World Cup 2014!

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Btw earlier today on telly they showed this official ball of theirs going through some sort of aerodynamic tests. That immediately raised my ire. What are they going to do, fly it and drone the shit out of somebody?

Maybe, just maybe, some of the players are going kick it through the air. It's a long shot, but it might happen.

[catnip]

There can only be one winner, and that's the country that's won everything forever.

All other countries are commie losers who are GOIN DOWN'!

YEEEEEEEEEEEEHAW

[PinkPanzer]

Haha soccer definitely is difficult to get into (or rather enjoy) from a neutral perspective but I'd argue a soccer goalie is among one of the most difficult positions to play among all sports.

For the american fans here, how do you fancy jozy altidore this tournament? He's on a goal scoring drought but he is bound to score sometime!

[Blu]

Btw earlier today on telly they showed this official ball of theirs going through some sort of aerodynamic tests. That immediately raised my ire. What are they going to do, fly it and drone the shit out of somebody?

There were complaints of the 2010 Adidas Jabulani being favorable for strikers. It dealt with the ball's ability to curve. So FIFA is following up with some tests.

[Pulsar_t]

Btw earlier today on telly they showed this official ball of theirs going through some sort of aerodynamic tests. That immediately raised my ire. What are they going to do, fly it and drone the shit out of somebody?

There were complaints of the 2010 Adidas Jabulani being favorable for strikers. It dealt with the ball's ability to curve. So FIFA is following up with some tests.

I think soccer's best times were when it was 100% "analog", e.g. when Maradona scored the goal using his arm.

Oh and Pelé is a wanker.

[ZeroAX]

I'm interested then what the expectations of the Greek fans is for their national team. For England it's "don't embarrass us" and to maybe make the second round. Are you confident of getting to the next phase?

I want to see us play our best. The problem with the Greek national team is that with a few exceptions (Karagounis being the most standout player), most players are not passionate about winning. They don't chase balls or do that extra sprint. But when (the planets align and) the team plays well, combined with our strong defense, we can get good results (like how we kicked out Russia from the 2012 euro tournament).

I think we'd all be happy with making it to the second round. We don't have any really strong opponents so it should be doable, specially if we play well like in 2012. If we play like in 2010 on the other hand.....

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That seems like a reasonable expectation. Ivory Coast should give you trouble with their muscularity but I'd expect you to beat Japan and close Columbia out of the game.

I might have to revise and lower my expectations for England after last nights friendly.
It wasn't woeful but we had a lot of possession without doing anything. How Chris Smalling has found himself an international footballer is beyond me. Oh, and the one ray of light in Ross Barkley's performance was instantly quashed by the manger.

The commentary ran "England were doing quite well, until they conceded" which reminded me of the Wall Street Journal headline "The radium water worked fine until his jaw came off". Not losing is not the same as winning, Roy Hodgson!

[Blu]

Sterling has been stellar this year for Liverpool, but looks like he's behaving a bit erratically and irresponsibly for The Three Lions.

I'm more worried about Ox. To come back from injury only to be possibly sidelined again. He has a great creative attack and is probably one of your best in creating chances.

As for US, we might have caught a break if CR3 isn't up to 100%, but I'm not holding my breath either.

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I do like Oxlade-Chamberlian as he tends to make those surging runs from midfield that scare the shit out of defenders. Barkley does that too but Hodgson would rather focus on how he gave the ball away and praise decidedly mediocre performances like those of Phil Jones and Jack Wilshire (though they are both coming back from injury in fairness). I'm of the opinion that Sterling should maybe come on against Italy but should start against Uruguay and Costa Rica. Uruguay's defence is solid but slow and I think Sterling is the best player to take advantage of that.

[Blu]

Sterling might have some sense of how to manipulate Uruguay's defense like you said, and I hope he's taken a few tricks out of Suarez's playbook in terms of scoring, not diving. Ox is solid for his surges and that he's a decent finisher when it's a one-two that he started. And I admit for my bias, I'm a Gunner's fan at heart so I want to see the players see success. I hope the Three Lions find their form somewhere in the next 8 days.