Brazil is pretty demoralised, everyone I know is saying that we're not gonna win. Hell, I wish Brazil would win just so everyone would STFU, it'd be pretty funny, but naw, I think Argentina's gonna win.

I hope USA and South Africa do good but the probably wont so ill go with Argentina and Spain.

I'll come up with some more replies later :)

At 6/8/10 04:47 PM, Slightly-Crazy-Dude wrote:

At 6/8/10 01:48 PM, Auz wrote:
You do know that Huntelaar is probably going to spend most of the WC on the bench, right? van Persie is currently the striker in the Dutch team, with Sneijder, van der Vaart/Kuyt and Robben backing him up as attacking midfielders. So how are the odds for van Persie? If it's 15/1 or higher I would definitely go for that bet instead if I were you. You might also wanna check Sneijder's odds. He scores lots of goals for the Dutch team as well.

I was thinking Van Persie wasn't 100% fit and coming back from injury. Is this not the case? His odds are shit though, 10/1 isn't worth a punt.

No way. In the last three matches Holland scored 12 goals. 4 of them were made by van Persie. I think he's fit ;)

The other goals were made by:
Sneijder 2x
Robben 2x
Kuyt 1x
van der Vaart 1x
van Bommel 1x
Elia 1x

in case you wanna know.

The rest of the Holland squad is at 50+ to one though, Sneijder is an interesting prospect at 66/1 I suppose, but I dislike that fucker for scoring against Scotland when they hammered us 6-0 a few years ago. It was an absolutely beautiful goal too. 66/1 is too far off the odds for any reasonable bet, I may stick a few quid on it right enough though.

I would definitely go for Sneijder, rather than Huntelaar in that case.

Also note that Sneijder takes the free kicks together with van der Vaart ;)

Fuck me, Romania didn't qualify.

England has a chance. rooney is pretty good.
capello was drunk when he axed wallcott though.

Does anyone know when Brazil's first official game is?

At 6/8/10 08:22 PM, Sir-Nuts wrote: I'm really thrilled, we're only three days away from it! Too bad I'll still have classes on the opening game

Still better than having exams during almost the entire tournament.

Also, injury reports:

Apparently, Robben will only be able to play the second game of the group. I don't think he'll be that necessary during the qualifiers, but he should play the last two games...

I agree. We don't need him all that much during the qualification round. We got enough quality up front to beat Denmark and Cameroon.

Kaka should play all the games, but apparently he's not "100%" yet. He has a week to get in shape, when we have our first match against North Korea...

D'aw =(

I really hope he will play well in this WC.

At 6/7/10 05:04 AM, Auz wrote: Well you gotta have some faith in young players. I'd say it would be a good investment in the future to take him with you.

Indeed, but a few more younger players were left out as well, there was some protestation over that in here...

I can imagine that. Brazil's coach has made a few doubtful choices as we already discussed before.

But I remember Marco van Basten and some German coach also got a lot of shit over them when they threw out most of the older 'star' players of the Dutch and German team. Yet both have done pretty well as coaches for the national team.

As for Ronaldinho, has he not been selected in three years then? I heard he was doing great in AC Milan at the moment. Surely he can still do better than some of the other players that were selected.

Not really, he was being called in the first few years, but I think that since 2008 he hasn't been called. Yeah, he is slowly coming back to what he used to be, but still... calling a player that you aren't sure how well he'll do on the cup? =/

Yeah you got a point there. Realiability is indeed important. If a player fucks up and you lose the match mostly because of it, it can have disastrous consequenses in a WC.

Ah alright. I understand. But I guess they'll start with Robinho and Luis Fabiano and keep Grafite as some kind of 'pinch-hitter'?

Grafite is the bench for L. Fabiano and Nilmar is the bench for Robinho - depends on what Dunga thinks it's best at the time.

I personally hope Nilmar plays really well. ^^

I have never heard of Nilmar to be honest. Looking at his carreer, he doesn't seem to be a real 'goalgetter' (only 12 goals last season out of 44 matches). I don't know what his other qualities are though.

Yes, Didier Drogda is of course their star player. They're probably gonna need him, if it was for the morale boost alone.

