Quote :

"LANDON PLAYS 10X BETTER AT THE TOP OF THE MIDFIELD IN A SCHOLES/ROONEY POSITION"

Quote :

"LANDON PLAYS 10X BETTER AT THE TOP OF THE MIDFIELD IN A SCHOLES/ROONEY POSITION"

Quote :

"LANDON PLAYS 10X BETTER AT THE TOP OF THE MIDFIELD IN A SCHOLES/ROONEY POSITION"

6/12/2006 3:17:30 PM

Italy - Ghana is getting good

6/12/2006 3:31:06 PM

Ghana looks impressive.

...Can't believe we got stuck in the group of death.

6/12/2006 3:32:26 PM

Score as many goals as you want, your name's still Andrea.

6/12/2006 3:41:21 PM

Quote :

"to say "they didn't play hard" (since we're calling names now), is short-sighted, sophomoric, and simply parroting what the announcers shoved down your throat"

Announcers? You think I'm basing my opinion on Marcelo Balboa and Dave O'Brien? Anybody watching that game that knows anything about soccer could come up with the analysis that the US didn't play hard.

I don't know how you can argue that they did. Once they went down 2-0, hell even when they went down 1-0... they (aside from a few, Reyna maybe) collectively put their heads down and gave a half-assed effort. Where was Landon Donovan in the 2nd half? For someone who is a supposed playmaker, he was nowhere to be found. Nobody was making runs, nobody was hustling to press, nobody was working hard at beating anybody one-on-one.

6/12/2006 3:53:59 PM

BRILLIANT analysis

everyone on the field decides to suck a fat one all at the same time, and that's the only explanation

6/12/2006 4:01:35 PM

haha yours is alot better dude... well, the coach didn't tell them to play defense and stop the ball from going in the goal, so it's all his fault because they gave 110%

It's called having heart, overcoming adversity, a winning mentality... we don't have those things, and if we do, we didn't show it today. As a team, we didn't give a winning effort... I don't know why you need a better explanation than that. I don't understand why failure always has to directed at one individual when sometimes, it's warranted for the whole team.

6/12/2006 4:04:43 PM

if all the coaching errors/lack of adjustments weren't evident, i would agree with you

others in this thread have pointed out specific errors, the one i think was fatal was not clearing the ball from the backfield-that killed the momentum

6/12/2006 4:16:58 PM

okay I just wanted to end this argument. You're probably right, there could've been some better tactical decisions made by Bruce Arena... I mentioned a couple earlier in the thread. All I'm saying, more of the blame has to be on poor execution on yes, the entire team.

Name me a couple of players who had a solid game. Eddie Johnson looked decent in his limited time, his first touch was lacking in my opinion, Reyna had our best chance and did ok in the midfield, Oneywu was ok, I guess.. I thought he could've marked Koller a little better in the first half, but whatever. So pretty much, they did collectively "suck a fat one."

Whatever, I'm just going to forget about this game for now and look forward to the Italy game.

6/12/2006 4:18:12 PM

Come on Ghana! Level this shit..

[Edited on June 12, 2006 at 4:29 PM. Reason : should have been a penalty there..]

6/12/2006 4:24:11 PM

looked like a PK to me

6/12/2006 4:29:30 PM

Oh snap!

No call on what would've been an undeniable red because of the offside flag.

BWAHAHAHAHA

6/12/2006 4:33:17 PM

I don't understand that... if you don't give a PK, that has to be a yellow card for diving.

I swear I typed that before he said it

[Edited on June 12, 2006 at 4:36 PM. Reason : jp]

6/12/2006 4:36:04 PM

fhjr9ewitgy458wgphreiuoja;f/jnieAKLFG;EJGEGA

THAT'S A PENALTY
nfkjhgfvr9ewpgyhroeiw;lgvjsl;vbhjef9p8YGR389QIO

6/12/2006 4:36:34 PM

Ghana is getting fucking screwed.. The European teams get away with so much shit from diving to no calls..

6/12/2006 4:37:19 PM

haha thats comical to me that all those Italian coaches complaining about diving.. that would be a funny screenshot

6/12/2006 4:38:08 PM

ghey

6/12/2006 4:40:06 PM

Italian teams always seem fast

6/12/2006 4:56:15 PM

starting lineup should be...

keller
cherundolo - pope - onyewu - lewis
o'brien/convey - reyna - donovan - beasley
johnson - mcbride

subs: wolff, dempsey, and whichever of o'brien/convey doesnt start

[Edited on June 12, 2006 at 5:25 PM. Reason : yeah]

6/12/2006 5:24:11 PM

don't like Lewis at back... I'd rather see Mastroeni move into a middle stopper like position, and slide Pope out to the left.

