2015 Women's World Cup thread
 

tomorrow the biggest day of the summer is here, the release of Jurassic World. but first majority priority before most of us see it is this....... US vs Sweden. heres the preview U.S. all in against Sweden

in case most of you forgot, the US def Australia on tuesday 3-1

How big is this in the US and would you say it's more popular with women?

The England match was abysmal. I saw highlights of Cameroon vs Ecuador, Ecuador repeatedly giving daft penalties away. The officiating in the England match was very bad too.

Australia scored a nice goal vs the US tbf.

No one gives a ****. Not one single ****. There was a few months back in the nineties I think, when the US women's team was doing well or something (or maybe there was just a hot chick on the team IDK), when some people cared, but aside from that, nobody has ever given a **** about women's soccer over here.

To be fair though, that's more interest than men's soccer ever got. If it wasn't for David Beckham moving here, then I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people didn't even know professional soccer even existed in America.

And I don't think women care any more about women's sports in general than men do (I don't know if it evens out, since men care more about sports in general, but probably have more sexist contempt for women's sports than women do.)

Women's basketball is a running joke (lesbians and layups), golf is golf and women's golf is also golf and no one gives a **** about the whole thing in general, and... actually there are people who care just a tiny bit about women's tennis, but that is entirely due to Venus and Serena Williams, and that's about them being black, just like Tiger Woods. Anybody who really actually cares about tennis is still going to be pretty lukewarm to women's tennis in general.

Fair points. Yeah that's why I was asking really, as they are one of the very best teams going. I don't know why but I've always got the impression soccer was more popular with women than blokes over there.

I remember seeing that John Oliver video saying it's something you pick your daughters up from.

As far as little league stuff goes, I guess. Little league soccer was big with boys when I was a kid too, but none of my generation gives any more of a **** about soccer than any other age groups. I think it was just one of those things where pansy parents didn't want their little darlings getting hurt playing American football (**** flag football), so they had them play soccer instead. But then the kids got older and just grew out of soccer.

I must ask, considering for AF you get all armoured up and for soccer you have zero protection, how did they think that playing soccer was less dangerous? Do you know how many players' careers have been ended by a bad tackle, often called a "leg breaker"? American football is the one for pansies if you ask me. Get them to play without their robocop suits and we'll soon see who cries first about injuries.

TH calling american footballers pussies is rather amusing.

I'd say AF is more dangerous, don't let the padding fool you. There's less protection in soccer cos it's not a full contact sport. Soccer is very safe to play.

And you never see 6'8 350 pound men that can run 5 second 40 yard dashes in Soccer and lift 350 lbs over 40 times. I think soccer gets abad rap because of diving but it certainly is a mans sport when it comes to the european version.

Oh come on! You of all people? How many American Footballers have had their careers ended due to injury? They don't head the ball, they don't have to contend with the kind of tackles soccer players do. Full contact sport? Tell that to someone who's been chopped down in the box, has to be stretchered off and is out for months, maybe a season.

And Frown, I wasn't saying AF are pussies, but comparing the two and saying that soccer is safer just does not sound right to me.

Okay, sounds like you clearly don't know what you're talking about. About 50% of American footballers break or seriously injure their legs/ankles, not to mention concussions and other **** like that. I've met a former player once and he said that the majority of his paycheck went to hospital bills and he still goes through physical therapy after racking up all those injuries. Given that these guys are out there tackling each other, it is also a full contact sport. Deny that if you want but you might want to fill Webster's in on your new definition.

Soccer can be dangerous too, but given that football revolves around people running into each other at full speed, it is much more dangerous. Hence the pads (which are a lot harder than you'd expect, it's not like they're wearing pillows out to the field). I don't even like either sport tbh, but facts are fax.

I'm sure there's a few who have, hopefully someone else will come through and post examples. Neither of us will know cos we don't watch it.

It's very rare for soccer players to have their careers ended by an injury though and when it happens it's massive news.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtCgquOsXeo

Have a look at some of them. Those tackles are worse. I would imagine there has been some neck breaks. There is a reason why pads are worn.

But that is illegal. The laws of the game don't allow the sort of tackles in the video posted above or even in rugby. Soccer is not a full contact sport.

By the way I'm not saying AF is better, but I would say soccer is safer. This is not a bad thing.

It's an open secret in American football that a lot of the players, especially the 300 lb+ guys, are dying in their forties and fifties, because the stress they put themselves through is so extreme that it just destroys their bodies and ruins their hearts. These are people who are basically performing at the scientific extremes of what the human body is capable of: from physical exertion, to the impacts of such massive people colliding, over and over again, at full speed.

Heavy NFL players twice as likely to die before 50

It's true I know ****-all about AF: didn't mean to offend anyone by putting it down. It just seemed odd that soccer was seen as a safer sport, when I would have gone for golf or maybe tennis. Anyway, God Bless America! :D

Umm Im gonna go with alot for 100.00 please Alex.

The main difference between the two would be that Soccer, or European Football, is more of a stamina, or endurance sport, and contact is fairly minimal such as in say, a baseball game where contact is incidental. AF is more about short bursts of power, and is a full contact sport where the contact is extreme, and constant. I've played both, and while I wasn't really good at soccer, it was still exhausting, but I excelled at AF, although I was constantly injured and had to quit while I was in H.S. due to a dislocated shoulder that put me out for the season, and I never really went back to it.

