# Brasil 2014 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 6, 2014, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840 "2014-05-06T21:19:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 90
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1781 "2014-06-26T18:31:50Z")
Wow just watched the second Portugal goal. As an American fan, I want to say thank you Ghana keeper. He could have probably caught it. Barring that, he should have just put it over the bar for a corner. But he decided to slap it to Ronalda six yards away. Good decision. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1782 "2014-06-26T18:34:39Z")
Based on form and reputation you would expect Brazil to make it to the semi and meet the winner of a France-Germany quarter which should be epic. In the other half maybe a Netherlands-Argentina semi. Of course chances are good for at least one upset over one of these teams. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1783 "2014-06-26T18:35:06Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > This. > > No team apart from perhaps France has overly impressed me in this tournament so far. Some of the supposedly best teams(Argentina, Brazil and Germany) have been very weak defensively. Brazil in particular. I’m with you on France being impressive. By the way, I wouldn’t write off Switzerland or Colombia! And I’m with you on Argentina and Brazil showing defensive frailty. But Germany? I’m not with you there. Yes, they let in two goals against an very underrated Ghana, but were solid defensively against both Portugal and the USA. Argentina and Brazil looked shaky defensively in every game. Brazil had many dicey moments in their 0-0 draw with Mexico, and Croatia by all rights should have scored more if officiating hadn’t been so favorable to Brazil. Argentina couldn’t keep Bosnia from scoring and let in two against Nigeria. Bottom line, Germany kept clean sheets against tougher opposition. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1784 "2014-06-26T18:38:09Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > People are a little overrating how important Howard is to the US, I think. Guzan is nearly as good of a shot stopper and cheats on shots less. The US would have still won CONCACAF without Howard. Not qualify? Please. I totally agree. Also Clint Dempsey is a terrific player. The danger he posed helped to keep Germany from pressing high and crushing the USA into our own box. But what it comes down to the most is how the team coheres as a unit. One spectacular keeper isn’t gong to win the game for you if the defense is in tatters, or your strikers have no finishing touches, or your midfielders are scattered and slow and fail to make accurate passes. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1785 "2014-06-26T18:42:10Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > I’m with you on France being impressive. By the way, I wouldn’t write off Switzerland or Colombia! > > And I’m with you on Argentina and Brazil showing defensive frailty. > > But Germany? I’m not with you there. Yes, they let in two goals against an very underrated Ghana, but were solid defensively against both Portugal and the USA. Argentina and Brazil looked shaky defensively in every game. Brazil had many dicey moments in their 0-0 draw with Mexico, and Croatia by all rights should have score more if officiating hadn’t been so favorable to Brazil. Argentina couldn’t keep Bosnia from scoring and let in two against Nigeria. > > Bottom line, Germany kept clean sheets against tougher opposition. Fair enough, I wouldn’t disagree with much of that. I was debating whether or not to include Germany in my list of dodgy defences. I dont think they have been overly tested as yet. One of the few games they were tested and I thought they looked poorer than your typical German defence. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1786 "2014-06-26T18:47:05Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > Fair enough, I wouldn’t disagree with much of that. I was debating whether or not to include Germany in my list of dodgy defences. I dont think they have been overly tested as yet. One of the few games they were tested and I thought they looked poorer than your typical German defence. I don’t disagree. Certainly it’s not the best German defense we’ve ever seen. For a hilarious non sequitur, [check this out](http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2014-06-25.html): > [@Ann Coulter](#): > > I’ve held off on writing about soccer for a decade — or about the length of the average soccer game — so as not to offend anyone. But enough is enough. Any growing interest in soccer can only be a sign of the nation’s moral decay. Preach it! And there follows a long list of stupid nonsense about soccer being terrible. Followed by this: > [@](#): > > I promise you: No American whose great-grandfather was born here is watching soccer. Shows what she knows. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1787 "2014-06-26T18:47:12Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > US-Russia match…is it still possible? Only if they both make it to the final (or the third-place match). The only alternative to USA-Belgium is if Algeria and Korea both win, in which case it’s USA-Algeria and Germany-Belgium. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1788 "2014-06-26T18:48:26Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > This. > > No team apart from perhaps France has overly impressed me in this tournament so far. Some of the supposedly best teams(Argentina, Brazil and Germany) have been very weak defensively. Brazil in particular. Thats another reason why I am pissed off at Suarez, in a potential quarter final meeting, he would have absolutley buggered this Brazilian defence. It would have been epic, but some idiot in the Uruguay staff forgot to put his muzzle on… ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1789 "2014-06-26T18:54:18Z")
