Who will win the world cup?

Brazil is a good bet, but things to consider:
- Cafu and Roberto Carlos are somewaht old for this level of competition, but they are still quite good. Their resepective club teams usually use them as subs
- too many competing egos that are all looking for "highlight momemts" that will secure advertising deals (Nike, Adidas, etc...)
- Even though I like Dida, I think the goal keeping role is a weak point

Brazil or Argentina. I think the USA could get to the semi finals as well.

I didnt think that the usa (america) took part.

I didnt think that the usa (america) took part. [/b][/quote]Yeah but those egg chasers still wear all the pads and helmets and keep giving up fouls and penalties for picking up the ball.

Yeah

Argentina of course!

Really? I'd love to hear the reasons why you think so... usually I'd doubt it right off the bat, but if you say so, maybe they've got something I haven't noticed this year. For sure I wouldn't have them taking it all home, though.

I was disappointed in Poland today. It's not like I follow the team or anything, but when they got on the field, for the first like 15 minutes or so, they looked like they were going to be the better team, I liked their playing style better than Ecuador's. But I guess Ecuador was more ready than they looked. I kept thinking Poland would score though. They blew a LOT of chances. Germany was a good win, though.

I cannot WAIT for Argentina tomorrow. That's going to be fun to watch. Today I kept thinking, I can't wait until we have some more hot-blooded teams on the field. Man, it's like an art form, isn't it?

The world cup has started "COME ON ENGLAAAAND!!

Really? I'd love to hear the reasons why you think so...[/b][/quote]Here are a few reasons.........
DaMarcus Beasley | Midfielder - Champions League experience, goal focused and fast

Carlos Bocanegra | Defender - 2 time defender of the year

Brian Ching | Forward - hot for headers - tall and fast

Bobby Convey | Midfielder - break out player - look for surprises

Landon Donovan | Midfielder - even as a midfielder, he will serve as an extra striker with great ball control

Brian McBride | Forward - kept Fulham from relegation this year - he will be the top US scorer this year

Oguchi Onyewu | Defender - this big man is selfish about his area on defense and he's smart (more than a match for the 6'8" Koller w/ the Czech's)

Kasey Keller | Goalkeeper - lots of European experince, but I like Tim Howard a little better (faster reactions)

Claudio Reyna | Midfielder - very experienced captain that will help control midfield - also, he's an American born half Argentine / half Portuguese - WOW!

Englaaaand!!!!!

sorry to disappoint you but USA just got spanked by the Czech Republic 3-0. now Italy's on the line. I think they're gonna win easy.

Well, Italy won 2-0 against Ghana, but it wasn´t an easy match. The second goal was a mistake of a back up player from Ghana.

Wasn't it Kuffour who made that mistake?

Hard to win when you stand around watching the other team shoot un-contested. Nevertheless, I am no fair weather fan. Hopefully, they will watch the game and adjust accordingly. I still hold high hopes that Ching and McBride will start a scoring binge.

yes it was him. and WHAT-A-MISTAKE! oh my god he screwed up big time! Brazil is coming tomorrow, I can't wait to see how it will be. either champion or a bust I think.

So my brother predicted before the game today that Crouch would score in the 83rd minute.

That was weird..

Yeah OMG that is weird

Barely played with his European sub-top team PSV
They are not bad players, but there are 100's of players like these, they can't make the difference.

"Guch" is a very good defender indeed.

Not bad, but he won't 'make' the game since he is a defensive midfielder.

Sorry guys, but the USA won't make it to the 1/4 finals again, like they did in 2002. Italy and Tsjech Rep. wil go trough.

Well,we've had the first shock of the finals Ghana beat the czechs 2-0,who seen that coming

I agree... watching them play on Monday, I wondered how they made it past the qualifiers. :rolleyes: Today should be a fun game though, just because it's Italy and they're always fun to watch. Forza Azzurri!

But yeah, USA is going down. I love my country and all, but soccer is just not something this nation does well.

Well, if nothing else, Italy certainly wins the award for Best Looking Players. :p

Current Score: USA v Italy 1-1

45 Minutes to play, my prediction:

USA will beat Italy 3-1.

Oh man, for SURE. Del Piero, Inzaghi, Toni, Gilardino... the list goes on. No other team has that many. I miss Corradi though, he was fun.

