The World Cup Approacheth

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

OK, The US can go back to hating s#ccer now.

 

[martinworswick]

this

It's really annoying to watch any sport and see a lackluster start for your team; even worse when they do it over and over and over and over.

for a moment there i thought you were talking about england.i know how you all feel though as england do the same in every tournament they play,even our rugby players do but at least they sort they're **** out enough to actually do something at the end of the tournament.

englandvgermany - if past history repeats then it'll be a draw and england lose on penalties, i'll run down the street naked if we win though

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

England could really use some help from the US footy fans right now, But they won't get it because Americans always default to their perceived "Second nationality"

Very soon, we will be seeing who claims to be Irish, Italian, German etc. (Well, not the Italians any more, cos they sucked. Or Irish, 'cos they aren't in it)

There will be a lot of German Americans, anyway.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

OK, The US can go back to hating s#ccer now.

ARRRRGG!! That's exactly what I'm afraid of. Americans love a good comeback story... but we can't do that every friggin time! Such crap in the first half and more than ample opportunities in the second (5 or 6, I believe.) My hopes and dreams for soccer to become mainstream in the US were riding on their shoulders and sadly they didn't pull through. I know a lot of non-soccer fans were watching and getting curious and I hope that lackluster performance didn't scare them away.

Ways the American fans can both make the national team better and make soccer more accepted:
- Keep watching the World Cup! Yes, we may be out and I'm incredibly upset about it (been like a zombie for the last couple hours) but keeping the ratings up and learning more about the game will help increase exposure

- Start watching the MLS. ESPN plays a weekly MLS game (sadly, not more) plus after next season there will be 20 teams in the league. Show your support, make the MLS appear profitable to the big networks (half the teams are posting significant profits now) and join a support's group. The current MLS clubs already have official licensed groups; showing the rest of the world that our fans know what's going on will get us more credibility. Hopefully some of these new converts will hit up a live game and then in Brazil 2014 we'll start hearing chants and seeing more of this:

- Go play! There are plenty of adult leagues in most cities and you can always encourage your children to play... who knows, maybe one day when US soccer players are household names your progeny could be among them.


So, this time around I'd give the overall performance of Team USA a "B-", maybe a "B"... not average but definitely not quite top flight.

I'll be rooting for England from here on out. They'll need all the support they can get on their long road ahead.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

ARRRRGG!! That's exactly what I'm afraid of. Americans love a good comeback story... but we can't do that every friggin time! Such crap in the first half and more than ample opportunities in the second (5 or 6, I believe.) My hopes and dreams for soccer to become mainstream in the US were riding on their shoulders and sadly they didn't pull through. I know a lot of non-soccer fans were watching and getting curious and I hope that lackluster performance didn't scare them away.

Ways the American fans can both make the national team better and make soccer more accepted:
- Keep watching the World Cup! Yes, we may be out and I'm incredibly upset about it (been like a zombie for the last couple hours) but keeping the ratings up and learning more about the game will help increase exposure

- Start watching the MLS. ESPN plays a weekly MLS game (sadly, not more) plus after next season there will be 20 teams in the league. Show your support, make the MLS appear profitable to the big networks (half the teams are posting significant profits now) and join a support's group. The current MLS clubs already have official licensed groups; showing the rest of the world that our fans know what's going on will get us more credibility. Hopefully some of these new converts will hit up a live game and then in Brazil 2014 we'll start hearing chants and seeing more of this:

- Go play! There are plenty of adult leagues in most cities and you can always encourage your children to play... who knows, maybe one day when US soccer players are household names your progeny could be among them.


So, this time around I'd give the overall performance of Team USA a "B-", maybe a "B"... not average but definitely not quite top flight.

I'll be rooting for England from here on out. They'll need all the support they can get on their long road ahead.

You, sir, have the passion.


Your country NEEDS you!

 

[ChshreCat]

England could really use some help from the US footy fans right now, But they won't get it because Americans always default to their perceived "Second nationality"

Very soon, we will be seeing who claims to be Irish, Italian, German etc. (Well, not the Italians any more, cos they sucked. Or Irish, 'cos they aren't in it)

There will be a lot of German Americans, anyway.

