Argentina Vs Germany - This Should Have Been a World Cup Semi-Final!

Yesterday saw the second of the four Quarter Final matches finalised, with Germany beating England (some might say with the help of one of the most awful refereeing decisions in recent times) and Argentina beating Mexico (er, again with a bad offside decision). Two World Cup giants of World Cup past, with eyes very much on the immediate future...

Diego Maradona, so often a part of Argentina's World Cup past glories, now has the reins of Argentina's future in his hands. He's doing a great job too, it has to be said. Qualifying for South Africa proved a little tricky, but surely the man has won some respect for the way his team are coming together in these finals. With Messi starting to come alive, Tevez on the scoresheet and plenty of co-stars in support, Argentina are looking every bit the part.

Germany, on the other hand, have seemingly morphed from a young team made up of Brazilians, Turks and Poles into a potential World Cup winning team. Probably the most cosmopolitan German team in history with no real big names to speak of (outside the Bundesliga), what was it that BBC commentator said yesterday before the England v Germany match? Oh yes..."You look at this German team and think about who would get in the England team and you have maybe 1 player". Right! And another thing - perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing that Ballack couldn't make it to South Africa - what do you think?

So, when we stick our football predictions hat on, what do we come up with? Firstly, we have to say that it's probably a match too soon - this one would have been great as a classic semi-final - but this is the way it goes and how the draw unfolds...so "only" a semi-final berth to shoot for for the winners of this match! Secondly, it has the potential to be a real classic, one of those games that goes down in history. Hopefully not because of some poor officialing, but rather because of the pure footballing talent on display.

Perhaps a Messi masterclass? Or a Muller wondershow? Maybe a Tevez scoring session? Or possibly even time for Shweinsteiger to take center stage?

Whatever happens, this is one game I won't be missing!

Cheap Levi's Mens Jeans Cheap Shirt Cost Lasik Laser Eye Surgery

Boundary Lines on the Soccer Field - An Overview

Boundary lines are critical to any sport, since defining the pitch or field of play is critical to the game. Association football is no exception and Law 1 of the Laws of the Game defines the Field of Play, which includes lines and markings on the field.

One of the fundamental stipulations of Law 1 is that the field of play must be rectangular and marked with lines. Since the field must be rectangular, there must be two longer and two shorter lines. The soccer field has four major boundary lines - two goal lines and two touchlines; the touchlines are the two longer touchlines. However, other lines are critical to the field of play. These include the halfway line and boundary lines for the penalty area. No soccer game can be played properly without these.

Another stipulation of Law 1 is that the boundary lines belong to the area of which they are boundaries. Therefore, the touchlines and goal lines are part of the field of play. A ball must wholly cross the touchline or goal line to be out of play. This also means that the boundary lines for the penalty area are part of the penalty area - including the part of the goal line that bounds the area. If a player commits an offence against an opponent, that punishable by a direct free kick, in his own penalty area, the referee should award a penalty kick.

For a standard soccer field, the touchlines must be between 90 and 120 metres long, while the goal lines must be between 45 and 90 metres long. Law 1 specifies that boundary lines must be visible and all lines must be the same width (not to exceed five inches). Apart from the boundary lines being the same width, they should also be the same width of the goalposts and crossbar by extension. This is to facilitate proper judgement of whether a goal is scored or not.

Symmetry is important on the soccer field, so each half must have identical measurements. Other parts of the field demarcated by boundary lines include the centre circle and corner arcs and penalty arcs. The Laws of the Game also prohibits unauthorised markings and advertising (even virtual projections) on the field of play. Law 1 also specifies that advertising and advertising boards should remain at least one yard or metre from the boundaries once teams enter the field of play.

Cheap Levi's Mens Jeans

Which Teams Should You Back to Win English Premier League 2008-09 - Winning on Football Betting

English premiership is by far the most exciting and the popular of the football game and in the betting world. The new season will kick off in Aug'08 and will be ended in May'09. It last for a long haul of 9 months.

This event is dominating by the giant big 4 teams. These four teams are: Man u, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal. Watching closely, you would know how much money has already pumped into and more talented players are transferred into these four teams. In fact they have built up a very successful system over the years. So it is very hard to beat them should you consider placing your bet on football "winning the tournament" market

In the exceptional year 1995, where Blackburn made a stunning upset and won the Premier League. Other than that, the big 4 have led the premiership and no one has even come closer. Here look at the statistic from the last 3 seasons to assist you in your football betting. Betting in football has it unexpected moment that make the game so exciting and beautiful.

2005/6 Chelsea - 91 points, Man 83 points, Liverpool 82 points, Arsenal 67points
2006/2007 Manu U 89 points, Chelsea 83points, Liverpool 68 points, Arsenal 68 points
2007/2008 Maun U 87 points, Chelsea 85, Arsenal83, Liverpool 76 points.

Of course, a club need good players to play a good manager to work out the strategies, and a good management to guide them to reach to the height. It takes years to build a successful system. Fans and sponsorships are important factors too. In addition, there are plenty of millionaires and sponsors who are willing to invest their money to build up their winning system and the team.

However, money alone cannot help to build a successful team. In fact, if you look at the premiership, it is made up of 20 different teams but some of the team is simply unable to meet the tough challenge they are there just imply focus on survival. Many of us should remember that a strong favourite team such as Tottenham a year ago, was consider a hot favourite and it was heavily backed to be the best of the rest, however, is unable to finish in the top half of the premier ship.

In conclusion, it is wiser to back the instead of lay the big four teams to win the tournament. Or you could consider enter into this market later part of the season as most of the bookmakers are offering betting in running on this market.

FIFA WORLD CUP