WTF with Zaccardo, man? That smile will only get you so far, my friend.

Even though he's in a Zimmer frame now, Paulo Maldini is by far the best looking footballer ever to have graced the Earth. I'd kill for his eyes.

What was the score i didnt watch it till the end?

final score 1-1

O h so it stopped 1-1 then!?

FRANCE
Barthez is an awful keeper. Goddamnit, France deserved that win .

Viva la fronse!

Wow, you managed to mix 3 languages in 3 words. Good job!

Oh man, for SURE. Del Piero, Inzaghi, Toni, Gilardino... the list goes on. No other team has that many. I miss Corradi though, he was fun.

WTF with Zaccardo, man? That smile will only get you so far, my friend. [/b][/quote]You're mistaken. The best looking players to grace the field are Iain Dowie aka Mr Incredible:

[img]http://www.the-onion-bag.com/image.php?story=15&io=2&ft=jpg[/img]

And Peter Beardley:

I really hope Rooney and Owen start tomorrow's game. Bring Crouchy on once we've got four goals.

Yeah thats what i hope. Owen a cool player dont you think?

He's beter than Crouch.

Brazil

I know that you can never write Brazil off,but there not looking as strong as they normally are,Ronaldo has been awful this year and Ronaldhinho hasn't been able to pull off any tricks as yet.But will see

Ronaldo was the top goalscorer of Real Madrid this year. Madrid finished 2nd in Spain.

Rubbish, for current form which is all what counts really Crouch is alot better, he's scoring goals while Owen is unfit, out of form and off the pace by about 5 yards, the only reason not to play Crouch is to not risk him getting banned for the last 16.

Also Italy really aren't an entertaining team whoever said they were, they play ugly boring football.

I can't believe we're at the half way point of the competition already. I counted how many goals scored in the tournament already. Can you believe there's been over 70 goals?

I know they'll choke like they always do but Spain look GOOD when they realise they have to play. Very much like England - sometimes I'd rather we go a goal down just to see the players actually play.

Yeah well lets hope England Had to that tally tonight.

Englaaaaaand!!!

Horrible second half performance by England, the defensive was horrible, taking Campbell ahead of Brown must be a joke and Sven has bottled bringing Walcott on whatsoever, Bent should have been brought in, and Beckham deserves to be dropped after that performance,let the man he was marking get away to score the 1st Sweden goal. We struggled and teams who struggle don't win Tournmaents.

Did Greece struggle on the way to winning Euro 2004? I can't remember exactly, but I also can't remember ever considering they might win the thing.

They won the opening match against the Portugal of Maniche, Deco, Figo, Ronaldo, Pauleta, Carvalho and Andrade

No, they didn't actually struggle. They played good team football throughout Euro 2004.

Owen's apparently out for five months.

Ameobi and Luque up front next season for the Toon?

Holland and Argentina played a nice match, a shame it was only 0-0.

Well.. that was certainly disappointing..

Ghana Beat USA 2-1

No worries, you'll get yours.

...and?

IMO, that was definitley not a penalty.

It wasn't indeed. A very slight push by 'Guch' Onyewu. Not worth a penalty. And that while almost killing someone during a corner is allowed.

Germany I feel has the upperhand. 1) it's their climate and areas 2) Germany is kicking ass this year! They are amazing!

Yeah but we never know do we.

It appears a riot has broken out between the English and German fans.

Turi, go home and behave yourself.

England and Ecuador
1-0 to england!!!

Our victory parade? Indeed we shall.

Fuck, Holland's out. Stupid Figo with his stupid schwalbe.

The same one you want to face Argentina in the semis, fucker?

Yes because the English are even bigger fuckers than the Portuguese, also because the Portuguese can actually play football, and because I think Portugal-Argentina will be much more interesting than Argentina- England. I mean, who wants to see Beckham miss another penalty and get another red card?

No one, and he won't. Jesus, that happened like a decade or something ago. Fucker.

Discovered a new word?

Beckham missed a penalty against Argentina in 1998. He also got a red card in that match. Beckham kicked a penalty in box F at Euro 2004. He'll do it again, mark my words.

Prophetic fucker.

Mark mine.

Which is?

"Prophetic fucker." I'd already said them.

