NationStates Jolt Archive

Everyone ready for the big games? First game starting June 9th!
What soccer/football club do you think will win the FIFA world cup?

GROUP A
Germany
Costa Rica
Poland
Ecuador

GROUP B
England
Paraguay
Trinidad and Tobago
Sweden

GROUP C
Argentina
Cote d'Ivoire
Serbia and Montenegro
Netherlands

GROUP D
Mexico
Iran
Angola
Portugal

GROUP E
Italy
Ghana
USA
Czech Republic

GROUP F
Brazil
Croatia
Australia
Japan
GROUP G
France
Switzerland
Korea Republic
Togo

GROUP H
Spain
Ukraine
Tunisia
Saudi Arabia

Holland FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would love to say England, but I think Argentina or Brazil will win it.

Mauritania

I would love to say England, but I think Argentina or Brazil will win it.

I agree with England and I also want Poland to win but you know it will be hard

The German Team has been selected. No real new surprises, except that Kahn has been replaced by Lehmann, Kuranyi isn't in the team, neither is Ovomayela, and instead a new player, super-fast (100m in 10.9sec) right-winger Odonkor, comes in - with a grand total of zero caps to his name. Nonetheless, he's expected to get the classic German superiority in the air going with his crosses. We'll see.

So we've got:
Goalkeepers: Jens Lehmann (Arsenal/ENG), Oliver Kahn (Bayern Munich) Timo Hildebrand (VfB Stuttgart).

Defenders: Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Robert Huth (Chelsea), Marcell Jansen (Borussia Monchengladbach), Per Mertesacker (Hannover), Christoph Metzelder (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Jens Nowotny (Bayer Leverkusen).

Midfielders: Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Tim Borowski (Werder Bremen), Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen), Sebastian Kehl (Borussia Dortmund), Bernd Schneider (Bayer Leverkusen), Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart), David Odonkor (Borussia Dortmund).

Fowards: Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen), Lukas Podolski (FC Cologne), Mike Hanke (VfL Wolfsburg), Oliver Neuville (Borussia Monchengladbach), Gerald Asamoah (Schalke 04).

You needen't really tell anyone about ze Secret Weapons!
http://www.dhm.de/lemo/objekte/pict/656_2/200.jpg

;)

You Ripped my thread off, Homieville
and its football not soccer.

I dont really follow soccer- I am more of a hockey person :cool: , but I think that having the "home-team advantage" will realy help Germany.

I usually follow Paraguay, but they didn't qualify this year.

Ecuador is an interesting side. Their home stadium is at 9200 feet, so they qualified largely because no other team could breath there.

But with Paraguay gone, I have to go with Holland. Go Orange.

I usually follow Paraguay, but they didn't qualify this year.

Ecuador is an interesting side. Their home stadium is at 9200 feet, so they qualified largely because no other team could breath there.

But with Paraguay gone, I have to go with Holland. Go Orange.

Yeah, they qualified. In fact they are Englands first game!

Originally posted by Llewdor
I usually follow Paraguay, but they didn't qualify this year.
Pretty sure they did. Aren't they in Englands group.

I'll go with Germany. They usually do well, and with them being at home They'll be extra difficult to beat.

I usually go with the Netherlands as they are more attack minded and skillfull.

I can't believe people ae going with England. Of the four strikers they are taking, Owen and Rooney will probably not have recovered from injury, Walcott is a 17 year old who has only played a handfull of games in a lower division and Crouch is ... well ... Crouch :) . I think their world cup is over already.

You Ripped my thread off, Homieville
and its football not soccer.
same thing. I didnt Ripp anything off

Got the Groups What 2 teams you think will advance from each Group?

Got the Groups What 2 teams you think will advance from each Group?

US and Italy out of group E

Go USA

US and Italy out of group E

Go USA
You reckon they can beat the Czechs?

You reckon they can beat the Czechs?

Yep I think they can :)

Yep I think they can :)
Bwahahahahahah!
Must be fun living in a fairy-tale world. :p

Most folk with at least some knowledge of world football would probably go with the obvious two from each group. Groups C and E are probably the hardest to predict though. Serbia and Ivory Coast are no mugs while the USA and Ghana could easily upset their more illustrious opponents. I can only really see Group F as possibly having another upset. Australia and Japan are not the pushovers they once were (Japan even managed a draw against Scotland a couple of days ago ;) ).

