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You are here: Home / Sports / Germany v Uruguay Open Thread

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100Comments

  3. 3.

    Andy K

    Well, seeing as so many of the Spanish players play in La Liga, and a slightly lesser amount of Dutch players play in…whatever the name of their top division is…those graphs aren’t really all that shocking.

  6. 6.

    Andy K

    Okay, I’ve had Spain winning this thing for two years, but I will be rooting for the Netherlands. I’m in very VERY Dutch West Michigan, and I root for the Oranje not because but in spite of my neighbors.

    Here’s an argument for a Dutch win tomorrow that’s slightly more rational than the dining preferences of a cephalopod.

  7. 7.

    Svensker

    @burnspbesq:

    Thanks. I think I can watch it on ESPN, too, hopefully in English. My Spanish is about 145 seconds behind the livestream and my vocab is iffy.

  9. 9.

    Violet

    I’m back. Finally. Missed the semifinals due to moving and the horrible U-verse people not setting up TV and internet like they were supposed to. Still unpacking and not terribly interested in Germany-Uruguay, so not sure if I’ll be watching. Still can’t believe Germany lost. Very sad. They were my pick based on how they’d been playing.

    Been offline and away for TV for almost a week. What have a missed?

  10. 10.

    Svensker

    @Violet:

    Been offline and away for TV for almost a week. What have a missed?

    So you don’t know that Sarah Palin is now President? And Donny Osmond is VP? Lotsa stuff been happenin’.

  12. 12.

    S. cerevisiae

    I just wanted to say thank you Randinho for the World Cup threads. Between you and the savvy people on these threads I have really increased my knowledge of soccer and it makes each game much more interesting.

  13. 13.

    James E. Powell

    I’m curious. Do the teams care about the battle for third place? Do the fans?

  14. 14.

    maeby

    Sounds like Klose is too sick to start. Hope he makes the bench. What a shame if he misses his chance to beat Ronaldo’s all-time scoring record.

  16. 16.

    valdivia

    torn here. I want Uruguay to win, but also like the germans a lot. I guess the octopus and the color of the uniform says Germany wins..

  17. 17.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    The German anthem is a magnificent thing. Hayden.

    All of the Spanish speaking countries have anthems that make you think you’re about to hear the Barber of Seville.

  19. 19.

    maeby

    @valdivia: Several German players have the flu. Klose, apparently, also injured his back in the Spain game. He must be gutted.

  23. 23.

    stuckinred

    @Andy K: WOW, I had no recollection of that! Those 3 years 66-69 I spent in the Army distracted me.
    Thanks.

    The Playoff Bowl (officially, the Bert Bell Benefit Bowl) was a post-season game for third place in the NFL, played ten times following the 1960-69 seasons. Bell was a co-founder of the Philadelphia Eagles as well as a co-owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers during much of the 1940s. He was the commissioner of the NFL from 1946 until his death in October 1959, which occurred while attending an Eagles-Steelers game.

  24. 24.

    stuckinred

    Ah, I see why, Da Bears was never in it.

    Legendary coach Vince Lombardi disliked the Playoff Bowl, coaching in the game following the 1963 and 1964 seasons, after winning NFL titles in 1961-62. To his players, Lombardi called the Playoff Bowl “the ‘Shit Bowl’, …a losers’ bowl for losers.” This lack of motivation may explain his Packers’ rare post-season loss in the 1964 game (January 1965) to the St. Louis Cardinals. After he lost that Playoff Bowl, he detested it. He fumed about “a rinky-dink football game, held in a rinky-dink town, played by rinky-dink players. That’s all second place is—rinky dink.“

  25. 25.

    Amir_Khalid

    One booking for each team, and inside the first ten minutes too. It doesn’t look like anyone’s holding back, “meaningless” game or not.

  29. 29.

    West of the Cascades

    Why does the Jules Rimet Trophy look like the header on Pam Geller’s website (and vice-versa)?

  32. 32.

    stuckinred

    Seems to me they are playing as hard as ever. Of course, to the untrained eye, those “friendlies” looked intense as well.

  35. 35.

    Donald

    Randinho is of one mind on Suarez, I guess, with all the pouty African fans who are booing him every time he touches the ball. I say it’s all stupid. He did what he should have against Ghana, and Gyan shat the bed on the penalty. End of story. It’s no different from a basketball team fouling intentionally to try and come back from behind at the end of a game.

