2014 World Cup Thread

[Alvin York]

The most dramatic story of this World Cup is not Germany's superb play but the shock and utter embarrassment of the host country, Brazil, losing terribly on the world stage. A lot of people don't realize how Brazilians live and breather their football like folks in Alabama live and breathe Southern football. The anger and debate concerning this fiasco will rage for the next four years and will be remembered forever.

"Brazil endured their first set of back-to-back losses on home soil since 1940, losing the third place game at their World Cup to the Netherlands 3-0 in Brasilia on Saturday night.
The result concluded what local media have called an "$11 billion nightmare" for the hosts, and while that seems cruel considering the great entertainment we have seen here this summer, there is no mistaking the depth of Brazil's humiliation."

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/stor...-report-071214

 

[Jabberdave]

Fantastic tournament. Probably the best one I can remember. Great matches, really good teams and some shocking endings. That said, the best team won. Great stuff.

 

[Alvin York]

Alright, the dust has cleared in the World Cup. I'll admit to its American fans soccer has its pageantry and excitement. I'll also confess to watching the World Cup since the semifinals and finals when Italy edged France in the Penalty kick shootout eight years ago. A vocal subset of American sports fans actually do get swept up into World Cup fever every four years. That fact cannot be denied.That being said Invariably the United States gets shot down and sent home packing, a new champion from Europe or South American is crowned and soccer chatter becomes a ghost town.

My beef with the soccer heads is their lamebrain evangelicalism that soccer will someday equal or surpass American football as the #1 sport in this country. It's not going to happen. The 2014 World Cup is my best argument against such fanaticism. The game is too slow developing with opportunities to score are few and far between.The vast majority of the game being a war of attrition where the game continually reboots with a long goal kick like a jump ball in basketball. Even our slowest game, baseball, has the ever prescience of the dramatic game changer, the home run. Football has the long bomb pass, the kickoff return and the punt return. Basketball has the fast break and the quck steal followed by a gorilla dunk. Football, basketball and baseball are American born sports that have infilltrated the entire globe. Soccer is foreigh born and even with highy publicized entry of mega stars like Pele and Bend it like Bechham into American sports culture the acclaimed world game has never successfully swayed the USA into supporting professional soccer. Television ratings rule the roost and the only time The American people will follow soccer in large numbers is every four years when the World Cup comes to town.

Now you soccer heads may pull a soccer rabbit out of your hats and retort. Good luck on that.

 

[Turk182]

I watched while the Americans were in it but in reality, I don't care for Soccer.

After careful consideration, I don't care about the NBA or MLB either.

 

[Alvin York]

I watched while the Americans were in it but in reality, I don't care for Soccer.

After careful consideration, I don't care about the NBA or MLB either.

Exactly, Sheriff. Hold up on that car wash, American soccer fans, the World Cup has came and gone. Soccer is now officially a dead topic of interest. Onward, to Neyland Stadium, Jort People, we've got the welcome mat out 4 U.

 

[Jabberdave]

Exactly, Sheriff. Hold up on that car wash, American soccer fans, the World Cup has came and gone. Soccer is now officially a dead topic of interest. Onward, to Neyland Stadium, Jort People, we've got the welcome mat out 4 U.

You write too well to actually be the idiot you betray on this board. Soccer is far from dead and for someone that bitched about it through the tournament, you certainly did a pretty good job of keeping up and posting about it, Mr. Bandwagon.

That should be your title, Roscoe. Mr. Bandwagon. If only I were a mod.........

 

[Alvin York]

You write too well to actually be the idiot you betray on this board. Soccer is far from dead and for someone that bitched about it through the tournament, you certainly did a pretty good job of keeping up and posting about it, Mr. Bandwagon.

That should be your title, Roscoe. Mr. Bandwagon. If only I were a mod.........

As I previously stated I admit to getting swept up in soccer fever when the World Cup comes to town but my hammering point is the World Cup is only a every fourth year phenomenon not a viable major American sport. Soccer Heads, give up your Pollyanna dream of soccer being on par with the NFL.

Now AWAY with this soccer jibber-jabber, Jabberdave [h=2][/h]

 

[GatorJ]

I watched while the Americans were in it but in reality, I don't care for Soccer. After careful consideration, I don't care about the NBA or MLB either.

Exactly, Sheriff. Hold up on that car wash, American soccer fans, the World Cup has came and gone. Soccer is now officially a dead topic of interest. Onward, to Neyland Stadium, Jort People, we've got the welcome mat out 4 U.

That mat should be inscribed with 9 and counting...

 

[Alvin York]

That mat should be inscribed with 9 and counting...

And we're counting on you counting no more. Onward....to Neyland.

 

[8802Gator]

The World Cup is successful in America because we are a very patriotic bunch. Slap USA on a jersey and we go nuts, but that only happens once every four years. For Soccer to become a sport that Americans follow year round we need some more American born stars, and we need them to play in America. Without looking it up I can only name 2 MLS teams, the Sounders, and the Tampa Bay Mutiny, and I don't think the Mutiny are even a team anymore. Any American player that is any good goes over seas because that is where the money is. If soccer ever becomes popular enough that young athletes begin to choose it over football, basketball, and baseball, and that talent pool stays home to play professionally then the popularity will rise which will lead to more tv exposure and get soccer on the minds of American's more than once every 4 years.

 

[Alvin York]

The World Cup is successful in America because we are a very patriotic bunch. Slap USA on a jersey and we go nuts, but that only happens once every four years. For Soccer to become a sport that Americans follow year round we need some more American born stars, and we need them to play in America. Without looking it up I can only name 2 MLS teams, the Sounders, and the Tampa Bay Mutiny, and I don't think the Mutiny are even a team anymore. Any American player that is any good goes over seas because that is where the money is. If soccer ever becomes popular enough that young athletes begin to choose it over football, basketball, and baseball, and that talent pool stays home to play professionally then the popularity will rise which will lead to more tv exposure and get soccer on the minds of American's more than once every 4 years.

I can't argue with that logic but that scenario is one hell of a throw of the dice.

 

[8802Gator]

I can't argue with that logic but that scenario is one hell of a throw of the dice.

Which is why it will probably never be more than a niche sport in America.

 

[Bernardo de la Paz]

Give it about 20 years