The World Cup thread!

[Spurologist]

More point now and we beat you guys 4 years ago 3:1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Four years in Fooball is like following Vanilla Ice's career. Where is he now?

Poland over US = one hit wonder, ICE ICE baby

[MannyIsGod]

The US sucked in their first game, but otherwise I'm not too dissapointed with the effort. However, I am pretty pissed at Arena. What the man, play a forward or 2. He played way too defensivly most of the tournament. I think its time for a change there. He's been a good coach, but I think the time has come for a new approach.

[polandprzem]

No way Poland is better than US.

Well it's a fact now. Do not argue with the facts man

[Phenomanul]

IT's alright...but what I find annoying is the constant aire of superiority put off by Soccer Fans as if the game is too sophisticated for the average American to understand...

In fact, it's the least sophisticated game of them all. It's a bunch of dudes, trying to kick a ball.

Now if you want to argue that is it the purest ball related sport you might have a point...but still not one that justifies Soccer being more popular than our other pro sports...

Walking is the purest form of transportation...that doesn't mean it doesn't suck.

The superiority angle doesn't come from claiming soccer is a superior sport... it comes from the U.S. not wanting to do what the rest of the world does. Something along the lines of a 'we're better than that' at ude.

American's like sports that provide a consistent and constant adrenaline rush, either provided by incredible feats of athleticism and violent compe ion, or else by situations within the course of the game...

It's in this area that Soccer is not compe ive with basketball and football and arguably, even baseball.

And this is by design...American's redesigned Soccer to provide more of these moments, and the result is American Football.


Hockey is similar to Soccer in it's dearth of adrenaline filled moments created by athleticism and situations, but at least Hockey has lots of violence to compensate.

Americans love sports that are fed to them by our media... sports that the urban population can excel in (where most basketball stars come from - the inner city) and in the case of rural America football and baseball...

The media traditionally held back soccer broadcasts because they couldn't make enough money out of them... They suffered from a lack of sponsorships because the game was continual, had no breaks, and only had one intermission. Compare with Baseball, Football, and Basketball where millions of dollars are made off of commercials during 'time-outs'.... it's complicated and not as black and white as it would seem.

#1. I think it's more like...they go where the money is. Although nothing is keeping them from goung to Europe where there is substantial money in Soccer.

#2. They go where they envision themselves performing in a heroic situation athletically. And it's not Soccer.

$$$$ talks... but so does uncomfort; the thought of having to embrace different cultures... Americans simply don't like it. We'd rather other cultures embrace us... or our sports heroes 'ala Jordan. We export philosophies and markets but not sports stars.

Most U.S. stars like the Reggie Bushes, Shaqs, Kobes, the Lebrons, the A.I.s, T.O.s, <--- your typical super athletes live a life catered around them and the superfluous eccentricities provided by this country... some to the outlandish and unneccesary 'bling-bling' extent...

Notice how your Peyton Mannings, your Pete Sampras', even your Tiger Woods', and why not, Tim Duncan himself <--- whose games are predicated more on skill don't live by this precarious lifestyle... they're also not the most popular... (If Tiger where 'white' he would just be another Greg Norman, or another Jack Nicklaus -- but the mainstream sports audience would not be after his every move).

[velik_m]

Whottt's solutions for fixing US Soccer:


#6. Find the best athletes in the most politically unstable countries in the World, IE the Soccer countries(soccer is always the most popular Sport in these countries, guranteed)...Offer them full citizenship, college education for them and all their siblings, and a ton of $$$ to come play for Team USA in Soccer.

This one has a long track record of success by the way...particularly in the Olympics.

top Euro teams grab all the best talent in 3rd world countries. They have academies in Africa to train young players and snatch all the best as soon as posible.

[whottt]

The US sucked in their first game, but otherwise I'm not too dissapointed with the effort. However, I am pretty pissed at Arena. What the man, play a forward or 2. He played way too defensivly most of the tournament. I think its time for a change there. He's been a good coach, but I think the time has come for a new approach.

Hire a coach from a Soccer Country...

Argentina
Brazil
Germany


Not Al Bundy's understudy.