    Also, if I could trade lives with anyone right now it would be Thomas Mueller.

  37. 37.

    fbihop

    Uruguay seemed to perk up after that goal and are starting to play better. Before they were just standing around, not moving much off the ball.

  38. 38.

    Andy K

    Get that Uruguayan keeper in touch with Freddy Biletnikoff’s stickum dealer. STAT!

  39. 39.

    Miss Kitka's Comrade Wayne

    I really wish ESPN announcer Ian Darke would stop calling Cáceres “Kah-SEE-ras”.

  40. 40.

    Amir_Khalid

    Earlier, I misidentified one of two bookings for Germany as a booking for Uruguay. Bad me.

  42. 42.

    maeby

    So, I went into this match really wanting Germany to win. But if Uruguay win, then that means Paul the Psychic Octopus is a piece-of-shit false prophet. Which is awesome, because I NEED Holland to win.

    Now I’m conflicted. Stupid freaking octopus….

  49. 49.

    Andy K

    @Svensker:

    No. Not at all. I got neither looks nor goals in the WC going for me….Spread it around a little, Diego. Be a bro.

  52. 52.

    stuckinred

    “Disgraceful, it shows a lack of understanding of the game, it really does.” Translation, stfu whiney beetches!

  56. 56.

    Miss Kitka's Comrade Wayne

    Oy! ESPN color man John Harkes finally called Perez “Perez”, instead of “Purr-EZZ”. Took a yellow card for that to happen, though.

  57. 57.

    davement

    i dont think saurez deserves the vitriol though i think his boastfulness after the fact did not endear me to him at all. nor do i think forlan is particularly good looking. that was a pretty goal of his, however.

  58. 58.

    Andy K

    @valdivia:

    Neither of these teams plays a ball-possession game. They don’t pass as well in the midfield. Each team does play a good counterattack game, however, and they’re both capitalizing on the mistakes of the other’s midfield.

  60. 60.

    wengler

    Ian Darke is proving that English commentators can be as ever annoying as your typical American baseball announcer.

    People can boo Suarez without being a soccer neophyte.

  61. 61.

    Donald

    @Amir_Khalid then you say fair play would have required Suarez to stand on the backline and watch the goal be scored, and do nothing?

    The rules provide for those circumstances. Red card, penalty kick. And that’s what happened. It’s not Suarez’ fault that Gyan couldn’t make a penalty. Nor does it speak well of the folks in the stands right now in South Africa that they insist on childish, irrational resentment of a single player.

    I think the basketball analogy fits pretty well. You, of course, made no analogy or any other kind of argument, just a flat assertion. You’ll forgive me for not feeling as though I’ve been proven wrong.

  64. 64.

    Miss Kitka's Comrade Wayne

    oh please let’s not exhume the whole Suarez-Handball-Innit-Shocking et cetera thing please please pretty please.

  67. 67.

    Amir_Khalid

    @Donald: Yes, I do feel that Suarez should have let the ball go in for a goal. He had no legal way to block it, after all. The laws of the game do provide a way to deal with a foul like that, and it’s unfortunate that Ghana couldn’t convert the penalty they got; but Suarez was wrong to commit the foul in the first place. That things played out the way he hoped doesn’t justify his cynical act.

  70. 70.

    maeby

    Fun fact: according to Wiki, Uruguay was the first Latin American nation to legalize same-sex civil unions.

    Also: Are there women here who find Diego Forlan attractive? Because I’m just not seeing it. I’m thinking maybe this is an intra-gender mutual appreciation thing?…

  71. 71.

    Donald

    Given the pouring rain, this referee’s hair is shockingly perfect.

    Ian Darke is actually wearing a Suarez replica jersey right now I think.

  75. 75.

    You Don't Say

    @valdivia: Count me in.

    OK, I feel bad Uruguay lost. I think I was a bit harsh about the Suarez situation, although I still think it was a sleazy thing to do. And I like Forlan.

  78. 78.

    burnspbesq

    Not a bad 90 days for Forlan: scores two goals in the semis and the finals of the Europa League, and follows it up by leading his team to the semis of the World Cup.

    It’s good that Forlan plays for Atletico rather than Real. If he played for Real, I would be obliged to hate him.

    FRFM.

  80. 80.

    Mark S.

