Bench World Cup 2014

[Pandaazuma 1,310]

I got the lineups for the Round of 16 from:

ANDONISHIKI and SCREECHING OWL (via Nekonishiki, Thanks Neko-zeki).

Waiting for the line-ups from:

FUJIKO and FUJIYAMA.

I sent Fujiyama's by email last night. You didn't receive it? I will send it now by PM.

[Achiyama 1,272]

I confirm that I have received all line-ups for my group..

I'll post the torikmi in a bit.

[Jejima 1,498]

Note to refiojis...

When your deadline passes, and if you still don't have all line-ups for your 4 players, please remember the droning line-up rules....

1. Use the same line-up that was used for that player for round 3 of the Group Stage.

2. Delete all teams already out of the World Cup, from that line-up.

3. Add to the end of the line-up the (E1) team. This is the lowest ranked team that is still in the competition that is not already on their squad.

Due to the original ranking, this will be Costa Rica. If he/she already has Costa Rica, then it will be Algeria. Then is no need to list any other teams, as both of these two teams were in the lowest bracket for picks, so no player can already have both of them.

4. Please also award a Yellow card for any drones.

[Achiyama 1,272]

Group "1", Round of 16 line-ups:

Cup match:

Andonishiki vs. ScreechingOwl

Andonishiki:

1. Argentina (E1)
2. France
3. Netherlands
4. Brazil
5. Nigeria
6. Mexico ®
7. Algerie

Comment:

Group stages were a piece of cake - this team has been marked a favorite for the title by the Brazil Bench Tribune reporters ;)
high scoring abilities plus a solid defence - overall a brilliant mixture.
So... who's our opponent in the round of 16, I suppose Screeching Owl...
Owls & football ?? well, we see.
Not progressing at least into semifinals would clearly disappoint the masses at the public bench viewing spots in Nishiki-guni. Let's kick the owl !

vs.

ScreechingOwl

1. Germany (E1)
2. Brasil
3. Belgium ©
4. Greece
5. Switzerland
6. Chile

Comment: Greece in the fourth spot says it all, although they actually have a higher FILA rating so I suppose they could actually defeat the surprise of the tournament. As in the real Bench, one more better pick would make a world of difference. Good luck.

Saucer match:

Fujiyama vs. Fujiko

Fujiyama

1 Argentina (E1)
2 Brazil
3 Holland
4 France ©
5 Nigeria
6 Switzerland

vs.

Fujiko

1. Brazil

2. Argentina (E1)

3. France

4. Greece

5. Mexico

6. Chile ®

Comment: Don't ask me for a comment - I'm too sleepy!

Edited June 28, 2014 by Achiyama

[Pandaazuma 1,310]

Second Round Matches (Refioji Pandaazuma)

Cup Match:

Kuroimori vs Rubensan

Kuroimori:

1. Germany (E1)

2. Brazil

3. Colombia

4. Costa Rica

5. Nigeria ©

6. Mexico

Comment: Ok, it's getting serious now, knock-out stage is here.
I have a little advantage over my opponent with 5 teams still in action while only has 4 survivors.
I also still have my © team but only one clear favorite while my opponent has 2 very strong teams.
It all comes down to finding a smart placing order and of course on the number of upsets.
Can't wait for kick-off! Good luck, fair play and NO BITING OR OTHER CRAZY STUFF, PLEASE! :-)

Rubensan:

1. Netherlands

2. Argentina (E1)

3. Brazil

4. Nigeria

5. Switzerland

6. (None)

Comment: What an unpredictable World Cup we are seeing! In this match my opponent has an advantage having Costa Rica in his lineup, provided they beat Greece, which is not that easy. On the other hand, I have Netherlands, and that is my best option for the win.

Refioji Comment: Rubensan will be hoping Mexico don't play as well against Netherlands as they did against Brazil. This one looks like it could go to the wire, and the fortunes of Costa Rica and Nigeria could well be closely entwined with those of Kuroimori and Rubensan.

Saucer match

Kamogawa vs Nekonishiki

Kamogawa:

1. Brazil

2. Colombia ©

3. USA

4. Costa Rica

5. Algeria (E1)

NOTE: This is a droning line-up.

