Monday. 6 PM. Red. White. And Blue. The Perilous Fight.
I'm not a soccer fan by any means but I'll cheer on a US team any day of the week. If you find yourself at a match, or a bar, in the next few weeks here are the chants the US support group The American Outlaws use. It's long but these chants are catchy and some are pretty funny (NSFW)
So where are people in NOVA/DC watching the first game? I plan on getting very intoxicated which is the only way I know how to enjoy watching soccer. Also is there a better fan group name than "The American Outlaws"?
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Comments
Proud to say I am a faithful AO member. Easily some of the craziest most passionate fans I have been around come game time. Great tailgaters too.
Just for future reference its world cup finals not world cup championship. But hey I'm glad we got some passionate fans here. Some guys are trying to set up an American outlaws chapter in Blacksburg. They have a Facebook group so check that out if youre in the area. Also they're going trying to get people to go to tots for game viewing
Hmm, interesting. Thanks for the heads up.
And upon following up on that I noticed that Roanoke already has an official chapter for the AO's. Very tempted to join up with one or both (since Blacksburg isn't official). I work in Roanoke but still live in Blacksburg.
I was gonna hit up champs, dollar burger night
From the facebook group, seems like the unofficial chapter is headed to TOTS. If they were going to Rivermill I was definitely going, but now with TOTS....eh. Hell, I feel like Hokie House would be a better spot since there are so many TVs and its wing night.
+1 for all of this.
join me at champs? ill be the loud obnoxious guy, meant to say champs my bad
Some friends and I are at champs currently.
My buddy and I are the ones who are/will be doing and leading the obnoxious AO cheers.
I'm next to the shuffleboard table if you have any chairs you're more than welcome to use the table
I googled it to try not to look stupid. Thanks for nothing Google
I believe that we will win! I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN! I believe that we will win! I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN! I believe that we will win! I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!
It's impossible to not get jacked up while chanting this.
Vtcee you've been here awhile. You totes need 1k legs. Overdue.
If that gets you jacked up...watch this:
Or this:
HorseOnATreadmill, is that you? Turkey leg for the epic photobomb!
Not a youtube video... don't waste your time trying to click play.
Yeah this vid is on the other thread.
We started doing this chant during my senior year of high school. Best basketball and lacrosse seasons in school history and doing I Believe at the beginning of every game made it so rowdy. I still haven't had a VT game experience that matches those two runs.
The Walk before the 2003 Miami game was like this. You could see it in the player's eyes that we were going to win that game. The stadium was electric that night.
Here's the recap: http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=233050259. I just realized that we were only 2-4 passing. The D and KJ DOMINATED that game. God that was a hell of a time.
That Walk was nuts. Also, fairly certain the fans dominated as well.
More INT's than REC's. Unbelievable but true.
Seems like they need to make a 30 for 30 on this. "What if I told you a team had more interceptions than reception....and that they dominated the game?"
Germany winning 3-0 and pepe getting sent off is a huge help. Beat Ghana and Portugal and we will surely be through. I freaking BELIEVE that we will WIN!
I'm only following the ESPN Gamecast at work so I can't quite tell whether Germany is that good (which I fully believe they are) or if Portugal is that bad. That was a stupid move by Pepe though. At first, from a distance, I thought he might have spit on him, but the replay showed he was trying to be Zidane.
Both. Portugal looks so out of sorts. Ronaldo doesn't look normal so he can't carry them like normal.
But Germany is a machine. The defense still looks shaky, but they're going to score a lot of goals.
Germany has been that way for a while. Their attacking mids and strikers have been a force.
I'll say this. There is NO REASON why we cannot beat this Portugal team. Especially now that their starting CB will be sitting on a red card.
Especially if Hugo Almeida and/or Fabio Coentrao can't play. Huge difference now between drawing Portugal in the 2nd match as opposed to the 3rd.
And now Coentrao gets stretchered off. I really hate to see that. And it doesn't help Portugal's chances in future games.
This result is very good for USMNT. Pepe out along with two injured impact players. Most importantly that goal differential almost certainly eliminates Portugal. Winner of US vs Ghana will go through as the second place team.
Portugal is definitely not finished. Germany should almost certainly win the group; if Portugal beats us and Ghana they're through to the knockouts.
That's a big "if" with half of their defense likely out and Ronaldo still dealing with tendinosis. It's possible but I tend to lean towards the previous scenario, if there's a winner tonight, that team moves on.
I agree with you about what is the most likely scenario, and I'm also rooting for that outcome. I just don't like phrases such as "almost certainly eliminates." Portugal is perfectly capable of winning two matches.
So pumped for this game!!! Let's GO....USA!!!!!!
Yeah, let's get the proverbial monkey that is Ghana off our backs!
Michael Essien and Kevin Prince Boateng out today! I Believe!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!
DEMPSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY
DUDE!! That was like 33 seconds!
If Dempsey is starting to score... with Altidore's outing last week... And now with Pepe being out for Portugal and Ronaldo hobbled... things are starting to look up for the USMNT
That was all like "WHAM BAM WTF WAS THAT!?!?" =D
Here we go aaand the flopping commences
Damn! Altidore.
http://www.nooooooooooooooo.com/
That's a broken nose....
Beasley is going to ruin us.
Two things:
Clint Dempsey gets no respect. I've said it time and time again...Best player to EVER wear the USMNT football jersey.
Oh and Beasley is wide open for business. I never thought he was a quality midfielder and seems to be even worse in the back. He must have a Stinespring to Beamer type squeeze on Klinsmann.
We have almost no options at LB anymore. We're out. haha.
Also, I'd counter your assertions with Tim Howard. He's truly World Class, and has been for a long time.
You can replace Tim Howard with the next in line and the team will appear identical; USA does quality goal keepers. What Dempsey brings to the table is far beyond anything else available. He is the first, and at this point, only true world class field player. Granted Klinsmann wanted to take a more defensive approach, but once Dempsey became less effective after the blow to his nose, movement and flow was almost completely removed. After watching Dempsey play with Fulham for years, I became convinced he can play on any level. Great game though!
It's honestly all of no consequence to me now, I'm on cloud 9!
Landon Donovan > Clint Dempsey
I can never agree with that.
I agree with you, bone. Landon Donovan was a good individual player but never should have been a captain, never should have become the face of American soccer, and his exclusion from this team is the best thing for us in the long run. Landycakes << Dempsey
If you're talking about the past than maybe, if you're talking about today than you are wrong by a lot.
Well since you're claiming I'm wrong feel free to point out the error.
For starters Donovan is sitting at home while Dempsey is playing at a high level in the biggest of stages. Donovan has also been underwhelming to say the least in the MLS this season and starting to show signs of age while Dempsey is still playing at a high level and is only a year younger. Donovan has been one of the greatest players in US history but at this point of his career he is not as good as Dempsey.
This is pretty awesome. But Dempsey is still better than Donovan as a whole, looking at the entire career. But I maintain that Howard is the best USA soccer player OAT.
Ok, how many MLS champs Dempsey got?
Really? This is the "Cam sucks because his team loses" argument all over again. Only weaker because... MLS. And I like MLS but c'mon.
Ok, how many EPL champs has Dempsey won? That better?
Not really, soccer is a team sport... I'm not sure what you're getting at.
You know what I meant.
Not really. Team achievements mean squat to me when talking about a player's individual talents. That's like saying Eli Manning is better than Peyton because he has more rings.
Dempsey was one of, if not the best player on his team when he played for Fulham, in the EPL. Even just watching the games in a vacuum you can see that he's got more technical ability than Donovan. As I said, I could never agree that Donovan is better than Dempsey. I don't even think it's close. I think Donovan is overhyped by the media. Basically he's our version of Rooney. Sure, he is (or was) good, but IMO he's not nearly deserving of the hype.
Credit to him though, I kind of enjoyed him as an in-studio analyst last night.
Donovan is the all time leading goal scorer in USMNT as well as assists, and if he hasn't done it already, all time leader in goals for MLS too.
Dempsey is more flashy, but he also botches that flash a lot (heel passes, etc). I think Dempsey is a real good player and probably second best positional player of all time, but Donovan is the all-time greatest US soccer player.
Well, I'll continue to disagree. I think it goes beyond stats.
Donovan is arguably the best captain and leader of all time, but as far as skill and talent goes, he's not the GOAT.
we all know its all about timmy. Tim Howard is the absolute man and has been since he first put on the US jersey. He makes goalkeepers all across the states proud, and dont use this whole "if he goes down we'd still be ok thing though" i think that says even more. The fact that hes been able to keep a keeper as talented as guzan on the bench really says something about his talent. More times than I can count Tim Howard has saved our team from sure defeat (need I remind anyone of the spain game in the confederations cup?!)
This... So much.
This ^^^ seems a lot more plausible.
How many seasons has Donovan played in a club outside of the mls, look I like Landon Donovan but aside from a few loan trips he never really made it in the big top tier clubs and he did try. Gotta give dempsey credit for that
I do give Demps cred. I was never saying "oh he sucks camel balls." I think (aside from Bradley) he's the best player on US right now. I just think Donovan is better and more clutch.
I guess this is one of those arguments where both sides end up looking crazy eventually. But as a football player born in a country outside the US, I could never understand the comparison. Performance on the national team is almost the most flawed indication of football talent, otherwise Messi would be considered average and Wayne Rooney shouldn't even play football. Too many variables come into play and not enough time to develop optimal team chemistry.
Howard is good, but I think Keller was even better.
I'll give you that, but he was before my time. This generation its gotta be timmah
True. Howard is a great keeper, keeping with our tradition of having great keepers. We're still looking for that one spectacular field player. Wynalda comes to mind as a forward. I loved that guy, but I was probably too young at the time to really know if he was good or if he was just our best option. Keller stands out because he played in lots of World Cups (like Howard has), played over in England (like Howard has), and single handedly beat Brazil for us once, in 1998, at USCw.
Brian McBride could be in the conversation. Fulham renamed their sports bar in Craven Cottage to "McBride's" in his honor.
#SOMUCHSWAG
I just wish we'd control the ball for more than 10 seconds for once this half!
Not a bad TOP per goal this game, I must say
USA Wins!!
I'm exhausted from nerves, yet I need a couple shots to get the jitters down. What a finish. Brooks you beautiful beautiful man.
Man, that was awesome. I can't wait for Sunday. I'm not typically a big soccer fan, but one of the highlights of my week, if not my life, was my friend and I getting the whole bar to join in with the national anthem and a few cheers. Benw92, thanks for posting that video. At least one of the new ones I learned today made its way into the festivities.
Which one? Also you're welcome, I'd like to see one or two of the chants come to Blacksburg.
The Tim Howard one (might've been a couple more, but I'm not sure). Quickly became one of my favorites.
Also,
I believe that we did win.
But seriously. I don't know what to do with myself I'm so happy.
I dunno how you can watch this video and watch the reaction to the Donovan goal in 2010... and not get jacked up for US soccer.
Where's the Donovan shot from '10.
They sound equally loud.
Yes they do. I just realized the way I originally worded it made it sound like I was saying this new one was more insane than the old.... My mistake, meant to say that the reactions, 4 years apart, are awesome together.
Seriously, when people say the US doesn't care about soccer, I just laugh. Soccer is gaining traction in the US, and its gaining FAST. And whats more important is that the younger generation of those around 30 and below, have completely embraced the sport. This is HUGE for the future of the USMNT.
I'd actually say the Springfield, MO from '10 sounds the loudest. Say, are there any vids out with reactions from when Donovan made that shot against Ghana back in '10?
Add TJ Oshie's shootout from a few months ago and how can you not drop everything you're doing and watch a US teams international competition?
(Best compilation video I could find)
those are great, I scared my daughter to tears when it happened.
