Official 2010 World Cup Thread

[iamshack]

Jesus, we think we got screwed....England got raped!

[LittleHurt05]

Jesus, we think we got screwed....England got raped!

 

Wow, just saw the replay. That one missed call is way worse than both bad calls vs. USA combined!!

[iamshack]

England getting burned by counters within 5 minutes of eachother to give up 2 goals.

 

David James having a similarly terrible game as Tim Howard.

[DBAHO]

James wasn't the problem, it was England's back 4 as a whole, mainly John Terry who was woeful.

 

That's probably the worst England performance I've ever seen in my life, Capello is a goner.

 

Going to be a very interesting 24 hours here.

[iamshack]

James wasn't the problem, it was England's back 4 as a whole, mainly John Terry who was woeful.

 

That's probably the worst England performance I've ever seen in my life, Capello is a goner.

 

Going to be a very interesting 24 hours here.

I didn't say he was the problem. I said he had a terrible game.

 

Oh boy, Jurgen Klinsmann just said that soccer, like basketball, needs to develop in the "lower class environments." I think he is probably correct, but I can see that being interpreted wrong and turned into a big s***storm.

[DBAHO]

I didn't say he was the problem. I said he had a terrible game.

 

Oh boy, Jurgen Klinsmann just said that soccer, like basketball, needs to develop in the "lower class environments." I think he is probably correct, but I can see that being interpreted wrong and turned into a big s***storm.

The chances that Germany scored on were so clear cut though, besides the 3rd goal, James really couldn't have done much more.

 

All of the England pundits on BBC said he was there best player, which pretty much says how s*** the rest of the team were.

[iamshack]

The chances that Germany scored on were so clear cut though, besides the 3rd goal, James really couldn't have done much more.

 

All of the England pundits on BBC said he was there best player, which pretty much says how s*** the rest of the team were.

Yeah, the third goal is what prompted my comment and was a huge, huge goal in that game.

 

That first goal Germany scored was awful from England's perspective as well, and I'm not so sure James shouldn't have come off his line earlier to cut off the angle more.

[DBAHO]

Yeah, the third goal is what prompted my comment and was a huge, huge goal in that game.

 

That first goal Germany scored was awful from England's perspective as well, and I'm not so sure James shouldn't have come off his line earlier to cut off the angle more.

Howard's positioning on Ghana's 1st goal last night was worse than James' I'd say, and Mueller's shot was pretty powerful unlike Boateng's.

 

Upson's and Terry's positioning on that goal kick was just absolutely terrible.

[iamshack]

Howard's positioning on Ghana's 1st goal last night was worse than James' I'd say, and Mueller's shot was pretty powerful unlike Boateng's.

 

Upson's and Terry's positioning on that goal kick was just absolutely terrible.

Yeah, I can agree with you. And I'm not ignorant, I know you watch a lot more soccer than I do.

[Soxbadger]

What Jurgen said wont get much traction because English is not his first language so his comment was not as elegant as it could have been.

 

What he meant (I believe) is that as long as soccer is pay to play in the US, you are excluding many of the most talented players. Conversely if you go to the city you see kids playing basketball for free, developing their skills.

 

And I wonder if Jurgen has a shot to become the next US coach, I know there was talk before Bradley, but it kind of seemed like Jurgen had the fire again. I think the other problem that was commented on is that the US league is way behind many of the Euro leagues, and if the US really wants to start making an impact in soccer, its pro teams are going to need to become world class so that kids dream of growing up to be rich like Messi.

[DBAHO]

Yeah, I can agree with you. And I'm not ignorant, I know you watch a lot more soccer than I do.

Yeah, well I mean you conceed 4 goals and you think well the keeper must have been just terrible, but this game was almost a carbon copy of the Germany vs. Australia game earlier on.

 

Germany have got great passing b/w Ozil, Klose, Mueller and Podolski and you've got to press them for 90 mins. The last 2 goals, England simply were sending too many men forward too early on.

 

Germany vs. Argentina I think could easily be the game of the tournament though.

 

Ozil vs. Messi would be great to watch.

[chw42]

England's defense was even worse the U.S.'s yesterday.

 

They had about two long lobs go for goals because there was nobody back there.

[DBAHO]

What Jurgen said wont get much traction because English is not his first language so his comment was not as elegant as it could have been.

 

What he meant (I believe) is that as long as soccer is pay to play in the US, you are excluding many of the most talented players. Conversely if you go to the city you see kids playing basketball for free, developing their skills.

