whitesoxfan101 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Jun 12, 2006 -> 06:32 PM) Just beat Italy and Ghana and they should be in decent shape, correct? Beat Italy and Ghana and the U.S. advances no question, but in that senario (assuming the Czech's win at least 1 of their last 2 games), the U.S. will be the #2 coming out of the pool and will probably have to play Brazil as a result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Jun 12, 2006 -> 05:32 PM) Beat Italy and Ghana and the U.S. advances no question, but in that senario (assuming the Czech's win at least 1 of their last 2 games), the U.S. will be the #2 coming out of the pool and will probably have to play Brazil as a result. Couldn't Czech's defeat Ghana and Italy defeat the Czechs with the US defeating Italy and Ghana, meaning you have 3 teams that went 2-1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxFan1 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Jun 12, 2006 -> 06:32 PM) Just beat Italy and Ghana and they should be in decent shape, correct? Sound easy doesn't it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan101 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Jun 12, 2006 -> 07:34 PM) Couldn't Czech's defeat Ghana and Italy defeat the Czechs with the US defeating Italy and Ghana, meaning you have 3 teams that went 2-1. Yes you could, and I think it comes down to goal differential in that senario. However, keep in mind: goal differential: U.S.: -3 Italy: +2 Czech's: +3 s***!! That would mean the U.S. is out even if they won both of those games. So your right, the U.S. could still possibly not advance. So the Czech's need to beat Italy, or tie them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Jun 12, 2006 -> 05:38 PM) Sound easy doesn't it. Not at all. Things would look a lot better if they took care of business on Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonkeyKongerko Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Simply outclassed. I feel sorry for the kids who believed the US was really the 5th best team in the world before this game. FIFA really pulled a number on them. Don't expect much against the Azzurri either. Ghana already gave them all of the wakeup call that they probably didn't even need. That team has to be playing with a chip on their shoulder after what they've gone through the past few years. Until the US can put together a core of at least 5 or 6 guys with good soccer instincts and the ability to make good first touches, they will never match up on the international level with any of the top European clubs. Sure they can catch one off guard once in a while, especially if they're a chokejob like Portugal, but sustained success will have to start with foreign-experienced players and probably a good foreign coach as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3 BeWareTheNewSox 5 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Jun 12, 2006 -> 06:32 PM) Why wouldn't there be a US update at halftime. If we were in Germany they would be giving constant updates of the German team. Just beat Italy and Ghana and they should be in decent shape, correct? In other words, start packing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DePloderer Posted June 13, 2006 Author Share Posted June 13, 2006 QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Jun 12, 2006 -> 05:01 PM) They're doing the same things in China, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Mexico, and Serbia. Bash them too. Not here. During half time the BBC will cover the previous 45 mins and highlights of any other game played that day. There will probably be 30 seconds or so on the latest injury scare, or interview with a player, but that's about it. I can never get over how USA centric American sports coverage is whenever I'm over there during the Olympics, World Athletics Champs etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman31 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 The US was quite awful today. A lot of good points have been made, but I'd like to add upon what has been said and add some ideas. 1. MLS does blow but it has breeded guys so they can go to play over in Europe. We don't have many guys that can go straight to Europe out of high school or college. 2. Eddie Lewis was pretty good as a sub in 02 IIRC and Arena should have played him more. Playing him at D was a joke. 3. Beasley on right? Are you kidding me? Arena was quoted as saying he got nothing out of Beasley. No s*** asshole that's your fault for putting him on the right for possibly the first time ever. Beasley heavily leans towards his left, but that's ok when you play him at LM or LW. Arena took Beasley out of the game and while Convey had a superb send off match he isn't as well rounded as Beasley. Arena probably figured Beasley would be better suited to play the right than Convey, but it just wasn't working. Stick Beasley at LCM in your 4-5-1 before putting him on the right. 4. Italy has a history of surprising upsets, letdowns, etc. but there is no Italy team that would surrender a goal to the performance of the US today. 5. The US will be lucky to get a point out of group play. They will be even more outclassed by Italy (who looked impressive against Ghana, Totti's injury status is in question but they won't need Totti against the US). After going 0-2 they won't try for their finale, much like 98, and like 98 will face another 0-2 team that's just happy to be there (Iran). On top of that Ghana might actually be better than the US right now. Sure, Ghana's defense was pretty suspect, but they got some talent up front and probably more over speed. 