This is from the bar I was at yesterday. So much fun - even if you're not a big soccer fan, you have to go to a viewing party. It's crazy.
Just a little look at the Orlando Block Party!!! A lot of Zusi jerseys since his hometown is a rocks throw away. I am in there somewhere!! Same thing happening Sunday as well. MERICAHHH!!!!
Tim Cahill's goal is officially at the top of my favorite goal list
Yup. That was beautiful.
This match is craaaaaaaazy
This is a really big deal. It's disappointing we won't get a shot at a full strength Portugal, but our chances just increased a good bit to move on.
Honestly they looked entirely beatable with him in the squad. But yeah this is a boost to our chances. Though we'll be without Jozy, ourselves. But the lack of pace of what Portugal has remaining in their defense actually should allow Johannsson to show a little better than he did on short notice against Ghana.
We had a gameplan for Joze to be the guy... Now we had a week to gameplan for Johannsson to be the guy. That alone should have the team playing better than it did for the majority of the Ghana game.
That said, if CR7 is truly out, as Top Gear would say, it would take a monumental cockup for us to not advance to the knockout stage
That's assuming that Johannsson is going to be his replacement. Could be Wondolowski. That's my bet at least.
Yeah I'd bet we see a different starter up top.
We should get Julian Green into the game to solidify his nationality.
I'd do it against Germany, if we're going to do that. He's not ready to be expected to contribute in a game we need points from.
They looked awful with him, but all Ronaldo needs is one good chance to punish you. Even if he played injured, we'd still be in danger of a counter killing us. They are significantly less threatening now. The bad thing is I'm getting way too confident about our chances.
And our link up play was killing us against Ghana. It seemed like everyone was too afraid to stray from their defensive assignment when we had the ball. Little to no support when a man was getting pressured. It didn't help that Bradley had a pretty abysmal day.
Yeah it would be massively surprising if Bradley has another day like that. That's just not like him. If we can get him back on his game, we really should be okay. Also, if Jones and Fabian Johnson can keep up their form, that's even better.
Bradley will definitely rebound. Ghana seemed to place him as a priority. He barely had any time on the ball. Still should have done better, but I guess you have an off day every once in a while. And I was pleasantly surprised with Jones. He really covered Beasley's ass a few times there because Atsu (and anyone else really) was destroying Beasley. And Johnson continues to impress me more and more. He understands his defensive responsibilities and still moves forward to open up the game. Wasn't he the one who won us the corner Brooks scored off of?
I think so. Johnson has been massive since Jurgen switched up his role.
And yeah, I've never been a big fan of Jones but I became a huge supporter Monday night. We lose that game without him, no doubt about it.
This might be optimistic, but I expect Johannsson to surprise some people. I've seen a lot of bashing on him after Ghana, but it's really unfair to him. I expect him to do better. He's still not a target man like Jozy, so we'll have to change our strategy, but I think he'll do well. That's assuming he starts. They could move Dempsey up top and bring in either Mix or Zusi (on the right and kicking Bedoya central)... but I hope we just start Johannsson. Dempsey is better making late runs into the box.
Agreed, but be careful what you wish for.
We beat a Ghana team that is the youngest in the tournament, a team that looked clearly like they has regressed a little over the last four years. They're sort of rebuilding now that Essien is all but retired.
If C. Ronaldo is truly out against us, it changes the dynamic considerably. We have no one player that can stop him, and I think he would trash us pretty thoroughly if he were at 100%. But without him, the Portuguese can change their style of play a bit, adding an offensive-minded player who is willing to do the grunt work that Ronaldo clearly doesn't believe he should have to do. Their team has been reliant on him for years, and it hasn't led to a lot of success for them.
I'll metaphor-it-up: Without the sun, the rest of the stars can shine a little brighter. And Portugal should have the talent to do that, certainly a higher level of talent and experience than we have. Whether they have the strategy to get it done is another matter.
Having said all of that, I'm not going to sleep on a Ronaldo-less Portugal quite yet.
This is a possibility, but based on the Germany game, I don't think it's likely. In the 2nd half, Ronaldo was the only man in red who was actually putting forth any amount of effort out there. Nobody else was pressing or showing for the ball.
I just don't think they have much of an identity overall. I think Coentrao being out is huge for us. Fabian Johnson has looked really good going forward and now the defender on that side of the pitch is significantly less talented than Coentrao. Not to mention that's the side Ronaldo usually plays out of. I fully expect us to try and exploit their left flank.
Agreed, he was putting forth a lot of effort, but in some ways I think that's because Portugal has become dependent on him doing a lot of the attacking (which he is happy to do).
I think his attitude towards his teammates is defeating. Without him, they might feel more free to take on responsibility and might be more self-reliant.
I'm hesitant to judge them on the Germany game. I usually like to wait until a team has played twice before passing too much judgement on them. Germany looks fantastic. A lot of teams would pale in comparison to them. I do think we have a good chance against Portugal with a good chunk of their defense out, as well as potentially their best player, but I don't want to jump the gun.
We don't look very strong. Bradley either had a nightmare game, which he could bounce back from (think Dani Alves), or might just not be in form this tournament (think Iker Casillas). If he doesn't play well, we don't have a midfield. Against Ghana, we'd win the ball in the defensive end, push it all the way to the attacking third, forget to establish a presence in the midfield, lose the ball, and start again. I think it will be harder to overcome this against Portugal.
I don't expect Bradley to be that bad again. That was the worst he's ever been in a US shirt.
I'm also judging Portugal based on their warmups, particularly the Mexico game when neither team played particularly well. They also had other warmups without Ronaldo where they looked pitiful. In my opinion, we should beat that team either way.
Looks like Spain might be out of the World Cup 2 games into the Final
Stunning
I'm just shocked at how little effort they were interested in exerting. Their style of play works best when they are passing the ball around very quickly and limiting touches on the ball. They played way too slow and didn't move enough to make it effective at all. Seeing a high energy team like Chile shut them down was really enjoyable.
Yeah, they were completely out of sync in both of the games. I can't see a majority of those players back again. Its not just that they were bad, they weren't even on the same page.
It's truly baffling how out of place everyone seemed for them. Half of the players play on the same team. Another portion play for another team. It's confusing how these guys have been playing together for nearly 10 years and suddenly they can't put it together. Costa clearly didn't fit in, but the rest of the guys should at least be creating a few chances together.
FWIW, Arsene Wenger (Arsenal manager) supposedly said during the French broadcast that he thought it looked like there were some major attitude issues with the Spanish side. So, maybe a bit of France from 2010?
I don't know if I'd go that far. They've been the best in the world since winning the Euros in 2008, and a six-year, four-tournament run is almost unheard of.
Barcelona had a bit of a swoon this year, and this team is composed mostly of those guys. After being on top of every single national, regional, continental, and world tournament for six years, the run had to end sometime.
I, for one, am disappointed in Spain's 2014 World Cup performance, but they had run their course, and I'm very happy to have had the opportunity to see them over the last six years and the beautiful, creative style of play they adopted, developed, and performed. My hat's off to them, it's sad to see them go.
I, or he, was not not referring to the past few years, he was talking about this tournament in particular. And they don't look cohesive in the slightest. Hard to imagine they just hit some imaginary wall all at once. They've looked out of sync from Casillas all the way forward. And while some of that may be age, they still have a very good group of young guys.
Yup. They could barely complete a pass and all but abandoned triangles. It's time for a Spanish reboot, we'll see if they can evolve in time for Euro 2016.
If I had the wings of an eagle
If I had the ass of a crow
I'd fly over Portugal tomorrow
And shit on those bastards below!
Shit on
Shit on
Shit on those bastards below
BELOW!
Not gonna lie, I thought you were gonna say:
If I had the wings of an eagle
And the ass of a great buffalo
I'd fly over UVA's campus
And shit on the wahoos below OH!!
This ^^^ seems more plausible. Just don't hit the TKPers and fellow Hokies that have taken over the town.
We got to bring this to football games
Oh my sweet summer child.
If you think this (and things like it) aren't already happening at football games, on trips, or taking place at gatherings of MVs everywhere, then you don't know the MVs.
What on Earth was Cameron thinking right there? Absolute disastrous start for the US. Portugal has never lost when scoring first in the World Cup. The US has never won when conceding the first goal.
Still early, but that was moronic
Whelp, nice while it lasted. This is what you get for leaving Donovan off the team. If he were here we would at least be tied.
It's not over yet...
First of all, there's still a half to play and we've been controlling the ball so far. If you wanna stop watching that's okay, but plenty of game left.
Second, I really wish everyone would get off the Donovan pity party. He's not there, and he shouldn't BE there. The guys that ARE there are creating chances. Let's enjoy that.
I second that further more we've looked pretty freaking good
First of all, Alum is 100% correct. USMNT 0-14 in WC when behind the 1st goal. Second, sure they're creating great opportunities...great opportunities they're not capitalizing on. Third, ok. If the USMNT can pull it out (W or tie) against Port then I'll ease off Donovan ship. But call me crazy, nuts, whatever...I firmly believe that if Donovan was on the team Altidore and our guys wouldn't be getting hurt as much.
This is almost certainly true. I would take this a step further and say if Donovan was on the team this World Cup would be being played in the United States.
I don't get how historical data is relevant when literally nothing about this team except like 2-3 players is the same as those past teams.
What do altidores injuries have to do with Donovan being on the field?! Second did you watch the 2006 world cup do you have any idea how many goals Donovan sliced at?! Sure he had a good world cup in 2010 but his club form was god awful leading up to the world cup. If he had made it it would have been due to his past performances.
All of this is coupled with the fact that he sounded flat out like a sour old man in his interview today. If you're gonna give coverage and are asked the question "what's the weakness of our team where are they going to attack us?" Don't say "the formation and our playing style is our weakness" .if he was saying ANYTHING even close to that at camp it would have given coach k even more reason to leave him out. He sounds like a locker room cancer now, and a big ole distraction. klinsman is trying to eliminate some of that shit and build some chemistry.
ALSO had Donovan made the team he would have been at an outside mid position, whom frankly looked REALLY good tonight. graham zusi had a great game and before altidore got hurt Dempsey was kind of a hybrid outside mid/striker form and I sure as hell wouldnt bench him for Donovan. I'm tired of all the Donovan demands. The dude proved to me in his pregame interview he's bitter towards klinsman and frankly he's a shell of his former self and does not deserve to be on the team. Get on board with the national team that's there and not the team that's not.
Also the fact that our team was 0-14 WITH Donovan means he clearly didn't make THAT big of a difference....
Phew rant over sorry, I'm just sick of this Donovan hype
As I said, if the team pulls it out against Port (W or tie) I'll ease off the Donovan ship. They tied, therefore I'll keep my word. However, if either YOU or anyone else on here get trashy about him then the hype returns.
Easy with the downvotes guy, I wasn't trashing or personally attacking anyone and that's what down votes are for.
As a third party without a dog in this pissing match, I gotta say, no one's comments about Donovan have struck me as trashy. Whether you think it was the right decision to leave him off (people who tend to know a bit more about the intricacies of fuball) or think that the team will be lost without him (people who probably can't name three players except for Donovan), there's a way to have this conversation without downlegging the hell out of each other.
You and all the other Donovan haters should be thanking me. I agreed to dial down the Donovan ship. I could be like those morons from the boards at $ec$pn. You & everyone else KNOWS that if USMNT get dropped by Germany and fail to move on (knocking wood) Klinsmann is gonna get shitfaced for not including Donovan on the squad.
