PDA

View Full Version : Any soccer fans in here?



Pages : [1] 2

ArkanSooner
5/19/2007, 12:02 PM
I've been on the board awhile but haven't posted a whole lot in the past. I'm just curious if anyone on here follows soccer, specifically the EPL or MLS. My heart and soul belong to Liverpool FC, and I cheer for FC Dallas over here in the states. Am I the only one who keeps up with it?

sanantoniosooner
5/19/2007, 12:05 PM
yes.

To that last question.

Scott D
5/19/2007, 12:06 PM
boo to Liverpool, but I hope they beat AC Milan next Wed.

birddog
5/19/2007, 01:21 PM
copa america in 1 month. we'll get run off the field but it's a decent follow up to the wc last year.

birddog
5/19/2007, 01:24 PM
and i know you all know this, but bob bradley is officially the manager and no longer the caretaker.

i guess that's ok, not really but it has to be.

GottaHavePride
5/19/2007, 01:29 PM
I watch when I can, but I don't have enough time to really keep up with it. I haven't even watched enough to really develop any leanings toward particular teams.

I have noticed that every time I've managed to catch one of Portsmouth's games they've been very entertaining to watch. I couldn't tell you much about the MLS teams, as I so rarely manage to catch a game.

Scott D
5/19/2007, 03:13 PM
and boo to Chelsea beating ManU today. I was so hoping that Joesay Mourinho would come away with 0 hardware this year.

GottaHavePride
5/19/2007, 03:15 PM
I don't know, if I find myself watching a game and rooting for either Chelsea OR ManU I feel like a bandwagon Yankees fan. ;)

Scott D
5/19/2007, 03:21 PM
I wouldn't say I was cheering 'for' ManU as much as I was cheering against Chelsea, Clark. :)

royalfan5
5/19/2007, 04:26 PM
I'm a fan of Manchester City and Weder Bremen.

birddog
5/19/2007, 04:39 PM
http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer

fa cup replay on tues. on fsc.


i support fulham because i've been to craven cottage a few times over the years. back then they were scrubs with a 300 lb. keeper. it's cool that dempsey salvaged their season this year.

snp
5/20/2007, 05:40 PM
I root for the Houston Dynamo and Chelsea because my that was my dad's favorite time when he lived in England.

Looks like my teams have been kicking butt lately :cool:

GrapevineSooner
5/20/2007, 09:46 PM
I guess I'll pull for Liverpool. If only because I know how cursed Tom Hicks-owned teams eventually become.

SoonerDood
5/20/2007, 10:08 PM
Chelsea are a bunch of twats. If you're not a Manc, you're a wank!

GottaHavePride
5/20/2007, 10:37 PM
Heh. Arse-nal. Heh.

I like them a bit more just for making me chuckle with that.

birddog
5/20/2007, 10:51 PM
http://www.soccerway.com/international/world/copa-america/

i've posted this in the past. in case you missed it, here are the groups for copa america. i hope it's all televised.

birddog
5/20/2007, 10:54 PM
it looks like GolTv has the rights. can i get that on digital cable, or what?

GottaHavePride
5/20/2007, 11:00 PM
GolTV? Dammit. I don't think I get that. I'll have to hope for FSC or Telemundo to pick up some games, I guess.

Scott D
5/21/2007, 12:43 AM
I love having GolTV. Every weekend I get Bundesliga, Serie A, and most importantly Spanish Primera matches. Barcelona is on basically every week.

Today they played the Sevilla match followed by the Real Madrid match, followed by the Barcelona match. All three teams are separated by 4 points for first place in the Primera.

That and Ray Hudson is hands down the best color commentator to listen to when he starts using colorful metaphors.

Oh and it's part of my DirecTV sports pack. Conveniently placed one channel above FSC.

birddog
5/21/2007, 10:00 AM
http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/6833820

shevchenko?

Scott D
5/21/2007, 10:37 AM
Peter Kenyon said yesterday that Sheva and Ballack aren't going anywhere, and they'll be at Stamford Bridge for at least another 3 years.

Scott D
5/21/2007, 10:49 AM
oh and I could watch this (http://youtube.com/watch?v=hokq-7olthE) goal all day.

birddog
5/21/2007, 01:41 PM
there's no way any of those guys would join mls in their prime. abel xavier just signed with the galaxy and he's 34. sheva may come here when he's 35, or so.

boomersooner28
5/21/2007, 02:10 PM
Soccer fans exist? Hmmm, interesting.

snp
5/21/2007, 02:56 PM
^^^ I guess you missed the memo that soccer is way more popular than football.


oh and I could watch this (http://youtube.com/watch?v=hokq-7olthE) goal all day.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nXzXsdZJ5AQ

That Messi goal always reminded me of Maradonna's awesome run. This video shows the two side-by-side.

Scott D
5/21/2007, 03:02 PM
Yes, but you see I like Leo Messi, and I dislike Diego Maradona. Therefore, I don't want to look at any Maradona goals, although I will give Maradona credit, his was on a much bigger stage.

The 6 goal beatdown that Barcelona put on Atletico Madrid yesterday was just sick. Barca pretty much did whatever they wanted.

Scott D
5/21/2007, 03:05 PM
there's no way any of those guys would join mls in their prime. abel xavier just signed with the galaxy and he's 34. sheva may come here when he's 35, or so.

*shrug* there is talk that at the end of his current run with Milan, that Ronaldo will be coming stateside as well. Juan Pablo Angel is an interesting signing, although I think he's past his best days.

BTW, this season is the final run for Cobi Jones in the MLS before he retires. Tis a shame he never got the opportunity to play on some of the bigger stages.

birddog
5/21/2007, 03:47 PM
i'd love to see us bring in world-class players when they are beginning to hit their stride. i just hate seeing the aging stars ride into the sunset on our fields. i think if we can start to be competirive and respected around the world, it would change the structure of the mls in terms of international competitions.

the mls may be attractive to some because it is still making a name for itself and those players would be considered "pioneers" (although we've used that term for 3 decades now).

as of right now, the concacaf champions cup is at the bottom of the prestige list.

Cam
5/21/2007, 08:37 PM
and boo to Chelsea beating ManU today.
That just sucked ***. At least ManU got some silverware this year. I'd like to see Giggs get his 10th EPL title next year.

GottaHavePride
5/21/2007, 10:17 PM
Well, I've got the DVR set for Wednesday afternoon. Stupid driving-back-from-Kansas time.

birddog
5/22/2007, 08:03 AM
http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=news&article=447154&lid=NewsHeadline&Title=Arsenal+enter+partnership+with+Colorado+Rapi ds

birddog
5/22/2007, 08:07 AM
it's pretty cool the steps the rapids have taken to improve their product.

maybe with this deal we'll see arsenal reserves and developmental players jump over on season long loans.

sanantoniosooner
5/22/2007, 04:46 PM
yes.

To that last question.
:D

:les:http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/images/reputation/reputation_neg.gif

Soccer sucks. Deal with it.

birddog
5/22/2007, 05:49 PM
i suppose it sucks for the people who don't like it. :D

like baseball and car racing for me.

GottaHavePride
5/22/2007, 07:51 PM
Hooray! I don't have to drive back till Thursday morning, so I can watch the game!

sanantoniosooner
5/22/2007, 08:53 PM
i suppose it sucks for the people who don't like it. :D

like baseball and car racing for me.
It sucks worse than baseball and is about even with car racing.

snp
5/22/2007, 09:44 PM
It sucks worse than baseball and is about even with car racing.

You've got a dirty whorish mouth.

birddog
5/22/2007, 09:51 PM
It sucks worse than baseball and is about even with car racing.

there's one of you in every soccer thread.

it doesn't bother me that some people like to bash soccer. i grew up with it and played all through college, so i understand the game.

sanantoniosooner
5/22/2007, 09:51 PM
You've got a dirty whorish mouth.
well your breath smells like anus.

take that.

sanantoniosooner
5/22/2007, 09:55 PM
there's one of you in every soccer thread.

it doesn't bother me that some people like to bash soccer. i grew up with it and played all through college, so i understand the game.
Just so you realize.......I made a quick appearance in the thread with a tiny jab and left it alone.

