Just wondering if there are any other football (soccer) fans out there who are watching the world cup? I'm currently watching the England-Paraguay game and England are 1-0 up thanks to an own goal from a Paraguyan defender. I'm kinda neutral about who to support - I was born and brought up in England, but don't really support them (mother is Irish so I usually support Ireland).
The whole country's gone nuts about football at the moment, flags and whatnot everywhere, and everyone reckons England COULD win it though I don't reckon we will. We have a knack of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in international games.... oh well!

Wanderer have fun watching the games. I don't watch the sport, myself, but everyone I know seems to be watching it...maybe they'll post when it's over! lol

I am, of course, a Manchester United fan so am watching as much of the action as I can. It would be nice if England win it but I doubt that they will. I drew Sweden in the office competition so will be a bit richer if they were to win - which is as likely as Trinidad & Tobago or Mozmbique winning !!

However, someone who shall remain nameless is making me miss the final rounds just because she wants to go catch goats - Can you believe it? We get back a few days after the final.

Don't worry, Linda! You will find that the American's like this game too...although they call it soccer instead of football! I'm sure Rio can help you find a tv to watch it on!

Hi,

I'm definatly a football watcher.
My favourits are: Brasil, Holland, Argentina, Trinidad & Tobago, Portugal, Mexico, Ghana, Japan, Togo, Ecuador, Australia, Costa Rica.
My number one since I'm a kid is Brasil. (See my Latin blood running actually I'm very mixed -Latin, Caribbean, Indian, African & European.) I'm Holland when Brasil isn't playing. Holland is cause, I'm a Dutch citizen, my country is part of the Dutch Kingdom. By the way Mexico just won 3-1 from Iran. Holland won also today 1-0 from Serbia-Montenegro. Soon over 20 minutes will start the game Angola vs Portugal. Here I'm for Portugal . Know here when Holland is playing the bosses lets the worker bring television to watch the game at work, but of course emergencies goes first, but all what can wait for 2 hours will have to wait. Aren't the bosses great and by the way if they can they also watches at it too. So it is a win win situation. For the public there is everywhere at the public places and so television. OK Portugal just made his 1st goalllllllllll.
As in the sports they say 'Fairplay' ..., the ball is round and may the best win this Worldcup. Goalllllllllllllllllllllll
Here too in my country nearly everyone watch football Worldcup 2006. It's a complete happening here on my island and I enjoy it very much. As I have some responsabilities, I stay home and do them and watch it at home, but as soon as I can, I would join the other football fans at some of the different clubs/ pubs on the island. I'm not a drinker, but it is ambiance being with others watching the games together for the commentaries, laughing, screaming , joking etc.
So all football fans over the world ... enjoy the Worldcup month and those who don't bare with us and maybe considere to watch too.

Doth

Hey Doth - on Thursday England play Trinidad & Tobago, who were really impressive in their first game [unlike England !!] Want to predict the score?

I will not even mention the USA's first game - in spite of sitting in my chair chanting U.S.A repetitively along with the crowd, they still had a drilling !! Oh well, I think they get to play Brazil next [?] Oops, all we need predict there is the number of goals Brazil wins by !!

Yes some Americans are big SOCCER fans too! US plays Italy next - tough defense. The best games I've seen so far are Holland and Argentina (sp?) - I'm looking forward to watching those two play. Germany looked good on the attack but their defense looked shaky. Brazil, Czech, England, Italy, Holland, Germany and Argentina all seem to have top teams. France should have a good team but they're pretty old and what little I saw of their first game they didn't look very good. The African nations, Poland and the US haven't looked so good so far. The US needs to step it up big time to advance. We have to win at least 2 now in a very tough division.

Hee hee...
Am impressed there are other soccer fans out there!!
I think Trinidad and Tobago will give England a run for their money on Thursday so it should be an interesting game - they gave Sweden a hard time the other day. And if England lose...oh well!

