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Morocco 2 Belgium (#2 ranked) 0
And it wasn't that close. Shoulda/coulda been 4-0 for Morocco. Belgium's GK sucks.
Canada vs. Croatia coming up. The Canucks need this one and I think have a good chance if their strikers play up to their ability. Croatia is the defending runner-up from the 2018 WC Finals.
Croatia 4 Canada 1
First, and only, goal in Canada's WC history. Canucks eliminated from tournament.
Two enjoyable matches this morning:
Cameroon 3 Serbia 3
Ghana 3 South Korea 2
Not the best soccer, especially on defense, but it was pretty upbeat and dynamic. Kind of like the Big 12 where "de-fense" is something you put around your yard to keep the dogs in.
Speed kills! and the strikers on Cameroon look like Olympic sprinters. Serbia got caught forward, only 1 or 2 defenders back, and the Cameroon strikers simply sped past them.
"Our country's name is E-ran, not I-ran, stop disrespecting us," said a very angry EYE-ranian reporter. Then this same reporter tried to bait Tyler Adams, team captain, into saying the USA is nothing but a decadent, racist country without any redeeming qualities. Adams artfully dodged the questions and stayed focus on the press conference re: the match tomorrow. Adams did say that he has lived all over the world, in many different cultures, and finds there is progress being made everywhere.
Later the EYE-ranian reporter filed a summary report essentially trying to stir the pot maintaining the US is an immoral society. That guy can get hired by CNN or MSNBC with his fake news and storytelling.
Figured politics would force its way into the game. But, by the end of the day, it is still just a game.
BTW, some moron carrying a rainbow flag and shouting pro-gay rhetoric dashed onto the field during the Portugal-Uruguay match and was tackled and arrested, taken off in a headlock by Qatar police. They will toss him off a tall building.
Eye-ran radicals call for US to be booted from World Cup due to a Twitter post where US Soccer and a couple of players expressed support for women in sports. Yeah, I know! the US is so demonic!
In a related story, Eye-ran officials have "detained" the families of the players to "encourage good behavior." Not so much for play on the field (ahem) but to assure the Eye-ranian team shows respect for the flag and the national anthem. Several I-ranian players took a knee during the playing of the anthem in the opening match vs. England. The "detained" family members will suffer torture and a term in prison if the players don't toe the line. Wow! what a great mooooslim nation to live in, eh.
As for the actual game, I expect I-ran to play a bunker defense and make it very difficult for the US to get a goal. Which, with our stable of mediocre strikers, has been a tough task anyway. Unfortunately, my prediction is a 0-0 draw and the US exiting the tournament. All it takes is one opportunity, a deflection, a LUCKY bounce! I'll take a 1-0 win. It can happen.
1-0 did happen because Pulisic sacrificed his body for the team to advance.Originally Posted by dawg80
Shakier than I would have liked at the end, but the only relevant question is how many (group stage points in this case = 5), not how.
USA 1 Persians 0
Some good things, some poor play and stupid things, but in the end it's a win and we advance.
Get the Dutch Saturday in the Round of 16.
Whew!
Now that I've had more time to evaluate things and come down from the emotional high of winning, here's some analysis.
First, our midfield is our strongest unit, playing just three, MMA, they have been top notch. And they are all youngsters too. McKennie has been the "weakest" of the three but that is due largely to his coming off an injury and he's still playing himself back into form. It's not just being in physical shape, as midfielders will log 7-8 miles of running in a 90-minute match, it's the speed of the game too. Being away and now returning to playing at the frickin World Cup he has stepped into the fire, and he's been a step slow at times. Musaf and Adams, however, wow! I love it!
Turner is a solid keeper, continuing the tradition of the US having one of the best GKs in the world. The back line has been "good." Of course, looking at the defense as a whole, OMG! we have not surrendered a single goal in the run of play. That penalty kick by Wales the only blemish. Ream has been a rock, Zimmerman is very good, and I have confidence in him. He came in late yesterday and locked down the middle of our defense under tremendous pressure by the Persians. He did make a STUPID mistake in the Wales match, which hopefully is a lesson learned. Robinson is very good at left marking back. Now, Shaq Moore....why the hell is that guy even on the roster, let alone seeing playing time? Dest is very strong at right back.
The offense is, well, offensive! The weakest unit. Now, part of that falls on the midfield, while, as I said, has played very well, they are not being dangerous enough in the attacking 1/3. It was Dest, a defender, who created our goal and got the assist to Pulisic. That's fine, it's what outside defenders are supposed to do. But, we should be seeing more from our midfielders on offense. As for our strikers...ugh! Very, very, very weak. None of them, not one, should be on a World Cup roster. Well...maybe Pulisic, as kind of that "third guy." But he's supposed to be our "go-to" striker and he simply is not good enough to carry that mantle. Not yet, anyway. He'll have at least one more WC cycle to prove himself.
