2006 World Cup

[Stout]

Johnson showing at least something of a spark, but damn, do we look awful. Did we take a time machine back to 1998?

 

[SirStefan32]

Damn!!!!!

 

[TucsonDevil]

Boy, oh boy. How depressing is this...

 

[arthurracoon]

i guess the game is now over

 

[Chaplin]

We are playing amazingly bad. If the US played like this over the past couple years, we wouldn't have qualified for the World Cup. So I guess the good thing is that this is unusual for us.

Granted, I know very little about a lot of the players, but how does Convey even get a roster spot on this team? Aren't you supposed to be able to KICK the ball to play soccer?

 

[Sunshooter]

Using default ranking (traditional common sense)this is the vital game, since these two team are supposedly the 2nd and 3rd best team in the group, but only two team goes on from the group play.

this group draw has a bit tricky

1. best team in group 1
2. europe team in group 2
3. south american and asia in group 3
4. african and north american in group 4

each group draw one team to form group a-h

so you can see that europe team is a great advantage

 

[Zeno]

We are playing amazingly bad. If the US played like this over the past couple years, we wouldn't have qualified for the World Cup. So I guess the good thing is that this is unusual for us.

We'll continue to qualify because our Federation is abysmal. Jamaica, Trinindad, Guatemala, Cost Rica will never be better than us, but that doesn't really prepare us for the best teams in the world.

3-0 ouch...and very little offense from the US. They just never even looked like they had a sense of urgency.

The US lineup has to change for the next game. I wouldn't put Convey back out there at least not as a starter.

 

[Zeno]

Is there anything positive we can take from this match? Seriously?

 

[Chaplin]

Is there anything positive we can take from this match? Seriously?

Eddie Johnson and...

Nope, just Eddie Johnson.

 

[boricuazroadie]

There is no need for those comments...

 

[Zeno]

There is no need for those comments...

? Umm we are on page 19 or so...what comments would that be?

 

[boricuazroadie]

I saw this on another board...."The gardeners of the USA are up 3-1".

My bad.
These comments

 

[Zeno]

I'd start Bocanegra over Pope, Dempsey over Convey (Beasley to the left) and either O'Brien or Johnson over Mastroeni in the next game. I'd even consider benching Beasley because he sure didn't help out today.

 

[Stout]

Wow. I mean, I wanted to cry. I will say right now that we have less chance of advancing than George Bush has of joining MENSA. Okay, I've said it, we all know we're pretty much toast, and so now we have to put on a brave face and try to see what can be done to try to seize that small chance. Thoughts:

1-Mastroeni is benched. Convey is benched. BEASLEY is benched. Johnson starts as striker, and O'Brien and Dempsey start in the midfield. That's right, I said it...BEASLEY BENCHED. He sucked, played with no hustle and no heart. His only good play came on defense, which is unacceptable. He's played the same way in all the buildup games. Bench his ass, wake him up, and you'll have a super sub who will come out and bust his ass to do well. Johnson proved his worth. Mastroeni and Convey proved their unworthiness, their MASSIVE unworthiness. Conversely, Johnson showed his worth, his spark. He MUST start if we have any chance of beating Italy, which we must do.

2-Change the attitude. Play like you actually care. These guys have no excuses for this crap. They played gutless, heartless, and spineless. Arena, partly to blame I think for sending them out there to hold rather than attack, should be ripping people new ones every minute of every day from this point on.

3-Play two strikers. This is key. Italy has a solid defense, and assuming we can change the attitude, we will still have to put solid pressure on that defense if we have any hope of scoring on them.

4-Run down the flanks. This is where Dempsey will help and what Beasley should have been doing. We are at our best when we attack the flanks, pass back inside, and lob the ball in to McBride. This is a key offensive adjustment that absolutely MUST be made. It's our bread and butter and we can't win without it.

5-Kick the crap out of Onyewu. He played tentative, scared, and stupid. Get into his ASS, Arena! I mean, ream him a good one for a good solid day or two. Make him run, make him do drills, and make him get back to the basics. Then pump him back up, praise him in practice, and let him know he has the talent and size to defend well. We have the time between games to tear this kid down and build him back up, IF he can show some mental toughness. If he can't, we're done, because we need him in central defense.

6-Put this one behind us. Absolutely, positively put it behind us. Harp on individual players, yes, but not on the game itself. This game didn't occur; that's the attitude Arena must take.

Well, there you have it. We're pretty much screwed, and I as a fan have pretty much no hope right now. Still, they HAVE to have hope, and of course I'll still watch. Now let's pull out a miracle, guys.

 

[Stout]

I'd start Bocanegra over Pope, Dempsey over Convey (Beasley to the left) and either O'Brien or Johnson over Mastroeni in the next game. I'd even consider benching Beasley because he sure didn't help out today.

I agree, with the caveat that we absolutely need Johnson in the starting 11 next game.

