[Kazan]

it IS mindless bashing when you make bigoted comments like "USA = sucky football", it IS mindless bashing when we play one terrible game and you're like "you suck"

if we suck how did we get to the quarters last time 'round with the german press declaring to a man "the better team lost" when they knocked us out

you think that czech republic match was in ANY way like their normal play? hell no it wasn't - they didn't bring their testicles to the pitch, they didn't even bring their c-game

where the **** was landycakes? why in the hell did arena let DMB PLAY with him being as suck as he has been?

[Colonol Dekker]

Bad coaching? bad manageent?

[Night Hammer]

and Dekker do you play eve?

Never have mate

lol k theres a character named General Dekker in there some of us know, thought youd gotten a promotion or somthin

[Night Hammer]

it IS mindless bashing when you make bigoted comments like "USA = sucky football", it IS mindless bashing when we play one terrible game and you're like "you suck"

if we suck how did we get to the quarters last time 'round with the german press declaring to a man "the better team lost" when they knocked us out

that was 4 years ago, this is a differnet team and Keller and the rest of em have only gotten older

[Kazan]

Bad coaching? bad manageent?

some of it - DMB shouldn't be playing, you cannot go 4-5-1 against the czechs

some of it was the guys left their testicles in the locker room - get out there on the pitch and play, don't be afraid of the farking czechs - play the damn game!

too late now though

/sigh

---------------

the stupid "older team" argument.. you know people said the same about the Czechs and they're the strongest team in our group as well as the oldest!

[Night Hammer]

the stupid "older team" argument.. you know people said the same about the Czechs and they're the strongest team in our group as well as the oldest!

see i never called your argument stupid or insulted you in any way, dont be a ****ing cock

czech is not the strongst team in the group, Italy is

[Colonol Dekker]

Dont worry Kaz, theres always next time

[Col. Fishguts]

If you ask me, neither team looks good enough to go much further.

So I hope, that would leave us 2nd place in the group.

Although we played 1:1 twice against France during the qualification, that was without Henry and Zidane. So it would be a major success if we get a draw again today.

[Kazan]

Dont worry Kaz, theres always next time

no. there isn't

you guys really don't understand what we have riding this year?

this is the first year all 64 games are being played in the US
this is the most advertised world cup ever in the US
our pro league is only 11 years old
we apparently have been managing to get new viewers watching the various games!
last time we got to the quarters

we must perform and the snide comments are rubbing salt in a wound, made all the worse by the fact that the snide comments are ignorant

[Night Hammer]

and yet its being shown on ESPN2 which is an insult in and of its self, they let stupid **** like world series of poker stay on ESPN

 except for the weekends when its on ABC

it is beautiful in high def though

[Kazan]

it's being shown period which is more than could be said before

[Night Hammer]

so yeah nice comeback by the S Koreans not too long ago

[aldo_14]

it IS mindless bashing when you make bigoted comments like "USA = sucky football", it IS mindless bashing when we play one terrible game and you're like "you suck"

if we suck how did we get to the quarters last time 'round with the german press declaring to a man "the better team lost" when they knocked us out

South Korea reached the semis that year, but you'd be hard pressed to find a single person ranking them in the top 10 in the world nowadays.  Likewise, Greece won the European Championships but didn't qualify.    Senegal and Turkey were also in the 2002 QFs, again not qualifying.

Whilst it is still an impressive - historic - achievement for the US, it doesn't suddenly mean they are in the top 8 of the world.   Cup tournaments cannot be held as a definitive judgement for teams abilities due to the simple vagarity of random group selection (and indeed qualifying - plus the likes of Trinidad and Tobago or Saudi Arabia ahead of superior European teams has an impact); nothing can, really (given the lack of an international league or somesuch), beyond trying to analyse the individual players and historical record both across multiple tournaments and also in recent matches.

 Likewise, even after 2002, most people probably wouldn't rank the Germans as 2nd in the world.  Now, I already said my piece on the US team earlier; technically good, tactically competent, but lacking top level experience and genuine invention.  You can try and blame your own team all you like, but it's somewhat disrespectful to the Czechs if you are implying their superiority in general had nothing to do with the result.  Not many teams in the world have players to match Rosicky and Nedved (or even the rather untroubled Cech), after all.

