Tuesday, June 15, 2010

My Football Report III

Ha! The horns (Vuvuzelas), the beehive, as people are calling it, are making it sometimes difficult for the players that the noise-making fans are routing for to communicate to each other, and sometimes even to hear the whistle. Fans are noticing it over the TV too. “They ultimately decided against banning vuvuzelas at the 2010 World Cup due to the fact that they were such an integral part of South African culture.”

The children that join the players on the pitch before the game are called "matchday mascots". The word is that they could be representing friendship through football, or also different community campaigns from the home towns against violence, racism, or gangs. They might also be, in some cases, children of the football players themselves. They might also have won a competition. It is also potentially the different football clubs trying to bring families to the game (does that mean it's a fundraising initiative then for families who could not otherwise attend?)

But I can't seem to get any info on who organized that specific element of the event. Any leads?

I have also conducted research into the structure of the World Cup, and it looks like if you're just interested in getting down to the team eliminations, June 25th is just about the time to check back into this tournament!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

My Football Report II

Okay, it looks like three rows, 4 back, 2 middle, 3 forward, and a miscellaneous man who takes the centre kick position (a 4th forward?)

Still constant buzzing … maybe I should get my ears cleaned?

Ooops! Australia didn’t allow for more than 1 goal a game in the qualifying … and within the first 30mins Germany got 2 goals …

The offside rule is definitely different then in hockey. With no blue line equivalent, how is it decided? Sometimes it seems to even be called VERY close in to the “goalie crease” as well.

Today’s keeper kolours; Aus = red, Ger = green.

Wow, they use a lot more tape than hockey players do to keep their pads on!

It’s gorgeous how they set up a play so close to the sidelines when they get to the offensive zone, then drop a pass back and a team mate tries to score a goal. Beautiful!

Aaww! The hands-off policy. It looked like that one Australian DID touch a German player when they were both going after the ball, but then he raised his hands quickly. I guess to avoid touching him further and actually getting a penalty/yellow card. Then he helped the guy up. That was sweet!

What is the blue arm band for?

Added minute? What are minutes added for?

What do these mean, exactly?
Possession: Ger = 57%, Aus 43%
Fouls: Ger = 5, Aus = 10
Shots on Goal: Ger = 10, Aus = 2

So, it looks like the FIFA World Cup is the “Football Olympics”. Each team only gets about 2 months together, and is a different make-up then the usual clubs they play on. Am I getting this right?

When there are throw-ins, are other people allowed off the pitch? At one point there were two guys fighting each other outside the white lines.

I agree that red card call on Cahill was too strong. But 56 minutes? I thought you got a yellow card FIRST.

What are the rules around substitutions?

Sorry, who are the green and yellow fans in this white a blue jerseyed game? The Aussies, apparently.

I’m kind of enjoying watching this game. I don’t know everything that’s going on, and it isn’t hockey, but it’s okay!

Soccer-roos? Cute!

The commentators said at the beginning of Germany, being such a YOUNG team, that they have a lot of promise. They asked; can that promise deliver? It looks like it! They countered that with Australia being a much older team in general.

Football and hockey BOTH use passing back to their goalies.

Still not sure what it means Exactly to “bend it”

At least a third of these drops seem to be one player tripping over another players’ legs and anther third seems to be the trip-er player sliding down to make the kick.

They keep saying “Australia playing with 10 men” As in, including the goalie? Does that mean a red card is playing with one man down, like a hockey penalty, but only for something like Fifty-Six minutes?!? Wow.

How many soccer balls do they play with during a game?

Is Hockey more Dramatic in their injuries than Football? Let’s try and tally this up.
# Of drops: 44 Times the player stayed down & milked it: 4 “Booked for diving”: 2

So, with only 4 times when the guys who went down and stayed down and “cried”, and 2 times when the guys “faked it”; taking a dive when they didn’t have too, I’d say football is potentially LESS dramatic than hockey!
Notice I am NOT comparing the fighting aspect here, just putting the reputation of footballers going down all dramatic and in pain.

Then again, maybe the World Cup is like Olympic hockey as well; less dramatic falling / less fighting then the regular season football / NHL. Who knows?

Men becoming legends in football, and heroes in hockey. I don’t quite agree with that!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

My Football Report

Written by a die-hard year-round hockey fan.

I Love the slides! These guys get awesome mileage out of them!

If you got cut in hockey, you’d get yourself cleaned/stitched up right away – there would be no running around the pitch with a bleeding lip (or skating around the rink). And the guy STILL looks like he’s bleeding about 10 minutes later.

Holy bloody beehive! The fans just don’t run out of hot air!

Why in the world do the goalies not know what team they belong to? In hockey, the goalie is the most “decorated” player on the team … USA is orange, England is wearing green? In a sport so fatally and faithfully loyal to their team colours, football goalies just haven’t gotten the memo.

They ARE much better behaved; I’ll admit that. No penalty boxes, and once you’re wearing a bumble-bee cuff around your arm, you know the next bad things you do you’re out of the game. So play nice, boysss!

These guys have a rep for falling so dramatically and ALL the time, but maybe isn’t quite that bad (at least not this game).

First goal the USA has gotten against England outside of England since 1950? Is that what I heard?!? If only the US hockey teams played so … well … when they were playing in Canada!

I LOVE the fan colours! (at least they’re not wearing orange).

Joey Altidore leaving the pitch – what just happened? I don’t understand the substitutions …

Nail-biting, isn’t it? Ummm …

It looks like all just stand around when the ball will be thrown of kicked back onto the pitch. Please explain their positions!

91 minutes in, I finally here my first recognizable cheer!

Nice changing billboards!

I’d love to see the ball weigh 5 or 10 pounds more. It might be less of a tennis match then.

So that’s it? It’s over? no kick-out? No overtime? So do they have a way to determine who is the stronger team in the draw; who has more points going in?

… and how is your team supposed to win when you’ve got No World Cup beards!?!?!

All in all, I think I like hockey better.

If I’m still feeling sick tomorrow, I will watch the Germany game, and see if I understand anything any better then.