5330 replies to this topic

[Andreanne]

I'll be watching it on television, so I guess the World Cup qualifies for a thread. The other thread on Fox soccer is too limited for those of us who will be scrambling to find any channel that shows the games.

Squad lists have to be submitted during the next couple of days, so it's not too early to start discussions. June 9 to July 9! Can't wait.

I'm an Italy supporter. Expressions of sympathy are welcome.

Edited by Andreanne, May 14, 2006 @ 2:25 PM.

[beethousand]

Hooray for the world cup. Here's a link to the broadcast schedule.

http://www.worldcup2...com/tv-stations

I haven't picked a team yet, but at least the games are on at reasonable hours. That 2am/5am thing was fun last time but I don't think I could do it again.

[Andreanne]

Those pre-dawn games during Japan-Korea got really old. I ended up watching the tournament on a taped basis, which takes a lot of the fun out of it. Of course, the weird officiating had already dampened much of my enthusiasm. Let's hope FIFA is being a bit more careful, since Germany has just emerged from a refereeing scandal and a major corruption investigation is going on in Italy (about time, too!).

Thanks for the link, beethousand. I didn't even realize ABC was going to broadcast some of the games. It stands to reason it would, now that I've gone digital and am paying for all sorts of sports channels!

[amyaf]

I just hope the ratings are decent, I still don't get it, why football(or soccer whatever way you like it) isn't as popular in the US as it is in the rest of the world? Maybe a good performance by the US will wake up some interest, which will be hard considering the group they are in. ABC should try with some publicity(at least I have seen none) too, it wouldn't hurt.
Anyways I support Costa Rica and Italy, and Ukraine.

a major corruption investigation is going on in Italy (about time, too!).

That one is crazy! And the worst part is, I believe Italy's is not the only league with that problem. Although it was pretty obvious the deal going on with Juventus( I hope they go to Serie B).

[Dandesun]

I've seen some commercials on ESPN. They're narrated by Bono and all about how the ball causes wars to stop and businesses to shut down and all that.

Nice and all but I don't know if painting the sport as this mystical thing is the way to bring in the US audience. There are lots of speculation from various people as to why football isn't popular here. They range from being unable to pronounce the names of the players (yeah... okay whatever) to low scores aren't interesting to there's too much diving!

I don't know. All I know is that World Cup games are fabulous to go to and to watch. Cannot wait until June.

[zespri]

The scheduling is much better this time, can't wait for June.
On another note though, I just saw the squad selections and was kind of surprised about some of the choices. Since I'm a BIG Argentina fan I'm just going to talk about them. Scaloni over Zanetti? WTF??!!!??? What was Pekerman smoking? How can you leave out one of the top defenders in the world who has been having an extremely consistent season and is known for his leadership. The young squad could definitely have used him.
Still, hopefully Argentina will have a better run than 2002, can't wait for the Argentina vs Netherlands game. It's going to be exciting, although I'm also surprised that Huntelaar was left off the Netherlands squad, I mean didn't he score like 34 goals or something for Ajax?

[Richyyy]

On another note though, I just saw the squad selections and was kind of surprised about some of the choices. Since I'm a BIG Argentina fan I'm just going to talk about them. Scaloni over Zanetti? WTF??!!!??? What was Pekerman smoking? How can you leave out one of the top defenders in the world who has been having an extremely consistent season and is known for his leadership. The young squad could definitely have used him.

That's just extraordinary. Zanetti's one of the best defenders in the world, and Scaloni has been a laughing stock since West Ham brought him over here on loan in the transfer window (they've already said they're not going to take up the option-to-buy). But then I've been bitching about Eriksson's England squad for weeks now, so maybe I shouldn't get into this...

[heyfizzellas]

But then I've been bitching about Eriksson's England squad for weeks now, so maybe I shouldn't get into this...

Oh God. Theo Walcott over Jermain Defoe and Owen Hargreaves over Reo-Coker or Nolan or practically anyone are just two of the questionable calls that i saw. If Rooney isn't healthy by the middle of the knockout stages i'm going to be a sad England supporter.

