Well at least one great thing came from this game- ESPN is so busy covering the USA game that they are unable to shove Laker love down our throats. Awesome.
Come on...I think it's great that football (soccer) is catching on more in the USA. Also, there are many (American) posters on here who actually seem to have quite a good understanding of the beautiful game. I mean...I have been discussing basketball here for more than 10 years, and I know much less about basketball than many of these guys know about soccer. And everyone tends to overestimate the own team. I for one am enjoying this thread.
Great another uppity troll. Luckily nobody has ever kept track of who "deserved to win". They played like **** in the first half and they got what they deserved... a 2-0 hole to climb out of. Who here would dispute that fact? Nobody.
I would actually say that they didn't try hard enough, or maybe the better term is execute well enough, defensively. Leaving a guy wide open in prime real estate like they did on that first goal doesn't seem to be the result of trying too hard. It's either poor awareness/execution or insufficient effort.
I've posted analysis about most games throughout this thread and it's extremely objective. How nice of you to stop by for the first time after a US draw against the mighty powers of Slovenia. itt (whatever that means): Ignorant "soccer" fans who talk just to be heard, have an opinion, or feel a sense of belonging. I am a soccer purist, and frauds like you disgust me.
Yep, b/c no one here has ever played highschool/college soccer, and no one follows European football. Very presumptuous of you.
People aren't always going to disagree with you. On an internet forum, they may even be rude. That's just how the cookie crumbles.
Sure. That will probably end well. Just finished watching the replay of the highlights (was in a #(*&)%^#^ meeting). Comeback kids do it again... the last time it was against Costa Rica. Congrats to all who cheer for the Stars and Stripes. USA definitely got robbed. Some calls don't go your way... some do. Opponents will thrive on the official's bad calls... the ref will sometimes not see what we can see on replays. That's no excuse for playing poorly on D, though... again, Bocanegra not stepping up to defend as I've said all along. But, I saw Donovan and Bradley holding their own... I need to watch it again, though, I don't remember the strikers being real threats up there... everyone sitting still waiting for Dempsey and Donovan to do all the work. I thought Howard could have stopped BOTH shots from a goalkeeper's experience standpoint. He stops really difficult shots but misses what seem like easy stops. He's still a top 10 keeper in the Cup. USA GOT ROBBED!!! Now the USA needs those other teams to tie. Let's hope for a tie, dudes, and let the USA do better in the third game against Algeria. Ronny, that's pretty mean of you, sir. There's no need for that here.
That's like us saying you don't deserve to be a member of an American basketball forum because you're from Slovenia. Me assuming that you don't watch basketball regularly because you're from Slovenia is similar to the assumption you make about us. In my case, it's true but I'm just one person in a nation that is something like a gazillion times bigger than say... Slovenia.
just got back from BWW to watch the game...not a lot of folks there, but when we were comign back, that place was rocking...beautiful goal by landon, beautiful goal by bradley... but that f'n call to take away our win...ugh Bradely was practically bear hugged and thrown around... but in the end, its all up to us winning against Algeria...and England beating both Agleria and Slovenia...
In Soccer, all a kid needs to play and hone his skill is a ball. Many South America countries don't have these resources you speak of, yet their teams are vastly superior to ours. Yes Soccer thrives in the suburbs, but so does every other sport. Skill sets are of course different, but man it's all about devotion a country has to a sport. I'm not even going to argue that. Brazilians love their football, their kids grow up wanting to be stars, wanting to dazzle crowds on the pitch...sort of like USA basketball. If Team USA(basketball) doesn't win at least silver now, It is literally a embarrassment to our country. When USA soccer loses...it's like "Meh whatever, when does NFL season start?" The large population helps to give you a larger talent pool, that's it. Otherwise China would be a dominant force in soccer too...where are they? Where is India in this tourney...India's Favorite sport is Cricket, China's is basketball(and they still aren't good at that...). Population means nothing without the devotion. If the MLS was as popular as the NFL i'm pretty sure our team would be MUCH better than what it is now.
I didn't know the #1 sport in China was basketball. I would've guessed soccer or ping pong. I'm not saying you're wrong, I just didn't know that.
Don't make assumptions about people you know nothing about. I've played the game longer than a majority of the people on this board have been alive. In other words, go f*** yourself.
Actually there's a very good article in the New York Times magazine about European soccer development. The article focuses on a Dutch club team's program to develop young soccer players but it raises important points about the American style of player development. First, one big thing in Europe is that clubs actively scout youth leagues for young talent and then use their own resources to help train them. Also, these programs come at no cost to the family outside of some marginal fees which is unlike America in that the higher you go in terms of youth sports the more you generally end up paying. Youth sports in America is very cost-ineffective for families that arent well of. Most of these clubs then end up turning a profit by later selling off the rights to any player that successfully turns into a star. The dutch team in the article has made close to 100 million euros selling player rights off to European clubs. Second, America and Europe have completely different attitudes toward the goal of youth clubs. In America, even at the youngest levels, its all about winning. Coaches emphasize the team playing as a whole rather than focusing all resources on developing players who might be considered special. In Europe its the opposite, youth clubs tend to disproportionately focus on developing the best players. Lastly, the NCAA in many ways is prohibitive of developing stars. Most Americans still opt for college soccer which stunts their growth since if they are special, they won't be challenged by the competition. This is in contrast to Europe where if you're good you're playing in the pros by age 18. There are other differences pointed out, but the bottom line is our youth development programs run completely counter the European approach and it shows. The article even quoted European scouts who said that America didnt have a lack of talent (we have the most kids playing youth soccer in the world) we just suck at developing it.
Yea, regardless, I feel like the defensive lapses shown by the U.S. makes us vulnerable to any team in this tournament. Whatever the cause is, I hope they play it tighter against Algeria. If we can win 2-0 or 3-1, which is certainly doable, we don't need to worry about the other 2 matches.
That is my argument as to why it was such a huge mistake for Freddy Adu to not to go Europe when he had the chance at an early age. Instead, he chose to continue in youth leagues where he dominated and then for the MLS where he clearly wasn't ready. Had he gone to Europe, he would have been in the youth system for one of the top clubs in the game, learning from the best...while not being under pressure to contribute to a senior squad at only 14. I really think he would be the best American player right now had he chosen a different path. It set him back years and probably cost him a chance at truly being what he could have been.
