Didn't see a thread started but the tourney begins today at noon with co-host Poland taking on Greece. All matches will be shown live by ESPN. Here's the UEFA link and a pretty good review by Grant Wahl. I think he's right about the tourney, it's the best tournament in the world, even better than the World Cup (with the exception that the US isn't playing).
http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/index.htmlhttp://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/wr...l?sct=sc_t11_a0PS I see the thread above about the Euro bracket challenge, wasn't sure if that was supposed to just be purely about the challenge contest.....if the mods want to move this up there, that's OK with me.
FRIDAY - GROUP A
Poland 1-1 Greece
Czech Republic 1-4 Russia
SATURDAY - GROUP B
Denmark 1-0 Netherlands
Germany 1-0 Portugal
SUNDAY - GROUP C
Italy 1-1 Spain
Croatia 3-1 Ireland
MONDAY - GROUP D
England 1-1 France
Ukraine vs. Sweden @ 2:45 pm
20 goals scored in eight matches (2.50 per match) with two shutouts.
Below are the results along with their FIFA World Ranking:
FRIDAY - GROUP A
#62 Poland 1-1 #15 Greece
#27 Czech Republic 1-4 #13 Russia
SATURDAY - GROUP B
#9 Denmark 1-0 #4 Netherlands
#3 Germany 1-0 #10 Portugal
SUNDAY - GROUP C
#12 Italy 1-1 #1 Spain
#8 Croatia 3-1 #18 Ireland
MONDAY - GROUP D
12 pm, #6 England 1-1 #14 France
3 pm, #17 Sweden 1-2 #52 Ukraine
what is the magic spray that we see every 5 minutes, they've never told us. it sure is a miracle worker tho.
is there any contact in the european "mens" game that doesn't result in flopping around like a fish? what adult grabs a body part like they've been shot, opens mouth wide to howl & rolls back & forth on the ground? little magic spray & they're hopping around again & that seems to be ok with the fans, fifa, etc i hope that never takes hold in our college & hs ranks. i also wonder why the women don't flop around like the "men", they just play harder.
6/12/12
Euro 2012 TV ratings continue to grow on ESPNPaul Kennedy,
Soccer AmericaQuote:
There seems to be not stopping the growth of the U.S. viewership for international soccer.
After the first three days of Euro 2012, four group games on ESPN drew higher ratings than those for any first-round game four years earlier.
Sunday's Spain-Italy game, which kicked off at noon ET, drew a 1.7 rating, higher than the 1.6 rating for the Detroit-Cincinnati baseball game on ESPN.
Three other games drew higher ratings than the 0.9 rating that was the best rating at Euro 2008 for a group match: Germany-Portugal (1.3), Netherlands-Denmark (1.2) and Ireland-Croatia (1.2).
To put soccer in perspective on the American sports scene, here a few other ratings over the weekend:
-- Game 7 of the Miami-Boston NBA series drew a 9.1 rating, the highest ever for an NBA game on cable TV;
-- Game 5 of the NHL's Stanley Cup final between Los Angeles and Detroit on NBC drew a 2.6 rating.
Imagine how many more people would watch it if they knew they wouldn't have to listen to Alexi Lalas!
Future Euro
2016 hosted by France
Current Euro
2012 hosted by Poland/Ukraine
Past Euro Champions
2008 Spain
2004 Greece
2000 France
1996 Germany
1992 Denmark
1988 Netherlands
1984 France
1980 West Germany
1976 Czechoslovakia
1972 West Germany
1968 Italy
1964 Spain
1960 USSR
Second Round
GROUP A
Greece 1-2 Czech Republic
Poland 1-1 Russia
25 goals scored in 10 matches (2.5 per match) with two shutouts.
GROUP A STANDINGS
4, 1-0-1, Russia
3, 1-1-0, Czech Republic
2, 0-0-2, Poland
1, 0-1-1, Greece
Quote:
6/12/12
<a href="http://www.socceramerica.com/article/47005/euro-2012-tv-ratings-continue-to-grow-on-espn.html">Euro 2012 TV ratings continue to grow on ESPN</a>
Paul Kennedy, Soccer America
Quote:
There seems to be not stopping the growth of the U.S. viewership for international soccer.
