Completely agree. I have wondered for years why the NFL has not embraced such an easy P.R. / fan outreach opportunity. (Note: wouldn't really work for MLB or NBA given how they start games, and seems like a real bad plan for the NHL)
Huge upset but what a performance ... Australia beat Denmark 1-0 several hours ago and now through to last 16 ... facing Argentina on Sunday morning our time.
I work for a design firm based in Denmark. The one Aussie in the Helsingor office says he was none too popular after the game. Not that he would gloat or rub it in or anything.
This is the most interesting thing about World Cup to me… https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/29/football/qatar-world-cup-migrant-worker-deaths-spt-intl/index.html
Watching Teqball on ESPN2 -- this stuff might as well be on The Ocho. Soccer crossed with ping-pong. Yeesh. The announcers are just too much, but hey, at least there is scoring.
Soccer afficianados: Dramatic epic crazy exciting quarterfinal games! Went to PKs! Realist: Penalty kicks? You decide two of the most important games in the world with PKs? Yeesh.
Brazil down... Argentina next up... Go Croatia!!! Brazil was too busy working on their dance they do when they score a goal. They thought they had won the game. Too bad they didn't finish playing the game, and Croatia tied it up in the 117th minute and sent them home after the penalty kicks. Croatia's goalkeeper was incredible. There's a lot of strategy and skill to penalty kicks. On the kickers side and the goalkeepers side. It's not all luck. And despite what the announcers are saying, the goalkeepers are not "guessing" which way to go. I grew up playing keeper, wasn't bad...my brother was a local all-star goalkeeper back in the day...he could've gone to the Olympics or even pro if things would've gone different. The guys taking the penalty kicks telegraph where they're going to go, you just need to know how to read them. The really good experienced kickers can disguise where they're going. Croatia's goalkeeper seemed to know, and made very few mistakes, one of them being the goal they scored on him during the game. I still can't figure out why Croatia's keeper let the goal get by him in regulation play. He's been solid the last 2 games. As a former player, yeah, it sucks not winning during regulation, but penalty kicks are still very exciting. And, oh yeah, GO CROATIA!
Penalty kicks are exciting by default. it is how they decide games, therefore it is exciting. How about 1st extra time play 10 v 10, then next one 9 v 9. At least then actual soccer would decide the outcome. what if they decided it by taking shots from midfield or from the other end with no goal keeper? That would be exciting too -- it would decide the game and fans would go crazy. It would also be lame. Just like PKs.
Sigh...it may look like random ball passing, which looks boring...but if you pay attention, there are set plays going on, like hockey, basketball, etc. But when done on a bigger playing area, it looks slower. If you haven't played competitively with coaches who know more than the basics, or only know what you see and hear at an 8 yr olds practice and games, then yeah, it may seem boring. But look at the game deeper, and you'd see it differently. But you probably won't, and that's your loss. My only criticism about the game is the acting that goes on with the "fouls", bumping, pushing, etc. And it's football, not soccer. Lol
Every player “touched” is in extreme agony as if dying, that’s my only criticism, it’s true, learn the game and it isn’t bad, just like hockey. When I paid attention and watched it enough I got hooked on the Tour de France of all things, there’s so much going on, but the novice watching thinks it just a guy riding a bike and needs to finish first that day.
Argentina is in the finals. The next game between France and Morocco will determine who plays Argentina.
