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***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (2 Viewers)

hey, let's all stand and look at one another while the mexican goes by us. ... wtf?

the guy on the spanish station is probably going crazy - goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllllll

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goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllllll

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goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllllll

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goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllllll

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bentley said:
eagles2007 said:
now this looks like the team that played the first two games of the confed cup.
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Except that none of the players are the same.So, Mexico's B team is better than our B team. It's not the end of the world.
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I think that was a lot closer to Mexico's A team than its B team, while the US was playing with its C team IMOI actually think this is a good thing as the US will have this to remember next month when they travel to Mexico to play in a game that matters.
 
I agree. This was the US's C team with a few B and A team players sprinkled in. This is Mexico's B team with a smattering of up and coming A team players. As I had said after the MEX/CRC game, Mexico bought 2-3x the amount of talent than the US did to this tournament. While I'm not surprised that Mexico won, I'm a bit dismayed at getting thumped 5-0 "at home".

This speaks to both the quality of the players at the B and C level for the US as well as the quality of fans that they can draw for a big name match in a big city. It's pretty sad when nearly any big city in the US (I'm talking top 10 metro areas) will consistently draw more Mexican fans than US fans. Furthermore, it's quite probable that even El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama might be able to out draw the US in some venues. The US has a long way to go indeed.

 
Attended the Chelsea-CA game tonight. Smaller crowd than I expected at 57k (but decent enough) and fairly subdued. Chelsea easily had the better of the play even without playing many of their regulars (no Lampard, no Ballack, no Drogba, no Cech). You could see a number of players were quite rusty at times with bad touches and passes. It appeared that Club America had far more supporters but the similar colors makes that hard to tell sometimes (I probably counted any yellow as CA though obviously some were Chelsea).

Couple of things that I thought were weird -

* Played the US national anthem (and nothing else)

* Had Garth Brooks be the ceremonial coin tosser. I'm not sure anyone on either squad knew who he was

* Jerry Jones presented the plate for winning the tourney to John Terry. What does Jerry have to do with this tourney?

All in all, the new Cowboys stadium is pretty nice and I think it will be a great venue for soccer. Hopefully Jones will see 57k show up for this and schedule some more friendlies like this in the future.

 
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LHUCKS said:
man, this is an ### whoopin...Ching does suck...at this point I don't even want him on the roster.
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I'm still watching the last 20 minutes, and yeah, Ching isn't great, but there is absolutely no way you can put this on Brian Ching. He hasn't gotten any service all night, and the defense is getting repeatedly smoked like a fine Cuban cigar.
 
The Z Machine said:
I agree. This was the US's C team with a few B and A team players sprinkled in. This is Mexico's B team with a smattering of up and coming A team players. As I had said after the MEX/CRC game, Mexico bought 2-3x the amount of talent than the US did to this tournament. While I'm not surprised that Mexico won, I'm a bit dismayed at getting thumped 5-0 "at home".

This speaks to both the quality of the players at the B and C level for the US as well as the quality of fans that they can draw for a big name match in a big city. It's pretty sad when nearly any big city in the US (I'm talking top 10 metro areas) will consistently draw more Mexican fans than US fans. Furthermore, it's quite probable that even El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama might be able to out draw the US in some venues. The US has a long way to go indeed.
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I think that's a little too pessimistic. I had an opportunity to go, but there was no way I was paying $150 for good lower level tickets to watch a C level US team (hell I didn't even know the final was in NYC until Thurday when one of our clients wanted a couple of tickets).I think the only thing this game showed was that a couple of WC players can dominate lower level talent and that the rest of CONCACAF is pretty bad/horrible.

