After the penalties (and the trash talking!) agains Colombia and now this, Dibu Martinez has bought himself the position of goalkeeper for La Selección (that’s how we call it, forget that “albiceleste” trash) for the rest of his natural life and some days after that too.
I believe Argentina were favorites in every other Copa Final that Messi lost, and then win the one where they’re underdogs. Interesting.
We always always always do better when we are the underdogs, it’s in our national soul or something. (and that’s why I felt a certain warmth inside when I realized we were going to play the final against Brazil in the friggin Maracaná, a slow, evil smile lighting up in the soul of every Argentinian)
Except against Germany.
Although, maybe they weren’t considered as much of an underdog in that one.
Well, you know the Lineker Maxim…
You bet, they were thorn between rooting for us, (because of Rioplatense brotherhood, and because everybody in South America wants to see Brazil lose) and rooting for Brazil so we didn’t tie them in Copas. But the memory of 1950 was certainly part of the reason we felt we could certainly win this.
Rioplatense team against Brazil in the defining match? check.
Not the favourites? check.
In the Maracaná itself? check check and check.
Gold Cup started last night and Trinidad and Tobago tried to kill Mexico’s Chucky Lozano. That was a horrible injury to watch. Yikes!
In a FIFA experiment, Dutch and Belgian Under-19 leagues are playing with American-style clock rules this season. Two 30-minute halves, clock stops on out of bounds, penalties, injuries, goals, etc. There are also some other rules being tried but this is the big one. I can’t see how this would imperil the integrity of the game but I’m open to hearing other perspectives.
It wouldn’t imperil the integrity of the game, it would be a whole other game (we could call it “American Soccer”) but that abomination’s integrity would be completely safe for sure.
It would even be safe from a lot of people who previously watched real football.
It would imperil the integrity of the game by taking control of parts of the game from the referee. The game isnt broken. Stop trying to fix it. Just stop Americans. We are making great sports less great by our moronic ideas. A man on base to start extra innings? 7 inning DHs? Excessive celebration rules?
He’s got enough to do already. If the game already entails about 60 minutes of actual playing time, why not just codify it and stop the value of time wasting and the vague calculations of stoppage time?
Uh Americans had absolutely nothing to do with these rule changes. But somehow we are an easy whipping boy for something Europeans decided to do 
Im American and this has the greasy fingerprints of tinkering America on it. Sometimes it works (like VAR) but most of the time its nonsense.
I think there are two things here. One the ref is going to be in control of stopping the clock anyways. And second there is a fear that this is FIFA’s way of inserting commercial breaks.
Because his watch only stops when he says so. Pressing a stop/start button isnt difficult. Also, the more fingers in the pie means a greater chance for cheating. Unless I am missing something, the game isnt broken.
Literally has no Americans involved in the testing. Similar as VAR. Just stop blaming Americans for everything new that FIFA wants to try. I am sick and tried of American blaming and self hating Americans when it comes to soccer.
Where have these newfangled ideas come from? In a sport known for its decades of tradition?
I don’t know who exactly is keeping the time. I’d rather it be the fourth official or someone similar. Not a person supplied by the home team, that’s for sure.
Secondly, one of FIFA’s stated goals (FIFA, Inoright?) is to shorten the game (which is possible, I guess, if actual game play now averages more than 60 minutes instead of less, I dunno) in order to maintain the attention of younger fans who are drifting away from the game. Inserting commercials would be detrimental to that goal.
Seriously? So new rule changes that are being tested at a youth tournament among European sides, including one that has been advanced publicly for a while by Arsene Wenger (kick-ins) and others focused on shortening the game as advanced for a while by Florentino Perez can only be advanced by Americans?
What a lazy argument.
See my post above. FIFA is concerned about losing current fans in the youth demographic. I don’t think the US has much influence in this and I don’t think these rule changes will have any effect on US interest anyway.