<---- proud to be a Germirafinnwegian.

 

[GregR]

I know I'll be rooting for England tomorrow! now I just need to find a bar open at 7am to watch!

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

<---- proud to be a Germirafinnwegian.

Fooking Germirafinnwegians!!! I bet your lot will soon be trying to invade Spainitafrancerland again!

 

[ChshreCat]

Fooking Germirafinnwegians!!! I bet your lot will soon be trying to invade Spainitafrancerland again!

Only if I find they have better cabbage and lutefisk technology than we do.

 

[arturo7]

Man, the Yanks played well when they wanted to. Those early period goals were our Achilles heel for the tournament.

I watched it at the local watering hole. The place was packed and enthusiastic. Most people seemed to have a pretty good idea of what was going on. We even got out a boisterous version of "America the Beautiful" at the start of the 2nd half.

Hated to see the loss but I gotta say this, better to lose it on the pitch than on PKs.

 

[ClassicXJ]

Wow. England just got screwed out of a goal

 

[Refry]

Breakfast & morning attire for England versus Germany!! It should be 2-2 right now - I agree, England just robbed out of their second goal...

 

[Memorex88]

Wow the Germans look solid! Yes it should be 4-2 right now but, wow what caliber of futball!

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Yeah, Germany looked great... but really England? I expected better than that.

Well, now that there are no more English-speaking nations left, I think I'm going to root for whomever wins the ARGvMEX game. Mexico is the last nation from our division (CONCACAF) and Argentina is just simply an amazing club that is fun to watch.

 

[arturo7]

Argentina v Mexico

I have a feeling this will be a very dramatic game, as in players feigning injury.

Go Argentina!!

 

[Memorex88]

I want Mexico to win for the plain fact that I hate Maradona

 

[ChshreCat]

The ref errors are another reason Americans won't get into soccer because we all know NFL refs and baseball umpires NEVER make mistakes that affect the game.

 

[MeatyPortion]

they need instant reply and badly so.

 

[McGarnigle]

The Germany-England call was terrible, but I'm not sure about Mexico-Argentina. Players are allowed to 'reset' themselves after being offside, provided they don't touch the ball. Granted Tevez didn't move back at all, but the Mexican defenders moved toward him and appeared to play him back onside.

I'll confess to being no expert on the rules, but it does seem that a lot of people who comment on the games don't know the rules. There was an offside call in the group stage which the ESPN commenters screamed about because they didn't know that the rule is two men behind the ball (one of which is often the GK), and in this, case, the GK was well out of the net.

 

[Memorex88]

They (FIFA) say they don't want to slow the flow of the game with replays YET technology has placed a mic and earphone in the ref's and lineman's head. Replays are damn instant now being digital. What's it take to have a goal judge to say, it's a goal... it's not a goal.
I believe the 2014 WC will have something in place.

 

[ChshreCat]

Some sort of goal detector like in hockey would be helpful too.

 

[Joker]

OK, The US can go back to hating s#ccer now.

I am just getting into soccer and I am still pissed at the bad call that cost them the 3-2 win. Hate soccer ... no.... hate the lack of review of stupid calls by FIFA ....obsolutely.

In 2010 the technology is available to assist the ref's in making the calls and should be used. It would take less time to review a call then it takes for a player to take a dive and roll around the pitch.

 

[user 40839]

I'm somewhat surprised that the "no goal against Slovenia" is still being harped on. Jesus, John Harkes and Alexi Lalas STILL won't shut up about it. End of it all, the US still won the group, so still would have faced Ghana, so...

Credit to the English - while they're annoyed at the horrible call (far worse than the US were on the receiving end of, IMHO), they at least say "That was bollocks, but these things happen in football, and at the end of the day we were crap and didn't deserve to win." The blown call against America shouldn't overshadow a dire first half from them, which dug the hole they were in to begin with - that's just papering over cracks.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

English - while they're annoyed at the horrible call (far worse than the US were on the receiving end of, IMHO), they at least say "That was bollocks, but these things happen in football, and at the end of the day we were crap and didn't deserve to win."