 
Steve Tasker said:
LHUCKS said:
man, this is an ### whoopin...Ching does suck...at this point I don't even want him on the roster.
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I'm still watching the last 20 minutes, and yeah, Ching isn't great, but there is absolutely no way you can put this on Brian Ching.
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Oh, I wasn't putting it on Ching, but people in this thread liked him as a starter if you go back several months....clearly if you're a WC starter you would have had more impact on this game. Agreed our defense was primarily at fault for the loss, I guess I was focusing on the play of those players that might actually make the roster.
 
If reading yesterday's local paper you would not have known the Gold Cup was happening. Not even a single line about the finals.

Today on the front page of Sports: Americans embarrassed by Mexico in Gold Cup.

:goodposting:

 
FWIW...I guess I'm in the minority here, but in the first half Ching was controling the air on longballs out the back and heading it effectively to Holden et. al. Having said that, I hope we're past the point of needing that at the full A team level.

 
Mjolnirs said:
If reading yesterday's local paper you would not have known the Gold Cup was happening. Not even a single line about the finals.

Today on the front page of Sports: Americans embarrassed by Mexico in Gold Cup.

:unsure:
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It isn't that most Americans are indifferent to soccer, it is that most Americans actively dislike it.
 
Steve Tasker said:
LHUCKS said:
man, this is an ### whoopin...Ching does suck...at this point I don't even want him on the roster.
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I'm still watching the last 20 minutes, and yeah, Ching isn't great, but there is absolutely no way you can put this on Brian Ching. He hasn't gotten any service all night, and the defense is getting repeatedly smoked like a fine Cuban cigar.
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His Ching hate (like his Adu love) has reached irrational proportions.
 
The Z Machine said:
I agree. This was the US's C team with a few B and A team players sprinkled in. This is Mexico's B team with a smattering of up and coming A team players. As I had said after the MEX/CRC game, Mexico bought 2-3x the amount of talent than the US did to this tournament. While I'm not surprised that Mexico won, I'm a bit dismayed at getting thumped 5-0 "at home".

This speaks to both the quality of the players at the B and C level for the US as well as the quality of fans that they can draw for a big name match in a big city. It's pretty sad when nearly any big city in the US (I'm talking top 10 metro areas) will consistently draw more Mexican fans than US fans. Furthermore, it's quite probable that even El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama might be able to out draw the US in some venues. The US has a long way to go indeed.
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Excellent posting.This was far from a Mexican A team. Only one guy on the field started the last game of consequence for Mexico (2-1 away win v T&T in WC Qualifiers) and only a handful of others were on the roster. Let's not get carried away with things here... plus, Senor T wasn't even in attendance.

As far as the US- I don't even thing Heaps registers on any scale. Genuinely confused as to why a 32 year old MLS role-player would be given this chance when there must be younger players of equal ability out there who could use the experience and who might be able to help the USMNT some day; Heaps never was going to be that guy (and I actually like him as an MLS player).

oh- I was at the game yesterday. Note to Sunil Gulati: never EVER schedule a US game at the Meadowlands. I'm sure the TV showed it, but it seemed like of the 80k fans, at least 70k were for El Tri. I was dreading some of the awful behavior I saw from Mexico fans at other venues (v Panama and v Costa Rica), but I knew once the US anthem played and the entire stadium hushed fairly quickly and respectfully that things would play out differently here (even with the father of 3 young boys sitting right behind me yelling "puto gringos" the entire game).

Some general thoughts from the game/tourny:

- Dos Santos is the ####. For a pudgy pre-pubescent punk, he is: fast and quick, strong, skilled with excellent vision. I hate to think what happens when he loses his baby-fat and his balls drop. I've been watching most of the Gold Cup on TV and have been following Gio (and Vela) since his U17 Mexican side won it's WC (he was player of the tournament). This was my first chance to see him live and he was far and away the most electric player on the field- every time he touched the ball the stadium (and the Mexican team) buzzed. He worked very hard all game too- mostly on the offensive side of things.