You never know though. There may be other upsets along the way. That's what makes the World Cup so entertaining.

Qualifiers in Bold.

Holland to beat England in the Final.
Ukraine to eliminate Brazil!

GROUP A
Germany
Costa Rica
Poland
Ecuador

GROUP B
England
Paraguay
Trinidad and Tobago
Sweden

GROUP C
Argentina
Cote d'Ivoire
Serbia and Montenegro
Netherlands

GROUP D
Mexico
Iran
Angola
Portugal

GROUP E
Italy
Ghana
USA
Czech Republic

GROUP F
Brazil
Croatia
Australia
Japan

GROUP G
France
Switzerland
Korea Republic
Togo

GROUP H
Spain
Ukraine
Tunisia
Saudi Arabia

Originally posted by AB Again
GROUP C
Argentina
Cote d'Ivoire
Serbia and Montenegro
Netherlands
Was the prediction of Argentinas failure a genuine belief or a bit of local rivalry ;) .

same thing. I didnt Ripp anything off
oh really. I started a thread about who would win the world cup. And now u did. so you are ripping my thread off.

Yep I think they can :)
but la fact is they cant.

Was the prediction of Argentinas failure a genuine belief or a bit of local rivalry ;) .

Genuine belief. This particular group is difficult to call, but I consider Holland to be one of the strongest teams there this time (hence my prediction they will win the whole kaboodle) and Argentina have been inconsistent. Os hermanos could easily slip up against either the Ivory Coast or, more likely in my opinion, against Serbia and Montenegro thus letting the Ivory Coast in.

Brazil. As a friend of mine said; "Brazil are so good that they could win the World Cup with two different teams."

Brazil. As a friend of mine said; "Brazil are so good that they could win the World Cup with two different teams."
Their defence is rubbish. Holland will kick their arses in the semi-final and then beat Germany in the final to show how it should've been done in 1974. *

*I don't know if the schedule actually allows this scenario

*I don't know if the schedule actually allows this scenario
Play around with this ands find out.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/shared/spl/hi/predictor/html/football/world_cup_06/default.stm

Using that BBC thing I've so far, and just going on the results I expect, got four rather mouth-watering quarter finals:
Germany vs. Holland
Croatia vs. France
Sweden vs. Portugal
Brazil vs. Spain

That would be nice.

I think Brazil are most likely to win, Holland have a decent outside chance (not even on the poll!). I'd like to say Australia, but it's not going to happen. I'd be happy if we won a game or two, ecstatic if we made it through to the second round.

Trinidad and Tobago will win, I'm sure of it.

While I hope an African team wins, preferably Angola or Ivorycoast, I fear it will, as usual go to some European or South American team. I hope it does not go to England, that would just turn my stomach - in fact I hope they loose all their games and don't qualify for the knock out round

I think Brazil will be good enough to win the cup.

Group A: Poland and Germany (this is not first and second place)

Costa Rica are just beaten out becuase Lehman is playing and keeps German hopes alive

GROUP B: Sweden and Paraguay

The English press sabotages the team. The sports writers are sued by the FA while Trindad do themselves proud

GROUP C: Cote d'Ivoire and Netherlands

Tough choices about four very good teams

Group D: Portugal and Mexico

Easy enough to predict I think

Group E: USA and Czech Republic

Italy so rocked by scandal fail to scrap out the wins they need and gain too many draws

Group F: Brazil and Australia

Four good teams to choose from, a group of death.

Group G: France and Switzerland

Togo's Arsenal striker blows things for Togo with his attitude

Group H: Spain and Ukraine

Tunsia should pick up a win in this group.

Well, picking what seemed like reasonable results:

Germany wins Group A by drawing lots, Poland is second. They have the same points and goals.

Group B sees Sweden first, England second.

Holland wins Group C before Argentina.

Mexico takes it from Portugal in Group D.

Italy before the Czechs in E.

Australia second, Brazil first in Group F...Croats around here go nuts.

France just scrapes through, Switzerland is first in G.

Ukraine before Tunisia in H - Spain goes home.

Which gives us these Quarterfinals:
Germany v England
Holland v Portugal
Sweden v Poland
Mexico v Argentina
Italy v Australia
Switzerland v Tunisia
Brazil v Czech Republic
Ukraine v France

You pick from there...

