papazoid Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 World Cup flop rankings. http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-world-rankings-of-flopping-1403660175 good thing players do not embellish flops in the NBA, holding in the NFL, diving in the NHL and hit by pitch in MLB.
Mr. WEO Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 Humor doesn't fit you. Just stick to your bread and butter - Cynicism. Oh wait.....That was cynicism. When European soccer is as wildly popular in Europe as the NFL is in the US, those leagues will get NFL type TV contracts and ditch the huge ads on their team jerseys, no? I think a lot of that is due to the fact that NBC among others are now broadcasting a lot of English Premier League soccer matches both live (fairly early weekend mornings in the US) and replays. The quality of these games is so much above MLS that Americans finally have a chance to see how the game should be played more than once every 4 years. Heh NBC streams the games live on all formats and offers tape delay. I don't see the casual American World Cup watching sports fan tuning in to their mobile device to watch live, nor is it likely they would watch tape delay. The audience will be people already really into soccer--hence NBC only paid $250 million for 3 years for all 380 games played.
dubs Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 (edited) Dempsey's broken nose and Altidore's hammy certainly contributed. If you read the methodology, you'd see that actual injuries were discarded from the numbers. To be fair, it is actually possible to get hurt playing soccer. You can clang heads. You can snap a hamstring. You can get spiked in the soft tissue. There were nine injuries in total that forced players to be substituted from the game and to miss, or potentially miss, a match. These were discarded. That left 293 cases of potential embellishment that collectively took up 118 minutes, 21 seconds. So maybe Dempseys was included by Altidore certainly not. Edited June 26, 2014 by dubs
frogger Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 If we take one thing from the World Cup, I would like it to be this Imagine if we could use this prior to the opening kick off or other key moments, Ralph Wilson Stadium needs a chant...Obviously chanting USA wouldn't work, but Buffalo would.
Campy Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 If we take one thing from the World Cup, I would like it to be this Imagine if we could use this prior to the opening kick off or other key moments, Ralph Wilson Stadium needs a chant...Obviously chanting USA wouldn't work, but Buffalo would. Let's go Buffalo?
dubs Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 Great to see the US advance to the sweet 16! But that celebration at the end of the Germany game was pretty strange. We just got absolutely demolished and barely squeaked into the next round. We finished at 500 with a 0 goal differential. How about being a little sheepish at the last game (plus mental lapse at the end of the Portugal game) getting clobbered! Maybe don't celebrate it 2 seconds after it's over. Weird.
bbb Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 Great to see the US advance to the sweet 16! But that celebration at the end of the Germany game was pretty strange. We just got absolutely demolished and barely squeaked into the next round. We finished at 500 with a 0 goal differential. How about being a little sheepish at the last game (plus mental lapse at the end of the Portugal game) getting clobbered! Maybe don't celebrate it 2 seconds after it's over. Weird. Did the players celebrate or the fans?
dubs Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 Did the players celebrate or the fans? I saw all the players celebrating while still on the field right after the match in which they got steamrolled. Maybe that's normal, just struck me as a little strange. At least wait until you get into the locker room.
CodeMonkey Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 (edited) Great to see the US advance to the sweet 16! But that celebration at the end of the Germany game was pretty strange. We just got absolutely demolished and barely squeaked into the next round. We finished at 500 with a 0 goal differential. How about being a little sheepish at the last game (plus mental lapse at the end of the Portugal game) getting clobbered! Maybe don't celebrate it 2 seconds after it's over. Weird. But won on goal differential by 3 goals and they knew it when they were still on the field. They did back in, based primarily by Germany beating Portugal by 4 goals. But our team is mainly comprised of "also ran" players so just advancing out of arguably the most difficult group is a nice accomplishment. So I don't mind some celebrating. Edited June 26, 2014 by CodeMonkey
section122 Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 (edited) I wanted to avoid this thread badly but oh well.... If you read the methodology, you'd see that actual injuries were discarded from the numbers. To be fair, it is actually possible to get hurt playing soccer. You can clang heads. You can snap a hamstring. You can get spiked in the soft tissue. There were nine injuries in total that forced players to be substituted from the game and to miss, or potentially miss, a match. These were discarded. That left 293 cases of potential embellishment that collectively took up 118 minutes, 21 seconds. So maybe Dempseys was included by Altidore certainly not. The issue I take with this is that an injury does not have to be substitued or miss another game to be seriously injured. Take Dempsey's injury for example. He has a broken nose and bruising but had to be back on the field quickly. Without the ability to substitute injured players they are faced with either going right back out or having their team play a man down. This happens regularly. I know you are on the "not a soccer fan" side but I can think of 2 injuries specifically that have happened to me that are debilitating in the moment but recoverable from eventually. They are getting cleated in the calf while running and taking a slide tackle to the ankle bone. Both of these hurt like hell but within a few minutes generally the pain subsides. It gets really tiring when people rag on soccer for the flopping when every other sport has it's variation and people don't make nearly as much the stink. Great to see the US advance to the sweet 16! But that celebration at the end of the Germany game was pretty strange. We just got absolutely demolished and barely squeaked into the next round. We finished at 500 with a 0 goal differential. How about being a little sheepish at the last game (plus mental lapse at the end of the Portugal game) getting clobbered! Maybe don't celebrate it 2 seconds after it's over. Weird. Making it out of the "group of death" is a huge accomplishment. Pretty much every prognosticator including most American ones had them out before the second round. Their group included 2 top 5 teams and Ghana which has given them fits recently. Do you get mad when teams in other sports clinch playoff births even though they lost (I can think specifically of baseball teams celebrating on the field after a loss but clinching the playoffs)? This is a big deal regardless of how you feel. Edited June 26, 2014 by section122
reddogblitz Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 What if NFL teams could only substitute 2 players for the whole game and the guy that came out can't go back in? This is one rule in soccer that could make the game more exciting for us Yanks. Allow unlimited substitution. It gets to the end of the game when a team really needs a goal and the guys are all gassed because they played the whole game. How about if coach pulled Dempsey for a blow for 20 minutes in second half? Then he comes in in crunch time with fresh legs instead of sleep walking? I've seen many MLS games and some world cup games and it looks to me like at the end of the game the guys are just too pooped to pop, USA was down one goal and Germany got ball deep in their own end and USA guys aren't even challenging. Walking around trying to breathe. Allowing freer substitution would a great improvement IMHO.