[Edited on June 12, 2006 at 5:33 PM. Reason : ]

6/12/2006 5:32:45 PM

^ atleast we agree on Lewis

6/12/2006 5:35:02 PM

haha true

6/12/2006 5:45:08 PM

pre-game

[Edited on June 12, 2006 at 5:49 PM. Reason : .]

6/12/2006 5:49:36 PM

6/12/2006 5:52:07 PM

6/12/2006 5:54:08 PM

Somewhat amusing comment after this loss:

"You hardly know where to begin to criticize. This was something the team had been focusing on for years. This was supposed to be a team that was experienced and confident, and seeing them come out like that was simply unforgivable.

It was about fitness, it was about focus, it was about tactics, it was about strategy, it was about scouting, preparation, offense, defense, coaching - every aspect of the game was lacking. This is the sort of thing that can damage legacies. No matter what kind of career you have before or after, people will look at 2006 and ask, "What happened?"

This team has got to turn it around and win the next two games, otherwise everything they've worked for was for nothing. And the media and the skeptics and fans of other teams will just laugh themselves sick at our expense.

Well, enough about the Miami Heat. I'm gonna watch the US-Czech game I taped. Got a great feeling about this one!"


Maybe now at least people could get off Landon Donovan's jock. He's a guy who couldn't cut it. Maybe now people can realize that.

[Edited on June 12, 2006 at 6:01 PM. Reason : .]

6/12/2006 5:55:50 PM

^

Nedved. nuff said. gotta give the man his props; beautiful game. Anyone else find it funny when the attempt at the USA chant was quickly, and rightfully, drowned out?

6/12/2006 6:43:31 PM

Nedved did play a hell of a game.. but what about Rosicky(spelling).. he was the forgotten man.. everyone kept talking about Nedved, Czech, and Koller.

ps that was a hell of a shot for the 2nd goal

6/12/2006 7:00:53 PM

Italy looked pretty good today both offensively and defensively. It seems like their offense is better than before and their defense is just about the same. They'll go deep.

It was so funny how Del Piero came in fully energized (btw...played shitty as hell) yet the Ghana players after playing the whole match still outran him as if he was just standing.

6/12/2006 7:55:26 PM

tomorrow is the big day... BRAZIL!
OLAY OLAY OLAY OLAY, OLAY, OLAY!!!

6/12/2006 7:57:39 PM

and we get to see how Zidane will play being he's like 50 years old, and how much Cisse's injury hurts them... I was pretty impressed with Italy for the most part today

6/12/2006 8:02:46 PM

really going to be nice as hell to watch the game tomorrow. Zidane is probably still one of the most skilled players in the world. That ball is like a magnet on his foot.

6/12/2006 9:09:30 PM

Henry...

6/12/2006 9:21:09 PM

anyone who is greatly disappointed with the US team has been decieved by the hype
the rankings are so stupid, no one should 'expect' US to beat the czech
they did alright as far as the play, but they should have done better

6/13/2006 12:15:10 AM

haha, espn has motion clip up with commentators talking shit about US soccers

and even that is boring, too.

6/13/2006 12:24:34 AM

^^ I thought they were gonna have a tough go of it and knew the rankings weren't worth ten cents, but I'm still disappointed.

There's a difference between a respectable loss (like Ivory Coast to Argentina 2-1) and our loss to the Czech Republic of 3-0. We were dominated today and didn't have much fight.

If Trinidad can tie Sweden after a red card at the start of the second half, we're more than capable of having a fighting chance of tying the Czech Republic.

[Edited on June 13, 2006 at 12:26 AM. Reason : .]

6/13/2006 12:25:38 AM

yeah that true, i blame claudio for not making more chances
but still we had enough chances that makes me think we can score on any team
but italy is gonna be either a massacre or a tie
im not expecting much more

come to think of it, there a chance we may not win one game considering how good gana is


[Edited on June 13, 2006 at 12:30 AM. Reason : .]

