The Official World Cup Thread

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Zidane claims he's a man and couldn't take hearing the trash talk anymore. It's too bad he thought of himself instead of the team. I just don't understand all this "I'm a man" I hear from athletes all time. This is how you prove you're a man?

 

First of all, where are the refs in all of this?

 

Secondly, if someone said those things to me, they'd be lucky to get out of the ICU. That Italian player is trash.

 

You said it better than I could have.

[Jon]

Crap. Thornton?

[Jon]

Pathetic.

[Slugger_16]

TT, is your sig what I think it is?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

If you think it's this: http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/4315/zidanesf9ee3ul4wb5vz.gif

 

then yes.

 

 

And it turns out the National team game is a US Womens World Cup qualifier, they lead Sweden 1-0 in the 62nd minute and are pretty much controlling play.

[soccer10k]

The Italian team is trash.

 

That Italian team are World Cup champs. I don't think anything else matters to them.

 

That seems to be apparent, considering the way they went about doing it.

 

Yeah, their defense was stellar throughout the whole tournament.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

The Italian team is trash.

 

That Italian team are World Cup champs. I don't think anything else matters to them.

 

That seems to be apparent, considering the way they went about doing it.

 

Yeah, their defense was stellar throughout the whole tournament.

 

Agreed, we were pretty stellar.

 

Sincerely,

 

http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/fifa/gen/afp/20060617/i/351073890.jpg

[Balsa]

For those interested, the Fire play FC Dallas at 3 CST followed by the USMNT in a friendly against Sweden at 5. Both games are on ESPN2.

That fire game was pretty ugly.

[Jon]

Arena is the new head coach of the Red Bulls.

[Jon]

At last, a decision:

AP[/url]"]ZURICH, Switzerland -- Zinedine Zidane was banned by FIFA for three games Thursday for head-butting Italy defender Marco Materazzi during the World Cup final. Now retired, the former France captain will serve his punishment by doing community work.

 

Materazzi was suspended for two matches for provoking Zidane with insults.

 

World soccer's governing body also fined Zidane $6,000 and Materazzi $4,000 after a disciplinary committee heard the French player's account of what led to the incident.

...................

He agreed to complete three days of community service with children as part of FIFA's humanitarian projects.

...................

"Both players stressed that Materazzi's comments had been defamatory but not of a racist nature," FIFA said in a statement.

 

The players apologized to FIFA for "their inappropriate behavior and expressed their regret at the incident," FIFA said.

 

Materazzi will miss Italy's opening two Euro 2008 qualifiers against Lithuania on Sept. 2 and France on Sept. 6.

[Marco4]

Both of those fines will hit hard.

[soccer10k]

That decision is such crap. I don't understand how Zidane only gets three games for blatently attacking an opposing player. I don't care if he's retiring. You have to assume that he might come back and suspend him appropriately. Plus, they gave De Rossi 5 games, but reduced it to 4 games, for elbowing McBride. At least the ball was in the area when De Rossi did what he did. Zidane should have received at least 5 games - I would have given him 7 or 8 for this.

 

Materazzi's 2 game suspension is also lame as well but only because Zidane only got 3 games. I don't see how you suspend one person for saying something and another person only one game more for an attack on another player. This is just another example of FIFA having their heads up their rears during this tournament.

[Exile on Waveland]

I miss the World Cup.

 

Oh well, go Liverpool!!! You'll Never Walk Alone.

[Balsa]

Agreed. It's pretty crazy we'll have to wait four more years for another one.

 

Hell, I'll have a real job and income by then.

[Exile on Waveland]

Me too. Well, no, actually, I'll be studying for the bar. Good times.

[sethuel1]

I'll have finished optometry school, which I haven't started yet. Also, I'll be there (god willing).

[Mark Priors Calves]

McBride's retiring from the International team.

[USSoccer]

McBride's retiring from the International team.

