Posted on 06/17/2006 8:05:31 AM PDT by soccer_maniac
The U.S. national team faces a must-win situation Saturday against Italy (2:30 p.m. ET, ABC). The U.S. lineup could see some changes, including adding Eddie Johnson. Czech Republic and Ghana play earlier in the day (11:30 a.m., ABC), while Portugal advanced by beating Iran 2-0.
(Excerpt) Read more at mlsnet.com ...
It happened with Ireland and Holland in 1990. Holland scored early, Ireland equalized with about 15 minutes to go. For the last five or ten minutes, both teams just started passing the ball around their midfields and defenses, not putting the other side under pressure in their own halves, as the 1-1 draw was enough for both to go through.
I think you are right.
Where in the world, did I get the whole thing about the Trafalgar Square start. I am pretty darned certain I heard that on Sky News.
Must have been wrong then..
Ahhh..
Just checked it out.
That is for the 2007 edition. My bad. Hopefully your pinglist is back then, and London is still standing.
Cheers.
I know the rules, I've seen the replay a half dozen times. The refs were awful on MANY calls--both ways. There were several offsides calls on the Italians that shouldn't have been and a few times the US player fouled Italy that wasn't called. The ref was plain awful all around, including his trigger happy yellow & red cards. The head ref for this game should be canned, period.
The specific purpose of FIFA making the third matches simultaneous was to prevent teams from throwing them. In this case, having them at the same time does not prevent that, and thus there is a good case to be made for delaying the US-Ghana game.
If FIFA refuses to delay the US-Ghana game, then the US strategy has to be this: don't take the lead until late in the game. Risky, but we have no choice, given that the ITA-CZE match is simultaneous.
-A8
Soccer is far more physically & intellectually demanding than the other popular American sports. I played all of them growing up through varsity, club, and AAU basketball and was very good at all but baseball. Basketball is still my favorite game but you have to be in far better shape for soccer and be far smarter.
Sweden and Denmark two years ago in the Euro Championships.
If it makes you happy.
Italy was the victim if the Scandinavian cameradery :-)
The entire point of sports is the challenge, and how one responds to it (individually and collectively), not necessarily winning. Good Gentlemen learn how to lose gracefully, as it is a fact of life. So many these days want the glory without the concomitant responsibility, because they, simply, can get it.
While one can make a case for professionals (ad hoc) diving and flopping, there is still, within all of sports, the underlying Ethos, which is the lynchpin of why normal folks view the players and the games.
No,
Make the draws for the playoffs AFTER the group stages.
Problem solved.
So you know the rules but you don't understand a delayed offside?
The player was ineligible on the play for being offsides originally.
He could not play himself back onside.
If the passer shot the ball, the offside rule would have allowed a goal if made.
Once the pass was made to the offside player the play was dead.
I have no idea why that escapes you.
And there were three players on Ghana involved. The only one onside was the player with the ball. He should have taken it himself.
But why cry now? They got the result of the tournament.
I'm not pretending it doesn't happen, but why should the US and Ghana, and not the Czechs, get the advantage of knowing what result they need?
90% of the planet is missing a creative striker with finish.
Also, I have yet to see a soccer player benchpress 200 pounds. In the NFL, there are players that are faster than those soccer players and have more endurance than those soccer players (Who by the way, can endure alot since they don't take any hits). There's a reason why the best quarterbacks that have ever played graduated from schools like Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State, Miami of Florida, Tennesee and USC. If you're not smart enough to graduate from those programs, you're probably not smart enough to play football.
The US did not back off at the end of the game.
They had 9 men for heaven's sake.
The did not have "the horses" on the pitch. They were down 2 men!
Really, have a clue. You obviously were never a player.
I think these sport on sport comparisons are silly.
They are both great sports.
And, if you would know a thing about physiology, you would know how incredibly specific training is.
Soccer players are ideally suited for soccer. A linebacker is ideally suited to be a linebacker.
And my dad is bigger than your dad ;-P
My friend, not only do you know the rules, you cited the play perfectly on why the red card should not have shown.
Bravo!
And now a toast of Chardonay to Team USA!
I am so proud of them today. So very very proud!
There are already plans for the 2007 TDF? Very interesting... I didn't know that.
Well, starting Le Tour on 7/7 in Trafalgar Square is certainly a nice tribute to the 7/7 victims. And I hope and pray that beautiful London stands for a very long time.
I'm still mulling over whether or not to do the TDF list this year... it depends on how much time I'll have overall during July.
He can add in his mother, his dog and pet bird.
I agree with you, that whole family is blind, deaf and dumb.
The call was bad and expect that ref to be shown the door.
You should be!
What I saw tonight was one of the most gutsy performances I have ever seen.
Cheers.
Please try to do it.
If you want some help, I could try to step in when you are gone.
You made it such a please to follow the tour last year!
BTW: To follow the spirit of this thread, I'll conclude by stating that Lance Armstrong would get crushed by Mike Tyson, who could out bench press OJ. Simpson, but Beckham would hit him with a soccer ball ;-)
Here's why. When two teams play each other, and they can both advance if they collaborate, then it is to their advantage to do so. This is just basic game theory. That is the case for ITA and CZE. But it is not the case for the US-Ghana game. In the US-Ghana match, either the US can help Ghana, OR [exclusive or] Ghana can help the US. But they cannot collaborate for mutual advantage.
If the US and Ghana know that CZE wins, or ITA wins, or CZE-ITA draws, this gives no incentive to mutual collusion. But if the CZE and ITA know that US wins or draws, this gives an incentive to mutual collusion. Thus there is a good reason to put the US-Ghana game after the ITA-CZE game, and not the other way around.
-A8
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