FIFA 2014 World Cup all-purpose thread

[djcon57]

For Ghana, the combined number was 15.9 with Univision. For the Portugal game, the ESPN rating was 9.1. Can't wait to hear the Univision total. So far, the World Cup is outdrawing the NBA Finals, the World Series (by about 4 million viewers) and has tripled the audience for the Stanley Cup feature NY and LA. Soccer is pretty much the #2 viewing sport in the US now.

Most-viewed Non-Football Telecast on ESPN Ever

http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-r...ortugal-most-viewed-soccer-match-ever-in-u-s/

 

[djcon57]

Well, he played a different combination back there every couple games. You don't develop chemistry that way.

I don't understand why he went with Omar and Besler for like a year, maybe 2 years in qualifying, then switched to Cameron other than Omar's injury, Omar not being great, or...unfortunately what I think it is.."Oh Cameron plays in EPL, he's better"

 

[IthacaMatt]

Where'd you hear that? That's not even what Evra claimed to be called in an interview before Suarez's suspension was levied.

It was in the British tabloids at the time.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I don't understand why he went with Omar and Besler for like a year, maybe 2 years in qualifying, then switched to Cameron other than Omar's injury, Omar not being great, or...unfortunately what I think it is.."Oh Cameron plays in EPL, he's better"

I agree to an extent. I think that Klinsmann just had a lightbulb go off and said to himself, "Gonzalez is just too slow to defend at the international level. Cameron is used to doing it in the Premier League. Let me stop dicking around with Cameron as a fullback and move him to central defense." I just wished he had that insight 6 months earlier, so these guys had some time to get used to playing with each other.

 

[Alsacs]

O

I don't understand why he went with Omar and Besler for like a year, maybe 2 years in qualifying, then switched to Cameron other than Omar's injury, Omar not being great, or...unfortunately what I think it is.."Oh Cameron plays in EPL, he's better"

Omar ain't even the 3rd CB. When Besler went down against Ghana Brooks came on. Gonzalez was awful against Ukraine he is big but I like Cameron even though he is playing out of position. Yesterday was Cameron's first blunder. We should play 3 CBs against Germany.

 

[djcon57]

O

Omar ain't even the 3rd CB. When Besler went down against Ghana Brooks came on. Gonzalez was awful against Ukraine he is big but I like Cameron even though he is playing out of position. Yesterday was Cameron's first blunder. We should play 3 CBs against Germany.

The point is why did he bother playing Omar for all of qualifying.
As Matt said, he was moving Cameron around to the spots he's playing for Stoke. Had him at Beckerman's spot as the DM for a couple games I think...then..boom..world cup friendlies and he's starting a CB. It was just weird.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Just a bizarre sport. I have such a hard time wrapping my head around these types of strategies. I get it, but I have to fight my normal sports instincts.

Nah, it fits in with other sports viewing very well.

Think first of hockey - like hockey, the game is pretty much played in 3 zones, and whoever controls the middle zone tends to control the game. In the offensive end, you keep moving the puck/ball to try to find a better shot, and the defense needs to clear the puck/ball out of their end to relieve pressure on the goal (icing is like having the goalie boot it 70 yards down field to risk losing possession).

OK, now think basketball. Defense in soccer is a lot like the SU zone, except bigger. Looking at a team's defense, you want to see two banks of defenders, not too far apart and not too close together. They need to read and react to the offense as a group. If you create a turnover, you want to try to get out and run the opposite way, creating fast break opportunities.

Looking at the offense, you have some elements of American Football - the time of possession is important because the team chasing the ball tires out quicker than the offense (same as football; try to keep your defense off the field). It's a game of field position. If you control the field position, you can dictate the game to your opponent.

