Official USMNT Exuberance Thread

[CanadianSU]

Haha so far I have called out "poor Costa Rica" and the US won't make it out of the group (which you are still far from doing, but I would tend to favour you guys now to come 2nd). So far I have been completely wrong. So that means Portugal will beat USA? Hope not.

Last but not least, I hope Russia gets smacked tommorow, how about a good 6-0 for Putin! Good game neighbours.

And Ukraine won 2-0 against you guys so it makes us look good

 

[LPOrange]

I hope Jermany Jones can pull a Tony Sanneh in this World Cup. Sanneh was hadbeen meh for the national team but played out of his mind good in 2002 in Korea.

 

[rrlbees]

I didn't know you liked real soccer, Bees. I thought you only liked to watch those rec league games for kids on Saturdays...in the rain.

Ha, graduated from those Sat AM games long ago. Got sucked in when school and club ball became part of the routine along with tournaments all over creation. It's now part of the family fabric. Btw, the kid called Brooks goal on the corner.

 

[CanadianSU]

Can't wait. I would LOVE to see US beat Portugal. Show these guys that NA can in fact play.

The quicker these teams get out the happier I will be

1. Russia 2. France 3. Portugal 4. Brazil

...Guys, I really think Brazil is beatable, if the refs stay the hell away from things.

 

[Bortukal]

I don't know much soccer

Really? Whenever I see your handle, I assume you're a West Ham United fan.

 

[ImperialOrange]

America... yeah!

I like how you all act surprised that we won. I was calling this all day.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Meanwhile the weather is playing a pretty big role in some matches. For both US and Mexico the soggy pitch helped neutralize faster teams. Playing on those soggy Caribbean dirt patches in qualifying may be paying off now. North American sides are showing well while African sides are floundering.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Anyone else curious what it was going to take for Ghana to get a card after that first half? The scissor snap kick to Dempseys face was only outdone by Muntari going Wayne Brady after putting in a dirty challenge and getting mad that he ended up at the cleats of the player he just levelled.

 

[NineOneSeven]

That pass by Guan??? for their goal was silly

I like that guy a lot. In all honesty I like the Ghanaian team.

 

[PeteCalvin]

Watching the replay now and can't get over how blah our passes looked. In the second half we had a few possessions where we had guys open and the right pass was made, but there wasn't any zip on them. Ghana just stepped through the lane and picked them off.

 

[Bortukal]

Watching the replay now and can't get over how blah our passes looked. In the second half we had a few possessions where we had guys open and the right pass was made, but there wasn't any zip on them. Ghana just stepped through the lane and picked them off.

For all the work we've put in to become a European style possession team, this game was classic USA: Get dominated on time of possession, counterattack, sneak one in unexpectedly.

 

[Bortukal]

Also, how about Fabian Johnson making a mad dash for the end line and bouncing the ball off the Ghanaian defender to win the corner leading to Brooks's winner. Awesome hustle.

 

[PoppyHart]

Haha so far I have called out "poor Costa Rica" and the US won't make it out of the group (which you are still far from doing, but I would tend to favour you guys now to come 2nd). So far I have been completely wrong. So that means Portugal will beat USA? Hope not.

Last but not least, I hope Russia gets smacked tommorow, how about a good 6-0 for Putin! Good game neighbours.

And Ukraine won 2-0 against you guys so it makes us look good

If a tree falls in the woods, and no one is there ...

If a game is played and no one attends, did it really happen?

 

[NailstheCusefan12]

I know this is a USMNT thread, and I love my team dearly, but I'd sign up for a Dutch-German final right now based on the incredible style the two displayed in their opening matches. I'd love to watch those two teams go head to head, especially given the familiarity between the two. Can't stand Brazil or Argentina and don't want to see the refs carry the home side to the Final. The next month is going to be incredible. Whole-heartedly pulling for the USMNT with a German national jersey in my closet just in case.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Lots of leg injuries today. Was Lebron's waterboy working for us today?

