worst thing: Brazil players cant just flee the country back to their clubs, they have to play the game for 3rd place, which seems especially out of place this time.

you cant call yourself the dominator of a sport were there is another country than won as much as you (Germany). Especially if that country won it in later times when the competition was bigger. Between these two nations I would argue that Germany achieved more (with much less of a feeder system due to popularity)

6 Women World Cups: USofA won 2, Germany won 2, Norway 1 and Japan 1. The USWNT dominated global womens soccer for two 4year periods, just like every WC-winner, men or women. The notion that the US dominated any significant part of womens soccer is a fairytale and Ms. Wambach wouldnt be allowed to shine the shoes of…

Michael and Ruud are adressed as "you" when they are talking about "we". It is more or less expected of them.

Even as a german i find Ballacks knowledge of the english language very disappointing. That man played football in London for how many years? I've known some exchange stundents who spoke flawless english after 9 months in Alabama. I can assure everyone that Michael isnt the smartest fellow, but his subpar english…

any journalist who gets through all of this without using the term "sources" once, gets +1 dignity. Many fighting their way back to... 1

I dont think FIFA could pull that off. They would get serious trouble with their biggest federation, the german FA. Out of 2 reasons: WC 2006 Germany beat Argentina in the quarters, after the penalty shootout the (very classy) Argentines startet a brawl in which at the end Thorsten Frings threw something that could…

The thing with the salary cap is that it only works if there is no real competition, as in American Football, the NBA and MLB there is no real competition. And one thing to be clear: salary cap, maximum contracts and a draft system are not in place to make a league more balanced, but for the most part to secure money…

store all that hate for the Netherlands. You know what would break their hearts the most? Losing to Germany in the final. We'll take care of them that way.

Not perfect on the use of capital and small initial letters, but the effort is appreciated. Glad to see kinja is trying to make up for all the Nazi tweets and the spying (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/05/wor…)

There are two mistakes in calling a team *** FC

well Bayern Munich just got Robert Lewandowski (you might remeber him from scoring 4 goals against Real Madrid in a CL semi) and will sell Mario Mandzukic (scored 2 goals this WC and a whole lot for Bayern) because they deem him to not be good enough. Julian Green wont be getting any serious minutes for Bayern anytime…

the notion that US sport fans dislike soccer because of diving is beyond me. They dislike it because its not as tough as the sport they like to WATCH, because WATCHING a sport somehow translates to how tough the VIEWER is? Nobody is on a higher moral ground because he watches a game were its impossible to flop. If…

"No (US-*)American is afraid of him. He is not (US-*)american enough to succeed in professional sports"

ranking GKs is a total crapshot. Some play for bad teams and get hundreds of shots on goal and by that a possibility to have many great saves. You play for Barcelona or Bayern you are invisible most of the time. There are some new skills expected by goalkeepers today, for example the his ability on the ball and his…

i did my best to not make it seem like a dig at Howard, because he played well. Just not extraordinary well.

could everybody please stop praising goalkeepers for saves that they have to make. There are maybe 20 to 30 games I watched in my lifetime (out of ~1000) where a keeper was "stupendous", like making 5 or more saves that on average another goalkeeper wouldnt make (Manuel Neuer playing for Schalke in a CL semifinal…

favorite scenario: the ninja turtles get stomped but go through on a late equalizer by Portugal. would make for a great comment section...

missing two penalties... you just slipped out of a wet dream of an englishman.

Lahm plays defensive midfield because he is a) the best german player on this position over the span of last year and b) the only one between him, Schweinsteiger and Khedira to actually play full 90mins. Both Schweinsteiger and Khedira are coming of an injury and arent supposed to play full 90mins. The plan actually…