2015/16 International Football

[Crabcake]

Copa America Predicitons:

 

Group A

1. Colombia - James Rodriguez, Juan Cuadrado, and Carlos Bacca are going to tear the Group A defenses to shreds.  Their attacking quality is matched by few in this tournament.
2. USA - A tough group no doubt but the US can escape from it.  Bobby Wood has flown under the radar as a potent scorer, Dempsey brings quality and experience, and I'm lookind forward to seeing Pulisic and Nagbe.
3. Costa Rica - I may well have put them second before the news about Navas.  Keylor Navas was shaping up to be one of the tournament's best goalies, but now Costa Rica are looking weak at the back.
4. Paraguay - Not a bad side by any stretch of the imagination but they will not advance in a tough group.

Group B

1. Brazil - This should be easy for Brazil, even w/o Neymar.  Hulk will impress and the defense is solid.
2. Ecuador - Beneficiaries of an easy group, they should qualify relatively easily.
3. Peru - A terrible draw for them and the Haitians, they will not offer too much resistance to the top 2 of the group.
4. Haiti - See above.

Group C

1. Mexico - They will recieve a huge lift from their fans, so you can count them in along with the US in their "home field advantage."  Add on to that some quality players and you've got a group winner.
2. Uruguay - It will be tighter than people think between them and Jamaica, but in the end Uruguay's quality should see them through.
3. Jamaica - Possible dark horses.  May end up falling just short but watch out for them.
4. Venezuela - This is pretty much a one-man team (Rondon).  they will struggle in the Group of Death.

Group D

1. Argentina - Messi and co. will be motivated to end their trophy drought after the disappointment in Brazil, plus they'll have revenge on their minds against Chile from last year.
2. Chile - Some great players here but it will not be enoguh to advance past an extremely motivated Argentina.
3. Panama - Will finish third but not offer too much resistance to the big boys of the group.
4. Bolivia - See above.

Knockouts to come later.

[Jaffa]

...and the dismantling of Leicester City begins.

[MJWalker45]

Liecester . . . Just Say NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Crabcake]

Well shoot. 

[Viper]

Is it just me or is the audio out of sync with the video? I could have sworn I heard them call the first Colombia goal a half-second before it went in.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

2 minutes ago, Viper said:

Is it just me or is the audio out of sync with the video? I could have sworn I heard them call the first Colombia goal a half-second before it went in.

 

I'm watching on UniMas on SlingTV and it's buffered to hell, so I'm glad I get to share that experience.

 

Two thoughts so far:

1. That goal was very pretty.

2. Nothing good happens in Lego Stadium.

[Rockstar Matt]

4 minutes ago, Viper said:

Is it just me or is the audio out of sync with the video? I could have sworn I heard them call the first Colombia goal a half-second before it went in.

 

Yeah, I hear it too.

[Crabcake]

12 minutes ago, Viper said:

Is it just me or is the audio out of sync with the video? I could have sworn I heard them call the first Colombia goal a half-second before it went in.

I was thinking the exact same thing. I definitely hear it here on FS1. 

[BlackBolt3]

41 minutes ago, DG_Now said:

2. Nothing good happens in Lego Stadium.

I concur.

[crashcarson15]

That selecting Brad Guzan as the No. 1 keeper isn’t the biggest of Klinsmann’s selection issues is incredibly damning.

[Crabcake]

Colombia's defense has been fantastic, despite numerous good passages of passes for the US, they really have only had one chance that was even close. 

 

As for the PK, I'm personally okay with the ref's decision. I think it's one of those that if it was reviewed NFL-style, it would "stand" because there wasn't enough evidence to overturn the call. 

[Crabcake]

Oh well, hopefully we can get back on track in the next games against some slightly weaker opponents. 

 

Overall, they didn't play bad, yet their passing, especially in the second half, wasn't good enough. Some good creation of chances but not good enough finishing them off. 

[GFB]

Anyone have Bob Bradley's phone number?

 

PK was the right call, btw.

 

 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I think Michael Bradley may have lost whatever he had back in 2014. He doesn't look nearly as crisp or fast as he once did, and he had a couple of really bad turnovers tonight.

 

No one expected the US to win tonight and they didn't. They made a game of it though, which is the best you can hope for.

 

This is clearly a transitional team. The older guys look old and the younger guys look not quite ready. That'd be okay, except I thought building for the future was the whole point of Klinsmann.

[crashcarson15]

2 hours ago, DG_Now said:

I think Michael Bradley may have lost whatever he had back in 2014. He doesn't look nearly as crisp or fast as he once did, and he had a couple of really bad turnovers tonight.

 

No one expected the US to win tonight and they didn't. They made a game of it though, which is the best you can hope for.

 

This is clearly a transitional team. The older guys look old and the younger guys look not quite ready. That'd be okay, except I thought building for the future was the whole point of Klinsmann.

I’ve seen this sentiment a lot, and I really don’t get it. I guess it comes down to two thoughts…

 

1. That this United States team is talented enough that it should have a chance to get a result against this Colombia team.

2. That there was never a point in tonight’s match where I thought the US had a chance of a result.

 

I don’t feel like the US made a game of it at all. They went behind in the 8th minute, and then spent the rest of the first half with 60+% possession and not a single shot on goal to show for it. Hell, the two best chances of the day — the header off the line and the free kick save — were both off set pieces. There was never a move, never an attack from open play that I felt the US would, or even stood more than a minuscule chance to, score from. Colombia effectively ceded control of the match after going 1-0 up, and the US never put Colombia in a position where they needed to consider any other tactic.

 

To me, that’s far from “making a game of it,” and a lot closer to a performance befitting of Aston Villa.

[dfwabel]

USMNT loses 2-0 and I somewhat miss the negative feedback from 'willmorriss'

[Rockstar Matt]

Not an unexpected result today, but a disappointing one. Bradley was pretty bad today and the rest of the team just seemed a bit off, like they weren't on the same page. Too many missed opportunities and unforced errors. Couple that with a match against a really damn good team and it's a bit surprising we didn't lose by more. 

 

Looking forward to see how we respond in the next game.

[MJWalker45]

James Rodriguez might be done for the tournament.  Colombia could be hurting in the knockout rounds if he's not back. 

[Crabcake]

Vardy's medical with Arsenal set for Sunday. 

 

This is a sad day, I was hoping they'd all stay and make Leicester the next powerhouse. It'd be incredibly disappointing and depressing to see them finish in the lower half of the table because all the "big clubs" are picking them off one by one. 

[Crabcake]

IDEAL result for the USA in the Costa Rica-Paraguay match today, as the team's played to a goalless draw. More importantly, however, a Costa Rica starter in defense got sent off in the game, so he'll be out for the USA-Costa Rica match on Tuesday.