I'll really only feel sympathy for an Italy supporter if they live in the US and have to put up with our incredibly awful broadcasting. If ESPN keeps the same announcing crew they had for the Champions League final i'll have to find something lower than mute. It's hard to define the worst moment between Marcelo Balboa defending the merits of diving and Anthony LaPaglia (???) as a guest analyst.

Edited by heyfizzellas, May 19, 2006 @ 6:33 AM.

[Andreanne]

Fortunately, I now have (expensivish) alternatives to ESPN. I've got to say the Gol TV announcers are pretty bad, though. They know nothing about football and can't even pronounce the names. I'm thinking I should have gotten the Spanish version, since I can't speak the language and the commentators wouldn't have bothered me!

Since it seems we're heading that way, I thought I'd post Italy's squad list, with comments pitched to people who know nothing about the team. Italy are in Group E. They'll kick off their campaign against Ghana on June 12, play a team now ahead of us in FIFA's rankings, the U.S., on June 17, and finish the group phase on June 22 against the Czech Republic. Neither Italy nor the Czech Republic want to go into that game needing points.

Manager: Lippi.

He looks good, but he does it his way and keeps on doing so even when it's not working. Still, we have to look on the bright side: he's much better than Italy's former C.T., Trapattoni.

Lippi has just been questioned as a witness by Italian prosecutors concerning Moggi's influence over his callups and lineups. Moggi is his former boss at Juventus, now at the center of a ginormous, all-pervasive match-fixing, influence-peddling, bribery etc. scandal; practically the only crime that hasn't been mentioned is murder. Well, not yet anyway. I won't get into it any more except insofar as it affects the Azzurri.

Goalkeepers: Buffon (Juventus), Peruzzi (Lazio), Amelia (Livorno)

Buffon is one of the best in the world, but he has recently been questioned with respect to a betting investigation (players aren't allowed to bet in Italy), so who knows if he can put that distraction aside. Peruzzi is steady and Amelia is a promising young keeper.

Defenders: Zambrotta (Juventus), Nesta (Milan), Cannavaro (Juventus), Grosso (Palermo), Zaccardo (Palermo), Barzagli (Palermo), Materazzi (Inter), Oddo (Lazio)

Nesta and Cannavaro are also among the best in the world too, but if one of them gets injured, Italy are finished, because the replacement is Materazzi. Nesta might be able to cover for Materazzi's many flaws, but Cannavaro couldn't. Zambrotta is world-class and versatile; he can play on either flank as a fullback and in midfield. Oddo is reliable. The others are generally OK but untried at this level.

Cannavaro is the Italy captain; his residence was just searched by the carabinieri as part of Moggi-gate, although he's not considered a suspect. Sweden supporters probably already know that Zlatan Ibrahimovic's residence was also searched. Personally, I'd find it hard to concentrate on the game after that, but maybe Cannavaro is tougher than I am.

Midfielders: Camoranesi (Juventus), Pirlo (Milan), Gattuso (Milan), De Rossi (Roma), Perrotta (Roma), Barone (Palermo)

Camoranesi is the only winger. When he's on he's great, but he blows hot and cold, which means he's often seriously useless. Marchionni, another winger and one who has had a great season, should have been called up instead of just listed as a reserve. I guess Lippi expects to play Milan-style with attacking fullbacks.

Pirlo is a deep-lying playmaker; he's been playing like crap for Milan during the past few months, but if he gets it together for the tournament he can be incredible, because he has great vision and pinpoint passes. Gattuso and De Rossi are solid, hard-working defensive midfielders. Perrotta has done well for Roma this year, although I've never really rated him. Barone shouldn't have been called up.

It's not a very adventurous midfield, and it relies for creativily a lot on Pirlo, who has been off-form, and Totti, who has been injured.

