FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 in South Africa

[jaflash]

All these people on TV talking about why does USA advance if Italy beat them head to head and both teams had 3pts.

Yet they don't mention that Egypt has 3 pts also and they beat Italy.


US deserved to advance fair and square.

 

[socluis90]

Originally Posted by JaFlash

All these people on TV talking about why does USA advance if Italy beat them head to head and both teams had 3pts.

Yet they don't mention that Egypt has 3 pts also and they beat Italy.


US deserved to advance fair and square.

I hope the US learn from this. That 3rd goal italy scored on us coulda REALLY hurt us even though it didn't affect the result of that game. GDis huge in the WC and hopefully the players noticed that.

 

[jjgrt5]

Cant wait for the game

I think its going to be a close contested game until the midway through second half when Spain will pull away with a goal... maybetwo if we can execute.


VAMOS FURRIIAA ROJA!!!!!

 

[jjuve]

Originally Posted by DC1323

Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez

Wow, I've never been so wrong when discussing soccer...ever. Thats probably the biggest L I've taken in my NT career. I'm glad I didnt do anything stupid like promise to retire my SN if the US advanced

Seriously though, other than Spain and Brazil, every team in this tourny has been crap. The US got embarrassed twice and yet they still advanced with only 3 pts and a negative goal differential. Italy and Egypt were also pathetic today. Egypt was so stupid...came out with an attacking formation, when they were down 1-0 and they knew that Italy was down 3-0, Egypt started to play defensively in the 2nd half to preserve a 1-goal deficit

3rd world countries FTL.

I'm not going to say something stupid like "The US will get smashed"...I know that the US will come out very organized and they'll have a strict gameplan vs. Spain. That being said, Spain should squeek out a 1 or 2 goal victory.

Brazil will smash South Africa though...Brazil's wing play is RIDICULOUS. 2 or 3 goal victory for Brazil.

while i'm at it... i'll disagree again. I dont think Italy smashed the US by any means. They played an hour down a man... and their goals were NOT because they broke down the US defense... they were great strikes. 11 vs 11 that night... and I promise there would have been a different result. Italy had a horrible tournament. They would be NOTHING right now if they werent' awarded that point vs. USA in the world cup in group play. I think US plays Italy well. Italy is the San Antonio Spurs...

i'm sorry but i just dont see your logic here..."Italy would be NOTHING if they werent awarded that point vs the USA in the world cup in groupplay"...and i dont mean too sound like the lone, arrogant Italy supporter here but i hope your not implying that Italy didnt deserve that world cup 3years ago...really? lucky?

the USA was the ONLY team Italy did not beat in WC '06, as matter of fact, Italy did not give up a single goal through the run of play too an opponent inthe entire tournament. just an own goal in the US match, and Zidane's penalty early on in the final. the defensive performance that Cannavaro, Zambrotta,Grosso, and Buffon put on in that tournament was second too none, and the reason why Canna won the European Player of the Year in 2006, and Buffon finished insecond i believe.

they answered the bell every time they were called into question in '06, they out played and out coached every opponent they faced. as a matter of fact,had Christian Zaccardo not made that dreadfull clearance/own goal in the match vs the USA, you would not even have a leg too stand on in this argument."awarded that point"?? i think not.

Italy outclassed the Czechs, Ghana, and the Ukraine. persevered vs USA and Australia in their tough matches, they survived and advanced vs Germany in thesemi-final, and they went on to beat France on Pks in the final...like it or not Italy are the 4 time world champions and they deserved every bit of creditthey received.

with that said i hope the USA goes on to beat Spain.

 

[liljrdn]

^ I'm rooting for the US because I got money on the line. I bet that Brazil will win the tourney and my coworker got his money on Spain. Let's go USA!

 

[krispacinla]

If we were to beat Espana it would rank as one of our top victories in our country's history.

vs. Portugal 2002 (World Cup)
vs. Mexico 2002 (World Cup)
vs. Germany 1999 (Confederations Cup)
vs. Brazil 1998 (Gold Cup)
vs. Argentina 1995 (Copa America)
VS. COLOMBIA (WORLD CUP 1994)
vs. England 1993 (US Cup).
vs. England 1950 (World Cup)


Needless to say I wont be going to work that day. We are going to have US SOCCER BBQ.

