Can't believe there's no thread about one of the biggest events in The Beautiful Game!

Who's watching and what's your opinion so far?

Are they even being shown in the U.S.?

Do the ones on here who are from the U.S. like watching football (or as you call it, "soccer")

Do you understand all the rules and do you even understand the tacticts (or are you always wondering why they don't just SHOOT? )?

Do you understand why it's called "The Beautiful Game" - do you agree that it's beautiful?

They had it on at my work the last couple of days..

Im not watching..

I dont understand the rules, Hell, I dont even understand football, its all silly to me..

Beautiful game?? Ive never heard it called that.. Its no more beautiful than any other sport..

But we are americans... what do we know...

tinaz said:

They had it on at my work the last couple of days..

Im not watching..

I dont understand the rules, Hell, I dont even understand football, its all silly to me..

Beautiful game?? Ive never heard it called that.. Its no more beautiful than any other sport..

But we are americans... what do we know...

It's the nickname of football... The way the rules are set up, the flow of the game, all the different ways to achieve something, the elegancy of controlling a ball and playing a pin-point pass for over 40 yards, .. it's all set up to be beautiful.

You know, a famous football player once said: "Football is 10% physics and 20% athletics. The rest is art"

I agree that it must be difficult to "get into" football if you didn't grow up in a football-savvy environment (or, let's say, Europe, because football is popular here everywhere and usually people know their stuff). For "beginners" it must look like 22 men running after one ball and trying to put it into the net. Needless to say, once you understand the game and why which players makes which step in which direction (playing yourself helps too, of course), you usually find that no other sport in the world can be as exciting as football. The rules in football are hardly confining and quite simple, so the flow of the game is completely free and you won't ever see the same goal twice.

http://prince.org/msg/100/382259

We have been watching a bit of it here in Florida thanks to Fox Soccer.

My little guy loves to watch and play football.

He shouts "Come On!"

Come on England.

Dave1992 said:

tinaz said:

They had it on at my work the last couple of days..

Im not watching..

I dont understand the rules, Hell, I dont even understand football, its all silly to me..

Beautiful game?? Ive never heard it called that.. Its no more beautiful than any other sport..

But we are americans... what do we know...

It's the nickname of football... The way the rules are set up, the flow of the game, all the different ways to achieve something, the elegancy of controlling a ball and playing a pin-point pass for over 40 yards, .. it's all set up to be beautiful.

You know, a famous football player once said: "Football is 10% physics and 20% athletics. The rest is art"

I agree that it must be difficult to "get into" football if you didn't grow up in a football-savvy environment (or, let's say, Europe, because football is popular here everywhere and usually people know their stuff). For "beginners" it must look like 22 men running after one ball and trying to put it into the net. Needless to say, once you understand the game and why which players makes which step in which direction (playing yourself helps too, of course), you usually find that no other sport in the world can be as exciting as football. The rules in football are hardly confining and quite simple, so the flow of the game is completely free and you won't ever see the same goal twice.

Nice Post. Their is no game like the beautiful game. A phrase coined by Pele, I believe. It's probably the only sport that marries the tactical with the spontaneous. Their can be so mant types of games too, from tactical stalemates to all out end to end slugfests. It might be the most skilful ball sport in the world, but I'm biased 'cause i've played it for years and I love the game:-D

The inherent simplicity of the game means it can be played anywhere at anytime.. Lovin this Euros too. Now that Ireland are out:-( I'm rooting for the Italians...

The opium of the masses indeed.

I did watch and always do as a European...I'm just so let down with The Netherlands (Im from there) I expected so much better from them. This the worst result in Dutch History for them...(zero points in the group fase)

the problem with football since the late 90s is that there's WAY TOO MUCH MONEY involved, and many times both teams are scared shitless so they play using the famous "catenaccio" tactics: an extremely conservative way of playing that looks for the 0-0 + extra time + penalties

those games are dreadful to watch, 90 minutes of tedium...

of course, on the other hand, there are also many clubs/national teams that always look for the 3-0, 4-2, 3-2, 5-1 etc. beautiful games...

Shanti0608 said:

http://prince.org/msg/100/382259

We have been watching a bit of it here in Florida thanks to Fox Soccer.

My little guy loves to watch and play football.

He shouts "Come On!"

Come on England.

Seems like I missed that thread, thanks!

That's so cool! And the little one sure has a good mentor in a Spurs fan!

Come on England!!

maplesyrupnjam said:

Dave1992 said:

It's the nickname of football... The way the rules are set up, the flow of the game, all the different ways to achieve something, the elegancy of controlling a ball and playing a pin-point pass for over 40 yards, .. it's all set up to be beautiful.

You know, a famous football player once said: "Football is 10% physics and 20% athletics. The rest is art"

I agree that it must be difficult to "get into" football if you didn't grow up in a football-savvy environment (or, let's say, Europe, because football is popular here everywhere and usually people know their stuff). For "beginners" it must look like 22 men running after one ball and trying to put it into the net. Needless to say, once you understand the game and why which players makes which step in which direction (playing yourself helps too, of course), you usually find that no other sport in the world can be as exciting as football. The rules in football are hardly confining and quite simple, so the flow of the game is completely free and you won't ever see the same goal twice.

