# If you're following the World Cup... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 17, 2006, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096 "2006-06-17T20:20:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Fish\_Cheer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fish_cheer/32/17179_2.png) [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/121 "2006-06-26T21:52:19Z")
[QUOTE=mamboman] Had humanity ever done one single thing greater than the World Cup 🙂 ? [/QUOTE] Never! That said, I now feel bad for Koebi Kuhn. He just seems like such a nice guy. But at least the Ukrainians now have something to be happy about. And people say I talk about about football like a woman. Pah! ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/122 "2006-06-26T21:56:03Z")
[QUOTE=mamboman] Had humanity ever done one single thing greater than the World Cup 🙂 ? [/QUOTE] Digital watches? ---
**Author:** ![Fish\_Cheer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fish_cheer/32/17179_2.png) [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/123 "2006-06-26T21:59:07Z")
[QUOTE=duality72] Digital watches? [/QUOTE] Well, some ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think those are a pretty neat idea. Or so I’m told. ---
**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, 2006, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/124 "2006-06-26T22:07:04Z")
[QUOTE=mamboman] I am so proud of the Socceroos. This morning, all they could talk about on the radio was the injustice of the penalty - but honestly, I really wish they wouldn’t. We had enough chances to bury Italy (and having done that we could totally beat Ukraine in the quarters) and we shouldn’t have put ourselves in the position to give away the penalty in the first place. What we have to do here is celebrate the magnificent achievements of the team and get about the serious business of entrenching football’s credibility in the country. This is no time for prima donna behaviour. [/QUOTE] My sentiments exactly. I’m a little ambivalent about the penalty. It certainly wasn’t the most blatant one i’ve ever seen, but i don’t think it was a blatant dive either. In the end Neill, the Aussie defender, never even needed to leave his feet; he could have stayed upright and stayed between the attacker and the goal. By diving in, he just gave the Italian a chance to go down. Australia never really made the most of their man advanatage, and that they should have been pushing forward much more urgently. I think that, for once, Guus’s tactics let the Aussies down; they needed another striker and needed to get more people in the box. Instead, they played conservatively and got punished for it. Anyway, a good run and some very creditable soccer by the Aussies. Not sure who i’m cheering for now; probably the Argentinians or the Poms. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/125 "2006-06-26T22:38:52Z")
That was a terrible call. I’m amazed the stadium didn’t empty onto the field. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2006, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/126 "2006-06-26T22:44:54Z")
[QUOTE=fetus] **Quartz** , it may be hot, but Ecuador apparently has no desire to win games. [/QUOTE] Yeah, that’s why we managed to get to the final 16, beating two teams people didn’t expect us, too: _sheer lack of will_. :rolleyes: I didn’t see the UK game but I’m glad that it was close as it was. Sorry we didn’t win, but it’s the best we’ve ever done so all I can say is: Wait 'til 2010! ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2006, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/127 "2006-06-27T04:26:27Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Yeah, that’s why we managed to get to the final 16, beating two teams people didn’t expect us, too: sheer lack of will. How else can you explain how Ecuador, clearly with at the very least a weather/conditioning advantage from being (it seemed to me) younger on the average and playing in a hotter country where their lungs have calibrated themselves to high altitude, played like they were more interested in getting the thing over with so they could hurry home and catch MASH reruns? I’ll be the last one to begrudge Ecuador for their fantastic run in a Cup where everyone was down on them. In fact, I was rooting hard for them against England, and I felt ripped off for my viewing time and my emotional support. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2006, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/128 "2006-06-27T05:34:42Z")
'scuse me FETUS but why were you rooting for Ecuador against England? Surely it cannot be because they are situated in the Americas…or could it? Maybe you just don’t like us English :rolleyes ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2006, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/129 "2006-06-28T00:38:21Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > 'scuse me FETUS but why were you rooting for Ecuador against England? > > Surely it cannot be because they are situated in the Americas…or could it? > > Maybe you just don’t like us English :rolleyes: Fixed your rolleyes for you. Are you mocking my earlier post? I realized (was told) later that the post I responded to was tongue-in-cheek, and I apologized. Anyway, what I had responded to was what I perceived to be another trotting out of the old stereotype that nobody knows how to play soccer except the Europeans and particularly the English. I, like many of my compatriots, generally root for England second after the US (well, tied at least with Spain; maybe third, but let’s not pick nits here); a favor which, BTW, is rarely returned. I rooted instead for Ecuador in that match because (a) it was the underdog, partly because it’s from the Americas but also because they supposedly couldn’t win a match on low altitude, which they disproved handily, and (b) I hadn’t found England to be very impressive in the group stage. FWIW, there are no capitals in my name. If you’re going for emphasis, we have bold and italic features here. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2006, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096/130 "2006-06-28T06:31:35Z")
[QUOTE=fetus] Fixed your rolleyes for you. Are you mocking my earlier post? I realized (was told) later that the post I responded to was tongue-in-cheek, and I apologized. Anyway, what I had responded to was what I perceived to be another trotting out of the old stereotype that nobody knows how to play soccer except the Europeans and particularly the English. I, like many of my compatriots, generally root for England second after the US (well, tied at least with Spain; maybe third, but let’s not pick nits here); a favor which, BTW, is rarely returned. I rooted instead for Ecuador in that match because (a) it was the underdog, partly because it’s from the Americas but also because they supposedly couldn’t win a match on low altitude, which they disproved handily, and (b) I hadn’t found England to be very impressive in the group stage. FWIW, there are no capitals in my name. If you’re going for emphasis, we have bold and italic features here. [/QUOTE] Sorry fetus I meant no offence and certainly didn’t mean to mock any of your posts. As a matter of fact both me and Mrs Chowder root for the USA after England, we like you guys and have visited the US quite a number of times, Rhode Island is our fave place (cuz of the clam chowder/clam cakes, anything actually with clam) We do not have the stuff over here other than in cans and that tastes crappy. FWIW and I may be in the minority here but England can’t play football like the Brazilians/Argentinians/Germans and quite a few others can. We’ve lost the plot somewhere down the line but hopefully we’re getting back on course. I’m just a guest at the moment but will subscribe, as yet I haven’t figured out how to bold/colour or any other doohickies, but I will just gimme time [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-following-the-world-cup/361096.md?page=6)