The Beautiful Game

[kom526]

I hate my work hours, but they are working out for me now because World Cup is awesome. I'm watching Switzerland v. Spain now and the Swiss are PWNING the defending Euro Cup champs with hard, clean play and relentless attacks on goal. Spain looks like a finesse team with lots of precise passing and intricate set plays, but they are sniping while the Swiss are carpet bombing.

These two teams look like a bunch of Ralph Lauren Polo models v. a team from Guess.

 

[retiredweaxman]

I hate my work hours, but they are working out for me now because World Cup is awesome. I'm watching Switzerland v. Spain now and the Swiss are PWNING the defending Euro Cup champs with hard, clean play and relentless attacks on goal. Spain looks like a finesse team with lots of precise passing and intricate set plays, but they are sniping while the Swiss are carpet bombing.

These two teams look like a bunch of Ralph Lauren Polo models v. a team from Guess.

We must have watched different games cuz my take on it was the opposite. Spain controlled the ball for 68 percent of possession, took 25 shots on goal while Switzerland had 5, had 13 corners to the Swiss 2...

The Spanish goalie (Casillas) made 2 crucial mistakes which cost the team at least a tie.

 

[cattitude]

You guys *are* talking about soccer, right?

 

[Pete]

I watched it but don't know who won. I fell dead asleep 17 seconds into the first period.

 

[retiredweaxman]

Yes, we are...

And as far as Switzerland playing a clean game - they ended up with 4 yellow cards to 0 for Spain...

I am not saying the Spaniards got robbed. The Swiss put 3 shots between the posts and 1 went in. Spain put 8 between the posts and the Swiss goalie made a couple of beautiful saves.

A crucial maistake here or there doomed the Spaniards...

 

[Larry Gude]

The only time I enjoy soccer is World Cup or if my nephew is playing.

 

[Mabus]

No team has more legitimate complaints about officiating right now than France. The two decisions that led to Mexico's (unearned) goals were garbage.

The Mexican attacker was clearly in an offside position as the ball was passed to him....including half of his body and his foot. The flag should have been raised. This was an easy call that got blown.

Equally baffling was the whistle for the PK. I mean, WTF was that? The Mexican dove in a Ronaldo-like manner and wasn't nearly as convincing. But a PK for an attacker jumping over a cleanly picked ball? Garbage.

This referee's hobby is swimming and he couldn't resist blowing the whistle for the swan dive. FIFA.com

 

[kom526]

AWESOME GAME! But some sorry assed officiating. That was a good goal that was disallowed because the ref has no sack or was grinding an ax.

No more foreign aid to Mali.

I'd like to see the US defense play as hard in the 1st half as they did in the 2nd. Lots of hard play and hopefully ALG can play ENG to a 0-0 draw.

 

[Larry Gude]

AWESOME GAME! But some sorry assed officiating. That was a good goal that was disallowed because the ref has no sack or was grinding an ax.

No more foreign aid to Mali.

I'd like to see the US defense play as hard in the 1st half as they did in the 2nd. Lots of hard play and hopefully ALG can play ENG to a 0-0 draw.

My nephew, who will be on the team 2014, btw, told me going in to the cup that our d was our weakness.

That was not only a good goal but, there were TWO solid reasons to call a PK.

We wuz robbed!

 

[kom526]

My nephew, who will be on the team 2014, btw, told me going in to the cup that our d was our weakness.

That was not only a good goal but, there were TWO solid reasons to call a PK.

We wuz robbed!

Slovenia's keeper needs to get 2 for flinching. He knew he was looking down the barrel of a Barrett .50 when Donovan was loading up for that 1st goal. :BOOM!:

 

[Larry Gude]

Slovenia's keeper needs to get 2 for flinching. He knew he was looking down the barrel of a Barrett .50 when Donovan was loading up for that 1st goal. :BOOM!:

Yeah, I wonder how much crap he'll hear from his team mates for that. He COULDA stopped it! And then, started learning to eat through a straw...

 

[Mabus]

W....T....F

There go 3 earned points and possibly the second round. Can't wait to hear the rationale behind the decision on the third goal. Thanks Mali!

Sepp Blatter, after leading the charge on referee criticism in WC2002, will most likely remain quiet on WC2010 and the decisions that have significantly impacted games in group play.

 

[Larry Gude]

W....T....F

There go 3 earned points and possibly the second round. Can't wait to hear the rationale behind the decision on the third goal. Thanks Mali!