6/13/2006 12:29:49 AM

Quote :

"OLAY OLAY OLAY OLAY, OLAY, OLAY!!!"

or Olé, but whatever floats your boat

6/13/2006 12:41:08 AM

Quote :

"One can expect some major changes to the lineup for the next match, but they'll only be successful if they're accompanied by a change in attitude as well. Player Ratings: Kasey Keller, 4 - He waited eight years for this? Granted, there wasn't a thing he could have done about any of the goals, but the fact that he picked the ball out of his net three times has got to leave a bitter taste. Steve Cherundolo, 3.5 - Arena said afterwards that his substitution of Cherundolo was tactical, but given Cherundolo's poor distribution out of the back, it was a switch that the head coach didn't have to sweat over. Eddie Pope, 4 - There were worse performances on Monday, but Pope didn't cover himself in glory, either. It was telling that every time Pope was matched up against Koller, he was badly out-muscled. It was not the kind of performance that the U.S was looking for. Oguchi Onyewu, 5 - One of the few players who showed up. One could quibble with his positioning on the first goal, as well as being caught square on the last one, but he not only won most of the head balls that were sent his way, but he came out on top in some key challenges on the ground as well. Eddie Lewis, 3.5 - Another player whose passing was just shocking at times and he must bear some of the responsibility for the first goal, in which Zdenek Grygera was left wide open on his side, and ultimately crossed the ball for Koller's goal. He'll likely retain his place because there really isn't anyone else. DaMarcus Beasley, 3 - Right midfield was where American attacks went to die. If he starts against Italy, it will be a major upset. Pablo Mastroeni, 3.5 - When he wasn't slipping on the turf, he was a step slow to pressure the ball, and he didn't seem to win any of the second balls that the U.S. needed in order to have a chance. Claudio Reyna, 5.5 - This guy just seems snake-bit when it comes to scoring goals in World Cups, as he hit the post just like he did back in '98. Reyna was one of the few players who at least wanted the ball, but was probably guilty of playing too deep. He'll need to get closer to goal against the Italians. Bobby Convey, 4.5 - His runs didn't always come off, and his crossing was subpar, but Convey was one of the only players in the attacking half to play with any courage. He certainly showed better than some of his more experienced teammates. Landon Donovan, 4 - Had some bright moments in the first half, including his setup of Reyna's ill-fated shot, but he faded badly in the second. Four years after a sparkling World Cup debut, it appears that Donovan's game hasn't progressed enough to have an impact at the highest level. Brian McBride, 3.5 - McBride was starved of service, but struggled with his passing and hold-up play as well. He often seemed to be operating on an island, and he will need to either fix his spacing with Donovan, or be paired with more of an out-and-out forward. Subs: John O'Brien, 5 - If O'Brien has a pulse prior to the next match against Italy, then he'll start in Mastroeni's place. He delivered a solid performance, and even got in some good tackles as well. Eddie Johnson, 6 - The only forward to be truly dangerous, as he just missed with a left-footed effort in the 70th minute and had another effort blocked just a minute later. Johnson certainly showed that he wasn't overawed in his World Cup debut, as he was active throughout. Josh Wolff, NR - Wolff had a goal-bound effort blocked with just minutes to go, but otherwise, didn't make much of an impression."

the article rips em pretty good...also...

in that espn motion clip, wynalda is pissed off pretty bad, he even says "yeah i'm pissed"

6/13/2006 12:42:27 AM

wait.. didnt we lose to morroco
why is everyone so surprised?

6/13/2006 12:45:37 AM

2nd half of togo v korea better be good, the first half wasnt that great to watch

6/13/2006 10:05:47 AM

WTF Korea

Adebayor <<< Park & Ahn

Ah, there it is. Off a free kick no less!

[Edited on June 13, 2006 at 10:14 AM. Reason : s]

6/13/2006 10:11:38 AM

the goalie looked like he was expecting it to go over.. he didnt even really try to go after the ball

6/13/2006 10:14:52 AM

And that, dear sir, is why you ALWAYS go up on a ball like that, even if it's 40 feet above the crossbar.

6/13/2006 10:18:23 AM

South Korea looking better

6/13/2006 10:34:43 AM

gg korea republic

first cup win away from asian soil.

6/13/2006 10:52:26 AM

Take THAT, DPR Korea!

6/13/2006 10:58:08 AM

when is the brazil game, 255?

6/13/2006 12:40:30 PM

^yep yep

6/13/2006 12:48:57 PM

France has blown several opportunities

6/13/2006 12:59:24 PM