As the days go by I look more and more forward to the Confed Cup. It will be like a mini World Cup to me. A WC fix if you will. Afterall they are in Groups of 4 just like the WC and then just skip right to the semi's. Sounds like a good fix to me. So what that the teams dont have all there "Medalhoes" (Brazilian term for "Big Medallions" aka Star Players). The players that ARE there know that lots is on the line for them in terms of future NT play. Once the ball starts rolling this will be far from a friendly, it will be championship soccer! So why all the ho-hum attitude about the CC! What you would prefer NOTHING instead of an 8 team Cup? Not me! I'm ready, Im gonna tune in and enjoy every minute as if it was a World Cup! If you want you can go ahead and bitch about scheduling, busy calendar, Euro this Euro that...meanwhile I will be enjoying the CONFEDERATIONS CUP!
I thought le TOS said no sockpuppets? But seriously, Scout's got a good point. This tournament is big, IMO, because FIFA has given it a muliplier of 1.75 in determining the FIFA rankings, which are used in determining seeds for the WC. That's higher than a nation gets for their own regional championship. I can see someone from a nation not involved in this thing not giving a flip about that, (or Brazil for that matter since they're locked into being seeded for a while), but US fans in particular (Turks as well) have to really look forward to this event.
I'm just starting to get excited about this tournament. It'll be a nice chaser to the World Cup. Should be a lot of fun!
Here's my post from the Brazil boards. Good question about the attitude. I understand the coaches and/or some players. But how are all of these football crazy fans all of a sudden more interested in letting the bubble players rest while they have no problem at all with the FA Cup, King's Cup, etc. History or no history, it's a fairly meaningless Cup with the same 10 teams playing for the championship every year. Yawn. Not saying I'm against them, but how can you criticize one and defend the other? ___________________________________ I just love watching the mational teams play. And when most teams going have 40-60% of their full squad, I think it is a hell of a lot more entertaining than most any club match. How can you not appreciate the quality and the chance to see players that NEVER get to play each other have it out in something meaningful? This bandwagon affect against this Cup is getting annoying. Since when did the fans join the side of the clubs? I get to see hundreds of club games a year, and about 7-8 international matches that don't include the USA. How could a fan not enjoy this? Screw the clubs; how about if they only play 65 games a year instead of 70. Wouldn't bother me one single bit. There are so many games, so many different tournaments that put the same powerful club teams against each other over and over. If you love your club team, you can watch them play all the time and not get bored of it. Well, I love my international teams even more, and love every opportunity as long as they players come from the first 1-3 deep in the pool. I thought others would feel the same way. I think all of the teams in this tournament are doing it perfectly. They are not calling players that shouldn't be called up, and they ARE calling up talented, entertaining players that want to be there, give an effort, and try to make the squad in the future. The '99 and '01 Confed Cup was a little bit of a joke with the sides that showed up. Only France sent a real team in '01. In '99 Germany sent a ridiculously bad squad. With the teams showing up now, the quality of play should not be questioned. Perhaps no one has passion for what it means to actually win this, and I can appreciate that. I just like it as a chance for Brazil to say we're STILL the best (and show off their samba style even more without the WC pressure), or for the USA or my other teams to measure themselves and develop some talent. People may be taking potshots at the tournament, but as a fan, if you look at the lineups, you should be very happy. As a Brasil fan, even more so. Ronaldo was out for 2 years, I haven't seen anyone clamoring about not being able to see Rivaldo while he's been on the bench, Cafu's replacement SHOULD be playing right now, Gilberto is a good but rather bland player that won't be missed in entertainment value, and Roberto Carlos..well, you've seen him all year long with Madrid and Brasil is so freaking deep at left back it's nice to see anyone back there. Who else is missing from what would be your current World Cup squad that you really want to see? Give me a break.