Yeah, he's the captain as well. Ivory Coast has a good team, but Drogba is still the "reference player" - the teams plays with his style, they play "around" him...

Indeed. Although they got enough other quality players in their team to be a respectable oppontent for Brazil and Portugal.

Anyway, it's gonna be an exciting group. Looking forward to their first matches ^^

At 6/9/10 01:05 PM, ArsenalFC wrote: England has a chance. rooney is pretty good.
capello was drunk when he axed wallcott though.

Capello was drunk when he made his squad selections, sure, but axing Walcott wasn't a mistake. If we wanted to pick someone who can run quick and do nothing else, Dwain Chambers was available.

At 6/9/10 02:47 PM, jonthomson wrote: but axing Walcott wasn't a mistake.

Agree completely. That and he apparently disobeyed orders from Capello on how he should play in both the friendlies he played in. Why should Capello pick a player who is just a good runner, who loses the ball, can't cross, is greedy and doesn't obey simple instructions?

Beginning right now: WORLD CUP OPENING CEREMONY!

First game is only tomorrow, but it should be great either way. There are no favourites in Group A, so anything can happen. South Africa vs. Mexico should be interesting.

At 6/8/10 08:39 PM, Scarab wrote: Just as a kickback, and honour, to the multimeda world we... hastily left behind, here's a screenshot from that encyclopedia I mentioned. 1994 is also featured on the CD-ROM, in a serperate section.

Heh, my uncle actually had some of these posters! I remember seeing the Spain '82 one and a replica from the first one. I don't know where they are now, though...

At 6/8/10 08:54 PM, MiroDK wrote: Brazil is pretty demoralised, everyone I know is saying that we're not gonna win. Hell, I wish Brazil would win just so everyone would STFU, it'd be pretty funny, but naw, I think Argentina's gonna win.

I'm cheering for Brazil and I think we have a good chance of winning, despite what everyone says about our coach / players. Even though we are in the toughest group, we can pass to the 16 round and go even further. SCREW THOSE HATTERS. :P

At 6/8/10 10:52 PM, DarkSytze wrote: seemingly a lot of teams are missing out good players, the netherlands got an injured robben, cote d'ivoire got an injured drogba, nani is also injured.

This is what happens when the World cup is held at the end of the regular European season - the players are tired and are likely to have more injuries...

At 6/9/10 04:02 AM, Rawter wrote: Also if you are watching any of the games in SA bring earmuffs there are these horrible sounding things called vuvuzelas which make a loud loud noise. Imagine 30 thousand people blowing on those in a stadium...not pleasant you can't hear anything with those things blowing for the full 90 minutes of the game.

Ah, the Vuvuzelas have been causing a lot of controversy... Referees, players, field reporters have been complaining about them, I think even a Dutch reporter suggested that I should be banned from the stadiums...

It's just a local way of cheering, I don't think it should be banned. But oh, those South Africa matches are going to be LOUD!

At 6/9/10 01:10 PM, Sk8erGirl14 wrote: Does anyone know when Brazil's first official game is?

Hey, I remember that you cheer for Brazil as well. :)

At 6/9/10 01:58 PM, Auz wrote:

At 6/8/10 08:22 PM, Sir-Nuts wrote: I'm really thrilled, we're only three days away from it! Too bad I'll still have classes on the opening game

Still better than having exams during almost the entire tournament.

Oh, that's bad... I'm also going to have exams during the cup, but only for a week. It still sucks, though.

Also, injury reports:

Apparently, Robben will only be able to play the second game of the group. I don't think he'll be that necessary during the qualifiers, but he should play the last two games...

I agree. We don't need him all that much during the qualification round. We got enough quality up front to beat Denmark and Cameroon.

And watch out for that Brazilian / Japanese defender Marco Tulio Tanaka - he's the one that gave Drogba a ninja move in his arm. :P

Kaka should play all the games, but apparently he's not "100%" yet. He has a week to get in shape, when we have our first match against North Korea...

D'aw =(

I really hope he will play well in this WC.

We all do - He's the team's biggest hope for scoring chances creation. Without him, we should have trouble.

Indeed, but a few more younger players were left out as well, there was some protestation over that in here...

