WORLD CUP

Thankfully, the US is in the opposite half of the draw from Brazil and the referees.

Man what a ride.

 

I've never been happier after a loss!

Geeeesh now you sound like lovepack. 

Touche'

In the titmfatied tradition:

Reactions to the USA/Germany game and from Group G

Jürgen Klinsmann: "It's big.  We wanted a draw, but we had a bit too much respect at the beginning.  We created too few chances.  It's big that we got out of the group.  We could have used a bit more ball possession.  We got out of the gruop, but we can do better."

Joachim Löw: "We didn't give up any chances until the closing stages.  However, we kept letting the last pass slip away."

Phillip Lahm: "If you had told us beforehand we'd win the group, we'd sign up for that.  We would have been the group winners even without my rescue [blocking Bedoya's shot], but I'm a defensive player and don't like to give up goals."

Thomas Müller: "We were clearly the better team and achieved a better than normal result against a top-fit US team.  I really scored a beautiful goal."

Portugal coach Paulo Bento: "The balance is negative. We didn't achieve our first goal.  But if you look at the way the three games went, Germany and the USA deserved to advance."

Ghana coach Akwasi Appiah: "The decision to suspend two players was for disciplinary reasons.  I think the people of Ghana are disappointed, but I don't think we played disappointingly.  We'll move forward from this."

Germany completed 686 of 751 passes, or 91%, while the US only completed 295 out of 357 (83%).

Both Germany and the US looked like they were just playing because they had to. Unfortunately, it also looked like the Germans could have scored four goals easily if they put forth any effort. Both teams knew they didn't have to work very hard, so they didn't. Now it's on to do-or-die soccer!

Weather was a factor...the ball was heavy, conditions were very slick. Also not having Altidore has been a limiting factor in all 3 games.

 

You can also bet they have depth US Soccer can only dream of at this point. Our two best players MIGHT be able to crack their lineup. Beyond that, most of, if not all their starters would start ahead of every one of our guys.

 

But JK has started to transform US Soccer to a place it has never been...and that's pretty exciting.

Not having Michael Bradley doesn't help either.  Dempsey running around with a broken face is not a plus.  

 

Whoever invaded the body of Bradley needs to get the **** out of there now, please.  He's gone total horse**** in a matter of days.  He's been the equivalent of Aaron Rodgers going 10-31 for 124 yards and three picks.  Hard to overcome that when your two strikers are either out or barely playing.

 

That's just one reason that coming out of this group was such a monumental step for them.  Whatever happens against those waffle molesters next week, this cup has been a success for them.  Portugal, Italy, Spain and England are all sitting at home and the US advances from the Group of Death.  Who'd have ever thought we'd see the day?

Fact.

Trying like hell to get into it this year. Had Russia-Algeria on, and I watched a 10-minute delay while a player got ice on his bruised ass, was taken off on a stretcher, then sprung to his feet. Do the die hards at least find this stuff tough to stomach as well?

Belgium coach Marc Wilmots: playing against the US is a 50-50 game

quote:

First, one should set aside the friendly we played in the run-up to the World Cup [Belgium won 4-2 early last year, I believe].  Beyond that, it's a team we're happy to meet again for a match that won't be quite so friendly this time.  Even if you want to stick the label of favorite on us, it's going to be a 50-50 match.

Wilmots also comments on the red card given to Dufour (he said it was justified although the tackle as in no way malicious), who will miss the game against the US.  There are also comments from the Belgian players at the link, for those whose high school French is better than mine. 

Belgian Prime Minister lays down a World Cup challenge to US President

Hey @BarackObama, I am betting some great Belgian beers that our @BelRedDevils will make it to the quarter final! :-) #ComeOnBelgium #BEL

— Elio Di Rupo (@eliodirupo) June 26, 2014

<script async="async" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

   A                   1   2   3   4            B                   1   2   3   4
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+
1. Brazil            | X |3:1|0:0|4:1|        1. Spain            | X |1:5|0:2|3:0|
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+
2. Croatia           |1:3| X |1:3|4:0|        2. Netherlands      |5:1| X |2:0|3:2|
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+
3. Mexico            |0:0|3:1| X |1:0|        3. Chile            |2:0|0:2| X |3:1|
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+
4. Cameroon          |1:4|0:4|0:1| X |        4. Australia        |0:3|2:3|1:3| X |
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+

