The Soccer Thread

[NonProfitCow]

Has there been any explanation as to why the goal was waived off? What was the call?

[USSoccer]

Dammit Clint

[USSoccer]

Bornstein is killing us. He needs to come off NOW

[USSoccer]

Dolo, Holden and Ching PLZ

[Guest]

What minute is the game in?

 

EDIT: Nevermind.

[USSoccer]

The Sallies deserve some respect. They played pretty well.

 

The Ref sucked hard, wet, fat chick ass. Jozy's 2nd should have stood, as there wasn't a foul anywhere near that play.

 

Deuce should have had 5 by my count, but got a big one. That 50 yard run should have ended better than it did, but he was dangerous throughout.

 

Bornstein played his way out of any consideration for starting tonight. That was a truly poor showing.

 

3 points is 3 points. Lets get 3 more Wednesday and be done with it.

[USSoccer]

Mexico up 1-0 at Saprissa. Gio Dos Santos with a fricking rip.

 

That guy is good.

[Guest]

If this result holds, we're going to have even more of a cluster [expletive] then we already had in the top four.

[shnsajax]

If this result holds, we're going to have even more of a cluster [expletive] then we already had in the top four.

 

We could really use a draw in Costa Rica tonight.

 

The refs sucked donkey balls tonight. The brightside was the US for the most part dominated play, and it should have been much worse. We need Gooch and Demerit back. This group is so f'en up right now, but I think we will see some change after Wednesday. Honduras and CR could both be dropping points Wednesday night.

[USSoccer]

If this result holds in Saprissa, Wednesday's game looms even larger. Must win.

[Guest]

If this result holds in Saprissa, Wednesday's game looms even larger. Must win.

 

Definitely.

 

3-0 now and CR has been outscored 7-0 in their last two games.

 

Also, CR just went from first to fourth in one day.

[Mark Priors Calves]

Has there been any explanation as to why the goal was waived off? What was the call?

Yes, I'm very curious about this too.

[wolf stansson]

Donovan and Jozy were good. Bradley was ok. Davies was ok, but was left begging on a few of those chances. That said, what he brings to this team is huge. This time last year he was nothing but a fringe prospect and we were just freeing ourselves from the chains of Eddie Johnson and Josh Wolff. Davies and Altidore give us something we've never had before; a strike pairing that can be dangerous against any squad on Earth.

 

Clint. Clint, Clint, Clint...

 

I love the dude, and I think he puts himself in more dangerous spots than anyone on this team with the exception of maybe Davies, but good lord he needs to finish. It's hard to be jumping for joy after he ties the game when he should have buried two before that. He's my guy, but in these crucial games, we can't waste chances. We could've easily won tonight 4-0 if everyone just does their jobs.

 

Spec was bad tonight, but he still crosses a ball better than just about anyone in our player pool. Marshall was solid. Boca was playing on his heels like a slow guy who is in card danger. Which he is/was. Feilhaber did well with his touches. We attacked more through Landon and Clint, but when he got a touch, he was solid. Played some nice balls, directed traffic decently.

 

Somethings up with Timmy. Hopefully he regains his mojo soon. He's been making some positioning mistakes for club and country since the Confed Cup.

 

Missed Gooch big time. Boca at LB probably doesn't f up that clearance.

 

Speaking of LB, from Gofftonight:

The USSF was notified by FIFA that Edgar Castillo has been cleared to switch national allegiances, meaning the 22-year-old left back for Tigres will be eligible for selection for next month's qualifiers.

 

Hopefully JJ is soon to follow.

[laurens]

Belgium got massacred by Spain yesterday, 5-0 :lol:

[shnsajax]

Donovan and Jozy were good. Bradley was ok. Davies was ok, but was left begging on a few of those chances. That said, what he brings to this team is huge. This time last year he was nothing but a fringe prospect and we were just freeing ourselves from the chains of Eddie Johnson and Josh Wolff. Davies and Altidore give us something we've never had before; a strike pairing that can be dangerous against any squad on Earth.

 

Clint. Clint, Clint, Clint...

 

I love the dude, and I think he puts himself in more dangerous spots than anyone on this team with the exception of maybe Davies, but good lord he needs to finish. It's hard to be jumping for joy after he ties the game when he should have buried two before that. He's my guy, but in these crucial games, we can't waste chances. We could've easily won tonight 4-0 if everyone just does their jobs.

