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FIFA World Cup - Group E: Czech Republic/Ghana/Italy/USA

Elster88 Jun 01 2006 08:02 PM

Duan is going to run with Ghana. One of the things that really bothers me from the movie Miracle is that the Italian Olympic team had "Italy" on the back of their jackets.

Willets Point Jun 01 2006 08:12 PM

Just playing devil's advocate but I believe the Olympics have official languages of English, French and the host nation's language (which is also English in 1980 Winter Olympics). Could explain why they'd where jackets that say Italy instead of Italia. Or the filmmakers could've screwed up.

Elster88 Jun 01 2006 09:02 PM

Grrrrr. I thought of that actually...but I like to pretend I'm clever.

Nymr83 Jun 02 2006 05:07 PM

I didn't even know the US was in this thing, its funny how all the people i know who care are from somewhere else (Australia, Europe)

Elster88 Jun 05 2006 10:52 AM

If anyone should happen to beat duan to Ghana, I don't think he'll mind.

metirish Jun 05 2006 03:58 PM

Are the US Team paranoid? ] U.S. wins World Cup practice match THE ASSOCIATED PRESS June 5, 2006, 3:05 PM EDT HAMBURG, Germany -- The United States beat Angola 1-0 in a practice match Monday, four days before the World Cup kicks off. It was unclear who scored for the Americans because the team didn't wear numbers and the match was closed to the media. Even Angola coach Luis Oliviera Goncalves wasn't sure who scored. "They didn't wear numbers, and the United States didn't want to give names of players," Goncalves said. Angola played with 10 men for much of the match after Loco got his second yellow card in about the 30th minute. "In the second half we dominated most of the game, but in general it was very balanced," Goncalves said. U.S. captain Claudio Reyna was the best player for the Americans, who also tested backup goalkeeper Tim Howard later in the match. No one from the United States was available for immediate comment. The Americans face Italy, the Czech Republic and Ghana in group E at the World Cup, while Angola will play Portugal, Mexico and Iran in Group D.

Nymr83 Jun 05 2006 04:26 PM

well, the real story is that we still aren't sure who passed the tougher international steroid testing, so we don't want to anounce our team just yet.

duan Jun 08 2006 05:01 AM Ghana - or 'The Black Stars' as they're nicknamed.

So about 20 years ago (well maybe 16) Pelé proclaimed that "An African Team will win the world cup by 2000" It hasn't happened yet. In fact, an African team hasn't got into the quarter finals since Cameroon in 1990. That might lead you to think that world cup debutants Ghana might be somewhat of a soft touch for the Mighty Italians, the Mercurial Czechs and the surprisingly ok all things considered USA, but that's far from the truth. They're a robust team full of physical power and in Michael Essien have a player who's the very definition of a 'tasty tackler' and here's proof. Samuel Kuffor (a very experienced teak tough centre-half who plays for Roma) is similarly unforgiving with the opposition! However, as destructive and organised as (Serbian Boss) Ratomir Dujkovic may have made them the key is going to be can they score any goals. The key's going to be this - Can Stephen Appiah, Matthew Amoah or 20 year old Asamoh Gyan actually put the ball in the back of the net. Appiah's a midfielder with a fearsome left foot, who's currently playing for Fenerbace in the Turkish league - having played for Juventus, Parma & Undinese in Serie A he's clearly no mug, but as the captain he'll have to coax mature performances out of his team mates as well as having responsibilty for dictating the tempo of the Ghanese rythym. However most importantly his professional career started at the fantastically named "Hearts of Oak" in Accra. Amoah (aged 26 and playing for Borussia Dortmund in the Budesliga - having moved from Vitesse Arnhem in Holland) & Gyan (aged 20 and playing for Modena in Serie B in Italy) are the current striking partnership and with combined totals of 15 goals and 29 caps they're may be a sense that they could be an up and coming strike force but it looks to me like they simply aren't of the class of former Ghanaian superstar strikers, Tony Yeboah & Abedi Pele and that means that we're likely to see Ghana exit at the first round unless one of them becomes this years El Hadj Diouf (see Senegal, 2002 World Cup). That being said, I think they'll be hard to beat and with Italy being traditionally slow starters their opening game in the group could be a very dour, very ill-tempered affair where they snatch a victory. If that happens we could see could them find a path forward.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 08 2006 02:08 PM

