionary began life. Messi was five then, coached by his father and playing for Grandoli. Two years later, he moved on to Newell's Old Boys, one of Argentina's best-known clubs.
His skills were awesome then, but his size was letting him down. It wasn't his fault; he had been diagnosed with a hormonal deficiency in his bones, which was hampering his growth. Treatment cost more than $1,000 a month and, although the great club River Plate was eager to take him on, the Argentine economy was collapsing and River Plate could not afford to help.
Messi's fledgling talent could not be hidden, though, and when Barcelona came calling and offered him and his family a new life in Spain in return for treatment and a place in the club's academy, how could they refuse. The boy was 13.
What has happened since is a tribute to Messi's Barcelona benefactors. They knew they had a rare gem, and they were not about to let it lose its shimmer through overexposure.
The baby-face, modest boy, who looks more like the kid next door than a young man who, this summer, could be the brightest sparkle the World Cup has ever seen, was brought through the junior club ranks faster than anyone before him, but carefully and with calculation.
Even then there was a remarkable aura around him. His weight was increasing, if not his height, and he carried that low centre of gravity that made it so difficult to knock him off the ball. He never looked down, always up, sniffing for an opportunity. He would lean forward a little. hardly moving. Then, like a Ferrari out of the starting grid, he would race away. Standing-start to flat-out in three strides. Opponents couldn't catch him without a foul. Even teammates, it was suggested, were left behind.
It was exactly what Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho witnessed when the 16-year-old with the bobbing Beatles hair made his first senior appearance for Barcelona in an exhibition game in Porto, Mourinho's club before he moved to Chelsea.
A year later, 2004, Messi won his competitive debut. In May last year, he became the youngest goal scorer in club history. He was 17 years 10 months seven days, and he scored one minute after replacing Samuel Eto'o.

Then, wearing the blue and white stripe of Argentina, he was voted the top player of last June's under-20 World Cup.
That prompted Barcelona to extend his contract to 2014 at something like $5.6 million a year and with an eye-bursting buy-on clause (what any club would have to pay to take him away) of $210 million.
Today, everywhere you look, famous names are praising him. Mourinho knew he would be a danger to Chelsea and tried to warn his players. Argentina's World Cup coach Jose Peckerman calls him "a phenomenal jewel," quite a compliment in a country where soccer jewels are all around. Even Maradona speaks of handing over his mantle.
Mind you, suggesting Messi is the next Maradona is like the mantle of doom. There have been so many pretenders before him.
My suspicion is neither man likes the comparison. Inside, Maradona could not bear to think of anyone as better than him. Inside Messi has no intention of trying to emulate anyone. Maradona rose to the stars, Messi is headed that way. But both do it on their own terms, with their own skill sets.
Comparison is a waste of time. Just admire.



and see it for yourself here:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ABBzTiZp4Uc


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## gastonbuffet

today everybody is playing everybody.

interesting results so far:

Trinidad& tobago 2- Iceland 0

Korea 1- Angola 0

AND>>>> Iran was leading Costa rica 3-0 (note that the last time Costa rica played against the USA, they beat the Americans 3 -0), so kudos to iran so far, if we are lucky, we just might see a USA- Iran match 

update: Iran made 3 changes( customary in try out matches, they want to test players) and now Costa rica scored twice. So its 3-2 as of now


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## gastonbuffet

Anyone into betting?

as of last night, these are the odds. I always found interesting (and painfull too) how the odds progress with time. So if you bet a buck on a team to win the World Cup, and it does, these is what you get paid:



Brazil 3.85 
England 7.25 
Germany 8.50 
Argentina 10.00 
Italy 12.00 
France 13.00 
Holland 15.00 
Spain	15.00 
Portugal 21.00 
Czech Rep 26.00 
Sweden	34.00 
Mexico	41.00 
Croatia	71.00 
Ukraine	71.00 
USA 81.00 
Australia 81.00 
Ivory Coast 101.00 
Poland	126.00 
Switzerland 126.00 
Serbia & Montenegro	126.00 
South Korea	151.00 
Japan	151.00 
Paraguay	151.00 
Ghana	201.00 
Tunisia	251.00 
Ecuador	301.00 
Angola	351.00 
Togo	401.00 
Costa Rica 501.00 
Iran 501.00 
Saudi Arabia 601.00 
Trinidad & Tobago 601.00 


i did bet $1000 us in the last 3 cups backing Argentina. Not this time, let's see if my team and my own luck changes.


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## gastonbuffet

England will play uruguay today. Uruguay did not make the World Cup this time, as Australia beat them in a two match playoff for the spot. England has never beaten uruguay, they played 4 games, Uruguay won 2, and they draw 2. 

Let's see what happens this time.


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## Loafer

urgh, England 1-0 down

I wouldn't back England, they always look good on paper and then someone does something stupid like :

a. miss a penalty
b. get sent off
c. give away a penalty
d. forget everything they ever learnt playing football for the last 20 years....I'm looking at you Peter "standing off my line" Shilton in the '90 World Cup semi against Germany.


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## gastonbuffet

so far we got

Iran 3 - Costa Rica 2

Brasil 1 - Russia 0 awful game, -17c on the field, Brazil sucked, but they still won(undeserved win, and Ronaldhino didn't play)

Greece won, but they are not in the cup, so moving along...

Serbia and Montenegro 1 - Tunisia 0

USA 1- Poland 0

Turquey 2 - Czech Republic 2

Croatia 3 ARGENTINA 2 DAMM it!!!, our defense should be shot!!! The first 6 minutes were beautiful (3 goals), the rest was awful. Croatia won with nothing!!!!


sweden 0 - Ireland 3 ( Ireland will not be at the World Cup)

Portugal 3 - Saudi Arabia 0


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## gastonbuffet

*un mensaje de Juann*

Antes que nada el partido se juega hasta que el arbitro pite, esto es asi , ... podes jugar 80 minutos como maradona pero te descuidastes 10 minutos y te rompieron el culo... ESO, IRONICAMENTE, ES LO LINDO DEL FUTBOL, NADA ESTA DECIDIDO... lamentablemente a argentina esto le esta jugando en contra.

No hablo solo por este partido sino por los ultimos amistoso jugados por la Argentina, hay un problema serio de COORDINACION, fijense que por separado son muy buenos, pero en equipo es como que falta, precisamente, ser eso: un EQUIPO ( con todo lo que eso implica ).
Riquelme que ultimamente no esta jugando bien, hoy lo unico que hizo fue 2/3 tiros a media distancia a fuera.. cuando messi intentaba tirar paredes riquelme la pisaba y metia un pase a otro lado. Riquelme es un jugador muy lento, te frena el equipo... hoy por hoy el futbol es mas rapido hay menos espacios para tener la pelota, inclusive las individualidades no son muy convenientes, lo mas facil y lo mas efectivo es tocar tocar tocar, siempre de primera, y poco juego aereo.
No soy pesimista, pero si tengo que sacar conclusiones no nos veo bien para el mundial.
Tevez, por los ultimos partidos que jugo (en el corinthians ) no esta jugando bien, hoy no hizo un buen partido. Alguien me puede decir que hizo ? ademas de robarle el gol a messi ? (ok, ok, sola no entraba)
Crespo ya no va mas, a este muchacho se le dieron muchas oportunidades me parece no ? Crespo es buen jugador ( innegable ) pero es extremadamente IRREGULAR, es el jugador que te define una final o, por otro lado, ni figura. En los ultimos partidos de Crespo en la seleccion no figuro.
En la defensa faltan jugadores esenciales.
En este partido primero hay que nombrar a samuel; un desastre, esta como dormido... no es lo que era antes. Despues Burdisso al principio cometio un error fundamental: dudar, los defensores no pueden dudar.Despues Demichelis anduvo regular y Coloccini tambien; Ponzio tuvo algunas cosas buenas.
Pato un desastre como siempre. Tiene miedo, uno le puede ver la cara de miedo, es un CAGON con toda las letras, le pesa MUCHO la celeste y blanca, argentina tiene opciones para cambiarlo.
No organiza la defensa, la cual en este partido estuvo terriblemente desorganizada. Por eso es importante AYALA.
El pato hizo cosas increible en este partido, por ejemplo en una salio corriendo del aerea y se fue al borde para sacar con los puños una pelota ( y que encima le erro... GRACIAS A DIOS por que era mano, estaba afuera del aerea esa pelota) increible... al pedo hizo eso.
Cambiasso no juego, este partido lo jugamos con 10, totalmente dibujado estaba.

En conclusion: hay serios problemas de organizacion, de coordinacion y de UNION, los jugadores no se entienden ( messi la excepcion ) y sobre todas las cosas falta: TRANSIPIRAR LA CAMISETA PECHOS FRIOS, PONGAN HUEVOS, AMARGOS, PONGAN GANAS... QUIEREN GANAR EL MUNDIAL O QUE ? LA RPM LOKO ! DEMUESTREN QUE TIENEN CORAZON Y AMOR POR LA CAMISETA.

UN CUARTO DE PILA


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## gastonbuffet

Final results
Holland 1 -Ecuador 0

Portugal 3 - Saudi Arabia 0

Suiza 3 - Scotland 1

Slovaquia 2 - France 1 :0

Denmark 2 - Israel 0

Italy 4 - Germany 1 :0

England 2 - Uruguay 1 first time they beat the uruguayans 

Spain 3 Ivory Coast 2

Belgium 2 Luxemburg 0

Canada 2 Austria 0 

Mexico 1 Ghana 0


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## JPL

I am not a huge fan of soccer but I really do enjoy watching a good match and the WC for me is a real pleasure. My wife is German and a close friend is an Italian it makes for some interesting moments. I will watch this thread with anticipation, but with limited knowledge of who's who in the international football scene I won't have much to contribute. Educate me please.


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## K_OS

JPL said:


> I am not a huge fan of soccer but I really do enjoy watching a good match and the WC for me is a real pleasure. My wife is German and a close friend is an Italian it makes for some interesting moments. I will watch this thread with anticipation, but with limited knowledge of who's who in the international football scene I won't have much to contribute. Educate me please.


A good place to start is the official World Cup site at http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/index.html lots of info on current players as well as historical football figures (ie: Pele, Beckenbauer, Maradonna, Eusebio), also news on the countrys that qualified for the 2006 World Cup.

Laterz


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## Loafer

There is only one player you need to know.......Crouchie!!!!!!!!


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## K_OS

98 Days to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Laterz


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## K_OS

Loafer said:


> urgh, England 1-0 down
> 
> I wouldn't back England, they always look good on paper and then someone does something stupid like :
> 
> a. miss a penalty
> b. get sent off
> c. give away a penalty
> d. forget everything they ever learnt playing football for the last 20 years....I'm looking at you Peter "standing off my line" Shilton in the '90 World Cup semi against Germany.


Rumour has it that after Sven Goran leaves the team Portugal's coach Scolari wich will also be leaving the Portuguese after the world cup will be taking the reigns of the English national team. with some luck he can kick Beckham's but into shape.

Laterz


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## gastonbuffet

Today germany beat the USA 4-1. Good for the mood of the people in Germany, the hosts of the Cup.


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## overkill

Well as a fellow Argentinian i will be looking forward to this year's world cup. i was lucky enough to attend two games in Boston in the 1994 world cup to see Argentina beat both Greece and Nigeria. I must say that there is no words to descrive what you feel when you are in a stadium of 60,000 passionate soccer fans who have come together every 4 years for the worlds largest sporting event 

Good luck to all the teams this year!


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## gastonbuffet

i know what you mean!!! Fortunaly, relatively soon Canada will be the host of the next FIFA Youth world Cup Championship, while not as BIG as the Mayor World Cup (then again, nothing is in the known universe) it's an Amazing show with Awesome players.

little info on what's to come : http://www.fifa.com/en/news/feature/0,1451,108314,00.html?articleid=108314

FIFA World Youth Championship 
Canada primed to build on success of Netherlands 2005 


Canadian Soccer Chief Operating Officer Kevan Pipe was impressed by what he saw at the FIFA World Youth Championship Netherlands 2005. 
FIFA.com

(FIFA.com) 02 Jul 2005 

After watching the triumph of the FIFA World Youth Championship Netherlands 2005 unfold, Canadian Soccer Association Chief Operating Officer Kevan Pipe cannot wait to get his hands on the event in two years' time.
With Canada having the honour of hosting the FIFA World Youth Championship in 2007, Pipe was over in Holland on a fact-finding mission throughout the tournament and he clearly liked what he saw.

He told FIFA.com: "The Dutch have put on an absolutely fabulous show. The stadiums, the facilities, the volunteer network... I think there is something we can learn from in literally all strategic aspects and also the way they have been able to focus this incredible attention on the championship.

"There were more than 1,400 media accredited for the event and FIFA itself was able to sell the televised signal to 170-plus countries around the world. The media focus on the event in Holland and worldwide has been nothing short of superlatives, so there are many things that we are learning from already."

Pipe feels that Canada's hosting of the FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in 2002 laid strong foundations for a successful world youths event and he is now hard at work making sure all six venues are up to the job of delivering a first-class tournament when the planet's most promising players arrive on Canadian soil.

"We've had a pretty good grounding in the basics of running a championship like this," said Pipe. "What we've now got to do is take it from the U-19 Women's level of 12 teams, three sites, two weeks' long and a great tournament and now ramp up for a production that is probably three to four times' the scope in 2007.

"However, we think we've got the people and the facilities and the resources required to achieve that goal. The historical ties between Holland and Canada are extremely strong and full credit to the Dutch people for putting on what is clearly a wonderful show."

Host cities chosen
Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Ottawa, Vancouver and Victoria will be the host cities in 2007 and work is already underway in terms of upgrading, planning and building the stadiums well in time.

In Edmonton, the 60,000-seater Commonwealth Stadium is ready to go and concerns about trying to fill such a huge venue for FIFA World Youth Championship matches are something Pipe has long been familiar with. He points to the fact that, on average, around 30,000 people showed up in Edmonton for the FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship matches and more than that number showed up for a friendly between the Canadian and Mexican women's teams two years ago.

In Toronto and Montreal, new facilities will be constructed and Pipe is expecting a decision on Toronto's 20,000-seater building project by the end of this summer before FIFA sends an inspection committee out to Canada in the autumn.

He said: "In Canadian history, apart from the staging of the summer and winter Olympic games, I don't think there is a sporting event which would rival what we are about to take on in 2007 and we are all very excited about that."


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## gastonbuffet

and a little history in this championship:


http://www.fifa.com/infoplus/IP-205_03E_U-20-F&Fs.pdf


General 

Since its inception in 1977, the FIFA World Youth 
Championship, which in 2005 returned to Europe 
(the Netherlands) for the first time in 14 years, has 
made stops in every confederation: Africa (2x), Asia 
(5x), Oceania (2x in Australia), North and Central 
America (1x), South America (2x) and Europe (3x). 

Atotal of 75 associations have taken part in the 
WYC to date and 1991 even saw the participation 
of a united Korean team. Of the 25 associations 
that have qualified just once for the tournament, 
only Angola and Ecuador made it to the second 
round (both in Argentina in 2001). 

The 2005 edition of this tournament in the 
Netherlands welcomed debutants Switzerland and 
Benin to the FIFA World Youth Championship fold. 

South America and Europe, the two “grand old 
men” of the footballing world, have left an indelible 
mark on this championship. Argentina (5x) and 
Brazil (4x) have claimed the lion’s share of titles in 
the 15 competitions held to date, with the 
remaining six going to Europe. Spain’s triumph in 
1999 gave the Spanish the opportunity to celebrate 
their first ever FIFA competition title. 

While four out of nine tournaments in the under-17 
age category have been dominated by Ghana and 
Nigeria (two wins each), both teams have also been 
involved in two WYC finals each; Ghana in 1993 
and 2001, defeated in both by Argentina, and 
Nigeria in 1989 when they lost to Portugal and in 
2005 when they were defeated by Argentina. 

The Asian confederation has twice been 
represented in a WYC final, with both Qatar (1981 
against Germany FR) and Japan (1999 against 
Spain) suffering 4-0 defeats. 

As for the number of times that teams have taken 
part, Brazil (14x, except for 1979) are practically 
evergreens. They lead Australia (12x) and Argentina 
and Spain (each 11x), all of whom are a step ahead 
of the other participants. 

Only two host teams have ever claimed the 
championship crown. In Lisbon in 1991, a strong 
Portuguese side featuring Luis Figo, Rui Costa and 
co. struck gold. In 2001, Argentina’s goleador Javier 
Saviola and his team were irresistible. The Soviet 
Union (1985), Chile (1987) and Australia (1993) 
nonetheless also managed to exploit home 
advantage to reach the semi-finals. 

Throughout the history of the tournament, three 
teams have taken home the trophy on successive 
occasions. In Tbilisi, Leningrad and Moscow in 1985, 
Brazil’s goalkeeper Taffarel was instrumental in 
helping his team successfully defend the title 
secured in Mexico two years earlier by players of the 
calibre of Bebeto, Dunga and Jorginho. In 1991, 
Fernando Couto, Paulo Sousa et al retained the 
trophy won by their predecessors in 1989, and in 
Malaysia in 1997, Argentina, captained by Juan 
Riquelme, ensured that they took the trophy home 
for another spell. 

Matches 

After the FIFA World CupTM, the WYC is not only 
the second oldest FIFA competition, but with 24 
participating teams, it is also the second largest. 
Since 1997, each tournament has embraced two 
dozen teams, having grown from the original 
16-team format used for the first ten competitions. 

In terms of the sheer volume of matches, the FIFA 
World Youth Championship again comes second 
only to the FIFA World CupTM. Since the inaugural 
tournament in Tunisia, 576 matches have been 
hosted under the auspices of the WYC. The FIFA 
World Youth Championship UAE 2003 provided the 
backdrop for the 500th match when Spain met 
Uzbekistan in Sharjah on 4 December 2003. 

Brazil have contested the most WYC matches (78), 
followed by Argentina (60) and Spain (53). 

All in all, 13 different teams have qualified for the 
15 final matches. A select group of 27 sides, 
representing every confederation, has reached the 
semi-finals, indicating a considerably level playing 
field in this age group. 

The final match has not always been as clear-cut as 
some of the most recent competitions would 
suggest (1999: 4-0; 2001: 3-0). In 1977, 1987 and 
1991, the final was decided on penalties and on 
each occasion, a European team came out on top. 


In 1985, the final between Brazil and Spain was 
determined by a single goal in extra time. 

Throughout the 15 editions of the WYC, teams 
from the same confederation have met in the final 
match on four occasions, with Brazil and Argentina 
the first teams to do so in 1983. Interestingly, these 
two sides met again in the final twelve years later. 
Never ones to shy from the limelight, Argentina also 
met fellow South Americans Uruguay in the 1997 
final. As for Europe, 1987 saw Germany FR and 
Yugoslavia share the field for the final match. 

Goals 

Tournament: the most goals scored in a tournament 
was in Malaysia in 1997 (165 goals), ahead of 
Nigeria in 1999 (158), Argentina in 2001 (149) and 
the Netherlands in 2005 (143). The highest average 
of goals per match was recorded during the 1995 
tournament in Qatar (3.28 goals per match), with 
Malaysia 1997 taking second place (3.17) and 
Nigeria 1999 in third (3.04). 

Players: the tournament’s top goalscorer to date is 
Argentina’s Javier Saviola with 11 goals in 7 
matches (WYC 2001), ahead of Adailton from Brazil, 
who notched 10 goals in 5 games (WYC 1997). In 
third place is Argentina’s Ramon Diaz, who scored 8 
goals in 6 matches during the 1979 tournament. 
Both Saviola and Diaz went on to win the title with 
their Argentine team-mates. Adailton’s tournament 
ended at the quarter-final stage. 

Hat-tricks: Argentina’s Ramon Diaz and Javier 
Saviola have both scored two hat-tricks in the FIFA 
World Youth Championship (Diaz 1979 against 
Algeria and Indonesia; Saviola 2001 against Egypt 
and France). Brazil’s Adailton dazzled with a rare 
double hat-trick during his team’s 10-3 victory over 
Korea Republic. Australia’s Salapasidis tallied four 
goals in one match when his team defeated 
eventual champions Argentina 4-3 in 1997. Eight 
years later, in 2005, Llorente of Spain equalled this 
feat, scoring four goals in their 7-0 victory over 
Chile. 

In a historical overview, Brazil have scored a total of 
178 goals in the FIFA World Youth Championship 
(an average of 2.28 per match). In second and third 
place are Argentina with 121 goals (2.02 per 
match) and Spain with 101 (1.91). Did you know 
that, despite having played only 9 matches in their 
two appearances in the WYC, Yugoslavia 
nonetheless notched up 22 goals, giving them a 
very impressive average (2.44)? They took the 
trophy home from Chile in 1987 when Prosinecki 
and Suker led them to victory. 

The most famous player in a long list of fastest 
goalscorers is certainly Thierry Henry, who opened 
France’s 4-2 victory over Korea Republic in the first 
minute of the match in 1997. His team-mate David 
Trezeguet doubled the lead a minute later. Spaniard 
Goikoetxea managed to keep a cool head in the 
Moscow 1985 semi-final against the home side, 
equalising in the last minute of extra time to take 
the match to 2-2, thereby setting up his team’s 
penalty shoot-out victory. 

The world champions have managed to crown one 
of their own as top goalscorer on only five 
occasions. In 1979 Ramon Diaz at Diego 
Maradona’s side, in 1983 Geovani Silva for Brazil, in 
1999 Spain’s Pablo, in 2001 Argentina’s Javier 
Saviola and in 2005 Lionel Messi, also for Argentina. 
In 1981, Australian Mark Koussas celebrated his 
Golden Shoe award in front of his home crowd. 

The two most goal-laden matches in the WYC were 
held in Kuching (Malaysia) in 1997, with Brazil 
inflicting maximum damage. The favourites first 
crushed Korea Republic 10-3 before turning their 
attentions to Belgium in a 10-0 defeat. However, 
other than sealing the Golden Shoe for Adailton, 
the shower of goals reaped a meagre harvest, as 
Brazil were humbled in the quarter-finals by soon- 
to-be world champions and age-old rivals Argentina. 

Anine-goal extravaganza put 1999’s quarter-final 
showdown between Mali and Cameroon in Enugu, 
Nigeria, in third place in the ranks, although in 
terms of entertainment the game was streets ahead. 
Mali knuckled down to come back from 3-1 down 
to defeat favourites Cameroon 5-4 in extra time. 

Other action-packed games include the match 
between the Soviet Union and Nigeria in Dammam, 
Saudi Arabia in 1989. The Soviet youngsters were 
4-0 up (thanks in part to a goal by subsequent 
World Cup striker Salenko) when the West Africans 
fired off a rapid four-goal round (all scored within 
24 minutes) and sneaked home via the back door 
thanks to a 5-3 penalty shoot-out victory. 

In contrast, the Netherlands v. Honduras match in 
Qatar in 1995 met with an inglorious end. 
Following four sendings-off and an injury, the 
Central American side was decimated. With only six 
Hondurans left on the park, regulations required 
that the game be abandoned.


----------



## gastonbuffet

Today Poland beat Saudi Arabia 2-1 in a friendly. 

moving along


----------



## overkill

Champions League Soccer will have to keep me busy til June


----------



## gastonbuffet

Today we have a nice match
mexico vc Paraguay in Chicago. I'm tempted to drive there.


----------



## Moscool

*'ere we go; nous voici!*

Aaaahhhh... Arsenal goes through to the semis of the Champions League having humiliated Juve along the way :clap: :love2: 

World cup link: bodes well for the French team although one could argue that Trezegoal and Turham didn't particularly shine... I think that Trezeguet should never have been in the French team anyway so I hope he gets dropped (artistry is nothing if you can't make the effort when you have to come from behind).

This is probably the most open World Cup on the European side in living memory, although I find it hard to imagine that any of our teams can take on Brazil at the moment. A bit like New Zealand and rugby...


----------



## Loafer

{cough} England {cough}


----------



## gastonbuffet

Pardon your French, (actually Trezeguet is an Argentinian, just as the Mexican scorer is Argentinian---so much quality, we give it away -- and if someone can beat Brasil, well, call their nemesis ....aka ...... Argentina.


----------



## gastonbuffet

Yesterday the USA draw 1-1 with Jamaica in a boring game. Doesn't look the Americans will repeat the last cup performance.