Even though scoring is more at the pace of a baseball or hockey game, there is usually a build-up to a goal. A team keeps the defense bottled up in their own end. The offense get a few corner kicks or throw-ins in a row and the defense just can't seem to clear the ball, or hold on to it to relieve the offensive pressure. As the pressure builds, the offense gets closer and closer to a quality shot (like a hockey power play). An offense might switch sides of play to try to create a mismatch, overload one side of a zone, or just make the defense shuffle and reset, to unsettle them if the offense finds itself without a way through on that side of the field.

The strategy behind the sport is not all that different from the other sports you already watch. You just have to learn to pick up on the trends and the dynamics of play. Lots of stuff can be happening, even if the goals are not flowing. You can usually tell who is going to score, and you can usually see it coming, from the build up in play.

 

[djcon57]

Just went through the Hex. Omar and Besler played in 6 of the games at CB. Omar/Cam once, Omar/Goodson once.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I understand why people hate Lalas, but I love him. Give me someone with passion for the USMNT with a personal knowledge of the game like him any day. It allows Ballack and Van Nistelrooy to be unabashed homers for their nations as well. Also absolutely love the Ian Darke/Taylor Twellman combo for the games. I've loved ESPN's coverage.

Lalas is the Bill Walton of futbol announcers.

 

[PoppyHart]

I don't understand why he went with Omar and Besler for like a year, maybe 2 years in qualifying, then switched to Cameron other than Omar's injury, Omar not being great, or...unfortunately what I think it is.."Oh Cameron plays in EPL, he's better"

INDEED.

 

[cmr27]

Nah, it fits in with other sports viewing very well.

Throw in the fact that what goes on off/around the field most weeks is 10x more salacious than your headlines in the big four American sports and you have the most dramatic, over the top sport in the world. For example... Ghana just got implicated in a match fixing scandal and it barely made the headlines (any distraction for Ghana is a good distraction so this helps us).

 

[BlazeOrange]

I bet the rating would be even higher without all these watching party which have thousands of people only counting as 1 viewer in the ratings. Richard Deistch on Twitter said none of the 4 US leagues would allow these viewings because of the ratings they would take.

You mean the soccer fans weren't instructed to leave their TVs on at home when they left for the parties?

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Nah, it fits in with other sports viewing very well.

Think first of hockey - like hockey, the game is pretty much played in 3 zones, and whoever controls the middle zone tends to control the game. In the offensive end, you keep moving the puck/ball to try to find a better shot, and the defense needs to clear the puck/ball out of their end to relieve pressure on the goal (icing is like having the goalie boot it 70 yards down field to risk losing possession).

OK, now think basketball. Defense in soccer is a lot like the SU zone, except bigger. Looking at a team's defense, you want to see two banks of defenders, not too far apart and not too close together. They need to read and react to the offense as a group. If you create a turnover, you want to try to get out and run the opposite way, creating fast break opportunities.

Looking at the offense, you have some elements of American Football - the time of possession is important because the team chasing the ball tires out quicker than the offense (same as football; try to keep your defense off the field). It's a game of field position. If you control the field position, you can dictate the game to your opponent.

Even though scoring is more at the pace of a baseball or hockey game, there is usually a build-up to a goal. A team keeps the defense bottled up in their own end. The offense get a few corner kicks or throw-ins in a row and the defense just can't seem to clear the ball, or hold on to it to relieve the offensive pressure. As the pressure builds, the offense gets closer and closer to a quality shot (like a hockey power play). An offense might switch sides of play to try to create a mismatch, overload one side of a zone, or just make the defense shuffle and reset, to unsettle them if the offense finds itself without a way through on that side of the field.

The strategy behind the sport is not all that different from the other sports you already watch. You just have to learn to pick up on the trends and the dynamics of play. Lots of stuff can be happening, even if the goals are not flowing. You can usually tell who is going to score, and you can usually see it coming, from the build up in play.

This is an incredible post, but I meant more the strategy of teams feeling good about playing for ties.

 

[Bortukal]

Well look at Cameroon refusing to go down quietly!

But Neymar is unstoppable.