Nekonishiki:

1. Netherlands
2. Argentina (E1)
3. Nigeria
4. Mexico ©

5. (None)

Refioji Comment: Interesting match here. First, a little official business: as Kamogawa is droning I am forced to issue a yellow card to him. Sorry about that - the Panda is generally a very lenient refioji and prefers to let the game flow, allowing almost anything to pass (except biting of course) but it's in the rules - mandatory. Now, Nekonishiki is still very much up against it here with only four teams to play with. On top of that, Kamogawa's droning line-up looks OK in the first two slots and he even has a C team there that is unlikely to lose. However, things become interesting at slot 3, where both the USA and Nigeria have tough games.

Edited June 28, 2014 by Pandaazuma

[Asashosakari 20,272]

Very belated final Round 3 results for Group D:

Terarno: 1. Belgium 2. Switzerland 3. Argentina © 4. England 5. Colombia, 6. Ivory Coast 7. USA 8. Ghana 9. Costa Rica ® 10. South Korea

Comment : Probably not using my ® and © like I should, but round 3 could be "back scratching club" with already qualified teams...

vs

Saruyama: 1. Brazil, 2. Belgium, 3. Mexico, 4. Netherlands, 5. Iran, 6. England ®, 7. Greece ©, 8. Japan, 9. Ecuador, 10. Australia

Refioji: Saruyama wins 1-0.

Isn't that a 1-1? Netherlands for Saruyama and Colombia for Terarno.

[Chijanofuji 113]

Very belated final Round 3 results for Group D:

Terarno: 1. Belgium 2. Switzerland 3. Argentina © 4. England 5. Colombia, 6. Ivory Coast 7. USA 8. Ghana 9. Costa Rica ® 10. South Korea

Comment : Probably not using my ® and © like I should, but round 3 could be "back scratching club" with already qualified teams...

vs

Saruyama: 1. Brazil, 2. Belgium, 3. Mexico, 4. Netherlands, 5. Iran, 6. England ®, 7. Greece ©, 8. Japan, 9. Ecuador, 10. Australia

Refioji: Saruyama wins 1-0.

Isn't that a 1-1? Netherlands for Saruyama and Colombia for Terarno.

Yes, you're right. Well spotted!

Luckily that doesn't change the order in the final standings for Group D.

Saruyama still finishes 1st with 7 points and a +5 GD (6-1)

Terarno still finishes 2nd also with 7 points, but a +2 GD (3-1)

[Jejima 1,498]

Very belated final Round 3 results for Group D:

Terarno: 1. Belgium 2. Switzerland 3. Argentina © 4. England 5. Colombia, 6. Ivory Coast 7. USA 8. Ghana 9. Costa Rica ® 10. South Korea

Comment : Probably not using my ® and © like I should, but round 3 could be "back scratching club" with already qualified teams...

vs

Saruyama: 1. Brazil, 2. Belgium, 3. Mexico, 4. Netherlands, 5. Iran, 6. England ®, 7. Greece ©, 8. Japan, 9. Ecuador, 10. Australia

Refioji: Saruyama wins 1-0.

Isn't that a 1-1? Netherlands for Saruyama and Colombia for Terarno.

Yes, you're right. Well spotted!

Luckily that doesn't change the order in the final standings for Group D.

Saruyama still finishes 1st with 7 points and a +5 GD (6-1)

Terarno still finishes 2nd also with 7 points, but a +2 GD (3-1)

(Being thrown tomatoes at...)

How embarrassing.

As you say, thankfully, it does not change the order of the group.

I will change the results now.

[Jejima 1,498]

Still waiting for penalty takers for the quarter-finals from the following four duo....

Chabonowaka

kamogawa

Pitinosato

shumitto

Edited June 28, 2014 by Jejima

[Chijanofuji 113]

Here's a little teaser for the upcoming round of 16 matches.

I know some people look at the FIFA world rankings to help them with their picks. But how many of you realize that this is a very volatile listing that can change rapidly and dramatically, especially when many matches are being played in a short period of time as is the case right now?

So what would the Top 30 of the FIFA world ranking look like if the new list were published now (after round 1 of the WC) instead of after the tournament?

Well after playing around with the list and the neat calculator at the FIFA site, I can show you what the outcome would be:

Wow! isn't that something? :-O

Colombia on nr. 1!

Brazil dropping from 3 to 10 (mainly because of their draw against Mexico)

Uruguay, Belgium, the Netherlands and France making big leaps upwards.

Spain, Portugal, Italy and England dropping like stones!

Please note that this is not what the actual published list will look like after the tournament. Many positions will change between now and then (tough I imagine Spain, Portugal, Italy and England will still be dropping about the same number of places). Colombia will probably drop back a number of places already should they lose against Uruguay today...

