The Official World Cup Thread

[Brendan]

wow .. what an awful cup for the u.s. arena is just terrible .. how can you wait until the 60ith minute to realize that we need players in there who can score? this better be his last year as coach. judging by the way beasley and donovan played, it makes me wonder if he has the same effect on younger players as dusty. the lone bright spot of the wc, at least offensively, was beasley's steal and assist to dempsey, which, as i saw it, was a purely instinctive "soccer" move .. something he reacted to rather than thought about. i dunno .. now i'm just rambling.

 

oh, and these games in the world cup are averaging 5 yellow cards a game?! what, is c.b. bucknor reffing soccer now too?

 

i was unbelievably pissed at that pk opportunity, but it turns out it didn't matter at all. we still couldn't score.

 

i guess we won't finish 32nd this year, but i bet (with our goal differential) we'll be very close....

Edited June 22, 2006 by Brendan

[USSoccer]

I finally got to watch a game live, and it's the game we get bounced...

 

I hope Claudio Reyna never plays another minute for the USMNT. He is useless. He consistently makes cripplingly bad decisions, slows the pace of attacks down which plays to our weakness, and is an offensive nonfactor. His crap decision making with the ball v ITA and his junior high-eque giveaway today cost the US both games. For your captain and supposedly most experienced player to not realize that it's stupid to dribble out of the back is unforgiveable. I cannot, cannot stand watching him on the field for the US.

 

Landon Donovan needs to shut up and go play in England or Spain and learn how to finish. He was by far the most dissapointing player in the 3 games. It certainly didn't help that Arena played him out of position the entire tournament, but he didn't do anything either. If he wants to stay in MLS, he'll never progress beyond a CONCACAF impact player.

 

Beasley sucked with the exception of one non-goal and one pretty assist to Dempsey. He played tentatively the entire Cup.

 

Bocanegra's clearance put Gooch in a crap position on the PK foul, but there is no planet that exists where that little bit of contact deserves a PK in stoppage time at the end of a half. Terrible, terrible call. Just awful.

 

Once again, terrible service from the wings, and flat out pathetic set pieces.

 

The US will continue to struggle against top competition until the develop a real striker and better wing players. Dempsey took his goal well, but I am thinking he might be better served in more of a central role. Convey looked aggressive but couldn't put a pass on target the entire time.

 

What a depressing setback for soccer in the US.

[goonys evil twin]

Is it just me or every time they cut to Arena is he either shaking his head or tossing his arm(s) in the air. He sure seems like an idiot to me.

 

You're not the only one that thinks he's an idiot.

 

Wynalda is laying into Arena pretty good.

 

What a terrible showing.

 

I don't know anything about soccer strategy, but I don't know how anybody can be inspired by that guy. His body language is awful during the game and he just mopes around like he's waiting for his wife to finish trying on outfits.

[ConstableRabbit]

not only was this a chance to earn respect but a chance to put soccer into the mainstream of sports in america

ugh another 4 years

 

We've been hearing that for 20+ years. It's not going to happen anytime soon.

 

If anything I think this World Cup may have turned off more people in this country. A lot of people (myself included) were willing to give soccer a chance after hearing about this team that was supposedly going to put us on the map. Instead we got a horrible showing and repeatedly watched guys flopping and writhing around on the ground after little or no contact.

Like others have said, the diving and crying is just pathetic to watch. I shutter to think of what may happen if these guys tried to play hockey or football. I never knew that falling on grass could induce such horrible injuries. Act like a man or at least a youth athlete for crying out loud.

 

Part of the problem is that the officials are buying it. If they start giving out more yellows for diving and stalling (which they really should), it'd be a much different game.

 

Soccer's bad, but look at the NBA. How many times do we see superstars fall on their own for a call. It happened at least twice in game 6 of the finals on Wade's part.

 

Just play the game.

[soccer10k]

Holy crap take the shot Donovan.

 

Dribbles in the box and then cuts it back out. My God...

 

So much for our coming out party. If not for the fans or the team, at least do it for the sake of soccer in the country. Once again, the US is just a team the rest of the world has no problem playing. No credibility. ARGH!

 

Even just advancing to the next round would have meant so much to soccer in the country.

 

It certainly would've meant a lot to me. And now in South Africa, we get another crappy seeding (albeit less crappy with '98 out of the picture) because of our poor showing. Just very disappointing.

