which Football (Soccer ) team do you support ?

[dilla]

Um,USA "were" in the world cup.They came 5th in the qualifying rounds behind Mexico,Costa Rica,Panama and Honduras.In some peoples minds this makes them "losers".As relative newcomers to the game,fair play to them for even competing.IMHO,compared with other American sports e.g. Baseball(to us Brits this is the game called rounders which everyone at school,fit or not could play)and American football(why do they call it that when they hardly ever kick it )soccer (to use the american word)has a greater degree of individual skill, requires less brawn than brain and despite some play acting by supposedly injured players does not require a ton of protective clothing.
I am not having a dig at American sports-each to their own.If they like it,fine. but to me football is the greatest game on earth and to be in the last 4 of the world cup is a great acheivement,just as qualifying was to Panama

[Zwartekster]

Belgium!  We won all our games. We deserve to get the world cup for the first time!

[Bunny]

Ive heard it called the Golden Generation of Belgian football. They are doing very well and anyone that knocks Brazil out is a very strong contender. Belgium v France will be a good match. Good luck.

[Whirlwind]

Um,USA "were" in the world cup.They came 5th in the qualifying rounds....

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Semantics here, but no we weren't in the World Cup. Did our team get on a plane and go to Russia? You know we didn't so you know we weren't in this World Cup. Playing in qualifiers does not make one a World Cup team.

Every foreigner says they do not want America to embrace soccer. The size of our nation, the resources available, the money we could put behind a team would make every World Cup a competition just to see who would come in second after the American team. Just look at the Olympics. Summer, winter we dominate and all other countries simply play for second best. Same would happen if we go full tilt on soccer.

I will say that interest in soccer and our abilities have increased a lot in my life span. We do well in World Cup (in South Africa we were in the same Group as England and we won that group over England. Remember that?) and many of our players play in premier soccer leagues around the world. 

As for me, I don't like the sport. Far too slow, far too silly at times, not cerebral enough, not tough enough.... However, I do LOVE the World Cup. Great tournament. Great passion. International rivalries. Superstar athletes. It is a blast to watch.

[Shush]

Completely disagree. If you enter the contest and the qualification groups then you have actively taken part in the World Cup. Remember - in Russia now it is currently the World Cup Finals. A place where 32 teams who made it through the qualification stage compete in the final stage. An achievement in its own right. Two of the greatest footballing nations failed to qualify, Holland and Italy.

I think is very presumptuous of you to believe that if all America got behind football, they would dominate the game. As Dilla pointed out is is a game of skill not physical perfection. All the money USA could throw into it cannot make people natural football players. How much does Belgium spend on the sport compared to say Germany ? and yet Belgium is a strong contender to take the cup. The size of your nation, do you refer to your large population ? by that logic -- where is China on the international football stage ?

[Whirlwind]

Completely disagree. ...

Oh, go Shush yourself.

1. If qualifying is such a part of the World Cup, then why are they going to go from 32 to 48 next Cup?
Numerous answers but the obvious one is qualifying is uninteresting, nobody watches, who cares, it is not a part of the World Cup. They know that, so they up it to 48 teams in the next Cup; makes it more obvious that they view qualifying as rather a silly waste of time. (And already talk of 64 teams for 2026.) Get this right: qualifying is not the World Cup.

2. Yes, if we had a national push behind soccer we would win nine out of the next ten World Cups. I gave a concrete example: the Olympics. You gave nothing to support your position other than, "Oh, no you would not win."

[Shush]

Nobody watches qualifying matches What planet do you live on ? Qualifying matches for England at home completely fill Wembley stadium and are televised.

If you had a national push behind "soccer" you would be just the same as the 100's of other nations doing the same, and considering you have no skill heritage behind you, you would be a team that at full effort would seldom make it past the first round.

The sports involved with the Olympics are sports that can be greatly enhanced with money - training, sponsorship, worthwhile wages for the participants. America will always do well in the Olympics. The ego of the nation would not allow otherwise. The ego of the nation holds the States back from being a great football nation. Could you ever truly take part in something that you are not guaranteed to win?

Shush myself !!!!!

Blow away Whirlwind. You said earlier you do not like the sport football-- so why are you even taking part in this thread - is it just to cause more trouble and arguments, I think so.

[Whirlwind]

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1. If you had a national push behind "soccer" you would be just the same as the 100's of other nations doing the same,

3. Blow away Whirlwind. You said earlier you do not like the sport football-- so why are you even taking part in this thread - is it just to cause more trouble and arguments, I think so.

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1) You clearly are not aware that a national push from the USA is not like a national push from Wales. I suggest you watch some WWII documentary. When we get involved in something full tilt, the results are a HUGE win.

2. So you believe that qualifying matches draw the same audience as actual World Cup matches? Wow.

3. I said I do not like the sport of soccer, but I LOVE the World Cup. We are talking World Cup here...that's why I am participating. Believe me, I ain't getting involved in any thread about Hibs vs. Totenham.

[Pol]

Lol
Vietnam didn't go too well .

Hibes n Spurs are in different leagues therefore they don't play each other

Stadiums only hold so many people and are full for most qualifying matches ok the tv audience might not be as big but it's still sizable

The world cup has different countries unlike the world series

[Shush]

Space ,-- "2. So you believe that qualifying matches draw the same audience as actual World Cup matches? Wow."

No where here or anywhere have I claimed that, and why would I , its not the case.

You did however say that "nobody watches" the qualification games , which is absolute bollocks.

How would you know how the qualifiers are received in other countries ? I would be willing to bet that you like most Americans have never set foot out of your own country to have experienced such things.

[Whirlwind]

I would be willing to bet that you like most Americans have never set foot out of your own country

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I've been to New Jersey.



And to answer seriously: Uhh, why would I an American want to leave my country to visit some sub-standard nation? There is nothing that any country can offer that we do not have in America.

Hot girls? check
Great food? check
Mountains? check
Desert? check
Jungle? check
Beaches? check
Frozen tundra? check
Big city? check
The arts? check
Historical sites? check

I could go on with that list forever. Whatever some foreign nation might have, we do too (and it is better here). Take England, for instance. Why the hell would I ever go there? London is just a poor man's New York City. Wembley is just a poor man's Yankee Stadium. Princess Kate is just a poor man's Ivanka Trump.

The reason why Americans do not really travel abroad is because our nation is HUGE! We literally have everything here. Any topography the world has - we have. Any climate the world has - we have (remember, Alaska and Hawaii are America states...we sometimes forget that, too).

Nothing in the world like America. Hell, I wouldn't even want to visit another galaxy. I know what we have in America is better.

[Whirlwind]

The world cup has different countries unlike the world series

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Oh, you silly foreigner.
Toronto was in the World Series (twice).
Toronto is in Canada.
Canada is another country.

And just to let you know, it's now called a World Series because of the players involved. Our baseball is like the United Nations. The Yankees alone have team members from eight different nations.

[dilla]

yawn

[Ghosttrain]

Wow Whirlwind did'nt you read Viv's posts yesterday ?.........nothing to do with me but (maybe i am wrong)  i think you are sailing pretty close to the wind............

[Shush]

I would be willing to bet that you like most Americans have never set foot out of your own country

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I've been to New Jersey.

I have been to New Jersey also. Not a particularly impressive place if truth be known, but its nicer that New York and with much nicer people.