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JLEW1818
10/14/2009, 09:43 PM
okay... so what did tonight's results mean??? explain....

Soonerus
10/14/2009, 09:44 PM
USA scores with 10 seconds left in extra time in game...USA wins group, Mexico second...awesome result for USA...

tommieharris91
10/14/2009, 10:09 PM
okay... so what did tonight's results mean??? explain....

It meant nothing because the US qualified on Saturday. It meant Costa Rica has to play Uruguay in a playoff to earn their World Cup birth and that late goal put Honduras through.

Soonerus
10/14/2009, 10:12 PM
No, it meant a lot because with Mexico's tie USA wins the group and will get a higher seeding in the World Cup...

tommieharris91
10/14/2009, 10:20 PM
No, it meant a lot because with Mexico's tie USA wins the group and will get a higher seeding in the World Cup...

Not true after Argentina qualified tonight. If they didn't, the US would need all three of France, Argentina, and Portugal (I think) to not qualify.

Soonerus
10/14/2009, 10:23 PM
not true Mexico had the group with a victory tonight..a huge goal for USA..

tommieharris91
10/14/2009, 10:27 PM
Yea, after a check of the standings you're right. It still doesn't mean much though.

Ohh and Oguchi Onyewu tore his patellar tendon in his left knee. He's likely out for at least 3 months. Right as Milan started giving him a look...

JLEW1818
10/14/2009, 10:34 PM
Oguchi Onyewu

my favorite player

Soonerus
10/14/2009, 10:35 PM
No, it is significant to be first in your group...It is like NCAA B-Ball seedings...easier games early..

JLEW1818
10/14/2009, 10:37 PM
i think we have a shot at a top 8 seed

right?

Soonerus
10/14/2009, 10:39 PM
1's play 4's ,etc...

tommieharris91
10/14/2009, 10:46 PM
i think we have a shot at a top 8 seed

right?

Like I said earlier, not after Argentina qualified today. We're 10th in the pecking order (some see the US 11th). Argentina, France, and Portugal (all top 8 teams) had trouble qualifying. Argentina qualified today. France and Portugal will have to play playoffs (opponent determined Monday) to earn their spot. It's not looking very likely.

http://www.football-rankings.info/2009/10/2010-world-cup-seeding-formula-based-on.html

tommieharris91
10/14/2009, 10:51 PM
1's play 4's ,etc...

Nope. The seeds get placed in a pot and matched up randomly to make 8 pools of 4 teams, with each pool having a 1, a 2, a 3, and a 4 seed. The teams play each other team in their pool once. The top 2 teams in each pool advance into the knockout rounds (playoffs).

Soonerus
10/14/2009, 10:55 PM
disagree . it is not random...the prelims do matter...

tommieharris91
10/14/2009, 10:58 PM
disagree . it is not random...the prelims do matter...

Yea, but to FIFA, stuff you did in World Cups 8 years ago matters more. It's pretty likely we'll be in the pot with the other 2 seeds. Like written in pen, etching the stone right now, it will take a minor miracle likelihood...

Soonerus
10/14/2009, 11:01 PM
Excuse me, we are a 1 seed...do you not understand..

tommieharris91
10/14/2009, 11:05 PM
Excuse me, we are a 1 seed...do you not understand..

No, we will be a #2. It's clear that YOU don't understand. I'm not trying to go all LAS on you and condescend, but it's clear that you don't know what the components for the FIFA seeding formula are.

Soonerus
10/14/2009, 11:06 PM
USA won the group, they are a #1...

Soonerus
10/14/2009, 11:08 PM
TeamMPWDLGFGAPtshttp://www.fifa.com/imgml/flags/s/USA.gif (http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/teams/team=43921/index.html)USA (http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/teams/team=43921/index.html) *10622191320http://www.fifa.com/imgml/flags/s/MEX.gif (http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/teams/team=43911/index.html)Mexico (http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/teams/team=43911/index.html) *10613181219http://www.fifa.com/imgml/flags/s/HON.gif (http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/teams/team=43909/index.html)Honduras (http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/teams/team=43909/index.html)10514171116http://www.fifa.com/imgml/flags/s/CRC.gif (http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/teams/team=43901/index.html)Costa Rica (http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/teams/team=43901/index.html)10514151516http://www.fifa.com/imgml/flags/s/SLV.gif (http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/teams/team=43904/index.html)El Salvador (http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/teams/team=43904/index.html)102269158http://www.fifa.com/imgml/flags/s/TRI.gif (http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/teams/team=43920/index.html)Trinidad and Tobago (http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/teams/team=43920/index.html)1013610226
<LI class=" first ">Details (http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/standings/round4/group=252677/index.html)
Analysis (http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/standings/round4/group=252677/analysis.html)
Matches (http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/nccamerica/matches/index.html)


* Qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™

tommieharris91
10/14/2009, 11:10 PM
USA won the group, they are a #1...

http://www.northsidebaseball.com/forum/images/smilies/banghead.gif

Winning CONCACAF means absolutely zilch to FIFA. Dude just click on my link I posted earlier.

silverwheels
10/15/2009, 05:35 PM
Yeah, you don't go from being in Pot D in one World Cup to Pot A the next.

tommieharris91
10/19/2009, 01:16 PM
Nice to see Charlie Davies is out of the ICU.

tommieharris91
10/28/2009, 01:35 AM
AC Milan wants to sue the US Soccer team over Onyewu's injury.

Altidore has been on the bench for Hull City lately.

Davies, obviously, will miss the World Cup.

Howard has been allowing a lot of goals for Everton.

Well, that's your upbeat update for this week. Next games are friendlies on Nov 14 @ Slovakia and Nov 18 @ Denmark, both of whom also qualified for the World Cup.

JLEW1818
10/28/2009, 11:45 AM
Milan can suck it

silverwheels
10/28/2009, 02:59 PM
Milan wasn't playing him, anyway. Idiots.

JLEW1818
10/28/2009, 03:38 PM
will he be 100% for World Cup?

silverwheels
10/28/2009, 03:54 PM
Too soon to tell. His knee will probably be fine by then, but the amount of time he's missing will affect his play on the field. Hopefully his rehab goes quickly.

JLEW1818
10/28/2009, 04:00 PM
uhh. he's my fav

this is probably his last world cup .... ?

tommieharris91
10/28/2009, 09:44 PM
uhh. he's my fav

this is probably his last world cup .... ?

He'll be 30 this WC I think... so yea, if he does make the WC 2014 team, it likely won't be as a starter.

Jboozer
10/28/2009, 11:06 PM
very little chance gooch plays in 2014. He is already not very athletic, and if soccer the difference between 30 and 34 means alot. He is a defender so they last longer, but with the way our youth has been developing and finding teams overseas he will probably be replaced.


P.S. anyone else going to South Africa?

JLEW1818
10/28/2009, 11:13 PM
u driving us ?:D

silverwheels
10/29/2009, 12:55 AM
Nah, I'll pass on South Africa but if England gets the 2018 World Cup I am so there.

tommieharris91
10/29/2009, 01:56 AM
oxHHJ6J0gcM

A story from awhile back about Clint Dempsey's career.

Scott D
10/29/2009, 10:13 AM
AC Milan wants to sue the US Soccer team over Onyewu's injury.

Altidore has been on the bench for Hull City lately.

Davies, obviously, will miss the World Cup.

Howard has been allowing a lot of goals for Everton.

Well, that's your upbeat update for this week. Next games are friendlies on Nov 14 @ Slovakia and Nov 18 @ Denmark, both of whom also qualified for the World Cup.

Milan's stance is pretty typical of when a club loses a player to national team matches. Liverpool and Newcastle both sought compensation from the England National Team for injuries to Michael Owen at different times.

Honestly, unless you play for Fulham the odds of you being an American and not a keeper seeing the field are relatively slim.

JLEW1818
10/29/2009, 12:28 PM
Brazil got 2014 right?

Scott D
10/29/2009, 12:47 PM
yeah Brazil has 2014. First time in a long time that it's more than 8 years between World Cups played on European soil.

silverwheels
10/29/2009, 02:56 PM
Yeah, which is why 2018 is going to Europe, probably either Spain/Portugal or England.

