The Swamp

Nigeria hosed by VAR again. No surprise.

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 10:34 am Thing I just noticed: The VAR officials are wearing shirts that match the kit that the on-field officials are wearing. Why?

Optics I'm sure. Any fans of an aggrieved country's perception of a poor VAR decision would howl if so much of a shade of the other team's kit was being worn by VAR officials.

Rams Fanny wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 1:25 pm

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 10:34 am Thing I just noticed: The VAR officials are wearing shirts that match the kit that the on-field officials are wearing. Why?

Optics I'm sure. Any fans of an aggrieved country's perception of a poor VAR decision would howl if so much of a shade of the other team's kit was being worn by VAR officials.

They have done that since day 1. Officials just being Official

wlu_lax6 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 2:11 pm

Rams Fanny wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 1:25 pm

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 10:34 am Thing I just noticed: The VAR officials are wearing shirts that match the kit that the on-field officials are wearing. Why?

Optics I'm sure. Any fans of an aggrieved country's perception of a poor VAR decision would howl if so much of a shade of the other team's kit was being worn by VAR officials.

They have done that since day 1. Officials just being Official

I'm sure they have....I just never put it together until today.

Australia deserved to tie that up.

These matches are intense. Very little time wasted.

These girls just run and run and run.

There have been 30 shots in this game. All direct football.

Been a fun game.

rass wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 4:20 pmBeen a fun game.

My daughter called me in for the extra time - that was great!

Kerr has chances even before missing that PK. Not her best night. (saw her in person at a NWSL game, when did she have a great night)

Games involving Cameroon are never boring. There's been an elbow to the face, spitting and a backpass.

And an indirect free kick goal from 6 yards.

Do not see too many goals like that one.

If this is disallowed the stadium might burn down.

Game was so close to being dicey for England.

rass wrote: ↑Sun Jun 23, 2019 12:16 pm Game was so close to being dicey for England.

Yeah, right after that disallowed goal*, Cameroon really should've scored with the ball sitting in the box. Then a dagger goal off the corner and the game is effectively over.

Still enjoyed the second half, as Cameroon played their hearts out. England look extremely dicey in the back. Need to sort that shit out.

* - I mean, yeah, by the inch perfect VAR review... But that should've been a goal if the Soccer Gods were in charge.

rass wrote: ↑Sun Jun 23, 2019 12:16 pm Game was so close to being dicey for England.

The game might be 1-1 right now without VAR.

I've retired the "R" word, but the announcers on on this FRA/BRA game are fucking dumb.

The fact that they couldn't figure out that the disallowed goal was bc the French player barreled into the goalie is fucking amazing. I thought in real time the goal should've been waved off for that reason. I know I'm "protect the goalie" type guy, but for fuck's sake.

What did they it was? Handball?

I really don't know when it changed that goalies aren't being protected anymore. I can tell you, I've had a player concussed multiple times in the net. It has been subtle, but back when I started playing, it was just understood that you back off of a goalie in a 50/50 and if you run the goalie, you're getting a card.

It's a dangerous position as a baseline. Allowing players to run through the goalie with impunity is bullshit.

The fact that the Fox crew didn't see any issue with the French player barging into the goalie is a worrying overall sign of the culture shift in soccer on this issue. People want more goals, screw the safety of the poor schlub sitting in net.

=-=-=-=-=

At first FIFA said it was for "a foul" then they came back and said it was for running into the goalie while she had possession. I'm pretty sure the CR saw that as a foul and then FIFA overthought things and "corrected" the record.

You can debate whether that was a foul, certainly. You can't debate possession, she didn't have it. Just fucking stupid on both fronts (FOX/FIFA).

And anotherfuckingthing...

Card these motherFUCKERS that keep stepping in front of the ball on foul calls. Card-card-card. They used to at least try to enforce that. Now they let these players get away with murder.

Can't let them get a quick restart. If you don't back off when the ref says go back maybe, but standing on the ball after a foul is standard.

HaulCitgo wrote: ↑Sun Jun 23, 2019 5:34 pm Can't let them get a quick restart. If you don't back off when the ref says go back maybe, but standing on the ball after a foul is standard.

What I'm saying is:

- It didn't use to be this blatant/standard.
- It is expressly against the rules. Law 13 if you want to look it up. 10 yards from the spot of the foul and players aren't allowed to delay a restart.

