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[Slizz]

US and soccer is kind of an enigma, it seems we all love it when big tournaments come around but other times it just fades away from the spotlight. This could be the most captain obvious statement of all time but this England match and a good showing the rest of the way will do huge things for US soccer.

I think just like everyone else in the world, Americans want to see good soccer. We have a good team in this cup, and thats why we are getting attention(ESPN helps). But its also why even though I am American and root for the USMNT, I love watching Champion League and
EPL games over MLS, but on Thursdays I do watch the MLS match of the week.

 

[Judderman]

And lastly... where was Hercules?

For some reason, Bradley decided to bring him in 3 seconds before the final whistle blew. :lol :lol :lol

 

[Subitai]

The 500 - Internal Server Errors were too much and I forgot about this thread.


Why didn't Gomez go in sooner?

 

[NoRéN]

Some England fans only saw one goal! :lol

ITV apologises after England World Cup 2010 goal gaffe

HD channel switches to advert before Steven Gerrard goal

video at link

 

[Judderman]

Why didn't Gomez go in sooner?

Not really sure. Bradley brought Buddle in the 77th minute. I was waiting for at least having him in for the last 10-5 minutes. I think Bradley was probably just more focused on getting the draw, then trying to go for the win.

 

[jamesinclair]

US and soccer is kind of an enigma, it seems we all love it when big tournaments come around but other times it just fades away from the spotlight. This could be the most captain obvious statement of all time but this England match and a good showing the rest of the way will do huge things for US soccer.

You mean......just like every sport?

Compare superbowl ratings to regular season games.

12 million versus 120 million. Most people only show up for the big event.


And yet on the other end, ESPN is doing nothing to promote the FIBA world championship in August, even though ever major player will be there.

 

[Mr. Sam]

I think just like everyone else in the world, Americans want to see good soccer.

I genuinely don't think the World Cup has the best football. The English and Spanish leagues are much more entertaining. Champions League ain't half bad either.

 

[zero margin]

You mean......just like every sport?

Compare superbowl ratings to regular season games.

12 million versus 120 million. Most people only show up for the big event.


And yet on the other end, ESPN is doing nothing to promote the FIBA world championship in August, even though ever major player will be there.

Not exactly what I meant, football has a huge following during the season here. Obviously big games will get more ratings (it is also broadcast to many more places) than reg. season games.

 

[Slizz]

I genuinely don't think the World Cup has the best football. The English and Spanish leagues are much more entertaining. Champions League ain't half bad either.

You are probably right, but this is a big ass tournament with the worlds best still playing for their countries. The group stage isn't the time for the good football, as much as the knockout stages.

 

[SnakeswithLasers]

I genuinely don't think the World Cup has the best football. The English and Spanish leagues are much more entertaining. Champions League ain't half bad either.

I think you're going to see better football most World Cup games than you will in any random non-Barca/Madrid game in La Liga. And it may not be "the best" football, but it's certainly got more drama than any random MLS game--and most people like the stories behind the games as much as the quality of play.

 

[AstroLad]

I genuinely don't think the World Cup has the best football. The English and Spanish leagues are much more entertaining. Champions League ain't half bad either.

This is like the new meme. Even the analysts are constantly saying it. It's true, but to me it's just apples and oranges. World Cup is special on a whole 'nother level.

 

[daegan]

Still tired from the intensity of watching that. Oh my god. What a game. I wish we could've connected our damn passes but hey - if we can tie England playing that awful, we're bound to get some great results once we start actually playing well.

 

[sneakypete]

Why didn't Gomez go in sooner?

This!

I was so pissed that he didn't get at least a couple of minutes, he scored every time he got subbed in the friendlies leading up to this game.

 

[Clydefrog]

Why does my gut tell me that Findley is going to start against England?

When have any of you ever had faith in Bob Bradley? Remember his substitutions in the confed cup against Brazil?

If only I were religious....

Called it. Sigh. What the fuck, Bob Bradley? and why didn't you sub Findley earlier? Wasted minutes.

