OT: US mens soccer team

[Drumguy]

What about hockey? Or is it that the average hockey game has much more action throughout so it's okay if it ends up being decided by penalty shots anyway?

And you can't deny that penalty shots to end games create some seriously dramatic moments.

Actually I don't agree at all. End of game penalty kicks are pure on/off luck with little skill (relative). Hockey is really exciting but it's not my favorite sport either, interesting you pick up the most minor of the sports mentioned - but sit at the glass on the blue line and it's wold's more exciting and fast paced. Like most Americans I like a good old fashioned football game or baseball or basketball. I'll watch the world cup if the US is playing or the Olympics to root for our teams but it's about as exciting as watching paint dry.

 

[businesslawyer]

A few thoughts:

1. Saturday night was a brilliantly played win, but before talking about coaching and how much we're improving as a team let's see how we do for the entire five game stretch.

2. If you have any doubt that we're improving our player pool, ask yourself this: when was the last time that a field player could be good enough to be starting in the Premier League and not even be sitting on the bench for the national team? But that describes Tim Ream and Eric Lichaj.

3. The line about the violence of the game in Mexico reminds me of one of my favorite incidents, U.S. was playing Mexico, forget whether it was qualifying or a friendly, in the U.S. Benny Fielhaber goes down in the U.S. defensive end and three Mexicans start to stomp him. Tim Howard, and then Gooch Onyewu, come sprinting out and the Mexican players put their hands up in the air, back away from Fielhaber and start talking to Howard and Onyewu with a calm "we didn't do anything" attitude. My son immediately turns to me and says "Yes, we're tough with a Jewish kid from Scarsdale lying on the ground, but not so much with guys who could play strong safety and fullback in the NFL."

 

[Northbound]

Please don't forget that as sports channels that live across platforms have proliferated there is a need for content. While support programming is critical, at some point the nets (ESPN, FOX, etc.) need games. As Skipper has said many times over "Fans love games" and that's the idea that is partially responsible for the accessibility of soccer in the US.

My god is that game boring, beautiful game my ass. I could care less if the US wins or loses in the Olympics or any other global sporting event. I get no vicarious thrill if we beat Ghana, Brazil or some other country be it in soccer or fencing.....I'm not likely to drop some soccer smack talk on Rory the next time I'm getting melted in Edinburgh.

 

[partial]

There are quite a few sports I don't enjoy, but i've never particularly felt the need to point out at every mention of those sports how dull they are. I don't know why but it seems like soccer elicits some sort of visceral response in some americans.

 

[babysheep]

Oh, and we think that basketball refs are bad.... I remember watching the previous World Cups and was just constantly faceplaming

 

[UConn5]

There are quite a few sports I don't enjoy, but i've never particularly felt the need to point out at every mention of those sports how dull they are. I don't know why but it seems like soccer elicits some sort of visceral response in some americans.

I echo this. That being said. Soccer will be fine without those who feel the need to constantly put it down. If it wasn't gaining popularity then it wouldn't remain popular to bash.

 

[progrocks]

We lost to Brazil, 4-1, but it really was not that bad. We had a lot of chances that we should put away against lesser competition, which is every team we play between now and 2014. I really like how this team is coming together, but Gooch is now too slow and has to go.

 

[businesslawyer]

We lost to Brazil, 4-1, but it really was not that bad. We had a lot of chances that we should put away against lesser competition, which is every team we play between now and 2014. I really like how this team is coming together, but Gooch is now too slow and has to go.

I'm not at all sure Gooch is done, but he was injured so much since coming back from the knee surgery that he's not the player he was. But I haven't given up that he may be there by 2014.

Having said that, I don't know how we've gone two games without Goodson playing alongside Boca. That has been our best centerback pairing for a while, and I don't know why we're not seeing it.

 

[SubbaBub]

Hard to judge on a single game but based on my observations,

Edu needs to be removed from consideration, way too loose with the ball and not enough positive contributions for the position he plays.

Gooch, Altidore, and to a lesser extent Bocanegra need to watch themselves or get passed by younger talent.

Churundolo may not be able to go a full 90 every game anymore.

Torres, Gomez and Boyd all showed good progress from previous efforts. Boyd won't be ready for 2014, but could make the squad.

Bradley needs to be the guy on the ball in the midfield, or IOW the #10.

The 4-4-2 with Donovan, Dempsey, Jones, and Bradley looked pretty good, though I think we need CD as a withdrawn striker. Torres has the best shot to play LM in that formation or a 4-1-3-2

Holden might be out of the picture.

