What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

World Soccer XIII: Through the Group Stages

Status
Not open for further replies.
Re: World Soccer XIII: Through the Group Stages

And now for Part 3 of this ongoing series:

Group E features two teams with ordinary and two teams with extraordinary. I vote for the extraordinary.

Round 1: Cameroon garners as much neutral support as anyone in South Africa (first team to play in the country post-apartheid) and rides the wave to a relatively easy win over a Japanese side. Meanwhile, the Dutch come into the tournament on another flyer and overrun a well-organized but punchless Danish squad in the second half

Round 2: Dutch basically repeat the feat against Japan, only with less resistance. Flair meets order in the Cameroon-Denmark game but the individual quality of the likes of Eto'o is just too much to overcome.

Round 3: The Dutch take advantage of the Lions' mistakes in the back and pull out a close win for the group. The Danes save face in a dead rubber and head home with at least one win.

Final Standings: Netherlands 9, Cameroon 6, Denmark 3, Japan 0

Group F:

A criminally easy draw for Italy. Their first game against Paraguay will be hard to watch - I'm hard-pressed to think of a Paraguay game I've seen in the World Cup that was even tolerable, but gli Azzurri get one or two and bank their three points.

In what should be the show of the tournament, Slovakia and New Zealand meet on a Tuesday morning at 7:30 a.m. in the tournament's second-smallest (and maybe least-impressive) stadium. I don't frankly know jack about either team, and so someone has something to remember the World Cup experience by, I'll pick a draw here.

In Round 2, Roque Santa Cruz bags a couple and Paraguay sees off the Slovaks easily. Meanwhile, the All-Whites benefit from the fact that at least Italy won't run up the score.

In Round 3, Italy and Paraguay continue to cruise.

Easiest group to pick out there:

Prediction: Italy 9, Paraguay 6, Slovakia 1, New Zealand 1.
 
Re: World Soccer XIII: Through the Group Stages

3W said:
And now for Part 3 of this ongoing series:

Group E features two teams with ordinary and two teams with extraordinary. I vote for the extraordinary.

Round 1: Cameroon garners as much neutral support as anyone in South Africa (first team to play in the country post-apartheid) and rides the wave to a relatively easy win over a Japanese side. Meanwhile, the Dutch come into the tournament on another flyer and overrun a well-organized but punchless Danish squad in the second half

Round 2: Dutch basically repeat the feat against Japan, only with less resistance. Flair meets order in the Cameroon-Denmark game but the individual quality of the likes of Eto'o is just too much to overcome.

Round 3: The Dutch take advantage of the Lions' mistakes in the back and pull out a close win for the group. The Danes save face in a dead rubber and head home with at least one win.

Final Standings: Netherlands 9, Cameroon 6, Denmark 3, Japan 0

Group F:

A criminally easy draw for Italy. Their first game against Paraguay will be hard to watch - I'm hard-pressed to think of a Paraguay game I've seen in the World Cup that was even tolerable, but gli Azzurri get one or two and bank their three points.

In what should be the show of the tournament, Slovakia and New Zealand meet on a Tuesday morning at 7:30 a.m. in the tournament's second-smallest (and maybe least-impressive) stadium. I don't frankly know jack about either team, and so someone has something to remember the World Cup experience by, I'll pick a draw here.

In Round 2, Roque Santa Cruz bags a couple and Paraguay sees off the Slovaks easily. Meanwhile, the All-Whites benefit from the fact that at least Italy won't run up the score.

In Round 3, Italy and Paraguay continue to cruise.

Easiest group to pick out there:

Prediction: Italy 9, Paraguay 6, Slovakia 1, New Zealand 1.
Click to expand...

Group F is the draw I thought South Africa would get. I know the defending champ no longer gets an automatic berth, but a group like that is a hell of a consolation prize. The Kiwis have a lot of ties to the US (college, MLS) so I'm rooting for them to not fall on their faces.
 
Re: World Soccer XIII: Through the Group Stages

BoomGoestheDynamite said:
Sounds virtually identical. I think the player started like 30 yards out and had 7(?) seconds to put a shot on net. The keeper was free to play it the way he normally would during a breakaway. It was a terrible way to decide league games to avoid offending the sensibilities of the guy in the Green Bay but would be infinitely more thrilling than a player blasting away from 10 yards and waiting for the first **** up.
Click to expand...
They started from 35 yards out and had five seconds to shoot. The keeper had to have one foot on the goal line when the player started his run up (very very similar to a hockey penalty shot).

