Cugalabanza Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 (edited) Very good performance. The equalizer at the end was a kick in the chest. I guess we still have to sweat it out 'til Thursday. Edited June 23, 2014 by Cugalabanza
Zona Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 I hear all the kudos for Bradley, about leadership, decision making, intangibles, etc, but he is Killing us. He turns the ball over like a machine. His conditioning looks questionable, and I want him benched. Even if only for a half. Send a message if nothing else. And yes, I am aware that our central defenders have let us down, but Bradley is flat killing us. His Bad pass on the break that would have put us in with a 4 on 2 was so disgusting to watch. what a terrible decision followed by a worse pass. Either guy running for the corner would have been fine, but he passed it behind the one guy with a defender on him....predictably bad. I have never seen two worse games from a midfielder consecutively. I really hope we rally together quickly, and try to pull something out of our arses for Thursday. We do not match up with them Germans well at all.
Canadian Bills Fan Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 Great game guys. USA deserved to win. All Portugal did was prolong the inevitable CBF
Fingon Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 So... can anyone explain why they have ties in the World Cup? It's pretty much the lamest thing ever.
John Adams Posted June 23, 2014 Author Posted June 23, 2014 So... can anyone explain why they have ties in the World Cup? It's pretty much the lamest thing ever. Says a nonsoccer fan. I hear all the kudos for Bradley, about leadership, decision making, intangibles, etc, but he is Killing us. He turns the ball over like a machine. His conditioning looks questionable, and I want him benched. Even if only for a half. Send a message if nothing else. And yes, I am aware that our central defenders have let us down, but Bradley is flat killing us. His Bad pass on the break that would have put us in with a 4 on 2 was so disgusting to watch. what a terrible decision followed by a worse pass. Either guy running for the corner would have been fine, but he passed it behind the one guy with a defender on him....predictably bad. I have never seen two worse games from a midfielder consecutively. I really hope we rally together quickly, and try to pull something out of our arses for Thursday. We do not match up with them Germans well at all. I told someone else this before (not here). Two reasons he's playing: (1) He's the US teams ONLY central playmaker. There's no one even a close second to him in the middle of the field. The next time you see an attack originate from the middle from a good pass, let me know. All the US offense not coming through Bradley is us using our speed up the sides. So as bad as he is, he's as good as we have. (2) Although he's had some real stinkers at this cup and in some of the qualifiers, he's also had games like the first half last night where he's a consistent passer and threat. He's too good to keep on the bench.
C.Biscuit97 Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 Awesome game and I think being a Bills fan prepared me for the ending. I'm a pretty new soccer fan but it seemed to me the US was far and way the better team. One terrible give away earlier and a play that only like 3 guys can make late. I was proud of this team. It seemed like Beasley, Jones, Dempsey, and Johnson had really strong games. I think the biggest takeaway is the atmosphere of fans here. Bars were packed. Everyone was into it. Driving home, I saw kids playing soccer. Maybe the kid who is too small for football or basketball grows up wanting to be a soccer player. But I'm throughly enjoying this World Cup. Just fix the diving. It's awful to watch grown men fake injuries like that.
Fingon Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 (edited) Says a nonsoccer fan. I told someone else this before (not here). Two reasons he's playing: (1) He's the US teams ONLY central playmaker. There's no one even a close second to him in the middle of the field. The next time you see an attack originate from the middle from a good pass, let me know. All the US offense not coming through Bradley is us using our speed up the sides. So as bad as he is, he's as good as we have. (2) Although he's had some real stinkers at this cup and in some of the qualifiers, he's also had games like the first half last night where he's a consistent passer and threat. He's too good to keep on the bench. So, legitimate criticism = "you're not a fan shut up"? No wonder soccer never changes... their fans think it's god's gift to man. Edited June 23, 2014 by Fingon
C.Biscuit97 Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 So, legitimate criticism = "you're not a fan shut up"? No wonder soccer never changes... their fans think it's god's gift to man. Haha. I hate when fans do that. It's the most uppity thing ever. I've been to places like Australia and Jamaica and love to explain American football to them.
John Adams Posted June 23, 2014 Author Posted June 23, 2014 So, legitimate criticism = "you're not a fan shut up"? No wonder soccer never changes... their fans think it's god's gift to man. I didn't say shut up. But your strawman did so keep talking to him.
Magox Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 The give away from Bradley was the crucial play. He had a good first half and definitely dropped off in the second half. If the U.S doesn't qualify, that give away will haunt Bradley's mind for the rest of his life. Having said that, I think we'll qualify. Grant it, the two teams we are pulling for the most, Portugal and us are coming off a very physically exhausting game in high heat and humidity, and we only have three days of rest. Not to mention we have to travel over 1500 miles. So, we are at a disadvantage in that regard. But I believe we will score a goal in the match, and I'm hoping that if Germany scores a goal in the match that they will look to take the pedal off of the medal.
