The Soccer Thread

[wolf stansson]

I'm so freaking happy right now that I'm not even going to get upset at our insipid soccer press and their inevitable [expletive] commentary.

 

ITALY SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLAYING INSTEAD OF THE US!!

I was thinking more in terms of "HEY NOW YOU BETTER TAKE BACK EVERYTHING YOU SAID ABOUT BOB BRADLEY" or "WE JUST PROVED ALL THOSE EURO SNOBS WRONG, WE ARE CONTENDERS!"

 

When in reality, Bob has put out a bucket 4-4-2 two games in a row and we hit a rich vein of form against two teams who underestimated us and had the ball bounce our way.

 

I've said it all along and I'll say it until I'm proven wrong at the World Cup: Bob is tactically naive (which can be overcome by inspired play from his players) and we're a top 15-20 team but not looking to crack into the elite any time soon. We'll have our days now and then, we'll rule our region, but in the end we lack that extra class that puts you in the elite group.

 

What I'm most hopeful for is the experience this gave a lot of young players, the confidence it has given the vets like Lando, Gooch and Deuce to be more assertive in big games and hopefully showcased our transfer candidates in a positive light (Jozy, Davies, Landon and Gooch especially).

[Vanilla Ice]

We only had two shots on goal. Wow.

[Guest]

Was today's result more or less unlikely than the beating Egypt 3-0/Brazil beating Italy 3-0 to help us advance combo on Sunday?

 

I'm leaning towards today simply because of what happened against Italy and, to a greater extent, Brazil.

[Guest]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raNs0Us2oc8

[wolf stansson]

I'd like to believe that some Spanish clubs saw what I've seen this tourney and give the Galaxy a call.

[brinoch]

I tried not to learn about this result until I could watch it tonight... but given that it's all over the major papers, yeah I failed. BUT WHO CARES!!! =D>

 

Dos a cero!!!

[Mark Priors Calves]

wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. i'm stunned, absolutely [expletive] stunned.

 

i can't get a grasp on this team. the look like [expletive] half the time and then turn around and beat the best team in the world, 2-nil.

 

the defense today was outstanding. our back four is set. spector has been very good and demerit, who i had doubts about, looked strong and confident.

 

landycakes is obviously very frustrating but i thought he played a phenomenal match today.

 

wow.

[wolf stansson]

ESPN Sports Nation Polling

 

 

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm16/dhohulin/espnpoll.jpg

[imb]

no howard on the man of the match poll?

[bukie]

I tend to believe the country as a whole cares more about soccer (on a world stage) than ESPN often makes us think.

[Exile on Waveland]

no howard on the man of the match poll?

 

He was there when I voted. He must have been cut off at the bottom.

[Guest]

no howard on the man of the match poll?

 

He was the fourth option at the bottom, not shown there, and is leading with 41%.

[Exile on Waveland]

I tend to believe the country as a whole cares more about soccer (on a world stage) than ESPN often makes us think.

 

I have way too many friends that play or at least enjoy soccer to believe "no one" cares. Even people that I know that "don't like soccer" end up watching some of the World Cup. Of course, Bloomington is a pretty damn big soccer community. Club soccer is far, far less popular though (only big soccer fans follow it). All that to agree with you.

[wolf stansson]

no howard on the man of the match poll?

 

He was the fourth option at the bottom, not shown there, and is leading with 41%.

Yeah, I cut it off and I'm not going to go back to fix it. Timmy ran away with it at like 45%.

[wolf stansson]

Lalas: "That was a good, old-fashioned American soccer team playing they way American soccer teams play. Yeah Spain were better on the day, but today wasn't that day!"

 

Dear Alexei Lalas/John Harkes/Eric Wynalda,

 

Your generation wasn't [expletive]. Yeah you advanced to the knockout round in '94, but so does every home team in the World Cup. Stop acting like this team has to play up to your standard. Your heart and determination is wonderful to talk about in hindsight, but stop making it about you and get off my god damn tv.

 

Sincerely,

Wolf

 

 

 

 

Anyone else optimistic about a seed next summer?

[bukie]

Yeah, if there's one thing I am confident about with this squad, it's that they'd beat the ever loving crap out of that '94 squad.

[bukie]

Anyone else optimistic about a seed next summer?

 

Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Brazil, England, Argentina, France....

 

I don't think the US could pass any one of them. Now, if France somehow misses the World Cup...

[shnsajax]

That has to be the biggest result from US Soccer in...longer than I can remember.

 

I'd still rank 3-2 over portugal and 2-0 over Mexico above that, maybe even 2-1 vs. Columbia from 1994. Just because those are the World Cup and this is the Confederations Cup.