JLEW1818
10/29/2009, 02:58 PM
when u think US will get it again?

silverwheels
10/29/2009, 03:11 PM
We have a decent shot at 2022. The problem is that soccer still isn't that big here, so most games would be played in American football stadiums like last time, plus the time difference means that almost all the games would really have to be played during the day, so that Europe can watch on TV during their evenings; they're anywhere from 6-11 hours ahead of us. That means playing in some pretty hot weather in the South.

Then again, assuming Europe gets 2018, our competition for 2022 will come from Australia, Qatar, Indonesia, South Korea, and Japan. So we might win by default.

JLEW1818
10/29/2009, 03:33 PM
when will we know what pool we are in for this summer?

tommieharris91
10/29/2009, 03:33 PM
when will we know what pool we are in for this summer?

Early December.

Scott D
10/29/2009, 04:25 PM
yeah, they have to wait for the play-in's to be completed.

tommieharris91
11/13/2009, 02:45 PM
I saw this write-up on another board and figured I should share it here.


A Team USA fan guide to the World Cup playoffs and seeding:

Starting tonight and ending Wednesday, the last of the World Cup qualifying matches will be played, and the field of 32 teams will be filled out. Here's a brief primer of what's on tap, and who to root for as a USA fan to get the best-case placement scenario for them. I'm going to list each squad's SPI (http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/spi/rankings) rating to give a general idea of how strong each squad is.

For the World Cup Finals, FIFA arranges the 32 squads into 8 groups of 4. They use a method to spread squads out geographically as much as possible. Other than Europe, no 2 squads from the same continent can be in the same group (there are 13 European squads, so 5 groups will have 2 European squads). Squads are split into 4 pods according to geography, with a pod for the seeded squads and the host.

Seeded squads

Seeding is determined by a combination of a squad's World FIFA rating and their performance in the prior two World Cup Finals.
The host squad will always be one of the 8 seeds. This World Cup, that is #65 South Africa.
Of the remaining seven seeds, six are already clinched for qualified teams: #1 Brazil, #2 Spain, #3 England, #5 Argentina, #6 Germany and #12 Italy.
#14 USA is not going to get the last seed. That will go to one of three European squads: #7 Portugal, who would have to win a playoff against #29 Bosnia-Herzegovina to qualify, #9 France, who would have to win a playoff against #38 Ireland to advance, or #4 Holland, who has already qualified but is behind the others.
If both #7 Portugal and #9 France, the squad that gets the last seed will come down to the final FIFA November ranking. Portugal would need to finish 5 spots ahead of France in the FIFA rankings to get the last seed.

Europe

Since five seeds will be European squads, the remaining 8 squads in Europe will form a second pod.
Nine European squads have already clinched qualification: #2 Spain, #3 England, #4 Holland, #6 Germany, #12 Italy, #15 Serbia, #21 Denmark, #33 Switzerland and #50 Slovakia.
The remaining four spots will be decided by four two-leg playoffs played Saturday and Wednesday: #7 Portugal v. #29 Bosnia-Herzegovina, #9 France v. #38 Ireland, #13 Russia v. #40 Slovenia, and #37 Greece v. #20 Ukraine.
Despite #37 Greece having a lower SPI than #20 Ukraine, they have the home field advantage for the second leg due to a higher FIFA ranking.

Africa

Besides #65 South Africa, five other African squads qualify for the World Cup finals.
Two squads have already clinched a spot with a match yet to be played Saturday: #11 Ivory Coast and #32 Ghana
One spot will go to the winner of Group A. With one match to play Saturday, #16 Cameroon has 10 points, while #54 Gabon has 9 points. Cameroon visits Morocco while Gabon visits Togo.
One spot will go to the winner of Group B. With one match to play Saturday, #41 Tunisia has 11 points, while #27 Nigeria has 9 points. Tunisia visits Mozambique while Nigeria visits Kenya.
The final spot will go to the winner of Group C. #45 Algeria leads the group with 13 points, while #30 Egypt has 10 points. Algeria visits Egypt Saturday, with Egypt needing to win by 2 goals to force a tiebreaker, or 3 goals to qualify outright.

Asia and Oceania

Four squads have qualified for the World Cup finals out of Asia: #24 Australia, #35 Japan, #43 South Korea and #89 North Korea.
One additional spot will go to the winner of the playoff between #86 Bahrain and #90 New Zealand. The first leg of the playoff finished 0-0 at Bahrain. The second leg at New Zealand is Saturday at 2:00 AM ET.
As Australia counts as an Asian squad, New Zealand counts as an Oceanic squad. Therefore, if Bahrain wins, there are 5 Asian squads, while if New Zealand wins, there are 4 Asian squads and an Oceanic squad. This is significant for the purpose of pod selection, as potentially New Zealand could be placed with an Asian squad if they qualify.

South and North America

Four squads have qualified from South America: #1 Brazil, #5 Argentina, #8 Chile and #17 Paraguay.
Three squads have qualified from North America: #14 USA, #18 Mexico and #22 Honduras.
One final spot will go to the winner of the playoff between #10 Uruguay and #36 Costa Rica, played Saturday and Wednesday.
South America has two seeded squads, and either two or three unseeded squads. North America has three or four unseeded squads.

Pod Selection

As mentioned earlier, Pod A will be the eight seeds: #1 Brazil, #2 Spain, #3 England, #5 Argentina, #6 Germany, #12 Italy, #65 South Africa, and #7 Portugal/#9 France/#4 Holland.
Pod B will be the eight unseeded European squads. Six will be #15 Serbia, #21 Denmark, #33 Switzerland, #50 Slovakia, the #13 Russia/#40 Slovenia winner, and the #37 Greece/#20 Ukraine winner. The remaining two will be the two unseeded squads of #4 Holland, the #7 Portugal/#29 Bosnia winner, and the #9 France/#38 Ireland winner.
The remaining two pods will be combinations of federations, determined among 5 African squads, 4 or 5 Asian squads, 0 or 1 Oceanic squads, 2 or 3 South American squads, and 3 or 4 North American squads.

Playoff possibilities

Favorites prevail: #86 Bahrain and #10 Uruguay qualify. This results in 3 North and South American squads, and 5 African and Asian squads. For competitive balance, South America and Africa are generally considered at a higher level than North America and Asia, respectively, so FIFA will likely put South America and Africa in Pod C, with North America and Asia in Pod D.
#10 Uruguay and #90 New Zealand qualify. This results in 3 North and South American squads, 5 African squads, 4 Asian squads and one Oceanic squad. FIFA again puts the strong African and South American squads in one pod, with the relatively weaker North American, Asian and Oceanic squads filling the other pod.
#36 Costa Rica and #90 New Zealand qualify. This results in 5 African squads, 4 North American and Asian squads, 2 South American squad and an Oceanic squad. FIFA's likely action will be to pair North America and Asia since the numbers work out, with Africa, South America and Oceania in the other pod.
#36 Costa Rica and #86 Bahrain qualify. This results in 5 African and Asian squads, 4 North American squads and 2 South American squads. This is the worst case scenario for FIFA, as they'll have to split a confederation into two pods, but likely the best case scenario for the #14 USA.
Why the last scenario? Reason being that without a clean geographical split, FIFA will likely have to divide by a talent split, pairing Africa and South America to make 7 squads in a pod, with North America and Asia making 9 in the other pod. To even out the numbers and maintain competitive balance, FIFA may choose to pull the highest ranked team from the Asia/North America pod, that being the #14 USA, and put it in the Africa/South America pod.
If that happens, this is the good news: #14 USA can't be grouped with another North American team, meaning they'll get a weaker Asian team in their group. Also, paired with the African squads that can't be in #65 South Africa's group, they'll have a 33% chance of landing in South Africa's group as well.

So, to recap:

Worst-case group scenarios for the USA: #1 Brazil, #4 Holland, #11 Ivory Coast, #14 USA or #2 Spain, #4 Holland, #8 Chile, #14 USA.
Best-case group scenario for the USA: #14 USA, #50 Slovakia, #65 South Africa, #89 North Korea

So, go Bahrain, Costa Rica, Ireland and Bosnia!

JLEW1818
11/13/2009, 02:50 PM
thanks for that

hope we can pull some bad teams

Scott D
11/13/2009, 05:40 PM
god in that worst case scenario group that's a USA squad that I would guarantee would do no better than 0-2-1.

silverwheels
11/13/2009, 06:12 PM
I bet we'll get one of the toughest groups again. That's just what happens.

tommieharris91
11/14/2009, 12:10 PM
US lost 1-0 today.

tommieharris91
11/15/2009, 02:45 PM
New Zealand qualified.
Uruguay won 1-0 at Costa Rica.
France won 1-0 at Ireland.
Portugal won 1-0 at home.

