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[it is about the kids]

that was Germany's worst game and it was because of the way they came out to play the game. They had both of their center mids right in front of their center backs and other than one run by schweinsteiger they never pushed up. Seems like Germany coach played way too defensively. its hard to win a soccer match when all you do all game was chase the ball. Germany has the talent to play Spain straight up but chose to go into a shell. You could see it in Klinnsman's reaction afterwards; he was not pleased that all the "joy and fun" that the German team had displayed in tournament was shut down. I do not know about you but i would rather lose playing my style.

[Firedog]

Did any of you see Inter's approach to their semi final w/Barca?  I detest the self proclaimed "Special One" but, he put up a pretty good tactical blueprint.  Only 1 team can be the best in the world (or on a given match day) at keeping/winning the ball.  If that ain't you, you play the patient game and convert your chances when they come.  Ego can chart a different course to ruin of course...

[Left Foot]

Total football, shmotal football. Netherlands were a disgrace. Looked like total MLS hockey football to me from the Dutch. Thank goodness there is at least some justice in the world!

[EWSoccer64]

The ref should have given a couple straight reds before the first twenty minutes were up.

[EWSoccer64]

Everyone seems to be blaming Spain's opponents for "not playing their best" against them, for being "not attacking", for not being too defensive.

Yet while Brasil was the favorite for this World Cup, it was Spain's "possession machine" that was the talk of the tournament even before it started.  It might be fair to say that Spain was the most feared opponent throughout the tournament, and for good reason.

It could well be that every opponent against Spain - referring specifically and particularly to Germany and Holland here - is simply FORCED to play defense most of the game.   Even the Netherland was out possessed by about a 2-1 margin.   No one is going to look all that great when the other guys have the ball twice as much.   And it seems that no one in the entire world is very good at getting the ball away from Spain.
And it can be very frustrating to have the opponents, in a close, tight game, playing keep away against you.   

And no, this does not excuse the 9 yellows and 1 red that the Dutch EARNED tonight.

[tornado]

No doubt Holland should have been given a red early on in the game with a blatant kick to the chest. They were extremely lucky to get away with that and they should be ashamed of the tactics they resorted to. Disgraceful.

[EWSoccer64]

The Biggest Busts in the World Cup -

It's funny, I have seen more "Worst 11" than "Top 11" selections so far in the press.   Undoubtedly, this may something about how history thinks of the 2010 WC.

For Me, the Worst 11 are -

Green, the English GK.   - Hard to find a worst blunder that cost their team so many valuable points.

Gallas and Evra of France -  OK, their leading parts of the French Fiasco.   And they played like crap, too.   It's twofer.

I'll include John Terry because of his distractions to England in the run up and his lack of playing ability to compensate.

De Jong of Holland.    Err, buddy, this is a football tournament, the karate tournament is the next continent over..........


The Stars that did not come out to play ---

Frank Ribery -  He ahd made a believer out of me during the season, and then was so very ineffective in the WC.   Plus, he is French.

Fernado Torres -  Most likely the player who lost the most resale value in the WC.   Absolutely useless.   Yes, he was coming off an injury.  So was Iniesta.

Wayne Rooney - Anyone who watched him play does not need any explanation.

Crybaby Ronaldo -  Yes, he got a goal.  In a 7-0 rout of hapless North Korea.   Other than that, he spent more time "emoting" for the cameras than kicking balls.

Kaka - Played like kaka

Mello -  More than anyone else (including the Dutch victors) contributed to Brasil going home early.

Jozy Altidore - The great scoring hope of the USA was clearly unable to play at this level, and despite the hype, was the Great Scoring NOPE.

What the heck, lets includ Robin van Persiecuted, who no matter how useless he was on the field always thought that Snjeider - who had an excellent tournament - should come off first.

Managers - Here there are some who deserve consideration, like Dunga of Brasil, La Cretin of Italy, and so on.   But no one can seriously rival Douchbag of France.

The only reason that the Italians did not earn a spot on the list is because they were so uninspiring.   The way they drifted into mediocrity this tournament was not even enough to earn any of their players  a terrible, terrible review.  You actually have to put out some effort at something to get that.....Why did the Italians even bother to show up, they clearly did not want to be there.   

Anyone have any additions?   Or substractions?  Comments?   Their own lists?

[EWSoccer64]

How could I forget to add "Le Sulk" to the list, as Anelka was a disaster on and off the pitch.

[EWSoccer64]

The Best of the WC -

For me, the team of the tournament was Germany.   A great young side.   And not given to the technical thuggery of Germany of the past two decades or so.
Their coach Louw, gets my vote for Top Coach.

I fully agree that Diego Forlan was the best player in the World Cup.

I would also add Mueller, Xavi, Iniesta, Robben, Schnjeider, Donovon (yes, Landon), Saint Iker in goal,  Philip Lahm in the back.

Let's get some other ideas, particularly on defense.

[EWSoccer64]

Bendtner of Denmark was also another big disappointment.

[EWSoccer64]

FIFA has announced that the USA finished 12th in the WC, one ahead of England and two ahead of Mexico.   Argentina was 5th, Brasil 6th.
So you had Europe 1-2-3 and South America 4-5-6.  Ghana was 7th.  Japan was the highest level Asian team, at 9th.  Australia 21 and New Zealand, the only undefeated team in the WC, was 22nd.

[EWSoccer64]

North Korean football team shamed in six-hour public inquiry over World Cup
North Korea's football team has been shamed in a six-hour public inquisition and the team's coach has been accused of "betraying" the reclusive leader's heir apparent following their failure at the World Cup, according to reports.
 
