World Cup is here

[Scutty]

Why? He's third choice at Ewood Park.

Didn't realise that. Still a better bet then thiose two donkeys England had.

[Delhommey]

Who are you rooting for?

Nominally Spain and the Netherlands as I lived in both places for a time and neither has won a title.

I wouldn't mind seeing Ghana take it for Africa, but there's no way.

[Delhommey]

FIFA's been very fortunate that the three absolute braindead calls haven't really altered the overall course of the tourney. The US still topped a very weak group and overmatched England and Mexico were both sent packing (yes you could say it changed the score, but the outcome for both was going to be what it was barring a miracle).

This is the first tourney in a while I think the final 8 are probably the 8 teams playing the best football.

[Hawk]

for the most part I agree...but that England/Germany game...if they allow the goal like they should have, suddenly it's 2-2 and the Germans are a little shell shocked allowing two goals in the span of just a couple of minutes....who knows what might have happened then. It is what it is, but I still think there's a better answer, especially with billions watching and all those cameras.

[NFL_UKfan]

Sepp Blatter said he's gonna review goalline technology

we'll have to see what happens after the world cup so lets just concentrate ont eh quate final this weekend

[Carolina Husker]

England has a real beef. That Lampard goal would have changed the entire complexion of that game. Not having instant replay on instances like that is ridiculous.

I agree with Pstall that the round of 16 needs to be re-seeded after the group stage. Maybe postion all the teams based on their FIFA ranking coming into the tourney. Having a bracket with USA/Ghana/Uruguay/S Korea while the other bracket has Argentina/Mexico/England/Germany isn't exactly even.

[mmmbeans]

[Delhommey]

England has a real beef. That Lampard goal would have changed the entire complexion of that game. Not having instant replay on instances like that is ridiculous.

If England gets to play the what-if game so does Mexico. Their game was at 0-0 so they have even more of an argument. Fact of the matter is both sides fell apart after their respective bad calls: England foolishly going all forward, Mexico fouling every player in blue and white they could find, both with defensive lapses not even worthy of AYSO soccer.

You can say the Three Lions and the Tri’s lost their way with those calls, but they both got trounced. And if a bad call is all it takes to put you off, you’re probably not all that good. Besides if we’re really gonna start playing Choose Your Own Adventure, let’s say the US goal wasn’t waived off. Slovenia may not come in as lackadaisical as they did in the England game (they really looked content to slide into the second round), they tie or win the game and Ol Blighty doesn’t even make it.

Bottom line Germany and Argentina were clearly the better squads.

I agree with Pstall that the round of 16 needs to be re-seeded after the group stage. Maybe postion all the teams based on their FIFA ranking coming into the tourney. Having a bracket with USA/Ghana/Uruguay/S Korea while the other bracket has Argentina/Mexico/England/Germany isn't exactly even.

Ick. No.

First of all that would render about a third of the last group games absolutely worthless and then imagine this:

Congrats Uruguay and US on winning your groups! Unfortunately we here at the infallible offices of FIFA feel that the sides you were better than are actually better than you; therefore, consider us pairing you with Argentina and Germany respectively as our way of saying job well done! England and Mexico will certainly have their hands full with those scrappy Ghanans and Koreans!

If England and Mexico wanted to avoid the tough games, they should have won their group.

[tarheelblue89]

If England gets to play the what-if game so does Mexico. Their game was at 0-0 so they have even more of an argument. Fact of the matter is both sides fell apart after their respective bad calls: England foolishly going all forward, Mexico fouling every player in blue and white they could find, both with defensive lapses not even worthy of AYSO soccer.

You can say the Three Lions and the Tri’s lost their way with those calls, but they both got trounced. And if a bad call is all it takes to put you off, you’re probably not all that good. Besides if we’re really gonna start playing Choose Your Own Adventure, let’s say the US goal wasn’t waived off. Slovenia may not come in as lackadaisical as they did in the England game (they really looked content to slide into the second round), they tie or win the game and Ol Blighty doesn’t even make it.

Bottom line Germany and Argentina were clearly the better squads.

Ick. No.

First of all that would render about a third of the last group games absolutely worthless and then imagine this:

Congrats Uruguay and US on winning your groups! Unfortunately we here at the infallible offices of FIFA feel that the sides you were better than are actually better than you; therefore, consider us pairing you with Argentina and Germany respectively as our way of saying job well done! England and Mexico will certainly have their hands full with those scrappy Ghanans and Koreans!

If England and Mexico wanted to avoid the tough games, they should have won their group.

All of this. :thumbsup:

Am doing a pool with my buddies, we each get a final 8 team. I pulled Uruguay. I feel pretty good about it.

[Bobby]

I bet they end up testing goal line tech at the U-20s next year.

[Carolina Husker]

If England gets to play the what-if game so does Mexico. Their game was at 0-0 so they have even more of an argument. Fact of the matter is both sides fell apart after their respective bad calls: England foolishly going all forward, Mexico fouling every player in blue and white they could find, both with defensive lapses not even worthy of AYSO soccer.

You can say the Three Lions and the Tri’s lost their way with those calls, but they both got trounced. And if a bad call is all it takes to put you off, you’re probably not all that good. Besides if we’re really gonna start playing Choose Your Own Adventure, let’s say the US goal wasn’t waived off. Slovenia may not come in as lackadaisical as they did in the England game (they really looked content to slide into the second round), they tie or win the game and Ol Blighty doesn’t even make it.

Not saying they should be demanding a rematch based on the bad calls. In the end, they did both get schellacked in the 2nd halfs of both respective matches and lost outright. The point I'm making is that it's absolutely ridiculous that it has to come to this argument. Both of those goals should have been reviewed. I still think Mexico and England would have ended up losing, but by denying them fair scoring opportunities, you changed their playing style and ultimately the chance to play any other way than from behind, which is a death sentence against Argentina and Germany.

The fact that you and I can sit at home and make a better call than the guy on the pitch is dumb if only because it doesn't have to be that way. Get some ******* replay already.

Ick. No.

First of all that would render about a third of the last group games absolutely worthless and then imagine this:

Congrats Uruguay and US on winning your groups! Unfortunately we here at the infallible offices of FIFA feel that the sides you were better than are actually better than you; therefore, consider us pairing you with Argentina and Germany respectively as our way of saying job well done! England and Mexico will certainly have their hands full with those scrappy Ghanans and Koreans!

If England and Mexico wanted to avoid the tough games, they should have won their group.

One, I don't think it lessens the Group Stage games at all. You still have to finish top 2 in your respective group, goal differential still counts and no one has any incentive to throw games (unless you're 9 points up anyway after 3 games, which isn't any different than the current set up).

I think if anything, it makes the otherwise useless FIFA rankings suddenly important. It definitely makes games outside the World Cup purview more important. And you can set it up that winning a group is given more precedence than overall ranking. But if two teams finish 2nd in their group, the lower ranked team plays the higher ranked 1st place team in the Knockout stage.

[Delhommey]

For the record, I am all for a goal line cam, for soccer AND the NFL.

[Boltergeist]

Brazil's got the Air Coryell shirts on today .... 9 minutes in and a score.

[tarheelblue89]

I don't see this team losing.

Uruguay may give them a run for their money because they have the speed to keep up with Brasil.

In the end they are gonna be lifting the Cup.