I had been thinking about this recently and I think it makes sense. Now I see it's under consideration: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...eams-use-a-fourth-substitution-in-extra-time/
Netherlands was out of substitutes so they couldn't do what they did against Costa Rica. Also replacing van Persie and not having him for the penalty kicks (he had a stomach ailment, not sure if that was why he came out). And finally, using Vlaar for the first penalty kick didn't make any sense.
LVG with a terribly managed game...While he was ace in quarters, he bombed in Semis...EVERYONE SAW this game was going to penalties...Krul should have been out there... But these Netherlands looked like they were flat as always Argentina about to get steamrolled by Germany.
http://www.espnfc.us/fifa-world-cup/4/statistics/performance At the top of the World Cup stats page, they list attendance, which is moronic in its own right. But here's the kicker: Largest Attendance Argentina Bosnia-Herzegovina 74,738 Lowest Attendance Spain Netherlands 0
I'm sad. I had Brazil going all the way in my pool. I didn't expect Germany to pummel them like that. I thought Germany was starting to regress but damn. They proved me wrong. I don't see how they could possibly lose in the finals. Say what? 0 people attended? What, was it rained out or something?
Well if history is an indicator, Argentina will win. Not sure how but they will win. In the past 20 World Cups, no European team has won the Cup in Americas. (South or North). And no American team (South or North) has won the cup in Europe. Germany hasn't won the cup since 1990. Argentina hasn't won since 1986. Clash of the titans. I give the edge to machine Germany but Argentina will have tremendous home field advantage. My Turkish friend in Brazil told me Argentinians are flowing to Brazil like crazy for the game. Germany will have a tough time but in the end they are the better team so who knows.
admittedly I didn't catch the entire game, but seemed to me Holland had the better of play at least in 2nd half.........Argentina have suddenly evolved into this sort of structured defending team........and wait for Messi to break down the opponent on the other end. Now I'm biased because I root for Holland after US and Italy go down.......but I'm not sure I see that close a game on Sunday. I've seen better Argentina teams not go as far. It won't be 7-1, but for some reason I see Germany possesing the ball all game patiently waiting for an opening.
How Vacant World Cup Stadiums Could Be Turned Into Housing The World Cup ends this weekend, leaving Brazil with the heady task of deciding what, exactly, to do with the 12 stadiums that were built or converted for games. Two architects have published a proposal to convert the stadiums into something Brazil desperately needs: Affordable housing. French architects Axel de Stampa and Sylvain Macaux have been tackling an architectural issue each week for 29 weeks running at their site 1 Week 1 Project. Their stadium-focused solutions entitled Casa Futebol are extremely timely this week, especially after outcry surrounding Japan's Olympic stadium forced architect Zaha Hadid to redesign it to be more flexible—and more multipurpose—at a savings of $1.3 billion. While the idea itself is completely unrealistic—these structures were not designed to support hundreds of additional housing units—it does raise an interesting question about exactly how the venues for these mega-events should be reused. So what will happen in Brazil? Some of the venues will be dismantled (they were only temporary) and some will be reused (a few are undergoing special modifications for the 2016 Olympics), but for the most part, there is not any kind of long-term vision for how to best utilize the stadiums, which are gigantic structures that will often be sitting vacant. Adding housing, in a way, makes perfect sense. At the heart of the Casa Futebol proposal is a colorful modular housing unit that can be installed between the concrete pylons that form much of the stadiums' infrastructure. These units can easily stack around the structures' perimeters, making great use of what is traditionally wasted space in any sporting venue. The stadiums themselves would remain functional, according to the proposal, with a portion of ticket sales going towards the maintenance and upkeep of the residential units themselves. I'd assume that kids would have access to the field when it's not being used, giving them the best public space in the city. And like the cluster of lucky homeowners who peer into Chicago's Wrigley Field, certain families would get what are pretty much front-row seats to all events. While some stadiums claim they will be converted into public-accessible parks, even the most promising reuse plans for World Cup stadiums are still event-based, meaning they're financially dependent on someone's ability to book events and sell tickets. Turning a stadium into a high-density, mixed-use residential center is actually the perfect way to take advantage of the structure's size and central location. Maybe one of the cities hosting the World Cup or Olympics in the future can use this idea for inspiration. [Casa Futebol via ArchDaily]
Brazil getting beat down again. Other team scored in the first 3 mins. Brazil is just straight up shitty.. I would hate being a Brazilian policemen right about now.
They'll probably demolish them and donate the scrap to poverty organizations to build really shitty pallet housing. Brazil sucks.
