12/31/24
June 14, 2006
Robocop + World Cup = RoboCup!: I, for one, welcome our robot overlords to the pitch. The goal of RoboCup is to "develop a team of fully autonomous humanoid robots that can win against the human world soccer champion team."
posted by The_Black_Hand to soccer at 04:38 PM - 25 comments
All fun and games until they get bought out by Cyberdyne Systems Corporation.
posted by SummersEve at 04:53 PM on June 14, 2006
That Germany/Poland game seems awfully hard to top. Those robot players better know what they're doing, otherwise they're going to meet the same fate as my toaster oven and car air conditioner...
posted by igottheblues at 04:57 PM on June 14, 2006
First chess, then foosball, then soccer. I guess it fits chronologically
posted by timdawg at 05:07 PM on June 14, 2006
I think one of those robots was playing up-front for Brazil yesterday. (No prizes for guessing who.)
posted by afx237vi at 05:19 PM on June 14, 2006
You lads watch a lot of soccer then? That Germany team is the worst in living memory. And Poland are even worse. If Accrington Stanley were to declare independence they would have a better chance of winning a world cup. I was expecting the ref to dish out the custard pies at half time, because the clowns on the pitch appeared to have forgotten to bring any. Ask yourselves how many defences could make Paolo Wanchope look World Class. And then hang your heads in shame.
posted by walrus at 05:25 PM on June 14, 2006
Beats the England own goal game, right?
posted by igottheblues at 05:38 PM on June 14, 2006
Did I say England were any good?
posted by walrus at 05:41 PM on June 14, 2006
In their defence, at least England have a robot.
posted by walrus at 05:49 PM on June 14, 2006
I think your doing a disservice to Germany. They're very dodgy at the back, but going forward I haven't seen many better teams at this World Cup. I've been really impressed by Podolsky, Frings and Lahm, while they obviously have world class in Ballack and Klose. They're the complete opposite to the German teams of the past - they're disorganised, undisciplined, free-flowing - but they've been one of the best teams to watch so far. They probably won't win, but with the home advantage, you never know. I don't care who wins the World Cup (hey, I'm Welsh) - I just like watching beautiful football. And I've had a lot more fun watching Germany than I have with some of the other big teams.
posted by afx237vi at 05:52 PM on June 14, 2006
When you talk about Germany in attack, do you not in all honesty find yourself questioning the quality of the defences they've played against? Not even a tiny bit? I hope for their sake they improve. They generally do have a knack of finding form at the right time in the big tournaments, but my do they have some work to do. They were tonked 4-1 by Italy in a friendly in January and if my eyes don't deceive me their defence has gone backwards since then.
posted by walrus at 05:57 PM on June 14, 2006
This shit is seriously fucking scary...
posted by everett at 06:03 PM on June 14, 2006
Germany v Poland was a great game. A proper cup tie between two European nations who can't stand the sight of each other. It was only really spoiled by the result. And yes, I watch a lot of football.
posted by squealy at 06:12 PM on June 14, 2006
Well get used to it squealy, you'll be watching a lot of lower league football ;-)
posted by walrus at 06:21 PM on June 14, 2006
Well get used to it squealy, you'll be watching a lot of lower league football ;-)... Don't listen to him, squealy. Hull City are scared of the sight of you.
posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 11:24 PM on June 14, 2006
That Germany Poland match was a mess. Far too scrappy and unorganised. Sure it was interesting for fans as it was pretty much a derby match, but to any neutrals it was terrible.
posted by Fence at 03:07 AM on June 15, 2006
I'm a neutral (well, sort of - I have a tenner on Germany to win the tournament) and I thought it was a great game. I think Germany have looked sharp in both games - they are frail at the back without question, but they're playing very attractive football in a you-score-four-and-we'll-score-five way. It's a specious point to argue as we will never know, but I kept thinking, after the game, about England and, if they had hit the bar as many times and missed as many chances as Germany did last night, would they have had the sheer bloody-mindedness required to keep at it until they scored? I suspect not. Germany may not be the most technically gifted or skillful team in the tournament, but no one knows how to win better than they do. Still, as walrus pointed out, at least (to keep on topic) England have a robot.
