Brazil World Champions Again

[VatoLoco]

After a first half of each team testing each other out, and
the early part of the second half with both teams risking a bit more for the goal, the hero of Brazil Ronaldo proved that he was still a world class level.
After his performance in the last World Cup, he came back this year to redeem himself by leading his team to the championship. Ronaldo also set a record for most goals scored during the tournament to take home with him.

Although I had predicted a win from Germany, I am definetly satisfied by the results. After going down to Ossington and College to celebrate Brazil's victory I'm back. I'm surprised that none of the fellow soccer lovers who have followed the tournament had started a thread so I decided to do it myself. ( sorry Cap )

I think the biggest factor in the game was the fall of the "Great Wall," the German goalie Oliver Khan. I was wondering what the feelings are from some of the other
soccer lovers in TERB about the game.

 

[Hepcat]

"I'm also in the "anybody but Brazil" camp. The thought of Brazil winning the World Cup fills me with dread and loathing." - My earlier post.

Groan!!!



I'm proudly wearing my Canada soccer jersey today and tomorrow!

 

[SDFeuerzauber]

I think that Ballack is such an essential part of the scoring game that Germany cannot do without his efforts. Well at least there is still some glory left for D'land from the winter olympics successes.

 

[Cave Carson]

What really burns my ass is that all the asshole prognosticators who predicted that Germany did not have the game to stay with the free-flowing creative (and all that other swill) play of the Brazilians were correct! How I would have loved to see the prognosticators all eating crow today!

I guess I wore my Germany jersey for naught yesterday!

 

[Footsoldier]

Although I'm not a fan of soccer,I was hoping for Germany to take the cup,I don't recall them ever winning(someone can correct me on this,thanks!) Shucks,oh well.

 

[iguana]

Germany 74, and 90 winners I believe. Also in the final many times. I wanted to see Brasil win because they're the better club, and they were. Germany were good in the air (as usual), but missed too many first half chances. I wouldn't say that Kahn "fell". Only the first goal could be blamed on him, and nobody is perfect. His team needed to score, which they didn't do.

 

[scouser1]

do not also forget the Germans won it in 54, and made the finals in 82 and 86, so having many people write them off is an absolute joke before the tournament, this team is revamped and could do some serious damage come Euro 2004, having said all this an excellent Brazilian team, although i think they should change their name to Bandwagon football club, because of the scenes on College Street yesterday, where you had Portuguese, people of Latin American descent and just plain bandwago hoppers singing and dancing like their national team won something, absolutely stupid, one guy i heard interviewed stating he was Argentinian and celebrating Brazil's win, i wonder how long it would take for someone to have the living daylights beaten out of them in Buenos Aires for dancing up and down with a Brazilian flag

 

[StuGatz]

I would like to congratulate the 7 Brazilians who live in Toronto on their victory and to the portuguese who are Brizilian every 4 years!

 

[Hepcat]

"I would like to congratulate the 7 Brazilians who live in Toronto on their victory and to the portuguese who are Brizilian every 4 years!"

Agreed! 'Nuff said!

 

[VatoLoco]

Actually......

Actually it's common for people of other countries to go and celebrate another team's victory. I went to the Brazilian celebration yesterday as well, and had a great time with all the sexy ladies dancing Samba. I saw people from all over, not just Portuguese and Latin Americans but also British, Irish, Africans and Italians.

The truth is that when someone's team gets knocked off the Cup, the fans then turn to support another team. The Argentinian guy for example, he chose to go and support Brazil and I'm sure he is not alone. I also doubt anybody would try to kick the daylights out of him in Buenos Aires since there probably are quite a few Brazilian supporters.

Anyway, getting back on track with the Germans. I think that
Ballack could have made a difference in the game as someone pointed out. Also it was too much pressure on Khan and I did see him nervous throughout the game. Well the Germans will get their chance in 2006 anyhow.

 

[StuGatz]

Re: Actually......

Actually it's common for people of other countries to go and celebrate another team's victory. I went to the Brazilian celebration yesterday as well, and had a great time with all the sexy ladies dancing Samba. I saw people from all over, not just Portuguese and Latin Americans but also British, Irish, Africans and Italians.