Some whiney soccer purist gave me a neg so I came back.

I had a foreign exchange student from Spain live with us for a year and saw plenty of soccer and had plenty explanation.

1-1 ties are awesome.

birddog
5/22/2007, 10:26 PM
alright, i get it. you don't like soccer.

i'll cross that topic off my list of things to discuss with you in the future.

and that neg wasn't me. i enjoy your posts but this seems a little soonerus-ish to me.

sanantoniosooner
5/22/2007, 10:31 PM
Hey, if they all played aggressive styles like Brazil I could watch some more of it.

That European crap of getting 1 point and playing keep away makes it tough to watch.

illinisooner
5/23/2007, 12:30 AM
sanantoniosooner, im guessing you think soccer is boring...so how is that different than what your hometown Spurs style of play? :) I'm an Arsenal fan myself, and I grew up in Illinois so I like the Fire but I've never actually been to a game. The AC Milan/Scousers game should be a good one tomorrow, although I think the Rossonieri will win...partly because they're better and party because of 2 years ago in Istanbul. I intensely dislike Italian football though, so I will be rooting for the Reds!

sanantoniosooner
5/23/2007, 06:53 AM
saying a team is boring is different than saying 95% of the teams in a sport are boring.

ArkanSooner
5/23/2007, 07:44 AM
Well, I've been up for two hours already with excitement for today's game. Come on you Reds!

birddog
5/23/2007, 11:10 AM
2-1 reds.

i hope to hell it's not pi$$ing rain tonight.

illinisooner
5/23/2007, 01:03 PM
To anyone who says soccer might be boring, and I can easily see your point, please attend a European game or international match and then tell me it's boring. There's no way. I've been to two international matches, friendlies, USA/England and USA/Poland, both at 3/4 capacity Soldier Field. The atmopshere and intensity is not unlike a big time college football game, and the noise is nonstop.

And since when did Kaka become "the world's best player", as just mentioned on the Duece? Yeah he has had a great year, but I wouldn't put him as the world's best just yet. He is fun to watch though.

Scott D
5/23/2007, 01:11 PM
To anyone who says soccer might be boring, and I can easily see your point, please attend a European game or international match and then tell me it's boring. There's no way. I've been to two international matches, friendlies, USA/England and USA/Poland, both at 3/4 capacity Soldier Field. The atmopshere and intensity is not unlike a big time college football game, and the noise is nonstop.

And since when did Kaka become "the world's best player", as just mentioned on the Duece? Yeah he has had a great year, but I wouldn't put him as the world's best just yet. He is fun to watch though.

During the course of this season four players have graced us with being "the world's best player".

Ronaldinho
Cristiano Ronaldo
Kaka
Lionel Messi

birddog
5/23/2007, 01:20 PM
i could watch that '05 c.l. final every day.

the most amazing game i've ever seen.

Scott D
5/23/2007, 01:30 PM
I much preferred the '06 CL final

birddog
5/23/2007, 01:47 PM
Game on!!

Paperclip
5/23/2007, 02:08 PM
A couple of decent chances already for both teams.

Scott D
5/23/2007, 02:23 PM
Liverpool is abusing Milan on the right side.

Paperclip
5/23/2007, 02:27 PM
Crap. I've been watching this on the tv in the conference room that I can see from my office. Somebody's now actually using the conference room.

Scott D
5/23/2007, 02:32 PM
and Kaka creates the chance that gets Pirlo the free kick that went off of Inzaghi for the goal.

birddog
5/23/2007, 02:35 PM
man, right before half. 1-0 milan.

pretty decent game so far. 2nd half should open up a bit.

birddog
5/23/2007, 02:37 PM
Crap. I've been watching this on the tv in the conference room that I can see from my office. Somebody's now actually using the conference room.
we'll keep you updated. they should have a replay tonight.

birddog
5/23/2007, 02:38 PM
replay on classic here at (colorado) 5 pm.

Paperclip
5/23/2007, 02:40 PM
we'll keep you updated. they should have a replay tonight.

Thanks! I guess some people think conference rooms are for business purposes. Sheesh.

GrapevineSooner
5/23/2007, 02:57 PM
The nerve of some people.

silverwheels
5/23/2007, 03:17 PM
Why isn't Crouch in the game? I'm questioning the strategy by Liverpool here.

birddog
5/23/2007, 03:24 PM
i''m surprised too. the only way to get by the milan defense is to get the ball wide. they've got the middle packed in pretty good.

birddog
5/23/2007, 03:27 PM
2-0 milan. game over.

silverwheels
5/23/2007, 03:29 PM
Dammit. I hate everything Italian about soccer, even their club squads. This sucks.

Scott D
5/23/2007, 03:30 PM
Why isn't Crouch in the game? I'm questioning the strategy by Liverpool here.

probably because Benitez is in love with Dirk Kuyt. Afterall, he had to beat out 3 other English teams to sign him away from Holland this past offseason. I'm surprised he hasn't gone to his bread and butter Kuyt/Bellamy duo up front.

silverwheels
5/23/2007, 03:32 PM
probably because Benitez is in love with Dirk Kuyt. Afterall, he had to beat out 3 other English teams to sign him away from Holland this past offseason. I'm surprised he hasn't gone to his bread and butter Kuyt/Bellamy duo up front.

Crouch would have dominated Dida on crosses and set pieces had Liverpool continued to press the attack. Totally dumb move by Benitez.


Well, at least Liverpool's going to make it interesting. 2-1.

Scott D
5/23/2007, 03:33 PM
she isn't completely over yet boyos...Kuyt cuts it to 2-1

birddog
5/23/2007, 03:34 PM
'pool gets one back. 2-1 in 89th

birddog
5/23/2007, 03:38 PM
what happened to the 3 minutes?

Scott D
5/23/2007, 03:39 PM
And there's the final whistles.....AC Milan are the 2007 UEFA Champions League Champions, and will play Sevilla at some point next season in the Cup Winners Cup match.

silverwheels
5/23/2007, 03:39 PM
Excuse me while I go vomit.

birddog
5/23/2007, 03:43 PM
shame the reds gave up that 2nd goal. they had numbers in the back and got split. oh well. good game.

birddog
5/23/2007, 03:44 PM
Excuse me while I go vomit.

first the world cup and now the champions league.

Scott D
5/23/2007, 03:45 PM
Benitez is going to have a lot to answer for with the English press.

Why didn't he start Crouch?
Why when Zenden was clearly not 100% did he not play Harry Kewell?
Why didn't he attempt to exploint Pennant's side more, since Milan had no answer for the possession there?

And that's just the easy obvious questions.

birddog
5/23/2007, 03:46 PM
i had no idear ronaldo joined ac milan.

silverwheels
5/23/2007, 03:50 PM
first the world cup and now the champions league.

It's disgusting. Not only are Italians some of the worst sportsmen in the game, but AC Milan gets out of the match-fixing scandal and wins the CL. :mad:

Scott D
5/23/2007, 04:04 PM
i had no idear ronaldo joined ac milan.

yeah back in the January transfer window...even then he played mostly part time with AC Milan, but that's more than he was playing with Real Madrid when they allowed him to transfer back to Italy.

illinisooner
5/23/2007, 04:58 PM
Not much mention of the fact that the first Milan goal was handball

birddog
5/23/2007, 05:19 PM
Not much mention of the fact that the first Milan goal was handball

that's kind of what i thought but it was hard to tell from the angles they used. looked like his arm was tucked into to his body and it hit his arm and his side.

GottaHavePride
5/23/2007, 06:31 PM
There was also one of Liverpool's best shots in the first half (the one that barely scooted outside the pole to miss) that looked like it bounced off Gattuso's fist, causing the miss. Gah.

illinisooner
5/23/2007, 07:05 PM
I can't fault the linesman for not calling it, because it was a bang bang play and that usually doesn't get called, just like Wynalda said.