LET GO USA 37 HOURS TO GOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL!!!!!

 

[persiafly]

I think if we learned anything that we didn't know about a team in Group B, it was only about Egypt.

We knew that Brazil is a world-class team and is fully capable of dominating any game in which it plays, regardless of the opponent.

We knew that Italy is a team that relies on squeezing out of the group stage of tournaments with solid defense and sporadic goals, but also that it can fallout of tournaments unceremoniously if it doesn't get the right breaks on offense.

We knew that the USNT is a notch, at the least, below teams such as Brazil and Italy, and would need a lot of stars to align in order to advance.

What we didn't know was Egypt's identity. Were they another African team that played good football but ultimately fell short of world classcompetition, or were they really ready to play with the big boys.

The game against Brazil certainly suggested that they were ready for the world, but perhaps that could be dismissed as an aberration. Although they put forth agreat performance, they made an absolutely amateur mistake of leaving a player open on the back post on a corner kick during the very late stages of the game.You just can't do that. Especially against a team like Brazil.

Then against Italy, they got a great result, but were on their heels most of the second half. Italy was attacking them from all angles, especially once Pepecame into the game, and it was only a heroic performance from the goalie, as well the woodwork on one occasion, that allowed them to escape with the victory.

Against the US, they laid a great egg, and missed an opportunity to claim their place, at least for a while, among the world's soccer elite. A dismantlingof the USNT would have done wonders for Egypt, but instead they were dismantled. The coaches blamed it on fatigue, but that is really a weak excuse to putforth in a tournament, especially in the group stages.

So the US, despite a tough but ultimately lopsided loss to Italy, and an embarrassing showing against Brazil, advanced because they played with heart when itmattered. But their advancement, as was the case in 2002, was more about what other teams did and failed to do than what the USNT accomplished. The starsaligned, and they aligned perfectly.

Unfortunately, against Spain the USNT can't rely on other results or GD. It will be them against the best team from the best continent, and it will be achance to rescue their reputation as a soccer team. If they put up a strong fight against Spain and put the result into question at least until the 75thminute, they will earn some respect. If they get dismantled by Spain, their advancement will become absolutely irrelevant and they will be once again regardedas a team of wannabes and weaklings. I can't wait to see how they perform.

 

[deepinthajeep]

Originally Posted by KRISPACINLA

Needless to say I wont be going to work that day. We are going to have US SOCCER BBQ.

LET GO USA 37 HOURS TO GOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL!!!!!

 

[rothypejc]

I don't know about comparing this tournament to 2002 for the US. If it was a matter of the stars aligning in that Cup, it wasn't only about the USgetting lucky with Portugal flopping but also the guys on the US team putting in some of the best performances of their careers. Also, the US finished aclear-cut 2nd place in that group unlike in this tournament. I wouldn't hesitate to take that 2002 team over the current one.

 

[persiafly]

Originally Posted by rothypejc

I don't know about comparing this tournament to 2002 for the US. If it was a matter of the stars aligning in that Cup, it wasn't only about the US getting lucky with Portugal flopping but also the guys on the US team putting in some of the best performances of their careers. Also, the US finished a clear-cut 2nd place in that group unlike in this tournament. I wouldn't hesitate to take that 2002 team over the current one.

I was mostly comparing the tournaments in the sense that the US advanced due to some crazy circumstances that came together at the last minute. If I recallcorrectly in 2002, they lost their last game but were rescued by the fact that Portugal also lost, so they advanced. I remember hearing one of the USNT playershappily yelling "no f----- way" after they found out they would advance despite their loss to Poland. This tournament was similar in that they musthave thought they were finished up until Dempsey's goal, and even after that, since Italy could have pulled one back, or Egypt could have put one in andchanged everything. The similarities between the tournaments can increase if the US capitalizes on their luck and puts forth a strong showing against Spain, asit did against Mexico in 2002. If not, this team will be viewed as undeserving of its place in the semis, whereas the 2002 team undoubtedly earned their placein the quarterfinals.

