**Official USA vs Germany World Cup Match Thread**

[|Zach|]

USA vs Germany | Recife | Group G | 11 CT | ESPN

This is the big one.

If the United States ties or wins they advance to the knock out stage of the World Cup. There are also scenarios that are not that outlandish that let them move on if they lose but **** those scenarios.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by SPATCH

You are right. There are a lot of concussions in soccer. I think it's crazy that most soccer players don't wear a mouthpiece. My kid certainly will.

It's not just the concussions, though. It's the constant sub-concussive blows that your head takes throughout a football game/practice.

I have personally dealt with a noticeable loss of cognitive ability in my early twenties that I can only attribute to ten years of tackle football (playing both ways every season).

Which brings up another point: if my future son does want to play football, I might try to make him wait until at least 7th grade and try to make sure he only plays on one side of the ball.

Thing is, there are constant blows to your head in soccer too in terms of headers etc.

[penguinz]

Originally Posted by O.city

Thing is, there are constant blows to your head in soccer too in terms of headers etc.

You don't have to head the ball.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by penguinz

You don't have to head the ball.

You don't have to tackle with your head either.

[SPATCH]

Originally Posted by O.city

Thing is, there are constant blows to your head in soccer too in terms of headers etc.

You're right. I'll probably have to look into it a little bit more.

I would tend to think that wearing a mouthpiece would do a lot to minimize the effect of simple headers, but I could be wrong.

It just seems to me that the amount of blows and the severity of the blows taken in soccer is far less than that of football.

I was getting ready to say that you don't hear many stories about former players offing themselves or slipping into dementia. But, I just remembered a story about a German goalkeeper who played for the national team that tossed himself in front of a train out of nowhere. Damn....

**** it, my son is going in a bubble.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by SPATCH

You're right. I'll probably have to look into it a little bit more.

I would tend to think that wearing a mouthpiece would do a lot to minimize the effect of simple headers, but I could be wrong.

It just seems to me that the amount of blows and the severity of the blows taken in soccer is far less than that of football.

I was getting ready to say that you don't hear many stories about former players offing themselves or slipping into dementia. But, I just remembered a story about a German goalkeeper who played for the national team that tossed himself in front of a train out of nowhere. Damn....

**** it, my son is going in a bubble.

I read somewhere that the act of heading the ball rarely results in a concussion.

It's the head-to-head collisions during the attempted headers - along with head-to-shoulder and head to ground/knees when tackling/being tackled.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

I read somewhere that the act of heading the ball rarely results in a concussion.

It's the head-to-head collisions during the attempted headers - along with head-to-shoulder and head to ground/knees when tackling/being tackled.

Yeah soccer balls simply don't have the mass and are rarely driven to the velocity to concuss someone.

If you took a full-throated shot directly to the forehead, maybe. A corner kick, no chance.

[SPATCH]

I do wonder if some of those headers can give you a "sub-concussive" blow. I haven't played enough soccer to know.

There is a great concern that the constant sub-concussive blows that a football player experiences start to pile up and have a detrimental effect.

I've only played a little bit of soccer, but I've had my bell rung a little bit on some headers before.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by SPATCH

I do wonder if some of those headers can give you a "sub-concussive" blow. I haven't played enough soccer to know.

There is a great concern that the constant sub-concussive blows that a football player experiences start to pile up and have a detrimental effect.

I've only played a little bit of soccer, but I've had my bell rung a little bit on some headers before.

I've never had any ill effects from a header I intended and managed to meet with my forehead, some that missed and glanced off behind my ear were a tad painful, though.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

I read somewhere that the act of heading the ball rarely results in a concussion.

It's the head-to-head collisions during the attempted headers - along with head-to-shoulder and head to ground/knees when tackling/being tackled.

It's the consistent head trauma that comes from heading it. IIRC, ESPN did a 30 for 30 on a soccer player that developed a debilitating neuro muscular disease.

Studies have found CTE in the brains of soccer players as well, same as football. Don't think it was at the same rate though. I'll see if i can find anything on that.

[Silock]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

And play it he may, all the way through his HS days and possibly later.

But what is he likely watching on Sunday afternoons in the Fall?

Why can't he watch it all? I do.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Concussions are more acutely dangerous, but the risk of CTE comes from the hundreds of sub-concussive impacts, hence CTE in soccer players and jockeys.

[Eleazar]

What's his name, Ian Darke's color commentator on the US broadcasts, was an MLS player who had to retire due to concussions. Twellman?

[Crying Ramtard]

losing to win is the Euro way

[|Zach|]

Originally Posted by ram29jackson

losing to win is the Euro way

You can lose 3 games in the championship series for baseball and basketball and still win the championship.

Damn liberals.

[|Zach|]

Originally Posted by Cochise

What's his name, Ian Darke's color commentator on the US broadcasts, was an MLS player who had to retire due to concussions. Twellman?

Ian Darke is the older British guy. Taylor Twellman is the one who is big with the concussion stuff and was a good former player. Younger guy. Both good IMO.