Not only Findley; he started CLARK! RETARDO CLARK! At least Clark didn't do anything ridiculous. I would've loved to see Torres for the second half. GTFO Bunker Bob.


All my hatred for Bobert aside, it was a great result for USA. Howard, you da man. Also, Gooch played fantastic (besides the goal but that was a mis-communication between DeMerit and Onyewu,) proving he is actually fit for 90. I hope he can keep it up.

I eagerly await tomorrow's match between Algeria and Slovenia.

 

[GhaleonQ]

World Cup is special on a whole 'nother level.

For drama, sure, but I've always found it hard to invest emotionally in national teams. Lineup changes during qualifying and the real thing as well as in-between Cups keeps teams from having identities. The club teams people support say something about them and, as a corollary, have more "personality" thanks to the lower standards. It's cool to watch teams objectively, but I'd love to REALLY care about how a team does here.

 

[Atlagev]

America, fuck yeah! Nice job by the US boys today!

Watched the game with my bro at an Irish pub in San Francisco (which was *packed*!) Mostly US fans, but some English fans as well, including some who I think were not so English, if you catch my drift...

The atmosphere was electric. Absolutely electric... If you're watching the games at home, I can't stress how much fun it is to go out and watch them in a bar or pub. The fans were kind of going at each other (in good fun) a couple of hours before the game even started, but the anthems was where it really got started. Never heard a rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" so loud! Then we started the "USA! USA! USA!" chant, which caused a couple of the English supporters to start chanting at us "One Song! You've only got one song!" To prove them wrong, a few of us started up a "USA ain't nothin' to fuck with!" chant going, which got us a a few middle fingers from the English. ;-)

For those of you who were at AT&T park, how was the atmosphere there?

As for the game... Wow, the Gerrard goal 4 minutes in had me covering my eyes in horror. I couldn't believe it. I started to get a *bad* feeling about the game, and wondered if England really *would* score 3 or 4...

Luckily, the boys settled down, and the US fans in the bar got back into it as well. Dempsey's goal, which really came out of nowhere, got the place *roaring*. Hugging strangers, etc. *So* satisfying! Before the game, I thought that whichever goalkeeper we were playing against would make at least one big mistake, and I was right...a *huge* mistake from Green!

The second half had to be the longest 45 minutes of my life... I was hoping for a draw, but in the back of my mind, I thought the U.S. might be able to get something on a counter. It didn't happen (Altidore's close range effort and Donovan's long-range effort might have gone in on another day), so relief and exhaustion were the feelings I had when the final whistle blew.

All in all, a good effort by the U.S., but they *have* to bring this same intensity to the Slovenia and Algeria games. All too often, the U.S. can play the role of "Giant Killers" pretty well, but they have to start playing the role of "Killers" as well. A 0-0 result tomorrow would also help both the U.S. and England's chances of advancing out of the group.

We'll see what happens next Friday!

 

[Korey]

Is the World Cup the only place where soccer games have ties? Or is this typical in MLS as well?

I genuinely think that soccer needs to do away with ties if it wants to gain more acceptance in the US.

 

[Clydefrog]

Is the World Cup the only place where soccer games have ties? Or is this typical in MLS as well?

I genuinely think that soccer needs to do away with ties if it wants to gain more acceptance in the US.

The World Cup only has ties in the group stages, where points matter. Once the "tournament" begins (after group stage), there are no ties. It goes to extra time and then, if needed, penalties.

League play (MLS) always has ties.

Ties are worth 1 point. Wins are worth 3 points. Losses are worth 0 points.

 

[GhaleonQ]

Is the World Cup the only place where soccer games have ties? Or is this typical in MLS as well?

I genuinely think that soccer needs to do away with ties if it wants to gain more acceptance in the US.

3 points, 1 point, 0 points, just like a lot of sports. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_points_for_a_win

The sports' rules prevent this from being a hockey situation, and the benefits of shootouts are questionable even there. I feel pretty confident saying that it would destroy the game. Plus, it's not like they allow playoff ties, so the season just becomes about point accumulation rather than win accumulation. Granted, relegation is needed to spark the losing teams.

 

[Atlagev]

Is the World Cup the only place where soccer games have ties? Or is this typical in MLS as well?

