# 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 10, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677 "2010-06-10T17:32:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 44
**Author:** ![wintertime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c68b51/32.png) [@wintertime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wintertime)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/861 "2010-06-18T20:52:24Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > That was dire indeed. There were no lions on that pitch tonight, just a bunch of pussies. On the plus side, I won’t have to endure much (if any) glee when I’ll fly to London tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/862 "2010-06-18T20:53:43Z")
Dismal. This is why years ago I stopped supporting england; dreary games not just lacking in execution but often, in apparent effort. * * * Interesting to note though that many of the big european teams are misfiring. France and England…awful. Italy, Portugal, Spain all struggling. And then Germany who looked so strong in the first game lose to Serbia. Great competition from the underdog POV. Very hard to predict the results. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/863 "2010-06-18T21:08:54Z")
Well, I’m down in lower Manhattan again and went to the same Puma exhibit and bar, hoping for some good soccer with sighted refs this time. You know, falling asleep on cobblestones really hurts. As the tourists and Americans drifted away after the half, the only people left were the subdued English fans in their work clothes, Africans from Francophone countries arguing with the screen, and one guy who I think was an actual real live Algerian. I wandered off to a shady spot to read the paper and came back when I heard somebody making noise. All it was was groaning and whining in several languages. This is why Americans make fun of soccer. ---
**Author:** ![wintertime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c68b51/32.png) [@wintertime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wintertime)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/864 "2010-06-18T21:53:48Z")
> [@Mehitabel](#): > > This is why Americans make fun of soccer. Because you heard “groaning and whining in several languages”? Or because they were worn out? Well, yeah, football fans are rarely in a zen-like state during games and pretty wrecked when their teams play shitty, unlike the fans of American sports. Or because the game wasn’t any good? Well, good for you that every single game of baseball, basketball and American football is a nail-biter of highest quality. Seriously, what are you talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/865 "2010-06-18T22:07:20Z")
[Surf the Dope World Cup style!](http://www.vuvuzela-time.co.uk/boards.straightdope.com/sdmb) ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/866 "2010-06-18T22:35:09Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Slovenia and whoever wins a coin flip between England and the US. I thought that the tiebreakers are considered/exhausted before lots are drawn, and that goals scored is the first tiebreaker considered, which as it stands right now we are ahead on 3 to 1…is that correct? ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/867 "2010-06-18T22:41:00Z")
> [@Wallenstein](#): > > Anyone else see Rooney cussing the England fans for booing them as he walked off. What a cock, after that display he’s lucky they weren’t flinging rocks at him. He might as well put his foot in his mouth, having no better use for it. ---
**Author:** ![MilTan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@MilTan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MilTan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/868 "2010-06-18T22:52:49Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I thought that the tiebreakers are considered/exhausted before lots are drawn, and that goals scored is the first tiebreaker considered, which as it stands right now we are ahead on 3 to 1…is that correct? That’s right. The scenario presented had England tying 2-2 with the US tying 0-0, making up the goals-scored differential. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/869 "2010-06-18T22:59:38Z")
> [@MilTan](#): > > That’s right. The scenario presented had England tying 2-2 with the US tying 0-0, making up the goals-scored differential. Thanks, I must have missed that part. So basically, the USA controls its own destiny. They win they’re in no matter what England does due to goals scored (unless England also wins and scores a ridiculous amount of goals). They draw then they have to hope England draws as well and doesn’t score many goals in the process. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/870 "2010-06-18T23:20:16Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Thanks, I must have missed that part. So basically, the USA controls its own destiny. They win they’re in no matter what England does due to goals scored (unless England also wins and scores a ridiculous amount of goals). They draw then they have to hope England draws as well and doesn’t score many goals in the process. No, we win and are definitely in, even if England wins 15-0. They are playing Slovenia, so that would leave the final standings US 5, UK 5, SL, 4, ALG 1. Our fair cousins would beat us in the tiebreaker (with their 15 goals) but we would both advance. If we draw, then we need a draw, or a Slovenia win over England with England scoring 2 less than us overall. ( I think) My head hurts. But we are definitely “win and in”. We are “draw and probably in with a little luck”. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/871 "2010-06-18T23:21:04Z")