----------



## gastonbuffet

A little bit on next year Canadian Tournament

http://fifa.com/en/comp/index/0,2442,116759,00.html?comp=U20M&year=2007&articleid=116759







FIFA U-20 World Cup 
Canucks keen on UAE repeat 


(FIFA.com) 12 Apr 2006

Dale Mitchell's Team Canada are leaving nothing to chance ahead of hosting the FIFA U-20 World Cup next July and hope to find inspiration from home comforts, 'Canuck spirit' and the trailblazers of UAE 2003.
Having already played four games (three losses, one win) at the Chivas Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico in January, the Canucks are now getting set to try their luck against the U-20 national teams of Norway, China and hosts Portugal at the 24th Porto International Tournament from 7 to 16 April in what is shaping up to be an exhaustive preparatory period before the U-20 showpiece gets underway in summer of '07.

Mitchell, who has held the reins of the youth squad for four years (since 2002) and guided Canada to two consecutive World Championships, is hoping to find the right balance of home-grown talent and cultured practitioners based overseas.

Ipswich Town's Jaime Peters, Hibernian's Keegan Ayre, and Rushden and Diamonds striker Simeon Jackson will not be released by their clubs for the Porto trip. Also, St. Pauli midfielder Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault, Ontario defender Nana Attakora-Gyan, and Fairfield University midfielder Kerr McLeod are all out of contention with injuries.

Despite missing a handful of potential starters, Mitchell - who played every match for Canada the only time they reached a FIFA World Cup, in Mexico in 1986 - still sees the Porto jaunt as a tremendous opportunity to trim his squad and get a good look at some new faces.

"As we build towards the U-20 World Cup in 2007, our players will have great opportunities to compete against some of the top countries in world youth soccer," Mitchell remarked. "The King's Cup in Portugal is certainly a chance for our guys to measure themselves against some of the best from Europe and Asia."

In addition to the handful of injuries, for the second time this year Toronto-born FC Porto defender Steven Vitoria respectfully declined Mitchell's invitation to join up with the squad.

As the boss builds in hopes of putting a fighting eleven on the pitch as finals hosts, he will surely be looking to recapture the spirit of the team he coached in the United Arab Emirates in 2003. 



UAE dreaming
Led, quite brilliantly, by the wonderful tandem of Josh Simpson and Iain Hume, the Canadian squad - considered outsiders in the Emirates - threw aside the script and roared to within a hair's breadth of a semi-final berth.

Becoming the first Canadian (Men's) national team at any age level to reach the knockout stages of a FIFA World finals, the side were riding a wave of confidence and put together some fine displays of football along the way. 

With a win over the Czech Republic in their final group match in Dubai, the Canucks qualified for the second round as one of the top third-place finishers, progressing from a group that also contained eventual champions Brazil and a powerful Australian eleven.

In their Round of Sixteen scrap with brawny African outfit Burkina Faso, foraging midfielder Josh Simpson - who now plays in England with Millwall - scored one of the goals of the tournament to book a spot in the quarter-finals for the affable side. And up against European royalty Spain, the upstart Canucks kept up the charge.

Hume's stunner just after the break equalised Iniesta's opener and forced extra time. Arizmendi then sealed a nervy 2-1 win for Spain as they headed to the final. But Canada were far from down, knowing they had made more than a small mark at the world finals where little, save grit and endeavour, was expected from them.

After the tournament, Simpson summed up the concept of 'Canuck Spirit,' born in the country's ice Hockey rinks but skilfully transferred to its football pitches.

"We give everything we have," he says. "And all we want to do is demand some respect from some of these teams. Everybody fights for each other in our team. We've grown up hearing we are underdogs, underdogs, underdogs…a lot of times we feed off of it. If we win, we make history, if we lose, so what? The Canuck style is about having a big heart."

Home cooking
It will take more than just heart to repeat the feats of UAE next year on home soil. But the support of a wildly enthusiastic Canadian public is sure to help.

"In Canadian history, apart from the staging of the summer and winter Olympic games, I don't think there is a sporting event which would rival what we are about to take on in 2007 and we are all very excited about that," Canadian Soccer Association Chief Operating Officer Kevan Pipe told FIFA.com while attending Netherlands 2005 (where Canada went out in the group stage) as an observer.

The Canadians - who are playing in their fourth consecutive U-20 finals and their eighth overall - will also take heart in the fact that the last time the country hosted a FIFA finals, things went decidedly well for the red-clad North Americans.

Fans came out in droves to support the Canadian U-19 women's team, setting a score of attendance records as their team surged to the final of the inaugural FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in 2002.

Without a doubt Mitchell and his boys will be banking on similar success and support in the summer of 2007.


----------



## Loafer

Hey Gaston...
I know this is a little late and a little off topic, but I've been getting very excited about this lately....

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/indepth/mls_toronto/expansion_approval.html

Being a Torontonian yourself, you think you'll be giving your support to the local team ?


----------



## gastonbuffet

read on....


----------



## gastonbuffet

Interesting.
Real interesting. If things are done right i believe Toronto already has the fan base required to:

A: recruit top players from Toronto/ GTA / Ontario / Canada to have the most talented and succesful team in the franchise. (the hugely inmigrant population), and then, and only then

B: put Canadian soccer second only to Hockey.

The only way to achieve this is, imho, to appeal at the birth of the franchise to all the inmigrants of toronto ( I'm already seing all the future talents of the 2007 World cup helping in this respect, big time) 
The commercial should have tons of flags of each country merging into a Canadian Flag. The Canadian identity should embrace every community, hopefully the community will respond sending their kids to soccer camp.


----------



## gastonbuffet

And yes, i would look into supporting this big time.


----------



## miguelsanchez

> Toronto's MLS team will play its home games at a new 20,000-seat soccer-specific stadium to be built at Exhibition Place. Construction is slated to begin in January.


Please, please, please let it have natural grass.

I miss Varsity Stadium.


----------



## miguelsanchez

gastonbuffet said:


> A little bit on next year Canadian Tournament
> 
> http://fifa.com/en/comp/index/0,2442,116759,00.html?comp=U20M&year=2007&articleid=116759


I was lucky enough to attend a few games at Varsity Stadium during the U17 World Cup in 1987, including the final - Nigeria v. USSR. Many of the Nigerian players went on to form the "Super Eagles" team that impressed everyone at the 1994 World Cup and it was nice to see those young kids years later still playing with the same care-free style they had seven years earlier.

I'm really looking forward to U20 2007.


----------



## Canuckmakem

How did I miss this thread? All I have to say is:

*EN-GER-LAND!!!*

btw - I'm a Brit and only moved to Canada in 2000


----------



## Loafer

Canuckmakem,

I'm a Luton Town fan who moved to Canada in 2001.
When Luton played Liverpool in ther FA Cup recently I dragged a load of mates to a pub in Toronto called Scallywags, the home of the Canadian Liverpool Supporters Club. 
Dressed up in my fanciest Luton shirt I was expecting, i must say, a little bit of abuse.....me forgetting this is Canada. Turns out everyone was really really friendly and the Luton Town North American Supporters Club was there too......all 7 of them! 7 more than I thought would be there. All in all a great game, friendly bunch of cheeky scousers who didn't actually steal the wheels of my friends car 

I guessing there aren't too many 'geordies' (i know, it annoys the hell out of Sunderland supporters being called geordies.....like Luton fans being called cockneys) in Medicine Hat ?


----------



## Loafer

miguelsanchez said:


> Please, please, please let it have natural grass.
> 
> I miss Varsity Stadium.


Miguel,
Have you ever seen the artificial grass at the Docks SoccerWorld. I was never a big fan of 'plastic' but this new stuff which apparently is FIFA approved really is a great playing surface. True, you will get quite a nasty burn if you do a sliding tackle but if it means the stadium will be able to rent out time when not being used in order to keep the money rolling in, then so be it.

Also, check out the progress on Chicago Fire's new stadium....looks really nice.
I went to Chicago last year and watched them play at Soldier Field....although barely half full their hard core fans made quite the show of support, I was quite impressed.

http://chicago.fire.mlsnet.com/MLS/chf/load.jsp?section=stadium&content=bridgeview_webcam


----------



## Canuckmakem

Luton fan talking about plastic pitches 

Yeah there are a few Sunderland fans here in the Hat.... but not many. Championship here we come


----------



## gastonbuffet

The Argie strikes back! 

It appears that heeere, in ehmac land, i will not get the support i'd hope to cope with my "friends" the brits. Oh well, i'll take whatever you can dish out like a man,and will shake shake shake it off, with the confidence that it will be ME who'll have the last laugh 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DJDN_Z0oE0


----------



## gastonbuffet

I got a new avatar! 
you dig?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x4zUPF0x0A


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r246UoFj6Ys


----------



## Loafer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfS0w11Lfhc&search=england argentina


----------



## Fink-Nottle

> Oh well, i'll take whatever you can dish out like a man,and will shake shake shake it off, with the confidence that it will be ME who'll have the last laugh


Sir, I would happily shake your hand... but it seems to be busy punching a football into the back of my net. Or was that God?


----------



## Loafer

At the risk of upsetting Fink Nottle I have to ask the question...

How can a little Argentinian midget out jump 6' something giant of a man ?

Maybe we could invite him as an inspirational speaker for the Canadian high jump team....

http://www.petershilton.com/services.htm

ah, sorry Fink, I shouldn't make fun of my own country men.....it's just something that has always bothered me


----------



## gastonbuffet

The compromising answer that wise men have come up with is : it was Maradona's hand, but it was God who lifted him?


----------



## gastonbuffet

Sorry to hear about Rooney. And I mean it. I'm worried about Messi.


----------



## gastonbuffet

*betting odds update*



gastonbuffet said:


> Anyone into betting?
> 
> as of last night, these are the odds. I always found interesting (and painfull too) how the odds progress with time. So if you bet a buck on a team to win the World Cup, and it does, these is what you get paid:
> 
> 
> 
> Brazil 3.85 Update May 1st : 3
> England 7.25 " 7.5 ( rooney will take a tool here)
> Germany 8.50 " 8.5
> Argentina 10.00 " 9
> Italy 12.00 " 9.8
> France 13.00 " 14
> Holland 15.00 " 14
> Spain	15.00 ' 16.3
> Portugal 21.00 ' 25
> .




http://www.oddschecker.com/betting/mode/o/card/worldcup2006-worldcup/odds/10218x/sid/10062


----------



## Loafer

gastonbuffet said:


> Sorry to hear about Rooney. And I mean it. I'm worried about Messi.


don't want to talk about that


----------



## overkill

gastonbuffet said:


> Sorry to hear about Rooney. And I mean it. I'm worried about Messi.


Messi better be there or we have lost a very dynamic player that can change the course of a game all by himself


----------



## gastonbuffet

Messi is VERY important, BUT, unlike rooney, we have a few replacements just in case he doesn't make it( Saviola, Aguero). The thing is the final team have to be submitted on the 15 of May, and we won't know if he can make it to the WC by then. Bad, but not half as bad as England's situation.


----------



## overkill

Looks like there could be a war over whether Rooney should be playing or not. Ferguson does not want him there if he is not fit and looks like Erikkson will take him ready or not.


----------



## gastonbuffet

The great Argentine star believes that the Three Lions have what it takes to win it all in Germany.
Unless some little bugger comes along and either 1) punches a ball in against them; 2) scores the greatest goal ever, anywhere against them; or, 3) both in the same match.



picked that up somewhere 





http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2006/4947084.stm


----------



## gastonbuffet

News on Rooney's situation. Good news.

FIFA rules state that a manager may wait until 24 hours before a match to make a decision about a key player if that player can demonstrate medical need to be off the initial roster list. Which means that we have six more weeks of waiting to see if Wayne can heal and if Sven will pull the trigger and tap him.
Time to worry about Michael Owen, then!

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=366601&campaign=rss&source=soccernet&cc=5901

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/li...006.html?in_article_id=384876&in_page_id=1892


And Rooney said he will be sleeping, like Beckamp did in 2002, in an oxigen chamber to speed up the recovery and slow the muscle weakening


----------



## gastonbuffet

football for dummies:

''''''' soccer for Ehmacers: http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/sports/20020526_wc2002_HOWTO/


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

I'll just hand this over to you for safekeeping, Gastonbuffet.










You can also engrave it - you do know how to spell 'England', don't you?


----------



## gastonbuffet

SQ, don't you worry about my spelling, I'll get a dictionary!!! I would worry about your well being 

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=661462006


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

> I would worry about your well being


 

Oh, I don't take any of this at all seriously, but I find the hype and banter hilarious. I have no interest in the WC (or the World Cup either  ) beyond seeing some dazzling footie, and being able to sit, with a beer, and take the rip out of the slabbering commentators on TV.

Great link though. Thanks, I don't get the Scotsman. Now _that's_ the sort of thing I'm interested in seeing more of!


----------



## gastonbuffet

funny little clip on England and the World Cup (a little foul language, nothing to make a big fuzz about)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae5eZMq8s-c


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

Can't get the clip to load, G. It sticks at 'Loading'. Any suggestions?


----------



## gastonbuffet

i usually "reload" the page altogether, usually works.


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

Nope. No joy. Updated Flash Player to version 8 - still no go.

Argentina 1 - Scotland 0.


----------



## ehMax

Thanks for spurring on this thread gastonbuffet!  It's too bad Argentina is going to lose their match against the Netherlands on June 21st.  

We heard the murmur of fear all across Argentina as soon as they heard they were facing the Oranje in the first round. 

Jose Pekerman sees flashes of orange in his nightmares. The Dutch are coming... the Dutch are coming...


----------



## gastonbuffet

Dear Mr. Mayor:

It strikes me as funny how YOU think that by living in a civilized society and being the numero uno in this virtual society, you actually believe that YOU can pick on ME? ha

With all due respect, EH "MAX" ha, i would refrain from getting in my Bad Side. 
I know where you are. And I'm tall too!!!!! 


ps: If both the Dutch and Argentina pass the first round, we'll be in great shape for the rest of the tournament. Can't wait!!!! less than 40 days to go.


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

OK boys, break it up, now. Yellow cards all round.


----------



## gastonbuffet

*Blame Thatcher for everything!!!!!*

The Malvinas and Rooney's foot!!!!

http://football.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,1767020,00.html?gusrc=rss



Hand of history points to Maggie over Rooney injury 

Marina Hyde
Thursday May 4, 2006 

Instantly supplanting the War of Jenkins' Ear as history's most depressing conflict about a body part is the War of Rooney's Foot, currently being waged between Sir Alex Ferguson and Sven-Goran Eriksson. Yet as they fiddle, the rest of us get on with the real business: whom to burn for The End of the Dream(TM). Happily my eye is drawn to a letter to Football365.com which suggests that stopping free school milk caused brittle bones in all subsequent generations of children, and therefore the blame for Rooney's injury must be laid at the door of Margaret Thatcher.
This seems reasonable. I will have no truck with those who, as the news broke on Saturday, wailed something along the lines of "that'll be brittle bones caused by the fiendish policy of fluorided water". Trivia buffs may care to know that the water in Rooney's home city of Liverpool is not fluoridated. (Incidentally, Gateshead's is - and you know what? The incidence of tooth decay is exactly the same. So if Graeme Souness fancies blaming his cursed Newcastle tenure on some Strangelovian government plot, he is urged to do some more digging. The PM's Toon fan schtick has always looked like a cover story.)
But if we all accept that the main contributory factors to the calamity are Rooney's bone density, boot design and the fact that he was playing football, then anyone with a passing knowledge of history can only blame the fractured metatarsal on one of three events.

First is the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which is tending towards the obvious but it did precipitate the first world war, ending in the Treaty of Versailles, which led to the rise of Hitler, which caused the second world war. This resulted in the devastation of much of Europe's infrastructure, which led to the Marshall Plan, which led to the German economic miracle, which enabled manufacturers such as Adidas and Puma to dominate the sports footwear market.

So a Stanford MBA student, Phil Knight, wrote his thesis on how cheaper shoes made in the Far East could undercut German dominance in the US market and, in 1962, he established Blue Ribbon Sports which eventually became Nike which, from the days of convincing the US track record holder Steve Prefontaine to wear its shoes, sought the best of the best for its celebrity endorsements programme, which ultimately led to Wayne Rooney being signed as a face of Nike, resulting last Tuesday in his endorsing the firm's new Total 90 Supremacy boot.

Alternatively some would say the seeds of the injury were sown when the second Tsar Nicholas II's troops opened fire on protesting peasants in the Bloody Sunday massacre of 1905. This led to the two Russian revolutions of 1917 and subsequent civil war, and the establishment of the Soviet Union. Its success in maintaining parity with the US during the Cold War arms race ultimately crippled its economy, which made Boris Yeltsin's privatisation of national industries appear a necessity. The policy allowed the young Roman Abramovich to amass his fortune, an infinitesimal proportion of which he spent on buying Chelsea. In days of yore Manchester United were so far ahead at this stage of the season that they could have rested Rooney, but the unstoppable behemoth that Chelsea have become meant that playing him last Saturday was a necessity.

Finally, though, need we look further than the first amendment to the unwritten British constitution, otherwise known as the Football and Fawlty Amendment? That is, "all events in human history must and shall be connected to the German invasion of Poland". It was the need to keep India on side in the second world war which led to Britain being forced to offer a deal that led to her independence, which effectively ended the empire and, with it, the traditional justification for British control over of the Suez Canal.

This ultimately precipitated the crisis which led to Anthony Eden's resignation. The report into Tory members' thoughts on a possible successor was prepared by Edward Heath, and his steering of the job towards Harold Macmillan in part contributed to his being made minister of labour in Macmillan's first cabinet. From there he rose up the ranks, eventually winning the 1970 general election while advocating his kooky Selsdon Man policies, which informed the push for budget cuts in - among other areas - education, leading to Thatcher's decision to end free school milk. And, metatarsally speaking, we all know how that turned out.






SQ: the link works for me, i'll try it later on another PC.


----------



## gastonbuffet

*Tell Shakira how it is!!*

she is willing....


http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/tm_obje...ine=shakira-s-willing-to-learn-name_page.html


----------



## ehMax

gastonbuffet said:


> Dear Mr. Mayor:
> 
> It strikes me as funny how YOU think that by living in a civilized society and being the numero uno in this virtual society, you actually believe that YOU can pick on ME? ha
> 
> With all due respect, EH "MAX" ha, i would refrain from getting in my Bad Side.
> I know where you are. And I'm tall too!!!!!
> 
> 
> ps: If both the Dutch and Argentina pass the first round, we'll be in great shape for the rest of the tournament. Can't wait!!!! less than 40 days to go.


Are you saying you want to meet me on the pitch, and have ourselves a little football duel?   

Not to toot my own horn, but I'll have you know I was quite a football star in my youth.  

---

On another note... does anyone know where I can get a Holland T-Shirt? Every place I go to like SportsMart etc.. has Brazil, England etc.. but no Netherland T. Maybe when we win the cup this year, we'll get the respect we deserve.


----------



## overkill

can someone remind me what happened in the final of world cup '78? oh right i remember now  good luck to all countries!


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

My best memories of the '78 WC are of the Peruvian goalie, 'el Loco', who provided us more subversive types some brilliant spectacles. He picked the ball up and ran down the field with it at one point, frustrated at the lack of action at the other end. Another of his outrages was a full rugby tackle on an opponent.

Best of all was the collective indignation of the British 'panel of experts' in the TV studio, who all sat cluck-clucking like old maids who'd been flashed.

Oh, by the way, OK, what _did_ happen in the final?


----------



## gastonbuffet

SQ: I can't recall what happened in that final, two great teams played a great match is all i can recall!!


Talking about Netherlands and it's fans, here is a clip of a couple of sensible netherlanders. They say holland has a nice team but they are lacking passion, hence the support for Argentina! (The girl in the picture is princess Maxima, their next QUEEN, and yes, she is from Argentina) .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTApiUm16SA


----------



## gastonbuffet

*lucky charms*

They ask the shoe horse: "are you wearing your lucky underwear? Ooops, i forgot!"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3r5oSJA6S4


and the mother of futbol commercials:


http://www.soccercommercials.com/


----------



## gastonbuffet

For all Argentinian fans "out there", please raise your hand.

NONE????

ok, just per mua!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00TZ6LSNHew


----------



## K_OS

Argentina has an upcoming friendly against Angola on the 30th I hope Argentina is ready for a tough match 

I was born in Angola and even I think there chances are somewhere between slim and none of winning a match during the World Cup.

Laterz


----------



## gastonbuffet

A " Bon chance, mon ami" is in order..............not 



On another topic,


Brothel made to remove S.Arabia, Iran flags

ERLIN (Reuters) - A brothel in Cologne was forced to black out the flags of Saudi Arabia and Iran from a huge World Cup soccer-themed advertising banner after angry Muslims complained and threatened violence.

The 24-metre-high by 8-metre-wide (78 by 26 ft) banner displayed on the side of the building features a scantily-clad woman and the slogan: "The world as a guest of female friends," a variation on the World Cup slogan: "The world as a guest of friends".


http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=616322006


----------



## gastonbuffet

No flag for you!!!!!!!! (soup nazi)

Hidden true colors
U.S. team bus won't display flag during World Cup


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/soccer/05/04/bc.eu.spt.soc.wcup.usbu.ap/


----------



## ehMax

gastonbuffet said:


> SQ: I can't recall what happened in that final, two great teams played a great match is all i can recall!!
> 
> 
> Talking about Netherlands and it's fans, here is a clip of a couple of sensible netherlanders. They say holland has a nice team but they are lacking passion, hence the support for Argentina! (The girl in the picture is princess Maxima, their next QUEEN, and yes, she is from Argentina) .
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTApiUm16SA


Somehow.. I highly doubt those two dweebs have ever run into anything resembling passion beyond kissing that photo. 

Ryan Babel has more passion in his left..... never mind.  

June 21st, the Dutch are coming...


----------



## gastonbuffet

Granted they are a little weird, but , after all, they are Dutch!  
The peculiar thing of these two guys, is that they are trying to do one video for each participating country, with what it could be interpreted as a social study for each nationality. Nothing to write home about, but, link worthy imo.


----------



## gastonbuffet

Any English fans out there? funny clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrwjdkUataQ


----------



## gastonbuffet

today i found out i'll (cross fingers) be a dad; i'm guessing that's why i'm still around looking up stuff for ............

England:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmsoF6NajkM


but being polite people, i don't think the british will be happy "double dipping", and that's why i believe they WON'T win this Cup. Sorry!!


----------



## gastonbuffet

Marco and Marco for England:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxoDvkxcqCA


----------



## Deep Blue

I just spotted this thread and noticed in your opening comment way back that you thought no one would be interested. I am in fact a former professional football writer from germany and am very interested. I emigrated to Canada for personal reasons a few years ago and gave up sports writing because there is no sport to write about in this large but one-eyed country. (It may be hockey here - and as a sports buff, I love it - but to the rest of the world you need to preface it with "ice" so that folk know what you are talking about. That, along with club locations like Tampa Bay, Carolina, San Jose and Nashville, should give you an indication that not really many people on a big scale care about hockey. But football, that's different. I care. We all care.
I was in germany when the country went nuts after the 1990 World Cup win out of Rome and can still name the winning team, score and scorer (Andreas Brehme from a second half spot kick. Trivia question: Brehme was not meant to take that kick according to pre-match plans. Who was, and why did he fail to???)

I even got my foot crushed by one of the open top cars at Frankfurt airport as it drove off the tarmac toward city hall to sign the city's Golden Book of heroes, rolling on to my foot mid interview with a bleary Bode Illgner (what position did Illgner play and which club was he playing for at the time?) and stopping.

I've reported on many games. One thing is for certain this time round: germany will not win. England had a chance until Rooney was injured - let's hope that keeps their boorish fans in check. Brazil is always a chance. Argentina is also a threat. I'm flying over for the tournament but will deliberately skip the stadia and will instead pack a fine lunch and watch the games on big screens in the local parks and green spaces with thousands of other like minded fans - not louts. Viva the Beautiful Game.


----------



## gastonbuffet

VIVA!!!!

Thanks for your valued input (looking forward to every bit of it). I confess that i don't know why Brehme did made the kick. (Lothar and Juergen got the runs?  ) I sense an anecdote in there: do tell.
What i do remember is back home everybody did not think it was actually a penalty, and will forever remember the Mexican's referee name: Codesal. We 'll get a little revenge playing Mexico after the first round.


