Official World Cup 2010 thread

[Zeno]

US up 2-1 at halftime with 2 goals by Buddle. Findley blew a wide open chance with an empty net and Dempsey had his shot deflected by a good save. The US has had the better offensive chances even if the Aussies have controlled the midfield, it seems the US is content waiting patiently in the MF and then springing the quick counter as soon as the chance arises. Nobody has stood out as particularly poor to me so far, Clark has been quiet but in a good way--no glaring mistakes. The field looks terrible, changes need to be made just to make sure guys like Donovan and Dempsey don't get hurt playing on that crap.

Rode Kardinaal...I always enjoy watching the Dutch. Bergkamp is one of my favorite players ever. The Spanish, Dutch, Argies and Brazilians are the most entertaining teams in the world IMO. I just read a great write up in the Washington Post on the Ajax Academy, no wonder they keep producing such great players for such a small nation.

 

[Milgod]

Should have had another there. Findley hitting the bar before Dempsey heading in (well it was a bit more pinball than that). Ruled offside though which on reply wasn't really fair.

 

[Zeno]

3-1 final, Herculez Gomez finishes it off with a nice goal.

The second half was really sloppy. US had some chances--Findley should have had at least one, defense got sloppy, spraying balls everywhere (straight up a lot rather than forward or out) and Hahnemann didn't look too sharp.

ESPN cameras were sloppy too, but part of that I blame on them playing in a crap arena without proper camera pits or anything...at least I hope that is what it was.

 

[Lorenzo]

3-1 final, Herculez Gomez finishes it off with a nice goal.

The second half was really sloppy. US had some chances--Findley should have had at least one, defense got sloppy, spraying balls everywhere (straight up a lot rather than forward or out) and Hahnemann didn't look too sharp.

ESPN cameras were sloppy too, but part of that I blame on them playing in a crap arena without proper camera pits or anything...at least I hope that is what it was.

yeah the pitch was horrid. at the beginning of the telecast I did hear them mention australia's complaints. that complex was terrible. it was like a USA high school setup. did you see that ball that gomez tried to play into findley? I'm surprised bradley didn't use his subs to get all of his A guys out of there. the USA should have had 5 or 6 goals. you have to finish those gimmie opportunites come WC time. overall it was a sloppy game in the center of the pitch.

 

[Lorenzo]

It looks like i'm the only dutchman here, so time for me to get the orange vibe going a bit.

Qualification was relatively simple for a change, friendlies so far have been pretty good. A 2-1 victory over worldcupper Mexico, where the first half was ok, the second half not so. And a 4-1 victory over worldcupper Ghana, with a pretty good showing all around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLVCkYi_Nx4 (Mexico)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvXepcWU4NI (Ghana)

(Sorry for the dutch commentary. For the true beauty of football (ok, maybe i'm exaggerating a bit), look at the combination that starts at about 1.04 in the Ghana game)

Our offense is pretty world class, with Van Persie and Robben up front, and Sneijder and possibly Van der Vaart (if the coach has the guts to play with 4 such attacking players) directly behind them. The controlling part of the midfield is pretty sweet as well, with Van Bommel and De Jong. Defense is our major problem though. It's already difficult to field 4 decent players, but the reserves are god awful.

Group stage should be doable, after that anything can happen. We've shown two years ago in the eurochampionships that we can beat the best (France 4-1, Italy 3-0), but that we can also be beaten pretty easily (Russia). My hope is that we've grown in the past two years, but it's difficult to predict of course.

Here's to seeing 'total football' again...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m5jbq3RCs8

the dutch were a disappointment to lose to russia in the euro after that start. but in retrospect france and italy appear to be on a massive decline in spite of their brilliant showing 4 years ago. You saw what Brazil did to italy a year ago as well in south africa. russia is a decent side though so no complete shame, but the dutch have to step up and win those tough games. No doubt they have the striking power and creativity in the midfield that is needed.

 

[Lorenzo]

3-1 final, Herculez Gomez finishes it off with a nice goal.

The second half was really sloppy. US had some chances--Findley should have had at least one, defense got sloppy, spraying balls everywhere (straight up a lot rather than forward or out) and Hahnemann didn't look too sharp.