It wasn't that long ago that refs also allowed players to "inch up" the wall on free kicks, which was annoying and now we have spray cans to cut that shit out.

It really wouldn't be difficult to stop. Especially in tournaments where yellow card accumulation can really fuck with a team's roster.

It goes back to what I was babbling about the other night re: PKs... The foul is supposed to be punished appropriately. You commit a "direct" level foul in the penalty box, you should be punished for that with the opponent getting a shot on goal with a high percentage chance of making it. It's not supposed to be a 50/50 situation, which I think a lot of people that don't have a problem with goalies lunging 3 yards forward before the kicker gets to the ball don't seem to grasp.

You commit a foul, you shouldn't be able to stop the other team from a quick restart. Period. You rewarding the team that fouled, which quite often is in the middle of the field as a means of stopping a building counter-attack. In that particular instance, where you don't want/need the ref to mark out 10 yards, you are giving the offending team a pretty massive break by allowing it.

I've gone as far as saying there should be a foul count in soccer for players like in basketball. Imagine if basketball played by soccer fouling rules.

Too often, especially in the men's game, continuous fouling, delaying the restart and wasting time is a problem and the refs never control the situation.
5 fouls, you get a yellow card and another 5 fouls you're gone. A red card is too strong for this, just player is ejected but can be replaced. However the original yellow for 5 fouls could lead to a 2nd yellow and red.

I have enjoyed the Women's World Cup for it's lack of time wasting. The ball is always back in play immediately. Players aren't deviously tossing the ball all over the place. Wasn't there a stat that in soccer the ball is only in play 30 minutes per half? It must be more in this World Cup.

GOAL! Rapinoe with the PK. Important to get that early goal.

Fucking keeper got too cute there. Curious to get NLFC's take on that Spain goal.

Feels like the announcers are underrating that finish?

Jeez. I leave long enough to open a can of tuna and two goals.

Nasty looking eye there.

I like the way Spain is playing. They look very dangerous and I don't think the WNT was prepared for how aggressively the Spainards were going to take the ball at the US. Some halftime adjustments had better be coming.

Keeper and backline look really shaky.

brian wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2019 11:28 am I like the way Spain is playing. They look very dangerous and I don't think the WNT was prepared for how aggressively the Spainards were going to take the ball at the US. Some halftime adjustments had better be coming.

I'd be surprised if they made a tactical change. Something about their first 3 games, and what I understand about Ellis have me thinking the answer will be to just try harder.

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2019 11:31 am Keeper and backline look really shaky.

Right? I think Spain have figured out the blueprint for attacking the US. Pressure them and hope you don't leave yourself vulnerable to the counterattack. High risk, but high reward.

Of course that strategy is easier to swallow in the first half of a tied game. Will be interesting to see if Spain continue to play that way in the second half if it stays tied.

brian wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2019 11:35 am

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2019 11:31 am Keeper and backline look really shaky.

Right? I think Spain have figured out the blueprint for attacking the US. Pressure them and hope you don't leave yourself vulnerable to the counterattack. High risk, but high reward.

Isn't that the way they should play if they want the upset?

/MalcolmGladwelled

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2019 11:36 am

brian wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2019 11:35 am

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2019 11:31 am Keeper and backline look really shaky.

Right? I think Spain have figured out the blueprint for attacking the US. Pressure them and hope you don't leave yourself vulnerable to the counterattack. High risk, but high reward.

Isn't that the way they should play if they want the upset?

/MalcolmGladwelled

Not necessarily. If you have less talent, conventional wisdom amongst some ranks is to play back, play good defense and try to score on a counterattack instead of taking the play to the other team.

I'd buy US 5-1 or a full-on freakout approaching the 90th minute right now. They've just missed a bunch of times.

Yeah, all my BTC on the US in 2H.

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2019 11:50 am Yeah, all my BTC on the US in 2H.

I dunno, man. I got a bad feeling about this game. Seems like the game where the US just can't finish and it goes to PKs and then who the hell knows at that point.

Not a very good decision or placement of the pass from the GK there. She put the defender in a spot where she really only had 2 options, neither of them good (play it right back or spray it out wide to the right side of the field--the way she was facing for both).

With that said, the player receiving the ball froze in that situation and really should've done a lot better. If I'm assigning blame, 60 on the field player 40 on the goalie. She could've just launched the ball out side the second she realized the pressure she was under, instead she just stood there and had the ball stripped.

Spain's Right back is handling Rapinoe.