Attackers: Totti (Roma), Toni (Fiorentina), Gilardino (Milan), Del Piero (Juventus), Inzaghi (Milan), Iaquinta (Udinese)

Totti is an incredible player who has never done well on the international stage because of his temperament. That's shorthand for spitting at Poulsen, arguing with the refs, whining about bad tackles -- to be fair, he does get hacked down a lot -- and throwing tantrums right and left. He's recovering from a terrible ankle fracture that also ripped out his ligaments and has barely played in the last couple of months. He swears he's fit; whether he's match-fit is another question. He plays as what the Italians call a trequartista, a playmaker just behind the strikers. If he plays at his best, he can give Ronaldinho a run for his money, no kidding. It's a big if, though.

Toni is 6'4 and the top scorer in Serie A. He's been great for the last couple of seasons. Even though he's in his late 20s, this is his first major tournament (he really should have been called up for Euro 2004). Gilardino is also a newbie, a young talent who has done well for Milan except in the Champions League, and who seems to work well off Toni. Inzaghi spent almost two years out of the game with ankle and other injuries, but came back so strongly for Milan that Lippi had to call him up, particularly after his favorite Christian Vieri got injured playing for Monaco.

Iaquinta shouldn't have been called up. He hasn't been playing well and has been named in the betting investigation, as have Marek Jankulovksi of the Czech Republic and Zeljko Kalac, Australia's second (I think) goalkeeper. Del Piero chokes on the big scene when all the pressure is on him, but he's been playing very well as a substitute under Capello. He shouldn't start, though.

Reserves: De Sanctis (Udinese), Bonera (Parma), Marchionni (Parma), Semioli (Chievo)

Italy are listed among the favorites, in a group with other big names, behind Brazil and probably Argentina. What usually happens in these tournaments is they under-achieve woefully and get kicked out ignominiously. (Love those adverbs!) With Moggi-gate hanging over them, they'll either sink without a trace or do much better than anyone could reasonably expect. Personally, I'm expecting a miserable World Cup.

The guys took a week off after the end of Serie A. The team starts training at Coverciano on Monday.

[amyaf]

Hey cheer up, at least the commentators you have aren't near as bad as having to hear the british one's, they are completly bias, and if you are an Italy's fan, you better not even hear them(btw, there are some commentators in ESPN Deportes who are also awful to hear in case you support Italian football).
BTW Andreanne, any chance you are a Milan fan? Considering I only know Milan fans who are aware of Pirlo's poor condition lately(hopefully this week's rest has done good for him).

[Andreanne]

BTW Andreanne, any chance you are a Milan fan? Considering I only know Milan fans who are aware of Pirlo's poor condition lately(hopefully this week's rest has done good for him).

Guilty as charged, amyaf! I was an Azzurri fan first, though.

As for British commentators, some of them (Sky?) aren't bad. I'm a big fan of Paddy Agnew, because he knows what he's talking about. I just started reading his book -- so far, so good.

[Kalahari]

I actually don't mind the British commentary despite the bias. I saw the 1990 world cup with the British crew. Good lord they were biased. Especially against my favorite team, Argentina. Though, to be fair, Argentina played like crap that year and still made it to the final thanks to multiple penalty shootouts.

I kind of like them sometimes because of their bias. It's kind of nice that they have a point a view, and they're pretty obvious about it. I saw the 94 World Cup here in the U.S., and the ESPN commentators kind of grew on me too. The 98 Cup, again on ESPN was with the same crew, and so was the 2002 cup.

Boy, I am so charged up right now. Quite frankly, I don't even care anymore whether or not most of the US viewing public ever embraces soccer/football, or not. I did care back in 94. It was all very exciting, being here, sometimes being in the same city as a World Cup match when it was going on. I remember going to both New York and Washington that summer, and it was just teeming with fans from all over the world. Lots of Brazilian fans, Mexican fans, and quite a few Dutch fans too.

I remember wishing so often back then that the game would catch on here. And at least there was enough interest to start the MLS. Though, I will also admit that I'm guilty of never having watched a single MLS game. Still, the 2002 US Squad really showed the dividends of having a professional league here. The US team had lots of players from the MLS, and they performed incredibly well.

Edited by Kalahari, May 20, 2006 @ 7:13 AM.