I want Trinidad and Tobago to win. That would be awesome. (Damn, I just noticed lots of other people saying that so now it looks like I'm just jumping on the bandwagon :()
However, I think Italy or Spain will win.

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE...OI OI OI!!!

Having gotten that off my chest, my gut tells me Brazil...and that I really shouldn't have eaten that dodgy curry:(

most of the groups seem pretty obious as to who'll go through, exceptions are groups C and E which look really tough. holland and argentina obviously are strong attacking sides, though cote d'ivoire have a really exciting squad and could surprise I think they'll just miss out. s&m aren't what they used to be and if I know them as well as I think I do, they might see a few red cards for foul play, spitting and the like to spoil their chances... in group E it's a tough call between Italy with off field problems, czech republic with ageing key players and an interesting looking USA side. Ghana will probably be too weak against these oponents, my prediction will be USA (I'm not american so it's not my patriotism talking) winning the group with Italy second.

portugal could be a darkhorse

there is no way in hell the u.s. will win that group:rolleyes:

While my heart would dearly love for England to celebrate the 40th anniversary of winning their only World Cup by adding to it, I truly can't see them getting anywhere near it this time, due to key injuries and a lack of goal-scorers. Aside from Steven Gerard it's hard to see where goals are going to come from.
A dodgy result against Paraguay and I'd be worried about them even getting to the second stage.

I think it's likely to be between Brazil and maybe Germany, because of the home advantage and because they always seem to rise to the occasion when needed.
Although if I was a betting man I'd be agreeing with Stereoviolence and looking at a flutter on Portugal.

Course we could all be wrong, and Togo could walk it. :)

Heart says Australia but with Brazil in your group ... nope.

For me Brazil but Argentina look good too.

England. Theo Walcott to score the winner in injury time in the final against Brazil, running from the edge of his penalty area past all 11 Brazilians and tapping in, then outrunning the rest of the England team when they try to catch him to celebrate. On his return to England he is immediately knighted then plays in every match England play before his retirement, despite a recurring broken metatarsal.

Or Brazil.

but la fact is they cant.

We shall see when they play won't we? The US isn't as weak as people try to make it out to believe.

there is no way in hell the u.s. will win that group:rolleyes:

You never know. That is why they play the game. I agree however I am rooting for them to take it but I won't be broken hearted either way.

We shall see when they play won't we? The US isn't as weak as people try to make it out to believe.
No, but their position in the FIFA world rankings is higher than they deserve.

No, but their position in the FIFA world rankings is higher than they deserve.

I didn't come up with the rankings so I won't comment on them.

there is no way in hell the u.s. will win that group:rolleyes:

They could but I think they will finish second. If your referring to me, those where the people who got out of the group rather then any order.

truly can't see them getting anywhere near it this time, due to key injuries and a lack of goal-scorers. Aside from Steven Gerard it's hard to see where goals are going to come from.

Owen, Lampard, Beckham, Cambell, Terry, J.Cole. Walcott, Rooney

oh really. I started a thread about who would win the world cup. And now u did. so you are ripping my thread off.

Stop making a big deal about it what are you four years old?

Stop making a big deal about it what are you four years old?

I sometimes wonder if he isn't the way he talks.

Play around with this ands find out.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/shared/spl/hi/predictor/html/football/world_cup_06/default.stm

Not bad predictions only I think Poland will advance in Group A

Not bad predictions only I think Poland will advance in Group A

Um, the link is to an uncompleted predictor.

I too think that Poland will advance., but lose to England in the next round.

Any one catch the Arsenal and Barcelona game

1:2

Go Barcelona

Any one catch the Arsenal and Barcelona game

1:2

Go Barcelona

I know it was a fair red card this time, but why is it that whenever Barca play English opposition they end up playing against 10 men? Pure luck I suppose.


Anyway, back to the World cup. Gerrard as a striker? Any opinions people?

I know it was a fair red card this time, but why is it that whenever Barca play English opposition they end up playing against 10 men? Pure luck I suppose.


Anyway, back to the World cup. Gerrard as a striker? Any opinions people?

If he floats around as a link I can see it working well, esp with Carrick and Lampard playing in the midfield...hell we might even have a balanced team for one.

Personally I would still rather see....