  C                    1   2   3   4            D                   1   2   3   4
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+
1. Colombia          | X |3:0|2:1|4:1|        1. Uruguay          | X |1:3|2:1|1:0|
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+
2. Greece            |0:3| X |2:1|0:0|        2. Costa Rica       |3:1| X |0:0|1:0|
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+
3. Ivory Coast       |1:2|1:2| X |2:1|        3. England          |1:2|0:0| X |1:2|
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+
4. Japan             |1:4|0:0|1:2| X |        4. Italy            |0:1|0:1|2:1| X |
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+

  E                    1   2   3   4            F                   1   2   3   4
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+
1. Switzerland       | X |2:1|2:5|3:0|        1. Argentina        | X |2:1|1:0|3:2|
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+
2. Ecuador           |1:2| X |0:0|2:1|        2. Bosnia-Herz.     |1:2| X |3:1|0:1|
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+
3. France            |5:2|0:0| X |3:0|        3. Iran             |0:1|1:3| X |0:0|
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+
4. Honduras          |0:3|1:2|0:3| X |        4. Nigeria          |2:3|1:0|0:0| X |
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+

  G                    1   2   3   4            H                   1   2   3   4
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+
1. Germany           | X |4:0|2:2|1:0|        1. Belgium          | X |2:1|1:0|1:0|
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+
2. Portugal          |0:4| X |2:1|2:2|        2. Algeria          |1:2| X |1:1|4:2|
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+
3. Ghana             |2:2|1:2| X |1:2|        3. Russia           |0:1|1:1| X |1:1|
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+
4. United States     |0:1|2:2|2:1| X |        4. South Korea      |0:1|2:4|1:1| X |
                     +---+---+---+---+                            +---+---+---+---+



A1    BRA                                                                          MEX    A2
  -----------+                                                                +-----------
B2    CHI    +-----------+                                        +-----------+    NED    B1
  -----------+           |                                        |           +-----------
C1    COL                +-----------+                +-----------+                GRE    C2
  -----------+           |           |                |           |           +-----------
D2    URU    +-----------+           +-----------     |           +-----------+    CRC    D1
  -----------+                       |                |                       +-----------
E1    FRA                            |                |                            SUI    E2
  -----------+                       |                |                       +-----------
F2    NGA    +-----------+           |     -----------+           +-----------+    ARG    F1
  -----------+           |           |                |           |           +-----------
G1    GER                +-----------+                +-----------+                USA    G2
  -----------+           |                                        |           +-----------
H2    ALG    +-----------+                                        +-----------+    BEL    H1
  -----------+                                                                +-----------

US doesn't move on if not for the header of a sub in the 86th minute in the opening match. John Brooks hasn't seen the field since. As a non watching soccer fan seeing Bradley suck ass I have to ask, WTF???

 

Soccer followers can enlighten me with all the subtleties of the game to explain lineup protocol. Sports has one unquestionable hard standing rule. Your best players need to be on the field. Period. 

 

On a semi not so related note. I checked out of my Guildford London hotel this morning and was asked if I was a 49er fan based on my SFO arrival. I told him the 49ers play in Santa Clara not SF and I'm a Green Bay Packer fan. "So you've actually seen Mr Aaron Rodgers? He's fairly remarkable isn't he?" 

 

Yes, yes he is. 

 

 

1) Brooks is a defender, Bradley a mid-fielder. It would be kind of like having Micah Hyde replace A.J. Hawk just because he sucks.

 

2) Bradley grades out generally as the most active and accurate US player-----I know, I know, he mis-connects on passes at the worst times.

 

3) He really hasn't sucked until the World Cup.

4) Excellent hair.

quote:

US doesn't move on if not for the header of a sub in the 86th minute in the opening match. John Brooks hasn't seen the field since. As a non watching soccer fan seeing Bradley suck ass I have to ask, WTF???

An excursus on the diamond formation (the formation the US MNT has been using)

As game conditions dictate (eg. the Altidore injury or needing more offense or defense), you might need to make a substitution that changes the shape.  It would be nice to have a team full of players who can play "Total Football" so that they can make whatever substitution they want and keep the same shape if need be.  But good luck finding the players for that.

       
I liked the commend during the game today that the torrential rain in Recife was affecting even Joachim Löw's impeccably-groomed hair. 

Players make plays. This elitist soccer nonsense is a waste of my time. Best players on the field. Our best will beat your best. 

Ted Thompson likes to draft the best players available.  If the BPA when the Packers pick in each round is a quarterback, do you want him to draft seven quarterbacks?

Do you think before you post?

 

 

Click the "submit reply" button as fast as humanly possible at all times!

I think soccer people overthink soccer trying to make it a confluence of roster and strategy the layman couldn't possibly comprehend while Messi, Renaldo and Neymar are expected to win games. 