And penalty kicks are taken from 12 yards out. Halfway between the top of the goal area (6 yards) and the penalty area (18 yards). :)
 
Re: World Soccer XIII: Through the Group Stages

Has anyone seen the "McDonald's FIFA World Cup Fantasy" on FIFA.com? I'm looking to fill out my team and I can't find any information on the scoring system...
 
Re: World Soccer XIII: Through the Group Stages

3W said:
And now for Part 3 of this ongoing series:

Group E features two teams with ordinary and two teams with extraordinary. I vote for the extraordinary.

Round 1: Cameroon garners as much neutral support as anyone in South Africa (first team to play in the country post-apartheid) ....
Click to expand...

If Cameroon gets a boost from the crowd, do you think the Netherlands gets a less than favorable reception, considering the role they played in apartheid?
 
Re: World Soccer XIII: Through the Group Stages

This morning I had a dream that we beat England 8-3. Hey, I guess if you're going to dream, you may as well dream big. :eek:
 
Re: World Soccer XIII: Through the Group Stages

3W said:
And now for Part 3 of this ongoing series:

Final Standings: Netherlands 9, Cameroon 6, Denmark 3, Japan 0

Group F:

Prediction: Italy 9, Paraguay 6, Slovakia 1, New Zealand 1.
Click to expand...


Another nice job. Keep up the good work.

I think you hit Japan right on the head with that prediction. They are my pick to finish 32nd. Cameroon and Denmark are pretty even in my book. Cameroon may benefit from facing Netherlands in a "meaningless" third game for the Dutch. I'm thinking Cameroon 7, Netherlands 6, Denmark 4 and Japan 0. To complicate matters, the winner of this group may well get Italy, so there won't be too much motivation to even win the group.

Group F

Although I agree that Italy didn't get a group of death or anything close to it, Slovakia and Paraguay are both pretty decent teams. Also, I would be really surprised if Italy went 3-0. It's just not in their nature. If they can fly below the radar and get through with 5 points they'll do it.
 
Re: World Soccer XIII: Through the Group Stages

I think North Korea is finishing dead last: they're going to have 0 points and a massive goal differential, because everyone in that group knows that how badly they beat NK by is what might determine who advances.

Japan might not win a game or even a point but I expect them to keep some matches competitive.
 
Re: World Soccer XIII: Through the Group Stages

Yeah Ballack and Cole are both leaving Chelsea on frees. I would love for Liverpool to bring Cole in.
 
Re: World Soccer XIII: Through the Group Stages

TBA,

Yeah, I was down on the Slovakians a bit, but they're not better than Paraguay, IMHO, and obviously, Italy's right out. I'm kind of hoping that the All Whites don't get completely embarrassed, so I need them to take points off someone. I look at this Slovak side and see a team that screams "happy just to be here." You get that more in Euros, but I'm thinking of teams like Slovenia in WC 2002 or Latvia and Bulgaria in Euro 2004.

Likewise, I don't think Japan is necessarily bad -- give them a better group and maybe they make some progress. The problem is that the Dutch and Cameroon have too much flair for them and the Danes are too strong.

And BTW, I've got all sorts of North Korea jokes ready for tonight's entry, not to mention the games themselves.
 
Re: World Soccer XIII: Through the Group Stages

Maybe I'm getting suckered in by the unknown quantity of the North Koreans, can definitely see them getting a result from Portugal or Ivory Coast though.
 
Re: World Soccer XIII: Through the Group Stages

jmh said:
This morning I had a dream that we beat England 8-3. Hey, I guess if you're going to dream, you may as well dream big. :eek:
Click to expand...

Was Oliver Perez in net for England?
 
Re: World Soccer XIII: Through the Group Stages

Terrierbyassociation said:
I think North Korea is finishing dead last: they're going to have 0 points and a massive goal differential, because everyone in that group knows that how badly they beat NK by is what might determine who advances.
Click to expand...
I think so too. Their GD is going to be worse than -12.
 
Re: World Soccer XIII: Through the Group Stages

Kepler said:
We should thank them. Another excuse to flog some tired nationalist cant for a few days until the real game starts. I'll bet somebody will introduce a motion in Congress to condemn it. Lots of posturing fun for all.
Click to expand...

Jesus H. Christ, we get it already. You don't like nationalism in sports, even when that's the entire point of a tournament among nations.

Repeating the same point over and over again makes you sound as stupid as Jim Rome or Rush Limbaugh or any other talking head who harps on the same point constantly.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top