 

Of all the players of his generation, he will be the most difficult for the USMNT to replace. IMO he was far more important than Reyna, and what's worse is that while we have some midfield talent to replace Reyna, we don't have anyone ready to replace McB.

[shnsajax]

McBride's retiring from the International team.

 

Of all the players of his generation, he will be the most difficult for the USMNT to replace. IMO he was far more important than Reyna, and what's worse is that while we have some midfield talent to replace Reyna, we don't have anyone ready to replace McB.

 

Its really going to be good thing a new coach will probably bring in a new attacking style. Hopefully we will know who that is going to be pretty soon.

[sethuel1]

McBride's retiring from the International team.

 

Of all the players of his generation, he will be the most difficult for the USMNT to replace. IMO he was far more important than Reyna, and what's worse is that while we have some midfield talent to replace Reyna, we don't have anyone ready to replace McB.

 

Its really going to be good thing a new coach will probably bring in a new attacking style. Hopefully we will know who that is going to be pretty soon.

 

Klinsmann. it's a matter of time.

[Mark Priors Calves]

McBride's retiring from the International team.

 

Of all the players of his generation, he will be the most difficult for the USMNT to replace. IMO he was far more important than Reyna, and what's worse is that while we have some midfield talent to replace Reyna, we don't have anyone ready to replace McB.

 

Do you guys think that Johnson has enought talent to fill that role?

[USSoccer]

McBride's retiring from the International team.

 

Of all the players of his generation, he will be the most difficult for the USMNT to replace. IMO he was far more important than Reyna, and what's worse is that while we have some midfield talent to replace Reyna, we don't have anyone ready to replace McB.

 

Do you guys think that Johnson has enought talent to fill that role?

 

In the current system Johnson is an off forward alongside a target guy. The wings cross in or play up top to the target, who wins 50/50 balls in the air and knocks the ball down for the parter forward or the outside mids. I don't think using him to fill in for McB would be a wise use of his skillset.

 

Right now the guys who would technically be replacements would be Brian Ching, and maybe Taylor Twellman and Nate Jaqua, which is why a new system is needed.

[Exile on Waveland]

McBride's retiring from the International team.

 

Of all the players of his generation, he will be the most difficult for the USMNT to replace. IMO he was far more important than Reyna, and what's worse is that while we have some midfield talent to replace Reyna, we don't have anyone ready to replace McB.

 

Do you guys think that Johnson has enought talent to fill that role?

 

In the current system Johnson is an off forward alongside a target guy. The wings cross in or play up top to the target, who wins 50/50 balls in the air and knocks the ball down for the parter forward or the outside mids. I don't think using him to fill in for McB would be a wise use of his skillset.

 

Right now the guys who would technically be replacements would be Brian Ching, and maybe Taylor Twellman and Nate Jaqua, which is why a new system is needed.

 

I'm certainly hoping US Soccer sees the system as a fit to players (target in McBride) not the system as a fit to US Soccer. The target player just retired and a new system is needed.

[shnsajax]

McBride's retiring from the International team.

 

Of all the players of his generation, he will be the most difficult for the USMNT to replace. IMO he was far more important than Reyna, and what's worse is that while we have some midfield talent to replace Reyna, we don't have anyone ready to replace McB.

 

Its really going to be good thing a new coach will probably bring in a new attacking style. Hopefully we will know who that is going to be pretty soon.

 

Klinsmann. it's a matter of time.

 

thats what I am assuming and hoping. he should bring what I am hoping for in an offensive system. We just need to find the American version of Steven Gerrard to balance out what we currently have going on.

[USSoccer]

Following up on the Freddy Adu discussion:

 

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=374404&root=mls&cc=5901

 

 

There is a possibility that the cap Adu earned with the U.S. versus Canada locks him into playing for the U.S., but he isn't sure of that.

 

"I've heard both ways," Adu said. "I think I'm still eligible to play for either team. We will see. I don't want to say, 'I won't play for this team, I'm going to play for that team.' I want the chance to play."