Edited June 28, 2014 by Chijanofuji

[Saruyama 1]

The lineups for Group F (1 & 3) and Group E (2 & 4)

Cup Match:

Kotononami vs Furanohana

Kotononami:

1. Argentina ®, 2. Germany (E1), 3. France, 4. Costa Rica ©, 5. Netherlands, 6. Mexico, 7. Greece

vs

Furanohana:

1. France ®, 2. Brazil, 3. Netherlands (E1), 4. Costa-Rica, 5. Chile, 6. Nigeria

Referee comments: Kotononami has the numbers, by only 1 though. And both are packing some good teams in their opening spots, so this one should be good. Especially considering both openers are ® teams. That you see is a first for me as a referee... so whee!

Saucer Match:

Leonishiki vs Chabonowaka

Leonishiki: "Quel le meilleur gagne !!! Let's go France !!"
1. Germany (E1), 2. Brazil, 3. Costa Rica, 4. Switzerland, 5. Nigeria®, 6. Chile

vs

Chabonowaka: (The wind whistles through the trees, crickets chirp. We still have not heard from Chabonowaka. We await anxiously to hear from him.)

1. Brazil, 2. Uruguay, 3. Netherlands ©, 4. Switzerland, 5. Mexico, 6. Mexico, 7. Costa Rica (E1)

Referee comments: The Swiss match is a match, so it's scratched. Chabonowaka has the numbers, but Leonishiki isn't droning. So he may have the edge there.

That is all for now. (Now is drinking time. Off to the nearest bar for beers, babes, and Brazil.... we can hope)

Saruyama (THE monkey referee)

(Please let me know if there have been any screw ups on my part)

[shimodahito 336]

GROUP E/F SWEET PIXTEEN HEPFINAL ROUND (knock out day 1)

...or perhaps this is the "everyone loves Uruguay" group as all four have the now bite-less team on their squad

CUP BRACKET

CHIJANOFUJI.....KAIOMITSUKI

ARG..........1........©.GER

FRA..........2.....(E1).BRA

BRA.(E1).....3..........FRA

NED..........4..........NED

URU..........5..........GRE

SUI.®........6..........URU

NGR..........7..........MEX

ALG..........8..........***

Chijanofuji says: Wow, this round is actually more difficult to predict than I though it would be. No more than 3 fairly secure bets in my squad of 8, although I'm rooting for there being at least 4 winners (that 4th would obviously be the Netherlands to win vs Mexico)...
Good luck to my honorable opponent Kaiomitsuki!

Kaiomitsuki says: Rita Lee feat. Doobie Brothers "Lança Perfume"
"Lanca menina, lanca todo esse perfume
Desbaratina, nao da pra ficar imune
Ao teu amor que tem cheiro de coisa maluca

Lanca, lanca perfume..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg_W8cXnxxs

Thanks... Merci !
Refyoji says: Oranje result is a wash and Chijanofuji has fennec foxes with no opponent.

SAUCER BRACKET

ACHIYAMA........KINTAMAYAMA

GER.(E1).....1..........BRA

BRA.©........2.....(E1) ARG

FRA..........3..........MEX

COL..........4..........URU

MEX..........5........©.CHI

URU..........6..........ALG

NGR..........7..........GRE

Achiyama says: Good Luck!

Kintamayama says: I am retroactive.

Gyoferi says: Kintamayama may be the only player with one European team on the squad -- and amazingly, it is Ethniki.

Edited July 2, 2014 by shimodahito

[Asashosakari 20,272]

Minor Group B note: ScreechingOwl and KikoCookie are both short by one goal received (should be 5-4 and 1-2) in the posted final standings.

Jezz, can you email me the Last 16 and QF penalty picks when you get a chance? Needed for the MCP, too. :-)

Edited June 28, 2014 by Asashosakari

[Asashosakari 20,272]

Hmm, and a question about Group E: If Chabonowaka's Round 3 lineup was made by drone rules (as implied by shimodahito's comments), why does it go by the original picks order, not the Round 2 order?

Edited June 28, 2014 by Asashosakari

[Jejima 1,498]

Hmm, and a question about Group E: If Chabonowaka's Round 3 lineup was made by drone rules (as implied by shimodahito's comments), why does it go by the original picks order, not the Round 2 order?

That is a mistake. It should go by the round 2 order. Too tired (2 am here) to look into it tonight. Can someone else do it please?

[Jejima 1,498]

Quick update...

