2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup

[Locke]

On CBC, first game is 12:00 noon saturday. Brazil vs Poland. This whole tournament is going to be awesome. I'm really looking forward to seeing Brazil's wonder-kid Alex Pato. He is supposedly the next Phenomenon.

This tournament is always great to watch, just kids who are playing in the biggest tournament of their lives with nothing but the thought of winning for their country on their minds.

I honestly hope Canada can make an impression in this tournament.

Locke.

[FlamingLonghorn]

I myself can't wait to see Altidore and Adu play together... I have a feeling Altidore will turn this into a job in Europe possibly the EPL as he turns 18 in November...

[Resolute 14]

Man, what a nice goal on a free kick by Poland.

[sadora]

That was a beautiful free kick. Great first goal of the tournament, it's just too bad it didn't go to Brazil.

[sadora]

I missed the first three minutes or so of the game and I'm unsure about something, did the Polish player get a yellow card in those opening minutes??

[Resolute 14]

They thought he got a yellow initally, but I guess Brazil needs help, as that was a pretty weak play to send a player off over.

I think Brazil's plan of action is to dive until every Pole gets 2 yellow cards...

[Locke]

They thought he got a yellow initally, but I guess Brazil needs help, as that was a pretty weak play to send a player off over.

I think Brazil's plan of action is to dive until every Pole gets 2 yellow cards...

To be fair, Poland is playing a very aggressive physical game, and against a team that plays an attack with flair and very little aggression it can work against you.

That Polish player received a yellow earlier, and then another later on. It was a pretty weak second yellow, no question. The other calls after that though are fairly routine. I have no problem with the other calls. The commentator suggesting that Brazil's 'theatricality' is influencing the call to be a cardable offence as opposed to just a foul presumes that the ref is an idiot and hes falling for that.

He refs in England, diving is no stanger there....:rolleyes: , hes making good calls but Poland isnt adjusting their play. If they keep this up they are screwing themselves royally for the rest of the tournament.

Really good game so far though, regardless of who you're cheering for.

Locke.

EDIT: And Dave Howard on the Half time show just confirmed everything I said. Poland making too many reckless challenges after their player got sent off, weak send off, and Armitage should shut the hell up because the ref isnt buying the theatricality. Way to go Dave. They should get him to commentate, he at least knows what the hell hes talking about.

On that note, after yesterday's Argentina game and Today's Brazil game, I noticed that the commentators are always jumping on these guys backs, always praising their opponents and bashing them everytime they dont score, and then when they do score, its like, "well thats Brazil/Argentina for you, the best team ever, I dont know why the other team thought they had a chance." What they want from these guys? Games are 90 minutes long, if you want to say a team played like crap, anlayze the whole game and then sum it up. Its getting frustrating. Yeah, Brazil's not playing great, but theres the whole second half yet.

[Resolute 14]

What did he get the first yellow for? Not even the commentators knew that there was already a yellow awarded until half time, when they replayed the video of the 2nd yellow.

[Locke]

What did he get the first yellow for? Not even the commentators knew that there was already a yellow awarded until half time, when they replayed the video of the 2nd yellow.

Brazil's first free kick from 30 yards out.

Honestly, the commentators arent even paying attention. I clearly saw the second yellow given (I will agree, weak call for a yellow, no question), and the subsequent red, and watched the player walk off the pitch crying, and the commentators hadn't even realized it yet. The player was actually missing for about 3 minutes before they finally figured out that he got sent off.

[Resolute 14]

Obviously I missed that call too. Ah well.

Poland still looking good, an hour in.

[melvillemillionaire]

Why didn't Calgary bid for the tournament? FIFA approves field turf. A missed opportunity

[Locke]

Why didn't Calgary bid for the tournament? FIFA approves field turf. A missed opportunity

It has to be FIFA Approved Field Turf. Montreal didnt have it, theirs is less than a week old, and I think McMahon's is older than me. I played on it for a provincial tournament as a kid and its crap. They may have changed it recently but I still doubt its FIFA approved and new turf ain't cheap. That field surface probably cost well over $100 Grand.

Well played game by Poland, no doubt there. They analyzed their opponent's strengths and successfully neutralized them for the entire game. Not the prettiest play ever, but they got 3 points which is whats important.

Very impressive, and, as a Brazil fan, I'm looking forward to them really coming out of the gates hard for their next two games. That should be great to watch, not to mention this really shifts the dynamic of the group.

Now we just have to wait for the Argentina game later today.

[Locke]

If you're watching the game on GOLTV the commentator is way better than the hack they had doing the Copa America games.

I'm expecting the US to beat Korea right now on CBC, their players are the only ones in this tournament who arent old enough to drink in their home country, I bet their coach hopes they dont get into it up here....:D

Argentina vs Czech Rep. should be the most hotly contested game of the day. Its gonna be good.

[melvillemillionaire]

It has to be FIFA Approved Field Turf. Montreal didnt have it, theirs is less than a week old, and I think McMahon's is older than me. I played on it for a provincial tournament as a kid and its crap. They may have changed it recently but I still doubt its FIFA approved and new turf ain't cheap. That field surface probably cost well over $100 Grand.

.
Ottawa's field turf is older than McMahon's

[Locke]

Ottawa's field turf is older than McMahon's

Maybe McMahon just didnt get turf that was FIFA approved, I dont know what you want me to tell you, its really as simple as that, and to be honest I really dont know.

As for the games, the US is going to run into the same trouble as Poland if they keep this aggressive style up. Too many fouls are going to result in cards that are going to screw them later in the tournament. But that game is really good.

As for Korea/Panama that game looks like its going to en 0-0, but not for lack of trying, really exciting game.

[Maserati]

If you're watching the game on GOLTV the commentator is way better than the hack they had doing the Copa America games.

Thank god

[melvillemillionaire]

Did Calgary bid for this tournament Locke? That's what I'm wondering

[Addick]

Did Calgary bid for this tournament Locke? That's what I'm wondering

I believe they threw their hat in and then promptly removed it. The problems with the bid were quite typical of football in this city; poor venue, and politics. By poor venue I mean the fieldturf, which I believe was the main problem with using McMahon. I think it was the fact that the lines are permanent, but I could be wrong.

***

I got to watch parts of the Korea/United States match and that was quite a treat for the neutral! Korea played some beautiful football; their display was what I was expecting from Argentina in the Copa America. It was like watching an NBA team play a WNBA team, America just couldn’t keep up and looked like pylons on Korea’s goal. In the past I’ve talked about how Canada need’s focus on developing quality players, and I believe North America needs to emulate what Korea has done. They have come quite a way in what seems like a short period of time.

[Locke]

I got to watch parts of the Korea/United States match and that was quite a treat for the neutral! Korea played some beautiful football; their display was what I was expecting from Argentina in the Copa America. It was like watching an NBA team play a WNBA team, America just couldn’t keep up and looked like pylons on Korea’s goal. In the past I’ve talked about how Canada need’s focus on developing quality players, and I believe North America needs to emulate what Korea has done. They have come quite a way in what seems like a short period of time.

As for the Bid, I honestly dont know, but I doubt it as the bid would be handled by the Canadian Soccer Association, which would know which fields would be acceptable. So I doubt it, but I admit I have no idea.

As for Korea. I have also stated numerous times that Canada should emulate them. They have gone from nobodies to contenders in less than 8 years. Impressive, and they thoroughly dominated the US today for large portions of the game. That was a fun one to watch.

[sadora]

They have gone from nobodies to contenders in less than 8 years. Impressive, and they thoroughly dominated the US today for large portions of the game. That was a fun one to watch.

I wouldn't go as far as to call them contenders but their soccer program is very good. They have improved considerably and it would be great to see Canada follow a similar program.

[STAMPEDRED]

It has to be FIFA Approved Field Turf. Montreal didnt have it, theirs is less than a week old, and I think McMahon's is older than me. ....

:rolleyes:
So your a year and a half old??

The turf has been replaced a couple of times within the last 7-8 years I believe, with the most recent being before the start of the CFL season in '06.

I would wager why Calgary did not get the bid is:

a: Not enough venues to hold it or people in western Canada

b: Montreal has a mostly useless ball park

c: Ottawa has a tenant-less ball park in Frank Clair Stadium.

d: Toronto is always changing the turf for various events so of course they can get the FIFA approved turf in.


Also for your consideration is McMahon has the same turf with the rubber pellets in it that they are using at Frank Clair Stadium so obviously it would pass... the only part that would not past is as previously posted that the yard lines might not be removable.

And McMahon is a decent ball park as compared to the likes of Frank Clair Stadium or the big-o in Montreal. Get over it!

[Locke]

Wow, it seems I've stumbled upon an entrenched Stamps fan. A little anger, but thats ok.

Sorry, I didnt know they changed it last year. Prior to that it was antique.

The black-pellet crap is crushed tire, and it is in the fields at Montreal, and Ottawa and maybe Edmonton (not sure). I hate it. Call me traditionalist, purist, whatever, soccer should be played on grass. Can we not grow grass in Canada? I watched this morning's games from Victoria and Burnaby and the ball control was in an entirely different class even though the teams arent even comparable in skill.

Sorry about bashing McMahon, but like I said, its not my favorite place to play by a long shot. I dont have any love for the Montreal or Ottawa Stadiums either.

Anyways, well played by Japan, they dominated Scotland and played a really entertaining game. The Zambia/Jordan game was alright, but nothing ground breaking.

[Winsor_Pilates]

This is some really good soccer. I tried to get tickets for todays games in Burnaby but they were sold out. Hopefully I can go see a game in the next round.

[calgaryrocks]

too bad for canada that chile is playing so well. canada has played good but chile is playing impressively. hopefully canada can get some chances with the wind in the second half

[Resolute 14]

South American teams are such a joke with the diving and acting that it is impossible to cheer for any of them.

If some of these Chilean players had 1/10th as much class as they do skill...

[cSpooge]

:rolleyes:
So your a year and a half old??

The turf has been replaced a couple of times within the last 7-8 years I believe, with the most recent being before the start of the CFL season in '06.

I would wager why Calgary did not get the bid is:

a: Not enough venues to hold it or people in western Canada

b: Montreal has a mostly useless ball park

c: Ottawa has a tenant-less ball park in Frank Clair Stadium.

d: Toronto is always changing the turf for various events so of course they can get the FIFA approved turf in.


Also for your consideration is McMahon has the same turf with the rubber pellets in it that they are using at Frank Clair Stadium so obviously it would pass... the only part that would not past is as previously posted that the yard lines might not be removable.

And McMahon is a decent ball park as compared to the likes of Frank Clair Stadium or the big-o in Montreal. Get over it!

The yard lines are not removeable with any ease. They would have to take out the sections of the turf. The yard markers are all just painted right on to the the turf.

Also the games in Toronto are held at BMO Field which is a dedicated soccer stadium (its our national stadium now), so they do not have to change the turf for anything. The only tennat there is Toronto FC and they're on the road for the next 6 games because of the World Cup.

[Locke]

too bad for canada that chile is playing so well. canada has played good but chile is playing impressively. hopefully canada can get some chances with the wind in the second half

Canada looked pretty weak man. That was bad :confused: . If this tournament wasnt held in Canada I think the Ref would have gone over to the Canadian Coach and asked to see proof that this team actually qualified.

South American teams are such a joke with the diving and acting that it is impossible to cheer for any of them.