]World 'Beer' Cup -- USA vs. Czech Republic and the City of Budweis BRIDGEPORT, Conn. & CESKE BUDEJOVICE, Czech Republic, June 8 -- On June 12th, the United States soccer team faces the Czech Republic in the first round of the World Cup in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. 500 miles away in Ceske Budejovice, Czech fans will cheer for their national team drinking "B.B. Budweiser" beer. Sacrilege? Hardly. The "B.B. Budweiser" beer they will be enjoying is not affiliated in any way with St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch or its Budweiser brand, which is the official sponsor of the World Cup. "B.B Budweiser" is a historic beer brewed at the Budejovicky Mestansky Pivovar (BMP) brewery, which translated into English means, "Municipal Brewery of Budweis City." The "Budweiser" name means "from the City of Budweis," a city known to beer-loving Czechs and Europeans as having the highest reputation for brewing premium lagers. BMP was established in 1795 as "Burgerliches Brauhaus Budweis" or "Burger Brau" (which translated to English still means Municipal Brewery of Budweis). BMP possesses documents dating back to 1802 demonstrating that it was the world's first brewery to use the term 'Budweiser' on its beer, as a geographic indicator. BMP's original lager is widely recognized to be the inspiration to various American breweries of the mid-1800s who emulated Burger Brau's "Budweiser" as a style of beer, such as 'Pilsners', 'Dortmunders', or 'India Pale Ales'. Unlike its cross-town neighbor Budvar, which in 1895 was established 100 years after Burger Brau and 20 years after Anheuser-Busch, BMP has largely avoided the trademark disputes with its much larger American cousin. "In the Czech Republic, there is no confusion that 'Budweiser' beer comes solely from the city of Budweis," explains Miroslav Zeman, Director of Sales at BMP. "Yet outside of our country, we market the beer as 'B.B. Burgerbrau' or 'B.B. 1795 Budweis Bohemia.' Our beer is a full-bodied quintessential European lager and very dissimilar in taste to the American beers. We prefer to avoid any comparison." This distinction was validated by the European Union, which officially bestowed upon BMP the coveted "Protected Geographical Indication" (PGI) status for their "Budejovicky Pivo" or "Budweiser Bier." This PGI designation is reserved for food and beverage products that have a significant quality attachment to the region where they are exclusively produced, such as Champagne, Bordeaux and Feta. While images on their television screens will be filled with sponsors that call the game 'soccer,' Czechs will cheer their national 'football' team while drinking their special beer from Budweis city.

Elster88 Jun 08 2006 02:30 PM

Thanks, duan.

Elster88 Jun 09 2006 04:45 PM

What's the USA team nickname?

Johnny Dickshot Jun 09 2006 04:50 PM

They don;t really have one, other than (hold your ears) the Yanks

Elster88 Jun 12 2006 10:26 AM

USA v. Czech Republic: 12 PM Italy v. Ghana: 3 PM

metirish Jun 12 2006 10:33 AM

This lad claims to know the nicknames for all the WC teams... http://worldcup.blogs.nytimes.com/?p=147

Elster88 Jun 12 2006 10:55 AM

]United States: None, really, but we’ve been using Yanks and Amerks Amerks?

Edgy DC Jun 12 2006 11:00 AM

Germany: Die Nationalmannschaft (National Team) How colorful.

metirish Jun 12 2006 12:33 PM

Fukc.... ] 5 mins: USA 0-1 Czech Republic Disaster for the US! Grygera canters down the right in acres of space and clips a wonderful ball to the near post. Eddie Pope falls over for no particular reason, leaving Koller to butt the ball home with ease. That's his 43rd goal in 69 matches. http://football.guardian.co.uk/worldcup2006/minbymin/0,,1788207,00.html

metirish Jun 12 2006 12:40 PM

Damn the Amerks are getting hammered.. ] 35 mins: USA 0-2 Czech Republic What a cracker! Nedved again got free down the left, clipped in a fine ball, which was headed clear by Onyewu. Rosicky picked it up 25 yards out, and rocketed it straight into the top corner! Super striker from the new Arsenal man!

Edgy DC Jun 12 2006 12:44 PM

Pope has been on the team a long time. Stinks for him.

metirish Jun 12 2006 12:46 PM

Well the good news is that Koller is injured, looks like a hammy form what I am reading.

Rotblatt Jun 12 2006 01:04 PM

Ugh. I skipped out to watch the first half and we look undersized and slow. Not a good combination. The Czechs always seem to be winning the ball, and almost all our play has been in the middle. We had a nice chance in around the 30th minute but Reyna hit it off the side bar. We really need to rebound here and get at least a goal back quickly. The only good news is that the bar across the street from me was packed, which I was happy to see, and peeps seemed to know a thing or two about football!

metirish Jun 12 2006 01:08 PM

]Ugh. I skipped out to watch the first half and we look undersized and slow That's a surprise as the Czechs have the oldest tean in the WC.

Rotblatt Jun 12 2006 01:09 PM

Arena switched out Cherundolo and put Eddie Johnson in. That's a bit suprising. O'Brien in for Masteroni, which is good. Masteroni wasn't able to do much off the left side and just looked overmatched by the Chech guards.