 

Spec was bad tonight, but he still crosses a ball better than just about anyone in our player pool. Marshall was solid. Boca was playing on his heels like a slow guy who is in card danger. Which he is/was. Feilhaber did well with his touches. We attacked more through Landon and Clint, but when he got a touch, he was solid. Played some nice balls, directed traffic decently.

 

Somethings up with Timmy. Hopefully he regains his mojo soon. He's been making some positioning mistakes for club and country since the Confed Cup.

 

Missed Gooch big time. Boca at LB probably doesn't f up that clearance.

 

Speaking of LB, from Gofftonight:

The USSF was notified by FIFA that Edgar Castillo has been cleared to switch national allegiances, meaning the 22-year-old left back for Tigres will be eligible for selection for next month's qualifiers.

 

Hopefully JJ is soon to follow.

 

Bradley really annoyed me yesterday, he made a couple of decent plays and runs through the midfield but also gave up several easy balls, bad passes, and missed tackles. I'll give Clint a break because he put the tying goal into the net, and ball that sprung Jozy to give us the 3-1 lead was about as perfect as you can get. I still want to know how we got bentover on that call. Davies should have put that one away early on, but I don't think any one outside of LD even gets to that ball and creates a chance. I just like Davies and Jozy upfront together.

 

I still don't trust this team on the road even against T&T, but they need to go out flying. Its time to convert on ever chance as GD could become a factor in this clusterf group we have. A 3-0 or 4-0 win will go a very long way now. Hopefully everyone else will draw on Wednesday.

[shnsajax]

World Cup Qualifying - CONMEBOL Qualifying Stage

GP W D L GS GC GD P

Brazil 15 8 6 1 28 7 21 30

Chile 15 8 3 4 25 16 9 27

Paraguay 15 8 3 4 21 13 8 27

Argentina 15 6 4 5 20 18 2 22

------------------------------------------------------

Colombia 15 5 5 5 9 11 -2 20

------------------------------------------------------

Ecuador 15 5 5 5 18 22 -4 20

Uruguay 15 4 6 5 23 17 6 18

Venezuela 15 5 3 7 19 26 -7 18

Bolivia 15 3 3 9 19 31 -12 12

Peru 15 2 4 9 8 29 -21 10

[USSoccer]

Donovan and Jozy were good. Bradley was ok. Davies was ok, but was left begging on a few of those chances. That said, what he brings to this team is huge. This time last year he was nothing but a fringe prospect and we were just freeing ourselves from the chains of Eddie Johnson and Josh Wolff. Davies and Altidore give us something we've never had before; a strike pairing that can be dangerous against any squad on Earth.

 

Clint. Clint, Clint, Clint...

 

I love the dude, and I think he puts himself in more dangerous spots than anyone on this team with the exception of maybe Davies, but good lord he needs to finish. It's hard to be jumping for joy after he ties the game when he should have buried two before that. He's my guy, but in these crucial games, we can't waste chances. We could've easily won tonight 4-0 if everyone just does their jobs.

 

Somethings up with Timmy. Hopefully he regains his mojo soon. He's been making some positioning mistakes for club and country since the Confed Cup.

 

I felt that Jozy's touch is still lacking. It's clear he's not in form yet, which is kind of frightening in a way. Chuck D and Jozy up front...I'm very happy to not have seen Ching in this one.

 

Clint's breakaway reminded me of myself when I was like a sophomore in high school. I had one exactly like that, and I think my shot might have been identical. Not sure why he didn't take an extra touch to see if the keeper committed out or not. The one time shot in the 18 from Davies should have been better, but that first header I have a tough time ripping him for. It looked like Bradley screened him and he lost sight of it. Still, the fact he gets into those spots is why he's so indispensable.

 

Howard makes me uneasy. Reaction saves low, he has no trouble with, but strikes from distance expose his poor positioning, which was the main reason he was loaned to Everton in the first place from United. I wish Friedel were younger.

 

The Beckerman sub, btw, was indefensible in a 2-1 game. I have no issue with putting the hometown guy in a blowout or friendly, but not to play CDM in a tight game like that. Every touch he had, he gave it away in a dangerous spot. Idiotic sub.

[Guest]

Even though Mexico is tied for third, I think they're in at this point. They have home games against Honduras and El Salvador and a road game at T&T.

 

We should be okay if we can win on Wednesday but if we don't, then we'll need four points from the last two games. Ultimately, I think we'll get in.

