In all seriousness, how is this team going to beat anyone good? The US got badly outplayed by a mediocre team. Portugal and Germany are much better. It will take another miraculous game to get out of this round. And if we somehow do make it out of this round, we get slaughtered next round. US soccer is still not ready to compete against the big boys. It was an exciting start to get our false hopes up though.
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***Official 2014 World Cup Thread*** (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter NewlyRetired
- Start date
Ted Lange as your Bartender
Footballguy
Jones was an absolute beast out there. Held the balance between composed and still getting under Ghana's skin.
Beckerman was awesome. This formation totally plays to his strengths.
Beasley gave a yeoman's effort out there. Tip of the hat.
Cameron was rock solid in the back. Brooks was also great given the situation, goal aside.
JK played it perfectly with Bedoya starting and Zusi coming off the bench to provide good service on a set piece when needed.
Bradley -oof. I almost threw my remote thought the TV when he didn't run to the corner. Has to think he gets better, and that he hasn't been infected with TorontoStink
Bacon- wrong role for him, but also looked overwhelmed out there. Not sure I want to see Wondo just yet, but it might be the only choice.
Can't really fault anyone for Ghana's goal. Tip of the hat to Gyan, magic on the backheel.
On to Portugal. The script is going to perfection so far.
Notorious T.R.E.
Showdown!™ Administrator
Ghana had a lot of foolish long range bombs when they still had time/numbers/better opportunity.
Vrana
Footballguy
Missed about 10 minutes near the 60th minute because the bar I was in has satellite and cloud cover knocked it out.
TON of people in the bar and most had their phones out and were streaming the game. Everyone was leaning over someones shoulder to try to catch a peek if they couldn't get the game in on their phone.
Nice win. We needed those three points if we want to advance.
TON of people in the bar and most had their phones out and were streaming the game. Everyone was leaning over someones shoulder to try to catch a peek if they couldn't get the game in on their phone.
Nice win. We needed those three points if we want to advance.
Ted Lange as your Bartender
Footballguy
Anyone good? Ghana was a Luis Suarez blatant handball on the goal line from going to the semi-finals in 2010. They're plenty good.
NutterButter
Footballguy
Was thinking the same thing. When I saw the time of possession, I couldn't believe it was only around 60/40 ghana. I thought it would've been over 80/20. That was one exciting finish, but damn, it was pretty miraculous we only gave up one goal.
CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Mediocre team?
That was a team loaded with players who play at stronger clubs than the US team. Ignore the rankings, they are relatively meaningless.
Ghana was a pubic hair away from the semi final in the last World Cup. They are not a mediocre side in any fashion. There are some mediocre teams (like the US) in the WC, Ghana is not one of them.
Norman Paperman
Footballguy
It was more due to good defending, and good goalkeeping than divine intervention.
The Gator
Footballguy
An error occurredYou have reached your quota of positive votes for the day
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
Jesus Jon. Do you know anything about anything?
In the last three World Cups we've beaten Portugal and Mexico, drew with England and Italy, and arguable outplayed Germany in a 1-0 loss that included a blatant handball on the line by the Germans.
We also beat Spain 2-0 in the Confederations Cup to end a two year undefeated streak by one of the best national teams in the history of soccer.
ETA: those teams are all better than us (as are Brazil, who we were up 2-0 on before losing 3-2 in that same Confed Cup), but the US can play with anyone on its day or with a little luck.
Last edited by a moderator:
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
And Howard killed 30 seconds or more with everyone of these hopeful balls that sailed over the net.
jonessed
Footballguy
60/40 is very lopsided. 70/30 is complete and total domination. I don't believe I have ever see 80/20 in a professional game.
NutterButter
Footballguy
Sure but they were knocking on the door all game long. Seemed like they had the ball in the US third for about 80 minutes. You have the ball in that area for that long, multiple goals typically follow.
Norman Paperman
Footballguy
JK after the game on what he sees in Brooks - he is tall, and calm under pressure - saw good things from him at his club, and knew that with a month of training camp they could work with him.
He is Besler's direct back-up, if Cameron had to come out, Gonzalez would go in.
There were portions of the first half we possessed the ball for a while and it looked fairly even. But the second half was ridiculous.
jonessed
Footballguy
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
Was it just cramps then?
They're pretty interchangeable, just mirror images of each other in terms of skill going forward and skill defending.
NutterButter
Footballguy
I didn't see much of it. All I saw was a few counters, but I'd be surprised if there was more than a few occasions where we strung together a dozen passes beside the times where it was being kicked around in our half.
Regardless, not being critical. I'm strictly a US world cup fan where 18 years of playing soccer and patriotic duty require me to tune it so don't mind me. The Brooks goal was one of the moments of pure joy that happen so frequently in sports. Exciting game and great to get out of there with the W.
NutterButter
Footballguy
Ramsay Hunt Experience
Footballguy
Teams that maintain 60 percent possession do not win more often than teams that retain 40 percent possession. A possession oriented strategy has to move above 65 percent before it correlates to wins.