- When I saw Vela warming up during half-time I told my friend that he was a difference maker and things would definitely be changing in the 2nd half... had no idea just how much. That kid, like Dos Santos, is very fast and strong (along with all the skills and vision most Mexican players have in abundance)- before Mexico started scoring, he made some fantastic diagonal runs blowing by US defenders.

- When Mexico played Guadalupe, it was the first time I've seen a Mexico side press the ball defensively full field for extended periods of time. IMO, that performance was the most dominating in the Cup and made me start wondering what would happen if they released the hounds like that against the US. There were moments in the first half yesterday where the Mexican MF and forwards did do that and Beckerman et al got completely shut down, much as they did in that bleak 20 minutes when Mexico destroyed us. Strange to me that they didn't and haven't tried to press like that against the A team- I wonder if it's playing too much in the same style (at least defensively) as the US, and pride keeps them from doing it.

US players:

- Ching... He was killing himself yesterday and winning plenty of balls on the ground and air which is his strength. His weaknesses were made more evident because he doesn't have the abilities to hold the ball past 2 or 3 touches and the central MF (particularly Beckerman) wasn't doing a good enough job collapsing the space to the forward line to receive his passes or drop-offs- which gave the Mexican defense time to surround and punish him. Again- this guy isn't our great hope, but he is a guy who works hard and makes his team-mates better if they match his work-rate and get themselves into the right positions.

- Arnaud... totally outclassed. He's a good, scrappy Josh Wolf kind of guy, but really doesn't bring enough to the international table.

- Kenny Cooper (lol at the earlier Cooper is our savior post)... I've never seen such a big, powerful guy play so small and weak. I really like his foot-skills and I like his nose for goal, but until he learns to hold the ball or win the ball in the air he's a fringe player at best.

- Holden... really did his best yesterday but had nowhere to go much of the game when he recieved the ball- credit to the Mexicans for identifying the player that was going to hurt them and defensively work hard to limit his space. Or maybe he's not really that good against quality competition? I think it's the former. He was the only guy trying to work off of Ching, but was pushed too wide to be of help. Delivers some great dead-balls (LD should be watching him), has the ability to get himself out of limited trouble with the ball at his feet (but not against 2 and 3 players). Outside of Perkins and maybe Marshall, the only guy who should move forward with the real USMNT. Don't see him beating anybody out anytime soon, but he's a quality backup to Dempsey (and the US needed some help on the flanks). Looked less capable when he started pushing into the middle yesterday.

- Beckerman... he's got a great sense of the game on both sides of the ball, but IMO lacks the speed and quickness to make the jump to the international game. He's got solid skills and vision, but is always just a little late into the tackle, dribble or releasing a pass (and he goes in hard- I'm suprised at how few yellows he earned throughout the Cup). Looked tired against Mexico or just had his back against the wall too much- couldn't get himself forward to support the attack enough.

- Pause... Why. I guess he did a decent job defending the space behind/alongside Beckerman, but offers nada other than that. Somebody explain him to me, because I saw nothing from him all Cup.

- Rogers... I've been a fan, and he was a world-beater against Granada, but has been truly awful since. I could actually see his body-language implode on the field against Mexico after a few bad touches/decisions in the first half- it was cringe-worthy. Such a shame because he's got the skills and pace to be somebody valuable for the USMNT IMO- just needs to work on his decision-making... too many times trying to dribble at players when a quick pass was on, or vice versa.

- Quaranta... not much to say about him. Looked bad against good competition and ok against ok competition. Not an answer IMO.

- Pearce... Again, I'm a fan, but he was awful against Mexico. Out of position the entire 2nd half when he was trying to press up the field- and Mexico took full advantage using that space in the US left defense. When he's on, he's got good skills on the ball (kind of a Cherundolo-lite) and is decent positionally. Yesterday, not so much on either account.