ESPN cameras were sloppy too, but part of that I blame on them playing in a crap arena without proper camera pits or anything...at least I hope that is what it was.

man bob bradley's head has to be spinning right now. On the bright side his super subs up front are scoring goals at a high clip(and creating chances). Now you have to keep in perspective that this is against Turkey and Australia. On a down side there seems to be a lot of inconsistency. Sure injuries are to blame. a year ago the starting side looked set especially outside of the back 4...boy what a difference a year makes. Bob bradley has his hands full in putting together the right starting lineup because even now there appears to be a lot of questions at several positions.

why don't we break down the lineup?

 

[Milgod]

Australia and Turkey are as good as Slovenia and Algeria, probably better. There were things that could have gone better today but the fact that we got 3 goals and should have had double that was great news.

 

[Lorenzo]

Today's grades:

My man of the match: Buddle because he scored two goals very effeciently. Findley gets an honorable mention. If he would have finished just one goal(should have had at least 2) he would have been hands down the best player on the field. His pace created major problems for the socceroos. But findley was a hot mess out there. for all of that running around he had nothing to show for it because his last touch was terrible. If he cleans that up he might have a chance to be a difference maker. He had 2 gimmie goals and should have done much better with the ball at his foot on more than a handfull of opportunities.
Gomez(sub) another effecient goal. he and buddle were like the tortoise and the hair(alongside findley). I would like to see more of gomez with the first selection. the team needs another pure striker alongside jozy. He and buddle seem to have that ability to score when the small opportunity arises.

Dempsey: ok game..he gave up possession a lot...but that's his game sometimes. he almost had 2 goals(should have had at least one).
Donovan: ok game...has had better games.. On the bright side the USA seemed to create many scoring chances without donovan being on the creating end of every single one of them. did well setting up the last goal. he paired well with cherrundolo. I think bradley really needs to figure out where he wants donovan and dempsey.

Bradley: Ok game..up and down. not enough ball possession not holding the ball and creating enough opportunities for his other players. but did better than clark. maybe that's the problem...bradley looked like a different player when paired with torres.

Clark: no major mistakes....but he gives you nothing. he is disappearing against the likes of australia and turkey. you saw how bad he was ate up against the teams at the confed cup. Honestly he is the weak link of the midfield and I want to see torres or Edu taking his slot at all costs.

Cherrundolo: Awesome...best defender going into the WC and maybe the best overall performance of the game. he should be commended for the way he took back his spot from spector this quickly.

Goodson: Ok performance I think he has done well and provides a solid option moving forward...who was marking the player on the australia goal?

Demerit: reminds me of findley's game. he's like a rollercoaster out there. I don't know if I want to rely on him in the WC....but the USA doesn't have much of a choice unless they move spector inside which should be a option. I think spector is stable and has ball skills....i keep hearing he can play inside, but bradley must not think so.

*****: still looks questionable at best. I'm sure bradley is keen to go with him out of the gate. To me he looks like he might struggle out there and I don't know if he can stay on the field without getting beat.

Bocanegra: solid game today. it appears he is the stable option at the left back....and as the captain will get that nod.

Bornstein: Today I thought he played very well and appeared to bring some passion into the game that was lacking....i like his game and will be an option once he gains more experience...

Howard: Solid game...no chance on the goal. someone let their guy get away.

Hanneman: sloppy kind of like demerit and findley though had some bright spots on a couple of tough saves that could have been goals...let's just say I know he can play better.....good to see him get some mins though.

 

[Chaplin]

It looks like i'm the only dutchman here, so time for me to get the orange vibe going a bit.

Qualification was relatively simple for a change, friendlies so far have been pretty good. A 2-1 victory over worldcupper Mexico, where the first half was ok, the second half not so. And a 4-1 victory over worldcupper Ghana, with a pretty good showing all around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLVCkYi_Nx4 (Mexico)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvXepcWU4NI (Ghana)

(Sorry for the dutch commentary. For the true beauty of football (ok, maybe i'm exaggerating a bit), look at the combination that starts at about 1.04 in the Ghana game)

Our offense is pretty world class, with Van Persie and Robben up front, and Sneijder and possibly Van der Vaart (if the coach has the guts to play with 4 such attacking players) directly behind them. The controlling part of the midfield is pretty sweet as well, with Van Bommel and De Jong. Defense is our major problem though. It's already difficult to field 4 decent players, but the reserves are god awful.