I entirely disagree, Klinsmann is trying to play a much less direct approach to the game something that coach bradley could never comprehend. Donovan played well because we played a direct approach. His speed was very vital to that, however now that hes slowed down and is in a system that doesn't work quite as well for him its a completely different story. that coupled with the fact that he regularly bashes klinsmann on national television means that he shouldnt be on the team. second our team has put a great show on at the world cup, I'm a huge donovan supporter, trust me, but he shouldnt have been on the team. If you can give me some statistics or facts that might speak otherwise but I'm only seeing supporting evidence thus far in the tournament for why he shouldnt have been on the team. We've looked better than we have since I started watching US soccer and if it aint broke dont fix it. We werent even given a chance to win a game in this tournament let alone be in the position we're in, so the fact that we're in the position means that you have to give klinsmann credit. Hes made the right choices, both personell wise and tactically, and we're playing much more competitive and complete soccer than we ever have in the past
And you honestly believe that the majority feel the same way as you?
the only man that does matter agrees with me. Jurgen Klinsmann gets paid a lot of money to make these decisions and thus far hes done one hell of a job, and I dont think he or I care that much. Plus frankly, among the majority of soccer fans i believe yes, the ones that have paid close attention to the whole situation would agree with me
I agree with you, for one. Having seen Donovan the past couple years, there's no way he'd have lasted in that game. And who would you have sacrificed as a sub? Yedlin produced the 2nd goal. Wondo? He played FANTASTICALLY when he was brought on to try and kill the game.
I'm being 100% serious when I say that I believe the Donovan love is based more on hype than reality, and it has been for the past couple years. He's not been "in form" for years, and I think that's simply because he can't play at this level anymore. Give me Yedlin, Wondo, Johannsson, even Green. They'll help us more now and in the future than Donovan can at this point.
I loved watching Wondo play so well. I just wish he had been in sooner with Dempsey, but it's hard to complain about the performance our offense put in. While many may be upset that Bradley didn't make the wide open shot, it was great block by Portugal.
agreed he looked good in his cameo. I was really hoping I could see green play, I mean for one I'm pumped as hell for him to become a regular and itd be really nice to have him cap tied to the US
Yeah I'm not upset about that open shot. That stuff is going to happen. He did well just to keep the ball down. Rooney would have sent that 15 yards high.
so would've CR7, he's clearly hurting at this world cup. Both his freekicks and his one breakaway in open space were uncharacteristically off
but you give him chances and he can put in a sick ball. After the whistle blew he was 1st player off the field. probably disgusted that they just tied USA. btw where was gonzalez
i also agree. Donovan is a sentimental favorite, but no longer fits into what the current team needs. he can't give us 90 minutes, and i don't think having him off the bench was a good enough reason to put him on the roster.
Then let's find some polls to point it out.
im the one posting tactical information and putting my knowledge of the game to use here man. If you really want to let it come to that feel free to go find some polls. I'm going to state it again, Klinsmann is the only guy whose opinion matters AT ALL and I agree with him and back his decision 110% especially at this point.
i would say its 50/50.. Yes you could say he messed up with the Donovan thing but look at the reality, the US team needed to get younger, faster, and technically smarter. But to add the youth and speed to the already strong talent in Jones, Beckerman, Howard, and normally Cameron.. To think that Donovan was our leading scorer by far is kind of an embarrassment to US soccer. I'm not saying its a bad thing but it really shows the lack of trust/confidence in other players.
If you watched these last two games JK is giving chances to players and they are producing. Yedlin came on and absolutely demolished the left side or Portugal's D.. John brooks played like a beast and showed composure in the back line. Also zusi played well, he can play a solid ball and his set pieces are very good. The one player that couldn't afford a slip in play/confidence is Bradley and its heartbreaking to watch. But in the end JK is doing what needed to be done 4 years ago, bring youth and add it to the existing roster and find ways to make it Gell.
If anything JK is showing that what you did 2-3 years ago means nothing today. How many of you knew John Brooks 2-3 years ago, its about now in this WC what do we need to do to get through and win. And the same can go for Yedlin, and Fabian johnson. JK has brought an identity to US soccer and you can clearly see it.
I actually think the US is playing a much better game now than they were even in 2010 when they won the group. That year, we feasted on playing solid defense, and then getting a goal on the counter by just having our forwards out run the defense. That isn't really the case now. We are able to play a possession game with some of the best teams in the world. We were able to methodically move the ball from one end to the other without having to rely on one guy sprinting up the pitch. And not only that, but we're creating numerous more chances than we were in years past. (I know, I know, the Ghana game... but I'm far more convinced that was a result of the team just not being mentally ready for Altidore to be out, and then settling into a 'don't lose this game' mindset rather than 'lets win'). What we saw yesterday was the play that we saw out of the US heading into the World Cup in their games against Turkey and Nigeria. They have confidence, they just need to bury the shots.
But this is also why I am so excited for the future of US soccer. We got a lot younger for this World Cup, and amazingly, the team is actually playing better. Give it another 4 years with Klinsmann and there's probably a decent chance you'll see the US enter the Russia World Cup as a seeded team. And if the rumors about Qatar are true, and FIFA is seriously considering stripping it from them, the 2022 World Cup comes to the US, and considering the track we seem to be on right now, and the momentum the USMNT seems to be gaining with every World Cup appearance, that could be one to circle.
Who cares what the majority think if they're flat out wrong? The majority probably doesn't have enough exposure to fuball to understand the intricacy of team chemistry in a certain system.
Sorry, but wtf is fuball? Also, I believe the majority care what the majority think as do the folks that receive a little something called $$$ from the majoritah.
youre really getting on him about a typo? and frankly if the majority of the US (uneducated soccer fans) had their way we would be terrible. ABSOLUTELY terrible, soccer is a lot more than just who is the best player on fifa 10, chemistry plays a large part in it. and we'll make more money in the long-run being competitive and good, more fans will be turned onto the sport thus creating more fans and so on. furthermore you're saying donovan should be included to satiate the needs of the public? what kind of a message does that send to someone like brooks who many thought was on the outside looking in? what message does that send to young players we're recruiting against germany and mexico? these are all very important things that need to be considered.
Please tell me why you think Landon Donovan should be on the team and I'll happily reply whether or not i agree. As of thus far you really havent given me one
I don't have to. Landon's badazz skillz dat killz and his international famedom speak for themselves.
/s/ Oh my god! You're right! And I just realized David Beckham should be on the English team too. What a glaring oversight. Thank goodness you are around to help make decisions like that. /s/
or lack there of at this point in his career
but but but donovan has scored the most goals for usa and is scoring for the galaxy... " sarcastica!!!!!
Its hilarious that people don't understand how JK is bringing the US team to higher places l ... JK understands soccer and knows that you can't rely on something that has worked in the past 60% of the time. At some point you need to grab your freaking balls and say ok John Brooks go do you.. or Yedlin you're going to run up and down that right side for 20 minutes straight and create havoc.. Yes Julian Green hasn't played yet and we don't know if he will but the fact that JK trusts the youth on the team means a hell of a lot, ohh an the players seem to trust him too.
JK had the perfect tactics for Portugal.. he knew pretty boy ronaldo would not track back so he added more pace to that side and we exploited it multiple times. If Bradley had finished earlier we could have won 3-1 or dare I say 4-1. Soccer is a cruel and unusual game but If I'm a betting man I'll say Bradley will score against germany and say hi haters!!!!!
I'm not a Bradley hater. I've enjoyed Bradley's play since '06 (though I have noticed his "slump"). I hope he does stick it in against Gemany.
Btw, I was joking around about the typo. No need for you to lose it over that.
The longer this debate has gone on, the sillier you've looked. You really should stop before you're too far behind.
Now that was uncalled for.
yeah and so were some of your outbursts, we'll call it a wash
What outbursts are you referring to? I get pretty amped up during games so you'll have to be more specific.
reread the entire conversation we just had
I did but I guess I'm not looking at it the same way you are.
Not really.
How so?
the fact that you never mentioned once why donovan should play for the team other than $ once, or the fact that you started calling out people on typos; joke or not; made you seem like you were getting really defensive. I guess all of the downvotes were just a joke too? then threatening to become an espn board basher, coupled with the fact that you were bashing klinsmann every other turn? dude you didnt make a single relevant point to your side of the argument in this entire conversation
I think you're kind of overreacting, and you can't say overreacting without ovary. At any rate I wouldn't call my posts "bashing Klinsmann at every turn" or "threaten to become an $ec$pn commenter." I simply stated that I could've been on of those. But I'm not. The downvotes were mainly because you and some others were shitting all over a player that I (and countless others) feel is STILL an integral part of US Men's Soccer. That's all I endlessly disagreed about Klinsmann with. Not his coaching or his strategy or even the majoritah of his selections for the roster. Just that one thing.
you're not helping your case at all here dude, I'm calm I'm just pointing out the logical flaws in your arguments and the apparent shortcomings with your understanding of soccer. If you want to talk X's and O's and relevant information I'm all ears, if not go take your banter where it belongs on the espn boards.
Furthermore, I never once said donovan was never a good player, he was a very good player in his prime. but he is well past his prime and he is not at all still an integral part. The biggest international achievment he had recently was playing on the gold cup roster with essentially a bunch of backups and hopefuls for the squad. that doesnt really scream integral part, furthermore disagreeing with ones opinion does not justify a downvote.
Sidenote: you still have yet to give me a SINGLE reason why donovan competitively and tactically should be on the roster...
What case? Is somebody on trial? I just gave my opinion. No I'm going anywhere just because YOU say I should. My opinion matters just as much and little as yours on this forum.
Sidenote: you still have yet to point out where my posts in our convo were outbursts.
first off that is hardly the most relevant part of this entire debate, second
pretty much an outburst, there were also some really unnecessary comments earlier that were almost downright silly. such as
furthermore, yes your opinion is very relevant and respected on this board, that being said AGAIN you still havent provided a single relevant reason for this entire conversation and im still waiting. as far as case goes, your point as to why donovan should start. I wasnt insiuating you were on trial at all, I was just saying that attacking me or trying to piss me off isnt swaying my opinion or anyone else's on here one way or the other. It also is not going to change the fact that donovans international career is probably over at this point. Hes 32, will be 36 at the next world cup, and the influx of young talented really makes him no longer a necessary player.
That first one you quoted wasn't an outburst. But I digress, your opine. The second one may in part be outburst. Probably the "Donovan haters" is what you're getting at. The rest of it is just a fact. Honestly I'm not really looking to get into a debate. I don't feel that support having Donovan on the team needs defending.
well then I just thank god almighty you're not the coach
Dude... seriously?
Community Guidelines
I sincerely doubt you've never broken that guideline.
prior to today I haven't
forgot this gem too
That's just how I am with my comments. No surprise there.
It is getting to the point that this needs to be attached at the end of every article right above the comments. Seriously people, don't downvote for a difference in opinion!
I agree, the problem is that not everyone observes it. I think it needs to go further to be respectful of others' opinions. That seemingly has been in short supply.
I would suggest you take your own advice. I've been watching this thread mostly passively, trying to understand everyone's opinions, and all I see is that anyone who disagrees with you gets called a "hater" or accused of "shitting all over" Donovan, and then you resort to insults while feigning indignation or demanding explanations from everyone (which they've already given). That's pretty common if you look at your commenting history. Want respect? Earn it. It's a two-way street. We used to be able to calmly debate all manner of sports here with opinions on all sides. You don't seem capable of dealing with people disagreeing with you.
/Flame off. Go Hokies. Is it football (the other kind) season yet???
remember the good ol' days when every other thread didnt devolve into an argument?
Welcome to the Internet
I disagree with your statement and judgement of my comment history but you're certainly welcome to your opine. Don't quite get the "flame off" but if your insinuating for me to leave the thread or site then the answer is "no". If you and everyone else want me off so badly then just petition the moderators of the site to deactivate my account (though I doubt I've done enough to be punted off).
