Comes under the heading of Current Events......yeah and Politics. OK I can understand the sour grapes from the disenfranchised who's team couldn't cut it but this is the World Sport. The finals of the 160 some countries who entered. Once every 4 years. Really good opening ceremonies. I don't usually enjoy that stuff. The last couple of Olympic openings left me unimpressed but this isn't bad. Almost game time. I have my DVR set for all matches. Vlad is about to speak. Perhaps to tell how he bought the games for Russia.
On the corruption front, could Russia have drawn an easier group, especially if Mo can't play? Well, maybe if Bhutan had been given an automatic berth along with the hosts getting a bye, but still...
Now if Bhutan had their home field advantage. So VAR? I'm not convinced but it is here. Some people think it's some sort of high tech cure all. But what it is, is 6 guys watching telly so they can second guess the ref.
******ing bathtub vodka-swilling ****ers score. And here I was hoping both Russia and SA would lose this one.
Excited for the World Cup opener between Russia and Saudi Arabia. It's a crucial game; the winner gets to run U.S. foreign policy.— Adam Serwer 🍝 (@AdamSerwer) June 14, 2018
Another header makes it 3-0. No coming back now for the Saudi's Tomorrow is Spain vs Portugal. Promises to be a good game. Break a leg Ramos. Your own this time.
The sad thing is, this may be the best WC we will have for the foreseeable future. Qatar 2022 promises to be bad and FIFA is going to regret this three team group nonsense in 2026.
Who cares. It's day one and my WC is already ruined. Nothing spoils the day quicker than seeing Russians happy.
In 2014 I created a "Women of the World Cup" and had to explain things to my now-fiance. I defer to someone single to create that thread in the FFA.
"Soccer is the sport for Trump. He'd be great at it. He's been faking injuries since Vietnam." - Trevor Noah
Fourth minute and this promises to be a good game already. Also, I hate the VAR more than cancer and the Plague put together - a good reason to hope soccer never really takes off in the US.
FIFA isn't using VAR because MLS does. FIFA doesn't even care enough about MLS to measure all the pitches to make sure they're big enough. And what does this give you to support if you don't have a domestic league? You'll spend your life "supporting" a club on the other side of the world. If you need a passport and a plane ticket to see your club, it ain't your club.
My point being the US is a massive, rich market. If soccer became a thing here FIFA would bend over backwards for that $. Before you'd know it there'd be time-outs, goals the size of the entire pitch end, no goal keepers, moats, rings of fire, and other "improvements." I grew up going to soccer literally since before I can remember. The Fire were always a substitute for the real thing for me. I can't just rid myself of my first passion. We don't have clubs here. We have "franchises" in "markets" in a Micky Mouse league. I essentially gave up on the Fire because I got sick and tired of driving out to a shitty suburb to watch them. If the rumor becomes reality and we get a USL (or whatever it's called) team in the city, I'll summarily drop my support for the Fire and go to those games because I want my kid to have the experience.
1996 called and it wants it's ideas back. We are beyond the danger points where even some of the useless people who did have those ideas at one time have even wisend up As a Revs fan I have always agreed that the Fire are a substitute for a real team. Glad you too have seen the light!