Frayed Knot Jun 12 2006 01:13 PM

"What's the USA team nickname?" Big Fat Capitalist Pig-Dogs

metirish Jun 12 2006 01:36 PM

Looks like it's curtains for the Amerks... ]76 mins: USA 0-3 Czech Republic Magnificent goal! Nedved unlocked the defence with a delightfully simple ball, and Rosickey scampered through to lift it expertly over Keller. Superb.

Rotblatt Jun 12 2006 01:48 PM

Ugh. Well, the Czech side looked pretty darn good in the first half and that second goal was a thing of beauty. There's no shame in getting beat by the Czechs, but 3-0 . . . That's a rout.

Elster88 Jun 12 2006 02:11 PM

USA was non-competitive today.

KC Jun 12 2006 02:24 PM

Lastings wouldna let in three goals.

Rotblatt Jun 12 2006 02:36 PM

We're going to have to beat both Italy & Ghana, then hope that the Czechs can at least tie Italy. Given the way they played today, that should be doable, but with Koller out . . . Managing a tie against Italy for us simply won't be good enough, given our -3 goal differential. Arena's got some serious work to do to get this team ready to play against Italy. U-G-L-Y. I was going to watch the second half replayed tonight, but I'm not sure if I can stomach it.

Elster88 Jun 12 2006 02:44 PM

I don't think it's happening. Though to be honest, a trip to the second round followed by an immediate loss doesn't really excite me anyore, anyways.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 12 2006 03:19 PM

USA and my team (Poland) are in the same boat. Need a giant upset of the bracket favorite plus good fortune in the matches they don't play, in order to have any real prayer. It could happen.

Rotblatt Jun 12 2006 03:37 PM

I'm following the Italy-Ghana game over at [url=http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=367707]Big Soccer[/url] and it sounds like a great match. Scoreless after ~36 minutes. We're really going to have to step up our play . . .

Rotblatt Jun 12 2006 03:42 PM

And Pirlo scores in the 40th minute from a short corner. 1-0 Italy.

Elster88 Jun 12 2006 03:53 PM

BE AFRAID HAIL

sharpie Jun 12 2006 03:57 PM

Hail!

ScarletKnight41 Jun 12 2006 04:04 PM

Hail!

Willets Point Jun 12 2006 04:36 PM

3-0 losses make me cranky. How amusing that the Czech goalie is named Cech (pronounced the same).

Rotblatt Jun 12 2006 04:55 PM

I'm a little embarassed I was posting about soccer during the sacred Tom Seaver post. Ah, well. Italy up 2-0 on an 80th minute strike by Kuffour. USA is definitely going to need wins against both Italy & Ghana now. If Italy & Ghana had tied, we might have been able to squeak through with 4 points.

metirish Jun 12 2006 07:15 PM

thankfully Americans don't give a fiddlers fuck about soccerball.

Willets Point Jun 12 2006 07:23 PM

="metirish"]thankfully Americans don't give a fiddlers fuck about soccerball. I care!

OlerudOwned Jun 12 2006 07:27 PM

Hail!!! And I missed the US-Czech game, but had fun watching the Ghana-Italy matchup. Ghana's athleticism was a blast to watch, but they were cranking shots from all over and not coming close to the net. Down 1-0 in the second, they pretty much got stiffed by the ref. One of their guys took a bullrush right through 2 Italians into the box, got tripped and pushed, and there was no call. Italy scored a few minutes later, and game over.

Elster88 Jun 12 2006 09:32 PM

="Willets Point"] ="metirish"]thankfully Americans don't give a fiddlers fuck about soccerball. I care! HAHAHA. Nice WP.

seawolf17 Jun 15 2006 10:42 AM

MiniWolf showing his World Cup pride. I may not care about soccer, but apparently he does.

Willets Point Jun 15 2006 04:59 PM

The other extreme

KC Jun 17 2006 03:19 PM

This game is going to kill me. The US is definitely keeping the heat on Italy in the first 18 minutes and seem to be on the offensive by a huge margin.

KC Jun 17 2006 03:23 PM

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Italy 1 - US sniffle

KC Jun 17 2006 03:29 PM

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Italy scores one for US!! de Rossi red carded for elbowing and bloodying up McBride's face.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 17 2006 03:30 PM

What a cheap shot!

Edgy DC Jun 17 2006 03:59 PM

Now, now, the US has a proud history of advancing on own-goals.

KC Jun 17 2006 04:06 PM

Nice to see that suckass officiating is not limited to MLB and the NFL.

Nymr83 Jun 17 2006 04:25 PM

U.S. goal pulled back for obstructing the goalie? thats lame. also, the offsides rules are very dumb. hockey got much better when they got rid of that blue-line crap.

KC Jun 17 2006 04:53 PM

Bring on Ghana ... wherever the hell that is ....