Yes but how many of them put Brazilian flags on their cars and wave Brazilian flags?

I may have liked England after Italy was knocked out but I wouldn't consider waving the flag...

 

[scouser1]

Re: Actually......

The truth is that when someone's team gets knocked off the Cup, the fans then turn to support another team. The Argentinian guy for example, he chose to go and support Brazil and I'm sure he is not alone. I also doubt anybody would try to kick the daylights out of him in Buenos Aires since there probably are quite a few Brazilian supporters.


hmmm i think using a word like loco in your username pretty much sums it all up, or might i suggest as an experiment next world cup or Copa America running up and down the streets of Buenos Aires with a Brazilian flag, or a German one in London, the only thing possibly more insane would be wearing a Rangers top in the east end of Glasgow

 

[jano]

"The truth is that when someone's team gets knocked off the Cup, the fans then turn to support another team. The Argentinian guy for example, he chose to go and support Brazil and I'm sure he is not alone. I also doubt anybody would try to kick the daylights out of him in Buenos Aires since there probably are quite a few Brazilian supporters".

The World Cup for the past 50 years has been a contest between South American and European dominance. You are right in your observation of fans switching their allegiance albeit grudgingly in the case of Argentina-Brazil due to the intense football rivalry between both countries.

 

[MRMARCUS]

I am glad brazil won the WC, they were the best team. This flag thing makes me laugh, i have seen a vietnamese guy at my gym with a Brazil flag on his car. Then i saw a English flag on a german car. But i do not want to be picky, you can support whoever. That is one of the joys of living in this country.
I am from England and i would not try that over there. You could lose your flag, car or even your life.
Scouser1 you are absolutely right about the rangers/celtic thing. That is a insane rivalry.

 

[VatoLoco]

Well .........

As Jano pointed out the rivalry between Europeans and South Americans is there. However, I think that it goes much further than that. The World Cup is sometimes the ultimate showdown of nationalism, we see it all the time. The thing is that this nationalism goes further when someone's team gets knocked off. Say for example someone from Argentina is being following the cup, and like in this tournament Argentina gets knocked off in the first round. The Argentinian then will turn to another team, most likely a neighboring country's, say Brazil for instance.

This makes a lot of sense since an Argentinian is also a South American, also a Latin American; therefore if they have a choice of what team to turn to after their own is out they will choose one that still reflects something that they have in common. Same thing with Europe, Africa and Asia.

Now there is exceptions to this rule like the British and Irish guys over at the Brazilian party, but they are few.
This is just an observation from my part guys, feel free to debate the issue as I doubt that my observation is 100 % accurate.

Ohhh !!......By the way I wore a Brazilian jersey to Ossington and College, so did my cousins, yet we are neither
Brazilians or Portuguese. Does this mean we betrayed our country of origin??

 

[MRMARCUS]

Wearing a brazilian jersey does not mean you are a traitor. Heck the way they play the game make me want to buy one of there jerseys.

I understand what you are saying about the whole nationalism thing. Argentina could have used a better result: with all that turmoil in there country.

I don't understand why this tournament has to be a Europe vs South America thing. Half of the teams are from Europe to begin with( Eleven ) as compared to South America's five.

 

[VatoLoco]

It's just......

It's just human nature I think. I was watching TV last Sunday, a show called Bright Ideas on TVO. There was a speaker there that mentioned something relevant that can relate to this whole jersey, flag issue.

He said that humans have a natural tendancy to want to belong to a group, so they always look for similarities and differences amongst them to create this groups. This allows us humans to go to war, kill another man, and do all kinds of despicable things to one another.

We can use that to assume that the South Americans will look at the differences between each other, say Brazil and Argentina again, but when either group has lost they will look to belong to another. So they will forget their differences momentarily and actually join against the rest of the contestants, say Europeans, Asians, Africans. Ans I think it's pretty safe to assume that it's the same way with all of the above mentioned groups.

Actually if anything is not just South America against Europe, it's probably safe to assume that the people from Central and North America will choose to support a country from their own continent America ( no not the US, America is the whole continent ). I think most if not all of the Mexicans chose to support Brazil after they were knocked off the cup.