US v. Belgium - Let's do this

Post by **brian** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:21 am

I'm blowing off the second half of work (starts at 1 p.m. here) and going to the bar.

HaulCitgo · Post by **HaulCitgo** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:25 am

Same here. Ive got to pick up at 4:30. Right about crunchtime.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:01 am

go home early, tell your boss it's Canada Day.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:06 am

degenerasian wrote:go home early, tell your boss it's Canada Day.

Does Canada Day celebrate the Country being too polite to ask England for independence?

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:09 am

brian wrote:I'm blowing off the second half of work (starts at 1 p.m. here) and going to the bar.

Yup.

oilcanboyd · Post by **oilcanboyd** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:13 am

Leaving at 3 to hopefully get a seat somewhere in midtown by 3:30.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:20 am

I think there's an outside chance that Jurgen does what Atletico did with Diego Costa in the Champions League final, and plays Jozy from the start, knowing that he may need to be subbed.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:20 am

Watching it at home with a buddy. Leaving right at kick off and going media silence for the 15 minutes or so it will take me to get to the house.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:21 am

govmentchedda wrote:I think there's an outside chance that Jurgen does what Atletico did with Diego Costa in the Champions League final, and plays Jozy from the start, knowing that he may need to be subbed.

I'm coming around on this idea myself. Not that Juergen asked.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:22 am

Fucking hell, this game needs to start already. I'm going nuts over here.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:25 am

The World Cupcakes have spoken. 2-1, USA! I believe in the cupcakes.

rass · Post by **rass** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:40 am

Post by **Shirley** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:52 am

govmentchedda wrote:I think there's an outside chance that Jurgen does what Atletico did with Diego Costa in the Champions League final, and plays Jozy from the start, knowing that he may need to be subbed.

I think that's the safest move.

I really hope we get Yedlin more time in this game. He's been sensational in his limited minutes. I think he must scare the hell out of tired defenders.

Post by **Sabo** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:06 am

I hope I can make it home on time. Stuck at O'Hare, but supposedly leaving in 45 minutes. If everything is on time, then I'll make it home. But this is the airline industry we're talking about, so all bets are off.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:11 am

Is there ESPN on the plane?

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:12 am

Airport bar.

Post by **Sabo** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:16 am

degenerasian wrote:Is there ESPN on the plane?

It's a regional jet, so no.

P.D.X. wrote:Airport bar.

If I'm still in this fucking airport at 4 p.m. EDT I'm going to flip my shit. Even if my flight gets home on time, I will have spent the last 25 hours getting from Memphis to Cleveland. I should just say to hell with it and drive to all my sites.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:28 am

True fact: There are only 40 total bar seats in all of O'Hare because O'Hare is the most miserable place on earth.

Steve of phpBB · Post by **Steve of phpBB** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:37 am

mister d wrote:There's no way cumulative shots on goal in OT (to encourage offensive play) would be better than a shootout, right?

I think it would just encourage the attacking team to just kick the ball to the goalie a lot, even when they were too far away to have any chance of scoring.

I am in favor of using corner kicks as the tiebreaker. You only get a corner kick if you have possession at the other team's end. And if corner kicks were the tiebreaker, I think two things would happen that would spice up the game. Defenders generally would be more reluctant to just dump the ball over the back line, so more stuff would happen when the ball is deep. Also, a team with a one-goal lead would be less content to just sit back and absorb pressure, knowing that if the other team ties it, that other team will likely have the corner kick advantage.

At the very least, corner kicks during OT would make a good tiebreaker.

I recall reading, back when I first started following soccer in the 80s, that English two-game cup ties were decided on the basis of corner kicks. But I have never seen another mention of this. Has anyone heard of this?

The only other fair option for a tiebreaker would be a replay from the start, like they have always done in the FA Cup. Apparently they used to do that at the World Cup too, way back when. But there is no practical way to fit replays into a four-week tournament.

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:40 am

Hate to encourage attackers to dribble into the corner just to kick it off defenders.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:44 am

Flop-off.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:01 pm

Giff wrote:Flop-off.

Problem is, you can never trust the Russian judge.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:06 pm

The main problem with counting shots or corners is time wasting. A team with a healthy lead in corners will just roll on the ground.