Johnny Dickshot Jun 17 2006 04:56 PM

USof A has little to be ashamed of.

metirish Jun 17 2006 04:59 PM

The ref was fucking brutal, I mean that was terrible by him, USA did great to get the draw, now Thursday they must beat Ghana and hope Itatly beats the Czechs.... here's how the Guardian summed it up... ] Full time: Italy 1 USA 1 That's the end of one of the most surreal matches in World Cup history - three red cards, one slapstick own goal, a dubiously disallowed goal and lots of other stuff to put the hurt on the funny bone. To return to an unpopular theme, it was a talking dwarf and some gentle erotica away from being a David Lynch film. The USA deserved their point, and can go through if they beat Ghana and Italy beat the Czechs. Thanks for all your emails; apologies for not using them all - Rob.

Nymr83 Jun 17 2006 05:04 PM

]USA did great to get the draw, now Thursday they must beat Ghana and hope Itatly beats the Czechs.... would they then have to worry about goal differentials or would they be in if that happened?

metirish Jun 17 2006 05:05 PM

Both those results get them through.....regardless of goals, at least that's what I am reading and hearing.

Frayed Knot Jun 17 2006 05:34 PM

"it was a talking dwarf and some gentle erotica away from being a David Lynch film." Now THAT'S funny! ]would they then have to worry about goal differentials or would they be in if that happened? No, because that would mean 2 losses for both the Czechs and the Ghana-ananananians (or whatever they're called) vs just a loss & tie for the red, white & blue.

Nymr83 Jun 17 2006 06:56 PM

]the Ghana-ananananians (or whatever they're called) i'd probably go with "Ghanians" but who the heck knows, i can't think of another county that ends in "a" that doesn't already have an "i" before it (or a "y" that becomes an "i")

Elster88 Jun 17 2006 09:32 PM

Nymr83 wrote: U.S. goal pulled back for obstructing the goalie? thats lame It's actually not lame at all.

Elster88 Jun 17 2006 09:33 PM

I really got into this game. And I'm getting into other games where my two rooting interests aren't even playing. And yet I still can't get into the NBA finals. And I love basketball. I'm confused by what I'm getting into.

Nymr83 Jun 17 2006 09:36 PM

Elster88 wrote: ="Nymr83"]U.S. goal pulled back for obstructing the goalie? thats lame It's actually not lame at all. thats a goal in hockey. you can't block someone's view in soccer? thats lame.

Elster88 Jun 17 2006 09:37 PM

It's not lame. It's a logical rule that was enforced correctly. Hockey is a dumbass sport. And irrelevant to this discussion.

Nymr83 Jun 17 2006 10:25 PM

i did not claim that the rule was not enforced correctly, only that the rule itself sucks. hockey is the "closest" sport to soccer (imo) and thus the most relevant for any comparisons between soccer and other sports.

Elster88 Jun 17 2006 10:51 PM

Nymr83 wrote: i did not claim that the rule was not enforced correctly, only that the rule itself sucks. hockey is the "closest" sport to soccer (imo) and thus the most relevant for any comparisons between soccer and other sports. In a discussion of the rule, what is the need to compare it to other sports? Discuss the rule within the context of its own sport. And the rule doesn't suck. It's a fair rule that is needed. It's not just the fact that he's shielding the goalie, but also that he is offsides at the same time. If the rule didn't exist, the attacking team could just stand a man in front of the goalie the entire time when the ball was in play in the box for an extended period of time. And, obviously, that shouldn't be allowed.

Rotblatt Jun 19 2006 09:47 AM

We played very well, and the ref was a punk-ass bitch. That being said, we should have done more to win this match. I was completely baffled by Arena's decision NOT to use his third substitution--I mean, he had nine fucking men covering the whole field and they were clearly exhausted. Italy was also clearly exhausted AND they had used their last substitution, meaning putting a fresh playmaker out there--like Eddie Johnson, who was excellent in our first match--could have given us a spark and maybe allowed us to score again (for the first time). Unreal. I haven't seen a single match where a coach has failed to use all his substitutions, much less in a situation where it was clearly necessary. I was also upset that Keller (who did have two nice saves) started just booting the fucking ball whenever he gained possession of it late in the second half. Kick it TO someone. Retaining possession is a much better way of running out the clock than booting it to one of Italy's defenders. Plus, we might have been able to create a chance or two. Keller booted it consistently in the first game, and it resulted in the first Czech goal. We were lucky that Italy was too tired to really take advantage. I don't know if he's just inaccurate or what, but someone needs to sit him down and talk to him. Is that how he plays in the Bundesliga? I kind of have a hard time believing that . . . Anyway, we played far better than in the first game, and we got unlucky on some calls, but I feel like we had this game in our grasp and we let it slip away Ghana's going to be tough to beat, but if we can build on this performance, we stand a good chance. Getting a result against Ghana will, IMO, allow us to hold our heads up high, regardless of the Italy-Czech matchup. If you had told me going into this that we'd lose to CR, tie Italy, and beat Ghana, I'd have been pretty satisfied.

