Day 6 Thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1649111/posts
Day 5 Thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1648432/posts
Day 4 Thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1647758/posts
Day 3 Thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1647284/posts
Day 2 Thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1646776/posts
Day 1 Thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1646240/posts
Another great day. I salute my friends here who will be embracing this day with joy.
Today T&T will embrace the English and Wayne's minutes against them with aplomb.
They may even applaud if he gets a goal.
What great sportsmanship they have.
Arena is Italy fan: see link from my favorite English Language Calcio site:
http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/jun15f.html
The Clean Sheet: It's not the endHas everyone settled down now?
The loss to the Czech Republic did not set soccer in the USA back 20 years. It did not waste years of building the sport. It does not mean the MLS and U.S. Soccer offices will be closed as of July 10.
Two good teams met in a World Cup opener; one of them played very well and the other didn't show up. That the good team who played well hammered the good team that didn't play well should come as no shock. Pretty simple math.
So why is everyone going nuts?
Here's my take: if the U.S. had played really well, or even OK, and lost 3-0, then it would really be time to examine how far soccer has come in this country. If our boys were buzzing around the pitch and playing smart, enterprising soccer and still got spanked, then we would have some problems.
But guess what? Even good teams just stink it up sometimes. And that's what happened.
I said it before the tournament in this column and I will say it again: I expected the USA to get spanked by the Czechs and then beat both Italy and Ghana. I still stand by that prediction.
Yes, Monday was a perfect storm, as the coaching and pretty much every player were terrible. The Bruce put it best when he told his team not to get beaten twice by the Czechs, to leave this disaster in the rear view mirror.
You want to put blame somewhere, you better spread it around. But remember: you don't become a dumb coach in one game (except for Grady Little when he was leading the Boston Red Sox) and you don't become a bad player in one game either.
The Bruce clearly did not have his team ready to play, and I am talking about mentally more so than tactically. No idea if these guys were too arrogant and expected to win, or overtaken by nerves, but from the outset they were completely unsettled and got punished. But this just in: Arena is still a pretty strong manager.
And, yes, his soldiers didn't do him any favors either.
Kasey Keller didn't come up with that one goal-saving stop that he seems to in big wins, and his poor decision to quickly distribute the ball five minutes in when the Americans were under siege directly led to the goal that unraveled the team. He's played enough games to know he needs to take a breath and settle the team down there. But he is still one of the better 'keepers in the world.
As for the field players, they simply forgot one of the things they are good at, even attempting to take the game to another team. Yes, Landon Donovan was MIA for the most part, but at least I can remember that one enterprising run he had that led to a Czech booking. A little soon to write him off as a player, isn't it?
His partner in crime, DaMarcus Beasley, played like he was allergic to going forward, but his worst decision of the day was complaining about The Bruce's tactics after the match, which could put him firmly on the bench against Italy. If anything he should be thanking Arena, as I was screaming at the TV when I saw Beasley still on the field after the interval. But while DMB has not been on good form for some time, the guy is not a bum; there is still some talent in that wispy little body somewhere.
We could keep going, but why? The team played awful, they are not an awful team. Recognize the difference.
They came out flat or scared or both, turned the ball over and gave up a good goal to a striker more imposing than my mother-in-law. Then Claudio Reyna comes within literally an inch or two of tying the match - which obviously would have altered the entire flow of the match. Unlucky.
Then the Czechs score again and the game is over. You can blame Gooch all you want I guess for heading the ball back in the middle, but Rosicky's goal was just a bomb. Sometimes you just have to shake your head and say, "Well done." Or "this ball stinks," if you are Keller.
The team will regroup. Eddie Johnson showed some flashes of being Eddie Johnson for the first time in ages. We all know if the U.S. decides to run at players, they will be fine.
Against Italy, Ghana had some joy when they ran at Italy's backline, finding pockets in between the midfield and defense to attack. They didn't have the ability to convert, the U.S. does. The Americans can bring some speed and some flare in attack, and if they actually do so Saturday, the Italy game could be entertaining and successful. Yes, I know the Italians love to get attacked, have their vaunted defense hold, and then win matches on the counter.
But this is not one of those storied Italian sides. Don't let the jerseys intimidate you. This team is very beatable. By the USA. Yes, despite the "embarrassing" performance, as Donovan put it, the U.S. has the horses to win the race. They just need to show up to the gate this time.
So everyone please just calm down a little.
COME ON ENGLAND!!!!
Three lions on the chest......Jules Rimet still gleaming.....
England and Sweden are my picks today. Hope they do well and Rooney is not coming back too soon.