World Cup Predictions?

I can't believe we are on the verge of the World Cup and no one has started a "prediction thread". I was going to leave it up to one of you European types but I guess I'll have to do it myself. (Shame on you. Leaving this in the hands of an American):

Anyway, here we go:

- North Korea will lose at least one game by five or more goals.
- Italy will win another game due to a bogus penalty call in the box.
- Someone will pull another Zidane, although not in the Final.
- An African team will go deep and win some games they're not supposed to.
- USA will make it out of the group stage. Hey, that will be quite an accomplishment based on the results from the last World Cup.
- South Africa will win at least one game in the group stage. Watch out Mexico!
- Brazil will emerge as the winners. Haven't they won every WC outside of Europe? See, I'm sure one of you football fanatics would know this whereas I'm not 100% sure.
- There will be at least two teams that don't score any goals in the group stage.

Does anyone have any more?

England to fail 8)

The US makes it out of group stage every 8 years like clockwork:D

1994 US
2002 S Korea-Japan
2010? SA

Brazil are going to the finals, but they are going to lose to another traditional team. My predictions? Spain, solid euro campgain and all the team are used to play with or against brazilian players (like everybody on Europe)

USA are going to survive the group stage, but maybe are going to lose on 8 finals

South Africa are going to survive due the fans pressure.

GROUP A: Frogs, Mexies
B: Argies, no clue....flukey greece?
C: Engerlund, Slovenia
D: Germans, socceroos
E: Holland, Denmark
F: Italy, Slovakia
G: Brazil, Portugal
H: Spain ...no clue

Frogs plough through, meet Engerlund ....Irish nation at a loss as to who to hate most....

Holland could trip against Slo ...but not gonna happen, anyway its pointless cos they'll meet Brazil .....Brazil

someone (either frogs or bulldogs) gotta take Brazil? nah....Brazil into final.



Argies V Germans will see talent and ego meet fitness and strategy ....Germans

Spain vs Portugal is gonna be THE humdinger ...penalies, diving, red cards, injuries, extra time, ronaldo loses an eyelash, penalty shoot out .....the works!
And the winner of that match will be too knackered to beat Italy...

Italy cheat the Germans (if one of the spain/portu teams make it Germans sail through on brains)

Brazil vs Italy/Germany for the final ...and no idea after that.
Its a world cup for boring predictability methinks.
Hope I'm wrong....

- South Africa will win at least one game in the group stage. Watch out Mexico!

Almost got that one. Dang! That was probably their best chance.

I can't believe there were three Mexicans behind the defense for their lone goal? I mean, the South African goalie had no chance. 3 on 1? What is he supposed to do?

On the flip side, that was an awesome goal by South Africa. Just a perfect shot.

Three lions all the way!

If not I would like to see Holland win.


EN-GER-LAND :wink:

The Mex lost 2 points. I guess the RSA has some chances to score to the next stage after all... Go BAFANA BAFANA!

Spain (My Birth Country) all the way!
Germany (the country I tend to cheer for) to do about as expected - nothing special - but not terrible.
USA to do well for the US anyway (assuming our defense will step up and not just rely on our goalie (he saved our butts in this first game)
Korea (South) to do better than expected.

Games I want to see:
France - Algeria
USA - North Korea
North Korea - South Korea
England - Spain

BTW - it's BS that England Ireland and Scotland all get their own teams - and the US only gets one. Come to think of it - how about "Team EU." Muahhahaha....

I Feel bad for the English goal keeper today. That could have happened to anybody and I'm sure he'll never hear the end of it. But as a USA fan, I'll take the point and run.

South Korea was a big surprise today. Or was I surprised that Greece played so poorly? I can't decide.

Argentina should have won by three or four. A herculean effort by the Nigerian keeper was the only thing keeping it close.

Wayne Gretzky once said:

"Good things happen when you shoot on goal."

Dempsey got his shot on goal (when looking at the games stats, that is easier said than done), and a good thing happened.

The creed of Nascar is " I would rather be lucky than good", along with
"It ain't cheating if you don't get caught." Italy has taken the later to heart.

There is such a buzz about Spain. Maybe too much.

I am more than grateful that the USA came out of its match with England with a tie. That may enable us to advance. I will keep my fingers crossed.

There's a distintct difference between 'British papers' and the press that is written in England, Scotland and Wales. The Scottish papers have pur it on the back pages with a 'whoops! butter fingers!' take on Green. The Engllish tabloids have made it front page and are slating Green for the goal. There is nothing British about England in the World Cup...

Not to beat a dead horse (and like JD, I feel sorry for the guy) but was wondering what the British papers are saying about the game and their keeper today...

ElF

Wayne Gretzky once said:

"Good things happen when you shoot on goal."

Dempsey got his shot on goal (when looking at the games stats, that is easier said than done), and a good thing happened.

Don't worry about the British media....the New York Post once more paints America as a land of thicks

www.mediaite.com/print/only-the-ny-post-...his-world-cup-cover/

As this.... interpretation .... of the concept of drawing and winning goes global America will once again be seen as the Joke of the world cup and everyone will forget about Green and whatever kudos the team had earned is lost.

Pity.

No probs - they're saying if he is left out the next game it'll be end of his england career. On another note I personally thanked some American tourists here today for getting one over the English. Thanks guys! Hey, is this turning into a football forum?