 

And I wonder if Jurgen has a shot to become the next US coach, I know there was talk before Bradley, but it kind of seemed like Jurgen had the fire again. I think the other problem that was commented on is that the US league is way behind many of the Euro leagues, and if the US really wants to start making an impact in soccer, its pro teams are going to need to become world class so that kids dream of growing up to be rich like Messi.

Realistically, I don't think the MLS is ever going to get close to the likes of the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga etc.

 

You just pretty much have to accept that the best players are definitely going to go to Europe from an early age if they're good enough.

 

The US should focus on building more world class academies and improving the training facilities of the MLS teams and to try and improve the standard that way.

 

As for the next US manager, if the US want a foreign manager, I'd say Klinsmann could be an option but he's been out of management for a while now. Capello should definitely become available, Sven - Goran Erikkson will become available after leaving the Ivory Coast.

[iamshack]

What Jurgen said wont get much traction because English is not his first language so his comment was not as elegant as it could have been.

 

What he meant (I believe) is that as long as soccer is pay to play in the US, you are excluding many of the most talented players. Conversely if you go to the city you see kids playing basketball for free, developing their skills.

 

And I wonder if Jurgen has a shot to become the next US coach, I know there was talk before Bradley, but it kind of seemed like Jurgen had the fire again. I think the other problem that was commented on is that the US league is way behind many of the Euro leagues, and if the US really wants to start making an impact in soccer, its pro teams are going to need to become world class so that kids dream of growing up to be rich like Messi.

Oh, I understand what he meant, and honestly, he was spot on. I was just commenting on the media's desire to turn non-stories into big stories, if there is the slightest scent of blood in the water.

 

What Jurgen said is absolutely true - many of the world's most popular sports need to be played by the masses in order to develop a truly powerful national program. While soccer is widely played in the US, it isn't played with the sort of passion and desire that games like baseball and basketball are in this country. Our youth leagues are pretty lame from a competitive standpoint, at least in comparison to the organization and devotion supporting some of our other youth programs.

 

I'm not sure that is ever going to change in this country either.

 

What DBAHO stated is correct, the best chance the US has is to use our numbers and money to set up world class academies, much like we have been able to do in sports like swimming and gymnastics. We'll never (or at least not in the near future) be able to compete with the best European and South American nations without superior instruction and facilities, because soccer simply isn't the sport that our youth is eating, sleeping, and dreaming like it is on those continents.

[Soxbadger]

I disagree, but Im talking years in the future, it may take 20-30 just for the US league to be on the cusp, and then another 20-30 to start having teams that would be competitive in the major European leagues. The US has world class sports facilities and more importantly is closer to South America than any of the other leagues. The problem is that US sports are built on parity, so MLS has salary cap, etc. In my opinion Soccer world wide is a sport of haves and have nots. Each league has a handful of dominant teams and then other teams.

 

If the US got 1 or 2 eccentric owners, who started shelling out money for some big names, youd start to see more casual fans care. Im pretty sure when teams like Chelsea, Man U tour the US that they sell out those games in pretty big stadiums. Its just hard for US sports fans to spend money on a second rate league. Even Beckham increased ticket sales and he was pretty past his prime. I can imagine the US league starting to snatch up big names as they pass their prime, the problem is that I think they need to start trying to get into South America and get some of the leftovers that the other big clubs are passing on.

 

Ive seen some shows on players in Brazil, and quite frankly some of the teenagers who get cut would be superstars in the US.

[danman31]

Realistically, I don't think the MLS is ever going to get close to the likes of the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga etc.

 

You just pretty much have to accept that the best players are definitely going to go to Europe from an early age if they're good enough.

 

The US should focus on building more world class academies and improving the training facilities of the MLS teams and to try and improve the standard that way.

I think MLS' goal should be getting close to those leagues though. Guys like Charlie Davies and Alejandro Bedoya (who will be key in the next cycle) used Sweden as a stepping stone instead of MLS. Davies worked his way to France's top league and Bedoya is currently a regular in Sweden. MLS needs to be strong enough that their players can go straight from it to a top European league. As it stands guys are leaving MLS to go to the English Championship and Netherlands and leagues of that caliber instead of straight to a big 4 league. Quite a few players are using Scandinavian leagues as their stepping stone instead of MLS. MLS needs to be an American under 25 league and an international over 30 league. They can keep bringing in big names after their prime, but the key is to be able to develop these younger guys longer here so the league improves. The thing is that these players are correct to go elsewhere to develop because it helps their progress. MLS needs to change that somehow.