----------



## gastonbuffet

Self Defense Tip: Make em' count!!!  Gotta love a good Hooligan!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wflkThO4xA


----------



## gastonbuffet

Mexico's world cup fever. This one is worth the 4 minutes!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF4SSPuBcZM


----------



## gastonbuffet

little clip on Argentina's team

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X9JQnM1h5c


----------



## mikeinmontreal

Is this a world cup thread or is it a how great is Argentina thread?  Argentina will not win the World Cup. Barring a disaster, Brasil will win. I am not thrilled as I am waiting for Italy to wake up and win one after all these frustrating World Cups and Euro Cups. Come see my post sometime in July and congratulate me on my very accurate prediction. Congrats on being a Dad. Get some sleep now. Trust me. I have a 6 month old and a 2 and a half year old.


----------



## gastonbuffet

mikeinmontreal said:


> Is this a world cup thread or is it a how great is Argentina thread?


Wise professionals have tried to take these two concepts apart, and failed. They are conceptually entwined! Can't be done! Sorry. 

Thanks for the good wishes and suggestion.

Italy ?????? haaaa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sBiPWdoOlw


----------



## Deep Blue

I beat you all. I have a six year old and twins who are four. Yes, get some sleep - you're not getting it later. The answer to my quiz question is that captain Lothar Matthaeus was scheduled to take the spot kick but pressed the ball into Andy Brehme's surprised hands instead because "Loddar" had new new boots on and was afraid of fluffing the kick. That's history. I love those videos you keep posting, especially the England song.


----------



## gastonbuffet

A little on Italy: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYLx5kcc-mg


A tear jerker from England:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNBIy4rKrVg

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqz4XvOr7oQ

Note: Most of these videos are sent to me thru friends (in world cup times, these friends become enemies 4 to 5 months previous to the cup. It's like that.), some i dig up. But the most videos i get are in spanish, that's why i don't post them here. Just to get you an idea on the fever going around this event.


----------



## miguelsanchez

My pick for the Mundial:










The five stars is not a fluke.


----------



## gastonbuffet

A nice one on betting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSxIzA7jBmI


----------



## gastonbuffet

Women and futbol!!!!!! A commercial for a lawyer firm on Argentinian women and the Cup

the women are asking questions like:

* That guy is a baby/
* If we win this one, are we champions?
* why are they all running the other way now?
* The Lucky shirt? I threw it away, if it was over 20 years old!!!
* the cable company is going to shut the service these afternoon.
* Beckam is sooo cute!!!
* you don't pay attention to me anymore!!!
* choose , the Cup or me!!!!! (mad)


so the lawyer firm deals with divorce, assets splitting, and murder charges due to extreme emotional outbursts!!! NICE


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhDGZtU8NL8


----------



## Deep Blue

What a sufferer you are: Southampton AND England. Bring on the self flagellation. I have a friend with the same allegiances. He is also very short. I must admit however to following Queens Park Rangers, but only because I used to live there.


----------



## Loafer

a QPR fan.....nice!
I always enjoyed going to watch Luton away at QPR, it was always a good drink up with the boys. I distinctley remember Luton going down 6-1 at QPR and spending the majority of that game asleep in the toilet.....I was young, I was foolish, what can I say. Great days 

Now on the gastonbuffet
I have thoroughly enjoyed all the videos you have posted.....and I'm looking forward to posting the video clip of Beckham holding the trophy aloft on July 9th


----------



## ehMax

Anyone see the announcement for the new Toront Soccer team for the MLS league? 










Toronto FC will be playing at the new soccer stadium being built on the CNE grounds that will seat 20,000










I think this is GREAT news. I used to go to some of The Blizzard games when I was young in the NASL league. 










That league was very responsible for sending Canada to its one and only visit to the world cup in '86. 

--------------

05/11/2006 09:27AM
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment unveils Toronto FC as 13th Major League Soccer team
Team takes to the pitch April 2007
Toronto FC Media Relations


Toronto FC will play at National Soccer Stadium at Exhibition Place. (Toronto FC)
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) and Major League Soccer (MLS) unveiled Toronto FC as the city's newest professional sports team on Thursday. Toronto becomes the 13th Major League Soccer team and the first outside of the United States. During the ceremony, Toronto FC's emblem was also unveiled.
Major League Soccer granted Toronto a team in October 2005 after an agreement was reached to build a permanent soccer stadium at Exhibition Place in the city.

"This is an exciting day for soccer fans in Toronto who can now enjoy great quality soccer and have a team they can call their own," said Tom Anselmi, executive vice-president and chief operating officer at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. "Toronto provides the perfect backdrop for the world's number one sport given our city's diversity and affinity for soccer. We're committed to making Toronto FC and Major League Soccer a success."

The strength of Toronto FC's name is its simplicity. The emblem integrates a traditional shield with contemporary imagery. The acronym FC is synonymous with soccer and great soccer clubs around the world choose to emphasize their cities' names.

"The absence of a conventional sports nickname is deliberate," Anselmi added. "We wanted the whole city to feel ownership and we want to provide the opportunity for a meaningful nickname to emerge over time."

Toronto's first professional soccer team will take to the pitch next spring wearing red and white colours that reflect a strong Canadian identity.

"We're thrilled to have Toronto FC as the 13th team in Major League Soccer and our first international club," said Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber. "The combination of a new stadium, a diverse sports market and one of the elite sports and entertainment organizations in the world provides an exciting future for Major League Soccer in Canada."

Toronto FC will play an instrumental role in growing soccer and has formed pivotal relationships with the Canadian Soccer Association and Ontario Soccer Association to further develop the sport. The National Soccer Stadium at Exhibition Place, presently under construction, will serve as a permanent home for Toronto FC and the Canadian National team. It will also be accessible to community youth and adult soccer leagues.

Construction for the 20,000-seat stadium remains on schedule and on-budget with excavation completed by May, while seat and turf installation will be completed by year's end.

The stadium will open in time for the 2007 Major League Soccer season. Discussions are presently taking place with several organizations for the stadium naming rights. The facility will also play host to the FIFA Under-20 World Cup Championship in July 2007, an event that will garner an audience of more than 600 million worldwide.

"Toronto's soccer stadium represents a significant investment and commitment to city and community building by all levels of government, the Canadian Soccer Association and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment," Anselmi commented. "We're excited that Toronto will finally have a dedicated soccer facility. Our new team and sports facility will play pivotal roles in developing the sport at all levels in Canada."

Major League Soccer (MLS) is a premier professional soccer league founded in 1996 after the United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Now in its 11th season, MLS is experiencing a period of growth highlighted by expansion, the construction of soccer-specific stadiums and new investors. The League aims to have 16 teams by 2010.

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) is a privately held corporation that owns the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Toronto Marlies Hockey Club of the American Hockey League (AHL), Toronto FC of Major League Soccer, Air Canada Centre and two digital channels - Leafs TV and Raptors NBA TV.

Soccer fans can visit www.torontofc.ca for the latest information on club memberships, season tickets and team updates.


----------



## Deep Blue

Here's a fun World Cup video - the commentator is a friend of mine.

http://www.helden06.de/index.php?start=galerie&content=trailer&trailer=trailer_eng_qt


----------



## Deep Blue

Ah yes...the joy of getting some much needed kip during an afternoon of laddish exuberance in the stinky loos at Loftus Road. The stuff of dreams...

By the way, England will NOT win the World Cup. Mark my word.


----------



## overkill

Im very excited to see the MLS finally coming to Toronto. Its been a long time since we had professional soccer of some calibur here. Mr. Mayor, I also remember attending Toronto Blizzard games as playing in the youth soccer leagues we were given free tickets to see them. If I remember correctly they played our of Centennial stadium in Etobicoke, but not 100% sure of that.


----------



## Loafer

yes, I have alreayd signed up for my Toronto FC membership......this is a very exciting day for soccer in Canada. Now all they have to do is sign up De Rosario and we'll be golden!


----------



## ehMax

Loafer said:


> yes, I have alreayd signed up for my Toronto FC membership......this is a very exciting day for soccer in Canada. Now all they have to do is sign up De Rosario and we'll be golden!


Hey Loafer... any idea on how much season tickets will actually go for? I'm thinking of getting a membership myself.


----------



## Loafer

I have no idea, but I imagine it couldn't be more than $20-30 a game x 16 home games = $320 - $480

Here's the prices for Chicago Fire this season :

http://www.mlsnet.com/MLS/chf/tickets/2006/season/


----------



## Boomcha

I think that this team will get a lot of support here in Toronto. With all the soccer loving ethniticies in this fine city it must. 
I can' t wait.

Jorge


----------



## gastonbuffet

Member 191?

Right Here!!!


----------



## gastonbuffet

A small town Argentinian beauty queen acredited herself as "Press" and "flashed" the UE, Latin America and Caribean President's meeting in Vienna. 

I'm posting it here because the lady has a good "defense", and souces inform her two "forwards" are something to see. OH well 


http://edition.cnn.com/2006/BUSINESS/05/12/eusummit.protest.ap/


----------



## Loafer

Member 152 ?

Hellloooooooo

beat ya 
those Argies.....always up late 




gastonbuffet said:


> Member 191?
> 
> Right Here!!!


----------



## ehMax

Loafer said:


> Member 152 ?
> 
> Hellloooooooo
> 
> beat ya
> those Argies.....always up late


I bit the bullet and got a membership.  How do you tell what member number you are?


----------



## Loafer

gastonbuffet said:


> A small town Argentinian beauty queen acredited herself as "Press" and "flashed" the UE, Latin America and Caribean President's meeting in Vienna.
> 
> I'm posting it here because the lady has a good "defense", and souces inform her two "forwards" are something to see. OH well
> 
> 
> http://edition.cnn.com/2006/BUSINESS/05/12/eusummit.protest.ap/


Everyone seemed to get a good chuckle from it apart from the woman 3rd from right......although I imagine she is just jealous because she looks like a bulldog chewing a wasp! (my apologies to anyone here if that's your wife)


----------



## Loafer

ehMax said:


> I bit the bullet and got a membership.  How do you tell what member number you are?


I'm guessing it's in the e-mail they sent as confirmation under 'Seat(s)'
I have GA 1-00152 (Adult)

unless of course it is just a random number


----------



## ehMax

Loafer said:


> I'm guessing it's in the e-mail they sent as confirmation under 'Seat(s)'
> I have GA 1-00152 (Adult)
> 
> unless of course it is just a random number


Ahh... that makes me 171.


----------



## gastonbuffet

loafer #152 .......... 1+5+2= _8 England gets to the round of eight.

Ehmax # 171 .........1+7+1= _8 Netherlands gets to the round of eight.


Gaston # 191 ........1+9+1= 1 1 Argentina comes out first in final match.



yeahhhhh, it's destiny, and I'm sticking to it; losers. 

Ps: it ain't easy being me these days.


----------



## ehMax

> *1+7+1= _8 *Netherlands gets to the round of eight.


There's some fuzzy math. :yikes:


----------



## Loafer

gastonbuffet said:


> Gaston # 191 ........1+9+1= 1 1 Argentina comes out first in final match.


11 = 1st ?
fuzzy math indeed

Are we looking at a wager then on here or what......how about a $10 iTunes gift certificate that England make it further than Argentina ?


----------



## gastonbuffet

ehMax said:


> There's some fuzzy math. :yikes:



ooops, my bad. But with 9, then Netherlands doesn't go pass the group. Sorry.


----------



## gastonbuffet

Loafer said:


> 11 = 1st ?
> fuzzy math indeed
> 
> Are we looking at a wager then on here or what......how about a $10 iTunes gift certificate that England make it further than Argentina ?





with Rooney with firm chances of playing the first match, i won't feel like stealing candy from a Kid.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ma....xml&sSheet=/sport/2006/05/14/ixsporttop.html


$ 10 itunes gift certificate it is Loafer. You are on!!!


----------



## Loafer

ok EhMax, you can bear witness to our little wager here.....

Let the games begin


----------



## Loafer

For your viewing pleasure....

http://www.wcup06.ca/schedule_results/

I'm in a bit of a pickle because it's my wife's 30th on the 11th June and I had planned to take her to New York on Saturday (10th) but I'm going to have to get a later afternoon flight so I can watch the game in the morning.

Also, I have an Excel spreadsheet....a very good one, that someone sent me, you put in the scores and updates everything. Drop me a line if you want it.


----------



## overkill

Ok so next week is when I start to come up with ideas/plans to take the time off to see Argentina play on the days that I am suppose to be at work. hmm...I try to be original in my plans, since I only get to do this once every four years.


----------



## K_OS

4 years ago I managed to watch all the games from work by hooking up my satellite receiver to my comp and sending a video feed to my comp at work.

Laterz


----------



## Loafer

K_OS said:


> 4 years ago I managed to watch all the games from work by hooking up my satellite receiver to my comp and sending a video feed to my comp at work.
> 
> Laterz


You must have a pretty easy going boss....I couldn't imagine any of my old bosses allowing me to do that...but none of that matters now when you work for yourself, I've already warned my clients I might not be so available for work between June 9th and July 9th


----------



## K_OS

Loafer said:


> You must have a pretty easy going boss....I couldn't imagine any of my old bosses allowing me to do that...but none of that matters now when you work for yourself, I've already warned my clients I might not be so available for work between June 9th and July 9th


It was a perk of being in IT at the time nobody really caught on to what I was doing. 

Laterz


----------



## gastonbuffet

This just in: The Dutch are insane!!!!!! (but they can play football)


One minute for the game to end, Argentina and the Netherlands are tied.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bGv7ltJGPA


----------



## Loafer

well you can't blame him, it's always nice to see the Argies lose 

This is quite probably the most outrageous gloating ever done by a sports commentator.....Bjorn Lillelien, when Norway beat England 2-1 in a 1981 World Cup Qualifier.

My aplogies for only finding this website that has a Real Audio clip of it, but here is the link and a transcript of what he said....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/sport/bestcommentary/day1.shtml

"Lord Nelson, Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Anthony Eden, Clement Attlee, Henry Cooper, Lady Diana, vi har slått dem alle sammen, vi har slått dem alle sammen [we have beaten them all, we have beaten them all]. Maggie Thatcher, can you hear me? Maggie Thatcher [...] your boys took a hell of a beating! Your boys took a hell of a beating!"


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

Hey. That Dutch commentator sounded awfully like Steve Ballmer on his 'Developers' rant.


----------



## ehMax

gastonbuffet said:


> This just in: The Dutch are insane!!!!!! (but they can play football)
> 
> 
> One minute for the game to end, Argentina and the Netherlands are tied.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bGv7ltJGPA


Yeah.. the commentator is pretty tame eh? You should see how excited I get.


----------



## ehMax

By the way.. that is one pretty goal.  :love2:


----------



## Loafer

ehMax said:


> By the way.. that is one pretty goal.  :love2:


yeah, not bad.....but not quite as good as this one....

http://youtube.com/watch?v=emcrwcIMU3A&search=great england goal

against Brazil too 

Ah, I still remember his 'rap' from the 1990 world cup song by New Order....

"You've got to hold and give 
But do it at the right time 
You can be slow or fast 
But you must get to the line 
They'll always hit you and hurt you 
Defend and attack 
Theres only one way to beat them 
Get round the back "


----------



## K_OS

This is one of my all time favourite goals by Luis Figo of Portugal Vs England (Sorry Loafer)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5968876063922698878&q=figo

Laterz


----------



## gastonbuffet

ehMax said:


> By the way.. that is one pretty goal.  :love2:



Even prettier if you keep quiet  


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hT62UNdbGc


----------



## gastonbuffet

This guy has an extra ticket for the WC. But not all has to be football, there are other more civilized ways to pick a buddy to go with him.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgRB8CCg794


----------



## gastonbuffet

Adidas ad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvaT2MPkXHE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPfSl1b_mYI


----------



## gastonbuffet

A boy or a girl?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbjVZutLEBg


----------



## gastonbuffet

BIG DAY YESTERDAY. 
May 15 was the deadline to present the "LIST". this is the final roster of 23 players selected to represent each squad. And, as always, there are "surprises" with people that thought were in and were not: and people that had hopes only to be crushed. We are talking succesfull, very rich men "crying" for not making it, some saying that they want to die and all that tango.....

http://www.eurosport.com/football/world-cup1/2006/sport_sto886568.shtml


Then, once the list is out, specially in a country like Argentina, we start talking about pros and cons of each nominee and how to kill the coach for the damm choices he made, and how each of us can do a much better job in his place and all that yada yada........ and a new commercial came out that at the end reads 

" Do it for all of us who did not made it" 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht1y-tu0dq8


----------



## Loafer

wow, Gaston, you've been trawling youtube today 

I love those Adidas ads. they must have a lot of fun doing that....especially Franz Beckenbauer and Michel Platini 

So I booked the flight to New York later in the afternoon so I can watch the England game on the saturday morning with my 7 month old son in his mini England kit  Don't worry, I'll post pictures


----------



## Loafer

Wow, I just clicked on the 2006 tickets link above from Google.....790 euros for the Paraguay game!

and only 350 euros for Argentina's first game.....guess there's not too much interest


----------



## gastonbuffet

well, Argentina is a bit down with it's luck on the economic scheme of things. We are not that wealthy on a materialistic sense, and neither is the team playing against us, Ivory Coast. But we've been blessed with football (not just kicking it high and heading it  ) so there is a chance to see some talent for cheap!!!! our gift to the world!!! 


Guess who made the German team, David ......I forgot his last name.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x20v9F-sWHQ 


i just can't find another explanation.


----------



## Loafer

that'll be David Hasselhof

I feel sick after watching that


----------



## gastonbuffet

Loafer said:


> I feel sick after watching that



good, payback for the cheap Argentinian Tickets low blow!!!! Gotcha 

"knight rider" the movie is on the make, you can take the kids...


----------



## gastonbuffet

So, somebody in argentina realized that, the actual ball, in spanish, it's " la pelota". La pelota is feminine, it's a girl. Girls love to Tango........

So, one on Argentina, Messi, Tango and "la pelota".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tpGu8J5XjY


----------



## overkill

Champion's League Final today. Barcelona vs Aresnal. Should be a good match.


----------



## Loafer

damn Spanish

As much as I hate Arsenal I would have preffered to see them win over the Spanish.
Sounds like it was a good game, it was unfortunate that I don't get TSN


----------



## Fink-Nottle

*Where to get your England Shirt...*

I went to buy an England shirt in downtown Toronto this afternoon and the shop was trying to get $120 for it! The online FA store in the UK is selling them for £22.49 and then £6 postage to get them to Canada. At the current exchange rate, that's half the price... assuming you don't get stung with Custom's Duty. If you buy more than one you save on the postage too.

*Here's the link!*


----------



## Moscool

The Arsenal game was heart-breaking because you will never find out who was the best eam on the night (Barca is the best team in general).

The ref had a number of choices, some harsher than what he atually chose but he picked the one that killed the game stone dead: Arsenal was one man down for 70 minutes!

The good news is this: Henry stays


----------



## overkill

Came home to find out that TSN was playing the replay of the game the same day and long and behold I fell asleep two mins before arsenal scored and 3 mins after barca's second goal  so that was pretty much the whole game.


----------



## Loafer

Fink-Nottle said:


> I went to buy an England shirt in downtown Toronto this afternoon and the shop was trying to get $120 for it! The online FA store in the UK is selling them for £22.49 and then £6 postage to get them to Canada. At the current exchange rate, that's half the price... assuming you don't get stung with Custom's Duty. If you buy more than one you save on the postage too.
> 
> *Here's the link!*


holy crap that's cheap....what a deal!
Shame I already have one....a little pressie from my little mum while I was there in April


----------



## K_OS

I have a side business going with my brother and were selling shirts, scarves, flags for the World Cup. We import everything from Europe ourselves and its all authorised merchandise. We don't carry everything for all countrys but we do have one medium shirt for England here.

I'm located at 287 Harbord St, 416-850-5527

<img src="http://www.hu-card.ca/images/England.GIF">

Laterz


----------



## Moscool

The FA endorsed shirts are really cheap. I checked the site and it looks kosher. If you buy from them you will help me as I have (a small amount) of shares in Umbro! I suggest you use Royal Mail if you can: it's cheap and reliable


----------



## Moscool

Of course, the shirt you should really get is this one:


----------



## Fink-Nottle

I'll watch Henry any time; I hope he and the team do well. But I'll still take the England shirt...


----------



## overkill

So does anyone have any world cup rituals? Do you do anything special before or after the game? Were a specific team shirt? Do you stay home to watch the games or go to work and try to avoid all contact and information until you get home to watch it yourself?


----------



## ehMax

K_OS said:


> I have a side business going with my brother and were selling shirts, scarves, flags for the World Cup. We import everything from Europe ourselves and its all authorised merchandise. We don't carry everything for all countrys but we do have one medium shirt for England here.
> 
> I'm located at 287 Harbord St, 416-850-5527
> 
> <img src="http://www.hu-card.ca/images/England.GIF">
> 
> Laterz


Any Holland / Dutch merchandise K-OS?


----------



## gastonbuffet

so i was in a Hotel in Montreal( I love Hotels, they have TVs  ) and i happened to catch the last 10 minutes of a futbol match between Canada and Brasil. Canada won 2-1. That's great news for team Canada, and they will be playing 2 more marches around these days in Ontario (I think) so that's a good sporting event to support your team. 

http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/news_story/?ID=166414&hubname=soccer

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...0&call_pageid=1044529386722&col=1044529386490


----------



## overkill

I believe the two remaining games between Canada and Brazil are both in BC. One being played in Victoria and the other in Vancouver. They played a great game as I was able to catch most of it during the broadcast. Some very young hopefuls who can make the national team in an effort to qualify for 2010 in South Africa. Its been too long since Canada's only appearance back in 1986.


----------



## Moscool

Well done!


----------



## Loafer

overkill said:


> So does anyone have any world cup rituals? Do you do anything special before or after the game? Were a specific team shirt? Do you stay home to watch the games or go to work and try to avoid all contact and information until you get home to watch it yourself?


Any big games like the world cup I have to watch it at home or at a friends house.....I really like to concentrate on what's going on and not have to look around people's heads.

I also have a St. Georges cross flag that I drape over myself during the game.....it's had more use covering my eyes though during the penalty shoot outs that England has got it self into on more than one occasion


----------



## Loafer

gastonbuffet said:


> so i was in a Hotel in Montreal( I love Hotels, they have TVs  ) and i happened to catch the last 10 minutes of a futbol match between Canada and Brasil. Canada won 2-1. That's great news for team Canada, and they will be playing 2 more marches around these days in Ontario (I think) so that's a good sporting event to support your team.


I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw you report this score.....until I checked the link.....Under-20's

Big difference!

exciting though that Canada has such a good youth team.....I'll be looking forward to watching some of tham play for TOFC


----------



## gastonbuffet

People !!, what do you have for blood ??? Timmysss??? C'monn, I'm out of town for a few days and the thread dies. 2 weeks to go for the Big event and not even an insult? tsk tsk.


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

*.*

zzzzzzzzzzzz …

Wassup? Two weeks … what?

zzzzzzzzzz …


----------



## gastonbuffet

sad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-wA2RmTG_s


----------



## gastonbuffet

Another version of the argentine spot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDBG9VEHuK8


----------



## gastonbuffet

BBC spot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUR_UHGKjwQ


----------



## gastonbuffet

Nice people the English!!!! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvXiEWqIl6w


----------



## gastonbuffet

Fox sports Argentina spot: sh*t happens



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Apzr8f3etyU


----------



## gastonbuffet

top world cup moments:

England scores against Argentina, twice  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBRJPX-vZi0


----------



## gastonbuffet

I don't know what this is ?????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGgq1iiMP1g


----------



## gastonbuffet

Nike on USA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMo0s9NRBrg


----------



## gastonbuffet

the German Hosts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBCmxaSgL10


----------



## gastonbuffet

I don't regret these love......goes the song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHKUCcck02A


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

*.*

I know.

It's just that whenever I think about the World Cu … zzzzzzzzzz …


----------



## Loafer

I don't know if these guys are doing a series for the 2006 World Cup.....but this show was fantastic....here's a clip from the 2004 Euro Cup.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kfsRwvT_EM&search=fantasy football

Fantasy Football with David Baddiel and Frank Skinner


----------



## K_OS

ehMax said:


> Any Holland / Dutch merchandise K-OS?