Thanks. You saved me typing my feelings about all that.

I also have to agree though, that this WC has exposed some very bad decisions. While I would NEVER advocate a situation where the ref runs to the sidelines and sticks his head in a box to watch the replay, I do think it is time that the ref had another assistant. Someone with access to fast instant replay that can almost immediately contact the ref with his version of events. (As memorex said) This should not override the ref's decision, but be a guide as are the linesmen..

EDIT: oh, and Alexi? A bit of a dick, that one.

 

[ChshreCat]

I also have to agree though, that this WC has exposed some very bad decisions. While I would NEVER advocate a situation where the ref runs to the sidelines and sticks his head in a box to watch the replay, I do think it is time that the ref had another assistant. Someone with access to fast instant replay that can almost immediately contact the ref with his version of events. (As memorex said) This should not override the ref's decision, but be a guide as are the linesmen..

Exactly. A guy in a booth with a radio to the ref's ear. It takes them a little bit of time to reset after a goal is made or missed and he can just say "Wait a minute, that's wrong."

 

[Joker]

The blown call against America shouldn't overshadow a dire first half from them, which dug the hole they were in to begin with - that's just papering over cracks.

Everytime I hear this comment it makes no sense to me. How can there ever be the "greatest comebacks" if there has not previously been a hole dug? Just because you didn't play the entire game perfectly does not mean you don't deserve to win. If this math was correct then Slovenia didn't deserve to win because they only scored in the first half they weren't present in the second half. So since they only played half a game they didn't deserve to win either.

 

[bob1852]

so far, I've picked all 5 knock-out games correctly

 

[user 40839]

I also have to agree though, that this WC has exposed some very bad decisions. While I would NEVER advocate a situation where the ref runs to the sidelines and sticks his head in a box to watch the replay, I do think it is time that the ref had another assistant.

I actually thought that the ref was going to do just that in the Argentina v Mexico match yesterday - after the goal was given, he ran over to the linesman, and it almost seemed like that he was actually looking at the jumbotron and had seen the replay.

The problem with bringing in replays though is where do you draw the line? It's not like American football, or tennis, where you have a sport with constant breaks - a play or a serve, then there's the ability to review if needed. It's one thing to put a wee chip in the ball that can verify if it's crossed the line or not, but having to verify every dodgy offside decision would turn a match into a farce, in my book. Football's existed for long enough without it, I think it's part of the game and I have no problem with it. (As a Liverpool fan, as well as an Irishman, I've been on the receiving end of crap refereeing plenty of times!)

The only real answer in my opinion that will keep the game moving is to have more professional referees. It's still a part time job for most, they should be trained a lot more than they are, and should be held accountable for poor performances. (They are now - I remember Rob Styles was "demoted" to refereeing Championship matches, after he bolloxed up a call in a Liverpool v Chelsea match a couple of seasons ago).

 

[user 40839]

Everytime I hear this comment it makes no sense to me. How can there ever be the "greatest comebacks" if there has not previously been a hole dug? Just because you didn't play the entire game perfectly does not mean you don't deserve to win.

I tell you what though - using the term "greatest comeback" when referring to the USA against Slovakia is something only the American media is doing. It was Slovakia, FFS!!! You want a great comeback, check out the Champions League final in 2005

If this math was correct then Slovenia didn't deserve to win because they only scored in the first half they weren't present in the second half. So since they only played half a game they didn't deserve to win either.

And they didn't - it finished 2-2. Justice was done!

(Again, too - the US was on the other side of a bit of poor officiating, since Dempsey should have been sent off 30 seconds into that game. Haven't heard Harkes or Lalas complaining about that screw up, though!)

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

If this math was correct then Slovenia didn't deserve to win because they only scored in the first half they weren't present in the second half. So since they only played half a game they didn't deserve to win either.

A goal changes the nature of the game. It's that simple.

In the case og Germany V England, had Englands second "Goal" counted, then it would have been a great comeback for that portion of the game. England would still have lost in the end because germany were the better team, but it would more likley have been 3-2. The goals, and their timing are critical to the way a team defends or attacks. Especially in a knock-out competition.