After the first three days of Euro 2012, four group games on ESPN drew higher ratings than those for any first-round game four years earlier.
Sunday's Spain-Italy game, which kicked off at noon ET, drew a 1.7 rating, higher than the 1.6 rating for the Detroit-Cincinnati baseball game on ESPN.
Three other games drew higher ratings than the 0.9 rating that was the best rating at Euro 2008 for a group match: Germany-Portugal (1.3), Netherlands-Denmark (1.2) and Ireland-Croatia (1.2).
To put soccer in perspective on the American sports scene, here a few other ratings over the weekend:
-- Game 7 of the Miami-Boston NBA series drew a 9.1 rating, the highest ever for an NBA game on cable TV;
-- Game 5 of the NHL's Stanley Cup final between Los Angeles and Detroit on NBC drew a 2.6 rating.
...but OUR national team is playing tonight in this little thing called the World Cup and it'll cost you $30 to watch. I know Guatemala is a little off the beaten path but c'mon American TV networks, shame on you. 
Second Round
GROUP B
Portugal 3-2 Denmark
Germany 2-1 Netherlands
33 goals scored in 12 matches (2.75 per match) with two shutouts.
STANDINGS
6, 2-0-0, Germany
3, 1-1-0, Denmark
3, 1-1-0, Portugal
0, 0-2-0, Netherlands
Should be 2 good matches today....Italy vs. Croatia at noon followed by Spain vs. Ireland at 2:45. Croatia looked really strong in hammering Ireland. Because of the hammering, Ireland can't afford another loss, so they should be all blood and thunder. Here are a couple previews:
Italy vs. Croatia PreviewSpain vs. Ireland Preview
Second Round
GROUP C
Croatia 1-1 Italy
Ireland 0-4 Spain
39 goals scored in 14 matches (2.79 per match) with three shutouts.
STANDINGS
4, 1-0-1, Spain
4, 1-0-1, Croatia
2, 0-0-2, Italy
0, 0-2-0, Ireland
Guess Spain woke up....what a mauling they put on the Irish.
Second Round
GROUP D
France 2-0 Ukraine
England 3-2 Sweden
46 goals scored in 16 matches (2.88 per match) with four shutouts.
STANDINGS
4, 1-0-1, England
4, 1-0-1, France
3, 1-1-0, Ukraine
0, 0-2-0, Sweden
Third Round
GROUP A
Greece 1-0 Russia
Czech Republic 1-0 Poland
#1 Czech Republic
#2 Greece
GROUP B
Portugal 2-1 Netherlands
Denmark 1-2 Germany
#1 Germany
#2 Portugal
QUARTERFINALS
Czech Republic vs. Portugal
Germany vs. Greece
54 goals scored in 20 matches (2.7 goals per match) with six shutouts.
TV RATINGS
Continued Strong Ratings for UEFA EURO
Through eight matches, ESPN’s English-language presentation of the event is averaging 978,000 households and 1.260,000 viewers -- up 172% and 183%, respectively, versus the first eight games of the UEFA EURO 2008 (360,000 households and 446,000 viewers in '08). Wednesday’s Group B games also produced strong overnight ratings, according to Nielsen. The Netherlands-Germany afternoon match posted a 1.2 overnight rating, while the earlier Denmark-Portugal game posted a 0.9 overnight.
The top 10 metered markets through the first 10 matches include: New York (1.9), Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (1.8), Los Angeles (1.3), Providence (1.3), Jacksonville (1.3), Washington, DC (1.2), Richmond, VA (1.2), Atlanta (1.2), Greensboro-High Point, NC (1.2) and Austin, TX (1.1).
ESPN Deportes has also delivered strong ratings for UEFA EURO 2012, averaging a 3.0 Hispanic household coverage rating (+58% from 2008) with 157,000 Hispanic households (+131% from 2008) through the first eight matches.