SoonerDood
5/23/2007, 07:15 PM
Now that most league seasons are over, and the UEFA Cup and Champions League are complete, what now? See you in August?

birddog
5/23/2007, 08:47 PM
Now that most league seasons are over, and the UEFA Cup and Champions League are complete, what now? See you in August?

copa america in june.

Scott D
5/24/2007, 11:16 AM
Euro 2008 Qualifiers also.

illinisooner
5/24/2007, 04:38 PM
Gold Cup in June...semis and finals in Chicago, good possibility for a USA/Mexico matchup in the Windy City.

SoonerDood
5/24/2007, 09:30 PM
copa america in june.
aka our next huge embarrassing failure.:(
Seriously, I can't watch US Soccer or the MLS. It's like 2A High School football compared to Div 1-A. There's no speed, they can't control the ball, and most of the time they look lost.

Scott D
5/27/2007, 01:23 PM
Real Madrid win 3-1. Barcelona win 1-0 despite Ronaldinho getting a red card in the first half. Sevilla kick off in 40 minutes on GolTV, they need to win to maintain any semblance of having a chance to win La Liga.

birddog
5/27/2007, 05:04 PM
i saw that juve won promotion to serie a after the scandal and being docked 9 points to start the season.

Scott D
5/27/2007, 05:16 PM
even with all of the players that Juventus sold off due to being in Serie B they still had far more talent than anyone in Serie B. Not to mention that having Gianluca Buffon is a great equalizer for anyone. However, rumor has it that Buffon has asked for a transfer out, as he wants to be in a side that will be in European competition next season.

Scott D
5/27/2007, 05:17 PM
and Sevilla keeps pace with the big two in La Liga with a 3-1 win over Real Zaragosa. Spain will definitely come down to the final week.

birddog
5/27/2007, 08:55 PM
even with all of the players that Juventus sold off due to being in Serie B they still had far more talent than anyone in Serie B. Not to mention that having Gianluca Buffon is a great equalizer for anyone. However, rumor has it that Buffon has asked for a transfer out, as he wants to be in a side that will be in European competition next season.
deschamps just backed out as manager. supposedly, it was a mutual decision.

and what are the specifics on the penalties for the clubs involved in the scandal? every time i watch an italian league game, the place is like a morgue. did they penalize the fans of some teams in a separate incident? hooliganism, possibly?

birddog
5/27/2007, 09:08 PM
http://www.concacaf.com/competitions/goldcup/Schedule.asp

gold cup schedule.

that's going to be rough with a copa turnaround a week or 2 later.

actually, if we make the gold cup final, we will play argentina 4 days later in the copa. ouch.

birddog
5/27/2007, 09:15 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copa_Am%C3%A9rica_2007

i would feel alot better about our chances if we were in group a.

Scott D
5/27/2007, 09:37 PM
deschamps just backed out as manager. supposedly, it was a mutual decision.

and what are the specifics on the penalties for the clubs involved in the scandal? every time i watch an italian league game, the place is like a morgue. did they penalize the fans of some teams in a separate incident? hooliganism, possibly?

The issue with the stadiums is related to a match between Palermo and Catania @ Catania where the game was halted early in the second half due to violence in the stands and outside the stadium (which resulted in the death of a police officer). The teams were taken off of the field as the police had to resort to using tear gas on the crowd. The following week there were stricter security measures put in place by the Italian Govt. and the Italian FA. There were a lot of matches that weekend, and the subsequent few next weekends where *if* anyone was allowed to attend the match, it was only the home crowd until those clubs met with the stricter security standards.

That being said, the leniency that they showed AC Milan in regards to being 'approved' securitywise was a joke. Pretty much ever expert said that Milan didn't do what they were told they needed to do, and found every bandaid shortcut in the book they could to find a way to get approval to have as full a crowd as possible.

Anyhow, here are the deductions that teams faced going into the season. I believe Siena's deduction happened midseason, but I left it in just as an interesting contrast. Remember that Inter Milan were found not guilty of match fixing, and primarily due to that, they pretty much ran roughshod over Serie A this season losing only 1 out of 38 matches, with 7 draws.



Serie A
* Siena deducted 1 point for late payment of social security
* Lazio deducted 3 points for fixing matches
* AC Milan deducted 8 points for fixing matches
* Reggina deducted 11 points for fixing matches
* Fiorentina deducted 15 points for fixing matches

Serie B
* Arezzo deducted 6 points for fixing matches
* Triestina deducted 1 point for financial irregularities
* Juventus deducted 9 points for fixing matches (in addition to being dropped a level)
* Prescara deducted 1 point for financial irregularities

illinisooner
5/30/2007, 12:24 AM
http://www.concacaf.com/competitions/goldcup/Schedule.asp

gold cup schedule.

that's going to be rough with a copa turnaround a week or 2 later.

actually, if we make the gold cup final, we will play argentina 4 days later in the copa. ouch.

We're sending different squads to each tournament, with maybe a few players going to both...but not many. The "better" squad will play in the Gold Cup, because if we win that, then we qualify for the Confederations Cup in 2009. It's a nice warmup for the World Cup, plus we are crowned CONCACAF champs and we most likely will beat Mexico...again. I think the Copa roster will be younger guys to get them some real international experience. And then there's the U-20 World Cup in, I believe, July, so Adu and all of the youngsters will be in Canada for that. All in all, a busy summer of soccer!

birddog
5/30/2007, 12:55 AM
i still have to find a way to get goltv for the copa. foxsoccer is showing every game of the gold cup. i just read that brazil will be without ronaldinho, ronaldo, kaka, and someone else.

i'm looking forward to seeing us play with argentina. i remember watching messi toy with us in the last u-20 w.c.

we have a decent pool to choose from these days. i'm hoping we'll see marvel wynne play quite a bit on the right. he's got some pretty good potential and lots of speed. maybe jay demerit will get a roster spot? we need to really develop some defenders over the next few years. looks like onyewu will anchor the back, dempsey and donovan will help in the midfield, and eddie johnson will help in attack.

illinisooner
5/30/2007, 09:36 AM
Yeah I need to get FSC and Gol, otherwise I'll just be hitting up match tracker online. If I were to go to my local sports bar and ask them to put on the USA/Honduras game they would stare at me like I just told them I was from Mars. Even though Brazil will be without those guys, they'll still be real tough. Talk about a team that reloads! Robihno will be the #1 guy on their Copa team, and probably the leading scorer in the tournament. Not that the Gold Cup is near the competition of Copa, but Brazil brought a U-23 team to the GC a few years ago and won it, I believe.

birddog
5/30/2007, 09:43 AM
http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/6863474

gold cup final rosters...

Scott D
5/31/2007, 07:00 PM
I can't explain how much you guys are missing out on without goltv. Ray Hudson's commentary alone is worth the price of admission.

Brazil might be without those guys, but I'll tell you know. Watch both Robinho and a lesser known central midfield playmaker by the name of Diego who places for Werder Bremen. The kid is magic with the ball.

birddog
5/31/2007, 07:14 PM
i'm switching do direct tv so it won't be an issue any longer. i've thought about making the switch for some time now, the copa availiability just accelerated it.

and scotty, i think being in moore lowered your intelligence. those are pretty good-sized spelling errors.

birddog
5/31/2007, 07:23 PM
and don't forget the us tune up against china on the deuce, june 2nd.

Scott D
5/31/2007, 07:31 PM
i'm switching do direct tv so it won't be an issue any longer. i've thought about making the switch for some time now, the copa availiability just accelerated it.

and scotty, i think being in moore lowered your intelligence. those are pretty good-sized spelling errors.

I'm 6'6" tall with large hands trying to use a laptop that has a few keys that stick, especially the c key. At home I use a desktop with a regular sized keyboard which is far easier to type with.

sanantoniosooner
5/31/2007, 07:45 PM
Billups is spellchecking for Scott these days ;)

Scott D
5/31/2007, 07:49 PM
And your town still sucks ;)

sanantoniosooner
5/31/2007, 07:52 PM
Coming from Detroit, I am amused :D

Scott D
5/31/2007, 07:55 PM
our mexicans are cleaner ;)

birddog
6/1/2007, 02:09 PM
england- brazil friendly just kicked off on fsc.