I genuinely think that soccer needs to do away with ties if it wants to gain more acceptance in the US.

I didn't like it at first, either, but then I kind of came to see the kind of beauty of it.

A soccer match is (give or take) always 90 minutes. No time outs, etc. Therefore, compared to other sports, you have an extremely limited time in which to score. I love that in soccer, you play for 90 minutes, and whatever the score is at the end, that's it. If you wanted to win, you should have attacked more etc. given the time that you had. And even if you did do everything to win, some days, your shots don't go in, the goalkeeper has an amazing performance, and you don't win, despite the fact you may have deserved to.

It's a part of the game (as well as 0-0 draws), so, it's something that may take some getting used to. Like I said, it did for me.

 

[gutter_trash]

courtesy from the World Cup thread

 

[Marty Chinn]

Wait, people actually thought the US played decent or even good? I'm totally pulling for them, but they played a super shitty game today and had no business winning it. They got lucky and with that type of sloppy play, they don't have a chance of getting far. Are the people who thought they played decent new to the sport? I've seen the US play way better than what they did against England. I really was horrified at how terrible the play was, the lack of movement, the lack of posession, the mismatches, the poor positioning, etc. All around shitty play.

 

[Crisis]

I didn't like it at first, either, but then I kind of came to see the kind of beauty of it.

A soccer match is (give or take) always 90 minutes. No time outs, etc. Therefore, compared to other sports, you have an extremely limited time in which to score. I love that in soccer, you play for 90 minutes, and whatever the score is at the end, that's it. If you wanted to win, you should have attacked more etc. given the time that you had. And even if you did do everything to win, some days, your shots don't go in, the goalkeeper has an amazing performance, and you don't win, despite the fact you may have deserved to.

It's a part of the game (as well as 0-0 draws), so, it's something that may take some getting used to. Like I said, it did for me.

The way I always explain it to fellow Americans who are just watching casually or make an observation that they don't like games that end in a tie is that they don't like it in soccer either, but that even with a tie, a game isn't meaningless. The concept of goal difference to separate teams that would otherwise be tied in league standings or in round robins like this one in the World Cup is actually very appealing because even in a tie, good play does get rewarded and can potentially make the difference. Likewise, bad play resulting in a tie and few or no goals ends up hurting your team. Once you actually explain the concept of the goal difference and play across multiple games making a difference, they seem to not enjoy a tie game but it becomes a lot more understandable and palatable to them. Then you explain that there are knockout stages where there will absolutely not be a tie under any circumstances.

 

[Clydefrog]

Wait, people actually thought the US played decent or even good? I'm totally pulling for them, but they played a super shitty game today and had no business winning it. They got lucky and with that type of sloppy play, they don't have a chance of getting far. Are the people who thought they played decent new to the sport? I've seen the US play way better than what they did against England. I really was horrified at how terrible the play was, the lack of movement, the lack of posession, the mismatches, the poor positioning, etc. All around shitty play.

USA wasn't "super shitty." They definitely could have been better.

England was abysmal. A draw for USA is outstanding. Algeria vs Slovenia tomorrow (wait.. not tomorrow; in a few hours!) should set the tone for the group.

 

[Marty Chinn]

USA wasn't "super shitty." They definitely could have been better.

England was abysmal. A draw for USA is outstanding. Algeria vs Slovenia tomorrow (wait.. not tomorrow; in a few hours!) should set the tone for the group.

England playing bad doesn't make USA's play suddenly even remotely decent. A draw is amazing, but extremely lucky. It really was one of the worst USA games I've watched to be honest. It was really painful to watch and a lot of yelling at the screen was happening at the stupid things they were doing.

 

[Brashnir]

England playing bad doesn't make USA's play suddenly even remotely decent. A draw is amazing, but extremely lucky. It really was one of the worst USA games I've watched to be honest. It was really painful to watch and a lot of yelling at the screen was happening at the stupid things they were doing.

You haven't watched many US games if think this was one of their worst performances. Honduras in 2001? El Salvador during this most recent qualifying effort? This wasn't even in the same universe as those. Hell, they played worse than this a week ago against Australia, despite the very flattering scoreline.