Beckerman needs to be out of the picture.

Mercifully, Kljestan appears to be out of the picture.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[caw]

Hard to judge on a single game but based on my observations,

Edu needs to be removed from consideration, way too loose with the ball and not enough positive contributions for the position he plays.

Gooch, Altidore, and to a lesser extent Bocanegra need to watch themselves or get passed by younger talent.

Churundolo may not be able to go a full 90 every game anymore.

Torres, Gomez and Boyd all showed good progress from previous efforts. Boyd won't be ready for 2014, but could make the squad.

Bradley needs to be the guy on the ball in the midfield, or IOW the #10.

The 4-4-2 with Donovan, Dempsey, Jones, and Bradley looked pretty good, though I think we need CD as a withdrawn striker. Torres has the best shot to play LM in that formation or a 4-1-3-2

Holden might be out of the picture.

Beckerman needs to be out of the picture.

Mercifully, Kljestan appears to be out of the picture.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

Edu is sadly the best the US has with that lineup. If they go 4-4-2, then he is more expendable. Really both he and Bradley had a rough time keeping the ball close.

Gooch is a very good defender and imposing but is an absolute disaster with the ball at his feet. Carlos Bocanegra is just slow these days, but at least he plays decent balls and is good in the air.

Altidore didn't play, did he? He has been fantastic for his Dutch side, well at least very productive.

Boyd looked OK, but I'm not sure if he is better than Jozy. Having both is great though. Not to mention Gomez, who was quite impressive.

Holden will depend on injury, if he is healthy he can slot in for Edu and the US will be vastly improved. If not, he's outside looking in.

Watching last night only a few of the US players were truly comfortable with the ball in tight quarters: Dempsey, Jones, Torres and (a revelation at left back) Fabian Johnson.

Ideally Cherundolo would have been replaced by Chandler, but who knows if he will ever fully commit to the US.

I would love to see a lineup as follows:
Howard
F. Johnson, Gooch(or someone else, if there is anyone), Bocanegra, Chandler
Dempsey, Jones, Bradley, Donovan
Gomez, Altidore

 

[Fishy]

You know how they can make horse racing more appealing to Americans?

Give the jockeys swords.

 

[Waquoit]

Excellent article about the team at Grantland. Summary: " By gambling that he can teach the USMNT to walk before it's really gotten world-class at crawling, Klinsmann is taking an already chancy situation and stirring in a fresh vial of crazy. At the same time, it's hard to ignore the totally delightful possibility that we could play like a great team simply by deciding we are one. Isn't that the American dream?" I'm psyched!

 

[Frank Ivy]

0-0 tie against Canada.
Canada - a place with 1/10th the population of the U.S., with Hockey as a dominant national sport, and with no real soccer tradition.
0-0 tie.

I personally enjoy watching the U.S. mens team play soccer in the World Cup - back in the early 2000s the loss to the Germans was tough. But 0-0 against Canada is emblematic of what ails this sport. If you can't beat the Canadians, it's hard to argue that we're getting better.

 

[bobbygt]

0-0 tie against Canada.
Canada - a place with 1/10th the population of the U.S., with Hockey as a dominant national sport, and with no real soccer tradition.
0-0 tie.

I personally enjoy watching the U.S. mens team play soccer in the World Cup - back in the early 2000s the loss to the Germans was tough. But 0-0 against Canada is emblematic of what ails this sport. If you can't beat the Canadians, it's hard to argue that we're getting better.

It's one game. Think George Mason. The better team/program/nation doesn't always win the game.

The sport is not ailing. It is the most popular sport in the world and will continue to be until the next ice age or superior life forms take over the earth

The US team is not at the level of European or S. American teams, but they are decent. They can rise to that level in a couple decades.

 

[Palatine]

I think they should make the goal twice as big. That would increase scoring.

 

[UConn5]

0-0 tie against Canada.
Canada - a place with 1/10th the population of the U.S., with Hockey as a dominant national sport, and with no real soccer tradition.
0-0 tie.

I personally enjoy watching the U.S. mens team play soccer in the World Cup - back in the early 2000s the loss to the Germans was tough. But 0-0 against Canada is emblematic of what ails this sport. If you can't beat the Canadians, it's hard to argue that we're getting better.

Do you like hockey? Pretty sure the US can't beat Canada at that.

 

[CTPride]

Do you like hockey? Pretty sure the US can't beat Canada at that.

Pretty sure we did beat them a couple years ago in the olympics