Scott D
6/1/2007, 02:18 PM
and I'm stuck in a hotel room in san antonio :(

birddog
6/1/2007, 04:04 PM
pretty tame match. brazil got a late equalizer to make it 1-1. you know fsc replays those about 2-3 times a day for a week. it's worth watching. joe cole looked good. wasn't much a flow in the 1st half but things opened up in the 2nd. ronaldinho is just really fun to watch. and robinho saw alot of the ball today but didn't have many scoring chances.

Scott D
6/1/2007, 08:21 PM
was it the standard England stupidity about the midfield, in trying to play both Lampard and Gerrard again?

birddog
6/1/2007, 08:33 PM
was it the standard England stupidity about the midfield, in trying to play both Lampard and Gerrard again?
yep, neither did jack squat either. gerrard was too busy getting abused by ronaldinho so he never got in the attack and lampard, well he's just lampard.

Scott D
6/1/2007, 09:35 PM
yep, neither did jack squat either. gerrard was too busy getting abused by ronaldinho so he never got in the attack and lampard, well he's just lampard.

my personal view on this England squad is that they overloaded the squad with players at certain positions, then expect them to perform out of position in matches. If McLaren is going to continue to insist like Sven before him to play both Lampard and Gerrard in the same lineup, he needs to go to a 4-5-1. If he's going to go with a standard 4-4-2 lineup, he needs to play one or the other, with Joe Cole and Beckham or Aaron Lennon on the right wing. Technically Gerrard can play the right side, but he plays it like he's a drifting central middie.

The frustrating thing is that there is a lot of talent in England to take advantage of, but McLaren like Sven before him tends to go too much to 'standby' players rather than finding a squad that can play the kind of football that the fans want to see.

illinisooner
6/1/2007, 09:52 PM
Don't forget, USA vs. China on the duece tomorrow at 7 PM. Not exactly a full strength roster, but some regulars like Onyewu will play.

birddog
6/1/2007, 10:10 PM
If he's going to go with a standard 4-4-2 lineup, he needs to play one or the other, with Joe Cole and Beckham or Aaron Lennon on the right wing. .

cole can play out wide on the left as well. i'd be all for seeing cole on the left, lennon, on the right, and gerrard and carragher sitting in the middle. but there are so many options for these guys. just always seems to be the wrong decision lately.

Scott D
6/2/2007, 09:39 AM
yeah I see I left out Cole being on the left so the assumption was for him to be in the rotation on the right. Cole and I think Reo-Coker are the only ones I'd put on the left side at this point. As for the other middie, Carragher is a good choice, but you also have Carrick and Hargreaves to choose from there.

truthfully, I think that they lack a lot of creativity up front. Which is sad because of the talent that Rooney, Owen, Defoe, and even Crouch possess.

birddog
6/2/2007, 11:12 AM
truthfully, I think that they lack a lot of creativity up front. Which is sad because of the talent that Rooney, Owen, Defoe, and even Crouch possesses.

that's what that 4-5-1 crap they pulled in the wc will do for you. rooney has to be there, it's not even an option to try a different combination. if they want to play lampard and gerrard in the middle, it seems logical that they'd have rooney and owen up front. :D then you could replace them with defoe and walcott in the 70th. that'll run the back line into the ground. :cool:

ok, what the hell is this talk about becks possibly going back to england on loan? something about if the galaxy doesn't start winning pretty soon they'll ship him out? i'm trying to be supportive of the mls but if they drop the ball on this, there's no going back.

Scott D
6/2/2007, 12:24 PM
loaning players to English sides isn't all that rare for the MLS. That was how both Brian McBride and Stern John played over in England a few years back. Not to mention, that since the leagues for the most part run in opposite seasons, it's not really all that unheard of and is actually a better way of advancing the quality of play in the MLS.

birddog
6/2/2007, 08:46 PM
china blows. 4-1 us in the 80th minute.

Scott D
6/2/2007, 10:38 PM
not a surprise there to be honest. I saw some clips from England/Brazil...conclusion is that England needs Beckham out there more than Beckham needs to be there. Also, it was very amusing to see the fans boo Frank Lampard being announced in the starting lineup.

birddog
6/15/2007, 12:45 AM
http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/6885106

quarterfinals are all set. at this point, i'd like to avoid honduras and canada. mexico looks like garbage and hugo could be out as manager if they don't get to the final.

Scott D
6/15/2007, 01:26 PM
hugo is all but out at this point. his mouth wrote him checks his coaching couldn't cash.

so how do you like goltv so far?

birddog
6/15/2007, 05:16 PM
doesn't get any better than goltv, if you're a soccer fan.

i'm so used to fsc it's a nice change to see a channel focus their coverage on other leagues around the world.

Scott D
6/15/2007, 05:27 PM
it's disappointing that Sunday they plan on only televising the Real Madrid match though. I expect we'll likely get periodic split screens since all three matches take place at noon eastern.

The clincher for GolTV for me has always been the lack of Max Bretos and Christian Miles.

Scott D
6/19/2007, 11:50 AM
and for the first time in four years, Real Madrid wins La Liga...it's their 30th league title. Next year is already starting to look interesting.

illinisooner
6/21/2007, 11:39 AM
Canada/US at 6, Mexico/Guadalupe at 9 on FSC...too bad I don't have FSC, I'm sure the local sports bar would love to put on the game though :)

Scott D
6/21/2007, 01:04 PM
Both the USA and Mexico should win easily, but our game really depends on how we go in the first half.

birddog
6/21/2007, 10:10 PM
oh man, we got lucky in injury time. canada got the equalizer but they called offsides. it was a pretty bad call and the canadians were chasing the ref all over the field. 2-1 us.

illinisooner
6/21/2007, 11:30 PM
Mexico beat Guadalupe 1-0, so both teams eked out close victories, but now the final everyone has been waiting for is set. The US has been less than impressive in tournament play, and their play in the last 1/4 of games has been abysmal. Mexico has been pretty lackluster too, although none of it really matters when the US and Mexico get together. Game is sold out, I tried getting tickets tonight (Had to make sure the US won, lol) and no dice. Should be a classic! Side note, on the ESPN Soccernet scoreboard, it had both games being played at Koln Stadium in Germany.

Scott D
6/22/2007, 11:18 AM
should be interesting since both Bradley and Hejduk are going to be out for that final also.

snp
6/22/2007, 01:59 PM
That really sucks. I was enjoying watching Bradley develop.

Heydude had a pretty good game as well.

Scott D
6/22/2007, 02:05 PM
the nice thing about those suspensions is that hopefully Jonathan Spector will get the start...How can a guy start for a squad in the English Premiership but not be a starter on the US National Team.

birddog
6/22/2007, 03:50 PM
i wouldn't mind seeing simek at left back. i guess feilhaber will get some time in the middle.

i like the trio of twellman and dempsey up top, with donovan sitting behind them.

should be a good final. i always love beating mexico.

Scott D
6/22/2007, 03:55 PM
my personal bias wants a starting 11 that doesn't feature landon donovan in any way, shape, or form.

birddog
6/22/2007, 04:01 PM
my personal bias wants a starting 11 that doesn't feature landon donovan in any way, shape, or form.

one of my close friends trained with donovan a couple of years ago. he said that he was a whiney, pampered little biatch. but, he is still useful getting into the attack for us.
and i never imagined dempsey playing up front but he's pretty creative and gets alot of opportunities. i think in the future he'll finish more of those opportunities as he gets more comfortable.

Scott D
6/22/2007, 04:04 PM
one of my close friends trained with donovan a couple of years ago. he said that he was a whiney, pampered little biatch. but, he is still useful getting into the attack for us.
and i never imagined dempsey playing up front but he's pretty creative and gets alot of opportunities. i think in the future he'll finish more of those opportunities as he gets more comfortable.

yeah the perception worldwide is that donovan is a whiny pampered little biatch. Notice how players like Beasley, Dempsey, Gooch etc.. are trying to use the Gold Cup and the Copa America later on this summer to secure moves to European sides (Beasley could get transferred to Rangers for $1.5M), however Donovan has told his agent that he doesn't want to hear about any potential European offers (where he'd make more money than he does playing in the MLS). If he can find any sort of form between now and the tough stages of the Copa America, Eddie Johnson could get a trial over in Europe also.

birddog
6/23/2007, 09:32 AM
i didn't expect to win the copa america, but i atleast wanted to be competitive.

here's the squad going to venezuela.