 

[18key]

So will the US/Spain game be on ESPN? Or am I relying on the internet again?

 

[rothypejc]

Originally Posted by PersiaFly

Originally Posted by rothypejc

I don't know about comparing this tournament to 2002 for the US. If it was a matter of the stars aligning in that Cup, it wasn't only about the US getting lucky with Portugal flopping but also the guys on the US team putting in some of the best performances of their careers. Also, the US finished a clear-cut 2nd place in that group unlike in this tournament. I wouldn't hesitate to take that 2002 team over the current one.

I was mostly comparing the tournaments in the sense that the US advanced due to some crazy circumstances that came together at the last minute. If I recall correctly in 2002, they lost their last game but were rescued by the fact that Portugal also lost, so they advanced. I remember hearing one of the USNT players happily yelling "no f----- way" after they found out they would advance despite their loss to Poland. This tournament was similar in that they must have thought they were finished up until Dempsey's goal, and even after that, since Italy could have pulled one back, or Egypt could have put one in and changed everything. The similarities between the tournaments can increase if the US capitalizes on their luck and puts forth a strong showing against Spain, as it did against Mexico in 2002. If not, this team will be viewed as undeserving of its place in the semis, whereas the 2002 team undoubtedly earned their place in the quarterfinals.

fair enough

 

[babam11218719]

Originally Posted by 18key

So will the US/Spain game be on ESPN? Or am I relying on the internet again?

Every game in the tournament so far has been on ESPN or ESPN 2. This one will be no different. I hope the US show some life in this game anddon't just lay down for Spain.

 

[18key]

Originally Posted by babam11218719

Originally Posted by 18key

So will the US/Spain game be on ESPN? Or am I relying on the internet again?

Every game in the tournament so far has been on ESPN or ESPN 2. This one will be no different. I hope the US show some life in this game and don't just lay down for Spain.

Okay, thanks. I checked the ESPN Confed. Cup schedule and they only had the game listed on ESPN360. I was confused, so I figured I'd ask here.

 

[intrigant]

well if usa will have a good day and spain an awful then maybe...

 

[gtownballer23]

Originally Posted by babam11218719

Originally Posted by 18key

So will the US/Spain game be on ESPN? Or am I relying on the internet again?

Every game in the tournament so far has been on ESPN or ESPN 2. This one will be no different. I hope the US show some life in this game and don't just lay down for Spain.

Word. Onyewu needs to speak up more and act like the beast that he is. I think he should be more vocal and get and the rest of the guys for not giving it 100%.

Onyewu = beast

 

[dc1323]

Originally Posted by JJUVE

Originally Posted by DC1323

Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez

Wow, I've never been so wrong when discussing soccer...ever. Thats probably the biggest L I've taken in my NT career. I'm glad I didnt do anything stupid like promise to retire my SN if the US advanced

Seriously though, other than Spain and Brazil, every team in this tourny has been crap. The US got embarrassed twice and yet they still advanced with only 3 pts and a negative goal differential. Italy and Egypt were also pathetic today. Egypt was so stupid...came out with an attacking formation, when they were down 1-0 and they knew that Italy was down 3-0, Egypt started to play defensively in the 2nd half to preserve a 1-goal deficit

3rd world countries FTL.

I'm not going to say something stupid like "The US will get smashed"...I know that the US will come out very organized and they'll have a strict gameplan vs. Spain. That being said, Spain should squeek out a 1 or 2 goal victory.

