GDT: World Cup of Kicky Ball!!!1 (and beyond)

[DaveG]

So apparently Jean Valjean plays for Portugal

 

[What the Faulk]

Well this is going well so far.

 

[Joe McGrath]

Goals for Germany, Red Cards for Portugal. Delightful.

 

[Joe McGrath]

Klose doesn't even start for Germany? Cripes are they deep.

 

[Incubajerks]

Klose doesn't even start for Germany? Cripes are they deep.

Klose is done, he can't play 90 mins but could be useful with 20/30 mins left.

 

[DaleCooper]

So far this could not have been going much better.

 

[Joe McGrath]

I hope the mantra in the German locker room was "its not worth winning if you CANT WIN BIG!"

 

[DaveG]

We want 5, we want 5, we want 5

 

[sycamore]

Our goal differential is looking good now.This is a good start.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

So no Pepe, maybe no Coentrao for our match against them.

Shaping up to be a good day so far. If we can beat Ghana this will be huge. Portugal is absolutely imploding.

 

[TheOllieC]

 

[Brock Anton]

That is a prime example why people should stop looking at FIFA rankings.

 

[tomdundo]

A guy named Müller scored a hat trick? It must be a sign that we should have never fired #kirkmullo

 

[Finnish Jerk Train]

OK guys, I think I'm really going to give this sport a shot tonight.

But I'm going back to binge-watching Walking Dead if, by halftime, I see at least three dives that make everyone roll their collective eyes.

 

[nobuddy]

OK guys, I think I'm really going to give this sport a shot tonight.

But I'm going back to binge-watching Walking Dead if, by halftime, I see at least three dives that make everyone roll their collective eyes.

Oh you'll definitely be watching Walking Dead then.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

How old is Pepe? Seems like he's been around forever.

 

[DaleCooper]

OK guys, I think I'm really going to give this sport a shot tonight.

But I'm going back to binge-watching Walking Dead if, by halftime, I see at least three dives that make everyone roll their collective eyes.

Good thing you don't do that with hockey.

 

[Brock Anton]

Like 31 or 32 I believe.

 

[Joe McGrath]

Good thing you don't do that with hockey.

****ing foreigners ruin everything

 

[Finnish Jerk Train]

Oh you'll definitely be watching Walking Dead then.

Probably. But I'm still going to try.

Good thing you don't do that with hockey.

Yeah, I admit it doesn't bother me as much in hockey. I think it part of it has to do with the faster, rougher nature of the game. That kinda makes it harder for me to tell what's real and what's fake, so I tend to give guys the benefit of the doubt. It's the really bad acting jobs that get under my skin, regardless of the sport. Obviously hockey's not free of them (Plekanec getting "high sticked", for instance), but I've seen disproportionately more of those in the admittedly few World Cup games I've watched than in other sports. I wonder if it's any different in league games.

 

[nobuddy]

It's not nearly as bad (though still present) in league games from my limited viewings of them.

In international play you'll see it a lot more because of the disparity between teams, so there's much more need to gain an advantage to compensate for the gaps. Another thing you'll see because of that is some teams playing like dirty idiots, which is what we saw in that embarrassment of a game Honduras played yesterday.

 

[Finnish Jerk Train]

Makes sense. It's a shame that it's so prevalent in the sport's premier world event. It's a great chance to pick up new fans, but to sully the quality of play like that turns a lot of people off. I guess the game isn't exactly hurting for fans, but I wonder if they'll ever do anything about it.

 

[What the Faulk]

I love international soccer but just don't ever watch regular matches. No idea why.

As for diving vs. hockey, the latter is a sport played on a slick ice surface. Of course there is still plenty of diving, but I think a good portion is made up of people who just lose their balance then throw their hands up for a call.

 

[Brock Anton]

NBA is worse than both, IMO.

 

[Finnish Jerk Train]

I love international soccer but just don't ever watch regular matches. No idea why.

As for diving vs. hockey, the latter is a sport played on a slick ice surface. Of course there is still plenty of diving, but I think a good portion is made up of people who just lose their balance then throw their hands up for a call.

You've got a point. I'm so used to seeing that that I don't even bat an eye anymore unless the guy just really overreacts. Maybe that's how it is for people who've been watching soccer all their life when someone oversells a call?

Anyway, I hear you guys. I will now sit through five blatant dives before going back to Walking Dead.