lol keep thinking that

5/28/2008 8:36:15 AM

I wouldn't go this far

Quote :

"Bullcrap. England is so incredibly overrated it's silly. At worst we'll tie."

but That's On Point made pretty good points on the game that I agree with like it's stupid to compare the state of US soccer with England considering they haven't won shit since '66. Comparisions to EPL for MLS are somewhat valid because it's the best league in the world but EPL does not equal England.

http://thatsonpoint.blogspot.com/2008/05/john-bullspit.html

5/28/2008 9:01:10 AM

12 out of 22 starters in the Champions League Final were not from England.
All 14 eligible substitutes were not from England.

Less than 1/3 of the players involved in the game were actually English.

5/28/2008 9:15:18 AM

Ferdinand, Terry, Lampard, Rooney, A. Cole, J. Cole, Carrick, Hargreaves, Brown

that makes up a pretty good portion of the england team that played in the champions league.


(throw in a gk and another striker and youve got a good fielded 4-4-2 national team)

[Edited on May 28, 2008 at 9:28 AM. Reason : england]

5/28/2008 9:26:23 AM

It looks great on paper, nobody's denying that. What do they have to show for it?

Too many of their best players play the same position, they haven't had a really productive goal scorer since Owen, and their coaching has been poor in recent years.

5/28/2008 9:37:57 AM

rooney is productive, but hes been played out of place lately, as a lone striker or a target man, he is neither of those...and that lineup i just mentioned has really never been played before

5/28/2008 9:44:52 AM

I think Rooney is overrated

if he was American, he'd probably be playing for Fulham right now

5/28/2008 10:19:02 AM

lol, that is comical. if he was american hed be playing for a big named club not in england, for someone who knows about michael owen i dont see how you fail to see their similarities...

granted rooney tends to pass more than owen

[Edited on May 28, 2008 at 10:58 AM. Reason : little more unselfish]

5/28/2008 10:55:04 AM

take off the United blinders... he hasn't been an effective out-and-out striker for a while

I could easily see him slipping into a Dirk Kuyt-Liverpool type position in the future

[Edited on May 28, 2008 at 10:59 AM. Reason : .]

5/28/2008 10:59:00 AM

hes 22...hes younger than me, hes not even in his prime yet

hell, alan shearer didnt start scoring a lot of goals till he was 22 or 23

5/28/2008 11:02:15 AM

I'm not saying he's washed up... I'm just saying he shouldn't even be mentioned in the same conversation with Owen when it comes to the English national team

5/28/2008 11:06:39 AM

well owen isnt on the team, rooney is....

5/28/2008 11:27:53 AM

Quote :

"Too many of their best players play the same position, they haven't had a really productive goal scorer since Owen, and their coaching has been poor in recent years."

Quote :

"well owen isnt on the team, rooney is...."

Exactly, Rooney is the best option they have right now and he isn't even close to what Owen was for them from 98-04.

5/28/2008 11:44:43 AM

im pumped....viewing party anywhere?

5/28/2008 11:54:30 AM

^^ Dude, Rooney is fucking class. You have to remember that Owen had one of the best set-up guys ever in Beckham playing with him.

Also, England has the potential to win the World Cup every time they play in it. They just always play like shit. That doesn't mean they're a bad team, it just means they don't show up. See: Atlanta Braves.

5/28/2008 1:54:29 PM

Nobody said England was a bad team.

Potential has never beaten an opponent. They're not Brazil or Italy. But yet, Americans always compare the US to them first. They shouldn't be what the US Nats aspire to be until they actually win something.

5/28/2008 2:09:55 PM

US Starting Lineup:

Howard

Cherundolo – Onyewu – Bocanegra – Pearce

Dempsey – Clark – Bradley – Beasley

Johnson - Wolff (fuck)

Also, Landy isn't even going to dress for the game. It's good to see Pearce get some love and I'm surprised Beaz is getting the start considering his lack of minutes lately.

Here are the England starters:
James

Brown - Ferdinand - Terry - A Cole

Hargreaves - Beckham - Gerrard - Lampard

Rooney - Defoe

[Edited on May 28, 2008 at 2:15 PM. Reason : England]

5/28/2008 2:12:03 PM

^^ I see your point there. But England is a good step up from where we are right now. I'd say we're at around Sweden's level seeing as how we've played against them lately, with our moments that are far better and worse than that. England would be a good next level for us to achieve, I think. We're not going to be as good as Brazil or Italy overnight, so we have to find a goal in between and England is a good fit. Plus, it'd be cool to develop kind of an English-speaking rivalry with a European team.