 

And hopefully next time (and later on in this year's cup) the officials let the guys play soccer. The diving and crying has reached a new low.

 

Our seeding isn't to improve at all for the 2010 World Cup. Sure 1998 is off the books, but 2006 is on the books. We got 1 point this year vs 0 points in 1998. With Mexico advancing this year we have virtually no chance of being seeded in 2006.

[hawkeyecub]

True. But at least in the NBA they're getting knocked to a hardwood floor (from a few feet in the air) by guys up to 7 feet tall and 260+ pounds. Much different than diving onto their side to a grass field.

 

I'm not trying to call ALL soccer players wimps and in our defense the U.S. team did less diving and crying than most other teams. I'm certainly no soccer fan but I did go into this World Cup with an open mind, but the theatrics are just embarrassing and really turn me (and others I presume) away from the game.

That's not to mention the total lack of real scoring threats (not just goals).

[soccer10k]

All the progress made in 2002 is cancelled out. See you in South Africa (I hope).

 

I wouldn't necessarily say that all the progress is cancelled out. When you factor in the fact that we were in the Group of Death and we did play well against Italy (and we'll never know how well because of that idiot Uruguayan referee) and decently against Ghana. We just got unlucky. We laid an egg against Poland in the third game of 2002 and IIRC needed South Korea to defeat Portugal to advance. We could have easily not advanced in 2002 as well.

 

I agree that it is a setback, but considering that we shouldn't have been favored to advance based on the group we were in, I wouldn't say it cancels out the progress in 2002.

[soccer10k]

I hope Claudio Reyna never plays another minute for the USMNT. He is useless. He consistently makes cripplingly bad decisions, slows the pace of attacks down which plays to our weakness, and is an offensive nonfactor. His crap decision making with the ball v ITA and his junior high-eque giveaway today cost the US both games. For your captain and supposedly most experienced player to not realize that it's stupid to dribble out of the back is unforgiveable. I cannot, cannot stand watching him on the field for the US.

 

Landon Donovan needs to shut up and go play in England or Spain and learn how to finish. He was by far the most dissapointing player in the 3 games. It certainly didn't help that Arena played him out of position the entire tournament, but he didn't do anything either. If he wants to stay in MLS, he'll never progress beyond a CONCACAF impact player.

 

Beasley sucked with the exception of one non-goal and one pretty assist to Dempsey. He played tentatively the entire Cup.

 

Reyna is getting old and I agree that he should be done.

 

I agree with these points completely. I think it's safe to say that Landon Donovan is one of the most overrated players in the world and probably the most overrated player on the team. He didn't do a thing in the World Cup and he's supposed to be our best player? Please.

 

Beasley's pass and non-goal are going to completely overshadow the fact that he sucked, which is unfortunate.

[Banedon]

Is it just me or every time they cut to Arena is he either shaking his head or tossing his arm(s) in the air. He sure seems like an idiot to me.

 

You're not the only one that thinks he's an idiot.

 

Wynalda is laying into Arena pretty good.

 

What a terrible showing.

 

I don't know anything about soccer strategy, but I don't know how anybody can be inspired by that guy. His body language is awful during the game and he just mopes around like he's waiting for his wife to finish trying on outfits.

 

As a fellow non-soccer person, I think that's an excellent description.

[soccer10k]

i guess we won't finish 32nd this year, but i bet (with our goal differential) we'll be very close....

 

Costa Rica and Serbia & Montenegro have already finished 0-3. Trinidad & Tobago and Iran have also finished with 1 point and a -4 GD. Croatia, Japan, Togo, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia are the only other teams are the only other teams that could finish worse than the US. So yes, we will be close to last and will for sure finish in the bottom quarter of the teams.

[soccer10k]

Final Group E Standings

Team             W    D    L    P   GS   GA   GD
Italy            2    1    0    7    5    1    4
Ghana            2    0    1    6    4    3    1
Czech Republic   1    0    2    3    3    4   -1
United States    0    1    2    1    2    6   -4

 

Italy and Ghana advance

[Balsa]

i guess we won't finish 32nd this year, but i bet (with our goal differential) we'll be very close....

