Soccer rules!!!!!! Baseball sucks!!!!!

Easy.

Man United 2 - Bayern Munich 1

others that were just great games:

Arsenal - West Ham in the FA Cup, spring, 98
Arsenal 1 - Man United 2 FA Cup, April 99
Denmark - Brazil in WC 98
Argentina - England in WC 98
Italy - Ireland in WC 94

...and that's just the recent ones

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Clutch Goons, Inc.

 

Sorry, but the German team is going to need a few years to come back to full strength. They're not what they used to be.

I hope we both get to meet in the Finals, but first I'm concentrating on our road to the World Cup. It's going to be tough with Portugal in the same group.

The most exciting matches I can remember:

Chelsea-Barcelona in last year's CL. Barcelona was down 1-3 and came back to win in the second leg in astonishing fashion. they absolutely destroyed Vialli's team.

Holland-Yugoslavia in Euro 2000.
This match was unbelieveable. Holland turned up the style and destroyed them 6-1. Kluivert made history by scoring 4 goals in one match (even though the third one was later declared an own goal, at the time it was still a record and so exciting). It's one of the best games the Dutch have ever played.

Germany-Holland. Euro 88.
The sweetest victory in the nation's history, as we got them back for the defeat in '74.

Holland-Soviet Union. Euro 88.
The game to seal the deal. One of the best goals ever witnessed was scored in this game and made Marco van Basten one of the legends of that generation.

Holland-Argentina. World Cup '98.
Replay of the '78 Finals. The Dutch won after a game full of passion and suspense. The best and most significant goal I have ever seen live was scored that day. A magnificent long pass from Frank de Boer is received with skill one is lucky to ever witness. Dennis Bergkamp slots the ball home and sends the Argentinians home in the dying seconds of the match. The celebrations were something to remember.

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[This message has been edited by Ace (edited September 17, 2000).]

 

Soccer and Baseball both SUCK!!!!! Playing baseball is awesome, playing soccer is pretty fun too. But watching either one is unbearable!

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Argentina England WC98
-->Saw it in a british expat pub in Santa Monica. Everyone was drunk and completely out of control at ten in the morning. All efforts to conform to fire codes or reasonable standards of behavior were thrown out the door (along with some Argentina supporters) Good thing I left the Gabriel Batistuta shirt at home.

England Italy WC98 Qualifiers
--->When Paul Ince got his head popped open by a an elbow that got no stoppage in play, much less a card, he was ushered to the sidelines where he was bandaged and came back
into the game, with his wrapped up in bloody bandages, slide tackling with crisp efficiency and gruesome results.

Russia Italy WC98 Qualifiers
--->Dmitri Popov and Victor Onopko in Moscow in November, in a blizzard, taking the Italians to school.

USA 1 Brazil 0 Gold Cup 98 (I was there!)
---> Romario called it the most impressive performance of a goal keeper he had ever seen. Keller is always chewing something when he's on the pitch. I saw the package. Kasey Keller was chewing Juicy Fruit. He also waved at us as he left the pitch after he talked to Telemundo.

Trinidad/Tobago Guatemala Gold Cup 2000 (Dwight Yorke rocks...and talks to fans too)
Their goal-keeper is Shaq-sized. When he tossed the ball out it could almost clear the other side. I was shocked at how good and TALL they were.

USA 3 Germany 0 (friendly last year)
US completely dominated the game. The German press even admitted as much. How can people think of Germany as a great soccer power and berate the US at the same time? In all fairness, Oliver Bierhof wasn't there, but should one player really make the difference for a national side?

USA 1 Argentina 0 (also last year)
that victory was harder to get but we are 2-0 in the last two matches with 'em.

Anytime Korea plays Japan.
Both the crowd and the play gets extra-extra intense.