[whottt]

top Euro teams grab all the best talent in 3rd world countries. They have academies in Africa to train young players and snatch all the best as soon as posible.

How very American of them. S bags! How dare they get the sellouts(albeit talented ones) before us.

Adjustment to solution #6:

First carpet Bomb all the African Soccer Acdemies of Euopean countries in the name of Freedom, the war on terror and locating hidden WMD...

Then implement solution #6.

[Spurologist]

Whottt's solutions for fixing US Soccer:


#6. Find the best athletes in the most politically unstable countries in the World, IE the Soccer countries(soccer is always the most popular Sport in these countries, guranteed)...Offer them full citizenship, college education for them and all their siblings, and a ton of $$$ to come play for Team USA in Soccer.

This one has a long track record of success by the way...particularly in the Olympics.

That has worked brilliantly in Europe especially france

Zidane = Algeria
Veira = Senegal
Makelele = Congo
Thuram = Guadeloupe

The problem is the MLS is not very attractive

[MannyIsGod]

[Dre_7]

The US sucked in their first game, but otherwise I'm not too dissapointed with the effort. However, I am pretty pissed at Arena. What the man, play a forward or 2. He played way too defensivly most of the tournament. I think its time for a change there. He's been a good coach, but I think the time has come for a new approach.

I hate the 4-5-1. I think Arena sucks.

[resistanze]

I bet Freddy Adu is gonna play for Ghana now

[Spurologist]

Poland > USA

Didn't Poland lose to the US in European soil 1-0 this year.

[Spurologist]

I hate the 4-5-1. I think Arena sucks.

4-5-1 = Small Ball

IT

This post require pending input from AHF

[whottt]

Or we would just adopt the metric system like everybody else....

Mundane things like distances (miles vs. kilometers) or weight (lbs vs. kg) might not seem that different but when trying to reconcile those same units with pressures, energy, volumes, flux, etc... the U.S. system simply becomes innefficient.

You confuse laziness with superiority...

BTW, I agree on this one...the metric system makes a of a lot more sense and is an actual system and not some cluster mishmash.

This is laziness though...no one likes the inches and miles bull .

[polandprzem]

Didn't Poland lose to the US in European soil 1-0 this year.

You paind us so we agreed on that one. You wanted to be on the 5th place in FIFA rankings and win helped you with this.
Thanks guys

[rascal]

The US was bad. Only one true goal in 3 games. Most Americans don't care about the world cup anyways.

They don't deserve to go on. They were even bad at scoring goals coming into the tournament. I'm happy they are out, now I won't have to keep hearing talk about upcoming United States games during other games.

[polandprzem]

The problem is the Europe hates USA, and you know why.
Thats why you have officiating like that
Simple

[polandprzem]

Hop[efully Gerryatrics is still with us (living ppl I mean), maybe he went to the drugstore to buy some Prosac

[whottt]

#7 See if David Robinson cares more about football than he did about basketball. He might make a decent goalie.

Drob could step on the court without a day of training, or caring, and still be a better goalie than the HEB Produce Manager we have out there now.

[Spurologist]

The US was bad. Only one true goal in 3 games. Most Americans don't care about the world cup anyways.

They don't deserve to go on. They were even bad at scoring goals coming into the tournament. I'm happy they are out, now I won't have to keep hearing talk about upcoming United States games during other games.

That's the kind of that will allow the US to be just a mediocre soccer nation.

[MoSpur]

The US doesn't deserve to move to the next round. They would have been killed in the next round. I am not pleased with their effort overall. I loved how they played against Italy, but that was the only game where I saw the US play to its potential. Other than that, they sucked. Plain and simple. A team that sucks doesn't deserve to go on.

[MoSpur]

I am not glad to see them out, but I hope the media doesn't overhype the US ever again.

[whottt]

That's the kind of that will allow the US to be just a mediocre soccer nation.

You do realize that being a mediocre Soccer Nation would be a step up don't you?

[Dre_7]

Drob could step on the court without a day of training, or caring, and still be a better goalie than the HEB Produce Manager we have out there now.

Keller is an excellent keeper.

[whottt]

Keller is an excellent keeper.

Frasier is a credit to Produce Managers everywhere...but that's about it.