This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
+1Wow - interesting night to say the least. Glad you got out of there unscathed. I am amazed that it was Casey who helped deliver the US to South Africa. Unbelievable.In looking at the remaining qualifying matches, I noticed Argentina has to play at Uruguay with Argentina just a point in front of their neighbors for 4th, and Ecuador just two points behind playing at Chile, who qualified tonight. It is conceivable that Argentina could miss out entirely if Chile decides to coast against Ecuador and Uruguay wins.
+DosCojones gigantes.Still laughing at the running commentary in here from yesterday...
Since we can actually play this game :wahoo:... who's the fourth forward to bring to SA? Or do they take Jozy, Davies, Ching and an extra MF, using Dempsey as the fourth attacking option?
I honestly think they might take Casey. He certainly helped his own cause a bit today.Maybe someone will make a Davies-like ascendancy and come out of virtually nowhere to make the team.Or maybe Eddie Johnson will come back! (kidding...)
Onions
There's always Andy's guy, Kenny Cooper.EJ... oof. He was at least getting looks for Fulham the first couple of games. Then I didn't even see him on the dressed roster.
Is it just me or has Howard looked a little shaky in the last few games he has played for the USMNT? I'm a big Howard fan (hell, I'm an Everton fan so how could I not be), but he just hasn't looked comfortable back there the past few times I have watched him play.Maybe it's just me. Of course I don't know who else I would rather have back there net-minding.
Same here. Looks like we missed an awesome game. Great result, though.Went out to dinner and missed the innerweb feed- read the ESPN play-by-play when I got home and checked in here... ####### classic following the game in here- wish I could've joined you guys.
I don't know if "shaky" is the word I'd use, but he's our best option, just interesting that he's tapered off some since his all-world performance at the Confed Cup.Is it just me or has Howard looked a little shaky in the last few games he has played for the USMNT? I'm a big Howard fan (hell, I'm an Everton fan so how could I not be), but he just hasn't looked comfortable back there the past few times I have watched him play.Maybe it's just me. Of course I don't know who else I would rather have back there net-minding.
Don't think Demerit has been enough a part of this lineup for his absence to be felt much. And hard to call Holden consistent when he's started once and seen limited minutes a couple of times... but I like him too. Hopefully Holden's play will get Dempsey to play for the US the way he does for Fulham... ie: he tries.What did Howard do that was bad? I didn't see the game, only read some reviews, so this is the first I'm hearing about Howard having a bad game.
I believe the rule is that yellow cards don't carry over from qualification to the finals, but a red card suspension does. I think that happened to Arsharvin in the last Euro Cup. He got sent off in Russia's last qualification match and then had to sit out their first two games in the finals (although that is UEFA, not FIFA, so there could be different rules).
Not sure about the reds, but yellows most certainly do not carry over.Good stuff about LD too- totally agree that he's as important to his team as any player in the world. BUt I think that once you start lining up actual players side-by-side, he'd fall pretty far out of that top 50-75 list.
Hopefully Castillo and Jones get healthy and into the mix soon- I feel like those two will pay immediate dividends in the back. But it doesn't help that Gooch isn't playing for club... is Spector?
I'm getting a bit tired of his act where he jumps up and down yelling at his defense immediately following every decent chance. I understand that's all part of the diva goalie act, but its not like he's Gigi Buffon.
You ought to reward that bar owner by going back there from time to time.
Strictly speaking I believe it's at FIFA's option that the yellows don't carry over. Generally they make a pronouncement that they are clearing out the cards at the beginning of the tourney (usually with some classic FIFA exhortation for fair play). That said, as a matter of practice this has always been done as far as I know.-QG
You may want to reconsider that statement. I was watching the EPL Preview show two weeks ago and they had a piece on him basically saying at this point he's the second/third best keeper in the EPL behind a fit Van Der Sar and Cech.Plus he was apparently bedridden for the 3 days prior to the game.CletiusMaximus said:
Link
Basically there will be 4 pots of 8 teams. Pot 1 is the 8 seeded teams, Pot 2 should be Euro non-seeded teams, Pot 3 is probably Asia/CONCACAF pot, Pot 4 should be S. America non-seeded/Africa. The mix in pot 3 and 4 can change depending on what FIFA wants, but that's basically the setup. Best group is something like S Africa/Ukraine/African weakling while worst group is something like Brazil/Holland/Ivory Coast
Also, to answer the other part of LHucks question, the draw will be on December 4th. One of the ESPN's will likely carry it as they have the previous two draws for 2002 and 2006.
Yah, the only way the groups will be relatively balanced this year will be if the best non seeded Euro team, like Holland, gets placed with South Africa.
great...thanks! I'm totally amped and it's still 8 months away.
huh...didn't realize this.
It is always difficult to compare soccer players since they all have different roles. LD is not a prolific goal scorer, he does not have great ball handling skills, he is not great in the air, his set pieces are nice, but nothing spectacular - so individually he does not measure up against the world's best at those skills.But, when he is on his game, he does each of those things well enough to be considered among the world's best soccer players. He can control the tempo of a game when he wants to. Where he comes up short, is that he is too inconsistent in his "great" efforts. Too often he lets himself get taken out of games (maybe I need to give a little credit to the opposing teams). It also helps that he is most often compared to other US players - which does make him look better than he probably deserves, he is by far the most creative player we have. But I think he would be in the mix to start for almost any other side.El Floppo said:
fair comments by all.Only thing that I noticed is that you considered him not a prolific goal scorer. For someone who has played midfield for the large majority of his national team games, I would think his goal rate is quite good (although his PK's certainly make up some of that).
this is probably my favorite thread in the FFA...no tools, good info and discussion....would hate to see us lose that...but I get what you're saying. Tough call IMHO.
Please tell...
