Official World Cup 2010 thread

[Shzm13]

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JOHANNESBURG — Uzbek referee Ravshan Irmatov will work Friday's opening World Cup match between Mexico and South Africa.

I dont know how to feel about this guy. He did win AFC referee of the year, but at the same time, refs from smaller nations tend to side with the home team.

South Africa has gotten a ton of penalties in their preparation games. (I believe 3 or 4 in two games vs Colombia - Guatemala) Here's the highlights vs Colombia



If the game is reffed properly, Mexico should win easily 2-0, 3-0. Were in trouble if the reffing is as it was vs Colombia though.

 

[Stout]

Uh oh, sounds like you're already readying the complaints in expectation of a defead

 

[Dr. Jones]

Man I can't wait for Friday. I took 4 personal days this month so I could maximize my viewing. I have three weeks of 3 day work weeks.

Roode.... I have Oranje fever..... Spain, Netherlands, Brazil, Portugal, & US.... Those are the teams I will not miss. And I think the Dutch could shock the world.... And I took 12-1 odds (Winning it all) at a sports book last week.

Hopefully Robben is fit enough for the round of 16.... That is when they will really start to need him.

 

[Shzm13]

Uh oh, sounds like you're already readying the complaints in expectation of a defead

lol not really. If they weren't hosting the cup, South Africa would not even come CLOSE to even being in the tournament. Historically, host nations get a lot of calls and SA has been getting plenty of them in their warmups.

 

[CaptTurbo]

Man I can't wait for Friday. I took 4 personal days this month so I could maximize my viewing. I have three weeks of 3 day work weeks.

Roode.... I have Oranje fever..... Spain, Netherlands, Brazil, Portugal, & US.... Those are the teams I will not miss. And I think the Dutch could shock the world.... And I took 12-1 odds (Winning it all) at a sports book last week.

Hopefully Robben is fit enough for the round of 16.... That is when they will really start to need him.

I have Netherlands being upset by ....New Zealand.

I put money on Serbia winning the group.

 

[Chaplin]

I have Netherlands being upset by ....New Zealand.

I put money on Serbia winning the group.

Wait. So you've got New Zealand getting out of Group F, with Italy I would imagine? And then New Zealand beating The Netherlands? What reasoning are you using for that?

 

[Chaplin]

lol not really. If they weren't hosting the cup, South Africa would not even come CLOSE to even being in the tournament. Historically, host nations get a lot of calls and SA has been getting plenty of them in their warmups.

But will they get enough of those calls against the likes of France and Mexico? Probably not.

 

[Dr. Jones]

Wait. So you've got New Zealand getting out of Group F, with Italy I would imagine? And then New Zealand beating The Netherlands? What reasoning are you using for that?

I just did a double-take on that post as well.....

Expound please....

 

[Shzm13]

But will they get enough of those calls against the likes of France and Mexico? Probably not.

I wouldn't rule it out. Did you see the video i posted? They've been getting iffy penalties left and right. If Mexicos even a little bit rough in the box, im sure they're going to call a penalty for SA.

 

[CaptTurbo]

Wait. So you've got New Zealand getting out of Group F, with Italy I would imagine? And then New Zealand beating The Netherlands? What reasoning are you using for that?

They have looked pretty strong lately. Yes I have them going out of group with Italy.

Hey in elimination anything can happen. In my predictor I tried to identify 1 upset (happenes more than once every cup). I went with the All Whites.

 

[Chaplin]

They have looked pretty strong lately. Yes I have them going out of group with Italy.

Hey in elimination anything can happen. In my predictor I tried to identify 1 upset (happenes more than once every cup). I went with the All Whites.

Well, that would be one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. New Zealand is ranked number 78. Out of the 32 Cup teams, only 2 have worse rankings: South Africa (83) and North Korea (105).

I would think a safer upset pick might be one of the African teams since they will have a strong fanbase. But, to each his own.

BTW, Paraguay beat Argentina and Brazil in qualification, so it's hard to count them out.

 

[Shzm13]

Paraguay had Salvador Cabanas for those qualifiers. Hes the heart and soul of Paraguay and not having him can hurt them. They still have a pretty good striker in Roque Santa Cruz though. They recently stomped the Greeks 2-0.

Ive seen a couple Netherlands games and they dont have the offense to make it out of the group, imo. Italy and Paraguay are my picks there.

 

[CaptTurbo]

Love how North korea tried to cheat and will miss one of their best strikers now.

 

[Chaplin]

Paraguay had Salvador Cabanas for those qualifiers. Hes the heart and soul of Paraguay and not having him can hurt them. They still have a pretty good striker in Roque Santa Cruz though. They recently stomped the Greeks 2-0.

Ive seen a couple Netherlands games and they dont have the offense to make it out of the group, imo. Italy and Paraguay are my picks there.

Netherlands isn't in Italy and Paraguay's group. Netherlands are in Group E with Japan, Cameroon and Denmark. Should be pretty easy for the Dutch, IMO.

 

[Mulli]

I just filled out my picks on yahoo. Man, that took a while.

 

[Shzm13]

Netherlands isn't in Italy and Paraguay's group. Netherlands are in Group E with Japan, Cameroon and Denmark. Should be pretty easy for the Dutch, IMO.

I meant New Zealand. Sorry

 

[Milgod]

I have Netherlands being upset by ....New Zealand.

I put money on Serbia winning the group.

Upset by them when? They aren't in the same group. I take it you mean thr second round. NZ could possibly make it out of the group as it isn't that strong. However, the Dutch have been in pretty good form and Robben should be able to play.