    I read back in 2006 that Germany didn’t have any world class players besides Michael Ballack. Well, their record in the last 3 World Cups is one second place and two third places. Not too shabby.

  82. 82.

    Slowbama

    Regarding Suarez: When a 99 percent white crowd in Europe boos a black player whenever he touches the ball, it’s called racism. And rightfully so.

  83. 83.

    Svensker

    @valdivia:

    raises hand. Forlan, he is teh hawt.

    I’m there. Not my “type” but still teh hawt. I’d deal if forced to.

  84. 84.

    fbihop

    @Slowbama:

    WTF does race have to do with this?

    And will it be racism if Henry ever plays in Ireland and he’s booed every time he touches the ball? No. This has nothing to do with race and everything to do with the crowd being angry at Suarez’s actions.

    Though Suarez did the right thing, just like an intentional foul in basketball. Or a deliberate pass interference on a sure touchdown. Or someone dragging down someone on a breakaway from behind in hockey.

    Suarez broke the rules, he was punished. The end.

  85. 85.

    Andy K

    @tt crews:

    No, no, no….Torres is pretty. Forlan is handsome.

    When Forlan says, “Follow me, ” men will run headlong into a machine gun nest. When Torres says, “Follow me,” men answer, “Shopping at Abercrombie & Fitch again?”

  86. 86.

    maeby

    @Andy K: Kids in the Hall FTW!

    Swear to FSM, I was not trying to imply anything about anyone’s sexuality. Just thought Uruguay’s civil union law was an interesting fact, and a refreshing topic having blissfully nothing to do with Suarez’ handball…. Hmm, that sounds suspect too, doesn’t it?

  87. 87.

    Andy K

    @maeby:

    Hmm, that sounds suspect too, doesn’t it?

    Yes it does, you dirty, dirty girl.

    What kind of car do you drive? Call me.

  88. 88.

    cmorenc

    @Donald

    Randinho is of one mind on Suarez, I guess, with all the pouty African fans who are booing him every time he touches the ball. I say it’s all stupid. He did what he should have against Ghana, and Gyan shat the bed on the penalty. End of story. It’s no different from a basketball team fouling intentionally to try and come back from behind at the end of a game.

    NO! There’s an oceanically vast difference between an ordinary tactical foul somewhere out in the middle of the field to stop an opponents numbers-up break (including those fouls which deservedly receive yellow cards) and stopping an on-frame shot the GK has slight to no chance to get to by deliberate handling (which amply deserves a red card and a suspension). The deliberate foul in basketball to stop a goal is vastly more like the former kind of tactical foul, since goals come in abundance in basketball, even usually to a team losing by a substantial margin.

    The whole reason FIFA/IFAB created a specially designated category of tactical foul in cases where it didn’t merely squash an opponent’s especially advantageous momentum toward goal, but was highly likely to steal an opponent’s direct shot on goal was to force referees (and players) to recognize that such fouls aren’t merely “ordinary” tactical fouls, but among those in the especially egregious, unsporting class known as “Serious foul play” warranting ejection of the perp (with appropriate suspensions) and not merely a free kick or possibly a card. Before this explicit update to the rules, the problem was that too often, “serious foul play” [red cardable with suspension] was being treated by referees as mainly dealing with dangerously rough or violent action against an opponent in possession or close pursuit of the ball (which is egregiously unsporting) and too often as not including tactical fouls which directly denied strong goal-scoring opportunities. THAT is why FIFA/IFAB created the specially designated class of serious foul play known as DOGSO (denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity), and further refined the definition thereof to specifically include not merely fouls against an opponent’s body, but explicitly to a DOGSO foul committed by deliberate handling as well. Again, DOGSO-handling is explicitly a class of SERIOUS FOUL PLAY in the rules, not a mere tactical foul. Completely unlike basketball, strong direct goal-scoring chances are infrequent enough and hard enough to come by in soccer that they are NOT merely garden variety “technical” fouls at all.

    Louis Suarez is a CHEAT and fans in the stadium today were amply justified in loudly BOOOOING him. Yes, the Ghana player should have converted the PK and made it moot, but there’s good reason why a player who only attempts (unsuccessfully) to deny an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by fouling only gets a yellow card if the original attempt goes into the goal anyway, but gets a red card and send-off/suspension if the DOGSO foul is successful in denying the goal, REGARDLESS of whether e.g. the ball gets deflected and winds up at the feet of a teammate who puts the ball into goal. It’s because the successful denial of the original obvious opportunity for goal-scoring is SERIOUS FOUL PLAY, i.e. cheating.

