The Swamp

degenerasian wrote: ↑Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:13 am Short corners are stupid. Why does anyone do them?

Because the effective scoring rate off them is only like 3%. The inverse of your rhetorical question is also valid.

I can't believe US Soccer wanted to emulate the Germans!

Whoa

This tournament has been unbelievable.

Don;t know if the feed of that Germany-Sweden game that you got in the states featured dozens of shots of astoundingly beautiful Swedish women, but it certainly added to what was a thrilling game.

I haven’t enjoyed the round table discussions on Fox/FSN featuring Lalas, Meola and the others. The host, Fernando Fiore tries to force conviviality that doesn’t seem to really exist. I MUCH prefer the analysis on ESPN featuring Craig Burley, Stewart Robson, and Alejandro Moreno.

Pruitt wrote: ↑Fri Jun 22, 2018 5:41 pm Swiss now my favourite team at the tournament...

Goal Celebrations a "Fuck You" to Serbia

Fascinating. I wondered what that gesture meant at the time. I also wondered about those names on Switzerland, but never knew the story that they were Albanian/Kosovo immigrants. That was already a great game. Now I know it was even better.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Sat Jun 23, 2018 4:41 pm I haven’t enjoyed the round table discussions on Fox/FSN featuring Lalas, Meola and the others. The host, Fernando Fiore tries to force conviviality that doesn’t seem to really exist. I MUCH prefer the analysis on ESPN featuring Craig Burley, Stewart Robson, and Alejandro Moreno.

I've switched to Telemundo exclusively, and that has made all the difference.

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Sat Jun 23, 2018 8:36 pm

sancarlos wrote: ↑Sat Jun 23, 2018 4:41 pm I haven’t enjoyed the round table discussions on Fox/FSN featuring Lalas, Meola and the others. The host, Fernando Fiore tries to force conviviality that doesn’t seem to really exist. I MUCH prefer the analysis on ESPN featuring Craig Burley, Stewart Robson, and Alejandro Moreno.

I've switched to Telemundo exclusively, and that has made all the difference.

I’ve stayed with telemundo even when I got back from Florida. I like it.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Sat Jun 23, 2018 4:41 pm I haven’t enjoyed the round table discussions on Fox/FSN featuring Lalas, Meola and the others. The host, Fernando Fiore tries to force conviviality that doesn’t seem to really exist. I MUCH prefer the analysis on ESPN featuring Craig Burley, Stewart Robson, and Alejandro Moreno.

Fernando Fiore is fucking terrible and therefore a perfect match for Lalas.

A_B wrote: ↑Sat Jun 23, 2018 9:01 pm

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Sat Jun 23, 2018 8:36 pm

sancarlos wrote: ↑Sat Jun 23, 2018 4:41 pm I haven’t enjoyed the round table discussions on Fox/FSN featuring Lalas, Meola and the others. The host, Fernando Fiore tries to force conviviality that doesn’t seem to really exist. I MUCH prefer the analysis on ESPN featuring Craig Burley, Stewart Robson, and Alejandro Moreno.

I've switched to Telemundo exclusively, and that has made all the difference.

I’ve stayed with telemundo even when I got back from Florida. I like it.

Maybe this is a dumb question, but isn’t the Telemundo analysis in Spanish?
My Spanish is pretty limited.

I just meant for watching games, sorry. But yeah I don’t understand shit.

It's all en Espanol. I pick up about 50% of the words, and about 10% of what they're trying to say. It is miles (kilometers) better than anyone on Fox, (except maybe Derek Rae and Aly Wagner).

Jesse Lindgard, take a bow! Very nice strike.

I wonder what's going on behind the scenes. Panama are not this bad.

degenerasian wrote: ↑Sun Jun 24, 2018 7:47 am I wonder what's going on behind the scenes. Panama are not this bad.

Not sure what you base this observation on. They looked crap against Belgium too and somehow got into the World Cup while surrendering more than they scored..

degenerasian wrote: ↑Sun Jun 24, 2018 7:47 am I wonder what's going on behind the scenes. Panama are not this bad.

They got into the World Cup by not scoring a goal, they're pretty bad

Best thing about this score--if ENG and BEL tie, it will go to fair play record! Talk about pressure on the ref.

Pruitt wrote: ↑Sun Jun 24, 2018 8:38 am

degenerasian wrote: ↑Sun Jun 24, 2018 7:47 am I wonder what's going on behind the scenes. Panama are not this bad.

Not sure what you base this observation on. They looked crap against Belgium too and somehow got into the World Cup while surrendering more than they scored..

