US soccer coach is psychic!!!

[Sean]

So how many of that team came through the American mollycoddling system and how many spent their formative footballing years in Europe Guin?

And let's see if you're still crowing after your next two games against Germany & Portugal...

[Guinevere]

I'm not crowing, I don't really care. I've watched a bit of the matches (in part because of this thread) and really don't find the sport all that interesting. The only thing that gives it some tension and excitement is the low scores, so they are almost always close. Yes, there were some cool shots - but if you want to watch a sport that requires speed, skill, and finding the right angle for a shot on a defended goal, give me lacrosse or ice hockey any day!

I did think the US looked relatively slow in the long runs up and down the field, and not so quick as other teams in the closer ball work. I can't imagine they can really compete with the top eschelon teams. But of course, any thing can happen, right?

[Big RR]

In other countries they manage to have 1st, 2nd, etc string teams so that everyone who wants to play can play but there is still a competitive spirit involved.
It's got nothing to do with preparing kids for the 'pros'. I was never going to be good enough to be a professional footballer yet I was able to play for the 2nd team all through 'high' school. We played ninety minute games with eleven players on each side and were restricted to three subs. We even had the offside rule!

It didn't exactly scar us for life...

Sean--don't get this wrong, allowing unlimited substitutions or not,.we always played to win when I was in high school (and I imagine that's still the case. We trained hard and we played hard, even though we didn't play by professional rules (if the 3 sub rule was in place then, it's a while ago). We learned the strategy and the rules of a game few of us had ever seen, and played it fairly well; I think that's even more the case now.

As for rule differences, I don't know why they are there. It may be to give more people a chance to play in a sport where fielding two or three teams would be impractical, but high school (and college) sports have different rules from the pros in the US for many reasons, so who knows. At first the unlimited substitution doesn't seem like a rule that is needed and/or makes a lot of sense, but I'd be interested to see where it came from and why it developed before I'd throw it out.

[Gob]

And yet, despite out mental rules and mollycoddling, which team won their opening World Cup match and has three points:
Australia? Nope.
England? Nope.
USA? Yep.

Ouch!!!

[dgs49]

Futball is part of the culture of many countries in the world, but based on its characteristics as an athletic exibition, it is a real snoozer. In no way is it comparable to basketball and although American Football is punctuated with a hundred breaks in the action during a given game, while it's in progress it is a hundred times more interesting than Futball.

I know several adults, some well into middle age, who still play Futball and basically none of them would ever pay to watch anyone else play.

The reason why no American Futball team will be competitive internationally for at least another couple generations is the counter-productive way we develop our top athletes (in almost all sports). They compete by either age group or school grade. It is positively perverse. The result is that for the truly elite players, rather than playing against their peers (who would significantly older than they are), they are playing against teams of inferiors, and only come up against someone who is equal to them maybe a couple times a year. In the rest of the world, the top players are playing in clubs and competing against people of the same skill level, regardless of age. Thus, they are able to develop their skills more quickly and extensively than if they are playing "Under 14" or HS JV, or some such thing.

Consider the development of the Williams' sisters in tennis. Their father completely rejected the American tennis community's competition paradigm, and had them playing against the players - men or women - who challenged them appropriately, so that they could progress at their own pace. I guess you might say it worked.

[Lord Jim]

I thought it was great to see the US team defeat Ghana...

I will be rooting for our team against Portugal on Sunday...

As an American, I always root for American teams in international competition, no matter how insignificant the contest may be...

I would root with equal gusto for The US Tiddly Winks Team...

ETA:

It's my understanding that should we prevail against the Portuguese on Sunday, that next we would have to face off with the Krauts...

Well, that doesn't seem like it should be all that tough...

Afterall, we've already beaten them twice....

[Big RR]

Afterall, we've already beaten them twice....

Well, not quite; then we had team members from other countries as well. And some, like the Russians who carried a lot of the burden (especially in the second game), are unlikely to play alongside us again.

[Sue U]

It was fun watching Uruguay beat England yesterday. Good match for teams with everything on the line, yet Suarez looked like he was just out there having a good time.

