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2015 FIFA World Cup.

Page 3 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
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gooner

gooner

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Amsterhammer

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Re:

Alpe d'Huez said:
Well that's...strange. To say the least. As if it's the best way, because it's always been the way?

I just find it puzzling that hardly anyone questions it. I feel like I'm the first person to ever notice, or find it strange, or that there might be a better way - like, the way almost every other sport seems to do it.
Click to expand...

How FIFA decides on the ratings of both men's and women's national teams has been a source of both mirth and ridicule to fans for many years now. We just shrug our shoulders.
 
D

djpbaltimore

Jun 9, 2014
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Giving USA and Canada the easier paths to the semis is probably the rationale for the bracket. Of course, Canada couldn't quite manage to see off England. I was not impressed by England in the quarters. They gave it their all, but I thought they played some of the most unappealing football of the tournament, totally lacking in quality. They are a huge underdog tonight against Japan. I wish France had finished second in the group and been put in that section of the draw.
 
l.Harm

l.Harm

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As far as I know, the host country has a fixed position in the draw (like France will have in Euro 2016). Then, the countries are divided in four pots, but it doesn't matter if you're the first or the 6th within this pot. I prefer it this way, since nothing will be 'arranged'. In tennis for instance, I hate the way they're doing it because often you see the same players meeting each other in the same round.

However, I remember that Brazil also had a fixed position in the draw in 2006, which would prevent they'd meet the host nation (Germany) before the final, in case both teams won the group. But this was because Brazil won the World Cup in 2002.

Btw they prevent the top 7 teams + host nation to meet before quarter finals. All in case they win the group of course. I think this is enough protection and it shouldn't be different.
 
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djpbaltimore

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Having a host nation in a fixed position is how the draw usually works. But in the WWC, all 6 seeded teams were fixed in groups by FIFA and the remaining pots were drawn to fill out the groups. So, FIFA basically set up a bracket where USA and Canada (if they won their groups) would not face a group winner until the semis and that France (#3) and Germany (#2) would most likely square off in the quarters in the same bracket as #1 USA. If this happens by the luck of the draw, it is understandable. Intentionally setting this up to happen is unbelievable.
 
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TheSpud

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Re: well played

ebandit said:
Sciocco said:
USA will win the final.

Against Japan.

Germany completes the podium.

Wambach will score in the final.
Click to expand...

USA 2 germany 0..............magic! never saw that coming

england will win the final against usa

germany complete the podium

.............well? i am a little biased

Mark L
Click to expand...

Well at least England cant now lose to Germany on penalties after a disallowed goal ...
 
Sciocco

Sciocco

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Re: well played

ebandit said:
Sciocco said:
USA will win the final.

Against Japan.

Germany completes the podium.

Wambach will score in the final.
Click to expand...

USA 2 germany 0..............magic! never saw that coming

england will win the final against usa

germany complete the podium

.............well? i am a little biased

Mark L
Click to expand...

Me too!

Life is great.
 
l.Harm

l.Harm

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Re:

djpbaltimore said:
Having a host nation in a fixed position is how the draw usually works. But in the WWC, all 6 seeded teams were fixed in groups by FIFA and the remaining pots were drawn to fill out the groups. So, FIFA basically set up a bracket where USA and Canada (if they won their groups) would not face a group winner until the semis and that France (#3) and Germany (#2) would most likely square off in the quarters in the same bracket as #1 USA. If this happens by the luck of the draw, it is understandable. Intentionally setting this up to happen is unbelievable.
Click to expand...
I didn't know this, but if I understand the discussion correctly, this is exactly what Alpe would want.
 
The Hitch

The Hitch

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Re:

Alpe d'Huez said:
Well that's...strange. To say the least. As if it's the best way, because it's always been the way?

I just find it puzzling that hardly anyone questions it. I feel like I'm the first person to ever notice, or find it strange, or that there might be a better way - like, the way almost every other sport seems to do it.
Click to expand...
The draws for the tournament get a lot of hype, especially during the mens world cup when it's like a global holiday and everyone spends the week plotting the paths to the final. There's excitement to the random nature of it all. If they just arranged it by seeds it wouldn't be as much.
 
gooner

gooner

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One of the cruellest ways I ever seen a game finish like that.

Feel for Bassett. She played very well throughout the game. England were far the better side in the 2nd half.

I can't see the US having too many problems with Japan in the final. A pity, it would have been a great final with this England side.
 
The Hitch

The Hitch

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Re:

Pricey_sky said:
The Hitch said:
Wow wtf. England so unlucky. The game did not feel at all like it was going anywhere but extra time and then out of nowhere that happens.
Click to expand...

What a way to go out, I thought England played well but we're so unlucky wih a freak own goal in injury time.
Click to expand...

Actually, I don't think the own goal was unlucky. The Japanese player put it in the most dangerous position forcing the defense to do something that might resort in an own goal.

That was a quality attack.

What was lucky for Japan was the way the ball fell for them off the rickashades in the very last minute after they had created next to nothing all game.

I would have had no problem if as expected Japan the world champions and favourites blew away England by being the better side. The fact that the underdogs actually matched/ outplayed Japan for the whole game and the ball fell that way right at the end, that sucks.

Having said that, my own instinct just before the own goal was for Bassett to leave it. I've seen so many misses in this tournament from the strikers, I think the finishing, especially towards the end of the game is poor enough that daring the striker to tuck it away is a viable option, in a way it wouldn't be in the men's game.

When you see the replay, the ball was behind the Japanese striker anyway, it was going fast and the second defender was already on her. Would not have been a goal, but Bassett only had a split second to decide and instinct generally says to go for it so no one can blame her.
 
jaylew

jaylew

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I feel awful for England. I was rooting for Japan but they didn't deserve to win that game. I've been really into this from the beginning and I've watched almost all of the knockout games and I've enjoyed it but the semis have been disappointing. Too many pks.
 
D

djpbaltimore

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I was surprised at how well England played against Japan. Too bad it ended the way it did. I tend to agree with The Hitch that those are the type of things that happen when defenders are running at their own goal, so I do give credit to Japan for putting the defense in a difficult spot with a very threatening pass. Six 1-goal victories in a row for Japan. Do they have one more left in the tank?

In regards to the bracket, I think the problem is not that they fixed the positions of all the top seeds, but that they fixed all the top seeds in places without any regard to FIFA rankings, leaving one side of the draw horribly overbalanced. All 6 protected seeds won their groups, so that didn't help matters.
 
M

Merckx index

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I thought I would never again see what Germany did to Brazil, but U.S. is doing it to Japan. They've had at least two other really good shots that could have gone in.

A goal scored from midfield? Seriously?

When I came in, it was 2-0. I knew the game had just started, I didn't think it was possible that the U.S. had scored two goals that quickly, so for a minute I thought I was watching a tape of the previous WC final.
 
Amsterhammer

Amsterhammer

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Re:

Merckx index said:
I thought I would never again see what Germany did to Brazil, but U.S. is doing it to Japan.

A goal scored from midfield? Seriously?
Click to expand...

My post was also at 2-0. Yes, seriously!! A 16 min. hat-trick in a WC final, finished off by a goal from the halfway line. A feat that will pretty likely never be equaled. It was fun, but it also destroyed the game. Will the US ladies want to be ruthless, or will they just relax?
 
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