Brazil will smash South Africa though...Brazil's wing play is RIDICULOUS. 2 or 3 goal victory for Brazil.

while i'm at it... i'll disagree again. I dont think Italy smashed the US by any means. They played an hour down a man... and their goals were NOT because they broke down the US defense... they were great strikes. 11 vs 11 that night... and I promise there would have been a different result. Italy had a horrible tournament. They would be NOTHING right now if they werent' awarded that point vs. USA in the world cup in group play. I think US plays Italy well. Italy is the San Antonio Spurs...

i'm sorry but i just dont see your logic here..."Italy would be NOTHING if they werent awarded that point vs the USA in the world cup in group play"...and i dont mean too sound like the lone, arrogant Italy supporter here but i hope your not implying that Italy didnt deserve that world cup 3 years ago...really? lucky?

the USA was the ONLY team Italy did not beat in WC '06, as matter of fact, Italy did not give up a single goal through the run of play too an opponent in the entire tournament. just an own goal in the US match, and Zidane's penalty early on in the final. the defensive performance that Cannavaro, Zambrotta, Grosso, and Buffon put on in that tournament was second too none, and the reason why Canna won the European Player of the Year in 2006, and Buffon finished in second i believe.

they answered the bell every time they were called into question in '06, they out played and out coached every opponent they faced. as a matter of fact, had Christian Zaccardo not made that dreadfull clearance/own goal in the match vs the USA, you would not even have a leg too stand on in this argument. "awarded that point"?? i think not.

Italy outclassed the Czechs, Ghana, and the Ukraine. persevered vs USA and Australia in their tough matches, they survived and advanced vs Germany in the semi-final, and they went on to beat France on Pks in the final...like it or not Italy are the 4 time world champions and they deserved every bit of credit they received.

with that said i hope the USA goes on to beat Spain.

although your pretty stats are GREAT.... having 4 points vs. 6 points at that stage in group play DEFINITELY changes the way the group plays out in the 3 game.Regardless of how the goal went in, we can all agree that a goal is a goal... and they're all appreciated, especially on the world stage. The ONLY reasonitaly got that point was because of a HORRIBLE refs decision in the 90th minute? C'mon now.

Italy did have a good team and their defense was very solid. I am a huge fan of canavarro. EVERY team needs to be lucky at one point in a tournament of thatmagnitude. (look at Barcas luck vs. Chelsea just a few weeks ago) But to say Italy wasn't gifted that point is naive.

 

[dc1323]

and didn't US play the ENTIRE 2nd half down a man? I think so!

 

[carlos tevez]

Originally Posted by DC1323

Originally Posted by JJUVE

Originally Posted by DC1323

Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez

Wow, I've never been so wrong when discussing soccer...ever. Thats probably the biggest L I've taken in my NT career. I'm glad I didnt do anything stupid like promise to retire my SN if the US advanced

Seriously though, other than Spain and Brazil, every team in this tourny has been crap. The US got embarrassed twice and yet they still advanced with only 3 pts and a negative goal differential. Italy and Egypt were also pathetic today. Egypt was so stupid...came out with an attacking formation, when they were down 1-0 and they knew that Italy was down 3-0, Egypt started to play defensively in the 2nd half to preserve a 1-goal deficit

3rd world countries FTL.

I'm not going to say something stupid like "The US will get smashed"...I know that the US will come out very organized and they'll have a strict gameplan vs. Spain. That being said, Spain should squeek out a 1 or 2 goal victory.

Brazil will smash South Africa though...Brazil's wing play is RIDICULOUS. 2 or 3 goal victory for Brazil.

while i'm at it... i'll disagree again. I dont think Italy smashed the US by any means. They played an hour down a man... and their goals were NOT because they broke down the US defense... they were great strikes. 11 vs 11 that night... and I promise there would have been a different result. Italy had a horrible tournament. They would be NOTHING right now if they werent' awarded that point vs. USA in the world cup in group play. I think US plays Italy well. Italy is the San Antonio Spurs...

i'm sorry but i just dont see your logic here..."Italy would be NOTHING if they werent awarded that point vs the USA in the world cup in group play"...and i dont mean too sound like the lone, arrogant Italy supporter here but i hope your not implying that Italy didnt deserve that world cup 3 years ago...really? lucky?

