World Cup

What happened to all the people on this site who are such huge soccer fans? Nobody starting a thread about the beloved World Cup? No comment about the USA's win over Ghana? I've seen soccer related threads get a lot of hits, so where are you guys? Even I know beating Ghana was a big deal! It was probably nail biting time with the USA scoring the game winning goal in the 86th minute and having to hang on and weather Ghana's efforts to tie the match. What about Team USA striker Jozy Altidore's hamstring injury? Or the impact of forward Clint Dempsey's broken nose? Will the USA be able field a team when they face Portugal this Sunday? I'm trying to learn to appreciate soccer so I need some feedback here!

I think I am the only one left! Lol It was mainly CA and I who are the soccer fans. But if you want to talk soccer EE then I am down! How about Tim Cahill Repping the MLS today with a superb strike against the Netherlands who destroyed the reigning champs Spain 5-1. This game is currently tied 1-1 at the half. Mexico played Brazil to a scoreless draw yesterday and the CONCACAF is looking very strong in the WC this year. That US win versus Ghana Monday was one of the ugliest pieces of soccer I have ever seen. I will of course take the three points, but still that was terrible and if they hope to emerge from the Group of Death then they are going to have to play ten fold better against Portugal and Germany. Looks like Bressler is going to be fine and will be playing against Portugal. Joze Altidor is another issue but Klinsmann is ever optimistic and is saying he will be back at some point. I think a result against either Portugal or Germany will get the US out of the Group of death. They don't have to beat either team, just get a result and one point and keep the goal differential below that of Portugal's. Pepe for Portugal will be out for the match versus the US for the Red Card he received for that insane head butt against Germany. I really think Portugal is beatable. If the US does indeed pull off a win versus Portugal, they are guaranteed advancing to the next round. If the US can get out of the worst draw imaginable and advance to the next round, there is no telling how far this team can go. But I do believe that is all rests upon how quickly Joze gets back into the lineup. With out him they will be playing either Johansen or Wondo next to Dempsey and neither one of those guys strike fear into the hearts of opponents. Of course Wondo is known for being the poacher of goals for a reason so maybe they can go ahead and try him up front and see if he can't get a rebound. Overall, this has been a great WC. USA USA USA!

About Dempsey, sure a broken nose is going to hurt like hell but it will not keep him from playing like Dempsey. He may struggle with breathing at times and its going to throb every time he takes a step on that pitch but this is the World Cup nd he is not going to let a broken nose effect him. Now I would not put it past some players to try and target his head in the upcoming matches so he may be in a mask which could affect his vision. But overall, he will be fine. He has to be he is the only striking threat the US has left!

As for Dempsey, he could wear a mask similar to what basketball players have worn. A plexiglass or some similar type of head gear to protect the face and there is no impedance to a player's vision.

 

So Portugal's Pepe is out for head butting an opponent? Did nobody learn from the Zidane incident in the World Cup final in 2006? The Italian player was talking smack about Zidane's sister and Zidane looked like a mountain ram smashing into the Italian player's chest earning him a red card, an immediate ejection from the match and ultimately costing the French the World Cup. Dumbest move I ever saw in any sport. Here's a video of Zidane's disgrace.

 

Sooooo.... How about them Spaniards... That was shocking. The defending champs were beaten 5-1 by the Dutch and now 2-0 by Chile! The defending champs are out!

Joze is out for the game against Portugal. This changes things a bit. Klinnsmann is going to have to go back to the drawing board and find out how the US is going to be able to score. Maybe send out a 4-2-3-1 with Dempsey as your only striker but with three supporting midfielders? If so then SKC's Gram Zussi will be the extra guy in the midfield. It will be interesting to see what Jurgen does. BTW, Zussi can score. The key to this game is going to be possession. If the US can possess the ball and control it for extended amounts of time in the attacking half, they have a very good chance of getting a result. If they allow the Portuguese to run all over them like they let Ghana, it will be over before they even start.

Is Portugal that much more talented than the US team? I'm asking dumb questions here but I really don't know. If the US overload the offensive side of the field can't they get burned if Portugal gets a breakaway or gets a favorable matchup?

Spain getting knocked out of the Cup is pretty huge as they are the defending champs. They've gone from first to worst???? I am going to try to watch the match Sunday. If the USA ties or beats Portugal they have a pretty good chance to advance don't they. Again showing my ignorance but the Group they are in is pretty brutal but even though the USA will be without their best striker Portugal is missing a good player as well. How even is the playing field for the USA right now? Do we have a shot?

Yes there is a shot. It looks like they are going to go with the same lineup minus Joze. Looks like they are just going to sub in either Johansen or Wondo in his place. Portugal has the second best player in the world playing for them in Christiano Ronaldo. He, however, is not playing at his full potential right now with a knee injury and there has even been some talk that he may miss the game. I don't believe that for one minuet. This is a must win game for Portugal. If they beat Portugal then they are automatically through. If they tie Portugal then the US must keep the goal differential below that of Portugal assuming that Portugal is going to beat Ghana. Germany beat Portugal 4-0. US beat Ghana 2-1. Right now there is a goal differential of three between the two nations in favor of the US. If both Portugal and the US come out of the Group with four points, it's going to come down to this goal differential.

I watched France and Switzerland play this morning but by the time I started watching France was already up 5-0 and they were just playing keep away. Needless to say that was a little boring to watch. Italy is playing now so maybe the game will be more interesting when both teams are fresh.

 

I will be interested to see the USA-Portugal match.

Great second half between Ghana and Germany resulting in a 2-2 tie.I cant wait to watch tomorrow's USA contest on the pitch against Portugal.This makes our win against Ghana look that much better.So far so good in the "Group of Death."