I looked around and we have nothing for the Dutch Sorry.

Laterz


----------



## miguelsanchez

*Campeões Outra Vez - Campeones Otra Vez*

This is for you Gaston:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1177437902170449843&q=ronaldinho

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6713609093300901997&q=ronaldinho

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrRK7A_FCHM&search=brasil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjegiyjRDZc&search=brasil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg1WJUmCDlU&search=brasil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpTmNw6a1A4&search=brasil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjM06i54s3s&search=ronaldinho zidane

The last one is a tribute to two of my favourite players. I would love to see a Brasil - France re-match in the final!

Of course, Brasil-Argentina would be nice too. Always a classic match-up.


----------



## miguelsanchez

Really, no matter who you root for, it truly is the beautiful game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L77SDZ79kU&search=best soccer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7Z0JjTM7ec&search=best soccer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcGKgi4h7CA&search= soccer


----------



## miguelsanchez

I like the the first minute of this video better than the second minute:

The Beautiful Game


----------



## ehMax

K_OS said:


> I looked around and we have nothing for the Dutch Sorry.
> 
> Laterz


Maybe after they win this year they'll get more respect.  

Thanks for checking. 

So who's coming to the Rogers Centre on July 9th?


----------



## gastonbuffet

miguelsanchez said:


> This is for you Gaston:
> 
> http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1177437902170449843&q=ronaldinho
> 
> .



I see your piece, and raise you this

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3354327884868309493&q=ronaldinho


----------



## gastonbuffet

Ehmax, i was at a couple of sporting stores in a mall in Toronto, and each and every store carry different shirts of L'orange. $ 28 to $ 78 depending .


----------



## ehMax

gastonbuffet said:


> Ehmax, i was at a couple of sporting stores in a mall in Toronto, and each and every store carry different shirts of L'orange. $ 28 to $ 78 depending .


Do you know which mall? I'm there. 

Nothing around here in Kitchener that I've seen.


----------



## gastonbuffet

ehMax said:


> So who's coming to the Rogers Centre on July 9th?



It will all depend who makes it to the last game......So it's gonna be ME and maybe miguelsanchez. loafer, thegreatwaka, or yourself Mr Mayor. 


ps: I'm going no matter what.


----------



## gastonbuffet

the mall on Sheppard and Don mills rd (fairview mall).
at least 4 stores carry a Holland shirt.

but get the "albiceleste", you'll wear it more !!!!!


----------



## gastonbuffet

good times, good times

For all England fans OUT!! there 



http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4716715410264614538&q=argentina


----------



## overkill

Wearing my '86 Diego Maradona Away Jersey for Argentina replica today at work. Love how that #10 stands out


----------



## overkill

Mom just came back from Argentina and was able to get me the new away jersey for Argentina. Getting ready for the World Cup. Only a couple of weeks away!


----------



## K_OS

ehMax said:


> Maybe after they win this year they'll get more respect.
> 
> Thanks for checking.
> 
> So who's coming to the Rogers Centre on July 9th?


I have nothing but admeration and respect for the way the Dutch play football but around my store its primarily Portuguese, Italian, Brazilians with a few Spanish, English and French thrown in for good measure so I have to cater to there needs, the only suggestion I can give is to try to find a store around where the Dutch congregate in TO.

Laterz


----------



## gastonbuffet

And i thought the lousiest goalkeeper this WC was the Argentine!!! 

well, he is, as this guy is OUT. (in all honesty he was a little green for the England squad, imo) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgG09G6U_FI

The Sun's intake

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2002390000-2006240291,00.html


----------



## gastonbuffet

Today I saw a Holland shirt in a little ugly store in Yonge and Gerrard.


----------



## overkill

people at work have begun to wear their country's colours! Lots of "Hand of God" comments for my shirt today  Then I had to remind them of the second goal that he scored in that game.


----------



## gastonbuffet

heavy weight player 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvEU8ZUkJkg


----------



## gastonbuffet

promises promises

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6W-dhkYnwU

Here I go with my promise:

I promise, that if argentina wins, i will name my soon to be born kid with two names. That is a BIG thing for me, as me and all of my siblings and my only nephew bear a single name, a family tradition started by both my parents (everybody in South america has two or more names, usually the more names you have, the wealthier your family "pretends" to be). 

You don't have a clue how much my wife will hate my guts for this!!!!!!


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

*Heavyweight player*

Hey, G, love it, especially when they break into English … 'taking no prisoners'.


----------



## gastonbuffet

Snapple Quaffer said:


> Hey, G, love it, especially when they break into English … 'taking no prisoners'.


glad you liked it

here is the world cup of Babes!!! please be honest and vote Argentina's Valeria Mazza as the world champ, as she is hotter than Heidi!

http://www.the-onion-bag.com/worldcup/index.php


----------



## gastonbuffet

His only son breaks it to him: 

He comes out!!!!! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoUzPx9d4Gk


----------



## gastonbuffet

A nice piece on Ronaldinho

http://203.15.102.152/opinions/index.php?pid=st&cid=70037&ct=22&ct=22


----------



## gastonbuffet

Read between the lines: Bet on Argentina!!!!  

Trust me on this 


http://news.ft.com/cms/s/2c0b82c6-eeaf-11da-820a-0000779e2340.html


----------



## K_OS

gastonbuffet said:


> Trust me on this


Famous last words around here.

Laterz


----------



## Loafer

see the World Cup 2006 winners here....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkM-iO28SIo&search=england world cup



If I haven't posted this already....
probably the best beer ad in the world....

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3219386766071397128

just so you know all these guys are old players

Bobby Charlton, Jack Charlton, Chris Waddle, Bryan Robson, Peter Beardsley, Bobby Robson.....the list goes on.


----------



## MacDoc

So when do the games get on to TV??
All I see are "hints".


----------



## Loafer

all the fun starts 9th June MacDoc


----------



## overkill

http://soccer.sportsnet.tsn.ca/tv/

all games!


----------



## mikeinmontreal

Why waste your time watching? Listen to Gaston. Argentina's going to win, right? Yeah, right!!  I'm an Azzuri fan, and I predict they will play Brasil; unfortunately for them, it will be in the 2nd round. And that will be the end of that for them.


----------



## MacDoc

Okay thanks and the rabid fans here.......which ones not to miss??


----------



## Fink-Nottle

The wisdom of footballers...

'I took a whack on my left ankle, but something told me it was my right.'
- Lee Hendrie

'I couldn't settle in Italy - it was like living in a foreign country.' 
- Ian Rush

Interviewer: 'Would it be fair to describe you as a volatile player?'
David Beckham: 'Well, I can play in the centre, on the right and
occasionally on the left side.'

'If you're 0-0 down, there's no-one better to get you back on terms than
Ian Wright.' 
- Robbie Earle

'Germany are a very difficult team to play...they had 11 internationals
out there today.'
- Steve Lomas

'I always used to put my right boot on first, and then obviously my right
sock.' 
- Barry Venison

'I definitely want Brooklyn to be christened, but I don't know into what
religion yet.' 
- David Beckham

'The Brazilians were South America, and the Ukranians will be more
European.' 
- Phil Neville

'All that remains is for a few dots and commas to be crossed.'
- Mitchell Thomas

'Alex Ferguson is the best manager I've ever had at this level. Well, he's
the only manager I've actually had at this level. But he's the best
manager I've ever had.' 
- David Beckham

'The opening ceremony was good, although I missed it.'
- Graeme Le Saux

'One accusation you can't throw at me is that I've always done my best.'
- Alan Shearer

'I'd rather play in front of a full house than an empty crowd.'
- Johnny Giles

'Sometimes in football you have to score goals.' 
- Thierry Henry

'I would not be bothered if we lost every game as long as we won the
league.' 
- Mark Viduka

'He's put on weight and I've lost it, and vice versa.' 
- Ronnie Whelan

'If you don't believe you can win, there is no point in getting out of bed
at the end of the day.' 
- Neville Southall

'We lost because we didn't win.' 
- Ronaldo

'I've had 14 bookings this season - 8 of which were my fault, but 7 of
which were disputable.' 
- Paul Gascoigne

'I've never wanted to leave. I'm here for the rest of my life, and
hopefully after that as well.' 
- Alan Shearer

'I'd like to play for an Italian club, like Barcelona.' 
- Mark Draper

'You've got to believe that you're going to win, and I believe we'll win
the World Cup until the final whistle blows and we're knocked out.' 
-Peter Shilton

'I faxed a transfer request to the club at the beginning of the week, but
let me state that I don't want to leave Leicester.' 
- Stan Collymore

'I was watching the Blackburn game on TV on Sunday when it flashed on the
screen that George Ndah had scored in the first minute at Birmingham. My
first reaction was to ring him up. Then I remembered he was out there
playing.' 
- Ade Akinbiyi

'Without being too harsh on David Beckham, he cost us the match.' 
- Ian Wright

'It was a big relief off my shoulder.' 
- Paul Gascoigne

'I'm as happy as I can be - but I have been happier.' 
- Ugo Ehiogu

'It took a lot of bottle for Tony (Adams) to own up.' 
- Ian Wright

'Leeds is a great club and it's been my home for years, even though I live
in Middlesbrough.' 
- Jonathan Woodgate

'I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel.' 
- Stuart Pearce

'My parents have been there for me, ever since I was about 7.'
- David Beckham

'I was surprised, but I always say nothing surprises me in football.' 
-Les Ferdinand

'It was like the ref had a brand new yellow card and wanted to see if it
worked.' 
- Richard Rufus

'There's no in between - you're either good or bad. We were in between.'
- Gary Lineker

'Winning doesn't really matter as long as you win.' 
- Vinny Jones


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

F-N, these footballers' quotes; there is a vast archive of them in the back issues of Private Eye magazine. Are you a fellow subscriber?

A recent one:

_"They [Everton] are really missing the loss of Arteta. Itís sticking out like a sore throat. "_
RONNIE GOODLASS
BBC Radio Merseyside

Slavering gits all of them - fit only to be laughed at.


----------



## gastonbuffet

weird, but as long as it cheers for Argentina, is cool with me!! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QCXqCJveD0


----------



## gastonbuffet

The Futbol Tribe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbidlXeebzw


----------



## gastonbuffet

Mr Mayor, a gift for you, too:

numero uno : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CcS4XqAt2o



numero dos : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIvBOuU5v2c



numero tres : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBsJz90Rdds


----------



## gastonbuffet

Australia's chances:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUTk_B9UJkI


----------



## Loafer

England Vs Hungary

not going all that well so far.....


----------



## K_OS

Loafer said:


> England Vs Hungary
> 
> not going all that well so far.....


todays scores

FT	Czech Republic 1:0 Costa Rica
FT	Poland 1:2 Colombia
FT	Chile 1:1 Côte d’Ivoire
FT	Tunisia 3:0 Belarus
FT	Germany 2:2 Japan
FT	Argentina 2:0 Angola
FT	England 3:1 Hungary

Looks like they turned things around Loafer.

Laterz


----------



## K_OS

just found out this nice feature on http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com. If you want to know what time the match you want to watch starts in your time zone then do the following and you will get the correct times.

Go to your teams page
Then click on the time of the match and it will pop up with a window with a whole bunch of choices select one of them and it will convert the time into your local time.

this is an example
8	11-Jun-06	Cologne ANGOR *21:00*

Hope this helps a bit

If you need to see the whole schedule go to http://soccer.sportsnet.tsn.ca/schedule_results/

Laterz


----------



## Loafer

or in true Mac fashion....

iCal link that apparently the owner will update as the World Cup progresses....

http://icalshare.com/article.php?story=20051217091931152


----------



## MacDoc

Those in the World Cup mode may want to catch this.












> Brazil's great secret for dominating world football is hardly a secret. Brazilian football players have 'ginga' - a fluid style of movement that raises ball skill to an art form. This documentary, presented by Fernanco Meirelles (City of God, Constant Gardener), takes the viewer all over the country of Brazil, following development of young football players. Along the way, we discover Robinho, a youngster who is a key part of the team that will play Australia in the 2006 competition.


Very enjoyable and some of these kids just do outright magic with the ball :clap:

Watched part of the "friendly game" Mexico and Holland last night on Gol TV.


----------



## bishopandarlo

I get interference on Sportsnet (channel 22) in Toronto. Does anyone else?


----------



## Loafer

bishopandarlo said:


> I get interference on Sportsnet (channel 22) in Toronto. Does anyone else?


no, works great for me.

I just watched England pound the Reggae Boyz 6-0

Peter Crouch.....

http://youtube.com/watch?v=veJNI800T6k&search=peter crouch robot

I am so looking forward to him doing that at the World Cup!

Come on Gaston, any Argy players have goal celebrations as good as that ?!?!?


----------



## Loafer

MacDoc,

It;s funny, I was just reading about that in 4-4-2 a british soccer magazine....
sounds like a lot of fun


----------



## K_OS

bishopandarlo said:


> I get interference on Sportsnet (channel 22) in Toronto. Does anyone else?


I've noticed at some peoples house that Sportsnet has a weak signal going trough your connections and tighning them down has cured about 99% of the problems.

Laterz


----------



## miguelsanchez

Nice little article in the Toronto Star today:

World Cup-crazy city can't lose

Looking forward to tomorrow!

Get your World Cup internet fix here.


----------



## Dr.G.

Here's hoping Costa Rica beats Germany to set the stage for other major upsets. If I had to bet, I would be betting on Italy, since my son already chose Brazil.


----------



## overkill

1 day til the biggest party on Earth gets started. Good luck to all teams! Dr. G I think Italy will make it out of their group, but I would watch out for the Czech Republic, I have them as a team that could go a long way.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

Dr. G, if Italy finishes 2nd in their group and Brasil 1st in theirs, they play each other in the 2nd round. Kinda like having a final right there in the 2nd round.


----------



## miguelsanchez

Another nice article:

World Cup Preview



> As we move around the 12 cities of this World Cup, and as television audiences build up to what is claimed to be the biggest audience for a single sport event in history, try to remember the purpose of this whole pageant. Try to focus some of the time on the joy in the game as reflected by Ronaldinho de Assis Moreira.
> 
> Simply known as Ronaldinho, better known by his breathtaking skills and his bucktooth smile, he appears locked in a time warp. There were two things in his boyhood that made him happy despite poverty: One was music, samba of course; the other was practicing his trickery with a ball, or even a bundle of rags.





> And while the point of competing is to give yourself at least the belief that you can reach for the skies, one country that has pedigree and players who really could go all the way is Argentina.
> 
> Its brightest performer, Lionel Messi, is still a teenager, and something of an apprentice to Ronaldinho at Barcelona. They play for the same club, they are on opposite sides of the distinct divide in South America. But crucially they, as nowadays the overwhelming majority of top-class players in soccer, migrated in their youth to the European clubs.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

Man, this World Cup is starting to sound like a snore fest. Everybody, myself included, has pretty much given Brasil the trophy. No offense, Gaston. Even the Brazilian players are trying to downplay it. I hope we have some great second stage matchups. Or else it will be like watching F1 a few years ago to see who would finish 3rd and 4th.


----------



## Dr.G.

I am talking about Italy going ALL the way. We shall see.


----------



## K_OS

I think that like in 2002 there are some surprises in the making.

Laterz


----------



## overkill

Any predictions for today's games? I say Germany wins 2-0 and a tie between Poland and Ecuador.


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

How long will Rooney be on the park, tomorrow, before his foot gets 'damaged' and he's taken off?

Any predictions? beejacon


----------



## MacDoc

After watching Ginga I'm surprised they even let Brazil play with their A team


----------



## K_OS

The following is a C&P from the Fifa website.



> Over 28 and out of the Cup
> 
> Those who believe in the power of statistics combined with the value of youth can strike from their list of potential 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ winners the following teams: Brazil, France, Italy, Czech Republic, Sweden, Portugal, Serbia and Montenegro, USA, Australia, Croatia, and Trinidad and Tobago.
> The reason? In none of the last ten FIFA World Cup competitions have the winners possessed a squad with an average age of more than 28 – the 'weakness' of all those teams listed above.
> 
> You have to go all the way back to Brazil's champions of 44 years ago to find a winning squad with an average age of more than 28. At Chile 1962 the Seleção weighed in at an average of 30 years and one month, a staggering 17 months older on average than the next oldest squad.
> 
> Since then the average age of the winning squads has been: England (27/01); Brazil (25/02); Germany (27/03); Argentina (26/03); Italy (27/04); Argentina (26/10); Germany (27/09); Brazil (27/11); France (27/04) and Brazil (26/09).
> 
> Interestingly the average age of those ten winners comes out at 26/11 which is exactly the average of the Germany squad – and no other team - this time. It is also worth noting that the losing finalists are normally not too far away from the winners in terms of average ages. The last three defeated teams show: Germany (28/02); Brazil (27/11); Italy (28).
> 
> In this competition Ghana have the youngest squad at 25/02 while fellow newcomers Trinidad and Tobago are the 'old men' of the party. Their squad registers a creaky 29/05.
> 
> The youngest player is England rookie Theo Walcott who will be just 17 years and 85 days old when the tournament begins on 9 June. If he hits the back of the net the Arsenal striker will become the youngest-ever goalscorer at a FIFA World Cup.
> 
> The oldest participant is Tunisia goalkeeper Ali Boumnijel who was born three months before England lifted the Jules Rimet trophy in 1966 and stands fifth in the all-time list of oldest players to take part in a FIFA World Cup, following in the footsteps of such greats as Roger Milla (Cameroon), Pat Jennings (Northern Ireland), Peter Shilton (England) and Dino Zoff (Italy).
> 
> The overall average age of the players taking part in the Germany showpiece is 27/05. Remarkably that figure has scarcely changed over recent tournaments. Four years ago it was 27/06 as it was in 1998. In 1994 it was just one month less at 27/05.
> 
> The Japan squad this time feature the smallest gap between their youngest and oldest players – just eight years and two months. England have the largest age gap (18 years and seven months), perhaps no surprise given the Walcott factor and the presence of David James who turns 36 on 1 August.


I think that we might get an upset today with Costa Rica beating the Germans.

Laterz


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

> I think that we might get an upset today with Costa Rica beating the Germans.


Hmmm. They beat Scotland 1 - 0 in 1990. They need watching!


----------



## Moscool

Germany is not as crappy as they were 5 years ago, so I doubt they will lose at home but it will not be a scintillating affair... 2-1 for Ballack's boys. I look forward to the opening ceremony with lots of former world cup heroes. About 11am East Coast.


----------



## MacDoc

HiDef coverage at last :clap:
Really looking forward to that. 3 hours and counting.


----------



## Loafer

2 hrs to go!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tsTo4PtK8U&search=england world cup


----------



## MacDoc

HD feed pretty good from what I can see. :clap:
No field views yet tho.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

Man, I have to move to T.O.. No one seems to work over there.


----------



## MacDoc

I work and watch at the same time. 
HD even for many of the commercials and some in letterbox as an alternative.
Getting there.

The view from the goal is excellent.

Oh woow detail is very good - very little compressions visible. That's often a problem with long distance feeds.
The Aussie Olympics suffered badly.
Some big stadium


----------



## overkill

Watching the afternoon game in HD. Cant wait!


----------



## MacDoc

You'll be pleased.
We'll see how it is on action shots soon.

First blood Germany.

Wow detail is terrific - all the highlights on the ball in slo mo on the goal.


----------



## overkill

Listening to the game in spanish right now....love the passion!


----------



## MacDoc

Wow 3 goals already - what is this - a hockey game?


----------



## Moscool

*I woz right!*



Moscool said:


> Germany is not as crappy as they were 5 years ago, so I doubt they will lose at home but it will not be a scintillating affair... 2-1 for Ballack's boys.


... after 17 minutes!!!  

Let's see what happens in the second half...


----------



## Dr.G.

I rooting for Costa Rica.


----------



## MacDoc

Great game :clap: and that last goal was incredible.


----------



## Loafer

yeah, absolute stunning last goal
the 1st wasn't too shabby either

great game to start the tournament!


----------



## MacDoc

I usually find soccer games "feel" long.
Not this one. Wow great start for the tournament,


----------



## overkill

Fantastic 4th goal for Germany. What a shot by Frings...fantastic soccer. I hope it continues.


----------



## MacDoc

Not a bad second game. No where near the excitement of the first.
Poor Poland - off the crossbar in the dying moments.

Lot players slipping it seems.

ack and ANOTHER off the post.
This could have been tied.


----------



## overkill

2nd game was well deserved for Ecuador. Poland did meet the post a couple times in the last minute, but strong defense and capitalization on scoring chances for Ecuador proved to be the difference. Poland will have a tough time getting through the next round having lost the first game and having to face Germany next.


----------



## MacDoc

England today? Ah yeah 9 am - I really didn't want to go fishing today - too cold and windy


----------



## overkill

Wow boring game this morning...Hopefully not a sign of things to come.


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

*Zzzzzzzz*

Ah, Overkill, I see you enjoyed the game as much as I … zzzzzzzzzz


----------



## Fink-Nottle

I found the match quite exciting. It started out looking like it would be a rout but got tighter and tighter as it went along and by the end I was waiting for the final whistle for fear that England would let one in. On the plus side (for England) the defence was pretty sound and Paraguay never really threatened. Beckham was strong (and should have been credited with the goal I thought) and Crouch was superb at both ends of the pitch. Owen was a huge disappointment though; he bumbled a couple of opportunities and several beautiful crosses came across to where a striker should have been but he was always missing in action. It's three points though and so by England standards, a good start.


----------



## overkill

Great game by Hislop for Trinidad and Tobadgo yesterday vs Sweden. Made some wonderful saves and got them the much deserved point. Argentina was able to capitalize on their scoring chances which was the difference in their game against Ivory Coast. Very powerful African team and will give Netherlands and Serbia a lot of trouble in their upcoing matchs.


----------



## overkill

Wow, watching the Mexico/Iran game on ABC. Commentator cannot stay off the topic of Iran and its political standing in the world and how it must be affecting their players. Then the next minute he is going on about Mexico having players who were not born in the country actually playing on the team. Next up, his Cold War thoughts at the half time show.


----------



## ehMax

That was a close one. 










The Dutch dominated possesion, but too close for my comfort. Will take the 3 points and hope next game, they've gotten rid of any jitters and open up a bit. 

Thought they definitely deserved to win the game. 

Solid play, but I'm looking for a few more moments of brilliance.


----------



## overkill

Well the best game of the day belonged to the Mexico vs Iran. I will be looking forward to the Portugal/Mexico game which falls on the same day as Argentina/Netherlands. Hopefully these games live up to their expectations.


----------



## K_OS

Portugal and The Netherlands looked like they played the bare minimum to win there matches. Both the Potugal game and The Netherlands matched had there moments but I'll agree with Overkill and say that I enjoyed the Mexico-Iran match the most.

As for tomorrow I'm looking forward to the US vs Check's, as for Australia vs Japan I have no idea has I have never really watched either team play.

Laterz


----------



## miguelsanchez

From David Letterman:

Top Ten Signs You Have World Cup Fever

10. You change your name from Kenny to Pele

9. On tax return you list occupation: "Hooligan"

8. After you successfully toast an English muffin, you rip off your shirt and run around the house

7. Whenever the mailman shows up you scream, 'MAAAAAAAAIIIILLLLLLLLL!"

6. Have a tattoo of Czech striker Pavel Nedved on your ass

5. You replace your hairpiece with chunk of sod from Wembley Stadium

4. Aches, a rash and vomiting - - I'm sorry, those are signs you have Bird Flu

3. In accordance with league standards, you've inflated your pants to 8.5 pounds per square inch

2. Every four years, you walk around in a Brandi Chastain sports bra

1. You're not American


----------



## overkill

Curious to see how strong the Czech Republic is when the start against the United States. I think they could go far this World Cup.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

Well, 4 days in and no major surprises. Hopefully, we'll have a great knock-out round.


----------



## Bosco

mikeinmontreal said:


> Well, 4 days in and no major surprises. Hopefully, we'll have a great knock-out round.



Did you miss the Sweden/TrinidadTobago game?


----------



## Bosco

overkill said:


> Curious to see how strong the Czech Republic is when the start against the United States. I think they could go far this World Cup.



I can see why you say that. They played an excellent game and passed the ball to each other. I'm finding some of the other teams have some "ball hogs". That won't win the cup.