/Flame off = /end rant. It's the conclusion of my statement and not anything directed towards you.
To return the favor, opine is a verb, not a noun.
Trying to use an eszett apparently doesn't work. My bad
I really hope that was sarcasm haha
That was a VERY nice wham bam wtf moment by Jones. Absolutely NOBODY for Port was doing shit or paying attention on that.
HOLY DOGSH*T! YES!!!
Look at it. Look at pissed off Nani is and the despair of Ronaldo. Friggin love it!
Wow
Is it just me or are the Euro teams getting absolutely c-kblocked out of this WC? Oops, spoke too soon.
Here is why I don't question Jurgen's team choice. Yedlin, Wondo, Zusi, Brooks... Every single substitute he made thes past two games except Gonzo has been a MAJOR boost that led to points. How we can still question this man's knowledge is beyond me.
The US has a major problem right now with the late goals. This was the 4th game in a row they've allowed a goal in the final minutes. The first two were in the warmup games and cost the team clean sheets in both. The one against Ghana tied it up and now this one could conceivably kept them out of the knockout stage, depending on what happens Thursday.
Not good at all. The US should have moved on, and now they haven't. Yes, it's still very likely we do end up moving on, but this result hurts and it shouldn't have happened. The defense has to do better than that late. They just have to.
This has to be the worst non-loss in the history of US Soccer.
Funny though, I'd have been happy with a draw at 60-ish minutes.
Another one of those water breaks would have been really clutch around the 94th minute... We're still in it though!
I admittedly don't know very much about soccer at all, but Bradley seems to be struggling a bit. Sort of blew what was essentially an empty-netter early, and it looked like he was responsible for the turnover that led to the tying goal late.
Oh I know, that supposed to be goal miss made me wanna punch a damn wall in with my foot.
Agreed. I only pay attention to soccer for the WC and Olympics so forgive my ignorance....but if Bradley is as bad as everyone is saying, then why is he starting on our World Cup team?? Are we (the US) that deficient of world class players?? We looked much better versus Portugal, but we still are much sloppier than almost every other team that I have watched in this event. Other than Johnson, Jones, Dempsey, Zusi, and Howard we have been pretty mediocre to poor
eh he does a lot of things off the ball that are vital to the game, he plays a not particularly flashy position. That being said hes made some very uncharacteristic mistakes in the tournament. In qualifying he was probably our most important and consistent player, hes just in a bit of a rut. he'll get out of it
He had a much better game against Portugal. Played some great diagonal balls to wingers and fullbacks running up the sidelines. But he is still uncharacteristically giving the ball away in the midfield which is very concerning. Those make for really easy counter attacks as we saw on that last play.
I'm thinking we have a chance for a win against Germany though. I haven't seen Germany be all that dangerous on the wings (correct me if I'm wrong) and that's where we've been most susceptible. This will be a different test on our central defense as Germany will look for more passing combinations than attacking through the wings. If we stay compact at the back and pick our spots for counters, I think we could be in good shape. I really liked the Yedlin/Johnson combination on the right side at the end. I think Yedlin could be an impact sub again if we're in need of a goal.
agreed sorry if i didnt make that clear he played pretty well in that game. That shoulda been goal happens all the time, and the turnover was frankly the only negative i can think of
You're good. I was more continuing the conversation on Bradley. And then decided to ramble a little bit, too.
I'm guessing you've only watched the top tier teams play then. I watch teams like france, germany, brazil, etc and am impressed by how clean and crisp their play and think "wow, there are no bad teams at the world cup." Then I catch iran or russia playing and are quickly reminded that there are not 32 Germany caliber teams out there. We left a lot on the field against Portugal, but as a whole I'd say we were a lot closer to Germany than Russia as far as quality of play is concerned.
I have watched almost every game and it appeared to me that even some of the lesser teams were crisper....maybe I am just watching with a more critical eye towards the US. Thanks for the responses
Bradley had a good first half today. The mistakes in the 2nd have overshadowed that but I saw him make many passes that could have easily turned into assists.
But even if he hadn't, you don't bench your best offensive mind in the midfield after 1.5 games of bad play. These things are going to happen.
To answer your question, the team we just played had 5 starters who played on European clubs who participated in the Champions League (mother of all club competitions, best of the best, etc.). We had zero. Not only is the technical ability of the majority of that team above ours, but they are more used to the big stage. While they were overrated going in, there's a reason FIFA had Portugal ranked #4 in the world.
I also don't think you're giving enough credit to Besler and in this last game, Beasley, and Beckerman. 2/3 of those guys have never been to this kind of thing and have performed very well considering. And Beasley, credit to him, has bounced back from a rough Ghana game to boss that LB spot. At his age and considering he really shouldn't be a defensive back, he did great yesterday.
I appreciate the insight. Like I said, I do not have a high soccer IQ. I never played, and this is the first time I've really gotten into watching it. I'm not at all saying we should bench Bradley. Just as novice fan, who had to watch a Portuguese stream of the game and was without the benefit of English commentary, it appeared Bradley was having an off game. I enjoy reading the perspectives from you and others who know much more about the game. I'm just hear to learn!
Yeah, you're absolutely correct Bradley has had a rough couple of games. However I think, had he not given up that last ball, he'd have actually had a decent one this time. He was unlucky in front of goal once but was pretty productive going forward. My bigger concern is Geoff Cameron. He was directly involved in conceding both goals.
I for one cant wait until brooks gets a little more polished. Also...I give jermaine Jones a lot of shit sometimes but he totally proved last night why the coaches have so much faith in him, he has been absolutely on it in the world cup and looks like a totally different player with beckerman supporting him at the holding midfield spot. he has been one of the stars of the team thus far and I couldnt be happier to eat my words in that respect
this is why Bradley plays (he's the guy who makes the gorgeous pass over the top). this was against Turkey in a World Cup warm-up game
Takeaways:
After seeing the US vs Ghana: I saw a team that didn't seem to know what soccer was supposed to look like and was lucky to get a W
After hearing about Germany dismantling Portugal (didn't get to watch the game): Was confident that Germany would cruise to 9 points in the group...if we could just tie Portugal and avoid a drubbing from Germany we had a shot
After watching Germany play a tight game with Ghana: Thought Germany looked beatable. Shit, a Germany win would have been great for us..oh well...let's beat Portugal (fingers crossed)
After just watching the US against Portugal: Saw a completely different team. The US looked like a team that knew how to play fundamental soccer. Portugal is a good team and the US outplayed them for most of the game. That's encouraging. A tie doesn't kill us. I'm disappointed that the Portugal/Ghana game and the US/Germany game are both being played at noon on a weekday. I won't be able to watch :( Let's hope that Portugal can squeeze out a 1 goal win over Ghana and we're able to prevent Germany from outscoring us by 3. I think those are realistic scenarios and would get us through.
A draw in either game would put us through. And with the caliber of all these teams, I think that's the most likely outcome.
Led an "I Believe" chant at Glory Days in Fairfax 5 minutes before Portugals second goal. Blame me and my passion for the loss. I feel terrible.
You led that chant at the end of 90 minutes with a pretty comfortable 2-1 lead. No shame bro.
were you at Glory Days Fairfax?
Far from it. I was at the Houston Dynamo watch party. But you said 5 minutes before Portugal's equalizer, so that would have been about the perfect time for that chant.
US and Germany will play an uneventful 0-0 draw that sees both teams through to the next round with Germany in first place. Not worth it for US to over pursue first place risking elimination, and not worth it for the Germans to risk injuries, cards, etc., when they're already in first position.
It doesn't hurt that Klinsmann and Lw are pretty good friends. And that the Germans have a history of doing that sort of thing (1982 WC 3rd match against Austria).
Anybody else frustrated that the ref changed from +4 to +5 minutes and that change cost us the game?
It's because we made that 42' substitution for Zusi. More stoppage=more stoppage time. I think 4 would still have been too much though. Seemed like it was gonna be 3 minutes since play didn't stop all that much
I was more pissed about how we had some good opportunities to extend the lead in the last 5 minutes and instead tried to kill more time. I get the strategy, I do, but, we had some good runs from substitutes down the line and instead of trying to make it a two goal game they dicked about with the ball, had it taken, and ended up wasting no more time than a good cross would have. Best defense is a good offense, especially when the other team is pushing all out for a goal. Did we learn nothing from the BC/Matt Ryan debacle?
The starting position for the goal. Not bad but some key things for sure. WTH is Gonzalez doing in midfield.. He was subbed in to be 3rd CB and he got caught upfield. Cameron could be level with Besler but its not the end of the world.. until...
This image is excruciating to see... Cameron and Varela are level for .4 seconds or so, it all comes down to who wants it more. Cameron decided to watch the ball come across and Varela made his run and attacked it. If Cameron had taken 2 more steps Varela would have ran into his back foul for USA and game is over.
JC are you in da burg by any off chance? I'd love to watch the (oh god knock on wood) knockout rounds with some people on here
I am in sunny FL.. This is where I watch the games.. Absolute nuts
Dempsey Goal reaction
Yeah, that was a beautiful header by Dempsey.
This is awesome! I wish VT would show it at the Lane.
You still going to champs for thursday?
Unfortunately I'll be visiting the lady in Virginia beach, but all you can eat sushi along with the game will be calling my name. (Knock on wood) see you in the knockout round?!
Cameron shouldn't be playing at this point. The first goal was an absolute bungle of his own making, and then this. The last 40 seconds of the game IS NOT WHEN TO HALF ASS IT OUT THERE. If I were JK I would have ripped into him in the dressing room after the game and bench his ass in Thursday. His head just wasn't there yesterday, and it single handedly cost us 2 goals and a trip to the Knockout stage.
Yeah idk its tough to say.. He had a good game other than the first 10 minutes and last 2 minutes. And it cost us the game.. I wouldn't lay into him as that could create massive problems in the locker room. I'm sure Cameron feels as bad as Bradley does.
However I would love to see John Brooks get some more time especially vs Germany.. He plays in germany and knows 3/4th the team. Would be smart to put him in there and let him hold his own. Besler has played very well so there's the other CB but I agree Brooks has got to get the start
not sure what kind of coach klinsmann is behind the scenes but im sure hes not pleased im curious to see the next line-up
Again, I don't think you can just bench a starter after one game unless there's some sort of behavior issue. The biggest thing for CBs is the chemistry they have with each other, so breaking up our duo right now when we need results is risky. I didn't think Cameron was bad at all against Ghana. I'm as upset about Cameron's mistakes as anyone else but still, I don't think I'd change the partnership right now.
I was at the Dynamo watch party here in Houston, and fans were shamelessly calling for Brad Davis to come in for Cameron because they legitimately thought he couldn't be any worse.
Concern for Thursday?
Match 1 in Manaus pitted England vs Italy. England lost 1-2 and Italy lost 0-1 in their next matches.
Match 2 in Manaus pitted Cameroon and Croatia. Cameroon lost 1-4 and Croatia lost 1-3 in their next matches.
Manaus has not been kind to the teams coming through. While both the US and Portugal can lose with us still getting through, it can only happen if we both lose by 1 and Ghana scores no more than 1 more goal than the US in the process. so the US could lose 1-2 and Ghana could win 2-1, and we would still go through.
I hope Klinsmann's fitness focus will pay off and we can bounce back from the torture (and crushing ending) of Manaus, but it won't be easy!
That is some good info, and really makes you think about all of the complaints when Manaus was initially announced as a venue.