If some of these Chilean players had 1/10th as much class as they do skill...

There is a certain amount of middle ground here that has to be conceded. I agree that the diving is getting out of hand, at some point its outright ridiculous. The other factors though is that Chile play more of a finesse game, speed and skill. Canada plays a hard-nosed defensive style, with less flair and more hard tackling. When these styles go up against each other this is what you're going to get, especially in a tournament as important as this.

Something still has to be done. If Refs stop awarding free kicks for this crap and just let them roll around on the ground and totally ignore them it might help curb some of this nonsense.

Locke.

[Locke]

I wouldn't go as far as to call them contenders but their soccer program is very good. They have improved considerably and it would be great to see Canada follow a similar program.

I know, but they are qualifying for tournaments on their own merit, not just hosting them so they can finally go :confused: .

To me that makes them contenders because you have to qualify for the tournament to have a chance of winning it ;) .

[Locke]

Wow. Portugal vs New Zealand was hands down the best game yet. Hard tackles, great passing plays and amazing skill countered by solid defending and as yet unseen sportsmanship. And Portugal kept the diving to a minimum...:)

The ref was a little weird. Overall I thought he did a great job of letting the play flow, but both of Portugal's goals came on poor calls, which was really unfortunate for New Zealand. The Kiwis played a solid game though, if they could have finished their chances they would have been right there with Portugal, although their technical skill was nowhere near that of the Portuguese.

That game should have been a 0-0 tie to be fair but a great game to watch nonetheless.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Wow. Portugal vs New Zealand was hands down the best game yet. Hard tackles, great passing plays and amazing skill countered by solid defending and as yet unseen sportsmanship. And Portugal kept the diving to a minimum...:)

The ref was a little weird. Overall I thought he did a great job of letting the play flow, but both of Portugal's goals came on poor calls, which was really unfortunate for New Zealand. The Kiwis played a solid game though, if they could have finished their chances they would have been right there with Portugal, although their technical skill was nowhere near that of the Portuguese.

That game should have been a 0-0 tie to be fair but a great game to watch nonetheless.

a 0-0 tie would have been fair?? WOW, couldn't disagree with you more. Portugal had all the ball, were putting on passing clinics, and really showed their class. It was Portugal's fininshing that let them down and IMO, I thought they were a little y with some of the things they were trying to do.

But yes, New Zealand was unfortunate to have those calls go against them, expecially the penalty, never seen anything like that before. Having said that, I thought they were lucky to get only lose that 2-0, Portugal was far and away the better team.

[Monkey_Fracas]

Agreed, Portugal is clearly on another level than New Zealand.

Bruno Gama lived up to alot of the hype surrounding him today.

I thought Fabio Coentrao was the standout for Portugal though. Unbelievable amounts of skill from this kid, too bad he had a couple of overly dramatic dives.

Pele looked 5-6 years older than everyone on the pitch as well. Very composed and dictated a lot of the attack.

Zequiniha and Bruno Pereirinha had pretty solid games as well, they were the 4th and 5th best players for Portugal today, and still were better than anyone on New Zealand, that gives you an idea of the skill mismatch.

Still, solid marking by New Zealand, they were pretty tight defensively and they played hard, but were clearly overmatched.

[Locke]

a 0-0 tie would have been fair?? WOW, couldn't disagree with you more. Portugal had all the ball, were putting on passing clinics, and really showed their class. It was Portugal's fininshing that let them down and IMO, I thought they were a little y with some of the things they were trying to do.

Agreed, Portugal is clearly on another level than New Zealand.

Zequiniha and Bruno Pereirinha had pretty solid games as well, they were the 4th and 5th best players for Portugal today, and still were better than anyone on New Zealand, that gives you an idea of the skill mismatch.

Still, solid marking by New Zealand, they were pretty tight defensively and they played hard, but were clearly overmatched.

Right, but the reason I say 0-0 would have been fair is because the Portuguese finishing was poor and for all of their amazing skill and dominance of the game they couldnt do anything from open play, the New Zealand defense took them right out of it. Portugal brought all the offense and New Zealand brought all the defense.

Clearly overmatched, outskilled and outclassed. But with all that advantage the Portuguese stole a win with some dodgy refereeing.

They got 2 goals from poor calls by the ref. Eliminate the poor calls and it was a tie game. Did they deserve the win? Yes. Did New Zealand deserve to lose? No. They played an even game. Thats just the way I see, unlucky for the Kiwis.

[Thunderball]

Am I the only one who thinks this tournament is crap without the major European nations? (By which I mean England, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands).

UEFA and FIFA have to get their stuff harmonized. U-21 in Europe v. U-20 in the rest of the world within under a month of each other... how were the Europeans expected to field two teams?

What apparently happened is the big teams elected not to send their 19 and 20 year olds to play on artificial turf in a lonely soccer outpost like Canada, and focused their efforts on the European tournaments, while sending their 17 and 18 year olds to qualify for this, which, of course, they didn't. Other teams didn't qualify for the UEFA tourney, so they focused on U-20.

As for Canada... there should be a rule that host countries should at least have qualified for the last two tournaments... they are just shamefully below the standard in this tournament. A testament to how little people regard the sport here.

Oh, and for the people complaining about the players going down... if you collide with someone at full speed, with no padding and fall on what is essentially concrete... it does hurt... a lot. I was really disgusted when the Canadian "fans" were booing an 18 year old boy for not getting up right away.

[Resolute 14]

Thats okay, I was really disgusted when the 18 year old boy showed off his acting lessons.

[calgaryrocks]

yeah, they were acting alot during the game...im not saying some of them may have been slightly hurt but all the rolling and then getting up and looking fine. especially the guy that got carried off on a stretcher then not even a minute after hitting the sidelines is back on as a substituition...i mean come on

[Thunderball]

yeah, they were acting alot during the game...im not saying some of them may have been slightly hurt but all the rolling and then getting up and looking fine. especially the guy that got carried off on a stretcher then not even a minute after hitting the sidelines is back on as a substituition...i mean come on

I don't condone the antics myself, but its a little childish to be assuming the guy must not be hurt at all and then boo the guy, seeing as just because they are up after a couple mins doesn't mean they weren't in pain a couple minutes before... like if one gets the wind knocked out of them. That first 30-90 seconds can be rather painful, but after that, its like nothing happened.

As for the stretcher thing, they have to put them on a stretcher and get them off the field ASAP if they can't do it themselves, cause the clock doesn't stop, and even stoppage time doesn't always account for the time lost. Unlike in hockey/football, where they can take all day to diagnose on the field/ice, since play has been stopped. Plus, how many times in hockey has a guy been down on the ice for minutes, only to return looking fresh and rejuvenated?

The rules say that if a stretcher comes out and takes a player off-field, that player has to stay off until they can sub him back in... which means they could be a man down for a long time, seeing as a lot of time can pass before a break in play. Players know this, and while they sometimes embellish to get a refs attention (a universal constant in sport), they know that once the ref has addressed it, or once too much time has elapsed, they better get up fast unless they are hurt.

[ricoFlame]

congo looked ridiculous throughout the entire second half vs. austria. what a great game to watch. they deserved the result...thank god that refereeing gaf in the 93rd minute didn't cost them the match. insane.

[Locke]

There is too much diving, whatever players receive as a result only helps to inhibit further inexcusable action. And there were a few ridiculous ones lately, namely the Portugal incident in which even the commentators couldnt help but crack jokes.

[ricoFlame]

There is too much diving, whatever players receive as a result only helps to inhibit further inexcusable action. And there were a few ridiculous ones lately, namely the Portugal incident in which even the commentators couldnt help but crack jokes.

the officials have to start carding these guys more ofen, it is ridiculous, often making the games tough to watch.

[GirlySports]

As for Canada... there should be a rule that host countries should at least have qualified for the last two tournaments... they are just shamefully below the standard in this tournament. A testament to how little people regard the sport here.



Canada has qualified for the 4 of the last 5 tournaments (1997, 2001, 2003, 2005) and made the quarters in 2003 barely losing in extra time to Spain.

You shouldn't judge Canada's performance on 1 single game. They played like crap (I guess having 20 year olds play on Canada Day on national tv wasn't such a good idea afterall, they were so nervous!).

Canada's build-up to the tournament was very good and I expect them to rebound and play much much better in Edmonton on Thusday.

[Locke]

Alright. Todays Games:

Brazil vs Korea Rep.

I have to say, I think this one is going to go to Brazil in a big way. Watching this Korea team play against the USA they had speed and skill and played the whole game at high pace. Only their finishing was lacking so that they were unlucky to not take all 3 points.

This is going to work in Brazil's favour. If they want to play that open style of play then Brazil will play along, Brazil simply got shut down by a tight checking hard-nosed defense that Brazil can usually crack, but it just wasnt their day.

USA vs Poland

I say the Poland takes this one much the same way they took the one against Brazil. The US have a really good chance to win this, but they have to finish their chances on free kicks and the counter-attack. I simply think that the Polish defense is going to put on another clinic. If the US wants to win this, their best bet is to score on a free kick or win a penalty shot. Unfortunately they know this so that might lead to some theatricality. Hopefully that doesnt happen.

Czech vs Korea DPR

I have to go with the Czechs. I originally thought the Koreans could take this one, but because no one in this group has scored a goal I think the Czechs will be the first, the wakeup call has come already. They have a very talented team that played a cagey game against a really good Argentina.

I have to say I was surprised that the Czech/Argentina game didnt have any goals. Very unlike these two teams that typically favour an almost Run and Gun attitude.

Panama vs Argentina

Need I say it? I think Argentina is going to come away with this one because their quality on almost every front is going to shine through. I dont know if its going to be a blowout or a 1-0 steal. Thats the question.

Lets see how I do.;) Feel free to chime in your thoughts.

BTW the commentators for this tournament are nothing short of excellent. Craig Forrest and his partner from the Portugal/New Zealand game should apply for jobs with GOLTV so my blood pressure can return to civilized levels.

Locke.

[GirlySports]

Alright. Todays Games:

Brazil vs Korea Rep.

I have to say, I think this one is going to go to Brazil in a big way. Watching this Korea team play against the USA they had speed and skill and played the whole game at high pace. Only their finishing was lacking so that they were unlucky to not take all 3 points.

This is going to work in Brazil's favour. If they want to play that open style of play then Brazil will play along, Brazil simply got shut down by a tight checking hard-nosed defense that Brazil can usually crack, but it just wasnt their day.

USA vs Poland

I say the Poland takes this one much the same way they took the one against Brazil. The US have a really good chance to win this, but they have to finish their chances on free kicks and the counter-attack. I simply think that the Polish defense is going to put on another clinic. If the US wants to win this, their best bet is to score on a free kick or win a penalty shot. Unfortunately they know this so that might lead to some theatricality. Hopefully that doesnt happen.

Czech vs Korea DPR

I have to go with the Czechs. I originally thought the Koreans could take this one, but because no one in this group has scored a goal I think the Czechs will be the first, the wakeup call has come already. They have a very talented team that played a cagey game against a really good Argentina.

I have to say I was surprised that the Czech/Argentina game didnt have any goals. Very unlike these two teams that typically favour an almost Run and Gun attitude.

Panama vs Argentina

Need I say it? I think Argentina is going to come away with this one because their quality on almost every front is going to shine through. I dont know if its going to be a blowout or a 1-0 steal. Thats the question.