The Czech's did suffer a bad injury to one of their star players though but they still have a lot left.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

Hey Bosco! Sweden is hardly a World Cup threat. And a tie is not an upset.


----------



## Bosco

mikeinmontreal said:


> Hey Bosco! Sweden is hardly a World Cup threat. And a tie is not an upset.



So I see that you didn't watch the game.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

No.


----------



## overkill

Well looks like France had some issues scoring yesterday, but I think that they will bounce back and still make it through to the next round. Spain is on tap today, also interested in seeing how strong they play.


----------



## overkill

So far, Czech Republic looks like the strongest team and most organized. Even with the loss of Koeller up front, I think they can still do major damage. Italy vs Czech Republic will be an excellent first round match.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

That's what I like about Group E, they will play hard to avoid Brasil in the 2nd round. Czech team is good, but I haven't seen anyone yet with the talent of Brasil.


----------



## modsuperstar

I heard yesterday Koller's injury wasn't as serious as originally thought, so I'm jazzed about that. I have England and Czech Republic playing in the final in my pool picks.


----------



## CubaMark

overkill said:


> Wearing my '86 Diego Maradona Away Jersey for Argentina replica today at work. Love how that #10 stands out


Did anyone catch "The Passionate Eye" on CBC last night? They ran the Diego Maradona documentary, "<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeyemonday/feature_120606.html">Maradona The Golden Kid</a>"


> MARADONA THE GOLDEN KID
> Tuesday June 13, 2006 at 10pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld
> 
> The rise and fall of one of football's greatest stars-a player whose skill on the playing field is a marvel to watch, even if you're not a big fan.
> 
> Maradona, The Golden Kid chronicles the life of Diego Maradona, the Argentinean football phenom once voted 'FIFA's best football player of the century'. Born Oct. 30, 1960 in the poor slums of Buenos Aires, the documentary traces the now legendary journey from his impoverished beginnings to the bright lights and big money of soccer stardom. Nicknamed "El pibe de oro" (the golden boy), Maradona has lived a paradoxical life of unparalleled football accomplishment alongside dubious involvement in sports mafia, drugs and politics, a tumultuous love life, and plenty of money.
> 
> Throughout his football career, Maradona was a proven winner. After leading Argentina's youth team to capture the World Cup in 1979, he joined Barcelona and later, Napoli, where he was idolized. The young Maradona went on to play a heroic role in Argentina's 1986 World Cup victory over England, where he was credited with scoring one of the most beautiful goals in football history.
> 
> After failing a dope test in 1991, Maradona was banned from the football field. On October 30, 1997, on his 37th birthday, The Golden Boy retired from football forever.
> 
> Maradona, the Golden Kid recalls the career of one of football's most talented players whose life still generates media interest. It was directed and written by Paul Saadoun, Benoit Heimermann and Jean-Christophe Rose for Arte France.


M


----------



## CubaMark

Meanwhile... I found this both sad and funny:


> <b><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/06/11/somalia.electricity.ap/">World Cup ban in Mogadishu</a></b>
> Reports suggested residents were angry at apparent moves by the militiamen now patrolling the streets to close down cinemas whose proprietors had arranged to show satellite television pictures of World Cup matches taking place in Germany.
> 
> Their spokesman, Sheikh Abdulkadir Ali Omar, indicated to the BBC it was the cinemas that were being targeted because they also showed Western and Indian films that the Islamists say are corrupting to the young.


Man-o-man. The last thing you want to do, is alienate the teenage boys (the ones carting around the AK-47s) that you need as a support base.

Otherwise, this looks like a good thing for Mogadishu. Anything to kick the Warlords' collective asses...

OK, thread derailment ends here. Back to the games!


M


----------



## modsuperstar

mikeinmontreal said:


> Hey Bosco! Sweden is hardly a World Cup threat. And a tie is not an upset.


I thought Ecuador over Poland was an upset, but that may be just because I picked Poland to get through the group stage. Also Australia over Japan was a shocker from a straight odds perspective. Brazil and Japan had the best odds of coming out of that group. Now it looks like Japan will probably finish 4th.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

I guess we'll have to wait and see as to who makes it to the round of 16 before declaring any upset official . Still lots of Round 1 action and anything can happen.


----------



## Bosco

While not upsets, I did find the scoreless France/Swiss game and Australia beating Japan surprising. Other surprises were Brazil winning over Croatia by only one goal. The surprise for me was finding out how good Croatia is. And Spain winning 4 to Nil over Ukraine. Perhaps Spain will show their potential this year.

What I thought was the upset between Sweden and Trinida was that Sweden was supposed to win. No question. Sweden has some big stars on their team. After the game the Swede players and fans looked like the'd come back from a funeral but all the Trinidad players and fans were heading for a big party.

It's a great World Cup so far and I hope to watch all or part of every game.


----------



## K_OS

Germany vs Poland should be an interesting match as Poland must win to have a chance to stay alive for the round of 16. Spain played a very good match and easily overpowered the Ukraine, Ukraine were playing short handed for half the match so it could have been allot worse than the final result. One thing I have noticed is that the refs are not taking any crap from the players in this tournament and they are not afraid to pull out a yellow or even a red like we saw today.

Laterz


----------



## Bosco

"Forca PORTUGAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I gotta say that I love your team. Figo is such an amazing player. And Ronaldo and Pauleta are incredible. 

I'm a 'Forza Azurri" guy but Portugal is right up there tied in 2nd with Brasil for me.


----------



## K_OS

Bosco said:


> "Forca PORTUGAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
> 
> I gotta say that I love your team. Figo is such an amazing player. And Ronaldo and Pauleta are incredible.
> 
> I'm a 'Forza Azurri" guy but Portugal is right up there tied in 2nd with Brasil for me.


The Azzurri are looking like they have another strong team and showed well against Ghana but like Portugal and England they did not show there total strength yet.


Figo is an amazing player with his age allot of people in Portugal didn't think he would be able to make it this time around but Scolari put his fate in Figo's hands and against Angola he delivered once again. Ronaldo is a great player and he could be great but he his a bit of a hothead and his temper will be his downfall. Pauletta is a scoring machine surpassing the great Eusebio has Portugals highest scorer with 47 goals so far in international Football. Deco is a naturalised Brazilian born player and is another player that will turn heads for Portugal he is a very gifted playmaker and was missed in there match with Angola.

Laterz


----------



## K_OS

a great match yesterday between Saudi Arabia and Tunisia 2 unknown teams out on the field scrapping it tooth and nail for the ball so far that was my favourite match.

Laterz


----------



## Loafer

2-0.....job done, bring on Equador

Where has Gaston disappeared to ?


----------



## Bosco

Congrats. England made it through to the next round. 

That was a tough win. I was convinced it was going to be a no score. Trinidad has really impressed me by tieing Sweden and holding England at bay until the closing minutes. I hope they make it through.


----------



## overkill

Loafer said:


> Where has Gaston disappeared to ?


I was also wondering that.


----------



## MacDoc

BTW I just found out Rogers on Demand is offering all the games for free whenever you want to watch them. :clap: ...love it.


----------



## ehMax

Loafer said:


> 2-0.....job done, bring on Equador
> 
> Where has Gaston disappeared to ?


He's curled up in the fetal position somewhere, mumbling and chanting something about the Dutch are coming... the Dutch are coming...


----------



## ehMax

Watching the Argentina game. 

That 2nd goal by Argentina was brilliant! :clap:


----------



## overkill

6-0 final. Brilliant skill displayed by Argentina. That is what soccer is all about. Well done!


----------



## mikeinmontreal

Or is it the Argies are coming, the Argies are coming!


----------



## ehMax

mikeinmontreal said:


> Or is it the Argies are coming, the Argies are coming!


Wow.... :yikes:  

Well done.


----------



## Bosco

Is this the same Argentina that won over the Ivory Coast 2-1? I thought I was watching a different team today. And Serbia is no slouch. They've only had one goal scored against them in their previous 10 games.

Great passing and ball handling and they actually shoot on net! I now see why Argentina's a fav for this Cup.


----------



## ehMax

Painful being at work during the Holland game on now.


----------



## Loafer

ehMax said:


> Painful being at work duing the Holland game on now.


Painful having to work during the World Cup

I managed to get out for the England game yesterday but I'm not happy at being in a meeting this morning missing all the Argie goals.......damn you work and money!


----------



## ehMax

CBC.ca live tracker is pretty cool. My computer starts cheering everytime someone scores... Seems to cheer louder for Holland.  

2-0 so far. :clap: :clap:


----------



## overkill

2-1. Fantastic strike by the Ivory Coast player. No chance for Van Der Sar.


----------



## ehMax

Hurray!!!!!!!  :clap: 

I'll take the win.  :clap:


----------



## overkill

Ivory Coast should be a contender come the World Cup in 2010 in South Africa. The African teams continue to get better and better.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

Well that answers my question regarding where the next World Cup will be held. Congrats les Oranges. The fun is now over.


----------



## Loafer

Anyone have any luck watching the video highlights on the fifa world cup website ?

It doesn't work with Safari or Camino...just trying Firefox now


----------



## Loafer

why won't it work ?????
I want to watch the Argie goals!!!!


----------



## overkill

Not working for me either Loafer. Replay of the entire game is tonight at 1130pm on Sportsnet if interested in more than just the goal highlights as there was some beautiful football in between the goals.


----------



## MacDoc

Can someone post the "must see" entertaining games to date without the final scores for those of us with On demand. I've got like 20 games to choose from.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

MacDoc, by the time you're done with the 1st round, the World Cup will be over.


----------



## K_OS

MacDoc said:


> Can someone post the "must see" entertaining games to date without the final scores for those of us with On demand. I've got like 20 games to choose from.


There is only one match so far that I would want to watch again and that is Saudi Arabia vs Tunisia a great game between 2 unknowns and they were scrapping it out for the ball all the way to the end.

Laterz


----------



## K_OS

and Portugal make it to the next round with a 2-0 win over Iran, 1st time Portugal have made it to the knockout round since the 1966 World Cup, now to see who Portugal will face 1st in the knockout round The Netherlands or Argentina either way it should be an interesting match.

Laterz


----------



## Moscool

Portugal game wasn't bad at all. Deco has scored what is up to now the goal of teh tournament. The problem with one side games is that one team sits in defence and tends to tackle roughly. As a result the offending team gets frustrated and players get booked, harmed, or both...

Just checked and Ghana leads Cz 1-0 !


----------



## Bosco

K_OS said:


> Portugal will face 1st in the knockout round The Netherlands or Argentina either way it should be an interesting match.


I'm worried about them against Argentina. I think they have a good shot at the Dutch though. 

Again, I quite enjoyed watching Figo.


----------



## overkill

Wow USA played as strong of a game as they could with only 9 men in the second half. I find that Italy really can become boring to watch at certain times. Their first game was far more superior in attack and defense than was this last match with the USA. This has now become the group of death with all teams still having a chance going into the last round of games to make it to the knock out phase.


----------



## Dr.G.

Overkill, explain to me why the US had a player "excused". Merci.


----------



## Bosco

Dr.G. said:


> Overkill, explain to me why the US had a player "excused". Merci.



You mean 2 players?


----------



## overkill

Dr.G. said:


> Overkill, explain to me why the US had a player "excused". Merci.


Two players from the USA received red cards during game play. Pablo Mastroeni was sent off in the first half for from what I could see as leading into his tackle with both of his cleats showing which is usually a no-no and the ref in my opinion made the right call. Start of the second half, we saw Eddie Pope receive his second yellow which gave him a red automatically. From what I saw he got the ball first before making contact with the Italian players feet on the play, but ref must have disagreed. Still a wonderful showing from a team that had to play pratically half a game with 9 men. Keller kept them in the game with some stunning saves and it was a well deserved point for the US team.


----------



## overkill

Interested in how the Socceroos will play againt Brazil tomorrow. Brazil should be able to win, but I would see the Aussies really play hard against Brazil. Hopefully also, we can see France come together and show some of the magic they gave the world in 98.


----------



## MacDoc

Just watching the On demand - Argentina /Montenegro game - wow. Argentina is a force to be reckoned with.
The second goal is going to be replayed in training films forever.
24 passes - just a treat to watch. :clap:
Maradona's reaction was priceless.

Argentina Brazil should be a hoot if that comes up.


----------



## overkill

MacDoc, did you watch the Spanish or English commentary version on ROD? I highly recommend watching the goals again in spanish if you have not already. So much passion is heard in their voices.


----------



## MacDoc

English.
So who are the "big guns"??


----------



## Moscool

*Crap*

Well someone is going to comment on this so I night as well start:

France has always been its own worst enemy but sometimes you wonder if it is by design XX) :-( 

So the team totally dominates Korea for 80 minutes. The Koreans don't even get to sniff the grass on the French side and have about 5% possession... Henry scores one, the ref disallows a beyond-the-line second by Viera, and in general the French are 'in the groove': they are patient, well organised, trying to build real opportunities, the works. And then they fall asleep, probably because they are bored. This is too easy. And then the Koreans score. Curtains. Crap.


----------



## overkill

Moscool, I really wanted to see France perform well this tournament as well. They looked great in the first half, but with most of the big name teams so far this tournament, the second half has been a complete bust. They should have had two goals as from what I could see, the ball did go over the line before the keeper knocked it out. I do hope that they get to the knock out stage, but it will be tough now, especially with Zidane having to sit out their third game because of the two yellow cards.


----------



## Moscool

Here is a good example of healthy reaction (i.e. not my home team):

Tunisia leads Spain 1-0
Spain beats Tunisia 3-1


----------



## bishopandarlo

I think gastonbuffet went back to Argentina.


----------



## Orion

As an aside, can someone explain the numbers on the FIFA world cup site. Specifically what are the bracketed numbers after the scores?

Not to hijack the thread, but I can't find an answer anywhere. Thanks.


----------



## K_OS

Orion said:


> As an aside, can someone explain the numbers on the FIFA world cup site. Specifically what are the bracketed numbers after the scores?
> 
> Not to hijack the thread, but I can't find an answer anywhere. Thanks.


The numbers in the brackets are the score at half time.

Laterz


----------



## overkill

Looking forward to the ECU-GER game tomorrow. Fight with first place and looks like second place will play England in the round of 16.


----------



## Moscool

But first, the fun of Sweden/England tonight (9p.m. CET, 3p.m. Eastern).

For those who don't know:

- England has already qualified but is keen to avoid Germany in the next round. Coming first in their group would ensure this, unless off course Ecuador beat Germany...
- England is coached by Sven, a Swede. At the last cup the Swedish public was parading giant inflatable Svens 
- The two teams have a habit of close matches with many ties. England has not beaten Sweden in the world cup since 1958 or thereabouts.


----------



## MacDoc

Okay Tunisia versus Saudi on ROD - let's see if the recommendation holds up


----------



## overkill

Should be a lot of good games over the next couple of days to close out the group play stage. Watching the Italy, Czech, USA and Ghana group. They are the closest group and anyone of them can now make it to the knock out stage.


----------



## Loafer

COME ON ENGLAND!!!!!!!!!

jeez, I'm on tender hooks this morning....yes we are through, but please not Germany, not yet.....lets save them for later.


----------



## modsuperstar

Watch Italy vs USA. That was a great game. Also Mexico vs. Iran was a very good game too


----------



## Moscool

MacDoc said:


> Okay Tunisia versus Saudi on ROD - let's see if the recommendation holds up


Actually Tunisia v. Spain was interesting, especially the second half. Yesterday's other matches were nothing special. Today's Germany v. Ecuador should be interesting too.


----------



## MacDoc

I caught Italy vs US live -  fractious to say the least.

Fell asleep at the half on the Tunisia game but enjoyed it ( was late ). Will catch the second half. Love the ROD :clap: tho I prefer the live HD.


----------



## K_OS

Loafer said:


> COME ON ENGLAND!!!!!!!!!
> 
> jeez, I'm on tender hooks this morning....yes we are through, but please not Germany, not yet.....lets save them for later.


I can see why you don't want to face Germany they are giving Ecuador a huge 3-0 lesson and are still pressing for another goal. It's the same thing for Portugal tomorrow they have to win I would rather have Portugal play The Netherlands a team that we have beaten in the past instead of Argentina who look unstoppable with 8 goals.

Laterz


----------



## MacDoc

Wow what a goal  Cole is incredible. :clap:
and that long pass by Beckham to Rooney was unbelievable. Good game...all England tho.

••

Wow who lit Sweden up. Different game.


----------



## K_OS

MacDoc said:


> Wow who lit Sweden up. Different game.


Maybe there coach reminded them if they don't win they will have to face the Germans in there 1st match in the knockout round and that won't be any fun if the Germans can play like they did today.

Laterz


----------



## MacDoc

England comes back to life - well executed goal to go ahead. :clap:


----------



## K_OS

Sweden tie it up in the 90th minute. WOW what a game.

Laterz


----------



## Moscool

That second Swedish goal was about as sensible as the Korean one against my hapless team!

Gerrard has this amazing quality though: he can revive a depressed team, and that's priceless...

Overall a mixed England performance, Sweden should have won 4-2 (at least), and injury worries for what follows. England still a contender until the quarters though: they should sort Ecuador out without too much difficulty.

Tomorrow has three seriously good games:

- Portugal v. Mexico (4p.m. CET/10a.m. Eastern). Portugal to will a tight context
- Ivory Coast v. Serbia Montenegro (9p.m. CET/3p.m. Eastern). CI to win comfortably, SM to get at least one man sent off
- Argentina v. Holland: the first real test for Argentina; passed comfortably 3-1


----------



## Bosco

I'm looking forward to the Portugal game. But since Portugal, Argentina and Holland are going to the next round, I don't expect to see any real effort. In fact, I don't expect to see any players on the pitch with yellow cards. 

The only teams up for grabs are Mexico and Angola. If Mexico loses by a few goals and Angola wins by a few, Mexico would be out. 

Hey, it's possible.

Ivory Coast/Serbia should be a good game. I'm sure either one of them would like to go home with a win.


----------



## overkill

Bosco said:


> I don't expect to see any real effort. In fact, I don't expect to see any players on the pitch with yellow cards.


If I am not mistaken, I do not think yellow cards received in the first round will carry over to knock out rounds. So if a player going in with a yellow to tomorrow's games gets a yellow tomorrow, they would not be banned from the first knock out game. I may be mistaken, if so please do correct me.

I am looking forward to both matches tomorrow being MEX-POR and NED-ARG. They should be nice displays of soccer regardless of who the coaches decide to start.


----------



## Bosco

overkill said:


> If I am not mistaken, I do not think yellow cards received in the first round will carry over to knock out rounds.


Rules have a habit of changing. I heard some announcers discussing this and a quick search turned up this:


"FIFA Confederations Cup 2005 regulations state that all yellow cards are cancelled after the final group matches. However, players who receive a second yellow card in the third round of matches will be suspended for the semi-finals."

More here

http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/050618/1/3xui.html


----------



## Moscool

I couldn't find the exact rule for 06 but the practice is that:

- Anyone with a yellow or who gets their first yellow in the last game gets cleansed for the second round of competition (starts this Saturday)
- Anyone who gets their second yellow or a red during the last game misses the next match


----------



## overkill

Hopefully be able to go home early today from work to catch the ARG-NED game. Should be some wonderful soccer from both teams.


----------



## ehMax

overkill said:


> Hopefully be able to go home early today from work to catch the ARG-NED game. Should be some wonderful soccer from both teams.


What time in the Ned-Arg game in Eastern Standard? (Too lazy this morning to figure it out)


----------



## overkill

ehMax said:


> What time in the Ned-Arg game in Eastern Standard? (Too lazy this morning to figure it out)


3pm EST - Sportsnet I believe is carrying this afternoon. Cheers!


----------



## MacDoc

Suspended for a game or the entire rest of the finals?
Unclear as to "match".


----------



## Loafer

MacDoc said:


> Suspended for a game or the entire rest of the finals?
> Unclear as to "match".


for the next game only


----------



## mikeinmontreal

Moscool has the correct information regarding the yellow and red cards. I hear that Argentina and the Netherlands are keeping their carded players off the squad. I guess they're not worried who they face in the 2nd round. My prediction is that my hapless Azurri team will either go home tomorrow or face Brasil in the next round, at which time time they will make their timely exit. Ciao Ciao scemi.


----------



## MacDoc

Really enjoying the coverage- love the varied +10 commercials with the kids :clap:
Now if I could edit out the really annoying FutureShop drivel.

BTW if you can get to an HD set it's superb. Best yet for a sports coverage.


----------



## K_OS

Hopefully todays match between Portugal and Mexico will be more exciting than the last time they met.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-E6weZIdG8



Laterz


----------



## MacDoc

Great game on now. Portugal Mexico - most enjoyable. 3 goals in 30 minutes.

Whimper - I got maybe 10 uninterrupted minutes to watch that - 
Don't even know who won?


----------



## Bosco

mikeinmontreal said:


> Ciao Ciao scemi.



A little early for that kind of talk, isn't it? They've won one and tied one. What else do they have to do to make you happy?

What you should write is 

"Forza Azzuri!"

My favourite games so far though have been Portugal. I really enjoy watching Figo setup the other players. He didn't have Deco, Pauleta and Ronaldo to complete his passes today but he still delivered. A good team even without their "star players". I'm expecting them to make it at least to the semi-finals.


----------



## modsuperstar

It's not the Future Shop ads that annoy me most, it's the stupid Rogers commercial. I get annoyed as soon as I hear "Off the plane, on the train..."


----------



## MacDoc

Yeah but the girl sure is cute - makes it worth the repeats 

Quite remarkable bit of editing pacing on that and at least it's soccer oriented - the FS ad on the other hand - ugly talking heads and seriously stupid and nothing to do with soccer.


----------



## Bosco

modsuperstar said:


> It's not the Future Shop ads that annoy me most, it's the stupid Rogers commercial. "


Very annoying. The kids playing soccer make up for it though.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

Bosco, every time I write something, you swoop right in and comment. Have you ever watched Italian soccer before this World Cup? This is same-old, same-old from Italy in major competitions. You should come to Montreal and see the Italians' reactions at this point regarding their team. Not too many people are thrilled with them. So my reaction in my home town is shared by many. If you don't like, don't read my posts!


----------



## K_OS

I wouldn't worry about Italy they are tradionally slow starters when it comes to international tournaments like this but they always make a come back and sometimes they have enough in them to win the whole thing. The next round looks to be tough for Italy if they come up against Brazil so like Portugal this morning they have to play for the win they stand a better chance against Australia, Japan, or Croatia.

Laterz


----------



## ehMax

Here we go... Nederland vs Argentina. 

*Let's get it on!!!*

Hup Holland!

Ah... the temptation to fake an illness.


----------



## MacDoc

Oh the Serbia/Ivory Coast game is excellent. 2-2


----------



## mikeinmontreal

I agree, K-OS.


----------



## Bosco

mikeinmontreal said:


> Bosco, every time I write something, you swoop right in and comment. Have you ever watched Italian soccer before this World Cup? This is same-old, same-old from Italy in major competitions. You should come to Montreal and see the Italians' reactions at this point regarding their team. Not too many people are thrilled with them. So my reaction in my home town is shared by many. If you don't like, don't read my posts!



I get this for disagreeing with you and trying to show some support for my team? I think Italy is doing quite well. All they need is a draw to go through and there's a chance they'll get through if they lose. 

Which they won't. Whether they make it all the way.....I'm hoping for it and so are any Italians I've talked to.

And what's with the paranoia? "Everytime I write something" and asking if I've ever watched Italian Soccer? If you're going to insult me do it in Italian.


----------



## overkill

ARG-NED was what it was, having the subs play and rest players or ones with yellow cards. There were some signs of great soccer from both teams but nothing that lasted to carry momentum. Next round matches for both teams will be tough as they are playing teams with similar styles of play.


----------



## Moscool

The one to watch tomorrow is probably Croatia-Australia. Will the enthusiasm of the Socceroos beat the superior technique of the Croats? 3p.m. Eastern


----------



## mikeinmontreal

Bosco, I am not going to insult anyone, in Italian or any other language, in any thread. I made a point about the Italian team. I'm a fan. I think they stink in this tournament. If you don't agree or you don't like what I am saying, I don't care. Everytime I disagree with something anyone says on any thread, I don't comment. Not enough hours in a day. Paranoid? Yeah, like you're that important. How about this? Disregard whatever I post, and I will do the same. This way we won't have to bore anyone else on this thread with our little tirade.