Granted, this wasn't a great performance - They were regularly caught out of position in midfield, Bradley in particular, and Onyewu was very slow to react for the first 2/3 of the game until he finally seemed to get himself mentally in the game, but there were definitely some positives to be seen.

Donovan and Cherundolo combined very well in the first half, forcing England to make a change to cope with them. Howard was excellent as well. They fell a bit too much into a defensive shell in the second half for my liking, but they got the result they were looking for. And that's what the game is really all about - getting results. People bitch about how bad Germany looks all the time in the run-ups to big tournaments, but then they go out and do what they always do - get results.

 

[NoRéN]

Wait, people actually thought the US played decent or even good? I'm totally pulling for them, but they played a super shitty game today and had no business winning it. They got lucky and with that type of sloppy play, they don't have a chance of getting far. Are the people who thought they played decent new to the sport? I've seen the US play way better than what they did against England. I really was horrified at how terrible the play was, the lack of movement, the lack of posession, the mismatches, the poor positioning, etc. All around shitty play.

England playing bad doesn't make USA's play suddenly even remotely decent. A draw is amazing, but extremely lucky. It really was one of the worst USA games I've watched to be honest. It was really painful to watch and a lot of yelling at the screen was happening at the stupid things they were doing.

Lovely posts! :lol :lol :lol
If you're a US "fan", even better. You can always go support Mexico.

The biggest problem US soccer has is the modern day "fan".

 

[Marty Chinn]

You haven't watched many US games if think this was one of their worst performances. Honduras in 2001? El Salvador during this most recent qualifying effort? This wasn't even in the same universe as those. Hell, they played worse than this a week ago against Australia, despite the very flattering scoreline.

Granted, this wasn't a great performance - They were regularly caught out of position in midfield, Bradley in particular, and Onyewu was very slow to react for the first 2/3 of the game until he finally seemed to get himself mentally in the game, but there were definitely some positives to be seen.

Donovan and Cherundolo combined very well in the first half, forcing England to make a change to cope with them. Howard was excellent as well. They fell a bit too much into a defensive shell in the second half for my liking, but they got the result they were looking for. And that's what the game is really all about - getting results. People bitch about how bad Germany looks all the time in the run-ups to big tournaments, but then they go out and do what they always do - get results.

Well let me clarify, one of their worst World Cup performances in the last two decades. There were times where they were outplayed and overpowered by other teams, but this was just pure sloppy.

This game really was more about England blowing it rather than the US earning it. Sure it's about the results, but I really don't think playing like they did will get them anywhere. It was more luck than anything else. Donovan and Howard were the shining spots, but I was really annoyed at their defensive play and the lack of movement off the ball to move into space. I'd be super drunk if I took a shot for everytime they could have made a run into space for a good give and go, but they totally missed it.

I honestly can't remember being so annoyed at watching them in the World Cup as I was here.

 

[Brashnir]

Well let me clarify, one of their worst World Cup performances in the last two decades. There were times where they were outplayed and overpowered by other teams, but this was just pure sloppy.

Czech Republic 2006.

Poland 2002.

Every game 1998.

Every game 1990.

 

[zoku88]

3 points, 1 point, 0 points, just like a lot of sports. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_points_for_a_win

The sports' rules prevent this from being a hockey situation, and the benefits of shootouts are questionable even there. I feel pretty confident saying that it would destroy the game. Plus, it's not like they allow playoff ties, so the season just becomes about point accumulation rather than win accumulation. Granted, relegation is needed to spark the losing teams.

Yea. shootouts are pretty broken (since goalkeeping is so hard.) And extra time is cruel to the players.

 

[NoRéN]

:

Is the World Cup the only place where soccer games have ties? Or is this typical in MLS as well?

I genuinely think that soccer needs to do away with ties if it wants to gain more acceptance in the US.

Ties are part of the norm. Nothing wrong with them, either. Would you rather have a game continue into extra innings or periods or quarters or whatever, until someone scores? 90 minutes is good. If the score is tied at the end, so be it. Better than ending up with a 3,4, or even 5 hour game like in baseball.

