Posted on 06/26/2014 7:23:27 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
Can two defensively suspect teams settle on a needed draw? If Team USA and Germany simply equal each other’s goal tallies, both sides will go through to the knockout rounds. In most cases, it would be expected that the two sides should line up in highly defensive formations and show little adventure, committing only the minimum number of men to any attack. If both sides play defensively, the draw will come regardless of any conspiracy.
The problem is, neither side is built to play the sort of boring, unadventurous soccer such a fixture requires. American fans are well aware of the struggles of Team USA to secure a back line, and Jurgen Klinsmann has settled on a system which uses two deep-lying and mostly defensive midfielders in Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman to protect that back four.
Similarly, Germany is not the Germany of soccer legend, solid and hard-working and just good enough on set pieces to score one more goal than its opponent. Instead, under Jogi Loew Germany has been transformed into one of the most innovative and exciting attacking teams in the world. Playing a 4-3-3 without any true forward, the German system arguably includes either two or three false nines. As Mario Götze, Mesut Özil or Thomas Mueller drops out of the forward position and drags a defender out of position with him, one of the others or a midfielder like Sami Khedira will see the space that opens up and make a run toward the danger zone. These runs have produced many big chances already in the tournament, and the Germans have averaged three goals per match.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
It is currently a 4 goal difference with Portugal. If they beat Ghana 3-0 and we lose 2-0, then we go to another tiebreaker: goals scored. Portugal would have 5 goals scored against our 4. We need to score a goal and hope that Ghana takes one back.
We’ll see. I doubt there will be more than one goal scored in our game. Bad conditions and no real incentive for either team to take chances. If Germany wins 1-0, then Portugal still has to win by four goals.
I mean, what leftist doesn't instinctively do that, and have all that stuff in his closet?
“The fact that soccer is a leftist plot should be spread far and wide.”
Plot to do what exactly?
Soccer fans dress weirdly. Not like American football fans.
Shaky start, but they settled down. Germany controls the ball, though, which is disconcerting.
Agree somewhat. The first 20 minutes of the second half of both games will tell the story as to how the remaining 25 minutes will be played. An early goal by Portugal and Germany in the second half could make things very interesting.
Yeah, if the goal differential closes to 2 that quickly, then there will be a bit of a pucker factor setting in for the US.
USA had 289 total touches on the ball in the first half. Just 49 touches were in the attacking third!
Don’t know if the strategy is just to park the bus, but otherwise that is a concerning stat.
The US has a hard time possessing the ball at this level.
Indeed.
1-0 Germany inevitable
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!
Germany
1-0.
GHANA 1 1 PORTUGAL
SUUUUUKS!
Great Ghana just scored.
This is going to be drama, even with all of soccer’s faults, the drama, if one can detach themselves some, the drama is curious.
Bad Calls, Villains, Heroes and so on.
I got no hair left! Nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room filled with rocking chairs.
We have a GD with Ghana of +2.
It is only +1 by now.
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