Will red or blue prevail? Can the Italians avenge themselves for their 4-0 defeat in the Euro 2012 final?
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by Randinho| 31 Comments
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Will red or blue prevail? Can the Italians avenge themselves for their 4-0 defeat in the Euro 2012 final?
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MikeJ
Italy is eventually going to score if Spain keeps sucking this bad.
burnspbesq
US U-20 crashed and burned. One of our worst performances in the history of that competition.
Randinho
@MikeJ: And we all know what Italy will do if they get a goal first.
Face
@Randinho: I dont know. Are you implying they’ll strip off their shirts and wave them at the crowd, or they will 11 in the box as their defense? Or will they continuously fall down writhing in “pain” anytime they’re in the same zip code as a Spanish player?
Yatsuno
VIVA ESPAÑA!!!
Randinho
@Face: All of the above.
Punchy
Anyone know what crazy-ass custom that Brazil will bring to the 2014 Cup? The 2002 Korea/Japan had 4AM gametimes, 2006 Germans brought the body odor, 2010 gave us vuvuzellas….any idea what these games may be noted for?
Haydnseek
@Randinho: LOL!!
piratedan
@Punchy: the civil unrest in the streets?
Randinho
@Punchy: For a while there was this device, but thankfully, it has been banned.
Haydnseek
@piratedan: Yes, exactly that. An enormous number of citizens have displayed the courage to fight the corruption that holds back an extremely dynamic, energetic country with enormous potential. The USA? Not so much.
Paula
Well, Casillas gets some time in the spotlight, at least.
The U.S. is going to beat Ghana in a World Cup match … someday … I just don’t know when.
Seriously, though, the youth tourneys are not really great for the U.S. anyway, we don’t have a history of doing well in them, and the Ghanaian team won the U-21 just a few years ago. Not to mention … our U-17 flame-out was not so long ago either.
Our main access to improvement still appears to be the pro leagues.
MikeJ
@Paula: The US is always going to suck at U-anything because we have college sports. In other countries a talented 17 or 18 year old is much more likely top be playing professionally, even if it’s in League 2 or the equivalent.
Randinho
I’ve got a feeling I’m going to be watching this game at the gym after work . . .
burnspbesq
@Paula:
On the women’s side we can still win at the U-20 level with college players, but for how much longer remains to be seen. Last year’s win over Germany in the final had to be considered an upset after they killed us in the group stage.
There is one player from that team (Dunn) who is already starting for the senior team, and I expect to see two or three more go to Canada in 2015.
burnspbesq
Basketball is, needless to say, a whole other deal.
The US U-19s won their opening game in the world championship over Ivory Coast, 88-29.
drkrick
Spain doesn’t seem that interested. Do they know they have to stay in Brazil for a game on Sunday even if they lose?
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
@MikeJ: @burnspbesq:
I don’t think it’s the academy system versus the college system, but the fact that our most talented athletes tend to choose to participate in sports (a.) with which they’re familiar and (b.) that allow them to participate at the highest levels without having to leave behind the comforts of the US. There are a shit ton of talented D-I and D-II hoops players who don’t quite have the stuff to make it professionally in that sport who have all the physical gifts to be dominating strikers and defenders, but they’ve never kicked a football outside of gym class.
Paula
@drkrick:
Well, they’re certainly not the Spain we’ve been watching win every one of these things lately …
Can’t take good form for granted, from anyone.
dollared
@Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again): I’m with you. It’s been 40 years since 3 year olds started playing soccer in the US, and we still aren’t even a second rate power. It has to be the quality of the athletes in the pipeline.
Now, let’s talk about what Mexico’s excuse should be. Didn’t they invent this game 1000 years ago?
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
@dollared:
HA! I’ll have to ask the Mexican guys at work, which is where I’m headed right now.
Paula
@Paula:
Or it’s just fucking hottt out there.
Randinho
@Randinho: I knew it!
Randinho
@Paula: That may very well be. I haven’t been as far north as Fortaleza, but it’s latitude is about 3 degrees south, so it’s pretty close to the equator.
I can tell you that Belo Horizonte and Rio are pretty delightful in June. The Brazil MNT had a distinct advantage playing in BH yesterday.
raven
It may not be a dome but it sure has a big ass overhang.
Leeds man
This sucks. Whichever side plays Brazil is going to be knackered.
Steeplejack
If Italy wins on PKs it will be an outrage. Spain really brought it in the OT periods.
Face
Did they just make all their PKs? Now what?
Steeplejack
@Face:
Sudden death. And Spain wins.
Amir Khalid
Bonucci misses the seventh penalty for Italy — the first and only miss of the shootout — then Navas scores for Spain. If Spain can hold their nerve like this in the final, they’ll deserve to win the Confed Cup.
Oh, by the way, yesterday was the 10th anniversary of Marc-Vivien Foe’s death in the Confederations Cup semifinal between Cameroon and Colombia. He collapsed in the centre circle with 15 minutes to go and died of a heart attack.
handsmile
JESUS!
Buffon v. Casillas. A classic end to an entertaining and surprising match.
And the final match-up that most expected or preferred. The physical toll exacted by today’s grueling game, though, may well add to Brazil’s home advantage. (at the very least, I hope it will keep Torres out of Spain’s starting line-up.)