the USA was the ONLY team Italy did not beat in WC '06, as matter of fact, Italy did not give up a single goal through the run of play too an opponent in the entire tournament. just an own goal in the US match, and Zidane's penalty early on in the final. the defensive performance that Cannavaro, Zambrotta, Grosso, and Buffon put on in that tournament was second too none, and the reason why Canna won the European Player of the Year in 2006, and Buffon finished in second i believe.

they answered the bell every time they were called into question in '06, they out played and out coached every opponent they faced. as a matter of fact, had Christian Zaccardo not made that dreadfull clearance/own goal in the match vs the USA, you would not even have a leg too stand on in this argument. "awarded that point"?? i think not.

Italy outclassed the Czechs, Ghana, and the Ukraine. persevered vs USA and Australia in their tough matches, they survived and advanced vs Germany in the semi-final, and they went on to beat France on Pks in the final...like it or not Italy are the 4 time world champions and they deserved every bit of credit they received.

with that said i hope the USA goes on to beat Spain.

although your pretty stats are GREAT.... having 4 points vs. 6 points at that stage in group play DEFINITELY changes the way the group plays out in the 3 game. Regardless of how the goal went in, we can all agree that a goal is a goal... and they're all appreciated, especially on the world stage. The ONLY reason italy got that point was because of a HORRIBLE refs decision in the 90th minute? C'mon now.

Italy did have a good team and their defense was very solid. I am a huge fan of canavarro. EVERY team needs to be lucky at one point in a tournament of that magnitude. (look at Barcas luck vs. Chelsea just a few weeks ago) But to say Italy wasn't gifted that point is naive.

Man, what the hell are you smoking? What horrible refs decision in the 90th minute? Italy scored first in that match in the 1st half. Lets alsonot forget that the ref's first red card in that match was awarded to an Italian player early in the match. I dont see how the US deserved to win a matchthey never had the lead in.

Lets not forget that the Czechs beat you guys quite badly in the 1st match and in the 3rd match Ghana won as well. And the funny thing is you say "Italywould be nothing if they werent awarded that point in the U.S. match". What a ludicrous comment to make. Italy beat the Czechs and Ghanians convincinglyand would've won the group regardless of the outcome in the U.S. match due to a superior goal differential (compared to 2nd place Ghana).

I do not understand why some U.S. soccer fans here can not ever graciously accept defeat. Face it, the US men's team is not that good. Period. When thetime comes and the U.S. team reaches the level of other powerhouses, I'll be the first one to admit it and give them credit. Right now the U.S. is clearlyoutside top 10 in the world and are in a grey zone with other average national teams. They got extremelly lucky to advance out of their Confederations Cupgroup despite being badly beaten twice and having one good showing vs. a crappy Egypt team. I'm not discrediting the U.S. simply because it is the U.S. IfItaly had advanced despite losing 2 matches or Egypt advanced despite 2 losses in which they conceded 7-goals, I would've been critical of them as well.

Lets face it, we shouldn't even have a semi-final. Spain and Brazil have been above and beyond the other 6 teams in this tourny and they both deserve to befinalists.

 

[i am toddzo]

Originally Posted by GTownBaller23

Originally Posted by babam11218719

Originally Posted by 18key

So will the US/Spain game be on ESPN? Or am I relying on the internet again?

Every game in the tournament so far has been on ESPN or ESPN 2. This one will be no different. I hope the US show some life in this game and don't just lay down for Spain.

Word. Onyewu needs to speak up more and act like the beast that he is. I think he should be more vocal and get and the rest of the guys for not giving it 100%.

Onyewu = beast

There's a pretty good chance that Onyewu is going to get worked against Spain.

 

[marionthebarberian]

Originally Posted by i am toddzo

GTownBaller23 wrote:

---

babam11218719 wrote:

---

18key wrote:

---

So will the US/Spain game be on ESPN? Or am I relying on the internet again?

Every game in the tournament so far has been on ESPN or ESPN 2. This one will be no different. I hope the US show some life in this game and don't just lay down for Spain.