- Marshall... IMO played himself into the WC qualifying group through his stellar play throughout the cup. Routinely marked down legitimate quality opposition (Costly twice, and Blas Perez) and was a monster in the air and ground. Not too good distributing the ball, but that will come. Played a great first half against Mexico but routinely found himself in the wrong place and out-manned in the 2nd half when Pearce and Heaps went walk-about. From the stands- those goals didn't seem to be on his shoulders. Needs to work on his work in the air on the offensive side of things- throughout the cup he couldn't get open headers down on goal.

- Goodson... Had never heard of this guy, but I really liked what I saw from him through the Cup. Also good in the air and tackles and positions himself well. Seems to have a little better sense of the game in terms of offensive distribution than Marshall. Took a bad knock right at the start of the 2nd half yesterday and looked off for the rest of the game- I saw him limping around a lot.

- Heap... I've always been a fan of his in the MLS, but he is too old and not good enough to even warrant a place on the Gold Cup roster whcih should have been used on a younger up and comer. He's quick and has got great jumping ability, but got killed (with Pearce) in his positioning in the 2nd half. Unlike Pearce, his abilities on the ball just aren't there even when his game is on. Has no business being on the field for his country. Isn't there anybody else out there Bradley could've looked at? From the stands, I would've swore that that PK against him was going to be called the other way- Dos Santos was leaning into him the whole time.

- Perkins... Solid throughout the Cup and can't blame him for any of those goals yesterday. Good on crosses and a good shot-blocker. Played himself into a 3rd GK race with Hahnemann.

- Robles... what a howler against Haiti. Played himself out of any near-future consideration IMO.

 
Looks like the completed deal all said and done is: ~50 million euros+Eto'o+Hleb(1 yr loan) for Ibrahimovic and Maxwell. The fee looks large until you consider that Barcelona was not going to get anything for Eto'o and he was going to leave on free transfer after next season.

It is a sad day to see a legend like Eto'o leave the club and the great memories he gave the fans(including both of his goals in Champions League finals). However, Eto'o has never succeeded in creating chances and lately was having difficulty finishing(see penalty misses and the last four league games) and it is a logical time for him and the club to part ways.

I am giddy at the thought of Ibrahimovic pairing up with the attacking weapons that Barcelona already has. He is going to bring a new dimension to this team and its going to be scary seeing what he can do with Dani Alves' crosses next season.

 
Christo said:
bentley said:
Native said:
bentley said:
As many of you know, I'm pretty new to the sport but I'm really enjoying it. In fact, I'm watching my second MLS game of the day and also caught a bit of the Liverpool friendly on FSC earlier. I get fairly irritated by everyone constantly impersonating the San Antonio Spurs. Does everyone eventually just accept that as part of the game?
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The diving is ridiculous (if thats what youre referring to) and I think most fans hate it but have begrudgingly come to accept it.
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Both the diving and the #####ing every time a foul is called/not called (aka, the "Tim Duncan").
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It's become worse over time. 20-30 years ago it was essentially a South American thing. Sometimes you'd see the Italians do it as well. You almost never saw it in the German and British leagues. But as more South Americans made it over to Europe to play club ball, the Europeans have seen that it can be effective in drawing cards so it's been adopted by most players.
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Gotta partially disagree. I played against all kinds of continental European teams in the 80s (youth level) and they all dived. Germans, IMO, were the worst- and I played against German teams more than any other (and got to watch a lot of Bundesliga). Of course, as you say, nobody dived more than the South/Central Americans back then. And my experiences with British soccer (playing against and watching) showed me a culture completely against it- when a player dived, they were always called out immediately on the field (and usually punished later with nasty tackles). But that was back when British soccer had few foreigners... with the foreigners came the increase in diving, even in the SPL and EPL. I agree with the poster who said the best solution is to have a post-game review that has the ability to issue cards and fines. Cards will hurt the teams and fines will hurt the players. Unfortunately, it's pretty tough to differentiate a true dive from somebody riding a tackle, so it would only be the worst and most obvious dives that would get caught this way... but it's something.
 