I can imagine that. Brazil's coach has made a few doubtful choices as we already discussed before.

But I remember Marco van Basten and some German coach also got a lot of shit over them when they threw out most of the older 'star' players of the Dutch and German team. Yet both have done pretty well as coaches for the national team.

Honestly, I've yet to see a coach that was trusted and had his players trusted by everyone. There will always be protests over the players called, on the game scheme... It's just the normal things for every teams.

Not really, he was being called in the first few years, but I think that since 2008 he hasn't been called. Yeah, he is slowly coming back to what he used to be, but still... calling a player that you aren't sure how well he'll do on the cup? =/

Yeah you got a point there. Realiability is indeed important. If a player fucks up and you lose the match mostly because of it, it can have disastrous consequenses in a WC.

That's what happened in 2006 against France, everyone hoped that Ronaldinho would break our "French Curse", but he didn't do a thing on the game, along with most of our team! I guess Zidane got away with this one. :P

I personally hope Nilmar plays really well. ^^

I have never heard of Nilmar to be honest. Looking at his carreer, he doesn't seem to be a real 'goalgetter' (only 12 goals last season out of 44 matches). I don't know what his other qualities are though.

He is a very fast player. He didn't score that much last season because he wasn't the starter in every game for Villarreal. When he used to play for Internacional (the team that I cheer for in Brazil), he was our main player. :)

Anyway, IT'S ON! Cup officially starting now!

At 6/10/10 01:55 PM, Sir-Nuts wrote:

At 6/9/10 01:58 PM, Auz wrote:

At 6/8/10 08:22 PM, Sir-Nuts wrote:

Still better than having exams during almost the entire tournament.

Oh, that's bad... I'm also going to have exams during the cup, but only for a week. It still sucks, though.

I got only three exams, but they're spread over two weeks. Fortunately I won't have any exams when Holland has to play a match ^^

I agree. We don't need him all that much during the qualification round. We got enough quality up front to beat Denmark and Cameroon.

And watch out for that Brazilian / Japanese defender Marco Tulio Tanaka - he's the one that gave Drogba a ninja move in his arm. :P

*Checks Youtube*

Lol :p He defended well I guess, but that was a pretty reckless move.

D'aw =(

I really hope he will play well in this WC.

We all do - He's the team's biggest hope for scoring chances creation. Without him, we should have trouble.

Personally I don't mind if Brazil doesn't do well this WC, but I just like to see Kaká play since he is my favorite player and all :)

I can imagine that. Brazil's coach has made a few doubtful choices as we already discussed before.

But I remember Marco van Basten and some German coach also got a lot of shit over them when they threw out most of the older 'star' players of the Dutch and German team. Yet both have done pretty well as coaches for the national team.

Honestly, I've yet to see a coach that was trusted and had his players trusted by everyone. There will always be protests over the players called, on the game scheme... It's just the normal things for every teams.

True. Although I gotta say there is not much criticism in Holland this time. I think most people here agreed with van Persie over Huntelaar and van Nistelrooy. There's been some debate about Kuyt or van der Vaart, but for the rest most people agreed with van Marwijk's picks and base eleven.

Yeah you got a point there. Realiability is indeed important. If a player fucks up and you lose the match mostly because of it, it can have disastrous consequenses in a WC.

That's what happened in 2006 against France, everyone hoped that Ronaldinho would break our "French Curse", but he didn't do a thing on the game, along with most of our team! I guess Zidane got away with this one. :P

Ah yes, Zidane. Fantastic player. I think after he left, the French team went straight downhill. They haven't performed nearly as well without him as the captain.

I have never heard of Nilmar to be honest. Looking at his carreer, he doesn't seem to be a real 'goalgetter' (only 12 goals last season out of 44 matches). I don't know what his other qualities are though.

He is a very fast player. He didn't score that much last season because he wasn't the starter in every game for Villarreal. When he used to play for Internacional (the team that I cheer for in Brazil), he was our main player. :)

I see. Fast players are always handy.

Anyway, IT'S ON! Cup officially starting now!

