This World Cup is really shaping up to be one of the better ones. Some great games so far. It was noted on tv that 39% of all goals so far have been in the final 15 minutes of the match . . . can't walk away from that tv. A lot of yellow cards too. At least we don't have all those creative dives like in the '98 Cup.
ukranian coach Oleg Blokhin prefers working clothes. standart uniform versus armani suit. i like that.
they have shevchenko, europe's most dangerous forward on a good day, imho.
ukraine qualified before turkey, denmark, greece, albania and georgia. a really tough group. they looked lost in front of spain but they also can fire up like ... hummm..leys see.
early score always makes the game unpredictable.
redesign of the soccer ball finally showing its effects. unstopable shots from great distances like the second ukr goal are everywhere.
so far it is one of those forgetable games. boring. neither team got any style.
min 44.
auguste- i was, of course, going for ecuador- but as suarez had anticipated, we played with the subs and you can easily tell the weight that the important players have in our small team. suarez opted for saving them for sunday's more important match. still, it's not very nice to see your country loose, and deservedly.
hello england,
please send your real world cup team to Germany pronto.. The one that is currently there is playing like it is a friendly cup.
I see ecuador giving england a hard time and even if they do make it through they won't make the final - unless they do something amazing, like play. b'stards.
owen out for 5 month doesnt really help their case either...
but they will beat ecuador and after that anything will be possible. they're the kind of team that gets stronger and stronger after each game. i still fancy england to win it.
I really don't see England advancing very far. They looked so slow yesterday and haven't produced much of an attack throughout the first round except for the last ten minutes against T&T.
How about Figo? I think he's played better than Beckham, Ronaldo and Zidane combined. Portugal is looking very good. Great passing, counter-attacks and set-ups. Their defense may be an issue.
honeyweeks are almost over and world cup goes into ruthless territory of one match eliminations... which ever teams win two games in a row, play semi finals. in this stage, one mistake can mean a lost world cup. or one lucky strike can mean worldwide recognition.
good luck to all teams who came to this stage and thank you for all the teams who made it to world cup showing we are all humans after all and we come in all colors, nationalities and religions.
so far, germany and spain are my best selections, but best means nothing against an unexpected goal from the underdog.
like they say, soccer ball is round and has a mind of its own...
i'm bruce arena...i'm going to play a formation in all three
games of the world cup that doesn't fit our style...is a
formation we haven't played at all in qualifying..and not
change it at all based on in game situations..
ghana will get their two strikers back for the next game..
but essien is out due to the card happy ref in today's
game...
this world cup has been so over officiated it's ridiculous..
i don't think the u.s. played well enough to advance..but
the refs didn't do them any favors...virtually handing
italy the tie...and giving the win to ghana...i though you
actually had to foul a player to award a pk...or at least
see something aggregious.
and the flopping by ghana was a bit much...players fell
after barely being touched...i thought they were supposed
to give yellow cards for diving..hm.
the u.s. squad was not well coached though..and i don't
think very well put together... i still look forward to the
future of u.s. soccer..and to the youth coming up..
appiah of ghana has scored a critical goal with his hand this year in turkish super lig without a guilt... so they are theatrical, re; lars' point.
i think it is great that ghana advanced and they certainally deserved it. too bad essien is out for brazil game. which will be an interesting match because ghana plays fearless like brazil do. it is certainally going to be a fun to watch play. if essien was in i'd say 50/50.
re; team usa.
time is up for arena. he couldn't bring out the fighting spirit and fire power up in the team. over the the years, he thought a lot to a team that was at the times, innocent, inexperienced, eager, attacking and energetic with an unmatched fighting spirit and creativity which fits american character well. next american team will be much more experienced and exciting, considering the soccer programs and the size of the talent pool. once american investors realize that this game can be great business, it will double the fan base. it is hard to gain interest in the sport where american football, baseball and basketball is huge. it turns me off when i see a MLS game on a pitch where are the ghosts of american football yard lines still visible.
great they made it world cup for which many nations mass cried for not qualifiying.
hey guys i just got back into the usa from overseas and am having major football withdrawal. anyone know anywhere online where i can listen to the games in english/spanish?
I couldn't agree more with the calls for Arena to step down, but none of the leaders on the field stepped up either. Although over-hyped due to '02 result, this year's outcome was decidedly disappointing.
Have to say though, I'll have NO problem rooting for Ghana the rest of the way out. Despite their occasional thespianism, they've always played with class. Rarely do you see teams consistently helping their opponents off the pitch after a fall or a foul. It's great to see.
imho, the problem with the african teams is that they have speed and power but no ball control and a lack of imagination. for every world cup since Italy '90 people have predicted the rise of the African teams, i really dont see it happening anytime soon. I see these teams playing well for 2/3 of the field and then they go in front of the opponents goal and they look like amateurs, no finess, nothing pretty.