Owen

Cole

Downing Lampard Carrick Gerrard

as the midfield and strikers...

If he floats around as a link I can see it working well, esp with Carrick and Lampard playing in the midfield...hell we might even have a balanced team for one.

Personally I would still rather see....

Owen

Cole

Downing Lampard Carrick Gerrard

as the midfield and strikers...

A distinct absence of the supposed captain there. (I happen to agree in principle with his exclusion.)
My concern with your line up is that Cole is effective wide rather than playing off a front man, and Owen is effective if he has a someone to hold the ball up for him. The combination does not seem to work too well together, but one never knows.

I do think that Gerrard could do a great job holding and distributing the ball from a more forward position, and he would always be a threat to shoot as well. It might work.

First match is June 9th!

First match is June 9th!

Whose playing?

If US gets by Brazil in the first stage of the knock out round* I think the US has a great chance to win it.

*US being 2nd in their group and Brazil winning theirs

A distinct absence of the supposed captain there. (I happen to agree in principle with his exclusion.)
My concern with your line up is that Cole is effective wide rather than playing off a front man, and Owen is effective if he has a someone to hold the ball up for him. The combination does not seem to work too well together, but one never knows.

I do think that Gerrard could do a great job holding and distributing the ball from a more forward position, and he would always be a threat to shoot as well. It might work.

Well, Cole can play anywhere across the Winger---Second Striker---Winger positions. He played as a second striker at West Ham on a few occasions and has done so at Chelsea.

The main reason I have put him in that place is because nearly all international defences play very deeply compared to English ones. This menas we need people who can run at defences and dribble rather than just a 'Big, Small' combination.

If you needed to include Beckham, I would drop Joe Cole and start with Gerrard in that position with Becks out wide as always.

Whose playing?
First match is Germany v Costa Rica, 1700 BST. Might be CET actually, I'm not sure. Then Poland v Ecuador at 2000.

I'll be supporting France and England, of course, but I doubt either of them has the slightest chance. It'll probably be won by the Netherlands or the Czech Republic, or possibly Brazil.

Here are my predictions for the group stages:

GROUP A
Germany shouldn't be in too much trouble, and Poland are good enough to make it through in second. Ecuador will probably come third.

GROUP B
Paraguay aren't what they used to be. Sweden and England will qualify, probably in that order.

GROUP C
Tough one. I predict Serbia and Montenegro to come last, but not without a fight. The Netherlands will be first. Just for the sake of an upset, I'll predict Côte d'Ivoire create a surprise by eliminating Argentina.

GROUP D
Portugal take it, with Mexico managing a second place. The match between Angola and Portugal should be quite interesting, incidentally.

GROUP E
Not an easy one to predict. The Czech Republic should come first. Italy will logically come second, but both Ghana and the USA have a faint hope of unsettling them.

GROUP F
Brazil will win it, and Australia will probably finish last, so the battle for second place will be between Japan and Croatia. I'd say Croatia, but Japan can't be discounted.

GROUP G
Switzerland will win it. Knowing our luck, I wouldn't be surprised if Les bleus are eliminated by South Korea, but I'm going to remain hopeful and say France scrapes through in second place.

GROUP H
Shouldn't be too difficult for the Ukraine and Spain, possibly in that order.

Second round

England dispatches Germany. They've done it once before, so I'm going to be unreasonably optimistic and say they can do it again. ;) The Netherlands make it past Mexico without too much trouble. The Czech Republic knocks out Croatia. Switzerland loses to Spain. Poland beats Sweden. Côte d'Ivoire continue to surprise by eliminating Portugal. Italy goes down to Brazil and France is eliminated by the Ukraine.

Quarter finals

England makes its exit against the Netherlands. The Czech Republic pulls off a comfortable victory over Spain. Poland narrowly defeats Côte d'Ivoire in a very interesting quarter-final. Brazil knocks out a good team from the Ukraine.

Semi-finals

In what would have made a glorious final, the Netherlands very narrowly defeat the Czech Republic, who then go on to win third place. In the other semi, Brazil has it fairly easy against a Polish side now out of its league.

Final

In an epic clash, the Netherlands defeat Brazil.

