I'm pretty sure Zidane is coming back to help them qualify. No doubt, I'm a huge U.S. supporter, and they have come a long way, but I still think there's a ways to go before the are considered among the elite.
If you think we'll never make it that far again then that's nothing more than wishful thinking on your part. We have a good team now, and it's only going to get better as we concentrate on developing younger players.
Question: What has Italy done in the last decade that makes everyone think they're any good? They have great players - but they play such horrible negative tactics - and half of the team hates the other half - they're a flop internationally.
I think we are good enough to make that run again. And after watching Adu for 2 years I think he's really coming on strong the past two months. He's the future.
They just did some soccer revews on G4 TV, and Winning Eleven 8 won hands down over the other soccer games out there.
A future that's a long way away. He has alot of potential, let's hope he reaches it. He has streaks of solid play, but he was pretty bad at the World Youth Championships.
1990 World Cup - lost on PKs to Argentina in semis (3rd place) 1994 World Cup - lost on PKs to Brazil in final 1998 World Cup - lost on PKs to France in quarters 2002 World Cup - lost to South Korea in ET in quarters So in the last 4 World Cups, they've had alot of bad luck, and lost to really good teams. Add in a loss to France in the final of Euro 2000, and I'd say they've been pretty successful in the 90s and first half of 00s.
I'd forgotten about Euro 2000, probably because they were so listless and horrible in Euro 2004. They got to the Quarters in the last two World Cups, which for their talent level isn't that impressive. They've got some very talented players, but a lot of headcases - and they just aren't that good an international team.
Although they "only" made it to the quarters in the last two WCs, they lost to the eventual champions on PKs in 1998 and then in extra time to the hosting South Koreans in 2002. Those are two really tough matches. Based on their results and their talent, they're still a better team than the U.S. Where you get that "they just aren't a good international team" is beyond me, unless you only look at Euro 2004.
Actually, I'm speaking to the Qualifying campaigns for both Euro 2004 and the 2002 World Cup, where they put together some exceptionally mediocre runs - followed by a lackluster World Cup where they bowed out in the Round of 16, after finishing second in their group(including a bore draw against Mexico and a loss to Croatia) - culminating in the mindboggingly negative debacle that was Euro 2004. They've not been good for a while.
Football is played with a round ball with the foot. Pointyball is played with a pointy ball with hands and feet.
People didn't think they were good enough to get in the final 8 at WC '02 but they did. And they gave the Germans all they could handle. They beat Portugal - head up is a pretty definitive statement. France lost to Senegal - not the kind of European powerhouse you're talking about, tied Uruguay - hardly a Brazil, and lost to Denmark. Italy and Spain lost to South Korea. Overall, fine - 6 out of ten is barely half and that's not what you were projecting early on IMO.
In a one game match any team can beat another team, winning one match doesn't automatically make a team better than another. Yes, on that day, they were better, but as a soccer nation, the United States is still behind the nations I listed earlier IMO. We had a GREAT run in 2002, but I'm just not convinced we're among the European elite yet, simply beacuse we really haven't been tested since the World Cup. If we make another run into the quarters and defeat some of the world powers, I'll change my stance, I really hope I'm wrong. As far as the 6 out of 10 comment, check the last sentence in my first post in this thread, that was my argument the entire time:
Fair enough. I think they are better than you think they are but I'm not saying they'd win a 10 game series just yet.
