Open wide for some soccer!

[Highway]

FWIW, Canada is currently hosting the Women's FIFA World Cup. I think the US is one of the favorites.

The only thing that is mildly interesting to me is that games are being played from Vancouver (where the final will be played) to Montreal. That means the players sometimes have a four hour flight to get to their next game.

That's typical. The Brazil World Cup was ludicrous about travel, and the Russia World Cup was forced to keep it to European side cities to make sure it was at least doable. The USMNT for 2014 in Brazil had selected a base camp in Sao Paolo, in the middle of 8 of the 12 venues, geographically, but then had to play their Group games in three northern locations (drawn after they set where the base camp was). So they had a total travel of something like 9000 miles for those three games.

[Mo]

US World Cup in 1994 was coast to coast.

[Kolohe]

As was the Women's world cup in 1999. (I saw Women's World Cup games at Jack Kent Cooke (now Fedex) before I saw any Redskin's games there)

Last night's match was kinda blah, but the USA Swedish match was pretty intense. I mean, it literally had bloody Viking women battling it out.

[Kolohe]

Usa blasted Japan so hard in the opening, I feared godzilla might waken

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[Mo]

2015 is looking to be the worst year for Germany in about 70 years.

[Highway]

Thanks to Tottenham Hotspur failing to beat Chelsea today, Leicester City has clinched the Premiere League championship for this season. In case you hadn't seen any of the articles in the last couple weeks, this is probably the most unlikely single event that you could have ever taken a bet on, with all the bookmakers giving 5000:1 odds at the beginning of the season back in August. This is also after they made an amazing climb out of the relegation zone at the end of last year, from last place on April 3, 2015, 7 points from safety, winning 7 of their last nine to stay up, and leading almost wire to wire this year and now clinching the title.

They certainly won't be considered the most dominant winners ever, and it's one of those lucky years for all involved, but given how stacked the deck is for anyone who's not a perennial winner, it's still quite the achievement. There have only ever been 5 teams to win the Premier League - ManUtd, Chelsea, Arsenal, and ManCity, with Blackburn winning one time more than 20 years ago. And Leicester City brought a payroll total of 54 million pounds, while the top 6 teams probably have at least one player who cost that much individually.

[Kolohe]

This Argentina curbstomping of the US has been worse than the score suggests.

[Kolohe]

well god damn it, the DC United game I was supposed to go to tonight with my nieces has been rescheduled for Saturday, when their actual soccer camp is happening. Hopefully I'll be able to resell the tickets and only be out about 10 bucks in service fee

And it would have been nice for Stubhub to push some kind of alert to my email when the event date changed.

[Aresen]

[Ellie]

Hahaha! I love it.

[Mo]

Egypt got a draw with the 17th, 63rd and 65th ranked teams in the world. Holy crap the Pharoahs may advance.

[dead_elvis]

Egypt got a draw with the 17th, 63rd and 65th ranked teams in the world. Holy crap the Pharoahs may advance.

Meanwhile Costa Rica (wife is from there so that's my team) got the 2nd and 8th ranked teams. Well, it was nice qualifying anyway.

[Aresen]

If England beats Croatia tomorrow, that sets up an England vs France final on Sunday.

Any Harry Plantagenets around?

[JasonL]

The English talking about The Cup is Coming Home is hilarious though. I think they've only won once on a goal that wouldn't survive review today. As someone put it "it's like the Jets talking about Lombardi coming home".

[Highway]

Well, you gotta cash in on those failed dreams from the 90s when you can. Especially with a bad song that half talks about how much of a failure you've been.

[dead_elvis]

Well, you gotta cash in on those failed dreams from the 90s when you can. Especially with a bad song that half talks about how much of a failure you've been.

Yay Croatia! nice to see a small country (that didn't exist until the 90s) underdog have a great run.

[Aresen]

Well, you gotta cash in on those failed dreams from the 90s when you can. Especially with a bad song that half talks about how much of a failure you've been.

Yay Croatia! nice to see a small country (that didn't exist until the 90s) underdog have a great run.

If Croatia beats France, that will sure ruin Bastille Day weekend.

[Aresen]

Re: England's loss to Croatia: I love this front page from an English rag:

[Aresen]

So France won. Tant pis.

[dead_elvis]

Ha, I hadn't heard that expression before, I like it.

[Ellie]

It looks like "taint piss" (hello, I am super mature)