I'm not picking on Pulisic. This has been the US's Achilles heel since we started playing the sport. We have never had a true world-class striker. Our best offensive players have been attacking midfielders, like Landon Donovan. And this is why I mentioned our current midfield's lack of offensive prowess. They have been very good, which I started off saying, but the next step, the next level is for one of them to become dangerous in the attacking 1/3.
Now...the Round of 16 vs. The Netherlands. We can beat them. They are very good, but they are the typical, predictable European side. They are methodical and steady. So, we need to shake up things. Our defense and our midfield are good enough to keep us in the match. We will have a chance or two to "steal" this one.
MEXICO IS OUT!!! Adios azzholes!
Jim, what’s your take on Aaronson? He’s clearly raw, but he seems to bring energy to our forwards when he’s in.
He has not played particularly well in the WC, not yet, at least. Have seen him be much more effective. He does play with lots of energy, and he can create chances for our forwards at times. Like in basketball with dribble penetration, you leave your own defender behind and then draw another defender to you, then it's a dish to an open teammate and hopefully a good shot on goal. That's what attacking midfielders are supposed to do. Our starting midfield, as I posted, is playing very well but lack the offensive component to their game.
Aaronson is small and gets muscled off the ball at times. This is the World Cup Finals, not for the faint of heart. The game is physical, and I like when the refs let 'em play. The center guy for our I-ranian match, from Spain, is one of the best in the world, he let both sides play but he doesn't take any crap from anyone. That is why he was assigned to that game, FIFA knows about the bad blood between our countries. Anyway, because of reffing like that, Aaronson gets knocked around a lot.
I don't see Aaronson being a starter for the national team, a regular starter, I mean. But coming in off the bench in 65th-70th minute he does give us a shot of energy and a lift.
Everyone agrees soccer is boring and America needs to fix it, but how? Here are ten simple ways to make soccer interesting, since the rest of the planet apparently remains intent on making us watch it every four years.
- Goalies must be double amputees - no more scoreless draws! Any two limbs will do.
- Supply one "enforcer" on each team with a taser - finally, the guy thrashing on the ground won't be faking!
- Add quicksand so that anyone who takes too long on a free kick gets sucked in - move or die.
- Have a drunk hobo decide when each half starts and ends - bound to be more sensible than whatever the current system is.
- In the event of a tie, the coaches must have a duel at midfield - if it ends in a tie, it's not a sport.
- If players pass the ball 10 times without shooting, the ball detonates - would put a stop to this asinine backward passing once and for all.
- Release an enraged bull onto the field if things get boring - "Mbappe steps up to take the free kick and OH MY GRACIOUS HE JUST GOT GORED IN THE LIVER!"
- Anyone who flops will be thrown into the Sarlacc Pit where they will discover a new definition of pain and suffering - there is no flopping in the Sarlacc Pit.
- Give half the players jetpacks and half the players surface-to-air missiles - built in Lockheed-Martin sponsorship.
- Instead of kicking a round ball towards a goal, players will carry or throw a more oblong ball towards a kind of "end zone" - definitely onto something here.
It is better to remain quiet and have people think you are stupid, than it is to post certain comments and remove all doubt.
Changes for the 2026 World Cup, to be hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico...
The Finals have been expanded to 48 teams, and there will be 16 three-team groups, with two advancing to the first knockout round of 32. So, one extra do-or-die round. This means a team (country) is guaranteed only two matches, rather than the three now. And, no more draws in the group play. Games that end tied will go straight to a shoot-out where the winning side garners 2 points, not 3. I guess the knockout rounds will still have the extra time, the OT period, and then only go to the shoot-out if still tied.
I don't like these changes. I am a traditionalist. We've seen how changes have affected other sports and usually not for the better of the sport, but rather just to make more money. FIFA is already the richest sport organization in the world, how much more do they need? Anyway, I will still support it as I do college sports (but I no longer watch MLB, NBA, and only occasionally bother with the NFL). Dallas and Houston are host cities for WC 2026 and hopefully the US will play in one of them. We're going if they do. Might go even if it's further away.
Speaking of money. The US Men's Team earned a $13 million payday by advancing to the Round of 16. They have to share half of it with the US Women's Team, as part of the new shared-revenue agreement. That $6.5 million is more than the $6 million the women got from winning the past two WC titles, 2015 and 2019. If the Men's team beats Holland and advances, there will be another payday for that. Like the NCAA hoops tourney the further you advance the more money you earn. Of course, this agreement only affects US Soccer, and the men make a ton more from their club teams than the women do in their professional leagues.
LOL! Just like to poke the bear on occasion!
Belgium is out! This is why games are played on the field, not in the minds of "experts."
Costa Rica can pull the ultimate shocker by beating Germany later today. CR is in the "group of death" with Japan, Germany, and Spain. To advance out of a group like that would be amazing. A much-needed boost for them and for CONCACAF.
Canada lost today and finished 0-3, outscored 7-2. They are reigning CONCACAF champions. Have some dynamite strikers, but very mediocre everywhere else. But thought the Canucks would fair better.
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