So I Watched Football Today

[-Origin]

Not just in England. In the world.

On a sidenote;

America scored a goal in the 91st minute, with England winning 1-0 over Slovenia.

Which means England and America go through to the next round. Grats.

 

[Zeonix]

Huzzah

 

[-Origin]

You should've seen Donovan. He went bat**** bonkers when the whistle blew.

 

[Barney]

All I can say is. AMERICUH!!!

And I'm only half American now, but I'm still very proud of my boys.

 

[Zeonix]

We won FIFA, guys.

 

[GATE Elemental]

We won FIFA, guys.

Google for that:
You mean, you just completed 100% on FIFA 2010?

 

[Zeonix]

It was a self-depreciating joke poking fun at the perception that Americans are ignorant, especially when it comes to football.

 

[GATE Elemental]

I like the generalization.

 

[Sicron]

[video=youtube;7B2LPxggvqY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B2LPxggvqY[/video]

I just had to post this here though.

 

[-Origin]

For whoever didn't know, Japan played Paraguay yesterday and lost after penalties. Yuichi Komano missed his penalty. Now, read this;

The player who missed his shot was defender Yuichi Komano. He was the third player to shoot on the Japanese side, and his kick was too high, hitting the goal post.

So what did the Japanese media decide to do? Just as the sting of the loss is still fresh, interview Komano's mother in his hometown.

Here is his mother apologizing on television. The network is Japan's TBS, which has run questionable segments in the past.

Why does his mother have to apologize? Komano wasn't the only player who missed an opportunity to score a goal during the game. If the team would have scored a goal, it never would have been put in this situation. Komano's miss was the most visible and, sadly, the most memorable. But singling him out and putting his mother (his mother!) on the spot is cruel.

"This is deplorable," tweeted Square Enix exec Yoichi Wada. "Deplorable. How ungrateful." The Japanese mass media should be more respectful of things like this. Interview Komano. His teammates. His coach. But his mom?

http://kotaku.com/5576126/square-enix-honcho-calls-world-cup-interview-deplorable

Lame, Japanese media. Very lame. Japan is now the 9th (!) best country in the WORLD. I'd say they did a pretty damn good job.

 

[dutchmeat]

I hope we Dutchies are going to do better again Brasil than we did in the past games.

Still, I love this CNN video about those crazy dutch supporters; http://www.videonewslive.com/view/458646/world_cups_orange_army

 

[Tenzo]

Japan is now the 9th (!) best country in the WORLD. I'd say they did a pretty damn good job.

I watched the game. They were pretty good indeed. Too bad they lost on penalties.

 

[The Deco]

I'd say penalties is mostly about luck, and keeper skill. I hate penalties, they screw everything up.

 

[-Origin]

It's really not about keeper skill. A well shot penalty is unstoppable. Ask any goal keeper.

 

[AmoN]

well, penalties is not about looking where the ball flies.. its about picking a direction and hope for the best. (for the goal keeper)

 

[-Origin]

Exactly. If you wait for the ball to be shot, you're already too late.

 

[Tenzo]

Yeah. It's like playing a ticket to the lottery.

 

[Sicron]

So who is going to win next Saturday? Netherlands, or Brasil?

 

[KYnetiK]

I still think soccer is only exciting to watch when one team is predominantly better than the other. The freedom to pass and rush lends to some really awesome plays. Sadly, the game is very stunted when both teams are equally skillful. Its like a tug of war where nobody budges, the only thing that makes it a game is of endurance - that eventual chance of who slips first, which even then may not happen and the game is drawn.

AFL on the other hand, is tenfold more exciting when both teams are equally skilled, while at the same time a match with a significantly lesser team still offers some exceptional football. These sorts of matches tend to be more for the opportunity to sledge the losing team for their deplorable play.
Since scoring is easier in AFL (we have goals and points and a wider target area), the scoreboard essentially registers how many times a team slipped, and how efficient the other team were at tallying such a score (goals vs points). That being said, defending the goal-square isnt an impossible feat. I think this dynamic scoreboard keeps the energy up, for the players and the fans. Soccer should learn from this and adapt. Wont hold my breath though

 

[dutchmeat]

It's Friday, not Saturday.