Saucer match:

Daineko: 1. Brazil, 2. Netherlands, 3. Costa Rica, 4. Uruguay ®, 5. USA ©, 6. France (E1), 7. Switzerland

Comment: Suarez is screwing things up for my team.

vs

Pandaazuma: 1. Germany (E1), 2. Argentina, 3. Belgium, 4. Netherlands, 5. Nigeria, 6. Algeria, 7. None

Comments: I am fighting Daineko: my team looks to have the easier matches. My opponent has one more team than me (Germany or Argentina as the extra pick, most likely) and also still has the R and C teams (both underdogs) so I'm just hoping my easier schedule carries me through toward the vaunted saucer. Good luck!

Refioji: With Brazil's draw, it is an open net for Pandaazuma, should Germany win in 90 minutes.

Cup match

Saruyama: 1. Brazil, 2. Germany (E1), 3. Belgium, 4. Netherlands, 5. Greece ©, 6. Mexico

vs

Maguroyama

1. Argentina, 2. Netherlands (E1), 3. Belgium, 4. USA, 5. Chile, 6. None

Comment: Only three favorites, I’m sure my esteemed opponent Saruyama has at least that, probably 4 or 5. So maybe it will be up to some surprise that I might win. Going to try for sure!

Refioji: Likewise, Maguroyama's Argentina are eyeing up the net.

Edited June 29, 2014 by Jejima

[Jejima 1,498]

Minor Group B note: ScreechingOwl and KikoCookie are both short by one goal received (should be 5-4 and 1-2) in the posted final standings.

Jezz, can you email me the Last 16 and QF penalty picks when you get a chance? Needed for the MCP, too. :-)

Sent to you by email.

[Nekonishiki Banji 404]

Quarterfinals Day 1 update

No goals so far.

Cup match: very similar line-ups, and the players will know their result only on Tuesday.

Saucer match: more various teams, more excitement, hopefully.

Teams playing tomorrow are in bold.

[Fukurou 534]

Minor Group B note: ScreechingOwl and KikoCookie are both short by one goal received (should be 5-4 and 1-2) in the posted final standings.

What round of group stage did this take place?

[Pandaazuma 1,310]

Scoring Update

Cup Match:

Kuroimori vs Rubensan

Kuroimori:

1. Germany

2. Brazil

3. Colombia

4. Costa Rica

5. Nigeria ©

6. Mexico

Rubensan:

1. Netherlands

2. Argentina

3. Brazil

4. Nigeria

5. Switzerland

6. (None)

Kuroimori scores a goal at the 3-slot thanks to Colombia's win, taking advantage of the Brazil draw. Rubensan will be wanting Argentina to win their game in order to equalize.

Saucer match

Kamogawa vs Nekonishiki

Kamogawa:

1. Brazil

2. Colombia ©

3. USA

4. Costa Rica

5. Algeria

Nekonishiki:

1. Netherlands
2. Argentina
3. Nigeria
4. Mexico ©

5. (None)

Nekonishiki doesn't have much to play with here, especially with Colombia winning for the droning Kamogawa. However, a big chance has opened up for a goal at the 1-slot if Netherlands win tonight.

Edited June 29, 2014 by Pandaazuma

[Fukurou 534]

GOLDEN BALL BOOT AWARD STANDINGS
(after Round 1)

I've been asked to do the scoring for the Golden Ball Award - the award for the player who scores the most goals. As I'm getting a late start, I'm going to begin with posting standings from group stage round 1 only. This should make it easier to catch and correct any errors. Rounds 2 and 3 will follow in coming days, as will standings for the Golden Gloves Award.

PLAYER GS GA
================================
1. Rubensan (H) 4 0
ScreechingOwl (B) 4 0

3. andonishiki (A) 3 0
shumitto (H) 3 0

5. Chocshoporyu (A) 2 0
Kotononami (F) 2 0
Maguroyama (C ) 2 0
Saruyama (D) 2 0

9. Chijanofuji (E) 1 0
chishafuwaku (B) 1 0
Furanohana (E) 1 0
Kaiomitsuki (F) 1 0
kamogawa (G) 1 0
kuroimori (G) 1 0
shimodahito (C ) 1 0
Terarno (D) 1 0

17. Achiyama (E) 0 1
chabonowaka (E) 0 1
Daineko (D) 0 1
Domichi (G) 0 1
Jejima (C ) 0 1
KikoCookie (B) 0 1
Leonishiki (F) 0 1
Pitinosato (G) 0 1

