stevekweli - tough loss. That couldn’t have been fun to watch.
Well that was exciting to watch and I would have loved to see US get a goal and send it to pk’s. But, Belgium was better and deserved to win. Also, the reality is that if not for the goal by Brooks, this wc is a complete and total disaster for the US.
Donovan might have made a difference as he’s still clearly better than Zusi, Bedoya and Davis. Too bad Klinsmann couldn’t separate personal feelings with what’s best for the team.
Michael Bradley sucks. That is all.
I really enjoyed watching the World Cup this year. I’m sad it’s over, but will look forward to watching the US again in 4 years.
[quote]xXSeraphimXx wrote:
Michael Bradley sucks. That is all.[/quote]
If your job is to turn over the ball at midfield every time you touch it, then he’s the best.
But yeah, I watched every game and he was sub par.
A few good balls forward in the game against Belgium, but that was it.
[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
I really enjoyed watching the World Cup this year. I’m sad it’s over, but will look forward to watching the US again in 4 years.[/quote]
Its not over.
tweet
[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
stevekweli - tough loss. That couldn’t have been fun to watch.[/quote]
Lol I’m not even american
[quote]dcb wrote:
Well that was exciting to watch and I would have loved to see US get a goal and send it to pk’s. But, Belgium was better and deserved to win. Also, the reality is that if not for the goal by Brooks, this wc is a complete and total disaster for the US.
Donovan might have made a difference as he’s still clearly better than Zusi, Bedoya and Davis. Too bad Klinsmann couldn’t separate personal feelings with what’s best for the team. [/quote]
I don’t think klinsmann did anything wrong,I even think he had good foresight,this world cup is for players with pace,donovan is old. I think the US exceeded expectation,nobody expected them to qualify from the original “group of death”,they did. They played bravery against superior opponents,and didn’t look like they were going to lose even before the start of the matches. Overall it was a great performance by the US,the whole world was entertained and impressed,they were just unlucky to draw a top team like Belgium in the second rounds,and in the end quality counted more than bravery,tactics,guts…
Was there not a single place player on the US team that can execute a cross, especially from the corner (may have terminology wrong)? With most other teams a corner kick was tense for the defense, with us it was a success if we did not kick it totally out on the other side.
Side note: Tim Howard was a beast. Don’t watch soccer but it just felt like he really played a special game for 90+ minutes despite frequently being hung out to dry by everyone but Gonzalez.
The game was entertaining and it was a pleasure to watch Tim Howard.
Better luck next time.
tweet
[quote]jbpick86 wrote:
Was there not a single place player on the US team that can execute a cross, especially from the corner (may have terminology wrong)? With most other teams a corner kick was tense for the defense, with us it was a success if we did not kick it totally out on the other side.
Side note: Tim Howard was a beast. Don’t watch soccer but it just felt like he really played a special game for 90+ minutes despite frequently being hung out to dry by everyone but Gonzalez.[/quote]
Both excellent points. The US was never a threat from the corner and Howard was really more important that any other player.
On the other hand, you have to consider that the US went 1-2-1. In spite of the fact that they made it out of the group, that really isn’t a great showing.
More broadly, it’s interesting that 5 of the 8 matches in the round of 16 went to extra time. And the Netherlands won in stoppage time on a penalty kick. A lot of very close games.
[quote]stevekweli wrote:
I don’t think klinsmann did anything wrong,I even think he had good foresight,this world cup is for players with pace,donovan is old. I think the US exceeded expectation,nobody expected them to qualify from the original “group of death”,they did. They played bravery against superior opponents,and didn’t look like they were going to lose even before the start of the matches. Overall it was a great performance by the US,the whole world was entertained and impressed,they were just unlucky to draw a top team like Belgium in the second rounds,and in the end quality counted more than bravery,tactics,guts… [/quote]
If you think this, then I just have to conclude that you don’t watch much soccer. Yes, Donovan is older now but he’s still got better pace than anyone in our front 6 players. The only player that we started that might be faster than LD is Beasley who’s the same age as Donovan. Do you watch MLS games, specifically the Galaxy? If you did, you would know that what you typed about LD’s pace is WAY off.
We got out of the group because we played pretty well against Ghana and because Portugal underachieved massively. That wasn’t particularly surprising as they shit the bed frequently in big tournaments.
Klinnsman put a team together with two huge holes:
- No Landon Donovan - which meant that the best counterattacking player in the U.S. was not on the team. We KNEW we’d be counterattacking in this tournament and we didn’t bring the player who does that best.
- No replacement for Altidore. When Altidore went down, there was nobody to fill the gap high up the field. Then we put Dempsey up there, which hurts in two ways, first he’s no longer playing the position he’s best at, and he’s also not good playing the highest spot. This was Klinsmann’s fault 100% to not have the proper 23 players selected and then not adjusting well when JA got hurt.
