World Cup
- Thread starter Willcampbell
- Start date
Been exciting games though. A few of them have been really up and down. First game for each team is always the nervous one. I notice we did mention the Spain/Portugal game which was fantastic, or some of the other high paced ones.
But hey, you can always go back to the excitement of golf, baseball, or a 4 hour football game (with only 60 minutes on the clock).
Point taken, and I confess I haven't watched a single minute.Been exciting games though. A few of them have been really up and down. First game for each team is always the nervous one. I notice we did mention the Spain/Portugal game which was fantastic, or some of the other high paced ones.
But hey, you can always go back to the excitement of golf, baseball, or a 4 hour football game (with only 60 minutes on the clock).
OFC
Haha, fair enough.
The Spain/Portugal match was something non-fans would like. Lots of attacking and lots of goals. I would recommend watching those 2 teams in particular, as well as Germany and Brazil.
Even if your not a fan..you cant deny the skill that the game is played with at this level,there is not a lot of scoring because the defense is so good
I feasted on great soccer all weekend. I was definitely not yawning. I can't watch MLS for more than 7-8 minutes, but I watched like 7-8 hours of this high level play the last 3 days. The passing and control when receiving is insane. If you've never played competitively, it is hard to see the little things. I find this more entertaining than the NFL.
Interesting thing is that national teams aren't usually in sync. All of these players are playing for varying club teams. If neutrals want to get into really good soccer, watch the English Premier League on NBCSN. Especially when the top 6 or 7 teams are involved.
Got my DVR set...recording all games so I can binge watch when I get home from work
The only time of year I have time to watch anything other than CFB or CBB is summer, thus EPL isn't really on my radar. I do enjoy tuning in now and again for the heavyweight matchups like Real vs. Barca or Liverpool vs. Arsenal. It's a beautiful game when passes are clever and the shots are on goal. It won't be popular here until more young people play.
It's a lot of fun to watch the worst teams in the tournamnet. they have nothing to lose. So while the favorites are playing a bit too tight (I'm looking at you Germany and France, maybe Brazil), the Tunisias and Australias of the world are just having fun.
Today's games were quite good. Looking forward to tomorrow.
I always like that I can watch those matches in the morning and then watch America Football all afternoon, haha.
I always like that I can watch those matches in the morning and then watch America Football all afternoon, haha.
If Germany finishes 2nd in Mexico's group, it's very likely that there would be a Round of 16 matchup between Germany and Brazil. I picked Germany to win it all, but they looked really slow and disjointed when defending the Mexican counterattacks. Germany would have a very, very tough road ahead of them if they don't win the group. You're looking at Brazil and Belgium (both legit contenders) before you even reach the Semifinals (most likely France).
At this point, I would have to say Brazil verse Spain is the most likely matchup for the Finals.... But man, can Ronaldo put his team on his back like no one I've ever seen before. Would be pretty cool to see a LeBron-esque run to the World Cup Final... And Belgium could potentially upset Brazil. I'm ready for the Knockout stages, to be honest. The only drama left in the group stages is the slightest chance that Germany fails to advance (Mexico and Sweden are both up 3 points on the Germans, so Germany ideally needs to win both of their next 2 games).
At this point, I would have to say Brazil verse Spain is the most likely matchup for the Finals.... But man, can Ronaldo put his team on his back like no one I've ever seen before. Would be pretty cool to see a LeBron-esque run to the World Cup Final... And Belgium could potentially upset Brazil. I'm ready for the Knockout stages, to be honest. The only drama left in the group stages is the slightest chance that Germany fails to advance (Mexico and Sweden are both up 3 points on the Germans, so Germany ideally needs to win both of their next 2 games).
There is other Drama in the group stage. Germany is perhaps the most dramatic, but close behind is likely to be England v Belgium to determine the winner of the group. That match could have serious implications going forward.
Group H looks pretty weak, to be honest. Colombia and Poland are okay, but Colombia lost to Japan today (albeit with 10 players for most of the game). Honestly, it might be more advantageous to get 2nd place for Belgium or England. I think both teams are better than any team in Group H, and then you're looking at a Quarterfinal against maybe Mexico or Switzerland? That seems fairly manageable. If you win the group, the flip-side is facing Brazil or Germany in the Quarterfinals... Obviously a lot of things can change in the standings, but Mexico certainly has a leg-up on everyone else Group F.
