OFFICIAL WORLD CUP 2006

[No Mo Moss]

What a story for France and Zidane.

For those of you not familiar with Zinedine Zidane, here's his deal.

He currently plays for Real MAdrid as a club team, but he came out of International retirement to give it one more go with France. Zidane was the one who in 1998 gave france 2 goals in the final to play a major role in France's World cup victory in Paris of all places. His M.O. is that he is a master creator, not predictable at all. He plays offensive midfielder. He is great on the ball, very hard to steal from. If you have been watching you will see how much respet he gets from opposing teams. Typically offensive midfields enjoy the most success when they have a very good defensive midfielder to protect them. Its very much like the DT freeing up the LBers to make plays. Claude Makelele has been incredible behind Zidane, allowing him to stay up and make plays. Otherwise a great offensive mind is spending the entire game chasing down the ball in the defensive third.

Enjoy watching him play, he is already a legend. If France wins he will certainly be in the same sentence as Maradona and Pele in regards to the best ever conversation. At the very least he is the greastest player Europe has produced in the history of the sport.

[HarveyWallbangers]

France and Italy can both suck it. I don't want either to win. Nice racist, domestic leagues they have.

[Tarlam!]

Well, it all boils down to France v. Italy. I wish Tarlam were here.

Thanks, Ziggy. I am up to my eyeballs in aligators. I'm actually sitting in my statistics class while I type this.

Just popped by to say hi!

[Harlan Huckleby]

are they teaching you how to lie with statistics? Should come in handy.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Glad to hear from you, Tarlam.

[Harlan Huckleby]

So is everybody gonna watch soccor tomorrow, just as if it was a football Sunday?

ARe we supposed to root for the old french guy who is really good?

[MJZiggy]

I'll be watching. I haven't chosen my loyalties yet. They shift with every game. There's something that doesn't happen with football.

[BallHawk]

I'm rotting for France. Italy are cheating bastards, and are in the middle of a huge scandal. Yes, France and the U.S. aren't best friends as of now, but It'd be good to see Zidane go out with a win. That and If France wins it will piss of Bill O'reiley. Suffer shithead.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I don't know. It's like the Bears and Vikings are playing in the Super Bowl for me.

[Tarlam!]

I don't know. It's like the Bears and Vikings are playing in the Super Bowl for me.

Great comparison!

But I'm with FRance after Italy cheated out my first team and got lucky on my second. Bottom line is, they knocked me out of the Cup twice! i hope they get drilled.....


Nice to see Germany win 3rd.

[Bretsky]

So is everybody gonna watch soccor tomorrow, just as if it was a football Sunday?

ARe we supposed to root for the old french guy who is really good?

I can't stomach over 15 minutes of soccer.

What's with off sides in soccer anyways ? Silly Rule IMO. Kind of like saying in football, the WR can't go further than the DB until after the catch.

Soccer is a grueling sport, takes incredible endurance...etc etc...I have nothing but respect for those who excel at it.......but to a fan like me it's just too frickin boring to watch guys run around for hours knowing there may be only one or two scores.

If that dam off sides rule would be eliminated there would be more scoring and excitement for the less than enthusiastic fan, which in reality is much of the USA.

[BallHawk]

If you didn't have offsides in soccer it would be like the WR lining up in front of the line of scrimage in football. Most offsides are very close, but others are extremely obvious.

[Bretsky]

In football the defense has to defend against players getting behind them; w/o offsides in soccer it would be the same.

[MJZiggy]

I'm still new at this, but I think the rule is designed to keep one guy from hanging around down by the opposite goal, taking the long pass and taking cheap shots with no help for the goalie. Kinda like if in basketball one guy always stood by the basket.

[Bretsky]

I'm just saying it's a stupid rule and eliminating it would make a bland sport (to the average fan) more exciting.

Eliminate this and there are more strategies. Maybe a team would have to focus on keeping a defender back. Either way it opens more up for scoring.

In basketball if they keep one player back for the easy shot then they are short one on defense. Each way it's a give and take.

I'm sure the soccer purists will have good reasons for why my belief is crap; but for those who find the sport incredibly boring this should raise the scoring and make it more exciting.


B