Word. Onyewu needs to speak up more and act like the beast that he is. I think he should be more vocal and get and the rest of the guys for not giving it 100%.

Onyewu = beast



There's a pretty good chance that Onyewu is going to get worked against Spain.


on the ground yes, but in the air nope.

 

[elevenairs]

Originally Posted by i am toddzo

Originally Posted by GTownBaller23

Originally Posted by babam11218719

Originally Posted by 18key

So will the US/Spain game be on ESPN? Or am I relying on the internet again?

Every game in the tournament so far has been on ESPN or ESPN 2. This one will be no different. I hope the US show some life in this game and don't just lay down for Spain.

Word. Onyewu needs to speak up more and act like the beast that he is. I think he should be more vocal and get and the rest of the guys for not giving it 100%.

Onyewu = beast

There's a pretty good chance that Onyewu is going to get worked against Spain.

^ Torres doesn't always play well against big centre backs...and Onyewu has been on his game for the most part

not to say he couldnt end up scoring a couple, im just saying it should be interesting

Lets face it, we shouldn't even have a semi-final. Spain and Brazil have been above and beyond the other 6 teams in this tourny and they both deserve to be finalists.
you really gonna make a statement like that again (j/p

),really though its not about how good you've been so far, its how you play on any given day...Spain and Brazil will more than likely advance but they dontdeserve to be finalists unless they win the semi-final game

 

[socluis90]

Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez

Originally Posted by DC1323

Originally Posted by JJUVE

Originally Posted by DC1323

Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez

Wow, I've never been so wrong when discussing soccer...ever. Thats probably the biggest L I've taken in my NT career. I'm glad I didnt do anything stupid like promise to retire my SN if the US advanced

Seriously though, other than Spain and Brazil, every team in this tourny has been crap. The US got embarrassed twice and yet they still advanced with only 3 pts and a negative goal differential. Italy and Egypt were also pathetic today. Egypt was so stupid...came out with an attacking formation, when they were down 1-0 and they knew that Italy was down 3-0, Egypt started to play defensively in the 2nd half to preserve a 1-goal deficit

3rd world countries FTL.

I'm not going to say something stupid like "The US will get smashed"...I know that the US will come out very organized and they'll have a strict gameplan vs. Spain. That being said, Spain should squeek out a 1 or 2 goal victory.

Brazil will smash South Africa though...Brazil's wing play is RIDICULOUS. 2 or 3 goal victory for Brazil.

while i'm at it... i'll disagree again. I dont think Italy smashed the US by any means. They played an hour down a man... and their goals were NOT because they broke down the US defense... they were great strikes. 11 vs 11 that night... and I promise there would have been a different result. Italy had a horrible tournament. They would be NOTHING right now if they werent' awarded that point vs. USA in the world cup in group play. I think US plays Italy well. Italy is the San Antonio Spurs...

i'm sorry but i just dont see your logic here..."Italy would be NOTHING if they werent awarded that point vs the USA in the world cup in group play"...and i dont mean too sound like the lone, arrogant Italy supporter here but i hope your not implying that Italy didnt deserve that world cup 3 years ago...really? lucky?

the USA was the ONLY team Italy did not beat in WC '06, as matter of fact, Italy did not give up a single goal through the run of play too an opponent in the entire tournament. just an own goal in the US match, and Zidane's penalty early on in the final. the defensive performance that Cannavaro, Zambrotta, Grosso, and Buffon put on in that tournament was second too none, and the reason why Canna won the European Player of the Year in 2006, and Buffon finished in second i believe.

they answered the bell every time they were called into question in '06, they out played and out coached every opponent they faced. as a matter of fact, had Christian Zaccardo not made that dreadfull clearance/own goal in the match vs the USA, you would not even have a leg too stand on in this argument. "awarded that point"?? i think not.