Elster88 Jun 19 2006 09:51 AM

I was assuming a US victory and an Italy victory, leaving the point totals as Italy 7 USA 4 Ghana 3 Czech Republic 3, would mean that the US makes the second round no matter what else happens. But in the broadcast the other day the announcer said that in this scenario the goal differential may come into play. How would that work?

Willets Point Jun 19 2006 09:53 AM

The broadcaster was wrong. Goal differential will only come into play if the US wins and the Czechs win or tie.

Rotblatt Jun 19 2006 09:56 AM

Elster88 wrote: I was assuming a US victory and an Italy victory, leaving the point totals as Italy 7 USA 4 Ghana 3 Czech Republic 3, would mean that the US makes the second round no matter what else happens. But in the broadcast the other day the announcer said that in this scenario the goal differential may come into play. How would that work? Huh. I think they're wrong. The goal differential won't come into play unless the French tie the Czechs, which would put the standings at: Italy: 5 Czech: 4, (GD: +1) US: 4, (GD: -3, plus margin of victory in Ghana-US match) Ghana: 3 So if Italy & CR tie, we'd have to win by at least 4 goals. Which is unlikely.

Elster88 Jun 19 2006 09:56 AM

Italy really needs only a tie to advance, right? I'm wondering how hard they'll play. I'm assuming they'll go all out. If they tie and Ghana wins they'll be the second team out of our bracket, meaning their next match is with Brazil.

Elster88 Jun 22 2006 08:47 AM

I'd really like to be at home watching today's game.

Willets Point Jun 22 2006 08:56 AM

Cliches front and center! It's DO OR DIE! It's PUT UP OR SHUT UP! It's time for the USA to SHOW WHAT THEY'RE MADE OF! Ghana PLAYED OVER THEIR HEADS against the Czechs. Add your own.

Elster88 Jun 22 2006 08:58 AM

Go USA.

Willets Point Jun 22 2006 08:59 AM

Anyone willing to spend $45/month can subscribe to http://www.liveuktv.com/index.asp where all 4 British television stations stream live. Might be worth it for one month.

Edgy DC Jun 22 2006 09:08 AM

I'm not all that down on Ghana winning either. I'm on the fence.

metirish Jun 22 2006 09:10 AM

LET'S ROLL..

Willets Point Jun 22 2006 10:10 AM

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHH! The Sun is only streaming commentary for Italy-Czech Rep.

Elster88 Jun 22 2006 10:23 AM

ESPN Gamecast has text.

Elster88 Jun 22 2006 10:24 AM

USA has their second shot on goal of the Cup.

Willets Point Jun 22 2006 10:24 AM

F********************************CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC KKKKKKKKKK!!!!

Elster88 Jun 22 2006 10:26 AM

That'll do it.

Willets Point Jun 22 2006 10:27 AM

Bad News: Ghana goes up 1-0 on USA. Good News: Italy goes up 1-0 on Czech Republic. C'mon USA, 2 goals NOW!!!!!

metirish Jun 22 2006 10:28 AM

Reyna stretched off the field...

Elster88 Jun 22 2006 10:29 AM

He just walked back on "gingerly".

Elster88 Jun 22 2006 10:34 AM

They're doing it on the computer too: "The USA now have..." Is that normal? I could see if they were saying a team name. "The Mets now have..." Is that where this comes from?

metirish Jun 22 2006 10:35 AM

From Yahoo... ] For the Americans to advance, they must defeat Ghana in their last game. In addition to beating Ghana, the U.S. team needs one of these scenarios to take place: 1. Italy defeats the Czech Republic. 2. Italy ties the Czech Republic 0-0 or 1-1 AND the United States beats Ghana by at least four goals. 3. Italy ties the Czech Republic 2-2 or with a higher score AND the United States beats Ghana by five or more goals. 4. Italy ties the Czech Republic 2-2 or with a higher score AND the United States beats Ghana by four goals AND the U.S. team scores at least three goals more than the Czechs do in their tie. 5. The Czech Republic beats Italy AND the total combined margin of victory for the Americans and Czechs is six or more. 6. The Czech Republic beats Italy AND the total combined margin of victory for the Americans and Czechs is five AND the U.S. team scores at least three goals more than the Italians do in their loss. 7. The Czech Republic beats Italy AND the total combined margin of victory for the Americans and Czechs is five AND the U.S. team scores exactly two more goals than the Italians do in their loss AND the Americans win a drawing of lots by FIFA. Just do it ....why the fukc is Eddie Johnston on the bench....