My picks (in order):
-Argentina
-Germany
-Spain
-Portugal
Semi Finals:
-Italy vs. Argentina
-Spain vs. Portugal
why should a coach be responsible for bringing out the fighting spirit of his team. if these bums can't get up for the world cup then they've got no right to be there. thats what the brushback bench clearing brawl is for.
i agree that the onus of not getting up for a match lies on the
players..however...arena chose a style of play and formation
that didn't fit his players...these players having not played this
style seemed to be searching for where to go... mcbride is not
lone striker material..anyone can see that...he relies on having
someone else in attack that he can head the ball down to. much
like crouch/owen or crouch/rooney...
i've played a lot of soccer and whenever i play out of position i play
alot worse...don't know where to go..not sure what runs to make..
when i'm playing along side someone who plays the same style as
me i also find myself making redundant runs..not finding open
space and the like.
i think that is what the 4-5-1 does..clogs the middle and creates
a number of players feeling as though they're out of position..
i think american needed to play a 4-4-2..so the halfbacks would
have options to pass to up front..and beasley/dempsey etc.
could make runs up the side and take full advantage of their
fitness and speed.
I'd like to second your opinion on formations. When I played (back in the day), my team had an excellent record. But, the coach opted to change our formation to a 4-5-1 which really messed us up. It's very different going from 2 strikers to just 1.
If I could quickly chime in, I'm quite a fan of the 4-5-1, if it's done correctly. But Lars is right that it does NOT suit the USA having one striker. McBride does need some kind of help, but Eddie Johnson could work as a lone striker in the future, maybe.
Could I just say - just as I predicted - Landon Donovan did NOT show up for this tournament, period. I saw that kid back away from so many challenges, it reminded me of U15 ball. And he can make really beautiful runs, but does NOTHING at the end of those runs to help his team. He is, by far, the most over-hyped and the most frustrating player that I've watched in quite a while.
Having said that - there are some quality players on this squad. Gooch is absolute class. He quietly goes about his business on the pitch and plays a very strong and solid game.
Archinectors: Please post some US team individual ratings so that we all know how is class and who is pants. Thank you.
i've heard everyone and their mother blame donovan...i can see
that..but donovan's game is all about passing and/or receiving a
pass back. the 4-5-1 not only puts him farther from goal than
he needs to be..but it also gets rid of another player to pass the
ball to.
2. gooch. ok i like gooch and everything..but if there's one player
that had an absolutely awful cup it is gooch. two of the goals if
not all three are gooch's fault almost directly in the czech game...
he was marking koller..he cleared the ball poorly which was then
scored on a brilliant strike. in the ghana game today his 'foul'
costs us a chance at getting back in the game and changes
momentum completely. that foul was a complete fabrication..but
it's a problem with his game..as he's gained a reputation for being
a bit of a brute.
ah well. i really like him, but these three games were not his finest
hour.
i like dempsey alot..and i think we could use more players that play
with his kind of recklessness...i like convey...mastro....i think reyna
and obrien were done before this cup...mcbride maybe as well.
woohoo! i can't wait for the second round to start mañana! i'm going to be lighting some candles so that el tri can pull off an upset against los albicelestes!
my interpretation of striker;
usually a center forward location, seemingly slower player that looks like a tank and who often has a 6 th sense for shooting op and when strike, it is most likely unstopable. ie; ronaldo of brazil.
World Cup Predictor Game
This World Cup is really shaping up to be one of the better ones. Some great games so far. It was noted on tv that 39% of all goals so far have been in the final 15 minutes of the match . . . can't walk away from that tv. A lot of yellow cards too. At least we don't have all those creative dives like in the '98 Cup.
no goal fest for Brasil - 0-0 at the half...and the 'roos are playing quite well...where are the aussie-necter's?
Vamos Argentina
flickr.com/photos/thepeculiarform/tags/laslomitas/
oh well.....so many chances......
on the plus side we only need 1 point against croatia to get through
Brazil's improving ... played pretty well after the 35th minute or so ..
Ronaldo played better than the previous game too ..
but yes .. this world cup is turning out to be among the best ones in recent times ..
the teams are more evenly matched than the previous editions !!
and yes .. Kudos to Korea for sneaking in a goal over france !!
ukranian coach Oleg Blokhin prefers working clothes. standart uniform versus armani suit. i like that.
they have shevchenko, europe's most dangerous forward on a good day, imho.
ukraine qualified before turkey, denmark, greece, albania and georgia. a really tough group. they looked lost in front of spain but they also can fire up like ... hummm..leys see.
early score always makes the game unpredictable.
redesign of the soccer ball finally showing its effects. unstopable shots from great distances like the second ukr goal are everywhere.
so far it is one of those forgetable games. boring. neither team got any style.
min 44.
predictable results yesterday ...
and by far the most boring day of the world cup so far ..
spain had a scare there though...