----------



## Apple101

LETS GO 
SWEDEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:


----------



## overkill

I think Sweden will give Germany a difficult game on Saturday. They seem much better organized now than at the start of the tournament.


----------



## Moscool

*It's good to be right...*



Moscool said:


> - Portugal v. Mexico (4p.m. CET/10a.m. Eastern). Portugal to will a tight context
> - Ivory Coast v. Serbia Montenegro (9p.m. CET/3p.m. Eastern). CI to win comfortably, SM to get at least one man sent off
> - Argentina v. Holland: the first real test for Argentina; passed comfortably 3-1


CI didn't have a particularly easy time but Serbia did get a man sent off  

Holland and Argentina trumped me by resting key players!  

I lurve the world cup !!! :love2:


----------



## overkill

Big matches this morning with the real group of death being decided. I still think Italy will be able to make it through, and I look for Ghana to join them. Although you can never count the Czechs out.


----------



## modsuperstar

I think the Czechs will bounce Italy. At least that's what my World Cup pool picks are hoping for. The Czechs got caught napping against Ghana thinking they could coast into their game with Italy and got burned. I think it's highly unlikely they'll slip up again. How I would love to not to be working so I could watch that game today.



overkill said:


> Big matches this morning with the real group of death being decided. I still think Italy will be able to make it through, and I look for Ghana to join them. Although you can never count the Czechs out.


----------



## K_OS

I think the darkhorse in Group E is Ghana if they play the disciplined football that they played against the Czechs they have a chance of winning the match against the US and earning a well deserved ticket into the knockout round. As for Italy and the Czechs both teams have to play for the win whoever looses the match could be facing elimination from the tournament.

Laterz


----------



## CubaMark

Whooo-Hooo! Ghana leading the USA 2-1 at the 70 minute mark.

Sweet!


M


----------



## K_OS

GOODBYE USA!!!!! 

Laterz


----------



## comprehab

The Brazil-Japan game started out very interesting, with a Japanese goal assisted by Alex at the 34 mark. It was looking like Brazil might be upset, until Ronaldo picked up a header with 15 seconds to go in stopage time. 
Early in the second half Brazil fired a bullet in from outside the box, and with that stepped it up a notch. 
Brazil is now up 3-1 with 28 minutes to go, a nail in the coffin for Japan.


----------



## overkill

Game to watch now is Croatio vs Australia, winner looks to be moving on. Final minutes will be furious one would hope.


----------



## comprehab

Ronaldo just picked up yet another one, making it 4-1-
Definitly time to switch to the Croatia-Ausi game


----------



## [email protected]

So, we set up Quicktime Broadcaster (free - http://www.apple.com/quicktime/broadcaster/ ) on our Mac mini / Rogers Box / Canopus ADVC-55 on our retail floor. Feeding the Sportsnet feed through it, and broadcasting throughout our store.

Now we can work, and watch the game at our desk!


----------



## Moscool

*Best game of the tournament so far...*



overkill said:


> Game to watch now is Croatio vs Australia, winner looks to be moving on. Final minutes will be furious one would hope.


As expected, this was a grrreat game!

The socceroos pulled through after a tense 2-2 draw. It had everything: excitement, penalties (one actual, one not given), a seriously poor Ozzie goal keeper... and the weirdest ref. mistake in a long time: No.3 (nasty piece of work in my book) managed to get booked 3 times before being expelled!!! After his second yellow he just stayed on the pitch and the ref. forgot he had booked him already...


----------



## MacDoc

Very good game tho I'm sure the two red carded Croatians have a different opinion.
Should have been an Ozzie win.
Still very enjoyable.
Okay what did I miss today so I can catch on the come around on ROD?


----------



## overkill

ROD was not working for me this evening as I wanted to recap some of the past few days of games. Will wait til tomorrow when the Aussy/Croatia game should be there.


----------



## HowEver

The way Jon Stewart just put it: "Nothing to be ashamed about. The U.S.A. lost to one of southwest Africa's least malnourished nations."

Or something to that effect.



K_OS said:


> I think the darkhorse in Group E is Ghana if they play the disciplined football that they played against the Czechs they have a chance of winning the match against the US and earning a well deserved ticket into the knockout round. As for Italy and the Czechs both teams have to play for the win whoever looses the match could be facing elimination from the tournament.
> 
> Laterz


----------



## overkill

Story of the day today will be if France will be able to advance. No Zidane today since he is suspended for his two yellow cards that he received in the first two games. I would hope that this is not how he finishes his International career.


----------



## MacDoc

Nicer header by the Swiss to go ahead over Korea. :clap:


----------



## overkill

4 solid games this weekend. Will try to be glued to the TV to watch them all.


----------



## MacDoc

I'm totally conflicted - great boating weather and these games are on in Hidef 

....sound of whimpering......paces back and forth between fishing gear and remote


----------



## comprehab

Watching the Swedish slaughter in HD on ABC- The game isn't very good, as Sweden was down 2-0 within 12 minnutes, and lost a man shortly after to two unnecessary yellow cards. I would stop watching, but its in HD....did I mention its on in HD???


----------



## overkill

Germany looking very strong through one half. 2-0 and Sweden is down to 10 men, even though I dont think the second yellow should have been given. Sweden needs to score quickly in the second to have any chance.


----------



## comprehab

Well thats the end for Sweden- They seemed to play a lot stronger when they were down a man, or maybe Germany was holding back. Either way, they blew the game with 2 goals in the first 12 minnutes- likely going to face Argentina in the QFs.


----------



## comprehab

This game is too much for me- 
Where do I begin?
Why the [email protected]#$% was Tevez sitting on the bench for the first 80 minutes of play?
Then, the poor bastard gets two, IMHO, incorrect offside calls on him, both of which were guaranteed goals.

Back to the edge of my couch I go…

Update:
Rodriguez hammered one in, 7 minnutes into the first extra, which held through to give Argentina a 2-1 victory over Mexico.


----------



## Loafer

lucky lucky Argentina......comments from Gaston ?


----------



## overkill

What a wonderful strike from Maxi! Fantastic control and precision shooting.


----------



## Moscool

OK so both France and the UK are through on so so games (first Becks goal on a free kick in 3 years!) and Arg/Mex was the first classic clash of the tournament.

Tonight's Holland/Portugal should be fab. Expect extra time! (I have started to add 45 minutes to my PVR presets).


----------



## overkill

1-0 Portugal at half but will be playing the second half with only 10 men. Holland needs to pick up the pace of their game, it seems that they have played tense the entire first half. Maybe Ruud needs to be put in for a spark.


----------



## overkill

Ouch...Holland just hit the crossbar. A quick strike is what they needed and almost had it.

Edit: and they just missed another one!


----------



## overkill

Ok so 16 bookings later, 4 players sent off and only 1 goal scored, Portugal now moves on to face England with two of their starters out, Figo possibly under review for his head butt on the Dutch player and Cristiano Ronaldo possible hurt and to miss the next match.

One of the ugliest games of football that I have seen in a long time. Unfortunate when this happens as it is not enjoyable for any one to watch and cheer for.


----------



## Loafer

overkill said:


> Ok so 16 bookings later, 4 players sent off and only 1 goal scored, Portugal now moves on to face England with two of their starters out, Figo possibly under review for his head butt on the Dutch player and Cristiano Ronaldo possible hurt and to miss the next match.
> 
> One of the ugliest games of football that I have seen in a long time. Unfortunate when this happens as it is not enjoyable for any one to watch and cheer for.


Oh, are you kidding ? It's games like this that deep down people enjoy watching. The passion involved in a game like this is fantastic.....I love it when players get so caught up they don't think rationaly. 

Why oh why oh why did Costinha handle the ball like that ? so so funny!
And Deco taking the ball away like a small child....excellent stuff!

Being an England fan I wanted more sent off.....shame Figo won't get a post match red card, he should have with that headbutt and hopefully Ronaldo won't make it back in time.

Gaston, you think you're going to beat the Germans on home soil ?
no no no no no

3 more games and England will be world champions!!!!!!!


----------



## comprehab

England? Thats funny...


Anyways, my boy Totti just hammered one into the top corner off a pentaly kick- 
Bye-Bye to the Aussies


----------



## diemodern

Australia was robbed.


----------



## Loafer

pffftttt, freakin' Italians.....lucky lucky lucky

That sack of s%$# diving git.....learn to stand up and not trail your leg around so it will hit something!


----------



## overkill

really want to see the replay of the penalty, as I'be heard both sides of the tale already


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

One of the main entertainments for me, apart from plain good footie (Brazil at their best), is the Diving Displays. I was tickled to see that FIFA don't use the word 'diving', rather it comes under the heading: 'Simulation' in their rules.

The Latins win outright in this department, not to say that others don't 'simulate' also. I read someone's description of one incident with great pleasure: "He fell to the ground as though he'd undergone complete internal organ collapse, while the nearest opposition team member ran by about a metre away."

Missed the Aus/Italian game, more's the pity.


----------



## bishopandarlo

Why was Totti sucking his thumb after he scored? :baby:


----------



## comprehab

The Swiss and Ukrazians are going at it right now. Well matched teams, very uneventful. 0-0 at the 60 minnute mark

Either of the two teams should be a breeze for the Italians


----------



## Loafer

bishopandarlo said:


> Why was Totti sucking his thumb after he scored? :baby:


because he's a big whiney baby ?


----------



## bishopandarlo

Re: Totti - Within the first two minutes on the field he was rolling around holding his shin - - I can't stand A Diver!!

Yeah, Australia - Robbed.


----------



## psxp

diemodern said:


> Australia was robbed.


yes, I thought so too..


----------



## overkill

Ok finally was able to see the highlights of the Italy-Aussy game and yes the socceroos got robbed big time at the end. Brutal call! Not a great way to end any game, let alone a world cup knock out game.


----------



## overkill

Glad to see Ukraine move through to the next round. Unbelievable that the Swiss were not able to score on any of their spot kicks. First time in World Cup history.


----------



## comprehab

Italy won fair and square, no sore losers please.... they were robbed brutally last cup, and are a better team than Austrailia. The Aussies had a lot of heart, and put on their share of soap operas....maybe next time.


----------



## comprehab

overkill said:


> Glad to see Ukraine move through to the next round. Unbelievable that the Swiss were not able to score on any of their spot kicks. First time in World Cup history.


I was surprised as well- one poor guy ate the crossbar, too bad really. A couple of the shots were really sad. The swiss players looked like they were completly out of steam by the end of extra time, fought hard but Ukrane deserved to move on.


Ukranian victory...where is MS??


----------



## overkill

Still unsure of what to expect in the Ghana vs Brazil game this morning. Either Ghana pushes Brazil to the limit with their endless speed and strength, or Brazil is simple able to control the flow of the game and handle their African opponents with little to no issue.

I will also say that France defeats Spain in the second game of the day.


----------



## diemodern

comprehab said:


> Italy won fair and square, no sore losers please.... they were robbed brutally last cup, and are a better team than Austrailia. The Aussies had a lot of heart, and put on their share of soap operas....maybe next time.



If by 'fair and square' you mean 'taking a dive to draw a penalty shot' then yes, they won fair and square.

There's nothing like truth in humor:
http://usa.worldcupblog.org/group-e/secret-italian-training-video.html


----------



## MACSPECTRUM

comprehab said:


> I was surprised as well- one poor guy ate the crossbar, too bad really. A couple of the shots were really sad. The swiss players looked like they were completly out of steam by the end of extra time, fought hard but Ukrane deserved to move on.
> 
> 
> Ukranian victory...where is MS??


I watched the game, but it sure as hell didn't convince me that soccer is something I should put on my sports watchng schedule

referee missed many hand ball calls

Ukraine's players seemed to be in much better shape than the Swiss, but Swiss seemed to be better skilled

and how does, arugably, the best player in the world, shevchenko and 3 swiss players miss a penalty kick?

many reports of the obligatory partying/car horn honking/flag waving on Bloor St. in Toronto's west end aka Ukrainian village

the telecast was marred by some British commentator constantly referring to "the Ukraine" instead of "Ukraine" (I guess he hasn't seen a map in quite a while)

It will be interesting to see how Italy deals with the Ukrainian soccer (aka football) version of "the trap"


----------



## bishopandarlo

Whenever a team wins due to a refereeing decision, it's never 'fair and square'.


----------



## MACSPECTRUM

bishopandarlo said:


> Whenever a team wins due to a refereeing decision, it's never 'fair and square'.


what little soccer i watch hasn't shown me much to respect for the referees and players who seem to go down like they have been shot - apparently this is in direct response to the bad refereeing and to help the ref make the call

the soccer pitch is too big to be covered by just one referee

and yes, aussies did get jobbed


----------



## modsuperstar

bishopandarlo said:


> Whenever a team wins due to a refereeing decision, it's never 'fair and square'.


I agree. I feel Netherlands was robbed of opportunities against Portugal. The ref was more then willing to dole out the cards, yet unwilling to give out pretty clear cut penalty shot fouls in the game. The rules for a penalty shot are pretty clear, and it seems like referees often pick and choose their spots instead of being even across the board. Italy shouldn't have been awarded that penalty shot, as it was a pretty transparent dive. Kinda reminded me of this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmM4ry7PSzA


----------



## modsuperstar

overkill said:


> Ok so 16 bookings later, 4 players sent off and only 1 goal scored, Portugal now moves on to face England with two of their starters out, Figo possibly under review for his head butt on the Dutch player and Cristiano Ronaldo possible hurt and to miss the next match.
> 
> One of the ugliest games of football that I have seen in a long time. Unfortunate when this happens as it is not enjoyable for any one to watch and cheer for.


Well if you're rooting for England it was a great game to watch. I think it's definitely payback time for England after that cheese Euro 2004 defeat against Portugal. I still to this day think that Sol Campbell goal should have stood as the winner.


----------



## Vandave

comprehab said:


> Italy won fair and square, no sore losers please.... they were robbed brutally last cup, and are a better team than Austrailia. The Aussies had a lot of heart, and put on their share of soap operas....maybe next time.


What a terrible way to end the game. That call was garbage. FIFA needs to get their head out of their ass and start cracking down on these pathetic divers. Have some pride. Take a hit like a man and keep playing. 

I think the World Cup needs a new trophy for the player would the most dives. It will be called the Golden Diaper. The entire Italian team would win it.


----------



## overkill

modsuperstar said:


> Well if you're rooting for England it was a great game to watch. I think it's definitely payback time for England after that cheese Euro 2004 defeat against Portugal. I still to this day think that Sol Campbell goal should have stood as the winner.


sorry no, im not going for England


----------



## Loafer

Brazil : Offside!!!!!!!
bloody hell was that ever a crap call for not giving offside on the 2nd goal.

Fair play though for the ref to give Adriano a yellow card for 'simulation'


----------



## Loafer

wow, did Kingson ever keep the scoreline down. Ghana were given a lesson there.

So on to France v Spain.....


----------



## HowEver

The referee may have seen the handball offenses. They have the discretion to allow the action to 'play on,' if they decide they were either unintentional or if the offending team has already lost the ball, and in other circumstances as well.

It was indeed strange to see the Swiss miss their penalty kicks. Pressure is pressure, I guess.

As for "the Ukraine" vs. "Ukraine," if you're an authority on English as its spoken in England, fine, otherwise, you do realize that different parts of the world have different names for countries and other things we take for granted, right?





MACSPECTRUM said:


> I watched the game, but it sure as hell didn't convince me that soccer is something I should put on my sports watchng schedule
> 
> referee missed many hand ball calls
> 
> Ukraine's players seemed to be in much better shape than the Swiss, but Swiss seemed to be better skilled
> 
> and how does, arugably, the best player in the world, shevchenko and 3 swiss players miss a penalty kick?
> 
> many reports of the obligatory partying/car horn honking/flag waving on Bloor St. in Toronto's west end aka Ukrainian village
> 
> the telecast was marred by some British commentator constantly referring to "the Ukraine" instead of "Ukraine" (I guess he hasn't seen a map in quite a while)
> 
> It will be interesting to see how Italy deals with the Ukrainian soccer (aka football) version of "the trap"


----------



## HowEver

As much as I agree it was a dive, and great name for the new trophy, if the Australian player impeded the progress of the Italian player at all, and even by falling it front of him it looks like he did, it's a penalty kick when it happens in the box. It was a questionable call, but not a bad one. It's discretionary.

Note that free kicks are still awarded to teams that dive, even if the diver is yellow-carded. There may still have been an infraction.

Now bring on that new trophy!




Vandave said:


> What a terrible way to end the game. That call was garbage. FIFA needs to get their head out of their ass and start cracking down on these pathetic divers. Have some pride. Take a hit like a man and keep playing.
> 
> I think the World Cup needs a new trophy for the player would the most dives. It will be called the Golden Diaper. The entire Italian team would win it.


----------



## MACSPECTRUM

> As for "the Ukraine" vs. "Ukraine," if you're an authority on English as its spoken in England, fine, otherwise, you do realize that different parts of the world have different names for countries and other things we take for granted, right?


no, i'm an authority on arrogant, poorly informed, sports announcers

"The Ukraine" is a leftover from the Soviet days when that phrase was used to describe Ukraine as a region and not a country.

Ukriane has been an independant country for quite a few years now.
Ukrainians find the wording of "the Ukraine" to be offensive, but I'm sure Gary Bloom really doesn't care


----------



## overkill

Glad to see France win against Spain and Zidane finally put one in the net. Brazil looked very strong in their win against Ghana. Will be a good match up when these two teams meet in the quarter finals.


----------



## Moscool

*Woohoo at last a deserved win!*

France controlled the game from start to finish. :love2: 
If they play the same on Saturday Brazil is toast!

The ref's call on the Spanish penalty was plain wrong: you never give a penalty when a player is running away from the goal; he has the discretion to give a free kick inside the box. On the other hand Henry's dive was pathetic, not something I expect from my hero...  All square then...

France-England semi? Bring it on! I would decide who punishes the Germans for having a poor defence  (Methinks they'll get a last minute lucky break against the Argies :heybaby: )

My only concern is that this was Zidane's last hooray and that loosing against Brazil is nothing to be ashamed of... BTW, my brother tells me that Brazil has not beaten France in a tournament since... 1982 :clap:


----------



## Vandave

Moscool said:


> My only concern is that this was Zidane's last hooray and that loosing against Brazil is nothing to be ashamed of... BTW, my brother tells me that Brazil has not beaten France in a tournament since... 1982 :clap:


Keep in mind the French are in Germany right now.... eventually, they will retreat.


----------



## overkill

Vandave said:


> Keep in mind the French are in Germany right now.... eventually, they will retreat.


Didn't see that one coming  Good luck to the remaining eight teams in the tournament. We have some great quarter final match ups to look forward to come Friday.


----------



## Moscool

Vandave said:


> Keep in mind the French are in Germany right now.... eventually, they will retreat.



LOL the French have an inferiority complex vis-à-vis the Germans and when they won their world cup they did not have to play them. The French are now a much more 'realistic' team (when hey don't fall asleep, see Korea) so they would hold a match à la Seville 1982 much better.

Bring 'em on!


----------



## Moscool

England-Portugal is by far the easiest quarter-final, especially given the yellow/red cards status. But let's see what happens Friday first!


----------



## modsuperstar

Moscool said:


> England-Portugal is by far the easiest quarter-final, especially given the yellow/red cards status. But let's see what happens Friday first!


Has anyone heard whether Figo is getting the boot for that headbutt, or did FIFA decide to turn the blind eye to it?

Edit: Nevermind, I just looked up an article that says he will play.


----------



## comprehab

Vandave said:


> What a terrible way to end the game. That call was garbage. FIFA needs to get their head out of their ass and start cracking down on these pathetic divers. Have some pride. Take a hit like a man and keep playing.
> 
> I think the World Cup needs a new trophy for the player would the most dives. It will be called the Golden Diaper. The entire Italian team would win it.


Vandave, don't confuse opinion with fact.
While I don’t agree with the so-called “diving”, it is a part of football that seems to be here for the long haul. It is not a routine, by any means, which is specific to one team or person (in this case, you have singled out the Italian race) Diving is rather a general over exaggeration that all modern players seem to have grown accustomed to. You see it in every soccer game. Lets not forget, we are talking about the entertainment business here. 

Whether Totti was just tapped by an Aussi or shot with an M16 is neither here nor there. The FACTS are that he went down, in the box, by some “external stimuli”. This is justification for a penalty kick. The player who took him down was not dismissed from the game, and no other form of extreme or unnecessary action was taken. Garbage call? I think not.

They should make another new trophy, call it the Sore Loser Award. 
Vandave would win it.


----------



## Loafer

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190002530110&ru=http%


also, very amusing....

http://www.petercrouchcandoanything.co.uk/


----------



## Fink-Nottle

Hi MACSPECTRUM,

There are independent countries that are preceded by the definite article... "The Sudan" for example. I continue to hear people refer to both but I think you're better off educating people about the history rather than calling them "arrogant" and "poorly informed". Sportcasters are not known for their geopolitical acumen and I'm sure it wasn't an intentional slur. I wonder how Ignatieff writes it in his book...


----------



## Vandave

comprehab said:


> Vandave, don't confuse opinion with fact.
> While I don’t agree with the so-called “diving”, it is a part of football that seems to be here for the long haul. It is not a routine, by any means, which is specific to one team or person (in this case, you have singled out the Italian race) Diving is rather a general over exaggeration that all modern players seem to have grown accustomed to. You see it in every soccer game. Lets not forget, we are talking about the entertainment business here.


I didn't single out the 'Italian race'. How did you get that from what I said?Also, FYI... there is only one race... the human race. We are all humans. Italians are a nation of people.

Although I didn't say it in my first post, I will now... Italian soccer players dive more than players from other nations. My understanding is that this is a cultural thing. The primary goal is to win at all costs, even if it involves cheating. Cheating is tolerated as long as you don't get caught. 

Just because it is entertainment doesn't mean that people should dive and act like a bunch of panzies.


----------



## diemodern

comprehab said:


> Whether Totti was just tapped by an Aussi or shot with an M16 is neither here nor there. The FACTS are that he went down, in the box, by some “external stimuli”. This is justification for a penalty kick.


the FACTS show he was not 'taken down'. He dived.

Watch the replays.

In FACT he should have been carded for diving.

Even my Italian friends with whom I watched the game said they 'got lucky' with the call. 

The FACT is a penalty was not deserved.


----------



## Loafer

I know it's old.....but it's still funny considering......

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3430728096637540286&q=italy+dive


----------



## HowEver

Although it was indeed Francesco Totti that scored for Italyon the penalty kick, it was Fabio Grosso who was allegedly fouled on the way to the net (by Neill Lucas).

If it was a dive Grosso could have been carded for it--but Lucas did impede him in the penalty area, even if unintentionally; he fell in front of him, it seemed. It's a discretionary call by the ref, right or wrong, but at least he made the call immediately.

And for the other plays where player get clipped on the heel or someone slides cleats up into them, those hurt like hell. Sure, most players walk it off and are running at full speed a minute later, but that is also about them being great athletes who play through pain. Along with the good and bad actors among them.






comprehab said:


> Vandave, don't confuse opinion with fact.
> While I don’t agree with the so-called “diving”, it is a part of football that seems to be here for the long haul. It is not a routine, by any means, which is specific to one team or person (in this case, you have singled out the Italian race) Diving is rather a general over exaggeration that all modern players seem to have grown accustomed to. You see it in every soccer game. Lets not forget, we are talking about the entertainment business here.
> 
> Whether Totti was just tapped by an Aussi or shot with an M16 is neither here nor there. The FACTS are that he went down, in the box, by some “external stimuli”. This is justification for a penalty kick. The player who took him down was not dismissed from the game, and no other form of extreme or unnecessary action was taken. Garbage call? I think not.
> 
> They should make another new trophy, call it the Sore Loser Award.
> Vandave would win it.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

Here is an interesting take on the Italy-Australia game from someone who actually knows soccer, unlike the many here who "pretend" to know soccer.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/worldcup2006/features/italy.html

It's amazing how many people jumped on the anti-Italian bandwagon after the game. If you want to be objective, be objective, but the many comments here, like the diaper one, and others, are not.


----------



## Loafer

dive - no dive......where the hell is GastonBuffet ?