 

And if I gave Ted 4 years between live bullets to pick the best possible squad he'd be my favorite even though he probably doesnt know offsides from offsides. 

 

 

quote:

Click the "submit reply" button as fast as humanly possible at all times!

Every 13 seconds? 

Klinsman is making sure the young guys on the US team are getting valuable experience. Jones has been a bit better than I thought, as has our defense. I thought our back line would be totally exposed after that last friendly before the Cup started, but they have pulled it together. And Howard saved them today.

 

As for Bradley, he has looked absolutely amateurish at times in this tourney. Slow passes, misplayed positioning, off-target and over-hitting through passes... just brutal. I'm afraid I'll go bald from pulling my hair out watching him. Hopefully, he'll wipe the slate clean for the next round.

 

Why mix and match lineups? Same reason as line matches in hockey: you have to counter or play to who the other team puts out there. If they have a slow defender, put speed on the wing; etc. It's a different form of chess.

Yesterday evening, I forgot about the public service broadcaster for the 1% of Belgians in the Eupen-Malmedy region who are actually German-speakers.  (German is Belgium's third official language)

National team a ratings hit -- in Belgium

quote:

[Translation]

The Belgian national team reached a new record on Thursday.  2.25 million Flemings [Dutch-speaking Belgians] watched the game against South Korea on the Sporza channel, or a rating of 83 percent.  In Wallonia [the French-speaking region of Belgium], public broadcaster RTBF reports 1.55 million viewers, or a rating of 82 percent.

I'm probably mixing up ratings and shares from US TV ratings usage.  Belgium has about 10.5 million people, so that's still about 35 percent of the population.  That would translate to 110 million people in the US, which is Super Bowl numbers.  Nielsen numbers for the USA-Germany match won't be in until later this morning, but the USA-Portugal match drew 18 million people on ESPN and another 6.5 million on Univision.

I'm sorry I missed this news from the other day:

US and German astronauts take each other on in the "Weightless World Cup"

quote:

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have staged a zero-gravity preview of Thursday's (June 26) big World Cup match between the United States and Germany.

NASA's Steve Swanson and Reid Wiseman and European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, who hails from Germany, showed off their moves in a soccer exhibition aboard the orbiting lab recently. A NASA video released today (June 25) shows the trio performing acrobatic bicycle kicks, headers and — as players tend to do here on terra firma — celebrating riotously after scoring goals.

It's not the first soccer-themed video they released:

John Brooks scored a goal that Fedya may have scored on. The Ghana defender fell asleep. It was a nice header, but he was wide open. Brooks is not close to one of the best players on the team, and as a defender, he may not score another goal in 3 years. That's not his job.

Tru dat. He looks more like Private Pyle than General Bradley. Dempsey looks really good, despite the broken nose. He needs more of the ball.

I hear a lot of announcers talking about Belgium like they are red-headed step children. IMO, Belgium is a top 5 team in the world. That they aren't one of the traditional powers means nothing. They are LOADED. There have been some really special players coming out of Belgium over the last 4 years and they look ready to show the world.

 

Lukaku leades the line. Like Altidore he is big and fast and is able to knock defenders around. Unlike Altidore, he actually scores goals. Thankfully, Belgium is missing Benteke, the 6'4" 230 monster who appears to have 4.4 speed and a 40 inch vertical.

 

Playmaker, Edin Hazard is one of the best young players in the world, and winger Adnan Januz is an up and coming star. In midfield, Fellani patrols the space in front of the central defenders and shuts down the other teams attack, but he can also score and he brings another skill that most midfielders cannot execute. At 6'7" he can really head the ball.

 

IMO, Vincent Kompany is the best central defender in the world. He may be out with a groin injury though. That will help.

 

I think USA beats them 2-1. Klinsman is one of the best coaches in the world, and the Americans just have a fighting spirit about them that can overcome a greater talent.

It is so ****ing annoying.

So you're saying even soccer players find the sport a pain in the ass?

Even soccer fags like me.

I don't think that word is PC anymore.  You have to say "homo" or "butt-holer"  but not fag.

 

Come on now....this is the 21st Century.  We need to be inclusive and tolerant.

 

You're just happy

Or you could just stick your butthurt politics where the sun doesn't shine, too.

My apologies.  I was trying be funny by pointing out the hypocrisy of name-calling and intolerance from all parties.  Apparently, it was lost on you.

 

Except, I don't think you can say "butt-hurt" anymore.

 

 

 

I was trying be funny

 

"Please stop" - everyone

Everyone should just be happy.

 I consider that horse-and-buggy thinking.

Yippee!