 

[djcon57]

Even though scoring is more at the pace of a baseball or hockey game, there is usually a build-up to a goal. A team keeps the defense bottled up in their own end. The offense get a few corner kicks or throw-ins in a row and the defense just can't seem to clear the ball, or hold on to it to relieve the offensive pressure. As the pressure builds, the offense gets closer and closer to a quality shot (like a hockey power play). An offense might switch sides of play to try to create a mismatch, overload one side of a zone, or just make the defense shuffle and reset, to unsettle them if the offense finds itself without a way through on that side of the field.

Yep. I was once soccer hating guy until I realized the build up to a goal is actually very similar to football. Corner kick is your goalline situation. Only it's harder.

The complaints about "Soccer is just passing back and forth and back" are equivalent to some saying "Why do they have running plays in football? Why don't they just throw bombs every play?"

 

[ImperialOrange]

Well look at Cameroon refusing to go down quietly!

But Neymar is unstoppable.

I completely forgot there was another game going on given the implications of Mexico v Croatia.

 

[cmr27]

Looked like a blatant handball against Croatia in the box... I hope this is the part where Croatia goes down and scores right after

 

[ImperialOrange]

Looked like a blatant handball against Croatia in the box... I hope this is the part where Croatia goes down and scores right after

I dont get some of these ref assignments. I would think a Western European ref would by ideal given this matchup rather than a Spanish ref or an Uzbek which is who is reffing.

 

[cmr27]

I dont get some of these ref assignments. I would think a Western European ref would by ideal given this matchup rather than a Spanish ref or an Uzbek which is who is reffing.

The refs are letting everyone play. The average number of bookings per game is under 3 (thus far), the first time it has been <3 since Mexico 86. The refs seem to be more lenient but I don't think the style of play has become a physical free-for-all...yet.

 

[djcon57]

Seriously...bow to Santo Zusi, Mexico. Can't BELIEVE we got them in.


Should add will deeply enjoying cheering for the Dutch vs them though.

 

[PeteCalvin]

Croatia has put out an APB for the bus that ran them over.

 

[Alsacs]

If the USA advance 3 teams from CONCACAF would be great with Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Columbia and Uruguay and Equador having good chances that would make 8 of he final 16 from the Americas.

 

[Toga]

Throw in the fact that what goes on off/around the field most weeks is 10x more salacious than your headlines in the big four American sports and you have the most dramatic, over the top sport in the world. For example... Ghana just got implicated in a match fixing scandal and it barely made the headlines (any distraction for Ghana is a good distraction so this helps us).

Gotta love this quote from FIFA - "Speaking generally, the integrity of the game is a top priority for FIFA and as such we take any allegations of match manipulation very seriously."

Speaking generally??? You don't say.

 

[cmr27]

Gotta love this quote from FIFA - "Speaking generally, the integrity of the game is a top priority for FIFA and as such we take any allegations of match manipulation very seriously."

Speaking generally??? You don't say.

Speaking off "off the books" behavior, the US media needs to get better at ignoring collusion (the gentlemen's term is "playing for a draw") between the US and Germany in the run-up to Thursday. The first rule of collusion is not to bring attention to it. But the link to one story on ESPN.com last night was titled "Collusion" while Yahoo sports had a story today asking whether the US and Germany would collude. You gotta take a page for the European media playbook, which is that no one acknowledges it could happen and the mere suggestion evokes outrage. Like Fight Club, the first rule of Draw Club is you do not talk about Draw Club.

 

[Alsacs]

If the USA had Mexico's defense we could win thIS WC if the Mexicans had our offensive system/talent Klinsmann they could win this WC.

Its tough to see honestly I could see Mexico beating Netherlands if RVP and Arjen Robben don't show up. Synder has sucked and De Guzman is really a timebomb for a red card he is the Dutch Jermaine Jones. Brazil is going to have a tough road to the Finals potentially Chile, Columbia most likely in QFs, France/Germany/USA(we can dream), and Argentina on the other side in the final.