ESPN Digital Platforms
Through the first six days of EURO 2012, ESPNFC.com globally logged over 970,000 average daily visitors, 24.2 million total page views and more than 93.6 million total minutes (source: Adobe/Omniture). Compared to ESPNsoccernet.com during the same time period for EURO 2008, the site is up 38%, 43% and 244%, respectively. The site also reached as high as 1.1 million unique visitors on Wednesday, June 13.
Wednesday’s Netherlands vs. Germany match on ESPN3 and WatchESPN across computers, smartphones, tablets and Xbox was the highest performing match so far in the tournament, logging 395,000 unique viewers, 17.3 million minutes and an average minute audience of 115,283 to both English and Spanish language feeds. Additionally, Denmark vs. Portugal pulled in a strong audience with 318,000 unique viewers, 13.8 million minutes and an average minute audience of 101,654. Through twelve matches in the tournament, EURO 2012 on ESPN3 and WatchESPN on computers alone have logged 1 million unique viewers that generated 116.4 million minutes.
Wow! I just saw Alexi Lalas ask a question and listen to the answer.
Third Round
GROUP C
Croatia 0-1 Spain
Italy 2-0 Ireland
#1 Spain
#2 Italy
QUARTERFINALS
Spain vs. tba
Italy vs. tba
57 goals scored in 22 matches (2.59 goals per match) with eight shutouts.
DATE (DAY) TIME - UEFA RANK
6/21 (THU) @ 2:45 pm - #16 Czech Republic v. #7 Portugal
6/22 (FRI) @ 2:45 pm - #2 Germany v. #11 Greece
6/23 (SAT) @ 2:45 pm - #1 Spain v. #10 France
6/24 (SUN) @ 2:45 pm - #4 England v. #8 Italy
6/27 (WED) @ 2:45 pm - Semifinals
7/1 (SUN) @ 2:45 pm - Finals
Third Round
GROUP D
Ukraine 0-1 England
France 0-2 Sweden
#1 England
#2 France
QUARTERFINALS
Spain vs. France
Italy vs. England
60 goals scored in 24 matches (2.5 goals per match) with 10 shutouts.
Euro 2012 populations (millions) - bold indicates Quarterfinals:
142.7 Russia
82.0 Germany
63.5 France
61.0 Italy
52.5 England
46.8 Spain
45.0 Ukraine
38.3 Poland
16.7 Netherlands
11.4 Greece
10.7 Portugal
10.6 Czech Republic
9.5 Sweden
5.6 Denmark
4.6 Ireland
4.4 Croatia
Youngest son just Skyped from Kiev where he is visiting his best friend's grandparents. The boys attended the Sweden-France game and said it was a great experience. So much energy and excitement.
interesting view of populations Kyle, and thanks.
May want to check England. I think you have UK population and believe England would be closer to 50m.
Still, either way, more than enough to have a Euro Champion !
6/21/12
Quarterfinal #1
Portugal 1-0 Czech Republic
6/22/12
Quarterfinal #2
Germany 4-2 Greece
6/23/12
Quarterfinal #3
Spain 2-0 France
Quarterfinal #4 - Sunday, June 24
England vs. Italy, 2:45 pm
Semifinal #1 - Wednesday, June 27
Spain vs. Portugal
Semifinal #2 - Thursday, June 28
Germany vs. England/Italy
6/24/12
England 0-0 (2-4 pk) Italy
Semifinals
6/27 Spain vs. Portgual
6/28 Germany vs. Italy
Finals
7/1 Semifinal Winners
Semifinal #1 today with #1 Spain vs. #10 Portugal
Semifinal #2 Thursday with #3 Germany vs. #12 Italy
6/27/12
Semifinals
Spain 0-0 (4-2 pk) Portugal
6/28/12
Semifinals
Germany 1-2 Italy
Hope no one minds another youngest son story. He called tonight from Kiev. His friend's grandmother's neighbor came over and said she had 3 tickets to the finals she could no longer use and was looking to give them away - so 3 boys from Fort Mill, SC will be in the stands watching Italy and Spain!! Yes - he is so excited and yes big brother is soooo jealous!
7/1/12
Finals
Spain 4-0 Italy