2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

[dfwabel]

This is the last post I'm gonna use on the United States Men's National Team. While I'm not gonna say "I told you so", I told you so!

Going into their game against against Ghana, who were arguably the worst team to qualify for the Round of 16, you KNEW the let-down was going to happen. It never fails when Team USA is favored to win. They played uninspired, and were more than ready to pack their bags and call a trip to the Knockout Stage a 'success'. No defense in the first half. the only thing stopping the Ghana attack, was their fatigue in the 2nd half. The also USA had many chances in the 2nd half while Ghana was catching their breath. While Kingson who was superb, most of it was due to USA's laziness and inability to finish (I'm looking at your Altidore and Bradley!). With teammates like that, Landon Donovan has got to wish he were born in Europe.

In the end, the team who deserved to advance did, and America's interest in soccer goes back into another 4-year hiatus.

My initial thoughts about the US team's run was that it was a moderate success. They didn't lose in group play, they won the group, and the team showed that they would never quit. If you had told any US fan going in that they'd win Group C, they probably wouldn't have placed money on that happening.

Then I thought about the entirity of the US team's run. They got a flukey bounce to tie an English team that had a lousy tournament run, and just lost to Germany by 3 goals. The US then got down 2-0 to a Slovenian team that had no business being up 2 goals on the US, and managed to scrape out a draw. It then took 92 minutes to score a goal against an Algerian team that was one of the 2 or 3 worst teams in the tournament. The whole group was soft, and if the US were in any other group...they'd be lucky to advance, and sure as hell aren't winning the group. Considering the hype the US team had, and the way the tournament played out for them, it was more disappointing than inspiring.

That said, I think Bob Bradley should get to stick around. Considering what he's down with the team over the 4 years, I like what he's done with the US team. I've never seen the team quit, the team rarely gets blown out, and the team is on better footing now than it was four years ago.

Those are good points, but I am surprised that nobody posted Kilnsmann's thoughts post game. Was he honest or just now lobbying for the gig?

"Looking at the game...you (USA) had three really quality players that did not live up to their expectations: Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard. They were not there. It was not there game and if they do not step up to the world stage then you can't expect Michael Bradley and the other ones to pull it all off. I think its really important that they lay out a philosophy for US Soccer and say where do we want to go. I mean hopefully by the end of the year the US will get World Cup 2022 while they are bidding for both 2018 and 2022... and so you need to know how to develop the players. It is very difficult within the American culture to talk about that topic because you are the only country in the world that has the pyramid upside down. That means you pay for having your kid play soccer, because your goal is not that your kid becomes professional soccer player because your goal is that your kid gets a scholarship in high school or college. Which is completely opposite form the rest of the world...and it is a tough one because soccer is very similar to basketball you need it out of the lower class environment.

Soccer worldwide is a lower environment sport. We all got up from moderate families and fought our way through. You need to keep this hunger throughout your life and I compare it to basketball because all these guys are coming form the inner cities so you need to find ways, whatever they may be to connect with the Hispanics, connect with everyone and get the kids that are really hungry.

To get the kids on a technical level that are able to perform and what I mean by technical level is first touch (on the ball). The first touch yesterday was not there and you cannot afford those in the World Cup."

[falcons007]

Japan-Paraguay is a snoozefest, if there's no late drama expect pks

[Cujo]

Thrilling match!

[See Red]

I might as well be watching paint dry with a vuvuzela playing in the background.

[TFoA]

Someone on twitter suggested a drinking game for this match:

Whenever you hear a vuvuzela, drink.

[Seadragon76]

Someone on twitter suggested a drinking game for this match:

Whenever you hear a vuvuzela, drink.

Then the poor sap who thought of this drinking game is probably suffering from alcohol poisoning.

[Cujo]

Someone on twitter suggested a drinking game for this match:

Whenever you hear a vuvuzela, drink.

Then the poor sap who thought of this drinking game is probably suffering from alcohol poisoning.

The vuvuzela probably makes a great beer bong!

[lordsketor]

PENALTIES!!!

[scottyvoodoo]

Penalties! This should be crazy

[falcons007]

Pennies in Pretoria

[TFoA]

Well, a boring game is going to have an exciting finish. Nothing else in the world is quite like the complete & utter crapshoot that is a penalty kick shootout in the World Cup.

[MattF]

There's never been penalties in the World Cup without a European team involved. That's the only thing interesting about this game

[Cujo]

Well, a boring game is going to have an exciting finish. Nothing else in the world is quite like the complete & utter crapshoot that is a penalty kick shootout in the World Cup.

How did they used to settle a tie in the knockout round? Coin flip? IIRC, shootouts weren't introduced to the World Cup until the 70s or 80s.

[HedleyLamarr]

Heh...even the ref was bored with this game. He blew the whistle a couple seconds BEFORE the clock reached 120:00.

Back to the US team....a radio host yesterday offered his opinion about who's to blame about the US's finish. His response was...the casual American soccer fan.

I don't remember it verbatim, but his reasoning was that Americans really only get up for soccer once every four years. Americans hype up their team, whether they actually deserve it or not, and have expectations that are usually difficult to attain. The US players, knowing that soccer's not the most popular in the country, wind up trying to do more than they can do to try and reach these insane expectations, in order to make soccer more popular in the US. Nations like Germany and Brazil, where soccer is already the most popular, don't have teams that are trying to do more just so soccer becomes more popular.

Strange angle he took, but it does make some sense....

[scottyvoodoo]

Paraguay powers past in penalties in Pretoria

[lordsketor]

Paraguay will face the winner of Spain-Portugal.

[Seadragon76]

Well, a boring game is going to have an exciting finish. Nothing else in the world is quite like the complete & utter crapshoot that is a penalty kick shootout in the World Cup.

How did they used to settle a tie in the knockout round? Coin flip? IIRC, shotouts weren't introduced to the World Cup until the 70s or 80s.

Nope. They would replay the game the following day (The last time that it happened was in 1938, when two of the 1st Round games and the Brazil-Czechoslovakia Quarterfinal match had to be replayed)

[TFoA]

Well, a boring game is going to have an exciting finish. Nothing else in the world is quite like the complete & utter crapshoot that is a penalty kick shootout in the World Cup.

How did they used to settle a tie in the knockout round? Coin flip? IIRC, shotouts weren't introduced to the World Cup until the 70s or 80s.

Nope. They would replay the game the following day (The last time that it happened was in 1938, when two of the 1st Round games and the Brazil-Czechoslovakia Quarterfinal match had to be replayed)

Yep. Hell, they STILL do that in England for the FA Cup, at least in the earlier rounds. I've always thought that was kind of a quirky alternative to overtime: Play the game all over again.

[Cujo]

And now, the Main Event of round one: Spain vs. Portugal.

I'm really looking forward to this contest. I hate to see either of these teams go home this early, but I'm gonna say Portugal takes it in a good one, 2-1 in extras.

[Cujo]

David Villa shoots and scores -- 1-0 España!

Should Spain hold on, they'll get Paraguay in the 'Elite Eight'.