USA vs. Algeria ⎜ England vs. Slovenia

[LoneStarState'sPride]

Thanks for pouring salt on my wound....

I'll give ya props man--way to stick with your team. It's a shame anybody had to go home from this group.

*cough* except algeria *cough*

[ElNono]

HOLY ING what a game--first time I've lost my voice yelling about USA winning a world cup match. You know what? It feels good!

You've been assimilated.... muhahahaha

[LoneStarState'sPride]

You've been assimilated.... muhahahaha

Nah, I'm just proud of my national team lol. My sports still go something like:

NFL
NBA
College Football
NASCAR
NHL
Soccer (ok, ok, football )

Oh, and this is my 3rd world cup, fyi--first on ST tho!

[lefty]

Thanks for pouring salt on my wound....

I kid I kid

[lefty]

Sorry Lefty but at least you can be proud of your team, I cannot say the same thing.

French football deserves better than the masquerade that happened

Here is to a great FNT in 4 years

[JudynTX]

Pffft, with this much adrenaline, I ain't doing for the rest of the day.

[Spurologist]

Nah, I'm just proud of my national team lol. My sports still go something like:

NFL
NBA
College Football
NASCAR
NHL
Soccer (ok, ok, football )

Oh, and this is my 3rd world cup, fyi--first on ST tho!

Soccer still doesn't surpass hockey after this? C'mon.

[lefty]

It will increase some, especially if the US wins in the knockout round. That being said, its not going to explode. More people will go watch MLS games because of this and it will increase but its going to be slow.

2002 had a lot of people with World Cup Fever too but 2006's showing was a setback. Its an ongoing process here in the US both to improve our NT and to get more people watching.

So you guys want to be World Champs in every sport or what?


Damn, leave something to the rest of the world

[ClingingMars]

So you guys want to be World Champs in every sport or what?


Damn, leave something to the rest of the world

nah

AMERICA, YEAH

[LoneStarState'sPride]

Soccer still doesn't surpass hockey after this? C'mon.

Hehe, sry dude, I gotta go with the ice on this one--hockey players are tougher than soccer players.

But damn, this game pulled soccer closer than I ever thought it'd be for me

[DarkReign]

I havent watched a World Cup game in 10+ years. I watched the last 15 mins of this one (home because of some work around the house getting done).

Pretty exciting, even though my understanding of soccer is limited to its similarities with hockey (like covering the front of the net, cross crease (or net) passes, etc).

Obviously, it seems like a big deal, but Im not sure too many people here in Michigan give a rats ass judging by the sports talk radio show afterword.

[DarkReign]

Soccer still doesn't surpass hockey after this? C'mon.

Not a ing chance, for me anyway. Go Wings!

[Cry Havoc]

Does anyone have a video of the play-by-play call for the goal by the American announcer? I want to see how badly he flipped out.

[Cry Havoc]

I havent watched a World Cup game in 10+ years. I watched the last 15 mins of this one (home because of some work around the house getting done).

Pretty exciting, even though my understanding of soccer is limited to its similarities with hockey (like covering the front of the net, cross crease (or net) passes, etc).

Obviously, it seems like a big deal, but Im not sure too many people here in Michigan give a rats ass judging by the sports talk radio show afterword.

Soccer has one of the simplest rule books in all of sports, really.

The only ones that seem to confuse people are the fouls/cards and offsides.

Offsides is the same as it is in hockey, except it is a moving line, which is an imaginary line drawn perpendicular to the last defender across the field.

Fouls are usually called as a result of bad challenges which displaces the person who has the ball from maneuvering. Cards are given if the tackle is particularly nasty or from behind, where the offensive player is unable to see the challenge as it lands.

Other than that, the only real thing to keep in mind is the penalty box is the keeper's home, he can use his hands as long as he stays in the box. But if the defense commits a foul within the box, it's a penalty kick.

[Spurologist]

I havent watched a World Cup game in 10+ years. I watched the last 15 mins of this one (home because of some work around the house getting done).

Pretty exciting, even though my understanding of soccer is limited to its similarities with hockey (like covering the front of the net, cross crease (or net) passes, etc).

Obviously, it seems like a big deal, but Im not sure too many people here in Michigan give a rats ass judging by the sports talk radio show afterword.

it's gonna have to start with people at least knowing all the rules. That's how it worked for me with american football anyway. I hated it until I learned the rules. The fact that it's always on (exposure) helped a lot.