They don't lose like this though. They've improved over the years should have made world cup 14. Gold cup finalists. They go to Honduras and mexico and get results. I didn't expect them to get points but they should not be giving up 6 to England.

Rex wrote: ↑Sun Jun 24, 2018 8:49 am Best thing about this score--if ENG and BEL tie, it will go to fair play record! Talk about pressure on the ref.

I'm not sure I want to win this group.
Brazil/Germany looming in the quarters

Might be good to pick up a late yellow then. Martinez has Fellaini on the bench for this very purpose.

That's amateur hour. Defender should head that out for a corner and keeper should catch that.

Occurs to me this Japan-Senegal game has been one of the best in the tournament and a major reason is almost no diving or players rolling around on the turf faking injuries.

brian wrote: ↑Sun Jun 24, 2018 11:47 am Occurs to me this Japan-Senegal game has been one of the best in the tournament and a major reason is almost no diving or players rolling around on the turf faking injuries.

I hope more people notice this. Asian and African teams don't get on tv very often. In their leagues and tournaments there is no acting. Just raw effort.

Yeah, bullshit. I submit Ghana US final 15 minutes in South Africa as evidence. Some of the worst time wasting you'll ever see. It was actually one of the games FIFA used to instruct referees on how NOT to manage the end of games.

Pruitt wrote: ↑Sun Jun 24, 2018 8:38 am

degenerasian wrote: ↑Sun Jun 24, 2018 7:47 am I wonder what's going on behind the scenes. Panama are not this bad.

Not sure what you base this observation on. They looked crap against Belgium too and somehow got into the World Cup while surrendering more than they scored..

As a friend mentioned on Fb, Panama sucks... And they qualified above us, so... Transitive property is rough on this one.

degenerasian wrote: ↑Sun Jun 24, 2018 10:16 am That's amateur hour. Defender should head that out for a corner and keeper should catch that.

That was a pretty funny goal.

And to hop back on the GK coaching tip:

I don't know when or why it occurred, but at some point in the last dozen years or so, I'm seeing more and more keepers punching balls that they should be catching. That was a pretty easy ball to just let sink into your chest and cover with the arms. I get that a guy is right there, but all the more reason not to just punch it right back up the middle with all that traffic.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Sun Jun 24, 2018 12:24 pm Yeah, bullshit. I submit Ghana US final 15 minutes in South Africa as evidence. Some of the worst time wasting you'll ever see. It was actually one of the games FIFA used to instruct referees on how NOT to manage the end of games.

Fine Asian teams then. I did not want to come off as racist.

degenerasian wrote: ↑Sun Jun 24, 2018 12:34 pm

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Sun Jun 24, 2018 12:24 pm Yeah, bullshit. I submit Ghana US final 15 minutes in South Africa as evidence. Some of the worst time wasting you'll ever see. It was actually one of the games FIFA used to instruct referees on how NOT to manage the end of games.

Fine Asian teams then. I did not want to come off as racist.

This is an odd correction, then!

I don’t think most African teams are especially cynical but those Ghana teams from 2006 to 2014 were at least.

Rolling around in this game already.

brian wrote: ↑Sun Jun 24, 2018 1:05 pm I don’t think most African teams are especially cynical but those Ghana teams from 2006 to 2014 were at least.

That's a fair overall assessment. I generally really like African teams for this reason.

But I'm never gonna forgive Ghana for that game and Freddie Adu. :D

And now that I think about it, I don't think there's a worse region in the world when it comes to that bullshit than Concacaf. I don't really think it's even close.

I don't know if it's an issue of mics, but this sounds like a game in Medellin.

THAT'S why you take short corners.

Wow.

What are Poland doing? Cant even defend a short corner! :D

This is why that first game from Colombia was such a head scratcher. They are incredible to watch... usually.

That third goal is massive. Puts them in a position to go through with a draw against Senegal.

Poland are an ass team. Over-inflated ranking. This is not a top 10 team.

degenerasian wrote: ↑Sun Jun 24, 2018 1:41 pm What are Poland doing? Cant even defend a short corner! :D

How did that misbegotten team cruise through a European qualifying tournament?

It was said by an announcer during their loss to Senegal, that Polish teams have a recent reputation of collapsing when things go wrong. No kidding.

But Japan gets a tie, Colombia is out - which would be a shame, because their fans are incredible.

I don't know what I was looking at, GD doesn't matter. But here's the thing. There is NO WAY Senegal is going to be effective bunkering. It's not in their wheelhouse, at all.

Poland were just lost. No ideas. Couldn't even mount an attack.

Russian goalkeeper having a 'mare of a first half here. I have no idea what he was doing on that first goal. Terrible job setting his wall, and why did that guy clothesline those two guys? Bizarre.