OT - World Cup 2018 Thread

[slam]

Can anyone recommend a World Cup podcast to follow?

 

[Pats Fanatic]

 

[1960Pats]

Could not be more incorrect. The issue is with pay-to-play youth development systems that lead to vast swathes of the best young soccer players in the US being denied the opportunity to play with good coaches, thereby stunting their growth. Hint: the USMNT is mostly upper middle class white kids; do you think that's what the average soccer player in the US looks like?

Jonathan Gonzalez is the exemplar. Second-generation, California born, represented the US at every level but ultimately decided to play for Mexico and has an international cap already at age 19. There's a lost player who will probably be in Mexico's starting 11 by the time the World Cup comes home.

I haven't had many soccer discussions in my lifetime and my opinions are based on those limited talks. I've always wondered why we don't have a stronger men's team than we do, especially since the game has been played here now for many years.

I'm not sure that I understand the problem you described. Is the USMNT where kids need to go to really learn soccer and the kids who get to go are the wealthier kids? And how does a kid who was born in CA play for Mexico?

 

[BritPat]

Time for the glorious three lions.

There's little expectation about the team this time, which is in sharp contrast to almost all that have gone before since 1966. It's been helped that Gareth Southgate has so far gone about the job largely un-noticed, offering the right words when needed and with the team playing some nice football.

If England don't get far, which seems to be the expectation, group stages and then out, then it won't be met with the same gnashing of teeth as years gone by. Instead an acceptance that the squad is full of youth and is growing under someone that seems to be just the man England needed.

We shall see.

 

[BritPat]

I haven't had many soccer discussions in my lifetime and my opinions are based on those limited talks. I've always wondered why we don't have a stronger men's team than we do, especially since the game has been played here now for many years.

I'm not sure that I understand the problem you described. Is the USMNT where kids need to go to really learn soccer and the kids who get to go are the wealthier kids? And how does a kid who was born in CA play for Mexico?

Parentage/ancestry.

 

[1960Pats]

Parentage/ancestry.

Thank you.

Is the Olympics the same way?

 

[BritPat]

1-0 England. Fantastic header by John Stones somehow kept out - but it falls to the one man England would have wanted it to, Harry Kane, and he makes no mistake.

 

[BritPat]

Thank you.

Is the Olympics the same way?

Largely not, that seems to be more about passport. Maybe because there are more chances to represent your country so people aren't looking for the easy route.

 

[AzorianPats]

England looking real good.

I love Dele Alli. Awesome player.

 

[AzorianPats]

Largely not, that seems to be more about passport. Maybe because there are more chances to represent your country so people aren't looking for the easy route.

Funny. Just seen now Tunisia has 9 foreign born players, all from France.

 

[BritPat]

Funny. Just seen now Tunisia has 9 foreign born players, all from France.

Long held connections between the two countries would account for much of it. Very similar to England and some of the Caribbean nations where we draw so many of our players from in terms of ancestry. Raheem Sterling being the most prominent currently.

 

[AzorianPats]

Wow Penalty awarded to Tunisia!

 

[AzorianPats]

1–1

 

[BritPat]

A penalty for Tunisia out of nothing and it's 1-1.

The referee was so confident too and immediately pointed.

 

[BritPat]

Just watching the Belgium highlights, I keep thinking they've maybe missed their chance because the backline is creaking, but then you see KDB, Hazard, Lukaku and the magician Dries Mertens.....you never know.

 

[BritPat]

Get Rashford on. Alli and Lindgard have not been in it.

 

[AzorianPats]

2-1 Kane !

 

[BritPat]

Deserved late late goal for England. Can we hang on....

 

[BritPat]

And we do.

Tunisia defended very well but never ever threatened. England toiled at times but deserved the win. Would love to see Loftus-Cheek and Rashford start against Panama.

 

[The Brandon Five]

And we do.

Tunisia defended very well but never ever threatened. England toiled at times but deserved the win. Would love to see Loftus-Cheek and Rashford start against Panama.

Congrats! Spain, Portugal, France, Argentina, Brazil all have only 1 point. Germany has none. Rule, Britannia!