The Official 2014 FIFA World Cup Thread

[Auremena]

You're either underestimating England or overestimating Uruguay.

Or both.

This Uruguay side is beatable. Very beatable. They are worse than they were 4 years ago. They struggled in a qualifying league that didn't have Brazil in it, needing the playoffs to even qualify.

I agree; and I don't think any of the three former champions in that group are necessarily looking too great.

Uruguay struggled to qualify, weren't too great away from home, and for all we're being told that Suarez is recovering well, there have to minor question marks over someone who's recently had knee surgery.

Italy haven't won a match since September, have now gone seven matches without a win, and their last match was a home draw against mighty Luxembourg where they actually allowed a late equaliser; and then there's the loss of Montolivo...

England are England.

So while I'm not going to engage in any chest-thumping declaration of confidence, I don't think it's inconceivable that England will get out of the group; before they inevitably crash out in the second round or quarterfinals.

Though I want to know who the wag was who decided England should play the group's clear underdogs in Belo Horizonte, of all venues.

#CostaRicaGroupDWinners

[New North Aqmuland]

I agree; and I don't think any of the three former champions in that group are necessarily looking too great.

Uruguay struggled to qualify, weren't too great away from home, and for all we're being told that Suarez is recovering well, there have to minor question marks over someone who's recently had knee surgery.

Italy haven't won a match since September, have now gone seven matches without a win, and their last match was a home draw against mighty Luxembourg where they actually allowed a late equaliser; and then there's the loss of Montolivo...

England are England.

So while I'm not going to engage in any chest-thumping declaration of confidence, I don't think it's inconceivable that England will get out of the group; before they inevitably crash out in the second round or quarterfinals.

Though I want to know who the wag was who decided England should play the group's clear underdogs in Belo Horizonte, of all venues.

#CostaRicaGroupDWinners

I support this.

[Priory Academy USSR]

Who in your opinion is the best goalkeeper to ever play in the world cup?

My opinion: Gianluigi Buffon

Gordon Banks, if only for that impossible save against Pelé in 1970.

[Patistan]

Who in your opinion is the best goalkeeper to ever play in the world cup?

My opinion: Gianluigi Buffon

Best? Not sure. I'm inclined to say Zoff or Yashin, based on what I've seen/read.

Gigi is my favourite, though.

I am a goalie and Buffon is my favorite,but i just read a little more on Yashin and my opinion is in conflict.

[Cata Larga]

Team USA did a bang up job in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, much better than expected. With this in mind, I wouldn't be so sure.

On the other hand... we won't have Donovan. It's a toss-up how well the USA will do this time around, really.

You're not seriously using the Gold Cup as a basis for judgement on the team, are you? With wins over such mighty giants as Belize and Cuba in the group stages, with an unconvincing 1-0 win over Costa Rica to seal the top spot in the group, anything BUT three wins would have been an appalling result. Playing El Salvador, the weakest team in the knockout rounds, right off the bat was a great boost (winning by a 5-1 margin) - but it's important to stress that El Salvador are a poor team who have really, really struggled recently. Beating Honduras was fair enough, and then a 1-0 win over Panama in the final (the same Panama that would go on to finish 5th in the Hex).

This is, mind, without much of the current squad. The only players on both the Gold Cup winning team and the current World Cup 23 man squad are:

Rimando (3rd choice GK)
Beasley (the start of his renaissance)
Gonzalez (has since lost his CB spot to Cameron)
Besler (did well for himself but still largely untested)
Diskerud (bench player, but a handy substitute)
Beckerman (bench player)
Bedoya (was between clubs at the time, now an options to start wide)
Wondolowski (bench player)

So really that Gold Cup team had only 2 sure starters, 1 likely starter, 3 players who will likely come off the bench, 1 player who could possibly come off the bench, and 1 player who we hope won't see any play time.

When you look at it that means that about 2/3rds of the players on the Gold Cup roster aren't going to Brazil, and we'll likely only see 13% of the Gold Cup winners get a start.

It's simply not a good tournament to use to gauge the US team's position right now. The same can be said of Mexico, Honduras, and Costa Rica, who also fielded lesser teams, largely because it fell during the Hex that year.

Fair enough. I'm mainly just hoping that Klinsmann can keep up the good work.

