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 ...
I decided on wine tonight. Hoist one of your choice as I've encouraged everyone to do for Team USA's great effort!
Time for toast/glass number two.
Or six?
*hick*
LOL you got that right! Amazing how fast Italy became our best friends isn't it?
BTW:
I am off, but don't take soccer boy as an insult
That is insulting.
Cheers.
Just a bit off-topic, how is the Norwegian soccer doing these days? I remember they were very good in the 1990s when they were almost like the second England team (most of them played in the English leagues long before everyone on earth became emaoutred with the English Premiership) but it seems they have sunk recently.
>>FIFA needs to do something about all of the playacting and rolling around on the ground in soccer.
Cannavaro was horrible in this respect--he did it twice to stop a US attack and was the most cynical user of the 'magic spray-can'.
I watch a fair amount of footie and it is one of the main reasons I don't watch Serie A.
sorry about that no offense meant. Just saw no mention of hockey and added my 0.02..
Go Oilers
sorry about that no offense meant. Just saw no mention of hockey and added my 0.02..
Go Oilers
Group matches always produce strange bedfellows as the tournament progresses.
But I've been an Italy supporter for a long time. I attended every Italy game in the 94 World Cup including the final. Today I wanted respect badly for the US.
I love the game and it was important that the US do well. Was outside and saw an owner sitting outside his Greek restaurant. He saw the game and understood exactly my feeling. His partner agreed that it was improtant for the US to play well today to regain respect.
They both saw how fired up I was after the game. They asked me to sit down for a drink but after a few minutes and imparting the disgrace of this ref and his previous suspension, they agreed that FIFA certainly should have been able to find refs without such baggage for the biggest stage.
Nuff said. I'm still buzzing on this one.
"The ABC announcers were more concerned with the Italian coaches investigation - they must've mentioned that 4 times (or more) during the match. It's almost like they have tried to adapt the NBA or NFL model of announcing for soccer: lots of figures and stats during stopped play don't work well with soccer(these really bugged me during the matches today)."
I agree. Who the heck cares about the Italian investigation? and why were they so infatuated by that?
They sound like the Inquirer or something.
They were dead on about the refs, though
Wow! 790 posts and I wasn't even online most of the day.
It was a great match, homey - you were posting US flag graphics most of the time.
;-)
At least I admit it. Yes, I made a mistake.
On soccer experience, I would match you. Have you coached 4 college teams? I have. And, Ben Olsen is one of our grads.
But you got me on this one. I thought both players that were on sides at the same time were eligable. After a few phone calls I was shot down by my fellow college coaches.
Opps.
Hey brother, I was just pointing out the possible continuation of play on the offsides.
Before four knee surgeries I was once the future of soccer in the US. In New York my claim to fame is being mistaken as Brazilian by a Brazilian when I was 13.
You can't match my experience. I can't match yours. :)
I salute you and your work with Ben Olsen. Congratulations for him being on Team USA.
(I was just going by my view of the Ghana play. Perhaps I'm at an advantage. I'm watching on a 106" HD screen.)
Maybe one day I'll coach. How I miss the game. The Lord said live fast, get lots of goals and that's it.
God Bless and congrats again on the work with Ben.
Listen, I enjoy a playoff game and the Super Bowl as much as anyone.
But please take your football, your 300 pound plus steroid lineman and your human growth hormones to another thread.
Thanks so much.
In all fairness to this thread:
American football is about brute force, speed, and hitting lines (and ball carriers). A defense, once it stops the progress of an offense, leaves the field.
Soccer is a more "diplomatic", not-as-much-contact sport in which two slowly moving sides do not get the benefit of a deadball count, as action is rarely halted.
It's like comparing the physical fitness of bears versus cougars. Both survive, and both thrive.
And, for the record, I love them both.
Soccer or real football my friend is both an art and a chess game.
American football was started by some Ivy League nerds who couldn't master that and picked up the ball and started running wih the ball.
And that's a fact jack.
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