Italy outclassed the Czechs, Ghana, and the Ukraine. persevered vs USA and Australia in their tough matches, they survived and advanced vs Germany in the semi-final, and they went on to beat France on Pks in the final...like it or not Italy are the 4 time world champions and they deserved every bit of credit they received.

with that said i hope the USA goes on to beat Spain.

although your pretty stats are GREAT.... having 4 points vs. 6 points at that stage in group play DEFINITELY changes the way the group plays out in the 3 game. Regardless of how the goal went in, we can all agree that a goal is a goal... and they're all appreciated, especially on the world stage. The ONLY reason italy got that point was because of a HORRIBLE refs decision in the 90th minute? C'mon now.

Italy did have a good team and their defense was very solid. I am a huge fan of canavarro. EVERY team needs to be lucky at one point in a tournament of that magnitude. (look at Barcas luck vs. Chelsea just a few weeks ago) But to say Italy wasn't gifted that point is naive.

Man, what the hell are you smoking? What horrible refs decision in the 90th minute? Italy scored first in that match in the 1st half. Lets also not forget that the ref's first red card in that match was awarded to an Italian player early in the match. I dont see how the US deserved to win a match they never had the lead in.

Lets not forget that the Czechs beat you guys quite badly in the 1st match and in the 3rd match Ghana won as well. And the funny thing is you say "Italy would be nothing if they werent awarded that point in the U.S. match". What a ludicrous comment to make. Italy beat the Czechs and Ghanians convincingly and would've won the group regardless of the outcome in the U.S. match due to a superior goal differential (compared to 2nd place Ghana).

I do not understand why some U.S. soccer fans here can not ever graciously accept defeat. Face it, the US men's team is not that good. Period. When the time comes and the U.S. team reaches the level of other powerhouses, I'll be the first one to admit it and give them credit. Right now the U.S. is clearly outside top 10 in the world and are in a grey zone with other average national teams. They got extremelly lucky to advance out of their Confederations Cup group despite being badly beaten twice and having one good showing vs. a crappy Egypt team. I'm not discrediting the U.S. simply because it is the U.S. If Italy had advanced despite losing 2 matches or Egypt advanced despite 2 losses in which they conceded 7-goals, I would've been critical of them as well.

Lets face it, we shouldn't even have a semi-final. Spain and Brazil have been above and beyond the other 6 teams in this tourny and they both deserve to be finalists.

I think he was talking bout Italy-Australia but \

 

[mrtramericanjr]

the worst thing that can happen to the us is if they lose to spain, and then lose the 3rd place game

that would mean they lost 4 games out of 5

 

[jjuve]

Originally Posted by socluis90

Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez

Originally Posted by DC1323

Originally Posted by JJUVE

Originally Posted by DC1323

Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez

Wow, I've never been so wrong when discussing soccer...ever. Thats probably the biggest L I've taken in my NT career. I'm glad I didnt do anything stupid like promise to retire my SN if the US advanced

Seriously though, other than Spain and Brazil, every team in this tourny has been crap. The US got embarrassed twice and yet they still advanced with only 3 pts and a negative goal differential. Italy and Egypt were also pathetic today. Egypt was so stupid...came out with an attacking formation, when they were down 1-0 and they knew that Italy was down 3-0, Egypt started to play defensively in the 2nd half to preserve a 1-goal deficit

3rd world countries FTL.

I'm not going to say something stupid like "The US will get smashed"...I know that the US will come out very organized and they'll have a strict gameplan vs. Spain. That being said, Spain should squeek out a 1 or 2 goal victory.

Brazil will smash South Africa though...Brazil's wing play is RIDICULOUS. 2 or 3 goal victory for Brazil.

while i'm at it... i'll disagree again. I dont think Italy smashed the US by any means. They played an hour down a man... and their goals were NOT because they broke down the US defense... they were great strikes. 11 vs 11 that night... and I promise there would have been a different result. Italy had a horrible tournament. They would be NOTHING right now if they werent' awarded that point vs. USA in the world cup in group play. I think US plays Italy well. Italy is the San Antonio Spurs...

i'm sorry but i just dont see your logic here..."Italy would be NOTHING if they werent awarded that point vs the USA in the world cup in group play"...and i dont mean too sound like the lone, arrogant Italy supporter here but i hope your not implying that Italy didnt deserve that world cup 3 years ago...really? lucky?