[flg8or]

I remember wishing so often back then that the game would catch on here. And at least there was enough interest to start the MLS.

Starting a first division league was a condition of awarding World Cup 1994 to the United States, not a consequence of it.

I have tickets to all three US first round games. Leaving three weeks from today. :)

[Stupor12]

I've decided I'm going to watch the matches on Setanta (Ch. 615 on Directv)... Even if the commentary is in German, to me it'll be better than enduring ESPN's commentators (the exceptions are Ian Darke from England if he works for them like he did in 94 and Derek Rae).

[zespri]

I actually don't mind the British commentary despite the bias. I saw the 1990 world cup with the British crew. Good lord they were biased. Especially against my favorite team, Argentina.

I saw the 1998 World Cup with the British commentary and didn't mind it too much either, despite some bias. I was living in NZ at the time where everyone is basically an England fan so the famous Argentina vs England game (when Beckham got the red card for kicking Simeone) was interesting to say the least. I like the Hispanic commentators though like Andres Cantor just for their impressive lung capacity, GGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL!!!
It's hilarious but it gets you into the game.

[shimi]

Woo-hoo! I live for the World Cup. When I was growing up in Singapore it just seemed so much easier to keep up and be obsessed by football. I've found it harder here for some reason. But I plan to turn Mr. Shimi into a football widower in June. I have some catching up to do, I see, so any recommended links to assessments of the teams ( both serious and silly) would be a help. Am relieved to see that the schedule is kinder to my bodyclock this time.

GOOOOOOAAAAALLLLL!!!!

[Andreanne]

I have some catching up to do, I see, so any recommended links to assessments of the teams ( both serious and silly) would be a help.

Here's a start: you'll get both silly and serious at The Times.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! (No, no "A"; it's in Italian!)

[clamchick]

I'm so jealous flg8or! I tried to get tickets but had no luck in the lottery. I suppose it's just as well since I got scheduled to teach summer school during June/July and it would be difficult to do that from Germany.

I caught the end of the US v. Morocco match that was on the other day and was not at all surprised to hear that Reyna injured his hamstring. Has he ever made it through a World Cup without injury? Fah, I wish they'd left him off the team and put Cobi on instead. Sure he doesn't have the speed he used to but he is such a workhorse and is great off the bench.

Edited by clamchick, May 24, 2006 @ 2:40 PM.

[ruach]

Hey! There's already a World Cup thread here! I'm psyched to see this - will be traveling during most of the group matches but I'm looking forward to the later rounds. The only problem is...how do I decide between watching football and tennis (Wimby's on at the same times!)?

[Kalahari]

That's easy ruach. I remember facing the same dilemma 8 years ago. And really, it's a no-brainer. You watch the World Cup. Wimbledon happens every year, as does the French Open (which is my personal fav tennis tournament of the year), whereas the World Cup memories are a lot more scarce.

Besides, you can always watch the highlights for Tennis.

[Bela1812]

I totally agree with you, Kalahari. As much as I love Wimbledom and Roland Garros, when the World Cup is on, nothing else matters. Brazilian TV coverage has already started, every day we get to watch the training sessions of the Brazilian team, in addition to all the friendly matches taking place this weekend.

For people in the US, do you get to watch the matches live? Are all the matches shown on TV or just the US matches?

[mtvcdm]

We're going to get all 64 matches live (and people will actually be awake to see them this time- kickoffs range from 9 AM to 3 PM Central).

Rooting interests? Obviously the States- as usual, the hope that a strong showing will increase popularity- and barring that, like in any sport, I root for absolute chaos. I want Cote d'Ivoire advancing out of a group containing Argentina and Holland. I want Trinidad and Tobago winning the England/Sweden/Paraguay group. If not the US, I want Australia vs. Togo in the final. (Hey, if George Mason can make the Final Four by going through Michigan St., North Carolina and UConn; if the NHL playoffs can see the Western 1, 2, 3 and 4 seeds all go down in the first round; if the Clippers can win a playoff series, why not?)