A much better metric is chances created. Both teams created similar numbers of chances, as befits a tight 2-1 game.
A much better metric is chances created. Both teams created similar numbers of chances, as befits a tight 2-1 game.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I thought Bedoya hurt his hip for some reason. It did not look like cramps (like when Cam was stretching in the corner when Ghana had possession of the ball :( )
I hate to say it, but the team was not physically prepared for the environment. Even in San Pedro Sula we did not break down across multiple players (although that could be because we stopped running).
Norman Paperman
Footballguy
Even that is a bit of a misnomer - its not possession that counts its what you do with the possession. The US did a good job of limiting the chances from Ghana. Ghana had 8 shots on target. US had 7 shots on target.
Everyone who I heard after the game - Klinsmann, Bradley, Dempsey, Howard - all said that early goal actually hurt the team in that they started to focus on defending sooner than the US would have liked. They will work on possession, but for the most part they were on the ropes by a hard charging Ghanaian team, and they were able to deflect most of those punches.
When they lost Jozy, they also lost a bit of their game plan. I really like Bacon, but he played a different game than Jozy - so its not easy to simply sub him on, when the US have been preparing for a month to play with him up top. The US will have a slightly different game plan for Portugal, and I think they will be ready.
Ramsay Hunt Experience
Footballguy
I think Zusi is considerably better on dead balls and a better passer. Bedoya is a more opportunistic finisher and makes better runs off the ball. Both have admirable defensive work rate.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Does anyone have a gif of the second goal? I feel like it glanced off of Cam before Brooks got to it.
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
Do you have a link for this RHE? No snark, I'd just like to read more about it. I'm actually not surprised, but hadn't seen that stat/idea before.
jonessed
Footballguy
It's not a misnomer. 60/40 possession is a very lopsided time of possession. 80/20 is unheard of.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
First grades are in. Pretty much lineup with the prevailing thoughts although Dempsey is too high imo.
Ratings: (0-10)
G Tim Howard, 8 -- Commanded his box well and was quick off his line. Produced a fine save to deny Gyan in the first half and denied him again in the second.
D DaMarcus Beasley, 4 -- Had trouble keeping his feet, and did little to prevent the steady stream of crosses coming from his side. Improved in the second half but will need to improve against Portugal.
D Matt Besler, 6 -- His clearances weren't always as authoritative as they needed to be, but he had some crucial blocks and was solid overall though his passing wasn't at his normal level. An injured hamstring ended his night after 45 minutes.
D Geoff Cameron, 7 -- Commanding in the air, and had some key clearances on the ground, but wasn't as clean with his passing as he needed to be. That said, this night was all about defending, and his proved to be immense in that area.
D Fabian Johnson, 4 -- Didn't have to do much defensively in the first half and was largely contained in terms of the attack. He defended his side of the field well, that is until he failed to track Ayew's run.
M Jermaine Jones, 7 -- His slick pass helped set up Dempsey, but he was inconsistent on the ball afterwards. That said, on a night when the U.S. did a ton of defending, his presence, hustle, and savvy were vital.
M Kyle Beckerman, 7 -- Played his usual simple, possession based game, and delivered some vital tackles as well. An absolute rock in midfield.
M Michael Bradley, 4 -- Though he put in his usual shift on defense, his attacking game seemed miles off. He played shaky passes throughout and his touch was lacking as well.
M Alejandro Bedoya, 6 -- Provided his usual graft on defense, and threatened with a free kick in the first half, but struggled to link up with teammates. His work rate was immense.
F Clint Dempsey, 7 -- He made one of the plays that mattered taking his goal with aplomb. Struggled to have an impact thereafter, but this was more down to the team's inability to keep the ball.
F Jozy Altidore, 6 -- Held the ball up well during his brief time on the field, only to see his night cut short by his aforementioned hamstring injury.
Subs:
F Aron Johannsson, 5 -- Tried to step into Altidore's shoes, but struggled with his back to goal.
D John Brooks, 8 -- Had a shaky beginning, but came up big in the end. He eventually settled down on defense and his header gave the U.S. three huge points.
M Graham Zusi, 7 -- Brought some badly needed energy to the U.S. midfield, and his inch-perfect cross set up the game-winner.
Ratings: (0-10)
G Tim Howard, 8 -- Commanded his box well and was quick off his line. Produced a fine save to deny Gyan in the first half and denied him again in the second.
D DaMarcus Beasley, 4 -- Had trouble keeping his feet, and did little to prevent the steady stream of crosses coming from his side. Improved in the second half but will need to improve against Portugal.
D Matt Besler, 6 -- His clearances weren't always as authoritative as they needed to be, but he had some crucial blocks and was solid overall though his passing wasn't at his normal level. An injured hamstring ended his night after 45 minutes.
D Geoff Cameron, 7 -- Commanding in the air, and had some key clearances on the ground, but wasn't as clean with his passing as he needed to be. That said, this night was all about defending, and his proved to be immense in that area.
