Village Idiot

Still think the mascot is pretty odd, not cool-odd like Italia 90, but weird-odd. http://estaticos04.marca.com/imagenes/2013/10/17/futbol/mundial/1382028213_extras_noticia_foton_7_0.jpg

The whole fracas wouldn't have happened if NASA had done like the Russians and sent dogs instead of monkeys to outer space.

Fuck me, not even I can be so arrogant I want to win the WC at least twice

"Llevar los pantalones" = to exert authority within a group. Comes from the expression "She's the one wearing the pants" regarding when the woman bosses the man in a relationship.

We had tons of injuries for the fixture, that's what brought Messi's debut (he was 17).

Damià Abella (now at Osasuna), Ruben Martínez (now at Rayo)... the other two I'm not sure. Nobody that made it, that's for sure. Iniesta and Fernando Navarro (now at Sevilla) also sat in the bench that day: http://media1.fcbarcelona.com/media/asset_publics/resources/000/031/390/size_640x360/2004-10-16_MESSI_03-Optimized.v1364912933.JPG EDIT: Pulling out the match report from that day the other two subs are Peña and Cristian Hidalgo. Don't remember much about them.

That's just indoors hockey? Also, that's no excuse, Spain are world champions of roller hockey AND football.

I don't speak Spanish but according to a commenter on Deadspin, this was the translation: "GOOOOAAAAAAL The US of A PUTS us in the playoffs!!!!!" USA! "It is because of the USA that we are being placed in the playoff ...BECAUSE OF THEM , NOT DUE TO YOU..NOT ANY OF YOU in the green shirts ....IT WAS THEM!!.NOT YOU!..THEY DID IT!!!!!NOT YOU! remember this forever..... KEEP THIS CLEARLY IN MIND FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIVES! You do NOTHING for the shirt, you do NOT put the effort, you have NOTplaced us in the playoffs , you HAVE NOT placed us in the WORLD CUP ..YOU WOULD NOT HAVE KEPT US ALIVE....IT WAS ESTADOS UNIDOS, NOT YOU.! .NOT YOU AND YOUR ARROGANCE/CONCEIT.....NOT YOU AND YOUR INFAMY....NOT YOU AND YOUR MORONS/PUNKS.... .... "IT IS A FAILURE.....and UNDESERVED -to go through to the playoff- WE HAD NO ARGUMENTS to earn the playoffs, THE USA, WITH SUBS , WITH MANY SUBS as the visiting team shows us once again what the USA is all about ....how to play the game with dignity, how to approach the sport..Mexico is a horror, just terrible....A FAILURE.... ...... THE USA HAS SURPASSED US ..They are better than Mexico in SOCCER ....THEY EVEN HAVE THE LUXURY OF PLAYING THEIR SUBS and KEEPING US LIVE.... I hope our coach wears the pants and resigns..He has failed as coach...." Ouch. That is correct, they left out a juicy bit at the end though. "He isn't working out as national team manager. We need somebody with pants that takes the European based players out of the team. The European's DON'T EXIST in this team."

Sturridge and I'd say Wellbeck are great players in the counter.

Honestly, I fucking love me a World Cup and will watch as many games as humanly possible, but for the most part the football in itself is pretty crap. Sides are usually *very* conservative given the competition format (concede a goal and you could be already out), and international sides aren't as fluid as club sides due to the lack of playing time throughout the season.

Very well to be honest. He hasn't scored too much (and one of the reasons is a surprising lack of selfishness), but his link up game and interplay with the rest of the attacking players has been surprising. He's created a lot (already got 5 assists to his name, third in La Liga) and has easily been one of our best players, despite being a new arrival. Very excited to see him integrate more with the rest of the squad and develop further. Clásico in a couple weeks will be his first big game. Pity Messi has had so many injury problems, seeing both of them on song

I played some Eye-Toy games with Iniesta. That's all I can offer

No on both accounts, the Valdés lookalike is then-reserve keeper Rubén, I think. Found the moment he came on: http://img01.mundodeportivo.com/2012/10/16/El-debut-oficial-de-Leo-Messi-_54353102318_54115221213_490_300.jpg

Today is the 9th anniversary of his senior debut, coming in as a sub against Espanyol. http://media4.fcbarcelona.com/media/asset_publics/resources/000/031/389/size_640x360/2004-10-16_MESSI_01-Optimized.v1364912930.JPG http://media2.fcbarcelona.com/media/asset_publics/resources/000/031/392/size_640x360/2004-10-16_MESSI_04-Optimized.v1364912938.JPG

People in another board telling me Italy won't be seeded? The ratings are released tomorrow, right?

Problem is that I won't know if I'll be there until January, and then it'll probably be too late. I want a stable life (well, I don't).

Much rather have a WC with Mexico than Panama in it, to be frank. Thanks gringos.

Big chance I'll be in America (north side of it though) by the time this rolls in... wonder if it's cheaper to travel from NYC to at least see a game.

I'm moving there soon. Permanently or on loan?

And until we can probe footballers' minds (I'm sure that Costa will come with some pretty convincing language about Spain being the country that gave him a chance as a footballer if he ends up chosing us), we can only set some rules for all. The 5-year rule does a pretty good job of filtering out the most blatant cases, imho, like what used to happen with Qatar.

I don't know? One of my best friends is a Cuban that fled the country when he was 22. He considers himself to be Spanish now, this is the country that welcomed him, that gave him a job, etc... People get too hung up with nationality, imho.

He wasn't a Spanish national then. We'll see what he decides when he gets two call ups next month. Ultimately, I don't think there's anything inherently wrong about a footballer playing for a different country if that's his choice, particularly since FIFA cut the loopholes about dodgy nationalization laws.

He never played professionally in Brazil either, got his break in Portugal then here. He's lived in Spain for 6 years now and to all matters of the law he's as Spanish as I am. Why shouldn't he be able to play for us if he wishes so? It's not like, say, Ibaka in basketball, who got his nationalization fast-tracked just so he could play for the Spanish team and only lived a couple years here ()

Still undecided on him. Way too much trouble when he's on the pitch but can't argue with his performances in 2013. He's topping the goalscoring charts in a league with Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi in it! If he keeps that level that sorts our striker situation for the next two World Cups. Plus we need his kind of aggressiveness upfront.

Will do you lots of good if your media don't go mental overhyping the team, for a change. Remember the first time we won anything (2008) our press wasn't giving us the time of the day before the tournament.