[tlongII]

Nike headquarters is pouring champagne right now

Not quite, but it was certainly crazy in the pub here at work. We have this huge LCD in there and the place was packed. When the USA finally scored everybody went nuts! This USA team is very impressive. They play as well as any USA team I've ever seen.

[lefty]

Soccer has one of the simplest rule books in all of sports, really.

The only ones that seem to confuse people are the fouls/cards and offsides.

Offsides is the same as it is in hockey, except it is a moving line, which is an imaginary line drawn perpendicular to the last defender across the field.

Fouls are usually called as a result of bad challenges which displaces the person who has the ball from maneuvering. Cards are given if the tackle is particularly nasty or from behind, where the offensive player is unable to see the challenge as it lands.

Other than that, the only real thing to keep in mind is the penalty box is the keeper's home, he can use his hands as long as he stays in the box. But if the defense commits a foul within the box, it's a penalty kick.

It would be funny if there were 2 minute Power Plays in soccer

[LoneStarState'sPride]

it's gonna have to start with people at least knowing all the rules. That's how it worked for me with american football anyway. I hated it until I learned the rules. The fact that it's always on (exposure) helped a lot.

Very true--that's really the way it works with 'most every sport, though. One of my Mexican friends is a huge American football fan after she understood the rules (and she helped me get into soccer a lot more, too)

[tlongII]

I don't get why people are talking trash about England? They are very good and they should have beaten us. I think they will beat Germany if they play them.

[DarkReign]

Soccer has one of the simplest rule books in all of sports, really.

The only ones that seem to confuse people are the fouls/cards and offsides.

Offsides is the same as it is in hockey, except it is a moving line, which is an imaginary line drawn perpendicular to the last defender across the field.

Fouls are usually called as a result of bad challenges which displaces the person who has the ball from maneuvering. Cards are given if the tackle is particularly nasty or from behind, where the offensive player is unable to see the challenge as it lands.

Other than that, the only real thing to keep in mind is the penalty box is the keeper's home, he can use his hands as long as he stays in the box. But if the defense commits a foul within the box, it's a penalty kick.

Thanks for the explanation. As I said, I saw the similarities in rules from my extreme interest in all things hockey.

I also knew from my days of playing FIFA on my SNES about the Penalty Box and its implications in any calls made within it.

The offsides rule is goofy to me, though. I knew it beforehand so I know what to look for, but I couldnt call a close offside to save my life. For example, just before the Americans scored, they had a glorious chance on a really long pass upfield where the American forward (?) looked to be blatantly offside to me. It was the play where the American player was all alone on the side of the net and he tried a rinky-dink pass across the net that was extremely easy to anticipate by the defense (along with basically everyone in the building and at home, even to an untrained spectator like myself).

But that was really the only question I had during my brief time watching it. I didnt see the called-back goal, so I have no idea about that.

[lefty]

I just wish they had video reviews in soccer


At least they are used in the NHL

[Cry Havoc]

The offsides rule is goofy to me, though. I knew it beforehand so I know what to look for, but I couldnt call a close offside to save my life. For example, just before the Americans scored, they had a glorious chance on a really long pass upfield where the American forward (?) looked to be blatantly offside to me. It was the play where the American player was all alone on the side of the net and he tried a rinky-dink pass across the net that was extremely easy to anticipate by the defense (along with basically everyone in the building and at home, even to an untrained spectator like myself).

The only thing a player has to worry about is that he is ahead of (on his side of the field) from the 2nd to last defender when the ball is last touched. So if you're an inch past the defender, it's offside, but if you are a foot ahead of him on your side of the field and someone fires a through pass to you, you can be as far from the defender as you can get when you touch the ball, and you're still onside.

[Ariel]

Offsides is the same as it is in hockey, except it is a moving line, which is an imaginary line drawn perpendicular to the SECOND TO last PLAYER OF THE DEFENDING TEAM across the field.

Fixed. Plus minor details, but that's largely it.

[Cry Havoc]

Fixed. Plus minor details, but that's largely it.

Thanks for the catch. I wasn't thinking about the keeper.

[DarkReign]

Oooooh, its from when the ball is last touched, not where or when it is received (which is what I thought).

Now that play makes sense.