Quote:
Originally Posted by BigRedChief
Of course not but the divisions create great rivalry's. It's a trade off. Bronco's and Raiders games have extra meaning over a Browns game.
Baseball for 80 years had all the teams in two divisions. It just doesn't make the rivalry's you see in baseball and football.
Watching the World Cup, I understand a lot more about soccer now. The strategy's.
I went to a Wizards soccer game back in the day. Hated it. I didn't understand why they couldn't pass the ball successfully more. If a QB can't throw to a wide open receiver regularly, a outfielder throw to a base for an assist they don't play at the top levels. This was suppose to be the top level. Now I see what the top level really looks like. Way different.
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This is the same thing. The Rams moved on ahead of a much better team, b/c they outplayed their competition. The US outplayed most of their group. An incredibly strong group. They earned their spit among the 16.
Also, this is a bit like college football. CONCACAF is like the Big 10. We compete with our "conference" to get to the world cup (bowl games I suppose). While you develop rivalries there (Mexico), we root for our "enemies" in the world cup, b/c it helps to validate ourselves compared to better "conferences" like Europe (SEC).
Now it may not seem like it, but the group stage does lend itself to rivalries too. Look at the US and Ghana. When a team knocks you out of THE tournament that only happens once every 4 years, you don't forget.
There's plenty of history for dramatic back stories.
Hope you continue watching and discussing. I don't mean to discourage interest, just think it's silly to criticize one game but not the other, for essentially the same thing. Outside of ties anyway.
Also, the people who don't like that head to head isn't the first tie breaker, goal differential ensures that more matches mean something during the 3rd leg of group stage. Less teams feeling comfortable means more effort and better matches. Otherwise, the US wouldn't have had much to play for today.