OT: Euro 2016 England vs. Russia, 3:00pm EDT (happy?), ESPN

Submitted by Wolverine In Iowa on

So, the English fans have been getting their swerve on for the past few days in Marseilles, alternately getting sunburnt, drunk, ambushed by Russian ultras, beating up "North African" local youth and teargassed by the French police.

Now the English side faces their first test in the European championship against Russia, whom I expect England to beat 1-0.  This may be Wayne Rooney's international swan song.

MGoBoard

DenverRob

June 11th, 2016 at 1:51 PM ^

I don't know why Rooney is on the team let alone in the starting line up.
Kane
Sterling Alli vardy
Dier lallana
Rose Cahill stones walker
Hart

Forster backing up hart
Rasford wilshere sturidge clyne smalling they are young and talented.

rooney never accomplished anything on the international level.



Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

Joined: 08/05/2010

MGoPoints: 2339

Avant's Hands

June 11th, 2016 at 3:13 PM ^

I'm not going to argue that Rooney is better than Messi, but I also think it's ridiculous to judge how great a player is based on the championships his team has won. At least in team sports. Awesome players can play on terrible teams. A shaky keeper can ruin even the best teams chances. There are just too many variables especially in soccer. I just don't understand the concept that a great individual player should be able to beat great teams (almost single handedly in some cases) or they just aren't as good as players who play for better teams.

Joined: 10/22/2011

MGoPoints: 9271

skurnie

June 11th, 2016 at 1:54 PM ^

Good win for Wales.

Interesting stat, Duda's goal vs Wales is the first in an Intl competition since Pele scored against them in 1958!

Joined: 07/31/2013

MGoPoints: 20170

TrueBlue2003

June 11th, 2016 at 3:44 PM ^

There are IMO three main things that make sports viewing fun: 1) Having a vested interest in the outcome, i.e. actually caring who wins 2) having people around you socializing around the event, or having an easy way to connect around it 3) appreciating the talent and skill necessary to perform at high levels.

This isn't meant to be snobby, but for most Americans, none of these three things apply, just like none of these apply for cricket or sumo or rugby, because our parents didn't watch soccer when we were growing up, most of our friends probably don't talk about it much, etc. so we don't have #1 or #2.

I like watching the Tigers, but I can't watch a baseball game with any other teams unless it's the world series.  It's not because I like the actual sport better when the Tigers are playing.  I just care when they are playing.

You don't care about soccer, which is totally understandable.  Some people do care.  A lot of people around the world have all three of these things in spades about soccer.  It's not to say it's a better or worse sport, it's just accessible such that so many countries rich and poor, play it and care about it and that's why it's fun to watch for so many of them.

Joined: 01/05/2010

MGoPoints: 38075

Wolverine In Iowa

June 11th, 2016 at 2:54 PM ^

Here's my advice - grab a beer, chill, and watch the upcoming game.  Try to not ball-watch, but rather watch the development of counter-attacks (see how the guys run to open space) or how players run without the ball on offensive build-ups.  Yeah, there are a lot of histrionics, especially with the Mediterranean teams, but England and Russia will play hard and I expect a dogfight, with England prevailing.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 10767

Blue Baughs

June 11th, 2016 at 2:24 PM ^

Also why does it bother people so much that others enjoy soccer? You might as well get over it now, the popularity of the sport is growing rapidly in this country. Probably has something to do with foreign influence, and the fact that it is the most widely played youth sport.

 

Joined: 12/19/2014

MGoPoints: 2110

snarling wolverine

June 11th, 2016 at 4:30 PM ^

There's something about soccer that triggers weird reactions in a lot of Americans and makes them feel threatened.  I don't know if it's that they fear soccer will get too popular here (and thus cause American sports to decline), or if they just see it as too "international," like the metric system.  It's an interesting social phenomenon.   

Joined: 12/14/2011

MGoPoints: 98201

M-Dog

June 11th, 2016 at 5:20 PM ^

It's all about politics, not the game of soccer itself.  

People who can find very different sports in baseball, football, hockey, and basketball interesting are all of a sudden unable to see anything compelling at all about soccer?

That's because it's not really about soccer.

Joined: 07/06/2008

MGoPoints: 257385

gwkrlghl

June 11th, 2016 at 2:19 PM ^

For the all the general snobbiness we get from Europe & Canada, it is interesting that they have this hooligan problem (hockey for Canada) that I don't ever recall American professional sports having

Joined: 04/13/2012

MGoPoints: 72

jmblue

June 11th, 2016 at 4:15 PM ^

But it goes beyond that.  There are nasty rivalries between teams that aren't geographically close, too (like Real-Barça, PSG- Marseille, Bayern-Dortmund, etc.).  And hooliganism is present in international matches, too.  

One issue, especially at the club level, is that certain clubs have come to be viewed as representatives of certain political or religious groups.  If you live in Glasgow, if you're Protestant you're "supposed" to support Rangers and if you're Catholic, Celtic.  That kind of thing doesn't exist at all in North America.  We've managed to establish pro teams based strictly on geographical loyalty.

About the only European-style case was in Montreal where one hockey team (the Canadiens) represented the francophones and the other (the Maroons) represented the anglophones.  But the Maroons folded and the anglophones adopted the Canadiens as well. 

 

 

Joined: 11/07/2008

MGoPoints: 102724

Yeoman

June 11th, 2016 at 6:55 PM ^

...is that most clubs originated as truly that, clubs. People coming together to play soccer, and often they came together because of some common social factor--workers at a particular plant, members of a particular ethnic community or religious group.

Joined: 06/08/2011

MGoPoints: 21390