Official 2014 World Cup Thread (Spoilers)

[blugold]

Official 2014 World Cup Thread (Spoilers)

Ok, let's all be positive! Let's assume the US finishes runners up in their group and England do likewise (I think that's the best we can hope for). The US and England would eventually meet in the.............. final!!! Hurrah!! I see England winning that 25 - 0! :lol:

I like that you think England can score 25 goals. Did England score 25 goals in all of 2013?

 

[JTnumbers]

Scoring goals is first and foremost. If Portugal was that good, they wouldn't have needed a playoff to qualify.

Bingo. I always knew I liked you.

 

[Paladin]

Never said they were going to win the whole thing, just that they're not a one man team. They have arguably one of the top midfields and they're back field is getting there. It's not just about scoring goals last time I checked. I still don't think the US will beat them.

They're not a 1-man team, but a lot of their offense is based on players like Nani threatening on runs that let Ronaldo get the space he needs to take shots that very few players would even dream of. You just can't blanket Ronaldo enough without opening up space for his teammates to do work in/around the box. But as the Swedes can contest, you can't just sit back and dare Ronaldo to beat you. When he's got the hair product he likes, he's as dangerous as any player, possibly ever.

 

[Mark_UK]

Scoring goals is first and foremost. If Portugal was that good, they wouldn't have needed a playoff to qualify.

They were in the same group as Russia, only one team from the European automatically qualifies. I think it would be very unwise to think of Portugal as anything but very strong opponents.

I like that you think England can score 25 goals. Did England score 25 goals in all of 2013?

Was clearly a joke. We'll see how many goals we thump past you (or don't) when we play you in a warm up before heading down to Brazil.

 

[blugold]

They were in the same group as Russia, only one team from the European automatically qualifies. I think it would be very unwise to think of Portugal as anything but very strong opponents.



Was clearly a joke. We'll see how many goals we thump past you (or don't) when we play you in a warm up before heading down to Brazil.

I know it was a joke. Want to wager on amount of goals? I will take the under on 25

 

[Mark_UK]

I know it was a joke. Want to wager on amount of goals? I will take the under on 25

Are we talking the warm up or the final here? LOL.

It is good to get some serious footie banter in here finally. The EPL thread is mind numbingly boring with just the odd score posted, this is far better!!!! 2014 World Cup, bring it on!!!!!!

 

[blugold]

Are we talking the warm up or the final here? LOL.

It is good to get some serious footie banter in here finally. The EPL thread is mind numbingly boring with just the odd score posted, this is far better!!!! 2014 World Cup, bring it on!!!!!!

I'll talk EPL all day long. But here in the states, those games are on early.

Also, there is a lot of time left. I am safely saying that a few major players are going to get knocks and change a few groups

 

[Mark_UK]

I'll talk EPL all day long. But here in the states, those games are on early.

Tell me about it! I live on the west coast. I think I heard England's first game is at 2 o'clock UK time which means 6pm here, better known as beer o'clock. I'm gonna be taking a lot of sick next summer (actually it'll probably just be the 3 days LOL)

 

[arydolphin]

I'll talk EPL all day long. But here in the states, those games are on early.

Also, there is a lot of time left. I am safely saying that a few major players are going to get knocks and change a few groups

Fun part about WC 2014 is that the game times are all going to be friendly for the US audiences. Most of the game times will be noon or 4 PM Eastern time.

 

[Paladin]

Well, I'm hoping for the US and Germany to clear the group, but I'm expecting big things from Die Mannschaft this year. They're the class of a tough group, but the brackets play out strongly in their favor. Assuming they win the group, they get H2, then the winner of F2/E1, with France being the toughest possible matchup (unless Argentina inexplicably doesn't win their group). Smooth sailing into the Semis for Deutschland.

 

[Mark_UK]

Now I fancy England to get through the group stage. US is still gonna struggle LOL

 

[blugold]

Now I fancy England to get through the group stage. US is still gonna struggle LOL

No doubt. Look for goal differential to decide the runner up in group g

 

[JRod]

Is Khedira gonna be healthy for this?

Go Germany!!!

 

[jhstew1]

Looking at the groups, Each group should have one team that has the potential to win it, don't see that in Group H nor do i see a team in that group that makes it past game one of KO round. Not surprisingly, Brazil & Argentina have the easiest groups.

I know its "luck" of the draw but if you add up the world rankings for USA's group its 45, the next closest is D with a total of 57, then its goes to 81-113 & 5 of the 7 groups have a team ranked higher than the total of Group G

 

[arydolphin]

I love this article: http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/12/6/5182388/united-states-2014-world-cup-ante-up

This paragraph was particularly good:

You shouldn't even be allowed to complain about travel, America. Yes, you have to go to Manaus, the swampy capital of Brazil's hellishly hot Amazonian jungle territory. But you're from America, where we have a whole state of Amazonian swampland filled with danger. It's called Florida, and it's where we send our old people, vacationing children, and charismatic felons. Manaus is just Orlando with a port, attractive people and health care. Our people fly thousands of miles a day just to smell its well-vacuumed hotels. Fear nothing about it, since it's practically home already, and getting there involves one of the things we do best: sitting.

 

[IceyShanks]

The one thing I always remember when it comes to WC time is when we were at our cabin for my bachelor party and when it got to hot outside and we had a few too many we stumbled inside and the WC games were the only thing worth watching via the air TV!

I have no knowledge of who is good and who isn't, but I keep hearing that the US is going to have a tough time getting out of that group, I'll call it now and say they get out of the group!

 

[CharlieMoy]

Im amazed no one said anything about this.. Wowza

 

[Mark_UK]

I love this article: http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/12/6/5182388/united-states-2014-world-cup-ante-up

This paragraph was particularly good:

I have absolutely no idea where Manus is, reading that doesn't sound too inviting for an Englishman, so it's lucky that apparently FIFA are looking at moving England's opening game against Italy from there. Good ol' FIFA, won't hear a bad word said against them LOL.
Have also just read an interesting fact. England have never beaten Italy, Uruguay or Costa Rica in an international tournament! Think I'll cancel that ticket to Brazil!

 

[Jersey Nate]

Looking forward to seeing matches from Group B and Group G especially.

 

[Mark_UK]

Official 2014 World Cup Thread (Spoilers)

I have absolutely no idea where Manus is, reading that doesn't sound too inviting for an Englishman, so it's lucky that apparently FIFA are looking at moving England's opening game against Italy from there. Good ol' FIFA, won't hear a bad word said against them LOL.

Well, the good news is that England's opener has been moved. The bad news it's still in Manus, it's the time that has been moved. It's been bought forward to accommodate European TV. It's been bought forward 4 hours so they'll be playing in the heat of the day. Ignore what I said earlier. FIFA are idiots!!!!

 

[malcolmpugh]

england in big trouble ;-)

 

[Mark_UK]

england in big trouble ;-)

Like every World Cup since '66 then. I'm used to it LOL

 

[Roadrunner]

FIFA has a crucial choice to make: reschedule the World Cup to a later month, which interferes with nearly all major professional leagues, or move it out of Qatar altogether.

 

[JTnumbers]

FIFA has a crucial choice to make: reschedule the World Cup to a later month, which interferes with nearly all major professional leagues, or move it out of Qatar altogether.

They should move it altogether, but that means Blatter won't get his $$$. He'll move it to the winter and tell the European leagues to deal with it.

 

[Mark_UK]

It'll be held in November. Any earlier or later, and the Champions League gets hit. It's bloody ridiculous how Qatar won the World Cup (although we all know how they did win it), and just shows how totally out of touch FIFA is with football!!!!