Soccer is a devious sport. They'll do anything to get an edge.

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:40 pm

I don't care what yinz guys say, I hate PKs and they do seem too damn easy. Why is moving them back not an option?

Steve of phpBB · Post by **Steve of phpBB** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:50 pm

degenerasian wrote:The main problem with counting shots or corners is time wasting. A team with a healthy lead in corners will just roll on the ground.

But that's no different than having a lead late in the game.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:52 pm

Steve of phpBB wrote:
degenerasian wrote:The main problem with counting shots or corners is time wasting. A team with a healthy lead in corners will just roll on the ground.
But that's no different than having a lead late in the game.

Yes but it more difficult to get a lead then a bunch of corners.

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:53 pm

Gunpowder wrote:I don't care what yinz guys say, I hate PKs and they do seem too damn easy.

Tell that to Chile.

Steve of phpBB · Post by **Steve of phpBB** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:54 pm

Gunpowder wrote:I don't care what yinz guys say, I hate PKs and they do seem too damn easy. Why is moving them back not an option?

I would love to see them move the penalty spot back - especially for in-game penalties. A foul committed in the box should allow the other team a decent shot at a goal, but not a near-guaranteed goal.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:55 pm

Gunpowder wrote:I don't care what yinz guys say, I hate PKs and they do seem too damn easy. Why is moving them back not an option?

Somebody somewhere (maybe Grantland's Kirk Goldsberry?) recently pushed this idea forward.

howard · Post by **howard** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:58 pm

More Brits (and Jon Stewart) talking shit about Belgians:

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A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:58 pm

I think a foul inside the 18 yard box but not the 6 yard box should be further away, personally. But the foul in the box is one of the fundamental things in soccer, so you should get a decent chance if a defender makes the mistake.

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 1:01 pm

govmentchedda wrote:
Gunpowder wrote:I don't care what yinz guys say, I hate PKs and they do seem too damn easy. Why is moving them back not an option?
Somebody somewhere (maybe Grantland's Kirk Goldsberry?) recently pushed this idea forward.

What's the argument for this? The results will still be just as "random" no matter where you put the shot.

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 1:06 pm

That was, I think, specifically about the awarded PKs and not their use as a tiebreaker.

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 1:09 pm

My prediction is that the U.S. gets beaten handily and you're all going to cry like little bitches. Of course, this could be a reverse hex. I'll let you know after the game.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 1:10 pm

Jerloma wrote:My prediction is that the U.S. gets beaten handily and you're all going to cry like little bitches. Of course, this could be a reverse hex. I'll let you know after the game.

What's the hex got to do with anything? We've already qualified!

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 1:12 pm

P.D.X. wrote:
Gunpowder wrote:I don't care what yinz guys say, I hate PKs and they do seem too damn easy.
Tell that to Chile.

I'll let Mexico tell them, as that's mainly what I was talking about on the too easy part.

Seems like it's all just a coin-flippy way to determine a winner.

rass · Post by **rass** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 1:17 pm

Jerloma wrote:My prediction is that the U.S. gets beaten handily and you're all going to cry like little bitches. Of course, this could be a reverse hex. I'll let you know after the game.

Ha! You wasted you hex powers on tennis. Tennis!

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 1:18 pm

If you move the spot back you'd have to move the semicircle back too which would make the soccer field ugly.

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 1:19 pm

Gunpowder wrote:
P.D.X. wrote:
Gunpowder wrote:I don't care what yinz guys say, I hate PKs and they do seem too damn easy.
Tell that to Chile.

I'll let Mexico tell them, as that's mainly what I was talking about on the too easy part.

Seems like it's all just a coin-flippy way to determine a winner.

Not many games come down to a stoppage-time penalty, so I wouldn't say that's a strong basis to overturn the system.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 1:23 pm

AB_skin_test wrote:
Jerloma wrote:My prediction is that the U.S. gets beaten handily and you're all going to cry like little bitches. Of course, this could be a reverse hex. I'll let you know after the game.
What's the hex got to do with anything? We've already qualified!

Reverse Hex is single elimination bracket. Duh!