Posted on 06/19/2018 10:41:19 AM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
Every four years there’s a new ball for the World Cup—and every four years players are unhappy with it. Maybe it’s too light and has too much lift, like the 2002 Fevernova. Or maybe it wobbles unexpectedly in the air, making it harder for goalies to predict its motion, like the 2006 Teamgist. Or maybe the ball suddenly changes speed, dropping out of the air and causing accidental handballs, like the 2010 Jabulani.
At the World Cup level, these tiny changes in a ball’s aerodynamics can legitimately impact a team’s performance, so the intense scrutiny of the World Cup ball is perhaps to be expected. “You could argue that it’s the most important piece of equipment in the most popular sport in the world,” says John Eric Goff, Professor of Physics at University of Lynchburg.
Adidas designs every World Cup ball, and on top of being a big seller for them, engineers at the company are constantly a little closer to the perfect ball, Goff says. The ideal soccer ball is a pimple-covered, perfect sphere, its surface just subtly textured enough to keep the airflow around the ball slightly turbulent. Unintuitive as this might sound, the ridges and pimples on the ball make it more aerodynamic, helping the ball to fly through the air more stably.
The Telstar 18, the design for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, is as close to a perfect sphere as you can get.
(Excerpt) Read more at popsci.com ...
Shirt off doing The Hulk - LoL!
FT: Serbia1-2 Switzerland
| Group D | GP | W | D | L | F | A | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 CroatiaCRO |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 6 |
2 NigeriaNGA |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
3 IcelandISL |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 1 |
4 ArgentinaARG |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 1 |
| Group E | GP | W | D | L | F | A | GD | P |
1 BrazilBRA |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 4 |
2 SwitzerlandSUI |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
3 SerbiaSRB |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
4 Costa RicaCRC |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
A grandaughter just got back from Serbia and Croatia-—amazing to see both in the finals.
.
And doing well too!
Serbia should of had a penalty kick for that assault by 2 Swiss defenders. How is VAR not used for that?!?!?
Serbia got screwed badly on that call. I’ve never seen a worse two-man tackle in a penalty area. There was no crowd of other players blocking his view. Didn’t even do a VAR check.
If FIFA is serious about controlling the muggings by defenders that go on in the penalty box, they need to send this ref home in order to send a message. An offensive player barely breaths on a defender and a foul is called.
Only one potential penalty kick has even been submitted for review even though FIFA directed the refs to make extensive use for it on potential penalty kicks or fouls by the attackers when goals are scored. FIFA even had a training session for the Refs that included numerous video examples of what and what should not be called.
My guess is that the refs have conspired to not use VAR as a protest to its use. Either that, or there is a lot of bribery going on.
I’ve watched most of the matches, and there are a lot of very questionable calls and non-calls.
3 goals in the first 18 minutes of Belgium-Tunisia, now 4-1 Belgium, 81st minute.
FT: Belgium 5-2 Tunisia
FT: Mexico 2- 1 South Korea
Neymar on the verge of a nervous breakdown
http://www.marca.com/en/world-cup/2018/06/22/5b2d659a46163f813e8b45d9.html
World Cup: Germany v Sweden - Ozil dropped
https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/football/43975456
At the World Cup teams and their fans stand and sing their National Anthem at the too of their lungs. Puts American “football” to shame.
Germany better win this, because you know there will be a “Gentlemen’s Agreement” between Sweden and Mexico.
Oh My!
Bad Toni Kroos pass.
If you make 5 passes in the mid field you will lose the ball.
I appreciate what Löw did for Germany in the past but it is time for him to go.
HT: Germany 0-1 Sweden
It happens. All good things come to an end.
No finishers, like Klose and Podolski.
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