Feijoada or paella? Will Spain claim the one non age-restricted title it has never won or will Brazil retain its title? Add your thoughts.
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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.
Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.
An almost top 10,000 blog!
Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity
Republicans in disarray!
Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?
It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.
I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.
Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.
Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.
Thanks for reminding me that Van Jones needs to be slapped.
If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.
Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.
The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.
We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.
Damn right I heard that as a threat.
Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?
A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.
They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.
Innocent people don’t delay justice.
That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.
Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.
Fuck these fucking interesting times.
Bark louder, little dog.
MikeJ
Brazil’s national anthem sounds about 462x better than the US’s.
handsmile
Otherwise engaged for the Uruguay-Italy match, but given the result and the topic of penalty shoot-outs discussed by some on its thread, here’s an article by the Guardian’s Paul Doyle challenging the conventional wisdom that PKs are the least satisfying way to settle a match. It was written in response to the master-class on the subject conducted by Spain and Italy in their semifinal.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2013/jun/28/penalty-shootout-confederations-cup-spain-italy
One (of many) of the interesting facets of today’s final will be watching Sergio Ramos gently introduce Neymar to what life will be like in La Liga.
Hoping for a victory by La Furia Roja; bizarre to think they’re considered underdogs today.
burnspbesq
Julio Cesar to Arsenal? Why? Szcezny is one of the two best young keepers in the world.
? Martin
Taking the Ferrari F1 team as a predictor, Alonzo (Spanish) got off to a terrible start, was passed by his teammate Massa (Brazilian) who then suffered a tire failure, fell to near the back, and then climbed up to finish 6th to Alonzo’s 3rd. So, I’ll predict Brazil will score first but Spain win 2-1.
Mostly because I’ve hardly paid any attention to soccer this year, so F1 will have to substitute.
MikeJ
Awesome!
? Martin
Oh, and there’s Brazil’s point. Heh.
bill d
Well that was quick.
? Martin
@MikeJ: Yes, we have quite a terrible national anthem.
MikeJ
@? Martin: Did you watch that race this morning? Four, five left rear tires? It’s not as if this was the first time anyone ever drove over a curb. Something funky in that race.
burnspbesq
That, ladies and gentlemen, is why Mourinho was correct to bench Casillas. Keeper has to own that ball.
? Martin
Good lord that goal was a mess. So if my F1 parallel holds, Brazil will draw a red card or penalty shot by the middle of the first half, and that’ll turn the tide.
Amir Khalid
@? Martin:
We’ll see. I’m thinking having the home ground advantage will tell for Brazil.
Corner Stone
Man, I could absolutely freakin kill on some paella right now.
Dammit.
raven
There was a Ferrari parked on the street in the Gulch in Nashville last night!
Amir Khalid
@? Martin:
In football, there are no extra points for style. An ugly goal is just as good as a pretty one.
burnspbesq
Marcelo looks like a Nigel de Jong moment waiting to happen.
? Martin
@MikeJ: Yeah, I did. Charlie Whiting said he nearly red-flagged the race. I think he should have. Officials said that the top of the kerb on Turn 4 was quite sharp and that was what was cutting the tires, but they still shouldn’t fail like that. And it’s not like we haven’t seen this sort of thing before – 2005 USGP, for example. That was tire failures due to excessive loading as well.
Nico, Vettel, and Alonzo also had tires about to fail. Hopefully they’ll go with the new tire construction now.
? Martin
@Amir Khalid: Yeah, but they don’t need to do the slo-mo replay on the ugly goals. Just makes them look uglier.
raven
@? Martin: Was that an ugly goal?
bill d
Don’t go messing with Neymar! Fight!
Southern Beale
Another Kentucky child is life-flighted to Vanderbilt hospital after getting shot in the face by her 4-year-old brother. Freedom!
Amir Khalid
@Southern Beale:
The grandfather should be prosecuted for criminal negligence.
Miss Kitkas's Comrade Wayne
I wasted a good portion of my late adolescence at the Maracanã (I was a Flu supporter).
This game is epic. The crowd in the new grounds is intensely engaged. Who was it on the ESPN coverage who said at the start that the decibels were scary?
Yatsuno
@Southern Beale: Hey now! Tree of Liberty and all that nonsense.
@Amir Khalid: Heartless bastage. Hasn’t that poor family suffered enough?
Punchy
Good lord….theres enough acting on the pitch to make a sitcom. Can either team go more than 30 secs without someone hitting the turf and faking an ankle injury?