By Barney Henderson
Published: 12:15PM BST 30 Jul 2010

 
The team's coach, Kim Jong-hun, was reportedly forced to become a builder and has been expelled from the Workers' Party of Korea. Photo: REUTERS The entire squad was forced onto a stage at the People's Palace of Culture and subjected to criticism from Pak Myong-chol, the sports minister, as 400 government officials, students and journalists watched.

The players were subjected to a "grand debate" on July 2 because they failed in their "ideological struggle" to succeed in South Africa, Radio Free Asia and South Korean media reported.

 
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Italy blocks sale of yachts to North KoreaThe team's coach, Kim Jong-hun, was reportedly forced to become a builder and has been expelled from the Workers' Party of Korea.

The coach was punished for "betraying" Kim Jong-un - one of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il's sons and heir apparent.

The country, in its first World Cup since 1966, lost all three group games – including a 7-0 defeat to Portugal.

The broadcast of live games had been banned to avoid national embarrassment, but after the spirited 2-1 defeat to Brazil, state television made the Portugal game its first live sports broadcast ever.

Following ideological criticism, the players were then allegedly forced to blame the coach for their defeats.

Only two players avoided the inquisition - Japanese-born Jong Tae-se and An Yong-hak, who flew straight to Japan after the tournament.

However, media in South Korea said the players got off lightly by North Korean standards.

"In the past, North Korean athletes and coaches who performed badly were sent to prison camps," a South Korean intelligence source told the Chosun Ilbo newspaper.

[soccerpride]

@EWSoccer64 - I cannot believe that in this day and age, s**t like this is still going on. Pardon my language, but this is absolutely insane. It makes me ill.

[Left Foot]

@EWSoccer64 - I cannot believe that in this day and age, s**t like this is still going on. Pardon my language, but this is absolutely insane. It makes me ill.

Sarah Palin is in the hunt for the republican presidential ticket and North Korea punishing there soccer team seems insane to you? Welcome to what is, and remains, a very strange world!

[NKSoccerFan]

@EWSoccer64 - I cannot believe that in this day and age, s**t like this is still going on. Pardon my language, but this is absolutely insane. It makes me ill.

Sarah Palin is in the hunt for the republican presidential ticket and North Korea punishing there soccer team seems insane to you? Welcome to what is, and remains, a very strange world!

Of those two, I'm not sure which is more disturbing.

[soccerpride]

@Left Foot & @ NKSoccerFan: Too funny! Not a Palin supporter, but I did like her for a few minutes, than she spoke. I met her when I use to live in AK, and I cannot remember her ever making an impression. Regardless, on the N. Korea matter; I know I should not be shocked, but really, I am. I still cannot get my head around this. Although we have our own issues here, I am extremely grateful they do not come close to what some folks have to face in every day life. Ugh...

[NKSoccerFan]

Although we have our own issues here, I am extremely grateful they do not come close to what some folks have to face in every day life.

Couldn't have said it better myself...

[EWSoccer64]

@EWSoccer64 - I cannot believe that in this day and age, s**t like this is still going on. Pardon my language, but this is absolutely insane. It makes me ill.

Sarah Palin is in the hunt for the republican presidential ticket and North Korea punishing there soccer team seems insane to you? Welcome to what is, and remains, a very strange world!

After a year and a half as President, Obama still has less execuative experience than Sarah Palin.   And Palin has better poll numbers.  It is really insane that a country will vote a man into office just because he is black and doesn't talk "ghetto".

[EWSoccer64]

@EWSoccer64 - I cannot believe that in this day and age, s**t like this is still going on. Pardon my language, but this is absolutely insane. It makes me ill.

Remember what Saddam Insane's son did to the Iraqi national team after it lost in the Asian Games?   Whipped the soles of their feet.

[soccerpride]

@EWSoccer64 - I cannot believe that in this day and age, s**t like this is still going on. Pardon my language, but this is absolutely insane. It makes me ill.

Remember what Saddam Insane's son did to the Iraqi national team after it lost in the Asian Games?   Whipped the soles of their feet.

OMG, I must of been under a rock when this happened! Now I must research this. Insane, indeed!

[soccerpride]

Yikes! Although I was not under a rock, I was on a rock! LOL! Aleutian Islands that is.

Courtesy of Wikipedia:

The Dark Generation
During the rule of the government of Saddam Hussein, Saddam's son, Uday Hussein, was in charge of the Iraqi Olympic Committee and, by extension, the national football team. Under Uday's leadership, motivational lectures to the team included threats to cut off players' legs, while missed practices resulted in prison time and losses resulted in flogging with electric cable or baths in raw sewage, if penalites or an open goal was missed or own goals were scored then that person would have their feet whipped with thorns. After the Gulf War, Iraq was banned from participating in the Asian Games and in most Arab competitions. In 1996 Iraq was ranked 139th in the world, the worst FIFA ranking in Iraqi football history.

[Left Foot]

@EWSoccer64 - I cannot believe that in this day and age, s**t like this is still going on. Pardon my language, but this is absolutely insane. It makes me ill.

Sarah Palin is in the hunt for the republican presidential ticket and North Korea punishing there soccer team seems insane to you? Welcome to what is, and remains, a very strange world!

After a year and a half as President, Obama still has less execuative experience than Sarah Palin.   And Palin has better poll numbers.  It is really insane that a country will vote a man into office just because he is black and doesn't talk "ghetto".

What is insane is to think that folks put Obama in the white house just because he is black. You do realize that this isn't the 60's right? I guess if it it is the only way you can square the election results though....