U.S. reckon speed not size will be decisive

Reuters ^ | 06/19/02 | Misc

[What Is Ain't]

SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States reckon speed and positioning will make up for what they lack in size when they play Germany in Friday's quarter-final, coach Bruce Arena has said.

"We have to be good in a lot of areas to neutralise their physical quality," he told a news conference.

"We're not going to get any taller or any thicker overnight ... so we're going to have to make up for it with a little bit of quickness and some brains and some positioning of the ball."

Arena said the Germans were as big as any team in the World Cup, describing Miroslav Klose and Carsten Jancker as "a handful in front of the goal" and "a concern to us".

"Defenders will have to do a better job in dealing with those forwards and positioning ourselves the right way to fight for those crosses," he said.

Arena said he had made no decision on the line-up for Friday's match in Ulsan, South Korea.

Landon Donovan, whose two goals put him up with Brian McBride as the leading U.S. scorers in this World Cup, said the Americans had to concentrate on their own game.

"Something we're doing is going right, so we've got to keep doing the same and hope for the best," Donovan said.

[What Is Ain't]

A strategy develops.

[mad_as_he$$]

1. One of the reasons I am here is because this site is not full of DA jocks.

2. Soccer is for pussies.

3. If you want to talk about sports at least pick one everybody gives a crap about.

[tonycavanagh]

re : 2. Soccer is for pussies.

If you pardon my French but you are talking complete and utter Bollox.

The good old Brit sport of footy is s bloody hard game, 45 mins each weay and if the pitch is wet and muddy so much the better.

Cheers Tony

[BrooklynGOP]

2. Soccer is for pussies.

Lay off the bottle for a bit.

[Argus]

From the headline, I thought this was about our projected invasion of Iraq.

[Delbert]

that is exactly what i thought!

[milestogo]

So size doesn't matter?

[ctonious]

The fascinating thing about the World Cup is the implicit foreign policy being played out - having very little to do with the game itself. All these other nations put their ENTIRE national ego into the game - and feel their soccer team represents everything they stand for and their national history. So when Team A beats Team B - you hear these announcers say crazy-ass crap like - "Well, that just goes to show the injustice of all the tarrifs that country B put on A's toe cheese exports - and boy did they spank'em for it."

So in that light, I imagine the entire world would be absolutely apoplectic to see us win, we who don't give a flying whit about the game or the whole international alternate UN carnival they've made it.

[Tom Bombadil]

Soccer is one very rough sport.

[demlosers]

The fascinating thing about the World Cup is the implicit foreign policy being played out - having very little to do with the game itself. All these other nations put their ENTIRE national ego into the game - and feel their soccer team represents everything they stand for and their national history....

This is the reason why I like the U.S. to win it all. If we lose, our lives goes on, while many in the rest of the world go into a depressing stupor. Maybe then they will realize soccer is not everything and get a life.

[zoyd]

2. Soccer is for pussies.

3. If you want to talk about sports at least pick one everybody gives a crap about.

Geez. I'm not the biggest soccer fan, but I really don't understand what would motivate ANYONE to say such things. So you don't like soccer. Great. I'm sure there's some monster trucks on another channel you can watch. As for 'pick one that everybody gives a crap about,' what is that? Worldwide, soccer is much more popular than any US sport.

Again, I'm not the biggest soccer fan, but getting hostile about the sport itself is just silly. How do you react to gymnastics during the Olympics? Do you shoot your TV?

[knighthawk]

Yes, I clearly remember the Dutch natinal team beating the Germans in 1988 (the Dutch became European Champion that year). The whole nation wa anti-Germany all of the sudden.

But the Germans took revenge:

Ihr sind nicht dabei

(You are not present, at the worldcup)

Some great games (Oranje shoot is very good) and jokes! Tell mrs. Yehuda to look at it! Hup Holland Hup!

[knighthawk]

PS: My grandma wants her bicycle back from the Germans!

[mad_as_he$$]

I only shoot the TV if it is men's gymnastics.... I especially like the continued pussification of young boys by the soccer world. In my world you don't get graded just cause you showed up! You have to actually do something! Hostile goes to there are plenty of other places to post sports stuff.

[j_accuse]

1. One of the reasons I am here is because this site is not full of DA jocks. 2. Soccer is for pussies.

And holding a football under another guy's balls is supposed to be manly?

[mad_as_he$$]

You A$$ume to much I never said football was a more manly sport - although it is. I played both in school. Soccer has been corrupted by the estrogen purveyors and does this country more harm than Mr. Rogers in his pussy sweater. This country is badly in need of men. Just ask the muslims why they think they can kick our a$$.

[capitan_refugio]

"speed not size will be decisive"

The British used this strategy in building their navy prior to World War I. They almost lost at Jutland because of it.