6. I'm rooting for Italy against the US. I heavily root for the Italians (going with my blood) and don't want the US pulling off some sort of miracle upset to ruin Italy's chances. Italy actually has a chance to do something this Cup. 7. Donovan isn't that good, period. He never dominates like people say he should, simply he isn't that good. He's fast with decent ball skills, but he's too undersized for forward and doesn't have the mind of a midfielder. 8. Arena needs to get canned. He has always picked bad players and tactics, but got away with it until now. 9. Keller was way overrated by the ESPN people. He's always been trash with the national team and that continued today. Maybe the goals weren't his fault, maybe he doesn't organize his defense well, but he is way overrated. I miss Friedel. That is all until the next US match when I get to watch the Azzurri f*** up the arrogant Yanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 South Korea playing Togo right now. Not really the type of game you'd really want to be watching, but Adebayor the Arsenal striker looks dangerous for Togo up front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxFan1 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 (edited) Korea with a spectacular 2nd half comes back to win 2-1. France/Switzerland should be a great match. Edited June 13, 2006 by SoxFan1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AssHatSoxFan Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 does croatia stand any chance against brazil today? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxFan1 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 QUOTE(AssHatSoxFan @ Jun 13, 2006 -> 10:45 AM) does croatia stand any chance against brazil today? No one stands a chance against Brazil. The only teams I see competing with Brazil are the Czechs, French, and Portugese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan101 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 0-0 France-Swiss so far, getting ready to start the 2nd half. Both teams missed golden chances so far, the Swiss had 2 men all alone in the box, but the shot hit the goalpost...and then later the French had a 1 on 1 breakaway with the goalie, but the player inexplicably passed the ball and f***ed up the whole play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxFan1 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Jun 13, 2006 -> 12:00 PM) 0-0 France-Swiss so far, getting ready to start the 2nd half. Both teams missed golden chances so far, the Swiss had 2 men all alone in the box, but the shot hit the goalpost...and then later the French had a 1 on 1 breakaway with the goalie, but the player inexplicably passed the ball and f***ed up the whole play. The game ended in a draw. And your right about that French play. Ribery was all alone with the keeper on the keepers left side and instead of taking a shot on goal, he passes back to Henry in traffic. Henry has trouble controlling it, then takes a shot and hits the hand of a Swiss defender. A no call on the handball. Ribery really made some mistakes in his 2nd international appearance. The French underachieved today. Brazil in 30 minutes!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Alot of good points have been brought up. But being someone who played soccer all their life until age 21, i noticed a severe disparity in the talent levels between the two teams. The US doesnt even appear to get good first touches on the ball. They also are extremely boring and predictable when it comes to their attacking. Their passed arent creative at all, and most of the time their touches are atrotious. I just dont think that we have the talent in this club that we need to succeed. It would almost be better to go with a younger team so at least physically we could sustain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxFan1 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 QUOTE(RockRaines @ Jun 13, 2006 -> 01:34 PM) Alot of good points have been brought up. But being someone who played soccer all their life until age 21, i noticed a severe disparity in the talent levels between the two teams. The US doesnt even appear to get good first touches on the ball. They also are extremely boring and predictable when it comes to their attacking. Their passed arent creative at all, and most of the time their touches are atrotious. I just dont think that we have the talent in this club that we need to succeed. It would almost be better to go with a younger team so at least physically we could sustain. I'm willing to bet that at leats 50% of their passes were lateral or backwards. You can't score goals going towards your own goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Jun 13, 2006 -> 01:40 PM) I'm willing to bet that at leats 50% of their passes were lateral or backwards. You can't score goals going towards your own goal. The problem I saw is when they were going backwards with their movement, there was almost no purpose other than to keep the ball away from the other team. If they were swinging the ball, or setting up some overlaps I would understand, but almost none of that happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackie hayes Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 QUOTE(RockRaines @ Jun 13, 2006 -> 02:50 PM) The problem I saw is when they were going backwards