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WC 2006 Match Chat: Brazil vs. Croatia
2006-06-13 11:31
by Bob Timmermann

Live from Berlin!

Seleçao Canarinho takes on Vatreni.

Brazil, as you might have heard, plays soccer well. The Brazilians have played in all 18 World Cups and have won five times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002). They are the only team from the Americas to win a World Cup that was held in Europe (1958 in Sweden). They've finished in second twice, losing at home in Rio de Janeiro in 1950 to Uruguay before a crowd of 200,000 and also losing to France in Paris in 1998.

Croatia is making just its third World Cup appearance. The Croatians finished in third place in 1998.

The Brazilians are extraordinarily popular. The Croatians are, well, Croatian. But hey, I'm part Croatian, so I'll be pulling for the guys with the funny names that seem to be missing vowels (like Dado Prso or Darijo Srna).

My ancestry comes from four countries. Three of them are represented in the World Cup (Germany, Croatia, England). One isn't. Guess that nationality!

Comments (55)
Show/Hide Comments 1-50
2006-06-13 11:36:03
1.   Ken Arneson
Hmm...I guess this means you're not 1/4 Toboggan.

I'm looking forward to this game. Should be an entertaining matchup.

2006-06-13 11:37:44
2.   Kayaker7
Hmmm...I'm guessing Scottish.
2006-06-13 11:39:18
3.   Sandus
I guess Austria or Ireland
2006-06-13 11:40:31
4.   Bob Timmermann
I have to be in a training and will miss "reading" it.

2 is wrong.

I will say yes or no on #3 if you pick just one nationality.

2006-06-13 11:42:05
5.   Sandus
Austria
2006-06-13 11:42:33
6.   Bob Timmermann
I am not Austrian.
2006-06-13 11:43:33
7.   Sandus
Bah, I knew I picked the wrong one.
2006-06-13 11:45:19
8.   Kayaker7
The Irish are know as the Koreans of Europe. Or was it the Koreans are the Irish of Asia?
2006-06-13 11:46:58
9.   Bob Timmermann
My Irish relatives lived in Tennessee and then one of them moved to St. Louis and married an English guy. One of their sons (they had 11 kids) was my grandfather, who was a semipro soccer player in St. Louis back in the day (1920s). But he died in 1932 (broken neck falling down the stairs of a speakeasy while in drunken stupor). He married my grandmother, who was Croatian.

My dad's family is all German.

2006-06-13 11:54:56
10.   Bob Timmermann
I will say "Go Croatia!"

Mainly because nobody outside of Croatia will be rooting for them.

Maybe the people in Argentina will. But I'm not sure.

Go Croatia! May your jerseys that look like tablecloths at an Italian restaurant do you proud!

2006-06-13 11:55:16
11.   Sandus
You could count the Croatian fans in that stadium on your fingers. That place is all yellow and blue.
2006-06-13 12:00:53
12.   Kayaker7
I'm cheering for Croatia because I like saying "Crow-aht."
2006-06-13 12:00:57
13.   Penarol1916
I'll be rooting for Croatia with you.

8. I always thought that the Koreans were known as the Jews of Asia, at least that is what people told me when I went to Japan, were they just pulling my leg?

2006-06-13 12:04:38
14.   Kayaker7
13 Never head that one. The Japanese are not the most reliable source of information on Korea. I say this as a person who married a Japanese national. Westerners like comparing Korea and Ireland, because Koreans like to drink, fight, freely speak their mind, and were recently poverty-stricken. Most Koreans don't like the poverty part of the comparison, because they like to remember the glorious past...ummm, like several hundred years ago.
2006-06-13 12:09:10
15.   Penarol1916
14. In Japan they said that because the Koreans there all worked much harder than the Japanese and were also much smarter.
2006-06-13 12:15:25
16.   Kayaker7
15 Hmmm...interesting. I lived there two years, and some of the stereotypes I've heard were that Koreans are hot tempered (perhaps caused by the spicy food), not as smart as the Japanese. A camera company called the point and shoot camera feature as a "bakachon," short for "baka Chosenjin" (stupid Korean). A camera so easy to use, even a Korean can use it. The gov't banned the use of the term.

The Japanese attitude towards Korea has gone through many different stages over the almost 2000 years of contact, from worship to admiration to utter scorn, to what we have today, which is grudging respect.

2006-06-13 12:15:50
17.   Sandus
Tremendous play fromt he Croatian keeper early.
2006-06-13 12:20:58
18.   adg
So far, Roberto Carlos has had two attacking opportunities, but has yet to dispossess an attacking Croat down his line.

Call me Argentine. Soy Celeste.

2006-06-13 12:22:35
19.   adg
I'm all about remembering the glorious past too...
2006-06-13 12:29:53
20.   Kayaker7
Cafu is still playing? Sheesh, he's like 36...wait a minute. He and I are the same age. Go Cafu!!
2006-06-13 12:33:30
21.   Kayaker7
Is Kaka playing like crap?
2006-06-13 12:37:42
22.   adg
Should Kaká prove to be in bad form today, they can always bring in Robinho.

Which isn't the same but is close to being able to bring in Aimar for Riquelme. Such a deep bench down there...

