The Official 2022 FIFA World Cup Thread

#277
#277
Why isn't Mexico elite at soccer?

I don't get it - large population, country is nuts about the game. On the world stage shouldn't they be more like Brazil or Argentina?
 
#278
#278
05_never_again said:
Why isn't Mexico elite at soccer?

I don't get it - large population, country is nuts about the game. On the world stage shouldn't they be more like Brazil or Argentina?
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National federations and governing bodies are hugely important. It takes a solid top down buy-in, and not many countries have that long term.
 
#279
#279
C/O said:
National federations and governing bodies are hugely important. It takes a solid top down buy-in, and not many countries have that long term.
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Maybe there is and I can't think of them right now, but is there another country with a large population + is nuts about the sport who isn't a really good team? It isn't that Mexico is bad, but it seems like they should be one of the 5-7 most successful soccer nations all-time and they aren't anywhere close to that.
 
#282
#282
FallCreekVols said:
My Peruvian wife loathes anything Argentina. Says they are uppety a-holes. She can tolerate Brazil but not Argentina.
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In general it's the same here, we just have an Argentinian friend that grew up not wealthy so she's a little more humble. I guess that helps the hate.

Can't get her started on Chile though. It'll never stop.
 
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#283
#283
bleedorange0037 said:
No disagreement that it was a penalty 10 out of 10 times, and that his actual penalty was well taken. Turner would have stopped a lesser effort.

However, I’m with huff on this one. Having your back to goal while Walker Zimmerman clatters into you like a berserker hardly qualifies as “earning” a PK.
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It's a penalty because of the letter of the law, but the rule was not written for that foul. The spirit of the rule would be no PK. He wasn't threatening to score and it wasn't a dangerous foul.
 
#284
#284
The Dog said:
I never said he earned it, just give Old ass Bale some respect to the other poster
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Nobody said you said that. It was a nice strike on the penalty, but my point is you're celebrating the tiniest of victories on that one. Any player in this cup could have come away with a goal there.
 
#285
#285
05_never_again said:
Why isn't Mexico elite at soccer?

I don't get it - large population, country is nuts about the game. On the world stage shouldn't they be more like Brazil or Argentina?
Click to expand...

Think of it like this. Talent of a country is based off Population + Countries Interest in soccer + Infrastructure. Mexico has the population and interest, but not the infrastructures
 
#286
#286
05_never_again said:
Why isn't Mexico elite at soccer?

I don't get it - large population, country is nuts about the game. On the world stage shouldn't they be more like Brazil or Argentina?
Click to expand...

Brazil has almost 2x the population. Argentina is historically much wealthier (which helped build their tradition and infrastructure, like Persian said).
 
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#287
#287
Persian Vol said:
Think of it like this. Talent of a country is based off Population + Countries Interest in soccer + Infrastructure. Mexico has the population and interest, but not the infrastructures
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Other than really poor African countries, are there any countries besides Mexico, that have the population + interest but not the infrastructure?

There are many countries who aren't good because they lack either population or interest. There are some countries that have both, but there's the extenuating circumstance that much of the country lives in abject poverty. What's Mexico's excuse though?
 
#290
#290
n_huffhines said:
Brazil has almost 2x the population
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It isn't like Mexico is small though. 10th largest population in the world. Argentina has a population of 47m and is really good, with a long history of economic/financial/political crises.

Hell, Uruguay has 3.5m and has been better historically than Mexico.
 
#291
#291
Really wonder how far France can make it this WC due to injuries:

Losing these guys, and now Hernandez in this game, will have a big impact. Time to see just how far Mbappe can carry them. My guess is they crash out around the Quarterfinals.

1669144759388.png
 
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#292
#292
05_never_again said:
It isn't like Mexico is small though. 10th largest population in the world. Argentina has a population of 47m and is really good, with a long history of economic/financial/political crises.

Hell, Uruguay has 3.5m and has been better historically than Mexico.
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Uruguay is an exception to the rule.

All 3 factors matter a lot, and Mexico just doesn't have one of the factors.

Argentina is a great example of what it takes to succeed. They are relatively less wealthy than they used to be and have been pretty consistently disappointing. They've been past the quarterfinals once in 30 years.
 
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