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2018 World Cup in Russia


AztecPadre

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48 minutes ago, AztecPadre said:

Which group is the toughest to win and vice versa which one is the easiest?  I think England scored the easiest group in G and So far group F may as well stand for FUCKed for Mexico.  That group looks insanely hard.  

Supposedly Group F is the GoD

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1 hour ago, maxchoboian said:

OK, I looked it up. Brazil won in Japan in '02, and Germany won the last Cup in Brazil. Other than those, countries from the same hemisphere as the host have won. Unless I missed another one (or two or so).

I think you have it right, with one other addition. Brazil won the 1958 World Cup in Sweden with a 17 year old kid named Pele. That team was rocking as the great Garrincha also played on it.

With those exceptions, teams from the hemisphere, or at the very least, continent hosting the World Cup have always won. 

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47 minutes ago, DarterBlue said:

I think you have it right, with one other addition. Brazil won the 1958 World Cup in Sweden with a 17 year old kid named Pele. That team was rocking as the great Garrincha also played on it.

With those exceptions, teams from the hemisphere, or at the very least, continent hosting the World Cup have always won. 

Speaking of Pele, has anybody besides me seen the Pele movie on Netflix?  So freaking good. Must watch.

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5 minutes ago, AztecPadre said:

Pele was way before my time, but I learned a ton about his upbringing and the racial tensions in Brasil during that time. 

I was a baby when he won his first World Cup. And a tween when he won his last. Funny thing is, despite racial tensions in Brazil, Pele was able to work his way into the upper echelons of Brazilian society while "Little Bird" who was much lighter complexioned, could not.

To some degree it was all about personality. I have never traveled to Brazil myself, but am told that race takes on a different meaning there than here. Perhaps it's just in the eye of the beholder. 

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Just now, DarterBlue said:

I was a baby when he won his first World Cup. And a tween when he won his last. Funny thing is, despite racial tensions in Brazil, Pele was able to work his way into the upper echelons of Brazilian society while "Little Bird" who was much lighter complexioned, could not.

To some degree it was all about personality. I have never traveled to Brazil myself, but am told that race takes on a different meaning there than here. Perhaps it's just in the eye of the beholder. 

Watch the flick.  It was anything but easy for Pele.  He grew up super poor. Actually the poorest favela's in Brasil. 

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3 minutes ago, AztecPadre said:

Watch the flick.  It was anything but easy for Pele.  He grew up super poor. Actually the poorest favela's in Brasil. 

I know it was not easy. Rio, Brasilia and San Paulo have horrendous poverty interwoven with affluence. And there is certainly a high correlation between skin color and wealth or lack thereof. Despite this, Pele, once he established himself as a premier footballer, was able to transcend his origins, finding wide acceptance with the elites of Brazil.

I wonder whether that would have been the case had be been born here?  

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8 minutes ago, DarterBlue said:

I know it was not easy. Rio, Brasilia and San Paulo have horrendous poverty interwoven with affluence. And there is certainly a high correlation between skin color and wealth or lack thereof. Despite this, Pele, once he established himself as a premier footballer, was able to transcend his origins, finding wide acceptance with the elites of Brazil.

I wonder whether that would have been the case had be been born here?  

Hmm very good question. I believe he would have. He was the perfect ambassador for soccer and of course their style of play which was frowned upon by the elite. Sao Paulo was and is very poor. But oh so gorgeous. I love visiting Brasil.

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on a side note....it is possible that Morocco and the USA will get the world cup...more evidence is coming out about the Qatar world cup bribery scandal.....if so ....2022 should go to the USA  and Morocco gets 2026...the FIFA congress meets 6/12 before the Russian world cup...they are under a lot pressure for a re-vote not to mention the world cup being played in December instead of summer bc of extreme heat...slave labor deaths...bribery and now the rest of the gulf states are against Qatar politically........we just need to print the tix.....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-5782211/Qatar-2022-World-Cup-bid-victory-completely-illegitimate-says-new-corruption-watchdog.html

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11 minutes ago, SJR89 said:

on a side note....it is possible that Morocco and the USA will get the world cup...more evidence is coming out about the Qatar world cup bribery scandal.....if so ....2022 should go to the USA  and Morocco gets 2026...the FIFA congress meets 6/12 before the Russian world cup...they are under a lot pressure for a re-vote not to mention the world cup being played in December instead of summer bc of extreme heat...slave labor deaths...bribery and now the rest of the gulf states are against Qatar politically........we just need to print the tix.....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-5782211/Qatar-2022-World-Cup-bid-victory-completely-illegitimate-says-new-corruption-watchdog.html

I never had a doubt that something fishy was going on.  Qatar?  Really? Even if FIFA let me go there on their dime with VIP access I would still pass.

