World Cup...

[FredRydr]

Today in my barber's shop in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania USA, during the France v. Argentina match. I was warned not to touch the FIFA trophy because I am not English (my wife and his wife are English and support their home team by having all their local English (only) friends fondle the ugly thing "for luck").

IMG_1120.jpg

[although]

Well, they did invent the game... I guess I could allow them to keep their old trophy to themselves.

Shame that they can't remember how to play it

[Jon Szanto]

I keep some pens in a World Cup.

[RocketRyan]

It's coming home, it's coming home!

[fqgouvea]

My son once observed that the English are an extremely generous people when it comes to sports. They invent interesting sports for other countries to excel in.

Vai Brasil!

[RocketRyan]

The sobering stat I heard about the world cup was that since 1966 England have only won 6 knockout games.

[although]

Watched the Columbia match.... Wow, just wow... I'm exhausted

[mulrich]

My son once observed that the English are an extremely generous people when it comes to sports. They invent interesting sports for other countries to excel in.

Vai Brasil!

More depressing, the US has only won six games total since 1934.

[RocketRyan]

England win on penalties, well Hell must have frozen and I'm keeping an eye out for a flying pig.

[FredRydr]

[SIR]

My son once observed that the English are an extremely generous people when it comes to sports. They invent interesting sports for other countries to excel in.

Vai Brasil!

More depressing, the US has only won six games total since 1934.

Until Spain won in 2010, England were the only country still plagued by the disease of royalty to have ever won the competition...

Despite France being a secular state, no country other than those with a majority population identifying themselves as Christian has ever won the tournament, and England is still the only winning country with a populace that doesn't predominantly identify itself as being Catholic - arguements about the relative lack of differences between the Anglican form of protestantism and Catholicism aside.

[Paddler]

My son once observed that the English are an extremely generous people when it comes to sports. They invent interesting sports for other countries to excel in.

Vai Brasil!

More depressing, the US has only won six games total since 1934.

For those who wish to watch a game involving total chaos, the US has basketball. Soccer is just not needed to fill that function.

[fqgouvea]

For those who wish to watch a game involving total chaos, the US has basketball. Soccer is just not needed to fill that function.

Nor could it, of course.

[mulrich]

For those who wish to watch a game involving total chaos, the US has basketball. Soccer is just not needed to fill that function.

Basketball is actually my favorite sport but I still enjoy international soccer (sorry MLS).

[RocketRyan]

It's coming home, it's coming home!

[Scooby921]

It's been an interesting tournament of surprise results. England definitely has the talent to be where they are, but I didn't expect them to have the cohesiveness necessary to make a run for the cup.

[Medieval]

Yeah there's been quite a few odd results in the competition so far but it's all good because that makes it more interesting. I'm glad to see the likes of Germany, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, and Spain get knocked out. I would like to see more outside team such as japan, South Korea, Iran, Australia, China, and other teams do well.

With England we've always had great players but the management have usually not been up to task. Being able to play well as a team has not always been there, and that's more important than having a collection of great players who can't play as a team. I think Gareth Southgate is the notch above many past managers and he's chosen a great squad with great team spirit, so I think we're actually in with a chance this year.

[mulrich]

Why did Alex Ferguson never coach the English national team? He seems like one of the better managers with an England connection (even though he was Scottish) so I’m surprised he never led the team.

[SIR]

Yeah there's been quite a few odd results in the competition so far but it's all good because that makes it more interesting. I'm glad to see the likes of Germany, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, and Spain get knocked out. I would like to see more outside team such as japan, South Korea, Iran, Australia, China, and other teams do well.

With England we've always had great players but the management have usually not been up to task. Being able to play well as a team has not always been there, and that's more important than having a collection of great players who can't play as a team. I think Gareth Southgate is the notch above many past managers and he's chosen a great squad with great team spirit, so I think we're actually in with a chance this year.

There is still some residual tending towards an attitudinal sense of entitlement in the England team, but one of the big benefits to having a lot of youngsters is that they're not such a bunch of overpaid egos and have not lost the drive to compete and perform as a team.

Just my 2 pence worth.

[Medieval]

Yeah there's been quite a few odd results in the competition so far but it's all good because that makes it more interesting. I'm glad to see the likes of Germany, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, and Spain get knocked out. I would like to see more outside team such as japan, South Korea, Iran, Australia, China, and other teams do well.

With England we've always had great players but the management have usually not been up to task. Being able to play well as a team has not always been there, and that's more important than having a collection of great players who can't play as a team. I think Gareth Southgate is the notch above many past managers and he's chosen a great squad with great team spirit, so I think we're actually in with a chance this year.

There is still some residual tending towards an attitudinal sense of entitlement in the England team, but one of the big benefits to having a lot of youngsters is that they're not such a bunch of overpaid egos and have not lost the drive to compete and perform as a team.

Just my 2 pence worth.

Yes that's right. Many of our squad in the past were more brand names than great team players. Beckham, for example, was overrated. In the present young squad, the focus on brand names is mostly gone.

Being young players they will be more eager to play well than pose for the world cameras.