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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Jun 13, 2006 18:57:51 GMT -5
Pretty much a must win game with the US's terrible goal differential at this point. I actually like our chances better in this one than i did against the Czechs. hopefully our thrashing will cause the Italians to underestimate us. We need to come out aggressive and run at people and try and get an early goal cause we're not good at playing from behind. I definitely think we need to make some line up adjustments. Here's my proposed starting line up we need to make a shake up like this to be successful. Keller Dolo gooch boca Dempsey reyna O'Brien Convey Donavon McBride EJ bring on Beasley and mastoreni as subs for convey and O'Brien basically a 3-5-2 with Dempsey on the right convey on the left with Donavon as an attacking mid fielder.
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Joe Hoya
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
You're watching Sports Night on CSC, so stick around.
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Post by Joe Hoya on Jun 13, 2006 23:03:24 GMT -5
We? Weren't you using "we" in reference to the Czech Republic yesterday? Pick a side, bro.
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Jun 13, 2006 23:38:45 GMT -5
fair enough. but now that they're not playing each other anymore i can support both sides with out a conflict of intrest. I'm still rooting for the US to advance.
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Post by StPetersburgHoya (Inactive) on Jun 14, 2006 0:30:29 GMT -5
I like your line up HSB - we can afford to gamble with Dempsey if we put him in the right line-up to maximize his offensive skills and minimize his defensive blunders. We also need to make up a goal differential that could come back to haunt us (and that's understating things). I'd set things up this way (3-4-3): Howard Dolo---Gooch--- Boca Reyna Dempsey------ Convey O'Brien Donavon McBride----Johnson With the caveat that Convey is only in that starting lineup because he's related to a Georgetown player and because as the 4th midfielder I put on the list he's the lesser of several evils. Things that will make me burn the Brian McBride jersey I got in the mail this week: 1) Steve Cherundelo seeing the field. 2) Services, passing, and organization like monday 3) Another explanation of the yellow card/red card rule - I mean come on - I got the bartender at 4th Estate on 19th to change the channel to Univision it was so terrible. 4) The US making some Italian midfielder look like Tomas Rosicky.
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Post by StPetersburgHoya (Inactive) on Jun 14, 2006 0:50:45 GMT -5
Just a general directed comment:
Dear Bruce Arena:
Would it KILL you to wear a suit and tie? You clearly got out coached and showed that your not a world class level coach - but its not too much effort to dress like one. Oh and when you're team is embarassing 300 million people we'd really appreciate it if you didn't mope around in your oversized sweat suit - ocassionally getting off the bench and acting like you were interested in the game might translate into the 11 americans on the pitch doing the same.
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GUHoya07
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,083
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Post by GUHoya07 on Jun 14, 2006 1:59:23 GMT -5
Gotta go with JoeHoya on this, pick a freakin side HSB. I'm fine with you supporting both teams, but you've gotta have a favorite and I question some of your loyalties. When I talked to you the other night you said you were gonna support the Czechs cause they had a better chance of winning, I don't know if that's what you meant to say, but if so bad choice of words. This is about where your heart is and where your loyalties lie, not about which team is the best.
I root for Poland because I've got a ton of connections to the country, including being a citizen, having tons of friends and family there and speaking the language. Soccer is by far the number one sport there and that makes it incredibly important for me. But Im not choosing which team Im rooting for based on their current talent level or prospects of winning the current world cup, its simply based on what I feel in my heart. I love the country that team is representing and Im gonna be behind them 100% percent whether they are #1 or #120 in the FIFA rankings. Whether they finish first or don't even qualify Im gonna be in my Polish jersey and I'm gonna be talking to the Germans and Russians. This is the kind of thing you don't even have to think about, I'm sure you know deep inside which side means more to you, so go with it and stick with it, that's what creates all the passion you see in those stands and what makes an event like this one of the greatest in all of sport.
POLSKA!!! BIALO-CZERWONI!!! ORLY DO BOJU!!!