I will say this about the US, the team seems to play with a lot of heart and determination (and none of this flopping bullshit you see from a lot of the Euro teams). They may or may not advance, but if they play like they did against Portugal, I think their chances are quite good. Even if they don't, I think I would consider this World Cup a great success in terms of soccer's development in the US. The fact that a lot of people actual seem to give a hoot notwithstanding (although nonetheless good to see), the development of some of these guys that are on their first WC team (Besler and Jones are two that really stand out) can only hold good things moving forward.
But for the record, I believe we are moving on.
Don't know if Jones will help us tooooo much moving forward, seeing as how he's 32 now. But yeah his improvement under Jurgen is good news for the team as a whole moving forward for sure. I think our future is pretty bright.
I honestly did not realize he was already 32.
yeah, he has had an up and down career, but it is great to see him not only get to finally play in a WC, but to score such a great goal in one (hopefully 1st of more to come!)
he is another example of why i was sick of hearing the "Klinsmann is writing off 2014 for 2018" talk. if he was truly just looking forward and had no intentions of putting the best players on the field regardless of age for this world cup, we would not have:
Tim Howard (maybe, but he will be 39 for 2018, so i think that will be Guzan's World Cup)
Beasley is 32
Beckerman is 32
Brad Davis is 33
Dempsey is 31
Jones is 32
Rimando is 35
Wando is 31
If you're truly just building a team for 2018, why bring any of them? the odds are high that not 1 of those players will be on the 2018 World Cup Roster, and only a few of them may even be a part of the CONCACAF qualification process in 2016-17. people are loyal to Donovan, i get that, he has been great for us, but don't let the coach's decision on one player cloud your vision on all of the other coach's decisions. Klinsmann put together a team of 23 players that he though gave us our best chance to have success in this World Cup, period.
Jones has also traveled the most distance of any of our players over the course of the two games and has played the entire 180 minutes. I refer back to the importance of fitness and endurance for this tournament. There's a reason Jones has been our best player. And part of it is because he is physically ready.
Sidenote: Bradley is second in this respect, and has actually had a better pass conversion rate than Jones. I think he's getting a little much flak this tournament, personally. But it is what it is.
Only because Bradley's mistakes have been more apparent. Trying to score instead of killing clock against Ghana among other things, not finishing an open net shot (I don't blame him one bit for the brilliant block by Portugal), and then the turnover against Portugal before their final goal. The big things always tend to give more fuel to disapproving fans. I still think he had a great game against Portugal especially after a rough performance against Ghana.
Yeah I mean he's made some uncharacteristic mistakes for sure. But I think he contributes a lot more than the average fan realizes. He's also playing slightly out of position. While he's the most creative player we have, I really think his ideal role is a b2b type, more like what Jones has been doing with Beckerman freeing him up.
Don't get me wrong, I agree entirely, but it's the "average fan" that often is the most critical. And while this World Cup has gained a lot of support from people who are not usually fans of the game, a large amount of them are "average fans."
No argument here at all. We're on the same page.
100% on the money.. The casual fan says but but bradley lost the ball. The soccer enthusiast, college player, huge fan says look at Cameron, Gonzalez, and our lack of finishing out the game. I posted a picture of the cross when it was in the air and Cameron is in good position for .4 seconds...then he watched the ball and varela attacks it and game over
would we be shocked to see Klinsmann swap Bradley and Jones? free Jones up to use his speed against the slow German Central Defense while shrinking the field a bit for Bradley? allowing him to sit back a little more and create from the back? i'm not sure if this is the right time to make such a dramatic change, but i wanted to throw it out there...
I'm sure Dempsey would appreciate some help in/around the box...
I'm not sure I'd change anything about what Jones is doing right now. He's in a spot he's obviously comfortable with and I don't think I'd fool with that. Just my opinion.
This. Jones has been the best player on the field for the US through 2 games. Dempsey has played very well, but Jones is getting it done all over. Unfortunately for Bradley, he played a very good game against Portugal, its just that his 2 mistakes (although I am hesitant to call the missed goal a mistake because the Portugal player made a great play to get in front there) are on the mind of a lot of fans.
I think Bradley always brings it when he steps on the field. And that missed goal, I wouldn't consider that a great block as much as a dumb luck block.
that was an amazing block...can't be mad at Bradley for that at all...
Not mad at Brad at all. Just pissed off that the ball didn't go in. Wasn't overly impressed with the block. Just thought the keep got lucky.
Don't rule out Bill Hamid in goal. He's been off and on the US squad and is only 23
i love Hamid, and he will likely be on the 23 man for Russia, but once Timmy hangs it up, it will be Brad's turn for 5-6 years.
The good news is... I never worry about the goalkeeper spot for this team. Somehow we're loaded with talent there. Hell Rimando would be a better keeper than many of these teams are fielding.
agreed...i like to think it's the basketball influence of growing up in the USA, but what do i know...
Altidore ruled out vs Germany. No surprise there, but it doesn't exactly help
i didnt expect him back until *holds breath and knocks on wood* we made it to the knockout stages
can we start a meme contest for luis suarez. He lived up to his reputation of being....well a biter
Screw that guy. He should be banned from the sport for a year. If not more.
He's probably the dirtiest athlete in the world. Third time he's bitten a player and he's a blatant racist.
he will be banned for 10+ games, but I think FIFA has no right to ban him from Champions League.. Rumors going on that he did it so he could force a move to Barca.. funny..
regardless I don't want him at my club. Liverpool FC is not the place for that fool, absolute disgrace for country and club especially when both stood behind and defended him for his action.
Yep, super glad they pulled their stunts to keep him from going to North London (if you believe the reports). Now he's worth nothing.
doubt it we will sell to Barcalona for whatever price and he will be just fine. Fifa wont suspend him for life, just international duty and he will be done for WC.
Still can't believe he did that...again. There is a pretty decent article on him in the ESPN magazine and it does about the best job I can think of for explaining why he does what he does. I thought he was past all this, but apparently not and just shows how far he will go to win. Apparently he headbutted a ref when he was 16 because the ref gave him a yellow and it meant he would miss the final game of the season. He is passionate, talented, and clearly insane.
No doubt he is going to get a lengthy ban for international duty, but I don't think this will affect him with Liverpool. Without him last year, there is no way they come that close to the EPL title, but I'm sure BR will have a nice long talk with him.
Edit: Found a link to the article online: http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/10984370/portrait-serial-winn...
a nice long talk with BR teaching him how to pack his bags and call for a cab to fly to Spain. Fool me once shame on you, Fool me twice Shame on me. LFC 's reputation and history is now on the line with this maniac. No way LFC wants to have this player represent them after they had already given him a chance.
Its like once a wahoo, always a wahoo
Do you really think Barca will want him then? And if he is going to get the boot, I don't think they'll just let him go for a sum of money, I'm sure they'd want a player to come back as well which is about the only way I'd want him to leave. If you are going to let someone of his talent level leave, you better bring someone back with that money that is a game changer.
With the way BR stuck with him once, I don't think any rash decisions will be made until they've he has met with Suarez until after the world cup. But, I can easily seeing it go the other way as well. I just hope they go about it smartly and set the club back some. This past season was too much fun to watch, even with the Toure and Gerrard slips ups.
He's done it 3 times in 4 years. I don't think any club, unless they're desperate, is excited about taking the risk that he won't do it again in return for a bunch of goals. Then you're just out of luck when he gets banned (I'm not convinced he won't be banned from club competition now too, seeing as how he's a 3-time offender).
Player trades are pretty rare in soccer so I doubt you swap players with Barca or anyone, if that's what you're saying. If you get any money for him, and yeah his value will be decreased now regardless of his quality of play, you might invest that into another goal scorer.
Regardless, and I'm saying this as someone who neither likes nor dislikes Liverpool, I think they have a harder time of it this coming season. Playing in Europe take a lot out of a team. Look at the injury and fatigue load my Gunners were under this past year. It's tough to play in the EPL, League Cup, FA Cup, and UCL all in the span of half a year or so.
It's rare, but that's what they were asking last year when teams came knocking. Maybe that was their way of saying we aren't letting him go, but that was the case then and I'd imagine still the case now. Right now all I'm saying is that they will wait til everything comes out and they will go from there.
Edit: If there is any truth behind this, which they have been on top of everything so far concerning Liverpool transfer news, looks like it could be cash and Sanchez for Suarez.
http://www.caughtoffside.com/2014/06/25/exclusive-liverpool-to-accept-45...
I wouldn't believe that site at all. They've thrown out so many false Arsenal rumors I've lost count. FWIW there are sources saying Arsenal is on the verge of signing Sanchez too. I don't believe anything until the official site says it's so.
Case in point... they put this up about 10 minutes after Shaqiri netted his hat trick yesterday...
http://www.caughtoffside.com/2014/06/25/exclusive-arsenal-plot-17m-bid-f...
And they put this up immediately after saying he was going to go to Liverpool:
http://www.caughtoffside.com/2014/06/25/arsenal-make-inquiry-over-availa...
They have a tendency to "link" just about every good player, or even every player that has a good game, with every "big" team. It's a horrible site. haha.
For the record I'd like it if Arsenal wound up with either of those guys, but I don't think it's happening. That's not how Arsene Wenger works. Sanchez, maybe. But Barca will inflate his price because they're like that and we won't buy.
i wish England would sit down and rethink things along with the EPL. EPL should go to 18 team, 34 match schedule and eliminate EPL clubs from the League Cup. none of them care about it anyway. use the newly opened up dates to take a 3 week break from all competitions after the boxing day matches. put English clubs back on level footing with all of the German and Spanish clubs who play less matches and take a winter break.
hell, work with TV partners to make boxing day matches a bigger deal in the US (air them all including some on NBC) and in return, make the NFL playoffs a bigger deal in England during their winter break. a win-win for everyone!
It's inexcusable and he needs to be banned from all competitions. 3 times in 4 years, along with all the other stuff he's done. Some people are saying FIFA can ban down to the club level too. When Eric Cantona did his nasty business, the FA banned him, then FIFA extended his ban worldwide so he couldn't just change leagues.
Ask & shall receive
Courtesy of the Huffington Post, here are your Suarez memes.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/25/suarez-bite-memes-jokes_n_55298...
Greece converts a stoppage time PK to win and progress in group C behind Colombia. Wow.
Sorry FifthFuller, you'll have to watch them for 1 more game.
Greece. Ugh. Arguably the worst team in the tournament moves on by PK. At least Italy got left behind too.
Jermaine Jones's strike for us was one of the best shots of the tournament. Don't be surprised to see that one on the short list for best goal of the tournament. Beautiful stuff from him.
Every time Suarez does something blatantly against the rules (biting, handball on the line, etc), something good happens for Uruguay. Backwards-ass nonsense.
As for the Landon Donovan redux, above, I'll reiterate my position that I think we are better off in this World Cup and for the future without him on the team.
I actually don't think Greece is even close to the worst team now. I think they've still got a bit of a reputation from years past though.
I'd say the worst teams include Cameroon, Honduras, and Australia (though through the power of Tim Cahill they did better than I anticipated).
I was actually surprised to see Greece trying to press forward and attack the goal. I'd have preferred Japan to move on from that group but they just couldn't put it together this go around.
I have serious questions about the refereeing in that game. Italy sees red for a yellow card offense at most (IMO) and Suarez walks again after biting his 3rd player. Ridiculous. I'll be cheering for anyone who plays against Uruguay. Something smells bad.
Cameroon wasn't good, I think Honduras is really bad. I wasn't impressed with Japan at all, I think Australia is a little above those other teams. Korea didn't really impress, either. I tend to see teams as bad in categories.
There are bad teams because they aren't organized at all (Cameroon, and, usually, bad African teams suffer from this problem),
teams that fake, dive, and generally just mess up the flow of the game (Mediterranean peninsula countries like Greece and Italy, Central American teams like Honduras),
teams that just beat people up (Australia),
and teams that just don't have any skill whatsoever (I'm going with Aus and Cameroon again here, with an honorable mention to a few others).