Ok, who's going for Ecuador with me? Should be a good match.
Klose pulls ahead of the pack with 4 goals so far in the Cup - and it's only half-time!
Who will win the Golden Boot?
Will it be Fernando Torres (3) or David Villa (2) of Spain?
Klose (4) of Germany?
Crespo (2) of Argentina?
Will Adriano of Brasil (1) prevail in the end?
auguste- i was, of course, going for ecuador- but as suarez had anticipated, we played with the subs and you can easily tell the weight that the important players have in our small team. suarez opted for saving them for sunday's more important match. still, it's not very nice to see your country loose, and deservedly.
hello england,
please send your real world cup team to Germany pronto.. The one that is currently there is playing like it is a friendly cup.
I see ecuador giving england a hard time and even if they do make it through they won't make the final - unless they do something amazing, like play. b'stards.
owen out for 5 month doesnt really help their case either...
but they will beat ecuador and after that anything will be possible. they're the kind of team that gets stronger and stronger after each game. i still fancy england to win it.
ties are stupid...
vado on the communist kickball thread?!?! gasp.
I really don't see England advancing very far. They looked so slow yesterday and haven't produced much of an attack throughout the first round except for the last ten minutes against T&T.
How about Figo? I think he's played better than Beckham, Ronaldo and Zidane combined. Portugal is looking very good. Great passing, counter-attacks and set-ups. Their defense may be an issue.
Mexico has advanced in the ugliest way possible.
Bravo should be hanged. I thought for sure it was over after Portugal went up 2-0. Mexico had their chances.
honeyweeks are almost over and world cup goes into ruthless territory of one match eliminations... which ever teams win two games in a row, play semi finals. in this stage, one mistake can mean a lost world cup. or one lucky strike can mean worldwide recognition.
good luck to all teams who came to this stage and thank you for all the teams who made it to world cup showing we are all humans after all and we come in all colors, nationalities and religions.
so far, germany and spain are my best selections, but best means nothing against an unexpected goal from the underdog.
like they say, soccer ball is round and has a mind of its own...
...
Thursdays is Soccer Day in Brazil!
I'm worried for Brazil !!
on a good note .. I thought Argentina and Holand played some good football yesterday !!
I know a lot of people are pissed that the USA didn't advance (did they even have a chance?) but how great is it that Ghana is in the 2nd round?
I'm with you Auguste - Ghana vs. Brazil will be a fantastic game (if Ghana are fit by then)
expect the US coach to find himself 'in' the meadowlands or sleepin with the fishes...
Good advancement by Ghana, but they will get knocked out pretty easily by Brazil.
Arena should step down and we should find a coach who can help this team generate some offence.
At this point I don't care who wins except the I want Brazil to lose. Go anyone playing Brazil!
i'm bruce arena...i'm going to play a formation in all three
games of the world cup that doesn't fit our style...is a
formation we haven't played at all in qualifying..and not
change it at all based on in game situations..
ghana will get their two strikers back for the next game..
but essien is out due to the card happy ref in today's
game...
this world cup has been so over officiated it's ridiculous..
i don't think the u.s. played well enough to advance..but
the refs didn't do them any favors...virtually handing
italy the tie...and giving the win to ghana...i though you
actually had to foul a player to award a pk...or at least
see something aggregious.
and the flopping by ghana was a bit much...players fell
after barely being touched...i thought they were supposed
to give yellow cards for diving..hm.
the u.s. squad was not well coached though..and i don't
think very well put together... i still look forward to the
future of u.s. soccer..and to the youth coming up..
Flopping is the one aspect of international soccer that I hate.
I can't think of another sport that is filled with such frauds.
appiah of ghana has scored a critical goal with his hand this year in turkish super lig without a guilt... so they are theatrical, re; lars' point.
i think it is great that ghana advanced and they certainally deserved it. too bad essien is out for brazil game. which will be an interesting match because ghana plays fearless like brazil do. it is certainally going to be a fun to watch play. if essien was in i'd say 50/50.
re; team usa.
time is up for arena. he couldn't bring out the fighting spirit and fire power up in the team. over the the years, he thought a lot to a team that was at the times, innocent, inexperienced, eager, attacking and energetic with an unmatched fighting spirit and creativity which fits american character well. next american team will be much more experienced and exciting, considering the soccer programs and the size of the talent pool. once american investors realize that this game can be great business, it will double the fan base. it is hard to gain interest in the sport where american football, baseball and basketball is huge. it turns me off when i see a MLS game on a pitch where are the ghosts of american football yard lines still visible.
great they made it world cup for which many nations mass cried for not qualifiying.
Gaol Japan!
Opps! Goal.