3 points, 1 point, 0 points, just like a lot of sports. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_points_for_a_win

The sports' rules prevent this from being a hockey situation, and the benefits of shootouts are questionable even there. I feel pretty confident saying that it would destroy the game. Plus, it's not like they allow playoff ties, so the season just becomes about point accumulation rather than win accumulation. Granted, relegation is needed to spark the losing teams.

MOST definitely. Though, this would have meant that Beckham would have been brought over and ended up playing in Division 2. :lol ...(quite scary actually, being a Galaxy fan)

 

[Atlagev]

You haven't watched many US games if think this was one of their worst performances. Honduras in 2001?

Ugh, don't remind me...

 

[Brashnir]

Ugh, don't remind me...

I was there.

 

[Marty Chinn]

Lovely posts! :lol :lol :lol
If you're a US "fan", even better. You can always go support Mexico.

The biggest problem US soccer has is the modern day "fan".

I'm a soccer fan in general. Grew up with the sport and played it all my life. I'm not new to the sport and I know good play when I see it and I know sloppy play. I live in the US so I always pull for my country even though the cards are stacked against them. Usually I'm also rooting for Germany too, but I always pull for my country out of just patriotism.

 

[NoRéN]

I was there.

No way! Me too...well...no. I would rather forget so, no. Never happened.

 

[ElectricBlue187]

US and soccer is kind of an enigma, it seems we all love it when big tournaments come around but other times it just fades away from the spotlight. This could be the most captain obvious statement of all time but this England match and a good showing the rest of the way will do huge things for US soccer.

I think that there's only so much room out there for sports. It's already crowded and the smaller sports like hockey are already getting shoved aside by the huge monster football popularity. I think if the MLS actually had some world class talent and got a decent broadcasting contracts during the early baseball season sports lull they could do something. It's an uphill fight though

 

[sneakypete]

America, fuck yeah! Nice job by the US boys today!

Watched the game with my bro at an Irish pub in San Francisco (which was *packed*!) Mostly US fans, but some English fans as well, including some who I think were not so English, if you catch my drift...

:lol Same thing happened at my house. A bunch of friends showed up, with ONE asshat England supporter. We got drunk and raaaaged(and then cheered and jeered at the Dempsey goal). Luckily after that, we then went and played an amazing pick-up game of soccer, where I heartily smashed his fucking legs every time he got the ball. A couple of USA USA USA chants after a successful tackle/steal while running away taught him all he needed to know about pulling that shit again.

 

[NoRéN]

:lol Same thing happened at my house. A bunch of friends showed up, with ONE asshat England supporter. We got drunk and raaaaged(and then cheered and jeered at the Dempsey goal). Luckily after that, we then went and played an amazing pick-up game of soccer, where I heartily smashed his fucking legs every time he got the ball. A couple of USA USA USA chants after a successful tackle/steal while running away taught him all he needed to know about pulling that shit again.

awesome!
My lady went to work for a few hours before the match. All the hispanics that work there were suddenly England fans today. :lol

Atlagev, any pics from the pub?

 

[arstal]

If the US does well, and the NFL strikes in 2011, you'll see soccer gain in popularity bigtime.

 

[wRATH2x]

If the US does well, and the NFL strikes in 2011, you'll see soccer gain in popularity bigtime.

I doubt it

 

[NoRéN]

Any NY US fans want to upload a pic of the NY Post front page?

 

[sneakypete]

Ah this match has me worried.. *drinks more whiskey*

As much as I'd love to see a great game, I think I'd rather see a tie for peace of mind.

 

[NoRéN]

Ah this match has me worried.. *drinks more whiskey*

As much as I'd love to see a great game, I think I'd rather see a tie for peace of mind.

I wouldn't mind Algeria winning. Then we get Slovenia on Friday. US full of confidence while Slovenia tries to recover. Algeria would be happy with the win and give england a tough match.

Spoiler

slovenia scares me

 

[daoster]

I've finally recovered from yesterday....

and I'll be honest, I don't remember much of the game, other than the two goals. Gerrard's goal pissed me off, and Dempsey goal was lucky as hell!