Group stage should be doable, after that anything can happen. We've shown two years ago in the eurochampionships that we can beat the best (France 4-1, Italy 3-0), but that we can also be beaten pretty easily (Russia). My hope is that we've grown in the past two years, but it's difficult to predict of course.

Here's to seeing 'total football' again...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m5jbq3RCs8

The Dutch are one of my teams this year (I used to live in The Netherlands), and they are stacked with talent. Unfortunately, they tend to choke at the worst times. For a team that top-to-bottom has always had a lot of talent, to me they are one of the most disappointing national teams in the world.

 

[rode kardinaal]

Crap! Crap! Crap! Arjen Robben just hurt his hamstring in the final minutes of our last friendly (Hungary, 6-1 victory), and will not be traveling with the team to South Africa tomorrow. In stead he'll go to the hospital to check how serious it is. Doesn't look good.

Rode Kardinaal...I always enjoy watching the Dutch. Bergkamp is one of my favorite players ever. The Spanish, Dutch, Argies and Brazilians are the most entertaining teams in the world IMO. I just read a great write up in the Washington Post on the Ajax Academy, no wonder they keep producing such great players for such a small nation.

As much as i dislike them, i cannot have anything but respect for their academy. Is there a link to the article available online?

the dutch were a disappointment to lose to russia in the euro after that start. but in retrospect france and italy appear to be on a massive decline in spite of their brilliant showing 4 years ago. You saw what Brazil did to italy a year ago as well in south africa. russia is a decent side though so no complete shame, but the dutch have to step up and win those tough games. No doubt they have the striking power and creativity in the midfield that is needed.

It's the problem we'll always have. People here expect beauty over winning, even against the top teams. You can't win and play beautifully all the time, It's not realistic.

In tough games we have to forget beauty and just go for the win, no matter how ugly. But even the players themselves have to learn that mentality.

The Dutch are one of my teams this year (I used to live in The Netherlands), and they are stacked with talent. Unfortunately, they tend to choke at the worst times. For a team that top-to-bottom has always had a lot of talent, to me they are one of the most disappointing national teams in the world.

I agree somewhat. With all the talent in the past we should have won more. Then again, entertainment and pride are important as well. I know it sounds stupid, but winning without being great, It's just not in the hearts of people here.

Nice example. In 1974 we lost in the finals to the Germans, but with brilliant football (before my time but i've hard enouyh about it, up to the part when it almost gets annoying). The pride of that performance is still huge around here. 4 years later we came in 2nd again, even closer since we hit the post in the final minute of a tie game in regulation, but with godawful football. Ugly as hell. Nobody mentions that world cup. They always point to 1974 and 1998 as the best dutch performances on world cups.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

any place I can rewatch this? I missed it damn it.

 

[Stout]

I like Findley, but he needs to hone his skills at this level quite a bit more. He's a youngster, isn't he? He can be good for us going forward.

 

[Stout]

man bob bradley's head has to be spinning right now. On the bright side his super subs up front are scoring goals at a high clip(and creating chances). Now you have to keep in perspective that this is against Turkey and Australia. On a down side there seems to be a lot of inconsistency. Sure injuries are to blame. a year ago the starting side looked set especially outside of the back 4...boy what a difference a year makes. Bob bradley has his hands full in putting together the right starting lineup because even now there appears to be a lot of questions at several positions.

why don't we break down the lineup?

Turkey isn't a bad side, and Australia has always been decent, and they always have a solid defense.

 

[Dr. Jones]

The Aussies are projected to move on to the round of 16. I was really impressed with our performance.

Unfortunately, I think we will have to outscore teams because of our poor defense & midfield pressure. We should expect to give up a few goals that will be frustrating.

Gomez, Findley, Buddle, Altidore, Donovan, & Dempsey, need to play a ton of minutes and need to score a good amount of goals. Based on our group seeding and the overall bracket, I think we all could be pleasantly surprised with a round of 8 finish if the ball bounces our way.

Demeritt pissed me off for most of this game. And until Clark got a cramp in the 92nd minute, I couldn't even tell he was part of the game.

In the end.... This game encouraged me greatly. Buddle seems to have a knack of making enough space to get off a quality shot. And his cool-headed play on the initial goal showed me he had the stones to play on a big stage. Findley.... Not so much.