The moment we've been waiting for: Ronaldo scores to tie it up. Great game so for; Japan has a pretty good counter-attack.
hey guys i just got back into the usa from overseas and am having major football withdrawal. anyone know anywhere online where i can listen to the games in english/spanish?
espn 360 english or spanish live video.
I couldn't agree more with the calls for Arena to step down, but none of the leaders on the field stepped up either. Although over-hyped due to '02 result, this year's outcome was decidedly disappointing.
Have to say though, I'll have NO problem rooting for Ghana the rest of the way out. Despite their occasional thespianism, they've always played with class. Rarely do you see teams consistently helping their opponents off the pitch after a fall or a foul. It's great to see.
i guess i cant see it, they will start giving away the 360 for free on Monday though.... any e-radio?
wow 3-1 already, looks like Brazil woke up
imho, the problem with the african teams is that they have speed and power but no ball control and a lack of imagination. for every world cup since Italy '90 people have predicted the rise of the African teams, i really dont see it happening anytime soon. I see these teams playing well for 2/3 of the field and then they go in front of the opponents goal and they look like amateurs, no finess, nothing pretty.
My picks (in order):
-Argentina
-Germany
-Spain
-Portugal
Semi Finals:
-Italy vs. Argentina
-Spain vs. Portugal
Finals:
Argentina vs. Spain
why should a coach be responsible for bringing out the fighting spirit of his team. if these bums can't get up for the world cup then they've got no right to be there. thats what the brushback bench clearing brawl is for.
i agree that the onus of not getting up for a match lies on the
players..however...arena chose a style of play and formation
that didn't fit his players...these players having not played this
style seemed to be searching for where to go... mcbride is not
lone striker material..anyone can see that...he relies on having
someone else in attack that he can head the ball down to. much
like crouch/owen or crouch/rooney...
i've played a lot of soccer and whenever i play out of position i play
alot worse...don't know where to go..not sure what runs to make..
when i'm playing along side someone who plays the same style as
me i also find myself making redundant runs..not finding open
space and the like.
i think that is what the 4-5-1 does..clogs the middle and creates
a number of players feeling as though they're out of position..
i think american needed to play a 4-4-2..so the halfbacks would
have options to pass to up front..and beasley/dempsey etc.
could make runs up the side and take full advantage of their
fitness and speed.
I would have liked to have seen a brawl...
+q: two options...
to listen: go to The Sun's (UK) website and you can find audio for any game
to watch: search tvuplayer on google and dl the program. You can find espn, espn2, and abc on there.
PS: How can you not pick Germany in the Finals? My pick: Germany v Spain in the Finals.
lars:
I'd like to second your opinion on formations. When I played (back in the day), my team had an excellent record. But, the coach opted to change our formation to a 4-5-1 which really messed us up. It's very different going from 2 strikers to just 1.
I agree a 4-4-2 would have been better.
If I could quickly chime in, I'm quite a fan of the 4-5-1, if it's done correctly. But Lars is right that it does NOT suit the USA having one striker. McBride does need some kind of help, but Eddie Johnson could work as a lone striker in the future, maybe.
Could I just say - just as I predicted - Landon Donovan did NOT show up for this tournament, period. I saw that kid back away from so many challenges, it reminded me of U15 ball. And he can make really beautiful runs, but does NOTHING at the end of those runs to help his team. He is, by far, the most over-hyped and the most frustrating player that I've watched in quite a while.
Having said that - there are some quality players on this squad. Gooch is absolute class. He quietly goes about his business on the pitch and plays a very strong and solid game.
Archinectors: Please post some US team individual ratings so that we all know how is class and who is pants. Thank you.
darkred...
i've heard everyone and their mother blame donovan...i can see
that..but donovan's game is all about passing and/or receiving a
pass back. the 4-5-1 not only puts him farther from goal than
he needs to be..but it also gets rid of another player to pass the
ball to.
2. gooch. ok i like gooch and everything..but if there's one player
that had an absolutely awful cup it is gooch. two of the goals if
not all three are gooch's fault almost directly in the czech game...
he was marking koller..he cleared the ball poorly which was then
scored on a brilliant strike. in the ghana game today his 'foul'
costs us a chance at getting back in the game and changes
momentum completely. that foul was a complete fabrication..but
it's a problem with his game..as he's gained a reputation for being
a bit of a brute.
ah well. i really like him, but these three games were not his finest
hour.
i like dempsey alot..and i think we could use more players that play
with his kind of recklessness...i like convey...mastro....i think reyna
and obrien were done before this cup...mcbride maybe as well.
4-5-1 = 4 shots of goal for the entire World Cup.
woohoo! i can't wait for the second round to start mañana! i'm going to be lighting some candles so that el tri can pull off an upset against los albicelestes!
whats a striker??
my interpretation of striker;
usually a center forward location, seemingly slower player that looks like a tank and who often has a 6 th sense for shooting op and when strike, it is most likely unstopable. ie; ronaldo of brazil.
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