My apologies for the gaffe....I meant "English" papers. I saw the one English tabloid that read "The Hand of Clod"....poor dude!

There's a distintct difference between 'British papers' and the press that is written in England, Scotland and Wales. The Scottish papers have pur it on the back pages with a 'whoops! butter fingers!' take on Green. The Engllish tabloids have made it front page and are slating Green for the goal. There is nothing British about England in the World Cup...

Not to beat a dead horse (and like JD, I feel sorry for the guy) but was wondering what the British papers are saying about the game and their keeper today...

ElF

Wayne Gretzky once said:

"Good things happen when you shoot on goal."

Dempsey got his shot on goal (when looking at the games stats, that is easier said than done), and a good thing happened.

Don't worry about the British media....the New York Post once more paints America as a land of thicks

www.mediaite.com/print/only-the-ny-post-...his-world-cup-cover/

As this.... interpretation .... of the concept of drawing and winning goes global America will once again be seen as the Joke of the world cup and everyone will forget about Green and whatever kudos the team had earned is lost.

Pity.

That headline is called "sarcasm". Every prediction by so-called experts had the US losing by at least 2 goals so a "tie" is a "win" to us here in America.

You European types must really be hurting if you're reduced to using a NY Post headline to display your soccer elitism.

Get a grip! England is far from eliminated. You could be laughing about this little episode if you go on and advance. This was only the first game.

Don't worry about the British media....the New York Post once more paints America as a land of thicks

www.mediaite.com/print/only-the-ny-post-...his-world-cup-cover/

As this.... interpretation .... of the concept of drawing and winning goes global America will once again be seen as the Joke of the world cup and everyone will forget about Green and whatever kudos the team had earned is lost.

Pity.

That headline is called "sarcasm". Every prediction by so-called experts had the US losing by at least 2 goals so a "tie" is a "win" to us here in America.

You European types must really be hurting if you're reduced to using a NY Post headline to display your soccer elitism.

Get a grip! England is far from eliminated. You could be laughing about this little episode if you go on and advance. This was only the first game.

Uh... I'm not English and from a country that's not even in the tournament

Sorry I touched a nerve but wins and draws aren't re-negotiable.

As I said, its a pity because there's a real chance for the US to drum up some respectability. The discussion was heading towards Media and how the brit tabloids would cover the screw up by their goalie so I merely pointed out that the goalie's mistake would get drowned out by that headline article. The media treatment of the match was the drift of the conversation and my point was that the brit tabloids have a new ball to kick around: USA.

Speaking of a new "Ball", there was another muff today. And why in hell did FIFA change the ball just before a world cup? I would love to hear the logical explanation for this, but I already know in my heart that most likely it has nothing to do with the sport, and everything to do with MONEY!

What do the real experts on this site know about this, and how much of a factor is it really?

Bah - the teams had a month to train with the new ball. What they need to ban are those damn horns! I feel like I’m being attacked by mosquitoes the entire game!

Deutschland! Woot! Woot!

Bah - the teams had a month to train with the new ball. What they need to ban are those damn horns! I feel like I’m being attacked by mosquitoes the entire game!

Deutschland! Woot! Woot!

I had never heard of the word vuvuzela before Friday, and its mad when ya switch channels to the rugby or GAA and there's no buzzing...AND THEN YOU SWITCH BACK AND IT HITS YOU LIKE A WALL OF SOUND!

The telly networks are trying to get them banned before round two.

The new ball is meant to be reacting differently at different altitudes apparently ....

Don't worry about the British media....the New York Post once more paints America as a land of thicks

www.mediaite.com/print/only-the-ny-post-...his-world-cup-cover/

As this.... interpretation .... of the concept of drawing and winning goes global America will once again be seen as the Joke of the world cup and everyone will forget about Green and whatever kudos the team had earned is lost.

Pity.

That headline is called "sarcasm". Every prediction by so-called experts had the US losing by at least 2 goals so a "tie" is a "win" to us here in America.

You European types must really be hurting if you're reduced to using a NY Post headline to display your soccer elitism.

Get a grip! England is far from eliminated. You could be laughing about this little episode if you go on and advance. This was only the first game.

Uh... I'm not English and from a country that's not even in the tournament

Sorry I touched a nerve but wins and draws aren't re-negotiable.

As I said, its a pity because there's a real chance for the US to drum up some respectability. The discussion was heading towards Media and how the brit tabloids would cover the screw up by their goalie so I merely pointed out that the goalie's mistake would get drowned out by that headline article. The media treatment of the match was the drift of the conversation and my point was that the brit tabloids have a new ball to kick around: USA.

The problem is that you "painted" an entire country of 300 million people as morons based on one headline in one paper. And worse, you didn't even get the point of the headline! It's a pity...really.

I know Ireland is not in the World Cup. How did that happen again? Something about a non-call on a hand ball? Ooh, did I just "touch a nerve"?

As for today's action:

-How could you not be impressed with Germany? Australia just looked helpless against them.

- Good for Ghana. Hey Captain, look! A hand ball in the box does get called sometimes.

- The Algerian goaltender pulls a Green and lets in an easy one to give Slovenia the 3 points. USA is next for Slovenia. Let's hope we can hang with them.

Won't be able to watch tomorrow because I'll be traveling and won't be able to post. Shame, because I've decided to take up Italy as my second favorite team this World Cup.