 

[Zeno]

As much as i dislike them, i cannot have anything but respect for their academy. Is there a link to the article available online?

Oops wasn't the Washington Post was New York Times here is a link...


http://www.ndtv.com/news/sports/talent-factory-helps-create-soccer-stars-starting-age-7-29513.php

 

[Zeno]

I like Findley, but he needs to hone his skills at this level quite a bit more. He's a youngster, isn't he? He can be good for us going forward.

yeah he is pretty young, around Holden & Davies age (they were all on the Olympic team together). His finishing has to improve though, he should have had 2 goals today...at least. He is from Phoenix, played at the best soccer club in the state as a youth--nice to see a local kid make an impact on the National team (last one was Pablo Mastroeni)

 

[Lorenzo]

Turkey isn't a bad side, and Australia has always been decent, and they always have a solid defense.

they aren't bad sides at all. I'm just saying they aren't england. I do think that england have some questions of their own, but they are still winning games of late. Hopefully the USA will continue their nact for ending streaking teams and upset england.

One thing I will say is the USA did a good job this go around of playing tougher opponents moving forward for the finals.

 

[Lorenzo]

Crap! Crap! Crap! Arjen Robben just hurt his hamstring in the final minutes of our last friendly (Hungary, 6-1 victory), and will not be traveling with the team to South Africa tomorrow. In stead he'll go to the hospital to check how serious it is. Doesn't look good.

As much as i dislike them, i cannot have anything but respect for their academy. Is there a link to the article available online?

It's the problem we'll always have. People here expect beauty over winning, even against the top teams. You can't win and play beautifully all the time, It's not realistic.

In tough games we have to forget beauty and just go for the win, no matter how ugly. But even the players themselves have to learn that mentality.

I agree somewhat. With all the talent in the past we should have won more. Then again, entertainment and pride are important as well. I know it sounds stupid, but winning without being great, It's just not in the hearts of people here.

Nice example. In 1974 we lost in the finals to the Germans, but with brilliant football (before my time but i've hard enouyh about it, up to the part when it almost gets annoying). The pride of that performance is still huge around here. 4 years later we came in 2nd again, even closer since we hit the post in the final minute of a tie game in regulation, but with godawful football. Ugly as hell. Nobody mentions that world cup. They always point to 1974 and 1998 as the best dutch performances on world cups.

That is a problem and I remember one of the players eluding to that after the USA friendly. I can't remember which one(i think it was van bommel). But something along the lines of the USA play a rubbish game, but they are effective at what they do and it's tough to play against. Of corse the mexicans have said this about the USA too. It doesn't have to be beautiful all the time. You are going to have bad games and you have to pull through. I remember watching argentina in 2002....they were amazing to watch and had amazing skill and talent, but they were losing games and didn't make it out of the group. and they were my pick to win it all. so that goes to show what can happen in the finals.

 

[Lorenzo]

I like Findley, but he needs to hone his skills at this level quite a bit more. He's a youngster, isn't he? He can be good for us going forward.

I think that's the catch 22 that bob bradley is looking at. Buddle and gomez are very much like jozy and they don't have the speed that findley has. If he puts findley by jozy you have a guy who stretches the pitch like davies did. findley's speed is a problem and he runs at people with confidence. the problem for bradley is his other two guys gomez and buddle are putting the ball in the net at a high rate. whereas findley creates a lot more chaos, but he's not scoring and finishing his opportunities. If findley can produce that final touch that davies has he will certainly have a future on the team.

 

[Chaplin]

I think that's the catch 22 that bob bradley is looking at. Buddle and gomez are very much like jozy and they don't have the speed that findley has. If he puts findley by jozy you have a guy who stretches the pitch like davies did. findley's speed is a problem and he runs at people with confidence. the problem for bradley is his other two guys gomez and buddle are putting the ball in the net at a high rate. whereas findley creates a lot more chaos, but he's not scoring and finishing his opportunities. If findley can produce that final touch that davies has he will certainly have a future on the team.

To me, Findley (and to a lesser extent Davies) are one-dimensional at this point. Having speed is great, but if you can't finish or set something up while at full speed, that speed does nothing except give the opposition something to worry about (which is IMO why they are put out there). Landon Donovan is a perfect example of what to do with speed, unfortunately, we don't have that in any of our other players.