posted by JJ at 04:40 AM on June 15, 2006
Ah, my sneaky tenner is on Italy. No offence meant to anyone by the way, it's all in the spirit of banter ;-)
posted by walrus at 07:15 AM on June 15, 2006
As I'm English I don't even count as neutral and I've loved the two German games so far (and feel suitably dirty as a result). I don't want to like the Germans, but they have no real concept of defence and an offside trap that closes aboout as quickly as the Thames flood barrier. Combined with Germany's banzai approach, it makes for an entertaining, if technically limited, game, no matter who they play. Four years ago Germany-Ticos and Germany-Poland would have been dire. That isn't the case in 2006. Of course, as soon as the Germans face someone who isn't scared by the offensive firepower of Oliver Neuville, they're doomed, but until then, I'll happily watch them.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 07:44 AM on June 15, 2006
I think the main thing I'm trying to say here is that they're not playing "dream soccer", they're not "awesome", they're not a team that "no other team could match", and that game was not "awfully hard to top". It was like watching conference football, and I do prefer to watch technically skilled players playing at low tempo to a bunch of poor players going at it hammer and tongs. I still stand by every word of my original post in the thread, because it's patently true. I don't want to go on and on about it, but it was a dreadful game the other night, and neither team deserved to win. I'll give you the Germany v. Costa Rica game, that was better fare even if still woefully unskilled, but the only games more dreadful to watch than Germany v. Poland so far from a strictly neutral perspective have been all the ones in Group B.
posted by walrus at 01:40 PM on June 15, 2006
What conference are you watching, Walrus? Hear hear re. the group B call though - England T&T may have been the worst game yet.
posted by JJ at 01:50 PM on June 15, 2006
You're right, Walrus, they're not playing dream football, like the guy with one comment suggested, but I have watched "a lot of soccer" yes and if you think this is the worst German team in living memory then you obviously weren't watching much soccer around 2000. The team Erich Ribbeck stuck out for that tournament was stunningly poor, stultifying up front and hamstrung in the middle, with their only advantage over the current vintage being some bare idea of how to defend. I'm not seeing any dream football from Germany, but I am enjoying their games a lot more than I did during their oh-so-exciting run to the 2002 final, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0. I like watching technically skilled players too and hope to see the 2006 Argentina v Netherlands match compare favourably to the 1998 version, (hopefully without South American midgets trying to headbutt van der Sar), but I'll also watch a technically limited team running on the momentum of homefield advantage and enjoy it too. Right up until they get dumped out in the Quarter finals. (Oh, and group B is terrible, yes)
posted by Mr Bismarck at 02:44 PM on June 15, 2006
I thought Spain was the sharpest team yet, esp. in that game against Ukraine. Playing against 10 men notwithstanding, their passing was crisp especially in the final 3rd, ball control and possession solid across the board, defense was tight, they were willing to test their opponents down the wings and up the middle, and the attackers were lethal.
posted by worldcup2002 at 01:49 AM on June 16, 2006
JJ: I actually do think in many cases the defending is better in the lower English leagues than I've seen from Germany. Perhaps "conference football" is an exagerration though. Spain look good alright, but they're in the easiest group in the tournament. The real test for them will come in the knockout stages. Still happy where my tenner is ...
posted by walrus at 02:17 AM on June 16, 2006
OK, I take it back after this morning's match. Argentina is the sharpest team. Quality.
posted by worldcup2002 at 10:02 AM on June 16, 2006
Who needs "fully-autonomous-humanoid-robots that-can-win-against-the-human-world-soccer champion-team" teams, when human teams like Germany play dream soccer? I just watched an awesome game of soccer, no other team-no matter how highly developed-could match!