Desert_Power said:
Looks like the completed deal all said and done is: ~50 million euros+Eto'o+Hleb(1 yr loan) for Ibrahimovic and Maxwell. The fee looks large until you consider that Barcelona was not going to get anything for Eto'o and he was going to leave on free transfer after next season. It is a sad day to see a legend like Eto'o leave the club and the great memories he gave the fans(including both of his goals in Champions League finals). However, Eto'o has never succeeded in creating chances and lately was having difficulty finishing(see penalty misses and the last four league games) and it is a logical time for him and the club to part ways. I am giddy at the thought of Ibrahimovic pairing up with the attacking weapons that Barcelona already has. He is going to bring a new dimension to this team and its going to be scary seeing what he can do with Dani Alves' crosses next season.
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One the other side, he comes across as a ##### (interviews and such).
 
Desert_Power said:
Looks like the completed deal all said and done is: ~50 million euros+Eto'o+Hleb(1 yr loan) for Ibrahimovic and Maxwell. The fee looks large until you consider that Barcelona was not going to get anything for Eto'o and he was going to leave on free transfer after next season. It is a sad day to see a legend like Eto'o leave the club and the great memories he gave the fans(including both of his goals in Champions League finals). However, Eto'o has never succeeded in creating chances and lately was having difficulty finishing(see penalty misses and the last four league games) and it is a logical time for him and the club to part ways. I am giddy at the thought of Ibrahimovic pairing up with the attacking weapons that Barcelona already has. He is going to bring a new dimension to this team and its going to be scary seeing what he can do with Dani Alves' crosses next season.
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Ibrahimovic is scary good- IMO the best true forward in the world. Barca wins out on that one.But I thought Hleb was nixing his part of the trade?
 
Kendall said:
Desert_Power said:
Looks like the completed deal all said and done is: ~50 million euros+Eto'o+Hleb(1 yr loan) for Ibrahimovic and Maxwell. The fee looks large until you consider that Barcelona was not going to get anything for Eto'o and he was going to leave on free transfer after next season. It is a sad day to see a legend like Eto'o leave the club and the great memories he gave the fans(including both of his goals in Champions League finals). However, Eto'o has never succeeded in creating chances and lately was having difficulty finishing(see penalty misses and the last four league games) and it is a logical time for him and the club to part ways. I am giddy at the thought of Ibrahimovic pairing up with the attacking weapons that Barcelona already has. He is going to bring a new dimension to this team and its going to be scary seeing what he can do with Dani Alves' crosses next season.
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One the other side, he comes across as a ##### (interviews and such).
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He does seem to enjoy making fun of reporters, its funny to me.
 
Kendall said:
Desert_Power said:
Looks like the completed deal all said and done is: ~50 million euros+Eto'o+Hleb(1 yr loan) for Ibrahimovic and Maxwell. The fee looks large until you consider that Barcelona was not going to get anything for Eto'o and he was going to leave on free transfer after next season.

It is a sad day to see a legend like Eto'o leave the club and the great memories he gave the fans(including both of his goals in Champions League finals). However, Eto'o has never succeeded in creating chances and lately was having difficulty finishing(see penalty misses and the last four league games) and it is a logical time for him and the club to part ways.

I am giddy at the thought of Ibrahimovic pairing up with the attacking weapons that Barcelona already has. He is going to bring a new dimension to this team and its going to be scary seeing what he can do with Dani Alves' crosses next season.
Click to expand...
One the other side, he comes across as a ##### (interviews and such).
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One of my favorite soccer journalists - Gabrielle Marcotti of the Times and CNN.SI, wrote a short piece last month on the likeability factor of the fantastic four - Kaka, Ronaldo, Messi and Ibrahimovic. Its kind of interesting in retrospect as 3 of the 4 transferred since the piece was written, with one "good guy" and one "bad guy" each now playing for the two spanish giants.world's best

Are the world's best likable guys?