 

[Zeno]

New Zealand is not getting out of the group...along with North Korea they are among the worst teams in the tournament, in fact neither team may score a single goal.

I love how the games will not be broadcast live in North Korea and will instead be made in to highlight packages. I would love to see what spin the North Korean gov't does with their match against Brazil because that is going to be UGLY.

 

[Dr. Jones]

Paraguay had Salvador Cabanas for those qualifiers. Hes the heart and soul of Paraguay and not having him can hurt them. They still have a pretty good striker in Roque Santa Cruz though. They recently stomped the Greeks 2-0.

Ive seen a couple Netherlands games and they dont have the offense to make it out of the group, imo. Italy and Paraguay are my picks there.

Dude.... The dutch have a cupcake group.... And as long as they are fully healthy going into the round of 16 they will be fine.

I think their offense might be 3rd best in the world. And in some cases, maybe even second.

Spain is unquestionably the first. Brazil & the Dutch are back and forth IMO.

 

[Zeno]

Sounds like Wayne Rooney better be on his toes...

The USA, England's first opponents on Saturday, have already suggested they might play on Rooney's perceived fragile temperament with this an indication that the player can be on edge. "Rooney insulted me," said Selogilwe. "He said: '>edited< you.' He is a good player when you see him on the television, but when you see him on the pitch he just keeps on insulting the referee.

"To me, it looks like Rooney insults people and fouls other players. If he insults a referee like me, then he will use that vulgar language to other referees as well. He must learn to control his temper. He could get sent off in the World Cup, especially if he uses this kind of language.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/08/world-cup-2010-wayne-rooney-england

 

[Zeno]

It seems more and more worry seems to be coming out in the English media, trying to forestall a let down should England lose to the US.

The English superiority complex at times can be annoying where American soccer players are concerned and so thank goodness for them that they have the disciplined, professional and experienced manager in Fabio Capello, the Italian aristocrat. It will assure them of not taking the game lightly which will be important, otherwise they could lose.

As it is, expect a game of tit for tat with both teams neutralizing each other. The U.S. will likely commit to starting the game in a 4-5-1 formation which will allow them to ease their way into the game by being defensively very solid and compact but at the same setting themselves up into a counter attacking posture once they have the ball. With the pace of Donovan this will be important.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/spor...-to-respect-the-united-states/article1595677/

Martin Peters believes England must not despair if their halting preparation for the World Cup leads to dropped points against the USA on Saturday.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/08/world-cup-2010-england-martin-peters

Capello will have been relieved that his players emerged unscathed from the encounter, five days ahead of their World Cup opener against the United States.

But he made no effort to disguise his displeasure over a disjointed first-half in which England secured an early lead through Defoe only to, almost immediately, concede a penalty as a result of Glen Johnson's needless shove on Mzikayise Mashaba.

Striker Bradley Grobler struck the spot-kick high over the bar but that was not enough to appease Capello.

Having sat, seething, on the bench for several minutes at the end of the opening period, the Italian proceeded to berate the players he was planning to introduce for the second half, some of whom appeared visibly shocked by the vehemence of the coach's outburst.

That Capello should be feeling the strain is understandable.

The display on Monday followed equally lacklustre performances in the friendly wins over Mexico and Japan that preceded his squad's departure for South Africa and England have now not produced a really convincing display since the September 2009 5-1 win over Croatia.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hq-3bXV2ohDfvygCMj31QD8KyV5A

 

[Zeno]

Ref for US V England not so highly thought of...

how did this guy get appointed to do WC games?

Simon has been an official during the last two World Cup tournaments, but the Brazilian official has come under much scrutiny in the last year, leading to a suspension by the Brazilian football confederation after a "build-up of perceived errors." Those "errors" led the president of Brazilian club Palmeiras, Luiz Gonzaga Belluzzo, to call Simon, "a crook, a scoundrel and a shameless bastard."...

"He's a crook, a scoundrel ... just a shameless bastard," Belluzzo said at the time. "He must be in someone's pocket. If I met him in the street, I would slap him. What he did was unbelievable and he was helping Fluminense. He should be driven out of football."

http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/th...gland_world_cup_match_is_a_crook,_a_scoundrel

The Sun out of the UK had the best headline "Brazil Nut to Ref England"
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...t-to-ref-Englands-opener-against-the-USA.html

 

[CaptTurbo]

Top 10 cant miss games this game is #5 per FOX sports.

Serbia vs. Germany, June 13, 10:00 a.m.

Few teams in World Cup history have performed as consistently and admirably as the Germans. But this squad is young and hampered by a rash of injuries, which the clinical Serbs will be keen to exploit. Serbia boasts perhaps the most impressive defensive back four in the world, and Germany will have to be at its machine-like best to break them down. Expect a war when these two proud European nations clash.

 

[Shzm13]

Dude.... The dutch have a cupcake group.... And as long as they are fully healthy going into the round of 16 they will be fine.

I think their offense might be 3rd best in the world. And in some cases, maybe even second.

Spain is unquestionably the first. Brazil & the Dutch are back and forth IMO.

I corrected myself, I was referring to New Zealand, not Netherlands.

 

[Shzm13]

Top 10 cant miss games this game is #5 per FOX sports.

Serbia vs. Germany, June 13, 10:00 a.m.

Few teams in World Cup history have performed as consistently and admirably as the Germans. But this squad is young and hampered by a rash of injuries, which the clinical Serbs will be keen to exploit. Serbia boasts perhaps the most impressive defensive back four in the world, and Germany will have to be at its machine-like best to break them down. Expect a war when these two proud European nations clash.

Im really hoping the germans beat the **** out of them. Serbias offense outside of Krasic is wack.