Official FIFA South Africa World Cup Thread

[Art Vandelay]

Ah, I see what you're saying now. That's a possibility, I agree. Regardless, the side official did not raise his flag. The call was made by the main official who was directly behind that player and I don't think would have been in any kind of position to make that call.

I need to watch it closely on my TV at home. It is hard to tell because the blue jersey obscures the white as to who is front. However considering the guy is wrapped around Bradley then it is either a foul (the correct call) or still not offside since technically the dudes arms are in front of Bradley (a reach for all those Mali supporters out there).

[falafel]

I need to watch it closely on my TV at home. It is hard to tell because the blue jersey obscures the white as to who is front. However considering the guy is wrapped around Bradley then it is either a foul (the correct call) or still not offside since technically the dudes arms are in front of Bradley (a reach for all those Mali supporters out there).

Hard to tell what point this shot was taken though. The video shows that that the time the ball was kicked (which is the appropriate time for judging offside), one U.S. player could have been slightly behind the last Slovenian defender.

If offside had been the call, the FIFA cameras would have pulled up the wide distance shot with the shading to show whether or not the U.S. player was behind the last Slovenian. But since that wasn't the call, there was no point, so we don't know whether offside was a correct potential call.

[jay santos]

I need to watch it closely on my TV at home. It is hard to tell because the blue jersey obscures the white as to who is front. However considering the guy is wrapped around Bradley then it is either a foul (the correct call) or still not offside since technically the dudes arms are in front of Bradley (a reach for all those Mali supporters out there).

That picture is unreal. And we got a foul? Wow.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Be thankful we don't have the next frame to see where Altidore's defender moved his hand next.

Dirty Slovaks. Er, Sloveniaks.

[MarkGrace]

England and Algeria play to a draw.

I don't get soccer. Aren't some of these matchups the equivalent of like 2/15 or 3/14 seeds in the NCAA tournament.

[jay santos]

England and Algeria play to a draw.

I don't get soccer. Aren't some of these matchups the equivalent of like 2/15 or 3/14 seeds in the NCAA tournament.

Totally. It's just that the favored team doesn't win as much in soccer as in other sports. That would be an interesting statistic. The favored team wins like 78% of the time in the NFL. I wonder what that would be for soccer.

[falafel]

England and Algeria play to a draw.

I don't get soccer. Aren't some of these matchups the equivalent of like 2/15 or 3/14 seeds in the NCAA tournament.

No, not really. First of all, there are only 32 teams in the first place, and the teams are much more even than in say college basketball. Lots of good talent to spread around.

Plus, these are national teams and they don't get all that much time together to play, so sometimes they just don't come together. Like the announcer said about England, separately these players are superstars, but together they don't make a very good team.

I know this game wasn't very exciting for the lay fan, but this is part of what I like about the world cup. England was a huge favorite to win this game, but they haven't played well together. Meanwhile, Algeria was able to stop a team full of some of the world's best players. In soccer, even a draw yields points, so a 0-0 game still means something.

[Coach McGuirk]

I know this game wasn't very exciting for the lay fan, but this is part of what I like about the world cup. England was a huge favorite to win this game, but they haven't played well together. Meanwhile, Algeria was able to stop a team full of some of the world's best players. In soccer, even a draw yields points, so a 0-0 game still means something.

eff that. I enjoyed it because it is just what the US needed.

[Art Vandelay]

Can you imagine if this all came down to a coin flip?

Group C is up for grabs, but who's got the inside track? Here's a quick run through the scenarios by which the Yanks can advance to the knockout stages.

Slovenia is in the driver's seat in group C, with 4 points. The US and England each have 2, and Algeria 1. This puts the USA in control of their own destiny, because

If the US wins, they're through to the round of 16. A win would give us 5 points in the group. With England and Slovenia playing each other, there's no way both could finish with more points.

If the US loses, they're out. Ceding three points to Algeria lets them leapfrog us, and we're unable to catch Slovenia, no matter what they do in their final game.

The US could also draw their final game (they've shown themselves quite proficient at that). That's where things get complicated.

If the US draws, and England beats Slovenia, they're out. England would finish with 5, Slovenia with 4, and the USMNT with 3.

If the US draws, and Slovenia beats England, they're through to the round of 16. Slovenia would win the group with 7, the US with 3, and England and Algeria with 2 apiece.

If the US draws, and Slovenia and England draw, it comes down to tiebreakers. Slovenia would win the group with 5, and England and America would be tied with 3. Here are the variables:

•The first tiebreaker is goal differential. The US and England would have tied all three matches, so we move on.

•The second tiebreaker is goals scored. After two games, the US has scored 3, while England has scored 1. That looks good for the US, as long as the England/Slovenia match isn't high-scoring. It's possible for England and Slovenia to finish 3-3, and the US/Algeria to finish 0-0. In that case England would move on. If England/Slovenia finished, say, 2-2 and the US plays a scoreless draw, we move on to the next tiebreaker.

•The third tiebreaker is points obtained in head-to-head matches. The US and England tied, so we move on.

•The fourth tiebreaker is goal differential in head-to-head matches. Again, a tie.

•The fifth tiebreaker is goals scored head-to-head. That's one apiece, so we move on.

If the US and England are still tied after all the tiebreakers, FIFA draws lots to determine who moves on. Yes, at the most important sporting event in the world, a coin will be flipped to decide the winner.

[jay santos]

eff that. I enjoyed it because it is just what the US needed.

Love the avatar.

[Coach McGuirk]

Love the avatar.

Thanks. Took that today in one of my employee's office.

[Art Vandelay]

Thanks. Took that today in one of my employee's office.

I think it is cool you employ (really) little people.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

It was the terrible call but the blame for the tie needs to be placed on the abysmal US defense not on the ref. I can't believe how sloppy the USA is on defense starting the last 2 games.

I'm admittedly not a soccer professor, but I think the edge that the more talented teams in the World Cup initially have is on defense. Individual talent plays a stronger role in a team's ability to defend than it does on offense where it is more important for a team to have gelled together. This is the main problem for the US, the defenders stink and it shows off the US's relative talent deficit.

[jay santos]

I'm admittedly not a soccer professor, but I think the edge that the more talented teams in the World Cup initially have is on defense. Individual talent plays a stronger role in a team's ability to defend than it does on offense where it is more important for a team to have gelled together. This is the main problem for the US, the defenders stink and it shows off the US's relative talent deficit.

Just in the highlights it looked like we were completely lost on those two goals. Three goals in two games where a guy goes completely unmarked in front of the goal.

[myboynoah]

Can you imagine if this all came down to a coin flip?

Freaky. But we are in great shape. I don't see how we don't have at least 2-3 goals against Algeria.