Southern Beale
@Amir Khalid:
If he’s black I’m sure he will be. If he’s white it’s “just a tragic, unavoidable accident.”
At least, that seems to be the way these things go from my reading of the headlines.
burnspbesq
Home crowd is having an effect on the referee. Brazil is getting by with all manner of cynical defending.
Violet
Since this is a Brazil football thread, a few weeks ago (maybe longer) I heard something on the radio about a Brazil-England friendly match being cancelled because of some problem with a stadium. Does anyone know anything about that? The radio news coverage said it was the first time it had ever happened and then tied it to concerns about whether or not Brazil would be ready for the World Cup and the Olympics.
Punchy
I dont watch much soccer. Do all games have this many players yelling and gesticulating at the ref? This is absurd.
raven
@Punchy: Yep, and the diving is constant. They want to bitch about how boring football is but this shit is ridiculous.
and check out the commentary “That could have been the second”! No fucking shit, they have one, the next one will almost surely be the second.
Randinho
@Miss Kitkas’s Comrade Wayne: Ian Darke, I believe.
I don’t think that the goal was ugly, although I agree with burnspbesq that Casillas has to do better, but credit Fred for persistence in kicking the ball into the net while lying on the ground.
FWIW, I think Victor Valdes has been a better keeper in La Liga the last few years .
Randinho
@Violet: The game took place and it was a 2-2 draw.
raven
@Randinho: Yea, it seemed like a hell of a heads up play.
Amir Khalid
@Punchy:
Diving, alas, is one of the dark arts of football. And some successful teams and players do it a lot.
Amir Khalid
Unless Spain manage to score against the run of play, I think the Confederations Cup will go to the hosts.
raven
@Amir Khalid: And stating the obvious is not confined to soccer announcers.
raven
@Amir Khalid:
What means “against the run of play”?
burnspbesq
The groundskeeping staff at the Maracana have a lot of work to do in the next 11 months. That surface looks bloody awful.
MikeJ
Chelsea saves it for Brazil.
Miss Kitkas's Comrade Wayne
@randinho: Yes, Darke. Thanks.
Fred is a goalpoacher and you won’t see a finer example ever.
And yes, there is a lot of diving and drama. I think it has to do with the concept that the Game, above all, is Spectacle and that classical notions of sportsmanship are at best quaint reminders that we are still gentlemen.
raven
And a Brazilian guy with two names and gets his ass back up when he gets knocked down makes a great play!
Randinho
That may be the save of the century by David Luiz!
Miss Kitkas's Comrade Wayne
Well that settles that.
Amir Khalid
@raven:
Brazil are dominating this match and doing most of the attacking; that’s been the run of play so far.
Randinho
@raven: If most of the play seems to be taken place in favor of one team for a stretch and then the other team scores or nearly scores.
raven
@Amir Khalid:
Randinho
Ah, the flow of the game. Thanks guys.
Randinho
Okay, full disclosure: I have been very critical of Neymar in the past – I called him the new Denilson – and I do think he goes to ground easily, but his play in this Confederations Cup has been a revelation and that last goal showed grace, maturity and skill.
MomSense
Ugh I can’t watch the games and I don’t know enough about the sport to comment but these threads are so much more pleasant than the others.
raven
As opposed to Flow as defined by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi!
raven
@Randinho: Is he the dude that just scored?
raven
@MomSense: I try my best to mess them up.
Amir Khalid
That second goal for Brazil will likely seal the match for them. Mind you, the Miracle of Istanbul happened when Liverpool were three goals down at halftime, and Rafa Bentez was so dispirited that he sent 12 players out for the second half by mistake.
burnspbesq
Brazil has done a fantastic job of denying Spain time and space for 45 minutes. However, the workrate required to do that is hard to sustain for 90 minutes. We’ll see if they are up to the task.
MikeJ
David Luiz and Oscar beating Mata and Torres 2-0.
MikeJ
@burnspbesq:
Raw power has almost always been the accepted method of beating a finesse team in most sports. Will be interesting to see if they’ve got the legs for it.
Violet
@Randinho: Thanks. I only just remembered it when I saw this thread.
Randinho
@raven: Yes.
@burnspbesq: Agreed, and this is an interesting parallel to the Brazil v US match in the last Confederations Cup Final. The US was out of gas by the second half.
Randinho
Smart move to replace Arbeloa.
Miss Kitkas's Comrade Wayne
With these squads fitness won’t be a difference for the 2nd half.
raven
What the hell are they talking about with “Dave”?
