FIFA World Cup 2014

On a more serious note, losing is one thing but this was just humiliating and to be honest, I feel bad for them. My earlier and valid points aside, you don't want this to happen to people. Not on their own turf, in their own home and for their own people who really needed something. There was so much to do about having the World Cup there which makes this even worse. I hoped they would lose but with dignity.

Quote from Minos

To be honest this was much needed for our society. Football has always been a huge distraction there, no matter how shitty people's lives are they at least had an unbeatable team (in their minds). This loss only exposed the reality: we haven't had good football in almost a decade now. Who's to blame for that? If you ask me it's a combination of media and greedy managers. They are always looking for the next "Pelé". They are useful for the media because they can use that distraction anytime they need, and for managers, who make millions when they talk european clubs into paying millions before they get too expensive.

What happens is that these guys never get enough time to get mentally strong and to make a name for themselves in Brazil before playing in Europe, so when they face the harsh reality they are not up to it. At that point they are basically screwed, because the the media is always looking for "saviors" and "scapegoats".

This pattern has been repeating for years. Just to name a few:

Robinho: Hailed as the new Pelé when he was 17, blamed for the 2010 loss. He's probably 27 or something now and never got anywhere.

Ronaldinho: Hailed as the new "Ronaldo" and transferred to Europe when he was 18. If he wasn't an idiot he could have been the captain of this team today.

Adriano: Was kicked out of Italy for being a troublemaker. Was given several chances in brazilian clubs but all he cares about is drinking and partying. Guy is probably 30 now and doesn't even play anymore. He could have been the striker we needed so much.

Alexandro Pato: Transferred to Milan when was 18, hailed as a huge promise, failed to perform well even in the brazilian league last year and was kicked out of his team...

Ganso: This guy is from the same generation as Neymar, was always hailed as a genius, played like a genius for a few matches but is a total mental wreck these days.

Neymar on the other hand played in Brazil for years before going to Europe, and you can tell he's pretty strong mentally and responsible. He basically carried the entire team on his back so far.

Anyways, I hope we start from scratch now and get a winning team in maybe 10 years or so. The brazilian charade was completely demolished today

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Thanks for that insight. A lot of that I didn't know and it makes a lot of sense as well. I appreciate it. But still, a 4-0 loss would have brought the point across as well don't you agree?

Quote from Steppenwolf

Does the US have talented young players come through? I have no doubt that the US will be succesfull in football eventualy but it will probably take a bit longer. The success of the German team over recent tournaments and this one is the culmination of changes that have been made to domestic youth football and training after the Euro 2000 desaster. That's 14 years of work. Of course some of our talents (like Schweinsteiger) popped up way earlier but only now they are old enough and have the experience to win big titles like the Champions League and so the football god willst it the world cup.

This is the biggest difference between South America and Europe. I'm not saying that they don't invest in their youth but it certainly looks like we are doing a better job. Same as with our coaches. To take Brasil as an example. Every time they played I really got the feeling they just put on a yellow shirt and play ball. No real tactics or anything.

With the Netherlands, we always had brilliant forwards but our weak points are the defense and midfield. In all honesty, our team isn't even that great except for a few very talented individuals like Robben. Regardless of how you feel about him, there's no denying that he is in a league of his own. Anyway, what got us this far is simply being a team, using all 22 players and playing tactical. Have you seen our substitutes? Each and everyone turned out as a brilliant move. Can you imagine South American coaches doing this? I can't and I didn't see it once.

The fact that Germany won the way they did (congrats neighbors) could be great for us if we make it to the final. This the 4th consecutive World Cup in which they got to the semi finals and their second final. Their coach is getting a lot of flak for not sealing the deal and with this monster win, the pressure only gets bigger. This could work to our advantage and maybe, with a bit of luck, they become arrogant after this victory but knowing Germans, that's probably not going to happen.

Anyway, anything can happen in football but I hope this time it's our turn. Both Germany and Argentina had their titles. It's time we got ours.

Quote from FrieChamp

After the 3rd or 4th ball was in the Brazilian net, my friends and me were just sitting in front of the TV in disbelief. My roommate wanted to pour shots for every German goal but he couldn't keep up. A legendary victory and we cheered. A lot. But the tears of the Brazilians leave a bitter aftertaste. Like Sprony said, a 4-0 or 3-0 would have sufficed. But this was a World Cup semi-final and not a friendly match. You cannot win a cup with just passion. You could see the pressure on this team in the Brazilian players eyes throughout the tournament. With Neymar and their captain not in the game they collapsed after the first goal, for the whole world to see.

ANYWAYZZZ GG GUYS! Good luck to Argentina and the Dutch tonight. I don't care whose dreams we'll get to crush in the final!

Come on Frie, we all know you were watching last night's match like this:

[Blocked Image: http://i.imgur.com/qbv07gh.gif?1]

At least that's how I picture the Germans watching it.