Of course, I could be completely wrong from start to finish. :p

~snip~

Of course, I could be completely wrong from start to finish. :p
But I'd love it if things went that way:p

I can't believe people ae going with England. Of the four strikers they are taking, Owen and Rooney will probably not have recovered from injury, Walcott is a 17 year old who has only played a handfull of games in a lower division and Crouch is ... well ... Crouch :) . I think their world cup is over already.
Owens fit, CCrouch isn't bad player-most people don't see all the good work he does. In a 4-5-1 formation he would be perfect-holding it up forGerrard and lampard to come through.

You obviously havn't seen Walcott play-he is electric.

Oh, and Elngalnd squad.

The defense and Gk picks itseklf. I'd play 5 in midfeild ATM until Rooney is fit- so thats:
.................Carrack/Beckham
Lennon/Beckham.......................J.Cole
............Gerrard...........Lampard
.....................Walcott/Owen.

Oh, and Elngalnd squad.

The defense and Gk picks itseklf. I'd play 5 in midfeild ATM until Rooney is fit- so thats:
.................Carrack/Beckham
Lennon/Beckham.......................J.Cole
............Gerrard...........Lampard
.....................Walcott/Owen.

Terry and who else as centerbacks? I go for Carragher, but strong cases can be made for both Cambell and Ferdinand.

I think Brazil and Germany have the highest chances of winning, but certain nations (Czech Republic, Portugal) have an outside chance of coming in and disrupting the balance. The Czechs have done extremely well this year, and that could translate to them making it to the semi-finals, at least. The Portugese also have their strongest World Cup showing ever, so they also have a decent chance.

Of course, the USA is screwed. I mean, I'm a patriotic American and stuff, but come on, since no one in the USA plays or watches football/soccer, how many good players can we have?

First match is Germany v Costa Rica, 1700 BST. Might be CET actually, I'm not sure. Then Poland v Ecuador at 2000.

Thanks now what time would that be in the Eastern US?

Of course, the USA is screwed. I mean, I'm a patriotic American and stuff, but come on, since no one in the USA plays or watches football/soccer, how many good players can we have?

More than you might think but it takes more than good players to win a championship.

More than you might think but it takes more than good players to win a championship.

Indeed. For one thing, they need to know how to work together, not hog the ball so that a picture of them kicking the ball into the goal so that they can be on the cover of a sports magazine.

I can't believe people ae going with England. Of the four strikers they are taking, Owen and Rooney will probably not have recovered from injury, Walcott is a 17 year old who has only played a handfull of games in a lower division and Crouch is ... well ... Crouch :) . I think their world cup is over already.

Rooney wont be, but I think Owen has either recovered or is damn nearly.


Fear the Crouch :P hehehe

Thanks now what time would that be in the Eastern US?
Erm...1700 BST would be 1200 Eastern US, I think. 1700 CET is an hour later.

Australia is going to qualify from Group F.

They have the ability to do so.

Originally posted by Aust
You obviously havn't seen Walcott play-he is electric.
If he is that good, why is he not even on the bench for an Arsenal team which is at a relatively low ebb (domestically speaking). I don't doubt his potential or even his talent. It is a possible fairy tale in the making but should England be gambling on a Hollywood script scenario when the World Cup is at stake? Perhaps Sven knows he has nothing to lose.

The USA have a strong team, I find them vastly underated and they have a great manager, they may lack a Rooney but not all teams benfit by having a star player.

If he is that good, why is he not even on the bench for an Arsenal team which is at a relatively low ebb (domestically speaking). I don't doubt his potential or even his talent. It is a possible fairy tale in the making but should England be gambling on a Hollywood script scenario when the World Cup is at stake? Perhaps Sven knows he has nothing to lose.

In the second half of the season, Arsenal played well and we needed every point we could get while nobody deserved to be dropped. Van Persie has proven himself, Abadoyor adds something nobody else does, the Dutch Master has expirence and is a playmaker, Reyes can play up front too and of course Henry.

Is it a gamble? Sven has seen him in training and he has the recommendation of a man who excelles at finding talent and turning it into world class players. Wenger is the first person the FA ask to become manager, predicted Greece could win Euro 2004, predicted Arsenal's unbeaten season, predicted Arsenal could go to the Champions League final and win it when Arsenal where struggling at home and so on. He suggested Walcott and said the kid would do well.

