OT: Boneyard "Other Football" World Cup Thread

[BlueMAB]

We'll unfortunately never know what would have been, but that won't stop me from believing we would have been better with LD out there. Especially in a game like this where all we needed was some possession and we'd surely have scored against that suspect defense.

Dempsey really should have one timed that. He knew the pass was coming, knock it home.

 

[huskypantz]

Howard was unreal. It's pretty obvious that we lack high level offensive skills on the wings and at the point of attack. We need a couple of really creative offensive threats in order to be a top 8 or greater team. Belgium was easily superior if not for Howard's herculean effort. Couple of nice set pieces toward the end but ultimately we did not capitalize. Love the effort by our team, huge heart. I really ragged Bradley for looking lethargic but the dude has superhuman conditioning and he was looking quicker in extra time.

 

[whaler11]

To watch 200 minutes where they didn't even generate a legitimate scoring opportunity and still try to claim it was a wise thing to leave Donovan home is about as crazy as it gets.

They brought players who are completely worthless at this level.

Gee do you want Wondo trying to score the winner or might it been a better idea to go with the guy who is your all time leading scorer and has stepped up in those WC situations before.

Klinsman is getting a lot of credit. The guy has a reputation for being brutal tactially for a reason. Lalas hit the nail right on the head. He made them a better version of what they already were, which is nice I guess.

 

[rich1122]

Team never gave up but the story of this tournament was Tim Howard's performance and our inability to sore goals and keep possession.. Wish we had another guy with a high skill level and international experience who could set up plays, see the field, cross the ball and make clean finishes. Oh that's right, we have a player like that but coach felt he would disrupt our high powered offense.

Dan you've forgotten more about soccer than I ever knew but the obvious might just be the reason we couldn't win this game. Jurgen rode Howard and deserves little credit for our advancement out of the group imo. We were not in control of any game in this tournament and easily could have been knocked out early if not for Howard and the heart of players who left it all out there. I have no reason to believe LD wouldn't have given that same effort.

The guys on ESPN are doing everything they can right now zeroing in on the issue but avoiding the subject.

Missing Altidore. Really the story. Probably the only guy that could not be replaced. Even at that we owned the 2nd OT and left it on the field.

 

[rich1122]

To watch 200 minutes where they didn't even generate a legitimate scoring opportunity and still try to claim it was a wise thing to leave Donovan home is about as crazy as it gets.

They brought players who are completely worthless at this level.

Gee do you want Wondo trying to score the winner or might it been a better idea to go with the guy who is your all time leading scorer and has stepped up in those WC situations before.

Klinsman is getting a lot of credit. The guy has a reputation for being brutal tactially for a reason. Lalas hit the nail right on the head. He made them a better version of what they already were, which is nice I guess.

In the end I wouldhave taken him over Zusi Bedoya or Beckerman. If we had Altidore maybe not.

 

[whaler11]

In the end I wouldhave taken him over Zusi Bedoya or Beckerman. If we had Altidore maybe not.

But not Johansson, Davis or Wondo? Jeebus they didn't even use Diskerud.

Remember the nonsensical reasoning at one point was fitness. Of course half the team had hamstring issues so either they can't judge fitness or maybe training at 100% constantly isn't good for you in the long run.

 

[BlueMAB]

Missing Altidore. Really the story. Probably the only guy that could not be replaced. Even at that we owned the 2nd OT and left it on the field.

Not having Altidore was huge. But we owned the second OT because Belgium had a two goal lead and was content to sit back and let Lukaku counter.

And they still should have had 1-2 more goals with that strategy.

 

[whaler11]

JK actually responded to a question about the hamstring injuries that they happen because of fatigue.

Ok Skip - why did they keep happening in the first half then?

 

[Dooley]

Really liked the play out of Yedlin after he came in. His defending wasn't completely sharp but man, that kid is a horse with lots of speed. I'm excited for Green's future. Looked confident in the short minutes he got tonight. I thought Bradley redeemed himself tonight...played very well finding Yedlin down the wing and the ball to Green's goal was perfectly placed. Tim Howard is ridiculous.

Going forward, I would like to see more creativity. I think this roster was a first step towards turning the page towards that. We caught a glimpse of the future of U.S. soccer and it looked good. Just beaten by a stronger side.

 

[Waquoit]

Wondo has to bury that. Just has to be converted.

Like that guy in Galaxy Quest, he has one job...

 

[Waquoit]

To watch 200 minutes where they didn't even generate a legitimate scoring opportunity and still try to claim it was a wise thing to leave Donovan home is about as crazy as it gets.

If Donovan had done what Green did you'd still be wet tomorrow. Maybe the next day too considering it wasn't even a scoring chance.

 

[Waquoit]

Really liked the play out of Yedlin after he came in.

Yedlin was more effective in his stint today than Fabian Johnson has been his entire World Cup career.