What really? I think the ceremony is not even broadcasted here... =/

At 6/9/10 04:02 PM, Gagsy wrote:

At 6/9/10 02:47 PM, jonthomson wrote: but axing Walcott wasn't a mistake.

Agree completely. That and he apparently disobeyed orders from Capello on how he should play in both the friendlies he played in. Why should Capello pick a player who is just a good runner, who loses the ball, can't cross, is greedy and doesn't obey simple instructions?

We could have brought him as a pointless mascot again, just like 4 years ago! Or perhaps we actually have a manager who watches his players before he picks them this time... I'm more annoyed that Johnson didn't make the plane.

At 6/10/10 03:28 PM, Auz wrote:

At 6/10/10 01:55 PM, Sir-Nuts wrote:

Anyway, IT'S ON! Cup officially starting now!

What really? I think the ceremony is not even broadcasted here... =/

Erm... the opening ceremony is tomorrow before the first match (and probably is televised), tonight is just a pre tournament concert with a less than impressive line-up (eye candy excluded).

Im doing the proper sticker albums. Got all the cards. cost me in excess for £50, including a hefty £2.50 for a shiny Ronaldo.

I missed the first 30 minutes of the opening concert. Missed anything good? :(

At 6/10/10 05:05 PM, Gagsy wrote: I missed the first 30 minutes of the opening concert. Missed anything good? :(

Black eyed peas I think, I'm flicking in and out.

Huh? The opening ceremony is tomorrow (friday).. right?

At 6/10/10 05:07 PM, Mussirus wrote: Huh? The opening ceremony is tomorrow (friday).. right?

I assume. This is just a concert, not the actually ceremony.

I didn't even know about the opening ceremony. Bummer.

What happened in it then? Was it nice?

At 6/10/10 05:08 PM, Gagsy wrote:

At 6/10/10 05:07 PM, Mussirus wrote: Huh? The opening ceremony is tomorrow (friday).. right?

I assume. This is just a concert, not the actually ceremony.

Oh, ok. I just checked and this concert wasn't broadcasted here anyway.
Also, i think i'm going to miss the ceremony tomorrow. I have a driving lesson and after that i need to arrange some things for a job.

Yeah, it wasn't really the opening itself, but the whole media coverage in here made me think it was the actual opening...

Oh and some of the concerts were actually pretty nice. The one with the "official" song, Wavin' Flag" was nice, and that last song that Shakira sang was cool as well. And I'm really thrilled for tomorrow. :)

At 6/10/10 03:28 PM, Auz wrote:

At 6/10/10 01:55 PM, Sir-Nuts wrote: Oh, that's bad... I'm also going to have exams during the cup, but only for a week. It still sucks, though.

I got only three exams, but they're spread over two weeks. Fortunately I won't have any exams when Holland has to play a match ^^

Hmm, I don't know if my exams will be during one of Brazil's games. If that happens, my school should do something about it...

Brazil vs. Portugal will be at 11:00am in here, and my classes are from 7:10 until 12:40. On that day, our classes will end at 10:00. ;)

And watch out for that Brazilian / Japanese defender Marco Tulio Tanaka - he's the one that gave Drogba a ninja move in his arm. :P

*Checks Youtube*

Lol :p He defended well I guess, but that was a pretty reckless move.

Defended well? He gave Drogba a flying kick, that's indeed a great defence! :P

And in here we all thought he did that on purpose, since he was born in Brazil and wanted to help us by kicking Drogba. THAT'S the spirit! :P

We all do - He's the team's biggest hope for scoring chances creation. Without him, we should have trouble.

Personally I don't mind if Brazil doesn't do well this WC, but I just like to see Kaká play since he is my favorite player and all :)

Kaká is one of my favourite players as well, and I really hope he is fine for the cup...

Honestly, I've yet to see a coach that was trusted and had his players trusted by everyone. There will always be protests over the players called, on the game scheme... It's just the normal things for every teams.

True. Although I gotta say there is not much criticism in Holland this time. I think most people here agreed with van Persie over Huntelaar and van Nistelrooy. There's been some debate about Kuyt or van der Vaart, but for the rest most people agreed with van Marwijk's picks and base eleven.