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FLHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Proud Member of Generation Burton
Posts: 4,544
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Post by FLHoya on Jun 14, 2006 9:28:51 GMT -5
Gotta go with JoeHoya on this HOLY CRAP!!!!!! When I talked to you the other night you said you were gonna support the Czechs cause they had a better chance of winning What can I say, the World Cup is his party and Tomas Rosicky is his Battleship Girl. POLSKA!!! BIALO-CZERWONI!!! ORLY DO BOJU!!! This is an anagram for: Look! Journalized Cowboys pro lab! (This may or may not have just spoiled Gregg Easterbrook's NFL Preview).
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Locker
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,265
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Post by Locker on Jun 14, 2006 10:20:05 GMT -5
Things that will make me burn the Brian McBride jersey I got in the mail this week: 1) Steve Cherundelo seeing the field. I like your lineup, but Cherundolo is way down on my long list of scapegoats from Monday. Yes, he (like a lot of our guys) seems to have forgotten how to play recently, and his passing was dreadful, but at least he was the only guy on the backline not actually responsible for any of the goals. He's been too solid for too long to give up on him so quickly. It's not like he was a dog for his club team this year a la Beasley. Speaking of Beasley, am willing to trade my DMB jersey straight up for an Agoos in reasonable condition. Hell, I'll take a tattered Mike Burns at this point.
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Jun 14, 2006 17:33:30 GMT -5
fine fair enough. I support the czechs first and foremost cause that's where my heritage lies. If it wasn't for my czech dad i probably wouldn't care about soccer. as you said 007 soccer is a huge part of the culture there. That being said i can still want the US to do well but if i had to choose i'd have to think about it for a second but i'd defiently go witht he czechs and not because they're better, but because they're the team that i love.
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Post by AustinHoya03 on Jun 14, 2006 21:57:55 GMT -5
Just a general directed comment: Dear Bruce Arena: Would it KILL you to wear a suit and tie? You clearly got out coached and showed that your not a world class level coach - but its not too much effort to dress like one. Oh and when you're team is embarassing 300 million people we'd really appreciate it if you didn't mope around in your oversized sweat suit - ocassionally getting off the bench and acting like you were interested in the game might translate into the 11 americans on the pitch doing the same. I'll bet it killed you when Arena wore a starched shirt and tie to the press conference FOLLOWING the US match. IMO, this can only indicate one thing: Arena has a jersey on under that sweatsuit, and he's going to sub himself in at midfield if we go down early to the Italians.
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FLHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Proud Member of Generation Burton
Posts: 4,544
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Post by FLHoya on Jun 14, 2006 23:06:27 GMT -5
Just a general directed comment: Dear Bruce Arena: Would it KILL you to wear a suit and tie? You clearly got out coached and showed that your not a world class level coach - but its not too much effort to dress like one. Oh and when you're team is embarassing 300 million people we'd really appreciate it if you didn't mope around in your oversized sweat suit - ocassionally getting off the bench and acting like you were interested in the game might translate into the 11 americans on the pitch doing the same. I'll bet it killed you when Arena wore a starched shirt and tie to the press conference FOLLOWING the US match. IMO, this can only indicate one thing: Arena has a jersey on under that sweatsuit, and he's going to sub himself in at midfield if we go down early to the Italians. Wasn't Arena wearing that red polo shirt thing? Which is what he normally wears, a polo and some awful pants or track pants. I think one of the contributing reasons Steve Sampson was fired was his propensity for showing up in the coach's box stark naked. His general suckitude as a coach may have contributed as well, not really sure cause it's been 8 years now.* (*GREAT "thank you ESPN" moment--I was thinking to myself the other day during a WC preview or something, "huh, wonder where Steve Sampson is these days" only to look up not 5 minutes later and see the ESPNews bottom line report his firing from his current coaching job.) What is much more disturbing for me coach-dress-wise was Mexican coach Ricardo La Volpe's decision to go away from his traditional Nolan Richardson-esque Suits and Boots (and jeans) approach in favor of a straight-up suit for the Iran game. None of the above people can hold a candle to Dave Urick though.
