Posted on 06/21/2006 10:33:27 PM PDT by soccer_maniac
The U.S. national team goes into Thursday's Group E finale against Ghana (9:55 a.m. ET, ESPN) knowing that it must come up with a win to have any chance of moving to the Round of 16.
All four teams in Group E, including the USA, still have a chance to advance. The U.S. must beat a tough Ghana side to have any chance of moving to the knockout phase. Should Bruce Arena's team be able to secure three points against the Africans, whom they meet at 9:55 a.m. ET on ESPN, they will need Italy to beat the Czech Republic in a simultaneous match, which can be seen live on ESPN2. The U.S. is not mathematically eliminated with a Czech draw or win, but will need a big victory over Ghana to avoid being eliminated on goal difference.
(Excerpt) Read more at mlsnet.com ...
We are not the worst this time
# Team PL PTS Dif GF
32 Serbia/Mont 3 0 -8 2
31 Costa Rica 3 0 -6 3
30 Togo 2 0 -3 1
29 Japan 3 1 -5 2
28 TnT 3 1 -4 0
26 USA 3 1 -4 2
26 Iran 3 1 -4 2
25 S/Arabia 2 1 -4 2
24 Tunisia 2 1 -2 3
CONCACAF's first round: 1 win, 3 draws, 8 losses; scored 9 goals, conceded 22 goals -- only win against #26 Iran
Not a good tournament for the Slavs, Ukraine is the last hope:
Poland, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia all out.
Already on Wikipedia :-)
Poll's third game of the tournament saw Croatia take on Australia. The game ended 2-2, putting Australia through to the next round, but the story was far more than that. Poll sent off three players, including Dario Šimiæ, Brett Emerton, and Josip Šimuniæ. In Šimuniæ's case, Poll almost certainly made history, booking him three times. Having forgotten to send him off after his second yellow card, he did finally show him a red card in the second-half added time period.[1].
It remains to be seen whether Poll has jeopardised his chances of refeering again in this or any World
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Poll
The world cup of bad refs. That may be how this is remembered. So far we've had at least 4 badly refed games.
Newsweek on the US loss
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13282683/site/newsweek/
I fail to understand how anyone can continue to attack Ronaldo when there is a much more deserving target out on the pitch: The Referees.
I understand that the Referees have a tough job and I sure wouldn't want it, but I can count to two.
There should be a special contest for the most horrible referee in WC history. I nominate the ref who in 1982 disallowed a goal by France against Kuwait after a sheik came on the field.
Then there was the referee immortalized by Stoichkov of Bulgaria (sp?) after they lost in 1994: "God was on our side, but the referee was French!"
Must be using NBA refs.
They joked just now on the Norwegian post game show, that today we have seen one blind ref (Merk), and one who cannot count (Poll).
Sorry Gator, but Dallas has only themselves to blame for losing that series. The Refs screwed the Mavs, true, but you had Miami down in Game Three and the Mavs admitted they let up in the 4th quarter. Had they won Game Three it was all over.
That call at the end of OT in Game Five that put Wade on the line was an atrocity, I'll give you that.
I say Miami deserved the series, Dallas had their chances but they blew it, but still, it doesn't help the NBA to have the kind of inconsistency in how they call games.
I would have liked to see the one episode with the sheik. LOL.
As for the refs, well it is a tough job.
But, don't award a penalty unless you are absolutely sure. The Ghana penalty was a disgrace, and PingPong should have been booked. And, for goodness sake, learn how to count into single digits :-)
Team USA is used to seeing dubious PKs called against them, but usually it is in a qualifier in Central America with a third-rate ref scared for his life.
Merk blew it.
The US needs some people that can score a goal....
jeez.
Heck, Bruce has been instrumental in almost every job I have ever had in soccer. You see, I am an old man and have experience on my side.
He got me a nice job working with the South African Team where we made it to the show the last time.
I am not an instrumental coach, ie: hands on. I can not display how to do it with this body. I am sort of a head case and body coach now. It is my job to judge players on how to get peak performance and to judge when they will be there. Yes, they have a coach for that.
Shhhhhhhhhhhh. Keep this quiet and I can't really say anything. But I predicted the Donovan fiasco. I have never been a fan of pretty boy.
I was going to Germany for this trip but personal health problems in the family stood in the way. But I will say this. Donovan was going to play no matter what I said.
I said this in an earlier post but will give a short repeat that I didn't like the way Ben Olsen got into the game. On this I will be blunt. I think he sould have started all 3 games. Yes, completely biased here.
Coach Bill
Olson has one great asset. He takes the ball forward. God, what a comcept.
My analysis will be up tomorrow after I sleep on it.
Must say, that strike from Dempsey was pure class. Extremely powerful, keeper didn't even try.
This is the way I would have seated the teams for the "knockout" rounds. They were the following way:
1) Points
2) Finish in group (first tie breaker)
3) Goal differential (second tie breaker)
4) Goals scored (third tie breaker)
This way Brazil would have played Argentina in the semis while Germany would have played Portugal. This would make every game meaningful.
Group A
2 Germany 15 Australia
7 Netherlands 10 Ghana
3 Portugal 14 Korea
6 England 11 Sweden
Group B
1 Brazil 16 Ukraine
8 Ecuador 9 Spain
4 Argentina 13 Mexico
5 Italy 12 Switzerland
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