EhMax.....can we send out a search party for him ? I'm worried about the Argentinian fella


----------



## modsuperstar

mikeinmontreal said:


> Here is an interesting take on the Italy-Australia game from someone who actually knows soccer, unlike the many here who "pretend" to know soccer.
> 
> http://www.cbc.ca/sports/worldcup2006/features/italy.html
> 
> It's amazing how many people jumped on the anti-Italian bandwagon after the game. If you want to be objective, be objective, but the many comments here, like the diaper one, and others, are not.


I don't think one article on the topic settles the debate. Personally I've played soccer for almost 20 years as a forward. I've been fouled, commited fouls and been the recipient of non-calls, calls that shouldn't have been made and calls that should have been made. While I don't deem myself an expert, I still think it should have been a non-call. Italy more then likely would have won the game, be it in extra time or in a shootout. But to have a hard fought, scoreless game decided by a suspect penalty call just smarts to be on the losing end of. By the writers own admission it took him watching the play 50 times to decide it was a penalty, so regardless of how you look at it, it wasn't a cut and dry case. 

There have been plenty of referees during this tournament who have swallowed their whistles when it came to more objectionable fouls in the box. It's like the equivalent of putting a team up 5 on 3 in overtime in hockey. No one ever likes seeing a game decided in that fashion unless the offending team was truly justified in being penalized.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

I said, here is an interesting take on the game. By no means did I mean for the article to be the hands down, no questions asked, irrefutable proof that the call was perfect, FIFA be damned. Man, you say one thing on these threads, and it gets completely taken out of context. Enjoy the World Cup, fellow Ehmacers! Gaston, lead the way outta here...............


----------



## Vandave

mikeinmontreal said:


> It's amazing how many people jumped on the anti-Italian bandwagon after the game. If you want to be objective, be objective, but the many comments here, like the diaper one, and others, are not.


You are right Mike... the diaper comment was inappropriate... I should have said Depends instead of diapers.

Go England!!


----------



## Moscool

Look at the history of the World Cup and there at two teams that usually come out in the last four despite their shortcomings: Italy and Germany. They have both had phenomenal luck, always scoring ugly goals at the last minute. 

For Italy it is the result of playing negative football 99% of the time and then being 'saved' by brilliant individual counterattacks. It ain't pretty but it works. 

As far as Germany is concerned, it was down to sheer physical resistance and dogged determination: only the Dutch were as tall as they were. That athletic difference is largely gone, but the doggedness remains. We shall see if it is sufficient against Argentina.

Whoever wins tomorrow afternoon (11a.m. Eastern) wins the cup. Unless England or France surprise everybody...


----------



## modsuperstar

mikeinmontreal said:


> I said, here is an interesting take on the game. By no means did I mean for the article to be the hands down, no questions asked, irrefutable proof that the call was perfect, FIFA be damned. Man, you say one thing on these threads, and it gets completely taken out of context. Enjoy the World Cup, fellow Ehmacers! Gaston, lead the way outta here...............


What I objected to was more the insinuation that because the guy was a soccer writer, therefore his opinion is somehow more valid then those who had voiced their opinion on the topic previously(myself included). As I mentioned in my post, I've played(and watched) the game long enough to understand the nuances of it, so generalizing that people on here who see it from another perspective are pretending to be knowledgable is a tad insulting. That being said, I apologize for getting a little too uppity in my reaction to your post. My intent was more to debate then argue over the topic.


----------



## Moscool

*Put your money where you mouth is!!!*

I have just placed the following bets online (they don't necessarily reflect my prefs, just interesting odds...):

- Portugal to beat England within 90 minutes 2/1
- Ukraine to beat Italy within 90 minutes 5/1
- France to beat Brazil within 90 minutes 3.5/1
- France to qualify to the next round 2/1
- France to win the world cup 11/1

You can check the odds in real time at Ladbrokes.com... enjoy beejacon


----------



## comprehab

Argentina and Germany should be a good game.... I would like to see Argentina advance, but Germany will have the edge.

Portugal and England should also be great. Would love to see Portugal go through.


----------



## Vandave

comprehab said:


> Argentina and Germany should be a good game.... I would like to see Argentina advance, but Germany will have the edge.
> 
> Portugal and England should also be great. Would love to see Portugal go through.


Should be good. I think I am going to stay home tomorrow to watch the games. I'll cheer for Germany and boo the Dive Team in the 2nd match.


----------



## comprehab

Ukraine will be a walk in the park... or two laps in the bath tub...for the "dive team".
Italy has been upset by less before though...

Italy vs. Argentina will be a great game (if it comes).


----------



## modsuperstar

comprehab said:


> Ukraine will be a walk in the park... or two laps in the bath tub...for the "dive team".


This is what I think of everytime with the Ukraine, this scene from Seinfeld where Newman and Kramer are playing Risk on the subway

*Kramer:* Ha ha, the Ukraine. Do you know what the Ukraine is? It's a sitting duck. A road apple, Newman. The Ukraine is weak. It's feeble. I think it's time to put the hurt on the Ukraine.*Ukrainian:* I come from Ukraine. You not say Ukraine weak.
*Kramer: *Yeah, well we're playing a game here, pal.

*Ukrainian:* Ukraine is game to you?! Howbout I take your little board and smash it!!
And then the board is destroyed.​Italy will be the proverbial game board, or at least I hope


----------



## overkill

I hope that the Germnay vs. Argentina becomes a classic of the World Cup. It is a shame that they had to meet in only the quarter finals and not in a later stage. Good luck to both teams.


----------



## modsuperstar

That's the part that sucks. After this round you can guarantee some worthy teams will be out of the tournament. It seems like almost every game is pitting 2 soccer bohemoths against each other. That being said, it will definitely make for a good race to the finish. I'm definitely rooting for an England/France semi.


----------



## overkill

modsuperstar said:


> *Kramer:* Ha ha, the Ukraine. Do you know what the Ukraine is? It's a sitting duck. A road apple, Newman. The Ukraine is weak. It's feeble. I think it's time to put the hurt on the Ukraine.*Ukrainian:* I come from Ukraine. You not say Ukraine weak.
> *Kramer: *Yeah, well we're playing a game here, pal.
> 
> *Ukrainian:* Ukraine is game to you?! Howbout I take your little board and smash it!!
> And then the board is destroyed.​


Such a great episode. I can see that part replaying in my head over and over again.:clap:


----------



## Vandave

Good game so far. Nice to see the ref let them play.


----------



## Moscool

Pretty boring. 11 defending on each side. Argentina has 65% possession but almost all in their half. Not sure this will unlock. As usual a goal, any goal is needed... Didn't bet on this one: too close to call!


----------



## Vandave

Moscool said:


> Pretty boring. 11 defending on each side. Argentina has 65% possession but almost all in their half. Not sure this will unlock. As usual a goal, any goal is needed... Didn't bet on this one: too close to call!


Ya I was a bit quick to call it good. It started to open up when I posted, but it ended slow.

I think Germany will take it.


----------



## comprehab

I think that the Portuguese announcer on omni 1 put it best....


GOAL GOAL GOAL GOAL GOAL GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL GOAL GOAL GOAL.


1-0 for Argentina


----------



## K_OS

comprehab said:


> I think that the Portugese announcer on omni 1 put it best....
> 
> 
> GOAL GOAL GOAL GOAL GOAL GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL GOAL GOAL GOAL.
> 
> 
> 1-0 for Argentina


Close but no cigar that wasn't Portuguese it was Spanish.

Laterz


----------



## comprehab

Yikes, huge hail storm here in Waterloo...satelite is cutting in and out... I better be able to watch Italy play this afternoon....


----------



## MacDoc

Great game - nice to see the host nation squeak a thriller out. :clap:


----------



## Vandave

Good second half. Nice to see the host nation win.


----------



## comprehab

Sad to see Argentina lose on a shoot out after dominating in regular play.
Such is life.


----------



## Moscool

The game was lost by the Argentine coach for making defensive substitutions at the wrong time and won by the German goalkeeper. For this you have to thank Arsenal's Arsène Wenger who helped him rebuild his confidence and be selected for the Manchaft.

In my skewed view of the world Arsenal and Chelsea are the key drivers behind this world cup


----------



## comprehab

I must say I am impressed with Ukraine. Lots of action in Italy's end.
1-0 Italy at the 36 minnute mark.


----------



## comprehab

2-0 Italia off a corner.

Totti-Toni dream team made it happen. 
Short corner to draw some yellow out of the box, cross by Totti to Toni's forhead... Ukrane didn't know what hit them.


----------



## MacDoc

Yeah close calls for UK - that last stop by Italy was incredible. 
Game is closer than the score shows.

..oops - 3 - 0 Ukraine is toast and has lost heart clearly.


----------



## comprehab

MacDoc said:


> Yeah close calls for UK - that last stop was incredible.
> Game is closer than the score shows.


No longer close.
Ukraine is playing dirty, that foul in the box that went uncalled was terrible. Should have been the third goal.

Soccer Gods are at work as Italy just picked up the third shortly after, another one for Toni.


----------



## comprehab

Good game, too bad Ukraine couldn't pick up a single goal. There were a couple close calls for a goal against Italy.....but was it really close, with Buffon as keeper?
3-0 final for Italy and Ukrane only commited 31 fouls....not bad.


----------



## MacDoc

That last bit of dancing by the Shevchenko ( ?? spell ) was incredible. Not 100% sure that he did take a dive - I guess the ref wasn't either. - but still the lead up to to it was an amazing bit of ball handling :clap:


----------



## Moscool

There goes the first of my 5 bets! Too bad: at 5 to 1 it would have covered the whole programme!


----------



## overkill

Where is Gaston??? My fellow Argentine, I need your support on a day like today


----------



## Loafer

poor poor Argentina. When will Gaston show his face ?

COME ON ENGLAND!!!!

Moscool, how's life in the UK being a France fan ?


----------



## SINC

Loafer said:


> poor poor Argentina. When will Gaston show his face ?
> 
> COME ON ENGLAND!!!!
> 
> Moscool, how's life in the UK being a France fan ?
> 
> Hockey Schmockey


How does Soccer Schmocker grab you?


----------



## Ottawaman

Germany-Italy, England-France
Axis and Allies

Go Germany.


----------



## overkill

"OOOOH the Germans are coming! Protect me from the Germans Smithers!" - C.M. Burns

Germany to take it since I dont like any of the remaining teams.


----------



## Moscool

*So far so good...*



Loafer said:


> poor poor Argentina. When will Gaston show his face ?
> 
> COME ON ENGLAND!!!!
> 
> Moscool, how's life in the UK being a France fan ?


I guess it will depend on the results of today's game!

I'm pretty sure that the English would prefer to meet Brazil next...

First because they have not yet recovered from getting their back end whipped at the last minute last time they met France in Euro 2004 (from 1-0 to 1-2 in extra-time)

Second because England believe that the creators of football should have a chance to measure up against mythical Brazil, even if Ronaldino is their nemesis. 

In both cases it's going to be hard for England (provided they beat Portugal), but England has a much better chance than France against Germany.

Go figure...


----------



## MacDoc

Am I reading the times right - these games are later in the day 2 pm EST and 8 pm EST?


----------



## K_OS

With Deco and Costinha gone for the game this is England's best chance at beating Portugal in a game that actually means something in 40 years. But thankfuly there are a couple of youngsters in Potugal's miedfield that hopefully see there chance to shine otherwise Figo will have to turn it up a notch.

Laterz


----------



## K_OS

MacDoc said:


> Am I reading the times right - these games are later in the day 2 pm EST and 8 pm EST?


According to Fifa's website games are still on for 11am and 3pm.

Por-Eng at 11am
Bra-Fra at 3pm

Laterz


----------



## MacDoc

from the Fifa site. 
It says posted as local times. I guess they must mean local times for the match venue.
Glad I asked - I want to see England Portugal.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

:lmao: :clap:


----------



## MacDoc

My my what a game - shame about Rooney and Beckham.
England has had it's opportunities to win this.
Overtime.


----------



## comprehab

I'm going to tune in now... missed the first 90. 
Go Portugal!!


----------



## comprehab

Those last 10 seconds infront of England's net were intense!


----------



## MacDoc

Ah - shame - but the Portugal goalie was superb :clap:


----------



## mikeinmontreal

Bye-Bye England. Or as we say in Italian, Ciao Ciao Inglesi!!! 

Maintenant, les Francais vont se faire manger.......


----------



## comprehab

Where is K OS???
Congratulations Portugal!


----------



## bishopandarlo

England was missing its top 3 players and Portugal still couldn't beat them with one extra man in regular time, plus extra time!!

BTW: I thought that players weren't suppose to pause in the run up during penalty kick. Oh, Well...

I am happy that Hargreaves scored in the penalty kick. (...ended up being the only English player to do so).


----------



## overkill

Bye Bye England!

Unfortunate that they lost Rooney and had to make some subs for key players, but it looked like they were playing for penalty kicks and fate has never been on their side for them as they have never won a game that went to pks...and still going.

Portugal goalie was very precise on all of his decisions on the kicks and made it look easy.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

Ironically, only a Canadian could score for England......Good luck to the German riot squad with those classy fans.....


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

Goal just scored!

Vive la France!


----------



## comprehab

BYE BYE BRAZIL!

I say Italy and France for the finals


----------



## Snapple Quaffer




----------



## Ottawaman

Here's Canada in the last round....


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

All-European final!

Wow!


----------



## bishopandarlo

*FIFA officials at loss to explain Rooney red card*

Here's a Reuters story:

http://ca.promos.yahoo.com/worldcup...a-officials-loss-explain-rooney-red-card.html

I think I'm done with this World Cup - I hope Germany wins.

BYE BYE WORLD CUP!


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

Q: Will soccer at this level will need to be policed more closely? Maybe video replays, sin-bins even fines? Unresolved matters that fester afterwards do the game great harm and just encourage the chancers.

Some of the most outrageous deceitfulness, playacting and general cheating has gone unpunished over the years - seen by the camera but not by the ref.


----------



## K_OS

comprehab said:


> Where is K OS???
> Congratulations Portugal!


I've been out celebrating 

England's defence played a brilliant game and Portugal with the missing Deco and Costinha didn't have enough up front to make things happen so both teams cancelled each other out effectively, but in the end the 40 year English curse of not being able to beat Portugal in a serious Football competition continues. Portugal will take on France on Wednesday at 3pm a rematch from Euro2000 when Portugal lost to France 2-1.

Laterz


----------



## Moscool

*Woooooohooooo!!!!!!*

Told ya!

The biggest pleasure tonight was too see the old magician back with his full powers and clearly enjoying it!:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: 

France controlled the game the same way they controlled Spain and Korea (pre-falling asleep). I cannot see Portugal beating them, but I've been wrong before... :yikes: 

I hope Italy takes care of Germany. Much better for Les Bleus.

Regarding England, it was a very exciting afternoon. We already knew that Rooney was a thug; now we know that he is a twat too! One of the Sunday papers headlines: "Ten Men And One Silly Boy". Beckham went through the same agony eight years ago, but he learnt from it. I don't think Rooney has the basic brainpower to do so. Talk about a case of your little head leading your big one!  XX)


----------



## overkill

Zidane controlled the entire game and had some wonderful moments with the ball today. I loved seeing him do what he does best. I do hope that France goes all the way to win the cup. I would see them meeting Germany in the final. What a great game that would be.


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

*Intermission*

Since we have a break before the semis, I thought a brief look at an alternative soccer competition might be in order.

Edit: Updated Gallery here under the heading 'Dirty Tactics'.


----------



## Moscool

:d :d


----------



## Moscool

SO

Italy or Germany?

My guess is that we will have a match very similar to Germany Argentina: both teams defending deep until the first goal. For Italy it's a natural mode of operation. For Germany: they're learning fast...

Italy is better on paper (although they have not yet been tested) but Germany plays at home. Really hard to call but I would give Germany the edge (although I would prefer Italy to go through).


----------



## Fink-Nottle

*Hate Ronaldo? Here's a site for you...*

*http://www.ihateronaldo.com/*


----------



## HowEver

.


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

Och, he's just a daft laddie getting up to tricks. Not worth hating.

He will, no doubt, find himself on the receiving end of some skulduggery at some point - and do his thing, burst into tears.


----------



## Moscool

Fantastic spirit!

1) None of the footy commentators were taking any 'responsibility' for England's lacklustre performance. They pilled into Sven because (a) he is leaving and (b) he is a foreigner. Step forward Alan Hansen...

2) Rooney is a twat. T.W.A.T.!!! Much easier to blame Ronaldo. Now here's some news sweetheart: you are a blockhead and anyone can see that at 30 paces. This is why you continuously get sent off in the league. This is why every other promo contract has been cancelled on you because you set a 'poor role model'. And this is why the world knows your short fuse and finds it fun to wind you up.

When will the press and the sports world in the UK face up to their responsibilities? The FA has a lot of money so football occupies a huge place in the collective psyche. But as long as English players remain parochial and don't travel for work they will not do well against international teams. England is a middle ranking football power these days, so expecting to win the world cup because 'it has been 40 years' is not good enough. To paraphrase one of my colleagues: "hope is not a method". And Rooney is a twat.


----------



## overkill

Not to be as harsh as maybe Moscool is sounding with respect to Rooney. I do agree that his temper will always get the most of him and other teams will play on this fact. He is only 20 years old and has a lot to learn to learn still in his football career and one thing will be to keep his anger in check and learn to walk away from these certain situations that he finds himself in.

English football has put a lot onto his shoulders at a young age and I do not think he is quite at the stage to deal with it all.


----------



## arminia

Yep England and Argentina what a bunch of immature sore losers.


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

Couldn't agree more, Moscool. What's more irritating is that he is a rich twat who is helping perpetuate the image of the laddish yob-culture that is so endemic in, actually the whole of British society, but especially in English society.

What a picture these 'top-class' footballers present as a breed:

Exotic nose-clearances
Spitting
Balls scratching
Crying if they lose
Starting some aggro if they lose
Diving in the most pathetically half-witted, obvious fashion
Arguing with the ref, sometimes in a frenzied mob around him
Clearly swearing (no lip-reading skills required)

This is all so clearly visible these days. They can't easily escape the cameras, even if they 'get away with it'. The lesson? You only get punished if you're caught.

For me, there has been some enjoyable football so far, but an awful lot of it is spoilt by juvenile behaviour.

I'd like to see sin-bins introduced as in Rugby Union, but with a financial penalty as well. Either that or litter duty after the match.


----------



## K_OS

Ronaldo had nothing to do with Rooney being kicked out and it's amazing that Ronaldo is being made into the bad guy but next season when he scores a goal for Manchester United I'm pretty sure that the incident at the 2006 World Cup will be forgotten. Rooney got what he deserved he needs to mature to a level that's on par with Owen or even Beckham. The following pict pretty much says it all it's almost like he was surprised that he got the red card after what he did to Ricardo Carvalho.

<img src="http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/fifa/gen/fifa/20060701/i/797646009.jpg">

Laterz


----------



## bishopandarlo

*Secret Italian Training Video*

My friend (who is Italian) told me about this video! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRO626ImQek


----------



## MacDoc

They'll need a new Oscar category soon. *Best Dive in a World Cup Event.*










I mean that golden trophy on the right looks awfully Oscarish


----------



## djstp

bishopandarlo said:


> My friend (who is Italian) told me about this video!
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRO626ImQek


too bad its an actual commercial from 2002....


----------



## bishopandarlo

There are some really funny (and real) video's on that site. The Australian/Italy parodies are good.


----------



## overkill

2-1 Germany is my prediction for today's first semi-final. Home crowd will make the difference once again for the Germans and will carry them to the final against France I would hope. Love to see Zidane go out on top.


----------



## JPL

Today's match should be a good one I am having some Italian supporters over to watch, I support Germany, should be a fun afternoon. 1-0 Germany, I HOPE.


----------



## HowEver

.


----------



## iLabmAn

Didn't realize how good actors the Italians are...


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

I-tal-ya they're up for the Oscars.


----------



## comprehab

Germany better hurry up and score because there is no way they are beating Italy in a shoot out...


----------



## overkill

comprehab said:


> Germany better hurry up and score because there is no way they are beating Italy in a shoot out...


I dont know about that, they looked pretty impressive in their shoot out vs Argentina. Powerful strikes and well placed into the corners. Buffon may have his hands full with this team.


----------



## comprehab

Maybe your right- we'll find out soon enough...


----------



## Moscool

Good match. The Italians have the edge. Twice the woodwork in ET1 !!! How many heart attacks over there?


----------



## comprehab

Goal
Goal Goal
Most beautiful goal of the world cup


----------



## comprehab

Goa Goal Goal Again


----------



## comprehab

Ladies and gentelmen, we have a winner...


----------



## MacDoc

Good game - I thought Italy deserved the win. :clap:


----------



## Moscool

Yipeee!

The best team won. Two marvellous goals in the last minute of extra time. Howzat for a cliff-hanger?


----------



## comprehab

MacDoc said:


> Good game - I thought Italy deserved the win. :clap:


You bet- I think I jumped 10 feet off the couch after goal #1.


----------



## overkill

Wow what a surprise. German defense collapses under the pressure. Italy deserved to win, and they done it while breaking the hearts of all Germans at the same time.


----------



## arminia

Let's hope these divers don't wn the Cup. I'm hoping for Portugal as it's time a new team wins it.


----------



## Appleukit

Forza [email protected][email protected]#$!!!


----------



## Loafer

I just hope Portugal win so I can join my father-in-law and wife in supporting Italy next Sunday. If it's France v Italy.....I'm tied for hating them equally.

It's a British thing sorry, I know you Canadians don't approve of xenophobia but it's in my blood. Europe hates the English, we hate Europe. Although I don't mind Holland they're a good bunch.


----------



## overkill

I hope to make it home early enough tomorrow to catch the game. Looking forward to this one.


----------



## MACSPECTRUM

on the lighter side of "international football"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrShK-NVMIU


----------



## comprehab

Poor poor Portugal. Last few minnutes were great though.


----------



## Snapple Quaffer




----------



## overkill

Congrats to France, glad to see them into the finals. Looks like it will be a great match come sunday.


----------



## Fink-Nottle

Very nice! Once Zidane retires I hope the England will hire him as a much needed penalty kick coach...

Speaking of which, was the stadium full of England fans or does everyone hate Ronaldo now? He was booed whenever he got the ball. He played well though, apart from having some trouble maintaining verticality in the box...


----------



## K_OS

Fink-Nottle said:


> Very nice! Once Zidane retires I hope the England will hire him as a much needed penalty kick coach...
> 
> Speaking of which, was the stadium full of England fans or does everyone hate Ronaldo now? He was booed whenever he got the ball. He played well though, apart from having some trouble maintaining verticality in the box...


I'm pretty sure what happened was that the stadium was full of England fans and they pretty much hate Ronaldo right now but come next season of the premiership and when Ronaldo scores that 1st goal of the season for Manchester United they will forget all that has happened at the World Cup.

Laterz


----------



## overkill

K_OS said:


> I'm pretty sure what happened was that the stadium was full of England fans and they pretty much hate Ronaldo right now but come next season of the premiership and when Ronaldo scores that 1st goal of the season for Manchester United they will forget all that has happened at the World Cup.
> 
> Laterz


Yup I agree with that. Quickly will they forget once he does something useful to their needs.


----------



## Fink-Nottle

Despite what their marketing dept may tell you, most England fans are not Manchester United fans. And while it is true that Manchester United fans will forgive pretty much anything if you play great football (step forward please Eric Cantona), I found at least one fan who will take some convincing.

*And these shirts aren't cheap...*

And this article suggests he wants out of Man United anyway:
*Daily Mail: "I'll never go back to United," says Ronaldo*

I wonder if there's any chance he'd consider joining Southampton (my team)...


----------



## Loafer

Fink-Nottle said:


> I wonder if there's any chance he'd consider joining Southampton (my team)...


hahahahaha........I wouldn't join your team!

As you mentioned earlier, sure 50,000 Man Utd fans may forgive him...but he will get one hell of a hard time on away games and from visiting supporters.....they'll do anything to wind up opposition players and this is a perfect excuse to get on someones back. I don't think anyone really cares but if collectively they can manage to put someone off their game they will do it, all part of being a fan.

So, Fink, are you going to be coming down for the Toronto FC games too ?