Also, the hamstring injuries are probably Klinsmann’s fault as well. The ATC’s/fitness coaches for the team follow good protocols for fitness and injury prevention. Klinsmann is well know however for running his players into the ground. This is great for developing fitness and finding out who’s got balls IF, you then allow them to recover for matches. Klinsmann continues to run his players right up to the games though without much thought when it comes to this.
Look - right now lots of people feel warm and fuzzy about this team because the players left it all out on the field. You can’t ask more than that from them. But when the dust settles, hard questions will be asked about the management of the team. It was sub par. period.
[quote]dcb wrote:
[quote]stevekweli wrote:
I don’t think klinsmann did anything wrong,I even think he had good foresight,this world cup is for players with pace,donovan is old. I think the US exceeded expectation,nobody expected them to qualify from the original “group of death”,they did. They played bravery against superior opponents,and didn’t look like they were going to lose even before the start of the matches. Overall it was a great performance by the US,the whole world was entertained and impressed,they were just unlucky to draw a top team like Belgium in the second rounds,and in the end quality counted more than bravery,tactics,guts… [/quote]
If you think this, then I just have to conclude that you don’t watch much soccer. Yes, Donovan is older now but he’s still got better pace than anyone in our front 6 players. The only player that we started that might be faster than LD is Beasley who’s the same age as Donovan. Do you watch MLS games, specifically the Galaxy? If you did, you would know that what you typed about LD’s pace is WAY off.
We got out of the group because we played pretty well against Ghana and because Portugal underachieved massively. That wasn’t particularly surprising as they shit the bed frequently in big tournaments.
Klinnsman put a team together with two huge holes:
- No Landon Donovan - which meant that the best counterattacking player in the U.S. was not on the team. We KNEW we’d be counterattacking in this tournament and we didn’t bring the player who does that best.
- No replacement for Altidore. When Altidore went down, there was nobody to fill the gap high up the field. Then we put Dempsey up there, which hurts in two ways, first he’s no longer playing the position he’s best at, and he’s also not good playing the highest spot. This was Klinsmann’s fault 100% to not have the proper 23 players selected and then not adjusting well when JA got hurt.
Also, the hamstring injuries are probably Klinsmann’s fault as well. The ATC’s/fitness coaches for the team follow good protocols for fitness and injury prevention. Klinsmann is well know however for running his players into the ground. This is great for developing fitness and finding out who’s got balls IF, you then allow them to recover for matches. Klinsmann continues to run his players right up to the games though without much thought when it comes to this.
Look - right now lots of people feel warm and fuzzy about this team because the players left it all out on the field. You can’t ask more than that from them. But when the dust settles, hard questions will be asked about the management of the team. It was sub par. period.
[/quote]
Nope, I don’t watch the MLS,so I might be wrong about donovan pace,but I remember that his declining pace was one of the reasons he couldn’t cut it in england anymore,so I just expected it to get worse I was expecting a slower but more experienced donovan, altidore injury was unfortunate,however it did USA good in the group stage,as it meant the team played with more mildfielders,than would have been possible and this helped the US against top notch mild fields. I don’t know about klinsmann fitness regiment,but many nations have had issues with fitness,only the south americans seem to be coping well. And I think if anyone is angry about the way the USA performed they are not facing realities,Belgium has better players in all positions,and the team wasn’t intimidated and did the best they could,and could have won the game too.
My verdict: the team played well,and exceeded expectations atleast to us non americans
[quote]stevekweli wrote:
[quote]dcb wrote:
[quote]stevekweli wrote:
I don’t think klinsmann did anything wrong,I even think he had good foresight,this world cup is for players with pace,donovan is old. I think the US exceeded expectation,nobody expected them to qualify from the original “group of death”,they did. They played bravery against superior opponents,and didn’t look like they were going to lose even before the start of the matches. Overall it was a great performance by the US,the whole world was entertained and impressed,they were just unlucky to draw a top team like Belgium in the second rounds,and in the end quality counted more than bravery,tactics,guts… [/quote]
If you think this, then I just have to conclude that you don’t watch much soccer. Yes, Donovan is older now but he’s still got better pace than anyone in our front 6 players. The only player that we started that might be faster than LD is Beasley who’s the same age as Donovan. Do you watch MLS games, specifically the Galaxy? If you did, you would know that what you typed about LD’s pace is WAY off.
We got out of the group because we played pretty well against Ghana and because Portugal underachieved massively. That wasn’t particularly surprising as they shit the bed frequently in big tournaments.
Klinnsman put a team together with two huge holes:
- No Landon Donovan - which meant that the best counterattacking player in the U.S. was not on the team. We KNEW we’d be counterattacking in this tournament and we didn’t bring the player who does that best.