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miamihoya
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
Posts: 698
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Post by miamihoya on Jun 14, 2006 23:12:00 GMT -5
Just a general directed comment: Dear Bruce Arena: Would it KILL you to wear a suit and tie? You clearly got out coached and showed that your not a world class level coach - but its not too much effort to dress like one. Oh and when you're team is embarassing 300 million people we'd really appreciate it if you didn't mope around in your oversized sweat suit - ocassionally getting off the bench and acting like you were interested in the game might translate into the 11 americans on the pitch doing the same. Brazil's coach usually doesnt wear a suit (i'm drawing a blank right now on his name), and i have a feeling that hasnt hurt his reputation on the world stage. If only Arena's fashion decisions were the USA biggest problems at this point.
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hifigator
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
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Post by hifigator on Jun 14, 2006 23:35:04 GMT -5
I too think of it as a "must win" game, although honestly I think it would only delay the inevitable. We are not at the level of the elite. If ... and that's a big "IF" .. we can beat Italy then I like our chances. That would put us at 1-1 along with Italy. Presumably Czech will be 2-0 after beating Ghana. Should we tie however, we still have an outside shot that is not all that unlikely. It's probably more likely that four years ago. If we tie then we would be 0-1-1 with a game remaining against Ghana. Italy would be 1-0-1 with a game remaining against Czech. They would need a tie to eliminate us and I think tying Czech would be quite a task for them. If they were to lose to Czech, which is likely IMO, then it would go to goal differential presuming we beat Ghana, correct? If we beat Ghana, obviously we must score at least one more than they do and if Italy were to lose to Czech. then they must be outscored by at least one. That would be a minimum of 2 goals in our favor. Unfortunately I think that Italy is 5 up on us already aren't they ? Let's just win.
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Post by StPetersburgHoya (Inactive) on Jun 17, 2006 11:04:13 GMT -5
3hrs to game time - bump necessitated.
Just effin' win.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2006 15:08:29 GMT -5
Wow. Did the U.S. ever squander a golden opportunity... get the own-goal, then an Italian guy gets sent off for a rollerderby-like elbow...
... and now two guys get sent off and they're down a man? Yeesh.
That said, I'm not a huge observer of international soccer outside the World Cup, but this officiating has been absolutely horrible. Not just this game, but all the one's I've seen. Horrible. I'm talking Phil Luckett bad. It makes the game almost unbearable to watch...
... that, and 80% of the players diving like Greg Lougainis. This Italian team deserves an Oscar. Talk about a bunch of p---y divers.
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Post by StPetersburgHoya (Inactive) on Jun 17, 2006 16:37:46 GMT -5
This game was ours to win and the 12th man/11th man for Italy (the one with the mic and red shirt) beat us. I am going for a walk. Thoughts on ways to make myself feel better:
1) Firebomb an Olive Garden 2) Punch a wall 3) Get drunk
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Post by RockawayHoya on Jun 17, 2006 17:18:34 GMT -5
The Mastroeni red card was absurd. Easily the worst call of the WC so far. That was a challenge that might draw a yellow 50% of the time. How that was a red card, no one will ever know.
Both of Pope's challenges could have been yellows (as they were), but most of the time refs give the player the benefit of the doubt if he's already gotten a yellow unless he keeps doing it repeatedly. Pope was tossed 2 minutes into the 2nd half. Less questionable than Mastroeni's, but still a crappy call.
