FIFA 2014 World Cup all-purpose thread

[CuseTroop]

I can't get enough of it. Hate that I miss most the games at work.

The USA/Ghana match had a fantastic rating yesterday.

Watchespn has been a life saver at work.

I honestly think I have watched more soccer in the last 4 or 5 days, then I ever have in my life.

 

[rrlbees]

As suspected. Replay shows 2 Russians offsides on the rebound shot. #9 who was standing on the goal line and #22. Goal should have been waved off.

 

[CuseTroop]

As suspected. Replay shows 2 Russians offsides on the rebound shot. #9 who was standing on the goal line and #22. Goal should have been waved off.

I know 0 about soccer rules, but thought after the shot that they were "in the crease" or how ever you say it. Dude was in the box no?

Also, when someone gets subbed out, can they come back in?

 

[Alsacs]

I know 0 about soccer rules, but thought after the shot that they were "in the crease" or how ever you say it. Dude was in the box no?

Also, when someone gets subbed out, can they come back in?

You can't hit the ball if the attacker is behind the last defender if the pass or shot wasn't made when the attacker was level or your offsides.

Each team gets 3 subs technically you could sub someone off and re-sub them back in but that would be wasting 2 of the 3 subs for the whole match so its not done.

 

[CuseTroop]

You can't hit the ball if the attacker is behind the last defender if the pass or shot wasn't made when the attacker was level or your offsides.

Each team gets 3 subs technically you could sub someone off and re-sub them back in but that would be wasting 2 of the 3 subs for the whole match so its not done.

Thanks!

 

[CanadianSU]

Watching this South Korea-Russia match can the Koreans be any more dirty? I want them to win because of my geopolitical disdain for Russia. Korea has 3 yellow cards and are lucky this ref hasn't booked more guys. It looks like group H is the weakest one over group C.

If the USA could beat Portugal which I would settle for a draw, but if they won playing Germany for the top over group G would enable the USA to avoid Belgium. I think Belgium is by far the most likely knockout opponent we would face if we are lucky to advance and they are scary good. Belgium destroyed us in Cleveland 4-2 last year they are good.

Geopolitical disdain! Exact reason why I want Russia out, the world cup is supposed to represent peace. Russia as a country is the complete opposite. Plus I was born in Ukraine so yeah.

Portugal is going to be hungry as hell in the game against you guys, I doubt that will be enough for them. They looked like crap and you guys looked decent (nothing more) against Ghana. Belgium has a serious shot to win the World Cup this year.

 

[PoppyHart]

You can't hit the ball if the attacker is behind the last defender if the pass or shot wasn't made when the attacker was level or your offsides.

Each team gets 3 subs technically you could sub someone off and re-sub them back in but that would be wasting 2 of the 3 subs for the whole match so its not done.

A player is not allowed to re-enter a game after being subbed out.

 

[Alsacs]

Going thru the scenarios while I wanted Germany to beat both Portugal and Ghana before the USA match it would be in the USA's best interest for the Ghana-Germany match to be a draw. If that happened then the USA could beat Portugal and only need a draw to avoid Belgium.

I know this is very optimistic but we can dream. Portugal and the US are going to be playing in the toughest venue in Manlus in the Amazon our guys looked bothered in the heat on Monday without it being what it will be on Sunday. I think Altidore is prolly out for atleast the next 2 games and I would expect Dempsey to move to the 10 and either Zusi or Wondo to enter the starting lineup over Johannson. We need to play for a draw as if we draw then it looks for advancement and in that heat I doubt Ronaldo will be able to physically play 90 if his fitness doesn't improve and both of Portugal's center backs are out of this match.

 

[cmr27]

Portugal is going to be hungry as hell in the game against you guys, I doubt that will be enough for them.

I think Portugal underperforms relative to their talent in the WC and Euros. They had a chance to win the Euros at home in 2004 and blew it by losing to Greece in the finals. Beyond that, they show up in the quarters and make the occasional semi-final appearance but this team is not Germany/Spain/Holland/Belgium or even France.

Iberia also got beat 9-1 in the opening games. Might not be their year.

 

[PeteCalvin]

Going thru the scenarios while I wanted Germany to beat both Portugal and Ghana before the USA match it would be in the USA's best interest for the Ghana-Germany match to be a draw. If that happened then the USA could beat Portugal and only need a draw to avoid Belgium.

I know this is very optimistic but we can dream. Portugal and the US are going to be playing in the toughest venue in Manlus in the Amazon our guys looked bothered in the heat on Monday without it being what it will be on Sunday. I think Altidore is prolly out for atleast the next 2 games and I would expect Dempsey to move to the 10 and either Zusi or Wondo to enter the starting lineup over Johannson. We need to play for a draw as if we draw then it looks for advancement and in that heat I doubt Ronaldo will be able to physically play 90 if his fitness doesn't improve and both of Portugal's center backs are out of this match.