 

CR and Honduras are going to be battling for the last spot and I think Honduras is going to be left out. Honduras plays at Mexico, vs. US and at El Salvador while CR plays at El Salvador, vs. T&T and at US. Honduras doesn't have a single easy game left while CR at least has the home game against T&T.

[wolf stansson]

How bull crap is it that South America only gets 4 guaranteed and 1 playoff spot. Take a spot from Asia and give them another slot.

Chuck D

Oh that is awesome.

 

Howard makes me uneasy. Reaction saves low, he has no trouble with, but strikes from distance expose his poor positioning, which was the main reason he was loaned to Everton in the first place from United. I wish Friedel were younger.

That's the thing. He's world class when his defense is organized in front of him and he can just be the athletic stopper. When the form falls apart, like on the first goal, he gets caught out.

 

The Beckerman sub, btw, was indefensible in a 2-1 game. I have no issue with putting the hometown guy in a blowout or friendly, but not to play CDM in a tight game like that. Every touch he had, he gave it away in a dangerous spot. Idiotic sub.

Plus plus. Also, let's talk about this. When Jermaine Jones finally suits up, I think he's got to take Jr's place. He is by far the better ball winner and has a fantastic knack for reading the game and breaking up plays. I also think that pairing JJ with someone like Feilhaber, Adu or Clint in the CAM role is a way better tactic than the double destroyer. This long ball garbage and the counter can't be our only options. We need to be able to play through the middle. Unfortunately I don't ever see Sr benching Jr and in the past I've been able to live with it because I believe in Michael as a player for both now and the future, but South Africa is looming and it's time to field our best XI no matter what. Development is no longer any kind of priority.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Considering how much our wings get forward, would it be that disastrous to pair Jones and Bradley? I have a hard time believing Bradley's not one of our best 11.

[USSoccer]

I suppose the hope is that Jones will allow Mikey to make more of those crashing runs that he excels at.

 

Trouble is, Mikey's not a great passer. Jones/Bradley might be ideal for counter/bunker play, but if we need to hold possession it's not a good combination.

 

I still believe that long term, Mikey/Benny is probably the best pairing. We wont see BB go to any formation with a CAM, and with the way our defense is, I don't really blame him. They need the cover.

 

Assuming we don't step on the collective crank and qualify, the back line is going to be our biggest problem going into SA. I don't trust anyone back there save Gooch. Specs needs more time, but didn't look comfortable yesterday. Bornstein sucks. Boca is going to be the Agoos/Pope of 2010-unfortunately he wears the armband, so he'll have every opportunity to cost us a game. Demerit is a question mark. Castillo is an unknown. Pearce probably has the best skillset of any LB in the system, yet can't find a club because he's an insufferable tool and an inconsistent player. 'Dolo come 2010 will be 30, and he's lost a step. Marshall? Goodison? Meh.

 

I would seriously, seriously consider converting someone. Clark or Edu, maybe.

 

Our strike pairing is set. Our wings are set. Our spine of the team is weak as ish right now.

[wolf stansson]

Considering how much our wings get forward, would it be that disastrous to pair Jones and Bradley? I have a hard time believing Bradley's not one of our best 11.

Bradley can't play with the ball at his feet. Having him and Jones severely limits our attack to long balls, the counter or playing through the wings. We need at least one cm who can hold the ball and dictate pace/passes.

[wvcbxl]

If the Chelsea appeal is rejected, I would guess that Lazio would want to pursue United for the Macheda signing.

 

If that appeal is rejected, there will be a flurry of similar cases.

 

Looks like it started already:

 

Manchester City vs Stade Rennes

 

Manchester United vs Le Havre

[wolf stansson]

So Platini decided to stop talking and decided to do something about it? Crazy.

[wolf stansson]

http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/

FIFA’s Laws of the Game state the following:

 

The act of charging an opponent is challenging for space using physical contact within the playing distance of the ball without using arms or elbows.

 

Here is how it explains the official's actions:

 

Dempsey had taken a poor touch on the ball and played the ball into space forward while moving in a pacey manner. The Salvadorian defender attempted to win the ball with a clean challenge to which Dempsey responded by lunging, studs out at the defender, bringing him to the ground while achieving the goal of poking the ball forward to Altidore who was in an onside position. This is a foul if you stick to the letter of the law. It is as simple an explanation as that.

 

I can't call bs loud enough.