section122 Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 What if NFL teams could only substitute 2 players for the whole game and the guy that came out can't go back in? This is one rule in soccer that could make the game more exciting for us Yanks. Allow unlimited substitution. It gets to the end of the game when a team really needs a goal and the guys are all gassed because they played the whole game. How about if coach pulled Dempsey for a blow for 20 minutes in second half? Then he comes in in crunch time with fresh legs instead of sleep walking? I've seen many MLS games and some world cup games and it looks to me like at the end of the game the guys are just too pooped to pop, USA was down one goal and Germany got ball deep in their own end and USA guys aren't even challenging. Walking around trying to breathe. Allowing freer substitution would a great improvement IMHO. The college rule (when I played not sure if it is still valid) was that you could be subbed out at any time but couldn't return until the start of the next half. Basically freer substituting without causing non stop delays.
CodeMonkey Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 (edited) What if NFL teams could only substitute 2 players for the whole game and the guy that came out can't go back in? This is one rule in soccer that could make the game more exciting for us Yanks. Allow unlimited substitution. It gets to the end of the game when a team really needs a goal and the guys are all gassed because they played the whole game. How about if coach pulled Dempsey for a blow for 20 minutes in second half? Then he comes in in crunch time with fresh legs instead of sleep walking? I've seen many MLS games and some world cup games and it looks to me like at the end of the game the guys are just too pooped to pop, USA was down one goal and Germany got ball deep in their own end and USA guys aren't even challenging. Walking around trying to breathe. Allowing freer substitution would a great improvement IMHO. Its 3 substitutions. But as people are complaining about the pussification of the NFL now, that would be the cry if they tried to do what you are suggesting. A big part of the game is being fit enough to play the entire game. Not sitting on the bench for half the game or more. Kids here, and I assume everywhere, allow unlimited substitutions which obviously makes sense. But up at the pro level fitness should play a role in my opinion. "Friendlies" (soccer term for scrimmages) generally allow unlimited subs, but once you go out you can't go back in. Free substitutions would disrupt the flow of the game too much as well. If they were to implement a "for Americans" rule change, I'd prefer a blue line like hockey over this (though I want neither). Edited June 26, 2014 by CodeMonkey
The Wiz Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 What if NFL teams could only substitute 2 players for the whole game and the guy that came out can't go back in? I like the idea actually. Would see more home run plays and big qb sacks.
bbb Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 Costa Rica claimed to be in the Group of Death. How much death was there?
Magox Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 Considering only two teams make it out of each group, and we were matched up against the #2 and #4 teams in the world along with Ghana a nemesis of ours who happened to knock us out of the last two world cups, it's a great accomplishment. But, yeah, the nerve that they would celebrate this accomplishment in public is terrible. Sheesh, just celebrate in private in the locker room, never mind the millions of fans that have been cheering you on, they don't want to see your stinking celebration!
CodeMonkey Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 (edited) Costa Rica claimed to be in the Group of Death. How much death was there? They were with england and italy so it may have looked that way to them going in. But england and italy are both playing golf now so ... Edited June 26, 2014 by CodeMonkey
reddogblitz Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 (edited) Its 3 substitutions. Thanks for the clarification. I played in the Seattle Sounders FC band one year and I thought it was 2. Maybe it is in MLS, not sure. Anyway, thanks again for straightening me out on that. A big part of the game is being fit enough to play the entire game. Not sitting on the bench for half the game or more. But I maintain that they are not. At the end of the game a lot of them are just standing or walking around when they need for speed and explosiveness is high. Again, I point to the Americans not even challenging the German defenders deep in their own end of the pitch at the end of the match down by a goal. It's a different kind of game and I get that. But allowing more guys to sub in would make it more exciting IMHO. Watching guys totally gassed out at the end of the game is not exciting IMHO. I don't hate it, but I don't think its a "beautiful game" either. If they were to implement a "for Americans" rule change, I'd prefer a blue line like hockey over this (though I want neither). My rule "for Americans" would be no offside rule at all. As that rule has been beaten up on this thread a lot anyway, I just decided to bring one up that hadn't been discussed as of yet. Edited June 26, 2014 by reddogblitz
CodeMonkey Posted June 26, 2014 Posted June 26, 2014 But I maintain that they are not. At the end of the game a lot of them are just standing or walking around when they need for speed and explosiveness is high. Again, I point to the Americans not even challenging the German defenders deep in their won end of the pitch at the end of the match. But how were the Germans? Sucking wind or more fit? The weather in Brazil now will certainly make fitness a key attribute to a teams success.
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