World Cup fans?

[DeltaBrave03]

Offsides is the most difficult call to make in sports. You're watching the ball and players at the same time which could be 40 yards from one another and often times the difference in onsides to offsides could be inches. At the same time the ref is 30 yards from the players and oftern times with the pace of the match it is near impossible to stay at a completely 90 degree angle with the last defender.

[Fyrebyrd]

Offsides is the most difficult call to make in sports. You're watching the ball and players at the same time which could be 40 yards from one another and often times the difference in onsides to offsides could be inches. At the same time the ref is 30 yards from the players and oftern times with the pace of the match it is near impossible to stay at a completely 90 degree angle with the last defender.

True, but my problem is usually a good pitch, like at the world cup, is rolled in such a way that about every 6 yards has a distinct line to it. Even for a linesman they should be able to make more accurate calls.

[Fyrebyrd]

Due to a Germany win and a Serbia Loss. Germany and Ghana go through and Germany wins the Group.

This means the USA play Ghana in the first round of the knockout stage on Saturday at 1:30.

[VeveJones007]

Due to a Germany win and a Serbia Loss. Germany and Ghana go through and Germany wins the Group.

This means the USA play Ghana in the first round of the knockout stage on Saturday at 1:30.

And if the US wins, then they play the winner of Uruguay/South Korea to advance to the semi-finals. That's a ridiculously good draw! If England had scored one more goal against Slovenia, then the US would be playing Germany for the right to play the winner of Argentina/Mexico. Which group would you rather be in?

[ChewaBrave]

I really hope we start with buddle and feilhaber in there. I have been really impressed with their work rates lately, and the ball seems to get to attacking speed much more frequently with them in the game.

I honestly couldn't be more excited about this world cup. We're really playing some solid futbol. We outworked our group, and ghana is one of the better draws we could hope for. Heres for hoping we keep it up.

[Da Coach]

The US soccer team plays Saturday at 1:30 against Ghana. The game is televised on ABC.
Here is a preview-

http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/news/u-s-ghana-five-things-to-watch--fbintl_ro-fivethingstowatch062510.html

Here is a good article that sums up one aspect of international soccer, futbol for the purists, that Americans (including me) just can't tolerate-
the phony injury flop.

http://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/editorials/x467204962/Phoney-soccer-injuries-are-a-flop-in-US-eyes

yes, I know there are the occasional "flops" in basketball, but it doesn't lead to players being ejected, the US basketballers don't go through the extensive writhing and embellishing the "injury" to get time for himself and teammates to get a nice rest, and I have never seen a stretcher be called out for a player taking a charge, like the numerous stretcher incidents in soccer, that always lead to the player popping up and re-entering the game moments later.

[ChewaBrave]

I agree - the flop is an issue. FIFA made a good call by making "faking injury", or flopping for fouls a 'card-able' offense. Granted it doesn't catch it every time, but it does help keep some of the players in line, especially after they have been cautioned.

[SFP]

I thought at the end of this US game today that the refs seemed to favor the US on calls. It's almost as if they were instructed to do what they could to ensure that the US advances (for ratings and attendance). At least, that's what I saw.

The calls went our way at the end because Algeria's players were spent and fouling. I thought beside the off-side call on Dempsey the reffs did a real good job.

Can't wait until the game begins. Ghana is a pretty good team and will have a ton of support in South Africa being that they are the last African country. I expect a close game and the out come will be decided by which mid-field can dominate their style. I'd have to believe Edu will start again. IMO Michael Bradley has been the best USA player on the pitch.

[SFP]

I have no idea why Ricardo Clark started???? Edu is such a much better match up.

[SFP]

I'm not sure what lineup change will happen after 1/2 time but the Findley/Altidore pair is not working. I'm not a Findley fan at this level and I bet Buddle would have finished that open look he had. I know why Bradley has Findley in there but his speed just does not pay off because the guy is never in the right place.

[SFP]

Ghana deserved the game. Without a world class striker we went as far as we could. Every team that advances will have one. Look what happened to Germany the last 2 games without Klose. England without Rooney in form becomes average. Argentina seems to have strikers coming out of the wood work and so I that is why they have dominated so far. We had zero room for any defensive lapses and that just did not happen.

[Future Walk-On]

Germans were a force. Oezil is gonna be a star. Counter attacks were like lightning.

Although the disallowed goal was terrible.

[Fyrebyrd]

Germans were a force. Oezil is gonna be a star. Counter attacks were like lightning.

Although the disallowed goal was terrible.

I think it's time FIFA stop worrying about the ball and the vuvuzuelas. These refs are absolutely awful. The disallowed goal was miserable and now Argentina's first goal was clearly offsides.

[tornado]

I agree - and those two calls weren't even close - and it is pretty obvious the midfield ref in the Argentina/Mexico game clearly knew it but also knew his life would be in jeopordy if he showed some guts and reversed the initial call and got it right...

So --bear with me as I beat a DEAD horse...

...the play is so fast that it is guaranteed a few calls will be missed...the day will come when they'll finally figure out a better way...

..this is exactly what the world and the sport needs......finally convince enough Europeans and foreigners that something has to be done to help increase offense or the game will lose fans...
.... nowadays, the offsides calls and no-calls are as often WRONG as they are right...

pathetic isn't even close to an accurate description of that crooked ref ..maybe incompetent, and maybe ignorant.....

The refs and side officials in this WORLD CLASS event are pathetic...
with the replays, we see that nearly 50% of all the close offsides calls are called incorrectly when re-shown in stop action...
And - yet another BLOWN call took another goal away from the US!!
This has not only happened twice already in this World Cup, but similar calls cost the US games in each of the past two World Cups......

And again today two horribly blown referee calls have made huge differences in key games..
And -- for the first time ever, I actually heard the commentator say there should be a
mechanism in place to do a tape review...

Just as predicted - as soon as it happens to their beloved England or to one of the Latin favorites...
then they actually have concerns for the quality (and lack thereof) of officiating...
I wouldn't even doubt some politics and cultural animosity are at play - not too much different
than the horribly biased scoring in Olympic diving and figure skating depending on what country the judge is from...

But - strange that it takes a blown call against England before someone finally realizes how horrible
this reffing has been and suggest a way to clean up this crap...

[SFP]

Until there is accountability with the refs and instant replay I can't see soccer in this country becoming a huge force. This WC is reinforcing a lot of casual fans outlook. What a shame is all I can say.