There are some people who, I guess, are just not meant to be liked. Maybe they don't fit with what we expect, or perhaps there's something about them that prompts us to judge them more harshly than others. Or maybe they just don't look right.

Consider four of the world's best players (I'm not going to suggest they are the top four because I don't want to get caught up in an endless and subjective debate): Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kaká and Lionel Messi. The latter two are generally adored and loved, even by their opposing fans. The former two are reviled by their opponent and often viewed with suspicion even by their own fans.

What gives? What's the common thread binding Kaká and Messi on the one hand and Ibra and Ronaldo on the other?

Ibrahimovic is accused of being lazy off the ball. Fair enough -- you lose track of the number of times he stands, hands on hips, watching his teammates defend at the other end of the pitch. But then Messi isn't exactly the second coming of Roy Keane (in fact, Barça-watchers know that Samuel Eto'o often does a fair chunk of his defensive work). And, by contrast, Ronaldo regularly runs himself into the ground, chasing back and defending on corners.

As for being "money-hungry" mercenaries, sure, you could level that accusation at some of them. Ibrahimovic practically engineered his move from Ajax to Juventus in 2004. He then dumped Juve for Inter after the Calciopoli scandal. And he's now flirting seductively with Barcelona and Real Madrid. And, of course, before it was finalized last week, Ronaldo's not-so-secret love tryst with Real -- while still under contract with Manchester United -- was there for all to see. But hey, even squeaky-clean Kaká used interest from other clubs to sign a deal that made him the best-paid player in the world some 15 months ago. And he was happy to listen to Manchester City last January and, of course, Real last month. That's the way of the world, isn't it?

Ronaldo supposedly goes down too easily and occasionally reacts with X-rated tackles (just ask Thiago Silva). Fine. But Messi has been known to take a tumble as well. And, when it comes to outright cheating, he's the only one of the four to have conned the referee by scoring a goal with his hand. In comparative terms, Ibrahimovic is a paragon of integrity (though he, too, doesn't stay on his feet if he thinks there was contact), at least when it comes to diving. The point is that there really isn't much difference among the four, with the possible exception of Kaká.

So what is it? Personal life? Ronaldo lives his life like a 20-something single heterosexual male with money to burn, the center of a universe of beautiful and willing women. But Ibrahimovic shed his wild streak a few years ago; these days, he's just another boring married guy. Of course, compared to the ultra low-key Messi (whose girlfriend made her first public appearance only earlier this year) and the evangelical Christian Kaká (who preserved his virginity until his wedding day), Ibra is Hugh Hefner, Marilyn Manson and Mick Jagger rolled into one.

Could the difference be -- ultimately -- the way these people look and come across? Messi and Kaká are both clean-cut and soft-spoken. They look shy and humble. There's something of the underdog about them (which, incidentally, isn't that far from the truth: Messi overcame a hormonal disorder, Kaká broke his neck when he was a kid). Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo both look big and brash. They remind you of the older kid in the playground who stepped into your pick-up games and ran circles around you.

Of course, the marketing folks picked up on this a long, long time ago, which is why Messi and Kaká far outstrip the other two in terms of Q rating and commercial potential. As for who the greatest of the four is, it's open to debate, and everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. But because we're only human, odds are, the likability factor will affect the debate, probably far more than it should.
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El Floppo said:
Desert_Power said:
Looks like the completed deal all said and done is: ~50 million euros+Eto'o+Hleb(1 yr loan) for Ibrahimovic and Maxwell. The fee looks large until you consider that Barcelona was not going to get anything for Eto'o and he was going to leave on free transfer after next season. It is a sad day to see a legend like Eto'o leave the club and the great memories he gave the fans(including both of his goals in Champions League finals). However, Eto'o has never succeeded in creating chances and lately was having difficulty finishing(see penalty misses and the last four league games) and it is a logical time for him and the club to part ways. I am giddy at the thought of Ibrahimovic pairing up with the attacking weapons that Barcelona already has. He is going to bring a new dimension to this team and its going to be scary seeing what he can do with Dani Alves' crosses next season.
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Ibrahimovic is scary good- IMO the best true forward in the world. Barca wins out on that one.But I thought Hleb was nixing his part of the trade?
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Conflicting reports about the Hleb side of the exchange, but it seems that this agreement was part of the Maxwell purchase.
 
