My little bro went up to Chicago tonight to see Argentina in the copa america. Messi with a hat trick off the bench. That's like seeing Joe Montana throw five tds or Jordan score 50.
My little bro went up to Chicago tonight to see Argentina in the copa america. Messi with a hat trick off the bench. That's like seeing Joe Montana throw five tds or Jordan score 50.
Somos libres!
Peru beats Brazil for the first time in 35 years on a hand of god goal. Great game.
USA! USA! That was a fun match. Semi's in the Copa America is no small feat.
Ugh. Penalty kicks. A really stupid part of an otherwise great sport.
Well, that was just awful. Messi misses his first shootout PK ever, and it's a huge one. He so depressed, he's talking about not playing for Argentina anymore. I really wanted him to finally be the hero in this thing. I guess that's what makes sports the best drama on TV - it doesn't follow the script.
Chile is pretty much the worst south american country, and they have back-to-back championships.
I will never understand why PK's aren't moved back. As it is now, they are 99% kicker, 1 % keeper. Why would anyone be opposed to finding the sweet spot where they are 50/50? That would be far more interesting at the end of extra time and would also be far more appropriate for an in-game PK.
This might not be on your radar, but Peru is close to its first World Cup birth (berth? they both make sense in a way) since 1982. Tied for 4th in qualifying with matches against Argentina and Colombia remaining.
So many good sports things happening tonight!
World Cup time! Greatest sporting event in the world. Here's your rooting guide.
Group A: Go Egypt. Salah a rising star. Go Saudi Arabia just because nobody likes Uruguay, and we all want Russia to fall flat on its face for being a dick country.
Group B: Go Morocco. Then Spain just because nobody should be rooting for Iran in anything, and Portugal is such a bunch of pretty boys.
Group C: Go Peru. The blanquirojas are in their first WC since 1982. And they are Ute colors. Then Australia because socceroos. France is a Euro juggernaut, so we should root against them. Denmark? So bland in every way. How did the Scandinavian nations rig all those happiness surveys to make people believe they are the happiest people on earth? No way the happiest people on earth live in a place where the sun doesn't come out for months at a time and where, between four nations, there is not one decent national cuisine.
Group D: Go everyone. Seriously, the most likable group. Argentina is the Cleveland Cavs. Messi trying desperately to carry a bad team to a title. Argentina is the emotional favorite of all the contenders just for Leo. Iceland is fun. It's next to impossible to root against the African teams, especially when they play their European oppressors. And Croatia? Who has anything against them? They have the checkerboard jersey.
Group E: Go Ticos! Costa Rica - always skillful, and always too little in stature to get it done against the taller Euros/Africans/Brasil. Then Brasil because it's fun when they are good. No reason to root for Serbia or Switzerland in anything.
Group F: Vamos Mexico! America's other team! Then South Korea because it's great that Korea and Japan have come so far so quickly in soccer. Sweden is so happy with their fermented fish that they don't need a successful WC. And Germany started both great wars, so BOOOOO!
Group G: Go Panama! This is their first World Cup! Ever! Then Tunisia because Belgium and England are so boring.
Group H: Go Japan! Rising sun! Then Colombia and Senegal. And who really cares about Poland?
Salah on the bench for Egypt versus Uruguay. Not good for Egypt's hopes.
I’m in Peru for the next 2 weeks. Looking forward to enjoying some World Cup excitement outside the US.
"Don't apologize; it's not your fault. It's my fault for overestimating your competence."
What is bad about being the Italy of South America? Italy is a top three European nation (with France and Greece), right? I've never been to Europe, but I'm pretty sure I'd go to Italy about 10 times before I got bored enough to book a trip to England.
So far, every game in the cup has gone against me. But that always happens because I root for underdogs and Leo Messi.
Well, that makes more sense. Wait, Italian soccer is known for ugly defense and counterattacks. Argentina is known for not being able to do anything despite having the best player in the world.
I'm sure I would love Europe, but I'm not sure I'll ever make it over there. I'm pretty cheap, and I hate long flights. France and Italy seem like great places to visit. But I would want to go for at least 6 months.
Watching Poland this morning - they have a krystkoviak, but he spells it differently.
When Brazilian fans travel for the World Cup.
https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comme...la&sh=b1bd8746
My first real exposure to the World Cup was in ‘94. Was in California on a family vacation and my brother in law had served a mission in Brazil, so he talked us into getting tickets to Brazil/Cameroon in Palo Alto. Amazing. I thought that the stadium was going to come down with all the jumping and stomping. One of the coolest sporting events I’ve ever been to.
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The celebrations in Mexico after they beat Germany were picked up by seismographs.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ake/708783002/
A distribution of player heights from the 2018 World Cup, by position.
soccer-height.jpg
While he doesn't have it by region, he has a live version on his blog that shows the names and stats.
https://www.johnwmillr.com/fifa-worl...ed-by-position
Round of 16 starts in the morning!
Uruguay vs Portugal. Go Uruguay because they aren't european. My son saw Ronaldo in one of the games I was watching and said "wow, that guy has a really long neck." It's true. He does.
France vs Argentina. I have very little hope for Argentina, but I'm with them all the way. Messi deserves it more than anyone. France has like 3 frenchmen on its roster.
Brazil vs Mexico. Of course, Brazil should win, but how can you root against Mexico?
Belgium vs Japan. Japan would be quite the story. Surprising that they even won a game, let alone advanced. Belgium is so big, and Japan is so small.
Spain vs Russia. I was rooting against Russia in the beginning, but I've changed course. It's not all those fans' fault that their nation is a corrupt wrecking ball.
Croatia vs Denmark. In general, go with eastern europe over the west. Just more interesting and less elite.
Sweden vs Switzerland. Uh...I have no reason to care about the outcome here. I would rather visit Switzerland than Sweden, I guess. But I like Swedish fish more than whatever gummy candy they produce in the alps.
Colombia vs England. Gotta pull for Colombia. They keep showing Valderrama in the stands when Colombia does well. No one wants that to end.
As it turns out, that bust of Ronaldo is actually fairly accurate.
ronaldo-accurate.jpg
France produces the most World Cup players.
https://www.vox.com/videos/2018/7/10...pe-immigration