World Cup Semifinal 1 - Argentina v Croatia

[Dr. Teeth 5870]

Messi in a phone booth. 

[Firemans4Horn 18543]

Messi, wow

[sidis 10020]

well we have one finalist locked up.

[Captain Ron 13137]

2 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

Was on a work call since this game started, but was that PK warranted?  The goalie tried to block the ball, spread out his body to try to block it, and the Argentina guys runs through him. Seemed like normal contact to me given the situation. Are goalies not allowed to rush an attacking player?

That's the key right there. He tried - AND MISSED.

When he didn't get the ball, he lost all right to be in the space.

[WBT 21040]

Messi being Messi.  

[PittsburghTiger 6391]

I wonder if CR7 is watching.

 

[tx 3 putt 78850]

See you in the finals !

[Captain Ron 13137]

Just now, PittsburghTiger said:

I wonder if CR7 is watching.

 

Well he doesn't have a practice to get ready for his next game, so watching is all he is doing.

[tx 3 putt 78850]

Just now, WBT said:

Messi being Messi.  

he rope a dope’d them all in, then pass

[kingkoopa6 8754]

messi on one ..

I owe you an apology. I wasn't really familiar with your game

[PittsburghTiger 6391]

1982 was Argentina’s last WC championship?

edit: it was ‘86. ‘82 was Italia. I kind of forgot about them since they didn’t seem to broadcast any of their games in this tournament.

Edited December 13, 2022 by PittsburghTiger

[Horn80 6362]

1 minute ago, PittsburghTiger said:

1982 was Argentina’s last WC championship?

Think 1986

[Captain Ron 13137]

6 minutes ago, Horn80 said:

Interesting that these teams don’t spend 80% of possession time passing the ball around in their own backfield like team USA.

It's called a real strategy. The US "dominates" games by having more possession. But Gergg has no plan for what he wants to do with the ball, just pass it around or bring it down the wings for blind crosses.

If you watch soccer enough you can see how you can dominate not having the ball or be dominated while having a ton of possession. The key is a great counter attack.

[Captain Ron 13137]

21 minutes ago, PittsburghTiger said:

I am now switching from rooting for Chaos to now wanting France  to advance to the championship game.

 

I want a great game. 

I don't care who comes out of the other side of the bracket at this point, I want Argentina to hoist the cup so that 🐐 Messi has the one trophy that CR7 never got.

[sidis 10020]

2 minutes ago, PittsburghTiger said:

1982 was Argentina’s last WC championship?

1986 over germany in mexico city.  four years later germany beat argentina in the final in rome.

argentina also won in 1978 over the netherlands in buenos aires.  both of their world cup wins came in the western hemisphere.

[WBT 21040]

5 minutes ago, Captain Ron said:

That's the key right there. He tried - AND MISSED.

When he didn't get the ball, he lost all right to be in the space.

Yeah, he's like any other defender.  If he doesn't touch the ball he doesn't have the right to take out the man.

[PittsburghTiger 6391]

[PittsburghTiger 6391]

2 minutes ago, sidis said:

1986 over germany in mexico city.  four years later germany beat argentina in the final in rome.

argentina also won in 1978 over the netherlands in buenos aires.  both of their world cup wins came in the western hemisphere.

I’m not sure how I forgot the 1986 final. I think my brain has been trying to forget that one. I was in Germany at the relative’s in Bielefeld for the summer of 1990 and we had a chance to buy tickets for the game in Rome but, they were $1,000 per and I was fresh out of school and didn’t think Dad would appreciate that purchase by an unemployed me. So, we watched it on a TV that was about 20 inches and then went out in the town to celebrate.

5 minutes ago, Captain Ron said:

I don't care who comes out of the other side of the bracket at this point, I want Argentina to hoist the cup so that 🐐 Messi has the one trophy that CR7 never got.

That’s a good point. 

[Dutchrudder 11249]

Great chance on that corner, but just a step short. Argentina has looked great, them vs France will be a hell of a matchup.

[Horn80 6362]

2 minutes ago, Captain Ron said:

It's called a real strategy. The US "dominates" games by having more possession. But Gergg has no plan for what he wants to do with the ball, just pass it around or bring it down the wings for blind crosses.

If you watch soccer enough you can see how you can dominate not having the ball or be dominated while having a ton of possession. The key is a great counter attack.

If USA had our best athletes playing, I could see that strategy might work but we will probably never have that.

[PittsburghTiger 6391]

There should not be too much extra time.

[BERT 4499]

1 minute ago, Horn80 said:

If USA had our best athletes playing, I could see that strategy might work but we will probably never have that.

Hasn't it always been like that? Hell i remember the high school soccer coach saying his best players through the years were playing baseball instead of soccer once they reached high school cause you can't do both. 

[Cheeseweasel 26443]

5 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

them vs France

[Cheeseweasel 26443]

1 minute ago, BERT said:

Hasn't it always been like that? Hell i remember the high school soccer coach saying his best players through the years were playing baseball instead of soccer once they reached high school cause you can't do both. 

We lost our best player to the Football team to kick FG's. He sucked at it.

Fuck you Craig!!

[WBT 21040]

Cool of the announcers to lay out and let the crowd noise carry the last few minutes

[tx 3 putt 78850]

Hell Yes !!!!

[Horn80 6362]

1 minute ago, BERT said:

Hasn't it always been like that? Hell i remember the high school soccer coach saying his best players through the years were playing baseball instead of soccer once they reached high school cause you can't do both. 

Yes, it is known.

[PittsburghTiger 6391]

No fluke this result. Totally outclassed them. Well done, Argentina.

[tx 3 putt 78850]

Just now, WBT said:

Cool of the announcers to lay out and let the crowd noise carry the last few minutes

Sunday will be electric 

[Kringelbert Fishtybuns 947]

Bit of a reversal from 2018.  If it ends up being France on the other side, wouldn’t mind seeing a reversal again in the Final.

[Horn80 6362]

Go France 

[Captain Ron 13137]

9 minutes ago, Horn80 said:

If USA had our best athletes playing, I could see that strategy might work but we will probably never have that.

Except, our guys playing soccer are among the top athletes in the world.

If we crafted a strategy around that talent, we could be really dangerous. I certainly wouldn't run Gregg's stupid 4-3-3 with this roster. I would run a more attack-centric 4-4-2 with it. Maximize what we have, not play into what we don't.

[Horn80 6362]

6 minutes ago, Captain Ron said:

Except, our guys playing soccer are among the top athletes in the world.

If we crafted a strategy around that talent, we could be really dangerous. I certainly wouldn't run Gregg's stupid 4-3-3 with this roster. I would run a more attack-centric 4-4-2 with it. Maximize what we have, not play into what we don't.

I’m for that and didn’t care for the way this team was managed by Gregg.  Time to move on especially with next WC in USA.

[SpiralOut 1965]

1 hour ago, BERT said:

Hasn't it always been like that? Hell i remember the high school soccer coach saying his best players through the years were playing baseball instead of soccer once they reached high school cause you can't do both. 

My little league team won the city (town, really) soccer trophy.  I won MVP at goalie because I stopped 20 shots in the final.  I was playing on the team with all the poor kids (white trash and Hispanics) and we beat all the rich preppy kids who lived out by the country club.  I loved soccer more than anything.

Immediately stopped playing soccer after that because it wasn't supported whatsoever out in West Texas.  Baseball, bball, and tackle football.  That's it.

[Napoleon 8858]