They said later during the post game show that the ref (some dude from Uruguay) had been previously banned from the 2002 World Cup for "officiating irregularities." Why he was allowed to return, I'll never understand. If you already know the ref sucks, why give him another chance to screw up another game in the biggest soccer tournament in the world? FIFA has a lot of explaining to do after this World Cup in terms of why everybody is getting carded for harmless tackles. Beckenbauer has already come out and criticized the officials' penchant for bringing out the cards, you can bet others will soon follow. It seems like every team is going to be playing shorthanded in their third game coming up in pool play, and that's just not right.
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CAHoya07
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 3,598
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Post by CAHoya07 on Jun 17, 2006 19:00:51 GMT -5
US-Italy was the first World Cup game that I've been able to watch in its entirety, and despite the aforementioned referee bull, it was extremely entertaining from start to finish. And this is coming from a non-soccer fan. Italy's goal from the header on the free kick was a thing of beauty, but then the Americans respond with a fortunate own goal by Italy. The US put the pressure on Italy the entire first half, with an aggression that seemed to be missing in the Czech game. When the Italian player De Rossi got the red card, the only one that I felt was justified in the match, I thought this was our game to win.
Then the bull began. Mastroeni gets ejected for a slide tackle that should have garnered nothing worse than a yellow card, if that. Then Pope gets his second yellow early in the second for a similar manuever. I thought the Mastroeni call was worse; ABC commentators even said that it was probably a make-up call. Pope has got to play carefully after already getting a yellow earlier in the game, but even that call was a stretch.
Still, you have to admire the way we refused to back down with nine players. The team almost even made World Cup history with a goal that was called back for offsides. That would have been the first goal in the history of the World Cup while playing with nine. Keller's goalkeeping was spectacular, and in the end, I have to say the US definitely every bit of their first World Cup point in Europe.
Thursday becomes extremely interesting now, with Ghana's shocking upset of the Czechs. Go USA, Go Italia.
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SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Jun 17, 2006 20:12:15 GMT -5
I'm going to find a Uruguayan and beat the crap out of him. I'm kidding. I don't think I could find one.
The Mastroeni call was beyond atrocious. Completely indefensibly and were I running FIFA, it was so bad you'd have to investigate if money had changed hands.
I can't understand why these so-called "athletes" get respect. Almost every player on Italy's team dove repeatedly. Here in the US, people would just call you a p**** and no one would respect you. In Italy? King of the World. Someone should actually kick them to make them understand that it actually can hurt. I love the guy who had to wait for the stretcher despite repeated replays that he never was touched.
Donovan was pretty amazing, but we really have no one who can finish on this team. I can't see the US scoring on Ghana and I can't see this Italian team beating the Czech team I saw.
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Post by HoyaSinceBirth on Jun 17, 2006 20:19:54 GMT -5
UGGH today was terrible. 1. i'm been sick all day witha fever. 2nd. the czechs lost and they didn't look good at all. There was some pretty crappy refering in that game too. Frankly that game was the one that scared me the most. The USA game was really good in the begining but the crappy refering ruined the game. I'm satisfied with the draw but they really needed to win. They had so many oppertunites. The USA looked a lot better today though.
This leads to an intresting situation. For me i'm kinda screwed agian cause it looks like only one of the US or czech republic will advance. It works like this.
Czechs advance in first place w/ a win over Italy and a loss by ghana A win over italy and a tie btween US and ghana
Czech's advance in 2nd w/ a tie in both games a win over italy but a ghana win of more than 2 goals more than what czechs win by
US cannot qualify in first place. US advances in 2ndw/ a win over Ghana and a loss by the czechs a tie btw Czechs and italy and a win by the US in whcih they out score ghana by 5. a win by the czechs and a win in which they score enough that they have a higher goal differential than the italians. e.g czechs win by 2 US needs to win by 4. ( this is the only way they both advance, but it's not going to happen so that sucks)
So in other words realistacally for the US to advance the czechs need to loose or score like 5 goals on italy. so i'm kinda stuck btw a rock and a hard place. I'll wont both teams to win Czechs so they advance in first place and the US for prides sake but i want the czechs to win more which will most likely force the USA out of the tournament.
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