Nice Post. Their is no game like the beautiful game. A phrase coined by Pele, I believe. It's probably the only sport that marries the tactical with the spontaneous. Their can be so mant types of games too, from tactical stalemates to all out end to end slugfests. It might be the most skilful ball sport in the world, but I'm biased 'cause i've played it for years and I love the game:-D

The inherent simplicity of the game means it can be played anywhere at anytime.. Lovin this Euros too. Now that Ireland are out:-( I'm rooting for the Italians...

The opium of the masses indeed.

Never really liked the way Italians play the game, however their tactical ability defensively is hugely impressive and very nice to watch. I love good defending. And Pirlo is still in a class of his own. He's like the Italian Scholes (without the ginger shooting though )!

Dave1992 said:

Shanti0608 said:

http://prince.org/msg/100/382259

We have been watching a bit of it here in Florida thanks to Fox Soccer.

My little guy loves to watch and play football.

He shouts "Come On!"

Come on England.

Seems like I missed that thread, thanks!

That's so cool! And the little one sure has a good mentor in a Spurs fan!

Come on England!!

No worries. I know football (soccer) is not very popular in this forum. Good to see there are a few cool ppl here.

We are trying to keep his sports knowledge well rounded. He watched & played golf this past weekend thanks to the US Open. He plays a cricket game on daddy's phone.

I am going to avoid baseball if possible though. That game bores me!

dollarsandcheese said:

I did watch and always do as a European...I'm just so let down with The Netherlands (Im from there) I expected so much better from them. This the worst result in Dutch History for them...(zero points in the group fase)

Yeah, they looked a bit complacent... However, Denmark were firing on all fronts, Portugal have a good chemistry and it's always difficult against the Krauts. That was by far the toughest group to be in, for anybody.

JoeTyler said:

the problem with football since the late 90s is that there's WAY TOO MUCH MONEY involved, and many times both teams are scared shitless so they play using the famous "catenaccio" tactics: an extremely conservative way of playing that looks for the 0-0 + extra time + penalties

those games are dreadful to watch, 90 minutes of tedium...

of course, on the other hand, there are also many clubs/national teams that always look for the 3-0, 4-2, 3-2, 5-1 etc. beautiful games...

Agree about the money. However, money only concerns club football and we're mainly talking about international football here.

Disagree about many teams playing "catenaccio" (which is playing for a 1-0 win, actually). The difference to former times is simply that the players are athletically even more capable and tactically more disciplined. In past times, the defenders used to be the slower and older players. Nowadays, defenders are just as good as the strikers, which makes it more difficult to score those "wondergoals" where a striker had half a minute to control the ball and decide what to do with it. But I like it this way - I like watching the movement of a defensive line and how patient the attacking team has to be nowadays, because the game has become so good on all ends.

You see, it's not just about the goals. There's so many things going on all over the pitch, so many decisive steps, runs and passes, it's simply beautiful to watch, even if a game ends 1-0.

Shanti0608 said:

Dave1992 said:

Seems like I missed that thread, thanks!

That's so cool! And the little one sure has a good mentor in a Spurs fan!

Come on England!!

No worries. I know football (soccer) is not very popular in this forum. Good to see there are a few cool ppl here.

We are trying to keep his sports knowledge well rounded. He watched & played golf this past weekend thanks to the US Open. He plays a cricket game on daddy's phone.

I am going to avoid baseball if possible though. That game bores me!

I'd find that very important too! I'm curious about what will emerge as his favourite sport and whether the little boy will practice it himself too; in the end, cricket is extinct in the U.S. and most of his friends probably won't be into "European" sports, so it'll probably be really interesting to watch his relationship with football and cricket etc. develop!

Dave1992 said:

dollarsandcheese said:

I did watch and always do as a European...I'm just so let down with The Netherlands (Im from there) I expected so much better from them. This the worst result in Dutch History for them...(zero points in the group fase)

Yeah, they looked a bit complacent... However, Denmark were firing on all fronts, Portugal have a good chemistry and it's always difficult against the Krauts. That was by far the toughest group to be in, for anybody.

I agree it was a tough group to be in! Good thing is I can now root for everybody and enjoy the great teams that are left!

Dave1992 said:

JoeTyler said:

the problem with football since the late 90s is that there's WAY TOO MUCH MONEY involved, and many times both teams are scared shitless so they play using the famous "catenaccio" tactics: an extremely conservative way of playing that looks for the 0-0 + extra time + penalties

those games are dreadful to watch, 90 minutes of tedium...

of course, on the other hand, there are also many clubs/national teams that always look for the 3-0, 4-2, 3-2, 5-1 etc. beautiful games...

Agree about the money. However, money only concerns club football and we're mainly talking about international football here.

