Posted on 06/11/2006 7:33:41 PM PDT by Atlantic Bridge
Long unknown at home and ridiculed abroad, the United States isn't being written off in the soccer world anymore. But the Americans will need to pull together as team to get past their tough World Cup group.
A motorcade of police cars with flashing blue lights and a massive, unmarked FIFA bus has announced the arrival and often rapid departure of the US soccer team in Hamburg over the past week. But when the American players are on their own, it's a different story.
On Friday, star midfielder DaMarcus Beasley sat, blissfully anonymous, at a sidewalk café outside the Americans' well-guarded hotel in downtown Hamburg. A group night out by some of the team early in the week warranted only brief mention in the local paper.
The contrast is typical of the US soccer story. Individually, the players are unknowns, their limited impact on the top European leagues ensuring them the sort of privacy their opponents in their World Cup group matches can only dream of. But as a team, the US is slowly making the rest of the world sit up and take notice.
Their impressive showing at the last tournament in 2002, which began with a 3-2 win over Portugal and only ended with a defeat against Germany in the quarter-finals, raised eyebrows abroad. At home, it added to the profile of a sport that has struggled mightily for attention in a crowded field of spectator sports.
"We've gained some fans that didn't have anything to do with soccer and that's, obviously the hardest person to get," said Eddie Pope, one of the team's central defenders and a veteran of two World Cup campaigns. "I think before we weren't getting those guys at all."
(Excerpt) Read more at service.spiegel.de ...
Hard to say. Punters put the odds of the US team winning at 1:100, same as Australia which is ranked 42nd - they think the US's soccer level of play more at Australian levels.
We could, but we don't. The US team is ranked #5. The only teams in Europe that beat it are the Czech team and the Netherlands team. Yes, that means we are higher ranked than England, Germany, and Italy! We have an awesome team!
I could care less about what one gambling site has. I take far more stock in FIFA rankings. I don't think the US will win it all but I do think they will advance past the first round.
The US is 18-4-6 since World Cup qualifying started in mid 2004; that's nothing to sneeze at.
No offense intended, but FIFA rankings aren't taken seriously by any soccer fan. They're based on a variety of unbalanced methods, mainly on wins. The US team plays the vast majority of its games against other CONCACAF teams, most of which are pretty pathetic (Canada included, unfortunately). Italy, on the other hand, plays mostly against Europeans sides of far superior quality.
If the USA tops the group, it'll be the shock of the tournament's group stage, by far.
As for the Czechs, Milan Baros is certain to miss the opener, but they still have Nedved and Rosicky in midfield and Cech in goal. Those three are highly rated, and as an avid follower of Serie A, I know the magic Nedved can produce.
Of course, anything is possible, but semi-finals is a bit unrealistic for your team IMO.
whats soccer?
______________________________________________________
That's how I feel about it. I have been to some games here and abroad..and found the whole experience boring except for the people watching aspect.
And the US has advanced the last 3 world cups ranked far lower. I'd put semi finals chances low as well but its not out of the realm of possibility.
Guess we'll find out tomorrow how good the US is.
Not true. The reason we have a 1:80 chance (not 1:100 if I recall correctly) is because we are in the death group, group E. In our first round we face the #2 ranked team, the Czech Republic (though there is a runner up slot in the first round) and in the next round we have a chance of facing #1 ranked Brazil. Assuming that the Czech team or the Brazil team move forward (which is a good assumption), we will have to face at least one of them again.
The only thing wrong with soccer is that the field needs to be longer and wider.
Networks here are also slow to pick up soccer because there are no commercial timeouts like all of the other major sports.
A COMMUNIST PLOT!!!!
12 hours to go and I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The FIFA ranking probably is in direct dependency on the palm grease that is transfered to Sepp Blatters account in Switzerland...
Although I don't personally put much stock in pre-tourney friendlies (since Italy never takes them seriously), it was a bit of a shocker when Italy beat Germany 4-1 and then a few weeks later Germany beat the USA 4-1.
As for the rankings, here's a good article on why FIFA will be moving to a new ranking system:
WORLD CUP 2006: FIFA adapting new world rankings
US has 1:40 chance to win the world cup, vs 1:130 for Australia. That's with the US starting in a MUCH harder bracket and the possibility to face Brazil in round 2.
I'm hoping Italy v. Ghana tie to ensure that both teams lose points and neither builds up a large goal differential.
The collectivists socialists communists all adore soccer. Now it's going to be flung in my face for the next six weeks as this retarded world cup gets played out. It's the UN with kicking a ball and head butting. A 3rd world cesspool can beat a civilized industrial nation and live for years on the bragging rights. They won't care if they only have rice and beans to eat just so long as they whipped country X ten years ago in the world cup
I heard Blatter's being investigated now for bribery. Big surprise. He's a big bag of douche.
Don't forget CONCACAF includes Mexico. And we won the Gold cup last year. US mens soccer is greatly underrated not because of how we perform, but because of our history (and our 0-11 loss in a previous World Cup). Additionally, many of the men who play on our team play professionally in European leagues. The US team may do better than you think.
We have a great team. They'll never become celebrities in the way foreign football stars are icons in their homelands but they have talent. Its unfortunate they happen to be playing in what for most Americans, is the Rodney Dangerfield of team sports. And I say this as a lifelong World Cup fan.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.