• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

US GAF: Support your national soccer team

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

MidnightRider

Banned
xbhaskarx said:
At least you get Liverpool without Gerrard this weekend.

In other news, Landon will decide on a return to Everton in the next few weeks.
Also, Bradley was named to some best 11 list for the week, along with traitor Subotic (who is reportedly being monitored by Arsenal and Chelsea).
Click to expand...

WAY TO GO BRADLEY! I swear he doesnt get the respect he deserves most of the time because he is "the coachs kid"

Our A team would be at a big loss if we didn't have him. I mean sure Jones can hold it down without him but it's MUCH easier on Jones knowing Bradley is there and WILL track back to defend when needed without thinking twice.
 
D

daoster

Member
Spector seems to never have quite recovered from that long injury a couple years back. He must have taken something for the Confed Cup, cause he performed well for us, but after that, he slipped back and forward between being just O.K. and being a liability. It certainly hasn't helped that he hasn't gotten much PT this season too (but he wasn't that GOOD anyways last year when he WAS playing regularly).

Maybe it's time for Spector to change clubs and/or leagues.

Apparently, Clint Dempsey just had a kid! Congrats to him!

Two articles on Soccernet about USA's WC bid:

U.S. not among World Cup's top tier

FIFA says the United States, Belgium-Netherlands and Japan are a "medium" risk in planning for potential World Cups because they did not fully provide guarantees of government support.
Click to expand...


Sunil Gulati: Politics to decide Cup bids

Once thought to be a shoo-in to host the tournament, a variety of events has cast doubt on the U.S. bid. First, an investigation by The Sunday Times revealed that Executive Committee members Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii were selling their votes. Then came allegations that the joint bid of Spain/Portugal had colluded with the Qatar bid to swap votes, with the Qataris reported to have seven Executive Committee members already lined up. Then a published interview with Executive Committee member Rafael Salguero quoted the Guatemala Federation president as saying he was unsure who he would vote for, directly contradicting an earlier pledge to support the U.S. bid. It left the impression that the USA Bid Committee was being outmaneuvered.
Click to expand...
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
The US team got to meet Nelson Mandela

Here's a photo of the U.S. MNT with Nelson Mandela from earlier today in Johannesburg.

The U.S. was joined by the South African national team on the visit following the USA’s 1-0 victory Wednesday night in the Nelson Mandela Challenge in Cape Town.
And how about Brad Guzan? After Man of the Match Honors and by virtue of wearing the captain's armband on Wednesday, he gets the seat next to Mandela and had a special sitting with Mandela along with South African captain Steven Pienaar.

Said Guzan: "For the players, it was a real privilege to meet Mr. Mandela. He is such a great man, and we all know the profound impact he made in South Africa and around the world. It is an experience we will never forget."

Bob Bradley on the experience: "Mr. Mandela is one of the most significant and inspirational leaders of our time, and it was a great honor for our team to spend time with him. We have spoken of the honor of playing in a match bearing his name, and to meet him personally is certainly a highlight and a once in a lifetime opportunity. U.S. Soccer went out of their way to make this possible, and we are very grateful."
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
The MLS Cup is on right now, ESPN.
FC Dallas vs Colorado Rapids, in Toronto.

I'll be switching back and forth between this and the NFL game...
 
N

ngower

Member
Really wish I could watch the game. Internet at school is awful and I don't want to go to the TV, not to mention I'm super sick still...

Pulling for former Revs Wells Thompson, Jeff Larentowicz, and Daniel Hernandez. Both teams fans are super awesome too, Dallas in particular have awesome relations with New England.
 
S

sazabirules

Unconfirmed Member
Gamecocks625 said:
Can't help but wish it was NY/LA

Hopefully it will turn out to be a good game
Click to expand...

Why do you wish NY was playing? They deserved to lose against SJ.

I'm not really rooting for either team. I highly admire Kosuke Kimura. He worked hard to learn English so he could play college football here and continue his career.
 
shoplifter

shoplifter

Member
Gamecocks625 said:
Can't help but wish it was NY/LA

Hopefully it will turn out to be a good game
Click to expand...
Glad it's not. At least it shows that money doesn't always buy success in this league. Might have been better for ratings, but fuck plastic fans.
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
sazabirules said:
Why do you wish NY was playing? They deserved to lose against SJ.
Click to expand...

I'm a SJ fan and I generally hate all LA/NY/Boston sports teams, but both LA and NY won their divisions and a final between the two would have been in the best interests of US soccer in terms of TV ratings and increasing the popularity of MLS. Even the most casual soccer fans know Donovan, Beckham, and Henry.
 
G

Gamecocks625

Member
xbhaskarx said:
I'm a SJ fan and I generally hate all LA/NY/Boston sports teams, but both LA and NY won their divisions and a final between the two would have been in the best interests of US soccer in terms of TV ratings and increasing the popularity of MLS. Even the most casual soccer fans know Donovan, Beckham, and Henry.
Click to expand...