[Kalahari]

*Laughing*. That's awesome mtvcdm. Total Chaos. I love it.

The real drama in 2002 was the teams that didn't even make it to the second round, and the new teams that did make it. Defending Champions France were out, as was Argentina. But teams like the U.S., Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Turkey and Senegal made it.

South Korea and Turkey even made it to the Semi-finals, and lost in a couple of nail-biters.

So I think the really awesome message coming out of the 2002 World Cup was this: The World has caught up to the Europeans and South Americans. They're still underdogs, but teams from North America, Asia, Africa, and this year (hopefully), Oceania, are real contendors for the big prize.

Plus, since I started watching soccer because of Diego Maradona, and his displays of brilliance with Jeventus and the Argentina team in 1986, Argentina will always be a sentimental favorite for me. And just like I love rooting for Argentina, I love rooting against Germany. This has set up an interesting dilemma for me this year, since I usually always want the home team to advance, because I love watching the crowd get into the game. And there's almost no parallel to the excitement of a home team doing well as far as the reaction and adoration of the crowd coming through our television sets.

But this year, the home team is Germany. I've always rooted against Germany! Even in the 94 Cup, when I liked Klinsmann. It's tradition!

So yeah, overall, I'm with mtvcdm. I love rooting for chaos and for the underdog. And until the 2002 cup, it was only the rare team that fulfilled that potential. Cameroon in 1990. (The Cameroon-England quaterfinal when they lost to England is, in my opinion, the best match in that World Cup). Bulgaria in 1994 (Remember that incredible free kick by Stoichkov). And I can't for the life of me remember any underdog teams doing well in 1998. The only match I really remember vividly from 1998 was the Argentina-England match that went to overtime and then penalties. An all time classic. I still have that one on tape, but the tape quality has severely degraded over time. (Stupid VHS).

ETA:

For people in the US, do you get to watch the matches live?

Bela1812, I realize that this has already been addressed, but I just wanted to add an observation of mine: In my experience, the question of whether a sporting event is covered live works in reverse here in the United States than what most people would expect.

If an event is popular enough to get good ratings, but it is being held at a time when its not prime time for TV watching, then it is actually less likely to be shown live. On the other hand, if you've got a sport that's only enjoyed by a small audience, like Football/Soccer, then it is usually covered live in all time zones.

For a great example of this, remember how 4 years ago, the Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City? Well, I live on the west coast, which is much closer to Salt Lake City than most of the Eastern and even Central Time Zones. And yet, NBC showed nearly all of its coverage of the Salt Lake Olympics by tape delay on the West Coast. We got to see things 3 hours after the east coast, so it would be more convenient for people to watch after they came home from work. Which, if you think about it, actually makes a lot of sense.

So the more popular Soccer gets here, the less likely that in years to come we will still get to see upcoming World Cups Live.

Edited by Kalahari, May 28, 2006 @ 7:41 AM.

[ruach]

Haha...good advice, Kalahari and Bela1812, especially on the only once in four years thing. However, unless it's an attacking team playing, I'd almost rather just watch the highlights of two defensive *ahemdullahem* teams playing and watch some fast tennis instead.

I'll be watching it from Asia, though, so it'll be interesting to see who we have commentating on the matches.

[Bela1812]

If an event is popular enough to get good ratings, but it is being held at a time when its not prime time for TV watching, then it is actually less likely to be shown live

That's really interesting, Kalahari. I had no idea TV stations worked like this in the US when it came to the Olympics and the World Cup.

South Korea and Turkey even made it to the Semi-finals, and lost in a couple of nail-biters.

The ref had his eyes clogged when South Korea played against Italy in the quarter finals, according to the many conspiration theories around, the only reason why Soth Korea got to the semi-final was because it was one of the home teams. But yeah in 2002, France and Argentina were an embarrassment. I loved that since I was still bitter about France beating Brazil in the 1998 finals (I know that the French deserved but still...) and the rivalry between Brazil and Argentina when it comes to soccer is out of this world.

But I love total chaos too...I would love to see an African team make it to the final.