[Gob]

Suarez is probably one of the best players in the world right now. For such a tiny nation Uruguay is outstanding at international footy.

Best of luck USA.....

It's my understanding that should we prevail against the Portuguese on Sunday, that next we would have to face off with the Krauts...

Well, that doesn't seem like it should be all that tough...

Afterall, we've already beaten them twice....

Whillans was participating in the 1972 European Everest Expedition, attempting to climb Mount Everest's Southwest Face. The expedition had been plagued with several personality conflicts and the withdrawal of many climbers. While in camp, some of the other climbers overheard news that England had lost a soccer game to Germany. "It seems we have beaten you at your national sport", said a German. After a slight pause Whillans replied, "Aye, and we've beaten you at yours...twice."

[Lord Jim]

To be honest, if it had been up to me, I would have shit canned that Kraut coach of the US team after he made the remarks quoted in the OP...

Regardless of the situation, a coach is not supposed to trash talk his own team...

However, in retrospect, perhaps it was a strategy designed to inspire his team, (and make their opponents think they'd be easy pickings... )

[Gob]

But now to more important things....

England v Sri Lanka: Stuart Broad hat-trick puts hosts on top


Second Test, Headingley (day one)

Sri Lanka 257 v England 36-0


Stuart Broad took a hat-trick and Liam Plunkett Test-best figures as England bowled Sri Lanka out for 257 on the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley.

Vindicating Alastair Cook's decision to field first on winning the toss, England's bowlers swung the ball prodigiously, even in the sunshine.

The hosts could have bowled Sri Lanka out even more cheaply had they taken their chances - Kumar Sangakkara was let off on four occasions in making 79.

But when he became the first of Broad's three wickets in three balls - although the bowler was initially unaware of his feat - it sparked a collapse that saw the tourists lose their last five wickets for 29 runs.

[Lord Jim]

I would have thought it was pretty much impossible to come up with something less important than soccer...

I stand corrected...

[Sean]

...It's my understanding that should we prevail against the Portuguese on Sunday, that next we would have to face off with the Krauts...

Well, that doesn't seem like it should be all that tough...

Afterall, we've already beaten them twice....

Each team plays three group games Jim so your mob will play Germany no matter how many Ronaldo & Co score against them.

[Guinevere]

Australia and England, still pointless.

Y'all know what I mean

[Lord Jim]

Well, we should cut them a little slack Guin...

Afterall, they don't have the kind of tradition and love for the sport that we here in the US enjoy...

[Lord Jim]

I was sorry that the Ukrainian team didn't make the cut for the tournament; I'd have been very happy to root for them...

I see that at the moment Argentina is getting ready to take on Iran...

Go Argentines!

[Lord Jim]

Gee, who would one root for if the Iranians played the Russians?

I guess in that case a scoreless tie would be the best possible outcome...

[MajGenl.Meade]

Bloody Argies! Say what you like (and you will), the Iranians deserved much more than a defeat. They outplayed the Falkland Losers, defensively in the 1st half and all around in the 2nd. But then again... Messi... at least he kicked that ball and didn't use his hands like that mutton-dressed-as-lamb Dago Maracheater

[Guinevere]

I have several friends who are Persians, born in Iran who came to the US in the 70s (much like the family of the Iranian-American player on the Iranian team), who are huge Iranian soccer fans. I was hoping the team would win for them. It's not like the Argentinians are such solid world citizens themselves . . .

[Guinevere]

So how many of that team came through the American mollycoddling system and how many spent their formative footballing years in Europe Guin?

And let's see if you're still crowing after your next two games against Germany & Portugal...

They looked pretty good in the second half against Portugal. Shame about that last second extra time goal.

Bring on the Germans (not the "Krauts" - as a person of German descent I'm offended by that slur)!

Eta: thought it was interesting how loud the crowd was for The USA. I expected more sympathy for Portugal, but maybe given the colonial history of Brazil, not to much. My neighbor is married to a Brazilian lady and I could hear them cheering all throughout the game (another spectactular weather day - everyone's windows and doors are open).