Sepp Blatter, after leading the charge on referee criticism in WC2002, will most likely remain quiet on WC2010 and the decisions that have significantly impacted games in group play.

Chatted with my sil who is quite the soc...err...football guy and he says this is shady and that there is all sorts of wondering about soccer and fixed games, especially lower level leagues out of the spotlight. He says that the ref did not explain himself makes it worse.

He's not saying this was a fix but, as an aficionado, says, clearly, this was a horrific, extraordinarily bad call.

FWIW

 

[kom526]

Over used clip but freakin' hilarious and so true...

 

[Mabus]

Ok, Sam's Army. We have got to put away the Algerians. This is a must-win game....anything less than a win is not acceptable!

Rally behind our boys and let's pull out a win. It has to be nothing but wins from here. We control our destiny. No stupid fouls in the last third, minimize cards. Let's get revenge on Germany for that BS in 2002.

 

[Larry Gude]

Ok, Sam's Army. We have got to put away the Algerians. This is a must-win game....anything less than a win is not acceptable!

Rally behind our boys and let's pull out a win. It has to be nothing but wins from here. We control our destiny. No stupid fouls in the last third, minimize cards. Let's get revenge on Germany for that BS in 2002.

No, we don't. The refs do. Which means FIFA does.

 

[Mabus]

No, we don't. The refs do. Which means FIFA does.

People are taking the call in the US-Slovenia game as a single frame in an entire movie. In order to understand why Coulibali made the call, you have to understand how FIFA operates.

In the Argentina-Nigeria game, a goal was scored when an offensive player unfairly created space. FIFA then instructed the referees to become more vigilant during set pieces coming into the penalty area. Coulibali quickly scanned the ~5 areas of matchups and his vision was tunneled on Bocanegra and his matchup. When Edu broke free, Coulibali assumed that Bocanegra held the defender back to unfairly create that space. The whistle blew, then the ball was kicked into the net. No goal.

It is extremely difficult for those outside of the soccer community, and specifically the referee community, to completely grasp the entirety of the situation. I had a customer today ask why "#### referees from third world countries" are in the World Cup....only to remind him that the only American referees in South Africa had to buy tickets and sit with the rest of the spectators. Coulibali, while being no stranger to controversial decisions toward the end of matches, was one of 32 chosen to take charge of a match. He was chosen for a reason, one that does not include the taking of bribes or deliberately altering the outcome of the match.

 

[Larry Gude]

People are taking the call in the US-Slovenia game as a single frame in an entire movie. In order to understand why Coulibali made the call, you have to understand how FIFA operates.

In the Argentina-Nigeria game, a goal was scored when an offensive player unfairly created space. FIFA then instructed the referees to become more vigilant during set pieces coming into the penalty area. Coulibali quickly scanned the ~5 areas of matchups and his vision was tunneled on Bocanegra and his matchup. When Edu broke free, Coulibali assumed that Bocanegra held the defender back to unfairly create that space. The whistle blew, then the ball was kicked into the net. No goal.

It is extremely difficult for those outside of the soccer community, and specifically the referee community, to completely grasp the entirety of the situation. I had a customer today ask why "#### referees from third world countries" are in the World Cup....only to remind him that the only American referees in South Africa had to buy tickets and sit with the rest of the spectators. Coulibali, while being no stranger to controversial decisions toward the end of matches, was one of 32 chosen to take charge of a match. He was chosen for a reason, one that does not include the taking of bribes or deliberately altering the outcome of the match.

Wow. That's not even a good try.

 

[Mabus]

Coming from a referee instructor, I'd say it's decent insight

 

[Larry Gude]

Coming from a referee instructor, I'd say it's decent insight

Ok, while I am certainly not qualified, for the sake of argument, folks I know who are very much long time fans of the game on an international level tell me that there is long time concern over game fixing and that the ref did not explain his call was highly fishy.

Me, in and of myself, if you look at big games over the years, it's just football. However, the call was well beyond the norm. It is easy to miss handballs. It is impossible to miss not one but two players with arms wrapped around them in addition to making up the call, which, again, he did not explain after the game, to disallow.

So, I applaud your involvement with the game and I still am enjoying the cup. That said, it ain't me, some know nothing red neck who watches once every four years saying this call stinks to high heaven and is HIGHLY suspect.