[zespri]

The only match I really remember vividly from 1998 was the Argentina-England match that went to overtime and then penalties. An all time classic. I still have that one on tape, but the tape quality has severely degraded over time. (Stupid VHS).

I remember that I had to go to school shortly after Beckham got kicked out the game (game was in the morning in the southern hemisphere) and so I listened to the rest of it on the radio with my walkman. After the penalty kicks....wow my math teacher was shocked to hear all my shrieking for joy.

This of course means that I'm cheering for a favorite, Argentina (my homeland) of course. I want to see them redeem themselves for 2002 and kick ass. Italy is my backup team, and if they don't make it either then I'll probably go for the Netherlands because they have all that technical talent but have never actually won a World Cup. I figure they have it coming.

Edited by zespri, May 28, 2006 @ 9:51 PM.

[Laval]

My first time watching the World Cup was in 1994. All I can remember was that poor guy from Colombia kicking the ball into his own net causing his team lose 2-1 to the US. Then his team lost again & was eliminated. Then, when he got home to Colombia, he got murdered for it.

I also remember the US losing to Brazil & Brazil winning the World Cup. Andres Cantor went crazy over it.

I love Andres Cantor. He's like Stuart Scott, but much more fun & likeable than Stuart Scott.

Who will be announcing the games on ESPN & ABC? I can't remember who usually does soccer games for ESPN & ABC, but he really sucks. He's really boring, has no enthusiasm when somebody gets a goal (He just says score really fast.) & he is the complete opposite of Andres Cantor.

I will be rooting for England. They have a lot of passion for their team & their newspapers (The Mirror & The Sun) don't take losing very lightly.

Edited by Laval, May 29, 2006 @ 12:44 AM.

[zespri]

Has anyone seen that Simpsons episode where Mexico and the US are playing (I think) and they do the comparison for the different commentators, the Mexican one and the ESPN commentator? Funniest thing ever but so true. But I agree with everyone on the board, I hope ESPN steps it up for those of us in the US for the World Cup. Maybe have a couple of cups of coffee or something stronger. Whatever gets the excitment level up

ETA: Sorry, it was Mexico vs Portugal. Here is the link for anyone who wants to see it. It's good for a giggle.

Simpsons Mexico vs Portugal

Edited by zespri, May 29, 2006 @ 3:11 PM.

[Kwik]

Who will be announcing the games on ESPN & ABC? I can't remember who usually does soccer games for ESPN & ABC, but he really sucks. He's really boring, has no enthusiasm when somebody gets a goal (He just says score really fast.) & he is the complete opposite of Andres Cantor.

This is from USA Today

The lead team for ESPN/ABC, calling all the US matches, and presumably the final, will be Dave O'Brien with Marcello Balboa. This is getting a LOT of debate on more soccer-specific boards (bigsoccer.com is the one I visit). O'Brien comes from a baseball background, and probably would have been the lead play-by-play voice for the New York Mets new in-house channel, except they had issues with him calling other events (he also does the US Open tennis tournament, as well as soccer.) He is a big soccer fan however, but a lot of people are unimpressed with his work thus far, and Marcello Balboa (ex US national teamer) is considered an average color man, at best. I like O'Brien on baseball, and he's OK at soccer, though I'm not sure I would have made him lead play-by-play.

The other announce teams in Germany will be JP Dellacamera/John Harkes, and Rob Stone/Robin Fraser. I like Dellacamera, and Stone has been doing a bunch of soccer over the years. Harkes is ok, and I haven't heard enough from Fraser.

Two teams will also call some matches off monitors at ESPN studios in Bristol: Glenn Davis/Shep Messing, and Adrian Healey/Tommy Smyth. Smyth is probably my favorite of the ESPN analyists.

The studio analyists will be Eric Wynalda, Alexi Lalas and Judy Foudy.

[mtvcdm]

zespri, when Mexico and Portugal play on June 21, I will be milking that joke for the full 90 minutes. The first time the ball stalls in the middle, I plan to scream "Back to center, center to back, to the center, center holds it, holds it, HOLDS IT!"