World Cup '14 thread

[brownindian]

I was just starting to like soccer and now I have to wait four years until I care about it again.

Start watching the English Premier League - Saturday Mornings on NBC / NBC Sports channels.

 

[ajz20]

watched it here in Belgium in the streets... fans were annoying but very very loud. Would be great to see more parties back home next world cup!!!!!!!!

 

[brownindian]

watched it here in Belgium in the streets... fans were annoying but very very loud. Would be great to see more parties back home next world cup!!!!!!!!

Good for them - They have a good young squad and will be better in the next world cup. Too bad Benteke was injured for them - He would have been lethal.

 

[shukle]

Being Belgium and living in.Brussels, I also watched the game on the streets. It was freaking awesome, what a game. This USA team has guts and fighting spirit. But I think today we.showed the world we are now a nation to be reckoned with. This was the first match our midfield completely dominated, it was beautiful. Tim Howard is a freaking beast though.

Craziness in town btw, you cannot drive a car anywhere in the center, people everywhere drinking and screaming. So much fun!

 

[Rich]

You can still see the athletic differences between the U.S. and the top 10 teams in the world (the actual top 10 teams..not Portugal). It was obvious in space that Lukaku, Hazard and De Bryun were just much quicker than most of our guys. Yedlin was the only guy on the field that could run with their guys. Losing Altidore took our one attacking player with pace off the field.

Ultimatley we still need better athletes. Graham Zusi, who is a fine player in the MLS looked totally outmatched the entire World Cup.

And what's really sad is we just had a super tough draw. Man for man, I'm not sure you can point to a team with more actual talent than Belgium (Colombia maybe..but that's it). We would have been better off against almost anyone else, including Brazil.

EDIT: I forgot to add losing Johnson. After Jones Johnson had probably been our second best player this world cup. What I can't wait for though (assuming Klinnsmen sticks around and some of these dudes stay on the national team) is Yedlin always playing in front of Johnson from here on out. He proved in his time that he's the future and those two together will be terrors. Eventually he'll be moved to his own side (for Beasley) and we'll have Johnson rampaging down one side and Yedlin down the other.

 

[Erbium]

I'm a big soccer fan. Devoted Liverpool supporter.

However, when does this silly narrative about moral victories, growing the fan base, and growing US soccer end?

I played ODP throughout my youth, had top level coaches, and gave up baseball and basketball at 13 years old to solely focus on soccer. That was literally 20 years ago....

While I am sure things have improved with the youth academies, and, there is a benefit to having a validated professional league in the states, I just don't see why we need more time.

The US may have more competition for top level athletes, but we are also WAY larger in population.

I'm tired of the moral victory BS.

Win or be devastated. The game can't grow much more without our players actually getting better, and getting results at the highest level.

 

[col63onel]

You can still see the athletic differences between the U.S. and the top 10 teams in the world (the actual top 10 teams..not Portugal). It was obvious in space that Lukaku, Hazard and De Bryun were just much quicker than most of our guys. Yedlin was the only guy on the field that could run with their guys. Losing Altidore took our one attacking player with pace off the field.

Ultimatley we still need better athletes. Graham Zusi, who is a fine player in the MLS looked totally outmatched the entire World Cup.

And what's really sad is we just had a super tough draw. Man for man, I'm not sure you can point to a team with more actual talent than Belgium (Colombia maybe..but that's it). We would have been better off against almost anyone else, including Brazil.

EDIT: I forgot to add losing Johnson. After Jones Johnson had probably been our second best player this world cup. What I can't wait for though (assuming Klinnsmen sticks around and some of these dudes stay on the national team) is Yedlin always playing in front of Johnson from here on out. He proved in his time that he's the future and those two together will be terrors. Eventually he'll be moved to his own side (for Beasley) and we'll have Johnson rampaging down one side and Yedlin down the other.

And I think that is the problem. The top tier athletes go play basketball or football. Next tier athletes play baseball. US Soccer is settling for 3rd tier athletes. And I don't really see that changing anytime soon.

 

[Rich]

I'm a big soccer fan. Devoted Liverpool supporter.

However, when does this silly narrative about moral victories, growing the fan base, and growing US soccer end?

I played ODP throughout my youth, had top level coaches, and gave up baseball and basketball at 13 years old to solely focus on soccer. That was literally 20 years ago....

While I am sure things have improved with the youth academies, and, there is a benefit to having a validated professional league in the states, I just don't see why we need more time.

The US may have more competition for top level athletes, but we are also WAY larger in population.