Brazil are currently 1-0 up in their game against Croatia at the moment and aren't looking all that sharp.... the Croatians are sticking to their guns and defending well (dodgy metaphor there sorry...). I watched the USA-Czech republic game yesterday too - considering how low profile men's soccer is in the states (as far as I understand it), they didn't look too bad at all. You guys are no. 5 in the FIFA rankings right?

I think we Europeans are kinda snobbish about football over here - there are so many good European teams, and we have a lot of respect for Argentina and Brazil, but tend to think (wrongly) that everyone else is no good. I guess world cup finals through history have tended to be a South American/European affair so perhaps that's where its come from.

Linda.d... I sympathise... being a Man U fan must be tough...not winning things lately.. why not come over to the dark side and support the Arsenal?? (and yes, I know we lost the champions league and had a bad season, but still...)

By the way.. goat catching sounds like fun - I think I read about that on another post. And you're missing the final!! That sucks big time.... you should be owed big time for that!

Well, as you know, my little country is playing the World Cup as well. COSTA RICA

As you know, this region is know as "CONFUT" (it means "Football Confederatiion", and it includes North and Central America and the Caribbean); so in this World Cup, we have four countries from CONFUT: Costa Rica, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago, and U.S.

The inaugural match was Germany playing Costa Rica (and we loose 4-2). It was the inaugural match with the highest score ever.

I hope that our four countries will have a good performance.

I'm not so much a soccer fan, but in this World Cup I'll be better, though I'll not can to attend all the matches because my job.

So, let's the best win!

What to do Germany just made their 1st goal against Polen. And it was in the additionall time made. Huh huh huh.
Good for Germany and hmm Polen what to say. I'm today Poland.
Poland played a very good game against Germany, they let the Germans sweat.

Scrapping throat here ... Wanderer if I may say politely my observations for having lived in both continents. Are the Europeans who think that only they play better football and so rivals started between the continents considering others the poor 3rd world? All is how we visualize the others and our world and what glasses we put on. I think it mostly also a nationalism thing, every nation has that and one maybe more then other. I could go futher about this, but as this is over 'voetbal' (dutch) I will leave it till here.

Doth

Linda hmmmmmmmm ... what about England 1 - Trinidad & Tobago 2.
Or maybe 0-1, or 0-0.
See I would like to T & T win for it would be nice for that pretty, cute, little, steelpan, lively country in my sweet Caribbean.
It would be a good boast for the T&T's and encouragements for all the football teams on tiny islands who have big hearts as well as big dreams.

Linda and for Brasil ... as they will be playing on Father's Day ... for the memory of my dad I hope they win. He was a Brazilian football fan in all his bones.

Doth

Hey Doth
I think you are right - it probably is how we view other nations and the kind of 'glasses' we put on (and money has a lot to do with it too). Personally I don't think England are that great a team - we've got a bunch of world class players, sure, but we don't always play together as a team, unlike a lot of other countries. The commentary over here has been pretty poor at times - the England -Trinidad and Tobago game is currently on and the commentators keep going on about how we are expected to win etc and not giving T&T enough respect, and they (T&T) have played really well. England have just scored so it's 1-0, but its been a good game so far. I'd laugh if England lost.....

OK guys - outside of your OWN country. What 3-4 countries do you think have looked the best so far and why. Forget reputations (e.g. Brazil) - who do you think has looked the best in their opening matches. My vote:

1. Holland
2. Argentina (sp?)
3. Germany (they played better defense this time around against Poland)
4. Czech Republic - only dropping them to #4 because Koller (sp?) is out for 2-3 games

Great teams that haven't really showed me anything yet...
1. Brazil
2. England

Biggest disappointments...
1. France
2. U.S.
3. No African nation has upset anyone yet

And yes Costa Rica looked good out there! I'm only skimming through games and watching highlights right now but if anyone from my top 4 list or Brazil, U.K. or the U.S. is playing I'll watch more. I liked to watch the passing of Mexico too. Their midfielder (holding/defensive) had something like 50-60 successful passes during the game. Unbelievable.

