Don't let them read that out in BigSoccer proper... there'd be a riot about and a lot of screaming, yelling, and foot stomping about how poor AFC supposedly is.
There's an easy solution for that... how many MLS sides have finished 3rd at CWC ? Oh, wait, they can't even make it that far.
The J league is my league and I'll defend it up and down but using the the CWC as a criteria is just silly. MLS teams are playing that stupid CCL during their offseason against better funded and better talented Mexican clubs with unfavorable refs. You look at the National Teams of the US and Mexico and 5 members of CD Chivas Guadaljara are on the squad compared with 4 MLS players. Now if you want to make an argument that way, citing the fact that there are a far greater number of J Leaguers in the World Cup compared to MLS, I'll buy that. And I'm still to wrap my head around how an underdog, which is the epitomy of being underrated can be overrated. AFAIC anyone that gets to the final 16 is a good team and you can nitpick at anyone in the final 16. Nice job Ghana, well deserved win and I hope they at least get a semifinal berth for Africa.
There is some history here. The point is that any JLeague vs. MLS argument is bound to be silly in the first place. Any time these kind of arguments come up, and BS main has a tendency to dismiss any friendly or head-head results because they're not official. CWC is official "it matters" (supposedly) competition. So that's what I've used in the past to lampoon the usual detractors when they come out with those lines about friendlies etc. Anyway, if Mexican clubs are better funded than MLS... well... that already says it all, doesn't it? Keep in mind my location... I'm no stranger to either league. And I obviously have my mind made up on which one is not only better, but more entertaining -- even if some of the entertainment is via the psychology of Japanese culture. On the over-rated underdog... I can sympathize with Shuvy. ESPiN is almost as bad as English press when it comes to this stuff. When I was only hearing the scorelines and not all the media blitz bs I was happy for us (I am American after all)... but now that I'm back in civilization and I've had ESPN on... I'm about ready to puke. They seriously tried to pass off that Group as the Group of Death... not to take away from US (as you say, any team that makes it to R16 is good), but that was one of the easiest groups in the tournament. I'd trade every single side in Japan's group for their equivalent in USA's... and I'd never consider Japan's as GoD either. That was DPRK/CIV/Portugal/Brazil all the way.
You still make a false comparison....Japan is pretty even with Korea and the other competitorsin the AFC, Mexico is a far better league than MLS....I'd also say that Mexico is a far better league than the J League and K League because they have been an established institution for a long time. The 3rd place thing is kind of bunk because both times, the J League has been the home team, they haven't had to do the play in and they've been matched up against the weaker quarterfinalist. I know about the MLS and J League comparisons.....I've argued many times for the J League. Hell, I'd even accept the Pan Pacific championships as a reasonable argument. Judging hype by ESPN is a little unfair too......ESPN after all is the worldwide leader in overblown crap. And you don't think the coverage here has been over the top? You don't think that Japan is overrated here now? People are gonna get excited when their team does well. I think most reasonable fans thought that a second round berth was a respectable and realistic showing for the USA.....ESPN nonwithstanding. You have to realize that they are going after an audience that doesn't really follow soccer. But you are in America, so you probably know that.
False comparisons got nothing to do with it. If you bring up PPC, as you did, they will just say "It's a diddy competition that doesn't matter... a warmup". Which is why I joke about CWC... because they can't even get there. I don't think Mexico is any better than Korea or Japan. And we could use head-to-head with the same competition again. 2007, 2008, 2009... AFC > CONCACAF. Last time they won head to head was 2006. Looks like the 3 leagues are pretty even to me. Over-rated is one thing. ESPiN was in full-on humping mode. I'm sure they're now in full-on excuse mode... not that there's anything to excuse. Making it to R16 is an accomplishment itself at this juncture. Whatever happens from here, US and Japanese soccer are back on the right track after disappointing 2006 showings. South Korea is still on track, and even though Australia didn't make it and had a bad first match I think they're still there as well. To be honest, I think ESPiN hurts development of the sport here when they do this bs. On one hand it builds unrealistic expectations which makes Americans think we just suck or something... on the other, it makes a mockery of the NT when they attempt to build up how great Slovenia and Algeria are.