Exactly.

While Pablo and Connor Casey are fine players, I want to see Henry, Beckham, Donovan, etc. in the MLS final. Not only because I believe they would pull in more viewers and attention, but I generally think we'd be seeing a better product on the field.
 
S

sazabirules

Unconfirmed Member
Gamecocks625 said:
Exactly.

While Pablo and Connor Casey are fine players, I want to see Henry, Beckham, Donovan, etc. in the MLS final. Not only because I believe they would pull in more viewers and attention, but I generally think we'd be seeing a better product on the field.
Click to expand...

Where was that better product when the Galaxy got destroyed 3-0?
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
sazabirules said:
Where was that better product when the Galaxy got destroyed 3-0?
Click to expand...

The sample size of a full season tells us a lot more about a team's talent level than a few games.
In sports like soccer and baseball, pretty much anything can happen in a playoff, hell the 83-78 St. Louis Cardinals won the 2006 World Series...
 
S

sazabirules

Unconfirmed Member
xbhaskarx said:
The sample size of a full season tells us a lot more about a team's talent level than a few games.
In sports like soccer and baseball, pretty much anything can happen in a playoff, hell the 83-78 St. Louis Cardinals won the 2006 World Series...
Click to expand...

I'm not denying the quality of play by the teams. I just think that some DPs aren't as important as they are portrayed to be. Beckham and Henry barely impacted their respective teams this year due to being injured. Both Dallas and Colorado were successful without a DP.
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
Playoffs to expand to 10 teams; more changes ahead
MLS also investigating possibility of aligning to FIFA calendar

The MLS Cup Playoffs will expand to 10 teams in 2011, and even bigger changes may be down the road.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber announced the tweaks to the postseason format before kickoff of Sunday’s MLS Cup final at BMO Field and explained a new system in which the playoffs will be open to two additional clubs in 2011.

Additionally, Garber delivered an even bigger bombshell: that the league is beginning to investigate moving to an international calendar, which would align MLS with most European leagues’ fall-to-spring calendar and would break during FIFA dates for international games.

However, the Commissioner added, those changes are far from happening and the league wasn’t near making a decision that would bring the most drastic operating changes in MLS history.

The immediate changes will take place next October, in which the MLS Cup Playoffs will feature an additional play-in round for the bottom four qualifiers in a 10-team system. Garber said those teams would face off in a knockout format for the right to qualify for the eight-team main field in the playoff bracket.

Garber said the league’s Competition Committee had not yet decided whether that meant teams ranked four and five in each conference facing off or whether it was teams ranked seventh through 10th in an overall standings format.
Click to expand...
 
B

bigtroyjon

Member
Really bad planning on the start time for the match. They should have timed it so the last twenty minutes of the match would have been roughly during halftime of the football game.

People flip around and a close match could gain some extra fans.
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
The Rangers lost the World Series despite being the far superior team, the Cowboys had Super Bowl expectations and started 1-7, maybe the city is cursed...
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
Wow that is awful
5199788478_5a5356b357.jpg


Who could have guessed that holding the game in Toronto at the same time as the Sunday night NFL game would be a bad idea?
 
C

cashman

Banned
xbhaskarx said:
The Rangers lost the World Series despite being the far superior team, the Cowboys had Super Bowl expectations and started 1-7, maybe the city is cursed...
Click to expand...
Curse of Brett Hull. I'm starting to become a believer.
 
D

daoster

Member
Apparently, the Captain of the German U-19 team (and Bayern Munich reserve team player) Fabian Hürzeler has switched affiliations and will play for the US U-20s.

Hürzeler, 17, was born in Houston but was raised in Germany where he has developed into an elite prospect. Over the summer he was promoted to the reserve team of Bayern Munich despite being eligible to play for the U19 team for two more years. He is the youngest player on the reserve team.
Click to expand...


HÜRZELER TO PLAY FOR US U-20S

Will he figure into the men's national team? Who knows, central midfielders, we have...
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
Holy shit that is great news. I don't know anything about him but he has to be an excellent prospect with that pedigree.

So what does this mean... he can only switch countries once, right, does this count?
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
He will be eligible for the 2011 and 2013 U20 World Cups with the Stars and Stripes.

Since he has played for Germany in official youth national team competitions, Hürzeler will need to file his one-time switch of federations with FIFA if he wants to play for the US in U20 qualifying or the U20 World Cup. He will not need to file the switch for the January U20 camp or to play in any friendlies.
Click to expand...