 

[Forza Azzurri]

You have to be a quick, precise passing team to really get out in front of Ghana and force them to play back. We couldn't do that.

Precisely and that is exactly what is so disappointing.

US players still cannot control, possess and move the ball effectively in tight spaces while under heavy pressure.

Until they can, they will never be able to consistently play with the top teams in the world.

Fitness, grit and determination can only take a team so far.

 

[cusefan88]

Bradley really had a below average game too (for his standards). Altidore gets hurt early and he's the physical target man the US needed against Ghana.

Time to get a result against Portugal and sneak into the knockout stage.

 

[cmr27]

US players still cannot control, possess and move the ball effectively in tight spaces while under heavy pressure. Fitness, grit and determination can only take a team so far.

Very true, but fitness, grit and determination can get a team out of the group. Portugal may lack all three. Ronaldo is very pleased with himself and he pouts when he doesn't get service. I'm not sure how much fight they have.

We looked like a real side for the first five minutes. Crisp passing. Creative. A very pretty goal. Would love to see more of that.

 

[storange]

Precisely and that is exactly what is so disappointing.

US players still cannot control, possess and move the ball effectively in tight spaces while under heavy pressure.

Until they can, they will never be able to consistently play with the top teams in the world.

Fitness, grit and determination can only take a team so far.

Every WC I hope we can break out of the 10 guys behind the ball and counter strategy, and every WC I'm dissapointed. This year is no different. Don't get me wrong, we were as excited as anyone when Brooks header hit the net.....but we still have a long way to go before were really competitive.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Bradley really had a below average game too (for his standards). Altidore gets hurt early and he's the physical target man the US needed against Ghana.

Time to get a result against Portugal and sneak into the knockout stage.

What was up with that pass by Bradley near the end of the game that gave the ball right back to Ghana? He just booted it right back towards the goaling instead of taking it down the field to the corner.

Seems like the equivalent of tossing the ball up in the air in basketball when there's still like 30 seconds left, as opposed to dribbling time off the clock.

 

[cmr27]

What was up with that pass by Bradley near the end of the game that gave the ball right back to Ghana? He just booted it right back towards the goaling instead of taking it down the field to the corner.

I wonder if he was hurt or under the weather because he was a step behind the play all night, didn't pass well and made a bunch of boneheaded mistakes including the one you mentioned.

A lot of things fell our way. Ghana's substitutions were poor. Boeteng should have started and bringing on Essien, an injured holding midfielder who never scores, was a mistake. We got by with no Altidore, an injured Dempsey, several guys playing with cramps and a bad showing by Bradley. There is room to improve, which is good.

 

[SWFLCUSE]

Bradley really had a below average game too (for his standards). Altidore gets hurt early and he's the physical target man the US needed against Ghana.

Time to get a result against Portugal and sneak into the knockout stage.

If we can come away with at least one point versus Portugal, can you call it "sneaking in" when you basically are a lock with a game to play? Of course Ghana is still in the mix if they can somehow beat Germany in their next match.

 

[SWFLCUSE]

I wonder if he was hurt or under the weather because he was a step behind the play all night, didn't pass well and made a bunch of boneheaded mistakes including the one you mentioned.

A lot of things fell our way. Ghana's substitutions were poor. Boeteng should have started and bringing on Essien, an injured holding midfielder who never scores, was a mistake. We got by with no Altidore, an injured Dempsey, several guys playing with cramps and a bad showing by Bradley. There is room to improve, which is good.

That last line sums up how I feel wholeheartedly. In my mind we didn't play up to what we are capable of and we still got the three points. Call me crazy put I honestly think we can beat a Portugal side that is missing a few key pieces.

 

[Toga]

Nate Silver at 538 has an awesome article on US odds.

 

[SWFLCUSE]

Nate Silver at 538 has an awesome article on US odds.

538 has been just awesome with there coverage of the world cup. If you have a few minutes (more like a few hours) I highly suggest you check it out, there is some great stuff over there.