Elster88 Jun 22 2006 10:37 AM

Now I'm reading that the US has not had a shot on goal the entire Cup, according to official stats. I thought for sure they had at least one.

metirish Jun 22 2006 10:43 AM

They have 2 shots in this game so far, Reyna off and Ben Olsen on. GOOOOOOOOOOOOAL...USA scores...Clint Dempsey..

Elster88 Jun 22 2006 10:46 AM

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Willets Point Jun 22 2006 10:48 AM

In other good news: Czech Republic's Polak is sent off.

metirish Jun 22 2006 10:48 AM

Ghana get a penalty... 2 to 1 Ghana.....WOW...

Willets Point Jun 22 2006 10:48 AM

ARRGGH!

Elster88 Jun 22 2006 10:49 AM

Gamecast sucks. What are you using Irish?

Willets Point Jun 22 2006 10:50 AM

I'm going to cry.

metirish Jun 22 2006 10:50 AM

http://football.guardian.co.uk/worldcup2006/minbymin/0,,1788386,00.html

Rotblatt Jun 22 2006 10:50 AM

Allegedy an absolutely terrible call by the ref. The Brits from the Sun can't believe it. The blogger can't believe it. And so I can't believe it either. See, this is why Americans don't like soccer. The European refs hate us and are completely and utterly biased even when we're playing against a debutante like Ghana. It's one thing to favor Italy, who's a soccer power, but Ghana? Just call a fair fucking match, you stupid wankers.

holychicken Jun 22 2006 10:52 AM

I am watching it and it was absolutely terrible. The refing has been horrible for the US the past two games.

metirish Jun 22 2006 10:53 AM

Please stop with the refs are against the USA,...the refs have been shit for nearly all the games...

Elster88 Jun 22 2006 10:53 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jun 22 2006 10:56 AM

Thanks for that link.

Elster88 Jun 22 2006 10:54 AM

Wanted to get a goal description in: from metirish's link: DaMarcus Beesley plays Clint Dempsey in with a well-timed ball from the left, and he slams home from his vantage point on the right side of the box. Good goal, and a really good time to score.

Rotblatt Jun 22 2006 10:57 AM

metirish wrote: Please stop with the refs are against the USA,...the refs have been shit for nearly all the games... True, but you have to admit, we've been the victim of some epic bullshit calls. Let them play.

Elster88 Jun 22 2006 10:59 AM

I read somewhere that today's ref was voted best ref of the year in 2004 [u:43b003679e]and[/u:43b003679e] 2005, and that they specifically assigned him because of the importance of the game.

Frayed Knot Jun 22 2006 11:03 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jun 22 2006 11:05 AM

Granted that cries of 'The refs are all against us!!!' are too common and frequently made by almost all sides. But the fact that there have been various betting/fixing/gambling scandals in many spots of the soccer world, and the fact that the final games of a round are now played simultaneously to help avoid "friendly agreements" where countries conveniently wind up in a non-competitive tie in order to intentionally screw some other squad out of advancing, certainly make the charges easier to apply. Heck, the ref taking all the heat in the previous game had been suspended a few years back for "irregular activities". You know when a guy caught doing questionable things should be back reffing on the biggest stage again? .... How 'bout NEVER!

metirish Jun 22 2006 11:04 AM

From the Guardian... ] The referee is having a shocker Just to be clear - the penalty should not have been given (hence my sarcastic aside), and of course I don't think Ben Olsen should have been booked for clipping Michael Essien (again it was sarcasm at the number of yellow cards that have been dished out so far).

seawolf17 Jun 22 2006 11:08 AM

Futbol, the figure skating of team sports.

Elster88 Jun 22 2006 11:09 AM

I was going to post something along the line of "Let's not go nuts now"...but I can't do it. If everyone is questioning that call how could he have made it? Shouldn't a foul have to be even more flagrant for it to be called in the box?

Elster88 Jun 22 2006 11:10 AM

How long is halftime?

Rotblatt Jun 22 2006 11:16 AM

Elster88 wrote: I was going to post something along the line of "Let's not go nuts now"...but I can't do it. If everyone is questioning that call how could he have made it? Shouldn't a foul have to be even more flagrant for it to be called in the box? Yup. And they were extremely conservative in the box for the first couple days at least. I don't really think there's any intentional bias. I think Gooch is huge and Pingpong is little and the ref knows that Gooch has a reputation as a bruiser. Plus, we're the US and don't play "beautifully." Unintentional bias, but bias nonetheless. There's no way a Brazilian defender gets that call. No Eddie Johnson? What the hell? Arena's a moron. We don't deserve to win this game. ]I read somewhere that today's ref was voted best ref of the year in 2004 and 2005, and that they specifically assigned him because of the importance of the game. Elster, I heard that too, but on the bigsoccer forum IGT, they're saying that while he might be neutral, he's made some absolutely terrible calls in the box in the last two years.