I think our guys should drink pickle juice before the match. It worked for the Eagles vs the Cowboys. The Cowboys were cramping up at home, and the Eagles ran roughshod over them.

Maybe it'll rain and play in our favor? Bottom line, we have the talent to get 3 points from this game, we just have to play. They are undermanned and vulnerable. Without Jozy it's that much harder, but certainly not an impossible task.

 

[longislandcuse]

I'll watch the Euro's and some of the Man U/Man City, Real Madrid/Barcelona games so I admittedly don't know much about MLS or the American squad outside of the bigger names Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley and Tim Howard.

With Altidore probably out, my uninformed opinion off listening to the analysts and watching the USA/Ghana match is that i'd want Zusi to start because the announcers said he's known for his passing and he made an impact. Maybe it's because of the one goal lead and how Ghana plays but I literally wanted to kick a ball through my tv with the one pass, two pass, turnover nonsense every. single. possession. We looked soooo dangerous when we attacked and especially when we were able to get set pieces yet we couldnt hold the ball longer than a youth soccer league team.

 

[longislandcuse]

Nice!!! Now if MLS could market itself better and develop/bring in more talent we might be onto something. With the younger generations being more into soccer as well as the United States becoming more diverse (just look at our border right now), I really think soccer could overtake hockey at some point. MLS seems pretty popular in the Northwest with Seattle and Portland plus there's always the LA Galaxy, add in the addition of NYC FC to develop a rivalry with the Red Bulls and the expansion of the league.

Football and Basketball will always reign supreme but with baseball slipping and hockey really only being a niche sport, soccer has alot of room to grow.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-match-in-world-cup-sets-a-tv-record-1403034850

 

[ImperialOrange]

We need to play for a draw as if we draw then it looks for advancement and in that heat I doubt Ronaldo will be able to physically play 90 if his fitness doesn't improve and both of Portugal's center backs are out of this match.

Technically yes but if we play for a draw we'll lose. We aren't built to park the bus and Portugal has players that can put the ball through a bus window.

Watching us try and hold the lead vs Ghana reminded me of Liverpool when we tried to close up shop this year aka not confidence expiring.

The silver lining is, we won, and we can play much better than we did. The lingering cloud is, Portugal lost but can play much better.

 

[storange]

I can't get enough of it. Hate that I miss most the games at work.

The USA/Ghana match had a fantastic rating yesterday.

WOW 15.9 including univision WC ratings overall are through the roof.

 

[storange]

US has to play better Sunday and i think they will. Portugal will either come out on fire or pull a France/Italy of 2010 and fold up. Looks like a draw will get us through. ( If Germany beats Ghana ) sorry if Im reapeating , didn't have time to read all 88 posts.

 

[Alsacs]

Technically yes but if we play for a draw we'll lose. We aren't built to park the bus and Portugal has players that can put the ball through a bus window.

Watching us try and hold the lead vs Ghana reminded me of Liverpool when we tried to close up shop this year aka not confidence expiring.

The silver lining is, we won, and we can play much better than we did. The lingering cloud is, Portugal lost but can play much better.

Yeah the early goal put the USA in a defensive shell. The weather is going to be a factor on Sunday that heat will be crazy on the players. Ronaldo is the best counter attacker in the world that is why we need to be more defensive and I would play a 4-3-2-1 on Sunday and take advantage of Portugal aggressiveness and counter against them. Portugal needs the 3 points to have a chance to advance.

I start Howard
Beasley-Camerron-Besler-Johnson
Beckerman-Jones-Bradley
Zusi-Bedoya
Dempsey

 

[ImperialOrange]

Yeah the early goal put the USA in a defensive shell. The weather is going to be a factor on Sunday that heat will be crazy on the players. Ronaldo is the best counter attacker in the world that is why we need to be more defensive and I would play a 4-3-2-1 on Sunday and take advantage of Portugal aggressiveness and counter against them. Portugal needs the 3 points to have a chance to advance.

I start Howard
Beasley-Camerron-Besler-Johnson
Beckerman-Jones-Bradley
Zusi-Bedoya
Dempsey

Here's a question being that I haven't watched a ton of recent US matches. What is it about Bedoya a staple in the starting line up?

 

[Alsacs]

Here's a question being that I haven't watched a ton of recent US matches. What is it about Bedoya a staple in the starting line up?

I like Zusi more than Bedoya but apparently Klinsmann likes Bedoya's speed over Zusi's crossing/playmaking. Bedoya has the speed to stretch teams to play wider which is what Klinsmann wants. Or maybe Zusi isn't fit enough to play 90 maybe.

 

[ImperialOrange]

I like Zusi more than Bedoya but apparently Klinsmann likes Bedoya's speed over Zusi's crossing/playmaking. Bedoya has the speed to stretch teams to play wider which is what Klinsmann wants. Or maybe Zusi isn't fit enough to play 90 maybe.