Trinidad & Tobago was awesome. Full 83 minutes they held England 0-0. So I'm very proud of them and I hope they celebrate eventhough they lost 2-0. I think England did had a hard time with the T&T's. Also the headcoach of the T&T's is a Dutch -mr. Beenhakker. So I'm glad here eventhough T&T lost.
Congratulations to England and to all T&T's fan. That include me , hahaha.

Doth

Elaine what about Spain ... I think they too did a good job till now.

Holland won, but they didn't play so good. So I hope. they get better.
As for Brasil they have to wake up and watch out.
Right now I think all teams did their best. Oke maybe in our eyes some more then others, but as the ball round is, the best will win.

Doth I haven't seen Spain play yet. Who did they play? I though Holland did well in their first game. They haven't played their second have they? Their group and the US group are the hardest from what I heard. The team Holland beat was a very good team and Holland looked like they were just toying with them. Some times their game got to be a little too much possession ball rather than going for the jugular (sp?) but who am I to say no? Their passing and ball control looked to be the best I've seen so far. German had the most diversified attack, Argentina looked very good too, Holland the best control of the game, czech very direct to the goal (passing with a purpose), great crosses and a great defense. UK looked like they were asleep game #1 didn't see game #2 yet. They say on paper UK and Brazil are probably in the top 3. We'll find out! I just love the wide open game German and Holland are playing right now and the speed of the African teams is amazing. I'm bummed Japan doesn't have a better team as I love their swarming midfield defense. I think when they played the US they played with a 5-6 man midfield.

My prediction though? That the US will have a legitimate top #3-5 team and be contenders for the World Cup in 10 years. Soccer is just huge in the US now amongst the kids. I coach both soccer and softball and gave up on softball because soccer is just flat out more fun to coach and play. Plus more kids can get involved. Just a better game. In our district alone there are 44,000 youth (U6-U19) rec soccer players and another 3-5k select/competitive players (upper leagues from rec ball). And we're just one district out of many in the state of California. Soccer is taking over as the youth sport - at least for girls/women. Men still have football and baseball but for women - it's soccer now!

Hi Elaine,

Are you wathing the game right now between Holland (2) - Ivory Coast (1).
The Dutch are giving us nearly heart-attack.
Ok Holland won and they just classified for the 2nd round.
Wednesday the 21st will be for us a battle between Holland - Argentina.
(It's like already fighting for the Worldcup).
It is, my country have favorites and that is Brasil, Holland and Argentina.
It has been always like this.
Our crown prince Willem Alexander of the Royal House -the Dutch Kingdom- is married to a lady from Argentina, princess Maxima.
Argentina scored today 6-0 against Serbia Montenegro. Argentina too classified in this group C for the 2nd round.

I only watched a bit of the game and then let Tivo record the rest. Holland looked much less inspired today - at least for the part I watched. I hear there is some internal dispute on the team that arose after their last game. I saw bits and pieces of the Argentina game and man was their attack clicking. Best attack I've seen so far! I'd rank Argentina over Holland right now. Holland and Argentina will both advance now. What group do they play next? Depending upon who is ranked #1 in the opposing group and who is ranked #2 will determine how hard fought the Holland - Argentina game will be played. I hope it's played all out but much will depend on what the stakes are for the winner-loser of that game. If they're playing a weaker group next then they may not go all out in that game. I hope they do because they both play the same style of soccer. Passing and movement. The Dutch seem to play with more pressure defense. Argentina seems to have a more potent and direct attack. Their ball movement is always heading toward the attacking 1/3. The Dutch seem to get enamored with ball movement for the sake of ball movement and possession sometimes. I like to see ball movement with a purpose. Argentina has that AND they surely know what to do with the thing once they get near the box. Simply beautiful movement and ball movement and runs all with a purpose. So far Argentina is my top team although I don't remember much about their defense in that game. Maybe Serbia was just in so much shell shock they never made it past the midfield line?