Rotblatt Jun 22 2006 11:17 AM

Oh, and Arena's sticking with a 4-5-1, which is retarded. We need goals and he's flooding the midfield?

metirish Jun 22 2006 11:17 AM

]Arena's a moron. Yeah I questioned from the start about Johnson...doesn't Arena have a beef with him? Sticking to a 4-5-1 is really stupid, McBride is good and it's easy to see why the Fulham fans voted him player of the year, he's an old fashioned center forward but playing him up on his own is just silly....at this stage just freaking go for it...

Rotblatt Jun 22 2006 11:21 AM

metirish wrote: ]Arena's a moron. Yeah I questioned from the start about Johnson...doesn't Arena have a beef with him? I thought his beef was with one of the other players, but maybe I'm wrong. Apparently the mostly pro-US crowd is chanting for Eddie. Ching hasn't seen any time either, and he's supposedly pretty good--a younger McBride.

Elster88 Jun 22 2006 11:24 AM

Rotblatt wrote: Oh, and Arena's sticking with a 4-5-1, which is retarded. We need goals and he's flooding the midfield? It reads defense-midfield-forward, obviously from your statement, right?

Rotblatt Jun 22 2006 11:24 AM

EJ finally in and the British blokes are happy with the move.

Rotblatt Jun 22 2006 11:26 AM

Elster88 wrote: It reads defense-midfield-forward, obviously from your statement, right? Yup. So four defenders, 5 midfielders and 1 forward. 4-4-2 is the standard. EJ in for Cherundolo, and the World Cup blogger thinks that means we're moving to a 3-5-2, which makes sense to me.

Rotblatt Jun 22 2006 11:31 AM

in the span of 1 minute: McBride heads one off the post, followed by a shot by Bocanegro, a corner, and a header just over the net by Gooch. THAT'S MORE LIKE IT! British blokes are a little overexcited and are calling this a great match.

Rotblatt Jun 22 2006 11:33 AM

British blokes expand on why they're excited: "We're excited because of the attitude of these American players. They are NOT going to go out with a whimper." They seem to think we DO have a chance here, unlike all the bloggers I've read. U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

Rotblatt Jun 22 2006 11:39 AM

Lewis off, Bobby Convey on. Convey's the guy I thought Arena didn't like. Lewis was involved in a bunch of our recent runs, but "he's knackered." Convey's got some skill. Hopefully the fresh legs will help.

metirish Jun 22 2006 11:44 AM

Italy score again.....

Rotblatt Jun 22 2006 11:46 AM

Convey with a nice run, then blatantly fouled by Mensah right outside the box, and Mensah gets a yellow. Wasted by Donovan as it's too high and too deep. Unreal. Our midfielders are just NOT delivering the ball to the goal scorers. Awful.

Rotblatt Jun 22 2006 11:49 AM

Blokes have called it--they think we're done. Ghana v. Brazil and Italy v. Australia in the first knock-out stage Pingpong diving like mad to eat up the clock and no cards in sight.

Rotblatt Jun 22 2006 11:54 AM

Donovan plays into the box but takes too long and the Ghanians flooded the box.

Rotblatt Jun 22 2006 11:54 AM

5 minutes of stoppage time, thanks to all the rolling around on the ground by the Ghanaians.

metirish Jun 22 2006 11:55 AM

5 minutes of added time , refs aside the USA team was just not that good..Arena's team selection lacked some magic and I think a less conservative coach might have done the players justice.

Rotblatt Jun 22 2006 11:56 AM

metirish wrote: 5 minutes of added time , refs aside the USA team was just not that good..Arena's team selection lacked some magic and I think a less conservative coach might have done the players justice. I totally agree. Even without the PK, US still would have only tied--just not enough to get it done.

metirish Jun 22 2006 11:58 AM

I can understand packing the midfield for say the first 20 minutes as to not concede an early goal, but after that it's time for some inspiration, bring on attacking players and go for it, hugely disappointing from the US.

Edgy DC Jun 22 2006 12:02 PM

That was disappointing. I went in on the fence, but quickly went USA when I saw all the diving Ghana was doing. That guy Pimpong was doing enough acting to make Pacino look understated. You'd think he was shot every time there was any contact on him. I take back everything I've said about Italy being the world's great divers.

holychicken Jun 22 2006 12:03 PM

The thing is that if the score had been tied, it would have kept Ghana from playing so defensively. The US had their opportunities in the second half, there was a good 15 minutes where the US was getting the ball up and getting shots and good crosses. (FTR, I don't think there is any intentional bias. . .or any bias for that matter, but that call in the box was just completely unnecessary). Oh well, there is always 2010.

Edgy DC Jun 22 2006 12:06 PM

Yeah, Donovan, among others, was making some poor choices in the box, going one pass too many or one too few. I imagine he and they were pretty winded at that point.