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4 hours ago, golfaddict1 said:

Good news for Peru.  All 3 opponents in group petitioned for Guerrero to be allowed to play.  

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-worldcup-peru-guerrero/peru-captain-guerrero-cleared-to-play-at-world-cup-after-court-ruling-idUSKCN1IW1N3

He's back officially for the world cup.   Here's the thing though.   Obviously, without Guerrero Peru doesn't make the world cup.   He is the leader and is basicially the biggest name in Peru.    Thing is the team has really clicked with this new lineup that I'm worried about the change.   Guerrero is a stud, but what I've noticed these European teams having a lot of difficulty with Peru's skill and speed.   Guerrero is an amazing player, but hasn't played.     Not much time to get back to form.   He's the heart and soul of Peru  that's for sure.  

 

 

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1 hour ago, RedZone said:

How is it we can put a man on the moon, but can't qualify for a rinky dinky soccer tournament? 🏈

We are going about developing talent the wrong way. And we probably don't care enough about the sport. At a high level soccer is actually very entertaining. And, with rocus crowds supporting both teams, being at a game is electrifying! 

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3 hours ago, DarterBlue said:

I was a baby when he won his first World Cup. And a tween when he won his last. Funny thing is, despite racial tensions in Brazil, Pele was able to work his way into the upper echelons of Brazilian society while "Little Bird" who was much lighter complexioned, could not.

To some degree it was all about personality. I have never traveled to Brazil myself, but am told that race takes on a different meaning there than here. Perhaps it's just in the eye of the beholder. 

Well fun fact Brazil was the biggest hub of the African slave trade to the Americas, and also the last to abolish Slavery.   That's why it's so diverse.   I think about 40% of African slaves imported to the Americas went to Brazil.   

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43 minutes ago, 954gator said:

You can't it's a cultural thing.  Here kids throw a baseball/football or play basketball when their kids.   In other parts of the world everyone plays soccer.   

Not sure I can accept that honestly. No disrespect.

Kind of a cop-out....

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44 minutes ago, 954gator said:

You can't it's a cultural thing.  Here kids throw a baseball/football or play basketball when their kids.   In other parts of the world everyone plays soccer.   

It's why we're special and they're not. 

 

It's also why I could really care less about soccer as a whole. 

xD

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49 minutes ago, RedZone said:

How do we do it then?

We would have to change the mindset of Americans. The sport would have to be respected. Importing old, former European and South American stars to the MLS, while it may draw crowds and provide fans an opportunity to see them in person, does not do anything to popularize the sport among those that really count: young people. Currently, the better athletes don't find the game that appealing as most know they will never get big contracts in the USA. To make the big money, they would most likely have to play in Europe. And, competition for those slots are fiercely competitive. A few Americans have played on the rosters of some of the big European clubs, but they are few and far between. So, from the perspective of a young athlete, it seems far better to play football, baseball, basketball, than to pursue a career in soccer. It also does not help that to develop your talent, you have to play at the travel club level which can be quite costly and out of reach for many potential stars. 

Just look at HawgGonelt's post above. I think it reflects the way a majority of Americans view the game. What they don't realize is that like high level track and field, it gives a country a whole lot of prestige on the world stage since the vast majority of countries on the planet take soccer pretty seriously. Win a World Cup, and you are truly the man!

I grew up with soccer; for next to track and field, it is by far the most popular spectator sport in Jamaica. At the high school level, the equivalent of the playoffs in Jamaica routinely drew crowds of 10,000 or more. And, by the time you got to the championship, the right matchup would fill the National Stadium which seated almost 40,000. 

Until Americans take the game that seriously, the USA is probably condemned to be the kind of team that usually qualifies for the World Cup, but exits either at the conclusion of group play or in the first round of the eliminations. It is unfortunate, as there is an abundance of latent talent here sufficient to make the country a power in this sport. 

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