Lets see how I do.;) Feel free to chime in your thoughts.

BTW the commentators for this tournament are nothing short of excellent. Craig Forrest and his partner from the Portugal/New Zealand game should apply for jobs with GOLTV so my blood pressure can return to civilized levels.

Locke.

Agree with everything except I think Korea Rep. will give Brazil fits. This Brazillian team has no speed and just can't score. Plus it is muggy in the BIG OWE so the Koreans have more energy.

And also agree that the commentators have been excellent.
Gary Bloom and John Helm are hired by FIFA so they do the international English feed for every FIFA event including last years World Cup so they will sound familiar. Forrest read the play better than most keepers during his playing days so commentary for him is very simple.

And also the first match where Steve Armitage and his partner did the Brazil game were good too. I know Armitage isn't a common soccer broadcaster and we make fun of him alot during HNIC but listening to him is nostagic and reminds me of CBC's coverage of the 1982 and 1986 world cups.

Better than anything from the US for sure. All English broadcasts on GolTv or ESPN are absolutely unbearable.

[Locke]

Is anyone else upset that they play all these games on CBC Country Canada, a channel I've never heard of, and then they had a free preview for it on Shaw Digital that ended yesterday, so now I have to buy it if I want to watch all the games live? I only want it for soccer, I'm reasonably certain its a fairly sub-par channel the rest of the time like most CBC specialty stuff.

:mad:

[ricoFlame]

Is anyone else upset that they play all these games on CBC Country Canada, a channel I've never heard of, and then they had a free preview for it on Shaw Digital that ended yesterday, so now I have to buy it if I want to watch all the games live? I only want it for soccer, I'm reasonably certain its a fairly sub-par channel the rest of the time like most CBC specialty stuff.

:mad:

yeah, this country canada crap is really starting to get to me too. i don't want that channel, so stop putting coverage of sporting events on on it! dang.

[FlamingLonghorn]

Alright. Todays Games:

USA vs Poland

I say the Poland takes this one much the same way they took the one against Brazil. The US have a really good chance to win this, but they have to finish their chances on free kicks and the counter-attack. I simply think that the Polish defense is going to put on another clinic. If the US wants to win this, their best bet is to score on a free kick or win a penalty shot. Unfortunately they know this so that might lead to some theatricality. Hopefully that doesnt happen.

Locke.

Um... I think Poland forgot to show up....

[ricoFlame]

Um... I think Poland forgot to show up....

ha, yeah...massacre.

[Addick]

OMG! I just finished watching the South Korea/Brazil game and that was the best flippin' match of the tournament so far! The football was lovely and the ending suspenseful. I nearly broke my bloody ankle jumping up and down after Korea notched their second! BTW, I feel embarrassed for the Polish nation...

[Locke]

Poland/USA

Call me surprised. USA played a game that I would have thought beyond their capabilities. They made their chances count and thats what had been hampering them all the time. They played well, and created chances, it was just that their chances never came to anything. Today they showed finishing.

We also saw the dichotomy of the sport. Poland showed up when it was the best team in the world. Everyone came to play and knew it was going to be war. When they played the US they thought the 3 points were in the bank. USA punished them for it, and good on them. Thats how you assert some authority.

Poland thought this was a sure thing. The USA went up early and then put their foot on the gas. Awesome, they never looked back. I never thought I'd see a performance like this from the US, they usually get a lead and protect the hell out of it.

Poland played okay, but nothing better than that. I'd bet that at their best Poland would still have lost. The US was an inspired team tonight. This is fairly high praise from me, as I'm not a big fan of US soccer, but their achievement tonight is undeniable, thoroughly impressive. That was an awesome game to watch.

Alright. Brazil/Korea.

Great game, although the Brazilians showed their talent, and their youth in the same game. They obliterated Korea, and then hit the brakes. I dont know why. They were in their zone, the style of play suited them well, and then all of a sudden, they let Korea back into it. Thats the inexperience. Great game. It had me at the edge of my seat the whole time.

Locke's score tonight: 2-1-1.

Not bad, would have been 3-1-0 if that Czech defender hadn't blatantly fouled the Korean in the box. They'll have to work on that.

Lets see how tomorrow goes.....I cant wait.....:D

Locke.

[ricoFlame]

OMG! I just finished watching the South Korea/Brazil game and that was the best flippin' match of the tournament so far! The football was lovely and the ending suspenseful. I nearly broke my bloody ankle jumping up and down after Korea notched their second! BTW, I feel embarrassed for the Polish nation...

Korean football has really started to produce some great play in recent times. fun to watch at all levels

[GirlySports]

[quote=Locke;932075]
Not bad, would have been 3-1-0 if that Czech defender hadn't blatantly fouled the Korean in the box. They'll have to work on that.

[quote]

Not only was it a silly foul, the penalty WAS SAVED but rebounded right back to the shooter who had a tap-in. That hurts.

[troutman]

Watched the BRA/KOR game. There are some crazy haircuts on that KOR team. And, I think FIFA should be checking birth certificates - some of these players in the tournament can't be under 20 IMO.

[Locke]

Watched the BRA/KOR game. There are some crazy haircuts on that KOR team. And, I think FIFA should be checking birth certificates - some of these players in the tournament can't be under 20 IMO.

I was thinking of making a wise-crack about the ease of obtaining fake Korean birth certificates, but I think I'll leave that can of worms alone...;)

[GirlySports]

Watched the BRA/KOR game. There are some crazy haircuts on that KOR team. And, I think FIFA should be checking birth certificates - some of these players in the tournament can't be under 20 IMO.

I'm starting to doubt that any players in this tournament are under 20.
We know for sure that Freddie Adu is older (it's been rumoured for years).
And the Canadian keeper.. he's a monster!

[Locke]

I'm starting to doubt that any players in this tournament are under 20.
We know for sure that Freddie Adu is older (it's been rumoured for years).
And the Canadian keeper.. he's a monster!

I agree with both of you, it seems unreal, then you look at teams like Argentina and Brazil and their players dont look a day over 16.

http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/fifau20wcanada2007%5fplayerslists-v2%5f9349.pdf

Official list, check the Birthdays. Remember "All players must have been born on or after 1 January 1987. It says so on page 20 of this link.

http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/men%5fu20%5finhalt%5fcan%5f07%5fe%5f375.pdf

Maybe its something they put in the water?:confused:

[FlamingLonghorn]

I'm starting to doubt that any players in this tournament are under 20.
We know for sure that Freddie Adu is older (it's been rumoured for years).
And the Canadian keeper.. he's a monster!

For Sure???

[Locke]

For Sure???

I think to clarify her statement is that when Adu came to the US from Ghana, the birth records in that country during that time were not exactly the shining pinnacle of efficiency or accuracy to say the least. His actual age has been a hazy guess at best.

In any case, I dont think its really all that relevant, its not like hes 5-10 years older or anything, the fact is hes a great player and if hes between 17-20 and not 18 or whatever, who cares?

I think this age thing is okay for speculation and such, but to be honest a couple years either way isnt really material. Look at all the crazy 15 year old hockey players that are 4-6 inches taller than me and outweight me by 20-50 pounds. Thats insane, but it just shows that it can happen.

[troutman]

Remember Taiwan sending what seemed to be grown men to play in the Little League World Series?

[FlamingLonghorn]

Remember Taiwan sending what seemed to be grown men to play in the Little League World Series?

The US sent that Almonte kid too...

[Locke]

Remember Taiwan sending what seemed to be grown men to play in the Little League World Series?

I do recall that, I thought that was absolutely hilarious. That has to suck, as an adult competing against kids.

On a soccer note however. Why the hell are these games being played at 8:45 and 10:45 PM Eastern? A soccer game at 11:00 at night? Its an hour and a half long. These are kids, thats past their bedtime!;)

Not to mention, I want to watch soccer NOW!

[GirlySports]

I do recall that, I thought that was absolutely hilarious. That has to suck, as an adult competing against kids.

On a soccer note however. Why the hell are these games being played at 8:45 and 10:45 PM Eastern? A soccer game at 11:00 at night? Its an hour and a half long. These are kids, thats past their bedtime!;)

Not to mention, I want to watch soccer NOW!


Blame Vancouver for being in a weird timezone :)

Round of 16

11 July, Wed Burnaby 1st B vs .3rd A, C, D 11:00PM - 1:30AM

11 July, Wed Victoria 1st F vs. 2nd E 11:15PM - 1:15AM

Enjoy your late nights!

[GirlySports]

Remember Taiwan sending what seemed to be grown men to play in the Little League World Series?


I think i saw the same kid 5 years in a row.
All Asians look alike ;)

[VANFLAMESFAN]

I do recall that, I thought that was absolutely hilarious. That has to suck, as an adult competing against kids.

On a soccer note however. Why the hell are these games being played at 8:45 and 10:45 PM Eastern? A soccer game at 11:00 at night? Its an hour and a half long. These are kids, thats past their bedtime!;)

Not to mention, I want to watch soccer NOW!


Where do you see any game that starts past 8pm local time?? There's no way FIFA would allow players to play a game that late. Schedule is below and sure, the games that start at 8 in Vancouver would be crappy for eastern viewers, but your point here is about the players.

http://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/matches/index.html

[Machiavelli]

That was a terrible game offensively for Canada. The only real look they had was the blooper that hit the crossbar. Other than that, they didn't have many chances. Maybe it was the heat too, but the first half was just waaaaay too slow on both sides.

[ricoFlame]

still, woulda been nice to see that opportunity in the 93rd minute burried, oh well, the hosts will bow out of the tourney early.

[Locke]

Mexico - Portugal. What a game, came down to the wire at the end. Too many players on Portugal mailed that one in. Pele was downright nonexistant and Gama seemed like he was expecting the Mexicans to back away from him as, apparently he is amazing, which I havent seen yet, and it never happened and he couldnt create anything.

Canada - Austria. Very disappointing game, again, Canada played like an intramural team again. No urgency in the offense and no decisiveness in the defense. Not a lot too special aout that one.

Still, some good stuff, although it kinda sucks when the hosts bow out early. The tournament tends to lose some of its intensity.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Mexico - Portugal. What a game, came down to the wire at the end. Too many players on Portugal mailed that one in. Pele was downright nonexistant and Gama seemed like he was expecting the Mexicans to back away from him as, apparently he is amazing, which I havent seen yet, and it never happened and he couldnt create anything.

.

Great game, the second half was great. I agree, some of Portugal's top players didn't show up. Gama didn't show anything, he was being marked like crazy, but so was Coentrao but you could notice him. I have been really impressed with his play, too bad he's suspended for sunday's game. But as a Portuguese fan, I am stoked to see Coentrao in national team uniform in the next couple years.

[GirlySports]

Don't lose faith! Canada can still get in with a win on Sunday!
They take the best 4 of 6 3rd place teams to the 2nd round.

And looking at other groups, the 3rd place team in Groups B, E and F could easily have less than 3 points.

Group B
Spain 4
Uruguay 4
Zambia 1
Jordan 1

Spain - Jordan
Uruguay - Zambia

If jordan or zambia don't win, both will have less than 3 points.

Group E
Argentina 4
Czech 2
North Korea 2
Panama 1

Argentina-North Korea
Czech - Panama

If Panama doesn't win or if North Korea doesn't win or draw, both will have less than 3 points.

Group F
Japan 6
Nigeria 6
Costa Rica 0
Scotland 0

Japan-Nigeria
Costa Rica-Scotland

Cheer for a Costa Rica-Scotland DRAW. Or if someone does win, hope it's a Scotland win because they have a -4 goals ratio same as Canada.

Having said all this, let's just see if Canada can actually score a goal!
But there's hope so keep supporting!

[ricoFlame]

Don't lose faith! Canada can still get in with a win on Sunday!
They take the best 4 of 6 3rd place teams to the 2nd round.


true, but congo will definitely be tough, they sure are fun to watch though. i love how the african nations refuse to stop pressing the ball forward, superb football.

[ricoFlame]

oh man, brazil trailing the usa 1-0 in the 37th minute...jeesh, step up samba boys, common now.

[ricoFlame]

brazil scores, 1-1 in the 66th minute, this is a very entertaining game. the brazilians, like seemingly everyone else in this tourney, go to ground far too easily.

EDIT: 2-1 USA in the 82nd minute.
EDIT2: 2-1 USA Full time.

[GirlySports]

brazil scores, 1-1 in the 66th minute, this is a very entertaining game. the brazilians, like seemingly everyone else in this tourney, go to ground far too easily.

EDIT: 2-1 USA in the 82nd minute.
EDIT2: 2-1 USA Full time.

What an amazing match, non-stop action.
Adu was incredible.
The US keeper was really hurting at the end but pulled off some great saves.

This is the intensity and speed that Canada needs to play at.

[Addick]

That was a disgraceful performance by Brazil! My God, that was an embarrassment to any footballing nation, pretty much handing the game to the bloody yanks! The Brazilian players just didn't seem to be there; they were flat-footed and didn't take any shape. The lads weren't there to collect passes and when they were the passes were errant. The team had next to no flow and at times they resorted to a long ball game, however, at times it did work because they were somewhat directed long balls.

The match wasn't that great but I have to give the U.S. some credit, they did play well defensively, especially being there to capitalize on Brazilian turnovers. However, they'll still play soccer and that angers me to no end! By soccer I mean the long ball ("hit-and-hope" or "dump-and-chase") game. A few long ball passes a game are okay, granted they are to a person, or an open space where a player will be. I don't want to sound like the typical football fan from the old country with a hate-hard-on for America, but to me the yanks didn't win this one as much as Brazil lost it/gave it up.

[ricoFlame]

That was a disgraceful performance by Brazil! My God, that was an embarrassment to any footballing nation, pretty much handing the game to the bloody yanks! The Brazilian players just didn't seem to be there; they were flat-footed and didn't take any shape. The lads weren't there to collect passes and when they were the passes were errant. The team had next to no flow and at times they resorted to a long ball game, however, at times it did work because they were somewhat directed long balls.

The match wasn't that great but I have to give the U.S. some credit, they did play well defensively, especially being there to capitalize on Brazilian turnovers. However, they'll still play soccer and that angers me to no end! By soccer I mean the long ball ("hit-and-hope" or "dump-and-chase") game. A few long ball passes a game are okay, granted they are to a person, or an open space where a player will be. I don't want to sound like the typical football fan from the old country with a hate-hard-on for America, but to me the yanks didn't win this one as much as Brazil lost it/gave it up.

brazil did manage to create some decent opportunities in the 2nd half, but seemed to rush to get the ball on net once they neared the box. very uncharacteristic on typically patient and creative Brazilian teams.

[GirlySports]

brazil did manage to create some decent opportunities in the 2nd half, but seemed to rush to get the ball on net once they neared the box. very uncharacteristic on typically patient and creative Brazilian teams.

There was no point answering that Rico. Classic troll.

It was a fantastic match by both teams.
I'm still recovering from it and it's an hour later.

[Addick]

There was no point answering that Rico. Classic troll.

It was a fantastic match by both teams.
I'm still recovering from it and it's an hour later.

It was by no means a fantastic match! Brazil vs. Korea was fantastic, this was a sub-par performance by Brazil in a game that didn’t flow. Like Rico said, although they had a few chances in the second half they didn't treat them like how the Brazilians are known to. Rico found the right words when talking about Brazil in the second half, they slightly stepped up their game but they were rushed. I think the pressure really got to them today. They haven't been playing very well for the whole tournament but they were especially poor tonight, in what was a game they needed to win.

[ricoFlame]

There was no point answering that Rico. Classic troll.

It was a fantastic match by both teams.
I'm still recovering from it and it's an hour later.

meh, i'll talk football no matter what.

[GirlySports]

It was by no means a fantastic match! Brazil vs. Korea was fantastic, this was a sub-par performance by Brazil in a game that didn’t flow. Like Rico said, although they had a few chances in the second half they didn't treat them like how the Brazilians are known to. Rico found the right words when talking about Brazil in the second half, they slightly stepped up their game but they were rushed. I think the pressure really got to them today. They haven't been playing very well for the whole tournament but they were especially poor tonight, in what was a game they needed to win.

Brazil and Korea was dull because Koreans can't put 2 passes together and can't finish and the result was never in doubt. Probably would have been 5-0 if not for the late rush at the end. The US played miles better than Korea did and the game was suspense full and in doubt right to the end. How can you say it didn't flow, the match hardly stopped.. it was attack after attack, counter after counter.

You can't just look at it at a Brazillian point of view only. A match isn't good or bad just because BRAZIL plays good or bad. Teams in the world now know that you can't let Brazil dance around and make plays. You have to pressure them and kick them hard. That's why Brazil is now struggling at all levels.

You have to give the US credit, they showed alot of speed and nice touches and counterattacks. They have scored NINE goals.. you dont do that playing 'ugly-soccer' as you call it. They didn't 'dump-and chase' at all. Some of the touches by Adu and Zizzo were world class. They are a force in this tournament.

I thought it was a great match that never had a dull moment. Best of the tournament so far.

[GirlySports]

meh, i'll talk football no matter what.

Cool, you're a much better person then I am.
I can't stand Brazillian arrogance.
They always tell me that Brazil could send 5 teams to the World Cup and they'd all win *pppphhhtttt*

[Addick]

Koreans can't put 2 passes together

Are you talking about the same Koreans that totally outclassed and outplayed America in their first game? Korea has much more technical skill than America, they play a flowing a game!

it was attack after attack, counter after counter.

This was a reason why the game may have been fantastic in an entertainment sense, but in terms of quality of football it wasn't very good. The counter attacks were the States knocking the ball up field and catching the Brazilians in transition. On numerous occasions the ball wasn't moved around the Brazilians but rather just skipped pass them.

You have to give the US credit, they showed alot of speed and nice touches and counterattacks. They have scored NINE goals.. you dont do that playing 'ugly-soccer' as you call it. They didn't 'dump-and chase' at all. Some of the touches by Adu and Zizzo were world class. They are a force in this tournament.

I will give the American squad some credit, they did play well defensively. They didn't give the Brazil squad any extra time on the ball and like I said earlier, they were always in position when Brazil made a foolish pass or play. I'll also admit, and I'm happy that I saw it, on a couple of occasions the American squad did try to develop the play and bring the ball up field, however, it was few and far between and needs to happen a lot more. As for those magnificent touches, I only saw Adu use some fancy footwork a couple of times.

They have scored NINE goals.. you dont do that playing 'ugly-soccer' as you call it.

Three of them were... I won't comment on the 6 from the Poland match because I didn't watch it.

I can't stand Brazillian arrogance.

I'm not a Brazil fan, I'm just a fan of the beautiful game and hate when crap is displayed as football. I love my club, Charlton Athletic, but I'll even call them out when they resort to hit-and-hope balls! Unfortunately, I did that a lot more often then I would have liked this past season, maybe that's why we got relegated...

[GirlySports]

The Koreans don't really play a flowing game, it's too slow. By the time they go anywhere the other team has 9 men back. Japan has more flow than Korea. And I'm Korean!

Japan tries to play like Brazil and Korea tries to play like Holland.

I think you're picking on the US. They play a nice game. The 6 goals against Poland were all pretty. They are very fast and don't stop to let the other team settle. It's not ugly like some of the other teams in the tournament like Scotland, Austria, the african nations who look so awkward or Canada who is playing so bad.

Brazil has been playing this poorly for the past couple of years at all levels.. No surprise that they struggle in this tournament (since youth tournaments are their weakest area anyways) . Keep your eye on the national team with Dunga at the helm. Ugliest football you'll ever see.

I look forward to your analysis of other matches as the tournament goes on.

[Addick]

The Koreans don't really play a flowing game, it's too slow. By the time they go anywhere the other team has 9 men back.

I'd call the quickness of transition a team's directness of attack. To me flowing football is about moving the ball around the pitch in a fluid nature. It's no secret that Canada and America prefer a more direct attacking game and it's not a bad thing, however, how they attempt to do it is. As you've pointed out, America can put the ball in the back of the net, but their problem is getting themselves into positions and situations where they can do that. They try the direct approach but that often results in them simply kicking the ball up field, rather than carrying it.

I think they could look at how New Zealand played against Portugal. The Kiwis were not nearly as skilled as the Portuguese and favored the direct approach but they tried to develop the play and move the ball up field through short passes. While the Portuguese, and for show the Koreans as well, would attempt to complete a complex array of 12-20 short passes, the Kiwis tried to get to goal with 5-7 short passes. Both Canada and America need to develop players with the necessary skills to do this, even the Canadian coach hinted at this:


"Our game is maybe not developed enough, or as well, as the competition that you face in many of the games," said coach Dale Mitchell. "That requires good technical ability and good savvy and ability to open people up. That's a part of the game, at this level, that we're still trying to develop."


I think you're picking on the US.

I couldn't honestly say that I'm not a harsh critic of America, but I hope that I can say I'm a critic that reviews their play with a fine tooth comb rather than one who just gets on their case, often incorrectly.


Brazil has been playing this poorly for the past couple of years at all levels.. No surprise that they struggle in this tournament (since youth tournaments are their weakest area anyways) . Keep your eye on the national team with Dunga at the helm. Ugliest football you'll ever see.

I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to catch the Brazil/Wales match a White Heart Lane last September. I have to say, it wasn't the greatest Brazilian performance... I did get a picture of Ronaldinho though!!!

I look forward to your analysis of other matches as the tournament goes on.

Hopefully I'll be able to analyze tomorrow's matches first hand in the stands.

[GirlySports]

This is where we differ. I can't stand slow short-passing. The mexicans and the portugese slowly playing 15 passes and then losing the ball before the box irritates. I love wing-play. I love speed. I love seeing a player launch the ball 50 yards down the wing and then having a speedy winger latch onto it.

I dont think either style is beautiful or ugly. It's just preference.

Let me apologize for calling you a troll. From your followup posts I can see you are a great soccer fan. I'm so tired of hearing Brazillian and Argentinian fans thinking they own the sport and their 10 year olds could beat anyone. Your first post kind of sounded like that which I have heard way too much. "Just because Brazil lost the other team got lucky" . Brazil is my least favorite team because of their warped fans. I give credit when they play well but very often they dont.

Here's to hoping Brazil chokes against Chile later today :)

[FlamingLonghorn]

I am someone who has in past really been hard on Adu, but in the last two matches he looks like he might eventually get to the stardom that every thought he would. In the Brazil match, he looked a step above everyone on the field, maybe Brazil had a bad game, but Adu simply outshined everyone in that game.

Also, that was an incredible game I don't know how anyone can think otherwise. I thought the US's defense was poor, so I don't know where you got that they played well, unless you include Seitz in the D because he saved their ass many times.

I also don't understand the hate on for the US's style of play. You don't score 6 goals against a good Polish team by playing a nonflowing style of play.

I think the hate is all about being scared that the US are going to be contenders eventually and the world of soccer would hate that, but it's coming.

[Maserati]

I think the hate is all about being scared that the US are going to be contenders eventually and the world of soccer would hate that, but it's coming.
Will never happen..I hope.i culd never accept it esp. as they call it soccer

[Locke]

The US is taking strides in the right direction. Dont get me wrong, I am one of those people who doesnt want the US to become a contender. Simply because I really dont like their style of play.

However, that being said, their game against Brazil was great, regardless of what I think of their 'style of play' they made that game entertaining. They played a really good game on most fronts, their defense got lucky a lot and their keeper should have been wearing #34. The Brazilians didnt play a great game, but man did they give it their all in that second half. You have to remember, these are kids. This is their first international game at this level. They were down, and they're not used to that, and they lost their composure and rushed their plays. They got desperate and the US stayed strong.

Brazil is a team that mails it in to most competitions, and GirlySports, I agree with you there is a significant amount of arrogance comprised within this fact. I cant fault you for disliking that. As a Brazil fan, I understand some of the crap that goes on, it makes it harder to cheer for them, as their losses are taken a lot harder by their fans, but thems the breaks. Its all worth it when they post wins in the fashion of which they are capable. For example, tonights Copa America win against Chile. That was a Brazil game. Chile had their a$$es handed to them tonight, but ask their fans whether that was a great game or not, they'll tell you it was amazing. Thats Brazil.

Locke.

BTW, I do have a somewhat anit-American soccer bias. I am fully ready to admit it. I do however give credit where credit is due, ad the US won that game and won it well. I did think that their second goal was something of a lucky bounce, it was a tough shot to take after that bounce and it was a chance they finished. Thats how games are won. Well done USA.

[Locke]

BTW, I will be in Edmonton for the Mexico/New Zealand game and the Canada/Congo game tomorrow.

Go CANADA GO!!!!

[calgaryrocks]

so here is the latest(from what i can see) for canadas hopes. if they beat congo, the finish ahead of the group E 3rd place team(korea -2points). they only need to finish ahead of 2 3rd place teams.
gambia has 3 points and plays portugal and canada could finish ahead of the loser, but one team must lose. gambia has only 1 goal for so if portugal shuts them out then canada needs to score at least one goal to move on(if gambia loses by 1-0 and canada wins 1-0, i have no idea what tie breaker is left??) also if portugal gets shut out and loses by 2 goals or more and canada wins by a goal then canada would win a tie breaker.
if canada scores 3 goals in a win they would win a tie breaker with costa rica, but considering canada hasnt scored any it is a stretch, and if they score 5 they would win a tie breaker with brazil:rolleyes:


bottom line, we need some help and some scoring, and we dont move on unless we win.

[GirlySports]

so here is the latest(from what i can see) for canadas hopes. if they beat congo, the finish ahead of the group E 3rd place team(korea -2points). they only need to finish ahead of 2 3rd place teams.
gambia has 3 points and plays portugal and canada could finish ahead of the loser, but one team must lose. gambia has only 1 goal for so if portugal shuts them out then canada needs to score at least one goal to move on(if gambia loses by 1-0 and canada wins 1-0, i have no idea what tie breaker is left??) also if portugal gets shut out and loses by 2 goals or more and canada wins by a goal then canada would win a tie breaker.
if canada scores 3 goals in a win they would win a tie breaker with costa rica, but considering canada hasnt scored any it is a stretch, and if they score 5 they would win a tie breaker with brazil:rolleyes:


bottom line, we need some help and some scoring, and we dont move on unless we win.

Yeah.. that injury time goal by Costa Rica killed any hope Canada had. If they had tied Canada would simply have to win to advance.

[GirlySports]

The US is taking strides in the right direction. Dont get me wrong, I am one of those people who doesnt want the US to become a contender. Simply because I really dont like their style of play.

However, that being said, their game against Brazil was great, regardless of what I think of their 'style of play' they made that game entertaining. They played a really good game on most fronts, their defense got lucky a lot and their keeper should have been wearing #34. The Brazilians didnt play a great game, but man did they give it their all in that second half. You have to remember, these are kids. This is their first international game at this level. They were down, and they're not used to that, and they lost their composure and rushed their plays. They got desperate and the US stayed strong.

Brazil is a team that mails it in to most competitions, and GirlySports, I agree with you there is a significant amount of arrogance comprised within this fact. I cant fault you for disliking that. As a Brazil fan, I understand some of the crap that goes on, it makes it harder to cheer for them, as their losses are taken a lot harder by their fans, but thems the breaks. Its all worth it when they post wins in the fashion of which they are capable. For example, tonights Copa America win against Chile. That was a Brazil game. Chile had their a$$es handed to them tonight, but ask their fans whether that was a great game or not, they'll tell you it was amazing. Thats Brazil.

Locke.

BTW, I do have a somewhat anit-American soccer bias. I am fully ready to admit it. I do however give credit where credit is due, ad the US won that game and won it well. I did think that their second goal was something of a lucky bounce, it was a tough shot to take after that bounce and it was a chance they finished. Thats how games are won. Well done USA.

I think Chile lost that match during the national anthem. It's a mentality thing. South American teams are SCARED of the name BRAZIL. Mexico and US are not and are making a habit out of giving the Brazilians a tough time.
Brazil played excellent but what were the Chileans thinking? You give Brazil that much space they will score 10.

Yes the 2nd US goal was a lucky bounce but it was created by an incredible move by Adu to get out of the corner!

And another comparision that will get me shot. The US play soccer alot like the Flames play hockey. Forechecking, pressure, hard-working and guts. You should like them ;)

[ricoFlame]

canada vs. congo 5:30 today on the CBC, right after the portugal vs. gambia game. nice little afternoon of football on CBC. should be a decent watch, hopefully canada can step up, if they can that match has the potential to be a great one.

[Addick]

I love seeing a player launch the ball 50 yards down the wing and then having a speedy winger latch onto it.

Being that speedy striker I've quickly come to dislike those plays... The worst part of them is when you latch onto those balls, look up and see that the goal is still a good 30 yards away.

Let me apologize for calling you a troll.

No worries, without further explanation my earlier post looks rather trollish.

I thought the US's defense was poor, so I don't know where you got that they played well...

In 1v1 situations they did very well; they closed down the Brazilians on numerous occassions. The Brazilians did manage get past a few of them but it wasn't a walk around. Also, like I said before, the US were in the right defensive spots to force turnovers and subsequently collect the ball.

[ricoFlame]

oh man, no goals in the tourney for canada...yikes, that's tough. they manufactured some superb opportunitied tonight, but the finishing was absolutely awful.

[Machiavelli]

First host team in the tournament's history to go out without scoring a single goal. :bag:

They really did try, though. Lombardo was the most noticeable out there - no finish whatsoever, but at least the effort was there. Sigh.

The only entertaining part was seeing the goalie (Begovic -sp?) getting the red card and the substitute player getting cheered after every save.

[troutman]

First host team in the tournament's history to go out without scoring a single goal. :bag:


Like CAN not winning any gold medals at the MTL Olympics.

[ricoFlame]

Like CAN not winning any gold medals at the MTL Olympics.

or the calgary olympics.

[atb]

First host team in the tournament's history to go out without scoring a single goal. :bag:


I just don't get why our teams don't improve over time, especially when it seems the number of kids playing soccer seems to be increasing as the country's population increases.

[ricoFlame]

I just don't get why our teams don't improve over time, especially when it seems the number of kids playing soccer seems to be increasing as the country's population increases.

there are definitely more young players making it to a high level of play within the canadian soccer system, unfourtunately, that level that they are reaching doesn't seem to be getting much higher in relation to the rest of the world. i quite honestly believe that this team did underachieve, but still, a country progresses and grows forward on a foundation of success. there has been little success for the CSA to build upon. i wish i knew how to change this for canadian football.

[Addick]

I just don't get why our teams don't improve over time, especially when it seems the number of kids playing soccer seems to be increasing as the country's population increases.

To put it simply, because we are teaching those kids to play soccer instead of football. We have a very large amount of children playing footy but we are developing them the same way we have in the past, and as such we are getting the same results. If you watched the pre-game show today you probably heard an echo of what I’ve been saying, Canada needs to change the style of game that we play from a long ball/dump-and-chase/hit-and-hope game to a short passing game. However, to be able to play the latter style you need skilled as well as technical players and that’s where Canada’s problem lies; we are simply not producing enough talented players.

You might hear people saying that we need a domestic professional league to develop our players and give them aspiration in addition to a place to play, but I believe that the CSA needs to first focus on creating a system where the large number of children playing the game are taught and allowed to master the basic skills. This system also needs to be able to develop these children as they grow; giving them the opportunity to develop their game and learn advanced skills through elite youth leagues and academies as well as amateur leagues. Once the CSA are on their way to achieving this they can then shift part of their focus to creating a domestic professional league.

[ernie]

Clearly as a whole the canadian players are missing, for lack of a better term, that one-on-one skill. They just don't have the nifty little passes and other little tricks in their repetoire.

How much of that is do to footy not being part of Canadian culture. With hockey, much of that individual skill was developed on the backyard rink or playing shinny after school and on weekends. Unlike many of these other countries footy is not the first thing canadian kids think of when looking to have fun after school or on the weekends so beyond team practices and games very little skill is built up.

Just a theory.

[ricoFlame]

here's what the round of 16 looks like: http://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/matches/index.html

sould make for a great end tourney, or as great as is can be without the hosts in there to cheer for. some great match ups in the round of 16!

[Locke]

Alright, so I got back early this morning from Edmonton and watching the Mexico/New Zealand and Canada/Congo games live! Man that was fun.

First, Edmonton. That was without question the worst organization I have ever experienced when going to an event.

This was their logical reasoning:

There is a large event taking place at the Stadium. Therefore, lots of people will be trying to get there.

Excellent. Well then, lets close the road to the stadium. Call it whatever you want (it has about 3 different names before it turns into 'Stadium Road') is closed.

If this wasnt bad enough, they had a Police Officer directing traffic at a perfectly functioning intersection, in front of said closed road. He then interviewed every individual driver and asked them where they were going. We are on Stadium Road, take a wild guess.

Idiocy Round 2. Police Officer asks whether we have parking passes. No, we're just going to pay for Stadium Parking (just like we all do when we go to the dome or McMahon). Cant do that. Have to have a parking pass (ie. Eskimos Season tickets). Go down an adjoining avenue and find your own parking spot. If you've ever been to Commonwealth Stadium (and its a nice venue) then you would know its sort of in a quasi-urban residential area. Small shops interspersed with neighborhoods and apartment buldings. Which all have big "No Parking for Stadium Events" signs. Precisely where the hell are we supposed to park? We finally found a spot, but we had to move the car every two hours, and we were late.

Idiocy Continued. After that, everyone has to walk about 10 minutes to Commonwealth Stadium. No problem. The entire stadium is surrounded by empty parking lots that are closed and the road around it is closed. So everyone in attendance could easily have parked in the Stadium lots, but no, they are for parking passes only, so they were completely empty. Why?