The chances of the USA getting into a group of death went much higher.

KC//CRIMSON
11/17/2009, 01:29 AM
Gold!

IZX3CB2SADw

0qiSfZmZrNg

silverwheels
11/18/2009, 05:47 PM
Greece, Slovenia, Portugal, and France* are through, with Uruguay probably qualifying later tonight.


*France scored on a handball, so hopefully Ireland requests a replay.

tommieharris91
11/18/2009, 07:28 PM
Ohh, and we lost 3-1 and our defense looked ugly in all 3 goals.

silverwheels
11/18/2009, 08:20 PM
Denmark is good, but we shouldn't have lost to them that badly. Sucks not having Gooch and Charlie. :(


Uruguay advanced over the Ticos 2-1 on aggregate to round off the list of teams heading to South Africa next summer.


North America:
United States
Mexico
Honduras

South America:
Brazil
Paraguay
Argentina
Chile
Uruguay

Africa:
South Africa
Algeria (won playoff over Egypt, 1-0)
Ivory Coast
Cameroon
Ghana
Nigeria

Europe:
Germany
Netherlands
England
Spain
Slovakia
Italy
Portugal
Denmark
Greece
France
Slovenia
Bosnia
Switzerland

Asia/Oceania:
Japan
North Korea
South Korea
Australia
New Zealand


Hopefully CONCACAF gets grouped in with the African teams in one pot. That would help us out tremendously.

tommieharris91
12/2/2009, 11:48 AM
The pots for Friday's World Cup draw:

Pot 1 : Brazil, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Argentina, England and South Africa.

Pot 2 : Australia, Japan, Korea DPR, Korea Republic, Honduras, Mexico, USA and New Zealand

Pot 3 : Algeria, Cameroon, C&#244;te d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay

Pot 4 : Denmark, France, Greece, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland

Scott D
12/2/2009, 12:20 PM
Something I saw on Sky Sports News gave an interesting scenario.

They said the worst possible draw for England would be

England, USA, Cameroon, Portugal

JLEW1818
12/2/2009, 12:27 PM
so explain this drawing process...

Scott D
12/2/2009, 12:40 PM
four boxes, each have the teams allotted to each section

they pull a team out of each box for the groups.

JLEW1818
12/2/2009, 12:48 PM
so we will know our pool on Friday?

tommieharris91
12/2/2009, 01:31 PM
Something I saw on Sky Sports News gave an interesting scenario.

They said the worst possible draw for England would be

England, USA, Cameroon, Portugal

Replace Ivory Coast with Cameroon and you've got it. That would be a bad draw for us, too.


so we will know our pool on Friday?

Yes. The draw is on ESPN2 at 11:00am Central.

Scott D
12/2/2009, 02:02 PM
Replace Ivory Coast with Cameroon and you've got it. That would be a bad draw for us, too.



Yes. I think the draw is on ESPN2 at 11:30am Central.

*shrug* the Brits seem to be more afraid of Cameroon than the Ivory Coast.

silverwheels
12/2/2009, 03:23 PM
Best case for us would be South Africa, Uruguay, and Slovenia.

I bet we'll get Brazil, Cote D'Ivoire, and Portugal, though. :rolleyes:

JLEW1818
12/2/2009, 04:03 PM
damn! I'm ready for Friday!

silverwheels
12/2/2009, 05:20 PM
Meh, we're going to get screwed with our draw, so I guess I'll have to find another team to cheer for after we go out in the group stage with 1 point at most. I'd like to see Nederland win it all.

birddog
12/3/2009, 09:28 AM
Meh, we're going to get screwed with our draw, so I guess I'll have to find another team to cheer for after we go out in the group stage with 1 point at most. I'd like to see Nederland win it all.

our national team automatically goes straight to the group of death because nobody cares. 2002 was a good run but i'm sure sepp had some splainin to do when the rest of the world saw we got out of our group.

Scott D
12/3/2009, 04:51 PM
too bad we can't get Brazil, Spain, and Italy...I almost like our chances there based on location ;)

silverwheels
12/3/2009, 07:03 PM
Yeah, at least this one's not in Europe. Still, no Charlie Davies and Gooch might be 100%...:(

Denton_Sooner
12/4/2009, 01:14 PM
USA draws England in Group C...

Denton_Sooner
12/4/2009, 01:19 PM
Add Algeria to Group C..

JLEW1818
12/4/2009, 01:27 PM
England, Algeria and Slovenia


****ING RIGHT BABY

silverwheels
12/4/2009, 01:27 PM
Switch South Africa for England and it would have been the best draw we could have gotten, so no complaints. We need to get to the 2nd round this time.

Denton_Sooner
12/4/2009, 01:30 PM
Last is Slovenia..

England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia...

Great draw!

Can't wait for summer...

Denton_Sooner
12/4/2009, 01:33 PM
Opening with England helps too..

Williesan
12/4/2009, 01:36 PM
England, Algeria and Slovenia is not a bad draw in the least bit. Pull a draw against England and the group is winnable.

Good thing we didn't land in groups D (Germany, Serbia and Ghana) or G (Brazil, Ivory Coast and Portugal.) (Note - left out the Aussies from D and DPRK in G as we would have replaced those two in the respective groups.)

Can't wait for June 12!

Williesan

JLEW1818
12/4/2009, 01:37 PM
If we finish 2nd in our pool, we get Germany .... most likely

i just want out of pool play

silverwheels
12/4/2009, 01:40 PM
Group E is ridiculous.

JLEW1818
12/4/2009, 01:45 PM
I think Group A, aint bad either

A1 - South Africa
A2 - Mexico
A3 - Uruguay
A4 - France

Denton_Sooner
12/4/2009, 01:50 PM
Pull a draw against England and the group is winnable

I like opening with England too.. I would hate to need 2 to get through and have to end with England.

silverwheels
12/4/2009, 01:52 PM
This sets up well for a potential Quarterfinal run for the U.S. We were better than Germany in 2002 but lost, and I think we could beat them this time if we faced them in the 2nd round.

JLEW1818
12/4/2009, 01:52 PM
no David.. lol :D

JLEW1818
12/4/2009, 01:53 PM
This sets up well for a potential Quarterfinal run for the U.S. We were better than Germany in 2002 but lost, and I think we could beat them this time if we faced them in the 2nd round.

yup, would be nice to win the bracket

but I'm sure Germany would end up losing some how and ****ing us :D

tommieharris91
12/4/2009, 02:13 PM
I think Group A, aint bad either

A1 - South Africa
A2 - Mexico
A3 - Uruguay
A4 - France

Yea, that group actually looks pretty easy for Mexico. I was sad to see them draw South Africa as their seed.

Then again, I probably underestimate Uruguay and France.

silverwheels
12/4/2009, 02:19 PM
Yea, that group actually looks pretty easy for Mexico. I was sad to see them draw South Africa as their seed.

Then again, I probably underestimate Uruguay and France.

I wouldn't be surprised to see any 2 of the 4 advance. No host country has failed to get out of the group stage. Hopefully Mexico goes home early, though. ****ers.

JLEW1818
12/4/2009, 04:53 PM
Yea, that group actually looks pretty easy for Mexico. I was sad to see them draw South Africa as their seed.

Then again, I probably underestimate Uruguay and France.

I guess I'm being biased towards France b/c how well their 2006 team did ?

tommieharris91
12/4/2009, 05:08 PM
I guess I'm being biased towards France b/c how well their 2006 team did ?

France isn't too highly thought of right now because they needed a handball to get qualify. Ohh and they sucked and basically looked nothing like a top side during their qualifying. They do have world class players though.

Scott D
12/4/2009, 06:31 PM
the deadliness of group G is dependent on which Brazil and Portugal teams show up.

TUSooner
12/4/2009, 07:30 PM
My 2 faves, England and USA, could both make it through. I'm hoping for crash outs by
France (because of Ireland)
and
Mexico (always! ****ers!)

It ought to be an awesome Summer !

JLEW1818
12/4/2009, 07:33 PM
still 7 months away.. sucks

Scott D
12/4/2009, 08:26 PM
I for one will continue to cheer for Thierry Henry.

silverwheels
12/4/2009, 09:54 PM
Can't blame France or Henry for what happened. That was all on the refs.