Even though goddammit HE TOOK DONOVAN OFF THE TEAM *begins foaming at the mouth*

[Agritum]

You're either underestimating England or overestimating Uruguay.

Or both.

This Uruguay side is beatable. Very beatable. They are worse than they were 4 years ago. They struggled in a qualifying league that didn't have Brazil in it, needing the playoffs to even qualify.

I agree; and I don't think any of the three former champions in that group are necessarily looking too great.

Uruguay struggled to qualify, weren't too great away from home, and for all we're being told that Suarez is recovering well, there have to minor question marks over someone who's recently had knee surgery.

Italy haven't won a match since September, have now gone seven matches without a win, and their last match was a home draw against mighty Luxembourg where they actually allowed a late equaliser; and then there's the loss of Montolivo...

England are England.

So while I'm not going to engage in any chest-thumping declaration of confidence, I don't think it's inconceivable that England will get out of the group; before they inevitably crash out in the second round or quarterfinals.

Though I want to know who the wag was who decided England should play the group's clear underdogs in Belo Horizonte, of all venues.

Well, we did win against Fluminense, if that counts

[The Licentian Isles]

I agree; and I don't think any of the three former champions in that group are necessarily looking too great.

Uruguay struggled to qualify, weren't too great away from home, and for all we're being told that Suarez is recovering well, there have to minor question marks over someone who's recently had knee surgery.

Italy haven't won a match since September, have now gone seven matches without a win, and their last match was a home draw against mighty Luxembourg where they actually allowed a late equaliser; and then there's the loss of Montolivo...

England are England.

So while I'm not going to engage in any chest-thumping declaration of confidence, I don't think it's inconceivable that England will get out of the group; before they inevitably crash out in the second round or quarterfinals.

Though I want to know who the wag was who decided England should play the group's clear underdogs in Belo Horizonte, of all venues.

Well, we did win against Fluminense, if that counts

I've found England fans who are genuinely worried for the game against the Azzurri because of that win, so apparently it does.

[Britcan]

Well, we did win against Fluminense, if that counts

I've found England fans who are genuinely worried for the game against the Azzurri because of that win, so apparently it does.

In fairness, we should be worried anyway.

[The Licentian Isles]

I've found England fans who are genuinely worried for the game against the Azzurri because of that win, so apparently it does.

In fairness, we should be worried anyway.

If you think about it, England probably have one of the harder groups in this World Cup.

[Sarkegiapoi]

Even though Brazil will wi it 6 times, I hope this entertaining team wins. I do not want to see a defensive park the bus football team or possession football that creates zero chances.

[Starblaydia]

In fairness, we should be worried anyway.

If you think about it, England probably have one of the harder groups in this World Cup.

By average FIFA rank (not much to go on, I know) it is by far the hardest group to get out of, and after the Ro16 the potential opponents get very, very scary.

[Osarius]

I've found England fans who are genuinely worried for the game against the Azzurri because of that win, so apparently it does.

Well...... since when do Italy score five in one game?

[Yellow Yellow Red]

If you think about it, England probably have one of the harder groups in this World Cup.

By average FIFA rank (not much to go on, I know) it is by far the hardest group to get out of, and after the Ro16 the potential opponents get very, very scary.

My thinking is that it will be Italy v Greece (D1 v C2) and England v Colombia (D2 v C1) - so even the Round of 16 will not be a cakewalk. I think the Uruguayans won't have as strong a tournament as some people are expecting.

Also, Italy v Greece is a match that I'm actually really, really looking forward to, if it ends up working out that way.

[Liventia]

If my run on the EA Sports World Cup game with Germany is anything to go by, Germany's path to the final could be as follows: Belgium (2R), France (QF), Italy (SF), Spain (F)

[Osarius]

If my run on the EA Sports World Cup game with Germany is anything to go by, Germany's path to the final could be as follows: Belgium (2R), France (QF), Italy (SF), Spain (F)

Germany beating Italy in a semi final? Preposterous!

[Yellow Yellow Red]

This is a really interesting writeup from Ian Darke (among the best English language commentators out there, IMO, along with Champion and Healey) about preparing for and calling matches as a commentator at the World Cup. Well worth a read.

The World Cup is not only a daunting yet exciting proposition for players, but for TV and radio commentators, as well.