Holy hell! That Germany Ghana outcome changes the entire picture!

You don't think the USA will have just a little more adrenaline going into the match! Win and they move on to the round of 16.

Yea buddy.It is a shame striker Jozy Altidore is out with an injury but hopefully area native Clint Dempsey can come through again .

And I was right. They are going with a 4-2-3-1 with Dempsey as the lone striker and Zussi in the midfield. Lets go USA!

Gut wrenching 2-2 draw. Well at least they got a point...

Well played game overall by USA.Dempsey says "unlucky" which sounds a lot like what European trainers say to soccer kids in training.

Can somebody tell me why they added 5 minutes to the game? And, can somebody tell me why Portugal was able to just go down and score with seconds left in the game? Gut wrenching loss is a gross understatement. To be so close to winning and let it all slip away is jaw dropping. Now the US team has to play the best team in the bracket and win to advance. The team had to be taking turns kicking each other in the arses for letting this one get away.

In reference to the extra 5 minutes...

 

If the question is why stoppage time was changed to 5 minutes from the previously announced 4 minutes, I don't know.

 

If the question is in reference to time added to the game generally, that is to account for stopping play for injuries and other things during the period. The clock does not stop during the period in soccer so stoppage time is calculated and added to the end. For example, I think 2 minutes was added to the end of the first period in yesterday's game.

 

In reference to the quick score, I don't know. 2-1 would have been a lot better than 2-2. I like stoppage time when my team is behind. I hate it when my team is ahead. :)

 

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As for wining, they do not have to win vs. Germany. A win would seal it and a draw would leave it open, but they do not have to win it to advance. They just need to keep the goal differential below that of the next team and five points should be enough to get them through. A win would be nice. As for the five minutes. If the US had waited twenty more seconds to substitute Dempsey, then they would not have added that much. But because they subbed him before the official stoppage time had been added then the powers that be were able to add the time of the substitution on to the stoppage time. It was a miscalculation by the US team.

I could be misinterpreting what you are trying to say Big T but a draw would put both in either match would put USA and Germany through...we are both currently 1-0-1 (4 points) and a draw would put both teams at 5 points...Ghana and Portugal are both 0-1-1 (1 point) so a win for either team only put them at 4 points and a draw at just 2 points. That being said, if we lose and Ghana wins, Ghana can advance if either game is won by 2 or more goals. If Portugal wins it has to be a combination that gets Portugal's goal differential 5 goals higher than ours (i.e. 3-0 Germany and 2-0 Portugal) to advance...the next tie break after goal differential is goals scored (1 goal lead on Ghana and 2 goal lead on Portugal now)

 

Both matches are set for Thursday at 11 so no one will know what is going in in the other match...I think Klinsmann should call up his German buddies and say lets just kick it around for 90 minutes lol...for those of you that don't know, Klinsmann is from Germany and won the 1990 World Cup with them and coached the 2006 Germany team to 3rd place

Wouldn't it have been much simpler for the US team to NOT go completely to sleep with just seconds to play? I heard all the scenarios before on Mike and Mike and it seemed a little desperate to me. I know they said that Germany has like a 94% chance to advance and the US has about a 75% chance with Portugal and Ghana with minimal chances. That said, and regardless of what the US team says about the good a tie is in actuality you know they have to be more than a little demoralized. I don't know the name of the blonde haired chap who ignored a pass to him that allowed Portugal to take possession of the ball in those waning moments and the commentator correctly pointed out that ultimately the blame for the final goal has to start with him. If he takes the pass and just kicks the piss out of it toward the other end of the field the USA wins. Bonehead non-move.

I could be misinterpreting what you are trying to say Big T but a draw would put both in either match would put USA and Germany through...we are both currently 1-0-1 (4 points) and a draw would put both teams at 5 points...Ghana and Portugal are both 0-1-1 (1 point) so a win for either team only put them at 4 points and a draw at just 2 points. That being said, if we lose and Ghana wins, Ghana can advance if either game is won by 2 or more goals. If Portugal wins it has to be a combination that gets Portugal's goal differential 5 goals higher than ours (i.e. 3-0 Germany and 2-0 Portugal) to advance...the next tie break after goal differential is goals scored (1 goal lead on Ghana and 2 goal lead on Portugal now)

 

Both matches are set for Thursday at 11 so no one will know what is going in in the other match...I think Klinsmann should call up his German buddies and say lets just kick it around for 90 minutes lol...for those of you that don't know, Klinsmann is from Germany and won the 1990 World Cup with them and coached the 2006 Germany team to 3rd place

 

I wasn't very clear. The scenario for the goal differential was if the US lost the game to Germany but I forgot to add that in. Haha I am going to go out on a limb and say that Ghana will beat Portugal.

Well, we can now breath easy. The USNMT was able to make it through the group of death and have advanced into the knockout round of 16! Who would have thought that the US would be able to make it out of group that included Germany, Portugal, and Ghana? I was hopeful they could but skeptical that they would. Looks like they will be facing Belgium in the next round.

There are some great comedic posts on twitter today...couple of my favorites

 

@TheFakeESPN: Dallas Cowboys closely studying tape of USA vs Germany desperately trying to learn how to lose and still advance.

 

@jimgeraghty: Looks like we're going to play Belgium. Time to rename those things, "Freedom Waffles." #WorldCup

To see the best foul by a referee I've ever seen on a player watch a replay of 28 minutes into the US - Germany match and see the center ref extend his arm and take out Jermaine Jones .This did not effect play but CBS Sports sure highlighted it.Belgium playing second half a man down so its not a lock yet as to who we play.