D Fabian Johnson, 4 -- Didn't have to do much defensively in the first half and was largely contained in terms of the attack. He defended his side of the field well, that is until he failed to track Ayew's run.
M Jermaine Jones, 7 -- His slick pass helped set up Dempsey, but he was inconsistent on the ball afterwards. That said, on a night when the U.S. did a ton of defending, his presence, hustle, and savvy were vital.
M Kyle Beckerman, 7 -- Played his usual simple, possession based game, and delivered some vital tackles as well. An absolute rock in midfield.
M Michael Bradley, 4 -- Though he put in his usual shift on defense, his attacking game seemed miles off. He played shaky passes throughout and his touch was lacking as well.
M Alejandro Bedoya, 6 -- Provided his usual graft on defense, and threatened with a free kick in the first half, but struggled to link up with teammates. His work rate was immense.
F Clint Dempsey, 7 -- He made one of the plays that mattered taking his goal with aplomb. Struggled to have an impact thereafter, but this was more down to the team's inability to keep the ball.
F Jozy Altidore, 6 -- Held the ball up well during his brief time on the field, only to see his night cut short by his aforementioned hamstring injury.
Subs:
F Aron Johannsson, 5 -- Tried to step into Altidore's shoes, but struggled with his back to goal.
D John Brooks, 8 -- Had a shaky beginning, but came up big in the end. He eventually settled down on defense and his header gave the U.S. three huge points.
M Graham Zusi, 7 -- Brought some badly needed energy to the U.S. midfield, and his inch-perfect cross set up the game-winner.
Norman Paperman
Footballguy
They will be in a favorable position - it would likely come down to goal differential - and Portugal losing by 4 will hurt them, but if the US lose to Germany 2-0, and Portugal can beat Ghana by 3 - I don't know what the next tiebreaker is - probably goals scored, and that would put the US behind Portugal.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
They have a very good chance.
They would have a +5 goal differential over Portugal going into the last game.
If Portugal beats Ghana 2-0 and Germany beats US 3-0, the US would not advance (would lose out on goals scored tie breaker)
Notorious T.R.E.
Showdown!™ Administrator
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
NutterButter
Footballguy
Any word on Altidore? He is pretty much done?
Norman Paperman
Footballguy
Norman Paperman
Footballguy
Post game pressers indicated they would evaluate tomorrow. Seemed much more upbeat about Besler. I would say he is unlikely against Portugal.
biggamer3
Footballguy
Thats great. I was glad Pepe got the red card, those 2 later goals were awesome for US soccer
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I always set my bare minimum as hoping the US is still alive to advance going into game 3. That baseline has now been achieved.
Also we talked earlier about 5 points and the US not advancing. I believe if we secure 5 points now, with two other teams with losees, we are a mathematical certainty to advance if I did that right in my head.
Also we talked earlier about 5 points and the US not advancing. I believe if we secure 5 points now, with two other teams with losees, we are a mathematical certainty to advance if I did that right in my head.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
They said during the game they would have to scan him tomorrow.
The way he went down it looked like a tear :(
Notorious T.R.E.
Showdown!™ Administrator
I thought Fabian did some nice stuff late pressing and holding the ball.
Norman Paperman
Footballguy
Sand
Footballguy
Hopefully he wants it again.
Looking back at this game I wonder how we are going to match up with Portugal. If they play as bad as they did today it will be a close match. I'm figuring both teams will look a bit better.
When all is said and done the US has won one of the two that they have to take care of. And our real remaining contender for the second spot going through has a -4 GD. After one round of Group G we couldn't have asked for a better set of results - a dream come true. Let's hope they can show up for the next game and spike this ball.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Yes that is true. If I understand the tie breaker rules, in this specific scenario they would draw slots?
Teams are ranked on the following criteria:
1. Greater number of points in all group matches
2. Goal difference in all group matches
3. Greater number of goals scored in all group matches
4. Greatest number of points in matches between tied teams
5. Goal difference in matches between tied teams
6. Greatest number of goals scored in matches between tied teams
7. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
Odds of qualifying from Group G after today's games:
Germany - 96%
USA - 49%
Portugal - 44%
Ghana - 11%
Also, US odds of winning World Cup cut from 250-1 to ~150 to 1.
Germany - 96%
USA - 49%
Portugal - 44%
Ghana - 11%
Also, US odds of winning World Cup cut from 250-1 to ~150 to 1.
The Gator
Footballguy
Norman Paperman
Footballguy
The Z Machine said:
Premier
Footballguy
We have nothing to apologize for today. Both are goals were well-earned. Neither was a fluky own goal or a nonsense penalty kick due to some dive.
What today showed is that we can beat a more talented team that outplays us without some luck. Everything that happened today was deserved.
And we're going to best Portugal in 6 days and advance. I believe in Jurgen.
What today showed is that we can beat a more talented team that outplays us without some luck. Everything that happened today was deserved.
And we're going to best Portugal in 6 days and advance. I believe in Jurgen.
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