ajzepp Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Yeah, that was a DUMB play! I was yelling at the tv. However, my vote for dumbest goes to Dempsey in the last game. In case you missed it. I was glad to see much improved play overall today. And Jamaica is no joke--they have some talent. The comically poor finishing though continues to exasperate. I feel like the team rallied when Altidore got hurt early in the first half. Jermaine Jones, Bradley and Dempsey all played very well I thought. The back line was fairly solid. No major breakdowns--that is, until Capt. Charlie Blackmouth did his best to hand Jamaica an easy goal right at the end. Looks like the U.S. has to play Panama again in the semifinal, on Wednesday. The other semifinal is Mexico vs. Honduras. So on that Dempsey play there wasnt a penalty? That was a live ball? lol WTF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cugalabanza Posted June 22, 2011 Author Share Posted June 22, 2011 Hmmm... As far as I can tell, the USA vs. Panama semifinal (Wed. 6/22 at 7pm ET) is not on FSC or ESPN. I do see it listed on Univision. The bad news is I don't get it in English. The good news is that the FSC announcers suck anyway. Also, I'll get to watch it in HD. I only get FSC in LD. No way in hell team USA loses to Panama twice in a row. My prediction is that we finally get our **** together and win 3-0. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTS Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Hmmm... As far as I can tell, the USA vs. Panama semifinal (Wed. 6/22 at 7pm ET) is not on FSC or ESPN. I do see it listed on Univision. The bad news is I don't get it in English. The good news is that the FSC announcers suck anyway. Also, I'll get to watch it in HD. I only get FSC in LD. No way in hell team USA loses to Panama twice in a row. My prediction is that we finally get our **** together and win 3-0. It's showing up on my FSC channel guide. I have DirecTV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LewPort71 Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 FSC has it listed here in WV also. 6:30 pre-game and 7:00 kick off. Followed by Mexico vs. Honduras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 I missed the US game, but glad to see the result. I'm still looking for some highlights... Watching Mex/Hon as we speak...love seeing soccer in REliant stadium! The articles on ESPN indicate that there was an "Adu" sighting today...that's good news for sure! Maybe this kid will finally grow into his potential and Bradley will get him some more playing time. Better late than never, I suppose! I just wish we had Altidore for the final...at least Dempsey is healthy, though, and I'm assuming Donovan will come in off the bench again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cugalabanza Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 I missed the US game, but glad to see the result. I'm still looking for some highlights... Watching Mex/Hon as we speak...love seeing soccer in REliant stadium! The articles on ESPN indicate that there was an "Adu" sighting today...that's good news for sure! Maybe this kid will finally grow into his potential and Bradley will get him some more playing time. Better late than never, I suppose! I just wish we had Altidore for the final...at least Dempsey is healthy, though, and I'm assuming Donovan will come in off the bench again. Don't hold your breath for a ton of highlights. Yes, Adu came on in the second half. I think he did very well. He played a great long ball to Donovan on the right wing which he turned into a nice assist to Dempsey for the only goal. It was a really great goal. USA dominated the play, but they once again struggled with finishing. Altidore is listed as out 4-6 weeks with a hammy. Agudelo looked kind of weak to me. Lacking touch and vision. He had a great game about a year ago and that keeps earning him playing time. That's starting to wear thin in my opinion. He needs some fresh evidence to keep him in there. Panama tried to get scrappy in this one. USA did well to keep tough without losing cool. I would have like to see a wider margin, but that's how it goes sometimes when your opponent tries to take the air out of the ball. (see Buffalo Bills 2006-2009) Watching Mexico vs. Honduras now. They (Mexico) are having the same problem as USA. It's clear they have superior talent, but it's still 0-0 in the second half because Honduras is playing Jauron Ball. USA is going to have to dig deep to find a way to beat this Mexico team in the final. The home field is on our side, but Mexico is the better team. By the way, Univision in HD > FSC in regularD by a long shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 (edited) Don't hold your breath for a ton of highlights. Yes, Adu came on in the second half. I think he did very well. He played a great long ball to Donovan on the right wing which he turned into a nice assist to Dempsey for the only goal. It was a really great goal. USA dominated the play, but they once again struggled with finishing. Altidore is listed as out 4-6 weeks with a hammy. Agudelo looked kind of weak to me. Lacking touch and vision. He had a great game about a year ago and that keeps earning him playing time. That's starting to wear thin in my opinion. He needs some fresh evidence to keep him in