Wenger's word is good enough for me but I would take five strikers myself. With Crouch, Owen and Rooney (depending on fitness) as already on the plane, two of these would join them: Walcott, Sheringham, Fowler and Ashton.

I would probably take Walcott and Sheringham myself. Bent doesn't play quite as England would want, Defoe is off form as is Heskey. AJ has been playing in the Championship and I hear he hasn't set it alight this season

If he is that good, why is he not even on the bench for an Arsenal team which is at a relatively low ebb (domestically speaking). I don't doubt his potential or even his talent. It is a possible fairy tale in the making but should England be gambling on a Hollywood script scenario when the World Cup is at stake? Perhaps Sven knows he has nothing to lose.
I've seen him play for Southamton and Arsnal reserves, he's quicker than henry and-though a little less experienced- he's eye for goal ect. reminds me of a young own.

Terry and who else as centerbacks? I go for Carragher, but strong cases can be made for both Cambell and Ferdinand.
Ferdinand. Campbell hasn't had enough preactace since he went AWOL and Carrager is the perfect bench dub-he can play in all 3 positions.

Ferdinand. Campbell hasn't had enough preactace since he went AWOL and Carrager is the perfect bench dub-he can play in all 3 positions.

Cambell for me, played well against Barca and is a talker. I am never fully happy if Ferdinand is playing but Carragher is good enough for first team but will save him for the bench

Ferdinand. Campbell hasn't had enough preactace since he went AWOL and Carrager is the perfect bench dub-he can play in all 3 positions.
Carragher is the best of the three so should start, and if we need him to go out wide in defence then we bring in either Ferdinand or Campbell (depending on who we are playing I suppose). Ferdinand is better against a quick passing attack (he recovers position better and is match sharper) but Campbell is more dominant in the air (my opinion anyway).

Ferdinand. Campbell hasn't had enough preactace since he went AWOL and Carrager is the perfect bench dub-he can play in all 3 positions.

I'd put Carragher in straight away.

Ferdinand has me worried about what monumental cock-up (ala against Harry Kewell a few years ago when he 'fell over').

Campbell is pretty good, but I don't think I'd take his as first choice over the other three.

I can see why, but if Ferdinand can find is 2002 form...

I can see why, but if Ferdinand can find is 2002 form...

sniff sniff, what could be affecting his form of late sniff sniff

no offence, but the us have 2 chances of even grtting out of their group. slim and fuck all. they dont have the players, its that simple.

will be at 4 games, brazil japan, portugal mexico, spain saudi arabia, cosa rica poland. some juicy ones there,

sniff sniff, what could be affecting his form of late sniff sniff

no offence, but the us have 2 chances of even grtting out of their group. slim and fuck all. they dont have the players, its that simple.

will be at 4 games, brazil japan, portugal mexico, spain saudi arabia, cosa rica poland. some juicy ones there,
Aye. You've got Adu, though, is he in your squad?

Brazil more than likely, if not them, then Germany, since Germany are a strong team anyway and host nations generally do very well

hmm. few supporters of the host country. *ahem*

Germany. Love Podolski, Klose. Their defense is solid, but then again i base this on nothing.

(This time, i did not buy a striker's jersey. last time, bought jancker, where the hell is he now? ballack home/away at half the price! thanks ebay and some guy in thailand!)

Well, I hope against hope that they can sneak to the final this time. Maybe Brazil wont be in their way, and i look forward to a rematch of '74. Lehmann could get them through to the quarterfinals, but after that its iffy to me. They have a very good chance, mostly due to the home field. 1974 baby, 1974.

using that predictor thing someone posted a couple pages back, USA draws Brazil in the second round according to me. ouch. then again, i have angola going to the second round on a draw with portugal. :p

swiss upset over brazil in the quarters, win third place against france. germany defeats argentina and france to squeak through to the final against, dum dum dum dum, holland.

a nice rematch that the home team wins in extra time, 2-1. or even PKs, if they want to give me a heart attack.

a quick question to any supporter of germany: is it possible to find a website that sells all kinds of things to wear, like a wig with the colors or things like that? i have the home and away jerseys and the cheesy germany dog tags (:P), but i'm looking for something else. all i can find is english crap ;) . why cant i find a site to support the home team?

i turn to germany since the USA is a charity case is my eyes. FIFA rankings are as confused as a hungry baby in a topless club.
http://www.3dflags.com/media/icon/classic/g/3dflagsdotcom_gerna_2fawm.gif

Aye. You've got Adu, though, is he in your squad?
Adu i believe is a reserve, and he is nothing any one says of him. if you watch the crappiest league in the world, the MLS, Adu does not stand out. You would not notice him unless you were told where he was.

even Albright, the young defender, is a reserve.

