Tag Archives: Japan

WWC2019: The Round of 16

{ I’m writing this immediately after the Germany-Nigeria game–travel and work got in the way of getting it done before that. } Nothing too surprising coming out of the groups–sure, exactly how Scotland/ Argentina/ Nigeria/ Chile/ China would end up … Continue reading

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WWC2019: The Second Games

A note on VAR to open. I’m a fan, for sure–getting calls right strikes me as generally important–but there are two points that, I think, need to be addressed: First, if you look for a penalty, you will usually find … Continue reading

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WWC2019: The First Round of Games

Notes and thoughts on the first games in each group. GENERAL NOTES I really want to highlight the difference between Argentina, Italy, and Brazil on one hand and Spain on the other. Twenty years ago, none of these countries cared … Continue reading

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WWC2019: Predictions & What-Not

Scrambling to get these out there before kickoff tomorrow. Remember, the top 2 teams from each group, plus the next 4, make the knockout rounds. It’s hard for the key match to not just always be the clash between the … Continue reading

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WWC2019: It’s Almost Time

Gosh, it feels like 1200 days since we were here last … I’m not sure what I plan to write about the World Cup about to kick off in France, but I’m sure I’ll probably match my output for WWC2015. … Continue reading

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WWC2015: Wrap Up & Awards

{Preview of the final here.} I admit that, as a sports fan, my preference is for white-knuckle, tension-filled games that are won in the agonizing final minutes … but that USA win was still pretty enjoyable. There’s not a lot … Continue reading

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WWC2015: The Semifinals & Preview of THE FINAL!

{Previews of this round can be found here and here, along with links to prior writing on this tournament.} GERMANY v USA It is so rare for a sporting event to live up to its hype, and such a pleasure … Continue reading

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WWC2015: Quarterfinals Two & Three & Preview of the Second Semifinal

{The other side of the bracket can be found here.} AUSTRALIA v JAPAN This was a tense game, with Australia’s speed always looking threatening in spite of the technical skill of the Japanese, which allowed them to dominate not just possession, but … Continue reading

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WWC2015: Round of 16 Previews

{Discussions of the first match days, the second match days, and a final overview of the group stage preceded this.} While I’ve succumbed to the prediction bug below, I’m more interested in thinking about what the key components of each contest … Continue reading

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WWC2015: Group Match 3 Thoughts

{Written after the completion of Group Play. Thoughts on the opening games here; second games here. Will have a preview of the Round of 16 sometime after this.} Warning: This is a long post, as it turned into more of … Continue reading

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