#Pray4Croatia
I hope they don't pull a groin or get blisters on their feet.
I get that people don't think soccer isn't a very phyical sport, and in comparison to hockey and football that's absolutely correct. Players still have to be in tip top shape though. It isn't lke football where you get a whistle every 10 seconds and can take a breather. There's a ton of running/jogging and there is significant contact. As I said previously, it isn't football but it isn't golf either. Watch some of the slide tackles and just shoulder to shoulder contact where guys go flying. It's a pretty physically demanding game too.
Granted, it's a spoof - but this is the perception I have of soccer anymore. One big pile of flopping set in exotic locations.
Their perception is that everyone fakes injuries and goes down with a slight breeze. Granted, some players don't do much to help the cause, but the perception from people that rarely or never watch the game won't change.
You can keep trying if you'd like, but I think it's a rather futile effort because this guy probably won't watch many games, if any, and will never try to play the game himself.
I played football for 6 years. I don't know if you played any sports but there is usually an antagonism between football and soccer guys. The soccer and football seasons were both fall sports in my area. In my instance, we passed them on our way to practice as they lightly jogged in shorts and t-shirts while we went to our half mud, half grass practice field. We went to work our asses off while soccer players at least boke a sweat. There is just no way I can ever be conviced that soccer is a tough sport.
It's a pointless agurment though because most players conditioned for soccer would get broken in anything above a friday night high school game.
You look at football players and they come in all shapes and sizes. You're 6'8" and 340lbs, you're our LT. 5'8" 175 lbs, you're our scat back. 6'4" 205 lbs, you're our WR.
You look at soccer players and the size range is very small. In terms of height they may range from 5'8" to 6'4" but from a weight perspective or BMI it would be a very small range. You could plug most of them into a position in football and I don't think the rigors of the game would hamper them much. The skill set is obviously completely different so they probably wouldn't be great at football, but from the perspective of being able to stand up to the physical nature of football...I don't see that as being a problem for most.
Now ask a bunch of linemen to play a full 90 minutes of soccer where there are no timeouts...that would be physically impossible I'd think.
I think if all you have to hang your hat on is the fact that soccer players can run for a longer period of time than I agree, weak, but I agree.
Being from Wales rugby has always been one of my favorite sports and I still have many friends over there who play the sport. Your comments about soccer players sound a lot like their comments about american football players. They laugh at them because of all the equipment they need to play the sport.
It doesn't matter which sport you're in there will always be players from other sports who want to argue about which sport is more manly or demanding. The bottom line is if you can't watch a sport like soccer and 1) enjoy the amount of skill it takes to play the way these guys at the WC will be playing and 2) acknowlegde that it is physically demanding (maybe not in the same way football is, but that isn't the only definition of physically demanding) you're even more ignorant than you sound in your posts.
I post in these threads because it's easy to get D-bags like yourself all worked up.
For confirming my point.
Futile.
So you're basically just admitting ignorance. You're basing your opinion of soccer on one high school and your 5 minute walk past them in practice? I guess they should base their opinion of American football when they walk by and the defense is on the field and the offense is taking a break. Meanwhile, soccer players have to play both sides of the field all game long. But if they'd be ignorant if they said football players didn't work hard if that's all they based their opinion on.
Even if you don't like soccer, I don't see the reason to troll every single soccer thread as if it must be known that maize-blue does not enjoy the sport. I'm sure most of the board was dying to know.
very little in this world gets me as excited as UM football season, but the world cup of soccer is one and the world cup of rugby is another. I'm on pins and needles right now just waiting to get home to start watching the games. Good Luck to the USA. Just making it out of that group would be a huge accomplishment.
I recommend watching at least the kick-off of the Brazil-Croatia game on Univision. The announcer will sound like he's having a stroke when the game starts - it's hilarious.
Just showed him on ESPN and looked like he hurt an ankle/knee in warmups. That will put a big question mark into one of the favorites.
Edit: Came back from commercial and he's running around much better. Probably just a tweak.
He went down in practice a couple days ago which may have been the footage you saw. He got up and finished practice though and no word since so assume he's fine.
Neymar is limping around already. Dude is Fra-Gi-Le.
Wish they had a night game tonight. Spain VS Netherlands should be fantastic tomorrow.
Neymar looking spry there saying hi to his buddies on the sideline. I hope he's at 100%, because he is a sick player.
Anyone have a good livestream?
You should be able to get it on ESPN.com no?
That Brazilian anthem was rousing! Here we go!
Kaka sighting - drink!
Men when I was a kid all I cared about was the world cup, GOAL!!! Croatia!!! o.O
An own goal? Seriously? Whaaaaaat?
Ooooohhhh shhiiiiittt
Marcelo better watch his back for the rest of his life :(
In 1994 a Colombian defender Andrés Escobar got killed back in Colombia after they got disquialified due to his own goal. So that's scary.
Yes - that goal put the US in the knock-out round, where we lost to Brazil.
hahaha yikes
technically an own goal, but they deserved that one anyway.
Half back passes to center, back to wing, back to center! Center holds it, holds it! HOLDS IT!!!
Way to use outdated terms
I apologize for this episode airing in 1994. They should have had more foresight.
Punchline is at about 0:57
will be fun.
More like MarcelNO
/dropsmic
If Brazil loses the game, that guy is going to die.
Nice shot by Oscar and huge save by Croatian GK
That goal seems to have been good for this game.