Anytime USA played Mexico with Wynalda and Blanco starting (especially if you can lip read spanish)
--->I'll never forget when Waldo angled himself away from officials (but not from the camera) and made a gesture in the likeness of female genitalia to Cuatmoc Blanco, who freaked out and got carded for swinging at Wynalda. A dirty play, but I had to love Waldo for beating tres colores at their own game.

The first game Luis Hernandez played for the Galaxy.
-->A sold out crowd for MLS at the freaking Rose Bowl. He didn't score a goal, but it's always a strange and yet pleasant feeling when the "bad guys" of yore now play for your team.

-Deji


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I LOVE SOCCER!!!!
i hate baseball, baseball sucks to watch, and isnt that much fun to play unless you are drunk.
soccer is not only exciting and suspensfull, its also beutifull.

back when i was a little kid i remember watching argentinia in the world cup. Diego Maradona quickly became my hero. back in i think it was the 1984 cup he was amazing, NO ONE COULD STOP HIM. even in 88 he dominated, but you knew he was special evry time he touched the ball. another thing i remember about the 84 cup was the argentina goalie. a couple of games came down to penelty shots. i have never seen anything like it. usually every shot scores, but in one game, nearly evry shot was blocked.

as far as recent games go, i really enjoyed watching the womans world cup. damn those girls can play.

but Ryan giggs is by far the best player to watch right now.
i am partial, but it is my opinion

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Deji -

That England-Italy game was great. Paul Gascoigne said of Ince in the second half that he looked like a pint of Guinness running around. Classic!

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The Badministrator

 

Way to go Det,

The perfect way to promote your game is to say "Soccor IS NOT boring, baseball IS boring"

Now I'm a fan of a considerably diverse range of sports, soccer and baseball amongst them (although soccer is more of a general interest, I'm not a true follower).

I don't agree with your assessment that "soccer is the most popular sport in the world and there is a reason for that". Big deal - it just means that is what you grew up watching. Just because lots of otherpeople like it doesn't mean a thing to me.

Things I like about Soccer
1.A very pure sport. A ball and a goal, no real compicated rules
2. Truly a worldwide sport

Things I hate about soccer
1. Inequities in competitions in Europe (Yay, Man U win again, what a surprise)
2. A team can dominate a game and still lose
3. 90% of the time, the team that scores first wins or draws
4. Penalty Shootouts (absolutely the worst feature of soccer)
5. Tied games
6. Nil Nil or 1 - 1 ties. Yawn.
7. Biased officiating can easily decide a game (Germany vs Argentina World Cup Final, can't remeber exact year)
8. Players taking a big fall in the box (Klinnsmann, the biggest culprit in History)
9. Violence associated with it.



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Current Rocket's Salary & Contract Info

 

Didn't some soccer player in the 1994 World Cup get shot in a restaraunt for accidentally scoring on his own team, hence losing the game for his country???

I know something like that happened, but I am not sure when it happened.

Soccer is a great game. The most recognized and most popular sport in the world. But man is it hard to watch sometimes.....BORING!!!

Baseball can be just as boring if not moreso. I do, however watch both, simply for the love of sports and competition!

This is why I am such a huge basketball fan. Constant action comprised of the best overall athletes in the world. There is no other sport that combines all the elements of physicality and athleticism.

Bill Walton would back me up on this!!



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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."

[This message has been edited by HOOP-T (edited September 18, 2000).]

 

HOOP-T

You are correct. It was in the 1994 world cup and the player was Colombian. If I am not mistaken, his "own goal" led to a U.S. victory.

Interesting side bar. I coached soccer for a while. We played in the USA Cup in Minnesota in the U-12 (Under 12) division. The tournament was set up so you play 3 games in a division of 4 teams. After the 3 games the 1st and 2nd place teams goes to an 'A' bracket, the 3rd place team goes to 'B' and the 4th place team goes to 'C'. We were 1-1-0 and were playing a team from Colombia that was 0-1-1. If Colombia beat us they would go to the 'A' bracket, and the way the standings were, we would go to 'C. Colombia was winning 4-1 late in the 2nd half and one of our players took an innocent shot on goal. The goalie caught the balll, heard his coach yell something and took the ball and THREW IT INTO THE NET giving us a goal. On the ensuing kickoff, they sent it right to one of our players and allowed him to go unimpeded to the goal and score another goal. The same thing happened on the following kick. After it got to 4-4, they started playing defense again but refused to try to score.

After the game I read the opposing coach the riot act but he pretended not to understand. They ended up doing quite well in the 'C' bracket (losing in the finals) while we were demolished in our first game of the 'A' bracket.

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THe Greatest game ever:
SPAIN VS. YUGOSLAVIA IN EURO 2000

if you dont remember spain had to win to pass to the quater finals was down 3-2 with 5mins left they got a penalty kick made it w tied 3-3 with 30seconds left and and ALfonso made a scissor kick from the top of the box that made it 4-3 Spain WINSS Spain Wins

i saved dat goal to my computer it was so good!


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"It wasn't a fight. He punched me one time, that's all. That's not a fight. I don't fight at 30,000 feet. I had an education." L8 vs Stack

 

Case in point, thanks Steve. Probably some dubious referee's decision after a player "flopped" inside the box.

Hoop-T
"There is no other sport that combines all the elements of physicality and athleticism."

I begg to differ. Australian Rules requires all that and more. You must be fast, strong, fit, skilful, agile... I can't think of another sport that requires a greater list of attributes than that, basketball included



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I've tried watching Aussie rules davo. Just caught some this weekend on ESPN in fact. I'm afraid it looks like Calvinball to me.

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i agree with r0ckets03 Soccer is for south-americans , and abaseball is too damn slow and boring , they both suck , Basketball and Football(American) rule!

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Soccer is for South Americans? What kind of comment is that?
Another little side note- Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. It is very popular in Europe as well. In fact, I think most of us here who are interested in football are from Europe.

I personally think baseball is boring and I can't watch it on TV. I've been to a few Astros games, but I didn't pay much attention to the game but rather enjoyed the entire experience. Yet I allow people to enjoy their sport without my bashing.

The Voice of Reason,

I think you are referring to the '86 and '90 World Cups.

Hoop-T,

You're right. An American player centered that ball and Andres Escobar put his leg out to interecept the shot. Unfortunately, the ball moved straight towards goal. Even though the shot was weak, the goalie was not ready and couldn't get to it. The US won the game 2-1 and meant that Colombia had to go home early. In Medellin, he was shot by a man who shouted, "Thanks for the autogol, idiot!"

Davo,

I don't really get some of your points.

Things I hate about soccer
1. Inequities in competitions in Europe (Yay, Man U win again, what a surprise)
2. A team can dominate a game and still lose
3. 90% of the time, the team that scores first wins or draws
4. Penalty Shootouts (absolutely the worst feature of soccer)
5. Tied games
6. Nil Nil or 1 - 1 ties. Yawn.
7. Biased officiating can easily decide a game (Germany vs Argentina World Cup Final, can't remeber exact year)
8. Players taking a big fall in the box (Klinnsmann, the biggest culprit in History)
9. Violence associated with it.

You say the rich teams dominate because of their wealth. This translates into an unfair advantage. Yet you complain that a team can dominate for the entire game and still lose. Doesn't quite make sense. This would make the poorer teams more likely to pull off an upset. I personally like this because a fan can tune in knowing that the team has a chance, no matter who you are facing.

There are always boring matches in any sport. You can't help that. Football matches are usually more exciting than in any other sport, IMO.

Biased officiating? I admit that it might come into play in one instance (i.e. penalty) in particular, but how often do we hear how Jordan was given special treatment? How often do we hear that the small-market teams lost because they are just that?

ManU has gone through dry periods quite often, actually. They have also had years were they completely dominated. Just like the Lakers, Bulls, and Celtics. Maybe they win a lot in the domestic cups, but more importance is placed in the European Championships (such as the CL and UEFA cups). That's up for grabs. The domestic title is usually down to three or four teams with one outsider. Isn't this often the case in basketball as well?