there. Panama tried to get scrappy in this one. USA did well to keep tough without losing cool. I would have like to see a wider margin, but that's how it goes sometimes when your opponent tries to take the air out of the ball. (see Buffalo Bills 2006-2009) Watching Mexico vs. Honduras now. They (Mexico) are having the same problem as USA. It's clear they have superior talent, but it's still 0-0 in the second half because Honduras is playing Jauron Ball. USA is going to have to dig deep to find a way to beat this Mexico team in the final. The home field is on our side, but Mexico is the better team. By the way, Univision in HD > FSC in regularD by a long shot. That's really great about Freddy...hope he can build off of this. are you still watching the Mex/Hon match? The last few minutes of the second half were awesome lol. Some amazingly sloppy play, but fun to watch. I can't believe the Mexican guy missed that shot on a wide open goal. I thought for sure he was offsides, but I ran it slo-mo and he was clearly onsides. You just can't miss an opportunity like that...he's going to be a huge goat if they end up losing. Then we had that near-goal by Honduras...all of a sudden the guy puts a BEAUTIFUL shot toward the top right corner of the net and the goalie makes a fantastic save. If only the keepers vision had been blocked for another split second, I think this match may have been over. I couldnt' tell if it was going to make it under the crossbar or not, but it was really close. Then to finish it out you had the BS carding of the Honduras player....that goalie put on quite a show...what a nancy! I'm so psyched that the final will be on Saturday in prime time! Based on tonight's match, if we play well we should win. Neither Mex nor Hon look all that great to me. Seeing one of the best stadiums in the country packed with 70,000 screaming soccer fans is pretty awesome! EDIT: Wow, beautiful set piece with the header.... Edited June 23, 2011 by ajzepp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilsner Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Your guys' excitement is really getting my interest back into soccer. Will be helping my bro and his wifey pack and move this weekend, but I hope to catch the game. I'm glad there is a decent soccer following here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Your guys' excitement is really getting my interest back into soccer. Will be helping my bro and his wifey pack and move this weekend, but I hope to catch the game. I'm glad there is a decent soccer following here! Back in 2006 there were like 8 of us in these threads....now I think we have upwards of about 20 or so TBD'ers who will at least keep tabs on what's going on and chime in. I really look forward to talking some futbal on here with my Bills brothas Wow, I guess Mexico finally woke up...stick un tenedor in 'em! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilsner Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Soccer is one of the ultimate team sports. I plan on learning more about the cups and as always, I read and learn from all you knowledgeable fans. One day I hope to know enough to contribute to the soccer threads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Soccer is one of the ultimate team sports. I plan on learning more about the cups and as always, I read and learn from all you knowledgeable fans. One day I hope to know enough to contribute to the soccer threads. Heck yeah man, it's great having you! One of the best resources on TBD is Meazza. He's really helped me to get a better understanding of how the Euro leagues are structured. European club soccer is where it's at, culminating with the Champion's Leage final each year. Even the MLS is getting more interesting since the league is becoming very attractive to some of the world's best stars who have lost enough of a step to be less effective in Europe anymore. DAvid Beckham and Thierry Henry are the two biggest names, but there will be others. It's a great sport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilsner Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 ajzepp I can't believe it took me this long to get into soccer and appreciate it for all it is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 ajzepp I can't believe it took me this long to get into soccer and appreciate it for all it is! Better late than never Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LewPort71 Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 (edited) 8:30 Sat night Fox Soccer Channel. Reliant Stadium looked great last night. Don't be surprised if the crowd on Sat is louder for the Mexican side. Landon's assist on Clint's goal was a thing of beauty. Great, great pass. GO USA Edited June 24, 2011 by LewPort71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 8:30 Sat night Fox Soccer Channel. Reliant Stadium looked last night. Don't be surprised if the crowd on Sat is louder for the Mexican side. Landon's assist on Clint's goal was a thing of beauty. Great, great pass. GO USA I finally saw some highlights and I agree about the Donovan pass...that was dead-on perfect. SO happy that freddy got some playin time...I still have hope that he can take our team to another level and I really respect how hard he's working. I didn't know he went to play in a Turkish SECOND