:D?

Good summary Plankton.

Is anyone gonna watch the US tonight then :D? It's 1:00am UK time.

I bet that guitar slung over your shoulder got in the way too. That thing you had of playing a scorching solo every time you scored! :D

Actually, I picked up a guitar when I put the football down. Very similar to Joe Satriani's story, except my main influence was Randy Rhodes, instead of Jimi.

I think it's kind of neat, but I tend to stay away from the comparison, I'm not even in the same league of that caliber of playing. Plus, he practices more.

actually this world cup is in my home town. not going to go to a game cuz its expensive as hell but ive watched both Canada matches so far. its actually got pretty hyped here. soccer is fairly popular here in general, weve got an indoor "mini world cup" that happens every 4(?) years and soccer centres turn into madhouses. its loads of fun. can imagine going to a womens world cup game would just be a reason for me to get loaded as well.

in terms of it being safe or whatever why not just have the middle ground and watch hockey?? you got the speed and the danger

Hockey and rugby can **** you up worse than any football.

I can't know for certain, since I've never played either, but I can see football being potentially more dangerous. Both rugby and hockey are played continuously, so the hits are messier than football. Whereas in football, everyone lines up in formation every single time, gets ready to rush forward with everything they've got, and then collides in a much more focused manner (at least the blockers). And then they do it over and over again for several hours.

And even the receivers are actively being pursued for the purpose of being full-body tackled to the ground by three-hundred pound man animals (you have the same thing in rugby, but since you can pass the ball between players I imagine the defenders don't have the same chance to really lineup that brutal hit like in football; and in hockey you're not necessarily gonna get checked just to get the puck).

Regardless, I have no desire to play any of those games with people who actually know how to play defense and make it hurt.

How much?

ha dang my bro went to the Canada nz game and I know he shelled quite a lot for them, but maybe cuz that was Canada and he got good seats. but I just looked it up and they actually are pretty cheap to see random teams. still wont go haha (no real desire to go watch Cameroon Switzerland) but its like $30 so like 15 quid

Yeah thought they might be. Applying for the Euros next year and there are 25 Euro tickets for group games would be stunned if Women's WC cost more than that. Been struggling to fill the grounds as it is.

Also thought it was a disgrace they're playing on artificial turf.

2-0. Get in. Looks like we might beat Mexico.

It's wrong that the women have to play on plastic pitches. It's alright for five a side and dicking about with your mates. Not in competition football when you're sliding around.

England :cool:

Yeah, the hype is actually pretty decent here. The coverage is pretty considerable for this World Cup. I wouldn't say soccer is very popular in Canada in general. Maybe it is at the grassroots level (with the relative cost to play, where is it not, really?), but it doesn't seem very popular at the pro level. The coverage is pretty considerable for this World Cup.

Women's soccer vs. men's soccer is Canada is a pretty interesting comparison. I don't have any numbers to back it up, but it seems like there's more awareness of the women's national team vs. either the men's national team or Canadian MLS teams, even before the World Cup. Christine Sinclair is probably the most famous/recognizable soccer player in Canada (for either Canadian soccer players or players currently playing in Canada) to either passing fans of the sport, or people who don't really care about the sport but will occasionally keep up with what's going on. The Olympics did so much to put it on the map.

I guess I have a bunch of friends that are very good at soccer, so I go to a lot of high quality local tournys, like mini world cup.

definitely womens soccer is more popular here than mens. but its also probably because the women are top 10 in the world and the men are like 110. we like watching winners (or teams that should have won.......).

England through btw.

Anyone been watching the Copa America? Some top notch football here lads.

Argentina vs Jamaica about to kick off, it's gonna be emotional for Jamaica tbh.

Watch Live Uruguay vs Paraguay

I didn't catch this weekends games, but last weekend, my takeaways were:

Norway's keeper is a monster.
America might take this whole damn thing.

I don't really watch soccer but had 2 separate people tell me they like women's better because there is much less flopping. I have no idea if that is true but If so its a good reason.

Only team I've seen flop so far was Ivory Coast.

Not sure if you're making a joke but I think Moss means the diving/feigning injury.

As am I.

Our Lionesses are in the semis :eek: Knocked out the hosts ffs :eek:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CIjTSYNW8AAPsok.png

Go on England.

this sunday, is the most important day for this country, more important that "shark week", and also more important than "Terminator 5". im referring to the women's world cup final. USA vs Japan from Vancouver, gametime is 6pm central on FOX. we need every American soul near the tube on that day. we can do this, why, cause each and every one of us is a proud american.

^^^

You just made me realize that somehow, someway, someone needs to invent Shart Week.

Heartbreaking way for England to be eliminated. Gotta love the outpouring of support for Bassett though.

It was but nobody seems to have pointed out the mistakes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzqy_viVJss

Pause at 1:21, White has a player to her left clean through and took the shot from outside the box. All she had to do was lay it off and she was through for a 1 on 1 and probably a certain goal. I couldn't believe it when I watched it.

When it went into injury time we should have played for extra time, it was naive to attack so late on and get caught out like that, and the clearance was poor as well, though 100% the right thing to do.

While it was a horrible way to lose, we lost because of two poor moments of decision making. We love a brave loser in England, it's why we never fucking win anything.

Fucking England and international football.