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/6951290

Scott D
6/23/2007, 10:51 AM
I somewhat like that squad. Our team needs to learn to play without Donovan and be successful at it. And I'm not saying that as a Donovan "hater", but just in how they play in terms of pace and aggressiveness.

birddog
6/23/2007, 07:18 PM
i'm interested to see marvel wynne and lee nguyen play. i know we sent our "a squad" to the gold cup so we could secure a spot in the confederations cup. it just would have been nice to have some balance for the copa by throwing in some vets in the midfield to help those young uns come along.

but, never in my lifetime did i think we would have a national pool this deep. the talent is coming along quite well and i'm impressed with bradley for having the grapes to field this team in venezuela.

birddog
6/24/2007, 12:53 PM
1 hour to kickoff. even if you arent' a soccer fan, it is well worth your time to watch us-mexico go at it. but when it's for the gold cup, it should be required viewing for all americans.

sanantoniosooner
6/24/2007, 01:37 PM
1 hour to kickoff. even if you arent' a soccer fan, it is well worth your time to watch us-mexico go at it. but when it's for the gold cup, it should be required viewing for all americans.
Copa Oro?

I can only find it on spanish channels down here.

I'll DVR it and give it a shot based on your comment.

birddog
6/24/2007, 01:51 PM
yeah, copa oro.

of course, we are getting booed by the fans at soldier field. look out for flying bags of urine!

it's a heated rivalry. soccer is everything to the mexicans and 90% of americans don't give a crap. but we've pwned them over the last 5 years, including a 2-0 win in the 2002 world cup. it's in english on fox soccer channel, otherwise, your stuck with espanol.

birddog
6/24/2007, 01:55 PM
rachel smith just made an appearance in the commentator's booth. sweet maria! me likey.

snp
6/24/2007, 02:56 PM
****ty man marking by USA.

birddog
6/24/2007, 02:56 PM
really wide open 1st half. messico scored just befor halftime. 1-0.

birddog
6/24/2007, 03:31 PM
donovan with a penalty kick. 1-1 in the 65th minute.

snp
6/24/2007, 03:38 PM
Go wristlicker.

snp
6/24/2007, 03:44 PM
Awesome goal

birddog
6/24/2007, 03:45 PM
one of the best i've seen in awhile. ching hits the post on a wide open goal.

birddog
6/24/2007, 04:03 PM
and our dominance over mexico continues.

snp
6/24/2007, 04:17 PM
This was a great game. We had some finishing problems, Beasley :mad: but Bennie's goal was beautiful.

It's a shame that ESPN didn't pick this game up, it would've been well worth the hype and could've given the sport a shot in the arm (again).

Now time to send the C team to get sacrificed in Venezuela.

Scott D
6/24/2007, 04:24 PM
if by C team you mean the "Just old enough to no longer be part of the Under 20 team" I would agree with you.

birddog
6/24/2007, 04:24 PM
that was a great game. i'm still trying to calm down.

i think bob bradley might stick around for awhile. as far as the copa america, i'm glad espn isn't showing it. that's all i can say about our chances.

Scott D
6/24/2007, 04:25 PM
I plan to enjoy watching the Copa America on GolTV :)

snp
6/24/2007, 05:07 PM
if by C team you mean the "Just old enough to no longer be part of the Under 20 team" I would agree with you.

So, F team then?

Here's a link to complain about ESPN/ABC not picking this tourney up. (http://espn.go.com/sitetools/s/contact/espntv.html)

Scott D
6/24/2007, 05:11 PM
eh, I think it's more a B team than anything. We're in a good position developmentally going into the future.

I'm happy that ESPN isn't carrying this tournament, they'd make a cluster**** out of it. I'm happy with the coverage I'll get from GolTV.

BTW, Mexico gets the fun offer of opening up against Brazil.

snp
6/24/2007, 05:27 PM
eh, I think it's more a B team than anything. We're in a good position developmentally going into the future.

Any US team without Donovan is automatically demoted to a C in my book. He creates and finishes so much for this team.

I like the idea to develop our youth, and I don't mind giving the veterans the break. We're gonna need some new blood in 2010 and gotta start giving these guys the chance soon. It's a good move but they can't come close to this current squad.



I'm happy that ESPN isn't carrying this tournament, they'd make a cluster**** out of it. I'm happy with the coverage I'll get from GolTV.

BTW, Mexico gets the fun offer of opening up against Brazil.

True, but they offer big time exposure. More exposure, more players, more wins.

Cam
6/24/2007, 06:37 PM
That game today was a game of two halves. Mexico out played us in the 1st, and we took it to them in the 2nd. This could've easily been a 4-4 game if either team could finish.

Scott D
6/24/2007, 06:48 PM
Any US team without Donovan is automatically demoted to a C in my book. He creates and finishes so much for this team.

Creates I'll buy, finishes...not so much if it matters. His only goals in the Gold Cup were via penalties. If this team can break even in the group stage I consider it a success.


I like the idea to develop our youth, and I don't mind giving the veterans the break. We're gonna need some new blood in 2010 and gotta start giving these guys the chance soon. It's a good move but they can't come close to this current squad.

I think this "b" squad is why Bradley got the interim tag removed, youth development.


True, but they offer big time exposure. More exposure, more players, more wins.

Exposure is it, the way that they market the game, the way that they broadcast the game, the way that they promote the game are huge failures when compared to how they promote even the Arena League.

birddog
6/24/2007, 07:06 PM
onyewu is a red card waiting to happen. i've never seen him make so many open field tackles. get that man a helmet

birddog
6/24/2007, 07:08 PM
well, scotty, i know you're a donovan hater, but he is tied with wynalda for most goals in a nt jersey.;)

birddog
6/24/2007, 10:47 PM
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6oMPMjXvcSo

here's a look at the game winner. he hit the sweet spot on the ball.

Scott D
6/25/2007, 12:16 AM
well, scotty, i know you're a donovan hater, but he is tied with wynalda for most goals in a nt jersey.;)

I wouldn't call me a hater...but rather someone who thinks that he has "marbles" the size of individual grits. ;)

snp
6/25/2007, 12:05 PM
Creates I'll buy, finishes...not so much if it matters. His only goals in the Gold Cup were via penalties. If this team can break even in the group stage I consider it a success.

Tied for most goals for the US and he's only 25. Although that's not saying much, he's still by far the best scoring threat on the team. He can finish fine (except in this past Cup and the WC).

Scott D
6/25/2007, 12:12 PM
Tied for most goals for the US and he's only 25. Although that's not saying much, he's still by far the best scoring threat on the team. He can finish fine (except in this past Cup and the WC).

*sigh* he's the most "polished" scoring threat, but he's not the best. And to be honest, being tied for the most goals for the US National Team while it may be a good accomplishment isn't any sort of staggering record. I do find it fitting that he's managed to tie and eventually pass a bigger asshat than he is in Wynalda. And like I said, he can finish fine, as long as there aren't high stakes in the match, then he goes into sphincter pucker mode.

snp
6/25/2007, 12:32 PM
...Then who is the best scorer on the team?

Scott D
6/25/2007, 02:01 PM
...Then who is the best scorer on the team?

Johnson could become better, Adu could become better (now here's the one player hyped more than Donovan that has failed to live up to 25% of it), Dempsey is more talented imo, Beasley has a "never going to reach potential" factor about him.