league club in order to get more experience. That is some dedication lol. We just need to be a little more prolific on ofense. Seems like Bradley has the defense dialed in pretty well, but we've got to be able to create more chances and capitalize on them. A guy like Freddy can help with that if he can continue his growth. I don't know what it is about stadiums and soccer, but I find myself in awe of how amazing the pitch looks in a great big stadium. I'm still in awe of those images from the champs league final when it was played at night in Moscow a few years ago. That was quite a sitght! I can't wait to see the Rose Bowl packed to the rafters for the Gold Cup final on Saturday...90,000+ soccer fans watching the US battle Mexico...will be great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 So i actually caught some of the game the other night (had it on in the background), and it still baffles me as to why the US's offense consists of nothing more than "lets boot it down field and try to have one of our guys outrun one of theirs." It was the same in the WC last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTS Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 USA is going to have to dig deep to find a way to beat this Mexico team in the final. The home field is on our side, but Mexico is the better team. The Rose Bowl won't give US any home-field advantage. It will probably be 90% Mexican supporters. I went to the last REAL Gold Cup Final in 2007 in Chicago. It was 80/20 in fan support there in favor of the Mexicans. This tournament is run by CONCACAF and they don't take US supporter groups into consideration when they sell tickets. That said, Mexico hasn't beaten the USMNT First Squad in over 11 years on US Soil. Let's hope that continues Saturday night. So i actually caught some of the game the other night (had it on in the background), and it still baffles me as to why the US's offense consists of nothing more than "lets boot it down field and try to have one of our guys outrun one of theirs." It was the same in the WC last year. It's a direct product of coaching. The talent of US players have vastly outgrown the tactical level of US coaches. Most retired US Nationals have been saying this for the past five years. USSF needs to bring in a top-level European coach and this team would be far better than it already is. I'm still convinced that they would have made the semifinals of the World Cup last year had they had a even slightly better coach. They had the easiest group and easiest path into the semis. Poor gameday decisions haunted the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 The talent of US players have vastly outgrown the tactical level of US coaches. Most retired US Nationals have been saying this for the past five years. USSF needs to bring in a top-level European coach and this team would be far better than it already is. I'm still convinced that they would have made the semifinals of the World Cup last year had they had a even slightly better coach. They had the easiest group and easiest path into the semis. Poor gameday decisions haunted the team. Amen. How the hell can something be so obvious to soccer fans on a message board, but somehow escape the decision making capacity of Sunil and the other morons running the national team? Klinsmann was there on a silver platter for cripes sake!! All accounts are that he wanted the job and was ready to go....I don't get it. It's been time to raise the bar for a while now...all we're doing is treading water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTS Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Amen. How the hell can something be so obvious to soccer fans on a message board, but somehow escape the decision making capacity of Sunil and the other morons running the national team? Klinsmann was there on a silver platter for cripes sake!! All accounts are that he wanted the job and was ready to go....I don't get it. It's been time to raise the bar for a while now...all we're doing is treading water. The issue was and has been that a real coach like Klinsmann wants full authority over the entire mens program. USSF and Sunil refuse to give that control up because they believe in their system. The system worked bringing American soccer to the level it's at today compared to 25 years ago but as you mentioned, it's now treading water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 The issue was and has been that a real coach like Klinsmann wants full authority over the entire mens program. USSF and Sunil refuse to give that control up because they believe in their system. The system worked bringing American soccer to the level it's at today compared to 25 years ago but as you mentioned, it's now treading water. I'm proud of 'em for getting us this far...Bruce Arena, Sunil, and whoever else all deserve a big pat on the back. I just wish that what they'd believe in from this point forward is the resume of J.Klinsmann lol. Just so damn frustrating...the climate is more *right* for soccer in this country than it's ever been. If only they'd capitalize on that and do what should be done to get us to the next level. What's your take on Freddy Adu? You think he's got the potential to live up to the hype from a few years ago? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts