2022 World Cup

[mikechamp]

You are a fan of the most popular sport on planet Earth.

This is true, and I am still amazed that American sports networks have been so slow to embrace it. They've been missing out on the largest audience they could possibly have. It pales in comparison to any other sport they had been broadcasting.

I have a theory on why it took so long, and why it's still not where it should be, but it belongs in a thread in the Politics forum.

[thrill]

I also see the possibility of US playing an intense open game since the Dutch will have possession and it could play into the US strength of speed down the wings.

Yeah I keep reminding myself that we were the better team for 90 minutes than England and England is SIGNIFICANTLY better than The Netherlands. We can absolutely pull this off even if it isn't the most likely outcome. And having an elite shot stopper in goal is like having a great starter in a playoff game. Almost doesn't matter how great their offense is because that one guy is capable of shutting them down by doing something special. See: Howard, Tim vs Belgium in 2014. If Turner has a game like that, we will create enough changes to get the W.

To some soccer fans in the US, you are not supporting some downtrodden sport. You are a fan of the most popular sport on planet Earth.

Exactly. This is why I don't care who likes soccer. It's awesome to me, but if it isn't your brand, don't worry about it. There are billions who are, and, at this point, the US development apparatus is sophisticated enough and the interest is broad enough, that we are going to continue to produce world class players like Adams, McKennie, and Pulisic simply because it is economically profitable for investors in MLS/US Soccer to do so. Capitalism baby. We will no doubt develop players significantly better than them someday as an inevitability. If that sounds cool to you, stay tuned. If not, vaya con dios. Enjoy the things you enjoy and I'll continue to be a huge soccer dork who watches random MLS games because there's a 19 year old on one of the teams that someday might be good enough for the national team and I want to see how they're progressing.

Also, at this point, I find way more people who are interested in soccer and think baseball (my favorite sport) sucks than vice versa. If I have to defend anything at this point, it's the value of baseball, which I also refuse to do. Baseball rules, if you don't get that, whatever. Please find someone else to talk to about it because I'd rather talk ball with someone who gets it. When people chime into a thread about a particular subject just to let us know they don't like it, it feels like going to a restaurant where you know you don't like the food, just to complain about the food. Why did you go to the restaurant? Why do you think I need to know you don't like the food when you know I like the food?

[BottenFieldofDreams]

I was hoping Ghana would get by Uruguay. Suarez is the worst. The handball never bothered me too much, he got his red card and they got a penalty. Not that I liked it. But all the other stuff has really bothered me. I guess it’s been years since he bit someone. Maybe I should let it go.

Death to stutter step pks. Gross and I hate them.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Never much cared for stutter step PKs and all the tomfoolery.

Always preferred the kicker to just pick a spot, run up, and kick it as hard as he could to the spot.

Probably smarter to not do that, but I enjoy it more.

[BottenFieldofDreams]

If you go hit the [expletive] out of it, even three or four feet in from the post, even if it’s the same direction every time, it will take a miracle to stop it. At least plenty of luck and statistical overachieving.

Believe me, I am acutely, painfully, one star missing from my crest aware that it’s not that simple. But fail with pace. Goddamit, go hit that ball.

[BottenFieldofDreams]

That Korea goal… there were lots of white shirts right there. Wild.

[thrill]

Believe me, I am acutely, painfully, one star missing from my crest aware that it’s not that simple. But fail with pace. Goddamit, go hit that ball.

This is why I love Pulisic as a PK taker. He hits every pen with heat and accuracy. That's literally all you need. You don't need to play mind games, you don't need a tricky run up or a dumb stutter step. Just hit to a corner with authority.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

If you go hit the [expletive] out of it, even three or four feet in from the post, even if it’s the same direction every time, it will take a miracle to stop it. At least plenty of luck and statistical overachieving.

Just bang it into the upper 90 and go from there.

I also don't understand the soft touch approach at the highest of levels. Though, I've looked into it precisely zero and have nothing to suggest it doesn't work. Just seems counterintuitive.

Here's a question. Take an average joe: someone that played soccer growing up, decent enough to start in high school but nothing past that, and continues to play recreationally into his 30s. Say he is dead average at every aspect of the game. At 35 years old, if that generic player were to take 10 PKs against someone like Turner right now, how many goals would you expect him to score? I honestly have no idea.

[thrill]

I also don't understand the soft touch approach at the highest of levels.

Nothing better than watching superstars mess up panenkas (named after a dude named Panenka who did it on a big stage for the first time/would be like calling a sky hook a "Kareem").

[BottenFieldofDreams]

I’ll say this, and I probably shouldn’t just because the stakes and skills are radically different. I played one year in high school. I was maybe the third worst player on JV (I wasn’t good or even probably average, but anxiety/confidence made me terrible). But practice always closed on PKs, usually with the varsity, and I never missed.

If you hit it hard, you don’t need the 90. You don’t have to risk the post or sky. Watching pros miss on clever bull [expletive] is frustrating.