There is some good news for Liverpool, Barcelona because FIFA bans do not affect a players eligibility at the club level. Ship him off the sunny Spain!!!
This is huge news, and yes I think Barca will want him for sure. They need a striker now and its the perfect way for Suarez to leave. We all know the UK media will slam Suarez even more(rightfully so) and he will want out. The UK media is 1000 time worse than Spanish media for sure. No way BR keeps him on the team and LFC will have to come out with a proper response and be done with it
Here is a headline from a Spanish newspaper this morning..
It says Yes to Barcelona!!
Actually FIFA can, they just usually don't, affect a players eligibility anywhere.
This article expands:
http://metro.co.uk/2014/06/24/luis-suarez-could-be-banned-from-liverpool...
The article also had a link to this on the side:
http://metro.co.uk/2014/06/24/does-this-picture-prove-luis-suarez-bit-it...
Best angle/image of what happened that I've seen so far. Some of the TV angles weren't great, but this is pretty damning. I didn't have any real doubt before, anyway, but I'd say this seals it. This guy has an unbelievable track record.
I ain't even mad, Chiellini was playing the fool all game. I'm glad Italy is out, but if I would have been able to choose, I would have liked England to have moved forward with Costa Rica.
yes they can but it wasn't while playing with his club team and therefore would hurt the club more than country which would be asinine
I think him playing at all hurts the sport, period. He's a risk to other players.
Not justifying the bite, but how is that/he any different than American football players who "do the dirty work" in the piles at the end of a play. This is more blatant, but I'd say it just as dangerous as eye poking and everything else that goes on. This isn't Tyson taking a piece off Holyfield, this is his insane way of doing whatever it takes. He knows whoever he bites is going to punch him or something which is what he is trying to do to draw a foul. Clearly he needs counseling, but a ban from the game is harsh to me.
I see very little that sets this apart from Tyson. The guy BIT another human being. On 3 separate occasions! That's unsafe, disgusting, and it doesn't belong in any sport. I'd advocate any player who blatantly threatens the well-being of any other player be banned from their sport. Yeah that includes NFL players who twist ankles and fingers in piles. If I knew who they were, I'd not support them either.
See, I equate the bottom of the pile activity to the same as two players who while running down the field to a ball, casually and strategically reach over and hit the other person in the groin. It's completely cheap but often isn't caught due to the line of sight of the officials. Biting a player is an obvious attempt to injure the opponent. It is treated no different than throwing a punch.
It's worse than throwing a punch. Punching is a human fighting action, not defensible but it happens in sports/life sometimes. Biting another living thing is an animal action. Bottom pile activity is accepted by players when they start playing the game. Punching has its own sport, multiple sports actually. If he had threw a face to face punch he would be suspended for at least a game, blindside probably the rest of the tournament. But biting? Only acceptable for teething babies. Animals get put down for doing what Suarez did. And he's done it three times, he's not a cheap/dirty player who steps on toes, throws punches/elbows etc. behind the refs back. He has a serious problem and FIFA needs to crack down more than just ban him from the rest of the tournament.
All this talk about Donovan had me curious on how his team was doing right now.
The LA Galaxy lost last night to the Carolina Railhawks (NASL) 1-0 in the Round of 16 in the US Open Cup. Yes, Donovan played the whole game.
i really wish USSF, MLS, NASL, USL-Pro, etc would all sit down and come up with a way to make the USOC a meaningful competition. it's a chicken and egg thing, i guess, but it needs to be worth more money which means it needs more TV revenue which will only happen when teams care about it which will only happen when it is worth more money.
If we're not going to have a meaningful pyramid among the various divisions of US Soccer, let's at least work together to make the USOC something special.
Well, there's a lot of things we can talk about right now that is wrong with US Soccer, but I think one that should be potentially looked at is relegation within US Soccer. Right now, we have multiple divisions where this could work. MLS-NASL-USLPro... Best teams move up, worst teams move down. Make it so all levels feel like they have a chance (its not like there are guys in NASL with MLS contracts... and if there are, find a way to remedy it immediately). Then, when you have contests like this, you are playing against teams you feel like very well could be your peers, instead of Major league vs Minor league.
the problems are many...
1. USSF has zero authority over any of the leagues.
2. MLS owners who paid huge expansion fees and built their stadiums will never go for it
3. NASL believes it is level with MLS, not a division lower, and their owners are all against the "single entity" approach of the MLS.
i think the closest thing we could see (in a couple decades, not overnight) would be MLS expanding to 36+ clubs and dividing into 2 divisions within its own jurisdiction/control. they would include both divisions in all TV contracts and all revenue sharing, but separate them for the purpose of competing for the top trophy in North American club soccer. they could promote/relegate within those 2 divisions of the same league.
because MLS was formed as a single entity like other american sports rather than a bunch of independent clubs getting together to form a league, i'm not sure we'll ever see pro/reg in the US in any meaningful fashion.
The sad part is I read an article with him saying how all the starters wanted to play this game because they were tired of losing to Carolina in the cup. This is like the third(?) time they have been bounced early by the same team.
Yep, third time... I think in a row
And here's the decision:
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jun/26/world-cup-luis-suarez-ba...
Suarez banned from all forms of football for 4 months. I believe this also includes administrative actions, so if I understand that correctly, he can't be sold.
Ytf only 4 mos???
He can be sold, however it would have to get FIFA approval and my guess is that Liverpool would get this since the action did not happen while playing for LFC. Since this has happened Liverpool has sneakily removed images/anything to do with Suarez from their website. I think he is all but gone, but just for the right price.. and Barca or Real will snatch him up.
The right price will likely be a good bit lower than it was before. I can't see anyone paying a premium to take that risk.
Lets go USA!
It gonna be interesting in this rainstorm.
I think both teams will join hands at midfield and sing kumbaaaayahh for 90 minutes! It will be the best game ever.
that'd work for me.
I was explaining scenarios to my wife last night and we concluded that Ghana will find a way to advance in spite of our win against them.
then I was all GHAAAAANNNNAAAA!!!!!!!
Might get downlegs for this, but
Hopefully get a couple uplegs for this
By the way, Ghana sent Muntari and Prince-Boateng home early for fighting in team training, I believe. This is a major boost to our chances.
Well looks like we're in good form for the second round. Good for us, we'll see how this stacks up.
Amber Waves of Grain don't make Belgian style beers, or at least none will be drunk tomorrow. Potomac Nationals didn't sell Stella Artois or Shock Top tonight because of the USA-Belgium match. Don't drink Blue Moon either. Any others?
I'm avoiding anything with Belgian yeasts in them. To do that avoid: Allagash, Ommegang, and any beer that is a Witbier, Saison, Dubbel, Tripel, Dark Strong Ale, Golden Strong Ale, Flanders Red, Flanders Brown/Oud Bruin, Lambics, Geuze, or a beer that mentions anything Belgian. I've probably missed a few styles and breweries here.
To be safe, I'd recommend Bourbon or an American IPA (off the top of my head, don't get Flying Dog's Raging Bitch - that's a Belgian IPA). On a normal day I'm a Belgian beer fan. But, not today.
Ideally, I'd be having a bourbon barrel aged stout, but I'm probably going to be have a couple whiskey gingers and an American beer.
truly, anything?
Suddenly I see a world where American and Belgian soccer can co-exist.
Budweiser is Belgian owned so avoid that too http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-07-01/world-cup-should-u-dot-s...
What about the Budweiser cans with the American flag on them? Does that count as Belgian?
it's a trojan horse dude.
Anyone else extremely nervous sitting at work? So 4 of 7 games have gone to extra time and it could be 5 if you Mexico vs Netherlands doesn't end in last 30 seconds. It really shows that every team that has made it out of their group is legit and deserved to come out.. other than Greece (ivory coast got screwed).
well yeah but i mean i think that says more about us than anything.
Yeah, I just think that we made it, and not a single game we played looked that crisp. Imagine if we played a crisp game to take on the round of 16?
The one thing I thought for sure I would not be disappointed with was Klinsman, but I absolutely do not understand the lineup tonight. It's like the game plan was to try to tire Belgium out by having them shoot at goal 30 times and then counter attack with non-aggressive mid-fielders. Don't understand at all. Somehow we didn't have anyone back on the line when Belgium was attacking or anyone up in the box when we were attacking.
Put in Bedoya, Brooks, Beckerman, Green, Yedlin.... someone with some legs at the start of the game. Watching Jones chase the ball and diving all game was embarrassing. Cameron was basically nonexistent. Just terrible way to play soccer at this level. Belgium kicked our ass all over the field and we played better in every previous match.
story of the cup, couldn't maintain possession. i feel like maybe green should've been put in before the 110th minute or whatever it was.
The possesion and first touch were horrendous. And this game, it was much more than Bradley.
As for Green, you could say the same thing for Lukaku for Belguim. However, Green may become US's superstar next world cup. We'll have to see. With Green and Yedlin, USMNT has a bright future. It all depends if they can develop ball-controlling midfield.
tough to play when Altidore goes out in first 20 minutes. Changes the whole WC for us. We have to have dempsey play out of position at F and Bradley play a Attacking Mid.. Dempsey is not a target forward he is a Attacking Mid that creates chances by picking the ball up in mid and taking shots/players on.. He is not a forward that plays with his back towards goal.
We played 100% better once wondo came on and dempsey got to play that AM and Bradley played that DM role. Bradley is comfortable playing the ball when he has space, add pressure and he turns into a mediocre player. If anything this WC shows the lack of depth we had in the US squad. However with the youth coming up and Yedlin, Johnson, ect playing well its only going to get better.
Heads up!
Agreed. The only complaint I had with Jurgen tonight was how late the last sub came on. Their fresh legs were shredding our tired ones and we needed a boost. Other than that I think we gave it our all.
The future is indeed bright. Green, Altidore, Johannsson, Mix, Besler, Johnson, and Yedlin are all players to be excited for, for years to come. Also, I'm hoping we pull Gedion Zelalem to our side. Dude is going to be a legitimate #10 for us, I can feel it.
yedlin's got some burners on him.
we need competition at center half and left back between now and 2018. Johnson and Yedlin at Right back is solid, Besler, Brooks and Gonzales are a start in the middle, but i wouldn't mind seeing 2 new guys step up and compete there with them. Left back? bueller?
and if we can land Zelalem between now and 2018, that would be an amazing coup! fingers crossed!
and to be clear, Beasley was amazing this tournament, but i'm talking about the future.
LB and RB have always been problem areas for USA. In fact all of defense has been. The fact that we have as many as 5 guys who will be there in the future is very good news for us. A LB will come in time.
Wait... there's plenty of good LB in the NFL. And RB, that's like the most plentiful position. Can't we just borrow a few of them for the World Cup? I mean, it's the offseason and everything, they won't miss much.
/sarcastica
I agree the future is bright, brighter than before, and I know this is Jurgen's tuneup for Qatar but this lineup was everything that has been wrong with USA football for the past 8 years. No attack. No control. Porous defense. Bradley has been rough all Cup but at least he has the legs to go full time. Jones has died out in every game. And I'm not blaming Jurgen for the decision on Donovan, but you don't go to the Cup with one F and not have a back up plan of how to use your bevy of midfielders in an attacking offense. And the really crazy thing is that he did just that in Ghana, Portugal and even more so with Germany.
If Tim Howard wasn't absolutely beast the score could have easily have been 5 - 0.
