THE BRITISH THREAD II

June 12, 2010 ... U.S. v. England ... Round 2.

Group C looks tasty.

http://able2know.org/topic/135622-8#post-3835004

Join us.

T
K
O

I bet the NFL is hoping the US don't get to the final. America would go crazy.

I think the rule is that you can't meet a team in your group again unless it is in the final so a US v England final is a possibility.

Think England can beat the yanks?

The USA women's team is pretty formidable, I hear. Presumably these are the soccer moms.

btw if you don't remember McTag's factoid from times past.....
Do you know why SOCCER is so called?

No. Tell us again Mac.

I think you better. England beats US, no big deal. US beats England, you folks might be depressed for years.

That's kind of the luxury of having nothing to lose and other teams not thinking much of you.

I've been saying I just want the US to win it's first match. I never thought it would be England. How exciting! This year I timed my England trip so I'd be there for Independence Day. Next year, I should go when we play and find a good sports bar to parade my US soccer jersey.

Yes, I'm crazy, but I'm fun.

T
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You better believe it, baby.

And I think we've (they've....I'm not English) a poor record against the USA in World Cup competitions.

Spendy might be pulling my plonker. Does anyone else want to know?

Anything to do with Mary, queen of Scots?

Havent heard it, Macker...I am all ears...

Assuming it is an interesting or at least humourous story, yes.

Okay, soccer. Here's how it all started.

As you know, England, and Britain in general, invented a lot of games. And adapted and organised/standardised a few more....lawn tennis, badminton, cricket, ping-pong, golf, squash, polo, etc etc.
Presumably this was because we had unique conditions here, the first industrialised society, large middle class, numerous big boarding schools etc etc.

Mid to late victorian times, about then. Or before.

Anyway, we codified football into rugby football (first played at Rugby School), and formed the first football association for the other kind.

Rugby football came to be called "rugger" in the Woosterish fashion of the day, and Association Football came to be called soccer in the same way.

Assoc. Football = soccer, that's all.

Do you seriously think Mac that that lot, which we all know anyway, is an explanation for why the word soccer is a name for proper football.

I expected an etymological explanation. The Shorter Oxford gives it as university slang from 1891 for association football.

So I was right? Kewl. Late victorian too. Am I a genius, or what?

Yes, a genius ... and you told that story with such enthusiasm.

Thanks for that explanation. My daughter's boyfriend is a sports commentator (mainly American football), although he's English, I'll test his knowledge!

Fancy Tarah being a mum of long standing.

I wonder if she's named after the Goddess Tarantha.

I understood everything except "Late Victorian times, about ten to four..." ???