By this time I'm fairly pissed off. I've missed the first 15 minutes of the game because we've been screwing around with this parking situation.

The Games.

First of all I'd like to say, that for some odd reason Canadian fans cannot bring the enthusiasm and noise making ability that we have at hockey games to that stadium. It might be because it wasnt nearly at its capacity, but the Mexican and Congo fans were absolutely AWESOME! They brought drums and they marched around the entire building chanting, it was a really great atmosphere. We still had a loud cheer going on though, it was a lot of fun, and all the Canadian fans were out there in the pouring rain screaming and cheering, but you just could barely hear them over the really small but loud Congo contingent. I think it must have been because of the drums....;)

The Canada game was really unfortunate, we had all sorts of chances but just couldnt get that finishing touch, really, they could have easily won that game if a couple touches had gone the other way. The biggest prolem was they got y with all the posession and pushed their defense up to press the attack. Then Congo punished them on the counter-attack. Both Congo goals came on really good break out moves, they were fast and skilled and the defense couldnt get back in time. Really, really unfortunate for the Canadians.

By the way, I havent seen the televised broadcast of that game, but if any of you saw it, I was the soaking wet guy in the 8th row (Great Seats) drinking beer and wearing my Calgary Flames Jersey, as the only red clothes I own are all Flames-related, so I figured as a Canadian, the hockey jersey just seemed fitting.:D

Locke.

[BlackEleven]

I got tickets to the quarter-final in Montreal. $12! Can't beat that for live entertainment. I'm hoping Portugal makes it. If so, its going to be absolutely nuts at the game (very large Portugese population in Montreal).

[Addick]

Clearly as a whole the canadian players are missing, for lack of a better term, that one-on-one skill. They just don't have the nifty little passes and other little tricks in their repetoire.

How much of that is do to footy not being part of Canadian culture. With hockey, much of that individual skill was developed on the backyard rink or playing shinny after school and on weekends. Unlike many of these other countries footy is not the first thing canadian kids think of when looking to have fun after school or on the weekends so beyond team practices and games very little skill is built up.

Just a theory.

You are absolutely correct! Those nifty tricks and moves are learned in pick-up games. We need as many kids on the small goal pitch as we have on the backyard rinks.

[Locke]

I got tickets to the quarter-final in Montreal. $12! Can't beat that for live entertainment. I'm hoping Portugal makes it. If so, its going to be absolutely nuts at the game (very large Portugese population in Montreal).

I know, the tickets are cheap. Mine were like $23 for front row center. The only problem is that Edmonton didnt really get any 'great' games. The only one I really wanted to see was the Canada game.

I might do it again depending on what teams are playing in Edmonton's last 2 games.

[GirlySports]

I know, the tickets are cheap. Mine were like $23 for front row center. The only problem is that Edmonton didnt really get any 'great' games. The only one I really wanted to see was the Canada game.

I might do it again depending on what teams are playing in Edmonton's last 2 games.

Could be a USA-Brazil rematch in the Edmonton semifinal. That might be worth walking 10 minutes for!

[Locke]

Could be a USA-Brazil rematch in the Edmonton semifinal. That might be worth walking 10 minutes for!

Indeed. If Brazil beat Spain on wednesday I'm buying tickets for their game in Edmonton on Saturday. The only bad part is that I'm spending that Friday night in Lethbridge, so that 3 hour drive becomes 5. Not cool. But it will definately be worth it to see a Brazil game.

Maybe they'll even let us park in the perfectly serviceable and completely empty parking lots across the street from the Stadium this time. I know its a lot to ask for, but heres hoping.

[Locke]

Oh, another funny little Edmonton anecdote from the other day. In true Edmonton class, they were confiscating people's umbrellas at the door because they could be 'weapons,' and said that the people could reclaim them after the game.

Then, when it started to pour rain like nobody's business they handed out garbage bags for people to wear because they couldnt give the umbrellas back fast enough.......:bag:

Fashion statement, Edmonton style.

[ricoFlame]

Oh, another funny little Edmonton anecdote from the other day. In true Edmonton class, they were confiscating people's umbrellas at the door because they could be 'weapons,' and said that the people could reclaim them after the game.

Then, when it started to pour rain like nobody's business they handed out garbage bags for people to wear because they couldnt give the umbrellas back fast enough.......:bag:

Fashion statement, Edmonton style.

i noticed that the majority of the fans who were there migrated to the few rows under the second deck that were sheltered from the rain. i was thinking as i watched "why didn't they bring umbrellas and such if they knew it was likely going to be raining?" now i know. kinda funny.

[atb]

Oh, another funny little Edmonton anecdote from the other day. In true Edmonton class, they were confiscating people's umbrellas at the door because they could be 'weapons,' and said that the people could reclaim them after the game.

Then, when it started to pour rain like nobody's business they handed out garbage bags for people to wear because they couldnt give the umbrellas back fast enough.......:bag:

Fashion statement, Edmonton style.

Actually had to do the same thing at the world cup in Germany, both at the stadiums and in the public parks where they had put up tv's.

[Resolute 14]

Difference is, Canada is not Europe where passions go overboard. But then, I guess having people get wet is better than the risk.

if I didn't have friends coming down from Grande Prairie this weekend, I probably would have headed up for the semi final. Ahh well.

[Nuje]

I got back at about midnight last night. That parking debacle was a joke. The parking guy was VERY impolite about it too. I asked where I could park around there and he's like "Nowhere. Park downtown and take the LRT". I was ready to get out and punch him in the face. If he had simply said "Sorry, but we have a parking problem. There are places downtown you can park near an LRT and take here, or you can park in a residential area around hear and risk a ticket" then I'd have much less of a problem with it.

[hereandthere]

If you park west of 97th street there are no parking restrictions. I usually park between 111 avenue and 110 avenue and between 97th and 101streets. There is a hughes station along the street. There is also a Wendy's at the corner of 111 avenue and 101 street. Along the street there is also a chinese restaurant called the Wokkery. It is a little farther south. From there it is about a 15 minute walk. As for the poor organization, a lot of the booths at commonwealth are run by service groups. It is possible that they didn't line up enough to do it. As for the umbrellas I went to the doubleheader back on the fifth and they said to my friend to keep the umbrella in his bag but they didn't confescate it from him. It should of have been better.

[ricoFlame]

mitchell responds to canada's showing at the tourney. http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/news_story/?ID=213245&hubname=

i agree with much that he says, but still, as the host team, it would have been nice to see them rise to the occasion just a little, despite being overmatched.

[Thunderball]

mitchell responds to canada's showing at the tourney. http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/news_story/?ID=213245&hubname=

i agree with much that he says, but still, as the host team, it would have been nice to see them rise to the occasion just a little, despite being overmatched.

Wow... I did not expect him to be that blunt.

He affirmed exactly what I thought of them... clearly out of their depth, and probably did not deserve to be there. That said, Canada does produce some decent defensive players and decent goaltenders (Begovic's gaffe notwithstanding) and once they learn to produce more creative players, they might leave the basement of global football.

Incidentally, FIFA really needs to re-evaluate the seeding process for this tournament. There are really far too many weak teams from less talented conferences. In particular, CONCACAF, AFC and the African conference were saturated with teams, and that lead to several uninteresting groups. Europe was definitely under-represented... perhaps it should be U-21 in the future so the big teams don't have to pick between the World Cup and the UEFA Championship.

[FlamingLonghorn]

Bad sportsmanship on part of Uruguay and US at the end of that game. I

[GirlySports]

Bad sportsmanship on part of Uruguay and US at the end of that game. I

Not surprising. Uruguay is always like that.

Figures that the 2 matches that started at 9:15!! would go to extra time.

The Japanese goalie is still trying to guess right on those kicks.. terrible.

[ricoFlame]

Not surprising. Uruguay is always like that.

.

that's true, they love winning, but HATE losing, and show it very obviously most of the time. i guess they're passionate.

[Machiavelli]

Wow, anyone catch the crazy action in the Portugal/Chile game in the last 5 minutes? One of the Portugese players slapped/tackled a Chilean from behind, then got a red. Another Portugal player proceeded to rip the red card straight of the ref's hand, and is also thrown out.

Then, a Chilean who already had a yellow got a second yellow for delaying the game (wasting time) and is thus disqualified from the quarter-finals.

Simply digusting actions by the Portugese players. So much drama!

[Addick]

Simply digusting actions by the Portugese players. So much drama!

I can't believe the kid who got sent of for stealing the ref's card was crying uncontrollably after he got sent off. Honestly, wtf did you expect? When they showed the replay the look on the ref's face was priceless, you could see him saying, "Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

[ricoFlame]

I can't believe the kid who got sent of for stealing the ref's card was crying uncontrollably after he got sent off. Honestly, wtf did you expect? When they showed the replay the look on the ref's face was priceless, you could see him saying, "Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

that was unbelievable, i can't believe that kid did that. he's nuts, honestly, such an insult to the official and the game. brutal.

[Maserati]

damn I missed that action

well USA is out well played by Austrial, they need to work on their finishing!
Cant imagine how some people say Adu is one of the best yes he scored some decent goals but I dont think he cant cut it with the big boys.

[ricoFlame]

damn I missed that action

well USA is out well played by Austrial, they need to work on their finishing!
Cant imagine how some people say Adu is one of the best yes he scored some decent goals but I dont think he cant cut it with the big boys.

he's only 18. i'd say he still has time.

[ricoFlame]

the czech's prevail over spain in penalty kicks. it's always nice when the keeper makes a save to win it for his team. never put money on spain in international tournaments.

[Maserati]

Adu needs to move from the USA head to europe wish he had gotten a chance in the Ajax youth system

[Thor]

Its amazing the jekyl/hyde performances we've seen so far with Brazil, Spain, USA..

One game brilliant, next they stink it out.

Full credit to Austria vs the USA, they turned that game in their favor and controlled play very effectively.

Spain/Czech was horribly bad to watch.

I've always had a distain for teams that seem to have a high number of 'divers' and for that reason I'm very happy to see Spain go home. But had they played like they did against Brazil I could look past the dramatics and enjoy that quality of football.

[GirlySports]

Indeed. If Brazil beat Spain on wednesday I'm buying tickets for their game in Edmonton on Saturday. The only bad part is that I'm spending that Friday night in Lethbridge, so that 3 hour drive becomes 5. Not cool. But it will definately be worth it to see a Brazil game.

Maybe they'll even let us park in the perfectly serviceable and completely empty parking lots across the street from the Stadium this time. I know its a lot to ask for, but heres hoping.


I guess you won't be making that trip up north now eh?

Austria-Czech UGH......... awful. :bag:

[ricoFlame]

Chile still not allowing a goal in the tourney. great game vs. nigeria.

[BlackEleven]

Just got back from the Chile v. Nigeria game. Quite an atmosphere, wow. 46K in attendance and ten times louder than any hockey game I've ever been to. There were tonnes of Chilean supporters, I'm not sure where they all came from, but they had huge flags and lots of drums and cymbals. So loud my ears were ringing after the game and I couldn't talk to the guy next to me.

Great game too. The score wasn't really indicative of how close the game was. Nigeria just went all out at the end trying to get a goal with only one guy back, which got them nothing but cost them two.