The MLS is shameless. The New York Red Bulls? christ.

Adu i believe is a reserve, and he is nothing any one says of him. if you watch the crappiest league in the world, the MLS, Adu does not stand out. You would not notice him unless you were told where he was.

even Albright, the young defender, is a reserve.

The MLS is shameless. The New York Red Bulls? christ.

Give the MLS credit for at least trying to make something out of football in a country that does not always like to have to compete in its sport with the rest of the world. MLS may be one of the worst leagues in the world, but at least it exists and can improve. How is football (soccer) doing in Canada?

As sport is one of the legit outlets for nationalistic pride:

USA

~snip
Well, I hope against hope that they can sneak to the final this time. Maybe Brazil wont be in their way, and i look forward to a rematch of '74. Lehmann could get them through to the quarterfinals, but after that its iffy to me. They have a very good chance, mostly due to the home field. 1974 baby, 1974.
~snip

But with the result of 1988 ;)

I gotta go with Argentina here, however I will be rooting for the United States all the way till the end.

The USA have two great keepers, a good striker in Donavan and Reyna is pretty capable. Their manager has done a great job with them, got them into the last eight in 2002 so I think they can pull out of the group and into the knock outs

The USA have two great keepers, a good striker in Donavan and Reyna is pretty capable. Their manager has done a great job with them, got them into the last eight in 2002 so I think they can pull out of the group and into the knock outs
They're in with Italy, Czech Rep and Ghana, aren't they? I don't see them beating Czech Rep or Italy - lose and a draw (at best) respectively. Even Ghana shouldn't be written off. I imagine that group would end up like this:
1. Czech Rep, 9 points
2. Italy, 6 points
3. USA, 1 or 3 point(s)
4. Ghana 1 or 0 point(s)

We shall see when they play won't we? The US isn't as weak as people try to make it out to believe.
but they never won a world cup.

but they never won a world cup.
So? Until 1998, neither had France.

So? Until 1998, neither had France.
zing!

amazing how a team that's been around that long went winless.

anyone else up for a Germany-Holland final with a Swiss third place?

They're in with Italy, Czech Rep and Ghana, aren't they? I don't see them beating Czech Rep or Italy - lose and a draw (at best) respectively. Even Ghana shouldn't be written off. I imagine that group would end up like this:
1. Czech Rep, 9 points
2. Italy, 6 points
3. USA, 1 or 3 point(s)
4. Ghana 1 or 0 point(s)

I'm not writing off Ghana but both top teams teams can be beaten if USA play well or one of the others doesn't, like Euro 2004 where Italy went out in the group stages. It is a hard group for all four teams but two haave to go home and football does not always favour the favroiutes.

The Czech Republic / Italy / USA / Ghana group should indeed be an interesting one. The Czechs and Italians are clear favourites (I predict the Czechs topping it, getting to the semis and losing to the Netherlands), but none of those four teams can be written out.

C'arn the Soccoroos!!!

but they never won a world cup.

Neither did France and they won it their's on Bastile day in 1998.

Sweden is in for one very bumpy ride. Almost undoubtetly the best team since the silver 1994 (and one of our best ever), but the opposition is just too tough :( If we get to the quarter finals (which isn't very far fetched, with some luck (such as not getting brazil in the 2nd round)), we'll probably face Argentina or Holland. Not good.

As sport is one of the legit outlets for nationalistic pride:

USA

All right, then...

Allez les Bleus!!! :D

In football related news, Northern Ireland got beaten 1-0 by Uruguay in New York last night.

Not a bad result, when you consider that we're missing a massive chunk of our first squad and are instead using uncapped youngsters, and when you see the goal Uruguay got. Brilliant goal.

And the fact they're 23rd in the world and we're 96th.

C'arn the Soccoroos!!!
I think they might do shit.
In way over their heads.