Anyway, it's past and time to root for the underdog. Costa Rica I guess
someone should tell Russia to stop building new stadiums and Qatar to hire more cheap labor to speed up their construction!
also, for 2022, i'm starting to actually believe FIFA may pull the plug on Qatar. a joint USA/Canada replacement bid is starting to bubble up on the interweb rumor mill. i think we'll know by this time next year.
man i think it will be months rather than a year. The announcement will come before long, but I completely agree, the world cup is coming here. which is great news because hopefully at that point ill have some money to go blow on soccer games
i kinda like the idea of 2026, USA's 250th bday. finals in jerryworld or whatever stadium will have trumped jerryworld by then? that would be beautiful.
not a skins fan, but the skins should be in line for a new home in the early-mid 2020's...World Cup Final in the Nation's Capital in the month we celebrate 250? pretty awesome!
2022 or 2026 WC has to be in the US. By then it would be 30 years since we hosted the highest attended WC ever. Look at our ratings this WC and that there were more Americans in Brazil than any other nation. We have the infrastructure already in place to take over for Qatar if needed. I love the 250th birthday idea.
Final would have to be in New York. Largest US city with very diverse population and a 85,000 seat stadium. Round of 16 on the West Coast (Seattle, LA, Phoenix etc.) Quarters in Mid/Southwest (Chicago, Dallas, Columbus, Indy) Semis in DC and Boston/Philly and Final in New York.
US plays its group games in Seattle(loudest stadium on record) Columbus(105,000 capacity) and Austin (100,000 capacity). I better start saving up money now those USA tickets are gonna be sky high.
i heard a guy on SXM FC a month or so ago (he was European, former player or coach, but don't recall who) who said that the US should host every other World Cup. no other country is better equipped for it, and it's in FIFA's best interest to keep it coming back. every other is probably overkill, IMO, but every 3rd might not be a terrible idea:
Europe, USA, Asia, Europe, USA, Africa, Europe, USA, South America, Europe, USA, Asia
i would be ok with some of those USA spots being dual hosted with Mexico or Canada or even the Caribbean Federation (2 stadiums in Cuba and Jamaica for Group play?).
Hell, let's let just Texas host one year! Stadiums in Houston, College Station, Austin, Waco, San Antonio, Arlington, Dallas, Lubbock and El Paso! or California with Stadiums in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Fresno and Sacramento. let's get creative with it!
Considering how much of a crisis it is every 4 years for these countries to build stadiums every time that's not such a bad idea
No, it isn't a bad idea, but a country like Brazil is getting the WC and the Olympics in a few years, so a boost to infrastructure development isn't a bad idea. Russia, too.
I've heard rumblings about the US getting it if the whole Qatar thing falls through, just rumors though.
Tough to say we should get it all that frequently. We do have the infrastructure to deal with it at the drop of a hat, but to continue to bring it back here also shortchanges a lot of other places that want to hold it. England last hosted in 1966, and I'd think that the UK should be considered as a unit to host the Cup. A lot of other mainland European countries could surely do the same thing.
De Bruyne is a stud.
yeah, he is. he also showed class staying with jones after popping him in the face.
I thought both teams played a very classy game. Little to no diving, limited whining to the ref, classy behavior to the opposition. It was an enjoyable game to watch.
i dont know if it was enjoyable so much as it was nerve wracking as hell and certainly took at least some time off my life. but yeah, there was mutual respect and not a lot of bs.
Respect.
This. 38 shots, 27 on goal, and only 2 points given up. I said it elsewhere, but he's the one that kept us in that game. If the shot taken at the end by the US had some touch on it (honestly I don't know how you boot the ball over the net from 8 feet out, but) we would have won because of Tim Howard.
I will receive downlegs for this, but somewhere, Landon Donovan is smiling.
Nah cuz Julian green scored more goals at this world cup than he did
Related, did anyone see where Donovan basically said he was rooting for the USA to look bad because he wasn't there with them? I think it's that attitude that left him at home losing to the Carolina Railhawks instead of traveling to Brazil. Well that and his fitness level.
Juergen is old school. Landon was talking California about getting old and doing yoga with his girlfriend because his body couldn't handle the workouts he used to put it through.
I can't prove it but I think that is when he got cut. Thats not positive leadership in Klinsmanns book.
Funny how talking with parents about it there is a clear dividing line in our society between old school and new school. Some were totally fine with Landon's fitness talk, others were convinced it was what got him cut.
If you can't prove it then how can you criticize Jurgen (again)? I think the simplest explanation is that he wasn't good enough in some way, be it in attitude or fitness or ability or all of the above.
I think a lot of Landon fans are choosing not to see the progression of this team under Jurgen because they're upset that their player didn't get to go.
Edit: As stated below, I misread your post. I see what you're saying now. But both of my points stand I think... I think the far more likely explanation is that Landon couldn't hack it (if he can't hold up to his old training regimen, I have my doubts about him lasting through the jungle-climate, nose-breaky, 2-3 games a week situation in Brazil. And I do think Jurgen is taking a lot of flak unnecessarily.
How is this being critical of Klinnsman? It sounds like a possibly plausible explanation.
You're right, I misread his post. I apologize.
Agree. I've honestly stayed away from commenting for the most part because I'll likely go crazy getting into a passionate discussion with an uniformed fan who thinks because Donovan scored a deciding goal he'll be fit to captain the USMNT for eternity.
Nothing critical about being uninformed, we all are to some degree, but if you didn't see a GIGANTIC upswing in quality of play from the USMNT, then you're just making loud noises for the sake of it. I'm not suggesting that the improvement of play is due to the lack of Donovan, I'm only saying that this was the result of a coach who's WON a world cup and knows exactly what he's doing. Any argument for Donovan's inclusion should only be made in optimistic speculation.
Donovan is 32 and therefore is naturally on the decline. If the Spanish side can argue about perhaps NOT fielding Xavi Hernandez, whom has been much less effective as he's aging, I think you can live without one Landon Donovan.
Smiling or not after the result of that game, he looked like this the rest of the tournament as we were in Brazil and he was left at home and beaten by the Railhawks
Only dif is that the Avg Joes made it all the way, USMNT didn't even make it to the semis.
I won't downleg that. You're right, Landon Donovan is somewhere, that's for sure. But it wasn't Brazil. Which is exactly how it should have been.
Not to single you out, but since your the most recent and I feel like this is a great example of it, when someone says 'I will receive downlegs for this' or something along those lines, it's like they are acknowledging that they are generally doing nothing for the discussion, and instead being an ass or a troll to piss people off into downvoting them. Then when people do downvote, they feel accomplished like people played into their hand. Again, not singling you out, going for the plural you with those remarks, but that's how I feel.
So now I ask you (singular): what was the purpose of this post? To start the Donovan war again? That was already hashed out and buried a hundred comments ago. We got to the round of 16 and extra time against a damn good team in Belgium. I imagine everyone wanted to advance but to say this World Cup was a failure for the US in terms of what was expected would be a lie. There's no insight here. No discussion. No strategy outlining where Donovan would improve the team. JCtaughtMe wrote a great post detailing strategy and the small things about the World Cup that I wouldn't have picked up on. I appreciated that post. So please tell me how this is different than those ESPN boards you seem to hate so much.
Not trying to start anything. Just thought it was kind of amusing and funny. I also agree that Howard is the MVP.
I found the post amusing. Carryon my wayward son.
Since you're "calling me out" this pulls up an interesting question: how upset would you be if Coach K decided to bring back on Donovan?
well here we go again...
not at all, I respect Klinsmanns decision, that being said I dont think it would ever happen because tactically it doesnt make sense. we're past the era of kick it long and hope for the best of bob bradley and donovan has become irrelevant to the US national team because of it. On top of that he wasnt involved in qualifying with the team which further provides reason to leave him off, I think eddie johnson deserved a spot moreso than donovan.
that being said im straying from the initial point, I wouldve been happy and supportive of whatever team was fielded, the fact that we advanced made it all the sweeter. The fact that we advanced without donovan made it further sweeter considering he was being pretty bitter about it.
he better not be fucking smiling about us losing. godamnit.
So during this world cup, I have gone from completely apathetic about soccer to having a friend record the game yesterday for me while trying my damndest to not hear anything about the outcome, being enthralled for over 90 mins by a 0-0 score, and just being held emotionally hostage. I applaud the USMNT for accomplishing something in me I thought would NEVER happen.
What did they accomplish? They lost.
letme guess if Landond Donovan were on the team we would've won in all. Probably would've beaten brazil 15-0 in the final right?
Actually no wasn't gonna say that. I agree with the consensus that there's not enough depth in MLS.
They accomplished a consecutive trip into the Round of 16 for the first time in US history. That's a significant mark that US soccer is on the rise.
They are one of the top 16 teams in the world.. that's something. Especially as a relative newcomer to the whole deal. Americans gotta realize why exactly Jurgen said we were not going to win this tournament. Because we weren't. That doesn't mean we did poorly.
I think another thing I take from this tournament is it's also a show to the rest of the world that there ARE fans in America. There was an article I read in which they interviewed fans from other countries and they were pulling for America as not only the underdog, but because our fans showed them a good time. That's what I love more about this time, and only hope it grows for next World Cup.
Tim Howard just blocked your negativity.
Actually I think Howard agrees. I think Howard (and the rest of the team) were fully expecting to move on. To be honest, what with all the injuries, I was mostly expecting them to move on past the fighting wafflers. I certainly believed they could.
Howard said, and I quote "We have absolutely nothing to be ashamed about." So... not really.
Of course he said that to the press and cameras. But what REALLY happens after the media leaves and behind the lockeroom. I guarantee 100% they're pissed and unsatisfied. And who can blame them.
I am nearly positive that nobody on this site is in a position to be making that 100% guarantee.
Dikembe Mutumbo is the Tim Howard of basketball.
He actively intimidates young children in grocery stores?
Hokieknight, I honestly don't know why you have to make it your mission to be a downer, but our boys accomplished a ton. We weren't even supposed to finish above last place in the group of death, let alone advance. We weren't supposed to control the game against Portugal, we weren't supposed to be competitive against Germany, and we definitely weren't supposed to only lose to Belgium by a single goal. Above all, people like me weren't supposed to have any interest in the world cup, but thanks to their performance, I was hooked. As I said, I went from completely apathetic to glued to my seat in a 0-0 game. There are a ton of US fans like me that they won over and I think thats a huge accomplishment.
Much to agree with here, however, I'll play devil's advocate on one point: the Group of Death
In retrospect, this group was not all that deadly. Germany, sure, fantastic. Portugal is C.Ronaldo plus ten regular guys, and Ghana has taken a step back with the youth movement they had this year. Since we also overhauled our everything, Ghana should have been a competitive game, but Portugal was not nearly as good as advertised. Of course, this is with 20/20 hindsight.
The real group of death this tournament? Costa Rica/Italy/England/Uruguay. Italy and England didn't advance. Let me repeat that. Italy and England, in the same group, came up with a total of zero advancements between them.
Having said all that, I agree that our advancement to the round of 16 was a step in the right direction. Not a lot of people gave us a chance to advance, but our boys did us proud and made it, in a tough group, albeit not the group we thought it was going to be.
Horse, I cant hold a candle to your soccer knowledge, so I will gladly refer to you on this one. But you get my point. I think its pretty shortsighted to say that the USMNT accomplished nothing.
Abso-freakin-lutely. I was wondering if I was crazy for thinking that. Filling out brackets, Costa Rica was an afterthought. I had a feeling Uruguay would sneak by because of Suarez (Read: Liverpool Glasses on), but I figured there was no way it wouldn't be either England or Italy.
I'm still impressed that the US went out and did exactly what was thought they would need to do to advance though. Still can't believe Wondo missed that shot and still don't know how the linesman thought it was offside. I don't think I heard the announcers mention it once and didn't hear about it til I read an article this morning.
