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Soccer Wednesday: Your Running Commentary

AndreaPirloItaly1-ConfederationsCup (Getty)

By DAN KARELL

Despite the loss of Mario Balotelli and Lionel Messi to minor injuries, Italy facing South American rivals Argentina in Rome headlines a busy day of international soccer.

Most teams around the globe are participating in friendly matches today ahead of key World Cup qualifiers in early September, though Russia is playing at Northern Ireland today in a qualifying match that was made up due to a frozen pitch last March.

In addition to the match in Rome, France vs. Belgium, Portugal vs. the Netherlands, Germany vs. Paraguay, and Mexico vs. Ivory Coast are some other games to watch on Wednesday.

If you will be watching today’s action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action (Today’s TV schedule is after the jump):

2pm РColombia vs. Serbia РbeIN Sport Espa̱ol

2:30pm – Austria vs. Greece – GolTV USA

2:30pm – Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. USA – ESPN2/UniMas/ESPN3

2:40pm – Italy vs. Argentina – Univision Deportes

2:45pm – Switzerland vs. Brazil – beIN Sport USA

2:45pm – Germany vs. Paraguay – ESPN3/Galavision

2:45pm – Northern Ireland vs. Russia – ESPN3

3pm – England vs. Scotland – Fox Soccer Channel

3pm – Belgium vs. France – ESPN3

3:30pm – Portugal vs. the Netherlands – ESPN3

4pm РEcuador vs. Spain РbeIN Sport Espa̱ol

9pm – Mexico vs. Ivory Coast – ESPN2/UniMas/Univision Deportes

Comments

  1. the Ref in the mex/ic match was doing ok until he called that pk. i guess he felt sorry for IC .. it’s also amusing how the spanish networks censor, bleep out, the pu** at the IC goal kicks but espn let’s it go… in a way it kind of makes sense but amusing non the less

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  2. Uhh… and did the announcer just call the Ivory Coast players children? This is insane. Who at ESPN thought their viewers would enjoy this?

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  3. Dirty Mexican fans having the game stopped early over racist language. I disargee with Lallas when he says having Mexico in the WC is a good for the tournament.

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    • You do realize your comment is racist too, right? Plus the game is being played in Chicago so a lot of the people on the stands are as American as you.

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      • Its not racism. Dirty mexican fans refers to a specific group of fans that match the descrpition and isnt based on race…plus what race are you refering to? The Mexican race?

      • uh-huh and ‘nigger’ doesn’t refer to blacks. it applies to anybody at any moment for any reason regardless of color. Sure pal, you’re not racist.

      • Well, he did say “mexican fans” thats not the same as mexicans.

        Although, I would argue it is more xenophobic as Mexican is a nationality.

    • Poor choice of the word dirty as it could be viewed as a slur. But I think I would give Jason the benefit of the doubt that he meant dirty as an adjective in the sense of “they said dirty/vulgar things” etc.

      That being said, almost all the time in sports it is not the majority of supporters of a team that behave poorly, it is a vocal minority of fans. If Mexico makes the WC hats to them. Some of their fans could improve their language (so could some of ours (USA).

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      • Thank you. I’m specifically talking about the group of fans that consistantly use offensive, or dirty behavior ragardless of location. Remember it was in the context of having the games halted due to racist language by said fans.

      • Is there any evidence of this thought? I read that the other players players around him heard booing, not monkey chants.

  4. I don’t think I can listen to much more of this Mexico broadcast.

    Also, not at all surprising the Mexican fans had to be warned officially and the match stopped for overt racism.

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    • Not surprising? That almost never happens in Mexican soccer. Last I remember it happening was at a Santos Laguna game a few years ago.

      So what do you mean “not surprising”. Not surprising would be beer cups being thrown, but racism at games isn’t a thing in Mexican soccer.

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      • Pretty sure we’re the ones capping Germans.

        It is also a rather dubious comment when there is hardly a country in this hemisphere that has used more foreign born players than the US.

    • yes, you do. The 2 Argentinians are a media fabricated necessity. Neither are better than the Mexican players whose spots they’re taking. Objectively so. The fact that mexico improved against Ivory Coast has nothing to do with either of them playing, and everything to do with a complete overhaul of the tactical formation, which itself is also not connected to the presence of the 2 naturalized players

      Reply

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