[sregis]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12555398/site/newsweek/

[Zwanzigoetzel]

While I agree with a lot that was mentioned in this article, I don't know what erosion he is talking about.
Southamerican teams have traditionally played a faster, smoother more technical oriented soccer than European teams, Brazil and Argentina obviously being the top two teams there. What else is new?

And as far as the African teams is concerned, due to their very unconventional and unpredictable style and the improvement of their players, they might be the surprise of this year's Cup, but there is no way they will hold the trophy at the end.
And the games that were mentioned during the WC 2002 as a proof that other nations have come closer is kind of misleading since most all World Cups had their games with non traditional results. Let's take games from WC 1990 for example:
Cameroon-Romania: 2:1 (In fact Cameroon made it to the quarterfinals)
Costa Rica-Scotland: 1:0
Costa Rica-Sweden: 2:1
Netherlands-Egypt : 1:1

Other countries have caught up no doubt, but nobody can speak of erosion as it pertains to European soccer. In fact there are some European teams that have better squads to offer this time around than in previous WCs, England being one of them. (Germany actually also, compared to the 2002 WC at least).

Read my lips: This year it's a European team that will take the cup home! Or ideally the Cup will stay right there in Germany

[mookhead]

Interesting newsweek article.
Also to note, In this weeks Time magazine there is a brief article written by Henry Kissenger about Franz Beckenbauer. He made the list of 100 most influential people of the year. He is listed under heroes & pioneers. A fellow German, Andrea Merkel also made the top 100 list. She is in the Leaders and Revolutionaries catagory.

["Eisenfuß" Eilts]

The guys write and write and forget one thing.

At the WC there everything, that happened before the WC
doesn´t interest. Only the results there count.

So c´mon Germany and kick these critics into the ass.

[The Old Lady Hertha]

We're gonna ******** up some teams.