Group D will be insane. Group G would be, too, if not for North Korea. Groups A and E also figure to be very competitive.

Denton_Sooner
12/4/2009, 11:45 PM
Anybody read Nate Silver on 538?

Interesting link pertaining to advancement chances...

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/12/world-cup-2010-advancement.html

tommieharris91
1/5/2010, 06:48 PM
Clint Dempsey is sick. (http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2010/01/clint-dempseys-wonder-goal.html)

He was also named best left mid in the Premier League by Gazzetto Dello Sport. (link in Italian) (http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Estero/Premierleague/29-12-2009/i-verdetti-meta-premier-602478747237.shtml)

birddog
1/5/2010, 06:55 PM
Clint Dempsey is sick. (http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2010/01/clint-dempseys-wonder-goal.html)

He was also named best left mid in the Premier League by Gazzetto Dello Sport. (link in Italian) (http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Estero/Premierleague/29-12-2009/i-verdetti-meta-premier-602478747237.shtml)

dude can ball no question about it. hopefully we can surround him with good "d" mids so that he and donovan can get forward without leaving altidore to roam alone up top.

tommieharris91
1/17/2010, 10:56 PM
Dempsey injured his knee in a club match today. Manager says it's ligament damage. He's getting a knee scan tomorrow.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=727130&sec=england&cc=5901

JLEW1818
1/18/2010, 01:49 AM
Yep just seen this. Does not sound good.

Scott D
1/18/2010, 09:14 AM
USA to go 0-3....you heard it here.

JLEW1818
1/18/2010, 12:57 PM
here is the forum for USA Soccer

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=180

silverwheels
1/18/2010, 08:16 PM
USA to go 0-3....you heard it here.

Wouldn't be surprised now. Can we just keep all of the rest of our players off the field until the World Cup?


And bigsoccer sucks.

JLEW1818
1/18/2010, 10:22 PM
lol I'm sure it does... just first forum i found

silverwheels
1/18/2010, 10:30 PM
lol I'm sure it does... just first forum i found

I understand. I never joined the place but I've read plenty of it and most of the people who post there make Aggies look smart.

JLEW1818
1/18/2010, 11:14 PM
any good forums?

tommieharris91
1/18/2010, 11:28 PM
any good forums?

I don't know of any forums, but here's a good blog for you. (http://www.soccerbyives.net)

silverwheels
1/18/2010, 11:31 PM
Not that I know of. USA soccer is a unique animal. We're not as good as we probably should be, thanks to American football and basketball and the lack of great youth development, our top-level soccer league isn't one of the best, and the fans of soccer in this country are split between Euro snobs who don't care about the MLS and want everything about the soccer culture in this country to be like England and fans who want us to have our own identity but don't care enough to build it.

JLEW1818
1/18/2010, 11:44 PM
yah i need to pick a European team to like..

Oguchi Onyewu plays for Milan... so i guess i like them

tommieharris91
1/18/2010, 11:54 PM
yah i need to pick a European team to like..

Oguchi Onyewu plays for Milan... so i guess i like them

He might never actually get off the bench and play for them, though, even when healthy. And unless you have Fox Soccer Channel, you might have trouble finding Serie A matches i the US.

As for me, I picked Barcelona and Arsenal because I like how their teams were built. That and Barca games are broadcast here often. The problem with both of them is that they both have dirty messicans on their team.

JLEW1818
1/18/2010, 11:56 PM
my buddy is a huge liverpool dude... he took his gf there last week and proposed.

not bad lol

silverwheels
1/19/2010, 12:05 AM
I'm a big Liverpool fan. I suppose the Sounders are my favorite MLS team, although that may change when Vancouver enters the league. The closest team is FC Dallas, and I refuse to cheer for any sports team from Texas unless I have to.

tommieharris91
1/19/2010, 12:12 AM
I've got a friend who likes Liverpool too. He's kinda agonizing over this season though. If you wanna keep living OU Football 2009, root for them.

silverwheels
1/19/2010, 12:16 AM
Yeah, it's been rough. Don't know if it will get better next year, either, but that's life. As long as Gillette and Hicks are no longer the owners within a few years, I'll be okay.

Collier11
1/19/2010, 01:42 AM
Injuries might bury us before we get to wherever the hell the WC is, south africa or whatever

Scott D
1/19/2010, 04:19 PM
He might never actually get off the bench and play for them, though, even when healthy. And unless you have Fox Soccer Channel, you might have trouble finding Serie A matches i the US.

As for me, I picked Barcelona and Arsenal because I like how their teams were built. That and Barca games are broadcast here often. The problem with both of them is that they both have dirty messicans on their team.

Rafael Marquez is pretty much a spare part for the Barca side. He's playing because Yaya Toure and Seidou Keita have been in the African Cup. Now that Gabriel Milito is healthy and starting to work back into game shape, Rafa's going to see less time on the field because Milito is better at spelling Pujol or Pique in the center of midfield.

My two fav. teams are Newcastle United and Barcelona, they got me hooked years ago when they faced each other in the Champions League in a pretty exciting game punctuated by not only a Newcastle win, but a Faustino Asprilla hat trick.

Scott D
1/19/2010, 04:24 PM
I've got a friend who likes Liverpool too. He's kinda agonizing over this season though. If you wanna keep living OU Football 2009, root for them.

I don't know that I'd consider it like living OU Football. How Rafa Benitez ever became considered one of the top managers in the world is beyond me. I've never seen anyone this side of Ruud Gullit mismanage players to the degree that Rafa has. Look at the talent he either wasted and got rid of, or just flat out wanted to get away from the inconsistency that Rafa brings to their form.

Cam and I were discussing the other day that it'd be either a miracle or because of being stubborn if Rafa doesn't sell Ryan Babel. I'd probably start putting more into those rumors of Steven Gerrard moving on to another club in the near future if Benitez remains at the helm. The guy may have been playing the best football of his career under Benitez, but I think that's more due to him being in his prime agewise than anything.

If anything, watching Liverpool under Benitez is like watching Nebraska under Callahan. I'd definitely expect Jose Mourinho to be at the top of the list to replace Benitez at Anfield.

Scott D
1/19/2010, 04:25 PM
yah i need to pick a European team to like..

Oguchi Onyewu plays for Milan... so i guess i like them

AC Milan is a good choice, they've been underachievers the past few years, but Ronaldinho is in good form these days. Plus as an American you have other familiar names besides Gooch and Ronaldinho. David Beckham is on the roster there as well.

GrapevineSooner
1/19/2010, 04:30 PM
any good forums?

I usually hit up www.epltalk.com (http://www.epltalk.com) for my Soccer fix.

And, of course, the LFC sites like thisisanfield.com (http://www.thisisanfield.com)

tommieharris91
1/19/2010, 06:28 PM
I don't know that I'd consider it like living OU Football. How Rafa Benitez ever became considered one of the top managers in the world is beyond me. I've never seen anyone this side of Ruud Gullit mismanage players to the degree that Rafa has. Look at the talent he either wasted and got rid of, or just flat out wanted to get away from the inconsistency that Rafa brings to their form.

Cam and I were discussing the other day that it'd be either a miracle or because of being stubborn if Rafa doesn't sell Ryan Babel. I'd probably start putting more into those rumors of Steven Gerrard moving on to another club in the near future if Benitez remains at the helm. The guy may have been playing the best football of his career under Benitez, but I think that's more due to him being in his prime agewise than anything.

If anything, watching Liverpool under Benitez is like watching Nebraska under Callahan. I'd definitely expect Jose Mourinho to be at the top of the list to replace Benitez at Anfield.

I likened it to OU Football 2009 because it seems like everyone there is getting hurt. Both Gerrard and Torres have been in and out of the lineup with injuries this season. Babel never sees play, so he should be sold. I'm not sure what happened to Voronin or Aquilani though.

silverwheels
1/19/2010, 06:31 PM
Dempsey has moderate ligament damage (http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2010/01/dempseys-knee-injury.html), could return before end of EPL season


Clint Dempsey is expected to return to action for Fulham before the end of the English Premier League season after scans on his injured knee revealed "moderate damage to a ligament", Fulham revealed on its website on Tuesday evening.

The injury will not require surgery and Dempsey should return before the end of the EPL season, meaning that, barring a setback, Dempsey should be able to recover in time to take part in the 2010 World Cup.