Right now he's the most prolific scorer on the team, but I don't necessarily view best the same way as most people.

illinisooner
6/25/2007, 02:26 PM
I was at the game yesterday and it was incredible. 60,000 screaming Mexicans at Soldier Field, and maybe one or two thousand Yanks, the atmosphere was better than OU/TX or any big time college football game. El Tri hadn't scored in the US in 8 years, so when they got their goal, the place exploded like nothing I've ever seen. Keep in mind, the US had never come from behind to win against Mexico before yesterday. The penalty looked legit on replay, and Benny's goal was one for the ages...this was one of the best games I've ever seen. Nery Castillo is going to be a big thorn in our side for the next 10-15 years though, he had a fantastic match.

After the game was over, the Mexican fans threw beer, batteries, etc on the field and in the stands. I had kids flip me off, call me every bad word they knew, and grown men try to fight me. It was great! Now a good portion of the fans were very classy, but everyone notices the idiots more often. The Mexican fans around me were great during the game though.

Scott D
6/25/2007, 03:21 PM
you bring up a good point. I think that may have been one of the first times I saw US and Mexico players exchanging shirts and congratulating each other on a good game.

snp
6/25/2007, 03:39 PM
Johnson could become better, Adu could become better (now here's the one player hyped more than Donovan that has failed to live up to 25% of it), Dempsey is more talented imo, Beasley has a "never going to reach potential" factor about him.

Right now he's the most prolific scorer on the team, but I don't necessarily view best the same way as most people.

Semantics schmeantics.

I agree he's the most prolific, and I wish we had some more talent on this team so he could be pushed up to forward or striker full time instead of CAM. Along with being US goal leader, he is also the assist leader. Like we said, thats nothing to be that proud of, but leading both by the age of 25 is pretty impressive.

I also agree he has performance problems, he has world class talent but never got it together over in his short stint in Germany. Enough about Landycakes, now let's bitch about some other players.

EJ has played like dog**** in the WC and Gold Cup. He tears it up in the MLS, surprise. I like Ching (go Dynamo) and Demps and wish they would take his minutes. EJ is still young and maybe can get it together eventually as well.

Beasley has loads of skill, but can't run with the ball and has problems finishing. I agree he has that factor in him and I'll take him because he's great at ball handling and crossing. Something that's neeeded outta your outside middies.

BTW, how about Ricardo Clark getting in there and creating? I'm really looking forward to him getting some caps in Venezula.

CatfishSooner
6/25/2007, 04:34 PM
Semantics schmeantics.

I agree he's the most prolific, and I wish we had some more talent on this team so he could be pushed up to forward or striker full time instead of CAM. Along with being US goal leader, he is also the assist leader. Like we said, thats nothing to be that proud of, but leading both by the age of 25 is pretty impressive.\

That's bull ****...I don't care if we've never been a world power in soccer...leading in both scoring and assists is pretty ****ing impressive if you ask me...

Scott D
6/25/2007, 05:05 PM
Semantics schmeantics.

I agree he's the most prolific, and I wish we had some more talent on this team so he could be pushed up to forward or striker full time instead of CAM. Along with being US goal leader, he is also the assist leader. Like we said, thats nothing to be that proud of, but leading both by the age of 25 is pretty impressive.

I also agree he has performance problems, he has world class talent but never got it together over in his short stint in Germany. Enough about Landycakes, now let's bitch about some other players.

EJ has played like dog**** in the WC and Gold Cup. He tears it up in the MLS, surprise. I like Ching (go Dynamo) and Demps and wish they would take his minutes. EJ is still young and maybe can get it together eventually as well.

Beasley has loads of skill, but can't run with the ball and has problems finishing. I agree he has that factor in him and I'll take him because he's great at ball handling and crossing. Something that's neeeded outta your outside middies.

BTW, how about Ricardo Clark getting in there and creating? I'm really looking forward to him getting some caps in Venezula.

I was definitely impressed with Clark's play. I agree about EJ, like I said that's what is preventing him from being a better scorer than Donovan. I remember when Beasley first made the national team, I dubbed him "Captain Offsides", because every time the US had a break...undoubtedly it'd be called back because Beasley was offsides. He's improved in that, and I think he has a chance to really improve if his rumored transfer to Rangers goes through.

I still think that Dempsey is our most creative player, but he was in Arena's doghouse early on, and because of that his move to a bigger stage in club play was delayed until this past season.

Based upon international play Twellman is moving up the depth chart at a pretty good rate, but I think that's mainly due to his size. It seems to be a top level striker you either need to be big and strong (ie...Cantona, Van Nistelrooy, Shearer, Ronaldo) or small and quick (ie...Owen, Rooney, Messi, Henry). Ching's gotten more maneuverable but I have to think that he should be a 4th striker at best.

Also keep in mind, running a 4-3-2-1 formation like we did in the Gold Cup most of the time is going to funnel more chances for AMCs (Dempsey/Donovan) than it is for the Striker. And in that formation you need the LM and RM with enough pace to spread the defenders out toward the wing opening gaps for the AMCs to get in on the attack, and occasionally get a feed to the CF. The counter to that is a formation like Mexico used where they have a defender in the Sweeper position to neutralize the Forward. Which is why it was difficult to get up front against Marquez.

Catfish, while it's nice and all that Donovan is the leader in both categories. It's the equivalent of a Bowling Green running back having the all time MAC record for rushing yards.

birddog
6/25/2007, 08:20 PM
they're replaying the game on fsc. 2nd half, 60th minute.

birddog
6/26/2007, 09:08 PM
you sobs that don't have goltv can watch replays every night on fox sports espanol.

birddog
6/26/2007, 09:23 PM
of copa america, that is.

the-boulder
6/26/2007, 09:26 PM
you can download TVU player and stream goltv and watch the games. I've been enjoying Group A games tonight. Also, Mex-Brazil is on Univision tomorrow night.

Check out

http://www.tvunetworks.com/

download the player and find the channel

Scott D
6/26/2007, 09:59 PM
screw univision. Why would I want spanish commentary when I can get the greatness that is Ray Hudson?

fwiw, I WILL be watching Brazil's B team put a whuppin on Mexico.

snp
6/26/2007, 11:15 PM
NEW YORK (AP) -The CONCACAF Gold Cup final attracted 41 percent more television households in the United States than the Stanley Cup finals clincher - and that was just for the soccer game's Spanish-language telecast.

The United States' 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Mexico on Sunday received a 2.5 fast national rating on Univision, the network said Tuesday. That translates to 2.83 million households, nearly double the 1.48 million homes that watched the 2005 Gold Cup final between the United States and Panama.

This year's English-language telecast was on the Fox Soccer Channel, which is available in about 30 million homes and is not rated.

Anaheim's series-ending 6-2 victory over Ottawa in the Stanley Cup on June 6 received a 1.8 rating on NBC, which comes to 2,005,000 households.

The rating is the percentage watching a telecast among all homes with televisions, and a ratings point represents 1,114,000 households.

Would've demolished the Stanley Cup even more with decent advertising.

illinisooner
6/28/2007, 10:16 AM
For those of you who are interested in watching all Copa America games and you don't have Gol TV, check out this: http://www.univision.com/contentroot/uol/30deportes/content/jhtml/copa_america/NOMETA_partidosEnVivo.jhtml

USA vs. Argentina tonight at 7:30 PM Central time. Conventional wisdom is it's gonna be ugly...the Argies are bringing out all their heavy hitters, while we're sending pretty much a "B" team. Some guy on SI predicted something ugly like 6-0, but I think it will be more like 5-1 or 4-2...we're too good to get really blown out anymore.

Scott D
6/28/2007, 11:50 AM
After last night....nothing is written in stone. But then again, Argentina does have it's "A" team. I'm trying to decide if it was more Mexico had been playing and was in a rhythm, or Brazil's inactivity leading up to this point made them sluggish.

TUSooner
6/28/2007, 03:23 PM
I won my EPL fantasy league last year.
Any interst in the SF
Just sayin ! :D

Scott D
6/28/2007, 03:30 PM
*shrug* for a few years some friends of mine and I on irc used to do the yahoo fantasy league thing using the EPL.

birddog
6/28/2007, 03:54 PM
I won my EPL fantasy league last year.
Any interst in the SF
Just sayin ! :D

in.