Fingon Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 (edited) Haha. I hate when fans do that. It's the most uppity thing ever. I've been to places like Australia and Jamaica and love to explain American football to them. I'm a fan of baseball, basketball, and football, but I can recognize they have flaws. It just seems to me like soccer fans (and to a lesser extent baseball fans) have this incredible aversion to their sport being criticized. We all know NFL games take too long because of excessive commercials, and I don't think you would find a fan that denies that. Basketball fans recognize that flopping is a serious problem in the game. Baseball fans know that pitchers brewing a cup of tea between each pitch isn't good for the game. Say anything remotely bad about soccer though, and prepare to have your head ripped off. I didn't say shut up. But your strawman did so keep talking to him. No, but you implied that any argument I make is invalid because I'm not a fan of the game. It also implies you wish no further discussion based upon the brevity of your response. It's almost as if speech had *gasp* context to it. Edited June 23, 2014 by Fingon
C.Biscuit97 Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 I'm a fan of baseball, basketball, and football, but I can recognize they have flaws. It just seems to me like soccer fans (and to a lesser extent baseball fans) have this incredible aversion to their sport being criticized. We all know NFL games take too long because of excessive commercials, and I don't think you would find a fan that denies that. Basketball fans recognize that flopping is a serious problem in the game. Baseball fans know that pitchers brewing a cup of tea between each pitch isn't good for the game. Say anything remotely bad about soccer though, and prepare to have your head ripped off. No, but you implied that any argument I make is invalid because I'm not a fan of the game. It also implies you wish no further discussion based upon the brevity of your response. It's almost as if speech had *gasp* context to it. Good post. soccer has some of the best fans in sports and some of the worst. But I will never get why some feel like they are special because they watched a sport longer. It's like people who think they are cool because they are from NYC or LA. You can be a douchebag no matter where you are from. Overall though, I've met relaly cool fans who are willing to explain some of the things I don't understand. Why can't they give yellow card for flops? I think they would cut some of it out.
eball Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 So...I know if the US and Germany tie both advance. If Germany wins (as expected), what results from Ghana/Portugal still put the U.S. through? A tie -- yes Ghana win -- ?? Portugal win -- yes? Does it matter that the US beat Ghana, or is goal differential all that counts (which is why Portugal is a longshot)?
Cugalabanza Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 I'm a fan of baseball, basketball, and football, but I can recognize they have flaws. It just seems to me like soccer fans (and to a lesser extent baseball fans) have this incredible aversion to their sport being criticized. We all know NFL games take too long because of excessive commercials, and I don't think you would find a fan that denies that. Basketball fans recognize that flopping is a serious problem in the game. Baseball fans know that pitchers brewing a cup of tea between each pitch isn't good for the game. Say anything remotely bad about soccer though, and prepare to have your head ripped off. No, but you implied that any argument I make is invalid because I'm not a fan of the game. It also implies you wish no further discussion based upon the brevity of your response. It's almost as if speech had *gasp* context to it. It's just tiring to keep hearing people like you who do not like or have any respect for the game keep interjecting with statements like "it's pretty much the lamest thing ever." Sorry if we failed to recognize this as an invitation to serious dialectic. It's like crashing an AA meeting and shouting out, "hey, why do you guys drink so much coffee?"
Canadian Bills Fan Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 (edited) So...I know if the US and Germany tie both advance. If Germany wins (as expected), what results from Ghana/Portugal still put the U.S. through? A tie -- yes Ghana win -- ?? Portugal win -- yes? Does it matter that the US beat Ghana, or is goal differential all that counts (which is why Portugal is a longshot)? It will be based on goal differential. Portugal would need to win by at least 6 goals and US would need to be shut out I think. Its very unlikely that Portugal or Ghana advance. CBF Edited June 23, 2014 by Canadian Bills Fan
Cugalabanza Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 If USA loses to Germany by 2 and Ghana wins, then the US is out. Or if USA loses by 1 and Ghana wins by 2...
meazza Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 Good post. soccer has some of the best fans in sports and some of the worst. But I will never get why some feel like they are special because they watched a sport longer. It's like people who think they are cool because they are from NYC or LA. You can be a douchebag no matter where you are from. Overall though, I've met relaly cool fans who are willing to explain some of the things I don't understand. Why can't they give yellow card for flops? I think they would cut some of it out. There's nothing wrong with criticism but I am a purist which is why I get irritated when I read certain comments.
John Adams Posted June 23, 2014 Author Posted June 23, 2014 (edited) So... can anyone explain why they have ties in the World Cup? It's pretty much the lamest thing ever. Why would I explain this to you? You "lamest thing ever" valley girled up a soccer rule that's been around for a bazillion soccer matches and think that's a good topic of conversation? Like me proposing that home runs be worth 2 instead of one? Or 2 strikes and you're out to speed up the game. Take away dribbling in basketball to make it more like Ultimate Frisbee? Play hockey with a ball instead of a puck? All of this as an admitted nonfan? Non-elimination soccer games can end in ties. Just a fact. You can hate it but no soccer fan will really care to seriously debate such a fundamental rule of the game. Edited June 23, 2014 by John Adams
C.Biscuit97 Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 There's nothing wrong with criticism but I am a purist which is why I get irritated when I read certain comments. What about the flopping part? There's nothing they can do with it? I understand it's a big advantage if they can get a free kick or draw a card. but some are so blantant. They started fining guys in NBA. right now, IMO, it's the worst part of the game.
meazza Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 Why would I explain this to you? You "lamest thing ever" valley girled up a soccer rule that's been around for a bazillion soccer matches and think that's a good topic of conversation? Like me proposing that home runs be worth 2 instead of one? Or 2 strikes and you're out to speed up the game. Take away dribbling in basketball to make it more like Ultimate Frisbee? Play hockey with a ball instead of a puck? All of this as an admitted nonfan? Non-elimination soccer games can end in ties. Just a fact. You can hate it but no soccer fan will really care to seriously debate such a fundamental rule of the game. Never mind that to reduce this, they made wins 3 points vs ties 1 point to give an incentive to win over a tie.
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