- No replacement for Altidore. When Altidore went down, there was nobody to fill the gap high up the field. Then we put Dempsey up there, which hurts in two ways, first he’s no longer playing the position he’s best at, and he’s also not good playing the highest spot. This was Klinsmann’s fault 100% to not have the proper 23 players selected and then not adjusting well when JA got hurt.
Also, the hamstring injuries are probably Klinsmann’s fault as well. The ATC’s/fitness coaches for the team follow good protocols for fitness and injury prevention. Klinsmann is well know however for running his players into the ground. This is great for developing fitness and finding out who’s got balls IF, you then allow them to recover for matches. Klinsmann continues to run his players right up to the games though without much thought when it comes to this.
Look - right now lots of people feel warm and fuzzy about this team because the players left it all out on the field. You can’t ask more than that from them. But when the dust settles, hard questions will be asked about the management of the team. It was sub par. period.
[/quote]
Nope, I don’t watch the MLS,so I might be wrong about donovan pace,but I remember that his declining pace was one of the reasons he couldn’t cut it in england anymore,so I just expected it to get worse I was expecting a slower but more experienced donovan, altidore injury was unfortunate,however it did USA good in the group stage,as it meant the team played with more mildfielders,than would have been possible and this helped the US against top notch mild fields. I don’t know about klinsmann fitness regiment,but many nations have had issues with fitness,only the south americans seem to be coping well. And I think if anyone is angry about the way the USA performed they are not facing realities,Belgium has better players in all positions,and the team wasn’t intimidated and did the best they could,and could have won the game too.
My verdict: the team played well,and exceeded expectations atleast to us non americans[/quote]
A question, aside altidore what other notable striker does the usa have?
[quote]stevekweli wrote:
Nope, I don’t watch the MLS,so I might be wrong about donovan pace,but I remember that his declining pace was one of the reasons he couldn’t cut it in england anymore,so I just expected it to get worse I was expecting a slower but more experienced donovan, altidore injury was unfortunate,however it did USA good in the group stage,as it meant the team played with more mildfielders,than would have been possible and this helped the US against top notch mild fields. I don’t know about klinsmann fitness regiment,but many nations have had issues with fitness,only the south americans seem to be coping well. And I think if anyone is angry about the way the USA performed they are not facing realities,Belgium has better players in all positions,and the team wasn’t intimidated and did the best they could,and could have won the game too.
My verdict: the team played well,and exceeded expectations atleast to us non americans[/quote]
Belgium, and Germany and Portugal and arguably Ghana all are better individually than the U.S. I’m not angry with the way they performed. They did what they could with sub par management.
Donovan didn’t stop playing in England because he was getting slower…you really show your lack of knowledge here by the way. He only ever played for Everton on loan during the MLS off season. At some point, LA decided they didn’t want their player playing for 11.5 months out of 12 and they needed to protect their investment so the loan deal was off. Also,he was in camp with the National team during this past off season so he couldn’t have gone on loan anyway.
As to your point about doing better without Altidore, that’s fucking crazy. Read my point again about Dempsey having to play out of position and also add to that the fact that Altidore was the only player on the roster capable of holding possession higher up the field to allow the rest of the team to advance instead of bunker in and absorb ridiculous amounts of pressure.
As to your second post, Eddie Johnson, Conner Casey, or even Mike McGee would have allowed Dempsey to play in a better position.
As to the injuries, name another team that suffered as many hamstring injuries.
[quote]theBird wrote:
[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
I really enjoyed watching the World Cup this year. I’m sad it’s over, but will look forward to watching the US again in 4 years.[/quote]
Its not over.
tweet[/quote]
[quote]stevekweli wrote:
[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
stevekweli - tough loss. That couldn’t have been fun to watch.[/quote]
Lol I’m not even american[/quote]
Yes, I was referring to Nigeria’s loss to France. For some reason, I thought you were Nigerian, no?
[quote]dcb wrote:
[quote]stevekweli wrote:
Nope, I don’t watch the MLS,so I might be wrong about donovan pace,but I remember that his declining pace was one of the reasons he couldn’t cut it in england anymore,so I just expected it to get worse I was expecting a slower but more experienced donovan, altidore injury was unfortunate,however it did USA good in the group stage,as it meant the team played with more mildfielders,than would have been possible and this helped the US against top notch mild fields. I don’t know about klinsmann fitness regiment,but many nations have had issues with fitness,only the south americans seem to be coping well. And I think if anyone is angry about the way the USA performed they are not facing realities,Belgium has better players in all positions,and the team wasn’t intimidated and did the best they could,and could have won the game too.