With the same competition....where all the games were held in AFC arenas, where two of the three AFC teams were in their home country (the third was still alot farther travel for the Mexican squad and ended in PKs) and in third place games (Traditionally the best example of MEANINGLESS game). It's pretty much after the game that is important to respective clubs, so the incentive to win really only kicks in for the squad closer to home.....or at home as the case may be. One of the competitions, the J League was guaranteed a spot no matter how well they fared. So yeah......I guess even though the J league competes against equal competition while in form and MLS competes against bigger competition while out of form and even though the home AFC squads tend to beat mexican teams who have to travel much farther distances in really meaningless consolation games....your argument completely holds up. At least with the PPC, the J League and MLS sides were in the same part of their seasons. I think there are alot of much better arguments in terms of which league is better.........You could go all day on the stability of J League infrastructure and integration of full youth academies over the backwards way players are developed in MLS. You could argue that there is a fully-functional promotion-relegation system in place which doesn't threaten the existence of teams, and the fact that there is no artificial salary cap in place. On the other part.....I hate ESPN, except for their documentary stuff. I think Sportscenter is a joke and it's filled with guys who don't know and don't like soccer. Like anything media related in the US, they blow things up to massive proportion and then pick at it when it falls. It's been the same way here as well.......Samurai Blue coverage is through the roof. The only difference is that they are following the market and ESPN is trying to create it. The US story is a pretty good one, 3 comebacks and a last second win is dramatic enough.....let it tell itself.
Now whose making false comparisons? Dubai is as different from East Asia as it is from North America.
And this is where it just gets silly, proving the original point. You are now arguing everything via Mexico and even brought Korea into it. And you've already jumped to the conclusion that Mexico's league is actually better than J and K... which it really isn't... dismissing facts to the contrary because sometimes it's played in Japan. Meanwhile you've offered nothing but your opinion on why Mexico's league is superior to Japan and Korea... See... CWC *may be* meaningless... but it will always continue to be official. Whereas PPC will always be meaningless and unofficial. Exactly why I continually go back to CWC. Even though PPC gives reinforcing results.
1. No.....I'm pointing out the flaws in you using qualification in the CWC as the be all/end all argument to the J League-MLS discussion. You haven't answered at all the difference between teams playing each other in season versus out of season. Hell, I haven't even gone into the urine and battery showers that some of the MLS teams get when they venture down south. 2. There is a huge advantage to playing at home over traveling 14 hours and playing 3 games in a week. If you want to use "official" contests as a guideline, you could look at the 1 championship and 2 runner-ups that FMF clubs took at the Copa Sudamerica between 2004-2008.......unless you think that Gamba would have beaten Boca Juniors or International as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Copa_Sudamericana_winners Copa Sudamerica is much more serious than the CWC 3rd place game. FMF is better than the J League, K League, and MLS......because they should be. They've been at it alot longer. It's a bigger league and they are a monster in the region. J League teams have different obstacles to face but on terms of parity, it's no contest.
You seem to assume that playing for what one feels to be is his country equals to agree with the politics of such country's government -- Which is quite funny. The feeling is that you're looking for a scarecrow to blame.
The three most annoying teams at the World Cup: 1) France 2) Italy 3) England ...all on their way home... Kudos for the English players for making it to the Best 16, but lucky them they did not have New Zealand in their group! Germany looks good, Holland quite good, but this WC seems en route to South America...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/jun/27/world-cup-2010-japan-paraguay-asia Interesting Guardian-article of how the Asian teams are perceived compared to other 'underdogs'. Note the fact that Asia is on a par with Africa concerning in terms of performance at WCs.
I actually found myself rooting for England for the first time due to the idiot refs. They turned a close game into a rout. Both my wife and I knew the ball was over the line watching it live, with no need for the replay, but apparently none of the officials could see it. But seeing as they do make these dumb mistakes all the time, you have to blame Fifa as well for not doing anything about it. They test goal line technology, say it was a success, but don't use it at the WC. They try using extra officials behind the goal, say it was a success, but don't use them at the WC. Whats up with that? It was England's fault for finishing 2nd and getting Germany to begin with, but I would rather Germany have won fairly so we don't have to listen to the English still claiming they are the best...
Even if that goal were allowed, Germany would of won. They were the better team. They converted their chances.
U may be right or maybe u r wrong, if the result are draw in first half, the game result maybe will be different...... After this match, my bad feeling are increase with our Japan team.... we know that this is impossible to see Japan team win the world cup(in my mind anything possible happen in WC), although i have satisfy with we have reach to second round, but i m still dun like the feeling to see Japan team get defeated again.
That's what I wonder... He is just a football player who happened to grow up in a particular community, and you have accused him of being an accomplice in mass-murder!!