I’ll probably watch at least until the US team is eliminated, then we’ll see if any of the other teams capture my interest. It’s something to watch before NFL training camps get going shortly thereafter. Someone please tell me Brasil doesn’t allow those annoying noisemaker things they had in South Africa…
If I inferred that the group will be anything but excruciatingly close, then I expressed myself poorly. I don’t think any combination of two teams, at least from the Big 3, emerging from it would surprise me.
I had earlier touted France as a squad with a good chance but a closer look showed early pending knockout games with Argentina or Brazil should they escape group. I’ve already said what I like about the home team and JHC, Argentina has a group of scorers on its roster that is fearsome.
It’s a strong field overall and I’m very much looking forward to seeing as many matches as possible.
I first thought, yeah, that’s probably true for most U.S. viewers, but then I toggled up the 2010 tv ratings and saw that the final drew more domestic viewers than the highest-rated U.S. game. http://http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/newswire/2010/2010-world-cup-final-becomes-most-watched-soccer-game-in-u-s-tv-history.html
I honestly don’t know what conclusions to draw from those numbers. That we appreciate the big events even if the home team isn’t involved? To put it in perspective, the 25 million who watched the WC final is bigger than the average number who watched the NBA finals or a regular season NFL game and about three times the number that watch an NHL game. It trails NFL playoff games by about 17 million.
After seeing Uruguay’s team at last year’s Confederations’ Cup I had to wonder how it managed to get to the 2010 World Cup semifinals and win the most recent Copa América. I agree with you - it has some good strikers but other than that it doesn’t appear to be anything special.
My understanding is that the Italians are currently lacking in true world-class players which, given Italy’s passion for the sport, I find a little hard to believe. The Italian team has struck me as one that is ALWAYS dangerous on its day but that can also be wildly inconsistent. I can only imagine that it will be trying to improve upon its worst showing ever from last time but I wonder if its “redemption” has already come in eliminating the Germans (YET again) and getting to the Euro Final 2 years ago.
I think you got this spot on. I, too, think that just about any combination of two of “The Big Three” from that group could go through to the second round. Might this be the first time in 50-odd years that the English team makes it to the World Cup and then gets eliminated after no more than the group stage?
There are something like 38 million immigrantsin the USA, a large number of which would have come from soccer-dominant nations. So a US TV audience of 25 million for the WC final isn’t that surprising.
No question that immigrants are a strong part of the viewing audience. FIFA estimates that somewhere north of 40% of the global population (3.2 billion) watched some part of the 2010 WC and it’s probably a pretty good bet that Americans born in another country were watching at about those same rates.
Still, the 2010 viewership was an increase over the 17 million viewers from 2002, which was in turn 31% higher than the 1998 viewership. Anglos are getting into the habit, too.
I’m enjoying this thread and hope it really gets jammin’ next month. Even if the competitive balance may not be the best and the teams unable to display the cohesion that we’ve come to expect from the best clubs, World Cup is still my favorite sporting event.
Luis Suarez tore his meniscus in training camp yesterday, having surgery today. His absence will certainly upset the fragile balance of power in Group D, significantly improving the odds for Italy and England to move on to the knockout stage.
This is very bad for us fans who want to see as many of the world’s great players competing as possible.
Yeah, well - “Dem’s da breaks!” I mean, Alfredo di Stéfano, considered by many the best overall player of all time, never played in a World Cup. It happens. Unfortunately.
Likewise George Best and Ryan Giggs, among others.
As a fan of England, Manchester United, and all round decency, naturally I am devastated at the news of Suarez’s injury. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Karma fucking rocks!
ETA: fully expecting karma to now come back and bite me after this unedifying display of schadenfreude. But it will be worth it.
According to the BBC there is a reasonable chance that he makes (at least part of) the world cup. It seems recovery should take between 15 days and 4 weeks. Uruguay play England on the 19th. A hattrick for Suarez seems ever more likely :D.
How can you be a fan of Manure and of all-round decency?
Landon Donovan cut from USA roster. That’s a shocker.
Brad Davis is more important to that team than Landon Donovan? Are you fucking kidding me? He’s not the player he used to be, but he’s still clearly one of the best 23. This has to be a personality clash with Klinnsman.
Ha!
I’m glad he’s probably out. All I know of him (based admittedly only on everything he’s ever done and said) suggests he is a horrible human being. A mercenary, petulant cheat with questionable views and poor self-awareness. I have no time for him. Sometimes just being brilliant on the pitch isn’t good enough. Same goes for Maradona, unquestionable talent, undoubted bell-end.
I don’t expect my sporting heros to be saints but I’ve got my limits.
His behaviour in the last World Cup and his various transgressions at Liverpool make him a terrible role model in my eyes and the WC wouldn’t miss him. There are more than enough great players going already who deserve the adulation more. Plus many others who will come to the fore during the WC itself.
I can’t summon up those kinds of negative feelings for any player. I think they’re all wildly entertaining. In fact, the biggest sin to me is for a player to be boring.
It would be awesome if Suarez recovered in time to play and then took another chomp out of some Italian. Villains are fun, too.
Weren’t all of his transgressions on the pitch? Has he ever done anything bad off the pitch? All I see is a great, driven player. On top of that, he’s also very unselfish on the field, loves his teammates, and has even resolved his on-pitch issues this year. By all accounts, he was the perfect citizen and teammate.
You make him sound like John Terry or Ryan Giggs or someone else equally loathsome.
What, so biting chunks out of people is OK provided it happens at a sporting occasion (which is televised to millions)? I’m struggling to follow your argument. Yes, we all do silly things in the heat of the moment but that’s no reason to escape censure. Sure, I’m biased but it’s a huge stretch to argue Suarez is a “perfect citizen”.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say I wished injury on him, and I agree it’s not terribly nice of me to rejoice in it, but to my mind it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person, really.
I don’t think he has a bone of remorse, self-awareness or loyalty in his body. Plus someone who dives that often turns my stomach, Plus biting an opponent marks you out as a bit of a loony. Any single failing is allowable because we all have feet of clay, trouble with Suarez is that he has a history of these things and they all stack up.
I have no problem with Ryan Giggs, Isolated infidelity with suitable remorse is the least of a footballer’s sins. John Terry is forever tainted with his “quick change” act at the Champions League final and his racist behaviour whilst thinking he is bigger than whatever team he plays in, again, the areshole quota begins to stack up against him.
In a way, the Donovan thing takes the USA players off the hook a bit. If they fail to make it out of their group (fairly likely with or without Donovan) a lot of people will now just blame Klinsmann.
Also when you’re an underdog, it can be a good strategy to gamble - you increase your chances of doing very badly, but increase your ceiling as well. I’m not sure how much this applies to this decision; you could probably argue for keeping LD and gambling that he plays in his top form.