Official "World cup 2014/2018" teat

[Xyzzy]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/pe...h-9564712.html

[pinhodecarlos]

Originally Posted by Xyzzy

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/pe...h-9564712.html

[ewmayer]

Originally Posted by ATH

Group D was also a group of death with 3 former World Champions.

Since that is based on past glory, that qualifies as "The AARP Group of Death." :) (Or perhaps "The WARP Group of Death," as this is a global tourney.)

So US got clearly outplayed by Germany, still squeaks into the round of 16, with an assist from the same team whose last-second-match-tying goal cost them the guaranteed advancement after round 2 of group play. Interesting times.

[chappy]

Originally Posted by ewmayer

So US got clearly outplayed by Germany, still squeaks into the round of 16, with an assist from the same team whose last-second-match-tying goal cost them the guaranteed advancement after round 2 of group play. Interesting times.

I've seen this idea quite a bit in the last hour, but I think it is wrong. The US did not squeak into the next round. The US had the second best record in the Group play, by the rules set down decades ago and agreed upon by the participants before the first game was played.

If Portugal wanted to be in the next round all they needed to do was lose less badly in the first round. Or beat the US. Or any number of other permutations that they did not do.

I didn't watch the game, because work, but I listened to what I could on the radio--so I'll hold back judgement on outplayed. But, so what? Germany is clearly a better team than the US, if they had performed poorly that would be the narrative to focus on. That will not always be the case.

We'll probably lose in the elimination round, too.

(I may use the AARP round joke without attribution :)

[Brian-E]

Sorry for my continued slight off-topicness but I now feel morally compelled to post the following.

In post #8 above I mocked Delta Airlines for tweeting a laughably inappropriate picture in response to the USA's victory over Ghana. Now my own country's international airline has done something similar, and this time it's pretty offensive, after The Netherlands' win over Mexico. The KLM has tweeted a photoshopped picture of an airport departures board with a sombrero, moustache and poncho (meant to be a stereotyped Mexican person) depicted on it. The airline has quite rightly deleted the tweet in response to an angry outcry. What is it with this World Cup fever which seems to cause even people employed in the public communications department of international airlines to abandon their judgment?


Source:
http://www.joop.nl/kijk-nou/detail/a..._wk_wedstrijd/

[LaurV]

Ok, now I am switching the sides, because I like exceptions, and I like to help the poor and innocent

Have you seen that from the 6 matches, the one winning was always the one qualified first in the groups? There is still Argentina to qualify (nobody gives too much chances to those swiss highlanders anyhow... or does it? ) then the last match must be an exception... the exception which confirms the rule...

Or, for that last match of the round, should we bet on David, like in the bible?

(now I upset all the rednecks here, hehe)

[firejuggler]

France against Germany. Hopefully the german will be tired from their last match.

[Batalov]

Originally Posted by LaurV

Have you seen that from the 6 matches, the one winning was always the one qualified first in the groups?

All eight 1/16ths ended with first in the group winning, in the end.

Of course, the prior probability for them was a bit higher (like eight biased coins), but still the fact that all eight came in heads is remarkable.

[ATH]

USA - Belgium was by far the most entertaining match of the round of 16. Too bad US didn't quite make it, they really fought for it.

I was hoping for them to get far in the tournament, so the real football can become more popular :)

Anyone from US can explain how popular soccer has become? From what I have seen in the news there were huge public large screen events for each of the matches, and millions of people rooting for the team. But what about when there is no Fifa World Cup? Has the Major Soccer League become more popular?

I remember back in '94 after the World Cup I heard mixed reports of how successful the event was in engaging the Americans.

[Prime95]

Originally Posted by ATH

Anyone from US can explain how popular soccer has become?

Soccer is very popular in the U.S......once every 4 years.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by Prime95

Soccer is very popular in the U.S......once every 4 years.

Everywhere else in the world, soccer is called football....