 

[azsouthendzone]

Not just a loss, but the way they lost, it appeared as if they were playing with each other for the first time. Convey and Beasley were terrible. Eddie Johnson and Reyna were the only two who bothered to show up. No sense of urgency at all. Maybe an ass kicking is what they needed to bring them back down to earth.

By the way, does every Euro need to get taken off on a stretcher? The guy pulls a hamstring and get's hauled off on a stretcher. Give me a break. In the NFL, if a guy is taken off on a stretcher, he may never walk again.

Team USA better step it up against Italy. They weren't prepared at all. Four years of training and preperation down the tubes if they don't go all out on Saturday. Extremely disappointing game.

 

[CardShark]

Granted I've not followed this team until now, but the person who compared this team to the Phoenix Suns really doesn't follow the Suns. After the 2nd goal this team showed it lacks heart and resiliency. Instead of Team USA it should be called Team Ghandi for it was as close to nonaggression as you can get in sports. Very disappointing.

 

[azsouthendzone]

1-Mastroeni is benched. Convey is benched. BEASLEY is benched. Johnson starts as striker, and O'Brien and Dempsey start in the midfield. That's right, I said it...BEASLEY BENCHED. He sucked, played with no hustle and no heart. His only good play came on defense, which is unacceptable. He's played the same way in all the buildup games. Bench his ass, wake him up, and you'll have a super sub who will come out and bust his ass to do well. Johnson proved his worth. Mastroeni and Convey proved their unworthiness, their MASSIVE unworthiness. Conversely, Johnson showed his worth, his spark. He MUST start if we have any chance of beating Italy, which we must do.

2-Change the attitude. Play like you actually care. These guys have no excuses for this crap. They played gutless, heartless, and spineless. Arena, partly to blame I think for sending them out there to hold rather than attack, should be ripping people new ones every minute of every day from this point on.

3-Play two strikers. This is key. Italy has a solid defense, and assuming we can change the attitude, we will still have to put solid pressure on that defense if we have any hope of scoring on them.

4-Run down the flanks. This is where Dempsey will help and what Beasley should have been doing. We are at our best when we attack the flanks, pass back inside, and lob the ball in to McBride. This is a key offensive adjustment that absolutely MUST be made. It's our bread and butter and we can't win without it.

5-Kick the crap out of Onyewu. He played tentative, scared, and stupid. Get into his ASS, Arena! I mean, ream him a good one for a good solid day or two. Make him run, make him do drills, and make him get back to the basics. Then pump him back up, praise him in practice, and let him know he has the talent and size to defend well. We have the time between games to tear this kid down and build him back up, IF he can show some mental toughness. If he can't, we're done, because we need him in central defense.

6-Put this one behind us. Absolutely, positively put it behind us. Harp on individual players, yes, but not on the game itself. This game didn't occur; that's the attitude Arena must take.

Well, there you have it. We're pretty much screwed, and I as a fan have pretty much no hope right now. Still, they HAVE to have hope, and of course I'll still watch. Now let's pull out a miracle, guys.

Solid evaluation. We need to attack.

 

[CaptTurbo]

In our defense it isnt easy to win when the oppenent is taller, faster, and stronger.

 

[Zeno]

In our defense it isnt easy to win when the oppenent is taller, faster, and stronger.

..more talented, better prepared etc...and the list goes on.

 

[Zeno]

BEASLEY is benched. Johnson starts as striker, and O'Brien and Dempsey start in the midfield. That's right, I said it...BEASLEY BENCHED. He sucked, played with no hustle and no heart. His only good play came on defense, which is unacceptable. He's played the same way in all the buildup games. Bench his ass, wake him up, and you'll have a super sub who will come out and bust his ass to do well.

I was giving him the benefit of the doubt playing on the right rather than his natural left sided MF position...but you are right. He didn't help the team out offensively at all.

Botom line is the US has to win the next 2 matches to guarantee themselves 2nd in the group. I don't think a win and draw will do it not having a -3 goal differential.

I'm watching Arena's press conference--I know he doesn't like singling out players in th media for poor performance but he just said Pope and Onyewu played well and the our defense as a whole played well...What?

If he doesn't make some adjustments he'll be done as US coach after this tournament. I'll be the first one to call for Hiddink as the next US coach.

 

[CaptTurbo]

..more talented, better prepared etc...and the list goes on.

Reminded me of the red wings vs the flyers in the 90's for the stanley cup. Czechs were making 50 yard passes, we couldnt make a 5 yard pass without a slicing czech picking it off and running down field with it.

I think the czechs are better than Italy right now. Plus we have some Italian players facing serious fines/jail for fixing matches. Maybe they wont be in the game mentally.

 

[Djaughe]

Cheer up folks...maybe this link will pick up the spirits:

Soccer wives and girlfriends

 

[Renz]

Well, we sure played like the worst team in Group E today.

 

[SouthNZoneFan]

Hi Ben - Horrible game just now. I hope that Ghana does well against Italy to destroy their confidence. Then we can hopefully take a win...