World Cup - USA Loosing....

[Talapia]

2-0 already....:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Talapia]

Game over...we still suck;) :D :D

[RuddeDogg]

They didn't seem aggressive enough to me. It looked like they were waitin fir the Czecs to come to them and that they did. :( :mad: :( :mad:

[CrawFish]

T, you have a link somewhere where I can watch online? I'm stuck her at work and will miss most of the WC matches. Thanks...

[Fishbreath]

Yep, a link to watch online would be most appreciated as I'm in the same boat. I did see a portion of it at the very beginning and felt the yellow card that Onyewu received against Koller changed the whole complexion of the game. It made him hold back physically against Koller and then, 1 minute later, Koller gets all the position and freedom he needs and BOOM! A beautiful 5 yard header...that changed the game permanently.....:(

[Talapia]

http://broadband.espn.go.com/broadband/EBB2/web/shellMainFor live coverage:


For scoreboard/notes coverage:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/section?id=worldcup&cc=5901

[Leopard1138]

Wow i never was expecting a win here, a draw at best would have been awsum. But 0-3 is just pitiful. How are we world ranked 5, seems a bit high to me. Owell hopefully we can win our other 2 games cuz that what we are going to have to do to advance imho. :mad:

[Fishbreath]

Leopard, with an 0-3 outcome, even winning the last two in order to advance is going to be tough. We're going to have to be a scoring machine and put multiple goals in to eat up that goal differential. Against Italy that is a tall task. :(

[Fishbreath]

Hey Talapia, thanks for the link. Unfortunately, we're not allowed to download anything at this facility. Bummer... :(

[Talapia]

Hey Talapia, thanks for the link. Unfortunately, we're not allowed to download anything at this facility. Bummer... :(

I could not download eithor but that
second link is great also. There is a
tab that you click on and it gives you
almost play by play notes on the game.;)

[jjaachapa]

Laying a big goose egg like that was a reality check for soccer fans. 5th ranking? The US don't even have their best athletes there. The rest of the world have the very best their country can provide. The US's best are playing in the NFL, NBA and MLB. There is no sand lot mentality for soccer here. When we were young none of us played a game of pickup soccer, there was no big soccer game in the park at Thanksgiving, no soccer in the street, and we never ever stopped at the corner store to buy a pack of cards with soccer players on them. It's just not our game. It never has been and something tells me it never will be.
I think the population is so use to the intensity of the NFL and the excitement of the NBA that soccer can't keep our attention. Baseball has the steal, base hit, double, triple and home run, the double play, batters getting hit and rushing the mound. Not to mention the love for the game.
NFL, I don't even have to explain.
NBA, fast pace high scoring game with threes, dunks, block shots, fouls and movie stars in the seats.
Even Hockey with all its problems is more entertaining to the American public than soccer. Its a slow scoring game but the rough nature of the game and the fighting make up for it.
It's strange that a country of immigrants did not embrace it's home countries sport of choice. Then again I'm as Mexican as they come and I rather have a dog and a beer and watch the National Football League than a soccer game any day of the week.
Chapa

[Fishbreath]

Laying a big goose egg like that was a reality check for soccer fans. 5th ranking? The US don't even have their best athletes there. The rest of the world have the very best their country can provide. The US's best are playing in the NFL, NBA and MLB. There is no sand lot mentality for soccer here. When we were young none of us played a game of pickup soccer, there was no big soccer game in the park at Thanksgiving, no soccer in the street, and we never ever stopped at the corner store to buy a pack of cards with soccer players on them. It's just not our game. It never has been and something tells me it never will be.


Whoa hold on there Chapa! :)

1) Did we lay a big goose egg? --> Yes! Chalk it up to nerves and experience. Should be a better game against Italy. The yellow card and subsequent goal really altered the whole game.

2) Are those players on the field the best soccer athletes America can field? --> Absolutely!! This was the strongest team that the U.S. has ever put on the field, much more depth and experience than before...we also just happened to be in the other 'Group of Death'.