 

[UConnDan97]

There's no doubt that Donovan should have been there. No doubt in my mind. And there's also no doubt in my mind that Klinsmann didn't believe in Johansson or Wondo, so therefore Eddie Johnson should have been there as the backup to Altidore. I'm even questioning the Cameron move, since I think he has played MUCH better as a central defender than he did as a holding midfielder.

But....I still do think that the team is better....now. In four years, I'm actually a little scared, if I'm being honest. Dempsey, Donovan, and Beasley are 31, 31, and 32 respectively. That means that they will be 35, 36, and 36 when WC Russia happens. So we will likely have to find replacements for those players. But most importantly, Timmy Howard will be 39! We are going to need to find some answers before Russia, and hopefully those answers include Yedlin, Green, Brooks, Johansson, Diskerud, Bedoya, etc...

 

[UConnDan97]

Yedlin was more effective in his stint today than Fabian Johnson has been his entire World Cup career.

Yedlin had a good game today, but if you're making this comment, then you didn't see the USA vs. Portugal game. Nobody who saw that game would make that statement about Fabian Johnson...

 

[Gurleyman]

Well, what can I say. A few things, I suppose: 1) I'm proud of this team - The way they battled and the way they believed. It's clear that we don't have the top quality of other countries, nor the depth. But we have more than enough heart and athleticism to compete with most teams in the world, and we just needed one more touch to fall our way. 2) Klinsmann - For any second-guessing that have come about certain roster moves or certain formations, he has undoubtedly made this team better than they were before. This is not the team of Bob Bradley or Bruce Arena. This is a much more sound team, with many more possibilities. 3) Tim Howard - The man of the match, by far. For this game alone, he deserves to hoist the cup. 4) The USA - I'm really proud about the fact that the nation has unified behind this team. I wasn't ever sure that it would happen in my lifetime where tens of millions would follow the team here; where companies would have the game playing for their employees to see; where a football board could have over 50 pages of soccer commentary. I'm super proud today...

I'm very proud of the effort, especially in OT2 when we could have mailed it in, but a little less warm and fuzzy. I thought JK somewhat overthought things today getting us out of formation in the back. We were disorganized and leaking from all directions, right from the first minute - when your goalie is making 16 saves, it isn't a good tactical performance. Granted, we were a Wondo finish from advancing, but it would have been highway robbery and Tim Howard would have folk songs written about him.

We were also overmatched by Germany and Belgium in a way that we weren't in 2002 or in the Confederations Cup when we fared well against Spain and Brazil, so I'm not ready to say we've reached a new level. But I don't want to be too critical either, since overall I think JK did a good job with a team that clearly wasn't as talented as the top tier, especially after Altidore went down and everyone else's job got harder (Dempsey and Bradley in particular). Sure would be nice to have a Lukaku on our bench - he'd already be our best player ever at age 20 and he doesn't even start for Belgium. He did put us in position where we had a chance in every game, so I'm definitely on board with him for the next four year cycle. Just hope we can develop a little more skill from our young attacking players where we don't look so impotent in the offensive end. I'd have taken a Sweet 16 and an OT loss going in, but just didn't want to feel quite so outclassed.

 

[UCFBfan]

Proud of this team. Really am. That being said, whoever mentioned how we were never really threatening in a few of these games was spot on. Think of how we scored goals...Besides Dempsey's goal against Ghana, I can't remember another goal that wasn't a long strike or something that wasn't just a flash in the pan score. The goal against Ghana to put us up, Jones's strike from way out that the majority of times would not go in (he tried 13 more times tonight in OT), the goal off Dempsey's chest that happened to go in off Yedlin's cross, and then Green's goal tonight. None of that was brought about by continued pressure or offensive play. It was off a set piece or a counter.

We need to get possession players. I felt like Belgium had a corner kick every other minute. They were in our third for a lot of this game. Howard made this game winnable. We have him to thank for this WC experience.

Maybe this changes if Altidore is healthy and Dempsey can play a more midfield role. However, how do we only bring one player like Altidore and when he goes down, we have no one to play his role?

 

[UConnDan97]

I'm very proud of the effort, especially in OT2 when we could have mailed it in, but a little less warm and fuzzy. I thought JK somewhat overthought things today getting us out of formation in the back. We were disorganized and leaking from all directions, right from the first minute - when your goalie is making 16 saves, it isn't a good tactical performance. Granted, we were a Wondo finish from advancing, but it would have been highway robbery and Tim Howard would have folk songs written about him.

We were also overmatched by Germany and Belgium in a way that we weren't in 2002 or in the Confederations Cup when we fared well against Spain and Brazil, so I'm not ready to say we've reached a new level. But I don't want to be too critical either, since overall I think JK did a good job with a team that clearly wasn't as talented as the top tier, especially after Altidore went down and everyone else's job got harder (Dempsey and Bradley in particular). Sure would be nice to have a Lukaku on our bench - he'd already be our best player ever at age 20 and he doesn't even start for Belgium. He did put us in position where we had a chance in every game, so I'm definitely on board with him for the next four year cycle. Just hope we can develop a little more skill from our young attacking players where we don't look so impotent in the offensive end. I'd have taken a Sweet 16 and an OT loss going in, but just didn't want to feel quite so outclassed.