Here is the statement issued by Fulham on the club website:

During the Blackburn Rovers fixture on Sunday 17 January, Clint Dempsey sustained moderate damage to a ligament in his right knee. Following the results of a scan, early indications are positive in that no operation is required. At this stage it is thought that the injury will not prevent him from featuring for Fulham, prior to the end of the season.

That sound you hear is the largest collective exhale in American soccer history.

Fulham's statement is a touch vague, but the fact that Dempsey won't need surgery and could be back before season's end means that his chances of playing a key role in the U.S. team's World Cup chances are good.

No kidding.

tommieharris91
1/19/2010, 06:32 PM
AC Milan is a good choice, they've been underachievers the past few years, but Ronaldinho is in good form these days. Plus as an American you have other familiar names besides Gooch and Ronaldinho. David Beckham is on the roster there as well.

AC Milan needs to get younger fast though. Seedorf and Gattusso have been around forever. Beckham will be nice for however long his loan is. Ronaldinho is in better form, but you gotta wonder how long that lasts.

Scott D
1/19/2010, 10:32 PM
I likened it to OU Football 2009 because it seems like everyone there is getting hurt. Both Gerrard and Torres have been in and out of the lineup with injuries this season. Babel never sees play, so he should be sold. I'm not sure what happened to Voronin or Aquilani though.

Voronin left for Russia I believe. He was originally out on a loan, and I think ended up signing for the team he was on loan to. Even if Gerrard and Torres had been healthy I still think Liverpool would be struggling this season. I can fully understand why there is a growing contingent that wants Benitez gone along with Gillette and Hicks.

Then again, as a Newcastle fan, I want Mike Ashley gone like a long time ago.

GrapevineSooner
1/20/2010, 11:27 PM
I can fully understand why there is a growing contingent that wants Benitez gone along with Gillette and Hicks.

*Raises Hand*

silverwheels
1/20/2010, 11:36 PM
*Raises Hand*

Yep, although that might permanently kill the new stadium, but that's fine by me since I have yet to see a game at Anfield and would really like to go.

tommieharris91
1/25/2010, 02:51 PM
Here's some good news. (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/4856256/ce/us/davies-remarkable-path-recovery?cc=5901&ver=us)

Also, AC Milan couldn't beat Inter 14-vs-9 yesterday. (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=278317&league=ITA.1&cc=5901)

Scott D
1/25/2010, 05:51 PM
Here's some good news. (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/4856256/ce/us/davies-remarkable-path-recovery?cc=5901&ver=us)

Also, AC Milan couldn't beat Inter 14-vs-9 yesterday. (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=278317&league=ITA.1&cc=5901)

lol Mourinho is a cocky bastard. Let's go ahead and start the countdown to the accusations (likely true) that Juventus is manipulating the referees again.


"It was a strange game,'' he said. ''I think we all understand that it was no coincidence that he showed the red card to Sneijder. I have realised that they are not going to allow us to wrap this title up. But we were perfect. We would have won this game even with seven men. Maybe with six we would have struggled, but we would have won with seven.''

GrapevineSooner
1/26/2010, 08:34 AM
Read somewhere today about a rumor of Rafa leaving Anfield after this season to go to Juventus.

And Guus Hidink's already rumored for that job as well. Or Liverpool if Rafa leaves or George Gillette has his way.

birddog
1/27/2010, 11:40 AM
charlie davies. love that guy.

http://www.rotowire.com/Charlie-Davies-googid7798-spsoccer.htm

JLEW1818
2/28/2010, 05:20 PM
any updates on anything?


getting closer!!!

Collier11
2/28/2010, 05:21 PM
I got drunk lastnite

tommieharris91
2/28/2010, 06:43 PM
any updates on anything?


getting closer!!!

Friendly this Wednesday @ Netherlands. I have no idea if it will be on TV.

Landon Donovan has been playing really well on loan at Everton. Today was the first time they lost a Premiership match since he got there, and he didn't start today. He was subbed on and apparently missed an open net that would have tied his match today.

Maurice Edu scored the winner for Rangers against Celtic today. (the Scots treat this match like we treat OU/Texass football.)

Awhile back, England's John Terry was stripped of his captain's role for boning fellow Englishman Wayne Bridge's GF. Bridge quit England's team. Their clubs played each other yesterday, and Bridge refused to shake Terry's hand pre-match. So that's not bad for us.

silverwheels
2/28/2010, 07:15 PM
A total collapse in team chemistry on England's side before the World Cup would be great.

JLEW1818
2/28/2010, 07:30 PM
is the American "central" time set for that game yet?

silverwheels
2/28/2010, 07:52 PM
1:30 pm Central on ESPN2. We will be debuting our new away kit.

Collier11
3/2/2010, 12:07 AM
ESPN ranks the top 50 players in the world

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/page/worldcup101-03012010/ce/us/best-players-2010-world-cup?cc=5901&ver=us

birddog
3/3/2010, 10:03 AM
http://www.ussoccer.com/

looks like developing the player pool will be put on hiatus today seeing how we've been getting our arses handed to us with the domestics.

Collier11
3/3/2010, 04:44 PM
um, after barely beating El Salvador we are now losing to the Netherlands, terrific

Scott D
3/3/2010, 05:01 PM
Because unlike El Salvador, the Netherlands are actually good.

Collier11
3/3/2010, 05:03 PM
we are missing our guys that are out

silverwheels
3/3/2010, 05:28 PM
Because unlike El Salvador, the Netherlands are actually good.

That's an understatement. I thought we played out of sync today for most of the game (probably had something to do with missing 5 key players), but I liked how we finished the game. And thankfully Holden doesn't seem to be badly injured. Someone should have taken out De Jong, though. Too bad Ricardo Clark wasn't playing. :D

tommieharris91
3/3/2010, 11:43 PM
Because unlike El Salvador, the Netherlands are actually good.


we are missing our guys that are out

These.

silverwheels
3/4/2010, 04:25 PM
Holden will be out 6 weeks with a broken leg. Hopefully someone ****s up Nigel de Jong in some way in the next month.

tommieharris91
3/7/2010, 02:10 PM
Landon Donovan had a goal and assist after being subbed on in the 71st. He left his last home match with Everton to chants of "USA."

tommieharris91
3/19/2010, 01:20 AM
Clint Dempsey with a great goal. (http://videos.sapo.pt/CvZlPd5iGsNThs2CSoHv)

badger
3/19/2010, 11:36 AM
I haven't read the rest of this thread, but just wanted to pop in and say EFF USA SOCCER IF THEY DISAPPOINT ME AGAIN LIKE THEY DID LAST WORLD CUP!

:D

Scott D
3/19/2010, 01:13 PM
anything more than 3 points for this team in this group should be considered successful.

Collier11
3/19/2010, 01:14 PM
whachu talkin bout, this is a winnable group if we play our best

Scott D
3/19/2010, 01:21 PM
that's a big if. I fully expect to lose to England. Slovenia winning wouldn't surprise me, nor would Algeria winning. Both of those should be winnable games. But, since this squad shows up like every 2nd or 3rd World Cup to make a little noise, I still have my doubts.

Collier11
3/19/2010, 01:23 PM
England with the in-fighting and no Becks...that is a winnable game.

Now as you said, will we show up or bust again?

Scott D
3/19/2010, 01:25 PM
What in-fighting? Wayne Bridge requested to not be named to the squad, and Beckham not being in there is probably better for England. He's a liability 80% of the time.

Collier11
3/19/2010, 01:29 PM
you dont think that whole affair deal will be a distraction?

Scott D
3/19/2010, 01:48 PM
Not unless Wayne Bridge has a 'change of heart' and decides to go ahead and return to the team.

Collier11
3/19/2010, 01:49 PM
based on how good of a team we have it would be more than disappointing to not make it to the knockout stage, but who knows if that team will show up for the good ol USA

silverwheels
3/19/2010, 02:13 PM
Charlie Davies has been cleared to start training again according to his twitter account. That is incredible. I thought his career was going to be over.

I think we can beat England, but it's not likely, and we should beat Algeria and Slovenia, but they're not guarantees. At least this cup isn't in Europe.

silverwheels
3/19/2010, 02:25 PM
It's not in Europe, but all that buzzing is going to get old quick.

Volume down, stereo on.

No kidding. Maybe on some telecasts they'll mute it somewhat. Hopefully.

JLEW1818
4/4/2010, 06:36 PM
so is the spread out for the US England game?

I bet it will be England a goal fav

tommieharris91
4/4/2010, 09:57 PM
so is the spread out for the US England game?

I bet it will be England a goal fav

I've haven't looked at odds lately, but England's Wayne Rooney, who is insanely good and was playing REALLY well, sprained his ankle last week. Unfortunately for the US, it shouldn't ruin his World Cup prospects. They're not nearly as good without him.

Bodog (http://sports.bodog.com/sports-betting/soccer-worldcup-2010.jsp) is offering an England -1 spread at 5/6. Straight up they're 4/7, the US is 9/2, and a tie is at 11/4.

Scott D
4/20/2010, 05:23 PM
That's right up there with the Manchester City fans who beat up the younger brother of a Manchester United player who was wearing one of his brother's jerseys.

TUSooner
4/20/2010, 05:51 PM
Is Dempsey going to be available. I assume so, but I haven't heard anything lately. If he gets stoked up, he'll help.

I won't be stunned if we beat England or play to a draw. They never seem to live up to their billing, although this year could be different with Capello.

JLEW1818
4/20/2010, 05:59 PM
we got this

silverwheels
4/20/2010, 09:17 PM
Is Dempsey going to be available. I assume so, but I haven't heard anything lately. If he gets stoked up, he'll help.

I won't be stunned if we beat England or play to a draw. They never seem to live up to their billing, although this year could be different with Capello.

Dempsey has already come back and played for Fulham (and scored a fantastic goal against Juventus), so he should be good to go.

England's starting outfield 10 is up there with the best, but they lack a quality goalkeeper and the depth of a team like Brazil or Spain. I think we could hold them to a draw, but I don't know if we could beat them. And they usually wait until the second round or quarterfinals before they choke and lose on penalties.

tommieharris91
4/25/2010, 09:05 PM
Dempsey has already come back and played for Fulham (and scored a fantastic goal against Juventus), so he should be good to go.

England's starting outfield 10 is up there with the best, but they lack a quality goalkeeper and the depth of a team like Brazil or Spain. I think we could hold them to a draw, but I don't know if we could beat them. And they usually wait until the second round or quarterfinals before they choke and lose on penalties.

Dempsey got hurt again, then he came back. He played pretty well today, at least based on the last 30:00 of his team's game today.

Rooney is hurt, but he says he'll be back for the WC. Too bad for us. I don't think of any of their other strikers too highly.

TUSooner (and jlew): That's why that 11/4 odds on the USA drawing look really sexy to me. That I think our defense (especially if Onyewu and Holden come back strong) can hold them.

Scott D
4/25/2010, 09:47 PM
I don't know, if Defoe can maintain form he should end up starting for them.

TUSooner
4/26/2010, 12:27 PM
Dempsey has already come back and played for Fulham (and scored a fantastic goal against Juventus), so he should be good to go.

England's starting outfield 10 is up there with the best, but they lack a quality goalkeeper and the depth of a team like Brazil or Spain. I think we could hold them to a draw, but I don't know if we could beat them. And they usually wait until the second round or quarterfinals before they choke and lose on penalties.

D'oh. I took him off my fantasy team when he got hurt and then never bothered to check back to notice whether he had returned to action. I just assumed he'd be out until the summer. I ain't payin no 'ttention. :(

tommieharris91
5/2/2010, 09:12 PM
Apparently Jozy Altidore learned about work ethic from Allen Iverson. (http://www.soccer365.com/us_news/story_30410145600.php)

GottaHavePride
5/4/2010, 11:51 AM
Heh.

GottaHavePride
5/4/2010, 11:52 AM
And I can't decide if I like our home or away kit better. Thinking of getting a jersey for World Cup time.

silverwheels
5/4/2010, 03:36 PM
If the home shirt had more red and blue on it, I'd buy it. I'm leaning toward the away shirt, but I want a white one. Decisions, decisions...

JohnnyMack
5/4/2010, 10:34 PM
And I can't decide if I like our home or away kit better. Thinking of getting a jersey for World Cup time.

Away. By a mile.

silverwheels
5/4/2010, 10:45 PM
BTW, the South Korea kits are awesome. Ireland's new home shirt rocks, as well. Too bad they won't be in South Africa. Stupid refs.

TUSooner
5/7/2010, 06:33 PM
Away. By a mile.

Yeah. I'm not a fan of the sash look.

Scott D
5/8/2010, 04:46 PM
nice, according to his twitter, Gooch has been cleared for full training for the past week.

silverwheels
5/8/2010, 05:56 PM
Gives him a month to try and get back to match fitness.

tommieharris91
5/8/2010, 06:36 PM
nice, according to his twitter, Gooch has been cleared for full training for the past week.

Holden looks like he'll play this week. (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/preview?id=269905&cc=5901)

Also, England's Gareth Barry is gonna be out for a month and could miss the WC. That can't hurt for us.

tommieharris91
5/11/2010, 12:35 AM
Preliminary 30-man roster for the World Cup will be named on ESPN2 at 2pm tomorrow.

Ruuuuuufus
5/11/2010, 03:40 PM
no Charlie Davies :(


Goalkeepers - -
Tim Howard - Everton
Brad Guzan - Aston Villa
Marcus Hahnemann - Wolverhampton

Defenders - -
Carlos Bocanegra - Rennes (FRA)
Jonathan Bornstein - Chivas USA
Steve Cherundolo - Hannover (GER)
Jay DeMerit - Watford
Clarence Goodson - IK Start (NOR)
Chad Marshall - Columbus Crew
Oguchi Onyewu - AC Milan (ITA)
Heath Pearce - FC Dallas
Jonathan Spector - West Ham United (ENG)

Midfielders
- -
DaMarcus Beasley - Rangers (SCO)
Alejandro Bedoya - Orebro (SWE)
Michael Bradley - Borussia M'Gladbach (GER)
Ricardo Clark - Eintracht Frankfurt (GER)
Clint Dempsey - Fulham (ENG)
Landon Donovan - Los Angeles Galaxy
Maurice Edu - Rangers (SCO)
Benny Feilhaber - Aarhus (DEN)
Stuart Holden - Bolton (ENG)
Sacha Kljestan - Chivas USA
Robbie Rogers - Columbus Crew
Jose Francisco Torres - Pachuca (MEX)

Forwards
- -
Jozy Altidore - Villarreal (ESP)
Edson Buddle - Los Angeles Galaxy
Brian Ching - Houston Dynamo
Robbie Findlay - Real Salt Lake
Herculez Gomez - Puebla (MEX)
Eddie Johnson - Aris Thessaloniki (GRE)

GottaHavePride
5/11/2010, 04:33 PM
MOAR FORWARDS! plzkthx.

tommieharris91
5/11/2010, 04:49 PM
Beasley's selection doesn't make any sense to me.

silverwheels
5/11/2010, 06:37 PM
MOAR FORWARDS! plzkthx.

We don't have any more forwards. We are pretty thin up top.

JLEW1818
5/11/2010, 06:40 PM
Oguchi Onyewu is my boy. leave him for me

Ruuuuuufus
5/11/2010, 06:51 PM
MOAR FORWARDS! plzkthx.

The next guy in line is Conor Casey :(


We don't have any more forwards. We are pretty thin up top.

Dempsey will likely pair with Jozy up front.

JLEW1818
5/11/2010, 06:53 PM
getting out of pool play is obviously the goal.

do u guys think we got a shot against England June 12th?

I'm saying 2-1 USA!!!!

silverwheels
5/11/2010, 06:54 PM
Dempsey will likely pair with Jozy up front.

Probably, but that still doesn't change the fact that we are in serious trouble if Jozy has to miss a game for any reason.

silverwheels
5/11/2010, 06:55 PM
getting out of pool play is obviously the goal.

do u guys think we got a shot against England June 12th?

I'm saying 2-1 USA!!!!

3-1 England.

JLEW1818
5/11/2010, 06:56 PM
do u think they are really that much better?

or do u think we choke under the pressure?

silverwheels
5/11/2010, 06:59 PM
do u think they are really that much better?

or do u think we choke under the pressure?

A little of both, although this won't be in Europe, so we might not be that prone to choking. We just don't have the talent to keep up with the top 10 or so teams. Our left back situation is a big question as are the forwards. This is one of the best U.S. midfields ever, though.

tommieharris91
5/11/2010, 07:33 PM
do u think they are really that much better?

or do u think we choke under the pressure?

They're that much better on paper.

Ohh and sw and jlew, don't worry. Gooch is gonna be healthy.

jlew, we can lose, come back and beat both Slovenia and Algeria, and be pretty much guaranteed a spot. In that situation, one of the above has to beat England and then earn 2nd based on goal differential. So, yea, it's somewhat of a longshot for them.

silverwheels
5/11/2010, 07:49 PM
Gooch will be healthy, but will he be in match shape?

Scott D
5/11/2010, 08:32 PM
somehow I'm amused by 'the future of American soccer' not making the 30 man roster. Someone got too content too early, and some of that blame goes to the MLS for showcasing him well before he was ready.

tommieharris91
5/22/2010, 11:08 PM
Friendly this Tuesday at 7:00 Central vs Czech Republic. Another friendly this Saturday at 1:00 Central vs Turkey.

Scott D
5/23/2010, 04:31 PM
Gooch will be healthy, but will he be in match shape?

speaking of Gooch....he's had another year added to his contract with AC Milan, for no pay.

silverwheels
5/23/2010, 04:33 PM
Yeah, that's a pretty admirable thing to do, and I'm sure Milan loves it, because then they don't have to spend money to keep him on the bench like they like to do.

JLEW1818
5/23/2010, 04:40 PM
i said last year if we beat Spain i would buy a Gooch jersey... 100 bucks tho screw that.

can anybody find me a cheaper/reliable site/?? a t-shirt jersey would even be cool.

silverwheels
5/23/2010, 04:42 PM
Don't think you can get much cheaper unless you buy an old jersey on sale. Otherwise if it's cheap, it's most likely a fake.

JLEW1818
5/23/2010, 04:43 PM
i was afraid of that :D

Curly Bill
5/23/2010, 05:05 PM
jlew, you go and spend big money, hell any money, on a soccer jersey I'm pretty sure that's grounds for removing your posse credentials. :O



:D

JLEW1818
5/23/2010, 05:22 PM
lol just bought one and the girl got a one!!!

mine

http://store.nike.com/index.jsp?country=US&lang_locale=en_US&l=shop,pwp,c-1+100701/f-4294967140+4294967201/hf-10002+12002/t-Men%27s/pn-1#l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-322072

Her's

http://store.nike.com/index.jsp?country=US&lang_locale=en_US&l=shop,pwp,c-1+100701/f-4294967140+4294967201/hf-10002+12002/t-Men%27s/pn-1#l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-322071

Curly Bill
5/23/2010, 05:26 PM
I want to see a picture of your girl's with her in it.


...and nothing else on. ;)

JLEW1818
5/23/2010, 05:27 PM
that can be arranged :)

Curly Bill
5/23/2010, 06:50 PM
that can be arranged :)

Spek on that brother! :D

JLEW1818
5/23/2010, 06:56 PM
OleVet in a thong?

silverwheels
5/23/2010, 06:56 PM
I got this shirt (http://store.objectivo.com/home/e-pluribus-unum-from-many-one-usa-eagle-t-shirt.html) this past week. I'll still try to get a jersey at some point, though. And a Korean and Irish jersey if I can.

Curly Bill
5/23/2010, 07:55 PM
OleVet in a thong?

Lets wait on that picture until the hodown! :eek:

Scott D
5/24/2010, 02:45 PM
two non shockers in this Friendly so far

1. England is mostly abusing Mexico in the first half to the tune of 2-0.
2. Mexico is silly in trying to play a little rough against the likes of Rooney and Gerrard and Ferdinand who will dish as much as they take. Which would explain why they keep going after Theo Walcott and Peter Crouch.

GrapevineSooner
5/24/2010, 02:55 PM
Franco gets one back for Mexico right before the halftime whistle.

Scott D
5/24/2010, 04:01 PM
Which England gets back in the second half. I still don't like our prospects against them....injuries to their players are our best bet to escape the game with them with at least a draw.

JLEW1818
5/24/2010, 04:29 PM
the 12th is coming

badger
5/24/2010, 04:55 PM
I haven't posted on this thread in awhile, nor do I care to go through 11 pages that I've missed, so here goes -

USA! USA! USA! :D

Seriously, the last time I watched the world cup, we were going against some team with a lead that kept faking injuries to get the ball to stop in the name of fair play. It worked. Everytime us d@mn yankees made a run to possibly score, another (Italian? Frenchman? I forget with European team I should be angry at) player went to the turf, feigning something that lasted long enough to get the ball stopped.

You know what hockey is? Soccer for non-pussies. There's no "fall down! act hurt! get indignant!" in hockey (except for Mighty Ducks, which is where that line is from, of course). Soccer is pussified at the World Cup. No wonder it ended with a head-butt last time. It was Frenchie finally saying "Eff this ess. I'm bloody hell gonna bloody send this wussie to hell!"

Just my two cents. Sorry if someone already said as much in a previous post :D

badger
5/24/2010, 05:19 PM
Oh, and because Zidane because an Internet meme, here were some of my favorite gifs of the incident:

http://www.destructoid.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/07/2.gif

http://www.destructoid.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/07/3.gif

More here. (http://www.destructoid.com/zidane-headbutt-comes-to-video-games-26559.phtml)

ouleaf
5/25/2010, 12:31 PM
You know what hockey is? Soccer for non-pussies.

Sorry, but your comparing Apples and Oranges there. While they share the same common objective of two teams trying to score goals by putting the ball/puck in the other teams goal, that is where the similarities end.

The acting you see on fouls in soccer has just become part of the game....they have been doing it for years. But is it really any different than what you see in other sports. In basketball when you see a player flail his arms and yell as the ball gets cleanly knocked out of his hands. In football when a WR who doesn't catch a ball because he doesn't have good position on the ball and runs into the defender in hopes of gaining a Pass Interference call. And even in hockey, you see players take dives when checked by opponents in hopes of drawing a call. It's all part of the game.

Secondly, in hockey you are covered pretty much head to toe in protective gear. You don't have that luxury with soccer.

Third, Hockey has the unique benefit where Fighting with an opponent does not automatically get you ejected from the game. You go to the penalty box for 5 minutes and then you are back in the game. Soccer, as just about every other sport, penalizes it's players by removing the from the match immediately. If fighting were allowed in soccer, I guarantee you we would see it happen like it does in hockey all the time.

So with all the being said, I reject your statement that Hockey is Soccer for Non-Pussies, because it's just not true.

JLEW1818
5/25/2010, 06:26 PM
got a friendly right now. espn

tommieharris91
5/25/2010, 07:00 PM
USA Lineup:

----------------Johnson----Buddle--------------------
Beasley-------Edu-----------Torres----------Holden
Bornstein-----Onyewu---Goodson-----Cherundolo
-------------------------Guzan-------------------------

Apparently Bradley wants to see a lot of the bubble players tonight. I wouldn't expect to see Altidore, Donovan, Dempsey, etc. tonight.

Czech lineup:

-------------Martin Fenin-----David Lafata------------
----------------------Jaroslav Plasil----------------------
Daniel Pudil----------Jan Polak----------Libor Sionko
--------------------Tomas Hubschman------------------
---Jan Rajnoch----Tomas Sivok-----Ondrej Kusnir---
-------------------------Petr Cech-------------------------

The only one I've heard of is Cech, #1 keeper for EPL winners Chelsea.

silverwheels
5/25/2010, 07:02 PM
Still can't believe Eddie Johnson made the 30-man roster. Maybe he'll do something for a change tonight, even though it technically means nothing.

JLEW1818
5/25/2010, 07:10 PM
my boy Gooch

JLEW1818
5/25/2010, 07:20 PM
GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!

JLEW1818
5/25/2010, 07:51 PM
Gooch looks tight....

tommieharris91
5/25/2010, 08:14 PM
Gooch gave up their goal, and it really worries me if he can't jump.

silverwheels
5/25/2010, 08:24 PM
Nice to know our backups aren't very good. We really need to stay healthy in South Africa.

tommieharris91
5/25/2010, 08:29 PM
Gomez and Goodson, you're on the team. Pearce, you ain't gettin a plane ticket.

Also, Gooch went off for Bedoya.

silverwheels
5/25/2010, 08:29 PM
Gomez needs to make the final roster. That was nice.

silverwheels
5/25/2010, 08:41 PM
Ouch, our backup defenders are not very good.

tommieharris91
5/25/2010, 09:32 PM
There's no way Pearce and Kjlestan make this team. I see Johnson getting cut for Gomez now. Goodson did NOT have a good final 30 minutes, being a part of both goals at the end.

My guesses on who gets cut:

Pearce
Kjlestan
Johnson
Bornstein
Marshall
Findley
Rodgers

silverwheels
5/25/2010, 10:34 PM
I would go with that, too. I was pleasantly surprised by Beasley. He wasn't completely useless out there.

badger
5/26/2010, 11:36 AM
The acting you see on fouls in soccer has just become part of the game....they have been doing it for years.

So with all the being said, I reject your statement that Hockey is Soccer for Non-Pussies, because it's just not true.

I'm just a casual fan of soccer, and this is what irritates me the most. No, they're not pussies, but they sure act like it.

Scott D
5/26/2010, 02:33 PM
There's no way Pearce and Kjlestan make this team. I see Johnson getting cut for Gomez now. Goodson did NOT have a good final 30 minutes, being a part of both goals at the end.

My guesses on who gets cut:

Pearce
Kjlestan
Johnson
Bornstein
Marshall
Findley
Rodgers

not bad..5 out of 7


Let go were defenders Chad Marshall and Heath Pearce; midfielders Alejandro Bedoya, Sacha Kljestan and Robbie Rogers; and forwards Brian Ching and Eddie Johnson.

Collier11
5/26/2010, 02:35 PM
No Johnson huh...

Scott D
5/26/2010, 02:38 PM
his play has been on a decline, not getting a regular spot in England hasn't helped him in that regard, and his up side is nowhere near Altidore's if Jozy ever develops the work ethic that he needs.

tommieharris91
5/26/2010, 03:41 PM
not bad..5 out of 7

I was really shocked by the exclusion of Ching. I think he can add a few more things to the team than Rogers can.

Scott D
5/26/2010, 03:50 PM
What was painful for me was watching Juergen Klinsmann be an analyst on the US team instead of the guy coaching the US team.

tommieharris91
5/29/2010, 12:26 PM
Lineup for Turkey:

---------Sanli Tuncay-----Colin Kazim-Richards--------
Emre--------------Arda Turan-------------------Altintop
---------Selcuk Inan------Sabri Sariogulu---------------
Servet Cetin--------Gokhan Zan--------Caglar Birinci
----------------------Volkan Demirel---------------------

Lineup for USA:

---------------Altidore-------------Dempsey--------------
Feilhaber---------------------------------------------Donovan
------------------Bradley-----------Clark----------------------
Bocanegra------DeMerit---------Goodson-------------Spector
---------------------------Howard--------------------------------

Don't ask me why Gooch isn't starting today. My guess is he's coming off the bench.

KC//CRIMSON
5/29/2010, 12:35 PM
When is Freddy Adu going to make this WC team? Never?

silverwheels
5/29/2010, 03:00 PM
When is Freddy Adu going to make this WC team? Never?

Probably. Kid was way overhyped and developed very poorly.

tommieharris91
5/29/2010, 03:02 PM
Probably. Kid was way overhyped and developed very poorly.

This. The clubs he's played for say he has a bad work ethic too.

TUSooner
5/30/2010, 09:15 AM
I was really shocked by the exclusion of Ching. I think he can add a few more things to the team than Rogers can.

Ching made a statement in his MLS game for Houston last nite. He came on and immediately sparked a couple of goals for Hou. They lost 3-2 anyway, but still, he looked like he was trying to prove that Bradley was wrong to leave him out. .

JLEW1818
5/30/2010, 10:38 AM
I like the Experience ....

tommieharris91
6/4/2010, 10:20 AM
Jozy Altidore sprained his ankle yesterday. He won't play in tomorrow's friendly with the Aussies, but should be back for England.

The Brits captain, Rio Ferdinand, apparently hurt his knee yesterday. British media is saying he will miss the World Cup. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/04/rio-ferdinand-injury-world-cup)

Ohh Didier Drogba broke his arm yesterday and is out. So much for Ivory Coast doing anything.

Scott D
6/4/2010, 12:00 PM
Even with Ferdinand out, John Terry + Ledley King > Anything we have to offer.

badger
6/4/2010, 02:06 PM
I saw Celtics and Lakers players taking dives last night - a humble reminder that acting is a part of many sports :(

In any event, I hope "fair play" doesn't screw US Soccer again... or at least hopefully they can get an early lead so that they're the ones faking injuries repeatedly to stop drives ;)

silverwheels
6/4/2010, 04:36 PM
Don't we have a World Cup Thread somewhere, or was I just drunk?

Scott D
6/4/2010, 04:40 PM
you were probably drunk on Carlsbad after celebrating the dismissal of Rafa.

silverwheels
6/4/2010, 04:48 PM
It's nice, but at the same time, who the hell is Liverpool going to get to replace him? Plus the problem of having no money means we will likely say goodbye to Gerrard, Torres, and Mascherano. Gonna be some lean years and mid-table finishes coming up.

Scott D
6/4/2010, 05:04 PM
I can't help but laugh at the fact that the brit papers keep saying Roy Hodgson is the leading candidate. But considering the team is broke, and the Torres to Chelski rumors keep getting stronger, I guess he's the perfect candidate to lead a lower mid half of the table side.

silverwheels
6/4/2010, 05:28 PM
A really rich guy with a stable wallet needs to step up and buy Liverpool from the two idiot Yanks as soon as possible.

Scott D
6/4/2010, 09:12 PM
I don't think it matters much with the amount of relative debt carried by the entire Premier League.

JLEW1818
6/5/2010, 09:22 AM
well 1 week away.


we looked good today.

tommieharris91
6/5/2010, 02:12 PM
well 1 week away.


we looked good today.

Ehh, I thought Turkey was better than Australia. We missed a few open nets, but the Aussies did too. Overall, it was pretty much was I expected. We don't have much of a defense, but our attack has allovasudden become the best part of our team. I was throughly unimpressed by the Socceroos midfield, especially in the 1st half, and that kind of performance by Richard Garcia makes me understand why Altidore scored only 1 goal with Hull last season.

But hey, at least we're not getting beat by trash cans in China uniforms. Ohh and no injuries.

JLEW1818
6/5/2010, 02:32 PM
give me the starting lineup against England.

silverwheels
6/5/2010, 02:50 PM
--------------Howard-----------------
-Spector-DeMerit-Onyewu-Bocanegra-
-------Edu-----------Bradley---------
--Holden-------------------Donovan--
----------Dempsey-------------------
----------------Altidore--------------


Probably.

tommieharris91
6/5/2010, 03:57 PM
--------------Howard-----------------
-Spector-DeMerit-Onyewu-Bocanegra-
-------Edu-----------Bradley---------
--Holden-------------------Donovan--
----------Dempsey-------------------
----------------Altidore--------------


Probably.
Move Dempsey where Holden is and put any of our forwards in Dempsey's place and you got it. I have trouble guessing who the 2nd best forward is between Gomez and Buddle.

silverwheels
6/5/2010, 04:15 PM
I think that line-up is better suited to face England, though, or I would have moved Dempsey back to the midfield to replace Holden and put Buddle behind Jozy.

My biggest concern is Gooch. He is obviously not ready for the World Cup, but our only other option is to put Boca in his place and Bornstein at left back, which guarantees the other team at least one goal, now matter how well Tim is playing.

Scott D
6/5/2010, 09:08 PM
well then it becomes a question of do you have Gooch starting or coming in as a substitute to spell Bornstein with Boca at left back after we've likely given up that goal.

JLEW1818
6/5/2010, 10:41 PM
Gooch will show up.

silverwheels
6/5/2010, 11:24 PM
well then it becomes a question of do you have Gooch starting or coming in as a substitute to spell Bornstein with Boca at left back after we've likely given up that goal.

Probably starting, although he has become a liability on corners and set pieces now, since it appears he has lost his ability to jump.


Gooch will show up.

Technically, yes, but he's not 100%, and I don't see that changing in one week.

Scott D
6/8/2010, 06:09 PM
He hasn't lost his ability to jump, but he won't truthfully be a full 100% until probably early in 2011.

silverwheels
6/8/2010, 07:28 PM
I don't know, he looked glued to the ground against the Czechs. I'll be surprised if he goes the full 90 in any of the games.

Scott D
6/9/2010, 10:26 PM
well he's coming off of major knee surgery. Hell, to some degree Michael Owen never recovered from his knee injuries.