Disagree about many teams playing "catenaccio" (which is playing for a 1-0 win, actually). The difference to former times is simply that the players are athletically even more capable and tactically more disciplined. In past times, the defenders used to be the slower and older players. Nowadays, defenders are just as good as the strikers, which makes it more difficult to score those "wondergoals" where a striker had half a minute to control the ball and decide what to do with it. But I like it this way - I like watching the movement of a defensive line and how patient the attacking team has to be nowadays, because the game has become so good on all ends.

You see, it's not just about the goals. There's so many things going on all over the pitch, so many decisive steps, runs and passes, it's simply beautiful to watch, even if a game ends 1-0.

I disagree , lol but I guess some catenaccio games can be interesting (even thrilling) if the defenders/goalkeeper are world-famous (Casillas, Buffon, Pique, Pepe, Terry, etc)...

but beautiful? nah...

Dave1992 said:

Shanti0608 said:

No worries. I know football (soccer) is not very popular in this forum. Good to see there are a few cool ppl here.

We are trying to keep his sports knowledge well rounded. He watched & played golf this past weekend thanks to the US Open. He plays a cricket game on daddy's phone.

I am going to avoid baseball if possible though. That game bores me!

I'd find that very important too! I'm curious about what will emerge as his favourite sport and whether the little boy will practice it himself too; in the end, cricket is extinct in the U.S. and most of his friends probably won't be into "European" sports, so it'll probably be really interesting to watch his relationship with football and cricket etc. develop!

I am surprised how many ppl here follow European teams. Phil found a guy close by that supports Spurs and they go to a bar that show the games.

Pretty cool. You can't judge the whole of America on the org.

Dave1992 said:

maplesyrupnjam said:

Nice Post. Their is no game like the beautiful game. A phrase coined by Pele, I believe. It's probably the only sport that marries the tactical with the spontaneous. Their can be so mant types of games too, from tactical stalemates to all out end to end slugfests. It might be the most skilful ball sport in the world, but I'm biased 'cause i've played it for years and I love the game:-D

The inherent simplicity of the game means it can be played anywhere at anytime.. Lovin this Euros too. Now that Ireland are out:-( I'm rooting for the Italians...

The opium of the masses indeed.

Never really liked the way Italians play the game, however their tactical ability defensively is hugely impressive and very nice to watch. I love good defending. And Pirlo is still in a class of his own. He's like the Italian Scholes (without the ginger shooting though )!

Yep Pirlo is still class. The great thing about football is that their is so many ways of playing the games. Most countries have their ideologies. The Italians of course aren't everyones cup of tea, But their cattenacio or "doorbolt" is to be admired in itself. It takes great concentration and mental strength, something the Italian's always seem to have at major tournaments, even if their not the best team. It has to be said though that this Italian team has more flair than a lot of previous ones. Di Natale, Cassano and Mad Mario:-P are quality forwards.

Football for me is always about a clash of styles anyway. Spain's tika taka can be quite boring in my eyes, although their technically brilliant, while the Germans (Who would have thought it) are far more exciting to watch with their blistering counter attack. Mesut Ozil is a class act.

In response to Joe , I know what he means, but this tournament has been pretty free flowing.

Here's to more

Dave1992 said:

Can't believe there's no thread about one of the biggest events in The Beautiful Game!

Who's watching and what's your opinion so far?

Are they even being shown in the U.S.?

Do the ones on here who are from the U.S. like watching football (or as you call it, "soccer")

Do you understand all the rules and do you even understand the tacticts (or are you always wondering why they don't just SHOOT? )?

Do you understand why it's called "The Beautiful Game" - do you agree that it's beautiful?

You bet I'm watching it! After making fun of soccer/football for 45 years, I've become a HUGE fan (thanks to my son!). We're pulling for Germany, as we have German heritage.

All the matches are shown here in the US, on ESPN or ESPN2. They are shown live though, so they're on in the middle of the day here. Thank goodness I'm on vacation this whole month!

Germany is rolling. I don't know enough yet about the other countries, but I would assume that Portugal, having Ronaldo, should be a powerhouse too.

I understand the tactics mostly, but as an American I do find myself thinking a lot more aggressive shots could be taken. However, I also know that the game looks much different on the field than it does from an overhead TV shot. Since these guys have been playing this game for hundreds more years than I've been watching it, I have to trust that if there's a shot to be taken, they will take it.

And yes, I *DO* understand why it's called "The Beautiful Game". It is fantastic!

BTW, my son got back from Europe last night. He loved it, especially Berlin. They also took a quick trip to Salzberg and said it was beautiful.

He's a Bayern Munich fan and while in Munich, he not only visited the Allianz stadium, but also the two other stadiums where Bayern had previously played. Now, that's a fan!

Yes! I'm looking forward to tonight's game.

But I only watched the England games so far. I'll start catching some of the other games now it's getting juicy.

Lisa10 said:

Yes! I'm looking forward to tonight's game.

But I only watched the England games so far. I'll start catching some of the other games now it's getting juicy.

Dave1992 said:

" - do you agree that it's beautiful?

Bores me 2 tears............

RicoN said:

COME ON ENGLAND!! Amazing how cool they were defensively, when there was actually quite a lot at stake.

Lisa10 said:

RicoN said:

And the foootball.