Granted. I think everything you said here was true. I was also going to go into the fact that I thought Klinsmann made a mistake changing the formation and putting Cameron in for Beckerman, but some on the board may have accused me of being Beckerman's girlfriend. We could not hold onto the ball in the midfield at all. And I also thought that the 4-3-3 with either Johnson or Yedlin as the right fullback ends up neutralizing any play that you might get out of Zusi. It is awkward looking, to say the least.

Be that as it may, I see a growth in US soccer and a growth in the fanbase. So that's what I'll try to take away from today, as I drink myself to sleep...

 

[UCFBfan]

Be that as it may, I see a growth in US soccer and a growth in the fanbase.

This is what I will take away as well. We can all be critical but this team looked overmatched from the onset. Yet they proved us all wrong. Everyone will have their opinions but the fact that this country actually went crazy for the WC is amazing. It shows that soccer has a base here in the US and that MLS can grow and hopefully soccer can enter into the conversation as a big player in sports world of the US.

 

[housekeys]

Not having Altidore was huge. But we owned the second OT because Belgium had a two goal lead and was content to sit back and let Lukaku counter.

And they still should have had 1-2 more goals with that strategy.

Very true about Belgium being content, but there is a another reason for the USA's resurgence. When you fall behind and your back is against the wall, you start taking risks. They become more aggressive because that is the only way to get back the goal. So the mindset changes (the opposite of how Belgium wants to play at that point, as you point out).

 

[whaler11]

If Donovan had done what Green did you'd still be wet tomorrow. Maybe the next day too considering it wasn't even a scoring chance.

You win: you get to stay erect stroking yourself because JK showed that pu**y Donovan. Who cares if the coach's personal feelings take prescidence over the team. They play these World Cups constantly right?

It was certainly fair to Howard, I mean why give him a fighting chance when instead he can watch Brad Davis fill his diaper on the field.

 

[BlueMAB]

There's no doubt that Donovan should have been there. No doubt in my mind. And there's also no doubt in my mind that Klinsmann didn't believe in Johansson or Wondo, so therefore Eddie Johnson should have been there as the backup to Altidore. I'm even questioning the Cameron move, since I think he has played MUCH better as a central defender than he did as a holding midfielder.

But....I still do think that the team is better....now. In four years, I'm actually a little scared, if I'm being honest. Dempsey, Donovan, and Beasley are 31, 31, and 32 respectively. That means that they will be 35, 36, and 36 when WC Russia happens. So we will likely have to find replacements for those players. But most importantly, Timmy Howard will be 39! We are going to need to find some answers before Russia, and hopefully those answers include Yedlin, Green, Brooks, Johansson, Diskerud, Bedoya, etc...

You're being very kind.

There's no way in hell Dempsey, Donovan, and Beasley haven't played in their last World Cup. If they are even considered options in 2018 it won't matter because we won't even qualify.

To make things worse. Jones is 32.

Guzan (29) isn't as good as Howard, but he's good enough for the EPL, so he's good enough for the US. There's one position we should never really worry about and it's keeper.

Klinsmann has his work cut out for him.

 

[UConnDan97]

You're being very kind.

There's no way in hell Dempsey, Donovan, and Beasley haven't played in their last World Cup. If they are even considered options in 2018 it won't matter because we won't even qualify.

To make things worse. Jones is 32.

Guzan (29) isn't as good as Howard, but he's good enough for the EPL, so he's good enough for the US. There's one position we should never really worry about and it's keeper.

Klinsmann has his work cut out for him.

I was alluding to the fact that you drove home. Those players are going to need to be replaced. And like you said; throw Jones in that pile, as well as Beckerman (I think), Davis, Rimando, and perhaps a couple of others. I'm always confident that the US will find a goalie that can play at a high level (like Guzan), but the rest of the players? Well, we've got a lot of holes to fill...

 

[housekeys]

I'm very proud of the effort.... I'd have taken a Sweet 16 and an OT loss going in, but just didn't want to feel quite so outclassed.

We may have been outclassed this game, but overall, if you look at the teams that where here and how some of them flamed out, we are not outclassed. We belong. This is my take away. We belong!

 

[UConnDan97]

We may have been outclassed this game, but overall, if you look at the teams that where here and how some of them flamed out, we are not outclassed. We belong. This is my take away. We belong!

Well, four teams of the remaining eight have won a WC in the past, and that's not by accident, so it's hard to say if we belong or not. What I can say quite comfortably after today is that we aren't going away!

 

[BlueMAB]

We are 1-2 difference makers away from winning this game, and 2-3 options on the bench away from the quarters/semi-finals. I know less than nothing about the younger national teams, so the next 4 years will be extremely interesting as there are roster spots opening up all over the place.

To be fair, however, we were also 1 world class goalkeeper away from losing 5-0.