World Soccer XXX: We Have Men Too!

[Kepler]

Bruce Arena said one thing best: “qualifying is for the vets, the World Cup is for the kids.”

Is Qualifying for vets because the rounds are widely separated and there's less continuity for the kids to gel together? I'm trying to understand why both are not for the kids.

[Jimjamesak]

Is Qualifying for vets because the rounds are widely separated and there's less continuity for the kids to gel together? I'm trying to understand why both are not for the kids.

Because CONCACAF qualifying is a ****ing warzone.

[dxmnkd316]

Because CONCACAF qualifying is a ****ing warzone.

Remember when we made Mexico play in the middle of a blizzard purely as retaliation? That ****ed hard.

[Kepler]

Remember when we made Mexico play in the middle of a blizzard purely as retaliation? That ****ed hard.

That was very funny. Didn't we do some Patriots-grade cheating in that game, too?

But I'm still a little confused. If the qualifiers are rough, wouldn't you want your young, strong, fast kids in there all the more, or are you throwing veterans into the buzz saw and if they get hurt whatevs?

[JF_Gophers]

Costa Rica wrecking their group with a win today would make me laugh so much.

[dxmnkd316]

Costa Rica wrecking their group with a win today would make me laugh so much.

Holy ****. This is the most lopsided odds I've seen all tournament. Right now it's +1300 CRC, -1250 GER.

[RaceBoarder]

Holy ****. This is the most lopsided odds I've seen all tournament. Right now it's +1300 CRC, -1250 GER.

No one thinks that the America East champ has a chance against Kentucky either ;-)

[psych]

No one thinks that the America East champ has a chance against Kentucky either ;-)

As a lifelong Hoosier fan living in Big Blue Nation for over a decade, outside of Watford hitting the 3 to beat #1 Kentucky 73-72 in 2012*, Kentucky losing to St. Peter is #2 on my list of favorite Kentucky schadenfreude moments. The tears were plentiful and delicious on March 18, 2022.
*Kentucky defeating Indiana 102-90 on the way to their 8th national title later that same year, a game which saw the Wildcats make a ridiculous 35-37 of their FTs, not included in schadenfreude moments.

[RaceBoarder]

That was very funny. Didn't we do some Patriots-grade cheating in that game, too?

But I'm still a little confused. If the qualifiers are rough, wouldn't you want your young, strong, fast kids in there all the more, or are you throwing veterans into the buzz saw and if they get hurt whatevs?

Qualifying is a completely different animal. Main difference is that many of the venues are truly hostile environments (both actual playing conditions AND fan environments). It can easily break a bunch of 20-somethings. Although the World Cup is the bigger stage, the fields are always pristine and modern and the crowds are sanitized.

[Spartanforlife4]

Morocco is taking it to Canada early. 2-0 in the 24th.

[Jimjamesak]

Qualifying is a completely different animal. Main difference is that many of the venues are truly hostile environments (both actual playing conditions AND fan environments). It can easily break a bunch of 20-somethings. Although the World Cup is the bigger stage, the fields are always pristine and modern and the crowds are sanitized.

This. I’d add that the officiating is drastically different too.

Yunus Musah summed it up in an interview.

[Spartanforlife4]

I don’t see how that was offsides on the possible third Moroccan goal. They didn’t show a freeze frame graphic but it looked like the only person possibly offsides didn’t get involved in the play and it was only his arm, which I thought didn’t count anyway because it’s not a legal playable body part.

[Spartanforlife4]

Then you’ve got this “offsides” in the Croatia game. If both players are breaking the imaginary wall then it probably shouldn’t be offsides.

https://twitter.com/foxsoccer/status...2b-35GJdQtoxLg

[dxmnkd316]

I don’t see how that was offsides on the possible third Moroccan goal. They didn’t show a freeze frame graphic but it looked like the only person possibly offsides didn’t get involved in the play and it was only his arm, which I thought didn’t count anyway because it’s not a legal playable body part.

Edit: It was offside. I missed the last half of the play. Everyone keeps putting it up as the initial pass into the box.

[dxmnkd316]

Then you’ve got this “offsides” in the Croatia game. If both players are breaking the imaginary wall then it probably shouldn’t be offsides.

https://twitter.com/foxsoccer/status...2b-35GJdQtoxLg

That's getting too nitpicky for my taste. He was substantially even with the defender. BUT, if you want to take the subjectivity out of the game and go to an objective call, then yeah, he was offsides. Even if it was a fraction of a shoulder. LIterally an inch.

I don't know how you transition from subjective calls to objective calls without taking the natural feeling out of the game. You just have to adjust and realize, yeah, he was objectively offsides. I hate that we're down to fractions of an inch but that's the consequence of eliminating "bad" calls.