I agree as well, van Persie is doing way better than Huntelaar and Nistelrooy... well, I haven't heard about him lately, I don't even know where he is playing at. :P

And, squad-wise, I think Holland has one of the top three in the cup. Their powerful offence is something to be feared by all teams...

That's what happened in 2006 against France, everyone hoped that Ronaldinho would break our "French Curse", but he didn't do a thing on the game, along with most of our team! I guess Zidane got away with this one. :P

Ah yes, Zidane. Fantastic player. I think after he left, the French team went straight downhill. They haven't performed nearly as well without him as the captain.

Indeed, he was not only a great player, but a great leader in the field. I think he should go for the coaching career. He is different from the other players, he has a different game view. Maybe he could pass that along to more players.

Anyway, IT'S ON! Cup officially starting now!

What really? I think the ceremony is not even broadcasted here... =/

Not only it was nationally broadcast, but most of the Twitter's "trending topics" are about that. The top one, for example, is "SHUT UP, GALVAO!". Galvão Bueno is a long time narrator, and is infamous for some awful sentences and the "É TETRA! É TEEEEETRAAAAAAAAA!!!!!" yell, when we won the cup in 1994. :P

At 6/10/10 05:01 PM, Rude-Awakening wrote: Im doing the proper sticker albums. Got all the cards. cost me in excess for £50, including a hefty £2.50 for a shiny Ronaldo.

Heh, I completed mine about two months ago. I even thought about starting a second one, it would've been worth it. :P

At 6/10/10 05:08 PM, Narusegawa wrote: I didn't even know about the opening ceremony. Bummer.

What happened in it then? Was it nice?

Basically, a bunch of shows and old people talking about Nelson Mandela. :P

hope you guys are ready for a wall of text, as i'll give my opinion about EVERY SINGLE TEAM.

South Africa- they can be the first host to fail in the group stages, which would be a shame. they have a weak overall team, with only Pienaar as a good player. their best Foward, McCarthy, won't even go to the WC. last of the group? most likely.

Mexico- as always, they're 'secondary character' that always fall on the round of 16, but they're likely to reach the Quarter-Finals if they're lucky. a balanced team, Mexico will most likely be the second of the group.

Uruguay- their fowards are great (Diego-fucking-Forlan) and Lugano secures the defense, but that's all. in the qualyfiers, they didn't play jack, which makes me doubt if they'll make it to the round of 16.

France- although the best in the group, France won't play for shit. why? they lost to CHINA in a friendly match, they were qualyfied because of an illegal goal in the match against Ireland and generally haven't gotten good results this season. making to the finals seems very difficult.
they got good players, but still...

Argentina- a monster mother effin' attack with Tevez, Higuain, Aguero, Milito and, of course, Messi. they also got Mascherano and Veron, both very good players. however, their defense is HORRIBLE, and Messi hasn't been playing well for Argentina. still, top of the group, but with a difficult road after the round of 16.

Nigeria- a mess. that sums it up. they also have few talented players (and one of thier best, Obi Mikel, is injured), along with a population that blames the coach for everything. they will hardly pass the group stages.

South Korea- the second best team in the group, they got very fast players, but a less-than-solid defense.but their attack is deadly, especially counter-attacks, and Park Ji-Sung has been playing wonders. they'll go in second for sure.

Greece- Greece has a solid defense, but that's because all 11 players play on defence and score in counter-attacks. they also haven't got a lot of good players, either. may just fight with South Korea for the second place in the group, with a bit of luck.

England- England has a good team overall, and Rooney has been wrecking shit up lately. their midfielders are good, and so is thier defence, but the same can't be said about the goalkeeper. also, there isn't a player in the same level as Rooney to back him up in the attack, but that's it. might go to the semifinals, but winning...i don't know.

USA- after their display in the Confederations Cup (is that right?), the USA has definetly proven themselves. Beasley and Donovan are very good players, and support Altidore well. though they most likely won't repeat their last feat, they will advance for sure to the round of 16. from there on, though, i don't know.

Argelia- an easy prey, Argelia will compete with Slovenia the last place of the group. have you ever seen a player from Argelia in a relatively famous team? nope. they don't have talented players either. Fun Fact: in 82, Argelia did real good, but was diqualified because Germany and Austria passed the ball to each other for 80 after Germany made the only goal.