3) Are the best athletes playing in the NFL, NBA and MLB? No freaking way!!! Those who can't play soccer play other things! And those supposed 'UBER' athletes that play basketball for the US really showed up at the Olympics and World Championships, didn't they!?!? ;)

I don't know about you but I played soccer AND baseball, basketball, and football as a kid and yes, we played any and all of those on Thanksgiving Day (although we played football more).

These days, with the influx of immigrants to the U.S. soccer is getting more attention and it should but even those immigrants are not cheering for US soccer but their respective former countries (translated - Mexico). But there is a whole other debate along with singing the National anthem in Spanish...;)

Even in those countries that play hockey, guess what the #1 sport is....SOCCER!!! (except Canada :D )The American public don't know soccer yet. It isn't on the networks like the other sports. Heck, on any given day during the week you can turn on the TV and find a baseball game, and during football season, the same applies. Soccer doesn't have a network presence
at all. Still there is the invisble movement, there are soccerplexes going up slowing but steadily all over the country. It is growing here. As Americans we are lucky to have so many choices in sports and freedoms.

4) Will it ever surpass Football? HECK NO!! But, look out Hockey!! :D :D :D

[Talapia]

I think that if soccer were the main
sport in the US like most of the world
that we would be in the top 3 every year.
We just have too many other sports that
lures the best talent away. I agree that
the NFL, MLB, and NBA lure most of
the best "athletes" away from soccer.

It's like boxing. Boxing used to be
incredible before these other pro sports
started making such huge salaries.
Can you imagine how many potentially
great boxers passed up on the sport
to play in the NFL?

[Fishbreath]

Yep...all the best boxers are playing Hockey...:p :p :p

[Talapia]

I watch TV and see Arena Football, Pro LAX,
tons and tons of incredible college football,
track and field, and baseball players...not
to mention the pro football and NBA players.
You cannot tell me that 1% of these guys
could not have been world-class soccer
players had they chose to follow that sport.

[Fishbreath]

No. I'll concede that. :) I was only joking when I said that they couldn't but in reality, its a mentality. What makes a great soccer play would also probably make a great lacrosse player. Football is more burst and strength than finesse and speed. 1% of the NBA, NFL, and Majors could probably have been excellent soccer players based on god given physical ability. I've seen lots of basketball cross-overs to soccer make incredible goal keepers. Reflexes and hand eye. Bottom line, if you're a greyhound athlete with good training you can do just about anything. :)

[LongIslandtoMD]

Not to hijack,but I dont think boxing's problem is a lack of athletes. I think all of the BS that goes on with boxing "behind the scenes" (read: promoters etc.) is what is destroying boxing. WBO, WBA, its like alphabet soup.

[Talapia]

Not to hijack,but I dont think boxing's problem is a lack of athletes. I think all of the BS that goes on with boxing "behind the scenes" (read: promoters etc.) is what is destroying boxing. WBO, WBA, its like alphabet soup.

Think about the heavyweights...sure we
have had a few good one's here and
there after Tyson, but usually you have
just one at a time. Can you imagine
how great that weight class would be if
some of the great athletes who went into
other sports had been boxers instead?
How many great heavyweights do we have
right now? I would say none.

[LongIslandtoMD]

I definately hear ya. I never got involved in amateur boxing. It was pop warner football in the fall, wrestling in the winter and little league in the spring. Neither boxing or soccer were ever on the agenda.

But my point is this. How many quality heavyweights are out there that we never see? Its like if they NFL only played one game every 4 months. Would we know who Randy Moss is? The promoters control who is known and who isnt. Ultimately, the talent doesnt drive the market, the promoters do. And so the latest greatest boxer never gets any exposure....

[Talapia]

I definately hear ya. I never got involved in amateur boxing. It was pop warner football in the fall, wrestling in the winter and little league in the spring. Neither boxing or soccer were ever on the agenda.

But my point is this. How many quality heavyweights are out there that we never see? Its like if they NFL only played one game every 4 months. Would we know who Randy Moss is? The promoters control who is known and who isnt. Ultimately, the talent doesnt drive the market, the promoters do. And so the latest greatest boxer never gets any exposure....

Money definitely drives that game.
Anyway I think we are both right.