[ricoFlame]

Great game too. The score wasn't really indicative of how close the game was. Nigeria just went all out at the end trying to get a goal with only one guy back, which got them nothing but cost them two.

that's african football, IMO the most fun football to watch. this is why african nations often do surprisingly well at world cups, they arn't afraid to press.

[ricoFlame]

Oh man, the first 12 minutes of this mexico-argentina game have been great, mexico just nearly took the lead on a golden opportunity, and these guys are playing rough. solid ball movement though. this could be a good one.

edit: 37th minute, mexico is looking dominant over argentina, really forcing the play creating turnovers and chanced at goal.

[ricoFlame]

1-0 argentina in the 45th minute. dang.

[BlackEleven]

that's african football, IMO the most fun football to watch. this is why african nations often do surprisingly well at world cups, they arn't afraid to press.

It's the way it should be, imo. What's the difference if you lose 4-0 or 1-0? If you get scored on in extra time, you may as well sacrifice defence for offence trying to equalize. You're going to go home if you lose anyway, so you might as well pull out all the stops and try to score. Nigeria did have a couple good chances doing this too, things just didn't quite work out and Chilie was able to score on the counter-attack.

[KTown]

boo my Czechs all you want but there style of play has gotten them to where it counts the semi finals.

The Czech goalkeeper is one of the best in the tournament and he will be giving Petr Cech a run for his money in the future. The future is bright for Czech Republic. A country with 10 million people is consistantly good at hockey and soccer, we can't say the same for our beloved Canada who has 3 times as many people.

CO GZECHS GO

[Thunderball]

boo my Czechs all you want but there style of play has gotten them to where it counts the semi finals.

The Czech goalkeeper is one of the best in the tournament and he will be giving Petr Cech a run for his money in the future. The future is bright for Czech Republic. A country with 10 million people is consistantly good at hockey and soccer, we can't say the same for our beloved Canada who has 3 times as many people.

CO GZECHS GO

Give them Czechs credit, they do have their priorities straight... hockey and soccer... and consistently in the top at both.

[ricoFlame]

Give them Czechs credit, they do have their priorities straight... hockey and soccer... and consistently in the top at both.

exactly right. very impressive track record in both. good on 'em.

[KevanGuy]

So did FIFA inform Austria that they would be playing today? Holy Dina what a pathetic performance. Glad I didn't drive up to the Chuk to see that poop. Congrats to the Czechs though, they were definitely the best team out there tonight.

[Locke]

So did FIFA inform Austria that they would be playing today? Holy Dina what a pathetic performance. Glad I didn't drive up to the Chuk to see that poop. Congrats to the Czechs though, they were definitely the best team out there tonight.

No kidding, what the hell was that? I was expecting a lot more from Austria than that.

I doubt we will be disappointed with tonight's Chile vs Argentina game however. Argentina have been playing so well in this tournament, I dont think anyone is going to beat them. Not to mention that Mexico/Argentina game was intense.

Has anyone else read about the Nigerian coach claiming Referee Howard Webb is a racist when he let Chile's first goal stand instead of calling them offside? Crazy. I watched that whole game, and thought that other than a few weird calls (which actually went Nigeria's way oddly enough) Webb did a great job.

I saw the call that coach was complaining about, it was a close call but Webb got it right, he was onside.

linky, just in case: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/fifau20/story/2007/07/18/nigeria-coach.html

[troutman]

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/2007/07/19/4351793-sun.html

Austria went into the game missing three starting defenders. Michael Sanislaw and Michael Madl were both suspended for picking up a pair of yellow cards in their previous two games, while Thomas Panny broke his ankle in practice on the eve of the contest and had to be sent home.

Like a pride of lions going after a wounded gazelle, the Czechs went right at the Austrian defence from the kickoff.

"That's another reason we decided to be more offensive," Soukup said. "They had to play some new players on defence. That's why we started three attacking forwards. We didn't want to give the Austrian defenders any space to pass the ball."

[KevanGuy]

Some pretty ugly diving from Argentina tonight. We need more reffing like we had last night with guys getting called for the dives. And as I type this Chile gets its revenge with a dive and a card for a suspension! Ah ha, nice.

[KevanGuy]

Wow, that German ref is gonna be lucky to make it outta TO alive. What a total farce.

[Addick]

This is bloody bollocks! Two semi-finals and two pathetic performances. Last night it was the Austrians and tonight it was Wolfgang. The Argentine players were playing him like a fiddle! His calls were atrocious and his decisions baffling. How can a man be so blind to diving? If it was ladies football it might be excused because of the cleavage factor but this is the Men’s U20 for Christ’s sake, it’s unfathomable! This leads me to an issue of mine…

Players deserve a lot of the blame for the amount of diving that takes place in the game today, but at the same time FIFA needs to be scolded for not doing anything to stop it. If players are continually allowed to get away with the act of diving they will continue to do as they either don’t think it’s wrong or because they know they can get away with it. They need to be taught that it’s wrong and won’t be tolerated. I’m totally against bringing instant replay and other technologies into the game, but I do think they need to bring in post game video review for disciplinary measures.

[Maserati]

dat ref. did a poor job tonight.
final on sunday

[GirlySports]

One of the Chilean players must've slept with the refs wife. I've never seen a ref lose his temper so easily and ref so one sided.

This cannot help increase popularity of soccer in Canada at all!

[hereandthere]

You want to dive Chile it will come back to you. HaHaHa. Now if that could happen to all those South American countries too we would be better off. Everytime I saw Chile play they were diving. Brazil dives. Uruguay dives. Argentina dives. It is good when one of them gets their medicine back.

[Dan02]

wow did that chilean team ever embarass their country.... refering to the post game activities.

[RedHot25]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070720/Chile_FIFA_070720/20070720?hub=TopStories

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/fifau20/story/2007/07/20/chile-police.html

[troutman]

wow did that chilean team ever embarass their country.... refering to the post game activities.

The men's team also distinguished themselves by trashing the hotel after the Copa America.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/2007/07/11/4331319-ap.html

[troutman]

This is bloody bollocks! Two semi-finals and two pathetic performances. Last night it was the Austrians and tonight it was Wolfgang. The Argentine players were playing him like a fiddle! His calls were atrocious and his decisions baffling. How can a man be so blind to diving? If it was ladies football it might be excused because of the cleavage factor but this is the Men’s U20 for Christ’s sake, it’s unfathomable! This leads me to an issue of mine…

Players deserve a lot of the blame for the amount of diving that takes place in the game today, but at the same time FIFA needs to be scolded for not doing anything to stop it. If players are continually allowed to get away with the act of diving they will continue to do as they either don’t think it’s wrong or because they know they can get away with it. They need to be taught that it’s wrong and won’t be tolerated. I’m totally against bringing instant replay and other technologies into the game, but I do think they need to bring in post game video review for disciplinary measures.

Chile complaining about diving? Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? Remember the Copa America?

How to end the diving? It's time for FIFA to allow goons and enforcers.

[RedHot25]

http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/news_story/?ID=214113&hubname=

[troutman]

Chile to make formal complaint:

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/2007/07/19/4353613-cp.html

"Naturally this is not a normal situation and we're going to demand a clear explanation for why the police reacted this way with such unusual methods in a situation of this kind," Chile's Foreign Affairs Minister Alejandro Foxley told Chilean media.


Toronto police Chief Bill Blair said officers were forced to take action as the team was leaving the stadium when a dispute broke out between a Chilean player and a rival fan.

"Members of the Chilean team then decided to direct some of their aggressive behaviour towards my officers," Blair said in a release.

"The job of my officers was to respond in a firm, but fair, manner to end that violence. They are trained to do so, and that is what they did."

[Sylvanfan]

Well...it's not like South American's are used to fair justice for all. If theres a part of the world where two and three tier justice still rules, it's on that continent. The fact that they were treated like any other citizen after the altercation was probably a first time for a lot of those guys and they'll likley never understand why they didn't get preferential treatment like they would at home. Had they reacted that way in Brazil or Argentina, they'd have been a lot worse off. They had some legitimate beefing with the officiating but they did react in a very poor manner and showed little or no composure.

[Knut]

From the ARticle

"They hit me with an electrical current and I fainted," player Isaias Perralta told Chilean media. "When I regained consciousness, I saw 10 police officers were hitting me and throwing acid in my face."

Wow..... throwing acid eh!!!

[Resolute 14]

From the ARticle

"They hit me with an electrical current and I fainted," player Isaias Perralta told Chilean media. "When I regained consciousness, I saw 10 police officers were hitting me and throwing acid in my face."

Wow..... throwing acid eh!!!

LOL!

Somoene needs to teach the Chileans that Canadian police aren't like Chilean police. Brutality is the exception, not the norm, and this kid is going to have to prove his allegations before anyone here takes him seriously.

[ricoFlame]

LOL!

Somoene needs to teach the Chileans that Canadian police aren't like Chilean police. Brutality is the exception, not the norm, and this kid is going to have to prove his allegations before anyone here takes him seriously.

his permenant acid burns should be evidence enough :rolleyes: . what a joke. chilean football looked so great prior to this meltdown both including and after the game, and the response from players and whatnot. can't just accept that perhaps they got a raw deal (depending on perspective) quietly get out of there and get over it. now they look awful, and the compounding lies, storytelling and complaining is just making things much much worse. brutal.

[browna]

I don't want to paint all Chileans/South American's with the same brush when it comes to this stuff, but I have countless first hand experience with similar things on the local level...as in trying to intimidate the refs, going so far as to chase them off the field and confront them in the parking lot after.

As far as for playing against other teams, basically, do all they can to get an advantage on the field, the red cards last night are evident of that. They'll spit in your eyes step on your feet, curse to you...supposed all fair game. You give them a hard and fair challenge and they'll go diving and crying...and threatening you the rest of the game. Again, everything they do is in gamemanship, but any time you push back, its a soap opera and complete overreaction...both at the time, and in the aftermath...after the game, or in the parking lot when they have all sorts of backup.

I don't defend the police often in these sort of abuse issues, but again, having seen this garbage myself, guaranteed one or two members of the team provoked police in some way that would get you thrown in jail overnight here...when the cops push back, so let the dramatics begin, with other players overreacting out of control and pouring off the bus. The cops rightly so have to take control, quick, which they did....but it won't prevent the Chileans from completely blowing this out of proportion like they have, but basically deserving any treatment they got.

[Maserati]

cops did the correct thing to step in and protect the refs.

[ricoFlame]

the simulation by the argentines in the first 25 minutes of this game is disgraceful. what an embarassment to football these players are.

[GirlySports]

the simulation by the argentines in the first 25 minutes of this game is disgraceful. what an embarassment to football these players are.

Czech's are flopping around too to be fair. And what's with these refs. It's like they're egomaniacs trying to get a job for senior level. How can you have 30 fouls in one half! I watched Iran-South Korea (Asian Cup) this morning and there were less than 30 fouls in 120 minutes!

Having a tournament in Canada is fun but this tournament has been a disaster. The first round was ok but the refereeing in the knockout stages has been awful.

[llama64]

Czech's are flopping around too to be fair. And what's with these refs.

Seems more a response to the Argentine's drama then their normal style. This is not something you can say of the Argentina team.

Until FIFA starts getting their refs to hand out reds for this simulation bull, controversy is going to continue.

[ricoFlame]

2 goals in 2 minutes...way to hold the lead czechs...