25. Harumataikai (D) 0 2
Jakusotsu (A) 0 2
Kintamayama (F) 0 2
Pandaazuma (C ) 0 2

29. Doitsuyama (H) 0 3
Fujiyama (A) 0 3

31. Fujiko (B) 0 4
Nekonishiki (H) 0 4

Line format:
Player - (group) - Goals Scored - Goals Against

Edited July 1, 2014 by Fukurou

[Fukurou 534]

GOLDEN BALL BOOT AWARD STANDINGS
(after Round 2)

As expected, more goals broke up the field more. Andonishiki, from Group A, was the sole leader after the second round, with Group H's Rubensan and shumitto tied for second place.

The first 2 data columns are goals scored (GS) and goals against (GA) for Round 1. The next 2 are GS and GA for Round 2. The final 2 columns are the GS and GA totals through 2 Rounds.

ROUND 1 ROUND 2 TOTAL
PLAYER GS GA GS GA GS GA
=======================================================
1. andonishiki (A) 3 0 4 1 7 1
2. Rubensan (H) 4 0 1 0 5 0
shumitto (H) 3 0 2 0 5 0
4. chishafuwaku (B) 1 0 3 0 4 0
Kotononami (F) 2 0 2 0 4 0
6. Furanohana (E) 1 0 3 2 4 2
7. ScreechingOwl (B) 4 0 0 3 4 3
8. Maguroyama (C ) 2 0 1 0 3 0
Saruyama (D) 2 0 1 0 3 0
shimodahito (C ) 1 0 2 0 3 0
11. Achiyama (E) 0 1 3 0 3 1
kuroimori (G) 1 0 2 1 3 1
Leonishiki (F) 0 1 3 0 3 1
14. Chijanofuji (E) 1 0 2 3 3 3
15. Chocshoporyu (A) 2 0 1 4 3 4
16. Terarno (D) 1 0 1 0 2 0
17. Jakusotsu (A) 0 2 2 1 2 3
18. kamogawa (G) 1 0 0 0 1 0
19. Kaiomitsuki (F) 1 0 0 2 1 2
20. Domichi (G) 0 1 1 2 1 3
21. Fujiko (B) 0 4 0 0 0 4
22. Fujiyama (A) 0 3 1 2 1 5
23. Pitinosato (G) 0 1 0 0 0 1
24. Daineko (D) 0 1 0 1 0 2
Jejima (C ) 0 1 0 1 0 2
KikoCookie (B) 0 1 0 0 0 1
27. Harumataikai (D) 0 2 0 1 0 3
28. chabonowaka (E) 0 1 0 3 0 4
Doitsuyama (H) 0 3 0 1 0 4
Pandaazuma (C ) 0 2 0 2 0 4
31. Kintamayama (F) 0 2 0 3 1 5
32. Nekonishiki (H) 0 4 0 2 0 6

Edit - corrected errors in Fujiko's and KikoCookie's round 2 goal scoring

Edited July 1, 2014 by Fukurou

[Jejima 1,498]

Scoring Update

Cup Match:

Kuroimori vs Rubensan

Kuroimori:

1. Germany

2. Brazil

3. Colombia

4. Costa Rica

5. Nigeria ©

6. Mexico

Rubensan:

1. Netherlands

2. Argentina

3. Brazil

4. Nigeria

5. Switzerland

6. (None)

Kuroimori scores a goal at the 3-slot thanks to Colombia's win, taking advantage of the Brazil draw. Rubensan will be wanting Argentina to win their game in order to equalize.

Saucer match

Kamogawa vs Nekonishiki

Kamogawa:

1. Brazil

2. Colombia ©

3. USA

4. Costa Rica

5. Algeria

Nekonishiki:

1. Netherlands

2. Argentina

3. Nigeria

4. Mexico ©

5. (None)

Nekonishiki doesn't have much to play with here, especially with Colombia winning for the droning Kamogawa. However, a big chance has opened up for a goal at the 1-slot if Netherlands win tonight.

Hi!

Please indicate the (E1) teams - makes it easier for checking :-)

[Nekonishiki Banji 404]

Minor Group B note: ScreechingOwl and KikoCookie are both short by one goal received (should be 5-4 and 1-2) in the posted final standings.

Thanks for catching, I have corrected it in the original post.

[Pandaazuma 1,310]

Jezz: I did so in the initial line-ups above and didn't think I needed to do so every time. But if you want me to, I will of course!