Hi mates from over the big pond from where I am in the UK,What a wonderful result in the Soccer World Cup that you guys are in the top 8 now (quarter finals)...Best ever achievement:)..Beat Mexico 2-0Considering that you are big on Baseball, Basketball & your own brand of Football this is a big deal really, most Nations in the world have been striving to get this far for yonks (Nations that take Soccer as their first sport)Be proud my friends over there:)Dave

"Be proud my friends over there:)"We are. http://www.plauder-smilies.de/happy/xyxthumbs.gif~Bob~http://www.avsim.com/other/usaribbon.gif

I have no problem with the US being a super-power. I have no problem with the US coming first in the Olympic medal list. A US citizen has won the Tour De France when once the idea of Americans and cycle sport was laughable (it was only for the French, Italians and Spanish). I wish the US well in the World Cup (The US has in the past beaten the English Team in the World Cup). I can cope with all of the foregoing, but please, do not learn or become involved in Cricket. I have little or no interest in sport and I am not patriotic in the American sense, I am a Brit, I feel no other statement is necessary. Were the US to beat England at the Cricket however, it would be more than I could endure. Fortunately Cricket seems wholly at odds with might be loosely called

Denis, I don't think you have anything to be concerned about if I am any measure of Yank interest in the sport. I sat with a Scottish friend one weekend in the village of Aboyne on the river Dee and watched that game for hours while nipping a pint or three. After repeated attempts by my host to explain it to me, I still came away from it totally flumexed. It will take us 200 years to figure it out, and by then, neither you or I will be interested, I am sure.

any-one also has seen Belgium-Brazil?the Belgians were far, far better the entire 90 mins,they had a justified goal cancelled.brazil didn't have one good chance,Belgium easily could have won with 1-0 or 2-0.that would have been a ore justified scoreb

I think you are going about enjoying cricket the wrong way. My brother has a recent experience of a cricket match and thought it was fantastic, however you do have to follow his approach :On entering the "Cricket Ground" head straight for the bar.Remain in the bar until the world gets very blurry and walking is a problem.Leave.Under no circumstances attempt to either a) watch the "game" or :( understand it !! Should make it much more enjoyable !!!

>Under no circumstances attempt to either a) watch the "game" >or :( understand it !! Should make it much more enjoyable >!!! Very sound advice, Gary!!! :-beerchugRegards,http://home.earthlink.net/~snyders2000/name.jpg

Tom. You

We have a soccer team? :-hmmm ;) :-beerchug

The competition has certainly got interesting, with korea knocking out Italy. the only European teams left are England(cheers madly) Spain and Germany.(I'm not sure whether Turkey is european?) I thought the USA played very well.Do they have a european coach ? anyone ? I agree with you seba, Belgium could've won.

I had an interesting evening out.Me, an American, out on the town in Munich, Germany with a Brazilian lass whos Fiance is Italian...We didn't quite know what to celebrate or mourn... Brazil's win, Italy's loss, USA's win, German's win or that USA now has to face the Germans and the Brazilians must face the "Three lions"Friday will be fun at work. Two Ami's in an office full of Germans. GO USA...[table][tr][td]http://www.avsim.com/other/usaribbon.gif[/td][td]Todd IngallsMember of [link:members.ud.com/services/teams/team.htm?id=5E79C613-0A60-4A3B-BDC1-F9EE49F2D4FE]Join the AVSIM Team Fight Against Cancer!][/td][/tr][/table.----BEGIN FS CODE BLOCK----G:EDDM(DE) a R- FS+(--) F++ P U++ X C+ H+>++ O+ V-- A+(++) SP?>+++-----END FS CODE BLOCK-----

No, no! Not "soccer"! This is properly called "football", or "futbol", or something like that.When I stopped to think about it, U.S. football doesn't use the foot except for 4th-down punts and field goals. Most of the time it's in hands or arms. Our game should be called "pointy-ball", or some such thing. :-lol~Bob~http://www.avsim.com/other/usaribbon.gif

You know, Tom and others, that north of the border in Cannuck land (BC, to be precise) I witnessed a very good cricket match in Vancouver, I had a stop over on my way back to Oz from the UK once (late eighties). The players in both teams shocked me in their competence and good skills in the game as I watched on a sort of man made hill in Stanley Park, The tennis courts were on the tier of land above( I think that are was really the tennis clubs land)...I wonder if that sort of makeshift cricket ground is still there, Would love to go back one day:)...BTW, the Totem poles were cool too;)RegardsDave

Armball, maybe.....lol!I always found that curious too. We have a version of American Football called Rugby and an offshoot called rugby league which has similar principles:)CheersDave

For the benefit of American readers, in 1950 England and the US met in the World Cup. Although the US team were regarded as a joke by the rest of the world, it was appreciated that they had taken the trouble to put in an appearance. England was at the height of its footballing powers and regarded as one of the dominating world teams. Knowing they were not in with even so much as half a chance, the US team decided to make the most of the world cup trip and went to an all night party on the night before the match where by all accounts they had a good time. Like lambs going to the slaughter and no doubt feeling shaky from the previous night