[ricoFlame]

Czech's are flopping around too to be fair.

hey, if that's how you see it, good on ya. it's not how it is though. the flops have been at like a 4-1 ratio.

[sadora]

way to go, winning late in the game like that.

[Thunderball]

From the ARticle

"They hit me with an electrical current and I fainted," player Isaias Perralta told Chilean media. "When I regained consciousness, I saw 10 police officers were hitting me and throwing acid in my face."

Wow..... throwing acid eh!!!

Probably meant pepper spray... give him a break... Canadian police acted like total rookies and now the world has something else to make fun of Canada for regarding this tournament.

[moon]

Probably meant pepper spray... give him a break... Canadian police acted like total rookies and now the world has something else to make fun of Canada for regarding this tournament.

People are going to make fun of us because the Chilean team acted like idiots and then made baseless and asinine accusations against the TO police?

[Thor]

Probably meant pepper spray... give him a break... Canadian police acted like total rookies and now the world has something else to make fun of Canada for regarding this tournament.

Outside of Chile no one cared, it was a non issue 2 days later in any soccer nation that would have even heard of the story.

Not to mention no matter how badly that ref ruined that game, the behavior of the young Chileans was aggressive and the police treated them the same as any crowd of angry people.

Police are trained to be aggressive early on when signs of a full out brawl show up, its to avoid it getting worse and out of hand.

Its not pretty, but its effective.

Not to mention the Fifa officials who watched this incident from the start reported back to FIFA president that the players for Chile were at fault and that the TO police reacted as to be expected in that situation.

Now as for todays game, it was a good quality game. The diving wasn't as bad as I feared.. A glowing difference with Czech who rarely dramaticize falls/fouls vs the Argentine's who react with a lot of dramatic flare.

But Argentina is one very talented team that fully and completely deserved to win this tournament.

Thats what people will remember about this tournament, unless you live in Chile ;) :bag:

[troutman]

The diving wasn't as bad as I feared.. A glowing difference with Czech who rarely dramaticize falls/fouls vs the Argentine's who react with a lot of dramatic flare.


I guess you have never seen the Czechs play hockey.;)

[Resolute 14]

Probably meant pepper spray... give him a break... Canadian police acted like total rookies and now the world has something else to make fun of Canada for regarding this tournament.

Tell the Chilean losers to grow up next time. Bunch of childish punks with self inflated egos who think that the rules don't apply to them because they are star athletes. They got what they deserved.

[ricoFlame]

Tell the Chilean losers to grow up next time. Bunch of childish punks with self inflated egos who think that the rules don't apply to them because they are star athletes. They got what they deserved.

exactly, the nation (chile) should be ashamed, not outraged.

[Thor]

I guess you have never seen the Czechs play hockey.;)

Quite often.

Point is there are particular countries famous for diving when a strong breeze hits.

[GirlySports]

hey, if that's how you see it, good on ya. it's not how it is though. the flops have been at like a 4-1 ratio.

I didn't say it was even, I just said they were flopping too. Argies tripped over ever blade of grass. Can't blame teams for flopping though if the refs are going to be that stupid. Worse reffed int'l soccer event I've ever seen.
Way to go Bladder!

[Thor]

I didn't say it was even, I just said they were flopping too. Argies tripped over ever blade of grass. Can't blame teams for flopping though if the refs are going to be that stupid. Worse reffed int'l soccer event I've ever seen.
Way to go Bladder!

I think the Refs minus a few games did quality work.

When you look over 30 something games and critique them and only remember a handfull the ref's did their job well.

This was an exceptionally successfull tournament, world cup no less... for Canada.

Record attendance, fans from all nationalities sitting in the same sections (you have no idea how shocked my EU friends were to this..)

Canada should be immensly proud of this tournament, the FIFA officials, organizers, volunteers, ALL deserve praise.

The refs, did their best, minus a handfull of games and minus a brutal game with Chile.

Everyone remembers the few, ignores the great competition and fair play in the vast majority of games. (im guilty of this to at times.)

[ricoFlame]

The refs, did their best, minus a handfull of games and minus a brutal game with Chile.


that is simply part of the game, and the fact that there was only 1 really bad game for the officials is truely great.

look to the asian cup that is going on right now in indonesia, in the quarterfinals, uzebekestan was robbed of a goal where a player was actually onside by several feet but called offside well after the play had developed. that awful and completely incorrect call cost them the game and forced them from the tournament. but unlike the chileans, the went off with their heads held high and took the loss rather than going crazy. afterwords, their coach said that everybody makes mistakes and that today just wasn't their day, refusing to blame the officials. all this despite the fact that they played superb fotball and deserved the win over saudi arabia. what class, perhaps the chilean football federation should look into hiring this guy to teach their players and officials how to act in a manner befitting that of footballers representing their nation abroad.

[GirlySports]

I think the Refs minus a few games did quality work.

When you look over 30 something games and critique them and only remember a handfull the ref's did their job well.

This was an exceptionally successfull tournament, world cup no less... for Canada.

Record attendance, fans from all nationalities sitting in the same sections (you have no idea how shocked my EU friends were to this..)

Canada should be immensly proud of this tournament, the FIFA officials, organizers, volunteers, ALL deserve praise.

The refs, did their best, minus a handfull of games and minus a brutal game with Chile.

Everyone remembers the few, ignores the great competition and fair play in the vast majority of games. (im guilty of this to at times.)

Canada should be very proud. That's 2 successful tournaments in Canada now (Women's Under 19 and now this). I hope the Women's World Cup omes to Canada in the future. Any major tournament in North America will be a success and break records because we are so multicultural and rich. Attendance-wise, the Asian Cup for example is a disaster because nobody can afford to go to any games and there is no interest in games that don't involve the hosts.

It's not just the major incidents that I remember, all the matches had no flow to them. It's like hockey games having 20-30 power plays. Too much diving and way too many fouls. They say in the best games, you dont remember the ref. In this tournament, the ref had way too much tv time.

How many times did you hear Craig Forrest say, "Come on, that's not a foul! A perfect tackle, let them play ref!"

[Thunderball]

Canada should be very proud. That's 2 successful tournaments in Canada now (Women's Under 19 and now this). I hope the Women's World Cup omes to Canada in the future. Any major tournament in North America will be a success and break records because we are so multicultural and rich. Attendance-wise, the Asian Cup for example is a disaster because nobody can afford to go to any games and there is no interest in games that don't involve the hosts.

It's not just the major incidents that I remember, all the matches had no flow to them. It's like hockey games having 20-30 power plays. Too much diving and way too many fouls. They say in the best games, you dont remember the ref. In this tournament, the ref had way too much tv time.

How many times did you hear Craig Forrest say, "Come on, that's not a foul! A perfect tackle, let them play ref!"

One of the reasons this tournament was such a success was the ticket prices. I could not believe how affordable the tickets were. Cheap tickets were around $10, and when we went to the Q-Finals, sweet lower bowl tickets were $29 including all the charges. Who couldn't afford to go? Even with the commute from Calgary, it was well within what one would be willing to pay... especially considering that the junior Summit Series in Red Deer has tickets in the $70 range.

One big problem with this tournament is that these players are a little too young, and with that, have some issues with flow and poise that needs time and experience to develop. Even just upping it to U-21 (like UEFA does) would push out some 16-17 year olds and replace them with much more improved and professional 20 year olds. This would also mean the big teams of Europe would be more likely to attend with their best. Having a U20 and a U21 tournament means making some tough decisions, and essentially, splitting your talent into two teams (which is what the big teams did, and why they didn't qualify). Having the ability to watch the youth of Italy, England, France, Germany and the Netherlands would have completely obliterated the attendance record that was set. Like I said before... too much filler from the weaker confederations, not enough Europe. In the end, it was down to the usual suspects anyway... top European teams and top South American teams.

I think we can all do what Blatter suggested and forget that controversial little Police/Chilean team melee happened.

The other real big problem was the reffing. Unbelievably bad... you'd think they were in their teens too... falling for everything, and when they weren't encouraging players to dive by being so gullible (The biggest encouraging factor to diving is getting away with it, toss some yellow cards for diving around, and let the boys play more and it won't happen nearly as much)... they were calling the most assinine things and ruining what precious little flow there was.

With that, I enjoyed all 3 games I saw live (New Zealand-Mexico, Canada-Congo, Spain - Czech Republic) and it was probably the highest quality soccer tournament we'll see in Canada for a very long time.

[ricoFlame]

sometime, maybe a long way of, but some time, Canada will be awarded a world cup. just have to continue to be successful hosts of these smaller FIFA tourney's. that will be a proud day for canada and canadian football.

[Thunderball]

sometime, maybe a long way of, but some time, Canada will be awarded a world cup. just have to continue to be successful hosts of these smaller FIFA tourney's. that will be a proud day for canada and canadian football.

We have to be able to field a competitive squad though. I have a feeling that will be a factor in deciding who hosts in 2014 or 2018 (I believe that's when it could be North America's turn again). No one wants to see a host country in by default miles out of their depth, which they can definitely be accused of in this tournament (I wouldn't say they were out of their depth totally, seeing as they would likely be one of the four teams from CONCACAF anyway... a testament to this tournament's glaring issues).

With that, the focus now needs to be on proper training and development. Canada has proven that they can host these events, and if there's a big enough tournament, like the World Cup, there is the money to overhaul their stadia and have eight proper host cities.

[ricoFlame]

We have to be able to field a competitive squad though. I have a feeling that will be a factor in deciding who hosts in 2014 or 2018 (I believe that's when it could be North America's turn again). No one wants to see a host country in by default miles out of their depth, which they can definitely be accused of in this tournament (I wouldn't say they were out of their depth totally, seeing as they would likely be one of the four teams from CONCACAF anyway... a testament to this tournament's glaring issues).

With that, the focus now needs to be on proper training and development. Canada has proven that they can host these events, and if there's a big enough tournament, like the World Cup, there is the money to overhaul their stadia and have eight proper host cities.

i thought that FIFA did away with the host country automatic qualifier for the world cup, at least it was discussed by FIFA in the last few years. i thought that the japan/korea was the last world cup to include the host.

Edit: nevermind, i see that south africa has an automatic qualifier for world cup 2010, so evidently this still continues. i know that they had discussed this issue, perhaps it never got approved by FIFA. oh well.

[Thunderball]

i thought that FIFA did away with the host country automatic qualifier for the world cup, at least it was discussed by FIFA in the last few years. i thought that the japan/korea was the last world cup to include the host.

it was discussed... but to my knowledge, they opted to keep it. Germany did not have to qualify for 2006... but judging by their standing and talent, that really wasn't a big deal. The rationale seems to be a business one... that attendance would not be as good if the hosts were not there. They just have to make sure that hosts could qualify if they had to. Typically, the hosts could make it on their own, for example the recent hosts, Mexico, Italy, USA, France and Germany are World Cup regulars... and arguably Korea and Japan are too, if only cause of the relative ease of their confederation.

South Africa is the first host since the 1950s that is not a world cup regular and may not have been able to qualify on their own.

[ricoFlame]

oh right, world cup '02 was the last time that the defending champions received and automatic qualifier. now i remember.

[Thunderball]

oh right, world cup '02 was the last time that the defending champions received and automatic qualifier. now i remember.

Oh yeah... that really was a lame idea... personally, i think if the defending champs can't even qualify... then they clearly aren't that caliber anymore and don't deserve any favors.