For the .5 of you who care. The World Cup Groups are set. US has toughest group in my opinion. Czech Republic, Ghana, Italy. I don't like the looks of that one bit.
For the .5 of you who care. The World Cup Groups are set. US has toughest group in my opinion. Czech Republic, Ghana, Italy. I don't like the looks of that one bit.
And Germany and France have the easiest groups.Originally Posted by birddogbbq
2006 World Cup
at this point in the process, I can only assume it was a typo and they meant to say "cram"...
Brazil isn't upset either....
Our group and the Argentina group are by far the two toughest.
From the rainy rainy gulf coast of florida.
I think if we can score a goal against Italy, we win 1-0. We then need a point from Czech Rep. and hope for a win against Ghana(undisciplined but VERY talented). I think we'll find a way to slip through and reach the Quarters. It's wide open from there.
A win and two ties is the best that we can hope for IMO.
Is 5 points enough to get thru to the 2nd round?
No, I think we need to beat Ghana and Italy. Czech will dominate us, I believe. Our midfield matches up well with them and we can definitely cause some problems for their back 4. But from what I've seen from OUr back line, we will have problems with Milan Baros. He scares the hell outta me. We need 6 points.
If we need 6, I don't see it happening.
Italy 2
USA 0
I just don't think we can stop them.
I'm spending the summer in Europe, didn't realize it was World Cup time, may take in a match or two, see the crazies in person.
Good luck getting tickets. They have received 30 Million requests for just under 3 Million available tickets.
If you're able to buy some, you're going to have to pay a pretty penny for them.
Surely some of the earlier, less popular matchups would have a few available?
Who knows. It is the World Cup. They sell out every single game, no matter who's playing.
Italy's not the Italy of old. I think we can beat them.
at this point in the process, I can only assume it was a typo and they meant to say "cram"...
Yeah. I agree. They run the same system they always have. They might not score 2 the whole tournament. I don't think Ghana will be this Cup's Senegal or Cameroon so we should get 3 there. Czech Rep. will give us a headache. I don't want to rely on the world rankings but we are #6, Czech Rep. is #2, Italy #9, Ghana #47. We'll manage to get out of there somehow.
There's nothing better than the Cup.
.
Commentary: U.S. isn't afraid of Italians
By RONALD BLUM Associated Press
12/11/2005
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NEW YORK -- Eddie Johnson was sweating, and it had nothing to do with the opponents the United States had drawn for next year's World Cup.
One of the brash young American soccer players, he watched Friday's draw in a gym, where he was working out as he rehabilitates from a toe injury that sidelined him for most of this year. He wasn't fazed when the United States wound up in a group with Italy.
"I don't think it's a team as strong as they've been in the past," he said. "Italian soccer isn't as good as it used to be."
Don't be too surprised if Italians have tears in their tiramisu after they play the Americans on June 17.
When the United States gets to Germany next year, it opens against the Czech Republic on June 12, plays the Italians five days later and closes the first round against Ghana on June 22. After reaching the quarterfinals in 2002, the Americans have a difficult but not impossible path to the second round, where they could wind up playing defending champion Brazil.
Johnson, a 21-year-old forward who scored eight goals in his first eight games with the national team, exemplifies the attitude of an American team that believes it can beat anyone.
Back in 1990, when the United States reached the
World Cup for the first time in 40 years, it drew Czechoslovakia, Italy and Austria as first-round opponents in Italy. Bob Gansler, then the U.S. coach, didn't think his team had much of a chance against the Azzurri, as the Italian team is known.
"One can always dream," Gansler said the day of that draw, "but that's exactly what that would be. To beat them would be monumental."
That U.S. team was booted off the field, losing those three games 5-1, 1-0 and 2-1, scores closer than the games really were.
But the Italian national team has struggled these days, not even making the second round of last year's European Championship, and Italy's Serie A top domestic league is dominated by two teams filled with foreigners, Juventus and AC Milan. Only recently have young players such as Luca Toni and Alberto Gilardino been brought in.
With the Czech Republic, the Americans catch a break. Jan Koller, the 6-foot-6 forward whose nine goals were second in qualifying, might miss the tournament because of a knee injury. If he plays, he will be coming off a lengthy layoff. Still, the Czechs will cause trouble for the U.S. team -- they have strong offensive players in Pavel Nedved, Tomas Rosicky, Milan Baros and Vladimir Smicer.
And Ghana, known as the Black Stars, has tough-tackling Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien, among the five finalists for African player of the year.
Sixteen years later, the Americans have progressed so much that current coach Bruce Arena's attitude is a generation removed from Gansler's.
"I'm optimistic that we can qualify out of the group, regardless of what anyone else thinks," Arena said. "I think we're capable of playing with any team in the world."
Clint Dempsey, a 22-year-old midfielder, recorded the draw in Nacogdoches, Texas, and didn't know the Americans' opponents until he got home and watched. He is pushing himself to get ready.
"I've got to crawl before I can walk," he said. "I'm just trying to get on the team. That's my main focus."
This World Cup is going to get really violent in the second round. Lots of blood on the streets of Munich... At least Turkey didn't qualify.
it's not Italy that scares me....it's the Czech Republic...Nedved one of their top forwards ever came out of retirement for this World Cup.
Yep. IMO, they're the best team in the group.
FIF rankings are about as accurate as the NCAA's graduation rates, so there's really not use in getting excited over them. After the last WC, France was still in the top 3. That should give you an indication of how accurate they are.
Big thing to remember is the WC's being held in Europe. For some reason, we've just never done well in any part of Europe. Hopefully, the amount of players we have playing over seas will help with the mental breakdown that usually happens when we cross the pond.
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