 

Costa Rica and Serbia & Montenegro have already finished 0-3. Trinidad & Tobago and Iran have also finished with 1 point and a -4 GD. Croatia, Japan, Togo, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia are the only other teams are the only other teams that could finish worse than the US. So yes, we will be close to last and will for sure finish in the bottom quarter of the teams.

:x :(

[UMFan83]

Lost in the shuffle of the US disapointment was the play of Ghana. They played very solid in the last 2 games (despite all the ticky tack fouls) and they deserved to advance. Congrats to Ghana, although I wish it didn't come at out expense.

 

Even though they got a lopsided win against us, the Czechs should be more disapointed then we are. They played like crap the last 2 games and their frustration was evident at the end of today's game.

 

Somehow Italy played only decent and not only advanced but avoided Brazil. What a wacky group this was....

[sweetpeteman]

The US is out! The US is out!

 

 

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/8088/breakdancingbear1xl.gif

[Balsa]

Even though they got a lopsided win against us, the Czechs should be more disapointed then we are. They played like crap the last 2 games and their frustration was evident at the end of today's game.

Jan Koller.

[hardcorecubfan]

Fifa must be disapointed losing 250 million potential fans to a 22 million population country.

 

OOPs, I forgot Mexico is in so the almost majority of Ameicans will still be watching.

 

With my Swiss-German ancestory I should be interested in this slow moving game. (granted it was 250 years ago they migrated here)

[YearofDaCubs]

Holy crap take the shot Donovan.

 

Dribbles in the box and then cuts it back out. My God...

 

So much for our coming out party. If not for the fans or the team, at least do it for the sake of soccer in the country. Once again, the US is just a team the rest of the world has no problem playing. No credibility. ARGH!

 

Even just advancing to the next round would have meant so much to soccer in the country.

 

It certainly would've meant a lot to me. And now in South Africa, we get another crappy seeding (albeit less crappy with '98 out of the picture) because of our poor showing. Just very disappointing.

 

And hopefully next time (and later on in this year's cup) the officials let the guys play soccer. The diving and crying has reached a new low.

I have to agree with you there, I hate seeing these players carried out on a stretcher and be back on the field in 5 min. Ridiculous.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Hopefully this is it for Arena.

 

I think it's gotta be.

 

Who do you want replacing him?

[UMFan83]

Even though they got a lopsided win against us, the Czechs should be more disapointed then we are. They played like crap the last 2 games and their frustration was evident at the end of today's game.

Jan Koller.

 

The Czechs were very very overrated if the loss of one striker (albeit their best) was the sole reason why they couldn't get one point in their last 2 games.

[ConstableRabbit]

The US is out! The US is out!

 

 

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/8088/breakdancingbear1xl.gif

 

Somehow, that dancing bear suddenly makes the dismal US performance OK... :lol:

[YearofDaCubs]

Hopefully this is it for Arena.

 

I think it's gotta be.

 

Who do you want replacing him?

I would like to see a coach come in that has had experience coaching in Europe.

[RynoRules]

I don't know enough to opine, so I am soliciting others:

 

Is this the greatest disappointment in US soccer history? Will it set the game back in this country?

[Balsa]

Even though they got a lopsided win against us, the Czechs should be more disapointed then we are. They played like crap the last 2 games and their frustration was evident at the end of today's game.

Jan Koller.

 

The Czechs were very very overrated if the loss of one striker (albeit their best) was the sole reason why they couldn't get one point in their last 2 games.

"It's a ripple effect you know? Our big guy goes down, and guys start trying to do more than they're capable of. We just gotta catch some breaks."

[Marco4]

Even though they got a lopsided win against us, the Czechs should be more disapointed then we are. They played like crap the last 2 games and their frustration was evident at the end of today's game.

Jan Koller.

 

The Czechs were very very overrated if the loss of one striker (albeit their best) was the sole reason why they couldn't get one point in their last 2 games.

 

Lokvenc. Baros. Ujfalusi. All three missed at least one game.

Edited June 22, 2006 by Marco4

[imb]

I don't know enough to opine, so I am soliciting others:

 

Is this the greatest disappointment in US soccer history? Will it set the game back in this country?

 

I cant decide if 98 or 06 was worse. In 98, we were just terrible, in 06, we were terrible AND we had expectations going in. I dont know.

 

After 98 everyone said it would set american soccer back, but look at 02. Who knows what will happen.