On edit I see I’m too slow again: what **jtgain** said. Just to add that the reason that goal difference may have been mentioned is that in the “USA and england win” scenario, england could win the group with a large win over Slovenia (but USA would still proceed to 2nd round) ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/872 "2010-06-18T23:33:26Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > If in the final 2 games, England draws with Slovenia 2-2 and the US draws with Algeria 0-0, who moves to the next round? There has been nothing yet to indicate that this USA team is capable of keeping a clean sheet. So if there is a draw, it’s more likely of the 1-1 or 2-2 variety, and then England would have to draw by an equal, offsetting amount. Hopefully the USA just win outright, and the referee from today’s match is eaten by hyena while hiking through the veldt. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/873 "2010-06-18T23:41:16Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > There has been nothing yet to indicate that this USA team is capable of keeping a clean sheet. So if there is a draw, it’s more likely of the 1-1 or 2-2 variety, and then England would have to draw by an equal, offsetting amount. > > Hopefully the USA just win outright, and the referee from today’s match is eaten by hyena while hiking through the veldt. Or if he can’t be beaten and shot, then maybe FIFA will sit him out: [http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/news/source-fifa-may-sit-slovenia-u-s-referee--fbintl\_ro-referee061810.html](http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/news/source-fifa-may-sit-slovenia-u-s-referee--fbintl_ro-referee061810.html) ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/874 "2010-06-18T23:46:04Z")
So I’ve decided I want to make a packet by betting on World Cup games. (Some guy at work told me that Vegas odds were 250 to 1 against Switzerland in the Spain-Switzerland match, and I’ve been kicking myself that I didn’t bet on Switzerland.) Please verify my logic for me: Germany beat Australia 4:0 Serbia beat Germany 1:0 Ghana beat Serbia 1:0 So, using the mathematical principle IF x \> y AND y \> z THEN x \> z it would then LOGICALLY follow that, in the next matches Ghana will beat Australia 6:0 Ghana will beat Germany 2:0 Am I right or am I right? ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/875 "2010-06-18T23:47:46Z")
I’ve looked at the replay a few times. I’m around a lot of kids that watch sports, and even a few of my asshole friends want to bitch and whine about how every time our team loses, “We got cheated!” I am always the one that points out how ridiculous it would be for an official to actually cheat, and how humans make bad calls sometimes that go either way. I watched the game, and the whole time I felt like our players were suffering things that were only made legal by _Lawrence v Texas_. And that case made sodomy legal only in consensual situations. This was not consensual. One of our guys practically got punched in the face and that only drew a yellow card. On that should have been winning goal, there was nothing that any rational human could have seen that would have made him call a foul, or offsides. Nothing even close. The fucker cheated us. Don’t tell my friends I said that. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Understander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3da27b/32.png) [@The\_Understander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Understander)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/876 "2010-06-18T23:55:20Z")
:eek: Holy highlights, Batman! Where was the foul? ---
**Author:** ![MilTan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@MilTan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MilTan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/877 "2010-06-18T23:58:55Z")
> [@Enfant Terrible](#): > > :eek: > > Holy highlights, Batman! Where was the foul? The player wrapping Bradley up in a bear hug. Oh, you mean where was the foul on the US? I got nothin’ ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/878 "2010-06-19T00:12:05Z")
What a weak performance from England. These are some of the best trained highly paid sportsmen in the world. I’d guess everyone of the are on at least 50K a week. How the fuck do you put a performance in like that. Say what you want about Beckham but he almost always ran himself into the ground and lead by example. This is the World Cup for fuck sake. If you’re not going to go for it what’s the fucking point? The US team in the 2nd half of their game tried like fuck. I’ve seen Gerrard and Rooney and the rest of those guys eat teams alive. How do you put in a performance like that in a world cup? I just don’t get it. The English rugby team are generally passionate when they play. This football team looked like they couldn’t give a fuck. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/879 "2010-06-19T00:17:39Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > (Some guy at work told me that Vegas odds were 250 to 1 against Switzerland in the Spain-Switzerland match, and I’ve been kicking myself that I didn’t bet on Switzerland.) Lol, no. That’s getting on for two orders of magnitude out in a two-horse race. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677/880 "2010-06-19T01:21:21Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Lol, no. That’s getting on for two orders of magnitude out in a two-horse race. 250-1 for Switzerland to win _the entire damn thing._ would be more accurate. After their victory against Spain they’re still resting at 170 on Betfair. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677.md?page=43) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa/542677.md?page=45)