Just for kicks and giggles, here's how the Round of 16 would look if you take the projections from FiveThirtyEight. The top half of the bracket has most of the juggernauts. It's kind of how the NCAA Tournament looked. Spain would have a pretty clear path towards the Final. If I'm Belgium, I'd be perfectly content taking 2nd place... But you never know how things will turn out. Germany may very well win their group, which will even the sides out a little better.
Top Half:
Russia
Portugal
France
Argentina
Brazil
Germany
Belgium
Senegal
Bottom Half:
Spain
Uruguay
Croatia
Denmark
Mexico
Switzerland
Japan
England
Top Half:
Russia
Portugal
France
Argentina
Brazil
Germany
Belgium
Senegal
Bottom Half:
Spain
Uruguay
Croatia
Denmark
Mexico
Switzerland
Japan
England
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Aren't you glad I started this thread, even though I don't care for soccer?
OFC
OFC
I have one son-in -law from Argentina and one from England. They both love the "playoffs". I have tried to watch but as I told them, to me it is boring as hell. They tell me baseball is the same to them. I agree with them on that one. Cant wait for real football to get here.
I mean, I'm new to the board, but my take away is that the free hoops board is really a free for all covering any random topic. Excluding politics (probably wise).
Honestly, the last round of matches in the group stage could be the worst sort of "playing to lose" jockeying for seeding in the knockout stage that we've ever seen.
Eh. Today's games look boring. I predict today we'll see the "bad" side of WC futbol: ie when a superior team gets a relatively early goal, despite not being overly aggressive. After getting a 1 v 0 score, the superior team then gets super passive and yanks its stars with 20 mins left. The subs will then be somewhat more aggressive, but they aren't as good, so it gets a little ragged.
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But vs the bad teams, the good ones just play D once they get a goal. Today is full of the games I typically hate.
Agreed. Tomorrow should have some decent games, though. Denmark v Australia, France v Peru, and Argentina v Croatia. Each game has a favorite, but none of them are gimmes.
And the "underdogs" are teams that are very dangerous to any but the top teams. It is like when Duke plays Clemson or VT in recent years. If Duke handles its business, we can and should win. But the other guys are dangerous if we don't bring the effort and execute at a moderate level. Any substandard play is dangerous.
Denmark and Argentina should have easier games, but France v Peru could be exciting.
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TO be sure, I expect all the favored teams to win, and possibly by 2+ goals. But that is because the favored team will not ever feel secure in the victory until they have either a 3+ goal lead by late in the first, or a 2 goal lead after the 70 min mark. So the favored teams will continue to press until the end. At the least, they won't go into bunker mode after goal 1. Today, Port and Uruguay knew they had it won the instant a goal was scored, and promptly began conserving energy for later games. Once that happens, you end up with a more-boring-than-baseball-or-golf slog wherein one team is a combination of inept and knows they can't win, while the other no longer cares because it is firmly over the speedbump.
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Sadly, there will be far more of these games in North America 2026 as they expand the field. Sure, a few more competitive European teams will get in, and maybe a few more Latin and South American teams (though most quality SA teams get in, the rest probably wouldn't be that dangerous), but it will mostly be an exercise in getting in a few more walkover games. Think, Thursday night FB games.
And there it was. 3 boring 1 - 0 games. Too many soccer opponents in this country will use today's results, and the games themselves, as evidence of how bad/boring futbol is.
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But the reality is that these were bad matchups. The winner was never in doubt, there is no longer any point to try hard wrt goal differential, and each team knows they've got games coming up.
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The ONLY real threat to Spain and Portugal today was in that they could have been too aggressive, giving up a goal in transition after a mistake on offense. Ergo, they have every incentive to send (and keep) their very few goal scorers forward, while the vast majority of the team plays defense. In mismatches like today it often results in low scoring, boring, games. But it is the smart tactical move. Obviously, not every soccer match is Spain v Portugal, but most games are interesting. These types of games, such as today's snore fest, are a sad inevitability in a tournament such as the WC.
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But the reality is that these were bad matchups. The winner was never in doubt, there is no longer any point to try hard wrt goal differential, and each team knows they've got games coming up.
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The ONLY real threat to Spain and Portugal today was in that they could have been too aggressive, giving up a goal in transition after a mistake on offense. Ergo, they have every incentive to send (and keep) their very few goal scorers forward, while the vast majority of the team plays defense. In mismatches like today it often results in low scoring, boring, games. But it is the smart tactical move. Obviously, not every soccer match is Spain v Portugal, but most games are interesting. These types of games, such as today's snore fest, are a sad inevitability in a tournament such as the WC.
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