NB: I would also say Italy look the strongest team in the group.  They just have that tiny bit more in general squad depth; the Czechs don't have anyone IMO the calibre of Iaquinta, Gattuso (probably first pick, of course) or Del Piero (finally seeming to be back on form) available to them, plus they strike me as more mobile in attacking with that quartet of Toni-Gilardino-Totti-Pirlo.  Also, it's worth noting Italy have been in superb form all the way up to the tournament and, with low domestic expectations, are perhaps protected from some of the weight of expectation.

[Colonol Dekker]

Dont worry Kaz, theres always next time

no. there isn't

you guys really don't understand what we have riding this year?

this is the first year all 64 games are being played in the US
this is the most advertised world cup ever in the US
our pro league is only 11 years old
we apparently have been managing to get new viewers watching the various games!
last time we got to the quarters

we must perform and the snide comments are rubbing salt in a wound, made all the worse by the fact that the snide comments are ignorant

Hey i cant help how long it took the states to love "original football  "We never took to hockey that much over here to be honest so if we ever hosted a worl tourney then i wouldnt expect us to do great. Take the oppertunity to spread the gospel of the beutiful gae and ensure the guys get some practise.

(not a dig)

[Shade]

What you guys really need to beef up interest in Football is probably something equivalent to the UEFA Champions League (arguably the strongest football tournament anywhere, ever, WC included). Some kind of pan-american tournament featuring only the very best teams from each country. It would improve the play of your home league by letting them compete on a higher level, and it would garner more interest as the quality of play is better and, well, it's always something more when a home team is fighting the 'evil barbarians'.

Resting all your hopes on WC success every 4th year is just a bad plan. But of course, as you presumably aren't the head of the US football association (whatever it might be called) nor a national TV staion, I guess saying that doesn't help much I think most here would like to see the US perform well, we genuinely enjoy good football. And trust me, if you do go out and trounce Italy, people will then be congratulating as much as they've been critisizing after the Czech failure.

[aldo_14]

What you guys really need to beef up interest in Football is probably something equivalent to the UEFA Champions League. Some kind of pan-american tournament featuring only the very best teams from each country. It would improve the play of your home league by letting them compete on a higher level, and it would garner more interest as the quality of play is better and, well, it's always something more when a home team is fighting the 'evil barbarians'.

Resting all your hopes on WC success every 4th year is just a bad plan. But of course, as you presumably aren't the head of the US football association (whatever it might be called) nor a national TV staion, I guess saying that doesn't help much I think most here would like to see the US perform well, we genuinely enjoy good football. And trust me, if you do go out and trounce Italy, people will then be congratulating as much as they've been critisizing after the Czech failure.

The problem is that the Mexicans already play in the Copa Libertadores (as with the Copa America), and it's hard seeing the American public taking to a competition where they'd see their teams struggle rather badly (which in turn would make it more difficult for said teams to adjust to the competition, etc).  I suspect the US needs to sort out the MLS to have proper transfers, though; AFAIK all players have their registrations owned by the league, which to me can only stifle competition.

And the US winning any game in the group would be a tremendous achievement, as both Italy and Ghana have already shown themselves to be top class teams.

Of course, the Brazilians seem to have done rather well despite having one of the most chaotic and bizarre league systems in the world.

[Flipside]

I always think of it like the WWF, theres a lot of jibes swapped etc between fans, it's all part of the show

[Night Hammer]

what we need is some marque name to come play here in the MLS, Red Bull NY tried to get Ronaldo not to long ago but was  shot down pretty quick. You could go around and most peopl dont know a member of most of the teams in the MLS

without bigtime name recognition weve got nothing, Freddy Adu aint cuttin it

[Colonol Dekker]

I always think of it like the WWF, theres a lot of jibes swapped etc between fans, it's all part of the show

Trust me it was happening decades before WWF 
I come from a Millwall / Charlton famly, so every time we get round a dinner table the conversation is heated to say the least.
(Thats right lions fans can use forks and knives for food as well as violence)

[Shade]

Well, struggle is part of learning. European football wouldn't be where it is today, I think, if not for all the tournaments pitting top teams from different countries against eachother. And once american crowds started to see the spectacle that a match against, say, a top brazilian team can be, that will increase interest even in case of a (probable) loss. And it would give the american teams something more to fight for.

That it's never gonna happen is a different story. Or hell, try broker a deal to get a team into the champions league. Even less likely to happen (it's UEFA only), but it would rock to see it.