As my parents are South African (and I have many family members going to games), it's very exciting and emotional to be on the verge of the world's biggest sporting event in RSA.
There's a lot of hope around Bafana Bafana but I don't think they'll keep the streak alive of the host nation making it out of the opening round. (I can't share this view on Facebook out of fear of cousins threatening me.) I hope I'm wrong, though!
I would like to see the USA do some damage. Part of me thinks they should be able to hold their own with England tomorrow. It's a can't miss game.
Overall, if someone new wins the Cup, I'll be thrilled - particularly if it's Holland or Spain. I'd add Portugal to that, but the way they played in '06 really bugged me.
Enjoy 30 days of the beautiful game, everyone! Ke Nako!
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Originally posted by The GoonThere's a lot of hope around Bafana Bafana but I don't think they'll keep the streak alive of the host nation making it out of the opening round. (I can't share this view on Facebook out of fear of cousins threatening me.) I hope I'm wrong, though!
You may want to rethink that after the first match. Bafana Bafana would have picked that one out of El Tri's back pocket if not for Marquez, and the Mexicans are the strongest team in that group. It's within reason to see the South Africans knocking off both Blue teams and advancing.
smark/net attack Advisory System Status is: Elevated (Holds; June 18, 2006) While the switch from Cena to RVD should alleviate some complaints, the inevitability of the belt's return to Cena (note where Summerslam is this year) and the poor initial showing by the new ECW are enough to keep the indicator where it is for now. The pieces are in place, though, especially on RAW, for improvements to be made to the IWC's psyche in the near future.
Hey, that's great to hear. If South Africa can make it out of the first round, the people would be thrilled.
I only saw the opening minutes of the game, and my company is smart/evil enough to block live streaming sites, so I will have to rely on highlights and the DVR during the week.
On the plus side, some pubs are now open at 8am local time to accommodate fans. I just need to find one close by with wi-fi.
Can someone explain to me why Mexico's first half goal was disallowed? The explanation was offside, but there was a South African defender (not the goalkeeper) standing on the goal line, so I don't understand how that could be.
Offsides is thought of being past the last defender, and since there's that defender on the line, it seems like the attacker is onside.
The offsides rules is actually being past the second to last member of the team - it's just usually the last defender is the goalie. This time that defender is the last defender, and the attackers have to be behind those guys on the goal line.
(I used to get quizzed on this scenario every year.)
Well, considering the U.S. came in as major underdogs without any real chance of winning, a tie isn't so bad. I know there's hardly such a thing as a moral victory, but watching England seethe over a game they'll feel they should have won is a victory in itself.
i missed the match as i was out golfing but the trusty old DVR caught it for me. it was a gutsy performance by the US side. great game and a good result.
Chuck Norris drives an ice cream truck covered in human skulls.
Originally posted by Peter The HegemonI don't mean this as an insult, but John Harkes' voice on color commentary sounds eerily like that of Mary Carillo. It was actually distracting.
"There's been a lot of mudslinging at South Africa and in all fairness, the country is, at the moment, full of thieves, drug dealers and perverts. Still, when John Terry and his family leave the country, the situation will improve."
I honestly *want* to be able to put my petty small nation mentality aside and root for England. They've got a good team, I like Capello, half my friends are from south of the border.....but damn if the coverage over here doesn't make it difficult to like them. The ITV commentary last night on England v USA was near unlistenable for any neutrals watching. As a result, when Robert Green scooped the ball into his own net and I should have been feeling sympathy for a thoroughly nice fellow suffering the worst moment of his professional career, I was instead much too busy laughing to care.
I thought the game was pretty even until Altidore hit the post, after which the US sat further and further back and England really started to turn the screw. If they want to go further in the tournament though (and for office sweepstakes I need them to) England don't want to be relying on Jamie Carragher. He's several yards short of pace and was a lucky boy to stay on the park yesterday.
Other than that, the tournament doesn't really seem to have caught fire yet. We've not had one great game yet and a couple of matches (France v Uruguay and Algeria v Slovenia) were turgid. South Korea winning always makes me happy though and I've got high hopes that Holland v Denmark will be fun.
Originally posted by Big BadNice of France and Uruguay to get the 'worst game of the World Cup' out of the way early for us to enjoy the rest of the tournament.
You know what the most horrible thing is? It's not even the second worst game, not even the third! And we are only 11 games in. Algeria - Slovenia, Serbia - Ghana and espenially Japan - Cameroon sucked the meat missile with gusto. There's little to enjoy here this year.
Ooops, too early, Italy is 0:1 behind. Maybe there is something to enjoy after all:-)
There are some countries in the world where having to hear the constant drone of vuvuzelas for the length of an entire soccer match constitutes justifiable homicide.
I'm just saying.
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Originally posted by ekedolphinThere are some countries in the world where having to hear the constant drone of vuvuzelas for the length of an entire soccer match constitutes justifiable homicide.
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[begin the full o' shit trash talking...] Yeah, baby! My Golden Flashes were this close to beating Pittsburgh on Saturday! You guys can't handle this! Just how many teams come three quarters away from beating Pittsburgh, anyway?