Yeah, we might have played like shit, and some will claim we were lucky to get the tie...who the hell cares? Tournaments like this always have an element of luck for it, especially for the USA (getting past the group stages in 2002, getting past the group stages last year for Confederations Cup).

All I know is, Tim Howard is a beast, and England couldn't get anything past him.

 

[NoRéN]

Bradley isn’t sure if Howard has broken ribs

IRENE, South Africa(AP)—U.S. coach Bob Bradley isn’t sure whether goalkeeper Tim Howard broke ribs during a collision with Emile Heskey in the Americans’ World Cup opener against England.

“He’ll be evaluated later today and then a decision will be made at to whether he’ll need further tests,” Bradley said Sunday. “Obviously he was sore - did a great job of taking a tough hit, and staying in it and playing really well. But we’ll assess him later today and figure out then what we need to do from there.”

Howard was injured when Heskey’s foot slid into him in the 29th minute Saturday night. Howard was down for a while, saying he felt “in agony.” When the game resumed, he grimaced several times.

Howard played the second half after having an injection of a painkiller and made six saves as the United States rallied for a 1-1 tie.

“Any time you’re in a big game like that and you get injured, there’s no chance anybody is taking you off that field. And Tim is no different than the rest of us,” defender Steve Cherundolo said. “Having a good goalkeeper in a tournament like this is essential, so we’re very happy Tim is on our team, and I’m certain he’ll continue with his good performances.”

Bradley couldn’t say if Howard’s participation in Friday’s game against Slovenia was in doubt. Slovenia played Algeria later Sunday in Group C.

“At this time I think there’s no answer,” he said. “But when you see the way Timmy handled himself after the collision last night, you’d certainly expect he’ll be on the field again.”
Howard, the starter for Everton in the Premier League, is backed by Wolverhampton’s Marcus Hahnemann on the U.S. team. Brad Guzan, the backup to Brad Friedel on Aston Villa, is the No. 3 American goalkeeper.

Howard said after the game in Rustenburg that he felt sore, but that team doctors at first impression didn’t think there was a break. The U.S. team then made the two-hour trip back to its base camp in Irene.

“In a couple hours I’ll be struggling,” he said before leaving Royal Bafokeng Stadium in northern South Africa. “It’s going to take me a few days.”

Howard was disappointed at allowing Steven Gerrard’s fourth-minute goal, but pleased with the way the Americans rallied on Clint Dempsey’s 40th-minute goal. Dempsey’s a 25-yard shot bounced twice and went in off the hands of goalkeeper Robert Green, a major blunder.

Howard made a point-blank stop on Heskey’s 18-yard right-footed shot in the 52nd minute and parried Frank Lampard’s 20-foot left-footed shot over the crossbar in the 63rd.

“I don’t know what it is about us,” Howard said. “We’re resilient - always after we get the punch in the face.”

 

[Seep]

I've finally recovered from yesterday....

and I'll be honest, I don't remember much of the game, other than the two goals. Gerrard's goal pissed me off, and Dempsey goal was lucky as hell!

Yeah, we might have played like shit, and some will claim we were lucky to get the tie...who the hell cares? Tournaments like this always have an element of luck for it, especially for the USA (getting past the group stages in USA, getting past the group stages last year for Confederations Cup).

All I know is, Tim Howard is a beast, and England couldn't get anything past him.

Erm....

 

[daoster]

Erm....

That one goal was more due to the fact of a shitty US Defense then Howard's fault.

 

[NoRéN]

Erm....

:lol
Game's done with.
Shouldn't you be moving on from trolling this thread? But, glad it's made such a significant impact on you.

 

[Seep]

That one goal was more due to the fact of a shitty US Defense then Howard's fault.

Keeper went wrong way.

:lol
Game's done with.
Shouldn't you be moving on from trolling this thread? But, glad it's made such a significant impact on you.

Trolling? :lol this is my second post in here.

 

[NoRéN]

Well, you seem to support England and Liverpool. Your opinion is invalid.