However, in Buddle, Gomez and Dempsey, we have more technical players that can create space and play the ball at their feet. Yes, they don't necessarily have the speed, but a lot can be said for strength and on-ball skills. And of course, the ability to finish (which to me is where Jozy is lacking).

 

[rode kardinaal]

That is a problem and I remember one of the players eluding to that after the USA friendly. I can't remember which one(i think it was van bommel). But something along the lines of the USA play a rubbish game, but they are effective at what they do and it's tough to play against. Of corse the mexicans have said this about the USA too. It doesn't have to be beautiful all the time. You are going to have bad games and you have to pull through. I remember watching argentina in 2002....they were amazing to watch and had amazing skill and talent, but they were losing games and didn't make it out of the group. and they were my pick to win it all. so that goes to show what can happen in the finals.

True.

On the other hand, the will to show the world great football (yes, i'm calling it football ) is also what gives us an identity, what makes us stand out a little. Starting in the youth academies at 6 years old, it's one of the reasons a relatively small country can somehow constantly produce quality players.

But incorporating a little bit of the Germans or the Italians would be great. Then again, the combination is rare. The French had it not too long ago, the Brazilians have it every now and then (not this year though). The Argies have the players but not the coach.

By the way, little update. With the leaking of oil, the elections in Holland this coming wednesday, Joran van der Sloot's arrest in Chile, and an emergency landing and an almost crash of a Boeing on our national airport, the 8 o'clock news tonight opened with the news that Arjen Robben might make it after all, with a reporter standing outside of the hospital where Robben was examined today. Orange fever...

@Zero; thanks for the link. Haven't read it yet but will look at it later.

 

[Lorenzo]

To me, Findley (and to a lesser extent Davies) are one-dimensional at this point. Having speed is great, but if you can't finish or set something up while at full speed, that speed does nothing except give the opposition something to worry about (which is IMO why they are put out there). Landon Donovan is a perfect example of what to do with speed, unfortunately, we don't have that in any of our other players.

However, in Buddle, Gomez and Dempsey, we have more technical players that can create space and play the ball at their feet. Yes, they don't necessarily have the speed, but a lot can be said for strength and on-ball skills. And of course, the ability to finish (which to me is where Jozy is lacking).

I agree about findley...although davies has shown me much more than findley has in the big goals that he has scored or created with his pace. the goal in the azteca was awesome. but he still has work to do just to get back in the pool. i agree about the rest of the guys. although jozy does score goals when he puts the national shirt on....moreso than the other guys who haven't been there. outside of dempsey of corse.

 

[Lorenzo]

True.

On the other hand, the will to show the world great football (yes, i'm calling it football ) is also what gives us an identity, what makes us stand out a little. Starting in the youth academies at 6 years old, it's one of the reasons a relatively small country can somehow constantly produce quality players.

But incorporating a little bit of the Germans or the Italians would be great. Then again, the combination is rare. The French had it not too long ago, the Brazilians have it every now and then (not this year though). The Argies have the players but not the coach.

By the way, little update. With the leaking of oil, the elections in Holland this coming wednesday, Joran van der Sloot's arrest in Chile, and an emergency landing and an almost crash of a Boeing on our national airport, the 8 o'clock news tonight opened with the news that Arjen Robben might make it after all, with a reporter standing outside of the hospital where Robben was examined today. Orange fever...

@Zero; thanks for the link. Haven't read it yet but will look at it later.

on a side note I was watching eurotrip last night. i particularly enjoy the amsterdam segment. and you have a right to call it football. america is the only country that doesn't recognize the term. we have other things going on here.

 

[rode kardinaal]

That's the 'Johnny doesn't know' movie right? I'm from the Rotterdam area, and Rotterdam and Amsterdam, they don't really go along very well, if you know what i'm saying (one of many reasons for the intense rivalry between Ajax and Feyenoord). But even i have to admit that Amsterdam is a great place to visit. Especially the red light district by night, where the atmosphere is so surprisingly open and friendly, it becomes a tourist attraction above anything else.

Whatever happened to the cute redhead from that movie by the way? Never saw her in anything else.

EDIT: i just saw it was 'Scotty doesn't know', not Johnny. And the cute redhead was Michelle Trachtenberg. Nothing she has done since has been big over here.

 

[Shzm13]

any place I can rewatch this? I missed it damn it.

You're welcome