the USA was the ONLY team Italy did not beat in WC '06, as matter of fact, Italy did not give up a single goal through the run of play too an opponent in the entire tournament. just an own goal in the US match, and Zidane's penalty early on in the final. the defensive performance that Cannavaro, Zambrotta, Grosso, and Buffon put on in that tournament was second too none, and the reason why Canna won the European Player of the Year in 2006, and Buffon finished in second i believe.

they answered the bell every time they were called into question in '06, they out played and out coached every opponent they faced. as a matter of fact, had Christian Zaccardo not made that dreadfull clearance/own goal in the match vs the USA, you would not even have a leg too stand on in this argument. "awarded that point"?? i think not.

Italy outclassed the Czechs, Ghana, and the Ukraine. persevered vs USA and Australia in their tough matches, they survived and advanced vs Germany in the semi-final, and they went on to beat France on Pks in the final...like it or not Italy are the 4 time world champions and they deserved every bit of credit they received.

with that said i hope the USA goes on to beat Spain.

although your pretty stats are GREAT.... having 4 points vs. 6 points at that stage in group play DEFINITELY changes the way the group plays out in the 3 game. Regardless of how the goal went in, we can all agree that a goal is a goal... and they're all appreciated, especially on the world stage. The ONLY reason italy got that point was because of a HORRIBLE refs decision in the 90th minute? C'mon now.

Italy did have a good team and their defense was very solid. I am a huge fan of canavarro. EVERY team needs to be lucky at one point in a tournament of that magnitude. (look at Barcas luck vs. Chelsea just a few weeks ago) But to say Italy wasn't gifted that point is naive.

Man, what the hell are you smoking? What horrible refs decision in the 90th minute? Italy scored first in that match in the 1st half. Lets also not forget that the ref's first red card in that match was awarded to an Italian player early in the match. I dont see how the US deserved to win a match they never had the lead in.

Lets not forget that the Czechs beat you guys quite badly in the 1st match and in the 3rd match Ghana won as well. And the funny thing is you say "Italy would be nothing if they werent awarded that point in the U.S. match". What a ludicrous comment to make. Italy beat the Czechs and Ghanians convincingly and would've won the group regardless of the outcome in the U.S. match due to a superior goal differential (compared to 2nd place Ghana).

I do not understand why some U.S. soccer fans here can not ever graciously accept defeat. Face it, the US men's team is not that good. Period. When the time comes and the U.S. team reaches the level of other powerhouses, I'll be the first one to admit it and give them credit. Right now the U.S. is clearly outside top 10 in the world and are in a grey zone with other average national teams. They got extremelly lucky to advance out of their Confederations Cup group despite being badly beaten twice and having one good showing vs. a crappy Egypt team. I'm not discrediting the U.S. simply because it is the U.S. If Italy had advanced despite losing 2 matches or Egypt advanced despite 2 losses in which they conceded 7-goals, I would've been critical of them as well.

Lets face it, we shouldn't even have a semi-final. Spain and Brazil have been above and beyond the other 6 teams in this tourny and they both deserve to be finalists.

I think he was talking bout Italy-Australia but \

My stats are pretty? not as pretty as that 4th star on the Italy shirt...

and what point were Italy gifted in the 90th minute? in the match against the USA? as Tevez said, how can the USA be expected to win a game in which they neverled?

are you referring to the round of 16 match vs Australia? when the Australian defender decided to go in for a two-footed challenge, in the box against Grosso inthe 94th minute? that was a clear penalty and a HORRENDOUS play by the Australian...and even so there was no point on the line in that match, it was a knockout round, and Italy won because of that terrible defensive play.

its very simple, in '06 Italy did not give up goals and they won their matches, period. i dont see why people are so angry about WC '06, its over anddone with and Italy won and its not going to change. they deserved that cup and are the rightful reigning world champions.

and once again i will say, i hope the USA goes on to beat Spain and every other match they play....except when they play Italy