BRAZIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Brink15]

Hey you guys are right,

 

 

 

 

 

This game is pretty fun to watch!

 

 

 

 

 

Brazil 2 - Germany 0

 

 

 

 

 

5th Cup for Brazil

[Steve]

I wasn't sure who I'd cheer for and the last minute opted for Brazil only because Germany will be the favourites on their home pitch in 2006 and get their 4th at that time in all probability.

[Brink15]

I didn't think Brazil was going to do it by the way they looked in the first half.

 

 

 

Germany had possession 55% of the time and seemed to be controlling the midfield.

 

 

 

Kahn again looked impenetrable. I guess not.

 

 

 

OK, now that I'm fired up for more football, what to watch now?

 

 

[Brink15]

OH man, the follow up coverage here in the States sucks.

 

 

 

They had a two minute rap up and then immediately went to other programming.

 

 

 

Un-freakin-believable!

 

 

 

If this was the super bowl they would be talking about it for the next hour.

 

 

 

No wonder MLS has no following here. 1.5 billion people worldwide watching. The biggest sporting event in the world. And now I'm watching some stuuuuuuupid fishing show. What crap.

 

 

 

If I start to really like this sport I'm going to have to move to a place that cares.

 

 

 

Uuuuuh.

[Guest]

Didn't miss much except the expected slobberfest. Photographers acted stupidly; people kissed inanimate objects, waved flags and promoted religion.

 

 

 

Just once I'd like a winner to wear a T-shirt that says "ME! Not God!"

 

 

 

Too much to ask for, I guess.

[Steve]

I mentioned some time ago that I live in a very diverse area that includes 3 Brazilian restaurants all within walking distance. Well, its 7am and the horns on the cars haven't stopped honking for the past hour or so!

 

Not much out of the Argentinian restaurant that sells empanadas since being ousted though. Even the Argentine flag has come down.

 

 

 

I am happy for them, and most people were up anyway watching the game and those that weren't (Americans of course) too bad I guess!

[Guest]

It's a shame for you (Brink) and others in the States, that the media over there has snubbed the biggest event in the world.

 

The rest of the world has enjoyed a month long festival of football which dominated many people's lives and was the talk on the street.

 

I have never seen so many English flags draped from offices, cars and homes whilst England were competing. Work was cancelled when England were playing. It took over our lives.

 

USA had a team to be proud of, it's just a shame that the USA citizens have been denied the opportunity to join in the fervour and is the last country in the world to acknowledge football as the people's game.

 

 

[Steve]

Somewhat strange too being a land of immigrants. Everyone is from somewhere else. Many American customs, etc. derived from other countries, one would think football would have migrated also. Instead, immigrants adopted 'our' sports, particularly baseball in the early part of the century.

 

 

 

Youth soccer is very big though. Soccer has already become one of the major sports for women along with basketball. The men have farther to go I think because there are more options (other sports) the women didn't have nearly as many. I still think given another 10 years it will be different. The 2010 cup will be the real test, as the 7, 8, 9 and 10 y.o. boys playing AYSO (our youth soccer league) soccer now and those that played in the mid to late 90s will be in their late teens to early 20s.

[Long Gun]

If I start to really like this sport I'm going to have to move to a place that cares.

 

 

 

Brink

 

 

 

Easy solution? Move to Thailand! I met with Racha and a few associates and we headed over to the National Stadium on schedule at 4.00 pm - 2 hours before kick off time! - to find that the place was already close to full, I would have to revise my estimate from last week to closer to 10,000 I think! Some of those people must have been sitting there all day to get thebest seats. All we could manage was a row at the back which was behind a couple of flags and a suspended monitor which took out about 25% of the main screen from our view. Although there were small screens around Racha headed out, or tried to, to find somewhere else with a better view but the rest of us decided to just relax and enjoy the party.

 

 

 

Racha called to say that he was locked IN - in order to stop more people trying to get in they had chained the doors up - and he was engaged in a major discussion with the police and security. Bear in mind that, along with the dance shows, a beauty pageant and other jollities, there were also occasional firework displays, indoors. Solve this equation: 10,000 Thais, indoor fireworks, stupid officals, chained exits = ??!? Don't these fucking idiots ever learn anything? Anybody remember the hotel fire in Jomtien a few years ago - hmmm, everyone except the authorities and anyone in a uniform. Asked what would happen if there was a fire the official response was "Bad Luck!"

 

 

 

During the half-time interval I took my lad to the toilets and was pleasantly surprised to find that we could get out and stock up on beer and snacks (NO refreshments on sale inside the building!!) - less than delighted to find that while we were out they chained the doors again! My 6 year old lad was still in there!! After a couple of reasonably polite requests to open the doors met with little response I decided it was time for a farang fit and I am afraid I probably now represent the unacceptable face of English football but they did relent in the end - to be honest it was that or lose their doors!!

 

 

 

Anyway, the rest was a treat, the Thai crowd were in excellent form, lots of shirts and flags and not a sniff of anything other than people having a great FREE day out. There was a preview highlights montage before the teams came out and it was really interesting to see which glimpses got the best responses - perhaps no surprise but undoubtedly at the top was darling Becks. Man Utd won't be repeating their Far East tour this year - 'ole rednose is blaming it for United not winning anything! - but Leeds will be here. Can we really expect the girls to be wetting their knickers over Rio and Danny next season?

 

 

 

As for the game, well, it should have been the 3-0 I predicted, but I thought the Germans played well considering their limited resources - a nonexistent strikeforce - at least they tried to attack, unlike England for much of the quarter final. Bierhof was very unlucky late on - fantastic save - but Brazil were never in much trouble and I was really pleased for Ronaldo (eventually!) after whatever happened in France - will we ever know what did?

 

 

 

So, anybody got any ideas about what to do until the middle of August?

 

 

 

LG

[sfinkz]

Well I, for one, am happy the Cup did not get more play in the USA. The best things on this side of the pond represent a minority viewpoint and enjoy a cult-like status. Not necessary to monopolize everything. If the US had made the semi's it would have been unbearable with newbie zealots chanting nationalistic jingo. I've enjoyed the past five WC's for the global spectacle, tradition and pageantry. But really, if you guys had any imagination 140 years ago when you were ruling the waves and foisted sport upon the rest of the world you would have invented frisbee. It's really the ultimate beautiful and people's game.