2006-06-13 12:39:19
23.   Penarol1916
18. You guys are the albiceleste, Uruguay is the celeste, maybe if you had won a world cup before the 70's you could have laid claim to the better name.
2006-06-13 12:39:43
24.   Sandus
If you're going to use Robinho, you should really use him to replace Ronaldo, who looks really slow.
2006-06-13 12:39:47
25.   adg
And the rumors prove to be true, Brasil is indeed lacking defensive solidarity in the 38th minute.
2006-06-13 12:42:53
26.   Kayaker7
Defense never was Brazil's strong suit. I vote for bringing on Romario.
2006-06-13 12:43:48
27.   adg
18 I already knew that. I only mentioned Argentina because Bob is correct in that only an Argentine would be rooting for Brasil.

And that cup in the 70's has always looked awfully suspect.

2006-06-13 12:45:32
28.   Kayaker7
Kaka! Wait, I'm cheering for Croatia.
2006-06-13 12:47:29
29.   Penarol1916
27. If you already knew it, why would you call yourself celeste?
2006-06-13 12:50:26
30.   adg
Because I am. From Rivera.
2006-06-13 12:51:05
31.   adg
Manya too.
2006-06-13 12:54:04
32.   adg
Looking at the slow-mo, Kaká side footed that ball in.
2006-06-13 12:55:59
33.   Penarol1916
30. Well then you probably really hate Brasilians, I just find them annoying, they're stealing your water.
2006-06-13 13:02:07
34.   Kayaker7
32 I don't remember the guy's name, but a Mexican player scored a spectacular goal in WC02 by flying in the air like a professional wrestler doing a drop kick, and he redirected the cross with the outside of his foot.
2006-06-13 13:05:04
35.   adg
There's a certain kind of symbiosis with the Brasilians from Santana do Livramento, who share the most porous border anywhere in the world. Just cross the town square and you can go from Uruguay to Brasil.

No checkpoint, nothing.

As such, I just dislike the Brasilians for being so damn good. In overall terms, if Uruguay can't win, then at least the cup should stay in South America.

2006-06-13 13:07:24
36.   Penarol1916
35. That's kind of how I feel, but then they get so arrogant, but so do the Europeans when they win, so really, it's a no win situation, and the fact that Ecuador did so well in their first game makes me even sadder that we didn't get in.
2006-06-13 13:09:50
37.   adg
34 Dario Rodriguez scored a pretty goal vs Denmark in 02. Similar to what you describe...
2006-06-13 13:12:16
38.   adg
36 I know, right... No one could ever accuse Brasilians or Argentines of being humble.
2006-06-13 13:21:33
39.   Xeifrank
To get in on the earlier conversation (pre-game)... from my experience the Asian countries tend to place themselves at the top of the pecking order. The Japanese think they are the best, the Koreans, Chinese, Filipinos etc..., also think they are the best. If you tell them you can't vote for yourself, they will avoid the question altogether.
66.67% of my European ethnicity is in the World Cup. Germany and England, Ireland didn't make it. vr, Xei
2006-06-13 13:22:28
40.   Sandus
Can't say enough about this goalkeeping. This game should be 5-0.
2006-06-13 13:27:15
41.   Kayaker7
39 Yeah, you're right. Koreans think they are the best, but they also have a deep respect for China. The thing about the Japanese is that they seem to swing from extreme inferiority complex to a superiority complex within a short period of time. A Japanese friend of mine thinks the fatal flaw of the Japanese is the group think and group action. He thinks it gives way to extremism too easily. The point he brings up is the knee-jerk pacifism in the wake of WWII. I tend to agree.
2006-06-13 13:34:07
42.   Sandus
Much better offense for Brasil now that Ronaldo has come out.
2006-06-13 13:36:22
43.   tmurase
Japan and Korea are the England and France of Asia.
2006-06-13 13:39:06
44.   adg
A Japanese said that are now "allowed" to show patriotism, because other countries (China, Korea) will be offended. Sort of an anti-nationalism if it's the Japanese that are involved.
2006-06-13 13:43:22
45.   Xeifrank
44. China&Korea = living in the past.
Japan=not apologizing for their atrocities and whitewashing their genocides.
vr, Xei
2006-06-13 13:46:52
46.   adg
The atmosphere is so much more active and exciting with flares in the stands. Word.
2006-06-13 13:47:58
47.   adg
Prior to seeing that, I hadn't noticed just how tame and passive the WC crowds had been.
2006-06-13 13:49:36
48.   Kayaker7
43 That is actually very true in a lot of ways. Just like the Norman French ruled England, Koreans formed the royal courts in the formation stage of the Japanese state.

45 Yep, true dat. The North Korea situation makes moving forward difficult. While there were some reparations made with SK, with US urging, Japan never settled matters with North Korea. The abductions of Japanese nationals have not helped.

2006-06-13 13:50:22
49.   Bob Timmermann
Is Igor Tudor related to John Tudor? Or any of the Tudor kings of England?
2006-06-13 13:51:59
50.   tmurase
Croatia has put up a good fight against the defending champs, keeping Brazil to a single goal.
Show/Hide Comments 51-100
2006-06-13 13:52:33
51.   Bob Timmermann
However, moral victories are worth zero points in group play in the World Cup.
2006-06-13 13:57:17
52.   Sandus
Moral victories are worth nothing, but one goal losses to a team with tons of firepower factor into the tiebreak.
2006-06-13 13:58:18
53.   tmurase
51 Too true. I do think that Croatia has the best shot of getting out of the group along with Brazil, with the Socceroos after that.
2006-06-13 14:16:15
54.   Kayaker7
53 Yeah, I agree.
2006-06-13 19:54:32
55.   fan 1
i may be a little(!) biased but i thought the Croatian team played a solid game, one which they should be very proud of

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