5/28/2008 2:17:16 PM

all i want for my birthday today is a win for america

5/28/2008 2:22:45 PM

I might have to start boycotting US games if Eddie Johnson keeps getting starts

5/28/2008 3:41:58 PM

WANT



on sale for $47.99 in the us team store online

might have to add an extra $25 to make it a dempsey jersey

5/28/2008 3:42:36 PM

haha god, bocanegra was a good 3 feet away from trying to win that header away from Terry, way to read the cross bocanegra....good goal terry

5/28/2008 3:49:12 PM

1-0 England off a Terry header on a Beckham free kick... whaddya know, it was from a stupid foul from Ricardo Clark, surprising

5/28/2008 3:49:24 PM

give up fouls in bad positions much

5/28/2008 3:49:37 PM

jesus watching that cross again...bocanegra....that was awful marking

5/28/2008 3:50:25 PM

it wasn't that bad, just a better play from Terry to adjust to a cross that was behind him

definitely wasn't good though

[Edited on May 28, 2008 at 3:52 PM. Reason : not good]

5/28/2008 3:52:13 PM

yea it was behind terry's forward run...bocanegra was wathcing the ball in and was nowhere near his man

5/28/2008 3:52:51 PM

if england has better touches and better passes in the final 1/3 then its prob 3-0 at half here, so luckily the US is still in this

5/28/2008 3:56:48 PM

they really are missing landycakes

i'm pretty tired of them trying to play everything through the air, its getting us nowhere

that and i really do not like these jerseys

5/28/2008 3:57:58 PM

we're missing Donovan big time.... I hope Adu starts the 2nd half

5/28/2008 3:58:40 PM

^^yep and yep

[Edited on May 28, 2008 at 3:58 PM. Reason : g]

5/28/2008 3:58:45 PM

also, I really wish Altidore would play against Spain because I can't take much more of these shitty combos up top. Wolff? come on Bradley, we know he's shitty... same for Johnson

5/28/2008 4:00:17 PM

i want bradley to put dempsey up top as the lone striker and to take wolff out in favor of adu

5/28/2008 4:03:19 PM

Defoe dives.

5/28/2008 4:04:58 PM

I think Beasley will more than likely come off for Lewis and Wolff for Adu

5/28/2008 4:05:58 PM

god i dont want to hear the words lone striker ever again...it rarely works

[Edited on May 28, 2008 at 4:09 PM. Reason : i.e. SEE CHELSEA FOR EXAMPLE]

5/28/2008 4:09:02 PM

nice start

5/28/2008 4:12:04 PM

EJ almost making you guys eat crow

5/28/2008 4:12:20 PM

he had time too

5/28/2008 4:12:56 PM

perfect example of why I hate him

he may actually get a goal every now and then... but look how many brilliant chances he messes up

5/28/2008 4:14:10 PM

he isnt left footed though, is he?

5/28/2008 4:14:38 PM

he's a professional soccer player

5/28/2008 4:14:54 PM

so, some people are born ambidextrous, some people arent

5/28/2008 4:15:15 PM

goal scorers finish opportunities when they're wide open with no one around them

5/28/2008 4:15:46 PM

im not disappointed he missed that shot, im not sure if hes left footed or not, but he struck it clean, didnt miss by much

5/28/2008 4:16:45 PM

wow Guzan, way to act scared as shit in front of gerrard, you just gave him one of the easiest goals of his career

and gooch, no way hes gonna be able to keep up with gerrad on his run there

[Edited on May 28, 2008 at 4:25 PM. Reason : f]

5/28/2008 4:24:50 PM

Quote :

"so, some people are born ambidextrous, some people arent"

thats nice and all, but even if you favor a foot (which 99% of people do FAVOR one at least), if you cant strike well with your opposite foot you dont deserve to be a striker at this level, barring the chance you are just ridiculous good, fast etc. to completely make up for it.

Its like people I see in the NHL playoffs missing a WIDE OPEN GOAL if they took a one-timer. Instead they bring it to their strong side and the hole is closed and they dont score. Just doesnt cut it if you want to be top notch.

I cant watch at work here though so I dont know whats going on, just commenting in general.

5/28/2008 4:25:44 PM

i see ppl miss horribly with their off foot all the time at this level of play...i mean people can pass it with both feet, shoot when your facing the goal with both feet...but he took this off a bounce on a side half volley and struck it well for his off foot, he only missed the goal by a foot. david james was rooted, so its a goal if its just slightly more right.

5/28/2008 4:28:06 PM

yea they are professionals, but they arent robots, sometimes you people astound me at thinking these guys should never mess up

5/28/2008 4:29:47 PM

Quote :

"if you cant strike well with your opposite foot you dont deserve to be a striker at this level"

sir, the best americans deserve to play for team usa. that's how a national team works. usa being a bad team has nothing to do w/ whether or not johnson deserves anything.

5/28/2008 4:29:55 PM