FourTen
Spain is going to pull this out, penalties at least. (nevermind ‘zil just scored again)
Also, what’s the deal with the sads over our national anthem? I like it and it sure beats the heck out of the default fallback: “God Bless America”
Randinho
Fred again. For all intents and purposes, game over. I honestly can’t see Spain coming back.
bill d
Rout!
The studio guys said that some of the tear gas from the protests outside was wafting in.
It will not be a happy day in Spain tomorrow.
Miss Kitkas's Comrade Wayne
There ya go.
Morbo
Fred was that annoying guy on Youtube, right?
MikeJ
@raven: Cesar Azpilicueta.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1632777-the-rise-and-rise-of-chelseas-cesar-azpilicueta-aka-dave
Randinho
@FourTen: I’d prefer America the Beautiful. It’s lovely and non-martial, two pluses IMHO.
raven
@FourTen: Step away from the bong. . .
bill d
@Morbo:
really doesn’t narrow that down much. :P
raven
@MikeJ: Thanks!
Randinho
Penalty for Spain . . . and Ramos misses!
2liberal
LINK
too many cat pix and soccer threads on this blog. Consider this to be my complaint. I couldn’t find anything by googling “ceiling cat soccer” so this will have to do. How much longer till NFL camps open?
PS this will entertain soccer fans so i don’t consider this to be trolling however your opinion may be different.
Also NFL player runs 25MPH on a treadmill.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TV_KM8zYFsk
burnspbesq
Iniesta looks like a New York cab driver, and today he’s playing like one.
Randinho
Casillas just dodged a bullet.
MikeJ
@Randinho:
Non martial is nice, but not a deal breaker. There’s nothing like watering the furrows with the blood of your enemies, as one lovely anthem has it.
raven
Aw crap
Cirque Soleil performer Sarah Guillot-Guyard dies in Las Vegas fall
burnspbesq
@2liberal:
SYODB.
Randinho
@2liberal: This is the first series of soccer threads in one year, which was the last major competition, so in fact you’ve inspired me to add open threads for the CONCACAF Gold Cup and pretty much every WC qualifier I can find.
burnspbesq
My boy Psycho turns out to be a pretty good commentator. And he doesn’t have Macca’s impenetrable Scouse accent, which is a bonus.
Yatsuno
@burnspbesq: They should send an e-mail to the blog owner requeating a refund of their subscription costs. And make sure to use all caps. He lives for that shit.
burnspbesq
Sergio Ramos and Keanu Reeves: separated at birth?
Randinho
Pique sent off! Shakira is not happy . . .
burnspbesq
And Mr. Shakira’s evening ends early.
bill d
Shakira Shakira!
FourTen
@MikeJ: Have to keep in mind that a change in National Anthem would require if not a national referendum at least an act of Congress. Both of the leading potential replacements mention the existence of a Deity of a specific type and name, violating the Establishment Clause.
(a Red Card, really? The refs are being run by the crowd) (Shakira! Someone tell Tbogg)
Randinho
@burnspbesq: Why, when it’s far easier to complain?
Steeplejack
@Randinho:
As well he should be. That challenge had nothing to do with the ball.
Violet
@Yatsuno: Yes, by all means make sure the emails are in ALL CAPS. That definitely gets Cole’s attention.
raven
@Randinho: These threads are great for those of us who don’t know shit about the game but love the passion. What else is there until football?
I was disappointed that there were no NBA threads until the last game but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.
Randinho
I believe that this game has insured Thiago Alcantara’s place on the Spanish Men’s National Team.
burnspbesq
What the heck is a Jadson?
handsmile
@Randinho:
Fernando Torres’ place should be available. David Villa’s as well.
Randinho
@burnspbesq: I believe his first name is Elroy. He’s an attacking midfielder who plays for FC São Paulo.
MikeJ
@burnspbesq: He was supposed to go to Arsenal a couple of years ago but they never reached a deal.
Randinho
@handsmile: Probably, but I’m thinking more Xavi or Iniesta.
burnspbesq
@Randinho:
We can have open threads all four days of 4th of July weekend.
Galaxy – Crew on Thursday.
US – Guatemala (friendly in San Diego) on Friday.
U-20 quarterfinals Saturday and Sunday.
burnspbesq
@Randinho:
OK. I thought he might be one of the 4,000 Brazilians who play in Ukraine.
Randinho
@burnspbesq: Cool. I’m sorry I missed an open thread for the Kazakhstan v Uzbekistan WC qualifier. I could have had Borat guest blog.
burnspbesq
@Randinho:
We can balance it out with CFL open threads until meaningless ripoff NFL pre-season games start.