with their movement, there was almost no purpose other than to keep the ball away from the other team. If they were swinging the ball, or setting up some overlaps I would understand, but almost none of that happened. Yeah, they looked shocked at how fast the Czechs got on them, and the only place to go was back. And all the passes in the air, with the extra time it takes to control them, didn't help any. I can't understand how any team at this level could look so slow and confused. Everyone's talking about what must happen for the US to get out of this bracket. I'm just trying to get an idea where US soccer is -- is that REALLY our team? Forget Italy -- if that team keeps showing up, I have no doubt we'll go 0-3-0. Wow, Brazil is really fun to watch. Though Croatia isn't playing them badly. I yelled at that one free kick -- I thought they had a great shot there. There we go...1-0 Brazil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman31 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Jun 13, 2006 -> 10:49 AM) No one stands a chance against Brazil. The only teams I see competing with Brazil are the Czechs, French, and Portugese. That's a pretty awful group to pick that can compete against Brazil. France has major questions after the scoreless draw with the Swiss. Portugal has a history of underachieving so I'm not going to even consider them. The Czechs looked good but they were playing us. I'm thinking England, Italy, and maybe Argentina or Holland among a few others could hang with/beat Brazil. I'd be stunned if any of the teams you mentioned made it to the semis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 QUOTE(danman31 @ Jun 13, 2006 -> 01:07 PM) That's a pretty awful group to pick that can compete against Brazil. France has major questions after the scoreless draw with the Swiss. Portugal has a history of underachieving so I'm not going to even consider them. The Czechs looked good but they were playing us. I'm thinking England, Italy, and maybe Argentina or Holland among a few others could hang with/beat Brazil. I'd be stunned if any of the teams you mentioned made it to the semis. Argentina and the Dutch are possibilities and I don't know how you can count out the Germans. Can't see England doing it nor the Italy team of yesterday, but Italy has the talent and if they can build upon things as the cup goes on it could be a possibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman31 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Jun 13, 2006 -> 03:08 PM) Argentina and the Dutch are possibilities and I don't know how you can count out the Germans. Can't see England doing it nor the Italy team of yesterday, but Italy has the talent and if they can build upon things as the cup goes on it could be a possibility. Yeah I don't know how I forgot Germany, they are my #2 pick in the tourney. England has the talent but they usually choke, similar to Portugal I guess. Italy looked fine, don't forget Ghana isn't that bad and Italy beat them by 2 goals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxFan1 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 (edited) QUOTE(danman31 @ Jun 13, 2006 -> 03:07 PM) That's a pretty awful group to pick that can compete against Brazil. France has major questions after the scoreless draw with the Swiss. Portugal has a history of underachieving so I'm not going to even consider them. The Czechs looked good but they were playing us. I'm thinking England, Italy, and maybe Argentina or Holland among a few others could hang with/beat Brazil. I'd be stunned if any of the teams you mentioned made it to the semis. I disagree. France just has a few gameplan issues to iron out. When they click, they will be a force to be reckoned with. When they get rid of that dumbass 4-5-1, they will be fine. And as far as Portugal, they are not going to choke this year. I have a good feeling about them. They play cohesively as a unit and have a great mix of verterans and younger players. Figo and Ronaldo is one of the best midefield duos. The Czech's are going to impress. Don't say they looked good because it was the U.S. The Czechs are the 2nd best team in the world. Forget rankings, look at records and talent. The Czech's are amazing. They made the US look foolish because the US is overrated. The Czech's are for real. Oh, and the Netherlands and Germany are both too inexperienced to compete with Brazil. Brazil played poorly and still won. Edited June 13, 2006 by SoxFan1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3 BeWareTheNewSox 5 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 Brazil is good but looks vulnerable (bad word, maybe, 'not unbeatable') to me More bad news for USA, Totti cleared to play Saturday (after it looked like he might have hurt his leg again) and Gattuso (YES!) and Zambrotta should also be available Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan101 Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 QUOTE(3 BeWareTheNewSox 5 @ Jun 13, 2006 -> 04:02 PM) Brazil is good but looks vulnerable (bad word, maybe, 'not unbeatable') to me More bad news for USA, Totti cleared to play Saturday (after it looked like he might have hurt his leg again) and Gattuso (YES!) and Zambrotta should also be available I think the worst news for the U.S. is they are poorly coached, undersized, being gunned for, and playing somebody that's damn good. But maybe that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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