Scott D
6/28/2007, 04:38 PM
oh, and where would this take place...because I'm pretty sure I'll boycott one on fox sports just on the grounds of Max Bretos being employed. :D

birddog
6/28/2007, 09:56 PM
welp, we gave it a solid effort tonight against argentina. i won't ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet. they're showing the replay in an hour.

SoonerDood
6/28/2007, 09:56 PM
For those of you who are interested in watching all Copa America games and you don't have Gol TV, check out this: http://www.univision.com/contentroot/uol/30deportes/content/jhtml/copa_america/NOMETA_partidosEnVivo.jhtml

USA vs. Argentina tonight at 7:30 PM Central time. Conventional wisdom is it's gonna be ugly...the Argies are bringing out all their heavy hitters, while we're sending pretty much a "B" team. Some guy on SI predicted something ugly like 6-0, but I think it will be more like 5-1 or 4-2...we're too good to get really blown out anymore.
US fall 4-1. Argies better than our B team, whoop whoop.
Being the best in CONCACAF is like being the best football player at OSU.

Scott D
6/28/2007, 10:43 PM
the score is misleading....we took basically a b/c team to this tournament and had a tied game for most of the play. Basically their varsity squad beat our jv 4-1.

birddog
6/28/2007, 10:52 PM
looks like we might be able to handle paraguay. ouch. 5-0 loss to the colombians.

snp
6/28/2007, 11:22 PM
Could any of you guys give a breakdown on the match?

SoonerDood
6/28/2007, 11:33 PM
looks like we might be able to handle paraguay. ouch. 5-0 loss to the colombians.
no, that was a 5-0 WIN over Colombia. :eek:

illinisooner
6/29/2007, 02:05 AM
Could any of you guys give a breakdown on the match?

Eddie Johnson did his patented "outrun the defense to the ball, then slow down and not do anything" move, which he turned into a penalty because two Argie defenders crashed into him in the box. 1-0 US, as he went right and the keeper went nowhere. Two minutes later, they scored off a set piece. We played pretty well, but it was very obvious who the better team was. About halfway through the second half, they got a second...and then a third and fourth in the final 15 minutes. Not a bad effort, but there was an obvious talent difference that would have taken a US out of this world performance and a Argy meltdown for the US to win.

But for much of the game, it was tied and we were sort of hanging with them. After the Johnson goal, the US never really looked dangerous...there were opportunities, but not many. Possession favored the Argies, and they strung together some nice one touch passes while the US tried to play a more English style game. The defense played okay, but their communication and marking was alarmingly poor on two of the Argy goals. No one US player stood out. Looks like we'll need at least a win and a tie in the next two games.

birddog
6/29/2007, 08:32 AM
no, that was a 5-0 WIN over Colombia. :eek:
holy crap, how did i misread that?

we don't have ANY sort of cohesion out there, understandably. it was funny to notice the difference in the two sides. it was like we were all set to be sacrificed but they wanted to torture us along the way. and while the score may have been misleading, once we started pushing forward at 2-1, the floodgates opened up. had we not gone to our bunker defense in the 9th minute after taking the lead, the score may have been much, much worse.

Scott D
6/29/2007, 04:15 PM
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ii5CkiPdBSc

fun stuff...including Becks hitting a 64 yard field goal.

snp
6/29/2007, 04:31 PM
Good stuff, I love athletes crossing over. I wish we still had that Superstars show or whatever it is Cheap Seats makes fun of.

Also, once again, avoid youtube comments section like super AIDS.

Scott D
6/29/2007, 04:33 PM
yeah comments sections are like the toilets of the internet.

birddog
6/30/2007, 09:43 AM
the us faces south korea today in the opener of the u-20 world cup. this will be a good chance to see some players that will be in the mixer for 2010.

Scott D
6/30/2007, 04:59 PM
btw, that game is starting now on ESPNU for those who get it.

Scott D
6/30/2007, 05:02 PM
er...it's tied 1-1 after the first half, second half just started.

Scott D
6/30/2007, 06:13 PM
and it ends in a 1-1 tie.

ESPNU is doing a terrible job of simulcasting these games..

Argentina v. Czech Rep. is about to begin

birddog
6/30/2007, 09:02 PM
poland upset brazil 1-0 earlier in u-20 cup. you got to think brazilian fans are a little on edge with the 2 recent losses.

i'm looking forward to watching argentina play. it looks like the us has a chance to do something in this cup.

snp
7/1/2007, 12:23 AM
What the hell was up with the coverage? I was trying to follow it at work and they never showed a score. I must've glanced about 30 times and they never showed a score/time.

Scott D
7/1/2007, 11:36 AM
What the hell was up with the coverage? I was trying to follow it at work and they never showed a score. I must've glanced about 30 times and they never showed a score/time.


ESPNU is doing a terrible job of simulcasting these games..


:D

I have to think that ESPN was going to use their own timer/score info and for whatever reason never did. The only other possible reason is that they were nearly pirating another broadcast, and their logo was integrated into the score/clock information.

Scott D
7/1/2007, 05:08 PM
Robinho 3 Chile 0....

birddog
7/1/2007, 05:11 PM
ray hudson is friggin classic.

i think ecuador will handle mexico.

birddog
7/2/2007, 01:18 PM
well, messico is in to the q-finals. if we don't get atleast a tie against paraguay tonight, we're done for. not that that would be a surprise.

Scott D
7/2/2007, 03:08 PM
life isn't much better for our u-20 team. We've got a Poland team tomorrow that beat Brazil while down to 10 men 1-0, before playing a Brazil team that could conceivably be fighting to make the second round.

illinisooner
7/2/2007, 07:44 PM
3-1 Paraguay, full time. I guess their third didn't matter, but their second should NEVER have happened...complete lack of communication in the back line. I can't recall a US team missing so many chances throughout the game, especially in the 2nd half. Someone (can't remember who) sent a wide open snap header directly to the goalie from four yards out!

birddog
7/2/2007, 07:51 PM
i thought we played pretty well overall. we just had a couple of breakdowns that cost us a chance. and that was moor who missed the sitter on the header.

birddog
7/2/2007, 07:53 PM
we outshot them something like 20-12. our finishing is pretty much what separates us from the big boys. but it is nice to see us develop some depth for the future. ricardo clarke looks like a paul ince type player we can count on for the next decade.

snp
7/2/2007, 09:51 PM
I'm developing a man crush for Clarke. Who was the backline for the game?

birddog
7/2/2007, 10:08 PM
conrad, moor, bornstein, and....

birddog
7/2/2007, 10:09 PM
demerit

illinisooner
7/2/2007, 10:10 PM
DeMerit, who played fairly well again and pretty much took Roque Santa Cruz out of the match. Also, you gotta love the way the Univision announcers say Bornstein's name. Boooooooornstein lol.

Scott D
7/2/2007, 10:38 PM
Argentina jumps out to the 3-1 lead after being down 1-0, then gets bored, lets Columbia make it 3-2 before icing it 4-2. Bad news for Argentina....Hernan Crespo could be done with a quad injury...good news for Argentina, they can start Carlos Tevez up front with Messi now. Better news for Argentina, Juan Roman Riquelme seems to have continued his scoring touch since he returned to Argentina from La Liga.

birddog
7/3/2007, 08:43 AM
i'm starting to really like bornstein. he has a tremendous work rate and has the ability to draw out midfielders with his willingness to get involved in the attack. frankie hedjuk has done a damn good job in the same role for a long time now, but bornstein is a lefty, and finding a natural lefty is hard to come by these days. hopefully he can develop his crossing skills because as of right now unfortunately, he has as much touch as frankie.

but defending is his primary job, and he's got a long way to go to fill bocanegra's shoes at left back.

birddog
7/3/2007, 05:24 PM
our u-20's are putting the hurt on polska, 4-1 in the 60th minute. adu finally showed he could play.

birddog
7/3/2007, 05:29 PM
5-1

birddog
7/3/2007, 05:43 PM
6-1. hat trick for adu.

