OT: Who in the World Cup do you root for now?
October 11th, 2017 at 11:31 PM ^
October 11th, 2017 at 11:32 PM ^
October 12th, 2017 at 8:41 AM ^
Honestly.....it's a little strange how many people are professing to be big fans of a team, but haven't the faintest idea of how they did in qualifying.
October 12th, 2017 at 9:14 AM ^
October 11th, 2017 at 11:37 PM ^
Mexico.
October 11th, 2017 at 11:40 PM ^
October 12th, 2017 at 9:58 AM ^
I'm happy for them, too. They did what they needed to...I don't hold anything against them.
October 12th, 2017 at 10:20 AM ^
Including getting a phantom goal and having a substitute kick a live ball that rolled to him on the sidelines 50 yards into the stands!
We definitely don't deserve to be there, but still CONCACAF pisses me the hell off.
October 12th, 2017 at 2:28 PM ^
they didn't do what they needed to do since they only scored once in that game. They were gifted the qualification.
October 12th, 2017 at 2:45 PM ^
Nice username.
October 11th, 2017 at 11:48 PM ^
October 11th, 2017 at 11:57 PM ^
Allez lez Bleus!
Also Belgium is awfully fun to watch.
October 11th, 2017 at 11:58 PM ^
October 12th, 2017 at 9:29 AM ^
Ireland beat Wales on Monday and knocked them out of the next qualifying round.
October 12th, 2017 at 12:18 AM ^
France. I lived there for a time, got introduced to WC soccer (and PSG) while there, and it would be nice to have some sporps team that does something other than pop my soul dong. Plus you get to yell "Go Blue!" a lot, sorta.
ALLEZ LES BLEUS!
October 12th, 2017 at 12:24 AM ^
The best soccer tournament in the world is NOT the World Cup, but Champions League, the annual tournament of the best of the best of the Euro leagues, where all star teams with the best players in the world compete.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Euro leagues, they are organized by country (English Premier League, La Liga (Spanish League), Bundesliga (German League), French League, Italian League, etc., and their teams are comprised of the very best players in the world...leagues of all star teams full of world class players who play together for nine months. The Champions League tournament, which also lasts nine months (concurrently with the regular Euro Leagues), skims the top two or three teams from each Euro League and they battle it out once a month (home and away) to determine who is the best of the best, in a bracketed tournament that is similar to March Madness, except it lasts nine months.
The. Best. Soccer. In. The. World. = Champions League
October 12th, 2017 at 12:40 AM ^
October 12th, 2017 at 1:56 AM ^
in the world because it doesn't carry the same global weight as the WC.
It does not allow for an entire Asian host country to rally around its underdog team to make the semis (S Korea).
It does not allow for South American countries whose players leave for greener ($) pastures in Europe to actually represent their home countries.
It does not start with 200+ countries representing six continents.
I'm sure fans of the clubs that make the CL (many of which are there every single year) prefer the CL, but for the rest of the world, it's the WC.
The WC might not be as high quality of soccer as the CL, but it is the best tournament in the world because of who many people care about it and share in the excitement.
October 12th, 2017 at 4:05 AM ^
It's not as good a tournament because:
-It's every year, so therefore lacks the intenstity of a tournament held only every four years
-The same few teams compete every time. The last eight finalists were: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Juventus
Yes, there are only certain teams that truly have a chance to win the World Cup, but here's the list of the last eight finalists: Brazil, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Argentina.
October 12th, 2017 at 10:22 AM ^
Well said, my friend. Excellent comparison.
Also, what up, join-date buddy!!
October 12th, 2017 at 1:50 PM ^
Agree it's the best soccer, and for me that makes it the best tournament, too.
My point is, most of the fair weather American soccer "fans" who get excited once every four years to support the US team are unaware that Champions League even exists, and add to that the US team has never been very good; and the fact that it has made it far into the brackets of the World Cup a few times is more related to having an easy draw and playing a "park the bus" style of sitting back defensively and counter-attacking to occassionally upset a legit team. It's a strategy that can be used by an inferior team to force a low scoring game and hope to win 1-0, but it's a boring game to watch. Watch Champions League this year when teams like Real Madrid and Paris St. Germaine get into the semi's, and you'll see quality of play a level above any World Cup team.
Let me also say this: we live in an increasingly dangerous, polarized world where extreme nationalism is on rise, and for me, I am less interested in supporting sporting events like the Olympics and World Cup for the reason that they help underscore the mantra of nation against nation ("us versus them"). Having the World Cup in Russia in 2018 is eerily reminiscent to me of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, where authoritarian regimes put lipstick on a pig to promote their political ideologies.
October 12th, 2017 at 2:02 AM ^
You're the worst.
October 12th, 2017 at 5:25 AM ^
October 12th, 2017 at 1:08 PM ^
For those of you unfamiliar with the Euro leagues, they are organized by country (English Premier League, La Liga (Spanish League), Bundesliga (German League), French League, Italian League, etc., and their teams are comprised of the very best players in the world
Since we seem to be on a pompous/pedantic tangent, I'll just note that there is no such league called "French League" or "Italian League" but Ligue 1 and Serie A, respectively.
October 12th, 2017 at 12:49 AM ^
October 12th, 2017 at 4:08 AM ^
....is still on the team, I root for Italy. (Even if he's not.)
October 12th, 2017 at 1:08 AM ^
IRELAND.. If they make it after the playoff. I'll be going there for the first time in March.
October 12th, 2017 at 1:37 AM ^
I root for China.
October 12th, 2017 at 1:39 AM ^
I want the whole world to win.
October 12th, 2017 at 1:45 AM ^
October 12th, 2017 at 2:11 AM ^
October 12th, 2017 at 2:21 AM ^
October 12th, 2017 at 2:39 AM ^
October 12th, 2017 at 2:46 AM ^
I live in Germany, so that is that.
October 12th, 2017 at 4:03 AM ^
I am a dual citizen of Germany, so that's a pretty good fallback option.
October 12th, 2017 at 4:26 AM ^
October 12th, 2017 at 5:32 AM ^
October 12th, 2017 at 6:30 AM ^
October 12th, 2017 at 6:55 AM ^
i always root for the ball, but it still gets the shit kicked out of it, every damn time.
poor ball.
October 12th, 2017 at 6:59 AM ^
October 12th, 2017 at 8:41 AM ^
Has always wanted to move to Ireland. How was it?
October 12th, 2017 at 9:12 AM ^
The good: High quality of life, beautiful country, nice laidback people, great sports (hurling and rugby especially).
The bad: Can be expensive and the weather can really suck for extended periods.
All in all it was a great place to live. I'd recommend it if you can make it happen.
October 12th, 2017 at 7:02 AM ^
of the 10,000 kids who play soccer in my small town area, multiply that by 1,000 other small town areas in the US and we can't find 25 guys at a world class level?
October 12th, 2017 at 9:54 AM ^
October 12th, 2017 at 11:01 AM ^
World-class soccer players need to be coached. That's the problem.
October 12th, 2017 at 8:24 AM ^
October 12th, 2017 at 8:33 AM ^
England - root for the motherland
October 13th, 2017 at 11:03 AM ^
October 12th, 2017 at 8:45 AM ^
October 12th, 2017 at 9:04 AM ^
they must be very close cousins to some american football players i know....