Rotblatt Jun 22 2006 12:07 PM

Ugh. One point and two goals is all we can muster. Our supposed fitness and organisation were simply not there, and as expected, we had few playmakers on the offensive side. Embarassing. Congrats to Ghana--they earned it. We, on the other hand . . . It's time to bring an offensive-minded European coach in. A hugely dissapointing three games.

Willets Point Jun 22 2006 12:07 PM

1. Fire Bruce Arena NOW!!! This team needed goal-scorers on the field and keeping Eddie Johnson on the bench for 61 mins and Taylor Twellman off the team entirely is just not the way to get goals. 2. How many freakin' times did a USA player have the ball right in front of the goal and PASSED instead of taking a shot. A shot in those situations might go in, might rebound off the goalie or post, or might just be stopped by the goalkeeper, but it has to be better then passing it to a well-covered teammate. 3. Italy and Ghana advance the same way: by diving early and often! 4. Despite that I'm still rooting for Ghana now. They beat two teams ranked in the top ten by FIFA (whether the remain in the top ten is another thing entirely). Group E was definitely the group of death. I think all these teams deserved to advance.

Edgy DC Jun 22 2006 12:14 PM

Well, in 2010, Freddie Adu will be 21 and Bobbey Convey will be 26.

Willets Point Jun 22 2006 12:15 PM

And Landon Donovan will be 28. Third time's a charm?

Willets Point Jun 22 2006 12:20 PM

I hate to do this, but here's the final tally for Group E. Team MP W D L GF GA Pts Italy 3 2 1 0 5 1 7 Ghana 3 2 0 1 4 3 6 Czech Republic 3 1 0 2 3 4 3 USA 3 0 1 2 2 6 1 Ghana will play the winner of Group F (aka Brazil) and Italy will face Australia or Croatia.

Edgy DC Jun 22 2006 12:21 PM

Maybe. You've got to think that the US gobbling up Adu had to give some extra motivation to Ghana.

MFS62 Jun 22 2006 12:32 PM

And the keeper continues his streak of never winning a world cup game (spanning four cups) on European soil. Later

Elster88 Jun 22 2006 12:41 PM

metirish wrote: 5 minutes of added time , refs aside the USA team was just not that good..Arena's team selection lacked some magic and I think a less conservative coach might have done the players justice. I don't get this guy. I thought the big deal with him was that he brought aggressive soccer to the US. Am I misremembering?

metirish Jun 22 2006 01:06 PM

I don't thihnk you are Elster, Arena had success with DC United and has had a decent coaching career, still he seemed to get of on the wrong track at this world cup, calling out players and all that, his tactica today were numbing.....in no way do I think the US federation brings in a coach from Europe, that would be admitting coaches here are just not good enough.

Willets Point Jun 22 2006 02:12 PM

What about Jurgen Klinsmann? He gets a lot of criticism for living in the US and applying American-style sport strategy to football from the German press & fans. Maybe he'd enjoy coaching here better? Maybe if Germany does well in the cup this year he'll want a bigger challenge?

metirish Jun 22 2006 02:17 PM

Great point Willets, and he loves it over here, from just reading in the press it would seem to me that the US players were not all that impressed with Arena..I could be totally wrong on that though.

Rotblatt Jun 22 2006 06:22 PM

Well, I finally saw the penalty kick play and it was bullshit. Pingpong had his arm over Gooch's, so when Gooch jumped up, Pingpong fell. Univision announcers said "incredible" about four times in stunned disbelief. Unreal.

holychicken Jun 23 2006 09:19 AM

The last time I was as mad as I was when they gave Ghana that PK was when Wagner blew the 4 run lead against the Yankees. My opinion is that the refs really have to start giving out more cards for diving. It is so annoying watching every player go down and grab their leg like they just pulled something. Give me a break.

metirish Jun 23 2006 09:25 AM

Yeah it was a BS call, meanwhile De Rossi banned four games for elbowing McBride, if Italy get to the final he can play... http://football.guardian.co.uk/worldcup2006/story/0,,1804544,00.html Sean Ingle says video replay needs to be introduced to help the refs... http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/worldcup06/2006/06/23/referees_need_help.html And here a Yank says sorry.....it's the sports editor form the Onion.. http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/worldcup06/2006/06/23/were_sorry_world_but_it_seems.html

Willets Point Jun 23 2006 10:34 AM

]I know plenty of my countrymen are - to understate a point - raucous, arrogant asses, and I deeply regret this. I know that plenty of my countrymen see a need to self-consciously apologise for their citizenship, and I regret that almost as much. Good point.

Elster88 Jun 23 2006 10:37 AM

That's a great quote. I hate it when Americans apologize for other Americans. I especially hate it that they feel like they're better people, or some kind of enlightened beings, when they do so.