Someone needs to clarify this for me. When this happened in the game, of course it got really loud in B-dubs so I couldn't clearly hear what Ian Darke was saying, but it sounded like he said the official was only signaling the goal kick and not an offside.
Official stats from FIFA say it was not called offsides.
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/round=255951/match=300186497/statis...
And that's what I saw too. I mean, technical procedure for an official is that the flag goes up for ball out of play and then signals the restart. Often we just see the official go straight to the signal for a goal kick in those situations so who knows. Reality is that the ball didn't go in and there's nothing controversial about that.
Yeah, that is why I was confused when I read an article saying it was called offsides. Champs was loud as hell and I never saw the flag raised. I don't know who or why it was interpreted that way, but he was clearly onside. Just looked like he tried to roof it instead of sliding it to the far corner.
The "Group of Death" moniker is applied before the tournament, not after. Before it started, there were 3 groups that had everyone's eye as being competitive. Netherlands/Chile/Spain/Australia, Costa Rica/Uruguay/Italy/England, and USA/Portugal/Germany/Ghana. Retrospectively, England and Italy played like shit, so while not advancing is disappointing for the fans, it's not like they lost heartbreakers. Of those three groups though, our group was the only one with 2 Top 5 ranked teams in it. Group B was looked at as tough with Spain being the #1 team in the world and Chile and Netherlands both being top 15 teams. Italy, England, and Uruguay were all top 10 teams though so an argument could be made there. The average ranking of each group though was 14 for our group, 13.5 for Group D, and 23 for Group B (Australia was REALLY bad). So really, it's almost a wash between our group and Group D, but I can see the title "Group of Death" being applied for 2 reasons though. First because Americans are the ones applying it and so of course we are going to see our path as tough and want to give ourselves more of a pat on the back for emerging from it victorious. The second is because we have 2 of the top 5 teams in our group. Uruguay, Italy, and England were ranked 7, 9, and 10 respectively. Still a competitive group nonetheless, but the fact that neither England nor Italy advanced is more due to their poor play than the competitiveness of the group IMO.
Ok, I agree with some of what you've said (regarding the group performances), but you gotta give me a break with the ranking things. I know Americans love statistics but honestly, the FIFA rankings are not worth the paper its printed on (as they say); and shouldn't be taken seriously. I don't know your level of understanding for the game and this isn't a personal lambaste in any way; just hopefully sharing the reality on the matter.
I'm still not even clear on how those things are compiled but based on how national teams are assembled and how challenging it can be to field the same guys on a consistent basis. Not to mention coaching changes that can last as little as 6 months. I would venture to say that such rankings for national teams should be disregarded.
I have a good understanding of the game as I've played it for nearly 20 years and have been officiating it for 10. I agree that the rankings are not entirely accurate given their way of calculating them, but it's hard to argue that Germany and Portugal weren't top 5 teams, especially when Ronaldo is healthy. I won't take anything away from Italy, England, and Uruguay, but rankings were the simplest way of looking at it and comparing groups. The way that FIFA creates their rankings is based upon a certain point total per match based upon the level of the opponent and other factors. The real problem is that the past 4 years of games are weighted to determine the ranking. So it's more of a "what is your history" rather than a "what have you done for me lately." Given, the recent matches are weighted more, but they still look at 4 years worth of games. I don't believe international friendlies are counted in the rankings either. So yes, while the team that's fielded each match can change, often the matches that count for rankings are not there as tryouts for young players trying to prove themselves on an international level.
i think friendlies are included, but they are weighted (as are other matches). but here is where it gets sticky. the number of games played matters, so world cup qualifier playoffs can improve a country's ranking by giving them an extra game compared to a team from their own confederation who played one less match because they qualified properly.
and i have to disagree...if you watched Portugal qualifying in UEFA, they were NOT a top 4 team in the world, not even top 8...
I disagree as well...it was C. Ronaldo and friends. Their results hang squarely on his fitness and performance.
Okay, I wasn't entirely sure on the situation. I agree that the way they are calculated is bogus, but it's about the only way to compare teams other than eye test.
And with regards to Portugal, they may not have been playing like a top team recently, but Spain also didn't play like the #1 team in the world during the World Cup. Chemistry on those national teams is important. It's easy to lose and hard to gain.
Any ranking system will leave a lot of questions, but I do prefer the Elo rankings:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Football_Elo_Ratings
at a glance, they much better reflect my "eye test" of where teams stand. i would ask why FIFA doesn't consider using a 3rd party ranking like this, but then i would recognize my folly...
agree 1000% which is why it is completely stupid that they used the FIFA rankings to determine the top 8 seeds this time around...
anyone who watched Portugal qualify out of UEFA knows they are not a top 8 team in the world, and that is just one example. Take the subjectivity out of it and use qualifying as the seeding method:
8 seeds:
Host Nation
UEFA (13/32 = 3 seeded teams)
CONMEBOL (5/32 = 1 seeded team)
CAF (5/32 = 1 seeded team)
CONCACAF (4/32 = 1 seeded team)
AFC (4/32 = 1 seeded team)
there is no rounding up, but rounding can be used to determine any tie breakers. ie: if Mexico lost to NZ, CONCACAF would have lost its 1 spot and either CONMEBOL or CAF would have gotten a 2nd spot.
It's not perfect, but neither is the FIFA ranking method, and lord help us if there was a FIFA selection committee!
Wasn't being a sad Susie. Nor was I stating that they accomplished nothing. That would be ignorant. I'm proud like every other 'Merican.
lol Brazil. Nicely done.
1-0 loss to Germany doesn't looks so bad now, does it? haha.
Die Mannschaft!!
Now, I don't follow/care about/know soccer at all, but isn't it a bad thing (for Brazil) when the announcer is saying it's "amateur hour"?
Yep, they're awful. And they won't even preserve any dignity with the way they keep trying to flop in the box to get a cheap penalty kick. It's been a long time since "Joga Bonito" (the way Brazil used to play years ago, they MADE the term "beautiful game".)
Yeah, I don't like soccer or watching it at all, but I watched a lot of this game and enjoyed it, mostly just because by the end the announcers were just like:
lol
Gotta give Germany a lot of credit, but also have to heap a lot of the blame on Brazil. For the first ten minutes or so, Brazil looked lively, but after the second goal, it was just a complete implosion. I'm gonna suggest that this loss, by this margin, was 80% Brazil not showing up and 20% Germany flat-out outclassing them.
Sad for Brazil. Unfortunately for them, the sheer magnitude of the scoreline is going to make them look like the biggest disappointment in the tournament, instead of Spain, who I think was an even bigger disappointment.
Germany has looked like the most complete team in the tournament, but at this point I'm probably rooting for Argentina to take it all. I think that Germany will probably win it, but I'm not going to extrapolate this victory into an assumption of Germany's dominance. They'll have a much tougher game against whoever comes from the Holland/Argentina game.
Beamer: Germany...they'll really get after ya.
the entire soccer watching world: Germany. . . they'll really get after ya.
I didn't get to watch the game, but of course the "all of the goals" videos are around and I saw those. It's a shame for Brazil, but I swear without Tim Howard, that would have been USA v Belgium with a ridiculous score like that and the world would be laughing.
Even the great Tim Howard, Secretary of the Defense, could not have saved a number of Germany's goals. Brazil forgot what defending was. Germany had a ton of easy looks because Brazil wouldn't press them.
Yup, there's a big difference between the space Germany had to operate and what we gave Belgium. There's nothing Cesar could do for almost all of Germany's goals.
Seriously like even when Cesar would come out and be aggressive on the forwards they'd just dish it to another wide open guy at the 6 and from there it'd be a simple game of don't hit that Brazilian defender and its a goal. There's nothing Cesar could've done the Brazilian defense had more holes than swiss cheese
Not sure if yall have seen this yet, but I found this hilarious. Still feel bad for Brazil.
Jim Ross from WWF calls the play by play for Germany..
http://screamer.deadspin.com/here-is-j-r-jim-ross-calling-the-brazil-ger...
Argentina was more impressive yesterday than I thought they'd be. Funny, it has taken me this long to realize how well organized and experienced the Argentinian defense is. They're not big, fast guys, but they're good at containing people. I had always thought they were the South American version of Portugal, Messi + 10, but they have solid talent at every position. Mascherano was all over the field yesterday. Romero looked like he wasn't going to let anything in. The coach took out Higuain, which I thought was a mistake, but then I realized they brought in Maxi Rodriguez and Sergio Aguero. Higuain has been playing well enough, but I totally forgot those guys were on the bench. I'm going to have to recast my expectations for this team.
Arjen Robben was nowhere to be seen yesterday. I thought he'd be a big problem with his speed, but he wasn't all that effective. Snijder was a disaster. He was the Dutch Michael Bradley, a guy who played really well a tournament ago but never found his form in this tournament. Van Persie is way overrated when playing for country. I was really sad to see Vlaar miss his PK, although I was rooting for Argentina, he stands out as the best center back in the tournament. Cillessen lived dangerously with his outfield play at times, and there were no subs left to get Krul in for PKs. Hard to call this a coaching blunder...but it kinda was, having seen how good he was against Costa Rica.
It'll be hard to pick Argentina over Germany. I don't think Germany can play that well twice in a row, and I think Argentina has a defense that will be a lot harder to penetrate than Brazil made it. Here's hoping Messi can augment his rightful spot among soccer royalty and bring the Cup to Argentina. Please, Joachim Loew, please start Mertesacker...
Yeah I feel ya I really didn't notice Argentina until they were unbeaten through like 20 in south american qualifying. Then I thought there's gotta be more to this team, and I realized how well their defence has been playing. Their coach really got them on the right track there's a ton of chemistry on this team which is more to say than Argentina teams in the last decade or so. Leaving tevez off was a great decision as talented as he was.
I predicted Argentina vs Germany in the finals. Yay me! That never happens. Anyways.
I knew going in that Argentina had some serious talent. Higuain is a massive player, and di Maria (who was injured for yesterday's game) has been huge in the earlier games. This may be the best Mascherano has played in years though. But Zabaleta is also a great RB. They're definitely a more talented "supporting cast" than Portugal's.
Sneijder didn't really have expectations this tournament. At least not in my mind. He's been kind of an afterthought ever since the last World Cup. Robben and RvP having the fewest touches of any player out there at halftime gave me so much joy (I dislike both of them immensely).
I think Germany wins. Ever since Loew has started playing Lahm at his rightful spot at RB, that team has been rolling even harder than before. And I wouldn't be too excited about Mertesacker being on from an Argentine perspective. What he lacks in pace he almost always makes up for in positioning. He's a better choice than Howedes in the center. But it'll likely be Hummels (who I think is the best CB in the tournament by the way) and Boateng. Also, Germany has a huge advantage of +1 days of rest and not having to play an overtime in the semi's. Plus they kinda coasted through the 2nd half of their game for obvious reasons.
Hummels will definitely be in there for Germany with Boateng. I want Mertesacker in there because the Argentine forwards are so quick he won't be able to cover them. Joachim Loew knows this, though, so I'm sure Mertesacker won't see the field.
100% agreed about Argentina having to play 120+ while Germany started taking it easy after 29 minutes, a day earlier to boot. I'm hoping Argentina's trainers have a magic potion to recover their players, and I hope di Maria makes it back for the final.
I think if Loew would figure out how to get Ozil back in the middle of the pitch, Argentina wouldn't stand a chance. He's definitely not quite as good out on the wing. But at least he's starting to play a true forward now. While I like Muller plenty, he's far better coming in from the right.
That's *tear* beautiful.
Me watching the game yesterday:
I wonder how many heads were lost and organs illegally harvested after that Brazilian beatdown (too soon?)...
Germany will win but Messi will catch the snitch.