If you can't get excited watching a World Cup game then I suggest that you immediately go to an emergency room and let them know your heart has stopped beating and your brain is no longer receiving the proper amount of oxygen.
I thought I would work from home today while watching the games but minutes after kick-off and it's hard to focus on anything other than ESPN2.
The jersey is on and I'm drooling over the masterful control these players have of their game.
Join the fray by reading through and commenting at the end.
Inspired by Costa Rica, I'm declaring my own national holiday - Ole Day.
I know it's highly unlikely but as an American living in the Uk, I would soooo love it if the US at least beat England. Now if I could only get hold of a US jersey easily here in London....
@BigA:
The USA team is actually quite good, and has a good chance at beating England, although if you're *in* the UK, you may want to *not* wear the US-team jersey to the pub ;-)
If the USA can beat the Czech Republic that is. All bets are on.
4-2 to Germany already and it seems that this World Cup is being played with a balloon rather than a football. Expect to see any shock or upset blamed on it and teams like Brazil and Ukraine to score 5+ goals in a match.
I wish I was home. In celebration I wore my '94 England World Cup jersey to casual Friday only to have people ask me "So is that World Cup thing starting today..." I'm not feeling the football love today.
it seems that this World Cup is being played with a balloon rather than a football.
Business Week has a good article on the design and engineering of the new ball.
Anyone have tips for listening to games here in the States? So far it seems XM is the only option.
I don't like watching men run around with their IQ printed on their back.
BBC Radio 5 is covering all the games online I think.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/sport/football/worldcup/2006/index.shtml?rhpimage
I found a player that streams the world cup matches in English on ESPN2 and ABC. ALL 64 GAMES!!!! Click here, and click the "Download Now" button for the TVUPlayer. I'm watching it at work right now. Best thing ever.
So this football you speak of, that's like, Euro for soccer?
Wow Greg - sounds like a pretty sound business proposition.
Tor, I think you're looking for a chess game.
Big A, damn I should have left it in for the sake of your reply (some pathetic fool spammed the comments with a proposition that would make me millions of dollars for only $10k invested).
I think the IQ of the chess players reach higher than 24 ;)
Tor, I think you're getting futbol confused with football.
What an exciting opening day we are seeing!
I used to play soccer for about 8 years. In those years none of us mastered half of the skills these guys have. I'd call them super human almost. They have ridiculous amounts of agility and strength.
You say, and I quote "the jersey is on".
Well... I don't believe you Mr. Storey. I think you're an arm-chair football fan. You probably don't even have a "jersey".
How about getting Mrs. Storey to take a picture and post it to your Flickr account? HUH!? HUH!?
Im really looking forward to the england match tomorrow! A nice day out ;)
Yahoo is holding my jersey hostage even though I ordered it two weeks ago. Not sure how anyone thought they'd be a good choice for the official team store.
yes The Most Beautiful Game is under way... our lives are in a holding pattern until july 9th. Oh so lovely its is....
If a typical soccer game played out like the Germany - Costa Rica game, whith plentiful scoring and some back and forth momentum, I could be a soccer fan. Unfortunately it is more common for games to end 1 - 0 or even 0 - 0. I'm living in a country where people are soccer crazy, and I've tried to be a fan, but so far I just can't get into it. (And I don't think it's a circulation problem.)
And it's not because I am a nationalistic American either. I love cricket. No one in the US even knows what cricket is. But living here is South Africa I have become a big fan. I like cricket much better than baseball. I just have a hard time enjoying soccer.
The only thing that makes the world cup more interesting is that it is country vs. country. That does add a lot of interest, so I actually am planning to watch some games. But I with it was a basketball tourney instead.
Huzzah for cricket! I'm travelling halfway round the globe to watch this years' Ashes. What a brilliant excuse to drink beers in the sun ;)
I've just got home from the England-Paraguay game - now that is some shoddy refereeing. Look at Stevie Gerrards' yellow card for example...
sorry: end rant
You gotta love watching football (that's soccers' real name ;). Especially in a packed english pub - there's nothing quite like it. I think its the pure stream of abuse directed at the opposition that makes it such a magical experience.
Now you'll have to excuse me; the Sweden game is about to start...
Fancy footwork galore! I've got the fever, too.
I'm on life support.
GO NIPPON!
Well I think it's safe to say the US is not going to put one up on the board. It's not the score that bothers me as so much the lack of enthusiasm this team has displayed, they're not playing like they even care. Where is the motivation? Where is this best fielded team I have heard so much about. Meh.
Agree, this is a big disappointment for the US. Hopefully they can recover and get a good result against Italy. Now we get to sit back and watch the ESPN coverage team eat their words.
Heh. maybe some of you noted that in the link to the donovan jersey, they incorrectly translated "football" (meaning soccer) as "futbol americano" (meaning our football).
US was overall outplayed in the Czech game. Outrun, outplayed, outscored. They just didn't look aggressive enough, and the fearsome threesome on Czech offense did its work. Rosicky was amazing, Donovan (and the rest of the US) weren't playing to their full ability. Here's hoping for a 1-1 tie between Italy and Ghana, and at least a tie verse Italy and a solid win against Ghana later on.
Ten days late: Because not only am I on life-support, but I am not letting that defibrillater bring me back before Australia win. [Sigh. Maybe next time.]
Watching televised sports bores the heck out of me. Any sport where men take their shirts off to hug each other after kicking a ball between two or more posts just don't do anything for me at all. And I am glad of that.
'Scuse me, I am going back to the treadmill and exercise-bike to get rid of this good-food-and-beer-gut...