I wouldn't call Eto'o a legend. Sure if he had scored that many goals for Elche or Mallorca, he would be a legend for them, but not for a club like Barça. Eto'o probably isn't in their top 10 for all time strikers.

 
The Z Machine said:
I wouldn't call Eto'o a legend. Sure if he had scored that many goals for Elche or Mallorca, he would be a legend for them, but not for a club like Barça. Eto'o probably isn't in their top 10 for all time strikers.
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I am going to disagree here, it took Eto'o five years in Barcelona to become the club's 3rd highest scorer ever. Also, scoring the opening goals in two out of three of club's CL final triumphs is a feat that won't be forgotten easily.
 
Desert_Power said:
The Z Machine said:
I wouldn't call Eto'o a legend. Sure if he had scored that many goals for Elche or Mallorca, he would be a legend for them, but not for a club like Barça. Eto'o probably isn't in their top 10 for all time strikers.
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I am going to disagree here, it took Eto'o five years in Barcelona to become the club's 3rd highest scorer ever. Also, scoring the opening goals in two out of three of club's CL final triumphs is a feat that won't be forgotten easily.
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Barcelona has been on a tear scoring wise and Eto'o has been the recipient of that largess.Here's are the strikers that have played for Barça that In would put above Eto'o in terms of "legendary" status:RonaldoRivaldoRomárioDiego MaradonaCésar RodríguezPatrick KluivertThat's the ones that are easily more legendary than Eto'o. He will not be remembered as a legendary Barça player IMO. He didn't do enough w/ Barça to warrant that, and he likely won't do enough away from Barça to warrant overall legendary status like Maradona, Ronaldo, and Romário.So maybe I exaggerated when saying he´s not top 10, but IMO he´s definitely not top 5 legendary.
 
Sammy3469 said:
The Z Machine said:
I agree. This was the US's C team with a few B and A team players sprinkled in. This is Mexico's B team with a smattering of up and coming A team players. As I had said after the MEX/CRC game, Mexico bought 2-3x the amount of talent than the US did to this tournament. While I'm not surprised that Mexico won, I'm a bit dismayed at getting thumped 5-0 "at home".

This speaks to both the quality of the players at the B and C level for the US as well as the quality of fans that they can draw for a big name match in a big city. It's pretty sad when nearly any big city in the US (I'm talking top 10 metro areas) will consistently draw more Mexican fans than US fans. Furthermore, it's quite probable that even El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama might be able to out draw the US in some venues. The US has a long way to go indeed.
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I think that's a little too pessimistic. I had an opportunity to go, but there was no way I was paying $150 for good lower level tickets to watch a C level US team (hell I didn't even know the final was in NYC until Thurday when one of our clients wanted a couple of tickets).I think the only thing this game showed was that a couple of WC players can dominate lower level talent and that the rest of CONCACAF is pretty bad/horrible.
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I would agree that the view is a bit too pessimistic. Certainly this game showed that the US bought a relatively inexperienced team to the Gold Cup. Most of the players on this squad were getting their first senior caps at the Gold Cup. If anything it showed us how young they were when they fell apart during a 5 to 10 minute span after the PK. More experienced teams would have been able to potentially rally and get back together. This team just lost all of their shape and mentally they were out of it. I hope Mexico thinks way too much of this game because it will be a totally different squad in Azteca. If Mexico comes into that match thinking too highly of themselves after this then we could sneak out of there with 3 points. As it is I am hoping we can get a point.

 
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