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[CortJstr]

maybe they should make every goal worth 2 or 3 points, like basketball. then americans could love soccer.

But then would a PK count for less since it's so much more likely to score? Or does it count the same since it's been awarded for a reason?

[robot_god]

Like basketball.  Goal counts as 2, PK as 1, but you get two of them.  Hah hah that would be so cool.

I wish that every sport would have needlessly complex extra ways to score.  Like MTV's Rock 'N' Jock sports.  That was the greatest thing of all time, at least the basketball version.  Baseball was lame.

[Drygioni]

Of course it'll be close.  The most lopsided victory I've seen so far was 4-0.

Whilst I was going to dismiss that by just saying it's all relatively speaking, you do make an interesting point. Football, by nature, is generally a much closer game than most other sports. For example:

In this game one team was winning 4-0 with 12 minutes left to play. In football, that is a drubbing. However, the other team managed to score 4 to equalise in those remaining minutes plus extra time. So how 'close' is 4-0 actually then if a team can do that? That's another part of the brilliance though, because the margins are so fine a game is never really over, especially in a cup competition when players are fired up and there's nothing to lose. Winning 2-0 and controlling the game? Well, if the other team score one lucky goal with 5 minutes to go and it's 2-1, you've got a completely different game.

Like the Dutch yesterday; winning comfortably 3-1, Uruguay get a late goal from a free-kick to make it 3-2 and suddenly the Dutch are having to defend goalmouth scrambles.

Plus of course you get extremely comfortable 1-0 victories and pretty 'close' 2-0 victories. That's why good set-piece takers and goal-out-of-nowhere finishers are so highly prized. A goal is worth so much and it only takes a free-kick or defensive slip-up to acquire one when you're not creating chances in open play.

Anyway.

Spain vs. Germany is so hard to call. Spain have the better individual players, Germany the team spirit. Spain the attacking flair, Germany the organisation. Spain the confidence from winning Euro 2008, Germany the confidence that they are German. Spain the wily old uncle manager, Germany the young ambitious hothead manager. Spain the handsome hot-shot David Villa, Germany the been-there-done-that experience of the imperious Klose.

I'm going 2-1 Spain

[CortJstr]

People keep pointing out Spain beat Germany in the 2008 Euro then in the next breathe saying this is almost an entirely different German team. The Germans seem to be dominating thus far but I'm rooting for Spain today on the basis that it will mean whoever takes the cup will be a first-time winner.

[pmcd9]

Whilst I was going to dismiss that by just saying it's all relatively speaking, you do make an interesting point. Football, by nature, is generally a much closer game than most other sports. For example:

In this game one team was winning 4-0 with 12 minutes left to play. In football, that is a drubbing. However, the other team managed to score 4 to equalise in those remaining minutes plus extra time. So how 'close' is 4-0 actually then if a team can do that? That's another part of the brilliance though, because the margins are so fine a game is never really over, especially in a cup competition when players are fired up and there's nothing to lose. Winning 2-0 and controlling the game? Well, if the other team score one lucky goal with 5 minutes to go and it's 2-1, you've got a completely different game.

Like the Dutch yesterday; winning comfortably 3-1, Uruguay get a late goal from a free-kick to make it 3-2 and suddenly the Dutch are having to defend goalmouth scrambles.

Thank you for taking my comment seriously. 

If it makes you feel better you can think of it as 28-0

Not really the same.  Although it's conceivable to score a quick succession of touchdowns its unlikely.  Most touchdowns in football are the result of sustained drives that take upwards of 5-10 minutes of clock time to accomplish.  Whereas in soccer it takes a minute or less to drive the ball up the field.  And while it's apparently extremely difficult to actually put the ball in the goal once its been driven up the field, as Judy explained the opportunity to even out a lopsided score is always present.

Also, In football possession is not as fluid as in soccer.  The team in possession of the ball has an arsenal of tricks designed to kill the clock. 

[theinevitable]

The team in possession of the ball has an arsenal of tricks designed to kill the clock.

This has always really bothered me. It's like a glitch in a video game.
I know that is a bad metaphor, but it bugs me.

