OT - World Cup 2018 Thread

[AzorianPats]

I liked France 3rd but they didn’t play well today. They got some talent. I would like Portugal to get to a QFs and it’s possible but it seems they’re very dependent of cristiano. They need other players to step up.

France is talented, but young and inexperienced. I also feel like they always get every call to go their way. I hate them lol

Biased, but I think Portugal is more than just Ronaldo. He (along with Messi) are generation players. There’s good players in Portugal. Bernardo Silva from Man City, Goncalo Guedes who killed it with Valencia last year, and there’s a couple of really good players that play in Portugal and will make big money moves to bigger European clubs after the WC. Ronaldo wanted that game yesterday.

 

[AzorianPats]

So, during these games, I am hearing about players coming from Chelsea and other teams i think I recognize as English League. If someone would educate me...

Is the English League the NFL of soccer, or are other leagues pretty equal?
where are the other leagues?
do the leagues play against each other?
how long are the seasons and when are they?

thanks

Generally speaking the English Premier League ( EPL) is the most popular league. I’ll put the EPL along with LaLiga in Spain as the 2 best leagues in the world.

Behind the EPL and LaLiga is the German Bundesliga, Italian Série A, and the French Ligue 1. Next tier after those leagues is the Portuguese, Dutch, Turkish leagues. That are more a feeder leagues for the elite leagues in Europe. A lot of South American and African players will start their trade in one of those leagues to jump up.

European seasons tend to go from August to May. And the champions of each league play in the Champions League.

 

[JayNM]

Yes but ya still need Neymar. Saw that against Germany in 2014. Germany might have won still but he gives you that guy to pay attention to.

8
I mean, he is an almost undeniably one of the 5 best players in the world. He is the one who puts us over Germany or Spain, who have good teams, but dont have a superstar of his caliber

 

[Belichick8384]

USA is out.

No one to root for.

So who to follow....

I like rooting for underdogs but honestly its the same every WC, its usually a European team who wins it, all other times its a South American team. No CONCACAF, no Asia, no Africa. I want that to change, but this WC so far seems no different.

The closest I could see a non-European/non-South-American team to any measure of success are:

- Costa Rica (quarterfinals in 2014)
- Mexico
- Senegal (mmmmaybe....)
- Egypt (W/o Selah almost drew with Uruguay and have a guarunteed W against Saudi Arabia)

But I don't see these making it past the quarterfinals if they make it out of group stage. Europe & South America have teams way too good to lose against any of those I listed. The way Iran played, they're not making it out of group B unless one of the European teams lets them by f-ing up royally, but honestly how often does that happen?

Hoping for some excitement and a cinderella story but this could turn into yet another predictable snore fest real quick....

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

France is talented, but young and inexperienced. I also feel like they always get every call to go their way. I hate them lol

Biased, but I think Portugal is more than just Ronaldo. He (along with Messi) are generation players. There’s good players in Portugal. Bernardo Silva from Man City, Goncalo Guedes who killed it with Valencia last year, and there’s a couple of really good players that play in Portugal and will make big money moves to bigger European clubs after the WC. Ronaldo wanted that game yesterday.

That’s true but we need other players to rise to the occasion. Guedes had two clear chances and missed them.

 

[AzorianPats]

That’s true but we need other players to rise to the occasion. Guedes had two clear chances and missed them.

It wasn’t his best game, but Guedes got a **** ton of potential.

A lot of Portigies want to see him benched in favor of Andre Silva, but Guedes movements is nasty. Yesterday was a tough task for him and Bruno Fernandes. Spain plays the tik tok, and maintains a lot of possession. Portugal MF did a lot of running yesterday.

Our counter with him and CR7 looked dangerous.

I’m also biased. Guedes along with Renato Sanches and Ruben Neves have been my favorite prospects for a long time. Neves didn’t even make the squad after being the best player in the English championship for Wolverhampton.

 

[PP2]

Spirited game between Costa Rica and Serbia, fiesty. Excellent passing on both sides.

Watching it to pass the time before watching Germany v. Mexico. My family is from Germany so I'm kinda biased

 

[PP2]

Kolarov with a perfect one timer.. couldn't have more precise placement on that. Not to take away from Navas who has been spectacular in front of the net. That was just impossible to defend.

 

[BritPat]

Will respond to some of the previous posts later, specifically the fall of the Italian national team, but it's time to watch the brilliant Germans.

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

Will respond to some of the previous posts later, specifically the fall of the Italian national team, but it's time to watch the brilliant Germans.

Can’t stand the Germans. Will root for the underdog Mexico but it could get ugly.

 

[AzorianPats]

I’ll say this....

For a country the size of Mexico, and considering the size of Mexico in general, you would think they would be a super power in the sport, but they’re not.

 

[PP2]

Germany with the superior foot control and their usual precision passing. That's going to wear Mexico down, especially if they keep attacking the passing.

 

[1960Pats]

Can't wait for the USMNT to miss qualifying again in 2022 even though like a quarter of the countries in the world will make it. Our country's youth development is a huge joke.

It doesn't appear that our country's youth likes the game all that much.

 

[AzorianPats]

1-0 Mexico. Well deserved. Counter attack for them been dangerous.

 

[AzorianPats]

It doesn't appear that our country's youth likes the game all that much.

Your spewing **** you know nothing about, but this is for another day.

 

[PP2]

Uncharacteristic lapse in defense. Lazy coverage on the perimeter.

 

[borg]

Gooooooooooaaaaaaaalllllll!
Mexico
This Mexico-Germany contest is on its way to matching the Spain-Portugal end to end excitement

 

[BritPat]

Wonderful counter-attacking goal from Mexico. Superb and richly deserved. Germany have been extremely lacklustre and ponderous.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

It doesn't appear that our country's youth likes the game all that much.

Why would you play soccer when you can potentially get much more money in professional football, baseball, basketball and even hockey?

 

[PP2]

It doesn't appear that our country's youth likes the game all that much.

It's not about that. There's no money in soccer in this country, so the most talented athletes turn to football, basketball, hockey, and baseball. Those four sports soak up a great deal of talent in this country, so there's not much left over for soccer.