Didn't deserve a draw? I thought they stifled Ghana pretty easily, and they were playing with a lead nearly the entire game.

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No, it's because it's an old, terribly designed sport, that has been surpassed by newer sports, who have seen the flaws of "the beautiful game," and have improved on them.

First off, it is far too easy for large stretches of the game to be keep away. This is unfuckingwatchable. It also gives the illusion of dudes just lollygagging for large stretches of time, which they are. There's no rush in a packed tight midfield. Nobody is sprinting. There is no room to do so. I won't make some arbitrary number up (like 80%), but this does make up an extremely large percentage of the game. Like more than half. Way more. It's most of the game. A terrible design.

Basketball actually had the same problem in their humble beginnings. They adapted, inventing the shot clock, which revolutionized the game, and is seriously one of the great audiblies of a major sport ever made. Now I'm not saying soccer should put in place a shot clock. It's too ingrained to make drastic changes like that. But it just shows that no other sport could possibly make it today with such an incredible oversight in design. Nobody would put up with this unless it was designed hundreds of years ago.

Offsides. Oh boy. Words that should never be directed at your sport -- It can a learn a thing from hockey. In hockey, the blue line exists, and what is on and off sides, does not move, and does not rely on where some trap heavy cocksuckers making a line of defense want to stand. This is a fantastic design. It opens up the game, allowing players to get behind defenders for stretch passes if defenders want to cheat forward. Not possible in soccer. Going back to the midfield clogged toilet phenomenon I just talked about, where no shot clock will ever exist - The line of defense creeps up, clogging it up even more so, because defenders don't have to worry about forwards sneaking behind them. Another completely flawed aspect of the game.

It is by far the worse officiated major sport. This would be a problem for any sport, but for soccer, where chances are so fucking rare, it is a deciding factor, pretty much all the fucking time. This should be treated like a crisis. It is not. "Every sports has bad calls," soccer assholes say. What a winning attitude. Plus, not every sport is routinely nil-nil, so this should probably be taken pretty seriously. Also, I immediately feel stupider for having just typed, "nil-nil."

Speaking of ridiculous officiating, how does a game not have a set time to conclude? And how is everybody okay with this? Well, ninety minutes passed, game should be over any minute now. Two minutes later -- Any second now. Still not fucking over. Can you imagine if a basketball game clock ran out, no whistle blows, and dudes just keep fucking shooting for another ten minutes until a referee decides enough time has been made up for the time wasted when Paul Pierce pretended he was a paraplegic? Especially a well constructed game like basketball, where the score would change approximately twenty times in these completely insane minutes of unknown limbo? Nobody would accept this.

I just find the most basic aspects of soccer, which affect the entire game, so archaic, and the reason for its boring reputation. I even hate to say, "Soccer is boring," because it would immediately put me in a box with a bunch of other meathead Americans, like I need things to explode every two minutes, or some shit. I'm generally not an attention deficit type of consumer. But there's just no way around it for me, soccer is fucking boring. And it's boring because of those most basic aspects of the game I mentioned, that every major sport here in America (minus baseball, which is also old), figured out, does the opposite, and is what I (and the many more people who hate soccer than like it) consumed growing up, and soccer couldn't possibly live up to.

And it is that where I think my biggest dislike for the sport comes from, specifically my love for hockey. Soccer and hockey are incredibly similar games in theory. But hockey is better in every single objective way. And as a hockey fan, I've grown up watching the much improved form of the attackers-versus-defenders-plus-a-goalie-game. So seeing this archaic version, which sucks, in comparison, makes it suckittude stand out even more.

Lets go back to hockey being better in every single objective way because how could a hockey fan possibly be objective? Well, put it in these terms: Do you want your sport to be faster or slower? Because hockey is faster. Do you want more action or less action? Hockey has more action. Do you want more shots or less shots? Hockey has more shots. Do you want more incredible saves, or less incredible saves? Hockey has more. More physicality or less physicality? Hockey has more physicality. More racism or less racism. Soccer somehow has the sport that's 90% white, defeated there.

I also hate that soccer fandom in America has a smart tinge to it, because it's niche, and big everywhere else, so "worldly." It is actually one of the stupider major sports, and I will not be seen as a neanderthal for thinking so.

Congrats to the USA, I guess. I like that our coach sounds like Werner Herzog, and seemingly hates everybody on his team.

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BIGBrandon2785 wrote:

Gruber>Dbo>Jermz>Souljah>Burowz>Kaos>Truth>Anis>Geo>CGJ>Cole>Bonea>
>Moe>Prime>>Joso>Vendetta> Wlad>>Finito>Victor......................... :bb: :bb: :bb: :bb: FUCKS WIT ME!!!

The entire game was in the US end. Ghana dominated possession. They dominated the game for like 85 of the 90 minutes. None of that matters though. They have to get a better hold of the ball against Portugal or they probably don't have a shot.