[SuperSteve]

Another referee blunder. It seems like every game is marked by it now.

[DBAHO]

I think MLS' goal should be getting close to those leagues though. Guys like Charlie Davies and Alejandro Bedoya (who will be key in the next cycle) used Sweden as a stepping stone instead of MLS. Davies worked his way to France's top league and Bedoya is currently a regular in Sweden. MLS needs to be strong enough that their players can go straight from it to a top European league. As it stands guys are leaving MLS to go to the English Championship and Netherlands and leagues of that caliber instead of straight to a big 4 league. Quite a few players are using Scandinavian leagues as their stepping stone instead of MLS. MLS needs to be an American under 25 league and an international over 30 league. They can keep bringing in big names after their prime, but the key is to be able to develop these younger guys longer here so the league improves. The thing is that these players are correct to go elsewhere to develop because it helps their progress. MLS needs to change that somehow.

Well until they can improve the training facilities etc. that just isn't going to happen.

 

And those European Leagues get a lot of money from TV rights that they can then pass onto their clubs, so obviously the MLS has a huge financial burden in that regard in terms of clubs paying their players.

 

Unless the MLS could send a team to the Champions League one day, I think the best US players are always likely to go across the Atlantic to play in a better league.

 

Altidore is pretty much the only one I can think of in the last few years besides Adu who went to a good league in Spain, but then again he looked horrible playing for Hull City in the EPL this season.

[Rowand44]

The US is terrible at finishing. Their forwards just aren't very good. They miss Davies. Findley can't finish to save his life and Jozy is still a work in progress.

Jozy was just brutal yesterday. That game was just heartbreaking, seriously felt like I got stabbed in the heart on that 2nd Ghana goal.

[chw42]

I guess I'm going to have to root for Argentina for the rest of this tournament. Although that Spanish team sure has some good players...

[LittleHurt05]

Oh boy, Jurgen Klinsmann just said that soccer, like basketball, needs to develop in the "lower class environments." I think he is probably correct, but I can see that being interpreted wrong and turned into a big s***storm.

 

You could tell that Jurgen's comments made Mike Tiricio a bit uncomfortable and he was ready to switch to the English commentator. If a full-time American ESPN reporter had said the same stuff, he would definitely be in trouble, but I think Jurgen will be fine since he is a part-time World Cup commentator but from Germany. Plus, most of what he said was 100% right.

Edited June 28, 2010 by LittleHurt05

[Chisoxfn]

The US is terrible at finishing. Their forwards just aren't very good. They miss Davies. Findley can't finish to save his life and Jozy is still a work in progress.

US midfielders are legit, the strikers, not so much, and it hurt us. I'm still heart broken.

[Chisoxfn]

What Jurgen said wont get much traction because English is not his first language so his comment was not as elegant as it could have been.

 

What he meant (I believe) is that as long as soccer is pay to play in the US, you are excluding many of the most talented players. Conversely if you go to the city you see kids playing basketball for free, developing their skills.

 

And I wonder if Jurgen has a shot to become the next US coach, I know there was talk before Bradley, but it kind of seemed like Jurgen had the fire again. I think the other problem that was commented on is that the US league is way behind many of the Euro leagues, and if the US really wants to start making an impact in soccer, its pro teams are going to need to become world class so that kids dream of growing up to be rich like Messi.

I would love Jurgen to be the guy that brings US soccer to the next level.

[GoodAsGould]

US midfielders are legit, the strikers, not so much, and it hurt us. I'm still heart broken.

 

I love Altidore and think he will be a bonafide stud by next World Cup but they need to find someone to put next to him.

[danman31]

Well until they can improve the training facilities etc. that just isn't going to happen.

 

And those European Leagues get a lot of money from TV rights that they can then pass onto their clubs, so obviously the MLS has a huge financial burden in that regard in terms of clubs paying their players.

 

Unless the MLS could send a team to the Champions League one day, I think the best US players are always likely to go across the Atlantic to play in a better league.

Obviously. MLS needs to improve before these players will and should stay longer. I'm just saying it would be nice if the league would be good enough to keep these guys until they are 24 instead of 21 or 22. My point is that these players aren't going to top leagues from MLS. If MLS was good enough to send players straight to a big 4 league, players would be more likely to stay longer. It's definitely a chicken/egg argument. Hard to get the players to stay longer without improving the league, hard to improve the league without keeping the good young talent longer.