Sweden is in for one very bumpy ride. Almost undoubtetly the best team since the silver 1994 (and one of our best ever), but the opposition is just too tough :( If we get to the quarter finals (which isn't very far fetched, with some luck (such as not getting brazil in the 2nd round)), we'll probably face Argentina or Holland. Not good.
You'd play one of the teams that qualify from Group A, wouldn't you? Which will probably be Germany or Poland. You could beat Poland, and perhaps beat Germany. Hopefully you'd be up against Argentina in the quarters - I reckon you have a better chance of beating them than you do Holland. I'm not really familiar with the sort of tactics or formation Sweden use so I don't know which team would be easier for them to play against.

Hopefully anyone but England will win, preferably the French.

Personally I'm looking forward to Group C games,

Argentina
Holland
Serbia & Montenegro (for the last time ever)
Ivory Coast


Should be very good to watch.

In football related news, Northern Ireland got beaten 1-0 by Uruguay in New York last night.

Not a bad result, when you consider that we're missing a massive chunk of our first squad and are instead using uncapped youngsters, and when you see the goal Uruguay got. Brilliant goal.

And the fact they're 23rd in the world and we're 96th.
How did Clinigan do?

Who gives a shit?

Who gives a shit?
Did you really need to dig up a thread from 10 days ago just to say that?

In answer to the question - approximately 1.5 billion people across the world will watch the World Cup.

You'd play one of the teams that qualify from Group A, wouldn't you? Which will probably be Germany or Poland. You could beat Poland, and perhaps beat Germany. Hopefully you'd be up against Argentina in the quarters - I reckon you have a better chance of beating them than you do Holland. I'm not really familiar with the sort of tactics or formation Sweden use so I don't know which team would be easier for them to play against.
We usually play a 4-4-2 with diamond midfield, and rely heavy on defense and counter-attacks, but things have been changing since Zlatan came around... We averaged like 3 goals/game in the qualifications, and only lost once or twice (4 goals against) so... The tactics have probably changed towards offensive since it's the first time in quite some time that we've got a good offense with Larsson and Zlatan.

FYI, I am so tired I have no idea what I just wrote :p

Did you really need to dig up a thread from 10 days ago just to say that?

In answer to the question - approximately 1.5 billion people across the world will watch the World Cup.

panem circensesque

You're quite right i should have been much ruder and more forthright in my expression of what a crap game I think football is but maybe the fact that the thread only lasted that long answers my question more eloquently.

panem circensesque

You're quite right i should have been much ruder and more forthright in my expression of what a crap game I think football is but maybe the fact that the thread only lasted that long answers my question more eloquently.
Or it could just be that another thread took over from this one and is still going strong...

We usually play a 4-4-2 with diamond midfield, and rely heavy on defense and counter-attacks, but things have been changing since Zlatan came around... We averaged like 3 goals/game in the qualifications, and only lost once or twice (4 goals against) so... The tactics have probably changed towards offensive since it's the first time in quite some time that we've got a good offense with Larsson and Zlatan.

FYI, I am so tired I have no idea what I just wrote :p
Hmmm...not really working though - a 1-1 draw with Chile isn't that great, is it?:p

Hmmm...not really working though - a 1-1 draw with Chile isn't that great, is it?:p
Nope, that it's not. Didn't see the game, my TV's broke and my parents watched golden league :( so I'm not too clear on who played and all that...

I'm going to watching the Socceroos with great interest. We have Japan, Croatia & Brazil in our pool. Very tough! I don't really expect we will make it out of the group stage. However, if a result or two goes our way in the other games, then who knows what could happen? Whatever the result, I'll be barracking for the Aussies all the way.

We're playing the Dutch tomorrow night in a friendly, so I'll be staying up late to watch it. Hopefully it'll give us some indications of where we stand & what we'll need to do if we hope to progress.

Did you really need to dig up a thread from 10 days ago just to say that?

In answer to the question - approximately 1.5 billion people across the world will watch the World Cup.

Just because I love internatinal play....

I'll be among those 1.5 billion though I do not like soccer :D

Just because I love internatinal play....

I'll be among those 1.5 billion though I do not like soccer :D
Ditto, and isn't it supposed to be 2 billion now chinas become intrsested.

I'd like Australia vs Netherlands final but I doubt Australia will make the quarter finals. Picking Brazil but Germany aren't out of the question at all. They look really solid of late.