My verdict: the team played well,and exceeded expectations atleast to us non americans[/quote]
Belgium, and Germany and Portugal and arguably Ghana all are better individually than the U.S. I’m not angry with the way they performed. They did what they could with sub par management.
Donovan didn’t stop playing in England because he was getting slower…you really show your lack of knowledge here by the way. He only ever played for Everton on loan during the MLS off season. At some point, LA decided they didn’t want their player playing for 11.5 months out of 12 and they needed to protect their investment so the loan deal was off. Also,he was in camp with the National team during this past off season so he couldn’t have gone on loan anyway.
As to your point about doing better without Altidore, that’s fucking crazy. Read my point again about Dempsey having to play out of position and also add to that the fact that Altidore was the only player on the roster capable of holding possession higher up the field to allow the rest of the team to advance instead of bunker in and absorb ridiculous amounts of pressure.
As to your second post, Eddie Johnson, Conner Casey, or even Mike McGee would have allowed Dempsey to play in a better position.
As to the injuries, name another team that suffered as many hamstring injuries.
[/quote]
Ok I hear you,you are right about donovan,it is true that most of his sojourn in europe were loans to other clubs. About me saying altidore injury favored USA,it meant dempsey would have played probably as a second striker slightly behind altidore,meaning that usa would have 4 men in the mildfield,2 out of them would be wingers leaving only 2 in the middle. And all the teams the usa met played variations of 4-5-1 which meant it would always be 2 vs 3 or at times 5 players,who are better mildfielders than the americans.if altidore played,america would have played 4-4-2 and she would have been badly beaten. Case in point,watch the friendly with nigeria before the world cup, nigeria was horrid in that match,altidore scored true,but anytime nigeria wanted to control the mildfield,it was easy for them.
All the 3 guys u mentioned are not world class,or what you would call good,I’ll rather put dempsey up there if I were a coach,and I don’t think dempsey did a bad job top striking for the USA. think about it of what use is playing behind a not so good striker as a supporting striker?
As for injuries, portugal had more problems with injuries,aguero is out,higuan isn’t 100 percent fit,and the list goes on. Given not all of them are hamstring issues but that’s football for you,injuries happen,sometimes it is just down to luck or misfortune. Thank you
[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
[quote]stevekweli wrote:
[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
stevekweli - tough loss. That couldn’t have been fun to watch.[/quote]
Lol I’m not even american[/quote]
Yes, I was referring to Nigeria’s loss to France. For some reason, I thought you were Nigerian, no?[/quote]
Yes I am nigerian,and I wasn’t expecting nigeria to beat france except by a miracle,we did our best,but there’s a huge gulf in quality between both teams.and at times even when the supposedly better team is playing crap,that spark of quality can come and win the game for them. So I guess it was easy for me and many nigerians to accept the defeat.
[quote]stevekweli wrote:
Ok I hear you,you are right about donovan,it is true that most of his sojourn in europe were loans to other clubs. About me saying altidore injury favored USA,it meant dempsey would have played probably as a second striker slightly behind altidore,meaning that usa would have 4 men in the mildfield,2 out of them would be wingers leaving only 2 in the middle. And all the teams the usa met played variations of 4-5-1 which meant it would always be 2 vs 3 or at times 5 players,who are better mildfielders than the americans.if altidore played,america would have played 4-4-2 and she would have been badly beaten. Case in point,watch the friendly with nigeria before the world cup, nigeria was horrid in that match,altidore scored true,but anytime nigeria wanted to control the mildfield,it was easy for them.
All the 3 guys u mentioned are not world class,or what you would call good,I’ll rather put dempsey up there if I were a coach,and I don’t think dempsey did a bad job top striking for the USA. think about it of what use is playing behind a not so good striker as a supporting striker?
As for injuries, portugal had more problems with injuries,aguero is out,higuan isn’t 100 percent fit,and the list goes on. Given not all of them are hamstring issues but that’s football for you,injuries happen,sometimes it is just down to luck or misfortune. Thank you
[/quote]
You’re going to site a game vs Nigeria in which the US won and Altidore scored twice as a reason as why he shouldn’t be on the field??? That’s up to you but it’s perhaps the weakest argument you’ve put forth in this thread.
The US gave up possession in midfield anyway, but it compounds the problem when there’s no outlet up front who can hold the ball. Dempsey couldn’t do it and that’s really no knock on him as that’s not his position. The other forwards I mentioned are as good as Wondo and in two cases better at holding onto the ball. Even with Wondo, our play picked up with the team pushed higher up the field because we had two forwards.
Listen - you’re wrong in your evaluation of the US team. It’s OK, I wouldn’t even try to evaluate the Nigerian team. I don’t know their players and wouldn’t hazard a guess as to what went right or wrong for them.