----------



## Fink-Nottle

> hahahahaha........I wouldn't join your team!


Hey! We just signed Wright-Phillips as our striker. Okay, okay... it's his younger brother Brad rather than Shaun but it's a start. See you in the Premiership in 2007. I hope.

And I'll definitely be supporting Toronto FC. It's about time we had a pro team and nice stadium.


----------



## Fink-Nottle

*Breaking Sky News – Saddam Hussein guilty and sentenced to death.*

Saddam Hussein has been found guilty of war crimes and has been sentenced to death by firing squad. The Court has granted his last request which was to name his own firing squad. Mr. Hussein chose Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher from 12 yards.


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:


----------



## overkill

Fink-Nottle said:


> *Breaking Sky News – Saddam Hussein guilty and sentenced to death.*
> 
> Saddam Hussein has been found guilty of war crimes and has been sentenced to death by firing squad. The Court has granted his last request which was to name his own firing squad. Mr. Hussein chose Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher from 12 yards.


:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :clap: :clap: :clap:


----------



## JPL

Fink-Nottle said:


> *Breaking Sky News – Saddam Hussein guilty and sentenced to death.*
> 
> Saddam Hussein has been found guilty of war crimes and has been sentenced to death by firing squad. The Court has granted his last request which was to name his own firing squad. Mr. Hussein chose Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher from 12 yards.


:clap: :clap: :clap: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :clap: :clap: :clap:


----------



## JPL

Well I have watched every game in this WC and for the most part they have been very entertaining. I will find it dificult to watch the final game as I wish neither team were there. Ah well there is aways 4 years on.


----------



## Boomcha

Since we are on with jokes. Whats the difference between the England soccer team and a teabag??

The teabag stays in the cup longer.


----------



## overkill

Boomcha said:


> Since we are on with jokes. Whats the difference between the England soccer team and a teabag??
> 
> The teabag stays in the cup longer.


which type of tea stays in the cup the longest?  Go France!


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

Vives les teabags forts!


----------



## overkill

No one commenting on the all important 3rd place game? I look for Khan to start in net for Germany and give them the 2-0 win over Portugal...but does it really matter? I think they should just cancel the 3rd place game in future cups.


----------



## MacDoc

aw c'mon - some players only get a single run at the World Cup - let them play.


----------



## djstp

how do you make a french man cry?






A: make him watch the game on sunday!



as a side note... i hear 'teabagging' is the bomb


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

*Zizou*

Why do I love the French?

Because they don't give a toss .… about anything, or what anyone thinks about them.

Here's a shot of Zinadine having a relaxing puff, and not just that (which is 'bad'), but _before_ the game with Portugal the other night.










Imagine the dialogue:

"Hey, Zizou!"
"Uhuh."
"We're due on the pitch in one minute."
"Uhuh. Really? Who are we playing?"
"Portugal"
"Who? Oh. Yeah, I remember"
"Come on, Man!"
"Chill. They won't start without us. Besides, I've not finished this little monkey-turd yet."


----------



## djstp

quite funny ... where i work, both my bosses are true blue french.... and myself... well a man united fan all the way, but a long time italian... no matter what the outcome, both cultures should be proud as to how far their teams have gone... should make for some great bragging rights for the summer!

go azzurri!


----------



## JPL

3-1 Germany, (well should have been 2-1), I hate own goals! Good game and amazingly no injuries, funny how that happens as you get further in to the finals. Someone has to take Ronaldo under his wing and explain to him that taking dives on a regular basis can cause you to NOT get the call when you are truly fouled. 1 more game and this is over, hate to see it end.


----------



## overkill

Congrats to Germany on the well deserved win. I have not seen the highlights of the game yet, but I did hear that there were some great goals. Great way to end the tournament for the host nation other than playing tomorrow. They have done a wonderful job hosting this event.


----------



## overkill

Heading over to a family bbq to watch the game this afternoon. What is everyone else doing for the game?


----------



## JPL

Gonna be at home by the pool with a beer and a couple of friends watching the game and not cheering for either team -).


----------



## TripleX

Thank god after today this boring sport is done for four more years.


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## comprehab

ABC announcers gave the French dive team a 10 on that one....


----------



## HowEver

TripleX said:


> Thank god after today this boring sport is done for four more years.


... unless you're watching the English Premier League in a few weeks.


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## MACSPECTRUM

very poorly refereed game
soccer aka football could be so much better with more efficient referees and FIFA just has to do something about all diving and fake injuires

it truly diminishes what should be a world spectacle
instead it looks poorly staged with refs missing all too important calls or falling prey to phantom fouls

and there must be some magic in those soccer boots since players that look to be on their death beds miraculously come back to life

fakery on such a grand stage is disgusting


----------



## iLabmAn

COngrats Italy....even though winning on penalty kicks BITES in my book.

Zidane: what were you thinking dude?


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## comprehab

THE HEADBUT!!!! That was awesome....

FORZA ITALIA


Does anyone have links to the headbut....they only showed it twice on ABC....


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## Flipstar

Supposedly Marco Materazzi called Zidane a terrorist. I think he deserved the headbutt in the chest.. or possibly in the face. Good day.


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## comprehab

A terrorist? Did you hear that one fox or something?


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

Zidane committed a stupid, violent and dangerous assault.

But, our remarkable Italian friends _always_ recover quickly.


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## comprehab

Don't even talk about Italy diving....France, first goal, need I say more? That was terrible. 

And Italy's second goal...the "offside" was a little too close if you ask me. Game should have ended in the first 90, at 2-0 Italy.


----------



## Snapple Quaffer

> Game should have ended in the first 90, at 2-0 Italy.


Couldn't agree more. It would have spared us the crap that followed.


----------



## SLaw

comprehab said:


> THE HEADBUT!!!! That was awesome....
> 
> FORZA ITALIA
> 
> 
> Does anyone have links to the headbut....they only showed it twice on ABC....


http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/index.html
CLick 'Video - watch the highlights'

what a sad way for him to end the tournament


----------



## MACSPECTRUM

comprehab said:


> Don't even talk about Italy diving....France, first goal, need I say more? That was terrible.
> 
> And Italy's second goal...the "offside" was a little too close if you ask me. Game should have ended in the first 90, at 2-0 Italy.


puhlease, the italian goal should have been disallowed as he pushed off the french defender and the ref missed a blatant foul by an italian defendfer in the penalty area in the 2nd half that should have led to a 2nd penalty kick

boooooooo


----------



## comprehab

MACSPECTRUM said:


> puhlease, the italian goal should have been disallowed as he pushed off the french defender and the ref missed a blatant foul by an italian defendfer in the penalty area in the 2nd half that should have led to a 2nd penalty kick
> 
> boooooooo


No offense, but do you know ANYTHING about soccer?


----------



## Mugatu

Congratulations Italy!

Just one question. So, the World Cup goes one for a month. Countries get hyped up to extremes probably only seen during war... and the whole thing is decided with penalty kicks?


----------



## MACSPECTRUM

comprehab said:


> No offense, but do you know ANYTHING about soccer?


did you watch the game or just listen to it on radio?
my apologies if you are blind


----------



## Loafer

Mugatu said:


> Congratulations Italy!
> 
> Just one question. So, the World Cup goes one for a month. Countries get hyped up to extremes probably only seen during war... and the whole thing is decided with penalty kicks?



the joy of the World Cup......had great fun watching it down at the Skydome

Shame on France for the 1st penalty...total dive
and shame on Zidane, he will forever be remembered for that headbutt which is a shame because he is the most fantastic player. Like Maradona and his cocaine I guess 

so, Gaston, did you enjoy the World Cup or what ?


----------



## mbaldwin

comprehab said:


> No offense, but do you know ANYTHING about soccer?


LOL! I count at least 4 classic trolling techniques here... :clap: 

The French "dive" for the 1st goal was reminiscent of how got Italy past Australia. Besides, the second non-call in the box for France seemed like a make-up call for the first one.

The disallowed Italian goal was very, very close. The player who scored looked to be onside to me. My guess was the player right next to the scorer, who was clearly offside, was the one called as he was close enough to be considered involved in the play.

Buffon was fantastic in every game I saw him. Not a single opposing player scored on him except on penalties. Amazing! In my mind he deserves the golden ball.


----------



## MACSPECTRUM

i agree about the italian keeper and he also showed good sportsmanship from what i saw


----------



## K_OS

Congrats Italy.

Now 2 years to go till the 2008 Euro hosted by Austria/Switzerland 

PS: The pain of Rooney's red card will be felt for 2 matchs.

From UEFA's website
"England forward Wayne Rooney will miss his country's opening two UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers after being suspended for two competitive matches and fined 5,000 Swiss francs (€3,200) by FIFA's disciplinary committee."

Laterz


----------



## overkill

After the first half, Italy did nothing to impress me. Looked liked they were playing for the penalty kicks from the 45th minute on...terrible soccer. France at least had some scoring chances but were not able to solve the solid Italian defense and Buffon. Cannavaro was brilliant all tournament and a true competitor. Too bad for Zidane and what happened. Regardless of whether the Italian player did say something or not, there was no way for the ref to have heard it and doing something as stupid as he did deserved nothing less than a red card.

Unfortunate that it has to go to penalty kicks and decided there, but that is part of the game and what won it for Italy today. Four year countdown starts now, and South Africa has a lot to live up to by what Germany showed the world for hosting this tournament. Gaston, I hope all is well where ever you are.


----------



## modsuperstar

It's the day after and I'm still shocked, amazed, appalled and in awe of that headbutt. That was possibly one of the awesomest things I've seen on a football pitch, yet so ill timed. Zidane definitely has shown that side of himself before, but it's just amazing he couldn't hold his temper for 10 more minutes. The part I found interesting was the contrast that happened within the span of few minutes. Previously he made a nice pass to the right wing, then ran forward to recieve a brilliant cross, with which he fluidly met with a rocket header that Buffon had to make a game-saving stop on the attempt. I thought the whole sequence exemplified why it's called the beautiful game, and it was pretty much orchestrated entirely by Zidane. Then to see him lose it and headbutt that guy, it's one of those I can't believe what I just saw moments. Makes me glad that while I was travelling back home from Ottawa I stopped at a rest stop and caught the tail end of the game.

On another note, the shootout definitely makes me wonder what the hell England's problem is taking penalty shootouts? There are so many places to put a ball in the net, and both Italy and France showed how easy it is. Both of those keepers were world class and there wasn't a single shot either of them had a hope in hell of saving.


----------



## Boomcha

Once again we have to endure those cocky italians saying how good they are... Good at diving and paying off the refs. Zidane was a great player and this headbutt doesn't change that.


----------



## Frank E

Boomcha said:


> Once again we have to endure those cocky italians saying how good they are... Good at diving and paying off the refs. Zidane was a great player and this headbutt doesn't change that.



are you jealous or just a racist?


----------



## MACSPECTRUM

i wonder what driving cars flying italian flags into other ethnic neighbourhoods that were just defeated by the Italian team qualifies as?

good sportsmanship?


----------



## Frank E

MACSPECTRUM said:


> i wonder what driving cars flying italian flags into other ethnic neighbourhoods that were just defeated by the Italian team qualifies as?
> 
> good sportsmanship?


No need to ask you if you are a racist.


----------



## MACSPECTRUM

italian is a race?

i guess that makes mario puzo a racist too?


----------



## Boomcha

A racist? Italy is not a race, its a country. 

I have many many Italian close friends, don't try and pin the "racist" label on me. Maybe you should ask Materazzi what he said that bugged Zidane so much. Then you can find out who the real racist is. 

With penalty shots the best team doesn't always win, just the luckiest.


----------



## Frank E

Among other things, racism means attitudes, practices and other factors that disadvantage people because of their race, color or *ethnicity*.

As the Canadian Government stated:" typical question might be, With which ethnic group do you identify? Some respondents may associate the question with citizenship and report Canadian. Others may associate it with origin and report Italian. Others might see it as involving both citizenship and origin and report Italian-Canadian. Others might see racial dimensions and report as black or black-Canadian. Furthermore, in some contexts, ethnicity might be implied but the reference is actually to language. For example, there are frequent references to French Canadians and English Canadians which are not on the basis of ethnicity per se but on the basis of the language spoken."

You are indeed both racists based on your statements towards Italians.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

Wow, Italian fans drove through the many French neighborhoods in Toronto displaying their jubilation. The poor French, I think they would have more to say about enduring Anglos all the time.


----------



## MannyP Design

I don't know what's worse... the threads during the WC, or after.

To paraphrase Loafer: Soccer shmoccer.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

Both! But fear not, these threads will be buried within a few days when the World Cup is but a memory and we won't have to revisit them again till Euro 2008.


----------



## overkill

I would not consider a team winning in penalty shots to be lucky. It is a required skill of the game. For some it is not something that they wish to see be used to decide the World Cup, myself included but that is what is required by the rules of the game at this point in time.


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## MannyP Design

mikeinmontreal said:


> Both! But fear not, these threads will be buried within a few days when the World Cup is but a memory and we won't have to revisit them again till Euro 2008.


Maybe, but not without going to an even lower level of stupidity... oops. It's already happened in the headbutt thread.


----------



## Fink-Nottle

I've never been a advocate of affirmative action and I think the World Cup rules are egregious and should be changed ASAP. It's shocking too that most football fans don't even know about this rule:



> *Rule 17, subsection B of FIFA International Rules:*
> 
> As the originators of the game of Football, England are compelled to miss at least two (2) penalties during any penalty shootout to give other less experienced teams a fair chance to progress.


This rule may have made sense 30 years ago but I honestly think that several countries are almost on a par with England now.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

:lmao: They must have thought it was four.


----------



## used to be jwoodget

I think that rule expired with the retirement of David Beckham. Besides, the English fans need to catch up on their 1966 courses on what to do when England gets past the quarter finals and how to react when your team has actually scored a goal.


----------



## K_OS

> Rule 17, subsection B of FIFA International Rules:
> 
> As the originators of the game of Football, England are compelled to miss at least two (2) penalties during any penalty shootout to give other less experienced teams a fair chance to progress.


that's a funny one considering that England's players did not miss but Ricardo defended well and deserves the honour of being hailed as a hero after his performance.

Laterz


----------



## Fink-Nottle

> that's a funny one considering that England's players did not miss but Ricardo defended well and deserves the honour of being hailed as a hero after his performance.


I disagree; none of those saved shots really tested Ricardo. Penalty kickers should be aiming for the corners, not the space to the immediate left/right of the goalie. A well taken penalty kick is unstoppable... as the Germans and Italians showed.


----------



## MACSPECTRUM

maybe they should put up a screen with holes in the corners like old ball hockey nets had

penalty kicks are much more about shooters that miss instead of goalkeepers that save

see switzerland vs. ukraine


----------



## overkill

Gaston where have you gone? It should be you who gets to close this thread.


----------



## Fink-Nottle

I don't have a major problem with Penalty Kick shootouts... apart from the fact that England can't do them. The only other idea I've seen is to have another overtime period but with fewer players on the pitch to open the game up... 5 on 5 for example. That could be cool.


----------



## mikeinmontreal

As long as it gets closed soon......


----------



## MacDoc

Maybe ala FN but each side loses a player of their choice every 5 minutes of overtime played. 

One thing I admire about the Americ'a Cup is that the skippers in the Cup get to adjust the rules ( with parameters ) for the next Cup.
Healthy sport but it took them a while to get a formula.

I like hockey's changes - the very low scoring in high level football could use a tweak in my mind.


----------



## Deep Blue

*World Cup Warrior Returns*

I am just back from over a month in Europe for the World Cup and it was BIG. Watched the final in Rome with 100,000 other people at the Circus Maximus and was on hand when the team arrived home and paraded through Rome in an open topped double decker bus. If you see any press photos of the bus from the rear, look for a skinny white guy in a bright yellow Brazil shirt (don't ask) pushing the bus by the right brake light. Thats me. I fought my way through thousands of people to get that coveted spot. 

I also played with some Imac's in the Apple section of a Copenhagen department store. I took some photos of the layout - every Apple model was on display and available for customer tinkering - but had to delete them on the night of the final when I ran out of flash card memory space. 

The Italians should never have been in the final but good luck to them anyway (Australia would have beaten them in the first knock out game bar for an unjustified penalty six seconds before time) while Germany was the tournament's overall best team, playing just one poor game - against Italy in the semi finals. 

By the way, Diego Maradonna once again proved what a village idiot he is. His white trash family behaved like a pack of squirrels on ecstasy at each and every game Argentina played. Then, after Germany beat Argentina in the quarter finals, he dressed up (by his own admission) in a disguise and went around Berlin insulting Germany fans. Truly a class act.

Now Gaston can close the thread...


----------



## gastonbuffet

hey,


nothing positive to say at this time. Anger will wear thin in the next few months, i guess then i could type coherently all my bottled up rage. Just wanted to say 2 things:

-Loafer: we are even, right? we could carrry the wager for 2010.
_ Ehmax: the Dutch shirt with the little argentina flag........ nice gesture. great game, great team.


----------



## Loafer

Well Gaston, good to see you are alive and well.

Yes, we're square.....I'll gladly carry it over until 2010, if of course my sham of a team can rouse enough determination to actually look like they want to win a game to get there.

So is this thread offically closed now Gaston says so ?


----------



## Moscool

If I may add a little something... 

Just back from Greece where I saw the second semi and the 3rd place + final. It is very strange to hear a third country commenting when they have no interest in the game: no passion whatsoever...

Just picked up the FIFA ruling: Zidane gets 3 matches suspension (converted to community work) and Materazzi gets two. When everything has been said, done and digested it seems like a wise judgement. Good thing that the provoker gets punished too but that the head-butter gets a harsher treatment.

I was pretty much hearbroken by the end of the match and now I understand how Italian fans have felt losing twice on penalties (Euro and World Cup). 

There was also a fun article in the Times a couple of days after the game that picked up lots of examples of provocation on the field. Apparently cricket is pretty bad (who would have thought?) The example below is not very elegant but made me laugh...

Player 1 - looking at Player 2 who has put on quite a bit of weight in Ronaldo style - "Why are you so f*** fat?"

Player 2 - not dropping a beat - "Because each time I f*** your wife she gives me a biscuit!" 

There you go... beats head-butting


----------



## MacDoc

Thanks for the info. I'd say that's a fair ruling by FIFA :clap:


----------



## overkill

Agreed, this was a fair punishment to both players for their actions on the field.


----------



## gastonbuffet

so Loafer,......... still around or you chicken out?


the current odds:

World Cup Betting Odds

This time around, the cup has 3 contenders: England, Spain, and of course Brazil.

Argentina was close to not even qualifying for the darn thing, so we have no chance, even if we have great players out "Team" sucks. Still, i put down 1k pounds at 12/1.......so wish me luck!


----------



## ehMax

gastonbuffet said:


> so Loafer,......... still around or you chicken out?
> 
> 
> the current odds:
> 
> World Cup Betting Odds
> 
> This time around, the cup has 3 contenders: England, Spain, and of course Brazil.
> 
> Argentina was close to not even qualifying for the darn thing, so we have no chance, even if we have great players out "Team" sucks. Still, i put down 1k pounds at 12/1.......so wish me luck!


Um... Holland? They've been tearing it up in qualifying.


----------



## gastonbuffet

Mayor, you know i like both you and your Team, but get real man!!!!


----------



## gastonbuffet

If you feel like contributing to this thread, stick to updating the tittle. 
Thank you, have a nice day!


----------



## i-rui

gastonbuffet said:


> the current odds:
> 
> World Cup Betting Odds
> 
> This time around, the cup has 3 contenders: England, Spain, and of course Brazil.


IMO england is only getting those odds because the bookies know much action they'll get on them.

In any objective view they can't really be considered "favourites", but more as a 2nd tier team that has a shot (I'd rate several teams above them).


----------



## chasMac

gastonbuffet said:


> This time around, the cup has 3 contenders: England, ...


I hope to God you're right.


----------



## ehMax

gastonbuffet said:


> Mayor, you know i like both you and your Team, but get real man!!!!


Holland are very capable of winning it all. They have a perfect record in qualifying. They are currently in great form. I will see the Orange win in my lifetime.  They are way overdue for a world cup.


----------



## gastonbuffet

"Holland are very capable of winning it all". Yes, they are.
" They are currently in great form." Yes, they are.
" They are way overdue for a world cup." Yes , they are. It's one of the great injustices (in world cup football)
" I will see the Orange win in my lifetime". Maybe. Few things have to fall into place:

1) global warming has to increase sea levels drastically.
2) The Dutch Prince becomes King.
3) Argentina becomes a monarchy and elects Maxima as Queen.
4) Both kingdoms unite by consolidation.......no choice for the Dutch, you'll be all living on boats, and we have tons of land.

then, and only then, you will see The Orange, white and light blue win the Cup. Go ARGENLAND 2038 !!!!!!!!


----------



## gastonbuffet

"Lionel Messi will stand alongside Pele and Maradona in pantheon of greats"

nice piece by Patrick Barclay from "The Times":

.........The very greatest players were all team players. Messi is one and it is also the special quality about Wayne Rooney - and the reason England could win the World Cup. If they do, Rooney will be universally recognised as great. If, at the same time, Argentina flop (though Maradona’s team were impressive in winning a friendly match in Germany last month), the Englishman will have eclipsed Messi..............



Lionel Messi will stand alongside Pele and Maradona in pantheon of greats | Football - Times Online


----------



## arminia

Why is Gerd Mueller never mentioned among the greats? He has scored 68 goals in 62 games for the German national team. Name me someone else who has more goals than games played for his country. His 14 goals in 2 World Cups was a record till Ronaldo broke it. It took him 4 tournaments to do it. His 66 goals in his 74 appearances at European cups are still a record.


----------



## gastonbuffet

from bleacher report:

"Lionel Messi Just Doesn't Have the Balls To Win...


Lionel Messi Just Doesn't Have the Balls To Win on the Greatest Stage | Bleacher Report


----------



## ehMax

Got my photo taken with the World Cup on Wednesday.


----------



## SINC

ehMax said:


> Got my photo taken with the World Cup on Wednesday.


Uh, didja forget to include the pic with the post?


----------



## overkill

I like Spain's chances this year. I would like to see an African team go far this tournament, ala Cameroon in 1990. Ivory Coast perhaps?


----------



## gastonbuffet

Lesotho for Argentina!

YouTube - Nuevo Comercial Coca-Cola Mundial Sudáfrica 2010 Argentina


----------



## Dr.G.

Italy and/or Brazil may surprise. We shall see.


----------



## gastonbuffet

YouTube - TyC Sports Argentina Mundial 2010 Argentinos.mp4


----------



## SINC

World Cup welcome: A billion condoms and 40,000 sex workers.


----------



## gastonbuffet

wow,
Thanks Sinc.
I might need to do some of that to offset the cost of the tickets!!!!!
Anyone know where i can get some cheap viagra?


----------



## gastonbuffet

U2,
to make peace with the big guy! 

YouTube - U2 One Live WORLD CUP HDTV VAMOS ARGENTINA!!! EL MUNDIAL SUDAFRICA 2010 ES NUESTRO...


----------



## SINC

Uh, oh, this can't be good:

Al-Qaeda number two plotting World Cup terrorist attack - Telegraph


----------



## RunTheWorldOnMac

I am in no way a soccer fan, nor do I follow soccer, but I do own a calendar. Shouldn't this thread be titled "2010 World Cup"?


----------



## gastonbuffet

SINC said:


> Uh, oh, this can't be good:


if my team doesn't "cut it", then i wouldn't mind if they get blown!!!!
gosh i'm dark


----------



## gastonbuffet

RunTheWorldOnMac said:


> I am in no way a soccer fan, nor do I follow soccer, but I do own a calendar. Shouldn't this thread be titled "2010 World Cup"?


Asked the Mayor to change tittle, don't think he can. we can always merge..........but if someone can't figure it out, then they deserve to be kept in the dark.


----------



## gastonbuffet

interactive fixture (applet has to load)

World Cup 2010 Predictor


----------



## i-rui

+
YouTube Video









ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.






new nike commercial. very cool....except Ronaldinho wasn't even selected by Brazil.

lol


----------



## gastonbuffet

YouTube - ITV World Cup Football 2010


----------



## gastonbuffet

USA 

YouTube - US Soccer--World Cup 2010 Trailer


----------



## gastonbuffet

Irish Dream

YouTube - The Greatest Commercial Ever


----------