I'm tired of the moral victory BS.

Win or be devastated. The game can't grow much more without our players actually getting better, and getting results at the highest level.

Ok so....? I mean are you going to blame the players on the field because they aren't as athletically gifted as the players on the other top teams? I'm not. You going to blame the kids with the most athletic gifts for choosing to play another sport? I'm not. Like, I just can't be upset at anyone when I can clearly see from watching the game that the other team had flat out better players.

So, I can be devastated because we lost and I guess devastated because better athletes aren't playing soccer, but who exactly am I supposed to be upset at?

What I can say is the skill level of the team has went up and tactically the team looks better. We are better on the ball and better at creating chances through passing that ever before. But the athletic gap still remains. Compare Vincent Kompany, Belgium's chiseled center back that runs like a deer to Omar Gonzalez. They are world's apart athletically. If you were ranking the most athletically gifted players in that game you'd have to go through at least five Belgium players before getting to the first American.

 

[Jack Brickman]

And I think that is the problem. The top tier athletes go play basketball or football. Next tier athletes play baseball. US Soccer is settling for 3rd tier athletes. And I don't really see that changing anytime soon.

And until there's more money and prestige in playing soccer domestically, it's going to stay that way.

 

[kosis]

Great game. Proud of the US for fighting, but just not enough talent to sustain a deeper run. Have this Belgium team beating Argentina and potentially getting to the final. Messi can't save this mediocre Argentinian side every game can he?

 

[DJTJ]

Really aggravating that we aren't good enough to compete in a world cup, because we're so dependent on an average at best soccer league to push people onto USMNT. The MLS is awful. Look at Dempsey and Howard, who played/play in EPL. Look at Julian Green, who looked in his only match, to be the only aggressive, and overly talented mid we had who played for Bayern.

We need kids to crack big leagues in Spain, Italy, Germany, and England and play. That's how they get better, not playing low level talent in the MLS.

 

[Erbium]

Really aggravating that we aren't good enough to compete in a world cup, because we're so dependent on an average at best soccer league to push people onto USMNT. The MLS is awful. Look at Dempsey and Howard, who played/play in EPL. Look at Julian Green, who looked in his only match, to be the only aggressive, and overly talented mid we had who played for Bayern.

We need kids to crack big leagues in Spain, Italy, Germany, and England and play. That's how they get better, not playing low level talent in the MLS.

Agree; and over-expanding the MLS isnt going to help improve the product and our domestic play and players; the MLS said they would cap at 20 teams (which is what near all premier leagues in Europe are); instead, I am watching them get greedy, and they have already expanded to 24, with new plans to eventually go to 30. Why? Every team as is only has 3-4 very good players. The irony is, we are helping improve the smaller CONCACAF nations like Jamaica by expanding...not our own nation.

 

[Erbium]

Ok so....? I mean are you going to blame the players on the field because they aren't as athletically gifted as the players on the other top teams? I'm not. You going to blame the kids with the most athletic gifts for choosing to play another sport? I'm not. Like, I just can't be upset at anyone when I can clearly see from watching the game that the other team had flat out better players.

So, I can be devastated because we lost and I guess devastated because better athletes aren't playing soccer, but who exactly am I supposed to be upset at?

What I can say is the skill level of the team has went up and tactically the team looks better. We are better on the ball and better at creating chances through passing that ever before. But the athletic gap still remains. Compare Vincent Kompany, Belgium's chiseled center back that runs like a deer to Omar Gonzalez. They are world's apart athletically. If you were ranking the most athletically gifted players in that game you'd have to go through at least five Belgium players before getting to the first American.

I'm not mad at the players or the coach. We agree that Belgium had the best athletes on the field. I'm irritated by this moral victory stuff...and that in the future things will be different.

To me, soccer has been prevalent in the US since the 70s. We have had enough time to develop players that can compete and win this thing...time isnt what we need, and we shouldn't be using that as an excuse any longer.

The expectation needs to be to win...so, I'm mad that we expect less.

 

[shukle]

I think you guys vastly overrate athleticism in football. The best player in.the world.is Lionel Messi, not exactly a LeBron James kinda player. Belgium is big and.strong, an advantage.for.sure. But technique is more important in soccer

 

[czvo]

I think you guys vastly overrate athleticism in football. The best player in.the world.is Lionel Messi, not exactly a LeBron James kinda player. Belgium is big and.strong, an advantage.for.sure. But technique is more important in soccer

After watching Beasley bounce off of Lukaka like a tackling dummy, I'm going to have to disagree.