Anyway, it should be noted that Frank Lampard is our "official" penalty taker. He's even taking all five of our penalties should we make it to a shootout.

What a horrificly officiated match between the Netherlands and Portugal. That official totally lost control and authority over everything.

Ow, like that.

Frank Lampard. He should do something about his hair.

Fucker.

Mmm. About the last half hour you're right, but a lot of yellow cards where correct. Doesn't matter if there are already 100 card given, a hard fault must be given a yellow card.
Nevertheless, some things were seen very wrong by the referee, like the second yellow card of Boulahrouz after the Figo was playing some excellent theatre.

France will win the World Cup. I hope they play Ukraine but it will probably be argentina.

Oh are they bigger ******* ??? See im english so i think the complete opposite i bet if you were english you would not think that.

I want Argentina-England as the final match.

England has to beat Portugal for sure.

Argentina may get a harder match facing Germany...

Lets hope England do beat Portugal!!!

I was wrong!!!!!

I hate Rinoldo. He is a cheat no all of the portuguese are cheats!!!

Ronaldo.

Rooney shouldn't have planted his foot in Carvalho's soft parts. :p

The press have been very tame with that incident; hardly a mention, whereas Beckham was made the scapegoat in '98 when he lashed out.

Eriksson even praised his temperemant. I'm not so sure; sort of ambivalent towards it. He shouldn't have done it, certainly, but I'm not so sure that the ref was even going to send him off before he pushed Ronaldo.

I hope Ronaldo doesn't sign for a Spanish team or something; I'd love to see him get a hostile reception come the start of the Premiership.

Yeah me too!!

Ronaldo is already being hung out to dry by sections of the English (and British) media.

Farcical, the guy pushed Rooney's buttons and knew exactly how to wind him up. If Rooney had any sense at all, he would have walked away, but took the bait.

Things like that, and I'm talking about the incident at kick off when Ronaldo had a niggle at Rooney and words were exchanged, happen in EVERY game at every level.

For some reason, Ronaldo will be on the end of a witch hunt. Meanwhile Rooney, who stood on a guys meat and two veg, will be protected as he is the great English hope for the next world cup.........

The Scottish Don, indeed... :rolleyes:

Rooney got the red card for kicking Ricardo Carvalho, not for pushing Christiano Ronaldo.

Rooney should have had a free kick because Carvalho had a hold of his shirt. Carvalho had his legs wrapped around rooneys foot, what other direction would his foot have gone when he passed the ball? should he have stopped, let carvalho get back and defend? He was trying to get away from Carvalho, and as for Ronaldo, why did he have to run over to the referee demanding him off the pitch? Then the little wink to the bench and the fact he said to rooney before the game 'i'm going to get you sent off'.

Stamping on balls or not, Rooney stayed on his feet, which is more than you can say for plenty of others. He's said since that all he had on his mind was the ball, on keeping possession for his team.

Which doesn't take away that he stood on Carvalho's Ricky. And as such deserved a card.

No, it doesn't. But whether it was intentional is entirely subjective, no?

damn
we lost it

now i want Portgual to win the Final.

Yep.

Or...no. I have to re-see the images to judge.

Hey i want france to win! Now

Italy 1 - 0

ds

Who's getting the Golden Boot this year, anyway? I totally haven't been looking at the goalscorers, much.

Nominees Golden Bal

Italië:
Andrea Pirlo
Fabio Cannavaro
Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluca Zambrotta

Frankrijk:
Zinédine Zidane
Patrick Vieira
Thierry Henry

Duitsland:
Michael Ballack
Miroslav Klose

Portugal:
Maniche

I think Pirlo, Zidane, and Cannavaro deserve it most. I hope Pirlo will win, but it will probably be Zidane.

All Golden Bals since the start of the trophee

1982 - Paolo Rossi (Italië)
1986 - Diego Maradona (Argentinië)
1990 - Salvatore Scillaci (Italië)
1994 - Romario (Brazilië)
1998 - Ronaldo (Brazilië)
2002 - Oliver Kahn (Duitsland)

Sorry, I meant the top goalscorer. The Golden Boot, not Golden Ball.

I know. Top goalscorer will be Klose. Probably.

So it's Italy. I liked both teams but I leaned towards France because of Zidane. What a damn shame about Zizu. I wonder what was the reason for a headbutt to the chest.