Randinho
@burnspbesq: He did play for Shakhtar Donetsk, but now plays for SPFC.
The Elroy was my feeble attempt at humor and may have revealed my age . . .
raven
What gives with the Brazilian player pushing the Spanish dude with both hands in the back and no call?
Randinho
Shit, I missed covering the Rugby Sevens WC this weekend.
BTW, Rugby Sevens will be in the 2016 Olympics. I like it better than Rugby Union.
handsmile
@Randinho:
Xavi may not automatically be included in Spain’s starting XI, but Iniesta is utterly secure. He is one of the best players for both Barcelona and the national team (burns’ nonsensical remark above notwithstanding).
burnspbesq
@handsmile:
What has he done today that’s been even a little bit useful?
Randinho
The credit for Brazil’s improvement must rest squarely with Felipão. He’s simply a great coach, with a fine record, his Chelsea experience notwithstanding.
Randinho
Someone commented somewhere that Spain needed another defensive midfielder and I’m inclined to agree, but Xavia and Iniesta had a very forgettable game.
Violet
@Randinho: My household is watching the Rugby Sevens WC. Still on yesterday’s matches and recorded the finals overnight. Who the hell decided to play them in Russia? There’s nobody in the stands and it’s bloody hot and has to be kind of sad for the players. I mean, it’s their World Cup and the stands are almost completely empty.
Rugby Union is the sport of choice in my household, but Sevens is fun to watch. So fast! Those guys are exhausted at the end of it. They’re even showing Women’s this time.
ranchandsyrup
@Randinho: The fans got pissed at del bosque when he used busquets and Alonso together. They wanted more of an attacking style. Also, Xavi doesn’t like his role with a double pivot.
handsmile
@burnspbesq:
What he does in most matches: with his peerless ball control and shifts of speed and balance,
driving through the opposition’s defensive midfield to create or discover attacking options. Today, Chelsea’s forwards (Torres and Mata) and Pedro were very poor in providing him with passing opportunities or support. And, without question, Brazil’s defense was tactically superb and vigorous in smothering Spain’s offense.
Not a great or even good day for Iniesta, which distinguishes him from absolutely no one in a Spanish jersey.
Randinho
@ranchandsyrup: Xabi Alonso’s injury obviated that question, but they didn’t control the midfield in their last two games and it really showed IMHO.
realist
Im tired of set up games alllllll of a ssssssudennn spain cant pass or block a goal strick. It’s for brazil right now right……the country is having serious issues. Oh pleeeese what a shame.
Randinho
I’m glad to see Júlio Cesar get the best goalkeeper award.
handsmile
@Randinho:
On that point of defensive midfield lapses, I’m very surprised that Javi Martinez did not figure more prominently in the tournament for Spain. He played in immense part in Bayern Munich’s securing its three titles this past season. I’ve not read any accounts that Del Bosque doesn’t have faith in him (and he was brought on to play forward (!) in the semi-final). Pre-tournament, many thought Martinez would take up Xabi Alsono’s role.
ranchandsyrup
@Randinho: Would have been Martinez instead of Alonso. Agree re their midfield play.
sb
I can’t believe what I just spent a couple of hours seeing.
Did anyone see this coming? Picking Brazil, I can understand that. Picking Brazil to dominate? I can’t believe anyone could see that coming.
handsmile
@sb:
Actually, after Spain had endured a grueling 120+ minute semi-final, there was much football commentary that Brazil, with an extra day’s rest in addition to playing at home, perhaps being better acclimated, would be well-positioned to thrash a jaded Spanish side.
Today’s match seems to have borne out that prediction. The degree of domination, to be sure, was something to marvel at. But in addition to the box-to-box energy of Brazil’s squad, much credit must be given to Scolari’s tactical nous in overwhelming Spain’s customary strengths.
Punchy
Who does Neymar play for as his club team? I heard he’s going to Barca next year….who does he currently play for?
MikeJ
@Punchy: Santos
khead
I want a cool name like “Fred”.
Miss Kitkas's Comrade Wayne
I want to be Fred.
handsmile
Postscript:
Andres Iniesta was awarded the Silver Ball as the tournament’s second best player, rather disproving inexplicable remarks from certain football mavens above.
Brazil’s Neymar, of course, won the Golden Ball, with his national squad teammate Paulinho claiming the bronze.
Can’t wait to see what new teammates Iniesta and Neymar (along with Xavi, Busquets, Pedro, Alba, et al) will do together for Barcelona in the upcoming La Liga and Champions League campaigns.