December 09, 2005

The World Cup draw has been made. Gentlemen, start your moaning...

Looks like only one Group of Death -- Group C -- and beyond that, the advancing teams are largely predictable. Opening game is Germany-Poland. PLAYCE YOUR BETTZ!

posted by Capt. Renault 19 years ago
  • Let's hope Salomon Kalou gets his passport, eh?
  • Oh maaaaaaan, if there wasn't pressure before, there is now. Even if Holland makes it, they're going to be drained by that first round. Top two isn't impossible, but Serbia isn't going down easily, and even if Argentina wasn't ranked 4th, there's still long memories going back to 1978. "Bloed op de paal", as they say.
  • Oh JEEBUS! I didn't even realize Kalou was from the Ivory Coast! How beautiful is THAT!
  • op = aan
  • Italy are out in the first round. Definitely.
  • I already made one "Godwin" joke this week, so I'll refrain from the obvious humor involved in "opening with Germany vs. Poland." Someone more expert than me, what are the USA's chances to advance? I know Italy is always tough, but Ghana and Czech Republic dont sound too scary...
  • then again, DangerIsMyMiddleName was typing at the same time as me and he says Italy sucks... or is that sarcasm? maybe I should just goto ESPN.com and find out.
  • hmmm, apparently Ghana and Czech Republic are good! Then again, so was Portugal, allegedly, in 2002.
  • You can't beat Italy, but you can lose to them.
  • Italy just aren't that good at the moment, haven't been for a while really - out in the first round I reckon. The Czech Republic is usually quite strong, and I don't know much about Ghana, but the USA's chances are pretty good I'd say. And England v Sweden! Again! Whooo! As a Swede who grew up in England, I would just like to point out now, before we start, that England hasn't beaten Sweden since 1968. Bring it on!!1! /sputtle also, the opening game is Germany v Costa Rica, no?
  • It's going to be a long six months.
  • Moaning? Ok.. oh no, not soccer again. I hate this mass hysteria and football matches seems to fill the streets of Amsterdam with the most obnoxious and backward people.
  • How fun! I've lost touch with the friends that I used to do the World Cup pool with. Maybe I can organize one here at school.
  • I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest that Brazil may well beat Australia.
  • The who what now?
  • I, speaking for all right thinking USAians, ask who the fuck cares!!!
  • Wolof and your wild predictions! Very pleased with England's draw. Every chance of getting through that as even Sweden as the strongest other side in the group are eminently beatable, and we get to play them last anyhow. If we finish last we can delay the inevitable loss on penalties to Germany until perhaps the quarter-finals.
  • Grover, this being the biggest sport in the world, I'll round it off and say: 'Everybody!'.
  • I reckon Australia are going to do Brazil. Seriously. I also predict that England v. Sweden will be a 1-1 draw. Call me crazy, if you will.
  • Yes, I think I will. You're crazy, flashboy. Actually, you're not - I second your England-Sweden prediction. Ibrahimovic scores a blinder in the first five minutes, and then Owen with the equalizer in the dying seconds of injury time after a disappointingly defensive game all round. And England most likely to top the group. Only 180 days 21 hours and 11 minutes to go... (according to the nice ticker thingie on the Beeb)
  • Grover, this being the biggest sport in the world, I'll round it off and say: 'Everybody!'. Not me. I liked to play it when I was young although I sucked big-time, but I hate the whole nationalistic us-versus-them thing. And all these predictions and nervousness: Is there really nothing more important than your team/country winning? Oranje loses in the first round. And it will be really quiet on the Dutch streets. Ha!
  • Wolof, how cruel, here you have an entire sports mad country embracing their 'new sport' in the world arena and you predict a defeat??? It'll be the referees fault - you just watch!!!!
  • Is there really nothing more important than your team/country winning? Sometimes you want to forget about all those more important things for a while. Rooting for a team just makes it a bit more interesting, like taking part in a fantasy football league. Of course, you could just watch out of appreciation for the beautiful game. After all, these are the best of the best...
  • An old(ish) but good(ish) contribution to "the whole nationalistic us-versus-them thing: National Football Strategies