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Nederland 2002 Qualifying Campaign (Damn those penalties!!!)


Houston Rockets Space Center- Not just another ClutchCity.NET clone. We're that and more!

 

Soccer Rocks, Go Vilans

As for Baseball, i have never really got into it properly, but it appears to be a yanky version of the great game of cricket



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Discombobulation Imminent

 

Ace Said

Davo,

I don't really get some of your points.

Things I hate about soccer
1. Inequities in competitions in Europe (Yay, Man U win again, what a surprise)
2. A team can dominate a game and still lose
3. 90% of the time, the team that scores first wins or draws
4. Penalty Shootouts (absolutely the worst feature of soccer)
5. Tied games
6. Nil Nil or 1 - 1 ties. Yawn.
7. Biased officiating can easily decide a game (Germany vs Argentina World Cup Final, can't remeber exact year)
8. Players taking a big fall in the box (Klinnsmann, the biggest culprit in History)
9. Violence associated with it.

You say the rich teams dominate because of their wealth. This translates into an unfair advantage. Yet you complain that a team can dominate for the entire game and still lose. Doesn't quite make sense. This would make the poorer teams more likely to pull off an upset. I personally like this because a fan can tune in knowing that the team has a chance, no matter who you are facing.

True Ace, but the operative terms are can dominate and still lose. There are very few sports around in which a team can dominate and still lose, and I find that a fault. Typical for soccer - if the underdog scores first, they will stack the defense, clogging the game and possibly making it a very tawdry affair.

Touche regarding the poorer teams being able to stay close to the rich ones. Fact remains that I would rather see the poorer side stay close or possibly win because of superior will or ability, not becuase it is just so gosh darn hard to score. Note that my bitterness towards the Man United's of the world is more to do with how much I despise Major League baseball's salary structure (read Yankees).

There are always boring matches in any sport. You can't help that. Football matches are usually more exciting than in any other sport, IMO.
Can't agrue with your opinion.

Biased officiating? I admit that it might come into play in one instance (i.e. penalty) in particular, but how often do we hear how Jordan was given special treatment? How often do we hear that the small-market teams lost because they are just that?

My point here is that a goal in soccer is so vitally important and valuable that a questionable penalty given away in the box has much more influence on the game than a soft call on Jordan would. I used the Klinnsman world cup example to get a rise out of Det the Threat, but he didn't bite (yet), but to me, that epitomized one of the worst facets of the game. Klinnsman took a MAJOR flop in the box in the World Cup Final and was awarded a penalty that won them the game. Replay showed that he wasn't even touched

ManU has gone through dry periods quite often, actually. They have also had years were they completely dominated. Just like the Lakers, Bulls, and Celtics. Maybe they win a lot in the domestic cups, but more importance is placed in the European Championships (such as the CL and UEFA cups). That's up for grabs. The domestic title is usually down to three or four teams with one outsider. Isn't this often the case in basketball as well?

As stated above, my main beef is with baseball, but I have a problem supporting any system in which there is inherent inequity. Unless everyone is starting from a relatively even playing field, I think the element of sport is removed. At least basketball and NFL have institued salary caps to address this issue. Soccer in Europe is at the opposite end of the spectrum. What you say is true - most of the interest now lies in the European Championships, and as such you will see the death of domestic leagues and the growth of a Euro "Super" League. Is that what you want?

Ace,
Bear in mind that I am a fan of soccer, and I am merely venting my frustrations regarding certain aspects. I deliberately avoided comparisions with other sports in my original post becuase I hate things about them as well - this discussion was limited to soccer.

PS - you are of Dutch origin aren't you Ace? If so, I guess your boy Pieter van den Hogen Band stole Thorpedo's show? Congrats.

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[This message has been edited by davo (edited September 18, 2000).]