TOP was 59% to 41% in Ghana's favor. I wouldn't call that domination for a team who was down pretty much the entire game. You have to consider that we were in somewhat of a defensive posture. We played close to 90 minutes on our heels and barely conceded any quality opportunities. And then as soon as we lost the lead, we got it back in 4 minutes. That's pretty impressive, at least from a defensive standpoint. I don't doubt that we'll have to be better against Portugal and Germany, but I also don't see us going toe to toe with them and winning, at least Germany. We'd have to have today's formula. A cheeky goal and really good defense. And luck.

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Yes I agree. I try to enjoy it as well during these times but it is awful

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My name is Ice, and I want to sincerely apologize to Matthew Stafford for all of the irrational, unfair, and quite frankly stupid comments I have made about him in the past. Stafford is elite. Stafford is clutch. Stafford is a winner. Stafford is, forever, a Super Bowl Champion. I know this now.

I will say watching it live in person can be exciting though. Me and a couple of drunk buddies punked some security guard after a fight at the StubHub or home depot center and watched Chivas USA play some other shitty team to a 90 minute standstill. That's right a draw lol. The most exciting draw we've ever been a part of

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My name is Ice, and I want to sincerely apologize to Matthew Stafford for all of the irrational, unfair, and quite frankly stupid comments I have made about him in the past. Stafford is elite. Stafford is clutch. Stafford is a winner. Stafford is, forever, a Super Bowl Champion. I know this now.

Portugal looked horrible vs germany. i dont know if thats good or bad for us.

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Definitely a sport that better as live experience than TV. I cant watch the shit.

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i agree with grubs about an offsides line.

the main reasons being the refs get a lot of the offside calls wrong.

the ref also has to much power in the out come of a soccer game in general.

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Cole's right. USA played pretty lousy. They're lucky they capitalized from Ghana's mistakes. Ghana's always been a dirty ass team but USA played scared. They couldnt hang on to the ball and were too quick to pass. plus their passes were off the mark or the players couldn't handle them. Portugal has always been an overrated team. USA had a chance even before Ronaldo and pepe's injury

You're probably right, but I'm not buying it . You play different with a lead. For a team that was on the attack for such a long period of time, I thought it was impressive that we held them to such few scoring opportunities. Ghana could've crossed the ball better, but the U.S. defense was stifling in and around the box. I'd save the word luck for some real, substantial luck. There was nothing lucky about the two goals the U.S. scored.

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I don't know how luck can be substantial, but you're right about the USA defense. They played well. It was the offense I was complaining about.

That style of defense first play worked for Italy a few years back. Defending for 90 minutes straight is incredibly difficult though

Offense definitely needs to perk up, but I gotta give them a pass for a game in which they had the lead 30 seconds in and regained it 4 minutes after losing it. That's pretty resilient shit. You can take all the time of possession you want if it's not translating to goals. Shots on goal were only 8-7 in Ghana's favor. Plus, the best opportunity outside of the goals scored was the cross to Altidore that he fired a little prematurely.

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A "dominating" performance in a losing/draw effort is what Brazil just put on.

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Ha no way. Mexico dominated the second half while Brazil dominated the first. Brazil had better chances to score but didn't capitalize. Mexico played well.

Really? That's pretty shocking. I watched the first half and then caught highlights. It looked all Brazil.

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Lol I'm just as shocked as you. And I think most mexico fans are as well. Everyone in LA is celebrating the draw. Brazil's pretty fuckin tough. I Wonder what would've happened if hulk had played...

One thing I'll never understand about soccer is how these guys can miss so insanely badly from relatively close. I get that it requires a really well struck ball to beat a keeper, but some of these things look like beach balls the way they're flung up in the air.

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The scoreless draw heard round the world lol.

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My name is Ice, and I want to sincerely apologize to Matthew Stafford for all of the irrational, unfair, and quite frankly stupid comments I have made about him in the past. Stafford is elite. Stafford is clutch. Stafford is a winner. Stafford is, forever, a Super Bowl Champion. I know this now.

I'm not surprised Spain was eliminated but the fact they barely scored looks really bad. Casillas is cooked.

i am getting the feeling that we are going to beat portugal.



as for are style. we always do that vs teams. if we get a lead vs like jamaica we park the bus in our own penalty box the rest of the game.

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Yeah they're better than that, though..

That stretch pass that dicked England in the ass would happen all the time with a soccer "blue" line. Make it happen, FIBA.

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BIGBrandon2785 wrote:

Gruber>Dbo>Jermz>Souljah>Burowz>Kaos>Truth>Anis>Geo>CGJ>Cole>Bonea>
>Moe>Prime>>Joso>Vendetta> Wlad>>Finito>Victor......................... :bb: :bb: :bb: :bb: FUCKS WIT ME!!!

Yeah there's no argument IMO that can logically defend the offside call. I've played many pickup games and since we never have a ref we play without the offsides rule. It usually mean both teams play more defensively, so there isn't a lot of scoring either. I don't know, maybe a blue line would help but I don't think the rules are ever going to change unless people's interest in the sport decreases, but that's never going to happen..

Hotdamn that was a helluva game. One stupid mistake and defensive lull cost them the game. Fuck. They played much better though. Bring on zee Germans.