Scott D
7/3/2007, 05:52 PM
our u-20's are putting the hurt on polska, 4-1 in the 60th minute. adu finally showed he could play.

didn't hurt that poland is a little slower than south korea, and their strategy wasn't to stifle everything in the center of the field which frustrated adu. Depending on the results of the second game tonight, we could be in the driver's seat for the group.

birddog
7/3/2007, 06:43 PM
they didn't try to stifle anything tonight. we had loads of space every time i looked. i'm looking forward to this brazil game. should be entertaining. i was really impressed with s. korea.

Scott D
7/3/2007, 08:10 PM
Brazil pretty much doing whatever they want against south korea. It's going to make for an interesting match on friday in Ottawa. It could very well be for winning the group.

In other news, Argentina has shrugged off the lethargy they showed against the Czechs and is up 5-0 in the middle stages of the second half.

Scott D
7/3/2007, 08:35 PM
After seeing this game between Brazil and S. Korea, I'm thinking that if our kids can keep their composure on Friday, we have a very very very good chance of beating Brazil.

Brazilians win 3-2 after South Korea score twice in a 6 minute span in the last 7 minutes of regulation time.

birddog
7/4/2007, 12:03 AM
that didn't look like the same south korea team we saw the other day, or the same polish team... or the same brazil, or us team.

zizzo had a great game tonight, as did sturgis. our athleticism will keep us in the game against brazil but it'll be difficult to beat them.

question scott. i can't seem to find many games televised other than the ones on the u and the occasional game on galavision. am i missing something, or are they only showing the more interesting matchups?

Scott D
7/4/2007, 12:11 AM
Well it seems that on our match days they tend to center on Group D (understandably) the down side to that is that we miss out on stuff like the clinic that the Argentinians put on against Panama. The ESPNU coverage is so bad that I tend to have the live matchcast up on Fifa.com so that I know the score and time left.

What I'm almost relying on based upon the Brazilians play so far is that the last 20 minutes of the match will be full of mental and defensive breakdowns by them. Then it just becomes a question of whether or not we can take advantage of it. Ideally we want to win against Brazil, but next best to that is that we draw with them and Korea and Poland draw, we advance in first place.

Oh, and I refuse to watch galavision or univision, so I haven't seen what kinds of coverage they've had for either tournament.

illinisooner
7/5/2007, 06:10 PM
US down 1-0 already to mighty Colombia. Hasn't happened yet in this game, but the Yanks give up an alarming number of goals off set pieces. I can recall several off hand (Italy in '06, South Korea and Germany in '02, all which cost us a result), not counting the Paraguay and Argentina games. In contrast, when we play a team with any talent or size (we rarely do, being in CONCACAF lol), I have zero confidence in any of our free kicks. I'm going to miss these Univision guys...their broadcasts are filled with stuff like excessively trilling r's and drawing out names, and laughing at people in the stands with Uncle Sam hats on. Guzan just saved a PK as I'm typing this...maybe a turning point?

Scott D
7/5/2007, 06:25 PM
the ability of our central defenders to have complete mental lapses in crucial periods of time is only surpassed by our forwards lack of ability to create any meaningful separation for finishing purposes.

birddog
7/5/2007, 07:01 PM
http://youtube.com/watch?v=sBzpL3IUaUw

check this guy out.

Cam
7/5/2007, 07:32 PM
Looks like we lost 1-0.

Scott, don't forget the open goals we have a propensity to duff, put wide or off the cross bar.

Scott D
7/5/2007, 07:34 PM
yeah we lost 1-0 after having a 87th minute goal disallowed due to (shocker) offsides. Columbia's keeper gets his second yellow, Columbia used all their substitutions before that. And we STILL couldn't look like the more dangerous team out there.

illinisooner
7/5/2007, 07:57 PM
We played our worst game against the worst team in the group. Not once did the US ever look particularly dangerous in attack...Eddie Johnson should never see meaningful time with the national side again. Twellman didn't look AS bad, but he also didn't do anything to distinguish himself.

Cam
7/5/2007, 08:39 PM
Just watched the Mexico - Portugal match from the other day. Even the Canadians in the crowd were pulling for Portugal.

Got invited to play in an over 40 tournament today. Only problem with that is I'm 36.

birddog
7/6/2007, 10:21 AM
does anyone know why holland, england, france, germany, and italy aren't in this u-20 world cup? obviously they didn't qualify but it's strange that atleast one or two of these teams isn't in this cup.

illinisooner
7/6/2007, 10:49 AM
Yeah that is pretty odd, I doubt they all have a huge lack of teenage talent. But in the 94 WC, France and England didn't qualify, Holland wasn't there in 02 either, so it's not completely unprecedented.

birddog
7/6/2007, 05:37 PM
u-20 boys kick off in an hour against brazil.

illinisooner
7/6/2007, 07:37 PM
Game is on ESPN and ESPN U, we're up 1-0 at the half but Brazil has looked increasingly dangerous since Altidore's goal in the 25th minute.

birddog
7/6/2007, 07:47 PM
yeah, we needed to get to halftime to catch our breaths.

birddog
7/6/2007, 07:51 PM
we're pretty much thruogh at this point but it would be nice to beat the brazilians. not too often do we get to say that. and it would eliminate them from the cup.

Cam
7/6/2007, 07:58 PM
The Brazilians seem to be taking some un-needed falls. They're either very physically weak, or are just flopping like crazy.

I thought we were getting out played before Altidore scored. We had a couple of chances but Brazil looked strong up front and our back 4 looked slightly bewildered the first 15-20 minutes. Since the goal, we've attacked more which is very refreshing to see in an Int'l match at any level.

Cam
7/6/2007, 08:06 PM
Brazil is putting the heat on us now. Just missed an a chip that had it gone in would've been one of the prettiest goals you'd ever see.

Just like that, USA counter attacks and Adu gets taken out just outside the box. Brizian goalie tips the free kick over the crossbar.

I'm not at all impressed with the Brazilian Goalie. He's out of position quite a bit.

Brazil scores in the 64th minute to tie it up. US keeper couldn't contain a blistering volley and Brazil's forward gets a hustle goal.

birddog
7/6/2007, 08:08 PM
i think we all saw that coming. 1-1

Cam
7/6/2007, 08:23 PM
Altidore scores another in the 81st minute. Credit Adu for the hard work on that one.

birddog
7/6/2007, 08:24 PM
f yeah. time to bunker down for the next 9 mins.

Cam
7/6/2007, 08:35 PM
How in the world did they come up with 4 minutes of injury time?

Jo is going to be an amazing player if he keeps developing.

I'd give man of the match to our keeper. Sure Jose scored the goals, but our keeper's made some awesome saves in the 2nd half.

Cam
7/6/2007, 08:37 PM
Wow, US wins the group of death to advance.

Not everyday you get to say that you beat Brazil in soccer. Impressive win.

Scott D
7/6/2007, 10:08 PM
well the question is, does this make up for the goose egg the recently former u-20 squad left in venezuela?

Cam
7/6/2007, 10:15 PM
well the question is, does this make up for the goose egg the recently former u-20 squad left in venezuela?
Not IMO. Venezuela pretty much proved that 2010 was nothing more than a pipe dream.

Most of the current under 20's will be in their prime in 2014 though. That is if they don't burn themselves out between now and then.

birddog
7/6/2007, 11:52 PM
personally it negates the poor showing for the seniors. our u-20's are really fun to watch. they play well together, work hard, and FINISH their opportunities. as far as venezuela, cam, remember that we had something like 12 players out there with fewer than 10 caps.

birddog
7/7/2007, 12:37 AM
http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_1277959.html

looks like the u-17 world cup starts in august.

i guess we should remember the name alex nimo. and what a great summer for soccer. certainly a great way to pass the time til the sooners kick off.

birddog
7/8/2007, 01:39 PM
looks like our u-20's will face costa rica most likely, with a slight chance of playing uruguay.

snp
7/8/2007, 04:19 PM
So who was the wise guy that voted this thread a 1? Cute, buddy. Real cute.

Cam
7/8/2007, 05:19 PM
as far as venezuela, cam, remember that we had something like 12 players out there with fewer than 10 caps.
Well aware of that. Kind of proves my point that 2010 was nothing more than smoke being blown.