My exact thoughts watching Zusi and thinking why isn't he playing over Bedoya?

 

[cmr27]

Nice!!! Now if MLS could market itself better and develop/bring in more talent we might be onto something.

In developing world-class homegrown talent, the challenge is making creative strikers. The inability to develop great goal-scorers is a problem that afflicts the Anglo-Saxon/Commonwealth nations. England have been hunting for a top-flight striker forever. Australia/NZ/Canada/US/SA all have poor man's versions of the limited creativity problem at forward. Clint Dempsey is fantastic but I've seen him before. He's Claudio Reyna 2.0. I've never seen a creative striker for the U.S..

Nurturing creative talent is the key to playing an appealing brand of soccer, the beautiful game, that casual fans buy into. That said, credit where credit is due. Both of our goals against Ghana were first rate.

 

[ImperialOrange]

...

In developing world-class homegrown talent, the challenge is making creative strikers. The inability to develop great goal-scorers is a problem that afflicts the Anglo-Saxon/Commonwealth nations. England have been hunting for a top-flight striker forever. Australia/NZ/Canada/US/SA all have poor man's versions of the limited creativity problem at forward. Clint Dempsey is fantastic but I've seen him before. He's Claudio Reyna 2.0. I've never seen a creative striker for the U.S..

Nurturing creative talent is the key to playing an appealing brand of soccer, the beautiful game, that casual fans buy into. That said, credit where credit is due. Both of our goals against Ghana were first rate.

England have a top rate striker finally in Sturridge. He's not world class yet but he's the best strike option they've had in recent memory. Owen looked promising before his Hamstrings shattered and Fowler was a decade ago at this point I believe.

Dempsey >> Reyna and the players we have now are a noted upgrade on whom we hung our hats on in the past but still a ways to go.

An out and out world class striker is very tough to come by and why they demand such a high premium. I don't consider Ronaldo, Messi, or Neymar strikers as much as forward playing attacking mids. Best strikers in the world currently are Suarez, Dzeko, Aguero, Costa, RVP, and maybe Benzema are the only one's that immediately come to mind as top shelf striker options.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

In developing world-class homegrown talent, the challenge is making creative strikers. The inability to develop great goal-scorers is a problem that afflicts the Anglo-Saxon/Commonwealth nations. England have been hunting for a top-flight striker forever. Australia/NZ/Canada/US/SA all have poor man's versions of the limited creativity problem at forward. Clint Dempsey is fantastic but I've seen him before. He's Claudio Reyna 2.0. I've never seen a creative striker for the U.S..

Nurturing creative talent is the key to playing an appealing brand of soccer, the beautiful game, that casual fans buy into. That said, credit where credit is due. Both of our goals against Ghana were first rate.

Reyna and Dempsey don't play the same position. Dempsey is a withdrawn striker while Reyna was a regista.

I think Altidore is already a very good striker. Not yet world class but he is still young and is learning and developing.

Also, there is a subtle but important difference between being a great goal scorer and being a creative striker. You can be one and not the other and still be considered an excellent. Anyone who is both is a "fuori classe" as the Italians would say.

Wondo is a goal scorer. Dempsey and Johannson are "creative" strikers and, to me, Altidore could (emphasis on "could") be considered both.

None are great - yet.

 

[PoppyHart]

England have a top rate striker finally in Sturridge. He's not world class yet but he's the best strike option they've had in recent memory. Owen looked promising before his Hamstrings shattered and Fowler was a decade ago at this point I believe.

Dempsey >> Reyna and the players we have now are a noted upgrade on whom we hung our hats on in the past but still a ways to go.

An out and out world class striker is very tough to come by and why they demand such a high premium. I don't consider Ronaldo, Messi, or Neymar strikers as much as forward playing attacking mids. Best strikers in the world currently are Suarez, Dzeko, Aguero, Costa, RVP, and maybe Benzema are the only one's that immediately come to mind as top shelf striker options.

Falcao

 

[NailstheCusefan12]

England have a top rate striker finally in Sturridge. He's not world class yet but he's the best strike option they've had in recent memory. Owen looked promising before his Hamstrings shattered and Fowler was a decade ago at this point I believe.

Dempsey >> Reyna and the players we have now are a noted upgrade on whom we hung our hats on in the past but still a ways to go.

An out and out world class striker is very tough to come by and why they demand such a high premium. I don't consider Ronaldo, Messi, or Neymar strikers as much as forward playing attacking mids. Best strikers in the world currently are Suarez, Dzeko, Aguero, Costa, RVP, and maybe Benzema are the only one's that immediately come to mind as top shelf striker options.

Lewandowski

 

[PoppyHart]

Oy! Oy! Oy!