Solid win by GER. I was a bit surprised and disappointed by the USA’s defensive attitude, so it became a matter of patience for us to score. But we did, and we regained the control over our opponent we mysteriously lost in the second half of the Ghana game. Not a pretty win, but something to build up from. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1790 "2014-06-26T19:05:52Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > I don’t disagree. Certainly it’s not the best German defense we’ve ever seen. > > For a hilarious non sequitur, [check this out](http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2014-06-25.html): > > Preach it! > > And there follows a long list of stupid nonsense about soccer being terrible. Followed by this: > > Shows what she knows. As a libertartian I love Anne Coulter. But I do hope she is trolling with that article. Every columnist lives off of clicks on their page these days. I suspect shes doing what she does best in that article, shocking her opponents. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1791 "2014-06-26T19:07:33Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > As a libertartian I love Anne Coulter. But I do hope she is trolling with that article. Every columnist lives off of clicks on their page these days. I suspect shes doing what she does best in that article, shocking her opponents. Mainly it’s just stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1792 "2014-06-26T19:10:15Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Thats another reason why I am pissed off at Suarez, in a potential quarter final meeting, he would have absolutley buggered this Brazilian defence. It would have been epic, but some idiot in the Uruguay staff forgot to put his muzzle on… Yes, quite frankly the Brazilian defence have looked incompetently funny at times.It would have been fun to watch Suarez against them, and perhaps sneak a huge upset. Right now it looks almost as good as a bye into the next round for Brazil. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1793 "2014-06-26T19:10:43Z")
> [@](#): > > I promise you: No American whose great-grandfather was born here is watching soccer. Should I write her and tell her that I was watching the USA-Portugal game with direct descendants of [John Alden](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Alden)? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1794 "2014-06-26T19:10:58Z")
I love this little [video clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SouPzHAzW9s) of Suarez as Jaws. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1795 "2014-06-26T19:12:03Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > Mainly it’s just stupid. Wow. That reads exactly how I would have written a parody article of Ann Coulter writing about soccer. I mean, she’s not even trying, she’s so predictable and formulaic. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1796 "2014-06-26T19:20:09Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Wow. That reads exactly how I would have written a parody article of Ann Coulter writing about soccer. I mean, she’s not even trying, she’s so predictable and formulaic. Yeah, talk about [Poe’s law](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe%27s_law) in action. That was so bizarre that it was almost beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1797 "2014-06-26T19:25:38Z")
I just have to write it one more time: The USA have survived the Group of Death! We finished ahead of Portugal and Ghana! It just feels good. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1798 "2014-06-26T19:32:08Z")
Muchas gracias to Univision for the streams! ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1799 "2014-06-26T19:39:29Z")
Benedikt Howedes at LB is the biggest problem with Germany’s defense, IMO. He has no pace, offers nothing going forward, can’t read situations in defense, and it’s only a matter of time before he’s found out. I don’t know why he’s starting, because it should be Durm, but I’m sure Loew feels Durm doesn’t have enough experience. The only problem with that is Howedes doesn’t really either, because he’s a CB/RB. All the attacks from Ghana were coming down his side, and I hold my breath every time the ball gets near him. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840/1800 "2014-06-26T19:47:05Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Muchas gracias to Univision for the streams! Starting to wonder whether I should watch using that or stick with Watch ESPN. The quality of the latter is just so damn variable… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840.md?page=89) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brasil-2014/687840.md?page=91)