    BOOOO Suarez.

  90. 90.

    Felanius Kootea (formerly Salt and freshly ground black people)

    Seeing as my prediction of Germany winning the world cup was totally off, I’m glad they at least made third place. I’m not a fan of Paul the Octopus though.

  91. 91.

    maeby

    I hate that goddamned octopus. Good for the Germans, though, and a fair result IMHO. Too bad for Klose and Forlan.

    Lots of nerves in Amsterdam — and that effing cephalopod isn’t doing anyone here any favors. I predict a lot of pre-emptive drunkenness tomorrow as the long-suffering Dutch fans try to drown out the dooming odds.

  94. 94.

    Shalimar

    @Donald: More like a basketball player goaltending to keep out the winning basket. It’s the soccer rule that is wrong, not Suarez. The goal should have counted, not resulted in a penalty, and they should change that going forward so they get it right in the future.

  95. 95.

    bs23

    Suarez: yawn. he did what he did. Was it the most sportsmanlike thing to do? no. was it rational? yes. Is soccer a morality play? no. is he a cheat? no, a cheater is someone who plays a different game than everyone else, without telling them. for instance, we play poker and i forget to tell you that in my game the rules allow me two aces in my sleeve. suarez didn’t play a game in which hands are allowed, he received the usual penalty for it! should ghana fans boo him? hell yes. they’re partisans! that’s the whole fun of it. As a team usa partisan I didn’t lose a lot of sleep over ghana losing. Gyan certainly should have made the goal, and that definitely sucks for him and the team, but then again they only played uruguay because they beat us, so… That’s how it works, it’s not objective. It’s a game. Should fifa change the rules so this doesn’t happen? yes. intentional handball in the goal box = goal. they might also think about lasik for refs, and instant replay (if players can get tossed from games due to behavior documented on tape after a game (see frings v argentina, 2006), then they can damn well award goals that linesman/refs can’t be bothered to see. btw, does anyone thing neuer is a cheat for not demanding they award the goal? he clearly saw it bounce behind the line. still, the answer is: no.)

  96. 96.

    davement

    call it unsportsmanlike or serious foul play but i still wouldnt call it cheating @donald. as with your example regarding the difference between it being considered a yellow card and a red card i would agree that it could be called cheating if the infraction wasnt seen and thus not penalized. maradonas “hand of god” is more likely cheating than this because it bypassed scrutiny. this was seen and penalized accordingly.

    i also agree with @shalimar. if the foul is so egregious, then an automatic goal should be awarded and i have no problem with that except that it gives the referees even more opportunity to make a crucial mistake. though, and this is unlikely, maybe it would be among the reviewable plays allowed should goal replays become part of fifa’s worldview.

    interestingly, the penalty kick was invented for just this sort of infraction:

    The invention of the penalty kick is also credited to the goalkeeper and businessman William McCrum in 1890 in Milford, County Armagh, Northern Ireland[4]. The Irish Football Association presented the idea to the International Football Association Board and finally after much debate, and after a blatant goal-line handball by a Notts County player in the FA Cup Quarter-Final against Stoke the board approved the idea on 2 June 1891.[5] A similar incident in Scotland in a match between Airdrieonians and Heart of Midlothian also contributed to the call for the penalty kick,[6] which came into effect in the 1891-92 season. The first ever penalty kick was awarded to Wolverhampton Wanderers in their game against Accrington at Molineux Stadium on 14 September 1891. The penalty was taken and scored by John Heath[7] as Wolves went on to win the game 5-0.

  99. 99.

    Paula

    Well, speaking for myself, everyone booing Suarez actually had the opposite effect and made me feel sorry for the little shit.

    However, I’m taking Lalas’ lead and assuming that he don’t give a fuck. Ian Darke need not worry about anyone’s maturity about soccer. I can’t believe that John Harkes was the rational one trying to talk him down from his indignation.

    N-E-Wayz …

    Good match. Uruguay are quite nice to watch when they’re not falling down everywhere.

    I felt pretty bad for Klose, though.

    I’m on the fence about Forlan, but I REALLY don’t get the squeeeeeeeee over Torres. He looks like he should be in a Twilight movie (when he’s not on the pitch anyway).

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