Like the referees, the men and women calling the matches will be noticed only if they make horrendous mistakes or irritate you.

I recall one veteran broadcaster telling me, "Always remember: 60 percent of the audience probably thinks you are an idiot. Try to make sure that by the end of the show, the other 40 percent doesn't agree with them."

Mistakes are easy to make, so commentators in Brazil should remember that wise adage: "If you fail to prepare, then prepare to fail."

For all the fancy phrases and memorable goal calls, it is a dull fact that 95 percent of the commentators' job is identifying players.

Ordinary fans might say, "That's easy. They have numbers and names on their backs."

That's true, but try seeing those names and numbers from a position so high in the stands that it feels like you're working from the flight deck of a Boeing 747. Or you get a team like Argentina, who wear black numbers on top of their famous blue and white stripes -- making those numbers virtually invisible for the man with the microphone sitting 80 yards away.

The trick is to watch as many tapes of the teams as possible beforehand to familiarise yourself with these men who have strange-sounding names and hail from faraway places.

Also, I always carry a pair of binoculars to look at players during warm-ups to find distinguishing features. Hair colour, height and running style are all good clues. A team might have two identical-looking strikers, but then you'll notice one is wearing orange boots and the other blue. To a commentator, little things like that can mean a lot in calling the right goal scorer in a crowded penalty area.

Famously, Romania's players all dyed their hair blond at the 1998 World Cup, making them an absolute nightmare for those of us charged with telling our audience who they all were. They left the tournament unlamented by the commentary fraternity after a 1-0 loss to Croatia in Bordeaux, where I observed: "Proof here that blonds don't always have more fun."

Then there is the business of pronouncing the players' names correctly. Not easy.

For instance, how many non-American TV broadcasters will know that U.S. defender Matt Besler is pronounced "Beez-ler," not "Bess-ler"?

The quickest solution is to ask the players themselves to pronounce their names (though a few have looked at me as if I had just arrived from Mars) or run the names by journalists from their country. I have even called embassies to ask them to help me out.

It is amazing how many people still call Jose Mourinho "ho-say," as if he were Spanish, not Portuguese. There is no excuse for that one after all this time.

Beyond that, there is the laborious business of building a good portfolio on every team you are due to cover. With the final 23-man squads not announced until June 2, only so much of the work can be done ahead of time.

For instance, Diego Maradona, the coach of Argentina in 2010, called up little-known Ariel Garce to the World Cup squad. The 30-year-old defender -- with three caps to his name at the time -- thought the coach's phone call was a practical joke (and then stayed on the bench the whole tournament).

For every team, a commentator needs to know how they qualified, who scored the goals, who the key players were, what tactics they used, the style of the coach, and what storylines developed along the way.

For every team, you also need each player's age, number of caps, goals, red cards and relevant sequences. For instance: "Has not scored in his last 23 internationals," "Winning his 100th cap" or "Team has never lost when he scored."

Ideally, the commentary should never be a "stat attack." Any facts and figures used should have a wow factor, with people at home saying to themselves, "How about that?"

But (this is a personal feeling) you are more likely to catch the viewers' imagination with personal, heartwarming stories about the players than routine, dull stats.

Uruguay's Diego Forlan, the top player of the last World Cup, vowed at 12 years old that he would be a sports star and would be able to pay the expensive medical bills of his sick sister. He has.

Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly had a room in his house converted to replicate the steamy conditions in the Amazon city of Manaus, where his Portugal team play the United States.

Steven Gerrard, the England captain, lost a 10-year-old cousin in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster that claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool fans.

To most fans, those backstories help bring the players to life as personalities rather than just blokes who are rather good at kicking a ball around. As ESPN's vastly experienced production guru, Geoff Mason, told us before the last World Cup, "Imagine a family sitting at home watching a game between two teams they don't care about. Try to give them something to make them root for one guy or one team. Get them interested."

Without turning the game into an endless succession of players' life stories, it is good advice.

It's always worth checking the referee, as well. If you can tell your viewers that the man in the middle is a Saudi oil millionaire or a part-time lion tamer, you are guaranteed to command attention.

All this commentary information can be gained through a lot of reading, thumbing through reference books and, for ESPN's crew, the help of a superb research team led by Paul Carr and Mark Young, who send us weekly World Cup updates beginning months before the tournament.

