[Soccer]US vs. Germany on ESPN 2 at 1:25PM 3/22/06

good test for the US. hope they pull it out.

however..when I think "beautiful game" i think:














but to each his own, i guess.

 

scratching "deez nuts" and spitting tabacco juice isnt beautiful.

atleast according to Ichiro Suzuki.

 

We'll be running out a pretty bad team (no Donovan, Reyna, Beasley, Onyewu, McBride etc), and considering the fact that Germany really needs a win, I really don't expect much out of this game from a US point of view.

 

Why what happened to them?

 

they all realized soccer sucks and quit.

 

Donovan is injured. The others weren't allowed to play because of their clubs. The US team is made up of MLS and Bundeslegia players and a couple from an English 1st division team. Clint Dempsey was also left out of the line up because he was suspended by MLS and Arena wanted to support their decision.

MadMax, "the beautiful game" is a pretty common nickname for soccer. It's like refering to baseball as "America's game"

The game will also be shown by Telemundo at 10:30 tomorrow night for our Spanish speaking fans or anybody that can't watch it during the day.

 

Will Donovan be there for the WC? isn't he our best guy?

 

Yes, it's only a slight injury, there was no need to risk him in a friendly. He might not be our best, but he's one fo the guys we have to have to make a run in Germany.

 

i'm not arguing with you. it's all perspective.

 

I'm gonna take a late lunch so I can catch some of this...

 

For the U.S., Little at Stake; for Germany, Everything
By JERE LONGMAN
Published: March 22, 2006

DORTMUND, Germany, March 21 — The Americans must impress only their manager, while their counterparts must appease a jittery nation when the United States and Germany meet here in a soccer friendly Wednesday night.

The United States will be without many top players because of injuries and club commitments. Securing roster spots for the World Cup, which opens June 9, is more urgent than victory for a team coming off a 1-0 victory over Poland three weeks ago.

Has Taylor Twellman wrapped up a spot at forward? Is Brian Ching the odd man out? Can Cory Gibbs and Jimmy Conrad sufficiently impress on defense? Who among Chris Klein, Kerry Zavagnin and Ben Olsen will figure in the mix in midfield?

These are the important questions for the United States. It is entirely different for the Germans, who are desperate to gain a convincing victory after being routed, 4-1, by Italy on March 1.

"The result for the American team isn't critical," said Bruce Arena, the United States manager. "You've got two teams with two different objectives. The German team needs a win because the public demands it. The U.S. needs to continue to evaluate their team and to try to finalize their roster."

As host of the World Cup, Germany will be one of the favorites. But the entire nation is nervous about the team's chances after the Italy debacle. Criticism of the commuting habits of Manager Jürgen Klinsmann, who lives in Southern California, has exploded in soccer, news media and political circles.

None other than Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor, came to Klinsmann's defense last week, urging him to stay the course in reforming German soccer.

"It's amazing pressure the team's under," said Gregg Berhalter, the American defender who plays professionally in Cottbus, Germany. "They want wins. It's not just fans, it's the whole of Germany. The chancellor stepped in and she said, 'Listen, it's not just about Jürgen Klinsmann, it's about pride for the country.' That's all they're talking about in Germany, this game. It's now or never for them. Of course, that's not the way it is, but that's how they're seeing it."

The match arrives at an uncertain time for German soccer. An influx of Eastern European players has stunted German youth development on the club level, and nearly a generation of players from ages 25 to 32 is absent, Klinsmann said.

Prosecutors are investigating allegations of match-rigging in the Bundesliga. Midfielder Sebastian Deisler is out of the World Cup after tearing a knee ligament. Michael Ballack, Germany's captain and top star, may soon leave Bayern Munich for Chelsea of the English Premier League.

"It's a decisive game for our confidence," Ballack told The Associated Press, noting that this would be Germany's last friendly before World Cup rosters must be set on May 15.

The German national team figures in the country's psyche far beyond soccer, said Steve Cherundolo, the American right back who plays for Hannover in the Bundesliga.

West Germany's first World Cup title came in 1954 and signaled after World War II "hope for the people, to get industry back on its feet and get Germany back on its feet," Cherundolo said. Its third World Cup title came in 1990, and signaled the possibilities ahead in reunifying with East Germany, which occurred several months later.

"When the national team's not going well, people, I'll go as far as to say, they have less self-confidence and they don't believe in Germany anymore," Cherundolo said. "It's tightly knit, politics and soccer."

The United States will be without such fixtures as Landon Donovan, Brian McBride, Claudio Reyna and DaMarcus Beasley on Wednesday. In Donovan's absence, Bobby Convey seems likely to become the American playmaker. If the United States can withstand an early emotional charge by Germany, the game could play into the visitors' hands, Cherundolo said.

"If we play smart and pick our times going forward and do a good job of keeping the ball, I think we can win," Cherundolo said. "The longer the game goes 1-0, or if we get ahead in the first half, the fans will turn. And it's going to be a very difficult game for the Germans."

One German reporter suggested to Arena on Tuesday that a defeat could get Klinsmann fired. Arena called such talk foolish, noting that while fans and reporters could be expected to overreact, "inside the teams you have to have some stability and calmness."

Contradicting the prevailing feeling here, Arena predicted that Wednesday's outcome would not be critical for either team. Far more important are the results in the World Cup, he said.

"If we beat Germany, that is not that important to me," Arena said. Mentioning the United States' World Cup opponents, he said, "I need a result against the Czech Republic, Italy and Ghana, not Germany."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/22/sports/soccer/22soccer.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

 

I will be traveling but have DVRed the match.

DD

 

Vee muss crush da Germans!! We need to pay them back for the un-intentional "intentional" hand ball in Korea!! I just hope the referee for this game isn't Hugh "I saw nothing" Dallas.

 

We have quite a few players missing this match for various reasons, if we lose don't get too bummed, if we win it will be helluva win because the team is pretty depleated for this match.

 

According to ussoccer.com, the US will be employing the evr so popular 3-3-2-2 formation.

Keller

Conrad
Berhalter
Gibbs

Cherundolo
Zavaganin
Mastroeni

Wolff
Convey

Johnson
Ching

 

anyone have an update?

 

Nuttin ta Nuttin in the Foist.