SSBA

1 more day until the Soccer World Championship begins! Starting tommorow, the Friday, with Germany vs Costarica opening matchup.

Croatia opens up the championship on 13th of June, against possibly the greatest team ever assembled, mighty Brasil! What a game that will be.

Let the madness begins!!! :cheers:

zZzZzZzZ

I'd have to agree with that.

There are 300 other sports I'd watch before soccer.

Haha..yeah, i agree on that as well.

I'm a anti-soccer guy myself, but i just LOVE the madness! You can't imagine what soccer WCF means on a continent that is 100% soccer infatuated. It's like Superbowl in the US, but 10X. 20 days of drinking, barbecue, games 24h a day, cheering etc. It's a fantastic atmosphere.

I still remember 1998, when Croatia was 3rd in the world. That's by far, the craziest 3 weeks of my life, the entire country just exploded from joy. Everyone, from 15-75 years of age were drunk, and there were fireworks amd explosions everywhere. When your team is doing good, even the cops don't care if you're driving drunk, smoking weed on the streets, nothing matters, just a damn soccer and games.

You just have to see it to belive it. I'll try to find some pics so i'll post (actually Blazers will, i don't know how to)

Name them :lol2:.  Golf to me is zzzz.

I would have to agree that watching soccer is boring.  A 2-0 blowout leaves something to be desired.

However, after being in Mexico during the 1998 Cup, I would also agree that when the whole country is excited about the games it is contagious.

You need to PLAY it not WATCH it. Then it's sports ...

But I doubt anyone in the US could appreciate a good soccer game, just like nobody from europe could endure a 4 hour baseball game ending 1-0 (don't count me among those though, although my first full game i watched was exactly that).

It's sure not the plays being run that make the excitement of soccer. Apart from the few occasions when great teams match it can be boring as hell, full of mental errors and at a low skill level (like Germany - Costa Rica earlier today). But you root for certain teams and there's the constant "underdog suspense".

Name any sports where the underdog has a better chance of taking a game.  No, not the underdog but a hopelessly overmatched team too. I've watched games where the way way better team shot on the goal 25 times, yet the only opponents shot scored. In soccer not only the better team can lose anytime, but also the team playing better can lose anytime. Try that for any US major sports. Impossible. The team having the better day wins ...

And since most decisive games are single elimination the chances for upsets are as hig as they get.


So let's hope for some exciting plays this coming weeks ... and a world champ from Trinidad & Tobago or the Cote d'Ivorie !!!
 :cheers:

omg, omg...today is the day!

i have a feeling they're going to make us a new asshole.

Ivan... come live in Amsterdam. Cops never care if you smoke weed.

That being said... I have to agree with Ivan and Tom. Living in Europe, the world cup is just a crazy time period. Nothing can match this. I lived in the US as well and this is bigger than the Superbowl.

My country (Belgium) is not in it but the country that I have a very good relationship with (Brasil... friends, visits,...) is! They play tonight and I am reaaaally looking forward to it.

I live in Amsterdam. The Netherlands are in the WC. You should see what happens to this country!! Craaaaazzzyyyy!!! Not for a day, but for weeks, everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) is world cup related and orange (the country's color) is EVERYWHERE you look! For the economy, some flourish (bars, restaurants, shops,...) and some do really bad (people leaving early from work, not taking much seriously these days, ...)

I have a love/hate relationship with soccer. I used to play when I was little and I was close to being offered a soccer scolarship. Most recently, I played in a tournament, did really well, scored 6 goals in 6 games, and then twisted my ankle in the last  minute of the last game. Sucks! Rehab for at least 6 weeks.
Now with the WC... You just can not go without it. It's great!

Lol, so true. Work barely exist here as well. E

Even right now, the city is packed with flags, drunk people, fireworks, tv screens, crowd everywhere and we lost the game!!! I can only imagined what would have happened if we won....

But back to the game; damn damn damn and damn so more!!! We had the bastards!! We had the best team in the universe right in our pockets!!!! One lousy mistake and 0-1 loss!! Unbelivable!

Still, i'm extremely proud of my team, that was bravely, just bravely performance. I'm fully confident we're going to take care of Australia and Japan and advance to the second round.

And yeah, of all the nations in the world, who's the first from audience to run into the playin field? A Croat! Who's the first to flame a torch in the auddience? A Croat! :lol:

And yeah, of all the nations in the world, who's the first from audience to run into the playin field? A Croat!
Should be ashame of your people.  The rest of the world  :rulez:.

What?

Hey Mavs, you gotta understand, he actually LIKES that his people react completely irresponsible. Apparently they mistake crappy behaviour with national pride or something, while actually being just complete jerks.


and no, mr. anarcho, it's NOT good when people can get onto the playing field. knowing how lunatic die hard supporters can get one of them will bring a knife with him.

All this after there were some considerations to lower the fences or get supporters out of the cages altogether in recent years. Thanks for the setback ...

Celtics; Haha!! You're acting like you never seen a soccer game in your life

Mavs; Lol, obviously, you're not familiar with the whole matter. Getting into the playin field and flames in the auddience is pretty much a common and ordinary thing in soccer (i wonder what would you think after one Italian league game, that's just a living hell). It's almost part of the game. The question and issue is not should we be ashamed of ourselves or not, rather how the hell they break the security corridor! :lol: :lol:

i vote yay for the world cup...the atmosphere is unbeatable and it's one of the few stages all the nations can compete at the same table

I know what he reality is and i despise it. There's a reason fences seperating the spectators from the playing field are the highest in italian stadiums (and british).
Something like that would NEVER happen with fans from holland, and these are regarded probably the best fans imaginable. Did you see their game (which was crappy itself)? An orange sea of peaceful yet enthusiastic supporters providing 2 hours of singing, screaming, and having a great time.

I'd bring my kids to a game there anytime. But in italy? Think twice and stay home from the violence ...
:-(

 :D


 :rrofl: God damn, i'm a proud man!  :D

Man... those Germans did it again. As Gary Lineker said... "You play Germany for two halfs of 45 minutes, 11 against 11, 1 ball... and in the end the Germans win".


Oh yeah... Go Brasil!!! Boa sorte!!!  :bounce:

I'm really suprised how well they're playin so far (although they have the weakest group).



I think we were a great opponent. That game could have gone either way.

p.s. Do you still remember Croatia - Holland in 1998 in a bronze medal game?

Yeah Germany is playing well. It surprises a lot of people, but not me. They always come through in big tournaments. And they play in their home country!

Croatia indeed had a very good game against Brasil. But I think Croatia can be a very good outsider in this tournament. They will make it into the second round and then anything can happen.

I don't remember that game against Holland. I live in Holland, but I am not a fan of this team AT ALL!

Oh I cant stand living in Holland when they play football... fans and media here are just  :puke: :puke:

Well, Holland is playin great so they have every right to be cocky. They were actually my favorite team back in Davis and Kluivert days, i loved that team.

I belive it's the same in every country, alots of homerism here as well. Pessimism and reality is not allowed these days.

Well if you ask me, Holland has not been playing well.

But they won twice and thus qualified for the next round, which is all that matters in a tournament.