Slovenia- while it's true that they did make through a slightly hard qualifier group and even beat Russia, they are a very weak team. no talented players, the same tatics as Greece, andgenerally weak. their best position in a WC was 30th place, in 2002.

Germany- as always, a good yet underestimated team. they got a deadly attack, a sturdy defence and Schweinsteiger is an excellent player. the problem, however, is the number of star players that got injured, such as Ballack. they will most likely make it to the semifinals.

Australia- three players. that's the number of above average players on the team. Kewell, Cahil and Bresciano. their team is also not as good as Ghana's or Serbia's, but with a bit of luck they can make it to the round of 16, but that's all.

Ghana- one of the best african teams and with some good names, Ghana will most likely fight with Serbia for the second place. the loss of Essien, however, put a severe dent in their team, so what will happen with them is unknown to me, but they DID do a good WC last year, so they could go to the round of 16.

Serbia- after taking the worst beating in the last WC, Serbia has been a surprise: they got qualified in first place, ahead of some strong teams (including France). they also have some very good players: Stankovic, Ivanovic, Krasic, Vidic and Zidic. they show promise, but their main goal is to "redeem" themselves for what happened in 2006. Fun Fact: 90% of their players' names end with 'ic'.

Netherlands- as always, Netherlands is a promising team with very good players. even though Robben got injured, they still have players like Sneijer, Van Persie and Kuyt. there are two problems though: first, Netherlands always dissapointed and didn't show what they promised in the worst moments, and second, South Africa's ministery of transports warns: vans do not work well in South Africa (BA-DUM TSHHH!)

Denmark- although a good team with experienced players, Denmark is predictable and somewhat old. their main source of goals, Bendtner, is not really reliable. they can still go to the round of 16 though, since Japan is weak, and winning against Cameroon almost guarantee their place. we'll just have to wait and see...

Cameroon- Cameroon is a well-trained team with talents like Eto'o and Alex Song, but in a whole, they are weak. the defense, even with their good players, get too cocky sometimes, and they rely way too much on Eto'o to score goals. fights against Denmark for the second place.

Japan- they are very weak. there's only two above average players, Nakamura and Honda, in the whole team, and they're very irregular. most of them haven't played for a big team, either. getting through the group stage will be very hard for them.

Italy- they won't win this WC. why? because they're old. half of the team is the same one from 2006, and most of the new players are also old. their star players also have been through a lot of injuries recently, such as Buffon, while others haven't been playing well. and with two of their best players, Totti and Del Piero, out, Italy will have a hard time. but they can still surprise when you least expect it. quarterfinals are good enough.

Paraguay- even though Cabanas got shot and was cut from the Cup, Paraguay still have a good team. their defense and goalkeeper is just like Argentina's: terrible. their attack and midfield, however, is very good. may even make it to the quarterfinals.

New Zealand- ever heard about one of their players? ever seen one of their games? you didn't miss much. they're only in this Cup because Australia went to the Asian qualifiers. 80% of their players are from New Zealand's weak local teams, and the ones that play outside the country play in second-division teams, except Ryan Nelsen. their soccer style is also very outdated: they rely mostly on brute force.

Slovakia- they may surprise. they got Skrtel, which is an excellent defender, and the very good player Hamsik. their qualifier group was slightly hard, and they managed to qualify in first place. they also landed on a group that isn't so hard. may go to the round of 16 if their luck goes on...

BRAZIL!- like in 1994, we're not really one of the favorites and our style isn't the beautiful thing that it always was. this year's team is just like that one. and who won? but really now, our defence is very good, and so is our attack. the midfield is a problem, though: Kaka isn't at top shape, Elano and Felipe Melo have been screwing things up, and Gilberto Silva is limited. but i hope we go far.
also, SHUT UP about Adriano and/or Ronaldinho. Adriano commited social suicide. he's been in contact with possible drug dealers, he has a drinking problem right now, and so on. and Ronaldinho only plays when he WANTS to. if not, then he'll become, as we say in Brazil, a "pipoqueiro".

continues on next post; i'm running out of characters.