 

2-0 over mexico is definitely tops, considering it was [expletive] mexico

 

Agreed, that was maybe the most important victory ever. Today win was probably against the best team ever.

[sethuel1]

Anyone else optimistic about a seed next summer?

 

Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Brazil, England, Argentina, France....

 

I don't think the US could pass any one of them. Now, if France somehow misses the World Cup...

You named 8. There's only 7 seeds. So we'd need 2 of those to miss.

 

It's not likely at all.

[Guest]

Some photos in spoilers.

 

 

Before the game

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h184/soccer10k/SouthAfricaSpainUS_ODo7.jpg

 

Jozy about to score

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h184/soccer10k/SouthAfricaSpainUS_ODo6.jpg

 

Jozy after the first

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h184/soccer10k/SouthAfricaSpainUS_ODo5.jpg

 

Jozy, MB and Davies celebrating the first goal

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h184/soccer10k/SouthAfricaSpainUS_ODo4.jpg

 

Clint putting in No. 2

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h184/soccer10k/SouthAfricaSpainUS_ODo2.jpg

 

Clint

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h184/soccer10k/SouthAfricaSpainUS_ODo3.jpg

 

Gooch clearing away the ball for the 154th time in the game

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h184/soccer10k/SouthAfricaSpainUS_ODo8.jpg

 

Timmy punching the ball away

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h184/soccer10k/SouthAfricaSpainUS_ODo9.jpg

 

Bench after the final whistle

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h184/soccer10k/SouthAfricaSpainUS_ODo.jpg

 

Bocanegra and Bornstein

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h184/soccer10k/SouthAfricaSpainUS_ODo1.jpg

 

Donovan, Bocanegra and Gooch.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h184/soccer10k/SouthAfricaSpainUS_ODo11.jpg

 

Man of the Match

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h184/soccer10k/SouthAfricaSpainUS_ODo10.jpg

 

[Guest]

Anyone else optimistic about a seed next summer?

 

Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Brazil, England, Argentina, France....

 

I don't think the US could pass any one of them. Now, if France somehow misses the World Cup...

You named 8. There's only 7 seeds. So we'd need 2 of those to miss.

 

It's not likely at all.

 

Do the seeds just go by the world rankings?

[shnsajax]

Anyone else optimistic about a seed next summer?

 

Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Brazil, England, Argentina, France....

 

I don't think the US could pass any one of them. Now, if France somehow misses the World Cup...

You named 8. There's only 7 seeds. So we'd need 2 of those to miss.

 

It's not likely at all.

 

Do the seeds just go by the world rankings?

 

No, but I am pretty sure its a factor. It used to be also based on past WC performance too which I find a little stupid.

[bukie]

Anyone else optimistic about a seed next summer?

 

Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Brazil, England, Argentina, France....

 

I don't think the US could pass any one of them. Now, if France somehow misses the World Cup...

You named 8. There's only 7 seeds. So we'd need 2 of those to miss.

 

It's not likely at all.

 

Do the seeds just go by the world rankings?

Rankings plus an effect from the previous 2 World Cups.

 

http://www.football-rankings.info/2009/06/2010-wc-seeding-formula-based-on.html

[Guest]

We're going to need a lot of help.

 

Netherlands is in and Brazil, Spain and England are all but in.

 

Germany is in first place in their group, ahead of Russia by a point, though they do have to go to Russia.

 

Italy is a point up on Ireland with a game in hand.

 

France is in second place, eight points back, but with two games in hand so they'll at least get into a playoff. Argentina's in fourth, 2 pts up on 5th and four up on 6th. Top 4 get in and No. 5 goes into a playoff with CONCACAF No. 4.

 

Not that it's likely to happen, but I'd love to see an Argentina-Mexico playoff to get into the World Cup. I'd pull for Mexico if it meant us getting a seed.

[bukie]

We're going to need a lot of help.

 

Netherlands is in and Brazil, Spain and England are all but in.

 

Germany is in first place in their group, ahead of Russia by a point, though they do have to go to Russia.

 

Italy is a point up on Ireland with a game in hand.

 

France is in second place, eight points back, but with two games in hand so they'll at least get into a playoff. Argentina's in fourth, 2 pts up on 5th and four up on 6th. Top 4 get in and No. 5 goes into a playoff with CONCACAF No. 4.

 

Not that it's likely to happen, but I'd love to see an Argentina-Mexico playoff to get into the World Cup. I'd pull for Mexico if it meant us getting a seed.

At this point it's more about hoping for a good draw, a-la 2002.

 

Given the way the seeds match up right now, the US could end up in a potential nightmare draw with a seeded European team plus the Netherlands and an unseeded CONMEBOL team like Paraguay.