[Arachno-capitalist]

This has always really bothered me. It's like a glitch in a video game.
I know that is a bad metaphor, but it bugs me.

The younger breed of american football players are more and more implementing tricks that work in Madden. Namely, if they have a break away run to score a touchdown, they'll run along the end zone line to shave a couple seconds off the clock before scoring.

[Drygioni]

I really should learn to appreciate American football once it eventually makes it's merry way across the Atlantic.

Anyway, 1-0 Spain. I think Germany, for all the brilliance of their previous performances, got found out today. Spain's brilliance in possession would not let them get the counter or set-piece they needed to score that all-important first goal (crucial to their wins over England and Argentina, whereafter they could pick both teams off). Personally I'm pleased, while Germany have played very well it's nice to see a team base their playing style on the virtues of possession and patience rather than seeking set-pieces and counter-attacks, whether they have possession or not.

Quite confident in predicting that this could well be Spain's year... the only other team that could have beat them was Brazil I reckon.

[robot_god]

It was the first time Germany were tested against a stellar defense, but I think their biggest problem was a surprising amount of squandered possession at midfield.  They were lucky to be in the game so long and unlucky that Casillas (Spain keeper) was a beast.

But as for [American] football, well I can hook anyone up with a site that will allow you to watch every game.  I value it so much I would never type the name freely into the open text of the internet, so if anyone is interested, contact me over a private channel.  No guarantee that it works in other countries, I heard it was blocked in Korea.

That site is the reason I got into soccer, because I had the opportunity to watch games.  It kind of made me realize that Americans probably don't like the sport because they don't have any exposure to it.  You watch it a little, you learn what you like about it and what it offers, and maybe you become a fan.  But the thing is in the U.S. are hardly any outlets to watch it at all, save the WC.  Which I don't think is as fun to watch as good games between club teams.

But yeah, [American] football, the sport that arguably allows the most freedom of personal expression.  Ultimately it's alot like soccer, if that sport had a child with room full of steam valves and pistons and there were many, many commercial breaks.  Like, the flow of momentum is exactly the same, only it's alot choppier.

[KeithHernandez]

American Football provides personal expression to like 8 out of 22 people on the field at any one time.  Basketball is probably 6 out of 10.  Baseball everyone.  As far as I see it.

And yeah, the only reason I would ever consider cable is for sports.

[miles]

Well, I was wrong about Germany, but I'm contradicting that damn octopus again (and Cruyff apparently) and picking the Dutch. No real reason, other than when I don't have anybody that I really care about to pull for I go for the underdog. I may be frequently wrong, but it's fun when I'm right.

[miles]

Wow, didn't expect extra time at all. I thought it would either be close with a Dutch victory (which as I said I was pulling for), or a Spanish blowout (relatively speaking, like maybe they'd score more than one goal), but good match. Well played Spain, first final and first World Cup title.

Next one is going to be insane. Brazil! No doubt they'll be looking to help soothe the still painful memory of 1950.

Edit: Party at dejavroom's?

At the risk of agitating LFM, anyone following Le Tour?

[pmcd9]

At the risk of agitating LFM, anyone following Le Tour?

Reluctantly crouched at the starting line.

[Drygioni]

Get in. Won £35 off the back of my Spain to win WC bet back in February.

Good final, not end-to-end stuff but pretty enthralling. The Dutch were horrible, horrible bastards and deserved nothing. A disgrace to the likes of Cruyff and Van Basten.

Well played Spain, 4 1-0s in the knockout stages but they never really looked like not winning it.

WINNERS: Spain
RUNNERS-UP: Netherlands
THIRD-PLACED: Germany
FOURTH-PLACED: Uruguay

GOLDEN BOOT (most goals): Muller, Villa, Sneijder, Forlan
GOLDEN BALL (best player): Forlan

[miles]

The Dutch were horrible, horrible bastards and deserved nothing. A disgrace to the likes of Cruyff and Van Basten.

I read this a lot, maybe not in those terms, but a lot of writers were pulling for Spain for similar reasons. But I still wanted Holland. Again, no real reason. Maybe just because Spain beat Germany, which is my favorite after USA.