THESE WORDS ARE GIVING ME A HEADACHE.

North Korea- what the hell can i say? no-one knows almost NOTHING about them. however, they are kinda scaring me; in 1966, they got to the quarterfinals after BEATING ITALY and lost to Portugal by 5X3 after they were winning by 3X0. hope it isn't like that.

Ivory Coast- they have a lot of good players. Kalou, Touré, Eboué...and Drogba. however, not only they lost Drogba (probably), but they also are as disorganized as Nigeria. they also do not know how to use their talents correctly. shame, really, such talent being wasted.

Portugal- even though they're still strong, they haven't been the same after Felipão left. they have a good defense and Cristiano Ronaldo, but he played a few matches without doing much. i look foward to their match against Brazil. whoever wins will be the first one.

Spain- the favorite for the first time, Spain has a incredible team and a perfect run through the group stages. however, it should be noted that Spain ALWAYS had a great team, but they chickened out at the last moment, like in the Confederations Cup. but i thinkthey will go very far and may even reach the final match.

Switzerland- they may not be so good in the offense (even with Frei there), but the defense really makes up for it. in the last Cup, they didn't concede a single goal. they also have a very random luck. may get the second place in the group.

Honduras- they won't go far in the competition. they may even get a point from Chile or Switzerland, but that's all. they lack good players, but they have been giving a few surprises. nothing much to say here.

Chile- they fight against Switzerland for the second place, that's for sure. they have a balanced team, and Bielsa has been doing a great job (so much that in Chile he's a kind of messiah). but they got bad luck: not only did they land in a tough group, but they may also get Brazil or Portugal in the round of 16. they have some good players and chances, though.

and that's about my whoel opinion. bye for now...

sorry americans, but we gona smash you today :)

I'm so fucking stoked for this. I'm still riding the high from the incredible Stanley Cup Final that just went down between the Hawks and Flyers. I'm getting up extra early tomorrow to catch the first game on ESPN.

US better get outta the group stage or I'll rage

At 6/10/10 09:55 PM, Fim wrote: sorry americans, but we gona smash you today :)

Oh no, no way. That is not gonna happen. I can see the match ending in a 1-1 draw or something along those lines. I don't think either side will win and the rivalry will go on for many more years.

But if someone does win it'll be us yanks

I still have faith in our team, Mexico. We struggled to get here, but during the last games the team showed progress, specially against Italy.

The first game won't be easy, and is crucial if we want to get to the next round.
South Africa has nothing to do against us if we're talking about football, if the last games are any indication, but they're the host team, they have the support of an entire continent, and those vuvuzelas are loud as hell. However, they might surprise us, and have to be careful.

The next two matches aren't easy either. France hopefully wont play well, since they have been a complete mess the last 2 games.

Uruguay, on the other hand, looks like a pretty strong team and might qualify first of the group. Mexico has beaten Uruguay in their last couple of games but that doesn't count in a world cup.

Interesting matches in this group, let's hope we play well. We have a good team, but we always chicken out in the important moments.

I'm from the United States so i'm hoping we'll place higher than in recent cups but i'm going to have to go with the Netherlands winning the Cup.

At 6/10/10 10:36 PM, Grubby wrote: NO NO NO NO NO NO

AMERICA FTW.

Goooooo USA, gooooo USA.

At 6/10/10 10:45 PM, Ship wrote: Oh no, no way. That is not gonna happen. I can see the match ending in a 1-1 draw or something along those lines. I don't think either side will win and the rivalry will go on for many more years.

But if someone does win it'll be us yanks

England have a better team, and traditionally football is the one sport that unites the whole country pretty much, i dont think it has the same following in the US.

If you guys win I will forever pronounce the game as 'soccer' :P but nevermind, it will be an interesing match

who cares about soccor?

At 6/11/10 04:40 AM, DarkSytze wrote: anyways, i think spain will be in the final, with hopefully the netherlands accompanying them. that's going to be a clash of the titans considering both spain and the netherlands play some aesthetically nice football.

Replace Netherlands with Germany and it would be a great finale. Not only the exact same finale as in the last EC, but hopefully this time with a better turn out for Germany. :D