So as soon as he files his one-time switch to play in U20 qualifying he is ours for good...
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
Holden made ESPN's team of the week (again):

Bolton's ascent towards the upper echelons of the table may be enough to give some Trotters fans a nosebleed, but Owen Coyle's men thoroughly deserve their lofty perch and they continued their recent run with a 5-1 thumping of Newcastle. Stuart Holden has formed a formidable partnership with Fabrice Muamba in midfield and the American is beginning to look like a real find. The commitment he shows in his performances is symptomatic of Bolton's spirit and, with the club currently in financial trouble, they may have a tough task holding onto their rising star.
Click to expand...
 
R

Regulus Tera

Romanes Eunt Domus
daoster said:
Holden has to be one of my favorite Yank abroad these days. Watching him play (and his whole team really), is quite mesmerizing.

Not that this matters much (they vote in a week, holy crap!), but book makers have Qatar in the lead for 2022, followed by (wait for it) Australia, and the USA is third: http://sports.williamhill.com/bet/en-gb/search/?ShowOcNames=0&sCriteria=world+cup+2022

No bueno.
Click to expand...

Qatar's infrastructure is shit. As much money as they have they won't get it.

Australia is the most prominent rival to beat though. They are betting on expanding the market for football in the same way USA 94 did. You guys should watch out for them, especially since they got the Olympics just ten years ago.
 
D

daoster

Member
Regulus Tera said:
Qatar's infrastructure is shit. As much money as they have they won't get it.

Australia is the most prominent rival to beat though. They are betting on expanding the market for football in the same way USA 94 did. You guys should watch out for them, especially since they got the Olympics just ten years ago.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know the problems Qatar has, especially with infrastructure, and under normal instances, Qatar shouldn't even be in the top 3 likely places, but with all the rumors about Qatar winning it getting more and more frequent in the past couple of weeks, I can't help but wonder if all that money they have will be used in buying the nomination.

Yeah, and I regard Australia as main country to watch out for...Japan and Korea's WC weren't that long ago, and the soccer league in Australia is getting pretty good there. Holding a WC there would probably increase its popularity in the country even more.

Still, I'm hoping for USA to win out...bias on my part....plus, I'd hate the time zone differences to watch the games...



Dempsey scored the equalizer for today's game vs. Birmingham: http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2010/11/27/clint-dempsey-scores-crucial-goal-for-fulham/

Eddie Johnson apparently logged in some minutes too? That site that I linked too apparently said there was a rumor that Bayer Leverkusen had offered €8.5 Million for Clint? Leverkusen is the club that Donovan completely failed in (twice!), so that's an interesting piece of history there... I wonder if Clint will jump to another league, either in Jan or when the season is over. I'd love to see him in the Spanish or Italian league. He's said that he wants to play in the Champion's League eventually, and while I love Fulham, I don't think they're going to play the Champion's League any time soon.


Stuart Holden didn't play in today's exciting game against Blackpool, due to a thigh injury, but here's an article about him in the Independent:

How Holden fought back to resurrect broken dream

Bolton Wanderers' American midfielder epitomises the air of bonhomie which pervades Owen Coyle's thriving side – fifth in the Premier League table and only three points behind Manchester City ahead of today's home game against Blackpool. He speaks of the culture of "fun" that Coyle has imbued the team with, and the daily tweets between the players, including Holden, certainly provide a sense of that. Kevin Davies' one about the joys of his heated steering wheel a few days ago was a cause of some hilarity. They want to get Lee Chung-yong involved next.
Click to expand...

I admit, I didn't pay much attention to Holden prior to the months leading up to the World Cup, but man...the guy has been through some tough shit!
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
I'm in Atlanta for Thanksgiving so I'm going to check out the U-20s take on Mexico tomorrow.

Is there any video of the Dempsey goal?
 
D

daoster

Member
xbhaskarx said:
I'm in Atlanta for Thanksgiving so I'm going to check out the U-20s take on Mexico tomorrow.

Is there any video of the Dempsey goal?
Click to expand...

There was also a video of it on the first link in my post... ¬_¬
 
P

platypotamus

Member
I think in the coming season of MLS, we should break it off into a separate thread from the national team thread, but since it hasn't happened yet, I just want to mention that I'm still super pissed Vancouver took Nyassi in the expansion draft. I wasn't sure who I was going to hate more as a Sounders fan, Portland or Vancouver, but that pretty much sealed the deal.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

UEFA EURO 2024 |OT| Es Kommt Nach Hause
19 20 21 22 23
1K
25K
T8SC replied
EA Sports predicts Argentina to win 2022 World Cup( been correct since 2010)
2 3 4 5 6
280
23K
GymWolf replied
More ways to play your GOG games – we’re teaming up with Luna cloud streaming service!
News
13
1K
YeulEmeralda replied
Coming to Game Pass: Neon White, Flock, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, and More
39
2K
Punished Miku replied
French video game market (2023) Console Gaming +24.1%, PC gaming -8.5% and Mobile Gaming +4.8%
27
2K
Flabagast replied
Top Bottom