Along the way, you hope to develop a few international contacts who will be able to give you the inside track on a team or player, and possibly even the likely starting 11.

On a match day, I put all my information onto one cardboard sheet (so it doesn't blow away) and tuck it into a waterproof folder (in case of rain). Younger commentators do it all with some fancy moves on their tablets, but I am old-fashioned enough to wonder what happens if the battery runs out.

Still, you can overprepare and be too much of a know-it-all. The best advice is to let the flow of the game dictate the feel and narrative of the commentary. Stay close to the drama.

You can always tell a great match because you use very few of those research notes. A thrilling 3-3 draw has enough in the game to need little by way of trimmings from the commentator.

But a 0-0 bore with few chances requires the men at the microphone to be entertaining and to inject a little colour and wit, along with talking points to be discussed with the ex-player sitting alongside them in the booth. (For U.S. games this summer, it will be Taylor Twellman; for England games, Steve McManaman.)

Above all, we try to be informed, pleasant guests in the living rooms of our audience -- not tedious drones in the corner who never know when to shut up.

None of those given the rare privilege of calling the World Cup in Brazil should forget that, while it is a demanding job with tiring travel, it beats real work.

http://www.espnfc.us/fifa-world-cup/4/b ... -world-cup

[Nazis in Space]

If my run on the EA Sports World Cup game with Germany is anything to go by, Germany's path to the final could be as follows: Belgium (2R), France (QF), Italy (SF), Spain (F)

Germany beating Italy in a semi final? Preposterous! :P

It's perfectly feasible. Just requires a forfeit via the Italian team drowning in the Amazon or some such thing.

[The Blaatschapen]

So cool.

The street around the corner is very orange.

But, they also put up all flags of the participating countries

[Britcan]

In fairness, we should be worried anyway.

If you think about it, England probably have one of the harder groups in this World Cup.

Definitely. Any group where one of England, Italy and Uruguay are guaranteed to go out is pretty ridiculous.

[Destiny Island]

My dad is rooting for Argentina I believe. I chose other because maybe El Salvador will surprise us this year. *snickers*

[Northern Sunrise Islands]

I agree; and I don't think any of the three former champions in that group are necessarily looking too great.

Uruguay struggled to qualify, weren't too great away from home, and for all we're being told that Suarez is recovering well, there have to minor question marks over someone who's recently had knee surgery.

Italy haven't won a match since September, have now gone seven matches without a win, and their last match was a home draw against mighty Luxembourg where they actually allowed a late equaliser; and then there's the loss of Montolivo...

England are England.

So while I'm not going to engage in any chest-thumping declaration of confidence, I don't think it's inconceivable that England will get out of the group; before they inevitably crash out in the second round or quarterfinals.

Though I want to know who the wag was who decided England should play the group's clear underdogs in Belo Horizonte, of all venues.

Well, we did win against Fluminense, if that counts

Against a couple of our mains, but mostly youth or reserve players. And you only won because of that surprise defense botch that granted 3 goals, so don't get that cocky.

[The Archregimancy]

My dad is rooting for Argentina I believe. I chose other because maybe El Salvador will surprise us this year. *snickers*

That would require El Salvador to have qualified.

And I wonder what our Australian cousins think when they read that someone is 'rooting' for a team.....

[Risottia]

If my run on the EA Sports World Cup game with Germany is anything to go by, Germany's path to the final could be as follows: Belgium (2R), France (QF), Italy (SF), Spain (F)

Germany beating Italy in a semi final? Preposterous!

Not gonna happen. Italy vs Germany is utterly jinxed and the Germans will never win against Italy... against any possible rational prediction and regardless of the relative strength of the two sides.

[Auremena]

Klinsmann announces again that the US has no chance of winning the World Cup.
While I agree that is true, that's the last thing the players want to read in the morning paper, that your coach has no hope for you. I know it'd make me give up all hope.
Thoughts?

[Cata Larga]

Klinsmann announces again that the US has no chance of winning the World Cup.
While I agree that is true, that's the last thing the players want to read in the morning paper, that your coach has no hope for you. I know it'd make me give up all hope.
Thoughts?

...what.

Do you have a link for this? Can you give me it whilst I prepare my torch and pitchfork?